What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to.
Nick Santangelo - I finally got around to playing The Behemoth’s BattleBlock Theater this week, and I’m questioning why I didn’t force myself to find time for it sooner. The levels through three chapters are short on length but high on fun factor. I’m not the type who ever feels the need to attempt to hunt down as many collectibles as possible, and yet I find myself going to extra mile to get my hands on as many gems (only three are needed to complete each level, but each level has extras) and balls of yarn as possible in BattleBlock Theater. I’m not sure why I need to have them, but I know that I do. Sometimes the game’s humor falls flat due to the vignettes between chapters dragging on for far too long, but the writing hits more than it misses. And I haven’t seen it get a lot of mention, but the score is fantastic.
Shawn Ryan - After holding out for a month, I played Bioshock Infinite with the free time I had this week. Awesome game. It is a little more shooter heavy than I was expecting, but it may just seem that way because I decided to start on 1999 mode. I beat it last night, and the ending… woah. Easily became a Game of the Year candidate, right next to Tomb Raider.
Scott Baker - In a dramatic irony fit for a Greek tragedy, my Xbox red-ringed the night before my last final of the semester. I was saving Bioshock Infinte, too. Luckily, I got it repaired and plan to dive into it this coming week. Instead, I spent some quality time with Journey and reflected on the hidden story of its serene world. That game reminds me of those perfect movies you can watch over and over again. Each time I play it, I feel something new.
Ryan Thompson - Played a bunch of Geometry Wars 2 this weekend, but not much else — it’s finals week, as I’m sure many of you are aware, and I’m busy writing term papers for the next week.
Christine Mitchell – Didn’t get much time for gaming this week but I picked up Far Cry 3 yesterday and I’m liking what I’ve seen. Looking forward to Blood Dragon now.
Chris Leggett - I’ve got a bunch of games competing for my limited time at the moment, but the one that tends to win out is Peace Walker from the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. I found it difficult to get into at first; it really felt like a watered-down handheld game at first, particularly playing it immediately after Metal Gear Solid 3. But the further I got into it, the deeper and more interesting I realized it was. I’ve also had a lot of fun with Injustice: Gods Among Us lately, and I might try my hand at the online competitive component later today if I get a chance.
Your turn.
What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to.
Nick Santangelo - I didn’t get too much gaming in this week, but I continued chipping away at Saint’s Row 3 and had a pretty good time doing so. I bought BattleBlock Theater early in the week, but I wasn’t able to get around to actually playing it.
Brandin Tyrrel - There hasn’t been much time for games lately, but I was able to tear through a preview for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing. Outside of that I got in a few games of Smite with Shawn and bugged John to ditch LoL and play a real MOBA. Still waiting…
Chris Leggett - I’m trying to catch up on my backlog from the recent Games on Demand sale, and I’ve just started playing Dead Island with a friend of mine over Xbox Live. I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying it. It has its issues, but the foundations are in place for a solid zombie game. Later tonight, some friends and I are getting together for an eight-player, double-elimination, random-character-draw Injustice: Gods Among Us tournament, which should be a lot of fun. We’re all going in blind so that the playing field is somewhat level.
Matthew Smail - Well, things have been a little hectic at home lately with Jen off work and fairly ill. That said, I have been able to play a little bit of Tomb Raider, a little BioShock Infinite and even some 3DS games like Luigi’s Mansion 2 and Fire Emblem. Both are great and it could even be time for me to ditch the Vita permanently – it just doesn’t seem as fun! Hopefully next week I’ll have more to say, but for now it’s safe to say my gaming pile is stacking up and up!!
Ryan Thompson - Turns out the challenge rooms on Bionic Commando: Rearmed are difficult! There are a few of them I’m beyond five stars on, for beating the developer times. Aside from that, I’ve gotten good mileage out of my Rock Band 3 keyboard, using the onboard MIDI connection to input musical notes into Finale on my computer. The Pro guitar has the functionality also, if you’re one of the people that has the fancy instruments…
Scott Baker - I’ve been jumping around a bit, but I keep coming back to Resident Evil 4 HD. Aside from just wanting to unlock all the achievements, I have forgotten how much fun it is. Practically speaking, the game is a mechanical monster. The stiff controls and robotic motions should make the game awful, yet the combined design of AI, target-focused shooting, gun balancing, and looting puts it together perfectly. Add the ridiculous dialogue, and you’ve got Resident Evil.
Kevin Plumtree - I finished up the remaining Zombies achievements in Call of Duty: Black Ops, and started the campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops II. I also played a tiny bit of Gears of War: Judgment, and began Wall-E (don’t judge!).
Christine Mitchell - I’ve been spending most of my gaming time in Terraria. I’ve don’t seem to be able find any good loot yet so I’m getting a bit annoyed with it now but it’s still very addictive.
Shawn Ryan - Being from the Boston area, I obviously didn’t play a lot this week. When events like this happen so close to home, it gives you a completely different perspective and outlook on life, so it was kind of hard to enjoy daily activities as freely as normal. The most comforting aspect of the entire thing is how together the community was. It sucks that it takes something like this to show such patriotism and comradery, but it’s also nice to be able to take that positive away from it. With that being said, I did game a little. I mostly played LEGO Pirates all week, but also squeezed in some Midway Arcade Origins. Also managed to hit a pretty big achievement mark.
Your turn.
What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to.
Shawn Ryan - I found myself playing a lot of Rock Band this week. I went through a lot of the stuff I had packed away, saw the guitar, and decided to jump back into it. After such a long time away from it, it was nice to have fun playing it again. I also picked up Shadows of the Damned. While weird, it was enjoyable and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a competent shooter!
Scott Baker - I’ve been sneaking in bits of Transformers: War for Cybertron after Microsoft snuck it to a temporary $9.99 without a word of advertisement. It reminds me of the old sleeper hit Metal Arms: Glitch in the System for its third-person shooting. I’m loving the transforming mechanic, it’s so much fun to shift and zip away. The dialogue is classic Transformers, too. The only problem is my incompetent matchmade co-op buddies who can’t fight Hard mode. You’ve failed me yet again, Starscream!
Ryan Thompson - This is a big work week for my graduate school projects, so no Xbox gaming, unfortunately. I will be playing a lot of Bionic Commando: Rearmed and Geometry Wars 2 when they go on sale early next week though, and am looking forward to it!
Kevin Plumtree - With the release of the Castle Map Pack, I jumped back into Halo 4‘s multiplayer for some matches and achievement hunting. The new spaces have better flow and match dynamics than the previous map packs. I also split some time between Gears of War 3 and Gears of War: Judgment, working on various ribbons and medals. Finally, in a largely fruitless effort, I attempted to earn gold stars in some of Rock Band Blitz‘s harder songs. As much as I enjoy that game and the series as a whole, I fully accept I am not very good at it!
Nick Santangelo - Mostly just continued playing Saint’s Row: The Third this week. It’s a fun game, though so far I prefer GTA IV. Later today I should be able to finally set up internet to my Xbox after a week without it at my new place. I’ve got 1200 MSP sitting around that’s reserved for BattleBlock Theater.
Your turn.
BattleBlock Theater was developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released April 3, 2013 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five years since the release of Castle Crashers, the side-scrolling brawler brainchild of The Behemoth that grew up to be an XBLA darling that still sits atop sales charts today. Needless to say, the next game made by The Behemoth would have big shoes to fill. Instead of playing it safe, The Behemoth dared to be unique with BattleBlock Theater. Not only did they dare to take on a whole new side-scrolling genre, they also dared to create one of the craziest premise in the history of gaming.
BattleBlock Theater puts you in the shoes of one of the hundreds of prisoners who, after a terrible boat crash, washed up on a mysterious island and were taken captive by giant cats. These cats love their theater, so they force their prisoners into deadly plays. The story mode revolves around platforming and puzzle solving, navigating death traps and fighting crazy animals. When you’re tired of exploring the theater, you can dive into a host of multiplayer modes. BattleBlock Theater is a wonderful platformer not meant to be taken seriously, and made even better when you play with friends.
What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to.
Kevin Plumtree - I picked up the Assassin’s Creed III season pass on sale and have subsequently caught up on the Tyranny of King Washington DLC. While not stellar, I have enjoyed it and look forward to the final chapter later this month. I have also put a lot of time into Gears of War: Judgment‘s multiplayer, especially OverRun mode. I love playing as different classes and finding strategies specifically suited for each one.
Shawn Ryan - I was busy this week, so didn’t have a chance to play much. I did continue my journey through budget titles with Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2, which is alright. I also finally picked up Mark of the Ninja during this week’s sale, and absolutely cannot wait to start it!
Ryan Thompson - I mentioned in my review that Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is excellent if the difficult platforming isn’t intimidating. I love those types of games, and spent my week playing through the game and a few retro platformers like it.
Christine Mitchell - I finished up Tomb Raider this week and loved every minute of it. I’ve now started on Terraria and while it’s quite overwhelming just now I’m looking forward to some epic adventuring.
Scott Baker - I got sucked back into the Borderlandsafter Gearbox pushed up the level cap. Ironically, I haven’t even started taking advantage of that, but I wanted to play some more of my ridiculously overpowered Anarchist Mechromancer. If you use Anarchy in conjunction with Close Enough, your dismal accuracy will be compensated for by your forgiving ricocheted bullets. Most of the time I don’t bother aiming and will just shoot the ground while everything dies around me. I even got a second wind once by killing a Loader I couldn’t see.
Nick Santangelo - I finished up BioShock Infinite this week. There’s a lot to be said for really letting experiences sink in and not throwing superlatives around — to hell with all that. Irrational’s sequel is one of the best experiences I’ve had playing a game this generation. It lived up to the almost impossibly high hype and was worth the protracted wait. I also started playing Saint’s Row: The Third. It’s fun.
Nathan Bowring – I spent most of my week playing BattleBlock Theater, a game I’ve been anticipating for what feels like forever. Thankfully the game did not disappoint; I’ve been having a blast playing the co-op campaign, and the competitive mode are pretty good too. Also dove back into Minecraft to check out the new update, but have yet to find an End portal in my new world.
Your turn.
It’s been a long time coming, but Minecraft‘s ninth update is almost here. TU9 has passed Microsoft certification and is going to drop Friday, April 5. While the update will contain a slew of new features, it is most notable for the long-awaited arrival of the The End, home of the Ender Dragon. The boss fight has been made more difficult for the Xbox 360 Edition of the game, but the adventure to The End still remains the same. If you’re not already familiar with the process, 4J has kindly created a trailer showing how to reach The End step-by-step.
Check out the full list of changes of changes after the jump.
After their critical success with The Walking Dead, Telltale Games is a break from serious storytelling and traveling back to their comedic roots. Poker Night 2, sequel to 2010′s Poker Night at the Inventory, puts players in the fifth seat of a high-stakes game of Texas Hold-em, pitted against familiar faces from gaming, television, and movies.
This all-star cast features Brock Samson from Adult Swim’s The Venture Bros., Claptrap from Gearbox’s Borderlands 2, Ash Williams from the cult classic Army of Darkness, and Sam from Telltale’s own Sam & Max series. The dealer is none other than GLaDOS from Valve’s Portal series. Put your poker skills to good use to complete special goals and earn special Bounty Unlocks. These bounties will get you unique avatar awards, plus new skins and heads to use in Borderlands 2.
Poker Night 2 will be released in late April.
What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to.
Shawn Ryan - I haven’t played too much this week, but I did finish up The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. I don’t think it’s as bad as reviews make it sound, but it isn’t worth the current retail value. I may even say I had some fun with it. I’ve also been slowly chipping away at Gears of War: Judgment.
Nick Santangelo - Any time I’ve had available for gaming this week has been fully dedicated to BioShock Infinite. From the very opening moments the game has been, as one would expect, superb. Though the combat is excellent, the worst part of the game is when Irrational puts a weapon in your hands and the killing begins. Despite the racial and class ugliness that lies beneath, so beautiful is the world of Columbia on the surface that you can hardly bring yourself to disturb the perceived serenity — you want to consume this world, not destroy it. And how about that church scene at the beginning? Wow.
Chris Leggett - First of all, I managed to finish Tomb Raider this week. I went in skeptical and came away won over. I had a lot of fun with this game, and I fervently believe that it’s a reboot for the better. Playing it after Tomb Raider Legend (also made by Crystal Dynamics) really highlights how far the franchise and the medium itself have come in seven years. After finishing that, I moved straight onto BioShock Infinite, which is absolutely stunning. I’ll second Nick’s comments about Columbia; it just might be the first game environment to make Rapture feel bland in comparison.
Kevin Plumtree - I’ve finished the Gears of War: Judgment campaign and am now fiddling with Survival mode. I enjoyed the story for what it was and the score-based atmosphere of the campaign, but I can’t help but feel a bit let down after the epic scope of Gears of War 3.
Scott Baker - I finished my Halo 4 run on Legendary. I would call it my favorite campaign since the original game because of the beautiful sense of discovery drawn by the pristine graphics. I really want to play it with my friends in co-op when I get the chance. I’m also building/composing/designing my own level in Sound Shapes as a project for a class. I’m lucky to have an open-minded teacher who acknowledges the creative value in it. We’ll just see if I can actually carry out my artistic vision…
Ryan Thompson - I finished Ninja Gaiden Black, and will be moving onward to a replay of the second game in anticipation of buying Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge when it goes on sale. On the XBLA front, I played some Marble Blast Ultra — it’s one of my favorite arcade games, and unfortunately, you can’t get it anymore.
Nathan Bowring - Got Just Cause 2 during the Spring Sale - a game I’ve been meaning to pick up for a long time. The storytelling and dialogue is very cringe-worthy, but the gameplay is utterly amazing. Excessive amounts of explosion, destruction, and high-speed crashes makes it feel like a playable version of the craziest action movie ever. I’ve also been continuing my adventures through the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3 while suffering major Buffout withdrawals.
Today wraps up a month of big releases. What March titles did you pick up?
Starting April 1, Xbox Live Rewards is launching a new program to reward members even more. According to Major Nelson, MyPunchcard will keep track of your online activity and offer exclusive Play to Earn rewards. To kick off the program, the whole month of April will be dedicated to XBLA games.
Playing 20 combined hours of any arcade games online will net you a free avatar item. Buying any four arcade games will get you free Gold Membership for a month, and spending 3200 MSP or more on arcade games gets you a 800 MSP rebate. The offer applies to all the arcade games currently on the marketplace plus all April releases, including Battleblock Theater, Sacred Citadel, Double Dragon II, and Motocross Madness.
The offer is only available to Xbox Live Rewards members, so if you want a shot at these rewards be sure to sign up if you’re not already a member.
Source: Major Nelson
If you were looking to start your journey to Ascension early, you’re in luck. A beta for Ascend: New Gods has been announced, and sign-ups begin today. The beta application page can be found here; all you have to do is fill out the form the you’re registered to be selected. You can increase your odds of getting in by referring your friends to the beta; the more friends you refer the bigger your chance of selection. The date the beta begins has yet to be announced, but Signal Studios has previously stated they were hoping to release the beta in April or May.
Ascend: New Gods is a huge single-player RPG that also has an important online component and puts the player in control of a Caos (a giant warrior). The game includes many staples of the RPG genre, including a vast land filled with dungeons, a large variety of enemies that come in many shapes and sizes and plenty of loot to collect. What sets the game apart is its multiplayer, which allows a player to see other players progressing through their own separate world. While players can’t effect each other directly, they will be able to use their powers to send either help or hindrance into each others’ worlds.
Once released, Ascend will be free-to-play. You can find out more from our E3 preview here.
