Slender: The Arrival Review
PC Game
$10
By: Daizoren
Perhaps the most anticipated horror game of the year, Slender: The Arrival has to fill the shoes of the original Slender: The Eight Pages in an attempt to scare players in a way that the original never could. With Blue Isle Studios and Parsec Productions working in conjunction, do they achieve this hefty feat? Or does Slender: The Arrival lose it’s effect in a market that is saturated by wanna-be clones? (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
My Sister and I play Slender
Happy Halloween! As a special bonus video, I decided to grab my sister (Who scares easily) and have her play the viral hit Slender. I am personally terrified of Slenderman and she’s easily scared, so together we are the perfect victims for this game. Watch us get tense and try to find all 8 pages.
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Black Mesa Review
PC Mod
Free
By: Daizoren
As time slowly ticks away, we don’t seem to be getting any closer to any information regarding the release of Half-Life 3, but to help ease some tension, a fan made remake of Half-Life has just arrived on the scene after years of development. Watching as this project has been completed has felt like forever at times, but was the wait for this ambitious remake worth it? (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Squid Grips for Xbox Controllers (Review)
We here at VVGtv have always been interested more than just indie games, and arcade titles. We have had contacted a few people regarding products we were interested in. Myself, I don’t like anything that is attached to my controller. But I started seeing more of these “Squid Grips” which are for your controller to help increase your grip on your controller. Now I am all for controllers with grips right on them, such as Mad Catz, they usually make the controller look pretty good. But with some Mad Catz controllers I have had the occasional issue with response time and sticky buttons. So I usually stick with my actual Xbox Controller.
So I had inquired about “Squid Grips” and I have to say, I am amazed at how much of a difference they are compared to a controller that has grips on them. For the price it is at $14.99, seems like they are trying to help their fellow gamers. So I continued to apply them, which is fairly easy and really hard to mess up even if you don’t put it right on the line. They make my controller look sexy. But looks aren’t everything, how do they feel? They felt like a pillow for my hands. As someone who plays 24-30hrs a week of games, this was an immediate comfort for my hands. They are even there as sort of a stress/massage ball where you put your palms on. If you end up getting them, instead of getting angry at the game, try squeezing the controller. I honestly felt immediate relief and continued playing with less aggravation than I had previously due to that motherf*cking camper. I am not much of a fan for add-ons for game controllers. But it seems, even though this is a “APPLY ONCE” situation, it is worth your consideration.
Pros
Clean
Hardly noticeable when holding
Instant Stress Ball
Cons
If you take it off, more than likely you will not be able to reapply it anywhere else. So try not to break your controller.
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Spotlight: Black Mesa, Nave and Entropy!
Welcome to the Indie Spotlight, bringing the latest in news, trailers and new releases in the Indie Video Game area.
Nave trailer courtesy of Videogamo
Trap Mansion trailer courtesy of Too Easy Games Limited
Why Am I Dead? trailer courtesy of Peltast Design
Black Mesa – http://release.blackmesasource.com/
Download Indie Uprising III Soundtrack – http://bit.ly/IGU3Album
Back to School Bundle – http://www.indieroyale.com/
Life in the Dorms – http://lifeinthedorms.momentgames.com/
Faster than Light – http://www.ftlgame.com/
Clearance Bin Review Entropy Preview – http://clearancebinreview.com/2012/08/30/xblig-uprising-preview-wake-up-in-the-morning-feeling-like-whats-going-on-entropy/
Clearance Bin Review Interview – http://clearancebinreview.com/2012/09/08/xblig-uprising-developer-interview-autotivity-entertainment-developer-of-entropy/
Clearance Bin Review Autotivity Article – http://clearancebinreview.com/2012/09/04/autotivity-engineering-a-new-gaming-experience/
The Indie Mine Interview – http://theindiemine.com/indie-games-uprising-iii-interview-autotivity-entertainment/
Entropy Site – http://www.entropy-thegame.com/
Entropy Twitter – https://twitter.com/autotivity
Entropy Xbox Live Marketplace Page – http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Entropy/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550bf2
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Spotlight: Sententia Uprising III
Welcome to the Indie Spotlight, bringing the latest in news, trailers and new releases in the Indie Video Game area.
Don’t forget about the free Music Album of the Indie Games Uprising III which contains music from each game and a special surprise inside. Click that Music Album link and it will start downloading.
Sententia trailer courtesy of Michaelarts
Sententia Indie uprising Webpage – http://www.indiegames-uprising.com/Games2.aspx?gameID=1&FinalistView=true
Clearance Bin Review Sententia Preview – http://clearancebinreview.com/2012/08/23/xblig-uprising-preview-the-power-of-imagination-sententia/
Indie Mine Interview – http://theindiemine.com/indie-games-uprising-iii-interview-michaelarts/
Indie Gamer Chick Interview – http://indiegamerchick.com/2012/08/09/indie-games-uprising-iii-interview-sententia/
Michaelarts – http://www.michaelarts.net/
Michaelarts Twitter – https://twitter.com/michaelartsxm
Sententia Xbox Marketplace Page – http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Sententia/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550be4
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Rock Band Blitz Review (XBLA)
Review by: Master Blud
As most know, I am addicted to rhythm based games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Both of them hold a special place in my heart. Both are equally fun and challenging. As a musician, I found these games a great step out of the actual ability to play “real instruments”. Sometimes, a break from reality is what we need. Some of us use video games to channel anger and aggression if one is feeling like sh*t that day. Rock Band Blitz brings you more of that rhythm music to your living room. The only difference is that you don’t use 1 instrument and don’t use the peripherals (Microphone, Guitar or Drum Kit). Instead you are to use your controller, and choose the tracks you want to play.
Immediately when I started playing, I didn’t even bother playing the tutorial. I felt so comfortable playing the way they wanted it to be. I did however, ended up visiting the tutorial the just see what I am supposed to be doing. I am glad I did, I had more fun after doing so. The object of the game is to get the highest score you can get. You can even challenge your friends to a score war……..I am still to finish a few. There is even an option to use a community based challenges through Facebook. The Facebook application is a nice touch, I didn’t feel it completely needed to enjoy the time you will have playing.
There are Overdrive powerups, Note power ups and track powerups. Each of these powers help increase your score and multiplier. My personal favorite power up is using road rage…..just the road rage. If I got the overdrive meter up all the way, I could clear the highway ahead of me a great deal. Rock Band Blitz still plays the same, but with a controller. There are different control schemes for everyone. I ended up using “Freakish” control scheme, seemed the most energetic when it came to playing the game. Rock Band Blitz supports all earlier Rock Band DLC and anything from the Rock Band Network. So I proceeded to download I MAED A GA3M W1TH Z0MB1EZ 1N 1T!!1 from James Silva. Totally rocked that song for 13 minutes.
Much like the other Rock Band Games, the game play area is a highway of notes set in a rhythm motion and you must hit them in a timely manner. Make sure to head on over to the calibration to get that achievement too. This way you will stay on beat with your songs. The visuals are a little trippy, as it is not a straight highway of notes. Instead, it is an actual “Highway” of notes. You play on a road where all the notes are laid out with each instrument. There can be up to 5 lanes at a time covering all Rock Band instruments. Don’t always pay attention to one track, rotate with each verse or break down. Look at your highway ahead and see if you can grab the next multiplier to boost your score at the end.
I had countless hours of fun with Rock Band Blitz, I ended up almost playing all of my previous DLC that I had purchased when I started playing Rock Band. The soundtrack of the game has some memorable hits and some I didn’t really care for, I am more of a classic rock/metal/punk lover. Don’t let the soundtrack stop you, there is over 3,000 songs now on the market and I am pretty sure you’ll find something you’ll like. Altogether Rock Band Blitz gets a 4.8 out of 5, it could have had an option to use the Guitar at least, using Red and Green and the primary buttons and the strum bar to change lanes. By the way, I spent 14 hours playing this game in one sitting the 2nd time I played it. This title is recommended for those music lovers.
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
SOLLOMAN working on new 3D platformer?
By: Daizoren
New footage released by “Happy” developer, SOLLOMAN, shows some platforming stage in Unreal’s UDK. Could this mean a future 3D game? We’re not sure, but it looks like it’s something to be looking forward too. We’ve contacted SOLLOMAN for further information. You can check out the footage from his “Floating Windmill” level below.
*Full disclosure: Kyle (Daizoren) worked on SOLLOMAN’s last game, “Happy”*
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Babel Rising Mobile Review
Android Mobile Game
$4.99
Developer – Ubisoft
By: Daizoren
Hoping to bring some fun and entertainment to the idea of being your own god, Babel Rising gives you powers beyond that of mere mortals in order to bring down fury and spite against your defiant creations. Does this god simulator end up being all it’s cracked up to be? Or is being a god more than one mortal could do?
Graphics
For a mobile title, Babel Rising does a decent job of showing you all that is going on. Your enemies can be small at times and hard to pin point, but when you have abilities that hurt multiples, it doesn’t make much of a difference. The environments are well off enough that you can grasp where you are and what you’re doing. Special moves have a special aesthetic to them but none of them seem to be very overwhelming in their appearance. Babel Rising isn’t trying to wow the player with it’s graphics. It merely presents wat it needs to get by.
Gameplay
Starting out, some of the powers you’ll receive might get you excited for what is to come. Lightning strikes, fire abilities, boulders and other attacks make it seem like you have control over anything you want. As time goes on, however, you’ll find yourself resorting to a very set number of abilities and techniques to get by and nothing seems to ever progress except for the length of each gaming session. Timed levels ask for a lot when you’re playing something that is meant to be a mobile, pick up and play type of title. Other levels ask for a high number of kills before you are done and this can take a long time as well. If you’re looking for something to have short spurts of gaming sessions, you should probably look elsewhere.
Sound
There’s nothing really special to the sound of Babel Rising. The music is pretty mundane and most times you’ll never even notice it. Effects like lightning and fire all sound pretty normal and nothing special about any of them. The only saving grace to the sound is when you kill a character. They’re tiny voices can garner a laugh or two from time to time, but even that enjoyment seems to fade after time.
Replay Value
For as long as the campaign is, Babel Rising doesn’t seem to hold a lot of replay value because the campaign itself can be a hassle just to get through. Each level seems to be a lot of the same thing, despite some new abilities being unlocked as you go. To think that you might want to play the game over again seems hard to fathom with a title that is this repetitive.
Recap
Pros
- Decent Graphics
- Funny voices
- Fun at first
Cons
- Mundane gameplay
- Bland environments
- Same thing over and over
- No replay value
For a title that tries to put the powers of a god in your hands, you feel more like you’re just doing a chore by smiting characters over and over again. With a lack of new abilities and branching them out into greater powers (Only 3 per power) this title seems to fall short of something that could have been a lot more fun.
Graphics – 7.5
Gameplay – 5
Sound – 5
Replay Value – 2
Overall – 4.9
*Note: This review was based on playing Babel Rising on a Samsung Galaxy S II*
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Game of the Week: Red Invasion: Tower Defense
Just by looking at this game makes you go WOAH! Possibly one of the better games that Milkstone Studios has created. This title reminds me so much of Command and Conquer, except this game is on the rails tower defense instead of straight RTS. The objective is to keep your tower safe away from oncoming enemies, and at times, the enemies rush really quick. Building your defenses in a timely manner is key to your success and is rewarding at the end. You will end up finding yourself going through all of your defenses in the blink of an eye the more you play. It isn’t about how many defenses you have, it’s about how you place them and choose which to upgrade. The visuals are sexy, although some of the maps may seem a bit small, but for 80 MS Points, you can’t go wrong. The audio in the game gets me going, enough for the next battle. I would like to see more of these types of games from Milkstone. Altogether, Red Invasion: Tower Defense gets a 4.5 out of 5. It gives you a huge bang for your buck, the quality and controls are superb in my opinion. Go ahead and purchase Red Invasion: Tower Defense for 80 MS Points
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Community Replay: The Series Finale
By: Daizoren
And so the end begins. Welcome to the Series Finale of Community Replay. It’s been broken into 2 parts because of rendering issues, but part 1 is up and part 2 is currently uploading.
In this episode we go through and play some of our favorite titles of our gaming history and we talk about some of our favorite moments from the past 2 seasons. It’s been a fun ride and we’ve enjoyed every moment we’ve had with you guys. You’ve been an amazing community (Albeit some dramatic times as well haha) and we certainly couldn’t have done it without you.
To all of editors, we’d like to thank you for the inspiration to create and maintain this series for the past 2 seasons and we always look forward to watching Replay from you. If you have a chance, we hope you’ll enjoy this special finale that includes a special message to you (As well as everyone else) at the end of part 2.
I would like to personally thank Ben Hanson for encouraging me to create the series in the first place. His encouragement and admiration for the idea is what has kept it going for as long as it has.
But now we say goodbye to this series in place for something that we hope you’ll enjoy much more in the future. Thanks for the memories and the wonderful moments, and thanks for getting myself (As well as I’m sure everybody else) back into retro gaming. I forgot how fun it could be.
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Game of the Week: MiG Madness
You remember Air Legends, right? That was one of my favorite XBox Live Indie Games back in the early days of XBLIG. Essentially Air Legends is MiG Madness. Air Legends was kind of a flop, it had bad controls and seemed pointless to play and seemed like an early prototype. MiG Madness aimed to revitalize that game. Coming from the same creator, they created MiG Madness, a superb step up from Air Legends. The menu design was eye-catching, the use of layers in the sky was amazingly done. The WWII Dog Fighting just got even better. But the controls are something to get use to. The soundtrack was a nice touch, and use of some sound effects did kind of get on my nerves. I mean sh*t, for $1, this game is boss. Altogether, this game gets a 4 out of 5, if only some guns didn’t annoy me. Also, the AI is sometimes forgiving in tight situations. You’re welcome.
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Spotlight: OCD, Penny Arcade and Lightning/Thunder!
By: Daizoren
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Thomas Was Alone (Review)
Review by: Ady Carter
Created by Mike Bithell, Thomas Was Alone bills itself as “a minimalist game about friendship and jumping” which to be frank is pretty much exactly what it is. Spinning out of a successful flash-based demo and with a little bit of crowd funding support to polish it up, Thomas Was Alone arrives this weekend for the PC and Mac. It’s a tough game to accurately describe, and one that’s perhaps best discovered rather than laid out before you in a review, but this is a review and you expect as much, so I should try! (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Community Replay: Advent Rising
By: Daizoren
This latest episode we take a look at the giant flop that had a promise of a 1 million dollar prize that was never given out, Advent: Rising
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Spotlight: Bleed, Indie Gala and another video game documentary!
By: Daizoren
Another week, another episode of Indie Spotlight. This week we talk trailers of Bleed, Spate and Kitaru and bring you some news on an upcoming Video Game Documentary!
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Max Payne Mobile Review
Android Mobile game
$2.99
Developer – Rockstar
By: Daizoren
With the revival of Max Payne in his first HD campaign, Rockstar has released the original, last generation bullet time spectacle to mobile devices. It released early for iPhone but just was released for the Android market more recently. Do Max’s moves have enough flair and grace to find a comfortable spot on a mobile device? (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Spotlight: One Finger Death Punch, Limbo’s Successor and Apple Jack 2!
by: Daizoren
It’ monday and time for the weekly indie update. we’ve got your fill of news, trailers and new releases right here on Indie Spotlight.
Interested in Shadow of the Game? There is currently an Open Beta Registration over at Shadowofthegame.com.
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Arcade Review: Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage
Xbox Live Arcade Game
800 MS Points
Developer – SEGA
by: Daizoren
Making it’s revival from the Genesis, Streets of Rage makes it’s arrival on Xbox Live Arcade. With all 3 games bundled into one single package (Reminiscent of Streets of Rage Remake) it appears to be a great deal. As someone who played the original more than any other beat’em up game, I was very excited to revisit this childhood brawler. (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Indie Spotlight: Among the Sleep, The Humble Indie Bundle and Wreck it Ralph
By: Daizoren
Welcome to the very first episode of Indie Spotlight, where we look at upcoming trailers for indie games, news and new releases. Check out our episode and, if you’re an indie developer, let us know about your project via twitter. More information in the video.
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Walking through the ‘Sands of Emotion’: My Review of “Journey”
By: ShadowKingpin
In March, ThatGameCompany released its third downloadable game called: “Journey”. It’s a game that will truly evoke certain emotions out of you when you least expect it. (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
JAM Live Music Arcade XBLA Review
Review by: Master Blud
My first ever Rhythm games were Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Freaks at the mall arcade. Rhythm games evolved into many forms since then. They evolved into more diverse plastic instruments, then into real instruments used to play the game note for note. Such as the current release of Rocksmith. I have yet to play these new “Real” instrument game. I would rather separate real from emulated. Not saying learning guitar with a video game is a bad thing. As a musician, I would recommend you actually take real lessons from a real person. Video games aren’t full proof teachers, they may be one day, but the technology is still too early. This is what JAM LIVE Music Arcade does the right thing. (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
E3 2012: My Big Picks
By: Daizoren
With all of the big names and companies finishing their announcements and big conferences, it’s time to look back and feed through all of the information to see what games I am most excited to play later this year or early next year. We’ll be going through each company in order of their conference shows and what big name video games got me most excited for what’s in store. (more…)
The Cow Says SHAAARRREEEEE THIS!
Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co. Review
Like punching blocks for now reason? Do you like throwing ninja stars? Do you like taking your crotch rocket out for a drive? Well if you answered yes to all of those questions, you might be in luck. This Sega Vintage Collection comes with three titles, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Super Hang-on, and The Revenge of Shinobi. 2 of these titles I have actually played when I was younger. One of them remained unplayed. (more…)
VVGtv 