Video Game Reviews

Ah, the fighting game. Honestly, this genre is the ultimate for true gamers: unless you have twitch reflexes and damn near perfect muscle memory, you will never be competitive. This means, as the genre evolves, it‘s becoming somewhat marginalized—which is a shame, because a lot of quality fight titles have come out over the last few years. Killer Instinct, a resurrected franchise from 20 years ago, tries its best to open up to a wider audience in a few ways. First of all, it’s free to play—which means you can download and play the full game for free, but only with one selected character. Secondly, the game has a number of tutorials to introduce you to the intricacies of the game and the genre as a whole. Of course, none of this has helped my spastic self, with my 0-12 online record, but, after about an hour of tutorials, I do feel like less of a hack. The game, especially graphically, doesn’t scream “next gen” to me, but it is definitely fun and its simple online system makes it so I can go from dashboard to getting my ass kicked in less than 60 seconds. –Blake Leszczynski

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood
Press Play/ Microsoft Studios
Reviewed On: Xbox One
Also On: Xbox 360 (To Be Released)
Street: 12.20.13

When the great historians thousands of years from now dive into the ancient, forgotten art of 2D, side-scrolling platformers, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood will likely be forgotten. That’s not to say it’s not a good game—it’s actually a pretty decent distraction for 20 or so minutes at a time, and in this ridiculous scenario it may warrant a footnote or a mention—but any more than that is unlikely. It just doesn’t do too much that hasn’t been done before. Max’s magic marker can control things like earth and water, but as cool as it is, it’s pretty limited in the “wow” department. Even the thin story feels vaguely familiar. Let’s see if you can pick this one out: Max is sick of his annoying little brother Felix and finds a website with an incantation to wish him away. The incantation works, and Felix is taken away by a giant monster. Max immediately regrets his decision to wish Felix away and sets off on a puzzling adventure to reclaim him.  I don’t know about you, but I’m having mental flashes of David Bowie in spandex right about now. –Blake Leszczynski

Peggle 2
Popcap Games/ Electronic Arts
Reviewed On: Xbox One (Exclusive)
Street: 12.09.13

On paper, the premise is not too appetizing: A puzzle game that is a mix between Plinko and pinball where you select different characters—like a rainbow sprinkled unicorn named Bjorn or a Big Lebowski-themed troll named Jeff—and proceed to shoot a ball at blue and orange pegs. Pretty stupid, right? Well, you’re stupid! And Peggle is awesome. It’s not about the premise here—hell, it’s not even about the gameplay—rather, it is the essence of Peggle that will hook you in. The zaniness of it all, the feeling you get when you hit an insane, 200,000 point shot and lights are blinking, sounds are popping off and a choir of angels are singing as free balls are earned. Its predecessor was easily my favorite arcade game on the 360 and this one is just bigger and better in every way, with one exception—the lack of local multiplayer. But fear not, Popcap has promised that feature in a free update. So, if you have an Xbox One and $12, buy this now! –Blake Leszczynski