A Decade of Construction: Anime Detour 2013 Recap

Wow, what a con  This past weekend, 5,000 people gathered at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington, MN, for what is one of the largest anime conventions in the state.  It was an exhilarating, awesome, epic weekend.  And I was in the thick of it.

Review: Spec Ops The Line

Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Developer: Yager Studios

Publisher: 2K Games

Players: 1 (offline) 2-8 (online)

Rating: Mature (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language)

Reviewed on: PS3

Playstation Plus has a knack of pulling out the occasional awesome title.  Just last week, they added Spec Ops: The Line to their list of free games.  And boy, is this a title to add!

Import Review: Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs

Players: 1-2 offline, 8 online

Platform: PS3, Also available for Arcade

Rating: CERO-A (suitable for all ages)

Publisher: Namco Ban-Dai

A friend of mine was in Japan a few weeks ago, and brought back a bunch of games for me.  One of them was Gundam Extreme Vs. And man, is this game awesome!

Review: Aliens Colonial Marines

Release Date: 02/12/2013 Rating: Mature (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language)

Players: 1-2(Splitscreen co-op) 8 (online)

Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U(release date to be announced)

Platform Reviewed on: Xbox 360

Now, I was a late comer to the Aliens franchise.  I admit it.  I used to hate scary movies.  Now that that's not the case, I love what Ridley Scott did in 1979, and James Cameron expounded upon 1986.  Those movies did more for science fiction than anything else out there.  I wish I could say the same about Aliens: Colonial Marines...

The Stack of Shame

Within the game journalism community, there's a problem that is affectionately known as the "stack of shame."  It refers to the issue of having so many awesome games to play, but not enough time to play them all.  Sadly, this problem doesn't plague only journalists.  Members of the gaming community can find themselves mired in an ocean of games to play. It's everywhere, and it's starting to turn into an elephant in the room.  But it doesn't have to be like this.

Back from the Grave!!!

So, I've been silent for a while now.  I've been busy with a lot on my plate for a while.  Now that things are slowing down again, I plan to start writing some more!  I have a rant planned for Wednesday, a review of Aliens Colonial Marines within the next week, and a super awesome import review coming up soon!  As always, plan on the "post-anime detour" rant about all the awesome stuff that happened.  That post should be up by the end of April, as the convention runs the 19th through the 21st this year.

Also, I'm going to include some more "nostalgia" reviews in the near future.  Retro games that may be gone, but are certainly not forgotten.  Stay tuned!

It's alive...

On the Topic of Credibility: An Open Letter to Senator Leland Yee

The San Francisco Chronicle posted an article on Wednesday, that quoted Sen. Leland Yee(D) as saying "gamers have no credibility in this argument[about gun violence]."  As a lifelong gamer, I felt compelled to respond to his remark.  This is an open letter that will also be sent to Yee directly.

Five things Sony got right with the Playstation 3

Over the past couple of years, Sony has gotten a really bad rap.  Between the numerous hacks, promotional gaffes, and some bad design decisions, the Playstation 3 is not the powerhouse that Sony was expecting.  Even so, there's a lot that Sony did right by their console, despite the many shortcomings.  So today, I'm taking a look at the bright side of the device that "only does everything."

A Case of the "Humbugs" Or: Taking Back Thanksgiving

Okay, so if you've ever lived in Minnesota for any extended period of time, you learn that we're very, very, VERY loyal to companies headquartered in our state.  Best Buy and Target stores are just about everywhere.  So now there's news that both Best Buy and Target will be opening on Thanksgiving day.  And this just made me mad.  Last year, stores were opening at midnight, and now we as a society have gone too far.  So I'm just going to say it.  I've developed a case of the humbugs!

Scrooge Alert! Lollipop Chainsaw for $20!

Don't let this guy ruin Juliet's day!

If you saw my review of Lollipop Chainsaw and still didn't pick it up, now is definitely the time to do so.  Amazon has it on sale for as low as $20 right now.  Go get it!