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Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4) Review

Tuesday, May 10th, 2016

uncharted4
A journey of a thousand miles begins with… Nathan Drake.

The executives at Sony’s gaming division must be immensely proud of their cherished development powerhouse Naughty Dog.  Having thoroughly extracted universal praise (and dollars) from gamers and gaming journalists alike for their previous masterpiece, The Last of Us, the bar would be raised for subsequent projects on the newer PlayStation 4 hardware.  It is no surprise then that Naughty Dog has flexed their muscles and cranked out another extremely competent product.  Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End fulfills the promises made for what this current generation of consoles can offer in terms of graphical prowess, engaging stories, and atmospheric immersion.  But is Uncharted 4 just a pretty face, or is there more to love?  Read on to find out.

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Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS) Review

Friday, March 13th, 2015

code-name-steam-review

Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Strategy / Tactics
Players: 1 (2 players local/online)
Console: 3DS
Progress: Completed single-player campaign

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is one of those games that come along once in a while that makes me wonder what kind of magic mushrooms Nintendo developers have been into lately. It’s hard to explain the level of uncanny that’s going on in S.T.E.A.M., but the combination of factors presented makes it a rather decent romp on the 3DS. Part turn-based strategy, part 3rd person shooter, part tactics RPG, S.T.E.A.M. takes players through a challenging campaign set in an imaginative world while meeting colorful characters. Does Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. deserve a home in your 3DS? Read on to find out.

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Cities: Skylines (PC) Review

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015

cities-skylines

Developer: Colossal Order
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Genre: City Building Sim
Players: 1
Console Reviewed: PC
Progress: Mayor of Blackthorn City (population 50,000)

Though we’re only in the first quarter of 2015, it’s turning out to be an exciting year for city-building sims. Earlier we reviewed the revamped Cities XXL which was a worthy, if uninspiring entry in the series. Now we have been blessed with a brand new take on the genre from a developer that burst onto the scene a few years ago with a duo of transportation simulators. As a civil engineer I am especially excited to evaluate the merits of city-building sims, not only by how they function as a video game, but also by how closely they can emulate reality in a fun way. The developer of Cities: Skylines is marketing this product as the ultimate anti-SimCity. They sought to make the definitive city-building sim that is everything that SimCity failed to be, without the destructive, toxic influence of Electronic Arts. Is this the revolution in city building that we have been waiting for? Is this the one sim to rule them all? Read on to find out.

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Cities XXL (PC) Review

Tuesday, February 10th, 2015

CitiesXXL-03

Developer: Focus Home Interactive
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Genre: City Building Sim
Players: 1
Console Reviewed: PC
Progress: Mayor of White Beach (population 50,000)

If you’re really into city building games, there aren’t a lot of choices out there. The genre is dominated by only two main series, and often fans must wait many years between new games. Cities XXL hopes to satisfy the dream some people have of being mayor of their own city and fill in the gap while we wait for the next big city building revolution. It would be unfair not to judge Cities XXL on its own merits, but it would be irresponsible if I didn’t at least make some comparisons to the longstanding king of the city building simulator known as SimCity. As perhaps the only high-profile alternative to SimCity, Cities XXL aspires to match them in some ways and tries its hardest to surpass them in others. Does Cities XXL succeed in being a great sim in its own right? Read on to find out.

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Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire (3DS) Review

Thursday, December 11th, 2014

pokemon-oras

Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Role-Playing
Players: 1 (campaign), 2 (additional features)
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Hours Played: 42 hours
Progress: Completed main quest and post-quest activities

Nintendo and developer Game Freak continue the tradition of remaking older Pokémon games immediately following each new generation on the latest Nintendo handheld console.  On the heels of the success of the 6th generation of Pokémon titled X and Y, developer Game Freak re-used the same mechanics and advanced 3D graphics engine to remake Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, now called Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (ORAS). These remakes are faithful and nostalgic renditions that bring back positive memories, while applying all of the new mechanics introduced in the years since the originals were released. The beautiful and diverse region of Hoenn beckons once more, read on to see if it is worth the journey.

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SimCity (PC)

Sunday, April 21st, 2013

simcity

Developer: Maxis
Publisher: EA Games
Genre: City Building Sim
Players: 1
Console Reviewed: PC
Also Available On: Mac
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and up)
Progress: 10 cities built across 4 regions

SimCity will go down in the history books as a monumental disappointment.  More than a month after its failed launch, the game remains somewhat broken.  I had picked up this game early after its release and I was plagued by the familiar server problems that you’ve probably already heard of on the Internet.  Held up as the poster child for unfettered DRM run amok, SimCity is still suffering under a diverse portfolio of problems due to poor servers, and I suspect poor programming as well.  That these issues remain unresolved to this day is incomprehensible, but as a courtesy I have waited more than a full month before publishing this review to let Maxis and EA iron out the wrinkles.  During this time and to no one’s surprise, publisher EA was once again crowned the worst company in America for the second consecutive year.  Congrats, it takes some real effort to outshine even those corrupt American bankers.

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A Dialogue With SimCity

Friday, March 8th, 2013

simcityerror

I brought home the new SimCity today and was excited to put on my mayor’s cap and get started.  Unfortunately, SimCity was not on board with my plans and effectively employed every possible obstruction available to ensure that I would not in fact play a single-player game that I blew $65 on. 

For the record, the following dialogue is a part of the actual conversation that I had with SimCity on March 6th, 2013:

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