SECOND LOOK: PlayStation VITA

With the advent of iPhone and Android phones, things have not looked great for dedicated handheld gaming systems. With three different Angry Birds titles, Fruit Ninja, and other fun games that pop out of the woodwork every 3 or so months. The Nintendo 3DS, despite being a proper upgrade from the DSi and the DS, is selling far worse than was possibly expected to. Sony released a new handheld, an upgrade to the PlayStation Portable – the PlayStation VITA. Now that it has been market and field tested, TRR will take a fresh look at the new handheld. Let’s jump right into it…

VIDEO GAME PLAYTHRUE/REVUE: LIMBO (PSN/Steam)

Independent games are not only a bit of a gamble, aren’t they? Sure, the cost is lower than that of the average industry release, but one doesn’t know the quality of the gameplay. Is it long? Short? Was it put together slapdash, or is this company trying to show what is possible, but need financial backing to produce a truly monumental game? There are two really good venues for buying indie games – one being Xbox LIVE, and the other being Steam, the virtual marketplace set up by Valve (some advanced warning about the new Counter Strike would have been nice, fellas). While there is open discussion about which one is better, Steam is certainly more user-friendly when looking for specific games. Today’s indie gamble is LIMBO, remade and released for Steam (having been previously released on Xbox LIVE).

Video Game News — E3 Preview

 

Every year, the game industry gathers together (and desperately tries to keep out the general public…failing at that last one) and display their wares, making announcements about games and hardware over the next year. This show is called the Electronic Entertainment Expo – or E3, hosted by the Entertainment Software Association. ESA is – for the sake of transparency – one of the interested parties in the Supreme Court cased Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (ESA handled the 9th Circuit level).

VIDEO GAME REVUE: Little Big Planet 2

 

With Call of Duty: Black Ops dominating the game release headlines late last year, and a string of serious games over the last two, it is nice to see a trend of games that are meant to be fun. As a matter of fact, the top 10 games (by unit sales) last week is comprised of games that are fun for fun’s sake. In light of that, it is TRR’s pleasure to revue LittleBigPlanet 2: Collector’s Edition, developed by Media Molecule (MM) and produced by Sony.

VIDEO GAME REVUES – Auditorium & Violin Paradise

 

When most people think of video games, only titles with elements of violence come to mind.  This includes the Marios, the Metroids, the Grand Theft Autos, the Call of Dutys, etc.  In today’s double-dose revue, we look at two musical-inspired games.  No, not High School Musical, but rather, games that have elements of music in them.  The first will be Cipher Prime Studios’ Auditorium for the PlayStation Network and iPhone, and the other is Violin Paradise for WiiWare on the Nintendo Wii virtual console.

TRR’s Holiday Buying Guide, Part 2

 

In the last post, I highlighted PC and portable gaming hardware.  This post will focus on console system gaming.  To do that, and do it successfully, there is some background that is required for everyone to get on the same page.