RGT: Bloody Roar (PS1)

Like classic fighting games?  Then you're probably familiar with Bloody Roar, a game where characters could transform into vicious animals when beating the tar out of their opponents.  Today Jeff takes a look back at the first game in the series.

News: New Xbox Revealed - Xbox One

Today, Microsoft revealed their new console, officially called Xbox One, at a press event.  The information presented is by turns illuminating and frustrating.  Some basic system information has been released about the console itself: an eight-core processor with 8GB RAM, built-in Wi-Fi, a 500GB hard drive, and an integrated Kinect with a 1080p camera.  The actual release date has not been announced, however, with Microsoft promising the console "later this year."  More information will be revealed at E3 in a few weeks.

Correction: The Kinect is a separate unit, but the intimation is that each Xbox One will be paired with a Kinect.  Further clarification on this will likely be forthcoming.

Review: Star Wars Pinball (360)

After giving the iconic and classic comics universe a proper pinball treatment with its excellent collection of Marvel pinball tables, Pinball FX 2 applies the same reverence to another iconic classic, the Star Wars universe, with Star Wars Pinball on Xbox Live.

For a movie franchise that loves its trilogies, Star Wars Pinball has three tables included: Clone Wars, one devoted to the badass bounty hunter Boba Fett, and the best of the three, Star Wars Episode IV: The Empire Strikes Back. All three have the expected level of quality that all FX 2 tables have come to be known for in respect to the ball physics and pinball sounds. FX 2 pinball gives gamers such an unbelievably realistic pinball experience, it's hard sometimes to realize you're not actually standing at a table in the arcade or local pizza shop with a few quarters or tokens lined up on the table glass waiting for the next game.

Review: Brutal Legend (PC)

If Brutal Legend is remembered for one thing, I hope it's the intro scene and main menu. Jack Black walks down the street while telling the player about a secret thing. He wanders into a record store and pulls out an album. As if to hint at the metal within, the price tag reads $6.66. Pressing the start button flips open the album and it's off to the races.

Not since the main menu of Psychonauts, has a game been able to tell the player almost everything they needed to know about the game even before one second of the game has been played.

Feature: Top Ten Classic Game Soundtracks

Game music in the early days is historically remembered as typically either horrendous or genius. However, great game music wasn’t always high art. Numerous classic games boast great theme songs, but lack engaging music throughout the core of the gameplay. Yet, some composers of the 8 and 16-bit eras took on the technical challenges and crafted impressive compositions – music that stayed with us long after we put down the game. These soundtracks are the complete package, entertaining from beginning to end.

10. The Guardian Legend
Composed by: Masatomo Miyamoto (Miyamoto Shant), 1988
The Guardian Legend soundtrack translates the mysterious yet sublime temperament of an alien world into impressively enchanting musical harmonies. Even years after its release, the dramatic tones of the “Crystal Labyrinth” or “Forest Corridor” make us want to explore and defend space all over again.

Review: Black Rock Shooter - The Game (PSP)

The first time I saw Black Rock Shooter was at an introduction to Vocaloid panel at a large anime convention years ago. Supercell’s entrancing electro beats played over the elegantly animated illustrations by Ryohei Fuke a.k.a. Huke, transporting me to an excitingly mysterious new world. When Black Rock Shooter: The Game hit the PlayStation Network in North America, I picked it up hoping for a more interactive trip down the Black Rock rabbit hole. Though lacking the visual visceral magic that made the music video so enchanting, the game succeeded in pulling me in.

Interview: Ted Price (Insomniac Games, FUSE)

At a recent press event for the game Fuse, I sat down with Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price (TP). We discussed FUSE, freedom of speech and the next generation of consoles. My interview was recorded and his answers have been transcribed/paraphrased.

Big thanks to Ted for talking to us!

AE: Has the game Fuse changed significantly from what you originally envisioned compared to the final product?
The core concept has remained consistent. We wanted to create a core cooperative game that was a blast for one through four players.

There are always four heroes playing with you whether they are controlled by humans or AI. We knew that when it came to coop and humans playing together, that we had to raise the bar in some way In terms of themes, the game had always been about a team of agents infiltrating enemy strongholds in pursuit of a volatile banned substance. While the window dressing for the game has changed a bit, those core concepts have remained consistent.