1001 Video Games You Must Play – #15: Super Meat Boy

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May 292012
 

It’s extremely difficult for an independent developer to produce a runaway hit when up against blockbuster games with million dollar budgets. Even more strenuous is creating a memorable character, however there’s something brilliantly simplistic about a small talking red cube of meat (aptly-named “Meat Boy” for the carnage he’s set to endure). Indeed, if the character was given any more physical dimension en par with say Mario or Metroid this would be a more brutal title and imagine would have a hard time getting passed the Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and WiiWare censors. Continue reading »

1001 Video Games You Must Play – #14: Dark Souls

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May 212012
 

Demon’s Souls was first released to North American audiences it was purported as one of the most difficult games in existence, a reputation it rightly deserves. Friends traded stories about this excruciating challenging title to other friends (and for those that eventually went on to complete the game there was no shortage of bragging rights to be had either). As word spread about Demon’s Souls’ notorious difficulty more became interested in playing it and in the two years since its release a rather sizable audience was prepped and ready for a sequel. So the question became how do you create a sequel to one of the most challenging games ever created? The answer: you make it harder. That end product was ‘Dark Souls‘. Continue reading »

1001 Video Games You Must Play – #13: Call of Duty: Black Ops

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May 072012
 

Now that the honeymoon phase is over and the dust has finally settled many will advocate that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the better game with its Michael-Bay-esque storyline and constant injection of action, but this is simply untrue. What is true is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was more highly anticipated than its predecessor as many believed Black Ops was merely a stop-gap title to bide time before Modern Warfare 3?s release. In any case, Black Ops was something special in the genre of first-person shooters, especially after Modern Warfare 2 and World at War. Its emphasis on story and character development is what drove this near-perfect blend of action, drama, and tension. Continue reading »

1001 Video Games You Must Play – #10: Battlefield 3

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Apr 092012
 

(I’m going to preface this review by stating that I’ve never been a fan of online multiplayer in the Modern Warfare franchise. I realize this entry is supposed to focus on Battlefield 3 but it’s hard to talk about one without bringing up the other. I’ve always likened multiplayer in the Call of Duty games to fighting in a fish bowl or a hamster cage. There’s too many campers, the maps are too small, and don’t even get me started about the kill streaks. And while I understand they’ll always be millions of people who favor this franchise over Battlefield I thought I’d be better to get this out of the way sooner rather than later.) Continue reading »

1001 Video Games You Must Play – #8: Catherine

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Mar 262012
 

Not since Killer7 have I had the pleasure of playing a unique experience such as Catherine. This game is a true gem. Its greatest strength is that it takes your expectations of what a game should be and makes you realize what a game could be. Like Demon’s Souls, Persona 4, and Odin Sphere that came before it, Catherine falls in the tradition of Atlus Games’ tendency towards the peculiar and the macabre. Continue reading »

1001 Video Games You Must Play – #3 L.A. Noire

 1001 Video Games You Must Play, Featurettes, Video Games  1 Response »
Feb 202012
 
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I’m not going to lie to you, I absolutely loathe L.A. Noire but to deny the game is nothing short of a technical marvel would be selling this game short. Rockstar has never shied away from taking their games in new directions so when they took a chance on a relatively unknown small Sydney-based developer they had a lot riding this single title. Even after the dust has settled L.A. Noire managed pulled off an impressive and incredible feat.

The player takes the reins of Cole Phelps, a rookie cop who rises through the ranks of the LAPD in 1940s Los Angeles, by collecting evidence, questioning witnesses, and solving cases. Players be warned. This isn’t Grand Theft Auto. If you’re expecting a game that allows you to crash your police cruiser into anyone or anything or shoot your gun willy-nilly then look elsewhere. This is a game that relies more on the drive of its characters, its dramatic storytelling, and suspense rather than the action of shooting a gun.

My gripes with the game are mainly superficial. You never really die during gameplay and you rarely ever fail a case (even if you are the worst interrogater imaginable). Despite being an open-world sandbox game, L.A. Noire is extremely linear, providing little incentive to explore the meticulously crafted 1940?s Los Angeles. But for me, I found the game extremely repetitive, never being about to take on more than two cases in a single sitting. What the game does get right is its film noir aesthetic taking queues from recent films like The Black Dahlia and L.A. Confidential, a perfect musical score to match, and superb voice-acting from a star-studded cast. Interrogating witnesses utilizes Team Bondi’s MotionScan technology, which filmed the facial responses of real-life actors with 32 surrounding cameras.

It’s a shame we won’t see any future games from Team Bondi since the studio officially closed its doors in October 2011, citing excruciating working conditions during production and not signing on to any future projects. At its heart L.A. Noire is a mystery game, just like what Rockstar did with Red Dead Redemption and the Western so to did L.A. Noire for the hard-boiled detective genre. A title that won’t soon be forgotten.

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Top 15 Most Anticipated Games of 2012

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Feb 152012
 
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Megaman – Capcom’s Biggest Name is Back.

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Jul 162010
 
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That’s right folks just mere minutes ago we here at Halfway Between Here and There got the exciting news that everyone’s favorite blue blast robo boy is coming back! Mega Man is coming to us all via Xbox Live and Playstation Network. Kenji Inafune Head of Research and Development Management for Capcom Entertainment had a few words to share to the world about this exciting announcement

“We are thrilled to finally be able to announce Mega Man Universe, this game will break the mold and challenge the conventional wisdom of what a Mega Man game can be. When fans finally get to see it, I believe they’ll envision their most far-out Mega Man dreams coming true.”

That’s a lot hype Kenji is putting behind this new entry to the Mega Man franchise. There were no release dates or any information on how the game is supposedly going to “break the mold and challenge the conventional wisdom of what a Mega Man game can be.” So I guess for now we’re going to have to wait until Comic Con to see if they’re going to update us with more details on the game. Heck we’ll even settle for some gameplay footage or even a still.

Speaking of Comic Con if you’re one of the few lucky ones attending this year’s event be sure to stop by the Capcom booth. They’re going to be giving away these MMU-branded foam Mega Man busters. They only have a limited quantity of 2000 foam busters at the event, so act fast!

For more more updates or details be sure to check back with us on an hourly basis…You’ll never know what you might find.

Love the idea of a new Mega Man game? Think the ol’boy should have stayed in his 8-bit circle of purgatory? Let us know how you feel with a comment just down below!

Assassins Creed: Brotherhood – E3 2010 Trailer

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Jun 142010
 
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Ubisoft released a new trailer just in time for E3. This newest trailer gives us more of an insight as to the plot and a few of the antagonists in the game. Also, it gives a little bit more knowhow of Ezio’s new assassin buddies.   Now, if only a multiplayer trailer could find it’s way to the public, then I’d be set. So, here it is, the story trailer for Assassins Creed: Brotherhood.