It’s odd how something that I hadn’t even heard of until about two months ago could suddenly become such a big part of my life, but in a short time I have become a completely devoted Scott Pilgrim fan.  I loved the movie, devoured the graphic novels, can’t get the movie’s soundtrack out of my head, and after finishing the game, am completely smitten by it as well.  The tale of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers has left an indelible tattoo on my non-Canadian brain, and while the game itself may not have quite the storytelling flare as its other renditions, it’s probably the best possible way that such a story could have been translated into a video game.  It takes all the tributes to gaming that the books and movie relate and condenses them into it’s own tribute, and it gets even more fun the more I play it.

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Coming off the heels of what I thought was the best Madden of our current generation of consoles; Madden NFL 11 looks to yet again impress football fans across the nation. However EA Sports decided to go in a new direction this year by creating a game that simplifies the formula for newcomers or for those returning to the franchise after a long break. To accomplish this they’ve introduced a few new features, one of which is called GameFlow that not only simplifies the play calling but also cuts the play time in half. Although casual football fans will love this feature, the hardcore fans will not and they might also feel like this year’s Madden wasn’t made for them at all.

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I have the feeling that DeathSpank is going to appeal to a lot of old-school gamers. Too many modern-era games try to deliver a serious, intense, epic, and dramatic story with multitudes of plot twists, betrayals, and the like. DeathSpank goes the complete opposite direction. Full of crisp visuals and irreverent humor, the latest from Ron Gilbert and Hothead Games delivers what many gamers want, but not necessarily what they might expect.

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Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition is an Xbox Live Arcade re-release of the PC game Zeno Clash. Playing as a strange young man named Ghat, you will engage in a completely bizarre world full of monsters and bi-pedal mutants that all want to kill you. Your main weapons throughout the game are your fists, though other weapons such as… fish guns and other fine projectile weapons appear frequently.

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As far as I can tell, there isn’t a cooperative experience similar to Lost Planet 2 anywhere out in the game market today. The action is tremendous, the foes numerous and oftentimes humongous, and the entire package is wrapped up in a world and visual aesthetic all its own. One of the pervading elements of Lost Planet 2 is scale, and while it can sometimes be harrowing, the feel of the gameplay is that of something that is just barely inside the realm of possibility.

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Ripper, Take-Two’s 1996 FMV adventure chronicling the crimes of a Jack the Ripper copycat, was an engrossing adventure. Depending on how you played, the killer could be any one of four acquaintances you’d make throughout the game. Interestingly enough, it featured Christopher Walken in the lead role. It may have been a bit of a failed venture and it was tough to get running (at least for me), but it was at least somewhat related to the infamous crimes of Jack the Ripper, and that was enough for me.

It was with morbid curiosity that I checked into Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper, a game I had hoped could stand up to the former, even just a smidgeon. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed. While this title aims to deliver a more historically accurate (read: stuffy) account of the infamous disemboweling harlot-killer, it succeeds only in being completely and utterly dull. Yes, it manages to turn gruesome murders into a subject that can’t even trump homework as a viable entertainment option. That, my friends, is a travesty.

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New York, New York! It’s the city that never sleeps. According to Japan, it’s also plagued by malevolent demons. But not to worry — the theater troupe of Little Lip Theater is always on call. Yes, they can put on a magnificent show, but they’re also tasked with keeping the citizens of the Big Apple safe. Unfortunately, their newest member isn’t quite who they were expecting: the nephew instead of his respected uncle Ogami! How are they supposed to put on mindblowing performances and keep the peace with this mousy greenhorn tagging along? It’s up to the player to see that Ogami’s successor, Lt. Shinjiro Taiga, rises to the occasion in Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love, for both the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2.

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Just over a year ago, Street Fighter IV ushered back 2D fighters in a big way.  Now, with the release of Super Street Fighter IV, Capcom proves that if it ain’t broke, tweak it and make it better.  The genre is here to stay, as this game has been eagerly anticipated since hints of it dropped last summer.  But is Super Street Fighter IV worthy of a full disc release or is it simply just minor DLC-esque add-ons to an already great game?

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Felicia Day is a multitalented and industrious woman. Not only is she responsible for the smash hit  sitcom The Guild, but she has other equally impressive credits under her belt. She acts, she writes, she produces, and she’s setting the world of geek ablaze. As if all of that weren’t enough, she’s taken her self-described “baby” The Guild to the next level. Back in March, the first issue of the companion comic series to the online show was released, delighting current fans and bringing in several new ones with its all-new prequel to the established narrative. While darker in tone and aesthetic than its real-life counterpart, it presents itself as a pleasing complement that acts a perfect companion to old fans and a great starting point for new ones. It will act as a three-part origin story for The Guildies, and personally I can’t wait to see what’s to come.

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Okay, I admit it. Sometimes, flooring it and dragging along a human speedbump beneath my stolen car gets to be a little old. It’s dizzying having all that freedom. I suppose that’s why I’m such trash at sandbox and open-world games. There’s so much to do at one given time that my mind, moving at a breakneck pace, simply can’t focus on one task at a time. Should I be doing this mission first? Or maybe that one? It’s tough to get myself to focus on one piece of the larger puzzle, which is why I shelved Grand Theft Auto IV not too long after receiving it. The original Just Cause was much the same in my eyes. While I enjoyed roaming the lush island paradise and wreaking havoc, it felt much too disjointed for me to be able to get much of anything done. Fortunately, the entire aesthetic, mood, and overall attitude of Just Cause 2 have been vastly improved, making it an adrenaline-laced chaotic adventure for those of us who need that extra push to be able to enjoy a game where anything goes.

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Grey Wardens will be venturing to the land of Amaranthine in Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, BioWare’s first expansion to the hit Dragon Age: Origins.  It is in Amaranthine that you will be embarking on a brand new 15-20 hour adventure as the Commander of the Grey, either as an imported character or a brand new Warden from Orlais.  It’s a short stint that offers new side quests, new characters and of course, a new story line.  When I first initially heard that Awakening was $40, I wondered if the price tag was worth it for more Dragon Age.  While Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC, I played the game on the Xbox 36o and the review reflects this.

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Rather than a simple re-release, XSeed Games went the extra mile and brought us a complete retooling of Lunar: The Silver Star that improves upon one of my personal favorite PlayStation releases, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. I felt it would be quite appropriate to do the same to my review. Originally I had penned it like any other of my reviews you see here, but halfway through I decided to honor the game with an “update” of my own to what would otherwise be a regular review. I crafted Spawn Kill’s very first video review.

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I’m not afraid to admit it: while I love a good “serious” JRPG any day, I also enjoy many so-called “casual” games like Diner Dash and Cake Mania.  So when I got the opportunity to review Flo’s latest culinary outing, Diner Dash 5: Boom!, I jumped at the chance.  It’d been a while since I’d last played Diner Dash: Hometown Hero, and my clicking finger was itching for another go of frantic arcade-style fun.  How does this latest installment pan out?

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It’s been a while since I last played a Pokémon game.  In fact, the last of the series that I remember finishing was Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy back in 1998 when it first debuted on North American shores.  It’s been 11 years since I’ve been able to get attached to my Pokémon companions, and unfortunately none of the other additions to the franchise have been able to hold my attention for more than an hour or two.  While Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver do not bring anything new to the table, they are enjoyable and have managed to reel me back into the world of Pokémon with a strong sense of nostalgia.  It is this sense of nostalgia that has made playing the game such a pleasant experience, but there’s plenty here for newcomers to the series to appreciate too.

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Incidentally, some of the best moments in my personal FPS file sprang forth from Alien Trilogy, the classic shooter seen originally on the PlayStation, PC, and Sega Saturn. As the infamous marine Ripley Scott, I blasted my way through LV426 in order to establish contact with a colony infested with nefarious aliens. Knee-deep in a Weyland-Yutani corporation, a prison, and a plethora of other dubious locations, I ensured that the scourge was wiped off the face of the planet. I purged areas of the infected. I reloaded often. The first time a face hugger set up camp on my own delicious countenance, I must have jumped a foot in the air.Dark corridors and even darker corners were so inviting, but what waitedbeyond the ominous last bits of light in a cleared area?

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