BioWare is one of those special developers that makes waves with every release. So it should be no surprise that Mass Effect 2, the sequel to one of the most successful new IPs of 2007, saw more hype than ever. Given how much I enjoyed the first game, I tried to avoid whenever possible any videos, photos, news, or spoilers of Mass Effect 2 until I had that green plastic box in my hands. First impressions? Creepy box art straight out of a SciFi Channel original movie. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Almost three years ago in May of 2007, I purchased the Nintendo Wii.  I was oh-so-excited at the possibilities Nintendo’s new innovative system would bring.  By the end of that year I had procured and enjoyed Twilight Princess, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, Mario Strikers Charged, Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy.  Including Wii Sports, I had six games for the Wii.  That same year I only bought three games for the Xbox 360.  The Wii started strong in 2008 with the release of Super Smash Bros Brawl, and then………………………………………………………………………… nothing.  Brawl is the last Wii game I’ve acquired in nearly two years.  Meanwhile, I’ve since gotten hold of ten Xbox 360 games. [Read the rest of this entry...]

There are a few games that have a ton of things going for them; i.e. this and this. Most games on the market only have a few things going for them, but those few things pull the game along and ultimately make them fun and replayable. (example) And there are some games that really don’t have anything going for them. Darksiders is one of those games. Awful story, terrible graphics, boring gameplay, bland environments. The list could go on for a long time. Darksiders is truly a lesson in how not to design a video game. Ever. This game is one of the most overrated games of the last several months, and I would not recommend it to anyone. Go play this, this, or this instead.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

Hello all.

Just thought I’d give a little explanation about a new post that I, MidwestGamer, will be starting. Hopefully those other fools who do this site will eventually do them too.

My new type of post is called the “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” reviews. These reviews will all be extremely short in length, so they’ll be very easy to digest. In these posts, I’ll address games that I heard “through the grapevine” were amazing, great, revolutionary, genre-definining, etc. You may like some of the games I discuss, and that’s fine. As a matter of fact, I encourage you to comment on the posts or message our Twitter account @NorthwestGamer and let us know what you think. We’d also like to hear from you if you have any suggestions for further “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” reviews.

These reviews will all have a ranking system, which will be quantified by “sour grapes.”

The worse I felt the game was, the more “sour grapes” it shall receive.

Example: Late last year I reviewed “Brutal Legend,” which heralded copious praise from all possible outlets. I played through the game, and disagreed. It was fun at times, but some parts really chapped me.

So I would give Brutal Legend 2 out of 5 Sour Grapes.

Hope you enjoy this new type of post. Please let us know what you think!

MidwestGamer

Did you like Devil May Cry? Or Ninja Gaiden? If so, you’ll like Bayonetta. If you read the reviews of Bayonetta, you’d probably want to try it regardless of how you feel about DMC or NG. The reviews of it are that good. But Bayonetta is not, and I quote, “The best action game I’ve ever played.” I’ve already played Devil May Cry, and this is pretty much the same exact game. Bayonetta has a completely throw-away story, and adds absolutely nothing new to the genre. (If you say that it does, you, sir, are a dirty rotten scoundrel.) If you like mashing the X and Y buttons continuously for 11 hours, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

Is there ever too much of a good thing? If you enjoy something very much, wouldn’t you like to have more of that something, thereby increasing your enjoyment? Why would anyone ever turn down something that they know they’ll enjoy? Why would anyone say they hate something because it is the same as something that they love? These are some, but not all, of the questions I hope to answer or at least ponder in my Dante’s Inferno review.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

There’s an aspect of First Person gaming that has largely been ignored by mainstream multiplayer developers: skill-based mechanics.  More specifically, these are game mechanics that require practice and skill to master.  I’m talking about Matrix-style fine control and physics manipulation that, when pulled off correctly, pushes the game to new levels of competitive depth. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Holy Hell.  Where am I!?  How did I end up here?  Omfgajmaj–it’s a game site… and I’m writing in it?

Who’s lame-brained idea was that?

Welcome to me! *Waves* [Read the rest of this entry...]

Earlier today, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb asked his sizable twitter audience the following:

What new features would you like to see in the Xbox LIVE Twitter or Facebook applications? I think we know…but tell us

Months ago, Microsoft was first to take a step into the social networking space, adding apps for Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm to Xbox Live, the pay-to-play online network of the Xbox 360 gaming console. The Twitter app was essentially a simplified client to view and send tweets, with support for twitter search and trending topics as well. Though it worked just fine, there was hardly any value to tweet on the Xbox, for without a keyboard, the process of posting and responding to tweets proved to be quite laborious.

The Facebook app took the integration further, allowing users to post status updates along with the ability to edit their profile, and view photo albums. Arguably the most useful feature though was the ability to find facebook friends that also have Xbox Live. This Facebook app was a refreshing step in the right direction of integrating social media with gaming platforms in a truly useful way,

While I gave each app a fair shake, there wasn’t much substance to them, and little incentive to use them again (with the one exception noted above). I had all but forgotten about the whole affair until I saw Major Nelson’s tweet this afternoon, and that got me thinking. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Thank you for checking us out today, the final day of our Countdown of 2009’s Best Games. Today we reveal our Number 1. First, let us just say that 2009 was a great year for games, and it was very difficult for both of us to pick our Number 2-5 on our GOTY lists. But, in all honestly, it was not a struggle at all for us to pick our Number 1 Game of 2009. Both us of knew the instant we started playing this game that it was destined for greatness, and destined for the coveted Northwest Gamer #1 Game of 2009 spot. So, without further adieu, our Number 1 Game of 2009. [Read the rest of this entry...]