Ah, the original Sonic Adventure. While an incredibly flawed gaming experience, it is still considered a fan favorite thanks to its inventive level design, catchy soundtrack and surprisingly involving storyline – aspects that are somewhat devoid in the blue mascot’s latest outings. In fact, it could be said that Sonic has become a laughing stock in today’s generation of gaming, lacking all the polish and finesse one would find in a Mario game.

But I digress. It has just been confirmed by ESRB that Sonic’s first 3D adventure is set to be released on both XBLA and PSN – an exciting prospect for those who missed it when it was first released 12 years ago. Time flies, huh?

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If you are one of those people who wait for the best deals before you buy a game, this is the week for you.  Microsoft has just discounted some of their best titles for this week’s Xbox LIVE Deals of the Week program.  The list includes critically acclaimed hits like Worms 2: Armageddon, Serious Sam HD, Duke Nukem 3D, and Battlefield 1943, as well as many more, for crazy discounts of up to 50% off.

If you haven’t picked up any of these games, now is the time.  For a complete list of all the titles on sale, as well as their prices, hit the jump. Read more… »

The world of Peanuts is one that I know next to nothing about. The name Charles Schulz is one that I had to Google to ensure I had spelled it correctly (I hadn’t). An obsession with root beer flies over my head like the Red Baron, which I also had no idea Snoopy shared any connection with. So you can understand that when I see a game with Snoopy in the title, I’m not likely to put on a red scarf and jump on my doghouse.

But just one look at Snoopy Flying Ace at PAX East this year was enough to pique my interest, as its clear connections to the Crimson Skies series brought back memories of long multiplayer sessions and indiscriminate airplane chaos. If anything, experiencing a few moments of nostalgic air combat would make this a worthwhile $10 purchase.

Imagine my surprise when I found that the game is actually quite fantastic.

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When the original RayStorm hit the Sony Playstation in 1997, it was met with a strong critical reception. As publishers who are increasingly looking to capitalize on past successes continue to comb through their back catalogs for likely candidates for re-release, it makes sense that Taito (now owned by Square Enix) would call their highly lauded shmup out of retirement.

Although RayStorm featured a few gameplay mechanics that were compelling at the time, the vertical shooter has advanced greatly in 13 years. With games like Ikaruga and Espgaluda I & II becoming the innovators and standards of the genre, it was unclear at first if the recent HD port of RayStorm could regain some measure of its former luster.

Does RayStorm HD bring enough improvement to the table to stand out in a crowd of the modern Hell of a Thousand Bullets offerings, or is it just relying on nostalgia to coax another $15 out of the pockets of sentimental gamers?

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Remember back in middle school, there was that one weird kid who tried to be strange just to get attention? Well, if that kid was a video game, he would be Zeno Clash.

Billed as a first-person brawler, Zeno Clash‘s single-player campaign follows Ghat, a man who has committed a crime against his tribe and is being hunted for it. Joined by his female companion Deadra, Ghat must venture across the various unique landscapes of Zenozoik in search of peace. Weirded out yet? You will be. Read more… »

Considering how gamers go gaga over retro games, I’m surprised that Konami isn’t getting a lot of props. Over the last few years, they’ve done two retro revivals of Contra and Castlevania, along with Gradius and the relatively obscure Vandal Hearts series. Now, Konami has given us Rocket Knight, a game tasked with rebooting a seventeen year-old franchise that only saw modest success in its early days.

Personally, I never thought the Rocket Knight Adventures series was anything special; the controls were too wonky, and the camera moving only left and right made the game feel too claustrophobic. Thankfully, the team behind Rocket Knight understood this, and addressed both of those problems, while adding a few new moves for our hero to perform. Now, we’re in business; this is definitely what the Rocket Knight Adventures series was always striving for. Read more… »

If the name Bo Jackson does not strike fear into your heart, then you are not a Tecmo Bowl veteran. While the popular slogans of the time were “Bo Knows Football” and “Bo Knows Baseball”, Tecmo Bowl players knew only one thing: Bo knows how to break the game. With superhuman speed, Jackson decimated every team’s defense thanks to being faster than any human person should ever be.

Thankfully (depending on who you are), Tecmo Bowl Throwback does not know Bo. What the game does know, however, is how to mix the old with the new in a way that is wholly satisfying. Well, unless you’re playing against Detroit.

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Last month LucasArts announced that they were going to produce a Special Edition of the classic adventure title Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. In this announcement, the publisher stated that the special edition would feature in-game commentary from “the game’s creators.” Today LucasArts revealed that the commentary would be coming from three legends of gaming: Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman.

LucasArts released a statement saying, “Ron, Tim, Dave will be lending their trademark wit and humor to select areas in the game. When playing, players will be able to hear the three’s insights into key areas of the game and get insight into making the original game as well as their thoughts on the new Special Edition treatment.” Read more… »

EA have announced their plans for the next batch of DLC for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with the previously delayed Kit Upgrade pack. The pack is scheduled for release on Xbox Live April 21st and will include 4 different kits for each player class, comprising of new uniforms and camouflaged weapons along with 12 new awards and 4 achievements.

In Europe, each kit will be available separately for 160 MS points or as an inclusive bundle for 440 MS points, whereas the DLC is only available in North America from promotional codes on selected cans of Dr Pepper, bizarrely. A release date for the PS3 and PC versions of the game has yet to be announced.

The question is, will you be willing to part with your cash for these cosmetic changes after the previous map packs were offered for free?

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Gamers often make me laugh and facepalm simultaneously. When hearing that a vocal minority of gripers on a Might & Magic fansite referred to Capybara’s turn-based strategy RPG/Puzzle mash-up game as “Might and Magic: Rash of Herpes”, I couldn’t help but snicker.

However, just because something is clever doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid. Clash of Heroes clocked in amongst the top 5 rated DS games for all of 2009. Sorry, haters – it sounds like the rash is spreading.

Andrew Kauz and I had the good fortune at PAX East to chat with Capy president and co-founder Nathan Vella, and get a sneak peek at the upcoming remake of the game for XBLA and PSN. Spoilers: It looks good.

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In the crazy world of game development, making a full-length game is only part of the picture. Without a publisher’s support to distribute and promote a title, it can be nearly impossible for an independent studio to gather the resources and know-how to take their game to market. This was the pickle that Atomic Games found themselves in last year, when Konami pulled their support for Six Days in Fallujah amidst crys from those who felt the subject matter and treatment were disrespectful to those who served in the military, both past and present.

With so much time and technology invested in the title already, what was a studio like Atomic to do? Why, strip the game down for parts and build a new title in a different direction, of course. At PAX East, the Gamer Limit crew got their hands on the recently announced Breach, and found both the game tech and business strategy to be intriguing.

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Those of you that have played ‘Splosion Man, or The Maw, know that Twisted Pixel is a name that is synonymous with quality.

Keeping with that tradition, Mike Henry was awesome enough to sit down with us and talk about their superb puzzle/platformer, and their future endeavors. Read more… »