Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Seed Studios
Genre: Real-time Strategy
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

Every once in a while, the RTS genre, which enjoys vast popularity on the PC, makes its way to a game console. The console RTS is a rare breed, often marred by watered down gameplay options and a poor control scheme. Seed Studios took a chance and developed Under Siege, a medieval fantasy-based RTS available now on the PlayStation Network.

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Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now
Review by: Michael Rabalais

Nostalgia can be a fickle beast. I recently purchased two remasters from Paul McCartney’s solo catalog and realized, much to my surprise, that each album held a new significance to me. McCartney, his first solo outing after the breakup of the Beatles, was one of my favorite albums to come out of the seventies. Its raw homemade production lent it a charm I was unaccustomed to hearing upon my first listen. But I felt nothing but bilious disgust for McCartney II. Whereas the first album had proven itself through bare-bones instrumentation, the follow-up seemed to be an exercise in the bizarre, wild with synthesizer and boasting an embarrassment of vocal effects. Coming back to these albums in their remastered state, however, left me confused. The homegrown simplicity of McCartney suddenly seemed cold and distracted, while McCartney II showed a completely different musician, one confident enough to experiment with his music, even if it meant disappointing his most loyal fans. Home is never the same as you remember it, and going into Nintendo’s 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a question stood out in my mind: How can I objectively review a remake of what many consider to be the very best game of all time?

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Publisher: Spiderweb Software
Developer: Spiderweb Software
System requirements: Windows XP/Mac OS 10.4 or later, 800 MHz CPU, 32 MB graphics card with OpenGL support, 512 MB RAM, 200 MB hard-drive space
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

The very first PC game I can remember being enamored with is Dune II (the second game would be Starcraft). In fact, it was Dune II that prompted me to convince my dad that our home needed a PC. My first computer was purchased during my junior year of high school (2000), and if I remember correctly, I ended up killing the hard drive by filling it full of games and other nonsense. It’s now 11 years later, and I’ve found myself transported back to a time when games weren’t regurgitated piles of cud. If you have a moment, go to Avadon: The Black Fortress developer Spiderweb Software’s website and read their Promise page. Spiderweb’s passionate manifesto is a cuff to the ears of jaded gamers everywhere. The company offers a one-year, money-back guarantee with their games, versus the usual return policy we face: “If you’ve played it, you can only exchange it for the same game.”

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Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Avalanche
Genre: Racing
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

It’s become cliche to knock licensed titles that hit shelves days before each summer blockbuster flickers at the multiplex, but what is a cliche but an oft-told truth? That being said, in the last few years we’ve seen the tide turn. When you vote with your dollars, developers realize the quickie cash grab isn’t going to work much longer. Last summer, Avalanche provided one of the best examples to date in this seismic shift, with their Toy Story 3 tie-in that featured the fun and addictive Toy Box mode. With another PIXAR sequel ready to race, it’s encouraging to see Avalanche steering Cars 2 to retail, but will the same lighting strike twice.

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I did it. I broke down and upgraded my iPhone 3G, but not to a newer iPhone. I bought a refurbished iPod Touch (4th generation). It has the newer retina display and faster processor so I can finally play the more demanding games that wouldn’t load onto my 3G. Additionally, I can finally be a part of Apple’s Game Center. Be reassured that, while I do play too many games on my iOS device, I’m nowhere near as pathetic as the person who holds the top spot in Angry Birds. Only one of this week’s apps require a 4th-generation device, but a few of them are graphics intensive, so I’ll let you know what the appropriate device is for each of those apps.

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Manufacturer: Genius
System requirements: Available USB port
MSRP: $79.99

When it comes to PC accessories in my household, I tend to go cheap. Between cats and a bad habit of spilling liquids on keyboards, input devices just don’t last that long. However, it was my pleasure to review Genius’s Luxemate T810 Wireless Media Center keyboard during the past few weeks. That’s a fancy name for a three-in-one keyboard, mouse and remote control that integrates with Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE). Intended to be not just a source of input for a PC, but also an all-in-one media-control suite, Genius claims their hardware is “…a total hardware solution for you to control media center features.” And they aren’t kidding, either.

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Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Frontier Developments
Genre: Pet Simulation
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

If you’re the kind of person who’s ever wondered how much fun you could have with a baby tiger without the fear of being either scratched to death or arrested (and no, I’m not labeling you), then you should check out Kinectimals. I bought this game with my four year old daughter, Leela, firmly in mind, but I can’t lie to you. I’m just going to confess straight away and clear my gaming conscience by telling you that I’ve played it more than she has.

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Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

There are so many pieces to any well written story, usually with many different fragments of characters that end up colliding, making the incomplete tale whole. It’s Day 13 and you’re not sure what kind of stage is being laid out in front of you, just glimpses of passengers on a train, dressed in similar garb. An armed guard is patrolling. As the cameras weave in and out, you begin to see the opening act for what it’s unfolding to become. You’re watching prisoners, two in particular, who are planning to escape. With a whisper back and forth, a quickening of pace begins as one of these prisoners dispatches his captor, freeing himself and his companion. As more prisoners are freed and as seconds pass, a war of survival between captors and captives ensues, and then the monsters start appearing. The next moments are now in your control, the stage has now been set, and surviving The Purge is left in your hands. Interested yet? These are just the opening moments of the latest installment of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series. This is Cocoon.

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Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: AQ Interactive
Genre: Action/Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now
Review by: Michael Rabalais

The conventions of the puzzle genre have had me confused lately. What makes a puzzler rewarding? Should items such as Puzzle Bobble and Tetris belong to the same genre as Braid or Portal? Should a puzzler reward creative thinking, quick thinking, or both? Ubisoft’s recent 3DS release, Cubic Ninja, has stirred up more of these questions, and has put me a little bit closer to establishing my definition of a puzzle game.

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Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Genre: Tower Defense / Third Person Shooter
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: June 22, 2011

I think there’s something kind of neat about remembering a genre’s inception and watching as it evolves and grows. The Internet has proven to be a fantastic sandbox where novice developers can get their ideas, even in rudimentary form, out to the masses and see their reactions. One such concept was that of the tower defense style of game, where players build weapons and defenses in order to defeat increasing hordes of enemies and protect some object or point. Today, this basic, and very popular, style of game has spawned many iterations, and one is about to hit the Xbox Live Arcade – Trenched.

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Publisher: Digital Leisure
Developer: Digital Leisure
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Sometimes, you can be pretty good at a game and still finish it. Most games allow a little leeway in terms of player skill, making it so that even if you screw up occasionally, you can still complete the game. Dragon’s Lair is not most games. It demands perfection from its players. Dragon’s Lair II, recently released on the PSN, cannot be beaten without precise control and exact movements. Or, in my case, infinite lives and a whole lotta time.

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Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

It was 4:30 pm on Saturday, June 11, 2011, when I could finally stop saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Duke Nukem Forever was vaporware no more. The longest development cycle in videogame history was finally at an end. An actual copy of the game was in my hands. My expectations were high, but they were also tempered with the knowledge that a game with a history such as this would never live up to them. All that was left was to play it and find out for myself if it was worth the decade-and-a-half wait.

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To get back into the swing of things, this week’s App Attack is a special E3 Edition. You’ll notice a few things are different this week. First, we’re moving our App Attack release day to Thursday, and the second change is an expansion of each app’s review to two paragraphs. I felt like a single paragraph was too rushed and needed more meat. Since I got some hands-on time with some unreleased apps at E3, I’ve included them as previews. As always, these apps are only here because I’ve played them and would spend my hard earned cash on them. You should too!

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Manufacturer: XJacKer
MSRP: $19.99

Sound is an important part of gaming. Being able to hear your opponent coming can mean the difference between life and death, and clear communication is vital for your team to succeed. These are things the Soniq Rush Gaming Headset Amp Kit, created by XJacKer, promise to deliver to your Xbox 360. After I explain a little about how it works, I’ll tell you whether or not it’s worth your money.

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Publisher: 505 Games
Developer: Behaviour Interactive
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

There’s a simple truth about humans: every so often, we all feel the need to vent our frustrations. Venting on other humans is generally frowned upon, so the responsible ones among us search for other ways to reduce our daily stress levels. Last summer, developer Artificial Minds and Movement (now known as Behaviour Interactive) offered us just such an outlet in Naughty Bear, a dark, fluff-covered fable about a world-worn, patchwork teddy bear and his quest for revenge against the bright and fluffy neighbors who have been tormenting him. As we approach the one-year anniversary of Naughty’s campaign of terror and retribution, publisher 505 Games offers a return to his island home in Naughty Bear Gold Edition.

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