Weird Entries: Bomberman Act Zero

Any series has characteristics and features that make it immediately recognizable. Shinobi is distinguished by being about an awesome ninja; Uncharted is distinguished by its everyman, light hearted protagonist. However, when a series has been around for a while, the developers and publishers will want to shake things up. Sometimes this works wonderfully (Resident Evil 4), but other times it doesn’t go so well. In these latter times we get sequels, reboots, or offshoots that are only remembered by how much they deviated from what the series was really all about. This feature will cover 2 this month, so let’s jump into one of the weirdest ever: Bomberman: Act Zero.

Blog Update March 31, 2014

First of all, I want to thank everyone who takes a look at this blog. Whether you read every post or just come by when a particular post catches your eye, seeing the pageviews go up like they have lately has been really awesome, and I really appreciate everyone taking the time to read my stuff. However, I feel like I'm spreading myself a bit thin, and as a result, the features I write end up feeling a bit underdeveloped. So, I won't be posting every week from now on, BUT I'll still put 3 posts up every other week (which will be the same types as before). Hopefully, this will allow me time to conceive, write, and edit posts more thoroughly before posting them. Also, if you're enjoying what I'm writing, let me know, or if you aren't enjoying what I'm writing, really let me know. I want to get better even if this is only something I do for fun. I'll see you guys in a week!

Audio Log: Astyanax

Astyanax was a game whose name no one knew how to pronounce. Go ahead; try. However, it was still a pretty fun sidescrolling adventure with Greek Mythology elements and a fairly awesome soundtrack. The title music and first stage music in particular were fun tracks. Have a listen with your ears.

5 of the Best Sidekicks in Gaming

We all know the hero is the star of the show; that’s why they’re called the hero and not…some person. But sidekicks are all too often forgotten for the key roles they play in helping the hero save the day. Games usually relegate the sidekick to the second player, but sometimes developers make them such cool or useful characters that they end up taking the spotlight for themselves. Here are 5 of gaming’s coolest second stringers.

Best and Worst: Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry could easily be a contender for one of the most important franchises of all time. With its first entry, creator Hideki Kamiya helped usher in a new era of third person action titles, and eventually change many of the fundamental aspects of the hack and slash genre. The series was a success from the start, and would go on to spawn a number of sequels as well as its own TV show and a comic book series. However, like any franchise, DMC has its problematic entries. What’s the best and worst the DMC series has to offer? I’m glad you asked.

Audio Log: Mega Man 6

Mega Man music has been lauded to the point where even mentioning that it's great has become a cliche. Suffice it to say that the whole of the Mega Man series has fantastic soundtracks, but one that has always stood out to me as being particularly noteworthy is the stage select music from Mega Man 6. Hardly anyone has the fondest memories of anything between 5 and the X series on Super Nintendo, but this song in particular is one of the best Mega Man tracks on the NES.

Classic Game Design Elements that Should Never Die

Games have gotten more complex as the tools to make them have become more robust; however there are a few things that modern developers should still tap into when making new experiences. Here are five of the most important design elements pioneered by the games of yesteryear that should never go away.