Review & Contest: Lux Pain for Nintendo DS
Evil. Mystery. Darkness. These are the words on the back of the box for Lux Pain. The game is described as a mystery where you must gather hints and clues by talking to people, and use your psychic powers to save the victims from Silent, an evil worm that has been infecting the local population. Can you stop Silent before it claims the lives of more victims, but more importantly, will you have fun doing it? You can win our copy of the game, so read on for our review and how to win!
[Update: We've closed the contest and are trying to contact our winner, check your e-mail! ]
Early Impressions: 1 vs. 100 Beta on Xbox Live Primetime
The TV Quiz show is one of the longest running "reality programs" in existence, modified and retooled throughout the years into various formats. One of the latest incarnations is 1 vs. 100, where one person (The One) competes against a group of 100 (The Mob) in answering multiple choice questions. As long as The One answers questions correctly, they earn money for each person in The Mob that misses the question. If The One misses a question, everyone left in The Mob divides up the prize money, and The One goes home with nothing. A new incarnation of this game has come to Xbox Live Primetime, and promises to be popular with game show addicts. Read on for our review of the first Beta night.
Review & Contest: Rock Band: Classic Rock Track Pack
Rock Band and Rock Band 2 both include a lot of songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and with a constant stream of downloadable content (DLC), there are literally hundreds of songs to choose from. Usually these songs are available for $2 a piece (or 160 Microsoft point), so over time it can get expensive to have a large library. One way Harmonix is trying to help out is by releasing stand-alone track packs that can be purchased at retail outlets. They have released a new Classic Rock Track Pack, but does the value hold up? Read the rest of our short review to find out, and enter to win our copy of the Track Pack!
[Update: The contest is over, thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, PSQUARED2!]
Review & Contest: Crayola Colorful Journey
When Crayola Colorful Journey showed up for me to review, I didn't have very high hopes. A game marketed to kids "5 and up" is usually lacking in the quality, entertainment, and challenge areas, and so I was a little disheartened. The concept as promoted on the box was a world where you could create your own solutions to puzzles, creating a bit of curiosity in my mind. A puzzle platformer? By Crayola? Surely it couldn't be worthwhile in comparison to Braid or Prince of Persia, but maybe, just maybe, it had a few redeeming qualities for its target demographic. Read on for the full review, and find out how you can win our review copy!
[Update: The contest is over, thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, PSQUARED2! ]
Review & Contest: Boing! Docomodake DS
What do the games Yo! Noid, Cool Spot, and the new Boing! Docomodake DS game have in common? That's right, they're all games where you play as a corporate mascot. The NTT docomo corporation is one of the biggest cell phone carriers in Japan, with the Docomodake as their mascot. Much like any other corporate mascot, they make many products to help promote the brand, even going so far as to create a video game. Now Docomodake has come to the U.S. with Boing! Docomodake DS, but is it worth picking up?
[Update: The contest is over, thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, ReZon! ]
Review & Contest: Blue Dragon Plus
In August 2007, Blue Dragon was released for the Xbox 360 to little fanfare, and although generally well received, was not a major title for the console. A sequel has been released, but instead of being on the Xbox 360, it has arrived on the Nintendo DS. Obviously a severe change in hardware, can the story survive the transition, and how similar is this new entry in the franchise? Find out in our review, and enter to win our review copy by commenting at the end of the article!
[Update: The contest is over, thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, gbaker386! Also don't forget to enter our Docomodake contest! ]
Review: Knothole Island DLC for Fable 2
Downloadable Content (or DLC) is becoming more commonplace in games, and is still a major source of contention among gamers. Some people see it as a way to squeeze more money out of customers, others see it as a way to expand on a game without delaying the initial release. The price also plays a big part in people's opinions. Gamers rarely complain about free DLC, but content that costs money will have detractors even if there are many hours of gameplay for only a few dollars. Fable 2 was released late in 2008, and the Knothole Island DLC was released only a couple months later for 800 Microsoft points (or $10 U.S.). Does this DLC provide enough bang for the buck, or will the quests fizzle out? Read on for our short review.