BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME

SOOOO MANY GHOOOOSTS!

Pacman CE DX!

    Runners up: Super Meat Boy, Limbo, and Hydro Thunder: Hurricane

UNDER THE RADAR

Not to single this game out or anything… HA! Get it? I said ‘single’ and the game is called ‘Singularity.’ I bet you wish you were as awesome as me.

Singularity!

    Runners up: The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom and Machinarium.

BEST ARTISTIC DESIGN

A young child gets gruesomely impaled by a humongous hairy spider leg. In a good way.

Limbo!

    Runners up: Cut the Rope, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and Super Meat Boy.

MOST FASHIONABLY LATE

Someone, somewhere is slowly forming a joke about time travel and being fashionably late. I’m not that someone.

Back to the Future The Game: Episode 1!

BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Pacman claims it is the music that makes him eat so many ghosts. Whatever the reason is, we love it.

Pacman CE DX!

    Runners up: Super Meat Boy and Red Dead Redemption

MOST ADDICTIVE GAME

I’d think of something witty, but I’m too busy signing treaties with Ghandi.

Civilization V!

    Runner up: Minecraft

BEST USE OF A ZOMBIE

This picture doesn’t show Nixon fighting zombies. It doesn’t need to. You know it exists. I know it exists. And I think we both can agree on the fact that that…. that’s just swell.

Call of Duty: Black Ops!

    Runners up: Dead Rising: Case Zero, Dead Rising 2, and Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

HIGHEST COMEDIC VALUE

From its wonderful self awareness to its unforgettable full motion video spots, this game may just be the most humorous game of all time.

Comic Jumper!

    Runner up: Back to the Future The Game: Part 1

BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME

Whether you are battling humans, surviving from zombies, or kicking it arcade style, this game is jam-packed with enjoyment for you and your closest friends.

Call of Duty: Black Ops!

    Runners up: Halo Reach and Red Dead Redemption

GAME OF THE YEAR

Let’s be honest. In five years you, I, and even your dad will all still be playing this game. Need we say any more?

Civilization V!

Her girlish figure won’t stop her from sploding a few scientists in 2011.

For those of you familiar with this site, my love for Twisted Pixel Games is pretty apparent. I’ve mentioned several times in previous areas of the site that their last game, Comic Jumper, was hilarious and overall a fun experience, but not without numerous faults. I have high hopes, however, that this next game will be just as enjoyable as the original Splosion Man, and hopefully we will get to hear more tunes from their always amazing audio team.

Recently (as in yesterday) Twisted Pixel Games announced their next game. Ms. Splosion Man is sure to cause many controller-shaped holes in walls across the world, and I for one couldn’t be more excited. After beating every single player level, finding every cake, and even delving into the multiplayer, 2011 couldn’t come sooner. More information about this game will be posted as it arrives.

Ms. Splosion Man Reveal Trailer from Twisted Pixel on Vimeo.

This episode is so special we made it twice! To start it off, John finally has more knowledge and ability in a game than the pros in Diddy Kong Racing; this doesn’t last long as we continue with Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding, but then onto Zelda in all its glory, and end credits with a special surprise. Enjoy! Stay tuned for more episodes coming December 2010 maybe! EDIT: Just kidding. The Dreamcast episode will come out before December.

A special guest joins the bashing of John’s abilities, beginning with Metal Gear Solid, a fun collection game pack…thing (if you haven’t figured it out it is John writing this – a lack of knowledge should be expected), Tekken 2, and Fighting Force 2, during which we discover John’s love for the economics of gameplay.

NOTE: My sincerest apologies, viewers, for the oh so delayed post. The combination of school and Civilization 5 has significantly impacted my Basement work. Enjoy this episode free of charge!

The dwindling era of Sega is shared by the guys, beginning and failing with Sonic, continuing with Doom and ending with Virtual Fighter 2. So long, Sega consoles. EDIT: I (John) am an idiot – this is not the last Sega console chronologically.

via Wikipedia

Sadly, the video log of my first Sonic CD experience was lost in the void, so all you get is me writing about it. Sorry. From what I remember of it, I had some fun with it, but on first level there was no real challenge – I was just collecting a bunch of coins. Obviously, that’s what Sonic has always been, but there used to be enemies and puzzle challenges to face. Sonic CD had none of these to start with; I’m sure it does later in the game, but this is likely the beginning of the transition to today’s style gaming of hour long tutorial levels rather than jumping right into it.

Next up: Ecco the Dolphin; probably one of the most difficult games I’ve played. Go ahead, laugh, but try as I might to jump Ecco over some rocks, he wouldn’t go. Even after Dan’s assistance there, I made hardly any progress beyond there. Let’s move on, shall we?

Dan’s first assessment of this game, Microcosm, was correct. It is very weird. I can see how it would be fun during its era, and there are many similar type games today that I enjoy. But somehow this game seemed less than exciting. The music was the best part. To be fair, I sucked and couldn’t get very far. But having to replay the whole damn thing each time was tedious. Other than that, it just wasn’t fun shooting a bunch of micro-organisms. Why can’t they be more unreal so it seems like more of a threat?

And to wrap it up, why not throw me a sports game? Skipping past all my lack of sports knowledge, this football game had potential. However, I never seemed to do anything except choose a play at the beginning of it. Then it seemed I was just supposed to watch them play it for a while. Okay, it was hard enough to play through, I don’t think I can write about it. If you enjoy other people’s pain, go watch it you heartless creature.

So long, Sega CD. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but there wasn’t much that I did enjoy either.

This Week: The new age technology of the Compact Disc is introduced with the Sega CD! With Adam looking spiffy in a sleek shirt, Dan tells John about this innovative new console. He begins, as always with Sega, with Sonic! Sonic CD specifically, which unfortunately was lost from the recording. We jump forward to the horrifyingly played Ecco the Dolphin, Microcosm, and Joe Montana’s NFL Football. Also, get a peek into John’s mind and his reasons for why he sucks at console gaming.

Next Week: Sega Saturn!

If you watched last weeks episode, I bravely battled the world as Tazmania Devil, and died a lot. This week, I begin with running down some road surrounded by grass as the same Devil. It appears to be a racing game, but I suppose it could be fun. The number of buttons from the original Nintendo has more than doubled, though, so I get a little excuse for not doing so well just yet.

And then probably the best part of y childhood: Star Wars. The game of The Empire Strikes Back on the Super Nintendo did not follow the film at all, giving me a good reason for not being good. Here, Adam reassures me with news that this game was hard even for veterans. However, the boars and random aerial assaults were not expected, though I cannot blame the controls with this game. My stubborn attitude got me nowhere in advancing another level or defeating many enemies. I’m sure with more time and concentration, I could have enjoyed this game for days on end, being able to actually play one of my favorite movies.

After much cartridge frustration, I experience my first Zelda gameplay! I may have had a rocky start to the game, but it drew me in quickly. Everyone has their gaming preferences, and like millions of others, this is mine. After a while, Dan and Adam pry me off of my newfound addiction to play Mario Kart. The turning may have sucked, but it was a decent game. Eventually I got through it.

And that’s a wrap! I played, I endured, I came out less than mediocre. The system was pretty cool. I suppose since I’ve been comparing each to the predecessors, I’ll follow suit by rating this system either tied with or more favored than the NES as first place. Well done, early Nintendo; your early gaming systems are winning with these reviews.