CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
PS3
Video Game Review: Spectacular ‘Mass Effect 3’ Provides Emotional End to Amazing Trilogy
Submitted by BrianTT on April 3, 2012 - 9:35amCHICAGO – The highly-anticipated “Mass Effect 3” has been devastating and dividing fans for about a month now while we played through our copy of the title and tried to figure out how to fully capture it in a review. It’s difficult to address a title this complex, this emotional, this epic, and this popular.
Video Game Review: Incredible ‘MLB 12 The Show’ Sets New Bar For Baseball Games
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2012 - 3:31pmCHICAGO – Previous installments of Sony’s hit baseball series “MLB The Show” have shattered sales records and won dozens of awards. The new edition, “MLB 12 The Show,” is the best to date. With amazing graphics, an addictive new pitching mechanic, and the depth of play we’ve come to expect from this series, a new bar has been set.
Video Game Review: Congested, Glitchy ‘Blades of Time’ Not Worth Playing
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2012 - 9:53amCHICAGO – Gaijin Entertainment is a gaming company known for their car racing games and flight simulators. With releases like “Adrenaline,” “Anarchy: Rush Hour,” “Apache: Air Assault,” and “Death Track: Resurrection,” it was interesting when they brought out “X-Blades” (a hack and slash adventure game) back in 2009. Now, three years later, Gaijin is back with a spiritual sequel to “X-Blades” called “Blades of Time;” a confused and convoluted adventure that will make you wish Gaijin had stuck to cars and planes.
Video Game Review: ‘Tales of Graces f’ Excites with Fights, Stumbles with Story
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2012 - 11:42amCHICAGO – Finally coming state-side after over a year in Japan on the Nintendo Wii, Namco Bandai and Namco Tales Studio brings us “Tales of Graces f.” The game actually fits as the twelfth release in the ‘Tales’ series out of thirteen, fitting in-between “Tales of Hearts” and “Tales of Xillia,” but is the first release in North America since the ninth game, “Tales of Vesperia,” which was released in 2008.
Video Game Review: ‘Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 21, 2012 - 10:52amCHICAGO – The manga series Naruto has been around for over a decade in several different forms of media and entertainment. The story about a young fighter who aspires to be the greatest ninja in his village, Naruto is part of a manga cartoon series, an animated show, a series of films, three novels, a trading card game, inspiration for art and music, and several video games.
Video Game News: Disney Announces ‘Brave: The Video Game’
Submitted by TimBMartens on March 19, 2012 - 10:10amCHICAGO – If you are excited for the upcoming Disney-Pixar film “Brave,” you may be interested to know that Disney Interactive Media Group announced today that a game is in production based on the upcoming movie. The game will be released on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, and Windows PC/MAC.
Video Game Review: ‘Major League Baseball 2K12’ Strikes Out Swinging
Submitted by BrianTT on March 12, 2012 - 9:20pmCHICAGO – I have long-defended 2K Sports’ “Major League Baseball” franchise, more commonly referred to as “MLB2K,” against the claims that it doesn’t compare to Sony’s more acclaimed “MLB The Show” and encouraged hardcore baseball fans to play both games. In fact, while I understood that “The Show” was a “better game,” recent installments of “MLB2K” actually took up more of my personal playing time.
Video Game Review: Hit the Slopes with Flawed but Fun ‘SSX’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 12, 2012 - 10:52amCHICAGO – Pick your favorite rider and coolest board and hit the mountains of “SSX,” an attempted reboot of a hit snowboarding franchise from the last-generation of consoles. How has the concept aged and how has EA adapted for a new age demographic for whom the name “SSX” might not mean anything? Put on your snowsuit and find out.
Video Game Review: Moving ‘Journey’ Redefines Gaming Expectations
Submitted by BrianTT on March 7, 2012 - 11:23amCHICAGO – At their very foundation, all games are journeys. Whether it’s a massive one like the “Mass Effect” trilogy or as simple as Mario climbing to save a girl in “Donkey Kong,” games are built on getting from point A to point B. What is commonly placed on that foundation is action-based but ThatGameCompany has dared to suggest that our expectations of what we get when we press Start are limiting.
Video Game Review: ‘Asura’s Wrath’ is Weirdest Game You Will Play This Year
Submitted by BrianTT on March 5, 2012 - 4:43pmCHICAGO – “Asura’s Wrath” is a whole lot of weird. It’s kind of anime, kind of a fighting game, kind of a “God of War” button-masher, a bit of sci-fi shooter, and a whole lot of something completely new. The odd mix is off-putting at first. I kind of hated it for the first hour.