Earlier this year, on June 23, Sonic turned 20 years old. As a celebration of his legacy, Sega is releasing Sonic Generations today on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, with the 3DS version to follow later this month. The game celebrates the history of the franchise by joining old and new into one singular game that promises to mesh and meld all of what makes Sonic great. PixlBit's staff, growing up during the era of the blue blur, have fond memories of Sonic and his games and have come together to share their memories of the mascot.
Ready for some Super Mario World, played on Halloween night? Ghosts, haunted houses, costume changes... Click the link above to see why it's so scary! Partway through, Joaquim called in to join in on the fun. Enjoy the show!
Ah, it’s that time of year again – the leaves are changing, the temperature is plummeting, and we are all preparing to gorge ourselves into turkey-induced comas. But for me, there is another meaning: it’s time for another Call of Duty game. Regardless of your feelings on the franchise, Call of Duty is an absolute juggernaut in the gaming world. Despite its consistent success, however, the franchise continues to receive criticism for its lack of ingenuity with recent installments. This year may prove to change that, as Modern Warfare 3 looks to include a new rewards system, game modes, and mechanics (not to mention elite) to the already popular franchise.
If you get bored waiting for trick-or-treaters to show up at your door, you're not doing Halloween right. There is not one holiday that could be made better by video games, so allow us to refresh your memory with the best horror-themed games to get you in the spirit of the season. Almost all of these are available in one form or another on current generation consoles or are at least fairly cheap -- and be aware that most are rated M.
Friday is upon us again and that means it’s time for yet another installment of Missing in Action! For those of you that are new to these electronic pages, MIA is a bi-weekly column where we highlight a game or franchise of old that could use a shot in the arm and a current generation makeover.
Oh, and there's also some Dungeon Defenders talk inside as well.
The Kirby's Return to Dream Land PlayBit is now over! In part one, join Jason as he plays as Bandanna Dee and Yellow Kirby to help Chris, the staff member controlling Kirby complete the first two worlds of Kirby's Return to Dream Land. But wait, there's more!
Jesse: Since people apparently don’t want to spend $60 on every game, publishers have pinned their hopes on taking a bite out of the used market.
Why is this week's Monday Night PlayBit delayed? Because the game to be featured in the PlayBit is nowhere to be found! After a pretty complete search of area stores, Kirby's Return to Dreamland isn't in any of them. It seems despite the October 24th release date, the game will not be in stores until tomorrow. Given this, expect there to be a "PlayBit Tonight" on Wednesday, beginning at 7:30 PM instead. I hope to see you then!
So maybe I mislead people the other day, saying I'd play this game at 8:30. That's still going to happen, it's just going to happen sooner. What is Dungeon Defenders? It's an Action RPG Tower Defense Hybrid game receiving high scores from various outlets. Here at PixlBit, we finally got our review code, so I'll be taking the game online for some live-streaming action before my review. Come and check it out! If you're good, I'll even let you skype in to commentate. Add PixlSkype to your Skype friends to do so!
Instead, a new PlayBit is scheduled to occur on Saturday Night! Live! Be here at 8:30 PM EDT on Saturday Night to catch some of Trendy Entertainment's new game, the long-awaited Dungeon Defenders. See? I wouldn't just cancel one PlayBit on you all without rescheduling something (hopefully) better. After that comes another PlayBit, back on the regular schedule, Monday night! What game will be played then? Why, Kirby's Return to Dreamland! Tune in for these PlayBits, I hope to see you there!
...When will this guy get some editorial ideas, anyway?
As many of you are likely aware, this past August marked the 20th anniversary of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Despite this, no one else here wrote an article on it, and I feel this website needs at least one article about this monumental console of gaming history. However, rather than list off what are I feel are the best or most influential games, I'm instead going to talk about the aspect of the system which left the biggest impression on me: the symphonic melodies produced by its seemingly meager 16-bit MIDI.
Want to see the newest Ratchet & Clank title? Tune in tonight to catch Jason and Chris playing through a portion of it. It's their first Ratchet & Clank title, so things might start slow. Just don't be surprised when they get the hang of things and Chris tries to murder Jason dozens and dozens of time, in the event that's possible. Click through for a replay of the first part!
Recently, the complete Star Wars collection of films was released on blu-ray. It was something that fans of the venerable movie franchise had been clamoring for, but what they got wasn’t exactly what they wanted. George Lucas, now known more for tinkering with his previous works than as a creative force, once again made some baffling changes to his original trilogy. Fans were angry, as fans often are. While it should have come as no surprise that Lucas would be tweaking his movies yet again, this time the changes were a little more head-scratching than Greedo shooting first.
Previously in the Travel Log: After many trials, tribulations, and deaths, I managed to triumph over the dreaded Tower Knight! Read about it here.
I don’t know about you all, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been so glad that it’s Friday. It’s been a long week, I must admit, but now that we’re at the end of it I get to spend some time writing my favorite bi-weekly column. That’s right kiddies; it’s time for another exciting installment of Missing in Action!
This week we welcome the new staffer Esteban to the fold and release a lot of rage over...the PC release of Rage and the decline of PC gaming in general.
Previously on the Travel Log: My overconfidence at the defeat of the first boss cost me dearly, as I suffered a multitude of deaths. See how I was punished for my hubris here.
What's in PB & Jason today? New Wii models, of course! Alongside those comes a preview of what to expect in upcoming PlayBits (*HINT* Ratchet & Clank All4One and Kirby's Return to Dreamland on next Tuesday and the following Monday, respectively). Afterward, the expect to hear Jason elaborate on all the details of the recent Playstation Network and Sony Online Entertainment hackings. Click through to see the rest and to listen to the podcast!
With the release of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One quickly approaching, we thought it would be interesting to go back and replay all of the entries in the Ratchet & Clank series starting with the original. As those who are familiar with our Review Rewinds may already know, these articles tend to stray from the standard PixlBit review formula, allowing the writer to analyze and critique a game in any way they desire. As such, when going back through the Ratchet & Clank series, we'll be focusing mainly on the staples of the series in order to fully capture how each has evolved as the series has grown.
The idea that games can change the world sounds pretentious to me. It’s a notion I believe, sure, but in a distant sort of way, like how I faintly accept that my vote counts in the grand scheme of things. What changes, at least in the traditional sense, could games honestly cause? Then again, why not? Why couldn’t games actually change the world? That’s where Jane McGonigal comes in.
A few years ago, Cosmic Walker made a short blip on the Wii release radar. A brief video clip, three screen shots, a few details a few months later, and that's the last we heard about it. According to IGN, the game would've starred an astronaut who travels between space stations and the moon performing various tasks, and bore a resemblance to Endless Ocean -- and that's still all we know about it. Development was likely scrapped long ago, but why not try to imagine what it would play like on Wii U? A sandbox game in space would really rock it, man.