1. Posted 1 day ago 1 note

    Byte Size Reviews: The Incident

    I did a quick reviews of the game The Incident. You can purchase the game from the App Store for $1.99. It’s a universal app which means it is optimized for your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Overall I wasn’t too impressed with the game. It looks awesome and has a great 8-bit art style complete with a pretty decent chiptune soundtrack. This is a case of style over substance. What you see in the video is what you get the whole time. While most iPhone games have that addictive nature, this one did not for me. 

  2. Kinect: A Flop in the Making?

    Posted 3 days ago 4 notes


    Not enough room for the Kinect

    According to the official Kinect page, located here, you need at least 6 feet between you and your TV. Judging from this awesome video over at Giant Bomb, the 6 feet requirement does not seem to be the an accurate amount of space needed to actually play a game with Kinect. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Microsoft is being somewhat deceptive and careful with their wording. I can see why - if they just came out and said that this setup would require anywhere from 6-10 feet of space, I’d guess that most people would write it off in a heartbeat. I personally do not have 6 feet of extra space in the room I game in.  That is the single reason I will not be buying the Kinect anytime soon, or probably ever. This is also the number one of the reason why I think the device is going to fall flat on its face. Most of the gamers I know, do not do their gaming in the living room. They either have a setup in a dorm room, bedroom, or in an office space. Parents, on the other hand, are a different story. 

    Judging from the marketing of the device, we all know the Kinect is being pushed hard to families. For the most part, Microsoft has the hardcore audience in their back pocket and they are setting their eyes on the Wii fan base. This is all fine and well, but I don’t think they realize why the Wii was such a huge hit. I believe it was partly because the way you interact with the Wii is pretty intuitive, which the Kinect does have going for it. The other part, which is arguably a much bigger factor, is the price point. I’m not going to get into the numbers game, but the Kinect is going to be a bigger investment than the Wii, simple as that. Price won’t be such a big factor with the hardcore audience, but Mom isn’t about to drop an extra 100 bucks so Jimmy can jump around the living room acting like a raging demon. 


    Wow! Look at all these awesome and exciting games!

    So we have the price factor and the space requirement hindering this device from being something potentially awesome. Do you think I’m missing something else? Oh that’s right, there’s no software worth buying this thing for. Ok, I’ll give you Dance Central, that might be okay for parties. I will also admit Child of Eden looks very intriguing, but I see nothing that makes me want to move my gaming setup into the living room. 

    So, to keep it simple for the TLDR crowd, the Kinect is most likely never going to appeal to the hardcore audience due to the space requirements and parents will hesitate to pick it up because of the price barrier. Also, there are no software at launch that will really push the device. 

  3. The Value Proposition

    Posted 2 weeks ago 9 notes

    Too many games...Only four of these games was worth full price IMHO. Guess which ones.

    More than any other group of people who consume entertainment, I believe gamers are one of the largest group that are always on the hunt for bargains. With websites like Cheap Ass Gamer and PC Game Deals, it’s even easier for us to find great games on the cheap. For some reason, most reviews leave out the value proposition all together. “Is this game worth $60?” is a question I get all the time from my peers. This crucial tidbit of information is something that needs to be addressed for all games and I intend to educate you on why. 

    There are only three things that will ultimately sway your decision on buying a game; how much you are looking forward to a game, what your friends think about the game, and how much it cost. If you are really excited about the next installment of Halo, then it really doesn’t matter how much it cost because chances are you have your mind set on buying it day one. If a ton of your friends are buying a game that is multiplayer heavy, you tend to forget about the price at that point and pick it up to engage in the festivities. Reviewers don’t really get the chance to give an input on these factors but price is a different story.

    If you keep in mind that all reviews are someone’s opinion, then price can easily be a part of that review process. Everyone has their own price point at which they are willing to pay for certain type of games. If we have more reviewers including the value proposition in their reviews, we will get a larger opinion base to make our decision of whether the game is worth the money. If enough people are saying that a game is only worth a purchase at $30, then chances are that’s the truth. We all know there are a ton of games that we wouldn’t buy for full price but would actually consider it when the price dropped to something more reasonable.

    Case in point, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is a game that is not worth full price. It received a 71 on Metacritic and was generally poorly received by most reviewers. While this game did have its fair share of problems, this game is a great purchase at $20 or lower. Same goes for Conan. If you can find this game in a bargain bin for $10, I would highly recommend you pick it up. Playing this game at that price point, you can forgive the mechanical issues with this game and just enjoy playing it. At the end of the day, enjoyment is what matters. I know I can’t enjoy a game that I paid full price for if it’s riddled with bugs and horrible control issues. 

    Also, stop whining about $15 Xbox Live Arcade games. If you don’t want to pay that price, don’t play the game. It’s as simple as that. 

  4. Posted 1 month ago 1 note

    Byte Size Reviews QH: Xbox 360 S

    So like many gamers across the world, I broke down and upgraded my old 360 for the new hotness. I have to say, I’m really happy with my decision. Not only is the new 360 smaller in size but it is damn near silent. I wouldn’t have did the upgrade if I could get away with doing it for little to no money. 

    If you still own a Xbox 360 without a HDMI port, you should probably look into upgrading. Actually, just wait until it breaks down before you jump to this console. I mean, it’s only a matter of time before your console blows up. Trust me, I’ve seen things. 


  5. Posted 2 months ago 1 note

    No Wireless Love from OnLive

    You may not be as shocked as I am but the fact that I can’t jump on a Wi-Fi connection to use OnLive is bananas to me. I understand it’s in beta but they need feedback and I’m giving it to them. I’m still not positive on what market that OnLive is striving for but I guess time will tell.