Quick Jump Daily Digest

Thank you for your interest in the Quick Jump Daily Digest. Get notified of all new content on QJ in our free Daily Digest. To subscribe, enter your email address below and click the subscribe button.

Cancel and Return to page

Dead money Search Results

Your search for Dead money located the below Dead money Search Results. The Dead money Search Results are returned from stories QJ publishes stories covering Dead money news, Playstation news, Xbox news, PC news, Wii News, Nintendo DS News, Gaming News, Reviews, Downloads, Custom Apps, Homebrew and much more.

Stop Your Whining, Start Complaining

Posted May 12, 2012 at 5:16PM EST by Mr Ham Listed in: Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: complaining, games analyst, gaming industry, Michael Pachter

Have your own opinion on the industry and how things should be? Well, be careful on the line you walk, you might just be a nuisance, according to analyst Michael Patcher.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [13]	READ FULL STORY!

Skylanders Ready to Take More of Your Money

Posted Apr 5, 2012 at 1:54PM EST by Todd B Listed in: iPhone Tags: Activision, cloud patrol, modern warfare, skylanders, World of Warcraft

Activision’s zillion-dollar toy franchise is spreading its reach beyond that of consoles and plastic accessories. Mmm, freemium!


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Capcom: Survival Horror Is Niche

Posted Mar 25, 2012 at 6:47PM EST by Mr Ham Listed in: Xbox 360, PS3 Tags: Capcom, resident evil, survival horror

Enjoying any survival horrors recently? Well, Capcom are looking at more money, bigger markets and less old school survival. horror.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [8]	READ FULL STORY!

PoV: The Pros and Cons of a Steam Console

Posted Mar 7, 2012 at 11:30AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PoV Tags: consoles, kinect, motion controls, playstation 4, psn, Sony, Steam, steambox, valve, xbla, xbox 720

So while GDC is going on and rumours are flying everywhere there's something we need to weigh up.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

A Ridiculous Amount of Assassin's Creed III Details Issue Forth

Posted Mar 3, 2012 at 12:00PM EST by Brett Huffman Listed in: Xbox 360, PS3 Tags: ac3, assassins creed, Ubisoft

Climbing trees and cliff faces, killing Redcoats, hunting bears, massive battles - this one will have it all.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition is Home on the Wastes

Posted Jan 19, 2012 at 11:40AM EST by Brett Huffman Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360 Tags: Bethesda, fallout: new vegas ultimate edition, obsidian

Head back to the Wasteland.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [3]	READ FULL STORY!

PoV: The JRPG Story and You

Posted Dec 29, 2011 at 11:00AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming, PoV Tags: bethesda software, breath of death, dark souls, Final Fantasy, From Software, jrpg, new vegas, rpg, wrpg, zeboyd games

Harrison E takes a slightly analytical look into the realm of JRPG's and RPG's in general after a trek into Demon's Souls.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [7]	READ FULL STORY!

PoV. What is Modern Warfare

Posted Dec 22, 2011 at 11:45AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PoV Tags: Activision, battlefield, call of duty, doom, Duke Nukem, goldeneye reloaded, modern warfare, mw2, mw3, ungame

Harrison E takes a brief look into what the First Person Shooter genre has done and what it might do next?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [9]	READ FULL STORY!

Tony Hawk May Reveal New Game at VGAs

Posted Dec 7, 2011 at 4:00PM EST by Brett Huffman Listed in: Wii Tags: Tony Hawk, tony hawk ride, tony hawk shred, VGA, video game awards

Yep, more VGA news. This time it's from Tony Hawk, whose last two games left something to be desired.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Black Friday profits for big and little guys

Posted Dec 5, 2011 at 7:00AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: Black Friday, christmas sales, ea games, frozen synapse, humble bundle, Microsoft, mode 7

Microsoft, Mode 7 and EA should all be proud of themselves.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Call of Duty Elite Founder Registration Ends Tomorrow

Posted Nov 30, 2011 at 5:03PM EST by Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: Activision, battlelog, call of duty, cod elite, modern warfare 3

If you want to be take advantage of CoD Elite Founder bonuses, today’s your last day to register.

Call of Duty Elite has seen its share of ups and downs. While the PC version is still on some vague horizon and the console versions have experienced crashes and other access problems due to huge surges in demand, the service has proven successful beyond Activision’s wildest dreams. Millions of players have signed up to take advantage of the features the service provides.

Every player that signs up for CoD Elite before the end of November is given what Activision calls “Founder” status. Founder status comes with a few specific perks, including an in-game title, in-game emblem, weapon camo, clan XP and special contests and prizes.

If you’re really into Modern Warfare 3, or Call of Duty in general, CoD Elite is an excellent service for you. Even if you don’t earn Founder status, you’ll still have access to all of the basic features offered by COD Elite. But you can still get in on Founder bonuses if you register before the calendar rolls over to December 1st.

Of course, there’s one other method for getting into the Founders club after the deadline: spending more money. If you pick up the Modern Warfare 3: Hardened Edition, you’ll be grandfathered into the Founder’s club regardless of when you register.

There’s no info available on how this impacts PC owners, since Elite isn’t live for them quite yet. I’m trying to get someone at Activision to give me a statement or update – we’ll see.

Are you enjoying Elite so far? How does it compare to Battlelog?

[IGN]

If you want to be take advantage of CoD Elite Founder bonuses, today’s your last day to register.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Minecraft Statistics will knock your block off

Posted Nov 26, 2011 at 4:00PM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: deadmau5, Las Vegas, minecon, minecraft, notch, seananners

Minecraft has sold over four million copies and has had more influence on gaming than any other title in the last few years, but what about the stats?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PoV: PayDay The Heist

Posted Nov 17, 2011 at 10:30AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PoV Tags: payday the heist, payday the heist ps3, payday the heist psn, payday the heist review, payday the heist steam

PayDay The Heist

I've talked before about bias and I feel like I have to clarify that despite my interview last week, I feel like a good game developer should listen to fans who speak clearly and with clarity. I hope they read the review in hope that their next game, hopefully another PayDay, will be better and that Overkill will be pleased with this honest review.

The game of PayDay The Heist, is not a simple game, 'tis a complex head blend of working together and patience. Seeing a fallen team mate will make your heart pound more, especially when playing with friends, but the second you see that cash, it may be too late for your friend and even later for those around you. Okay, PayDay is a simple game of four guys who steal money and that is all I can say about the plot. To be honest, there is no plot, but who cares, let's steal some money.

The game's mix of Left 4 Dead's comradery and Kane and Lynch's love of heists, brings Overkill Software's PayDay The Heist to a place I'd hoped a co-op game would come to eventually - a game of fun and eventually, betrayal. The game is set between a series of distinct, but fairly similar, scenarios in which you have to run and gun as you make your way to a fairly large sum of money.

This sum is arbirtrary int the world of the game, but does provide a good upgrade system as you earn "reputation", to go along with it, you better enjoy the game or at least the premise. Whilst there was some speculation from the game's "every game is different" I'm somewhat happy to report that this is more or less true. It's true in that no game I've played, even on the same level, has had the same scenario, except for a few instances of SWAT teams invading at particular times and the amount of time it may take you to drill through a gate or burn through to a vault.

The less, is the amount of fun you will get from the game, you will have levels you won't like, players you won't like and scenarios which will be frustrating. The game does not have a sophisticated AI Director, a lá L4D, but it does have a good sense of direction when it comes to helping you play through a scenario. There is often an even amount of ammo on the ground or good place to take cover, but more or less if your buddies aren't around the director will screw you over and you may have to let go a hostage just so you can play, some time later.

There are a few arbitrary or minor issues, mainly graphical and audio ones, first and foremost the fact that when I look outside on some of the maps, the SWAT and police members will become glitchy ghosts that are just waiting to enter the nether worlds of the heist, a bit ironic considering what me and my heist-mates are about to do. There are a lot of glitches that could be easily fixed, such as Team AI, such as in Heat Street or Panic Room.

They will sometimes go through the props in the level and it really throws you out of the experience, as does the fact that the buzz saws on the Panic Room level doesn't really cut and the drill in the other levels don't drill. It'd be a simple animation, unlike the running. I wasn't sure if it was my internet cocking up or the game just had a weird animation. Turned out to be the later. It's a bit weird, especially when characters are crouching.

I do have to say the game is quite gory, especially when you shoot up close or get a good headshot (which is rewarded, in-game) Other than that, the game looks pretty good, Overkill, not stunning, but enough to make you enjoy it more than Kane and Lynch 2 but less than Portal 2. The game looks good on the modded Diesel engine, let's just leave it at that.

How it sounds is amazing. I do have one gripe that the fact the Heisters don't have more than a few catchphrases, even when you're telling the hostages to "get down" "get down" "get down", you think they were about to start a DJ set, not a heist. It's a small problem but it's always something that's really gotten me down, especially after other games such as Uncharted, The Simpsons Game and SWAT 4, have all had good simple voice acting gigs and rarely have a repeated line, hell, hire me for $10 an hour and I'll record whatever the heck you want. That being said, some of their dialogue is amusing, not on the level of the castmates of L4D or their sequel, but still a wry smile forms between getting shot at and restarting saws/drills.

Sound effects, which is quite different from the voices, are absolutely fantastic. In my interview last week with Simon Viklund he stated his favourite sound effect was the shotgun and I could not agree more. Having it unlocked as you go into the game is a sight for sore eyes as the world seems to go a lot better (depending on your level and experience, of course) but having that fire into a bulldozer is more than satisfying as you continue through your heist. The music is always rarring for me to get into the game. The perfect music starts off the game, it reminds me of the opening of The Dark Knight and as it flashes up the face masks of our heistmates, you are ready, you just are.

Wolf's frightening bloodied mask, Dallas' patriotic smile, Hoxton's red eyebrows and Chains cross eyes are fairly distinct as well and all provide a great opening to the game, but the menus and a few visual cues leave a lot to be desired. A lot could have made the game look really flashy and interesting but a simple pallette of black, yellow and grey makes it look as if the game is ready to be taped up behind Police Lines

Finally, the gameplay. The game is broken up into six different levels. First World Bank, a traditional bank heist, Heat Street, a plan gone wrong, chase'em down, Panic Room, a break in, break it out mission, Green Bridge, shooting in the rain...I'm just shooting in the rain, Diamond Heist, a sneak in smash and grab and finaally, Slaughterhouse...is exactly what it sounds like.

To focus on the more difficult and interesting levels, Green Bridge is the most exciting, being in the rain, breaking over prison convoys, donned in yellow raincoats and escorting a chinese prisoner. Things just escalate, even when you start on a half-exploded bridge. The level is fun and exciting and atmospheric at it's core. The most fun is probably Panic Room, simply due to how cool you can act before the heist starts and

Diamond Heist is quite difficult and starts off sneaking, but if someone's being an asshat, this plan can and will go awry in a matter of minutes. This one is best to be kept in the shadows. Sure, cops will be alerted eventually, but planning and timing your moves to silently take out the security guards is a wonderful sense of fun and comradery I wouldn't change for the world.

Slaughterhouse is just chaos. Starts off with a "The Usual Suspects" scenario as a bunch of trucks pull up outside a warehouse and you have to take them out and kill a lot of people while you take some money out of Secure Van. Gold everywhere and bulldozers stormed during the last few minutes after the Gold came out and it was insane.

The Single Player mode is fairly useless as are the AI from time to time and when you can turn the AI on for not having enough players in the online mode, what difference would it make? Why wouldn't you play online? This game could've done better with co-op and a better matchmaking system as well. The difficult system alone is quite confusing, not that they're confusing in general, but it's enough to question a thing or two.

For example, the last two modes (Slaughter and Diamond) are available on the hardest setting, and I do have to question why. The levels themselves are as complex as Panic Room and require less in-game set pieces. It boggles the mind on why they're specifically hard, possibly a question I should put to Simon, next time I talk to him.

PayDay The Heist is a great game, it has great play but could have been better. There is so much here that could have been even a great storyline, but Overkill has made a decision to make it for hard and fast gamers. Varying difficulty levels, great upgrade system and some fairly intriguing level design, makes this a must-have PSN title.

Harrison HAS E. is in jail from pulling an EB Games heist. He's serving hard time for Grand Theft GTA.

PayDay The Heist has made it's way to Europe on Steam and PSN and Harrison E. has decided to steal some words and give the heist-sim a whirl.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

US October Sales lower than last year

Posted Nov 16, 2011 at 9:00AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360 Tags: arkham city, battlefield 3, ea games, rocksteady games

Looks like the Batman couldn't save you this time.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Big week for Playstation 3 new releases

Posted Nov 13, 2011 at 9:00PM EST by Tim Curtin Listed in: PS3 Tags: assassins creed revelations, need for speed: the run, playstation new releases, saints row the third, sony game releases, ultimate marvel vs capcom

8 new PS3 titles, 3 for the Playstation Move and 5 for the PSN. Check them out inside!


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition Coming in 2012

Posted Nov 3, 2011 at 1:50PM EST by Listed in: PS3 Tags: Bethesda, fallout: new vegas

As if Bethesda didn’t have enough to do this week, they’ve gone an announced a brand new edition of their 2010 hit.

You’d think Bethesda would be focused entirely on the upcoming launch of Skryim, but naturally they’re a big studio and they can do more than one thing at a time. We’ve just got word that Fallout: New Vegas will have an Ultimate Edition package, set to hit shelves on February 7, 2012. So fellas, if you’re looking for that perfect Valentine’s gift for your imaginary girlfriend, you’re in luck.

New Vegas Ultimate Edition will come with the original Fallout: New Vegas content as well as every downloadable content pack released since the game hit shelves. This includes Lonesome Road, Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Gun Runner’s Arsenal and Courier’s Stash. The level cap will bounce up to 50 thanks to the new content, and the game will have four new areas: the Divide, Sierra Madre Casino, Big MT research crater and Zion National Park.

Based on what we’ve seen in the past, it sure seems like waiting to buy games is the most financially responsible thing you can do. Why pay $60 for a game, plus $10 per DLC when you can wait a couple of years and get the entire thing for less?

I guess it’s the curse of being an early adopter. Still, I never got a chance to play New Vegas, so maybe now’s the time. Or, well, February.

Are you going to pick up the ultimate edition?

Via Desctructoid

As if Bethesda didn’t have enough to do this week, they’ve gone an announced a brand new edition of their 2010 hit.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

Limbo Developer Says Retail Model is Broken

Posted Nov 1, 2011 at 2:54PM EST by Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: limbo, playdead games, skyrim

Dino Patti, head of Playdead Games, says that the current method for marketing and selling games is broken, and has been for quite some time.

Limbo was one of the bigger hits for Xbox’s Live Arcade, PC and PSN in 2010. If you played it at all, you probably still remember some of its haunting imagery – it was just that effective at creating a mood. Now the guy in charge of Limbo’s development company, Playdead Games, is offering his opinion on why direct downloads work, and why the current retail model doesn’t.

Patti’s main thrust appears to be that delivering games via disc just doesn’t make much sense in a world where most gamers can simply download whatever they want from the web. It’s a familiar argument, though Patti does have a bit more experience with digital downloads than most.

Here’s what he had to say:

“"Driving discs in a big van all over the world is really inefficient. I don't understand how anyone can make money out of this. Driving a truck to Japan just to get it delivered to people when they can get it from the net? Hopefully the new consoles will embrace the download space even more."”

Of course, it’s worth noting that Limbo is a tiny, tiny game compared to AAA titles like Skyrim or Battlefield 3. Downloading a 117 MB game is a lot different than downloading a 6 GB game, especially when you consider that here in the states, out of 307 million people, only around 67 million have access to broadband services.

Sony Computer Entertainment’s Kaz Hirai summed up this counterpoint nicely:

“"We do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn't as robust as one would hope. There's always going to be requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium. To think everything will be downloaded in two years, three years or even ten years from now is taking it a little bit to the extreme."

I think we’re headed towards an all-digital world, but it can’t happen until global broadband coverage improves and the cost of console hard drives goes way, way down. Hell, I still have a 20gig drive on my Xbox – just try getting me to download a game.

Which opinion do you think is more accurate for the near-future of gaming?

Via Eurogamer

Dino Patti, head of Playdead Games, says that the current method for marketing and selling games is broken, and has been for quite some time.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [8]	READ FULL STORY!

Exclusive Review: Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Beta

Posted Oct 19, 2011 at 10:00AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PS3 Tags: exclusive, Naughty Dog, ps3, uncharted 3, uncharted 3 multiplayer beta

Uncharted 3 is already the most hyped exclusive of the year and now we've got an exclusive of our own.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PlayStation Store EU Update - 10/05/11

Posted Oct 5, 2011 at 9:34PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: Europe, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Sony

Just like yesterday's North American PlayStation Store update, this week's European contents are also jam-packed with new contents, including some new downloadable titles, nostalgic PSone imports, new Minis and a handful of add-on contents.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PlayStation Store US Update - 10/04/11

Posted Oct 4, 2011 at 9:35PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Sony

A feature packed update awaits all PlayStation Network users across North America as this week's edition of the PlayStation Store update goes live.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [7]	READ FULL STORY!

PlayStation Store EU Update - 09/28/11

Posted Sep 28, 2011 at 10:14PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: Europe, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Sony

This week's European PlayStation Store update is now live folks.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Bastion and the Big Company

Posted Sep 21, 2011 at 4:00PM EST by Harrison E Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: bastion, reviews, warner bros

Bastion and Big Companies

I was gonna play From Dust this week but sadly my router screwed me and I was left almost gameless for a good two hours. So instead I called up my bro from last week and asked if he'd gotten anything new. Bastion lept forth from his mouth and I was in my car and over in minutes. My mate was busy with a coding assignment and I was reserved to being quiet and to only have the sound of the music up a little bit. As a writer, the conditions were not uncommon, but still I decided to write something good this week...well, objectively good.

The game starts off and the loading screen looks like someone trying to uncover elvish ruins and then the narrator speaks and it is glorious. I want to fall asleep to this man's voice cradling me and telling me every story known to man and I want to serve under his every golden voiced whim...but I keep playing the game and it is incredible in every way imaginable, without him holding me.

I start off with a gigantic hammer, which in the book of gaming, almost all great characters have gigantic hammers. Super Mario, Ramona Flowers, Tomba and now Bastion, and you can destroy everything in your path. Blocks just crumple under the weight of mighty hammer. You are Thor's tiny narrated brother and your whim is the world's way. So yeah, the game is a highly stylised, beautifully narrated and cleverly designed hack and slash.

The narration is not only soothing but it's helpful. In a comparative note, you would have Portal's GlaDOS, a mean-spirited but contextually justified character voice, whilst Bastion's narrator is calming but casually reassuring as the game's linear world forms around you, so does his words, creating an audible scenery to match the colourful block-filled world.

The collectables in the game, other than your weaponry, are tiny little crystals, which at first seem fairly arbitrary, but become incredibly useful regarding the RPG elements later on and even finding them is half the fun. The landscape forms beneath your feet and as such, secret areas will pop up by just wondering around and leading you in a path of danger or delight. Also destroying blocks around you, free-form GTA style will find a few more bits of fun and a lovely bit of narration, such as "The Kids just rages for a while...", I smile with delight and continue to punch the B button.

The difficulty curve of the game is interesting to say the least, but using the right weapons, skills and heals you can get yourself through any battle with the salty voice of the narrator peppering you through the worlds.

The RPG elements of the game really help with adding a bit of flavour to the game. The elements range from little things such as levelling up to building brand new places on the Bastion such as a forgery and distillery. The distillery promotes some minor underage drinking musings but nothing harmful...as long as a kid doesn't know what a distillery is. The forgery brings you new weapons so you can kick more arse and before you know it, you're hacking and slashing like never before unless you fall off the edge of the floating world...which happens a lot.

When you die, you fall into the Bastion. It's a beautifully green landscape. The call of a crow, the hum of the cicadas i nwhat looks like the freshest brightest spring day you've ever seen and somewhere standing on a golden and freshly cut pasture...is someone simply called Stranger...the narrator calls, he finds "another...he finds me", you can actually talk to the narrator and a beautiful guitar melody begins to play. Something akin to Neil Young or early Willie Nelson and I just want to sit here and turn up the soundtrack. It's monumental and oddly moving, but I must continue my quest. But actually it's here where the greatest plot element is revealed. It's a bit of a spoiler so if you want you can just play the first 30 minutes of the game or the demo and just wait for the words "subtlety is key".

Upon plot-assisted-death or what anyone who played the first Silent Hill and understood the opening without going, "Dude, wtf do I have to die, srsly, lame?!" the Bastion is essentially an overworld that actually helps you to different parts of the game world. The world itself acts as a land slowly growing and renewing, much like the game's landscapes during the gameplay. It's a beautiful landscape in a beautifully constructed game.

Subtlety is key here...with people who are made of ash, who when you smash to pieces the narrator gives a minor backstory to them and you either go "Sorry, my fault", or you chuckle unevenly. The game's key is playing with established video game and narration tropes and playing them with and against the player. Whilst some bits of narration and gameplay are expected, they're played into the story and atmospheric strengths, except for a few minor naming issues...such as "Something Heavy" and "Something Stringy", which I find lacking in creativity rather than subtley humourous, but I'll get to my gripes later.

Healing in the game is represented by fountains and tonics and the first time you hear the narrator talk about it, it seems real and almost like an advertisement for a fictional drink with the tagline "Sometimes you need a drink"...take all my money, now, magical narrator man.

"And then he falls to his death...I'm just foolin'" had me laughing so hard I annoyed my friend anough to throw a wireless mouse at me. I returned it sullenly and was told to keep writing or otherwise he'd not take my job as seriously. My friend is a coder and his work is serious business, whilst I takka takka away.

Some of the story elements, whilst almost non-sequitor like adds to the feel of the world. I'd use the word atmosphere a lot, but I did last week so I'm just gonna write the words Shabadoo instead. The Shabadoo works so well in this game that the little embers that burn in the opening world and the creatures you encounter seem to just add so much more to the game than just the narrator's voice. The crafting of the character and the narrative elements and how they seem to drip slowly and poignantly like water from a tap into a long deep echoing well makes for one hell of a Shabadoo-ic experience.

Weaponry such as The Fang Repeater, a shark-looking weapon - that's right SHARK-LOOKING - and the Breaker Bow - which the narrator tells you after you fall on it - "it breaks his fall, but it ain't broken - is given to you and the narrator professes delicately how they should be used. Not mockingly, not annoyingly, just subtlely with a bit of an onscreen flash of a button tutorial. This is barely half an hour in to the game and you're just riding the wave and the Shabadoo of the experience - that'll become clearer later on . You're just into the narrator's voice and the mood of the game; you just feel like it's right, that the gun or the voice will never steer you wrong...and this is where my first problem comes into the game. Nothing to with the gameplay or the game itself, this is where I'll become mildly analytical and you can tune out till I write the words, 'so the game'.

The tone of the game is strictly, speaking all over the place. Whilst thematically, there is little to draw on from the get-go, the game's style and over-arching story-based narrator-heavy theme leaves me high and dry sometimes, but the gameplay and humour just slides me back into a forgiving mode. I'm not sure what Bastion wants to say about games or narrative or characters or if they creators wanna say anything at all...all I want to say is that the game is amazing looking, great to play and also structurally beautiful...literally.

So the game does a lot of things amazingly and I've found the testament of a true game is that it keeps me wanting more of it. Resident Evil 4, LA Noire, Plants vs. Zombies and Half Life 2 all have kept me - and a million other gamers like me - wanting more and more like a battered lover. The look of the game just is amazing from the character design, overworld and parchment style menu design, the game has a very distinct style like a mix between nature-based artwork and naturalistic writing.

Like last week's Audio Team for Dead Island, this week's Handshake Award goes to the Design team for Bastion as they have created stunning architecture which is both eye-catching and never boring, some points in the game I feel bad for a micro-second for destroying things with a gigantic hammer.

A repetitious soundtrack - which isn't annoying - pumps in a lovely low bass as I pause the game, continue to type and it doesn't annoy my mate. The game has heaps of tracks and they all do follow a fairly similar progression but it never gets on your nerves. My mate was trying to code quietly and calmly, but when I pause so he can focus, he just grooves and hums along with it. We smile and clink our drinks together and go back to our prospective mediums, his "real work", my....uh...this. The slow strings of a guitar whine in as I enter a saloon, the narration is slow, perfect and much like this sentence ends on a sarcastic but humourous note, damn.

Falling off is an inconvenience, but is even greater so when dodging an enemies attack. The game treats death like "it ain't no thang", but really that "thang" does become quite annoying after a while when you wish you hadn't destroyed the barrier around the land looking for more crystals to level up your stuff. Aiming can also be a serious pain in the arse. You may be a fraction of a degree off and end up wasting a Fang shot or two or just simply miss a crucial shot instead of healing and it's Game Minor Inconvenience for you, buddy.

Whilst the enemies are fairly varied, they all have two or three attacks and one of them is a strictly "Come at me bro" strategy, to just run directly at you, you can usually expect it, but it does become mildly annoying.

The voice for The Kid is mildly unfitting, I imagine more of a young Link voice, but he sounds like a whiny 20 year old who just found out he's got a term paper due in a fortnight. There are more unexplained things such as where do my weapons go when I obtain new ones and why couldn't I switch them out with the D-Pad and when I defeat the big Gas guy in the second area how all those guy love me and then disappear...I want them to be my slaves and to build a posse rather than turning up randomly...well I did free them...maybe I shouldn't have slaves...slaves are bad.

Picture of THE MORE YOU KNOW (with Kirby)

The life point system for enemies is a intriguingly redesigned circle beneath the NPC and disappears with every swift ring of the hammer towards it. Bastion is not a perfect game and whilst the experience is enjoyable some minor things like the AI being too easy, a lack of co-op, a slightly meh RPG, XP system and a leaderboard system (something I've personally never cared for) do not keep this game from being perfect, but just feeling a bit undercooked. I wish the game was a bit more creative or exciting in those elements.

I know I spent a good 90% of this article praising the heavenly voiced angel which descends into our mortal audio realm, but maybe having a secondary voice or another voice to play off would have been interesting. A finely-tuned weapons upgrade system, rather than just pictures and purchasing. Buying stuff in-game almost always makes me feel cheap. Oh and according to the game, you fly to each of the Skyway levels...I would have loved to have seen a bit of that, even in an opening cut scene.

Actually that being said I'm glad there are no cut-scenes in this game, it would have ruined the flow and fun...but flying would have been nice and interesting, but maybe a bit too much. To be honest, when I find flaws in a game I know it's just apart of me, not as a reviewer, but just knowing my tastes vs. knowing my standards as a gamer. I feel at a loss when I see potential and finances wasted on mediocrity.

And Bastion is not mediocre, it could be better, everything could be better, I could be a hell of a lot better...what I'm saying is...I just want a Bastion 2, I want to meet the developers and thank them and I wanna work on anything they make in the future, if they'll have me...and I know that's asking a lot. It's like asking for a shark to borrow it's gills and to be bros or for a volcano to not erupt and to be quiet, but I do love this game and I expect more amazing things from these guys.

Games like Bastion rarely get everything right and I do have to commend Warner Brothers for publishing a title, letting it be made and it being amazing in almost every domain. It's rare that a game will inspire me or at least enlighten me, entertain me and brighten up my day like Bastion does, the only other games I can think of similarly is the visual poetry of Flower or the blocky-creativity of Minecraft. The narrative, gameplay and music fit so perfectly together, you'd think three pieces had been scattered across the globe and the developers had put them together perfectly. So I do implore you, nay, beg of you to get this game on XBLA or Steam, it's worth every single dollar as I want these guys to make another game or for the narrator to come to my house and give me a lecture about quantum mechanics and their relation to the Futurama Universe.

Why you should play Bastion and why Warner Bros. publishing may be the next big thing.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

My Stay on Dead Island

Posted Sep 14, 2011 at 2:10PM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PS3 Tags: Australia, dead island, shooters, Silent Hill, zombies

We sent an Australian writer to a little place in the red sun to die...


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Valve and Blizzard want Online Console

Posted Sep 8, 2011 at 12:19AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: Blizzard, online services, psn, valve, xbla

Valve and Blizzard are looking at what the future may bring.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [3]	READ FULL STORY!

New Gaming Start-Up for Used Games benefits developers

Posted Aug 17, 2011 at 8:14PM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PSP, PS3, Xbox 360 Tags: 360, gamegavel, Gamespot, postalgamer, used games

Gamestop stops in their tracks, devs rejoice oh and gamers too.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [7]	READ FULL STORY!

Rebelplay wants to bankroll your Indie game

Posted Aug 12, 2011 at 5:46AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: independent developers, indie devs, passive aggressive mall cop, pc gaming, rebelplay

New Company and New IP's, but who's getting what?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Massive Fallout: New Vegas patch incoming

Posted Jul 6, 2011 at 2:25AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming, PS3 Tags: Bethesda, fallout: new vegas, Obsidian Entertainment, patch

Just in time for the upcoming arrival of the third DLC pack of the game.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

Report: Modern Warfare 3 getting Team Perks, new Killstreaks

Posted Jun 1, 2011 at 1:32PM EST by Karl B. Listed in: PS3, PC Gaming, Xbox 360 Tags: acivision, call of duty elite, Infinity Ward, modern warfare 3

Or so says one of Kotaku's inside sources.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [15]	READ FULL STORY!

Watch: Fallout: New Vegas Honest Hearts DLC trailer

Posted May 12, 2011 at 5:49AM EST by Karl B. Listed in: Xbox 360, PS3, PC Gaming Tags: Bethesda, fallout: new vegas, Obsidian Entertainment

Listen to the Burned Man do some quasi-religious rambling in the Honest Hearts trailer.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

PoV: Not every game needs multiplayer

Posted Apr 23, 2011 at 2:30AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PoV Tags: call of duty, Gearbox Software, randy pitchford

Most publishers nowadays seems to force multiplayer onto their games, which more often than not, doesn't suit the experience.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [16]	READ FULL STORY!

This week's EU NintendoWare downloads - Ubongo, Tower of Deus

Posted Apr 18, 2011 at 9:43AM EST by Karl B. Listed in: Nintendo DS, Wii Tags: dsiware, Nintendo, WiiWare

This week's slate of downloads for the EU Nintendo Shops are nowhere as beefy as their US counterparts, but if you really want to burn a few hundred Wii Points you might want to check these games out.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PoV: There's no need to revive the Guitar Hero franchise

Posted Apr 16, 2011 at 12:36AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PoV Tags: Activision, Guitar hero

Activision seems to have backtracked from their previous statement concerning the faith of the Guitar Hero franchise, as they are now saying that the series is only on a "hiatus."


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

10 apps optimized for your iPad 2: Part 2

Posted Apr 7, 2011 at 4:00AM EST by QJ Staff Listed in: Tags: apple, ios

Welcome to part 2 of the iPad.net series on apps that have been specifically optimized for your new iPad 2. Today iPad.net brings you 6 more applications which are currently optimized for your shiny new iPad 2. Let's take a look.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Fallout: New Vegas DLC rumors rise again

Posted Apr 6, 2011 at 9:28PM EST by Mabie A. Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: Bethesda, fallout: new vegas, Obsidian Entertainment

Is there or is there not a new DLC for Fallout: New Vegas coming our way soon?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Rockstar avoids 'games are art' debate

Posted Apr 5, 2011 at 5:00PM EST by Carl B Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: grand theft auto, red dead redemption, Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games, the developer behind hits such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, avoided the "games are art" debate in an interview with Gamasutra.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [9]	READ FULL STORY!

Coming to Xbox Live Marketplace - Kinectimals demo, H.A.W.X. 2 and more!

Posted Mar 30, 2011 at 1:42AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: deals, Microsoft, xbox 360 titles, xbox live

Xbox Live's Major Nelson has listed the upcoming contents that will be available on the Xbox Live Marketplace in the coming days.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Fallout: New Vegas DLC release rumor debunked

Posted Mar 20, 2011 at 1:54PM EST by Karl B. Listed in: Xbox 360, PS3, PC Gaming Tags: Bethesda, fallout: new vegas, Obsidian Entertainment

More accurate details coming soon, promises Bethesda.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

Insomniac: Only the best AAA games are profitable

Posted Mar 18, 2011 at 2:24PM EST by Carl B Listed in: PS3 Tags: brian hastings, expanding market, Insomniac Games

Insomniac chimes in on what games are the most profitable and the state of expanding the games industry.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [3]	READ FULL STORY!

PlayStation Store EU Update - 03/16/11

Posted Mar 16, 2011 at 9:09PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: Europe, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Sony

This week's EU PlayStation Store update includes a bunch of PlayStation Move focus titles at discounted prices, new demos that includes an early look at PlayStation Move Heroes and the Crysis 2 multiplayer and a brand new DLC for Marvel vs Capcom 3, among others.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PlayStation Store EU Update - 03/02/11

Posted Mar 2, 2011 at 11:42PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Sony

The latest installment of the PixelJunk Shooter series, the original Prince of Persia, a single player demo of the game called Call of Duty: Black Ops and the PSone classic Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver are among the new contents that is now available in the PlayStation Store EU. Full list, right after the jump!


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Capcom's freemium games get 10 million downloads

Posted Feb 27, 2011 at 8:10AM EST by Glenn M. Listed in: iPhone, iPad Tags: Capcom, news, sales

With the rise of the iOS devices as gaming platforms, Capcom has been refocusing their efforts to cater to that trend. Specifically, they look to improve on their freemium business model on the smartphone games. Looking at the figures, it seems they've been having a lot of success with it.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

EU PlayStation Store Update - 02/23/11

Posted Feb 23, 2011 at 12:31PM EST by Karl B. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: PlayStation Network, SCEE, Sony

It's time once again for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's weekly update for the European PlayStation Store. The highlights for week's update include the PSN release of The UnderGarden, a flowery little puzzle game from Atari, as well as Alien Breed 3, the third in Team 17's twin-stick Alien Breed action series.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

PlayStation Store US Update - 02/22/11

Posted Feb 22, 2011 at 9:39PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PS3, PSP Tags: PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Sony

Head's up to all PlayStation fanatics! The latest PlayStation Store update is now live folks, bringing along a bunch of new contents to PSN users, including the public demo of Sega's latest Japanese underworld crime title, a PSone classic, the Killzone 3 Retro Pack and more!


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [9]	READ FULL STORY!

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 debuts at #2 in the UK

Posted Feb 21, 2011 at 1:33PM EST by Glenn M. Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360 Tags: Capcom, marvel vs. capcom 3, news, sales

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 launched in Europe last Friday and generally got great reviews from various gaming publications. As good as the reception was, however, the Fate of Two Worlds didn't quite make a big enough bang in the store shelves to nail the top spot.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

The Five Top Reasons Why You Don't Want to Work in an Apple Store

Posted Feb 18, 2011 at 10:16PM EST by QJ Staff Listed in: Tags: apple, Apple Store, ios

Have you ever been in the Apple Store at your neighborhood mall and thought it looked like a cool place to work? Well, think again. One Apple retail employee goes incognito to tell what it's really like.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Telltale confirms Jurassic Park release window, more games coming

Posted Feb 18, 2011 at 1:01PM EST by Karl B. Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: fables, jurassic park: the game, Telltale Games, the walking dead

Back to the Future isn't the only movie franchise Telltale Games are developing games for. They' also got Jurassic Park under their belt along with a couple of other licenses that have just recently been revealed.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Undead Labs spills more details on upcoming zombie game

Posted Feb 12, 2011 at 1:14PM EST by Karl B. Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: class3, class4, undead labs, xbox 360 titles

Last week, Undead Labs announced their ambitious open-world zombie apocalypse project dubbed Class3. This week, the devs took some time out of their busy schedules to shed more light on what gamers can expect from the Xbox 360 exclusive game.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [5]	READ FULL STORY!

PS3, PC finally cashing in on Dead Money

Posted Feb 5, 2011 at 8:37AM EST by Karl B. Listed in: PS3, PC Gaming Tags: Bethesda, fallout: new vegas, Obsidian Entertainment

Good news, PC and PS3 gamers. The Xbox 360 exclusivity of the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Dead Money is finally coming to an end.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [8]	READ FULL STORY!

HOT GAMING NEWS | LATEST GAMING SEARCHES | FORUMS

QUICK JUMP DAILY DIGEST

Welcome to QJ.Net!

If you want your comments to go live without waiting for moderation, you need to be logged in. Being logged in has its benefits:

Logged in members do not wait for their comments to be approved.
Logged in members can create Profiles to be seen by other users.

So why wait? Create an account or login now! It's easy, quick, and free.

To get started, use the LOGIN boxes, or the REGISTER link below!

Want to learn more about the team who brings you the QJ news?

Read about them now!

HOT FLASH GAMES

QJ.NET Categories
• Apple • E3 • Featured Articles • Gadgets • Games for Windows • iPad • iPhone • MMORPG • Mobile • News • Nintendo 3DS • Nintendo DS • Opinions & Analysis	• Photography • PlayStation 3 • PoV • PS Vita • PSP • Rumors • Science • Site News • Tabula Rasa • Wii • Wii U • World of Warcraft • Xbox 360

Sitemap

Newest Downloads

05/29/2012 - 06/03/2012

PS3Tools aldotools PARAM.SFO Editor 2.3 -	06/02/2012
Harmony's Nightmare v1	06/02/2012
SPU Emulation BETA 2	06/02/2012
Zombiies	06/01/2012
Newo Runner v1.1	06/01/2012
Kurushi Wii v1.0	06/01/2012
Hero City 2 v1.1	06/01/2012
WiiFlow Mod 3.0 r431	05/31/2012
XeBuild GUI 2.061	05/30/2012
edicpopDS v0.3.01	05/29/2012
RGLoader 0v290 Beta	05/27/2012
WiiMod 3.2	05/27/2012
WiiMC v1.2.7	05/25/2012
True Blue Firmeware v2.7	05/24/2012
3DS Video Converter v2.3	05/24/2012

Most Comments this Month
Finally: Star Wars for Gro..	(8)
3D On Your Vita, iPhone an..	(6)
Diablo III Refunds: Nope!	(4)
Japan Says No To Pirates	(3)
Feel Like Squashing Some S..	(3)
Metal Gear Rising Goes Wro..	(3)
Wanna Return to Agent 47's..	(2)
Co-Op Is Dead...Space 3	(2)
Another Expensive, Full-of..	(2)
Watch This: The Elder Scro..	(2)
Watch This: Tomb Raider is..	(2)
PSP homebrew - LameCraft	(1)
Get a Load of the Doom 3:..	(1)
People Can Fly To Gears Of..	(1)
DS Homebrew: Another World	(1)
Rumor Mill: Green 3DS Plan..	(1)
Sacrifice Exclusivity, Sou..	(1)
Skyrim's Map Contains all..	(1)
On Shelves this Week: Jun..	(1)
Bungie's World Domination..	(1)
Gameloft Shows Off Some Gr..	(1)
PSP Is Back, Whiter, Cheap..	(1)
Changelog For Newest Multi..	(1)
Party like Rockstar—But..	(1)
What's New From Team Xecut..	(1)

Top Jumps this Month
Pokemon Liquid Cryst..	(23)
Naruto Shippuden: Ul..	(20)
Bust Out Your PSP Fo..	(9)
Finally: Star Wars f..	(8)
PSP homebrew - LameC..	(7)
PSP Is Back, Whiter,..	(6)
Civilization V patch..	(5)
Watch This: Tomb Rai..	(5)
Metal Gear Rising Ge..	(5)
dTunes v2.6 - downlo..	(5)
Wii homebrew - WAD M..	(4)
Download full Sid Me..	(4)
Another Expensive, F..	(4)
Sacrifice Exclusivit..	(4)
Metal Gear Rising Go..	(4)
Brian Lara Internati..	(4)
Some Cyber in Your P..	(3)
Homebrew - PSP/PS3 P..	(3)
Hellcat Working On R..	(3)
Get Back to the Mult..	(3)
neur0n Gives You Mor..	(3)
3D On Your Vita, iPh..	(3)
Wii homebrew - SD/US..	(3)
PSP Homebrew - PSPDi..	(3)
GTA IV patch 1.0.6.0..	(3)

HOT GAMING NEWS TOPICS