Archive for December, 2009
Sasquatch PSA: Torchlight 50% off! (PC)
Dec 18th
The headline says it all, friends. Steam is running one of its beloved Weekend Deals on Torchlight, a game we at Silicon Sasquatch hold very dear to our hearts — even though we’ve only played the demo (a lot). But now everyone can have the clever action RPG from Runic Games for just $9.99 (normally $19.99) until Monday! It’s a steal, so go grab it right now. Don’t have Steam? Get it. Don’t have a PC? Buy one — or at least put Windows on your Mac. Linux…sorry?
And did I mention that you can have a dog or cat companion cart your loot back to town for you? I’ll let Penny Arcade explain.
Read after the break for more details.
The Backlog: Wow, It’s Almost That One Holiday! edition
Dec 18th
The year known as 2009 is winding down. A celebratory mood creeps into our homes as Christmas and New Year’s draw near, while we inch, ever closer, to certain Mayan-predicted doom as told by the prophet Cusack. Those critics won’t be laughing when the planets start aligning; their precious Miatas and Ayn Rand anthologies will be swallowed up by a vengeful Mother Earth angry at their scathing words.
Although, words look puny when the ocean can slam an aircraft carrier into the White House!
But until we all become embedded in the upper mantle of our planet, there are games to play. And as long as there are games to play, we at Silicon Sasquatch are obligated to talk about them. But only some. And rather infrequently.
However, we have some seasonal treats for you readers. Before January 1, 2010 arrives, we’ll be posting our “Top 10 Games of 2009″ in a four-part series of articles starting Monday, December 28, and ending on New Year’s Eve. Along with our collectively discussed and debated choices, each editor and contributor will be posting his own “Honorable Mentions” piece about titles not in our collective list, but which merit a nod all the same.
All right, now it’s time for the backlog.
Double Take: another look at Modern Warfare 2
Dec 16th
Editor’s note: Frequent Silicon Sasquatch podcast guest (and PC enthusiast) Spencer Tordoff has more than a few things to say about his experiences with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. With our review now live, we felt his commentary would be the perfectly compressed chaser to our long-winded critique.
I’d like to preface this by saying I have no interest in Modern Warfare 2′s multiplayer component. The betrayals of Activision and Infinity Ward have come and gone; the damage is done, and for once I feel like I have nothing to say on the topic.
However, the single player portion continued to intrigue me. I loved the campaign in Call of Duty 4, as well as the previous Infinity Ward-crafted stories of Call of Duty 1 and 2. Procuring a copy of the latest game to continue the Modern Warfare storyline felt like a good idea, like an olive branch offered to a quarrelsome friend.
Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)
Dec 16th
What more can be said about the so-called largest entertainment launch in the history of mankind?
It’s tempting to boil down Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to a vaporous obligation, an experience that divides gamers into the haves and have-nots. But that’s putting blind faith in a product based on its advertising blitzkrieg. Aren’t we supposed to be discerning consumers?
The climate around Modern Warfare 2 is now adequate, a month after release, for a steady-handed dissection of gaming’s latest chart-topping champion — far removed from the pre-release hype. This critique won’t convert the detractors or embolden the fanatics, but it will hopefully read as an alternative education on the latest Call of Duty, a game that flirts with failure as much as it tastes success.
Our most anticipated games of early 2010
Dec 15th
Editor’s note: While discussing topics for the most recent podcast, Nick and Aaron took some time to talk in detail about which games they felt might be worth paying attention to as their release dates draw near. Thanks to the bizarre magic of Google Wave, our collaboration ended up turning into a full-fledged article. We hope this list serves as a helpful guide and gives you some ideas of what to look forward to.
The heroes from just a few of the major releases coming in the next few months: Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell: Conviction), Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII) and Shepard (Mass Effect 2).
After building this list from a shorter one we borrowed unceremoniously from Kotaku, we weighed the evidence presented to us so far and drew up our own shortlists of essential titles, as well as a handful of potentially great purchases.
You’ll find our own lists, along with our justifications, after the break. And if we ignored a great game or missed one completely, please let us know. Thanks!
Why I canceled my GameFly membership
Dec 12th
It’s happened to the best of us. Even the most cautious consumer has acted in a moment of passion and purchased a game that wasn’t a sure-fire hit. Oh sure, it boasts of a lengthy single-player campaign and robust online features, but who can say for sure? Emboldened by an opportunity to discover a potential diamond in the rough, you purchase the game and head home without a shadow of a doubt that you’re in for anything but a great time.
But just ten minutes after tearing off the shrinkwrap and unceremoniously tossing the manual aside (“seriously, who reads things?”), it dawns on you: This single-player campaign certainly is lengthy, but only in the why-won’t-this-horrible-game-just-be-over sense of the word. Those robust online features amount to a half-dozen variations on deathmatch that, between the crippling lag issues and a total dearth of players with whom to compete, add up to zero enjoyment.
Sixty hard-earned American dollars, gone in the blink of an eye. Poof. And all you’ve got to show for it is your shiny new copy of Bionic Commando and a room stacked to the ceiling with your metaphysical shame.
But what else could you do? While it’s dying a slow death at the blood-red hands of Netflix, Blockbuster is only stocking a few of the biggest new releases — meaning sleeper hits and lesser-known titles are impossible to try before buying. Hollywood Video is closing its doors in rapid succession. The last option is GameFly, a Netflix-like subscription service for renting games.
I spent six months with GameFly across a variety of plans, and I ultimately ended up canceling the service with no intention of ever restarting my account. While it may be a fantastic concept on paper, its execution leaves plenty to be desired.
The Backlog: How to Talk to Your Child about Flavor Flav edition
Dec 11th
DJ Hero has a dedicated Flavor Flav button. Well, no; it’s technically a “sample” button that triggers a set of predetermined samples when playing a mix. But unfortunately, the default sample set is the first of two sets of Flavor Flav clips, including the infamous “Yeahhhhh boyyyyyyyeeeee!”
Experts agree that Flavor Flav can present a number of daunting questions that are difficult for a young child’s mind to process. We’re pleased to announce our upcoming parent’s guide to teaching your child the truth about Flavor Flav — and why he isn’t so scary after all.
Unfortunately, we still haven’t figured out how to just make him go away.
2010: The Year We Make Contact…and subsequently go broke
Dec 8th
Well, would you look at that — another podcast! And this one’s blessedly much shorter than the previous, meaning you get plenty of on-topic discussion and analysis without having to meander through dozens of games and several months of backlogged news to cover.
This podcast picks up where the last one left off, with the gang discussing the myriad top-tier releases of the first quarter of 2010. A near-complete list of titles is available after the jump for your perusal.
As always, thanks for listening, and let us know what you think!
(P.S. Wanna receive our latest podcasts automatically? Subscribe with iTunes here!)
The Backlog: Calm After the Storm edition
Dec 5th
Thanksgiving provides you with plenty of time to dust off the classics.
Oh, lordy, we have a lot to talk about this week.
As promised, the Thanksgiving break provided plenty of time for us to get our proverbial, collective game on. From holiday smash hits like Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2, to tried-and-true games and classics…lots of titles this week. LOTS. Let’s cut the garbage and just get to the breakdown…
The massive catch-up show
Dec 2nd
We were called back to life by the gods of Olympus to fight through a terrible side-scrolling action game "classic". Let death be quick and merciful.
Welcome back to the show, everyone! We’ve been absent for a couple months, but the whole gang is eager to start producing shows on a more regular basis.
Because we’ve been negligent in recording over such a critical period of time for major game releases, this episode features us playing catch-up on the infamous fourth quarter onslaught of top-tier blockbuster games — and it doesn’t even cover all the bases.
Initially, we’d planned on a show with three thirty-minute segments:
- Reflections on the games of the past few months
- A debrief on the controversies surrounding Modern Warfare 2 (“No Russian,” lack of dedicated server support on PC)
- A look ahead at the major releases waiting in the first quarter of 2010
After more than two hours of discussion, we only made it through part two. That was when we decided it was best to call it a night and give people a chance to actually listen to this episode.
We’re hoping to get together and record the final portion of this discussion soon, but this hefty hunk of Sasquatch-y goodness ought to provide you plenty of entertainment and keep you warm at night. Let us know what you think, and thanks for listening!