Hey Guys,

Just got back from work and took some pictures of the Punch-Out Glove signed by Little Mac HIMSELF!!! The backing needs to be screwed in completely so that I can hang it on a wall. But I am going to box it back up, because I am keeping it for something secret.

Pics linked below. STAR PUNCH BITCHES!

Hey Guys, I managed to get this done earlier then 1AM this time! These reviews seriously take a long time. It took me about four hours to get everything recorded, synced up and uploaded. I have to find a better way to do everything.

Anyway first things first. The Why It Sucks video review. Again, if you want to know why it's awesome scroll down a little.



Why It's Awesome

Sacred 2 is, for all intents and purposes, a Diablo clone. Right away that should give you a pretty good idea what makes it good, but we'll start from the basics. Graphically, it does a fine job keeping your field of view clear without skimping on the scenery. Foliage and architecture that would obscure the character vanish, but just enough is kept to give the scene the appropriate flavor.



The classes are creative and flexible enough to be able to provide you with the character you want to play with after a bit of development. Old standards like the Elven Archers and wizards are mixed with the cybernetic Temple Guardians, resulting in a refreshing bit of thematic and game play variety as well, and said game play is really what will keep you coming back. Summoning familiars and raising demonic turrets while a partner fires a plasma cannon built into his arm produces a strange and entertaining “Dungeons and Dragons Meets Megaman” vibe that you just don't get very often.



Combat is executed through a network of weapons, potions, and spells mapped to the d-pad and buttons. In order to minimize time spent shuffling spells and attacks, the triggers allow you to select three different sets of button mappings, giving you a set of actions instantly available. Further expanding your options, the game lets you set up commonly used actions as combos, linking up to four sequences to a single button press. The whole system is very effective, putting a custom built arsenal at your fingertips with very little fuss. Unlike many games, rather than having a mana meter limiting your spell casting, this game exclusively uses delays. As a result, you'll find yourself using your full repertoire of attacks rather than holding back the big ones for the bosses, since it is only ever a matter of time before you can cast again.



Enemies come frequently enough that you never feel bored, and the difficulty is balanced well enough to keep you feeling challenged without making you feel overrun. Better yet, this is a game that remembers that not all dungeon crawls need to be epic, hour long affairs. The mines we worked through were over in 10 or 20 minutes, long enough to feel substantial without feeling drawn out and tedious. There are even a few basements that you can be in and out of in under 5 minutes if you just want a quick session.



Best of all, though, is the loot. There are so many different weapons and armors, and so many ways they and the other power ups interplay and effect gameplay, you'll find yourself fiddling and shuffling through each and every new piece of loot to see what sort of numbers you can knock out of your foes now. There is just something uniquely satisfying and addictive in seeing a warrior in legion of doom shoulder pads and a cylon helmet dual wielding flaming hatchets.



Diablo 3 is not here yet, but for those of you out there jonesing for some of that style of play, Sacred 2 is a nice little homage that can give you your dual wielding, buff casting, tomb looting, battle fix until it arrives.

Hey hey guys. This was a busy week for me. I also missed doing a review last week. But I wanted to make sure I got this up here before I went to bed. Work will suck tomorrow.

Anyway here is the review on "Why It Sucks" Continue Scrolling down to read up on the "Why Its Awesome" Part.



Haiku Review

It's a movie game
that shatters expectations
by being superb.

Why It's Awesome

We here at Brainlazy got our first look at X-Men Origins: Wolverine back at the New York Comic-Con, so we had fairly high expectation to start with. The game does not disappoint. The greatest strength this game has is its gameplay, so we will begin there. Essentially, you are playing God of War as Wolverine instead of Kratos. That is a statement dense with meaning though, so I will clarify. Essentially, what it means is that the game isn't so much about how difficult enemies are to kill, but how much fun they are to kill. You have a veritable smorgasbord of maneuvers at your disposal, each carefully crafted to be both devastating and spectacular, making a game that is as brutal to watch as it is fun to play. The more you play, the more of these moves become available to you, and the more savage they get. The enemies thrown at you are equally varied, and push you to use every move in your repertoire to defeat them quickly. It is important to note that the moves don't only involve you and your trademark claws, though. The levels are a playground of environmental damage, and the game is just as eager as you are to make use of all of those hazards. You will quickly get the hang of angling throws to end on spikes, off cliffs, and in all other sorts of painful situations. Best of all, whereas regenerating health and a "hero" who is more kill crazy maniac than knight in shining armor are gameplay conveniences and hand-waved plot points, in this game they are perfectly suited to the character. This is a game where it is actually established by decades of literature that the player character is a nigh invulnerable vessel of blades and rage.

Some would fear that a game built upon the dirt simple concept of "here are some things to kill" would become repetitive or monotonous, but never fear. The makers of the game have balanced the pace excellently. Just as you grow weary of running up to enemies to impale them on your claws, you gain the ability to soar through the air and impale them on your claws. Once the whole "impaling" thing becomes passe, say hello to dismemberment. Bored with killing things? Well, the levels are pretty fun to explore, too. In fact, it is pretty easy to get lost. Luckily, it is just as easy to get on the right track, since the game gives you a "feral sense" that will keep you pointed in the right direction.

As the video says, movie games tend to be awful. They suffer from a short development cycle, a necessarily linear and limited story. It is easy, and not terribly unwise, to simply assume that all movie games will suffer the same fate. Don't make that mistake here. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is easily the best movie tie in available, and quite likely the best ever. Since that is roughly equivalent to being the world's most attractive wart, let me go one step further. This game gives half of the full fledged, stand alone games out there a run for their money. It may be that rarest of things. A movie game that deserves a sequel even more than the movie that it is based on.

This was a rough week so I apologize for how late I am getting this out. I'm not really happy with the outcome of this video because we forgot to record a segment that was in the script, so the video doesn't really sync up. But lesson learned, Always record! There is also a small mistake, tell me if you can spot it.

Like always, continue scrolling to read our "Why It's Awesome" article. So without further Adieu:

DishWasher Dead Samurai Review "Why It Sucks"



Review Haiku:

Nit-picking aside,
Dishwasher Dead Samurai:
Silly Name, Great Game

"Why It's Awesome"

If there is one word I would use to describe Dishwasher Dead Samurai, it is "deep." On the surface, this is just a button masher, and you can get an awful lot of enjoyment out of it if you treat it that way, but that is just scratching the surface. If you take the care to pay attention to just what buttons you are mashing, you'll be rewarded with spectacular, visually stunning combos. This is important, since as soon as you land your first hit a combo meter shows up to grade you on the number of hits and kills you can string together, assigning a score once you go too long between beatings. It provides an excellent motivator to keep the intensity up. Five different weapons cater to a variety of play styles, ranging from the ponderous but bone crunching chainsaw to the whirling, spastic kama blades. Each is upgradeable, but upgrades are more about expanding your repertoire of moves and the length of your combos than increasing damage. Each star you tick off on a weapon breaths new life into it, letting you streak back and forth through enemies or air juggle them like never before. The enemies have a fair amount of variety, and typically require their own special tactics to defeat them quickly, from a simple grab and slam to a sequence of well timed dashing slices.

The controls are slick and polished, with the incredibly addictive teleport and simple but effective combo sequences combining into a gameplay experience that almost reads your mind. The number of times a jump or a dodge or a slide puts you just where you need to be and a combo does just what you want it to is uncanny. Secret rooms are frequent, prompting you to make frequent use of the sword shift to search walls and ceilings. The arcade mode distills the game into its essence, assigning you a number of kills and a limited complement of weapons, plus the occasional altered play mode like "only airborne damage" or "constant health drain" to keep you on your toes. The story mode has not one but two co-op modes, one casting player two in the role of a guitar familiar that zaps enemies with each chord, and the other a more typical duplicate of player one that can hack an slash along with him. Interestingly, both are unlocked by finding amulets in game, a further reason to investigate those levels thoroughly.

Graphically, the game has a unique style that permeates everything. The environments and characters are grim and stylized, with darkness and gore dripping from your every action. Layered on top of that are lighting and particle effects that accompany special actions, making the later stages a flurry of explosions and bolts of lightning. The icing on the cake is the execution system, which gives a different "messy execution" to each enemy. During these, the camera slows down and dims all but you and your hapless victim as you creatively dispatch them.

It all combines into an XBLA game that plays like a full title and should really be treated as one. Many an hour can be spent learning the nuances of each weapon and the best tactics against each enemy. The score system adds a Tony Hawk-style drive to continually out do yourself, and ranked modes let you match your talents against other players all over the world. This game has raised the bar for XBLA titles. Truly well done.

Hello again,

This week I reviewed Leisure Suit Larry - Box Office Bust. Watch and Read a little bit further on why the game "Sucks" and why it's "Awesome"

I tried out a couple of new things in the video review; I also tried writing up the reviews myself instead of our writer at BrainLazy. So be sure to leave some comments and tell me what you think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the reviews.

First "Why It Sucks", remember if you want to know "Why It's Awesome" it will be below the video review.




Leisure Suit Larry - Box Office Bust "Why it's awesome" review.

I have a real problem trying to put down in words what exactly Leisure Suit Larry - Box Office Bust excels at. The main thing I can't get passed is, obviously, I am treating this game like a Leisure Suit Larry game, when it's clearly not. However, if you try to treat this game like something independant, there actually are some fun parts to the game.

First, the driving sequences in the game are actually really fun. The little golf carts go pretty fast and turn on a dime. Running people over also gives a GTA type of glee when performing any type of hit and run. Second, The platforming aspect actually works pretty well. The ability to arrange and move boxes in a particular fashion to reach certain certain areas. Double Jumping, grabbing ledges, shimmying on ledges, wall jumping all control very well. Get Larry Laffer to do what you want with the controls is very intuitive. And finally the mini games and director mode, while not perfect, are enjoyable.

It's just my opinion that they should have given developmet another years time, drop the Leisure Suit Larry title and tried to create a new IP. There is actually a lot of stuff that "works" in Box Office Bust however, the reason why it may be getting such bad reviews is we are expecting a Leisure Suit Larry experience, but that's not what's in this game.

If you have yet to play a Leisure Suit Larry game or any of Sierra's "Quest" series, please don't let this title discourage you from trying them out. Also, if you bought or rented this game, don't think of it as a Leisure Suit Larry game and you may come to realize the few enjoyable aspects this game has to offer.

Hey guys, I missed last week because I was tooling around with my new HDPVR and it is slaughtering my machine to actually edit 720p video.

Anyway here is the video review on why it sucks:



To find out why it's awesome read below.

Resident Evil 5 - "Why it's Awesome"

Resident Evil 5 may not be perfect, as the video points out, but there is much to like in this latest outing of Capcom's zombie series. Co-op has often breathed new life into a franchise, and this is no exception. Yes, having a friend to help you out of a jam takes away some of the isolation that had previously supplied the game's terror, but it more than makes up for it with intensity. Let me set the stage for you. Your partner has tossed you across a gap so you can open a door. Once he does, a horde of zombies attacks the two of you. Suddenly you are sprinting madly down flights of stairs, hobbling zombies with leg shots on your way to a door that needs to be kicked open. As you mash the action button to kick open the door you leave yourself defenseless to the zombies closing in behind you. Your partner fights his way to the other side of the door to hold them off by firing through the barred window. Now I ask you, what is more exhilarating? That, or wondering if a dog is going to jump through a window? Mad sprints through crowds of club wielding enemies to rescue your friend and frenzied searches for ways to reunite when you are separated wash any feeling of security away in a wave of adrenaline. I cannot begin to describe the satisfaction of seeing your partner becoming pinned by enemies, only to burst a head with a well placed bullet and save the day.

This game is very different from its ancestors in other ways, too. Far from a straight up action or horror game, RE 5 employs a remarkable amount of strategy. Careful targeting can stagger a foe and create opportunities for devastating melee attacks which can even be comboed with your partner. Healing items can be used individually, but will heal both partners if used in close proximity. Money can be collected and used either to upgrade weapons, or purchase new ones, or purchase additional health. That said, the horror roots haven't been totally abandoned. Zombie? Scary. Zombie Dog? Scarier Still. Zombie Hyena? Terrifying. Zombie Hyena with a head that splits down the middle to form a giant gaping maw that tries to snap your head off sideways with its new neck-mouth? Bordering on psychotic. This game has giant maggot bats, a huge ogre with a hula skirt made of normal sized men, and a sequence I like to call "escape from corpse mountain." The creators have truly outdone themselves with the boss design in this one, and just to keep you on your toes, occasionally taking out a normal zombie will simply unleash a whole new abomination that is much harder to kill. Seeing a headshot hit its mark only to have a mutant millipede snake out of the neck and lash at you might now be the new definition of terror for me.

The care taken in modeling these abominations makes it clear that the game's strongest point may be its jaw dropping visuals. The gameplay often looks virtually identical to cinematics, and sun bleached shanty towns, lush swamps, dank mines, and ancient ruins replace the traditional booby trapped mansion. Speaking of boobies, let us not forget the character models. It is good to see that all of the advances in physics and vertex weighing have been put to proper use: making better breasts. Sheva, the established eye candy of the game is in fact the most modestly dressed... until you unlock those other costumes. As for the other women? Well, lets just say that half of a boss fight is just one extended attempt to repeatedly cop a feel on a woman in a cat suit and leave it at that. Chris is in the game too, and, apparently suffering breast envy, has got biceps the size of watermelons, so I guess female players will have something to look at too.

Rounding out the game's strengths are the little things. Well targeted attacks reward you with fountains of gore and excellent twitch and death animations. When played at a difficulty setting in line with your skill level, ammunition is almost perfectly balanced with threat, putting you perpetually in danger of running out, upping the intensity further. Little niceties like killing a character instantly if they cannot be rescued rather than forcing you to wait out the full dying status show that the makers actually played the game. The end result is a game that is profoundly satisfying from beginning to end.