Abobo's Big Adventure Review

Abobo's Big Adventure

    Why aren't you playing Abobo's Big Adventure? Seriously, after you finish this article, go to Newgrounds.com and play this game until your keyboard breaks. Then hook up your NES controller, and break that too.
    Abobo's Big Adventure is one of the best old school fan service games ever. There are more  cameos from beloved (and obscure) characters than you can probably pick out, creative gameplay, and nostalgic 8-bit graphics that hug the line between “just as I remember them” and “jaw hits floor”. Oh, and there's blood. Lots of blood. Apparently, Abobo has quite the mean streak besides just punching Billy and Jimmy into a crumpled heap.

For the duration of this game you punch, kick, and annihilate just about every character you ever encountered during the 80's and early 90's. Characters from Super Mario Bros., The Legend or Zelda, Balloon Fight, Punch Out, Contra, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more await having their faces rearranged by your angry fist. And the controls couldn't be easier: A, B, D pad, Start, and Select. Each level has its own button mapping (as each level is a parody of a different game), but the attack button will always be the attack button, so you don't have to relearn everything in between levels. Added to the game was a Rage meter that builds up as you lay the smack down on someone, and decreases as you take damage. Fill the meter up all the way, and you get a Rage attack, which upon unleashing kills just about everything on the screen.

    The game is free to play or download, which only proves that it was really a labor of love. You should also cough up a few bucks for the additional content if you wish to support ABA. If you were looking really hard to find fault with this game (and you would have to look pretty hard) I guess you could say that it holds your hand a little too much as far as difficulty is concerned. One whole level is literally impossible to fail, and most of the rest have more opportunities to regain health than I remember from my childhood. This is not really a flaw, not is it even throughout the whole game. The Megaman and Contra levels are just as hard, if not harder, than their original counterparts.
    If you are 25 or older, and owned a Nintendo, then this game will definitely resonate with you. If you just want to play a fun 8-bit adventure, full of violence and humor, then this game is for you. If you don't like fun, and spend your days polishing your New Kids on the Block or Justin Bieber shrines, then get the game, and then seek professional help.

Abobo's Big Adventure: 5 out of 5

MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3!!!

The rumors are now made true and official! Marvel and Capcom have come together to give you MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3!!!

It will be available for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Characters confirmed are Wolverine, Hulk, Spiderman, Magneto and Ironman are representing the MARVEL side so far. Morrigan, Ryu (of course), and Chris Redfield (Resident Evil 5 version) are on the CAPCOM side. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?

It seems to have an interesting look from the trailer, very Tatsunoko VS Capcom feel with a dark ink like edge to it. It was said that it would be 2D with 3D elements. I guess that's to make it look like comic book art in a way.

According to the MVC3 news going around it will be released "later this year or early 2011" and will be flying at "full 1080p"! They are already bragging about the number of characters in this game being super duper ridiculous. So I'm guessing we expect a huge chunk (if not all) of the old MVC2 cast plus at least a dozen more. Here's to hoping they add Thor and Deadpool!!

Heavy Rain Review

Heavy Rain is a PS3 exclusive game released on February 23rd. It was developed by Quantic Dream, the French developers behind the game Indigo Prophecy. Basically, the story is about trying to stop a serial killer who kidnaps 10 year old boys and drowns them in rain water - sounds like my ex. The game is a lot like an interactive movie, where the player can make decisions that can change the plot of the story and alter the ending. The player controls one of four characters at any given time: a journalist, a father, a private detective, and an FBI agent.

One interesting thing is that if the player dies as any of these characters, there is no continues or "game over". The game will continue with that character dead. A lot of the gameplay is Quick Time Events, similar to games like Shenmue and Indigo Prophecy. The actions attached to each button are context-sensitive depending on the situation the character is in. The controls may be used to push a merry-go-round, burp a baby, give CPR, throw a boomerang, or even give a strip tease - all depending on the situation. The graphics are amazing and the voice acting is superb. The game even contains a "Behind The Scenes", where I was surprised to learn that all the main characters actually look exactly like the real life actors who played them.

My favorite character is Norman Jayden, who clearly ripped off Minority Report with his ARI (Added Reality Interface) headset and glove. While playing, I tried my best to make him look like the worst FBI agent in history, even going as far as to falsely accuse a police lieutenant of being the Origami Killer based on a bunch of nonsense evidence and crackpot theories. I was intentionally trying to ruin his career and get him reprimanded by his superiors - and it worked. This game is so great, it made me want to go back and play Indigo Prophecy again, which I immediately regretted because Indigo Prophecy is a bunch of ass compared to Heavy Rain. Despite Indigo Prophecy's similarities in gameplay, the dated graphics actually felt painful to look at after playing Heavy Rain.

Heavy Rain is in my top four favorite PS3 games of all time, along side MGS4, SF4, and RE5. I would recommend this game to anyone, even people who don't normally play games, since the game feels more like a really great movie anyway.

I give it 5 out of 5, it is a perfect game that is fun and entertaining the whole way through!

- by Steve