Star Wars: The Old Republic

So, instead of reviewing SWTOR, I have decided instead to upload a pvp video instead. It's quite an enjoyable game, but like any MMO - it requires a weighty time investment to get the best out of it. The music is from the Djentstep collection: Korn vs Skrillex.

Dishonored HD review

There's tons to like about this game, but is it a slam dunk? Not quite.

Doomsday - a song under construction

Yeah yeah this probably deserves to be on the music section and not the video games section, but I thought I'd chuck it up here anyway :)

Darksiders 2; 60 second review

For those of you who don't have the time to watch my detailed 30 minute game review of Darksiders 2 - take a look at the 60 second version.

Darksiders 2;High Def video review

So, it is here, finally an update!
Honestly, I'm sorry it's been so long, I've just had so much other stuff happening in my life with my band and whatnot, I haven't had much opportunity to dedicate to review making.

Hopefully you'll agree it was worth the wait.

Heroes of Newerth Laughtrack #1, 720p

When I get the chance, I love to play some HoN! If you have no idea what this is, I guess I don't blame you. It has however, been about for quite a few years now, and I am possibly the very worst player of any remaining HoN veteran.

That being said, I hope you like the vid. Through the miracle of modern science, now broadcasting in 720p. just expand to fullscreen, and press the little cog near the bottom right to max out the quality. Do me a solid and give it a thumbs up, eh? Make all this trouble worth it.

Probably belongs on the music blog, but hey I thought I'd throw it up here. IT WAS DELIBERATE. A little taste of a new song in the making.

Resident Evil 6 Demo Gameplay

Along with the other purchasers of Dragon's Dogma, I was lucky enough to get early access to the Resident Evil 6 XBL demo. Here's a vid with commentary for your enjoyment.

Dragon's Dogma: The Review

Well.. it's about fucking time :)
The epic capcom ARPG social media sensation is here.
I've literally been too busy playing the game to get around to making a review, but here it is, in full. Go grab yourself a coffee and a piece of toast before you sit down to watch this.

Dragon's Dogma: The Preamble

Ok, so I've recently been privileged to play the amazing Dragon's Dogma. I shall at some point soon deliver a comprehensive review, but frankly, I am just having too much fun actually playing the game to be distracted by making a video.
What I can do however, is share a little of my experiences so far via a few screenshots courtesy of a trendy little game feature. Click on the pics for high res versions.

Wolf Tossing. A new Olympic event?

Her devotion to serve and protect me is legit.

Riddles in the Dark

Tackling a Gryphon; hanging on for dear life.

Man versus Wild

Stay tuned!

Magna Carta 2

Magna Carta 2; kungfu gameplay review
Magna Carta 2 is a spectacular tactical action JRPG (KRPG) for the XBOX 360 that is vastly improved from the original on the PS2. Hugo open world with trucktons of story and sidequests to complete, that relies on a combination of strategic character building, AI management, and raw action skills.

Bloodforge

Bloodforge; kungfu gameplay review.
Ok, so I downloaded the Bloodforge demo and spent a few minutes disembowelling humanoid enemies for your entertainment. Watch the vid to see how I felt about it.

Project Sylpheed

Project Sylpheed; kungfu gameplay review
Ok, so I'm doing this review more or less at the request of the GameFAQs user: "Gabrius", as a game that didn't get nearly enough attention. Many people talk about how awesome Rogue Squadron was, and how it badly needs a current Gen remake, but why aren't those people looking at Project Sylpheed? If you like the arcade space shootemup action, you can't beat Project Sylpheed for playability. Furthermore, it as an engaging, if formulaic, story that is suited to those with a taste for Japanese Animation. Watch the vid. Give it a thumbs up :)

Armored Core 4

Yes, yes.. I know Armored Core 4 is fucking old now. That's the point, god dammit! Gaming on a budget. So yeah, Armored Core 4 is a walking tank TPS action game, with possibly the deepest levels of customisation of any game in the genre - not that there are a wealth of games in the genre, obviously, which no doubt is all the more reason to pull out a $10 bill as you are walking past the bargain bin. The sequel, Armored Core 5 is recently released, and picking up #4 is a low-risk way of getting a taste for the gameplay. I won't lie - the learning curve is kind of steep, and definitely not for everyone, which is why I would recommend grabbing this over #5, at least to begin with.

FarCry 2 video review

Farcry 2 video review. Yeah I know, been too long since a video review, so I came at it halfway. No editing, no capture, just a shitty webcam gameplay recording with some realtime commentary, you might like it, but you probably won't. Reason? Computer problems.

Gears of War - The Movie

So, for a number of years now, one of the things that my brother and I do to pass the time is talk about suitable actors for movies based on video games. One of our favourite would-be movies to talk about a potential cast for is Gears of War.

First and foremost, we need to have actors that at least resemble the characters in question, taking into account height, weight and body type - as well as obviously having some sort of similar facial structure. Sometimes, we will be 100% serious, and other times, not so much. This has had varied results, from suggestions like Anthony Anderson as the Cole Train all the way to Henry Rollins as Sergeant Hoffman.

 

Our chosen cast is far from final, and indeed some of these choices are based on the simple fact that we each would probably prefer someone different, but with these particular choices, we don't disagree with each other quite so vehemently.

Haiku for the Apocalypse

In between reviews, I thought I would share a Haiku competition entry I did.
4 Darksiders Haiku.

Update! I won a prize. I got some sweet Darksiders 2 Armor for my XBL avatar,.

Mirror's Edge review.

So, due to some technical issues I am having with my capture device (and my computer in general) I'm going to do a regular text review of Mirror's Edge, as opposed to the video review format I usually use.

Reality doesn't look this good..

Mirror's Edge is a platforming adventure like no other. As opposed to the tried and true 3D platformers like Prince of Persia, Mirror's edge features a true first-person perspective playstyle, where even the simple act of looking around with the camera literally changes the character actions.

The control scheme is also rather unique, and to begin with, it feels a little strange, using the left bumpers for jump and crouch/slide, with the right bumpers for attack and quick 180 turn, but by the end of the tutorial level, it starts to feel pretty natural.

Having some technical issues.

I'm presently having some technical problems. My computer is basically FUCKED.

A quick word, I've joined a band.

Ok, so I realise that it has been a little while since my last review, and some of you may be thinking: "HURRY THE FUCK UP" and I could surely understand that perspective.

Something I should probably share is that I have just recently joined a new band, and getting up to speed with all of their material requires a lot of my attention. They are a technical metal band, and the music is quite demanding! Be assured that I have not forgotten about my game review series, and will surely soon be uploading my next review. That being said, please understand that performing competently in the band is very important to me, and may go some way to explaining the lack of a recent upload.

The band is called "Blood Luxury", and you can find them on facebook HERE.

A design concept for a white band T-shirt

Viking: Battle For Asgard

Aha! It is here! As previously promised, here is my full video review for Viking: Battle for Asgard. The game is pure awesome and metal as metal can get without actually having a metal soundtrack. If there was any such thing as heavy metal music in Midgard, Skarin would be the god damn king.

Viking, the absence thereof

Ok! so, I know I promised a video review of Viking, and I am here to assure you, I still intend to do this! Unfortunately, I have been experiencing some technical difficulties with my computer, and I want you to know that I am working on a fix, and the review should be up soon, hopefully in the next day or so, and if we are extremely lucky, perhaps even by tonight.

So, please don't fret, your Viking review is coming soon! To those who might ask the question: "Hey, Colin, why are you reviewing old games, I'd be lucky to even find a copy at my local game store!" I answer: "I am reviewing games that deserve to be reviewed! Games that deserve your attention! Games that ought not be missed!"

So, the review is coming up soon, and many more to follow.

"Blades of Steel in either hand, it falls to me to save this land."

Shadows of the Damned

So yeah, Shadows of the Damned.
It's basically the video game equivalent of a B horror movie. You'll either love it or hate it, and your feelings may be entirely contingent on the art style and the writing, and voice acting.
Garcia comes across as a guy who takes himself way too seriously, and his girlfriend is clearly a straight up psychopath. Well, what else can you expect from a girl that you find in a dumpster?

Watch the vid :D

Quick update

So, I added a few content sites, the basic review content + some random funny stuff is up on http://kungfucolin.tumblr.com and and my full music catalogue is up on http://soundcloud.com/kungfucolin

Gaming with Mack

Mack is a friend from gamefaqs.com who is currently doing a series of videos on FPS: Gotham City Imposters. He talks at 100 miles an hour and is a fucking riot to listen to. You should check his shit out!

SSX 2012

Instead of freestylin' it, I actually wrote this whole review first. Considering the effort involved, I'm not sure I'm going to use that approach again, because honestly - although the information works quite well for the game, there is a definite difference in the audio - the sound of audio that is being read just has a completely different feel to it than the more spontaneous style, and not completely an improvement. It also makes any attempts at humour sound completely contrived (since they WOULD be completely contrived) so instead I just tend to avoid it - once again, taking something away from the overall style of the review. I'm planning on doing Shadows of the Damned next, maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day.. we'll see.

Sine Mora

My first XBLA review. I chose Sine Mora not only because it is new and fresh, but also because it represents the best of what is available on the arcade. Not only that, it is what you could call a TRUE arcade game at least stylistically, despite not actually existing in cabinet form - the game was designed from the ground up to play well on new technology and in the widescreen format.

Darksiders

Definitely one of my favourite games this gen. Excellent blend of puzzle and action, and the action itself is really really great. By the end of the game, your character has acquired a whole shitload of abilities and equipment, and the stakes continually escalate.

Did I also mention that this game is set DURING the apocalypse? That's fucking SWEET.

Vanquish

Vanquish is a fucking awesome game. The extremely fast pace is masterfully offset by the slowdown mechanic, basically letting you take the most difficult hair-trigger reflex situations, and turning them into something tactical. In this review, I use a little more slang, still trying to find a review style I'm comfortable with.

Nier Gestalt

Finally starting to get into a groove. Nier is an ARPG that will likely be long remembered, despite not actually getting much press. It's reasonably small for an open world game, but there are some really dramatically different styles of gameplay, and the boss battles themselves are really epic. A worthy entry into the 'hall of fame' titles I've chosen to review.

Rise of the Argonauts

ROTA is a bloody good RPG, with plenty of RP to the G. This was my second game review, and I tried to do a better job of matching the imagery to the commentary.

Wartech: Senko no Ronde

So, Wartech: SNR is a japanese title, a fusion of fighting game and shootemup sensibilities to create a unique one on one battle experience. If you are especially fond of shootemups, 'shmups' you will probably enjoy this game immensely.

Or, maybe you won't, and the crushing difficulty and campy storyline will grind your brain into a mush. Watch the vid.

Introduction

Ok, so the main reason I'm putting this together is for the shameless and tech-savvy reason of creating back links. ie: I consider youtube as my main outlet for my video reviews, and it just seems sort of responsible to try and collate that information into a blog page.

I'll try and keep wall-o-text to a minimum, which is to say I'm too damn lazy to type much. We'll see how it goes. You either know who I am or you don't, and I'm going to assume you don't for this next sentence:

I'm an unremarkable guy who likes to play music and video games, and when I'm especially enthusiastic, I like to play martial arts, too. The username kungfucolin has persisted for over 10 years now, and it is more of an inside joke that only a few people will get, but since the name has been around so long, I don't really want to change it, although if I were to REname myself to try and reflect something current about my personality or characteristics, I would probably call myself: "The bearded gamer" or "The fat guitarist" so yeah, you get my drift - not much kung fu involved here, it's just the name I chose a long time ago, in another life.

So yeah, catch me at http://www.youtube.com/kungfucolin or whatever.