Mongo Nation

New arenas and a “bank” feature to be included

By Jeremy Azevedo

Not that there was ever any question that Borderlands was directly influenced by the Mad Max series, but this new DLC, “Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot” sounds like the video game version of “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome”. And that’s a very good thing. But it’s not the only good thing about it!

The new DLC, like last month’s “The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned’, will retail for about 800 Microsoft points (or 10 earth dollars). And although the level cap will not be raised, there will be a couple extra skill points that you can acquire for your character, which may give you a bit of an edge in the arena. (Unless you’re playing as Brick or Roland, in which case, all the skill points in the world aren’t going to help you against Mordecai’s cheap-ass bird.) But best of all is the inclusion of a “bank”, in which you can store some of the 1337 gear you’ve been hoarding all this time! Sweetness!

“Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot” will challenge players to fight in three “Riot Mode” arenas against waves of Pandora’s most badass monsters and raiders. It probably goes without saying that this will be a nearly impossible undertaking as a single player, so you’d probably better gather a team for this one.

Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot will be available for download on XBLA and PSN December 29th, 2009.

Final Fight and Magic Sword, coming soon to XBLA and PSN!

When I saw the announcement for Final Fight: Double Impact, I immediately thought (as any rational person might) that this would be a packaging of the first two games in the series. Or maybe they threw in the NES version, “Mighty Final Fight” just for laughs or something. I pretty much expected any pairing of Final Fight titles other than Final Fight and Magic Sword, a game that has absolutely nothing at all to do with Final Fight and probably doesn’t even have a buff dude with a mustache in it or anything.

Not that I’m complaining… I actually love Magic Sword. It’s one of my favorite games. I can even overlook the fact that this will be like the third time I’ve purchased both of these games on various systems throughout the years, because that’s just how timeless they both are. The graphical update (similar to the one applied to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2) doesn’t hurt the games’ chances any, nor does the slick arcade cabinet style presentation, which really bumps up the nostalgia factor for me.

For the uninitiated, Final Fight was the beat-em-up that really kicked off the genre, as well as setting the stage for the one-on-one fighters to follow. In fact, Final Fight characters have made several appearances in Street Fighter games to date, the latest of which is the announced addition of Guy and Cody to Super Street Fighter VI. Magic Sword was sort of a fighter/action RPG in which you beat the shit out of lizard men and manticores through 50 levels of a dark tower, collecting various weapon upgrades, armor, power-ups and followers as you go. Both games also feature the ability to make chicken appear on the floor by smashing barrels, and then eat it to regain lost health.
Read the rest of this entry →

A particularly artistic new approach to casual gaming

By Jeremy Azevedo

Of all the adjectives I would normally use to describe a video game, this may be the first time I’ve ever used the word, “relaxing”. And yet that’s the word that kept coming to mind as I was playing the new downloadable game, “Axel & Pixel” on Xbox Live.

Axel & Pixel is sort of more like an interactive art project than it is a game. It operates in the same fashion as a point and click PC adventure game, but is so highly evolved in terms of it’s visual presentation that you really spend more time admiring the look of the game than you do actually playing it.

Axel & Pixel is the story of an artist (Axel) that becomes trapped in a dream world with his loyal dog, Pixel, and a magic paintbrush with which to solve the game’s many puzzles that lay before him. You simply point your magic brush at any interactive object, press the action button, and Axel will do with it whatever must be done. Each of the worlds is divided into several stages that represent the four seasons. Graphically, the levels are designed with a combination of photography and simple 2-D animation that combines to create an incredibly weird effect. It’s very surreal, as are the solutions to many of the puzzles that impede your progress.

Nothing can really “kill” you in Axel & Pixel, so you’re never really in that much of a hurry to complete the stages. You’re free to take your time, experimenting with different objects to remove barriers and get ahead. As a result of this leisurely pace, Axel & Pixel is a nice break from the faster paced “Call of Duties” and “Grand Theft Autos” of the world. It’s not really the kind of thing you’d play for four hours straight, but it’s a fun diversion to keep going back to it from time to time.

However, he actual replayability in Axel & Pixel is probably limited by the fact that the game is a little on the short side, and that there aren’t really multiple solutions to puzzles at all. Once you’ve mastered it, all there is to do is to try and do it again, but faster. By this time though, it just becomes an exercise in memorization (save for the driving/flying/etc. end stages, which are always sort of fun in a weird way). The game still looks great, but on subsequent playthroughs you’re really just going through the motions and maybe trying to collect the occasional item that you passed up the last time through.

To compare Axel & Pixel to a “gamer’s game” like “Shadow Complex” or “Castle Crashers” isn’t really fair, because it clearly is aimed at the hardcore audience. But this is not to say that the game doesn’t have it’s own unique merits. And for only 800 MS points, I strongly recommend that anyone with a passing interest in art design or playing games whilst stoned, as well as dudes that would like to entice their girlfriends to play, at least give Axel & Pixel a try.

I award Axel & Pixel 7.5 out of 10 Unicorns Fighting a Robot Dolphin:

+1 if you’re currently enrolled in art school
+2 If you are in possession of a medical marijuana prescription for a “bad back”
-2 If you’re deathly afraid of dogs, cartoon or otherwise

Axel & Pixel Debut Trailer

Dilated Peoples, Michael Franti & Spearhead, more!

By Jeremy Azevedo

You’re in luck, because this months free MP3s are so rad, it’s like Christmas came early this year!

Or, you know, Hannaukau… or Kwanza or whatever, I don’t know. What do Scientologists celebrate? Thetan day?

(Sigh…)

It really doesn’t matter, never mind. You get the point. If I had to assign a visual reference to these songs, it would be this picture of Robocop Riding a unicorn:

What more do you really need to know?

Artist: Mindless Self Indulgence
Song: Never Wanted to Dance

Mindless Self Indulgence has been one of the premiere punk/electronica groups for over ten years now… partly because they’re one of the only punk/electronica groups anyone ha ever heard of, but also due to their incredibly awesome live performance and aggressively offensive lyrical content.

Never Wanted to Dance

Artist: Dilated Peoples
Song: The Last Is First

DJ Babu, Alchemist, Iriscience and Evidence return to shake up the underground one more time. While mainstream success continues to elude them, Dilated Peoples remain heroes of the club scene and forebearers of hipster-hop.

The Last Is First

Artist: Early Man
Song: Sinking the Blade

Stoner metal in the vein of Black Sabbath and The Sword, Early Man is one of the most exciting bands leading the charge of 70s style metal bands currently tearing up arenas everywhere.

Sinking the Blade

Artist: Jake One
Song: The Truth feat. Freeway and Brother Ali

Having spent the last few years producing for mainstream acts like 50 Cent, E-40 and Nas, Jake One’s first solo album is out on White Van/Rhymesayers, bridging the gap between the Seattle and Minneapolis underground and the already established LA/NY clicks.

The Truth feat. Freeway and Brother Ali

Read the rest of this entry →

Capcom’s retro fan service is awesome!

By Jeremy Azevedo

If you would’ve told me a year ago that I’d be playing a new classic 8-bit NES Mega Man game on my Wii today, I’d tell you that was crazy talk, and that you’ve been spending too much time with disgraced series villain, “Crystal Man”.

Apparently, someone over at Capcom listens to crazy talk and put together another great piece of fan service on the heels of last months “Bionic Commando” remake. Mega Man 9 looks, sounds and plays just like old-school Mega Man, before all the graphical changes and charge busters and secret characters and other bullcrap that would eventually obscure the series’ greatness. In true retro fashion, you must battle 8 renegade robots with specific strengths and weaknesses, take their weapons, and eventually take the battle to Dr. Wiley who is almost certainly behind it all!

Mega Man and Splash Woman, the first ever female evil robot master.

The first thing you notice, besides the colorful, charmingly familiar 80s style graphics, is the incredibly awesome music. Classic Mega Man games were known for their rocking midi-based music and steep challenge, and this one is no different. You will probably find yourself surprisingly slow at first when it comes to twitch action and platforming, something that has been absent from most modern games.

Another thing that the original Mega Man games were known for was the great characters and weapons. This roster, which includes Concrete, Jewel, Plug, Hornet, Magma and Galaxy Man, also includes the first female robot master, Splash Woman. Because the mega slide and charge buster have been removed, the earlier games reliance on utilizing the robot master’s weapons has returned, which makes the game quite a bit more strategic.

The fruitiest Mega Man screen-shot of all time.

Even if you are not old enough to have enjoyed these games back in the day, you should really experience what essentially feels like a lost classic from another era. There is even an option that simulates old-fashion slowdown and screen flicker! If this is the kind of thing that we can expect from publishers as a result of digital distribution, then we are certainly in for some wonderful surprises in the coming years.

Mega Man 9 is available now for the Wii, September 25th for PSN and October 1st for XBLA for about $10 on all platforms!