Gunslinger Gaming

For those who are fans of horror-survival and FPS’s, Dead Space does not and will not disappoint!

The player assumes the role of Isaac Clarke, and engineer sent to the disabled space craft USG Ishimura, to discover why there is a distress call.

The enemies in Dead Space tend to be quite unlike those from just about any other game. The organic alien forms that you meet are grotesque parodies of the human form and range from the extremely quick and mobile all the way through to the completely immobile spawners, who may well cause you more problems than you’d think. Each weapon seems to be suited a particular enemy, but some are far rarer in terms of ammo than others.

The setting is dark, the enemies can pop out of literally anywhere and when the warning lights activate and you’re sealed in for a quarantine session I guarantee your hair will be standing on end. The USG Ishimura is a strange and unsettling place, all the more so for the many system failures it seems to suffer on your way out of the near-derelict ship.

The graphics are above first-rate, and the game play is both engrossing and somewhat complex…yet easy to master. There are a few spots in the game where (unlike others of this genre), the void of space produces pure silence…which adds an especially creepy element to the already superb sound contained within this game.

Dead Space is certainly a game to play, and to keep an eye on for a possible franchise.

Travis Touchdown Returns.

Suda 51′s corky and comically bloody No More Heroes, which was released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii back in 2006, was hailed by critics as truly unique and an immensely needed example of a Mature offering for the system.  Gamers had the luxury of being Travis Touchdown, a wrestling and anime fan based out of the fictional California city Santa Destroy, who gets mixed up in the eccentric underground assassins association.  Never taking itself too serious, No More Heroes became an instant classic now available at a discounted price.

No More Heroes is back with a sequel and, judging by the newly released trailer for the forthcoming game, promises another bout of wacky carnage.  No More Heroes:  Desperate Struggle takes up where the storyline left off in the original game and returns with the same game mechanics already proven to be infectious.  Sylvia Christel, the object of Travis Touchdown’s obsession, appears to be at the center of the plot once again as does the familiar boss battles.  Only time will tell if this light saber gameplay and stylized graphics are too familiar for fans.

Judge for yourself by watching the trailer.

Bubble Bobble Plus!

Usually, there is a clear division between what Nintendo offers Wii owners for  its Virtual Console and WiiWare library.  The Virtual Console normally features exact emulations of classics from past gaming systems such as the Super Nintendo or the Sega Master.  On the other hand, WiiWare prides itself on new, original titles specifically designed for the Nintendo Wii.  During the final weeks of May 2009, Nintendo offers two new titles, Bubble Bobble Plus and Adventure Island:  The Beginning, that meshes the gaming engine of a past classic with the strokes of modern abilities.

Bubble Bobble Plus, which can be downloaded for a mere 600 Wii Points, exhumes the one hundred block-based stages and the simple yet addictive gameplay of helping a bubble-blowing dragon defeat hordes of enemies.  The selection becomes a true WiiWare title with the added play features such as hosting four player simultaneous action, Super Mode, and a WiFi hosted Ranking Mode.  In addition, players can battle brand new bosses by purchasing two different Expert Modes.  These Expert Modes, however, do cost additional 200 Wii Points a piece.

Adventure Island:  The Beginning goes to even greater lengths to enhance the classic core of

Adventure Island: The Beginning

the game.  What hasn’t changed is that players will help grass skirt wearing Master Higgins weave through islands full of deadly pits, snakes, boulders, cave bats, and various other platform pitfalls.  Players can now enjoy semi 3D graphics, custom character outfits, unlockable character skills and purchasable items, along with several mini games.  For the first time in the Adventure Island franchise, the game also features a simultaneous two player mode.  The game can be purchased with 800 Wii Points.

Both games are now available via the Nintendo Wii’s Shopping Channel.

Cover of Green Day's 2009 album

Green Day exploded onto mainstream radio back in 1994 with their album Dookie, which offered such punk inspired classics like “Longview,” “Welcome to Paradise,” and “Basket Case.”  The album went on to sell multi-million copies around the world, and Green Day did so with a rather simple yet ingenious formula.  Write fun lyrics layered with pop-punk hooks and mime the British accent and attitude found on favorite Clash and Sex Pistols albums.

15 years later, Green Day demonstrates on their newest effort, 21st Century Breakdown, that the band has no interest in taking cues from well worn musical sheets.  At least, Billy Joe, the lead singer of the group, doesn’t.  He reportedly composed every line and note found on the band’s 2009 release.  21st Century Breakdown takes up where American Idiot (2004) left off by constructing a full fledged  concept album both lyrically and musically.

21st Century Breakdown follows two youths, Gloria and Christian, through a financially broken and collectively dispirited America.  With lines such as “My Generation is zero / I never made it / As a working class hero” (from title track) and “Put your faith in a miracle / And it’s non-denominational / Join the choir we will be singing / In the Church of Wishful Thinking” (from track “East Jesus Nowhere”) it is evident to listeners that this is a desperate and cynical America.  Clearly, the album is submerged within the economic and political strife of a country still licking its wounds from the Bush administration.  The concept of the album is fully released and, in most cases, written effectively.  Time will tell, however, if its thesis will be eternally accessible or just a time capsule of this point in history.

The lyrics aren’t the only thing fleshed out on 21st Century Breakdown.  The musical score

Green Day group shot.

matches and even enhances the message of the lyrics.  While Dookie was content on getting heavy radio play rotation with clean, simple guitar riffs, 21st Century Breakdown’s music is multi-layered and deviates far  from the territory the band was comfortable roaming prior to American Idiot.  Every single song on the newest album sounds born from the Rock Anthem animal.  Billy Joe often sounds like he is singing to the tradition of Queen and Meat Loaf rather than Bad Religion or Violent Femmes.  Said departure in style may sour segments of long time Green Day fanatics, but most fans will continue to appreciate the band’s ability to publish well crafted material.

Overall, this reviewer gives the album an 8 out of 10 (10 being the highest mark and 1 being the poorest).

The BETA version of the newest feature of the Gunslinger Gaming community is now complete.  While we are eager to evolve the core functions of this blog, we encourage gamers over the age of 18 to register an account with this blog so they can begin commenting on future articles and news clippings that will be published here.

If you are new to the Gunslinger Gaming community, we further invite to visit our extensive forums and multiple choices in themed chatrooms to begin gaming and socializing with other mature, casual gamers.

I thank you in advance for trying out our free community, and we all look forward to seeing you around the site.