PepsimanVsJoe talks about random games.

First off I should warn all readers that as this log progresses the spoilers will begin to pile up. If you're currently playing the game and don't want any surprises ruined I suggest that you may want to steer clear.



Lately I've been running into more and more of the greater beasts that inhabit the land of Gransys. These adversaries are where Dragon Dogma's combat really comes into its own. The fiends tend to have multiple weaknesses. ...

This is the first of hopefully many updates where I discuss the Capcom Action-RPG, Dragon's Dogma.

I decided to start off as a Strider, which is basically an Archer as well as a Rogue. Unfortunately my...errh...Jennique's armor looks like she's saving the land in her pajamas at the moment. Still that hardly matters when I can easily dispatch adversaries with my bow and never-depleting quiver of arrows. The crew I've assembled consists of ...

I reviewed Deathsmiles 2 on the main-page so give it the once-over if you haven't already.

Now then...what can I say about the first game? Well it's not quite as creepy as the sequel. Also in terms of atmosphere and level-design it's a bit more cohesive, even if most of the stages feel almost Psikyo-length. I actually feel kinda bad that I threw this game in a forgotten corner for so long because it's better than I remember. It's probably Cave's most accessible shooter thanks to ...

Guwange is an arcade shooter by Cave so you probably have an idea of what to expect. There's some scoring system that's based around an easy to understand gimmick and tons of bullets. These aspects are held together by tight mechanics and heavily refined game-design. Not a single element is wasted so mastering this title calls upon your every ability. What's the most important aspect however? A good intro.

One thing shooter devs have a hard time figuring out is a good intro. There's ...

Who cares about the Driver series? Sure it may have been relevant back in the Playstation 1 days and even past the first game that's up for debate. Flash forward some 200 years and Driver: SF hits. I in my infinite lack of wisdom pass this game up despite the shockingly good demo. I can't even remember what I was playing instead. Gears of War 3? Whatever. If anything I should have been talking this game up for the remainder of 2011. Not only does it run at a most excellent 60 frames per second it's ...

First off I'm not a big fan of Demon's Souls. Why? All you need to know is that I didn't like it.
However with Dark Souls if I had played it last year I'd probably have considered it one of my favorites of 2011.

For quite awhile I was almost entirely immersed in this game. Not only would I be playing Dark Souls but I'd also be watching DS streams at the same time.

This title is a perfect example of "Making the game yours". This is a motto I came up ...

The gun game genre isn't just about blasting everybody that gets in your face, it's also about compatibility. When you play a gun game with a friend, stranger, or loved one, you're cooperating with a common goal in mind. Many of the more recent entries in the genre(especially a series like the "Let's Go!..." games by Sega) grade you AND your partner. How well you do is intimately tied to how well the both of you work together. This may also carry deeper meaning. Perhaps you're out on a ...

My idea of a vacation is any time that isn't spent in Winter Haven. I've spent three years and six months in this city and I hate it. Really the fact that I decided to get into writing after just six months of living there should tell you all you would care to know regarding my opinion of this hole. Anyway it was a good time even though I spent most of it just hanging out with my family and watching movies.

First off I'm sure you're all just heartbroken about the lack of "Arcade ...

Time Crisis is one of the longest standing gun-game franchises around. Aside from the four main releases there have been a handful of spin-offs like Project Titan, Crisis Zone, and Razing Storm. The basic idea is the same amongst them all. Stop the terrorists, Jump in an out of cover to reload & dodge attacks, you're being timed. Not much else to it really, you get higher scores through accuracy, time, and doing a lot of combos(shooting many people multiple times in a short period).
...

This Data East action-platformer is...well you know what? Maybe I just shouldn't waste my time talking about it.

Caveman Ninja is...obsolete. It's one of those times where a company makes a game that is better than its predecessor in enough ways that gamers may as well forget the original ever happened. Why play Caveman Ninja when you can play...Spin Master? Yep that game with the two dudes from Dashin' Desperadoes. It's like Data East decided they wanted a replacement. They saw ...

I have about an hour and a half before House of the Dead 4 finishes downloading. So let's kill a bit of time talking about this underrated title from Seibu Kaihatsu.

This game combines elements of Cabal/NAM-1975 and Crossed Swords. Certainly it is an odd mix but this game works very well. Basically as you trudge through each of the nine stages you'll be assaulted by various soldiers and their heavy artillery. When they're far away you can gun them down but if they get close you gotta ...

New York is under attack by Mutants. Are you a crude enough dude to rescue New York?

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it doesn't it? Crude Buster was known as "Two Crude Dudes" here in the US, apparently since it may as well be a sequel to Bad Dudes. It's the future and the key to stopping "Big Valley" (such a silly name for a game, maybe they should be wearing sweaters around their necks and play badminton) is in a couple of guys who like to say "whatta ...

Also known as "The Great Ragtime Show", this shooter by Data East is not one you can approach like any other. I guess the closest comparison is Wolf Fang, also by the same company. Basically you start off in a biplane with a hook attached. You can use this hook to grab objects such as bombs, enemies, and other vehicles, then toss them around. Also the levels are designed to be far more grounded and detailed than the average shooter. Stages commonly take place in city streets, inside of ...

Data East's Sly Spy features the easiest boss in arcade game history. Basically he's an Oddjob kinda fellow who throws his hat. All you do is duck his hat, then stand up and shoot him. Okay yes you do have to perform this action more than once to take him down but really that's all there is to it. The boss never decides to throw his hat low to the ground or in some sort of wonky angle. Maybe this was supposed to be a parody of the movie Goldfinger. You see, if Bond actually had a gun when he was ...

So many Taito games. Is this a theme or something?
No I'm just a huge fan of Taito. Of all the arcade devs out there I think Taito has the most style and creativity. In terms of art-direction, plot, music, and all that other non-essential stuff I mean. Actually non-essential might not be the right word. After all the point of an arcade game is to make money, and there needs to be something there to attract the player's attention.

Warrior Blade is the third and final entry ...