In West Grenoble, born and raised, on a podcast is where he spent most of his days. Chillin out, maxing relaxing all cool and all shooting some b-ball outside of the 1968 Olympic Winter Games… OK, I think I broke that one. Plus, the show was like, twenty years ago.

On a very special forty-ninth episode of our humble podcast, Barrel Roll, we are joined by The Xbox Domain‘s PR rep,  Holly Attesi. She gives us the low-down on the site and what they do at their community focused site. She also tells us about what she has been playing lately, which is mostly Forza 3.

Returning guest-host, Wesley Johnson, tells us of his time with The Saboteur, Jesse has been obsessively playing Star Prince, one of the many fine games in Retro Game Challenge, and Jonah has finished Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and is currently in the beta for Star Trek Online. There is also much lamenting what has become of the Zelda franchise as Jesse has finally completed The Lenged of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

In the news we talk about more Super Street Fighter IV info, the upcoming Rockman Zero collection, the return of NBA Jam, and much more. We even discuss “The Legend of Chun Li“; was the worst movie (of any kind) of last year.

Tune in to the latest in Barrel Roll‘n goodness to get the hot scoops and wackiness that inevitably ensues.

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Music during the break – “Blaze Down” (Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero 4 – Physis)

Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

The Xbox Domain

NBA Jam Returns

Capcom Natal News

Legend of Chun Li (our review)

Games can grip you for many reasons; good stories and characters, interesting gameplay, or a fun setting to name just a few. With their independent title, Machinarium, Amanita Design has combined a point and click adventure game with traditional puzzles and an entertaining story of lost love and robots.

Machinarium uses a very unique visual style of very detailed hand-drawn,  sprites and backgrounds. They have created an interesting world made of robots and mechanical devices that is bursting with personality.

I first saw Machinarium in action at PAX. At a quick glance, I didn’t know what I was looking at. I thought it was some kind of still screen or digital storybook page. I was intrigued when I finally saw the characters in motion. In some adventure games, the characters and backgrounds stand out from each other. They end up looking like they are from two different artists whose styles don’t mesh. This is definitely not the case here. It is obvious that a lot of time was put into the creation of all the game’s assets to make sure everything fit in.

Machinarium has no dialogue. The story is conveyed through character action and occasionally through talk bubbles that contain animated sequences. You play as a small robot who finds himself in a junkyard. He has been taken away from the house where he happily works alongside his girl robot counterpart. There is a gang of three ruffian-bots that have been causing trouble throughout the city, and it’s up to you to stop them and rescue your friend.

The basic gameplay is a point and click adventure. The twist is that you can only interact with objects within your reach. Fortunately, the robot’s mid-section can be stretched out to make him twice as tall, or scrunched down to get to hard to reach places.

In most instances, everything you need to solve the puzzle is either on the same screen or nearby. It’s really just a matter of using your wits to put the pieces together. There are also several traditional puzzles and brain teasers that must be solved to progress. One sequence even has you playing through parodies of some retro games like Space Invaders and Adventure to progress.

There is a built-in hint system in case you get stuck, which has two parts. The first part is a thought bubble at the top of the screen. Once per area, you can click on it to show you what needs to be accomplished to progress, but not how to accomplish it.

If you are still stuck, part two is a sealed book, which requires you to play through a very basic Shoot ‘em up (shmup) mini-game to unlock. If you make it to the end, it shows you step-by-step how to solve the room you are currently in. Take notes, because you have to play the mini-game each time you want to look at it.

Machinarium is a game I can highly recommend. The puzzles are fun and challenging, but have enough logic to keep you from banging your head on the keyboard in frustration. The world and the characters are very charming. The high level of detail in the game’s artwork really adds a lot to the experience. When I think of games that have stories and characters that will stick with me, Machinarium rises high on my list.

"Archive Footage"

2009 was a busy year for me. I had just started a new job, I launched WingDamage with my bro and suckered a few friends into writing for us. A ton of amazing games came out. Here I present to you my personal favorites. This is my top ten, and it doesn’t quite line up with the majority of other people’s that I have found online. That’s just fine with me.

Some releases, while I liked what I played, I just didn’t have enough time to get a good enough impressions to rank them one way or the other. That said, I give you my top ten games of the year.

#10 Borderlands (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

While I do enjoy the occasional FPS, it is not always my genre of choice. A good co-op mode is usually required to really get me interested. Borderlands does a great job of mixing fun FPS gameplay with RPG elements and looting to create a very addictive experience. Better yet, it’s meant to be played with up to three of your friends.

#9 Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is a great way to kill time on your DS. The plot is super goofy and the dialogue is hilarious. Timing is everything for both the attacks and for your defense. This keeps the battles fresh throughout the entire experience. It is any easy recommendation for all ages. Best of all, it’s an RPG that actually works well in short bursts.

#8 inFamous (PS3) [Full Review]

Most open world games have a bad habit of making me lose interest after a few hours. inFamous does several things very well. The free roaming works really well and is always fun. There is just enough of an assist to your climbing that it never feels like they are taking the controls away from you, but you also don’t get frustrated from being a pixel off from any given jump. That combined with the ever increasing lightning powers and a fun, though simple, good/evil mechanic really sucked me in to the game’s world.

#7 DJ Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2) [Full Review]

When I first saw footage of DJ Hero, I had no idea what was going on. The concepts involved in scratching and mixing songs live are way above my level of musical understanding. Much to my surprise, they were able to boil it all down into a game that is fun and engaging with a soundtrack that has made its way into my regular rotation. The price is a sticking point for some people. but since the game hasn’t had the huge commercial success of it’s guitar based counterparts, I recommend picking this one up at a sale near you.

#6 Torchlight (PC)

The combination of a fun art style that mixes fantasy and steampunk with addictive hack-and-slash gameplay was all it took to get me hooked on Torchlight. People who have been waiting for something in the Diablo style that makes some improvements on the genre need look no further. Inventory management has been streamlined. Your pet’s ability to run back to town and sell all your unneeded junk keeps you in the action. The fact that they opened Torchlight up to the modding community almost immediately also speaks to the games longevity. Not only do you get a great self-contained experience, but thanks to other fans, you get one that is ever expanding.

#5 Punch-Out!! (Wii) [Full Review]

If you were to look at a list of my top games of all time, the original Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! would rank very high. I am very happy to say that Punch-Out!! on the Wii lived up to all of my expectations. Long time fans will have no problem blasting through the first part of the game, which plays almost exactly like the original. Fortunately, that is only the beginning. In Title Defense Mode, they have taken our favorite old school characters and completely switched up their move sets, while still staying faithful to the characters and the gameplay, making for a hugely challenging, arcade style experience.

#4 Machinarium (PC) [Full Review]

Some games have so much personality that you know you will remember and return to them years down the road. Machinarium is one of those games for me. The art style has such an interesting, sketchy, storybook feel to it and the characters really come to life. There is no dialogue in the game, yet through animations alone you get a full sense of the story. While some point and click adventure games will reach a point where you click around the screen in frustration, Machinarium did a great job of cluing you in to what you needed to do. If you ever get stuck, the games built-in hint system works amazingly well, telling you what needs to be done without giving everything away. For a small game that you can finish in around five hours, Machinarium‘s charm will stick with your long after you finish it.

#3 New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) [Full Review]

Somehow Nintendo was able to craft a game that is amazingly fun to play both in single player and with up to four players. The most impressive part about that is they are the same levels. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the kind of game that you can bring out with your friends and family of any skill level and have a great time just goofing around in. The mechanics that require you to be cooperative, while at the same time allow you to be competative, go a long way towards the longevity of the title. If you have a Wii, you should have this game.

#2 Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Another franchise that successfully managed to return to its roots and come back with a fantastic experience; Street Fighter IV delivered for both casual and hardcore fans. The character designs were taken one step further towards looking like a cartoon, which lends itself well to the way over the top fighting action of the franchise. The combination of new and classic moves really helped keep every character feeling fresh and unique. Gone are the days of pallet swapped characters. They even managed to make Dan a viable character. The addition of new move types even helped balance the game for newcomers just learning how to throw down on the mean streets of the World Tournament.

#1 Dragon Age: Origins (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

I originally was not following Dragon Age: Origins because I thought it looked a little too much like the film versions of Lord of the Rings. Boy was I wrong. This game has earned it’s place as my Game of the Year. Bioware brought their classic gameplay ideas from their old PC days and mixed them with the versatility of modern gameplay mechanics, a good story, and fun characters to bring an RPG masterpiece back to the PC. All complaints I have heard about the game seem to involve the console editions, so I highly recommend the PC version if you can run it. The way you move around in battles and control the action flows perfectly. I was also impressed with how the good/bad meter of other Bioware games was replaced with a party member specific meter of how well that character liked you. Your actions and conversation effect both those in your party and the world around you. With six distinct origin stories and the upcoming two years worth of DLC on an already expansive game universe, Dragon Age: Origins is a title I will be playing for a good long while.