As a fan of the genre, I’ve seen my fair share of modern scrolling shooters or “shmups” as they’re often called. Yet, after the magnificent Gradius V back in 2004, I haven’t seen very many that actually look modern. Even some from this year tend to look like something you might’ve seen in the arcade as much as a decade ago.

That’s the first of many ways in which Sine Mora sets itself apart. The game is gorgeous. There’s a real sense of depth to the environments that manage to strike an effective balance of being attractive without being distracting. Colors are often vibrant, environments are varied, and giant bosses are real spectacles to behold thanks to art direction from Grasshopper.

And yet, as great as the visuals were, it was the unique mechanics developer Digital Reality put into the game that kept me coming back for another try. Sine Mora is not about one hit kills or traditional health systems. Sine Mora is about time (in more ways than one). While you’re playing, the clock always counts down. Killing enemies will send the clock backward a bit, while getting hit drastically reduces your time. When the clock strikes “00″, you die.

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"A psychological thriller about relationships... and block pushing."

In an industry saturated with shooters and sandbox games, the best word to describe my feelings on Catherine is “refreshing.” Part puzzle game, part choice-based story game, Catherine is almost two separate entities. Yet somehow this odd mixture ends up working wonderfully together as each side enhances the other.

One of the great things about Catherine is that its story isn’t one you would typically find in this medium. I was reminded more of movies like Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue than anything I’d experienced in a video game. Like all good psychological thrillers, Catherine is hard to put down. Combine that with the addictive nature of the puzzle stages and I can tell you I had some pretty long sessions each time I sat down to play.

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“The reader clicked on the post, then went over to Bandcamp and bought the soundtrack.”

After constant begging from fans, the agonizing wait is finally over. Indie developer Supergiant Games has released the phenomenal soundtrack to their debut game Bastion. $10 will get you a digital copy in the format of your choosing while $15 will get you a digital and physical copy signed by composer Darren Korb himself. Not too shabby for what could quite possibly be the year’s best game soundtrack.

Korb’s self described “acoustic frontier trip-hop” begs to be heard. If you happen to be at PAX Prime (August 26-28), be sure to stop by Supergiant’s booth where he will be signing early copies of the Bastion soundtrack (regular physical release is September 2nd).

Source: Supergiant Games Buy the Album: Bandcamp

Not satisfied with only a single NieR arrange album, Square-Enix has put together another titled NieR Tribute Album -echo-. Who can blame them? Afterall, I gave NieR the number one spot in my 2010 soundtrack roundup.

The album will feature 12 tracks arranged by a variety of artists. While many of the names may seem unfamiliar, you might recognize Sexy-Synthesizer who just had 3 tracks confirmed for the upcoming SQ Chips album we reported on earlier.

NieR Tribute Album -echo- is set to release on September 14th for 2,100 yen (roughly $26.75)

Source: Square-Enix Buy the Album: Amazon, Play-Asia, Square-Enix eStore

To be completely honest with you, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a very difficult game for me to review. That’s because I’d much rather be playing it than writing about it.

The bugs are BACK, baby. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (henceforth referred to as EDF:IA, or just awesome game) is a reprisal of the cult classic Earth Defense Force 2017, though this time by American developer Vicious Cycle as opposed to Japanese developer Sandlot. Some things have changed, but trust me when I say the insect crunching action is just the same, and in some cases better.

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I’ve been a bit irresponsible when it comes to Dragon’s Dogma. I had my first taste of the game a couple months back while at Captivate 2011. In lieu of there being any Mega Man titles, Dragon’s Dogma was easily my favorite of Capcom’s offerings (and this was still the case at E3). I fully intended to report my impressions on the game back then, but I sort of just… let it fall by the wayside. It would be a travesty to make the same mistake twice, so I’ll now, finally, regale you my impressions along with data I picked up from Captivate.

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Skullgirls has apparently been a thing in the works for quite a while now, but I’d never even heard of this fighting game until spotting it at E3. Two things about it really stood out to me. The immediate thing was its unique visual style and character design. The other, more gradual thing was that, for a game that seemed to me to be an unknown, there were always people teaming around it. Filled with intrigue, I eventually conceded and waited in line to give it a try.

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Earth Defense Force 2017 was a surprise hit for me last year, and quickly became my all-time favorite Xbox 360 title. To many gamers, it had a lot of shortcomings, but its pure arcade action and B-movie style presentation made it endlessly enjoyable. So with a new developer behind the wheel, I wondered how well Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon would fair. From what I played at E3, things seem to be rather promising.

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Unlike Jesse, I’m not a very big fan of SHMUPs. But also unlike Jesse, I am a very big fan of cute women. So my hopes have been resting on Otomedius Excellent for Xbox 360 to split the difference.

Otomedius Excellent is a Gradius parody, which I’ve never really understood since Konami already makes Parodius. The game has you command not so much a ship, but a woman holding onto a rocket booster with handlebars. It’s a bit surreal.

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Aside from being an all around fantastic game, Portal 2 featured one of the most interesting and enjoyable game soundtracks of 2011 thus far. Valve, being the cool dudes and dudettes that they are, have released Volume 1 of the Portal 2 soundtrack for free download along with a few ringtones.

The 22 track OST appropriately titled Songs to Test By is sure to help you get through the day with the power of science. Just don’t go jumping off any tall structures while you listen to the eerie sounds of this minimalist electronica. You’re not wearing the right boots for it.

Source: Valve