January 28, 2013 by Nate
In 2012, I finally tried every single game in my backlog. All the dregs from Steam sales and Humble Bundles, all those free 3DS Virtual Console "ambassador" games, even all the junk in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. Then I built my first gaming PC and bought even more. As you can imagine, I played a lot of games in 2012. Just as I did in 2011 and 2010.
Because we all love lists, here's mine: all the games I played in 2012.
Read moreJanuary 24, 2013 by Greg Noe
My writing pace has slowed to a halt the last month. I might have burned myself out a bit at the end of 2012, and the new year has allowed me to erase any kind of guidelines or deadlines I was imposing on myself. With Nate and the other writers’ help, I always tried to publish three times a week, but I’ll be honest and say it’s just not in me like it used to be. Maybe it’s temporary, it probably is, but for now, I don’t mind taking it a bit easier. This is my hobby after all.
And most of that time not spent writing has gone into video games! Yeah, those! (Also reading, a lot of reading.) Maybe I’ll declare 2013 the year of the catch up, even though 80% of the games I beat last year weren’t released last year as it is. But my backlog is huge and the only game I’m really interested in on the near horizon is Bioshock Infinite, so now’s as good as time as any.
As for Deus Ex: Human Revolution? It was a good game, problematic at times, but an experience worth putting at least a few hours into, and at about 24 hours long, probably worth finishing. I’m not sure how much I have to say about it that hasn’t already been said by our own Paul Abbamondi, let alone everyone else, so I’ll keep this short and to the point... starting now.
Read moreJanuary 16, 2013 by Greg Noe
I guess 2012 was the year of catching up. I only beat six games released last year, but nearly 20 from an earlier time. Here's my rankings for all the games I beat last year, the good news is that I at least liked almost every single one.
You can also check out last's year list.
Read moreJanuary 04, 2013 by Greg Noe
Predictions are back! After this exhausting 2012 Game of the Year week, let's settle into something a little more fun. 2013 could be a huge year for the gaming industry: a new PlayStation and Xbox are likely, the Wii U is just getting off the ground, and the fabled Steam Box could become a reality. Bask in our probably terrible predictions on release dates, exclusive games, and even price of new systems!
There's no science to any of this, and if you have your own predictions feel free to post them in the comments. Depending on how right or wrong we are we may revisit our foresights at the end of 2013, it could be entertaining.
Read moreJanuary 03, 2013 by Greg Noe, Ian M. Bagley, Jonathan Ramundi, Mike in Omaha, Nate, Paul Abbamondi, Steve, Tyler Smith
Announcing the 2012 Game of the Year Awards from First Hour!
Day Four features Game of the Year and Most Anticipated for 2013 Awards! Plus shoutouts!
January 02, 2013 by Greg Noe, Ian M. Bagley, Jonathan Ramundi, Mike in Omaha, Nate, Paul Abbamondi, Steve, Tyler Smith
Announcing the 2012 Game of the Year Awards from First Hour!
Day Three features Game of the (Other) Year, PC Game, Console Game, and Portable/Mobile Game of the Year Awards!
Read moreJanuary 01, 2013 by Greg Noe, Jonathan Ramundi, Mike in Omaha, Nate, Paul Abbamondi, Steve, Tyler Smith
Announcing the 2012 Game of the Year Awards from First Hour!
Day Two features Guilty Pleasure, Best Surprise, Worst Surprise, and Shame of the Year Awards!
Read moreDecember 31, 2012 by Greg Noe, Jonathan Ramundi, Mike in Omaha, Nate, Paul Abbamondi, Steve, Tyler Smith
Announcing the 2012 Game of the Year Awards from First Hour!
Day One features First Hour, Worst Hour, False Hour, Most Hours of the Year Awards!
Read moreDecember 29, 2012 by Greg Noe
It feels appropriate to end 2012 with a Wadjet Eye game, as this was the year I discovered, bought, and played nearly all of their games. Dave Gilbert has taken his Adventure Game Studio-developed titles from humble roots to full-on publisher in just six years, culminating with this year’s Blackwell Deception, Resonance, and Primordia; a tour de force in indie point and click adventure games. Wadjet Eye Games is the only publisher from whom I regularly preorder games from anymore, in an industry where they will often fall to half their price a few weeks later. But hey, what’s $10 between me and a few great games?
Primordia is their final offering of the year, and it is ambitious. As a robotic steampunk homage to games like Sam and Max, Primordia puts you in the distant future where humans are dead and a variety of robots are all that remains. Wadjet Eye Games tend to be uniquely evocative: the Blackwell series explores death, The Shivah examines religion, Resonance questions the power of technology, and Primordia scrutinizes progress and freedom. These can all be heavy topics, especially for a computer game, but Wadjet Eye always manages to make it about the characters.
For my final review of 2012, let us talk about Primordia, developed by Wormwood Studios and published by Wadjet Eye Games. Monday will feature our sixth annual Game of the Year Awards, so please have a safe and happy new year.
Read moreDecember 21, 2012 by Greg Noe
I used to love the Ace Attorney series, but fans in the United States have to face it: it’s been almost three years since the last American release and over five years since we actually got to play as Phoenix Wright, so we have to move on, and if you’re looking for your defense attorney fix, Devil’s Attorney may be it.
Released in October for Android and iOS, Devil’s Attorney stars an egotistical attorney who makes his buck defending the dregs of society in their exceedingly hilarious and bizarre crimes. The cases come rapid-fire and are played out like a turn-based battle - pretty much the opposite of what fans of Phoenix Wright have come to learn, love, and in turn, lose. The humor is what sustains the game through nearly 60 cases, and there are some really clever bits of writing.
As the year draws to a close, this may be one of our last reviews of 2012, be sure to return on December 31st for our 2012 Game of the Year Awards. I may personally have a surprise pick for my favorite of the year if one of the final games I’m playing stays awesome. Thanks for reading.
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