Mashing Buttons – DUST 514

Posted on 05/20/2013 by Marty

I’ve always been fascinated with the EVE Online universe. Talking to anyone who plays that game is a delight, but I always come away with two thoughts: 1) “This sounds like the craziest experience you can have with a video game.” 2) “This sounds nightmarishly difficult to get into.” CCP Games is very aware that Thought #2 crosses many people’s minds and, in an effort to rope new players into their crazy universe, they have released a F2P FPS that interacts directly with EVE Online called DUST 514. How does it fair? Watch the video about to find out.

You can find me on Twitter (@martyhess) or send me an e-mail (check the About page) if you have any questions or want to yell at me. Also, be sure to comment/like/subscribe on YouTube to stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the world of video games. Enjoy, and thanks for watching!

Mashing Buttons – Pizza Hut

Posted on 04/23/2013 by Marty

In a bold attempt to promote corporate synergy, Microsoft has released an Xbox 360, Kinect-enabled app that allows you to order Pizza Hut pizza. Why order a pizza by shouting at the TV and waving your arms around in the air for 10 minutes instead of picking up a phone to have a 45-second conversation? Because the future. Watch, and enjoy!

Also, the pizza was mediocre.

Mashing Buttons – Dishonored

Posted on 04/19/2013 by Marty

Life has a funny way of preventing me from playing video games when they first get released. For example, sometimes life makes me find ways to pay rent instead of playing games. This has resulted in a healthy backlog of video games to play (a fact I’ve mentioned on this blog before). Luckily, fate has brought me back to Dishonored, an interesting “first-person stealther” released in October 2012. I teamed up with my good friend Brad to find out what’s up with teleportation, accidental murder, audio glitches and more!

Mashing Buttons – BioShock Infinite

Posted on 03/26/2013 by Marty

When the original BioShock was released in 2007, it ushered in a new era of narrative in video games and redefined what it meant to be a “player” within a story. How appropriate then that, six years later, BioShock Infinite bookends a generation of games that have changed so much in its predecessor’s wake.

Ken Levine and his team at Irrational Games have crafted something that is not only a landmark achievement for the studio, but also for the industry as a whole. Ken and Co. have managed to meld deep, complex (and quite troubling) story themes that eerily reflect modern day society with a game full of fun, impactful first-person shooting and meaningful exploration. Now that they have blazed this trail and have proven that an ambition to elevate the medium can be so handsomely rewarded, we don’t have to ask permission to follow in their footsteps. Developers can push the envelope more than has ever been done in the past because there is a textbook example of how flawlessly it can be done.

BioShock Infinite is a game that needs to be experienced by anyone who cares one iota about video games. Period.

You can find me on Twitter (@martyhess) or send me an e-mail (check the About page) if you have any questions or want to yell at me.

Mashing Buttons – Gears of War: Judgment

Posted on 03/19/2013 by Marty

The original announcement of Gears of War: Judgment left me pretty perplexed. “It’s the fourth game in a trilogy, it’s a prequel, it’s not developed by Epic Games, and it’s not shipping with Horde mode. See you in March!” That’s a pretty rough sales pitch when trying to follow up the incredibly tight and value-packed Gears of War 3.

GoW:J felt out of place (and still kinda does in my mind), but the talented folks over at People Can Fly managed to prove that there is still a reason for a Gears of War game to exist in 2013. A couple of interesting design twists and an emphasis on twitch shooting provides the franchise with a refreshing new pace and a tonal shift that manages to justify just one more grub hunt.

Mashing Buttons – Antichamber

Posted on 03/15/2013 by Marty

So, about Antichamber… I booted the game up without knowing a single thing about it and, to be completely honest, I still had no clue what this first-person puzzler was all about by the end of it. What I will say is that it’s an oddly charming game with a very interesting aesthetic and that figuring out its tricks is extremely rewarding. Every time I progressed, I’d yell “I’m so smart it’s unbelievable!” to no one, but I didn’t care because it felt so true in that exact moment. Definitely worth your time if you’re up for the challenge!

Mashing Buttons – Tomb Raider

Posted on 03/05/2013 by Marty

Rebooting a franchise isn’t easy. You have the fans who think they know what it should look and play like and will defend that vision to the death, you have the publisher who is expecting sales numbers that reflect the storied history of the series, and, in-between them, you have the developers who are trying to do something new with an old formula and old characters to revitalize an otherwise abandoned name all while pleasing both parties.

“No pressure.”

That must be what Crystal Dynamics said when Square Enix handed them Tomb Raider, because they have met and exceeded every expectation I had of this game. It looks gorgeous, plays well in a post-Uncharted world, has set-pieces for days that kept me on-edge, and tells a new, unique tale about how Lara Croft became the Tomb Raider we all know and love. I’ll let the video speak for itself, but this is an adventure well worth taking.

Mashing Buttons – Journey

Posted on 03/01/2013 by Marty

This week’s episode is special to me because my girlfriend Carly decided to come on and talk about the only game I’ve ever been able to convince her to play: Journey. And oh, what a game Journey is.

If there was an argument for “games are art” this generation, this game would be at the top of the list of things you could point to and say “See? Video games!” The design, the music, the message, THE SAND; it all comes together for an experience that everyone can relate to and enjoy in one capacity of another, as Carly demonstrates.

Want to yell at me because Carly or I have different opinions than you? Find me on Twitter (@martyhess) or send me an e-mail (check the About page). Want to tell me I did a good job? Do the same thing as above, and be sure to comment/like/subscribe on YouTube. Enjoy, and thanks for watching!

Mashing Buttons – Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Posted on 02/19/2013 by Marty

Let’s get a few things out of the way.

Revengeance is not a real word.
I DON’T CARE BECAUSE THIS GAME IS GREAT.

Platinum Games has struck gold yet again with its unique blend of hard-hitting character action and over-the-top set-pieces with a just a dash of Kojima-crazy. Also, you slice up a bunch of cyborgs in this game. Who doesn’t love that?

Want to yell at me because I have different opinions than you? Find me on Twitter (@martyhess) or send me an e-mail (check the About page). Want to tell me I did a good job? Do the same thing as above, and be sure to comment/like/subscribe on YouTube. Enjoy, and thanks for watching!

Mashing Buttons – Aliens: Colonial Marines

Posted on 02/12/2013 by Marty

Wow. WOW. Here I was thinking that Gearbox might be able to make a good Aliens game for the modern era. I was so very wrong. I mentioned in the video that I bet the story was good, but it turns out that, just like the game, it’s a garbled and incohesive mess.

They didn’t try on their game, so I didn’t try on this post. Stay away; you’ll just end up being depressed at the wasted opportunity.

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