GVN Live Plus 6-26-2017

THIS SHOW CONTAINS SPOILERS! Watch at your own risk.

Post show content that took place after GVN Live went off the air.  In today's GVN Live Plus segment, Nick and I go deep into Spoiler territory as we talk heavily about Final Fantasy XV.

GameJam - Gunstar Heroes w/ Uberrich

On tonight's GameJam, I am joined by Uberrich as we tackle the legendary Sega Genesis classic, Gunstar Heroes by Treasure. Do we manage to beat this hard game in the 2 hour limit?

GVN Live Plus! Review: Project Diva X & Bombshell

GVN Video Review: Atelier Sophie (PS4)

Here's the Atelier Sophie review that I did live back on Episode 6-27-2016 of GVN Live.

HuBBs' Quick Picks - Round 3

It's that time again. As my back log of games continues to grow, my time to play all of these starts to shrink.  So here are some quick snippets of games that I think you definitely need to check out.


Grand Kingdom 
Sony Playstation 4

Grand Kingdom is a very unique turn based strategy RPG.  You are cast as a mercenary for hire, accepting quests to defeat a variety of opponents from one of the four kingdom that you can contract with.  You can build your army with a variety of different units ranging from standard knights and mages to bombers and dragon riders.  Each soldier has unique properties and abilities that can make the combat very interesting.  My only two complaints so far involve leveling up the classes of your soldiers seems a bit complicated and I can't seem to understand some small aspects of the item management system.  The map system for each mission is set up in ways to force you to make smart decisions.  Do you risk taking on stronger enemies? Use an item to get past an obstacle? Willingly take damage from artillery canons to take the quicker route?  It's all about strategy.  I think this is good pick up for the traditional RPG fans out there.

Recomendation: Definitely for RPG fans. Might turn off casuals.



Odin Sphere Leifthrasir
Sony Playstation 4

If you missed out on the Playstation 2 release of the original Odin Sphere, then this is a must have.  Developed by Vanillaware Games, makers of other challenging beautiful games like Muramasa and Dragon's Crown.  Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is an updated version of the PS2 classic with HD enhanced graphics and revised gameplay.  The artwork of this game is beautiful.  Everything from the big detailed enemies to how wonderfully animated they are just screams art to me.  The gameplay is fast and addicting for an action platformer. Odin Sphere's norse mythology based story is great as well with a well written story and tons of unique characters.  Seriously, pick this game up.

Recommendation: Definite pickup for everyone

GVN Live! E3 Edition 6-13-2016

For those that missed last night's live show, it's now available to watch on Youtube.  Hubbs, Dave and Joe of GameSack, Mark B. and Keith talk about E3.  We also catch up with Dave and Joe and see how things are going for GameSack.

Review: Shadow of the Beast - PS4

Shadow of the Beast
Playstation 4
Developer: Heavy Spectrum Entertainment Labs
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

I am a big fan of the classic Shadow of the Beast trilogy from eons ago on the forgotten Commodore Amiga computer.  These 3 games are to me the pinnacle of Amiga gaming.  Challenging game design, beautiful graphics and an amazing alien world.  The first was the one I played the most and probably the second hardest of the trilogy but that hasn't stopped people from beating it in 30 minutes.  However to this day the first game has been remembered as one of the hardest games of classic gaming lore.

Sony Playstation 20th Anniversary top 20 games - Part 2

My list has started off strong. Let's keep going and maybe you'll see something that will surprise you.  I actually don't own a ton of PSX games, but I own enough and have played more via renting or borrowing, allowing me to pick out my favorites.  Trust me when I say it was hard for me to pick certain titles over one another.

Click here for part 1, Games 20 - 16

Part 2 - Games 15 - 11

Sony Playstation 20th Anniversary top 20 games - Part 1

Low and behold at the system that turned a would be contender into a juggernaut of the video gaming world.  Once originally supposed to be an CD add-on for the Super Nintendo, that quickly changed as Nintendo dropped Sony for a separate system from Philips. An insulted and hurt Sony quickly turned things around and beat Nintendo and pretty much everyone else for the next 20 years for Console dominance.

As I had posted years ago for the 10th Anniversary, I never owned a Playstation growing up during its run. But that hasn't stopped me from buying some of the great games that came out for it and playing them.  Over the next four days I will be presenting my top 20 favorite Sony Playstation games.

Protector's Top 10 Games!

I know it is only August and you are probably wondering why I am doing a Top 10 list in the middle of the year.  I have had many conversations with new gamers and veteran gamers about games we just love.  It doesn't matter if you have played the game a million times or one time.  There is something about it that just stays with you forever and you will never forget it.  That is why I came up with this list of 10 games and some honorable mentions that are my favorite games of all time.  These games of imprinted a memory in me that will never go away.  I hope that those reading this will give these games a chance especially if you have never played them.  Now, in the voice of Mario, "Here We Go!"

Protector's Top 10 Games of all Time!

Update on TheProtector!

Hello everybody,

It has been a while since I have posted anything on the site and I just wanted to give an update on why and what I have plans for in the future for my GVN posts.  First off the main reason I haven't been posting much is because I am back in school finishing up my bachelors degree.  A lot of my focus has been on school and completing my classwork.  I have been able to finally find a balance between work and play so I have finally had time to play some video games.

GVN Review: Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4)

DHGF Review: R-Type Dimensions (PS3)

"I LOVE R-Type. It has been one of my favorite space sidescroller shoot-em up franchise for decades. I played it in the arcades, on my Commodore Amiga, Sega Master System, the Super Nintendo, and on Playstation. Irem, the company that created the franchise, was able to create new games in the franchise and somehow keep the series from going stagnant as the years went by. In 2009, we were graced with the release of R-Type Dimensions on the Xbox 360, but I never got around to buying it. R-Type Dimensions is a remake of the first two games in the series, following in the vein of other upgraded classics like Bionic Commando."

DHGF Review: R-Type Dimensions

DHGF Review: Strike Suit Zero Director's Cut

Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut is a rerelease of the PC indie title made exclusively for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Chances are you might not have heard of this title when it quietly released last year. It’s a space combat game that centers around you flying a ship that can change into a mech (obviously influenced by the classic anime Robotech) as you combat giant waves of enemy fighters, frigates and capital ships. The synopsis of the game revolves around a small space naval brigade teaming up with an AI to stop colony extremists from destroying other colonies and eventually earth.

DHGF Review: Strike Suit Zero DC

GVN Radio Episode 44 is live

Happy New Year. Hubbs, Andrew and newcomer Anthony bring in 2014 by discussing what hit and miss about good ole 2013.  We also manage to discuss Anthony and Hubbs interest in retro game collecting.

Download GVN Radio episode 44

PS Vita! Finally something to play!

So I have had my PS Vita for I believe a little over a year now and finally I have found games to play that peak my interest.  When I first invested in this handheld system I was excited because the PSP had some awesome games for it and I assumed that the Vita would follow suit.  When the system released I purchased Uncharted and Modnation Racers and even though they are awesome games, I lost interest in the system quickly.  Then Activision released Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified which I was hoping would give replay value of the Vita but once again I was disappointed because Black Ops Declassified was nothing like a Call of Duty game.  Yes it was a FPS but didn't feel smooth to me.  Needless to say after that horrible experience I put my Vita away and hadn't touched it until Killzone Mercenary was released.  I waited about a month after the release to pick it up because I got it for cheap on a Black Friday deal.  The game had me at the opening cinematic!  The graphics were stunning and the controls were so precise that I didn't find having to use the touchscreen every once in a while for certain actions as that much of an inconvenience.  It actually made the game a lot more enjoyable.  The gameplay was smooth and the storyline kept you engaged and wanting to play more.  Also Sony added a multiplayer experience on the Vita which ran smooth as well and gives the game a lot more replay value.  I never thought I would ever play a multiplayer game on a handheld that didn't use Ad-Hoc like on the old PSP.  I thought it would be choppy or lacking in graphics or having a lot of lag.  But I was gladly mistaken.  On top of Killzone Mercenary I picked up The Walking Dead: Complete First Season and Little Big Planet on the Vita and now I love the system.  I hope that developers and Sony keep going forward with the Vita and produce more games that will be exclusive for the Vita but add some story to previous series that were released on the Playstation and such.  What I mean is I would like a Resident Evil or Metal Gear Solid game that adds to the previous stories in the series but will only be available on the Vita.  Kind of like what the did with Silent Hill.

GVN Review: Armored Core: Verdict Day

Potential Spoilers, you have been warned.

For a while I have been looking around for a good customizable Mech game. I tried a few others before trying out Armored Core 3. And 3, while dull at times managed to catch my attention.

GVN Review: Dead Or Alive 5 Ultimate (PS3/Xbox 360)

Dead Or Alive 5 Ultimate
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Developer: Team Ninja
Release: September 3rd, 2013

It's been almost a year ago that Team Ninja released Dead Or Alive 5 to the masses.  It's been almost 7 years plus since the console release of Dead Or Alive 4, which graced the Xbox 360 as an exclusive title nearly missing the launch window.  Since then there was not a peep about a sequel for many years because Mr. Itagaki considered DOA4 his opus to the fighting game world.  In the quiet time since the last iteration's release, we have seen multiple releases and ports in the Ninja Gaiden franchise and Tecmo merging with Koei.  It wasn't until Hayashi (Itagaki's protégé), took the helm of Team Ninja development, that a new DOA game would be released.  What we received was Dead Or Alive Dimensions, a Nintendo 3DS exclusive, which was created as a means to test the waters to see if the franchise still had viability.

GVN Quick Review: The Last Of Us (Playstation 3)

The Last Of Us
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Naughty Dog
Released: June 14th, 2013

The Last Of Us is clearly one of the most ambitious and daring games to have come out this year.  The whole element of the game centered completely on the relationship of our two antagonists Joel and Ellie, and how the bond between the two would grow as the game progresses.  The Last Of Us' story covers the span of a little over a year and in that time we see Joel and Ellie's bond and it manages to make us connect with these characters in a way that would make major motion picture studios jealous.  As you progress you see the issue of morality and what you feel you need to do in order to survive as it weighs heavily on Joel and especially Ellie.

GVN Review: Remember Me

 

Developer: Dontnod Entertainment

Publisher: Capcom

Released: June 4th, 2013

 

Remember Me is quite possibly one of the most stylish and unique game that I have experienced in quite some time.  Remember me finally caught my attention when I saw gameplay footage that was released by Dontnod, the game's developer.  What they created was a game that involved a good balance of combat mixed in with platforming in a game with a setting similar to a cyber punk, Bladerunner setting.  Remember Me has amazing graphics, excellent voice acting, a beautiful world, and a good combat system all rolled up together.  However it is marred by some small hindrances like questionable controls, limited immersive experience, an inconsistent character driven plot, game length and little replay value.