Pads & Panels

Best Video Games of 2011 – Honorable Mentions

Pads & Panels will soon be counting down its Top 10 Video Games of 2011, but before we get to that point, we’d like to pay mind to 10 other games that stood out as top contenders for the year. They were all part of our discussion and all deserve some recognition for their achievements in gaming, even if they didn’t quite make the cut of the illustrious Top 10. All 10 of these titles were games that earned our attention and respect in one way or another in 2011, the list of them effectively serving as our 11-20 choices, presented here in no particular order. (more…)

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Fear Itself

Interview with Writer Matt Fraction

Interview by: Bill Jones, Matt Peters, Archie Easter

Introduction and Transcription by: Bill Jones

There is nothing comics publishers and fans seem to love quite as much as a big summer event. And this year, Marvel’s camp has tapped Matt Fraction to take the lead writing duties on Fear Itself. Issue #1 of the mini-series hits shelves today, Wednesday, April 6, promising plenty of Marvel favorites, an epic storyline and plenty of spin-offs. We caught up with Fraction Sunday, March 20, at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo in Chicago, and figured there’s no point in us telling readers all about the series when we can have the writer himself do it. Fraction also discusses the Iron Man films, his involvement with the second video game, what it’s like to be chosen for a comics event, going from the comic shop to the con floor and a Spider-Man “thing” he’s had in mind. (more…)

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Title: Gunblade NY & L.A Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack

Platform: Wii

ESRB: T

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega

Rating:

Review by: Archie Easter

Anyone that has fond memories of 1990s arcades will most likely remember Sega’s Gunblade NY and L.A. Machineguns games. While both games are essentially high-action arcade rail shooters, both were mindlessly fun quarter munchers in their time. Although there’s no way to truly replicate the arcade cabinet’s memorable rumbling machine guns, this collection does a great job of faithfully reproducing both games for the first time. Even though the 90s era low-poly graphics haven’t particularly aged well, the gameplay is still as fun as it ever was. Just as in the original, players whiz about the city on flying machine gun-equipped vehicles frantically blasting everything in sight. Although both games’ hectic pace and near motion sickness-inducing cameras may turn some players off, the simple rail shooter gameplay is remarkably easy for anyone to pick up and play. Conversely, because these were arcade games, neither is particularly long, as both can be beaten fairly quickly. Even though it’s a decidedly no-frills affair as far as bonus content or updates are concerned, the Gunblade NY & L.A. Machineguns: Arcade Hits Pack is still a fun arcade shooter that nostalgic gamers will definitely get a kick out of. (more…)

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#3 Heavy Rain (PS3)

Publisher: Sony – Developer: Quantric Dream

Our Review

Heavy Rain is daring. It’s inventive. It takes the ideals gamers have grown accustomed to for years and spins them to the game’s advantage. It is an experimental form of storytelling, and it all works so very well. Heavy Rain may have its faults, but it’s easier to overlook them when the results are so often pushing gaming’s boundaries. In an era when the industry is as sequel-riddled as with film, with titles generally fitting nicely into a short list of genres, Heavy Rain is refreshingly and hauntingly something unique. (more…)

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2010 Holiday Gift Guide – For the Action Gaming Fan…

By P&P Staff

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Call of Duty: Black Ops

(360/PS3/PC/Wii/DS)

Activision’s popular shooter series is back this year with the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty: Black Ops.  If the shooter fan on your list wasn’t already camped out for a midnight release of the game and doesn’t already own it, this one is essential.  A brand-new single-player storyline, as well as new multiplayer levels and the return of the zombie mode from World at War will guarantee plenty of Prestige ranking, zombie killing, multiplayer fun. (more…)

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2010 Holiday Gift Guide – For the PSP Fan…

By P&P Staff

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Valkyria Chronicles II

Sega managed to cram a full-fledged sequel to it’s PS3 tactical RPG, Valkyria Chonicles onto the PSP while maintaining the original game’s strategy and stylized watercolor art style. Although the units may be smaller, they’re no less powerful, as this proves to be more than a worthwhile followup to one of the PS3’s stand-out titles of 2008. The military strategist on your list (and who doesn’t have one?) will thank you for this one. (more…)

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Title: Tournament of Legends

Platform: Wii

ESRB: T

Publisher: Sega

Developer: High Voltage

Rating: Rating:

Review by: Archie Easter

In May of 2009, High Voltage revealed Gladiator AD, a promising-looking and rather gory take on roman gladiatorial combat for the Wii. During the course of development, however, it eventually evolved into what is now Tournament of Legends.

Unfortunately, along the way it lost many of the things that made the original concept interesting. Combine this with the game’s numerous glitches and unresponsive controls, and the end result is a legendary amount of wasted potential. (more…)

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Title: Iron Man 2

Platform: 360 (PS3, Wii, PSP)

ESRB: M

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega Studios San Francisco

Rating:

Review By: Eric Stuckart

Games like Iron Man 2 only reinforce the stereotype that movie franchise games tend to allow for the quality to be completely thrown out the window in favor of getting it on shelves by the time the movie premieres. It also shows that the best of intentions don’t always pan out. (more…)

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Title: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Platform: iPhone

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega

Rating:

Review by: Thomas Braaksma

Sonic the Hedgehog is a one of the most beloved characters in the history of gaming. So naturally it’s a pleasure to see Sonic the Hedgehog 2 re-released in the App store for iPhone. The game translates beautifully when used at full screen (make sure to go to the options menu and switch this), though despite the beauty of playing this classic again, there are some faults. The gameplay can get frustrating due to the slippery directional pad. The unnatural flow of controls will have the gamer correcting finger placement, taking him out of the experience. Though the idea of translating classic games to the iPhone format is great, developers need to work on the gameplay more before passing their babies off to eager fans. In the mean time Sonic the Hedgehog 2 simply suffices, and helps pass the time. (more…)

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Chris Park spent an entire week running around Los Angeles to cover the Electronic Entertainment Expo. One of his stops was Sega’s booth to check out the company’s latest games, including a whole lot of Sonic. Park reports… (more…)

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