Category: 3DS

It’s almost August…what’s left?

With less than half of the 2013 left, we’re rapidly approaching an onslaught of Fall game releases, alongside the launch of two new consoles. There’s going to be a lot of games coming out soon. For the sake of jogging your memory and mine, let’s take a look at what we can expect in coming seasons.

Pikmin 3 – August 04
WiiU

I’ve been a fan of this series since I tore open the Purple Lunchbox™ and dropped Pikmin in as my first game. Variety is a key factor in determining my enjoyment in a game, and both titles always had plenty to see. Tons of enemies, several levels to explore, puzzles to solve – Pikmin is always a treat. My expectations are high for this third entry, and let’s hope Nintendo finally gives us a reason to plug in our Wii Us.

Dragon’s Crown – August 06
Vita

Despite the controversy with Dragon’s Crown, it still appears that Vanillaware is bringing their A game with this beat ’em up with an eye-catching art style.

Tales of Xillia – August 06
PS3

While I’ve never been a fan of the Tales series, Xillia looks to be another hit for those looking for another fantastical adventure.

Mario & Luigi Dream: Team – August 11
3DS

My favorite Mario RPG is still Legend of the Seven Stars. I’ve enjoyed the Mario & Luigi games since, but they’ve never hit that sweet spot that even the Paper Mario series did. I still look forward to the fourth entry, and while I don’t expect it to win over any new fans, I’m sure serious devotees will enjoy this one as well.

Payday 2 – August 13
360/PS3/PC

I enjoyed the brief time I spent with the original Payday, and Payday 2 looks to be an appeal to an even wider audience, especially as it’s launching on consoles this time.

DuckTales: Remastered – August 13
PS3/PC/WiiU

The NES classic is being brought back to life by the talents at Wayforward.

Saints Row 4 – August 20
360/PS3/PC

Please be good. Please be good. Please be good. I enjoyed the juvenile, off-kilter humor of Saints Row 3, but I didn’t enjoy the majority of the gameplay, which consisted of shootshootshootcovershoot. PLEASE BE GOOD. I WANT TO LOVE YOU. This time you take on the role of the president of the United States, who also happens to have superpowers. Please don’t screw this one up.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist – August 20
360/PS3/PC/WiiU

Splinter Cell: Conviction was something I aggressively wanted to enjoy, but never quite clicked with. After finishing the game, I wished I enjoyed the gameplay as much as previous Splinter Cell games, but the amount of shooty action brought the experience down for me. From what I’ve seen, Blacklist looks like even more action than before…so we’ll see.

Divekick – August 20
PS3/Vita/PC

A fighting game with two buttons. That’s it. You can dive into the air and come flying back down with a kick. It’s the fighting game to relearn fighting games with, and it looks like just the perfect refresher for anyone even remotely interested in the genre. Even if you aren’t into fighting games, Divekick hopes you get you started with it’s ease of entry. It has plenty of extra strategy for those looking to go deeper, as each character has specific quirks to master. It looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Killer is Dead – August 27
360/PS3

Grasshopper and Suda 51 never fail to turn some ridiculous ideas into something tremendously entertaining. No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned, and Lollipop Chainsaw were all extreme exercises in stylistic lunacy, and I can’t imagine this story of cyborgs, executioners, and assassins being any different.

Rayman Legends – September 03
360/PS3/PC/WiiU/Vita

This beautiful looking game could be incredible. I really enjoyed Rayman Origins, but I never quite felt anything more than “this is a pretty good game.” Rayman Legends looks like it could be taking the leaps beyond good, and straight into something special.

Outlast – September 04
PC

The long awaited horror game from Red Barrels sounds terrifying from everything I’ve heard, and looks to be the best way to destroy any hope of sleep until the next Amnesia hits the market.

The Wonderful 101 – September 15
Wii U

Platinum Games makes some incredible stuff. Bayonetta is my favorite action game of all time, and Vanquish is one of the most solid third-person shooters of the generation. With The Wonderful 101, they really seem to be spreading their wings into brand new territory. As a Wii U exclusive, I really hope it turns out to be another slam dunk from an incredibly talented team.

Grand Theft Auto V – September 17
360/PS3

Where should I begin? I’ve never been the biggest proponent of most Rockstar games, and seem to be one of the few voices to consistently call their projects “just okay, at best.” Red Dead Redemption and Bully are both fine games, but I’ve never thought they were as incredible as many do. I actively disliked playing Grand Theft Auto 4, to the point that I stopped a third of the way through and didn’t pick it up again. I really want to be won over this time, so here’s hoping.

Beyond: Two Souls – October 8
PS3

Heavy Rain was one of the most interesting gambles of a game that I’ve ever played, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was thrilling, weird, sometimes kind of broken, and I loved it. Whatever happens with Beyond, I hope it can improve upon what made Heavy Rain so special.

Pokemon X and Y – October 12
3DS

The new generation of Pokemon is showing enough innovation to actually get me excited for a new Pokemon game. It’s got a completely revamped way to move around the world, all of the Pokemon are actually animated in battle, and plenty of brand new content and Pokemon. This could be the first Pokeventure in a long time to really change up a familiar formula in a great way.

Batman: Arkham Origins – October 25
360/PS3/PC

The first of the popular Batman series not being handled by Rocksteady, Origins is (who guessed it?) takes place five years before the story of Arkham Asylum. After losing a bit of interest after Arkham City, I’m much more excited to see what Rocksteady is working on next.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – October 29
360/PS3/PC/WiiU/XBO/PS4

After losing me about three games ago, the annualized stabby franchise is heading into the world of pirates. Will the new setting be the one that brings back many of the fans who fell off around AC3?

Battlefield 4 – October 29
360/PS3/PC/XBO/PS4

-Shooty shoot. Bangbangbang. Kaboom.- “Look at that guy who just crashed a helicopter and jumped out and landed in another helicopter and exploded and and and…”

Call of Duty: Ghosts – November 5
360/PS3/PC/WiiU/XBO/PS4

Call of Duty is a fun ride every year. The campaign’s solid, the multiplayer is snappy and enjoyable, and whatever other modes they throw in are usually worth your time. It’s Call of Duty. You probably either know if you like it or not by now. (I still think it’s kinda rad.)

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don’t Know! – November 12
360/PS3/WiiU/3DS

A Diablo style Adventure Time game developed by Wayforward? Sign me up!

Watch Dogs – November 19
360/PS3/PC/XBO/PS4

Watch Dogs was our first glimpse into the next generation, and is going to be one of the first games that will get to show off what next generation consoles are capable of.

Tearaway – November 22
Vita

Media Molecule’s back again, with what is shaping up to be a delightful reason to break out the Vita one more time before the year closes down.

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time – Late Summer 2013
iOS

A sequel to one of the most addicting games to come to every single device you own, Plants vs Zombies 2 is launching as a free-to-play game on iOS devices sometime later this Summer.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – October 2013
WiiU

Remastering one of the most beautiful games of all time seems like a pretty good way to sell a few Wii Us.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – November 2013
3DS

A sequel to one of the most revered games ever, is there any way it could ever stand up to it’s predecessor? Probably not, but I’m still sure looking forward to whatever Nintendo’s got cooked up for the beloved franchise.

Shovel Knight – Winter 2013
WiiU/3DS/PC

If Shovel Knight isn’t my most anticipated game for the rest of the year, it’s very, very close. A wonderfully imagined throwback to Mega Man and other classics, I can’t imagine a game more tailored specifically towards my interests.

Super Mario 3D World – December 2013
WiiU

This is the first instance of a cooperative 3D Mario game, and is a follow up to the best original game on the 3DS. Platformers continue to be my favorite genre, and I’m pretty sure this one’s going allow Mario to keep the crown.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – Late 2013
PC

This trailer pretty much sums up why I’ll be playing this one with the lights on.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
360/PS3/PC

While the first game was an imperfect mix of God of War and Shadow of the Colossus, it wasn’t a bad game by any stretch. It was a game that held tons of promise, but was held back by one too many bad decisions. If the sequel can capitalize on that potential, we’ll be looking at something amazing.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number – Late 2013
PC

The sequel to one of the best games of last year is shaping up to be another adrenaline fueled, murderous trek through insanity.

Killzone: Shadow Fall – Late 2013
PS4

Probably one of the first things you’ll do on your hot new PS4. If you’re into shooting things, that is.

Super Time Force – Late 2013
360

Capybara games (Swords and Sworcery, Below) continues to show off their talent with a clever bullet-hell platformer.

Knack – Late 2013
PS4

Every new console needs a weird, colorful platformer, right?

Image Sources – gametrailers.com forbes.com dealspwn.com edge-online.com gameinformer.com wiiudaily.com cinemablend.com mynintendonews.com digitaltrends.com chip.de geeksofdoom.com gematsu.com pcgamer.com shopto.net justpushstart.com multiplayerblog.mtv.com neogaf.com eggplante.com indiestatik.com

July 30, 2013
2013 Midyear Guest Post!

What’re you playing? Today, HippoChippies is your soapbox to tell the world what games you’ve been loving during the first half of 2013. Haven’t been playing anything new, or just want to use this chance to get some of your favorite older games out there? Not a problem. Guest Posts are some of my personal favorite posts every year, and I love seeing what all of you have been up to. Let’s kick it off with…

“2013 has had a great start so far with titles such as The Last of Us and Bioshock: Infinite. There are tons more where that came from as well. Most would argue that The Last of Us would be the number 1 choice. Not today. My favorite title of the year so far is Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Why? Animal Crossing is known for being a casual game where you live a normal life (with animals) trying to be someone and paying off a huge debt that is thrown onto you from the get go. New Leaf changed everything and put you in charge of a town that you move to and I must say it couldn’t have been done any better. Fans of the game will understand what I mean when I say that it may be my favorite Animal Crossing yet, because of the newfound leadership which comes with tons of new opportunities for you to pursue during gameplay.

I could talk about it all day but really the best way to understand my point of view is to just get out the ol’ Nintendo 3DS and play it yourself.

P.S. I have nothing against The Last of Us. I just have not been able to play even a single minute yet. Looking forward to it when I do. – Trevor Baldwin

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“I really liked Soul Sacrifice because it has this unique system of giving you super amazing power while stripping you of something vital. Like one of those abilities will use your brain to create this electric storm that does a ton of damage to enemies, but afterwards you don’t know what abilities you have in your slots. It’s a really neat system. Then there’s the upgradeable powers: you can fuse them to give you more uses, or combine them to create totally different powers. The whole game is awesome and if it wasn’t so repetitive and hard I’d probably play a lot more than I do.” – Michael Mays

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“My favorite game of the year so far has to be The Last of Us. Naughty Dog did a phenomenal job on the game with its storytelling and mechanics. The first 20 minutes of the game will have you so sad that you would probably wouldn’t want to play the game, but it’s the perfect setup for so much more. Naughty Dog took a risk in going the way they did with The Last of Us, but it has to be one of the greatest games they have made. During the game I noticed that there were some mechanics that had similarities to the Uncharted series, but with a fresh twist on it. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice that the combat and cover systems are pretty similar to each other, but that is to be expected from a game by the same company. Not to mention the game made you feel human, ever shot mattered, no health regen, and you had to be smart for most of the encounters you had. I could go into this game more but I don’t want to spoil anything for you, who should go get this game or at least rent it. I would play this game over and over again.” – Zack Dickerson

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“Before I begin, I would like to thank our gracious host both for inviting me to contribute and for allowing me to talk about a game that was not released in 2013. Yes, gamefans, I’m actually going to bring up one of last year’s gems and, very appropriately, it’s a little game called Yesterday.
Now this game had been sitting on my Steam wishlist since before it came out but I hadn’t thought I had the time to invest in it. As you can imagine, I was rather elated when I found that it was available for free download from the Google Play store right before the night I was going to get to spend in an airport terminal waiting to fly home from a business trip. I downloaded the game, started playing, and then felt it – that remorse for having waited so long to do this. It was a good, solid game. Great style, classic adventure gameplay, a good helping of wit, and an engrossing story. I’ll try not to ruin it if you haven’t played but I would like to leave you with an image that I hope inspires you to correct that soon: the image of a man with a shaggy beard sitting in a sparsely populated airport terminal at 3AM gleefully smiling at the plot unfolding before him while blissfully unaware that his headphone cable has just pulled out of his tablet and that those nearby are listening to discussions of homeless people being set on fire and are getting nervous at said bearded man’s recent chuckles.” – Shannon Nichols

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“To put it simply, BioShock Infinite is the best game in the series in terms of story. My brain is still recovering from the ending.” – Jonathan Vaughan

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“Dragon’s Dogma is a pretty interesting game. It’s your token dark medieval setting and the story is pretty milk toast at best, but that’s not important. This game is stuffed to the gills with interesting locales, cool gear and badass monsters. The combat is a combination of Dark Souls, Skyrim and Shadow of the Colossus. If you wanna climb on top of a cyclops and stab him right in the eye, you can totes do it. Also its got a day/night system that makes staying out after dark feel really dangerous, even if you’re way stronger than any monster you’ll come across. And the graphics, oh Lord the graphics!” – Colton King

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Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE. It really means to a lot to me, thank you to everybody that participated. This is one of my favorite things to do on the site. We’ll have another one coming up at the end of the year, so everybody get those Game of the Year picks ready!

– Zach

Image Sources: edge-online.com neoseeker.com heatherannecampbell.com

gamingbolt.com atthebuzzershow.com gamingirresponsibly.com

July 20, 2013
E3 2013 Press Conference Wrap-up

E3 is the biggest gaming event of the year, and it’s near impossible to find out everything that’s going on in the few days the expo lasts. If you didn’t have time to watch every announcement flowing from E3 last week, here’s your chance to catch back up with everything your friends already know. Here are the highlights:

Microsoft

Microsoft started relatively well, presenting multiple exclusives for the Xbox One, and showing us what to expect in the upcoming generation from their side of the fence.

Dead Rising 3 was announced as an exclusive for Xbox One, and looked a little drearier than I would have liked for a sequel to such a silly franchise. Everything was dark, and the humor didn’t find it’s way into the demo that was shown onstage. The game still looks nice, and there are tons of zombies roaming the streets, waiting to be destroyed with the customizable weapons.

The teased announcement from the Rare catalog ended up being a new Killer Instinct for the Xbox One. Was anybody really looking forward to this? With Rare’s catalog of creative titles, I was hoping to see a new Viva Pinata or Banjo-Kazooie. Better yet, why not something brand new for a new generation? In lieu of a new IP, I’ll dream of Viva Pinata 3 until it sees the light of day. The reboot of Killer Instinct isn’t even being headed by Rare, so hopefully they’re off crafting something special.

Quantum Break made a gameplay debut on stage, and is looking positively excellent. Remedy, the developer behind Max Payne and Alan Wake has always been able to tell a good story, and this doesn’t seem like an exception. Side note – Remedy really enjoys slow motion, don’t they?

Capy Games showed off Below, which was a highlight of Microsoft’s conference. After Swords and Sworcery, I’ll eat up anything they’ll give me. Along with a beautifully minimalistic art style, it’s being described as a rogue-like with atmospheric adventure. Jim Guthrie is also back for the soundtrack. I’ll take two.

Swery 65’s newly announced title D4 got a small amount of screen time, but still was one of the more interesting things in the show. It’s an episodic drama from the developer of Deadly Premonition, so it’s guaranteed to be really, really, weird. It’s another one of the several exclusive Xbox One titles shown off.

Respawn Entertainment, the newly formed developer who split Activision after making Modern Warfare 2, showed off their Xbox One exclusive Titanfall. It’s a first person shooter (really, what else would it be?) that involved a little bit of everything. Giant mechs? Yeah. Small bits of parkour? We got some of that. Jetpacks? Why not? There’s also some shooting, if you hadn’t guessed. It actually looks pretty interesting, and seems to be doing more to mix up the FPS formula than most, so I’m excited to eventually get my hands on it and see if it’s more than a beefed up Call of Duty.

The show ended with the announcement of a November release date and a $499 price for the console (which comes with the new Kinect).

EA

EA’s conference followed, showing off a few more unannounced titles.

The show began with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare. It’s a co-op first person shooter based in the PvZ universe, and everyone runs around as plants killing zombies. I’m not sure why it exists, but it does. After this was shown, a man walked onto the stage and screamed “PEGGLE 2” and ran away. So Peggle 2 was announced.

Star Wars: Battlefront was teased, a long-awaited reboot of the franchise.

The show ended with the surprise reveal of Mirror’s Edge 2. It looks like Mirror’s Edge, and that’s a good thing. It’s one of EA’s most requested sequels, and I’m glad they’re finally giving it a chance. The trailer ended with a release date of “when it’s ready”, so expect it on the Xbox One and PS4 sometime in the future.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft’s conference included a couple surprises, the first of which was Trials Fusion, a new Trials game for Xbox One and PS4.

The show ended with a pretty huge surprise, the first announcement of The Division, a next-gen third person tactical shooter that seems to be doing some pretty interesting things.

Sony

Sony took the floor at the end of the night, ending with what was probably the best conference I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing at E3. Let’s start with the beginning.

After a bit of a rough start and a little over a half-hour into the show, Sony finally starts talking about the purpose of the show – the PS4.

First off, they showed the box. It looks a lot like an Xbox One.

The Order 1886, is a sci-fi tale set in the past, looks really neat, and will be exclusive to the PS4.

SuperGiant games’ Transistor was shown, and was excellent as always. After making Bastion, that team can show off whatever they want. It will be bought. Transistor will be a timed exclusive on the PS4, following the trend of Sony getting indies to release on the PS4 first.

Square Enix brought some of the heaviest hitters of E3, finally showing off Final Fantasy Versus 13, which actually turned out to be Final Fantasy 15, coming to PS4 and Xbox One. And it’s an action game with no sign of JRPG. Yes it was really weird, but that’s still not the craziest part.

After that, another trailer came up with a Disney logo. Kingdom Hearts 3. Total surprise, and after asking about the game for years, fans were finally satiated. Who knows how far off it is, but plenty of folks are just appeased with Square acknowledging the game’s existence. KH3 is coming to PS4 and Xbox One.

They also announced that Final Fantasy 14 (yes, the MMO one) is coming exclusively to the PS4. Not a single person cared. Not one.

Everything pales in comparison to what happened next.

Jack Tretton takes the stage, seemingly about to end the show. He proceeds to announce that, unlike the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4 will support used games. The crowd loses their minds. He continues, says that the console will never check to see if you’re online, and you can trade games with whoever you want, anytime, be offline, whatever. Babies had to have been conceived as the crowd went into an uproar, chanting “Sony, Sony, Sony.” This was released before the show even ended.

Does Sony deserve as much praise for doing literally nothing different than what they’ve been doing for years? Maybe, maybe not. Microsoft was changing the status quo, and Sony could have easily followed suite. They didn’t. That’s great for everyone, and Microsoft’s console is going to be a tough sell when compared to how laid back the PS4 policies are.

While attendees were planning their post-show Sony themed orgies, a small slide appeared onscreen that hinted that PS Plus would be required to play games online with the PS4. Since then, that’s been confirmed, but Sony garnered enough positivity in those previous moments to sneak that detail in with little backlash.

To add insult to injury, Sony also announced that the PlayStation 4 would launch at $399, a full $100 less than the price of an Xbox One. Twitter erupted with “That’s the ballgame” and “Goodnight sweet Xbox” and other quips referring to what was deemed by some as a “finishing blow” to Microsoft. Microsoft has yet to respond with any changes in plan for the Xbox One, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that price fall, or the console requirements to become significantly more relaxed in the next few months. In the meantime, Microsoft has not been doing much to ease people’s minds about the future of the Xbox One. No matter what happens, consumers are going to buy both consoles.

Nintendo

The next morning, instead of holding a press conference, Nintendo held another of their online Nintendo Directs and discussed some new announcements for E3.

A new Fairy type was announced for Pokemon X and Y, along with the ability to pet and feed your creatures.

Super Mario 3D World was announced as a Wii U exclusive, bringing 4-player co-op to a brand new 3D Mario. The game brings the character selection from Super Mario Bros. 2 (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad) along with the characters respective abilities from the 2D classic. A new cat costume was also shown off, allowing you to run around, pounce on enemies, climb walls, and generally be a cute kitty forever, starting this December.

Mario Kart 8 was also shown off, now with anti-gravity segments where you can ride along walls and ceilings, along with everything else from other Mario Karts.

The new 1080p The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD was shown off, and it’s not going to be a simple remake of an old title. New improvements are being made to the game, such as the ability to increase the speed of sailing while in the ocean. I’m incredibly excited to see what changes are in store for my favorite game, and really anticipating seeing what Nintendo decides to change/improve/ruin.

A new Wii U title from Retro was announced, and it wasn’t a new game, a wild variation of Zelda, or anything else that Retro should probably be experimenting with. It was, of course, Donkey Kong Country Topical Freeze! I’m a fan of the first game, but Retro is one of the most talented game studios out there. I don’t want them tied to a franchise and playing it safe. But I guess I’ll take what I can get.

Bayonetta 2 was shown. It was just a trailer for a game I already knew about, but it’s Bayonetta 2. Bayonetta 2 is a good thing.

The Xenoblade Chronicles dev, Monolith, is working on a new Wii U game known only as X. It’s got plenty of mechs, flying, and is coming sometime in 2014.

Finally, Nintendo closed down the show by showing the new Smash Bros. games. These are two separate games, one for Wii U and one for 3DS. So far, three new characters have been announced. Villager from Animal Crossing, Mega Man, and the Wii Fit Trainer. All three of these are fantastic choices, and any other opinion is invalid. Also Bowser stands upright now for some reason.

Bear in mind that all of these events happened in around 24 hours. That’s a lot of stuff hitting at once, but it’s pretty much the coolest overload to have. So much game news, and that was only the first day and half of E3. There’s plenty of more news afoot, and you’ll be able to find the best of it right here on HippoChippies. Thanks! Let’s do all this again next year.

– Zach

Image Sources: rocketchainsaw.com.au edge-online.com gamespot.com pressedgames.com nerdreactor.com pcgamer.com capsulecomputers.com.au theverge.com pokedit.com worldsfactory.net vg247.com

June 15, 2013
Shovel Knight Scoops Up All the Money

With 24 hours left in the Kickstarter, now’s your last chance to back the incredible looking Shovel Knight. Yacht Club Games continues to set more stretch goals as the community keeps taking them down one by one. As of now, the game has earned over $270,000 and is making more cash with every page refresh. The final announced stretch goal is set at $300,000, which will allow the team to include every Boss Knight as a playable character in the multiplayer mode. At the rate the campaign has been growing, they’re more than set to hit above $300,000 before the clock runs out.

The game looks fantastic, and so far, seems more than deserving of the incredible fan base it has gained. Shovel Knight is an 8-bit throwback to Mega Man, except the gun arm has been traded in for a surprsingly functional shovel. Every bit of footage I’ve seen so far has me dying to get my hands on the game itself. I threw in my $15 for a Wii U version as fast as my hands could enter my credit card info on the page.

Shovel Knight is being developed by Yacht Club Games, which is made up of some immensely talented developers previously from WayForward. Also along for the ride is Manami Matsumae, who composed the original Mega Man soundtrack. There’s some real talent on board, and I’m super excited to get my hands on Shovel Knight when it hits digital storefronts later this year.

According to the Steam Greenlight page, the current release date is “Winter 2013”, so get your Wii U, 3DS, or PC ready for an 8-bit journey of knights, shovels, and probably lots of dirt. And fun, hopefully it’ll be fun.

April 12, 2013
Game of the Year 2012!

It’s time for HippoChippies’ top ten of 2012! Here, we’re counting down from the tenth best game of 2012 all the way down to our Game of the Year, number *one*. Let’s get started!

#10 – Mass Effect 3

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January 3, 2013
Guest Post! What’s everyone playing?

Today, HippoChippies is getting something I’ve been wanting to have for a long time, guests! I asked some of the coolest people I know for their opinions on the games they’re playing right now. Sometimes it can be good to dig around in someone else’s brain for a little while, so here are some thoughts on the games everyone has been into during the first half of 2012. (more…)

July 14, 2012