Gaming Judgement

Valve and Blizzard Go to Court Over ‘DOTA’ Trademark

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:52:37 +0000

Its now up to the courts to decide who owns the fan created term “DOTA.” Blizzard has filed a Notice of Opposition with The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, looking to stop Valve from registering the word. In the notice, Blizzard has said that the word “DOTA” is used exclusively as a reference to a Warcraft III mod, and that by virtue of that use the term has become firmly associated with that game in the consumers mind.

Currently the case is still in its early stages and it could be a while before this is resolved. We’ll keep you posted.

Rayman 3 HD Hits XBLA and PSN March 21st

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:57:05 +0000

The HD remake of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc has finally been given a release date. The long awaited game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network on March 21.

The game promises to be an updated version of the original Rayman 3 that has updated visuals and will run at 60 frams per second. Unfortunately the price has not yet been announced, but based on recent releases of arcade remakes we’re hoping for a price of 10 dollars. Be sure to check out Rayman 3 HD when it goes on sale.

Playfast Announces Updated Browser Technology

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:49:12 +0000

Playfast has announced an updated browser technology that will allow users to stream games in a web browser. Think about how you would stream a movie, you can watch the movie before it has completely downloaded and, with this same update, games can be treated the same way. This advancement could change the way we view the internet as now we could start playing any games right away that we would normally have to wait to play due to a 2 hour download time. While this is only set for the PC, don’t think Microsoft and Sony aren’t noticing this advancement since this could really change the way digital distribution is viewed.

Check out Playfast here: PlayFast

Dragon’s Dogma Ships This May. Purchasers Get Early Access to Resident Evil 6 Demo

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:37:45 +0000

Its official, Dragon’s Dogma will be shipping this May and on store shelves May 22 in North America and May 25 in Europe. If you are one of the early purchasers of Dragon’s Dogma you will get early access to the Resident Evil 6 Demo. Each Copy of Dragon’s Dogma will come with a code that is redeemable on the marketplace to allow you to download a copy of the demo. Dragon’s Dogma already looks good enough to buy, but now it comes with a copy of the Resident Evil 6 demo? Sign us up!

NFL Blitz Review

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:10:22 +0000

I used to play a lot of NFL Blitz back on the N64 and, up until now, the only game close enough to that feel was Madden NFL Arcade. So you can imagine my excitement when NFL Blitz was announced and described as a true upgraded version of the original Blitz game. After playing NFL Blitz I can say that it honestly feels like 1997 all over again, and that’s a good thing.

NFL Blitz has the look and feel of the original Blitz game. The game is ultra fast and the players are portrayed with the same cartoony character models that NFL Arcade used last year. The hits are bone jarring and over the top and momentum shifts on a dime.

The graphics fit the games presentation perfectly. The graphics are a cartoony version of actual NFL players. The visuals are simple and the game looks smooth overall at high resolutions. The effects are a lot of fun and when you catch fire the character models look great without any noticeable slowdown. If the graphics were overdone and there was any drop in frame rate it could ruin the experience, thankfully the simple graphics style allow the game to play smoothly at all times with no noticeable drop in frame rate. The cartoony graphics fit the action perfectly and make a ball carrier knocked into the air from a powerful tackle funny and satisfying.

The game is set up so it’s easy to pick up and play with a very shallow learning curve. The core game only really uses three buttons: B is pass, right trigger is turbo, and A is tackle. The other buttons, other than the thumb sticks of course, are used for advanced moves such as stiff arms, spin moves, and laterals. It really only takes a game or two to get the basics down before you’ll be trying a few advanced moves. The playbooks are limited to one page on defense and two pages on offense. Each play can be flipped and on offense you are able to move your running back around with the left stick which can make some plays run a little differently. With the playbook so limited you will find yourself running the same play a lot and smart defenses will eventually catch on.

After a string of positive plays, on offense or defense, your players will catch on fire. When on fire you will have unlimited turbo and you will be able to dive farther and hit harder. Your players will remain on fire until you’re the victim of a negative play such as a first down, and string of sacks, or a touchdown.

I was hoping that the passing aspect of game would have been updated. When you drop back to pass you select a player by moving the left stick, which is also the stick that moves your quarterback around. Your chosen receiver will flash white when he is your quarterback’s choice. The fact that your receiver will flash white is a dead giveaway to the defense and since there is no pass interference defenders will generally tackle that receiver before the ball gets to the receiver and sometimes you’ll find yourself throwing to the wrong receiver. I was hoping the Madden passing system would have been put into this game so that when dropping back to pass each receiver is assigned a button and you pick a receiver by pressing the corresponding button. This would make passing decisions more precise and keep the defense guessing. The decision to keep the game as close to the original Blitz isn’t a bad thing it just would have been nice to fix an aggravating part of the game.

The online features of the game is where it truly shines. The biggest mode of the game is called Elite League. When you first choose Elite League you are asked to select a team and then you are assigned a starter pack of cards. Each card is a player that you can use on your team and comes complete with unique attributes. You can only use the players on the cards you own. As you play online against other people you will get points that you can use to buy packs of cards. Buying more packs of cards will give you new players to add to your collection and power ups to use during a game. The competition online as well as the collecting aspect gives you a reason to play for days and days just to collect every player and power up to build up your custom team.

I’ve been looking forward to this game for a quite some time. I’m glad that they stuck to what made blitz fun: off the wall tackling and crazy power ups. The game is fast and feels exactly like the popular Blitz game that was so good on the Nintendo 64. For the price of only 15 dollars this game is worth every penny. If you are a fan of the Blitz series or your just looking for a casual football experience then buy this game right now.

Final Score: 9

(out of 10)