reviews. previews. podcast. and more...

Join sisters NinJaSistah and Pandalicious and the rest of the ESH Crew each day as they discuss video games, tech gadgets, anime, manga... pretty much everything within the geek chic lifestyle.

From Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC game reviews, previews, news, and gushings to audience questions and rumor mill seeding galore you'll find it here at ESH!
First Nerdgasm of 2010: ESH@CES Las Vegas!
 

Goings On



Search through the goodness that is ESH. Want to see if we are writing and chit chatting about the crap you're interested in.

Twitterings

     

    Advertisements



    CES Coverage

    We went to CES and here's what we saw and molested.

    E3 Coverages

    One stop shopping for all of the ESH E3 goodness.

    Xbox 360 Stuffs

    Check out crew rantings on the XB360 platform.

    PS3 Things

    Yeah, we've talked about Sony stuff too, check em out!

    Wii Little Bits

    Get your Nintendo bits and bobbles here.

    Oh Hai! Anime-niacs

    Peep the stuff we've written about on the anime tip.

    Manga Love

    We less than three manga as well, so peep the manga reviews.

    ESH Photo Galleries

    Check out the snapshots we've taken at events and more here...


    2D Gaming: Why It Doesn't Go Away

    posted @ 9/12/2006 04:04:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    I got one of the last XBox titles in my game queue in this week called Samurai Showdown 5. I have been looking forward to this title being released because I'm still a 2D gamer girl at heart.

    I have been playing Samurai Showdown since the original in the arcade and on the Neo Geo system. I had one [count em, one] friend that had a Neo Geo system when it came out, and I don't want to say that I was friends with this person because they had a NG system...but, you know.

    The excitement that washed over me was palpable; I tore open that shipping envelope like a wrapped gift on Christmas morning. Bounding across the living room heading towards the XB360 I found myself smiling and gaining in anxiety at the thought of being able to play this game. Popped the disc into the system and, it wasn't compatible. Damn. My heart sank a little and would have dropped even more had I not already been in possession of an XBox system. TV video input changed, XBox started, game running, I darted back to my futon and assumed the game on position.

    The moment the game loaded and that oh so familiar BGM started playing I was immediately back in my Sega Genesis days. I was going to grab Nakaruru [the girl in red and white with the Hawk] and commence to perpetrating some ass whoopins, but the character select screen was all wrong. Who were all these faces that I did not recognize? Where had they come from, and why were they in my path to righteousness? I felt so alone and out of my element. But I couldn't let that get in my way, Nakaruru and I were on a mission...a mission from Bob. Round one Engage!

    The basic combos returned to me like the a-b-c's of riding a bike. On my third or forth match I was jumping, blocking, and commanding my hawk to attack with ease. Characters moved faster than I remember, and some how the visuals don't look as good either. I'm not sure how, but the movement of player characters just doesn't seem as fluid. My recollections of what transpired next are fuzzy at best, but I will try with all my might to report to you the events as I remember them.

    I lost. I lost bad. I lost bad with my girl Nakaruru. What. The. Fuck?

    I played for hours, getting better and better with each subsequent match, falling in love all over again with 2D gaming. Playing Samurai Showdown 5 with all it's faults and believe me there were plenty] was still enjoyable. To me, most 2D games are fun. Have you ever played Metal Slug? Holy crap is that thing fun. It's a traditional side scroller; kill all the enemies as you move horizontally across the level until you get to the final enemy and then take him out. You die, oh too bad fo u! You have to start the level over again from the beginning...they way Bob intended. What about King of Fighters? Personally, I feel this game is simplicity in it's entirety, and that's why I think 2D gaming refuses to die off in the 3D [wish it was 4D] era.

    We currently live in the Prey, Gears of War, and Assassin's Creed era of gaming where the emphasis in gameplay is being placed on realism and accuracy. And while these are promising and exciting times, there is something to be said for simple joys, and I think that's part of the reason why 2D games still have value in the market. The other reason is that 2D game instantly remind you of looking at a comic book. The colors and character design style make the player think and feel like they are "playing" a comic book. They are given a character with a very short back story and an open playground to explore with that character.

    So if you've never picked up a 2D game, I encourage you to go exploring. You might just find a new "go to game" for your permanent collection.




    Labels: , ,