Retro Review! Planescape: Torment - PC

    Your eyes snap open and you gasp as your lungs refill with air. The ceiling above you is splattered with what appears to be old blood. You suddenly become aware that you're laying on your back on something very cold. You swing your legs over the edge of the platform and sit up only to notice that you have been laying on a slab in what appears to be a mortuary. The pounding in your head slowly subsides leaving you with only an empty, blank feeling. Where are you? Why are you here? Who are you? You examine your body and find many, many scars tracing their way across your skin. Your back itches incessantly, but no scratching can alleviate the crawling of your skin. Suddenly, a skull floats up to you and greets you. The skull explains that you were dead. There's no sugar-coating it. You were dead. The skull floats around you and examines your body. You explain to the skull that you do not know how you got here, or who you are. In fact, it seems that your memory is completely blank. The skull explains that this has happened before. In fact, you have died many times in the past - always returning to life with just a little bit more of your mind gone. The skull mentions a tattoo on your back - so THAT must have been what was causing the itch. The skull reads what has been tattooed there and describes instructions left there by one of your past incarnations. Along with a brief explanation of your never-dying "condition" are two simple commands with little explanation: "find your journal, find Pharod, both of these tasks will help you learn who you are." With these instructions in mind, you make your way out of the mortuary with your new boney companion.

The Last of Us - Playstation 3

    After years of humanity imagining it's own end, it has finally come. Though many expected human extinction to come in the form of bombs, climate change, or some interstellar danger - it was Mother Nature herself that began wiping humans from her earth. Perhaps she finally took her revenge for the raping and wanton destruction of her planet, or perhaps it was just a freak mutation of a plant that was otherwise harmless to humans. Either way, the end of humanity comes in the form of a tiny, microscopic, fungal spore. Who knew something so small could be so destructive? At the beginning of the end, scientists reported that the small spores, once entering a human's body, would directly attack that person's brain. At that point, a parasitic fungus would begin to grow in the cranial cavity - slowly taking over control of the human's body. Once started, the fungal growth cannot be stopped and progresses until its human host no longer behaves or even physically appears the way he or she once did. With no way to stop the transmission of the fungal infection, what few humans are left gather in military-run quarantine areas to live out what few miserable days they might have left with the rest of the world in shambles. Yet, humanity struggles to continue, even in the face of their own extinction.

Folklore - Playstation 3

    It's been 17 years since your mother passed away. Or has it? Yesterday you received a letter, supposedly from your mother, asking you to meet her in a seaside village in Ireland. You are supposed to meet her on the Cliff of Sidhe near the village of Doolin. It is said that in the village of Doolin the living can meet with the dead. You have great trouble believing that the letter could be from your mother, but what if it is? You make the trip to the island hoping to be reunited with your mother, whom you thought you'd lost forever.

    Many miles away, the editor of an occult magazine's phone begins to ring. He answers it and hears a panicked female's voice on the other end. "Help! Help me! These faerys, they'll...they'll kill me.... The village Doolin....on the Cliff of Sidhe!.....Please!" Ugh, another prank call. Will these childish bullies never cease to leave him alone? Faerys, right, how foolish do they think he is? But what if it was real? What if someone needs his help? Uncovering faerys could make for one hell of an article. Against his better judgment, he to sets off for the village of Doolin.

Killzone 2 - Playstation 3

    Two years ago, the Helghast invaded Vekta. Two years ago the Helghans murdered civilians, burned buildings, and attempted to seize the Vektan homeworld. The Helghast invasion was repelled, but barely so. After two years of recovery and build-up, the Vektans are ready to take revenge on the Helghans for the destruction suffered during the attack. The Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) has loaded up their cruisers with soldiers and weaponry and blasted off for the Helghan homeworld. This time, they're going to make the Helghast feel what it's like to defend your own home against an enemy.

Assassin's Creed III - Xbox 360

    Assassin's Creed has proven to be quite a successful and prolific property for developer Ubisoft. At the time of this writing, a total of 20 video games, a live-action film, a series of comics, and a series of novels have been created with the Assassin's Creed name. Unfortunately, I am horrible at keeping up with playing games as they come out. So, while Assassin's Creed III was the 8th chronologically out of the 20 games released, I'm just now arriving to the party. Partially this is because I found myself feeling disappointed with the series after playing and reviewing Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Against my better judgment, I forced myself to play the next game in the series, Assassin's Creed: Revelations soon after finishing Brotherhood. Revelations was so similar to Brotherhood, including all the things that I didn't like from the earlier games, that I found myself very burned out with the Assassin's Creed series. So much so, that didn't play another one of the games until...well....now. I'll admit that I had pretty low hopes going into Assassin's Creed III due to my past experiences, but I actually ended the game feeling a little better about the series. This review will cover the game's single-player mode only, as I did not attempt to jump into multiplayer.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Xbox 360

    Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a direct sequel to 2010's Final Fantasy XIII and is only the second time that developer/publisher Square Enix has released a direct sequel to a numbered Final Fantasy release. The game was released in 2012 on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. While XIII-2 keeps much of the same gamplay features that XIII had, new characters as well as some major changes keep the release from feeling as though the game is simply more of the same.

Wolfenstein: The New Order - Xbox One

    The year is 1960. Nazi Germany controls most of the world, with just a few continents struggling to resist the ever-encroaching Nazi machine. Years of ethics-free research has provided the Nazis with a massive armament of high-tech weaponry and armor. Using their superior arms and numbers, Nazi forces have forcefully oppressed all local resistance into oblivion. Those resistance members who were not killed in battle are held captive in prison work camps in which they unwillingly help to strengthen the Nazi Empire even more. Rumors among those unhappy with Nazi rule speak of a resistance group operating in Berlin, the Heart of the Nazi Empire. Does this group have what it will take to topple the Nazi giant, inspire the rest of the world to rebel, and to survive?

Costume Quest - Xbox 360 Arcade

    It's Halloween! Tonight, kids all over are dressing up as ghosts and ghouls in hopes of scaring up some candy from their neighbors. I have a lot of good memories of trick-or-treating as a child, and even more of chowing down on my bag of Halloween candy for the next two weeks! Costume Quest brings back these good memories, as well as some of the excitement I would feel as a kid when Halloween came around each year.

Layers of Fear - Xbox One

    Layers of Fear is a First-Person, Psychological Horror game created by Bloober Team and published by Aspyr Media, Inc. The game was released in February, 2016 for Mac, PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. It has been announced that the game will see release on the Nintendo Switch in the "near future". What awaits us as we begin to peel back these layers of fear?

Retro Review! Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - PC

    Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a third-person shooter developed by Lucas Arts. The game was released in 1996 on PC, and again in 1997 with Nintendo as a publisher for the Nintendo 64 version. I remember renting this game for the Nintendo 64 multiple times as a kid. This was the first game I had ever played that took place in the Star Wars universe, and I was so happy that our local video store had it. I also remember being extremely confused about just what type of game this was. When I checked out the back of the game's box, the screenshots only worked to deepen this confusion. Was Shadows of the Empire a third-person shooter? Was it a flight-sim game? Was it a first-person shooter? The answer to those questions is...well...yes. I never got very far in the game when I was little, but I gave it another shot on the PC recently and was happy to relive some childhood memories.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - Xbox 360 Arcade

    Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a First-Person Shooter available on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade, PC, and Playstation Network. The game uses the Far Cry 3 engine, but has little in common with the game Far Cry 3 otherwise. Developed and Published by Ubisoft, Blood Dragon saw release in 2013.

Unravel - Xbox One

    "Lycka blommar ur små enkla ting" - Swedish for "happiness blooms from small, simple things."

    I've played a lot of games in my life, and very few have made me feel such strong emotions as Unravel did. In fact, I enjoyed this game so much that it inspired me to come back to Amulets and Ale and write about it after a long period of inactivity. Unravel is a platformer/puzzle game created by Swedish designers Coldwood Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in February 2016 on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. For this particular review, I played the Xbox One version of the game.

Binary Domain - Xbox 360

    Binary Domain is a Third-Person Shooter developed and published by Sega. The game went relatively unnoticed for some reason or another when it was released on PC, Playstation 3, and the Xbox 360 in 2012. Even with its Third-Person shooter mechanics which are extremely familiar to gamers, Binary Domain still manages to impress with other innovation.

Darkstar One: Broken Alliance

    Darkstar One: Broken Alliance is a Space Flight, Combat, and Trade Simulation game released on the Xbox 360 in 2010 after developer Kalypso Media upgraded 2006's PC release of the game with higher definition graphics and improved gameplay. There is a noticeable lack of this genre on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, so I was excited to see this game recommended by fans of the genre. Unfortunately the game turned out to be less of a "hidden gem" and more of a piece of space-junk that rips-off elements from nearly every popular Sci-Fi series.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - Playstation 3

    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a Japanese style Role Playing Game developed by Level-5. The game was released in two different versions; one for the Nintendo DS, and one for the Playstation 3. The DS version of the game was released in 2010 and was available only in Japan, while the PS3 version of the game was released internationally in 2013. Easily, the most notable aspect of the game is that Studio Ghibli (known for movies such as My Neighor Totoro, Spirited Away, and  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) worked on the game's animation as well as its soundtrack, creating a one of a kind gaming experience.

Bastion - Xbox Live Arcade

    Xbox Live Arcade has changed the way many people see video games. Previously, games needed to be huge creations backed by a giant budget and hyped up to no end to be successful. Art and creative expression often took a backseat to what would make companies the most money. Xbox Live Arcade's flexible pricing and digital delivery has allowed developers to focus on creativity and narrative rather than shiny effects and hype. Bastion is a perfect example of what developers can do when they aren't shackled by the usual business aspects of releasing a game.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 Arcade

    Alan Wake is back, this time in Xbox Live Arcade and PC formats only. Developed by Remedy and published by Microsoft Studios, 2012's Alan Wake's American Nightmare picks up approximately where the downloadable content packs for the original Alan Wake game left off. Fans of the first game clamored for more after finishing the first entry in the series, so does the Live Arcade game do the original justice?

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - Xbox 360

    It's the year 2097. Human kind survives on Earth only by living underground after destroying their own planet in nuclear war. Research into space travel becomes humanity's only hope of survival. Humanities' eyes turn to the skies in the hope of finding a new, habitable planet on which to start over. Star Ocean: The Last Hope is actually a prequel to the entire Star Ocean series which saw its start back in 1996. The fourth game to release in the series, The Last Hope hit shelves in 2009 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Developed by Tri-Ace and published by Square-Enix, The Last Hope is a Japanese Role Playing Game with a Sci-Fi setting which is a bit different for the genre. But does the game stand up against other RPGs on the system?

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Xbox 360

    Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the third game in the historically based Action and Stealth game series. Released in 2010 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and Mac OS X, Brotherhood picks right up where Assassin's Creed II left off, and adds some new features to the already improved gameplay of the second game.

Sleeping Dogs - Xbox 360

    Sleeping Dogs is an open-world, or Sandbox, style game that focuses on Action. The game was developed by United Front Games with development assistance and publishing by Square Enix. The game was originally slated to see release back in 2009 as the third entry in the True Crime video game series, but after many delays and budget problems, the game didn't hit shelves until 2012. The game is available on PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3.