Pseudo-Preview: Smite Xbox One Alpha

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, a lot of MOBAs are trying to work their ways to consoles. On the forefront of this movement is the relative PC veteran Smite. The Alpha is in full swing, and I've had an opportunity to play several matches. My initial reactions after the break!!

Thanks For The Memories Part 1: God of War

The ultimate in revenge stories -- and a brutal saga to boot -- is God of War. PlayStation’s most iconic hack and slash series has helped define the genre and most importantly, as of me typing this, has just reached its 10^th anniversary. Yes, back in 2005, Santa Monica Studios gave us the first glimpse at Kratos, his unbelievable fall from grace, and quest to avenge his family. I pretty much ignored this franchise for the better part of 6 years before I bought a PS3 and played the entire collection within a week’s time. Though originally planned as a trilogy, the series got PSP titles and a prequel to stuff all the gaps closed throughout the years. But, the third numbered entry is, and will ever be, the end. At the time of release the game had review scores anywhere from 8.5/10 to 10/10, so did this effectively close the series and have a fitting ending?

A Challenger Approaches!

The Atomic Gnome family is growing!!

MOBAs: Not just for PCs anymore

DotA prime in action

During the days of Warcraft III, some very creative folks made a multiplayer mod called Defense of the Ancients. This mod allowed 5 player teams to face off against each other in a way that no other games had provided before. This was the birth of the multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA.

Since then, the creators of MOBA have gone off to create new studios and games, and the genre has exploded. Today, there are dozens of MOBA games such as Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, Smite...the list goes on. Millions of people tune it to watch world championships, such as Dota 2's "The International" which provided a ten million dollar prize pool to the first place team. To say MOBAs have been a success is an understatement.

However, MOBAs have traditionally (still feels weird to say that about a genre that's only be around less than 10 years) been a PC only affair. But, there have been a number of pushes to get some MOBAs onto other platforms. However, the genre is slowing creeping onto mobile and console, and the future is looking bright, indeed.

Wax Nostalgic On, Wax Nostalgic Off

I've been feeling a little nostalgic lately. I recently realized that I'm living in sin; I have never beaten a Mario game before Super Mario Galaxy. I'm working on fixing that, though!

This focus on older games made me realize something else, though. A lot of older franchises have enjoyed HD remakes in the past few years: Flashback,  Double Dragon Neon, and Retro City Rampage (that one's cheating). But I think some of my favorites deserve some new love. Here are some of my picks: