Chubzdoomer

If you're a fan of the Terminator franchise, Terminator: Resistance is probably the game you've been dying to play ever since the likes of Future Shock. Everything you could possibly want is here: T-800s, Infiltrators, HKs, miniguns, and yes--purple lasers. Terminator: Resistance could best be described as a first-person shooter with light RPG elements. There's experience and leveling, crafting, inventory management, lockpicking and hacking, dialogue choices, quests, and more. None of these elements are particularly deep or well-executed, but they're serviceable nonetheless. The world isn't completely open ala Fallout, but rather broken up into several districts (think Homefront: The Revolution or even the Metro series). Each district is open and non-linear enough so that you can take a stealthy or guns-blazing approach to complete your objectives. There are all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore, too, and Easter Eggs to find. The shooting itself is nothing special and the ho-hum AI results in an experience that's a little too forgiving (even at higher difficulty levels), but the tremendous atmosphere and surprisingly strong story help make up for it. The decaying, robot-patrolled environments paired with the excellent soundtrack make for a haunting atmosphere that's unrivaled when it comes to Terminator games. The fleshed-out, well-written characters shine too, even despite their mostly mediocre voice acting. And the main plot is engaging from start to finish, complete with an ending that's determined by your actions throughout the course of the game. Overall, this is one of those games that's greater than the sum of its parts. If you love the Terminator universe, I'd go as far as to say it's a must-play. Just don't expect a AAA-quality product (especially by way of graphics and voice acting), because you certainly won't find that here.

Mutant Football League is the definitive spiritual successor to the original Mutant League Football on the Sega Genesis. If you're a fan of MLF or even NFL Blitz, you will love this game. Designed by Michael Mendheim, creator of the original game, MFL boasts countless throwbacks to the Genesis classic while also bringing many new features to the table. Yes, you can still kill players to knock them out of the game--permanently. And yes, you can still bribe (and murder, if necessary) referees. But there's more. One of the most significant additions is a vile, vulgar, utterly hilarious commentary team voiced by none other than Tim Kitzrow, whose iconic work in such arcade games as NBA Jam and the aforementioned NFL Blitz speaks for itself. If you've never played the Sega Genesis game and aren't sure what to expect, here's a quick rundown: Mutant Football League is a violent, fast-paced, 7-on-7 American football game in which over a dozen teams comprised of skeletons, robots, superhumans, orcs, and aliens quite literally fight it out for victory. Fields are littered with deadly hazards like mines and buzzsaws and teams can even call "Dirty Trick" plays like "Shotgun," which makes the quarterback whip out a literal shotgun. There's also plenty of post-play fighting, so don't be surprised if a linebacker elbow-drops your star quarterback right to the morgue well after the whistle is blown! Offline you can play against the AI in one of several different modes, ranging from a one-time exhibition game to a full-fledged 13-game season (playoffs included, if you qualify for them). There's also local multiplayer/couch co-op, meaning you and up to three other people can play with or against one another. Online play is currently limited to 1v1, but the developers hope to expand on it in the near future. The game looks and feels surprisingly polished and is incredibly fun to play. The controls are responsive and intuitive and the AI can put up one heck of a fight. There's also a nice variety of teams and fields/stadiums. Additionally, there are plenty of options that allow you to drastically alter the experience. Don't like losing players permanently? Turn on resurrection, and they'll be restored the very next down. Don't like trick plays? Turn them off, and you'll never be crushed by a gigantic defender ever again! The Dynasty Edition ups the ante with Dynasty mode, MFL's take on franchise mode, as well as several brand new teams, stadiums, and species. Dynasty mode is an incredible addition to the game that adds tons of replay value and delivers an experience unlike any other I've seen in a sports game. The premise is simple, yet brilliant: You must develop a pathetic team into Mayhem Bowl champions within three years, else you'll be fired. You can improve your team by trading for top players, signing free agents, or simply bolstering the players you already have by improving their attributes via XP earned during games. Coming from the PC version of the game, the Switch port is admittedly a little rough around the edges. The graphics are a bit muddy and the frame rate seems to hover around 30, which is lower than I'd like to see for a game as fast-paced and arcadey as this. Additionally, there have been reports of the game hard-crashing, particularly when playing Dynasty mode. Although I haven't experienced these crashes myself and the developers are working hard to address them, it's something you should be aware of. Bottom line: Mutant Football League is fast, and it is violent. It will make you laugh, and probably even cry (losing a star player early in the game is never an easy pill to swallow). And although the Switch port is far from perfect, the game is still an absolute blast to play and the ability to take it on the go and play it literally anywhere is just plain awesome and helps make up for most of the aforementioned technical issues. As I said at the very beginning, if you're a fan of the original Mutant League Football or even NFL Blitz, you will love this game. Don't pass it up!

Mutant Football League is the definitive spiritual successor to the original Mutant League Football on the Sega Genesis. If you're a fan of MLF or even NFL Blitz, you will love this game. Designed by Michael Mendheim, creator of the original game, MFL boasts countless throwbacks to the Genesis classic while also bringing many new features to the table. Yes, you can still kill players to knock them out of the game--permanently. And yes, you can still bribe (and murder, if necessary) referees. But there's more. One of the most significant additions is a vile, vulgar, utterly hilarious commentary team voiced by none other than Tim Kitzrow, whose iconic work in such arcade games as NBA Jam and the aforementioned NFL Blitz speaks for itself. If you've never played the Sega Genesis game and aren't sure what to expect, here's a quick rundown: Mutant Football League is a violent, fast-paced, 7-on-7 American football game in which over a dozen teams comprised of skeletons, robots, superhumans, orcs, and aliens quite literally fight it out for victory. Fields are littered with deadly hazards like mines and buzzsaws and teams can even call "Dirty Trick" plays like "Shotgun," which makes the quarterback whip out a literal shotgun. There's also plenty of post-play fighting, so don't be surprised if a linebacker elbow-drops your star quarterback right to the morgue well after the whistle is blown! Offline you can play against the AI in one of several different modes, ranging from a one-time exhibition game to a full-fledged 13-game season (playoffs included, if you qualify for them). There's also local multiplayer/couch co-op, meaning you and up to three other people can play with or against one another. Online play is currently limited to 1v1, but the developers hope to expand on it in the near future. The game looks and feels surprisingly polished and is incredibly fun to play. The controls are responsive and intuitive and the AI can put up one heck of a fight. There's also a nice variety of teams and fields/stadiums. Additionally, there are plenty of options that allow you to drastically alter the experience. Don't like losing players permanently? Turn on resurrection, and they'll be restored the very next down. Don't like trick plays? Turn them off, and you'll never be crushed by a gigantic defender ever again! More content is also on the way, with demons and werewolves coming post-launch free of charge. Mod tools are also planned, which is incredibly exciting for obvious reasons. Bottom line: As I said at the very beginning, if you're a fan of the original Mutant League Football or even NFL Blitz, you will love this game. It is fast, and it is violent. It will make you laugh, and probably even cry (losing a star player early in the game is never an easy pill to swallow). But most of all, it will make you realize that it doesn't take a massive team with a ginormous budget to produce an outstanding football game that delivers hours upon hours of fun.

(SINGLEPLAYER REVIEW) THE GOOD: Very, very challenging. Oldschool level design including keycard hunts and deadly obstacles. Super fast movement speed. No regenerating health. Unlimited ammo, no reloading required (just like in the original). Collectables and hidden areas. Gore galore. Awesome remakes of old songs, including the ability to listen to the classic versions. Tons of graphics options. THE BAD: No manual saving. Poor A.I. that doesn't always react to your presence. Small enemies that blend in too well with the environments. Widespread performance issues (frame rate drops and stuttering). Mouse smoothing that can't be disabled through the menus (plus when it's disabled via config edits, the movement still doesn't feel quite right). OVERALL: A fun game that stays true to the original in many ways but also lacks polish. It's fast, furious, and challenging, but makes one wonder just how great it could have been had the developers spent more time optimizing the performance and kept a classic "save anywhere, anytime" system. Thankfully, for $15 it isn't much **** and if you're a fan of shooters from the "good old days," go for it. Just expect your moments of glee to occasionally be interrupted by those of disappointment or thoughts of "what could have been."

It amazes me just how many ignorant consumers are content with settling for less. "Call of Duty in the palms of your hands!" says one clown. "Surprised by the quality!" says another. This title fails in every possible way. The single-player campaign is incredibly short. Multiplayer is limited to simplistic 4-on-4 action. There is absolutely no Zombies mode -- a crime of unspeakable severity. This is absolutely not the "Call of Duty" experience on a handheld system. Instead, it's just another sloppy, half-hearted effort from the goons at Nihilistic. Much like their previous failure, Resistance: Burning Skies, Call of Duty lacks polish and content. The Playstation Vita is capable of oh-so-much more, but if developers like this continue to be handed the rights to create titles for such large, successful, and important franchises as Call of Duty and even Resistance, I often wonder if we'll ever see it. Killzone and perhaps BioShock remain the two "last hopes" on the shooter scene, and who knows how those will fare. It's just a crying shame knowing that we could have had so much more on this system and that Nihilistic, once again, has delivered a title that's embarrassing not only to the franchise it represents, but the platform on which it's available.

Wargame should come with a disclaimer that says, "WARNING: NOT FOR GIRLIE MEN." This is a real time strategy game that isn't afraid to throw you to the wolves and whose missing tutorial is made up for only by a skimpy game manual and a few text pop-ups during the singleplayer missions. Early on you're given a few tanks and recon vehicles and expected to maneuver and fight your way to victory, using trees as cover and attacking the enemy with vehicles that have better range. The first few times you'll probably completely bomb and feel embarrassed, but the more you play, the more things will "click" and the better you'll feel about yourself and the game. There are many unique elements at play here. This isn't just another "Amass army of tanks -- Send them forwards -- Win" strategy game. Every unit has essential roles on the battlefield. Battle tanks are excellent versus small armored vehicles but hopeless versus attack helicopters. Recon units can spot enemies from great distances but often lack firepower and therefore require you to send in "attack dog" units to flush out and crush the revealed enemies. Infantry are excellent at performing forest ambushes and even demolishing tanks if they catch them by surprise, but out in the open they're mostly cannon fodder. To make things more interesting, units also have their own limited supplies like gasoline and ammunition. If you've never played a real time strategy game in which vehicles run out of gas and ammo, you're in for a surprise. The counter for this problem comes in the way of supply vehicles like trucks and even helicopters. If you hadn't already guessed, though, even those units have limited supplies and must resupply at forward bases. There is a lot at work in Wargame and you'll always have your hands full managing your units both in and out of combat. Like R.U.S.E. and World in Conflict before it, Wargame also throws base building and resource gathering mechanics out the window in favor of spending points earned during matches to purchase new units. Reinforcements arrive in specially designated areas of the map that are captured by sending in lone "command" units. If you want them to arrive without having to drive across Wargame's huge maps, you'll need to send a command unit to capture a zone relatively close to the major combat areas. I could go on and on about why Wargame is so captivating and unique but like most strategy games, it isn't perfect. The user interface is one of the clunkiest I've ever used and its poor designs plague even the game's numerous menus. Overall, if you're a war gamer seeking a challenge and anticipating battles consisting of hundreds of infantry, tanks, helicopters, and more across gorgeous, gigantic landscapes, Wargame: European Escalation is one that's more than worth checking out and potentially the most underrated modern war real time strategy game in a long, long time.

Skyrim is a classic example **** with all the potential in the world but that falls victim to repetition and uninspired characters and quests. The main storyline is interesting enough to keep you glued to your seat. The game kicks off with you, a prisoner sentenced to death, escaping a city called Helgen amidst a surprise dragon attack and going on to discover that you're a rare individual known as a "Dragonborn." Dragon encounters and epic trips up gigantic, treacherous mountains follow as you learn more about who you are and what you can do to cleanse the world of evil and make things right again. Then come the side quests. Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quests aside, Skyrim is absolutely filled to the brim with some of the most pathetic, repetitive quests I've ever undertaken in an open world role-playing game. Nine times out of ten, it's "Go collect this, then return to me!" or "Go kill so-and-so, then return to me!" There is no originality to be found and by the time you've fetched the 50th item for the 50th uninteresting character, you'll be ready to tear your hair out and call it a day. The dungeons in which you'll be doing most of your fetching and killing are largely repetitive affairs, too, with copy-and-paste layouts and repetitive puzzles that make each one feel exactly like the last. These gripes aside, not all is bad in the world of Skyrim. The world is large, the graphics are much improved over Oblivion, and the soundtrack is mesmerizing and memorable. The lockpicking system brought over from Fallout 3 is an excellent replacement for Oblivion's annoying one, too, and even the leveling system has been improved. Overall, Skyrim is a great game hampered by quests with no soul and uninteresting characters. Had it featured more interesting characters and a greater variety of quests and things to do - I missed the arenas from Oblivion, for example - I would've played until my eyes had rotted inside my skull. As it stands, however, Skyrim features a huge, gorgeous world to explore but offers little to do in the way of interesting activities once the story reaches a conclusion and you've assisted both the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. Had there been more to do, this would've easily received a perfect score from me. Perhaps upcoming downloadable content will provide this game the interesting content it desperately needs.