Xbox Games

I'm tired of shooting stuff. How many games have been ruined, or at least made worse, because they force combat into it when it didn't need it? I'm also tired of playing games starring burly dudes, and am absolutely sick of publishers telling us that female main characters "don't sell" when you can list dozens of great games with female leads that did just fine. I think it is about time publishers started making games people actually want, rather than telling us what we're supposed to want.

Game Publishers Need To Listen Instead of Telling Gamers What They Want

It is always a good sign when you're so addicted to playing a game that you can't bear the thought of tearing yourself away from it to actually review it. Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds is the latest game to do that to me. This anime-inspired 2D-side-scrolling beat-em-up offers a unique spin on the gameplay of the genre, tons of content, and is an absolute pleasure to play though. There are other beat-em-ups with bigger names and years of nostalgia backing them up, but Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds is the secret best beat-em-up on XBLA. Find out more in our full review.

Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds Review (XBLA)

Image © 5pb

The best part of Kinect Sports (and Wii Sports) is bowling. Too bad all of those other sports and junk get in the way. Now you don't have to slog through menus past other events you couldn't care less about. With 10 Frame Bowling for XBLA, you can skip right to the fun part - bowling. 10 Frame Bowling is dirt cheap at just 240 MSP ($3), and while it is a little bare bones (but can you really complain for $3?), the gameplay is very solid and a ton of fun. We have all of the details here.

10 Frame Bowling Review (XBLA Kinect)

Image © Microsoft

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is pretty much the most metal game ever. That is a good thing, by the way. It has the gameplay of Far Cry 3, so you know it plays well, but it goes super crazy with the graphics and story and weapons to deliver the ultimate parody of cheesy 1980's sci-fi. It is an absolute blast to play though. We have all of the details in our full review.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Review (XBLA)

Image © Ubisoft

Lets face it, J.J. Abrams basically turned "Star Trek" into "Star Wars" (I shudder to think what he'll do to "Star Wars Episode VII ...) but even he didn't have the gall to make the "Trek" into an endless series of Gears of War-style shootouts, which is exactly what Star Trek: The Video Game is. That aside, the shooting here isn't even particularly good or interesting, and pile on ugly presentation and a shocking amount of glitches, and Star Trek: The Video Game is just plain bad. Read on for all of the details.

Star Trek: The Video Game Review (X360)

Image © Namco Bandai

Videogame poker kind of sucks because playing poker with A.I. with no personality is much harder than playing with real people. Real people have personalities you recognize so you know how they react to stuff. Artificial Intelligence in poker games, generally, doesn't have any recognizable personality. That is why Telltale Games' Poker Night series is so interesting - they let you play with iconic characters you know and love, so you (should) know their personalities and how they'll play poker. Plus, you get to play with Brock Samson and Ash Williams, and you can't get any cooler than that. Read our full review of Poker Night 2 for all of the info.

Poker Night 2 Review (XBLA)

Image © Telltale Games

Microsoft has sent out invites for the reveal of the next Xbox console. On May 21st (Tuesday), 2013 at 1 P.M. Eastern, 10 A.M. Pacific, at the Xbox Campus in Redmond, WA, Microsoft will hold a press event to show off the new system. You can watch the event live on Spike TV, Xbox.com,  at GameTrailers.com, or on your Xbox 360.

Then, of course, 19 days later (which is Monday, June 10th), Microsoft will holds its annual E3 conference and show off even more new stuff.

For all of the details, check out Major Nelson's Blog.

Probably the last thing people wanted after the success of Mortal Kombat 9 in 2011 was the announcement that the team was working on a new DC Comics-themed game. It didn't turn out all that well the last time, after all. But gamers kept faith that NetherRealm Studios knew what it was doing, and that faith has been rewarded with the spectacularly good Injustice: Gods Among Us. Injustice is feature-packed, has great presentation, and a fun and accessible fighting engine that is a blast to play with. We have all of the details here in our full Injustice: Gods Among us review.

Injustice: Gods Among Us Review (X360)

Image © Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

I have to admit, I'm not really a fan of oldschool game collections. I find that there are generally only a couple of games I actually want to play, and 15-20 that I never ever want to play again, so the tagline of "Get 20+ oldschool games for $X" is lost on me. That is one reason why I like Capcom Arcade Cabinet quite a bit. Sure, you can buy a bundle with all of the games for $30, but you can also buy just the select ones you want individually for $4 each, which is all right by me. Find out all of the details on how everything works in our full review.

Capcom Arcade Cabinet Review (XBLA)

Image © Capcom

Microsoft's new Motocross Madness for the Xbox Live Arcade isn't much like the old Motocross Madness PC games, but that isn't a bad thing (it has been nearly 15 years, after all, and no matter what your rose-tinted nostalgia is telling you, the old Motocross Madness gameplay is pretty old and busted at this point ...). The new Motocross Madness stands on its own as a very arcadey, over-the-top, crazy, and accessible motorcycle racing game that was designed to be as fun as possible. It isn't realistic in the least, but it is remarkably fun. We liked it. Our full review has all of the details.

Motocross Madness Review (XBLA)

Image © Microsoft