Hands down one of the most impressive video game based booths at Comic Con was Capcom’s. Besides showing off some of their newest offerings, they just knew how to make their little corner of the San Diego convention center shine like a brand new nickle. So getting some game time on the show floor was a daunting task with almost everyone in the place lining up to check out Capcoms brand of fun. After fighting off con goers ( no seriously, I have the Hadouken burns to prove it ) I got a chance to test run Tatsunoko vs Capcom : Cross Generations of Heroes, and let the Agent assure you… this game was badass.

First off lets explain a few things. Yes this is considered a VS game by every fight fans definition : Capcom style action with killer company crossing goodness aplenty. Only problem is no ones ever heard of  Tatsunoko. But of course, your boy will deliberate. Tatsunoko is the company responsible for many of Japan’s most popular animated series, including Speed racer, Gatchamen, Evangelion and Macross to name a few. In other words mostly old school properties that some of the younger generation might not recognize. But don’t expect to see heavy hitters from those shows in the game, since most of the characters included haven’t been considered to be hott in a long time. Even Capcom’s side of the roster isn’t as well known as you might have figured. Yes Ryu is in it. Of course you can get some Chun-li love. But for the most part, most of the characters added were either unknowns ( to stateside fans ) or are from games that lost their appeal long ago. When Vs fans first take a look at the character select screen, question marks will fill their head. But that quickly gets thrown out the window about two seconds after the announcer yells “FIGHT” and all hell breaks loose.

THIS GAME IS FUN !! The First thing you notice is how beautiful the game runs. It’s chaotic, splashy, over the top and doesn’t lose even a single frame in all it’s mayhem. Die hard fan boys will notice that the game has taken a very drastic turn when it comes both game play and control. The main draw to the Marvel VS Capcom series was it’s ease of play. Since all the characters played exactly the same, it was easy for both veterans and newbies to pick up there fave fighter and get sick wit the joystick. TvsC throws this concept out the window and goes back to the Street Fighter formula and gives every character a unique move set ( that’s right foo’s, back to memorizing your supers ). This is going to be hit or miss with most fans, but I personally welcome the diversity in button presses… call me old school. The controls are a completely different beast. Gone is the six button set up of most Capcom games since this one gets cut down to four. Three levels of attack buttons and one to launch Super Combos. But don’t fret. The set up works and I can assure you every fireball, spinning pile driver and kikoken is present as Capcom didn’t leave out a single move to accommodate the set up. Where I’m a little worried is the way the game plays using the Wii-mote. It’s pretty sucky. I’ll admit it probably could work, If I had a little more time with it, but I can’t honestly say yet, as I opted for a better way to play… using Capcom’s fight stick !! That’s right, the big C opted to create a worthy fight stick for the game and also showcased a prototype version at the con to try out. It played like a dream and made the whole experience a lot more fun than the “Smash Bros.” set up the Wii-mote option reminds me of. Don’t get scared though. The game could very well rock with Nintendo’s magic sticks, but I just didn’t get enough time with it. Backgrounds looked like crap, but are not even noticed with all the mayhem going on. Another awesome aspect of the game ( which i cant believe I noticed with the roar of the crowd behind me ) was the soundtrack. Every character had a crazy remix of their original stage music start playing  just as they are tagged in, which added to the excitement of just barely switching out in time to save yourself from being knocked out. There was nothing like getting backed into a corner and right as my opponent launched their Super combo, you hear Viewtiful Joe’s yell followed by him crashing onscreen with the craziest techno remix.

NK is gonna keep an eye out for this Wii exclusive. I think even without the star power of most VS games, this can be considered a very worthy entry for fight fans …

Drew ‘ViggoTheCarp’ Bergmark
Show Host And Staff Writer

A tower defense game leads enemies through a path to get to a point on the map where they can escape, but you are supposed to stop the enemies by constructing towers to attack these enemies with damage or by giving an enemy an ailment. GemCraft accomplishes making this gameplay not only fun, but challenging gamers to keep playing in different ways.

Through different levels of gameplay, every level gives you a different experience. After beating levels for the first time, you level up and you can update your ‘Skill Points’. To help go through the later levels, you have to use this Skill Points to upgrade your skills. Learning what skill to upgrade and balancing it with other skills is what will get you through this game making this game not only a Tower Defense flash game, but a difficult RPG. With those two, I’m going to be kept busy with this game for a long time. With the battle mode mission selection (seen above), I’m going to be playing this for about 9 times as long as I did the original. For those with not familiar to Tower Defense genre, I suggest they check out the first GemCraft.

I give this flash game a 5 out of 5. For those unfamiliar with the genre, try out Desktop Tower Defense to eventually be able to try out Gem Craft. For those that are, I recommended you jump into a game right NOW!

[via SlashGamer]

Justin “The Pepsi Plunge” Verterano
Staff Writer

Okay, so it’s not so much an arcade game as it is a movie trivia game.  Empire Online has a game titled Cryptic Canvas up.  The goal is to name as many of the films in this painting as you can based on the clues given.  I’d say that I watch a lot of movies, but that has nothing to do with it.  It’s being able to decipher the clues to hit their titles.  I’m at 38/50 on my own and the last 12 are driving me insane.  Perhaps you can do better!

And what’s great is that you can save your progress.

Edit: This will help you in your journey.  It’s the location of all the clues so you don’t get confused.

Give Cryptic Canvas a go!

-Dane

Mix a flying skull, limbless floating monsters, and lasers.  The end product is this twitch based geometry wars-esque shooter.  Dodge and blast the Mr. Oblong monsters.  As you progress they begin to fire back!  Minor RPG elements allow you to customize your floating skull.  Use your mouse to manuver yourself and take aim.  Hold down the left button to keep your aim in place.  Enjoy this game after the jump!

Josh”Buddhapunch”Pacheco

An ode to retro! Haven’t found any flash game that has caught my eye as of lately, until now! Take all the Super Mario games and put them back into a 2D setting and you get this very great homage to old and new school Mario! Play the game after the jump!

Josh “Buddhapunch” Pacheco *

Scenario: your Xbox360 has red ringed, you are installing a game on your PS3 and it’s going to take 10 hours, or the Nintendo Wii is for noobs, old people, and little girls and it sucks! Along with all these circumstances, you need your fix of Guitar Hero or Rock band. Well, praise be odin!  Your answer has arrived. It goes by the name “Jam Legend“. Play a band game from the comfort of your PC and keyboard. If you are going for an authentic feel, hold your keyboard like a guitar using enter as your strumbar and the number keys as your note buttons. Jam legend is considerably fun. Sign up for an account and track your victories and gain the ability to unlock achievements. Many of the bands are unheard of, so this seems to be a great way to market them. People tend to love the songs of the bands they click and strum to over and over again. It helps that the music is at a good level of quality. The better known bands, like “All American Rejects”, only supply samples of their music, leaving you wanting more. JL is still in beta and with the sample system, it leaves NK wondering if there will be some sort of charge for the better known tracks. Of course, this game is cheap. You get what you pay for. But it is still an enjoyable, addictive time. When you are at work or just flat out bored and don’t feel like leaving your computer to hit the power button on your console of choice, just play Jam legend.

Play Jam legend @ Here

~FLitz

*Kudo’s to Kevin Pereira’s twitter for tip*

There have been several new releases over the past few weeks. With all these new games, someone might find themselves with “insufficient funds.” So, for all the answers to our problems, we turn to the Internet. Back in 2007, a flash version of the game Portal came out. This year, a flash version of Mirror’s Edge has made its way to the Internet. Created by Brad Borne, the game is still in beta currently. With leaderboards and more features still to come, this game is sure to keep anyone busy for hours. Check it out now by clicking here.

There have been several new releases over the past few weeks. With all these new games, someone might find themselves with “insufficient funds.” So, for all the answers to our problems, we turn to the Internet. Back in 2007, a flash version of the game Portal came out. This year, a flash version of Mirror’s Edge has made its way to the Internet. Created by Brad Borne, the game is still in beta currently. With leaderboards and more features still to come, this game is sure to keep anyone busy for hours. Check it out now by clicking here.