Xbox Live Gold Is No Longer Required For Video Services

Microsoft recently announced that they will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold subscription to utilize some non-gaming services.

Nintendo Won't Be Announcing A New Console At E3 2014

The rumors of Nintendo possibly announcing a new console at this year's E3 are quite possibly greatly exaggerated.

Strider Returns With Razor Sharp Precision

Capcom has been attempting to mend fences with jaded fans over the last six months. First there was the release of the superb DuckTales: Remastered, which was for my money, one of the best games released in 2013. Then there was an announcement that Hiryu would once again battle Grandmaster Meio in an all new Strider game. Some skeptics wondered if a Strider game, with it's generally linear gameplay, had a place in 2014. There was also trepidation when it was discovered that Double Helix would be handling development. For the uninitiated, Double Helix has made some pretty mediocre games, so it's was a valid concern. Thankfully, on February 18th, Strider put all concerns to rest. Double Helix has done an amazing job of capturing the spirit of what made Strider a bonafide classic for Capcom and Strider 2 a legitimate cult classic and certifiable hidden gem for the PS1.

Story wise, this Strider is essentially a retelling of the story in the Arcade title. The Striders are a group of elite ninja-like operatives who specialize in all manner of wetwork. Their youngest member, Hiryu, is the youngest Strider to reach "A-Rank"or elite status among the group. Hiryu is given the task of infiltrating Kazakh City and assassinating a tyrannical despot, Grandmaster Meio. Kazakh City is broken into several main sectors: Kazakh City, Military Ring, Underground, Research Facility, and Tower, and these main sectors contain several smaller areas. This vast game world is tied together in an industrial web of sorts, with gamers being able to bounce back and forth between areas pretty easily as long as you have the item to access a particular door.

Another main difference in this iteration of Strider that sets it apart from others is the addition of a variety of augments for Hiryu's sword, the "Cypher", Projectile weapons, and the return of Hiryu's robotic helpers. All of these weapon enhancements also serve a secondary function that allows Hiryu to traverse the vastness of Kazakh City with ease and access the numerous bonus items. Classic bosses from the original Strider game like the Armored Dragon, Solo, Mecha Pon, and others return in a major way to attempt to thwart Hiryu. There's also a lot of other little bits of nostalgia sprinkled in with unlockable character art, remixed versions of tracks from the NES and Arcade soundtracks. Strider is definitely as much about paying respect to the past as it is about drawing in new players.


All in all, Strider is a testament to the right property being the perfect fit for a developer to truly resurrecting their reputation. Double Helix took a franchise that many younger gamers know very little about and with a major degree of TLC, made it one of the better titles Capcom has put their names on in a few years. Here's to hoping Capcom has returned to form and won't just drift back into old habits of constantly rehashing Street Fighter and Resident Evil titles on a near yearly basis. Hiryu's latest mission is a marvel of great gaming, and definitely worth the $15 price tag if not more.

Now, for me to get this petition for a Legendary Wings sequel or remake going. Capcom, make it happen.

2014 Is Upon Us, And I Want To Be Excited.

So, 2014 is in full swing, and to be honest, I can't say there are a lot of things in gaming that truly have me excited. There isn't a glut of things coming for the Xbox One or the PS4 that are inspiring a great deal of excitement outside of Titanfall and the third proper game in Capcom's Strider series, and they both have Xbox 360 iterations on deck as well. As for the Wii U, there are a few titles, but I actually have to get the console first. Then there's the Steam Machine, which is in the same position as the Wii U. I don't think I've gone into a year with this level of apathy in regards to gaming in a long time, and that saddens and worries me.

All isn't lost though, as I felt a degree of apathy at the beginning of 2013, but it proved to be a great year in gaming outside of the titles that garnered all the hype. My concern though is that major game publishers are more interested in making blockbusters than games that will stand up to the test of time. However, there are games like Keiji Inafume's Mighty No. 9, a long awaited new entry in the cult classic Oddworld series, and several other great games that won't immediately catch the eye of the crowd that didn't get into gaming until Call of Duty went yearly, but they'll win any gamer over who appreciates fine game artistry over big budgets.

Here's to hoping that 2014 proves to have as many great experiences as 2013 gave gamers. I want to give my money to game publishers, so I hope they provide experiences that will give me a desire to part with my funds.