When it was first released by Lucas Arts crew Monkey Island started as a comedic tribute to the Pirates of Caribbean ride and since then the series that followed proved to deliver to the game the enjoyment that every player is seeking while being engaged in a video game. Thus new episode Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 1 launched by the Screaming Narwhal is reflecting the same old style of the Lucas Art bearing the same charm, wit characterization that the former creators brought into its narrative style.
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The puzzles of the tale are well done, they come as usual in threes – to accomplish three objectives, or to find solutions at three problems with the purpose of fulfilling a goal. The puzzles use a lot of inventory items and challenge you in that way that you don’t feel frustrated, though there are moments when the player can get stuck and the built-in hint system is too vague to deliver any concrete help.

The game is also lacking some keys that have to belong to the characters of Monkey Island or other series staples, but considering that there are four more episodes to go, players do not need to panic; they can enjoy further the characters present in the game together with the Curse of Monkey Island’s actors voices which remained unchanged. As a conclusion the Tales of Monkey Island Episode 1 is a game that you can dare challenge, even if you are not in its previous series; it can guarantee you lots of adventures to enjoy with a fairly enough touch of reality in its graphics.

Critics agrees, according to 1UP.com, with the fact that while playing you can be rewarded for paying close attention to the details without giving you the feeling that you are engaged in a spread scattershot adventure, and mostly you get the sense that once you have solved a problem, that solution would have been obvious from the beginning. Giant Bomb is mentioning the same simplicity of the solution once the problem was figured out.

Critics disagree with the performances of the dialogues, calling them to be weak and irrelevant especially the ones belonging to the supporting cast. As IGN.com declares that this can be a result of the dusty franchise that the writers are trying to capture again in the characters’ voices, therefore many times the dialogue lacks hilarity. Others disagree saying that most of the time the game presents plenty of comical situations bearing veridical dialogues even though the player casts himself in the puzzles that use unconventional ways to be deciphered.

All in one it seems that mostly the supporting cast is not described in that funny way a player might expect it to, but either way, this doesn’t prevent you from accessing the game which delivers exciting adventures thanks to the presence of the puzzles and compelling every player to set his mind at work while trying to find solutions that are really awarding.

For the ones who are into flight simulation, Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War, seems to be the best option in the area offering fabulous and well rendered graphics of flight model. Even if at the beginning you may feel frustrated because of the instability of the old planes, after a while you’ll be more excited of the challenges the game displays. The fact that you are able to aim the targets in truly impressive maneuvers gives you the satisfaction of a job well performed.
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The game is imprinted with realism starting with setting your gun convergence to frequent gun jams that must be cleared before you are able to shoot again. You encounter often bumpy runways that render every takeoff and touchdown a level of danger and difficulty. But this difficulty can be adjusted using plenty of options that the game offers.

It was mentioned at the beginning the graphics regarding the flight model, but when it comes to environmental details it is even better. You actually feel the speed and sense the altitude while flying at treetop level, or when you climb up to a few thousand feet. The other setting that fill in the picture are very well created regarding the graphics. The designers have paid a lot of attention in creating the planes, where every tiny detail till the largest one is well represented. When it comes to damages, the models are also superbly designed where you see the bullet tearing an enemy plane, disintegrating it in a way far more real than in any other flight simulations.

There are however some aspects that lack in the game; the freedom of choice is two restricted, with only two planes to choose from, determining the gamer to feel kind of restricted, especially that the interface mentions something about other planes, that you can not fly. The missions give you the feeling of a “been there, done that”, but again there is no point to progress outside the status of a post-mission. The game comprises also a multiplayer component, but the opponents prove to be not too many and too far to be considered useful for the gameplay.

Outside the missions the picture doesn’t present itself so interesting, the case that wraps the game is generally unresponsive, providing graphics and control that can be changed only before the game is started. There is a tutorial part, but it offers flat acting and voices of the characters that are randomly switched. Whenever you start playing you need an online authentification although the game comes with CD-key.

But all in one with its best flight model and graphics, Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War is a game that invites both hardcore simmers and newcomers in this kind of games, especially that these are not so widespread in the field of computers games.

If you are unfamiliar with the 2D fighting game, the experience you can get in this kind of game faces the same old dilemma: who is who? Arc System Works has recently released BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger in an attempt to reprogram the 2D fighting game logic.
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The game bears a nice animation with an attention granted for detail, and small characters that look weird, such as cat-person, a big bruiser resembling the exagerated figure of Hellboy, and a creature that looks like a blob and moves according to a list of fascinating math and logic. The characters do not act according to the familiar motion controller or charge techniques, the player doesn’t face the range of different standing positions, or jumping, is just a standard life where BlazBlue has guard meters, features that punish players who strive to defend too hard.

The thing is that each character behaves totally different form every other enabled by the attack button that produces a unique move, this fact determined the developers to present the game with a DVD of certain editions of the game, to provide some tutorial. The tactics that almost every other game fighter have (in Street Fighter III or in Capcom vs, SNK2) are rendered here in an all compassing learning curve, which seems a little bit refreshing, though not comprehensible to everyone.

IGN sees the game as a detailed and polished 2D with character designs very well created with a very appealing fighting mechanic. 1UP considers BlazBlue one of the best games that Arc System Works has in its catalogue, with its fighting mechanics that worth replicating by other fighter games. They added that Arc System Works deserves to be paid attention to and at the same time to praise their work. Gametrailers  boasts the flow of the game seeing it very colorful and fast-paced. They also notice the fresh tone brought by the fighting tactics that have the mark of a creative drive system.

There are though some disagreements regarding the game’s art style in that the BlazBlue 2D game presents an extreme aesthetic, since 2D art is not so familiar to the gamers of our days. Another disagreement regards the overcrowded things per frame of the game, in this way the player needing to pay attention to the main action trying at the same time not to mind the marionettes, Boobie Lady etc. These distractions are the BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger’s flaws, considering that there are some areas where Arc System Works could have leave a little bit aside of that style and use it in other scenes that allowed the same maneuvering to be displayed.

However, for those who are into fighting games, the 2D BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger worths giving it a try, letting you think in different ways, and this can be constructive for everyone involved.