PewPewReviews

GO Spotlight: E3 2013 Predictions

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:21:31 -0700

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E3 2013. It’s only one day away.

The biggest event for gamers features two new consoles, beginning a new generation of gaming and igniting an even more intense rivalry between the three first-party publishers. Each year there are surprises that shock even the most jaded gamers.

Of course, when it comes to surprises, we all love to make predictions about what we’ll see at the show. From a mythical game reveal to “One more thing…” at the press conferences, here’s each of our predictions for E3 2013.

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Population GO: Fan Favorite 2013

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:39:48 -0800

Population GO: Fan Favorite 2013:

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It’s that time of the year again!

Starting March 4, we will be running our 2nd annual Fan Favorite tournament, which is a Pop GO version of March Madness. 48 geek and otaku characters that have played integral roles in the world of anime, comics, film, gaming, manga and television the…

Geek Spotlight: Meet The Best TV Show About Video Games: "Game Center CX"

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:27:46 -0800

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With G4 switching its full content lineup over to a men’s channel, there’s a woeful lack of programs about gaming anymore. While there is an abundance of gamers on YouTube that provide plenty of entertaining content, most lack the production values that come from having a dedicated crew to produce shows with all that wonderful extra polish.

However, there is one remaining show left that can provide gamers with a gut-busting amount of comedy and is still currently running after more than 150 episodes. It can also be credited with creating the popular “Let’s Play” format of many of the YouTube stars you might currently watch today.

Gamers, meet Game Center CX.

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Top 5: Most Anticipated Games of Early 2013

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:05:15 -0800

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After a stuffed holiday season, gamers usually anticipate a bit of time off to catch up on last year’s favorites that they might’ve missed or glossed over.

But 2013 is not one of those years.

Looking at the first six months of this year, publishers are pulling out all the stops, delivering games such as Ni No Kuni, DmC, Rayman Legends, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Gears of War: Judgement, and God of War: Ascension. As good as all these games will be, they didn’t even crack the list of Top 5 Most Anticipated Games Of Early 2013.

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populationgo: Help Nominate Population GO For Tumblr Of The...

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:04:50 -0800

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Help Nominate Population GO For Tumblr Of The Year!

Voting has opened up for the 5th annual Shorty Awards, which honors and recognizes people and organizations around the world of social media. This year, it is once again featuring a Tumblr of the Year category.

If you’ve appreciated and have been a fan of the work Pop GO has done over the course of the year, then please be so kind as to help us get recognized by nominating us here!

Being one of the most-nominated Tumblr sites would not only validate the work our staff has done up until this point, but it would really help recognize the culture that we all love and work so hard to write about. :)

Emotion... The Final Frontier?

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:52:00 -0800

The big buzz word in gaming this year has been, without a doubt: emotion.
It’s like people in the game industry just discovered a new rare element and have decided to try and make us moved to shaking, wet messes of human beings.
I’d just like to point out that the most moved I’ve been by games this year were from Halo 4 and Virtue’s Last Reward.

Game Review: Far Cry 3

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:09:25 -0800

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When gamers first got a glimpse at Far Cry 3 in action at E3, it looked too good to be true. The prospect of vicious combat, an intense story and living, breathing wildlife seemed like a pipe-dream considering the issues that plagued Far Cry 2.

As surprising at it may seem, Ubisoft Montreal has delivered a game that not just meets the hype of six months ago, but largely exceeds them. The best way to describe Far Cry 3 is to say that it’s a hypnotizing experience absent from reality, straddling the line between madness and beauty, existing to show us the allure of power, ferocity, and insanity.

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My review of the second best shooter of 2012. Definitely give it a try if you already haven’t.

Best Game of 2012: Halo 4

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:42:00 -0800

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2012 has been a magnificent year for gaming. We saw the end of a brilliant trilogy in Mass Effect 3, a familiar face make a triumphant return in Max Payne 3, indie games hit the spotlight like never before with games like Fez and Journey, and sequels return with a complete reinvigoration in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Far Cry 3, and Borderlands 2. But there was one clear standout among them all the fantastic games this year.

With a full experience from top-to-bottom, Halo 4 was the clear winner, redefining my expectations of what a first-person shooter can aspire to be. It may not reinvent the wheel, but for me, it is one of the most refined shooters I’ve ever played and no doubt the Best Game of 2012.

Hit the break to find out why Halo 4 is one of the best games of 2012.

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Best of 2012: Gaming

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:10:13 -0800

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It’s the fourth day of Pop GO’s Best of 2012 week — where staff members representing Anime, Comics, Film, Gaming and Manga reveal the titles they felt were the best of 2012 each and every day — and it’s time for the gaming staff to unveil their picks!

Tune in throughout the day to see which games they personally chose, as well as the game our readers crowned as the Readers’ Choice for best game of 2012. And be sure to let us know if you agree or disagree. :)

Readers' Choice: What Was The Best Game Of 2012?

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:36:15 -0800

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Later next week, from Dec. 24-28, Pop GO will be unveiling their Best Anime, Comics, Films, Games and Manga of 2012. Each day we will feature a medium, and the staff members from that medium will each publish their choices of best titles from 2012.

But before that, we’d like to know what our readers thought the best titles of 2012 were! The titles that get picked the most from each medium will be crowned the Readers’ Choice and will be featured along side the choices of our staff members.

This post is for all the video game fans out there…

What was the best game of 2012?

There are 2 ways to make your pick: 1) Answer on your dashboard if you’re a Tumblr user, or 2) answer in our comment box (recommended, especially for longer answers) which you can find by clicking the “Read More” break below. You can either just simply write down the name of the game, or you can also write down the game AND write the reason why. Now there’s also a possibility that your pick gets singled out and becomes the representative of the Readers’ Choice, so writing why you thought the game was the best would be a good idea.

Help us out and make your pick for best game of 2012!

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So Apparently "The Phantom Pain" Trailer Was Actually "Metal Gear Solid 5"

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 14:41:31 -0800

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According to Kotaku, Metal Gear Solid 5 was secretly announced under the ruse of “The Phantom Pain” last night at the Spike VGAs. While the protagonist of the trailer had a very Snake-like appearance (especially with his hair), the trailer appeared to be for a brand new title under a newly formed studio. Of course, this all seems to be another elaborate trick by Konami and Hideo Kojima.

More after the break.

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All I kept thinking as I watched “The Phantom Pain” trailer was “SNAKE? SNAKE! SNAAAKKEE!?!” And it seems pretty obvious that the game was running on the FOX engine.

Nintendo Power Comes Full Circle With Final Issue

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:13:22 -0800

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Children of the late 80’s had it different than today’s spawn of the internet. Information was a lacking trait of the pre-connected years and as a gamer, you were at the mercy of game developers. It was an era where the medium began to create benchmarks for design; a lawless spectrum, if you will, of how to implement game logic, user interface, and goals.

In other words, games were hard, vague, and plentiful. But there was help…

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I think I have to pick up the final issue and frame it with my copy of the first issue. Nintendo Power was the authority for gaming news while I was growing up. Such a shame to see it fade into the sunset like this.

Go back LA Game Space here!

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:22:00 -0800

Go back LA Game Space here!

Game Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:15:30 -0800

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The Call of Duty franchise has been under heavy scrutiny for years now because of concerns with “reused content.” This year, Treyarch and Activision’s Black Ops 2 takes square aim at the naysayers, looking to prove the masses wrong by delivering the most complete Call of Duty experience ever.

Has Black Ops 2 surpassed the expectations of its rabid fan-base, or do fanboys have more ammo to add to their anti-Call of Duty fire?

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Does anyone else dislike Black Ops 2's multiplayer?

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:30:00 -0800

I didn’t think Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer was amazing or groundbreaking, but at least I usually had a lot of fun playing the game. Seems like in Black Ops 2, I get spawn killed way more often than ever before and camping is a more feasible practice than ever. The weapons and perks appear completely balanced, yet things seem as lopsided as they’ve ever been. I can’t even count how often I’ve run into a bouncing betty or shock charge. And I won’t even get into how bad a majority of the maps are in the game. I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this game at all.

I loved the single player, didn’t like Zombies, and now I’m beginning to despise the competitive multiplayer. I feel like I’m missing something here.

Bungie's "Destiny" Has A Huge Leak Of Concept Art And Game Details

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:04:25 -0800

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The famous development studio of Halo has been quietly working away at their next game for quite a while now. Today, a handful of concept art was leaked and it shows off some amazing looking scenes that will have every gamer talking.

More about Destiny and its leaked artwork after the break.

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To say I’m excited about Bungie’s next project would be an understatement. Destiny looks absolutely incredible.

GO Spotlight: What We're Thankful For (2012)

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:55:45 -0800

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2012 has been a wonderful year for all mediums, filled with beginnings, endings and changes. The comic world experienced a new phase, and saw the culmination of the first phase of a series of much-anticipated films based off of their heroes. The manga world prepared itself for the pending end of one long-running franchise, and said its farewells to another as it rode into the sunset, while the film world saw the revival of a beloved franchise, and the gaming world was launched into the next generation. Meanwhile, the anime world has been the epitome of beginnings and ends, as series have constantly come and gone throughout the seasons.

And, as an aside, we all witnessed just how powerful a certain fandom can be.

This editor is thankful that Pop GO has been fortunate to report and review all of it; thankful that we’ve had a wonderful team — talented folks who have either been here since the beginning, unfortunately moved on or have recently hopped along for the ride — of non-professionals-yet-just-as-passionate geek and otaku writers, young and old, to cover it all.

Most importantly, this editor is thankful that we continue to have readers who allow us to do what we love and help us continue to grow. Pop GO would not be where it’s at without the support of its readers, and for that, we thank YOU.

As a special treat for all of you on this day of thanks, the rest of our Pop GO staff would like to share with you what they have been thankful for in 2012!

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populationgo: “Grand Theft Auto V’s” Second Trailer Is Live The...

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:36:44 -0800

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“Grand Theft Auto V’s” Second Trailer Is Live

The wait for Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V has officially begun with the release date announcement a couple of weeks ago and now there’s also a new trailer to go along with it.

We’re taken back to the very slick and modern setting of Los Santos and introduced to the three main protagonists: Michael (the suit-wearing gentleman), Trevor (the scruffier balding man), and Franklin (the youngest of the bunch). As announced previously, any of the three protagonists will be available to play at any time, so it will be interesting to see how this could effect gameplay and plot.

Grand Theft Auto V hits store shelves Spring 2013 for PS3 and 360.

[Rockstar Games’ YouTube]

The problem with Virtue's Last Reward isn't how great a game it is...

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 22:30:00 -0800

Virtue’s Last Reward is the first game I’ve ever given a perfect score. I’d usually reserve perfect scores for must-owns on a platform. Somehow it occupies territory between being an amazing game without being a must-play for gamers. As much as I have been completely enthralled by the game and still believe it deserves every bit of praise that has been and will be showered upon it, Virtue’s Last Reward is unique for more than just its premise and playstyle. It retains residence in a very rare space as a being a niche title that advances gaming’s traditional genres while going almost completely unnoticed by the gaming population in general.

Perhaps the best comparison that can be made is to the original Disgaea. Both are brilliant in their execution, yet remain on the outside looking in because they are designed for an extremely esoteric audience. While Disgaea did go on to become legendary in hardcore gaming circles and forums, I doubt the same will happen, regardless of its remarkably high quality, to Virtue’s Last Reward.

Anyways, just reflecting on my review of the game. Anyone that has even some sliver of interest in the game should give the game a chance. It may need the support for when Aksys is deciding whether or not to port the eventual third title.

Game Review: Virtue's Last Reward

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:58:37 -0800

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If you passed over 2010’s 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, I couldn’t blame you. Although you missed a cult classic visual novel-puzzle crossover, it missed on some points and didn’t exactly set the world on fire.

But I’m here to tell you this time around that gamers need to ally with Virtue’s Last Reward. It’s hands down the best portable game I’ve played this year and will be a contender for “Game of the Year” at the end of December.

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