Hijinks Inc.

Category: Video Games

  • Hijinks Reviews: Command & Conquer Red Alert for iPad

    Red AlertPublisher: Electronic Arts
    Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
    Cost: $12.99  [iTunes Link]
    Release date: April 1st, 2010
    Version Reviewed: 1.00

    Let’s jump right in, is it worth $12.99 you ask? Good question. I really have mixed feelings about its price point, though I suppose when you consider that I paid more than $13 for almost every game in the Command & Conquer series for the PC it seems a little more reasonable. That said, unless you’re a die hard Red Alert fan and someone who finds these types of campaigns engaging, you might want to hold out for a lower price. This isn’t a bad game, but as in introduction to the series it’s not that impressive, and it really could use an update to fix some serious bugs.

    When I first heard Red Alert was coming to the iPad I was pretty excited, I’d downloaded the Lite version for the iPhone in the past, but didn’t buy the full version because of screen size issues. So I figured the iPad would be a perfect platform for an RTS game like RA, and I still think that’s true, but EA needs to get their act together before someone else comes out with a better RTS for the iPad. The controls in this game are sloppy at best, unit highlighting isn’t precise, selecting buildings often results in accidentally selling them (how hard is it to add a “Are you sure you want to sell this building?” dialog?), and the build interface in general could use some tweaking.

    Other than using a touchscreen interface, the game hasn’t changed much from its PC counterpart. Your goal is still to destroy everything in sight, all while managing the mundane tasks of generating enough money and energy to keep everything running smoothly. Graphics are nice, but not awe inspiringly so, and they suffer from the occasional stuttering problem when there’s a lot of action going on. (more…)

  • Hijinks Reviews: Glyder 2 for iPad

    Publisher: Glu Media
    Platform: iPad
    Cost: $.99 (on sale)  [iTunes Link]
    Release date: April 1st, 2010
    Version Reviewed: 1.01

    I remember getting my Nintendo 64 back in the day and playing the 2 games I bought with it for hours on end. There was a snowboarding game whose name escapes me, and then there was Pilotwings 64. In Pilotwings you flew all manner of contraptions with the goal of ending up in the flashing circle at the end of the course. There was something soothing about gliding though the air on the hang glider, skimming across the surface of the landscape and performing gravity defying stunts whenever the fancy took me. I hadn’t even thought about Pioletwings for years until this past month when a new Pilotwings was announced for the Wii. Shortly after that announcement I played Glyder 2.  Heelooooo, dejavu. (more…)

  • So this is what video game nirvana feels like..

    On a side note, since I last wrote a post we have a new writer (welcome Ryan), and DAVE started posting again. If this isn’t a sign from God I need to start posting more, I don’t know what is.

    Last week I picked up a Nintendo Wii from eBay on the cheap. With the Xbox 360 I bought last year, and the Playstation 3 I purchased earlier this year, I now own all the current consoles. To put this achievement in perspective, I’m now the coolest guy my 15 year old self could have imagined I would ever be. There is certainly something to be said for being able to switch between playing the Wii, 360, and PS3 with the push of a button on my TV remote. I don’t even have to leave my couch. It offers a kind of fulfillment I don’t imagine my girlfriend will ever understand.

    The reality I’m choosing to ignore by buying all these things is the fact that between working 40-50 hours a week and trying to spend time with people in the RL, I’ll never have time to justify my purchase. My current solution is to sacrifice sleep to play. I wouldn’t call it a viable long term solution, but on the bright side, Final Fantasy XIII’s story almost makes sense at 3 o’clock in the morning. (more…)

  • Hijinks Reviews: Red Dead Redemption

    Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar’s new (I say new layered heavily in italicized sarcasm because the game was actually released way back on May 18th) open ended, Western themed action adventure game that was released to raving reviews from just about everybody. This is the part where you say, ‘Hey, Rockstar, I recognize that name, didn’t they make the Grand Theft Auto games? I love killing prostitutes and running policemen over in stolen cars!’, but before you get all gung-ho about the mayhem you can create in the wild wild west, let me help you by more accurately describing what you can expect after the jump.

    (more…)

  • New NCAA 2011 Teambuilder site is up!! (sorta)

    *Edit: Looking for NCAA Football 2011 rosters file download and custom stadium sound information? Details here.

    *Edit2: Don’t have internet on your console? Here’s a guide to using a flash drive to get the rosters.

    First quick thing I’ll throw out there is for you guys who are anticipating the upcoming release of NCAA Football 11. If you don’t know what to do until July 13, try out the new Teambuilder site. EA hasn’t made any sort of official announcement about this new site, and it has been glitching up quite a bit for just about everyone who’s been trying it, but feel free to poke around. You can at least look at the new roster rankings for the upcoming season.

    To see the new roster rankings, after you register on the site (if you haven’t already) just create a new team and click on the far right button ‘Roster’. Here you can select any base roster for your team. Once the team is loaded you can look through and see everyone’s ratings on your favorite team. I’ll be sure to post again if they make some sort of official announcement or change the location of the page. Quick, go try it out and kill a couple hours…

    http://www.easports.com/teambuilder#/home

    Here’s a tutorial for Teambuilder, released by EA Sports: