CARDBOARD GAMING MAGAZINE
A PRIL 15, 2013 ISSUE 1, VOLUme 1 CARDBOARDMAG@GMAIL.COM @CARDBOARDzINE
THIS MONTH IN
GAMES AMONG US Matches pair up features DC comics favorites like Aquaman, Bane, Batman, Catwoman, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Lex Luthor, Superman and Wonderwoman.
DARK REALMFORGE STUDIOS April 26 PC, XBOX 360 Let’s be honest, I’m just hoping Dark will fill the void left in my heart my other Western RPGs. With major games like Dragon Age III: Inquisition and other RPG games , holding out until next gen consoles, maybe Dark will scratch the itch. Dark is another game that can be defined in terms of other games. Its stealth mechanics are reportedly similar to Splinter Cell, with players using vampiric abilities like turning into smoke to take out enemies in supernatural stealth. The game “puts players in the role of a vampire out to discover the secrets of the
No VAMPIRE PUNS, EVERYTHING IS OVERUSED. With art reminiscent of Borderland’s cell shading, this game proves it will be visually stunning even if it proves full of tropes and what has become the standard of “paranormal fiction” shelves at bookstores across the country.
mysterious global GeoForge Corporation,” which sounds a bit Resident Evil-esque, but surely there are more evil corprorations to be found. And vampire video games always seem to fall into Vampire: the Masquerade games or BloodRayne games. Defined as “action RPG”, however, maybe this game will split the difference. Here’s hoping Dark can find a place for itself among the tropes that came before. Unfortunately, right now it seems like every other game on the market repackaged into something a little different.
APRIL DLC CALL OF DUTY
BLACK OPS 2:Uprising TREYARCH, N-SPACE APRIL 16 KILLING BRAIN CELLS IS THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES. Stranded on a rock without booze might sound like the next Pirates of the Carribean adventure, but proves to be very different in the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC, Uprising.
This DLC, dropping April 16, adds four new multiplayer maps — including a Zombies mode set in Alcatraz (in prohibitionera, no less) called “Mob of the Dead.” The map features mobsters escaping the infected island. Mobsters who don’t escape will find themselves in “Purgatory”, a new
feature that sends players killed by zombies into the afterlife. Uprising is 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15 USD. You can also grab Uprising with the Black Ops 2 season pass, which goes for a hefty 4000 Microsoft Points or $50 USD.
INJUSTICE:GODS AMONG US NETHERREALM STUDIOS APRIL 16 PS3, XBOX 360, WII U, iOS No matter what particular flavor you enjoy your comic book canon, this game should prove a treat for any arcade-style fighting game fans. While this story started in the comic book prologue, you can be sure it’ll be KO-ed in the game itself. Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll stop. The game provides an avenue for matchups that might stretch an ordinary plotline a bit thin, except in an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History or actually in a comic book - crazier things have happened (read: Superman vs. the Puzzler - still puzzling over that one). Despite this, the storyline of this action
game is actually being touted as “original” and, most surprisingly, “deep.” Well, we’ll see. There seems to be a mentality that goes with playing combat games: you have an opponent, you take down the opponent. You don’t take them out to a movie and dinner then ask them up for coffee. No, this is gritty action - your favorite superheroes and villains (and some other random DC characters won’t recognize because they don’t have their own franchise yet) having it out for your enjoyment. Are you not entertained?
Have you always liked the villians better? I have. And, really, it’s great pummelling those smug superheroes into the ground. Or using cool toys to destroy them from afar, as this game focuses on both attack types.
XBOX LIVE ARCADE BATTLEBLOCK THEATRE THE BEHEMOTH APRIL 3
LIFE IS A STAGE. Your character shipwrecks on a mysterious island with best bud Hatty Hattington in tow. The island is inhabited by sadistic cats who imprison you and force you into theater performances. No, I’m not making this up.
The makers of Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers are back for another round on XBLA. The trademark Behemoth jokes are beginning to seem cookie-cutter, but the cut scenes are actually worth your while — almost more so than actual gameplay, which seems a bit sparse and disconnected. The stage design seems fairly standard for
the upper-end of XBLA, but makes for an interesting playthrough nonetheless. The winning point has to be the sheer originality of the plot. I didn’t know I had such a knack for entertaining cats, but I’m sure that’s something I’ll be able to put on my résumé in the future.
DEAD ISLAND:RIPTIDE TECHLAND APRIL 23 PC, PS3, XBOX While Riptide has been described as a spin-off, the storyline is actually a continuation of Dead Island. This action role-playing survival horror game uses a common enemy of Millennial gamers - zombies. Again. But it isn’t like they won’t be fun to kill any more than any other zombie that has come before. The plot of this game basically underwrites the entire purpose of the first game, as the survivors you thought you saved
from tropical island terrors (you can’t really expect tropical drinks in coconuts in a game called Dead Island) find themselves quickly subverted from freedom when a storm hits the rescue ship. The survivors must yet again fight for their survival in a tried and true method of gaming. A new character, John Morgan, has been introduced. Morgan was a soldier in the rescue team.
Another Addition Riptide is going to release in several retail editions, including normal, special, collector’s (exlusive to North and Latin Americas) and “zombie bait”, which is exclusive to the UK.
L E T ’ S P L AY MINECRAFT LET’S BUILD ENDER ISLAND. Sick of endermen stealing your island chunks? Just build him his own island. This one has an obsidian-lined head filled with his own kind.
DEFEATING THE ENDERDRAGON IS PRETTY BADASS. With the new patch release, xbox players can finally reach the End. Bring a bow for the easiest kill and popcorn for the awesome enderdragon animation you’re rewarded with before the credits roll.
DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A GAME (WITHIN A GAME)?
BUY AN ENDERFRIENDS T - SHIRT. Friendermen can’t play co-op with you, but they can try. You’re pretty cool and this shirt is too, so you should check it out at dft.ba/-enderfriends.
This is called enderman’s game. It’s basically creating self-perpetuating genocide among endermen by getting them to pick up dynamite and place it on redstone activated blocks, such as obsidian.
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ACHIEVEMENT H I G H L I G H T S I P R E F E R T H E M A L IVE 1 5G RESIDENT EVIL 6 To get this achievement you must rescue two female survivors at the cathedral. While the implied “Little Piece of Heaven”-esque necrophilia is great, this achievement is actually kind of a pain. Using melee is one tactic, but basically it’s a game of keep away with zombies.
KUNOICHI 30G
NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR’S EDGE Clearing all chapters with Ayane, Kasumi and Momiji. Because they’re kunoichi. But let’s be honest, I still have a grudge against Kasumi for sucking so bad at beach volleyball.
GOOD CARDIO 35G DEFIANCE Let’s be honest, everyone knows swimming is not the most efficient way to travel. But in Defiance you get an achievement if you swim a very monotonous 1000 meters. It’s also good preparation for a Zombieland apocalypse, being that cardio is rule #1.
GONNA NEED MORE CLOSET SPACE 20G INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US
As if the main characters in this game don’t have enough skeletons in their closets, they now have to fit several outfit changes as well.