Screen Junkies » Video games

In Honor Of ‘Star Wars 1313′: 7 Best ‘Star Wars’ Video Games

Wookie Johnson — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:17:53 +0000

The first footage from Star Wars 1313 was revealed this week at the E3 conference, and WOW. It looks increbile. This gritty look at the Star Wars universe takes us to Level 1313, a ruthless criminal underground that an inventive bounty hunter must traverse using “human skills and gadgets, rather than supernatural Force powers.” Check out the footage and sign us up.

Again, WOW. While we’re busy cleaning our underwears, check out this list of the top 7 Star Wars video games, and talk amongst yourselves.

Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader

The second game in the Rogue Squadron series is also its best. It’s fast-paced, action-packed, and a standout title for the GameCube. As if tripping up AT-ATs wasn’t enough, if you’re good enough at it and unlock secret content, you’re handed the keys to the Millennium Falcon. I can think of no ship I would rather pilot.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Back in 1996, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was the best non-Mario reason to get an N64. The story picked up the events between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The four chapters of the game follow smuggler Dash Rendar as he joins the Battle on Hoth, attempts to retrieve a carbonite-encased Han Solo, saves Luke Skywalker from the clutches of Darth Vader, and teams up with Luke and Lando to save Princess Leia. With all of those story lines happening, it was also the best non-Mario reason to not touch any boobs. In 1996. I totally touch boobs nowadays. Like all of the time. And not my own.

Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Jedi Outcast took the Doom III engine and made it infinitely awesome times one million. Whereas Doom III allowed you to go bonkers with a chainsaw, Jedi Outcast gives you access to the only weapon cooler than that – the lightsaber. As the old saying goes, “Never bring a chainsaw to a lightsaber fight.”

Star Wars: Republic Commando

This one took everyone by surprise with its overall quality. Set during the Clone Wars, the player leads Delta Squad which is a team of elite Clone troopers. Why couldn’t the prequels feature a story and characters as well planned out as this?

Star Wars: Battlefront II

Although similar to the original Battlefront, Battlefront II adds new gameplay mechanics. Galactic Conquest mode is back in the sequel, which allows you to board an enemy’s vessel and tear it apart from the inside. Can we all agree that that is the best way to destroy a ship?

Star Wars

The one that started it all. The classic arcade game put you in the pilot’s seat of an X-Wing for the first time .Though a galaxy far, far away from the graphics of later LucasArts games, the original Star Wars was addictive fun. Just like the movies.

Knights of the Old Republic

Set 4,000 years before the events of the films, Knights of the Old Republic tops every list of Best Star Wars games. And for good reason. The RPG-based game gave fans a chance to view the Jedi Civil War and take on the founders of the Sith. Plus it had a sarcastic robot which is ALWAYS nice.

All You Need to Know about Max Payne 3 and Diablo 3

Jame Gumb — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:11:01 +0000

Two of the biggest franchises in gaming are about to release a pair of long-awaited sequels. Max Payne 3 and Diablo 3 (both out this week) promise awesome gameplay, if the trailers are any indication. In any case, both games will offer their fair share of challenges, and our friends at Game Front are ready to help you through whatever might come your way. Use these cheat sheets and walkthroughs to guide you on your quests.

Max Payne 3
Max Payne 3 Walkthrough
Max Payne 3 Achievements
Max Payne 3 Trophies
Max Payne 3 Cheats

Diablo 3
Diablo 3 Walkthrough
Diablo 3 Cheats
Diablo 3 Cheat Codes, Easter Eggs, Glitches and Secrets
Diablo 3 Wirts Cowbell—Secret Cow Level Easter Egg
Diablo 3 Complete Achievements List
Diablo 3 General Achievements List
Diablo 3 Campaign Achievements List
Diablo 3 Cooperative Hardcore Achievements List
Diablo 3 Crafting Achievement List
Diablo 3 Challenge Achievements List

This ‘Perfect Strangers’ Video Game Fills Needs I Didn’t Even Know I Had

Penn Collins — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:20:15 +0000

You know how sometimes an innovation comes along, and shortly thereafter, you cant even remember what your life was like without it? The online Perfect Strangers video game is nothing like that, but it’s a fantastic, surreally bizarre way to spend 3-7 minutes.

The purpose of the game doesn’t matter. It’s a Perfect Strangers video game. As Balki, you cruise down a course (that looks suspiciously similar to Rainbow Road in the Mario Kart games), getting stars and running past hilarious Perfect Strangers imagery, all soundtracked by the Perfect Strangers theme song, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop me Now.”

No, you’re not dreaming. This is reality folks. We’ve made it.

The whole game (hit the first link to play) is much more enjoyable if you assume it just simply appeared as a gift from God, but if you must know, it was created by Jason Oda, who has a pretty cool web page of his own.

Now if you’re still reading this, that means you’re not playing the game, which is ridiculous. Play the game, already.

Jennifer Lopez Might Play The Role Of A Lifetime…Carmen Sandiego

Penn Collins — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:18:50 +0000

Nostalgic remakes are a tricky thing. The subject matter has to be relevant, but not so beloved that people feel violated when they hear that someone is going to have their way with them. In my opinion, the film adaptation of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? falls right in that sweet spot. It was something I enjoyed, but I don’t really care if it falls flat.

Jennifer Lopez is currently attached to produce, though it’s presumed that she will star as the titular character as well. I can’t think of an actress I would rather see in this role. Hey! I want to see Jennifer Lopez in a movie! How about that!

For those that were home-schooled or too young to remember, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? was an adventure/geography game in the late 80′s in which students would use geographical clues and riddles to track down renowned thief Sandiego and her henchmen all over the world.

The plot details are not known at the moment, but we all hold out hope that the adaptation will feature a re-imagining of Rockapella’s theme song, hopefully featuring verses by both Fergie and, I don’t know…Adam Levine. Judging by this video, made as recently as 2000, the Rockapella guys are available.

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9 Lamest Virtual Reality Films

Jame Gumb — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:06:47 +0000

Source Code, which opens this weekend, tells the story of Captain Colter Stevens, and his quest to find a terrorist bomber on a train headed for Chicago. That plot might sound predictable, but there’s a catch. The bombing has alread taken place, and the terrorist is already dead. Using a secret government program, Stevens is able to relive the life of one of the bombing victims during the eight minutes before the bomb detonates. He is forced to do this over and over again, gaining new clues each time, until he is able to unravel the mystery and identify the bomber. Isn’t virtual reality wonderful?

Of course, that technology hasn’t been invented yet. But filmmakers, especially those from the 1990′s, seemed to think that we’d all be wearing virtual reality helmets on a daily basis by now. As it turns out, their predictions were as bad as their movies. In honor of the abundance of horrible movies involving virtual reality, I give you the nine lamest virtual reality films.

The Lawnmower Man

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Jobe Smith (who looks a lot like one of the dudes from”South Park“) is just your average retarded lawn mowing guy. But one day, a local doctor (who looks a lot like James Bond) takes Jobe back to his house to play some virtual reality games. For some reason, the shitty graphcs transform Jobe into an evil genius.

eXistenZ

No, this isn’t a film about penis enlargement pills. It’s actually about a future world where virtual reality games threaten to destroy our perception of reality…or something like that. The film was made by David Cronenberg, who also made Videodrome which I left off this list because it’s supossedly a classic. eXistenZ? Not so much.

The 13th Floor

If you ever find yourself as part of a team developing a top-secret virtual reality world depicting 1937 Los Angeles, make sure that the company you’re working for doesn’t house the project on the 13th floor. That’s just asking for bad luck.

Virtuosity

Before Russell Crowe was famous for playin Robin Hood and throwing phones at people, he made this steaming pile of virtual shit. In it, he plays a computer composite of multiple serial killers who somehow ends up in the real world. Denzel Washington was also in the film, and after looking back at this trailer, it’s amazing to think that they both went on to win Oscars.

Spy Kids 3D

As an adult, I don’t have the patience to sit through Spy Kids 3-D, but little kids seem to enjoy it. Then again, little kids seem to enjoy putting random things in their mouths and shitting themselves, so I’m not sure that’s exactly a vote of confidence. At any rate, the film takes place in a virtual world, so it made the list.

Matrix 3

The first Matrix was awesome, and may be the greatest virtual reality related film ever made. But by the time they rolled out the third installment, most people were ready to unplug.

Disclosure

This isn’t a virtual reality film, per se. It deals more with sexual harassment in the workplace, and the double standard sometimes faced by men. I can totally relate to that, since I’m constantly being fondled at work. Of course I work at home and live alone, but that’s not the point. What is the point? I’m not exactly sure, but it had something to do with the pointless virtual related subplot depicted in the clip above, where Michael Douglas uses an VR prototype to hack into his company’s mainframe.

Webmaster

The quality of a film is inversely proportional to the amount of times its title is said aloud in the trailer. That doesn’t bode well for Webmaster. That fact aside, it’s by far the greatest Danish film about virtual reality…on this list.

Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace

We can’t include the original Lawnmower Man and not include its even crappier sequel. This time, Jobe is back, and he’s taking over the world…or something. Who cares? You’d think the computer graphics would have improved with time, and in a way, I guess they are better than the original. But they are so overused in the sequel that they actually look worse. Not even Matt Frewer could save this film, and he played Max Headroom!

Another Actual Talent Signs On To Adapt A Video Game

Wookie Johnson — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:08:32 +0000

I’m not sure how the current trend of critically-acclaimed directors taking the helm of video game adaptations came about, but I’m interested to see where it’s going. “Deadwood” creator David Milch has reason to crack open the peaches. Milch is writing an adaptation of the PS3 game Heavy Rain.

The noirish thriller is a mystery that follows four characters as they pursue the Origami Killer. The game itself is modeled to be an interactive choose your own adventure story based around ethical moral decisions. With Milch on board, you can expect the tone to shift toward the debate of what is good and what is evil.

If this works out, hopefully he’ll stick with the adapting gig. Mostly because Ian McShane would be perfect for a gritty Super Mario Bros. reboot. (Variety)