Music is a vital component of the video game experience. It can provide the perfect sonic backdrop for a moving scene, compel us to drive at over 100 MPH, or decapitate the undead. If you’re a true gaming nerd, you have your favorite melodies memorized, but wouldn’t it be nice to hear them audibly when you aren’t tied to a controller — and without opening your wallet?

Now more than ever, there are free ways to listen to game music online — be it a single track or an entire soundtrack – that doesn’t involve Bearshare, Napster, or any other P2P download services. The streaming music revolution has enabled chiptunes and complex orchestrated pieces to beam to our desktops, laptops, and smartphones, letting video game music fans enjoy tunes from nearly any location. Here are a few of our favorite sites where you can find free streaming game music.

Slacker Radio
Slacker Radio is known for its more traditional music (rock, indie, hip hop, classical, jazz and the like), but it has a robust video game catalog as well in “Video Game Music.” Unlike many other streaming video game soundtrack sites that simply list the name of the track, the game, and occasionally the composer, Slacker Radio offers sizeable bios that give you the background on the sonic creators, granting a deeper learning experience.

Radio SEGA
Radio SEGA isn’t just a streaming music site; it’s a true one stop shop for all things SEGA. The site lets you stream tunes to iTunes, Windows Media Player, VLC Player, Winamp and Foobar 2000, download themed podcasts, and read SEGA-related news and reviews. There’s a good blend of classic SEGA arcade and console tunes, plus remixes. Signing up for a free membership lets you tune into playlists and put in requests.

Rainwave
Rainwave touts itself as the democratic streaming video game music station as it lets logged-in listeners request and rate tracks, and actually vote for the next tune. If that’s a bit too much hassle, Rainwave also lets you stream music without logging in. It includes both mainstream and more obscure compositions, such as Turrican pieces. You can learn about the service by reading our interview with Rainwave founder Robert McAuley.

RPGamers Network
RPGamers Network is a site currently undergoing a focus change, but its streaming music section in gold. you can passively listen to over 2,1000 tracks, or play a more active by requesting a composition. RPGamer’s radio software stores the last 50 requested tracks to prevent tracks from being repeated too often and open the door to move variety. Once a track has expired from the history list, it becomes available for requesting again. You can view the cache list to see a track’s position at any time.

Good question. I spent nearly four years as a manager for the biggest video game distributor in the world: GameStop. I worked in different stores, districts, and regions. I hired, trained, promoted, and fired countless people. I did things both above and below my pay grade, and did it with pride. Did I leave the company on bad terms? Not even in the slightest.

I have been asked many, many questions about the behind the scenes happenings at GameStop, but as an employee I signed a contract stating I would not speak of the company in any shape or form on the Web. I left Gamestop on January 19^th, 2013. I’m finally letting loose.

Disclaimer: This article is not about slandering GameStop. It’s just my honest answers, and my honest opinions to the most commonly asked questions shot my way.

Why is sexual harassment of female employees permitted by employees and customers alike?

I wish I had a thorough answer. I don’t. As a female manager for nearly four years, I went through tons of harassment by customers. I’ve had kids tell me “your opinion doesn’t matter because you’re a girl,” and many times asked, “is there a male around here I can speak with?” I even had people go to my male subordinates, assuming they were my boss, and them pointing right back at me saying I was the person they needed to talk to.

I was incredibly fortunate to work with people who would defend me in those situations (although I always bit back against the troublemakers). In fact, I can only recall one situation where I felt another employee harassed me. Needless to say, I wasn’t the only person that the employee harassed, and he was later let go from the company. GameStop terminated him after I left, but I’m sure he received corrective actions, suspension, followed by his final check. GameStop does not tolerate sexist nonsense.

The gender stereotypes state that boys play video games and girls play with Barbies. WRONG. I played with cars and video games all throughout my childhood. Sure, I had dolls, too, but I rarely touched those. That close-minded, biased mentality has carried on, sadly, into today. From a psychological perspective, I think people are afraid to defend their female co-workers in fear of losing respect from other male customers. Male customers harass female customers due to internalization of insecurities. It’s as simple as that.

If GameStop employees were treated as valuable team members, do you think they would commit less theft?

One thing that I love and respect about GameStop is its loss prevention procedures. I was infamous for being my regional loss prevention manager’s “protégé,” and famous for knocking both external and internal theft to all-time lows. I have terminated and watched others be terminated for theft, and I can tell you they were by no means abused by the company.

The desire to steal comes from within in a person, not in the way they’re treated. Still, there are ways to decrease internal theft rates. You need a good manager to teach values, enforce policies,  and to demonstrate that it is truly is wrong to steal. It affects the circle of business.

A former co-worker was terminated for stealing. He admitted to the crime, and returned the product. The difference between him and others, however, is the fact he realized it was wrong, and learned from this. Others compulsively steal at every job they get. Of course, bottom-of-the-chain employees steal the most, feeling they have the least amount to lose. However, the higher up you go, the more serious the crime, although less often committed.

In the event that you are terminated from the company for loss prevention issues, you’re labeled as “non-rehireable.” GameStop is not the only company notified, however. This detail does go on your background check, and forbids you from having any retail job for five years. If you do attempt to get re-hired, and make it to the final process, your social security number will come up with a prompt to contact human resources, and they will give you the gist of why you cannot proceed.

Why doesn’t GameStop give us more money for our used games?

As pro-GameStop-hoorah as it sounds: To pay its employees, and keep it’s doors open. GameStop is the leading company in pre-owned sales. You think trading in your game, you think GameStop. It’s how the company makes its money. All distributors, not just GameStop, make a mere 1-3% on new console and game purchases. The other 97-99% goes to the developers, the publishers, the UPS guy, the people who made the discs, the cases. You get the picture.

So, suppose that Halo 4 came out yesterday. You played it, thought it was bullshit, and don’t want it anymore. In some states,  a person is unable to resell an open game as new — it’s on the books (this is also GameStop’s company policy). So, you have no choice but to trade it in. The employee rings it up, and tells you that your fresh Halo 4 is worth $30.

$30? But I just paid $60 for it yesterday!

Yes, yes you did. But what sense would it make to purchase a game we sold you for $60 (that netted a $1 or $2 profit), for $50 and sell it for nearly the same price? None. The employees wouldn’t get paid, and the lights wouldn’t stay on. Instead, GameStop buys it from you for $30, or $33 if you have the PowerUp Rewards card , and then sells it for $55, or $50.

Now let me put this in a bit of perspective for you.

You bought a couple of concert tickets on Ticketmaster for $50. Your boss is a total asshole and won’t give you the time off to go, so you have no choice but to sell them. Would you sell them for $50, or even less? Absolutely not! You’d sell them for a profit, and put money in your pocket. Uh, hello, have you not noticed how ridiculous ticket prices are on StubHub?

I bought my car, with all its additions and what not, $32,750. The second those tires touched public roads, the value dropped to $18,500. And face it, if it weren’t for GameStop, other companies like Target and Best Buy wouldn’t jump on the trade-in bandwagon, and you’d get jack for your games.

Do you feel like GameStop is a company someone would want to make a career out of by working up the ranks?

I will quote an anonymous district manager, “I’ve seen people leave this company, and come back with better offers than they ever would have got had they stayed.” And that is true. There are three positions before the assistant manager, than the two managers, an area manager (not in all areas), district manager, regional, and then market vice president.

My market vice president got promoted right before I left, and my regional from Northern California actually started off as a seasonal. So it is possible, sure. But honestly, if you want to get any further than the area manager level, good luck. Most of these people are tenure managers, and are there to stay. If you do show true interest in moving up and developing, the company does offer many in-between positions which set you up for the possibility of promotion.

I worked for some great district managers. Some of the most important people in my life came from working at GameStop. I am not ashamed to admit that. My time with the company developed me not only as a manager, but as a person; not every job can do that.

How many female managers were in your district? State? Company-wide?

In my Northern California district there was one female store manager. That district recently expanded and now has two; most of the assistant managers when I left were female. In my Los Angeles district, however, out of the ten we had, six or seven were female, with mostly female assistant managers as well. It varies depending on the location.

Is it true you get paid on cash cards, or some kind of card system? Seems shady.

It isn’t shady, but t does suck. Believe it or not, several companies switched to a service called Comdata. It’s a shitty not-really debit card that only works in select locations. If I recall correctly it cost me five dollars to withdraw from an ATM, and another five dollars to transfer the funds to an account. Solution? Direct deposit. You’ll get your first few paychecks on your Comdata card (which, don’t ever lose it, I’ve heard horror stories), and once direct deposit clears, the remaining balance and the paychecks from then on get directly deposited into your account. I’ve heard rumors that GameStop’s investigating a better payment system, but really, direct deposit is the way to go no matter your place of employment.

If a guy walked into a GameStop and asked to be hired based on his vast knowledge of games, would he get hired? Or would the Barbie/Ken who knows nothing get hired instead?

That is on a manager-to-manager basis. I interviewed and hired people based on their morals, personality, and customer service experience. I hired a guy who worked the stock room at a Zumiez, and another who did work at a bio-tech lab. It all depends on what the manager wants. And unfortunately, some managers hire based on looks.

Why must employees hound you about Game Informer subscriptions, the card, and pre-orders — even when the managers aren’t around?

To put it simply: It’s how the stores are ranked. You must achieve a certain percentage of transactions that are reservations, subscriptions, and in some districts, warranties. GameStop called it “The Circle of Life.” Pre-orders bring in new sales, new sales bring in trades, trades bring in subscriptions, and subscriptions bring in used sales. I think that’s how it went, at least.

Some employees thought the “Circle of Life,” was stupid, and a dumb rule to follow. Yes, it does sound cheesy, but it makes sense. Best Buy and Hollywood Video — places where I worked before GameStop — had no structure; just a boss yelling at you with a grading system that really didn’t reflect on your performance. If you break down “The Circle of Life,” it make sense:

What do gamers want? The newest titles, of course. Pre-orders help them make sure they get their new games, and help stock balance. Once these games come out, this brings in the new sales. The gamers play their games, and after they’re done, they  trade them in for store credit. By subscribing to the PowerUp Rewards program, they get an additional 10% for said trades, and additional perks, like a 10% discount on used games. It all connects, and it all makes sense. In the center of it all, of course, is customer service.

Does GameStop care about the ESRB ratings?

Absolutely! GameStop is a member of the ESRB Council, making sure these policies are very strongly upheld. Plus, each store is audited at one point or another, if not multiple times. If you sell to someone you didn’t ID, and they end up being under the age of seventeen, you better whip out the want-ads, because you’re looking for a new job.

I respect the ESRB ratings. I feel that children these days are not mature as we were back then, and need to be monitored . GameStop sends out many reminders and flyers for both employees and parents to educate them on the ratings and why they’re in place.

When an auditor comes into a GameStop, there’s a certain list of steps and what-not that they go through. When the auditor’s audits are complete for the day, the auditor sends off the results to someone who relays the information to the district manager, who then relays and gives props to the successful teams. If you weren’t successful, your information was most definitely not public, and you received a nice one-on-one meeting with your district manager shortly after. And by nice, I don’t mean nice at all.

Was there anything the company made you do that aggravated you?

Like any company, of course. The thing I hated the most, and still do to this day is marketing. Roughly every three to five weeks you’d change all the signs in the stores, the posters, and endcaps. There were some fun marketing kits, and others that were just downright annoying. Of course, companies paid for their marketing to be placed in certain areas, so we had to display them. But it doesn’t mean it was aggravation-free.

The thing that pissed me off the most was the “pre-owned best sellers,” and “hot games under $20″ sections. These sections were roughly seven facings wide (seven game cases across, top to bottom), and were in between the pre-owned and new sections of that specific console. Seems simple enough, yes? Unfortunately with these sections, we were not allowed to use actual game cases. We made planogram and fake cases for these games. And, honestly, seven times out of ten, someone would bring up the fake case, and I would have to disappoint them and tell them, “I’m sorry ma’am/sir, unfortunately I don’t have this game in stock. Is there another game I can recommend, or would you like me to see if a nearby store has a copy?” And the response would usually be, “then why do you have a case out there for it?”

Then I would have to explain that these sections were set up by corporate and had to be maintained with certain titles and blah blah blah. The customers didn’t care, they just wanted their game! This did become a little easier to deal with once the Web In Store function debuted. This allowed any GameStop employee to search our website, and order the game for the customer right there in the store. If you wanted rushed shipping you’d have to pay, but usually the 5-10 day shipping was free of charge.

What is the worst horror story you have about GameStop, either dealing with a customer, fellow employee, or management? What’s the most heartwarming story (if there are any)?

The biggest horror story? There are several little ones. Many, MANY sexist comments along my career, honestly. But the biggest was the one and only time I cried in front of a customer. It was my first holiday season, and the store was busy. A woman wanted to buy a bunch of stuff, and as I ran her third-party gift card, she mentioned she had an Edge (now PowerUp Rewards) card. It was completely my fault for not asking at the beginning of the transaction, so I voided it, and went back to the beginning.

As I rang up her items, and scanned the third-party gift card again, the computer prompted me with an error stating that there was no money on the card. I swiped, and I swiped, and I swiped and nothing. The line started building up, and my associate helped other customers. I called the number on the back of the card only to be horrified with the response of, “I’m sorry, but since this is a pending transaction, it will take 48 to 72 hours to refund to the card. There is nothing we can do, even if you voided the transaction.”

I started to shake, and the mother was understanding, but her daughter kept boasting off about how “stupid I was,” and how she “couldn’t grasp why this was taking so long.” I eventually apologized repeatedly, started to cry, and went into the backroom to let my tears flow. My manager eventually came back, near-crying because I was crying so much. The good guy took $50 out of his own pocket in trade for the gift card, and sent the customer home with a smile.

Heartwarming story? I can’t just pick one, really. Customers can be shitty and awesome people. There are many customers I still speak to today, and consider my friends. I’m connected with some on Facebook, and dick around with others on Xbox Live. I had a grandmother cry when I told her I was moving and relocating to the Los Angeles area, and a kid tell me she wanted me to be her mommy. And that’s just to name a fraction of the heartwarming things I experienced.

You probably went into this article going, “YEAH! MORE GAMESTOP BASHING!” Nope, sorry! I’m giving you the truth. Am I saying GameStop is perfect? Hell no! But it has done a lot of good for a lot of people, including paying for schooling for those who couldn’t afford it. Every company has highs and lows. GameStop is no different.

The early stages of Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller Episode 3: The Oracle don’t lead you to believe that the unfolding mystery will continue to grow in intensity, but plot twist after plot twist reveals a story where each new shock is greater than the last. Phoenix Online Studios goes above and beyond to keep players on the edge of their seats for the entirety of their playthrough. If you’ve followed Cognition from the first episode, expect a big payoff as the story elements begin to come to a head in the penultimate entry of this point-and-click adventure series.

The Oracle begins immediately after the previous episode’s grueling events. Protagonist Erica Reed enters the mysterious Enthon Towers — a place from which a body plunged to the ground — after her partner, John calls to say that he has business to handle there.

The entire game takes place at the closed-off Enthon Towers, so there’s no traveling from one location in the city to another like in previous installments of the series — and it works for the better. Enthon Towers’ setting resembles a creepy House of Horrors plagued with off-putting secrecy and urban myth. The eerie feel is enjoyable, but there are only approximately three to four locations in the towers you can visit. It would have been much more satisfying to have more areas to explore to give this gigantic location more depth.

That said, this episode doesn’t hinge on where it’s being taken place, but when. As the story progresses, Erica uses her psychic abilities to visit the past and help Cordelia, a recurring character. In this episode it’s revealed that Cordelia can see into the future. As a result, when Erica goes into the past to find information, the player is actually controlling Cordelia and using her then newly developed power of insight to solve the mysteries of her time, which in-turn assists Erica in the present. This role-switching a unique use of gameplay and narrative. In the midst of going back and forth in time, Erica and Cordelia develop an interesting sort of long-distance relationship that’s hindered by the unclear way of how they become aware of each other.

Despite this small arcanum, past Cordelia begins to trust Erica in this helpless and innocent way makes you reconsider your feelings on present day Cordelia. This constant role-switching between the past and the present creates mysteries that boarder on brilliant. Phoenix Online Studio creates puzzles that require you to absorb everything in Erica and Cordelia’s surroundings, and pay close attention to detail.

Skorobeus’ cold and mysterious persona is amazing.

The Oracle introduces three new people — Max, Keith and Skorobeus — who receive more characterization in Cordelia’s story than in Erica’s. These new characters suffer from the same hit-and-miss voice acting as mostly every other character in the series, save Skorobeus, who’s devilish delivery and clean-cut appearance make him a standout villainous character. The more you find out about Cordelia’s past, the people involved in it, and how much it connects to Erica’s present, makes everyone who takes the screen in this episode suspicious. It’s that “Guess Who?” aspect drives the story and heightens anticipation.

My review build contained glitches noted to reviewers beforehand, such as characters phasing through solid objects (Phoenix Online Studio promised to patch the retail version). But there were other technical issues I ran into that weren’t listed. For example, a few characters’ eyeballs will move in very awkward and sometimes disturbing looking way. Or Erica/Cordelia will bend their legs a bit too much while walking. None of these issues are too serious, but are very noticeable.

What I love the most about the Cognition series is that each installment is better than the previous, and offers a plot twist more devastating than the last. The Oracle brings things to a head as the final episode draws near. Besides a few technical difficulties and the hit-and-miss voice acting, Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller Episode 3: The Oracle represents the best that the series has to offer, and sets up a cliffhanger that makes not completing the series damn near impossible.

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You can buy Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller Episode 3: The Oracle for $9.99 at Phoenix Online Studio.

“Give me a memory to remix, and I will change the world.”

-Nliln

The above sounds like an unbelievably cheesy line that the protagonist of a summer sci-fi  Hollywood blockbuster film would utter at the end of a trailer. A self-serving thing that the Web community would think funny as it generated meme after meme before fading away like a childhood memory.

Instead, the line is actually found in the game and artbook for Capcom’s upcoming action title, Remember Me. Unlike the catchphrase, this 186-page artbook goes to great lengths to tell two great stories. One is of the game’s heroine, Nilin, and her journey to find her lost memories in futuristic Paris. The other, and quite frankly, more interesting story is of the game’s development. Seeing ideas germinate from rough doodles or paint blobs to fully fleshed out expressions is invigorating.

The Art of Remember Me reveals so many interesting development ideas that each page is a true learning experience  One I found particularly interesting is the reason behind the developer — DONTNOD —  choosing a futuristic, dystopian Paris as a setting. It’s a simple question with a not-so-simple answer. The answer (which I won’t spoil) is surprisingly refreshing.

Lately, there’s been many discussions in gaming circles regarding gender and race. An increasing number of journalists and critics believe that for gaming to grow as a medium, character designs must grow and expand, too. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. DONTNOD had trouble finding publishing funding because Remember Me‘s protagonist is female. I don’t need to go into the story, the tale circulated in gaming news sites, but The Art of Remember Me touches on race in the year 2048. The protagonist, Nilin, is of mixed ethnicities and the book states:

“Thinking about Nilin as a mixed-race woman became part of creating a hopeful vision and reinforcing some of the inherent messages of the game.”

Not only does Nilin’s racial makeup speak to the rationale that the world is becoming more mixed as people are finding love beyond what society dictates, but it also speaks to the core concept of the game — remixing. Nilin has the ability to “remix” people’s memories — altering them so they believe whatever she want’s them to. Given that Nilin has this ability to mix history with fiction, it makes sense that her outward appearance would be symbolic of that skill.

That said, The Art of Remember Me focuses more on the visual development of 2084′s Neo Paris. The city is a dystopian metropolis, divided into three distinct sections, each for different levels of society. The artwork gives the impression that the majority of the development time was given to Deep Paris, the gritty slums in which the lowest Parisian citizens dwell. What’s captivating about Deep Paris is that DONTNOD didn’t go for a bleak and rugged mess. All too often, sci-fi removes the living element from an area that’s supposed to be ruins of a contemporary, real-world city. A recent example would be Mass Effect 3’s London. The setting is so gloomy, gray, and ruined that it’s nearly impossible to recognize the location as London without being explicitly told, and that people once lived there. DONTNOD takes great pains to explain in that it tried to preserve the feel and look of Paris, so that modern-day players can connect with it.

Design philosophy talk is great and can lead to thoughtful conversation, but an art book isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on if the art is terrible. Thankfully, the visuals are excellent, with many digital paintings and concept sketches. There’s also an entire chapter dedicated to the logo design for the numerous in-game companies. It would have been nice if The Art of Remember Me included the logo development process, but that would have most likely broken the narrative of the book’s story.

Which brings me to an interesting point. For a video game artbook, The Art of Remember Me is has a very strong narrative. It has more that just “hey look at this cool drawing” or “check out these awesome sketches.” Each chapter builds upon the last to guide the reader through this new world.

In weaving a story through concept art, it’s inevitable that spoilers appear. The giveaways are very few and far between, but the biggest one is towards the end. The book details the designs for the final boss encounter and storyboards for the cinematic after. Granted, The Art of Remember Me doesn’t show the fight mechanics, but it still lessens the impact of a boss’ appearance if you know what it will look like beforehand.

If you’re a fan of sci-fi, concept art, or digital painting, then The Art of Remember Me deserves to be on your wish list. Plus, the commentary imparts deep insight into the often mysterious game design process. Get it.

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You can pre-order The Art of Remember Me at Amazon.com for $25.16.

Most of us know by now that Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon‘s a good-natured parody of ’80s silliness. But… the ’80s were 30 years ago. Think about that, as grody and un-cool as that sounds. There are people going about their totally bogus everyday lives who don’t know what makes the ’80s so ’80s, even though most of today’s culture is just recycled from the ’80s. Hello, Transformers and G.I. Joe!

To help alleviate the cultural disconnect, here are some of the shout-outs and familiar tropes Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon exhumes from the ’80s, the decade that never dies, that you ’90s and ’00s babies may not recognize. Put on your acid jeans and turn up the Wang Chung. Things are about to get radical. Radical to the MAX.

OLD VIDEO GAMES
The ’80s were a big time for games. Atari, SEGA, and especially Nintendo made a splash with home consoles. Personal computers became increasingly common. Arcades were in their prime. And this weird Internet thing started to catch on. Everything from our music to our homework began to digitize. Still, things were primitive when it came to storytelling in games. They were either ignored completely or written out in instruction manuals. Eventually, proto-cutscenes began to pop up. The Ninja Gaiden and the Phantasy Star series used 2D artwork and text against black backdrops to tell their tales. Blood Dragon uses a similar style to those, with a few modern touches like voiceover and awkward animation. Blood Dragon‘s grid-based logo and metallic motifs also recall old SEGA Genesis and Master System game covers. Lastly, Sgt. Rex Colt says at one point during a goofy cutscene that “Winners don’t do drugs”, referencing an FBI message anyone who’s quarter-crunched in arcades in the ’80s (and well into the ’90s) would know from its appearance in many attract screens.

’80s ACTION MOVIES
Blood Dragon borrows every note, cue and testosterone laden page (ew) from any action movie of the ’80s you can think of. The Terminator HUD is there. The Terminator theme was clearly an inspiration for Power Glove’s soundtrack. The song “Long Tall Sally” from Predator shows up in the beginning. There are cyborgs, muscled arms, Robocop’s gun (!!!) and an achievement called “Welcome to the party, pal”, named after John McClane’s Die Hard quip. Every cliche is there too: the villain, who resembles chainmail fashionista Bennett from Commando, used to be Rex Colt’s mentor before he went rogue. Rex also has memory problems. And his best friend’s a jive-talkin’ black dude who, ah, retires early. There’s even anxiety over a second Vietnam War, mirroring the “Do we get to win this time?” angst of ’80s movies like Aliens and Rambo: First Blood Part II. It’s all in there, torching eggs with flamethrowers included.

NEON COLORS AND LOW-FI VIDEO
There’s something about the colors turquoise and pink. One hot, one cold, they complement each other really well. Y’know, basic color wheel stuff. They were also two of the approved colors seminal cop show Miami Vice could use. It’s right there in the logo, which was aped and copied in everything from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (right there in the title) to Double Dragon Neon. The two shades, when used together, scream ’80s. Though Blood Dragon still uses plenty of earth tones, the landscape’s dashed with splotches of neon purple, blue, yellow and red. To further add to the throwback look, Blood Dragon incorporates the scan lines and film grain from old VHS tapes and TV sets into the overall visual scheme.

The D20
You can throw 20-sided dice to distract your enemies in Blood Dragon. This may seem like a small thing, but Sgt. Rex Colt throws dice because of the ’80s Dungeons and Dragon craze. Gary Gygax’ extremely influential pen-and-paper RPG emerged in the ’70s, but didn’t catch on in the basements and dorm rooms of Eddie Deezens everywhere until the following decade. After that, the fantasy genre became all the rage, with Schwarzenegger’s Reagan-tastic Conan the Barbarian leading the charge. Video games rolled digital die early on in Atari games too, but didn’t reach major prominence until the late ’80s with the Zelda games, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. The throw of the die in Blood Dragon may be a little thing, but the d20′s influence on games is huge.

NINJAS
Shurikens, the batarangs of ninja everywhere, play a mighty role in Blood Dragon. In one of the game’s more impressive actions, you can take down enemies from afar with throwing stars. How, uh, sugoi. Another craze, the ninja craze, started in the ’80s and lasted long into the ’90s with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, 3 Ninjas, Surf Ninjas… Ugh. Okay, it wasn’t the greatest of trends. In fact, the coolness of ninjas devolved into buffoony campiness over the years, usually involving pirates (yawn) or Speed Racer’s family (amazing). But it was fun for a time and hopefully someone will pick up the pieces (besides Rain). Japanese culture in general began its steady invasion as Japan’s economic bubble threatened to surpass America’s own prowess. Japanese cars, eating sushi, and playing Nintendo video games were all pretty new things back in the ’80s. Movies like Black Rain and Wall Street saw Japan’s influence as seductive and dangerous, whereas Highlander and Karate Kid just thought swords and confusing mysticism were awesome. Terry Gilliam’s Brazil had creepy baby demons in samurai armor. Meanwhile, Blood Dragon‘s use of shurikens, as well as the misplaced Japanese kanji on Spider’s headband could be jokes on the West’s skewed image of the East. Wax off.

A few days ago I took a trip to Forbidden Planet, a popular comic book store situated in New York City’s Union Square. I’m not really a comic book guy these days, but I do find joy in perusing the aisles and keeping tabs on my favorite titles/franchises such as Batman, X-Men, and Captain America. While I dig any comic with an excellent story and solid art, Daredevil in particular always demands extra attention. I became a fan during the ’80s when Frank Miller took the flagging series to new heights with gritty ninja-laced urban tales.

Despite being one of Marvel’s longest running properties, Daredevil has never achieved true mainstream love. No cartoon series like Spider-Man, Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, and Fantastic Four. The abomination of a movie by Mark Steven Johnson (as well as the Elektra spin-off) killed any chance of cinematic accolades (at least until Marvel Studios reboots it). Ol’ hornhead’s never starred in a solo console or PC game, either — though it would’ve happened had this project saw completion (for better or for worse). And it’s a damned shame because Daredevil, and his universe, is perfect video game fodder.

I came to that realization the first time I played Metal Gear Solid. The game’s enemy-tracking radar instantly recalled Matt Murdock’s own echo-location-like radar sense and heightened abilities that enable him to detect breathing and heartbeats. That feature could serve as the backbone for a thrilling stealth-action game in which Daredevil, unlike Solid Snake/Naked Snake/Raiden who lose their radar abilities when spotted by the enemy, has a radar sense up and running at all times. That opens the door to creative gameplay such as killing lights to operate in the dark to give DD the advantage. Equipped with enemy positioning knowledge and the cover of darkness, gamers could theoretically tackle foes using stealth tactics or rush into the fray with Matt Murdock’s multi-purpose billy club drawn.

Daredevil is an action-oriented comic, and as such, demands a game that puts Murdock’s combat to good use. In the comics, that billy club is used in many ways with the most obvious being as an offensive weapon. Part of it breaks off to form a baton that blends well with DD’s hard-hitting martial arts prowess — a style which features a mix of boxing, kung-fu, stick fighting, and other disciplines. Multi-enemy brawls in the mold of Rocksteady’s Arkham titles, plus extrasensory-based counters, would serve a Daredevil game well.

The billy club, as in the books, could also double as a grappling hook to propel Murdock up and across buildings as he patrols Hell’s Kitchen and neighboring Manhattan neighborhoods. Location and environment are essential to crafting an authentic Daredevil game. Murdock’s origin and overall history is so tied to Hell’s Kitchen’s poor and victimized  junkies, pushers, prostitutes, and thugs that the neighborhood needs to play a heavy role in the game’s narrative. In fact, a DD game with an intimate scale that’s more Shenmue than Grand Theft Auto – one that focuses on the area’s denizens — would be the proper size. Daredevil stories always felt more personal than other superhero books, and Murdock’s ties to his neighborhood is virtually unmatched in other comics.

DD’s grounded nature informs his rogue’s gallery. Though they aren’t as memorable as Spider-Man villains, Daredevil‘s regular and famous foes match the pseudo-realistic street crime aesthetic: The Kingpin, Bullseye, Typhoid Mary, Bullet, Bushwacker, and frenemy, The Punisher. And, of course, The Hand. After all, ninjas are the perfect action fodder for any high-octane project, regardless of the medium.

All this, of course, is the ramblings of a Daredevil fan who has no game design chops and simply cobbled compelling elements of his favorite games into one semi-superheroic world. The Man Without Fear deserves video game representation – Rocksteady and Platinum are the two development houses that immediately come to mind as having the vision to bring Daredevil to life.

I really need this to happen. But only if done right.

[AudioCade is a recurring feature in which we gush over a video game soundtrack by analyzing not only what makes it a pleasurable listening experience, but its overall significance as well. This time out we listen to the Power Glove-scored Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Soundtrack.]

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a bit of magic. It’s the game that my 16-year-old self would have designed if he had the tools and intelligence to create an ode to Predator, Terminator, and other ’80s action flicks (though it would have been set in outer space and featured bloodthirsty mutant ninjas).

A large part of Blood Dragon’s throwback appeal is its soundtrack. The Power Glove-scored audio backdrop is as equally ’80s as the neon lasers, robotic Speak ‘n Spell cyborg voices, and nuclear fears expressed throughout the game. The album is an excellent collection of synth rhythms that highlight not only the trademark ’80s sound, but the films from which Blood Dragon takes many cues.

“Rex Colt” is a straight up Terminator rip — er, homage. It doesn’t have the familiar, clanging metallic sound (that’s reserved for “Warzone”), but it has strong percussion and sweeping, powerful air that builds over the course of the track and recalls Cameron’s sci-fi pieces. It’s a fitting start for an album that acts as the score to a game featuring warring cyborgs.

“Power Core,” straight up, is my jamz. It’s a pulsating, Daft Punk-ish track that brings to mind one of two things: a futuristic killing machine stalking a woman in a club, or a Wall Street exec dancing off kilter in said club while spaced on the purest, whitest blow available. The measured drums are surprisingly effective at putting the mind in a zone where kill-everything-that-moves is the only option.

“Combat I,” “Combat II,” and “Combat III” aren’t quite as tone-setting as the other compositions, but the percussion-heavy tracks are reminiscent of pieces that back dramatic action/chase scenes in B-grade action movies. Out of all the cuts on the album, these are the most cheese-filled (even more so than the sax-heavy “Love Theme”), though if you’re a fan of the time period, it may feel right at home.

Unfortunately, the one song not on the soundtrack is perhaps the most memorable — Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally,” which serves as an incredible Predator hat tip at the game’s beginning.

Still, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (Original Game Soundtrack) is a glorious album that, like the Drive motion picture soundtrack, acts as both a respectful recollection of ’80s music while also offering something fresh, something new. Even better, the music is thoroughly enjoyable outside the context of the game — a testament to Power Glove’s excellent, mood-capturing ear.

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You can buy Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (Original Game Soundtrack) at Amazon.com for $8.99.

Joe Johnston’s The Rocketeer — nearly twenty years after its theatrical release — remains one of my all-time favorite comic book movies. It’s lighthearted fun, full of thrilling flying sequences, and the story of an everyman becoming an unrecognized international hero. This makes it a film I will drop everything to watch whenever it appears on a television screen. That said, I never read the late Dave Stevens pulp-inspired comics on which the film’s based on. It’s a shame, really, as the IDW-published The Rocketeer Adventures: Treasury Edition proves that I missed many a good Rocketeer comics.

The TPB (trade paperback) collects nine tales from Rocketeer Adventures and Rocketeer Adventures 2, comics that feature original tales from a range of comic talent including Kurt Busiek, Dave Stewart, Tom Taylor, John Cassidy, and many others.

The stories are more like vignettes, really — short tales, usually under 10 pages in length, which shed light on what makes Cliff Secord, the man beneath the mask, a hero.

John Cassaday’s “The Rocketeer” is, fittingly, the first story in the collection. Cliff Secord, our jetpack-wearing hero, attempts to rescue his girlfriend from mobsters who are apparently holding her ransom to safeguard a rocket. Secord rescues her in what is the most creative aerial rescue since Hikaru saved a falling Minmay in the original Macross — only to discover that he’s in a world of hurt when the pair touchdown. Though just a few pages long, “The Rocketeer” reveals the characters’ personalities and relationships. Cliff is the (occasionally not-so-bright) do-gooder who is completely smitten by Betty, a strong female character who is more than a mere damsel in distress.

“Dear Betty” is easily the best tale in this collection. The story, told from Betty’s point of view as she receives letters from Cliff during one of his war stints, highlights the stress and loneliness the women back in the states felt when their military men went off to fight the Axis forces. It’s remarkably honest and earnest, and manages to convey more true emotion than comics three times its length. Busiek, Kaluta, and Stewart weave a warm love tale that has an excellent payoff.

Cliff Secord is a hero, but “Work To Do” displays the not so glamorous side of heroism. Taylor, Wilson, and Stewart’s story serves as one of Treasury Edition‘s weightier pieces as Secord faces something more grim than a Nazi war machine — a dying soldier.

A compilation featuring many different creative teams and visions, naturally, has highs and lows. The three aforementioned stories are the collection’s crown jewels, but the other tales are worth a read, too, thanks to either solid plotting or characterization. That said, the very cartoony “A Dream of Flying,” is the worst of the bunch and is only redeemed (somewhat) when you realize who Secord meets on a farm.

All in all, The Rocketeer Adventures: Treasury Edition is a book that will please both newcomers and long-time fans. Cliff Secord is a  relatable hero who takes his lumps nearly every story, which gives him an everyman quality. But he’s a genuinely good everyman who remains an interesting lead without a snarl, dubious history, blood-soaked hands, and gray areas.

I now want to read more of The Rocketeer‘s adventures.

We meet again, Ninja Gaiden 3. After the release of the heavily flawed Ninja Gaiden 3 over a year ago, Team Ninja attempted to redeem itself and the series with an updated rerelease of the game, titled Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. Razor’s Edge was released as a launch title for Nintendo’s Wii U in November of last year, and attempted to rectify many of the core issues that plagued Ninja Gaiden 3. It recently became available to PS3 and Xbox 360 owners as well, and added a few additional tweaks to entice fans to re-purchase the game. With that said, Razor’s Edge is a massive improvement compared to the original Ninja Gaiden 3 release, but is still a subpar effort when compared to Ninja Gaiden Black and even Ninja Gaiden 2.

One of the biggest flaws in the original Ninja Gaiden 3 was the choppy controls. They were unresponsive at times, which made for very awkward combat when one considers how demanding and precise combat is meant to be. Protagonist Ryu would, quite simply, not perform the actions input by players. Sadly, this still happens to some degree in Razor’s Edge. Likewise, Ryu’s attacks and evasion recovery time was a major issue in NG3, and this problem persists in Razor’s Edge, though to a lesser degree. Ryu still has lengthy recovery after attacks that cannot be canceled with evasion, and evasion has a noticeable recovery as well. Ryu still feels heavy and tank-like.

But even if the controls were as tight and responsive as they were in Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2, Razor’s Edge suffers from poorly designed enemy A.I. and obnoxious combat mechanics, which bog the game down considerably. Before we look at the bad, though, let’s take a look at the good Team Ninja has done with Razor’s Edge.

• In response to complaints about the endless waves of mindless fodder enemies thrown at players in Ninja Gaiden 3, Team Ninja redesigned how all enemies fight in Razor’s Edge and added a few new enemies to the mix as well. Enemies have more attacks and will hound Ryu relentlessly, keeping combat fast-paced and engaging.
• The frame rate is much more consistent this time around. The frame rate in Ninja Gaiden 3 would slow to a crawl regularly, and this was especially so on higher difficulties. The frame rate in the Wii U version of Razor’s Edge could also dip at times, though it was a considerable improvement over the original NG3. The PS3/Xbox 360 versions of Razor’s Edge run at a high frame rate most of the time, with the occasional dip here or there. The result is smoother and faster-feeling combat.
• Team Ninja reworked how the “Steel-On-Bone” and “Obliteration” techniques work. Steel-on-Bone serves as a context-sensitive counterattack that players can use when enemies attempt a special attack (telegraphed by a red glow). This technique will instantly kill that enemy and allow players to chain-kill other enemies near Ryu. Obliterations have been redesigned to work in the same way that they did in Ninja Gaiden 2 — the technique will instantly kill a crippled, suicidal enemy.
• They’ve reintroduced a proper point system (called Karma) to reward players for the actions they take during combat. A kill-streak bonus (called a “Bloody Rage”) will reward players with bonus points if they chain kills and use their special attacks. Karma also serves as the game’s currency as well as a measure of the player’s performance — Karma can be used to purchase new abilities, weapons, upgrades and costumes.
• Three new weapons have been added: the Kusarigama chain/sickle, the Lunar bo staff, and the Dual Katanas. This, alongside Ryu’s Dragon Sword, Eclipse Scythe and Falcon’s Talons, give players six weapons with unique combos and special attacks to fight with in Razor’s Edge.
• Team Ninja introduced three new protagonists to fight alongside Ryu: the purple-haired ninja Ayane, her half-sister and central protagonist of Dead or Alive, Kasumi, and the shrine maiden Momiji. Ayane and Momiji were playable in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and utilize modified combos and projectile attacks in addition to new abilities in Razor’s Edge. Kasumi is an all-new character to the Ninja Gaiden series, and uses a unique reverse-grip sword fighting style and unique projectiles and throws.

And now, for the bad.

Enemies in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razors Edge are hyper aggressive, which is a great step forward considering how lifeless and weak they were in Ninja Gaiden 3. Unfortunately, Team Ninja tweaked the A.I. in such a way that fighting them can feel unfair at times. The most glaring of these issues stems from the obnoxiously precise auto-correcting targeting enemies have. It’s so overprecise that enemies can literally swerve in the air to hit you as they lunge to attack. This is true of all enemies in Razor’s Edge, including the enemies reintroduced from Ninja Gaiden 2. Enemies will rarely miss their attacks on their own. This, coupled with the high aggression and the fact that enemies swarm you constantly, make it feel like the game is cheating against you. It’s one thing to stack the odds against a player while giving him effective tools to tackle the challenge. It’s quite another when a game actively tries to sabotage you by making those tools ineffective.

In Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2, if an enemy launched an attack and the player got out of the way of said attack, that was it — the enemy missed its chance to hit you, and would need to follow up with another attack. In Razor’s Edge, if an enemy misses, the A.I. will swerve them in your direction to such a degree that there is a very good chance that you’ll get hit by the very attack you dodged. The sad coincidence here is that the auto-targetting for Ryu and the female ninjas can be quite bad. Don’t be surprised to find your protagonist attacking empty air rather than hacking into an enemy.

Another major issue with the initial release that was corrected somewhat is the lack of any real effect you had on enemies with combos. Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2 had rich combo systems for a reason: combos had special properties associated with every particular blow in said combo. From guard breaks to crumple-stuns, wall-stuns, grounding attacks and launchers, each combo branch had a purpose that players could learn to utilize to better control enemies. Ninja Gaiden 3 dumbed this down to the point where only a few stun states existed (launchers, grounding, and knock back), and utilizing them effectively was not at all important.

Razor’s Edge re-implements these various stun states with the modified combo system and new weapons, but Team Ninja also adjusted enemy A.I. in such a way that these stun states don’t matter. Hitting an enemy with a dashing attack will put it in a crumple stun, for example, so they fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. The stun itself lasts for a few moments, allowing players to follow with another attack or combo… except that the enemy will recover instantly the moment Ryu tries to land an attack. On top of having ridiculously good auto-targeting and hyper aggressive A.I., they have incredible recovery as well. As a result, the hit stuns Team Ninja implemented in Razor’s Edge are completely useless, as enemies recover from many of them before players can take advantage of them. The game is rigged, folks.

This only gets worse as stronger enemies are introduced. The Alchemist enemies, for example, have enormous amounts of health on top of excellent recovery, high stun-resistance and high aggression. A fight with Alchemists can easily turn into a chore, since they can recover and counterattack so easily and constantly. As a result, players will not want to actually utilize combos, but rather chip at tougher enemies with a few strikes before breaking off the assault to dodge or block.

In truth, the Alchemist are the poster boys for my gripes with the Razor’s Edge. Every flaw in the combat engine is brought to the forefront whenever Alchemists are involved. If an Alchemist is charging an attack, and the player attempts to connect with a launcher, the Alchemist will not be launched. They will be knocked away instead, which is obnoxious considering you hit them while they were completely vulnerable, yet the game refused to award you with the effect that you legitimately earned. What this all boils down to is this: Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge was designed to be tedious and irritating rather than genuinely challenging. I enjoyed the combat for what it offered: I enjoyed the new weapons, I appreciate that Team Ninja went in and tweaked the combat mechanics and A.I., and I enjoy playing with the new characters. But the fact that the enemies are so tedious and irritating to fight negates all the work Team Ninja put into this re-release.

The weak level layout also contributes negatively to the quality of Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. Levels in NG3 were extremely linear maps with a clear point A and B. Exploration in the initial release was virtually nonexistent. There was only ever one way to go, and paths never branched from the linear series of hallways and rooms that composed the levels in the game. Even if the combat in the original Ninja Gaiden 3 release was stellar (which it wasn’t) the level design would have hindered the game down considerably. You essentially fought wave after wave of enemies across a series of themed rooms until you reach a boss. Razor’s Edge corrects this a bit by toning down the number of waves players fight, and by throwing a few optional items to look for during play. Golden Scarabs make their return, for example. These jeweled beetles grant players an instant Karma bonus of 5,000 points, and will unlock new weapons and abilities when a certain number of them have been collected. While the level layout hasn’t been changed since NG3, new platforms and wall-running sections have been added to existing levels to add a bit of variety and exploration.

“Tests of Valor” have returned as well, in the form of Crystal Skulls. Collecting these skulls will pit players in a battle against waves of enemies, ending with a fight against a boss from past Ninja Gaiden titles. These make for fun optional diversions, and give players a nice Karma reward upon completion.

But the bottom line is that there are still flaws found in the underlying system that make Razor’s Edge far more annoying than it should have been. Faster and more responsive recovery and evasion for protagonists would have alleviated an enormous amount of problems, alone. Enemy A.I. that doesn’t home in on you with laser-guided precision would have made combat more enjoyable as well. But combos with hit-properties that actually work should be a fundamental pillar of Ninja Gaiden, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge just doesn’t cut it (please forgive the pun). As I mentioned, it’s a huge improvement over the original. The combat is fun when the A.I. isn’t being a cheating powerhouse, the female characters all have unique perks and special attacks that make them radically different to fight with when compared to Ryu, and the new weapons are all very fun to experiment and fight with. A hundred optional combat trials, chapter replays with all characters, and a variety of co-op and versus multiplayer modes round out what Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge has to offer. It’s just a pity that the game isn’t as precise as earlier games in the series.

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You can buy Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge at Amazon.com for $39.99.