A Long Review of a Short Game: Thirty Flights of Loving

If I explained the events leading up to this point in the game,
well it'd be pretty much the entire game. Source

Thirty Flights of Loving
PC

Thirty Flights of Loving (TFoL) is a hard game to describe, in fact I'm not sure the term game is right for it, first-person interactive short story seems more appropriate. Coming from Blendo Games TFoL takes the adventure genre and puts it on its head. From the get-go the player has to figure out who and where you are, and what it is that you're trying to accomplish. However it quickly becomes clear where you need to head, and what you need to do. This clarity in design is not only functional, it's elegant. In neither TFoL, or in its precursor Gravity Bone (included with TFoL on Steam, or as a free download here), did I ever feel like I was lost, or couldn't quickly figure out where it was I needed to head. This straight forward level design could have been considered stale or boring in other titles, but in both TFoL and GB it came across as a refreshing change of pace from typical adventure games. In fact almost everything in TFoL came across as a breath of fresh air, considering that it only took me about ten minutes to run through the game in its entirety, that's saying something.

Thirty Flights of Loving Makes Me Sick... Literally

If you're into crime, not always the best idea to advertise it in large letters. 

Today's reviewing will be delayed until Tuesday, because I became violently ill while playing Thirty Flights of Loving. Turns out the refresh rate is slightly too slow for my eyes to handle. I will finish the second included episode tomorrow evening and finish my review. Also coming tomorrow a review of Symphony a music based shooter. (Ed. - Symphony delayed one more day due to the length of my TFoL review.)

For those that can't wait there are some screens after the jump, and just know that these are stylish, beautiful games.

Social Gaming, Our Dream, & Tournament Announcements!

It seems like social gaming is becoming a thing of the past. To give you an example, there use to be five LAN shops around Utah. Now there is one. It's called The Gamerz Funk, and it's an incredible shop. You can go there, and pay very few dollars to play one, or many of the games contained in their library (Trust me... They have all the big titles, and on over 20 PC's, and 4 Xbox 360's) on their blazing fast internet, or LAN. I've mentioned in several articles that I am a huge Halo fan. I use to throw a Halo LAN party once a month, and before that, almost every weekend. Ever since Xbox Live, and  the PSN surfaced in the console world, social gaming is dying. I love to hop online and play a few games of my favorite shooter, but there is just something so much better about getting together with a group of people and having some friendly competition.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive - Cinematic Trailer

BLAM! The wait is almost over. It's been just over a year since the world was told that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive would be released tomorrow. Yes, you heard me, tomorrow, August 21, 2012. And what's even better than this awesome title being released tomorrow is that it's only going to cost you $14.99! To keep you occupied, Valve has released this amazing cinematic trailer. Sink your teeth into this one, because it's delicious. Take it from me, the chef!

Where's Gaming Gourmands Episode 3 you ask? We'll be recording it tonight, actually. Ryan, our guest Robby, Eric the sound guy, and I will be recording it tonight. We didn't actually record last I told you because Gamescom was last week, and I figured it'd be best to wait until it was over so we could provide some juicy information from it's awesomeness. So stay tuned!

-Until next time, keep on gamin' on!

MANN Vs. Machine: TF2 Getting an Update, This Week!

For those of you who haven't heard Valve is releasing a team co-op mode for Team Fortress 2 called Mann Vs. Machine Wednesday, August 15! Exciting news for TF2 and PC gamers alike. The premise is that a team of up to six players will fight off wave after wave of machines (from the "Mann Corporation"), playing until your team is dead. With several different types of robots and several new maps, this is quite the release. For more information check out the official site Here. I'll look forward to killing robots with the rest of you.

Until then, Keep on Gaming.

Gaming Gourmands Episode III Update

We will be recording our third episode of Gaming Gourmands tomorrow night. I can't wait to discuss Gamescom, Our up coming tournament and tournament plans with The Gamerz Funk, and many other video game topics. Make sure to check back in a couple of weeks for this podcast, and obviously, check back frequently for new articles, news, and gaming updates!

Until next time, keep on gamin' on!

A Belated Birthday: Gaming Cuisine Turns One, and a big announcement

Though we're a bit belated in announcing it Gaming Cuisine's first year has been something Mike and I have been celebrating for a while. On August 1, 2011, Gaming Cuisine's first two posts introducing Mike and I (Ryan) were published, followed shortly by other editors, a couple podcasts (with more to come), and many, many articles. We've done our best to stay true to a twice-a-week posting formula, and have mostly succeeded in doing so. And on that note we want to thank all of you for sticking around for the times we missed our self-appointed deadlines. If it wasn't for you, our audience, we probably wouldn't still be regularly posting a year later. While it's certainly possible that Mike and I might have still been posting regardless of readership,  I can tell you for certain our hearts wouldn't be in it. You have all made Gaming Cuisine a very valuable part of our lives, and one we talk about on a regular basis. From excitement about reader comments and numbers, to ways to improve the site, Gaming Cuisine has been a regular topic of discussion between us for over a year now (some of you may remember this all started with Mike's previous blog "Hunter Zero Gaming").

Warframe Gameplay Video, and Closed Beta

Digital Extremes has just released this awesome first look at the upcoming PC third person shooter simply titled, Warframe. This game is capable of four player co-op, and looks to be extremely competitive with the powers and weapons the player is able to use.

Along with this epic trailer, Digital Extremes is making a closed beta available to sign up for. All you need to do is go to their official website, input your e-mail, Alias, and hit send. It's that simple!

Until next time, keep on gamin' on!

Darksiders: Old and New

“And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” - Rev 6:3-4

Those who are well versed in the bible, and even those who aren’t, may recognize these verses. No, this isn’t a bible lesson. Revelations 6:1-8, as found in the Holy Bible, served as the inspiration for the 2010 Vigil Games and THQ title Darksiders (originally titled Darksiders:Wrath of War) and they’ve recently announced the release of the upcoming sequel Darksiders II!