Pads & Panels

Game of the Month – February

BioShock 2 (360, PS3, PC)

Publisher: 2K Games – Developer: 2K Marin

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BioShock 2 had some high expectations after the original masterpiece. While it doesn’t quite live up to the first, it’s still worth going back to Rapture as Subject Delta, the first Big Daddy bonded to a Little Sister. BioShock 2 offers more weapons, tonics and plasmids to help gamers take on the mother of the Little Sisters. Multiplayer with a BioShock spin is also a welcome edition to keep the replay value high.

–Kevin (more…)

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We love games, and we love writing about them here at Pads & Panels. We love it so much that no matter how much we get up on the site here, it’s never enough to quench the thirst of gaming journalism for some. That’s why our latest segment of Pads Around the Internet sees even more great articles published at other sites by our writers. Here’s the best of what’s related to Pads & Panels’ interests.

Bill Jones

BioShock 2 Review

Dapple iPhone Review

Chris Park

KORG-10 DS Plus Review

Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares Review

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Title: BioShock 2

Platform: 360 (Also PS3, PC)

ESRB: M

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: 2K Marin

Rating:

Review by: Kevin Haverty

It’s time to revisit Rapture in BioShock 2. It has been eight years since the events of the first game and Andrew Ryan’s old political rival, Sofia Lamb, has taken over. Gamers take control of Subject Delta, a Big Daddy, as he must get his Little Sister, Eleanor, daughter of Sofia Lamb, back before he slips into a coma. Augustus Sinclair, a businessman of Rapture, directs Subject Delta and fills him in on some of the changes that have taken place. (more…)

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Hey guys! I’m not sure how long this is going to go because Bioshock 2 is calling to me. I’ve been staying blissfully ignorant of all the interviews, previews, reviews, steam protest groups and Jhonen Vasquez’s tweets. The story and world were so perfect I can’t picture how they could pull another out of it. I’m sure that position is all over the internet, but I’ve been avoiding that place.

I really missed the boat on Borderlands. The screenshots of the game didn’t do a good job of selling it to me, and it was released at a bad time with Brutal Legend, Left 5 Dead and Call of Duty 6: Modern Warfare 2 eating my precious (not based on the novel Push by Sapphire) time. I noticed a lot of friends playing it on Xbox and Steam so I figured it was good. I needed to make sure that if I decided to take the plunge and buy it I would have people to play it with. Luckily some friends were in the same mindset about wanting to play Borderlands but needing people to play with. Between a good sale online and cashing in store credit, fellow site writer Bill and site commentator Szy picked it up. We were stuck at three people, but Cstr. Pudge “Goin’ Swayze” Toaster: Pokèmon Pokèmon Foodino Doodies Pokèmon.com Kitty es Bueno Si Si Si Oi Oi Oi (Roger) had a copy and the group he was playing with never finished the game. (more…)

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Ponderings is a new idea we’re testing out for the site, so please feel free to give us your feedback. Consider it a behind-the-scenes look, or a more direct line to the personalities of our writers. The purpose of ponderings is to provide an avenue for our writers to casually address some of the games and comics they’re playing, deliver opinions on recent industry news, and maybe even get a little off-topic here and there. We’ll be taking turns writing them, and it’s a chance for the readers to get to know the staff a little better, and maybe even strike up some conversation. We hope you’ll enjoy it and join in the discussion.

So, this past week, I’ve wasted a good 40-some hours whoring for my Mass Effect 2 insanity achievement (Mission Accomplished!), and I must say I’m both proud and ashamed of myself at the same time.  It was a labor of love, stupidity and stubborness, and I’m glad to be done with it so I can enjoy the game in a more casual manner. The review should be up soon, so I wont give anything more away just yet. (more…)

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Ponderings is a new idea we’re testing out for the site, so please feel free to give us your feedback. Consider it a behind-the-scenes look, or a more direct line to the personalities of our writers. The purpose of ponderings is to provide an avenue for our writers to casually address some of the games and comics they’re playing, deliver opinions on recent industry news, and maybe even get a little off-topic here and there. We’ll be taking turns writing them, and it’s a chance for the readers to get to know the staff a little better, and maybe even strike up some conversation. We hope you’ll enjoy it and join in the discussion.

The last few weeks have been interesting to say the least. John, our former deputy editor, is no longer with the site. Don’t ask me why. I’m not sure. At the same time, we’ve got a new guy named Jason King, who I think really knows his stuff when it comes to comics and games, so I’m excited about that. I think he’ll also be great for helping to bring back our board game presence, which is the thing I still want to see our site do more and more of, because we’re all into gaming, be it video or otherwise, and I want to see that other side get bigger. (more…)

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E3 has come and gone. John and Bill offer their impressions on this year’s biggest gaming event.

John’s Ponderings

So this year’s E3 has come and gone with quite a few nice surprises mixed in with the usual expectations which, for the most part, have exceeded my expectations. It is hard to argue with the claim that Microsoft ran away with the most buzz surrounding its next fiscal year, and Nintendo recognized their hardcore gamer mistreatment and addressed it in a big way. Sony, for me, left an underwhelming sense of “That’s it?” from a show that really needed to boost their presence. (more…)

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