Author: Mark B.

  • Book Review: Bloodborne Limited Edition Strategy Guide

    For those who’ve been around for a while, you know the deal coming in, but for newcomers, occasionally I’ll sit down and pick up a strategy guide for a game, either because I want to clear out a game, or because I think the guide looks cool and has useful information in it. We’ve already…

  • Playing the Lame presents: Five Reasons Bloodborne Probably Isn’t a Perfect Game

    Well THIS is probably going to be popular.

  • Review: Story of Seasons (Nintendo 3DS)

    Story of Seasons Genre: Farming Simulator/RPG Developer: Marvelous AQL Publisher: XSEED Games Release Date: 3/31/15 Games frequently come out that can be described as “Such-and-such-game in all but name,” with the implication being that they’re, well, basically ripoffs, or at least so similar that the game is indistinguishable from the game it’s compared to. That…

  • Review: Unmechanical: Extended Edition (Microsoft Xbox One)

    Unmechanical: Extended Edition Genre: Puzzle Developer: Grip Games Publisher: Grip Games Release Date: 01/30/15 Two of the more interesting trends in gaming that have popped up in the last half-decade are that of creating organic puzzle games over their traditional counterparts and developing products with minimalist storytelling over extended textual nightmares. The two went together…

  • Review: Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart (Sony Playstation Vita)

    Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart Genre: Turn Based Strategy Developer: Compile Heart Publisher: Nippon Ichi Release Date: 2/24/15 While Alex and Sean got into the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, I never could; while I appreciated the idea of it, the game came across as a bit too… well, fan-pandering for my tastes, if we’re being honest.…

  • Unboxing the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Collector’s Edition and New 3DS

    If you’ve spent any time around our neck of the woods, you almost certainly knew this was coming; while I totally understand that Monster Hunter isn’t for anyone, I have a pretty big love for the franchise, so I was almost always going to be buying whatever crap Capcom and Nintendo released with the franchise…

  • Review: Criminal Girls: Invite Only (Sony Playstation Vita)

    Criminal Girls: Invite Only Genre: RPG/Dating Sim Developer: Imageepoch Publisher: Nippon Ichi Release Date: 2/3/15 It’s hard to know what to really make of Criminal Girls: Invite Only. On a base level, it’s easy to dismiss it as a cheesecake game featuring vaguely offensive concepts, as a number of reviewers have already done on one…

  • Review: Dying Light (PC)

    Dying Light Genre: Survival FPS Developer: Techland Publisher: WB Games Release Date: 01/27/15 I distinctly remember the first time I turned off Dying Light in disgust. It was at the end of a particularly long sequence of tropes; the character had just finished dealing with a particularly traumatic sequence, only to be thrown head-first into…

  • Diehard GameFAN Presents: The Snack Box Review – Japan Crate’s Premium Crate

    As Podcast listeners and those who’ve attended the Mark B Writing Livestream may be aware, I’ve recently begun dabbling in the world of exotic food subscription services, due entirely to the fact that I love weird crap, and Japan makes plenty of it. As random item subscription services are becoming more popular these days (with…

  • Playing the Lame presents: Five Reasons – Resident Evil 4

    PRESENTS Five Reasons Why Resident Evil 4 Probably Isn’t a Perfect Game. Let this stand as a testament: just because you love something doesn’t mean it is beyond mockery, ridicule, or an objective examination into why it might suck a little bit. As I’ve mentioned during my copious examination of old stuff I wrote and…

  • Review: Saints Row 4: Reelected/Gat Out of Hell (Microsoft Xbox One)

    Saints Row 4: Reelected/Gat Out of Hell Genre: Action/Sandbox Developer: Volition Publisher: Deep Silver Release Date: 1/20/15 Back in 2013, I was given the opportunity to review Saints Row 4, and I thought it was the greatest thing since… well maybe not sliced bread. Toasted sliced bread? Sure, let’s go with that. Anyway, the point…

  • Review: Dead Effect (PC)

    Dead Effect Genre: First Person Shooter Developer: Dykast Lubomir Publisher: Dykast Lubomir Release Date: 12/17/14 When a game is released at a budget-minded price, certain concessions should be extended to it; a game that launches at $60 should be held to a much higher standard than a game that launches at $10, because the cost…

  • Diehard GameFAN’s 2014 Video Game Awards

    So here we are, at the beginning of 2015, looking back on the accomplishments, good and bad, in gaming for the year 2014. It seems, to many, that 2014 was not a great year for gaming, and it’s not hard to see why people might feel that way, frankly. This was the first full year…

  • Diehard GameFAN Presents: The Snack Box Review – Skoshbox’s Skoshbox

    As Podcast listeners and those who’ve attended the Mark B Writing Livestream may be aware, I’ve recently begun dabbling in the world of exotic food subscription services, due entirely to the fact that I love weird crap, and Japan makes plenty of it. As random item subscription services are becoming more popular these days (with…

  • Diehard GameFAN Presents: The Snack Box Review – Skoshbox’s Dekabox

    As Podcast listeners and those who’ve attended the Mark B Writing Livestream may be aware, I’ve recently begun dabbling in the world of exotic food subscription services, due entirely to the fact that I love weird crap, and Japan makes plenty of it. As random item subscription services are becoming more popular these days (with…

  • Why Your Waifu Sucks: Super Sonico

    Because my goal is to ensure I don’t make it out of here with ANY friends left.

  • Diehard GameFAN 2014 Year in Review Staff Commentaries

    So here we are, a few days before the end of 2014. As usual, several of the Diehard GameFAN staff have sat down and written up their own personal “Top Ten Games of the Year” list. This gives you, the reader, a chance to see each of our own specific tastes and preferences. It also…

  • Playing the Lame presents: Five Reasons – Dragon Age: Inquisition

    PRESENTS Five Reasons Why Dragon Age: Inquisition Probably Isn’t a Perfect Game. So, routine readers will likely know this already, but for those who are coming in fresh, I like thought exercises. If we’re being honest, part of that likely comes from the fact that I’m an introvert and I’d prefer to just think about…

  • The Mark B Writing Livestream is over, check it out in the archives!

    Everyone out there in internet land is cordially invited to join along with Mark B as he entertains friends and strangers with his livestream antics, and a fair amount of profanity. Feel free to join us for the Mark B Writing Livestream, on Hitbox, LIVE: ​ You can also head over to the main stream…

  • Review: WWE 2K15 (Microsoft Xbox One)

    WWE 2K15 Genre: Wrestling Developer: Yukes Publisher: 2K Sports Release Date: 11/18/2014 I’m something of a lapsed fan of WWE video games; while I was a big fan during the late nineties and early 2000’s, eagerly picking up every game that was released regardless of quality, eventually I tired of the franchise and haven’t really…