PPR 152

s real as Bobby Braddock’s melodic soliloquy "Time Marches On" gets, we are now on the other side of another digital sunset as Microsoft closes down the Xbox 360 Marketplace. The term "sunset" may not be the right choice here, though with all of Microsoft’s confusing cross-pollination between the last couple of Xbox generations, this “sunset” comes off more like a hasty “sweep under the rug” where front-end accessibility to the iconic storefront can still be accessed through weird exploits that are reminiscent of a secret-menu at your local drive-thru.

The latest episode of Press Pause Radio is a full round-table of PPR pundits as George, Andrew, Ed, and Sean pour their hearts out on a post-mortem look at the Xbox 360 Marketplace and the ups and downs of what the service did in its prime and the legacy it holds into this weird twilight-esque second life on the Xbox One/Series era of Xbox Live. We also wax nostalgic on all the choice cuts the store had to offer, whether it was a delisted Konami Arcade port, a SEGA gem, or the HD re-release of the only decent thing that Doug TenNapel has ever done with his miserable existence—we get heavy into the gems that players could only find on the Xbox 360 Marketplace, and explore how these games helped shape Xbox into the household name that it is today.

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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QCF: Valiant Hearts: The Great War

o say that the depiction of war in video games is a bit misgiving when it comes to displaying the harsh reality of its trauma and destruction would be an understatement, because video games are supposed to be fun; who has the stomach to digest all of that deep shit, am I right?

Valiant Hearts is an emotional campaign that challenges the usual representation of those historical conflicts by centering on the first global battle that rocked our planet. The third UbiArt Framework driven game from the Montreal studio is an unassumingly beautiful animated take on World War 1 that truly channels the cruel gravity of conflict in ways that are equal parts compelling, as they are heart wrenching, to a deafening extent the deeper players venture through it.

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QCF: Peggle 2

he science of a sequel is a tricky one; delivering too much of the same results in recycled content that’s poised to lose the pop of its series signature assets—deviating too far from the set formula with new features or style though risks a game into becoming something that fans may not even recognize with the intended brand.

Finding the right balance when developing the follow-up to an established success are the necessary pains within their ass that the developers undergo to ensure that the next entry in the line is a worthy one to the name—Popcap approaches Peggle 2 with the right attitude, but the final effort barely nails the follow-through on the ideal. Which isn’t necessarily bad, but it isn’t exactly an improvement either.

Banking on the infinite simplistic accessibility that’s fueled with instantaneous appeal , it would difficult (to say the least) to expand on Peggle, as one wrong change could easily endanger that crucial hook; Popcap played it safe, but almost a little too safe.

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QCF: Max: Curse of Brotherhood

he duality of a sibling can be broken down to a science—a gradual rite of passage in life from childhood to adult life. Despite the bond of blood, the relationship of brother and brother isn’t always built with loyalty and love; it’s all too susceptible to the harshest animosity that this world has to offer. Case and point; when your little brother is being a turd, leave it up to irrational anger to lead you to buy into the first online search result on how to make them disappear—which is where we find Max, and his curse of Brotherhood.

Building upon the onset of Xbox One in the first few months of its launch, Press Play takes upon themselves to inject some whimsy into the fledgling library of the new box, and while Max aspires to shine, it instead struggles to be competent at best, and a fumbled mess of asinine physics the rest of the time.

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QCF: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

hen the cut scenes first begin in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, it seems like a cyberpunk version of the film Hot Shots! A parody of a parody seems ridiculous, right? That’s the entire point of a game like this being released: pure ridiculousness. Although larger than life, this standalone downloadable title is very small compared to the previously released Far Cry 3. Honestly though, I don't think that’s a negative at all. It’s nice that such a nostalgia-inducing experience sells for the cost of an '80s action movie that inspired it.

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