Arcade

I'm not going to defend Bolt Creative, the US-based creators of the very popular Pocket God game for the iPhone. I don't find it offensive myself, but I support the right of any group to vocalize their oppositon to anything they find offensive.

It occured to me that views like this would not only leave us without a popular iPhone app, but also without some of the classic games or gaming characters that we love.

In a game like this, everything's a nail

HIGH Crazy levels and tons of charm.

LOW The game's over before you know it.

WTF Get rid of romance problems... by whacking them with a mallet!!

I'm slacking off apparently, because IGN posted these videos back on the 2nd and I'm only just now finding them (and only because Dread Central posted them recently).

Anyway, my fellow Game Critic Brad Gallway is telling me that Burn Zombie Burn! didn't turn out quite as well as we'd hoped (you can read his thoughts on it here). That's a bummer (although I'm still gonna have to check it out for myself), but hope for a classic Robotron/Zombies Ate My Neighbors updating lives on—this time in Zombie Apocalypse, which is headed to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Checking out the video should make it obvious that the game draws a lot of inspiration from Robotron. The title is a two stick shooter with a multitude of weapons at the player's disposal. Hordes of brain-craving undead fill the screen and the main objective is to terminate them with extreme prejudice while saving the occasional civilian and racking up a bonus multiplier. According to early previews, the title will have four playable characters, feature 55 levels of zombie-slaying goodness, and features both local and online co-op play. I'm already sold.

Developed by Nihilistic and published by the fine folks at Konami, expect to see Zombie Apocalypse sometime in September of 2009.

The sublime power of Flower

HIGH One of the most satisfying and appropriate closing credits in a video game.

LOW Getting stuck for about 20 minutes and having no idea what to do next.

WTF Long credits made me wonder "How many people does it take to make a game this short?"

Is your mind on your money? Is your money on your mind? As the world teeters on the brink of an economic apocalypse we tackle an even bigger problem--the price of games! Plus, we give some failed franchises a second chance, and the games as art camp gets some new ammunition with the PS3’s Flower. With Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, and Tim Spaeth.

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Please send mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Developed by none other than Irem (makers of seminal shooter R-Type, personal fave Disaster Report, and others) this little guy and his hammer set out in an adorably irreverent and slightly absurd adventure.

After the launch of Sega's ridiculous Sonic and the Black Knight, it is fitting that I came across this video (posted on Sega's PR blog no less). It is a speed run done in Sonic Unleashed for the PlayStation 3, by an unknown Japanese gamer who displayed a level of skill and reflexes in the game that definitely deserved recording and saving for prosperity.

In the level, the unknown player puts Sonic through his paces at breakneck speed. From the word "GO!", he is a blue blur and more amazingly, the world around him is nothing but a beige blur. Okay it is just a speed run, but when you watch enough of them starring Sonic, and especially those taken from the new Sonic titles, if you're like me, you get an intense feeling of nostalgia.

Our guest this week is developer Nathan Fouts of Mommy's Best Games. He's the creator of the Xbox Community Game Weapon of Choice, which we covered several episodes ago--and yes, he calls us out on many of our criticisms. He also talks candidly about the freedom and frustration of Community Games development, what inspired Weapon of Choice, and somehow it culminates into a Devil May Cry 3 rant that must not be missed. Our thanks to Nathan for participating! Be sure to visit his website at www.mommysbestgames.com.

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Please send mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.