Comic Station One-shot: 215Ink Publisher Interview (Comics)

In the realm of comic books it’s often the small independent publishers which take the creative risks that the big companies won’t. We had the chance to sit down with one such Publisher, 215Ink, who is based in Philadelphia, PA in a special Comic Station “one-shot” video interview.

To introduce 215Ink on this Comic Station one-shot we sat down with Michael Perkins who writes Beware for this video interview:

Full Article: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/02/24/comic-station-oneshot-215ink-publisher-interview-comics/

Drox Operative Review (PC)

What images come to mind when people imagine captaining a spaceship (I can’t be the only one)? Do they imagine researching planets? Conducting trade with strange new species for the betterment of the galactic community? Or, would they rather captain a battleship of the stars and turn the tide of galactic battle for their own profit? Soldak Entertainment set out to offer the chance to live out these fantasies in their latest endeavor, Drox Operative.

The history is simple: the Drox once ruled the galaxy, conquering millions of planets and ruling for over 100,000 years thanks to the powerful elite starship captains, the Operatives. As with all empires though, they began to splinter and crack, eventually believing the very Operatives who helped prop them up were a threat. The Drox attempted to have the Operatives assassinated. Not only did they fail, but the Drox were eliminated in the ensuing Galactic Civil War. The Drox Operative still survive, though now they swear allegiance to no race or state. As such, the Operatives are not interested in the minutiae of running an empire, only controlling the trade market. The goal of a Drox Operative is simple: build up as many credits as possible while customizing and building the best starship.

If that story is enough to pique your interest, that’s good, because that’s all there is – no story-line and no campaign. That’s it. What Drox Operative lacks in its own story it allows for the creation of a more dynamic and evolving tale. The story is told by the actions and influence exerted upon it. The galaxies, worlds, and races that exist in the Drox Operative‘s sector will even continue to trade and wage war with or without the Operatives’ help. The Operative influences and adapts to the sector of their control. Will they be a beacon of hope and peace, or facilitate the next Galactic War, picking sides and determining the victors before the fighting even starts?

Full Review at: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/01/04/drox-operative-review-pc/

Samsung Series 7 Gamer laptop review

The current generation of laptops have become thinner, lighter and more effecient than ever. They do this a number of ways: smaller processors, integrated motherboards and a minimization of design to name just a few. The benefits of these changes have help bring a balanced experience to many people. One group of people who have been left with fewer choices have been gamers looking for a laptop powerful enough to compete with the graphical and computing power of a desktop without spending upwards of quadrouple the price tag. In order to offer something to those gamers Samsung decided to build upon their existing products and introduced their most powerful Series 7 yet build with gamers in mind, the Samsung Series 7 Gamer.

Someone would be hard pressed if the first thing they noticed about the Samsung Series 7 Gamer was not its immense size. The frame measures 16.1 inches wide, 11.2 inches depth and has a thickness that ranges from 1.29 in the front to 1.96 inches in the rear. All this and its hefty 8.39lbs (11lbs with power brick) adds up to a laptop that tests the meaning of portable, but uses its size to hold a lot of functions and features that make it worth lugging around.

Read the full review or see the embedded YouTube video here: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2012/11/21/series-7-gamer-laptop-by-samsung-ftg-nerd-review/

Tales of Xillia designer Hideo Baba interviewed at New York Comic COn

At the 2012 New York Comic Con we sat down with Hideo Baba, designer of Tales of Xillia, to discuss some of their mechanics and how a heavily regarded Japanese RPG (JPRG) might be seen by a western audience. With such success in the Japanese market the developers at Namco Bandai are hopeful to increase western awareness.

Follow the link for more information and a link to the video interview: Article

Unmechanical Review (PC)

Does a sweeping story and large budget make a great game? Many smaller developers like Teotl Studios and Talawa Games believe a great game – a great experience – can be found in the simpler things. Made on the Unreal Engine, their downloadable PC game Unmechanical is just that – simple.

Contrary to some beliefs, simple does not mean a game has to be unpolished. Quite the opposite in fact. Unmechanical is a beautiful puzzle game set in a 2.5D world. While the foreground is in two dimensions, there are vast areas and stunning levels of detail in the background. Through the five or so hours of gameplay, Unmechanical takes our unnamed flying robot from being lost from being deposited in an underground cavern to strangely biological segments and beyond. The story is simple: keep moving and exploring.


Read the full review here: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2012/09/17/ftg-review-unmechanical-pc/

Nokia Lumia 900 Review

Nokia Lumia 900

In February 2011, a partnership between Microsoft and Nokia promised the Finnish mobile manufacturer would make the Windows Phone their primary operating system for its smartphone devices. With the combination of know-how between the software giant and leading mobile handset manufacture, great things were expected.

The following year saw the introduction of the Nokia Lumia handset line in various model iterations. In April 2012 the latest Lumia handset was released, and it promised to the be the flagship Windows Phone. This model featured AT&T’s LTE speeds, quality build in a simple interface, and a much-touted Carl Zeiss camera lens. We will review this product in a variety of areas to determine if the Nokia Lumia 900 lives up to this promise.


Read the full review: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2012/09/01/ftg-nerd-review-nokia-lumia-900/

Dust: An Elysian Tail Review (XBLA)

Dust: An Elysian Tail brings with it some of the most stunning art style and fluid combination of Action-RPG and Metroidvania genres. Don't let the cutesy "furry" animation turn you away from what is sure to be one of the best XBLA games of the year.

Read the full review: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2012/08/14/ftg-review-dust-an-elysian-tail/

Rigonauts Review (PC - Steam)

“A physics-based strategy game inspired by Frozen Synapse and Gratuatious Space Battles.”

If that sentence makes you smile, then Rigonauts – award winner of Activision’s first Independent Games Competition – by Engient, will be one to look forward to. For those unfamiliar with this genre, think of Rigonauts as an old “windup and release” car and replace it with “loadup and release” battleship.


Read the full review: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2012/08/06/ftg-review-rigonauts-pc/