Update: Gaming places in Phoenix

Phoenix Gaming Places Page is Complete!

Update: Pizza Mart added to Phoenix Gamer Places.

We've spent our free hours in the last couple of days compiling a list of all of the arcades and gaming facilities in Phoenix and the surrounding areas. You can find them here or by clicking on on the gaming places tab at the top of this page. Events have been updated as well. Thanks everyone who has contributed so far, and an even bigger thanks to all of our visitors! Please be sure to check out what's going on in the local gaming scene by visiting and signing up with our forum. Talk to local gamers here in Phoenix and all over the country. Spread the word and help us build a bigger better gaming community here in Phoenix!

Phoenix Gamer Review : Bulletstorm (Xbox 360)

Bulletstorm Review

CONTROLS: The A Button is used to run. If you double tap it, you will slide towards an enemy and launch them into the air. The X Button is used to interact with the environment and reload your weapon. Pressing the Right button allows your weapon to charge up for a charge-shot. The Right Trigger is used to fire your weapon and the Left Trigger to aim said weapon. The Left Button launches your leash, which is used to grab enemies and at upgrade stations. Pressing in the Left Joy-Stick will allow you to duck, but you have to hold it down to remain in a ducking position. The B Button is used to kick enemies or objects into enemies.

GAMEPLAY: The gameplay revolves around you getting skill-shot combos during your missions. Skill-shot combos are like challenges in Call of Duty. Complete a skill-shot combo and earn bonus points. These bonus points can be used to purchase weapon upgrades and ammo during the course of your mission. The more elaborate and imaginative the combo, the higher you will rack up bonus points. You can kick an enemy into the air and finish him, or you can grab a hazardous object and throw at an enemy for bonus points. When you use your surroundings to finish off an enemy it counts as an environmental skill-shot. One level had me kicking and throwing enemies into giant cacti, granting me environmental skill-shot bonus points. The game does feel kind of arcadey, but it doesn't get boring. The game is always throwing some crazy objective or scenario at you. It helps things stay fresh. I also counted 8 slots for weapons. Keep in mind that all weapons are upgradable and have their own lists of skill-shots. The combat is pretty fast with the run and slide button, but I was disappointed in the fact that the cover system is pretty basic. You could slide and hide behind a crate or wall hug an object but instead you just stand or duck behind objects for cover. All in all the game lives up to its name Bullet storm, this game is action packed.

GRAPHICS: You won't see anything new here, but they do put the unreal engine to work. Act 1 - Chapter 2 had a giant wheel chasing me through the desert as I desperately tried to make my get away. It was pretty impressive to see that much work put into this game. The levels are filled with excellent lighting and shading effects, not to mention most levels are huge. The amount of detail each level has is pretty amazing. I found no fault here. If anything, all of the work they put into the graphics and levels made for a more enjoyable game.

SOUND: This game has all of the ambient sounds covered, wind in the air, animals making curious noises, and sequential action theme music. There is the occasional enemy or ally banter that is hilarious. Other than that everything is pretty much basic. I did notice the weapons do sound kind of weak, like they have suppressors on, or something.

STORY: You’re an assassin working for the confederate party, yep things are going wrong already. You find out your boss, General Serrano, has been sending you out to kill innocent people instead of the scum you thought you were taking out. You swear to take revenge on your, now ex-boss, General Serrano. At one point you get an opportunity to ram your space ship into the Generals ship and you recklessly go for it. After the wreckage in space, both parties are forced to make a crash landing in a backwards planet filled with savages. All that remains of your crew is you and your cybernetic friend Ichi. Ichi then wants to kill you for your recklessness but realizes that the best way off the planet is to work together. After intercepting a nearby message, you realize General Serrano is close by and the hunt to get an off-world evac and revenge is on.

VERDICT: The many different weapons you acquire and upgrade keep things fun and fresh throughout the campaign. The only drawback I noticed was that it didn't offer co-op campaign. Co-op campaign would have helped tremendously with the replay value of this game. I only see myself going through this game twice for the achievements, after that I will probably never play it again. The online multi-player only consists of a horde mode where you and your buddies get bombarded with wave after wave of enemies. I hear the next DLC will introduce team-death-match. I had fun with this game but I would have enjoyed it more and played it multiple times over had it offered co-op mode. For that reason alone I’m giving this game an 8/10, it does nothing wrong but what it offers is not enough to keep me excited after 1 or 2 play-troughs. Keep in mind, an 8 is still a pretty high-score, just not a perfect one. This game has a scoring system that is perfect for co-op play. They used the unreal engine, so it could have handled a second player easily. If this game had co-op it would have easily been scored a point higher. Not to mention the fact that Xbox is littered with too many shooters. A cover system would have improved the gameplay immensely as well. Bulletstorm innovates enough not to be mediocre, but it also leaves out some key first-person-shooter components that would have made this game great.
Submitted by Ron Zambie, Phoenix Gamer contributor

Phoenix Gamer Review: Dragon Age 2 (Xbox 360)

Dragon Age 2 Review

CONTROLS: The A Button allows you to attack in battle.It's also used as the action button when interacting with environments. The Right Button and Left Button allow you to switch characters in the battlefield at any time. X, Y, and B are used as preset buttons for your special abilities and/or items of your choosing. Holding the Right Trigger will allow you to access the second tier of special abilities. There's a total of six preset abilities that you can easily access this way. The Back Button allows you to access the map. Anything shining in gold on the map is a point of interest. The start button allows you to access the save menu, inventory, and the tactics set up screen. If you hold down the Left Trigger, in battle, it stops the action on screen and opens up the action menu. You can even use it to tell your team members where to move next or to hold their position.

GAMEPLAY: The gameplay for Dragon Age 2 is more action oriented this time around. You can move freely across the map and engage and disengage targets at will. The real damage and strategy though, comes from using your special abilities and choosing the right classes for your party. Special abilities have a cool down meter, so you can't just spam them whenever you want. You can also increase the chances of success in battle by setting up tactics for all of your classes. You will have to make some hard choices when going to battle, since you can only have a team of four in your party. I usually try to have 2 tanks and 2 mages, but what works for me may not work for you. I never got bored of the gameplay and it will actually test your gaming skills when you fight your first big boss at the end of the deep roads. Trust me when I say it will be an epic battle. The quest system is pretty easy to pick up; get a quest, go to the world map and scroll through the locations. The location icon will tell you what quests are active in that location. There’s about 16 total locations that you will be playing throughout the game, so get used to them. Some quests are only active at night or during the day, so you must scroll through the daytime/nighttime tab. The 3rd tab serves as the mountain area tab, they're about 4 locations in this tab. Everything else in this game is pretty much standard Dragon Age affair. If you've played the first one you've pretty much seen everything here already.

SOUND: The spoken dialogue is amazing in this game. Some very interesting characters bring the voice overs to life. Bioware took the time to put ambient sounds in every nook and cranny of this game. There is ambient music and sounds to fit any scenario in this game. They thought of everything. All the sounds created for this game make for a more enjoyable gaming experience.

GRAPHICS: The graphics are much darker and bolder in color. It gives the action on screen a dark comic book vibe. The art style is hard to define, but I like the new direction Bioware chose for this game, it works. The towns, mountains, and caves look great. I love it when developers change things up in sequels. Most of the environments feel like they were inspired by Star Wars locations, you'll see what I mean.

STORY: The writers will draw you in with amazing character dialogue and scenarios, and they will not let go. I was amazed by the writing and how lively and likable the characters were. This is a whole new game, with its own premise, so don’t expect a dragon age: Origins expansion here. Your family escapes the blight and looses everything in the process. Your father has died in the process, and your mother decides to return to her old home. The problem is that when you get to the city you’re seen as refugees and are not allowed entry. Your dear uncle, who has squandered the family fortune, makes a deal to get you in but at the price of being indentured servants for a year. Following your servitude, you begin your journey to regain the family estate and wealth. As you gain status, power, and wealth so do you gain enemies and traitors. Allies become foes, foes become friends, and all those decisions you made last year will come back to haunt you.

VERDICT: You will be hard pressed to find a better RPG than this on the Xbox 360. I really found no faults with this game other than the text dialogue was too small. I've got to get a bigger TV, so I’m not deducting points for that. This is a must play game for any RPG fan out there 10/10.

Article Submitted by Ron Zambie, contributor for Phoenix Gamer.

Phoenix Art Galleries Showcase Games as Art

It has long been hotly debated whether or not video games should be considered art. The most recent installment at Modified Arts, a fine art gallery in downtown Phoenix, should be evidence enough that the answer is yes. Video games are in fact art. Right now Modified Art is showcasing a collection of works they are calling Source Code. Source Code includes the works of artists Jon Haddock, Jason Rohrer, Carlo Zanni, and Paolo Pedercini. The collection includes visual installments as well as playable demos for the games Passage, Every day the same dream,and Average Shoveler. If you love games and love art it's a collection that's definitely worth checking out.

In other video game art news, CADE opened it's doors to patrons at last month's first Friday art walk. This gallery includes video game inspired art as well as old school arcade games featuring classic favorites including Mrs Pacman and Centipede. Each game is only a quarter to play so you can spend a lot of time there and not break the bank. The gallery space is small but should definitely be a place for local gamers to get together and have a good time.

With more and more art galleries opening their doors to gaming and the idea of video games as art, it would be completely ludicrous to say otherwise. Video games are art, and if you share this notion, please check out these exhibits and comment in the Phoenix Gamer Forum




Article written and submitted by Mel. When Mel's not contributing to Phoenix Gamer, she's making videos about obscure video games. Check out her site at www.meltheofficegamergirl.com

Questions or comments? Contact admin@phoenixgamer.com

Phoenix Gamer: Dead Space 2 review

Dead Space 2

CONTROLS: The left button is used to run and the right button is used to stomp. The right trigger is used to pistol whip enemies. Left trigger is used to aim. While in aim mode the right trigger is used to fire. The A button is the action button, which is used to interact with environment. Left trigger plus A allows you to grab items with your telekinesis. Pressing the right trigger will throw an item at your target. The back button grants you access to your inventory, mission log, and database. If you press in the right analog Stick, it will guide you to your mission objective. The left analog stick will send you into orbit or set you down again, in areas with zero gravity. While in zero gravity if you press the left bumper you will get a speed boost. The left trigger plus Y emits a stasis blast that slows down the enemy and gives you time to shoot its soft spots. The B button is used to heal yourself if you have med packs.

GAMEPLAY: The first thing I notice in a game is if it allows you to upgrade your inventory. Dead Space 2 allows you to upgrade a wide variety of things. You can upgrade your RIG, a.k.a. armor, weapons and stasis modules at workbenches around the levels. You'll be using nodes that you can find or purchase from stores to upgrade your equipment. Stores in the game have 3 options: shop, inventory, and safe. Inventory allows you to go through your items and either sell or put them in a safe for later use. The safe allows you to keep a certain amount of items that you can use on later playthroughs. The action in the game is pretty solid. Enemies are tough and require soft spots to be hit. The levels have clever puzzles worked into them. All in all, this is a fun game. You will feel clever for solving some of the puzzles, they are that good. Saving is done via save stations spread throughout the levels, usually before a big event in the game.

GRAPHICS: Dead Space 2 has some solid graphics that serve the game well. The game has a dark ambiance and the necromorphs character models are great. They look like they came straight out of a Hell Raiser movie. The cinematics on the game really bring the horror to life, they did a great job. The level design is fantastic; the draw distances in the game are a sight to behold. Just wait until you have to navigate a large room in zero gravity, it is one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had in a while.

SOUND: This game has all the horror sounds covered, the screeching, the howling, the moans, and the gun shots, everything is spot on perfect. This game is filled to the brim with ambient sounds that only help make the game a more pleasurable if not horrifying experience. The radio transmissions relayed back and forth between survivors only serve to heighten the tension.

STORY: The story reminds me of that movie, Ghost of Mars. That movie left off when the city gets infected with madness. That is exactly where Dead Space 2 picks up, madness in the city.

VERDICT: This game jumps out of its mediocre predecessors shell and turns everything up to 11. The creators of Dead Space 2 have mastered their craft and created a must play game. My verdict a 10/10. Buy, rent, borrow, and or steal this game. You must play this game.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Play on easy and upgrade your rig and weapons before you tackle the games harder difficulties. Upgrade your suit and plasma cutter, sell everything else and by power nodes to upgrade. This is recommended only on your first play through.

Review Submitted by Ron Zambie, Phoenix Gamer Contributor

Phoenix Gamer Review: Fallout New Vegas

Fallout New Vegas

For some people Fallout: New Vegas is nothing more than an overpriced piece of DLC to others it is its own game. I am of the latter persuation. I believe there is enough here to warrant it's own game. While at first it seems as it's the same old thing, and to an extend it is, the story greatly makes up for the lack of updates in other areas. But now onto the review (This review includes the first DLC Blood Money as well):

Graphics: 9/10

Don't expect any leaps and bounds in the way of graphics. While they are still fantastic, it's nothing you haven't seen before. That deer-the-headlight-look is still there and the faces look as dead as ever. Aside from the addition of new enemies, it's buisness as usual.

Story: 8/10

The story in this one is considerably better than in Fallout 3, in my opinion. There's seems to be more substance, more meat to it. Whereas in Fallout 3, it just seemed like you were going through the motions getting from point A to point B. Basically you play as courier that gets shot in the head only to saved by a robot, be brought to a doctor, patched up and wake up in the nearby town of Goodsprings. Almost immediately you're given the choice to be a good guy or a complete asshole. Example: there is a guy hiding out from a local gang, you have the choice between ratting him or staging a shoot out to allow him escape. The inclusion of the companions side-quests also add to the overall story and really fleshout their characters.

Audio: 9/10

I really wanted to rate this higher but sadly while the music is still classic, there is just not enough of it for my liking. Plus hear Wayne Newton on the radio is just freaking weird.

Gameplay: 9/10

Once this game is patched, most of the major glitches are gone and makes it less frustrating. Probably the best things about this game are two-fold: first, the multiple ending aspect to it. Depending on which companion you have, how far you got on their sidequest or if they die (more on that later) the ending changes slightly each time so unless you play the exact same way each time, you'll find something different. The second thing is the Hardcore mode. Hardcore is a great way to test your abilities in the game. In this mode ammo has weight, sleep, water and hunger all play a factor into your overall health and the big thing is that your companion, who could only be knocked out in regular mode, can be killed in hardcore mode, thus ruining your chance of completing their side quest.

Overall Score: 8.75/10

Overall Fallout: New Vegas is a great game, once you get it patched.

Review submitted by Tony of 3FG

Write for Phoenix Gamer

Do you want to write for us?

If you're a writer and would like to write articles for Phoenix Gamer, please contact us via email at admin@phoenixgamer.com. We also have an open ear for suggestions, please post those in the forum. Thanks again for visiting Phoenix Gamer. Updates are coming soon!

Phoenix Gamer Review - Marvel Vs Capcom 3

CONTROLS: The control scheme has been simplified; the X button performs a light attack, while the Y button performs a medium attack. The B button performs a strong attack and the A button is used to launch opponents into the air. The right and left button call in your partners for assistance, but if you hold the button down, it will allow you to change characters. The Left trigger performs a partner 1 and 2 super combo. The right trigger allows you to perform your EX move, which grants you a power bonus, but you can only use it once per battle.

COUNTERS: Cross over counter - block, then press forward and partner button, requires 1 full power gauge. Cross over counter, allows you to block and quickly counter w/ an attack. Snap back - down, down-forward, forward and partner button, requires 1 full power gauge. The snap back move will knock out a character from play for a limited period of time. Ariel Combo Counter - press the d-pad in the direction of opponent and press the Special button a.k.a. launch button. This will be the most useful counter of them all, as everybody loves to air juggle. Push Block - press light plus medium attack button, while blocking. Push block allows you to push off advancing foes who love to combo; it will give you some breathing room as it pushes the opponent into the far end of the screen.

GAMEPLAY: The gameplay is intense; you actually feel the heat as you try to avoid your opponent’s attacks. Sweat runs from your balls, as you try not to get them kicked. The endings are lacking though, but if you’re sticking around for an ending, go watch some anime instead. Nothing has changed since the first MvC. You got a great character line up with an awesome array of special attacks and combos. Some people may be sore that some of their favorites have been replaced or are M.I.A., but you know what, I didn't miss anybody. I just rolled with the punches and found the game to be very enjoyable, an instant classic. MvC 3, will be remembered with fondness, until its next iteration.

SOUND: MvC 3, has better sound then the original. It has a wide variety of sounds, ranging from techno to metal. Fight scenarios in the game will be matched perfectly with remastered visions of the original soundtrack. The sounds are both inspiring and upbeat, adding to the excitement on the screen.

GRAPHICS: Capcom went all out with the graphics, some of the best graphics I’ve seen in a fighter since Killer Instinct. Every level is seething with detail. Bright and Shiny colors will fill the screen, enough to give an autistic child an orgasm. The seizure warning at the beginning of the game title is well warranted. If you do have a seizure, there’s no better way to go out than with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and a controller in your hand.


STORY: Who cares it's a fighting game. If you want story go watch twilight.

THE VERDICT: MvC 3, will make a great addition to any fan of strategic fighting games. This game offers simplicity and depth, reminiscent of such great games as Killer Instinct and Mk 4. The only limitations this game offers, is the users imagination. Everything you need to succeed or fail is included in the moves set. If you dislike this game, it’s probably because you’re lacking in both imagination and skill. I give this great future classic game, a 10/10. You will not find a better fighter than this my friends.

PROBLEMS: There is a list of problems with the game: 1.There is no spectating mode. It was enjoyable in the past, but spectating has nothing to do with fighting. 2. it’s hard to find matches online, ranked or player matches. But, I found a way around it, by playing offline arcade mode and switching on the fight request option. So, that really wasn't an issue since I found the online ranked matches I wanted. I did receive a lot of fight requests, even though I set a rank limit; I kept fighting people well above my rank. So the rank limit request, which enables you to fight people of your same rank, doesn't work.

RECOMMENDATIONS: If you’re going to play this game seriously, I recommend an arcade stick.

Review written by Ron Zambie, contributor for Phoenix Gamer