Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates, Video Games | Tagged: BattleBlock Theater, Berderlands 2, Castle Crashers, Diablo, entertainment, Gearbox Software, minecraft, playstation 3, PlayStation Vita, Steam, The Behemoth, video games, Xbox 360

Live(ish) From The Games Shop: Borderlands 2 Vita, Minecraft PS3, BattleBlock Theater, Super Time Force

By Jared Cornelius 

Welcome back to another week of new video games, it's Live(ish) From The Games Shop.  It's apparently port week, because all but one of this week's releases have made appearances elsewhere.  This week we look at a cel shaded first person shooter, an indie darling turned mega hit, a fever dream platformer, and a new school shooter with an old school mentality.

Borderlands 2, the hit first person shooter from Gearbox Software comes to the PlayStation Vita this week.  Select one of six different Vault Hunter classes, including Siren, Mechromancer, and Gunzerker and take to the alien world of Pandora in search of revenge on global dictator Handsome Jack.  You'll do battle with bandits, skags, and even skeletons on your way to depose Jack and his Hyperion Corporation. Borderlands 2 plays a bit like a first person shooter version of Diablo, with new gear and equipment dropping from enemies, making it perfectly suited for loot driven gamers.  The PlayStation Vita version includes all six character, two of the DLC expansion packs, and cross saves between the Vita and PlayStation 3 versions.  One downside is the Vita version only has two player multiplayer, down from four on the console versions.   Borderlands 2 was released Tuesday, and is also available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Steam.

Minecraft comes to the PlayStation 3 this week as well.  The indie mega hit from Swedish developer Markus "Notch" Persson, allows you to craft a world where the only limit is your imagination.  Gather resources in an expansive squared world then build and create whatever you desire.  Industrious players have recreated a scale USS Enterprise, the Game of Thrones opening, even Arkham Asylum.  Minecraft features multiplayer, survival, adventure, and of course create modes.  I'm not entirely sure why Minecraft's being released on the PlayStation 3 this late in the game considering it's sold over 14 million copies to date, but hey, why not.  Minecraft was released digitally and at retail Tuesday and is also currently available on PC, IOS, Android, and Xbox 360.

BattleBlock Theater, is the 2D platformer from indie darlings The Behemoth.  You play as one of the oddly shaped passengers on the S.S. Friendship captained by "best friend of all" Hatty Hattington.  After a terrible storm you and your friends are shipwrecked on an island of cats, who force you to perform theater for their amusement by way of 2D platforming.  Sounds bananas right?  You're able to customize your character's color, head shape, and so on while unlocking additional styles throughout the game.  BattleBlock Theater is well animated, genuinely funny, and has super tight controls.   Eleven different modes top off the package include adventure, multiplayer, horse, grab the gold, a level editor and more.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Behemoth's Castle Crashers as one of my favorite games ever and certainly in my opinion the best four player brawler ever.  BattleBlock Theater was released Tuesday on Steam, and is currently available for Xbox 360.  (Castle Crashers is on both as well, you should buy it.)

Super Time Force from Capybara Games is the weird love child of Braid and  Contra.  When time travel is created by Doctor Repeatski, it triggers an immediate apocalypse.  Shortly after he's visited by a future version of himself, who informs his past self that he and his Super Time Force are here to set history right.  The 2D pixelated shooter allows you to fast forward, rewind, and pause gameplay.  When a character dies, you rewind and save them, and after saving can be used as a power-up.  It also leaves you with a splintered timeline showing your previous play-though like Super Meat Boy.  Multiple characters populate the Super Time Force, including a skateboarding dinosaur!  Super Time Force is available May 14th on Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

That's it for this week's releases, not bad week if you haven't played some of these games before.  I'll absolutely be picking up Borderlands 2, and Super Time Force.  I know I already said it, but if you've never played Castle Crashers that game is amazing and funny and you should buy it.  I think it's finally time for me to dive headfirst back into games after a bit of a break.  You can check out my other regular column, Typing on The Dead: Bleeding Cool's Walking Dead recap.  I've also been writing a semi-regular series, called Valiant Effort, where I recommend Valiant comics based on other pieces of media.  I also stir the pot with articles like this, you can find out more about the stuff I write on Twitter by following me @John_Laryngitis, its fine I'm always happy to say hello via the internet.

Jared Cornelius, is some guy from New Jersey's coast who's ready to stir the pot if it includes chowder.  If you'd like to share award winning recipes contact him on Twitter @John_Laryngitis

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