G-pinions

With so many types of meat, cheeses and spreads in the world, it may seem presumptuous of me to select just two ingredients that combine to make a perfect sandwich. I may not be an expert in fine cuisines, but I know my sandwiches. Despite the wide array of cured meats and gourmet mustards available, two ingredients have been able to rise about the rest and become the staple against which every other sandwich is measured. Of course, I am talking about Peanut Butter and Jelly. It doesn't matter if your butter is smooth or chunky, your jelly made from grapes or strawberries or if your bread is cut with a horizontal or diagonal touch. These are the two best ingredients in the world of sandwiches.

In the world of gaming, there are two elements that also combine to form a delectable offering that even the most prudent connoisseur would not be able to turn away from. The first ingredient comes in the form of reckless destruction that would make a nun cry. The specific actions are not important. It doesn't matter if you are tossing a caber, swinging decapitated mannequins or firing a simple pistol powered by rocket fuel, blowing stuff up satisfies an inherent human desire that cannot be satisfied within the confines of the real world. However, just like peanut butter alone can leave your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth, mindless action needs a partner to truly succeed. And that partner is, of course, a human partner to help you along the way. It is impossible to shy away from the deadly combination of cooperative play mixed with blowing stuff up. And yet, in this modern world of gaming, where marketing dollars can guarantee sales and each title requires a multi million dollar investment, it is nearly impossible for an unlicensed game from a small publisher to get the recognition it truly deserves.

This post was inspired by the upcoming X360 game Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia. I have heard the game mentioned before, mostly from a giddy Nick who was practically foaming at the mouth in anticipation, but I had not put together one coherent thought about the game until today. The publisher is South Peak Interactive. I had never heard of them before. They clearly do not have much of a budget to work with. I have not seen previews for this game. I have not read any gushing impressions. I have not even seen screaming fanboys countdown its release on message boards. It is an unknown entity in a sea of huge releases. It's hard to take notice of such a silly game when Mass Effect is right around the corner, right?

But this is a game worthy of your time. And I want to applaud South Peak for supplying a demo of this game on Xbox Live today. Without the usual hype I expect for noteworthy releases, this game was not even on my radar. But after only five minutes of playing it, and without even a friend by my side, I was in love. This is the next generation spiritual successor to Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It has the same isometric perspective that has been on the endangered list since real 3D became standard. And it is silly, stupid fun. The demo level places you in a house overrun with zombies. You know what you're supposed to do: grab anything that isn't bolted to the floor and blow stuff up. Pure entertainment. The demo even lets you play online with a friend so you get the full Monster Madness experience.

I am so happy I had a chance to play this game before release. I may have missed out on this completely had South Peak not supplied a demo. Which leads me directly into a major problem I have: why didn't D3 Publishing make a demo for Earth Defense Force: 2017. With average graphics and no online play, EDF is bound to struggle at retail. But with just a taste of the ridiculous enemies and intense combat, I guarantee casual gamers around the world would have been sucked in. It's practically impossible to blow up a mound of teeming ants and not smile. Like Monster Madness, it combines relentless destruction with cooperative play. This combination has worked for the last twenty years, providing the backbone for some of the most memorable gaming experiences of my lifetime. As games become more complicated and the costs continue to rise, simple experiences like these will become less and less frequent.

D3 Publishing, please get an EDF demo on the marketplace now, before people aren't willing to give an "old" game a chance. People can listen to me gush about the game until my fingers bleed, but they are going to have to blow up a giant spider for themselves to understand why I am such a strong supporter of this game. If you have finished with EDF, the Monster Madness demo should fill your mindless destitution void nicely until the finished product comes out next month. I just hope there are more games like these on the horizon.