Author Bio
Dustin TomsHome Town: Washington State
Sports: Basketball, Tennis
Games: NBA 2K, NBA Jam, NCAA, Mass Effect
Teams: Tennessee Titans, Seattle Sonics, Seattle Mariners, New York Knicks
OS Username: DustinT
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Friday, January 7, 2011
03:21 PM - January 7, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
With the NFL playoffs set to kick off tomorrow, we used Madden to simulate the NFL playoffs. Given the recent success of the NCAA Simulation -- we're a bit more interested in these results than usual. So how does Madden do? You be the judge and give us your own picks for the playofffs!
Read More - Madden NFL 11 Sims the NFL Playoffs
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
11:59 AM - January 5, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
It has been 11 years since Hydro Thunder graced us with its presence. Now with HT Hurricane available on XBLA, the speedboats are ready to make their dramatic return to stardom…err…mediocrity. Yup, I said it. The once proud title of Hydro Thunder has fallen into mediocrity (not to mention repetitiveness) and possibly even further. If you want to do the same thing over and over again, flail your boat across the screen and explode on random barrels of TNT then this game is for you.
Read More - Hydro Thunder Hurricane Review (360)
Monday, January 3, 2011
04:31 PM - January 3, 2011. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Dustin Toms
We have just posted our Need for Speed Hot Pursuit review. Find out what Dustin Toms thinks about the game.
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Read More - Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Review Written By: Dustin Toms
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Stronger. Harder. Faster.
The tagline for Deep Silver’s new ATV/MTX off-road arcade racing game, Nail’d, gives it well-deserving justice. Though Nail’d may not be the next great game to hit shelves, it does a great job at keeping the gamer entertained and happy -- all at the cheaper cost of $40 rather than the typical $60. But just because this title is fun does not mean it is a top-notch racing title.
Read More - Nail'd Review
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
01:06 PM - December 1, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
Gold: College Hoops 2K8
College Hoops 2K8. It is hard to pinpoint why this game is so great. The gameplay was wonderful; the depth was even better; Legacy mode to this day still makes me scream with happiness and despair; recruiting was nearly flawless; and the presentation has only been topped by NCAA Basketball 10 because of the CBS and ESPN integration included in that title. CHoops 2K8 was the most complete basketball game ever made let alone the past decade. The only problem with this game was the fact that it did not have a predecessor. This game single-handedly brought college basketball to life in the virtual world. It's just a shame that it was the last of its kind.
Silver: NBA 2K1
Visual Concepts redefined NBA sports gaming with NBA 2K1. With their second effort in the now successful NBA 2K franchise, the developers completely remolded what the game had been the year prior. Gone were the 1,000 blocks per game, the terrible passing that nearly forced your center to run the point at times, and the animations were not as terrible. The game still had its problems. The post game was broken, steals happened too often for an NBA game and off-ball movement was left to the chopping block before retail hit. But the good outweighed the bad in this one. This was when 2K first started separating players from teams. Rasheed Wallace was a monster in the game because of his ability to stretch the floor; Kobe was coming into his own as well. All in all, NBA 2K1's release was the moment one of the most successful sports gaming franchises in history came into its own.
Readers' Choice: College Hoops 2K8
College Hoops 2K8 ran away with the competition with NBA 2K10 a distant second-place finisher. Both games combined for over 70 percent of the total votes, with College Hoops 2K8 being far and away the bigger vote getter of the two, getting nearly 50 percent of the total votes. Is this a case for 2K trying to get back into the college basketball race?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
03:56 PM - November 30, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
Gold: Online Play
Sports gaming started becoming stale a few years back. It was becoming monotonous to the point where it wasn't even fun anymore. With franchise modes as deep as a game of tic-tac-toe, the single player sports gaming community was a dying breed. Then online happened. XBOX Live and Playstation Network have helped not only sports games, but video games across the globe. Not only has online helped with the gaming experience, but it has allowed friends and family to be able to play a game of Madden while being 4,000 miles apart. It is more than a game mode, it's a source of communication in today's society.
Silver: Online Dynasties
Though one of the newer features to be seen in any game, online Dynasties have quickly become a sports gamer's preferred mode of play. Finding a core group of players to organize and plan a league through the internet is nothing short of a great feeling. Of course the success of the league will be based off of how dependable the players are to make their game time, but regardless, the fact of being able to set this up has people excited and looking forward to future dynasties with many more features.
Readers Choice: Career/Superstar Modes
This was a strange race, with a lot of features getting a lot of votes from the readers. The Career/Superstar Modes were the favorite, but only slightly with 17% of the total vote. 2K Share received 13% of the vote while Online Play and 'Live' updates each received the exact same amount of votes at 12%.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
03:12 PM - November 18, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
Four months ago I decided to do my best and show off my ability to look into the future by predicting the NBA 2K11 ratings for the top five picks in the NBA Draft. Today I will go back and see exactly how accurate -- or inaccurate -- I really was.
Read More - Revisiting the TOp Five NBA Draft Picks with NBA 2K11
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
03:10 PM - November 10, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
Every year we all hear the same incessant whining go on across various forums about the price of the latest sports video game. Complaints about a $60 roster update or a tiny little facelift in gameplay for the price of a decent first date. So how can this be fixed?It can’t.
The idea to release a sports game every other year has been floating across cyberspace for quite some time now. Battle cries for a cheap update have been heard, yet ignored. But this year it was not entirely ignored -- there was a lackluster attempt on the side of one video game conglomerate.
EA Sports canceled NBA Elite 11. The game has since moved on to Tiburon, but in the interim, EA gave all those NBA Live 2010 players a free update.
Yes, I just said free.
Read More - Appreciate Sports Gaming, Don't Ruin It
Saturday, October 23, 2010
12:48 PM - October 23, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
Living in the past is undoubtedly something we all do. At some point in our lives we are told not to. At another point, we’re told to reminisce. How are we, as human beings, to understand which path to take? The answer has finally arrived.
It was a long wait before the fateful day of October 5 finally arrived. To some, it was another terrible Tuesday, arguably the worst work day in the week. To others, it was just a blur. But to us gamers, it is a day that has already reached the status of infamy. October 5 was the day NBA 2K11 hit store shelves and finally gave us our answer.
Live in the past.
Read More - Living in the Past with NBA 2K11
Friday, September 17, 2010
01:11 PM - September 17, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
The older I get, the more I realize that I took my childhood for granted.
I started playing video games back when the Super Nintendo and NBA Jam were in their primes. I started getting serious about video games when Diddy Kong Racing made its way into my N64. Madden 2001 and NHL Breakaway 98 were the first sport games I played to death. By the time Madden 2004 was released, my sports gaming passion had gone from being just a hobby to being more more of an obsession.
That was a long time ago. Now I'm 23 years old. I recently broke up with a long-time fiancée, and I am stuck with the responsibilities that three jobs (and OS) and bills bring my way. I still love gaming, but the time is just not there. I have played too many games that were shut off in the seventh inning. There have been too many times that fourth-quarter comeback never had a chance to materialize. It got to the point where I would have to schedule my life around my games -- not what I wanted.
Read More - Gameflow and Responsibility Go Hand in Hand
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
12:29 PM - September 15, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
You’ve heard of Christmas and Christmas in July, but my Christmas comes in October in the form of NBA 2K and NBA Elite. I am always frantically searching for new information for these titles, and my imagination goes wild thinking about past games and players. Inevitably, this led me down the path of pondering about the best video game players ever to grace a console, which leads me to this article about the ultimate video game basketball team.
Read More - The Ultimate Video Game NBA Squad
Monday, August 30, 2010
Life without LeBron is going to be rough on the virtual Cavs, especially in 2K11. In the 2K series, it has always been somewhat easy to focus your game plan around one player and handle most competitors. So that is obviously what everyone did with LeBron -- use his talents to dominate.
But without LeBron, what happens? Does Mo Williams start chucking 20 3-pointers a game? Maybe Jamison will be able to drop a near triple-double every night. And if not those two, then who? They are easily the best players on the team now (at least in the video game world), and neither of them was rated above 80 in 2K10.
Now in Elite I feel it will be a different story. In the old Live series, play calling was absolutely fabulous. It allowed you to use all of your team's strengths rather than just a single player's. Though I don’t see Cleveland being a dominant force, if you play your cards right, you could sneak them into the playoffs and suffer an early exit.
Unfortunately, Cavs fans have limited options either way now that the hometown hero has become public enemy number one. So at the very least let me start with the best option for Cavs fans out there.
Read More - Life Without LeBron
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
02:47 PM - August 10, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
After playing through Fight Night Round 4, I set my controller down and began to ponder.What if?
Though I loved the game, it still felt way too similar to Round 3. It looked different, the features were slightly different, but it just did not have that one thing I look for in a game -- that something beyond the gameplay that makes you come back for more. I have not played the game in a while for that very reason.
This is unfortunately a common problem with most fighting games. You just keep fighting and training your way up the ladder until you are at the top. I want to be able to experience something more than a career mode as stale as an open bag of Doritos. That is why I am starting to get slightly excited for the series’ next installment, Fight Night Champion.
The new punch controls are said to be the easiest yet best controls to ever be seen in a fighting game. EA has also said that FNC will have a new game mode that redefines single-player sports gaming. The folks at EA Canada are not saying anything yet, but the way they are hyping this up, it better be a good game mode.
So let’s begin to speculate what the new game mode might be.
Read More - An Early Look at Fight Night Champion
Monday, August 2, 2010
04:19 PM - August 2, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
What has 2K done to the Chicago Bulls? After a summer of free-agency heartbreak, the Bulls salvaged their offseason by adding half of Utah’s roster, headlined by Carlos Boozer. They also added a much needed shooter in Kyle Korver and a couple solid guards (C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer). But why will this team not be used as much as it would have been? The answer is simple:Michael Jordan.
Read More - Past or Present? The Conundrum That is the Chicago Bulls
Monday, July 19, 2010
09:43 PM - July 19, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms
UFC Undisputed 2009 took the sports gaming nation by storm. The follow-up product in 2010 was a little less than spectacular, but it is still serving its purpose as one of the best fighting games known to date. Now everyone's favorite monopolizer wants to join in on the fun. So EA Sports is coming to the fight with EA MMA. Will it be able to trump Undisputed's two-year reign, or will it fail to meet expectations? Here are a few things that would certainly help EA MMA's cause.
Read More - Four Things EA Sports MMA Must do to Compete with UFC
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