292 public written reviews
The views here are this user’s only and are not representative of Giant Bomb's thoughts and opinions on the discussed video game. GB's official reviews reside at giantbomb.com/reviews.
The Short Pros - Same irreverent, silly, weird trivia questions as the original series - Funny and entertaining while still making you think about some pretty tough stuff - Four players is a hoot, and with the changes everybody gets to play on every question - Fast paced episodes mean you can go from one to the next very easily - "Wrong answers of the game" always keep you on your toes - Cheap; went for $20 it's…
The Short Pros - Updated version of the original Bubble Bobble with several additional new levels and modes - Up to four players can play - Still maintains a lot of the fun, crazy, arcade fun that the original Bubble Bobble had - Updated music is pretty great, and all the stages are retained Cons - Controls are not the same (movement especially) which means some levels are damned near impossible - Limited lives in…
The Short Pros - Same entertaining humor as the first Deathspank - Still has Ron Gilbert on board, which means the writing is still reasonably solid - Amps up the insanity level to new heights with bosses like Santa, a gingerbread Rambo, and more - Most everything good from the first game has been retained - New areas including a wild west, war trenches, and the freaking moon are funny and entertaining Cons - Is…
The Long Pros - Funny, silly game from Ron Gilbert, one of the writers from The Secret of Monkey Island - " Diablo Lite" with hacking, slashing, and plenty of looting - Surprisingly long quest with loads of enemies, bosses, and bizarre places to visit - Charming "pop-up book" graphics fit the silly dialogue and weapons perfectly - Voice acting is solid throughout - Co-op is a silly, stupid blast Cons - Gets very…
The Short Pros - Age of Empires is finally back, with all the fundamentals you know and love - Improved UI controls help you better manage the large number of resources and technologies - The biggest change, the fusion between RTS and MMO elements, is actually extremely well done - Earn experience through missions and battles to unlock more techs - Every unit can be equipped with gear, and the loot is plentiful and…
The Short Pros - Easily the best story currently presented in the Half-Life 2 universe - Tighter shooting, better enemies, and a much improved sense of pace throughout - Setpieces are epic, battles are insane, and the scope has been substantially increased - Ending is genuinely heartbreaking and excellently paced and written - Provides insight into the characters previously untapped or even considered - Best looking…
The Short Pros - Takes the excellent Half-Life 2 experience and condenses it into 2-3 well-paced hours - Has a high amount of story given the length, and all of it is good and interesting - Lets you play with the super-charged Gravity Gun from the end of Half-Life 2 . This is awesome. - Alyx is an excellent companion and her script shines - Lots of small, subtle changes polish the experience Cons - For all my…
The Short Pros - Excellent first-person shooter with unique weapons, story, and setting - Lots of variety helps mix up the shooting with other sections - Years ahead of its time graphically. Game can still be knocked up to some crazy settings on modern machines. - Voice acting and story are superb and entertaining throughout - Universe/world is compelling and leaves you wanting more - Physics engine is still…
The Short Pros - Same addicting four-player madness as Left 4 Dead but with more weapons, zombies, and options - Scenarios have more of a theme to them and follow a unique style - Set in the south, the game has a cool "bluegrass" twang about it - Everything new is an improvement, to more guns, attachments, and more - New Special Infected are cool and a blast to play in VS mode - Scavenger mode is a lot of fun -…
The Short Pros - Four player zombie-shooting co-op action - Simple shooter to learn, difficult to fully perfect - Four scenarios (more with free DLC on PC) and a wave-based survival mode - Full mod support adds hundreds more scenarios to run through - Excellent writing for what little of it there is - AI Director ensures every game is different, editing the encounters based on how you are playing - Tons of fun with…
The Short Pros - Returns to the world of Portal with more crazy puzzles and added mechanics - Somehow manages to take the 2-3 hour charm of the first game and reinvent and reinvigorate it for a 6-8 hour experience - The new character Wheatley is one of the funniest in games, and plays an excellent foil to the stoic GlaDOS - Surprising emphasis on specific story plot elements as well as setpieces could have gone…
The Short Pros - Clever hybrid of FPS mechanics in a well-designed physics puzzler - Excellent puzzles throughout, with several genuinely brainteasing ones - Some of the best writing in video games - Short and sweet, with the option to play user-created puzzles to enhance your post-game experience - An excellent hybrid of story, graphics, and gameplay that makes it both unique yet familiar - Regarded by many as the…
The Short Pros - Excellent RPG taking you from boy to man in the shoes of a Hero - Spec out three separate spheres - magic, ranged, and melee - based on how you use them - Moral choices and freedom let you shape your character and the world - Tons of options available, from tattoos to hairstyles to clothing and armor - Action-RPG combat system that has a surprisingly decent melee and a fun ranged system - Game looks…
Read the full review An excellent start of a series that everyone should try.
The Short Pros - Vibrant, charming adventure starring Kirby in Yarn World - Simple 2D platformer across several varying worlds of adventure - Kirby transforms into zany stuff at set intervals to mix up the gameplay - Despite not having his trademark eating, still feels like a Kirby game - Graphics and yarn aesthetic do a lot to sell the presentation - Handful of secret levels to unlock and an apartment to furnish -…
The Short Pros - Violent, bloody fun as a badass Space Marine from the Warhammer 40k universe - Strange mix of third person shooting and a heavy emphasis on melee combat actually works - Lack of a cover system or regenerating health (you have to execute enemies in cool ways to "heal") is a neat concept and keeps you in the action - Lots and lots and lots and lots of Space Orks for you to dismember - Multiplayer is…
The Short Pros - Simple to pickup 2D RTS game with a surprising amount of depth - Play as three distinct races: Vikings, Aztecs, or Chinese - Decent-length campaigns and challenges keep the value up - Has a nice, cartoony look about it - Story is inane stupidity that perfectly compliments the goofy visuals - Balancing units, magic, mana, and gold can get complicated quick - Surprisingly addicting, plays best on a…
Read the full review An excellent tablet game and great PC game.
The Short Pros - Fun, simple mining game - Digging deeper and unlocking more and more new utilities is addicting - Use elevators, ladders, and more to construct the perfect mine - Let me use the "You dug too greedily and too deep!" line from LOTR on my wife whenever she'd die - To quote my wife's one sentence review: "This game is freaking awesome." Cons - Deaths can be very cheap and send you all the way back up to…
The Short Pros - Has zombies in it - They come shambling out from the sides - You'd better shoot them or you're gonna die - It costs a dollar (and I hope you pay) - 15 minute duel-stick shooter that reminds me of Smash TV - Scales for up to four players - Subtly lampoons other duel stick shooters ( Asteroids , Geometry Wars , etc.) - That song. Cons - Ends. - Leaderboards only save locally - Joke gets old...ok, I'm…
The Short Pros - Entertainingly ridiculousness story about how Cthulhu must save the world in order to then destroy it - Same good writing from Breath of Death VII , and more of it - Jokes are better and the scope of the game is much larger - Graphics are substantially improved - Battle system is similar but has been somewhat refined - Insanity system is entertaining and fits the character - Great music Cons - Still…
The Short Pros - Entertaining JRPG parody that lampoons both the genre and other retro games - A solid JRPG in its own right, with an interesting and unique "escalating enemy strength" mechanic - Looks straight out of the NES era - Dialogue is entertaining and its story is wonderfully stupid - Music is decent, with a solid battle theme - Only $1 on Xbox Live Indies Cons - Only about three hours long - Random battles…
The Short Pros - Draw whatever you want to solve unique puzzles - Follow simple rules to make things like levers, pulleys, etc. - Fun idea that draw on both your inner artist and puzzle solver - Lots of puzzles - Playable on tablet PCs to get the authentic "drawing" experience Cons - Gets very difficult very fast - Some puzzles seem to rely more on luck that actual drawing skill - Physics can be a bit dodgy -…
The Short Pros - Difficult "runner" style game similar to games such as Canabalt - Multiple levels will test your dexterity as the game quickly gets hard - Has a fantastic visual style and awesome music - Timing moves/jumps to musical beats was a clever addition - Bonus levels inspired by the original Pitfall made me smile Cons - Relatively simple concept - Can get really difficult really fast - No mid-level…
The Short Pros - Nuclear war simulator based off the movie Wargames - Builds a decent sense of tension as it slowly ticks up to DEFCON 5 - Fight on many fronts, against computers and people, and mobilize a variety of units - Unique RTS experience with more focus on immobile missile launchers rather than units - User interface is relatively simple and easy to get a hang of Cons - Can take a while to fully grasp the…
The Short Pros - Addicting tactical zombie-killing, survivor-rescuing simulator - Lots of play modes and difficulties to appeal to any level of player - Handful of unique units all play differently and require different strategies - Tons of maps - Risk inspired "board game" mode where you fend of regions from infections is quite addicting - Modding support allows for some zany enhancements Cons - Minimalism graphics…
Read the full review Hardcore survivor-rescuing, zombie apocalypse indie sim!
The Short Pros - Interesting puzzle mechanic that reminded me of Portal - Use a magic gun to control a large ball through a variety of puzzles and combat situations - Looks really good and has a cool visual style - Exploration is enjoyable and you see some neat environments - Really has a lot of neat ideas Cons - Despite its uniqueness, no one part of this game feels polished - Puzzles are usually pretty bland, with…
The Short Pros - Heavy score-based, Geometry Wars -esque duel stick shooter - Music is awesome - Branching paths based on how well you score in a level add replay value - High number of levels and multiple endings - Provides a genuine challenge on the "Insane" levels - Very fast. Burst mechanic helps keep the action going. Cons - Requires a lot of repetition in order to fully master - Steep learning curve - Failing…
Read the full review Decent duel-stick bullet hell game with few unique qualities.
The Short Pros - Similar to the game Pipe Dreams with a good mix between gear and slider puzzles - Fifty puzzles - Lots of goals including speed, moves used, etc. to be ranked on - Game has a cool, steampunk-esque theme - Looks good on PC, iOS, or Android. Fun phone game. Cons - Game gets really hard really fast - Later puzzles are unlocked based on skill on previous ones, which means you might have to replay some…
Read the full review A fun, steampunk-esque puzzler for the cheap.
The Short Pros - A unique point-and-click adventure game using photographcs - Four levels each with multiple endings - Effects and photography aspect of the game looks good Cons - Absurdly short; you can probably beat it under an hour - Runs at 800x600 by default...what is this, 1995? - Voiceover and story, the main focus of this game, are poor - Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, even with alternate endings - The…
The Short Pros - Bullet-hell shooter set in the lost 1700s settlement of Jamestown. On Mars. - Takes itself way too seriously, which is just stupidly awesome - Competent shooter with multiple ships, styles, and four-player co-op - Various difficulty levels mean even the suckiest player of these games can play it and get better - Lots of bonus content Cons - Later levels are only unlocked by playing on the harder…
Read the full review An excellent bullet hell shooter for noobs and the hardcore alike
The Short Pros - Arcade style action where you play as a dragon - Burninate the countryside, burninate the peasants, burninate all the people in their thatched roof cottages - Four player multiplayer is actually pretty fun - Easy to grasp a hold of, core concepts are solid and fun for a few games Cons - Graphics look pretty bad - Doesn't mix stuff up enough; once you've played the tutorial you pretty much know how…
The Short Pros - Genuine Lovecraftian horror - No combat; you run or you die - "Insanity" mechanic is fantastic and only adds to the horror - Slow burn of creepiness that reminds me of the classic Silent Hill games - Excellent sound design and graphics - Might be one of the scariest games I've ever played Cons - Can be difficult to know exactly where to go next - Might be a little slow at first for the impatient -…
The Short Pros - Simple in concept platformer involving switching the direction of gravity - Puzzles/platforming range from very simple to extremely difficult - Metroid-esque map system and non-linear gameplay - Presented in a charming, 8-bit style - Music is incredible Cons - Only about two to three hours long - Part of the game where you "escort" a crew member is extremely frustrating - Getting all the…
The Short Pros - Takes every issue I had with The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai and fixes them. - Two characters, each with unique weapon sets and playstyles - Each character has their own story mode, and while they aren't particularly unique they are different enough - Arcade mode is back and better than ever - Co-op throughout, and it's less broken - Wider scope of difficulties and improved continue system eliminates…
The Short Pros - Stylized 2D action game with an insane difficulty curve - Plays like a 2D Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry game, and works surprisingly well - 2D "sketchbook" style looks pretty good throughout, especially for the characters - High difficulty, but extremely rewarding once you figure it out - Large assortment of weapons with easy switching and crazy combos - Includes a massive "Arcade" mode, with…
The Short Pros - Reboot that takes a lof of the core Prince of Persia elements and puts them in an open-world setting - Looks absolutely beautiful - Voice acting is superbly done, with both the Prince and Elika portrayed well - Simplifies gameplay while adding a whole new layer and shift in focus with its platforming - Music is excellent as well - Areas you explore are unique, interesting, and (again) absolutely…
The Short Pros - Acts as an interlude between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within - Original Prince is back, with the same crazy platforming as the previous games - New powers in platforming are super cool and make the game harder (freezing water, etc.) - Easily some of the best platforming puzzles in the series, and has great pacing throughout - Unique story that focuses a lot on Persian mythology rather than the…
The Short Pros - Still the same extremely solid platforming from the first two games of the series - Setting of the ruined city of Babylon is unique and makes for some fun areas to traverse - "Dark" tone from Warrior Within has been diminished substantially. Thank goodness. - Mixes things up with the "Dark Prince" gameplay segments and combat - "Quick kills" are a great idea for this series, focusing on platforming…
The Short Pros - Takes the core gameplay elements of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and improves all of it - Platforming is harder, funner, and has more moves - Combat, while not perfect, is streamlined and certainly improved - Environments are less "this is where you obviously go" and instead require problem solving - Going between an old, ruined temple and the past, fixed temple is a neat concept - Dahaka…
The Short Pros - A "new" Mario game made in 2D throwback of Mario's earlier outings - Eight worlds and a ninth bonus world provide a decent amount of content - New suits including the Penguin suit and Ice Flower mix some stuff up - Looks bright and colorful and is faithful to the original Mario formula - Included "Super Guide" means if you suck the game will just beat a level for you - Handful of minigames like the…
The Short Pros - Proved for the first time that FPS games can work on a console controller - Loads of characters and maps - Relatively robust and surprisingly open-ended single player - Four-player multiplayer had a variety of weapons and game types - Has duel wielding before any of the Halo games thought that was unique Cons - Looks really, really bad today - Controls also have aged very poorly - Game is completely…
The Short Pros - Excellent colorful 16-bit graphics - Fantastic music - "Ring" menu system works well (once you figure it out) - Lots of weapons to choose from - Play with up to two other friends in full co-op - Action RPG that's fast paced and intense - Long Cons - Story, or particularly the translation, is horrendous - Hit detection on enemies seems to follow it's own secret set of rules you don't get to know - AI…
The Short Pros - Finally a sequel to Starcraft after over a decade - Adds enough new with the old to create something that is both familiar and fresh - Graphics are beautiful and have enough settings options to run even on crap machines - Voice acting and sound effects are, as always, superb - Single player has lots of RPG like options and even some adventure game style elements - Fleshed out Battle.net is so…
The Short Pros - Pioneered 3D action games with a control scheme still used to this day - Massive sprawling adventure across unique dungeons and locations - Good music (see below) - Transition between child and adult Link adds an awesome twist on an old formula - Lots of secrets, sidequests, and more to explore - Ocarina makes lots of things (travel, day/night cycle, etc.) streamlined - The crazy windmill guy is the…
The Short Pros - Strong single-player campaign is totally bananas - Game runs at 60 FPS and looks incredible for it - Spec Ops mode is more fleshed out and has a "horde" style gamemode now, too - Minor changes to multiplayer are welcome ones, especially the ability to earn killstreaks through death - Voice acting is excellent, as usual, as is the rest of the sound design - No stupid zombies Cons - Single player…
The Short Pros - Solid JRPG gameplay elements with the materia system - Limit Breaks drastically change battle strategies - Long adventure that spans three discs - In-battle graphics look quite good - Music is excellent, as usual - Has some genuinely memorable story moments (leaving Midgar, Golden Chocobo, etc.) - Lots of side-stuff to do before the end of the game - Barret is a massive stereotype but is still…
The Short Pros - Interesting mix of lots of genres, but particularly parkour, open world, and stealth - Graphics look great, and locals of the middle east are architecturally gorgeous - Animations for climbing and fighting look extremely fluid. Very well done. - Voice acting is good throughout - Music is good - Playing as Altiar just feels cool, with the hand blade and the assassinations and all that jazz Cons -…
The Short Pros - Offers a unique and new attempt to evolve the adventure game genre - Claims to be a game focusing on its story, which in theory I'm all for - Quick time event based scenes, while sounding bad on paper, actually work pretty well - Decisions/mistakes you make a permanent, and shape the story accordingly - Several of the setpieces are thrilling and look great Cons - Story is unbelievably awful, filled…
The Short Pros - Zany, stupid story that never takes itself seriously - Massive open world to screw around in, with "screw around" being the key word - Dozens of side missions and things to do, all of which are original and really fun - Buying shops and earning income means you are never completely without money - Leveling system ("Respect") tiers unlocks until you are an invincible gunslinger - Vast amounts of…
