88 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.
By -- Richard Jacklin After a massive surge in popularity, it was decided that the Call of Duty franchise would release new installments yearly. In order to make yearly deadlines, the series has been split between two developers: Infinity Ward and Treyarch, who alternate years. After the bashing Call of Duty 3 from Treyarch received and the success Call of Duty 4 from Infinity Ward received, Treyarch has been…
By -- Richard Jacklin I'm not going to lie, Disney Sing It: Party Hits is not a game that appeals to my demographic. I was cautious about the game from the bad press that previous Disney Sing It games have received. Once I loaded up the game and started playing, I quickly realized that Party Hits is a competent music game. It is far from a black sheep of genre, but also doesn't add anything spectacular to this style…
By -- Craig Hart As a big fan of mixed martial arts and fighting in general I was genuinely excited to hear about Fighters Uncaged being a part of the Kinect launch line-up. Being able to virtually beat someone up just seems like a fun concept. Unfortunately, my hopes were quickly dashed after loading up Fighters Uncaged for the first time. Fighters Uncaged has a story that is absent from the actual game. If you…
By -- Richard Jacklin Decisions, decisions, decisions. Fable III is game that is completely built around decision making. Although this is the first Fable game I have played, I've come to understand that the entire series is focused on decision making. My first decision with Fable III was whether or not I wanted to start the series with the third game, but I can tell you that doing so was a good decision for me.…
By -- Craig Hart Vanquish is the fourth title from developer Platinum Games and is the latest game from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. Vanquish is an extremely fast-paced third-person shooter that packs solid gameplay with fantastic visuals. In Vanquish, players will assume the role of Sam Gideon, a military researcher, who comes equipped with a super advance battle suit called the ARS (Augmented Reaction…
By -- Craig Hart John Daly is an odd choice to have a game based on him but nevertheless it has come to light with "John Daly's ProStroke Golf". John Daly is tasked with taking down the giant that is Tiger Woods and is setting up to do so with his first outing. The basic golf mechanics are here but the lack of modes may leave this one from making it to the podium. The most intriguing feature of John Daly's ProStroke…
By -- Tom M. It's hard to remember the last great, 3D Castlevania game. When was it again? Oh that's right - there never was one. Some of them were admittedly fun but ultimately shallow experiences. When developer Mercury Steam announced Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and their intention to reboot the series into darker and grittier territories, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. Their last game was Clive…
By -- Craig H. Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley is the third original IP from developer Twisted Pixels. Both of the studios previous games, ‘Splosion Man and The Maw , were met with high praise and Comic Jumper is no different. If they were not considered already, Twisted Pixel is easily the best original downloadable game developer in the business. Comic Jumper follows Captain Smiley and his…
By -- Craig H. Most people may think that putting Michael Jordan on the cover and in the game is a gimmick that will be used to bolster sales. The care and precision used in all aspects of the game show that Michael Jordan is just the cherry that sits atop the best basketball game ever made. NBA 2K11 is packed to the brim with updates, improvements, and new features. From the new ‘My Player’ mode to the Jordan…
By -- Craig H. Super Meat Boy describes itself as a “tough-as-nails” platformer and rightfully so. The game is punishingly hard but you can’t help but keep playing. The satisfaction of completing each of the 300+ levels is extremely rewarding and should be attempted by anyone who enjoys platform gaming. The story in Super Meat Boy plays like a typical Super Mario tale. Super Meat Boy has the same goal for each…
By -- Richard J. For the first time in quite a while, I've gone into an Xbox 360 game without any pre conceived notions. In a world with the internet, gaming podcasts, and video game previews, this is a nearly impossible occurrence. Without knowing what to expect, Enslaved definitely surprised me. After completing the game, I knew it was a good surprise. Enslaved is one of those games that despite some big flaws, I…
By -- Richard J. Before this review, Dead Rising was a series I was completely foreign to. I was intrigued by the zombie slaughtering gameplay, but never aligned with the opportunity to get my hands on it. Now that I have played Dead Rising 2, I can tell you that my feelings about it are mixed. Parts of the game are fantastic and keep me coming back, but other parts are horribly frustrating and leave me wanting to…
By -- Richard J. Back in '93, Midway released an arcade classic. The game was NBA Jam, and it is an understatement to say that it set the arcades on fire. Over the years, the game was ported to various consoles such as the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and the Sega Game Gear. Personally, I had no idea NBA Jam existed until it was too late. I was born in '93, and then was too busy playing Legend of Zelda: A Link to…
By: Craig H. On paper Quantum Theory looks like an intriguing new IP. The game may take a few cues from Gears of War but what new game doesn’t? Unfortunately, not everything is as it appears. The game feels dated at release with poor visuals, bad shooting mechanics, horrible pacing and a bad checkpoint system that punishes you again and again. In Quantum Theory a great war wreaked havoc and devastation upon…
By - Richard J. Over the past few years, the Guitar Hero series has been on an increasingly devastating spiral down. After hitting its hayday in 2006 and Harmonix leaving in 2007, the series seems to have gotten worse and worse. Personally, I was always a huge fan of the Guitar Hero games. I loved the challenge they brought opposed to their competitor Rock Band. It's easy to see that the series was self-destructing,…
By - Richard J. 13 years ago there was one special game that brought the popularity of JRPGs to North America. As you probably guessed, the game I'm referring to is Final Fantasy VII. Before this game's release, the JRPG genre was super niche. The previous Final Fantasy game to be released was Final Fantasy III on the SNES, which was actually Final Fantasy VI for the Super Famicom in Japan. It didn't do much to…
By - Richard J. It was only a few weeks ago when I was able to play through Super Mario Land 2: Legend of the 6 Golden Coins for the first time. I was finally able to take a break from the constant stream of new release games to review, and take a look at something much older. Originally launched in 1992 for the Gameboy, Super Mario Land 2 became an instant classic. By the time I was old enough to understand what a…
- Craig H. The first game in Microsoft’s “Game Feast” line-up is Hydrophobia. While the game may seem new to most gamers it has been in development for years. The game was originally slated to be a disc based release in March 2009, but was redesigned into an episodic downloadable title. In most cases this would seem like a downgrade in quality but the downloadable route fits the game better and is worth the asking…
Halo: Reach has a lot on its shoulders. Not only does it have a legacy of excellent shooters to follow, it’s the last of its kind from developer Bungie. It’s easy to imagine them crumbling under the pressure, delivering a lot of half-baked ideas with middling execution. Overcoming the odds, Halo: Reach is without a doubt the best Halo game yet. Whether it’s the single player or multiplayer, there isn’t a facet of…
By - Regian EA’s NHL series has been soaring to new heights the last couple of years. In my opinion, the quality of the NHL series has eclipsed even the quality of the Madden series titles the last few years. The question is, has EA brought yet another stellar hockey title to the table? NHL 11 brings a few new things to the table this year: First, a brand new physics engine to give those brutal hits that extra…
By - Richard J. For years, developers have been trying to craft the perfect Spider-Man game. After Rocksteady unleashed the ultimate Batman game last year, tensions were growing higher for a Spider-Man game to reach critical acclaim. Beenox has now taken up the difficult task of developing that critically acclaimed Spider-Man game. Can Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions reach critical acclaim, or fall from a Manhattan…
By - Richard J. "All your base are belong to us." This horrible mistanslation became infamous back in 2001 when it spread across the internet. Reaching "meme" status, the phrase -- and accompanying image -- was posted on message boards across the internet. What people didn't pay attention to was the video game behind this meme. Zero Wing is a game that many people don't know that they know about. Does Zero Wing live…
By - Richard J. It has been a few years since the original Mafia turned heads on the PC, PS2, and Original Xbox. As one of the first mafia focused open world games, many gamers were in awe by what it accomplished. Now, 2K Czech is ready to get fans excited again, this time staying on the PC and upgrading to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Can Mafia 2 break the knees of its competition, or end up swimming with the…
By - Richard J. For the first time since 2002's Metroid: Fusion, Nintendo is publishing a brand new Metroid game with 2D side scrolling gameplay. Taking the lead this time is Team Ninja, known for the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series'. Fans of Nintendo and Team Ninja have been dreaming of what this combination could produce. After a slight delay, the product of this great combination has finally been released…
By - Richard J Back in 2007, IO Interactive released a new third person shooter IP to the market titled Kane & Lynch. Despite Kane & Lynch: Dead Men -- the series first game -- having much build up to its release, it ended up receiving very mixed reviews. Many reviewers felt the game was too ambitious, and ended up falling short. With the upcoming release of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, many were hoping that IO…
By - Craig H. The original Mafia game was highly praised and it took nearly 8 years for a successor to see the light of day. 2K Czech, formerly Illusion software, developed the original Mafia game and are back on-board for the second installment. Mafia 2 is a single player outing that looks to bring a cinematic feel to the game and immerse players into the mafia life of the 1940’s and 50’s. The story begins with the…
By - Craig H. The last few installments of the Tomb Raider series have been less then spectacular (to say the least). The series is looking to bring back the magic that made Lara Croft the recognizable character she is today. The brand has dropped the “Tomb Raider” manicure and is simply “Lara Croft”. The team at Crystal Dynamics is looking to change the way we play Lara Croft by opting for an isometric viewpoint…
By - Tom M. Before I formally start my review, I felt I should let explain my history with the Madden franchise; that is to say, there isn't much of one. I've dabbled with various iterations, but not enough to say I'm knowledgeable about them. While other reviews will compare how things have improved from previous years, that obviously won't be in the scope of this review. I don't have emotional ties to the series,…
By - Regian Movie tie-in games, for the most part, stink. Normally, studios will just take a movie franchise, crank out a game in a certain amount of time that would make those responsible for E.T. on the Atari jealous, slap a full retail tag on it and let it loose on the marketplace. Nine times out of ten, they fail. Miserably. Here comes Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game, a game tied-in to the recent release…
By - Craig H. In Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days you follow Lynch who has settled in Shanghai and has been somewhat disconnected from Kane after the events of the first game. Lynch is now involved with a big arms deal that requires Kane’s experience and expertise. This requires Lynch to ask Kane to join him in Shanghai for this “easy” job. Of course nothing is as easy as it seems and things go bad, fast. Kane and Lynch are…
By - Tom M. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is the game no Castlevania fan asked for. While pleas of a true, HD adventure in the 'Metroidvania' style go unrequited, Koji Igarashi and team at Konami developed what can only be described as Symphony of the Night mixed with Monster Hunter. The focus of this game is the multiplayer which is new territory for the series. The game ultimately reflects its conflicted nature,…
By - Regian Over the last few years, Transformers games haven’t particularly been the cream of the crop. As for the movies? It’s best that I probably don’t speak much about my contempt for one Michael Bay. However, when I heard that High Moon Studios was given a completely clean slate from Hasbro to produce a new Transformers title that had no direct relation to either of the movies, I was quite excited to see the…
By - Richard J. Back in 1997, Tecmo unleashed a "virtual monster simulator" to the world. Being on the PS1 allowed for Tecmo to take advantage of the PS1's ability to play CDs. Any readable CD you could stick in the PS1, could be turned into a monster for you to train. This gimmick turned the game into a hit. Now with the Nintendo DS having a bunch of new gimmicks, it was a no brainer for the Monster Rancher series…
By - Richard J. With the Wii being such a popular system, the lack of RPGs -- Japanese or Western -- is surprising. The similarity of the console with the PS2 also has me scratching my head as to why there are little or no RPGs. Whenever a new RPG comes along on the Wii -- especially JRPG -- niche gamers crawl back to their little white console. Will Arc Rise Fantasia be able to stand up to their high standards? Arc…
By - Tom M. After over a decade of waiting, Blizzard has finally given us the sequel to Starcraft - perhaps the most popular RTS of all time. In classic Blizzard fashion, they took as much time as they wanted in crafting this game, and the polish definitely shows. They've expanded every facet of the game, and modernized the franchise the world fell in love with. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty has its story…
By - Richard J. "Hell, it's about time!" - the saying plastered across nearly all promotions for Starcraft II. It has been twelve years since gamers started "Terran" it up in the original Starcraft. Despite my terrible pun, the original Starcraft has gone on to change the face of RTS'. It even went as far as being a national sport in South Korea. Starcraft is a synonym for Real Time Strategy. If you haven't already…
By - Richard J. In this curgeneration of consoles, quality JRPGs are few and far between. Instead of taking a risk, Atlus went with a rerelease of a classic JRPG from last generation, this time for the PSP. While it may be an obvious choice to bring such a great game to this underappreciated portable system, was it a wise choice? They already ported the original Persona to the PSP with mostly positive reviews, but…
By - Craig H. Hydro Thunder brings a great amount of nostalgia for arcade fans. The original water racer was an arcade classic and Hydro Thunder Hurricane does not stray too far from the proven path. The game keeps the same arcade feel and reminds you of what you have been missing since the last time you visited the arcade. The controls take a bit to get use to and for this reason the game gets off to a bumpy start.…
By - Craig H. Deadliest Warrior: The Game is based on the hit TV show on Spike TV. In the show, two historical warriors are pitted against one another to see, theoretically, who would win in a fight to the death. The extensive research on close, mid-range and long-range weapons for each combatant are used in the simulation of 100 battles to find out who statistically would win in a battle. The show is pure fiction…
By - Craig H. Singularity is a new IP from Raven Software, the studio behind the new Wolfenstein and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Singularity is a science fiction first person shooter (FPS) that was originally scheduled for release in late 2009.Raven Software used the extra development time to their advantage and was able to deliver a solid FPS with an intriguing story and entertaining gameplay. In Singularity players…
By - Craig H. I am not ashamed to say that Naughty Bear has been on my radar ever since the teddy bear massacre concept was first announced. Dreams of a Manhunt style game with lovable teddy bears was a very intriguing idea. But does Naughty Bear deliver on this twisted story like one hoped? In Naughty Bear you play as a bear named “Naughty” who was not invited to another bear, Daddles, birthday party. You still…
By - Richard J. The Legend of Zelda on the NES; the introduction of the brave, green-tunic wearing hero Link to the gaming community. Back in a time when simple side-scrolling games dominated gaming, few games went for a more open experience. Allowing you to travel around a small world, going where ever you wanted gave gamers a whole new type of experience. Unlike the newer Zelda games, The Legend of Zelda doesn't…
By - Richard J. It seems that every year shooter games find a new gimmick to add. Just look at Gears of War's hoard mode. How many games have taken that mode and slapped their own coat of paint on it? Starting with Halo: Reach, it appears that this year's gimmick is jet packs. Halo will have them, Kill zone will have them, and there are many more shooters that have yet to be revealed. At this perfect time to jump…
By - Richard J. Back in 2002, Rockstar Games acquired the rights to publish a little-known "Spaghetti Western" game, titled "Red Dead Revolver." The game received mix reviews, but became a rare hit among fans. When Rockstar Games announced that they would be releasing a sequel to Red Dead Revolver, the hype train started. As the game neared it's release, it began to show Rockstar's true colours. The third-person…
By - Craig H. Remember when Duke Nukem was one of the top shooters in the industry? When good ol’ Duke was in his prime? I do and unfortunately Duke is not looking good in 2010. Duke Nukem Manhattan Project is not much more than a port of the 2002 PC release. The game was made in 2002 and looks that way. The character models are jagged and poorly animated. The background looks like a bad photo with the decently…
By - Kai S. Imagine a world without any color. A world where everything was dark and gloomy, the only colors you will ever see are black, white and gray. That is exactly what the Raydians in de Blob are being forced to deal with after Comrade Black and the INKT Corporation took over their previously color filled world. But they aren’t going to sit around and take it, no, with your help they are going to fight back…
By - Craig H. Joe Danger mixes aspects of Trials HD and Excite Bike to create a fun and engaging motorcycle game that is well worth the price. Joe Danger is a beautiful game that is colorful and a joy to watch. The presentation is top notch and the controls feel great from the first time you pick up the controller. Joe Danger was the best stunt driver until a severe accident knocked him from the top. Now that he has…
By - Richard J. It all started with the Gameboy, and a little Russian game that could. After selling nearly 33 million on the portable system alone, everyone across America in the early '90s was fitting tetrominoes together. Over the years, Tetris has made its mark on nearly every home and portable video game console. The latest Tetris game(s) to invade home and portable consoles is Tetris Party Deluxe. Tetris Party…
