70 public written reviews
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Acclaim should give themselves a pat on the back when it comes to Turok, they did the comics justice during the late nineties: generating three outstanding exclusive Nintendo 64 titles. Turok had always great design, pushing Nintendo's 64 bit machine to it's limits, with solid adventuring elements and thrilling gunplay. Acclaim had essentially made Jurrassic Park into a first person shooter by throwing us, the…
Manhunt 2 definitely felt a large blow of controversy during its development. One delay, after another it eventually was cancelled on the whole for its UK release simply due to how violent and blood-soaked the game's content ended up becoming. Now a year after its original intended release, BBFC have finally accepted Take 2's request to release this edited, but still maniacal and crimson coated version of the action…
It ought to be said that Dead Rising: Chop 'Till You Drop doesn't quite have the same eminence as its Xbox 360 brother. It has worse graphics, no camera mode and the time management devices of the original game are somewhat extinct. Though that the case, Dead Rising on Nintendo Wii still remains to be a enticing and captivating adventure for much of the experience. Dead Rising Chop 'Till You Drop features the same…
In a world where most first person shooters try to be as realistic as possible, it is a relief that Serious Sam, a parody of the very genre it represents, does its upmost best to avoid being as authentic as possible. Serious Sam: The First Encounter originally took gamers by storm as a sleeper hit on PC. Despite being sold for the pocket money price of £20, it was a major achievement on Croteam's part as a visually…
Had it not been for the promise of the newfangled Wii motion controls, Call of Duty 3 would've made for one of the most monumental and absorbing launch releases on the Nintendo Wii. The amount of quality teeming from the picturesque and refined substance of CoD 3's gameplay is almost palpable to say the least. It isn't difficult to see why it has been such a success otherwise on Xbox 360, PS3 and even PC. Call of…
If anything proves that B-movies and video games work well together it would have to be House of the Dead Overkill. Taking place several years before the original House of the Dead, players take on the roles of rookie AMS agent G and motor mouth Detective Washington to uncover the devious plans of notorious mobster Pa Pa Cesar. Overkill is built around an alarmingly 70s inspired grindhouse feature template.…
Acclaim's conversion of Crazy Taxi can be called as how you see it. As a direct port of Sega's famous arcade title of the same name you play as a cabbie roaming the streets of San Francisco. It was originally a Dreamcast exclusive but following the demise of the system Sega pulled out of the console race and set to developing games for its previous competitors instead. But with the case of Crazy Taxi on Playstation…
Back in 2003 PC gamers worldwide were occupied by Activision's adumbration of the Second World War via a game known as Call of Duty. This Call of Duty was able to change a genre's reputation in ways never seen before as it furthered first person shooters immersion and interactivity almost by ten-fold. It had smart, relatable characters, authentic tactical combat and best of all an online mode that everyone could…
If you were unfortunate enough to have missed out on Dead Space back in 2008 then shame on you. It took players by storm as the sleeper hit of the year by re-inventing the survival horror genre. And EA Redwood Shores did the clever thing by combining all the key elements to a solid third-person shooter – a smooth combat system, gravity gun mechanic, weapon upgrade device, shop and a immersive story to provide an…
Parodies are not known as anything new in video games. Some games even focus almost entirely on pop-culture references (including the highly acclaimed Conker's Bad Fur Day) and blatant inspirations from the world of film and music (like the now infamous bullet time gameplay feature in Max Payne). But ultimately you can only depend on parodying and mocking others so long before it grows repetitive and stale…
Parodies are not known as anything new in video games. Some games even focus almost entirely on pop-culture references (including the highly acclaimed Conker's Bad Fur Day) and blatant inspirations from the world of film and music (like the now infamous bullet time gameplay feature in Max Payne). But ultimately you can only depend on parodying and mocking others so long before it grows repetitive and stale…
If you're a fan of Call of Duty on PC and see Finest Hour, it is advised you stay entirely clear of this entry into the COD series. And it is such a shame too as the 2003 PC game of the year is perhaps one of the best first person shooters ever made. Call of Duty on PC breathes new life into the increasingly dull WW2 shooter genre; Finest Hour does nothing close to that. Regardless, developers Spark have atleast…
Reviwer's Note: If you're after a full comparison between the versions of Sonic Unleashed check elsewhere as the differences are only mentioned briefly in this review. However the differences between the SD editions by Dimps on Playstation 2 and Wii are analysed instead if you're interested in knowing which the better version to buy is. Keep reading to find out.…
It is strange how Bizarre Creations humble first generation inspired Geometry Wars has grown into such a phenomenal indie developed shooter. Since its early days of access through the garage of Project Gotham Racing 2 in 2003, it has mesmerised players with its almost patronising adornment. Fast forward to 2005 and Geometry Wars sees an Xbox Live Arcade update though Retro Evolved. It now combines the primitive…
There are violent video games and then there is Soldier of Fortune. As a sleeper hit of 2000 on PC, it helped solidify Raven Software's reputation as the manufacturer of gritty, visceral and absolutely bloodthirsty releases (as would be evident with the more recent X-Men Wolverine Origins Uncaged and Wolfenstein). And Raven Software did it thanks largely to the state-of-the-art damage system known as GHOUL. Take a…
For a franchise with so much potential, it is a bloody shame, a real bloody shame that Afro Samurai has failed to efficiently use the awesome credentials of the2007 anime into its HD console spin-off in 2009. Afro Samurai is a steam-punk captured and hip-hop influenced creation by Takashi Okazaki. Although during its manga run the series was relatively cult in its audience, the decision to animate Afro Samurai many…
The impact of Virtua Fighter as a fighter can't be given justice in one sentence. As the first 3D one-on-one fighting game by Yu Suzuki's famed AM2 department, it fluently demonstrated how flexible 3D could be in producing life-like graphics and gameplay. And with each sequel and home port, it continued to serve this testament correctly. Virtua Fighter 4 is no different. In truth, Sega can stay rest assured that…
Face it, the only reason you're curious about Sonic Gems Collection in the first place is because of Sonic CD. Had Sonic CD not been included, the collection otherwise would of been a mediocre list of half-decent Sonic releases heralded no less by two of Sonic's most disappointing spin-offs: Sonic R and Sonic the Fighters. But does that mean Sonic Gems Collection is still worth your hard earned dough? In a word no.…
Anyone who remembers Quake 3 Arena back when it was released in 1999 knew it for one particular reason: multiplayer. Quake 3 thrived on the network based capabilities of computers of the time and anyone familiar with the Sega Dreamcast would've told you that the ability to play anyone in the world on Quake 3 played a large part to its success. So it is a wonder how Bullfrog were able to maintain a quantitative level…
If you needed a dignifying showcase of the Playstation 2's discernible aptitude Silpheed: The Lost Planet would provide the necessary means in doing so. The levels, even in the depths of space, are epitomised with sparkling effects only possible of Sony's emotion engine fuelled powerhouse. The first level alone has you swoop over a gloriously in-motion space-battle reminiscent of any space sci-fi of the seventies.…
Beyond doubt it seems Sega are the best for the raw thrills and imaginative surprises on the grounds of arcade intended games. This generation alone, we've already seen the former giants release highly anticipated ports of Virtua Fighter 5 and Virtua Tennis 3 for PS3 and ofcourse on Wii there has been the much loved House of the Dead 2 & 3 Returns for Nintendo Wii. Ghost Squad, developed by AM2 and released into the…
If you're a European gamer, you'll know this as Probotector, but don't let that stop you from getting this game. What you see here is the best example of how the use the NES' hardware. Although Contra is weaker on the NES compared to it's arcade brother, Contra on NES is probably one of the most visually outstanding Nintendo games ever. From the minute you start the game, you'll know this game is different. For…
