27 public reviews
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I didn't own a PC in the late 90s, so I was never able to experience the original Deus Ex which I still only have a vague understanding of its significance. I did have enough knowledge to know that Deus Ex: HR had some very big shoes to fill. When the Game of the Year Awards came around at the end of 2011, Deus Ex was pretty absent. But when I think back to Deus Ex I realize that despite some questionable design…
Bastion is a beautiful 2D fantasy game with a unique storytelling method of an ever present voice narrating the story as it happens. The voice’s register hovers somewhere in the vicinity of Sam Elliott and Ron Perlman and serves as a constant companion that elegantly toes the line between pure exposition but also a character in the game itself. In addition to this unique conceit, the game itself is a fun action-RPG…
If you know anything about the game Darksiders, you know that it’s earned its reputation for being a darker “mature” version of Legend of Zelda . After playing the game I have no problem saying that the comparison is entirely apt, and what parts of the game aren’t from Zelda are from God of War or Devil May Cry. In addition there are a few pepperings of Panzer Dragoon and even some Portal. But you know what? Lack of…
Contrary to the "Grand Theft Noir" vibe that it gives, L.A. Noire is more of a modern take on old school slow and methodical adventure games than a GTA open world action game. Using cutting edge technology the game requires you to read the facial expressions of characters you interrogate in order to determine whether or not they're telling the truth or not. Fitting somewhere in between a straight linear adventure…
Portal 2 is a spectacular game that's both easy and difficult to review at the same time because there's plenty to say about what's good, but also I want to make sure I do proper justice to it. This review will definitely contain massive spoilers so don't even think about reading this before you've played the game. Play it. At the writing of this review it's already gone down to $40 so there's no excuse. Portal was…
Outland is a game easy to describe using a combination of other games, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a unique and stylist platformer that is very easy to recommend to anyone with an Xbox 360 or PS3. Okay so let’s get it out of the way, the game takes the art style of Patapon, the exploration of Metroid, the color switching mechanics of Ikaruga and boss battles reminiscent of Shadow of the Colossus.…
If you still have an inner 13 year old, you'll LOVE this game. If you're 13 years old you're also likely to love this game. The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is an excessively emo hack n' slash n' rip n' tear game that because of its art style, you might be embarrassed to admit you like. But if you enjoy really fast action games which make your thumbs scream for mercy then you'll love this game even if you're an adult…
The sequel to Ken Levine's blockbuster hit BioShock feels like a checklist of sequel gameplay features for a game where the gameplay wasn't the primary reason it was great. BioShock 2 was made to cash in on the popular franchise and it shows in everything from the game's scope, atmosphere and storyline. Here's how I picture the pitch for BioShock 2: "Okay, this time YOU are the Big Daddy but you can use plasmids and…
Enslaved is a 3rd person action adventure game similar in many ways to the Uncharted games. With its fantastically realized world, great characters, fun gameplay and some of the best acting you'll find in a game it really deserves more attention. Unfortunately despite its high production values and big name Hollywood talent it did very poor sales and now retails for $20 less than half a year after its release.…
Does Dead Space 2 live up to the technical and artistic achievements of the original? Hell yeah it does! If you wanted more Dead Space then you won't be disappointed in this new chapter in the story of engineer Isaac Clarke and his ongoing battle with those no good necromorphs and their ample limbs waiting to be dismembered. Dead Space 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but the scope is expanded and they add some small…
Ever since I received my first generation Gameboy nearly 20 years ago I've been hooked on Tetris. Aside from the original I've also played a hell of a lot of Tetris DX for Gameboy Color (still my favorite) and Tetris DS. Despite owning different versions of Tetris three times over I have no regrets with my purchase of Tetris® for PSN. Simplicity itself. The first Tetris on the Gameboy is by far the most difficult.…
Let me start off by saying that Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is a full on sequel to AC2. Ubisoft really shot themselves in the foot by only focusing on the multiplayer aspect of the game, because the single player campaign is just as long and involved as all the other games. There’s never a moment where this game feels like a level pack shoved out a year after AC2. People have that impression because of the…
Alan Wake is a dark, moody, foreboding, ominous psychological action thriller third-person shooter for Xbox 360. The game is held up by its involving and constantly twisting story, unique visual style and gameplay mechanics that make it a lot of fun to play. However, there is one glaring thing about the game which severely tarnished my overall experience with what is otherwise a very nicely made game. Alan Wake is a…
There's a very good chance that Kirby's Epic Yarn is the most FUFFY WUFFY FLUFFY game I've ever played! If this game doesn't make you smile while playing it, you may be a replicant, or other synthetic lifeform lacking a heart or soul. When I first saw footage of it I just thought it looked interesting, but after a better look I marvel at the cleverness of its design and fun gameplay. If developer Good Feel hadn't…
Costume Quest is a cute and charming little RPG from Double Fine, the creators of Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. It's not very long, but its gameplay and character make it fun and addictive like good RPGs should be. You play as one of two siblings, Wren or Reynold. It's Halloween night and they're getting ready to go trick-or-treating, but they have a bit of a fight like brothers and sisters tend to do. It turns out…
Dead Space Ignition is a $5 downloadable game that gives a little bit of story covering events that occur before Dead Space 2. The benefits of the game are the brief story and also the ability to unlock the “Hacker Suit” for use in Dead Space 2. The story follows Franco and Sarah who are two people working on The Sprawl. Franco is a technician and Sarah is the one using the guns. The story is told via comic book…
Halo Reach is by far the best of the Halo games with its technical polish and vast feature set, but in many ways it feels like Bungie has only caught up to other current gen games on the market. Compared to previous Halo games, Reach has the best directed story, but it still plays second or third fiddle to the strongest component of the franchise which is in its gameplay. In Halo Reach you play as Noble 6, the…
Metroid Other M is the first 3D Metroid game to come out not related to the Prime series. Ever since the conclusion of the Prime series, a side scrolling 3D Metroid game has been all I've wanted, especially after the excellent XBLA game Shadow Complex which follows the same Metroid style of gameplay. Unfortunately, after the title screen came back up and I turned my Wii off, this game left more bad taste than good…
Scott Pilgrim vs the World - Ubisoft Montreal Studios, PSN, Xbox Live Marketplace Scott Pilgrim vs the World is a fun straight up old school beat 'em up game update of River City Ransom based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. The graphic novels are jam packed with pop culture and video game references, and the game adaptation is no different. Every screen it seems is filled with references whether they affect the…
So is it Diablo crossed with The Secret of Monkey Island? Not really, but it’s an action RPG with loot like Diablo, and it has humorous dialogue like in Secret of Monkey Island. Deathspank is the latest game from Ron Gilbert who is the creative mind behind the Monkey Island series and Maniac Mansion. It’s available for download on Xbox Live Arcade and also the Playstation Store for $15. I really liked Deathspank,…
Limbo is a game for Xbox Live Arcade which is part puzzle game and part platformer. The first thing you’ll notice about Limbo is it’s unique art style which you’re not likely to have seen ever before. The whole game is black & white with subtle shades of gray. Also there is virtually no music, and what little music is in the game is more along the lines of ambient musical stingers and drones usually to increase the…
There’s no weight. This describes my overall impression of Halo right now. While playing and the time after I beat Halo 2 I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that makes the game so beloved, yet leaves me rather cold. I even did research to see what other first person shooters existed at the time in order to give some proper context to see if I was expecting too much from the game. Years ago I played the…
Picross 3D - Hal Laboratory, Nintendo DS Picross 3D is a sequel of sorts to the Picross game that came out for the DS in 2007. It's a puzzle game and if you have obsessive tendencies like me then you'll absolutely love this game. The original Picross was a lot of fun, but it didn't connect with me in the same way that this game has kept me occupied for untold hours on end. Seriously, like RPG hours. You have to…
I received Uncharted 2 for Christmas last year (and gave it to two friends before I had played it based on word of mouth) and like most people who played it I totally loved it. A true sign that I love this game is that I’ve since beat it on Hard difficulty and recently started Crushing difficulty. For hardcore gamers playing on higher difficulties might be no big deal, but I basically NEVER do this. Also, since it’s…
Final Fantasy 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 8, 12. That’s the order I put the Final Fantasy games that I’ve beat from best to worst. First place is very close though because I like both of those games a lot. You’ll see also that I’m a person who will proudly say that I like Final Fantasy 9 because for reasons unknown to me people seem to begrudgingly say that they like 9, whereas equally mysterious to me people say that they…
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is one of the best DS games that I’ve played in the last year. In a platform completely infested with “brain training” games, Professor Layton is a similar sort of game that pulls it off in a manner that’s fun, engaging and enjoyable all the way through. For those who played Brain Age or Brain Age 2, Professor Layton is a breath of fresh air that makes you think without…
Read the full review Professor Layton and the Curious Village
To give a little background I’ve been taking Japanese classes for about two and a half years now (one hour classes twice a week). Before that the only Japanese I knew I knew from watching anime, but I never said any because I didn’t want to be one of those people you can tell learned all their Japanese from anime. I got this for my birthday and have been tearing through it for a few weeks. On Amazon the description…
