28 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.
Seen Akira? Seen that bit where Tetsuo starts devouring the planet? Okay, well, this is kind of like that, but a lot less terrifying and a lot more humourous. Essentially, you are placed in around a dozen or more bizarre, earthbound stages where you have to roll this ball around that picks up stuff. As the ball grows bigger, the player opens up new sections of the level and is able to roll over and absorb larger…
Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy and girl go spelunking together. Girl gets kidnapped by an evil terrorist organisation planning to take over the world . Boy just happens to have secret service training because his father is a spy. Boy is forced to go after girl and stop said evil terrorist organisation. Personally, I think it could be this year’s Titanic. Shadow Complex is a 2.5D action/platformer game in the…
You can’t fault Alone in the Dark for its ambition or for its production values, but for everything else it attempts to do, it does it badly; for every unique innovation it presents, it almost always, unfailing, counterbalances it with something to piss you off. Alone in the Dark isn’t a total disaster, but neither is it any good. Fundamentally, the game is a cross between a traditional, third-person survival horror…
Poor Treyarch – always in the shadow of its allegedly more talented sibling, Infinity Ward. Treyarch’s name is one that has become synonymous with inferiority or slapdash effort. Along with Climax Group (they of Silent Hill: Origins fame) and Ubisoft Shanghai (they of, well, that train wreck), Treyarch seem to have garnered an unfortunate reputation among gamers. Now, I’m not here to argue whether that’s a fair…
Blood on the Sand ’s shallow but fast-paced, compelling gameplay, coupled with an excellent all-round presentation, makes it a solid, entertaining third-person shooter. However, what allows Blood on the Sand to most stand out is its insanely over-the-top, ludicrous action set-pieces, its characters, plot and dialogue, and because of all these elements, Blood on the Sand , inadvertently, becomes a tribute to and…
As something with the official Don Corleone stamp of approval slapped on top of it, The Godfather 2 is such a horrible bastardisation that fans won’t know whether to laugh or cry at its thinly veiled attempt to keep itself true to the source material. It’s just a terrible mess. The story is all over the place, in no way in keeping with the plot of the films or of the book; most of the characters sound nothing like…
[Editors note: pictures speak louder than words and video speaks louder than pictures. For that reason, I have compiled a video preview of one of the levels from Streets of Rage 2 which cycles briefly through each character, giving you some idea of their range of moves. I have also included some annotations of things I thought were worth pointing out.] Sometimes you can only really appreciate the good stuff when put…
I’m not sure I’ve ever shouted so much at a game as I have at Dead Rising . In some ways it’s quite exceptional and, in others, rage-quit inducing. It’s a game with as many flaws as it has strengths and is difficult to recommend for that very reason. If, however, you can look your way past the instances of awkward and perverse design, you’ll enjoy a game which is not only engaging, but also interesting and unique in…
From beginning to end, Wanted: Weapons of Fate is straight-up, meaningless fun. It’s a fleeting cheap thrill; a sweet, sugary high. Nevertheless, it’s also a game which fails to evolve past its primordial origins, and it never really goes that extra mile or promises a unique experience. It is what it is: a nicely crafted, slick, delightful morsel of hollow entertainment, which never surprises or astounds but very…
Stranglehold (or John Woo Presents Stranglehold , to give it its unwieldy full title) is a quite unremarkable third-person shooter which is mostly fun, sometimes frustrating and always tongue-in-cheek. Stranglehold is the sequel to Hard Boiled , John Woo’s 1992 action film extravaganza, and it again follows the insubordinate, roguish Detective Tequila (voiced by Yun-Fat Chow) as he must find and save his old love…
When it comes down to it, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a very average third-person brawler with a decent story. It likes to talk big, impress you with epic set-pieces and grand gestures, but, ultimately, it can never fulfil upon its promises or overcome its fundamental flaws. The story takes place between Episodes III and IV in the Star Wars universe, effectively bridging the gap between the new and old saga.…
Despite its bland, forgettable title, Zeno Clash is a remarkable game from small indie developer ACE Team. In essence, it’s a first-person brawler set in a tribal/fantasy universe. You occupy the role of Ghat, an outcast, who awakens from unconsciousness following a vicious fight with the clan’s leader, Father-Mother. With Father-Mother dead, Ghat is left with no other choice but to escape from Halstedom, his home…
I started this review at around half-eight in the evening, yet I haven’t written a single word. It’s now exactly seven minutes past ten, at night, and a dialogue box pops-up, asking me, “Are you sure you wish to quit the game?” “Yes, goddamn you, I want to quit. I want to quit so bad . Why won’t you let me quit you, Plants vs. Zombies ?” Plants vs. Zombies is the latest game from PopCap, most famously known for…
As Nathan “Rad” Spencer parachutes onto the ground below, he soft lands, performs a forward roll, and gives a cheeky nod to the player holding the controller on the other side of the screen. He’s winking at you . Bionic Commando Rearmed is, itself, a remake of the classic NES game, a 2D-scrolling platformer/shooter, in which you control Nathan Spencer, a soldier working for the FSA (the Americans, broadly speaking)…
The Darkness starts off pretty well. It’s New York City – present day – and you play Jackie Estacado, a young button-man working for the local mafia don, your beloved Uncle Paulie. On the eve of your character’s 21 birthday, you’re sent on a mission, by your dear Uncle, to assassinate a troublesome construction foreman. Along with two other goons, who engage in trivial, humorous conversation along the way, you ride…
Conceptually, Mirror’s Edge is brilliant; there is no doubt about it, for me. The idea of a first-person free-running simulator is something I’ve wanted to play having seen The Matrix for the first time. Being able to jump from building to building, across rooftops, pulling out kick-ass moves when needs be, dressing in hot, sexy PVC… Ah, yes, Mirror’s Edge : a great idea, in theory . It’s in practice, though, where…
It’s Space Invaders , but extreeeeeeeeme ! Available for 800 MSP on Xbox LIVE Arcade, Space Invaders Extreme is a revamp of the classic shooter, combining psychedelic visualizer backgrounds (by none other than Mr Tempest himself, Jeff Minter) and a pumping electro-synth-style soundtrack. It’s a simple game: move your spacecraft at the bottom of the screen with the analogue stick and shoot the waves of incoming alien…
Ninja Gaiden 2 is ridiculous, absurd and damn good fun. Its best quality is that when everything is working, when the camera isn’t screwing up, and when the game isn’t being obnoxiously difficult, it makes you feel like an absolute badass. Its worst quality is that, at times, the game can become an infuriating little bitch. The story is, basically, that you are Ryu Hayabusa, Dragon Ninja; some bad guys are going to…
OutRun Online Arcade is the gaming antidote to a rainy, Sunday afternoon; it is pure unadulterated escapism, liquid joy in the form of ones and zeros. In between all the Resident Evil s and Gears of War s in this world, they simply don’t make this kind of game any more. Except they do. Because this is Sega we’re talking about here, and they’re not afraid of committing themselves to, what I’d imagine to be, months of…
Read the full review "Don't stop now... Feels so good... Nothing can go wroooong"
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is yet another attempt by Eidos to relive the glory years of Lara Croft — you know, when she was the highschool prom queen, instead of the now broken-down old whore she’s been reduced to. The game itself is actually a remake of the original PS1 classic , then released in 1996, but with added gameplay features, enhanced graphics and some rejigged levels. It’s a game that doesn’t reinvent the…
Flashback to August 2008: Jonathan Blow releases Braid on Xbox Live Arcade to much critical and popular acclaim. As it turned out, it was to be a monumental and defining year for indie gaming in general as World of Goo , released in late 2008 for the Wii and PC, again won the plaudits of critics and gamers alike. It was to be the year where the industry stood up and took notice of what was going on right under their…
I’m going to save the reader a lot of time here by getting to the point: The Path is not a good game; in fact, it’s not a game at all. It’s not fun . It’s not exciting . It’s not even that enjoyable. What The Path is, is interesting, mysterious, clever, atmospheric and - forgive me for saying so - poetic. The Path is a puzzling ‘interactive experience’ which has no real aim or end goal. The Path is aimless; and yet,…
Dead Space is not just another Resident Evil clone; it is more than that. Yes, it may feature gameplay mechanics which are standard for the genre, pioneered by The Godfather of survival-horror ; however, there are more than enough innovative, well-designed and well-executed features in Dead Space that not only allow it to set itself apart from the competition, but, also, to possibly rival it. In Dead Space , you…
Dawn of War II is a rather strange mix of real-time strategy and role-playing elements that you'll either get, love and cherish; or hate, curse and despise. When many games at the moment are trying to do 'bigger and better', Relic goes and does something completely different; instead of just doing a by-the-numbers sequal to the original Dawn of War , they decide to make fundamental changes to the gameplay - in…
Every Extra Extend , hmmm . This is a game I can see myself playing while on a train waiting for the next stop. It is an extremely simple high-concept game that turns most ’shumps’ on their heads; and this is partially why I love the game: for its originality in its approach. The other reason why I think it’s great, and this is something that borrows from other classic puzzle games, is that it forces the player to…
The God of War series has made its mark on the Playstation 2 platform with its combination of intuitive combat mechanics, simple puzzle solving and less than annoying jumping sequences (an exception to the trend, I know). Interestingly, this game in the series is made by Ready at Dawn studios, not SCE Studios Santa Monica - who made the last two games in the ever expanding saga. Ready at Dawn Studios is mostly…
Playing Splinter Cell: Double Agent is a frustrating experience, but for all the wrong reasons. Let me elaborate. Splinter Cell: Double Agent is the fourth game in a series where the sole focus is on stealth, silent take downs, sneaking around, hiding from enemies and rappelling from roof tops. In the course of all this you are bound to trip a few alarms, alert a few enemy sentries and generally die a lot . However,…
Read the full review Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is the third game in the Red Alert universe and the seventh game in the Command & Conquer series as a whole - excluding the expansions and the digital atrocity named Renegade. As such, if you’ve played any of the previous titles in the series, then you’ll know roughly what to expect here but with a few notable differences. First off though, the story… Red Alert 3 follows the fall of…
