24 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.
A game several years in the making, facing several revisions has finally made it through the dark and found the light. Developed by the famed Max Payne developers (Remedy Entertainment), this time we get a horror thriller and new game mechanics using light to scour our way through. The story is the major highlight here for me. Typically a story in a horror movie is garbage, playing off clichés and usually climaxing…
Resonance of Fate is one of those little games that fell into a black hole amidst a release of other high profile titles. With a release only a week after FFXIII, it was easy to ignore another JRPG, and it’s too bad since Resonance of Fate is a pretty decent game for fans of the genre. However, anyone else will likely see this as a convoluted mess. The story is a bit of a mixed bag. The high points are the great…
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the first Silent Hill release for the Wii from developers Climax. Shattered Memories is a re-imagining of the first Silent Hill released long ago on Playstation. This is in no way a remake, since the story is almost completely different with the exception of the characters having the same name and similar roles. The story is easily Shattered Memories strongest characteristic. It is…
The hyper-stylized violence fest that the first game introduced has made a return in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. Fortunately, most of the annoying elements of the first game have been removed, and left with a more streamlined and fast paced experience. You’ll return as Travis Touchdown, who is drawn back into the UAA for revenge after your best friend (the video store guy from the first game) Bishop is…
Heavy Rain is tough to review, since it isn’t exactly a game in the normal sense of the word. The developers tout it as interactive drama, and for the most part that is exactly what it is. I felt I was more an influence for the characters decisions than I was actually playing them. Despite that, there really isn’t anything quite like this out there and it is a harrowing experience, but not in a bad way. You’ll take…
God of War III marks the end(?) of Kratos’ revenge saga. The only game of the series not on the PS2 (unless you count Chains of Olympus on the PSP) features a dramatic upgrade in visuals, but gameplay-wise isn’t much different, and that isn’t really a bad thing. I will admit upfront I haven’t played the second game in the series, because the first game frustrated me to the point I almost never wanted to play a God…
The long awaited next gen Final Fantasy installment is finally here… But does it meet the lofty expectations set for such a high profile title? I’ll get this out of the way first: this really isn’t like your typical Final Fantasy game, as it changes much of the expected formula. You won’t run through towns and enjoy the odd mini game diversion. You will be placed on a path and will follow it almost completely…
Darksiders seemed like a bit of a Dark Horse releasing in a busy first quarter full of delayed winter titles. It’s a good thing it came out early, since it is a surprisingly decent game that is worth a rental. It won’t take long to figure out that Darksiders is a game strongly inspired by other games. Most notably, it plays like a mature Zelda game. Many of its game mechanics seem to be a direct homage to Zelda,…
Brutal Legend is a tough game to classify into a genre. It’s an open world action game with elements o f real time strategy. It also doesn’t exactly implement these genres at the same time. You’ll drive around to missions, and the missions will generally either be a driving, hack and slash, or an RTS battle mission. Since there is less focus on each type of mission there isn’t a major amount of polish present, but…
When I first heard developers Gearbox were working on a RPG/FPS hybrid, I was pretty skeptical. Typically FPS games are faster paced where as RPGs are slower paced involving plenty of micromanagement. Fortunately what Gearbox put together turned out quite good, albeit mostly thanks to good integration of cooperative play. The start of the game jumps you right into the planet of Pandora, where you choose one of four…
It seems everything I review lately is a sequel. The follow-up to the acclaimed Bioshock brings the player back to Rapture 10 years later as a prototype Big Daddy. One big thing to note, is that generally the gameplay is largely unchanged. The only major change is the hacking mini-game is quicker and not pipe dream anymore. Also, they provided a multiplayer experience that now seems to be a staple for first person…
Bayonetta is one of those games that will constantly leave you in awe with its sheer ridiculousness and no holds barred action. It’s over the top, hyper-sexualized female lead might make you feel a little guilty, but despite all that she is cool, calm and can kick some major back. Just a warning, your wife/girlfriend may not appreciate you playing a game where the protagonist’s clothes constantly disappear for…
I am a fan of co-op games. I enjoy playing a game with a friend, so naturally Army of Two was a game on my radar. I was very underwhelmed with the first game, and I figured EA Montreal could take their core concepts, and build a compelling and exciting sequel. Although new ideas are introduced, and with more emphasis could have made a better game, are secondary and have little effect on the general experience which…
The latest in shockingly violent games for the Wii is MadWorld. Will this one have the hardcore gamers dusting off the Wii? You may be as surprised as I was when I first started the game to discover there is an actual story. It’s not entirely just a mindless run through of various arenas going for the high score which I thought the game would pretty much be. You’ll play as Jack (just Jack) whose agenda is unclear as…
The Godfather 2 takes the same general open world concepts found in Grand Theft Auto games, but does little to innovate or provide exciting gameplay. The story is loosely based on that of the second Godfather film, yet obviously takes liberties in order to make it gel into objectives fit for the game. They’ll rob some lines and scenes from the film, but the alterations in the game eliminate any of the emotional…
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is the sequel to the Wii version Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers. The title is a little misleading, since there isn’t a squad of bikini samurais, only one character wears a bikini. Also what the title doesn’t tell you is that the game is terrible. Onechanbara would have been better off with no story, that way there would have been fewer load screens (which there are plenty). The…
It has been a long time coming for a worthy successor to Street Fighter 2 but I would say the latest installment from Capcom is the best yet. With stellar visuals and improved fighter balancing this is without a doubt a fantastic game for newcomers and hardcore street fighters alike. With that said, there are only a small handful of game modes included in SF IV that may leave some individuals a little disappointed.…
If you play any PS2 RPG this year, you won’t want to miss out on Persona 4. Persona takes the standard turn based RPG combat style and injects it with strategic elements in a modern setting. You’ll essentially be managing two aspects, which all contribute to your overall success. You’ll manage your school and social life, and the typical RPG level grinding inside the Television dungeons. One of the best aspects of…
Resident Evil is back with its follow up to the acclaimed Resident Evil 4. Although the graphics have made significant leaps, most of the control scheme from Resident Evil 4 has returned. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the game still feel like more of the same. The story is more of a follow up to Resident Evil 4 and the Resident Evil: Degeneration movie. It seems to encompass mostly content…
From the developers of the Age of Empires series comes a console exclusive RTS (real-time strategy) set in the Halo universe. Instead of running around as the Master Chief you will control squads of different unit types from your airborne view fending off the Covenant during the campaign. You’ll also have the option of controlling the covenant, but only when playing skirmish or online. There is no Covenant campaign…
I was aware of the hype going into this game. I can say with confidence it has certainly lived up to it. This is an absolutely fantastic FPS experience that has already provided me with several fun hours, and many more to come. The story takes you to the Helghan planet where the ISA intends to over throw emperor Visari who initiated the attack on the Vektan planet in the first Killzone. This is pretty much all the…
Lara Croft returns in the sequel to Tomb Raider: Legend. While she has some new moves and improved visuals, you’ll find yourself frustrated after Lara falls to her death again trying the simplest of actions. The story picks up where Legend left off. Lara is still on her quest to determine what happened to her mother following the clues she finds in her travels to various locales ranging from underwater temples to…
Valkyria Chronicles is one of those under advertised games that very few people will play, but will likely really enjoy. There just isn’t really anything out there like it, and its level of polish is truly top notch. Valkyria is a turn based strategy/RPG that allows you to take control of each unit and make your move with more personal attention to the result of the outcome. There is still that random hit or miss…
Don't be fooled by the title, Matt Hazard is a new video game character. One riddled with all the clichés you'd expect in a video game that pokes fun at video game clichés. The only problem is by poking fun through it's incredibly dumb AI and ridiculously trivial and repetitive gameplay you get a game that is rife with those clichés… in a bad way. The story in Eat Lead is probably its strongest feature. You play a…
