174 public 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.
After E3, this was a game I was absolutely looking forward to. The trailer looked downright adorable and I do love me some platform puzzle gaming. Max is a young boy with a little brother Felix who irritates him. So, Max goes the route most people would follow in the same situation. He goes online to find a curse to take his brother away by a force of malevolent evil and out of his life. He immediately noticed that…
This is probably the most maligned of the launch titles for either console, Crytek's Ryse was viewed as being a gorgeous game with shaky game mechanics. Early game footage appeared to be a game with tons of QTE and little else. This didn't concern me as I adored Asura's Wrath, so on with the QTE, I say. Truth be known, in college, the two eras in history I found the most fascinating were the rise and fall of Weimar…
I try to be an optimist when it comes to gaming. I like most games. Most are fine and the overwhelming negativity is a bother for me. Now, I have to be honest, this is not going to be all that upbeat. Because, today, I am reviewing NBA Live 14 for the XBox One. Now, I did like the original Live series. I even, admittedly barely, preferred NBA Live 10 over 2K10. But, then EA decided to reboot the series, release a…
Speaking as somebody without much nostalgia for the original title, I have grown to love X-Com: Enemy Unknown the more I have played. The game is exceptionally deep. You always have something new to research and create. You always have some crisis to deal with at all times. There is a lack of dead time and the feeling of barely staying on top of all problems is your constant companion. You have several jobs for your…
Army of Two returns again and the douchey frat boy bromance is effectively dead. Doing away with one of the twin pillars of the game (that and the entire aggro system of gameplay) is always a massive risk. EA took the chance...and, well, the game is not exactly blowing my mind. Truth be known, I actually liked the first two Army of Two games. They were asinine games with pretty good shooting mechanics and a nice…
I won't lie --- the demo of this game had me worried. The demo had me feeling this game seemed dumb down, lacking in moves, and just not that enjoyable a title. I strongly considered eliminating my preorder out of sheer concern about this title's quality or possible lackthereof. I am thrilled I didn't end it, because the game is outstanding. A great shooter, completely different than Capcom fighters but definitely…
I won't lie --- the demo of this game had me worried. The demo had me feeling this game seemed dumb down, lacking in moves, and just not that enjoyable a title. I strongly considered eliminating my preorder out of sheer concern about this title's quality or possible lackthereof. I am thrilled I didn't end it, because the game is outstanding. A great shooter, completely different than Capcom fighters but definitely…
The review sounds dismissive and, I suppose, in fairness, the game might warrant some of it. 343 had a chance to make this game something different and unique but, instead, opted to go for a drop-dead gorgeous game of Halo. It's a solid formula, but hoping for something different is not a crime. You are Master Chief and Cortana pulls you out of stasis to deal with --- what, the Covenant? AGAIN? I thought we pretty…
I have not been a fan of the first four Devil May Cry games. If not my affection for new developer Ninja Theory, I would've likely ignored this entry. I am glad I didn't as this was the first DMC title that I actually got into. I suppose the big issue in the past was the lack of a feeling of power. Dante always felt like a stylish badass, but that it took so much work to kill a minor enemy that major ones seemed…
Far Cry has been a series that always seemed like a series that is prepared to be excellent but odd decisions and ideas ruined the concept. The original was silly. The sequel was a chore to play due to the constant respawning of enemies at checkpoints and an overly complex story. I've seen the brilliance of the idea in all of the releases, but always felt let down --- especially with 2 --- when the execution was…
The first Epic Mickey was a flawed product with an original concept and likeable characters. I felt a sequel might well improve on the flaws of the original (similarly to de Blob) and realize the vision Warren Spector had for this title. After the sequel, I cannot wait...to never play another Epic Mickey title yet again. The paint and thinner mechanic is still intact...and still depressingly useless and not all that…
Gears of War Judgment is the first in the apparently now-venerable AAA shooter not developed by Epic but, instead, by wholly owned studio People Can Fly (people behind the excellent Painkiller and Bulletstorm titles). It is the third major XBox-exclusive franchise that has been developed by a different studio (following Halo 4 and Forza Motorsports). The first one provided a huge change of pace while the second was…
I've liked the Forza titles thus far, but to ignore that they needed some changes was to be blind to reality. Many, many races on the same tracks over and over becomes hard to miss over the years. It's doubly rough when one of the main tracks, such as Nurburgring, is one you really do not much care for. When I first learned of Horizon's intention to become an open world racer, ala Burnout Paradise, I had doubts. But…
Hmm, toughie. I am exceedingly fond of the Lego titles. I don't give that much of a shit about LOTR. So, how will it turn out? Well, I will mention that I loved Lego Clone Wars and I openly despise that franchise, so this has potential. And, Traveller's Tales, as usual, produces a solid platformer with an exceptionally large amount of things to do. It is also the first one where the current generation of consoles is…
It wasn't that long ago where Treyarch was the "bad" developer of Call of Duty titles. CoD 3 and World at War are now distant memories as Treyarch has hit something special with the Black Ops series. The first title has grown on me over the years and is now my favorite of the CoD titles, eclipsing the first Modern Warfare title. Treyarch has continued their usual technical prowess (they do great fires and…
I was looking forward to Assassin's Creed III as much as any title this year. The American Revolution seemed like a really compelling location and the hope for some basic changes to the somewhat tired Assassin's Creed series. Revelations had a very superfluous feel to it and I was hoping that this would lead to a change with the change of scenery, protagonist (OK, you're still Desmond, but different assassin,…
I didn't hate the old SD v RAW series, but to ignore that some changes were needed would be to ignore reality. WWE 12 was a solid first attempt at revamping the series and WWE 13 further improves the overall plan. WWE 13 is carried, largely, by its storyline. It covers the Attitude history, from the creation of D-X before Survivor Series 1997 thru WrestleMania XV. OK, a further storyline you unlock goes a bit…
Rescued from developmental hell as a True Crime game by Square Enix, Sleeping Dogs is a surprising entry in the open world genre. Games with the troubled development story tend to not be solid (LA Noire was the exception to that rule) and this game did not seem to have a great deal of buzz heading in. So, how did it turn out? First off, it being a True Crime game made little sense. It was better than the prior True…
Do you really need a review? It's the usual good game from 2K. There's little special about it. Except they fucked up the controls. No more shot stick. You have to use a bumper AND the stick to shoot because the shot stick is now used to do dribble moves. Why? I don't give a damn about the dribble moves. Make one use the bumper for those things? Let the shot simply be fired by flicking the stick. Infinitely better…
Remember those test chambers you had to deal with as Desmond? Where you could manipulate two shapes to complete the chambers? It was, in theory, a major part of Assassin's Creed Revelations. Of course you don't remember playing them --- unless you are an Achievement/Trophy whore, nobody would play them willingly. They were the parts of the game where you didn't do anything awesome or perform like a badass. Clearly,…
Another year, another installment of Assassin's Creed. A series that has been released with solid titles in spite of the yearly grind of a new game. This game, however, was the first to really start to show that the yearly grind of releases is hurting the franchise. The game itself is good and the story is fine, but the game seems really superfluous. You return as Desmond who is still in less-than-stellar shape from…
The first Spider-Man title based on a movie since the lamentable Spider-Man 3 (*shudder*) and it's developed by Beenox, who hasn't exactly been knocking their Spider-Man games out of the park thus far. Shattered Dimensions was a good idea with meh execution and Edge of Time was openly terrible. So, with more than a little trepidation, I faced Amazing Spider-Man. And I was not disappointed. I'm not about to claim it…
Dawnguard is the first massive expansion pack for the Skyrim epic. A lengthy quest and a spate of new powers is always appreciated. Given the history of Elder Scrolls expansion sets (Shivering Isles is still one of the truly great add-ons), where does Dawnguard rank? Well, for starters, it isn't up to par with the best questlines in the game. It's not as solid as Dark Brotherhood or the Civil War --- but it is…
I have enjoyed Skyrim immensely --- but the DLC of Hearthfire seems to be scratching an itch that never existed. In this pack, you seek to build a home or homes and possibly adopt a child. It seems really out of place with the rest of the game as "domestic life" never seemed to be a major draw. The single biggest problem is that, as the title says, it is pointless. There isn't a benefit to it. There's no actual…
Oblivion has been the longest time I've ever spent in my gaming career (108 hours before DLC. 130 hours post-DLC). I was actually hesitating to play Skyrim due to the fear of this game sucking my life away. The good news it didn't suck up as much time, only about 70 hours pre-Dawnguard. It was every inch as amazing and epic, but way more manageable. It does take some time to get used to the Elder Scrolls leveling up…
Another year, another NCAA game. Fortunately, I am a college football fan (S Carolina Gamecocks for life, yo) so it does make looking at these games in a somewhat even-handed fashion challenging. I suppose we should first focus on the new addition, the Heisman Challenge. With that, you can put one of 10 Heisman winners (more are available as pr-eorder bonuses/DLC) on any team and try to win the Heisman by beating…
As an admitted non-fan of rally racing, the several rally series on the market have never done much for me --- until Colin McRae's DIRT series. Those games managed to take a form of driving I'm not fond of and make it an enjoyable and easily controllable driving series out there. DIRT 2 was one of my favorite games this generation. Codemasters has done right by the series --- arguably until DIRT Showdown. This game…
Looking at reviews, this game has some WIDELY disparate reviews. Some love it, some loathe it. Some think the combat is weak, some think the combat is functional. Some love the writing, some find it grating. I will not deny that I love this game. I can see all of the faults, but I do enjoy the game immensely. You play Juliet Starling, a high school cheerleader from a family of zombie hunters. Your boyfriend is Nick,…
I feel like the only guy who really loved Lego Batman. True, it is the best selling of the Lego games, but it seems to be one of the most routinely bashed titles of the genre. I thought it was really good, not the best (Lego Star Wars III is likely the best) but solid. I was looking forward to the sequel once it was announced as the idea of playing the best of the DC heroes against the most prominent DC villains…
Asura's Wrath...how do you describe it? Weird as all heck seems like the most appropriate term. If you cannot handle just unrelenting weirdness, then this game is not going to be for you. You are demigod Asura, who has been betrayed by the Gods and is summarily dismissed from Heaven. He is sent to Earth, where his fellow Gods have caused a wealth of problems. And these problems proceed to anger Asura. And, man,…
George R.R Martin's epic series and one of the few watchable HBO original programs in years seems like a Godsend for video gaming. A tale of betrayal, violence, and more than a wee bit of boning could easily be another Mass Effect level game. And there were hopes that not-well-known developer Cyanide Games could produce a game that matches the scope of the novels. They failed. Miserably. On the positive side, the…
The first Prototype was an interesting game with an intriguing premise but a wealth of problems. Visuals got ugly quickly and the game became insanely difficult (worse than Red Faction Guerilla, which was infamously rough). Your protagonist, Alex Mercer, was thoroughly unlikeable and his powers were OK but the game wasn't really tailored around his abilities. They were hoping to emulate Hulk: Ultimate Destruction…
I like UFC a lot, but I was unable to wrap my brain around the control system in the first two UFC Undisputed titles. I do not dispute (*rim shot*) that the title was excellent, but I was so terrible at the ground controls that if the PC managed to take me down, it was basically "Hold on until the round is over". I can't really fault the control as plenty of others figured it out, but it never once clicked with me.…
OK, this DLC can be really, really short or somewhat lengthy, depending on what you actually want to accomplish. If you wish to just tackle the Dead Kel storyline, that takes less than 3 hours to finish. But, there is a lot more to do in this pack than just the main storyline. There is a huge keep to rebuild. There are numerous caves to deal with. There is a large enemy area that you have to tackle that is laden…
One of the newer trends in RPG's is to take the MMO system of assorted people giving you a wealth of quests to do that you will complete in order to unlock the story. The more you do, the more you comprehend. KoA takes it to a bit of an extreme. The game is insanely long and, eventually, you have to quit and just minimize what you're doing. After 76 hours, there were still several dozen quests and tasks I simply…
The second DLC is the best of the bunch and one that shows the most promise of good DLC missions for this title. In the DLC pack, you are starring in a production where the director adores everything you do --- and hates everything your female lead does. You can do wrong, she can do no right, and you're going through missions trying to stay alive and dealing with the director's incessant abuse of your co-star. They…
Good lord, I had high hopes heading into this. Prof. Genki was a favorite in the game (I was stunned the first time I realized he was an NPC you could kill for huge money) and the SERC was one of the most enjoyable mini-games in the title. An entire game laden with that mini-game seemed like a can't miss prospect. It missed. Badly. First off, the entire premise is just dull and includes some blah mini-games. You…
Saints Row: The Third was my GOTY last year...but the DLC has been underwhelming. It's been amusing, but brutally short. The final Season Pass DLC (I'm assuming the last of the major DLC for the game as well) continues this streak by putting on an amusing diversion --- for about an hour. Johnny Gat is cloned by your biggest fan, Jimmy Torbitson, except Johnny is now a huge brute who is ransacking Steelport. Jimmy…
The Mass Effect trilogy has come to a conclusion and it seems to have enraged a few people. Commander Shephard's battle to save the universe from the Reapers comes to an...odd conclusion. I will get to the ending, but for the rest of the game, the title is excellent. Not as good as ME2, but still better than the original and a more than suitable conclusion to the best new RPG franchise this generation. Bioware has…
Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 is another LEGO game. There isn't much that will surprise you and unlike, say, Lego Star Wars III, your fondness for the source material will go a long way to determine how much you enjoy it. I'm not writing those first two sentences as an insult. I think the Lego games are a really good times. They are simple affairs that are hard to fail (OK, if you don't use invincibility, they might…
The Saints Row series started off as a generic GTA rip-off, but has become an insanely goofy series instead. You are, as usual, a member of the Saints, except that now, the Saints are multimedia superstars who sell everything from attire to drinks. But, the Syndicate isn't fond of you and have sent several gangs out to take you down. You fight the Luchadores (whose gimmick is EXACTLY what you think), the Deckers (a…
I had serious reservations about this game, believing that this would be a huge step down from the PC version --- a fair concern given that these games, almost always, are massive letdowns after stellar PC versions. Somehow, Kalypso avoided this issue and made a really good strategy/simulation. You, of course, are a Latin "leader" of assorted island nations. All have issues that you have to overcome, such as poor…
Rage is the newest game from ID, a company that seems better known for their tech than for their gameplay. This is their second game after the less than impressive Doom 3 --- and, well, initially it generated little satisfaction. When I first rented the game and played it, I didn't like it. I didn't see the appeal. At the time, it was OK with baffling game mechanics (no usable map? When you are driving so frequently…
Twisted Pixel is the guilty pleasure development company of gaming. Their games are amusing, usually solid in design, and have some really intriguing ideas. Some don't work (Comic Jumper), but most work rather well, such as The Gunstringer. The Gunstringer is a comically fun revenge tale as you seek to exact vengeance on people who wronged you. You, of course, are a skeleton marionette and the game is quite willing…
Well, with the departure of most of the core of IW, there were serious concerns heading into Modern Warfare 3. I wish I could say this game was an awesome game, I cannot say so. I liked the first two and this one, sadly, seems to be lacking in any real changes or updates to the formula. Tragically, I prefer the prior year's game more (Black Ops was awesome, in its defense, but it's odd to prefer Treyarch's work). I…
I actually sort of like the WWE titles. They have issues, to be sure, and clipping seems endemic, the series has never been actively bad. Not great, to be sure --- but never bad. Last year's had a bunch of issues, such as the absolutely pointless backstage portions. This game eliminates those, but has the problem of making a lot of matches utterly pointless. This is not an improvement. You have extremely long…
OK, let's get the big problem in mind here: It's Spider-Man in small, confined spaces. If nothing else is said, this alone qualifies the game as being absurd because it takes all of Spider-Man's biggest advantages and negates them. The game handcuffs Spider-Man from the get-go. This isn't the ONLY flaw in the game. Spider-Man 2099 is just not an appealing character and the incessant griping between the two…
Gears of War has been the lynchpin of the 360's success from its initial showings up until this current title. The tale of Marcus Fenix and the crew's war against the Locust horde. The storyline was somewhat less than compelling, but the gameplay always rose up to become amongst the all-time great series of games. It's gory, but the gore is never the centerpiece of the action. The weapons all work rather well.…
