28 public reviews
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Boy, it's been a while since I've written one of these. Put this on. Let's just get it out of the way: The Last Guardian is the most emotionally affecting game I've ever played. I love it with all my heart, in spite of its (mostly technical) flaws. It's my game of the year, game of the generation, and almost certainly in my shortlist of greatest games of all time. There's a tendency in game reviews to talk about…
It’s funny how it goes, sometimes. I’ve been pretty down on the state of AAA games for a while. Aside from a handful of great titles earlier in the year, the release schedule has been pretty bleak lately, filled with the kinds of games that make me embarrassed for the state of the medium, and sometimes its critics, too. Ironic, then, that it is an entry in a major, annualized franchise that has made me genuinely…
It’s funny how it goes, sometimes. I’ve been pretty down on the state of AAA games for a while. Aside from a handful of great titles earlier in the year, the release schedule has been pretty bleak lately, filled with the kinds of games that make me embarrassed for the state of the medium, and sometimes its critics, too. Ironic, then, that it is an entry in a major, annualized franchise that has made me genuinely…
The original Bioshock was a story that ultimately revolved around one twist that was meant to pull the rug out from underneath you. Initially, Bioshock Infinite seems so thematically similar, right down to the story beats, that it seems like a palette swap: replace Rapture with Columbia, Big Daddies for Songbird, Plasmids for Vigors, call it a day. Fortunately, there is a lot more to Infinite's floating city of…
Far Cry 3 combines elements of open-world games like Skyrim and Ubisoft's own Assassin's Creed with the first-person shooting of Crytek's original entry in the series. In between scripted story missions, you can explore Rook Island, do sidequests, hunt animals to craft upgrades, scavenge for collectibles or whittle away at the enemy presence on the island by taking over outposts scattered across the map.These…
Far Cry 3 combines elements of open-world games like Skyrim and Ubisoft's own Assassin's Creed with the first-person shooting of Crytek's original entry in the series. In between scripted story missions, you can explore Rook Island, do sidequests, hunt animals to craft upgrades, scavenge for collectibles or whittle away at the enemy presence on the island by taking over outposts scattered across the map.These…
Whoever said "they don't make 'em like they used to" when it comes to videogames probably hasn't played Resonance. This new but decidedly retro point 'n click adventure game looks like it came straight out of the early '90s, when the genre was at its peak, driven by then-giants Sierra and LucasArts. It looks old, but feels mostly modern, thanks to smart puzzle design, a sharp script and solid voice acting to back it…
The cyberpunk revival started by last year's Deus Ex: Human Revolution continues with Syndicate, a reimagining of the 1993 cult classic as a first-person shooter. Corporate warfare has transformed, as global corporations vie for control over the world's population by selling them brain chips that transform them into the uber-consumer many marketers surely dream of, perpetually plugged into their controlled…
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This must have been Nintendo's thinking when making Skyward Sword, arguably the most convincing case for motion controls in a 'traditional' game yet, though that isn't saying a whole lot. While games like Mario Galaxy have already incorporated motion controls to a degree, they haven't really been crucial to the experience in the same way as they are to…
Things are grim in Dark Souls. The undead roam the world, looking for warm bodies to tear asunder, and here you are, just trying to figure out why everything wants to kill you so badly. It does not take long for you to stop wondering about the why's and wherefores, because survival instinct has kicked in. Staying alive is all you're worried about anymore, and to do that you'll need to kill almost everything and…
Bulletstorm is to modern military first-person shooters what Red Alert is to World War II-strategy games. It feels as much like a parody of the super serious, military-jargon spouting games that rule the genre these days as it feels like a throwback to a time when 'fragging' was accepted parlance. It's ridiculous in almost every way, but with a wink and a knowing nod. It has a certain charm almost entirely missing…
Single-player DLC can be a tricky thing. In Bioshock 2's case, the story had a clear beginning and ending. Rather than just splicing (ha!) a new level in the middle of the campaign or making stand-alone challenge levels (like the recent Protector Trials), 2K has this time opted for a self-contained bit of narrative set in areas of Rapture that we haven't seen yet in the previous games. For 800 Microsoft points…
Read the full review Everything you loved about Bioshock 1&2
Darksiders is a game that has a lot to prove. Its developer, Vigil Games, has no track record to speak of and the game liberally borrows elements from several different franchises. It could easily have turned into a hodge podge of unoriginal, poorly implemented ideas, yet it feels more unique, fresh and original than most mainstream releases these days. What instantly sets Darksiders apart from its peers is its art…
Point Lookout adds more of everything you (probably) love about Fallout 3 to Fallout 3. To start with, it takes place in an entirely new area, not unlike The Pitt, but unlike The Pitt, there is a lot to find and explore for diligent players. Besides the main quest line, which in itself is fairly meaty and should take you 2 or 3 hours, there are interesting side quests to uncover and plenty of locations containing…
At the end of Demon's Souls introductory tutorial level, you die. You face a giant boss that shrugs off your attacks and kills you with a single hit. This perfectly encapsulates Demon's Souls. In a word, it is uncompromising. Unlike most games, the enemies in Demon's Souls aren't there for you to kill, they are there to kill you . In that, it is reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden, but it shares few other similarities with…
The Dishwasher is the prodigal child of Microsoft's XNA suite, which allows just about anyone to make a game on their PC and lets people buy and play it on their XBOX 360. While The Dishwasher started out as one such XNA game, Microsoft has chosen to release this as a fully-fledged Live Arcade title, presumably to make people aware that this XNA stuff is actually worth your time, when done well. The good news is…
Much like one of Dead Space's necromorphs after meeting the business end of a plasma cutter, I am torn. I really want to love Dead Space for its brilliant graphics, brutally satisfying combat and creepy atmosphere. But I also want to berate it for its generic plot, repetitive structure and overall predictability. You see, the plot really is a bit rubbish. Stop me if you've heard this before: You are Space Engineer…
Forget the Sands of Time trilogy: It's time for a new Prince in a new story. This isn't yet another Arabian Nights-esque story, but it's a well-crafted one regardless. The new Prince isn't even a Prince, but more of a mercenary vagabond, where-I-lay-my-head-is-home kind of guy. By meeting Elika, a princess possessing magical powers, he gets caught up in a quest to restore life to a dying land and imprison Ahriman,…
"Easiest with Dee Jay: crossup j.MK, c.LP, c.LP, Machine Gun Upper (charge d, u + mash punches)" That's what someone told me when I asked how to perform a 7-hit combo on a forum. I guess I should have known better? If that makes as much sense to you as it did to me back then, which is to say none at all, then read on, because this review is for you! Before playing SSF2THDR (its full name is far too long to spell…
Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland is a cruel and inhospitable place, fraught with danger. A nuclear armageddon has eradicated all but the most basic signs that this was once the capital of the USA. You might see some rubble that was once a house, now inhabited only by relics that were once a person's belongings,charred and rusted. A school building, its notice board still partly intact, serves as a home to a group of…
Saturday evening. I was just relaxing, having a night about the town, minding my own business, when suddenly, in the middle of the most crowded street in Kamurocho, some guy walks up to me and demands an apology for my presence on "his turf". This gentleman has clearly mistaken me for someone else, but he is clearly not susceptible to reason. After all, who would choose to pick on a guy like Kazuma Kiryu, a man who…
There are those who said that Crysis was just a glorified tech demo that doesn't do anything new for shooters. Those people, in my opinion, are wrong. If they were to say the same thing about Warhead, the stand-alone expansion to Crysis, however, I wouldn't really fault them for saying so. In the original Crysis, the emphasis was on emergent gameplay, which basically means you can approach a given situation however…
To get the biggest question out of the way: yes, The Force Unleashed is the best Star Wars game since Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi Knight 2, and I'd even rate it up there with the best of them. It's a smashing success in several key areas, but it's got some rough edges that bring the overall package down some. The premise behind TFU is that Darth Vader had a secret apprentice between episodes 3 and 4 who…
If I had to describe Lost Odyssey in one phrase, it would be old school. From the turn-based random battles to the frequent cut scenes to the game's 40-50 hour length (spread over four discs, even), this is a game that would have been at home on the Playstation 1, albeit without the shiny graphics. With Lost Odyssey, Hironobu Sakaguchi (he of Final Fantasy fame) aims to bring back the glory days of Japanese RPGs,…
Too Human is the result of a long and storied development cycle that spans roughly the last ten years. It started out as a Playstation One game, with a very different premise from the game that is in stores now. Like most games that have come out after such a long development cycle, Too Human is neither an amazing game that redefines gaming or a terrible failure, but rather a game that has some flaws that you may or…
Let's get this out of the way: Castle Crashers is probably the most fun multiplayer experience on Live Arcade today, provided you're playing with friends. It's a fun brawler in the vein of old school beat 'em ups like Golden Axe and Double Dragon, but injected with a humorous tone and art style also found in Alien Hominid, The Behemoth's other XBLA game. Were it to work properly, I would have no problems…
Last night, I went to bed at 3 AM. I had just spent two hours playing Braid, but the solutions to a few of the puzzles still eluded me. This morning, I woke up at 11 o'clock, and starting playing Braid again. One hour later, I sat in front of my television, staring at the last screen of the game. I didn't want it to end. Braid is that kind of game. Braid is the kind of game that just doesn't let you go. It's the…
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a stealth action game, just like its predecessors. Also much like its predecessors, it contains many, many lengthy cut scenes. About half of this roughly 15 to 20-hour game will be spent watching, not playing. Even for series veterans, this is a surprisingly large amount. However, MGS 4 is improved from its forebears in a number of important ways. The first major…
Read the full review Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
