52 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.
Red Dead Redemption 2 feels exactly how Rockstar games have felt in the past, for better or worse. Character movement is incredibly slow, shooting relies heavily on auto-aim and generally feels pretty sluggish, and you’ll have to power through some pretty lengthy chapters that feel like they drag on forever. But if you’re able to look past these dated-feeling quirks, you’ll find that Redemption 2’s plot, characters,…
As a big fan of Crystal Dynamics’ reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise, I couldn’t help but be disappointed with Eidos Montreal’s stab at the series with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. I really like the emphasis on puzzle solving and role playing elements like crafting outfits and completing side quests, but it feels like less refined version of its two predecessors. The combat relies a little too heavily on sneaking…
The first half of The Messenger is a really tight, 8-bit, Ninja Gaiden-style adventure that takes you through a collection of stages with challenging platforming and tough boss fights. The game transitions into a 16-bit art style when you hit the second half, letting you backtrack and explore other previous stages like a vintage Metroid or Castlevania game. My favourite parts of the game are the cleverly designed…
For better or worse (mostly worse) Playtonic stuck to their original Kickstarter pitch and made a Banjo-Kazooie-inspired platformer with roots back to the days of the Nintendo 64. It’s actually quite shocking how similar Yooka-Laylee is to Banjo-Kazooie. Many of the game’s mechanics like holding down the jump button to glide or using the duck and jump buttons together to do a high jump are kept intact, but a lot of…
Dying Light is a spiritual successor to Dead Island with a day/night cycle which can potentially change how you play the game. During the day is where I did most of my play time—completing quests, searching for various loot, and crafting weapons. Night time is where you can gain double the amount of experience though, as more difficult enemies prowl the street, but—like most systems in Dying Light—I found myself…
Little Nightmares is a puzzle/platformer with a strong emphasis on atmosphere. It plays like a LIMBO or INSIDE only with the ability to move in three dimensions rather than strictly side to side. You control a small humanoid creature that has to complete puzzles and avoid giant half-human/half-monsters in order to progress. The puzzles mostly revolve around climbing things like giant, monster-sized furniture, or…
Although the Nintendo 3DS was in dire straits only a year or so ago, it’s quickly becoming one of the go-to consoles for all sorts of different genres. With hit titles like Super Mario 3D Land and Pushmo, the 3DS’ weak lineup has since become one of its strongest traits. Fire Emblem: Awakening only enforces this with its super-tight mix of role-playing and strategy that feels right at home on Nintendo’s handheld.…
From the moment it was originally announced that Intelligent Systems was working on a 3DS entry in the much beloved Paper Mario series, all I could think of was the limitless possibilities. What a recipe for success, too—Paper Mario’s paper-craft aesthetic fits the 3D-enabled handheld like a glove, and the light-RPG elements from past games could help shepherd in a new generation to the series relatively pain-free.…
There’s a specific niche of gamers that fully appreciate the depth and multitude of options in Deus Ex-style stealth/action games. It’s nearly polarizing to an extent—you either enjoy them immensely, or strongly dislike them; there doesn’t seem to be a middle-ground. Dishonored is that rare game that attempts to be “that one game” that appeals to not only the hardcore stealth nuts, but also appeal to the crowd of…
It’s hard to argue against Majin and Forsaken Kingdom’s shortcomings. Muddy, ugly visuals, laughably poor voice acting, general lack of polish; it’s a budget game no matter which way you look at it. But it’s a lovable game—not because it’s “so bad that it’s good”—but because, despite a multitude of smaller, incidental problems, Majin cleverly combines Zelda-esque, dungeon-like puzzle solving with some interesting…
As the saying goes: there’s a time and a place for everything. Contrary to what fans would have you believe, Resident Evil’s time has already passed and its place is not on a handheld gaming platform. This is the best way to sum up Resident Evil: Revelations—Capcom’s attempt to mirror a home console experience on a handheld device. It suffers from too much ambition; striving desperately to spook you through creepy…
Madden NFL. Call of Duty. Need for Speed. Like them or hate them, but video game publishers thrive on consistent, annual franchises. And their purpose is understandable—developers pump out these games every year because, well, people like to buy them. The Assassin’s Creed series is a perfect example of this; Ubisoft rakes in incredible amounts of money from it. And though Revelations does have the unfortunate side…
Skyward Sword, in a way, doesn’t feel like your typical Legend of Zelda game. Nintendo’s release of Twilight Princess in 2006 was, for all intent and purposes, the most formulaic Zelda game in the series. They stuck to their roots—giving us one of their better tried and true Zelda experiences. It was awesome, but only in a way that makes Zelda games click. It didn’t do anything particularly new or groundbreaking—it…
It almost kills me to lay down such a cliched statement that video game critics around the globe hate to spout out of their mouths (or their fingers?), but Uncharted 3 almost feel like Uncharted 2 - 2. Not that this accusation is necessarily a bad one—Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is still, to this day, one of the best games this console generation. But when you observe the formulaic method Uncharted 3 bands to…
The industry sort-of changed in 2009. We, as gamers, are accustomed to seeing licensed video games ever year, mostly stemming from a movie release or a contract agreement. The release of Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, however, completely changed the game. It was, for all intent and purposes, the single best Comic-Book inspired game ever released. So good, in fact, that it garnered high critical and commercial…
Every time I booted the game up—from it’s beginning cutscene to the last—one thing always crept into my mind: RAGE is such a bizarre game. From start to finish, nothing about RAGE’s gameplay concepts and designs felt as if they really panned out as intended. Is it an RPG? No, not at all. Is it open-world? Sort of, but not really. Is there quests? Yeah, but are mostly pointless because of the lack of character…
Despite the fact that Microsoft’s sophomore gaming hardware is arguably one of the best consoles ever shipped to store shelves, one knock against the platform (other than, you know, breaking a lot) is that its exclusive software is lacking when compared to its fierce competition. Halo’s great, sure, but other than a handful of intellectual properties Microsoft has relied heavily on 3rd party support from developers…
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. It’s quite debatable if Nintendo may have gambled a bit too much on the Nintendo 3DS in terms of pricing and release window, but one characteristic that is never argued upon is the fact that the new handheld simply has very few games to play on it. The launch titles left a lot to be desired, and even games that were announced for the system have seemingly disappeared off the radar completely.…
Read the full review 3DS owners finally have a reason to turn their system on.
I think it’s safe to assume that going forward in the industry we’re likely to see more sequels to preexisting franchises than entirely original intellectual properties. In 2011 alone we’ve seen Dead Space 2, Portal 2, Crysis 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, Shogun 2, the Witcher 2—and of course, Sucker Punch’s electrifying sequel, inFamous 2. As we’ve seen in the past, sequels can improve on the ground work already paved in…
After I played my way through Donkey Kong Country Returns I realized that its developer, Retro Studios out of Austin Texas, is one of the best developers around. Who knew that after the brilliant Metroid Prime trilogy they could just turn around and pump out a great Donkey Kong game out of the blue? Well, guess what? They totally did! DKCR is damn fine platformer. From start to finish Retro has simply made a Donkey…
Guerilla Games’ Killzone franchise has always felt like Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s Halo series. They both feature interplanetary warfare, false hope for the self-proclaimed “good guys”, and state-of-the-art multiplayer that rival the best shooters on the market. Despite this, I never really cared for Killzone 2. I don’t know if it was the “heavy” feeling controls, the cookie-cuter level design, or just its…
Playing through Raven’s time-manipulating, quasi-first person shooter was an entirely muddled but enjoyable experience. An odd combination, sure, but genuinely accurate. While it provides a widely convincing narrative and thickening plot, the whole “playing of the game”-part felt a little off at times. This is mainly because Singularity, while at times being lots of fun, takes too many gameplay conventions from past…
Okay so, THIS is what they meant by "next gen". On a personal level, I lack very much experience with the games Crytek has developed. Whether it be Far Cry or the original Crysis, I have never been in a situation to actually play them before now. Coming into Crysis 2 without much history of the company may have been beneficial however, as Crysis 2 surprised even myself—someone that enjoys most, if not all,…
You still start in a small town. As a whole, Nintendo’s beloved Pokemon franchise has been one of their most consistent. From Pokemon Red and Blue on the original Gameboy to the 4th generation titles on the Nintendo DS—Game Freak has never differed its successful formula significantly. With Pokemon Black and White Game Freak has rested on its laurels for the most part. Tweaks have been made here and there for a more…
The aspects that define a proper survival horror game usually consist of two consequential aspects: the lack of proper amounts of ammunition, and an unsettling atmosphere that continually gives you nightmares long after the horror is over. Dead Space 2, while never touting itself as something cutting-edge or entirely unique, does all of this to a T. Like the series’ original back in 2008, its horror roots harken…
It’s almost foolish to think that Pac-Man—Namco’s legendary mascot that’s one of the most well-known icons of the gaming industry—is still somewhat relevant in 2010. But it’s definitely nice to see them still care about his legacy despite the fact that the franchise hasn’t seen a good Pac-Man game since 2007’s original Championship Edition. It’s even more of a surprise when you actually get down and put some time…
Lionhead Studios had the right idea for their 2008 game, Fable II. It successfully transitioned through a generation shift with significantly improved combat, a more robust campaign, and a great attention to detail. But unfortunately the same thing can’t be said about Lionhead’s third attempt at the series. It still possesses the same absurd, dry British humor, primarily the same gameplay design, and generally the…
Kirby’s Epic Yarn is brimming with so much charm, elegance, and infatuation that it’s almost impossible not to like at least something the game offers. Because of this, there really isn’t a reason not to suggest the game to anyone of any age group. It unquestionably features a very kid-friendly presentation right down to the storybook introduction and the simplistic gameplay, but the game is designed so competently…
Even despite all of Fallout: New Vegas’ myriad of bugs, glitches, and game-breaking annoyances, the underlining structure of the game’s entirety still shines through the otherwise unfinished product. This is not only because the general design—previously seen in 2008’s “Fallout 3”—still recaptures your wondering mind through its massive trek of the Mojave Wasteland, but the sheer amount of quests to complete and…
Last year’s "Scribblenauts" wasn’t necessarily a lousy game by any stretch of the imagination, but its incredibly unique infrastructure was so far-fetched from the norm that living up its nearly unreachable expectations was a battle in itself. Thus, Scribblenauts’ potential and uniqueness alone weren’t enough to keep it suffering from a myriad of issues that plagued the otherwise great title. 5th Cell’s vision for…
One thing that can certainly be said about Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is that it’s definitely not your cookie cutter Castlevania game. In fact, it’s nothing like Castlevania, at all. But that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. Lords of Shadow is actually surprising pretty good; far better than I imagined. Surely, it has it’s fair share of bizarre design decisions, derivative gameplay elements, and some technical…
Capcom’s 2006 action adventure Dead Rising was, for all intensive purposes, absolutely crazy. There’s no clear way to explain its strange structure—it wasn’t normal. But it had the potential to be fun, just as long as you were patient enough to tolerate its myriad of missteps. Dead Rising 2, its sequel, is totally another Dead Rising game, like it or not. It adds many neat features that may or may not increase your…
Thongs of Virtue is the sequel to the recently released downloadable title, Deathspank. And when I say “recently released” I’m not exaggerating—Deathspank was literally released only months prior to its sequel, developed concurrently with its predecessor. Weird, right? But that’s Thong of Virtue’s most predominant flaw: it feels too similar and was released too soon to the original game. I had fun time with the…
With Halo: Reach finishing the long, rich development history of the franchise from Bungie, its prequel nature never feels like a beginning of a long journey; rather, it feels like the end of a long-lasting, glorious adventure. An adventure that Bungie themselves know that must be hard to say goodbye to, but luckily Halo: Reach is such a strong overall product that topping it is not going to be very easy. When all…
Marvel Ultimate Alliance, a 2006 game that flew under the radar but ultimately succeeded for raising the bar for future cooperative action-RPGs. Unfortunately its successor, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, doesn’t feel like a step forward for the series, nor the genre. This is mainly because the developers, Vicarious Visions—the team behind the Wii and DS ports of the original MUA—failed to recreate the same…
There’s no lie here; I had my fair share of skepticism of the whole “payed demo” experiment Capcom was hyping for their September release of Dead Rising 2, appropriately named Dead Rising 2: Case Zero. But luckily Capcom has put my fears to rest because Case Zero may not have the same flash as the real thing, it may not be very deep, and it may not be the very best way to spend your pocket change. But damn, for only…
It’s not too often that a developer completely does away with their previous ideas and starts fresh and new like Eidos did with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. It’s a farfetched title that controls and plays nothing like previous Tomb Raider titles but introduces a semi-competitive, yet cooperative gameplay mixture that results in some pretty serious enjoyment. But it’s an enjoyable time as long as your…
The sense of humor portrayed in Hothead Game’s Deathspank is the deciding factor of what makes the overall product so great. To it’s credit, Deathspank is not very revolutionary, nor does it strive to do anything unique or refreshing. But because it never takes itself too serious the end result is a pretty fun, although usually ridiculous, romp through a quest of hilariously ludicrous intent. You play as the hero…
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is to Guns of the Patriots as Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops was to Snake Eater; it takes the previous game’s fundamental gameplay features and packs it into a handheld game with some added RPG flare. The result is spectacular because it plays in the same fantastically designed manner while giving you enough varying features to keep you occupied for a very lengthy 20-40 hour time. Did…
Brutal Legend to me felt and continues to feel like a giant stew of varying genres with an added hint of heavy metal. It’s the game that Tim Shaefer has wanted to make his whole life, and with such an amazing idea, he’s one of the very few game developers that can pull it off. Pull it off he did. I wasn’t expecting Brutal Legend to catch me by surprise, quite the contrary actually. But with a great cast of…
The gaming industry thrives on colossal game franchises like Mario and Grand Theft Auto , but as one of the biggest RPG series’ of all time, Final Fantasy has shown us that although gameplay can potentially become stale over time, incredible stories and lovable characters can make up for their dated designs. Final Fantasy VII was SquareSoft’s (now known as Square Enix) first stab at Sony’s insanely popular…
Ever since the days of the NES, Nintendo’s fat Italian plumber has ruled the platforming genre. Not one iconic figure has ever taken a genre into a stranglehold as much as Mario has done. But for good reason: no one has ever been able to create the same staggering amount of intuitive level designs and clever gameplay mechanics like the Big-N. Guess what? Nintendo has once again blown me away with Super Mario Galaxy…
The sense of isolation in the dark, subdued, drab environments are the driving factors of Limbo’s overall product, so much that it may deviate the fact that it could easily take you one short afternoon to finish. But Limbo is such a classically unique game full of contrastive, almost game-changing, designs that it rarely feels like a waste of time, or money. Letting the length, or lack thereof, of such a brilliant…
Hype, it can make a game, or break one. Sometimes it can make a game seem like an amazing achievement, then eventually disappoint. Lack of hype can make a game seem better than it was supposed to be, and can even just make a game better overall. Halo 3 is the most hyped game ever created. Halo: Combat evolved is considered the game that kept Microsoft into gaming, and if it wasn’t for it, Xbox wouldn’t be here. It’s…
Past Zelda games like Zelda 1, 2, and a Link to the Past, were classic games for the NES, and Super Nintendo that put you in the boots of a kid named Link to save a Princess named Zelda. Ocarina of Time still goes by this same story, but what turned out was nothing other than outstanding. Ocarina of Time was a game similar to Super Mario 64 that started its roots in 2D, then made the transition to 3D once the…
When Capcom first announced that they were making an exclusive Resident Evil game for Nintendo’s new console, I was very happy. Everyone was speculating on what the game will be about, and how it would play. Most people thought that they were going to stick with the new formula created in Resident Evil 4 with the camera behind the character’s back, and aiming where ever you wanted to. Well, that didn’t quite happen.…
With the launch of the Xbox 360 in November of 2005, Microsoft took charge in the next generation early to get the all-important head start in the console race. There weren't any amazing games that launched with the system like Wii's Twilight Princess, or the SNES' Super Mario World, but there was a lot of games that were pretty decent, and Kameo: Element of Power is one of those games. If you like past Rare games…
From the moment I turned off my Gamecube, and flicked off the TV after beating one of my favorite games of all time, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, I didn’t think that Paper Mario game, and even a sequel could beat its excellence. Well, guess what? I was absolutely right. When they first announced the sequel to Paper Mario 2, Super Paper Mario for the Gamecube, I was in instant happiness, but well, I knew it’d…
