All Entries in the "Reviews" Category

Ys Seven Review

I went into Ys Seven with few expectations, and even less knowledge of the entire franchise than I wanted. Needless to say, it was an RPG and I’m all for trying new RPGs. This one was no different. The Ys franchise has been around for a long time and, unlike other RPG franchises, this one sticks mostly with the same characters, just different stories in each title. Here we have the series’ main character, Adol, and his friend Dogi (is that pronounced like “doggie”?) arriving on a new land via boat. What is your goal? To search for treasures, of course.

Not being a series regular, so to speak, I didn’t quite know what was going on, as the dialog didn’t seem too cognizant that some players may not have played previous games. While the story is unique to this title, I just didn’t “get” all the character interactions between Adol and Dogi because I hadn’t played previous titles in the series. But, all that really isn’t needed to enjoy this game.

Mafia II Review

Mafia II gives you the opportunity to relive 1943 to 1957 in American history where cops and robbers each had a grand role. You play Vito Scaletta an up-and-coming wise-guy wanna-be with the usual appetites for money, cars, women and power. Does Mafia II provide you the experience of a Don or do you come up short and get whacked? Read on and find out.

The game embarks with Vito coming back from World War II and meeting up with his old buddy Joe Barbaro who is a clear Joe Pesci look alike. Vito gets discharged from the military thanks to Joe and his shady connections and from there on out it is time to start the shenanigans. Vito quickly learns of a debt his family owes and embarks on a quest to get them out of trouble with Joe.

Worms Reloaded Review

Worms is a series that has been loved by its fans ever since the day of its inception. The classic formula of 2D destructible environments, humorous and offbeat voice-over tracks, and turn-based strategy mixed with live action carnage has since become a staple to the franchise. I still remember my first encounter with Worms which began with Worms: Armageddon on the Sega DreamCast in a four man, pass-the-controller multi-player match which had me cracking up laughing and at the same time fascinated and hypnotized by the coolness of what I was seeing. Something seemingly simplistic as a 2D title like this rarely turns out to have the sheer depth and replay value that the game has attained, and after this experience with my friends I sought after every Worms game I could get my hands on from that day forth, I even went back and played the older titles and became hooked.

But make no mistake I am very critical of my games, especially the ones that are my favorites. As you may have heard my opinions in the past you will know that I’m pretty rough when things change for the worse. That’s why it was great to see Worms release on the XBLA/PSN and Worms 2: Armageddon which have brought back the 2D style of the game after some less than favored titles in 3D which I actually enjoyed on the PlayStation 2 but were nowhere near the caliber of Team17’s other Worms entries. When I cranked up Worms Reloaded I had mixed feelings, the expectations were high and the skepticism was on full blast, I needed this game to blow me away since I’ve already been there done that with the awesome but aging 2D Worms format. I happily found that the game was better and better the more I played it, and now I am hooked.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Review

The Metal Gear Solid franchise has been one of the very few games in this industry that positively evolved with great consistency alongside progressing consoles every generation. It’s a series that has kept and gained a large following due to its cleverly saturated storyline, and a cast of characters uniquely astonishing and badass to the core. It’s one of the most exalted worlds in the PlayStation brand’s gargantuan library, and it’s a universe brilliantly crafted by Hideo Kojima – a man who has kept the series afloat with compelling storylines, immersive action, and more conspiracies than government agencies have with UFOs. Peace Walker diverts very little from the aforementioned qualities that the series perpetuates so well, and depending on your unique style of play, the game actually offers amendments on Sony’s handheld.

Shank Review

During this year’s inaugural PAX East show in Boston, there were tons of games on hand. All of the heavy-hitter publishers were there with their fancy gigantic booths trying their best to get the gamers in attendance excited for many of the Summer’s and Fall’s biggest titles. Although there was tons of variety, nothing really caught our collective eyes. That was until we piled into a hotel room that was adjacent to the Hines convention center, where we interviewed Jamie Cheng, the CEO of Klei Entertainment and checked out a rather unknown title by the name of Shank. We all left the room knowing that we just saw the game that was official our pick for “Best of Show.”

It’s felt like forever since we checked out Shank. So was it worth the wait?

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Arc Rise Fantasia Review

Traditional RPGs on Nintendo’s waggle-wand system are about as few and far between as they come, so once every so often when one comes around it is typically a big deal. I was rather excited to blow the dust off my Wii and dive in to Arc Rise Fantasia, which was a joint project between Imageepoch and Marvelous Entertainment. It was initially going to be localized by XSEED, but they passed off the job to Ignition Entertainment. I really, with all my heart, wish that XSEED held on to it and did the localization themselves, because Ignition…well…read on to learn my thoughts on that.

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip Review (PSP)

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip brings a comprehensive and robust tennis title to the PSP while also bringing RPG elements such as level-ups, character customization, and narrative-driven story to the table in an attempt to keep players invested in the game. Hot Shots is known for its light hearted approach to the various sporting genres and maintains its anime theme with Get a Grip quite nicely while still balancing a great tennis title with plenty of extras to prevent players from getting bored.

Dragon Age: Origins – Leliana’s Song Review

With this exception of the launch-day DLC, this is the first extra content I’ve played for Dragon Age: Origins. Why did this one appeal to me so much? I’m a big fan of extra content that explores the back-story of various characters, especially ones that were focused on to some extent in the main story. Leliana’s background was hinted at during the quest to quell the Blight during the main game’s story, but it was always shrouded in mystery. She was actually one of my favorite characters throughout the game because of this. I was pretty stoked, then, to find out that Bioware had worked up a DLC story just to flesh out her life before the events of the main game.

Leliana was a thief (or bard, depending on how you look at things), who worked with a group of people headed up by Marjolene. Her and Marjolene were close to some extent – as friends or lovers, the story hints at both. The events that transpire during this story take place several years before the main game’s event, and are what eventually lead Leliana to join the Chantry, which is where we find her during Dragon Age: Origins.

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days Review (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days is available now on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. This title was developed by IO Interactive, and I must say, “I tip my hat to you, IO.” In Dog Days, the roles have been switched and now we get to play through the story from the psychopathic Mr. James Seth Lynch’s point of view, and tagging along for the intense ride is of course Adam “Kane” Marcus.

Here is a brief synopsis of the game before I continue on: We find ourselves in Shanghai, China where Lynch is trying to settle down with his loved one, Xiu. Lynch gets a visit from an old friend after several years, and the two of them attempt to do a simple job but everything goes completely against them. Kane and Lynch find themselves wanted and up against every thug, lolly-gagger and crooked cop in Shanghai. The story of Dog Days takes place over a two day period, and immediately starts you off within the action and brutality that continues throughout the game.

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Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Review (Xbox 360)

When Square Enix ingested Eidos Interactive last year, the future of what was arguably the studios’ biggest franchise became unclear. Needless to say, many fans of the Tomb Raider series considered this change a good one, considering the consistently faltering qualities of the games. In fact, many would argue that the series hasn’t ever been as invigorating as it was during its hay day back in the 90s. It has been said about this next game that changes would be made to give new life to the series.

I have been a fan of Tomb Raider games since the first title. Being well versed in Ms. Croft’s exotic travels, I would have to say that they achieved that goal. In re-branding the series as Lara Croft and leaving behind the Tomb Raider moniker, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics set out to make a point and from the first moment of game play you will realize this. Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light is a captivating adventure that is excitingly new while providing a faint sense of nostalgia.

Young Thor Review (PSP/PS3)

Young Thor is a PlayStation Mini title that can be played on either the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable. The game is a throwback to Norse mythological history which adds a cutesy-theme to the Action you can expect from hammering trolls, unleashing lightning attacks on arachnids, and more. In this brief yet satisfying title you are faced with a decent degree of challenge as well as re-playability and though the PlayStation Minis have no trophy support (at no fault to the developer Frima Studio) this game does feature a built-in Achievement system that will further extend the play for perfectionists and those who seek a higher degree of completion from their games.

Madden NFL 11 Review (PS3, 360)

To understand where this review is going, we need to remember where Madden has been. The series has come along way since that infamous target render during the 2005 NFL Draft and last year managed to surpass even those expectations. So what do you do, when you have reached the pinnacle of football video game greatness? Well if you ask EA Tiburon, you completely re-think the way the game is played making it more accessible to everyone but at the same time making it the most enjoyable football experience yet. Read on to find out just how this was done.