Reviews Archives - Page 123 of 124

Edge Micro-Review: Elegance, Cubed

Edge, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, may remind you of Marble Madness with its otherdimensional motifs and tactile controls. But is it more than just pushing around a cube where spheres once rolled? Loved Controls: In Edge, you control a block that moves about its gridded environment by “rolling” on its edges in the…

By Owen Good Published April 1, 2009

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geoDefense Micro-Review: All Hands, Battle Stations

Last week gave us geoDefense – tower defense rendered in a Tron-esque, vectorized look and feel. Apple mobile gaming is paying off for good, simple ideas delivered with high production values. Does geoDefense qualify? Loved Challenge: Well, more like “seriously respected” the challenge. geoDefense can get downright frustrating at times, but tower defense, done well,…

By Owen Good Published March 26, 2009

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Patapon 2 Review: A Familiar Beat

The first Patapon was something of a success. The PSP game was a hit with critics and some gamers, but never really set the sales charts on fire. Which was a shame! After all, it was simple, it was cute, it was a first-party game, it was everything the PSP needed to get people remembering…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 24, 2009

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MadWorld Review: Simple Jack

Madworld gives Wii owners the opportunity to take out their frustrations on scores of helpless bags of meat and brain dead street scum—no match for a buff bounty hunter with a chainsaw for an arm. The first offering from PlatinumGames, by way of Sega, the stylized black and white (and blood soaked red) brawler puts…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 23, 2009

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Resistance: Retribution Review: More Action Than Shooter

In Resistance: Retribution, gamers return to the world of the Chimera invasion, guiding a disgraced Royal Marine as he fights to save Europe’s last bastion for humanity. The game, set between the PlayStation 3’s Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2, makes another attempt to turn the fast-paced, controller-heavy shooter genre into something enjoyable on…

By Brian Crecente Published March 20, 2009

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Empire: Total War Review: A Whiff Of Grapeshot

Hrm. An Empire: Total War review. Where to start, where to start… It’s tough! Tough like trying to sum up War & Peace in Haiku. But let’s give it a shot! Sega and The Creative Assembly’s Empire: Total War is dense. It takes the existing Total War game model of turn-based strategy and real-time tactics,…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 18, 2009

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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Review: Huang In A Million

Rockstar Games brings murder, mayhem, and a miniature Liberty City to the Nintendo DS with Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the developer’s first outing on the mega-hit dual-screen portable platform. In Chinatown Wars, Liberty City welcomes Huang Lee, the spoiled rotten son of a Chinese Triad crime syndicate leader. Lee journeys to the city to…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 17, 2009

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Puzzle Quest: Galactrix PC Review: Lost In Space

Infinite Interactive takes its innovative mix of role-playing and puzzle games to the stars with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. The follow up to 2007’s smash hit Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Galactrix takes the blend of role-playing mechanics and puzzle game to a whole new frontier, replacing the fantasy role-playing adventure of the first title…

By Mike Fahey Published March 16, 2009

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Peggle XBLA Review: Extreme Fever!!!

PopCap Games‘ Peggle comes to Xbox Live Arcade, bringing the super powered pachinko-esque, point and shoot gameplay to Xbox 360s. It’s incredibly addictive, the aim of PopCap’s casual games. Peggle‘s concept is simple: fire metal balls from a cannon, destroying colored pegs with the help of talking unicorns and skateboarding beavers, ultimately resulting in a…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 13, 2009

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Resident Evil 5 Review: A Mutation of Fun

It’s unfortunate that before its launch Resident Evil 5 became about everything, but the game. The most hotly debated questions had little to do with what should matter most to gamers: Is it fun? In Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield returns, no longer a member of STARS, but as a member of the Bioterrorism Security…

By Brian Crecente Published March 12, 2009

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Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Review: Party On, Marth

Nintendo has given Western audiences a chance to experience the very first entry in the 19-year-old series with Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, a remake of Fire Emblem, originally released on the Famicom. Those who haven’t followed the Fire Emblem series, now 11 iterations deep, will likely recognize the game’s lead protagonist Marth, who has guest…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 8, 2009

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Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Micro-Review: The End Can’t Come Soon Enough

Watchmen (the movie) comes out today. Seen it yet? Going to see it? If you find yourself nodding “yes”, then you’re just the kind of person Watchmen (the game) is targeted at. But are you the type of person who is going to enjoy Watchmen (the game)? Well now, that depends. On a number of…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 6, 2009

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50 Cent: Blood On The Sand Review: In Da Club Of Da Crystal Skull

Rapper 50 Cent and his G-Unit sidekicks have returned, ready to shoot scores of generic Middle Easterners in 50 Cent: Blood On The Sand. The ultimate goal? Get Fiddy’s paycheck, a diamond-encrusted skull. Obviously, the real motivation behind the game is to give 50 Cent an opportunity to make amends for the generally miserable last-generation…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 3, 2009

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Killzone 2 Review: A PS3 Must Have

In the PlayStation 3 exclusive Killzone 2, players take the fight to the red-eyed Helghast, invading their barren home planet of Helghan to try and capture the warmongering leader Emperor Scolar Visari. It is, on its surface, a big ball of science fiction and video game cliches, but what first-person shooter isn’t? What matters here…

By Brian Crecente Published February 27, 2009

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Dawn Of War II Review: Once More, With Tyranids

Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War was a big hit. Relic’s next game, Company of Heroes, was even better. So the company’s next game, Dawn of War II, will continue the trend, yes? Sort of. Fans of Relic’s previous two games will be surprised to find that Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II bears little resemblance…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 26, 2009

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The House Of The Dead: Overkill Review: A Blast From The Past

Sega’s classic shooter franchise meets 70’s exploitation horror in The House of the Dead: Overkill for the Nintendo Wii. Developer Headstrong re-imagines the House of the Dead franchise in Overkill, a prequel to the series that takes us back to a simpler time, when men were men, women were half-naked, and black policemen use the…

By Mike Fahey Published February 25, 2009

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Dapple Micro-Review: A Rainbow for the Colorblind

Some have estimated that one in 20 gamers are colorblind. I’m one of them. Dapple was brought to my attention last week as a game specifically designed to include colorblind players. Optimizing for a 5 percent minority is not a step many would think to take. Especially when the game is a matching puzzle based…

By Owen Good Published February 24, 2009

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Halo Wars Review: A Fistful of Spartans

Halo has been safely nesting in the loving hands of Bungie for more than seven years. And it’s excelled as a first-person shooter, proving finally that you can make a great shooter on a console. In Halo Wars, gamers return to the beloved Xbox franchise to explore its early days in a real-time strategy title…

By Brian Crecente Published February 23, 2009

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Afro Samurai Review: Hip Hop Hack and Slash

Hip-hop sensibilities and anime style clash in Afro Samurai, a hack and slash brawler based on the cult-hit animated television series. Afro Samurai follows the story of Afro, a samurai on a life-long quest to avenge his father’s death, set against the backdrop of a futuristic feudal Japan, where traditional Japanese sensibilities mingle with hip-hop…

By Mike Fahey Published February 20, 2009

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F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Review: Scary Made Simple

After two unofficial expansions from TimeGate Studios, developer Monolith Productions returns to the series they made famous with F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. F.E.A.R. 2 ignores the two TimeGate expansions, instead picking up more or less exactly where F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon left off, with the creepy psychic entity known as Alma understandably angry after…

By Mike Fahey Published February 19, 2009