Archive for 'Reviews'

Jul201108

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Review: Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a cheesy and simplistic B-quality budget title that’s surprisingly fun to play. Sure, you’re just killing giant bugs, lots and lots of giant bugs, but somehow it manages to entertain. Featuring co-op gameplay, four different classes, a host of weapons, and three difficulty levels, it has the potential to keep you busy for a while. As long as you go in with the right mindset, you’ll get solid value out of your $40. [...]

Jul201101

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Review: Puzzle Agent 2

The Puzzle Agent series is Telltale Game’s response to Level 5’s highly popular Professor Layton games. With Puzzle Agent 2, Telltale has generally improved on their formula, though there are a few aspects of the game that feel a little stale. Overall, though, they’ve crafted an enjoyable puzzle game, but it’s not going to make a convert out of someone who doesn’t like puzzle games in the first place. [...]

Jul201101

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Review: Shadows of the Damned

Much of the marketing campaign for Grasshopper Manufacture’s Shadows of the Damned has focused on the three names that come up first in the credits: Suda 51, Shinji Mikami, and Akira Yamaoka. While it’s impossible to know the extent of their contributions, there are clear influences in Shadows of the Damned. Mikami brings with him many of the core gameplay elements that powered one of the best titles of the last console generation, Resident Evil 4. Yamaoka, of Silent Hill fame, creates an eclectic and impressive score that’s sure to be one of the better video game soundtracks of the year. And what’s celebrated video game auteur Suda 51’s contribution? Dick jokes. Lots and lots of dick jokes. [...]

Jun201124

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Review: Trenched

When its Brutal Legend sequel was nixed, San Francisco developer Double Fine decided to split into four smaller teams, each tasked with a different title. The first two products of the experiment, Costume Quest and Stacking, were met with critical acclaim. With Trenched, they’ve struck gold a third time in a row. Trenched is a delightful gaming cocktail that’s three parts MechWarrior, two parts tower defense, and served with some good-old-fashioned loot whoring. Top it off with some signature quirky humor courtesy of Tim Schafer, and you have the can’t miss XBLA title of the summer. [...]

Jun201117

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Review: Duke Nukem Forever

With its notoriously long development time, my expectations for Duke Nukem Forever weren’t very high to begin with. But now I regret that I may have given 3D Realms (and Gearbox) too much credit. Duke Nukem Forever is simply atrocious. It is filled with uninspired levels, plagued by technical issues, and worst of all, spends large stretches of the game on mind-numbing platforming and vehicle sequences. Top it off with humor that tries too hard and fails spectacularly, and the only award this game will contend for is “worst FPS of the decade.” [...]

Jun201117

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Review: inFamous 2

On paper, Sucker Punch’s inFamous 2 seems like a great concept. It places you in the role of a super hero, and you have the freedom inherent to an open world. While the core combat and movement mechanics are fairly entertaining, the game as a whole is simply too generic. The characters are uninteresting, the storyline is forgettable, and most importantly, the missions are extremely repetitive. Add in some puzzling design decisions, and you’re left with an experience that’s difficult to recommend. [...]

Jun201110

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Review: The Witcher 2

With The Witcher 2, Polish developer CD Projekt Red was able to accomplish what few modern RPG developers can: provide meaningful and difficult decisions throughout the course of the game. Because of this, The Witcher 2 is one of the most satisfying role-playing experiences of the last several years. [...]

Jun201102

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Review: L.A. Noire

Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire is an ambitious game that tries to be both an adventure game and an open world game. Had the developers focused solely on the adventure aspect, L.A. Noire might’ve been a stellar game. But due to a lack of focused gameplay, it ends up disappointing and decidedly mediocre. [...]

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