-
5 (15) 4 (34) 3 (15) 2 (6) 1 (0) 3.8 starsAverage score of 70 user reviews
-
Best baseball game to date, but some weirdness creeps in. 0
Starting with 2006's re-branding (and re-invention) of Sony's baseball series as "The Show", developer San Diego Studios has steadily evolved a rock-solid core gameplay model to the stupidly high level of excellence it's at now. I honestly couldn't imagine how SCEA could elevate the series after playing last year's MLB 08. Sure, some oddities could be fixed, some new details could be added to online or franchise modes, but the game was already at such a high level, I expected the franchise to s...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Flawless game design, despite some obvious plot turns. 0
It says a lot for Dead Space that -- despite the derivative "alien outbreak" sci-fi storyline and cardboard characters -- it's still an incredible achievement. When the game design is this good, and so flawlessly executed, it's easy to forgive Dead Space's less-than-satisfying exposition. The story snob in me wishes the final "twists" weren't telegraphed so obviously (and then over-explained after the fact). The key relationship between you and your wife is also underdeveloped -- if you cared m...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Bethesda's most polished RPG to date, but loses a little magic. 0
Bethesda has refined their open-world RPG formula down to a science. Fallout 3 is certainly the studio's most well-crafted game to date, giving you a much tighter, more focused and faster-paced experience than anything we've seen before in Oblivion or Morrowind. It's also refreshing to play a RPG based in our own world, grounded in science fiction with strong voice-acting, well-written dialogue, excellent sound design and a stable game engine. Gone are the days of having to worry about Quick Sa...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Brilliantly bizarre. 0
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a remake of an obscure PS1 JRPG cult classic, Valkyrie Profile. The original PS1 game is incredibly hard to find (and ridiculously priced, if you do find a copy) -- so credit to Square-Enix for re-releasing an underrated classic on a current platform.Even if you’re accustomed to JRPG mechanics, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is going to throw you some curve balls. It combines side-scrolling platforming with semi-active turn-based battles and a surprisingly mature storylin...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A missed opportunity. 2
Let's just take this step-by-step.1.) The much-heralded "new" dialogue system. The conversation system in Mass Effect was hyped to be this total re-invention of RPG dialogue systems. By giving the player multiple abbreviated conversational "tones", you could steer the conversation naturally, without getting buried reading your own dialogue options and instead just going with a briefly described tone of speech, and watch the drama unfold. In reality, the dialogue system in Mass Effect is a re-ski...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Worthwhile shooter, but not a revelation on PC as it was on 360. 0
Gears of War is the one game that nearly tipped me into buying a 360. Here was a visceral, beautiful, action-packed shooter getting tons of buzz from gamers and press. I could barely keep myself from plunking down the $350 just so I could get a taste of this first-hand. Alas, the infatuation faded. I couldn't seriously justify buying a console for one title, so I put it to the back of my mind. Fortunately, Epic threw PC gamers a bone in late 2007 by announcing a PC port, alongside their other hu...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Underrated brother to Baldur's Gate. 0
I was really pleasantly surprised by how good Icewind Dale was. I was a huge Baldur's Gate I and II fan, but left IWD sitting on my shelf for years b/c I had assumed it was nothing but a hack 'n' slash version of my beloved BG. So after finally finishing the game, I wish I would have played through this fantastic Infinity Engine RPG much sooner than I did.In some ways, Icewind Dale is even better than Baldur's Gate in that the scale of the battles is more challenging than what you're used to and...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A legend in its spare time. 0
If you're even the remotest fan of turn-based strategy (or even tabletop strategy wargames, for that matter), this is a must-buy. I've played PC strategy games that can't rival the charm and depth of Advance Wars.At its core, Advance Wars takes all the mandatory elements of a good wargame and condenses it. You get a tightly edited list of troops and vehicles -- there's not an extraneous unit in the whole game -- that subscribes to the rock/paper/scissors method of game balance. In total, there's...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Like fine wine -- only gets better with age. 0
Through some strange course of events, Fallout turned out to be the last Infinity-Engine-era RPG I ever played. The Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series caught my eye early on, but I never actually got around to playing Fallout until 2007. So fair warning ... this is an old game, and the interface and combat will take some getting used to. FAQs are your friend. Once you get the swing of things, you're in for one of the best RPGs ever made.I was actually surprised by a few things, considering ho...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Great game but eclipsed by Episodes One and Two. 0
As I was wrapping up the final level, it's easy to forget this game is so old. The environments and characters still look fantastic after all this time, and the action is just as fun as anything I've played in Crysis or Call of Duty 4, despite all their bells and whistles.Even the storyline picked up toward the end. (Too bad it took a dozen-some hours -- and 3 years -- for me to get to this point. I could just never sustain my interest past the water buggy level in all my previous attempts to pl...
6 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
Short but sweet. 0
The downside is -- this looks a lot like Half Life 2 and it's not entirely exciting to go back into the Citadel as soon as you spent the entire first game blasting your way through corridor after corridor.The upside is -- Episode 1 completely takes the level design to new heights. Everything looks familiar, but more immersive ... more authentic .. and more challenging. Combat has a few true challenging spots. Light and shadows are used much more effectively and purposefully. It's a short game bu...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The best Half-Life experience to date. 0
The Half-Life 2 saga is a curious bird. The first two games move along incrementally and slowly ... while the production values and gameplay are impressive, it's easy to lose interest on plot alone. But it's also deliberate. You can tell Valve wants you to absorb the plot fully and really develop some sort of connection with the characters over time.If you've made it through HL2 and Episode One, Episode Two is your payoff. The whole series really reaches its apex in terms of storytelling and act...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Relaxing, beautiful, simple. 0
I picked up Flow as part of PSN's half-price sale on downloadable games. Four dollars is totally reasonable for something as simple and fun like Flow.A friend and I played through the game in a few hours. I think we were both surprised by how eager we were to see how the creatures grow and to see what other animal forms you unlock as you progress. It's not really "addicting" per se, but it definitely has that "just one more turn" compulsion of grander games like Civilization or World of Warcraft...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
An underrated story-driven FPS gem. 0
We've been hearing about STALKER for so long, it was hard not to expect the worst when this title finally made it out of development and onto store shelves. Lukewarm reviews on release didn't help matters, and I never actually planned to ever buy or play this game.But I started hearing from people I respect just how good this game was. How underappreciated and underrated it was. And how it was one of 2007's best first-person shooters, right behind Bioshock. I couldn't believe my ears. Bioshock ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A total blast until you can't take anymore. 1
[Note: This review is of both Titan Quest and its expansion, Immortal Throne, together.]Titan Quest distills everything that is addicting and innately fun about World of Warcraft and Diablo II into pure kill-loot-kill joy. It can get a little repetitive over time, but there's no question TQ delivers the goods so enjoy it until your brain can't take anymore.First and foremost, TQ gets the classes right. Branching skill trees, varied play mechanics and dual-class combinations are a min/max-er's ge...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A beautiful bore. 0
Let me first say I realize some people love this game. I'm not one of them. I'd certainly like to be one of them, but it ultimately depends on what you personally think is "fun".Is "fun" gazing at lushly drawn and animated medieval figures in jammed cities with roughly the same amount of personality as a Ken & Barbie playset? Then you will have fun here. Is your idea of "fun" being railroaded from one mini-game objective to another with absolutely no chance to veer off-course? Then you, too,...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The Disaster Strikes Back. 1
As a huge fan of Bioware and the first KOTOR, I went into KOTOR II with admittedly large expectations, judging from the franchise, Obsidian's reputation and the generally sterling reviews. But a huge surprise to me -- this is a review of the first 10 hours of KOTOR II: The Sith Lords because, honestly, I couldn't bring myself to play any more without the urge to strangle myself with my keyboard cord.The most glaring pain here is the pacing. Obsidian clearly designed a deliberately SLOOOOOW game ...
2 out of 9 found this review helpful. -
Genre fans only. 1
Jeanne d'Arc was one of the most heavily hyped PSP games in 2007. Serious gamers lauded its story, art direction, and tactical options on the battlefield. I had high expectations going into Jeanne d'Arc, and unfortunately I didn't quite see what all my friends have been raving about.Jeanne d'Arc is definitely a well-designed game, but whether it really takes hold of your imagination depends on how much you enjoy turn-based strategy games. I'm a bit on the fringe of this particular genre. While I...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Looks great, plays bad. 0
Judging by the 15-hour campaign length, I've made it through roughly half of MGS: Portable Ops, and I just can't bring myself to play any further. After suffering through 8 hours of fighting the camera, enduring horrific gunplay, putting up with tedious stealth exploration and plowing throguh unsatisfying hand-to-hand combat, it's time to pull the plug on this game.The most important feature for series fans will be the story. It's unfortunate the gameplay is so clunky and awkward, it's real toug...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
One of the finest FPS worlds ever made. 0
There's hardly anything I could say (or need to say) about Bioshock that hasn't already been said countless times. This is one of the definitive games in the first-person genre, right alongside the original Half-Life and Deus Ex, for players who want a fully realized world to explore and riveting storyline to become engrossed with.It's so rare for a game to hit a home run across so many facets, but Ken Lavine and the team behind Bioshock managed to pull it off. Never has a game world been tied t...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Pure fun -- like seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark all over again. 0
Uncharted is a fantastic adventure game in its own right, blending platforming and action with strong characters and an interesting storyline. But it's also a refreshing change of pace from the dark brooding sci-fi / pseudo-sci-fi first-person shooters that's dominating the console action market the last few years.Environments are a blast to explore -- lush, detailed and filled with realistic lighting and water effects. But levels are far from open-ended. You'll never stray far from where you're...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Outstanding design. Pure addiction built for portability. 0
I'm not a huge puzzle game fan, but I couldn't help but check out Puzzle Quest after seeing so much positive feedback last year. This is easily one of the best PSP games I've played and a consistently fun, addicting experience.The basic Bejeweled-style puzzle game takes on a great twist with you playing as one of four traditional RPG classes -- druid, mage, warrior or knight (paladin). Each class gets perks via stats and spells that encourage you to actually play the game in a style traditionall...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Halo is one of those "had to be there" experiences. 0
I'm probably one of the few people on the planet who's managed not to play Halo all this time, which is really too bad because even after all these years, the game holds up quite well. It's more of an appreciation in hindsight, as Halo has obviously been eclipsed by modern shooters like Call of Duty 4, Half-Life 2 and Crysis. Open-field battles, two-weapon fighting and regenerating shields were really popularized here first and still make a great impression.The game world borrows a lot from acti...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Ingenius game design but novelty wears off fast. 0
I probably would have enjoyed Patapon more if it weren't a portable game and I weren't trying to squeeze in sessions on the subway or at my girlfriend's house while she's watching TV or in situations that I typically make use of my PSP. Being a rhythm-strategy game, Patapon requires your full attention for extended periods of time (some levels 10 minutes or longer) and it's not something you can play on the go with other distractions.But it sure makes a great first impression. Gameplay is lively...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Stellar gameplay, but story never lives up to its potential. 0
Grand Theft Auto 4 is a tour de force. You'll be hard-pressed to think of another video game that makes such a dramatic first impression. A massive, vibrant homage to New York City ... some of the best character development ever seen in video game history ... rock-solid game mechanics polished to a shine like never seen before in this series. A storyline that grips you from the start with characters that engage you .How could anything go wrong with this potential masterpiece?I hate to think it b...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
One of the best PSP games to date. Accessible, fun, plays great. 0
Chains of Olympus is actually the first God of War game I've played, so the criticisms of recycled gameplay elements didn't factor into my impressions. But even if I had played through the other GoW games, the core mechanics are so fun and intuitive, I doubt they'd detract much from the experience.This is pure action fun, accessible to a wide audience so you don't have to be a hardcore fighting genre nerd to appreciate the game in its entirety. It's an action game to be enjoyed, and I found myse...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A PS2 must-play. Among the most memorable games in years. 0
I've had MGS3: Subsistence sitting around the apartment for a long time, untouched. I bought it at release but never got the motivation to play through it, largely because I wasn't a big fan of MGS2's over-the-top storylines and heavy cinematic-to-gameplay ratio.Now a few days before MGS4 is released, I felt a duty to actually play through Snake Eater, and all I can say is I feel really, really, REALLY stupid for not playing this sooner. MGS3 is one of the most epic, satisfying, fun, thought-pro...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Easily one of the most impressive experiences this generation. 0
As someone who was extremely disappointed with MGS2 and MGS: Portable Ops, I went into MGS4 with some trepidation. I've seen the good reviews of this series before. I've seen the rabid fan adulation before. And I've seen the basic MGS game mechanics before, which were always creative and interesting but ultimately a little clunky and awkward, especially compared to pure action games.As a pre-cursor to playing MGS4, I finally got around to playing MGS3: Subsistence a few weeks prior. I wasn't exp...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Mediocre filler for casual players and children. 0
Fable is a game that does all the little things right but comes up short on the big things.In terms of little touches, Fable is quite fantastic. Day/night cycles, NPC schedules, variable in-game economy, customization through haircuts and tattoos, stylish armor and weapon design ... they've got all the bullet points you'd expect from a modern RPG. The game actually shares a lot in common with World of Warcraft -- playful character design, lots of silly dances and expressions and humor, colorful ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The best video game baseball currently in existence. 0
The last few years of The Show have been promising glimpses of how good a baseball game can be. Each iteration made stabs at overtaking EA's MVP Baseball '05 as Best Baseball Game Ever. While the core gameplay in The Show has always been top-notch, each release has been plagued by varied problems -- sub-par graphics in 2007's PS3 version, poor online performance, wonky bugs.But 2008 is the year where The Show has finally put it all together. This is the best baseball you'll find on any console a...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Use your keyboard!
- ESC
Log in to comment