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5 (11) 4 (17) 3 (5) 2 (4) 1 (1) 3.9 starsAverage score of 38 user reviews
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Nostalgia and heart can't save this from tedium 2
I really want to like the new King's Quest. Someone - or a team of someones - put a lot of their soul into the early parts of this game, crafting a Daventry I wanted to explore with fun Shrek-esque takes on the familiar characters of the King's Quest games of old. Having stories set around the events of those games is an inspired design decision and one that occasionally nears greatness in the new series. But after its first episode, King's Quest slowly started to grind me down when it failed t...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Rogue Galaxy in 2015 (PS4 Re-Release) 2
When they're not shoving out confused, mechanically stillborn garbage like White Knight Chronicles, Level 5 can crank out some damn great games. Their greatest trifecta to date is the loosely-defined trilogy of PS2 era action-RPGs Dark Cloud 1 & 2 and their spiritual successor Rogue Galaxy.At the time of its release, Rogue Galaxy was ambitious, but suffered from severe frame rate problems and long, often buggy loading times, particularly when it came to the game's gorgeous cinematics sequenc...
5 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
A study in bad sequel design 5
When it comes to great sequels, few games knocked it out of the park in the 360/PS3 era quite like Arkham City. It expanded upon the cool gameplay of Asylum and added some fun new tech and a great world to explore, along with a strong narrative and a hell of a lot of fun stuff to see and do. Arkham Origins was passable, mostly because it didn't upset the apple cart - if someone liked Arkham City and wanted more of it, Origins could help scratch that itch. Arkham Knight is neither great or passab...
7 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
iPad owners, take note. 2
As the title should indicate, this is a review for the iPad version of Contradiction: Spot the Liar and is not indicative of the PC version.I'm a big fan of hammy performances and movies. I'm that die-hard Bruce Campbell fan who has watched Army of Darkness more times than I care to count, has Brisco County, Jr. on DVD, and sat through every episode of Jack of All Trades. I'm fond of Syfy's absurd films. I've watched as much MST3K as I can find legally. I'm pretty much that nerd.It should come ...
13 out of 14 found this review helpful. -
Offensive, Lackluster, and an Embarrassment to Games, Developers, and Gamers Everywhere 3
Very few games I play are ever offensively bad. Most are, at worst, mediocre yawn fests with elements that just don't work. Some are broken, some are ill-conceived, some are meant for a different audience. Only a tiny fraction of the games I've played have truly have earned that one star rating. Of those, I'd be hard pressed to tell you if I've ever played a game more offensively juvenile than Quest for INfamy.From head to toe, this is a knockoff of the far, far superious Quest for Glory games, ...
6 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
Ambitious ideas meld well with classic gameplay 0
There's a glint in Wadjet Eye's, er, eye that I greatly respect. Their gameplay and graphics might be evocative of Sierra and LucasArts, but they've got a quirky soul to their games that's all their own. Little touches like reusing voice actors might be born out of a budget, but I get the very real sense that everyone involved with this company is growing and learning.And that's what makes Primordia such a delightful little romp - sure, there are elements that could've been handled better, and...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Unrealized Potential 0
For every Tales of Vesperia or Xillia, it seems there must be a Graces or an Abyss. They have something of an awkward feel to them, as though they're layovers for the Tales team while they prepare to fly towards some greater destination. On almost every level, these games are their brothers' shadows, built more to meet some sort of strange Tales quota than to actually push the series forward.It's not that Graces is a particularly odorous game. It does a decent enough job of hitting enough tra...
7 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
Two great games, one half-cocked update 12
Let's get the truth bombs dropped right out of the gate - if you have easy access to the IA edition of Final Fantasy X, there's little point in buying this updated version of the game. The only updates you'll find here are some nicer facial animations and a few updated songs throughout the game. That's really about it. X-2 suffers from even less updatery - none, actually. These are still very much the games you got to play across the pond, with nothing here to justify the added cost.That sai...
7 out of 8 found this review helpful. -
A year on, terrific action and set pieces make this a great deal. 0
When it comes down to it, I probably wouldn't have paid $60 for Devil May Cry, even though it's a genuinely terrific game. It seemed like a bit of a steep entry point for an action game, and it's in a genre I'm not terribly excited about anymore. But when it steeply dropped in price during a Black Friday sale, I decided to take a chance on it, and I'm really glad I did. Overall, this is a superbly crafted game that feels (and occasionally looks) astonishingly good.I have little experience with t...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Bugs of the Dead 3
If you're a child of the eighties and early nineties, the concept of Organ Trail is probably going to sound delightful. Redesigning Oregon Trail with zombies and Romero-esque touches seems like it should be the recipe for a hilariously good time. But a great concept doesn't make up for terrible aiming controls, poor hitboxes, and a handful of irritating, game-breaking bugs.Let's get the good out of the way - this game emulates its inspirations with gleeful abandon. It steals the classic Oregon T...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Straightforward but fun 0
There's a certain gleeful abandon in Dante's Inferno. Throughout the whole game, I got this feeling that this game was developed by a committee of executives who really hate folks like Joseph Lieberman and wanted to create a game that would blatantly piss in their Cheerios. In that regard, they definitely succeeded, as Dante's Inferno is a veritable checklist of all the things that would upset or horrify a strict conservative. There's nudity. You kill non-baptized babies (seriously, the worst mo...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Good ideas need good gameplay to ultimately matter 0
I want to like Alpha Protocol. The premise of an espionage RPG is great, and there are some meaningful and brilliant ideas in terms of the game's conversational cause-and-effect system. But everything else about the game is so ridiculously subpar that it's hard to recommend this game to anyone except game industry scholars looking for some great ideas for a better game.The premise of Alpha Protocol begins its bland tailspin into bargain bin doom. The player is enlisted in a bland black ops group...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
An outstanding, fun sandbox game 0
In the interest of full disclosure here, I'll admit right off the bat that I'm only 35% finished with Just Cause 2, according to its detailed statistics page. Scoff it up, if you want, and say I shouldn't write a review of the game with such a miserly amount of the game finished. But consider this, to the game's credit. That 35% accounts for me having completed the game on Normal, caused an incredible amount of chaos in the not-quite-friendly islands of Panau, and just over 30 hours of gameplay....
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Take a step forward. Now take a step back. 0
In a lot of ways, Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse is the best use of Telltale's adventure engine yet. It's certainly the most creative, featuring smart, unique designs to each episode that don't feature the same recycled environments time after time. The new gimmick of Max having psychic powers (through the use of children's toys) also leads to some genuinely brilliant and hilarious moments. But the control scheme, as adapted from Tales of Monkey Island, is definitely not a step forward fo...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A great introduction to the Dragon Quest series 1
I'm not one of those people who was super-familiar with the ins and outs of the Dragon Quest series. I vaguely recall playing Dragon Warrior on a friend's NES back when I was a little kid, but I don't remember a single thing about it other than the name. I am, however, a big fan of Japanese RPG's of all sorts, and when it was announced that Dragon Quest VIII would see a stateside release, I was pretty intrigued. Like I say, I didn't know much about the series except that it was pretty popular...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
In honor of L.A. Noire's release.... 4
Police Quest is a hard sell to modern gamers. Hell, it's a hard sell to classic adventure gamers or just about anyone who doesn't want to have to save, load, and restart seemingly every other minute. Of all the Sierra adventure games, only Codename ICEMAN rivals it in pure difficulty due to some frustrating procedural elements that must be followed to a T. I highly recommend the series of games, but adventure enthusiasts who haven't played text input adventure games before should probably ste...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A perfect game for the 13-year old in me 0
I get the criticisms leveled against Bulletstorm's ridiculous, completely over-the-top dialogue. I know there are a dozen groan-worthy moments in the game. And you know what? I don't care! The game is pretty damn hilarious, and has a certain panache for male testerone-fueled moments that really haven't been seen to this degree since Duke Nukem 3D.From a pure gameplay perspective, you'd think the gimmick of "kill with skill" would get boring after a while. But with the various weapons introd...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The lost chapter 0
From a pure fantasy literature lover's perspective, Lord of the Rings Online is a stunningly well-crafted game. The developers make every attempt to keep to the nuances of Middle-Earth lore as written both in the primary novels and the Silmarillion, as well as taking some small, smartly written liberties to expand the world and make it into a full-fledged game beyond just the realm of the Fellowship. It's not entirely successful as a game, however. The game sticks mostly to a tired MMO formul...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A true guilty pleasure 2
Enchanted Arms is a hell of a fun mess. Its story, characters, and settings are as laughably bad as anything I've seen since Metal Dungeon, and should there be a video game retrospective Razzie award, it certainly deserves a nomination. There's not a minute of dialogue in this game that isn't cringe-inducing. There are no great characters in the entire game. The plot makes other cliched games look like gems. And yet, there's a whole lot to enjoy in this game, particularly if you can look pa...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Put on your spandex and swing the night away 0
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance gets all the basics right. It's a bit unspectacular and leaves something to be desired in terms of replayability, but I certainly can't fault the core gameplay or the fun selection of characters. It's ultimately a good game that could have been amazing, but falls just short. GRAPHICS AND SOUND: Ultimate Alliance doesn't have many tricks in its bag visually or aurally. What you get is a pretty solid basic look. The playable characters and villains look good, and th...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Great sequel that eliminates most of the first game's flaws 0
Banjo-Tooie is a shining example of how game developers can learn from their mistakes and go on to create something amazing. It eliminates almost all the problems of the first game, while still maintaining the solid gameplay and the sense of colorful fun from the first. This is one of the best platformers on the market today.GRAPHICS AND SOUNDWhile not a huge leap from the first game, there's much more variety to be found in the worlds of Banjo-Tooie. There's a lot to see, and most of it is p...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Solid 3D platformer action, with a few notable flaws 0
Banjo's adventures have aged admirably well. Rare's classic platformer holds up even today as one of the better releases to date in the genre, and young and old gamers alike will find a lot to enjoy here. If you can look beyond some bland design and gameplay choices, this is a solid choice for some platforming action.GRAPHICS AND SOUNDBanjo and Kazooie's adventures have a vibrant, detailed feel to them, even given the amount of time since the original's release. These aren't modern spectacles...
1 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Wormy multiplayer brings down an otherwise fantastic game 0
Worms 2: Armageddon is like a big, juicy, unblemished, crisp red apple. You bite into it, you savor it, it's practically an orgasmic experience... until you discover that little tiny worm inside, flipping you off and aiming a bazooka at your skull. This Xbox Live re-release is as thoroughly addictive and fun as its predecessors, but a few things hold it back from perfection.GRAPHICS AND SOUNDTo date, this is easily the best looking Worms game. It isn't graphically complex, but the cartoony ...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Technically sound and well-written, but tough as nails. 2
Covenant of the Plume is deceptively slick for a strategy RPG. It drew me in with its sweet, sweet nectar, got me in a dark alley, and then beat the holy hell out of me with its sudden spike in its difficulty.GRAPHICS AND SOUND-Square Enix pulls off one of the coolest introduction videos on the DS to date with Covenant. I don't normally point out cinematics, but sometimes when a good one happens on the DS, it really makes me realize how cool handhelds have become.The rest of the game features ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Surprisingly solid strategy RPG with a great deal of depth 0
Devil Survivor was something of an impulse purchase for me, and surprisingly, it's a purchase that really paid off. Devil Survivor is an RPG with turn-based strategy elements, and has a lot to offer gamers with its depth and replayability.GRAPHICS & SOUNDDevil Survivor is pretty much a meat-and-potatoes game when it comes to graphics. There aren't any flashy effects or cutscenes, but what's here is solid. The character portraits are well drawn, the menus and combat screens are easy on the...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Technically sound, but bogged down by a weak story and characters 0
Blue Dragon is a really mixed bag. On the one hand, if you're looking for a meaty traditional JRPG with some great bonus content, Blue Dragon is an excellent choice. But on the other hand, if you're tired of cutesy anime-styled characters, weak plotlines, and laughably bad dialogue, then you'll probably want to steer clear of Blue Dragon.GRAPHICS & SOUNDBlue Dragon isn't a bad-looking game. There are some framerate issues, especially at the start of combat, but those have mostly been iron...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Deep turn-based strategy outweighs the atrocious story 0
Let's get this out of the way first - if happy-go-lucky anime makes you want to tear your hair out, steer well clear of this and any Disgaea game. Fans of anime or those who are only slightly annoyed by it will find a deep, addictive strategy RPG to add to their collection, but the cheesy dialogue and atrociously cutesy characters might be enough to turn away many prospective gamers.GRAPHICSApart from some nice spell effects and the occasional flashy combat animation, Disgaea's pretty effin' ug...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A bit difficult at times, but great hack and slash action! 0
When I hear the words, "It's like Diablo," I definitely get interested. Diablo 2 remains one of my most-played games of all time, and I crave hack-and-slash RPG's in a similar vein. Thankfully, Titan Quest offers up a sizable, fun experience very much "like Diablo."GRAPHICSFor the most part, Titan Quest is a very pretty game. It doesn't do anything too technically impressive, and its style isn't going to make anyone stand up and sing to the heavens. But overall, it's very solid, I genuinely ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Still addictive, but very difficult 0
Galactrix is a game I really want to like. I adored the original for its blend of classic gameplay with RPG elements. Galactrix still has those basics, but the difficulty has been ramped up, almost to the point of being frustratingly broken.GRAPHICSGalactrix has cleaned up some of the menus and graphics of the original. It's nothing that will blow your mind, but it's very pleasant to look at and the text is much easier to read this time. However, there's one fly in the ointment. If you are ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Fantastic turn based strategic action with a few technical flaws 3
If I could rate games based solely on the amount of fun I had playing them, Silent Storm would be off the charts. Unfortunately, a few technical flaws mar an otherwise stellar game.GRAPHICSAlthough it's now showing it's age a bit, thanks to some creative graphics design, the majority of Silent Storm stil looks good. My only real complaint here is the high number of recycled character designs. I wished for a bit more variety in that regard, but the textures look good, there's a nice level of d...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Classic RPG in the style of Fallou 1 & 2 1
The isometric turn-based RPG was a specialty of Black Isle, and Arcanum was another excellent addition to the genre. Unfortunately, bugs and glitches marred the game, and the closure of the studio after its release meant little official tech support to address these problems. However, Arcanum is still a great RPG if you're willing to track down some home-brewed tech fixes and unofficial patches.GRAPHICSThe overall quality of the world and its characters ultimately wins out over rehashed textur...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
A classic and fun RPG that has since been overshadowed 1
Please note that this review was done on the Wii, using the Gamecube controller.If you love all things Mario or Square RPG's, definitely don't miss out on this game. Just don't walk into it expecting the style or scope of RPG's since its release, and you won't be disappointed.GRAPHICSSuper Mario RPG is a really mixed bag, graphically. Some of the towns and environments look great, and I love the simple, cartoonish style similar to Super Mario World. However, character designs (especially for ...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Still holds up well! 1
Please note that this review is for the Wii Shop version, with a Gamecube controller.The Donkey Kong Country games are venerable classics in platform gaming. The gameplay is simple, the graphics still look crisp and vibrant, and the breezy fun of the genre is still a blast even today.GRAPHICS-The graphics are surprisingly bright, detailed, and vibrant, and have aged very well. The animations are smooth. Backgrounds seem to sway and move with the user, and they never fail to be pleasant. This...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Deep game held back by a feeling of "been there, done that" 0
The Good:-Amazingly deep turn-based strategy roleplaying game. I've sunk dozens of hours into Disgaea 3, and have only scratched the surface of its post-game goodness. The new evilty system and the class world add a bit to the gameplay as well.-Continued refinement of the Disgaea combat system. Certain additions and changes have been made to the familiar turn-based combat, but nothing that will throw off old pros. You can now combine certain special attacks between two characters, and there ...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
A little buggy and unpolished, but an absolute blast to play 1
Saint's Row 2 is without a doubt one of the single meatiest and tastiest experiences I've had on the Xbox 360 to date. It's an absolute kick in the pants from the very start. Whether you're blowing your way out of prison, customizing a bevy of vehicles, throwing down in an MMA arena, or kicking the tar out of a rival gang, there's always some fun to be had with Saint's Row 2.If there's one complaint I have with the game, it's the graphics. The car designs can look a little ugly at times, espe...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Quirky, disjointed, but mostly enjoyable 0
Let me start this review by saying that if you're not into traditional Japanese roleplaying games, you might not want to start with Lost Odyssey. The difficulty of the early parts of the game might be a bit rough for those not acclimated to level grinds and equipment hunting. But if you're willing to stick with this game for the long haul, Lost Odyssey is surprisingly enjoyable, if a bit rough around the edges.Graphically, Lost Odyssey is one of the best looking traditional RPG's on the market...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Return to form for a classic series 0
While technically sound and with some great individual moments, Quest for Glroy 2 & 3 simply could not capture the magic of the first game. Quest for Glory 4 manages to match the original and even surpass it in a great many ways.QfG 4 transports the hero to a new realm inspired by Transylvania. It's an intriguing setting for the game, relying upon many eastern European legends while keeping that same Quest for Glory essence of humor and adventure. The hero faces threats from every angle. ...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Still a classic adventure RPG after all these years 0
The first game I can remember playing is Hero's Quest (eventually renamed to Quest for Glory after a lawsuit by the creators of a board game with the same title), so my review for this game certainly comes with a certain sort of nostalgic bias. However, this is also a game I frequently revisit, and I can say assuredly it still holds the same appeal as it did when I was five or six.Quest for Glory 1 follows you as a thief, warrior, or magic user (and later in the series, a paladin). Through an ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
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