There's a lot going on down here in the Giant Bomb dungeon these days, and while game reviews are a major part of our editorial output here, they're just one of the many things we're working on as the site matures and we add new features. With the avalanche of fourth quarter game releases on the horizon, there's going to be a ponderous number of titles for you to sift through Real Soon Now. How will you figure out where to spend your cash?
For starters, we'll be reviewing a lot of those games. But hey, we're just a bunch of guys who like video games, which I'm pretty sure is exactly what you are, too. (Well, guys and girls.) So your opinions matter just as much as ours do. Time for you to express them! From time to time, we'll be putting the spotlight on the best user reviews of new and old games in this here blog. To start, I culled a few of the community's reviews of the biggest games to come out in the last few weeks. Note that we'll still be covering--and in some cases even reviewing--some of the games listed here, but in the meantime, here's what you're saying about the games everyone's playing right now.
- jvpde thinks this sequel is a bit on the short side, but that's okay at a value price.The action is better than ever and with new graphic engine tinkering, it performs like a dream...You still need a halfway decent computer to run Warhead however. The graphics are as good, if not better than Crysis’. Environments look amazing and some of the alien’s attacks are unbelievable. The story is alright. There are a couple of pivotal cut-scenes that may peek your interest but the overall package isn’t that engaging. At the end of the day, I had a terrific time with Warhead, despite the fact that it’s only around a 6 hour campaign...For $30, you’ll have a hard time finding this much fun.
Infinite Undiscovery
- CuChulain likes the visuals in this action-RPG from the tri-Ace, but thinks the button-mashy combat needs more depth.This game is really good to look at, the in-game CG is outstanding but that is about all that can be said about this game...The fighting is good for the first hour then you realize it is just another hack and slash. On normal difficulty, the highest you can choose to begin with, it is almost impossible to lose. If any characters' health gets too low the other characters just throw some item. There is no watching health to make sure your team won't die, you just attack.
Tales of Vesperia
- bshirk says Xbox 360 owners looking for a good Japanese RPG ought to consider this one.If you have yet to play a Tales game, this is a good one to start with. The story falls a little short of the previous two games, but there is a great cast of characters, and the artwork is beautiful. The natural environments aren't quite as detailed as Eternal Sonata, but they still are a sight to behold. Tales of Vesperia is a long, action-packed adventure that fans of a variety of genres might enjoy. If you are willing to take a chance, and look past JRPG stereotypes, you will find a deep adventure that you can enjoy alone, or with three other friends. This is the best RPG on the Xbox 360 since Lost Odyssey.
Mario Super Sluggers
- Hailinel thinks this Wii baseball sequel is only an incremental upgrade over the GameCube version.Mario Super Sluggers isn't without its faults, but it is an improvement over Superstar Baseball. The core baseball gameplay is especially improved upon with the use of the Wii motion controls, but otherwise, what improvements that exist are minor. The game is fun and certainly worth a rental at the very least, but due to the lack of character variety and new game modes, fans of the original may not see a whole lot to get excited about.
Pure
- Vinchenzo says Pure plays to fans of over-the-top, trick-based racing games.Gameplay can be condensed into a comparison of Burnout and SSX. Pure has a great sense of speed (similar to Burnout) with a wide variety of tricks and opportunities to pull them off (e.g. SSX Tricky, Amped 3, and so on). The controls are easy to latch onto but are diverse...This game looks amazing with bright and natural landscapes. The characters also look fantastic, displaying some nice animations. All of the sounds are top-notch overall. It's a very polished game in every way.
Pixeljunk Eden
- zig likes this PSN game's artistic statement but wasn't sold on the gameplay mechanics.The art design of this game is exquisite, and the gameplay is unique. I appreciate what I think they were trying to do here. I enjoyed the first two or three gardens, once I got the hang of the gameplay mechanics, they were easy enough to be almost relaxing. But as the difficulty ramped up, all I was left with was frustration and a headache. In the interest of full disclosure, I never made it to gardens 9 and 10. If I can just put on my armchair-game-designer hat for a minute, I think perhaps without the constant pressure of time, I would've enjoyed the game more. It really jumps out at me as a totally artificial constraint in a game like this. Like they somehow felt it would be too simplistic and easy without the time factor. Simplicity was the main appeal of the game to me, from the art design to the gameplay mechanics.
Don't forget, you can add a user review to any game on the entire site, even old ones. So if you feel like Return to Zork was way ahead of its time or something, well, go to town!