The Binding of Isaac is made by the same team that brought you Super Meat Boy, and it shows. Everything is familiar: the visuals (just as morbid), the music (same composer), even the difficulty level (not quite as bad but nowhere near easy). Though they’re from different genres, if you liked Super Meat Boy you’ll almost certainly like Binding of Isaac.
Last week if you would've asked me what Rayman game you should play to get into the series, I would've unquestionably told you Rayman 2: The Great Escape. Today, that all changes with Rayman Origins. This gorgeous platformer manages to surpass a longtime favorite of mine with its skillfully executed level design and charming presentation.
Dead Island is a game in the midst of an identity crisis. It’s not sure if it wants to be Dead Rising 2 with its customizable weapons and biting humor, Left 4 Dead with its multiplayer focused gameplay, or Borderlands with its RPG elements and zombies that bleed numbers. Dead Island wants to be all of these things and in trying to do so fails to do anything well, the result of which is an overly flawed experience that just months ago looked so promising.
Out of every game I’ve played this year, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is without a doubt the biggest disappointment. For a series whose name automatically garners praise and adoration from the gaming community, this title is a blemish on its reputation. All of the passion and soul created by carefully weaving the ongoing plotline into evolving gameplay feels abandoned with Revelations. Without it, all that’s left is a game with a convoluted story and gameplay that is practically identical to Brotherhood.
Whether it's due to the fresh take it had on the 3rd person shooter, its high-stakes action, or gameplay innovations, gamers latched on to the Gears series and came to discover that this franchise was one to look out for. Millions of copies sold and many Game of the Year accolades later, Gears of War 3 is the final installment in the trilogy and it shows exactly why the series has stayed relevant and popular over the years.
Who would have guessed that the 2009 release of Street Fighter IV would bring the fighting game scene of the 90s back with a vengeance? While the genre has never truly gone away, there was something about the release of Capcom’s fourth numbered entry in the SF series that seemed to remind gamers of all types that it’s fun to beat the crap out of your family and friends. Of course, a return to the fighting scene of the 90s also means a glut of also-rans showing up, and even though it might not be as crowded as it was in, say, 1994, separating the gems from the stinkers can be an issue. This is the challenge that Ed Boon faced as he released the 9th Mortal Kombat game onto consoles, but I can say with confidence that the new MK uppercuts the competition just as it did way back in 1992.
I'm not really sure how they did it. Very rarely are sequels to launch games worse off than the original, but Kinect Sports: Season Two manages to be even less compelling than its simplistic predecessor. Not only have half of the sports been done better by Wii Sports, but the other half are so shallow in their implementation, they won't garner any of your attention or time.
As the owner of a brand new Kinect, I was somewhat surprised when I realized that Kinect Sports wasn't included. Being that it's clearly Microsoft's answer to Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, it would only make sense to offer it to purchasers of the hands-off peripheral. Yet it's a game sold completely separate of the peripheral at full retail price. Because Microsoft has chosen to separate the game from the peripheral, they've forced Kinect Sports to stand as its own product. After some extensive time with the game, I'm not quite sure it lives up to its steep expectations.
By all rights, Dead Space 2 shouldn’t exist. The first game was pushed out into a crowded holiday season rush with little marketing behind it, and the game was very slow to reach sales numbers that EA considered successful. The second game, Dead Space: Extraction, was released initially as a Wii exclusive and sold a paltry 9,000 units in its first week, and it didn’t get much better from there. In the high-stakes game of HD video game development, it would have been completely understandable for EA to put Dead Space on the shelf and never look back. But somehow, Visceral Games was allowed to take another stab (or is that slice?) at it, and I’m very glad that they did, because Dead Space 2 is not only a worthy successor to the first game, but it’s also one of my favorite games of 2011.
Though not a part of the Strike series, Chopper Attack appears to follow in its footsteps, providing a helicopter shooting experience from an overhead view. The base action is fairly solid, but suffers from a few poor design trappings and lack of variety. It's also on the brief side, making its merits short-lived.
Oh, Yoshi. You’re just so cute. You have got to be the cutest dinosaur (or whatever you are) I’ve ever seen. How Nintendo had the means to fabricate such an enduring and appealing character we’ll never know. After his introduction in Super Mario World, Yoshi became Nintendo’s newest star. A sweet dinosaur that could swallow enemies and turn them into eggs for him to shoot was quite an imaginative concept. Add Yoshi’s elongated tongue which he can pull enemies with, and a saddle so Mario could ride comfortably on his back and you’ve got a favorite as well as powerful character that was more than just a lovable mascot. After a couple of throwaway games for the NES and SNES, in 1995, Nintendo decided to make Yoshi the star of his own game and released Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. The game was a success and highly praised, proving that Yoshi could be strong enough on his own. At least, it seemed that way.
When it comes to updating classic arcade games, there’s a right way to go about it, and a wrong way. Last year, Namco showed us the right way to do a modern take on a classic game with the excellent Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. This year, we get to see the other side of the coin, thanks to Frozen Codebase’s release of BurgerTime World Tour. I’m not a picky eater by any means, but this is a burger that I’d send back to the kitchen.
It’s plain to see what Snowblind Studios was trying to do with Lord of the Rings: War in the North. They wanted to create a game that would appeal to fans of the books and films while simultaneously creating something new – telling a tale that had not yet been told. I applaud them for attempting to strike out on a new path, but there is a big difference between expressing the intent to do something and actually following through with it and unfortunately War in the North falls short of their self imposed expectations and fails to innovate in any real meaningful way.
Is Jesus your co-pilot? I sure hope so, ‘cause you’re better off with a 2,000 year old carpenter at those helicopter controls than me. Despite my inability to steer the helicopters, I’m still having a blast in Battlefield 3’s multiplayer. The vestigial single player campaign aped from Call of Duty is a different story. But nobody’s buying this game for the single player, and they shouldn’t. Battlefield games mean multiplayer and this installment should make all couch commandos giddy.
Sonic Generations begins, aptly enough, with classic Sonic playing through a new stage based on the original first Sonic stage: Green Hill Zone. Sure enough, there are all sorts of enemies like Motobugs (lady bugs on wheels) and Choppers (piranha bots that bite at Sonic while he crosses a bridge.) Sonic runs through a two-dimensional plane through the entirety of the stage, and with just the press of a button (or the traditional down + the jump button) he can charge up a spin-dash and take off.
Over the years, 2K Sports has struggled to make a baseball game that stands up to Sony's superior MLB The Show games. Being an owner of the Xbox 360 and not the PlayStation 3, it's been hard to find a good baseball game to play because ‘The Show’ is obviously a PS3 exclusive. Luckily there is an alternative baseball game series out there to play - MLB Power Pros - a favorite of mine on the Wii. Microsoft and Konami decided to bring this cartoonish series to Xbox Live Arcade as MLB Bobblehead Pros. Their most recent title, MLB Bobblehead Battle is not anywhere near the quality of MLB The Show, but it still proves to be enough fun to kill tons of time.
If Uncharted 3 has proved one thing to me, it's that Naughty Dog is unbelievably adept at delineating an openly interactive experience. Whether you're chasing down an opponent through back alleys and across rooftops or searching for a hidden switch in some decrepit structure, Naughty Dog knows exactly how to direct your eye and smooth out all of the typical bumps associated with navigating a 3D space. And all of this is amidst stunning and grandiose locales, which are part of an amazing and intriguing story. Naughty Dog shows unbelievable mastery in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception that's unparalleled in this day and age.
With the economy continuing its journey into the proverbial toilet, the fanciful life of crime has never looked so good. Instead of risking life and limb to assume the role of your favorite anti-hero, consider giving Overkill Software’s new title Payday: The Heist a try. If you have ever found yourself wondering what it’s like to take the role of the personable criminals from action flicks such as Ocean’s 11 or Point Break, then Payday: The Heist is a game worth looking into.
When Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure first showed up at my door, I was giddy, to say the least. Being a huge Spyro fan for years and having an obsession with collecting all things video game related, this game seemed more than up my alley. Admittedly, my first impressions of the game were positive; it captured the vibrant look of past Spyro titles, and the goofy characters captured the series’ charm. The first few levels were strangely linear for a “Spyro” title, but I merely attributed this fact to being part of the tutorial and introduction. However, two hours in, I realized that this game had absolutely nothing to do with the little purple dragon, and was disappointed to see that his only reason for being there, was to form a familiar foundation.
Given the classic status of Star Fox 64, we only felt it was fitting to create a unique review for the updated revision of the game, Star Fox 64 3D. To get started, first click through and listen to our audio review/discussion on the game between Nick and Jason R. This is followed by a written opinion by Matt McLennan, rounding out a full body of opinions.
If there is any activity that comes close to my passion for gaming, it would be reading. I’m always working through a good book, and my reading list is almost as long as my gaming backlog. While my tastes in books run in all directions, my love for sci-fi and fantasy is strong. Since the day that my father sat me on his lap and read to me the adventures of John Carter, Dejah Thoris, and Tars Tarkas on the red planet of Mars I’ve been hooked. In recent years, I’ve been reading the true legends of the SF genre: Heinlein, Asimov, and of course H.G. Wells. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that the new War of the Worlds game was based on the original book and not the movie or radio drama adaptations. That pleasant feeling gave way to despair, however.
When I first started playing Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Jesse Miller asked me if the game still held up after playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. At the time, I confidently told him "yes," but if you don't mind Jesse, I'd like to retract my response.
Sometimes the old gaming soul just wants something simple that harks back to a time now past. A time when gamers walked through dimly lit arcades, token stuffed pockets jingling and jangling like boot spurs; electric cowboys scrawling their initials into the annals of history one high score at a time. It was a magical time and someone out there must feel the same way because otherwise we wouldn’t have PixelJunk: Sidescroller -- a shooter made for the old school but a game that most will be able to enjoy.
After my five-year-old self was handily beaten down by Dragon Warrior on the NES, I swore off the series -- until recently that is. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation marks my first true experience with the mega-popular Japanese RPG series. Thankfully my reintroduction has been a smooth one. While I wouldn't consider SNES RPGs a genre in and of itself, games in the genre that debuted on the system all have a similar style and presentation that promoted a far greater degree of accessibility. Being that I first got into the genre here, Dragon Quest VI made me feel right at home.
All of those years as a kid where you’d run around like an idiot in the backyard, pretending to be Street Fighter characters has finally paid off. PowerUp Heroes is the real world manifestation of those play time shenanigans. With the use of your trusty Kinect, you’ll be throwing hadoukens and raising the dead with simple gestures. Unfortunately, PowerUp Heroes never progresses beyond this simplicity, leaving players to execute the same basic strategies from beginning to end.
