Metroid: Other M is easily one of the most anticipated games of the year, but does it live up to the hype? In this critic’s opinion, no. Although a beautiful looking game and at times rewarding, it’s the other stuff that makes Other M a top contender for “weakest Metroid ever.” Primary among them: the developer seems to have been more concerned with making a movie rather th...
DiRT 2 is a game that is supposed to be all about extreme off road rally racing from mud covered courses, dirt roads, and various other special stadiums set up for rally racing. It’s also supposed to be the return of awesome racing, new and improved physics, visuals and intense head-to-head game play that the first Dirt was known for. It’s list of improvements is lengthy, but does it l...
A glowing meteorite has slammed into the forest, painting the ground with eerie green phosphorescence. It glazed the rocks with a radiant gleam. It covered each blade of grass with a dusting of limelight. And it woke up the mushrooms. The story fueling Red Fly Studios’ Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars is deliciously bizarre, reveling in the campiness of 1950s B-reel horror. It pays homage to the...
The important thing I needed to remember while playing the titles in the SNK Arcade Classics Vol 1 collection is that they were first and foremost arcade games. The fighting games are purely quick brawls, the adventuresome titles are very short in length, and the sports titles are fairly simple in their controls. That said, I had a great time playing a group of NEOGEO games I had never experie...
[Guest review by Brian] Don’t hang up the Wii Sports Tennis racquet just yet. To say I’m a tennis nut would be a bit of an understatement. Why else would I drop $49.99 plus change on a Wii tennis game without having any reviews available to consider? Having spent a few hours with the game, I can say that this is a $29.99 title, not a premium purchase. I feel like my extra $20.0...
Space Invaders Extreme is a near perfect update of the classic arcade game. The music is fun and the way the sound effects become part of the soundtrack is mesmerizing. It’s frantic fun with an interesting power-up system.
Thanks to a GameStop gift card for a recent birthday, I was able to scoot down to the local store and buy up a copy of one of my more anticipated titles of 2008, Super Dodgeball Brawlers. I’m glad I did, but then again I’ve always been a fan of Kunio-Kun. Like River City Ransom, Double Dragon, Nintendo World Cup Soccer and any other number of Nekketsu High School-inspired (and Kunio-Ku...
What makes a great Wii game? As Nintendo’s motion-controlled monster continues to storm the market, the question remains without a consensus, and developers have struggled in their search for an answer. Several third-parties have attempted to emulate the spirit of games such as Wii Sports, but most seem to be missing the point. The “Wii spirit” that makes the system’s best ...
More than two decades of verification have solidified it as truth, but given the absurd quality of recent software, it seems worth reiteration; the best titles on Nintendo’s console have been first-party Nintendo games. Whether pushing innovation with Wii Sports and Wii Fit or polishing the established with Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Kyoto-based ga...
Within the context of the gaming realm, Scurge: Hive is old news. Released in late Oct. 2006 by independent publisher SouthPeak Interactive, Scurge: Hive was met with mixed critical reception, no publicity and extremely modest sales figures. So why revisit this obscure, unrecognized game more than 15 months after it hit store shelves? Quite simply, because it rocks.
Activision got lucky this time. If it weren’t for the rocking gameplay of Guitar Hero III, the audiophile in me would advise against the $90 purchase on principle alone — don’t ship a music game with mono-only sound while in game mode. Inexplicably, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for Wii does precisely that. Fortunately, there’s an abundance of saving graces.
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire is retro gaming bliss made anew with engaging motion-controls. It’s not even close to being one of the most memorable games of the year, but its gameplay, somewhat impressive visuals, and old-school storyline sans superfluous “cheese” make it a worthy purchase. The extremely linear gameplay evokes fond memories from my gaming past; sorta like playing a...