Reviews by phediuk

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves review

Originally, “interactive movies” described games like Dragon’s Lair: literal movies where you pressed a button at the right time to keep watching the movie. In the late 90s, the concept of an “interactive movie” morphed into a hybrid…

phediuk · December 29, 2009

Reader Genesis

Sonic the Hedgehog review

Playing the original Sonic the Hedgehog is a lot like revisiting your old elementary school: you know your way around, and you’ve got some good memories, but the place just isn’t as big as you remember it. Sonic 1 feels like a footnote in…

phediuk · December 22, 2009

Reader PlayStation 2

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty review

Metal Gear Solid 2 is the point of the series where it it’s not just a game anymore. It was here that Hideo Kojima was convinced he was making History’s Next Great Epic. This was to be the Homer’s Odyssey of the video game era. The half…

phediuk · December 17, 2009

Reader PlayStation

Metal Gear Solid review

I have to wonder why the makers of Metal Gear Solid didn’t just make a movie. Here’s a game where the gameplay is never the focus, where interactivity is just a vehicle to get to the next cutscene, where the controller spends more time in…

phediuk · November 5, 2008

Reader PSP Review of the Week

God of War: Chains of Olympus review

Chains of Olympus is a handheld version of the PS2 God of War games. But don’t be fooled: it wants desperately to not be a handheld game. In the transition from DVD9 to a 1.8GB UMD, nothing has been lost as far as gameplay is concerned…

phediuk · March 18, 2008

Reader Wii

Super Smash Bros. Brawl review

You need to be a Nintendo fan to enjoy Smash Bros. The entire appeal is playing as all those characters from your childhood you’re nostalgic for. I’ve tried playing Brawl with people who’d never played Zelda or Metroid or Kirby, and all I…

phediuk · March 15, 2008

Reader DS

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney review

Apollo Justice is exactly like the Phoenix Wright games. The formula has been beaten to death at this point; what was fresh and original in the first game is feeling awfully worn-out now. Despite being the first game in the series…

phediuk · March 5, 2008

Reader Wii

Super Mario Galaxy review

As I was playing through Mario Galaxy, I found I was having fun. But not the conventional type of fun. Let’s call it “half-fun”. It’s the kind of fun where you enjoy what you’re playing but at the same time you’re bored out of your mind…

phediuk · February 24, 2008

Reader GameCube

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess review

Boring. Stale. Rehashed. What do all these words have in common? They describe the Zelda series perfectly. There was a time when I was a Zelda fan; that was when Ocarina of Time was still called Ocarina of Time. I wasn’t a fan when OoT was…

phediuk · February 15, 2008

Reader Wii

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn review

Radiant Dawn is a direct sequel to Path of Radiance. The gameplay engine is almost identical and all the characters return (to the point of overkill), so if you liked PoR, you’ll like Radiant Dawn. On the other hand, if you’re not a Fire…

phediuk · November 13, 2007

Reader DS

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations review

Have you played the first two Phoenix Wright games? Did you like them? If both your answers are yes, then play Phoenix Wright 3. It is exactly the same as the previous games. And I mean exactly. No new gameplay mechanics have been…

phediuk · November 7, 2007

Reader DS

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass review

Phantom Hourglass is a bore. It takes the same tired gameplay we’ve been seeing for 20 years and throws some touch-screen functionality on it. Does the touch screen add much to the game? Not really. For every way in which it helps the…

phediuk · October 18, 2007

Reader NES

Silver Surfer review

The first thing you’ll notice about Silver Surfer is how awesome the music is. Most of my experience with this game has been on the pause screen in the first level listening to the soundtrack. This game embraces the NES’ limited sound…

phediuk · August 1, 2007

Reader PlayStation 2

God Hand review

All you do in God Hand is whoop ass. The game doesn’t make a big secret of this; hell, the box art is just a fist punching some guy’s face. Do you like whooping ass? If your answer is yes, then you’d best ignore the so-so reviews God Hand…

phediuk · June 19, 2007

Reader SNES

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time review

When I was a kid, I knew Turtles in Time as the game where you could throw bad guys into the screen. Yes, that’s right. Into the screen. It’s the one unique twist in this otherwise typical beat-‘em-up. The game is about as brainless as it…

phediuk · March 29, 2007

Reader PlayStation 2

God of War II review

God of War II is not complicated. Multi-faceted plot? Pfft. How about five cutscenes in the whole game? Yeah, that's right. Even though the game is inundated with a stupidly self-conscious epic narrative and an equally pompous musical…

phediuk · March 21, 2007

Reader PlayStation 2 Review of the Week

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner review

In Zone of Enders 2, you beat up robots. The game gives you as many robot beating options you could ever want, so naturally, there’s a lot to like about this game. However, the game ultimately suffers from a lack of content. The gameplay…

phediuk · February 6, 2007

Reader PlayStation 2

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil review

Klonoa 2 is a pretty good platformer, and I had fun with it. It doesn't do anything exceptionally well, but it doesn't have any glaring shortcomings either. It has a solid graphical style, a solid soundtrack, solid level design, and a…

phediuk · February 2, 2007

Reader DS

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All review

Justice for All is a complete rehash of the first Phoenix Wright. The engine is the same, just about all of the graphics are reused, some of the music is recycled, and the gameplay is virtually identical. Can you live with that? If the…

phediuk · January 30, 2007

Reader DS

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin review

The last thing Portrait of Ruin could be called is innovative. This is the definition of the assembly-line, take-no-chances, use-all-of-the-assets-from-the-previous-game sequel. If you've played Symphony of the Night, any of the three GBA…

phediuk · December 17, 2006