Staff reviews, page 105

Staff Xbox 360 Review of the Week HG exclusive

Deus Ex: Human Revolution review

Deus Ex: Human Revolution so astutely recaptures the spirit of the 2000 original that I’m amazed an outside developer is responsible for it. Compare it to Invisible War, the slicked-up, dumbed-down sequel that still has fans reeling, and…

Mike Suskie · September 24, 2011

Staff SNES HG exclusive

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island review

And I do mean "tricky" — I found myself stumped for a good number of minutes in one boss level before figuring out I had to swallow a Koopa at the top left of one gigantic chamber, go to the bottom right of the room and spit it at a…

Rob Hamilton · September 23, 2011

Staff DS HG exclusive

Kirby: Mass Attack review

The inability to consistently fling puffballs is the biggest problem that you’ll likely have with Kirby Mass Attack, because at times that particular activity can be vitally important. For example, in one stage you must repeatedly ram a…

Jason Venter · September 17, 2011

Staff SNES HG exclusive

Breath of Fire II review

Perhaps the poor NoA censors just couldn't comprehend what they were playing, shrugged their shoulders and let it all go through without chopping out minor details like how the villain is a demon using a Christianity-like religion as a…

Rob Hamilton · September 16, 2011

Staff 3DS HG exclusive

Star Fox 64 3D review

Unfortunately, Starfox 64 3D doesn’t benefit as much from that finally-genuine third dimension as you might suppose. Depth effects look terrific in the cutscenes that bookend the various stages, certainly, but the levels were never…

Jason Venter · September 13, 2011

Staff PlayStation 2 HG exclusive

Call of Duty 3 review

Whether it be the Americans, Canadians, British or Polish, there will be arguments and in-fighting as the troops are faced with imminent death while pushing into occupied territory. Well, maybe not the Poles, as their main purpose seems to…

Rob Hamilton · September 9, 2011

Staff Wii HG exclusive

Kyotokei review

Kyotokei tries to be the horizontal Ikaruga and it does what it sets out to do in a perfunctory fashion, lacking distinction or panache. That being said, if you loved Ikaruga, you’ll like Kyotokei, because how many other colour based…

Marc Golding · September 9, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Driver: San Francisco review

Driver: San Francisco surprised me by showing how much life the series still has left. If it weren’t for Ubisoft's infuriating obsession with curbing piracy and secondhand sales by way of the terrible uPlay platform, I'd have given the…

Julian Williams · September 6, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Bonded Realities review

You control a quartet of preschool kids who, while playing in a sandbox, get warped to a mystical world and placed in bodies more capable of monster battling than the average tyke. Kind of like Avatar without the ungodly budget. Or the…

Rob Hamilton · September 2, 2011

Staff Wii HG exclusive

Disney Guilty Party review

There are three settings. As a rookie, you won’t have any trouble at all. Just mashing buttons or waving the Wii Remote around is enough to pass half of the challenges with flying colors. Before long, you’ll earn a promotion and the game…

Jason Venter · September 1, 2011

Staff Wii HG exclusive

3D Pixel Racing review

Unlike other gimmicky racing titles, there are no tricks, upgrades, weapons, or anything else to distinguish 3D Pixel Racing from your typical racing game apart from presentation. Even if you do master the controls, it's hardly worth the…

Joseph Shaffer · September 1, 2011

Staff PlayStation 3 Review of the Week HG exclusive

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten review

While the story is new and its high-quality presentation is a delight that long-time fans by now take for granted, you’ll likely be surprised by some of the other improvements. For instance, it’s now possible to assemble your own pirate…

Jason Venter · August 30, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Rock of Ages review

The persistent silliness is supplemented nicely by a unique mix of action and strategy elements. A given round begins with the human hero locked in a fortress on one side of the map while his antagonist is sequestered in a similar…

Jason Venter · August 27, 2011

Staff Genesis HG exclusive

Fire Mustang review

So, just this once, I’ll ignore the easy digs, like how the game starts in 1940, while America didn’t enter the war until 1941. Or how the P-51 Mustangs I assume the game is based around were not readily available until around 1943…

Gary Hartley · August 20, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Cthulhu Saves the World review

You take control of Lovecraftian Elder God Cthulhu as he surfaces in order to take over (and destroy) the world. Not even tentacle-faced deities can have an easy time of things, though, as a mysterious wizard strips him of his powers…

Rob Hamilton · August 17, 2011

Staff Wii HG exclusive

The Smurfs Dance Party review

The Smurfs Dance Party is a simple, relaxing title featuring silly fun for kids. Anyone over the age of nine might want to consider a title with more substance, but you might want to give the game a go if you’re just looking for a simple…

Joseph Shaffer · August 16, 2011

Staff PlayStation 3 HG exclusive

Bleach: Soul Resurreccion review

One of the most popular shōnen titles in the manga and anime industry right now is Bleach, a story about a boy who obtained soul reaper abilities to protect the ones he loves. You may have caught an episode or two on TV, or seen a volume…

Adam Beck · August 14, 2011

Staff PlayStation 3 Review of the Week HG exclusive

L.A. Noire review

L.A. Noire is as ambitious as it is broken, presenting yet another game where you spend way too much time driving around a fantastically realised landscape while your passenger pleads with you to slow down, taking nothing but…

Gary Hartley · August 13, 2011

Staff NES HG exclusive

Final Fantasy review

The toughest part of the final dungeon for me was the opening floors, simply because I frequently ran into encounters with multiple gas dragons and their brutal breath attack. They were great to gain levels against, but when I wanted to…

Rob Hamilton · August 12, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

From Dust review

From Dust isn't like most strategy games. It doesn't focus more than it needs to on micromanagement. You don't have to develop a village's culture or provide the people with food or entertainment. There are no numbers to monitor and there…

Joseph Shaffer · August 10, 2011