Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes review (PS3)

Reviewed by Jason Venter on November 01, 2009 - #

I'm a big fan of games that refrain from forcing the player to re-play lengthy segments that he's already conquered just to tackle a challenging bit at the end, but Republic Heroes accommodates amateur gamers to a crippling extreme. There are maybe two or three segments in the whole game where you'll have to make more than three or four jumps without passing another checkpoint. Not only that, but anything that you've accomplished remains in place. So if you pass a checkpoint just ahead of a shootout with a bunch of enemies, the most you lose if you die is 2 or 3 seconds of play before you can return to the fray to mop up any of the remaining enemies who didn't fall on your first attempt.

Imadoki no Vampire: Bloody Bride review (PSX)

Reviewed by Sho on October 31, 2009 - #

As you'd expect from any Atlus release, the concept is nothing short of unique: thrust into the billowing cape of Phaid, teenaged vampire prince of the netherworld, you've been temporarily exiled to the mysterious human realm known as "Japan" in search of a virgin bride, not for tawdry thrills but in order to sup upon her sweet, innocent blood. Despite the genre's sordid reputation everything in this game is likewise totally pure; you won't find anything racier than its lovely lasses soaking in steamy baths or slumbering peacefully in their pajamas. Unlike similar protagonists our hero is a perfect gentleman who seems to sincerely care about the happiness of his many female friends rather than seeing them as a harem of nubile necks, and the only penetration going on here involves his budding fangs.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars review (PSP)

Reviewed by Jonathan Stark on October 30, 2009 - #

Constant action. Constant fun. That’s Chinatown’s style. There isn’t any dating, there are no strip clubs and you won't be wooing your fat cousin with burgers and drinks.

Aion: The Tower of Eternity review (PC)

Reviewed by Josh Higley on October 30, 2009 - #

A persistent question throughout both Aion's beta and the early days of live was "Will this game kill WoW?" It popped up in the world chat channel more often than "Can I borrow 10 gold?" That by itself is pretty mind blowing, but really, it's a stupid question. No, Aion is not going to kill World of Warcraft. No game coming out in the foreseeable future is going to knock WoW from its throne, but that's the wrong question to ask anyway. Why should it need to?

Resident Evil: Director's Cut review (PSX)

Reviewed by Sho on October 30, 2009 - #

The game that put Shinji Mikami on the map may owe an obvious debt to the creepy Cthulhu-conjuring madness of Alone in the Dark, but there's a reason that his own franchise went on to become an unstoppable money-making juggernaut while its predecessor slipped away into obscurity. Infogrames had already defined the concept of cobbling together inventory puzzles from the graphic adventure genre alongside combat with deformed monstrosities that refused to rest in peace, but now you had to carefully conserve a limited resource of weapons and healing items, nor could you carry more than a few objects at any given time. Was it better to clear out a room that you'd need to access frequently, or risk dashing in and out around them? Take another herb with you just in case or save room for newly discovered keys? Each subsequent sequel greatly expanded upon the formula introduced here, even reinventing it from the ground up with considerable success after the series began to stagnate – and that original formula was rock solid to begin with.

Demon's Crest review (SNES)

Reviewed by Sho on October 29, 2009 - #

The abyssal awesomeness of Demon's Crest should have made it a darkly glittering jewel in Capcom's crown rather than a jester's cap of bells. Not only can you expect a stylish showcase of the macabre, but an unconventional formula that's best described as "Mega Man from Hell."

Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness review (PSX)

Reviewed by Sho on October 28, 2009 - #

This is the story of Henry the merchant, a loveless miser who nonetheless ventures to the darkest depths of distant Zemekia in search of the fabled Castle of the Damned and handsome profits. After all, even the sadistic blackguard reputed to dwell there must surely appreciate those little niceties like silken bat wings, eyes of newt, and the carefully bottled tears of heartbroken virgins. Unfortunately this portly peddler's greed comes to an ignoble end when he finds himself impaled upon poisoned steel spikes that suddenly shriek forth from a nearby wall.

Obscure: The Aftermath review (PSP)

Reviewed by Jonathan Stark on October 27, 2009 - #

Another scene that comes to mind is one where you are trying to get an elevator moving while a monster charges at the open doors. These scenes kept me on my toes for the whole experience and make me feel obliged to recommend Obscure: The Aftermath to Survival Horror fans. But it’s a recommendation that comes with baggage.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest review (NES)

Reviewed by Sho on October 27, 2009 - #

There's the worn signage and crumbling brick of villages that tower over intricate catwalks of staircases, a setting so vividly recreated when it was put to the torch in Dracula X. There are the nocturnal treks through thick forestry in pursuit of bouncing werewolves and suspicious ferrymen who'll take you "someplace good," or the skeletons forlornly hanging in chains beneath the bowels of haunted mansions. And of course, a classic compilation of music that was even enhanced over the original disk release: the now legendary chords of "Bloody Tears" that accompany your travels, the less celebrated but similarly excellent "Silence of Daylight" in town, and that spine-tingling tune upon finally stepping into the ruined halls of Castlevania itself.

The Colonel's Bequest review (PC)

Reviewed by Sho on October 26, 2009 - #

Greed. Sex. Murder. Yes, The Colonel's Bequest has all the good things in life. It's even set in the heart of the Roaring Twenties, but unfortunately for the lovely Laura Bow there won't be any time for bootleg hooch or the devil's jazz. Our spunky flame haired sleuth instead finds herself surrounded by an ever dwindling cast of shifty suspects on Colonel Henri Dijon's crumbling bayou plantation, because nothing livens up a creepy old house quite like death.

Splatterhouse 3 review (GEN)

Reviewed by Sho on October 25, 2009 - #

From the day it first oozed forth into unsuspecting arcades, the SplatterHouse franchise has been synonymous with outrageous violence, undying horrors from beyond the grave . . . and equally musty gameplay. Yet where its predecessors may have been stiff, simplistic side-scrollers, this third installment chucks out the old formula like so many decapitated heads in favor of brutal beat 'em up action featuring a few novel twists.

Adam's Venture: The Search for the Lost Garden review (PC)

Reviewed by Gary Hartley on October 24, 2009 - #

There’s not many locations you can squeeze into two hours, so they’ve all been gussied up accordingly. It’s only when the slightly subtle motifs of beating back darkness with your light are replaced by silver-tongued snakes and comments about how disaster befell the last woman to eat an apple in the Garden of Eden that you start forgetting it’s meant to be a game and start to wonder when you’re going to be told that when the Rapture comes, you’re going to be the first to die.

NHL 10 review (PS3)

Reviewed by Marc Golding on October 23, 2009 - #

NHL 10 is inarguably the epitome of EA’s drive to make the ideal hockey game and at this point, there really is no looking back. My only gripe is that after 09 we had so much more to look forward to.

Final Fantasy VII review (PS3)

Reviewed by Jonathan Stark on October 22, 2009 - #

Those who write Final Fantasy VII off as "emo" forget that it isn’t a game about a whiny group of teenagers. Cloud starts off as a cocky dick. The gamer is given the rare opportunity to witness the fall of this character. By the end, perhaps Cloud is a little depressing. But it takes him 40 hours of psychological and emotional abuse to get there.

Gemini Lost review (PC)

Reviewed by Sohail Saleem on October 21, 2009 - #

With infinite resources you might think that this game is a builder’s paradise, but unfortunately it’s not. Surprisingly, while the game gives you the freedom to collect as many resources as you want, it does not give you the freedom to build as much as you want. Aside from multiple houses, the game only allows one building of each type in predetermined spaces on the map, which usually means that you will accumulate wood and stone in your stockpile by the hundreds with no use for them.

Madballs in... BABO: Invasion review (PC)

Reviewed by Ryan Thompson on October 20, 2009 - #

Overall, Madballs is an enjoyable game for a while, especially at the $10 price point. However, it is not greater than the sum of its individual parts. If you want to play either a great shooter or a great platformer, there are other games that do it better at the same price range (have a look at Geometry Wars and Marble Blast Ultra). That being said, if you really want to do both at the same time, you could certainly be worse off, as the cartoony approach and style is charming enough to entertain, if only for a short while.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 review (PS3)

Reviewed by Marc Golding on October 20, 2009 - #

Tough guy fulfillment has all but gone up in purple smoke. That the game’s infamous obstinacy has mellowed only serves to make matters worse. Areas crawling with menace that had you sweating your way through, barely able to come up for air, now smack of bland formula and the perfunctory: run, beat up a few guys, run, beat up a few more, earn a new skill, endure long loading times at the pause screen, start running again…

Heavy Weapon review (PS3)

Reviewed by Gareth Chadwick on October 20, 2009 - #

Heavy Weapon is yet another downloadable game that debuted on XBLA long before PSN, giving PS3 owners pretty much the same game that Xboxers have been able to buy and play for a long time. This isn’t always a bad thing, and it’s still a title of worth so long as you’ve not already got the previous copy snuggled away on your 360’s hard drive and you’re a fan of a screen full of explosions.

Zeno Clash review (PC)

Reviewed by Gary Hartley on October 20, 2009 - #

In a lot of ways, it feels like an evolved Double Dragon comfortably shoehorned into the first perspective then bottle fed LSD by the gallon.

CustomPlay Golf 2010 review (PC)

Reviewed by Gary Hartley on October 20, 2009 - #

It’s by no means perfect, but by catering to the ground planners at home and making their efforts freely available, it offers something commendable and, perhaps more importantly, recommendable.