Reviews by Calvin

Trials Evolution review

The result may not feel like a revolutionary update, but it’s exactly the right way to pull off a quality Trials sequel.

Calvin Kemph · April 27, 2012

Staff DS HG exclusive

Beyblade: Metal Masters review

The combat itself is barebones. Much of it is based on typical fighting convention stuff: position, sequence and timing. It’s all very basic. What’s important is to launch well and to use special attacks frequently. Each Beyblade has an…

Calvin Kemph · December 2, 2011

Staff PC HG exclusive

Puzzle Agent 2 review

Following the closure of his last case, Nelson Tethers is racked with guilt over the string of unsolved disappearances in the eerie, insular community of Scoggins, Minnesota. And so, after taking vacation from his job as an FBI Puzzle…

Calvin Kemph · July 9, 2011

Reader Xbox 360 Review of the Week

L.A. Noire review

It’s all about the contrast. The best way to describe the appeal of film-noir, as I find it, is in the stark dichotomy between black and white – the dissimilarity of things. The most striking aspect of the films is in the way the lighting…

Calvin · June 25, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Super Meat Boy review

With its retro aesthetic and punishing difficulty, Super Meat Boy is the type of release that shakes things up and gets people’s attention.

Calvin Kemph · April 2, 2011

Reader Xbox 360

The Sims 3 review

The Sims 3 is everything casual games strive to be. Whether you’re a fan of the wildly popular virtual life simulation series or not, there’s never been a better time to jump in than now. There’s something for everyone here, all presented…

Calvin · February 7, 2011

Reader Xbox 360

Medal of Honor review

With the first-person shooter market drowning under a relentless flood of like-minded brands trying to emulate the top dog, the entire genre is turning in on itself. There are the rare gems which come through in a big way and attain…

Calvin · November 9, 2010

Reader Xbox 360

Sonic Adventure review

As a front-runner in Sega’s Dreamcast launch lineup, it’s only reasonable that Sonic Adventure would be the first Dreamcast game that Sega would port to Xbox Live Arcade. Serving as something of a tech demo for the fledgling console, the…

Calvin · October 22, 2010

Reader Xbox 360

Red Dead Redemption review

The decaying carcass of Red Dead Revolver casts a foul odor. Gutted of its linearity and naïve handling of the American Old West, Rockstar San Diego have skinned the aforementioned less-than-stellar elements of the otherwise promising…

Calvin · July 16, 2010

Staff PC HG exclusive

The Legend of Vraz review

In its present form, the game merely comes across as an unnecessary mess of well-intentioned ideas made only slightly more amusing by the vague cultural undertones from India.

Calvin Kemph · March 15, 2010

Reader Xbox 360

Banjo-Kazooie review

Juxtaposed against the bright and cheerful hillside of Spiral Mountain is an expansive lair, violently contrasting a local which is otherwise brimming with joy. Plotted amongst the lower-lying fields of flowers and stretches of grass is…

Calvin · June 28, 2009

Reader Dreamcast

Crazy Taxi 2 review

Crazy Taxi Company has picked up shop and relocated to New York City. However, other than heading for the east coast and replacing the four drivers from the original, Crazy Taxi 2 does little to differentiate itself. The two new levels are…

Calvin · May 22, 2009

Reader Xbox 360

Spyglass Board Games review

Recreating board games is tricky in that developers generally need to give their target audience incentive to purchase a digital copy of something they already have stuffed away in their closet somewhere. Spyglass Board Games includes all…

Calvin · March 27, 2009

Reader Xbox 360

Yaris review

An aura of decadence tends to pervade anything that’s free. When people are given a game without paying anything – their incentive to play the title is gone. This can create reasonably low expectations, meaning that there’s likely not…

Calvin · March 27, 2009

Reader Xbox 360

3 on 3 NHL Arcade review

3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a great idea. The latest EA hockey game, NHL 09, has shed some pounds over the winter with a diet that cuts out all of the realism and simulation that devoted fans have come to expect from the perennial franchise. Our…

Calvin · March 27, 2009

Reader Xbox 360

Frogger review

It’s irking to see a series with plenty of untapped potential fail to claim what’s rightfully made possible through the immediate gratification of a platform such as the Xbox 360‘s Live Arcade. Although perhaps we should be thankful that…

Calvin · January 25, 2009

Reader Wii HG exclusive

WarioWare: Smooth Moves review

Have you ever sat on your couch, Wii Remote in hand, wishing you could use it to scrub the dirty hind end of a cow? Probably not. But WarioWare: Smooth Moves allows you to do so. Even after playing the rather enjoyable GameCube incarnation…

Calvin · July 5, 2007

Reader Arcade HG exclusive

Metal Slug review

In the 2020's, terrorism is a bitch. Within the army, a frothing rebel front amasses due to inaccuracies in the regular army's intelligence reports. Circa '96 this branch of the army is lead under the supervision of one General Morden…

Calvin · July 4, 2007

Reader Xbox

Dead or Alive 3 review

Dead or Alive 3 relies heavily on the structure of its predecessors. Somewhere along the line, Team Ninja made a compromise. In their assertion that fans of fighting games didn't need any more content than what was available to them in the…

Calvin · June 30, 2007

Reader DS

Pokémon Pearl Version review

Since the beginning of mankind, anyone who has told a story, has furthered the idea of the Hero. In the 1940's, Joseph Campbell wrote a book called "The Hero with a Thousand Faces", in which Joseph claims every story has already been told…

Calvin · June 19, 2007