Reviews by Jason Venter, page 18

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland review

There’s an astonishing level of complexity on display everywhere you turn, so you might have to wait until your second or third trip through the game before trying to actually hunt down some of the more fearsome monsters. Even then, with…

Jason Venter · May 26, 2012

Staff PC HG exclusive

Revenge of the Titans review

Compounding that particular issue is the fact that it’s difficult to see very far. The perspective is close enough to the ground that you can easily see detail around each building and your base, but to see the whole level you’ll need to…

Jason Venter · May 11, 2012

Staff Wii HG exclusive

Little King's Story review

Your royal guard has a tendency to get caught up on fences, on the edge of buildings and so forth. By the time you’re commanding a group of 17 soldiers, it’s all but impossible to make everyone climb a simple staircase without cautious…

Jason Venter · March 31, 2012

Staff Vita HG exclusive

Ridge Racer review

In Ridge Racer, though, none of the tracks—even the two bonus ones—include more than a few corners that you might call “sharp.” Old Town, one of the added tracks, includes a single ‘S’ curve near its conclusion that is an example of the…

Jason Venter · March 15, 2012

Staff Wii HG exclusive

Wario Land: Shake It! review

You have to take leaps of faith and frequently you must also deal with sloppy controls (since you’ll be using devices that enhance your speed in many cases). If you happen to time a jump wrong or if you start along the incorrect route…

Jason Venter · March 6, 2012

Staff PlayStation 3 HG exclusive

Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 review

Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 progresses in a simple pattern: you travel to a new land, witness events in its main town, then outlying areas appear and you explore them. Typically, you’ll slay a monster in a new area, go back to town and…

Jason Venter · March 5, 2012

Staff Vita HG exclusive

Rayman Origins review

On the Vita’s OLED screen in particular, colors are surprisingly vibrant. Rayman is animated beautifully and so are his enemies, but the backgrounds are truly something to behold. Screenshots don’t do them justice. They often resemble the…

Jason Venter · February 19, 2012

Staff Vita HG exclusive

Little Deviants review

Little Deviants could have been a decent game, even without a multi-player component, but the mini-games are often challenging because of their imprecise controls, not thanks to designer ingenuity. It’s difficult to forget that most of…

Jason Venter · February 17, 2012

Staff Vita HG exclusive

Michael Jackson: The Experience HD review

While Michael Jackson: The Experience HD is an engaging experience as far as it goes, there’s just not enough of it. Anyone who is happy that there are only 15 songs probably shouldn’t be buying the game in the first place, and fans who…

Jason Venter · February 15, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

The Simpsons Arcade Game review

Certainly, you’ll see a large number of recycled goons, but the variety is still impressive considering the game’s era. There are pot-bellied businessmen, women with afros, ninja warriors, ghosts and lanky janitors, among others. New…

Jason Venter · February 4, 2012

Staff 3DS HG exclusive

Pushmo review

Like Mario in Donkey Kong the hero can leap only a short distance, so a lot of pulling is necessary if he’s going to scale some of the larger puzzles. It starts to feel almost like you’re building your own platformer as you go, which could…

Jason Venter · January 31, 2012

Staff PC HG exclusive

Unstoppable Gorg review

Unstoppable Gorg is a tower defense game with a twist. That’s a claim that any PR person might make about any new offering within the genre. In this case, though, it’s an especially apt description because the twist is this: you twist…

Jason Venter · January 19, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure review

Levels feature lots of loot and they all contain special areas that are locked behind gates. To enter gates, you must have a character with the matching affinity. As long as you have such a character and he hasn’t been disabled for that…

Jason Venter · January 8, 2012

Staff PC HG exclusive

Defense Grid: The Awakening review

Missions include special objectives that switch things up. Your options change depending on the scenario. In one case, you might be able to try a familiar stage with 99 waves instead of the usual 25 or 30. Elsewhere, you might be able to…

Jason Venter · January 4, 2012

Staff Xbox 360

Comic Jumper review

Each stage is preceded by banter between Captain Smiley, Star (the character on his chest) and assorted other guests that include a wad of paper masquerading as a hero and a tattooed concubine who wears lovely fur garments. The dialog in…

Jason Venter · December 22, 2011

Staff Xbox 360

Tropico 3 review

Sometimes, the amount of control that you have over your island is overwhelming. Tropico 3 was released first as a PC game, where sorting all of the available options and information must have felt quite natural, but the Xbox 360…

Jason Venter · December 22, 2011

Staff DS

Super Scribblenauts review

If a puzzle gives you too much trouble, the game has a hint system in place. You can pay virtual currency to unlock new tips that supply varying degrees of assistance. Sometimes, the best hints will flat out give you the answer, which may…

Jason Venter · December 22, 2011

Staff PlayStation 3

Sports Champions review

Sports Champions features six games: disc golf, beach volleyball, archery, table tennis, gladiator duel and bocce. Each included option offers depth and precision. You'll have to work harder to get everything out of these offerings than…

Jason Venter · December 22, 2011

Staff Xbox 360

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World review

Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that the levels in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World often feel like they were borrowed from classic fare such as Final Fight, Double Dragon and River City Ransom. There is a gratuitous number of…

Jason Venter · December 22, 2011

Staff Xbox 360

Rock Band 3 review

Rock Band 3 adopts a more complicated approach. You can start playing in a "Quick Play" mode, or you can go to a "Career" mode. Performance in one mode affects the options that you have in the other mode. Each song you play can earn you…

Jason Venter · December 22, 2011