Reviews by honestgamer, page 33

Dance Dance Revolution Universe review

I appreciated being eased into the game, and as a result I was able to more fully soak in the Dance Dance Revolution experience. Konami took a risk by adding such simple songs right at the start, but it paid off.

Jason Venter · February 27, 2007

Staff PlayStation 2 HG exclusive

Chulip review

You might not expect it from a game with kissing as its central theme, but Chulip will kick your butt if you’re not paying attention. Any time you try to smooch someone and fail, he or she slaps you and you lose some heart (your life…

Jason Venter · February 21, 2007

Staff PC HG exclusive

Alien Shooter: Vengeance review

The lights dimmed abruptly. A glass lamp cracked to one side and from the distance came a groan, like metal scraping against itself. The building sighed as if alive and suddenly, the doors to the side burst open. Seconds before, I’d been…

Jason Venter · February 16, 2007

Staff PlayStation 2 HG exclusive

Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia review

Without ever being obvious about it, Ar Tonelico successfully immerses you in its world, makes you anxious to seek out each new song and experience. Try to fight it and you’ll hate the game. Embrace it and you’ll find yourself wrapped in…

Jason Venter · February 9, 2007

Staff Xbox 360

Ms. Pac-Man review

Everything here is represented almost precisely the way you would expect. The center of the screen is taken up by a vertical bar that depicts the action in its original aspect ratio. The edges have artwork that adorned some original…

Jason Venter · January 15, 2007

Staff Wii HG exclusive

Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action review

Play is divided into four worlds that are split into an average of six stages. There are three flavors: platforming, aerial combat and ground demolition. Ace (the glamorous equivalent of Chicken Little) is the guy who goes on foot…

Jason Venter · January 12, 2007

Staff DS HG exclusive

Cartoon Network Racing review

The game is designed well enough that it doesn’t have to dumb itself down to hide design deficiencies. The sluggish controls from the PlayStation 2 version are here replaced with responsive ones. The d-pad works great and when you need to…

Jason Venter · January 11, 2007

Staff PSP HG exclusive

Platypus review

Each world is divided into several stages. These typically are somewhere close to the length of a stage in any other shooter you might chare to mention, and there are typically around six of them strung one right after the next with only a…

Jason Venter · January 5, 2007

Staff PC HG exclusive

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos review

That might lead you to believe that you spend a lot of time in micro-management screens, but you really don’t. While some of that is here by necessity, it’s kept more minimal than battle-hungry players might ever have hoped. You recruit…

Jason Venter · January 3, 2007

Staff Wii HG exclusive

Metal Slug Anthology review

There are numerous options available, more than most people would ever expect. You’d think that one of them would be perfect for the average gamer who has been playing Metal Slug games for years. It turns out that none of them are, though…

Jason Venter · December 28, 2006

Staff Wii HG exclusive

Elebits review

Elebits provides is one of the most truly convincing 3D atmospheres yet presented in a console game. Though the visuals are clearly inspired by animation and maybe 1950, they are endearing in their way and really suck you into the…

Jason Venter · December 21, 2006

Staff DS HG exclusive

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin review

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is as rewarding an experience as the series is likely to ever provide. It’s huge, it’s fun and it’s devious in all the right amounts. I can think of only two flaws: nothing here feels overwhelmingly new…

Jason Venter · December 12, 2006

Staff PlayStation 2 HG exclusive

Cartoon Network Racing review

There are a few problems with Cartoon Network Racing, all somewhat typical of hastily-designed games within the genre. The first of these is a tendency to rely on items rather than good courses to provide the bulk of your experience. That…

Jason Venter · December 5, 2006

Staff PlayStation 2

Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 review

Basically, the games here are the lion’s share of memorable titles you might have missed from the first collection. There’s no Ghouls ‘n Ghosts here, because that was already done. There’s no Trojan or Final Fight for the same reason. What…

Jason Venter · December 5, 2006

Staff PSP HG exclusive

Online Chess Kingdoms review

Sometimes you play your best and the computer does the same and when all is said and done, you’ve won. The congratulatory screen comes and goes like it should. Then the next match is another inexplicable stalemate, or the disc freezes…

Jason Venter · December 4, 2006

Staff Game Boy Advance HG exclusive

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends review

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is rather large, a few winding staircases stacked on top of one another with doorways that connect to long hallways and still more doors. At first, it’s easy to get lost in all the options, and it’s only…

Jason Venter · December 2, 2006

Staff PSP HG exclusive

Lumines II review

For each moment where you’re groaning as things pile so high that you don’t stand a chance, you’ll find moments where you sneak that piece in place just in time and watch a combo clear half the screen out of your way. Playing a single…

Jason Venter · December 2, 2006

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Tony Hawk's Project 8 review

It’s definitely nice to see the franchise returning somewhat to its roots. The humor is more reminiscent of Ollie the Magic Bum than it is the days when Bam Magera terrorized the gameplay (though his fans will be happy to know that he is…

Jason Venter · November 27, 2006

Staff Wii

Wii Sports review

Wii Sports isn’t really a game. It’s a tech demo disguised by artwork that makes you think you’re playing five different sports—bowling, tennis, boxing, baseball and golf—but all you’re really doing is swinging your Wii Remote this way or…

Jason Venter · November 24, 2006

Staff Wii

Rampage: Total Destruction review

Stomping down a building isn’t a simple matter of pressing a button; you have to operate the Wii Remote like you might a hammer. That’s fun for a minute or two, and then you realize that just waving your arm up and down to keep doing the…

Jason Venter · November 22, 2006