Reviews by Rob Hamilton, page 19

Final Fantasy X review

After that debacle, though, I noticed that Yuna had a particular piece of armor designed to block three particular negative statuses, so I decided to make sure she was always in the party when fighting them. Sure enough, she was able to…

Rob Hamilton · April 28, 2012

Staff Atari 2600 Review of the Week HG exclusive

Raiders of the Lost Ark review

Markets are kind of cool, as you collect money in the game and can use it in these places to buy bullets and other useful things. In this one, you also can try to interact with a giant head plastered on the left side of the screen. Which…

Rob Hamilton · April 21, 2012

Staff Atari 2600 HG exclusive

Jungle Hunt review

You'd start out swinging from vines like Tarzan. Interestingly enough, this game originally was called Jungle King where you controlled a guy who looked like Tarzan. And then the lawsuits came rolling in, so the name of the game and the…

Rob Hamilton · April 6, 2012

Staff PlayStation HG exclusive

Wild Arms 2 review

If nothing else, Wild Arms 2 entertains solely because of how comfortable it is seeking refuge in audacity. In the early going, Ashley Winchester, the lead player in an ensemble cast of protagonists, gets possessed by a demon that once…

Rob Hamilton · March 30, 2012

Staff SNES HG exclusive

Neugier: Umi to Kaze no Koudou review

How did it get there? We'll never know. It could have dropped through an ceiling (unseen by the player) like a few do in Skyrim; it could have been the result of a Final Fantasy XIII-2 time paradox; hell, it could simply be explained by…

Rob Hamilton · March 15, 2012

Staff PlayStation

Chrono Cross review

However, like I said, those incremental post-boss bonuses do add up over time. It benefits a player to pick a couple sidekicks they really like to keep with them as much as possible. Sorry, Kid, you might be a major player in the plot, but…

Rob Hamilton · March 3, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Final Fantasy XIII review

At least the fighting was fun — after the game had decided I'd done well enough with the remedial classes and gave me access to everything. Each character can take on a number of roles. Ravagers blitz foes with attack magic, while…

Rob Hamilton · February 24, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 Review of the Week HG exclusive

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim review

It's the sort of fantasy epic that perfectly matches the game's barbarian choir musical intro and the constant array of thick nordic voices exhorting you to fight for your country. Still, it was dozens upon dozens of hours before any of…

Rob Hamilton · February 10, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Star Ocean: The Last Hope review

The Bonus Board isn't permanent, though, as if an enemy whacks the character you're controlling with a critical hit, you'll watch a number of your bonuses dissipate. I had a knack for killing stuff with critical hits, so at times, I'd be…

Rob Hamilton · February 3, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 Review of the Week HG exclusive

Scarygirl review

Unfortunately, that joy was often marred by frustration. The controls seem a bit loose, which can make precise leaping more trouble that it's worth. Your character is pretty versatile, using her tentacle arm to whack enemies, briefly hover…

Rob Hamilton · January 28, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Faery: Legends of Avalon review

The average enemy in this game seemed to come from generic lists of animals and undead. I found it somewhat annoying that the mythical Norse Yggdrasil's dungeons were loaded with hornets and termites instead of, you know, something suited…

Rob Hamilton · January 17, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Infinite Undiscovery review

You collect well over a dozen party members, many of whom have little relevance beyond, "Hey, uh, you're out to save the world, so let me help!". Many villains pop up, deliver a couple lines of dialogue, fight you and are killed. It kind…

Rob Hamilton · January 5, 2012

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening review

Meanwhile, you'll primarily be fighting the same stuff from Origins with a handful of new foes...and they just don't have the staying power to last through Awakening. In one dungeon, my guys were hacking down the formerly-feared Revenants…

Rob Hamilton · December 16, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Dragon Age: Origins review

Don't get me wrong — I'm not saying the Darkspawn aren't a threat because they are (just saunter unprepared into an ambush of high-ranking ones for all the proof you need of that), but at least you know what you're getting with them —…

Rob Hamilton · December 9, 2011

Staff PlayStation 2 HG exclusive

Tales of the Abyss review

As you play, though, you'll notice a dark side to the powers that be relying on The Score as their be-all, end-all source of guidance; especially when it's made clear than a number of huge tragedies were caused by man solely to keep things…

Rob Hamilton · December 2, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Lost Odyssey review

In over 1,000 years, he's seen people and kingdoms come and go and has had to find his own way to cope with being seemingly the only constant in a life where everything else is temporary. For much of his existence on this world, Kaim has…

Rob Hamilton · November 18, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

The Cursed Crusade review

This game finds a way to turn exciting-sounding historical events, such as the siege of the Croatian city Zara, into linear marches through static environments cluttered with a bunch of melee battles that all play out the same. This might…

Rob Hamilton · November 11, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Front Mission Evolved review

With Front Mission Evolved, Square-Enix and Double Helix take virtually all of the strategy out of the title and leave us with a clunky third-person shooter with an uninspired terrorism plot featuring shallow, one-dimensional characters.

Rob Hamilton · November 4, 2011

Staff Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions review

Each level revolves around its boss, with some of them creating a memorable experience. Sandman's Amazing (and amazing) stage features the villain spending much of the time in the shape of a tornado. For Spider-Man to reach water towers to…

Rob Hamilton · October 28, 2011

Staff Xbox 360

Spider-Man: Edge of Time review

Edge of Time cuts down on the variety and makes the story more of a focus. The modern day's Amazing Spider-Man teams up with the 2099 version to stop a futuristic scientist from achieving his time travel dreams — namely going back in time…

Rob Hamilton · October 21, 2011