Reviews by Jonathan Stark

Mario Kart 8 review

Mario Kart 8 is fun. It creates a racing experience that is fast-paced and full of adrenaline, while still retaining that classic Mario Kart zaniness. And that’s important, because somewhere in the last few years, the series felt like it…

zippdementia · June 15, 2014

Reader PlayStation 3 HG exclusive

The Last of Us review

Instead, Joel’s personal motives are called into question. As his protection of Ellie becomes more and more desperate, the astute gamer will not be able to escape wondering whether Joel is trying to replace his own lost family with this…

zippdementia · June 30, 2013

Reader PlayStation 3 HG exclusive

Tomb Raider review

It’s impressive to see Tomb Raider go from setting up frightening encounters with wolves, to getting your blood pumping right before a shoot out, to giving your trigger-finger a break and making you get cerebral with a puzzle or two.

zippdementia · March 10, 2013

Reader NES HG exclusive

Little Nemo: The Dream Master review

Presumably you’re not reading this review because you’re getting ready to open a new copy of Little Nemo to play on your brand new NES. I have to figure instead that you have an emulator and may have been wondering whether there’s anything…

zippdementia · February 18, 2013

Reader PlayStation 3 HG exclusive

Mass Effect Trilogy review

The heart of Mass Effect is you, the player. Mass Effect is a series that succeeds in its details, rather than its broad strokes, and while the technology and themes of the story create a vivid setting, all of the details of that setting…

zippdementia · January 21, 2013

Reader PlayStation Review of the Week HG exclusive

Silent Hill review

Silent Hill draws a map of the human psyche and at the edge of that map places a sign reading “Here be Monsters.”

zippdementia · December 20, 2012

Reader PlayStation 3 HG exclusive

Resident Evil 6 review

Somewhere amidst the zombies, the parasites, the secret organizations, Resident Evil has lost itself. You can tell that Capcom wanted Resident Evil 6 to be big; an homage to sixteen years of fandom. The problem is, they don’t know who they…

zippdementia · December 4, 2012

Reader PC HG exclusive

Slender: The Eight Pages review

When I think about my favorite fear moments in video games, the ones that come immediately to mind are those in which I’ve had no ability to fight. Escaping from the Nemesis in Raccoon City; pounding my way through rooms in the Himuro…

zippdementia · October 8, 2012

Reader NES HG exclusive

Mega Man 6 review

I want to reflect for a moment on how much Mega Man 6 represented the end of an era. The first Mega Man was released in 1987, only two years after the Nintendo Entertainment System came to Western shores. It appeared in the same year as…

zippdementia · September 3, 2012

Reader NES HG exclusive

Mega Man 5 review

You know what the majority of Mega Man 5 feels like? It feels like a chore to complete before being allowed to play the real game. That game is to be found in the walls of the castle stages, where the challenge finally picks up and…

zippdementia · August 21, 2012

Reader NES Review of the Week HG exclusive

Mega Man 4 review

More care has been given than ever before to keep true to the Robot themes. This is especially noticeable in the stages like Toad Man where you progress through several environments, but it is also evident in the incredible variety of…

zippdementia · August 1, 2012

Reader NES

Mega Man 3 review

In the first few screens you are introduced to the occasional lonely snake head, which shoots at you when approached. Then you meet three of them at once in a tight space and test your dodging skills. Then you fight a huge one. The…

zippdementia · July 26, 2012

Reader NES

Mega Man 2 review

Mega Man 2 deserves all of the praise that it receives for controlling well and for amazing presentation. What I think goes overlooked in this praise is that it makes a lot of the same mistakes that caused people to shy away from its…

zippdementia · July 23, 2012

Reader NES Review of the Week

Mega Man review

No one denies the innovations of the first game, but no one really gives it full credit, either. Here was a game which took difficult platforming and boss battles and gave players an out. Not the cheater’s out of Game Genie or even the…

zippdementia · July 21, 2012

Reader PlayStation 3 Review of the Week HG exclusive

Max Payne 3 review

Thinking on your feet is a necessity. The development, execution, and results of a plan happen almost simultaneously so that, by the time you've decided what to do about the guy sneaking up on your hiding place, you've already blind-pumped…

zippdementia · June 5, 2012

Reader SNES HG exclusive

ActRaiser review

At a time when your simulation options were either Sim City or ActRaiser and games weren't exploring concepts such as existentialism and spirituality, the experience held up a lot better. In other words, ActRaiser's main selling point was…

zippdementia · April 30, 2012

Reader PlayStation 3 Review of the Week HG exclusive

Journey review

The aim of Journey is an attempt at engendering empathy without overtly inserting it. Rather than rely on story to build empathy with a virtual character, Journey offers us the opportunity to empathize with the general human condition.

zippdementia · March 30, 2012

Reader PlayStation 3 HG exclusive

Twisted Metal review

Twisted Metal: PS3 is the kind of game that you'll know whether you'll like long before you play it. In fact, right now, you probably already have an idea of whether or not it's the game for you. The reasons for this are simple: Twisted…

zippdementia · February 28, 2012

Reader Wii HG exclusive

Metroid: Other M review

That's the problem with Metroid: Other M. It's a game that clearly understands what makes a Metroid experience great, so every time it chooses not to use that knowledge I'm left scratching my head and asking "why?"

zippdementia · November 2, 2011

Reader PSP HG exclusive

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep review

In all areas, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is a nice break from the traditional RPG experience. The story is engaging, the combat is fast-paced and the gimmicks work. The biggest indicator of its success, though, is the fact that I was…

zippdementia · November 2, 2011