Reader reviews, page 116

Shatter review

Release ball! Crush block! Catch ball on return! A lot of games were made over good programming concepts rather than anything else. Breakout, Crackout and Arkanoid were games like that - based on very simple mechanics, and then…

fleinn · July 25, 2010

Reader SNES HG exclusive

Illusion of Gaia review

There are darker skinned people in Freejia, but they exist only to populate the Diamond Mines or be sold to even worse fates in the dark corners of the world. After a trip to these human markets, the cherry blossoms and the content…

zippdementia · July 25, 2010

Reader PlayStation 2 HG exclusive

Final Fantasy XII review

World-building is a very important aspect of the fantasy genre, but many works fall into the trap of making world-building the most important aspect. This typically happens when a constructed world is so deep, so immense, and so full of…

jerec · July 24, 2010

Reader Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad review

I’m not exactly sure what did it, but I had huge doubts about Onechanbara right from the start. Maybe it was the opening cinema where our buxom hero Aya showers, lavishing the player with her glistening lower back tattoo while dripping…

Genj · July 23, 2010

Reader PlayStation 3

NIER review

Following a mammoth release like Final Fantasy XIII, it’s easy for other games—even under the same developer—to fall victim to overshadowing. The buzz isn’t as loud, the advertising not as aggressive and the company’s overall efforts…

True · July 22, 2010

Reader PlayStation 3

Split/Second review

In a week crowded with releases like Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption and Remedy’s Alan Wake, it’s easy to forgive gamers who didn’t pick up Split/Second on day one. But now that the game has been out for a while, any fan of arcade-style…

asherdeus · July 21, 2010

Reader PC HG exclusive

Fantasy Wars review

When it comes to difficulty in videogames, my feelings often appear contradictory. I frequently grow impatient or bored with oppressively difficult action titles like Contra, but when I play games that actually require me to think, I revel…

wolfqueen001 · July 21, 2010

Reader PSP HG exclusive

Young Thor review

Hel, the female ruler of the Norse underworld, has kidnapped the Norns and corrupted the tree of life in an attempt to usher in Ragnarok. All that stands in her way is one pimply, red-haired youth with a hammer. Thor, though still in his…

zippdementia · July 20, 2010

Reader Xbox 360 HG exclusive

Crackdown 2 review

The Xbox 360 has been home to many new and interesting IPs, most of which I've enjoyed, like Condemned, Gears of War, and BioShock. These titles incorporated play mechanics that made them fun experiences, and, for two of the games, showed…

dementedhut · July 18, 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

Reader Saturn HG exclusive

Loaded review

The problem with Loaded is that, in its attempt to be an overhead dungeon crawler and shooting hybrid, it doesn't try hard to be either. When you first travel through the grim corridors that dominate the game, it feels like you could…

dementedhut · July 16, 2010

Reader PlayStation 3

Alpha Protocol review

In most attempts at creating role-playing video-games, the approach will be to let the story continue from one end to the other, while allowing the player to decide the motivations and intentions of the protagonist. Sometimes the story…

fleinn · July 16, 2010

Reader Arcade HG exclusive

Asteroids review

Pong is lionized. Space Invaders is romanticized. Asteroids is marginalized. This shouldn’t be. Listen to your elders, but some people never do. History has been rewritten – or maybe it not being written at all is the problem – as if…

Leroux · July 15, 2010

Reader PSP HG exclusive

Pocket Racers review

I don’t like playing games that act like they hate me. Well, not me specifically but gamers in general. Pocket Racers gives me that impression. On the surface it seems interesting and unique. A hooded, mysterious figure adorns the front…

True · July 15, 2010

Reader Dreamcast HG exclusive

Jet Grind Radio review

Speak with someone who owned a Dreamcast in 1999 or 2000 and they’ll likely recall fond memories of a fantastic library tailored to the “hardcore” gaming crowd. But gamers who never adopted the console usually aren’t hunting it down on…

Genj · July 15, 2010

Reader PC

Left 4 Dead 2 review

I've never understood video game boycotts. From Diablo 3 to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a small segment of fanatic gamers responds to seemingly any sequel with rage normally found in only the worst fanboys. Left 4 Dead 2's recent…

asherdeus · July 15, 2010

Reader Wii HG exclusive

MadWorld review

It's easy to understand why many players think MadWorld is a badass beat 'em up when playing through it for the first time. An exaggerated cross between Escape from New York and The Running Man, MadWorld throws you into a black and white…

dementedhut · July 11, 2010

Reader PlayStation HG exclusive

Doom review

Doom has evolved into its very own software platform, and because of that, all of its straightforward console versions would be useless even if most of them weren't wretched. Most of iD's original maps are great, sure, but I'd have stopped…

mardraum · July 9, 2010

Reader GameCube

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker review

Expectations can be dangerous, especially when what you get is not what you wanted. The real tragedy is that sometimes what you get is actually better than what you wanted, but you’re simply unable to see it. Ten years ago, there was a…

jerec · July 9, 2010

Reader Wii Review of the Week HG exclusive

Super Mario Galaxy review

Here’s what you know. You know that when you tilt the analog stick, Mario will run in that direction. You know that pressing the A button makes Mario jump, and that if you land on top of a monster, that monster will disintegrate and drop a…

Suskie · July 8, 2010