Review Archives (Staff Reviews)

You are currently looking through staff reviews for games that are available on every platform the site currently covers. Below, you will find reviews written by all eligible authors and sorted according to date of submission, with the newest content displaying first. As many as 20 results will display per page. If you would like to try a search with different parameters, specify them below and submit a new search.

Available Reviews
	Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box review (DS) Reviewed on September 10, 2009 Since the best puzzles are only interesting when you're engaged in solving them yourself, it's almost doing the game a disservice to rave about their simplistic excellence. A description like "skate across a pond while bumping against barriers" doesn't sound like much on paper, for instance, but actually doing it gets a person thinking. Likewise, talking about calculating distance between folds in a slip of paper or guessing the value of components within a set of weights could leave a person yawning... yet it's a great deal of fun when you're actually playing the game.
	Shorts review (DS) Reviewed on September 07, 2009 It's the jumps that make the game; they're spaced so you'll barely make it. The character will only just grab onto and dangle from the edge of the next platform.
	IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey review (X360) Reviewed on September 07, 2009 Regardless of how chaotic the on-screen action is, the game never shows any sign of struggling. From the fully working instruments that track every aspect of your journey should you select to view your flight inside the cockpit to the outrageous details ploughed into the landscapes you’ll scream over to even the ridiculous numbers of targets and allies clogging up the skies, the approached little touches club together to create an immaculate and clearly laboured after setting.
	Champions Online review (PC) Reviewed on September 07, 2009 A while back I previewed Champions Online. At the time I was optimistic about the full version and now I'm not disappointed in the slightest. The completed build of CO is everything I hoped for and more but I don't feel its fair to brandish it as a 'WoW killer' at this early stage. However, the game does provide a tonne of unique traits that should ensure its future survival - even on today's cut-throat MMO market.
	East India Company review (PC) Reviewed on September 06, 2009 It frequently surprises me just how broad the range of concepts are that get made into full fledged games now, especially on the PC. It probably shouldn't anymore, but if I was asked, I would probably list concepts for new games for several hours before getting to 'realistic simulation of the Indian spice trade in 17th century Europe'. And yet none of my ideas are being made and here's a realistic simulation of the Indian spice trade right in front of me.
	Shadow Complex review (X360) Reviewed on September 06, 2009 When you're not battling some metallic behemoth—most of the time, then—you're usually trying to get some gear that will allow you to survive the next brawl. That means seeking out weaponry wherever you can find it, whether that be at the far end of a furnace vent or in a small cranny on the opposite side of an underwater passage. There are plenty of goodies to collect if you're just patient enough to go through the same areas a few times as new supplies increase the distance you can jump, the speed with which you move and the explosive power of your sub-weapons. If you make sure to grab everything (or even if you don't), you shouldn't have any sort of trouble reaching the end of the adventure in one piece.
	Groovin' Blocks review (WII) Reviewed on September 05, 2009 Multipliers aren't exactly a new concept, but getting them in Groovin' Blocks requires rhythm. As you move a piece left or right and rotate it so that the color configuration you have in mind can materialize, you have two options: you can either let the block drift downward at the speed the current stage dictates—for no multiplier whatsoever—or you can press the 'down' button to drop it. What's important is that when you press that button, you do so in time with the music's beat.
	Active Life: Extreme Challenge review (WII) Reviewed on September 05, 2009 Active Life: Extreme Challenge can be described as an exercise game that allows players—children mostly, like the ones featured on the cover—to pretend that they're engaged in fascinating activities such as base jumping, wind surfing, rock climbing and double dutch jump rope competitions. With the exception of that last one, the activities digitally represented here are the sort of thing that no sane parent would ever allow his or her offspring enjoy before heading into late adolescence.
	Hatsune Miku: Project Diva review (PSP) Reviewed on September 05, 2009 Instead of getting too clever, Sega wisely kept the concept simple and made a music rhythm game. There's nothing too extraordinary about that. Project Diva's high quality and success is due to the implementation of that concept. Pick a song, select a difficulty, then tap the buttons to match the onscreen cues. Simple!
	2060 Cyber Racer review (X360) Reviewed on September 03, 2009 2060 Cyber Racer openly credits the Racing Game Starter Kit, and as far as I can tell this R3dDr4g0n guy just changed some textures around to make the other guy's free game uglier, and then stuck a price tag on the end result. This appears to comply with the starter kit's user license and Microsoft's rules on Indie Games, so there's nothing "illegal" going on, but it's still pretty damn lazy and not the least bit innovative.
	The Bigs 2 review (PSP) Reviewed on September 02, 2009 If you haven’t played the original game, you should find The Bigs 2 highly enjoyable. If you've already experienced its predecessor, though, be sure that you approach it expecting an extension rather than a true sequel. Otherwise, you'll most likely wind up disappointed with what it has to offer.
	Brave: A Warrior's Tale review (X360) Reviewed on September 02, 2009 Neither a sequel to nor a port of Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer on the PlayStation 2, this newest effort for the Xbox 360 instead serves as something of an extended cut. Since they had a few years to ruminate on the issues that plagued the original title (a unfocused hodgepodge of game mechanics that resulted in an average, albeit outdated, platformer by 2007's standards), the developers surely have produced a superior effort this time, right? Spoiler alert: wrong.
	Madden NFL 10 review (WII) Reviewed on September 01, 2009 EA Sports may have dropped the All-Play subtitle from its Wii lineup, but it hasn't abandoned the All-Play attitude. In fact, Madden NFL 10 only further embraces the casual concept. Here's the clincher. Franchise Mode, the staple of the single-player experience, has been relegated to an unlockable, accessible only with a secret code.
	In the Pit review (X360) Reviewed on September 01, 2009 Luvcraft's first-person action game In the Pit tells the tale of a murk-dwelling beast (you) who devours poor souls who fall into the Evil King's dark, dank pit. The game essentially plays like a chainsaw deathmatch except for one small difference: you can't see anything. Since you're a blind ravenous beast, this game is based around audio cues.
	Pangya review (PC) Reviewed on August 31, 2009 Pangya is a golf game on the surface. A quirky, eccentric, anime-injected golf game. The best example of its sensibilities that I can give you is this: you can spend as much time upgrading your chosen character's golf game as you can saving points to buy a happy bear that carries your clubs for you. If you're in the market for a golf sim you should probably just go grab Tiger Woods PGA Tour and buy a bunch of polo shirts.
	Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut review (DS) Reviewed on August 30, 2009 It’s all in Director’s Cut. But so are those trade offs.
	Guitar Hero: Aerosmith review (PS3) Reviewed on August 29, 2009 Basically, you choose from a few possible rockers—none of them from the actual band—and then you are taken through a scattered recollection of their rise to fame. Between every five or so songs, there's a mess of interview footage that seems to have been edited by a chimpanzee with trouble concentrating on any one subject for more than three or four seconds. After a few sentence's worth of interesting trivia, you're taken to the song selection list and you get to choose from two songs that will be performed by musical acts who have connections to Aerosmith, such as Run DMC or Lenny Kravitz or The Black Crowes. Clear these and you'll be able to finish up with three Aerosmith songs.
	Batman: Arkham Asylum review (X360) Reviewed on August 29, 2009 Batman's a game with a few problems, yet it remains utterly captivating throughout the journey. Every inch of Arkham Island, every character nuance, every animation and every gameplay mechanism has been refined to a ludicrous extent. Every transition between styles is utterly seamless. It's a cohesive, captivating world, a tremendously engaging mix of action and sneaking, and one of the most exciting games of the year.
	Disaster Report review (PS2) Reviewed on August 28, 2009 Each subsequent step in Disaster Report can prompt an aftershock and a split-second decision. There are instances where Keith needs to ignore the shaking ground and just run like hell. The rush from knowing Death is following one step behind – always – is something that we game-players savor. In the middle of a catastrophe, there's no shortage of ways to be caught.
	Metroid Prime Trilogy review (WII) Reviewed on August 25, 2009 Those who have played through the games before can likely think of a number of places where improved control would come in handy, and they should rest assured that in most cases the experience feels every bit as wonderful as they imagine.

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