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
	Half-Life: Blue Shift review (PC) Reviewed on June 09, 2008 If Blue Shift were merely a simple rehash of everything we saw in Half-Life, I’d be cool with it, since I adored that game and would have loved to see more. But this expansion lacks many of the masterful touches that made Valve’s first-person shooter stand out so much. Level design is straightforward, mechanical, and lacks imagination; way too much of the game’s first act is spent wandering through some nondescript sewer system, turning wheels and pushing buttons and swimming down canals and all that. The game does eventually pick up a bit, during a semi-cool run through a train yard sporting a number of mildly exciting skirmishes with your old military opponents, but even here, the game lacks the energy and knack for big, “epic” moments that the original (and even, occasionally, Opposing Force) did so well.
	Great War Nations: The Spartans review (PC) Reviewed on June 09, 2008 I thought this was supposed to be a historical RTS. You know, based on actual history. That's what it sells itself as, anyway...But I'm reasonably certain none of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean had the power to throw magical fireballs.
	The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons review (GBC) Reviewed on June 09, 2008 Take Dodongo, for example. To defeat this chap, you first have to use the tried and true strategy of feeding him bombs. Then, after he's stunned by the explosion, using the power bracelet, you must pick him up and toss him onto a bed of spikes before he regains his equilibrium.
	Half-Life: Opposing Force review (PC) Reviewed on June 08, 2008 My least-favorite segment of Half-Life was the journey through the border world Xen at the end, only because the human factor had been taken out of the equation, and battling the far less intelligent alien grunts got old after a while. Much of Opposing Force more or less feels like that entire sequence, only set in the Black Mesa facility itself. The good news is that the action is kept fairly interesting throughout thanks to some new (tougher) alien baddies to fight (whom I later learned are not from Xen, but from… uh, somewhere else). The game is simply never as exciting or action-packed as the original often was.
	Kung Fu Panda review (PS3) Reviewed on June 07, 2008 Fans of more demanding gameplay will be sad to hear that there's not really ever a moment—even at the very end—where the game grows challenging enough to test veteran gamers. There are three difficulty modes so that you can push yourself more if you're interested, but most gamers will probably like the default settings just fine. Enemies offer token resistance and death in combat won't occur often at all.
	Haze review (PS3) Reviewed on June 05, 2008 As a Mantel soldier, you’ll feel the power of Nectar with a bird’s-eye camera shift, a display that could be described as a vacuum that’s trying to devour your world. The devoured image quickly pops out, replacing the standard game view with an enhanced look at your enemies, who are now highlighted with a yellow glow. Bullets are taken with less damage, and your shields will replenish much quicker.
	Super Mario Bros. 3 review (NES) Reviewed on June 02, 2008 There are big fish to fry in the waters of world three and even bigger brothers walk the landscape of four. In five, a spiral palace ominously leads high up into the clouds, but you won’t want to rush to get there; you’re a shoe in anyway. Six is where obstacles get downright frigid, but a sharp mind and some nifty tricks will keep Mario hammering away. It’ll take more than a pipe dream to sink the brain twisting, precision demanding puzzles of world seven. And as for eight, the final stomping grounds and home of the nefarious King of the Koopas, this author is going to have to leave you in the dark.
	Half-Life review (PC) Reviewed on June 01, 2008 There’s a surprise around every corner, be it a new enemy, a new platforming challenge, or some new method of simply scaring the piss out of you, like watching a scientist get sucked into a hole in the wall, only to see him re-emerge in pieces a moment later. Take out any five-minute segment of Half-Life and it probably wouldn’t seem like anything particularly special – you have to play it all at once to fully understand just how well each piece compliments the next, how it all adds up to one nearly seamless FPS experience with rarely a single dull moment, or even one that feels like what you’ve already been through. It is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
	Resident Evil 4 review (PS2) Reviewed on May 29, 2008 Those early-game villagers utilize all sorts of farming implements, such as pitchforks, sickles and hatchets, in their attempts to end Leon's mission prematurely. And they're the patsies. Just wait until one of their heads explodes to release a tentacle-flailing parasite seemingly crafted in the darkest recesses of H.P. Lovecraft's imagination. Or a gigantic ogre lumbers into the fray, rips a gnarled tree out of the ground and starts swinging it around like it was light as a feather. Or a monstrous semi-invisible bug pounces, spraying Leon with acidic secretions.
	The Immortals of Terra: A Perry Rhodan Adventure review (PC) Reviewed on May 28, 2008 Perry Rhodan, for the uninitiated (or rather for those who haven't Googled his name for review purposes), is the star of a forty year old German space opera. Beginning life in print, the series is now a massive phenomena in its native land, spawning TV shows, Graphic Novels and now, a point and click adventure game.
	Overclocked review (PC) Reviewed on May 28, 2008 Overclocked follows the story of David McNamara, former army psychiatrist, as he wanders the rain-slicked streets of New York, hunting for clues to uncover the mystery surrounding his five new patients.
	Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis review (PC) Reviewed on May 28, 2008 Arsène Lupin and Sherlock Holmes face off not in a book, but in an adventure game that encompasses all staples of the point-and-click genre, and manages to remain strictly faithful to the source material at the same time.
	Ys Strategy review (DS) Reviewed on May 26, 2008 This becomes most apparent in the campaign mode battles, which seem to be aimed at an advanced tutorial rather than the driving force behind Ys Strategy. You’ll constantly switch forces throughout the game, playing as Abel’s allies (and, sometimes, foes) giving you a quick glimpse at the sparse changes of powers promised by each team. Which, basically, amounts to there being very little change in your tactics throughout the campaign.
	Grand Theft Auto IV review (X360) Reviewed on May 22, 2008 This isn’t the GTA I “know and love.” It’s a new GTA, one that I know better and love more dearly.
	World Heroes Anthology review (PS2) Reviewed on May 22, 2008 The two main Heroes are SNK’s answer to Street Fighter II’s Ryu and Ken, right down to the fact that the ‘alternate’ choice is the guy in red. Even their moves are rip-offs – a rising uppercut, a spinning attack, and a projectile attack – all effected in the exact same way as in Capcom’s game. This wouldn't be so bad if the newer game actually improved upon the source material. As it is, the moves that enaged, that elicited such a gut feeling of satisfaction in the execution, here come off with little pay-off for the player.
	TrackMania United Forever review (PC) Reviewed on May 21, 2008 Last month, the TrackMania franchise premiered on Steam with their title ‘TrackMania Nations’; a freeware game that has been often described as a joy filled, causal experience that everyone should try at least once.
	The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian review (X360) Reviewed on May 20, 2008 At first, I stupidly tried to battle everyone. This is a waste of time. Instead, you need to work actively on the current objective, whatever it might be. These can range from destroying siege engines, bashing stone pillars with your club (while riding on back of a lumbering giant) to simply working your way through the maelstrom to safety.
	Toy Shop review (DS) Reviewed on May 19, 2008 While it's true that a lot of games of this type bury you in menus, they at least have other things going on so that you can remain entertained throughout the process or there's a sense of urgency. With Toy Shop, I would frequently set up my assembly work for the day, then just leave the DS sitting for 2 or 3 minutes while the game did its thing.
	Golden Horde review (PC) Reviewed on May 19, 2008 The Golden Horde is an entertaining RTS that may not revolutionise the genre, but certainly enriches it a bit with experience and equipment systems.
	Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword review (DS) Reviewed on May 18, 2008 With Dragon Sword, Team Ninja has taken a game known for brutal, in-your-face action and made the switch to a control scheme that is far more unconventional and alien to those experienced with Ninja Gaiden. It could have been a disaster – that it’s actually a relatively smooth, entertaining action game (on a handheld, no less) should serve as a testament to the skills the team possesses, especially in an area as potentially hostile as DS development.

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