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
	Spitfire Heroes: Tales of the Royal Air Force review (DS) Reviewed on April 01, 2008 It’s a shame. This game reeks of wasted potential. While the World War II setting is certainly appealing, being forced to take down the Germans with a single plane isn’t. There could have been so much more here – tactical bombings, NPC allies, you name it – but you’ve just got some wings, a couple of machine guns, and a prayer.
	Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis review (PS2) Reviewed on April 01, 2008 Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis is Gust's attempt at a fresh RPG, and while not all of its new ideas are home-runs, it’s still an engaging and worthwhile adventure for fans.
	Unreal Tournament review (PS2) Reviewed on March 31, 2008 Consider UT’s enviable balance. Imagine a map where beginners can seek rocket launchers to run amok, while pros can deign to gun them down armed with only a pair of pistols.
	Bomberman Land Touch! 2 review (DS) Reviewed on March 30, 2008 Touch 2 does a good job of throwing an insane selection of just how many games you play and at varying the difficulty of them all. You’ll also have problems with a game that asks you to slingshot yourself into the air to try and collect coloured bombs for point, but you’ll have less of a problem pulling the same bombs out of a pond when you take on a fishing mini-game. It will probably take you a few turns to rack up enough points to pass a stage that has a hanger spit out a constant stream of tanks at you that you need destroy by lobbing bombs into their path, but you’ll probably find it easier to finish off a game of air-hockey played with an explosive puck you need to explode in the face of your challenger
	Mass Effect review (X360) Reviewed on March 30, 2008 Mass Effect isn’t a game that deals just in moralistic black & white. These choices, while straightforward enough at first, are often draped in an ugly shade of red.
	Neves review (DS) Reviewed on March 30, 2008 Neves’ simplicity might make it seem dull or uninviting, but in reality it’s an extremely entertaining and seriously addictive puzzle game.
	AMF Bowling Pinbusters! review (WII) Reviewed on March 29, 2008 After building on the bowling mechanic we all know and love with a little bit more of a simulation feel, AMF Pinbusters! fails to deliver in every other department. The bowling alone simply isn’t enough to sell itself, and when every Wii owner has access to a fast-and-fun bowling game by default, this simply isn’t good enough.
	Bully: Scholarship Edition review (X360) Reviewed on March 28, 2008 Whether you're the new kid at Bullworth or an accomplished alumni, Bully: Scholarship Edition is well worth your money, but only if you approach it with patience and keep your expectations in check.
	SEGA Superstars Tennis review (X360) Reviewed on March 25, 2008 Instead of a traditional career mode taking the single-player centre-court, you’re subjected to a seemingly never-ending flow of repetitive Sega-themed mini-games. Superstar mode is split up into a range of game-themed segments; many of Sega’s more familiar franchises, like Sonic and Super Monkey Ball, are well represented but you’ll also be treated to some of the more obscure and retro from the Sega catalogue. It all sounds great in theory, but rather than the clever and inventive training mini-games seen in Virtua Tennis 3, you’re subjected to the same recycled games with different twists.
	R-Type III: The Third Lightning review (GBA) Reviewed on March 24, 2008 R-Type III enjoys taking elements from the first game and then applying a generous new coat of difficulty. R-Type’s first level had you trade shots with a hulking, cannon-wielding robot as you both tore through a metallic cylinder. This is recreated with triple the number of gundam-ripoffs, but makes the last invincible, letting it pepper you with blasts until you force it to smash into the scenery.
	No More Heroes review (WII) Reviewed on March 22, 2008 But it’s when you reach these off-key boss fights that No More Hereos has it’s best moments. You meet Dr. Peace, western-style six-hooters and 70’s porn ‘tash, crooning into the empty stadium, telling you it was always his dream to perform on a stage like this and how the money you paid for the fight made it possible. You converse like two old friends, then you try your best to end each other’s life.
	Mass Effect review (X360) Reviewed on March 21, 2008 I completed Mass Effect in little more than twenty hours, which may seem like a travesty when compared with many other successful RPGs. But Mass Effect’s amazingly involving methods of storytelling are truly unmatched, and with rarely a moment that isn’t spectacular, BioWare has (regardless of length) skillfully crafted one of the most compelling RPGs ever made.
	Napoleon's Campaigns review (PC) Reviewed on March 21, 2008 There is a demographic that demands historically accurate war games, and Napoleon’s Campaigns is aimed to those people so hard that to be more realistic it only needs to reach out and stab you in the gut.
	Hard to Be a God review (PC) Reviewed on March 21, 2008 In essence, the game's opening moments establish the framework for many a glorious battle to come, while apparently forsaking plot entirely. And the ensuing horse ride to meet your informant are filled with thoughts of future glory. But then, something strange happens. Glimmers of a plot start to surface. Clandestine maneuvers are made. Backstabbing occurs, and it's presented in a way that compels one to care.
	Puchi Puchi Virus review (DS) Reviewed on March 20, 2008 Of course, let's also not forget the fact that swiping the stylus around the screen in a flurry of quick pokes is likely to lead to some moments where you can't see much because your hand or wrist is briefly in the way. You'd think the developers would account for the natural phenomenon of non-transparent limbs, but they didn't. Indeed, they did quite the opposite; not only do viruses soon congeal too quickly, but they also move.
	El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera review (PS2) Reviewed on March 20, 2008 I say that because there's simply not much reason to play through the adventure multiple times. There aren't any hidden items to scrounge up, there aren't any alternate routes and there aren't even any particularly memorable moments throughout the whole affair. You can choose to play through as either Frida or Black Cuervo, as mentioned on the back of the box, but they both control identically and the option doesn't add anything to the experience.
	Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds review (PS3) Reviewed on March 19, 2008 Quite simply, you stand a better chance of knocking the ball out of the sand trap and managing an unlikely chip-in than you do engineering a successful putt from more than 4 feet (and yes, almost every putt you ever have cause to attempt will exceed that 4-foot distance). For starters, the on-screen indicators are wretched. The grid that you've become accustomed to in similar games is present, but its elements are too small to be of use.
	Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection review (WII) Reviewed on March 19, 2008 The control scheme is pure perfection. Controlling the flippers means holding the Nunchuck device in your left hand and squeezing the 'Z' trigger to move that paddle, while holding the Wii Remote in your right hand and squeezing the trigger. The effect is that you almost feel as if you're hunched over an actual pinball table.
	One Piece: Unlimited Adventure review (WII) Reviewed on March 14, 2008 As you wander throughout the island, you'll come across all sorts of 'ingredients' that can be taken back to camp and turned into useful items. For example, you might hack down some scraggly trees to acquire lumber, or slash at low-hanging vines to obtain a vine rope. That's neat, except that you must backtrack to camp to do anything with your goodies except convert them to magical energy. This requirement gets old quickly, especially if in the process you forget where you were on your to-do list.
	Turok review (X360) Reviewed on March 13, 2008 Dinosaurs don’t need help to be scary. They’re stronger, faster, more resilient, and better hunters than you’ll ever be. That leaves one, powerful weapon that many FPSs frequently ignore – wits.

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