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.
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Ghosts 'N Goblins review (NES)Reviewed on August 08, 2012I also probably shouldn't forget how you need one particular weapon to simply damage the final boss. Or that if you do manage to kill it, you find out that you were the victim of a cruel hoax and have to do the six main levels over again (at a higher difficulty level, of course) and then fight that guy again in order to actually beat the game. Adding the fake difficulty of a mandatory second trip through an already brutal game is not my idea of fun. |
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California Games review (NES)Reviewed on August 05, 2012I once wasted most of a week doing nothing but playing California Games and attempting to perfect each of the six included sporting events. Just like I did more than two decades ago, I see quite clearly how the game could have been awesome. The problem is that it failed spectacularly. Each of the included diversions—half pipe, foot bag, surfing, skating, BMX and flying disk—have enough issues that the kindest compliment you might pay any of them is “semi-competent.” |
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Donkey Kong Classics review (NES)Reviewed on August 05, 2012For those keeping score at home, Donkey Kong Classics features an underwhelming total of seven levels—spread out across the two included games—and none of them take up more than a single screen. That means that you can quite handily see everything unique that the game has to offer in less than a half-hour of play. Endurance runs in pursuit of a higher score (which the cartridge doesn’t even save once you power off the system) are your only reason to keep going from there. |
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Duck Tales 2 review (NES)Reviewed on August 05, 2012A lot of the challenge this time around comes from bottomless pits. The first game generally placed you in a relatively safe environment where you would typically die only if you ventured too far off the beaten path in search of treasure, or if you let enemies knock you around a bit too much. There were occasional hazards that spelled instant death, certainly, but levels were designed in a manner that welcomed newcomers. |
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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD review (X360)Reviewed on August 05, 2012However, the revised game brings some new problems of its own. The main thing I’ve noticed is that the physics system seems to have been tweaked. I’m not sure how much of it is my memory playing tricks on me and how much of it is genuinely different, but either way I can’t say that I like it. Bails were never especially realistic, but here they’re annoying to an extent that would be almost comical if it weren’t so exasperating. |
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Legend of Dragoon review (PS3)Reviewed on July 29, 2012Its initial fragility is often the last impression bestowed upon a gamer. But there’s more to be discovered; I’m not going to reel of a huge list, we’d be here all day. Some things you’ll just have to discover on your own. |
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The Amazing Spider-Man review (X360)Reviewed on July 27, 2012The Amazing Spider-Man's problems stem from having a shaky foundation, trying to be something it isn't, and filling in the rest with... well, filler. |
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Final Fantasy II review (NES)Reviewed on July 19, 2012If one of them makes a habit of using swords in battle, that character will eventually be far more useful with that kind of weapon than any other. If another one specializes in casting spells, he'll wind up with tons of magic points. And if you regularly encounter weak enemies and ignore those hapless foes to have your party members beat up on each other, their hit points will go through the roof. |
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Little Samson review (NES)Reviewed on July 18, 2012It's yet another case in which a developer wisely forsook innovation for refinement. The team at Takeru knew their audience, they knew what platformer players wanted, and they delivered. Oh, did they ever deliver |
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Dyad review (PS3)Reviewed on July 17, 2012My god. It's full of stars! |
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Johnny Kung Fu review (3DS)Reviewed on July 12, 2012UFO Interactive's latest eShop release has charm, if not much substance. |
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DiRT Showdown review (X360)Reviewed on July 09, 2012If you're in the mood for a decent, accessible racing game, you can do a lot worse than DiRT Showdown. The trouble is that you can also do a lot better for a lot less money. |
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Theatrhythm Final Fantasy review (3DS)Reviewed on July 04, 2012The varying rules from one mode to the next can seem overwhelming at first, but the differences are actually rather minor and you’ll adapt to everything quickly enough. The biggest difference is actually the differing background imagery. Battle Music places you in a combat scenario that looks like it was pulled from one of the first nine games, with your characters on the right side of the screen and enemies appearing to the left. |
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Quantum Conundrum review (PC)Reviewed on June 30, 2012We play games primarily for enjoyment; we play games ideally for the full package, in which interactive and non-interactive elements are married seamlessly, and Quantum Conundrum suffers from a clear divide in quality that prevents it from ever truly resonating. That certainly doesn't stop it from being worth the money, but it's been a while since such a unique game felt so formulaic. |
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Shatterhand review (NES)Reviewed on June 30, 2012You might suppose that in a game where you’re supposed to wail on everything with powerful fists, your enemies would attack in a manner that encourages brawls. However, your foes often fire potshots at you from a significant distance. You’ll almost never meet an enemy that is an easy target for your fists, so instead you’ll spend a lot of time slowly sneaking forward while leaping or ducking to avoid projectiles. It slows everything to a crawl at the best of times, while in other instances you’re pretty much screwed until you memorize the layout of a level. |
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Whomp 'Em review (NES)Reviewed on June 28, 2012Another potential issue is that Whomp ‘Em plays a lot like an old Mega Man title, except that the pacing for the stages doesn’t feel quite as refined as it did in Capcom’s famous series. You can clear the six main stages (after a brief introductory stage) in any order you like, usually after spending only a few minutes in each of them. You’ll even gain special weapons when you emerge victorious. |
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The Flintstones: The Treasure of Sierra Madrock review (SNES)Reviewed on June 27, 2012Fortunately, the action levels that make up the bulk of the game are reasonably good. There’s not a lot of visual variety because each of the stages are themed, but you’ll see grasslands, volcanic areas, icy crags, a dense jungle and a series of dank caverns. The time limit is often every bit as much your enemy as the various animals that try to make life difficult for you. |
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Blades of Time review (PC)Reviewed on June 26, 2012You wield sadistic dual blades, sling spells without much care, and solve innumerable puzzles. It's just that the variety is lacking. Yes, it's totally fun to tear up swarms of zombies with sharpened swords, or blast winged warriors out of the air with a high-powered rifle. It's thrilling to ignite a sea of humanity on fire or freeze pesky critters in place. But the catharsis isn't quite the same. |
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Containment: The Zombie Puzzler review (PC)Reviewed on June 24, 2012Zombies are commonly associated with shooters. Most of us would not expect a puzzle game to successfully incorporate the undead without the result feeling like a real stretch. Containment: The Zombie Puzzler manages to do just that, though, all while holding your attention with a light storyline full of surprisingly effective character clichés, not to mention new gameplay elements that are introduced with each successive chapter. |
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Gas Guzzlers Combat Carnage review (PC)Reviewed on June 23, 2012Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage is a really, really good game, and you're missing out on it. |
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