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 Jason Venter 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
	Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure review (DS) Reviewed on November 18, 2008 I'm all for that old school format where enemies attack you that you can't even see, but Rhapsody takes that to an irritating extreme. Dungeons are fairly straight-forward in their design (with a map in the top screen that lets you keep track of where you are), but there's still a lot of wandering that must be done if you want to gather assorted items and puppets. Every few steps, it seems like you'll face an attack. The result is that you won't want to explore. You'll wish you had a map that pointed the way to the absolute shortest route, just because every dead end you encounter means you fought two or three unnecessary battles.	3/5
	The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga review (PS2) Reviewed on November 15, 2008 In short, The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest really does feel like a complete game that could have stood alone—precisely as you see it here—and even fetched a similar price. It's the reason that you might feel good about reaching for your wallet. Unless you're a history buff, unless you care to learn more about each character featured in the series and his or her evolution over the years... you won't spend much time with any but this final selection.	4/5
	Celebrity Sports Showdown review (WII) Reviewed on November 12, 2008 As for the actual celebrity roster, it doesn't do the game any favors. About half of them are washed-up athletes that you may or may not recognize, while the other half are generally successful pop and country artists. You've seen better line-ups gathered for VH1 specials making fun of stupid criminals and the 80s. It's so underwhelming that to add some flair, the developers even threw in 'wannabe' celebrities such as Steve (he looks kind of like Elton John with a potbelly hanging out of an Elvis-style jumpsuit), Chad (goth all the way) and Kylie (some girl who runs around in a bunny suit).	1.5/5
	Fable II review (X360) Reviewed on November 11, 2008 One of the most impressive evolutions in Fable II is the way it holds your hand in a non-intrusive manner. For years, games have been including mini-maps in the lower corner of the screen so that you can check at a glance where you are in your environment. Here, there's none of that... and the game is actually better because of it! No longer do you have to consult a semi-transparent overlay to see where the next exit lies. You can still pause the game and bring up a cumbersome—and sometimes useful—map if that's what you want, but often there's no reason.	4.5/5
	The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon review (X360) Reviewed on November 11, 2008 To make matters worse, sometimes you aren't provided with enough information to solve puzzles even when you're looking right at the various components of a given solution. Though each challenge you face is logical and you'll find yourself saying “Aha!” at several points throughout the game, the many situations where you just don't know what to do can be exasperating.	3/5
	Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade review (X360) Reviewed on November 10, 2008 Namco truly was at the top of its game when the selections here were originally produced. The result for today's retro gamer is a backlog that includes familiar classics such as Mappy, Pac-Mania, Xevious and Pole Position. Many of those have been offered numerous times in past compilations, so some extra treasures have been added to the mix. Rally-X, King & Balloon, Dragon Buster and The Tower of Druaga are all examples of quality games that you may have heard of but never tried for yourself. Now you can.	4/5
	The Sims 2: Apartment Life review (PC) Reviewed on November 05, 2008 Once you're happily—or unhappily, if art imitates life—dwelling within your humble abode, the differences don't necessarily stop. If you've moved into someone's apartment, they're not going to look kindly on you knocking down walls or making major renovations, so put such thoughts out of your head. Instead, you can focus on the usual things that have for so long been a staple of the series: interior decorating.	4/5
	Tornado review (DS) Reviewed on October 31, 2008 Even when the game isn't tricking you with false level objectives, it can be a drag to play. Simply moving around the screen is frustrating. You have to start by scribbling in circles to build up your meter. Then you can just draw the general route you want to take, but as you heft the landscape into the air, you'll have to occasionally renew your energy lest you turn back into a harmless rodent. When you come up against enemies or large buildings, you actually need to navigate and recharge simultaneously. Furiously scribbling circles in an approximate direction of course means that accuracy is difficult, and you're likely to bounce off objects that are too large for you, making things even more frustrating.	2/5
	NBA Live 09 review (X360) Reviewed on October 29, 2008 One thing I especially like about NBA Live 09 is that even without half-court jams and cries of “He's on fire!”, play seldom feels monotonous. Past basketball games tended to make me thankful for the option to limit the length of each quarter just so that my interest wouldn't subside. Here, I actually like 12-minute quarters (though shorter ones are available too, if that's preferred). Not only does it feel more like I'm attending and participating in an actual broadcast event, but it allows me to really care about every second of the game's progression.	4/5
	BioShock review (PS3) Reviewed on October 28, 2008 What once seemed perfect now more closely resembles a haunted amusement park. Water sprays through fissures in the transparent barrier encasing the city. Hallways are filled with rubble. Signs advertising a perfect future hang crookedly and flash sporadically as sparks shower the cracked asphalt below. The laughter of men, women and children has faded away, replaced by cheery classical music that blends oddly with the screams of the dying and the barely living. Vitality once formed the heart of the city. Now it's all but gone.	4.5/5
	Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen review (DS) Reviewed on October 22, 2008 Dragon Quest IV was always about those five stories and they were always interesting, but never to the current extent. Maybe the old translation job was handled poorly or perhaps I was too young at the time to appreciate such things. Perhaps the graphics just weren't up to the task of communicating the required subtleties. Whatever the case, I never cared enough to wonder how the scraps of narrative all fit together. Imagine my surprise, then, when Chapters of the Chosen showed me that the story behind the scenes is actually quite compelling.	4.5/5
	de Blob review (WII) Reviewed on October 19, 2008 The developers wisely threw in some hazards and puzzles to mix things up a bit, but these don't help nearly as much as they should. Early on, there just aren't enough enemies to challenge you. Even when more of them enter the picture, defeating the various nasties and their machinery drains your paint meter at an alarming rate. Then you have to go refill it before you can fight some more. You're seldom in actual danger, meaning that foes are more inconvenient than they are difficult.	3.5/5
	Mario Kart Wii review (WII) Reviewed on October 15, 2008 Nintendo should be commended for making genuine improvements to its classic formula, but my resulting goodwill vanished the minute I was reminded that rubber band AI is the devil.	4/5
	Master of the Monster Lair review (DS) Reviewed on October 09, 2008 The thing that keeps a person digging is the sense of ownership. Once you've crafted a beautiful maze, it's fun to return because then you'll get to see what monsters have decided to inhabit your dungeon. If you just built a few bland hallways, perhaps there will be some bats and maybe a boar or two. If you spruced things up with a trash heap, you'll find a slimy little guy. The undesirable tenants you attract are a better reward than virtual piles of gold or sparkling digital badges ever could have been.	4/5
	Mega Man 9 review (X360) Reviewed on October 08, 2008 This is a game where your skills start out rusty, yet your experience as you improve goes from “pretty good but wow is this game hard” to “I can't believe I used to have trouble with that!” The sense of accomplishment as each stage is cleared hasn't been this significant in a Mega Man game in 20 years.	4.5/5
	Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice review (PS3) Reviewed on August 31, 2008 The game falters slightly because it couldn't pull a rabbit out of the hat and produce something wholly new and exciting that we haven't already seen from the franchise. Evolution can be a grand thing, though, and that's precisely what's offered here.	4/5
	Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns review (DS) Reviewed on August 21, 2008 Trudging through a dungeon each time you fight the boss monster might not sound so bad—after all, we did that same thing for years before developers started generously sprinkling save points throughout their labyrinths—but in Izuna 2 it can be decidedly demoralizing. On one run, you might fly through seven or eight floors with barely an issue. Then on the next, a lucky bunch of enemies might defeat you before you reach even the first staircase. It all comes down to trap placement and item allotment.	2/5
	Soulcalibur IV review (PS3) Reviewed on August 18, 2008 Some of the new characters also try to ratchet up the sex appeal, with one girl in a wire-frame dress (newcomer Ashlotte) tumbling before the start of each match while the camera swoops down to catch a shot of her panties. Most of the character models are admittedly attractive and I like a bit of bosom or a pair of long legs as much as the next guy—perhaps more, if I'm to be honest—but there will be times when you'll surely grimace and wonder why someone got so much sex in your SoulCalibur.	4/5
	Little League World Series Baseball 2008 review (WII) Reviewed on August 16, 2008 Not every game that promises optimization for Wii has been able to deliver anything noteworthy, but Little League World Series 2008 happens to be one of those rare success stories. It's not likely to win over hardcore baseball fanatics, but for those who simply want some fun gaming sessions with friends, family members or a mixture of the two, Activision's latest definitely warrants a rental or even a purchase.	4/5
	The Bourne Conspiracy review (X360) Reviewed on August 12, 2008 There's a certain appeal to the thought of jumping into the shoes of a rogue assassin like Bourne. Explosions are cool. Sniping is a hoot. Fast car chases through the streets of Paris are all sorts of exciting. Hand-to-hand combat with military professionals also has its merits. When it comes right down to it, there's actually almost nothing about the whole concept that doesn't scream “make me a video game.”	4.5/5

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