Saints Row the Third Review
posted by delb2k
Thanks to a well known Internet podcast, the only phrase that really mattered this past holiday season was one concerning developer Volition’s remaining big franchise: you really should play Saints Row the Third. While living in the shadow of Rockstar’s premier series, Saints Row has been carving itself a different path where the improbable and the impossible crash together with an explosive force, realising that its best bet for the games to be more successful, and arguably more fun, is to embrace a silliness that its compatriots are simply too scared to attempt. continue reading
Boring Yarn Or Tall Tale?
posted by OnyersixTags: Epic Yarn, Kirby, wii
Are you tired of slaughtering hordes of undead? Getting frustrated by super-intelligent robots sniping you from 100 yards? Do you just want a break from high intensity gaming?
Even if you don’t, I would suggest you brush off that little dust-gathering piece of equipment known as the Wii, and load up the game Kirby’s Epic Yarn. continue reading
Review: Nano Assault
posted by Leah Haydu
I never played Nanostray, Shin’en Multimedia’s scrolling space shooter for the DS, nor did I pick up its sequel, Nanostray 2, so when the cousin of the family, Nano Assault, showed up for the 3DS, it nearly sailed right under my radar. It would’ve been a shame if it had, because while the game isn’t exactly the most complex or demanding experience around, it’s definitely an entertaining way to spend a few hours.
Like Nanostray, Nano Assault has you piloting a ship loaded with a variety of explodey-bits which you will use to blast your way through the waves of baddies blocking your path. Unlike Nanostray, though, Nano Assault takes the “Nano” part of its name a bit more literally by making your spaceship tiny, and your field of battle the infected cells of the human body. continue reading
Belated Review: Driver: San Francisco
posted by Steve Robinson
[I wrote this the week it came out. I then had something of a gaming midlife crisis (again) and didn’t submit it. Consider it a review for a game you were waiting to drop to £19.99 for]
I used to wonder what it would take for me to become a ‘professional’ games journalist. I hate my job but know a lot about games so, y’know, writing for a living could be fun, right? I mean, you get to play games all day and write about them! What could go wrong?! And even if you got a game that was utter fucking gash, you could lay into it because hating on shit is also fun! It’s a win-win!
But what happens when you get games that are, for want of any better description, only ‘OK’? Forcing yourself through an abortion of a title is kind of fun, just so you can put the boot in, but what about those thousands of titles that fail to elicit ANY kind of response above a shrug and “…s’alright”? This is the problem I have with Driver:San Francisco. continue reading
Serious Sam 3: BFE Review
posted by Dezm0nd
The timing of Croteam’s latest and greatest release couldn’t be more fitting with the overall theme of the game. It’s Sam versus so many triple-A video games in the real world this winter, and yet it’s Sam versus thousands of enemies in the virtual world. Serious Sam is back and he’s fending off Skyrim, Gnarrs and Zelda all at once!
Serious Sam 3: BFE stands for “Before the First Encounter,” so before any of you get excited with the theory of it being a pun, I can tell you for sure it’s not a pun on any Doom gun. This game takes you back to a time when Mental’s alien race invades planet Earth for a reason I couldn’t explain to you — but who really comes to Serious Sam for the “narrative” (if there was one to begin with)? continue reading
Uncharted 3 Review
posted by delb2k
The term “video game” is comprised of an active and passive discipline merged together to create a unified whole. For the most part, the emphasis has been on the game aspect and the interactivity that it can bring to the entertainment spectrum. Recently, the various attempts to insert cinematic disciplines have led to more titles seeking to provide a viewpoint that is as much framed in terms of an interactive film as a gameplay experience. Arguably, the Uncharted series is at the forefront of these recent phenomena in its attempts to place the player in situations that are as much akin to blockbuster films as they are to the standard platforming constraints of running, jumping and climbing.
This review mainly concentrates on the single player storyline and the experience felt through playing that. Multiplayer and co-operative modes exist and build upon the foundations previously laid down. If you’re reading this and are a fan of those, feel free to add a further mark onto the score below. continue reading
ReDork: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim review
posted by Paul "Mordecai" Brown
Chapter III
My Skyrim Collector’s Edition Story & Review
Ever been swiftly walking through a big area of crowded people that seem to despise the ground you walk on? Glaring intentionally (but “innocuously”) at the giant flashing sign that floats just above your head, pointing down at you, screaming “SCUM!” or “DORK WITH NO LIFE!” for some reason or another? Yeah, that was me on Friday as I was lugging my gigantic box of Skyrim through a busy shopping centre. I was slanted on one side, as I carried the heavy beast of a box through the masses of general public who judged me so harshly. Only a little slanted though, to show I’m at least semi-strong. So, was straining my shoulder and risking tomatoes and cabbage thrown at me, not to mention the price, worth it for some extra content with my copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? continue reading
Review : Girl With A Heart Of
posted by OnyersixTags: bent spoon games, bentspoon, Girl With A Heart Of
Gamers these days are spoilt. Every year sees video game characters looking more and more lifelike, and the games themselves are often epic adventures over many, many hours. I come from a generation that saw text adventures occupy our time, and also taught us big words like “inventory”. Today’s gamer rarely has much input on an otherwise linear story. Even the interactive conversations usually force you to commit to a particular direction of dialogue.
Girl With A Heart Of offers a chance to return to the days of the text adventure. The player takes on the role of Raven, an eleven-year-old girl, who wakes in a stranger’s house, separated from her parents. continue reading
Serious Sam: The Random Encounter review
posted by Dezm0nd
I found it hard to write this review. Not because the game is layers deep with gameplay mechanics and an intricate storyline; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. The problem with Serious Sam: The Random Encounter is that it basically shows you what you’ll be playing for the rest of the game in the first five minutes and the thought of repeating that over and over again at my computer wasn’t a very appealing one.
The Random Encounter is exactly what the title says on the tin. You will indeed encounter many familiar enemies from the Serious Sam universe as you traverse these basic, overhead maps at random intervals — a gameplay mechanic I am not totally fond of to begin with. continue reading
Review: War of the Worlds
posted by Leah Haydu
I really wanted to like War of the Worlds. As something of a classic sci-fi junkie, the concept was right up my alley, and everything I’d seen of it looked gorgeous. Plus, Patrick Stewart! Clearly, this should have been a recipe for success.
Sadly, it wasn’t. There are so many good things about this game that could have added up to something wonderful: the stunning backdrops and overall visual style, the classic, disturbing story filled with terror and paranoia, the wonderful narration….but all of these things simply fall victim to a poor choice of genre. Simply put, this shouldn’t have been a platformer.
