Review: Rock Band 3

Posted on November 4, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii)

Developer: Harmonix

Publisher: Electronic Arts/MTV Games

# of Players: 1-7 (Online/Offline)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A

Like a bottle of cosmic aspirin, Rock Band 3 is the wonder game that does it all. It's an instant party starter, getting fans of nearly any type of popular music up and grabbing whatever peripheral is available for their chance at virtual stardom. It's a virtual (and growing) encyclopedia of rock featuring 80+ bands and a whopping 1600+ tracks that can be downloaded (with more to come, no doubt). It's got a stellar edit function that allows you to tailor the songs, gameplay and overall experience to your liking through a bunch of game types from casual to pro. Speaking of, (and yes, it's about time), it's got Pro Mode, which beefs up the challenge immensely while allowing actual musicianship to be a bigger part of the game.

Review: Rock Band 3 (DS)

Posted on October 29, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi

Developer: Backbone Games/Harmonix

Publisher: EA/MTV Games

# of Players: 1 (2-4 via Wi-Fi)

Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: B+

You'd have to be crazy to even think of making a direct comparison of any portable game to a console version these days, but that's probably what's going to happen with the console and portable versions of Rock Band 3. I'm not (that) crazy, so I'll tell it to you straight – the DS version is a solid, challenging and fun music game with some excellent songs, plenty of unlockable gear and a peripheral-free control system that's pretty much perfect once you get the hang of it. The game could have used a few more songs, but such are the limitations of the DS hardware. What's here, however sounds great and combined with the overall polish, the game makes for a great on the go RB3 experience.

Review: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

Posted on October 25, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)

Developer: CyberConnect2

Publisher Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1-2 (online)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A-

Japanese developer CyberConnect2 pretty much has this Naruto thing nailed up tightly to the point of near perfection. Every time I get my hands on one of their games either PSP or console, I'm amazed at how well the developer can translate the crazy power of Naruto into playable form. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 manages to be even more of a total blast to play than the original game, adds speedy online play for the first time for those who want it (it's great) and overall, is definitely recommended for fans of the long-running franchise. Sure, it's probably not going to win over hardcore players of deeper fighters out there (who don't know what they're missing, frankly speaking). However, the sheer amount of quality oozing from the final product absolutely deserves a ton of respect no matter what your genre tastes are.

Review: Front Mission Evolved

Posted on October 17, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Double Helix Games

Publisher: Square Enix

# of Players: 1 (online 2-8)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

While there have been a handful of action-based Front Mission games on older consoles, the long-running franchise is primarily known for its solid turn-based gameplay, large cast of characters and near infinite customization options. Taking the series into the current generation, Front Mission Evolved hits the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC as the most accessible FM to date, provided you don't mind the big switch to faster-paced mech action reminiscent of Armored Core with a dash of Mechwarrior for good measure. The game manages to take familiar locations, mechs and gear from the series, ditch the more tactical grid-based strategic play in favor of offline and online combat while being quite a blast to play in either mode. The campaign isn't anywhere as lengthy as any of the turn-based games (that's a given when you're blasting away at enemies in real time as opposed to planning out your moves), but the game looks and controls great overall. Online play has a few hitches, but is quite a bit of fun when you find the right group of folks to play with.

Splatterhouse Cover Art = Simple But Effective

Posted on October 14, 2010 by geelw

That cover art practically screams “Hide the kids, the wife and any nearby pets.” Hell, you KNOW what you’re in for based on the image, that’s for sure. November 23, 2010 is the release date (so the game misses Halloween – big deal!). New and insanely gory screens going up on my other blog later today, by the way.

Review: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Posted on October 1, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also available on PS3)

Developer: Ninja Theory

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score A-

Namco Bandai and developer Ninja Theory seem to be making a clear point with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West that great action games this generation don’t all need to be too short or packed with Mature-rated content, non-stop multiplayer modes and “gritty” environments done up in the muted gray or brown palettes too many other titles are saddled with these days. What’s here is an absolute and pure fun blast of a game with gorgeous visuals that pop right off the screen, a solid focus on telling a great, emotional single player story and thrilling gameplay that will keep you going from one encounter to the next. While there are a few technical issues, they in absolutely no way stop this from being one of the best games of 2010. Continue reading →

Review: Quantum Theory

Posted on October 1, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also available on Xbox 360)

Developer: Tecmo LTD.

Publisher: Tecmo Koei America

# of Players: 1 (online 2-8)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: C+

Call it “Pairs of War” if you must, but Tecmo Koei's Quantum Theory is a decently derivative single player focused cover-based sci-fi shooter with a few nice twists thanks to mutating environments and a slinky female AI companion you can use to attack enemies. The Gears of War influence is fairly heavy throughout, but being able to throw your partner at an enemy and watch as she slashes away or having to deal with levels that alter themselves as you play make the game a lot of fun to blast through. Multiplayer modes are on board as well and perform solidly (from the brief time I got to play before getting this review posted), making this an overall average (if not exactly original) game experience.

Mastiff’s Deer Drive Shoots Onto Nintendo DS

Posted on September 23, 2010 by geelw

A hunting game on the go? Yes, indeed says Mastiff. The publisher has brought a portable version of its popular Wii simulation, Deer Drive to the Nintendo DS and it's now available at retailers across North America for a mere $19.99. Given that the Wii version moved around 400,000 copies, I'd say DS owners might make this one as much of a hit, if not more of one. Box art above, screens below with a bit of game info from the press release. Loyal hunting dog, Elmer Fudd cap and orange safety vest not included.

Review: Halo: Reach

Posted on September 19, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: Bungie

Publisher: Microsoft

# of Players: 1-16

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A

If you even thought Bungie was going to make their final Halo title for Microsoft some sort of rushed to market affair with a big “seeya, suckers!” plastered into the end credits, you'd be dead wrong. Halo: Reach closes up shop more than nicely enough to be an instant classic no fan of the franchise should miss. From the solid campaign mode to the ridiculous amount of customization and user-creation options that guarantee the game's place among the most played Xbox 360 games, there's nothing that should stop you from owning (and keeping) this one in your collection. Granted, if you're a straight-up Halo hater for some reason, the game won't do much to sway your opinion. On the other hand, it's impossible not to recognize how solid Reach is as a total package.

Review: Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions

Posted on September 14, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also available on Xbox 360/Wii/DS)

Developer: Beenox

Publisher: Activision

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B

Once you get used to its quirks, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is one of the more fun superhero games you'll play this year. After a couple of years of mission-based open world Spider-Man games (with Web of Shadows being the best to date), Activision and developer Beenox have smartly decided to shake things up by letting everyone's web-slinger have at it in a new game featuring a more tightly focused selection of stages, four very different art styles and an overall sense of flair that permeates nearly every part of the game. Some camera issues (that can hopefully be patched) make wall-crawling a bit frustrating in spots but overall, the game can be a ton of fun to play and no cakewalk at all thanks to some great boss battles.