Review: Sonic Colors (DS)

Posted on November 16, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS

Developer: Dimps/Sonic Team

Publisher: Sega

# of Players: 1-2

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Score: A-

The stellar Sonic revival continues with Sonic Colors on the DS which, like it’s big brother on the Wii just so happens to be one of the best games on the platform this year. While it takes a few of its its visual and gameplay cues from the great Sonic Rush series, the blend of classic fast-paced 2D side-scrolling (with some nifty 3D boss battles and other sections) and super-colorful visuals makes for an exciting chunk of portable goodness. Like any platformer worth its salt, there area few really pesky spots where a careless jump or accidental nudge on that D-pad will send you falling to a Sonic doom. On the other hand, the game is so much fun that you’ll go back again and again until you nail every level and find every secret. Continue reading →

Review: Sonic Colors (Wii)

Posted on November 16, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: Sonic Team

Publisher: Sega

# of Players: 1-2

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: A

Despite its higher powered (and priced) HD competition, The Wii has had some of the more interesting (and fun) 3D Sonic the Hedgehog games over the past few years. Sonic Colors blows away all of these other games combined and in my opinion, even gives Mario a run for his money in terms of accessibility, challenge and replay value. From the amazing, super colorful visuals and excellent sense of speed to the ridiculous amount of well-hidden secrets, this one’s a Sonic fan’s dream come true as well as one of the best Wii games of 2010. There’s a ton of game here thanks to a lengthy single player mode as well as some very tricky co-op action that requires pinpoint accuracy and timing for success. Continue reading →

Review: Blood Stone 007

Posted on November 13, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Bizarre Creations

Publisher: Activision

# of Players 1 (online 2 – 16)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B

With former movie powerhouse studio MGM now pushing up daisies (they'll be sorely missed), the future of the James Bond series on film seems bleak at best. On the other hand, what could be the final product to bear that familiar Leo the Lion logo is a pretty solid licensed game that looks and feels like one of the recent Bond films in the series. Blood Stone 007 isn't supposed to be some sort of amazingly groundbreaking game that will send you over the moon from the moment you touch the controller (and shame on you if you look at EVERY game you play in this manner). Nevertheless, what the game does right it nails near perfectly. It's exactly what an interactive movie experience should be in terms of making you feel as if you're watching a film while letting you control the action as the story elements push you forward.

(Later Than Usual) Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon Update: Split Screen Is In, But The Whining STILL Continues…

Posted on November 12, 2010 by geelw

Proof positive that you can never, ever, EVER please ALL pf the people all of the time, D3Publisher of America recently updated the official Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon page as well as the game's Facebook page last week with the absolutely grand news that split-screen cooperative gameplay (or couch co-op) is now a part of the upcoming release. While a good deal of cheers and back-slapping has lightened the mood of assorted message boards, there are STILL some die-hard hard-heads griping about aspects of the game that would ONLY be truly justified complaints if these posters actually got their hands on an up-to-date (and still in-progress build).

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

Yeesh. Cue any sort of facepalm theme music or related animated GIF at this point

Spaltterhouse: It’s All About Jennifer (Oh Yeah, And A Few Monsters, Too)

Posted on November 10, 2010 by geelw

Well, heeeeeeere's Jenny! Now slap on that Terror Mask, grab the nearest baseball bat and go save her before she's turned into a monster's meat pie midnight snack. Two action shots of Rick plus Dr. Westa few of the ugly beasties from Namco Bandai's upcoming horror action game (also in nice 3D render form – not as cute as Jenny, though) are below the jump. The game ships out next week (and I can't wait to play it).

Review: Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare

Posted on November 7, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Rockstar San Diego

Publisher: Rockstar Games

# of Players: 1 (online 2 – 4)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A+

“Before we resume with a bang and boom…”, let's just say that Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare is absolutely going to be the best ten bucks (or 800 Microsoft Points) you'll spend on any DLC this year. The zombie-packed expansion makes a great game even greater, packing in a decent amount of single-player content and some fun multiplayer action while transforming the familiar Old West setting into an undead filled wasteland that needs a bit of purification. If you've somehow managed to miss Red Dead Redemption, it's definitely a must-buy and this expansion makes it even more so.

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: Superstars V8 Racing

Posted on October 29, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (via PSN)

Developer: Milestone

Publisher: O-Games

# of Players: 1 (online 1 – 8)

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: B

At a mere twenty bucks, the PSN download-only Superstars V8 Racing offers up a fast and fun chunk of quality racing at an excellent price. While comparing it directly to Sony's upcoming Gran Turismo 5 point by point is a bit of a stretch, the game is certainly worth picking up for its selection of V8-powered European cars, fun to drive real-world tracks and the handling model which balances simulation and arcade elements without going overboard on either. Like other Milestone-developed racers, there are a few menu and GUI quirks that make jumping into races take a bit longer than it should. Nevertheless, you're certainly going to be getting more than enough serious mileage out of the game that you'll be back for more for as long as it's on your hard drive.

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.