Review: Plane Weaver

Posted on December 27, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Windows PC

Developer: Blue Coral Studio

Publisher: DADIU

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: None

Score: A-

Developed in one month (!) by a team of eleven students at The Danish Academy of Digital & Interactive Entertainment (DADIU), Plane Weaver is a marvelous mix of 3D platforming and puzzle elements that come off as more fresh and innovative than much of what constitutes “Game of the Year” material on consoles and PC. While it's not a supremely lengthy experience, it's visually striking, nicely challenging and genuinely rewarding as you're pulled into some excellently designed levels. The game lightly echoes elements of sleeper hits such as ICO and the upcoming Lost in Shadow, yet never feels too derivative or under-polished. At only 66MB and a free download (for now), it's an absolute must for anyone who craves originality and creativity in their games.

Review: Earth Defense Force 2017

Posted on December 19, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: Sandlot

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

One of those “cult classics” that, three years after its US release is still a hell of a lot more fun than certain bigger budgeted (and bigger hyped) games, Earth Defense Force 2017 is finally back on the Xbox 360, this time as a download only Games on Demand release. Whether you missed out on it the first time back in 2007 or you're replacing that copy you sold off on ebay, 2017 is still an absolute blast to play, mixing in dozens of hours of non-stop hardcore action with couch co-op and a grand, campy “B” movie aesthetic that permeates the game from start to finish. Sure, there's no online play, the character and vehicle controls are a tad quirky and the game isn't exactly “state of the art” in terms of presentation. On the other hand, the old school gameplay coupled with some truly and terrifyingly challenging levels go a long way in proving pure fun trumps innovation any damn day of the week. That twenty bucks might seem like a “premium” price for a game in these days of too many indie games going for a buck or few on XBLA, but trust me, you're getting easily three to four times that value in gameplay length alone.

Review: The Guild 2: Renaissance

Posted on December 11, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: RuneCraft

Publisher: DreamCatcher

# of Players: 1 (2 – 4 online)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B–

As deep as the ocean and surprisingly addictive once you get into the intentionally slow pacing, The Guild 2: Renaissance is an intriguing mix of RTS, RPG and simulation gaming that's definitely not for the casual gamer. In fact, heavy experience with The Guild 2 is highly recommended, as this latest expansion lacks a tutorial mode (despite the manual stating there's one available, D'oh!). Once you get past that mind-boggling hurdle (the JoWood forums and YouTube are great helps, by the way), the game becomes a bit hard to stop playing as you guide your character's destiny in any way you choose. The amount of content and things to do here are staggering and despite the occasional bug, the game can really grow on you. Read more »

Review: Epic Dungeon

Posted on December 9, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: Eyehook Games

Publisher: Microsoft

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: None

Official Site

Score: A+

In this year of huge-budgeted “Triple-A” releases that get massively hyped midnight launches, expensively overblown limited edition bundles and millions of juiced-up fans blowing each other away in online matches while ignoring the single-player aspect, Eyehook's brilliant (and brilliantly simple) Epic Dungeon crushes them all with its no-nonsense approach to challenge and pure fun. For a measly 80 Microsoft Points (one whole dollar!), you're getting a tough game with infinite replay value, a great “retro” look and overall, an absolute must-play for anyone who considers him or herself a true gamer. Easily worth twenty times its cost or more, don't let the cheap-ass price point fool you into thinking this is some play once and dump forever bit of fluff. A minor bug or two aside, nothing should stop you from finding out just how awesome and addictive this gem of a game is.

Quickie TV Review: The Walking Dead "TS-19"

Posted on December 6, 2010 by geelw

Talk about an explosive finale – the first season, short as it was, went out with a bang as CDC headquarters was obliterated in a nice fireball of non-nuclear but still blazing proportions (along with two more characters). There were a couple of tense moments inside the bunker including an interesting look at the virus cycle that causes otherwise dead folks to pop up and start chomping on the living and Shane’s confrontation with Lori (the man needs a new fixation, pronto). While this one was superb from start to finish, the episode somehow felt too short for my tastes, as some old ground was retread (we get it – showers rock when you haven’t had one in weeks) and it would have been interesting to see more of the doomed scientist as a character.

Nevertheless, AMC clearly has a major smash with the series and the long, long wait until October 2011 is going to be hugely unbearable yet highly exciting for those of us looking forward to more Dead. Brilliant stuff (and thank goodness for AMC Free On Demand, as I’ll be haunting that channel for as long as they rerun episodes). Still… I’m wondering about the first season on DVD or Blu-Ray (whenever it hits), as a mere six episodes really isn’t enough to justify shelling out for a box set unless it’s packed to the rafters with bonus features… We shall see, I guess…

Score: A-
First Season Score: A

Review: Need For Speed Hot Pursuit

Posted on December 6, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii, PC)

Developer: Criterion Games

Publisher: Electronic Arts

# of Players: 1 (online 2 – 8)

ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 +)

Official Site

Score: A-

In Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Criterion Games' new Autolog feature is very much like a way too loyal robotic dog that lives on a diet of Red Bull-laced motor oil and rechargeable batteries, and that's a both a good and bad thing, boys and girls. If you absolutely THRIVE on competition, It's a good dog (Good dog! Goooood doggieeeeee!) because it keeps you on your toes, notifying you constantly that your formerly best times have been beaten, who beat you and yes, that you should drop everything and go get your record times back. Paradoxically, if you're a casual gamer who happens to plug into PSN or Xbox Live for some friendly competition (or a mere system update before playing the game) Autolog is a bad dog (bad dog! BAD! NO!), constantly interrupting your set racing schedule to let you know someone's peed or pooped all over your best times and how much of a LOSER you are for not going on ahead and racing every fool that's ready to take you down and leave the smell of virtual burnt rubber in your nostrils. Damn you, Autolog! Now go sit in your box… GO!

Review: F1 2010

Posted on December 4, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Codemasters

Publisher: Codemasters

# of Players 1 (online 2 – 12)

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: B-

With Codemasters at the helm and its aptly named EGO Engine powering the game, F1 2010 is a solid racer for fans of the sport or anyone interested in the F1 experience. While it's not quite the perfect blend of simulation and everyman entry-level introduction, it's a decent enough start that bodes well for the future, provided the dev team takes input from the hard core F1 fan in terms of what they want to see and play. Although the game has a novice setting, this definitely isn't one for the more impatient casual crowd nor anyone looking for a step-by-step driving simulator. Screaming sense of speed and mostly fine handling model aside, you're not going to be winning races left and right until you master the tracks, AI craftiness and nearly everything in between.

Review: Pac-Man Party

Posted on December 3, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: Namco Bandai

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: B+

30 years and counting on the video game scene still shows that Pac-Man's got legs (pun intended) and can stand up to pretty much whatever genre he's added to. Namco Bandai's latest Wii game featuring the character and his cohorts is a fun party game that's part Mario Party, part Dokapon Kingdom and all Pac-Man, offering up over 50 mini-games and a few arcade classics in a well-rounded package. Granted, this is a game that's very strictly geared toward the casual family market, so hardcore gamers “expecting” something resembling an actual challenge can slap their cranky sourpuss caps on as they bypass this in favor of the latest arcade shooter or ultra-violent action game. If you're in the mood for a consistently and intentionally silly game where actual gameplay is secondary and a pure sense of fun soaks the atmosphere, read on.

Review: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage

Posted on December 1, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Omega Force

Publisher: Koei Tecmo

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B

If there’s ever been a game franchise more targeted to a very specific fan base, I’d say Koei Tecmo’s long-running Sengoku Mousou (Dynasty Warriors) series is somewhere at the top of that list. The Dynasty Warriors… well, dynasty has spawned a legion of sequels and spin-offs across multiple platforms as well as a few very cool Gundam games fans of that anime snap up like hotcakes. In addition, the series has given many other developers and publishers inspiration for their own takes on the Mousou mold. KT’s latest manga/anime/game mash-up, Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage is a deliberately paced, brutally beefy beat ’em up that packs in an incredible amount of content, solid 3D visuals and a great recreation of the series based around that familiar Mousou gameplay.

Continue reading →

Review: GoldenEye 007 (DS)

Posted on November 29, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi

Developer: n-Space

Publisher: Activision

# of Players: 1 (2 – 6 via Wi-Fi)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

While GoldenEye for the DS isn’t quite as spectacular as the Wii version, it’s an extremely solid, well-crafted FPS that’s great for some on the go action. Veteran developer n-Space is back on the case with another fun bit of portable FPS campaign (and multiplayer) that features fine visuals and gameplay plus some great music and voice work. Like the developer’s other shooters on Nintendo’s handheld, you’re getting a scaled back yet faithful recreation here, so don’t expect to see all sorts of new standards set. Of course, on its own merits, this one’s a total winner from beginning to end and a pocketful of great Bond thrills at a decent price point. Continue reading →