Review: Brave: The Video Game (PS3)

Posted on July 2, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (Also on Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii)

Developer: Behaviour Interactive, Inc.

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 +)

Score: B (80%)

A fast-paced hack & slash for the younger set with a nice arcade feel, Disney/Pixar’s Brave: The Video Game manages to overcome a few of the issues that plague most movie games that try too hard (or don’t try hard enough) to be fun to play. While not the longest kid-friendly (or preteen friendly, if you go by the E 10+ rating) licensed game out there, the simple pick up and play controls, optional two-player co-op mode, PlayStation Move mini-games and constant action keeps things from dragging after the initial tutorial stage. A few technical issues and a bit of repetition in some brief cut scenes mar the experience, but overall, this is one of those games that anyone can hop into and play and have a blast while doing so.

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Review: Diablo III

Posted on June 25, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: Blizzard North

Publisher: Blizzard

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B

With no reliable internet connection and no desire to play any game with a solo mode that demands one, no matter the reasoning, I’m exactly the sort of gamer Blizzard doesn’t want playing Diablo III, and that’s a shame. No one asked the many thousands of folks like me who happen to love the series what our thoughts were on an online-only Diablo experience, and the fact remains that not everyone who wanted a straightforward campaign is some sort of pirate or cheat-happy coder out to break the game up into pieces and make our own content or whatever else Blizzard was fearful of. That said, last year when I heard about the game being online only, I automatically thought I’d never get the chance to review it. However, I was able to wrangle a deal with a friend where in case a copy DID magically show up, I’d use his spiffy, always updated gaming rig in trade for the game if he set up an account just so I could at least play through it to see how it turned out.

Amusingly enough (and much to my surprise) a review copy showed up two days before the launch and after letting out a nicely demonic laugh (you should hear it – your spine will rattle), I made a phone call and set aside what I thought would be enough quality time to go through the game. Let’s just say that everything I was concerned about came to bear in a few ridiculously annoying ways, but when the game works, it’s addictive as ever (despite some changes made for the casual crowd) and about as good as I’d hoped. The caveat being WHEN it worked…

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“Retro” Review: Data East Arcade Classics

Posted on June 17, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: G1M2

Publisher: Majesco

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

The word “retro” is in quoted in the title above for two reasons, one being the Wii isn’t exactly a dead system (well, depending on who you ask) and two, I didn’t get the chance to review this collection at all when it was first released back in 2010. It’s getting a good look now because a friend who got a Wii for his kids a while back but has never played anything on it himself saw this in a closeout bin and as he’s an ancient fan of arcade games, he practically ran over some slow shoppers poking around in that bin to grab a copy. Anyway, no one was injured in that incident, so it’s all good. However, I also grabbed a copy and ended up getting some cramped fingers and sore thumbs from spending too much time reliving some great memories. Data East Arcade Classics packs in 15 games from the now defunct coin-op company that range from great to so-so and while some key titles that probably should have been on this disc are missing, it’s clear that this was supposed to be the first in an ongoing series. While the lack of certain key titles from the era and any sort of difficulty adjustment keep this from being flawless, it’s still recommended as a trip down memory lane or as an introduction to some really fun games for the kids.

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Review: Sniper Elite V2

Posted on June 11, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Rebellion

Publisher: 505 Games

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

The crowded and set in its ways military shooter genre needs games like Sniper Elite V2 and developers like Rebellion just to remind gamers that sometimes, slower pacing and more methodical play can be as exciting or even more so that a constant thrill ride shooter with not much room to catch one’s breath. Here, the game (and aim) is all about taking time to survey, spot and shoot with just enough level and mission variety to keep things moving when they need to. You don’t have to have played the first Sniper Elite back on the PS2, Xbox, PC (or the more recent Wii port from about two years ago) to fully enjoy this game, but if you remember that sleeper and loved it, much of what’s here will feel familiar. An online-only co-op mode seems restrictive (and is, if you don’t use PSN), but it’s seamless and about as good as it gets, while the multiplayer also has a few cool touches that lift the game above the usual run & gunning extravaganzas other shooters deliver.

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Review: Dragon’s Dogma

Posted on June 1, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

After a lengthy and rewarding partnership resulting in loads of treasure, experience and some deadly dungeons being cleared out, you take stock of your traveling companions and see that the two pawns you’d hired some 15 or so hours previously are no longer suitable for the tougher enemies ahead. As much as you hate dismissing them, you absolutely must in order to progress further onward. Touching a Rift Stone, you dip into the void and discover that you probably should have replaced them a few levels ago with two much stronger and better equipped allies. As you’ve socked away more than enough points, you decide to add two pawns that are about five or so levels higher than your level just to keep them around longer. However, before you make your final selections, you decide to look at a few more pawns before choosing a pair that’s even stronger. Satisfied (and after saying goodbye to your former traveling companions), you set out for new territory, knowing that you’ll see your old mates on the road at some point in passing. After enhancing your gear, crafting handy items from gathered loot and learning some new skills, you and your new team take on an escort mission into uncharted territory, unsure of what awaits, but more than confident you can defeat anything…

And so goes just a tiny fraction of Dragon’s Dogma, Capcom’s new open world high action RPG that’s one of the nicer surprises of the year (so far). While the game isn’t quite perfect, the level of immersion, excellently fluid movement and combat system plus the massive game world insures those who like this type of game will be hooked in for quite some time. While you can follow the main quest in a mostly linear fashion to the endgame in about 30 – 40 hours, the land of Gransys is big enough to spend much more time exploring and adventuring in. That and the fact that this is a game where multiple replays are a must just so you can experiment with different character builds and party formations as you take on the many dangers the game throws your way. Continue reading →

Review: Dungeon Hunter: Alliance

Posted on May 7, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita

Developer: Gameloft

Publisher: Ubisoft

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: C+

With Dungeon Hunter: Alliance on the Vita, developer Gameloft had a rather interesting challenge in making a version of their popular (but “old” by other device standards) hack and slash RPG that could be seen as a solid (and full priced) showpiece the Sony’s new handheld. While they didn’t quite succeed in every area, the end result presents enough creature chopping challenge for those who like to go solo while also being a ton of fun in multiplayer. Visually, the game is solid, if not spectacular overall, the gameplay is what you’d expect with some interesting use of the Vita’s touch screens that range from handy to not really necessary. Unfortunately, despite the glossed-up visuals, the game misses the chance to do more with the basics, meaning if you’ve played this already on a device, computer or even the PS3, you’re not going to be too surprised at what’s here. Addicted? yes. Shocked at the stellar amount of originality on display? Nope.

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Review: Ninja Gaiden 3

Posted on March 31, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Team Ninja

Publisher: Tecmo Koei

# of Players 1 (Online 2 – 8)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: C+ (75%)

Team Ninja set itself up with quite a paradox-shaped pickle when they set about designing Ninja Gaiden 3. The particular problem plaguing them? How to make a game for new casual players (and those who hated the supreme challenge of the older Ninja Gaiden games) and while pleasing the more hardcore fans of the franchise (some from the arcade and NES days) who wanted something brutally difficult that took a great deal of effort to master. Now, some of those more loyal hardcore Ryu Hayabusa fans would simply say “screw the noobs!” or something far less print-friendly. However, these days it’s getting much harder to sell some “core” games so far within a niche and make a decent profit. Yes, that’s pretty awful if you think about it, but broadening the base has worked well for certain other franchises and genres, right?

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Review: Street Fighter X Tekken (Special Edition)

Posted on March 20, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A-

Capcom’s Versus fighters have a definite appeal to gamers that crave taking their favorite characters from different media and pitting them against each other in some truly outrageous battles and in terms of reinventing that particular wheel, Street Fighter X Tekken may be their best game to date. Although the Xbox 360 version is sorely missing the offline tag-team mode found in the PS3 version, there’s absolutely no reason to miss out on this game if you’re a huge fan of either franchise. From the outstanding visuals and animation to the excellent tutorials that will get any new player into the game with ease, this one’s a no-brainer for fighting games fans. Sure, there are some quibbles with the total number of unlocked characters versus who’s available as paid DLC, but this is one of those games where if you’re hooked in, you probably won’t mind paying a bit extra for even more fun.

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Review: Tales of Graces f

Posted on March 19, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Namco Tales Studio LTD.

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A

While heavy on the JRPG 101 clichés (even borrowing from previous games in the popular series), Tales of Graces f manages to be a stellar, addictive chunk of gaming goodness thanks to a lightning fast combat system, a fairly engaging cast of characters and a healthy dose of old school charm that keeps the hours flying by. Right from the beginning, you can clearly see and feel Namco Tales Studios’ commitment to making this the best Tales game possible and for the most part, they’ve succeeded. As the game is an enhanced update of the Japan-only Wii game Tales of Graces (with even more content and a few notorious bugs fixed), it’s not shooting for the stars in terms of overly detailed HD visuals at all. What you get is a very pretty looking game with a whole lot of things to do that doesn’t set any new genre standards, but manages to have enough variety to keep you dialed in until the wee hours.

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Review: Double Fine Happy Action Theater

Posted on February 3, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (Kinect)

Developer: Double Fine Studios

Publisher: Microsoft

# of Players: 1 – 6

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: A-

Sure, you can simply stick your tongue out, turn your nose up, cross those arms and pout about even going NEAR a game as geared for kids as Double Fine Happy Action Theater and at first glance, you’d almost be justified. Then again, you’d look exactly like a stubborn child who won’t eat their vegetables instead of an adult who needs to kick back and have a blast once in a while. Yes, the game is super family friendly, non-violent (unless you consider kicking down fake buildings “violent”) and “shorter” than it should be. On the other hand, it’s not a traditional “game” at all, but a series of 18 activities that will have you doing all sorts of wacky physical movements in front of your TV.

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