Xbox 360 Game Reviews S

The Diablo-style action-RPG has mostly been a PC genre. While there is an occasional console entry in the genre every now and then, none of them have quite put the whole package together to compete with their PC cousins. At least, not until now. Sacred 2: Fallen Angel takes the hack and slash, loot whoring, and co-op gameplay that PC gamers have enjoyed forever and puts it in a package that console gamers can embrace as well. Find out all of the details on Sacred 2 here in our full review.

The original Saints Row, released in 2006, didn’t try to change the sandbox genre formula and instead focused on making everything just plain fun. Saints Row 2 follows that same plan, and while it doesn’t do anything new or different, it is undeniably enjoyable. Also, and this comment may blow your mind, but while GTAIV is easily more polished in terms of graphics and gameplay, Saints Row 2 is easily the more fun game thanks to its over the top tone and wealth of stuff to do.

Just when you might be getting tired of open world “sandbox” games and gangsta themes, a game comes out that gets you hooked all over again. Saints Row won’t win any awards for originality, but it takes the GTA formula and polishes it to create an amazingly addictive and well put together experience. I highly recommend it as a worthwhile time waster while we wait for GTA IV.

Whether you grew tired of the Saw franchise four sequels ago or still look forward to each new entry every year, there is no denying that the puzzles and deathtraps that are the trademarks of the series are pretty darn cool. Saw the videogame makes great use of those puzzles and pairs it with the awesomely horrifying atmosphere of the movies and puts you in complete control. Or, at least as much control as Jigsaw wants you to have.

Scene It! Lights, Camera, Action brings fun movie trivia to the Xbox 360 complete with a set of four nifty controllers that ensure that the game is simple enough for the whole family to enjoy. Movie buffs (or people with a Netflix subscription that think they are movie buffs) and people just looking to have a good time with their friends and family at parties, Scene It! Lights, Camera, Action is highly recommended.

Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action was one of the best party games on the Xbox 360 thanks to the easy to use “Big Button Controllers” and the fact that movie trivia is something that pretty much everyone is good at. The sequel, Scene It? Box Office Smash, improves on pretty much every aspect of LCA which makes it pretty easy to recommend. Even better, if you already have the controllers from last year you can pick up Box Office Smash by itself for $40. Find out all of the details right here.

The first two console Scene It? games were Xbox 360 exclusives, but Bright Lights, Big Screen is a multiplatform release published by Warner Bros. Interactive. Because of this change, it takes a few steps back from 2008’s excellent Scene It? Box Office Smash. It is still a really good, really fun game of movie trivia, but Scene It? Bright Lights, Big Screen is a bit of a letdown compared to p…

Might as well get it out of the way. Section 8 isn’t going to dethrone Halo or CoD or Gears as the multiplayer shooter du jour any time soon. But it is good enough to carve out a nice little niche of hardcore players that appreciate playing something different and getting away from the crowds of 12 year olds that flock to the “big three”. It is as mechanically sound as any FPS out there and offers some nifty features and ideas that make it worth a look. Find out all the details right here.

SEGA Rally Revo marks the first appearance of the series in the US in eight years. What has changed since SEGA Rally Championship 2 on the Dreamcast? Not much. This is still arcade-style racing through and through, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on what type of a race fan you are. For arcade race fans, SEGA Rally Revo is a fun game, but it can’t quite match up against the heavy hitters in the racing genre that are also available on the Xbox 360.

Lets get this out of the way first – SEGA Superstars Tennis is about fan service first and tennis second. If you go into this expecting Virtua Tennis 3 with SEGA characters, you are going to be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you are a die-hard SEGA fanboy that loves all of the company’s classics, then this game might be right up your alley. Find out all about it right here in our full review.

From the moment it was announced, Shadowrun on the Xbox 360 has been controversial. Fans had issues with the use of the license and gamers everywhere balked at the $60 price tag and lack of a story mode, but when you actually play it you find that Shadowrun is really a pretty darn fun game. If you can see it for what it is rather than pining for what it should have been, Shadowrun is a very solid game that is worth checking out.

Another animated movie, another quick and dirty video game cash in. Shrek the Third isn't a bad game, but it is hard to shake the feeling that it was created with bare minimums in mind in order to meet a deadline. The gameplay is bland and boring, the presentation is weak (particularly on the Xbox 360), and all we are left with is yet another generic action platformer with a movie license slapped onto it. Rent it for the easy achievements, but don't buy it.

Skate 2 follows the “bigger, better, more” sequel mantra to a T, and the result is a game that is better than the original in most respects. The city is bigger, you have more moves, and there is a bit more spit and polish in the presentation. We aren’t crazy about some of the additions – mostly the on-foot stuff – but overall there is little debate that Skate 2 is the best skateboarding game on the Xbox 360.

Skate 3 kind of feels like it took two steps forward and one step back The actual skating is sharper and better than ever, the new city is cool, and the goal requirements are a lot more doable now. But it also struggles with a forced team element, a lifeless career mode, and the photo/video sharing - which is one of our favorite features of...

In the world of kart racing videogames, there are really only two levels of quality. Great = Mario Kart. Mediocre = everything else. At least, that is how it has been until now. SEGA and Sumo Digital have created a surprisingly good kart racer in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing that might actually challenge Mario Kart for the crown. Sure, it isn’t terribly original, but the gameplay is just …

Every time a new Sonic game is announced, gamers take notice. We desperately want it to be good so we can relive the glory days of the Mario vs. Sonic / Nintendo vs. Sega wars of the early 90’s, but for the last five years or so we have been disappointed when the game finally arrived. Sonic’s next-gen debut is no different. Camera issues, load times, poor gameplay, and an ever-growing cast of extra characters no one cares about make the new Sonic the Hedgehog hard to enjoy.

Sonic Unleashed is 50% high speed, ring collecting, loop-de-loop running classic Sonic perfection and 50% slow, clunky, bland combat that is completely out of place and spoils the fun. It is not as if the combat levels are all that bad, but compared to how great the speed levels are it is hard not to be disappointed. Sonic Unleashed is easily the best Sonic game we’ve had in quite a while, but it could have been so much more. Find out all of the details right here.

I’ll admit it. I was firmly on the side of Nintendo during the SEGA vs. Nintendo days. So a lot of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for me isn’t so much reliving my childhood and bringing back Mountain Dew-fueled nostalgia-soaked memories of these games, but instead I can experience a lot of it for the first time. Of course, for only $30 it is hard to pass up whether you are a longtime SEGA fan, a recovering Nintendo fanboy, or a kid that wants to see what videogames used to be like.

SoulCalibur IV is almost the perfect fighting game. It has a huge cast of extremely varied characters. Tons of modes to use them in. Great graphics and sound. Online play. And surprisingly accessible gameplay that ensures that both hardcore fight fans as well as casual fans can pick up the controller, make cool stuff happen, and enjoy themselves. Find out all about it in our full SoulCalibur IV review.

Five years ago on the original Xbox, a game like Spectral Force 3 would have been a huge deal. The Xbox was a barren wasteland for JRPGs, and fans would have gobbled up anything out of desperation. The Xbox 360 is a different beast, however. We have a number of solid RPGs with many more on the way, and have earned the right to be a bit pickier and Spectral Force 3 just doesnÂ’t quite cut it. Find out all of the details here in our full review.

Spider-Man 2 on the PS2/Xbox still stands as one of the best superhero games ever. It gave you all of the powers of the hero along with a huge city to use them in. With Spider-Man 3 hitting next gen consoles, it wasn’t unreasonable to expect improvements over SM2 to make this the best superhero game yet. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. It isn't really a bad game, just disappointing. Find out all about it in our full review.

This year’s take on the X-Men Legends/ Marvel Ultimate Alliance style of gameplay from Activision comes in the form of Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. The hook here is that famous villains from the Spider-Man universe actually fight alongside rather than against our hero. Unfortunately, while the premise is cool, the execution falters in several key areas. It can be fun, particularly in co-op, but it is too darn short and too easy to be worthy of anything more than a rental.

Who would have ever thought that greatly reducing the amount of web swinging and wall climbing would result in one of the best Spider-Man games...

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows starts off promising with nice visuals, interesting combat, a decent web swinging mechanic, and a cool story. And for the first couple of hours, Web of Shadows is pretty darn fun. But then it all starts to go downhill. The missions and combat become repetitive. Glitches and issues start popping up. And swinging around New York just isn’t fun anymore. Find out all of the details on the highs and lows of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows right here in our full review.

The Splinter Cell series has evolved over the years from a fairly hardcore stealth game into a more balanced stealth/action game that is more palatable for the masses beyond just the hardcore. The latest entry, Splinter Cell: Conviction, is the product of years of tweaking and tuning and listening to the fans and the result is easily one of the most accessible stealth games yet. This Xbox 360 e…

After the extremely positive response to the changes made to the Splinter Cell formula in Chaos Theory (developed by Ubisoft Montreal), you would think that Ubisoft Shanghai’s next attempt at Splinter Cell would try to follow that same path. You know, open levels, less alerts, less frustration, and ultimately more fun? Well, it doesn’t. There are certainly flashes of brilliance, but then you are shoehorned into a forced stealth level and it all comes crashing down.

Split/Second takes the best parts of kart racers, Burnout, and Project Gotham and mashes them into one game with fairly spectacular results. This is a game about blowing stuff up to not only crash your opponents, but dramatically alter the layout of the entire course. It isn't particularly deep, but when everything clicks together it is amazingly satisfying and fun. Find out all of the details…

Can an RPG still be great if the story and characters aren’t stellar? That is the question we’re struggling with concerning Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The graphics and sound are nice and the combat and overall gameplay is excellent, but the story and dialogue will make you want to pull your hair out. It is an interesting love/hate relationship that will definitely challenge you for the first few hours you spend with the game. Find out all about it here in our full review.

Star Trek Legacy is truly any Trek fans’ dream come true. You get to control the Enterprise from the different eras as well as many more ships from not only the Federation, but the Klingons, Romulans, and Borg as well. Legacy offers up just the right balance of sim and arcade gameplay that makes it just a bit easier to slide into the captain’s chair than, say, the Starfleet Command series. It isn’t without some issues, but overall Star Trek Legacy should make Trek fans very happy.

The force is finally ready to be unleashed, but instead of the best Star Wars game yet, we end up with a game that just feels like it is missing something. The Force Unleashed can be great fun when it is firing on all cylinders, but so-so levels and a limited selection of force powers hold it back from being great. As it stands, The Force Unleashed tells a good story and throwing Stormtroopers around with the force is always fun, but it is more of a rental than a must-buy.

Normally when two titles in the same series come out in the same calendar year it is a bad thing, but in this case, we’ll allow it. Stoked: Big Air Edition fixes most of the complaints gamers had with the original Stoked and adds two more mountains, more challenges, and more stuff overall to make a much bigger and better snowboarding game than its predecessor released earlier in 2009. Snowboa…

If you are looking for nonstop action and satisfying shooting, look no further than Stranglehold. Rolling around on carts, sliding down railings, and shooting things in slow motion have never been done better than in Stranglehold. It is just too bad that the game design never goes anywhere other than what is established in the first level and it all starts to feel pretty repetitive rather quickly. Stranglehold is a good game, but is more of a rental than a buy.

It took years and years for the Street Fighter series to learn to count to 5, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that it took another decade to count to 4. Street Fighter IV is finally here and the finished product stands as one of the most polished fighters ever. The presentation is pretty spectacular, and the gameplay is that near perfect mix of accessibility and depth that keeps everyone happy.

The original Stuntman on PS2 was a real love it or hate it type of game. It was very difficult and frustrating and it seemed like you spent more time looking at loading screens than actually playing. Some people really enjoyed it, but for most it felt like work rather than fun. Five years later, Stuntman is back with a new publisher and developer at the reigns. Stuntman: Ignition addresses most of the issues with the first game to produce a fun experience that is worth checking out.

We have seen a lot of great superhero games over the last couple of years. Wait. Strike that. We have seen a lot of great Marvel superhero games over the last couple of years. For whatever reason, DC just can’t pull it together. Superman Returns, loosely based on the movie of the same name, continues this pattern. It is repetitive, ugly, glitchy, and feels like it was merely phoned-in by all parties involved. It is still the best Superman game ever, but that isn’t saying much.