FullReviews Index - page 3
Ninja Blade Review (X360)
In an effort to fill the gaps in its 2009 Spring lineup with something (anything), Microsoft brings us Ninja Blade. As a calendar gap filler, Ninja Blade does a fine job of filling a slot on a release list and taking up shelf space. As a game you would actually want to pay money for, Ninja Blade is pretty awful. The biggest offense: A crazy, over the top, borderline criminal misuse of the hated Quick-Time-Event. To see our full review, press A, then X, then B, then rapidly press Y.
Wanted: Weapons of Fate Review (X360)
Wanted: Weapons of Fate is a game built around a couple of interesting gameplay mechanics, but outside of those things it is pretty darn mediocre. It is slick and flashy just like the movie, and curving bullets is just about the coolest thing ever, but the graphics are inconsistent, the core gameplay is old hat by the third level, and sniper and turret sequences intended to offer some variety are just plain bad. Find out all of the details here in our full Wanted: Weapons of Fate review.
Guitar Hero: Metallica Review (X360)
Depending on your musical preferences, Guitar Hero: Metallica just might be the best Guitar Hero game ever. If you don’t like heavy metal or Metallica specifically, obviously this game isn’t going to be for you (kind of like how GH: Aerosmith wasn’t really for me). But if you love Metallica, love heavy metal in general, and are looking for a challenging new full band Guitar Hero experience, then this game is for you. Find out all of the details on Guitar Hero: Metallica right here.
Wheelman Review (X360)
Wheelman takes the open world crime simulator genre and puts a twist on it by having you focus on driving while other characters do most of the dirty work. It is a refreshing change to the typical GTA clone formula that brings back fond memories of the first Driver game on PSX. It hits some snags here and there, mostly in some ill-advised on-foot sections, but overall Wheelman is a pretty enjoyable game. Find out all of the details in our full review.
WWE Legends of WrestleMania Review (X360)
THQ’s latest WWE wrestling game takes a look back at classic wrestling and at the granddaddy of them all, the showcase of the immortals, the grandest stage of them all - WrestleMania. Legends of WrestleMania isn’t just SmackDown 09 with a bunch of old guys in it, no sir, it is a completely different game that focuses on the rather different style of wrestling in the late 80’s and early 90’s compared to today. How does this roster of legends and more methodical style hold up today?
Resident Evil 5 Review (X360)
The Resident Evil of 2009 is a rather different beast from the Resident Evil of 1996. The pacing, gameplay, and even the enemies are completely different from the way the series started. These changes, for the most part, have been positive and 2005’s Resident Evil 4 stands as one of the best games of all time thanks to these changes. Resident Evil 5 takes that award winning formula and twists it even more away from the series' roots. Did this change pay off? Find out in our full review.
Tom Clancy's HAWX Review (X360)
Tom Clancy’s HAWX throws realism and physics out the window in favor of accessibility and pure simple fun, and the results are mostly positive. It is a surprisingly intuitive experience that is easy to pick up and a heck of a lot of fun for flight combat vets or novices alike. It isn’t quite as polished or deep as Ace Combat 6, but it is a solid flight combat game overall that is worth a look. Find out all of the details here in our full HAWX review.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope Review (X360)
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.
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard Review (X360)
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is essentially the videogame version of parody movies. The difference is that, unlike “Epic Movie” or “Date Movie” or “Meet the Spartans”, Eat Lead is actually funny and clever in its commentary. Unfortunately, the humor (thanks to solid voice acting) can only carry it so far and the rest of the game is pretty thoroughly mediocre. Bland graphics. Bland shooting. You get the idea. Find out if Eat Lead is still worth a look right here in our full review.
Race Pro Review (X360)
Race Pro, found exclusively on the Xbox 360, is the first console title from award winning PC simulation racing experts SimBin. Their obvious expertise shines through in the absolutely amazing gameplay and extensive tuning options. However, the presentation isn’t exactly stellar, and the car and track lists are both fairly thin compared to other games in the genre. Race Pro is a game that is easy to love, but there just isn’t enough of it to keep you satisfied in the long term.
X-Blades Review (X360)
You probably know X-Blades better as “that game with the half naked chick on the cover” than as a surprisingly good hack and slash button masher, so allow me to introduce you. X-Blades features really nice graphics along with fun and deep combat that draws you in just as well as any other hack and slash game on the Xbox 360. And, yeah, the super cute heroine certainly doesn’t hurt. Find out all of the details right here in our full X-Blades review.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Review (X360)
The original F.E.A.R. hit all of the right notes in providing a challenging FPS experience wrapped up in an amazingly scary horror setting. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin offers up improved gameplay and better presentation, but the horror elements don’t seem to have advanced along with everything else. We have seen it all before, basically. It is still a very enjoyable game overall, however, so even with some predictable scares F.E.A.R. 2 is worth a look.
Halo Wars Review (X360)
Despite what some people have been trying to pound into our heads, real-time-strategy games can and do work just fine on consoles. We have three great Command & Conquer games on the Xbox 360 as proof. So the question isn’t whether or not Halo Wars is the breakthrough title for the genre (expect to see some variation of this thought process in every other review), but rather how it stacks up against the games that are already firmly established. Find out more in our Halo Wars review.
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad Review (X360)
Onechanbara is a game that you’ll want to like, but it is executed so incredibly poorly that it is impossible to overlook its flaws. Seriously, how can you mess up a game about scantily clad women slicing up zombies? By having stiff, clunky combat, awful level designs, and PS2-quality presentation, that’s how. Find out all of the details on Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad right here.
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection Review (X360)
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.
Afro Samurai Review (X360)
Afro Samurai is almost the perfect licensed game. It stays true to what made the source material great, which keeps fans of the license happy, but is good enough on its own that people who aren’t familiar with the anime will like it as well. And then those new fans go out and buy the Afro Samurai manga and DVD and the franchise enjoys even more success. We aren’t saying the game doesn’t have a few rough edges, but the presentation and story and bloody fun gameplay make it worth a look.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest Review (X360)
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is not a good game. But it makes effective enough use of the LotR license that the amazing music and epic stuff happening all around you blinds you to the point where you can almost forgive the stiff and shallow gameplay. Almost. Find out all of the details in our full Lord of the Rings: Conquest review.
Skate 2 Review (X360)
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.
Rise of the Argonauts Review (X360)
Rise of the Argonauts is a promising concept – you can’t go wrong with the stories and characters of Greek mythology – but is dragged down by sub-par graphics, questionable world design, and an agonizingly slow pace. There are flashes of brilliance here and there, and for fans of the mythos it is easier to forgive the flaws because it is just so cool to be able to play through this story and see some of the characters and locations of legend. Find out more right here.
Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon Review (X360)
The original Destroy All Humans was a fairly entertaining romp through classic 1950’s sci-fi clichés where alien probes, mind reading, and pop culture references made for a pretty funny game. It was rather shallow, however, and the jokes and gameplay wore out their welcome surprisingly quickly. That was fine for one game, but here we are a few years and two sequels later and DAH just isn’t interesting anymore. Read our full review of Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon right here.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Review (X360)
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts represents a pretty significant risk for Rare and Microsoft. It is a bright, cute, cartoony game on a system full of dark grisly shooters. And it is a very different game than what fans of the previous Banjo-Kazooie games might be expecting. But, just like the studio’s Viva Piñata before it, this risk paid off in the form of one of the best looking, most creative, and most fun games on the Xbox 360. Find out more right here in our full review.
Prince of Persia Review (X360)
Prince of Persia makes the jump to next-gen with a re-imagining of the franchise. There are no Sands of Time here, and instead there is a new Prince and a new world to explore all wrapped up in some of the most gorgeous and unique looking graphics we’ve seen in a long time. Every aspect of the game has been polished to a high shine, and Prince of Persia is truly one of the best games of the year. Find out more right here.
Tomb Raider Underworld Review (X360)
Tomb Raider Underworld is easily the best Tomb Raider game yet. But it is not without some issues. It really speaks to the core experience, though, that we shrug off a wonky camera and occasional glitches and happily continue playing in spite of them. Tomb Raider Underworld is a game that is pretty much an extra layer of polish away from being one of the best games of the year. Find out more right here in our full review.
Left 4 Dead Review (X360)
Zombies (zombie-like creatures at least) and co-op shooting, is there anything better in the world of videogames? Point me towards the undead, give me a gun, and get the heck out of my way. Left 4 Dead delivers a co-op/survival experience with relatable characters in realistic “Main Street, USA” locations and captures the essence of the best scenes in every zombie movie ever to create an amazing experience you’ll want to play again and again. Find out more right here.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Review (X360)
With three fairly good real-time-strategy games already under its belt for the Xbox 360, EA LA pretty much has the genre nailed down on the consoles. Its latest game, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, tweaks the already finely tuned gameplay to near-perfection and pairs it with unique and fun to use factions to create an amazingly well crafted RTS game. It also offers a bit more depth and challenge that C&C3 offered, which is much appreciated. Find out more right here in our full review.