FullReviews Index - page 4
Sonic Unleashed Review (X360)
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.
Call of Duty: World At War Review (X360)
How do you follow what is arguably one of the best first-person-shooters ever? By imitating it as closely as possible, that’s how. And that is exactly what Treyarch has done with Call of Duty: World At War. It takes the amazing multiplayer, great controls, and amazing gameplay of COD4: Modern Warfare and tweaks and spins it (and takes it through a time warp back to World War II) to create a new adventure that is every bit as solid as its predecessor.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Review (X360)
After SD vs. Raw 08 was pounded by reviewers, developer Yukes took those criticisms to heart and tried to remedy as many of them as possible for this year’s release. For the most part, they were successful and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is a much better game overall than the first two Xbox 360 WWE titles. There are a couple of hiccups, but wrestling fans will find a lot to like here. Find out all of the details right here in our full review.
Need for Speed Undercover Review (X360)
Need for Speed goes back to its roots with Undercover after last year’s ProStreet experiment failed pretty miserably. Undercover brings back the police chases, open world city, and arcade-style gameplay that made previous titles in the series, and in particular Most Wanted, hits. Does Need for Speed Undercover recapture that old NFS magic? Find out right here in our full review.
Mirror's Edge Review (X360)
Mirror’s Edge is, at its core, a relentless pursuit of perfection. It is all about getting from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, but there are a hundred variables in between and you have to figure out the fastest way through them. A perfect run gives you a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. A failed run can leave you frustrated and angry. Mirror’s Edge delicately balances fun and challenge to craft a unique experience that is among the best games of the year.
James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace Review (X360)
The James Bond film franchise has been effectively rebooted with a more realistic tone and a great leading man in Daniel Craig and now the Bond videogame license is looking for a fresh start as well. Activision has the license now, and for now at least it seems like it is in capable hands. Quantum of Solace looks and plays great thanks to the use of the Call of Duty 4 engine as its foundation and is solid overall. Find out if it is worth your $60 right here.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Review (X360)
Gamers were skeptical of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe when it was announced, but as more videos and information were released (and you can’t discount the “Dark Knight effect” since everyone loves Batman and The Joker again), that skepticism turned to hopeful optimism. It wasn’t the “DC” half of the equation that had people worried in the first place, however, and despite a cool theme and solid roster of characters, MK vs. DC is still a Mortal Kombat game under all of the fluff.
Guilty Gear 2: Overture Review (X360)
You have to admire Arc System Works for trying to step out of its comfort zone and do something different with the Guilty Gear series after cranking out so many revisions of its great 2D fighting game, but Guilty Gear 2: Overture was a step in the wrong direction. It can’t decide if it is a Dynasty Warriors clone or a RTS game, and the mash-up of genres combined with an awful story and so-so presentation make it hard to love even for Guilty Gear die-hards. Find all of the details right here.
Battle Fantasia Review (X360)
Battle Fantasia is a 2D fighting game that seems to not really know who its audience is. On one hand, the gameplay has fairly easy to learn moves and flashy special attacks that make it fun and accessible for all gamers, but on the other hand the characters and presentation are aimed squarely at hardcore fighter and anime fans. The result is a game with a solid gameplay base, but characters that players might find hard to really get behind. Find out all of the details right here.
MotoGP 08 Review (X360)
The MotoGP series of games have been surprisingly successful despite the brutally difficult simulation-style gameplay and the fact that the sport isn’t terribly popular in the U.S. THQ and Climax Studios handled previous games in the series on the Xbox 360, but MotoGP 08 moves on to a new publisher in Capcom who tasked developer Milestone to try to take the genre to never before seen heights. Does MotoGP 08 continue the success of its predecessors? Find out right here in our full review.
Gears of War 2 Review (X360)
CliffyB said months ago that Gears of War 2 was going to be “bigger, better, and more badass”, and now that we have spent some time with it we have to agree with him. This is a bigger and better game in every single aspect. The campaign feels more epic and is filled with jaw dropping moments. The multiplayer has been beefed up with new modes, and the addition of Horde mode as well as a training mode means that Gears 2 has plenty to offer both on and offline. This is simply a great game.
Scene It? Box Office Smash Review (X360)
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.
Rock Revolution Review (X360)
Remember all of the kids that like to pop up in Rock Band or Guitar Hero discussions and tell you all about how Konami invented the genre with GuitarFreaks and DrumManaia and should get more credit? Well, now you can tell those kids to kindly shut up because Konami’s first attempt at bringing their “expertise” in the genre to the mainstream is a pretty miserable failure. In a world where GH: World Tour and Rock Band 2 exist, Rock Revolution just can’t compete.
Guitar Hero: World Tour Review (X360)
Guitar Hero III was a good game but a bit rough around the edges as new developer Neversoft had to learn on the fly how to make a decent music game. With a year of experience under their belt, they are back to take another crack at the genre. And, boy, they are ambitious this time around. In addition to the guitar gameplay we all love (with far better charts), GH: World Tour also includes drumming and singing as well as a few other nifty features. Find out all about it right here.
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review (X360)
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.
Far Cry 2 Review (X360)
Far Cry 2 is a bit of a tough nut to crack. It is a gorgeous looking, solid playing open world game with amazing physics that packs plenty of stuff to do. But it is also kind of oddly paced and occasionally brutally difficult game marred by some iffy design choices. You do eventually figure out the game’s quirks, and when you do Far Cry 2 is an incredibly fun game, but it may not be for everyone. Find out all of the details right here.
Fallout 3 Review (X360)
And now for a GNR news update. After years of waiting, Fallout 3 has finally hit store shelves. It isn’t the same type of game as the first two entries in the series, but it also isn’t a hardcore shooter and it certainly isn’t just Oblivion with guns. It is a great mix of satisfying exploration, bloody combat with gruesome enemies, and a great story in an awesome setting that will grip you for 40-50 hours. It is an amazing game that we highly recommend. Thanks for listening, children!
FIFA Soccer 09 Review (X360)
After years of steady improvement, EA’s FIFA Soccer series has finally put everything in order and is easily the best soccer game on the market. In years past we had great presentation and plenty of features and modes and licensed teams, but the gameplay was lacking. In FIFA 09, however, every single aspect is as near perfect as you could hope for. It looks gorgeous, packs plenty of stuff to do, and plays like a dream. Find out all of the details right here.
Fable II Review (X360)
Fable II is a gorgeous looking, funny, satisfying game that is a worthy sequel to the original Xbox title. But at the same time it is also filled with glitches and strange design decisions that leave you scratching your head. The good far outweighs the bad, though, and in the end Fable II is a solid experience that we highly recommend. Find out all of the details right here.
Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009 Review (X360)
Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009 is the lazy man’s fishing game. You never have to move your boat and it doesn’t matter what lure you use because the fish will bite anything and you literally catch a fish on every cast. There is no challenge or strategy or realistic fishing here whatsoever. The potential audience for fishing games is already pretty small, but Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009 is too simple of a game to appeal to even the most desperate fisherman. Find out all of the details right here.
Saints Row 2 Review (X360)
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.
Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review (X360)
Midnight Club’s first appearance in the hi-def era has taken a long time to get here, but the wait has certainly been worth it. Midnight Club: Los Angeles delivers a near photo realistic L.A. for you to tear around in at breakneck speeds. The racing is fun. The graphics are gorgeous. And there is a ton of stuff to do. The difficulty level presents a few roadblocks, but for race fans Midnight Club: L.A. is worth a look.
NBA 2K9 Review (X360)
The champ is here. 2K Sports and Visual Concepts have taken an already great game, thrown in a few new features and an extra layer of polish, and produced yet another near-perfect basketball game in NBA 2K9. EA’s NBA Live is coming on strong, but NBA 2K9 is still the best basketball game around.
Dead Space Review (X360)
Dead Space is one of the surprise hits of 2008. It matches amazing presentation with a great story and solid gameplay to produce an incredibly fun, engrossing, and surprisingly accessible survival horror experience. For genre veterans it doesn’t present anything exactly new, but Dead Space does everything with a level of polish that few other survival horror games can match. Dead Space is a thoroughly enjoyable horror game that is highly recommended. Find out all of the details right here.
NBA Live 09 Review (X360)
As has been the trend with all of EA’s sports titles, it has taken a few years for NBA Live to really fully establish itself on the Xbox 360. The first couple of games were just plain broken, but Live 08 offered up nice presentation and solid enough gameplay that we were pretty excited about what NBA Live 09 had in store for us. That faith was, thankfully, not misplaced and NBA Live 09 is a pretty solid game of basketball that can actually give 2K a run for its money.