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Most Recent: Reviews
Nano Ninjas Review: More like Nano Nonjas
Nano Ninjas is a tower defense game for iOS devices from indie developer Bad Chunk. It sets angry robots who look like samurais and ninjas against actual ninjas. It’s built very similarly to Plants vs. Zombies, giving you the main adventure as well as some smaller minigames that unlock as you play the game. Your ninjas unlock as you go level to level as well, with the robots also increasing in difficulty. While it seems like a simple enough formula, does copying something popular make it work? (more…)
Pokemon Black 2/White 2 Review: Nothing Evolving Here
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 are follow-ups to Pokemon Black and White from 2011, which I was less than impressed with. These sequels are more like rehashes – set in the same area with many of the exact same characters (who reference the previous games a lot), there’s not much at all that has changed. Sure, there are new Pokemon, and you play as a new trainer, but your starting Pokemon are the same three options, and just about every aspect of the game is the same save a few small changes. So should you bother to get this game? (more…)
Posted in DS, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Pokemon Black 2/White 2
Angry Birds Star Wars Review: I’ve Got A Bird Feeling About This
Angry Birds Star Wars comes on the heels of the less-than-stellar puzzle-solving fiasco that was Bad Piggies, and is the next game in the Angry Birds Series (which also includes Angry Birds, Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Magic) from Rovio Entertainment. After that Bad Piggies episode, not only do we have our slingshot back, but we have a Lightsaber, too! How is that not amazing? (more…)
Posted in Mobile, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Angry Birds Star Wars
Assassin’s Creed III Review: New World, Old Problems
I’m going to open this review with an honest disclaimer, I’ve never liked the Assassin’s Creed franchise. While the concept of an open-world assassination game sounds just fine, quite exciting even, the actual execution felt lacklustre with cumbersome controls and free roam diluted down to near nonexistent levels. “Kill your targets any way you want,” the adverts said, but what they failed to mention was that unless you adhered to Ubisoft-approved killing methods within Ubisoft-sanctioned locations your open-world experience would suddenly feel like a confined cardboard box as the game punished you for not playing it right. I tried the second game for all of an afternoon before the masquerade fell away and left me feeling cold, cheated and unloved. All subsequent games failed to rekindle our relationship; I just couldn’t get interested, but for some reason (clue: my interest in Colonial America) I somehow found myself falling for the hype and giving this franchise another chance with Assassin’s Creed III. (more…)
Home Run Stars Review: Batter and Broken Ladder
Spring 2001. Normal, Illinois. My last semester at college was peppered with preparing for graduation, studying for finals, job searching, and filming a movie about a murderous chef (don’t ask). But, like any self-respecting gamer, I always found time to relax with my PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Throughout the final month of my college career, my roommate and I put an absurd amount of time into one game: Triple Play 2001. We did not play the exhibition or season modes; our precious time was devoted to Extreme Home Run Derby, where, instead of a baseball stadium, you are placed in a giant living room, medieval castle, or construction site. The goal of that game was to not just hit home runs, but also get bonus points by hitting various targets. Shatter a picture frame in the living room, get 500 bonus points. Raise the drawbridge in the castle, get 1000 bonus points. You get the idea.
Ever since Triple Play 2001, I yearned for another baseball game to come along with the same feature. Alas, my wishes have gone unfulfilled. Now, eleven years later, we are treated to Home Run Stars, a Kinect title available on Xbox Live Arcade. One could only imagine my elation upon learning that a spiritual successor of sorts was being released. And although I found the game somewhat enjoyable, there were too many issues with Home Run Stars (and the Kinect itself) that bogged down what could have been a fantastic game. (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Home Run Stars
Halo 4 Review: Change Is Good
The Chief is back, baby – and better than ever. Remember those initial concerns when Bungie handed the Halo franchise over to Microsoft and its internal 343 Industries studio? Well, you can relax: the series is in very good hands. Halo 4 is by far the best of the bunch, surpassing even Bungie’s pinnacle swansong, Halo: Reach. (more…)
Torchlight II Review: Diablo II Never Looked So Good
Torchlight II builds off of Torchlight‘s rock solid foundations to create a game that fully delivers on developer Runic Games’ goal to “give [the players] what they’re asking for.” Oddly, even though the game was in development long before Diablo III‘s release, what the players wanted seems to be all the things Diablo III got wrong.
Blizzard’s Diablo III is certainly the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and some might try to write a review of Torchlight II without mentioning its major league rival, but I’m not going to bother. Anyone who is a fan of the click n’ loot fest likely has played the Diablo games at some point, and that series pretty much defines all the core elements, so I see little reason in avoiding the comparison. Considering Torchlight’s developers include Max and Erich Schaefer, the co-founders of Blizzard North and co-creators of the Diablo series, it’s interesting to see how much Diablo has diverged while Torchlight II has remained true to its origins. (more…)
Posted in PC, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Torchlight II
Sleeping Dogs: Nightmare in North Point Review: Sink Your Teeth Into This DLC
If you read my review of Sleeping Dogs, you definitely know that I love it. So when “Nightmare in North Point,” the first DLC to extend the story, was announced, I was excited. It looked similar to what Rockstar was going for when they released “Undead Nightmare” for Red Dead Redemption, or what Sucker Punch did with Infamous 2’s “Festival of Blood:” a fun expansion that gave the game a horror element that had nothing at all to do with the main story. While it’s a blast to play, “Nightmare in North Point” is disappointingly short, and left me wanting much, much more. (more…)