The odd man out in this month's glut of RPG releases is too good to miss.
By Jeremy Parish, 02/22/2011 at 16:30
The concept of building an interactive timeline into a video game to allow you to jump back and forth within the plot to revisit key decisions is so brilliantly simple I have trouble believing that I've never seen it until now. It's a masterstroke of creative design that transformed Square Enix's remake of Tactic Ogre into something truly transcendent, allowing fans to experience the fullness of the game's numerous outcomes and even recap early story scenes with a fuller awareness of the hidden meaning and foreshadowing of those sequences in light of later events.
Ah, but this review is about Radiant Historia. The thing is, weirdly enough, Atlus' latest original work also gives players an interactive timeline; in fact, it's even more integral to this game than it was in Tactics Ogre. Unfortunately, Historia has the poor fortune to be completely surrounded by one of the biggest clusters of great portable RPG releases ever, with key games in major franchises surrounding it within ten days on either side. Against the likes of Dragon Quest, Pok�mon, Ys, a PSN rerelease of Xenogears<</a>, and a stunning rendition of Tactics Ogre that manages to swipe Historia's timeline mechanic, it's hard to imagine this modest original work not being totally lost in the din.
A mechanically enjoyable game that's missing what it needs to be great.
By Taylor Cocke, 02/22/2011 at 09:01
Billed as the "antidote" to the modern shooter, Bulletstorm is certainly on a much higher level of ridiculousness than, say, the Call of Duty franchise or the recent reboot of Medal of Honor. Even its sister series, Gears of War, which is over-the-top in its own right, can't keep up with Bulletstorm's old school, hyper masculine tendencies. And yet, it doesn't go quite far enough.
The campaign starts on the ridiculous right foot. Hell, protagonist Grayson Hunt and his compatriot Rell are drunk through most of the tutorial. Attempting to shoot a bottle off of a captive's head while completely hammered on whatever space hooch they managed to get their hands on is a wonderful introduction to a game that doesn't take itself too seriously and isn't afraid to take on the bigger names in the genre. A game that, by parodying its overly serious contemporaries, gives the genre the kick in the ass it needs to break itself of its obsession with melodrama. Unfortunately, Bulletstorm doesn't manage to escape the pitfalls of those it seemingly attempts to lampoon.
Only the truly hardcore need apply.
By Matt Clark, 02/16/2011 at 14:55
I'm old enough to remember when videogames were really hard. Yes, there's the occasional Demon's Souls or Super Meat Boy to test the modern gamer's mettle, but the vast majority of today's games lack the thumb-numbing frustration of the old school. So, when Konami announced Hard Corps: Uprising, a spiritual prequel to 1994's Contra: Hard Corps, I expected a brutally challenging game with insane boss battles and frenetic pacing. What I didn't anticipate is a game so difficult and exasperating that only the most masochistic gamers among us will even marginally enjoy it.
Let's get this out of the way first: Uprising is a Contra game. Short of actually placing the word "Contra" in the game's title, developer Arc System Works has positioned Uprising well into the Contra universe. You'll choose to play as either Bahamut (who appears in the original Hard Corps as a villain, strangely) or female protagonist Krystal. Both of the heroes are members of the Union rebel faction, attempting to overthrow -- well, it doesn't really matter. In typical Contra tradition, the game's barely existent plot is hardly even acknowledged, only conveyed through paragraph-long text displayed on each stage's loading screen. Regardless, you must run-and-gun their way though eight side-scrolling stages, fighting huge bosses throughout and at each level's end.
The final (and most challenging) entry in the Zenithia Trilogy struggles to distinguish itself from its peers.
By Kat Bailey, 02/14/2011 at 21:00
Of all the recent Dragon Quest remakes, Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation seems to be the one most in search of an identity. The original distinguished itself as the most advanced of the "Zenithia Trilogy" (referred to as such because of the castle that appears in all three entries) thanks to its superior graphics and lengthy quest. But today, without the benefit of comparatively improved graphics over its peers, some of the flaws begin to show through.
The adventure shows quite a bit of promise early on: after an unsuccessful attempt to take down the latest in a long line of Demon Lords, the Hero awakens in his village under very suspicious circumstances. Eventually it comes to light that there are two worlds -- a Real World and a Dream World -- and that the hero can travel between them both. On the surface, they look the same, but several of the more important differences heavily influence the early hours of the game.
Sometimes cheap and overpowered, but it's more fun than Super Street Fighter IV.
By Neidel Crisan, 02/14/2011 at 08:41
A game like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has so much hype and anticipation behind it, it's going to be impossible to please everyone. From die hard Marvel vs. Capcom 2 veterans to rabid fans of both franchises, everyone who's played the series has their own expectations for this game, some far less reasonable than others.
This is to be expected though; Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was arguably the most important fighting game to be released in the past 10 years. It provided endless hours of entertainment for fighting game fans around the world, and kept the competitive scene alive even in its darkest hour.
The definitive edition of a defining RPG masterpiece.
By Jeremy Parish, 02/09/2011 at 12:44
I've played a lot of remakes over the years. I've loved a lot of remakes. But until now, a remake has never loved me back.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is, without question, the finest classic remake I've ever played. It helps that the source material is so strong, of course, but what really makes this PSP rendition stand out is the way its creators have addressed every single sticking point that frustrated me all those years ago.
Standard Mario arcade fare...with a dose of Final Fantasy?
By Justin Haywald, 02/08/2011 at 15:16 Mario Sports Mix is not the game I expected. For one thing, despite the standard assortment of pick-up-and-play games, the game's tournament mode ties together in a simple but incredibly bizarre tale. Also, despite the fact that they're not to be found anywhere on the box or in the game's opening cinematic, you can play as characters from Square Enix's Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest universes.
That second point shouldn't come as a huge surprise; Nintendo has released screens that show the playable Slime character, and you can recruit a Moogle by completing the basic Mushroom Cup in any tournament. But things go a bit deeper, and weirder, than that. The trophies you earn for each event are more than just trophies -- they're made of crystals that apparently fell to Mario's planet from some meteor. If you've never played a Final Fantasy game, the entire set up utterly nonsensical (or at least as nonsensical as anything can be in a world where an Italian plumber, anthropomorphic mushrooms, and giant turtles all play basketball together). And if you are familiar with Final Fantasy, you get to wonder at how they wedged a story about gathering the four Crystals of Light into a Mario sports-themed game.
A short, downloadable game that shows quality is much more important than quantity.
By Justin Haywald, 02/08/2011 at 13:12
At its heart, Stacking is less a game than it is a story. You take on the role of a young boy, Charlie Blackmore, as he tries to reunite his captured family from an evil baron. The catch: they're all Matroyshka dolls.
In this world made of finely crafted citizens, cut-scenes play out like silent films from the early 20th century, with old-timey orchestral scores setting the tone, and plaques in stylized fonts taking the place of voice acting. But, partially because it embraces that style so thoroughly, and partially because the dolls themselves are so intricately detailed, you barely notice that no one's talking. When a character's dialog pops-up on screen, you've already created voices and mannerisms for the limbless actors.
A generic single-player campaign wrapped around a fantastic multiplayer experience.
By Mike Nelson, 02/03/2011 at 09:08 Sometimes I want my first-person shooter campaigns to be dirty, gritty, and full of testosterone. That's what Killzone 2 was about, and I loved it. Unfortunately, Killzone 3 delivers a campaign that's nothing more than a series of poorly constructed story sequences and characters that change from being bad-ass comrades to a couple of BFF's caught in the middle of a war against a bickering Helghast. Thank goodness the multiplayer portion of the game is fantastic.
The story attempts to pick up where the previous game left off with Sev sitting on the steps of Scolar Visari's palace. As easy of a set-piece this may be, the game never figures out where (or when) it wants to start telling its story. This is evidenced by a series of "six months later" and "six months ago" sequences that skip over several important elements. For example, what happened to the character of Natko from Killzone 2? He's completely written out of the game's story. Oddly enough he appears in the game's local co-op mode (still no online co-op) in a purely non-speaking role, then vanishes during the cut-scenes. Comparatively, a lot occurred over a couple of days from the previous title in the series; all of this feels like disjointed storytelling.
A great follow-up that embraces its roots a little too tightly..
By Jobert Atienza, 02/01/2011 at 19:20 Bionic Commando Rearmed was a fantastic platformer with immediately familiar controls and a unique self-awareness that recognized its roots. But when I sat down to play Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, essentially a sequel to a remake, I wasn't sure what to expect. Is this going to be a game that just wants to offer more of the same, as many sequels do? Or, since this game's developed by newcomer Fatshark instead of Grin, will it try to forge its own path by stepping out from behind its predecessor's shadow? It turns out that the game leans more toward the former; but Rearmed 2 is excellent at what it does, even if it's doing what has already been done before.
Rearmed 2's story is simple: Captain Nathan "Rad" Spencer, sporting an awesome mustache and spikey 'do, has been called upon to infiltrate the Papagayan Islands, where the ruthless dictator Sabio (modeled after Fidel Castro, of course) plans to attack Spencer's beloved FSA. Upon arrival, Capt. Spencer's team of bionic, um...commandos get separated and hunted by an unseen enemy. You play as Capt. Spencer, swinging through jungles and military bases trying to reconnect with your team, rescue the missing Colonel Brubaker (who looks a lot like Ed Harris), and stop the bad guys. There're some plot twists (that you'll see coming), and a little humor thrown in for good measure.
A lazy, corporate-mandated third-person shooter...with a twist!
By Kat Bailey, 01/28/2011 at 20:22
When I first saw Mindjack last August, I commented that it had a lot in common with my favorite game of 2009 -- Demon's Souls. The comparison was a natural one, as both make it possible to invade another player's game as either a friend or foe.
Alas, I was being far too generous. In every way that Demon's Souls is engaging and innovative, Mindjack is careless and colorless.
A wasted opportunity to bring a quality MMO to console gamers.
By Mike Nelson, 01/27/2011 at 13:02 The weeks that follow the launch of an MMO are never perfect, and in some cases, they're not indicative of what the game may look and play like a year or even a few months from now. DC Universe Online has had a decent launch: stable servers and a helpful community assist in this regard. However, its future will depend on its ability to retain this community and keep them interested in a game that starts strong, but grows old far too quickly.
The game starts off promising enough: create your own customized superhero and, with the help of a time-traveling Lex Luthor, combat Brainiac. There are only three basic body types to choose from, but how you dress these body types up is entirely at your discretion; either pick a template superhero (Flash, Superman, Catwoman, etc.) or customize your own character using a variety of features and iconic powers. Once you've chosen your alignment and mentor, the game starts you off on Brainiac's starship and it's up to you to punch and kick your way to freedom.
Despite a strong launch, Sony's comic MMO still has some serious issues.
By Mike Nelson, 01/27/2011 at 13:01
The weeks that follow the launch of an MMO are never perfect, and in some cases, they're not indicative of what the game may look and play like a year or even a few months from now. DC Universe Online has had a decent launch: stable servers and a helpful community assist in this regard. However, its future will depend on its ability to retain this community and keep them interested in a game that starts strong, but grows old far too quickly.
The game starts off promising enough: create your own customized superhero and, with the help of a time-traveling Lex Luthor, combat Brainiac. There are only three basic body types to choose from, but how you dress these body types up is entirely at your discretion; either pick a template superhero (Flash, Superman, Catwoman, etc.) or customize your own character using a variety of features and iconic powers. Once you've chosen your alignment and mentor, the game starts you off on Brainiac's starship and it's up to you to punch and kick your way to freedom.
Dead Space 2 isn't the "leap from Uncharted 1 to 2" sequel -- it's more like the change from Alien to Aliens.
By Thierry Nguyen, 01/25/2011 at 00:26 Early on in Dead Space 2, there's a moment where protagonist Isaac Clarke boards a space train. In the previous game, such a moment would have signaled a loading screen; but here, it unfolds as the following in-game sequence: After tinkering around to get it up and running, and shooting some Necromorphs, he finds out that one of the train cars is simply missing, and hence there's this huge gap that he needs to cross during transit. Rather than react to this sudden circumstance with any sort of fright or consternation, Isaac simply looks around, and nonchalantly activates his jetpack in order to fly through space a la Iron Man.
It's this moment, among others, that's indicative of the fundamental difference between Dead Space 2 and its predecessor. In fact, the analogy that would most succinctly depict this difference is a movie one -- specifically the change between Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens. The first installments in both series focus on civilians panicking their way through a dark spaceship while avoiding an extraterrestrial lurking horror; both follow-ups retain their predecessor's basic aesthetic while deliberately shifting from creeping tension into outright sci-fi action. Aliens introduced space marines, the power loader exosuit, and the Alien Queen; Dead Space 2 gives us scenes of Isaac flying around in zero-g, mowing down Necromorphs with an assault rifle while wearing "space marine" armor, and confidently throwing explosives with his telekinetic powers.
The PS3 update isn't quite the definitive version we were hoping for.
By Jeremy Parish, 01/18/2011 at 09:50 Editor's Note: This review covers changes made to the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2. For the full Mass Effect 2 review, click here.
The PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2 proves, if nothing else, that the game holds up nicely a year after its debut. It's still a brilliant (albeit sometimes overly streamlined) RPG. That said, the PS3 version isn't quite the definitive version -- despite alleged improvements to the game engine -- so anyone who already owns the Xbox 360 version can comfortably pass this one up without feeling that they've missed anything.
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