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Roundup

roundup

Frankenreview: Battlefield: Bad Company (Xbox 360)

EA DICE's Battlefield series has been providing PC gamers (and eventually console owners) with solid, entertaining online multiplayer battles for a good six years now. Now that they've proven they can deliver the multiplayer goods they've taken on the single player experience with Battlefield: Bad Company, seeking to provide an offline story mode that is every bit as compelling to the solo-player as the massive multiplayer battles are to the more competitive gamer.

Has EA DICE managed to provide a combination of solo and multiplayer experiences worthy of your gaming dollar, or has the mixed focus resulted in mix review scores? The critics arm themselves after the jump.

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roundup

Frankenreview: Alone In The Dark (Xbox 360)

Back in 1992, Infogrames delivered unto PC gamers one of the scariest experiences they'd encountered to date in the form of Alone in the Dark, the first 3D survival horror game. I myself spent many a night playing the original title, guiding Edward Carnby through that haunted Louisiana mansion, scared out of my mind but unable to pull myself away, like a nightmare you can't wake up from.

Sixteen years and three lackluster sequels later, Infogrames subsidiary Atari and developer Eden Games attempt to breath new life (and new death) into the series with an all-new Alone in the Dark, featuring a strangely displaced Edward Carnby in a modern-day setting. New setting, new gameplay, and terrifying new enemies, none of which are more terrifying than your average game critic.

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roundup

Frankenreview, Lego Indiana Jones (Xbox 360)

Who knew that combining little plastic blocks with blockbuster movie trilogies could prove so charming? LucasArts and Traveller's Tales captured lighting in a bottle with the Lego Star Wars series of games, with the lighthearted take on some of the most icon characters and stories in science fiction history capturing the hearts of fans both young and old alike. So charmed were both gamers and the gaming press that they almost - almost forgave Lucas for Jar Jar.

Now the two companies have teamed up again to give the classic Indiana Jones trilogy the tiny toy treatment in the hopes of recapturing the magic and wonder of the first two outings. Have they unearthed yet another treasure, or are they up to their waist in a pit full of snakes? Throw me the whip, and I'll throw you the review roundup.

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roundup

Frankenreview, Haze (PS3)

A year ago you couldn't look at a list of PlayStation 3 killer apps without seeing Free Radical and Ubisoft's Haze right up there towards the top. Promising cutting edge visuals, a deep story, and the unique power of the nectar, a drug that gives soldiers superhuman abilities, Haze seemed destined to become one of the PS3's definitive games.

So how did destiny fare? The game is out, the scores are out, and the word is out on the ambitious first-person shooter. Does Haze deliver a nice, warm buzz, or does it leave you shaking and sweating in the corner, craving your next fix? Here's several small doses of Haze, now in convenient capsule form.

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sony playstation day 08 london

Sony PlayStation Day London '08 Roundup


roundup

Frankenreview, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3)

There are people, reading this right now, who bought a $600 PlayStation 3 at launch for one game: Gran Turismo 5. Why? Because despite the recent advancement of other racing franchises, Polyphony Digital's near religious devotion to automobiles has offered hardcore racing/racing game fans an unparalleled driving simulation for a decade.

But until Gran Turismo 5 actually comes out, we can only get a taste of things to come through Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. So is that taste making reviewers hungry for more? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview to find out—a buncha reviews with the crust cut off because we know you like it that way.

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roundup

The GTA IV Compendium & FAQ

As we approach the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV, we've learned more and more about the game, but the incremental updates have made it tougher and tougher to piece the whole thing together. So we've created a GTA IV compendium to get you up to speed on the game before its release. Because the last thing you want to be caught saying to the cashier is, "Wait, so this game has multiplayer??" More »

roundup

Frankenreview, Ikaruga (XBLA)

Treasure's classic shoot 'em up Ikaruga has a simple premise. Turn your ship white, become immune to white attacks. Turn your ship black, become immune to black attacks. The casual onlooker would say the premise sounded simple. The seasoned Ikaruga player would say the premise sounded deceptively simple.

So the question isn't should you play Ikaruga if you haven't. The question is, should you play Ikaruga on XBLA, or should you hunt down a Gamecube or Dreamcast version. Hit the jump for our Frankenreview to find out: it's Ikarugalicious.

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capcom digital day 08

Capcom Digital Day 08 Roundup

For those of you who missed my wondrous adventures in the land of Capcom's Digital Day, I have done you the favor of compiling the coverage here for your viewing pleasure. There was a lot of information to be had, games to played and a grand time was had by all. More »

roundup

Frankenreview, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Honestly, I don't get it. It's not that I didn't play the hell out of the last Smash Bros. title. It's just that, as far as I've been concerned, Nintendo only has so many throw-backs to nostalgia left in them—like a band that keeps releasing greatest hits collections...without putting out any new records.

But after double-checking with the critics, it appears that I'm definitely in the minority. So hit the jump for our Frankenreview on Super Smash Bros. Brawl—what is pretty much a 5-chapter review of a fanboy wet dream.

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Frankenreview, Army of Two (PS3)

EA's Army of Two has had a rough road to release. A title focused on co-op mercenary missions to extents of borderline innovation, its tongue-in-cheek, adolescent play on private contractor military presence in the current world has been mistaken by many for a poor attempt at humor with no greater punchline than a well-timed fart.

So what did the critics think of Army of Two? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview on the game—what is inarguably the leading meta review system on Kotaku today.

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Frankenreview: Top 5 Games of the Year Edition

2007 has been a crazy awesome year for gamers. While during years gone by we've all fallen prey to too much hype and not enough...what's that word again...fun, the most unexpected part of 2007 was that it lived up to our unreasonably high expectations.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview, victory lap 2007 edition. We pulled reviewers' top rated games* from Game Rankings to relive some of our best moments from the year.

Note, on repeat games, we picked the higher ranking platform.

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satire

5 Gaming Industry Keynotes, In Short Form!

From Magical Wasteland comes a hilarious (and quick) wrap up of five of the gaming industry's most popular keynotes. Maybe it's just because I've hit my saturation point with this sort of stuff, but I found it wickedly funny and oh-so-true. My personal favorite is the first:

Let's think about the future for a second. You probably don't understand the kids that make up the bulk of our audience, but I do. I call them the network MySpace remix 3.0 social generation. Unlike any other people before them, young people today like to interact with each other. They also like music. YouTube is the perfect example of whatever point it is I'm making. Everything should be online and customizable.

It's short. It's funny! It's worth a read. As someone in the comments section said, "You just saved me so much in travel expenses." Touché.

Five Short Video Game Industry Keynotes [Magical Wasteland via GameSetWatch]


roundup

Double PS3 Frankenreview: UT3 and The Orange Box

Merry Christmas early, friends (or happy Hanukkah late). Because today is a double frankenreview day. Oh yes. And we aren't charging a penny more for the privilege. Epic's Unreal Tournament 3 and what's sorta Valve's The Orange Box have both hit first on other platforms. But now that they're on the PlayStation 3, gamers can experience them like never before. Or something. So hit the jump to see what the critics said about two AAA shooters sure to steal sleep, companionship and many weekends from us all.

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Frankenreview, Geometry Wars: Galaxies (DS)

With the lackluster releases this week, and considering the reviewers were a bit behind on this title, I figured, what the hell, let's do a Franken on Geometry Wars: Galaxies for the NIntendo DS. The promise of a pocketable version of one of the most addictive arcade titles in recent history alone would have been great. But since Galaxies DS provides a whole universe (OK, maybe just several galaxies worth) of entertainment, we have high expectations for this little portable.

So how was it? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview and find out: 5 muffin tops ready for ingestion.

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Frankenreview, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)

From the beginning, Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drakes Fortune could go either way. We'd seen the Indiana Jones with guns concept before—many times—with a much more fulfilling cup size. And besides, the game's on the PS3, and we all know the difficult platform requires daily goat sacrifices just for the dev kits to load for developers. Ratchet & Clank, Heavenly Sword—anomalies!

But Uncharted ended up being pretty good after all. Hit the jump for our Frankenreview: the full story on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Well, not the full story. We're not spoiling the game or anything. Or will we...

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Frankenreview, Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

The time has come. No more bullshit, no more trailers, no more promises. Next-gen is officially now-gen, as all the long-lusted, near-fabled releases are finally upon us. Since the Wii's launch, we've been treated to a few classic Nintendo franchises. But things just didn't feel right before the pudgy-but-steadfast plumber showed up and started kicking some ass...like he did in today's Frankenreview. So hit the jump to see why the critics loved Super Mario Galaxy so much, and what makes it so much more than another 3D platformer. More »

roundup

Frankenreview, Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360)

While most of us have enjoyed teabagging Hitler throughout the various incarnations of FPSs for some time now, it's refreshing to know that Call of Duty 4 has finally ditched WWII in favor of more "modern warfare." You know, bigger guns, less scrupulous causes and, of course, night vision goggles.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview of COD4—the only review you'll ever need of the game before deciding, yes, it's a must-play and, no, you're never joining the Armed Forces.

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