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Reviews
The Nintendo 3DS’ Time Is Now
The 3DS isn’t just another Nintendo portable. It’s the successor to the Nintendo DS, one of the most successful gaming machines ever. A big act to follow. Next month the 3DS will go on sale in the West. Until then, there’s this guide to tide you over and tell you what to expect when it…
By Owen Good Published February 28, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Nintendo 3DS Is Stylish, Grown-Up And Flawed
Following up the most successful game handheld in history is no easy task. That’s exactly what Nintendo is doing starting today with the Nintendo 3DS. The future begins now. Note: This is a straight-up hardware review. The Basics The Nintendo 3DS is a portable gaming system capable of displaying more realistic graphics than any of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2011 -
ReviewsKillzone 3 is a Colorful, Wonderful, Enthusiastic Mess
Killzone 3 is at its best when it’s most unrecognizable. Killzones of the past have been, at best, games trying to buck the trends that make first-person shooters so familiar and bland; at worst the two previous iterations were amalgams of those myriad tropes. In Killzone 3 we find a game trying so vigorously to…
By Brian Crecente Published February 25, 2011 -
ReviewsLowbrow, Sure. But Bulletstorm Isn’t Stupid
Bulletstorm did a ton of advance work securing its reputation as this year’s fratboy game, full of snickering, dick jokes and arm punches. It’s unapologetically lowbrow, but that doesn’t mean it’s stupid. Hell, some of the smartest guys I know were in my fraternity. Don’t look to Bulletstorm’s protagonist, Grayson Hunt, for enlightenment. He’s a…
By Owen Good Published February 23, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad Is Hideously Wonderful
Can a specialized fighting game controller make you better at Marvel Vs. Capcom 3? PDP’s Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad says yes. The Basics The Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad is a controller built specifically with 2D fighting games in mind. The Xbox 360’s left and right bumpers, used in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 to…
By Mike Fahey Published February 23, 2011 -
ReviewsD.C. Universe Online is a Flawed but Heroic Undertaking
Between the action, the lives of superheroes make comic books, for better or worse, suitable to the MMO genre. It’s a crowd of unique people, all trying to be different, feeling alone in a great city of thousands. D.C. Universe Online plants a flag for massively multiplayer online role-playing games on the PlayStation 3, bringing…
By Owen Good Published February 16, 2011 -
ReviewsI Just Used A $400 Joystick
For the price of a PlayStation 3, Saitek’s new X-65F Flight Control System for the PC had damn well better be the best video game peripheral ever made. The Basics The X-65F is a fully-featured “flight control system”, meaning the pack includes a joystick, throttle control and auxiliary instrument panel. Designed to work with every…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
ReviewsBionic Commando Didn’t Really Need To Be Re-Rearmed
In 2008, GRIN released Bionic Commando Rearmed, a remake of the original 1988 NES version of Capcom’s platformer. It was homage, and it was good. Why, exactly, did we need a sequel? I mean, Bionic Commando Rearmed was a remake of the first game. There was a point to that. A second “Rearmed” game, though,…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Razer Ferox Are Sci-Fi Speakers That Fill A Room, Like It Or Not
If you are going to use portable speakers, sparing your ears of headphones, you may have a few demands. These speakers need to be easy to transport, a cinch to connect, sound good and… that’s it? What if they emit sound in 360 degrees? The Razer Ferox are a pair of portable speakers that meet…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 11, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Best Russian-Themed Stacking Game Since Tetris
Stacking is a game about Russian stacking dolls. Matryoshka dolls. You know, the dolls that fit within shells of shells of other dolls. It has no guns, no cars and almost no explosions. Its characters have no arms, no feet. This is a game that stars the son of a chimney sweep. It’s a humble…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 8, 2011 -
ReviewsMindJack Fails To Execute Its Brilliant Plan
Every once in a while a game concept comes along with the potential to change the way we fight our online multiplayer battles. Hopefully next time the developers won’t drop the ball as badly as developer feelplus did with MindJack. MindJack is a third-person shooter with a mind-bending twist. In the not-so-distant future, mankind has…
By Mike Fahey Published February 7, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Intercooler STS Is One Sleek And Sexy Cooling Solution
Last year Microsoft introduced the Xbox 360 Slim, a darker, skinnier, and prettier version of the Xbox 360. A body that sexy needs a cooling solution to match. Here comes the Nyko Intercooler STS. Specs Price: US$19.99 Platform: Xbox 360 What’s in the box: The Intercooler, and that’s all. There was a time when the…
By Mike Fahey Published February 4, 2011 -
ReviewsPlaying To Wiin Offers More Than Wii Puns
Nintendo is gaming’s comeback kid. Just when everybody counted them out with the GameCube, the Kyoto-based game maker fired back with the hugely successful Nintendo DS and the Wii. But there’s more to the Cinderella story than that. Specs Price: US$24.95 Platform: Hardcover What’s in the book: 256 pages, black and white pictures. The Basics…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 26, 2011 -
ReviewsReview: Dead Space 2 Is Insanely Terrifying, Crazy Good
Dead Space 2 now has me thinking video games may not be a healthy pursuit after all. Despite playing through the original Dead Space twice, my heart was not as well-conditioned to its horrors as I originally thought. Visceral Games’ newest sci-fi fright-fest piles on the spooks and scares just as well as its predecessor,…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Chameleon X-1 Wireless Gamepad Mouse Gets It Half Right
It’s a wireless mouse. It’s a wireless gamepad. The Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 is both of these devices rolled into one. Are these two great tastes that taste great together? Specs Price: US$55 Platform: PC What’s in the box: Mouse/Gamepad Device, Instructions, Driver Disc, USB Wireless Dongle, 1 AA Battery. Combining two or more devices…
By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2011 -
ReviewsReview: LittleBigPlanet 2 Is Good For The Greedy Gamer
Why does the PlayStation 3 need a new LittleBigPlanet when users of the first game continue to flood it with new content? The creatively unchained LittleBigPlanet 2 and its broad set of new tools answers that question easily. The second LittleBigPlanet expands upon the “Play Create Share” mantra of the first, giving wannabe level creators…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2011 -
ReviewsPS3 Assault Rifle Misfires Even With Move
In multiplayer shooters, I’m the worst, and peripherals offer the seductive idea of an advantage. CTA Digital’s Assault Rifle Controller, for PlayStation Move, looks like something that could point-and-shoot me to pwnage, or at least not sucking. Specs Price: US$59.99 Platform: PS3 What’s in the box: Assault rifle controller, PlayStation Move controller cradle, two AA…
By Owen Good Published January 19, 2011 -
ReviewsSplitFish FragFX Shark Tries To Bring A Little Bit Of PC To The PS3
The first-person shooter was born to be played on a PC, with a mouse and keyboard. Then along came consoles, and things had to change. The SplitFish FragFX Shark is trying to change things back. Specs Price: US$89.99 Platform: PS3 / PC / Mac What’s in the box: Mouse, Nunchuk, USB Adapter, Mouse Pad Designed…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 12, 2011 -
ReviewsReview: ilomilo’s Surprising Depth Is A Matter Of Perception
A pair of friends vow to meet each other in the park each day, despite a twisted world that strives to keep them apart. This is the simple story behind ilomilo, a puzzle game much deeper than initial appearances. Poor ilo and milo. Every day they venture into the park to spend valuable time together,…
By Mike Fahey Published January 7, 2011 -
ReviewsReview: ‘Lost In Shadow’ And The Six-Hour Wait For A Wonderful Eureka
How long would you wait until a video game showed off its best idea? How much good would you enjoy in order to reach something great? Lost In Shadow demands six hours to get itself ready. Lost In Shadow is a Wii-only side-scrolling platforming game. You play as the shadow of a boy, running and…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 5, 2011