Reviews Archives - Page 119 of 129

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Review: Nice One

There are two ways Zelda games can be great. The newest entry in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks summits one of those rarefied heights. There are the Zelda games that are great in ways that influence an industry and nearly mandate that they be played. These groundbreakers include the very first Zelda…

By Stephen Totilo Published December 7, 2009

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Madden NFL Arcade Micro-Review: Snacking on Football

Did you toss the football around over Thanksgiving? If so, did you take time to read the playbook and set your audibles? Thought so. That’s the spirit behind EA Sports‘s Madden NFL Arcade, the bite-size complement to its full franchise. Sports sims’ increasing complexity and granular game management decisions can be off-putting, even intimidating, to…

By Owen Good Published December 5, 2009

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Canabalt Micro-Review: Up On The Rooftop, Tap, Tap, Tap

It’s not often that we play a video game designed, coded and scored in just five days. Canabalt, conceived and created for the Experimental Gameplay Project, uncomplicated as it is, somehow doesn’t feel like the typical output of two weekends. Canabalt is a game of escape, a simple, one-action platformer that—from a gameplay perspective—is little…

By Michael McWhertor Published December 5, 2009

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Small Worlds Micro-Review: A Fine 20 Minutes

Why would Kotaku review a game that you could start and finish quicker than dinner? To make sure you play it. Small games don’t often get a lot of critical attention. Nor do free ones. But don’t ignore the work of David Shute, who made a game called Small Worlds that is small and free…

By Stephen Totilo Published December 3, 2009

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Tropico 3 Review: Go Bananas For El Presidente

I’ve played a lot of games over the past 29 years. I’ve been wizards, warriors, soldiers, pilots, businessmen, cops, athletes and actors. One thing I’ve never been, until now, is the despotic ruler of a tinpot Caribbean island. Tropico 3 is the third game in a series that tasks you with assuming control of small,…

By Luke Plunkett Published December 3, 2009

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Geforce 3D Vision Glasses Review: I Can See Forever

Has 3D technology advanced to the point where we should all be sitting in front of our computer monitors wearing futuristic glasses? NVIDIA is banking on it with the GeForce 3D Vision Glasses kit. NVIDIA’s 3D Vision Glasses use today’s advanced technology to deliver two different images to your two different eyes, creating the illusion…

By Mike Fahey Published December 2, 2009

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Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned Micro-Review: Brains Optional

Borderlands expands Pandora’s borders with the downloadable Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, a new landmass that’s infected with all manner of spook, from reanimated corpses to half-man, half-skag abominations. Yup, Borderlands got itself some zombie killin’ too! The draw in The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned are new locations in which to adventure, loot and…

By Michael McWhertor Published December 1, 2009

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Tony Hawk: Ride Review: Time To Bail

The latest edition of the venerable Tony Hawk skateboarding video game franchise slides across your carpet on a plastic skateboard in Tony Hawk: Ride. Losing ground to EA’s Skate franchise, Activision tapped developer Robomodo to help take the Tony Hawk franchise in a whole new direction, eschewing standard controllers for a new plastic skateboard peripheral,…

By Mike Fahey Published November 30, 2009

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Ravensword: The Fallen King Micro-Review: Hack, Slash, and Finger-swipe

Chillingo’s ambitious app puts a Lord of the Rings-like adventure in the palm of your hand. Appearing on the comparatively underpowered iPhone, Ravensword packs a near console-quality presentation. Featuring a large 3D open-world, an awesome variety of mythical beasts to slay, and some fantastic visual and audio tricks, it often rivals a PS2-era production. Loved…

matt cabral Published November 27, 2009

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Sound Blaster Arena Surround Gaming Headset Review: Who’s That Sneaking Up On Me?

Over the years sound has increasingly taken the back seat to the other important elements of a PC gaming experience from mouse and keyboard to the graphics and light-kits. But Creative and Sound Blaster have never given up the good fight. Are their Arena Surround gaming headsets a must have for PC gamers or just…

By Brian Crecente Published November 26, 2009

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Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines Review: Thicker Than Water?

Ubisoft’s juggernaut franchise Assassin’s Creed vaults onto the PSP with Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines. But should it have stayed perched on home consoles? While Assassin’s Creed II tells the story of Renaissance nobleman assassin Ezio, Bloodlines brings players back to 12th century and the story of the original Assassin’s Creed’s Altair. The game picks up where…

By Brian Ashcraft Published November 25, 2009

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PSPgo Cradle Review: Dock and Go

You can’t have hardware without having accessories. That’s just the way gadgets work. The PSPgo, out now for hefty chunk of the year doesn’t have a ton of choices yet, but some are intriguing. Take for instance, The Cradle, a dock used to both charge your PSPgo and hold the portable while it is connected…

By Brian Crecente Published November 25, 2009

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Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles Review: Three’s A Welcome Trend

The Year of the Wii Lightgun Shooter continues with a Resident Evil entry that is two-thirds fun retro, never scary yet surprisingly generous. Too bad it makes a poor first impression. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is a follow-up to 2007’s Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Both Wii games are lightgun takes on gaming’s most…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 24, 2009

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Excitebike: World Rally Micro-Review: Race back to 1985

The NES motocross classic gets updated for a trip across the WiiWare finish line. Nostalgia-craving gamers who couldn’t quite embrace Wii-fangled updates Excite Truck and Excitebots: Trick Racing will pop a wheelie over this decidedly old school-flavored entry. Loved Ah, the Memories…: Make no mistake, this is Excitebike as you remember it from back in…

matt cabral Published November 24, 2009

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Astro Gaming A40 Audio System Review: Sound Advice

Astro Gaming’s A40 Audio System is largely pitched at the “pro gaming” market, a headset and amplifier combo that offers a private audio experience and the necessary options for voice chat while playing others. The A40 Audio System is comprised of Astro’s A40 Headset and A40 MixAmp. Released last year, it’s a petite but powerful…

By Michael McWhertor Published November 23, 2009

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Wii Energizer 4X Charging Station Review: Induction Into the Hall of Fame

If you own a Wii, a charging kit, any charging kit, is almost a necessity. Unless you enjoy to constantly purchasing double A batteries. And if you’re going for a charging kit that charges a Wii remote without the need to remove the batteries from the controller there are plenty of options. And I’ve tried…

By Brian Crecente Published November 23, 2009

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NCAA Basketball 10 Review: Some Shining Moments

As the year’s last title in North America’s major team sports, NCAA Basketball 10 faces why-buy questions that NCAA Football and NBA Live just don’t. This year EA Canada seeks to answer them with two networks broadcasting from your living room. CBS’ iconic Road to the Final Four and March Madness presentation is paired with…

By Owen Good Published November 22, 2009

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Art Style Digidrive Micro-Review: The Superiority Of Video Games

I’m sure opera, movies and cave paintings are fine forms of entertainment, but can any of them derive fun from such a mundane activity as directing traffic? After a several weeks of inactivity, the Art Style series has returned to North America’s DSiWare shop with Digidrive, an abstract puzzle game about directing traffic that can…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 20, 2009

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LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues Review: Nuke The Mini-fig

With the three best Indiana Jones movies already tapped in the first LEGO Indiana Jones game and rage over the fourth Indy film still not fully dissipated, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues may be on shaky LEGO bricks. LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues spends much of its time focused on the…

By Brian Crecente Published November 19, 2009

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Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron Review: Deja Vu in Space

When LucasArts released the first Star Wars: Battlefront game back in 2004, players got a boots-on-the-ground feeling in the Star Wars universe. It’s now, 2009, how does the latest installment stack up? Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron follows the tale of two brothers, both Jedi clones, named X1 and X2. As the Dark Side’s power…

By Brian Ashcraft Published November 19, 2009