Reviews Archives - Page 85 of 128

This FPS Controller Will Shoot You in the Face

Two big shooters fired out this fall: Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. If you are into shooters (I mean, really into shooters), maybe you are looking for an edge. That’s exactly what Japanese peripheral maker Hori hopes it can offer with its controller designed especially for FPS games on consoles. But…

By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2012

Reviews

Pepsi Special Is a Special Cola, But Not a Special Tasting Cola

Out of the unique flavors Pepsi has released in Japan, Pepsi Special might have the most boring taste. However, it could be one of the most revolutionary. In Japan, Pepsi regularly releases an array of, how should I say, unique flavors. Some of them, such as Salty Watermelon Pepsi, are not as bad as you…

By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2012

Reviews

Nintendo Land: The Kotaku Review

Nintendo Land is no Wii Sports and it is no Super Mario 64. That’s the bad news for people who hope Nintendo has once again made a day-one masterpiece for its newest console. The good news is that Nintendo Land is a fun collection of surprisingly well-made smaller games. It’s a museum of beloved Nintendo…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 15, 2012

Reviews

New Super Mario Bros. U: The Kotaku Review

New Super Mario Bros. U is an extraordinarily important game. It’s the flagship title for a new piece of gaming hardware. It’s the first-ever high-definition Mario. And it’s the Wii U’s first system-seller, one of the big games that Nintendo hopes will convince people to buy their innovative, unusual new console. It’s also just another…

By Jason Schreier Published November 15, 2012

Reviews

New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land: The Kotaku Reviews

Things are picking up pace here at Kotaku now that we have a Wii U in the office. Our own Stephen Totilo and Jason Schreier have been playing the heck out of the thing, and bring you two reviews today. Nintendo Land: The Kotaku Review Nintendo Land is no Wii Sports and it is no…

By Tina Amini Published November 15, 2012

Reviews

AverMedia Live Gamer HD: The Kotaku Review

Video capture devices confuse the hell out of me. For years I’ve wanted a hardware solution for PC video capture, perhaps something I could also hook a game console up to, but after a string of ill-informed purchases and a box full of cards that didn’t do what I wanted them to do, I settled…

By Mike Fahey Published November 14, 2012

Reviews

Call of Duty: Black Ops II: The Kotaku Review

Six years after the death of Saddam Hussein—just a couple of days ago—I decided to watch the video of his death for the first time. I did this because in Call of Duty: Black Ops II’s attempt to explain its plot, I was shown a brief glimpse of a YouTube video showcasing the director of…

By Patricia Hernandez Published November 13, 2012

Reviews

This Might be Your Next Gaming Keyboard. If You Like Blue.

I tend to like most of my peripherals—as I would, since I paid good money for them—but of all the gear plugged into my PC, I think I have the softest spot for my keyboard. It’s a Corsair K60, and it looks like it could kill a man just for looking at it funny. I’d…

By Luke Plunkett Published November 13, 2012

Reviews

Natural Selection 2: The Kotaku Review

Natural Selection 2 is the first ever game I’ve enjoyed watching more than I’ve enjoyed playing. If that sounds like an insult, it’s certainly not intended as one. Rather, read it as perhaps one of the highest compliments I could give. Natural Selection 2 is good stuff—but playing it is only half its purpose. First,…

By Kate Cox Published November 12, 2012

Reviews

Call of Duty: Black Ops II: The Snacktaku Review

I don’t know if it’s the “rating pending” box or something specific to the Xbox 360 version of the game, but I’ve been chewing for hours and all I’ve got to show for it is disc shards slicing painfully into my gums. Thanks a lot, Activision. Snacktaku is Kotaku’s take on the wild and wonderful…

By Mike Fahey Published November 12, 2012

Reviews

Darkstalkers‘ Sultry Succubus Has Never Looked Quite So Good

Morrigan Aensland from Capcom’s Darkstalkers is one of the most widely depicted characters in video games. Her distinctive features have spawned dozens of statues, hundreds of cosplays and thousands of pieces of fan art. Of her myriad appearances, this statue from E2046’s Gathering line might just be my favorite. Let’s just get this out of…

By Mike Fahey Published November 9, 2012

Reviews

Paper Mario: Sticker Star: The Kotaku Review

Have you ever played a video game that you had trouble describing as either “good” or “bad”? Have you ever played something so simultaneously delightful yet frustrating that for every smile it put on your face, it made you want to ram a fist through the wall? Have you ever thought “holy crap, this is…

By Jason Schreier Published November 6, 2012

Reviews

Halo 4: The Kotaku Review

I’ve never seen Halo like this before. Halo 4 is emotional, something I’ve never felt from the franchise quite like this. Sure, invested fans will protest and say that the lore is fascinating and the war struggles moving, but I can safely say I’ve never sat through a Halo campaign quite at the edge of…

By Tina Amini Published November 6, 2012

Reviews

The Best Gaming Mouse (Clickwheel) I’ve Ever Seen

When taking Gigabyte’s Krypton gaming mouse out of its box for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Here was a company I normally associate with motherboards and graphics cards with their name on a fancy peripheral, one that promised an awful lot. Silly me. It mostly delivers. WHAT’S IN THE BOX 1x…

By Luke Plunkett Published November 6, 2012

Reviews

Tootsie Rolls: The Snacktaku Review

There are Snacktaku reviews that come into being as a result of months of research, vetting out of potential candidates and focus testing. Then there are Snacktaku reviews that spring from finding a five-pound bag of candy on clearance at Walmart the day after Halloween. Look at all those damn Tootsie Roll products. The day…

By Mike Fahey Published November 5, 2012

Reviews

Wreck-It Ralph: The Kotaku Movie Review

Wreck-It-Ralph is, without question, one of the most highly anticipated video game movies ever produced. It had a shot at being the best one ever. The reasons are obvious and numerous. For starters, it’s a product of Walt Disney Animation Studios, whose animation pedigree is without question. Then you have John Lasseter as executive producer.…

by Matt Hawkins Published November 2, 2012

Reviews

How It Feels To Review Halo 4 On Microsoft’s Turf

When I’ve got a game to review, you’ll often find me in my tiny studio apartment, sprawled out on my bed with controller in hand and laptop to my side for note-taking. I’ll take breaks here and there to flesh out thoughts or grab some food. The most recent game I reviewed was Halo 4.…

By Tina Amini Published November 1, 2012

Reviews

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation: The Kotaku Review

There had to be some sort of heroes back then. Unnoticed in the ways that mattered and exploited in the ways that left permanent fractures, the African people that came over during the Atlantic Slave Trade had to have found ways to survive and thrive in a land where they were looked on as property.…

By Evan Narcisse Published October 30, 2012

Reviews

Assassin’s Creed III: The Kotaku Review

It is one of the best video games of the year, one of the most daring developed by a major studio this generation, and one of the most beautiful to ever run on any machine. It stumbles from some awkward glitches and some game design over-reach, but it is superb in a surprising number of…

By Stephen Totilo Published October 30, 2012

Reviews

Need For Speed: Most Wanted: The Kotaku Review

Need For Speed: Most Wanted is a video game shot out of a cannon. It starts at a sprint and never stops for breath, hurtling forward with such momentum that it feels like it may rattle apart at any moment. Most Wanted is exhilarating, disorienting, maddening, cathartic, and hilarious, all in equal measure. It’s the…

By Kirk Hamilton Published October 30, 2012