Gaming Review – Mafia II
In all honestly I wasn’t expecting too much from my time with Mafia II because I was never able to finish the one Grand Theft Auto game I started because the gameplay just wasn't for me (which Mafia II closely resembles), and in all honesty I think The Godfather is pretty overrated. With that said I decided to give this →
Gaming Review – Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
With the current surge in popularity of Nathan Drake’s treasure seeking world travels in the Uncharted series it would be expected that Lara Croft is feeling a little worried. However, with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light it is clear that she is too busy using the torch while raiding tombs to pass it off to Drake just yet. At →
Gaming Review – God of War Collection (PS3 exclusive)
For some reason back when God of War was released on the PS2 I never thought to play it, though now that I think about it there was a good chance that my system was already broken… Stupid broken systems… Anyway, now with the collection on the PS3 I had no reason not to finally give them a go, and →
Gaming Review – Limbo
Summertime might be all about the sunny days, but the Summer of Arcade on XBOX Live is starting things off a tad bit gloomier with Playdead’s Limbo. At the start of the game the player wakes in the body of a young boy lying alone in a grassy field. Similar to Remedy’s Alan Wake (released back in May), Limbo sets the →
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World vs. The Comic vs. The Adaptation vs. The Video Game
That's right! We are back with a new round of questions and answers, this time taking of the ever evolving universe of Scott Pilgrim in order to celebrate the film's release this weekend (and just how awesome Scott Pilgrim is in general). And this time things get "heated." Read on to find out why. SPOILERS AHEAD, SO ENTER AT YOUR OWN →
Gaming Review – Red Dead Redemption
If ever there was a time to use the word “epic,” now seems mighty fitting. Red Dead Redemption offers a grand look at the days of the Old West (well… South. This is on the border of Mexico after all) without the fear of family members dying of some random disease or a wagon yoke breaking along the way (first →
Gaming Review – Alan Wake
As far as video games go, Alan Wake is the closest I have ever come to playing a game of the horror genre (because I don't think my roommate handing over the controller for a minor section of Dead Space counts). Technically it says “psychological action thriller” right on the box, but I will ignore this distinction and revel in →
Gaming Review – Splinter Cell: Conviction
Side note: This is just a review for the main single player campaign for the game because I am still waiting for someone (*cough* Zac *cough*) to play the co-op portion to the game. Sam Fisher has gone off the map in Splinter Cell: Conviction without his gadgets, secret government agency backing him up, and without his daughter. The one thing →
Gaming Review – Mass Effect 2: Kasumi’s Stolen Memory DLC
The first DLC pack with a price tag for Mass Effect 2 was released last week, and though it doesn't quite live up to the expectations I had, it is a decent enough experience while it lasts. Kasumi’s Stolen Memory introduces another addition to Shepard’s squad. Keeping with the team of many talents, Kasumi offers up some pretty nice skills thanks →
Heavy Rain Chronicles: The Taxidermist (PS3 Exclusive)
The first downloadable content for Heavy Rain was released this week, and though I am not sure if it’s worth the price, it provides one intensely creepy experience. If we have learned anything about reporter Madison Paige from the main game it’s that her snooping tends to get her into trouble. This time around she is following another lead on the →
Gaming Review – Heavy Rain (PS3 exclusive)
When Heavy Rain was first introduced it was talked about as revolutionizing the way video games are structured, creating a more interactive experience rather than just an empty button masher. After playing it I can say that they achieved the majority of what they set out to do, and though I wouldn't go as far as to say that I →
Gaming Review – Mass Effect 2
A few years ago BioWare opened my eyes to what RPGs could really be like with the first Mass Effect, a game that wasn't hard to love. It created a massive universe with humans as the babies of the species still needing to prove themselves among a broad group of alien races that were all fleshed out with histories, →
Q&A Review – Mass Effect 2
Below you will find a Q&A between Lauren and myself in which we had a casual conversation over Mass Effect 2 and what we liked and disliked about the game, or expectations going in, and our outlook on the future of the series. So take a look if you are a fan of the series or gaming after getting pumped →
Gaming Review – Gears of War
Side note – Because I am so popular… Okay, because I have one other friend that has this game, I have yet to just play it by myself so everything I say is in response to the co-op campaign mode of the game. I may have made a mistake by playing the sequel to this game first, but Gears of War →
Gaming Review: Assassin's Creed 2
Assassin’s Creed 2 improves greatly on the first game of the series (which was solid on its own, repetition and all), proving that listening to an audience’s complaints can be more than beneficial. By doing so, there is no question that this is one of the best games of 2009. This sequel picks up right where the first ends. Desmond Miles →
Gaming Review – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, is by far one of the best videogames I have ever played, expanding on its predecessor, something I didn’t think was possible. Uncharted 2 opens with our favorite treasure hunter, Nathan Drake, bleeding from the gut while taking an unintentional nap in a train car threatening to fall off the edge of the cliff that it is →
Gaming Review – Wanted: Weapons of Fate
Wanted: Weapons of Fate does little more to expand on a film-based game, and suffers greatly because of it. The main problem with this game is that the story is pretty weak. In the beginning of the game Wesley finds out that his mom was an assassin too, and she was killed shortly after his birth. As the game →
Gaming Review – Batman: Arkham Asylum
Let me get this off my chest now: I am a major Superman fan. In the many debates I have had fighting over who is the better superhero, the Boy Scout or the brooding billionaire, I always choose the Boy Scout. However, I have to hand it to the bat, he has proven in Batman: Arkham Asylum →
Gaming Review – Prototype
(Originally written June 14, 2009) In Prototype, Manhattan’s fate looks pretty grim. There has been an outbreak of some sort, and it is continuing to spread at an alarming rate, basically changing the population into zombies. You take the role of Alex Mercer, a man who avoids becoming one of the mindless masses, but is still affected in an →
Gaming Review – inFAMOUS
(Originally written June 1, 2009) Talk about an ending... With a lot of games today the gameplay is all that seems to matter, with a story often tacked on without being smoothed out. These stories don’t necessarily take away from the gameplay, but when all is said and done it’s forgettable. But not with Infamous. Let’s just say that as the →
Gaming Review – Tomb Raider: Underworld
(Originally written Jan. 31, 2009) I will start by saying that I do appreciate being able to choose just how much skin I can see on my heroine, however, when this is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of positives, it’s a given that this game came up lacking. Yes, the levels were designed well (and beautifully), I →
Gaming Review – Heavenly Sword
(Originally written Jan. 25, 2009) Finally, a game that I don’t have to feel unskilled at when I resort to smashing buttons. This I will say was the original draw to the game and I did not expect much more from it, however, this allowed it to far surpass my expectations. Though the story is far from original at its basic →
Gaming Review – Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
(Originally written Jan. 21, 2009) After playing a game like Metal Gear Solid 4 I was ready for some simple fun, and Ratchet and Clank was the perfect game to turn to. The most notable thing about it is the range of colors painted across each environment, keeping each planet just as visually stunning as the last, while setting them apart at →
Gaming Review – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
(Originally written Jan. 19, 2009) Though this, um… piece of entertainment has a lot to offer epic story wise, it falls short by making the player sit and watch everything happen, keeping them from helping the story evolve by becoming a part of the game themselves. Which is why in the end I have major trouble categorizing it as a →
