Okay, bear with me for a second here. Do you remember a game (electronic or otherwise) known as Battleship? Did you ever think that two-player strategy/board/pen-and-paper game would translate well into a movie? Well, someone thought it was a good idea. That film released last week (or last month if you are in the UK), as did its accompanying video game, which we’re about to review. I’ll let that sink in a bit. Yes, what you are reading is a review of a video game, based on a movie, based on a board game (boardception?). Let’s see if the idea has any merit.
My physics professor once said, “Earth’s gravity is a relatively weak force, as far as the universe goes. I fight and defeat gravity every time I walk up the stairs. We fly through the air on planes, hang gliders, and hot air balloons all the time. We laugh at gravity.” If our current aerial transportation modes are the equivalent of laughing at gravity, Gravity Rush on PS Vita is like giving it a huge middle finger, then running over its dog with a truck…while still laughing.
Rock of Ages is a one of a kind combination of racing and tower defense encased within a bizarre and humorous alternate historical take on the world. The result is something that is both absurd and original.
Dragon’s Dogma caters to a very specific type of gamer. If you don’t consider yourself a fan of fantasy role-playing games or action-heavy dungeon crawlers, stop reading this review right now and focus your attention elsewhere, as this is definitely not a game for you. Those of you that do however find yourself in this camp of hardcore RPG fans will be pleased to know that Capcom has created an experience that was designed specifically with you in mind.
Ever since it’s debut at E3 2010, Sorcery has been by far, the most anticipated PlayStation Move game. And because good software has been hard to come by that solely features Sony’s motion controller, Sorcery has been looked to as what could be the Move’s first killer app. But is Sorcery‘s spell strong enough to make the PlayStation Move exciting again?
PixelJunk 4am is part game, part music-making/mixing software, and part freeform experience. No one part of those components ever overtakes the other, which makes describing PixelJunk 4am even more difficult. So, to put it a different way, PixelJunk 4am is a game without most definitive components that make a game. It’s music making without the unnerving intimidation of using music software, which most times is far from friendly to new users who understand little about music. It’s also an artistic experience, one that allows the player to make what they want without penalty, fear of failure, or barriers in the form of the usual constructs associated with gameplay (levels with predefined paths, music that must conform to specific patterns/rhythms set by the game’s developers, etc.). PixelJunk 4am is just good-natured, accessible fun with music and is one of the most unique titles available for the PSN or PlayStation Move.
There isn’t a single developer out there that can hold a candle to Rockstar Games when it comes to character development. The studio’s knack for sharp writing and poignant social commentary has led to the realization of some of the most authentic and memorable characters we’ve ever seeing in video games. As such, it goes without saying that when Remedy Entertainment turned the Max Payne franchise over to the capable hands of the Houser brothers, anticipation for the third installment flew through the roof, as gamers couldn’t wait to see how the famed Grand Theft Auto developer would flesh out the series’ complex and disturbed protagonist.
So now that they game has finally arrived, one question remains: Has Rockstar managed to do the pill-popping, alcoholic action hero justice?
Datura in the real world, is a genus of flowering plants known for its psychotropic toxins, often causing hallucinations, delirium, even death. A fitting title for the “game”, because after playing through it, I’m left wondering what the hell just happened.
Starhawk, LightBox Interactive’s spiritual follow-up to the online-only PlayStation 3 exclusive Warhawk, is about to drop on Sony’s home console. But is it the worthy successor that fans have wanted?
Activision and Radical Entertainment’s open-world action game Prototype 2 features a different kind of action, one reminiscent of the old days of Grand Theft Auto III‘s five-star wanted level insanity, when taking on the police was not only achievable, but all-out fun as well. Replace “police” with “evil soldiers and scientists,” then replace “taking on” with “annihilating,” and the basics of Prototype 2‘s gameplay come into focus. While not a deep game, the second installment of this super-powered action franchise does offer a brand of action that some gamers will find rewarding and nothing short of solid fun.
Telltale Games has had some stunning game successes including the multi-season Sam and Max series and the very well adapted Back to the Future season. But fresh in everyone’s minds is the flop that was Jurassic Park. However, JP seems to have given Telltale an adequate enough testing ground to refine some of their bigger ideas for the point-and-click adventure genre. These ideas are utilized to full effect in Telltale’s newest game The Walking Dead. I might even go so far as to say that The Walking Dead: Episode 1 – A New Day is a well made introduction to what could be one of the best Telltale adventure games of this generation.
While PlayStation LifeStyle was busy playing PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale last week, that same press preview event also featured LittleBigPlanet Karting, which was officially announced a few months ago. Now that the game has had some more time to polish, how is it shaping up? Is it little more than ModNation Racers X LittleBigPlanet, or has the team at United Front Games done enough to make this feel like a true extension of the LittleBigPlanet universe? Find out in our hands-on preview.
At an upscale hotel on Sunset Blvd, two unassuming devs started their demo of The Unfinished Swan, a game designed from the ground up to take advantage of the artistic ground-breaking thatgamecompany has done with titles like Flower and Journey via the PSN.
At first, you may think that the team at NetherRealm Studios performed a Babality on the console Mortal Kombat, shrinking it down to fit on the PlayStation Vita. That’s not at all the case: Mortal Kombat for the PlayStation Vita is the real thing, every bit as feature packed as the console version, if not more.
Within the last couple of years, the fighting game genre has been privy to a revitalization and has gone on to see a significant surge in interest from both experienced fighting game players as well as amateurs eager to learn more. But despite the spike in the number of new players coming to the genre, the big developers responsible for forming the basis of its origins have largely remained the same. Just the phrase ‘fighting game genre’ is enough to conjure images of Capcom, NetherRealm Studios, SNK, or Arc System Works. So it’s rare when a completely original fighting game IP takes center stage and is created by a lesser known or even entirely new developer. But that’s currently where we find ourselves with the release of Reverge Labs’ debut title Skullgirls.
