February 1st, 2010 by Aram
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Brutal Legend is disappointing, depending on what your expectations of the game are. The game does present a rich world dripped in rock mythology (rockthology?) that seem to be as metal as it can be. However the core gameplay mechanic of Real Time Strategy will turn even the most ardent fans. Generally, RTS on consoles has suffered from poor control scheme, and Brutal Legend is no exception. You control Eddie Riggs in a third-person perspective and on top of that you need to control your army, manage resources, create new units and defend/attack bases.
If it sounds like it’s a lot, it is and sometimes you can be overwhelmed by all that is required of you and your fingers. If you can get past the RTS, you will find a surprisingly good storyline that is well voiced (not just the main character). The graphics can be rough in certain sections, especially when a lot of enemies are on screen, and the vehicle controls horribly.
Rating: 45%
ImpulseGamer: In conclusion, this game rocked and was a great walk or drive down memory lane with all the great bands who have lent their music to this game. The voice acting is pure class and the gameplay actually works quite well in a bizarre way that makes this quite an original game.
Armchair Empire: The worst part of Brütal Legend is that the single-player portion of the game feels like training wheels for the multiplayer part. Granted the training wheels of Death have 7 chrome exhaust pipes, are covered in blood, and hum Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages” while smashing through a landscape of battered rock album ruins and occasionally spewing flames, but training wheels nonetheless.
Kombo: The drum-beat of the gameplay may be a little erratic at times, if only because the drummer’s creativity and ambition overwhelmed his finesse, but it delivers the hard-driving goods when they’re needed most.
January 23rd, 2010 by Aram
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If you look back at the Batman games, you will quickly realize most of them were crude tie-ins to movie releases that were below average. The new Batman game is not a tie-in to last year’s movie as it is a brand new story told in the Batman universe. Coupled with great action mechanics, stealth components, faithful visuals and great voice acting ensure this to be the best Batman game ever released. You play as Batman and it feels authentic: your reliance on stealth, tactics and toys to free the Asylum from Joker and his goons.
Rating: 90%
GameSpy: This action-adventure is so smart, so well-written, and delivered with such an obvious love for its source material, I daresay it is both the best licensed game ever made, and arguably the best game of its kind in our current console generation.
VideoGamer: Whether you fancy skulking in the shadows, smashing slow motion fists in into a goon’s skull, or simply using some cool gadgets, you can do no wrong with what is Eidos’ best game in years.
January 19th, 2010 by Aram
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When it comes to looting, most gamers will remember fondly of the venerable Diablo franchise where you kept clicking on those monsters and hoping for something better to wear and use. Set in the world of Pandora, you arrive on the planet with the promise of the Vault and you start your quest to find its contents and claim the spoils. To do that, you will need to use lots and lots of guns and kill lots and lots of enemies. Choosing between 4 unique characters with different play styles, you will encounter an extraordinary number of guns with modifiers such as pistols that shoot acid, machineguns that shoot flaming bullet and even grenades that steal health from your enemies. With striking visuals, Borderlands will keep you addicted until the end. The ending is actually pretty anticlimactic but you won’t mind it as that means you’ll be able to go and start a new game.
The best part is that you can enjoy the game with a group of your friends online as the game is meant for co-op with 4 different classes with increased enemy difficulty and corresponding rare loot drops.
Rating: 85%
DailyGame: Really, Borderlands is like crack. But these 16 hour marathons have to stop. I have laundry and other things to attend to.
GameSpy: The accessible nature of Borderlands — with its relatively non-punitive deaths, constant checkpoints, and convenient fast-travel systems — makes it a fantastic game for introducing FPS fans to some basic RPG tropes. And, most importantly, the killing and looting never ceases to be fun.
January 15th, 2010 by Aram
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Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is the followup to the first game in the series The Curious Village. As to be expected, the developer did not change anything that was a smash hit with the audience such as charming visual style, over 130 puzzles and an intriguing story that lets us follow Professor Layton and his boy sidekick on a journey to find the origin of a box that seems to be cursed. Through the adventure, you will need to solve puzzles to progress and it is a bit disappointing that many of the puzzles in the first game return. As such, if you have played the first one (I seriously hope you did), you will know what to expect in most of the puzzles here. However it is an engaging story and you will want to solve puzzles and more puzzles just to find out the mysteries behind the box.
My Rating:80%
1up: Diabolical Box shows that the game’s developers aren’t content to just sit on their laurels — they take a wonderful game, and make it even better.
Gamer 2.0: If you were expecting this second entry in the Layton series to go through extraordinary leaps and bounds, which you really should have no business expecting, then you will be horribly disappointed. But if you were expecting another session of tough puzzles with a convincing story, then Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is every bit as good as The Curious Village and should be more than enough to satisfy your inner detective.
September 6th, 2009 by Aram
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Monday (Sept. 7)
ColorZ (Wii)
War Leaders: Clash of Nations (PC)
Tuesday (Sept. 
Ant Nation (DS)
Arcade Zone (Wii)
Black College Football Experience – The Doug Williams Edition (360)
Darkest of Days (PC, 360)
Dirt 2 (DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360)
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (PSP)
Fallen Earth (PC)
Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Track (DS)
Heroes Over Europe (PC)
IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (PS3, 360)
Imagine Detective (DS)
LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition (PS3)
Mini Ninjas (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, 360)
Obscure 2 (PSP)
Platinum Hits Triple Pack (360)
Qubed (360)
Raiden IV (360)
Time of Shadows (PC)
Trine (PS3)
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga (Wii)
Wednesday (Sept. 9)
The Beatles: Rock Band (PS3, Wii, 360)
My Virtual Tutor: Reading First to Second Grade (DS)
My Virtual Tutor: Reading Kindergarten to First (DS)
My Virtual Tutor: Reading Pre-K to Kindergarten (DS)
Sonic & Knuckles (360)
Thursday (Sept. 10)
Women’s Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon (PC)
August 23rd, 2009 by Aram
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Monday (Aug. 24)
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)
The Sims 2 University Life Collection (PC)
Time of Shadows (PC)
Tuesday (Aug. 25)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, 360)
CrimeCraft (PC)
Cursed Mountain (Wii)
Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)
Emergency Room: Real Life Rescues (DS)
Fallout 3 Game Add-On Pack: Broken Steel and Point Lookout (PC, 360)
Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming (DS)
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody (Wii)
Imagine: Teacher Class Trip (DS)
Logic Island (DS)
Mahjongg Ancient Mayas (DS)
Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy (PS2
Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger (PC)
Princess Lillifee’s Magic Fairy (DS)
Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger (PC, 360)
Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream (Wii)
Sudoku Ball Detective (DS)
The Clique: Diss and Make Up (DS)
Warriors Orochi 2 (PSP)
Wizards of Waverly Place (DS, Wii)
Wednesday (Aug. 26)
NBA 2K10: Draft Combine (360)
Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Part 2 (360)
Friday (Aug. 28)
Beach Fun Summer Challenge (Wii)
August 18th, 2009 by Aram
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As heavily rumored, the Sony’s Playstation 3 is getting a makeover becoming slimmer. Set to be released in September at a new and improved price of $299, the internals aren’t changing much as no added hardware benefits were announced.
Here’s a handy chart to compare existing models with the new upcoming update:
|
120GB PS3 Slim
|
160GB PS3
|
80GB PS3
|
| Product code |
CECH-2000A |
CECH-Pxx |
CECH-Kxx / CECH-Lxx |
| Price |
$299.99 |
$399.99 |
$299.99 |
| Color |
Matte Black |
Piano Black (Glossy) |
Piano Black (Glossy) |
| HDD |
120GB 2.5-inch SATA |
160GB 2.5-inch SATA |
80GB 2.5-inch SATA |
| Dimensions |
11.42 x 2.56 x 11.42 in. |
12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in. |
12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in. |
| Weight |
7.05 lb. |
11 lb. |
11 lb. |
| Vertical Stand |
Optional ($24) |
Not necessary |
Not necessary |
| Compatibility |
PSOne |
PSOne, Linux |
PSOne, Linux |
| PS2 compat? |
No |
No |
No |
| BRAVIA Sync (HDMI-CEC) |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Bundle |
Wireless DualShock 3 controller |
Wireless DualShock 3 controller, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, PAIN downloadable game voucher |
Wireless DualShock 3 controller |
May 15th, 2009 by Aram
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Thanks to Wii’s motion control and Wii Balance Board’s wild success, controlling games with your body is all the rage. Latest to jump on this trend is the Tony Hawk franchise as the new game simply titled The Ride will feature a motion sensitive controller that looks just like a skateboard. More details will be released during E3 in just a few weeks.
May 14th, 2009 by Aram
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Patapons are back and if you didn’t like the original, the sequel doesn’t offer enough improvements to convert you. The original attaction of Patapon was its unique control style. You control a bunch of very cute eyeball creatures with the use of PSP’s face buttons. By using combination of 4 drums conveniently mapped to the 4 buttons, you can order your army to march, attack and defend against enemies small and big alike. Even though the battles happen in real time, the biggest problem (that hasn’t been fixed in the sequel) is the delay between when you start to input the command and when your army actually does it. You always need to be one step ahead of the enemies and predict their movements – or, in the alternative, just memorize them – in order to survive this difficult game. Although the difficulty has been reduced since the original outing, it is still a brutal game and the difficulty is compounded by the fact that there is no pause. For a portable game, that is unforgivable as once you start a pretty lengthy mission, you must see it through without stopping.
Another issue that returns is grinding for equipment. There is no easy way to create armour or weapons: you must revisit cleared levels, beat cleared bosses in order for them to drop. This inefficient system forces you to go through the same battles over and over again – albeat with difficulty increased. This sort of forced level grinding is simply unacceptable as it doesn’t give you an alternative.
In the end, if you enjoyed Patapon, you will enjoy Patapon 2. If you didn’t like the original, don’t be surprised if you find the sequel to be lacking.
Rating: 60%
1up: Patapon 2 melts the time away and before you know it your PSP will need some juice.
Giant Bomb: Patapon 2 hits the same notes, and it hits them just as hard, though as a mildly iterative sequel, it might not have the same impact on returning players. If you haven’t played Patapon before, though, this is arguably a more approachable game, and a more attractive package in general.
Destructoid: If you’re a fan of the series, then this should be an easy get. If you’re not, then it might be best to consider if the frustration with backtracking and boss battles is worth your time.
May 12th, 2009 by Aram
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With increasing number of home entertainment devices, universal remotes simplify control of all these devices and I have been using Harmony remotes to accomplish this. My latest remote that I’ve now been using for the past few months is Harmony One (which is a pretty impressive device), and I have a problem: Sony decided to make PS3 without an infrared port. And since I am not aware of any universal remote that can control Bluetooth devices, PS3 has always been beyond the control of my now-not-so-universal remote. Thankfully Logitech has a solution in the form of an adapter for PS3.
This device, priced at $60, will convert IR signals from your Harmony remotes into Bluetooth commands that can be recognized by PS3. The best thing is, since it is not plugged into the PS3’s USB port directly, it can even turn it on! $60 seems a bit pricy but if you use your PS3 as a Blu-Ray player and don’t want to have to deal with the game controller and a remote separately, this will be a well justified convenience.
