Since Ratchet and Clank propelled Insomniac into the role of "Masters of Weaponry," they've done everything they could to hold onto the title. Fuse is the video game form of their attempts. From the very beginning, mad weaponry is not only a feature of the game but the game itself, embodying not just your actions and means of attack, but the plot and design as well. Unfortunately, this isn't enough.
The Smurfs probably shouldn't be the stars of one of the most traditional movie tie-ins I've seen in recent years, but they are. A platform game, made up of features from other, more successful platform games, with famous characters smacked into the lead spot just because. It's a little slice of all of our childhoods - it stunk then, and it stinks now.
Dynasty Warriors 8 isn't a huge improvement over Dynasty Warriors 7, but with its remained focus on a cinematic form of story telling, and with a far more technically sound gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 8 manages to be the best, most accessible game in the franchise so far.
Ride to Hell: Retribution is a gritty tale of revenge, set in a world where every woman will have sex with you if you beat up their partner (unless they're prostitutes); where police officers and miners carry vast amounts of drugs on their person; where cowboy hats protect your brain from bullets and in which walls, floors and doors are mere suggestions. That the credits contained almost ten minutes of names ...
Painkiller: Hell and Damnation is an arena shooter not entirely unlike Unreal Tournament or Quake. It's a corner of the FPS genre that's been ignored in mainstream shooters for the vast majority of this generation, with the exception of Unreal Tournament 3, which VGChartz tells me only sold around a million units on consoles, and Serious Sam, a franchise which has evened out at around the 60-70 mark on Metacritic.
Naughty Dog, without question, is one of the most praised developers this generation, not so much for their gameplay, but for their smart, character-driven writing and breathtaking set pieces. This cinematic, directed design found in their Uncharted series has placed them at the forefront of narrative gaming, and The Last of Us continues this trend in emphatic fashion.
Solid Snake returns, although this time he's older, more world-weary. Years of fighting the patriots, of being lied to at every turn have had their toll, and his body's increased ageing have made him grey before his years. None of that matters though: he's about to embark on his hardest mission yet, a mission that will test the limits of his physical and mental strength and that will, hopefully, let the old ...
Catherine is an unusual game, to say the least. Whilst the bulk of it plays out either as a movie or as a watered-down RPG, the "main" gameplay is that of a block-pushing puzzle game that charges you with reaching the top of a tower whilst taking on various obstacles and difficulties. Mixed with a mature story and plenty of anime-style side boob, it's hard to really pin down the sort of person that would really ...
It's impossible to judge Deadly Premonition on any traditional scale. The graphics are laughable, the gameplay bland and repetitive, the basic mechanics borderline broken and the script filled with (hopefully intentional) cheesy lines. It is, by almost any measure, a terrible game. Except it isn't.
Introduction Zombies. Not only a plague on humanity but also a plague on the entertainment industry. They’ve become pretty popular in recent years. Why? Did it start with the addition of the Zombies mode in the COD games or do we have the Resident Evil films to thank for it? No matter the reason, it seems killing mindless zombies is going be around for a while yet. As someone who has never seen the AMC TV ...
When Sony opened their doors and welcomed indie games to be sold on their PSN Store, it was like a flash flood. Games like Braid, Limbo, Knytt and many more could now be enjoyed by a much wider audience. Console gamers got a break from their action-packed retail games and got to experience games they normally would never have had the pleasure to try, and developers were enjoying a bigger success riding on the ...
Often called the very best of the HD re-releases, the Metal Gear Solid collection is a must-buy for fans of the series, for fans of the stealth genre and for anybody that enjoys storytelling and excellent gameplay within gaming. Showcasing two of the very best games of the PS2 era (and, arguably, of all time), as well as a PSP classic that's well worth playing, there's an awful lot of value in a single box. Add ...
Everyone’s favourite lombax is back, along with his sidekick Clank in Ratchet & Clank Full Frontal Assault / QForce. The Ratchet & Clank series has always delivered thoroughly entertaining single player action, but Insomniac likes to mix it up every so often by giving us more of a spin-off title; Ratchet: Deadlocked and Ratchet & Clank All 4 One for example. Similarly to All 4 One, Full Frontal Assault / QForce ...
J.J. Abrams' take on Star Trek, while it has its detractors, has been well received by fans old and new. The next film, Star Trek: Into Darkness, is slated for theatres next month and expectations are high. So, what better way to celebrate this highly anticipated sequel then by playing a game based on the hit films? Well, after spending some time with the latest Star Trek game, I can think of quite a few ways.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the release of Ratchet & Clank in 2002, Insomniac takes us back to where it all began by re-releasing the original trilogy in glorious high definition! There is no doubt that Ratchet & Clank is an iconic series, and one of the crown jewels in the Sony exclusive collection; but exactly how good is the HD re-release of the game?
Having originally been announced in October of 2011, Guacamelee! left countless gamers and critics impressed. Having claimed a number of prestigious awards such as “Best of PAX 2012”, as well as being an 'Independent Games Festival' finalist, Guacamelee! has completely captured my heart with its clever humour, gorgeous visuals and its truly remarkable platforming. Its Mexican folklore inspired universe is truly ...
The Soul series has been running for a long time, since 1996 in fact. Not unlike Namco's other fighting series, Tekken; Soul Calibur has stood the test of time and is still a popular franchise today. Innovation has always kept the series fresh and interesting, but does the fifth installment continue this tradition? The standard Arcade, Practice and VS style modes are all present as you would expect from a ...
Sly fans rejoice! After a whopping 8 year hiatus, Sly Cooper is back and better than ever. From Sanzaru Games, the (extremely capable) studio that brought us the Sly Trilogy, comes a long awaited, all new Sly Cooper adventure that completely captures the charm and wit of the first three games. With gorgeous visuals, an amazing voice acting cast and the witty humour that the series is known for, Sly Cooper: ...
To say that gamers were skeptical when The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct was announced would be putting it mildly. With Telltale releasing The Walking Dead adventure game - a game that was focused on hitting all the personal and emotional notes that the comic series is famous for - fans wondered if we needed what appeared to be a run and gun shooter set in the world of AMC's The Walking Dead TV series. Was it ...
Introduction The God of War franchise is best known for its combat, its QTE sequences and its epic fights of unparalleled proportion. Although Ascension doesn’t fail to provide that sense of grandness and magnitude, it falls a little short in comparison to titles before it. Ascension offers insight into a more relatable Kratos by allowing you to play through the events that took place before the original ...
I have to admit that I didn’t have high expectations for Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance... (Especially with a title that uses most of the english alphabet). Over the years, the series has deeply developed Solid Snake, a character we all know, admire and love and Revengeance seemed like a long-shot. In theory, this game shouldn’t work. Set in the Metal Gear Solid universe, we would normally expect a game ...
I cautiously approach the gently glowing corpse, casting around for Splicers or other threats. The Little Sister on my shoulder squeals delightedly: “Look Daddy, it’s an angel!” Before we can gather any ADAM, I set up a perimeter of trap rivets and mini turrets, and make sure my speargun and drill are both fully loaded, as well as making sure I have the right plasmid equipped. When everything is set up, I ...
Aliens: Colonial Marines, a collaboration between SEGA and Gearbox, was first announced in 2006, just short of a year before the reveal of Borderlands. Borderlands was released in 2009 to critical acclaim, Aliens wasn’t and wouldn’t be until much later. In fact, Colonial Marines was presumed dead for much of its six and a half year development cycle and perhaps, given the controversy surrounding the title since ...
Over the years the Playstation Network has given us some amazing and interesting titles. Such games like Flower and Journey have given us different , simpler ways to play games and The Unfinished Swan follows that simplistic formula. Just like thatgamecompany, Giant Sparrow has signed a 3 game deal with Sony and they have kicked that deal off in unbelievable fashion. The first thing that came to mind whilst ...
Battlefield is a franchise known for its more serious take on war and for its emphasis on teamwork and strategy. It got a following – and rightly so – for its large maps, it’s vehicles and its excellent community. Battlefield 3 is the first main entry in the series since Battlefield 2 was released in 2005 and is the first specifically for HD consoles. With top notch graphics and impressive animation, have DICE ...
Capcom has several successful series that it tends to stick to the majority of the time; Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, just to name a few. So when the publisher/developer released their brand new IP Dragon’s Dogma, they were definitely stepping way outside of the box. Combine that with what they claimed would be a unique and complex combat system, and different way to adventure with friends, and ...
If this generation of home consoles has been missing anything in particular, I’d have to say that it was missing outstanding quality Japanese RPGs more than anything else. That isn’t to say that there haven’t been some quality Japanese RPGs floating around on the PS3 and the Wii, but as a whole it has felt like the wonder and excitement of past generations just isn’t there. All of that changed when Ni No Kuni: ...
It’s been about half a dozen years since the release of Hitman: Blood Money in 2006. Since then, fans of the franchise have been impatiently waiting for the next installment of the series. At long last, Agent 47 made his impressive return in 2012 with Hitman: Absolution. Unfortunately, there are a few noticeable flaws here and there but I can assure you, the game has been well worth the wait.
Guardians of Middle-Earth is the first MOBA game made specifically for consoles and the first set in the Lord of the Rings universe. That alone would make it worth playing, but the fact that it’s a big part of PlayStation+ (or that it’s going to be, depending on your location) should push that excitement over the edge. Good or bad, this is a title that is part of MOBA history and as MOBA is one of the most ...
If you talk to gamers who have followed the Tekken series for a long time, chances are they’ll tell you that it has been on an up and down ride. The fighting mechanics have stayed solid for the most part, but the experience from the last few Tekken games has been a bit underwhelming, especially when utilizing the potential of the great 3D fighting engine. Now fans and newcomers will be happy to know that Tekken ...
