Review: DMC - Devil May Cry (360)

Re-launching an established franchise is a very difficult path to go. You need to simultaneously draw in new fans and not alienate your fan-base. Too much pandering to the old franchise and newbies won't have a clue as to what's going on. Too many new elements and the returning fans will be angry that the original attraction is gone.

Developer Ninja Theory has done an impressive job of re-imagining the franchise. They took the basic combat system as their new core and then went to town on everything else. With this change, DMC is just as controller-throwing frustrating as its predecessors without being bogged down by the previous history.

Review: Scribblenauts Unlimited (Wii U)

 

Scribblenauts, as a game, confused me right out of the G-A-T-E.

“Scribble” might lead a one to believe that the player spends time drawing solutions rather than spelling words to make them materialize in the world to solve whatever problem presents itself. Robot short circuiting? O-I-L. Tree needs to be cut down to “save” a cat? C-H-A-I-N-S-A-W.

Review: New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U)

New Super Mario Bros. U made me realize that for the kids playing this game presently, it will be the Mario game they’ll remember forever. Twenty years from now, they’ll look for emulated versions of it, classic collections, anything so they can attempt to recapture that feeling of youth and the utter lack of cynicism and analysis that such a state offers.

Review: Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (Wii U)

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge could have also been subtitled “Don’t Blink!” or “Mash Button, Make Body Parts Fly!” because each is a more apt description of the gameplay than what Tecmo Koei came up with.

Review: Fire Emblem - Awakening (3DS)

Fire Emblem is a series that unfortunately is not nearly as popular as it should be. It’s extremely well known among the hardcore fans of role-playing strategy. Though the series dates back to the 1990's, it's still perceived as a niche title for those that love a challenge.

Fire Emblem is well known for its perma-death aspect. If you make the wrong move, the game isn't afraid to slap the player and you’ll lose characters for the entirety of your game. This promotes careful decision making, and really enforces the tactical aspect of the gameplay.

Review: C&C Tiberium Alliances (PC)

Tiberium Alliances is a Command & Conquer game in name only. Familiar units and structures dot the landscape but whatever frenetic fumbling and clicking you might expect has been replaced by upgrades that take literally hours and days to access. No longer a matter of seconds, Tiberium Alliances is Command & Conquer as seen in one of those quantum physics problems about the vagaries of space-time. Or something. Pondering that miasma would be better for your brain that Tiberium Alliances.

Review: Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition (Wii U)

Even though Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition on Wii U covers up Catwoman’s cleavage with a kind of all-over-body chastity suit and some of the Wii U controller features take a little practice, it’s still the solid game it was when it released in 2011.

Video Review: Strike Suit Zero (PC)

Jeff Nash presents a video review of Strike Suit Zero (PC).

Review: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (360)

 

 As a spin-off title from the original Tekken franchise, Tekken Tag Tournament was one of the PlayStation 2's launch titles in 2000. It took 12 years, but there is finally a console sequel, Tekken Tag Tournament 2. With age, and a half-dozen Tekken releases since that 2000 inception, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 features a huge collection of Tekken characters that have appeared since that first release, including the eccentric and strange ones Tekken is known for, with enhanced controls that make the signature aspect of Tekken Tag Tournament, tag-team fighting, even easier and more entertaining.

Feature: Collecting - God of War

On March 12, 2013 God of War: Ascension (also known as God of War IV) will be released. The excitement and anticipation mount for this title and so we thought we would take a look back in time to see just where this series started and how far it has come.

Since 2005, God of War has fired up gamers around the world and immersed them in a world filled with Greek mythology and some of the most visceral gaming experiences known to man. So much so, in fact, that this article might actually need to have a mature rating slapped on it for good measure.

Book Review: A Memory of Light

When a book series sprawls to 14 books over 20 years and outlives the original author, to describe the whole thing as “epic” feels a bit of an understatement. Such is the case for the Wheel of Time series, which Robert Jordan began in 1990 and Brandon Sanderson finished off with concluding trio of books, including the latest, Memory of Light.

Editorial: My (Fake) Condolences

I posted a few comments to my Twitter feed the other day that I thought deserved some special attention. The tweets took to task the enthusiast press to task for including “well wishes” in a News post. For a form of media – the gaming enthusiast press – that wants to be taken seriously and leaps to a high horse every time their integrity is questioned due to (usually) a self incriminating blog post, tweet or note on LinkedIn, it seems in conflict with what they actually write.

Why let emotions seep into reporting on games? I’m sure if you look back far enough, I’ve probably done the same thing. “I hope everyone lands on their feet” or some other meaningless line after a studio closure. But why should a “game journo” care about what happens to the employees at Junction Point? THQ? Radical?