Sonic 3 shipped too soon. It was originally meant to have twice as many levels, another playable character and a whole separate storyline — but that all got the axe when, in the interest of getting the game out quicker, SEGA shipped it to stores half-finished. Now, even in that state, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 [...]
The goal of every story is to form some degree of connection with its observer. Most often, this link is fleeting at best, but every now and then, a much deeper bond is formed. This bond is one in which the observer is less of a passive participant and more of an [...]
When the city of Rapture was first unveiled, it was an underwater dystopia ravaged by civil war and self-destructive genetic manipulation. This strange and unforgettable world was also one of awe and wonder. Set nearly a decade after the events of its precursor, BioShock 2’s Rapture is just as haunting and [...]
When was the last time you felt totally lost in a fantasy gameworld? When was the last time you played a game with such a well-crafted and enjoyable story that you knew you’d remember it for a long, long time? Dragon Age: Origins is that kind of game, so rich and involving [...]
Mass Effect 2 takes the bleak vacuum of space and flushes it with color–the light of stars and galaxies, the red and violet swirls of far-off nebulas, and the glimpses of comets as they burn through the void. You’ll catch your first glimpse of this in the game’s intense and much-improved [...]
College basketball players frequently try to emulate the professional stars. It makes sense that they would strive to mirror their high-profile brethren, given that the NBA has a much larger following, has more recognizable stars, and just loves giving out massive guaranteed contracts. This imitation is fully realized in NCAA Basketball 10, which plays almost [...]
Bigger doesn’t mean better. Developer Ubisoft Montreal disregarded this mantra when creating James Cameron’s Avatar, delivering a mediocre game loaded with unnecessary padding, rather than a tight and enjoyable package that could have gotten players excited about the upcoming film of the same name. In fact, if you’re eagerly anticipating the upcoming Avatar movie, it’s [...]
How does a developer take such a gleefully joyous experience as Red Alert 3 and morph it into lifeless mediocrity? It’s a question that you’ll wrestle with as you struggle through the real-time strategy game’s first expansion pack, Uprising. Some valiant attempts to retain the original’s cheery, cheesy charm are all but lost in a [...]
The PC has not provided a home to many Japanese role-playing games, and when it has, the results have been uneven. How refreshing, then, that The Last Remnant is such an entertaining experience. It features a rich, original fantasy world, obviously crafted with great care and artistry, and it tells a strong, politically charged tale [...]
Although many wrestling games pride themselves on featuring up-to-date rosters and letting you do any move you want during a match, Legends of Wrestlemania takes a different approach. It appeals to nostalgic wrestling fans, giving them the chance to play as classic wrestlers in historic Wrestlemania matches from the ’80s and ’90s. It also favors [...]
