MLB Power Pros 2008 Review
By Chris Watters
Posted Aug 22, 2008 6:02 pm PT
MLB Power Pros is back for 2008 season with updated rosters, a new RPG mode, and its signature fun, accessible, and deep gameplay.
One look at MLB Power Pros 2008 may be enough to deter any serious baseball fan, as the anime bobblehead characters stand in stark contrast to the realistic player models offered by many other baseball games. It would be a shame, though, to overlook Power Pros, because beneath the cutesy presentation lies a game with broad appeal. Simple hitting, pitching, and fielding controls make it easy for anyone to pick up, while the extensive gameplay modes and astounding statistical depth (backed by the MLB license) offer plenty of meat for fantasy baseballers to sink their teeth into. It's not significantly different from last year's MLB Power Pros, but MLB Power Pros 2008 is still a great game with lots to do.Read More
SIREN: Blood Curse
By Carolyn Petit
Posted Aug 11, 2008 6:49 pm PT
Despite some shortcomings, Siren: Blood Curse is an enjoyably creepy adventure with some interesting gameplay mechanics.
Once upon a time, survival horror games were defined not only by shambling corpses and creepy atmosphere, but also by protagonists that moved with all the grace and agility of a Sherman tank. Things have changed since then, but at first glance, Siren: Blood Curse, a horror game now available for download on the PlayStation Network, seems almost willfully behind the times, with play control that feels clunky and outdated. However, if you bear with the game and give it a chance to show off its strengths, you'll find that its episodic presentation, chilling ambiance, and terrific use of the Siren series' signature sightjacking system come together to create an enjoyably frightening experience.Read More
Hellboy: Science of Evil
By Tom Mc Shea
Posted Aug 4, 2008 6:38 pm PT
The combat in Hellboy gets repetitive before the first level ends and never presents a challenge. This is a boring, bland game.
There is a moment in Hellboy: Science of Evil when you have to face off against a hideous gorilla/octopus hybrid. It roars with anger as its slimy tentacles writhe like sloppy worms. At this point, your adrenaline should gush as you raise your stone-encrusted fist to do battle with this horrific abomination. In practice, you'll slurp up a rogue strand of drool as you halfheartedly pound your well-worn square button for the umpteenth time. In a game where even swinging half-formed frog men around by their prehensile tongues can elicit a hearty yawn, it's not surprising that facing off against a monster that should reside exclusively in nightmares feels downright boring. The only thing Hellboy does really well is make you appreciate how far the beat-'em-up genre has evolved since games that play like this were commonplace.Read More
PixelJunk Eden
By Tom Mc Shea
Posted Aug 4, 2008 6:39 pm PT
PixelJunk Eden is beautiful and serene, until an impatient clock mixes far too much stress into this otherwise leisurely game.
The thread tying the PixelJunk series of games together is the unique spin it puts on traditional concepts. Q-Games' first PlayStation Network title, PixelJunk Racers, relied on chaining combos to spur your slot car around the track, making it as difficult to grasp conceptually as it was to control. PixelJunk Monsters infused the militaristic tower defense genre with dancing monsters and a crushing difficulty. It makes sense that its first foray into platforming would be just as crazy as its other offerings. PixelJunk Eden uses a sparse aesthetic and freeing jump mechanic to create an experience more commonly found in one's dreams, until you run into the nightmarish clock.Read More
Beijing 2008
By Tom Mc Shea
Posted Aug 11, 2008 5:36 pm PT
Beijing 2008 proves beyond a doubt that rapidly pushing buttons is not fun.
Who knew that qualifying for the Olympics could be so difficult? Instead of a worldwide competition crafted around ideas that fit in with the modern gaming landscape, this is just an archaic compilation of mostly old, painful gameplay techniques that wore out their welcome decades ago. Not only do many of Beijing's events focus on the sadistic control method of making you rapidly tap two buttons until your fingers burn, but the unfathomable difficulty of the early rounds also makes the experience almost as grueling as training for the real thing. The minor redeeming elements only squirt a few drops of perfume on the overwhelming stench of the rest of this game.Read More
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