WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Review
By Chris Watters
Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:36 pm PT
SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 successfully returns to the fundamentals of realistic WWE action and impressive creation tools.
In the WWE, it's not uncommon for seemingly vanquished superstars to return at random, handing out fresh beatdowns and earning back their former glory. After a disappointing showing last year, THQ's long-running SmackDown vs. Raw series has returned to the ring, having spent the year slimming down and focusing on its core strengths. The work has paid off: a lot of extraneous elements have been removed, the creation toolset is better than ever, and there are two modes that offer satisfying single-player arcs. Though it is still hampered by a number of lingering issues, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 manages to recapture some of the glory of its younger years.Read More
Prince of Persia Review
By Kevin VanOrd
Posted Dec 2, 2008 5:49 pm PT
Prince of Persia's shimmering veneer and joyous platforming will cast a spell on you.
In many modern games, you rain death upon your enemies; how refreshing, then, that your main task in Prince of Persia is to breathe life into a darkening world. That doesn't mean that the forces of evil aren't on your tail in this open-world platformer, but the most indelible moments of this enchanting journey are uplifting, rather than destructive. Similarly, the latest iteration in this long-running franchise is a rejuvenation for the series, and it's an ambitious one, offering up a new titular prince and casting certain game traditions aside in favor of player immersion. And for the most part it succeeds, eliminating illusion-breaking mechanics like game-over screens and long loading times in the process. This re-imagining comes with a few caveats, however, and if you're a longtime series fan, you'll quickly discover--and possibly resent--that Prince of Persia is, far and away, the easiest game in the series. But if you can clear your mind and let the game's magic wash over you, its easygoing joy and visual beauty will charm you into forgiving a sprinkling of flaws.Read More
Culdcept SAGA Review
By Tom Mc Shea
Posted Dec 1, 2008 6:13 pm PT
Culdcept Saga is easy for beginners to learn, difficult for experts to master, and fun no matter who you are.
Card-collecting games can be extremely intimidating. Veterans of card-battle duels know the lure of building another deck in a fascinating new universe. But if you've never understood the appeal of pitting your cardboard Yeti against your friend's two-dimensional Colossus, you might find these games tedious or intimidating. Culdcept Saga is neither. The depth of traditional card games is on full display here, but the addition of a game board, customizable avatars, and rules that are similar to Monopoly make Culdcept far more accessible and fun than traditional card-collecting games.Read More
Naruto: The Broken Bond Review
By Carolyn Petit
Posted Nov 26, 2008 3:39 pm PT
The fighting modes deliver some excitement, but the adventure loses its way with too many boring fetch quests and repetitive environmental puzzles.
Last year's Naruto: Rise of a Ninja was a promising start to Ubisoft's planned series of games telling the story of Naruto, the brash young ninja whose anime series has millions of devoted followers all over the globe. Rise of a Ninja also felt somewhat underdeveloped, though, leaving plenty of room for improvement in its promised sequels. Sadly, that potential for improvement has not been realized in its follow-up, The Broken Bond, and the flaws are not so easy to forgive this time around.Read More
Guilty Gear 2: Overture Review
By Brett Todd
Posted Nov 25, 2008 5:53 pm PT
Guilty Gear 2 may be an interesting experiment in cross-genre game design, but it's mostly a shallow mess.
Good luck making heads or tails out of Guilty Gear 2: Overture. Given the way that the game sews scraps of different genres together to form a patchwork quilt of action and strategy, you have to wonder if even the developers were entirely sure what they were making. Both the revamp of the series' 2D beat-'em-up beatdowns and the introduction of a tactical feature are just skimmed over, leaving the action a jumbled mess of whirling punches and the strategy so shallow that you barely need to pay it any attention. This frenetic experiment in mixing and matching is so all over the place that it spins your head as more than it revs up your adrenaline.Read More
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