XBOX 360

Writing a review of a game like Battlefield 3 seems a little bit like spitting into the sea: you may be doing your part, but it doesn’t seem like it will change much of what’s already going on. Chances are, those who have already decided to buy DICE’s latest shooter will be buying it, and those who plan to pass it over will pass it...

It’s Time To Buzz A Tower The Ace Combat series has always walked on a tightrope, balancing a fast paced, more arcade-y, instant-gratification sensibility to aerial combat, with a more simulated approach. It’s always erred more on the side of the arcade, but at the same time, tried to maintain some of the spirit of an aerial dogfight with contemporary fighters. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is the...

Forza 4 starts with a tease. Jeremy Clarkson, well known from the hit series Top Gear, narrates that in this world there are very few places where people can indulge in speed, performance and beauty. Before the game starts in earnest, the player is treated to a quick one-lap race in the Alps. It's a well-hidden tutorial, but it also accentuates Forza's prime virtues. It is a game of...

Swear To Me When Batman: Arkham Asylum first released in the summer of 2009, it had a lot going against it. Rocksteady was a largely unproven developer, and there was a long legacy of terrible games based on comic properties, with Batman himself being one of the more visible examples. The naysayers and doubters—myself among them—were all proven tremendously wrong from start to finish, as the game...

Don't you hate orcs? They're smelly, disgusting, beastly creatures who wish nothing but death and destruction on us humans. They attack in large numbers and leave nothing but blighted earth in their wake. From Tolkien to Warhammer, orcs are vile evil hordes that will step over their own mothers (do orcs have mothers?) just to taste some of that tasty man-flesh. So when the crew at Robot Entertainment says...

There's a certain preconceived notion of what an id game is that I carried with me on my first trip through Rage. This was the company that made the first person shooter genre. It is responsible for most of what gaming is today (for better or for worse) and for popularizing what would later become multiplayer. They have a rich legacy. When I think of what they've created recently,...

We've come to the end: Gears of War 3, the ending of an era (That is, until a spinoff sequel/prequel is announced). It's hard to think of the gaming landscape without it, so great is its impact. It's not a spectacular send off, to be truthful, but it's a good, solid end to a franchise that launched a thousand-cover shooter. Two years have passed since Delta Squad...

Viva la Isla de Tropico! Congratulations, El Presidente, you've been re-elected. As the leader of the banana republic known as Tropico, it is up to you to build your island empire into a tropical utopia. While maintaining basic living conditions for the residents of your island you'll also have to contend with the various political factions on the island, as well as keeping the international superpowers happy, less you...

The initial reaction to Rock of Ages is “Huh...that looks weird.” It's true, of course, it does look weird. Not many games cast you as a giant rock. Fewer still cast you as a giant rock who's been battling with historical figures since the dawn of time. The art is even curbed from these periods, making this one of the more visually eclectic titles of the...

Only people who know what to expect from a resort vacation should ever book one. That kind of trip isn’t likely to furnish much cultural value, but easy access to overindulgence can still make it worthwhile for the right audience. Fittingly, Dead Island, an action RPG hybrid set on the fictional resort island of Banoi, is much like its setting: full of simple pleasures that appeal to the instinctual...

Bodycount is the latest first person shooter from Codemasters. It promises one explosion after another and crazy fire fights, all while "shredding" your way through war zone after war zone in the name of global prosperity. You play as an agent of the Network: a clandestine organization whose mission is peace, by any means necessary. I tell you, it sounds promising. Jump into a war zone, pump a few...

The last time I played any of Reflections’ Driver games was 2004’s Driv3r, the execrable lame-duck iteration that like so many other games of the time steered itself towards a GTA vibe in hopes of riding shotgun. I had not been following Driver: San Francisco, the first next-gen joy ride for the series, I only knew Ubisoft was backseat and, based on the title, would have various recreations of...

This Ain’t Sunday School For those in the west, the idea of religion will commonly dredge up memories church going on Sunday, a lot of sober discussions about right and wrong, and the validity of faith in a secular world. Apparently the same concepts, when given to Okami Art Director Takeyasu Sawaki, it means humans favoured by God fighting in a combination of divine armour and stylish...

Visions Of Future-Past Deus Ex is finally here, and for those who were worried about how Eidos was going to tackle this series, doubts can be laid to rest. This is an excellent game, and a worthy addition to your collection if you are an old school gamer. For newer gamers, this is a game that is going to intimidate and possibly change your conception of how...

The narrator of Bastion tells us that stories usually start at the beginning, but that this time it's different. It's a tease, of course, but a well constructed one. Bastion, the new xbox live arcade from Supergiant Games is all about the slow reveal, from aesthetics to story to mechanics, everything, it's all about the gradual building of something powerful. You control the Kid, one of...

The God Game Returns It’s been years since players were put in the position of a deity responsible for the welfare of a people. For the most part, Peter Molyneux has dominated that landscape, first with the genre defining Populous and then much later with Black & White one of the last of the big, commercial “God Games” to hit the shelves. But leave it to the...

The Horror Of Commitment It seems like one of those obvious omissions in games when you stop and think about it, and yet it’s gone unnoticed for years. Relationships are one of the most important elements of the human condition, a concept that has been heavily explored in every medium to date. Except games. Catherine is the first game in quite some time to put relationship issues...

You’ve finished watching the Captain America movie, and now you want to feel like a super hero. Other than putting on a red, white and blue leotard and grabbing a shield, your next best option is playing Captain America: Super Soldier. The track record for movie licensed titles has never been solid and Captain America: Super Soldier does nothing to change this. It’s a mediocre...

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is designed as a mindless arcade-style action game in which you shoot insects and robots until there aren’t any more insects and robots left to shoot. At that level, it’s at least a functional experience. The game is halfway decent when you’re playing co-op and the by-the-numbers gameplay is competent enough to be inoffensive. The problem, unfortunately, is that...

Mobile Suit Formula Mention the words Dynasty and Warriors in the same sentence to any hardcore gamer and the immediate response is something along the lines of “Oh yeah, that series where one guy kills millions of guys with a weapon of some kind.” Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 is simply the latest this long established formula. It gives people familiar with the series more of the same,...