Reviews

The Sims 3: Pets Review

Friday, 03 February 2012 Henry Dowling

After a well received Xbox 360 debut for the multi-million selling Sims franchise with The Sims 3 in 2010, it's no surprise to see more of the same coming from the EA stables - the franchise is renowned for its sheer volume of add-ons and expansions, so we expected the console versions to follow suit. The Sims 3: Pets isn't really an expansion pack in the traditional sense though - while you are getting a substantial bundle of pet-related content here, it acts as a replacement for the original game, not a supplement to it. Fantastic news if you've been waiting for the right time to jump into the Sims franchise, but it also points to a somewhat redundant release for those who already picked up the original just over a year ago ...

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review

Tuesday, 31 January 2012 James Lenoir

I know what you're thinking. The words "remake, reboot and remastered" have the potential to send you into a near-psychotic tailspin. You can't help but picture George Lucas slowly dismantling Star Wars, nor can you suppress the feeling that he's anxiously waiting to digitally insert Jar-Jar Bings or his descendants into every single one of the old Star Wars classics. You dread to hear "Meesaa like you Luke Skywalker" in a future massive 50 disk blu-ray mega-anniversary release, and the mere thought gives you stomach cramps ...

Need for Speed: The Run Review

Wednesday, 18 January 2012 Henry Dowling

Unlike most major racing franchises, the Forzas and Grand Turismos of the world, Need for Speed games tend to rely on something beyond the simple act of driving very fast to win hearts. No, a Need for Speed game needs an angle. Something that gives it that edge over your standard racer. There have been exceptions of late - both NFS: Shift and Shift 2: Unleashed removed the aging Pimp My Ride stylings from previous outings, and ironically they exceeded expectations. But those were exceptions to the rule. Need for Speed: The Run takes us back to more familiar ground - a big, boisterous, in-your-face production which places as much emphasis on narrative and scene-setting as it does on the racing itself. Which is a bit of a problem. Because while the actual driving in The Run has merit, the creative package tying it all together is threadbare and forgettable ...

WWE 12 Review

Thursday, 05 January 2012 Henry Dowling

After the explosive cartoon stylings of THQ's WWE All Stars, it's back to business as usual over at Yukes - the business of trying to create a very serious video game rendition of the very unserious non-sport of pro wrestling. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends entirely on your affinity for the previous games in the aging series, since WWE 12 proves to be very much more of the same, with a few tweaks and gameplay developments. And some glaring issues which had me in tears of frustration ...

Rayman Origins Review

Tuesday, 20 December 2011 James Lenoir

"Oh my word, you have to come and see this!" I cried to the missus, as a toothy grin launched itself on my face. "That's so pretty," she replied, as she sat down next to me. "Are you sure this is a game? It looks like a cartoon." And that's the exact same reaction I had when I first started playing Ubisoft Montpellier's latest game, Rayman Origins ...

The Black Eyed Peas Experience Review

Wednesday, 14 December 2011 Henry Dowling

Well, wasn't that an experience. Having barely recovered from the travesty of justice that is Let's Dance with Mel B, I couldn't possibly have been less enthusiastic about yet another Kinect-based dancing game. Still, that's a game reviewers lot in life: it can't be all Modern Warfare and Skyrim, and you've got to take the good with the bad. Anyway, where was I. Oh, yes. The Black Eyed Peas Experience. With due caution I slipped back into my dancing shoes and fired up this new entry in the popular dance rhythm game genre, and much to my surprise it's not half bad. That's not to say it's particularly amazing either, but compared to some of the other pitiful nonsense that gets tossed onto a disc and sold to unsuspecting tweens as the "next big Kinect smash", the Black Eyed Peas Experience is positively phunkalicious ...

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

Tuesday, 13 December 2011 Henry Dowling

There would have been very few raised eyebrows of surprise when Capcom announced an update to Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds - dishing out remixed versions of Capcom brawlers has been pretty much standard operating procedure for as long as I can remember. So it was really just a matter of time before we saw a "Super", "Hyper", "Ultra" or similar prefix stapled on to MvC 3's name. More surprising though is that this enhanced edition has appeared so soon - a mere 9 months or so after the release of the original. Still, here it is, leaving us to ponder whether or not it deserves its "Ultimate" moniker ...

NHL 12 Review

Friday, 09 December 2011 James Lenoir

It's that time of the year again, when you anxiously await the release of the latest update to your favourite sports title. For non-fans and non-gamers, it must be such a strange spectacle, as they see us scrambling to buy the latest FIFA, NHL, Madden, NBA or even WWE game. I sometimes wonder if our non-gaming partners, siblings or friends notice the subtle differences between the annual titles or whether it all merges into a perpetual display of sporting goodness? Even if they don't, I'd like to think they're still impressed with our virtual athleticism (there's nothing wrong with a little delusion to keep the engine going) ...

Let's Dance with Mel B Review

Monday, 05 December 2011 Henry Dowling

Really, Mel? Really? Has it come to this? Didn't you used to be part of the biggest selling female group in the history of forever? And now you're splashing your name across whatever tepid merchandising opportunity comes your way. Shame on you. And you know what, shame on the marketing chumps who suggested this rancid excuse for a game as a worthwhile money-spinner. Because it's not worthwhile, let me tell you. Hell, it's barely passable as a game. But Mel, dear, voluptuous Mel, you're probably none the wiser to Let's Dance's myriad failures, are you - by the looks of things, you popped into the studio for an afternoon, squeezed your curves into a slinky black number, read your lines off a sheet in one take, and then buggered off home for a tub of ice cream and a good cry. But don't feel bad, I don't think the developers spent much longer on this little project than you did either ...

Assassin's Creed: Revelations Review

Wednesday, 30 November 2011 James Lenoir

Assassin's Creed: Revelations picks up exactly where the previous game, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, ended, and as the title of the game suggests, Revelations is about tying up loose ends from the previous games, and acting as a final performance for both Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze ...