Review Archives (Staff Reviews)

You are currently looking through staff reviews for games that are available on every platform the site currently covers. Below, you will find reviews written by all eligible authors and sorted according to date of submission, with the newest content displaying first. As many as 20 results will display per page. If you would like to try a search with different parameters, specify them below and submit a new search.

Available Reviews
	Burnout Legends review (PSP) Reviewed on October 05, 2005 Burnout Legends' status as a "best of" collection then, should be obvious to anyone with an eye for the vernacular. Combining the best elements of the franchise's previous outings, it presents players with one of the most complete, racing experiences around. We've got every track, every car, every damn game mode the series has ever produced (short of Revenge), and if that wasn't enough to pique your interest, I'll mention the near-perfect controls as well.
	Urban Reign review (PS2) Reviewed on October 03, 2005 At first, its depth seems marginal. You can only punch, kick, grapple, dodge or run for most of the game’s first half. However, the finer points of each of these moves combine for some real mayhem. Later in the game, you can even pick up or throw weapons. Things really get intense. Finally, the ability to target specific body parts adds yet another dimension. That might not sound so good, but when you experience it, everything changes.
	Capcom Classics Collection review (PS2) Reviewed on October 02, 2005 Remember storming fortresses in Bionic Commando, then advancing toward enemy ranks in that cool overhead perspective? Remember swooping into a bay in 1943: The Battle of Midway to customize your plane? Those were some of the great moments of 8-bit gaming, and after that there were the 16-bit ports with their stunning visuals and digitized voices. I expected to relive all of that now, except I knew the games would look even better. The thing is, the games do look better… but they’re not as much fun.
	3 Ninjas Kick Back review (GEN) Reviewed on October 01, 2005 There are at least twenty-six people out there over the bloody moon that I'm stuck reviewing this game and they're not!
	Zero Tolerance review (GEN) Reviewed on September 28, 2005 The new enemy introduced here, a bug-like humanoid, followed the same pattern as the skittering aliens and attack dogs (running straight at me), but seemed even more inept. Countless times, these critters would run right by me and freeze. I’d turn around, see it suspended in place and get a quick and lethal shot off before it would start moving again. Now that’s some quality programming!
	Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (Animated Clips) review (PSP) Reviewed on September 27, 2005 Given that I am about to review what is essentially a UMD music video for a gaming website, a little exposition is obviously required. You see, with the stunning disappointment of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex for the PSP, I was left with a fanboy sized hunger and not much to fill it. Of course, the how's and why's are a story for another day, but let it be said that some tepid first person action and laggy controls were enough to kill any and all interest.
	Mario vs. Donkey Kong review (GBA) Reviewed on September 27, 2005 Mario vs. Donkey Kong is an attempt to recreate the traditional part platform, part puzzle classic, but fails doing just that. Adding too many new elements that have appeared in each icon’s own titles leave it a bit more unbalanced than it probably had originally planned. I guess you can have too much of a good thing.
	Himitsu: Tadagaita Natsu review (DC) Reviewed on September 26, 2005 Himitsu tried my patience like few others. Following gal game tradition, the "introduction" consists of female photos scrolling across the screen while music plays. Himitsu's unique qualities are its amateurish character designs and a horrendous non-vocal intro song. It's some of the most abrasive MIDI I've ever heard, and no, I haven't forgotten AdLib.
	Skies of Arcadia Legends review (GCN) Reviewed on September 25, 2005 Nevertheless, with time I soon realized, had I given up on it, I would have missed out on a refreshing adventure that has something that many generic role-playing games lack. Heart. Throw some innovative physics on into the fray and you have something special. Aye, my faith in pirates have again been restored.
	Star Soldier review (PSP) Reviewed on September 24, 2005 Over the years, games have taught us many things, little lessons as relevant to the real world as they are to the virtual. First person shooters for instance, have demonstrated the importance of gun control while Grand Theft Auto's message was simply, don't forget to lock your car. The old school shooter on the other hand, made a single, solitary point: never, under any circumstances, are you to trust the Giant Space Brain. NEVER!
	Burnout Revenge review (XBX) Reviewed on September 22, 2005 As the game’s title suggests, revenge is a common theme. The ‘Takedown’ has returned from the last game, but now it’s all about evening the score. If another racer plows into your side and sends you spiraling into a concrete slab, the screen incites you to have your revenge. When you succeed, your boost meter grows. Races become that much more thrilling.
	Bleach: Heat the Soul 2 review (PSP) Reviewed on September 20, 2005 Still, as disappointing as all that may seem, I've found myself oddly enjoying Sony's none too delicate rim-job. The controls for instance are next to flawless, the full analogue support provides players with a total 360 degree field of movement within each arena. You can dash in for an attack, side step its counter, then finish the move with multiple sword strikes and a manly throw.
	Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 review (XBX) Reviewed on September 13, 2005 Time your strike too early and risk catching an edge that will be easily collected by the awaiting slips. Too late, and you could miss the ball all together, giving it the chance to whip your bails out of the ground. Either way, poorly timed shots may lead to you tucking your bat under your arm and taking the long walk to the pavilion. Something that Lara's Cricket captures to perfection.
	InuYasha: Feudal Combat review (PS2) Reviewed on September 08, 2005 Characters also benefit from the same visual strength. They move with surprising fluidity, just as they would in the hand-drawn cartoon. Sesshomaru leaping into the air, ethereal sword-whip winding about him before lashing forward in a graceful arc is truly a thing of beauty. Each character moves as he or she should, from the peppy movements of the fox demon Shippo to the methodical strikes Naraku manages (usually from a safe distance). The graphics aren’t there just to look pretty, though.
	Nanostray review (DS) Reviewed on September 05, 2005 Nanostray's portable, shoot'em up action is remarkable in so much as it plugs a hole I never knew I had. Like a virgin on prom night coming to the realization that there's more to the world than football and smoking after school, my eyes have been opened and I'm hungry for more. Pushing that analogy one step further, Nanostray's shortened challenge proves frustrating, its digital, pre-mature ejaculation unfortunately grinds the action to a halt just as things begin to heat up.
	Advanced V.G. review (TGCD) Reviewed on September 05, 2005 Advanced V.G. actually tries to be a "wacky" game with "crazy" characters. I spent most of my time stone-faced, wondering who decided that parading a bunch of stereotypes across the screen qualifies as comedy. It certainly doesn't qualify as ingenuity: there's the strong girl, the bunny girl, the rave dancer girl, the glasses girl, the ninja girl, the waitress girl, the other waitress girl, the other other waitress girl, and the other other other waitress girl.
	Mid-Garts review (X68K) Reviewed on September 04, 2005 Lightning flashed across the screen, volcanoes erupted in the background, laser beams blocked my way, fiery chimerae hurtled through the air, orcs tossed hammers from below, and gigantic rocks tried to squish poor me (and my dragon). The boring game from the first level had suddenly developed an imagination — I now had a reason to keep playing.
	Shienryu review (SAT) Reviewed on September 03, 2005 Even thinking about the genre-defining Thunder Force IV was more exciting than playing this, the most forgettably average vertical shooter ever created.
	KISS Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child review (DC) Reviewed on August 31, 2005 Now take a second to reflect; someone out there thought it would be a good idea to take an aging rock band and throw them into a video game. Consider with horror the fate we would suffer if this trend would have caught on. Ziggy Stardust's Pro Skateboarding would be a hit, equalled only by QueenFighter II.
	Riviera: The Promised Land review (GBA) Reviewed on August 28, 2005 Riviera: The Promised Land was one of the most kick-ass games ever released on the underachieving WonderSwan Crystal. Its GBA incarnation features loads of new voices (that's good) and majorly cutified character designs (that's bad), but otherwise it's a byte-by-byte port of the original. In other words, Riviera's still (almost) as awesome as it ever was.

Additional Results (20 per page)

[001] [002] [003] [004] [005] [006] [007] [008] [009] [010] [011] [012] [013] [014] [015] [016] [017] [018] [019] [020] [021] [022] [023] [024] [025] [026] [027] [028] [029] [030] [031] [032] [033] [034] [035] [036] [037] [038] [039] [040] [041] [042] [043] [044] [045] [046] [047] [048] [049] [050] [051] [052] [053] [054] [055] [056] [057] [058] [059] [060] [061] [062] [063] [064] [065] [066] [067] [068] [069] [070] [071] [072] [073] [074] [075] [076] [077] [078] [079] [080] [081] [082] [083] [084] [085] [086] [087] [088] [089] [090] [091] [092] [093] [094] [095] [096] [097] [098] [099] [100] [101] [102] [103] [104] [105] [106] [107] [108] [109] [110] [111] [112] [113] [114] [115] [116] [117] [118] [119] [120] [121] [122] [123] [124] [125] [126] [127] [128] [129] [130] [131] [132] [133] [134] [135] [136] [137] [138] [139] [140] [141] [142] [143] [144] [145] [146] [147] [148] [149] [150] [151] [152] [153] [154] [155] [156] [157] [158] [159] [160] [161] [162] [163] [164] [165] [166] [167] [168] [169] [170] [171] [172] [173] [174] [175] [176] [177] [178] [179] [180] [181] [182] [183] [184] [185] [186] [187] [188] [189] [190] [191] [192] [193] [194] [195] [196] [197] [198] [199] [200] [201] [202] [203] [204] [205] [206] [207] [208] [209] [210] [211] [212] [213] [214] [215] [216] [217] [218] [219] [220] [221] [222] [223] [224] [225] [226] [227] [228] [229] [230] [231] [232] [233] [234]

User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links