CrimsonWraith

I never played Flower, but I may just have to after seeing just how well designed this game was. I just finished Journey in one sitting and I'm about to start my second playthrough. It is quite short, but that is sort of the point and I wonder if it would ruin the experience if it was longer. The game has a very minimalistic approach to its storyline that is defined by the environment rather than dialogue, much like Shadow of the Colossus. The music's absolutely incredible. I recommend the game to everyone, particularly if you can find it on sale for $10 or less. I don't know if it'll be my favorite game at the end of the year, but I guarantee that it'll be on the list. I have no doubt whatsoever that this will be the best downloadable title you play all year, and perhaps this decade.

This is the online version of my favorite board game. The game revolves around each player taking turns as playing the Axis/Allied in scenarios based on historical battles. Unfortunately, this game features a pay-to-play model, and only two of the historical scenarios are actually free-to-play. Still, since those two are free and you can play them over-and-over again as much as you like, I encourage everyone to try it. If you have other board-game-playing members in your family, it may convince you to go out and purchase the actual board game, if nothing else.

I had high hopes for this originally, it seemed the perfect hybrid of Left 4 Dead and Borderlands' online co-op in a free-roaming world with Dead Rising's focus on melee. Unfortunately, I found that Dead Island was the less satisfying than any of those other three franchises. The story is very cut and dry, nothing terribly intriguing. The character leveling system is fun, reminded me very much of Borderlands, but nothing about the gameplay makes me want to level everyone up. The good news is there is a ton to do, the bad news is that the gameplay is quite repetitive and I found that it got old very quickly. If you're in my shoes, you'll get bored of the game long before you come close to finishing everything there is to see and do.

What a disappointment. The characters' appearances (aside from Daniel Craig) have been changed to generic models, completely unrecognizable aside from their names; presumably due to licensing issues. The single-player missions themselves have some infuriating level design choices and bear little resemblance to the original game or the movie itself. The last level gives you a couple minutes to run across catwalks that collapse for no reason other than to slow you down, while spawning an infinite amount of enemies at you in a level with no cover. The chase across Cradle is now an annoying fight against an invincible character that's bookended by weak QTE scenes. Multiplayer is absolutely awful, nothing like the original. If you're looking for a nostalgic multiplayer experience, save your money and buy the XLA version of Perfect Dark instead.

I was not at all impressed with it. There was practically no storyline, the characters did not interest me in the least, and I simply did not find the "humor" in it to be funny, at all. The skillshot system is an interesting concept, but I think it could have been done a whole lot better. If you are looking for something different with a bit of innovation, you may want to give it a rental, but do not go into the game with high hopes. I personally think that you are better off with just about any other first-person shooter on the market right now.

I was fairly disappointed with this title. The gameplay is pretty average fare, the environments can be bland, and the story is just alright. This is coming from a Warhammer 40k fan, I believe I would be even less impressed if I was unfamiliar with this universe. The visuals are a mixed bag... some levels are industrial and mind-numbingly plain, while others can be impressive. The jump pack adds some needed diversity, but can only be used at certain moments in the campaign. The combination of a shooting mechanic with melee fighting is a bit different, but just doesn't do enough to set itself apart from other third-person shooters to me.

As much as I love college football and this game, I have so many frustrations with this title. This game was not ready to be released on the release date. Some of the largest new features (updated/improved online dynasty websites) in the game were not completed until last month (March 2012, EIGHT MONTHS after release). The much paraded "improved" defensive AI for the secondary and linebackers is not smarter, simply cheaper. Custom conferences were a much-needed and welcome addition to the franchise. EA Sports' technical support has been utter crap, and I say this after having to contact them for three different online dynasty issues within the first couple of months after release. They have yet to resolve any of the three issues I contacted them on, and two of the three were game-breaking and effectively ended two different online dynasties.

The gameplay is simply fantastic. If you take the stealth approach, the game plays very much like the original Splinter Cell titles. You should have plenty of points to augment whatever you want, so the customization really comes in just the order you go after everything, not necessarily picking what to specialize in. The story on its own is nothing particularly special, however the themes and ties to the original are fascinating to me, and should also be intriguing for any fan of the original. My biggest complaint is probably batteries not recharging once fully depleted, but I certainly see how it is a balancing issue and they probably did not want anybody cloaking their way through the entire game. It still does not live up to the original, one of my all-time favorites, but (unlike Invisible War) it is a big step in the right direction.

I cannot tell you how many times I have played through this game over and over again. Back in my days of dial-up internet connections, this and Team Fortress Classic were the only two games that I could play online. Released the same year as Half-Life, I have always felt as though Jedi Knight was just as far ahead of its time with many gameplay and storyline innovations. The story is advanced through live-action cutscenes, making for a movie-like experience (granted with soap-opera-level acting). It featured multiple endings based on force powers used and decisions made throughout the game. It also made significant contributions to Star Wars' Expanded Universe, which include the first use of dual-wielded lightsabers outside of Star Wars comics.

While I found that it clearly does not live up to its predecessor or other BioWare titles, I still thoroughly enjoyed the game while I played it. I liked the gameplay and combat, while it's hard for me to say whether it is an improvement or downgrade from Origins, it is certainly different. The scope of the story is quite limited (most of the game takes place in the same general location) and it certainly does not have the epic feel that you may expect. While on a smaller scale than usual, the story is still great. The party dynamic and character interactions make up the strongest parts of the game and in that aspect keeps it on par with most of BioWare's other works. All in all, of the nine BioWare games that I've played, I would rank this one as #8, however it remains quite enjoyable in my opinion.

The gameplay and combat is standard fare for an action-RPG, nothing stood out to me as particularly positive or negative in this aspect. What truly stands out in the game to me is the constant voiceover from the narrator. I found myself intentionally jumping off of cliffs and running around destroying everything just to get different reactions from the narrator. Not only does it provide a quirky and unique aspect to the game, the narration also develops into one of the game's strongest points as the story becomes fully unveiled towards the ending. The storyline is absolutely fantastic.

I quite enjoyed From Dust, and was my favorite PSN/XLA downloadable game of 2011. The gameplay is simplistic and addictive, with each new level granting access to new powers and abilities, which are met in turn with new problems and puzzles. It keeps the game fresh and enjoyable all the way until the end. The water and lava physics are impressive, and the graphics are on-par with other downloadable titles. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but the game is easily manageable with a controller after a couple of hours. A series of unlockable challenges add some replayability, however I keep coming back for the open-ended sandbox nature of the story levels after completion.