At least a racing game that doesn't fall under the simulation category, FlatOut 4: Total Insanity re-introduces the arcade racing genre to the current generation. The game controls quite well and with an array of beautiful tracks to race around, I see plenty of replay value in aiming for high lap times on the leader board. The online unfortunately is very basic and not so populous however getting into an online lobby is a ton of fun much like I remember the games from previous generation arcade racers. FlatOut 4 however is not as good as FlatOut 2 but is a vast improvement over the previous abysmal game, FlatOut 3. It reintroduces the FlatOut mode as well as the stunt mode. The graphics are average at best however the detail of the environments I found had the biggest leap over FlatOut 2. FlatOut 4 barely has anything new to offer (apart from some new abilities in a carnage race mode) but is still very enjoyable to anyone who has a lust for the arcade racing genre.
In what was once an average Kart racer turned into possibly the best Kart racer in several years, and competing with the king of Kart racers, Mario Kart 8. Sonic Transformed is the result of a series correcting everything that was wrong in the first game to right in the second game. With not only an improved game play engine, an innovative feature to change landscapes by racing in water and the air as well as the ground and tracks that change every lap, this is just the start of improved features from the previous game. Sonic Transformed once again features an ensemble of SEGA characters from different game universes with respective tracks for each character. The tracks are improved since last game, but also bring back tracks that were well received by the community from SEGA allstars racing. Sonic Transformed while having multiple glitches at launch, worked quickly to fix all track glitches so that the time attack leaderboard had more credibility. Sonic Transformed also reduced the effectiveness of the all star power up, making it more of a combative advantage rather than both speed and combat. The powerups are improved and more balanced, and now including a swarm powerup to target first place which was inspired by the shock from blur. This game has a much more competitive online multiplayer and karts feel balanced, even with various control patterns. You pick a speed class kart, you must take the turns different to that of handling and other classes. Overall buy Sonic Transformed, its one of the best Kart racers in recent memory and a vast improvement over its predecessor.
Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is a fair attempt at competing with Mario Kart, but in this iteration unfortunately misses the mark slightly. The game is colourful, vibrant, fun and controls beautifully, filled with tracks of many different game locations whether it be Sonic the Hedgehog, House of the Dead and Jet Set Radio and many many more. It has a fantastic mix of characters from different game universes all with their own individual strengths and weaknesses. All-Stars Racing on the xbox360 also allows you to play as Banjo Kazooie which is a nice addition for those rareware fans out there. The problem I have and many others will have with this game is the balancing issues, the motorbikes are ridiculously overpowered, and its really all about who picks them first in the online wins provided they have decent racing ability. The tracks are full of glitches, bugs and exploits which ruins not only the time attack mode but the online mode as well. On top of this powerups within the game go from absolutely useless to ridiculously overpowered. You can be in last all game, pick up an all star power and go from last to first in seconds, rendering the skill cap in the game void in return for more of a luck based experience. All the all star moves feel very overpowered and in my opinion ruin the experience by basing the who wins on chance rather than racing ability. The game has a fun campaign mode and some interesting mini games. The tracks are full of life and could easily compete with many of the tracks in Mario Kart. Overall Sonic & Sega All-Stars racing is a great game and the basis for a new series which only improved as time went on.
A very average generic shooter with a modern feel, but a classic name. Duke Nukem Forever takes a step backwards with cheesy humour which is simply not funny, boring generic game play and uncontrollable vehicle and turret sections. There were some moments of enjoyment, however I feel most of these were nostalgia from seeing something recognisable from Duke Nukem 3D. Worth a shot, but prepare for some disappointment in the process.
The absolute definitive version of Perfect Dark, which also includes the old control methods for strafing. Perfect Dark XBLA runs at 60fps and for the first time includes an online mode which everything is full customisable as if it was local play. Fantastic game can't fault it and this is by far the best available version on the market! Great job Microsoft!
A game which has been ruined by the online modding community. Dungeon Defenders works, but when the online mode is linked with progression of the single player mode, online modding has tainted the game community and made playing the game as it was intended impossible.
While Sonic 06 received very very harsh criticism and having played it thoroughly, I can understand their point of view, I still enjoyed Sonic 06 to its maximum potential and believe if you look past the multiple glitches, control issues and story line, you have a fantastic game. The music is the best part, and could be one of the best soundtracks in any Sonic game, nothing new here. My personal favourite part about Sonic 06 was the level design, something I believe reviewers overlooked. Each level has numerous pathways, shortcuts and hidden areas which add significant amounts of depth to the game. There is also a lot of fine detail put into each level for a 2006 game which is very impressive, in particular the jungle level. The locations are distinctive in nature and I felt I had a great time playing each new level as it felt entirely fresh from the previous level, one of my favourite factors in a platforming game. Overall Sonic 06 is a great time once you overlook the same issues which have been mentioned a million times already.
Dead or Alive is the ultimate perve simulator, so I guess it achieves what it sets out to do. Game for the time has gorgeous graphics, and very 'detailed' character models. But thats about all it has. The minigames are so simple and boring, the beach volleyball is very basic and the water skiing is ridiculously hard to control. The achievements are bloody hard and time consuming and DOAX2's best mode is unfortunately the camera mode where you take pictures of the girls in provocative clothing and positions while in the meantime making you feel like the ultimate perv.
GIants Citizen Kabuto is not only a fabulous game with 3 distinctive play styles, a unique lore and universe but is the funniest game of all time without a doubt in my mind. Just watching to cut scenes makes me crack up in laughter. This is a cult classic with a gripping and hilarious story line that is easy to follow and an amazing game play engine where you play as marines, then as a magical witch then finally as the Giant himself. While the first two modes are fantastic, the Giant can feel way too repetitive and a really letdown of a final chapter. Giants Citizen Kabuto also had an online mode which I believe is still active with a small group of people who organise game sessions. Overall amazing game, if you like a good laugh and an amazing game, play Giants Citizen Kabuto!
This game was my childhood, and the best damn thing to come from Episode I. This is the game which got me into the arcade racing genre and the PC version is by far the definitive version!
Things on Wheels is a very disappointing follow-up to the incredible 'Mad Tracks'. The game play engine feels too sensitive, slight turns can send your car moving too far over and your car tends to fly all over the place in some instances for no reason. Other than that, the racing mode is really all Things on Wheels has, it works well and there are now car stats to indicate what car is best for certain tracks. The tracks are very creative much like its predecessor however the powerups are not as creative and are used in AOE rather than target lock on, a move which really limits TOW potential. I really enjoyed Things on Wheels, but I don't ever see myself going back to it for local multiplayer when Mad Tracks does everything so much better.
Absolute incredible Racing game and the definitive version of Flatout 2. FlatOut UC is fun, frantic, intense and fluid in both design and game play. It has an incredibly fun campaign and arcade mode as well as a very competitive online. The tracks are very well designed featuring lots of minor detail, multiple paths, shortcuts and destructible objects/pathways. The game which is built on destruction, does everything it intends to. You must play this game!
Rabbids Land is painfully average and the mini games are mostly boring in comparison to those of Nintendo Land and Mario Party. The most redeeming quality of this game is the humour. Some of the stupid cut scenes I couldn't help but laugh at the Rabbids, so there was some enjoyment to be had after all.
Potentially my favourite FPS of all time, the depth to Timesplitters 2 is insane, and the customisation makes the game the most re playable game of the 6th generation. It is the only game where you can play as a monkey with 2 sub machine guns, or as a octopus, or a ginger bread man, and the list goes on. The game is set in different time periods, however the story line is a bit hard to follow and not worth mentioning. The different time periods add so much variety to the game as you have different weapons enemies and map design based on the time period. My favourite was the wild west level as the dual revolver felt amazing to use. The soundtrack is one of the greatest original soundtracks of any game, and I find myself going back to listen to the soundtrack on occasion. The game features 3 difficulty levels, but difficulty increase not only decreases health but also adds 2 objectives per difficulty to add depth to the campaign. For example you may access locations in the levels you never would usually go in easy but you must go in medium or hard. This was taken from Perfect Dark and Goldeneye which are made by the same group of people. The game features several fun and fast paced multiplayer modes which will keep you playing for years, the customisation for each mode goes as deep as health, weapons, music etc. The game also has a co-op mode which is progressed individually from the single player. You can play up to 4 people on in local play and 2 in co-op. Possibly one of Timeplitters 2's best feature is the minigames built into your temporal uplink. One of the mini games: snake in my opinion is arguably the best version of snake I've yet to play. Game also has a challenge mode and arcade mode for earning more characters, platinum trophies and increasing the completion rate. The game has heaps of unlockables, secret areas and easter eggs. Overall Timesplitters 2 is a must play even in 2017. Find it and play it, you won't regret it!
Hour of Victory is an absolute mess ****, with numerous glitches, clunky game play, awful graphics and cheesy cut scenes. Despite this I still had fun playing this game for its arcade like game play and light tone. There were also some moments in the story so cheesy, it was worth laughing at. The game does have one significant redeeming and innovative quality which is worth mentioning, and that is the ability to select one of 3 characters each with a specific weapon, skill and strength. A sniper, a General and a character known for Stealth. The achievements are fun and very progressive with the story line. I overall did enjoy Hour of Victory but I can recognise how poorly designed the game was. Its fun for a little while, but lacks longevity.
Really enjoyed the in depth story line, impressive eye candy graphics and fluid game play that Tomb Raider had to offer. The whole vibe of this game is fantastic, plenty of weapons, crafting, explosions, collectibles, hidden areas and more and more. The game also features plenty of puzzles to work your way through. At times Tomb Raider can seem a bit tedious with lots of backtracking, and the online feels like it was tacked on, but overall a fantastic game worth playing.
This is one of my favourite movies of all time. Unfortunately however, unlike toy story 3, the movie to game adaptation was stereotypical offering nothing new to the kids genre. This game is overly repetitive and offers no replay value. I found some of the puzzles and platforming to be fun, and earning the various achievements to also be fun, but overall the game is too tedious, boring and lackluster. There is little longevity here. Some of the graphics look ok at times but it looks like a 6th generation game at some points. Overall give it a miss, that is if you can even find it (really rare).
Easily the best Pixar movie to game adaptation I've ever seen. Toy Story 3 reminds me of Red Dead Redemption for a more family oriented audience. Features a very well made campaign full of puzzles, fast pace action sequences and well produced combat. The game looks great for year it came out, and Toy Story 3 does not directly follow the movie which was a very smart move to keep the game constantly fresh. By far the best element of Toy Story 3 is the toy box mode. Toy box is an open world wild west setting where you complete different missions, find collectibles and establish your town. This offers some of the best creativity and longevity of any kids game, and could be a contender for not only best movie to game adaptation, but easily best kids game in years. Buy this now!
This game is a fantastic game, extremely indepth, competitive and fun. In saying that I believe for any gamer this is mental torture, and having played it over 6000 hours, I realise now the negative affect it has on mental health. Being an extremely competitive game with a very very indepth ranking system, and where roles are so important that even the slightest of fails of one player can bring down the entire team you can just imagine the abuse players receive and deliver on a daily basis, saying some of the most putrid things to ever come out of someones mouth. This is not a game that raises spirits as even when you lose a game, you continue you to play as you are addicted, then to get abused as you are on tilt. I made the worst decision to start playing dota 2, and quitting it was the best decision I ever made. It will crush your self esteem and ruin your social life. Don't start dota 2 - worst community of any video game you will ever play!
DIRT Showdown takes a new attempt at the series by changing producing an arcade racer over the regular simulation, and while most DIRT fans despised the change, I absolutely loved it. This is one of the most fun and simple racing games which controls seamlessly and feels slick all around as all the DIRT games do. DIRT Showdowns best element is the online play which has multiple modes introduced originally in DIRT 3 such as the stunt mode, tag, capture the marker and many more, as well as the new derby mode and classic racing mode. Absolutely love DIRT Showdown and have spent many hour online playing online in a great community. Also love the soundtrack. Might not be your stereotypical DIRT game, but its fun nonetheless.
Forza 5 continues the series with another boring and generic racer which feels like most other realistic racing games. Could not play it for more than an hour before putting down my controller in boredom. The graphics of the cars look nice, and some of the tracks are very detailed however, as a launch title, seeing the crowd look like cardboard cutouts is not the sign of a next generation game.
This is the best online multiplayer FPS I've ever played and personally am not bothered by the lack of a campaign. The Online maps are EXTREMELY well designed, the experience when you first play feels surreal with the giant titans roaming the maps. I love just about everything about this game, and with the addition of a ranking system, I feel the game has a competitive edge over other more casual FPS titles.
Bomberman Act Zero, when played online, is by far the most fun online bomberman game in recent memory. Having said that, online mode is the only enjoyable mode. With a campaign which forces you to repeat the exact same loading screen on the same map up to 100 times and a missing local multiplayer, this unfortunately is also the most lackluster Bomberman game of all time also. Bomberman Act Zero attempted to take a more mature look by changing the character design to this cyborg looking bombermen, and changing the look of the maps to a much darker theme as well as the bomb design to a futuristic looking orb. None of it feels like bomberman. However the main reason I cannot score the game high is due to a missing local multiplayer, a staple of all bomberman games. This is the worst move I've seen by a developer, and there was no reason at all to remove the most important element of any bomberman game. Now to the online, the game features an online ranking system adding depth and skill to the online play. Bomberman also has new and improved powerups such as bomb through and block through as well as an infinite bomb powerup, used perfectly with line bomb. The FPB mode allows you to get a close up view of bomberman, also adding a health bar to the character, however the classic bomberman view is still the best. Overall Bomberman was a great online game around the time of release but as of now there are no redeeming qualities that warrant a purchase **** that removed the most important element - the local play.
Being a massive arcade fan and a fan of the motorstorm series, I am aware that Fireburst is a massive ripoff of Motorstorm, however this does not prevent the game from having some enjoyment. Fireburst is a simple game which copies Motorstorms boost until you overheat and go through water to cool down engine. The game tracks have multiple paths, and this is the kind of diversity I look for in racing games, as having one path for a track can feel too linear and boring. The game itself looks very poor for a few year old game, almost looking borderline like a launch title. Despite this I feel like Fireburst is heavily underrated, and with enough time spent playing, has some potential.
Geon Emotions is a fun little arcade game, just don't expect it to bring you back once you've completed it. The object of the game is to collect geons then spin to the opposite parallel side of the map to 'cash' them in. You race against one other opponent to collect as many geons as possible to see who finishes first. There are powerups that enable you to stop your opponent - hitting them makes them lose their geons. The game is colourful and vibrant. Everything Geon: Emotions sets out to do achieves it however I feel as if the game gets a bit too repetitive after a short time, you can only collect so many geons.
Nintendo once again puts out another fantastic Mario Kart game, also bringing a new fresh game play dynamic in the form of gravity, the ability to go up or on the side of walls with your kart. Mario Kart does everything it intends to at a smooth 60FPS. Its a blast with friends and a blast online. My one quarrel is the lack of voice chat for online. Other than that great job Nintendo, can't wait for this game on the switch.
Great game, horrible attempt at a burnout game. Burnout Paradise aims to make the burnout series open world, and remove linear tracks. In the process it changes what defines skill from racing ability to navigational ability, something I didn't take too easy. They also created a new game engine, which feels more clunky and realistic similar to that of a need for speed game. Burnout Paradise does however try to implement previous boosting methods of Burnout 2. Burnout Paradise is a beautiful looking game, has a great soundtrack and very well made map filled with shortcuts, however it fails to recreate the crash mode in the new open world, feels more like need for speed rather than Burnout and ruins the racing formula Burnout Revenge perfected by making the tracks routes on an open world map rather than specially designed tracks in different locations. Burnout Paradise is not a bad game, just a poor attempt at a Burnout Game.
Having played this when it first came out, it is by far one of the most innovative and challenging puzzle games of the 7th generation. It is an incredibly beautiful game that puts not only your mind to the test, but uses physics as well as timing to overcome some of the incredibly challenging puzzles Switchball has to offer. It is similar to Marble Blast Ultra, however much slower paced, however the challenge definitely carries over. In Switchball you start off as a marble and can turn into different balls such as the metal ball which is used for pushing metal objects, or the power ball which can be used with abilities such as the magnet, jumping or dashing. There is a also an airball which is extremely light and moves over objects much easier due to its weight. The game is fun, challenging, has a great soundtrack, beautiful graphics engine and is one of the top ball rolling games alongside Marble Blast Ultra.
I bought this game randomly on the xbox store after seeing the somewhat cool looking screenshots. Little did I know that with the DLC, this simple arcade game would become the absolute go-to game for local multiplayer. The tracks are extremely diverse, the powerups are many, and incredibly fun and effective to use, and the cars are easy to control and feature an energy bar for strategic use. The tracks feature all kinds of loops, jumps and shortcuts which make the game a ton of fun. Everything is colourful and the tracks are perfectly designed for speedrunning. There are tracks in the snow, in a toy store, a German castle, in a well, in a park among other locations. If you are not a fan of racing, there is also a battle track which is by far the most fun local multiplayer tracks in the game, where the goal is to use powerups to push opponents off the roof of a city building. The game can be challenging at times, especially on the snow tracks, but Mad Tracks is a pickup and play with friends kind of game that surprised me so much. I bought this in 2007 and still play when I have mates over to this day. Buy it seriously!!!
Everything that Burnout 3: Takedown was, have been refined in Burnout Revenge. This is the most intense online experience and possibly the definitive racing title of the 7th generation. Burnout Revenge introduced the revenge system for online play which kept a counter of how many times you had been taken down by a particular player, to know whether or not you must settle the score and vice versa. Burnout Revenge most notably improved on track design - implementing several shortcuts around the track to explore or avoid track. This move by the developers added incredible amounts of depth to the series and allowed players to strategise the best possible route to take to either or avoid traffic, or avoid other players. I played this game for thousands of hours, and it is by far one of the best games I've ever played, and the best Burnout game in the series!
One of, if not - the most innovative racing game of all time. The burnout series introduced a fun, fast paced game engine with the introduction of the takedown - ability to takedown your rivals with various car maneuvers. As well as a refined career mode, crash mode and online mode. This is the definitive racing game of the 6th generation. Fun, fast, smooth, intense and cool are all feelings and vibes I got from Burnout 3: Takedown. I also discovered some of my favourite bands from the soundtrack of the game. Burnout 3 is by far the most beautiful looking game of the 6th generation and should be looked to as the benchmark for pure fun. The online community continued until the close of the xbox original servers and holds a special place in the hearts of Burnout fans.
Call of Jaurez: Bound in Blood is my favourite theme of the wild west, and does an absolutely tremendous job telling a somewhat cliche love story of two outlaws taking fighting to save a girl also including timeline events such as the American Civil war, and the fall of the indians. The game is smooth, fun, and simple. The online is also a blast, and the whole wild west is represented very accurately. I can't really flaw the game, however the content is just not there to offer a perfect 10. Overall an amazing game also featuring a goat that can climb ladders!
Great Campaign with an awesome story line, Quake 4 kept me interested from start to finish. The game gives you the ability to hold all weapons, and weapon availability is progressed as the story progresses. Still has all the classic Quake weapons we know and love. The online while non-existant for several years, was very very fast paced and competitive, however I could personally not play with anyone outside of my country due to lag issues making the game unplayable. My number one quarrel with Quake is the awful frame rate issues which seemed to plague some of the launch titles. At times the game can run as low as 10 frames however I'd the overall experience runs around 25, possibly less or slightly more. If this would bother you over enjoying everything else Quake has to offer, I'd give it a pass. Overall great game that is slightly hindered by terrible frame rate issues.
Best game of all time: Never have I spent so much time on one game. This honestly changed my life. I love this game!!! So lets get into it. Blur is like Mario Kart on steroids, with a great element of strategy and a higher skill cap. In the online (which is the main mode you play it for) you have access to an indepth mod system (similar to that of call of duty) Where you select perks which help you to succeed in whatever you want to achieve for example if you are in it to win it, you use shield efficiency - for helping you against lightning, super drift - for helping you drift and maintain first and bribe to get an early powerup to help break into the lead, or you could use motormash mods if you are one of those players who prefers a fight rather than a win. I love the modes - you have a mode for team racing in which you can do a 10v10, perfect for clan racing. You have powered up racing which is your standard 20 player online racing and then you have motormash among many other miscellaneous modes. The XP system is rewarding, the game makes you feel like a winner with a podium screen for the top 3. I just love the whole interface of the game. The online community is very tightly knit and dedicated - there are still players on all 3 communities today!!! Overall blur is without a doubt best game I've ever played and that won't be changing anytime soon!
