This little charmer is the best thing to have Ubisoft's name attached since Far Cry 3. A true breath of fresh air grow home is a must play despite the few technical issues that bog it down, though not enough to hurt a truly lovely experience. If your looking for something a little different you won't go far wrong, the game is five hours and every minute is enjoyable.
Excellently executes everything it is trying to achieve. Delivering a frustratingly gory retro fun fest that kicks your ass over and over again and still has you coming back for more.
Really terrible. An awful idea that has been done to death executed poorly, this is the best thing I can say about this boring collaboration of design flaws. The trailer for this game also shows the problems with videogame marketing as it made the game look quite arty but no.
A real step backwards for the series. The main map was the same as the original game and the second map that was made for the game, the car roster is not as big and the gameplay just doesn't match the feel you got with the first game.
Possibly the biggest flop in gaming history, 12 years in the making and you can tell as the graphics fluctuate between the different console generations, I swear there are Playstation standard textures scattered everywhere. The physics are poor, the gameplay is poor and the humour is poor, there is nothing on offer at all beyond the games introduction. As a big fan of Duke Nukem 3D I bought this game on release and tried to defend it, and my purchase, but in the end I just felt a fool for buying this game, at least the majority were not **** in by the crap. Pure garbage.
Dead Rising is a good example of what a good sequel should be, expanding of the ideas of the original and taking them to a new creative level within a new environment and this game does that, however when the foundation is a game as piss poor as the original Dead Rising then the only way is up.... Just not much further up as the pop culture zombie apocalypse phenomenon only bores more with every single tedious release. Yes there are more/better weapons, which is really all that can be done with such a restricted "genre", and the boss problems seem to have eased however the game is still just as boring as the first. One of the most overrated series on the 360.
Just Cause 2 is a game that's gives you the ability to cause mass destruction single-handedly then throws you into a map the size of a country and says "enjoy". The main tool at your disposal is the grappling hook and what fun it is, having the ability to hook any movable object to another and a bit of imagination can go a long way. There are explosive canisters that shoot directly into the air which cause hilarity when hooked to an enemy, the ability to drag boulders and smaller cars along the streets crashing them into traffic, you can even hook a plane to the runway just as it's taking off to make it crash. Any vehicle can be stolen and used including tanks, attack choppers and planes, you can even ride on the nose of a plane into a building, using the parachute to get away at the last minute. The map is huge (maybe too big and really stretches the limits of what is an acceptable size of a sandbox) and is scattered with mountains that can also provide a lot of entertainment as you try to keep control of a fast car speeding down the side of a snowy mountain. I could go on forever about the fun that can be had with this game and that is why it earns game of the year, all three contenders for game of the year have been sandbox games and the other two defiantly have much better storylines and are much better paced, structured and characterized (Just Cause 2's story being piss poor) but overall they just can't provide the fun that this game can.
Another example of Codemasters solid relationship with racing. Ok the main problem with this game is the A.I, It looks fantastic, plays fantastic and is fully licensed but there is a real jump in the difficulty within the A.I settings you go from finishing 1st with 20 seconds in hand every time to finishing last every time as the A.I is flawless across the grid but when you do nail an overtake it is a very satisfying accomplishment which is a major achievement by Codemasters, there is nothing better than starting at the back of the grid in Sao Paulo and working your way through the field for the win. At the end of the day though I think that they have nailed the feeling of being in an F1 car the beauty of the game is trying to beat yourself lap for lap, you could be at this for hours.
this game is the perfect example of how quality content outweighs any problems with bugs/graphics. Yes the game is very buggy but being regular on the saving is an easy way past this problem but those bugs can be easily overlooked when you see the imagination that has gone into this game, it is a must play of the generation. Now a lot of people rate this game higher than it's predecessor and I do feel the characters have had the most attention but I feel the restriction at the start of the game (not being able to head north) makes the game feel a bit linear (reason it misses out on game of the year) and although side quests and locations are dotted along the path to New Vegas the game just doesn't have the sense of freedom that Fallout 3 had. All this being said it is still a top notch videogame and all the other stuff you loved from Fallout 3 is still here (like the crazy huge and imaginative arsenal available). I believe New Vegas should be mentioned among the elite of this generation.
Red Dead Redemption is exactly what you expected from a Rockstar western, the game is basically grand theft horse. The gameplay and presentation is almost identical to it's criminal counterpart and that says a lot about the qualities of this game but the true strength comes from it's characters, especially the lead character John Marston, him and his story arc is videogame storytelling at it's best. This game is one of the best of it's generation, a must play and one of three contenders for game of the year, however the title just misses out to a more fun sandbox released in the same year.
Mass Effect 2 is the second instalment in Bioware's planned epic trilogy. Now the combat is as good as the first game and the graphics are superb but the overall story arc suffers a bit from the extreme threat the universe was under in the first game it seemed the threat level had no where to go and the fact that most of your time is spent recruiting a crew and doing them favours which takes all the sense of urgency out of the story. The other little problem is that the game feels a lot more linear than the first with the mission structure/set up and the universe feels a lot smaller due to the fact that you can't land on planets anymore, you can only scan them which **** as a gameplay mechanic. Overall the game is worth a play but falls well short of game of the year and the top echelons of 360 titles.
I was expecting so much more from this game. The story is weak, the gameplay seemed simplified for no reason and it was way too short for a £40 game. It felt more like an add on to a franchise that, I felt, could have built some real momentum but the chance was wasted.
Not a lot to say about this really, it's a skating game does what it says on the tin. The controls are excellent and pulling off tricks is really satisfying but some of the more complex moves can be frustrating to master but that's what skating is like. There is enough fun to be had in this game with the sandbox and ability to Ollie keeping you entertained for years without having to master all the tricks and you can have just as much fun ignoring the challenges and maybe even making up your own. This is a game for skaters, fans of the old tony hawk games and fans of the skate and destroy game for PS1.
Worms has always been one of the greatest multiplayer videogames of all time, the lazy mans chess. The problem with Armageddon 2 is that there are too many overly destructive weapons, the game is at it's best when the weapon set is customised to be limited, no ninja ropes, no concrete donkey's or super sheep the best way it is played is with banana bombs and bazookas. Overall I have had many hours fun playing this game with friends.
I will take this time to review Guitar Hero as a franchise but just know this was my favourite in the series mainly because i'm more of a metal/grunge head than a old rocker or **** rocker and I do enjoy the heavy stuff. Guitar Hero was a fantastic idea but I feel that when you play real guitar the plastic controller is far from cool but being able to play along to Metallica in a simple way is fun however I do have to raise a point that a friend noted, tracks can be ruined when you have heard them too many times with the click clacking of the plastic buttons. The franchise as a whole seemed to corner itself by saturating the market too quickly I can't help that think the technology would have been put to better use if teamed up with iTunes or Spotify so you could play along to your own rock music library. Activision seemed to make a lot of mistakes with this franchise and that's why it get's a relatively low score.
A great addictive game with a fantastic physics engine and a fun selection of mini games, the more challenging maps will keep you playing for a long time but can be very frustrating.
Codemasters really seemed to show their racing pedigree this generation and that's saying something as they have been at the heart of the genre for years with a games list as long as Pinocchio's nose when he's asked if he's been sniffing his mother's knickers. I really love how Codemasters have mastered the art of balls to the walls rallying with excitement, near misses and lots of speed through beautifully designed countryside terrain, the gameplay is just phenomenal and is really fun to try and master a course. You know when a driving game is good when you don't get bored of replaying the same level over and over and Dirt 2 is one of those games. The game fails on top marks by steering away from rallying and generally being Americanised, I would have loved to play the old PS1/2 Colin McRae games with this game engine and graphics, the other problem is on disc DLC, which is a big no no but I will take that out on Dirt 3. Overall a must own for the 360.
This is one of the most addictive sports games ever, me and my mate where playing the demo for months before I actually picked the full game up and the legacy mode was amazing and made the game even more addictive beyond the satisfaction of knocking out your opponent. Boxer customisation is also fun with the ability to create stupid looking and absurdly named sluggers. Truth is I got rid of this game because I was skint and still miss it to this day as, when I owned it, the game was played on a regular basis. Overall this is the only boxing game I've ever really got into and I would recommend it to anyone, it looks good, plays fantastic and has a strong collection of fighters to choose from, however, this being an EA release some boxers where held back for DLC......... **** that!!!
For me this is the peak of the series, this game feels like a proper sequel to the original, building off what was good about the first game and improving what was good while taking out what was done poorly in the series debut. I also think this was the last Assassin's Creed game that's ambition was beyond making money as the Hitman aspects of the gameplay seem to get forgotten about after this instalment. Getting back to this game the maps are fantastic and huge, the story is good but not great, this game seems to be the start of the series being present at important events in history just for the sake of being there, I mean I don't see Da Vinci's presence being that important to the overall story, he seems to be there just so the writers can show off some pretentiousness as apposed to actually writing some good fiction with original characters. However the game does do a good job at showing how corruptness is part and parcel of religion and high society throughout history. The game mechanics haven't changed a lot, every thing has being improved in terms of movement, flow and combat. There is plenty of climbing to be done which is fun but the amount of good stealthy killings seems to have gone down slightly with the main storyline assassinations being more focused on action set pieces and the Hitman style plan, wait, pounce method seems to have been assigned to the side missions. Overall this is a must own title of this generation and if your only going to play one Assassin's Creed game then make it this one.
Finally a videogame where we get to really feel what it's like to be Batman and it really has a depth that can be enjoyed by anyone but for Bat fans this game is heaven. The combat and stealth mechanics are balanced perfectly in a beautifully built world that gives insights into the world of the dark knight through its story and collectibles. The voice acting is of the high standard of the 90s animated TV show and stars most of the cast who do a great job. This is a perfectly designed 3rd person action/adventure game with one of the most lovable characters (who's success in videogames should have come sooner as they are well matched) in modern pop culture and because of this Arkham Asylum earns my 2009 game of the year.
More of an add on to Forza 2 rather than a stand alone as, apart from a little tweak of the gameplay mechanics, the game is just the same except for added tracks and additional cars made between the two games. Worth getting for cheap if you have hammered 2 to the point of death.
This was the moment that this generation became obsessed with brown cover based shooting and it was a sad day, this game sold millions but did manage to separate casual gamers from real gamers with one question, do you play COD? Overall this is just a poor run of the mill generic title straight off the 360 conveyor belt of ****
This is a straight up fighter solid enough to hold both franchises, a little on the average side but I managed to pick this up for under £5 which scores it a point and the Joker's fatality is so amazing it gains another point. Overall it's a fun multi-player button masher just not the best on the market.
This game was very enjoyable the force powers made it very fun but it was way too short which meant it suffered in terms of character, story and the overall experience just didn't seem epic enough for Star Wars and dragged up characters just for the sake of it and didn't have the feel of originality in an existing franchise like Knights of the Old Republic did with original characters and story. Overall being able to throw storm troopers around and shoot them with lightning while in mid-air is an excellent way to spend a bit of time if you can pick it up for a couple of notes but it will only be a short amount of time.
A new take on platforming using vehicles and customisation that make this game very unique. It looks good and with it's colourful, cartoony presentation it get's the best out of HD which was kind of wasted in a generation dominated by brown. The levels are set up using the traditional Mario 64 formula with small open levels with a number of challenges only stars have been replaced by jigsaw pieces. The game doesn't really present a challenge and hasn't got the best handling but the creation tool is fun, being able to strap together as many engines as possible on a lightweight frame and bombing about. Overall the game is fun and looks nice but I just can't take it serious enough compared to other games I have ranked highly despite the fact I played it through to the end.
The story is utter **** (although doesn't take itself too seriously) and the majority of the art design is terrible but when it comes to fun this is one of the best open sandbox games on the 360. I always saw this game as the sequel to San Andreas using the sillier side of the game as inspiration while GTAIV is a true leap for the series and the genre but went in a darker direction than Saints Row and I think it's really nice to have this choice on the 360. Overall this game is very enjoyable and well worth a play but the story and art work are not really up my street.
The single player campaign is ok for it's challenge but offers no real story you can get behind. You would think this would be more of the same and it kind of is but in the end I saw this as an add on for the co-op terrorist hunts, adding more maps but it seems that the AI has suffered as it just doesn't seem as sharp as the original. Still co-op saves the game.
I didn't play this game very long, I shot one guy in the head then my screen was cluttered with a notice telling me what I had just done with points underneath, I don't want my immersion taken away by on screen numberwang. This game took a tired concept and made it worse with no efforts to do anything good with the franchise. This game was truly the final nail in the COD coffin.
This game scores a 1 for having nice fire mechanics that looked pretty otherwise this game is a massive misuse of a brand name and cannot be compared to the original. The game mechanics don't really work, the game is brown and void of any character/characters and it's incredibly boring. A waste of time and money.
This game really has nothing to offer someone who thinks zombies are boring and the idea has been milked so much in modern pop culture you can see the cows ribs. Half-Life 2 did not gain so many fans for it's shooting mechanics but it's depth and world creation, Left4Dead is just the source shooting engine and zombies that present no challenge, that's it. It looks bad, plays bad and even the co-op is left for dead by Halo and Rainbow 6. I finished the first level then switched the game off unimpressed and totally void of any immersion. Overall the most boring ugly game I've played and not the standards I expect from a full release from Valve.
Fable II misses out on the top end of the scores for two reasons, the first being that it didn't deliver what it promised in the build up to it's release, a lot of the features qualities where exaggerated I mean the world responds to your actions but in a very poor way and the moral choice system is straight up garbage. The second reason it misses out is because it fails as an RPG, it's like the game can't decide weather its a hack and slash or a role player. I admit the world (well most of it) is built to RPG standards, there are a few linear bits, but the towns are great places to spend time but it's all for no reason. The game looks good with a Disneyesque presentation which gives the game real character and the characters themselves are fun and colourful with lots of well crafted quests, the combat is solid however a little repetitive but overall this game is well worth playing despite it not quite delivering on expectations.
For me Fallout 3 is the best game available on 360, it is so immersive and chock full of surprises. The setting is fantastic and the surrounding of 50s style propaganda really adds to the games character. There is a vast amount of fun weaponry and ways to use them, the character building is top notch with some very fun and interesting perks. The world is full of wonderful characters (the "super heroes" at war with each other using giant ants and robots spring to mind) with many problems across the game world that need sorting, it's the exploration that really makes this game, there are some very interesting buildings around that can really come in useful while some serve as sheds for plungers and lead pipes. The main story is good and gripping but the same could be said about the majority of side quests. This game is excellent, the standard by which all other games should be striving to achieve, It gets my 2008 game of the year and also stands as my game of the generation.
The definition of a cash cow, nothing has been improved in terms of gameplay and the story is so full of **** you would think you were playing a farm simulator but then you realise you would be having more fun. The pointless and unexplained level within a worm is the biggest load of **** I have ever played through, this game nearly became so bad it was good like an old episode of Star Trek where they take on a rock with a smoke machine behind it but it was just so boring and a grind to play through and I wouldn't have touched it if I wasn't skint and had nothing to **** had a friend that hated me so much he offered to lend the game.
It wasn't till the release of GTAV that I stopped playing GTAIV, literally the day before I was driving down the sidewalk of times square and throwing bodies everywhere with the hood of my car or punching a bum then hiding behind a business man so the bum hits him by mistake and then watch the following fight. This is a game I kept finding myself returning to because it is darkly fun which is the tone of the whole series compared to San Andreas, the fun is darker, the art style is darker and so is the story. Niko Bellic is a top notch character and all the people you meet in Liberty City are also colourful and there is plenty of content to keep you busy for years and this is one of the few games where the DLC is actually meaty and worthwhile. This is not a perfect game, I nearly stopped playing it until I discovered the swing that throws you across the map, a lot of people complain that the driving is hard but I found it fun once you got used to it, my problem on the driving front was that New York does not have the best roads for fun cars. What makes GTAIV miss out on game of the year is the companion missions where you have to take one of the characters for a game of darts or something gay like that. Overall this game is jam packed with quality, I recommend thrashing this game till you have seen everything, especially the funny cartoons that can be found on the TV, the map isn't the best that Rockstar has produced but it is so full of content that a 10 is the only score I can give it.
Stranglehold is the most average videogame ever it's not good and not terrible, I do have a soft spot as the game did produce a fond memory of me and my mates being stoned playing the game and finding John Woo's name extremely amusing and making lots of jokes about it. The game itself is just a collection of gameplay elements picked from all over, the worst being a fist fight between cover based shooting and bullet time. This was this generations first greatest hits gameplay compilation with absolutely nothing to stand on it's own two legs with.
There are some really good ideas in this game expressed in a very well designed environments with solid gameplay, the movement has an excellent flow to it, the combat and stealth also blend together perfectly. If you have looked at other reviews there is a big problem with repetitiveness and boring drawn out pointless donkey rides. Overall the game is a little let down by it's own ambition and is really hoping you buy into the franchise to find out what the **** is going on with future Desmond but this is a great game, especially for people who like the concept of playing a game as an assassin ninja, which all gamers should.
For an RTS on a console this game is good but suffers from the same old control issues of all RTS games not on PC. The fact is this game offers nothing new to the franchise and is a box standard command and conquer title but is the best RTS on the 360 so it's only worth playing if you can pick it up for under £5 and you have the RTS itch......... although I would also consult a doctor.
This game was bought for me and from the cover art I was led to believe this was a B-movie level production but I gave it a chance and found one of the most compelling experiences the 360 has to offer. It has everything, fantastic art style (that even makes New York not boring for one of the only times this gen), solid gameplay, gripping story line and a great comic book presentation. The story runs on the edge of gritty gang crime in New York and adds dark fantasy to the mix but the Darkness is based on a comic book, having not read any of the comics I can not tell you how well it captivates the general ideas, moods and characters. Overall a great videogame and well worth a play, not much replay value but a good chunky single player campaign that can be picked up for very cheap now.
I bought this game because I like cell shaded animation and the promise of being able to jump to the top of buildings but in reality I didn't play this game for very long as I found when you have leaped to the top of a building jumped down on a gang of unsuspecting victims while using the **** shooting mechanic, you have kind of done it all. Boring.
I have spent a stupid number of hours playing this game, which says it all for it's gameplay and graphics, the amount of cars is massive and the game only misses out on a 10 by not having enough tracks but saying that there were enough to entertain me for years and I only picked up Forza 3 recently because it was £3. What more can be said it's a racing/driving simulator and it works better than others on the market.
When I first saw the box to this game I immediately thought it had the production quality equivalents of a B-Movie and ignored it. A couple of years later people were talking about the quality of this game then I found out it was made by the same team responsible for Knights of the Old Republic, then I found out it was part of a planned trilogy where the actions in one game could effect the story of the entire trilogy. So I was excited to play this game and I wasn't disappointed. They take the basic combat concept of Gears of War, cover based shooting, and placed it in a huge sci-fi world full of great characters in a wonderful art style. The story and massiveness of this game gain it's score but it's also it's hugeness that make it miss out on a 10, there is too much scanning of planets, much time wasted in an already big game. The only other negative is the lack of choice in weaponry. Overall this game is great stand alone without the involvement of a trilogy, which I suppose was the success of Star Wars, and is a must own of the generation and can now be picked up for a very friendly price.
Another game that is a little hard to review, as the multi-player element of the game is far better than it's single player campaign. Halo gains almost all it's score in the multi-player but I feel this is a bit unfair as it's one of the only online experiences I have had on the 360 but that's because it's the most fun. The only good thing the single player campaign did was remind me of the fun I had playing the original Halo, after the second Halo game really didn't tickle my balls I thought this game returned to a formula that works, but the more I thought about the game afterwards the more it reminded me of Halo and it felt like this game was just chasing the success of the original. This was the end of my interest in the Halo storyline, I thought it descended into **** at the start of the second game. Overall the amount of time I have spent playing multi-player saves this game from a low score.
This is one of the hardest games to review this generation for many reasons. Let me start by saying I get my competitive online multiplayer shooter itch scratched by Halo and my co-op/modern military multiplayer shooter needs filled by Rainbow 6, so I found COD's online offerings a little dull and the community full of **** so that wins it no points. The first time I played through COD I found it very entertaining but the forced set pieces and crap AI made it feel like an expensive ghost train with no ghosts, the characters where rubbish and the story pointless. However this game started the trend of the shock moment in COD games and in this one it was executed perfectly, the part where the player is caught in an atomic blast is one of the best and most memorable moments in gaming history, the blast was so great it managed to kill COD as the series has gone downhill since that very moment, even this game couldn't be arsed to compete with it as it just kind of ended a little bit later when I believe the atomic blast would have been a perfect ending to the game. With all this in account the game scored a 6 but the price it was, compared to the length of the game, knocks a point off to 5. I mean the game is less than 6 hours long which no one should be paying full price for. Which gets me to the point where Modern Warfare gains a 4, just like gears of war I have to look at the legacy that COD left us, it's a giant seller and because of this other games try to copy it's selling points so this is another game that helped flood the market with generic brown cover based shooters. COD also saw the raise in sales of **** DLC and micro transactions off the success of this game.
The ability to be able to play Half-Life 2 on console earned the Orange Box a 9, the fact that Portal was thrown in there puts it above and beyond a 10 in terms of content within a disc. Team Fortress 2 is also a great game but doesn't really have the user base on the 360 that it does on Steam so is deemed pretty useless despite it being a solid game. To split them up Half-Life 2 is an absolute classic that is still talked about as one of gaming top achievements and I have to agree, the controls port from PC a little poorly but it doesn't detract from the essential experience of the game, the only other negative is that the graphics look a bit out dated. Portal is another great experience that deserves to be in the echelons of gaming history, only really worth playing through once but the level design, puzzle design, short length and general witty presentation of the game make it a must play for all gamers. All this in one box loses out on game of the year by being unlucky enough to have been released the same year as Bioshock.
Bioshock is one of the best games ever created, it gets my 2007 game of the year award. It blends fun first person shooter mechanics in an art deco underwater utopia mixing action and horror within a story line that will really have you thinking about your own motivations in videogames, some say the story dies off after the twist and I can see why some people could lose interest after it but I felt personally attached to taking down Fontaine so the entire game was a fantastic experience and the closest thing that a shooter can come to a novel. The mix of great art and colourful villains with deeper layers of story, surrounding the fall of the utopia known as Rapture, told through audio logs is a wonderful place to spend alone time. This game is a contender for game of the generation.
A stale entry to the series that really nailed in the death of Need for Speed. I think EA's decision to release one NFS game per year, especially when they also have the fantastic Burnout franchise that really forced the market to get sick of the over the top car customization that was good when the Fast and the Furious was first released but just like the films all you can really do is put the cars in new locations and the locations in NFS Carbon are nothing to really remember and this game was just money for old rope.
Tomb Raider: Legend was my 2006 game of the year (pause for applause). After years of not being a player of the action/adventure genre, that Lara now belongs to along with Mr Drake, Batman and some scruffy Prince of Persia, I really enjoyed this game. I thought the gameplay was great (apart from camera issues, key to the genre) but I went back and played through the levels again trying to achieve gold medals, something I rarely do in games but I found the flowing movement and level design of a real high standard. The story really got me, to me she was after the ultimate artefact and that's what this character was all about. Overall I think this is the 360 must own outing of Lara Croft, the game misses out on a ten by being too short, although it was good design that I wanted to go back and play again the fact is I craved more of this game and other titles, that mastered the genre with this generations hardware, showed more could have been done. It was for me the most engaging game of 2006.
This is another title I picked up on a nostalgic vibe and, just like me, the game is riding on the coattails of it's second instalment that appeared on the PlayStation. In reality this franchise failed to evolve in any way. I used to see wrestling games as the ultimate beat 'em ups during the PlayStation era but during the last two generations I believe the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise has evolved just enough to take that away from wrestling games. Overall a game that needed to be enjoyed on release by wrestling fans, otherwise a sack of **** entry in a dead gaming franchise.
The Tony Hawk franchise reached it's peak very early on with the second game, which is a game I loved as a teen, and I bought this for nostalgic reasons and at least the graphics haven't changed much. There is fun to be had with this game when it first came out but the whole franchise just could not hang with the quality of the Skate games which blew this out of the water and improved skateboarding in games to a level that Tony Hawk games could not compete with. Overall this was good for a little thrash when it first came out but is worth nothing now, if you want a true Tony Hawk experience get the PlayStation out and replay Tony Hawk 2, if you want a fun and involving skateboarding experience then buy into the Skate franchise.
