gregthreet

What Castle Invasion forgets to do is give you reasons to come back. There is a clear visual charm and a value for money but the game isn't as well made as it should be. Only being able to have one arrow/spear thing on the screen at the time means that the game is always frustrating and without any gameplay hooks such as power-ups or upgrades Castle Invasion feels like a failed attempt ****.

I'm not entirely sure how you can't like inFamous 2, unless you are basing your review on the demo. It is by far the best open-world game I have played in all time. The way its story and world both react to your decisions is outstanding. The original inFamous didn't punish me for choosing the bad route, inFamous 2 does. It punishes you in terms of guilt, not power, which is very clever and really makes you feel as awful for choosing the quicker route to gaining the power to destroy the beast. I love this game. Especially its world which is full of dynamic events and user-generated content to keep you invested for longer.

An entertaining game that is fast paced and strategic enough for you to lose count of time. Rymdkapsel puts you in charge of a space-shuttle with two minions and lets you, at your own pace, explore the space around you via expanding on the shuttle and gaining resources. But in addition to this you must battle invasions that cause you it to rethink tactics, make more minions and fasten your pacing. It works well enough for Rymdkapsel to be an extremely fun game. Although more content wouldn't be unwanted.

In a nutshell Injustice does its job to an amazing standard. As once you master one of the superhero/villain characters you'll feel as powerful as you'd imagine they would. The first thing I do want to mention though is the story. While its passable, I actually found the prequel comics plot much stronger and enjoyable then the finished game. Not only this, but the game resorts to cliches to keep it going which is annoying. The actual fighting is solid. If you liked mortal kombat or dead or alive 5, you'll love this. It feels responsive and powerful(although the environment transitions where better in DoA5). In particular, the sound immerses you in. It creates more impact then the visuals. Which is saying something, as the visuals are also great. My only issue with the combat was the power buttons. Some of these made certain character almost way overpowered, such as Lex Luther, Doomsday, Bane, Black Adam. Notice a trend? Yep. All villains. The amount of modes here is enough to keep you interested for a long time, although I would recommend DoA5 more.

If you haven't purchased Dead or Alive 5 for your home consoles, then get it for your Vita. As this is a near perfect port and by far my favorite fighting game to date. Fights feel brutal, interaction with the environment is spectacular but not too over the top, and the amount of game modes present make for a long play time. Also the graphics are worth a massive shout out.

While the core fighting mechanics are somewhat dull, the rest of the game is engaging with its level-up system and three tag team concept. But downloading Injustice for iOS never becomes essential. Although I imagine the whole unlockables that can be carried to the console version could put people considering buying the game on console an advantage point.

Puddle will satisfy with its visuals and gameplay but occasionally will frustrate you with its gameplay. Its nowhere near as fun or as satisfying as other PSVita titles.

Infinite meets all of my expectations, luckily, and pushes the FPS genre forward in terms of narrative and gameplay with ease. I've never been a huge fan of the FPS genre as I feel that(making exceptions for games like Bioshock and Crysis) the genre as a whole has not pushed forward in the same ways as what other genres have. Luckily Infinite proves me to be wrong. The story draws you in, keeping you invested without the need of any cheesy cliches, and meets the same standard as what you would hope for a Bioshock sequel. The relationship between you and every other character is constantly changing and keeping fresh. But its not until you meet Elizabeth that the game becomes more than just a great game, it becomes a classic. In terms of story it becomes interesting, but its the gameplay that really benefits from her. Tears become a massive part of the gameplay, just as much as the super-powered vigors, making the battle feel like its constantly changing and becoming more complex. This also is in favor to the enemy types which are impressive as they range in difficulty making you often on edge throughout fights. This becomes more apparent when you consider the sound design as well, which is beyond impressive. Overall this game is an instant classic with plenty of replay value.

Retro City Rampage on the Vita is the perfect on the go openworld game. Its arcade like fashion and nutty story is easy to jump into. And making the gameworld your own is easy. This all ties in together to make Retro City Rampage stand out in the Vita library.

For a game that boasts graphical superiority, Crysis 3 in fact looks the top end of average for a PS3 game(obviously not the case on PC). While this may disappoint, Crysis 3 excels in it gameplay. While I found the single player a little too underwhelming I found the multiplayer a stand out. With fast paced fluid combat that tops anything else before it. Which is strange as they never really mentioned it at any of the previews. However starting off in multiplayer you're likely to find it an unfair battle. Because the guns are way too overpowered. But overall the game is good. Not too different from number 2 though.

Still not able to understand how this DLC has become the highest rated game of 2013(aside from fire emblem). The game charges $10/£6 you get no real bang for your buck. Especially when compared to some of the other games on the vita in 2013. I did enjoy the tables though. They pay tribute to the Star Wars universe while keeping what gives Zen Pinball its initial addictive nature.

Surfs Up is an attempt to copy Tony Hawks but gone a bit wrong. Way too repetitive for any real credit but a passable game for the family. Great for co-op though.

Life of Pixel is bold and beautiful. Tying up simple platforming with challenging mechanics to give an overall feel of achievement when completing a level. Its levels replicate that of the machines they are trying to copy perfectly. From colour pallet to themes. What will frustrate however is Life of Pixels difficulty and fiddly screen transitions between one area to the next. When both combine into one they can cause pure frustration. Overall though Life of Pixel is a worthy PSVita title and is one that deserves as much attention as any other.

Enter Haunt the House's world and you'll be greeted with its excellent cartoon like visuals. You are tasked to scare everyone in the town by exploring it and reaching the maximum level of terror for each area. You can freely go through the town at your own pace. What really struck me about this game though was gameplay. Possessing objects to scare people is fun, and as the terror level rises the more things you can do with the objects also increase. With the maximum amount of terror you can cause a accident like murder on certain characters, then you can play as them. Its the experimenting with what scares the most that gives Haunt the House its personality. My main issue here though is the accessibility of the "things to do". At the top of the screen is a bunch of stuff to do, and its not clear what all of them are. This takes away from the main experience. But overall the great level design, gameplay and graphics are trumping the length and inaccessibility.

While its not really a "game" the app really acts as a second PS Store. The UI is very nice, easy and accessible. The games on offer(those which you can buy) are lovely and cheap with varied genre's etc. This all adds to the PSVita's large amount of smaller more compact games. All of these games are good but I feel as if no one will review these games so they will just end up being Vita's small gems that "don't exist" on metacritics high score listing.

The awkward camera angles, horrible controls, cut-scenes that interrupt every five seconds and horrible characters all make this game ignorable. This is a horrible copy of the lego series and in fact made by the same people. Its in 1080p, which is nice. But how this got a 58 metascore is beyond me.

So due to HMV threatening to close on me I rushed into the shop to try and spend my gift card. I wanted to use my gift card on Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. But no luck. They hadn't had any brought in yet. So I decided i'd see if this was as bad as the "users" metacritic have said. Now I have played the game and can say that they are all a bunch of lying tw*ts. I'm guessing none of them have played the game and based the whole thing on the "wig scene" and Dante's new look. This is the wrong way to look at the game. DmC is excellent. I don't give out 8's very often, but DmC deserves it. The game pumps you with adrenaline as you hack through enemys. The music is a big part of this along with the grading system. Yes, the enemys aren't as difficult as some of you "Hardcore" gamers would like. But, a massive but, the game uses a grading system that judges how diverse your combat technique is and gives you a score at the end judged on combat, time, death and your exploration of the world. Overall is a challenge as you need to keep the combat fresh, keep your timing and find the hidden treasure all quite compact together to get a decent score. This is what makes DmC special. While Ninja Theory might have been a bit rude to the fans, they do their own take on a beloved franchise and nail it. It is after all, THEIR OWN TAKE! If this was a new IP i'm pretty sure the User score would be a 9. Ignore the loony people who haven't played the game and listen to me.

Too similar to its the original to be given too much credit but enough for it to be classed as a sequel. The "newest" thing here is the graphics. While gameplay is untouched, you will find that the world is a lot more dynamic now and looks crisper. Overall making it harder to judge platforms as you are constantly confused by the dynamic camera. It fits well though..

You would be daft to say Arkham City isn't a game which has set a new standard for superhero games. It contains beautiful stealth and combat, easter eggs in every corner of the huge open world, loads of side-missions tying in with the comics and the best villain in gaming. This, my friends, is game of the year 2011 and I plead for you to buy it. I have only given two 10s in all of my reviews. It shows how good this game is.

As solid as they get. Batman Arkham Asylum poses so much content that you would be mad to not pick it up. Story, gameplay and re-playability all come into this story driven game that is sure to bring you in and not let go.

Cheers Isleep! So now the game gets a 7. With the addition of trophy support the PSVita version of Jetpack joyride is the definitive version of Jetpack Joyride. To say the least, this game is addictive and fun to play. Despite occasionally repetitive.

While beautiful, Jet Set Radio lacks a really addictive gameplay that other games similar manage. Still. Jet Set Radio is an excellent game if you are into this genre and looks amazing.

Originally released for the Amega in 1991 and re-released twice for PlayStation(on PS1 and then remade for PS3/PSP/PSVita) and now for the pitiful DS. For the Amega I assume it was fantastic. Perfect little sidescroller for its time. For the PlayStation it was probably poor. I gather this from comparing the game to PS1 games like Spyro. Now for the DS? Its abysmal. James Pond, go home. This game has been put on every damn device that exists. The publisher obviously didn't make enough money the first time round.

Trash Panic is very silly and very fun. Worth a purchase or at least a look. Good old arcade madness.

When your forced to jump between cover shooting enemys and "bending bullets" the game is at its best. But when your forced to leave cover everything goes pair shaped. Maybe you should have been locked onto only cover? First time i've ever said that.

Its the silly gameplay and customization that you will love. Other than that I have very little to compliment... Still worth a look. Just a fairly average fighter.

While the Ridge Racer for the PSP supplied us with a beautiful racing game that had amazing race mechanics us poor PSVita owners were left with this utter **** It would be excusable if the game was only £8. But this is a big price for so little.

I love the platforming, open world, graphics, characters, customization. So why give this a 6? Well one of the key things that this game relies on is combat. And the combat is so poor compared to other games that it can drag the whole experience down. It could as well be a turn taking combat system.

Rage has some excellent moments and some rather dull ones. This will appeal to the majority of FPS fans as its a very good game. However, the game has a few too many dull missions that might try and make you not want to come back to the game. This is the reason Rage isn't as any where near as good as Crysis 2. The shooting here is exceptional though and feels realistic. A very good game indeed. Much better than CoD Blops.

Expands on what made the original great and, after you have finished with the main story, you have enough multiplayer content to last you the rest of your life. Its the adorable character, hilarious humor and overall outstanding polish that this game delivers that makes it the classic game it is. Also; develop your own video games on it!? Yes please.

What Mini Ninjas did for me was create a memorable gaming experience that not a lot of games have. I loved the experience start to finish with all its twist and turns. Being able to gain magic powers at your own pace and slicing through evil samurai is extremely enjoyable, especially due to the great story that fuels your reason to, and something that deserves a sequel. But I could see how this game would not appeal to a mass market. Also, hasn't Dishonored stolen some of the stealth mechanics? Turn into animals anyone?

New adjustments have been made to the game making it even better. If you haven't already downloaded Frobisher then you're a tiny bit silly. As this is one heck **** that takes advantage of every bit of the Vita firmware. Also its free. An easy decision for any Vita owner.

Motorstorm is a beautiful game that performs just as well. Taking place through the course of one crazy son of a **** racing event. While its a bit annoying that you are forced into certain vehicles for certain races force you in some of the worse of the vehicles it overall is a great game.

The game takes out all aspects that made the original games so interesting to play and leave the end product with only the graphics. While a party of 20 characters should be fun to manage it fails in any management and encourages you to cheat with swipes. Way to easy and a real let down of the series.

Looked so innocent, I was wrong.While simple at a glance, Limbo goes so much further into its formula. Making you tense and nervous throughout. Solid and not silly what so ever.

I've said it before in my reviews and will say it again, a small lively open world is better than a massive empty one. Red Dead has a ok story with one fudging too big world. Its gameplay though is solid as a brick wall. I just wish, as with many games I have, it wasn't given as much praise. Why? I expected too much.

While areas could be more polished, there is no doubt that this inFamous: Festival of Blood is an amazing game. The story follows a generic styled ghost story which, like all good ghost storys, will flip itself on its head at times. But the story just acts as an excuse for giving Cole a bunch of Vampire styled powers and chucking in some amazing gameplay. The game feels like a Hollywood block buster in its action pieces. Especially against the "first bloods". The user-generated content is back., its pretty damn good, and the beautiful graphics also return. But the best thing here (baring in mind the price) is the massive open world and its buzzing atmosphere. Much better than anything I saw in Red Dead redemption.

Skate 2 improves on all of the great controls of the original. Unfortunately is worse in terms of story and open world. Both lack the depth of the original. While the original had a satisfying conclusion of winning the XGAMES this one doesn't have anything as fun. Your last task is to win an event you created for the skatepark you made for the city. The customization of the original is also back, which is great. The best thing here is the controls which are flawless. Allowing for crazy stuff to happen that seems believable at times. Its amazing. This alone trumps any issues with the story. The open world also has a police/guard mechanic that means you'll be able to be chased and have fights. This is all possible due to Skate 2's ability for you to separate your self from the board. Truly revolutionary. I just wish there were guns.

Skate stood out to me due to its open world and graphics. Its world is full of things to do. Its the open world that really made me come back to it so many times afterwords. The story here is also ace. Starting the bottom of the hierarchy of skaters to the top you eventually work your way to the XGAMES. Which is overall brilliant and trumps any other skateboard games story even to this day. Especially due to how good the customization of your skater is. Its controls are what really matters here though. They are smooth and rewarding. Meaning no matter how you skate you'll enjoy it.

Welcome to Borderlands, a game which tells a different tale of the apocalyptic future we are soon to get. With more guns than dead hookers in Charlie Sheens house, the game instantly impressed me. The character/enemy types are brilliant in their own individual ways. So how is this game different from other FPS games apart from the graphics you say? Simple, the game mainly resolves around loot. Loot is anything from guns to money. But there's so many guns, so much choice, so much fun to be had that you'll never be bored. The only issue is the empty world. While its huge, it lacks depth. I prefer my open worlds small and full then large and empty. Enemys are all unique with their own weapons, rank/level e.t.c it makes most other FPS developers look lazy. Call of Duty, in particular, should have stopped being the number one FPS and been replaced by Borderlands. If you believe that all FPS games are like call of duty, I truly recommend you buy this game A.S.A.P.

Undoes everything the fist game did so well. While the first game encouraged variety in how you use combos and force ability's, the second game asks for you to mash square into the floor. While its not bad, its extremely generic and boring. I don't hate the game for being so different, I hate it for being so similar to every other game of this genre. The mid-level boss battles are also the worst things i've ever seen. Its story lacks any point and stinks of poo. I loved the first game and by making this game so generic makes no sense in the slightest.

What do you want from a Star Wars game? If its a game where you play as someone in the action, see Star Wars Battlefront II. If you want a over the top game that makes you feel like a powerful jedi assassin then look no further than Star Wars The Force Unleashed. The game exceeds all previous expectations that were previously surrounding it. The game looks gorgeous and plays even better. The only issue here is the length. But any longer and it would have been dragging on. The game uses a level up system that rewards the players excellently. You can level up force powers, stats(health, energy, damage) and purchase combos. Its extremely rewarding. It shows in the gameplay; at the beginning of the game you'll struggle to fight a group of enemys and by the end of the game you will be able to fight an army of mechs, enemys and turrets at one time. It definitely shows when you replay the game completely leveled up. At this point you'll be able to experiment with every combo without being scarred of the risk. You can do some real crazy **** Its a must buy.

There's a few things that let the package down, but Marvel: Ultimate Alliance isn't anything short of amazing. The main draw here is the character managing; a leveling up system for your heros which includes managing items, levels, stats and your team abilitys. This is extremely addictive and will keep you coming back regularly. Once you get to the end of the game and you have your pretty much unstoppable hero. Its an amazing game, once it kicks off. The game is very slow to get started and figure out how to do everything. The story here is pretty solid. It'll give you reason for doing this actions and there's plenty of choices to be made that will effect the end outcome in the end of the game. You won't even notice you make the decisions. If you're an **** throughout the game by the end you'll have an apocalyptic future which really had no major link to the main story. But luckily you'll be able to travel around the game world undoing your wrongs. The only big issues I have with this game is the graphics and the slow pace of the story. But both emend themselves by the end of the game.

Some games are put to such a high praise that when you get round to playing the game you expect so much more than it gives. If it wasn't for the hype and people claiming that this is the best thing ever to be made i'd probably love it. I enjoy the story and its characters very much so. I just wish it wasn't ruined by those around me.

There's so much content here that you'll be occupied for weeks. The fighting itself also is solid and makes building characters and using them even more satisfying than ever before. Its also fair to say this is a game that looks stunning. Not only for PSP standards, but on par with some PS3 games.

If you ever played a PSN game for this price you know what you should get. Unfortunately the feeling of nostalgia is killed by the greater feeling of an extremely aged shooter.

The game didn't need to link itself to mortal kombat and would have been stronger if it had more DC characters. Despite its gameplay manages to fudge up with its horrible story.

As one of my friends said, "Street Fighter is really fun to play. But lacks enough content for me to even consider putting £40 on it. I really like the fighting though."

The only thing that really keeps this from going any lower is that it has split-screen multiplayer. Meaning its fun to get a bunch of mates round, create your best loadouts and go ape **** on a bunch of AIs. The single player here consists of walking down corridors and streets shooting foreigners as the charge towards. Its bland and deserves not to be included in the game. Zombies and multiplayer are both satisfying. But lack the innovation other games have.

If making a football team of wizards is your thing then I recommend buying PES 2008. But the overall game feels average and boring. But you can pick it up for £1 at game nowadays so why not?