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Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Monster Dash Review

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Put simply, Monster Dash is Canabalt with guns (or as Accidental put it; Canabalt meets Metal Slug. He’s also got an annoying top score too, 4920 vs. my 3848!). Monster Dash is made by Halfbrick Studios, its first iPhone game being Fruit Ninja, which also proved quite popular.

You have two buttons; one to jump and one for guns. Each side of the screen is given to these buttons. And the great thing about it is there’s no horrible d-pad controls. Your hero (called Barry Steakfries — but I prefer he remain nameless) runs along automagically from left to right. The buttons also disappear completely after several taps which is a nice touch.

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Sam & Max: The City That Dares Not Sleep Review

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

 

So this is it, the last episode of season three — episode five. The Devil’s Playhouse drawing to a close. Following up Beyond The Alley of the Dolls, Max is transformed into a giant beast roaming New York City. And it’s up to Sam and friends to restore Max to his original yappy self.

Surprise, surprise, there are no psychic powers to play with this time. Though you will encounter some remnants of them in unexpected ways. As with the other episode titles this season, this one’s based on a film — The City That Never Sleeps.

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Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (XBLA)

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Lara's Back

As an iconic videogame heroine Lara Croft needs no introduction, after a fairly blocky 16-bit start she has become one of gaming’s most enduring and streamlined characters. In this incarnation Crystal Dynamics have taken Lara’s pedigree and given it a fresh twist by changing the playing field and throwing in a spin by adding a co-op mode.

Begging the question after a campaign of pretty impressive titles in recent weeks, has Microsoft saved the wrong game to close out their Summer of Arcade? More »

Monday Night Combat Review (XBLA)

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

MNC - Banner

Up until recently I was a bit of an offline RPG junkie. But thanks to many a session of Gears of War 2, Borderlands, and Halo: ODST online with the ButtonMasher community I have embraced the online shooter and now enjoy a good multiplayer evening. Even so it was still a strange feeling to actually want to get online with a new game and check out it’s multiplayer content, which in the case of Monday Night Combat is pretty much it’s entire content. But whatever the outcome, a game that has a shotgun shell high-fiving a piece of bacon for the loading screen is already a winner in my books!

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Hydro Thunder Hurricane Review (XBLA)

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Hydro Thunder - Banner 

The second release in the 2010 Winter of Arcade, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, may seem familiar to some out there. This is because it is a sequel to the original 1999 arcade great, Hydro Thunder, which also appeared on the Dreamcast, Playstation, and N64. Various spin offs where also made including 4X4 Thunder and Arctic Thunder. So what we have here is a good solid arcade jet boat racer that really reminds me of Star Wars: Episode One – Pod Racer, which is a good thing in my books.

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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 Review (Xbox 360)

Monday, July 26th, 2010

tigerbanner

Normally one of the talking points of a new Tiger Woods PGA Tour release is what new holes there are to do, but given the real life events that have occurred in the last 12 months, EA Sports probably decided it would be better to focus on other aspects of Tiger’s game. South Park had earlier hinted at a change of direction for the series, but the final product takes a more traditional approach to the Gentleman’s game (Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden).

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Secret of Monkey Island 2 – Le Chuck’s Revenge (XBLA)

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Monkey Island 2 - lots of hanging around

A classic franchise returns with a long overdue refit, touch-up and tweak. From a time when point and click adventures were vogue and players thrived on the mix of puzzles and humorous narrative this series stood out and firmly lodged itself in the rose tinted memories of anybody that lived through it’s adventures.

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Sam & Max: Beyond The Alley Of The Dolls Review

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

 

The Sam & Max franchise continues to be Telltale’s longest running series – now in its third season. This review is about episode four in The Devil’s Playhouse. It’s a chilling title for a series built on the funnies, but I can assure you the comedy is still well intact. And the supernatural is ever more pervasive. In the first season we had Abraham Lincoln’s statue come to life and mind control devices. Now we have ghosts, clones, psychic toys, and beings from other dimensions.

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Limbo Review (XBLA)

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Limbo - Banner 

Uncertain of his sister’s fate, a boy enters LIMBO. That is all the plot and narrative you get for the whole of your Limbo experience. But it is really all you need to know before embarking on your black and white silhouetted adventure. The opening release for this years Winter of Arcade, Limbo, has some big shoes to fill after last years Winter of Arcade smash hits, Shadow Complex and Trials HD. Well, after playing Limbo I can safely say that the high standard set for the Winter of Arcade is safe, very safe.

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Toy Story 3 Review (PS3)

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

toystory3d

“To infinity and beyond”. Ok now I’ve got that out of my system I promise not to mention it again. Toy Story 3 is the latest release from Avalanche Studios, obviously a tie in to the recently released Disney PIxar movie Toy Story 3. No-ones going to deny that movie tie in games have a unfortunate reputation for being well, rubbish. Fortunately Toy Story 3 for the most part isn’t. It’s actually pretty good.

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