Review by Mat C Near Orbital Vanguard Alliance (N.O.V.A) Developer: Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft/Apple Released: 17th December 2009 Available for: iPhone & iPod Touch Time Played: Finished (Single player only) Verdict: 2/5 Rotten Egg One of my favorite things about digital distribution is that it’s possible to log onto store fronts such as Steam and iTunes and access a vast range of content at any time, regardless of a game’s release date, quality or sales figures. …
Review by Mat C Heavy Rain Developer Quantic Dream Publisher SCEE Released February 23, 2010 Available for PS3 Time Played Finished Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “Anticipated as much for its storytelling narrative as it has been criticised for offering little but a string of elaborate Quick Time Events (QTEs), the arrival of Heavy Rain has not been a quiet one. Sony have even gone so far as to actually market it with an advertising campaign; …
Review by Lewis B Peggle Developer: PopCap Games Publisher: PopCap Games/Apple Released: 27th February 2007, May 2009 (App Store) Available for: iPhone/iPod Touch (version reviewed) PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo DS, Java ME, Windows Mobile and MAC OS Time Played: N/A Verdict:5/5 Gold Star As one of the most addictive puzzle games I have ever played, Peggle deserves and justifies the praise it has received since its launch. A quirky, vibrant game with great visuals, …
Review by Lewis B Beneath A Steel Sky: Remastered Developer: Revolution Software Publisher: Revolution Software/Apple Released: 23rd September 2009 (App Store) Available for: iPhone and iPod Touch Time Played: Finished Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up Revolution Software really have set a precedent on the iPhone for adventures games. Beneath A Steel Sky: Remastered has a wonderful control scheme, fantastic dialogue, challenging puzzles and all for a fabulous price tag. Anyone who owns an iPhone who …
Review by Lewis B Dead Space: Extraction Developer: Visceral Games Publisher: Electronic Arts Released: EU October 1st 2009 Available for: Nintendo Wii Time Played: Finished Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up A competent rail shooter, that thanks to Visceral Games’ strong IP, is arguably the best light-gun experience on the Wii . Although there are some issues and poor acting issues aside, the game is highly enjoyable. Unlike other rail shooters however, I must stress it isn’t …
Developer Frictional Games Publisher Frictional Games Released March, 2007 Available for Windows Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star. “If you enjoy adventure games and have a penchant for horror, especially from a first person perspective, I urge you to play this. Overture is a testament to Frictional Games’ understanding of horror and while it has a few flaws, it’s a spine-tingling experience unlike any other. Just make sure you play it alone with the volume up and …
Review by Mike “Scout” Gust Risen Developer Piranha Bytes Publisher Deep Silver Released October 2, 2009 Available for Windows (version reviewed), Xbox Verdict: 3/5 Middlin’ “I think I feel so let down by Risen’s ending because my first impressions had been so positive, the first half so satisfyingly realistic, especially for a fantasy RPG. Risen had purred along like a nice mid-sized sedan, like a Camry shuttling me around town only to be hijacked out …
Review by Steerpike Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor Developer Tiger Style Games Publisher Tiger Style Games Released August 10, 2009 Available for iPhone, iPod Touch Time Played Finished Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up “Spider is a platformic puzzler that benefits from exquisitely tuned controls and a surprising depth hidden in the world, for those who take the time to look. It’s also a wonderful game.“
Review by MrLipid Heaven: the Game Developer Genesis Works LLC Publisher Genesis Works LLC Released September 2009 Available for PC Time Played All the way to heaven Verdict: 2/5 Rotten Egg As the fellow who reviewed the pair of games in the Wild Divine series, it seems only fitting that I take on (and offer my take on) Heaven. After all, both Wild Divine and Heaven make claims about improving the spirituality of their players, …
Review by MrLipid Pure Hidden Developer OUAT Entertainment Publisher OUAT Entertainment Released July 2009 Available for PC Time Played Long enough to fall in love…repeatedly Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star PC game development is a herd sport. If a game catches the buying public’s fancy with a new play mechanic, it doesn’t take long for the buying public to be confronted with a wide range of modestly different variations, each attempting to bring its own spin …
Review by Meho Krljic Fighting games are back. Technically they never went away and yet this is exactly the year in which we can talk about their return. They came, they saw, they smashed. Living to see such high profile releases as the PC port of Street Fighter IV reminds me that despite what Slipknot say, all hope is not gone. Join us today in reviewing three recent fighters: Street Fighter IV (PC), King of …
Review by MrLipid Three Cards to Midnight Developer Big Finish Games Publisher Big Finish Games Released May 2009 Available for PC Time Played Probably not as long as it seemed Verdict: 1/5 Roadkill “It’s later than anyone thought.” It’s been a long wait. A very long wait. But now, the waiting’s over. Which means we can go back. Back to what? Back to waiting.
Review by Toger Jules Verne’s Return to Mysterious Island Developer Tetraedge Games, Inc. Publisher Chillingo Ltd. Released June 2009 Available for iPhone/iPod Touch Time Played Finished Verdict: 4/5 Thumb Up I’m not what you’d call a “good” camper. The thought of sleeping on the ground while all manner of critters crawl hither and yon over my body is not my idea of fun… and we won’t even mention the lack of decent bathroom facilities while …
Review by Meho Krljic NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits Developer Over the Top Publisher Over the Top Released 16 June, 2009 Available for Wii (WiiWare) Time Played Six hours (but I am really slow) Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up “Being the goddess of night sucks when you’re up against an angry Sun. But it makes for lovely platform gaming.”
Review by Meho Krljic Let’s Tap Developer Prope Publisher SEGA Released June 16, 2009 Available for Wii Time Played It’s not about length, it’s about love Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up “If imagining a scene where four people tap on pizza boxes furiously, sweating, cursing, breaking into tears (and, well, yes, breaking stuff with thrown Wiimotes too) and dancing embarrassing victory dances every minute or so doesn’t make you think “I would like some of that …