Review by Brandon “Dix” Perdue Back to the Future: The Game Developer Telltale Games Publisher Telltale Games Released December 22, 2010 – June 23, 2011 Available for PC (version reviewed), Mac, PS3, iPad Time Played 10 hours (2 hours per episode) Verdict: 4/5 Thumb Up Telltale’s recently-completed episodic adventure proves nothing less than a love letter to the most charming sci-fi trilogy ever made.
Review by Brandon “Dix” Perdue L.A. Noire Developer Team Bondi & Rockstar Games Publisher Rockstar Games Released May 2011 Available for PS3 (version reviewed), Xbox 360 Time Played Finished all cases, including 3 DLC cases (20+ hours) Verdict: 4/5 Thumb Up One of the best detective games to date…but not quite the stuff dreams are made of.
Review by Lewis B Brink Developer Splash Damage Publisher Bethesda Released May 2011 Available for PC (version reviewed) Xbox 360 and PS3 Time Played “Finished” campaign mode and all challenges up to ***. Rank 15 (20+ hours). Verdict:5/5 Gold Star The finest team-shooter since Team Fortress 2. Need I say more?
Developer Muse Games Publisher Muse Games Released 2010 Available for PC and Mac Time Played 3 hours (single player campaign completed, multiplayer unplayed) Verdict: 3/5 Middlin’ “Given its short development time, Guns of Icarus is an impressive feat. Most disappointingly however, is that it only flirts with greatness; hinting at a game that it could be and more damningly one that we’d all rather be playing.“
Review by Max “Xtal” Boone Anomaly: Warzone Earth Developer 11 bit studios Publisher 11 bit studios Released April 8, 2011 Available for PC/Mac, iOS (coming soon) Time Played Completed Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up “Ultimately what I felt I got from Anomaly was a solid campaign which lasted me somewhere between 3-5 hours, and that’s probably what any seasoned player of tower defense/offense will get as well. If you lack any experience in the genre I’d …
Developer Eric Chahi Publisher Digital Lounge Released 2006 (originally released in 1991 on the Amiga) Available for Windows Time Played Completed Verdict:5/5 Gold Star “Chahi’s opus is short but sharp, often painfully sharp, but beyond its unforgiving difficulty and relatively simple gameplay lies a unique and enthralling experience that the 15th Anniversary Edition brings bang up to date. An old favourite and as affecting now as it was in 1991.”
Review by Jason Dobry Total War: Shogun 2 Developer Creative Assembly Publisher Sega Released March 15, 2011 Available for PC (Windows XP, Vista, 7) Time Played – 55 hours and counting Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “CA learned from its mistakes and made a masterpiece of strategy gaming…Everything is better, and most importantly, not so much because it’s ‘bigger,’ but because they refined and streamlined in all of the right places..” My last experience with Total War was the regrettably mediocre …
Review by Mat C Killzone 3 Developer Guerrilla Games Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment Released February 2011 Available for PlayStation 3 Time Played Finished Verdict: 2/5 Rotten Egg “To be honest, it’s all a bit of a mess. By the time you’ve done trying to care about the characters or grown weary of being shunted from one location to the next, you might be forgiven for throwing in the towel. Killzone 3 attempts to maintain your …
“How you gauge the score above depends entirely on what you look for in an adventure game. If you couldn’t care less about awkward controls, a cumbersome interface and a plethora of illogical puzzle solutions then Grim Fandango rightly deserves your attention — it’s nigh on perfect in every other way. For me though, these flaws couldn’t be overlooked and irretrievably bogged down the whole experience, making me a very sad panda.”
Review by Lewis B RIFT Developer: Trion Worlds Publisher: Trion Worlds Released: 04th March 2011 Available For: PC Time Played: 50+ hours (and counting) Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up! “A well polished and accomplished MMOG that has launched brilliantly. Although there are some minor cosmetic and game issues, it really is a pleasure to play. The class Soul System is a triumph. With fantastic server stability, great instanced dungeons and well balanced player versus player combat, RIFT deserves its good …
Review by Max “Xtal” Boone Gemini Rue Developer Joshua Nuernberger Publisher Wadjet Eye Games Released February 24, 2011 Available for PC Time Played Completed (7-8 hours, give or take) Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “Anyone who is familiar with the adventure games that were being made 15 or even 20 years ago will feel right at home here. Gemini Rue is a classic in every sense, one that is definitely set to appeal to enthusiasts of …
Review by Mat C Marvel vs Capcom 3 Developer Capcom Publisher Capcom Released February 15 (NA), February 17 (JP), February 18 (EU) 2011 Available for PlayStation 3 (version reviewed), Xbox 360 Time Played Long enough to acquire thumb blisters. Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up “As something of a novice in the fighting genre, I found the game’s immediate accessibility and accommodating attitude to button bashers a welcome introduction. Once you learn how the game works however, there’s also a deeply engaging …
Review by MrLipid A Casual Revolution Author Jesper Juul Publisher MIT Press Released 2010 Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “Let’s start with the hype. A Casual Revolution is terrific. A succinct, informative, thoughtful examination of the forces that have been, as its subtitle says, reinventing video games and their players. Oh, and on top of all that, it’s just plain fun to read.”
Review by Gregg B Developer distractionware Publisher distractionware Released January 11, 2010 Available for Windows (version played), Mac OS X Time Played Completed in 5 (ish) hours Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “It’s hard to believe that, after a tough 2009, VVVVVV was going to be Terry Cavanagh’s last game as a full-time independent developer. “The only thing I really had going for me was VVVVVV … I was having so much fun with it”, and …
Ah, the age old question. FIFA vs PES. For some of us, it really does feel like an age that we’ve comparing and contrasting the two games. As an avid fan and follower of the sport both in its real and virtual iterations, I have personally stuck with and purchased every FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer instalment for more than a decade. Before Pro Evolution Soccer was even known as Pro Evolution Soccer. Throughout EA’s drought between the years 2000 to 2006, and through Konami’s between 2007 and 2010 equally. It hasn’t always been an easy ride to look at both games objectively or impartially, either. Try comparing the mighty PES 5 to the lacklustre FIFA 05, or the current title holder FIFA 10 to the whimpering efforts from Konami last year. There is no comparison.
This however is 2011, at least in video game release terms, and things have changed. Take a look at Metacritic and you’ll see a clear winner; an almost unified agreement of who is this years king. But I don’t agree that things are quite that straight forward. Rather than review both games separately or try and justify a score with a quick “X is just better than X” quote at the bottom of a clichéd summary, I’m going to try and look at the two games in direct competition. It’s a bit of a departure from how games are normally reviewed on Tap, but I’ll give it a go anyway.