Game Reviews

Rainbow Six Vegas raised the bar so high that all subsequent FPS titles have looked pathetic in comparison. The only thing the developers needed to do to ensure that the sequel was a success was design a few new levels, add a few new guns, and wait for the dollars to start rolling in. What makes Rainbow Six Vegas 2 such a special title is just how far above and beyond the developers went, turning in a game that improves on the first in nearly every respect.

Dark Sector is a prime example of great execution elevating a tired premise. A cursory look at the plot: Special Forces Guy vs. Mutants might lead the average gamer to think they've played it before, and they probably have—it just wasn't this great before.

A completely new interpretation of classic material, R-Type Command takes the revered side-scrolling space shooter away from its action roots and plants it deeply within the strategy genre. As bizarre as it may seem to rework something based on timing and reflexes into one of the slowest, most methodical styles in videogaming, my hat is off to Irem—it absolutely works.

Although I can't get over my preference for tangible goods, knowing that titles I've enjoyed lately would never have seen release in physical format helps ease the pain of dealing with the new reality of download-only. I'd much rather fork over a twenty at GameStop and have a disc to add to my stack, but if this is the sacrifice it takes to get these small gems into my hands, then so be it.  Case in point: Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3.

I’ve always thought that George Lucas’s archeology professor turned whip-smackin’ adventurer would be an excellent videogame hero. Unfortunately, most makers of movie-based games that I’ve played assume that I want to “relive” the movie in the most literal way. Running from one cut-scene to another—all of which I’ve seen already in the theater—doesn’t appeal to me, especially when all I’m doing is hacking monsters up and pushing boxes. What I want is to play Indiana Jones the man, not Indiana Jones the franchise.  Thankfully, Lego Indiana Jones The Original Adventures lets me do just that.

Had I been asked, one year ago, what the absolute best premise I could imagine for a game would be, there's an 80% chance my answer would have been "A gothic-horror themed League of Extaordinary Gentlemen battle Hitler's undead army." So how can I possibly look at a game fairly when it seems to have been created for a market of me?

Even before I played Dynasty Warriors 6, I was dreading having to write this review. For a critic, there's nothing worse than having to review games that we really like (yes, I'm a fan). Contrary to popular belief, critics do try to enjoy ourselves and we don't point out flaws for the sake of being negative.

I would love to have a chance to sit down with Hideo Kojima, one of the industry's most well-known, well-respected auteurs and find out exactly what place Guns of the Patriots holds in his mind. Why? Quite honestly, the game is a shadow of what it could, and should have been.

Simple and elegant, the game tells the story of a small village boy named Toku and the disembodied wind spirit that befriends him. The plot is good enough to get things going, but it's clear early on that the focus is on the controls.

Metal Gear producer Hideo Kojima is definitely an auteur, one whose fame and notoriety continue to rise the longer he continues to work. Make no mistake. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (MGS4) is Hideo Kojima’s game. The question is: are you okay with that?