PS3

Review: Batman: Arkham City - Gliding through the night

Submitted by Andrea on Sat, 12/31/2011 - 13:09

 

The problem with making a game so amazing the first time, is following up that game with an even better sequel. Room for improvement is small, forcing the developers to dig deep into their creative wells, to introduce new concepts or ideas to impress the players.

No one expected Batman: Arkham Asylum to be as well executed as it was; dismissing its existence was the common attitude towards it. Rocksteady delivered an experience so contrary to what we believed, pushing Batman to the forefront of quality video games in 2009. With our expectations now set high and our attention drawn in, it would be impossible for Batman: Arkham City to duplicate such a lofty achievement. Batman: Arkham City won’t wow its players like its predecessor, but the fluid melee combat and wide cast of stellar characters that populate Arkham City, are enough reasons to slip on the bat suit once more.

Review: Portal 2 - Head and stomach aches

Submitted by Andrea on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 13:21

Incredibly annoying and too frequently mentioned internet memes aside, Valve developed a game that will be remembered for its ability to amaze in a mere two short hours. Portal’s signature tool was unseen before, and the game’s structure of blending puzzle elements and an A.I with spiteful sense of humor wasn’t something any ordinary studio could successfully execute. Portal was a great addition to the Orange Box, so it’s relatively short completion time was not a problem for me, only when it was considered by many as a contender, if not, the game of the year in 2007.

I wasn’t as infatuated with the game as others were; it was difficult to get excited about Portal 2 and its goal to release as a full retail product. I couldn’t imagine what else could be added to the room by room puzzle solving that had a gutless A.I. speaking to you along the way. Of course in typical tight lipped Valve fashion, there is so much more to Portal 2 than shooting blue and orange portals at walls. Portal 2 doesn’t remain in the confined spaces of the white colored test rooms, it lets you go beyond that and explore the grand world that you have only briefly heard of.

Review: Dead Space 2 - Clean pants

Submitted by Andrea on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 14:05

Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge were part of EA’s new strategy to bring new IPs to the forefront, instead of just making numerous unwanted sequels to a lot of their tired franchises. Both were great games with new experiences or ideas, but Dead Space proved to be the most successful and well received amongst the two (I enjoyed Mirror’s Edge a lot more but that’s just me). It didn’t reinvent the story telling in video games, it provided a story with a beginning, middle and end, enough to give a justifiable reason to dismember Necromorphs and upgrade your equipment. But because Dead Space had a generally conclusive ending, the reveal of a sequel was as questionable as when BioShock 2 was first announced a few years ago. It was a complete experience with no game breaking glitches or ridiculous plot twist like your wife was your arm, it was – is good enough to be a standalone game. Visceral’s first attempt at making a survival-horror game was a very well executed one at that, so it isn’t necessarily a bad thing that Dead Space 2 isn’t a far departure from its predecessor, even if it could easily pass as an expansion pack.

Review: L.A. Noire - Uncovering the Truth

Submitted by Andrea on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 19:42

Instead of developers relying on hardware strength to produce higher fidelity graphics, they are finding ways to optimize their game engines, to then use these new found tricks to replicate something that would require advanced hardware. Team Bondi has recently developed this new technology that would allow them to capture little movements of the human face, similar to the concept of full body motion capture. This significant improvement of facial animation plays such an important role in Team Bondi’s and Rockstar’s detective story, that it’s unfair to dismiss this technological leap, even though it would have been better served as the supplement, not the core.

Review: Dragon Age 2

Submitted by Andrea on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 15:14

“Dragon Age Origins” provided an experience that originated on PC, so the complaint of the combat feeling shoehorned onto the console versions is understandable. I didn’t see anything wrong with the pause feature that interrupted the flow of play, and I couldn’t think of anything to add or fix to the combat or radial menu, that would result in making it “better”. I thought it was implemented just fine and rewarded those who took the time to understand the proper positioning of characters, and the most effective combination of Tactics. A lot of reviewers will say the combat has much improved in this sequel, when it actually hasn’t changed at all; they have just mistaken the improvements for the lack any challenge. Two years is a long time, and the shorter but common development time spent on this sequel is not a sufficient excuse for why it is an excruciatingly dull, story driven game.  

Syndicate content