Xbox 360 Reviews

Def Jam Rapstar Review

I’ve enjoyed Rock Band games before, they’ve been a blast to play with other people, but never did they fully sink their fangs into me. I was never that guy that bought the latest DLC weekly and would play constantly. The fact of the matter is, I don’t like the bands that they feature in their games. I’m not a big rock music fan in the first place. I am a huge rap fan, though. Particularly the older rap such as “Just a Friend,” “Juicy,” “It Was a Good Day,” etc. Because of this, when I laid my eyes on Def Jam Rapstar, it looked like pure gold.

The biggest complaint anyone will have about Def Jam is that it’s censored. They’ll occasionally throw out an uncensored word but it’s a rarity and when you’re singing rap songs, this is a problem. It’s confusing to be singing a song that normally curses in a certain section to only have them replace it with words like “dang” or “butt.” Seriously, just say ass. It’s not that bad. I understand not putting the racial words in it, that makes sense, but keep normal curse words as some songs are built around those words and without, it breaks the flow of the song. Which not only makes the song you know and love sound a bit awkward, it can mess you up and leave you stumbling trying to get your singing back on track again.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Review

There are many tough things that game developers do right that we take for granted. The story, the characters, the way the characters interact, the gameplay, etc. are all important things. Very rarely does a game actually achieve all of those things, I haven’t found a game that does since Metal Gear Solid 4. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a fine example of a game that gets so incredibly close to being an amazing game but falls short by just an inch or so.

Dead Rising 2 Review

Dead Rising was a very interesting game when it came out. It utilized the power of the Xbox 360 ‘s limits by putting hundreds of zombies on one screen, and offered tons of “unique” usable items. It also had a wacky side that was very refreshing. However that was then, and this is now. With Dead Rising 2 being made by a different developer does this sequel have what it takes to match the excellence of the first, or is this another Crackdown 2?

Comic Jumper Review

I have never been a big comic fan. While I have always had an appreciation for all things nerdy, the whole comic genre was a place I never saw myself entering (Don’t tell the guys over at Player Affinity Comics). However, given the chance to experience the comic medium via Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley was hardly something I could allow myself to pass up.

Comic Jumper is for lack of a better word, comical. It’s a mostly side-scrolling shooter game set in the outlandish world of Captain Smiley. It’s a world where comic characters are completely aware they are being published each month and actually have to worry about scheduling battles or hiring evil doers to make appearances. Being in comics is a career and it’s up to them to find a way to get paid.

Blade Kitten Review

Blade Kitten is first of two planned action platforming games from Krome studios based on a comic of the same name. At face value, Blade Kitten is a vibrant and exciting looking platformer. It has a cast of silly but likeable looking characters. It also showcases some colorful settings with pretty expansive levels designs. However underneath that facade, Blade Kitten is plagued by lackluster combat and some pretty awful gameplay flaws.

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter Review

What is there honestly to say about Serious Sam… it’s a very simple game with some very simple mechanics—it’s caveman smart… it’s the AK-47 in the first-person world, you can’t go wrong with it at all. It’s dead simple—complexity just doesn’t exist in the dictionary, but the game is so hectic… so visceral and so awesome that you just can’t say no to it. With a quirky sense of humor and a nice sense of action—feel—design—art—etc… this game has that aura that makes you come back for more, no matter how much you try… no matter how hard you try to ignore, that name, Serious Sam, just comes back to you urging for more.

Hydrophobia Review

Starting off “The Game Feast” this year is a title known as Hydrophobia. I’ve been quite interested in the game ever since I found out about it a few months back. It had an interesting premise, and just the title alone evoked a sense of mystery, though I had many doubts involving the quality of the game mainly because I’d heard nothing about it. Apart from the occasional press release, the only thing we had to go on was the eight or so screenshots released for the game months ago. There seems to be a reason for that.

DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue Review

DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue is a curious case—and not just because it has the word thong in the title. It’s interesting because the original DeathSpank was released only two months ago and now we already have a full blown sequel on our hands. This isn’t DLC for the original, nor is this an expansion pack, this is a complete second stand alone game. It’s pretty rare for a developer to release episodic content so quickly. So while this may not be advertised as such, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue is very much our DeathSpank: Episode 2.

NHL 11 Review

Hockey is a sport that has always intrigued me. From an outsider looking in perspective, it’s always been intriguing. The hits were brutal, the scores were intense, and the fan interaction was through the roof, which is something you don’t see as much of in other sports. But once I finally watched a game, it was like soccer but with pretty ice and actual men that can take a hit. Those two things are sadly not enough to keep me watching for two and a half hours. That being said, I’ve been quite a fan of NHL in the past years. It’s been one of the most innovative sports series out there and it made a mildly boring sport into a frantic, fast-paced blast.

Halo: Reach Review

Halo: Reach may very well be the most anticipated Xbox 360 game of all time, and that is not without a good reason. This prequel to the Halo trilogy was the last game developed by Bungie Studios, the creator of Halo, before they handed the reins over to 343 Industries. Halo: Reach details the last days of a group of Spartans known as Noble Team as they attempt to save the planet Reach from a seemingly endless stream of Covenant aliens.  Anyone familiar with Halo lore knows that it does not end well for Noble Team or the planet Reach.