“Alongside destruction, cultural concerns enter the discussion, particularly religious sensitivities. “Even though it was a fully destructible game, we’re not going to allow anyone playing the game to destroy mosques. We don’t want that to be recorded, videoed, and then put on YouTube and it shows people laughing. Suddenly, you’d trivialized a nation’s culture,” says Cheever.”
Filed under Features
“In its later years, Microsoft stopped promoting the service as much. XBLIG became a wild west, home to crude zombie shooters, strange MMOs, Minecraft knock-offs, and lurid anime adventures. This became possible via the peer review process. With both Community Games and XBLIG, eager developers uploaded their games, and waited for other developers to go looking for functionality, glitches, or other problems. Those peers either accepted or denied the entry. All 3,300+ games on the service went through this procedure, both a hobbyist projects and serious attempts at making use of this emergent indie service.”
Filed under Features
“There’s no luxury in the progression. Typically, buffing up an already steroidal hero or furthering sorcery skills are the tightened hinge which holds this realm of action RPGs together. Not anymore, or at least not anymore as far as this sequel goes. New developer Deep Silver disintegrates the idea of loot and subscribes to arcade-style rhythms – no shops bog down pace, and weapons are mere post-level handouts upon goal completions. It’s awfully socialist in execution: everyone gets the trophy.”
Filed under Video Game Reviews
“Market viability must find the concept of a Pole in the lead role destined for financial ruin, and thus this uncommon perspective is battered by developmental restrictions. National inclusion thus feels sparse, brought about because of City Interactive’s locale and then trashed because of retail dynamics. Hawkins is a misplaced face who may speak and fight stoutly, but fades into the formalities of an American freedom fighter rather than one of CI’s homeland. Whatever intimate attention was paid to regional detail is lost, squelched under the weight of boring and safe industry politics. Any identifying factors of Poland’s people are lost for another routine shooter.”
Filed under Video Game Reviews
“Fictional adventurer James Lee Quartermain’s starring role occurs in a helpless rut of arduous puzzle execution and derivative mummy slaughter. Made without financial confidence and stitched together with gunky coding, Deadfall Adventure’s ideas are wedged somewhere between Indiana Jones’ mythology and classless Syfy Channel drudgery. Deadfall creates a concept of ice mummies, never once smiling at its conceptual inanity.
That is Quartermain’s problem as well, readily accepting mythological Mayan freak shows and remarking on them with the stunted effect of bad line reading. His disinterested, scruffy facade is an amalgamation of what dapper, ’40s era heroes often were – sans soul or measurable spunk. Joined by a female archaeologist, Quartermain’s scornful sexism is billed as sarcasm; it’s the center of Deadfall’s insufferable fizzled humor.”
Read my full review of Deadfall Adventures at Blogcritics
Filed under Video Game Reviews
“Fan fondness for the 8-bit classic is not birthed aside from flattened nostalgia, but rather platforming perfectionism courtesy of the Capcom/Disney marriage. It would continue to spawn quality recreations from Chip & Dale to Darkwing Duck (and others), but the affection is here, honored graciously. Respect is shown for the source material, show and game alike. DuckTales has now been honored as a deserving and distinguished part of essential gaming canon.”
Read my full DuckTales Remastered review at Blogcritics
Filed under Video Game Reviews
“Despite the humbled opening strokes of fresh allegiances, Origins is frustratingly respectful. This prequel is never gifted with a fresh identity, nor something to consider as a defining signature of Warner Montreal’s touch. With a new developer, this is an invitation for freshness and instead comes across as something meant to fit in quarterly reports. Time is dwindling for current generation consoles, and Origins exists to profit from one needless, finalized cap before stretching muscles on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.”
Read my full Batman: Arkham Origins review at Classic Game Room
Filed under Video Game Reviews
“Verdict Day is the unclimbable plateau and a closed door club. Armored Core is thus a geeky, prepubescent teen who builds an electronic clubhouse paradise, but paints a, “No girls allowed” sign, lest they sully purity of their complex anti-cooties systems.
It is fun to be in involved, but only if you’re one of the gang.”
Read my full review of Armored Core: Verdict Day at Blogcritics
Filed under Video Game Reviews
“Rockstar’s satire, usually an impenetrable artistic barrier, has collapsed in a swell of nonchalant childishness. Items exist to draw comparison, yet that is not inherently amusing. Switching “iPhone” to “iFruit” is comedic bankruptcy, not a statement on society’s growing social indifference with face to face interaction. GTA V works under an assumption that its cruel lunacy will initiate a public dialog on suggested issues, but again, the improbable is not alluring enough in and of itself.”
Read my full Grand Theft Auto V review at Classic Game Room
Filed under Video Game Reviews
“In many ways, Rayman has won. South France’s Ubisoft Montpellier has catapulted a creation who lied dormant (or superseded by manic Rabbids) into the forefront of this once Nintendo dominated province. European developed platformers have traditionally been locked to lethargic motions meant for a populace groomed on simpleton home computers. Legends, even as a sequel, is a revelation to those comatose, barrier driven character runs.”
Read my full Rayman Legends review at Classic Game Room
Filed under Video Game Reviews
Matt Paprocki 