Tag: game review

Games by Evan TognottiNov 22, 20126:09 pm

ZombiU Review: Judging A Book By Its Cover

ZombiU probably isn’t the game you think it is.

I predict this for a number of reasons. It’s a launch title for a new system, and one developed by Ubisoft, a developer with a pretty spotty launch title record (Red Steel, anyone?). Every piece of information regarding the game before release has naturally focused on the Wii U’s GamePad, which could easily be read as a warning sign about the game itself. Also, the name of this goddamn game is ZombiU, like we’re living in some odd, Nintendo 64-esque era where such a title is acceptable. The whole thing reeks of a kind of disaster.

In reality, ZombiU is anything but. It’s a smart, scary, slow game marred by some predictable launch window woes.

Games by Clint PrenticeNov 20, 20126:48 am

Nintendo Land Review: The Happiest Virtual Space on Earth

In 2007, the Wii launched with Wii Sports as a pack in game. That series of mini-games became ubiquitous to the Wii and defined motion control gaming for a generation. With the Wii U, Nintendo changed their controller drastically and Nintendo Land is their attempt at defining what this controller means to a new generation. I decided the best way to really understand what Nintendo hoped to achieve with Nintendo Land was to gather my family together and spend an entire day playing the various “attractions” of Nintendo Land. What followed was the most fun my family has had playing video games with me since Wii Sports, and that is exactly what Nintendo was hoping for.

Games by Evan TognottiNov 19, 201212:50 pm

New Super Mario Bros. U Review: Higher Definition, But Not Highly Different

Nintendo’s flagship franchise faces a problem that so many series’ this late in their game are susceptible to: fatigue. There have been five “New” games in about as many years, and we haven’t had a proper 3D Mario since 2010’s Super Mario Galaxy 2. Just earlier this year we had New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS, which was received in a decidedly mixed fashion. I think most people agree that Mario needs a jump-start, or a break, or anything that could mitigate what’s fast becoming over-saturation. New Super Mario Bros. U is an immaculate and pretty game that relieves none of that dread or tension.

Error! Video Content by Kyle LockOct 30, 20129:01 pm

My Sister and I play Slender

Happy Halloween! As a special bonus video, I decided to grab my sister (Who scares easily) and have her play the viral hit Slender. I am personally terrified of Slenderman and she’s easily scared, so […]

Games by Ryan McGinleyOct 17, 20123:17 pm

Dance Central 3 Review: All The Right Moves

The library for good Kinect titles is not a well that runs very deep. Luckily, Harmonix has a good grip on how to work with the Kinect, and more importantly, how to make games that are fun. I recently got down with my bad self and (embarrassingly) danced the night away with Harmonix’s latest game, Dance Central 3.

Games by Evan TognottiOct 4, 20129:38 pm

Resident Evil 6 Review: No More Tears

I’d like to start this review with a disclaimer (which I’ve never done before). There are three main campaigns in Resident Evil 6, with a fourth that unlocks upon completion of the rest. I made it a chapter into this fourth campaign, but gave up due to a string of aggravating and inscrutable puzzles. You can say what you will: that I’m not fit to review this game, or that I’m an impatient player. But with this disclaimer, I have at least made my process somewhat transparent. I’ve spent 20 hours with the game, and nothing in the last two to three hours would change my opinion on the whole. If that is unsatisfactory to you as the reader, then feel free to discount my opinion entirely.

I don’t do this often. Even a game I utterly hated, Final Fantasy XIII-2, I saw through to the end. Resident Evil 6 is a very different case. It’s a game that ate away at both me and my co-op partner, daring us to slog through unimaginable excess. When I realized that the fourth campaign was taking place in the same basic environments that I’d repeated two, sometimes three times, I stopped. And I don’t regret it.

Games by Evan TognottiAug 30, 201211:55 am

Rock Band Blitz Review: Bright Colors and Shady Dealings

There was a time long ago, before Rock Band and Dance Central, even before Guitar Hero, when rookie developer Harmonix came out of the gate swinging with FreQuency; a unique and interesting foray into the largely niche rhythm genre. That was 2001. Now it’s 2012, and Harmonix has released Rock Band Blitz, a downloadable game in the style of their earliest work. Is there a place in today’s video game climate for this return to rhythm’s roots?