Posts in category metareviews
by Ludwig Kietzmann Sep 3rd 2007 1:30PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Metareviews
On paper, Factor 5's
Lair does so many things right: Beautiful graphics and sound making full use of all the blue rays, cells and bumpy maps the PlayStation 3 has to offer. Majestic dragons flapping their leathery wings, swooping down on hapless soldiers and
occasionally fighting other, similarly majestic dragons. Unfortunately, this enticing list was apparently jotted down with a pen the size of a tree stump. Awkward to maneuver and clumsy to clutch,
Lair's mandatory motion-control scheme seems to have sent it into a quality nosedive.
- IGN (49/100) laments the "horribly unresponsive" controls and "god-awful lock-on system," quickly labeling the whole affair as "a mission worthy of swallowing the business end of a shotgun to avoid." Just so we're clear, they're implying that you'd rather kill yourself instead of playing Lair. Harsh, and certainly surprising if you read the E3 preview -- a few weeks earlier, the game was "surprisingly easy to pick up and play" with dragon controls that became "simple with practice."
- Gamespot (45/100) thinks Lair is beautiful... a "beautiful disaster," that is. The review's third sentence claims it's "stunning to watch", but that comes after the second sentence which declares the game to have "one of the worst control schemes ever devised." That's assuming you even make it that far, as the first sentence is simply, "You shouldn't play Lair." If that sounds bitter, it's probably because you remember the sweet taste of the last preview: "Flying the dragon around isn't tough, but there is a bit of a learning curve." Apparently it was more like a 90-degree angle.
- 1UP (60/100) was right to be concerned about the controls in an earlier version of the game. Here, the game is deemed frustrating and "one of those games where you die or fail through no fault of your own." The article also reinforces the belief that Factor 5 is still stuck in the icy wastelands of Hoth, complete with dinosaurs waiting to trip over your dragon tow cable.
by Alexander Sliwinski Aug 18th 2007 1:00PM
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Metareviews
It would be an understatement to suggest interest in
BioShock is hitting critical mass. We've personally lost a few writers on staff who took advantage of the
Toys R Us deal earlier this week to the city of Rapture. Furthermore, we'd have lost our own editor Mr. Grant if his Xbox 360 hadn't gone belly-up ... he's
seething. The reviews for
BioShock are flowing in and they've been overwhelmingly positive. It's going to be an early holiday season for
Irrational Games 2K Boston. Now the game just needs to sell well.
- Game Informer (100/100): "Even if you play games strictly for the difficulty that they bring, BioShock is a title that needs to be played, simply because you will never look at an FPS the same way again. Of the 15 to 20 hours of gameplay that it delivers, there isn't a second wasted. Once you finish the game, there's little chance that you'll take it out before playing it again to see the second ending."
- IGN (97/100): "To call this game simply a first-person shooter, a game that successfully fuses gameplay and narrative, is really doing it a disservice. This game is a beacon. It's one of those monumental experiences you'll never forget, and the benchmark against which games for years to come will, and indeed must, be measured."
- 1UP (100/100): "The sounds of the vending machines, the demented rants of a housewife who has long lost her sanity, the ability to craft your own ammunition, the level design based on some beloved touchstones of horror (medical experimentation, a garden of evil, the performing arts), the optional photography research, the color palette, the scratchy rendition of "Beyond the Sea," the fire and lighting and water effects...everything is in its right place."
And just for something numerically different...
- Xbox World 360 Magazine UK (94/100): "Criticisms? There are a few. The non-replenishable nature of Bioshock's many resources mean that poor players are often punished by the game becoming even harder. And the weird way that enemy health doesn't reset after you die means that if you're blessed with the kind of robo-endurance usually required for Boxing Day family get-togethers, you could hypothetically kill a Big Daddy with your wrench, if you had the time."
by Kevin Kelly Jul 20th 2007 2:45PM
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sports, Metareviews
We're about halfway through the summer, and for
football fans it's one of the itchiest times of the year. The official season is scant weeks away from starting, and you have to find ways to while away the time until you can play sideline coach once again and scream at the television until the veins in your forehead spell out the initials of your college team.
Some people pass the time by going on vacation, others read quietly, some take up a new hobby, like whittling, and still others reflect on the nature of man vs. the infinite. The rest of us simply purchase the latest football games and pick up the yelling and screaming like it never left off. With that in mind, we're rounding up the reviews for this year's crop of gridiron offerings. Choose wisely, and prepare yourself for some thumb blistering goodness.
Continue reading Pigskin Metareview: NCAA 08 vs All-Pro 2K8 vs Madden 08
by Ludwig Kietzmann Jun 5th 2007 8:32PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Metareviews
As far as weird decisions go, exhuming a popular pen-and-paper RPG franchise and transforming it into a
cross-platform shooter isn't nearly as disastrous as you might expect. Indeed, most
Shadowrun reviewers concur that the gameplay is enjoyable and pleasingly distinct from your space donut shootouts. As for the decisions that led to a dearth of single-player content and a
comically high price tag, well, those are every bit as disastrous as you'd expect.
- Eurogamer (6/10) considers Shadowrun to be a "well-designed, well-conceived game," but faults its anemic features and "counter-productive" price. "There's nothing wrong with a game choosing to specialise in either offline or online experience, of course," notes Kieron Gillen. "But if you decide to completely ignore one pole of the experience, you have to offer something generally astounding and/or groundbreaking to justify yourselves."
- Gamespot (6.9/10) feels the game, which is "about $30 too expensive," makes poor use of the Shadowrun license and doesn't offer enough variety. Despite finding the combat unique and the customization choices to be meaningful, Jeff "8.8" Gerstmann ultimately labels Shadowrun as "a pretty shallow experience."
- IGN (6.8/10) loathes the game's presentation, one of many criticisms it piles atop the "well-designed nucleus of gameplay." Charles Onyett finds the whole thing to be unrewarding, explaining that, "As gamers, it's rewards we crave, be it of the narrative variety, in-game items, new options or modes, or something entirely different."
It's a shame to see
Shadowrun providing "something different" to a crowded genre, only to clumsily stumble its way into the retail world with a heavy price on its back. We're sure the brilliant executives at Microsoft will pin the blame for inhibited sales on the license itself: "What?
Shadowrun tanked? Well, that could only be due to the fact that nobody likes the
Shadowrun universe anymore! Let's put that one back in the closet, eh chaps?"
Read -- Metacritic on the PC version
Read -- Metacritic on the Xbox 360 version
by John Bardinelli Mar 24th 2007 1:01PM
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Portable, Sony PSP, Puzzle, RPGs, Metareviews, Casual
With a mix of puzzle and role playing elements,
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords tries to hook both casual and hardcore players. Does it succeed? The answer is a strong "yes", though the game is not without its issues. The DS version has smooth stylus control but has a cramped screen layout and poor visuals, while
Puzzle Quest PSP suffers from awkward loading pauses but has a better screen layout and graphics. Fortunately the drawbacks aren't enough to spoil the highly addictive gameplay.
- Gamespot (8.5/10) - "What's most remarkable about Puzzle Quest is how a simple change of context turns some tired genre conventions that have been done to death into something that's suitable for just about anyone, regardless of your interest in the components."
- Gamealmighty (8.3/10) - "Like a traditional RPG, your character will earn experience points and levels, allowing you to customize your strengths by the allocation of points. There are over 150 diverse quests to tackle that take place on a large and lush campaign map. Before you know it, you'll find yourself engaged in your first combat, and from that moment forward, you'll be hooked. This is no easy puzzle game and the more you uncover then the more you realize that Puzzle Quest is actually quite deep and strategic."
- Gamesradar (7/10) - "The source material Bejeweled is fantastically compelling, so the puzzling is solid even if purists may dislike the addition of spells and powers. But those powers can definitely tip the scales in a match, so they add a whole new nuance and added strategy. And your constantly rising stats, abilities and property deliver a nice feeling of progression."
Be sure to check out the
PC demo released earlier this week to get a sample of the unique gameplay.
by Christopher Grant Mar 22nd 2007 12:56PM
Filed under: PC, First Person Shooters, Metareviews
Just months after the glitz and glamor of its
inaugural debut on Wired's annual Vaporware awards, the long-delayed
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. cozied up on retail shelves next to other evidently non-vaporous games. Yes,
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a real boy now and it's more than a little exciting to see that the ambitious title made the journey from idea to interactive game more or less intact. Sure, the years in limbo didn't do much to help the once impressive engine, but reviews praise the title's innovative aspects -- namely the open-ended, and S.C.A.R.Y., gameplay.
- Yahoo! (90/100) offers a poop metaphor that actually makes us want to play the game ... albeit alone ... and with a fresh pair of drawers nearby: "given all its troubles we're fortunate to have a game at all, let alone one this good. Its setting is superb, its gameplay tense and convincing, and it boasts what are definitely the best fill-your-pants moments in a PC game for quite some time. It's hard to see how it could have turned out better."
- GameSpot (85/100) loves the open-endedness, and gives us the mash-up genre descriptor we've been waiting for: "At its heart, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a first-person survival game that blends action with role-playing. This isn't a linear game, like Half-Life or Call of Duty, where you basically are restricted to a straight path and are taken for a tightly controlled and scripted ride. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s huge environments and open-ended gameplay make it more like a role-playing game, as you can go where you want and do what you want if you're willing to live with the consequences."
- Eurogamer (80/100) offers easily the most compelling review, despite its lower score: "For some people the odd rough brokenness of Stalker will frustrate and annoy. It isn't finely polished, and it's not Hollywood; this is more like an antidote to the Americanised way of doing things. It's a warped behemoth from the Ukraine, and one of the scariest games on the PC."
Sold! We've been hungry for a first-person shooter that requires mandatory underwear changes as part of its design;
System Shock 2 was so long ago, and
Bioshock is
delayed. We want
this sort of experience.
by James Ransom-Wiley Feb 28th 2007 10:25PM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Action, Sports, Metareviews
Should there be reason for concern with another hodgepodge of reviews? IGN gives
SSX Blur a thumbs-up, but warns it's for "hardcore" gamers only; 1UP disses, claiming
SSX vets will be turned off. So which is it? Why have we been sifting through so many mixed reviews for Wii games?
It's sorta like DS's first year, no? Everyone -- publishers, developers, and gamers -- are trying to figure out how it works; and what works. So then, aren't we a little concerned? Fearful that Wii is just a gimmick. The gems will come, but might we also be faced with a lotta
"meh."
SSX has been a reliable franchise, but
Blur has so far scored the lowest average of any of the series' console iterations -- it's hard not to see a message in that.
Continue reading Metareview - SSX Blur
by Blake Snow Feb 21st 2007 11:45PM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Metareviews
Does
The Secret Rings for Wii usher in fresh Sonic mojo? Mmm, not so much, at least according to several early reviews. Granted, critics aren't slamming this hedgehog outing quite like they did the PS3 and 360 game before it, but in short, reviews are mixed. Like all over the place from the low 50 to the higher 83. What is it with the extreme variation of Wii reviews? Whatever the reason, here's a sampling:
- Gaming Age (83%) - "An encouraging sign that good Sonic games can still be made. I had a tremendous time exploring the different stages and the skill points add a bit of depth to an otherwise straightforward game."
- GameBrink (81%) - "Sonic Team has taken Sonic, put him on rails, added a ton of variety, and made something that is definitely worth a rental. Some might find it too short to be a purchase, while others may just enjoy playing the levels over and over again with different setups in order to unlock the many goals available."
- 1UP (75%) - "Although Sega deserves praise for Secret Rings' innovative single-player adventure, the less said about the four-player party mode, the better. It's another low-budget Mario Party rip-off that stretches out a few weak gameplay concepts into multiple multiplayer contests."
- IGN (69%) - "Sonic and the Secret Rings offers moments of greatness where I find myself caught up in the intensity of the experience and, oppositely, moments where I want to pull my hair out or throw the Wii remote down because of imprecise control or insulting design choices."
- GameDaily (50%) - "Sega delivers inaccurate Wii controls, ridiculous objectives and a bad guy named Erazor. On top of that, it somehow screws up fixed camera angles while attempting to convince the gaming public that a group of rampaging triceratops runs faster than Sonic."
Sonic and the Secret Rings has a current average review score of
74%.
by James Ransom-Wiley Feb 20th 2007 11:58AM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, Metareviews
Crackdown draws a dividing line between gamers, offering a virtual world in which to play freely (by the developer's rules), while scrapping efforts to provide an engrossing narrative driven by forced gameplay scenarios -- not that there couldn't have been room for both. Realtime Worlds has clearly demonstrated which side of the line it stands on.
It's difficult to know how interested we'd be in
Crackdown if
Halo 3 Beta had never been tethered to the game disc; '
Crackdown' is a name that's been floating around a list of AAA-exclusives, but the beta brought its presence
to the forefront of early '07 anticipation. Perhaps this game is
too niche to make non-360 owners jealous, but there's no denying that it adds an important element to the Xbox 360 library. That's not to say
Crackdown necessarily defines greatness. They don't get more subjective than this...
Continue reading Metareview - Crackdown
by James Ransom-Wiley Feb 7th 2007 6:29PM
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Portable, Driving, Online, Metareviews
As so many did, my friends and I bought into the original
Diddy Kong Racing, which had been hyped as a superior blend of
Super Mario 64 meets
Mario Kart 64, from the same developer that had won our allegiance with
GoldenEye 007 just months before.
Diddy Kong Racing wasn't fun (despite mostly
bloated reviews). Still, we fell into a self-perpetuating trap of lying to ourselves; reassuring each other of the game's promised greatness. Weeks passed, and
Diddy Kong Racing eventually faded away -- but not for good.
Rare has remade its N64 "classic" for DS. Despite Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support,
Diddy Kong Racing is still lame, further marred by poor DS-specific design choices. Thankfully, critical reception seems to be more on point this time around:
- IGN (71/100) - "[Any] time you're encouraged to touch the lower screen, you can pretty much assume that it wasn't in the original game and created specifically for the Nintendo DS "remake". It's these new DS-centric elements that point to the fact that this is a first-generation DS game handled by a team that's not quite familiar with the platform ... someone really needs to tell Rare that microphone blowing is so 2005. It wasn't a whole lot of fun when developers did it in the Nintendo DS' early years, and it's still not fun now ... unfortunately the development team focused a bit too much on "DS-izing" the product with completely unnecessary and frustrating touch-screen and microphone challenges that disrupt the racing design."
- GameSpot (67/100) - "Diddy Kong Racing DS isn't a bad kart-racing game, but its best feature, the racing, is buried underneath so much unnecessary garbage that some people will find it nearly impossible to enjoy. Had Rare stripped the island setting, toned down the tedious collecting, and tweaked some other minor issues, the game would have been better with less. Instead, it chose to add more and more content, and the game suffers for it. Some of the new additions, such as online multiplayer and the various customization features, make the game more enjoyable, but many of them, particularly the touch-screen controls, make it worse."
- Games Radar (60/100) - "Diddy Kong Racing wants so damn hard to be the next Mario Kart that it hurts our eyes to play it for long periods of time. The racing itself is totally fine (if a little slow), but this simple pleasure is smothered in monotonous collecting and mindless wandering ... For those who remember the Nintendo 64 version from 1997, this is mostly the same game. Back then it wanted to be the next Mario Kart 64, but obviously wasn't. Now, the only thing that's been done to bump its stature is moderate touch screen silliness."
by Blake Snow Jan 26th 2007 7:15PM
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Metareviews
Could the DS have another hit on its hands to the tune of
Hotel Dusk: Room 215? Maybe, but early review scores are mixed somewhere in the upper level of subjective criticism.
Hotel Dusk is a "graphic adventure game" in the same vein as the popular
Phoenix Wright. Published by Nintendo, the game takes place in a fictional hotel in the southwest corner of the United States during 1979. You play Kyle Hyde, a former police detective searching for a long lost partner while simultaneously unraveling the hotel's dark secrets. But enough of that. Behold our copy and paste skills when applied to a sampling of reviews:
- Game Informer (70%): "This game has a hotel full of strangers with secrets, which might just be enough to get you to stick around to hear them all. But perhaps you'll want to skip the ambiance and go somewhere with fresher towels."
- GamePro (75%): "Hotel Dusk probably won't appeal to every DS gamer, as it requires a degree of patience and thoughtfulness that only the aged (and insane) are capable of. But anyone looking for a cerebral and deliberate challenge should definitely check out this cool and unique title; just be patient with it."
- Game Daily (80%): "The beautifully sketched graphics give Room 215 a unique style. Although the game grows tedious, thanks to what seems like endless, scrolling text, surprises pop up every few minutes that further the plot. Definitely play this game."
- eToyChest (90%): "A class act. It may not be a cake walk the first time through, but for those who can deal with the occasional head scratching bouts of frustration, this game is another winning addition to the Nintendo DS library."
The game currently sports an
81% average review score. Basically, if you're keen on text-plots and deductive reasoning, this mystery could be a nice fit.
by James Ransom-Wiley Jan 16th 2007 3:15AM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Puzzle, Metareviews, Rhythm
Smooth Moves is certainly no 'Game of the Year,' but it's hard to imagine a Wii owner who won't be adding this game to the collection. It's almost a necessity, as it unlocks all of the wonderful, albeit odd, potentials of Wii's technology.
WarioWare is a madcap tutorial tool.
It's unfortunate, as Eurogamer seems to allude below, that
Smooth Moves has been billed to be more than what it is (a series of microgames). This is Wii's first significant title of 2007; and
Smooth Moves will have to carry the associated burden for months to come. As such, the game will surely lead to disappointment for some. Still, there's no denying that
WarioWare is capable of offering the premiere Wii experience.
Continue reading Metareview - WarioWare: Smooth Moves
by James Ransom-Wiley Jan 11th 2007 5:23PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Online, Metareviews
It's no secret that the
Lost Planet marketing campaign is Capcom's most costly
Westward-expansion effort to date. Xbox Live
demos (that spawned a
patch),
Times Square ad space, and tonight's
launch party have all contributed to a massive wave of hype that will come crashing down tomorrow. Have our senses been sufficiently flooded?
The clump of reviews that have trickled out since the game launched in Japan and Europe (Dec. 21 & 31, respectively) has been decidedly mixed. Timing is on Capcom's side however, as these first few months of the New Year are commonly stale, devoid of competition. Our bet's on
Lost Planet being a retail hit, but don't count on many remembering the game when it comes time to praise the year's best in December.
Continue reading Metareview - Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
by James Ransom-Wiley Dec 17th 2006 2:55PM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Action, Metareviews
Back in May
Elebits was
showing signs of
Katamari-like appeal. Seven months later the final product certainly stands out among Wii's early titles. A classic? Nah, but
Elebits is one of the better available showcases of Wii's motion-driven potential; plus it
dares to experiment with the WiiConnect24 service.
If you've already plowed through
Twilight Princess and surgery ain't your bag,
Elebits should be a strong candidate for your attention, even if it's not a lasting experience.
- IGN (83/100) - "Elebits begins with a misstep in the form of a poorly presented storyline ... Once the game starts proper, though, Elebits shines ... The game dishes out a surprising level of hidden strategy, too, due in large to a clever balance between the electrified items in the stages and the ability of your capturing gun ... but the real stars of Elebits are the control and, of course, the physics ... This title is destined for sleeper status."
- GameSpot (75/100) - "Functionally [Elebits is] a first-person shooter for younger audiences ... You'll bust through the game's story mode in under six hours and fail maybe one or two stages during the entire course of the mode ... Though the game is simple, there's an oddly compelling quality to the action."
- Game Informer (70/100) - "[Elebits] taps into the same vein of quirky fun as titles like Katamari Damacy, but isn't as endearing ... With such a simple concept, it is really up to the control scheme and the Wii remote to salvage the experience, and it is only partly successful ... I couldn't shake the feeling that the game's big draw – total power over the surrounding world – will one day just be a small part of a much more involving and full-featured title...probably starring Jedi."
See also:
Joystiq hands-on: Elebits (Wii)Next Page >
