Ars File: Game Reviews
Spore has much riding on it, as it comes from the mind that gave us the Sims and the company that gave us infinite expansions to the same. Will Spore turn you into a God, or a frustrated consumer? The truth lies, maddeningly, in the middle. Our full review, inside.
September 07, 2008 - 11:35PM CT - by Mark DeSanto
With its epic, Norse-inspired story, strong customization systems, and fluid combat, Too Human manages to stand out even in the wake of controversy, albeit with its fair share of problems.
August 18, 2008 - 11:30PM CT - by Frank Caron
Dead Space is shaping up to be one of the best horror, science-fiction games in recent memory. Ars goes to EA to see how a dedicated development team inside EA pushed for the game's existence, and created something special in the home of sports games.
August 11, 2008 - 11:30PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Activision has made piles of cash from the Guitar Hero franchise, but can it create something special without the help of Harmonix? We explore this question, and along the way we review Guitar Hero: On Tour, and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.
July 06, 2008 - 11:45PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
The once great Solid Snake returns for one last mission in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, bringing to a close a legendary series and giving the PlayStation 3 its greatest game thus far. But within this beauty lies a beast.
June 16, 2008 - 11:30PM CT - by Frank Caron
WiiWare is Nintendo's answer to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Sony's PlayStation Network. Ars goes hands on with the service to offer reviews of the launch titles and impressions of the service overall.
May 20, 2008 - 11:58PM CT - by Frank Caron
Boom Blox causes our alarm bells to ring because it comes to us via a celebrity name and EA. When it's all said and done, the title actually melds intriguing play with too-cute characters in a game that may be one of the best party experiences of the year.
May 11, 2008 - 11:55PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Ars Technica takes a look at Sierra's upcoming games across all the platforms, and comes away impressed. Of course, the world may not have needed another 50 Cent game, but that's another discussion.
May 06, 2008 - 01:45AM CT - by Michael Thompson
Grand Theft Auto IV is finally here, riding a wave of hype and perfect review scores. Nothing can live up to those expectations, but the game is one of the most striking cases for gaming as a storytelling medium. The Ars Technica review inside.
May 01, 2008 - 10:50PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Mario Kart makes its debut on the Wii with some great new elements and a strong online offering. The kart racer is still surviving in the HD era.
April 28, 2008 - 11:50PM CT - by Frank Caron
Would Gran Turismo 5: Prologue stand on its own two feet? Probably not, but that doesn't take away from what's an amazing, but flawed, release. Ars reviews the first chunk of Gran Turismo 5.
April 21, 2008 - 11:52PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Dark Sector brings a new engine to life with satisfying and well-crafted game play built around a three-pronged throwing weapon. Add in a dash of horror, and you have a winner... despite some grating flaws.
March 31, 2008 - 11:57PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is basically a series of updates to a proven formula. When the formula is this good, however, that's more than forgivable.
March 11, 2008 - 11:55PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Devil May Cry 4 may not push the genre forward in any meaningful way, but there is a reason the series is so popular. We look at one of the best action titles of the year.
February 11, 2008 - 11:23PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Burnout Paradise changes nearly everything about how Burnout is played, and after a shaky demo, it turns out to be a smart move. Our review inside.
January 27, 2008 - 11:03PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Unreal Tournament 3 makes some smart tweaks to the core Unreal Tournament experience to create a refined shooter for both PCs and consoles. We take our hoverboards for a test drive.
December 12, 2007 - 11:21PM CT - by Ben Kuchera, Frank Caron
Like a great Indiana Jones movie, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune grabs you right from the beginning and doesn't let you go: it's a non-stop thrill ride that justifies the PlayStation 3 as a platform of choice.
November 27, 2007 - 11:45PM CT - by Frank Caron
Taking the action-adventure genre to new heights is Assassin's Creed, a great game with just a few flaws that nails the feeling of being an agile assassin.
November 22, 2007 - 10:08PM CT - by Frank Caron
It requires four people, it costs $170, and you need an entire large room to play. We rock out with Rock Band to see if the high cost of entry is justified.
November 18, 2007 - 11:00PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Mario is back in a Wii game that was promised as the "sequel to Super Mario 64." That's a high bar to shoot for, but Super Mario Galaxy is nothing if not ambitious. Let's see if Nintendo delivered on its promise.
November 14, 2007 - 11:55PM CT - by Ben Kuchera
Following the release of iTunes 8, many Windows Vista users reported that the application was causing a "blue screen of death" whenever an iPod or iPhone was connected. In response, Apple re-released the software in order to fix the problem.
Technology briefs from Intel:
