Playstation 3 Reviews A-E

The film Quantum of Solace never got much respect but I guess it's hard to follow the best Bond film ever (Casino Royale). This first-person shooter is better than I expected. In addition to following the general story of Quantum, it also incorporates scenes from Casino Royale including the chase in Madagascar with the bomb maker. Frankly the chronology of this game seems all over the place. The adventure begins with Bond kidnapping Mr. White from his mansion. This part was brief in the film, but here it's fleshed out with elaborate shootouts and explosions. James Bond's likeness and voice is clearly Daniel Craig but Mr. White is not the original actor. I guess they didn't have the rights to that guy. Anyway the exciting opening act segues into a classic 007 intro complete with original music and stylized images. I was a little disappointed you don't participate in the car chase that opens the actual film. No, this is strictly a first-person shooter with a few quick-time events thrown in to facilitate dramatic hand-to-hand combat. I'm impressed how action-packed each stage is. You barely have time to catch your breath with all the gunfire, explosions, and collapsing buildings. There are plenty of powerful weapons at your disposal, and gunning down bad guys is satisfying because they tend to hurl themselves off the nearest ledge. This game makes excellent use of audio. During the Italian rooftop chase you don't see the festival below, but the buzz of a crowd conveys a sense of activity. Likewise the Vienna Opera house is empty but the fact that opera music is playing adds a dramatic flair. My favorite stage is set in Miami at night during a raging storm, culminating with a boss encounter with a helicopter. The game recommends employing stealth approach but I prefer the bull-in-the-China-shop approach. Hey - it works in the movies! The auto-aim makes it easy to pick off bad guys and there are shiny things lying around that explode when shot. The game feels a little undercooked. Taking cover can be effective, but there were times I felt as if I was stuck to the scenery, unable to pull myself away to avoid a grenade. You're told to hold X to dash but you need to push in the left stick to do that. The objectives are confusing. Once I was told over the radio to jump off the boat and I didn't even know I was on one! When low on life, that vintage 007 "barrel of a gun" graphic encroaches onto the screen, which is a nice touch. Quantum's multiplayer is online only but if you're a single player campaign type of guy Quantum of Solace will get your blood pumping. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

Do modern games have you down? Tired of the complicated controls and the huge time investment? Well, I have a game for you. 3D Dot Game Heroes winds back the clock to a time when treasure chests were commonly found in forests, dungeons contained clearly marked switches, one-foot-tall rocks were impassible, and it was socially acceptable to walk into a stranger's house and rifle through his belongings. Adventure veterans will recognize the time-honored cliches from any number of classic adventures, but this is mostly an homage to Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1992). The style, audio, and game structure are practically a carbon copy of that classic. 3D Dot Heroes does offer its own unique visual style, translating the pixelated 2D sprites of yester-year into "pixelated" 3D models. But instead of appearing old-school, the characters look more like something from a Lego game. To some degree 3D Dot Heroes succeeds in rekindling the charm and sense of wonderment exuded by those early-90's adventures. It's easy to play and fun, but the game has its share of rough spots. The control scheme is easy to grasp but the sword-swinging controls are non-intuitive. The simple stage designs and well-defined boundaries are nice, but I didn't care for the blurring effect used to mask scenery in the distance or foreground. The shimmering water looks amazing - I just want to dive in! The world map is very maze-like, and I became hopelessly stuck in the desert area. You could argue that 3D Dot Heroes follows the Zelda script too closely. You throw boomerangs to hit switches, push blocks onto switches, and plant bombs to break cracked walls. At what point does a loving tribute become a rip-off? Even the bosses seem awfully familiar. Perhaps that was the whole point, but I was hoping for a little more creativity. The game's attempt at tongue-in-cheek humor falls flat. Some of the subtle visual effects made me smile, but the dialogue is not as much clever as it is silly. Finally, the save system is more complicated than it really should be, so upon reloading a save you may not find yourself where you'd expect to be. Subtle sounds effects will bring back memories, and I love the heroic, Zelda-esque musical score that plays throughout. 3D Dot Game Heroes has its heart in the right place, but more than anything else it makes me want to revisit the real Zelda: Link to the Past. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

Despite what you may have heard Aliens: Colonial Marines isn't half bad. I thought the campaign mode was okay and the two-player split-screen coop is a great option. I would hazard a guess that it's the online mode that sucks. Colonial Marines begins with a harrowing escape from a burning freighter. The game exudes atmosphere with effective use of fog, shadows, and alarming sound effects. Industrial noises, distant thuds, and ominous music totally had me on edge. The animation is silky smooth as you creep through flickering hallways, slimy alien nests, and burning wreckage. The green HUD graphics have that VHS-style low resolution look that I found very charming. I also like how the game incorporates using a welding tool to open doors and cut people down from alien webs. You're a sitting duck while cutting, which builds the suspense. Teamwork is a critical aspect of the game, as you often have to cover for a fellow soldier. I'm really grateful for my CPU partners, if only because they show me which way to go! You'd expect the iconic motion tracker to play a critical role but I didn't find it very useful. It takes a while before the first alien to appear, but after that they become fairly ubiquitous, scuttling quickly along walls and ceilings. Normal guns will pick them off and even melee attacks will keep them at bay. As the game progressed however it seemed like I was fighting more humans than aliens. Who the hell are all these people? When the action becomes chaotic it's hard to tell your squad from enemies. As for glitches in the game, I occasionally would notice an alien get stuck on the edge of some scenery, but no show stoppers. I like the game's arcade flavor, displaying a score after each mission along with level-up bonuses. The split-screen coop is remarkably smooth, and I appreciate how my friends could join my campaign in-progress. Alien: Colonial Marines may not be a standout title, but if you pick it up cheap you're bound to get your money's worth. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

When Electronic Arts secured the exclusive license to the NFL a few years back, it effectively killed off the highly acclaimed (and competitively priced) NFL 2K series. By introducing All-Pro Football 2K8, 2K Sports seems to be trying to make the best of a bad situation. The teams, stadiums, and rosters are completely fictitious except for 240 Hall of Fame players, including Johnny Unitas, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Joe Montana, and Dick Butkus. All-Pro is saddled with a nightmare of a user interface, making it a confusing mess to simply open menus, select items, and even exit menus! Note to 2K Sports: Moving a thumbstick to open or close a menu is not intuitive! The "Quick Start" mode is anything but, since you need to create teams before they become available! The colorful team names include the Sailors, Sharks, Cobras, Rollers, and Werewolves. What is this, the NFL Europe?? You can't change your name or logo, but you can try to match the color scheme of your favorite NFL team (with much difficulty as my friend Steve discovered). Each team has a personalized stadium with large theatrical props, and it's actually fun to see what surprises each one has in store. On the field, the action is uneven. There's a whole new kicking control scheme, and it sucks (good luck trying to perform an on-side kick). Running the ball is fun, but why does it look like the runningback is dropping cocaine all over the field?! The passing icons are awfully tiny, and players seem unable to grasp the tipped passes that fall into their hands every other play. All-Pro's controls are complex, and unfortunately spread out over ten pages of the manual! Players don't automatically pick up loose balls anymore - now you have to hit the triangle button! The more you play the more glitches you discover, including one instance when I was awarded a touchdown despite the fact I was clearly stuffed on the four yard line! All-Pro Football does deserve credit for refs that actually throw flags (attention Madden). Players react with emotion, perform end-zone celebrations, and even apply late hits. The graphics are just as good as Madden, and the animation is probably better. Up close however the guys look psychotic with their wide, bulging eyes. The fictional player names are cheesy, prompting my friend Eric to wisecrack, "Wow, how did 2K get the rights to Korey Mustard?" All-Pro's two-man commentary is remarkably good, providing both insight and humor. They tend to get cut off however, and sometimes sound disjointed ("Fourth [pause] down and goal to go"). All-Pro's half time and post-game shows are pretty amazing, replaying the highlights of each half with excellent commentary. In terms of music, I hope you like "Tom Sawyer" by Rush, because it's the only song they bothered to license. I was hoping 2K Sports would come back hard after the long lay-off, but this is no substitute for Madden. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

Do yourself a favor. Take all of the baseball games you've bought over the last ten years and throw them in the [expletive] trashcan. You'll never miss them once you've experienced The Bigs. For years publishers have focused on realism in baseball games, boring us all to tears in the process. But thankfully, the Bigs is everything Major League Baseball is not, with non-stop action, brisk pacing, razzle-dazzle plays, and short, five-inning games. And all without the boring fluff and delays associated with real baseball. The controls are simple. Do you know how to swing? You hit the mother-[expletive] X button - that's how. Pitching is equally simple, utilizing a single-press meter. Running the bases is automatic, and while it's possible to intervene, the CPU does an excellent job. Each team has a turbo meter, so you can just tap R1 to put some mustard on a swing, pitch, or throw. It's just as fun to play defense as offense, and that's saying something. I actually found myself cheering while playing this game - even when I was alone! Unlike other "extreme" sports titles, 2K Sports knows where to draw the line, so the Bigs never sinks into the realm of stupidity or bad taste. The players and teams are real, the stadiums look terrific, and the announcer plays it straight (thank goodness). If there's a flaw, it lies in the "power blast" swing power-up, which predictably results in a long homerun off the scoreboard or foul pole. The "Rookie Challenge" offers an addictive season mode, but don't forget to try the "Baseball Pinball" mode as well. It's a trip - letting you knock out lighted billboards in the middle of Times Square! Had this mini-game been developed a bit more, it could almost stand on its own! The Bigs is so good that it makes me want to lower the grades for all of my other baseball games. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

I'm pretty jaded when it comes to first-person shooters, but last year's Bioshock (Xbox 360) rocked my world. Wickedly original and extraordinarily polished, this game is as exciting and immersive as they come. Artistic, haunting, and emotionally charged, Bioshock takes gaming to a whole new level. In its dramatic opening sequence, you survive an ocean plane crash and are transported to a fantastic but morally twisted undersea kingdom named Rapture. Imagine the city of New York as it was in the 1950's. Now imagine it submerged on the ocean floor, with watertight windows! As if an underwater concept wasn't compelling enough, the city's uncanny art-deco style and dated music effectively transports you back to a bygone era. Bioshock's intriguing storyline is dark and violent, but also complex and intelligent. Rapture's masked inhabitants attack on sight, but it's the imposing "Big Daddies", decked out in scary deep-sea diving suits, that will strike fear into your heart. This PS3 edition is practically identical to the 360 version, but offers more online features and a long-ass installation process. You'd think that over ten minutes of installation would eliminate in-game load times, but that's not the case. I didn't detect any graphical improvements, but the game still looks like a million bucks. The ornate architecture, lavish furniture, clammy walls, vintage ads, and neon lighting all come together in a bizarre but convincing world. The audio features alarming noises and maniacal laughter that will instantly put you on edge. In addition to standard weapons, injectable "plasmids" provide you with superhuman abilities, such as wielding electricity or fire. You can save your progress at any time, and there's also an auto-save. Bioshock is one of those masterworks that will stand the test of time. Will we see another title as rich and compelling as Bioshock in the current generation of systems? Not likely. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

I enjoy a good dogfighting game as much as the next guy, and Blazing Angels has an appealing arcade style. Piloting your plane is easy enough, and there are no complicated gauges to clutter up the screen. Angels gets off to a slow start with a monotonous training stage that almost put me to sleep. The actual missions however are quite exciting, recreating WWII battles over London, Pearl Harbor, and the deserts of North Africa. Each is introduced by a nifty animated sequence using "aged" black and white footage. Once you're thrust into the action, you'll shoot down waves of Nazi/Japanese planes, strafe tanks on the ground, carry out reconnaissance missions (take pictures), and even land on aircraft carriers. Blazing Angels' gameplay is forgiving, with clear objectives and handy arrows that direct you to your next target. Even after you go down in flames, frequent checkpoints allow you to pick up near where you left off. The directional pad lets you call on other members of your squadron to repair your plane (in mid-air no less!) or divert the attention of enemies. It's important to "shake off" a pursuer when you're taking damage, but you'd be surprised how long your plane can remain airborne while on fire (often long enough to complete your mission). One thing that bogs down the action is the verbose dialogue of your colleagues, displayed as text between missions. Those boring blabbermouths need to just shut the hell up! The graphics in Blazing Angels are okay I guess, but there were times when I wondered if this could have been a PS2 game. The endless rows of buildings in London look pretty impressive - until you take a closer look. Still, the sheer amount of chaos in the Pearl Harbor stages is certainly worthy of the "next generation", and I love the huge columns of smoke that emanate from destroyed ships. Most critics wrote off the motion-sensitive controls as a gimmick, but I found them to be a pleasant surprise. It might not make things easier, but it makes the game more immersive, so I adopted it as my default scheme. In addition to the addictive single-player campaign, a number of entertaining two-player split-screen modes are available, both cooperative and competitive. Blazing Angels does have a few technical flaws, including frequent audio glitches and unsightly "waves" that appear on the screen when things get too crazy. It won't blow you away, but based on its playability and unique controls, I'd say this was a worthwhile title. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

Blur had the unfortunate circumstance of being released around the same time as Split Second, a mind-blowing racer that incorporated destruction on a monumental scale. Blur is far less ambitious, but what it does, it does well. To be honest, the game doesn't make a great first impression. It's not self-evident what many of the weapons do, and the first few tracks look like ugly, barren wastelands. Not until you put some time into the career mode do you get a true appreciation for this game. Blur's combination of racing and vehicle combat strikes a perfect balance. Some of the weapons are fantastic, like the "shunt" which unleashes a fireball at the car ahead of you, and the "barge" which emits a sonic boom that sends nearby vehicles flying. The "shock" creates three lightning bolts in front of the leaders, and while it's definitely cheap, it's no worse than that purple shell in Mario Kart. One very cool feature is your ability to collect up to three items/weapons and cycle through them. It adds a lot of strategy and makes a weak item (like "repair") far more appealing since you can hold onto it until it's really needed. Blur's action is super fast and the frame-rate is silky smooth - even on the split screen. The steering is responsive, but instead of using that worthless hand-brake you'll want to tap the normal brake when rounding turns. There are several race variations (destruction, timed) and I enjoyed them all. The tracks are reasonable in length and so are the load times. The graphics are clean but never spectacular. Even when you progress to the Tokyo and San Francisco locations the scenery looks dull and washed out. The concept of earning "fans" by performing special actions during a race is an unnecessary gimmick that's more distracting than fun. Also, I really hate how the game prompts me to "reconnect with the Internet?" after each race despite the fact that my network connection is purposely disabled. Still, Blur packs a punch and its arcade gameplay is habit-forming. It may not blow you away, but it will win you over. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Since its debut in 2002, Burnout has been all about reckless driving, blinding speeds, and devastating wrecks. In previous Burnouts you raced on "closed" courses, but Paradise adopts a drive-anywhere approach. Given free reign in a fictional city, you select your own route to the finish line, utilizing strategic ramps and shortcuts as you see fit. On paper it sounds like a winner, but on the screen it can be a nightmare. When you're fending off marauding SUVs and weaving through traffic at 200 miles per hour, the last thing you want to do is glance at the map to locate your next turn. Taking your eye off the road for even a split-second can cause you to slam into a divider or miss a critical turn. In a few races I was comfortably in the lead, but made a wrong turn near the finish, sending me from first to last. Worse yet, sometimes what looks like a perfectly good "shortcut" can send you heading in the wrong direction. One cheap but effective strategy is to follow the lead car for most of the race, and then turbo ahead of him when you see the finish line. There's no "restart" option, which is terrible, since finding your way back to the starting point is time-consuming. Sometimes the game would inform me "you've already completed this race with the current license, so this will be a practice run." I would have no problem with that, if there was an abort option. Despite its blatant design flaws, Paradise does have a few things going for it. The city itself looks really sharp, although gamers who've played GTA4 or Need for Speed Carbon may find the urban landscapes awfully familiar. In addition to standard races there are stunt, "take-down", and survival challenges to mix things up. The difficulty is reasonable, and earning new licenses can be addictive. Taking down cars (making them crash) is a bit too easy though - usually you can just bump them on the side to send them careening out of control. I'm sure the programmers took great pride in the amazing slow-motion crashes, but not being able to skip these things gets irritating after a while. In terms of control, I wish I had purchased the 360 version of this game, because those rounded PS3 shoulder buttons are the worst. My experience with Burnout Paradise was unwittingly summed up by my buddy George, who tried to defend the game by saying "Dave, this game is great! Do me a favor though - could you navigate for me? Just tell me when to turn." When a critic hears stuff like that, red flags go up in droves. Also glaring is the lack of split-screen modes. I can appreciate how Paradise takes some chances, but this experiment is in danger of turning the world's most exciting racing franchise into a smoldering wreck. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

Following up on 2K's excellent NBA game (NBA 2K8), College Hoops offers realistic, fluid basketball action with plenty of razzle-dazzle. The players move with uncanny grace, and their floorwork is just like the real thing. You really need to employ good ball movement to obtain an open shot. Forcing a shot, driving through a crowd, or carelessly passing usually puts the ball in the opposition's hands. I like how you shoot foul-shots by tilting the controller - it's fun and effortless. Executing in-bound passes are more difficult however, and often terribly frustrating. Unlike EA's disappointing March Madness 08, Hoops makes a genuine effort to convey the spirit and pageantry of the college game. There are coaches roaming the sidelines, mascots goofing off, and cute cheerleaders jumping about. The arenas look beautiful with their bright logos and shiny wood floors. The new "sixth man" meter lets the crowd play a role by affecting the team's confidence and hustle. At the conclusion of each game, Greg Gumbal provides a professional wrap-up at the sports desk. Unfortunately, a few of College Hoop's bells and whistles are more detracting than appealing. When Tracy Wolfson gives her sideline report, an oversized graphic bearing her name not only obstructs the action on the screen, but remains on the screen for the duration of her report! Also, that PA announcer really goes overboard with his "Two minutes! Twwwoooooo minutes!" Hey dumb ass, they only announce one minute in college games, so shut the hell up! Although generally polished, College Hoops did lock up on me on one occasion, and the user interface (menu navigation) is absolutely horrible. You wouldn't believe how difficult it was for my friend Steve and I to set up a two-player cooperative tournament. For those who opt for the 360 edition of College Hoops 2K8, you should know that the animation is slightly smoother but the audio has issues. Specifically, it's hard to hear the commentators, and you can't turn down that annoying PA guy. But no matter what system you own, College Hoops 2K8 is probably the best choice for b-ball fans this season. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

Contributed by DaHeckIzDat of the RPG Crew and edited by the VGC.
If there's one element that's been lost through video game generations it's that tough-as-nails difficulty that makes you want to throw your console out a window while at the same time enticing you to give it one more try. Dark Souls resurrects that old love/hate dynamic, and when I say this game is "hard" I mean you'll be lucky to get through the tutorial without dying. This action-RPG battles you every step of the way yet avoids coming off as cheap or unfair. You play as an undead warrior exploring desolate environments while trying to bring yourself back to life. You'll select between several classes including a knight, thief, archer, and wizard. How your character develops is entirely up to you. Do you regret being a wizard who can't throw a punch? Well, with some effort you'll be able to buff him up and gradually turn him into a sword-swinging barbarian. The combat is real-time, but it's more rewarding to play it safe rather than go all-out. In fact, you'll spend much of the time hiding behind your shield, waiting for the right moment to strike. Even the lowest of enemies can be lethal if you're not careful. Dark Souls is designed to be played online even though it's a single player adventure at its core. While online you see other players running around as "ghosts", leaving messages offering advice... or bloodstains that portend doom! It's possible to invite other players into your game to help take down bosses, or you can invade their world to fight them. When played offline, computer-controlled NPCs step in but you'll be missing out on much of what the game has to offer. Dark Souls is one of the most polished and well-programmed titles I've ever played, yet it's not easy to recommend. Casual players may lack the patience to endure the first few levels, and those looking for fast action won't tolerate its slow, cautious combat. But those willing to play this game on its own terms will find Dark Souls to be one of the most expansive, innovative RPGs in recent memory. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

Review contributed by DaHeckIzDat of the RPG Crew and edited by the VGC.
The first Dark Souls was a controversial masterpiece and this sequel follows closely in its footsteps. You are an undead warrior trekking across a desolated country in search of a way to lift a curse. A grim tone permeates the game, as once-beautiful locations are now abandoned and falling apart. After a brief tutorial you'll start out in the village of Majula, which acts as a hub of sorts. Other locations include a viking port, a castle sinking into a volcano, and a floating fortress full of dragons. I love how many locations are visible from Majula, giving a foreboding premonition of what's to come. While you're free to wander, Dark Souls 2 keeps you in line with high-level enemies guarding places you're not ready to tackle. Each path is fairly linear, taking you to a new area before warping you back to Majula. The approach is technically sound but I can't help but miss the intricate, interconnecting mazes of the original Dark Souls. Dark Souls 2 is an action-RPG so you fight enemies in real time with a stamina bar limiting your actions. A defensive approach works best, so you'll spend most of your time hiding behind your shield waiting for an opening. The game retains the classic Dark Souls spirit by brutally beating you into submission at every opportunity. Some of the new gameplay alterations seem ill-advised. You now lose health with every frequent death, and will need to consume valuable resources to reconstitute. While the first game was clever in its enemy placement, Dark Souls 2 likes to throw them at you in waves. Certain levels are obviously built around a specific playstyle, meaning that if you choose a melee fighter over an archer you're going to be in trouble. You can either play solo or go online, summoning other players to help beat tough bosses. You can leave messages for others to find, whether to drop hints or just lighten the mood. Expect cryptic notes like "beware of horse but hole" or "try jumping" whenever you reach a cliff. Then there's the concept of being "invaded" by other players. This happens more frequently than the first game, which is both good and bad. While it's fun to pit your skills against real people, repeated assaults can be frustrating when you're just trying to get through a level. Luckily it's only a problem in a few places and can be avoided altogether by playing offline. The first Dark Souls set the bar pretty high but you'll find a solid game here. Most importantly, it really does feel like a Dark Souls game so fans won't be disappointed. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

The Darkness is a mature-rated title featuring demonic possession, a mob storyline, and even time-travel in a flawed but still compelling first-person shooter. The game's high-octane, cinematic introduction is a semi-interactive, high-speed chase through a New York City tunnel. Not only did it blow me away, but it effectively showcased the excessive profanity, gratuitous gore, and senseless violence that pervade the entire game. You play a 21-year old hit-man on the run when you're suddenly endowed with demonic powers, manifested by two Alien-headed, snake-like creatures protruding from your back. You'll use the subways to move between dark, deserted sections of town, and the buildings and alleys look convincingly aged and weathered. In addition to shooting police and mobsters, your "dark powers" let you to remotely scout new areas and summon little demons to do your bidding. Your "creeping darkness" power lets you guide one of your snakes through vents to access locked rooms and other inaccessible areas. Unfortunately, the abysmal controls and confusing viewing angles make this aspect of the game frustrating. Spawning gun-toting and bomb-strapped gremlins is more satisfying, although directing them towards the enemy can be tricky. The storyline is great, cleverly conveyed with in-game devices like televisions, phone calls, and apparitions. The PS3 edition of The Darkness is almost identical to the Xbox 360 version, except you need to sit through load meters in this one. Also, the lack of controller vibration is glaring. You can only save one game at a time, and I actually lost my latest checkpoint just so I could show my buddy the kick-ass intro. Multi-player modes are included, but only via LAN or on-line. I've grown a bit weary of first-person shooters, but The Darkness was just original and weird enough to win me over. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

Dead Space puts you in the role of a guy investigating a disabled mining ship, only to discover it's been overrun by an "alien scourge". The environments are clearly inspired by the Alien movies, with dark corridors, air locks, medical labs, and decontamination chambers. You encounter grotesque aliens with long limbs, and their twisted appearance reminded me of the creeps in Silent Hill (PS1, 1999). The atmosphere is utterly terrifying, especially when the audio envelops the player with ominous music, jarring sounds, and blood-curling screeches. Despite its derivative nature Dead Space has ample surprises up its sleeve. You view your character from the back, and his suit makes him look like a high-tech knight. His life gauge is a blue light running down his spinal cord - very imaginative! Aiming your crosshairs directs your flashlight, and there are inventive weapons tailor-made for dismembering aliens. Ripping the beasts apart saves ammo, and the game actively encourages this by limiting its availability. Once your foes are reduced to crawling torsos you can stomp on them to finish them off. Another unique element is the ability to employ "stasis" to temporarily slow enemies and fast-moving doors. When upgrading weapons, you select electric circuit "paths" to determine how each weapon will evolve. There's no radar to pinpoint enemy locations but that just adds to the intensity. You'll know when creatures are around, because they are loud. Your mission details can be pretty convoluted but it doesn't really matter because pressing the right joystick (R3) causes a bright line to appear on the floor, showing you where to go. The first-rate production values boast photo-realistic graphics, a silky-smooth frame-rate, and a polished user interface. The storyline is seamlessly conveyed through radio calls and holographic video images. Save points are frequent and intelligently placed. Dead Space is an ambitious effort - but sometimes it feels too ambitious. The "zero gravity" areas absolutely suck. While freely floating through a chamber is original in concept, the clumsy controls and bewildering camera turns it into ordeal. In general, Dead Space's controls are complicated as hell, with many critical functions mapped to combinations of shoulder and face buttons (L1 and X to reload, for example). Dead Space isn't perfect but it's one of the most intense shooters you'll ever play, especially with the lights out. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

Deadly Premonition is a wonderfully strange adventure that's both brilliant and awful at the same time. No wonder the critics are so divided! You play an eccentric FBI agent named York Morgan who frequently converses with his imaginary friend "Zach". York is investigating a murder in Greenville, a small town with serene wooded surroundings. The gameplay alternates between survival horror and detective work. After surviving a car wreck on a stormy night York finds himself fending off zombie farmers and eluding ghoulish girls who are literally bending over backwards to get him! After this action-packed opening stage the game becomes a slow-burn psychological mystery. The subject matter is adult in nature, drawing from films like Seven, The Ring, and in particular The Silence of the Lambs. The exposition in the cut scenes is really drawn out (it is a director's cut) but the dialog is rich and there's a surprising amount of humor. York is a film buff and it's hilarious to hear him wax poetic about marginal 80's flicks like Remo Williams, Blue Thunder, and Ladyhawke. While in investigation mode you'll solve puzzles, collect clues, and drive between locations. There are some truly memorable locations include a rickety lumber mill, spacious art gallery, cozy inn, and smoky lounge bar. The game has a lot of atmosphere and I love the the recurring jazz music - even when it feels inappropriate. Deadly Premonition gives the player ample freedom to explore and there's a staggering amount of content. It's a shame certain parts of the game put you on a schedule; I hate the concept of having to "kill time" in a video game. The survival horror elements are clearly inspired by Silent Hill (PS1, 2000), Clock Tower (PS1, 1997), and Alan Wake (Xbox 360, 2010). Glowing icons, floating medals, goofy health items, and big "go here" arrows give a game a bit of an arcade flavor. The controls could be better. As one of only a few games to support the Move controllers, I decided to give them a shot. Using motion to pan the camera is clumsy but I enjoyed aiming my gun by pointing at the screen. Eventually I was forced to switch to a normal controller when the game prompted me to jiggle the right thumbstick which is not present on the Move controllers. In general the game feels over-engineered. Is it really necessary to maintain both sleep and hunger meters in addition to your health? I still don't fully understand the inventory system. The game suffers from frequent audio/video hiccups and some outrageous glitches. I witnessed a guy in a sitting position floating next to his car as it drove down the street. Less amusing was how the controls went haywire during one critical boss encounter. These glaring issues would sink most games, yet Deadly Premonition hooked me for over 18 hours. With an engrossing story, well-developed characters, and plot twists galore, this is one adventure you'll savor till the very end. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

Review contributed by ptdebate of the RPG Crew and edited by the VGC.
If you're the kind of person who is quick to admit defeat this probably isn't the game for you. A hardcore action/RPG set in a dark fantasy setting, Demon's Souls is the lesser-known predecessor to the more popular Dark Souls. Although rough around the edges you can clearly see the makings for what would become a great series. Demon's Souls adheres more to Lovecraftian fiction than to Tolkienesque fantasy in its depiction of a world fallen completely to ruin and insanity. Every warrior who has entered the cursed land of Boletaria before you has failed. Some of them even transformed into the very demons they were fighting. Survival is not guaranteed by a longshot. Demon's Souls' gameplay is neither intuitive or well-explained. There's no traditional tutorial and the advice provided by NPCs (non-player characters) is cryptic at best and misleading at worst. The combat system is fast and fluid but relies on twitch reflexes and is incredibly unforgiving. Enemy encounters are frequent and often leave the player outnumbered. Navigating the huge levels is as much an exercise in calculated risk as it is a test of action gaming skill. Demon's Souls is a single player game with integrated online features. Messages scrawled on the ground by previous adventurers assist in navigating environmental challenges. It's also possible for a player to invade the world of other players and assassinate them, as if the game wasn't difficult enough! Dying sends you back to the beginning of a level, and only by collecting your remains can you recover your lost souls (experience points). Die before you reach that point and all is lost. What makes Demon's Souls fiendishly addictive is its exciting combat and fun risk/reward system. The first few times you die are infuriating, but the more you learn from each death, the closer you come to mastering a level. Overcoming the terrifying bosses after failing numerous times is one of the most gratifying experiences in gaming. Beware ye who enter, however—Demon's Souls is not your typical fantasy romp but a serious commitment. The story is intriguing on a moment-to-moment basis but as with the game's mechanics, you'll only know what's going on if you look below the surface. There is great satisfaction to be had in meeting the challenge of Demon's Souls, but it will require your very best. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

Released for the PC in 2012, Diablo III was critically acclaimed but hampered by a controversial "persistent online authentication" requirement. This PS3 edition is not encumbered by that garbage, and the actual game is damn good! Many regard this as an RPG, but I'd sooner compare it to hack-n-slash classics like Gauntlet Legends (Dreamcast, 2000) or even Golden Axe (Genesis, 1989). You have a high, tilted overhead view as you converse with townsfolk, explore dungeons, obliterate waves of monsters, and battle bosses for lost artifacts. What makes Diablo III so special is its spectacular production values. The quaint towns are rendered with intricate detail, eerie crypts are shrouded in mist, and rain pitter-patters on overgrown ruins. Rickety bridges cross raging rivers and flickering torches light the walls of haunted castles. The dungeons look like a million bucks and convey a remarkable sense of atmosphere. Their sprawling layouts however tend to be highly repetitive (the term "cut-and-paste" comes to mind). If not for the ever-present map and occasional helpful arrow, you'd be wandering in circles. Fantastic audio enhances the experience with an orchestrated musical score, professional voice acting, and jarring surround sound effects (is my house falling down?!). Dungeons and battlefields are populated by skeletons, minotaur, walking trees, ghouls, warlocks, and giant spiders. The creatures are well designed but their detail tends to get lost in the dark lighting and high camera angles. Targeted enemies are outlined in a thick red line, and I found that to be kind of off-putting. Still, I enjoyed playing Diablo III both solo and with a friend via two-player local coop. While selecting character classes it's a good idea to strike a balance. My friend George opted for a brutish barbarian to compliment my agile, fire-from-a-distance archer babe. The weapons are imaginative and fun. One of my bows unleashed rapid-fire shots, while another had the ability to bounce arrows between foes. You constantly acquire new items and it's enjoyable to sift through your inventory. The game gets so many details right. You can't fall off ledges, autosaves are frequent, waypoints allow for fast travel. There are plenty of hints to prevent you from getting stuck. When you die you can respawn with a minor penalty. Diablo III may feel like a grind at times, but there's no question that this is one classy, first-rate adventure. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

My affection for 2D, side-scrolling beat-em-ups dates back to the original Double Dragon (1987). The genre seemed to peak in the 16-bit era with classics like Golden Axe (Genesis, 1989) and Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991). That said, I looked forward to Dragon's Crown for months. On the surface, the game is a work of art. The characters are huge, remarkably detailed, and rendered with an artistic flair. The stages resemble lavish painted scenes of castles, ruins, catacombs, and pirates' coves. A central village area adds depth by propelling the narrative and letting you buy items and learn skills. This is an old-school 2D hack-n-slash title rendered in high definition (HD). What's not to like? Well, you can start with the non-intuitive menu interface. Just the act of creating a simple character feels like an extended ordeal. Who designed this?! The convoluted storyline is conveyed via text, and the verbose exposition tries to cover way too much ground, tossing out so many names and plot twists that you just start tapping buttons to get the damn thing over with. The missions are ideal in length and take you to a lot of interesting locations which all tend to look the same after a while. The look and feel of the combat is all wrong. The digital pad should have been used to control your movement, but instead it's used to rummage through items in a really clumsy manner. Most battles feature many oversized combatants being tossed in dark environments. This is where the HD works against the game. The exquisitely detailed but poorly defined characters all tend to blend into each other, creating a big confusing jumble. The worst example is when you fight a band of pirates for a magic lamp, and you can't even locate yourself much less the lamp! There's a sweet spot when it comes to the optimal amount of on-screen activity, and Dragon's Crown overshoots it by a mile. It doesn't help that most enemies can absorb dozens of hits and the phystics is horrible. Whether you're throwing or jumping, everything moves through the air in a perfectly straight line. A generous number of continues tends to water down the challenge, but it's necessary to get you through this mess. Finally, there's no pause feature during off-line play, which is unacceptable. I wanted to love Dragon's Crown but came away disappointed. I think the concept is fantastic, but this game feels like far less than the sum of its parts. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

For me the term RPG (role playing game) paints images of anime characters and turn-based action. But Dragon's Dogma is a modern RPG where everything plays out right before your eyes. You directly control one character while issuing orders to the other members of your party. In addition to hack-n-slash action Dogma boasts complex storylines, rich character development, a wealth of missions, and an expansive world. A soaring musical score adds gravitas and professional voice actors speak authentic-sounding dialog. Dogma begins by plunging you into battle with a ferocious lion-goat-thing in a cave, which is very confusing. Once you get your feet wet you're free to explore a sprawling world, accepting missions as you please. You might set out to investigate a cult, rout a monster infestation, or retrieve a magic book. Context sensitive controls are displayed on the screen, so you know if the O button is used to converse or open a gate. The fact that you travel with a party of independently-behaving cohorts is comforting. In fact, fighting is often less critical than keeping fallen allies upright. I like how party members collect items on their own and toss out comments like "we need to take this path" and "there's no way we could have lost to that!". The scenery looks so fantastic you'll stare in awe at sights like a majestic castle perched on a seaside cliff. My main problem with Dragon's Dogma is that it has that "PC smell". The controls are touchy and the animation stiff. Draw-in is an issue as plants and people materialize out of thin air. And why is everything so dark? I can understand caves being pitch black, but it's even hard to see in shadowy canyons during daylight hours. During the heat of battle it's easy to lose track of your character in darkness or dense foliage. After my entire party once got eviscerated in a spiral-shaped dungeon I thought my game was over. Instead, I found everyone back at the headquarters no worse for wear. Can you even die in this game? The loading process is arduous and the game is constantly checking for downloadable content even though it knows I'm offline. What's the difference between "retry" and "retry from last checkpoint"? It's easy to knit-pick but you have to appreciate the epic scale of Dragon's Dogma. This live action D&D adventure will give as much as you can take. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

Dragon's Lair was a phenomenal laserdisc-based game that made a splash in arcades in 1983. It allowed players to interact to a very limited degree with a full-screen animated cartoon! As a longtime fan I was pumped at the prospect of this high-definition version. When I purchased this disc in 2009 I assumed it would work in any generic Blu Ray player, but that was not the case. I was lucky to get it working on my Playstation 3, which is why it's included in this section. One decade later it's even experiencing problems on my PS3! There must be some kind of buffering problem, as a one-second "preview" of each new scene is flashed before the scene restarts and plays in its entirety. Either the game was not programmed to specification or the specification changed. It's still playable but the glitch is off-putting and disconcerting at times. Dragon's Lair stars a lanky knight named Dirk the Daring attempting to navigate a dangerous, trap-laden castle to rescue a princess. Each random room offers a new creature or hazard, animated in Don Bluth's charming style. Control is limited to moving the thumbstick or pressing a button at strategic moments. An incorrect or poorly-timed move results in an amusing "death" animation such as falling into an abyss or getting burnt to a crisp. Visual and audio cues are available to help you along. The high definition upgrade lets you savor every bit of the artistic backdrops and whimsical animations. My friends and I had a good time passing around the controller and playing through the entire game in about an hour. Bonus features include trailers, interviews, and commentary from the creators. Dragon's Lair is a legitimate classic but so the fact that this Blu Ray edition is marred by so many technical issues is a shame. Note: I now have a PS3 model 2 as opposed to the original model which could be a factor. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

I have vague recollections of playing the original Drakengard (PS2, 2003). Something about hacking up waves of knights and laying waste to armies by raining down dragon fire from above. I was looking for that kind of quality violence but Drakengard 3 was not what I had in mind. The introduction is so over-the-top I felt like I was playing Bayonetta (Xbox 360, 2010). I should be so lucky! The story tells of six sisters called "intoners" ruling a kingdom, each with a massive dragon watching their back. One sister is evil and wants to destroy everything. Her name is Zero and she has a flower growing out of one eye. That's your character. You begin by beating up about 100 useless guards in a bloody Dynasty Warrior-style courtyard brawl. It's hard to overstate how ridiculous it looked to see a petite girl slicing through dozens of heavily-armored knights while prancing around in a skimpy (albeit blood-soaked) white dress. After an inconsequential shirmish with your sisters the title screen appears. Don't you hate semi-interactive intros where you realize your actions had absolutely no bearing? From there Drakengard 3 settles into a familiar pattern of plowing through waves of guards before taking on some oversized, nondescript boss. I pretty much hate everything about this game but first and foremost the voices and dialog. The older dragons speak like college professors and the young ones sound like whiny kids. I don't know what's worse, but they could have at least attempted to sync the words with their mouths. The dialog is so juvenile it's embarrassing. Every single time you boot up this game you hear these words from the petulant child dragon, "Zero, can I find a bush? I need to pee!" But before you mistake this for a kids' game, you should know the dialog is loaded with profanity and inappropriate sexual references. During battle Zero will toss out lines like "what are you looking at, [expletive]-head?" This the most cringeworthy game I've ever played! Watching Zero effortlessly dismember hulking knights seems little more feasible when you hear them talk like a bunch of sissies cowering in their boots. One original aspect of the game is the ability to switch weapons mid-attack, and that's just dumb. The graphics are sharp but the scenery is so repetitive I often found myself backtracking by accident. The camera is so unruly I would often lose track of where I am. Huge bosses get stuck in the scenery, hovering ten feet over the ground. Controlling the dragon sucks in the worst way. You have to continuous press X to flap to maintain your altitude, all while pressing other buttons to target and attack enemies. Beyond clunky and unsatisfying, it's exhausting. You sink a battleship by repeatedly diving head-first into it? Whatever. Drakengard 3 makes no sense, and I'm shocked Square Enix would even slap their name on this piece of garbage. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

As a D&D fan I was supremely disappointed when Tower of Doom and its sequel, Shadow over Mystara, never got a proper stateside release. Until recently your only option was to obtain the Japanese import Dungeons and Dragons Collection (Saturn, 1999). Both games are now available in English via digital download, but since I prefer physical media I opted for this Japanese import. Most Japanese games use English text (in the menus at least) but sadly that's not the case here. That makes wading through the copious options and extra features confusing. That said, the side-scrolling hack-n-slash gameplay remains enjoyable. It reminds me of a more sophisticated version of Golden Axe (Genesis, 1989). You choose between several characters including a fighter, cleric, dwarf, and thief. Your ability to toggle between several special skills (projectile, magic, potions) gives the game surprising depth. There also seems to be an endless variety of treasure and items to collect. The lush graphics make it interesting to forge through forests, caves, castles, ships, and even a moving train. D&D fans will instantly recognize creatures like kobolds, troglodytes, manicores, and displacer beasts. Rendered in exquisite detail, some of the creatures are frightening in appearance. Up to four people can play at once, which sounds great on paper. In practice too many characters makes the visuals look cluttered and the gameplay confusing. The action is far more palatable with one or two players. Each game provides unlimited continues, which is a shame because I would prefer to configure that. Frankly it's hard to tell what options are even available. Chronicles of Mystara offers some terrific 2D side-scrolling action, but if you don't understand Japanese you may want to think twice before picking up this disc. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.