Dead Space 2 Game Review

Dead Space 2 is not a game for the light-hearted, it's full of scary, intense, action-packed moments that will have your heart racing. Everything that made it's predecessor great is back and improved upon, to make one of the best games of 2011. Dead Space is by far the best horror franchise to grace the next-gen consoles, it's the modern-day Doom and one of the best gaming experiences on the market to date.

Even though it has been three years since the events of the first game, our protagonist Isaac Clarke is still having a rough ride. At the beginning of Dead Space 2 he awakes on a space station known as The Sprawl. He finds the station overwhelmed with an outbreak of reanimated corpses called Necromorphs. The action is right in your face from the get-go and it never gives you a chance to rest, even when enemies are nowhere to be seen, the game makes you feel like every corner, hole, or shadow could be hiding a deadly secret.

A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! Game Review

With so many big-budget video games being released in time for Christmas, It's surprising that "A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks!" is what my attention has been focused on. This little gem from the minds at Frima Studio is the latest Playstation Mini to be released and it's actually really fun.

When the Playstation Minis started rolling out last year they didn't do much to impress or overwhelm Sony fans. A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! might well be the first of these "Minis" to consider purchasing. The game is incredibly fun, contains slick controls and solid gameplay. Everything here is simple, but done very well. The most impressive part about this whole thing though, is that you can purchase this game fore a mere $2. It's not the next Mass Effect or Call of Duty game, but it's a fantastic little gem that can keep you entertained for a few hours a week.

A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! is a vertically-scrolling arcade shooter, much like the old classics, with a bit of a twist. The games 16 stages are split into two eight-stage zones, and the stages in those zones can be selected and played in any order. This makes the game feel less linear than the old classic arcade shooters and gives you a sense of freedom and exploration never seen in games like this. It's a really smart idea by Frima Studio. Some stages are ancillary with uninspired bosses, but the majority of stages are home to the primary bad guy's. Each stage has it's own unique purpose, defeating the ancillary stages will upgrade your ship and make it's defences stronger, while taking out each of the games bad guy's will allow you to use their special attacks in future stages, giving you a stronger attack.

TRON: Evolution Game Review

TRON is a movie franchise that should have great video games, however, the usual tie-in movie games with the release of a big budget film have disappointed gamers in recent years so what can we expect from TRON: Evolution.

TRON: Evolution fills the gap between the original 1982 film and the upcoming sequel. You play as a system monitor who is trying to stop Clu's rise to power. It's a third-person action adventure game with allot of Parkour (just think of Mirror's Edge) and combat. Although it's not as good as any of these games it's sort of a mix between Mirror's Edge, Assassin's Creed, and Prince of Persia, but glow-in-the-dark. If you are a big TRON fan then you might find the story rather interesting considering it explains what happened to Flynn and expands on the TRON universe while answering a few questions, but it's nothing ground-breaking. Also the very sexy woman from House MD "13" does all the voice work, that was the thing i enjoyed most about this game to be honest.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Game Review

The Assassin's Creed franchise has been extremely successful since the first game was released in 2007. Assassin's Creed II followed up on it's predecessors success, improving on everything we loved about the first game and replacing what we didn't enjoy. Now fans have a new experience to look forward to, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. This is a continuation of the story in the second game and while fans might be disappointed that they will have to wait a little longer for Assassin's Creed 3, Brotherhood delivers yet another fantastic experience with multiplayer to keep fans happy for now.

Brotherhood might have a harder time proving it's worth, it's not set in a different time period and continues the story from Assassin's Creed II. One of the thing's i love about AC games is exploring for the first time and getting to see these beautiful cities. So when i am playing in a setting i spent countless hours on not that long ago, it makes everything feel slightly less astonishing. In Brotherhood the action shifts it's direction towards the capital of Italy, Rome. Like previous titles there's also a modern-day component. The game is once again framed by the on-going battle between the Templars and Assassin's, and players are actually assuming the role of Desmond who lives in the present day and is able to experience the memories of his ancestor Ezio using a device called the Animus. The game switches between the two time periods with the bulk of the action taking place in past-time, renaissance Rome.

Final Fantasy XIII Game Review

The Final Fantasy franchise has stood tall above any other Japanese role-playing game for years now. With fantastic characters, emotional storytelling, and outstanding visuals, it's one of the most recognised video game names in the world. Surprisingly, Final Fantasy XIII (13) abandons allot of the well-loved features Final Fantasy games are known for. The game is much more linear and straight-forward compared to previous titles and this has left allot of fans sceptical. Let go of any concerns you may have, i can honestly say this game is outstanding, it manages to provide characters with unique personality's, in a story and world worth experiencing.

The lead role of Final Fantasy XIII has been given to Lightning, a beautiful but deadly woman who fits the Final Fantasy world perfectly. She is one of six characters you will be able to control. Although the game does stress the fact that Lightning is the primary heroine, it is much like VI in the sense that you control different characters frequently. This multi-story approach, as well as flashbacks, is not only clever but creates a strong structure and a story which will have you on the edge of you're seat at times.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Game Review

The Call of Duty franchise has grown ridiculously fast over the past few years into the Hollywood blockbuster game we know and love. The game which truly addicted fans to the series was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. It took the series from a World War II setting into the modern battlefields we see on the news every day. Treyarch's latest instalment to the franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops, has had fans anticipating something big and although it doesn't do anything really new or unique, it provides fans with yet another COD experience.

You begin the campaign as Alex Manson, a soldier who is being interrogated for information he can't remember. You play through Manson's memories in search of the information. The story has some twists which will catch you off guard, the middle does seem to loose track but unlike Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops gives you the big finale you would expect. The story is definitely the strong point this time around which is quite a welcomed surprise.

Demon's Souls Game Review

Demon's Souls is one of the Playstation 3's biggest exclusive titles so naturally there has been allot of interest in this game. The game is an RPG modelled on western style fantasy and the main thing you will realise as soon as you start playing this game is that Demon's Souls is a punishing and brutal game when it comes to difficulty, much like the games from my childhood which did not hold your hand, allow you to save, and when you died you lost everything.

The main thing you would have heard about Demon's Souls if you have been doing any research on it, is that it's extremely difficult, how difficult you ask ?, you can't even begin to understand until you play it for yourself. One of the most challenging thing's about the game is that you can't pause, ever. This no-nonsense approach is exactly what games used to be like, just get straight into the action and survive, it's absolutely fantastic to see this type of game in the modern era because we have not had anything like this since the day's of the NES. You have the option to map weapons and items to you're D-Pad and i suggest you use this while you have the chance, you don't want to be in a battle with one or two of the many devastatingly brutal one-hit-kill enemies without being fully prepared. But just be warned, even when you are fully prepared the chances are you will still die.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Game Review

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 will impress on first glance with it's fluid character animations and beautiful graphics, topped off with fabulous backdrops that help bring the Star Wars universe to life. This however is sadly as good as it gets, a short campaign with an average storyline fail to capture the imagination of what a Star Wars story should be, as well as a lack of depth and re-play value make this a game really just for the fans.

The Force Unleashed 2 is the same as it's predecessor for the most part, it's the Force like you've never seen it before. The result is extreme supercharged versions of what we are used to seeing in the films. The experience goes from a typical hack 'n slash to a Force-embued beat 'em up where you can create some of the most devastating and destructive action sequences in a video game. Through your playthrough you will take on many situations that seem Force-exaggerated, move vast objects with the power of the Force, as well as dismembering whoever is in your path. Dismemberment is one of the welcomed new touches that makes the game feel and look much more like a game from the Star Wars universe, it is also sickly satisfying and fans of the movies will be very pleased with this new addition.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Game Review

God of War is one of Sony's most successful game franchises, it's also responsible for one of the most vicious game characters of all time, Kratos. We all know Kratos accidently killed his wife and child in service to the gods but we can't help wonder where the rest of his hatred and rage came from. God of War: Ghost of Sparta does a great job of adding much needed depth to Kratos's character while delivering one of the most fun and beautiful gaming experiences on the PSP.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta picks up right where God of War ends and focuses on the gap between God of War and God of War II. Kratos is sitting upon his newly claimed throne, looking as grumpy as ever. Not only is he haunted by the memories of his past but now he is having a strange vision of an old woman lying sick on a slab of stone. Kratos is convinced he can change this vision and sets off for Atlantis on a quest that will eventually take him back to his home of Sparta and into the realm of Thanatos, God of Death.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Game Review

Kane & Lynch 2 is the sequel to the highly controversial game, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Dead Men was riddled with problems, awkward and frustrating controls, lack of any online co-op features, and a story which fell apart are just a few of the issues which plagued the first game. Dog Days follows on with the story in a violent and mature fashion continuing the brutal unforgiving theme of the first game, this time using handheld video camera style graphics which make the game stand out from any other on the market today.

Unlike the first game Dog Days is a rather streamline experience, you spend most of your time shooting and moving on to the next area of action. This is not a bad thing as the other parts to the original game such as heists, or stealth missions were really not too impressive anyway. This is quite refreshing and makes the game feel allot more like what you would expect from a story about two desperate criminals on the run.

The only downside is the game can feel slightly repetitive at times now that you seem to be doing more or less the same thing most of the time, but to be honest when the thing you are doing constantly throughout the game is being chased by cops down the streets of Shanghai fighting for your life, who can complain.

The shooting mechanics and cover system in Dead Men were frustratingly poor and were responsible for most of the criticism for the first game, thankfully in Dog Days improvements have been made. Although the game still feels slightly behind the times compared to other third person shooting games like Gears of War 2 and Mass Effect 2, it still manages to feel very responsive and reliable for the most part. Weapons have a much lower accuracy and at times they can make what should be a simple kill a tougher test than needed. This is meant to make the weapons feel more realistic and personally i think it is something that should be welcomed as it creates a much more challenging and realistic experience and adds to the tension and frantic pace of the action when you are on the run.

Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions Game Review

Over the years fans of Spider-Man have been given some good games, but never anything we could call great. The latest Spider-Man game Shattered Dimensions places you in 4 of Spider-Man's worlds as Amazing, Ultimate, 2099, and Noir Spidey attempting to deliver something for everyone. After last years success of Batman Arkham Asylum, not only the best Batman game of all time but the best super hero game of all time we now have a new Spider-Man game which will attempt to please Spidey's fans the way Arkham thrilled Batman fans around the world.

Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions begins when a powerful magical artefact is shattered leaving Spider-Man to collect all pieces of the shattered artefact across four different dimensions, each representing a different period in Spidey's history. All this will be completed under the watchful gaze of the mysterious Madame Web.

The great thing about Shattered Dimensions is the way each Spidey has his own unique personality helping to create a better and more varied experience than any previous Spider-Man game. Spider-Man will constantly crack jokes with Madame Web using phrases fans will know from Spidey's comics and TV shows. Villains will also open up opportunity's for Spidey to crack more jokes and show off his sense of humour with pop culture references, however sometimes this can be a bit to cliché and expected especially during boss battles when Madame Web will annoyingly and frustratingly repeat the same dialogue over and over again. This however is not frequent enough to ruin the game and overall the dialogue does a solid job creating a classic Spidey sense of justice with a sense of humour.

Playstation Move Review

When Sony's Move motion sensing system was unveiled, it received a mixed reaction from people in the game industry comparing it to other motion-sensing systems such as the Nintendo Wii, and Microsoft's high-tech controller free Kinetic. These initial thought's and concerns can now be put to rest.

The main thing with Move is that it works and works extremely well compared to Microsoft's Kinect which is riddled with lag problems. The Move is lag free and moves with almost pin point accuracy, even more impressive than the Wii.

The main difference between the Wii Motion Plus and and the Move is the glowing orbs located on the end of each Move controller, when moving these orbs link up with the Playstation Eye camera and can judge the distance from the controller to the TV.

One of the great thing's about the Move is almost every item can be bought individually, creating a much more manageable price range than the Wii or Kinect. You only need one of the Playstation Move controllers to play the games however it is much more fun playing while using both hands to control multiple objects on screen.

What you will need is the Playstation Eye camera which can be found in bundles with other games such as Eye Pet, and a Playstation Move controller. However there are bundles including the 2 items previously mentioned as well as the Move Navigation Controller which is a wireless version of the Wii's Nunchuk controller used for navigation, and a selection of Launch games. You can purchase a bundle for as low as £49:99 and a single controller for only £34:99.

This reasonably priced and easy way of purchasing each item means you can buy what you need and want and your own pace without having to splash a load of cash out on one big bundle, of course there still is that option for any of you who have that desire.

One of the advantages between the Move and it's other two competitors seems to be with the games, games such as Killzone 3, Resident Evil 5 (Gold Edition), and SOCOM Special Forces have already been confirmed. The Move does have the classic family party games you would expect from the motion-sensing gimmick, however unlike the Wii or Kinect it is introducing a wider variaty of games for different people.

SOCOM and Killzone 3 both look outstanding on the Move and the control's feel pin point accurate, which was always the main problem with FPS's on the Wii. The cover system works really well with the Navigation controller and shooting with the Move controller just feels natural and fun.

The party games are not as impressive as the big name titles as expected but as launch titles they are a great improvement on the Wii, if not only for the beautiful Graphics and more accurate controls. The highlights of the party games are Table Tennis and the Gladiator game. The rest just seem like Wii sports with improved Graphics.

Playstation Move is not only working on new titles, but adding patches to previous classics such as Heavy Rain which will have a free patch released sometime in October.

The Move has an impressive line of games for anyone's taste and while you might be hesitant at first, the great selection of games on the way, low price, and individual release of each item makes the Move the best option out of the 3 motion-sensing systems on the market just now showing more potential for the future than any of the others.

Playstation Move is fantastic, fun and worth the money. 9/10

Halo Reach Game Review

Game Information

• Publisher (Microsoft)
• Developer (Bungie Software)
• Genre (First Person Shooter)
• Console (XBOX 360 Exclusive)

Halo has been the most successful franchise on the XBOX 360 for a long time now with only the release of a Call Of Duty game to rival it, Reach is Bungie's latest and final attempt to bring Halo back to the top where many believe it belongs. With ODST receiving allot of criticism, mainly because it could have been released as a download rather than a full priced title Halo fans are expecting something big! from Bungie's latest attempt and i can tell you Halo Reach delivers another great gaming experience.

The story in Reach is one of the most powerful and emotional of any Halo game. You play as a member of Noble Team only known as Spartan 6. The game will pair you up with each of your team mates on various different missions, This helps give each member of Noble Team their own role in the story and makes you connect emotionally with each individual on your team. The campaign offers a new and fresh feel with the traditional closed indoor fighting mixed in with huge open battlefields, even taking the fight to space this time around. The game manages to feel new and fresh with the introduction of new weapons and items such as the jet pack which is my personal favourite of the new additions. Stealth kills have also been introduced and there is a wide range of ways to kill an enemy with a knife from behind always managing to satisfy the player in a way we have never seen before in a Halo game. Four player Co-op is back and even better than ever, There is nothing more fun than jumping into a Halo campaign with 3 other friends and struggling through a mission on Legendary. This is even more true now that allot of the problems with dumb AI in previous Halo games has been fixed, Reach is tougher and smarter than any of it's predecessors, But don't worry while the game is tough it is also rewarding, You earn Credits from everything you do in the Game which can be used to customize your character for online multiplayer and campaign mode. The customisation is outstanding in Reach delivering a huge scale of customisation options to make you look as unique as possible, giving each player online or offline his own individuality when playing through the game. Finally i just want to mention the audio in Reach, once again Martin O'Donnell is back and provides an outstanding soundtrack to help create the atmosphere and emotions felt when playing this remarkable game.

The gameplay is the same as with any Halo game, However the biggest difference is the introduction of Jet Packs. This adds a new element to a Halo game giving hardcore veteran Halo players a new challenge to look forward to in Campaign or online multilayer. The shooting feels as smooth and crisp as ever with any Halo game and with the new weapons and stealth kills the gameplay should feel new, fresh, and fun for even the old school Halo gamers.

The Graphics in Halo Reach are gorgeous, you will feel like you are in another world when your eyes look out into the distance and see the stunning and beautifully designed backdrop to each mission and different area in the game. Sometimes there can be a slight problem with the frame rate but this is only because the battle scenes in some areas are unbelievably huge in scale. Weapons, Character models, Vehicles, and the Environment looks much better in Reach compared to previous Halo games with more detail and better lighting effects. One of the things you will notice when playing through Reach is the Atmosphere, The Atmosphere in ODST was the highlight of that game and Reach follows on from ODST by creating a world that not only looks amazing but feels amazing when playing through. At some points when playing through Reach i would feel as if i was in a real war zone, i would find myself looking at Spartans falling and think of them as real people. Halo Reach manages to capture you inside it's world and deliver a memorable experience that is not to be missed.

Multiplayer is always the biggest selling point with any Halo game and in Reach it's better than ever. Although it is disappointing to see a low number of maps, some of which are just jazzed up re-makes of old Halo classics we are sure to see downloads released in the not to distant future. Halo Reach offers us a new Forge mode which is better than ever. Forge mode allows you to edit maps and create new game types and it seems the only limit with Reach's forge mode is your time and patience. Fire fight is back and even more fun than in ODST with the new wepons and ability's, The improvement to the AI can make it a very challenging experience but with a group of friends there is no better experience in the game world.

Halo Reach achieves what all other Halo games could not, a complete package. 9.5/10