Red Dead Redemption Game Review

The American West is the setting for many great movies and novels, but when it comes to video games this setting has been ignored or overlooked. Rockstar, the team behind the phenomenally successfully "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, have decided to give this setting the time and credit that it truly deserves by offering fans a Grand Theft Auto-like experience in the wild west. Red Dead Redemption sets the standards extremely high for future westerns, no developer has approached this time period in the video game industry with as much passion and heart as Rockstar clearly have and this is the reason we are looking at the best western game ever made.

One of the main achievement's Rockstar has managed to pull-off in Red Dead Redemption is the authenticity of America's history. Allot of delicate modern-day issues like racism, immigration, federal government power, and personal freedoms are in Red Dead and Rockstar has an uncanny ability to hold a mirror up to society and remind us all that these issues are deep within the history of America.

Rather than preaching politics to you, Red Dead Redemption places you in the shoes of the fairly neutral John Marston. Marston, a former outlaw gone straight has found out that history has a way of catching up with you. Those who were once his friends have now become enemies, leaving Marston alone in these cruel, harsh, lawless lands to fight for his and his family's survival. While this may sound slightly cliché, the game is anything but cliché and provides one of the most enriching stories and plot twists you will ever see in a video game.

Splatterhouse Game Review

The development of Splatterhouse was originally given to Mark of Kri developers Bottlerocket Entertainment back in 2007. Namco snatched the title away early last year and gave it to the team behind 2008's Afro Samurai game. After 4 long years we can finally play Splatterhouse, but was it worth the wait ?, no.

Splatterhouse starts off more or less the same as the classic 80's arcade hit original, protagonist Rick is lying in a pool of his own blood as Dr. West drags his girl friend Jen away. An ancient mask offers Rick a deal, put on the mask and destroy Dr. West and all his creations, if this is done Rick will save his girl friend Jen. From then on the game is pretty much a bad VHS horror movie gone wrong from the 80's.

Splatterhouse rolls around in Lovecraftian themes that feel pretty tired in 2010, but the games slightly goofy sensibility takes the edge off of this somewhat. The game does nothing new and feels standard at best. The game follows the basics for a traditional third-person action game, light and heavy attacks, upgrades and better combos, quicktime kill moves, and hordes of pawn-like enemies followed by one oversized tougher enemy. This is the standard layout for a game like this and Splatterhouse doesn't even attempt to add it's own unique feeling or twist on this traditional layout for a third-person action game.

Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom Game Review

The one memory you will likely take from Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom, is the abysmal voice work for the loveable monster protagonist. While the game it'self is rather fun and provides a fair deal of variety, the constant child like phrases that you have to listen to, become repetitive and annoying.

The games story is told through beautifully designed 2D cut-scenes, it begins with Majin who has failed to fulfil his duties as a protector. A hundred years ago, Darkness infected the kingdom's leaders and plagued the countryside., causing the death and destruction of almost everything and everyone. You play as a young thief in the present day who has the ability, much like Dr. Doolittle, to communicate with Animals. You meet Majin in a sad way, tied up and left to starve in a castle, the nameless thief rescues Majin and the pair team up to take on four Dark Generals and the King, with the hope of restoring the land to the way it was.

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.

Fallout: New Vegas Game Review

Two years after the phenomenal success Bethesda had with Fallout 3, we are blessed with the latest juggernaut of the franchise, Fallout New Vegas. Obsidian didn't feel the need to make any major changes to the successful formula and at times New Vegas can feel like a huge expansion to it's predecessor. This is certainly not a bad thing though considering Fallout 3 was one of the greatest open world RPG's we have seen in modern gaming.

The Fallout franchise takes places after a war which leaves the U.S desecrated, Humanity emerges from the tragedy just as selfish and power-hungry as before. Unlike most other areas in the U.S, Vegas managed to survive the bombardment of nuclear warheads fairly untouched. In the aftermath a group of people formed, touting the values of the old government system and called themselves The New California Republic, or NCR.

Vegas has a different look and feel to the rest of the post-apocalyptic wasteland. While other areas feel lifeless and dead, Vegas is thriving thank's to the Hoover Damn which provides the citizens of New Vegas with clean water and power, something most other areas lack.

Dead Rising 2 Game Review

First of all if you were not a fan of the first game then Dead Rising 2 won't be for you. The sequel is essentially the first game improved in every way. Everything that worked so well in the first game has been multiplied insanely to give fans of the first game an even better experience this time around. Capcom have also managed to fix the pre-release issues allot of critics were complaining about such as, the frame rate, and extremely long loading times.

In Dead Rising 2 you will play as Chuck Greene. Chuck's wife was gobbled up by Zombies years ago and his daughter infected by the same incident however with a daily dose of Zomberx he is able to save her from turning into the walking undead. As a contestant on "Terror is Reality" Chuck must mutilate the undead for money, however after the show there is a mini Zombie uprising which Chuck is framed for. The remaining survivors hold out in the Fortune City safe house to await rescue in 3 day's leaving Chuck with no option but to fight the undead, find his daughters meds, and clear his name.

Dead Rising 1 was basically complete a mission in the various locations casino/hotel/mall before the time runs out, gain experience points, use the experience gained to level up more health, more moves, and more inventory spots. Then repeat the process. So if you were not a fan of this then you won't like Capcom's latest version which is really just the same thing but with enough new features to make the game feel fresh enough to spend your money on.

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