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.

Sonic Colors Wii Game Review

Back in the early 90's there was only one king on the SEGA Genesis, Sonic. The little blue mascot was praised with every instalment the franchise produced. It's hard to understand what went wrong with Sonic, the 3D era of gaming saw him drastically fall from grace. A few games showed potential (Sonic Adventure 2: Battle) but none truly captured what made Sonic our childhood hero back in the 90's. From slow boring games to fast games ruined by werewolf stages, we lost all hope. However when 2010 hit we were blessed with two of the best Sonic games since the early 90's. First was Sonic All-Stars Racing, an unexpected hit to the arcade racing genre which was reminiscent of games like Mario Karts. Next up for Sonic fans was the return to Sonic's traditional 2D roots with, Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. This was an absolute masterpiece in the eyes of Sonic fans, recapturing the glory days with new HD visuals to impress everyone. It might be hard to comprehend that SEGA has saved their best for last, but they have. Sonic Colors is a phenomenal game with vibrant, unique, imaginative stages which all Sonic fans will appreciate.

Sonic Colors takes place on a bizarre interstellar amusement park, created by Dr Robotnik, or Egg Man for anyone who didn't experience Sonic's golden day's. Dr Robotnik has enslaved alien creatures called Wisps, chaining their planet (and others) to his space station. SEGA have been very smart with the story here, it's cute, smart, and with a new voice cast, very easy on the ears.

PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Game Review

The Pokemon franchise has seen huge amounts of success on hand-held systems in the past few years, but never really impressing on any main console. Though there are Pokemon games on the Wii, none are worth you're time or hard earned money. PokePark Wii is the latest instalment of the franchise to hit the Nintendo Wii and this time it might just be worth a look. This little RPG is heavy on mini-games and while it is directed at the younger audience, it can still provide a fun enjoyable experience for anyone.

You're magical adventure begins when the Legendary Mew seeks out Pikachu and his friends, Chikorita, Charmander, and Piplup to help save the PokePark from certain destruction. Former friends and rulers of the PokePark regions, Venusaur, Blaziken, and Empoleon have drifted apart and the lack of friendship has shattered the Sky Prism, scattering it's pieces all throughout the land. The Sky Prism is what keeps the Sky Pavilion (Magical fortress in the heavens, Mew's home) floating. If this was to fall it would crush all the Pokemon bellow, so this is a very serious issue in the world of Pokemon.

Kinect Adventures Game Review

Kinect Adventures places you in the boots of a typical adventurer, with a variety of games and challenges to complete and explore. Players will use Microsoft's Kinect motion sensing technology to compete in these beautiful and colourful events which are fun for the first few hours, then thing's start to feel repetitive. There is allot here for players to enjoy but this mainly feels like a small package of games showing off Kinect's potential.

Kinect Adventures is a bunch of mini games packed into one family friendly package, it comes with the Kinect device itself and provides a taste of what you can expect in the future from Microsoft which is great. You play as a fun-loving adventurer who travels the world in search of new challenges. This all sounds promising, but once you realise the "adventurer" of Kinect Adventures is actually just a man repeating the same 5 mini games over and over, you begin to feel less adventurous. If you're looking for a full game experience then look somewhere else, as previously mentioned this is nothing more than a few mini games showing Kinect's potential, the charm will wear off fast.

Kinect Joy Ride Game Review

Joy Ride was originally going to be a free download for everyone on Xbox Live but Microsoft decided to make it one of their main launch titles for the highly anticipated "Kinect", which uses motion sensor technology. I'm sure everyone has pretended to drive some sort of imaginary vehicle with their arms at some point in their life, i personally used to do this at McDonald's drive through with friends, but the point is Joy Ride finally makes this a reality.

Joy Ride drops players into the world of casual arcade racing powered by Microsoft's motion sensing system, Kinect. The game is full of vibrant beautiful colours and lots of challenges, providing a very fulfilling package for anyone who chooses to give it a test drive. The game is designed to feel approachable for anyone, it feels like it has something to keep everyone happy but the only problem is the controls, Kinect just seems to ruin what would otherwise be a fantastic Xbox Live Arcade title.

Kinectimals Game Review

Christmas is approaching fast and for anyone considering buying Microsoft's Kinect, they might be interested in Kinectimals. The game is extremely cute and places you in a world where you can take care of you're favourite big cat species. The game looks absolutely fantastic and will surely find a place in the hearts of most children, even some adults.

Kinectimals may well be the cutest game ever made. There are over 30 felines in here and every one looks adorable, cute, fluffy, and most importantly they look real. The animations are outstanding and really help bring these little guys to life. Everything looks beautiful, the environments are colourful and feel full of life and this helps make the game feel like it's more than just a video game. Young children will be blown away the first time the get to select a little friend, the Black Panther is my personal favourite.