Skyrim: Hearthfire Review

Building your own home out in the boonies has been something that I’ve wanted since TES: Oblivion. That’s why I was pretty stoked to see just that in Bethesda’s Games Jam video. Annoying music notwithstanding, the video showed off some cool additions. Several of them have already been implemented in updates (mounted combat, Kinect support) and DLC (vampire lord, lycanthropy perks). Hearthfire’s home building adds yet another.

Duke Nukem Forever Demo Review

They say that 'You Can Always Bet On Duke', but I never was a bettin’ man. Thanks to my recent purchase of the Borderlands GOTY Edition (also made by Gearbox and 2K), I received early access to the Duke Nukem Forever demo as of today. People who pre-ordered the game get the early demo as well, but I’m not sure what’s so great about a demo for a game that they already bought… Guess it’s time for ol’ Duke to put away the bubblegum and start kicking ass. I’ll stop with the puns now. Maybe.

Perfect Dark XBLA Review

I was huge fan of the original Perfect Dark when it first came out on the Nintendo 64, spending more time on it than any other game in its generation.  Let’s be honest, the N64 wasn’t exactly a top-of-the-line machine, but it had some great games.  Chief among those was, of course, Goldeneye 007’s spiritual successor: Perfect Dark.  Now it’s back and looking better than ever.  The Studio that brought Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie to the Xbox Live Arcade has graced us with another one of Rare’s classics.  After our hopes of ever getting a port of Goldeneye were dashed (thanks a lot Nintendo), we got bumped up to first class: Perfect Dark.

Mind the Bump

With the release of the much-anticipated Halo 3: ODST coming up in a matter of days, the reviews have started to pour in.  Bungie is swelling with their expected "newborn", and the oohing and ahhing has already begun.  Now, I've always found the Halo franchise to be "good, but not great".  A serious analysis of the games' merits would have a hard time seeing why they have such a fan base.   But, after all, games are about having fun, right?  And if something is wildly popular, it must be good?  Not quite.

Max Payne 2: A Retrospective

Continuing my slow-motion dive (pun intended) into the world of Max Payne, I tried out Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. This darker sequel to Max Payne doesn’t stray too far from the original in terms of story or gameplay.

The story is once again told as flashbacks leading up to the finale. Max has returned to the NYPD, following his exoneration by Alfred Woden. Mona Sax returns, seemingly from the dead, as Max’s love interest (don’t act too surprised – she’s on the damn box art and title screen, if that didn’t give it away). But, hey, who can blame him? Sure, this fatal attraction to a hot female assassin isn’t highly original, but it works (Besides, you totally get to see her boob in the graphic novel). The story gets a bit more complicated after that, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before.

Max Payne: A Retrospective

Breaking away from the monotony of current generation games, especially first-person shooters, I picked myself up a copy of Max Payne. An action game presented entirely in third-person, Max Payne channels a gritty film noir feel that is heavily influenced by action cinema. The game also emulates the style of John Woo, whose name and work is referenced in the game.

One Sentence Reviews: Game Demos Q1 2009

Here are some of my reviews for the recent onslaught of game demos. Some new, some old, all of them brief. Let’s face it, they’re just demos, I don’t feel like writing a lot, and you have a short attention span.

Morrowind: A Retrospective

Having thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the fourth installment of the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion, I decided to try out its predecessor. Based on the above-average ratings it received on various websites, along with the fact that The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind received Game of the Year status, I decided it might be a worthy touch of nostalgia for anyone who enjoyed Oblivion.