Trials HD is one of the best-selling Xbox Live Arcade games of all time, it has sold over 2 million copies, and it was voted Best Overall Arcade Game in 2009 by Xbox 360 players. The physics are great, the levels are lovingly crafted, and the replay value is enormous. Saying that Trials is a motorcycle trick game isn’t exactly disingenuous, but it’s not telling the complete story either. READ MORE
The Splatters is a physics puzzler with an emphasis on style. Throughout all three of the game modes, your goal is to use the titular Splatters to explode all of the bombs on a level. And since you accrue points based on how many stunts you execute along the way, you’ll find yourself replaying already-completed levels in the quest to get that third star or rise up on the leaderboards ahead of your friends. READ MORE
There is no denying that the multiplayer space has been chock full of cooperative multiplayer in recent years. Between Gears of War, Halo, Borderlands and now Mass Effect, teaming up with friends to save the world is, if not taking over, giving the traditional lone-wolf style of gameplay a run for its money. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is no different. It’s designed from step one to be played in a group. What Slant Six forgot was that step one needs to be fun. Aping what has worked for others is no guarantee of success, and ORC is not a successful team-based shooter. READ MORE
When I heard I was going to be reviewing Ninja Gaiden 3 I thought “this is great: just the kick in the pants I need to finally play the first two games.” I was going to knock a couple games off of my backlog and be better informed when the third installment arrived. I was wrong. I was very wrong. I am not a good or patient enough gamer to complete the first two Ninja Gaiden games. I see what Team Ninja was doing, and I have a tremendous respect for it, but it just is not in the cards for me to see the credits roll on either game. This isn’t the case with Ninja Gaiden 3, and it is worse for it. Much worse. READ MORE
In order to understand why we won’t ever see a Shenmue III, we must first understand what Shenmue is as a series. Shenmue is the story of Ryo Hazuki tracking down his father’s killer. It started its life being developed for the Saturn, was eventually shifted to the Dreamcast, saw a two-for-one sequel on the Xbox, and then slipped quietly into the night while Sega started spending time and money on its spiritual successor, Yakuza. READ MORE
