I’m not going to lie to you. Defense Grid is one of my favorite XBLA games ever released. I like it enough that I bought it, along with all of the available DLC, on Steam after beating in on 360. It is the best tower defense game that I have ever played, the narration is wonderful, there is a great variety in the types and useful applications of towers, and levels switch between the two TD standards of “here is your path, defend it” and “here is your playfield, make a path.” Defense Grid is my typical go-to game when I know I want to play something but can’t decide what that something is. And then it’s 2:00 in the morning because I got caught up in it all over again. READ MORE
GoldenEye 007: Reloaded is a difficult game to review for a couple of reasons. First, I loved the N64 original. I remember surrendering an entire summer to split-screen multiplayer in my parents’ basement. GoldenEye was the first game that really grabbed me and showed just how much enjoyment you can wring out a game when it’s got great multiplayer. I’ve played single-player campaigns multiple times before (including GoldenEye’s), but I don’t think I’ve ever poured as much time into a multiplayer game as I have the first GoldenEye. Second, it’s hard not to compare Reloaded to the original in other areas. The story here has been modernized (due to contractual issues, the game could not be simply ported). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re looking for the original script, you won’t find it here. READ MORE
Odds are very good that you already know whether you like the brand of gameplay and storytelling prevalent in the Metal Gear series of games. I won’t review each of the five games included because it would make for a very long article, and what’s really important here is whether this omnibus of Metal Gear is worth the upgrade.
So is it? I think so. You’re getting Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and the original MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 for $10 less than any other new single console game will cost you. In terms of bang for your buck, the HD Collection is amazing. What isn’t so amazing is the glaring error: there should be six games present instead of five. READ MORE
I love Legend of Zelda games. The exploration, the combat, and the reinvention of the cast at large that serve to suit the individual game rather than any grand over-arching story have made Zelda one of my favorite video game franchises. I loved pushing gravestones in the original, discovering the dark world in A Link to the Past, linking my adventures together in Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, directing the wind in Wind Waker and playing through the mansion in Twilight Princess.
I’m also a fan of traversing the larger games. Horse-riding in Ocarina of Time, train-riding in Spirit Tracks and especially sailing in Wind Waker were all great. Jumping from Skyloft and knowing that your bird will be there to catch you blows all of those things away. No matter how many times I did it, the sensation was wonderful. It throws you right into the Skyloft way of life, and really embodies who Link is and always has been: an adventurer who (if you play the way I do) has a gigantic grin on his face the majority of the time. READ MORE
Ubisoft pulled off an amazing feat. They created a game with a great concept but flawed execution, took notes about what people did and didn’t like and then came back to us with Assassin’s Creed II, a game loved by just about everybody. With Brotherhood, they added the ability manage a whole team of assassins and a more rewarding combat system. It should be no surprise that Revelations is a game full of incremental improvements over its predecessor, and when you’re following up a game as good as Brotherhood, you don’t need a monumental jump in quality. It is enough to revisit Ezio and Altaïr as the overarching story moves forward. READ MORE
