13 years ago
The Walking Dead: Episode 1 review (XBLA)
The Walking Dead was developed and published by Telltale Games. It was released April 27, 2012 for 400 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Zombie games: They’re nothing new; some may even argue they’re overdone. We even have our fair share on XBLA already. The vast majority of games featuring zombies use the shambling undead as cannon fodder, the thing players need to mow down with a machine gun to progress.
With The Walking Dead, Telltale Games looks to do something a little different. Much like the comic series it’s based on, this isn’t about killing all zombies in your way, it’s a story about people. What do we do when society collapses and the dead come back to life? It’s a question that’s been the crux of some of the best zombie movies, but one that often falls by the wayside when it comes to games.
So if you’re expecting a game where you must survive the zombie apocalypse by aiming down the sights of your pistol and getting some headshots, you’ll have to look elsewhere. The Walking Dead is a fairly traditional point and click adventure game; while you do have direct control over the main character most of your interaction with the world will be through an onscreen cursor or making dialogue choices. Read More
13 years ago
Bloodforge review (XBLA)
Bloodforge was developed by Climax Group and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released April 25, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Crom isn’t very happy right now, and it shows. While out hunting, he returns to find his village in flames and his family murdered. He learns that the gods who want him dead did this and now, he must seek revenge. Bloodforge is the story of one warrior’s quest for vengeance.
Bloodforge is a hack-and-slash where action is ultimately key. You’ll go through different environments and kill more and more enemies to build up rage. It’s fun for the first couple of hours but quickly becomes formulaic and filled with nonsensical shouting by the end.
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13 years ago
World Gone Sour review (XBLA)
World Gone Sour was developed by Playbrains Studios and published by Capcom. It was released on April 11, 2012 for 400 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
World Gone Sour is a fun and sweet little platformer with a weird story to tell. What we find is a dangerous world that exists for Sour Patch Kids as they journey toward their ultimate goal: The human stomach. During your journey you’ll find lots of lost friends who will help you along your way. Like any good platformer there are bosses, and in World Gone Sour they are integral to the story. Many aspects of World Gone Sour will immediately feel and look like games you know and love.
Feeling like games of the past isn’t always a good thing, but for the most part World Gone Sour keeps things simple and sweet. Double-jumping and wall bouncing are an absolute joy. You’ll find additional Sour Patch Kids who will follow you on your journey. They can help you swing, Indiana Jones-style, or sacrifice themselves to help you complete the level. The first time you impale yourself or throw one or your little minions into a fan blade and he is chopped to pieces, you can’t help but laugh. It’ll put a smile on your face that will stay with you the whole game.
13 years ago
Trials Evolution review (XBLA)
Trials Evolution was developed by RedLynx and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released April 18, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Oh RedLynx, how are we supposed to get anything done when you release such addictive games? We logged close to a hundred hours into Trials HD, and grew a three day beard trying to complete the expert tracks. Looks like we’ll have to quit our jobs, because now Trials Evolution is out.
Evolution builds on everything that’s great about Trials HD. For the uninitiated the premise to to ride a motorcycle over obstacles and to the finish. The left and right triggers control the throttle and brake while the left thumbstick controls the rider’s balance. It’s a simple yet incredibly addictive formula that RedLynx started back in 2000, and Trials Evolution is the latest and greatest installment in the series.
13 years ago
Skullgirls review (XBLA)
Skullgirls was developed by Reverge Labs and published by Autumn Games and Konami. It was released on April 11, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was purchased by the reviewer.
What happens when a talented artist with tons of characters designs and a fighting game pro with a character-less fighting engine meet up? Skullgirls happens, that’s what! Skullgirls, a true labor of love, set out to defy expectations of fighting games and provide a solid engine. Fighting games have given birth to a number of strange mechanics over the years, and a lot of the games themselves are strange. For instance, Skullgirls lets you view hitbox and hitstun data in training mode, which you can access straight form versus mode! Variable team sizes are balanced, and it’s impossible to accidentally hit the pause button mid-fight.
Skullgirls takes place in The Canopy Kingdom which is home to the Skull Heart, and the tournament for its acquisition. There’s evidence of a very deep, rich story and environment, though only the surface is touched in the game. Each character has a different reason to go for the Skull Heart, which, if acquired, grants one wish. However, if the wish is even slightly impure, it comes out corrupted, and the wisher becomes the Skullgirl.
Suffice to say the story is actually pretty cool, and props to Reverge for actually telling one, but that’s not the focus. Skullgirls is all about the fighting, casual or competitive, so let’s see if it stands up to the greats.
13 years ago
Fez review (XBLA)
Fez was developed by Polytron and published by Microsoft/Trapdoor. It was released on April 13, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
A few years ago Fez started making noise in the indie game scene as a game that had the potential to create a sense of immersion that would rival even the most cherished indie titles like Braid or Limbo. Polytron took their time with the game but now that Fez has finally released on XBLA, it’s clear that their time was well spent. Creating a game that forces gamers to truly think and explore these days is a fairly tall order. But Fez does just that. A sense of adventure and exploration accompanied by the classic 8-bit look will leave gamers swearing they have gone back in time to era they grew up in. An era where subtle clues were left behind for gamers to discover and slowly piece things together providing a true sense of accomplishment. An era where things may have initially looked simple but were far more complex once properly studied. Read More
13 years ago
The Splatters review (XBLA)
The Splatters was developed by SpikySnail and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on April 11, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
The Splatters is a bright and lively twist on the puzzle genre. The object is to use blobs of paint to smash into “bombs” of the same color. Getting to all these bombs is where things start becoming tricky. You’re forced to slide, bounce, rewind and splatter you blob around each level. In each stage you start with a specific number of colored blobs and bombs all spread around the board, making you have to think two, three, or even four steps ahead of yourself at times. One of the major focuses during each level is combos; combos are how you will complete a level within said amount of moves (blobs) as well as how to increase your score. The Splatters will feel familiar on many levels like control, but is definitely designed to stand out on its own.
13 years ago
Pinball Arcade review (XBLA)
Pinball Arcade was developed by FarSight Studios and published by Crave Entertainment. It was released on April 4, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Pinball Arcade is bringing a new feel and set of priorities to the XBLA pinball landscape. Long dominated by the venerable Pinball FX2, there is now another choice on the market that both borrows from the latter while striking out in its own direction as well. Having already developed the highly regarded Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection, FarSight is no newcomer to the genre. They have brought their expertise to craft a game that accurately recreates classic pinball tables. The resulting product is one that will feel immediately familiar to veterans but distinct enough to warrant its own release.
13 years ago
Anomaly Warzone Earth review (XBLA)
Anomaly Warzone Earth was developed by 11 Bit Studios and retails for 800 MSP. It was released on April 6, 2012. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Anomaly Warzone Earth takes the tower defense genre and turns it on its ear. Instead of placing towers and picking off enemies you are thrust into the difficult scenario of finding a way to run the gauntlet. In the not so distant future aliens crash to earth and tough times ensue. A small convoy of soldiers must infiltrate and investigate the destruction. Anomaly Warzone Earth is an updated version of the iOS title that delivers new features to make it worthy of a XBLA release.
13 years ago
Diabolical Pitch review (XBLA)
Diabolical Pitch was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Microsoft. It was released on April 4, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
When the gaming world learned that Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture were developing a game that would utilize Kinect, taste buds quickly started to tingle. Grasshopper is known as one of the most creative and stylish developers out there, so the prospect of their minds working with the new technology had many buzzing with anticipation. The final product, Diabolical Pitch, is as wild and fantastic as everyone had hoped. In Diabolical Pitch, you take on the role of a professional baseball pitcher who is struck down with injury at the peak of his career. Shortly after this tragic turn of events, our protagonist decides to visit a theme park. It is here that our hero is greeted by a cow in a shirt and tie who enables our hero to throw again. This gift however, comes with a price. McMillan must make his way through this dark and twisted carnival, which is filled with horrors. Mostly just life sized dolls that resemble strange animal-human hybrids. Armed only with his pitching arm, McMillan must take it to this marionette army of zoo animals if he ever wants to return to Hall of Fame form. This is where our strange adventure begins.