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Playstation 3

Twisted Metal

Reviewed by on May 17, 2012
Screenshot of Twisted Metal

I won’t even buy a game that has no single-player campaign, but I must admit, Twisted Metal would have been just as fun without one. Not that I didn’t enjoy playing through the characters’ stories, it’s just that the split-screen and online options are without hesitation the most genuinely fun multiplayer experiences I’ve had since playing Twisted Metal 2 on the original Playstation.  On the downside, there’s a certain sheen that I have grown to expect in the graphics of major PS3 exclusives, but where Twisted Metal lacks in that extra make-up, it compensates for it in nostalgia. Let’s face it, if you didn’t play a few rounds of Twisted Metal back in the day, you won’t fully appreciate the franchise’s adrenaline-pumping car combat, though you may come close, and it’s never too late to start. If you have or haven’t experienced the totally chaotic, yet deeply strategical competition of a Twisted Metal tournament, get the game and some friends and prepare to wreak havoc, split-screen or online.

1UP
3 Comments
PC

Hoard

Reviewed by on May 11, 2012
Screenshot of Hoard

Over a year ago, I reviewed Hoard for the PS3 and decided it was awesome. I recently picked it up on Steam for $2 and some change with the DLC, and it’s actually an even better experience. Unfortunately, there still isn’t a lot of people playing it online, but this game was made to be played up close on a PC. Sitting on a couch looking up at a TV just doesn’t do it justice. The graphics on the PS3 version are worse, and the DLC is unavailable. The reason I feel like recommending this version now is that, by playing up close, I can see the detail I need to find a new love for HOARD mode. You have to survive as long as possible on a map by yourself while the game throws as much as possible at you. It starts out a little slow but easily becomes overwhelming far before the gold medal time. With the DLC’s refreshing desert and snow terrains and extra maps, Hoard feels like a new game.  It’s perfect for 10-15 minutes at a time when I need a study break. The menus are still incredibly clunky, and the game isn’t perfect, but as I said before, I have a crush on Hoard.

1UP
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Xbox 360

Kinect Star Wars

Reviewed by on May 10, 2012
Screenshot of Kinect Star Wars

From the minute motion gaming became all the rage, I wanted a Star Wars game. Thanks to Kinect Star Wars, I finally got one! Sadly, the motion tracking is just too slow for you to accurately use the lightsaber most of the time, and you’ll find yourself just swinging at the air while you try to reflect blaster bolts back at your enemies. The good thing is that being a Jedi is not the only thing the game has to offer. You also get the chance to podrace, dance, and rampage through countless Star Wars locales. Podracing is fun, but it still has serious motion tracking problems, especially for actions that require precision, like steering. Thankfully, dancing and Rancor Rampage are both as near perfect as can be. Dancing is especially fun as you get to dance to Star Wars parodies of various popular songs that are so completely awful, they’re awesome. Rancor Rampage plays like a Hulk Kinect game, which makes it one of the most adrenaline-pumping good times I’ve had. Definitely pick this up; just don’t expect much from the Jedi levels.

1UP
3 Comments
Playstation 3

Devil May Cry HD Collection

Reviewed by on May 9, 2012
Screenshot of Devil May Cry HD Collection

Some of my best memories of the last gaming gen are of long summers spent playing through Devil May Cry. So I was understandably pretty stoked when I heard about Devil May Cry HD Collection, but maybe I shouldn’t have been so excited… For starters, the original Devil May Cry has not aged well at all. The fixed Resident Evil-style camera angles make the game a chore to play and will no doubt be a major cause of frustration and death for the first few hours. After you get past that, though, the action-packed gameplay more than makes up for it. Devil May Cry 3 suffers from none of these issues and manages to make the gameplay even more mind-blowing and stylish than the first game. Thanks to the Special Edition of DMC3 being included, there’s also tons of replayability in the form of replaying the game as Dante’s brother, Vergil. The only possible problem that you could have with this collection is the difficulty, but as long as you’re patient and competent at action games, then you should have a blast. Oh yeah, stay away from DMC2. It sucks.

1UP
2 Comments
Xbox Live Arcade

Awesomenauts

Reviewed by on May 7, 2012
Screenshot of Awesomenauts

I’m going to skip the obvious pun, but I will at least say that Awesomenauts is Prettygoodnauts. Like Monday Night Combat before it, this is an online multiplayer game where you must work closely with your team to protect your drones and take out the opposition’s turrets and home base. Here, however, the 2D perspective makes the game more approachable and cuts down on the number of ways to exploit and ruin it. Of course, 2D gameplay also means there are fewer strategies involved. I fear Awesomenauts will grow stale quicker than Monday Night Combat did because of that. For the time being, though, I’m having a lot of fun. The characters are great, and the skills they offer are quite diverse, making it hard to label any one as the clear winner. In fact, I frequently choose “random” at the character select screen, because I know I can’t go wrong. The game puts a limit on how many players can be the same character and even replaces “rage quitters” with AI bots, so you’re never left at a disadvantage. How awesome is that? Oops. Couldn’t resist. But it’s nice to be treated fairly for once.

1UP
6 Comments
3DS eShop

Pushmo

Reviewed by on May 6, 2012
Screenshot of Pushmo

Pushmo is a must-have 3DS game if you like puzzles. Notice that I said “if” you like puzzles. This eShop title feels more like a full game than an eShop game to me.  In Pushmo, you pull out blocks in order to climb to the top and rescue a small child who got stuck while playing on a pushmo. A “pushmo” is a picture made up of pixels that pull out as boxes. You can pull out a box one space at a time with a maximum of 3 spaces. Your character (a Kirby-like, puffy creature wearing a Sumo belt) can only jump up a single space and across small gaps. If you get stuck on a difficult pushmo, there are a couple of things to help you. One is a rewind feature that is very handy if you miss a jump and fall down. There is also a giant reset button that pushes all of the boxes back to their starting position. The levels get more challenging as you go on (with ladders, special blocks, etc.), and don’t forget the robust level creation tool for making and sharing your own pushmo. If you can solve the pushmo you designed, the game generates a QR code that you can give to friends. Download this puzzler ASAP!

1UP
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