All posts in Review

Review: Sonic 4: Episode II

The revival of Sonic the Hedgehog, at least back to his glory days, is always going to be a tricky subject. Sonic 4: Episode I certainly wasn’t the explosion of nostalgia anyone had been waiting for, and even paled in comparison eventually to that of Sonic Generations’ snappy speeds and engaging level designs. Finally, we’ve been graced with Episode II of a game that clearly should have been released as an entire package after some proper sprucing up. The verdict? It’s still not the Sonic we know and love from our childhood, but it’s entertaining for what it is.

Continue Reading →

Review: Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown

Virtua Fighter 5 first made the scene on the PlayStation 3 over five years ago, to varied critical reception. It’s forever lived in the shadow of the alternate Xbox 360 release with robust online features and accessibility for fans who want to take their fighting skills to the global stage, whereas the PlayStation 3 suffered, having no outlet for gamers to do so. Now, PSN and XBLA Virtua Fighter enthusiasts have a new and improved entry into the series to give them the challenge they crave in complete digital form: Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown. Final Showdown packs online and offline multiplayer as well as the classic fighting action of the fifth entry into the series. How does this new iteration stack up?

Continue Reading →

Review: Amazing Alex

For a colossus like Rovio, after the massive success of Angry Birds, staying in the public eye shouldn’t be an issue. They could coast on by, releasing endless new iterations of the explosively popular avian puzzler for the rest of their lives, sit back, and rake in the cash from merchandising and various system releases. But instead of sticking to the same franchise forever, they chose to branch out with in an entertaining new direction that’s noticeably different from their previous efforts, but one that still works to the degree that you’d expect from Rovio.

Continue Reading →

Review: Unchained Blades

XSEED is famous for localizing quirky Japanese niche titles that you wouldn’t always assume you’d see Stateside, and quite often the gambles they take pay off exponentially. While the PSP may be entering its final hours as a viable portable system, that isn’t keeping developers from releasing brand new options for gamers to dig into. Unchained Blades is a cut-and-paste dungeon crawler with anime aesthetics that attempts to draw in players with its gorgeous artwork and promise of beautiful women and brash heroes, but in the end it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Hampering its release even further, it’s meant to be followed later this year by a release on the 3DS. Is the PSP iteration worth trying, though?

Continue Reading →

Review: Dragon Ball Z Kai: Part One + Two Blu-ray Review

Dragon Ball Z has been a part of my life since I was a young child. It was there through my awkward adolescence, through my middle and high school love affair with Vegeta, and through my parents’ subsequent annoyance with my fictional crush. And though it’s been years since I’ve sat down and marathoned the series like I would in my youth, I still feel those familiar pangs of nostalgia, where I’m moved to dust off season 1, jump right back in, and re-watch the magical moments that accompanied my childhood. But alas, I’m an adult now, and this means I have to spend much less time sitting in front of the TV geeking out with Goku and the gang.

Continue Reading →