F.E.A.R. 3 is an interesting beast. While the previous games in the series focused on explosive firefights and spine-chilling interludes, the focus has shifted to frenetic, point-scoring battle royales where the player, as protagonist Point Man, plows through each stage ripping through enemies all in the name of completing challenges combined with an explosive yet modest campaign, winning co-op, and vicious array of weapons. F.E.A.R. 3 is a pleasant, bloody surprise.
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Review: DJ Hero
Even though I’ve been known to hoard music games like they’re going out of style, even I have noticed a severe discrepancy in quality over the past couple of years. While most games go out of their way to avoid bringing new styles of play into the field and head straight for the fastest way to make cash, luckily there are still minds out there who think creatively. While DJ Hero isn’t exactly the first game of its kind (Beatmania IIDX, anyone?), it manages to capture the feeling of being a real DJ settled right in the heart of the hottest night clubs and bumpin’ joints where the real greats mixed it up. It may not be perfect, but it’s certainly on the right track. We need more of this kind of innovation, and I’m proud to say that DJ Hero is the start of a revolution — and not one involving karaoke.
Review: Shadows of the Damned
Garcia Hotspur, demon hunter extraordinaire, is in a tight spot! He may not be dressed as a gimp, but his girlfriend has been stolen away to Hell, care of one Fleming, lord of the demons. In Hell, infant doorkeeps snack on brains and strawberries, while shooting a goat’s head creates a brilliant burst of light. Malevolent demons snack on the bloody limbs of beautiful women. Hotspur’s gotta stock up on the tequila and sake in order to keep his strength up. Can you tell this is a Suda51 adventure yet?
Review: Child of Eden
Save Lumi. Save Eden. We’re not talking about some sort of cosmic Heroes storyline. These are the very simple instructions that preface a beautifully complex yet accessible game. Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s newest project, Child of Eden, thrills and impresses with its cornucopia of trippy, bizarre sights and sounds, taking players on a colorful journey through shape-shifting landscapes, majestic beings, and pulse-pounding electronica. It’s a wonderfully orchestrated exercise in synaesthesia. It’s the breath of fresh air I was looking for all year. And despite all this, it’s still not perfect. But it’s close.
Preview: NeverDead
On June 18, 2011
In PlayStation 3, Preview, Xbox 360
With Comments Off on Preview: NeverDead
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NeverDead seemed to me a bit like the spiritual successor to Beetlejuice, and I’ve never quite been sure why. Perhaps the main character, Bryce, resonates with that Michael Keaton-like energy – oh, and he can use his limbs as weapons. As we traipsed around the Sega booth and settled down for some hands-on with the frenetic limb-slinging third-person adventure, I quickly realized that the only comparison I could draw between the two pieces of media were that they both prominently featured death in some way, and that some bits were more frustrating than others. Unfortunately, the raucous fun of Beetlejuice wasn’t exactly evident in this demo build of the upcoming Devil May Cry-esque outing.