Ryan Clements
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Writing For
IGN Latest Reviews
Long-time Devil May Cry fans unsure of Ninja Theory's treatment can abandon their fears. DmC hurls Dante into a newer, better world, complete with a glorious combat system and enough style to make old Dante proud. This is digital action at its finest, steeped in the blood of angels, spiced with gunpowder, and garnished with a middle finger.
While light on content, the core play in Skullgirls works beautifully on numerous levels. Astounding animation dresses up its solid basics and the roster provides plenty of possibilities for strategies and play styles. And for those looking for real competition, both local and online multiplayer run smoothly.
Those of you that played Flower might notice that Journey mirrors many of its predecessor's emotional milestones. Journey celebrates the poignancy of nature, it startles you with the unexpected, and empowers you in an exhilarating, unforgettable conclusion. The hours spent completing Journey will create memories that last for years.
Square-Enix provided the author with retail copies of Final Fantasy XIII-2 for review purposes. The author completed the main story on normal difficulty in approximately 35 hours using the PS3 version. Brief testing was also conducted on the 360 version.
Lamentations over wasted time come easily when you consider the unexpected deaths, but the powerful last words of the narrative reminded me of Corpse Party's chilling highlights. Instances of fear and melancholy occur with startling frequency. And when I realized that I came to care for the students of Kisaragi Academy, I felt a little less bothered over lost time.
The console version of Crysis doesn't look quite as good as its PC counterpart (and that's to be expected). It doesn't add any new campaign content, and it doesn't include the multiplayer support packaged with the original. With that said, it's a great buy for console owners. Even without the badass Nanosuit abilities the gunplay itself entertains. And considering how many different methods you can pursue to complete your mission, no two players will tackle Crysis in the same way.
Nier is ugly and it can get really repetitive, forcing players to backtrack multiple times across familiar locations. But for every frustration I encountered in Nier, there were surprising gameplay twists, unsettling aesthetics and intriguing characters to meet. The ideas that Nier was built on are extremely solid -- the execution just falls short.
But hardcore Final Fantasy fans might be disappointed by the game's abandonment of franchise traditions like open worlds, town exploration and complex mini-games. The game is still worth buying, but it doesn't quite feel as complete as its well-loved predecessors.
Although Bayonetta has more than a few similarities to Devil May Cry, I wholeheartedly believe that this game is a must-play. Buyers beware, however: the 360 version is vastly superior to the PS3 version on a technical level, so PS3 owners fortunate enough to own a 360 should absolutely avoid the PS3 copy. Overall, Bayonetta is gorgeous, stylish, entertaining and deliciously unique. To say that it is my favorite action game yet is an understatement. Kamiya and his team at Platinum Games deserve a round of applause (and perhaps a few platonic hugs) for their incredible work on this project. Bayonetta will remind you how cool videogames can be.
