Hilary Goldstein
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Writing For
IGNLatest Reviews
I have been waiting a long time for a return to Albion. The past four years were well spent by Lionhead. Fable II has a great combat system, some excellent atmosphere, a smart experience system, and lots to do. It’s only when you start exploring the social aspects that things take a downturn. The expressions system is too goofy for the more serious tone of Fable II and almost every interaction feels artificial. The sandbox elements aren’t nearly as enjoyable as the adventure aspects.
You probably shouldn't judge a game by its title, but in all honestly, Infinite Undiscovery tells you everything you need to know. It only half makes sense -- and only when you squint your brain. That is the design approach in a nutshell. Some of the choices tri-Ace made don't make a whole lot of sense, but you can certainly play through some of the gaffes. This isn't a game marred with horrendous bugs or unplayable combat. And it's not boring. It's just misguided. The story is intriguing enough that RPG fanatics should at least give this a rental. Considering it's on the short side for a Square-Enix RPG, you shouldn't have trouble beating it in a week.
Lost Odyssey proves that a turn-based RPG still has merit in modern gaming. While there is nothing in Lost Odyssey that will convert action-RPG fans, there is plenty to please those already singing in the choir. Lost Odyssey creates several memorable characters and a somber setting that should please those sick of JRPGs that seem made for 10-year-olds. There are quite a few things that go wrong -- from the bad stealth portion to performance issues -- but none of it kept me from enjoying the overall adventure. It may not be in the same class as Mass Effect, but for a system in desperate need for more quality RPGs, Lost Odyssey fits nicely into the 360 library.
If you play Assassin's Creed for an hour, you will probably think it's a fantastic game. But as Assassin's progresses, its dual storylines and repetitive quests begin to grow tiresome. There are so many great individual elements, but they are lost among the myriad of poor decisions from Ubisoft Montreal. Wasting the big twist on the first five minutes of gameplay is a tremendous mistake, but not nearly as damaging as the ill-conceived assassination investigation quests, which get old fast. The exploration aspects of Assassin's Creed and the combat are both plusses in my book. But those two elements are only a small part of the whole.
The campaign, which is very good, is Halo 3's weakest point. It doesn't capture the cavalier spirit of the original Halo, but you'll still have fun playing through it. There's no first-person shooter on 360 that can equal Halo 3's blend of cinematic action, adrenaline-pumping shootouts, and male- (and female)-bonding gameplay. Look beyond the gameplay and you have a rich feature set unlike anything ever delivered in a videogame. The Forge and the replay functionality raise the bar for console shooters so high, it may never be surpassed this generation. There will be plenty of aspects for fans to nitpick, but it's hard to argue against Halo 3 as the most complete game available on any console.