Latest Reviews
Madden NFL 13 does something the Madden franchise hasn't done in years: it makes me want to keep playing. Yes, the commentators will repeat themselves and funky animations are going to pop up, but the game as a whole is so good. The TV presentation, the refined gameplay, the more...
Campaign co-op is definitely missed, but Fall's superior single-player mode goes a long way to make up for it. Escalation raises the bar on the now-requisite survival mode, and competitive matches—complemented by a strong character progression and customization system—do a fine job supplementing tried-and-true online melees with Transfomers-specifc gameplay and...
Darksiders II
Despite its problems, I was compelled onward in my quest with Death because Darksiders II is simply a fun game. The RPG elements and to-the-point action all make for some solid gaming, glitches and all. It’s a shame so many glaring issues hold such an ambitious endeavor back from the...
Sleeping Dogs
I’m not sure why more people aren’t paying attention to Sleeping Dogs, but now that the game’s out, hopefully you won't make the same mistake. Sleeping Dogs did things that wowed me from the moment I started playing, and it never really stopped. A few finicky issues aside, Sleeping Dogs...
It's hard to believe that such a content rich, well-polished title could be the product of one man's hard work. Aside from the incredible orchestral soundtrack and savvy voiceovers, creator Dean Dodrill is responsible for every aspect of Dust. Sure, the RPG elements could have been stronger, and the boss...
Hybrid
Putting such a heavy emphasis on cover and limiting player movement in intriguing ways is a risky move that pays off in Hybrid. With its quirky play style and captivating global meta-war, it’s easily one of the most unusual and interesting online shooters out there. While it's not very original...
Connection problems and online funkiness aside, Sound Shapes absolutely floored me. Just about everything it does – and with its grand aesthetic taken as a whole – will blow you away. Sound Shapes isn’t only a totally novel game that melds unlikely components together. It’s also successful at trying something...
And that's the real hook, the strange alchemy that transforms a deep, rewarding RPG into an equally deep and rewarding fighting game. To watch or play a fight in Persona 4 Arena is to behold the impossible. It weaves the majesty and imagination of one of the best role playing...
Deadlight
Deadlight lacks neither style nor substance, and it lasts just about the perfect amount of time. The story is minimal but engaging, and the ending is unexpected -- in a good way. A couple of sections stumble a bit, but not enough to detract from what is an engaging, memorable...
Orcs Must Die! 2’s new cooperative mode allows its gameplay to outshine the formidable strengths of its predecessor, but at the cost of piling several punishing difficulty spikes on the single-player mode. Even so, few other tower defense games succeed so well in delivering pure fun, and the extensive upgrades...
Thomas Was Alone sells itself as “a minimalist game about jumping and friendship” – and unlike most slogans, this one doesn’t overstate itself. I can say with reasonable confidence that it is the most endearingly characterful game about jumping rectangles that you will ever play. The understated aesthetic design and...
Wreckateer
In longer sessions, Wreckateer exposes the extent of its creativity, leaving you with little to wonder about and discover as you grind through too-similar stages. But it works both as a Kinect puzzle game and a relaxing casual diversion. You can distract yourself with a few rounds of ripping structures...
