Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on April 18th, 2011
Most people my age grew up watching tennis with the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors or those who went for female competition went with Anna Kournikova and the Williams sisters. Maybe with the later, competition isn’t the right word. Needless to say, tennis can be a very entertaining sport to watch. For the most part, the video game world really hasn’t made too many tennis games that are entertaining to play. Hopefully that changes with 2k’s latest game: Top Spin 4.
After the cut scenes with a bevy of tennis action, we are introduced to a rather bland looking menu screen. Once one selects a mode and then the opponents along with the location, the court is opened. There, we are witness to some wonderful sights. There are forty different locations included and they can each stand on their own as fun places to play. All of the different surfaces show up brilliantly and even ones like clay show the tiniest of details including footprints and areas where you had to slide.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 3rd, 2010
The sandbox style of games is a rather recent genre when compared to many of the old standbys. We could argue that the idea started as far back as Metroid or Legend of Zelda from the mid 1980’s. However, it was not popularized as a grand concept until the birth of Grand Theft Auto III. Since then, it seems that every time you turn around, you are presented with a new game in the open world. Enter Mafia II, a gritty game set in the 1940’s showing the ugly side of the mafia underworld. Can Vito and Joe set their sandbox apart?
The video for this game is widescreen and capable of 1080p resolution. Empire Bay is a dark place reminiscent of major cities in the time period. It is alive and full of people and there is much to see. Many of the buildings appear to be in bad shape and you can see details of the decomposition. You recognize life is brutal every which way you turn as the snow covers the landscape. The landscape is truly gorgeous and feels authentic.
