Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on May 24th, 2007
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ROUND ONE, FIGHT. I'm something of a Mortal Kombat junkie especially in my younger days. I started playing the original arcade game when I was very young and played 2 (still the best to date), 3, dealt with 4 and even dabbled in Deception. I adored the movies, though for obvious reasons I was poed at some parts of the second movie but still liked it. I even bought one of those silly MK controllers for the Playstation 2 (Scorpion naturally). So when I heard that the...Wii version was coming out; I figured I would go ahead and give a review of the newest Mortal Kombat but for the XBOX. I did that version because it is 360 compatible and I did purchase it within the last month. That way if you are considering the Wii version, you will know for the most part (minus the nearly useless Endurance Mode and a couple of extra characters) what you are in for.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on May 21st, 2007
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I guess I'm a sucker for old school shooters. When I was a little chap, it was about the vertical shooters like Galaga and Centipede. As I grew older, I found myself starting to lean towards the horizontal shooters as well including R-Type. However, I did not find myself playing a shooter from start to finish until I came upon a game for the Turbo Duo (Turbo Graphix 16 w/super cd attachment). Actually it was the pack-in for the system. That game was Gates of Thund...r. A game that really had it all. Great graphics, hard bumping sound, a hard yet rewarding difficulty system & easy controls all made for a fantastic game. Fast forward fifteen years to the XBOX 360 console and we get a little shooter for XBOX Live called Aegis Wing. Offered for free to North American XBOX Live members, this game hoped to put some kick back in a genre that has been long forgotten.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on April 8th, 2007
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When I got my XBOX 360 in late November, the only game I was regularly playing on my Playstation 2 was Guitar Hero II. It was still captivating, it held my interest because it was an amazing game. Needless to say when they announced that it would be coming to the 360, I was both excited and a bit perplexed as what to do. I mean it is the same game right? It has updated graphics and sound, and exclusive songs. But it's going to require me to buy another guitar. It has achiev...ments! So you can see the true crossroads I was put at. However, in the end I plunked down the ninety dollars (yes it is that much) for again one of the finest experiences in gaming. I am happy to also mention that the extras or exclusives to the 360 version are appreciated and can only increase in time for us as we move forward.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on March 22nd, 2007
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A single console rarely gets five different releases in its library. The Playstation 2 has been fortunate (or not so fortunate according to Jack Thompson) to get five Grand Theft Autos. III, Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories and now Vice City Stories have provided essentially the same game engine with new features and missions along the way. The Stories line was games that started on the PSP and then ported over. Liberty City Stories was a good port and a fun game to play. However,...it came with its faults; mainly in the graphics and gameplay that can plague a game that is coming from a slightly inferior system. Would Vice City Stories come with those faults or some how work itself out?
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on January 28th, 2007
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The Rainbow Six series of console and pc games has always been about realistic tactical warfare. These games are not for the faint of the heart as with any Tom Clancy shooter. In their latest offering: Rainbow Six Vegas; they take that realism and then put it in the anything but real land of glitz, glamor, and high rolling. Las Vegas, Nevada. A town where nobody sleeps and that's unfortunate because you are going to need all the skills and firepower you can muster at all hours ...f the night. The Ubisoft Montreal team have done a great job of providing new and old features for first person shooter fans to enjoy.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on January 7th, 2007
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Hype. Hype is a piece of the media that we never want to admit to ourselves, or anyone for that matter, we let get the best of us. After all, how many times has the hype for something become so huge that it turned out to be a real bummer once you finally played it? When message boards started rambling in 2005 about a game coming from Microsoft Studios (made by Epic) entitled Gears of War, a small look into Microsoft’s history of product release, would easily entail a game that would ...ake forever to actually hit the store shelves. So low and behold the shock when Gears of War hit store shelves in November of this year. Taking over a year to make and amid numerous delays, would this spell a sign of things to come for Gears of War?
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on December 17th, 2006
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If you ever visit my house, you might be a bit underwhelmed from the outside appearance. It is a simple three bedroom place with a few trees and a handful of assorted plants. If I can concentrate on growing something I do fine, but since I'm not really used to the space, things can look out of sorts. So when I received Viva Pi�ata from the minds of Rare LTD, I was a little worried. Here I was given a new garden to cultivate and grow various plants, trees, & bushes in hopes of attracti...g all sorts of wonderful pi�atas (who are essentially just different types of animals) to visit and ultimately become resident on my property. Micro-managing was key and I had to make sure residents were taken care of so they could be happy, mate, and live in an ever changing world.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on December 8th, 2006
Well it is finally here; the Wii has been released by Nintendo and with it comes my very first review of a Wii title. As most of you surely know Wii Sports is included in the package with every system and it showcases some of the Wii Remote's impressive capabilities. Beyond its apparent simplistic look its offers more depth than originally expected. Initially thought as a mere technology demo, Wii Sports turns out to be a game in itself.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on November 28th, 2006
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Promotional games have come and gone. Typically they involve some movie or tv show, kid or blockbuster related. Once in a while, they center on food such as the M&M's game for Playstation 1 or perhaps the 2 or 3 McDonalds games. Burger King decided that their king character which was a cartoon character onto himself deserved not one video game about him but three. Better also make that for one of the top systems today. The XBOX 360. What will we charge, just $3.99 with a value me...l. I mean if Whopper Jr can sell himself for a buck then why not. A fine trio of games (Big Bumpin, Sneak King and Pocketbike Racer) deliver on a fine time of good graphics, entertaining gameplay and fresh food (well maybe not so fresh).
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on November 25th, 2006
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I knew that when they announced Guitar Hero 2 many moons ago, I would be running not walking to my local EB Games and procuring the game ahead of time. I mean what was there to not love about the first one, hard rocking music, every air guitarist's dream and addictive gameplay. I am happy to report that the second is more of the same; there are new songs, new levels of difficulty, and the same great gameplay albeit with a few new quirks. However, don't let that little flaw deter...you from this great game. Read on young air guitar aficionado!
