Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on November 6th, 2006
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Happiness can be found inside a comic book. For years, especially in my youth, I would pick up copies of Daredevil, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and more to be fascinated by the intriguing story lines and the wonderful art. Sure there was comic book based games when I was younger but most of them weren't good enough to use as toilet paper nevertheless a coherent video game. That started to change as time went on especially once they started to add RPG elements to the game... such as X-Men Legends 1/2 and Ultimate Spiderman. Well the engine from Legends is back, in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. I am also glad to say they tweaked the engine considerably and made it a great game to boot. Perfect? No...but easily the best pure RPG style superhero game to date.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on October 1st, 2006
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I am a huge fan of the Evil Dead series. The perfect blend of movie style with a steady dose of horror and more than plentiful slapstick humor. The main character; Ash voiced by Bruce Campbell has to be one of the top ten heroes of all time as the witty boomstick shooting, chainsaw waving good guy. I had not played any of the previous Evil Dead games for Playstation or other systems, but however I was automatically sold when I saw this title in the Circuit City c...earance bin. What a time I had with the game.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on August 20th, 2006
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Baseball, a sport that is near and dear to my heart. I played it from age 7 to age 16. I never was quite that good; I had a lot of natural talent and I did hustle; however I never worked at the gifts I was given enough to take myself to the next level. So, me like many have resorted to the crass style of playing games that emulate something we wish we were. To be honest, I sat on this review a long time, not the game itself; I've been playing it quite frequently. But the review, ...cause I felt so mixed about this game. There were things I really enjoyed, and there were things I really was just kicking myself about. Had I written this review at other points, the rating might have been much higher or much lower. As it turns out, I found myself right smack dab in the middle.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on July 7th, 2006
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Newer super hero cartoons usually leave me feeling bland to be honest. They generally pass them off as too kid friendly and not enough to satisfy me as an adult. Not to mention that they often use anime style drawn characters almost too much that the cartoons become borderline ugly and generic to look at. Thankfully in recent years there have been a few exceptions, one being Teen Titans. Its familiar cast of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven & Cyborg are fun to watch as they appeal to both kid... with its anime style and to adults with some darker story lines and great action. Thankfully, they have now released a video game for the Playstation 2 to match and there are pretty good results to follow.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on June 26th, 2006
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Since nobody really plays Playstation portable games (at least nobody that will admit it), Rockstar finally did the smart thing and ported the best selling PSP game ever to the Playstation 2 console. I am happy to report that Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is here, for the PS2 in all of its greatness with a budget price tag. As one would expect, it has all of the great replayability one would expect from a GTA game, however it has the graphics one would expect from a PSP port too. The ...reatest thing about this game has to be the idea that this is just GTA III part 2. Of course, it could be argued that this is the worst thing and a simple rehash of a past game. However, you would be overlooking quite the little gem.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on June 11th, 2006
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The Driver series has had a pretty interesting history to date. The first two games were very impressive driving sims for the original playstation and showed a lot of potential. However, when it came to the playstation 2 and subsequent nex-gen consoles, Driver 3 (or Driv3r) took a bold step. The step to become the first real Grand Theft Auto clone. However, it was best described as a failure. Plagued by bugs, collision detection and just general bad gameplay, most feared that would be the end...of the franchise. Thankfully, Atari came back and decided to give it at least one more go. I am happy to say that the new Driver corrects most of its mistakes. But is it the GTA true alternative we have been hoping for? Hrmm, well maybe.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on May 27th, 2006
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Special Editions are nothing new to dvds, they are good ways to make the perspective consumer take that “double dip” and buy something more than once. However, when it comes to video games, this is a rare occurrence. However, with the advancement of technology and games using the cd/dvd format, the opportunity is there to make games with special content. Not to mention with games being released two or three times due to the platinum/greatest hits moniker, it is a great chance to lure people lik... it is a whole new experience. So we come to such a title in Devil May Cry 3 SE: Dante's Awakening. With great results, this title shows that adding some extras and keeping the same fantastic play, you will want to play it all over again.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on May 13th, 2006
Scene in EB Games/Gamestop: wow, Rampage: Total Destruction for $20; didn’t I play that game when I was a kid at the arcade or on my NES? Yes, yes you did. And for the record it hasn’t changed much. Rampage has made its PS2 return and hundreds (or at least dozens) are anxious for George, Lizzie & Ralph to start punching buildings again. To this game’s credit, they get something pretty decent to fill the bill. In addition, even if the main game doesn’t provide enough umph, the bonus material will certainly take ...ou down memory lane.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on February 18th, 2006
Traditionally, I don’t get into peripheral type games. You know the ones, dance your life away with the dance pad, or here is a huge $200 controller – go play a tank game. It’s a gimmick, to get us to buy something extra that we will never use for another game (unless a sequel is produced). More often than not, these peripherals break, and then you can’t even play the game anymore. Well I am happy to report, I have found a set that is the best hands down. Better than Karaoke Revolution, better than Dance Dance R...volution, it is Guitar Hero. For $75, you get a great controller & a great game.
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Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on November 20th, 2005
Compilations are so plentiful these days but often what once was, is not meant to be. Too few games, games that don't hold up with time, and bad porting can make this practice extremely hit or miss. When one is awful, it destroys our relationship with that game of yesteryear so much that we might curse older games, and don't pick one up for quite sometime. However, when the compilation is well drawn up and executed proficiently, it gives us a sense of our lives before and what made those old games so great. Capcom Cl...ssics is of the latter. It takes 22 games from the period of 1984-1992 and inserts them onto a DVD for some good ole fashioned fun. From Street Fighter 2 to the 194x series to Ghost & Goblins and beyond; a little of every arcade type genre is included from Capcom. It boasts graphics, sound & most importantly great gameplay to a mere twenty dollar disc.
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