For those of you who do not buy games on their release date and are still trying to see where your money should go, here is a collection of some of the more popular releases for the past weeks in the order of their overall scores. The scores and quotes are provided by Metacritic.
Whether or not the multiplayer sticks, however, is arguably a footnote, because at the core of Uncharted 2 is an action-adventure masterpiece whose minor flaws are washed away on a tide of rhythm and spectacle - one that would still be an essential experience even without the option to pull your friends off cliffs and play capture-the-heirloom.
Naughty Dog set out with a very specific goal in mind, and in focusing intently on that goal, they blew right past it. Uncharted 2 is a sublime example of how to make a great action game, the result of fantastic execution on every aspect of the game's design and development. It's the best, most memorable game I've played in a long, long time.
It’s unfortunate that the gameplay doesn’t scale the heights of the production values, for while the gunplay is solid its relentlessness becomes weary towards the finale. But any misgivings aren’t enough to derail the immensely enjoyable rollercoaster ride and Uncharted 2’s wealth of character easily overcomes our gripes.
Never before has there been such a content-packed racing game, playable for people of all skill levels, that feels this good. That's the key. On the track, no matter what car you're in, it feels right. You're not wondering if the controls are too twitchy or if you should tweak some options in the menu. You're 100 per cent focused on nailing every corner, out-breaking an opponent and taking him on the inside and just having a good time.
It has certainly laid down the marker for Gran Turismo 5 to surpass; a task that now looks incredibly daunting. At this stage in Forza’s lifespan, it doesn’t feel like we could ask for much more.
But these perks are all secondary to Forza Motorsport 3’s main mission: to deliver a realistic racing experience with more than 400 licensed cars and 100 real-world tracks. Consider that a mission accomplished — or at the very least rewound and nailed again on the third go-round.
If you like RPGs in general, though, you'll find one of the better, most challenging quests of your life -- one well worth picking up. But you may want to clear off any games in your backlog beforehand.
This is a truly exceptional RPG experience that hasn’t been offered by any other game in its genre. It all comes down to whether you’re brave enough to explore its savage environments, but if you are I can promise that you won’t be disappointed.
For those willing to put in the effort, Demon's Souls is perhaps the most rewarding RPG available on the PS3 and easily a must-have for any PS3 owner who doesn't mind a bit of difficulty and death.
In an overcrowded genre of music games, DJ Hero resides at the very top with the best of 'em. The original mixes are stunning and scratching the turntable is just as fun as it seems.
It's a bit barebones, and the turntable controller feels like it could have been better in a couple of spots. But as the start of something new, DJ Hero provides a very strong foundation that things like additional downloadable content or full-fledged sequels could really build on.
DJ Hero attempts to mold turntablism into a mainstream medium. It succeeds, but stumbles along the way. I didn't experience the sensation of scratching and mixing, until I turned it up to Expert difficulty. Beginner is way too easy, and Hard is lackluster.
Charming and clever in equal portions, Brütal Legend is a classic example of cohesive game design...In an age of ever-increasing monotony and creative stagnation, a game like Brütal Legend is brash, proud, subversive and triumphant - and it deserves to succeed. Get on board, crank it up and make it so. Two horns up.
This is a heavy metal fairy tale, spun with love and copious amounts of good humor from Shafer and crew – and it’s every ounce the game fans hoped it would be.
Brutal Legend has the looks and the attitude, and a hefty chunk of original and engaging content to go with it. Whenever it goes near a stage, though, it begins to fall apart.
Co-op is a blast, the variety of weaponry lends an addictive quality to the game that's rarely seen, and it maintains a distinct sense of humor and personality. It's a long-lasting experience that manages to stay fresh throughout, and the ability to easily jump into a friend's game at any time only lengthens the appeal of an already stellar title.
The accessible nature of Borderlands -- with its relatively non-punitive deaths, constant checkpoints, and convenient fast-travel systems -- makes it a fantastic game for introducing FPS fans to some basic RPG tropes. And, most importantly, the killing and looting never ceases to be fun.
Although Borderlands seemed ready to be one of the next big things, the overwhelming focus on grinding and gun-collecting can't carry the entire game, in either co-op or single-player.
Check out our reviews of Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend. Watch for a review of DJ Hero next week, and Borderlands in the near future as well.
I'm surprised that Brutal Legend scored so well. The reviews on it were so up and down I was expecting its meta score to end up in the 70s rather than the 80s.
Otherwise, I picked up Demon's Souls yesterday. Haven't had a chance to play much of it, but its been pretty good so far.
I'm surprised that Brutal Legend scored so well. The reviews on it were so up and down I was expecting its meta score to end up in the 70s rather than the 80s.
Otherwise, I picked up Demon's Souls yesterday. Haven't had a chance to play much of it, but its been pretty good so far.
You STARTED playing Demon's Souls on Halloween? Really? I'm so sorry.
Demon's Souls is the most rewarding game I have played this generation. If you think games the last few years have been holding your hand every step of the way, this is a refreshing surprise. Highly recommended. Uncharted 2 is still in shrinkwrap....
Problem is, games like Demon Souls often don't do well commercially, thus we see fewer and fewer of them. I hope it is doing well, though, we need games like that.
As for Borderlands, I'm just overwhelmed with guns ;P The most common decision you make in the game is whether to keep gun X or gun Y. You'll sell a dozen guns or more at the end of each mission. Finding that new awesome gun that obviously replaces one you've been using for awhile is certainly a great feeling, and great to see the results. I've been using an x4 shock sniper rifle with a 15 round clip for awhile now, the thing's just plain badass. Stupid amount of dmg for my level that one shots ordinary baddies. Gigantic clip, fast reload speed. I've collected a bunch of class mods: infinite ammo, or giant clip size, or 22% extra experience, and have a gigantic shield with fast health regen... Only thing I can really complain about is that teleporting around is a matter of memorization. I often have little idea which place to teleport to in order to find a particular quest area, they're not correlated by region.
I ran like a scared little girl from Adult Skags on my way back from the Nine-Toes battle last night. Between this and Titan Quest (yes, still!), I'm set for a scarily long time, I think. I love everything about Borderlands except for its apparently console-oriented menus.
I've hit level 32 in BL today, and finished the last 'human' arena battle. Intense! I failed it like 3 times, even though it's supposedly normal difficulty for me at this point. Each lost cost me like $42,000 /crai
Quote:
demon's soul is an RPG? since when?
- In a very loose sense I suppose. Isn't there a mechanic where you purchase new abilities with souls? Kinda the title of the game. So, any game which allows upgradeable action is considered to have an rpg element to it.
It's funny to even use the word 'rpg' in that sense, because in the word's original sense we could say near every game is an 'rpg' in the sense of asking you to play a role. But, by RPG we mean more like the set of conventions established primarily by the Final Fantasy series and its like. And that includes upgradeable action and abilities. Which is also why Borderlands can claim to be a Role Playing Shooter.
