Reviews
Brutal Legend: Skull-splitting action, side-splitting comedy
Combine action with real time strategy and racing elements, and toss in smart, sharp writing, a talented voice cast and so much metal that you’ll headbang in your sleep, and you can see why Brutal Legend is one of the better games this year.
Mario & Sonic Olympic Winter Games takes home gold
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games has a lot going for it. The graphics are rich and detailed. There are tons of different game play options. If you get tired of competing in events, you can work on defeating the bad guy in the many missions woven throughout the game.
Spore Hero Arena: Making heroes out of anyone
If you were the kind of kid who loved building monsters and then crashing them into one another, this is the game for you. In Spore Hero Arena you get to build, take apart, and rebuild your own three-dimensional moving creatures, then battle with them.
‘Pinball Hall of Fame’ a retro classic
Much like the classic tables that inspired the game, the beauty in Pinball Hall of Fame can be found in its spot-on reproduction of 13 pinball greats, including Black Knight, Whirlwind, Taxi, Arabian Nights, Sorcerer and Space Shuttle.
Dead Space: Extraction brings horror to Wii
Hide the children! Dead Space: Extraction is not the usual Wii fare. Instead of Mario and the magic kingdom, there’s hordes of quasi-undead mutants that must be dismembered in this excellent gore-filled first-person shooter.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade less than meets the eye
It’s truly a shame that such wonderful aesthetics are ruined by pedestrian gameplay. Had Muramasa: The Demon Blade’s programmers made the game more difficult by making it necessary to do a few combos here and there, the game would be exponentially better.
Halo 3: ODST a fresh take on awesome
Halo 3: ODST is, as one would expect, awesome. But is it worth a full $60? Sure. The 8-hour campaign is as long as many other full-priced games and it’s better than most. And it features a sweet co-op mode that lets a buddy battle alongside you in campaign mode.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story’s got guts
Don’t think, from the title, that Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is going to share some sob story of how Bowser’s childhood turned him into the dastardly dragon-turtle he is today. When it says, “inside story,” this new Nintendo release means it—literally.
NHL 2K10 a (Winter) Classic
Professional hockey is an indoor sport, but NHL 2K10 goes the extra miles by adding outdoor action to the menu. Now players can create their own Winter Classic anytime they want, as well as enjoy new game modes that put professional athletes on a frozen pond.
Dirt 2 a solid, varied racer
Dirt 2 is a racing enthusiast dream game and pays tribute to Colin McRae’s shining but short-lived career. While the aim of the series in the past was heavily rooted in Rally Racing, this title focuses on offering a range of racing options that would get any driving fan excited.
