Reviews
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.
Need for Speed Shift is racing bliss
Need for Speed Shift is the latest and greatest racing game on the market and could easily be the upset winner for Best Racing Game of the Year awards. From the new simulation aspects to the same storied arcade features, NFS Shift is racing bliss.
Toy Story Mania! brings Disney ride home
It’s no accident that the arrival of Toy Story Mania! comes just a few months ahead of the third installment in the movie series (set to debut in summer 2010), and the 3D re-release of Toy Story 1 and 2. But, you may run out of steam with this game long before the movies come out.
NHL 10: The best gets better (and tougher)
The crew at EA Canada clearly loves hockey. Every year, NHL fans eagerly await the highly polished gem that comprises the NHL series. The wait, once again, was worth it. NHL 10 is a definite improvement on what was already the best sports simulation on the market. Drop the puck already!
Mini Ninjas a nice mix of simplicity, creativity
An RPG made with a younger audience in mind, Mini Ninjas is a nice mix of simplicity and creativity. Mini Ninjas’ difficulty may only be a 5 out of 10, but the entertainment and fun value earns it a much higher score.
Guitar Hero 5 brings more to party
While Guitar Hero 5 could seem like an attempt to milk just a little more life and sales out of the franchise, Activision and Neversoft have done a bang up job of keeping the formula fresh by doing away with what didn’t work and adding new features that do.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online beta is impressive
If a few bugs are tweaked, this will be among the best golf games you can play — browser-based or otherwise. World Golf Tour is free, but Tiger Online would definitely be worth shelling out $20 for a membership. Grab your favorite club covers, start up Firefox and get ready for Tiger Online to release sometime soon.
Champions Online a super(hero) adventure
While I’m certain to go back and create more characters and experiment, for my first character I settled on a power-armored extraterrestrial by the title ‘Royal Fist’, complete with shiny yellow and red-trimmed armor and a nifty, brief background story. The introduction puts the player right into the middle of the action, with Millennium City under assault by a race of alien insectoids known as the Qularr.
Batman: Arkham Asylum a demented delight
Batman: Arkham Asylum draws players into the world of the Dark Knight unlike any other game before. Even the Guinness World Records is calling it the “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever.” If you don’t enjoy it, the local loony bin has a room waiting.
Wolfenstein breaks with history
Breaking with history can be dangerous, rewarding … or both. That’s the quandary of “Wolfenstein,” the latest in a series of WWII games that popularized the first-person shooter genre. It’s a good game, but seems torn between staying true to its WWII shooter roots and adopting the “go anywhere, do anything” design seen in other titles.
