Reviews by mqblank

Hellboy: The Science of Evil (Xbox 360) review

Being a fan of Hellboy and beat'em ups I was kinda disappointed by this game. The moves list is woefully short for even an old Megadrive scrolling beat'em up and the graphics are not of the standard expected of 360 games nowadays. It does provide a reasonable rental game as you can complete it in a weekend and there are a few challenging enemy types but once you find their weaknesses they get boring the next 100+ times that you fight them! The only real plus point about the game is the fantastic vocal work by Ron Perlman as Hellboy. Simply Genius!

Dead Space (Xbox 360) review

The best game to come out of EA in years and the biggest surprise of 2008. I have only recently played the game and was amazed at what a fully fleshed out world it created. The characters, settings and storyline are frankly amazing for a game and are better than some of the films Hollywood have been putting out lately. The much publicized 'No HUD' aspect is incredibly well thought out and never takes you out of the game. The only downside to the game is that is does get repetitive having the same enemy types throughout the game but the dismemberment never gets old so I can forgive it for that. A great achievement for EA and I hope it continues to be a great franchise (including the Wii upcoming Wii game) and honestly, I would rather play this than Resident Evil 5!

MadWorld (Wii) review

Up there with House of the Dead Overkill as the two most adult games on Wii. Amazing art style which hides the Wii's graphical limitations and a better storyline than expected. Sure, it may be JUST a beat'em up but stands up there with Streets of Rage 2, Final Fight and [insert name of your fave Capcom or Konami arcade classic] as the best of the genre.

X-Blades (Xbox 360) review

Whilst not a classic beat'em/slash'em up, it was very enjoyable the time that I spent with the game. The visual quality is amazing for a standard action game of this time with lighting effects going off all around you most of the time (and sometimes getting in the way of whats going on). For a game called X-Blades there is practically no combo moves for your character but there is a wealth of different magic styles for you to choose from that really impress in terms of range and effectiveness. I completed the game in just over a weekend so I wouldn't recommend a purchase but it is a perfect rental game.

Battle Fantasia (Xbox 360) review

Very unimpressed by this game after loving Guilty Gear by the same developers. The character designs are not as dynamic as Guilty Gear and the animation (esp. the walking animation) are nowhere near as distinctive. While it is unfair to compare a 2D series to a 3D series, comparing this game to the best 3D fighter at the moment, Street Fighter IV, is even more damning. Not having played SFIV yet but comparing it to HD videos that I have seen shows the amazing job that Capcom have done with more character in the animation compared to this game. I am disappointed that this game is below the quality of other games from ARC but I am sure that they will do another 20 or so updates in the coming years to fix all the problems!

The House of the Dead: Overkill (Wii) review

Possibly the most brutal, gory, bad mouthed and downright hilarious game available on the Wii. Some reviews have commented that the game is short and while I don't agree this does make it a perfect rental game from swapgame. I will still be purchasing the game even after I have completed it after renting it due to it having fantastic multiplayer content and tons of replayability with the Director's Cut and unlockable weapons. Overall the most FUN game I've played, not just on Wii, but on any console this year. Plus, the most hilarious soundtrack this side of a Tenacious D game (listen to One Night in the Bayou Album Mix for proof).