Reviews by krog

Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) review

This game has received a lot of hype and also a lot of very high praise in its reviews but my opinion is that most of the reviewers feel that they have to praise it rather than be honest and say that this is a rather average game. The fact the play area is huge has meant that graphically this game is not brilliant. Its good, but not that good. The driving physics are poor by anyones standard and the control scheme can be very clunky and on occasions be the reason you fail a task. The gameplay is repetitive (which is not a complaint, just an observation) and it becomes a very good way to lose hours of your life. As I stated earlier, the high review scores are probably based on the 'herd' mentality of gamers rather than the actual quality of the game. Give it a rent but do not expect too much.

Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3) review

Its obvious from the start that this game was a launch title for the PS3. Its a very 'by-the-numbers' first person shooter that pulls ideas from just about every other shooter thats ever been released. All that seems to put a downer on proceedings but in actual fact, if you can get past the average graphics and the 'seen-it-all-before' story-line, this is actually a great little game. For me its main advantage is the shortness of the levels. This alone gives it a very 'pick-up-and-play' structure without the player having to invest hours of time into learning controls and gameplay mechanisms. I was skeptical when I rented this game but after playing through it I would highly recommend it.

Sega Rally (Xbox 360) review

Sega Rally is everything that is good about a racing game but also everything that is bad about a racing game. The graphics are excellent with heaps of rich, lush textures. All running at a good frame rate without a hint of slowdown. By and large, the handling mechanics of the cars is fluid enough to give a weighty feel but at the same type retain the arcade feel of the game. Sadly, thats where the plaudits end ! The game has some of the most difficult AI seen in a racing game, and after about ten or so levels into the career mode, the difficulty level goes into orbit. The AI cars constantly target you and your only chance of winning seems to be based on luck rather than driving skill or judgement. Its a shame really, because this game could have been a real winner. Even the online action turns into a sort of pseudo destruction derby event....thats of course if you can find a game ! A missed chance to give life to a classic SEGA franchise :(

Virtua Tennis 3 (Xbox 360) review

I really did want to like this game. After all, with 1080p graphics and loads of real-world tennis pro's to play against, this really should be the tennis game to end all tennis games. However, the lack of any real tutorial or instructions means that the casual gamer does not really stand any chance of building up the skills necessary to master the game. After fifteen minutes of playing the game I wanted to carry on in the hope that I might stumble across the secret of its control scheme, but after some fairly ambiguous on-screen tips, I barely made it past the mini-games that are intended to hone your skills. A little more hand-holding for the novice player would have helped but I guess the more serious gamers will find the challenge rewarding. Worth a rent, but not a real pick-up-and-play title in my opinion.

Unreal Tournament 3 (PS3) review

Anyone familiar with the Unreal Tournament series will find very few surprises within this game. At its core, it is a multiplayer, online based, fragfest ! There is no real single player game to speak of, its just deathmatch with bots ! The speed of the game may catch out new first-person-shooter players. It is adjustable, but any success (especially online) requires hair trigger reaction speed. If you are used to the more 'realistic' nature of games such as COD4, then this title could well disappoint. However, die-hard Unreal fans will soak up what this game has to offer. Worth a rent to see what old-school FPS's are all about !

The Darkness (Xbox 360) review

If you have NOT played Bioshock or Prey or even Condemned : Criminal Origins then The Darkness will probably seem like a good game. If, however, the aforementioned games have been on your playlist recently, then give The Darkness a miss or at the least, make it a low priority rent. Its not that its a bad game, its just a flawed game. The graphics, although detailed, can be a bit glitchy and the control scheme is unforgiving when controlling your 'Darkness' powers. As an example, when your character is walking around the game, he can seamlessly negotiate steps and staircases, yet when faced with a small rock or piece of rubble on the ground, you come to a complete stop and you have to go around this insignificant, insurmountable obstacle !! The games bad points ultimately detract from what is a solid story-line, and if a little more care in the testing phase of the game had been taken, it could have been a far better experience. As it is though, its just another thriller/horror FPS that fades into the background when compared to other games in the genre. Rent dont buy :(

Mario Party 8 (Wii) review

If you have played any previous version of Mario Party then this game will hold few surprises. The major differences fall in the slightly more detailed graphics given by the additional horsepower of the Wii and the 'Wii-mote' controlled mini-games. The slightly odd thing about the games graphics is that the menus are presented in 16:9 widescreen, whilst the actual main part of the game itself is in 4:3 aspect ratio !! All in all, a good 'party' game for up to four players, but as a standalone single player game it fails. Rent if you have friends coming over or need to keep multiple kids entertained, but dont buy !

Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii) review

If the Wii had failed to have the impact that it has had on the console market, I would guess a game like this might be to blame. Why ? Well the 'Wii-mote' control scheme adopted for the multitude of mini-games can be somewhat frustrating at times. The game is a perfect technical demonstration of what the Wii can do, but as a game it is somewhat shallow and even repetitive. I think that this is a 'party' game in essence and treated as such it can be deemed to be a success, but as a single player experience it falls a little short of the mark although it can provide entertainment in short doses. One to have in your collection to show what the Wii can do, but it may gather more dust than playtime !

The Sims 2: Castaway (Wii) review

Although the Wii has been a phenomenal success all over the world, this game is a prime example of the type of software that could have killed Nintendo's new console off before it had even got started. The reason is simple, its a PS2 port and as such shares the lower resolution textures and models used on the older console. This spoils the game especially as EA did such a good job with another of its current Sims related titles on the Wii, 'My Sims'. So, what you end up with is a PS2 game that plays with 'Wii-mote' controls. Other than that major flaw the game is a typical Sims-esqe resource management, task based game and it should be familiar to anyone who has ever played a Sims game before. Sadly for me, I cant get past the fact that its a lazy port from a technically inferior console and that is just not right :(

My Sims (Wii) review

'My Sims' is a mixed bag of a game, and as such, should be reviewed on many different levels. First off, who will like this game? Well, if you are a hard-core 'Sims' fan, then this may be a title to steer clear of. All of the complex control and resource management that is present in a usual 'Sims' game has been stripped from this Wii version. In essence it feels like 'Sims-for-kids', although that might sound a little critical to this games fans. If you liked Animal Crossing on any of Nintendos other consoles, then 'My Sims' will feel just about right. Even though the game is simple, its repetitive, task-based game-play should keep you occupied for many hours. For me, the game was let down on two fronts. Firstly the load times and the interruptions created by the game almost constantly paging to memory/disc, are almost unforgivable and more effort on the part of the developer should have been made to eradicate this annoyance. Secondly, the control of the game via the Wii-mote and Nunchuck can be problematic, especially when building. This is particularly annoying as most of the game is spent building ! I guess in general, developers have still yet to nail the movement control with the Wii ! Overall then, not a bad effort, but the failings need to be ironed out if My Sims 2 is on the development list at EA.