Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review Summary

It was obvious with a gathering of legendary figures such as Ken Rolston (executive designer) of Elder Scrolls fame, R. A. Salvatore (game lore and universe) author of the DemonWars Saga and Forgotten Realms novels, and Todd McFarlane (artwork) comic Superstar of Spawn renown, we were in for a treat. 

Developed by 38 Studios and Big Huge Games, Kingdoms of Amalur features 5 distinct regions, 4 playable races, and 3 class trees with 22 abilities per tree.  Combat is based on the timing of button press, which won't get you far unless you rely on strategy and "proper" RPG playing.

(drools....)

Prologue:"Your body was left to rot in a pile of corpses, another failed experiment. But you are alive. Unbound by the chains of Fate, you are free to choose your Destiny. And with the Faelands enveloped in the Crystal War, your power will not go unnoticed—by friend or foe"

(drools....)

Currently scoring 80% (xbox 360) and 81% (Ps3) on Metacritic.com, it isn't perfect, but boy has it got lineage and perhaps the finest combat system designed for any RPG.

Quote of the bunch:"Does all the boring, difficult parts of RPG game design very well, and marries them to exceptionally slick combat and a towering stack of stuff to do" Eurogamer

Reviews Summary:
Deep, polished gameplay wrapped around an interesting and engulfing universe
Combat scenarios themselves are painfully pedantic and lose any surprise after the first few hours of play
Immaculately crafted and beautiful, yet still simple and accessible
RPG players craving depth and the ability to make real choices or play a role will be out of luck
KOAR is simply staggering; it's a tremendous achievement and an experience you shouldn't miss.
Just isn't fleshed out enough to be the product of the three visionaries behind it.
The combat is what really sets the game apart rivals Skyrim's scope
A labor of love from creative people with the ways and means to bring their ideas to fruition, and it shows
It's less a world you discover, ultimately, as one you revisit, and that's a failing no amount of fancy footwork can disguise
Reckoning is the first title to offer a legitimate challenge to the Elder Scrolls juggernaut
An arcade version of Skyrim, packed with the visual style of World of Warcraft and an action combat system. 

Official Website
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Game Wallpaper

Alf the Helper: ah you want me to get a tissue?
Elderly: A tissue? why would.. oh the drooling! yes unfortunate that, no no I'm fine
Alf the Helper: So... well... are we getting this?
Elderly: Yes yes no doubt...
Alf the Helper: :) really why that's just excellent
Elderly: I'm glad your happy, now you won't feel half so bad without your wages
Alf the Helper: :) ...?  !..wait... hold on... mr. elderly.. what did you say about my wages... mr.elderly

NeverDead Review Summary xbox 360, Ps3

Having taken the time to cover this with a preview, I had high hopes that a game directed by Shinta Nojiri, a former  disciple of Hideo Kojima, would be a rare treat.  If you passed it on your way to the FF13-2 queue, don't worry you haven't missed much.

Scoring 52% on Metacritic.com my expectations have been dashed.

Quote of the bunch

"NeverDead sways between boring, frustrating and painful" IGN

Reviews Summary

NeverDead is a cool and solid hack'n'slay like the good old Devil May Cry games.

An amateur effort that redefines the boundary between bad game and flat-out punishment.
An idiosyncratic (and often one-legged) dance through entertainingly outlandish territory
The game feels more like a grind than an epic adventure.
The Creators gave up on it half-way through.
Neverdead will satisfy those willing to try something different
The art direction is quite good, in a lowbrow, pulp comic book kind of a way.

Aside from the premise and dialogue, NeverDead does little else right.

 

Elderly: Alf why have you put your Arcadia Maximille poster up, I thought it was your favourite?

Alf the Helper: Don't want it anymore!!

Elderly: But you said it was your favourite game character poster

Alf the Helper: I changed my mind, it's not!

Elderly: Your upset aren't you?

Alf the Helper: Nope....sniff!...

Elderly: You had a crush on her hadn't you?

Alf the Helper: She... she.. she let me down.... :(

Elderly: I may regret this, but grab your jacket we're heading to the pub

Alf the Helper: kay :(

Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection (psp)

In a departure from the norm and fashionably late, the elderly offers for your delectation dada!!!! Tekken :Dark Resurrection for the PSP. A handheld version of Namco's venerated fighting series, this PSP game is based on the arcade expansion to Tekken 5. Returning a favour to a certain beseiged FatherKrishna.

Gamespot Review 92%
With plenty of modes to mess with and the promise of ghost exchanging, Tekken: Dark Resurrection is a long-lasting game that impressively delivers quality 3D fighting to the PSP. It makes smart additions while retaining everything that makes the Tekken series so popular in the first place. Fans of portable fighting games can't go wrong with this one.

IGN Review 92%
Tekken: Dark Resurrection is the best PSP fighter released for the system. It blows its competition right out of the water.

Tekken 5 on Wikipedia
Tekken 5 Official Website (the best wallpaper)

Clickable inkies Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection Psp review wallpaper

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Review (Ps2 vs. Xbox360)

I've been puzzled for a while, why game reviewers generally shun comparing a game across different formats. And now I perhaps have discovered one reason for this apparent oversight.

Eurogamer have conducted an in-depth review of both Ps2 and xbox 360 versions of PES6 and the news is not all that encouraging for Xbox 360 owners. Xbox 360 the next generation console, the console of choice for the next geneation ....cough!..... sports fewer multiplayers, fewer stadiums (8 compared to PS2's 33), no shop options, no replay saves. Rushed release? I didnt' say that!

"With so many features missing, a poor online implementation and a tragic unwillingness to treat this as a next generation project, Konami has taken a hefty gamble with PES6 on the 360."

Notwithstanding that the game received a score of 80%, though you might want to bypass the xbox 360 section in your local game shop. Out in Europe due for release in US January 2007

Also Known as:
Winning Eleven 2007,
Winning 11: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007,
Winning 11 10,
World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 (JPN),
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (UK)

Eurogamer Review
Pro-Evolution Soccer on Wikipedia

Clickable inkies pro evolution soccer 6 PES6 review xbox 360 ps2 game

Wu Ji The Promise DVD

An orphaned girl, driven by poverty, makes a promise with an enchantress. In return for beauty and the admiration of every man, she will never be with the man she loves. This spell cannot be broken unless the impossible happens: snow falling in spring and the dead coming back to life.

Now a beautiful princess, she regrets her promise, for all of the men she's loved has always been met with tragedy. In love again with a man behind a red armor and a golden mask who rescues her from death, she is tormented by their inevitable parting. Meanwhile, Kunlun, the slave of a great general, is searching for the lost memories of a family he once had. Soon the fate of these two intertwine when the princess believes the general to be her hero, thus pulling him into this web of fate. What end will befallen our three characters? Are their fates already sealed by a higher power, or can they still choose a life they want?

The Promise is made by one of Chinese Cinema’s famed directors Chen Kaige (The Emperor And The Assassin, Farewell My Concubine, Temptress Moon).

Full Review from Kaijushakedown.com
Official Website

Available from Play-Asia
region2 dvd (Europe, including France, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Arabia, Japan and South Africa)

Clickable inkies the promise wu ji film review wallpaper film dvd

Fear Xbox 360 Review

Critically acclaimed PC release now ready for the Xbox 360. An unidentified paramilitary force infiltrates a multi-billion dollar aerospace compound, taking hostages but issuing no demands. The government responds by sending in special forces, but loses contact as an eerie signal interrupts radio communications. When the interference subsides moments later, the team has been obliterated.

As part of a classified strike team created to deal with threats no one else can handle, your mission is simple: Eliminate the intruders at any cost. Determine the origin of the signal. And contain the crisis before it spirals out of control. Set for release Oct31st US and Nov1st in Europe

So how did the PC/Xbox360 conversion go, I'll give you a clue, it's won an award

IGN Xbox360 Fear Review
screenshots from teamxbox
Official Website

thanks to Deitrix for the heads up!

Clickable inkies fear xbox 360 review screenshots

Marvel Ultimate Alliance Review

Superhero-filled action-RPG, players assume the roles of more than 20 Marvel Super Heroes including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Blade and Captain America, and through their actions determine the fate of both planet Earth and the Marvel universe.

Ps2 version 84%
Xbox version 85%
xbox360 version 86%
from Metacritic.com

ps2 reviews summary
Teammate AI is very impressive, often getting to baddies before you even see them, but once again, Raven has designed a game that is better through cooperative play.
If you're a comic-book fan, this is probably the most satisfying videogame ever made for you.
pretty much the same game we’ve seen before. The level design and puzzles are a snooze, lacking any innovation.
Tons of gameplay, a plethora of Marvel characters, a great presentation, and successfully balances the action and RPG elements

Xbox reviews summary
Marvel Ultimate Alliance could be the geekfest that keeps players wrapped onto whatever platform they chose like a pair of tight blue spandex with a big 4 on the chest.
There is always great action and the potential to share that action with your friends, and that is what really make this game rise above its predecessors and a total joy to play.
It's a well-made game that you can try again and again with numerous heroes and their plethora of powers.

Xbox360 reviews summary
The critical path is incredibly long and is joined by bonus comic missions for most of the characters.
Successfully balances the action and RPG elements, while letting players choose just how much they want to micromanage.
We wish good luck to anyone looking to pry any comic collector they know away from this game long enough to complete a sentence.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a feature-packed game; one of those rare birds that feels like arcade gaming, but with that next-gen edge that helps to justify $400+ dollars of hardware.

Official Website fanart section/wallpaper
88 Screenshots from IGN
31 videos from IGN

thanks to Deitrix for heads up!

Clickable inkies Marvel ultimate alliance review screenshots xbox 360 ps2 xbox game games

Family Guy Video Game Review

The new game from Take-Two's 2K Games introduces the Griffins to gamers everywhere. Players take on the role of multiple characters such as Stewie, Brian the Dog, and Peter, the hapless patriarch, as they interact with many of the citizens of Quahog.

IGN 41%
three different genres packed into one game, but none of them work well at all. It's repetitive, boring and even frustrating way more often than it should be.

1up 71%
Several stages become quite repetitive, placing you in essentially identical situations, with identical characters, over and over. However there's so much else here that easily makes up for the blemishes. For hardcore fans of the show, especially at the $30 price, it's still pretty freakin' sweet.

Gamespot 64%
Though it gets the show's style of humor down pat, Family Guy is derailed by frustrating and uninteresting gameplay.

Official Website
Unofficial Website
Ps2 Walkthrough from Gamefaq

Clickable inkies family guy review game video game games walkthrough walk through ps2 xbox

Splinter Cell Double Agent The Deitrix Review

Veteran agent Sam Fisher is back. To stop a devastating terrorist attack, he must infiltrate a vicious terrorist group and destroy it from within. For the first time ever, experience the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent.

Xbox360
Scoring a tension relieving 90% from just 4 reviews on metacritic.com

The story is eons better than the past games in both presentation and writing
Improvements in level design, AI, gameplay mechanics and storyline.
Rupturing quality and oozing tension, stealth gaming of the highest calibre.
Leaves you pondering every choice you make
Least amazing Splinter Cell yet, but the gutsiest in the chances it takes
Mercs Vs. Spies mode is good fun and will prove it on Xbox Live.

Splinter Cell Double Agent Achievements List from 1up

Xbox
Review from IGN

Official Splinter Cell Megasite

PS2
none available yet!

Deitrix overview:


In my eyes this is not the next-gen of Sam Fisher!! Im thinking that will be Splinter Cell 5 made only for the 360! Still a top game and even tho the graphics are a mixed bag, they are still close to the best out there.. well some of them I should say..? Take the first mission and look at the clouds- a 3rd grader could paint ones more real than that... If it wasnt made for multi-platforms it would be a total different game I believe. I still believe its one to buy. Keep in mind Im playing on an HDTV, so that probably makes a big difference graphic wise...
My score is around an 8.5 - 8.9!

Read Deitrix's full review in the comments section... it may just change your mind on a purchase.

Trivia source Wikipedia
Splinter Cell, as a brand, is owned by Tom Clancy's company, Rubicon, and is licensed to Ubisoft to make the games. The characters of the game, as well as "Third Echelon" itself, were created by Ubisoft writer J.T. Petty.

Originally, Tom Clancy rejected the idea of Sam Fisher having trifocal goggles, stating that goggles with both thermal vision and night vision are impossible to make. The creators argued that having two separate sets of goggles would make for awkward gameplay and convinced Clancy to allow it.

Unlike most present-day video games, Splinter Cell only uses motion capture technology for other characters - all of Sam Fisher's moves are animated by hand. The creators felt this would give Sam a more "fluid" range of motion. The cooperative Third Echelon player agents are also given the same direction as well.

Games bearing the Tom Clancy name, including Splinter Cell, must receive approval from Clancy himself to earn his endorsement. Some of the aspects of games that he looks for include realistic weapons, military tactics, and health systems for the game's characters.

Clickable inkies Splinter Cell Double Agent Review Trivia Website Xbox 360 Xbox

Review Bully (ps2)

Scoring 90% from 7 reviews on metacritic.com, that would be a success then!

Reviews Summary
Leaving behind the ranks of unimaginative,Bully takes chances, the gamble pays off big.
Where the game really shines is in its story. The only catch is the camera.
Players will find themselves desperate to see what happens next.
A rewarding, free-form adventure, you won't be disapointed
Has the best sense of humor and dozens and dozens of hours of fun.
Extremely detailed universe, secrets, humorous characters, and hidden activities.

Bully Official Website (wallpaper, screensaver, buddy icons)

Clickable inkies Ps2 Bully review website

Review Samurai Warriors 2 (Xbox 360)

A third person action beat em up! Featuring 26 playable characters in all. Team up with friends for two-player Co-op play or compete with them at "Sugoroku," a bonus party game for up to four players. Challenge an opponent in two-player Vs. play exclusively through Xbox Live. Over 70 cinematic sequences supervised by Shinsuke Sato, director of the cult hit, "The Princess Blade" and new music from fusion artist Minoru Mukaiya. Despite all this the game only managed a paltry 56% from 16 reviews on Metacritic.com

Reviews Summary
A finely tuned beat-'em-up, thrilling, visceral, bombastically brilliant.
One of the dullest and most repetitive games played in recent memory.
Dull and predictable gameplay, stale gameplay, Avoid.
More compelling than "Ninety-Nine Nights," but that's not saying much.
Graphics are disappointing, audio should've been left in Japanese.
Over-indulge, and you'll get sick of it quickly.
The models and textures are very low rate,
Enemy AI knows only to attack or run

Achievement list and Unlock guide from Gamefaq
Screenshots from IGN
Official Website

Clickable inkies Samurai Warriors 2 xbox 360 review website wallpaper

Retro Review: Hacker for Commodore 64

1985, the days when your phone line was only used for making telephone calls, it's been two years since the release of the film WarGames, and computer hacking and computer security are in the limelight. Activision release Hacker, with the unique byline "You found your way in, but is there a way out".

Designed by Steve Cartwright, produced by Brad Fregger and released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari XL/XE, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Macintosh, MS-DOS, MSX and ZX Spectrum.

Hacker is an adventure/trading game based on what was then a unique idea. The game was shipped with minimal instructions to get the game going, but no information on how to play, thus building the notion that the player was to about to experience a real hacking experience,

You start into the adventure as a real hacker would do, lacking information of what is to come, only driven by your ambition. Consequently, the game opens with a plain text screen, prompting you for the login password. Of course you've no idea what the password is, but after a few attempts the computer throws a glitch and automatically logs you on.

Once in, you'll soon find out that you've accidentally stumbled upon a conspiracy of global impact. The player gains control of the robot (powered by magma no less) which can travel around the globe via secret tunnels, deep within the earth.

In major cities, you surface and talk to contact persons, who'll trade items for cash. When delivered to the correct city, you can exchange these items for a piece of evidence. If all evidence is collected, you're to inform the FBI. As if figuring out the correct routes and trades wasn't hard enough, frequent system malfunctions and security checks test your skill along the way.

Hacker on Mobygames
Hacker on Wikipedia
Hacker on lemon64
ZZap 64 mag scan
Hacker on ebay

Clickable inkies hacker retro games games commodore 64 c64 review

Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run

Apt when you consider a score of 52% from 5 reviews on Metacritic.com

Reviews Summary
Unfortunately the execution just wasn't there
More a hastle than a pleasure, control system is weak
Glitches, poor controls, shabby visuals
Playing as the rock is pretty dang fun...(?) but woefully underused
"been there done that" feeling, cheesy bond-like storyline
Gameplay mechanics are basic and repetitive

Spy Hunter Official Website
Screenshots from IGN

elderly tags Spy Hunter 3 Nowhere to run ps2 xbox games review website screenshots

What does it feel like to own an Xbox360?

For those of us left with our arms hanging Xboxscene gives you a better than average taster. Still can't help thinking we're all part of a devious marketing plan. Plan for a shortage, mess Santa up, and have all of us foaming at the mouth till next year. Message to the PS3 marketeers, don't repeat the idiocy.

Tags: xbox360 review gaming

Reviews: Aeon Flux

Metacritic 76
IGN 78
Teamxbox 78

Tags: xbox AeonFlux review game

Reviews: Perfect, Perfect Dark?

Eurogamer 70
Teamxbox 88
Metacritic 87

Tags: perfect dark xbox360 review game

THE ultimate xbox360 review

11 pages of sheer bliss, so heat up the cocoa put on a cosy cardigan and settle down.
Paul Thorrett's xbox360 review

Tags: xbox360 360 review

Can't wait? a look inside the new Xbox 360 package

Okay so I drool every now and then but hey you'd have to after looking at this.

AnandTech

Tags: Xbox360

Review: Half Life2

Teamxbox 95
Gamesradar 95
Metacritic 92

There goes my weekend in the daycare centre

Tags: Half Life2 xbox review

First review of xbox Half Life 2

IGN