Final Fantasy XIII Review

Here's a good lesson to take away for future game design: Do not simply add content to extend the life of your product simply to keep people satisfied by increasing numbers and massive time sinks of farming or grinding. It sucks. It reeks of a lame psychology experiment to show how easy it is to manipulate reward seeking behavior, leaving it as an artificial add-on that's ultimately pointless to the real part of the game. Aside from that, great production values and an entertaining play-through makes this major quirk a bit more bearable. 7.2/10.

Heavenly Sword Review

With production values like MGS4 and gameplay nearly identical to the God of War series, what could go wrong? Well, many things. Things like terrible SIXAXIS controls for weapon manuvuering sections, repeatitive enemies coming wave after wave, and the fact that you start off having the same weapon from beginning to end - with combos that make little to no sense - yeah, things can go wrong. Fortunately, some pretty graphics, decent pacing, and excellent voice acting was just enough to keep me going until the end. Very much rent-worthy, indeed. 7.5/10.

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Review

In case you didn't know, I'm absolutely addicted to this casual pick-up gem. I didn't always have this addiction, but it has blossomed over time... now that it's here, I can't spend more than a week without having a nice sit down with one or more friends and beating the crap out of them (or vice versa) for a few hours. It's great. It's classic. The sprites kinda suck. But it's still godly. 9.2/10.

Killzone 2 (PS3) Review

Not sure what the hubbub is about - I found Killzone 2 to be as generic as they come. No real innovation, just lots of density smoke, a decent draw distance, and lots of fancy lighting effects in an attempt to mask gameplay that would've been somewhat cool in 2001. Wait a sec, it's 2009. So sorry folks, nothing to see here. Oh, and don't get me started on the controls. 7.4/10.

Noby Noby Boy (PSN) Review

Yeah, this one was weird. It was like a train set with no instructions and a bunch of moving parts. Except for a train, you have this weird worm thing that does nothing but stretch. A pointless endeavor really, but one would hope that it would hold a little more substance given the fact that it was made by the same makers of Katamari Damacy - one of my favorite games of all time. Unfortunately, the quirkiness only goes so far with stretching (versus Katamari's rolling) and I would imagine many would become bored within minutes into the game. A shame, really, but it's still an interesting piece worth noting. Just not of Katamari proportions. 7.1/10.

Flower (PSN) Review

Like a poem, Flower really has no form or function other than to mesmerize you. It's definitely a nice break from all the lame shooters and zombie fiestas I've been experiencing lately. So kudos to the boys at Sony for getting more and more creative games up on the network everyday. While superb and innovative, it's short as hell. Taking you about 2 1/2 hours to complete and another few just to get the trophies, you won't be getting much mileage for your money. It might be worth $5, but nowhere near the $10 that comes retail. Still, a sweet little experience if you've got some extra cash laying around. 8.0/10.

Mirror's Edge (PS3) Review

Well, after much criticism from almost every game review site I follow, I decided to give Mirror's Edge a go anyway. I did, after all, enjoy the great demo and figured if it's anything half of what the demo had to offer, then it'd be worth it. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. What I found was that the gameplay consisted of nothing but a bunch of pointless running around with terrible level design, cut-scene direction, and story (yeah, what story?). The only thing that barely saves are the graphics, but that's only if you're playing the console version. The PC port is not optimized at all and will probably just give you a really bad headache after playing a few minutes into it. Wait, no, the entire game his a headache. Even gives me a migraine just thinking about it. 6.8/10.

World of Goo (PC) Review

Like addictive, mind-bending puzzle games? I do. A game that utilizes barely any system resources, it's a great way to make use of an old laptop or computer. Now the gameplay, it's excellent. Addicting. Like crack. Play it and you'll see what I mean. 8.8/10.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) Review

I've heard great things about the Ratchet & Clank series, but have never had the opportunity to do a complete run-through of their first PS3 entry until recently. I gotta hand it to the boys at Insomiac - they really know how to make a kick ass video game. The level design and weapon upgrade system is so well-paced and integrated that time literally flies as you're running around trying to figure out your Lombat history. And it's in no way a short game either - expect a full 40 hour gameplay experience that's full of twists and turns, entertaining characters, and excellent production value. 9.3/10.

Left 4 Dead (PC) Review

Perhaps I haven't had the privilege of killing zombies in a very long time since I never owned a Playstation 2 for Resident Evil 4. Maybe I just really hated zombies as a kid and now I can unleash my fury with a group of friends online. Whatever it is, Left 4 Dead is hands on the craziest shoot-em-up zombie game I've ever played. Its wow factor lays in the ability to force people to work together for survival. Stem off and you're fucked. I was hoping for some sort of experience system, but achievements work just fine if you're more concerned about survival than gaining XP. Conclusion? Grab it with some friends and get zombie blastin'. 8.9/10.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed (PSN) Review

While you can't jump in this game (something that really irritated me at first), you slowly become accustomed to the chaotic arm that allows the platforming, the throwing of barrels, and swiping of bullets. Paired with one of the best soundtracks in any video remake ever made, you have a sequel that's crazy, exciting, and brings back to life that side scrolling co-op that we miss so much in our Contra days. Grab this game, it's definitely worth your $10 and so much more. 8.8/10.

Little Big Planet (PS3) Review

You always get this strange feeling when you know you've got your hands on a game that simply screams out quality and fun. I had it when I played Call of Duty 4 online. I have it now as I jetpack through strange little levels trying to collect stickers and solve puzzles. The design and implementation of LBP is simply downright amazing. From the clever character creation tool, to the diverse levels filled with secrets and hidden items, it's surely a completist's dream come true and I highly recommend giving it a go. 9.4/10.

Fallout 3 (PS3) Review

I'll be quite frank with this one. After reading about all the great reviews from every single major gaming blog out there - I immediately went out and picked up Fallout3 on Day 2 (Yeah, I'm just that kind of guy). Man, was I in for a surprise... and not in a good way either. Story? Yeah, it's there. Voice acting? Super great. Now the main issue that totally brings this game to a screeching halt is the gameplay. It's archaic. It's like Diablo 1. Single character numeric upgrade system, tedious item pickup system, and terribly slow gameplay mechanics that are suppose to make you "enjoy" the amazing nuclear fallout backdrop, but really, all it did was help make my list of most boring games of all time. 6.8/10.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) Review

A bit of an oldie, but I just got through it just a few days ago. The critics are pretty on-point with this one; it's one of the best PS3 games out there. With a great mix of adventure, superior facial animation, splendid graphics, and a mashup of Gears of War gameplay and Tomb Raider cliffhangers, you have a combination that's set to rival even the highest production adventure movies. One small gripe is that one playthrough does it enough justice, so I'd suggest getting it used to save yourself some dough. It's truly worth it though, as this one comes with two thumbs up from me. 9.3/10.

Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) Review

Poor Snake, they really worked you hard this time around. Get ready for an epic end to his journey, with cinematography, back story, and action to make a weekend Lord of the Rings trilogy a mere walk in the park. And to just be clear, this is no walk in the park. The game played on hard will give you quite the run for your money and will test the most skilled of gamers. Litter that with Hideo's ingenious vision and dedication to send Snake on a righteous fairwell, and you've got millions of more dollars coming in for them boys at Sony. 8.8/10.

Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) Review

While level may design may not be its strongest points, the old school RPG elements is what keeps the player coming back for this game and adds (somewhat) to the replayability. Otherwise, it's just a pretty version of the same game you played on the original Playstation. 7.7/10.

Pixeljunk Monsters (PSN) Review

Combining some real time strategy with tower defense, Pixeljunk gets it dead on with Monsters. Especially the co-op mode, if you got a friend around who thinks Wii graphics are cutesy, presents an surprisingly rich, engaging, and fun experience that'll keep you dreaming of coins and gems in your sleep. For the small price of just $10, the value is extremely high. Then again, newspaper Sodoku is free, so you could just go with that. 8.5/10.

Motorstorm (PS3) Review

Despite the warnings from all of those review websites, I still went ahead and bought Motorstorm used on Half.com. For $30, I figured it was a bargain, but after playing it through once, the price shouldn't have broke $15. The game gets boring fast, has horrendous load times during vehicle selection, and doesn't even have split screen racing. The single player sucks and the lack of modes in general is a slap to my balls. I'm selling it back on Half.com to get money back. 6.7/10.

Call of Duty 4 (PS3) Review

Like Half Life 2, playing by yourself often is lame and gets you extremely nauseated when the developers steal away your first person powers to make you look at "important scenes." On the other hand, the multiplayer is something you'd end up playing for years down the road, not only because it's fun, but because the replay value only gets better once you get to know the maps. Call of Duty 4 introduces this new nifty XP points system, used for unlockable map options, global rankings, and achievements, which you'll be able to show off when Playstation Home kicks off later in 2008. So, I never completed the single player because half an hour into the game I got dizzy. However, jumping into the multiplayer is something I can see myself playing as much as Counter-Strike Source. Yes, it's pretty fun. If I could only get used to this damn PS3 controller, I'd be pro. 9.3/10.

Crysis (PC) Review

What incredible perspective and engine design, all thanks to the great work of the Crysis Development Team. I had trouble running things at first with high settings, but the game still looks beautiful at high resolution with particle effects on medium. Overall though, the game is loads of fun. Almost too much fun. You can sit there shooting at trees and watching/hearing them fall. Pity the fool (me) who has to upgrade to enjoy technological bliss. 8.7/10.