metareview
Latest
Metareview: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Publisher Ubisoft was hush-hush about this quietly released PSP version of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas. We showed our readers early footage from the game, and it appeared that opinions were quite mixed on the game. The critics, on the other hand, are quite unanimous in their opinion: Game Almighty (55/100) - "All in all, Rainbow Six: Vegas for the PSP falls short of the lofty standards set by this franchise. It doesn't perform the way you'd expect from a Tom Clancy game." GameSpot (68/100) thinks the game could've been more: "The short campaign and limited multiplayer detract from what is otherwise a solid PSP shooter." Gamer 2.0 (78/100) agrees with GameSpot: the game just needed to offer more: "Vegas doesn't quite have enough entertainment value to be worth it for anyone but the most hardcore of Rainbow Six fans." The game currently has a Metascore of 59 from the critics. Do you agree? Do you disagree?
Metareview: Brothers in Arms DS
Considering the look of it, Brothers in Arms DS has been a game to watch since the moment it was announced. DS games are forging new 3D ground lately, and with all the rich textures and increased action, we diehards have been busily chewing our nails and wondering just how all these games would play out. Early verdicts are in on Brothers in Arms, and so far, things are looking alright. Print media seems to be scoring the title higher than online reviewers, but that may change as more reviews trickle in.CVG -- 77%: "The first thing that gets you about Brothers on DS is just how incredible it looks and sounds. Okay, it's not the PC or 360 versions but as far as DS games go, this is up there with the best of them ... Brothers In Arms DS is a good little action-shooter that makes great use of the DS's unique interface. With the tactical aspect of its gameplay removed in favour of a linear action approach, it loses some of its style and identity, but it's nevertheless the first war shooter for DS, and sets a high standard to beat."Eurogamer -- 60%: "Despite brevity, simplicity, and the slow turning, it's really very exciting to be playing an FPS of this complexity on the DS. The above problems are significant, but never stop the fun of blamming your way through a level, sniping out distant soldiers, or, best of all, explodifying everything in a tank. The story is hugely underwritten, but ultimately unimportant; the motivation, always the need to reach B from A without the Ns shooting you in the face with their Gs ... With some tighter programming, and far fewer invisible barriers and dumb deaths, BiA could have been rather good. As it is - flawed and fun - it's a fantastic signpost."So what's the word? At this point, it looks like Metroid Prime: Hunters fans need to look no further than Brothers in Arms for a chance to get their shooter on. While the game loses some of what makes the franchise unique, it's a great mark of what's to come -- and anytime a word like "explodifying" comes into play, there may just be something worth checking out.
Metareview: Crush
It's obvious from our review of Crush, that we think it'll be a worthwhile experience. Does the game press agree with us, or do they think Crush is a bomb? Let's find out! GameSpy (90/100) got certifiably addicted: "With levels that build on each other in terms of complexity (and, thusly, difficulty), the game inspires that kind of 'just one more level' feeling of addiction that may result in you freeing Dan from his insomnia but earning yourself a nasty case in return." 1UP (95/100) loves the originality: "Most games can be described as an amalgam of others, as borrowed game mechanics and thematic elements bounce from game to game within a genre. Crush might have a recognizable aesthetic (think Psychonauts in a dark alley), but it's gameplay is wholly -- and compellingly it's own." EuroGamer (80/100) appreciates the challenge: "There's a genuine sense of achievement and enjoyment when a seemingly impossible level suddenly clicks (or crushes into place, and the confident way the game uses its central conceit as more than just a gimmick is undeniably reassuring and appealing." If only being correct on game quality was like unhatching an evil plan, we'd laugh maniacally right now. Heck, we'll do it anyway. We were right! MWA HA HA HA HA!
Metareview: Planet Puzzle League
Planet Puzzle League has been known by many names over the years, but we really only need one word to describe it, and that word is awesome. It's not just us, either; the reviews have been pretty positive so far. The puzzler has even edged out Ouendan 2 score-wise, by a single point. That's quite a feat! Here's what the reviewers have had to say:Nintendo Power: 85% - "Holding the DS like a book and pushing blocks with the stylus makes for an intuitive and fast-paced experience ... Planet Puzzle League lives up to the rich tradition of its heritage, and puzzle fans would be remiss to ignore it." (Issue 217, p. 97)Game Informer: 85% - "Sure, it's not terribly original, but I'm not complaining about another chance to play one of the all-time greats – especially when this new DS version has been created with such care. The touch-screen functionality (which allows you to slide blocks with the stylus) fits perfectly, and Wi-Fi play means that you can take your skills online."IGN: 90% - "... the core gameplay is identical in the Nintendo DS, but the biggest change is its control: instead of using a D-pad to control a reticule in the stack of tiles, now it's a simple matter of tapping and dragging the tiles left or right. While it changes the overall feel of the original Panel de Pon by increasing the pace of the game, that's the only thing that it changes. The puzzle game still has that same enormous amount of strategy -- much of the skill comes from shifting tiles around in a way that'll trigger the stack to fall multiple times for huge amounts of points, a technique that's absolutely important in Vs. play. But now it can be done a lot more quickly and intuitively with the stylus."Games Radar: 90% - "It's not as inventive or charming as last year's Tetris DS, but that game's overwhelming Nintendo aura could easily have turned a lot of people away. Planet Puzzle League opts for a very clean, uncluttered approach that simultaneously makes it seem generic and intensely stylized. The ability to share this joy with people around you and then play them from anywhere in the world serves to make this one of the better buys you can make for the DS."
Metareview: Brooktown High
Enough with the ugly jokes! It's time for Brooktown High to finally prove its worth. Does this American attempt at the dating sim score ... or does it just have two left feet? Let's find out what the critics think: Gamespot (56/100) simply couldn't find enough to do: "It's apparent that the game really wants to be played through multiple times to see the different possible outcomes, but it's unlikely that you'll want to play through the game more than once, if even that. Without enough to do, Brooktown High ends up being as shallow as the lame caricatures that populate it." IGN (52/100) thinks that sloppy execution ruined what could've been a better game: "You'll find yourself in the midst of the same conversations time and time again, and though they'll sometimes change on dates depending on where you are, when talking on the phone or at school you'll wind up hearing the same things over and over and over again." Games Radar (50/100) thinks the game is unfair: "Your dialogue choices are out-and-out traps. For example, we had a discussion in which the only options were to either insult the girl or ask her out - one of which made her mad, the other of which forced us to cheat on our girlfriend - who immediately found out." Burned! Looks like the game has received universal critical dismay. Unfortunate, because the genre, which proved so popular in Japan, needed better representation than this. Unless you really want to play a dating sim, it looks like the rest of us can simply walk away.
Metareview: Touch the Dead
The reviews were slow to come in on Touch the Dead -- which usually indicates a dud. From the scores, it looks like that cliché may really be a fair assessment of the title's merits. With a current metascore of 58%, Touch the Dead is less OMG-zombie scary and more scary like Grandma's lingerie. Game Informer: 66% (average of two reviews) - "What you imagine to be headshot city is, in reality, the most challenging zombie game to come along in quite some time. As the zombies struggle to walk, their heads jerk about violently, making it an incredible test of skill ... this is a game that every zombie fanatic could love, but only the hardest of hardcore gamers can excel at." (Issue 170, p117)Game Almighty: 45% - "The first thing you notice when the game starts is the awful graphics. Touch the Dead reinvents what it means to have jaggies. Everything is pixilated and bland and the closer the zombies come, the worse it gets. Ironic, because the bad graphics actually inspire you to kill the creatures when they're as far away as possible, lest you think your DS has a broken graphics chip."GameSpot: 55% - "Every time you empty a clip, you have to manually reload by dragging the stylus from the ammo icon on the lower right-hand part of the screen to the clip icon on the lower left-hand part of the screen. While it certainly injects a little tension into the game, you quickly get to the point where you have to reload your clip after every zombie you take down, so you actually end up spending more time reloading your weapon than you do shooting zombies. It feels unnatural and can be difficult to consistently reload fast enough when you have a swarm of zombies bearing down on you."
Metareview: Pocket Pool
What could be better than a game of pool filled with porn stars? Almost anything, it seems. Unsurprisingly, Pocket Pool is being blasted by critics. And it's not just for poor taste, too. The game fails to deliver an accurate billiards experience, negating even the thinnest hope of legitimacy the title could have hoped for. Gamespot (34/100) - "Five minutes of Internet searching ought to yield you near-infinite amounts of sexier imagery than what this game has on offer-and for free, at that!" IGN (40/100) - "Pocket Pool is a poor billiards game through and through. The bonus stuff (read: pictures of half-naked women) that the game is built around isn't worth the time it takes to earn them, and the pool itself has numerous problems" Modojo (40/100) - "The ball physics are floaty for one, forcing the ball to roll either too much (into a pocket) or not enough (to make contact with a target ball). Worse yet, the AI-fueled opponent can be off the charts." Congratulations, Eidos. It appears you've published this year's worst PSP game. Wonder how long this will take to end up in the bargain bin?
Metareview: Valhalla Knights
Valhalla Knights looked so promising when it was first previewed so many months ago. Looks like it'll join the ever-growing collection of RPG failures on our system. The critics, for the most part, have bashed XSEED's latest, telling you to stay far, far away from it: 1UP (35/100) likens the experience to torture: "I can't remember the last time I felt so constricted as a gamer. Sure, running around the dungeons and slashing through enemies is enjoyable enough -- and, dare I say it, even fun at times. But as soon as you attempt to play through Valhalla Knights like its an actual game, it completely falls apart. The viselike grip Valhalla Knights holds." G4 (40/100) thinks the game is too old-school for its own good: "This is not a game for the impatient, especially since there's no in-game help system. When it comes to combat tactics or building a party, you have to learn by doing (and probably dying)." IGN (53/100) wanted to like the game, but couldn't: "Valhalla Knights succeeded at impressing me with fun, real-time combat, completely pissing me off with drawn-out quests and eventually driving me away due to the complete lack of anything resembling story progression." Ouch! Those are some of the harshest reviews we've read in quite some time. Valhalla Knights is now available in stores ... if you dare pick it up!
Metareview: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales [update 1]
We've had our eye on Chocobo Tales for quite some time now, watching with fevered anticipation that the spin-off game would provide us with some more entertainment on our handheld system already populated by other highly-entertaining games. Now that the game has hit retail and been reviewed, we can finally see if the full NTSC version is for us. Not that imports aren't our thing, mind you, just we usually steer clear of the Square-Enix titles (lots of text, don'tchaknow).So, what did the critics have to say? Let's check it out: IGN (83/100) doesn't want the presentation to fool you, the game is fun for older gamers: "The game might feel a bit "kiddy" in its focus, what with those great, big, cute Chocobo eyes peeking at you from the box art. But even though the idea might skew young, the product is surprisingly enjoyable for the older crowd." GamePro (80/100) finds the game to be a melting pot of good ideas: "Chocobo Tales is about quick and easy fun. The Crayola art style, pop-up book style graphics and fable stories may make it seem like a kiddie title and technically, it is. However, the game is fun enough that and packed with enough nods to diehard fans that Final Fantasy fans of all ages should give it a look." New York Times (75/100) has issues with the card system: "Tales has a ridiculously cumbersome system in which you can't easily swap one card for another or compare two cards; even finding a particular card in your collection requires a tedious search. The designers would find it challenging to come up with a worse system. This flaw is surprising in a game that is otherwise beautifully designed." The other remaining reviews come from Japanese import copies of the game, so as soon as more reviews of the English NTSC version come in, we'll update the post. In the meantime, discuss!Update: Added the New York Times review.
Metareview: Honeycomb Beat
We gamers are hard on puzzlers, but we can't help it -- we've seen so many great ones, particularly on handhelds. Thus, it takes something really phenomenal (or at least really addicting) to rack up notable scores. Unfortunately for Konami's Honeycomb Beat, it looks like a mixed reception. Fortunately, the low price -- Honeycomb Beat weighs in at just $20 -- may make it a safe bet for puzzle addicts. Game Informer (70/100) found the game fun, but awfully slim on features. "I liked puzzle mode the best, but wanted a little more. There is nothing else to this game. I guess you get what you pay for, but even at $20 it would have been nice to see a two-player mode."Games Radar (70/100) thinks HB is engaging, but could do more: "Honeycomb Beat's pretty damn fun for what it is, but can also be maddening mostly because the difficulty spikes about halfway through the Puzzle Mode. Still, it'll give your brain one hell of a workout without having to shout "Blue" repeatedly into the DS' mic."GameSpy (40/100) thinks it feels half-finished: "Although these two modes are very different and require different strategies, there's not a whole lot to them. The gameplay also isn't engaging enough for extended play sessions. As soon as you start growing tired with the two available modes, the lack of variety really starts to become apparent. A few extra modes would have gone a long way in extending the life of this one."We're sensing a theme here.
Metareview: Puzzle Quest
If you weren't able to quite tell from the demo whether you liked Puzzle Quest or not, maybe the reviews of others will help you. Other than these reviews, we'll have a review of Puzzle Quest up soon. But enough of that for now, what did the critics say?
