Archive for the ‘Warren Reviews’ Category


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WR: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

modern_warfare_2_review

Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Genre: First Person Shooter
Players: 1-4, 2-18 (online)
Console: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Progress: Completed campaign on “Hardened”

Only a few days after launch everyone seems to have an opinion of this juggernaut of FPS games, it’s important to note that at the Usagi we neither pay lip service to a big publisher just because we happened to get exclusive access or press coverage and neither will we be unjustly critical just because it would be the “indy” thing to do in the face of such an established franchise and mass-adored title. No, falling somewhere in the middle, we do our best to be unbiased, fair and take an expert, in-depth look at games from a gamer’s perspective.  Having said that you probably won’t be surprised when we tell you that Modern Warfare 2 is a great shooter, in fact it’s one of the best FPS games in recent memory and takes us to a level of immersion and visceral action, especially in the main campaign, that improves on the first Modern Warfare (Call of Duty 4), in almost every way. Read on to discover what to look out for in one of the year’s biggest releases…

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WR: Borderlands (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

borderlands2

Developer: Gearbox
Publisher: 2K Games
Genre: First Person Shooter/Action RPG
Players: 1-2, 2-4 (online)
Console: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Hours Played: 40
Progress: Finished main story and all side quests

Developer Gearbox is probably best known for its Brothers in Arms franchise and has been working for years now on the gem that is Borderlands. As this title came closer to release you could feel the buzz and excitement building among the video game media and fans; not surprising considering the original and mouth-watering concept behind the game: think of it as Diablo with guns. Wrapped in a First Person Shooter (FPS) coating, Borderlands is all about the loot, shoot enemies – collect loot, open chests – collect loot, find containers – collect loot, all while being able to pair up with a buddy through split-screen or up to three through Xbox live. Gearbox seems to have found the magic formula for creating a game that’s easy to pick up and nearly impossible to put down, read on to find out why….

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WR: Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

batman-arkham-asylum

Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Genre: 3rd person Action/Adventure
Players: 1
Console: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Hours Played: 25
Progress: Finished game on normal

Batman games, and comic book tie-ins in general for that matter, don’t have the best track record when it comes to being high quality, enjoyable titles. It is therefore that we won’t fault anyone for not having high expectations for Batman: Arkham Asylum (BAA).  Please heed our warning, however, as this is a game you definitely want to check out, not only is BAA the best Batman game to ever be released, its one of the best games of the year, period. Read on to find out what made Rocksteady Studios (started by former members of developer Argonaut Games, best known for recent Harry Potter games and Starfox on the SNES), hit a home-run with this one…

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WR: Raven Squad (Xbox 360, PC)

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

raven-squad

Developer: Atomic Motion
Publisher: Evolved Games
Genre: FPS
Players: 1, 2 (online)
Console: Xbox360, PC
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Hours Played: 15
Progress: Finished game on Normal

In the jungle no one can hear you scream… and scream you will while playing this travesty of game. Raven Squad is a squad-based first person shooter with, what little-known Hungarian developer Atomic Motion would have you believe, are RTS (Real Time Strategy) elements. Read on for a stringent lecture on what not to do when designing a game…

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WR: Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters (PSP)

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

ratchetpsp

Developer: High Impact Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Third-Person Action
Platform: PS2, PSP (Reviewed on PSP)
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone 10+)
Players: 1 (1-4 Online)
Hours Played: 15 hours
Game Progress: Finished single player twice

Before I bought a PSP I was checking out reviews of games online to see which were the best titles. I wanted to make sure my starting library was top notch. I ended up getting Killzone, God of War and Resistance along with the Ratchet and Clank PSP bundle. Least to say I was stoked to get home and start playing some of those games, I didn’t really care much for Ratchet at the time. I figured I’d play Ratchet first just to get the game out of the way, I mean it came with the bundle and was at least worth a try, right? That was about two weeks ago and I have barely touched any of the games I had purchased separately. Fifteen hours into the game, I have finished the single player game twice, played online matches against other people and still have items to collect and weapons to upgrade. Size has always mattered, you just won’t realize it until you play Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters.

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WR: Street Fighter IV (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

sfiv

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: 1-on-1 Fighter
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC (reviewed on PS3)
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Players: 1-2 (2 online)
Hours Played: 30
Game Progress: Unlocked all characters, finished game on medium

Oh momma! Was I ever excited when Street Fighter IV was announced.  You see, I’m a big fan of the original Street Fighter II (hard core gamers will recall that the very first Street Fighter was a side-scrolling beat ‘em up, not a 1-on-1 fighter) and one of its many evolutions, Super Street Fighter II. Over time it became difficult to keep up with the many new additions to the franchise, especially as the fighting mechanics became more hardcore and tailored to arcade rats. So when Street Fighter IV was first announced I was excited about the prospect of a game that goes back to its roots and becomes more accessible by stripping some of its baggage. Read on to find out if the legend is back, or if it gets a “Shoryuken” straight to the bargain bin…

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WR: Midnight Club Los Angeles (PS3/Xbox 360)

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

midnight-club-los-angeles

Developer: Rockstar San Diego
Publisher: Rockstar Games
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Players: 1 (1-16 online)
Hours Played: 25+

I’ve always been a big fan of the Midnight Club series, especially Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition on the Xbox and PS2, so when Midnight Club Los Angeles (MCLA), the franchise’s first title on a next generation console, was announced I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. The final product is a fine looking game with attitude and tons of customization, but sadly lacks in its most important department: race mechanics.

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WR: Fable 2 (360)

Friday, February 20th, 2009

fable_2_logo_treatment_4b_0001_logo_on_white

Developer: Lionhead Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
Genre: Action RPG
Players: 1-2
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Hours Played: 25

Once again we are thrown into the fantasy world of Albion that Peter Molyneux has created. This time around the game is larger, prettier and supposedly better than before. With the other big titles out there, can Fable 2 hold its own and live up to the hype? That’s what we are going to find out.

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