Archive for February, 2010


WR: Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, PC)

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
Genre: RPG
Players: 1
Console: Xbox 360, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Hours Played: 50
Progress: Completed main quest and all side quests on “Normal”

The first Mass Effect came out on Xbox 360 at the end of 2007, it was something different back then: a Sci-Fi RPG with an over-the-shoulder, 3rd-person perspective and gun-based combat. Now an iconic BioWare title, it was one of my favorite RPGs and with the sequel finally here, expectations are high. When we spoke with the QA Lead on the Mass Effect 2 team back in October at PAX ’09 (Penny Aracde Expo) it was obvious the development team was passionate about correcting some of the shortcomings of the first game. This passion is apparent from the moment you fire up the game, almost everything has been improved over the previous title, already marking Mass Effect 2 as one of the best games of 2010, read on the find out why…

(more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in , , | 1 Comment »

WR: Bayonetta (Xbox 360, PS3)

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Developer: PlatinumGames
Publisher: SEGA
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Console: Xbox 360, PS3
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Hours Played: 18
Progress: Finished the game on “Normal”

Hideki Kamiya, director of Bayonetta and the man behind revered action titles such as the original Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe, brings us one of  most stylish and action-packed games of this console generation. Bearing elements of titles such as Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta brings us a heroine whose sex appeal, moves and skills have not been seen since Lara Croft arrived on the scene in 1996. First launched in Japan at the end of last year, Bayonetta was heralded to the tune of rave reviews and much hype, now having hit US and European shores the question is whether the game is really that good, read on to find out…

(more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in , , | No Comments »

WR: Machinarium (PC/Mac)

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Developer: Amanita Design
Publisher: Amanita Design
Genre: Point & Click Adventure
Players: 1
Console: PC/Mac
ESRB Rating: Not classified (E10+ by my estimate, there are some tough puzzles)
Hours Played: 5-6
Progress: Completed the game on PC and Mac

Machinarium, with its originally limited release (it’s now available through Steam in addition to from the company’s website), didn’t get much of the press and hype that it very much deserved.  Point and click adventure games as a whole tend to be rather niche these days as the market trends toward explosions, shooters, and general real-time action games.  While I am not against such a trend at all, it does have the side-effect that gaming gems in unpopular genres tend to fall through the cracks and get missed by the majority of the gaming populous.  Machinarium is a game that you shouldn’t just skip over and here’s why:

(more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in , | 1 Comment »