Donkey Kong Country Returns
Anyone familiar with the original Donkey Kong Country series remembers how much fun they were. The environments were vibrant, lush and full of secrets, the music was probably some of the best at the time and the gameplay was energizing, challenging yet fulfilling. Thankfully Donkey Kong Country Returns is a return to form. Instead of reimagining Rare's classic SNES series like the Nintendo...
Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Over the year's, Kirby has cemented himself as being an iconic, albeit under-appreciated character in the Nintendo universe. While games in the Kirby series were solid in their own right they weren't necessarily innovative and were generally minimalist interpretations of other side-scrolling platformers like the Mario or Donkey Kong series. Although Kirby Canvas Curse did make use...
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Hold on to your top hats and prepare to be stumped! Professor Hershel Layton and his apprentice Luke return this summer for the third installment in the acclaimed puzzle series. Titled, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, the latest game is actually the final entry in the first trilogy of Professor Layton games (keep in mind there will be more). The Unwound Future begins with the Professor...
Epic Mickey
Combining old school Disney with modern day charm, Epic Mickey is the latest game to come from Warren Spector, creator of Deus Ex. The game is Disney’s attempt to reshape Mickey’s character and allow players to see his more mischievous side. And from what I’ve seen so far, the developers at Junction Point Studios certainly seem like they’re well on their way with this inventive...
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Seven years after the last installment, Golden Sun finally returns. With the original two entries on the GameBoy Advance, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn makes a leap onto a new platform that allows players a new way to play the game. Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Last Age featured some of the best sprite work on the GBA, although now that the series is being brought over to the DS everything is being...
Crackdown 2
Whether you loved it or hated it, Crackdown was a great representation of an open-world game — maybe too good. The game didn't offer the traditional story-based missions common amongst most sandbox titles, instead players were transported to an island and were given complete freedom right from the get-go: open-world to the extreme. While Crackdown lacked direction, it was still...
Achron
Time travel has been used pretty widely in games. From platformers like Prince of Persia or puzzles like Braid, traveling around in time offers a unique experience only truly accessible in games. But most of these games have been limited in their handling of time travel in order to preserve gameplay. But now, Hazardous Software brings us Achron, a real time strategy game that allows players to go...
Making History II
Who says games can't teach you stuff?! I think it's safe to say your average strategy gamer can tell you more about world history, economics and military tactics than your average college student. Making History II is one of those brilliant examples of an experience that's a blast to play at whatever level of "core" you like, while leaving you quite eager to chat with friends...
Monday Night Combat
Uh-oh. It seems like developers have really begun to exploit the secret to addictive gaming: a cool aesthetic, customizable classes and a deep leveling system all built on solid multiplayer gameplay. This time around, expect your life and soul to be eaten not by the next $60 AAA-budget title, but by Monday Night Combat, courtesy of Uber Entertainment, coming this year to XBLA (with an XBLA price tag...
Two Worlds II
Too many times we’ve seen greatness go sour in a sequel. Sometimes, the growing pains of the original can instead teach some important lessons for the sequel. In the case of South Peak Games’ Two World II, we’re fortunate it’s the latter. The open world, high fantasy RPG is new and improved, perfectly suited for those who find a thirty hour game, “a brief aside”. The...
