Category Archives: Reviews
Video game reviews from nJoystic
Almost isn’t good enough for Ninja Gaiden 3 Ninja Gaiden 3 nearly delivers an enjoyable experience. It almost pulls off the over-the-top action and zany boss fights the series is known for. The story isn’t that bad and the mechanics are only a little broken. In short, Ryu’s latest is almost good. The story braids together threads of mythology, science fiction, B-movie ninja tropes, and mindless action-movie drama. The result is a mildly interesting convoluted mess. Themes include cloned and re-birthed gods, blood curses, global conspiracies, and a love interest that forms so quickly it borders on desperate. The story [...]
I can’t tell if I’m playing it with gritted teeth or a smile at this point. There’s something very brilliant about the Trials formula. There’s no story to speak of. There’s just a very pure enjoyment that comes from getting on a dirt bike to navigate a series of increasingly complex obstacle courses that test your reflexes as well as your intelligence, while still providing that adrenaline that needs to be there. It’s the sort of brilliance that leaves you saying, “Why didn’t anybody think of this sooner?” And with the latest release, Trials Evolution, I think you’ll find that [...]
The Witcher 2 Finally Comes to the Xbox 360, and is well worth the wait. CD Projekt’s port of their acclaimed RPG The Witcher 2 brings the continued tale of Geralt of Rivia to the Xbox 360 in spectacular fashion. Bundled as the “Enhanced Edition,” the game ships with over six hours of bonus content, a physical copy of the haunting soundtrack, a full-page quest guide and a beautiful two-sided map. The console version remains true to the PC original — violence and sex scenes intact — and handles the transition from keyboard to controller with ease. Framed for the [...]
Telltale takes on the Walking Dead, but does it survive? Telltale’s The Walking Dead isn’t what you’d expect in an apocalyptic zombie tale. It’s much better than that. The story pulls few punches, forcing tough decisions and blurring the lines between right and wrong. Though occasional hick-ups in execution trip the game up as often as the klutzy protagonist, the final product is an engrossing tale of humanity — and lack thereof. The point-and-click adventure genre isn’t one that earns much notice in today’s environment, but that hasn’t stopped Telltale from carrying on the tradition. The Walking Dead shows what [...]
Say what you will, but Dragons know how to keep busy. I feel as if Dragon’s Dogma has the disadvantage of coming out in a time where the fantasy RPG genre is hardly being neglected by developers. While the releases haven’t been rapid-fire necessarily, for as time-consuming as games of this nature are, I’d say we’ve gotten quite a few good ones in a small window. Unfortunately, this means that a game like Dragon’s Dogma has to do something very unique to stand-out. At first, I was very excited for the game, as something unique to genre was exactly what [...]
There was some magic in that hat. It’s easy to take one look at Fez and feel like you have an idea of what the game is. For as highly-anticipated as it was, I really just went in expecting a puzzle-platformer with a charming, retro artistic style. And, for the first half of the game, that’s exactly what I got. It’s only until well after I saw the credits that I realized just how much is going on in this deceptively complex game. I say “deceptively” because Fez has a lot of simplistic attributes to it. Aside from the [...]
It’s brutal, gorgeous, and anything but sleepy. I knew nothing of the True Crime series, and was only vaguely aware of the third title that hung in limbo. But when Square Enix announced they would be releasing the game re-branded as Sleeping Dogs, it was hard not to take notice. The biggest difference between Sleeping Dogs and most open-world shooters is it’s distinct focus on hand-to-hand martial arts, rather than constant run-and-gun play. While firearms are in the game, they take a back seat to classic Hong Kong beat-em-up action. Combat itself relies on combo-based moves and counters that really [...]
New class, collector’s edition, and customization items revealed. The Borderlands 2 booth cut an imposing figure above the PAX landscape. Lines filled up early with gamers eager to get their hands on Gearbox’s follow-up to their hit first-person-looter. After finger-humping the controller and blasting our way through the demo level, we caught up with Game Design Director Paul Hellquist and Associate Producer Matt Charles to chat about their game. * * * Steve: When Borderlands came out, it was a bit of a surprise. Have the expectations from the first game changed anything this time around? Paul: It’s definitely added [...]
Geralt and his silver sword make their way to console. In just a few short days, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will finally arrive on Xbox 360. The wonderful team at CD Projekt Red were at PAX East, and they were more than eager to show off the build. While the original Witcher game featured a stunningly engaging world centered around a masterfully-crafted protagonist, the game’s unique mechanics made it hard for many people to get into. The Witcher 2 features a smoother, more responsive combat system that very much lends itself to the controller. It remains important to [...]
PAX East gave gamers a chance for an exciting look at the new Assassin’s Creed. While PAX East-goers didn’t get to put their bloodthirsty thumbs on Assassin’s Creed 3, they were treated to a tantalizing look at the updates the game will bring to the beloved series. I sneaked past Ubisoft’s mohawked-and-mustachioed PR guy to see things for myself. Though it was a strictly hands-off demonstration, the presentation addressed many of my curiosities and concerns surrounding the new game. Like many, I wondered how the team would handle incorporating the open, out-door wilderness with the series’ signature free-running. I’m happy [...]
