One of the biggest initial selling points for Xbox One is its inclusion of the Kinect 2.0 sensor. Bundled with every Xbox One console, the Kinect 2.0 hardware is key to Microsoft's strategy for an all-in-one entertainment system. As we saw with Xbox 360 and the original Kinect camera, the technology also holds great promise for games, which is another reason Microsoft packed it into every next-gen console. Yet sometimes a game doesn't live up to that promise. That's unfortunately the case with Fighter Within, one of the … [Read more...]
Dead Rising 3 Review
The gaze of the undead really escapes no one. Not primetime TV viewers, not webisode lovers, not even early adopters of the Xbox One. When Microsoft announced Dead Rising 3 as an Xbox One-exclusive launch game, fans of the original Dead Rising peed a little at the prospect of a comedic, open-world zombie slasher. If zombies are required to validate a system, well, the Xbox One was validated. But as fun as the game can be at times, our Dead Rising 3 review is summed-up simply by saying it’s not as fulfilling as one might … [Read more...]
Ryse: Son of Rome Review
I’ll be perfectly honest, I didn’t have high hopes for Ryse: Son of Rome. The Xbox One launch game got all sorts of negative press at E3 because it what seemed to be nothing but a series of quick-time event (QTE) interactive vignettes. When I experienced it in person at E3 I felt those comments were completely justified. I hate QTE, and to see an Xbox One launch game based entirely on them was a total letdown. But now that the game has launched and I’ve completed it, my Ryse: Son of Rome review has completely changed. … [Read more...]
Angry Birds Star Wars Xbox One Review
For all the talk about mobile devices ushering in the end of the game console, it’s beyond ironic to have Angry Birds Star Wars as an Xbox One launch game. Yet here it is, a franchise that began life as an iPhone game, alive and well on Microsoft’s next-gen console. The combination of handheld mechanics and hands-free Kinect controls is intriguing, and Angry Birds has never looked better. There’s also a metric ton of content and a surprising amount of level variety. Yet somehow the Angry Birds Star Wars Xbox One … [Read more...]
Skylanders Swap Force Review
I purposefully held this Skylanders Swap Force review to see how my kids responded after playing it for a few weeks. I certainly have my own ideas as a mid-30s game reviewer, but Skylanders Swap Force is technically geared toward a younger crowd, so seeing their response was important to me. Did they lose interest after the novelty of swapping figures wore off? Did the missions stay fresh? Did the new Battle Pack and Adventure Pack keep them intrigued? So three weeks in and with the new content in tow, I asked my … [Read more...]
NBA 2K14 Review
Writing an NBA 2K14 review is a lot like writing a review of NBA basketball. That's a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because it shows just how far the game has come in terms of overall quality, presentation and controls. If you're not so distracted by controlling a video game, you can really feel like you're playing "the game" itself. That comparison is bad, though, in that the game of basketball is so nuanced and takes such a long time to evolve -- 82 games plus the post-season -- that it's almost impossible to … [Read more...]
Rayman Legends Review
We tend to be big story buffs, so it’s with some surprise that we admit in this Rayman Legends review to enjoying the game in spite of its complete lack of a meaningful story. But you know what? It doesn’t really need it. The Rayman franchise has long been loved by families for its platformer prowess, a tradition that Legends upholds with aplomb. When the platforming is this good, the game doesn’t need cheap plotlines about princesses or alien invasions to keep you entertained. Just press start and let the fun … [Read more...]
Splinter Cell Blacklist Review
Thank you, Ubisoft. Before getting into the pros and cons of Sam Fisher’s latest outing, it’s only fitting to open a Splinter Cell Blacklist review with gratitude. Sam Fisher is back, and I couldn’t be happier. Blacklist is likely the last Splinter Cell game to appear on a current-gen console, and it sends the franchise out on an undeniable high note. Conviction was a solid game in 2010, but it tried hard to appeal to action-oriented gamers, losing much of what makes Splinter Cell unique. With Blacklist, Ubisoft has … [Read more...]
Disney Infinity Review
Remember when a certain open-world game caused parents, Congress and several national governments to scream in disgust? Those days seem far behind us, with sex and violence now the virtual norm. In light of that, I wanted to go counter-culture and celebrate not the release of GTA 5, but the triumph of the best family game of 2013 so far: Disney Infinity. This Disney Infinity review may be late, but it’s intentionally so. I wanted to see whether this new franchise in particular continued its momentum well after launch. … [Read more...]
Tales of Xillia Review
Tales of Xillia is a Japanese RPG in every possible way, from its anime style and focus on characters to its progression system and occasional quirkiness. It also happens to have been played in Japan for more than two years, as the game is only now releasing in America. But while calling Tales of Xillia “new” may be a slight misstatement, it’s not inaccurate to call the game entertaining, if not a bit derivative. The game follows two primary protagonists, a med-student-turned-warrior named Jude Mathis and a … [Read more...]
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