Insomniac Games has expanded well beyond the Ratchet & Clank franchise during this console generation, beginning with the PS3’s Resistance: Fall of Man and continuing with their newest game, Fuse. Published by EA, Fuse marks Insomniac’s most public multiplatform escapade, shipping on Xbox 360 in addition to the developer’s traditional PlayStation home. But even with several consoles to call its own, Fuse is grounded in the basic hallmark of Insomniac’s games: surprisingly deep gunplay. As with many shooters today, the … [Read more...]
Star Trek: The Video Game Review
I first saw Star Trek: The Video Game two E3s ago, when a 30-miunte demo packed every session in the behind-closed-doors meeting room. Two years ago it was a graphical powerhouse, showed compelling cooperative gameplay between Kirk and Spock, and seemed utterly epic in its scale. Twenty-four months later, the only way to explain the final product is to borrow a page from JJ Abrams’ first Star Trek movie: a crazy wormhole changed the course of history. What should have been a can’t-miss complement to Star Trek: Into … [Read more...]
Star Trek: The Video Game Boldy Goes to Retail
So there you are, wondering how on Earth (or off it) you're going to bear the wait for the Star Trek: Into Darkness movie, when all of a sudden Namco Bandai releases Star Trek: The Video Game. Yes, your prayers (and ours) have been answered. Star Trek: The Video Game takes place between the events of the first JJ Abrams film and the upcoming sequel, and it marks the first time gamers can play as Kirk or Spock. Oh, and did I mention it's a co-op game? Yes, that's sweet. Playing as Kirk and Spock, players board the … [Read more...]
Insomniac Games’ Fuse: Hands-On Preview
I don’t officially know whether Ted Price, founder and president of Insomniac Games, is a member of the NRA. I've never actually asked him, nor have I inquired with anyone else at Insomniac. But for as much as Insomniac has focused on guns, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a relationship there. Whether you're talking about Ratchet and Clank or Resistance, Insomniac’s gameplay lives and dies by guns and their various modes of fire. But if you think you've seen the epitome of gun-focused gameplay from Insomniac, think … [Read more...]
Portal 2 Review
Portal was one of those “where the heck did this come from?” type of games when Valve shipped it as part of The Orange Box. Nothing quite like it had been done before, so reviewing Portal was a bit of a pain. Between its mix of brain-teasing puzzles, its unique physics-reliant portal gun and the brilliantly dry sense of humor of its narrator/boss GLaDOS, Portal wasn’t as much a “game” as it was an experience. Portal 2 continues the original’s model, both in terms of gameplay and humor, and reviewing it poses just as … [Read more...]