Review: New Super Mario Bros. - DS

Best platformer ever?

Monday, May 15, 2006

You will buy New Super Mario Bros. Not only does it pay homage to its roots, but finds a way to pioneer new angles and revives side-scrolling bliss across the video game universe. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hardcore gamer or a gamer that current generations forgot, New SMB is for you.

Review: FIFA World Cup 2006 (PS2, Cube, Xbox, X360)

Friday, April 28, 2006

I think the most bothersome element of 2006WC is that it’s a full retail title that basically finishes what Road to the World Cup started. But EA has to milk as much moolah out of a license – and that’s why we have 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Nintendo officially gives us "Wii"

The code-name of Revolution is no more. We now have "Wii."

Thursday, April 27, 2006

According to Nintendo, “While the code-name "Revolution" expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else.” The net is already ablaze with passionate reactions both good and bad. What do you think?

Review: Odama - Gamecube

A strategy-pinball game?

Monday, April 17, 2006

Odama proves that a pinball/strategy hybrid has merit. Who would’ve thought? But it doesn’t take the extra step to polish all of the elements to make this potential beacon of innovation shine.

Review: Metroid Prime: Hunters - DS

Does the expansive and deep Prime universe make the grade on the DS?

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Prime joins Mario Kart DS as one of those no-brainer titles any DS owner must purchase. The single player mode is good enough to warrant the asking price, but the robust online multiplayer seals the deal, finally taking the series to the obvious next level.

Review: Black - PS2, Xbox

The creators of Burnout try their hand at the shooter genre

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Black is like a roller coaster where all the cool hills and loop-de-loops are prematurely placed at the beginning of the ride. After you’ve experienced it for a while, you'll start checking your watch

Review: Full Auto - 360

Can I unwreck my un-fun?

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

In every respect, Full Auto fails to be more compelling than the franchises it borrows from. The unwreck feature is a great idea built on less-than-pleasing grounds. You won’t get any more than an hour or two of entertainment out of the title before you’re back to your racer of choice.

Review: Super Princess Peach - DS

Sorry, but our plumber is in another castle.

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006

The lack of difficulty and overly-cutesy presentation may be an effort to attract a younger female element, but it leaves you with a feeling that the game really could’ve been stellar if it provided more of a challenge. Still, this is a quality Nintendo title and most developers would kill to produce a product of this caliber.

Review: Chibi-Robo - Gamecube

Another Nintendo winner from the theatre of the bizarre

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006

After playing “mature” action game after action game, it can be admittedly hard to sit down and give Chibi-Robo a genuine chance. But if you do, you’ll find a refreshing, if sugary sweet, environmental puzzle adventure that may not blow you away, but will provide solid double-digit hours of entertainment for any age.

Review: 25 to Life - PS2, Xbox

A truly memorable experience — this is the crappiest game you’ll ever play. EVAR.

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006

At the onset 25 to Life appears silly, then quickly gets frustrating and finally ends up as a pure embarrassment. It’s most certainly a half-assed attempt to swindle $50 out of the urban gaming crowd. Do yourself a favor from reading this and learn that the real crime isn’t in the game, it’s merely the fact that it sits on store shelves with a price tag.

Review: True Swing Golf - DS

A worthy golf entry with great touch control

Monday, Jan. 23, 2006

TSG is a great core golf game with few extras and zero pizzazz. The touch swing mechanics justify the purchase alone, but don’t expect to spend hours outside of the standard game of golf.

Review: Electroplankton - DS

Musical randomness for your stylus

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006

Electroplankton isn’t a game. It’s a very basic piece of musical software with an interesting art theme which Nintendo has made fairly accessible. It’s just too bad there’s not much there and you’ll never have proof of your potential musical genius.

Gamer's Voice Awards 2005: Winners announced

Did your pick get Game of the Year?

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2005

Games receive five points for a first place vote, three for a second place vote and one for a third place vote. Since there were ten gamers on the panel, one game could score a maximum of 50 nomination points if it received all first place votes in a category. Without further ado, here are your Lawrence.com 2005 Gamer’s Voice Award winners...

Gamer's Voice Awards 2005: Nominations announced

What console games are the best of the year?

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005

Resident Evil 4 and Shadow of the Colossus lead the way with five nominations each followed by Call of Duty 2, God of War, Mario Kart DS and Project Gotham Racing 3 with with four.

Review: Super Mario Strikers - Gamecube

Is soccer Mario's forte?

Friday, Dec. 9, 2005

Strikers should be experienced with friends. It’s that simple. The worth of playing alone doesn’t come near the asking price, so if you don’t have any friends, don’t bother. However, Mario sports fanatics and people who love arcade-like multiplayer sports games will find substantial value in Mario’s latest endeavor.

Review: Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - DS

Does the DS do the highly-touted RPG series justice?

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005

The core gameplay of Partners is extremely addictive. I never once passed up even a miniscule skirmish to race through a level; I looked forward to each encounter. Partners in Time is the evolution the series needed, uses the hardware gloriously and delivers that rare Nintendo sense of fun that is enjoyable by all.

Review: Perfect Dark Zero - 360

If sequels are supposed to be better, then prequels...

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005

There are potentially redemptive qualities in Perfect Dark Zero in every aspect, but are all thwarted by suspect aiming controls. What results is a campaign only worth playing through once with a buddy and a multiplayer component that falls short of expectations, stranding great weapons and gadgets in a super-average void.

Review: Call of Duty 2 - 360

One of the few must-have titles for 360's launch

Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005

Sure, the 360 has handfuls of ports and standard upgrades passing as launch titles, but make no mistake, Call of Duty 2 is as fun and dare I say looks a little better than its PC counterpart. I am not sure how I can explain it, but both the single player experience and multiplayer world feel more at home on Microsoft’s new console. Forget Quake and Perfect Dark Zero, CoD 2 is the shooter to pick up now.

Review: Quake IV - 360

Not much different than the PC version

Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005

Not much was made to tailor the experience to the 360, which is disapointing. It is definitely worth playing once on its technical merits alone, but don’t expect the Earth to shatter…or Stroggos for that matter.

Review: Mario Kart DS - DS

The best Mario Kart title to date

Monday, Nov. 14, 2005

Mario Kart DS is a success in every way possible. The online experience is solid, the multiplayer mayhem is as fun as it has ever been and the robust single player modes have enough depth to keep anyone busy for several hours. This is inarguably the no-brainer, must buy, system-selling title that will lead the holiday charge for the Nintendo DS.

Review: Call of Duty 2 - PC

An intense shooter with some truly breathtaking moments

Friday, Nov. 11, 2005

Like its predecessor, Call of Duty 2 is worth playing at least once to extract those great scripted memorable moments and share with your fellow gamers. Even though the new HQ multiplayer mode is rather fun, I don’t see many shooter fans abandoning their favorite FPS to make CoD 2 their new home.

Review: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat - PS2, Xbox

The revered PC franchise finally comes to consoles with solid results

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005

Modern Combat starts out really well and despite the half-full showing on the multiplayer side, it delivers a solid console shooter experience in the end. The single player missions are definitely worth the price of admission and what’s there on the multiplayer side will give you further incentive to keep it rotating in the disc tray.

Review: Quake 4 - PC

Falls victim to the same "problems" as Doom 3

Monday, Nov. 7, 2005

Like Doom 3, Quake 4 sticks to its outdated guns with fervor. Any perceived changes are either cosmetic (“twist” in the story) or not worth mentioning (vehicles.) It is definitely worth playing once on its technical merits alone, but don’t expect the Earth to shatter…or Stroggos for that matter.

Review: Shrek SuperSlam - PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

A surprisingly varied and hilarious multiplayer brawler

Friday, Nov. 4, 2005

Shrek SuperSlam isn’t trying to be anything more than the lighthearted escape from life that it is. The controls are tight and there is enough depth and varied action to keep anyone from ten to 110 entertained for a significant amount of time. Trust me when I tell you that it’s not another sorry excuse to cash in on a great movie license.

Review: Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse - Xbox

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005

The presentation is fun, the humor is good and the sound is superb, but the core combat could use some refining to make Stubbs a classic. Also, the game can be blown through in a few hours, which I need not tell you is pretty short for any current action game.

Review: Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil - Xbox

Going back to hell

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005

Resurrection of Evil isn’t the standalone expansion it could have been with its lack of multiplayer breadth. The single player experience holds up to the improvements made from its PC counterpart, though. It’s still a game that any FPS fan should play at least once.

Review: Shadow of the Colossus - PS2

You've never played anything like it

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005

Shadow of the Colossus is a winner out of the box due to its originality. The adventure consists merely of a vast, sprawling overworld where you ride on horseback to one of 16 colossi, engaging in memorable boss battle after memorable boss battle. That’s right. There are no pesky enemies along the way. None.

Review: The Con - PSP

I'll bet you'll bet only once...or something

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005

If you’re bored, give it a rent and get your “oh that’s sort of interesting” interjection out of it. Other than that, there’s not much that’s gonna stick to the ribs.

Review: Metroid Prime Pinball - DS

Pinball + Combat + Metroid = Fun

Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005

Although it may sound a little ridiculous, the special twists and good use of the hardware makes Metroid Prime Pinball a worthy addition to the growing DS library.

Review: NCAA March Madness 2006 - PS2, Xbox

EA keeps the ship sailing with another solid year

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005

Many college teams make up for their lack of talent with a solid transition game. Getting such a dynamic to come alive is much easier in Madness ’06 and improves the pace to a significant degree.

Review: SSX On Tour - PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

Not too much innovation this time around

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005

If you’ve never played an SSX game before, you owe it to yourself to pick up SSX 3 in the bargain bin. It’s essentially the same fun game at a fraction of the price.

Review: Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects - PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

What an appropriate subtitle

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005

Released among the respectable X-Men Legends II and Ultimate Spider-man, it’s glaringly obvious EA’s comic-come-game entry lacks passion, purpose and most unforgivably, inspiration.

Review: Burnout: Revenge - PS2, Xbox

"High-flying car crashes" no longer Hollywood hyperbole

Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2005

I loved playing with Hot Wheels when I was a kid. I loved making them drive off make-shift ramps made of open notebooks resting on pencil jars, careening into my pretend oblivion. Luckily Criterion made the Burnout series for people like me.

Review: Burnout: Legends - PSP

Portable crashing carnage arrives

Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2005

Burnout Legends is the first PSP game I will actually return to play. Many critics are forgiving on launch titles and will fluff the scores, but will never return to play them. (I mean, who is honestly still playing Lumines?) Legends deserves its praise and your lust to play again will prove it.

Nintendo's revolutionary controller revealed

It really will change the way we play video games

Friday, Sept. 16, 2005

The wait is over. Nintendo’s new controller for its next system is truly revolutionary and will change the way video games are played. 3D pointing, tilt function and a remote control-looking setup ensure Nintendo could be back in the driver's seat of innovation.

Review: Darkwatch - PS2, Xbox

The best console first-person shooter since Halo 2

Friday, Aug. 26, 2005

Darkwatch won’t revolutionize the genre, but it does many little things so well that it will make enough noise to get noticed, enjoyed and replayed. PS2 owners would be foolish to ignore a solid FPS, and Xbox aficionados tired of Halo 2 or the Tom Clancy shooters would do well to test their trigger mettle with some vampire goodness.

Nintendo DS to $129, GBA Micro dated

DS drops and the GBA Micro is upon us

Friday, Aug. 19, 2005

Nintendo announced this week that starting Monday the 22nd, the Nintendo DS will drop to $129.99 just in time for the release of Nintendogs and Advance Wars. The sleek GBA Micro will debut September 17th at a mere $99.99 with a choice of black or silver.

Review: Geist - Gamecube

It gets better, it really does.

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2005

Know that you’ll have to sit through cumbersome shooting controls and a rocky first few levels to get to the gold. It’s not the most technically pleasing of games, but make no mistake, Geist is worth the few initial cusswords to reveal the rewarding, core possession mechanics.

Review: Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack - Xbox

Updates and maps that inarguably enhance the experience

Monday, July 11, 2005

Now, Halo 2 takes a giant step (back) toward the greatness and identity that made the series a household name with the Multiplayer Map Pack.

Review: Meteos - DS

Could be the best puzzle title in years

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Anyone can enjoy Meteos in short bursts or in long doses, making it more replayable than many other puzzle games. It’s a pure DS title and hands down the best puzzle title on the system. It may be one of the best puzzle titles in years.

Review: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Xbox

Xbox owners finally get the best GTA yet!

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

It’s a nice evolution from Vice City, and GTA fans will spend countless weeks exploring the state. Like the PS2 version, with more polish and better combat, which is central to any game, it could’ve been an inarguable masterpiece.

Review: Advent Rising - Xbox

Does Glyphx's huge ambition cut the mustard?

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Advent Rising fails to be compelling on almost all levels. It’s an A game stuck in a D- body. It’s the heart pounding sensation of a NASCAR field while racing a Yugo.

Review: Wario Ware Twisted! - GBA

Hands down the most addicting Wario Ware title to date

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Sure, the main game is short, but the unlockables and sheer addictive quality will make Twisted last longer than any other Wario Ware title to date.

Review: Area 51 - PS2, Xbox

A better-than-average FPS that delivers a handful of truly memorable moments

Friday, May 6, 2005

Overall, the ten hours of the story mode prove to be full of four or five memorable moments that are totally worth a once-through, if you have the patience to sit through an otherwise average, but polished, shooter.

Review: Close Combat: First to Fight - Xbox

Much, much better than you'd guess

Thursday, April 21, 2005

What a surprise. I honestly didn’t think I could take a developer’s freshman effort on a new label that seriously. Although it has some kinks to work out, the foundation is solid and Destineer should be very proud.

Review: Polarium - NDS

Nintendo scores its first great puzzler for its two-screen handheld

Friday, April 15, 2005

Regardless, Polarium’s main gameplay is solid as a rock and proves to be more rewarding than Lumines. The only drawback is the lack of modes and the initial hump you have to overcome in the Challenge difficulty. But I wouldn’t hesitate to put Polarium on your DS priority list.

Review: Doom 3 - Xbox

Does the Xbox incarnation fare well or add anything fresh to the mix?

Friday, April 15, 2005

The port is stunningly accurate with an amazing amount of detail still packed into lesser hardware. Unimportant NPCs were given the axe and the game starts off smoother than its PC daddy. I am as impresed as any critic how well it translated to the four-year-old box. But the fact still remains that Doom feels incredibly dated despite its visual prowess.

Review: Timesplitters: Future Perfect - PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

The best Timesplitters yet seems a little late to the party, but still packs in a lot of fun

Monday, April 4, 2005

Future Perfect seems pretty late to the party and a little rusty at first. But looking past its average exterior will still open up a robust multiplayer component that you can take online with the PS2 and Xbox version and spend plenty of hours in mindless fun. And hey, we all need a little of that now and then, right?

Review: Mario Party Advance - GBA

Party foul

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

I expect more out of Nintendo. The recent rash of less-than-average games from the leading innovator in the industry is less than encouraging. With as many Mario Party games as there are already, it becomes increasingly more difficult to make an argument for a successor. Mario Party Advance does not, in fact, advance the series nor give it a worthy start on the handheld.

Review: Phantom Dust - Xbox

Majesco scores with this deep, online action frenzy

Monday, March 28, 2005

In the world of video games, spring is the season to sleep through a boring list of blah releases. This year, we’ve had a few surprises, plus the launch of the PSP, so it’s been far from the normal spring blahs. Majesco’s Phantom Dust appears out of nowhere, and provides a whimsical blend of card-based RPG battle and tantalizing action.