Review

3 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Spec Ops: The Line Review (or Do You Know the Enemy?)

spec-ops-the-line-coverDespite having yet to play it, I named Spec Ops: The Line as one of my 12 favourite games of 2012. The game created a fair bit of discussion about its story which delved into the psychological effects of war on soldiers. I was amazed that a military shooter, a genre that usually omits any effort when it comes to storytelling in lieu of spending money on graphics and multiplayer content, was making waves over its plot and a complex sounding plot at that.

I figured that I couldn’t name the game one of my 12 favourites of last year without giving it a try. So when it went on sale during the recent Steam sale, I put my money where my mouth was to see if it was actually worth a spot on the blog’s de facto year-end award list. Continue reading →

2 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Death Rally Review (or Why You Should Read the Whole Review, Not Just Scores)

death-rally-box-artThis won’t shock regular readers but I’m a bit of a racing fan. Find me a driving game and I’m likely to take some positive from it. I say “likely” because that was “going to take a positive” from a driving game until I picked up the remake of Death Rally. Remedy Entertainment might be best known for its work on Max Payne and Alan Wake but the first game out of the studio was 1996’s Death Rally. Fifteen years later, it was remade for iOS and this year, it was ported to PC.

So is Remedy’s update of one of its classics up to par with recent updates like XCOM and Baldur’s Gate? Can an iOS port to PC be worth the price of admission? I examine in my review. Continue reading →

2 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Hotline Miami Review (or One Way Ticket to Chaos)

hotline-miami-coverNovember’s Steam sale was every bit as great for me as a gamer as it was bad for my wallet. I bought far too many games but I went out of my way to buy what reviewers said were the best games. That’s why I bought Hotline Miami. It’s a well-reviewed game with some nostalgia for those of use who played classic Grand Theft Auto games. I’ve never been one for excessively violent games so I thought I’d give it a try to see what the hype was about. Continue reading →

10 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Star Wars: The Old Republic Free-to-Play Impressions (or Free is Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose)

star-wars-the-old-republic-bannerI’ve never played an MMO game before but was really interested in Star Wars: The Old Republic when it was first announced. After all, I love Star Wars and BioWare had never steered me wrong. Better still, the last time BioWare and LucasArts got together, we got Knights of the Old Republic which is one of my all-time favourite games and The Old Republic looked like the spiritual successor to the KOTOR series.

I didn’t buy SWTOR when it first came out, though. Spending $60 to buy the game and another $15 per month to play it wasn’t appealing to me. Over the course of a year, that would amount to $240 in costs which is the same as buying four games over the course of the year. Fortunately, in November, The Old Republic went free-to-play meaning you didn’t have to spend a penny to enjoy a new Star Wars experience. But is the SWTOR free-to-play experience worth it one year after launch? Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

FTL: Faster Than Light Review (or Second Star to the Right and Straight on ‘Til Morning)

I recently said that I was going to get into reviewing more independent games on the blog instead of just the big releases. With indie games gaining a bigger foothold in the market thanks to Kickstarter and online distribution, it seemed like a good idea to examine the world of independent games. Let’s start that today with a slightly belated review of roguelike space sim FTL. Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Mass Effect 3: Omega DLC Review (or Mama, I’m Coming Home)

mass-effect-3-omega-bannerThe Mass Effect 3 Omega DLC has been an interesting topic of discussion. While most Mass Effect fans loved Aria T’Loak, the overlord of the Omega space station, would doing a mission with her be worth the extra $5 that BioWare was charging? When it was released Lair of the Shadow Broker was the most expensive piece of Mass Effect 2 DLC. Could Omega live up to the legacy of LotSB? Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

F1 Race Stars Review (or Bursting Your Bubble)

I have to admit that I was excited about the prospect of a Formula One inspired karting game. It was so un-F1 that how could it not be cool? You’d be powersliding cars around turns, firing weaponry straight out of Q Branch at competitors and racing on suped-up versions of real race tracks. That would be spectacular and would be on my must-buy list ahead of F1 2012.

Then I played the game. While Codemasters tried to balance between staying true to F1 and true to the karting genre, it didn’t quite work when it was all put together. What could have been a spectacular entry in the pantheon of Formula One racing games and karting games unfortunately turned out to be a bit of a dud. Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

WRC 3 FIA World Rally Championship Review (or Dirt Road Anthem)

Short of jumping out of a balloon from some 23 miles above the ground, being a professional rally driver is one of the craziest and most dangerous things that you can do for a living. They drive through forests on narrow dirt or snow-covered roads only feet from sideswiping a tree or sliding off a cliff. It is the ultimate demonstration of driving and car control.

This year, developers Milestone and publishers Black Bean Games are back with their third installment of their WRC series. I thought last year’s game had some promising gameplay but needed some work to bring graphics and sound up to the standard set by its competitors. Were they able to leap to the top of the class this year? Continue reading →

5 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Explaining Our Video Game Review Scoring

We’re on the review request list for a few upcoming games during the run to the Christmas gift buying season. Since we’re going to be doing more video game reviews over the next couple of months, I think it’s time to explain the video game rating system that we’ll be using. Video game reviews are generally all over the map in terms of what the final score actually means. Hopefully by detailing our system, we’ll help you make more informed decisions when dropping $60 for a game. Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC Review (or The Case Book of Detective Shepard)

Last week, BioWare released their second single-player DLC mission for Mass Effect 3. The Leviathan DLC was accidentally leaked in the code for June’s Extended Cut DLC. Two months later, we finally got our hands on Leviathan. The new mission takes the game for a dark and eerie turn over its three-hour play time for the price of $10. Those statistics put it right in line with Mass Effect 2’s Lair of the Shadow Broker but can ME3’s first post-launch single-player DLC stand up to the epic Shadow Broker DLC? Continue reading →