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Sonic Unleashed (First Look)

Poor Sonic: it took a joint Sega and Nintendo effort to make a game where he managed to recover some of his old hipness. If that wasn’t bad enough, it was sports game. Then it wasn't until his apparance in a totally different game that he fully regained any respect. To rub salt in the wound, it was a game developed solely by Nintendo and Sonic only had a cameo role. All of the ...

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Hands-On

The good folks at Pandemic Studios were on-hand to show off the latest build of their long-awaited sequel, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, and they let us wrap our hands around it and give the game a test drive. For those unaware, Mercenaries 2 is an open-world game set in Venezuela just a few years in the future, where players have the goal of building up a guns-for-hire company amidst a multi-sided conflict over the ...

Yakuza 2 – Hands Off

Forgive me for being underwhelmed, but how can one be that excited by Yakuza 2. Let’s face the facts here, this is an almost 2 year old PS2 game being translated and released almost 2 years after the console was put to bed. Who knows why it was so important to bring this title over. While the original created a small buzz, and was given a decent review spread, what is the point? ...

MX vs ATV: Untamed (Hands On)

Motocross involves a dirtbike on a mud track and insane stunts done in midair. ATV’s racing style is almost identical. With such complimentary natures, these sports have already shared the console spotlight in, MX vs. ATV: Unleashed. Returning to the match up THQ is bringing MX vs. ATV: Untamed to every console for Christmas. The main attraction in this release lineup is the "next-gen" HD PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Even ...

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008

Wrestling used to be a hit or miss prospect in videogames. However, as physics modeling and controls get more advanced, wrestling games become a safer bet. With the WWE’s consolidation of the various brands in wrestling, their video games join the NFL license in a reliable yearly visitor. Smackdown VS. Raw 2008 is this year’s installment, bringing the over the top athletic soap opera to life. On the "Hi-Def" systems (Xbox ...

Stuntman: Ignition – First Look

Sometimes it takes two tries for something to work right. It happened with Street Fighter, it happened with Dark Cloud, and even the incredible Burnout series didn’t really click until its third outing. And while it would be irresponsible to declare any preview build a winner, it’s hard to get your hands on Stuntman: Ignition and not come to the conclusion that it accomplishes everything the first game only dreamed of. For those who ...

The Simpsons Game Hands-On

Hi! I’m Troy McClure! You may remember me from such videogame preview articles as “Felix Wright: Tax Attorney” and “President Evil (red, white and blue versions)”. I know that many of you reading this feel that today’s videogame industry seems flooded with licensed games. Well, here’s another one! Allow me to introduce: The Simpsons Game! The game is being developed under the watchful eye of EA by their Redwood studio, who are all too aware ...

First Look: Ar Tonelico

Ar Tonelico is a strategy RPG in the best tradition of the genre, as established by previous NIS America hits in this cult genre. Gust, best known in the US for Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana and Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny, as well as Banpresto, whose games have been largely unreleased outside of Japan, the game, which is scheduled for a February release, is a union of solid tactics-style RPG minds. The story begins ...

Guitar Hero II

Coming to the Xbox 360 and PS2 is Guitar Hero II – with the PS2 version coming this November and the Xbox 360 version coming early next year, right now February is looking likely. The games are essentially the same, with 64 total songs to play through. The big difference between the two versions will be the lack of a wireless controller available for the Xbox 360 version, which is strictly Microsoft’s fault since ...

Hands On: Call of Duty 3

Call of Duty 2 was one of the reasons to own an Xbox 360 at the console’s launch if you couldn’t get it for the PC. The combination of presentation along with gameplay made for what was rightly considered one of the best games of the year. First person shooter fans may be getting tired of revisiting World War II, but something about the Call of Duty franchise keeps things fresh. The storytelling is ...

Bionicle: Heroes Preview

Building on the success of LEGO: Star Wars and LEGO: Star Wars II, Bionicle: Heroes is coming very soon. Based on the most popular line of LEGOs ever, this title takes the same basic formula that was such a hit with the Star Wars games and transfers it to a different universe. Naturally, there are some changes to be made, but mostly the same gameplay will be present. One ...

Hands On: Flushed Away

Not having seen the film Flushed Away that the game is based on, I am unable to saw whether or not the game translates well and am only able to see what the game has to offer. That automatically puts me at a disadvantage, since the game is very clearly aimed at fans of the film. Players will follow the adventures of Roddy, a surface rat who takes on the role of the society minded ...

Hands On: Scarface

There are a lot of people who like the film Scarface. Al Pachino turned in a wonderful performance as Cuban refugee turned cocaine dealer in Miami. The script by Oliver Stone really captured the essence of the time period as well as delivering a powerful story. Brian DePalma’s direction was also noteworthy, as was the performances by the supporting cast. Scarface was and is an iconic motion picture. And very soon it will be a ...

Hands On: SMT: Devil Summoner

Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei series of RPGs has long been a favorite of videogame critics, but with each installment being sometimes dramatically different from the previous outing, it has taken a while for the series to find a foothold with mainstream American audiences. That's in part because, unlike the E-rated joys of Dragon Quest or the T-rated thrills of Final Fantasy, SMT games are purely for a more adult audience. Eliminating the youth market by ...

Hands-On: God of War 2

Within weeks after the original God of War hit store shelves, hundreds of topics concerning who should hold the throne as PlayStation's biggest bad ass filled community message boards with more controversial material than that of what exactly a hot dog is made of. 'Dante!'some screamed in bolded red font at size 80. 'Solid Snake!!!' they said with determination that was followed with bolded yellow exclamation points. ...

Hands On: SoE 2

I’m not going to go into the back story behind how State of Emergency 2 managed to survive being handed over through several companies. That would be a whole separate article in itself. Suffice to say that it’s been a long arduous road, and it is nearly at an end. The story of State of Emergency 2 takes place well after the events in the first game. A couple ...

Hands On: FFXII

By now, you’d have to be living in al-Qaeda-style seclusion not to know something about Final Fantasy XII. The title began its life under the watchful eye of the creator of three of SquareEnix’s most-loved RPGs of the past decade or so, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced and Vagrant Story. Being given the reigns of an "in the cannon" Final Fantasy title for the first time, Yasumi Matsuno was expected to fill ...

Hands On: The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer

I didn’t play the first Incredibles game that was based on the movie, the one that took players through the events of the film in an expanded fashion. For a licensed movie tie-in, players got what would be considered “normal” for a game of that type. What we have with The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer is a sequel to both the game and movie that picks up right where the film left off. Players ...

Hands On: Dragon Quest VIII

I recently had the opportunity to get my hands on Dragon Quest VIII, and while it was in a limited capacity, I can say with utmost confidence that I may or may not want to play the game when it comes out. How’s that for being vague? In all seriousness, The Dragon Quest (formerly Dragon Warrior) series has always been one that has enjoyed a rabid following, with many of the faithful declaring it superior ...

Winning Eleven 9 Hands-On

The Winning Eleven franchise has been a part of soccer fans’ games collection since the inception of the PlayStation, with the International Superstar Soccer series being the effective ancestor of the franchise, on the retro Genesis and SNES. Known as the Pro Evolution series in Europe, the Winning Eleven series has had the unenviable task of competing with the huge FIFA set of games. Up until recently, the ...

Hands On: Total Overdose

I recently spent some time with Eidos’ upcoming Total Overdose, a third person action title for the PC, Xbox, and PS2. After getting my hands on the game, I can actually say that the genre that Dead to Rights tried to pioneer is alive and well, and is getting a swift kick in the … well, where it would hurt. Don’t get me wrong, this is meant in a good way. I mean, really, ...

Hands On: Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

Fifteen years after Samanosuke and Jaque teamed up and defeated Oda Nobunaga the forces of darkness have begun to stir once again. Hideyoshi Toyotomi is forming his army and wishes to take over where Nobunaga left off. Fans of the series are certainly going to rejoice at this one. If you played the last game you know that at the end it seemed pretty darn well finished. Paris had been sacked, but ...

Indigo Prophecy

Waiter, There’s a Ritualistic Murder in My Soup Lucas Kane is having a rather unusual day. His decision to pop into a quaint New York diner on a cold Winter’s day for a cup of overpriced coffee and something vaguely resembling a meal was a poor one, it seems, as he finds himself waking up in the suitably seedy bathroom with no recollection of how he got there or why there’s a dead man sprawled ...

Chulip

Leave it to Japan is usually my motto. They have brought us everything from the wonderful PlayStation, my record player, my Walkman.... Well, thats mostly Sony, but Natsume is also responsible for some neato torpedo stuff. You may have heard of Harvest Moon? Well the same people who brought us that little life sim are set to release something new into the American Market. Chulip. Chulip is... well ...

Hands On: Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

How many kids turned their minds and thumbs to mush on the MK series? I can count myself among that crowd for sure. Now Midway is looking to expand upon that first story, bring back some favorite characters and kick some booty doing so. Well, lets take a look at this upcoming title and see whats going on. Graphic wise, I unfortunately have to say "Meh." - ...

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