Reviews « Gamesugar

February 11, 2011

Review – Hard Corps: Uprising

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: 2D, Arc System Works, Contra, Genesis, Hard Corps, Hard Corps Uprising, Konami, PlayStation 3, PSN, Review, Shooter, Side-scolling, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade — Jamie Love @ 2:19 pm

hard corps uprising contra review
The jury may be out on whether an alias allows a rose to ditch its sickly scent, but I can confirm that Konami’s anime-styled breakaway from the Contra brand doesn’t sacrifice the bullet-points that have come to define the franchise. This uprising begins with heavy guitars and vibrant explosions to paint a scene of idealistic resistance against the forces of old and evil, with characters cut from a familiar cloth of eighties anime memories and mournful war-zones – but Contra’s principles of play are ever present, remixed once again to provide a war opera worthy of the twitching that stirs in fingers left unsatisfied by many modern releases.

The lush palette softens the traditionally gritty edges of Contra’s battlefield, but a merciless spirit wears the pop-shifted aesthetic, and veterans can rest assured that Hard Corps: Uprising is fucking metal.

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February 4, 2011

Review – Dead Space 2

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: 360, Dead Space, Dead Space 2, EA, Electronic Arts, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation3, Review, Visceral Games, XBOX, Xbox 360 — Brad Johnson @ 3:38 pm

Sometimes the front page is swallowed up by an array of posts about Japanese videogames, and that’s how you, the reader, can know that I will appear and offer relief by instead discussing a game that involves science, shooting, and outer space. Thus, we will now discuss Dead Space 2.

Visceral Games’ sequel opens three years after the end of Dead Space; Isaac Clarke is confined to a mental institution where the necromorphs have mysteriously returned. The opening sequence here is meticulously designed both as tutorial and introduction; Isaac is left to stumble through the halls, bound in a straight-jacket, frantically evading monsters and trying to get to safety. The sequence introduces the player to each of the Dead Space conventions as Isaac scavenges his key tools from machinery throughout the hospital, including a new plasma cutter cobbled together from a flashlight and surgical laser.

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Review – LittleBigPlanet 2

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: littlebigplanet 2, MediaMolecule, Move, PlayStation 3, PlayStation3, Review, Sack Boy, Sack Person, Sony — Brad Johnson @ 9:09 am

With the release of LittleBigPlanet 2, one might fairly ask precisely why a sequel was necessary—considering that the selling point of the original game was an infinitely expanding game world of community created maps and game-types. It delivered, with inventive creators forging a massive library of fantastic games. The sequel, however, builds impressively on the possibilities of the original entry, and brings critical new tools that expand what’s possible, with palpable results.

One could probably argue that the raw, base amusement of the campaign is designed primarily to tease players with what those game assets can be leveraged to create. However, there’s an element of charm and adventure that elevates what could have simply been a tech demo to perhaps the ultimate example of the party game. In that respect, the ideal environment is to play with friends in the same room, though online co-op is also a workable solution. Playing alone, however, noticeably diminishes the experience—it’s always more fun to laugh out loud in a group than it is sitting alone in your basement.

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January 11, 2011

Review – Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: Ace Attorney, Capcom, DS, Ghost Trick, Nintendo, Review, Shu Takumi — Jamie Love @ 9:09 am

Review Ghost Trick Phantom Detective
Death is only the beginning in Capcom’s latest DS release, which begins with the demise of its protagonist, Sissel, only to start a spiritual adventure that finds him making plenty of new friends and influencing people – despite the handicap of being deceased. The first of Sissel’s new acquaintances is a possessed lamp, which kindly introduces him to a ghost world overlapping the land of the living and allows Sissel a means of moving the story forward by unraveling the multiple threads that comprise it.

Capable of switching between these two spheres, Sissel is able to possess and manipulate inanimate objects, a skill key toward solving the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death – though this ability results in him helping plenty of others along the way, like a phantom littlest hobo.

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January 10, 2011

Review – Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger Vs. Darkdeath Evilman

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: nippon ichi software, NIS, NIS America, NISA, PlayStation Portable, PSP, Review, Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman, ZHP, ZHP Unlosing Ranger vs DarkDeath Evilman — Nathan White @ 2:37 pm

Review ZHP Unlosing Ranger vs DarkDeath Evilman
Would it shock you to learn that Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger Vs. Darkdeath Evilman was one of the best games I played in 2010? It certainly was the game with the longest, most esoteric title that anyone played in 2010. Beyond the hokey moniker however, there hides a roguelike tactical RPG that is wholly fresh, inventive, and surprisingly accessible.

Z.H.P. is a strange game, to say the least – though I use the term ‘strange’ as both a term of endearment and for descriptive purposes – the pre-title sequence warns you right off the top that the game only contains one battle, but that it’s awesomely epic. This had my interest piqued well before the title sequence and opening story portions fully introduced me to the breadth of Z.H.P.’s overt strangeness.

The opening story is told through Television news updates and eye witness accounts, global attention fixed on the scene of an epic battle that is about to take place between the supreme hero and his arch-villain nemesis. Running late to the epic showdown is our hero however, the Unlosing Ranger, and unfortunately for the well being of all mankind he is unceremoniously hit by a car and killed along the way. With his last breathe he bequeaths the Unlosing Ranger mantle to you, the accident’s sole witness.

Taking up the challenge thrust upon you, you set out for your date with destiny – the final showdown against Darkdeath Evilman, wherein you are instantly killed and sent to a realm known as Bizzarro Earth.

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January 3, 2011

Review – Sonic Colors DS

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: DIMPS, DS, Nintendo, Review, Sega, Sonic Colors, Sonic Colours, Sonic Rush, sonic team, Sonic the Hedgehog — Mister Raroo @ 2:37 pm

Sonic Colors DS Review
Just how does Dr. ~~Robotnik~~ Eggman have so much money at his disposal? You’d think that the repair bills resulting from his many battles with Sonic the Hedgehog over the years would have put him into bankruptcy by now. Yet time and time again the diabolical Eggman somehow comes up with enough revenue to construct armies of robots, elaborate airship fortresses, and, in the case of Sonic Colors, an interplanetary amusement park.

Did Eggman have a lucrative career thanks to his status as a doctor? Is he independently wealthy? Is he shoulder-deep in credit card debt?

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January 2, 2011

Review – Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: Dawn of Operation Panties, Disgaea, Dood, nippon ichi software, NIS, NIS America, NISA, PlayStation Portable, Prinny, Prinny 2, PSP, Review — Jamie Love @ 1:34 pm

Prinny 2 Dawn of Operation Panties Dood
A lone Prinny once again slips on the red hero scarf for the sequel to Nippon Ichi Software’s side-scrolling deviation to the Disgaea universe. As the extended title suggests, and perhaps causes some brief moments of awkwardness at the checkout counter, Prinny 2 tasks players with retrieving a pair of Mistress Etna’s unmentionables by slicing across several 2D stages in order to save the day and avoid facing her demonic wrath.

The original release, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?, remains one of the most difficult action games on the PSP – forged in the dark pits of hell and causing me to spend a few weeks recovering in a mental asylum back in 2009. While this sequel doesn’t buckle in challenging players seeking to perfect their ranking scores, there are a few changes that open the invitation for those who haven’t splurged on robotic fingers just yet. The most immediate addition is an easy mode that allows players to take three hits before dying as well as the opportunity to regain health points, which just to tweak your self esteem are symbolized by diapers – pink baby blocks also appear throughout stages on this setting to make jumps easier and block some enemy attacks.

Remarkably even this setting may leave some stunned at the challenge Prinny 2 smacks down.

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