Resident Evil Revelations was a solid effort by Capcom to attempt to marry the old and new philosophies of the Resident Evil franchise. Although it wasn’t really their top work in either regard, Revelations look incredible on the 3DS, and pushed the system to its limits.

Now, we’re back to that fateful cruise ship once again as we relive the terror with Jill and Chris, but this time, in HD.

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As soon as I saw the first footage of Soul Sacrifice, my eyes lit up. A Monster Hunter-like, with a Dark Souls vibe, created by the legendary Keiji Inafune? On paper, it sounded like one of the best ideas of all time.

Of course, not every idea actually plays out how it should, and some amazing concepts end up in the bargain bin of life, forever doomed to “woulda coulda shoulda.” Soul Sacrifice is not one of those throwaway games.

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Sacred Citadel wants your love. The game opens wide with its warm color pallet and fast action promising a tight embrace. It’s poised; it’s ready. The urge is to come closer.

When you do, you get all that is expected from a beat-em-up. No frills. The embrace holds for some time, albeit the love is evaporating.

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Black Rock Shooter: The Game is a pretty unique prospect. It arrived in Japan in 2011 as the first videogame follow-up to the popular manga and anime series, and now, two years later, it’s ready for an international release.

As a mix of both RPG and action concepts, describing Black Rock Shooter: The Game is fairly difficult. One thing is for sure though — the experience is the very definition of “niche.”

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No one saw Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon coming. As a full-on digital-only game that’s completely separate from the core experience (and thus, doesn’t require Far Cry 3 to play), Blood Dragon takes the foundations of Far Cry, runs with it to the absolute maximum, then cranks it up to 11 and lights it on fire with a concentrated blacklight.

Complete with VHS tape style loading screens, a tutorial that makes fun of other tutorials, and classic sci-fi actor Michael Biehn, this is one wild ride that you — ::puts on shades:: — will never forget. Read more… »

Who would’ve thought that on rookie cop Chase McCain’s first day on the job he’d find himself traveling all over Lego City trying capture elusive criminal mastermind Rex Fury? Well, you probably did because both characters are right there on the box. Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins is a 3DS prequel to the Wii U release that came out earlier this year.

While developer TT Fusion should be applauded for their ambition–trying to bring an open-world Lego City game to the 3DS–ultimately the hardware’s own limitations are what keep The Chase Begins from truly shining.

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At first glance, it’s kind of hard to tell what Monaco even is. It’s been shown at various trade shows for the past few years and has garnered a solid amount of hype and buzz behind it, but without a full release, it was hard to really nail down what made Monaco so special.

Well, it’s out now, and after actually playing it, I’ve seen the magic right before my eyes. Monaco is essentially an Ocean’s 11 simulator — and it’s awesome.
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The time has finally come: the last Operation Rainfall Wii game has hit stateside. After so much fanfare for the two major RPGs in the group, Xenoblade and The Last Story, the action-centric Pandora’s Tower arrives with little to no fanfare, compliments of publisher XSEED Games.

But it’s a shame that it hasn’t gotten more publicity, as it’s completely worthy of “classic” Wii game status –in fact, I’d say it’s my favorite of the Rainfall Three. Provided that you’re willing to deal with a few outdated technical aspects, you’ll find one of the best raw action games in recent memory in Pandora’s Tower. Read more… »

If you were itching for an open world zombie game in 2011, Dead Island was just what the doctor ordered. It offered up a bloody four player co-op experience in a market that wasn’t quite over-saturated with similar experiences, and it soared commercially for it.

But the zombie-fest also came with a price: it had a heap of technical issues, game breaking glitches, and to some, a general lack of polish and heart that caused many players (myself included) to come away somewhat disappointed.

With all that said, I hope you liked Dead Island, as you’re basically just getting more of it. Read more… »

If you experienced Dishonored, you no doubt caught the catalyst for the protagonist’s entire adventure at the start of the game: the death of the beloved Empress of the The Empire of Isles. But who actually killed her? Why, none other than Daud — assassin extraordinaire, and man of dubious moral standing.

Well, you get to play as him in Knife of Dunwall — and it’s a ton of fun. Read more… »

Is “cute” really the opposite of “punk”? Like up and down, black and white, and my mind should automatically connect “cute” and “punk” as natural antonyms? I asked myself that question multiple times as I retried a section in one of Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams’s difficult levels for the umpteenth time.

I mean, those two words describe the game fairly well. Colorful, charming, and cute. Uneven, deeply frustrating, and I guess, punk. Too bad the two aren’t in greater harmony. The game’s ”punk” flaws completely overshadow almost of its cuteness.

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You won’t find Pauly Shore in this (bio)dome. Well, if you do, he won’t be as fun as he used to be. Deep Silver and Techland have released this screenshot and more to herald Dead Island Riptide, coming in less than 15 days.

Not all are focused on the scenery, as you will see.

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