Tony Hawk is back: and this time, he doesn’t have a hokey plastic peripheral to hock to us. Activision is going back to it’s roots with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, a current-gen amalgamation of the first two Tony Hawk games.

To be clear, this isn’t just simply a remake of the original two games. For better or for worse, this is a complete HD re-imagining from the ground up by Robomodo, the developer of the failed Tony Hawk Ride franchise, using the Unreal Engine 3. The real question is, does it stack up to the originals given the $15 asking price?

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Spelunky is a game where death is permanent. Let me say that again — once you die, you start back at the beginning of the game. Death can come in all shapes and sizes — instant spike pit deaths, arrow traps, bat bites, piranha chomps, and Indiana Jones boulder splats.

Back in 2008, PC gamers could experience all this joy for free, but in 2012, Xbox Live has landed an HD remake with full multiplayer support, among many other extras. But are these upgrades worth the pricey $15 asking fee? Read more… »

Online games sometimes get special treatment and forgiveness. Even after a title is officially released, we allow regular patches and updates that fine tune game mechanics and stability issues without a second look — a method of delivery which has bled over into console games (but that is another subject all together). Aren’t games that ship to the consumer supposed to be complete? Where does one draw the line?

As entertaining as it is, Fray, the latest online multiplayer squad tactic game from Brain Candy, can still be considered unfinished. Developer Brain Candy is hard at work constantly improving its product, rolling out substantial improvements, putting a big plus to its strengths, and eliminating its weaknesses.

Albeit, at the current moment, it faces a long road until it can really be called a complete experience.

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Rhythm games used to be a dime a dozen. After Gitaroo Man, it felt like there was a new DDR iteration launching every other week, among many other prolific series such as Parappa the Rapper, and later, enough Guitar Hero and Rock Band games to fill a small landfill.

Recently however, the genre has really quieted down. The Guitar Hero series is on indefinite hold, and outside of a few minor titles, it’s fairly hard to get your groove on these days. Enter Theatrhythm Final Fantasy — a collection of music from Final Fantasy I all the way up to XIII that seeks to placate all the insatiable rhythm fans across the world.

It isn’t perfect, but if you’re a long time Final Fantasy fan, Theatrhythm is probably the best method in which too relive your nostalgia to date. Read more… »

I’m a fan of just about every type of game. Whether it’s an epic eighty hour RPG, or a quick “time wasting” iOS title. A few months ago, I innocently stumbled across a mobile puzzle title named Where’s My Water?

I had seen it on the top ten list for weeks, with full five star ratings day in and day out. Eventually, I gave in, and spent the requisite $0.99 — I couldn’t have been happier.

As a result of the game’s runaway success, a new game titled Where’s My Perry was commissioned, using the Phineas and Ferb Disney license. Fundamentally, it’s pretty much the same thing as Where’s My Water. Not that that’s a bad thing in the slightest.

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[How you access Dawnguard: If your character is level ten or higher, you can hear rumors about your destination from guards. You can also obtain a note from an NPC with a marker. If you're below level 10, the Dawnguard HQ is southeast of Riften through a cave; head there]

After a myriad of useless DLC drops, Oblivion finally got it’s proper swan song — the universally loved Shivering Isles expansion. After we were insulted with horse armor, $5 thirty minute quests, and $5 buildings that were free mods on the PC version, fans finally got their wish for a meaty piece of content.

It seems as if Besthesda was willing to take this stance right out of the gate, as the very first piece of downloadable content is in fact a full expansion. Dawnguard seeks to uphold the Elder Scrolls legacy with a full twenty hour quest, and a ton of extra content. Unfortunately, all of that content comes with a full price of $20, so strap yourself in if you’re on the fence with this one. Read more… »

Historically, I’ve always found the LEGO games to be enjoyable, if shallow experiences. They weren’t exactly the most deep titles, but ultimately they got the job done, and were a blast to play with kids — beyond that, there’s not much more you can really expect out of them.

The newest LEGO iteration seeks to branch out and expand it’s scale, not only bringing back Batman and Robin, but introducing a heap of DC characters as well. LEGO Batman 2 keeps some franchise issues, but ultimately, it’s one of Traveller’s Tales’ best games yet.

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If you have been following the Playstation Vita in some way, shape, or form, odds are you have seen something regarding Gravity Rush.

Nearly every Vita ad or coverage spot has mentioned something about the super-hyped game, mostly due to the fact that the concept art is nothing short of astounding.

A year and some change later, and it’s finally here. So is it truly a system seller? Read more… »

Suda 51 never ceases to amaze me. The eccentric potty mouthed developer’s multiple design philosophies echo with his numerous releases, to the point where fans can immediately point and say “that’s a Suda game”.

So given the natural expectation of quality, does Lollipop Chainsaw live up to the creator’s legacy? Read more… »

No one is afraid of a “Jeffry”. Except of course, the great Jeffry McWild. Imagine a bulky, towering man with no shirt and fury in his eyes stomping his way toward you Mike Haggar style.: to be blunt, there is no way that encounter will end well. Luckily, Mr. McWild is relegated to the fictitious world of Virtua Fighter.

The latest installment, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, is a reprise that boasts better tuned fighting mechanics, among other enhancements that SEGA has been rolling out since 2007. For diehard VF fan, the game hits on all the high points. It’s those who are on the fence who need some convincing.

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Diablo III has some big shoes to fill. Pretty much every dungeon crawler to date has copied or generously lifted elements from Diablo II, so given the series’ pedigree, Blizzard really had to bring out the big guns the third time around to ensure that they keep the legacy alive.

While at first glance Diablo III seems to be a step back from it’s predecessor, it’s actually more complicated, and ultimately, a more satisfying experience. Read more… »

Max Payne has always been an interesting series. To date, it’s still one of the only neo-noir titles to grace gaming, and it pioneered the “bullet-time” phenomenon, which previously was synonymous with The Matrix.

With the third iteration in the series, Rockstar (who have developed their first Max Payne game) has ditched the gritty New York scenery for a more lush tropical setting. But the real question is: does it pay off to have such a stark departure? Read more… »