Game: Sonic Colors
Rating: E
Platform: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Released: November 2010

With the possible exception of Leisure Suit Larry, few enduring mascots have had as contentious a gaming history as Sonic the Hedgehog, though the latter at least had a foundation in actual gameplay.  From fans who hate ( Read more... )

Game: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Rating: T
Platform: Xbox 360/Playstation 3/Nintendo Wii/Nintendo DS/PC
Developer: Lucasarts
Publisher: Lucasarts
Released: October 2010

The term 'licensed game' is something of a dirty word in the industry, usually the equivalent of a patchwork red 'A' if you'll allow the extremely tortured high-school lit metaphor ( Read more... )

Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Rating: E
Platform: Wiiware/Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network/iPhone and iPad
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Released: October 2010

I think this much can at least be said for the "Sonic" series-- you can't accuse it of ever playing it safe.

Mario's basically been running in circles since '96, an unfortunate ( Read more... )

Game: Sin and Punishment: Star Successor
Rating: T
Platform: Wii
Developer: Treasure
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: June 2010

I have an odd relationship with the 'bullet hell' subgenre of shooters-- I like them, but they often frustrate me.  But then I suppose a grueling challenge is exactly what those who venerate games like "Gunstar Heroes" or "Raiden" ( Read more... )

Game: Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love
Rating: T
Platform: Wii/PS2
Developer: Overworks/Red Entertainment
Publisher: Nippon Ichi Software America
Released: April 2010

I should hate this.

There were several factors contributing to my ultimate decision to review "Sakura Wars," neatly summed up with:

A) I was fully prepared for it to be a straight-up harem game ( Read more... )

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Rating: E
Platform: Wii
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: May 2010

You know, at some point people are just going to stop reviewing Nintendo games.

Not because they're somehow untouchable or anything, but for the same reason that new entries in superpopular horror film series aren't screened for critics, or why ( Read more... )

Game: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Rating: T
Platform: PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/DS
Developer: Beenox
Publisher: Activision
Released: September 2010

I'm not much of a believer in the idea that as people who play video games, we're "owed" a certain amount of gameplay time proportionate to the cost based on some magical unspoken measurement system.  A game can ( Read more... )

Game: Shank
Rating: M
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network/Steam/PC
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: August 2010

Everyone seems to be into the 'grindhouse' aesthetic nowadays, don't they?  It's like after Tarantino and Rodriguez teamed up in their three-hour double-feature satirization/homage to aggressively ( Read more... )