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Game Review - Sly Cooper

Sly Cooper is a Slick Title

In recent years, the gaming industry has grown quite considerably. The days of making games out of the basement are gone, replaced by huge corporations such as Electronic Arts and Capcom developing games in huge design teams. In this recent growth spurt, the number of games available to the casual player has also grown considerably. Due to this, developers have to do something unique in order to get noticed. One of the most recent examples of this is developer Sucker Punch’s Sly Cooper. The game is unique because, while still maintaining platforming elements, Sly Cooper also delves into stealth-style games … Continue reading Sly Cooper is a Slick Title →

Game Review - Ratchet and Clank

Ratchet and Clank Will Raise the Bar

One of gaming’s most heralded genres has always been the platformer. When the industry made the transfer to 16-bit systems, the platformer hit it’s stride, as games like Super Mario World and Sonic The Hedgehog reigned supreme. Things seemed like they couldn’t get any better, but Super Mario 64 soon remedied that, as it’s 3D platforming levels captivated millions. Unfortunately, ever since then, platformers have hit a wall in the creativity department. One of the biggest reasons for this is that a good chunk of platformers just became endless scavenger hunts, with some combat mixed in. Even some of the … Continue reading Ratchet and Clank Will Raise the Bar →

Game Review - Gran Turismo 3

GT3 Could Be the Grandest Racer Ever

Maybe I should take back what I said in my commentary a few months ago, and my initial regrets for the PlayStation 2. Granted when it came out there were very few high quality titles available, save perhaps Madden and SSX. But in the last few months I have noticed the quality of PS2 games improving greatly. ZOE, Red Faction, Starfighter, FIFA 2001, and the MGS Demo (remember Breeden, it’s only a DEMO, there will still be more in the final release!) are just a few of the many great titles coming out, and from what I’ve seen at E3, … Continue reading GT3 Could Be the Grandest Racer Ever →

Game Review - Gran Turismo 2

Gran Turismo 2 is revved up fun

Gran Turismo’s release last year changed my opinion completely about racing games. What was once considered a genre of shallow, fast racers and slow, boring simulations suddenly experienced a racing title with depth, tons of cars and plenty of tracks to race them on. Talk has been brewing about the anticipated sequel, with its rumored 500+ cars, tons of additional tracks, and a brand new rally engine. These talks were also ruined by extensive delays. The worst delay came out when Gran Turismo 2 would not even make it to release before the Christmas holiday, as some retailers expressed a … Continue reading Gran Turismo 2 is revved up fun →

Game Review - Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo takes the checkered flag for racing games

I used to always think that racing games were pretty shallow. Sometimes they had too few tracks; sometimes they don’t have enough cars to choose from. Some are too hard, some are just too easy. But still, racing games are very popular in the States and in Japan. You can’t go into an arcade without seeing at least one, or two these days, racing sims in operation. Consoles also have their share of racing sims. There are the shallow arcade style racers such as Ridge Racer, and the realistic sims such as NASCAR Racing. But until now, no racer was … Continue reading Gran Turismo takes the checkered flag for racing games →