FIFA 12 Review

 

FIFA 12 Review Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Electronic Arts Genres: Simulation, Sports Release Date: N Amer - 09/27/11 Platforms:PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 Everyone

GameZone Rating 9.0

Imagine the pressure of creating a game based on the world's most popular sport.  Year in and year out, EA Sports has tasked itself with creating the best possible soccer game that will appeal to the hordes of soccer fans around the globe.  Last year, with FIFA 11, they pretty much succeeded.  The challenge this year?  Topping such a successful game and not only repeating the performance, but exceeding it.  Expectations were high, but EA Sports delivery was higher.
That's right, EA Sports has delivered a gem in FIFA 12, highlighted by a series of risky changes.  With a clear goal of improving gameplay, EA focused on defensive changes to the gameplay, most notably a new tactical defending system that emphasizes "containing" and jostling.  Although these changes will feel weird at first, you should soon get used to them.  I, for one, welcomed these changes, which took out a common tactic of holding down the two "pressing" button, which in the past sent two players in to close down the attackers and win the ball.  Was it a smart tactic, gameplay wise?  Yes.  Did it require skill?  Hardly.
Now, that tactic no longer works.  Instead of rushing in to take the ball, you now play a more realistic style of defense.  FIFA 12 now has a new "containing" method in which you track the attacker, remaining a few feet away, and keeping him held back.  When the time is right, you can actively time when to tackle and rush in for the ball, or decide when to hold the player back.  Time your button press badly and the attacker will easily pass you, or you'll commit a foul.

Review: Saints Row: The Third Delivers the Over-the-Top Experience as Promised

 

Saints Row: The Third - PS3/360PC Review Publisher: THQ Developer: Volition, Inc Genres: Release Date: N Amer - 06/13/11 Platforms: Mature

GameZone Rating 9.5

When a developer has the cojones to parody blockbuster titles like Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, and Gears of War 3, they better back it up.  THQ promised us bigger, better, and wilder with Saints Row: The Third and, boy, did they deliver.  Never one to hold back, Saints Row: The Third is packed with sex, drugs, and guns--everything we love and everything you need for that true "WTF" experience.  Honestly, you'll have plenty of those in your experience with Saints Row.
As promised, there is never a dull moment in Saints Row: The Third.  You won't find any GTA-style "fetch" missions here.  In fact, you're more likely to find yourself naked and drugged in a BDSM club surrounded by machinegun-wielding hookers.  That's just how Saints Row: The Third is.  It's filled with shockingly outrageous, innappropirate, and over-the-top sequences that somehow come together in some freakeshly obscure way.  And it works.  Each moment in this game is truly a memorable one.
If you're expecting a realistic open-world adventure, you're looking in the wrong place.  Of course, the ability to wield a big purple dildo should be the first hint.  Since it's creation, Saints Row has prided itself on becoming a series that embraces over-the-top absurdity and focuses on spectacle, but that's not to say there's no substance mixed in with the fun.

Trine 2 Review (Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network)

 

Trine 2 - 360/PS3/PC Review Publisher: Atlus USA Developer: Frozenbyte Genres: Platformer, Puzzle Release Date: N Amer - 12/06/11 Platforms:PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Everyone 10 and older

GameZone Rating 9.0

When Trine released for PC and PlayStation Network, it introduced an interesting new take on the old Lost Vikings concept that worked back on the SNES.  You’ve got three different characters, each with their own specific abilities and talents, who need to work together to solve puzzles and venture onward to the next waiting level.  However, the major difference between these games lie in the presentation.  Trine presented an elegant design, both in its backdrops and character animations, which would set the standard for downloadable games at the time.  Could Atlus and Frozenbyte strike again with Trine 2?  You bet your sweet character switch it can.

Droplitz

Droplitz

Daily PC Game Review Score: 8 / 10
Game Category: Casual - Arcade, Puzzle
Date: 30 Jan 2011

Droplitz is a game distributed by Atlus - the software game developers more well known for their console RPGs. This is a simple action puzzle game that may keep you glued to your PC monitor for quite a few hours. I should know, because according to my Steam records, I have clocked 6 hours with this game already.

To me, the game feels like a modern man's version of Tetris combined with Pipe Dream. But, other than a vague link to dropping tiles and the fact that there are pipes, well, the similarities all end there.

In Droplitz, the tiles are called dials and they come in several varieties. The cool twist here is you get to rotate dials such that your droplitz (silver little blobs that reminds me of liquid mercury) can be guided via a pathway from any of the droppers at the top of the screen all the way to any of the collectors at the bottom. You have a limited amount of droplitz, so if you run out, the game ends. For every completed pathway, a purple droplitz is released to replenish your stock of droplitz. Your completed pathways will be replaced by new dials and you will score points. At the same time, your droplitz will start to fall faster and faster.

Warning... this game can be pretty addictive and fun!!!

Icebreakers
Game Category: Action - Third Person, Arcade, Sports, Kids
Developer / Distributor: Xibalba Studios
Release Date: 5 Apr 2011
Rating: ESRB - Everyone

Introduction
Independent game developer Xibalba Studios (based in Mexico) have come up with perhaps the coolest concept for a 3D arena vehicular sport game - Icebreakers!

Come and try out this winter sport game that has you driving ice sleds that leave behind trails of ice. These fancy rides are equipped with a powerful water tank that shoots a powerful stream of water, propelling the sled forward, while leaving behind an icy wall when the water freezes. You will need to outsmart your enemies and get them to run headlong into the ice trails you leave behind. Do this often enough and they'll be knocked out of the game for that precious few seconds to give you the needed advantage to win a match.

Icebreakers is truly a light-hearted fun game that will appeal to kids of all ages. There's even a Flash version (2D top down version only) of Icebreakers for you to get into the spirit of things. Come on now, give this indie game a try!

The coolest sports game in town

Transport Giant: Gold Edition

Transport Giant: Gold Edition

Daily PC Game Review Score: 7 / 10
Game Category: Simulation
Date: 31 Jan 2011

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Transport Giant: Gold Edition from Jowood Entertainment has in my honest opinion grown on me over the past few years that I find myself returning to it time and again just to try something new in the game.

Being such a niche game, you will either love it or hate it. In fact, I can only think of a few commercial games that are similar to Transport Giant - they would include Chris Sawyer's Transport Tycoon and Locomotion, and another similar release from Jowood Entertainment - Industry Giant.

One of the biggest factor that detracts from Transport Giant is that there is no in-built tutorial, you will have to rely on the game manual that comes along on the DVD, or your experience in tinkering with Simcity-like games. However, once you get over the steep learning curve, you will wholeheartedly dive into it to improve the design of your very own transportation company.