Review: Heavy Rain
Game: Heavy Rain
Format: PS3
Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
*This review of Heavy Rain does NOT contain any spoilers*
Heavy Rain as swept across the globe! No silly, I'm not talking about the weather, I'm talking about Quantic Dream's latest PS3 offering, Heavy Rain. A game which is as impossible to review as it is groundbreaking. It's near impossible to review because not only is it extremely hard to talk about this game without revealing any spoilers (whilst also trying to avoid sounding like a pretentious d*ck) it's also nigh impossible because well, you could say Heavy Rain isn't really a game at all.
Sure, it's sold in games stores and it comes on a blu-ray disc, but Heavy Rain is much more than a game. This is an experience, and it's one that will stay with you for the rest of your gaming lives...
DLC Review: Assassin’s Creed 2 – The Battle of Forli & Bonfire of the Vanities
Game: Assassin's Creed 2: The Battle of Forli & Bonfire of the Vanities & Secret Locations
Format: 360, PS3
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
The Newb Review has something of a love/hate relationship with Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series. We weren't the only ones who, to put it quite mildly, didn't like the first instalment (for the full review click here) as despite huge sales, every games critic under the sun gave it the good, hard bashing it rightfully deserved.
It was to our surprise then that last year Assassin's Creed 2 released and not only did it garner huge sales, but this time it was good. Very, VERY good in fact, a gargantuan improvement on its predecessor and subsequently it ended up being Crofterz personal vote for game of the year (although he was outvoted for The Newb Review Game of The Year Award, by about a quadrillion to one).
Review: Darksiders
Game: Darksiders
Format: XBox 360
Developer: Vigil Games
Publisher: THQ
As an avid comic book reader, the name Joe Madureira (or Joe Mad as he likes to be called) is a familiar one. Rising to prominence in the mid 1990s as the artist on Uncanny X-Men, Joe Mad built up enough of a following to branch off on his own and create his own book called Battle Chasers.
With a clear influence from Japanese artists, and a fondness for hulking bodies with improbably large swords, Battle Chasers was a top selling book until Joe Mad decided to quit comics and work on another great love of his life, video games. After a number of false starts, Joe Mad's first game as creative director, Darksiders, has arrived. But is it any good? Read on to find out...
Review: Bioshock
Game: Bioshock
Format: PS3
Developer: Irrational Games, 2K Marin
Publisher: 2K Games
Bioshock is a first person shooter set during an alternate history in 1960. Playing as Jack, the sole survivor of a plane crash, you must explore the underwater dystopia of Rapture whilst battling against mutated beings and mechanical drones that populate the city. Originally released on the Xbox 360 and PC at the end of 2007, the game took until October 2008 to be released on the PS3.
“So why haven’t you reviewed it yet?” I hear you ask. Well, with the sequel finally upon us, the staff at The Newb Review thought it was high time we gave you our thoughts on this intriguing title. Read on for the full review from our very own tom01255…
Review: Army of Two: The 40th Day
Game: Army of Two: The 40th Day
Format: PS3
Developer: EA Montreal
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Army of Two: The 40th Day is the sequel to the flawed-but-fun third person shooter released at the beginning of 2008. Salem and Rios, the titular heroes from the original, return to wreak havoc as they attempt to escape Shanghai whilst terrorists attack the city in droves. The over-arching story is less than clear however, as it is unclear why Salem and Rios are in Shanghai or why the city is being attacked at all.
This could all be a clever nod to the fact that in a real terrorist attack, information would be sketchy and you would be unsure as to what exactly was going on. However, I wouldn’t give the writers so much credit, this game neither attempts nor pretends to show any kind of intelligence in terms of narrative or character motivation. If you’re looking for narrative clarity, pick up Bayonetta over this; you might have more of a clue as to the story.
iRate: DLC Exclusivity and Me… A Hate/Hate relationship
Ah the joy of gaming… You finally sit down with the latest multiplatform release and let the gaming goodness wash over you, fully enjoying everything there is on offer. But hang on a second…There are bits missing aren’t there? It’s seems you can’t enjoy the same game as your rival console owners, not because of shoddy porting issues (we’ll save that for another iRate article), but because the developer has decided to sell off their reputation to the highest bidder and screw over around half of us gamers in the process. Oh well, at least they make a bit of extra cash…
The epic war of the consoles between Sony and Microsoft (the Wii isn’t made for gamers; see ‘iRate: Wii never play it really’) seems to have descended into a tit-for-tat squabble; each company sinking to new lows by securing the exclusivity of relatively minute amounts of individual titles. Sure, the Joker maps from Batman: Arkham Asylum are only available to PS3 customers, but does Sony really think that this pathetic half-step is going to incense XBox owners into purchasing the rival console?











