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: Aliens Versus Predator
Game: Aliens Versus Predator
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Sega
UK based developer Rebellion are no strangers to the Aliens Versus Predator (AVP) franchise. One of their first games was AVP for the Atari Jaguar, which is widely considered to be one of the console's finest games. They returned to the franchise in 1999 to release Aliens Vs. Predator on the PC, another critically lauded title. Yet in 2007 they released Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem for the PSP, which was generally panned by reviewers. However, no-one can argue that they don't know the source material.
Rebellion's latest offering to the AVP franchise is something of an uneven experience. With a fairly short single player campaign that is broken up into three modes, the Marine game, the Alien game, and the Predator game. The Marine sections are little more than a painfully generic shooter, while the Alien and Predator sections blend melee combat, stealth, and platforming to create a (mostly) interesting game, even if it is a little short.
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: Dante’s Inferno
Game: Dante's Inferno
Format: 360, PS3
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
God of War, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden... the action based hack-n'-slash genre is rarely associated with original or innovative gameplay and whilst Dante's Inferno cetainly doesn't break this trend, EA's latest offering still manages to deliver a unique and enjoyable experience.
Any readers or listeners of The Newb Review will know that ever since it was announced, Dante's Inferno has been the game I was most looking forward to. It has fended off stiff competition from the delightfully brilliant Mass Effect 2 and upcoming PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain. However, often when you're incredibly excited for an upcoming game, expectations are so high that when the final product turns out to be a bit of a disappointment. So with that in mind, how well does Dante's Inferno meet up to expectations?
Hardware Review: Rock Band Portable Drum Kit
What do you do when you have an itch that only a rhythm game can scratch? Other than apply a topical cream or a suppository, you would have to pay EA or Harmonix around £100 to get some instruments to help you rock out, right? This was a problem with which I was recently faced thanks to the overwhelming urge to play some Rock Band. With very little money on hand, a quick look online found me a third party portable drum controller designed specifically for Rock Band for around £10. A few days later a small package arrived containing my Madcatz Drum Controller.
The Newb Review Episode 12
This week Braindead_hero, Crofterz, Tom01255 and LavaLampBamboo talk through this weeks news in video games including;
EA's 2010/11 lineup,
Sonic 4 and
Microsoft dropping Original Xbox Live support.
All this as well as all the new releases, site updates and e-mails as well as the stunning conclusion to the Bayonetta competition.
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If you want to get in touch with us please e-mail podcast@newbreview.com
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