Visitor Reviews

Competition entry reviews submitted by our visitors

  • NINTENDO Wii Play + Wiimote

     lisa hart - 31/08/2010 11:27:30 Nintendo Wii

    This game is absolutely terrific,
    for starters it comes with a wii remote for around £28 you get the game and the remote which is sometimes even cheaper than the remote on its own.
    The game is amazing as well as its 2 player so you can battle against someone else to win and collect medals dependant on your score. My favourite is "charge" where you have to knock dwn the scarecrows and also find the mii where u search for what it says for you to find, i personally highly recommend this and hoep you have as much fun as i have with it.!

  • Dead Rising (Xbox 360)

     Philip - 26/08/2010 18:35:38 XBox 360

    They shopped...they dropped...and they got back up again! (I should have worked in advertising...)

    Storyline
    Glance and you'll miss it, but look closely enough at the bottom of the game case and you will see a small sticker. This sticker reads, 'This game was not developed, approved, or licensed by the owners or creators of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead'. This text simultaneously aims to deny any breaches of copyright whilst confirming by association that the game and the film are similar enough to warrant such a qualifying message in the first place. So is this just marketing genius to get the zombie fans salivating or a genuine instruction from Capcom's legal department? I guess we'll never know... The film (sorry I mean game...) plays out in a mall packed full to bursting point with zombies. Our protagonist, photojournalist Frank West, has 72 hours (until his helicopter returns to collect him) to investigate the infestation and find out what turned the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado into hell on Earth.

    The Gameplay
    Camera in hand, Frank follows leads and scoops all over the mall as part of his 72 hour investigation. He also meets and interacts with a multitude of characters presented as fellow survivors. Not all survivors are friendly with many proving bigger enemies to Frank than the zombie hordes. You can choose to rescue many fellow survivors as part of your various optional side missions, which will boost your experience points and help you level up. However, there are other side missions which will see you face evil survivors in combat, such as the chainsaw wielding clown, Adam. The interesting thing about this game is that you can choose to spend your 72 hours doing anything you wish. You don't have to investigate or rescue survivors. If you were so inclined you could just run around the mall killing zombies for 72 hours until your helicopter returns, although if you do you'll never unravel the mystery...

    The Experience
    Two factors make this game into an incredible experience:
    1. The zombies are packed into the mall like sardines in a can. Their numbers are infinite and they are all fodder for you to destroy how you see fit.
    2. Every item in the mall is a weapon. Go into a sports shop, pick out a football, a hockey stick, or a baseball bat - they can all be used as weapons. Lawnmowers, CDs, chainsaws, garden shears, benches, planks, flower pots - you name it, the mall has it and they're all at Frank's disposal! The possibilities are endless.
    Everyone who plays Dead Rising can have a unique, individual experience because you choose how you want to play the game. However, the common factor is the sheer level of fun gamers can derive from this experience. Endless zombies + a mall full of weapons to kill them with! What's not to like?!

    Pacing
    Frank has 72 hours to complete his investigation by following a sequence of leads which occur in chronological order and are spread at a naturally developed pace over the three in-game days. Each lead has a time limit by which it has to be investigated. If you fail to investigate a lead before the end of its time limit, the thread of the sequence is lost and all subsequent leads will vanish, signalling the end of your investigation. Side missions can be completed in between leads, but these are of course optional and you may choose to focus on your main investigation so as not to run out of time. Put simply, if you want to discover the answers to the Willamette mystery, you must complete your investigation one lead at a time. The game's pacing adds a sense of realism through a palpable urgency and really helps to immerse the player in the experience of the game.

    Depth, balance, and emergence
    The individual elements of Dead Rising combine well to create an immersive and absorbing overall gaming experience with great depth and balance. Following the leads and unravelling the mystery is genuinely interesting and at times thrilling. Killing zombies in new and inventive ways is just plain fun, whilst the plethora of characters puts meat on the bones of the game's universe. Only two negatives upset the game's balance and prevent Dead Rising from being a five star experience:
    1. When helping a survivor as part of a side mission, the games A.I. takes control of the character you are trying to rescue. It almost seems as if the game is working against you in this instance as the characters are slow to respond and put themselves in life threatening situations. This can get a little annoying to say the least, especially when you take my second point into consideration...
    2. In order to save your progress or rescue a survivor you have to reach the game's safe room. This is a safe area of the mall, sealed off with welded doors at the beginning of the game where survivors congregate after you have rescued them. This method of saving is in the vein of the Resident Evil typewriter method which I was never a fan of. I do however recognise that many people enjoyed that method as an integral part of the gaming experience and so you may not find it as annoying as me. I just find it frustrating that having completed a gruelling mission, you then have to make it through the length of the mall past hordes of zombies/evil survivors hell bent on eating/murdering you to the safe room in order to save your game. It is especially frustrating when you die on your way to the safe room and then have to restart your game from your last save point.
    However, these are just a few minor niggles in an otherwise seamless experience and I would hate for them to put you off playing the game.

    The controls
    The controls are simple yet effective, so much so that they are hardly worth mentioning. This is surely a good thing as I always think that with a game's controls no news is good news. If I had a lot to write about them it would probably be because I hated them! Thankfully that is not the case with Dead Rising. Move with the analogue stick, attack with X and jump with A - these two buttons and a stick are your main controls and everything else is secondary when it comes to surviving the game. Plenty of control related pointers are provided at the start and ten minutes in I guarantee the controls will be mastered.

    Sound and Graphics
    The graphics of the story telling video sequences leave a little to be desired but the gameplay graphics and the mechanics of the game's universe are spot on. Dead Rising's "swarm" technology fills your screen with hundreds of zombies and the game's engine is more than up to the task of animating them all simultaneously. The interior of the mall is beautifully realised and filled with sumptuous and stunning detail. I really loved the mall's cinema - it looked almost life like. The sound is perfect. Enter a new area of the mall and you are instantly greeted with a chorus of undead groans. The quality of the sound makes for a chilling, tense atmosphere to say the least.

    Verdict
    A few minor niggles regarding character A.I. and save game methods prevent me from awarding this game the five stars it should have achieved. However these should not put you off what is in my opinion the best survival horror game of this current console generation. It's not shocks that will scare you but the overwhelming number of zombies you are up against. The malls items (or weapons as necessity will cause you to view them) and the unique experience that can be achieved with them will keep you coming back for more. The investigation/story is immersive and compelling enough to really make you feel like the star of your own version of 'Dawn of the Dead'...just don't tell George A. Romero. With the release date of Dead Rising's sequel approaching faster than the spread of a zombie plague, now is an ideal time to slash and bash your way through the original.

  • Guitar Hero III - Game Only (Xbox 360)

     RYAN ANDERTON - 26/08/2010 17:26:34 XBox 360

    I believe that this website is the best on the internet as in these times trying to find things cheeper is the way fowardand this is the best website for it

  • Mafia II (Xbox 360)

     Paul Martin - 25/08/2010 13:10:06 XBox 360

    The Mafia series has always been well received by both the critics and public. The first game in the series was Mafia developed by Illusion Softworks. The game was initially made for the PC before being ported to both Playstation 2 and Xbox in 2004. The game received high praise with almost perfect reviews scores and high hopes of a sequel. In August 2008, Mafia 2 was announced with the release of an impressive promotional trailer. The development team of Mafia 2 is actually the same studio the developed Mafia despite now being called 2K Czech. The team promised the most authentic Mafia game to date before release, have they managed to deliver their promise?

    The story takes place in Empire Bay, a city that has been based both upon San Francisco and New York City with influences of Chicago and Detroit. The game is based between the period of 1945 leading to the final conclusion of the game in 1955. You will play as Vito Scaletta, the son of Sicilian immigrants and World War II veteran. On his return from the war Vito will discover his family is in debt left by his dead father. To redeem his family name and repay the debt Vito chooses the life of crime. However, as Vito begins to earn more money and respect than his father did in a lifetime he decides to continue and achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a 'made man'.

    The game map is be completely open ended much like GTA IV the player will be given the open world of around 10 square miles. The only difference is that no restrictions are placed on the gamer allowing them to roam around the entire game map from the very beginning. The controls are responsive and well mapped out allowing gamers to control Vito with no frustration. Although similar to GTA IV, Mafia 2 has taken a more realistic approach allowing Vito to only take little damage before actually dying. This can at time make areas of the game very difficult and push the gamer into taking cover alot more than you would in the likes of Rockstars GTA series. The cover mechanic is very well implemented within the game, but it will feel over used on your playthrough. The law within the game is also very strict making the gamer have consequences of actually breaking it. Even simply pushing the speed limit will cause the police to chase you down and bring you to justice. Despite the law being very strict there is however the question of the AI when running the likes of a red light, which seems very odd given the depth the police aspect has been given. When being a naughty boy or girl the police will even go as far as broadcasting your clothes and license plate to there fellow officers. Despite being realistic it will no doubt be one of the main criticisms about the game for alot of gamers and critics. Admittedly it wasn't much an issue for myself as I actually was impressed with the realism, but there are times when it will annoy you especially if you wish to speed things up when getting from A to B. The game mechanics such as auto aim also feel very GTA IV like. Simply tapping it will auto lock onto an enemy target and allow for easy kills the majority of the time. The most impressive thing about the Mafia 2 gaming world is the destructive environment. Given the game's free roam environment the 2K Czech team have really pushed the limits to see the game is as authentic and realistic as possible. Taking cover behind a wooden fence will only keep you safe for a small period of time as the wood begins to chips away. The most surprising thing is there are thousands of destructive objects within the game such as windows and even stone pillars keeping gamers on their toes. The games story and side quests will allow any gamer to spend an extensive amount of time playing the game giving good value for money, although the biggest downside is no online gameplay. No doubt GTA IV is Mafia's main competition, therefore to not provide any online game modes seems ludicrous. This may however, as stated above improved other aspects of the game and allowing the developers to focus on providing a better single player gaming experience.

    The graphics are amazing, both cutscenes and during free roam. The city feels realistic allowing the authenticity of the game to flow. 2K Czech have really outdone themselves given the amount of area to explore mixed with the in game realism and artwork it does provide a new gaming experience. Its almost like your watching a movie rather than playing a game. The only downside would be the lip sync with the audio. It doesn't always seem to move in time; although this isn't always the case it does make you think it could have used a little more work before release. This won't make the game bad or average but will stop it from becoming the masterpiece many hoped for.

    The audio is by far one of the most impressive things about the game. Both voice acting and authentic 1945 era music really hit the spot. Even the smaller sound effects such as breaking a window or crashing your vehicle allow the game to feel that little bit more special compared to other games on the market.

    Overall there is alot of fun to be had with Mafia 2. The games authentic music, great voice acting and impressive graphics are but a few positives the game has to offer. The games does provide a different style of gameplay from what you would expect in the GTA series, but given the amount of depth the developers have gone into it's easy to appreciate the games realism. Saying that I generally believe that it will split the gaming community making it form a love or hate relationship to those that play the game. Personally I loved the game despite the small negatives that include, poor lip sync and no online gameplay the game still managed to hit the high mark that was expected. Highly recommended, its an offer you cant refuse! 8.8/10

  • Demon's Souls - Black Phantom Edition (PS3)

     Richard - 23/08/2010 12:25:46 PlayStation 3

    You may have heard that this game is hard. Well it is by today's standards but if like me you are an experienced / older games player than you will get a warm glow as you recall how games used to be as you play through Demons Souls. Pac-man, Manic Miner, Frogger, You died you get sent to the start. You die X times its game over! It was a real kick in the teeth but it made the fact that when you got further than you had been before, your nerves were on edge and each step forward had to be judged and thought through. Its similar with Demons Soul's, some may say its more forgiving but, again, by today's die and re spawn with no consequences game play standards it is definitely a hard game. Who wants to quickly run through a game? Who wants to burn through the experience with out really learning about the levels or enemies? This game makes you think, strategise and learn how to play it properly. Without doing this and respecting the game as you go along you will fall flat on your face time and time again. The mechanics behind the game play are perfect. Every death, and you will die is because of some ill judged action you made. Not the games fault, your fault, but you learn and think 'next time'. Patience and grinding are your friends here, but the worlds are so rich and varied it barely gets old. I recommend this game wholeheartedly but remember this is old school difficulty setting stuck on 'punish'!

  • Red Dead Redemption (PS3)

     Paul - 28/07/2010 20:16:25 PlayStation 3

    Fantastic game!! So much more than just GTA with cowboys!

  • Hitman: Blood Money (PC DVD)

     Daniel Kelly - 26/07/2010 09:47:06 PC

    It can be argued that Hitman: Blood Money is an elaborate puzzle game. It isn't about the act of killing as much as it is about the build up, the anticipation, and the plan. You can't just walk in and shoot your target, you have to outsmart guards, smuggle weapons past security barriers, avoid detection by CCTV, fake accidents and escape without leaving a trace.
    Each level can usually be seen as a tiered affair with certain outfits allowing access to different areas. With each outfit requiring a small part in your overarching plan and each plan requiring an average of three different uniforms, dressing up becomes a large part of the missions.
    Many levels are a matter of timing as well, one in particular can be completed by using one target's death as a distraction to make the second target run under a rigged chandelier, which you then drop on him to kill him. Its elements like this, the plethora of methods and small tricks, that really make you feel like the options are endless.
    There are however one or two small niggles that jar with the rest of the game, the first one that comes to mind is the interface. Even though it is a vast improvement over the previous iterations, it still isn't as polished as it could be. Some of the keys are context sensitive which works well for the most part but can leave you not quite knowing which control you need to press at a given moment. A quick glance at the indicator on the HUD is all that's needed, but can be a bit of a hindrance if you are frantically running away from armed guards. On the subject of guards, A.I behaviour can sometimes be a bit too predictable or silly unless you play on the higher difficulty levels, this isn't really a problem though, it can just break immersion a little every now and again.
    At the end of the day Blood Money is by several orders of magnitude better than any previous game in the Hitman series, and should be on every gamer's "to play" list. It has depth, dark humour and the chance to wear a bird costume.

  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Game of the Year 2009 Edition (PS3)

     Mathew Price - 18/07/2010 19:08:20 PlayStation 3

    Explosive, chaotic, and in fact idiotic as this first person shooting game will blow you away. Either battle it out against the Russian terrorists as UK marines and the USSR, or fight for your team online and see which of your friends can get the highest kill streak. Having your own air strike and helicopter at your will and various weapons to choose from, including machine guns and rocket launchers get ready to create absolute destruction. With great tech like night vision goggles and UAV so you can see the enemy without them seeing you, great perks like extra health and extra bullet damage give you a real feeling of power without having to be in an actual war zone. Voted game of the year 2009 you cannot afford to miss this. With its tremendous game play and graphics take it to the next level and be the ultimate modern warfare gamer.

  • Football Manager Live (Mac/PC)

     Tim Jones - 18/07/2010 04:42:57 PC

    This is a brilliant game especially with the new 3D match engine that was recently applied, well worth the £5 a month. You will easily get 20 hours a week out of this game as it is so addictive and fun. The transfer system has been designed perfectly to stop cheating and ensure that newer players aren't ripped off for their best players.

  • Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360)

     Paul Martin - 14/07/2010 13:04:49 XBox 360

    Since Batman: Arkham Asylum questions have been asked why more well known brands such as Superman, Spiderman and Transformers haven't been able to produce the creative genius that Rocksteady studios produced in 2009. On June 25th 2010 Transformers: War of Cybertron was released on multiple platforms. The game was developed by High Moon Studios who are renowned for their previous outing The Bourne Conspiracy, which didn't receive many high praises from critics or the public. Although questions were made why such world renowned brand such as Transformers was given to High Moon Studios the answer was revealed when they managed to produce the Batman: Arkham Asylum of 2010.

    The story is the story that has never been told before in the Transformers universe. It's Transformers: Episode One in Star Wars terms showing events from the very beginning of the Transformers timeline. The story is set on Cybertron, the home world of the Transformers race. Megatron the future leader of the Decepticons is seeking power by using a Dark version of Energon, the life source of all Transformers to bend those to his will. As sides are taken Cybertron is ravaged by war and chaos on the surface and sky forcing a new hero to stand up and take his rightful place as a Prime to stop Megatron and save the Transformer race from certain extinction.

    The gameplay is similar to Gears of War, although the pace in which your character runs on screen is slow he has the ability to change into a futuristic vehicle whether it be car, truck, tank or plane. The fact that you are able to change into the four above explains the depth of combat you are able to use in Transformers War of Cyberton, as each class has his/her own unique style. The controllers are very simple to grasp and transforming into your vehicle counterpart is as easy as pressing one button. The gameplay is fast paced and features hours of fun and remains highly addictive. The single player features two separate campaigns one for Autobots, the other Decepticons. The Decepticons events happen before the Autobots, but you can play whichever you choose to begin with and no levels repeat throughout the game, although do provide similar mission objectives and gameplay feel. The campaign can be played with 3 online player co op making it that little bit easier on your playthrough if you choose to include your friends. The game also features a mode called Escalation, similar to Horde mode in the Gears of Wars series players are to survive everlasting waves of enemies as long as possible. The game mode is addictive and fun whilst also allowing players to play with characters from the game. The online multiplayer side of things however is by far the most entertaining thing about the game. With several modes including Deathmatch, Conquest and fan favourite Team Deathmatch there is endless fun to be had. The multiplayer has a new twist by not allowing players to play with fan favourites such as Optimus and Bumblebee but instead allowing the player to create their own Transformer. The player has the choice of chassis, which granted does include the characters from the game but allows the player to customize the colour, weapons choice and abilities for each individual class. There are four classes to choose from as you create your Transformer, Soldier, Scientist, Scout and Leader. The Soldier class is a pure brute and be able to take excessive amounts of damage. He has the ability to change into a Cybertron Tank. His attacks are aggressive and powerful, one of his special abilities is called whirlwind, causing the upper torso (although robots don't have torsos) to spin whilst holding a sledgehammer for you to hurl yourself into your foes path. This causes extreme damage on opposition players whether it be on or offline modes. Although the soldier is packed with health and firepower he does lack in speed. The complete opposite to the Soldier class is the Scientist class. Given the ability to change into a jet like aircraft the Scientist is the ultimate support class as he can heal teammates and spawn sentry turrets to give the edge in battle. He also has the ability to reach various areas that would be unreachable by any other class given him the tactical advantage in any battlefield. His strength is speed as he has little health and will be punished in up close combat. The Scout is the Bumblebee class of the game. The small car is fast and stealthy being able to cloak himself invisible. The cloak grants him the edge of first hit in battle and causes extreme damage from behind. He also has the ability to snipe from long distance which allows players to use him as a support class on the backline of the battlefield. His weakness similar to the Scientist is small health bar. Although the Scout takes more damage than the Scientist it is still dangerous to go head to head against the larger and more powerful Soldier and Leader classes. The Leader is fan favourite Optimus Primes class. The Leader is a powerhouse although not as much as the Soldier class. Being able to take less damage than the Soldier the Leader does have a more powerful melee attack using his energon axe. His weapons are also deadly featuring what can only be described as the bazooka of the Transformers universe. His main special ability warcry is for the teams benefit as well as his own. When activated it increases the damage of his own weapons and those on the same team provided there in close proximity. The Leader also has the ability to change in the Truck allowing the Leader to ram into enemies and deal a significant amount of damage. His main weakness is most likely speed, but by all means he is by far the most balanced class of them all. The biggest negative of gameplay, especially online is that High Moon Studios don't have any dedicated servers therefore you may find a laggy match on occasion or more frustrating the host disconnecting half way through the match. This is by far the most annoying problem with the game and given extra time could have been resolved leaving the game brilliant but flawed.

    The graphics in the game are sharp and creative. The landscape provided throughout the gameplay is sometimes breathtaking making Cybertron feel that little bit more real. The character models are well produced with all the main characters being instantly recognisable. The transforming sequences are unique and never get old. The only downside would be that the game provides no cinematics at the start and end of campaign levels. I do feel that cinematics would have done the game more justice rather than using the in game models. It doesn't create the feel of a finished game although some people would disagree.

    Audio is one of the strongest points in the game. The transforming sound is a delight to hear and characters voices resemble those that are found in the original cartoon series. Peter Cullen makes another Transformers return with his voice over of Optimus and it does make the game feel more authentic because of him. Megatrons cartoon voice over however Frank Welker is not present in the game, although I do believe the replacement will be well received by Transformer fans.

    Overall the game is a powerhouse of fun and will require 40+ hours to complete fully. Although the story isn't the best thing in the world its good by all means and provides a nice insight on how the Transformers timeline gathers momentum. The multiplayer is by far one of the most addictive I've played in a long time and will take days to reach maximum levels across all four classes. The ability to customize your Transformer is a major plus and has been implemented well within the game. Another downside of the game would be there's no split screen co op although if your friends do have online gaming there should be no problem connecting and playing co op that way. The graphics and audio of the game are sharp and well used to make the game feel authentic to the older generation of Transformers fans. The fact there's no dedicated servers does provide the gamer with frustrating moments and does seem a little 5 years ago in terms on online gaming leaving it by far the biggest downside of the game. Saying that it's still a fantastic game and worth a look, if not a certain purchase. 9/10