In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Bitmobbers have cooked up cornucopia of great reviews on all types of games.
This week, we offer more analysis of Modern Warfare 2, of course, but we also showcase more in-depth looks at two very fun (and cheap!) PC games in Torchlight and Captain Forever, another look at the standout shooter-RPG Borderlands, and a detailed write-up of Assassin’s Creed 2.
We ain’t stoppin’ there — we also get a look at Dragon Age: Origins, a WWE Smackdown vs. Raw wrestling game (they still make those?), and another review of Batman: Arkham Asylum. We’re even throwing in a classic Dreamcast game, too! (Kinda like how Aunt Agnes insists on bringing fruitcake to Thanksgiving.)
Now that’s what we call a four-course meal. Let’s dig in.
COD: Modern Warfare 2 — A Review
By Ultan O’Connell
We’ve all had a couple weeks now to dismantle Infinity Ward’s most anticipated sequel of 2009, and the community reviews are still pretty, pretty good. Ultan takes a quick look at the game’s three modes: campaign, spec ops, and multiplayer. On the campaign: “The missions are a thrillride, with setpiece after setpiece of intense action if you follow the prescribed path.” It almost sounds like he likes it, if in a reserved manner thanks to its linearity. When it comes to spec ops, he says, “With a great range of missions, no two alike, it’s easy to lose hours playing spec ops with a buddy.” Spec ops is to MW2 what Nazi Zombies is to Call of Duty: World at War — a fun diversion with no effect on the actual game. Read on to see more thoughts on the Campaign mode and multiplayer.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review
By Eric Majkut
Eric’s review is a bit more surprising, not only to readers but to himself as well. “There is both success and failure here, and each came in ways I never expected.” When playing the campaign mode, the game moves pretty fast. Eric says, “But the fist-pumping, controller-gripping moments come one right after another and leave little time to notice that the story doesn’t always quite make sense.” He goes on to explain that “the almost schizophrenic way in which you constantly switch characters in Modern Warfare 2 leaves little time for character development.” His opinion on multiplayer, though, is one quite a few people might disagree on. “More skill and a bigger gun means [that skilled players] win even more, and it soon becomes a meat grinder for which I don’t want to be the gristle.” Better players might get new guns faster, but just as in the original, some of the best guns in the game are the ones you get early on.
Assassin’s Creed 2 — One Bloody Renaissance
By Suriel Vazquez
Assassin’s Creed 2 seems to be a great game. It’ received great reviews, but the Bitmob community has been a little quiet regarding Ubisoft’s medieval hitman. Luckily, Suriel has jumped in to fill the void. When it comes to how the game works, Suriel says, “Assassin’s Creed 2 makes climbing ledge-riddled towers, shinnying across rooftops, and skipping from one wooden platform to the other truly feel like second nature…. It’s both intuitive and genuinely satisfying.” What’s different about the sequel? “You’re no longer required to do a set number of side missions in order to advance the main story…. Because I wasn’t forced to do them, it became easier to distract myself with them when I got tired of the main quest.” This sounds like an improvement to us.
Dragon Age Review
By Aaron Rivers
Coming from the company that gave us PC classics Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, as well as the critically acclaimed Mass Effect, Dragon Age has a legacy to live up to. Reviews thus far show that BioWare succeeded. Aaron says, “The world of Dragon Age is a smartly constructed homage to earlier works of high fantasy that does not allow it to become constricted by the archetypes of its predecessors.” That’s a good thing for people that don’t dress up in wizard outfits and wait breathlessly for the next edition of the Dungeons & Dragons’ Player’s Handbook, but is the gameplay done well? “This is not a game where you can blunder you way through level up menus randomly assigning points. Dragon Age was designed for seasoned RPG players.” Strategic combat inside of a strong and compelling narrative — this sounds like a win/win.
Borderlands — Shoot ‘Em and Loot ‘Em
By Suriel Vazquez
As we read in a review last week, Borderlands relies on shooting. Suriel goes on to say that the game is “an RPG for fans of shooters — but not vice-versa. Fans of RPGs shouldn’t instantly turn away, but they should know that how well you aim is as important as your level.” It sounds like it has more depth than you might’ve originally thought from a shooter. Is the campaign mode as fun with a friend? “The online co-op works superbly, with the drop-in, drop-out mechanic that we’ve come to expect from games today.” This is good, but what about going against your buddy instead? Suriel thinks that “the other multiplayer additions don’t fare as well.” Read on for his full and very in-depth analysis.
Torchlight: Addictive yet Soulless
By Rob Savillo
Rob says right off what we are all thinking — how can Torchlight, at only $19.99, possibly hold our attention with all the great titles pulling at our limited gameplaying time? Rob says that Torchlight has two things going for it: The “core mechanics in Torchlight feel very refined,” and “the loot system is possibly one of the best I’ve ever encountered.” He continues. “There’s a lot to love about Torchlight, but Runic Games’ debut title is just out of reach of greatness.” You’ll have to read on to see why this game may only be a triple and not a home run for Runic.
For What it’s Worth: WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009
By Ryan Conway
Wrestling games hit the pinnacle in the ’90s. Most of the games in the genre play the same. For fans of the sport, though, there can never be enough. As Ryan says, “This clashing of two of my favorite pastimes has been for lack of a better term ‘a mixed bag.’ The Smackdown vs. Raw series has always been an interesting case.” Like sports games, visuals and sounds change a little every year. Gameplay and extra features are the areas where yearly wrestling games need to shine. “SVR 09 has some new elements added to tag team matches, such as hot tags, blind tags, interference, and tag-team finishers.” Some added elements should definitely help the game, but read on to see if this title stands out.
Is Escape Really What You’re Seeking from the Arkham Asylum?
By Jon Porter
In arguably the best Batman title ever made, Rocksteady crafted a game where stealth is just as important as The Dark Knight’s gadgets and fighting skill. Jon says, “It might be tempting to storm quickly through the game — if you were to do so you’d still enjoy yourself hugely — but some of the game’s best moments come from your own exploration, when you’ll quickly realize how much detail is in this world.” All around, Jon’s thrilled with the latest adventure of DC’s long-eared vigilante. “Batman: Arkham Asylum is simply an amazing package. It offers everything a Batman game should do and manages to stitch it all together with all the care and attention the source material could ever need.”
Captain Forever Review
By Jose De Jesus
Online games are notorious timesinks. As Jose puts it, “There are a lot of online games out there that can quickly steal your attention for hours then suddenly leave you wondering what happened to all your belongings and why the calendar on your is three days later than when you last checked it. This is one of those games.” He goes on to say that “the game tends to get very difficult very quickly, which often leads to death very often, but it is also addictive.” This sounds like a game worth checking out. The price is definitely right — it’s free!
Dr. Gatsu or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Naked Androgynous Fairy
By Michael Pangelina
The Sega Dreamcast is one of the best console systems ever made. As we saw during our Dreamcastiversary, it has tons of titles that aren’t well known but are still a hell of a lot of fun. Do the dated production values of Sword of the Berserk: Guts’ Rage hold up? “The story may be crazier than an alcohol fueled Gary Busey-Nick Nolte joy ride, but in all fairness the cut-scenes are cut together wonderfully and the voice acting is splendidly done.” As it’s based on an anime, it makes sense that the story is a little nuts. Read on to see if the gameplay in this ’90s classic matches its over-the-top narrative.