You’ve ripped the wrapping off of all of the things you will be returning this week, and the mess has been cleaned up. Time to sit back, relax, and enjoy something you actually do want — the best reviews the Bitmob community has to offer.
This week we have a less-than-stellar look at the single-player campaign of Modern Warfare 2, an in-depth analysis of another wartime shooter from the winner of our Operation Flashpoint contest, and impressions of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Wii. We also have reviews of Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, the demo for Resonance of Fate, Killzone 2, and some classic reviews as well.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Review
By Allistair Everett
Shattered Memories is a re-imagining of the Silent Hill series, and Allistair is mostly happy with the results. Although the game is a very “on-rails” experience, and it runs short of surprises after just a few hours of play, he concludes that “…there are so many great ideas at work that you can only imagine what it would have been with the resources of a bigger project.”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review
By Thilina Bandara
Unhappy with the single-player story of Infinity Ward’s runaway hit, Thilina nevertheless admits that the Special Ops and multiplayer modes offer you what you would hope and expect: “…tasks to overcome, endless rewards, technically sound, varied, challenging, and freakishly addictive.”
Noobish Impressions: Killzone 2
By Brandon Van Haren
Brandon hasn’t finished Killzone 2 but has played far enough into the game to offer some insightful impressions about the story and gameplay. Although he was unimpressed with the narrative, he did enjoy the rich and detailed graphics. He also explains how the controls seem to be slow to respond, “but their sluggishness only adds to the games obvious attempt to add an aspect of frustration for the player.”
In the Trenches with Operation Flashpoint
By Matt Mason
Matt’s review starts out mostly positive, as he is clearly happy with the overall experience of realism and the graphics of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. Unfortunately, the game starts to break down when it comes to A.I. and friendly fire. He points out that most FPSes guide you through set pieces that create the illusion of battle, but “Operation Flashpoint, on the other hand, guides players to a variety of scenarios that develop based on how the player approaches the battle.”
Reviewing Zombified Obstacles
By Hunter Red
Hunter’s favorite game of the year is Fallout 3, and he sees many gameplay parallels with Borderlands. That being said, he sees Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic adventure game as far superior. When speaking about the expansion to Gearbox’s FPS, he believes that, unlike the necessity of dead people running around in Left 4 Dead, “the zombies in Borderlands: The Zombie Island Of Dr. Ned have the opposite effect, and the grade that I give this DLC reflects that.”
A Tale of Wild Roses And Imperial Corruption
By Brian Shirk
Brian is obviously a Final Fantasy connoisseur, and he goes through the evolution of the first titles in the series. He loves the look of Final Fantasy 2 on the PSP, and is very happy with the seemingly infinite ways you can customize your character — not to mention the addition of unlimited inventory.
My Resonance of Fate Demo Review
By Toby Davis
This game being just a demo, you can’t judge Resonance of Fate in its entirety. Toby still goes on to explain the types of enemies you will encounter, the layout and feel of the levels, and how the gameplay is a bit reminiscent of Shadow Hearts. Even though the game is enjoyable and the demo is worth checking out, he still comes to the somewhat-obvious conclusion that, “Even with modern animations and good cut-scenes I think it will be over shadowed by Final Fantasy 13.”
For What it’s Worth: Guilty Gear XX Reload: The Midnight Carnival
By Ryan Conway
The story in the Guilty Gear series has never been its strong suit, and the convoluted Gears and Magic of Guilty Gear XX Reload: The Midnight Carnival is no different. As a fan of animation, Ryan is very impressed by the hand-drawn artwork, and he also enjoys the music and Japanese voice acting. Read on to see what he means when he says the gameplay is “where I have some mixed feelings.”
They Only Sparkle When They’ve Been Dead Too Long: Return to Soul Reaver
By Evan Killham
Soul Reaver is a PlayStation classic that is currently available for download on PSN. Evan admits that the story is a little over the top, and the combat system is simple but satisfying. If you play this excellent title by Eidos, you too will find that it is a very unique experience. As Evan puts it, “…this is really the only place to go for an epic tale of verbose, time-traveling vampires who solve block puzzles.”
Is This Genre-Birthing Quest Still A Hero?
By Brian Shirk
Brian explores the first RPG for the Nintendo Entertainment System and finds it doesn’t quite stand the test of time. Even accounting for the outdated graphics and sound, Brian says, “It’s not just Dragon Warrior’s basic story, ugly visuals, and annoying sound effects that bothers me — it’s the game’s battle system that’s the primary offender.” Read on for a play-by-play of why this game should be avoided today.