Here’s the problem with science fiction video games: At some point, you know you’re going to run into some alien race that wants to crush humanity. From “Halo” to “Gears of War” to “Mass Effect,” the scenario is so familiar it’s become exhausting. One can only save the universe so many times. So it’s refreshing to jump … Continue reading →

There’s always an element within any role-playing game that fans of the genre will gripe about. While last year’s “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” was lauded for a beautiful and expansive open world, it was slammed by others for its somewhat bland combat. On the other hand, “Dark Souls” was hailed for a brutally difficult combat system … Continue reading →

The goals in video games are usually well-defined: Kill the bad guys. Rescue the princess. Knock the pigs off their pedestals. But there’s a whole underground movement of independent designers making games with less well-defined goals. They may look familiar on the surface — especially to fans of running-and-jumping “platform” games like “Super Mario Bros.” — but … Continue reading →

Amen Corner awaits. With the Masters tournament being held this weekend and Tiger Woods coming off his first victory in more than two years, “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13” couldn’t arrive at a more opportune time. Video game golf has made some of the greatest strides of all sports titles over the years. The player customization is … Continue reading →

In most game-playing households, Nintendo’s Wii is the console that gets powered up when the whole family wants to play, whether engaging in the lighthearted antics of “Mario Kart” or “Wii Sports” or the more exhausting physical activity of “Just Dance” or “Wii Fit.” With a few rare exceptions — like last year’s “The Legend of Zelda: … Continue reading →

If you were playing video games in the 1980s, you probably remember flinging your Nintendo controller across the room after the original “Ninja Gaiden” sliced and diced you into mouth-frothing aggravation. Too young for that? How about when the 2004 series reboot on the original XBox took you about five hours just to get the mechanics down? Continue reading →

UFC isn’t just that thing your buddies watch at the bar while eating hot wings anymore. Now, players can dive fist-first into the sweaty, bloody, face-smashing, arm-twisting world of mixed martial arts. Be warned, however, that learning every facet of the game’s exhaustively deep combat will take a lot of sweat and tears. You don’t have to … Continue reading →

Science fiction fans love their galactic empires. From the novels of Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert to the multimedia epics created by George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry, the planet-hopping space opera has enthralled starry-eyed dreamers since well before the Apollo program. With its Mass Effect series, BioWare has created the first video-game universe with the scope and … Continue reading →

“Scarygirl” has more adorably creepy charm than the last few Tim Burton movies combined. Unfortunately, run-of-the-mill gameplay reveals that deep down this gothed-out game is just like all the rest. “Scarygirl” is actually the second 2-D platforming game based off of the titular tentacle-armed star of a graphic novel by Australian artist Nathan Jurevicious. The first game … Continue reading →

When the demonic first-person game “The Darkness” was released in 2007, it was a twisted breath of fresh air among all the war simulators and space-marine romps. AP video game reviewer Lou Kesten called it an “intriguing mix of stealth and first-person shooting.” Unfortunately, a sequel that’s arrived five years later isn’t as much of a … Continue reading →

The “Final Fantasy” franchise, now in its 25th year, has one of the most enthusiastic fan bases in all of video games. And those fans made their voices heard after the 2009 release of “Final Fantasy XIII,” which jettisoned some of the series’ long-standing features in exchange for a more streamlined, action-packed narrative. Aficionados howled, particularly over … Continue reading →

In game six of the 2004 American League Championship Series, Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling beat the New York Yankees despite playing on an injured ankle — one that bled so badly that Schilling’s victory became known as the “bloody sock” game. It’s the stuff of baseball legend. And it’s a legend that’s more dramatic than … Continue reading →

How do you make that familiar galaxy far, far away fresh again? Take it back to an even longer time ago. Way back. Well before Vader, Luke, Leia, Yoda and especially Jar Jar. More than 3,000 years before, in fact. That’s the setting for BioWare’s engaging “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” a multiplayer online game for … Continue reading →

If “Guitar Hero” was the spunky teenager who made music gaming fun, “Rocksmith” is his older, cooler brother in a distressed leather jacket. “Rocksmith” (Ubisoft, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, $79.99) trades in the now familiar plastic guitar with buttons for the real, six-stringed deal. You simply plug your electric guitar — or an acoustic guitar … Continue reading →

The year of 2011 may become known as the year games got pretty again. While the biggest releases were of the inevitable grey and brown military variety, a slew of absolutely stunning and imaginative games like “Outland,” “El Shaddai” and “Rayman Origins” recaptured the visual splendor of the games of yesteryear. Not to be outdone, “Trine 2” squeezes in … Continue reading →

So you just got an iPad for Christmas. You already have all the essentials loaded — Facebook, Twitter, iBooks, whatever news app you prefer. Now it’s time to get serious and start learning what the iPad was really built for: games. There are more than 26,000 iPad games available from Apple’s App Store, with something for every imaginable taste. Continue reading →

If you’re reading this review, there’s a good chance you’re going to take your child to see “The Adventures of Tintin” in theaters. However, parents (and Santa) should be aware that “Tintin” is the video game equivalent of a lump of coal. “The Adventures of Tintin” follows the plot of the movie, but does so vaguely enough as not … Continue reading →

This new “Voltron” game from THQ should come with a bowl of cereal and a pair of pajamas because it’s clearly fan service for the nostalgic souls who spent their childhood watching Saturday morning cartoons. Sadly, not even the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia can make this game look like anything but a generic cash-in attempt on a beloved franchise. Continue reading →

It has been two hundred years since the events in "Oblivion," the previous "Elder Scrolls" game. Civil war is in the air and the land is in dire need of a hero. Will you be the one to right the wrongs in "Skyrim?" "Skyrim" is an open-world, single-player role-playing game (RPG) that allows the player to construct a character … Continue reading →

Capcom pretty much invented the modern fighting game back in the ’90s with “Street Fighter 2” and helped usher the genre into obscurity by charging players for new versions of the game every year. Now they’re releasing an update to the original “Marvel vs Capcom 3” less than a year later for only $20 less than the original game’s … Continue reading →

There are three kinds of people who should play “Rayman Origins”: kids who have lost their innocence to gritty and violent shooting games, gamers who remember how much fun all those classic 2-D platformers like “Mario” and “Sonic” were, and everybody who loves beautiful, rewarding and challenging games they can play with their friends. The “Rayman” franchise … Continue reading →

“Tekken Hybrid” is the video game equivalent of a Happy Meal. The meat is tasty, but a little old. There are too few fries. And the toy will only hold your interest for so long. Still, hardcore fans will get a lot of bang for their buck with this title, as the $39.99 price tag includes an HD remake … Continue reading →

While the latest “Assassin’s Creed” title, “Revelations,” wraps up the intriguing story arc of the series,, the gameplay innovations are slight at best. This finale is a must-play for fans of the series, but newcomers are better off waiting until next year’s inevitable sequel. The lives of three protagonists—medieval assassin Altair, Italian Renaissance assassin Ezio and modern-day … Continue reading →

The “King of Fighters” series has never quite been able to seize the fighting game throne. The game has lived perpetually in the shadow of “Street Fighter,” despite annual sequels for nearly a decade. While “King of Fighters XII” brought the series’ 2-D graphics into the modern era with HD sprites, the gameplay just didn’t have much fight … Continue reading →

Though the original “Saints Row” was thought by many to be riding the epic crime coattails of “Grand Theft Auto,” the video game’s 2008 sequel did an admirable job of beginning to develop its own over-the-top identity. THQ’s Volition studio reaches its gang-warfare glory with “Saints Row: The Third” ($59.99, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), a … Continue reading →

Graffiti has been around since the days of the Roman Empire, but it’s always had trouble being accepted as a true art form. Perhaps this is because graffiti favors style over substance. After all, there’s nothing deep or moving about “Jeff wuz here” on the side of an overpass, no matter how stylish the lettering. “Sideway: New York” … Continue reading →

“Orcs Must Die” fulfills the promise of its title. With an arsenal of spells and gruesome deathtraps at your disposal, there’s plenty of motivation to kill with style as Robot Entertainment jumps into the Tower Defense genre. The storyline is as short and to the point as the title. When an old wizard slips on a puddle … Continue reading →

Batman’s rogue’s gallery may not abandon their wicked ways anytime soon, but “Batman: Arkham Asylum” proved that even the criminally bad superhero game genre can turn over a new leaf. “Batman: Arkham City” tops this first game with massive environments to explore and enough crazed villains to fill up, well, a city. Arkham City is a walled-off … Continue reading →

Activision’s “Call of Duty” releases are to video games what Michael Bay movies like “Transformers” are to cinema. They’re loud and flashy, they deliver state-of-the-art digital effects, and they don’t have a coherent thought in their heads. If playing the latest “CoD” campaign doesn’t give you a headache, trying to make sense of its convoluted, preposterous story will. Continue reading →

“Call of Duty” games have been dominating the world of console online shooters in recent years, but another series that built much of its devoted following on the PC is making a strong push for its share of that space. “Battlefield 3” ($59.99, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC) is the latest installment from Electronic … Continue reading →

I’m not what you’d call a “car guy.” I’ve been driving the same set of wheels for more than 10 years. The only maintenance chore I can handle myself is refilling the gas tank. I don’t need to go from zero to 60 in 6 seconds; I’d rather have a good stereo. And yet, I’m a sucker … Continue reading →

Rocksteady Studios has thrown everything but the Batsink into the sequel to “Batman: Arkham Asylum” — and that’s probably because the Caped Crusader has yet to invent one. Everything about the much-hyped “Batman: Arkham City” (Warner Bros., $59.99, for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) is bigger, bolder and crazier than its critically acclaimed predecessor. Luckily, the gameplay … Continue reading →

Here’s a question for you: With seemingly two-thirds of modern console games focused squarely on shooting things, why hasn’t someone made a good hunting game? For whatever reason, shooting other human beings has been a much more successful formula for game companies, and hunting games have developed a reputation for being bargain bin snorefests. “Cabela’s Big Game Hunter … Continue reading →

One of the most beloved video games of all time is back yet again. “Final Fantasy VI” is being re-released on the Playstation Network for the low price of 12.99, but does this Super Nintendo classic hold its own against its high-tech descendants? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” If you’re a younger gamer who has never played … Continue reading →

Team Ico’s games seem to stand on their own lonely mountaintop. It’s difficult to compare them to anything else because they evoke feelings unheard of in most games like loneliness, isolation, and wonder. Now, both of Team Ico’s games have been dolled up with HD graphics to win over a new generation of gamers. This remastered re-release … Continue reading →

"X-Men: Destiny” is a lie. The entire concept of the game is the promise of a choose-your-own-adventure story set in the X-Men universe. You must decide whether to join the X-Men or the mutant terrorists known as the Brotherhood, and supposedly this choice will have a major impact on the story and gameplay. In the end, no matter … Continue reading →