Author: Jessica Thompson

“Theme Park World” (aka – “Sim Theme Park” in the US) is a simulation title that focuses on placing gamers in the shoes of a theme park manager / developer.  While that premise might sound somewhat droll, the game is actually quite fun, as it challenges you to think like a business person whose main interest is in creating a really great theme park for guests to enjoy.  As you might expect though, this is easier said than done.  You’ll not only have to research and build these rides and amusements, but you’ll also need to turn a profit if…

For a while now, there has been a date in most gamers diary; the release of Grand Theft Auto V! Grand Theft Auto has improved year on year so it’s no wonder that this is a highly anticipated release. Some people wonder how it could possibly improve, me included! So let’s see what’s new. Detail This game never fails to amaze me at how realistic and detailed the city feels. There are gangs hanging on street corners and police lights highlighting the night sky to give you the sense you are in the poor backstreets. If you head over to…

Battlefield 4 is just one short week away! It’s so close yet so far! My impressions took longer to form than I thought they would, which is my way of saying – I was too busy enjoying the beta and may have forgotten to share my insight right away. Still, for anyone reading, it’s not too late to get an early idea of what’s to come and maybe pre-order the game. The sequel is everything a franchise improvement should be (based on the beta). It didn’t just try to rehash the same things giving off an overwhelming sense of being…

Fans of the Command & Conquer series certainly have something to celebrate as the latest installment is about to be released, sometime this fall, actually.  What’s more, this game will mark something of a return to the franchises roots in terms of gameplay, which is something that will undoubtedly excite more than a few die-hard proponents of its unique strategic action. If you’re completely unfamiliar with C&C, you should know that the series has always been about real-time strategy, placing you at the helm of a range of forces and then lets you figure out a way to achieve your…

It wasn’t such a long time ago that in order to play games at their best, you needed a high-end computer with a really expensive graphics card installed in order to play the latest games. But nowadays with the advances of technology, chip manufacturers can make CPUs and GPUs so small they can easily fit inside a mobile phone or tablet computer! Thanks to the PowerVR graphics processing unit as well as a beefy CPU and an amount of RAM to complement such specifications, iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad can handle games with graphics capabilities that only a…

The Xbox One, launched by Microsoft in November 2013, marked a significant evolution in the world of gaming and entertainment consoles. It was designed not only as a gaming device but also as an all-in-one entertainment system, hence the name ‘One.’ This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Xbox One, covering its development, features, gaming library, and impact on the gaming industry. Development and Release The Xbox One was developed under the codename ‘Durango’ and was officially unveiled in May 2013. It was the successor to the Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox series. Microsoft aimed…

Looking a bit like something you might find on a star cruiser, the R.A.T. 9 wireless gaming mouse is a peripheral device that’s so packed with features that it’s difficult for some to believe.  Mad Catz is promoting this gaming mouse as an “evolution” or next step, and they’re at least partially right; a quick and simple glance reveals a bevy of buttons and customizable aspects which are both quite useful as well as incredibly cool.  Likewise, the unit is wireless (as clearly indicated), so using it is a very “freeing” experience too (and don’t worry about batter life and…

The Halo 4 console was released in November 2012, there was a great deal of hype and excitement surrounding it. For starters, this console is going to be put to market alongside Halo 4 apparently, and will be very similar in terms of design and features to the Halo Reach console, only slightly updated with Halo 4 graphics. But that’s not all, this particular console will also be offered as part of a bundled package apparently, which will include everything you would expect: custom console, custom controllers, Halo 4 and a headset. Microsoft’s very own online store is actually offering…

Sports games are judged not only on on how they rank against their competing franchises, but also how their footprints compare to those left by last year’s version.  Nothing fundamental or game-changing (besides a player lockout) happened to the game of basketball between 2011 and 2012, and NBA 2k11 was a pretty solid game with a lot going for it.  Do you really need to spend sixty bucks all over again on this year’s basketball game?  In a word: yes.  In terms of functionally converting dollars to fun, even stacked up against last year’s edition, 2k12 is worth it. NBA…

Oooooooh.  Shiny.  Sorry, don’t mind me; the Anno series tends to have that effect on me.  These games sure are pretty.  And Anno 2070, taking place as it does in the not-too-distant-future, is outstandingly beautiful.  Besides having plenty of pretty sci-fi buildings to look at – the squeaky-clean, curvaceous skyscrapers of the Ecos, or the delightfully dingy, smoke-spewing factories of the Technos – Anno 2070 lets you build anywhere you like, including under the gorgeously rendered water.  Sorry, I drooled a little there. Although, it’s worth pointing out here and now that style over substance in city-building/resource-expansion games does not…

Awwww yeah. That, in case you didn’t know, is the required lead-in for any review about a wrestling game this year.  Don’t trust any review that doesn’t start that way.  Awwww, hell yeah. WWE-style wrestling is about one thing, and this is equally important to understand if you’re a developer as it is if you’re a wrestling fan:  it’s about putting on a good show.  It’s not really about pulling off elbow drops, clotheslines, and Koronco busters.  It’s about letting the audience taste the pain and anticipate the swelling tide of violence.  Everyone knows that wrestling isn’t real, it’s pure…

Although they’ve been around practically since the invention of the video game, sports games remain a unique and curious lot.  Most video games are built in some part on the thrill of escapism, of sneaking out of our own rather boring existences and being something impossible: elite soldier; space explorer; treasure hunter; mild-mannered plumber perpetually tripping on really great mushrooms.  Most things you are in games, you are precisely because you’ll never be them in real life – you personally, or we as a species/civilization/global monoculture, lack the ability to do such things in real life.  Not so much with…

There is a lot of contention about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the internet.  As is not that unusual, this slick, big-budget, flashy sequel in a well-established franchise is three things at once: a) loved by professional game reviewers, b) savaged by a vocal minority of players, and c) selling extremely well as hordes of people continue to purchase and play it relentlessly. So what’s got Group B)’s knickers in a twist?  The most salient complaint: “I already own this damn game.”  They’ll readily admit to the following positives: the game looks beautiful; the game is fun; shooting…

Battlefield 3 stands out from the current crop of multiplayer FPS look-mommy-I’m-a-soldier-man by being not about you.  In most other games of this type, even games with class systems, a few good players can really unbalance a match and rocket one team to victory.  Your prowess and skill with your pretend sniper rifle, your speed in whipping out a digital illusion of an MP5 will make the difference between victory and defeat – and more importantly, whether your can knock over 20 guys in a row and unlock the next killstreak perk. Battlefield 3 has the same basic ingredients –…

Based on the final JK Rowling book in the Harry Potter series, not to mention the stunning and highly critically acclaimed final two movies, you might expect Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the game, to transport you to a mystical world filled with complex battles, exciting spells and detailed exploration of the places so beautifully created throughout the series. Unfortunately your expectations are likely to be dashed the first time you raise your metaphorical wand. Unlike the earlier games representing the earlier films, the last two titles in the series have been nothing but third person cover…

Steel Diver is a very compelling submarine simulation game that makes very good use of the various 3DS attributes. Of the 18 games launched by Nintendo recently, Steel Diver is very intriguing, and has a unique hand held gaming system that can be played without 3D glasses. With competition from various smart phones and tablets, the Steel Diver is very critical for Nintendo.  It was touted as the next big thing in the 3DS world when it was unveiled for the first time at the E3 Trade Show some time back. This game has been in the making for quite…

Reviewing tennis games can be pretty tough since there is not much that has changed during the past couple of years or so. However, Virtua Tennis 4 has come up with some interesting developments. Let us see what these are. Virtua Tennis is more of an arcade style game when compared to another tennis game like the Top Spin, which is more of a traditional variety. Virtua Tennis 4 remains true to the earlier versions. It is more focused on delivering exciting tennis action than talking about statistics and other features. Virtua Tennis 4 is a very good game to…

Are you tired of the mindless drama that run of the mill video games present to you? If you are then you should try your hand at Portal 2. Portal 2 is one of the few games that gives the player a larger than life experience of video gaming. The setting of the game is simply amazing; no wonder the game is already a huge hit in the video game market. The initial version of the game was so captivating that at one point in it became the most popular game in the video gaming circuit. In Portal 2 there…

Today, there is a wide variety of third person shooters to choose from. These video game formats range from the really good ones to the absolutely dire ones. Currently, the third person shooter world is taken over by the Gears of War franchise. SOCOM: Special Forces is a new challenger to enter the fray. SOCOM has been around for quite sometime now, and the Special Forces is the fourth in the series. These games have been generally good and consistent. According to the developers, the fourth edition offers an all new experience by using a Play Station Move as a…

Does Rango the Video Game do the Movie Justice? Despite the fact that Rango the Video Game has a simplicity geared more toward children and it can be cleared in about five hours, it’s still one certainly worth playing. The game already had a lot to live up to before it was even released when gamers were told that Johnny Depp would still be the voice of Rango like in the movie and that Behavior Interactive worked closely with Industrial Light and Magic from the film throughout the game’s creation. Although it is often hard to measure up to high…

Call of Duty: Black Ops Call of Duty: Black Ops for PC / XBOX 360 / PS3 had some pretty big shoes to fill from the beginning.  When it was announced in April of 2010 that this seventh installment in the series would be staged in the Cold War, expectations were elevated to nearly unreachable heights early on.  Within 24 hours of the game going on sale, over seven million copies were sold.  The verdict?  It’s safe to say that Activision over-delivered and exceeded even the most unrealistic dreams of what this first-person shooter game should offer but still, gamers…

Is Gaming Taking One Giant Step Back With Mario Sports Mix? It seems as though Square Enix took a lot of past mistakes into consideration during the creation of Mario Sports Mix. If you played the disaster back in 2006 where Mario tried his luck in basketball, you will appreciate that there are a few new sports added to this game to make it at least playable. Storyline Is the gamed called Mario Sports Mix or a Mixed Bag of Mario Sports? Either way, don’t look for a storyline or any type of rhyme or reason. Don’t even look for…

Is Bulletstorm Just Another Foul-Mouthed Shooter Game? While Bulletstormmay be deemed obscene and even vulgar in nature, it’s also a welcome breath of fresh air. If you are looking for a unique shooting game that can add humor while allowing you to cause a little mayhem, this is it! Bulletstorm is intelligent, creative, exploding with personality and it offers fathoms of depth. What could be better than a game that allows you to kill in like 100 different ways and offers a spectacular narration? Storyline While you may assume this game is nothing more than F-bombs, middle fingers and a…

Busy Scissors or Boring Scissors?  You Decide! Busy Scissors for Wii was compared to as the Halo of all hairstyling games, but is there really a worthy collection to compare it to?  Sure, the concept seems catchy and fun, who doesn’t want to be a hairstylist and gossip all day?  The problem is that there are so many flaws and a huge lack of excitement that makes it hard to play the game for more than a short period of time.  Interestingly, Busy Scissors on DS is actually less aggravating, if you can believe that.  While the game does follow…

Why is the Population Addicted to Angry Birds? If you have a hot temper, Angry Birds should not be played near any windows that may tempt you to throw your phone out of.  This puzzle-type of video game, developed by Rovio Mobile seems to be the hottest application for iPhone, iPad and Android.  In fact, since its launch in December of 2009, there have been more than 50 million downloads of Angry Birds across all platforms.  That’s a whole lot of people using slingshots to launch birds at pigs! Why pigs you ask?  Well, at the time that the game…