The hit parade seems to never end. Not only is another game of the year candidate making its long-awaited arrival, but Sega’s promise that they’re returning to their roots, in the case of their once celebrated mascot, appears to be no joke this time around. You also have a 14-year-old FPS classic, reborn for today’s audiences… for the second year in a row.
You know him, you love him: Nathan Drake. He’s become the poster child for this generation of gaming for players, who have long sought a leading man that embodies non-stop action, intriguing narrative, and even laughs, provided that they’re used appropriately. Hence why other game makers has viewed Uncharted as a roadmap of sorts, but once again, Naughty Dog has proven that they’re the masters of creating what many have tried to do, but ultimately failed for assorted reasons. And it’s something that could be honestly considered the first legit, interactive movie. I won’t spoil the plot, but instead, simply state that it builds upon what’s been established in the first two games, and quite brilliantly, as one might expect. Multiplayer is back, and better than ever, thanks to the new Buddy System, to create a truly interactive buddy flick. I’ll have more on that, plus the game as a whole, in my upcoming review. PS3
Sonic was once Sega’s crown jewel, their breath of fresh air answer to Mario, and for a while, it worked. His games on the Genesis could easily stand toe to toe to Mario’s on the SNES. Then 3D happened, led by Mario 64, and Sega ever since has struggled ways to present Sonic in such a manner. Eventually they figured something out, but each step of the way was filled with absolute nonsense, whether it be annoying buddies or unwanted abilities (like turning into a werewolf – sorry, werehog). People just wanted something nice and simple, just running forward, collecting rings, jumping on bad guys, that’s it. And Sega has finally listened, by not only cutting the fat, but passing along a dose of yesteryear, adorned in today’s threads. Will this be the thing that finally brings back fans after being scared away by almost a decade of crap Sonic games? At the very least, this one has the best chance out of any. PC PS3, Xbox 360, 3DS
The original GoldenEye was a groundbreaker to say the least. It single-handedly introduced the genre of first person shooting to console gamers and laid the foundation that countless others would later follow (including Halo). And for years many have tried to capitalize and rekindle that magic, with the most embarrassing example being the “sequel” that EA produced a few years back. Twelve months ago, Activision came up with the not so bad idea of simply porting the original, but making a few changes since, after-all, much has changed since the original first hit the scene. Though aside from gameplay tweaks, the most intriguing change of them all was insert current Bond Daniel Craig in the role of former Bond Pierce Brosnan. The end result was a not so bad package, but one that was just for the Wii. So here comes round two, for the Xbox 360 and PS3, with massively upgraded visuals and a far better online infrastructure, which should (theoretically) allow the game to truly shine and make a proper run for former glory. Xbox 360, PS3
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