Joystiq

Crysis 3 review: Pernicious effects of patience

by David Hinkle (Feb 19th 2013 9:30AM)

Crysis 3 distills its story down to an identifiable and simple problem – the big bad CELL corporation controls all of the power on the planet, and indentured servitude is pretty much the only way to survive. The alien race called the Ceph take a backseat for a majority of the campaign, which ...

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance review: It's just a flesh wound

by Ludwig Kietzmann (Feb 19th 2013 4:40AM)

Once you know what you're doing, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance goes from power fantasy to full-on power arrogance. Maniacal is the best way to play this cutting game, dashing into gunfire and shoving your sword through any obstacle, no matter its size or perceived deadliness. The supporting ...

Brain Age - Concentration Training review: Cram session

by Richard Mitchell (Feb 18th 2013 6:15PM)

Nintendo's Brain Age: Concentration Training starts by describing my life in detail. Information is everywhere, says the polygonal, disembodied head of Dr. Ryuta Kawashima. He really says it, by the way, as this Brain Age features copious voice over. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes, Dr. Kawashima ...

Aliens Colonial Marines review: Bore to the corps

by Xav de Matos (Feb 12th 2013 11:00AM)

Aliens: Colonial Marines seems like a product developed over a series of Friday afternoons. You know, those long days where passion felt throughout the rest of the week has dissolved and all that's left are the moments you count off in your head as the clock inches toward closing time. Though my ...

Dead Space 3 review: Take down the terror, just a notch

by Ludwig Kietzmann (Feb 5th 2013 9:00AM)

Dead Space 3 is excellent, meaning I didn't enjoy very much of it. The torture is self-inflicted, and I only increased the severity by playing the game without company, without light and without those regular breaks they used to warn you about in the manual (ask your parents). The inclusion of ...

Skulls of the Shogun review: See you in Hell

by Jessica Conditt (Jan 31st 2013 1:00PM)

Full disclosure: I've never died before. I have no idea what the afterlife looks like, where it's located, who runs its admissions process or if it even exists. I just don't. However, if an afterlife does exist, I'd be totally fine if it resembled the fantastical environment in Skulls of the ...

Portabliss: Ikachan (3DS eShop)

by JC Fletcher (Jan 30th 2013 4:00PM)

This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Ikachan is a perfect snack-sized game. Coming in at around two hours, it offers a concentrated dose of pure Studio Pixel exploration. A precursor to Cave Story, It's the same kind of lovingly pixelated subterranean ...

Fire Emblem - Awakening review: One life to live

by Garrett Martin (Jan 30th 2013 12:00PM)

Fire Emblem: Awakening is the best soap opera since CBS cancelled Guiding Light. If you've never played a Fire Emblem before, imagine Final Fantasy Tactics from an overhead perspective, or a particularly bloated derivation of chess. Nintendo's stalwart helped establish the turn-based tactical RPG ...

The Cave review: Seven spelunkers, none decent

by Ludwig Kietzmann (Jan 29th 2013 10:00AM)

The Cave is an adventure game, obviously. It's littered with puzzles and pieces of junk destined to become the only objects in the world worth having. The cave itself is a sentient, subterranean narrator, enveloping seven different explorers in a patchwork of dream-like environments that not only ...

Ni No Kuni review: Fairy tale wedding

by Sinan Kubba (Jan 23rd 2013 1:00PM)

You know the phrase "You should never judge a JRPG by its authentic adaptation of a cherished animation studio's art style?" Well, that happens to apply to Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, in a good way. It's like a computer made entirely out of triple chocolate; ...