Filed under: Reviews

Review: Prince of Persia

by Xav de Matos { 11 months ago }

Arguably one of the last big releases of 2008, Prince of Persia from Ubisoft puts players in control of a new protagonist in a new universe. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the team behind the critically acclaimed 2003 title Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, this generation's Prince pairs him with a mysterious ally Elika as they battle the forces of darkness in a mystical land. Does this Prince of Persia stack up to the legend of the classic series or does it fall short of greatness? Jump in for X3F's full review and make sure to check out our screenshot gallery of over 100 new images from the soon to be released adventure.

Gallery: Prince of Persia

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X3F Impressions: Lips review

by Dustin Burg { 11 months ago }

Announced during E3 with the glitz and excess of a live performance by Welsh singer Duffy, it was obvious that Lips was Microsoft's attempt to create a music platform for the Xbox that would lure in the same gaming crowd as Sony's SingStar. With the promise of karaoke party fun, high tech motion controlled microphones and images of walking lips seared into our brains, we took Microsoft's Lips for a musical romp. Click towards the break to read our impressions.

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Review: Gears of War 2

by Xav de Matos { 1 year ago }

Gameplay in Gears of War 2 can do no wrong. I don't mean that in the hardcore, mouth-breathing, 1337 sense that the entire experience is flawless but the gameplay itself is already well established ... and, why shouldn't it be? Gameplay in Gears 2 is nearly identical to the 2006 Game of the Year original from Epic Games with slight tweaks that make the experience less jumpy and more enjoyable. Writing a review that focuses on the gameplay of Gears of War 2 would be about as helpful as explaining the importance of breathing so the focus of this review will be based on the story and additions.

Ultimately, Gears 2 has a few promises to live up to. When it was announced the first marketing spiel thrown out with it was, "Bigger, better and more badass." Does it answer those claims or does Gears of War 2 fall faster than a burning Locust Reaver? Jump in for the full review.

Ed. Note: This review does not include any story spoilers.

Gallery: Gears of War 2 -- Act One

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X3F Impressions: Dead Space review

by Dustin Burg { 1 year ago }

Way back (by internet standards) in September 2007 when EA announced a new space survival horror game game called Dead Space, we couldn't help but roll our eyes in expectation of mediocrity. But over the course of a year, things changed.

Over time, we heard more about its intriguing story, its gruesome dismemberment, stunning visuals and were introduced to the iconic look of main character Isaac Clarke. Suddenly, bloggers and reporters were coming out of E3 giving it praise and were actually excited for EA's survival horror game. That's when a sense of excitement spread as Dead Space's potential was realized. I'm proud to say that after playing through the entire Dead Space campaign, the game delivers a gaming experience as expected. But not based on those early, mediocre 2007 expectations. No, Dead Space delivers on the higher expectations that were set during E3, treating gamers to a solid survival horror experience as was promised.

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X3F TV -- Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Review

by Xav de Matos { 1 year ago }

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway marks the first time the critically acclaimed World War II shooter has made its way to the Xbox 360 generation. Known for a dramatic look at the relationships and emotions of war, Hell's Highway continues the story of Staff Sergeant Matt Baker as his squad of 101st Airborne Division veterans this time as they push through the ultimately flawed plan of Operation Market Garden. How does the latest from publisher Ubisoft and developer Gearbox Software stack up? Check out our full video review.

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Review: LEGO Batman

by David Craddock { 1 year ago }

I won't lie to you: I'm a huge Batman fan. A Bat-freak, you might say. From collecting comics and watching The Animated Series ad infinitum to camping out for tickets to the midnight showing of new Bat-films (barring the Joel Schumacher travesties), if it's Batman, I'll give it a shot.

So great is my Batman fanaticism that I purposely skipped LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures in order to maintain my anticipation for LEGO Batman. The two properties may seem unrelated, but the truth is, I knew full well that despite all the Batman lore that Traveler's Tales would no doubt cram into a Gotham built brick by LEGO brick, taking in too much of the LEGO action game formula would kill Batman's fun factor quicker than a whiff of the Joker's deadly gas. As I predicted, LEGO Batman is immense fun -- if you can look past the LEGO formula's reoccurring flaws that should have been fixed after the first LEGO Star Wars.

Gallery: LEGO Batman

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Zero Punctuation: Army of Two is ripped a new one

by Terrence Stasse { 1 year ago }

This week in the land of sarcastic game reviews with few pauses, Yahtzee targets the recently released Army of Two. Choosing to firmly grasp the obvious humor immediately, the review starts of with the expected bromance jokes, and then moves to the horribly cliched story, the poor AI and the lack of QA. As is custom with Zero Punctuation, there is substance behind the speed, and Yahtzee touches on some important gameplay and genre topics. But hey you don't listen to Zero Punctuation for the quality analysis, but rather the quality humor. As is the case with Zero Punctuation, the video can be found after the break, and is not safe for those of you at work.

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Halo 3: X3F review

by Richard Mitchell { 2 years ago }

It's not often that we here at X3F get a chance to review a high profile title like Halo 3 before it hits store shelves, and it's an opportunity I'm not taking lightly. I've spent the last 48 hours (give or take a few hours for the requisite food and sleep) embedded deep within Halo 3, doing my best to categorize the experience as I went along. In this endeavor I have more or less failed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy what I played, because I absolutely did. It's just that with as many features as there are in Halo 3, there's so much stuff to test that 48 hours really isn't enough time to glean enough information and condense it into a review. Still, review it we must. Read on for a (hopefully) defining glimpse into Microsoft's great green hope.

Gallery: Halo 3

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X3F review: Puzzle Fighter HD

by Richard Mitchell { 2 years ago }

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is an interesting game. Unlike many puzzlers out there, Puzzle Fighter never spawned any sequels (despite the "II" in the title, only one game was created). Then again, as any Puzzle Figher fan could tell you, there really wasn't any need. Puzzle Fighter was just about perfect, truly incorporating the fighting mechanic into its core gameplay, rather than simply cashing in on the successful Steet Fighter franchise and the arguably less successful Darkstalkers franchise. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix brings the game to XBLA along with a few changes and gameplay modes that never saw the light of day outside of Japan. Does the game hold up after all these years? Oh, hell yes.

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The Darkness gets reviewed and it's good

by Dustin Burg { 2 years ago }

Fresh out of hell's oven is the first review for upcoming 360 release The Darkness and word on the street is that it's actually good. 1UP posted the first review and gave the game a whopping 9.0 out of a possible 10. They felt that the presentation, the look, the gameplay and overall incorporation of the Darkness features (tentacles and all) were very polished and fun. As the saying goes, "it just works". Completing the game will take an average of ten or so hours, but 1UP feels that players can easily get distracted by messing around with the physics engine or taking advantage of the game's down times by roaming the city. The only drawback to the game is its somewhat gimmicky multiplayer, which developer Starbreeze even admits shouldn't be taken too seriously. Overall, we're impressed by how much 1UP was impressed by the game and will be patiently watching metacritic for more reviews to hit the internet. Who knows, The Darkness could actually be a solid game.

[Thanks, intRvenous]

IGN UK rates Overlord; Verdict: Impressive

by David Dreger { 2 years ago }

IGN UK got their hands on the retail build of Overlord, and have given the game its rounds and came back with a nice review, scoring an 8.1 . Those who liked the demo will be happy to hear that the cool experiences had in that initial level continue on through the game, with capabilities of having 50 minions on screen with no slow down. Their only gripes, gameplay wise, was that it appears to require backtracking in order to summon particular minions for their specialties later on in a given level. They also felt the multiplayer felt "tacked-on" to the over all experience. So, if you want an advance look at what's coming your way later this month, click the "Read" link.

Tycho: Retro games shouldn't be reviewed

by David Dreger { 2 years ago }

Sure, this may only be the fourth of the current comic streak for Xbox 360 related strips from Penny Arcade, but it definitely brings up a valid point that deserves discussion. Retro titles from our "mispent youth", as Peter Moore so elegantly put it, are usually somewhere in the neighbourhood of 15 to 25 years old. Sure, they may get reskinned with some extra pixels per sprite, but the vast majority are the same game they were when they were on early consoles or in cabinets. Should they be treated the same by reviewers as retail games, or should the fact that these are pieces of gaming history give them a little grace? After all, if you don't like retro titles, haven't played the original game, or didn't enjoy the title, you could always not buy it.

Tetris Evolution video review featuring a giraffe

by Dustin Burg { 2 years ago }

Gamertag Radio's Godfree put together a video review of the newly released 360 title Tetris Evolution. Their review (embedded above) features achievement talk and gameplay footage showcasing a four player showdown, beautiful clouds, and one hungry giraffe. Black tongues rock! From what we see, Tetris Evolution looks to be simple, colorful, customizable, and takes advantage of full Xbox Live integration. Is it worth $30? That's for you to decide, but this is definitely one of the prettiest Tetris games to date.

Homecourt on 360 beats PS3's visuals

by David Dreger { 2 years ago }

Game Informer's March issue's review of the cross platform, 1080p native basketball game NBA Street: Homecourt makes a comparison in the graphics department between the two consoles. They clearly state that while the game looks stunning regardless, the Xbox 360 edges out the PS3. Similar results can be found for the PS3 review of F.E.A.R. in the very same issue. So, those are two games that go in Xbox 360's favor, but we'll have to see how things go as future cross-platform games release. In most cases, the games will probably be nearly identical, and it will be up purely to your personal preference, give or take $200. What upcoming multi-platform games are you curious about the comparisons for?

[Thanks, Jonah]

IGN's broken 360, cardboard coffin reviewed

by Dustin Burg { 2 years ago }

It happens to the best of them, each curvacious white box having so much potential and so much to offer in its lifetime. But sometimes their life is tragically cut short for no particular reason, especially those first pioneers. IGN recently had to say goodbye to their broken Xbox 360 (a 2005 version at that) and chronicled the emotional journey they faced. A poem was written, the processed was journaled, and the cardboard coffin box came in the mail. And leave it to IGN to write a full review of the official coffin of the 360 ... you know, just in case you have to go through the process. We send IGN our prayers in hopes that they come to peace with the loss and accept a new Xbox 360 member into their gaming family.

[Thanks, Jonah]