Pads & Panels

Title: Madden 12

Platform: 360 (PS3, Wii, PS3, 3DS, PSP)

ESRB Rating: E

Publisher: EA Sports

Developer: EA Tiburon

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

In the college vs. pro football discussion, there have always been purists who side with college football because of its focus on young athleticism over the money-hungry pro superstars and the showiness of the NFL. Of course, the NFL has star power, big-time television coverage and endorsements, and a better playoff structure in its corner. But in the world of video game football, it seems Madden’s collegiate counterpart may have finally won the debate.

Over the last two years, I have absolutely fallen in love with the NCAA Football series, from its style of pure football gameplay to its incredibly deep franchise mode and fantastic recruitment process, playing to the strengths of the four-year college rotation, rather than its weaknesses. And NCAA Football 12 gets closer than ever to making the player feel like he is in the coach’s seat. Madden 12, on the other hand, does everything in its power to remind me of why I’m growing tired of professional football. (more…)

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Title: Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime

Platform: XBLA (PSN, PC)

ESRB: E

Publisher: Atari

Developer: Behaviour

Rating:

Review by: Eric Stuckart

Since 2009, Ghostbusters: The Game has been sitting on my ‘to do’ list for quite some time, as I heard that while it might not be the greatest game out there, it had enough spirit and character to stir up the nostalgia factor and be a decent title to purchase once the price came down. That being said, when I heard that Sanctum of Slime, a sequel of sorts, was being released as a downloadable twin stick shooter, I was already losing hope. I’m sure that Atari probably lost a little bit of money with the last one, as it wasn’t exactly a high-profile release, let alone the type that would be demanding sales, but it wasn’t that bad, was it? (more…)

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Title: Gran Turismo 5

Platform: PS3

ESRB: E

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Polyphony Digital

Rating:

Review by: Archie Easter

Five years in the making, Gran Turismo 5 has been long awaited by fans of the racing franchise.  With such a well established pedigree and promises of over 1,000 cars and every form of racing from NASCAR to go-karts being represented in the game, hopes and expectations have been understandably high. Now that series head Kazunori Yamauchi’s racing magnum opus is out on the streets and rolling through living rooms everywhere, the question remains – can the game possibly live up to the hype?

Let’s get this out of the way right now – when it’s firing on all cylinders, GT5 is downright gorgeous. The game’s intricately detailed cars and new weather effects like rain and snow are faithfully reproduced and combine to create instances of near photo-realism. In addition, more than 200 of the cars have modeled interior dashboards so that players can actually use a more immersive cockpit view while driving. While many of the cars look amazing, a possible side effect of the game’s large stable of vehicles was that there are a couple of models that noticeably suffer from lower resolution textures. (more…)

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Title: LittleBigPlanet 2

Platform: PS3

ESRB: E

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Media Molecule

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

How does a game developer follow up an effort that offered gamers virtually limitless gaming, in which the quantity and quality of ever-increasing community content has seemingly only been limited by the imaginations of the people creating it? That’s the question that faced Media Molecule after the release of the critically-lauded LittleBigPlanet.

On the campaign front, LittleBigPlanet provided gamers with arguably some of the best 2D platforming seen in years, with the addition of depth planes. But it was the custom creations that hooked the hardcore on LittleBigPlanet. For the creative types, the title offered console gamers the most extensive and streamlined set of creation tools ever seen. Better yet was the “Share” model of the game, which allowed gamers to easily publish these creations for others to play.

And so those simply looking to get their money’s worth had nothing to complain about with the amassing content, including developer-created packs. But with all of that content, it’s easy to ask the question – why do we need a sequel to LittleBigPlanet? What makes LittleBigPlanet 2 worthwhile? And the simple answer to that question is that the tools and possibilities have grown, as is the series fame, practically infinitely. (more…)

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Title: Disney Guilty Party

Platform: Wii

ESRB: E

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios

Developer: Wideload Games

Rating: Rating:

Review By: Archie Easter

Quality titles on the Wii that aren’t made by Nintendo can be few and far between. So it’s refreshing to see that the Wideload Games developed Disney Guilty Party stands out as a generally well-designed and family-oriented party game that is both entertaining and filled with humor that will appeal to both children and adults. Unfortunately, there are a few minor missteps preventing it from reaching super-sleuth status. (more…)

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Title: Mystery P.I. – Stolen in San Francisco

Platform: PC

ESRB: Unknown

Publisher: PopCap, SpinTop Games

Developer: SpinTop Games

Rating:

Review by: Sarah Kumley

Much like a Where’s Waldo? puzzle, the Mystery P.I. series challenges players to find everyday objects that are hidden in a scene. The latest installment, Stolen in San Francisco, uses famous scenery from around the great West Coast city. The player has been hired by a very wealthy person to find $250 million worth of gold bars stolen from an armored car. The player scours 25 locations to find clues and put them all together to recover the gold, by pointing and clicking on objects. (more…)

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Title: Madden NFL 11

Platform: 360 (PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS, iPhone)

ESRB Rating: E

Publisher: EA Sports

Developer: EA Tiburon

Rating:

Review by: Dan Braun

With EA owning the exclusive rights to football for the past few years, every fall, gamers face the same question: “Is this year’s Madden worth buying?”

It’s a nagging question, as nearly everybody on this side of the pond loves (real) football, but nobody wants to shell out for a paint job and roster update. Madden NFL 11 delivers enough to justify its place for both new users and veterans, but may not be the best update for the franchise. It looks wonderful and plays smoothly most of the time, but terrible play calls, online issues and a few other question marks and it’s hard to dub this the pinnacle of the series. (more…)

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Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up

Platform: Wii (PS2)

ESRB Rating: E

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Game Arts

Rating:

Review by: Dan Braun

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up is a perfect example of cashing in on a popular franchise without having to do anything creative or fun. The game unabashedly flaunts itself as a game in the same fighting vein as the Smash Bros. series, but it is clearly an inferior title, due to lame voice acting, muddled animation and just a poorly-executed fighting system.

The game offers an array of modes, ranging from arcade beat-em-up to a convoluted story. Unfortunately, it all plays relatively the same, save for the addition of some terrible cutscenes that provide an abhorrent plot and an earful of some of the crappiest dialogue performances one would ever want to sit through. (more…)

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Title: Bookworm

Platform: DS

ESRB: E

Publisher: PopCap Games

Developer: PopCap Games

Rating:

Review by: Sarah Kumley

The PC addiction of Bookworm is now available on the Nintendo DS. This version plays much like the original, with some new additions. The goal is to find and spell out words in a collection of letter tiles. Longer and more complex words net the player more points. The player can also unlock more library rooms by spelling longer words. Twenty bonus books offer players a chance to find specific words in the tiles. Each book has a different theme, with twelve words to find that vary in length and difficulty. There are three different modes to play: classic, action and multiplayer. The classic mode is just that – the original version. Action mode really keeps the player on edge by causing fire tiles to appear every few seconds and the game is over if they reach the bottom. Multiplayer mode pits players who also own Bookworm on the DS against each other in a race to be the first to reach a goal score. (more…)

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Title: America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking

Platform: DS

ESRB: E

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Indies Zero

Review by: Sarah Kumley

America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking is an interactive cookbook that is packed with information about food, kitchen utensils, cooking techniques and, of course, many recipes – 300 of them!

Upon turning on the cookbook, there are five options: “Let’s Get Cooking!,” “Cooking A-Z,” “Shopping List,” “Notepad” and “Settings.” Tapping on the “Let’s Get Cooking!” option takes the cook straight to the recipes created by professional chefs from the popular cooking show America’s Test Kitchen. (more…)

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