Metareview - Kane and Lynch: Dead Men (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Nobody likes game delays, but sometimes they are actually a good thing. Apparently the folks over at Eidos don't concur with that sentiment as they clearly thought it was more important to get their latest offering, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, to market in time for the holiday sales crush rather than release it later and give gamers a product worthy of their sixty bucks.

It seems the game's story is powerful, if under-utilized, while the gameplay is decidedly last generation. With a glut of great shooters already hitting store shelves this season, Eidos should have done us (and themselves) a favor by delaying K&L and heaping a few (hundred) buckets of spackle and polish on it.

1UP (75/100) So there are problems that prevent Kane & Lynch from fully realizing its potential, but its concept and execution are strong enough to survive them. We rarely see scenarios and story structure this good in a game, and that makes it easier to forgive some of the more hardcore technical game-design issues. It's definitely more of a popcorn game for the action-movie crowd than a hardcore shooter, but there's nothing wrong with that.
IGN (70/100) Foul language alone wouldn't be enough to make Kane & Lynch stand out from the myriad other titles looking to gain some notoriety. This is where Kane & Lynch earns its stripes. Rather than employing a series of cheap shock tactics as so many other games have, IO Interactive crafted an intense and visceral story to go along with the game. Say what you will about the language being over the top, but these anti-heroes are wonderfully bent. It's no easy task to create such despicable characters and then give them motivations and situations that allow even the holiest of us to relate to their situation and feel for them. These are hard men put in an impossible situation. Following them on their journey is a wild and bumpy ride. As well constructed as the plot is, one would assume the game would play smoothly. Unfortunately, it does not. Instead, it plays like a game that lacks focus and needs a few more months of polish. But then, most of the gameplay feels like it was pulled directly out of a game from the last generation, so perhaps more time wouldn't have done any good.
Gamespot (60/100) Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is an ugly game, and we're not necessarily talking about the graphics. This criminal tale is packed with a collection of completely unlikable characters with no redeeming value whatsoever. It's impossible to even root for them as antiheroes. Once you get past the messy, meaningless story, things don't get too much better because you're saddled with clunky artificial intelligence on the part of your allies and your enemies, as well as a core shooting mechanic that simply doesn't satisfy. The unfortunate part is that the game does have a few bright points and feels like it had a lot of potential that just didn't come together as well as anyone must have hoped.

Guitar Hero 2 Xbox 360 Metareview

Guitar Hero 2 hits stores tomorrow for the Xbox 360 promising better graphics, a bigger collection of songs and a better guitar controller than it's PS2 cousin. Does Guitar Hero 2 deliver the rock of ages on the 360? According to reviewers around the net the answer is a resounding YES!! The 360 version goes to eleven!

Check out the reviews below for the nitty gritty.

GamePro 95/100 - Consider this setlist of new additions: 10 new rocking songs, the X-Plorer controller, which puts the PS2's stubby Gibson to shame, the Xbox Live Leaderboards, which separates the rock gods from the garage band wanna-bes, and downloadable content that ranges from gamer-profile picture packs to new songs. Anyway you add it up, the Xbox 360 version is the only one to own.

IGN 94/100 - If you haven't already played Guitar Hero II on PS2, this is a must own game. Even if you already have done all of this before, you may yet find a reason to grab the Xbox 360 re-release. With reworked graphics, sound, new songs, downloadable content and more, this is easily the best Guitar Hero game yet.

Games Radar 100/100 - Buy this game. The content is plentiful (and crucially, more is en route) and the fantasy experience is pure rock and roll excess. Your personal stairway to heaven awaits.

Yahoo Games 100/100 - Guitar Hero II finally reaches the next generation. And while we're sad to be saddled with a wired controller, the other changes are pure gold: better graphics, ten new songs, online leaderboards and the promise of a steady stream of downloadable content. Even as we wait for that online content to materialize, this edition of Guitar Hero II is a chart-topper.

Team Xbox 93/100 - The Xbox 360 gets what’s probably the best party game ever, because GHII is compelling for anyone who’s into music, not just to hard-core gamers. It’s that rare title that doesn’t become boring with repeat plays. In fact, I played it so much the first day I had the game that the tips of two fret-flicking fingers went numb on me.

Virtua Tennis 3 Video Review

Clearly, the Xbox 360 version is better than its PS3 counterpart.

With no online multiplayer and sloppy sixaxis controls, Sony is missing yet another opportunity to gain some much needed recognition for the beleagured PS3 brand. Really, why would anyone pay the same price for a PS3 title missing (online and achievements) half of the game?

Watch the full video review from Gametrailers below.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - Metareview

After more than five years in development, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Shadow of Chernobyl was finally released last week and now the reviews are starting to pour in from around the net. I have not played the game personally, therefore I cannot comment on it's gameplay. As far as graphics...considering the length of time since the game was first conceived, the graphics engine holds up quite well. Here's what some major gaming outlets have to say about it.

IGN (8.2/10) The game offers significantly more content than any other FPS out there, but struggles a little when it comes to the open world. What remains consistent throughout the experience is the compelling atmosphere. The gnarled trees, bleak skies, and rumbling thunderstorms of The Zone grab you firmly by the ears and yank you across irradiated wastelands. In your first hours expect to be filled with an intrepid glee as you acclimate to the game world. A little while later, you'll likely realize the environment's limitations and yearn for more.

GameSpot (85/100) "At its heart, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a first-person survival game that blends action with role-playing. This isn't a linear game, like Half-Life or Call of Duty, where you basically are restricted to a straight path and are taken for a tightly controlled and scripted ride. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s huge environments and open-ended gameplay make it more like a role-playing game, as you can go where you want and do what you want if you're willing to live with the consequences."

Boomtown (9/10) There’s almost a melancholic feel to running though the ruins and going though dark cellars deep under ground, listening to strange voices and sounds from the many anomalies caused by the accident – its downright terrifying, especially if you play in a dark room. ---- Even though it all ends kind of sudden, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is still one of the best First Person Shooters I’ve played in a long time, especially if you like the post-apocalyptic atmosphere from games like Fallout. It’s beautiful, it has a nice feel and is so well built that it deserves a 9.


Yahoo! (90/100) "given all its troubles we're fortunate to have a game at all, let alone one this good. Its setting is superb, its gameplay tense and convincing, and it boasts what are definitely the best fill-your-pants moments in a PC game for quite some time. It's hard to see how it could have turned out better."


Eurogamer (80/100) "For some people the odd rough brokenness of Stalker will frustrate and annoy. It isn't finely polished, and it's not Hollywood; this is more like an antidote to the Americanised way of doing things. It's a warped behemoth from the Ukraine, and one of the scariest games on the PC."

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s Multiplayer mode offers Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Artifact Hunt for up to 32 players.