Review: Final Fantasy XIII

It sure has been a long time (seven years, in fact) since we last saw a standalone Final Fantasy title. It’s hard to believe Final Fantasy X-2 was released way back in 2003. Yes, a lot of time has passed and Square Enix has been busy working on the 13th installment of the franchise ever since.

There’s no denying the Final Fantasy series has been good to Square Enix. More than 92 million copies of the franchise have shipped worldwide. Those who fell in love with the series have followed it through, and it continues to pick up new fans along the way. Which could very well be why there is so much excitement over this title.

Square Enix has a history of producing quality, lengthy, intense role playing games but can a company justify spending 7 years producing a title? While series fanatics will fall head over heals in love, newer fans will question a few aspects of the game.

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Review: Rumble K Earphones

Bone Conduction Technology. BCT sounds more akin to skeletal surgery than consumer electronics, but Pineapple Electronics has brought the power of vibration to your headphones to add more BAM to your bass.

My first experience with these mini-woofers was at CES 2010 earlier this year. After just a brief hands-on, I was struck by how neat it was to “feel” the music thumping inside my head without resorting to blowing my ears out with a super-high volume. Now that I’ve had a chance to spend more time with the Rumble K, the question must be asked: is this tech an explosion of sound worthy of your $80 or a ripple of noise in the crowded headphone market?

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Review: Resident Evil 5 Lost in Nightmares DLC

It’s been almost a year since Resident Evil 5 hit consoles in North America. While the game shone graphically, the reviews from critics were mixed. Many complained the AI was weak and the controls were buggy, which took away from the experience. Now Capcom is releasing the first downloadable content (other than Versus mode) which will add a new chapter to the game. Is it worth paying for? Once again there will be mixed feelings about this one.

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Review: Heavy Rain

It’s rare for game studios to take leaps of faith these days. When games take so much time and money to create, it’s much easier to develop a sequel to a blockbuster title than to attempt to create a game or concept that no one else has tried. While the decision is understandable it’s unfortunate as that’s the reason we don’t see many games like Heavy Rain on the market.

Heavy Rain is a game unlike any we’ve seen before. It calls itself a Hollywood style cinematic adventure. The game doesn’t focus solely on action (although there is plenty of that) but rather an intense unforgettable story. Yes, Sony and Quantic Dream went out on a limb with Heavy Rain. And while the game may not be for everyone, it’s an impressive title many will be talking about for a long time to come.

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Review: XM SkyDock

I love my Sirius XM satellite radio. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t listen to the service either in my vehicle or at home. The only issue I have with it is that I must carry the small receiver with me wherever I go. I probably could leave it in the vehicle when I’m not using it, but what if someone broke in? I’d hate to have to buy another one. So you can imagine my delight when I heard about XM’s SkyDock, the cradle that turns my iPhone into a Sirius XM satellite receiver. Could this be it? Could this device be the solution to my satellite radio woes? While it isn’t perfect is comes pretty darn close.

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Review: BioShock 2

It’s time. Time to return to Rapture. 10 years after leaving the once glorious city you find yourself visiting the underwater “utopia” once again. Only this time you don’t play Jack, oh no. You play as a Big Daddy. “Subject Delta” to be exact, a prototype of the Big Daddy from which all other versions were modeled after.

Personally I hated playing as the Big Daddy in the first BioShock game. When you finally got to wear a Big Daddy suit I couldn’t wait to get it off. It was slow, cumbersome and you couldn’t see a thing. So imagine playing an entire game trapped in the suit. Well to my delight the experience is very different than the Big Daddy experiment in the first title. Very different indeed. After all you’re no longer the big fish in the small pond anymore. No, that place is reserved for the Big Sister.

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Review: Dante’s Inferno

Xbox 360 gamers have long looked over their shoulders at their PS3 brethren, ultimately jealous of a single exclusive franchise starring a certain mythical deity smasher. Most people will refer to this franchise as the inspiration for Dante’s Inferno (available on both consoles), and while the mechanics and playstyle are 90% identical, what makes this different is the focus on Part 1 of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Inferno, that deals with Dante’s decent into Hell. It’s a twisted tale that might have die-hard Christians up in arms but will also make fans of true demonic horror giddy with glee. From premise to delivery, Dante serves up one hell of a ride.

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Review: Mass Effect 2

There was much love from fans and critics for Mass Effect 1. We praised the story, the depth and variety of the player experience, the introduction of the dialogue wheel, and the successful attempt to weld RPG elements and first person shooter together. However, sprinkled amongst the acclaim were so many “buts”, making reviews and posts look like ashtrays. Ask anyone who played Mass Effect and he or she will come up with a long list of complaints: long loading screens (and the interminable elevator rides), texture popping, poor framerate, driving around on barren planets, the frustrating inventory system.

But BioWare listened to our kvetching and have released one the best games I’ve played in a long time. So load up your shotguns, choose your companions, it’s time for a look at Mass Effect 2.

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Review: Dark Void

What mysteries lie in the Bermuda Triangle? The famed region of the Atlantic Ocean has been the basis of many tales. What happens to the planes and ships that disappear in the Devil’s Triangle? Do they merely sink into the ocean never to be seen again? Or do they they become trapped forever in a parallel dimension? This is the question Capcom’s latest sci-fi adventure Dark Void tackles.

While I’ve had two opportunities to play the game over the past year, I have to admit I wasn’t overly impressed. The game froze and crashed at two separate events I attended. In fact I never did get a good feel for the game until I got my review copy last week. So how did the final product turn out? While it’s not the game I was hoping for, but it’s not nearly as bad as I had feared.

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Review: Bayonetta

Bayonetta is a run-and-gun action game in the vein of Devil May Cry or God Of War. Button mash your way using your feet, fists and guns to smite your angelic foes and send them to the bowels of hell. Anime fans will feel right at home with the sometimes wacky story and while it might be a little on the shallow side, the battle system is compelling enough to make you want to see this witch’s tale through to the end.

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