Video Game Reviews from Creators Syndicate

'Too Human' is Just Average for 08/22/2008

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Silicon Knights

PUBLISHER: Microsoft

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 3.0 (out of 5 stars)

Best known for creating the popular "Legacy of Kain" series, game developers Silicon Knights have been hard at work for over 10 years crafting the futuristic action RPG title "Too Human.&qu ...

Updated: Fri Aug 22, 2008

No Knee Problems for 'Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09' for 08/29/2008

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: EA Sports

PUBLISHER: EA

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

With dozens of sports games under their belt, EA Sports knows how to please their fans. While some series are content to add few improvements to their yearly releases, "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09" intro ...

Updated: Fri Aug 29, 2008

‘Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise' for 09/05/2008

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Rare

PUBLISHER: Microsoft

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 4.0 (out of 5 stars)

Oh, no! Professor Pester has wiped out Pinata Island’s database, sending partygoers everywhere into a panic. Since everyone knows that it’s simply uncouth to entertain guests without a colorful ...

Updated: Fri Sep 05, 2008

Hanson Brothers Would Feel at Home in 'NHL 2K9' for 09/12/2008

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Visual Concepts

PUBLISHER: 2K Sports

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

Ever since the 1990s, EA Sports and 2K Sports have been bitter rivals when it comes to making sports games. While the National Football League sold their rights to the highest bidder, the National Hoc ...

Updated: Fri Sep 12, 2008

Single Cells Evolve Into Space Explorers in 'Spore' for 09/19/2008

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Maxis

PUBLISHER: EA Games

SYSTEM: Windows XP/Vista

PRICE: $49.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

Evolution allows plants and animals to adapt to different situations by creating new body parts or abilities, but it usually takes hundreds of years. Game developers Maxis have reduced that time to a mere fe ...

Updated: Fri Sep 19, 2008

'Armored Core: For Answer' Best of a Great Franchise for 09/26/2008

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: From Software

PUBLISHER: Ubi Soft

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

My name is Jeb and I'm a Mech addict. No, that's not a misprint. I'm talking about Mechs, gigantic, heavily armed robots, not methamphetamine. But just like a drug-head anticipating his next fix, my mouth runs ...

Updated: Fri Sep 26, 2008

New Disney Off-Road Game Is 'PURE' Fun for 10/03/2008

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Black Rock Studios

PUBLISHER: Disney Interactive Studios

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

It's not often that I get excited about Disney games because, lets face it, they're usually tailored for the Nickelodeon generation. However, Disney's latest release is a high-octane ...

Updated: Fri Oct 03, 2008

Pick a Side in 'Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning' for 10/10/2008

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Mythic Entertainment

PUBLISHER: EA Games

SYSTEM: Windows XP/Vista

PRICE: $49.99

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 4.5 (out of 5 stars)

For over 20 years, people have been escaping their everyday lives and plunging into the fantasy realm of Warhammer. What once started out as a tabletop game reserved for only the most, ahem, studi ...

Updated: Fri Oct 10, 2008

Ultra-Violent Possibilities Nearly Unlimited in 'Saints Row 2' for 10/17/2008

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Volition Inc.

PUBLISHER: THQ

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

Both the "Saints Row" and "GTA" franchises have been in a bitter battle for consumer dollars ever since "Saints Row" was introduced. Sure, they may look similar on the surface, ...

Updated: Fri Oct 17, 2008

There's a Lot to Live for in 'Dead Space' for 10/24/2008

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: EA

PUBLISHER: EA

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 4.5 (out of 5 stars)

Capcom and Konami have always been major contributors to the survival horror genre, but I'm definitely not a fan of games that create tension by making the control scheme complicated. The lack of this "feature" i ...

Updated: Fri Oct 24, 2008

'Fallout 3' Earns Highest Rating for 10/31/2008

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

DEVELOPER: Bethesda Softworks

PUBLISHER: Bethesda Softworks

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 5 (out of 5 stars)

The Cold War may be long over, but that doesn't mean humanity is past the threat of nuclear war. Bethesda Softworks embraces this concept and takes it to the extreme with the much-anticipated ...

Updated: Fri Oct 31, 2008

In 'Resistance 2,' the Enemies Come in Waves for 11/07/2008

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Insomniac

PUBLISHER: Sony

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 4.5 (out of 5 stars)

Some people questioned Insomniac’s decision to stray from their “Ratchet and Clank” roots to make the alternative reality run-and-gun shooter, “Resistance,” but any doubts were quickly elimin ...

Updated: Fri Nov 07, 2008

Easy to Get Fired Up for 'Far Cry 2' for 11/14/2008

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Ubi Soft

PUBLISHER: Ubi Soft

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

When "Far Cry" was released, it helped jump-start the First Person Shooter genre out of stagnation back into the most popular genre for console gaming. Oddly enough, the sequel ha ...

Updated: Fri Nov 14, 2008

'De Blob' Brings Out the Color of Fun for 11/21/2008

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: bluetongue

PUBLISHER: THQ

SYSTEM: Nintendo Wii

PRICE: $49.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

Far, far away, on an oppressive world, the dastardly I.N.K.T Corp. has leeched all of the color out of the towns, leaving them dreary and practically lifeless. With color gone, so too goes the fun, leaving its inhabit ...

Updated: Fri Nov 21, 2008

'Guitar Hero World Tour' Not Just a Solo Gig for 11/28/2008

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Activision

PUBLISHER: Activision

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (Also on PS3, Wii)

PRICE: $59.99 for game, $189.99 game/instrument bundle

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

Activision introduced the world to the Guitar Hero phenomenon, and in doing so also helped change the gaming industry. Last year, the reign of G ...

Updated: Fri Nov 28, 2008

'Call of Duty: World at War' is Old-School Fun for 12/05/2008

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Treyarch

PUBLISHER: Activision

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (PS3)

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

Last year, the CoD franchise was reinvented as a modern military shooter with a strong emphasis on multiplayer, and it quickly became the most popular version to date. This year, Treyarch takes over where ...

Updated: Fri Dec 05, 2008

Monster Trucks Race in 'Motorstorm: Pacific Rift' for 12/12/2008

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Evolution Studios

PUBLISHER: Sony

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 4.5 (out of 5 stars)

Many companies have created offroad-racing games, but nobody does it quite like Evolution Studios. Their new franchise, dubbed "Motorstorm," was released alongside the launch of the PS3, and it wow ...

Updated: Fri Dec 12, 2008

Lara Croft on New Adventure in 'Tomb Raider: Underworld' for 12/19/2008

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Crystal Dynamics

PUBLISHER: Eidos

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (PS3, PC)

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

Packing dual pistols and only 5 percent body fat, archeology's spunkiest spelunker, Lara Croft, resumes her father's lifelong quest to find the mythical land of Avelon in her latest escapade, "T ...

Updated: Fri Dec 19, 2008

‘Left 4 Dead' is a Primordial Blast for 12/26/2008

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Valve

PUBLISHER: EA

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (also on PC)

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 4 (out of 5 stars)

Ever since George Romero released the movie, “Night of the Living Dead,” the frightening image of people feasting on human flesh has invaded nearly everyone's dreams. Why, then, are zombies such a popular top ...

Updated: Fri Dec 26, 2008

'Ultimate Band' Plays a Mediocre Tune for 01/02/2009

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

DEVELOPER: Disney

PUBLISHER: Disney

SYSTEM: Nintendo Wii

PRICE: $49.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 2.5 (out of 5 stars)

While "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" engage in a virtual battle of the bands for consumer dollars, Disney hopes to lure the younger crowd with its interactive musical offering, "Ultimate Band.&q ...

Updated: Fri Jan 02, 2009