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Videogames

Familiar Fantasy IV

The After Years: If it ain't broke, remake it
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years started as a Japan-only cellphone game and has washed up on American shores in the form of WiiWare.

By MADDY MYERS | June 16, 2009

Review: inFamous

The power goes out
The potential of a virtual space is limited only by its designers' imaginations. Why, then, are so many designers' imaginations limited to dreary, urban settings?

By MITCH KRPATA | June 08, 2009

Damnation's peaks and valleys
Damnation is one of the first major shooters created in the steampunk genre. This means the story is set about a century and a half ago in an alternate timeline in which steam power becomes the reigning technology instead of electricity.

By MADDY MYERS | June 05, 2009

Review: Punch Out!!

Classic hits
Ask anyone to list his or her favorite Nintendo games, and the odds are that Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! will be one of them.

By MITCH KRPATA | May 26, 2009

Review: Zeno Clash

A strange and beautiful trip
Zeno Clash is too bizarre, artsy, and risky to get picked up by a bigger company, but when you look at all the Counter-Strike clones out there, it's a relief to see something a little . . . different.

By MADDY MYERS | May 19, 2009

Deep space

Riddick's sci-fi journey continues
In The Chronicles of Riddick , Swedish designer Starbreeze has it both ways: hardcore gameplay and brisk storytelling not only co-exist but achieve symbiosis.

By MITCH KRPATA | April 28, 2009

Review: The Godfather II

Going against the family
If adapting the Godfather series means stripping it of subtext and amplifying the thuggery, that may be the greatest imaginable indictment of video games as a medium.

By MITCH KRPATA | April 21, 2009

Guitar Hero: Metallica

A triumphant return to form
At long last, it seems that Guitar Hero has reached a state of equilibrium.

By MITCH KRPATA | April 15, 2009

Review: Wanted: Weapons of Fate

Over in a muzzle flash
It's hard to say which has a worse reputation: movies based on video games or video games based on movies.

By MITCH KRPATA | April 07, 2009

Black and white and red all over

The stylish ultraviolence of MadWorld
The most common problem afflicting video games these days is a deficit of imagination. So many releases look alike, sound alike, and play alike.

By MITCH KRPATA | April 02, 2009

Review: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Condensing chaos
Chinatown Wars condenses the highly produced modern GTA experience into a portable form easily digested in small bites.

By MIKE ROUGEAU | March 30, 2009

Review: Resident Evil 5

Bigoted, or just boring?
Is it racist? The question has been plaguing Resident Evil 5 since its infamous trailer debuted at the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

By MITCH KRPATA | March 24, 2009

Review: Killzone 2

Can Killzone 2 save the PlayStation 3?
For fans of the chronically underperforming PlayStation 3, each new exclusive title is a potential savior. The latest great white hope is Killzone 2 , the sequel to a not especially beloved PS2 game.

By MITCH KRPATA | March 17, 2009

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

Puzzle Quest drifts off course once more
It's appropriate that the new Puzzle Quest game should take place in space. Just like a black hole, it's impossible to resist; you wind up crushed into a subatomic particle.

By MITCH KRPATA | March 10, 2009

Review: Street Fighter IV

The world warriors return
The biggest problem with fighting games, as a genre, is the ludicrous level of ability you need even to take part.

By MITCH KRPATA | March 03, 2009

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

Monster mash
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a Frankenstein's monster of a game, a stitched-together assemblage of parts from other, better games.

By MITCH KRPATA | February 25, 2009

Review: Afro Samurai

Beautiful bloodbath
Afro Samurai , which is based on the anime of the same title, follows Afro on his quest to find the Number Two headband.

By MADDY MYERS | February 17, 2009

Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage

The first downloadable content for Fallout 3
How is it that Fallout 3, last year's most densely packed game, still left many players wanting more?

By MITCH KRPATA | February 10, 2009

Brain damage

The dark side of the DS's Moon
Given all the trouble down here on Earth, it may just be a matter of time before we terrestrial residents begin to colonize space.

By MADDY MYERS | February 03, 2009