S&S Reviews: Dragon's Dogma

Title: Dragon's Dogma
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: The Workshop
Price: $39.99
ESRB Rating: E

Dragon's Dogma signfies a transition in many ways for Capcom. Running on MT Framework 2.X, the open-world Action RPG is daring and a good offering for western audiences in lieu of the Japan only release of Monster Hunter Frontier. The game's features emulate a massive online questing experience well. With great strides in progress, however, come the growing pains. It's those nit-picking points that separate the games that we merely like and those that we love.

S&S Review: Sorcery

Title: Sorcery

Format: PS3

Release Date: May 22, 2012

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: The Workshop

Price: $39.99

ESRB Rating: E

Sony has been renown for releasing many quirky and unique titles and Sorcery fits directly into that mold.  This is easily the best game that takes full advantage of the Playstation Move controller.

S&S Mobile Review: Broken Sword: Directors Cut

Title: Broken Sword: Directors Cut
Format: iPhone/iPad
Release Date: January 24th 2010
Developer: Revolution Software Limited
Price: £2.99 ($4.99)
Size: 270MB

Broken Sword is known as one of the all time classic point and click adventures. Originally released on Playstation 1 and PC way back in 1996, that's 16 years ago! Broken Sword has been rereleased on many different formats and seen many different versions so this one, the Directors Cut is the culmination of all these versions and should be the most complete iteration available. The question is however "after so long, can Broken Sword still be considered an engaging game with a narrative that makes you want to keep on playing or has age finally caught up with one of classics of the adventure game genre?"

Our E3 Predictions for 2012

With E3 right around the corner, we have decided to share our predictions for the huge gaming convention.

S&S Indie Review: Hammerfight

Title: Hammerfight

Platform: PC, Mac, Linux, PSP

Release Date: October 29, 2009

Publisher: Kranx Productions, 1C

Developer: Konstantin Koshutin

Ugh, jeez... Hammerfight. *slow drawn-out sigh*

S&S Mobile Review: Super Fighter Heroes

Title: Super Fighter Heroes (Android)

Format: Mobile (Android)

Release Date: May 20 2012

Publisher: BLING MOBILE LTD / http://m.happybay.mobi

Developer: BLING MOBILE LTD

Price: FREE

ESRB Rating:  E

Finally, some good old fashioned arcade butt kicking. Here’s one If you miss the booth with the red knobs and B, X and A buttons we would mash until our mums got tired and called us in.

S&S Mobile Review: Mailboxing

Title: Mailboxing
Format: iPhone/iPad
Release Date: 17th May 2012
Developer: Asketic LLC
Price: 69p (99¢)
Size: 11.9MB

If your like me then you're constantly trying to find new games to play on your iPhone. And if your a lot like me then you haven't always got the money to buy the latest big releases. If however you've got a spare bit of change in your account then I might have something you'll be interested in.

S&S Review: Ghost Recon: Future Solider

Title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Format: PS3

Release Date: May 22, 2012

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer:  Ubisoft Paris

Price: $59.99

ESRB Rating: M


Its been quite some time since we have seen a Ghost Recon title hit store shelves and enter our respective consoles, the wait was definitely long, but it was well worth the long wait.

S&S Indie Review: SEAL Team 12

 

Title: SEAL Team 12
Platform: PC, Xbox 360
Release: 4/25/2012 (PC), 5/10/2012 (Xbox 360)
Publisher: Social Loner Studios
Developer: Social Loner Studios
Price: €2,99

When evil lurks on the horizon, you need the best. You need the strongest. You need SEAL Team 12!. This is Social Loner Studios description of the upcoming and promising indie game: SEAL Team 12. I've taken a look at the game and here is my impressions of the game.

S&S Indie Interview : Bibz - Educating the World, One Game at a Time

In an industry more focused on ROIs and fourth quarter profits than innovation and education, it’s tough to find the few games working against the typical trend. S&S got a chance to catch up with SMEWebsite founder David Rust-Smith as he explains his new global-awareness inducing XBLIG and PC party game, Bibz. 

S&S Mobile Review: Max Payne

Title: Max Payne
Format: iPhone/iPad
Release Date: 07th April 12
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar Games
Price: £1.99 ($2.99)
Size: 1.11GB


With the recent release of Max Payne 3 on PS3 and Xbox 360 I thought I'd gear up for Rockstars latest instant classic by playing through the original PS2 game that first introduced the world to Bullet Time.

S&S Reviews: Game of Thrones

Title: Game of Thrones
Format: 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Publisher: Atlus, Focus Home Entertainment
Developer: Cyanide
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M

Making a game based off the bestselling book and television series seems like a natural step in the Game of Thrones franchise. Unfortunately the game falls short of the widely successful television and book series, but it is a good add-on to the immersive world of Game of Thrones.

S&S Review: Max Payne 3

Title: Max Payne 3

Format: PS3, Xbox 360

Release Date: May 15, 2012

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Rockstar Studios

Price: $59.99

ESRB Rating: M


Rockstar Studios is renowned for their huge game releases that continue to raise the bar higher than any other on the market.  With games including Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto, and subsequently the Max Payne series.  The third game of the Max Payne franchise looks to become their best yet.

S&S Reviews: Diablo 3

Title: Diablo 3 

Format: PC, Mac

Release Date: May 15th, 2012

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Price: $59.99

ESRB Rating: M

Diablo 3 was one of the most anticipated games of this year, and now that it has been released, you have to get your hands on it.  Its living up to the hype quite nicely, in my opinion, and only seems to get better.

S&S Mobile Review: N.O.V.A 3

Title: N.O.V.A 3

Format: iPhone/iPad

Release Date: 3rd May 2012

Publisher: Gameloft

Developer: Gameloft

Price: £4.99 ($6.99)

Size: 1.57GB

As the landscape of mobile gaming continues to become legitimised by big brand gaming like Grand Theft Auto 3, Max Payne, Batman: Arkham City & Lego Harry Potter how does N.O.V.A 3 a game that has only appeared on mobile devices fit it in amongst the big boys of popular gaming?

S&S Review: TERA

Title: TERA Online

Format: PC

Release Date: May 1st

Publisher: En Masse Entertainment

Developer: Bluehole Studios

Price: $49.99

ESRB Rating: M


MMO's have been getting a lot of my attention over the past couple weeks,  and TERA has to be a stand out in an already crowded market.  My PC gaming has been minuscule to say the least, with games like this, I can see that changing down the road.

S&S Mobile Review: Mirror's Edge

Title: Mirror's Edge
Format: iPhone
Release Date: 25th August 2010
Publisher: EA
Developer: EA
Price: 0.69p (0.99¢)
Size: 100MB

Mirrors Edge on home consoles was a mixed bag at best. The core gameplay was a solid idea but it was hampered by awful combat sections and a boring story. So how will its iPhone adaption compare?

S&S Reviews: Datura

Title: Datura

Format: PS3

Release Date: May 8 2012
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Plastic Studios / SCE Santa Monica Studios

Price: $10 on Playstation Network Store (7.99 for PSN Plus Members)

ESRB Rating:  E

Grab your PlayStation®Move move controller (optional) and sink into the journey of a unique artistic experience on the PSN. There’s a lot to this title that won’t be revealed here. I’ll try not to give much of the story away

S&S Reviews: Minecraft for the 360

Title: Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition

Format: 360

Release Date: May 9, 2012

Developer : 4J Studios/Mojang AB

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Price: 19.99

ESRB Rating: E

Ports are usually hit or miss. The transition can be smooth and painless, with the end result arriving on the same level or sometimes even better than the original item.

Or, the port turns out to be an unfinished mess with sloppy improvements. 

S&S Review: Starhawk

Title: Starhawk

Format: PS3

Release Date: May 8th, 2012

Publisher: SCEA

Developer: LightBox Interactive

Price: $59.99

ESRB Rating: T

Starhawk is the spiritual successor to the early PS3 exclusive Warhawk, but does it live up to the amount of hype the game has received?

S&S Reviews: Fable Heroes

Title: Fable Heroes
Format: Xbox Live Arcade
Release Date: May 2, 2012
Developer: Lionhead studios
Publisher: Microsoft studios
Price: 800 MS Points
ESRB rating: E10+


You're at a party. You've had a couple drinks. You have access to an Xbox 360 and 800 points in your account. You're about to buy Fable Heroes. The new and shiny game on Xbox Live can be tempting when it's stamped with a respected franchise's name. Buy beware, however, as this is a game with a severe identity crisis and a somewhat limited relation to other games within the series.

S&S Reviews: Mortal Kombat (for PS Vita)

Title: Mortal Kombat
Format: PS Vita
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Price: $39.99
ESRB Rating:  M


"Good, guess somebody else needs their ass whooped!" -Jax


Panda Express is the western approximation of asian cuisine. Mortal Kombat is the western approximation of an asian fighting game. Give either a couple of decades and we come to accept the inaccuracies. Sometimes, the post-racial politics are moot, because it's just a silly fighting game after all. A silly, bloody fighting game with a continuity that's slightly more coherent than the Tekken saga. Here again, as on the PS3, we have the Komplete Edition of the game where the warriors of the six realms do battle. The Vita port of this game with it's specific additions may make it "Komplete" but it's far from definitive.

S&S Mobile Review: Hambo

Title: Hambo

Format: Mobile

Release Date: April 19 2012

Publisher: Miniclip.com

Developer: Miniclip games

Price: Currently  Free on Googe Play Store. Apple App Store. Purchase Price: $0.99

ESRB Rating:  E

Mobile games should be casual, fun time killers in my opinion. That should be the basis or at least one of the primary objectives from a developer’s viewpoint. Very few games get you coming back for more simply because of its awesome play factor but here’s what I think about Hambo… in Pig Latin. Isthay amegay oesday atthay eryvay ellway indeedway.

S&S Review: Sniper Elite V2

Title: Sniper Elite V2

Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Release Date: May 2nd, 2012

Publisher: 505 Games

Developer: Rebellion

Price: $59.99

ESRB Rating: M

There have been many WWII shooters, from Call of Duty to Medal of Honor, but there has never been one quite like Sniper Elite V2.

S&S Review: Awesomenauts

Title: Awesomenauts

Format: PSN, XBLA

Release Date: May 1st, 2012

Publisher: Digital Entertainment Pool

Developer: Ronimo Games

Price: $9.99

ESRB Rating: E

Awesomenauts is a online only multiplayer game that features fast paced team based combat with the likes from cool sounding cowboys to even cooler ninja lizards.

S&S Review: Shifting World

Title: Shifting World
Format: 3DS
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Aksys Games
Developer: Fishing Cactus
Price: $29.99
ESRB Rating: E

Shifting World is a converted flash game that is so blatantly built for your computer/phone that the $29.99 price tag screams "stay away." By no means is it a bad game; but when you view it on a 3DS, and see how little the 3D is actually utilized, you'll wonder how this was ever decided to be a cartridge game rather than an E-shop download.

S&S Review: Sword And Sworcery EP

Title: Sword And Sworcery EP

Format: PC, iOS

Release Date: April 16, 2012

Publisher: Capybara Games

Developer:  Capybara Games

Price: $5

ESRB Rating: E

Sword and Sorcery is an indie title with a lot of buzz around it, it has received a lot of praise for its wonderful soundtrack and cool art style....