Pads & Panels

#7 Ms. Splosion Man (360)

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios — Developer: Twisted Pixel

For a premise as simple as the one the first Splosion Man had, Twisted Pixel could have just rested on its laurels and made a copy of the first game with the sequel, but the studio went the extra mile, taking every element from the first one and either refining it or making it better with Ms. Splosion Man. In this way, the sequel feels somewhat similar on a basic level, but better in just about every way imaginable. The platformer’s gradual difficulty and gameplay curve reminds of the Portal games, in the sense that every element is smartly introduced in a way that gives the player a solid foundation before throwing him into the thick of it. Be it the zip lines, canons reminiscent of the barrels from Donkey Kong Country, trampolines or the very cool teleporters that transport the Splody one between the backgrounds and foregrounds, everything has its place and makes it one of the greatest platformers of this console generation, if not all time. (more…)

Title: “The Secret Armory of General Knoxx” DLC for Borderlands

Platform: 360 (PS3, PC)

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Gearbox Software

Review By: Eric Stuckart

While Borderlands’ last two doses of downloadable content were hit and miss, forgoing the core gameplay style for the sake of zombie hunting and a glorified horde mode, “The Secret Armory of General Knoxx” adds what players have been asking for, more Borderlands. To put it bluntly, more games need DLC like this. Nearly everything found in this pack is new to the game, from the enemies to the vehicles. Be forewarned, though, these missions are not for the faint of heart. If the player hasn’t beaten the game or reached the recommended level of 36, he will suffer the consequences, resulting in many trips to the New-U Station. However, for players who don’t mind doing a fair share of leveling up if necessary, there is much to be enjoyed. And the level cap has now been raised to 61, another one of Gearbox’s goofy nods to pop culture. (more…)

Title: Borderlands

Platforms: 360 (Also PS3, PC)

ESRB Rating: M

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Gearbox Software

Rating:

Review by: John Gustafson

With Borderlands, Gearbox Software has created a hybrid role-playing shooter that takes the typical first-person shooter controls and frames them within the role-playing game background of titles like Diablo and Fallout 3. The comparison between Borderlands and games like Diablo or Fallout 3 are unavoidable, and intentional by the developer. When stripped of all the extraneous layers (there aren’t that many), Borderlands takes Diablo 2’s obsessive loot system and throws it into a brighter version of Fallout 3’s wasteland with the option of multiplayer. The tantalizing thought of a multiplayer Fallout is perhaps the flashiest selling point and turns out to be the strongest part of an otherwise average single-player RPG. (more…)