Pads & Panels

#6 Saints Row: The Third (360, PS3, PC)

Publisher: THQ—Developer: Volition

The Saints Row series has long been the cartoonish alternative for gamers to the now serious and realistic Grand Theft Auto games. Every mistake GTA IV made, Saints Row: The Third fixes. Everything is over-the-top, from the missions to the weapons and the story. The level of polish elevates it from the previous games in the series. But the best part of Saint’s Row: The Third is jumping into co-op and sharing the chaos with a friend. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Directed By: Michael Bay

Written by: Ehren Kruger

Starring: Shia LeBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Peter Cullen, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, Francis McDormand, John Malkovich, Kevin Dunn, Ken Jeong

Studio: Paramount, Hasbro

Rating:

Review by: Matt Peters

There’s no doubt that this installment of Transformers has a lot of making up to do for Revenge of the Fallen. After a strong first outing by Michael Bay, fans were left disappointed with his 2009 follow up. After the horrible characters, terrible acting and lack of a real story, is it possible that this third film in the franchise can be the best so far? (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Platform: 360 (PS3)

ESRB: M

Publisher: Konami

Developer: MercurySteam

Rating:

Review by: Archie Easter

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has some fairly large boots to fill. The original series has long been a fan favorite, spanning multiple console generations. Series standout Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one such classic that up until its eventual re-release as a downloadable title, fetched exorbitant prices on eBay and other online sites. While the majority of previous titles have remained 2D, forays in bringing the series into the third dimension have been met with mixed results. While Lords of Shadow is at heart an enjoyable action title, does it shed too much of the series cherished lineage to become so? (more…)

 Print This Post

Best Games of 2010 – Honorable Mentions

Creating a Best of List for Pads & Panels is no easy task. It involves everyone putting in feedback, a get-together and copious amounts of drinking, when we argue our cases for what belongs where on the list. Inevitably, fantastic titles don’t make it to the top of the tower, and we’re left feeling bad for not honoring the enjoyment some of these games provided us throughout the year. So that’s where the Honorable Mentions come into play. These are the list of games that didn’t quite make our Top 10, but we think you should be playing them nonetheless. Plus, it’s always kind of fun to make our readers wonder, with titles this great on the honorable mentions list, what is going to make our Top 10. They are essentially our #11 through #20 picks, but are presented in no particular order. Enjoy! (more…)

 Print This Post

2010 Holiday Gift Guide – Beyond the Games and Books: High-End Tastes

By P&P Staff

.

The Art of God of War III Special Edition

For the Ultimate God of War Fan, Ballistic Publishing’s The Art of God of War III lives up to the standard set by the company’s Uncharted 2 book. The Special Edition is beautifully bound in black-suede leather, with embossed lettering and the iconinc image of Kratos’ eye up close. Inside, 272 fantastically-printed pages feature different stages of character, environment and gameplay design, plus some really awesome commentary and extras. For some truly “epic presentation,” as Ballistic puts it, the super-limited Folio Edition is fantastic, but runs with a price tag of $300. A paperback is also available, with almost identical content, at a more reasonable $65. (more…)

 Print This Post

2010 Holiday Gift Guide – For the PSP Fan…

By P&P Staff

.

Valkyria Chronicles II

Sega managed to cram a full-fledged sequel to it’s PS3 tactical RPG, Valkyria Chonicles onto the PSP while maintaining the original game’s strategy and stylized watercolor art style. Although the units may be smaller, they’re no less powerful, as this proves to be more than a worthwhile followup to one of the PS3’s stand-out titles of 2008. The military strategist on your list (and who doesn’t have one?) will thank you for this one. (more…)

 Print This Post

2010 Holiday Gift Guide – For the PS3 Exclusive Fan…

By P&P Staff

.

Uncharted 2: Game of the Year Edition

Our 2009 Game of the Year and that in the hearts of many, Sony gives Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a fairly standard Game of the Year Edition, filled out by the title’s many DLC releases since its launch. Still, for those late to the party, the extra content makes it well worth the $49.99 asking price to pick it up this holiday season. For the mega fan, Ballistic Publishing’s The Art of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a beautiful coffee table-style book, and Archie gave it a rave review. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Platform: PSP

ESRB: M

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Ready at Dawn, SCE Santa Monica Studio

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

God of War is a series that was never meant for the PlayStation Portable. The series’ characters, stories and environments were all epic in scope from the very start, meant for a big screen, preferably in high-definition, on which Kratos can scale the sides of monstrous beasts, tearing them to shreds to the tune of gallons of blood. That said, despite the handicap of a smaller screen, less disc space and inferior specs, Ready at Dawn has just proven twice in a row that they can use what the PlayStation Portable has got to make a pretty darn good adaptation of God of War on the go. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

Platform: 360 (PC, PS3, DS, Wii)

ESRB: T

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Beenox

Rating:

Review by: Matt Peters

Since 1992, Activision has published games based on the adventures of Marvel Comics’ flagship character, Spider-Man. After several less-than-stellar games, it seemed that Activision was content to rely on the name alone to move copies. With Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, developer Beenox has offered an apology to gamers and comic fans alike. Featuring four different versions of the web-slinger with distinctive gameplay styles, this has the makings to be a true crowd pleaser. (more…)

 Print This Post

Game of the Month – March

God of War III (PS3)

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment – Developer: Sony Santa Monica

.

It may try just a little too hard at the end to give itself some artistic relevance, but God of War III is the perfection of the balls-to-the-wall action that has become the standard for the genre, emulated by countless others. The “final” installment of the trilogy is all killer, no filler, bigger and more badass than the series has ever been, and still Sony Santa Monica found the room to try some new ideas along the way. A great “conclusion” to the epic story of Kratos.

–Bill (more…)

 Print This Post