Pads & Panels

#5 Portal 2 (PS3, 360, PC, Mac)

Publisher/Developer: Valve

Portal 2 trades the surprise of the first title for anticipation the second time around, but it manages to live up to the hype. While the plot may not be quite as a shocking, it is still funny as hell, with fantastic voice work driving things from start to finish. Portal 2 falters a little in the variety and quality of its single-player puzzles but adds a few new elements to keep things interesting. The real selling point for Portal 2, though, is its new co-op mode. Valve gives us the opportunity to prove that two minds are better than one in a series of much more complex puzzles that involve four portals, rather than two, and seek to drive apart our friendships in the process. (more…)

Title: Shadows of the Damned

Platform: 360, PS3

ESRB: M

Publisher: EA

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture

Review By: Eric Stuckart

Rating:

It’s pretty standard fare by now to know that when going into Grasshopper Manufacture games, the player is likely to find a satirical, oftentimes unique gaming experience with humor and personality to spare, but it isn’t going to be the most polished experience out there. However, I have yet to be disappointed so far with this expectation, and Shadows of the Damned is no different.

In fact, the main thing that I think really pulls people into Grasshopper mastermind Suda51’s games is his way of always spinning a great, albeit weird, story. Well, that and how it factors into his games’ typically quirky “anything goes” approach. The X factor that might draw some otherwise curious gamers into this outing, however, is the involvement of Shinji Mikami, known for creating the Resident Evil series, as well as composer and sound designer Akira Yamaoka, known for his work on the music for the Silent Hill games. (more…)

Title: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

Platform: Wii

ESRB: M

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

After becoming the #1 ranked assassin in the world and retiring, stylish protagonist Travis Touchdown is looking to do it again in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. But this time the competition is tougher and Travis will have to mow down 50 other assassins to avenge the death of a friend…or so the game teases. The story progression turns out to be a little more reasonable in scope, providing roughly 10 more hours of extremely bloody swordplay. Suda 51 and his team at Grasshopper Manufacture still march to the beat of their own drum, with a style unlike any other – grindhouse meets samurai meets professional wrestling in this case. But even with an evident love for the 8-bit era, a new playable character and weapons, and the great decision to do away with the half-assed open world environment of the first title, No More Heroes 2 also makes some missteps, leaving Travis’ victory bittersweet. (more…)