Pads & Panels

Best Video Games of 2011 – Honorable Mentions

Pads & Panels will soon be counting down its Top 10 Video Games of 2011, but before we get to that point, we’d like to pay mind to 10 other games that stood out as top contenders for the year. They were all part of our discussion and all deserve some recognition for their achievements in gaming, even if they didn’t quite make the cut of the illustrious Top 10. All 10 of these titles were games that earned our attention and respect in one way or another in 2011, the list of them effectively serving as our 11-20 choices, presented here in no particular order. (more…)

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Title: LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

Platform: 360 (PS3, Wii, PC, Mac, 3DS, DS, PSP)

ESRB Rating: E10+

Publisher: Disney Interactive

Developer: Traveller’s Tales

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The latest franchise to be stamped with the LEGO makeover is Pirates of the Caribbean, following the release of the fourth film in the series. Fans of previous LEGO titles (like Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones) already know what to expect here, and the Pirates franchise proves a great fit for the zany LEGO characters and stories. Players can, as usual, go solo or play with join-in/drop-out co-op, working through 20 stages divided evenly between the four movies, with cutscenes done only the way LEGO can. Port Royal serves as sort of an expanding hub in this one, where players can accomplish more by earning characters of differing abilities, the most noteworthy of which is the addition of underwater elements. All in all, it’s a great addition to both franchises, and fans of the series will get a kick out of the game, even though the later films undeniably sucked. (more…)

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Title: MLB 11: The Show

Platform: PS3 (PSP)

ESRB: E

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Sony San Diego

Rating:

Review by: Archie Easter

With baseball season in full swing, it’s also time for baseball games to make their seasonal trek to consoles. With that, MLB 11: The Show is hitting the mound this year with a few changeups to the series formula. Past entries of the franchise have sometimes been short on additions and new features, but MLB 11: The Show assuredly slides home as more of an evolution than last year’s turn at bat. (more…)

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Title: Madden 12

Platform: 360 (PS3, Wii, PS3, 3DS, PSP)

ESRB Rating: E

Publisher: EA Sports

Developer: EA Tiburon

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

In the college vs. pro football discussion, there have always been purists who side with college football because of its focus on young athleticism over the money-hungry pro superstars and the showiness of the NFL. Of course, the NFL has star power, big-time television coverage and endorsements, and a better playoff structure in its corner. But in the world of video game football, it seems Madden’s collegiate counterpart may have finally won the debate.

Over the last two years, I have absolutely fallen in love with the NCAA Football series, from its style of pure football gameplay to its incredibly deep franchise mode and fantastic recruitment process, playing to the strengths of the four-year college rotation, rather than its weaknesses. And NCAA Football 12 gets closer than ever to making the player feel like he is in the coach’s seat. Madden 12, on the other hand, does everything in its power to remind me of why I’m growing tired of professional football. (more…)

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Title: Air Conflicts: Aces of World War II

Platform: PSP

ESRB: T

Publisher: Cowboy Rodeo

Developer: Graffiti Entertainment

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Air Conflicts may very well be the worst game to ever be released on the PlayStation Portable platform. The game boasts intense, historically-accurate flight scenarios focused on dogfighting with accurate recreations of 117 planes. But it takes an eternity to load a single level, and often with little guidance that level ends in failure in a matter of seconds, meaning a lot of time is wasted for nothing. Anyone hoping it would simply load right back up for another go is shit out of luck, as Air Conflicts rolls from one mission to the next, whether players passed it or not. Retrying and avoiding long loading sequences is not an option, though if it were, it’s doubtful anyone would want to play much anyways. The graphics are only fair, the art style is ugly, and there are just so many better flight simulation games to spend time with than wasting another second with the interface of this one. (more…)

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Title: Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes Del Ring

Platform: 360 (PS3, Wii, PSP)

ESRB: T

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Immersion Software & Graphics (360, PS3), Larva Game Studios, Sabarasa Studios (Wii, PSP)

Rating:

Review by: Matt Peters

Flipping through channels on a Saturday afternoon doesn’t usually bear much fruit. There may be an infomercial here, a CSI rerun there, but not much to really entertain. Every now and then, however, there will be something that catches the eye on Univision or Telemundo. Seeing a wrestling match is nothing new, but a ring with six sides and a giant Corona ad in the middle is something different. This is Lucha Libre. The Luchadors run around this ring (some in masks, some without), and put on a show the likes of which the WWE wishes they could. Finally, after years of anticipation, XBox and PS3 gamers get a taste of this fast-paced action first hand. The only question left is: do the Luchas stand a chance of toppling the 900-pound giant that is Smackdown vs Raw? (more…)

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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…)

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2010 Holiday Gift Guide – For the PSP Fan…

By P&P Staff

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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…)

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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…)

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Title: LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

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

ESRB: E10+

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive

Developer: Traveller’s Tales

Rating:

Review by: Sarah Kumley

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 plays much the same as the other LEGO games, but with everyone’s favorite adolescent wizard. The game follows the stories of the books and movies featuring Harry and his young friends for the first four years they attend Hogwarts. The students attend classes to learn new spells and can switch between them for whatever tasks need to be performed. Players can also switch between characters as some spells are only available to certain ones. There are also parts of the environment that cannot be accessed from the beginning, but rather can be once certain spells are mastered. It is through the spell unlocks that puzzles and progression unfurl. (more…)

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