Pads & Panels

#4 L.A. Noire (PS3, 360, PC)

Publisher: Rockstar Games – Developer: Team Bondi, Rockstar Leeds

Our Review

Every year, Pads & Panels list of top games is dominated not only by quality titles but also by a special few that try their damndest to reinvent what we can expect from mainstream games. It’s no surprise that Rockstar Games has found itself perennially among those special few. This year’s offering from the publisher is L.A. Noire. In addition to a ridiculously detailed recreation of 1940s Los Angeles and a plot worthy of its name, L.A. Noire works to reinvent what we can expect from gaming by pioneering facial technology that allowed its creators to add in-depth, emotional interrogations to what might have otherwise been a simple third-person action title. The DLC support for the title cannot be ignored, but even without it, L.A. Noire would stand out as one of the year’s absolute best. (more…)

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Title: Splatterhouse

Platform: 360 (PS3)

ESRB: M

Publisher: Nacmo Bandai Games

Developer: BottleRocket, Namco Bandai

Rating:

Review by: Peter David

The name “Splatterhouse” may conjure a B-movie marathon, or an adrenalin-pumping hard-boiled death trap with no escape. The word takes me back to my childhood. I remember playing the original title on a friend’s console. It was one of the few times when you could play an almost-villain. Yeah, the player had to save a girl, but in the meantime relish pounding the living crap out of everything. It also helped that I had a “Friday the 13th” fetish, so when the protagonist put on a glowing hockey mask, I played him like Jason Vorhees.

That was many moons ago, and with my dark childhood aside, I grew and changed with the industry. But it was with great interest that “Splatterhouse 2010” arrived on my doorstep. After placing the disc inside my beloved 360, I came to the immediate conclusion that…this game is not for children. I cannot emphasize this enough. No one who cannot legally enter an “R” rated film should be allowed to even view this. (more…)

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Game of the Year 2010 – Red Dead Redemption (360/PS3)

Publisher: Rockstar – Developer: Rockstar San Diego

Our Review

I didn’t want to buy into the hype for Red Dead Redemption. Its precursor, Red Dead Revolver, was a decent rental, but forgettable – a go-to title when trying to think of games that time forgot. To associate Red Dead Redemption with it should be a sin. Rockstar could have easily slapped a cowboy-themed skin on Liberty City and called it Grand Theft Horsey, but Rockstar San Deigo did so much more. The studio made a Wild West that was fun to explore on horseback – a desert that was desolate, yet not deserted. (more…)

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#4 Mass Effect 2 (360, PC, PS3)

Publisher: Microsoft – Developer: BioWare

Our Review

Mass Effect 2 has earned its spot on this list due its outstanding storytelling, rich characterization and exciting combination of adventure and combat. Additionally, Mass Effect 2 boasts an impressive musical score, a vast array of weapons and abilities that can be tailored to any play-style and a variety of ethical and personal quandaries that players must endure, which essentially guarantees a unique experience with every campaign played. (more…)

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#9 Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (360/PS3/PC)

Publisher: Ubisoft – Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed II, continuing the story of Ezio Auditore, and the major game mechanics are largely the same as its predecessor. But the changes made go a long way in making Brotherhood the Assassin’s Creed game we’ve wanted from the very start. Recruiting assassins and either sending them on missions or having them aid in big moments is a stellar addition, and the multiplayer elements bring the classic Assassins game to the digital realm in grand fashion. (more…)

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Title: Dead Rising 2: Case West

Platform: 360

ESRB: M

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Blue Castle Games

Rating:

Review by: Matt Peters

Frank West fans rejoice! Capcom’s latest DLC offering for the Xbox 360 unlocks the ability to step into the shoes of the man himself. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean the end of Chuck Greene, Dead Rising 2’s protagonist. In a new twist on the already established play mechanics, players will learn that Frank’s not just a survivor…he’s a badass.

Beginning almost exactly where the main game left off, our two heroes meet as Chuck is confronted with the now-undead boss of the main game. After an assist from Mr. West and a quick stare-down/chest pounding/grunt-off, the two quickly whisk away to a research lab AKA “a place to kill more zombies.” (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: Fallout: New Vegas

Platform: 360 (PS3, PC)

ESRB: M

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Rating:

Review By: Eric Stuckart

There has been much talk of whether or not Fallout: New Vegas is really worth the time, effort and, most importantly, money. It’s been labeled little more than an ‘expansion pack’ by its detractors, and much has been said about Obsidian Entertainment’s inability to get rid of many of Fallout 3’s bugs and glitches in this installment. (more…)

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Title: Mafia II

Platform: 360 (PS3, PC)

ESRB: M

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: 2K Czech

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

More than three years after the first trailer was released, Mafia II is finally on store shelves. And while Mafia II gets a lot of things right – mostly on the storytelling side – it’s going to leave a lot of people wondering what 2K Czech spent all that development time doing on the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. But despite that, Mafia II still has a few fun tricks up its designer sleeves. (more…)

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Title: Singularity

Platform: 360 (PS3, PC)

ESRB: M

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Raven Software

Rating:

Review By: Eric Stuckart

I might not be the bravest soul out there when it comes to video games or movies, but if I have to shut it off for the night, the developers must be doing something right. Singularity started getting to me early on, and I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Even though the game’s creepy vibe wore off, Singularity plays out like a compilation of gaming’s greatest shooter gimmicks of all time, and boy is it an enjoyable ride. But we’ll get to that in a moment. (more…)

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