GamesRadar - Reviews

Tabula Rasa (Review)

Nov 12, 2007

Nov 12, 2007 History lesson time: "Tabula rasa" is a Latin phrase popularized by John Locke in the 17th century. Translated to English it reads as "clean slate" and describes Locke's notion of human nature. In terms of Richard Garriott's new MMORPG, intellectually titled Tabula Rasa, the concept works on several levels. In the game's story, it refers to humanity starting over on a new planet after an alien invasion. For gameplay it hints at the cloning system that allows you to take a single ...

Taiko No Tatsujin [import] (Review)

Sep 19, 2007

Sept 19, 2007 No other rhythm action game on DS has yet to use the touch screen as a single, real instrument, for the duration of the game. In Rhythm Tengoku you're banging objects, shooting arrows, and punching cans. In Ouendan you're tapping a few random balls whose shapes are abstract rather than musical in nature. In Taiko No Tatsujin DS, however, as in its former arcade incarnations and Donkey Konga (made by the same team), the game is all about a real instrument. Styluses become ...

Taito Legends (Review)

Jun 22, 2007

How do you see it? Old skool nostalgia or long-forgotten crap? Are you a rabid retro-head or a sneering next-gen obsessive? Either way, its a mini-war that neednt be, especially when were talking about over thirty games for less than twenty clams. Perhaps its time that both sides of the dispute kissed and made up, and we can all get in the warm and have a great game of New Zealand Story. Er, ...

Taito Legends (Review)

Jun 22, 2007

Taito Legends (Review)

Jun 22, 2007

Tales of Phantasia (GBA) (Review)

Mar 9, 2006

RPGs most certainly have their fans. But among those who don't enjoy them, the main complaint seems to be that the battles are boring - you're usually limited to picking options off of a menu, after all. Well, Tales of Phantasia is the game designed to fix that. While it has the look and story of an ultra-traditional RPG, the battles give you direct control over the action. It's a welcome change of pace whether you love or hate turn-based fighting, and it's little surprise that the series has ...

Tales of Symphonia (Review)

Apr 14, 2006

Some series are instant classics. Every sequel is treasured. Others have one brief moment in the sun, one game where it all comes together - and so far, the Tales series is definitely that kind. Fortunately for GameCube owners, that one brilliant game is Tales of Symphonia. It's hardly perfect, but it's so enjoyable and attractive that it's hard not to get swept up in its charm. It's easy to overlook its shortcomings. Speaking of which, things here are pretty by-the-book. In a fantasy world of ...

Tales of Symphonia (Review)

Nov 15, 2004

Okay, we'll keep this one short as we reviewed the US version just a couple of issues back. We awarded it 84% and (surprise, surprise) the score isn't going to change any time soon. If you didn't get a chance to read our review last time, here's the general gist of what to expect. It's a 'traditional' Japanese RPG and a good looking one at that. The characters are all beautifully designed (they're cel-shaded) and the specific locations you enter throughout the adventure are rarely anything ...

Tales of the Abyss (Review)

Oct 6, 2006

If you're reading this article, we have a hunch you might be planning to pick up Final Fantasy XII. Let's face it: with such an epic coming out at the end of October, is it worth worrying about another RPG? We think so. Consider filling the three weeks from when Tales of the Abyss comes out and Final Fantasy XII's Halloween release with a saga of a completely different stripe. Tales' claims to fame aren't quite Final Fantasy's. The battles are action-packed. The characters are in-your-face ...

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (Review)

Jul 18, 2007

For those of you who never played Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Legendia, or any of the other outstanding “Tales of” games, this PSP-exclusive may seem less than interesting. Nearly all of the content in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology is borrowed from other Tales games, with a few standard RPG trappings tacked on. There is nothing really new or innovative to make the game memorable, but for fans of the franchise, Radiant Mythology is a nice trip down memory lane and a breath ...

Tales of Vesperia (Review)

Aug 26, 2008

Tales of Vesperia is everything you’d expect from a Japanese role-playing game: sprawling dungeons, monster encounters and stuff about saving the world. It’s also everything you’d expect from a Tales game: epic story, angsty anime characters and drop-in, drop-out co-op. But this isn’t your granddaddy’s Tales of Symphonia with its namby-pamby plotlines and romantic relationship system; this is the Tales series all grown up and in living color. ...

Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop (Review)

Mar 14, 2006

The first few minutes of Tamagotchi Connection are some of the cutest you'll ever find in gaming. You're greeted by adorable, bloblike creatures that are living in squalor, and now want to be your friend for life. It's just you and your little tamagotchi buddy, opening a business on the corner, cleaning teeth, making brooches, cleaning laundry with the stylus ... all minigames that simulate work we should hate, but will spend countless hours playing. Then, after you've scrubbed your 100th ...

Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 (Review)

Nov 20, 2006

Remember the digital pet craze of the mid-ninties? If so, then you probably remember that it was Tamagotchi that started it all. They've come a long way since then, and now they're back in Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2. Leaving behind the original Tamagotchi's roots, Corner Shop 2 is more a collection of minigames than a virtual pet. The game consists of various themed shops (burger joint, clothing boutique, bowling alley, sushi bar, airline, and so forth), and each one is a minigame. ...

Tamagotchi No Pika Pika Daitouryou! [import] (Review)

Feb 5, 2007

Clearly bent on taking over the world, the Tamagotchi critters are using a Wii multiplayer board game to decide on a President to lead them into battle. Up to four people can play, with the AI filling in if you (surely inexplicably) find yourself playing Tamagotchi on your own. Start by shaking the remote to throw a die, and move around the board to land on a square where: a) youre rewarded for doing nothing at all, b) youre penalised for doing nothing at all, c) youll get richer after watching ...

Tamagotchi Party On! (Review)

Jun 6, 2007

It's hard to properly weigh in on such a perversely cute board game. The minigames are preschool-level at best, often requiring nothing more than simple gestures to complete. Dialogue is so basic that a five-year-old kid could whip up something more profound. Even the Community Chest-style spaces you land on put the little guys into are right out of a fable or moral tale (helping kids across the street, visiting old folks). But somehow its invasive, saccharine cuteness manages to generate ...

Tank Beat (Review)

Jun 27, 2007

Tank Beat combines rolling combat action and real-time strategy command, dividing attention between the top screen's muddy 3D rendering and the touchscreen's rote 2D world of targeting, route management, and support direction. Draw a blue line from your tank's radar blip to a destination, sweep the stylus to change the view, blow enemies up with a tense tap of the corresponding red dot, and issue orders to companions. The elements are simple, and there might've been a decent game in there ...

Tank Universal (Review)

Oct 6, 2008

Though you wouldn’t guess it from the title, screenshots or, indeed, actual game, in Tank Universal you play a wrinkled old man with failing health called George. George has been to the ‘doctors’ and been advised that the best cure for his illness is a strict course of tanks, missiles and explosions, taken through a VR headset. George totters home, sticks the helmet on, and that’s the premise of the game. ...

Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal (Review)

Mar 28, 2006

The DS' touch screen and microphone abilities have given developers ample opportunity to innovate. But for every genre-busting use of these features, there's a Tao's Adventure. The only thing worse than this turn-based RPG's inhumanly counterproductive interface is the total lack of anything remotely fresh, or hell, even fun. In order to do virtually anything in this game, you have to tap a field of small, just slightly legible text on the touch screen. You can't end a conversation, search an ...

Target: Terror (Review)

May 8, 2008

The credits list betrays their terrible secret. Many years from now, members of the Target: Terror development team will recount that fateful evening in the summer of 2004 when Target: Terror’s boss, Eugene Jarvis (of Narc and Cruis’n USA fame), sent down the order: Dave - bring in your bright red boiler suit; Gina - go get those PVC hotpants you wore to the Christmas party. And all of you - bring your sunglasses. The next day ...

Team Fortress 2 (Review)

Dec 17, 2007

Dec 17, 2007 [Editor's Note: Some of you may notice that our PS3 and 360 reviews of this game are the same, but the PS3 version has scored lower. This is not a typo. The two versions have identical content and both are fantastic. However, the PS3 version sometimes moves at a chuggy, stuttery pace, and has notably longer loading times. These faults have earned it a lower score.] Let's not dwell too much on the original mod for Quake and Half-Life - that was ten years ago, not everyone played ...