Do you remember Juiced? The mod-heavy racing game which THQ salvaged from the wreckage of Acclaim's spectacular financial crash? You do? Brilliant. Then you'll remember that the customisation options were almost unparalleled - the choice of paint jobs, alloys and carbon-fibre wings you could bolt on to your motor was really something. But under the pearlescent exteriors lay a game that was about as joyous to handle as scalding faeces. After so much cosmetic promise Juiced fell flat on its ...
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10 Oct 2006

The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning

PS2 Review

If ever there was a reason to reach inside the television and begin throttling, it's David Spade as Sparx the dragonfly in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. As the cutesy sidekick in this action game, the cloying comic proves to be equal parts grating and repulsive. "Over here, mauve boy," he'll bleat at regular intervals, and his sneering, nasal tone never loses its charm because, simply, it never had any. You'll have to suffer through Spade even as a reborn Spyro soars in this oftentimes ...
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5 Nov 2008

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

PS2 Review

PS2 - The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon - The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

Ever since Spyro the Dragon first glided onto the PlayStation 10 years ago, he’s been struggling to find solid footing in the platform gaming world. His games have been criticized in the past for being overly complicated for younger gamers yet too childish for older ones. Unfortunately, Dawn Of The Dragon is pretty much more of the same. ...

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19 Oct 2007

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night

PS2 Review

Yep, it's another Spyro game, and it's again on the stalwart PS2, home to many of the dragon's previous outings... both good and bad. Fortunately, unlike its messy DS counterpart, Spyro: The Eternal Night on PS2 is actually a pretty good game. But that's something of a double-edged compliment - it's just a "pretty good" game. The Eternal Night picks up right where the previous Spyro title left off, after the young purple reptile's climactic battle with Cynder. Sadly, Sypro isn't going to be ...
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23 Sep 2008

LEGO Batman: The Videogame

PS2 Review

PS2 - LEGO Batman: The Videogame - LEGO Batman: The Videogame

Who is Batman to you? The violent lawman of the modern comics? The wink-wink star of the 60’s TV show? Tim Burton’s gothic icon, perhaps? The point is this: Travellers’ Tales have never had a subject so open to LEGO interpretation, and with it, playful experimentation. And boy, do they love it. Did you feel that Indy was a tad shackled to his tombs and dusty continents? ...

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3 Jun 2008

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

PS2 Review

PS2 - LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures - LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

How can a game that’s identical to the brilliant LEGO Star Wars in almost every respect not be as good? Simple - the setting. The Star Wars universe is vibrant, colourful and fantastical, while Indy’s real-world ’40s setting is more subdued. This works in the context of the films, but recreated in LEGO it has none of the outlandish flair of Lucas’ galaxy far, far away. ...

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22 Jun 2007

LEGO Star Wars

PS2 Review

You should have seen the new Star Wars films by now, if not to be entertained, then at least for the sense of closure you get from seeing Anakin have that helmet slapped that dried apple head of his. Of course, listening to his woeful cry of “noooooooooo” as he sees what hes become, were suddenly reminded that Lucasfilm should have called it a day right before the Ewok Caravan of ‘Hate and quit while they were ahead. The cutscenes from Lego Star Wars, similarly, give the ...
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11 Sep 2006

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

PS2 Review

Last year, LEGO Star Wars taught us what should have been apparent to everyone from the dawn of the universe - LEGO, Star Wars and video games go together like chocolate, peanut butter and creamy nougat. So it comes as no surprise that this new and improved version of last years kid-friendly darling captivated us from the introductory text crawl (you know... that part where the yellow letters march up the screen telling the harrowing tale of one of the most celebrated trilogies in the ...
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14 Dec 2004

Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events

PS2 Review

Things aren't going well for the three Baudelaire children. They've just learnt that their parents have died, when they're shipped off to live with an evil uncle. It's not ideal.They need to come up with survival techniques to survive in a house laden with nutcases and creepy crawlies. This involves inventing weapons and gadgets that keep them out of trouble.Luckily, Baudelaire Violet is uncannily good at making gadgets out of random objects - all she needs are the correct items. Which is where ...
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28 Nov 2007

Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal

PS2 Review

Oct 17, 2007 We hate to ruin a (not-so-good) ending, but the easiest way to kick off this review is with the text from the final achievement from Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal, which you receive by completing the game: “Youll probably hate yourself in the morning.” Well, that about sums it up. Thanks for doing our job, dev team. So maybe thats not all, folks. Looney Tunes: AA is ostensibly an action-platformer featuring a wide variety of playable animated legends and levels inspired ...
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