Fists of Plastic is a bit like Smash Bros. after it had a wander around LittleBigPlanet, but without a mind for constructing anything – and a lot more pain. Not all on screen, unfortunately. Four players, one arena and a physics model that provides a near infinite amount of collisions and hurt between shiny marionettes is what Rag Doll Kung Fu is about.
After spending just a few hours in Rage’s world, we were overcome with a feeling not just rare in videogames but in any work of fiction: We actually wanted to live there. It’s a more comfortable version of Mad Max, with all of the cobbled-together and lawless excitement but without the horrific desperation. Sure, the people have it rough – it’s the apocalypse, after all – but...
For the first time in their career as saviors of the universe, Ratchet and Clank have been separated. But the time apart has done them good. This is Insomniac’s most confident game to date, bursting with flair and imagination. By dividing the duo they’ve been able to create two boldly different games in one – a free-roaming space adventure and a brilliantly designed time-bending puzzler.
The original Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction was a divisive game here: some loved it; some didn’t see the fuss in what was essentially a hi-def PS2 platformer. So, how does this downloadable follow-up, Quest for Booty, compare, given the game’s glossy visuals have been watered down to fit on the PSN Store?
We wouldn’t call Full Frontal Assault an evolution of the series as much as a fun experiment with its mechanics. It mostly works, even though it’s not a very robust package...
Ready for another adventure with a certain Lombax and his robotic best friend? Insomniac’s next title in the R&C series: Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One takes on a different perspective, giving gamers a chance to play with up to four other teammates. With a new main co-op feature that utilizes collaboration on puzzles, wacky weapons and different playable characters for once, All 4 One casts a wider net than other co-op games this fall...
The visuals alone are enough to lull even the most seasoned gamer into a false sense of security. Vibrant colors abound, preposterous characters gambol and cavort with giddy abandon, and vivacious animation breathes life into the already-fecund levels. But don’t be fooled by Rayman Origins. This intensely beautiful 2D platformer can easily crack open and scramble even the most hardened of hardcore gamers.
And that’s a very good thing...
If you need to know the quickest way to flush your money down the toilet, Red Baron Arcade is the answer. Originally penciled in for a release last year, the dogfighter disappeared into the ether after Activision swallowed the whole of Sierra. Six months later, the game crash-landed on the PSN store, treating gamers to one of the most poorly presented PSN titles in recent memory.
In some ways, it was to Red Johnson's Chronicles' benefit that the PSN debacle happened. Originally intended for release way back in April and just now hitting Sony's shaky airwaves, the noir-adventure game is riding a peripheral wave of affection from LA Noire's considerable buzz. Unlike Noire, though, Red Johnson largely only has style going for it, and not substance as well - aside from some occasionally good ideas that are bungled in execution. Like Team Bondi and Rockstar's latest masterpiece, though, Red Johnson succeeds in reimagining the adventure game from a new perspective. It's just that the perspective is too uneven, veering wildly from LucasArts meets Highlights Magazine in its puzzles' logic and then manufacturing a sense of difficulty by strong-arming you into pixel-hunting...
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