GamesRadar - Xbox Reviews

Advent Rising (Review)

4/05/2006

Most video game plots stink. For every brilliantly penned epic like Half-Life, there are dozens of True Crimes whose narratives wouldn't impress a sixth-grade English teacher. That makes the science-fiction actioner Advent Rising a particular treat - it delivers both power and plot. Orson Scott Card (author of the sci-fi classic Ender's Game) spins humanity's survival against a race of aliens (the Seekers) hell-bent on their destruction because they believe humans to be the most powerful ...

Aeon Flux (Review)

22/03/2006

First off, Majescos movie tie-in ... isn't. This third-person action game doesn't replay events of the Aeon Flux movie. Sure, it lays a gloss of Charlize Theron in slick vinyl over everything, but at heart, it throws back instead to the old MTV cartoon series for its personality, artistic sense, and level designs. True, Aeons skills and abilities are pretty cool. She leaps nimbly around with almost Spider-Man-like agility, wields various gadgets, rolls shiny globes around (it's cooler than it ...

AMF Xtreme Bowling 2006 (Review)

13/07/2006

Of the millions of Americans who enjoy bowling every year, perhaps dozens will find themselves damaged by AMF Xtreme Bowling 2006. We're here to stop you from being one of them. Since the old game of ten-pin bowling isn't too hard to replicate - how many polygons do you need to create a lane, anyway? - Xtreme tries to doll it up with black light, neon and, naturally, dames. The opening cinema shows more bare midriffs than you're likely to find in a real lane, strikes are rewarded with ...

And 1 Streetball (Review)

16/06/2006

AND 1 Streetball sets itself apart from other basketball games by placing equal importance on outscoring your opponent and looking damn cool doing it. Just like the real-life, trick-play AND 1 traveling team, the game overflows with impressive athletic moves, grandiose showboating and tongue-in-cheek entertainment value. As a foul-less, unruly streetballer, AND 1 emphasizes action and delivers with an incredibly deep “I Ball” control scheme that allows you to juke, jive and ...

Area 51 (Review)

12/05/2005

Most FPS titles have you running around while shooting at everything else that's running around. But Area 51, in its opening stages at least, is tenser than that: you've got to stand still while hell breaks loose around you. Sweeping through a ruined and still-burning underground science complex, Area 51 begins by throwing more enemies at you in one go than most games manage per level, and it's your job to hold your ground without being overrun by them. It's a rush, that's for sure. Moody looks ...

Atari Anthology (Review)

6/01/2005

We open our eyes, cold and broken, our minds a maelstrom of painful hazy, half-remembered thoughts. We reach up to check for eyelids - we remember opening our eyes but all we can see is a brainwashing fusion of flashing primary colours and we collectively scream.Is this the aftermath of one of the most horrendous drinking sessions ever? No. Just the result of blinking while playing Atari Anthology.This game should not be released. Simple as that. Playing through its repetitive selection of ...

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Review)

31/10/2006

Avatar: The Last Airbender, an anime-styled cartoon on Nickelodeon, has gained quite a respectable following for a show that was originally targeted at younger viewers. In a mythical world of four quarrelling nations (Air, Earth, Water, and Fire), the Avatar named Aang is the only one who can bring peace and stability through harnessing all four elemental powers. The show combines an entertaining mix of humor, drama, and likable characters that has drawn in a wide demographic of viewers. ...