Crackdown 2 - Xbox 360 Review

CRACKDOWN 2

Formats: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Format Reviewed: Xbox 360

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer; Ruffian Games

Release Date: 9th July 2010

Score: 85%

Back in 2007 when Crackdown was released, most people knew it simply as “that game what came free with the Halo 3 beta”. It was what they like to refer to as a “sleeper hit”, sidling into the market on the back of Microsoft’s biggest Xbox cashcow and taking everyone by surprise by actually not sucking at all. To be fair, it was the fact that Realtime Worlds’ little gem was really a rough diamond that endeared us all to it. It didn’t feel big budget, it didn’t feel pretentious, it was just a game that let you blow stuff up, jump over buildings and become addicted to collecting hundreds of little orbs. It never claimed to be anything else, and as a result was one of 2007’s best games and remains one of the 360’s most enjoyable breakout hits.

Two Worlds - Xbox 360 Review

TWO WORLDS

Formats: Xbox 360, PC

Format Reviewed: Xbox 360

Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive

Developer: Reality Pump

Release Date: 9th May 2007

Score: 52%

I'm not much of a psychologist, but if there is one thing I know about the human condition, it's this: anyone can be made to believe anything. All it really takes is confidence, a few false promises and a large dose of hype. This is something that developers Reality Pump must know all too well, having somehow managed to convince the game-playing world that they were preparing to release an epic RPG masterpiece with Two Worlds...

Ninja Blade - Xbox 360 Review

NINJA BLADE

Formats: Xbox 360, PC

Format Reviewed: Xbox 360

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: From Software

Release Date: 03/04/2009

Score: 77%

Have you ever, upon leaving the house to head off to the pub/school/church, found that the coat you intended to wear was either in the wash or misplaced, forcing you to sling on the old one from the back of the wardrobe that you never wear any more, and then, having done so, found a tenner folded up in the inside pocket? Well, Ninja Blade, the new demon-battler from Microsoft and From Software is like that: a pleasant, unexpected, slightly lint-covered surprise. Okay, actually there's no lint, but you get the overall thrust of the analogy.