Video Game Reviews

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Re-mastered

Square Enix; Virtous/ Square Enix

Reviewed on: PS3

Also available on: PS Vita

Street: 03.18

Final Fantasy X was one of those Final Fantasy games that everyone remembers—there’s a great story, interesting characters, blitzball, sphere grids—the list goes on. With Final Fantasy X/X-2 Re-mastered, all those good memories came rushing back, except now the game looks and sounds better with a re-mixed soundtrack. The graphics also received a facelift—characters have a bit more detail and the backgrounds are more fleshed out. The lip-syncing is ridiculously off at times, and there’s the occasional graphics mismatch, but it’s a decent improvement. The cut scenes are as beautiful as ever, which is a good thing because you still can’t skip them in FFX (dying during a boss fight and having to go through a ten-minute cut scene again is more than a little frustrating). These are the international editions of the games, which gives us a few extras like Super Bosses in FFX and the Creature Creator in X-2. It adds a lot of quality play time to an already fantastic pair of games. With such a great price point, the re-mastered versions are a worthwhile upgrade— even if you’ve hung on to the original games.

 

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare

PopCap Games/Electronic Arts

Reviewed on: Xbox One

Also on: Xbox 360, PC (June 2014)

Street: 02.25

PopCap is quickly becoming one of my favorite video game developers. They’ve managed to quietly put together some of the most engaging, creative casual titles of all time, and continue to do so, despite being under the alleged heavy hand of the dreaded EA. With Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare (PvZ: GW), PopCap has departed from the arcadey strategy/puzzle games they usually develop—this time opting for a third-person shooter. With that said, many of the standard characteristics are here, namely the fun, colorful look, as well as the hilarity and charm. The gameplay is also a lot more intuitive than I expected. Developed entirely in EA’s Frostbite 3 engine—the engine used on games like Battlefield 4, Need For Speed: Rivals and the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront—PvZ: GW is a smooth, attractive shooter that will capture the attention of even the most casual of gamers (my wife LOVES it). One thing I wish this game had is an offline split screen versus mode, maybe with the option to throw in some AI. Other than that, this game is fantastic. –Blake Leszczynski

 

South Park: The Stick Of Truth

UbiSoft

Reviewed On: Xbox 360

Also on: PC, PS3

Street: 03.04

Never had I thought I’d be writing this sentence in a review: You fight against a giant Nazi-zombie aborted fetus as a boss. And that doesn’t even begin to describe the absolute zero-sensitivity humor you’ll find in this game. Really, you wouldn’t expect anything less from the creators of South Park, who have essentially produced with UbiSoft what could be considered the first half of their television show’s 18th season. For fans of the show, it’s a dream come true, as you get to interact in their crappy animated universe as the new kid in town. The game is as basic an RPG as they could make—from armor and weapons down to goals and achievements—ensuring that fans of the show could easily play and defeat it, and allowing them to watch all the jokes and cut-scenes without feeling daunted. You could beat the game in under 13 hours! But let’s be honest, going all the way back to the N64 dodgeball game, you’re not buying a South Park title for a challenge, you’re buying it for all the disgusting and offensive humor they could pack into it. For that, you won’t be disappointed. –Gavin Sheehan