Author: iain.mewPage 6 of 106

“We’re in the money” – Dance on Broadway

Of Just Dance, I said “Nothing to top the charts has looked so barebones a proof of concept since the days of PS1 3D and Cool Boarders, and…

“Playtime” – Toy Story 3

The UK’s Official Charts Company — the fact they don’t need to have “music” in the name is indicative — publishes many different singles charts each week. There’s…

“Mega ultra power dosing” – Crackdown 2

Ponder the orb. All around in Crackdown 2, as in the original game, there are agility orbs which permanently boost your powers when collected. Collect them and you…

“Bowser on Ice” – Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Sunshine showed the problems that can come up when making a Mario game about something. Delfino Isle proved an awkward halfway house between cohesion and freedom….

“Sweet, peace-loving people with a love of social justice” – Red Dead Redemption

Grand Theft Auto IV continued Rockstar’s run of world-beating success, but in the costly new era of HD game development they weren’t going to be able to follow…

“Nowhere to run now, Dan Brown” – Alan Wake

There is a concept which rings somewhat true to me of an “anxious interval” in cultural nostalgia. As described by Elizabeth Sandifer citing Momus, the interval is “the…

“Tell me places, all the places” – FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa

It’s not often that FIFA games lose the voiced “it’s in the game” intro. In FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa, it’s replaced with a cheer and a…

“Shoot lights to create shadows” – Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction

Seven years and six games into the espionage of the Splinter Cell series, it was about time for the entry where Sam Fisher’s own organisation are turned against…

“Immobilized by love” – Pokémon SoulSilver

I have played a lot of Pokémon games through this project thanks to their consistent popularity in the UK. The success of the Nintendo DS helped take things…

“Ain’t no love in the world of international espionage” – Just Cause 2

For the past month I have been playing Just Cause 2 alongside The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It’s been an interesting experience because it has…