VideogameUK

Review: NBA Unrivaled (Xbox 360)

Words by

Derek McEwan

Posted on February 5, 2010

Do you remember the glory days of 16-bit gaming? I certainly do and I often pine for simpler times when games were about the fun factor rather than epic movies where you get the chance to occasionally play as the main character, or at least one of the minor roles….anyway back to the point. When I was given this game to review I checked out the synopsis before I downloaded it. Fantastic (I thought) a game that brings retro to the present day, wow what wondrous things could happen?

I downloaded the game and smiled as it started up, after all nobody could mess up a retro style basketball game could they? Arrrgh, they could, they could and they did it in spades. Nothing about this game is right, it’s like a copy of NBA Jam with all the fun taken out of it. Nothing about this game works for me, and apparently the Xbox LIVE community aren’t too happy with it either, the game has been given a general rating of 2 stars. Personally I think that’s far too generous.

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Review: Max And the Magic Marker (Wii)

Words by

Jennifer Allen

Posted on February 3, 2010

The WiiWare service available to Wii owners is quickly becoming the best source of some great and unique titles that you just can’t get elsewhere. Besides the likes of Square Enix and Telltale Games producing some brilliant conversions, players have also been able to enjoy the delights of more niche titles such as Frontier Developments’ Lostwinds and now, Max and the Magic Marker.

It’s a game that I suspect has been overlooked by too many people. Although it’s had some press coverage, amidst a packed release schedule, something’s bound to be left out. For many, I suspect, it is Max and the Magic Marker. A terrible shame considering the game oozes charm and fun. It’s a game aimed at all the family, while never being patronising or too easy for the adult gamer.

You play Max, a normal kid, who one day is given a magic pen. This pen makes any of Max’s drawings come alive. Unfortunately for Max, the monster he drew has also become real so he has to catch it before there’s even more trouble. It’s a simple storyline but this isn’t to the detriment of the quality of the game. There are 3 worlds in all comprising of 5 levels each. For the price of 1000 Wii points, it’s a reasonable length with plenty of collectibles and bonus features to acquire as well as simply completing the game.

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Review: The Saboteur (PS3)

Words by

Jamie Butcher

Posted on February 3, 2010

EA’s latest release; The Saboteur revolves around the main character Irishman Sean Devlin who goes from mechanic to racing driver to freedom fighter in Paris. You control Sean in a third person environment which is a mixture between The Godfather and Grand Theft Auto (which isn’t a bad thing!).

Essentially, EA have taken the shell of their previous Godfather releases and updated them with a few nifty features, a little more bad language and the possibility of nudity (again – not a bad thing!).

The game starts in a brothel where we see Nazi soldiers ogling a semi naked dancer before our character Sean is approached by a French resistance fighter, cue the expected tutorials introducing you to the controls before beginning the story. One of the nicer touches was actually competing in a race on a proper circuit in a proper racing car!

The characters are all quite easy to get used to which I personally found a bit of a problem in the Godfather series where most mafia characters all looked similar. I’m pleased to say that this is definitely not a problem in the Saboteur; each character is quite individual in their attitude and looks.

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