Destructoid

Coming away from Omega, I see so much missed potential. For me, the city was easily one of the most interesting locales explored in the series. It represented a loose, but functional collection of the galaxy’s lost and lawless -- y’know, the kind of people that make life fun. There’s also brief, half-baked drama between Aria and an old friend of hers that will be almost completely lost on anyone who hasn’t kept up with the Mass Effect books.

Baldur's Gate was, is, and always will be an RPG classic. The writing is full of wit, the characters and their interactions are exceptional, and the tried-and-true D&D gameplay is deceivingly complex. Sure, there are some minor issues like character AI/pathing, overly chatty and intrusive party members, and the occasional crash, but they fall short of detracting from the overall RPG euphoria.

All I know is, if your idea of a brilliant joke is hearing a robot say "scrap" instead of "crap" every few minutes, Transformers Prime is for you. Not only does it perform that exact joke with that same regularity, your laughing at it qualifies you as stupid enough to think Prime is worth money.

Warts and all, Under Defeat is a capable, unique shoot-em-up given new life in this HD update. Its ridiculous controls will divide players, forming a hate-love relationship with the game. Under Defeat feels like trying to rub your stomach and pat your head at the same time. It’s a fun, awkward exercise that some may grow tired of all too soon.

The story and voice acting are slightly better in this sequel, but there's still not much that can be said about them. It's all very forgettable. Again, it's the gameplay that makes all of the same problems passable. Combat moves much, much faster than in the first title, and the game will throw many more enemies at you than before. Good thing Jehuty has a revitalized moveset and array of weapons to take care of them like it's nothing.

The game demands players become invested in it and its memorable cast, and that makes it very difficult to look at each episode separately. The overall package is a phenomenal one, but I must admit that it is the end that will stick with me the most, with all the other episodes leading up to this massive crescendo.eparately...

Those few minor gripes aside, Okami HD is the definitive version of one of the past decade's premier games and absolutely deserves to be played. Whether you've experienced it before or have yet to do so, do yourself a favor and pick this up.

Despite complaints, it's a compelling story with some standout moments and surprising twists. Even more surprising is that the narrative does make sense in the end; a Sherlock Holmes story needs to be tight and logical, which this game manages to pull off overall. Even with the sometimes fractured narrative, it is hard to not want to get to the bottom of the cases that have led to Holmes behaving in the way he does.

I really like Pid, despite its faults. It routinely makes me feel smart and suave, and it manages its tone pitch-perfectly: sad without being maudlin, effectively capturing childhood without being mawkish or explicit. It’s plagued somewhat by a misunderstanding of its strengths, but when the design -- of its levels, its characters, its aesthetics -- comes together, it’s a beautiful little gem.

For the most part, barring the half-hearted campaign, they've greatly succeeded. If you find yourself playing Smash Bros. into the wee hours of the morning with friends, you should enjoy PlayStation-All Stars: provided that you have at least some affinity towards the franchises that take part in this tournament. There is certainly room for two major players in the genre of arena fighting, and Sony has done well in taking up one of those coveted slots.