Thank you for all your amazing reviews. This community always manages to find a way to take games that have been thoroughly covered and look at them in a new light, which is quite helpful when purchasing older titles.
The quest to finish Final Fantasy 8: Disc 1
By Jonathan Oyama
Despite being a huge RPG fan, I have never played Final Fantasy 8. Jonathan does a great job of looking at it through the lens of a modern gamer and recognizing its successes as well as the ways it hasn't aged gracefully. Unfortunately, it now seems I have to go download this classic to experience it myself.
Drive safely: Blurring the line of reality in Forza 4
By Billy Guinigundo
Sometimes, it seems that sequels to racing games would be better off if they just left things alone (I'm looking at you, Need For Speed series). According to Billy, the developers of Forza Motorsport 4 understand this concept and have kept the features that their fans love: plenty of customization, community integration, and great racing mechanics.
Return on investment: Time and loss in Dark Souls
By Tristan Damen
Dark Souls is a hard game. Wait, that's not quite an apt description; I'll try again. Dark Souls is a frustratingly difficult game meant for those that like to punish themselves until they improve. As Tristan notes here, sometimes the struggle doesn't seem worth the time and effort put in. Nevertheless, the craving for progress that the game can instill can suck you back in, as we see at the end of this review.
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The case that shouldn't close: An L.A. Noire review and critique
By Judson Rose
L.A. Noire was one of those games that divided players. Nearly all were impressed by its groundbreaking facial animations and intriguing interrogation system, yet some were disappointed by the way that the game would still continue with the story no matter the outcome of individual conversations. For those who still haven't decided whether the game is worth their time (and money), Judson's review covers every aspect of the game in depth and with clarity.
Rage gets storytelling so right and so wrong
By Matt McArdle
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We've already seen plenty of coverage of id's new shooter, Rage. Thankfully, Matt manages to find a way of examining it that turns into a great look at storytelling in games in general. The final moments of a game can make or break the entire story, and the increasingly frequent trend of establishing new IPs as sequel-ready is causing developers to force in conclusions that leave things open-ended. Matt does a great job at looking at which games do this right and which fail miserably.