Backhand of Justice

Has Blizzard caught lightning in a bottle a second time? Is Starcraft II any good? read more

What do I think? It’s Starcraft. That’s all fans probably need to know. The uninitiated should be aware that the game is hugely different from the last decade of RTS offerings. How do Starcraft’s now-antiquated mechanics hold up? Have there been improvements? Read on to find out. read more

[Today's article comes from our man in Japan: John Johanas. Japan must be stuck in a time nexus though because it's a review of Dead Space. The nexus is probably making its way across the globe so the rest of us are screwed in a few hours. It took him back 16 months; I hope it takes me back to the early 90's so people stop ridiculing my Zubaz pants]

Alright, so I just played this-BACK THE FUCK OFF OKAY-, and I have to say that Dead Space is the most kick-ass game to ever come out, like ever. Some of my bros told me what kind of hot shit this thing was, and I am here to confirm it. This game is hot shit. So hot, in fact, that my palms are getting sweaty even writing this review! read more

[Today's Heavy Rain review comes from John Humphrey Johanas, Esquire, through the teletape from Japan. He freelances for popular gaming blog Backhand of Justice, and also runs a webcam website www.deviantjohanas.com]

This game came with a lot of hype that I chose not to get involved in. All I knew before getting in was that this is supposed to be a ball-busting emotional thriller with more of an emphasis on story and choices than gameplay. The great Luke Stillman even controversially debated with himself over whether or not this is a “game” despite having not played the final retail version! All in all, this looks to be something that is destined to get fucked up. read more

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx has new enemies, new vehicles, new guns and most importantly, the level cap has been raised from 50 to 61 (in the parlance of Gearbox, they took it to 11). Is more necessarily better? Pro tip: yes. read more

Mass Effect 2 is a sprawling experience. An entire world awaits your exploration, and your task of assembling a motley crew to battle the evil Collector race and save humanity is pulpy Saturday afternoon fun. read more

[Today's article comes from our favorite guest contributor John Johanas, or as he's known around these parts, 'the situation.' All hate mail should be forwarded to him, care of Japan]

After only a brief time playing it, I could tell that Final Fantasy XIII will definitely be passionately argued about. How could a game with such budget and hysterical hype live up to the games that came before it? Luckily, it seems as though the production team didn’t seem to concern itself over all of that.

What will shine through (if you can get past somewhat cliché Japanese RPG concepts) is that this game is unique in its own respect, and game play wise, is vastly improved from anything we have seen in the series before. read more

Much has been said in the gaming criticism community about the derivative nature of Darksiders: ‘it’s Zelda meets God of War with some Panzer Dragoon in there. And there’s a healthy helping of Bubble Bobble.’

Ok, so maybe Bubble Bobble isn’t in there, but people need to relax and take a step back. Darksiders isn’t just a ‘re-skinning of Zelda,’ it’s a unique product that builds off the success of its predecessors (as do all games). Critics have short changed Darksiders, because it’s one of the best action adventure games in recent memory. read more

Bowser’s Inside Story is the third Mario & Luigi RPG game, and as a newcomer to the series, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I associate Mario with jumping on enemies, super mushrooms and saving the Mushroom Kingdom. Fortunately for purists, that’s all here and more.

Bowser’s Inside Story is charmingly simple, witty and inventive, and is one of the best and most accessible RPGs I’ve played recently. Both Bowser (a surprising protagonist) and Fawful (the antagonist) are hilarious, and the light RPG elements and timing based gameplay are a refreshing change from standard Japanese RPG fare. You can’t go wrong with Bowser’s Inside Story (apart from the dubious name). read more

Assassins Creed II is a phenomenal open world experience. The depth of combat animation is extraordinary and the detail of the world is tremendous. [Aspect of Assassins Creed II] is [over the top superlative]. Rinse. Repeat. Do you own a PS3 / Xbox360 / know a friend who owns one that you’re pretty sure you can overpower? Play this game. read more