Backhand of Justice

[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

[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

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

I was among the doubters when Bioware promised Dragon Age would be the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate, but consider me a believer. Dragon Age is not without its flaws, but if you have ever enjoyed a single player Role Playing Game, you must play this game. read more

Imagine waking up on Christmas morning. It’s early and nobody’s awake, so you sneak down to check out the tree. Lo and behold, presents everywhere! Now, imagine that those presents are Skags, viciously snapping at your heels. Instead of Christmas morning, it’s the future and you’re in a post apocalyptic wasteland, and there are guns, and bandits … you know what, this metaphor is terrible. Long story short: Borderlands is an incredible and addicting game.

Borderlands seamlessly merges first person shooting with role playing mechanics into a package that is the best and most addictive game I’ve played in some time. The ‘just one more gun’ mechanics will draw you into the game and the solid shooting and co-op tomfoolery will keep you there for a good long while.

If you like shooters, you must play Borderlands. If you like RPGs, you must play Borderlands. If you only play Spider Solitaire between phone calls, you must play Borderlands. [For all ‘X’, ‘X must play Borderlands.’] read more

I wanted to like this game. I love the adulation of heavy metal music and the simultaneous reverence and lightheartedness with which the game treats its narrative and characters. I was even on board with Jack Black. I was rooting for you, Tim Schafer.

The bottom line, however, is that this game just isn’t fun to play at any point. While there are brief highlights, this is a clumsily executed disaster which was only as glorified as it was because of its creator and cast list. It is an unfortunate fact that adventure games, with their threadbare gameplay mechanics, might be the only genre at which the creative and charming Mr. Schafer can excel.

Brutal Legend is a short game, and it might be worth renting it to see the inspired character and environment design and listen to some of the genuinely hilarious dialogue. If there’s a good YouTube compilation video out there, however, you’re probably better off with that. read more

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is like a Michael Bay film: you correctly anticipate every plot twist and the characters are one-dimensional archetypes yet despite that you still have a great time. You know Nathan Drake. You know Elena, Sully and Lazarevic; you can probably recite their lines for them. This is a pulp adventure serial come to life, only this time you get to take the reins and save the day.

Uncharted 2 is a brilliantly executed game fleshed out into an engrossing experience through the tiny oft-overlooked details, whether it’s the characters’ lifelike body language, Drake’s running banter or the way your clothes get wet when you take a swim. The combat is smooth and well executed, the gameplay is varied and the pacing is rarely too slow or too frenetic. Finally, the comedic vein that infuses the whole experience is charming.

Among Thieves is not a perfect game. There are minor control issues, the action set pieces can be a bit much and there are minor checkpoint annoyances. That being said, if you own a PS3, you can’t go wrong with Uncharted 2. read more

 I am not a Batman fan. I don’t read the comics or watch the cartoon and I am not obsessed with the films. That being said, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a masterpiece that seamlessly integrates all of Batman’s skills into a tight package that nearly sustains its brilliance all the way to the end.

This is not to say it’s without flaws, but if you’re looking for a solid single player story that mixes action, stealth and simple puzzle mechanics, you won’t go wrong with this game. read more