Metacritic.com: Xbox 360 Reviews

72% Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 2: The Last Resort

2009-11-06T12:00:37-05:00

Critic Score: 72%
Release Date: 2009-11-04

[Xbox Live Arcade] Join Wallace & Gromit once again in Wallace & Gromit Episode 2: The Last Resort, the second tale in their newest adventure series by Telltale! When unrelenting rain ruins their holiday plans, Wallace & Gromit bring the beach to their basement and transform 62 West Wallaby into a makeshift resort. Keeping the customers satisfied is tricky business, especially after one of them is clocked on the head by an unknown assailant. Whodunnit? It’s up to Gromit to find out … with a little help from Wallace’s latest invention, the Deduct-o-matic! Featuring a brand new story with the same slapstick humour, cinematic visuals, and British charm fans of the Wallace & Gromit films have come to love, The Last Resort is the second game in the series that has everyone buzzing! [Telltale Games]

64% Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure!

2009-09-24T00:00:27-04:00

Critic Score: 64%
Release Date: 2009-10-28

Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! is platform gaming at its most colorful. Control the rainbows to take you through the game's 10 seamlessly connected areas, as you climb from the earth to the far reaches of space. Conquer all 10 Areas in four different game modes, and customize your character's outfit with a range of quirky costumes that you can earn in the game. [Taito]

51% Where the Wild Things Are

2009-09-03T12:01:21-04:00

Critic Score: 51%
Release Date: 2009-10-13

Playing as the mischievous Max, players explore the Wild Things' mysterious island, journeying over dangerous terrain, battling fierce creatures and interacting with the fearsome but loveable Wild Things. Through your adventure, you'll befriend and team up with the Wild Things - each with their own unique skills or special talents - learning valuable new abilities, working together to solve action puzzles, overcoming obstacles and have a rumpus of a good time! Following a unique storyline inspired by Where the Wild Things Are, the game take players on a journey beyond the movie to explore the mysterious island of the Wild Things on an adventurey that you'll never forget. Run, jump, climb and swing your way across the island's dangerous terrain while battling fierce creatures with your trusty scepter. Collect a variety of special items and "power-ups" to gain new abilities and overcome obstacles. On your journey you'll team up with the fearsome but loveable Wild Things discovering their unique personalities and abilities. At any time return to the Wild Things Village to play through a variety of mini games, start dirt-clog fights and have a rumpus good time. Journey across the hostile of the Wild Things filled with fierce creatures and hazardous obstacles around every corner. Go beyond the movie to explore a unique storyline inspired by the book and movie. [Warner Bros.]

75% LEGO Rock Band

2009-08-16T10:31:57-04:00

Critic Score: 75%
Release Date: 2009-11-03

The game, which allows families, tweens and teens to experience a wild journey to rock stardom where they can "Build a Band and Rock the Universe," combines the multiplayer music experience of Rock Band with the fun, customization and humor of the LEGO videogame franchise packed with brilliant chart-topping songs and classic favorites suitable for younger audiences, including: Blur's "Song 2", Carl Douglas's "Kung Fu Fighting", Europe's "The Final Countdown", Good Charlotte's "Boys and Girls", and Pink's "So What." Players become rockers as they embark on a journey to stardom that the whole family can enjoy as they work their way through local venues, stadiums and fantasy locations on Earth and beyond that mimic the imaginative settings that the LEGO world offers. Also continuing the LEGO "build-and-play" gaming experience, players are able to create their own LEGO Rock Band style as they customize their minifigure avatars, band and entourage, including roadies, managers and crew. LEGO Rock Band supports Rock Band instruments, as well as other music game controllers. [Warner Bros.]

88% Dragon Age: Origins

2009-08-16T10:31:54-04:00

Critic Score: 88%
Release Date: 2009-11-03

As the spiritual successor to BioWare's "Baldur's Gate", one of the most successful role-playing games in the industry, Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare's return to its roots, delivering a fusion of the best elements of existing fantasy works with stunning visuals, emotionally-driven narrative, heart-pounding combat, powerful magic abilities and credible digital actors. The spirit of classic RPGs comes of age, as Dragon Age: Origins features a dark and mature story and gameplay. Epic Party-Based Combat – Dragon Age: Origins introduces an innovative, scalable combat system, as players face large-scale battles and use their party’s special abilities to destroy hoardes of enemies and massive creatures. Powerful Magic – Raining down awesome destruction on enemies is even more compelling as players apply "spell combos," a way of combining together different spells to create emergent unique effects. Players develop their characters and gain powerful special abilities (spells, talents and skills) and discover ever-increasing weapons of destruction. With its emotionally compelling story, players choose with whom they wish to forge alliances or crush under their mighty fist, redefining the world with the choices they make and how they wield their power. Players select and play a unique prelude that provides the lens through which the player sees the world and how the world sees the player. The player's choice of Origin determines who they are and where they begin the adventure, as they play through a customized story opening that profoundly impacts the course of every adventure. [BioWare]

80% Band Hero

2009-08-16T10:31:49-04:00

Critic Score: 80%
Release Date: 2009-11-03

Family and friends come together to ascend the virtual stage and rock their way to superstardom with Band Hero, which features the hottest chart-topping hits from everyone's favorite acts including No Doubt, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects, Snow Patrol and The Jackson 5. Headlined by some of the biggest names in music as in-game artists and playable characters, Band Hero is the ultimate party game where players of all ages can create the band they have always dreamed of by using any combination of guitar or drum controllers and vocals, providing rockers and performers of all ages the chance to experience and interact with their favorite music. [Activision]

71% Lips: Number One Hits

2009-10-21T00:00:32-04:00

Critic Score: 71%
Release Date: 2009-10-20

Wait no longer to rock out to your favorite number one songs. The latest themed installment in the Lips franchise, "Lips: Number One Hits" lets you sing along to hits that have reached the top spot on the world’s music charts. The title contains 40 top songs from artists like Rihanna, Kanye West, Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, MC Hammer, The Beach Boys and many more. [Microsoft]

69% Way of the Samurai 3

2009-10-16T12:00:34-04:00

Critic Score: 69%
Release Date: 2009-10-20

Take the role of a samurai and choose your own path, blazing a trail of honor, loyalty and respect or one of villainy, corruption and greed. The canonical series, best known for its high level of freedom and play style is back, with improved features, graphics and new game play mechanics sure to please fans of this enduring series. The Butterfly Effect - With over 15 different endings, every action you take will cause a change of events to occur, allowing for multiple outcomes and replay-ability. Every action has a reaction and the following consequences open up new paths to explore. Weapon Customization and Abilities - Craft your own unique weapons from over 200 different parts and materials, creating the ultimate weapon that suits your taste and fighting style. Create lethal blades, spears, pole axes and more while discovering new abilities and skills with increased use. Become a master of one or of many! Reward System and Samurai Rating - Performing different feats will reward a player with Samurai Points and a Title, which in turn will unlock new features and characters within the game. Fight honorably in the way of the samurai, live your life as a bandit or strive to uphold the government. These choices will net different points and values, encouraging multiple play throughs to unlock all features and content. The Pen Can Be Mightier Than The Sword - Fight your opposition with force or take the diplomatic route, using subtle gestures like the unsheathing of your sword. With extensive dialogue tree, weapons combo systems and more, this hybrid title delivers on multiple fronts. [UFO Interactive]

62% Inferno Pool

2009-10-24T00:00:34-04:00

Critic Score: 62%
Release Date: 2009-10-28

[Xbox Live Arcade] Multiplayer mayhem awaits for up to four local or online players, in a race to clear the most balls from your table in Inferno Pool. Pot balls to fire at opponents, or stockpile balls to unleash an onslaught. Master Jump Shots, Combos, Bank Shots, Kick Shots, and build your multiplier with an unbroken potting streak to unleash the devastating Inferno Mode. Alliances will be formed, friends will be betrayed, and the battle isn't over until the stat screen appears. Includes the challenging Endurance Mode, an Inferno-fuelled battle to survive against the clock and post a world-beating time. The game also includes classic pool modes for one or two local or online players. [Dark Energy Digital]

80% Panzer General: Allied Assault

2009-09-10T00:01:02-04:00

Critic Score: 80%
Release Date: 2009-10-21

[Xbox Live Arcade] Panzer General is back with an all-new turn-based strategy game in Panzer General: Allied Assault! For the first time on Xbox LIVE® Arcade, recreate actual battles during the last phase of World War II and experience the dramatic events of D-Day as they unfold in your hands. Build, customize, and fight with your personalized deck of 60 cards. Play with a friend in multiplayer mode, gain access to special units and cards, and become a Panzer General. [Ubisoft]

66% Football Genius: The Ultimate Quiz

2009-09-29T00:00:25-04:00

Critic Score: 66%
Release Date: 2009-09-30

[Xbox Live Arcade] Are you a Football Genius? Test your football knowledge in Football Genius - The Ultimate Quiz! The game features six questions packs covering International, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish football with over 3500 questions about your favorite teams, players, and tournaments! [RTL]

91% Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

2009-08-16T10:31:56-04:00

Critic Score: 91%
Release Date: 2009-10-29

[Xbox Live Arcade] Grand Theft Auto IV's second downloadable episode, The Ballad of Gay Tony injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka "Gay Tony"), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price. [Rockstar Games]

87% Tekken 6

2009-08-16T10:32:04-04:00

Critic Score: 87%
Release Date: 2009-10-27

Spanning over a 14 year legacy, Tekken is among the most popular and well-known gaming brands in the world with the entire franchise selling more than 32 million units to date. Displayed in HD detail, a new era begins in the sixth King of the Iron Fist Tournament complete with intense gameplay modes as well as new features and environments. TEKKEN 6 sees the return of many familiar faces as well as new characters to create the largest line-up the series has ever seen. With a growing roster of fighters, each equipped with their own deadly techniques, moves and attack combinations, TEKKEN 6 will be the best King of Iron Fist Tournament yet. Adding to the already rich gaming experience, a deeper character customization feature will only further enhance the incredible fighting intensity as players go mano-y-mano. Players can also take the battle online for classic match-ups and to compete for world domination. [Namco Bandai Games]

85% DJ Hero

2009-08-16T10:31:54-04:00

Critic Score: 85%
Release Date: 2009-10-27

DJ Hero drops the needle with a completely fresh experience and legendary artists including Black Eyed Peas, 50 Cent, Justice, Marvin Gaye, Beck, Beastie Boys and N.E.R.D. DJ Hero features more than 100 individual songs that have been transformed into more than 80 exclusive, original mixes by superstar DJs including DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip, DJ AM, and the legendary Grandmaster Flash. With an innovative, new turntable controller and the hottest music collection of original music, DJ Hero is a unique new social music gaming experience that excite the millions of dance club music fans who can now play along to hit songs from a range of genres including hip-hop, R&B, pop, rock and electronica allowing them to rule the party with original mixes. Joining the internationally acclaimed DJ, producer and recording artist DJ Shadow, who has been consulting and contributed several mixes for DJ Hero, and making their video game debuts, DJ Z-Trip, a founder of the mashup movement who’s known worldwide for his sold out shows and eclectic style, and DJ AM, one of the world’s premier and most in-demand DJs today, appear as in-game characters and have each created multiple exclusive mixes for DJ Hero. In DJ Hero, faces in the crowd are transformed into the life of the party as the game’s turntable controller - created exclusively for DJ Hero and featuring familiar DJ tools including a fully-rotating turntable, sample buttons, effects dial and cross fader - immerses fans into the authenticity of DJ culture and a sea of music. By utilizing and mastering various DJ techniques including scratching, blending, cross fading and sampling, while leaving room for creative expression with a variety of effects and player chosen samples and scratches, gamers rule the party performing music as only a DJ can. Social expression is heightened with euphoric multiplayer gameplay where two DJs can battle competitively or have a player join in to emcee over any track in the game with a mic. Additionally, gamers can rock together as DJ Hero features DJ-guitar exclusive mixes played with a turntable controller and Guitar Hero guitar controller. [Activision]

59% Tower Bloxx Deluxe

2009-10-20T12:00:32-04:00

Critic Score: 59%
Release Date: 2009-10-21

[Xbox Live Arcade] Get the full version and discover all 6 massive game modes of this addictive smash-hit! The action-puzzle phenomenon is played by millions on the web, but Xbox Live players get the full HD experience with revolutionary social scoring, avatar support, power ups, and even multiplayer. Get ready for edge of your seat action that'll have you creating swaying, tipping and tumbling towers sky-high. [Microsoft]

61% Cars Race-O-Rama

2009-08-16T10:31:52-04:00

Critic Score: 61%
Release Date: 2009-10-12

In Cars Race-O-Rama, players join Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks in Radiator Springs as they prepare their academy of student racers to compete in the Race-O-Rama Exhibition. Players encounter 12 new playable characters making their video game debut. A new and improved Lightning McQueen comes fully equipped with special racing kits, allowing him to better maneuver brand new, action-packed tracks that takes players to metro city streets, the Baja desert and sandy beaches. In addition, players are now able to modify Lightning McQueen’s wheels, rims, hood, side skirt, rear bumper, spoiler and paint with special customization features, giving Lightning a personalized style and look that has never been seen before. As players compete in this high-speed, racing adventure game, they can utilize Lightning McQueen’s newly designed drifting abilities and perform "Kachow" poses for enthusiastic reporters and fans encountered throughout the game. Cars Race-O-Rama also features multiplayer mini-games based on Disney-Pixar’s "Cars Toons," a series of animated shorts that are currently being aired on the Disney Channel. [THQ]

61% Fairytale Fights

2009-10-23T00:00:47-04:00

Critic Score: 61%
Release Date: 2009-10-27

Play your favorite fairytale character, regain your lost fame and save the fairytale world from certain doom! Luckily, a vast variety of deadly weapons lie around, which you can use to shoot and carve up evil villains, bloodthirsty rabbits and many more terribly cutesy characters roaming the lands - and this is where the fun begins! Fight your opponents to the death and fulfill challenging quests while leaving behind a big trail of blood! With Playlogic's unique "Dynamic Slicing" technology, players have the ability to slice up an enemy in any way they like, using intuitive controls. In addition, the game uses the tested powers of the Unreal 3 engine. [Playlogic]

59% Bakugan Battle Brawlers

2009-10-21T00:00:30-04:00

Critic Score: 59%
Release Date: 2009-10-20

Bakugan is based on the story of Dan and his friends whose lives were forever changed when mysterious cards fell from the sky. Creating a game from the cards where powerful creatures known as Bakugan battle, it wasn’t long before they discovered that their hobby was much more than just a simple pastime. Utilizing special game cards Bakugan battle masters roll spheres onto the cards, which activate and transform into Bakugan “battle brawling” action figures. [Activision]

63% Bass Pro Shops: The Strike

2009-09-30T00:00:36-04:00

Critic Score: 63%
Release Date: 2009-09-29

Bass Pro Shops: The Strike puts the fishing rod in your hands as you head out to your favorite fishing holes, including ten of North America's greatest lakes. Featuring realistic lake bottom topography, advanced graphic life-like fish behaviors, fully customizable characters, and an abundance of boats, lures, rods, and reels, The Strike offers virtual anglers the most realistic fishing game experience to date. Participate in a variety of modes including Quick Fish, Career, and Bass Pro Shops Invitational Tournament, or you can compete with friends in boat racing and casting challenges.

79% Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space

2009-10-13T00:00:30-04:00

Critic Score: 79%
Release Date: 2009-10-14

[Xbox Live Arcade] Join the Freelance Police for a second season of adventure, crime fighting, and chaos. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space starts with a giant robot attack and never lets up, taking our valiant crime fighters on a gut-wrenching mission from the North Pole to Easter Island, from outer space to Hell and back. Babies will dance. Mariachis will sing. A giant battle robot will trash the streets. And when their friends are caught in the middle, Sam & Max risk their very souls to set things right. Five episodes: In the award-winning second season of the episodic Sam & Max series, five full episodes take Sam & Max to Hell and back on a mission to save their friends -- and their very souls. [Telltale Games]

77% Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

2009-08-16T10:32:00-04:00

Critic Score: 77%
Release Date: 2009-11-03

PES 2010 focuses on enhancing the excitement of matches between players, making for a truly challenging experience that constantly tests the player. Intuitive zonal defending covers spaces and players need to look constantly for new ways to attack. PES 2010 focuses on being a real soccer simulation, as it requires both strategic play and quick reactions, as in real life. In addition to key out-field elements, goalkeepers are more versatile and with abilities matching those of modern shot-stoppers. The game's referees have also been reworked, with smarter AI elements allowing them to make more balanced calls during matches. PES 2010 has undergone a major visual revamp, with its celebrated player likenesses and animations now even closer to those of real-life players - including live player expressions to be depicted with an improved lighting system which differentiates between various conditions! [Konami]

85% Borderlands

2009-08-16T10:31:51-04:00

Critic Score: 85%
Release Date: 2009-10-20

As the first title in an all-new sci-fi action franchise, Borderlands combines the best elements of Gearbox Software's first-person action titles with player customization and vehicular combat. Borderlands features a unique content generation system allowing for near-endless variety in missions, environments, enemies, weapons, item drops and character customization. Borderlands is a cooperative experience, allowing for multiple players to share the same game experience simultaneously online. Players can freely join or leave each other’s games at anytime, or choose to play in the full single-player mode. Borderlands features life-like character animations, impressive real-time physics, and customizable vehicles. More details to follow. [2K Games/Gearbox Software]

85% WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010

2009-08-16T10:32:06-04:00

Critic Score: 85%
Release Date: 2009-10-20

CREATE-A-SUPERSTAR REDESIGN - The franchise’s renowned customization interface delivers a new look, improved graphical quality and a host of new parts, allowing players to create Superstars who are comparable in quality with their WWE counterparts. Take creation one step further with a new Paint Tool to detail created Superstars with original tattoos, logos and other unique designs. SHARE THE CREATIVITY - Share created content with the WWE Universe by uploading created Superstars, entrances, finishing moves, highlight reels, created storylines and more. Utilize the keyword search engine to view created content from around the world and download for use both offline and online. SUPERSTAR THREADS - For the first time in franchise history, create alternate ring gear for Superstars by customizing the colors of shirts, logos, face paint, elbow pads, boots and much more. Save the alternate looks for use throughout the game and online to show off the Superstars in grand fashion. [THQ]

75% Magnacarta 2

2009-08-16T10:31:57-04:00

Critic Score: 75%
Release Date: 2009-10-13

Magnacarta 2 introduces an original new storyline driven by intense themes of love, hate, politics, betrayal and the ultimate question of choosing one’s own fate. Players are immersed in the world of the Lanzheim Continent, a conflict-ridden land deeply divided by a fierce civil war. Powered by the Unreal Engine3 and featuring character designs by famed Korean artist Hyung-Tae Kim, the game bears a striking visual style unlike any other RPG through its blend of photo-realism and Japanese manga influences. The deeply emotional story is driven by beautifully rendered CGI cut-scenes featuring fully voiced dialogue to draw players into the immersive experience. Delivering more than 40 hours of gameplay, Magnacarta 2 features a unique battle system which combines strategic turn-based battles and real-time gameplay, creating a fresh twist on the traditional RPG formula. The game seamlessly blends world navigation and battles as everything happens in the same environment with no load screens or abrupt changes in the action when a fight begins or ends. Players can utilize objects found in the environment to their advantage and likewise, creatures and field objects dynamically react to the player’s actions. A free roaming camera further adds to the unrestricted interaction with the world. Players are also given flexible control over their party with the ability to pre-assign attributes for each AI character and freedom to easily switch control between all the characters at any time. Magnacarta 2 features a variety of adaptable options to keep the action fresh throughout the game. By defeating monsters, players obtain Kamonds which can be used to enhance a variety of weapons as well as create new items. When players change their weapon, they take on a different fighting style that adapts all the related moves and skills to that weapon’s attributes. While normal skills can be performed by any player at any time, special moves require skillfully timed actions to exploit the rhythm of the battle to their advantage. The pinnacle of special moves is the over-drive mode where players can use the most powerful combination of skills at one time to perform devastating attacks to defeat enemies. KAN (magic), representing the four elements of nature (Wind, Water, Lightning and Fire), adds another dimension to gameplay whereby players generate KAN for use in battle and to affect environmental objects in various ways. [Namco Bandai Games]

70% Tornado Outbreak

2009-08-16T10:32:04-04:00

Critic Score: 70%
Release Date: 2009-09-29

Harness the power of a raging tornado and battle the forces of evil in an effort to save to world. Sinister forces have deceived you to believe that your destructive behavior will save an epic hero. In reality, you’re working for evil. Take control of a dynamic tornado as you tear through open environments chewing up the landscape and spitting out everything in your path. The more you destroy, the bigger you grow as you work against time based, collection and point challenges in the search for hidden element and enemies from another world. Watch the debris fly as you leave a trail of destruction, as you battle bosses and defeat the forces of evil. The world is your playground, tear it up. [Konami]