PixlBit

Substance catches up to style in this blood-filled sequel.

Like its predecessor, Shank 2 is a 2D linear action platformer. I’ll be honest, I didn’t play more than 30 minutes of the original. I was more than intrigued by Shank’s ultra-violent cartoon animations, but I didn’t enjoy the gameplay at all. The combat mechanics felt clumsy and seemed disconnected from what was happening on screen, and the dodging mechanics were also extremely tough to pull off -- making it a chore to play.

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Perhaps the second time is the charm.

It’s been a bit of a rough road for the Final Fantasy series in the past few years. There was a four year gap between Final Fantasy XII and XIII due to a protracted development cycle, and we’re still waiting to get our hands on its companion game, Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

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EA seeks to expand a brand by possibly diluting the product.

EA has been really trying to turn Visceral Games’ Dead Space franchise into a major brand.  In addition to the fantastic sequel that was released earlier this year, the Dead Space name has been popping up on comic books, animated films, a novelization and the franchise spin-off on-rails shooter Dead Space: Extraction for the Wii and PlayStation 3.  But if a source cited by Kotaku is to be believed, EA is gearing up for some major expansion of the survival horror franchise.

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Being the definitive version of Rayman 2 isn't saying much.

Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room: Rayman 3D is a cheap cash-in port of the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2. No, the game has not been enhanced in any meaningful way other than the addition of stereoscopic 3D - and no, it doesn’t in any way actually enhance the gameplay. Yes, at times, I even encountered a few instances where the game completely froze up, thus forcing me to hard reset my 3DS. All of this aside, Rayman 3D is still an enjoyable experience - one that has lost some of its luster over time. Thanks to the circle pad on the 3DS, the game controls like a dream, and the 3D, while nothing significant, adds some nice visual flair, giving the game a bit of extra charm. All things considered, this release of Rayman 2 is the definitive one.

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