Stories by: Matthew Sainsbury

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    Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 04/10/2011 14:41:00

    In recent years, Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) games have struggled to compete against the FIFA juggernaut. First, it was a matter of unlicensed, fake player names (the bane of all footy fanatics) against FIFA’s 'real' players. Now, they’re licensed -- just not as many. FIFA 12 has an astounding number of leagues and teams to choose from, where PES focuses almost exclusively on a handful of (major) European championships.
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    NHL 12 21/09/2011 14:30:00

    Before this, the last Ice Hockey game I'd played was back in the N64 days. I love the sport, but it's not exactly the most popular game here in Australia, so the video game adaptations tend to pass by without attracting my notice.
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    Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 (PS3) 27/07/2011 13:34:00

    The last 12 months have been really good to PS3-owning fans of the Tecmo Koei series of Warriors games: Fist of the North Star, Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll, Warriors: Legends of Troy and Dynasty Warriors 7 have all taken that button-destroying formula and managed to put a unique twist on it.
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    Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 21/04/2011 15:40:00

    While we wait for Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (which we all know is going to be all kinds of awesome), Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars will have to do. It's not a terrible game by any means, but it also hasn't done a whole lot to update the formula from previous Lego games, and it's working from possibly the weakest material the series has faced to date.
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    The Sims 3 on 3DS 21/04/2011 15:20:00

    3D does a strange thing to the Sims' core gameplay. It turns it from an amusing little lifestyle sim to a voyeuristic window; the 3DS' 'inward looking' variety of 3D creates an intimate window into your virtual person's life. It's a workmanlike title, and playable despite its flaws, but the new Sims game we'll see come in a year or so is a game we know is going to be far better.
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    Portal 2 19/04/2011 19:01:00

    Time to admit something quite embarrassing: I've never played Portal.
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    Dynasty Warriors 7 15/04/2011 14:15:00

    Dynasty Warriors 7 is a brilliant game. It's a confident step forward in the franchise for Tecmo Koei and Omega Force, condensing the core franchise values into a package that is elegant in execution and eminently playable.
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    Yakuza 4 15/04/2011 09:06:00

    Yakuza 4 is the first game in the series I've played. For whatever reason, until now the games have passed me by -- perhaps in part because I wasn't as gripped by its spiritual predecessor, Shenmue, as others.
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    Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D 08/04/2011 16:40:00

    Stealthy spy games should be all kinds of awesome on the 3DS. From creeping around in the dark to sniping unaware guards from a mile off, the 3D effect should heighten the immersion greatly. Unfortunately, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D doesn't quite pull it off. It's a very playable game, but it's also easy to tell that it was rushed to hit the Nintendo 3DS launch date.
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    Samurai Warriors Chronicles 05/04/2011 10:40:00

    Forget Nintendogs, forget Pilot Wings. The Nintendo 3DS launch title that you really should be buying into is Samurai Warriors Chronicles. It's a spectacular effort that makes brilliant use of all of the 3DS' unique features, and brings them together into a mature and self-assured title from a company now very comfortable with its key franchise.
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    Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars 04/04/2011 15:47:00

    The Nintendo 3DS already has a cult classic on its hands. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars seems destined to fly under the radar. It makes minimal use of any of the 3DS' unique features, so it may not strike people as quite as interesting as some of the other launch titles. This is unfortunate, however, because it's a rock-solid, turn-based game of tactical combat.
 
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