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January - A Month in Review
The best start to a gaming year ever!
Written by Jon Seddon, 02 February 2010
Wow - what a January! When did we last get a January when there were two Game of the Year candidates? Certainly not last year when the only notable release was Skate 2, which marked a particularly barren patch, but gave everyone a chance to catch up. If you go back to 2008 then Burnout Paradise was released in January, but that was about it. This year with so many 2009 games pushed, expect February and March to be just as good.
Now that's a kick!Let's review the games then.
BAYONETTA
It's hard to find anyone with a bad word to say about the first AAA title from Platinum games. If MadWorld was a taster for the oddball ideas of the ex-Capcom developers, Bayonetta was a celebration of their brilliance. It was also a rebuke to the much discussed "decline" of Japanese developers as a world force in games. We reviewed it in 360Zine issue38 calling it "a masterpiece in combat design and a hark back to the good old days". Bayonetta is certainly an early outsider for GotY.
Score 93%
DARKSIDERS
360Zine Issue 39
For our latest Mass Effect 2 coverage, click here to download 360Zine Issue 39 for free.It's been far too long in development, but Vigil's story about the Armageddon was worth the wait. Some people are calling it God of War mixed with Zelda, but when it's done with the style of this game, it's a very welcome combination. When John reviewed it he said "the solidity of design and charm that exudes from Darksiders' characters elevates it above your standard third person actioner and makes it something worth investing time and effort into."
Score 80%
MASS EFFECT 2
For some the first game was too deeply flawed to love, but for many the shear imagination of the sci-fi setting and the story allowed them to overlook those deficiencies. For the sequel Bioware have pretty much fixed all of the flaws and then kept on making the game better. In Andy's review he says, "the RPG genre doesn't get more dramatic or entertaining than this." Lots of people must agree with Andy because it has sold more than 2 million copies since launch.
Score 95%
MAG
Many people didn't believe it would work when Sony unveiled an online shooter that supported 256 players on PS3. A few months later than planned, Zipper Interactive have not only proven that can it be done, but they have also delivered a very enjoyable experience. This game, if supported properly deserves to have a successful online career. You can still jump into a game of Warhawk and find plenty of players over 3 years since release.
Other games released this month included Army of Two: The 40th Day, which we scored a respectable 77% and Dark Void, which was a slightly disappointing jet pack toting shooter from the guys at Airtight Games. It still scored 78% though so not a terrible game and already pretty cheap.
Mass Effect 2 coverage available in 360Zine Issue 39 - click here to download it for free!
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