BigPond GameArena's Scores

  • Games
For 334 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 49% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 47% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.2 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 76
Highest review score: 100 Dragon Age: Origins
Lowest review score: 10 Postal III
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 31 out of 334
334 game reviews
    • 70 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    For a game to go to so much trouble to replicate its predecessor in so many ways it is downright amazing that it should fail so spectacularly. Co-op and competitive multiplayer adds an extra dollop of playtime, but if you've never played the first game you will have a much better time for a lot less money - and if you have played the original you will only end up hating both Crackdown 2 and yourself for wasting your time on this garbage.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The entire experience, virtually across the board, screamed of cool ideas and massive potential but Ubisoft may have bitten off more than it could chew. The final product was equal parts sloppy and magnificent. For every moment I set the Vita down to applaud there were similar moments the air turned blue as I cursed in frustration.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    One hell of a surprise. I thought I'd have fun playing it, but didn't think it would be this much fun. If you're looking for something a little lighter during this bumper release schedule and dig some fast paced intergalactic action, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One has you covered.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Apart from being set in the Warhammer 40k universe however, it doesn't really have its own voice - but Relic now have a basis to build on. If you like the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Space Marine is a must buy - but if you aren't familiar with it you might want to leave Space Marine aside.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The important thing is this: this is a game made not just by a fan of the genre, but by somebody who understands when something is fun... and when it needs to be cut entirely.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The Multiplayer is fine how it is, the way I see it. As long as it maintains a healthy community of active players, it'll be around for a while.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Virtua Tennis 2009 isn't a bad game - it's more fun than most sports games with three other people at hand - but it certainly isn't a good game. Go and get Virtua Tennis 3 or Top Spin 3 if you desperately need a tennis game on your Xbox 360 though - they're both better.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The Multiplayer is fine how it is, the way I see it. As long as it maintains a healthy community of active players, it'll be around for a while.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Wet
    Overall, excluding the jumping puzzles, there isn't anything particularly bad about WET. It's a fun shooter, it's clearly designed for adults, and it gives you a lot of options for looking cool while mercilessly slaughtering hundreds of people.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In a world where First Person Shooters come free with pizza (Pizza Hut gave away the Battlefield series for a while for those of you leading a healthier lifestyle than me.) The Conduit really doesn't stand out in the crowd. If anything; other, better games are sitting on its shoulders.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you do have friends with the same console who are willing to pick up a copy of the game, it's a no-brainer. In terms of execution, Operation Flashpoint: Red River demolishes all comers - and thanks to a heavy dose of replayability, I'd even recommend it over Portal 2's coop.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I can't even begin to describe how much I tried to like this game...Unfortunately the execution was so unresponsive and flawed it destroyed any immersion or emotion the experience could have potentially delivered and that is a crying shame.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Amazing Spider-Man isn't a bad game outside of its ridiculous story - it's just pointless. It's very nice looking and it is very cathartic to swing about the streets of Manhattan, but without a good reason to do it, you might as well not bother.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Perhaps the largest compliment we can bestow is that it feels very old school, like a spiritual remake of Silent Hill rather than a bold new statement.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The AI makes playing on your own a pain in the arse and the netcode ruins the multiplayer. The story is actually pretty interesting but at the end of the day you don't play these sorts of games for the plot, and Brink doesn't deliver where it should.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    By walking the line between Sim and Arcade, H.A.W.X.2 manages to represent neither and alienate both.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    As much as I loved powering around Ibiza and Hawaii in a Bugatti or Ferrari, it doesn't make up for the tedium of earning cars through repetitive, samey races against underwhelming (and teleporting) AI, the Z grade voice acting and the half-arsed attempt at injecting story into a game which very literally didn't need it. Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a wreck.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    There is some dark-ish humour but it never goes far enough and borders on embarrassingly bad in most places. Those attuned to adventure titles will feel their puzzle sensibilities tickled but definitely not itched.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    If it weren't for the QTEs during cut-scenes I'd say it was nothing special but nothing brutally terrible and probably worth it if you desperately wanted something like Ninja Gaiden to play.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 45 Critic Score
    The environments and the reasonably compelling flashback atmosphere lend what would otherwise be a pretty poor game a glimmer of hope.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The game might look decent enough, but the overly scripted racing and under scripted plot fail to engage the player or give the feeling of a white knuckle battle to reach the finishing line. You end up barely caring about Jack's plight and when it comes to the gameplay... Lets just say if you're a fan of the franchise stick to Hot Pursuit, it's where Need For Speed shines - The Run on the other hand just crashes and burns. Repeatedly.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    For an engine company, Unigine has displayed some solid design with Oil Rush. It plays just as good as it looks, and offers a less micro-intensive strategy alternative. At its heart, it's all about unit distribution, and gathering that critical mass of firepower to shift the momentum in your favour.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    If you aren't familiar with the difficulty of the Castlevania games previous to SotN you will probably see Castlevania HD as nothing but an exercise in frustration. If you want to get into Castlevania you can pick up the excellent Symphony of the Night from the Xbox Live Marketplace - and while it doesn't have multiplayer you're much more likely to have a good time.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Resident Evil 6 is as confused and destitute as its zombies, left adrift without any true direction, an action game stuck over the top of a survival horror engine.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Since we’re stuck with an unrefined and choppy experience, it’s better to dust off some classics and remind yourself what makes this genre so special. After that, give Square Enix a call and let them know.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The weirdest thing about this game - I've never had so many gripes and still found myself so incredibly addicted. I played the game all the way through - around 25 hours - in two sittings.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Quantum of Solace directly suffers at the hands of a strict movie release schedule - with more time the game could have been the Goldeneye replacement everyone has been dreaming of.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    If you've ever wanted to get into a non-combat flight simulator but thought it sounded too difficult or esoteric, Flight is one to try out. After all - the price is right, and flying planes is so much darn fun!
    • 64 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    SimCity made me connect with the Sims in my world more than any Sims game ever could - and then it made me wilfully hurt them to further my own agenda. It simultaneously made me uncomfortable with my actions and impelled to win at the same time. That's an odd feeling to get out of a game where you can deliberately unleash a giant fire breathing lizard on an unsuspecting populace.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Once embraced and understood, I actually enjoyed the multiplayer more than SupCom 2, RUSE, and yes, even the Starcraft 2 beta. But singleplayer was like a tour of the worst parts of strategy games in the '90s, and hardly a fitting end to the Tiberium saga.

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