PixlBit

Nick takes a look at the claims and provides some counter points to the study.

Based on a PR email I just received from the University of Missouri, they have finally proven the link between violent video games and an increase in aggressive behavior. The study performed was a fairly simple one. A group of 70 participating children were each randomly assigned a violent or non-violent video game to play for 25 minutes. Immediately after, each of the participants were given the ability to give an opponent a blast of loud noise. The level of the noise blast was used as a gauge of aggression. As you might expect, the findings have indicated that those who played the violent game were more "aggressive" than those who did not. I don't want to get too in-depth, but I find these claims dubious, to say the least.

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Maybe making a sequel to an obscure game from the '80s wasn’t a great idea?

Rush’N Attack: Ex Patriot is the latest in a string of updates/sequels of old Arcade/NES games, some of which have been phenomenal, like Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Unfortunately for Konami, that same success isn’t manifesting in their sequel to Rush’N Attack. This is thanks in large part to some uninspired levels, finicky jump mechanics, and one-dimensional gameplay. The gameplay does occasionally give off a Metroid vibe, but it’s clear the developers didn’t know how to really capitalize on that concept, resulting in a ho-hum experience.

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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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Gamers who only own a Wii can even do better than this at this point.

Utter mediocrity. There’s no better way to describe High Voltage’s second Conduit title. It’s almost unfortunate for the team, really. Had this been a year ago, mediocrity of this sort could’ve crushed something like Red Steel 2, given the complete dearth of competent Wii shooters. However, after the release of GoldenEye and Black Ops, Conduit 2 doesn’t shine so brightly. Things get even worse when you start pitting it against shooters on other consoles, like the recently released Killzone 3. In any case, Conduit 2 feels very much like an imitator of modern shooters – an imitator that doesn’t really grasp what makes all of those other shooters so great. Though a valiant effort, the end result is somewhat akin to Valve’s Half Life 2, without the big thrills, surprises, and competent enemies.

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