PlayStation 3

Castle Crashers

The Behemoth’s incredibly fun cooperative beat–em-up would’ve been pure brawler perfection if the multiplayer had launched in better form. It’s incredibly frustrating that it’s easier to play Castle Crashers with strangers than with your friends, but it’s still a great brawler that will soak up your time. Between unlocking new characters so you can level them up to finding all of the hidden weapons and animal orbs, there’s a lot to do in the campaign mode. If you never experienced the Xbox 360 version, or you happen to have more friends on your PSN list, Castle Crashers is a great game though you might want to wait for a multiplayer patch before investing.

The PlayStation 3 version of Castle Crashers replaces the button-mashing minigame All You Can Quaff with a volleyball mode that supports up to eight players. Unfortunately, this mode is a disaster. The concept of whacking the ball back and forth with swords and casting spells on it to hinder the other team sounds promising, but the physics of how the ball responds when hit aren't satisfying at all and don't make for exciting rallies. But this doesn't diminish the strength of the main game in any way. Castle Crashers is certainly a delightful homage to the fantasy-themed multiplayer beat-'em-ups of days gone by. But more than that, it's a great game in its own right, with gameplay, humor, and a terrific visual style that combine to make this particular brand of old-fashioned fun really fun again.