What game did you last complete? [Archive] - Page 5

Milkymagic

03-23-2008, 06:58 PM

Ah yes, after getting bitten by the JRPG bug with the excellent Eternal Sonata, I decided to go ahead and check out some of the other XBox 360 JRPG titles.

Blue Dragon (XBox 360)

After finishing the very artsy and well designed Eternal Sonata, I couldn't help but wonder what Blue Dragon and its old-school sensibilites could do for me in the wake of something so expressive. After giving Blue Dragon a full playthrough, the end result was a game that made me glad I went back in time.

The story to Blue Dragon is severely basic, very predictable for the most part, and there's plenty of tendencies to stick to formula. However, the game turns that trait into a benefit and banks on emulating the feel of embarking on an epic adventure thanks to the variety of locations and enemies that can be found. Also, the characters are of the plucky youngster variety and know how to provide some entertaining chemistry, even when the villian finds his moments to try and damage the wholesome image these three main charcters put together.

The gameplay is your basic turn-based affair, but the abilities that are attached to the dragon spirits allow for versatility when you decide to switch character classes on the go. Also, battles can be determined by either striking your enemy on a map, or grouping them together with a field and taking on three enemies at a time. I also like the large variety of treasures that can be found throughout the world map, it's like the possibilities for finding hidden accessories seem endless.

The music and graphics compliment this game nicely and provide a presentation that really had me missing some of those older SNES and Genesis RPGs from way back into my childhood.

On the whole, I feel Blue Dragon is very efficient in its bid to remain faithful to genre fans who have treasured their old favorites after all this time, and the game isn't afraid to give the old-school style a next-gen sheen. Its story may not be the greatest you'll ever experience, but again, what Blue Dragon does right is more than enough if you've got that adventurous old-school gaming spirit still with you. ;)

9 out of 10

Now, to complete Lost Odyssey! :D

BONUS REVIEW!

Sega Rally Revo (Xbox 360)

Just so everyone knows, I loved Virtua Fighter 5 for the 360, and when I saw a copy of this game for cheap I just had to get it.

The graphics in this game are just spectacular, if not some of the best I've ever seen on the 360 thanks to some terrain details. The music isn't too bad either.

Of course, my main gripe with this game is the extremely loose handling. What I wouldn't give to customize this feature and make turning something less than a chore, but I digress.

Also, while the tracks do look nice, the variety is small. Still, getting to see different parts of one area is an interesting idea anyhow.

Finally, what vehicle you choose isn't a difference maker, as they all have the same speed and performance (minus your choice in tires of course).

Overall, I was disappointed by this game and felt more enjoyability from Ridge Racer 6. Of course, Sega Rally is a different beast, but nonetheless I found the entire game to be fun in small doses thanks to how difficult it was for me to play.

6 out of 10

Tamanegi Sensei

03-23-2008, 07:17 PM

After spending what turned out to be spring break, I've completed the folowing games in a timely matter: I'm too crashed to give the whole skivvy so I'm giving you quickies.

House of The Dead (Arcade): Great game, intense, but loose controls and no audio (not a bad thing). 8/10

Vampire Night (Arcade): Fair game, kinda like HotD, but with vampires and a little bit of suck. 6.5/10

Maximum Force (Arcade): Poor rail shooter. Bad graphics, clipping issues and terrible audio. 4.5/10

Final Fantasy III (DS): Great RPG, wonderful music, beautiful graphics for a DS game, but complicated job system and slightly higher difficulty. 8.5/10

Maximo vs. Army of Zin (PS2): Good game, great audio, fun and simple, but difficult and repetitive. 8/10

Risen Hell Fire

04-06-2008, 08:34 PM

Pinky street Kira Kira Music Hour:

I had interest in this title from seeing it on Pink godzilla's website, and I was able to buy it while at Anime Detour, and I enjoy it. Only problem is the difficulty is really easy. Once you get a taste of how the game goes, you find the other characters easy to beat. Though some will give you trouble later in the game. Also, the is full of Japanese text more then say Ouendan 1 and 2, so starting a file will confuse you for a while.

I will recommend this title for anyone looking for a cute, and this game oozes cuteness, different Music rythm game. It won't replace the great Ouendan but I like it. Also, this game is pretty short.

8/10

jetfire

04-07-2008, 08:26 AM

I've been making a goal lately to beat all of the games that I've been stuck on for years. It's really hard trying to press on through some of these games. Some experiences were rewarding, and some weren't, but here's my take on some of the games that I've pushed myself through since the start of the year:

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana - There was essentially not much wrong within this game, although it was very slow paced and filled with too many random battles, which would make getting through some areas really tedious (especially when you were trying to get your bearings after a fight, to try and explore a new location to find some new items to fuse, only to get into another random fight 5 steps later). Although the rest of the game was incredibly fun and addicting, this problem slowed down the experience for me, and I played it on and off for over 2 years. I'd give it a 7/10. While the frequency of battles is very annoying, the element of creating your own items and the interesting characters and art style kept the game fresh and fun.

God of War - All I can say is that this game was ass. It is literally the most overrated game that I have ever played. I tried to find qualities about it to like. I really wanted to like it, since everyone is always raving about it. But I found it incredibly boring and slow paced. Fighting always ends up as a button mashing fest, with you only relying on your Blades of Chaos to do all of the work, since it's long range is crucial to taking out enemies. I basically made it through doing the same combos to all of the same enemies over, and over, and over. The puzzle solving element was either too generic, or sometimes too confusing (as in there are virtually no hints to find out what to do next, or that I would get so bored, leave the game for a few months, and come back forgetting the clue to solve the puzzle). The story also felt generic and uninspired, since I didn't care for a thing that happened to Kratos (basically, he dies, gets revived with god-like powers, and is on a quest to kill the god who gave him his powers). The graphics were dark, and dull, and there wasn't a single music track that was memorable. I thought that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden were much more exciting, fast paced, or original than this game. I guess that there was something that made this game good for other people, but it really wasn't for me. I would give it a 5/10.

Final Fantasy III DS - I can't understand how Tamanegi Sensei could rate this game as an 8.5/10. I'm as much of a fan of old school RPGs as much as the next guy, but the game had crucial flaws. There was next to no story, and the story that was there can be explained in one or two sentences. I can basically do it right now: "The world has been covered in darkness and four warriors of light must recover the crystals that will restore light to the world. Lots of random battles ensue, and the characters make it to the final boss, defeating him, and restoring balance to the world". That's it. No character development in between. While this was a normal NES game in the past, it would have been nice if square could have but in a few worthy sidestories or new plot elements to improve on the vastly dated experience. I hardly had any drive to finish the game, since I didn't care for the characters. There were also so many random battles, that the whole game is literally one big level grind. If you like fighting the same set of enemies over and over and over, doing nothing but pressing Attack for over 6 hours while you try and dig up enough experience to level grind enough so that you can progress to the next area (because the game is so freaking hard), then this game is for you. The only redeeming elements were the job system and graphics. I'd give it a 5/10 as well.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves - It's weird how the first game in this series was one of the best PS2 games that I have ever played, and the second game was so lackluster by comparison. While they did give you more variety by giving you an open ended structure, making Bentley and Murray playable, giving you upgrades to gadgets and putting more emphasis on story, the game just felt too slow paced. There was something about the straight forward gameplay of the first game that just made it seem to me like I was never visiting the same area twice (and the game felt more like a platformer), while the second game just puts such a high emphasis on backtracking and stealth that brutally punishes you if you get caught. Still, the story was fun, the characters were endearing, it felt like a fun Saturday morning cartoon, and there were still elements of Sly 1 in the game that made it great. Basically, Band of Thives has missions that are fun, and missions that you dread, so it's an on and off cycle of fun and frusteration, where Sly 1 was fun the whole way through. I'd give this a 7.5/10.

Final Fantasy X-2 - This is the last game I'll list today, and it's possibly the worst FF that I have played through. The story felt tacky and bubbly (as opposed to epic), the mission structure just didn't feel right in an RPG (I like the abilitiy to freeroam in RPGs, and to take on an abandon quests when I see fit. FFX-2 always felt like I was put on the spot, like the first timed mission in the game), the art design was lackluster, and this was yet another FF where it forced you to level grind, for next to no experience. The best element of the game was the dresssphere system, since chaging jobs on the fly offered a nice element of strategy (although by the end, the only jobs I had to use were Dark Knights and White mages, where I would just spam Darkness and Curaga until I won). Surprisinly, the most decent element was the ending, compared to the rest of the story. I'm giving this game a 5/10.

So I'm finally done ranting. And if you're wondering about my last post when I said that I play games that don't suck, I was meaning for the most part. There are many more gems that I play and beat, compared to these mediocre titles, but for the most part, I'm happy with my collection. However, no matter what, you'll always find a few lumps of coal in your treasure, despite your good intentions.

Milkymagic

04-08-2008, 10:42 PM

Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360)

I started with the colorful Eternal Sonata, worked through the old-school goodness of Blue Dragon, and then found myself wondering what the latest Xbox 360 JRPG could offer in the wake of two already satisfying titles.

Thankfully, Lost Odyssey is a game that finds its strengths within its lead character, and a character as brooding as Kaim seemed like a refreshing change from what I previously experienced with the last two titles I completed. First off, this game dwells on immortality, something Kaim finds himself suffering through, and throughout the game he will recover bits of his lost memory and remember what his eternity of living has taught him thus far. The side characters are also of a good variety, you have the sarcastic jokester to even the gung-ho companion with nerves of steel, and yes, there's even kids in this one! :p

The graphics are great looking, with nice 3D Models and very intricate environments. However, these nice graphics are pounded on by some framerate issues, and even a few load times once in a while. Still, even with that jarring issue, it's something that doesn't tear the whole game down, but it does make me wonder if there was any way they could've fixed that.

The music is fantastic and up to quality standards, with absolutely sweeping numbers to the most somber arrangements.

The battle system is turn-based in familiar fashion, but with the added feature of making rings for your characters, and there's an "aim ring" feature within battles that lets you hold down the right trigger and time a hit so it can have more of an effect. The method of crafting these rings involves finding raw materials and then crafting them in a menu that allows for ring creation.

Also, there's mortal and immortal characters in your party. The most fascinating part about this detail is how immortals can learn abilities from mortals by linking abilities from them and learning those abilities through successive battles. However, in turn, mortal characters can only learn abilities by leveling up. And depending on what items you find, the skill slots that each immortal character has can be increased so that they may link more skills with mortal characters.

I can say with absolute confidence that I felt the skill system in this game encouraged me to fight more, and customizing abilities was actually a lot of fun (same goes with ring creation).

The game is also very long, probably the longest JRPG you'll find on the Xbox 360 at four discs and well over 50 hours worth of gameplay with all the extra material you can find.

The only real big issue I can find with this game besides the framerate would have to be the annoying villian that accompanied the great lead character and his compainions. The overall plot is nothing new, and though there was some nicely built intrigue and guessing games in the beginning, by the end of the game it became less than appealing when the villian started overacting, and I mean he talks to himself and laughs a billion times, almost to the point where understanding him was actually kind of difficult. Most older RPGs, or even Blue Dragon for instance, never give me this problem.

Overall, Lost Odyssey has all the good things about JRPGs added in, and has even went the extra mile in fleshing out the lead character to give off an experience that could be quite memorable, especially when given that the game even talks about the interesting concept of immortality. As I look past my minor gripes with the presentation and execution, I can easily say this game is still well worth it for genre fans, and especially those who felt Eternal Sonata and Blue Dragon were a bit too easy. ;)

9 out of 10

So overall, I liked all three of the JRPGs I reviewed for the Xbox 360, and now, I've decided to give Enchanted Arms a shot just to see if I may have missed a good game amidst some already well recieved ones. I mean, Enchanted Arms is developed by From Software, the same people who made a personal favorite series with Otogi, and they made the Armored Core series too! :D

And after Enchanted Arms, I have Mass Effect lined up! ;)

ProfessorWashu

04-09-2008, 08:33 PM

Wild Arms: Alter Code F. A magnificent re-rendering of the 1997 classic PSX RPG Wild Arms, with better graphics, an altered soundtrack, and extra goodies. For example, you get to play as more characters than just Jack, Rudy, and Cecilia. Prof. Emma is playable, Magdelan and Calamity Jane are playable too! The graphics are 1,000x more detailed than the 1997 version's SNES-like ones, but that doesn't change my mind when I say that the original still has just as much bite in terms of value.

Another favorite feature for Alter Code F was the modifications made to the original dungeons. If you thought you were just going to breeze through with the old puzzle solutions and maps, you were dead wrong. The photosphere alone (devoid of puzzles in 1997) is now chock full of head-scratchers! A lot of the puzzles are similar or identical to the old ones. One hint, though. Entering Jack's name as "Emiko" at the beginning of the game no longer lets you avoid falling into the Abyss of the Temple of Memory. Sorry, folks. That easter egg has come and gone.

My only complaint is that the new soundtrack has some really bad modified versions of original tracks, though they've turned the field music for the Elw Dimension into a work of art.

As the #1 genius scientist in the universe, I hereby give Alter Code F an A+.

Zushio

04-10-2008, 03:19 PM

Last night (well this morning) I managed to clear out Mile High Club on Veteran in Call of Duty 4. That was difficult, but once I got the basic flow down I feel I could replicate it fairly easiliy. Either way it's my second 1000/1000 GS game, and the first doesn't count as it was Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Burning Earth, where you can get 1000GS in about 2 minutes.

General Suburbia

04-12-2008, 06:04 PM

Been playing the Half-Life 2 series these past few weeks. Finished episode 2 a few days ago, and am playing through its commentary mode.

Half-Life 2:

Great game. What's left to say? It's won dozens of "game of the year" awards, and totally deserves it. Although after playing it through, there are a few problems I have with it. I felt it was a longer game than it should have been. Too often I felt as if some levels wore on too long, and the transitions between puzzling solving and action felt jarring. I'd just begin to have fun shooting away at Combine soldiers when, oops, gotta stop for ten minutes to solve another puzzle. Also, my allies were stupid. In the end, nothing more than human shields. But despite these faults, I'll go out on a limb here and say that contrary to popular opinion, the last level was great. So what if it was easy? It was fun as hell, and that's why I play games. They're fun. 9.3/10

Half-Life 2: Episode 1

More of the same, except better. Alex was really good companion to have, especially compared to other FPS games where the AI of your partner usually consisted of little more than "stand in the open and die." The scenes with her were very well scripted, and she became a real character that anyone could like. Of course, her seemingly invincible body was kind of weird, but as long as you didn't abuse it, gameplay was never really hindered. Only two things bothered me: first, nothing happened story-wise. You delay the city from exploding, find some data that's important but don't know what it is, and get out of the city before it blows up. You can make the argument that Episode 1 was more about character development, but...I wanted more. Speaking of more, wtf. This game was short. In the Citadel, out the Citadel, finished. Good thing I still had Episode 2 with me. 9/10

Half-Life 2: Episode 2

Best game I played in years. All the pacing problems in Half-Life 2 were dealt with, as the gameplay moved seamlessly through action and puzzles. Vortigaunts and Hunters were awesome, the story was great, music was used much more wisely, G-man is back, climactic boss battle was without question one of the best final battles I ever had the pleasure of playing...Can't say enough about this game. The action this time around often had my hands sweating from the intensity of the scene. Your vehicle this time around was a pimped out hot rod and not some ***** go-cart from Mario kart. Episode 2 made it feel as if I were playing through a movie, and what a great movie it was. It was still short, but whatever. Can't wait for Episode 3. 10/10

Natsuke Takeda

04-12-2008, 10:04 PM

Final Fantasy VIII: Level 3-type completion with everyone level 100, all cards collected and... gah I forgot.. I really wanna hit a perfect ><

ProfessorWashu

04-15-2008, 01:31 PM

Final Fantasy VIII: Level 3-type completion with everyone level 100, all cards collected and... gah I forgot.. I really wanna hit a perfect ><

What's a Level 3-type completion? Is it some sort of way of playing that induces a handicap on the player?

For example, suppose you're playing Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. One possible player handicap is to only play as characters below level 100, or to only play as Sophia Esteed or her equivalent characters.

Those handicaps can really beef up the fun factor for old games who've outlived their replay value.

Collected all cards and got all people up to 100, eh? Impressive. I never had the patience to keep Zell in my party long enough to let him get very strong. I preferred a party of Squall, Irvine, and Rinoa. (Irvine sometimes gets switched out for Selphie.) Getting all the cards is rough, because I accidentally spread the random rule to the entire freaking world, and can't seem to get it removed. (I know about the queen of cards.)

JOJO

04-15-2008, 04:55 PM

Finished Sly Cooper 2 last weekend. I played the first one a few weeks ago and it seem like a pretty average adventure game but I'm glad that the sequel was better in every way, you could use more characters, it had a better story with some plot twist along the way(unlke the first one), and it was way longer, it must of taken me around 12 hours to beat it and only because i spent some time searching for those message bottles that allow you to open certain safes in each episode
In a scale from 1-100 i would give it an 8.8 for good variety and charming cast, i'll definitely check out the sequel soon.

Natsuke Takeda

04-15-2008, 06:13 PM

Final Fantasy VIII Perfection Completion Tier List

(credit to Absolute Steve)

Level 1:
--------
- (Being able to) Beat the game
- (Being able to) Beat Ultima Weapon & Omega Weapon
- Best Weapons for all characters
- All Limit Breaks
- All Guardian Forces
- At least 1 of each card
- 32 Magics in the List for all characters
- All Side Quests completed
- (DO/DO NOT) Have Odin on Disc 4
- Have Battle Meter with all upgrades
- Max SeeD Level A
- Either 0, or ALL SeeD tests done
- Destroy X-ATM092
- 0 Kills for Seifer and Edea

Level 2:
--------
- Level 1 requirements
- At least 1 of each item
- Zero KO's for all Characters
- Minimum Escapes
- All Characters Level 100
- All Guardian Forces Level 100
- Max compatibility with all GF's for all characters
- All Treasure found
- Max Stats with junctions for all Characters
- All Tutorial options available
- JUST the Diff and Open rule at any region for Triple Triad
- All Guardian Forces still have all their unique abilities, and are also
customized to have better abilities when possible

Level 3:
--------
- Level 2 requirements
- Max of every card
- Str, Vit, Mag, Spr maxed for all characters without junctioning
- Max of every item with exceptions
- All Guardian Forces have 9999 HP

Level 4:
--------
- Level 3 requirements
- Max Gil
- Max Kills for the 6 Main Characters
- Max of every item (except Pocketstation Items)
- Max Speed for all characters

Level 5:
--------
- Level 4 requirements
- Max Luck for all characters

Level 6: (Adds Pocketstation-only things)
--------
- Level 5 requirements
- Max of every item including Pocketstation Items
(Ribbon, Mog's Amulet, Friendship, Chocobo's Tag, additional Pet Nametags
+ Powering up Boko to do 9999+ damage)

Major Tom

04-16-2008, 01:15 AM

Collected all cards and got all people up to 100, eh? Impressive. I never had the patience to keep Zell in my party long enough to let him get very strong. I preferred a party of Squall, Irvine, and Rinoa. (Irvine sometimes gets switched out for Selphie.) Getting all the cards is rough, because I accidentally spread the random rule to the entire freaking world, and can't seem to get it removed. (I know about the queen of cards.)

That's annoying, but utterly effing frustrating is this:

I got tired of playing cards for the rares, and after everyone started playing with the random, same and plus rules with a closed hand it just got frustrating. I'd have them on the ropes 2-6, then with their last they'd card plus/combo the entire board and I'd lose 9-0.

In the end, I just gave up the cards, and only played easy people for modable stuff. I think I barely made level one completion myself, but I just don't have a spare 80-90 hours for each completion level......

Natsuke Takeda

04-16-2008, 06:17 AM

ProfessorWashu

04-16-2008, 09:13 PM

If you acquire the Ragnarok during Ultimecia's Castle and completed the CC Group Quest by defeating, Jack, Spade, Diamond, Joker, Heart (Xu) and King (Quistis), you can challenge the Left Diamond Twin in the ship for all rare cards and cards you modded. You get a max of 4 cards for each individual card, meaning 4 minotaurs, 4 ifrits, etc.

Use of Island Closest to Hell to level up both GFs and Characters. Mod a card (forgot which) to be granted 100 LuvLuvGs for max compatability with GFs on each character.

lol, I did a crapload of work for it >> But i did complete Level 3 completion in under 179 hours.

EDIT: To play a card game without the mixed rules and keep the rules /reallly/ low and easy, always say "No" when they ask to mix rules, and keep asking until they stop asking to mix, and play a game, and something will be abolished for spread. Always keep Open spread.

I also dunno why you didn't train /Zell/ o.o If you get him at Crisis Level 4, (10% hp left and Aura), his limit is stronger than Squalls End of Heart

Sneaky, sneaky on that trick for the card rules! I didn't know that was possible. Also, the Island Closest to Hell is probably better named "Island of Levelling Up", as it is THE place to level. Lastly, I actually never levelled up Zell because honestly I don't even like him. (A terrible excuse, I'm sure, but that IS why...) He's just too obnoxious for me. Ah! And while we're at it on FF8, I'm sure that everyone noticed that Cid looks exactly like Robin Williams! :D

Quantum Fluxx

04-16-2008, 09:50 PM

Your so awesome Zushio. Now come do that on my account.

Natsuke Takeda

04-17-2008, 09:56 AM

Now now... I forgot to mention that you /still/ have to do the Queen of Cards quest just a bit. That's the only way to recieve Quezacotl, Irvine, Phoenix, Chubby Choco and Kiros. Once you do the quest, you can play left Diamon for all your modding needs, especially for the adamantines Minotaur mods into.

LadyYuina

04-20-2008, 12:37 AM

FFCC: Rings of Fate. And am in the process of beating it again a second time.XD

Was very easy the first time I played, but now it's a bit tougher. Ugh...lol.

Digital_Drunk

04-21-2008, 11:29 AM

I just finished The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for like the 5th or 6th time. It's probably been atleast 5 years since i last played it.

I truly am startled by the similarities in Twilight Princess and Ocarina...

While I was going thru Twilight I Kept thinking somehow I had done it all before... And u know what, I HAD! Twilight was like Ocarina on steroids and an acid trip! I got to say, in the end, i'm pretty happy about the improvement.

Whatever though. Those games are like crack to me. I can go and beat them ova and ova and still squeeze a little joy out each time.

Quantum Fluxx

04-21-2008, 03:03 PM

I finished Dark Sector recently. Was a pretty meh game all things considered. The combat was flakey, and the boss battles made so little sense until you stumbled upon what you were supposed to do to kill them. Good game for achievement whoring though.

Risen Hell Fire

04-23-2008, 07:52 PM

jetfire

04-23-2008, 08:53 PM

I did beat the first half of Evolution worlds a few days ago, and I'm certain I'll get the rest done soon. But I will make this about my thoughts on the experience with the first game. Since I never got to play it the first time, when it first came out and maybe the one I just beaten is exactly like the Dreamcast original.

Okay, first off. I will say Evolution 2 is the much better one. E 1 was way too short, and too easy, never died once or even hit near the danger zone. Though was the voice acting changed for the Cube version, then on the Dreamcast original?

Normally I wouldn't be upset about that but, trust me, the game was no challenge at all, and at the end you felt more could've been done, a lot more. It also felt restricted. Thankfully Evolution 2 goes longer and is more challenging, at least when I played the Dreamcast version. Final boss was evil.

I guess I'll have to give Evolution 1 a 5/10 Pretty disappointing.

Obviously, you have not played the Dreamcast original. That game was as hard as hell. I leveled up to my max level with Mag, Pepper and that little girl with the big blade (I think Chain Gun was her name), and barely, just BARELY, survived the onslaught against Eugene with 4 out of whatever your HP is when you reach your max level, which is at least 4 digits (that, and I gave a Magna Rave when I had less than 1000 HP left, in which Eugene's gun could take off more than that. By a miracle, his attack somehow left me with 4 HP, and I followed through with a final Magna Rave, leaving me with that much health. It was so freaking hard, that my max strength didn't save me. LUCK DID). I heard that the Gamecube version was dumbed down considerably, and a few folks on AA have shared my pain as well. His freaking machine gun hits you about twice per turn, taking off more than half of your life by the second time the gun hits you, if I remember correctly. If you like challenge, then you crapped out by getting the GC version. I'd give it a 6/10 personally. I liked the characters, story, graphics and combat system at it's time, but I'm not the biggest dungeon crawler fan. I'd give Evolution 2 a 5/10, since it was less original than the first game, since I had already experienced the same kind of thing.

Risen Hell Fire

04-23-2008, 08:56 PM

jetfire

04-23-2008, 09:00 PM

Hmmm...I see. I guess that's understandable. Well, I guess now the review is for that version of Evolution 1. Also, I already mentioned I never played the original. I still think it's too short, compared to 2.

Yeah, sorry about that. I missed the statement about the original, and realized what you meant after I posted. I was going to edit mine, but I guess you beat me to it. Anyways, length wasn't much of a factor for me, but I actually found Evolution 2 to be shorter, and easier on the Dreamcast. I think they dumbed down the challenge a bit after the first Dreamcast game.

Milkymagic

04-23-2008, 10:48 PM

I have both of the Evolution games for DC, and I think the original is definitely way too freaking hard. Like Jetfire, I barely beat Eugene, and slumped in my chair absolutely exausted upon realizing I actually beat him.

The second Evolution game for DC was a cakewalk in comparison, and it didn't improve too much from the original game, though it still found a way to be enjoyable thanks to my appreciation for dungeon crawlers. Personally, I enjoyed the series, but moreso in the past than today.

I would give them both a 6 out of 10 for being enjoyable, even if they were outdone by Grandia II in my opinion.

Le Bread

04-24-2008, 11:32 AM

Fire Pro Wrestling for the PS2. Since it's a game that I can't ever technically complete (there isn't even a story mode), it really manages to fit my schedule no matter what's going on. I just take a japanese dudes head off with a kick to the face, hit a sweet powerbomb, then go back to work on Final Papers. Suits me just fine.

ninja velmor

04-24-2008, 10:09 PM

^ thats a really fun game. quick plays just like you said. more people should check it out

Risen Hell Fire

04-27-2008, 11:42 AM

While I haven't beaten the last story for this game, I have beaten the main 6.

Raw Danger From the folks that brought the under the radar title Disaster Report, brought a new title that replaces the Earthquake disaster with Floods.

Here's something I don't get.How come there more games of this Genre? From what I've seen, they are only popular if it has Horror at the end of Survival. There really needs to be more 100% Survival games like Disaster Report, Raw Danger, and the hopefully upcoming Disaster: Day of crisis in today's gaming community.

If you've played Disaster report, you know what expect from Raw Danger, and that's a problem with the game. You'll be able to tell who the big evil guy is in the game the moment you start it out, and some of the plot. That doesn't mean that the game won't have it's share of surprises and have you saying "I didn't see that coming". The laughable English Voice acting returns, but it gives this series something good you don't find much in other games. It's even more funny to see the Character's mouths move out of sync to the voicing.

I did feel the Flood disaster aspect to be more scripted then with Report's Earthquakes. The floods, rain and others water based crap do look mighty pretty then compared to the effects of Quakes.

All the characters you play as each have their own story to tell, and their own abilities. However, some of their abilities seem so pointless or useless you will hardly ever use them. Though, it's not the abilities that makes you want to play them. It's that they each shed some light on what's really happening to the city, and who's behind it and why. They also sometimes Intertwine with other characters that you had already played as.

My main gripe is sometimes you're afraid to go out into the rain because you don't know how long it can take you to get to your next destination. Which will result you to simply run around, wondering where to go next, only to have you back to the heater to dry of because the rain can kill you from Hypothermia if you're not careful.

The game can easily screw you over with making you run for a while, make it to where you needed to go, only to find that there isn't any heater and you're soaking wet. Just guess what happened after?

I've also sometimes have trouble trying to figure out what needed to do to progress the story. I've had myself get stuck, and it doesn't help when the people that follow you don't give you advice on what to do.

Overall, I loved the game and hope for a 3rd and 4th title with disasters that deal with Winds and Fire. I also hope to see more companies try out this type of genre, seeing as how good our new systems can do. 9.2/10

JOJO

04-28-2008, 04:28 PM

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. I used to have all 3 games and for some reason got rid of them some time ago, so now that The Essential Collection is out its my chance to relieve the glory of the old days, at last, that's what i hope for. After finishing MGS2S i realize i'm a bit rusty; i got caught more times than i should and it took me almost 10 hours to finish it on normal, while that's not so bad i still remember my high school days when i could finish the Plant Chapter in less than 4 hours. If my memory serves me right, i'm not touching the EXTREME difficulty ever again. Doesnt really matter anyway since i played it just to remember the story, and the epilogue still gives me goosebumps.

ninja velmor

04-29-2008, 04:19 PM

castlevania: symphony of the night. One of the best castlevania games i have ever played. Alucard is a great main character and a real departure from the over used Belmont characters.

Milkymagic

04-29-2008, 10:29 PM

Vampire Rain (Xbox 360)

Spent a few hours to beat this one, and I can honestly say I understand any and all criticisms this game has.

First off, the premise was actually pretty entertaining for me: the idea of running around a city filled with vampires and trying to avoid being detected by them, otherwise you face sudden death (unless you have a shotgun). On one end of the chain, yes, it does capture the true horror movie motif of monsters being a class above mere mortals in sheer strength and ability. On the other end, it sure does suck to feel helpless with a gun in your hands. But the double-edged sword that is Vampire Rain is what makes it such an interesting game for me. I like how there's more emphasis on stealth than combat, and if you're smart enough, you can even kill a vampire once you gain your first automatic weapon in the game. Later on, you get to use the Sniper Rifle for the sure distance kills, and the Shotgun is surprisingly baddass.

However, even with some play mechanics that weren't as bad as advertised, I will admit that the game is still largely flawed and unimpressive when considering it emulates some features present in better titles like Metal Gear Solid. There's only one right way through a scenario pretty much, and the vampires can be a bit stupid when it comes to the AI's ability to sense your presence.

The story is also terrible, but once again, the actual game was actually pretty entertaining for me anyhow, so I'll excuse an uninspired story if I can vegitate to some gameplay.

Playable, but nothing noteworthy, maybe even worth a good laugh if you don't take it too seriously. :p

6 out of 10

I beat Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2 on the Essential Collection, both games are an easy 10 out of 10 for myself, and I don't think I need to say much to describe why I enjoyed them like I did. :D (However, I'm going to put MGS 3: Snake Eater on the back burner until I once again find the mood to persue another stealth game).

Also, I should mention that Baroque is definitely shaping up to be a personal favorite with the way the story's turning out. I know I've sang my praises in a previous post, but I'm close to beating this one and I still haven't been disappointed in the slightest with it. Good stuff.

I'm going to either start playing Magna Carta: Tears of Blood or Odin Sphere after Baroque, and I'll make sure to get around to those Shin Megami Tensei games as well. :D

Kavik Ryx

05-11-2008, 03:10 PM

After years of putting it off, I finally went and beat Final Fantasy IX. I never cared for it too much, being one of the weaker FFs, but still a fun play. As I finished off the game, I can say that the Yans have left me in despair. Anyone who has played the game should know.

ninja velmor

05-11-2008, 05:02 PM

beat Jeanne D'arc a few days ago. game had a great story, and really cool characters.

Milkymagic

05-11-2008, 07:34 PM

Baroque (PS2)

For being a remake of a game that was released on the Sega Saturn roughly ten years ago, this didn't turn out so bad. I can honestly say that the abstract storytelling and absolutely obscure dungeon-crawling asthetics are something that could only be produced from a PS1/Sega Saturn late 90s effort.

For anyone who hates the idea of going through a dungeon over and over again to gain story progress, I can only say you will hate this game indefinitely. If you enjoy putting together the pieces of a story by entering a dunegon several times, and somehow finding ways to survive as make you make your way through, then you're in for a treat! :D

The combat is simple enough, with a button to lock onto enemies, and a melee or distance attack at your disposal. Personally, I would stick to hacking enemies, though it never hurts to whip out your gun in case of an emergency.

Also, there's an interesting inventory of items that you can have at your disposal. For example, you can equip wings that give you added attributes, or lay down discs used as traps for enemies. You can even inject fluids into yourself to increase your strength. I like the cosmetic changes your character goes through whenever you equip new suits or weapons.

It doesn't have a great amount of variety in its overall scheme, but Baroque is a little game that draws you in if you're looking for something off the beaten path, as the story's execution is unlike anything I've witnessed in quite sometime.

Overall, I thought it was interesting, and I wish more games tried to be as weird as it turned out to be. ;)

8 out of 10

Barrelhaven

05-11-2008, 07:50 PM

beat Jeanne D'arc a few days ago. game had a great story, and really cool characters.

I actually beat Jeanne D'Arc about a month also. As far as SRPGs go, the presentation was amazing. Just about everything in it was pretty to look at...the anime cut-scenes, the interesting character designs, the lively world-map, colorful in-battle maps, menus, etc.

But aside from that, I thought the other aspects were pretty generic. The story had some nice twists on an otherwise cliche tale, but it still didn't do much to distinguish itself there. Another issue was with the gameplay...it could've stood to be more challenging or require some tougher strategizing to get through battles. There wasn't much variety in tactics, as I basically would just move my group of characters across the map together, using magic and arrows to weaken enemies first, then finishing 'em off with my heavy melee hitters, and "transforming" when necessary.

Regardless, it's still a solid SRPG, and highly recommended for anyone interested in diving into the genre for the first time. It's very newbie-friendly.

Score: 7.5/10

ninja velmor

05-12-2008, 01:37 PM

I actually beat Jeanne D'Arc about a month also. As far as SRPGs go, the presentation was amazing. Just about everything in it was pretty to look at...the anime cut-scenes, the interesting character designs, the lively world-map, colorful in-battle maps, menus, etc.

But aside from that, I thought the other aspects were pretty generic. The story had some nice twists on an otherwise cliche tale, but it still didn't do much to distinguish itself there. Another issue was with the gameplay...it could've stood to be more challenging or require some tougher strategizing to get through battles. There wasn't much variety in tactics, as I basically would just move my group of characters across the map together, using magic and arrows to weaken enemies first, then finishing 'em off with my heavy melee hitters, and "transforming" when necessary.

Regardless, it's still a solid SRPG, and highly recommended for anyone interested in diving into the genre for the first time. It's very newbie-friendly.

Score: 7.5/10

i agree with all the stuff you said about the game. It does become pretty easy at times. especially if you level up Colet and use the 3 hit skill. But all in all, i had alot of fun playing this game, and it was overly frustrating like many other SRPG's

Barrelhaven

05-12-2008, 01:53 PM

Hmm, I actually didn't bother to utilize Colet unless I was forced to. I never woulda figured he'd turn into a powerhouse. My favorite character to use was Marcel...I'd equip him with +range and three-rounds, then watch him deal insane damage from afar.

Risen Hell Fire

05-13-2008, 11:20 AM

Yesterday I completed Super Metroid, and wow. What a great game.

It doesn't beat Metroid Prime, as my favorite in the series, but this ranks in a very close second. I can see why it's consider to be one of the best in a long time. Creatures are vary, the atmosphere is ever changing, and the boss battles are fun and challenging.

I have gotten lost a few times, but the exploring aspect of Metroid is what makes the series. Without, it wouldn't be a competent game to play, perhaps just a Pre Halo game. It's fun, but felt like a chore in big areas with enemies that are a pain in the butt. I never got tired of looking for exspanions to Samus's arsenal.

I will say that Mother Brain was not as hard as I thought she(?) would be, because this was the first time ever playing the game.

All in all, this is a great game and people who never got a chance to play it before should download it on the Wii. Absolute perfection

10/10

General Suburbia

05-18-2008, 03:23 PM

Final Fantasy Tactics: 6/10

What a horrible experience for me.

Barrelhaven

05-18-2008, 04:00 PM

Final Fantasy Tactics: 6/10

What a horrible experience for me.

It's actually my favorite game (by a wide margin), so I'm sorta curious what makes you say that. Are you a fan of strategy RPGs in general?

General Suburbia

05-18-2008, 05:21 PM

It's actually my favorite game (by a wide margin), so I'm sorta curious what makes you say that. Are you a fan of strategy RPGs in general?
It was the first strategy RPG that I played.

My main beef with the game? For a strategy game, you don't get to use much strategy. All the clever little tricks I used to outmaneuver the opponents in the beginning were useless once my characters were strong enough to withstand most anything after chapter 1. After that, strategy just consisted of "get to the enemy and hit them, run away if they're about to attack or you're about to die." I was probably asking for too much (I was asking for something akin to chess), but the game started to feel like any other rpg where you just mash one button and pummel the enemy to death.

In all honesty, the battles actually weren't too bad. But it didn't help that the story sucked. Maybe I'm just stupid, but by the time I reached the halfway point, I literally didn't know what my main objective was and just ended up wondering around aimlessly. In fact, I was so confused that when I beat the last boss, I didn't even know that what I killed WAS the last boss until the credits started to roll.

Which infuriated me even more because I realized that I saved my main game file right before the final boss encounter, pretty much the point of no return. If I ever wanted to go back and find all the secrets and shit like any good RPG fan does, I'd have to go back to another save file 10 hours before my main one.

Oh, and I felt nothing for the characters. I think it was because their faces never showed emotion. Just a blank mug shot with no nose. SNES sprites showed more expression.

So battles, bad; story, horrible; characters, don't care.

Barrelhaven

05-18-2008, 06:39 PM

Man, it's like we played completely different games here.

My main beef with the game? For a strategy game, you don't get to use much strategy. All the clever little tricks I used to outmaneuver the opponents in the beginning were useless once my characters were strong enough to withstand most anything after chapter 1. After that, strategy just consisted of "get to the enemy and hit them, run away if they're about to attack or you're about to die." I was probably asking for too much (I was asking for something akin to chess), but the game started to feel like any other rpg where you just mash one button and pummel the enemy to death.

My only problem with the game is that it does get incredibly easy in the later stages (especially when Orlandu joins your ranks), but unless you level-grinded like crazy, I dunno how your characters were strong enough to roll over enemies without a bit of forward thinking so early in the game.

Most of the strategy for SRPGs is in how you customize your party, and FFT is pretty deep in that regard. When I first played, I had no idea what jobs did what, so it was pretty tough going through the game with my retarded Knight/Mages in the lineup.

Also, the game adds for further replay because of that aspect. If you thought it was too easy, go back again with a Ramza solo-run, or a team of White mages or archers only. There's a vast variety of ways to go through the game to increase the challenge.

In all honesty, the battles actually weren't too bad. But it didn't help that the story sucked. Maybe I'm just stupid, but by the time I reached the halfway point, I literally didn't know what my main objective was and just ended up wondering around aimlessly. In fact, I was so confused that when I beat the last boss, I didn't even know that what I killed WAS the last boss until the credits started to roll.

I dunno how to say this, but you probably do have to be a little stupid to be that confused. Seriously though, the story was convoluted in presentation, but its content was damn excellent. I guess I'm sorta partial to tales of corruption and conspiracy in the church and government, but unless you were expecting something completely different (like a straight-forward knight saves princess from dragon routine) you shouldn't be able to find the story so horrible. And you didn't care for how Delita manipulated his way from peasant to king? Nothing? Really? Oh well.

Oh, and I felt nothing for the characters. I think it was because their faces never showed emotion. Just a blank mug shot with no nose. SNES sprites showed more expression.

There's not much in the graphics department, I'll agree...but then again, I don't really need pictures to convey a good story and emotion. The re-make on the PSP does a lot better job with its gorgeous FMVs, but the character designs remain the same.

General Suburbia

05-18-2008, 07:08 PM

Most of the strategy for SRPGs is in how you customize your party, and FFT is pretty deep in that regard. When I first played, I had no idea what jobs did what, so it was pretty tough going through the game with my retarded Knight/Mages in the lineup.

Also, the game adds for further replay because of that aspect. If you thought it was too easy, go back again with a Ramza solo-run, or a team of White mages or archers only. There's a vast variety of ways to go through the game to increase the challenge.
I'll admit the level of customization was the best part of the game, but I felt so cheated by the end I doubt I'll ever be replaying this game anytime soon.

I dunno how to say this, but you probably do have to be a little stupid to be that confused. Seriously though, the story was convoluted in presentation, but its content was damn excellent. I guess I'm sorta partial to tales of corruption and conspiracy in the church and government, but unless you were expecting something completely different (like a straight-forward knight saves princess from dragon routine) you shouldn't be able to find the story so horrible. And you didn't care for how Delita manipulated his way from peasant to king? Nothing? Really? Oh well.
The game didn't know what to focus on in terms of story. The conspiracies in both sides? The overall war? Delita's manipulations? The monsters that somehow play a role in all of this? The fact that the individual pieces of the story never seemed to mesh into one big coherent tale made the trip all the more convoluted. That Delita, the main character, never knew or had anything to do with the undead monster bosses in the game, supposedly the main part of your quest, is just one example. Some people like this for some reason. I don't.

And although I found Delita's puppetmaster role interesting, he was never an interesting character. Up until the very end, you never knew what his motives where, and therefore never knew what kind of character he was. The very end credits hints towards him being nothing more than a selfish brat who'd use anybody and anything to get what he wants; this makes him an unlikeable character to me.[/QUOTE]

Major Tom

05-18-2008, 08:44 PM

I completed Fable over the weekend. I've had my brothers tell me how good this was for ages so I finally cracked and had a go, and it's a pretty damn good game.

Although I do prefer games that have a more realistic finish to them (and no, I don't mean a brown and grey filter) rather than the more.....I hestitate to use the term 'cartoony'.....abstract? designs, it was a graphically pleasing game. I did find the map to be somewhat linear though, especially compared to something open planned like Oblivion. Speaking of Oblivion, I reckon that game nicked a fistfull of music from Fable, the style was the same and I swear some pieces had me going 'I've heard that before.......' I did think the character aged far too fast. A bright eyed teen became a withered old man in 2 years of game time, and yet none of th surrounding characters aged at all. That was a bit distracting.

Overall the game mechanics were good, though sometimes a little unresponsive. Many a time I releases the block key to move forward and attack, only to continue to block and roll forward. For once, archery is actually useful cause it hurts. Comparing Oblivion again, the vanilla setup had bows suck balls, you'd need to plug a regular human many times over, unless you scored a headshot whilst they were unaware. Fable, 3 arrows tops. There were a couple scenarios where you are set up to fail on the first attempt, but fortunately they are few and far between.

I did think the story became more average as it went along, and some story stuff (mostly about Jack of Blades) was left very ambiguous. Jack could have used much more explaining. But the whole reknown and morality aspect of the game was fantastic, it was a good thing to have the niceness I spread around actually have good consequences for me, and I have finally found a game in which magic items are actually rare.

I give it a 9/10, and I eagerly await a PC port of Fable 2

Barrelhaven

05-18-2008, 09:04 PM

I'll admit the level of customization was the best part of the game, but I felt so cheated by the end I doubt I'll ever be replaying this game anytime soon.

That's a shame, because I actually found it much more fun after my initial play through. Once you know what all the classes do, you can plan ahead early on for some more interesting groups...something that was lost on me in the beginning when I was practically shooting in the dark with my character developments.

The game didn't know what to focus on in terms of story. The conspiracies in both sides? The overall war? Delita's manipulations? The monsters that somehow play a role in all of this? The fact that the individual pieces of the story never seemed to mesh into one big coherent tale made the trip all the more convoluted. That Delita, the main character, never knew or had anything to do with the undead monster bosses in the game, supposedly the main part of your quest, is just one example. Some people like this for some reason. I don't.

Actually, it was all tied together (Church essentially being the mastermind behind the war, and even in manipulating Delita). But just the fact that this is confusing to figure out in itself is a problem. Even I had moments where I needed a refresher on the story (especially after fighting a string of unrelated battles on the way to the next destination point). It certainly does take a good deal of focus and attention to stay with the constantly moving plot, but I found it worth the effort when all the pieces came together.

And although I found Delita's puppetmaster role interesting, he was never an interesting character. Up until the very end, you never knew what his motives where, and therefore never knew what kind of character he was. The very end credits hints towards him being nothing more than a selfish brat who'd use anybody and anything to get what he wants; this makes him an unlikeable character to me.

I think not knowing if he was really good or bad added to his unique character. In the end, he was really neither...he was simply Delita. The motives were good (avenge sister, remove the corrupt from power, break the social status that crippled the poor), but the means to achieve his goals were not so noble (manipulating the innocent princess, assassinations, political betrayal, etc). In fact, this is my favorite part about him: He realized to make things right, he'd essentially have to sell his soul...to cheat, manipulate, and backstab anybody he had to in order to attain his goals. From his view, the desired end justified any means necessary, and he embraced that path without remorse or angsty deliberation.

IMO, knowing a character is capable of being both good and bad at the same time makes him feel all the more human...a far cry from the clear-cut heroes and villains dished to us by nearly every RPG out there.

Also, just another thing I loved about the game was how Ramza, the true good guy, ends up being remembered as a heretic in the history books, while the devious bastard Delita gets praised as the hero. I mean, just how often do you see a main playable character end up not actually being the main character of the story? I thought that was a nice touch.

Barrelhaven

05-28-2008, 08:06 PM

Suikoden II

It's pretty hard to rate this game, since it does so many things exceptionally well, yet at the same time, so many things just as bad.

As far as medieval fantasy stories go, this is definitely among the more engrossing and memorable. I love tales of warring nations that involve plots of betrayal and the rise of commoners to ranks of kings and such (as you can probably tell from my previous posts), so this naturally appeals to me. It's a shame the ending was such a letdown, though I'm sure there's probably alternate versions (given the question they ask following the "final battle"). The version I got left questions about what happened to the main villain completely unanswered. Very disappointing, especially since it was such a good story leading up to it.

Gameplay was excellent. I especially love the addictive "catch 'em all" aspect, where you get to recruit over 100 characters to your party. Finding out the right tweaks and pulls to get them to join is an adventure in itself. It's just awesome to see your small group of ragtag mercenaries gradually turn into a legion fitting of any kingdom. Plus, watching your "home base" grow from abandoned rubble to a sprawling castle (where all your recruited characters and more flock to) is incredibly enjoyable. The design of the world altogether was also very well done. Towns looked unique and vibrant, and were constantly changing...whether it was due to army invasion, absolute destruction, or liberation. I'm not the type to usually communicate with NPC townsfolk, but it was surprisingly rewarding here.

The game is not perfect though. The vast amount of characters allow for a good deal of customization, but at the same time, a lot of the "character types" tend to overlap or are flat out useless. In the end, probably less than a quarter of the 100 or so characters I had were serviceable. It's still pretty damn deep though, and it's a bit unrealistic of me to expect each character to be so developed. The rune (magic) system is great, but having to go to a Rune Shop each and every goddamn time to change magic abilities is a real pain.

Also, aside from the meat and potatoes turn-based battles, the gimmicky side-battles get really annoying, considering they're both bland AND mandatory. There are 2 types of these "side battles"...(1) a duel system that pits one player against another, and requires you to beat them rock-paper-scissor style, and (2) a strategy-grid format ala Fire Emblem. I normally love strategy games, but the one here was incredibly shallow and time-consuming to the point it made me cringe every time it came up. Given how excellent the major turn-based system was, I didn't really see the need to break up a solid working routine in favor of sub-par gimmicks.

If you can get past those flaws, this is truly an incredibly entertaining experience. What the game does well, it does really well...enough to compensate for those nagging annoyances. This is actually my first dip into the Suikoden franchise, but if the rest play out like this one, I can't see it being my last.

Grade: 8/10

Risen Hell Fire

05-30-2008, 04:35 PM

Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis

It's been years since I last played this game, and a number of attempts at reinstalling it have ended in failure. Somehow I got it to work, installed a needed program to get it working 100% and in I go. Then it's over?

FoA is a great Indy title, and I would've loved to have this as a Movie instead of Crystal skull, same with Infernal Machine. I was just surprised how fast I can beat the game. Everything about the game is great, and makes me appreciate Point and Click games for what hey offered. It's the length that's my only problem.

I can get through the game now at maybe 3 hours top, sooner if I really hoof it. Not to say the experience isn't enjoyable. The same things that we love about the films, Nazi's, Indy's one liners, and his trusty whip (not enough usage out of that whip), makes this like we're playing a movie.

I still enjoy the game and going through the three different paths, gives the game more replay value, until you reach Atlantis, nothing changes there no matter what path you take. A classic title, in more ways then one.

9/10

f1rst children

06-02-2008, 09:03 AM

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Espisode 1

If you like Penny Arcade, you'll like this game for the same reasons - visuals and writing. They are both spot on, completely true to the spirit of the comic.

The gameplay is fairly shallow, with very light problem-solving. Some people have had trouble handling the real-time combat, but I found it quite manageable - it's not like you have 20 spells and 100 items to scroll through. The mini-game special attacks range from enjoyable (PC) to tedious (Gabe), while the blocking handles similar to Mario RPGs, based on timed button presses.

In terms of episodic games, this rates about equal with the Sam & Max games, depending on your comedic tastes. Neither delivers as full-fledged an experience as Half Life 2 episodes, but then those might as well be full-on expansion backs considering they take years to come out.

PAA is definitely a niche game, existing almost wholly as Penny Arcade fanservice. If you don't like PA, then this game definitely isn't for you.

7.5/10 if you like Penny Arcade.
5/10 if you don't.

Barrelhaven

06-02-2008, 08:10 PM

Suikoden I - 6.5/10

It's everything I said about Suikoden II, but just not as good. For example, (1) the castle development is not as large in scope, (2) the magic system is a lot less refined, (3) side-battles are just as annoying, though they're not as frequent or long, (4) the ending is just as bland, (5) the story lacks the same epic feel, (6) item management is a hassle, and (7) the characters are not as charming.

To its credit, it does start of worlds better than its sequel though. The first few hours are awesome, but it really drags down by the end. Part of it was my fault for marathoning it, I guess. Oh yeah, and the game was only ~25 hours long. Pretty sad for an RPG. =\

Kavik Ryx

06-07-2008, 10:22 AM

Completed Final Fantasy IV a few days ago after, like IX, putting it off for some time. For such an old game, it still plays quite well. 6/10.

Now on to finally beat VII, which is a good game but IMO is horribly overrated. Then again, I'm an VIII fan. Though I am having one issue. I have the PC version and it every so often crashes, so unless I can fix this, this might take a while.

Risen Hell Fire

06-22-2008, 05:00 PM

To my amazement I was able to complete two games over the weekend, none today.

Godhand

There are so many words that almost describe the experience of this game, and I'll name as much as I can. Crazy, Absured, Insane, Wild, Wacky, Hilarious, Ridiculous, and Chaotic.

Quite possibly the most original and most out of control action title ever. So over the top it thankfully doesn't try to make itself look serious, but, filled with so many references, more so in the dog racing mini game, that some if not most will have you smirking when you discover one, though that may depend on who you are.

The story wasn't something I payed much attention to, and sometimes ended up forgetting it. The characters on the other hand is what drives this game. There so many wacky characters, from Gorrilas wearing mexican wrestling outfits, to midget power rangers, that you're bound to find someone to like. Even if it's someone you should hate.

The main character Gene does all he can to prove why he's awesome, including kicking your ass and insulting you in the best fashion. If don't agree with him, be prepared to be kicked into orbit.

The dialogue has so many great quotes and one liners, most coming from our main man Gene, you're surely find some to like. The voicing it pretty well done, no one sounds stupid, or annoying, if some one sounds over the top, most likely they're supposed to be.

The gameplay take some too, mainly in controlling Gene, that dying will happen, a lot. Thankfully the game isn't so hard to play that it's next to impossible to beat, just don't go into it thinking this will be an easy game. Enemies will not just waiting too get a hit in, they'll come after you with thing on their mind.

The sad thing, however, is all you need to lay most of the the smack down is the simple punch till your opponent is dead. So the isn't really filled with much depth, and the thing you'll change in your combat arsenal is your roulette specials.

All in all, I loved the experiance from beginning to end. It may be a hard road to walk but the end is rewarding. I'd rank as the best action game I've ever played. I found nothing to hate this game for, it may be difficult but it's meant to be. I plead that you should try out this game.

10/10

Major Tom

07-31-2008, 07:57 AM

I've just completed Frontlines: Fuel of War. Reading through magazines, I thought the premise was interesting and there some interesting ideas in it. My brother thought so as well, and picked up a copy and then lent it to me.

Overall I was left disappointed. I played it mostly on hardcore, as observing my brother play it on normal it looked a tad too easy for my tastes, but I toned it down to normal for the final 2 objectives because it became very frustrating and I couldn't be arsed doing them all over again for the umpteenth time. It isn't a bad game really, but what real potential it had was smothered in a layer of frustrated...ing...ness.

First and foremost problem (that will translate to multiplayer): Your guns don't hit shit (aside from the sniper) and do bugger all damage (including the sniper). With an AI that is programmed to make best use of cover, shot placement is important. It doesn't help when your shots go off in different directions. I must also note that the AI doesn't suffer from this problem as much, and their groupings become remarkably tighter on harcore difficulty, whereas I'm certain yours becomes somewhat worse. And then you have to try to hit them several times.....

Your friendly bots a next to useless. They may hit something occasionally, but they are window dressing for the most part. There have been times when I've been shot, and when the camera zoom out on the body I see my bots standing there, guns pointed at the enemy.....not shooting. Or the time when they were in a tank covering a front entrance to a big building, and they let 4 of the bloody bastards walk out of it and shoot me. Ah yes, if you are ever, ever in view, the AI will ignore all bots, even those closer to them and actually shooting at them and focus on you.

Perhaps them most intersting aspect is the drones, but they are completely underused. It is possible to play the game without even using one. A lean function is also absent, meaning you can't make good use of cover.

The story is....well fairly average in a Hollywood action movie sort of manner. I could pick holes in it, but that would silly. It's solid enough and doesn't stray out of the world it sets itself up in. The game looks pretty (yet very...brown. One bot comments on this; 'are we in the desert? We're always in the desert'), and it ran decently on my old crate with only the occasional hiccup the start of levels as it finalised the loading process.

I would be interested to see how multiplayer pan outs, as the objective system does look promising. But overall, I give it 6/10. A faily solid shooter with some good ideas let down by what I think is some poor choices execution wise.

Steiner

08-06-2008, 12:38 PM

The last game I beat was Trauma Center: Second Opinion. I'd never finished the DS one, so I was glad I could play through this version. It's a little easier though since you don't have to select the tools with your pointer (my friend told me to play with two styluses, but I don't think I"m that hardcore...)

I need to see if I can track down the sequel, so I can get started with that.

I think I'm hankering a good RPG though. Anyone know any good ones? I've played through all the FFs. Maybe I'll try Dragon Quest VIII...

Risen Hell Fire

08-08-2008, 09:33 AM

Ape Escape 2

The first thing that grabbed my attention upon the first time playing this game, a Demo of it, is Ash ketchum (I think that's his last name) is the voice Jimmy, the hero of this game, while Natalie is voiced by Misty. Yeah, I was expecting the Professor to be voiced by Oak. I swear Spike sounds like Tracy.

Anywho, AE2 is pretty much the same game as the first, only changes are some new gadgets, 300 worth of monkeys (Sparta!), and lots of items to collect. Mini games have returned BTW.

All, the gadgets from One are back, and some look different this time, though most of the new gadgets are rather pointless because one of them you'll only be using in the last two stages. So, don't expect them to be really worth it.

Personally, I felt Two to be harder the One, mainly with the controls being rather chaotic with controlling Jimmym plus, the kid sucks when it comes to jumping. Plus the Monkeys put more of a fight this time, and can kick your, thank god for that hoola hoop.

All in all, it's not different, and plays pretty much like the first game, you should get it because it's a good series and what's better beating up Monkeys wearing pants?

7.5/10

Ghostmaster

08-09-2008, 03:17 PM

Tamanegi Sensei

08-12-2008, 10:26 PM

I just completed Final Fantasy IV...again. But hold, it is FFIV on the DS.

I'll be completely honest here. This game is BRUTAL! Don't think you can use the same strategies again if you know the game inside and out. FFIV has been revamped to the umpteenth degree with new features and abilities.

First off, for a DS game, the graphics are impressive. The cut scenes show a much better perspective on the story. Plus, everyone has something to say now that they have voiceovers to work with. The dialogue is alright, and the Spoony Bard is still intact. However, since all the characters are speaking each other's names, you won't be able to change it to whatever you want. The music rearranged by part Junya Nakano is faithful to Uematsu's original composition and still keeps me going. Wait, no Tsuki no Akari? Can't be perfect I guess.

The new added features in the game are nice. The Augments give you the ability to use the abilities of past characters. Teach Cecil "kick" and give everyone the kick. The only beef with the augments is once you put it on, theres no taking it off. So if you taught someone "bardsong", then what the hell were you thinking? The other addition is Rydia's new summon, Whyt. He's cute, customizable, and he has mini games to beef him up. However, some of the mini games are better than others. You think you can recruit the past characters like in FFIV Advance? Nice try. I guess thats what the augments are for.

Finally, the meat of this game is the gameplay itself. It's your very traditional turn based RPG, with the ATB (active time battle), and a very steep learning curve. The difficulty has been changed dramatically. As I said, you can't use the same strategy twice in this game. This game is HARD! It's even harder than the SFC version of FFIV, but it's only hard because of the bosses, and mid bosses. If you think that Zeromus' Big Bang attack hurts, wait till you get to him.

Overall, I love this game, and despite crying over the harsh difficulty, it gave me the incentive to keep going. I'm sort of glad that Square gave this a shot for the DS generation. Here's to V and VI remade. 9/10

Plus, I also completed Mario & Luigi Partners in Time. Funny story, great battle system, but weak battle music. 8.5/10

EDIT: Eternal Sonata was great. Beautiful graphics, stunning visuals, awesome music, innovative battle system. But very linear and concept of Chopin might turn off half of the gamers who played this. 8.5/10

Sanda

08-13-2008, 06:57 AM

The last game I finished was the Trilogy from the Hack series... Hack GU.

And I gotta say: IT'S FANTASTIC! I finished all of them in a month. Got addicted to the game man. The graphics are sweet. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys RPGs.

Zero

08-14-2008, 01:55 AM

Portal

If there's anything that Portal demonstrates in regards to the mindset of its developers, it's that the game was made in a way in which they could stuff as much fun, intrigue, and general satisfaction into a short singleplayer experience. At this, Valve succeeded with flying colors. Never have I had so much fun with a puzzle game of this calibur on PC. Puzzles were challenging when they needed to be, but stopped short of ever being frustrating. Just experimenting with the physics of Portal-creation was an entity of enjoyment on its own.

I honestly cannot come up with any real flaws with this game, aside from the fact that it leaves you hungry for more with only a 2-3 hour experience at best. A few advanced puzzles gained after completing the game satiate some of that.

Some side notes:
-The ending was indeed original and satisfactory, but I'm not feeling the "OMGWTFBBQSOAWESOME1111" attitude that everyone seems to get off of Still Alive. Creative, and again original; just not the greatest thing since sliced bread that the gaming community seems to think it is.

9/10

Call of Duty 4

Hooboy, and up next is the critically acclaimed FPS title. The thing with CoD4 is that on its surface, it seems to be a well-polished title in addition to providing a big advancement in the franchise in gameplay. The single player campaign is where the title is right to earn its high praise. Although the scripted events and rail-style levels seem a bit stagnant at this point of the franchise, they're still presented in such a manner both in stunning graphics and sound, as well as a fairly easy-to-follow and enjoyable popcorn-movie narrative, that these flaws are largely ignorable and already well known to most who have experienced or even read about the cinematic aspect of the CoD franchise. The best level without a doubt is Captain Price's flashback to Chernobyl. Upon ending the singleplayer, I was ready to award this game a 9.0, and hearing about the advances made in multiplayer, moving on into that aspect of the game would simply be ceremonial end in reviewing this title.

I was wrong.

CoD4's multiplayer suffers from two fatal flaws: Hyper-speed gameplay, and small maps. To some degree, the former is a result of the latter. Spawn points come quickly and lie within such close proximity that death becomes ridiculously inconsequential to the overall experience (funny to say that in regards to a FPS). Sniping, long-range shooting, or any sort of gameplay that requires patience and/or coordination is absolutely useless. It's all about dashing out and burst-firing your way around corners, get a kill, die, and repeat within seconds. All this is exacerbated by the use of airstrikes, which end matches in a spamfest helicopter fire or bombing. I'll admit to having played little of CoD2, and none of CoD3, so my experience lies with the original CoD title. With CoD, maps all around provided for relatively large bases, towns, or battlefield settings. Gameplay wasn't particularly deep, but the advantages to each weapon and navigating your way through multiplayer was pretty intuitive. CoD4, despite the wonderful idea of applying experience and classes to the game, suffers too deeply from the flaws coupled into it for such an evolution in that aspect to be fully realized.

7/10

Risen Hell Fire

08-14-2008, 11:20 AM

Grrr, typing on the Wii is so hard, because I forget to put some important words in.

Ape Escape 3

This game, or series, is starting to become notorious for changing the voices a third time. I haven't thought of trying the mini game installment, Pumped and Primed, to listen if there's different VA, because I heard the game is pretty bad.

Anyway, every character that's been in the series before are all voiced different, even Specter lost his cool deep voice from 1 and 2, and got a more childish Sonic type voice instead. ,:l It's not terrible, but it leads me to believe that if a 4th game is coming there will another set of voice changes.

So, the plot of this one is different, because Specter isn't simply trying to take over the world this time, he's taking over TV stations and channel and turning anyone who watches his shows into couch potatoes and then take over the world. Unfortunately, Jimmy, Spike, and the Professor (The question on if their Voices changed was never explained) have succumbed to the bad monkey shows. So it's now up to Brother and Sister, Kei, who doesn't really have any interesting thing about him, and/or Yumi, who is, for some reason, a successful pop singer, and they're Aunt, who is conveniently a friend of the Professor, to put a stop to Specter's latest scheme. Oh, hold on a minute, Specter has acquired help from a human (DUN DUN DUNNNNNN). so how will all play depends if you're willing to try the game. So that's pretty much the story without revealing to much.

I will say, though, the gameplay is a breath of fresh air, controlls remain the same, but, it's much funner then 2, because its controlls are better, no loose running or bad jumping, and the stages are funner, and more original poking fun at known films and such. Though there's always need for a Snow type level, and a level with dinosaurs included.

As mentioned, you can play as either Kei or Yumi, I tried out Kei, but have yet to try Yumib to see if there is a big difference between them besides the fact that some monkeys are swoon when thay see Yumi, I did noticed at the end credits that cutscenes and conversation is different with who you choose.

Honestly, though, I didn't really care about them, I didn't feel that they were all that important and were only used for this game and we may not hear or seem them again, maybe.

Anyhow, the most dissapointing thing about 3 was there weren't any new gadgets, the original 8 or 9 from the beginning are all you'll get to use, the new three from the last game don't show up. They have, however, been replaced by new morph forms. They do come rather predictably, and one or two aren't going to be used much, execpt in thier respected area. I have found my favorite and it made capturing monkeys so easy it's actually kinda iffy at best, takes away a lot of challenge. The monkeys can still put up a fight early in, but with these morph forms, even a tough monkey will be captured with ease. Speaking of monkeys, the names for them this time are unoriginal and repetitive, IMO, because quite a plenty of them have Ukki somwhere in there. While others use another word as part of there name.

Onto somthing else, hmmmm, the music is decent, doesn't have as many annoying tracks as 2, the way the VA, in terms of sync with mouths, is done is pretty bad. A big gripe I have is this installment gives you some questions on the characters, like what relations does X have with Y, but does nothing in trying to answer them.

All in all I enjoyed playing it, but, plot holes bring no light or anything exciting to existing characters and the new ones just don't have enough backstory or are explained through the game to make them interesting. It's still good Monkey catching fun, but I hope to see more done with the characters.

8/10

Tamanegi Sensei

08-24-2008, 11:54 PM

Just completed GTA IV.

+ Awesome story, lots of Liberty City to explore, likeable protagonist, eclectic choice of radio sounds
- Same control and graphical problems that haunted the series, no parachute, mini games and needy friends derail you from the main story 9/10

Oh, and God of War II

+ Great Game, 3-way mini game still fun, a thunderous soundtrack
- Not many bad things to say, but Zeus cheats 10/10

Now I can relax and work on my upcoming radio show.

ShadowZelda

08-28-2008, 07:07 AM

The very last game i completed was okami. iwas doing really good on it till i got stuck a few times and had to call afriend to give me some tips on how to get pass that certain spot.....but i finally completed it and i'm on my second file of it......-_-. do you think they will make and okami 2?

Unloved Zombie

08-29-2008, 04:19 AM

Just beat Final Fantasy VII... using Yuffie and Cait Sith. Because nobody uses Yuffie and Cait Sith.

Yeah, I'm lame and need new games. But at least I'm still playing the classics, ya know?

Manga_Creator

08-29-2008, 04:36 AM

Haven't played games lately.

Kingdom Hearts, that took a while...
and
Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3....Easy!

Quantum Fluxx

08-29-2008, 10:57 AM

Too Human

I just finished the game this afternoon, and I gotta say it was a pretty fun ride. It had its problems with strange bugs and camera issues, but if you can get past that, the gameplay itself is just really fun. The combo system is nice but not too complicated, and I liked the cyber-twist to the norse mythology, some pretty neat ideas they had there. I only wish it didn't end off with a cliffhanger but I guess everything does that these days (everything is always part of a trilogy it seems).

Next up on my to-do list is Tales of Vesperia. I'll post back once I complete it.

ShadowZelda

09-08-2008, 06:49 AM

the last game i just finished was legend of zelda:ocarina of time and i have already beat it about 8 to 10 times because it is so easy.......but i am stil working on okami again and it stinks to have to battle crimson helm he is so annoying to battle..........(sigh) -__-.but i will beat him again eventually.......(sigh)

Sae

09-08-2008, 01:39 PM

Soul Calliber IV with the character Amy!!!!! It was so short though......I wonder if I missed something......or if it's supposed to be like Marvel vs Capcom where you have to beat it with all the characters.....hmmmm.....

Risen Hell Fire

09-10-2008, 07:19 AM

Well, I've been meaning to get these two out of the way.

Touch Detective 1 and 2 1/2

First thing I noticed with 1 after beating 2, is that speed in the game seems slower, like everything moves, including the story, at a slow pace. Taking it easy along the way. With 2 I felt it moved much faster, anyone else feel that?

Another thing different is that the cases in 1 felt more varied then with 2. With 2 it seemed the main theme of each case was about missing items, it makes sense since the main bad guy in the game is a thief. I just wished for cases with real murders and conspiracies.

Dialogue in both games are good, Mackenzie provides some funny lines, and the cast of characters each vary in how they talk, though it sounds like Sims speak. Even some characters in some cases can feel pretty creepy. If only Penelope would stop getting into trouble.

Music is again good, but when you stuck on a cases or puzzle and the music is looping over and over, it can get annoying. Opening theme song for 2 FTW

Overall both games are interesting titles, don't expect pulse pounding action though. I liked 2 more for the faster pace of the game, and more characters as well. Plus you unlock more in it then with 1.

Touch Detective 1: 7/10
Touch Detective 2 1/2: 8/10

ProfessorWashu

09-11-2008, 08:35 AM

I finished Chrono Cross a little while ago. (I know it's old, but it's a classic!) I am thinking about moving on to a newer game, "Ayanami Raising Project" for the DS. Has anyone else played that? Right now I'm biding the time between now and when I can buy it by playing FF XII again.

ERZUE7

09-11-2008, 08:42 AM

the fast and the furious: Tokyo drift.

Milkymagic

09-16-2008, 06:17 PM

I've completed Trauma Center 2 for the DS, and I can honestly say it's an improvement over the original, and easily just as worthy of being considered one of the greatest experiences I've had on my DS. The operations have a few added tweaks, but anyone who hasn't played the original can still get into this game, even if playing the first one would get you a better understanding of the story. Easy 10 out of 10.

I also beat Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja for DS, it's a nice little dungeon crawler that knows how to pass the time with old-school enjoyability. Right now, I'm working on the second Izuna game as we speak. It's probably a 7 out of 10.

General Suburbia

09-16-2008, 09:29 PM

Devil May Cry 4 (PC)

What can I say? It's Devil May Cry, nothing more, nothing less (okay, maybe we have a few new changes). We have the super crazy action, twitch/reflex based action gaming, ultra shitty camera, ultra awesome cutscenes, recycled maps, insane boss fights, horrible puzzle/platforming ideas, etc, etc. Basically, all that is good about the Devil May Cry series was there, as are the bad.

Nero was a great character to play as, the difficulty was toned down a bit (I say that's a good thing), and Dante was as kickass as ever.

8.5/10

Zelyhon

09-29-2008, 11:00 AM

FF IX for me. I felt the urge to replay it after watching a Final Fantasy documentary thing, so I've been playing it on-and-off for a while and just got through it.

Next: Various Megaman X games now that I got the collection back from a friend. Then, when it gets in, Bioshock.

Ghostmaster

10-13-2008, 08:47 PM

Resident Evil 4 - 8.5/10
Real great game, started it with my friend like a month and half ago, finally beat it. Tough, tough game, but a hell of a lot of fun. Awesome graphics still even for the gamecube, which is the version I played. Pretty cool storyline and combat system is pretty sweet as well.

Major Tom

10-19-2008, 07:41 PM

Last night I finally finished Duke Nukem 3D. As much as I liked the game way back when (being all kinds of naughty for a teenager), I was but a poor child and lacked the funds to purchase it. My parents never did lend me the extortionate amounts of money video games in Australia cost, and fat chance of ever getting something like Duke Nukem......to say the least, all I had was the shareware version.

Now, years later and thanks to various Abandonware places and DOSBox, I was able to complete it. As I played it, the first chapter seemed very easy (this was on Come Get Some difiiculty), easier than I remember but the game gets exponentially harder as the chapters go along. which leads to one of my few complaints: The boss creatures/large critters are insane.

The regular fodder are nice and tough, a good challenge, but the big bastards move incrediably quickly, react instantly and do bucketloads of damage with no discernable pattern to figure out. In Doom, the Barons of hell and the Cyber Demons were nasty, but You could deal with them. They also came in places where there is plenty of room to maneuver and hide. In Duke3D you normally encounter them in small places, so there is not a lot of room to move and often no place to hide. The final boss level is a prime example of this.

Other than that, the levels were well designed (aside from times that I questioned what the designers considered a 'secret', some areas I thought were secret enough, but weren't....secrets), and there was a very interesting mix of weapons. Not the standard pistol-shotgun-submachinegun-machinegun-rocketlauncher-exotic combo. It was very satisfying to shrink the big fat bastards on the floating discs and step on them. The game did have some manner of autoaim like doom, but it seemed to work/not work as it wanted. The camera itself was annoying as it corrected the view depending on what angle you were at, often ruining your shot, doubly so it it was an eplosive and it suddenly lands at your feet....

But besides the frustrating big bastards and dodgy camera, I had a lot of fun with Duke Nukem 3D. It's an uncomplicated shooter that is overall well done. I give it 9/10

LakiDash

10-19-2008, 09:15 PM

FF IX for me. I felt the urge to replay it after watching a Final Fantasy documentary thing, so I've been playing it on-and-off for a while and just got through it.

Same here. Well, for different reasons. I'm doing a Squall cosplay, but decided to go back and play IX instead of VIII since I have more fond memories with IX, as it's the first FF I played.

I still welled up sometimes during it; it's such a beautiful game with great characters and probably my favorite single video game score.

Now I will go back to VIII, then VII. Just to fill up my need for RPGs, and the only console systems I have in my dorm are a PSOne and a Wii, and I'd rather dig up my old FFs then play something on the Wii right now.

Quantum Fluxx

10-20-2008, 01:56 AM

Major Tom

10-21-2008, 07:25 PM

Since I'm on a nostaligia trip whilst waiting for games I really want to play to come out (like Fallout 3 and Dawn of War 2), I went ahead and completed Commander Keen 4

Keen 4 is the very first Commander Keen game I played (and as a result, find Keens 1-3 difficult to look at), and I remember it very well. I had just finished watching a doco on that prehistoric mummy they found in the Alps years ago, and though I didn't want to admit it, that mummy had scared me to the core. When I did go to sleep (after prying myself away from a session of Dune, also the first time I remember going to bed after midnight) I had nightmares of this dishevelled mummy walking into my room, waking me up and asking for directions back home......

Anyway, Commander Keen 4 was pretty much as I remembered it. Though perhaps easier than I remembered. I did die and had to reload plenty of times due to things killing you as soon as they touched you, but the puzzles didn't seem as hard (though some of the secret stuff was still insanely difficult to reach) and I only had a real scarcity of ammo in the final level. I didn't keep a track, but all up I must have spent about 6 hours on the game, much less time than when I last completed the game.

Some of the quips in the game weren't funny to my jaded ears anymore, but honestly I expected the game to have aged for the worse. Graphically it has, it still looks nice but it doesn't look as amazing as it did all those years ago. gameplay wise it was still fun, and the pogostick is still a neat item.

I am somewhat hesistant to give it a score, but I think it's worth an 8/10, it's a competent platformer that can still stand up today. It's amazing to think that this came out of the same twisted minds that brought us Doom and Quake.

Barrelhaven

10-26-2008, 12:42 PM

Dead Space

What a surpisingly good game. The presentation and sound design are some of the best I've seen in a game. The combat is fun, and the game really manages to scare you, right up to the ending credits. I was expecting generic space shooter but I got a game I'm considering the best release between GTA4 and Gears of War 2. It really has that RE4 vibe but it pulls it off, its basically RE4 in space. If you own a 360 you owe this one at least a rent.

9/10

What you said goes for me as well, except I was actually expecting something much MUCH more than just a generic space shooter, so the fact this game lived up to the hype is additionally impressive for me.

PROS:
- A truly chilling game to play, thanks to haunting sound effects and a cold, gritty visual presentation.
- No pause in game when you bring up the menu system and real-time feed of story elements (as opposed to CGI cutscenes) keeps you immersed in the atmosphere.
- Excellent controls never make you frustrated when gunning down necromorphs.
- Creative and fun set of tools to work with (not your usual pistol and shotgun here), including the iconic "rig" armor suit.

CONS:
- As a big fan of boss battles, I was really disappointed at just how easy they were to overcome. I felt more pressured and intimidated against the common swarm of enemies than by the big ugly bosses.
- A minor complaint, but the constant back-tracking and "fetch" missions felt dragged out, making the game feel longer than it should've been and muddles the story a bit.

FINAL VERDICT:
- A must-play for anyone with a PS3/360. It's a refreshing take on a collection of tried n' true horror elements (both from games and movies), and executed to perfection. 8.5/10

Zero

10-29-2008, 07:43 PM

Played through Bioshock on the Xbox 360. Given the amount of rave reviews by critics and gamers alike, I'm sure there are at least a handful of people out there who would proclaim "it's about damn time!"

Honestly, I'm not too sure what to think of this game, as it mostly left with a certain emptiness after a few days of having beaten it. Don't get me wrong, there's numerous things to praise about this game. The storytelling is solid, if a bit more expectant of the player's attention. Everything in the environment just gushes with vintage 50's-style culture, from the interior building designs down to the visual explanations of newly-acquired abilities that resemble something like those old-school "this program is brought to you by" ads. The themes and Ayn Rand/Atlas Shrugged references are most certainly an intellectual delight (particularly the way the story parodies and shreds apart objectionism from the get-go). Props also to the combat system, which left for some interesting alternative tactics through the use of ADAM-induced powers.

That aside, the only major thing I could designate a right-out flaw in the game was the vita-chamber system, which pretty much made any real challenges in the game null and void simply by reviving twice or thrice over and wearing down enemies' health that carried over from previous fights. The weapons menu was also a constant annoyance on the 360 controller; cycling through weapons often led in error, having accidentally chosen a camera over a wrench.

Finally, addressing my said "emptiness": despite its wonderfully written and gameplay/environment-interwoven story, Bioshock failed to really elicit an emotional reaction out of me. The culprit here is...you. Or to be more precise, "You" being the main character and primary instigator of in-game events. I've never really cared much for games that place "you" the player as the actual protagonist in a veiled attempt at what I call the "Choose Your Own Adventure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choose_your_own_adventure)" syndrome (Referred to as "immersion" by MMO players and their respective cousins), simply for the fact that your fundamental traits as a thinking human being are never implemented into the game in any sort of sufficient manner, beyond predetermined "morality" choices. As a result, the character you take control of from beginning to end is little more an empty husk that shoots lightning and beats splicers to a bloody pulp with a wrench. How can I possibly sympathize or empathize when both ends are blunted by a lack of personality* or responsive game structure?

Given the aforementioned nature of the protagonist, the ending of the game, however brief, served as a nice little "awwwww shucks" moment (alternatively, watched the "bad" ending, also entertaining in its own right). Beyond that, you're thrown right back to the menu, hoping for a little more for the work you put out.

Final verdict:
8.5/10

*The "silent hero" present in some old-school RPGs or even present "immersion" titles like Shadow of the Colossus is cousin to this syndrome

Risen Hell Fire

12-02-2008, 05:05 AM

Dead Space

A pretty good game, I had more fun with it then most other SH types games. But, it's get's really easy when I upgraded my Plasma Cutter, you'll learn to love this weapon, and everything else. So I'm just going through the game from time to time to get the missing trophies.

Enemies are plentyful, but not very varied, and the first boss you face is pretty cool, last boss in the game is a joke. Weapons are cool, but the Plasma Cutter trumps all of them, and ammo can be pretty scarce for other wapons, like the game's version of the flame thrower.

If that sequel happens I'd be interested in buying it.

8/10

ShadowZelda

12-04-2008, 02:37 PM

the last game i completed was poke'mon diamond and now i am working on majora's mask...........

Major Tom

12-14-2008, 03:46 AM

So I managed to play through the single player campaign for Call of Duty: World at War. Honestly, I don't see why many people are bagging Treyarch for this game, it's not a bad game at all. The game mechanics are exactly like Call of Duty 4, though it does play at a slower pace. I'm pretty sure your avatar moves slower than it's CoD4 counterpart. But it is essentially, CoD4 with a WWII skin.

And therein lies it's greatest strength, yet it's biggest weakness. Whilst it makes good use of the new mechanics, it doesn't really even try to set itself apart from it's predecessor. It even has the very short campaign. I borrowed this from my housemate and installed it at ~3pm today, and by 8:30-9pm I was done. This was playing on regular though, I assume you will die a few more times on Veteren. Perhaps the biggest thing against the game is that WWII is tired at the moment. Honestly, for me to be really impressed by a WWII game, it's either got to have an Australian campaign (in any theatre), or play from the perspective of 'the enemy'.

I will say this, though. WaW is a very brutal game, much more than CoD4 was. THis is shown through who the characters around act and in the graphical details themselves. I found myself feeling more than a little disturbed at what i was doind. With the Pacific campaign this is somewhat understandable, you get to see glimpses of what the Japanese did, and their insane tenacity that really drove the Allies to return the favour. Not so much with the Russian campaign, and as a result Reznov comes off as a completely reprehensible human being who enjoys killing because he's.....insane? A psychopath? I'm pretty sure Reznov would have eventually been executed for his excess.

I suppose this does delve at one of the aspects of FPS gaming though. It's not often that the 'enemy' is portrayed as anything other than evil to the core, good for nothing except dying but it would have been.....appropriate to choose take prisoners, rather than choose to kill them either quickly or slowly and painfully.

Much else is picking at details. There's some historically inaccurate stuff (like treating the PTRS as a heavy sniper, or the FJ42 being such a kickarse gun), but I have come to expect this from the CoD franchise, so I'm not upset anymore.

I give the game a solid 7/10. If you liked CoD4 and aren't tired of WWII, then I don't think you have any reason to dislike this game. If you aren't a fan of the CoD franchise, but still aren't tired of WWII then I'd say give CoD:WaW a go, it's got the best treatment of the pacific to date.

Edit:Zombie Nazis is probably the best minigame/gamemode ever. Period.

Ghostmaster

12-14-2008, 09:56 AM

funny you say that ShadowZelda, I recently picked up Majora's Mask again, I never beat it, I find it a ridiculously difficult game with having to go back to the first day constantly. I stopped originally at the Goron temple, but recently beat it and got the new sword and moved on to the Zora part and am currently in the Gerudo Fortress, maybe ill try and figure it out eventually. There is this part where you have to collect these 4 eggs from the fortress, but I have only 2 bottles, which sucks.

PsychoSaiya-jin

12-14-2008, 02:34 PM

Just completed Bioshock, happy ending. I'm the Daddy now!

Highly enjoyable stuff. Being able to hack security and set AI on one another made things much more fun. The story was really fun too. I snapped a photo of the defeated magician and lol'd at the "Irony" achievement.

I have a lot of great games to catch up on :)

Major Tom

12-27-2008, 01:39 AM

Last week I finished the main quest in Super Mario Galaxy. This would have to be the first Mario game that I've played since an old port of the original for the Commodore 64 (well.....that's not strictly true. I have played Mariokart Wii and Super Smash Borther Brawl, but don't I think they are Mario games as such). The fact that Yahtzee in his Zero Punctuation review didn't hate it made it a starting point for to explore the world of Mario.

And I liked it, quite a bit actually. I don't know if I would go for 100% completion, but I had good fun for the lion's share of the game. The controls were tight and the level design was quite innovative. The story was, well, a typically Mario story, but it was nice. I quite liked Roslina as a character.

It was not perfect, however. Some of the levels were very difficult (fortunately you can go and find stars in other levels, so it wasn't on the same controller smashing difficulty as say....this first boss in RoboTech Battlecry) and getting toward the end some of the levels did start to get a bit tired. Oh, and I disliked Spring Mario. He was awkward to use, and the special jump seemed to rely more on luck that pressing at the right time.

I give it a solid 8/10. I pretty darn good Mario game.

Barrelhaven

12-27-2008, 02:56 PM

Valkyria Chronicles - 8.5/10

What it is:
- A strategy RPG game in the vein of FF: Tactics, Advance Wars, and Fire Emblem. The story is an alternate take on WWII, using many fantastical elements (like blue-glowing "ragnarite" fuel and energy-blasting godly soldiers called "Valkyrurs") to make it more lively than gritty.

Pros:
+ The strategy element can be overwhelming at times, but in a good way. What I mean is that there's so many options and methods of war at your disposal, that the trick in winning comes down to planning the right mix. You're never left frustrated because you have no idea how to tackle each mission, but because you've got too many ideas to try. And that's what I love most about it...even if you lose (and lose you shall), it always invites further excitement rather than leaving you stumped and aggravated. Each time I lost, I was eager to retry the mission, thinking "okay, that plan didn't work, now let's try this". And IMO, that's the true nature of "fun" in SRPG games.

+ Beautiful presentation, from top to bottom. The sketchy, water-colored graphics, the epic music, the believable VA work (both Eng and Jap tracks available), the tactically and aesthetically designed maps featuring a blend of both urban and rural settings, the creative character designs including their uniform and weapons...everything seems to have a touch of originality in it.

Cons:
- Aside from the main characters, it's hard to develop rapport with the other members of the squad. There isn't much background info or personality given to them aside from the one-liner comment as they enter/leave your current squad, and a drab blurb to read in their dossier. The main villains are also rather "blah". They do look awesome, but there isn't much character to them.

- The A, B, C, D "Rank" given to you after each mission is based solely on how many turns it takes for you to finish. It pressures you to play a certain way, and sometimes the quickest, most efficient plan isn't the plan that invites the most fun. In some missions, I was more pre-occupied with capturing the flag or finishing off the enemies as quickly as possible, rather than fully exploring what the beautifully designed map had to offer.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q23/jetsaholic1094/random%20images/4a30a5d4ce2f254f1137fedf41cfa877-1.jpg?t=1230417782
Final Verdict:
- A true must-play for PS3 owners, especially if you're a fan of the SRPG genre in particular. Newcomers fear not though, the game is quite welcoming to the uninitiated through its clear and concise presentation of tutorials.

- As far as SRPGs go, this may not be my favorite, but I definitely love how it tries to push the boundaries of the genre and introduce fresh and exciting ideas to not only the gameplay, but in story-telling and graphics as well. Hopefully, this game will prove to be a trend-setter.