Games you've recently finished
 

Post a small review about a game you recently finished playing. What are it's good, bad and ugly points? Would you recommend it to other players? DO NOT just post the title, but give your OPINION. This can be helpful for other people who are interested in the game, without them having to go through an entire thread dedicated to that game. I'll post my list later on.

For those fuckers who don't understand:
Do not just post the title of the game, but write a small review for it, so that there can at leas be some discussion about it. For a good example, look at the post Mortis made.

When he says small review, he means longer than three or four sentences (in your case one).

Seriously, more effort need to be put into posts or this thread will not go anywhere.

The last game I finished was Final Fantasy X. It started off very slowly but when I got Anima, the game seemed to just fly by. It took me forever to beat, by that I mean I had better games to get through first (Having said that I did beat Final Fantasy X-2 first), but I'm glad it's done and dusted now. I thought the storyline was good, the animations were pretty stunning but it was the speech/acting that let it down, it's quite possibly the worst part of the game.

game: psychonauts. platform: pc.

this game had an excellent presentation. i loved the range of voice-acting, the great artwork (nothing looks the same twice really), and the music was great overall as well. the gameplay of it is decent-- standard platformer fare really, but it had its good moments. the design in a few of the levels left me standing in awe of the brilliance of the ideas they had, but some other levels are just standard platforming. the real incentive of this game is to find out what the next level will look like. sure, there's a story, but the only real reason you want to find out what is next is that it's a really funny game as well. the voice acting really helps this-- the actors all sound great; nothing is out of place.

some gripes: while the artwork is great, the graphics in the game leave a little to be desired. all of the locations look nice artistically, but they are all lacking pretty severely in polygon counts. i'm pretty sure the dreamcast could have rendered these levels fairly easily. also, the camera poses some minor problems in this game at times, but since you can control it a bit with the mouse, it's not as bad as it could be.

i'd rate this an 8.5/10 or so. not perfect, but certainly not bad for some random developer for a pc platformer that i'd never heard of before last october.

Just finished Grandia 3.

Great game IMO. Yes the story is cliché but weren't all Grandia's like that? Heck, a lot of rpg's nowadays don't have a very interesting story. The main characters were very likable, although some important enemies could use a lot more personality, motivation and backgroud story.

Sadly no sidequest, but seeing as I never really spend a lot of time doing sidequest anyway, coupled with the fact there are so many other great games now and on the horizon, I didn't have a problem with it. But I can see why other players find this a big problem, especially if you have limited funds to buy games.

Graphics were great. Some of the best scenery I have ever seen in an rpg. And as with every Grandia: The battle-system flat-out rocks!!

8.5/10

Killer7
All I can say is...WEIRD!!! It's the kind of game where I think I understood the story, but probably isn't what I think it is. I enjoyed it mainly for the shooting part and how you can upgrade each of your personalities. The game is kind of limited on the freedoom side since you walk along an established path only by pressing X and the puzzles are kinda easy. Definitely not for everyone, only for casual gamers.

Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cup

What can I say? Actually, at least three sentences worth. THe game was amazing. I admit, hearing the idea of having to solve puzzle by changing your sizes did NOT interest me that much. Yet, it was Zelda, it was a time killer, and so I started to play. And then, the game started to grow on me...a lot. Fresh ideas, fresh battles, fresh items, along with some of the usual techniques like the spin attack, full life attack, and so forth. Furthermore, while others found this game to be easy, I found a few sections to have, at least a medium level of difficulty. Once you figured out some strategies though, that part became easy.

My ratings:

Story - B

Fairly good story. While the essence is nothing new since 1986, it has been updated with a slew of new factors, including...a new enemy!

Music - A+

Fairly catchy tunes. The battle themes are fairly decent themselves. The dungeon music, and other "travelling" music is just that. It's there, it's good, but you don't notice it until you stop "travelling".

Control - A+

Standard Zelda control here. Good response. The items work well too, although some items take a bit of getting use to.

Graphics - A

Very colorful graphics. While not as good as other games, the graphics still give a "light" atmosphere to the game, and demand attention from the start.

Replayability - C

Okay, here's the problem. Once you beat the game...there isn't so much to do. Nintendo did add in a few things to do that you can only get/do once you beat the game, but it isn't much.

Overall - A I would recommend this to anyone with a GBA. THe puzzles, while not as difficult as LTTP, can be challenging at times. Same with boss battles. It holds the original Zelda atmosphere, and some of the winning elements that makes the Zelda series a success, while introducing a few new ones to keep the series fresh.

I finished Kingdom Hearts II Import version a couple weeks ago.

Do I recommend it? Hell no, it's the worst game ever, go play Superman 64... Hehe, nah just kidding. Of course I recommend this game, for those who enjoyed the first KH definitely will enjoy the sequel. The story continues where the previous games left (PS2 and GBA versions) but with the introduction of new characters like Roxas and his friends.

I played KH1 a couple hours before starting KH2 to see what improments Square-Enix in this game:

Graphics A: they improved a lot but I think most people won't see a big jump because the first game already have pretty nice graphics.

Music B+: it's ok to me, the usual for a Square-Enix.

Control A+: fortunately they improved it a lot here, now it's easier to use special moves and execute combos (specially in the air).

Replay value A: there are tons of secrets that you won't discover the first time, I recommend for experienced gamers that don't have enough time to play to start the game in hard mode because it's easier to get the special ending than collecting all the secrets in normal mode.

Overall: stop reading this and preorder the US version NOW.

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces2
played it again after having found the CDs after a long time of search.

Story - B

Good Star Wars Story. Could have been better if there werent the black-white contrast , but thats star wars.
The Cutscenes with real actors are nice. Since the game is from 1997 i wouldn have like inGame cutscenes more.

Music - A

John Wiliams classics once again. matching perfectly.

Control - B

Once having configured the controls ( the config menu suckx hell )
it plays nice.
The use of the force powers are not as comfortable as in the newer games.
The game is well-playable, no frustrating elements.

Graphics - B/D

Its from 1997, it was quite okey back then.
Compared to modern games the graphics are not that great, some will even say its damn ugly.
at least it has 3D Card support ^_^

Replayability - B

Next time i´ll try the dark side ^-^
a nice reason to play it again.

Overall - B/E
People who like older games will like this as well, but i think most of the new gamers generation(the ones with HALO as their first game ) will hate it just because its old.
I love it because the gameplay is really well done, the level design is awesome ( but sometimes tricky ) and it runs perfect on a modern computer

Resident Evil 4: It was my first time playing RE4 since it's initial release back in January/Febuary 2005. I bought and played the GC rev and I am so very glad I picked it up. I seriously loathe the RE series with a passion, finding the entire series dull and uninteresting for it's high focus on puzzle solving, bad camera angles and yet lack of actual zombies. RE4 was the complete opposite offering an action-centric game with SUCH simple puzzle solving and for some reason this great amount of replayability that I didn't think would keep me hooked, but it did. Also, the offering of newer weapons is awesome.

Tales of the Abyss: Ahh, yes. Namco's way of celebrating Tales of Phantasia's 10th anniversary, and what a nice way to go out. I loved Abyss because of the character interactions and above all the FR-LMBS battle system (Free Linear Motion Battle System). Also, the Field of Fonim focus was amazing and made battles so intense and strategic I ended up restarting certain bosses to have some more fun and not even care about getting a better grade. An awesome, awesome game that I'm sure Symphonia fans would love to death (easily more than). Too bad it's an import only for the time being. ;)

Tales of Rebirth: Ahh, yes. Another Tales game, only this one nearly entirely in 2D. Overall, I enjoyed this game a lot more than Abyss because all the characters had backstories I really cared about. Unlike in Abyss where I would give a damn about one character's backstory and ignore another, etc. Great game, really should come stateside to give Symphonia fans another taste of Tales. Oh well.

Tales of Legendia: Not really finished, but at the moment storming through the Character Quests. It's a really cute game and while it's nothing amazing that will end all games and become game of the year, it is so much FUN, that I place it above all the games I'm currently playing. Norma's also such a cutie. <3

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

My friends and I recently played through this game, in preparation for Twilight Princess. We're also working on Link to the Past, Wind Waker, and Majora's Mask. I'll post reviews of those games when we finish them.

Graphics: B
For the time, the graphics were pretty good, but suffered from the N64's poor lighting effects. In the end, they pushed the 64 a bit too far, and it suffered. Majora's Mask looks a *lot* better, thanks to the expansion pack.

Controls: A-
Pretty damn good control setup. Not quite as good as the Super Mario 64 controls, but still, very nice. I didn't like Navi getting a whole C button all to herself though. That was annoying.

Story: B+
Good story, but it felt a little tired and repetitive after a while. I would have preferred less of the "here are the 6 temples, go get the sages, etc." Also, character developent was ehh, but then again, this is a Zelda game. Still, you can't deny that this game is a classic.

Music: C+
I'm sorry, I just don't like Zelda music all that much. Reusing music and all is good sometimes, but I think it really hurts this game. The themes themselves are memorable, but the orchestration is sometimes lacking, and the original music is not all that great. It fades into the background nicely, but it could do a lot better at providing atmosphere. Sometimes I notice that the music has seemingly dropped out, I guess there are just pauses in it sometimes.

Overall (not a sum): B+
While this is a good game, and a classic, I much prefer the less linear Majora's Mask and the highly stylized Wind Waker (which reminded me a lot of the older NES/GB/SNES Zeldas) to this game. I can't deny I spent a good portion of my childhood playing this, but it's really not that great of a game. Definitely overrated by a lot of people.

edit: forgot to say something about replayability
Replayability: B+
There are a decent number of extra things to do, none of them really huge sidequests (biggest two are probably the Mask and Trading games). There's enough to keep you occupied for a few runs through, but then it just becomes a tedious job trying to find every last Skultulla and heart piece. Again, Majora's Mask is superior in this respect; the game is LOADED with sidequests and little things to do that are irrelevant to the "main" storyline.

I just beat The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the second time. Replayability (collecting all the heart pieces, doing all the trading, finding all the treasure, getting a full map, beating all the baddies you can, and the Nintendo Gallery) on this is hampered by the fact that you're sailing on a boat on a huge tract of ocean, but the gameplay, story, controls, graphics, and music are all exemplary and remind me that this is the best series Nintendo has had to offer.

God of War.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Although I've only gotten one ending. I suppose it's enough to write a review on.

Graphics - 8/10 (I don't really like using the grading system <_<)
Your basic sprite graphics in a game. Detailed for the main characters in the game, but when it comes to the created characters, they just change up the color, but keep the design, which does get boring after a while. Still nice how they animate the characters during the dialouge scenes.

Controls - 7/10
Controls are pretty basic when it comes to tactic games. Moving people around the board according to squares... That kind of thing. If you wanna toss camera angle in here, it leaves something to be desired... Sometimes you'll catch a glimpse of an enemy and the best view you could probably get on it's head.

Story - 9/10
With multiple endings, you can't go wrong. Especially when the story is pretty good to begin with. Tosses in some Japanese humor that is actually quite funny at times. Kept me entertained.

Music - 8/10
It's something that you might not generally pay attention to, but it's quite good. Changes up depending on the stage you're in and fits the Netherworld quite well, if I do say so myself.

Gameplay - 9/10
Balance in this game is completely burned in hell in this game. For Disgaea, it's a good thing. You can basically have overleveled characters and it wouldn't seem wrong at any extent. Including the fact that these monsters can get incredibly cheap on you too. But the whole point of the game is defying the odds, so you have to find a way around it.

Replayability - 9/10
If you love collecting every single item in the game and you LOVE maxing out your characters, this is the game for you. With lots of items to master and your max level being 9999, you can't go wrong at all.

Value - 9/10
It really depends on your interests in Tactic style RPGs. If you didn't like Final Fantasy Tactics, i'd reccomend to stay away from this one, because this one might not be any different. If you do like them, then hell, when you have an opportunity, get this game. You will love it.

Overall (Average) - 8.4/10
This is probably one of my favorite tactics games. I wasn't particularly interested in playing Final Fantasy Tactics either, but this game got it sparked up again. It did cost a really pretty penny just to get this game also ($44.99 to be exact. >_<), but with it's humorous dialogue, compelling storyline, and balance completely thrown out the window, it will keep you busy for about 40+ hours.

I suppose I should throw my two cents out for Fable: The Lost Chapters on the PC.

Now, Fable was one of two Xbox-exclusive titles I wanted to play, the other being Jade Empire. So naturally I was pretty hyped that Fable was making the jump to PC with the original content that was left out from the first release.

Graphics: Even though the people aren't very....aesthically pleasing, the models are well done, as with all the armor pieces. I would've liked to see more creativity done for the NPCs though, since between Oakvale, Bowerstone, Knothole Glade, etc. the NPCs all kinda start to look the same. But that's not much of a detraction, considering how well they're designed.

The environments are nothing to scoff at either. I was really impressed with what I saw. The cities were very....I guess accurate would be an appropriate word. By that I mean, this game gives off a historical feel to it, and the cities feel like they were taken right from a history book. Everything else, from what lies behind the mysterious Demon Doors to the environments you traverse look well designed and accurate.

Music: To make a long story short, I was lost in the ambience of Fable's music, so I never quite heard it. I guess that's to say that while the music didn't impress me, it didn't distract me with annoying sounds either.

Voices: All done by British VAs and sounding very Old English, it fit the scenario really well. I was a bit taken aback when I first heard them speak and it took a bit of playtime to get used to it, but once I got used to hearing them speak it was easier to interpret their words.

Combat: Everything is done in Zelda-like real-time, with enemies waiting on the map for you come in range and fight them. You fight everything from humans and wasps to wolfman-like balverines and the undead. Your character has access to all three forms of combat -- melee (with a variety of weapons from swords to pickaxes), ranged using longbows and crossbows, and magic attacks. The magic can be used for ranged attacks, area attacks, and defensive spells as well.

The gameplay as a whole in Fable makes you take an hour or two to really get into it, but I'll be damned if it's not addicting once you're in. They play up the "good or bad" choices, but there aren't that many that really have an effect. There are certain parts during the game that really determine your character's alignment. The NPCs are great too -- people will literally drop what they're carrying to either praise you or run in fear of you. You can wait until the shops open in the morning, or pick the locks (or break the door down) and have at their merchandise.

The game lets you buy unowned property (for the good guys, it's one house per town) that you can renovate, sell back, or live in. Buying a house unlocks an interesting feature in the game -- the ability to marry. Flirt with that special lady enough times and well, she'll ask you for a particular placeholder on her finger. Give her a Wedding Ring (but not a fake one. They don't like that.) and she'll consider it. Come back after a few days and she'll have her answer. If she's good for it, you'll become man and wife!

Marriage has its benefits. You receive a dowry of gold upon marriage, your alignment increases, and occassionally she'll (or he'll, depending on the player) give you items. I usually got Plate armor from mine. You can also have more than one wife -- one in each city you own a house in.

There are downsides though. If you marry, you can't sell your house -- ever. It's important to keep your wife happy, so you'll want to be showering her with presents. If you get easily embarrassed, prepare to turn off the speakers when you decide to get freaky with the lady. Also, no matter how many times you get freaky, she's unable to bear children. Sorry, no free labor coming from her womb.

Even though you go nameless throughout the whole adventure (which is odd considering you DO have a father for the first bit of the game and a sister whose got a name), you can take up titles and have Rhobbin the Bard sing of your accomplishments.

One last thing. Everything you wear on your body changes your appearance. Even though there are about 26 full sets of clothing, there are some articles without a full set, such as the Platemail set. It lacks a helmet. It's not a big deal, but it would've been nice. And while I'm on the subject -- 26 is a deceptive number. Yes, there are 26 sets, but a few of them are triple sets, just recolored. However, it's a really nice feature to see your appearance change. All of the weapons are different as well.

Speaking of appearance, depending on what you eat, how much of it and how quickly, your physical appearance changes as well. You can get fatter (or portly as a particular Demon Door calls it) or slimmer. Either way, your wife still loves you. XDD The only thing that bothered me about physical appearance was the fact that you seemed to grow old and gray REALLY fast, and then just suddenly stop. It was kind of odd to go through that much of a change so quickly. Plus, learning magic gives you slightly visible white markings on your body, making you appear older than you are.

Overall, this game definitely gets an A. I enjoyed this game a whole lot going through as a good guy, and I plan to through it again as a bastard. It clocks in about 20 hours, which is decent considering how open it is. Lots of stuff to do, plenty of time to do it in.

By the way, if you need some cash, sell items back to the merchant you bought them from, and repeat the process. This works especially well with gifts from the vendor in Oakvale!

I most recently finished Darwinia for the PC. It was really cool! The graphics and sound have an amazing retro feel to them.

More importantly the gameplay was good. It started of pretty easy, but soon things picked up as more and more elements were introduced. This was definitely one of the more unique games that I have played!

The user interface reminded me a lot like Black and White, which was good and bad. It's nice because more of the screen can be devoted to scenery, but sometimes you just want some displays to help you out.

Anyway, you should try it out if you're looking for something new!

Recently finished Ys: The Oath in Felghana for the PC on both Normal and Hard mode, with Nightmare mode on the to-do list. Great action RPG game from the guys at Falcom.

For those not in the know, YsF is a total 'remake-over' of the third chapter 'Wanderers From Ys' (which was dubbed as inferior to the first two games) in the long running series. The story is a basic tried-and-true formula consisting of the hero, Adol and companion, Dogi (the wall-breaker) trying to stop the resurrection of an evil god of war, Galvaran while saving the token helpless female supporting character and basically, save the world. Nothing truly epic in the same vein of the Final Fantasy series, but eh, that's not important in a Ys game.

The gameplay is an A-RPG player's wet dream. Fusing a fast paced hack 'n slash mechanism with the an active magic system, fighting the hordes of enemy monsters and the gigantic bosses never seems daunting. The gameplay also emphasises on effectively evading enemy attacks instead of charging blindly at the monsters, bringing a sort of strategic element to the game and heightening the excitement and fun of the battles.

Graphically, it's on par with the previous Ys game, "The Ark of Napishtim" utilizing basically the same engine that consists of pre-rendered sprites and 3D polygonal backgrounds and looks great, though hardly pushing any boundaries at the same time.

Now, the music is where YsF truly shines. Tunes are basically from the original Ys III game, but composer Yukihiro Jindo has done away with (most) of the synthesised midi-ish music of yore and completely overhauled it with actual guitars, drums, piano and such, giving you a sonical feast of the ears. You WILL stick around the dungeons for a bit longer just to listen to the music (though you get the entire soundtrack in OGG format if you explore the game folder) - it's that good.

As previously stated, YsF is a great game, though being relatively unknown to any other country other than Japan, (Konami sort of helped changed that by licensing Ys VI - The Ark of Napishtim for the PS2/PSP for USA and Europe, while taking certain liberties in the port, with results being mixed at best) it's a crying shame that it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Ys fans will be pleased at this latest addition and new comers should find it equally enjoyable regardless of the thin plot, with the gameplay more than making up for it.

This week I finally beat F.E.A.R.
I'm actually impressed. In my opinion, FEAR showed me something amazing in game physics and graphics, it left me stunned. Everything from soldiers falling to the ground to bullets spraying everywhere is greatly performed along with great graphics.

The story is a little so-so, and I didn't get everything in the end. However, a big part of FEAR is the.. fear. Yes, I thought it was really scary sometimes, and it was just normal for me playing FEAR with a grumbling stomach and beating heart.

The game has you on the ropes all the time.

The game I most recently beat, not necessarily finished, is Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Mainly story, it's a wonderfully thought-out game. The controls are easy. The characters have their own personalities, even in battle. There's a complicated battle system, involving how different weapons affect each other in combat and how terrain affects a unit's speed or defense. The cut scenes are beautiful and smooth; I'm just sorry there were so few of them. Plus, the game has replay value by offering random, non-EXP granting practice maps and having three stages of difficulty (I need to try the harder two). Overall, I feel this is a wonderful game with superb ending sequence and highly recommend it to anyone.

I've recently beaten Indigo Prophecy a.k.a Fahrenheit and I'm quite pleased with the initial experience, even though the story goes down the shitter late into the game.

The beginning is perhaps the best part of the whole thing. The murder is one of the most well-directed scene I've ever seen grace a game. There was a real sense of urgency as you couldn't know when the cop would decide it was time to take a piss. Hurriedly hiding the victime's body,cleaning up after Lucas,leaving only to realise you forgot to pay the fine and that it's gonna be harder for yourself to evade the police was just perfect. Also, the music by Angelo Badalamenti( of Twin Peaks ) blended perfectly with the action.It's a shame that what you did in the diner didn't alternate the story in the long run, thus dubbing down that wonderful scene by a notch.

From there the ambiance remained tense and suspensful. The main caracthers were likeable, thanks to the great job done by the voice actors and the way you could get to know them by visiting their homes. I especially felt like helping Lucas out of the world of shit he was thrown in. Hell, even Tyler, the token "laid-back,cool black guy with a heart of gold" didn't seem so bad of a caracther. The game was the most interesting when it focused developping its cast.

Now, for the action sequences. The choregraphy was impressive, as was the motion capture. However, the simons QTE were extremly easy to master. This was made worse by the fact that they were overused without any reason:

"Aww,man! I need to think!"
...
...
...
GET READY!

Smashing directions corresponding to flashing lights quickly grew tiring and made dodging oncoming car in a matrix-inspired car chase a chore, if that's possible. The only other mini-game, in wich you had to alternate between two
buttons to help your caracther make a physical effort was even worst, with no variation at all except for a couple of brief scenes.

However, the barely present gameplay was supported by an intriguing plot, a well-paced one at that. Sadly, after the 85% mark, everything that was build upon in the story was dropped and forgotten in favor of a terrible mix of sci-fi
cliches. Horrible plot points were hurriedly introduced and never explained, and the secret behind the murder came off as a let-down because of an array of stupid plot-twists. To put it simply, the ending is insane, hilarious even.

Still, Indigo Prophecy did many things right before its descent into craziness and I liked the way it attempted to give the aventure genre a quick in the nuts, though it did miss its target. It's a fairly interesting game wich offers a great concept,albeit a misused one.

I completed Black, and not but a day after I bought it, and feel it worthy of review.

The premise isn't really any different from most other first person shooters since the guts of the game lay in killing endless numbers of soldiers with a plethora of weapons, so Black is far from revolutionizing the genre. The story isn't the game's strong point since it is told in snippets between each mission, performed with live actors with obviously subbed voices. Still, it is enough to leave you with a sense of purpose to continue the game to it's abrupt end. Sgt. Keller, one of an elite force "working" for the government, is given the job to hunt down a traitor who has been leading terrorist attacks across the globe.

Graphics - B+
Black makes a good first impression with having strong detail in your environments and the events occuring around you. Explosions, debris thrown up from gun battles, all look very nice. The weapons are exceptionally detailed, hence some people saying this game is like porn for gun enthusiests. However, the enemies and few allies you see aren't as detailed or unique, but are passabe since you don't ever need to focus on them unless you're aiming to kill.

Music - B-
Nothing stunning here. A good arrangement of brass and string instruments to lend a sense of urgency when needed and to enhance the mood when slaughtering the masses.

Story - C-
Since we're only given a bare bones plot to follow during the course of the game, it's easy to completely forget it between missions. Since the action is all in fighting, clearly it isn't meant to be our priority when getting this game.

Controls - A
The controls are very simple and easy to remember, never forcing you to hesitate longer than half a second to perform an action.

Replayability - D
Since the game offers no multiplayer feature and no online play, there is only the missions you completed to play again on different levels of difficulty. You can unlock silver versions of your guns for unlimited ammo, but that's hardly a reason to play through the game more than twice. Once the initial awe wears out, it's nothing special to play.

End Result - B
It is an above-par shooter and certainly isn't bogged down by any technical problems or details, yet it isn't quite worth the forty bucks it sells for. Either rent it if you want the experience, or wait until it goes classic and snatch it for twenty bucks, assuming it ever gets there.

I was recently digging through my friends Genesis games and came across a copy of Samurai Shodown. Both he and I then took turns completely dismantling the game.

Overall, I love the simplicity in control and the usage of special moves.

The music is good considering what era of gaming we're dealing with.

I enjoyed a lot of the vs. matches. I invited a few more of my friends over and had a tournament.

The one problem I had with this game was the AI in the story mode. Sometimes I felt like they were killing me in 3 or 4 hits, which was true in some cases. The final boss can kill you with two basic hits so it's definitely something to watch out for.

Still nothing like the old games

4/5

Me too!

Yeah, I'm kind of wondering what the hell hard mode consists of. Harder Heaven Smiles? The only overwhelming parts for me were running up to the generators, having to knock out five jewels, all while fighting off the eggs. And it wasn't even that overwhelming.

And the fact that

Oh, if you only knew. Killer8 mode probably has the usual stronger enemies and weaker Smiths, but the biggest problem is the way Heaven Smiles' weak points are no longer visible. So good luck with that :(

Red Faction

A good game even now, considering it came out pretty early in the PS2's lifespan.

Graphics
While the graphics are nothing to gush over, they still serve their purpose (shooting people and explosions). C+

Sound
I found the music to be pretty damn good, and it definitely does a good job of creating some of the game's atmosphere. The game also has very well done voice acting and sound effects as well. A-

Story
Storywise, the game has one, but it wasn't the most enthralling one I've ever experienced in an FPS. It's kinda cliche, and in some parts predictable, but it serves its purpose of not making the game some mindless shootfest. C

Gameplay
Gameplay is the game's strongest points, as this was easily one of the best console first person shooters I've ever played. And while the game has a pretty linear progession of difficulty (especially once the rail gun is introduced), you won't ever find yourself in too much trouble thanks to the save anywhere function. I didn't really play the game's multiplayer mode that much (due to lack of others to play it with, even though it only supports two people), but I would say it's about average. Different levels, bots, etc., the only thing it was missing was other modes, as only Deathmatch is offered. B+

Summary
Overall, if you can find it on the cheap (which shouldn't be hard), you should definitely pick it up. Even if you don't really like console first-person shooters, this one might change your mind about them. (Note: There is a PC version as well, but I haven't played, so I can't say whether or not it's as good as the console version.) I'd give it a B+ overall.

24 The Game for the PS2

overall it stayed true to the show, and the storyline was top notch. The sound was also on the mark. Voice acting was the best I have seen in any videogame, and all the real actors used their voices too. The gameplay and camera is where the game kind of goes downhill. The camera especially can be really frustrating a times. Gameplay takes a little getting use too, but I hated it at first, and eventually liked it. Bottom line if you are a 24 fan then this game is a no brainer, you HAVE TO BUY IT. If you aren't a 24 fan or just haven't watched the show, I suggest you start watching now. You will just end up buying this game once you are hooked on 24.

Here is my breakdown of the game (on a scale of 10)

Graphics - 9.0
-The characthers all look like their real life actors. The environment is also pretty nice for a PS2 game. They also did a great job with the CTU building.

Gameplay - 7.0
-Not the best gameplay, but not the worst. Could be heavily improved upon if a sequel is possible. At first you might hate the way the game plays, but after a few missions it will be a lot better. Camera also needs to be worked, because at times it just becomes ridiculous.

Sound - 10.0
-Sean Callery does a excellent job in bringing the 24 music to the game. Similar music you normally hear on the show. The voice acting is top-notch, and doesn't sound cheesy. The gunshots also sound cool (especially when you are Jack Bauer shotting off a silencer in your surround sound)

Controls - 7.0
-The aiming system makes the game real easy, but also helps. At time you have multiple enemies going at you, and the quick lock on switch aiming thing really helps you take down enemies. Otherwise the other buttons are just your basic action game buttons.

Story - 10.0
-It felt like another season of 24, plus it helps answer a lot of questions that were left unanswered. The ending however ............was very weak, but at least the other 23 hours and 58 mins of the 24 "time" was good.

Replay Value - 8.0
-No multiplayer, but their are a lot of bonuses to unlock such as concept arts, videos, and pictures. Plus after watching a episode of 24, you jsut can't help but want to play the game and pretend you are Jack.

OVERALL RATING (out of 10) - 8.0

mario kart ds
 

nobodies done this one so...mario kart ds... for the ds

this is the first mario kart i've played since the good old days of the snes.

for a game i hadn't played or wanted to play, i thought it was really good, i'm sure there are new tracks made for the ds and including most of the classic tracks was pure genius. it also included some tracks from the N64, gamecube, and the GBA which are all very good as well.

single player

the single player does get kinda boring and the missions that it gives you are kinda easy once you work them out. the only real problem i had was that it cheats when it gets to 150 cc especially on rainbow road.

multiplayer

the game is amazing on the wifi as well and depending upon how many stars you got in your missions and grand prix this will be shown above your head to show how good you are. you can also have wireless multiplayers which are better than the wifi in the sense that in wifi you can race against another 3 players max, which is kinda crap:annoyed: i think it's max 8 players but dont quote me on that (cos i dont really know)

in clonclusion:

playability B+

replayability A
(as long as you have wifi or alot of friends)

music B
(usual mario kart tunes)

Graphics A
(for a hand held the graphics are immense, waaay better than the N64)

OVERALL = B++

summary

the single player is good but it's really a multiplayer game. my only problem with it is the 150cc cheating which will do your head in :aargh: but for £100 with a ds(i'm sure it's cheaper in the us) it's not that bad a game.

Resident Evil 4

I'm really not a big fan of shooting games and I have never played a resident evil game before, but I started playing through this game one day just for the hell of it. I didn't think I'd be able to make it through very far since it looked like it was a difficult game when I saw my brother playing it a few times, but as soon as I got the hang of it I loved it.

the graphics were really well done. all of the characters were very realistic and believable, both in game and cut-scenes/cinematics. I played this one on the game cube, which I've heard is the best console for this game. the fog effects were done really well and contributed to the overall eery feel of the game, which was great.

controls were awesome. I was worried I might not be able to get used to it, as I tried Super Smash Bros on the game cube and just couldn't adjust to the controller from the original n64 version, but the controls in RE4 were really easy to get used to. the only thing I had to really watch was the fact that the analog stick was not inverted for the aiming. in most games when you press down, the gun would aim upwards, but it was the opposite in this one and just made a lot more sense in the end.

there's a great selection of weapons to use throughout the game. multiple types of handguns, magnums, shotguns, rifles, grenades, etc. you can upgrade them with money, and there are a few weapons you can unlock through sidequests or the missionary option that is separate from the game.

the music worked well with the action in the story. it was the type that got you on the edge of your seat and made being attacked by a mob even more intense. foleys in the game were well detailed. you could hear the footsteps of other people coming closer, birds in the distance, the sound of various objects being thrown at you, etc.

the plot was interesting. it was a little cheesy how you obtained most information though. as if any real enemy would leave detailed notes lying around for you to find and discover their plans with. I haven't played the other resident evil games though, so maybe I'm just missing out on some inside joke.

as far as characters went, I liked all of them. the character you have to protect is a pain in the ass most of the time just because she's an annoying little piss, but that's just a personal opinion. I'm not certain she's meant to be annoying, I just found her to be. the bad guys were entertaining, the good guys weren't too cheesy, and they all had their own way of working humour into the story so it wasn't all just drab solve-the-mystery-without-dying stuff.

game play had a lot of variety. it's not always shoot the bad guys. there's a lot of dodging worked into it, various things in your surroundings that you could use to pick off enemies [ie) explosive barrels, rocks from cliffs, knocking down ladders, etc], sorts of mazes and puzzles you need to solve to get to the next area, you have to protect yourself as well as another person from time to time etc etc etc.

it wasn't too linear either. I mean you were able to backtrack to certain areas, albeit being blocked off from ones the game doesn't want you in yet. for the most part it did want you focusing on the objective, but there is room to play around. there are sidequests in game to keep yourself occupied with as well.

this game is open for a lot of replay. once you complete the game you get to keep your inventory and money from the last game when you start a new one. this way you can save your money up for the special weapons that become available to you after you beat the game. the game has two modes to play in as well; normal is the default mode. it gets progressively harder, but if you make it through that there's also a professional mode. I haven't tried it yet, but apparently it's miles more difficult than normal. the enemies have more health, and things are much faster paced.

overall I think I'd give it a good 9.5/10. there was a lot of suspense, and the fact that it can actually get your heart racing during the more intense scenes and scare the hell out of you was a plus. some parts actually made me jump, which was pretty awesome.

so yah, GO PLAY IT.

WoW, you're quite the reviewer Ava... I'm not joking. Nicely interpreted ^^

As for me, I'm afraid that I'm saving my reviews for the site that my team and I are working on, but I can still tell you all what I've been up to.

Alright so these are games that I've beaten within the last two weeks.

BLACK
Resident Evil 4 (NGC)
Devil May Cry 3 (PS2)
Onimusha 3 (PS2)
Full Auto (360)
Fight Night Round 3 (360)

The one that I will talk about though is BLACK (PS2, X-box)

Graphics 9.5/10
Top notch for current gen. The game just has such an awe inspiring affect on you right from when you start the game through to the final explosion on the last level.

Sound 10/10
The gund and the explosions are the stars of the game. And without the sound to make the world you're fighting in seem believable, the game just wouldn't be as good. Every reviewer so far has said how good the audio in BLACK is, and I have to agree. By the way, the music in BLACK is AMAZING for the events that take place at the time of each track.

Gameplay 8/10
The basics of an FPS are all there, but with the original reload system and how 80% of the world is destructable, it has definatly set a new standard for FPS games to work towards.

Story 8/10
While simple, it still keeps you interested to the end, wanting to know what happens next. While some might not like the cliffhanger at the end of the game, at least we know that there's going to be at least two more games following this one.

Replay 8/10
You won't be going back to re-hear the story as much as you will just to relive thoes intense gunfights again. And while the game is shory, one can still come out wanting more.

Overall 8.7/10
Like I said, BLACK doesn't stray too far from your average FPS too much, but the standard for,ila is applied well and Criterion's tweaks to the genre make the experiance a breath of fresh air. While some might say that the game is too short, I don't think that too many people who actually play and beat the game will come away feeling as though it wasn't worth their time. And personally, I'll take BLACK over Halo 1 or 2 any day. But that's just my oinion.

Thankfully this week won't be as busy with only Burnout 4 (360), Onimusha 4 (PS2), and Ghost Recon 3 (360)

The last game I beat (For the first time... I did beat MGS2 again) was Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.

I've been an avid Castlevania fan since Symphony of the Night. I was really expecting Dawn of Sorrow to be just as great as Aria of Sorrow (which had a great storyline for once). The story was kind of cliche... and as always there was the optional boss and optional items which was needed to get the good ending... which wasn't that great. The gameplay was really wonderful... though it was annoying trying to get multiple souls of some enemies *cough final guards and iron golems* so that I could upgrade my weapons and make some of my abilites better. I thought that it was great that there were so many familiar souls... but they were all useless when it came to having to use MP to use them... especially when there was so many projectile souls that overshined regular attacks (then again I stuck to my greatswords... which are kind of slow).

The DS gimmicks were alright... though I hated breaking ice with the stylus... the magic seals were a cool concept, but got annoying later in the game...

Then there was Julius mode, where you got to replay the game like Castlevania 3: with other characters interchangable. It was cool for a while... especially since there was some story... unlike playing through Symphony of the Night as Richter or Maria... I was really disappointed when I found Arikado and they just rehashed Alucard's Symphony of the Night sprite... I really wanted that business-man looking half vampire.

I'd give it a 7 or 8/10... I mean it was a very addicting game...

I finally finished Killzone, an FPS for ps2

-Graphics 8/10
Graphics were good, there was some detailed backrounds and few nice backround landscapes, but mostly the themed graphics really put you in an destructive-war atmosphere. My only complaint was that there were a few scattered dark blotches that made moving and seeing difficult. I know its not supposed to be thoroughly lighted to bring positivity, but there was just some areas that needed a few hints of light to make gameplay smoother

-Sound 6/10
Killzone had some pretty gritty war themes that added nicely to the game, the sound effects average, but what really dragged this sound score down was the awful voice loops. It seems out of the 4 characters, there were only 6 phrases they said. It was fucking annoying hearing the same one sentence strategy for every mission, the same provoked unwitty remarks in extremely different situations, and really, the voice acting was decent, but with time, hearing their voices will annoy you. Thoughly oddly, the enemies dialouge and voicing sounded alright, well, compared to the main characters, they were downright awesome

-Controls 8/10
Controls were very smooth FPS-wise, my only complaint is that youre slow, especially when trying to dodge grenade attacks.

-Story 6/10

I didnt really care about the plot, it was just a very primitive bad vs good scenario. Not to say it was horrible, cause it went good with the game, but what really gave bore me with story was the suggestive sexual remarks between the male and female characters. It was just unnecesarry.

-Replay value 8/10

The replay value itself is average, but what really makes it fun is playing deathmatch or co-op with friends. I wouldnt advise getting the game for that specific reason, but its a huge plus when you buy it for singleplayer gaming.

Overall

Killzone is a decent FPS, my complaints were common, so Im sure when pt 2 or 3 comes out, the criticisms should be fixed. I did find myself getting fustrated and I aburptly quit playing a few times, but I just kept drawing back
not because if I didnt I wouldnt anytime soon, but because it was actually fun if you overlook the negatives. Its a greatest hits game so its only 20 bucks, and allegedly this game was expected to take off like a fuckin rocket so a shitload of copies were made, but not that many were sold, thus the game lacks the "greatest hits logo", so any elite will be happy owning the orginal.

Final score 7/10

Though highly recommended if you enjoy FPS games

Recently I was in the mood for a hunting game, so I went out and rented Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2. Sadly to say it was not at all worth my buck.

I finished the game the same night I got it, taking approximately 4 hours to get all the way through the story mode, while also doing the side hunts that where optional. Another thing that really made me angry was that it wasn't really a hunting game. It was just a bad FPS game with animals instead of proper enemies. The only thing that entertained me for a while was trying to find these stumps throughout the different levels to unlock bonus levels and cheats.

Considering that the controls were a bit on the unresponsive side, and the graphics weren't the greatest, I would give this game a 3/10. And that might be a little generous.

Well the last game I completed was BLACK for the PS2. I'm not a huge FPS fan but given how BLACK was being touted has having "next gen" gameplay I had to give it a go.

Graphics/Presentation: 4/5
For a PS2 FPS the graphics are beautiful. From the environments to the weapons, explosions, firefights and those effects and lighting. The presentation is topnotch too from the looping title menu to the animation for the weapons and how they "feel". You know, the little details which is why I enjoyed Killzone. The levels are quite large too and there is no loading despite that.

The framerate is pretty consistent too and experienced little to no slowdown. I guess my only gripe for the visuals would be the lack of enemy variants as it's usually the same 2-3 soldiers.

Controls: 4/5
Responsive and a simple setup especially since I'm not used to FPS on the PS2. All the usuals for a FPS including Melee, Primary and Secondary Fire for R1 & R2, Square to swap weapons with those found on the map, X to Reload etc. I must admit though since I didn't bother to read the booklet I wasn't aware of the 3 different firing modes...:p

Story: 1/5
The story in BLACK is presented via live action cutscenes, that cannot be skipped, at the beginning of each mission. It's obvious that the actors in the movies are being dubbed over and really I didn't pay that much attention given how much the only 2 people you see rambled on nor really caring about a villain or main enemy that I never see.

Sound/Music: 5/5
Most of the score is going to the sound effects alone since they're so good. From the different sounds of each weapon firing to reloading, firefights with explosions going off and debris falling all around you and ricochets. Really good stuff.

There really isn't much music that I can recall aside from the title menu's music is just a simple beat. Most of the "music" is nothing but the sound of your weapon and enemies...whatever it be.

Replayability: 2/5
The problem with BLACK is that it's too straightforward and the fact that there are only 5-6 missions in total which each taking around 1 hour or less to finish. So that's pretty much 6 hours of gameplay and that's it. There are 4 difficulty modes to play through with the harder modes requiring you to find every objective on a level to complete it but that's about it. There is nothing more to the game as well as a lack of any multiplayer, which usually I wouldn't give a toss about but a 6 hour game with nothing to go back for could of benifitted from some kind of multiplayer.

Overall: 3/5
BLACK is fun in small doses because the game can get repetitive real quick and only provides around 6 hours of fun, other difficulty modes aside. Issues such as dumb A.I, enemies taking far too many bullets to kill than they should and the length know the score down a great deal. With the outstanding presentation and sound design along with the simple gameplay of just "blowing shit up" BLACK makes a great rental but I wouldn't recommend anyone dropping $40-50 for the game.

I finally finished Castlevania Curse of Darkness in time for Onimusha 4. Here's my little review.

-Graphics 5/10
Well, they aren't the best I've seen. The level design are simple, there's not enough diversity in them. Each level is composed with rooms that look alike one after the other.

-Sound 10/10
Wow, the soundtrack is magnificent. The musics are one of the best. To be honest, the soundtrack really help you a lot when you are backtracking troughout the game. Since the levels look so much alike and are repetitive, only the soundtrack keep you in the mood to continue going fowards. Listening to it never gets old.

-Gameplay 8/10
Compared to other button mashing game, it's no God of War or Devil May Cry 3. You only have a limited sets of combos, starting with square and ending them with O. It can get a lot repetitive since you pretty much gonna do the same type of combos with almost every weapon you get. Now, the interesting feature in the game are the Innocent Devils. They are little creature with special skills, different type and different evolution path that help you killing stuff or exploring hidden passages.

-Controls 7/10
The controls are OK, although when Hector start is combos, there's no way to stop him. Also, you can choose to lock on your enemies, but it's advise not too because if so, your camera's gonna go bersek.

-Story 6/10
Well, typical Castlevania story. Hector, a devil forgemaster who served under Dracula, want revenge for the death of his wife who was killed by Isaac ,another forgemaster. Isaac who plan to revive Dracula once more and you know what's coming. There's not enough cut scenes and character interaction in the game to keep to story more interesting. Since the game follow the story of Castlevania III Dracula's Curse, Trevor Belmont is seen in the game, but not Alucard.

-Replay value 8/10
I'll admit, this game offer plenty of replay value. Tons of weapons and armor to be forge and a lot of unexplored area to find and optional boss. You can also level up your character as well as your I.D. When you beat the game, you can play as Trevor belmont. What I would've have wanted in this game is a new game + feature because I really would've like to keep all the Innocent Devil I upgraded and keep leveling them up further in a new game.

Overall
CoD is a good game. But, it's missing something really important, platforming. Because all the rooms look alike. All you do when you enter in one is fight, then leave, then enter another one then fight again, then leave and so on. Don't get me wrong, its fun, but it would've have been better solving some puzzles or to do some platforming just so the game offer something different once in a while.

Final score 7/10

Today I just beat Serious Sam II for PC on Normal difficulty. Even on Normal I found myself in very hard situations in that game. SS II was a very fun game, I never played the first ones so I wasn't used to the amazing ammount of enemies at one time. The game also had lots of funny parts (bosses r us :D ) The graphics looked pretty decent I would say. The most noticeable is probably the horizons and such.

The end boss gave me a huge fucking headache though. I must have died like 80 times and getting even more pissed as I kept dieing. The ending was...kind of dumb but funny at the same time.

The only bad thing I thought about the game was that at sometimes it got kind of repetitive. Though I guess thats what you get in an action game.

Overall I give it an 8/10.

I finished 'Aeon Flux' (XBOX) today. It turned out to be better than I thought it would be. It's one of the better movie based games. It's a fairly easy game, although the finale battle was pretty hard. The game controled well. The camera was a problem at times. There were a few bad angles that caused me not to be sure when to jump, where to jump, and how far to jump. But, they were few and far in between. Also, the camera was sometimes pulled too far away from the action. Charlize Theron lent her likeness and voice to the game for the main character. She did well enough with the acting, but it did seem like she was board a lot of the time.

xman25

Finally, Finally, Finally I finished MVP Baseball 2004 (XBOX). It took me almost two years to get through it. 162 games plus the playoffs. I won the World Series with the Astros. I beat the Red Sox. It's a really good game. Fun to play. Two annoying things: the songs that play between games and the repetitive commentary by the announcers.

xman25

Snowboard Kids (n64)

It's one of those multiplayer racing games with a snowboarding twist, which means a bunch of power-ups, and "x laps till finish" and the like. though being a snowboarding game, there is no "brake" function

Single Player- is pretty decent, they have a couple different modes to choose from:
Time attack- beat your best times
Speed attack- go through several courses while picking up all the fan (speed) power-ups you can do create a minimum lap time.
Trick attack- Go through the same course trying to get as many points as you can.
target attack? (i forgot the name of it)-go through a course shooting at the snowman as you reach the bottom.
Battle race- race against 3 computers to the finish (i would consider this the "main mode")

i thought the trick mode was the poorest of the modes, because there seemed to be a cap in performance, which hence truncates the "replayability" of the mode. the aim is to get the highest score within 3 minutes. tricks have values of 1, 15, 20, and 40. the course has a halfpipe in which you can stay until time is about to run out, a time at which you can shuffle down to the end of the course and get your G (gold i'm presuming). the only make-or-break part of this course is the rail at the end. if you ride onto the narrow rail (a bit more difficult than it should be) you get 2x the final point total. so, it's not as deep a mode as i'd liked it to have been.

you get G for finishing a track on any of the modes (except for time attack) which may be used at the shop for purchasing a board. there are a total of 9 boards that are sold at the shop (3 must be "unlocked") six of them are replicas of the basic "balance", "speed" (high speed rating, low trick and corner), and "trick" (low speed rating, high trick and corner). which means you can have different paint schemes (16 to choose from?) for each to add some spice to the selection. the 3 "unlockable" boards, however, have completely different stat distributions and are worth the money.

the "main gameplay" is as follows: the race starts, as you travel down the slope they have items to pick up, the "shops" as they're called are either blue or red, if you have 100G on you, you can run into them and recieve an item in return (you have one slot for each color, giving you the ability to hold a "red" and a "blue" item at the same time). the red ones give weapons and the blue ones give misc. objects. to get G, you can pick up coins on the slope or perform tricks off of jumps. using the items, you try to hold your lead, or wreak havoc on the CPU.
though once you get to the bottom of the course everyone must pile onto the ski-lift. the ski entrance admits one person at a time, and keeps the entering intervals to 5 seconds. the ski lift function can make or break the player's ranking on several accounts as follows:

-not being able to stop, 2 people could push their luck for getting in first and attempt entry simultaneously, which would result in one of them crashing into the wall, allowing the trailing CPU/Players to "cut" in line.
-placing a rock before the entrance may cause one of the CPU/Players to trip, pushing them further behind in the race

there are several other possibilities of changing order with this mechanism. after repeating the process a few more times, the race ends. if you come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. you get to take the G with you to use at the shop.

there are a total of 9 different racing courses along with that extra trick course each with their own theme.

there are 5 standard characters, each with different handling statistics

there is 1 unlockable character in the game who has respectable stats (he's statistically the best character in the game) that is limited to his own individual board set which is equivalent to the trick, balance, and speed boards (meaning, he can't use the special boards).

multiplayer is a frenzy, i also appreciate that the power-ups are well balanced. there are 5 attack power-ups:

Snowman-the only non-homing item, but bounces around until it makes contact with a player, turning them into a snowman that travels in a straight path until they run into something or a couple seconds pass.

Parachute-the player hit with this item gets plucked into the air and glides slowly down to the ground. the player travels the direction they were facing when they were hit.

Ice-freezes a player in place for a couple seconds creating an obstacle for anyone behind the frozen playercicle.

Bomb-explodes on contact (player/wall) with a mild radius, which means it's formidable when used against players that are riding alongside eachother or creating congestion at the ski-lift

Hand-slaps the player it makes contact with, sending them tumbling forward for a couple seconds. the player then pauses for a moment (having lost momentum) to stand back up.

the misc items (blue) are as follows:
Mouse- (low frequency)steals all G from every player and gives it to user.

Fan- propels the player for several seconds

Rock- small obstacle used to trip anyone that runs into it

Washpan- Hits opposing players, stopping them in their tracks for a few seconds.

Ghost- slows down the player in the lead for several seconds. if the leading player uses it the player closest to the leader gets slowed.

Invis- The invisible player is impervious to everything negative except for collisions, rocks, or ghosts. if the player collides/hits a rock, the effect neutralizes.

---------
gripes with the game==
i was surprised how challenging it became to face the CPU which had a condition that grew more and more apparent...
CPUAD-CPU Apathy Disorder.
in the last race of 9 laps, i found that as long as i was in 4th place, the computer didn't fight against itself to keep the 1st CPU from winning. this frustrated me because the CPU, when not threatened, is able to lap players. I've tried my hardest to lap the CPU, but have been unsuccessful in every attempt.sadly, CPUAD makes this a one-way relationship. also, the computer seemed to be able to get whatever item it liked (instead of it being random). i didn't mind this as much, because the computer would use the item when threatening conditions arose, though...not being close enough to them to hit them with anything, i was not able to drag them to my lap count. The CPU has flawless control of the character selected, though sometimes they conflict and certain characters can't possibly make a turn or two, but regain their standing shortly after. these add up to a pretty intense difficulty.
the only reason i managed to beat the CPU as quickly as i did was the result of coincidence. The CPU was gaining quickly as i was nearing the finish line and hit me with a parachute, which would have been devastating except for one minor detail. the parachute doesn't shoot the player straight into the air, but rather propels them a moderate distance forward before gaining altitude. so it's more of a Scoop than a Pluck.

It was pretty challenging, i find it to be a better game to play with friends than to play by one's self. and a pretty good multiplayer game at that... speaking of... the only multiplayer function is a battle race, so it's good for a while at least..

a bit lengthy, but i hope it's worth something to someone (;^_^)

I finished The Legend of Dragoon (PSOne) a day or so ago. First i'd like to say wow. And then screw every nay sayer out there that claims that it is a bad/baby rpg.

While the game was straight to the point in design as well as story, I will never consider it a dumbed down rpg. I enjoyed all the playable characters, though I do wish they were more fleshed out. The plot itself started out simple, but it had plenty of twists and turns, as well as emotionally painful/joyful moments.

The music was memorable, as well as enjoyable. The one lyrical piece that plays at the beginning/credits is quickly turning into one of my favorite game songs.

The gameplay is the biggest point on how this game isn't just for beginners. The combat system is more complicated then pressing attack over and over again. Each character has additions that require timed button presses for their attacks to be sucessful. Not only do they look more interesting than most newer games, but it's a good attempt at making the player work during the battles. The characters also have a special magic form - Dragoon. They are more useful early on in the game, though there are plenty of boss battles that became much easier when transforming into each character's elemental dragoon form.

The graphics are quite nice for the PSOne era, with the cinemas standing out beautifully. With voice acting no less! I wish more companies had tried that on the PSOne...we didn't have to wait for the next generation of consoles to hear a character's voice.

I think that is all I have to say about the game. Well, other than now I miss it terribly, and am like plenty of other fans wishing for a sequel. I suggest anyone with an open mind that enjoys rpgs/a good story to try it. You may like it as much as I did.

Tonight I finished Call of Cthulhu for xbox. Pretty decent game I must say. They give you a rating when you beat it based on how many times you saved, how much evidence you collected, how many acurate shots you had, ect. Well I didn't do so hot with that I got a D rating. Oh well I still enjoyed the story. I haven't ever read any H.P. Lovecraft or played the role playing game of Call of Cthulhu but I still enjoyed the story. Though I must be honest I liked the first half "detective" type scenario better than the guns blazing killing everything in sight second half of the game. The sanity effects kind of got to me after awhile. I know its supposed to be a realistic type thing but man at some important part like when I was shooting people it would piss me off to no end. Other than that nothing else was that bad. A few minor glitches at the end of the game and the FPS kind of went down. However that could be due to the piece of shit Thompson drive that is in my xbox.

Overall I give it an 8/10. It is a little bit on the short side but it was defenitly an enjoyable experience regardless.

I just finished F.E.A.R. for PC. The game play was tremendous. I loved the slow down and pretty much the whole physics engine. I was amazed at how good the A.I. is in that game very impressive.

The story is alright. A little hard to follow but I think I got the just of it at the end. A pretty dumb ending though I must say.

Overall a good game. I pretty much give it an 8/10.

Grandia III - 56 hours, Yuki 73, Alfina 65, Ulf 75, Dahna 74. Fascinating ending, I truely did not waste my time with this game like I thought I did.

Oh a review eh? I have to edit this then.

A shortened version as I'm out of time for today, I'll start with the music.

The music in Grandia III is inferior to what is played in Grandia II and the end boss theme is so lame that I didn;t enjoy the final battle at all. The regular battle music was spectacular - sporting a mixture of pop/rock and alittle bit of techno =p, it wasn't all weird and goofy like in say..FFX-2 >_>. The boss battle themes were actually remixs of the regular battle themes, but it sounded awesome none the less. I feel though that the OST is not worth buying as there is only 3-4 tracks that are worth listening to.

Sound - 6/10

In battle the controls were the traditional Grandia system, however outside of battle you are at the mercy of a really crappy camera. In some dungeons you can't turn the camera all the way and there will be instances where the camera could cause you to get into an unwanted fight, like in Melc Ruins when the walls COVER YOUR WHOLE SCREEN and you end up getting into a pre-emptive fight with a Red Beast.


Controls - 7/10 + 1 cause of the old school battle system.