Berkut666's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Berkut666's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Berkut666's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Sat, 25 May 2013 15:30:09 -0700 GameSpot Berkut666's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 12:15:52 -0800 gunslinger024 reviewed Dark Souls for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/dark-souls/user-reviews/808577/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Dark Souls will consume you to the point that you might feel the game could be real. It defines what an RPG should be like and is the very reason why I play them. The world itself is what I imagine any RPG should have: a diverse environment and atmosphere, lots of items and treasures to collect, places to visit or discover and foul beasts to slay. Although not all is good about this game. Frequently you might find yourself stuck when enemies around you seem superior to you or you might get lost and have no idea where to go and what to do. But these are obstacles that make this game unique and keep you coming for more. They are what makes this game challenging and at the same time not a breeze to beat. It forces you to explore the world around you and to survive the nightmarish beasts that lay in your wait. After beating the game you get a great sense of accomplishment making Dark Souls an adventure worth taking.

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"gunslinger024 reviewed Dark Souls for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by gunslinger024 on Sat, 09 Mar 2013 12:15:52 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dark-souls/user-reviews/808577/platform/ps3/ Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:11:40 -0700 gunslinger024 reviewed Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-game-of-the-year-edition/user-reviews/799268/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Fallout 3 has a great story, with a memorable ending, and to date is one of my most favorite games ever. Lots of memorable characters, quests, items, and one of the things I like most about this game is that you have the freedom of choice, for example you could talk out your problems or just kill everyone in your way. The downfall of this game is the amount of times it freezes and the amount of bugs there are. And on top of the main storyline, the Game Of The Year edition adds all five add-ons for even more quests, items and places to discover. having no option to play multiplayer was the right idea because this game is satisfying enough with just singleplayer. Another great feature is karma,where people will act differently around you every time you do something good or bad. Also the wide variety of weapons and clothing leads to endless character customization. I can almost guarantee anybody who plays this will like it.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-game-of-the-year-edition/user-reviews/799268/platform/ps3/ Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:18:38 -0700 gunslinger024 reviewed Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/borderlands-game-of-the-year-edition/user-reviews/799265/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

After beating this game twice I still cant put the controller down, because every time I play I find something new. Literally millions of guns to choose from thanks to a random gun generating feature in the game. Other than just guns there is also shields and class mods which I thought there could be more. Multiplayer is very fun with the option of playing co-op campaign and dueling with another player. There is the occasional bug, for example on the last level if you save right before the boss fight then load that save you will not be able to continue the game. The story in my opinion could have been better because its hard to like the characters since they never have importance in the story. In the end, this is a great game for the role playing games/multiplayer gaming fans and has entertained me to date always finding more and more guns.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/borderlands-game-of-the-year-edition/user-reviews/799265/platform/ps3/ Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:15:26 -0700 gunslinger024 reviewed Army of Two for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/army-of-two/user-reviews/799262/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

The story was okay, the characters were also okay but the best part of the game was definitely the gun customization, every gun had its unique parts and upgrades. The aggro effect i found should not have been put in the game because one player can create aggro while the other just kills all the enemies that are attacking the first player, giving it an easy way to beat the game. The missions were very repetitive for example the one last level, you were tasked to get to the top of the building to kill the boss. In order to do this you had to go from floor to floor to get there and on almost every floor were the same enemies the whole way up. Also the use of vehicles were fun but could have been used more often, for example the hang gliders, one player had to steer the hang glider while the other kills enemies in the area. All in all I would recommend renting it first

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"gunslinger024 reviewed Army of Two for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by gunslinger024 on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:15:26 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/army-of-two/user-reviews/799262/platform/ps3/ Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:56:55 -0700 gunslinger024 reviewed Red Dead Redemption for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/red-dead-redemption/user-reviews/799257/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Red Dead Redemption takes place in the early 1900's in the American West where John Marston a former outlaw and gang member, his family now has been taken captive by Edgar Ross. John is forced to kill his fellow gang members in order to restore peace and to get his wife and son back. Rockstar does not disappoint in this western Grand Theft Auto like game. Lots of different and exciting missions taking place in both the United States and Mexico. Free Roam means an open world map where you have the choice of endless activities, everything from playing poker, hunting or even robbing a bank. Multiplayer being very fun with tons of different game modes and addicting leveling system. Red Dead Redemption having a great story, being very addictive and endless fun, I can easily say this is one of the greatest games I have ever played.

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"gunslinger024 reviewed Red Dead Redemption for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by gunslinger024 on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:56:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/red-dead-redemption/user-reviews/799257/platform/ps3/ Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:26:58 -0700 gunslinger024 reviewed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-brotherhood/user-reviews/799252/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood takes place in Rome where Ezio new mission is to assassinate the Borgia leader and to end the Templar threat in Rome. Although not advancing the story much further, Ubisoft still delivers another great game in the Assassin's Creed series. Lots of different and exciting missions that can be replayed whenever you like. Free Roam means an open world map where you can discover new Treasures or fight Borgia guards. The new Assassin recruit feature lets you fight side by side with your fellow assassins, meaning you will never have to fight alone. After beating the game 100% I have yet to get bored of Singleplayer let alone Multiplayer which is very fun, trust me pouncing on your best friend from the top of a building using all sorts of different weapons or gadgets is enough to keep you entertained until the next Assassin's Creed game comes out.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-brotherhood/user-reviews/799252/platform/ps3/ Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:42:28 -0800 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed The Rapid Angel for the PlayStation... http://www.gamespot.com/the-rapid-angel/user-reviews/789462/platform/ps/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Of all the years I spent gaming, there have been many firsts: playing an action game for the first time, playing a platformer for the first time, chasing a floating ghost in bondage gear down the basement of a mobile home for the first time but, after all this time of being a gamer, I have never got around to playing an import from Japan. With a small ounce of regret, I have played my first Japanese import game with The Rapid Angels.

The story of Rapid Angels is...uhm...uh...er...I have no idea, the whole thing is in Japanese - both in voiceovers and text, which is a shame considering the amount of time devoted to dialogue is considerate, whether through cutscenes or in-game dialogue choices that are, once more, in Japanese. So really, the story has to be tossed aside due to translation issues (meaning absolutely zero translation). Regardless of story, Rapid Angels manages to be a halfway-decent arcadey platformer for various reasons.

First and foremost, there are three characters to choose from, all able to move quickly through the levels by dashing and attacking through enemies, which is clearly the main focus since trying to stop and strike enemies becomes cumbersome and will more than likely result in you getting hit once or twice before being able to land a single hit yourself, making the entire experience more like a hopscotch-over-the-enemies game than a platformer with actual combat in it, bosses aside. In fact, one could say that Rapid Angels is just a bunch of running leading to the next boss battle, all of which are fairly easy to beat at worst, making the entire thing a cakewalk. Sure, the player only gets one life before a game over, but a game over in Rapid Angels merely means that you respawn where you died and your score counter gets reset to 0, meaning that, if you are not concerned at all with how you would score, the game is probably the easiest thing since Lego Star Wars.

Really, there isn't much to say about Rapid Angels, it's just a platformer. Really, nothing interesting at all. In fact, this game would have been so much better if I actually understood the story instead of mashing on circle to blast through dialogue.

Overall, given that this game really is as generic as it could get, it's not really worth the purchase. Just go play Mario or something, I don't know.

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"THE_DRUGGIE reviewed The Rapid Angel for the PlayStation..." was posted by THE_DRUGGIE on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:42:28 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-rapid-angel/user-reviews/789462/platform/ps/ Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:37:23 -0700 Megadrivemike reviewed Rage for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/rage-2011/user-reviews/776761/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Ok so i'm a few hours into rage now and i'm starting to get the whole feel of it, I've got to say that I am experiencing a completely different type of game to what I have read in all the reviews.
It feels to me like a modern version of DOOM but with some motorstorm and missions thrown in, the missions are very short and are done in a tony hawks underground style (which I love by the way) eg: the story a character is telling which will guide you into the mission they are about to give you wont make complete sense but they never take long getting to the punch line so you can be on your way.
The motorstorm type mechanics of the racing are actually far superior than motorstorm itself and the weapon mods for your vehicle can be alot of fun.

The graphics are very hit or miss with outstanding visuals and some obvious lazy detailing on unusable items lying around.
This ruins a games looks in my opinion as I would rather see a couple of smooth, well detailed items than 10 items that appear to have been rushed.

The games engine which introduces a new way of how textures are loaded has a bit of lag loading the textures during some fast scenes, this will really annoy some perfectionists but it didnt seem to bother me. As the game fails to impress with overall graphics I would have liked id to opt for a normal type of engine which would cut out the lag issues.

Even though RAGE does not stand out in any area there is still something very addictive about it and i'm sure I wont be playing another game until this one is finished, so overall if you have been a fan of id's shooters in the past, or if you are the impatient type that like's to get straight into the action RAGE is a worthy buy and will keep you enteratained for the duration of the game.

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"Megadrivemike reviewed Rage for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Megadrivemike on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:37:23 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/rage-2011/user-reviews/776761/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:09:50 -0700 Falcon084 reviewed Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/deus-ex-human-revolution/user-reviews/773382/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Deus Ex Apparatus (God out of Machine)

Wow where do I begin with this amazing title. First let me say this is my favourite game this gen. Eidos Montreal gathered the finest writers (Mary DeMarle, and James Swallow) their side of the equator to bring us a story rich in conspiracy, and true to the Deus Ex franchise.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has many influences; Cyberpunk from Blade Runner, intellectual concepts from philosopher Michel Foucault, and conspiracy theories ranging from The Illuminati, Area 51 and the Knights of Templar.

The Illuminati a word meaning enlightened are actually supposed to be an ancient group of satanists. Most people think of the Bavarian Illuminati a group formed in May 1, 1776 as a secret society that controlled the Bavarian government from behind the throne.

Area 51 is a test sight for experimental air craft. There is how ever a lot of people who believe that it is where USA testing on Aliens from Roswell go on.

Knights of Templar a short name for the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon were supposed to be a sacred order of Christians during the Crusades official sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. How ever they went rogue against the crown and began committing what we would call war crimes. No one knows what happened to them though there are a lot of theories.

Michel Foucault was a French Philosopher who lived 1926 to 1984.

Foucault used the term apparatus (Deus Ex Apparatus is where the games name comes from) for the various institutional, physical and administrative mechanisms and knowledge structures, which enhance and maintain the exercise of power within the social body.

In Deus Ex series as in most Cyberpunk stories, the storyline reflects the real-world troubles such as politics, nature, the mindset about ones self, and the future of the human race. For an example UNATCO is reminiscent of the Patriot Act taking away your rights, to protect them."Nihil aliud scit necessitas quam vincere","Necessity knows nothing else but victory", UNATCO Motto. Deus Ex Human Revolution is a prequel to the hit game and shows us what happened in the events leading up to UNATCO's founding.

In the game you have been Augmented something that many people are against due to moral or religious reasons. The company you work for is attacked under mysterious circumstances and your job is to find out who is responsible. I like to write spoiler free reviews so I will leave the story there.



Graphics, Immersion,& Sound

Graphically this game is superb, bringing us environments that look like they are believe able cyberpunk cities to be. Each city hub contains its ownarcitectual designin full openworld glory.Its sandbox dynamic goes far beyond anything GTA has achieved in the same genre.

They did an amazing job at giving you immersion into the world, you can read newspapers, watch the news, read ebooks, read PC's, listen in on peopleenemies conversations, and more.

The cast of voices is made up from a wide variety of people so every person in the game is unique. The music is electronic for the most part to set the mood for the cyber scene and fits in with the ambient noises that change each time you pass through an area.



An amazing feature I have never heard about before is the special NPC conversations that are different each time you play the game. It doesn't matter if you chose the same options in your next play-through, the dialogue will be different based on a random mindset for the character you are talking to.

AI & Gameplay

The AI on easy is pretty dumbed down but on Hard the enemy will outflank you and bring you down with one or two shots! To beat them you have customisable guns, and Augs. Augs are upgrades for your body, faster reflexes, see through walls, and others that you can mix up to make your own character.

You can play the game guns blazing (90% of the characters are kill-able) though I'd suggest you try on easy. You could try talking your way around a situation, stealth, or even hack a PC and turn the enemies robots (think of the bots at the end of Terminator 3) and turrets against them!

To Sum Up

I highly recommend this game 10/10.

The good: Everything above, and loading times have been fixed with a patch.

The Bad: Waiting for the next one.

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"Falcon084 reviewed Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by Falcon084 on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:09:50 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/deus-ex-human-revolution/user-reviews/773382/platform/ps3/ Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:44:19 -0700 protaganist20 reviewed Duke Nukem Forever for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/duke-nukem-forever/user-reviews/767338/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 5.5.

Duke Nukem 3D was one of the first adult games I ever played. I felt so naughty playing it and keeping it a secret from my parents who most likely wouldn't have approved of Duke. Which was half of what made it fun for me, the other half was of course the classic game itself and it's hero who was a gaming legend at the time.

So fourteen years later after a seemingly endless time spent in the deepest pit of development hell the king is back! The game begins with a remake of the final boss battle from 3D and then moves to Duke enjoying some R&R with two blonde twins in his penthouse, So far so good. His sense of humors intact, OTTness you bet, Sexual Innuendos? Oh yeah! There are some really hilarious one liners and segments at the beginning, happening across a Christian Bale style rant backstage a talk show is one of many. When the alien Bastards turn up things really start to heat up but unfortunately from there things only reach mild temperatures.

The first major let down for me was stepping out onto the strip for some outdoors action. It's here where I really started to notice how dated the game was compared to its modern day counterparts. It's just so poorly detailed and the vehicles look like something you'd find in the original soldier of fortune. Visually this game probably would've been pretty good five or so years ago but it just doesn't hold up. The humans and NPC's aren't as detailed as we've come to expect either but there not difficult to look at.

The shoot-outs can be quite fun, I really liked the shotgun it felt like it had some real oomph behind it. But many of the other weapons are a little underwhelming compared to it. The quieter moments in the game are fairly dull but there's some fun to be had hanging out in a strip club and playing some fairly decent mini games and watching a porno that has a disc read error at a really inconvenient moment.

The bosses look pretty cool but I don't imagine many will have trouble defeating them and there are only a few tricky moments in the game. But these moments are made much worse by the load time, quite possibly the worst I've seen this gen. One thing I really didn't like was the under water level, you don't see many of these anymore. Hell Bioshock a game which was set under the sea had less underwater moments than this. I think their something best left forgotten as far as FPS's are concerned.

The CoD generation might not get what all the fuss is about. I'm sure they'll be entertained by the potty humor but I imagine it won't be long before there back to newer games.
All in all despite its faults it's good to have Duke back, he's still a highly entertaining tongue in cheek character but I've gotta admit I might be being a little genorous giving it a 7. Much like another famous monarch there's some stutters here and there but not in the speech but the gameplay. But if you enjoyed Duke back in the day I'm sure you'll find something to like about this game.

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"protaganist20 reviewed Duke Nukem Forever for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by protaganist20 on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:44:19 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/duke-nukem-forever/user-reviews/767338/platform/ps3/ Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:24:10 -0700 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/castlevania-lords-of-shadow/user-reviews/761778/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 5.5.

Castlevania is a series that has gone through very little changes over its lengthy history. Up until now, the memorable brunt of the series pitted players against cIassic horror icons (most notably Dracula) in a challenging mix of platforming and combat. Lords of Shadow, however, sought to break this mold by creating a 3-D brawler and, in the process, created a highly derivative, forgettable entry.

Despite the negatives that will be covered following this statement, Lords of Shadow has one major thing going for it: production values. The environments are stunning in both architecture and variance, providing the highlights of the game. Castles, forests, bogs, caves, wastelands, and more all come together to make Lords of Shadow one of the most impressive-looking games I've ever seen. In addition, the soundtrack is equally as grand, utilizing a full orchestra to punctuate the key moments in story and gameplay and enhancing the overall experience. Thirdly, the voice acting is fantastic, seldom delivering a flat or awkward line, which also attributes to the stellar writing of this lengthy adventure.

Lords of Shadow centers around Gabriel Belmont, a knight of a holy order in the 11th century who is tasked with connecting humanity to the heavens once more after an event caused humanity to lose contact with the divine. The manner in which Gabriel's quest unfolds is through various wonderfully-directed cutscenes that deliver key plot points. However, due to the story's long length, there is a bit of tapering off here and there that causes certain characters to leave almost as suddenly as they are introduced, only to appear much later in the narrative.

Now, with that, there is a laundry list of components wrong with this game.

First, and most apparent, of the issues is the derivative nature of the gameplay. I would go into a lengthy explanation of which aspects are taken from which game, but the short (and painfully true) answer is: this is God of War. No really, it is.

Very, very little of Lords of Shadow refrains from taking ideas from God of War in the gameplay department. Combat controls, ledge-based platforming, quick-time events (though in this the player is allowed to press any button as long as the timing is right), and overall structure of gameplay is carbon-copied from God of War without shame. However, though it is a small part of the game, there are sections in which Gabriel has to scale giant monsters in order to take out certain points on their bodie...oh wait, I forgot to mention it also rips off Shadow of the Colossus from time to time. Compounding the issue of derivative gameplay comes the odd manner in which tutorials are presented.

Tutorials are essential for allowing the player to understand the ins and outs of gameplay as to prevent diving head-first into the fray with no idea what to do. While this is a positive for any game, Lords of Shadow twists it into a negative by not being able to decide if the player is an average human being or a lobotomized chimpanzee.

In the beginning, the game allows for the player to learn the basics of combat, which pans out quite well given the easy nature of the first level. Tutorials are also used when an ability is being utilized for the first time, which is also a positive. Learning to find new paths, scale walls, hit enemies, ride animals, and use special set pieces are all covered quite well in the first chapter...but then the game likes to repeat those tutorials. For example, an action that allows the player to maintain their grip on a ledge when it shakes is explained by the game in a picture of the R2 button and telling the player to hold it. Fine. However, this tutorial shows up EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. THIS. ACTION. IS. REQUIRED. In the end, it becomes a severe annoyance.

On the other side of the coin, sometimes too little is told, particularly with the agonizingly frustrating puzzles. In fact, very little is said at all beyond incredibly vague implication of "turn this thing this way and turn those things that way." As a matter of fact, there are times when the game outright lies to the player about a puzzle. For example, there was a puzzle in which the player had to punch a button to get a gate open. However, whenever I came up to the gate, it closed in my face. Repeat this process ad nauseam until I look at a walkthrough and it appears that I had to combine a type of magic with a throwing dagger to press the button from a distance so I could be close to the door when it opens. Although I fault myself for not thinking of using a throwing dagger, how would I be able to find out about combining it with magic on my own when something like that was never explained to me? This, compounded by far too many similar incidents, had me looking at video walkthroughs far too often.

Speaking of confusion and frustration, the environments tend to draw some less-than-fun moments by looking too complex while requiring a simple path, which can also be attributed to the fixed camera. There are times in which the camera will suddenly shift in the middle of platforming to an angle that barely shows where Gabriel is, forcing me to look sharply at the screen like I'm playing Where's Waldo until I finally spot him in a corner, zoomed off near oblivion. Also, the jagged texture of most surfaces would suggest plenty of ledges to grab on to, but only have a set path of them that can actually be used. The aforementioned problems contributed to countless pitfalls and the only positive about this is that Gabriel only loses a minute amount of health instead of full-on dying.

However, despite all these issues, the one thing that serves to ease the frustration is the frequent save points, sometimes happening during the lengthy boss battles so the same cutscene doesn't have to be seen over and over. However, this small perk does little to detract from the fact that gameplay took a severe blow in favor of everything else.

In the end, Lords of Shadow would be better suited as a movie. The excellent story, voice acting, and variance are astounding to say the least. However, very little attention was paid to the gameplay, making its worthiness as a purchase debatable at best. If you're a die-hard Castlevania fan, go ahead and rent it. For everyone else: play God of War.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/castlevania-lords-of-shadow/user-reviews/761778/platform/ps3/ Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:57:50 -0700 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Resonance of Fate for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/resonance-of-fate/user-reviews/758721/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

When the term "RPG" is thought of, gamers will usually associate it with big names like Final Fantasy, usually also associating the turn-based system it utilizes in most of its titles as well. However, there are entries in the genre that get overlooked by bigger names, and Resonance of Fate is a classic case of this. Coinciding within mere days of the release of Final Fantasy XIII (as well as God of War III), Tri-Ace's Resonance of Fate fell to the wayside. It's a shame this happened, because this game is honestly one of the most unique and refreshing experiences I've had with the genre.

But what makes Resonance of Fate so special? Well, the story is a fantastic place to start. The story of Resonance of Fate takes place in the gargantuan tower called Basel in which humanity is forced to live in after an unnamed cataclysm. Zephyr, Vashyron, and Leanne are three hunters, or guns for hire, who take contracts from the tower's leaders as well as the occasional odd job. The story moves along in an episodic manner, using chapters as a way to structure the story. In fact, the entire game felt like I was running through an interactive action series, which kept me more than interested on what was unfolding.

By far, the largest point in the story's favor is how the characters are written. Each main character displays a wide range of emotion, whether it be anger, sadness, silliness, or Dante-like cockiness. Each character has a past to be revealed and the twists are revealed in a thoughtful manner rather than just abruptly turning the narrative on its head, giving more meaning to what takes place and allows the player to be more attached to the characters. If there are two things I would be confident in saying about Resonance of Fate, it would be that the story and character development are top-notch. Combat, on the other hand, is a bit tricky.

The combat system in Resonance of Fate is a bit quirky, to say the least. In fact, its hard to fully describe in writing, but here is the combat in a nutshell:

Battles take place in a designated area via random encounters or in dungeons. Characters can be equipped with handguns (which damage the target directly), grenades (which do the same as handguns, but can also add status effects for certain types of), and machine guns (which lower the target's defenses so the other two types can deal more damage). Because of this, there's the strange fact that machine guns can't kill anyone. Still, because handguns do so little damage on their own, having someone with a machine gun is essential to pull of a quick one-two combo. Grenades fare a bit better on their own, but still run into the problem of not being able to do that well without having some assistance from a machine gun.

Honestly, trying to explain the details of the combat system in relation to weapon types beyond that would be too convoluted to properly convey in a review without droning on. This leads into the only serious issue I could find with Resonance of Fate: the tutorials. Every tutorial is done through text and, since the game isn't SDTV-friendly, the text is irritatingly small. Because of this, I was forced to figure things out on my own and, after about three hours or so of trying to grasp the combat system, I was left seriously annoyed for a small while.

Instead, a feature of combat that is easy to describe would be hero movement.

Hero movement is by far the most unique aspect of Resonance of Fate. This type of movement is activated by pressing square and choosing a set path to run in. Once all that's settled, the player is treated to some Devil May Cry-styIe gunplay, complete with midair flips, firing over the shoulder, and tossing guns up in the air, catching them, and firing away. The amount of animations for this feature are decently varied and, quite honestly, they never get old. Seriously, this aspect is endlessly amusing.

A slight downside to everything that's offered in the game play department is the overall difficulty. Without warning, the player might be unable to use all three characters and the curve of how monsters strengthen is erratic. At times, there are instances in which the level of the monsters will be double that of the characters, but at other times the monsters will be laughably easy. The progression certainly has its fair share of brick walls, but it turned out to be nothing a little grinding and planning couldn't fix. Still, the difficulty is one of the largest issues that anyone will have when playing this game. However, it's not horrible enough to be a deal breaker.

On the other hand, another point in Resonance of Fate's favor is the soundtrack. The music, in all regards, is amazing. The orchestral score is highly varied, switching between songs for both day and night. Combat music is even better, mainly due to the fact that it will suddenly ramp up when hero movement is activated. I wouldn't be opposed to buying the soundtrack if it weren't about six discs long, but regardless; Resonance of Fate has one of the best soundtracks in gaming to date.

Overall, Resonance of Fate is a RPG gem that is more than worth picking up. However, finding it in stores seems to be a near-impossibility so buying online would be the best course of action. If you enjoy the RPG genre and crave for something different, or at least something good, Resonance of Fate is the right way to go. With enough patience, it's more than worthwhile.

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"THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Resonance of Fate for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by THE_DRUGGIE on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:57:50 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/resonance-of-fate/user-reviews/758721/platform/ps3/ Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:20:35 -0800 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Silent Hill: Origins for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill-origins/user-reviews/757977/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Silent Hill has been on a long and winding road for the past years. Whether it be going in the hands of developers or having major staff changes, the people behind the series has been shifting more and more over the past couple years. One example of this shift is Silent Hill: Origins, an installment in the psychological horror series that was handed over to American developer Climax and released it on the PS2 and PSP.

I played the console version first, and my opinion of it was not favorable to say the least. I utterly despised the whole thing, ragging on the level design, lack of constant psychological elements, and reliance on jump scares. Sadly, this is still apparent in the portable release but, for some reason, is a more enjoyable experience when all is said and done. This might be due to the fact that Origins teeters on a strange line in which it comes off as far too short for a console title, but also a little bit lengthy for a portable one. Thus, the pacing is different due to the pick-up-and-play atmosphere that goes hand-in-hand with portable gaming. Differences between version aside, the story of Origins is not half bad (though low quality considering other games in the series).

Origins stars a lonely trucker named Travis who arrives on the outskirts of Silent Hill when he thinks he hit someone in the road. Upon going up the road to see what exactly is going on, he sees that a house is burning down with someone trapped inside. This leads to Travis's descent into the beginnings of the cursed town. As a whole, the story is paced much better in portable format and the various notes left around, a mainstay in the series, gives a good amount of backstory without being too taxing on the player. Although the entirety of the game ties into the rest of the canon fairly well, it does come off as incredibly straightforward in comparison to entries like the second one in which interpretation and suggestion was highly utilized. Still, the story is about at the same level of quality as the gameplay.

Playing Origins on a PSP feels more natural than on a console, perhaps because this was the intended system. The controls are mapped out in a way that takes little to no effort to get a hang of and there were rarely any instances in which I pressed the wrong button. Moving around was the only major flaw in the control scheme due to the consistently awkward camera angles that caused Travis to run in a circle before I found the correct orientation to make him go forward. In fact, this caused at least one death since an enemy was between angles and I couldn't find a way to target him without running in a circle and getting beaten to death. This has been a problem for me in previous games in this series, but since avoiding enemies altogether is the best course of action, it can be forgiven. On top of the usual features and issues one would expect in a Silent Hill game, Origins throws a couple major ones in the mix...with varied results.

One thing that's interesting about Origins is the breakable weapons system, a first (and only use so far) in the series. This pertains to melee weapons, so firearms retain their quality no matter how many uses they go through. Things like pieces of wood, pipes, hooks, wrenches, lamps, and even a toaster are available to either throw at or bludgeon foes to death with. While this adds a small bit of realism to the experience, that is quickly taken away by the fact that Travis is able to store an infinite amount of melee weapons on his person, which can get truly annoying when you have to go to the pause menu and spend at least a solid minute trying to dig out the right weapon. There is an option to simply use the D-pad to change weapons, but since it's done in real time you'll most likely get killed before you find the best weapon you can manage. Punching is another option, but Travis's hooks and jabs are fairly weak in comparison to the various melee items found throughout the town.

Another unique feature is the ability to go between worlds, which is a severe negative. Having control over when and where the worlds switch via mirrors takes the oppressive undertone that I so loved in the previous titles away. In the end, it becomes more of an annoying requirement and find an excuse to have the player backtrack the entire map with a different layout of which doors can and cannot be opened. Although this might have sounded like an interesting idea on paper, it takes away far too much from the experience to call itself psychological.

One large gripe I have with this game is it's reliance on jump scares. In previous Silent Hill titles, things would bang on walls, shuffle along, and make creaking noises. However, whatever made that noise would either be invisible or just out of sight. In Origins, the monsters come running at Travis like someone rang the damn dinner bell, taking all anticipation away from the formula. The worst part is that the monsters are incredibly predictable concerning when and where they'll pop up. I swear that every time you get an item for a puzzle, a monster is waiting just outside the room regardless if you killed everything along the way. It comes off as cheap and lame, to be honest.

Overall, while Origins does not succeed in creating an ideal psychological experience like its predecessors, the entirety of the experience is tolerable on a portable system. If you're a fan of horror games and have a PSP, picking this up at a used game store or wherever you can find it under $10 wouldn't hurt.

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"THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Silent Hill: Origins for the PSP..." was posted by THE_DRUGGIE on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:20:35 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill-origins/user-reviews/757977/platform/psp/ Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:43:15 -0800 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Superman for the Nintendo 64... http://www.gamespot.com/superman/user-reviews/753054/platform/n64/ ...and gave it a 1.0.

What can I honestly say about Superman for the Nintendo 64 (shorthanded as "Superman 64" for those lucky enough to not know the game well enough) that hasn't been said? Everything from the controls to the horrible graphics and everything in the middle of this turd sandwich has been picked apart, (justifiably) insulted, and singled out. In fact, who in their right mind would even consider buying a game this notorious beyond the reason to torture themselves and/or "friends"? You know what, the hell with it; here's what I have to say about the blight upon electronic entertainment that is Superman 64.

The story (in the loosest sense of the term) consists of Superman trying to save his friends from the clutches of Lex Luthor, who has trapped innocent folks inside a virtual realm in which challenges must be completed in order to get closer to saving the captives. What challenges are present, you may ask? Do you have to punch your way through legions of baddies? Stop a skyscraper from falling on innocent people? Defeat iconic villains from the series? **** NO, YOU HAVE TO FLY THROUGH RINGS! Yes, I am aware that there are more objectives than simply going through ring mazes, but consider the following: would you, after (somehow) beating all the challenges in the first level, want to continue harming yourself by playing through the rest of the tripe this game has to offer? Would you, really?

Don't say "yes" just because you're defiant, you know you wouldn't.

In any case, the controls in Superman 64 are to playability as dysentery is to a dehydrated adventurer: they absolutely kill it. To say the game is "playable" beyond the fact that you can press buttons to have something happen is giving it far too much credit than it deserves. Pressing a button only to have nothing happen is a constant problem this game has, making it the definition of unresponsive. There's issues on the other side of the spectrum as well, such as the flight controls being far too responsive and forcing Superman to headbutt the pavement instead of fly in a straight ******* line. This becomes an immense issue when trying to get through the forced ring sections, handing out the majority of the game overs due to missing two or three rings because Superman wanted to fly in the opposite direction even though the player only slightly nudged the analog stick. Fighting is not as bad (although it's hard to out-horrible the flight controls) but it still has serious flaws, mainly because of the choppy fighting animations and tendency to have Superman stupidly flail his arms ten feet away from the enemy's face.

In the graphics department, Superman 64 is just about as horrible as people say it is. The draw distance is painfully short, giving the player little insight into what obstacles lie ahead and the environments are as bland and uninteresting as a manila envelope...wait, no...MANILA ENVELOPES ARE MORE INTERESTING TO LOOK AT! Nothing in the game world has even the most minute hint of effort, forcing me to come to the conclusion that the folks over at Titus spent the majority of development time wasting all the money they had on pizzas and sleeping whenever actual work had to be done. I can't fathom how someone could make a game look this bad, but Titus made it a reality...I guess that could be considered an accomplishment.

In conclusion, this game is worse than Big Rigs. You know, even though there was really nothing that made Big Rigs look like a structured game, at least you were guaranteed to win. In Superman 64, you're stuck with Superman in limbo trying to figure out how to negotiate some of the most frustrating controls in video gaming history. If you see a copy of this game, smash it...No, that's too good for this game...burn it...

I loathe this game.

I loathe it so much it hurts.

**** this game.

**** the people who made it.

**** the families of the people who made it.

**** the guy who gave this game the green light.

Just...just...****....

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"THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Superman for the Nintendo 64..." was posted by THE_DRUGGIE on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:43:15 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/superman/user-reviews/753054/platform/n64/ Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:21:35 -0800 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Killer7 for the GameCube... http://www.gamespot.com/killer7/user-reviews/752890/platform/gamecube/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Killer 7 is, by all means, one of the finest examples of a game being developed as a creative endeavor rather than a run-of-the-mill action game. If anything, Killer 7 is the antithesis of your stereotypical action title, offering up a deep, interesting narrative while also not focusing solely on action by breaking up the shooting with quirky and creative puzzles. Grasshopper Manufacture struck gold by combining elements of third-person adventure, puzzles, light gun shooters, and rail shooters into a single, wonderfully engaging package.

The story of Killer 7 takes place in the near future in which global peace has been established among the nations of the world, leaving terrorist organizations to be the main antagonists. One group in particular utilizes deformed, chuckling suicide bombers called "Smiles" to instill fear across the world. The only group capable of stopping the Smiles is a small, seven-person team of assassins called the Killer 7, all bearing "Smith" as a last name. The progression of the story has a lot of enjoyable twists and turns, though the heavily political tone might wear on players who aren't fans of stories along the lines of Metal Gear Solid, which Killer 7 emulates not only in political messages but also headache-inducing intricacy. Nevertheless, the story of Killer 7 is definitely above-average and makes playing through levels enjoyable (though there are points in which the material gets incredibly disturbing, even for a game of it's kind), giving more than enough motivation to keep playing just to see what nutty extreme the story will go next.

The game play of Killer 7 is difficult to describe, though I will say that the end result is enjoyable. Movement takes place on set paths, meaning that exploring and entering new areas takes place on forks on the designated paths. With this styIe of movement, the controls are simplified by only having a single button to run along with a 180-degree turn to change direction on a straight path. Combat feels slightly similar to light gun games because of being required to stop dead in your tracks and aim in first-person view. The wide variety of enemies offers up a fresh, challenging experience with every level, most of the time introducing multiple new types per stage. Though each type of Smile has a specific method that needs to be applied in order to defeat them, all types have two things in common:

First, all Smiles have to be "scanned" in order to be seen, which means that a button has to be pressed while in shooting mode in order to expose the Smile. Thankfully, all smiles will chuckle when they are in the same area as the player, so being the victim of a sneak attack is rare. Each type of Smile has their own unique chuckle, which allows the player to anticipate what kind of enemy awaits them, making combat far less obtuse and more enjoyable.

Second, every Smile has a one-hit kill mark. However, the one-hit kill mark is randomized for most types of Smile so multiple scans (usually just two) may be needed to pinpoint where exactly it is. Even so, hitting the point awards the player with more "thick blood" (or experience points) to use toward upgrading the abilities of one of the seven characters. Thin blood is also collected from enemies, which can be used for either special attacks or healing.

Speaking of characters, the seven Smiths each have their own unique weapons such as a scoped handgun, throwing knives, a massive revolver, hand held grenade launchers, twin pistols, and so on. Every Smith makes themselves useful in environmental puzzles (which are more often than not character-specific) and when defeating particular types of Smile. One large plus to the multiple character system is being able to change at any time, eliminating a lot of potential backtracking and also easing up the consistently hard difficulty by giving each character their own personal health bar. However, when one character dies, the player will have to resort to using Garcian Smith, a man who takes the severed head of the deceased character and, through the power of wizardry (and button mashing), brings them back to life. Skilled players won't have much trouble getting through the game avoiding death (in most instances) but those new to shooting games might find the constant running back and forth to revive characters a little tiring. Thankfully, most points in which a character can die are close to a continue point, so the trek is fairly short.

Sound is an aspect in which Killer 7 excels, offering up a subtle soundtrack most of the time and blasting techno or alternative rock sparingly. The music is fairly enjoyable and, to be honest, I would like to pick up the soundtrack for this game if I found it. The voice acting, however, is a little spotty at times. The worst offense in voice acting comes from the one-liners the characters spout every time a one-hit kill occurs. Sure, they can be fairly entertaining for the first ten or so times but then every other time you'll feel like lines such as "this is too easy..." or "hurts, doesn't it?" will be stuck in your head for eternity. Still, it never gets old for the characters who swear in their one-liners and, if the players does get tired of the one-liners, they can switch over to the mute Kevin Smith.

In conclusion, Killer 7 is a game that any person who feels that video games can be creative should pick up. Chances are, you've never played a game like it, what with all the obtuse characters, intriguing choices in direction, and original game play elements. Indeed, patience is needed in order to fully enjoy the time you will spend with Killer 7 but anyone who has played through games like Resident Evil and Metroid in which backtracking is central will not find running through the stages too tiring. If you find a copy of this game in a bargain bin or a used media store, pick it up. It's well worth the investment.

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"THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Killer7 for the GameCube..." was posted by THE_DRUGGIE on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:21:35 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/killer7/user-reviews/752890/platform/gamecube/ Thu, 09 Dec 2010 01:20:41 -0800 Falcon084 reviewed Alpha Protocol for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/alpha-protocol/user-reviews/747879/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

This review was done on the 360 it can also be brought on the PS3 and PC.

Alpha Protocol is an amazing game. Obsidian have taken the best elements of a lot of my favorite games and blended them into a gem every gamer should try. The game has taken the stealth and QCQ from MGS, the dialogue options from Mass Effect, the hacking, lock picking mini-games are a lot like New Veags, multiple endings and different each time you play through (it's long too), it has GTA4's shooting/cover system, a level up system somewhat like Deux Ex and they added in their own stuff as well and made it great!

You play as an agent brought in from one of many backgrounds you get to chose at the start to join Alpha Protocol a term used by the CIA for an Agent of whom has gone rogue. For my first play through I chose the harder Recruit option because it unlocks the awesome Veteran Background. You are sent on assignment in Saudi Arabia to kill a terror leader. Unlike most games you don't actually have to kill him the choice is yours how you proceed and even if you follow orders. Money has to be procured on sight and if this means stealing from bank accounts, blackmail or taking the cash off a dead body you can. This game shows a true seance of grey morality to explain would spoil the story but suffice to say the decisions you make will be a lot tougher than deciding what to ware.

You can also decide what to ware, buy guns change your appearance (skin color, beard, eye color clothing face hair & hair) all a lot like the original French/English movie the Day of the Jackal (Not the rubbish Bruce Wills one) You can steal or buy weapon mods on the Black Market and there are more of them that in New Vegas!, hack, receive and send E-mails, use a PDA to access intel on the go and some other things I'll let you discover on your own. You can train in Close Quarters Combat, use a flying fox gadget on any inclined wire or rope, plus a ton of stuff more.

You get to chose your missions and the story will change based on the order you chose. Mission area's are full of intel and secrets waiting to be discovered and while not in an open world game they are large and explorable. If you want to go in guns blazing you can, but you can also try stealth, hacking security programs, diplomacy depending on your reputation, put down traps and more. To do these things you will level up and chose your unlocks from many different attributes.

The exception of the skills is of Speech as you are all ready keyed by the story as being a master of manipulation, however you can buy and hack intel and open up more options with some NPC's once you know their psych history. The conversation system is really well thought out choosing between different emotions in your answers you can come off Aggressive theY button, Swarve/Seductive the X button(depending on the sex of the person you are talking with), Professional the B button, Dossier(if you did your research) and Attack if you think their Gard is down the A bottom. If they start to like you you can gain friends, allies or even romantic partners though sex scenes are just a black screen. Relationships can cause negative affects, you can make enemies of friends or friends of enemies. You could make a friend and start a war or make an enemy and avoid one vice-versa applies to. See Bellow picturefor dialogue options.

Graphics are good though I would suggest turning off the motion blur from the options. Sound is great and it is needed to hear Gard's coming and spy on conversations.There are plenty of gadgets to find and buy based on your contacts. The game has a perk system like New Vegas but they are earned through actions and would be spoiling if I told you.

As you can tell this game is about choice and I think the best choice is to go out and buy it!

Graphics 8.5

Sound 8.5

Gameplay 10

Enjoyment 10

Longevity 9.5

Overall 9.0

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"Falcon084 reviewed Alpha Protocol for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Falcon084 on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 01:20:41 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/alpha-protocol/user-reviews/747879/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 27 Nov 2010 17:15:48 -0800 jediknight52501 reviewed Super Street Fighter IV for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/super-street-fighter-iv/user-reviews/746624/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Street Fighter is back with the Super Street Fighter IV. not only are all the characters from Street Fighter IV back, but new characters are aslo in this game.
favorites like T-Hawk, Dee-Jay, Guy, Cody and others from Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter III and Super Street Fighter II Turbo are in the game along with two brand new never before seen characters. Hakan and Juki.
what is nice is that Super Street Fighter IV does not feel like an add-on like some games and the new modes are nice, some things like the ability ot watch eneding movies are missing but Capcom always seem to make sure that if one thing is missing, they make sure to add a ton more to the Street Fighter games.
also characters now have 2 new Ultra Moves instead of one. they still have one Super Move still. the moves can be easy to hard depending on character your using. also online modes are new and improved, Ranked Matches are back and the new modes like Endless Battle and Team Battle add excitement to an already flawless game.
the game does a nice job of allowing all the outfits fron Street Fighter IV to work with the game and new costumes keep coming out for the game adding to already awesome set of colors and outfits that are already out.
all in all Super Street Fighter IV is worth the money and fun to play.
the review says i gave it a 5.0 but that is not correct, i give this game a 9.5.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/super-street-fighter-iv/user-reviews/746624/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:44:45 -0800 Falcon084 reviewed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-brotherhood/user-reviews/745822/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Assassins Creed Brotherhood is so far the best in the series and that is a tough order. The first game was an amazing innovation invented by Jade Raymond at Ubisoft in Canada. A true adventure story that was based in the present but played in the past through the eyes of two men; Desmond our modern day hero and Altiar his ancestor whom Desmond could re-live through the Animus. The Animus was designed to let people delve into their ancestral memories but can cause insanity with over exposure.

The next game pushed the envelope and brought in a new character called Ezio Aldatorie an Italian born before the renisaunce he would take part in molding.

Attività di gioco:
When I first saw the Da Vinci missions I was a bit sceptical for the sake ofrealisimbut then I remembered a documentary I saw years ago. In reality Lenado Da Vinci a dyslexic genius invented constructions long before his time. To prevent spoilers I will not go into all of them baring the exception of the glider that was present in ACII. In the documentary it showed that Da Vinci did not have the light weight materials we do today. Using them a brave scientist launched himself off a cliff and the device soared! So with the exception of the modern day sci-fi the aspects of the game that do not seem believable could have been.
The game took me 18 hours of straight playing to beat the main story and even then there are still many side quests and new missions to play out. Because this is a no spoiler review I am not telling you some juicy details that will make fans grin from ear to ear. Suffice to say they have given us features that we have longed for. There is a new rebuilding system that encompasses the whole of Roma that plays like a hugely improved villa re-construction system.
Any one who has played Metal Gear Solid Portable OPS will recognise the system in place for recruiting and training new members of the order. It involves rescuing distressed members of the public and sending them on missions around Europe, they come back with experience that can be spent on new equipment leading up to some thing at the end of their training. How ever they could die based on your decisions so you have to chose wisely.

Grafica:
The Graphics are the same quality as ACII with a new design aesthetic that captures the city of Rome and it's many boroughs IX.V out of X

Suono:
The music and sound has improved from subtle ambiances to major operatics X out of X

With Assassins Creed and Mass Effect it seems Canada is taking the lead in innovating gameplay and I cant wait to see what they do next. Total score IX.V (9.5)

Title and Chapter Translation:
Title: Nothing Is True. Everything Is Permitted
Graphics: Grafica
Sound: Suono
Game Activities: Attività di gioco(There is no word for gameplay)

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-brotherhood/user-reviews/745822/platform/ps3/ Sun, 14 Nov 2010 14:35:49 -0800 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube... http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-symphonia/user-reviews/745004/platform/gamecube/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Role-playing games have certain rules they tend to abide by: a level-up system, a long story (preferably with good writing), and some form of combat system to make the first rule relevant. Tales of Symphonia follows the first and third rules but, unfortunately, falls victim to a cliche-ridden story with predictable plot twists. Regardless of the story, Symphonia still manages to present itself as a wonderful blend of action and role-playing that stands out from the crowd in the departments of art design and multiplayer.

The story of Tales of Symphonia certainly suffers from plenty of cliches but, at the same time, there are plenty of story elements to prevent the entirety of the narrative from being confusing. One major point in Symphonia's favor is that the story has excellent pacing, revealing enough information in the beginning to avoid in media res and providing new hints toward future plot points in small, easy-to-understand amounts. That being said, one glaring weakness in Symphonia's story is the by-the-books way everything unfolds. Even casual RPG players will notice which direction the story will take, making twists obvious in the process. Perhaps if the writing were more subtle this could have been avoided, but anyone who has played games in the Final Fantasy series will certainly be treading familiar narrative ground.

What saves Symphonia's story is the consistently good voice acting that keeps the story emotional enough to care about what's going on but, at the same time, will not make the experience stick with you long after it has ended. Dashes of humor every now and then (usually through small events called "Z Skits") give a little more personality to the characters as well, making Symphonia more than bearable to anyone looking for an RPG with a decent story.

A unique aspect of Symphonia is the combat system. Instead of using a turn-based system a la Final Fantasy, Symphonia uses an action-driven flow that allows each player to act on their own simultaneously without constantly being required to sift through menus to select a command. Allowing each character to hot key actions for immediate use allows players to go through battles with few hang-ups. On the other hand, the AI for enemies is fairly sub-par, succumbing to a few different types of moves before they even have a chance to attack. The fairly poor AI is even worse when the player gains a knack for knowing which moves will always work, making battles more of a minor annoyance than an actual challenge. On the other hand, being able to avoid the battles due to enemies being visible in the field (and having to touch them to initiate combat) counters this, although avoiding combat for an extended period of time will make future boss battles a real pain.

Speaking of unique components, the ability to have up to four players participate in battle simultaneously adds a great deal of depth to the combat system. Cooperating with buddies is certainly better than trying to pre-program AI partners (though there never seems to be a penalty for ignoring that feature due to the game's low difficulty) and adds immense replay value for those who have friends who enjoy fighting through an RPG while also experiencing a lengthy story. By setting characters to "Manual", players will be able to hot key actions to certain buttons like everyone else and, in all likelihood, will make battles much easier than they already are. However, playing cooperatively can become tiring given the samey nature of the battles which makes Symphonia good in small doses in the realm of multiplayer.

In all, Tales of Symphonia has a sub-par story that is saved by consistently good voice acting and occasional dashes of humor. Combat (albeit lacking challenge) is enjoyable, and multiplayer is a blast in short sessions. If you own either a Gamecube or a Wii and enjoy a decent RPG every now and then, Tales of Symphonia is worth checking out.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube..." was posted by THE_DRUGGIE on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 14:35:49 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-symphonia/user-reviews/745004/platform/gamecube/ Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:17:14 -0700 THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Jeanne d'Arc for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/jeanne-darc/user-reviews/730586/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

History and fantasy tend to mix together in society. Exaggerations, dubious claims, and even outright lies can make it into the history books. However, providing an alternative to what we already know opens paths for exciting adventures, and Jeanne d'Arc is an example of such a method done right.

The story of Jeanne d'Arc takes place in an alternate version of 15th France during the Hundred Years' War between it and England. In this, the titular character bands together with friends from her recently razed village to defend France against England's invading army. On paper, this game seems like typical medieval fantasy fare but, due to mixing European fantasy themes with Japanese-styIe animation, the narrative winds up being surprisingly engaging. As a whole, the story is told very well and will motivate the player to press on through the various challenges that pop up along the way. In addition, every character has his or her own distinct personality while not coming off as cookie-cutter stereotypes. Each ally has a blend of dreariness, anger, happiness, and other basic emotions to exceed the level of quality usually seen in it's genre.

On the subject of gameplay, Jeanne d'Arc exceeds in making an addictive, albeit basic, experience. Although most of the required levels are fairly easy to overcome with some training via Free Combat in conquered stages, stipulations in certain areas make every other level a challenging change of pace. Aside from the typical "kill all enemies before they kill all of your troops" scenarios; escort missions, context missions (needing a character who can build bridges, for example), and "kill the leader" missions, as well as many other types exist for creating new obstacles for the player to overpower. However, there is one type of mission that has one of the cheapest ways to lose in video game history: the "getting to the other side of the map" missions.

In Jeanne d'Arc, every battle has a set amount of turns not unlike a time limit. In any battle besides the one I have a grievance with, simply killing all enemies is sufficient. However, the cheap mission type only ends after all the player's troops have made it to the other side of the map. Forcing such rules upon the player results in unfair scenarios in which all enemies have been killed but, to the dismay of the player, at least one troop is too far away to make it to the goal in time and, as a result, is a game over. Thankfully, such missions are sparse but still exist within the required missions. Issues with the one mission type aside, there are plenty of small details to reward patient users.

Combining bonuses called "skill stones" allows the player to mix together magic spells, combat abilities, passive effects, or a mix of two of the three into a new skill. Experimenting with different combinations is actually quite fun given how many different possibilities lie in the massive list of existing abilities. Everything from a little more HP to being able to immediately counter the enemy before it has a chance to strike is possible, giving a ton of depth to the whole experience. However, each character has a finite amount of possible slots for skill stones so, as a result, some thought is put into each character before an engagement.

Overall, Jeanne d'Arc is well worth your time. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy Tactics, this game is right up your alley. With an enthralling storyline, deep strategy, accessible difficulty level, and budget price of $15 (US), it certainly is more bang for your buck.

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"THE_DRUGGIE reviewed Jeanne d'Arc for the PSP..." was posted by THE_DRUGGIE on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:17:14 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/jeanne-darc/user-reviews/730586/platform/psp/