ChipsDubbo's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ChipsDubbo's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ChipsDubbo's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Wed, 22 May 2013 07:14:38 -0700 GameSpot ChipsDubbo's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:14:20 -0700 dunnuck reviewed Resident Evil 6 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil-6/user-reviews/801566/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Graphics aren't the only elements in a video game and this installment in the Resident Evil franchise shows clearly that glossy, detailed visuals alone don't make a for a satisfying experience. There are so many things that have gone wrong with this most recent attempt at grandeur that it's hard to see a future for the franchise. As a longtime fan of the series, it honestly hurts to say. Nonetheless, it is the truth.

Resident Evil 6 features three separate campaigns, four if you include the campaign of the series' obscure female spy, Ada Wong. While the idea of multiple campaigns following multiple characters can be attractive and add a very positive and complex narrative, Resident Evil 6 is a prime example of how not to do such a narrative. Trying to apply to both classic RE fans and new RE fans, Capcom attempted to give each campaign it's own flavor. Adding a plethora of new characters didn't help matters any by trying to force feed characterization far too soon and far too quick. The overall result is a diluted experience overstuffed with mediocre elements.

The plot, well...let's be honest, Resident Evil hasn't had the most coherent plot and it's mostly been a nonsensical line of logic. This reaches a new, all-time high within Resident Evil 6, the multiple plot turns and plot devices so laughably bad that it leaves fans thinking "Are you serious? Now we have the T, G, and C Virus? What's next? The B virus?" And unfortunately, if there already isn't a B virus I'm forgetting about, it maybe next in Resident Evil's line of diseases.

Lets move onto the campaigns of the game. While I have yet to play Ada Wong's, the other's have been mostly lackluster. Jake and Sherry's Campaign has the best plot but the gameplay is hitched upon quicktime event after quicktime event and is littered with forced development for the the newbie in the series as well as overall bad, typical cool-guy dialogue. It seems like someone on the development team has been watching a slew of mediocre action movies between the 70s and 90s.

Chris' campaign is difficult to complete. It's by far the worst in the game, and that's saying something with a game that has received such a low score. The campaign is the "part" of the game that Resident Evil fans want to forget about and veto from the series. It is all action, no substance.

Leon ad Helena's campaign is the best in the game, and if Resident Evil 6 was focused on them and had no other campaigns in it. then everyone's outlook on the series' future would be quite different. It partially delivers on what fans used to expect from the Resident Evil franchise.

Three things in the game that's present in all campaigns are the following: Characters saying and doing incredibly idiotic things, obnoxiously persistent bosses, and an amount of convenience that doesn't ask you to suspend disbelief, but to completely omit it from your brain.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"dunnuck reviewed Resident Evil 6 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by dunnuck on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:14:20 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil-6/user-reviews/801566/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:17:29 -0700 King9999 reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages for the Game Boy Color... http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-oracle-of-ages/user-reviews/796931/platform/gbc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

NOTE: This review was written by me over 10 years ago. I managed to dig it up from the void, and now I'm sharing it with the world!
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Zelda: Oracle of Ages is the latest Zelda adventure for the Game Boy Color, and is one of the two Oracle games released simultaneously. Don't confuse the Oracle games as being something like the Pokemon games; both Oracle games are totally different from each other, complete with their own seperate quests. Buying both games would not hurt one bit; in fact, I recommend that you buy both games. The entire quest can't be completed without both games (I'd tell you what I mean, but I'd be spoiling the game). 

Ages begins with Link, travelling to the land of Labrynna to seek out Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. As Link finds Nayru, Veran, an evil sorceress, captures Nayru and travels back in time to wreak havoc. It's up to Link to travel back to the past, rescue Nayru, and defeat Veran before she does enough damage to the past (thus affecting the present). 

The best thing about Ages are the puzzles you encounter in the 8 dungeons. They're quite challenging, so expect to be stumped on several of them. The boss fights are often tough, because they require more brain power than you usually need in a typical Zelda boss fight. Some of the items you acquire are classic Zelda items, while others are exclusive only to Ages. Items that appear in Ages may also appear in Seasons, but you may/may not be able to upgrade that item in Seasons. 

Throughout the land of Labrynna, you will find magic rings, which must be appraised before you can use their effects. There are many rings to collect (60+), and several ways to acquire them i.e. from chests, from Gasha Nuts, etc. Speaking of Gasha Nuts, you get those by planting Gasha Seeds, which turn into Gasha Trees. From these trees, you will receive Gasha Nuts, which contain various items, including rings. 

What makes the Oracle games innovative is the interactivity between them. If you finish one of the games, say, Ages, you will receive a password for use in Seasons. Start a new game in Seasons, enter this password, and you will be able to "continue" your quest, and receive special passwords ("secrets") from certain characters in Seasons to use in Ages. Load your finished Ages game, find the person you're supposed to give the password to, and you'll receive a new password, in addition to a nifty item! Go back to your Seasons game with your new password, visit Farore, give her your new password, and the item you received in Ages will now be yours to use in Seasons! 

One last thing to add is that if you play the Oracle games on a Game Boy Advance, you get a better colour palette, and you get access to a secret shop which appears only if you play the game on your GBA! 

If there are any flaws in the Ages, they are minor ones. First, most of the graphics were recycled from Link's Awakening (Capcom developed the Oracle games, if that's any indication). Second, the interface found in Link's Awakening is used in Ages (and Seasons). You'll be putting that Start button to work! 

If I had to decide which of the two Oracle games was better, I'd have to give the award to Ages, because of its greater emphasis on puzzles (which the Zelda games are known for). Both games are excellent, and you really can't go wrong on either one! I recommend that you buy both games, but if you can only afford one, make it Ages. 

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-oracle-of-ages/user-reviews/796931/platform/gbc/ Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:13:58 -0700 King9999 reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons for the Game Boy Color... http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-oracle-of-seasons/user-reviews/796929/platform/gbc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

NOTE: This review was written by me over 10 years ago. I managed to dig it up from the void, and now I'm sharing it with the world!
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A note for those of you who have read my Oracle of Ages review: the gameplay in Seasons is the same, but the storyline, characters, world, etc. are different. Oh, and Seasons is lighter on puzzles. There, now go play. 

Now, for the remaining readers, Zelda: Oracle of Seasons is one of the two Oracle games released simultaneously. Both games are independent of each other, so buying both games wouldn't be a bad move at all. In fact, if you want to complete the entire series to the fullest, you need both games! 

Seasons begins with our hero, Link, travelling to the land of Holodrum to seek out Din, the Oracle of Seasons (she's also a mighty fine dancer, too). However, upon arrival, Din is captured by the evil general Onox, and the Temple of Seasons is submerged into the ground, thus putting the four seasons into chaos. There's a reason for what looks like random destruction, but you have to play the game to find out what Onox's true motives are. Naturally, Link must rescue Din, but in order to do that, he must find the eight Essences of Nature, hidden among eight dungeons. Typical Zelda fare, yes, but who would want it any other way? 

Seasons, unlike Ages, is less puzzle-oriented and focuses more on action. This means more enemies on the screen, and straightforward dungeons and boss battles. This might sound bad, but it really isn't. You'll still find the odd brain-teasing puzzle, but the puzzles never get as tough as the ones found in Ages. In Ages, Link had to master using the Harp of Ages in order to get anywhere in Labrynna. In Seasons, however, Link must manipulate the four seasons by using the Rod of Seasons. Each season has special characteristics. Winter freezes certain bodies of water, creates snowbanks, and makes trees wither; Fall fills pits with leaves (so you can walk over them), and transforms rock mushrooms into regular mushrooms, which can then be picked; Summer creates vines to climb, and dries up certain bodies of water; Spring makes flowers bloom, some of which can be used to reach new heights. 

The Ring system, like in Ages, is present here. There are about 60+ rings you can collect, and each of them give Link a special ability. One ring, for example, decreases the time it takes to charge your sword for a spin attack. There are some useless rings in there too, like the ones that transform Link into a monster. You can't even attack! In order to use a ring's effects, you have to get it appraised at the ring shop. 

The best thing about the Oracle games is how they interact with each other. When you finish one of the games, you get a special password for use in the other game. When you input this password, the story continues from where you left off in the finished game! Even better, you can collect secret passwords from characters in the new game to be given to characters in your finished game. Once you find the desired person, you will be given a new item or enhancement, and a new password! This new password will allow you to use your new item in the new game (confused yet?)! There are some very cool items/enhancements to get via the password system. 

The Oracle games are the first (and maybe only) games to take advantage of their compatibility with the Game Boy Advance, even though the games are Game Boy Color games. Pop one of the games in your GBA, and you'll get better colours, not to mention a hidden store, present only if you play on a GBA! 

Oracle of Seasons is a must-buy for the Game Boy Color. If you can only afford one of the games at the moment, however, I'd go with Ages. Ages is slightly better, because of its greater emphasis on puzzles, which are a Zelda staple. Both games are recommended if you want to get the most out of the Oracle series, but they are worth every penny.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-oracle-of-seasons/user-reviews/796929/platform/gbc/ Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:10:18 -0700 King9999 reviewed Final Fantasy VIII for the PlayStation... http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-viii/user-reviews/796928/platform/ps/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

NOTE: This review was written by me over 10 years ago. I managed to dig it up from the void, and now I'm sharing it with the world!

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SquareSoft's Final Fantasy series is arguably the most popular RPG series of all time. RPG gamers have come to expect greatness from each and every new installment in the series; Final Fantasy IV with its now-standard Active Time Battle system; FFV with its improved Job system (it first appeared in the Japan-only Final Fantasy III for the NES); FFVI with its huge cast of memorable and vastly different characters; and finally, FFVII with its Materia system and its now-standard flashy FMV. So, what does FFVIII bring to the table? Well, probably a lot of things one wouldn't expect in a Final Fantasy game. 

FFVIII stars Squall Leonhart, a student of Balamb Garden, the world's top military academy. After successfully completing an important training mission, Squall--along with his friends Zell Dincht and Selphie Tilmitt--is inducted into SeeD, an elite group of mercenaries. The new SeeD recruits receive their first important mission: capture the Galbadian president Deling, and prevent a Galbadian alliance with a powerful sorceress named Edea. This may not sound interesting, but most RPG premises never reveal the whole plot, right? One of FFVIII's strengths is the characters; they aren't just typical RPG characters...they seem more like actual people, and I'm not saying this because of the realistically-proportioned character models. By the end of the game, you'll find at least one character you can relate to. 

The graphics in FFVIII are a huge improvement over FFVII's graphics, which looked good already. You have to wonder how much more the aging PlayStation hardware can take before it conks out. The music is also an improvement over the disappointing FFVII soundtrack, although I've heard better soundtracks than both in other games. 

FFVIII is wildly different from the previous FF games. Square has pulled out all the stops and "experimented" with new gameplay ideas that will either impress or disappoint. For the most part, I was impressed with what Square has done, sometimes to the point where I feel that other RPGs should implement some of FFVIII's gameplay ideas. The core gameplay is the Junction system, which resembles the Materia system, except it's more complex (maybe a little too complex). Junction refers to equipping spells, abilities, and summons (now known as Guardian Forces) to your characters and/or their statistics. You can customize everything, from battle commands to parameters like hit points. However, before you can customize anything, you must first acquire Guardian Forces (GFs). 

GFs are more useful than they ever were in previous FF games. They actually become stronger as you progress, so rest assured that Ifrit or Shiva won't become useless halfway through the game. More importantly, they have the important abilities you need--mainly, the ability to junction--to win the game. Summoning a GF is now unlimited (since you have no MP), but they can be killed during the summoning process. Outside of battles, you'll need GFs to make your characters stronger. In addition to being able to junction spells to your stats, GFs hold special abilities and stat bonuses which must be "learned" by accumulating Ability Points (AP) after each battle. Learning some abilities opens up new abilities, which can then also be learned by acquiring AP. New GFs may already have some abilities known. 

So, now that you know how to junction spells to your stats (hopefully), where do you get the spells from? There are three ways to acquire spells in FFVIII: through Draw Points, which are pit stops to stock up on magic; through battle, which is the most tedious way to acquire spells; and through item refinement, which I feel is the best way. Chances are though, you'll likely be getting the majority of your spells through battle. By using the "Draw" command, you can steal magic (anywhere from 0 to 9 uses) from your adversaries, and you can either cast the spell on-the-fly, or keep it and use it later. I find that using drawn magic immediately is not as effective, unless it's something that doesn't directly affect HP (e.g. Sleep, Blind, etc.). Draw Points are straightforward, but you must have the "Draw" command equipped before you can use them. Refining items is the best way to go; all you need is the "RF-Item" command, which certain GFs have. The majority of items in FFVIII serve no purpose other than to provide magic, so it's worth your while to make spells out of them. 

So, what else has Square done with FFVIII? Money is no longer acquired after battles; instead, you now have a salary, in which you are given money periodically. You can increase your salary in several ways, but it can also decrease depending on your actions. Characters no longer wear any armor, and only have one weapon (which can be upgraded at a junk shop). Only 1000 experience points are needed to go up a level (think Suikoden). Speaking of leveling up, monsters always stay at the same level as your characters. I like this feature very much because fighting the same monsters never gets old. Monsters gain more HP and more attack power, but at certain levels, they gain new spells to draw out, new abilities, and new items to obtain. The only way to get a good strength advantage over your adversaries is through proper junctioning, and not just constant level-ups. 

One last thing to mention is the mini-games. Square took a "less is more" approach, and included only 2 mini-games in FFVIII, the best one being Triple Triad. Triple Triad is a popular card game in FFVIII's world. Almost every person you come across will have a deck of cards, always ready to do battle. Let me tell you, Triple Triad is the best mini-game I've ever played. It's addictive, and it's deep; so deep, in fact, that it could almost be its own standalone game! The cards you collect can be refined into special items, so learning and mastering Triple Triad is definitely worth your time. 

Square has tried a lot of new ideas with FFVIII. One can praise Square for their innovations, or one can curse them and tell them what they shouldn't mess with in an RPG. However, one cannot deny that FFVIII is very different from past FF games, almost to the point where it doesn't feel like any other FF game. Final Fantasy VIII is a game that no RPG gamer should pass on. 

Get the full article at GameSpot

"King9999 reviewed Final Fantasy VIII for the PlayStation..." was posted by King9999 on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:10:18 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-viii/user-reviews/796928/platform/ps/ Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:41:47 -0700 King9999 reviewed Dragon Warrior III for the Game Boy Color... http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-warrior-iii/user-reviews/796915/platform/gbc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

NOTE: This review was written over 10 years ago. I managed to dig it up from the void, and now I'm sharing it with you all!

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Like Dragon Warrior I & II before it, Dragon Warrior III for the Game Boy Color is a remake of the NES version. Let me tell you, what a remake. DWIII is so good, you wouldn't be making a bad purchase even if you've already played the NES version. There's just so much to the remake; the differences are more than aesthetic. DWIII is the last--or rather, the beginning--of the "Loto" (aka Erdrick) legend; DW I & II are actually the sequels, and continue the legend of Loto. 

Before I get to all of the changes/additions, let's get the premise out of the way: the heroic Ortega sets out on a quest to defeat the evil Baramos, leaving behind his wife and newborn son/daughter (that's you...you can select your gender). Ortega gets pretty far in his quest; he almost reaches Baramos, but unfortunately met with an untimely death during a battle on a volcano (that's what happens when you travel solo). Years later, Ortega's son/daughter is all grown up, and he/she decides to finish what Ortega began--kill the dirty bastard Baramos, and restore peace to the world. Unlike your brave-but-not-so-bright father, you take three companions with you, and set out on your quest. Ortega's journey is presented through scripted events, including a cinematic battle at the volcano where Ortega meets his fate--pretty impressive for a GBC game. 

If you've played the NES DWIII, you know that the first thing you do is visit the King and prepare for the quest--not so in the GBC game. At the very beginning, you are whisked away to some kind of wacky dream sequence, where you have to determine your "personality" (new to DWIII). A mysterious voice asks you a series of questions, and then you are warped to an unknown place, and faced with a situation pending your answers. Upon clearing your situation, you're given a personality trait, which affects how your character grows, i.e. which stats are more likely to rise upon increasing your level. All of your companions have personality traits, and there now exist items and books that will change your personality when used. 

The character classes from the NES DWIII are back, but with different names: Warrior, Fighter, Cleric, Mage, Dealer, Jester, Sage, and the Thief, which is new to the GBC version. The Warrior is the typical strength-based class; they can use most weapons and armor, but they have no magic abilities, and they're slow. The Fighter is a bare-handed brawler; they have tremendous strength ratings, they're quick, and they have a high rate of unleashing critical blows. Clerics are the healers; they're decent fighters, but their usefulness lies in their magic abilities (naturally). Mages are your typical magic-users; they have low strength and HP, but they have a wide range of spells and high MP. Jesters are useless; all they do is fool around during a battle. However, they're the only class who can change to a Sage without meeting certain conditions. The Thief is a welcome addition to DWIII; they have very useful abilities, so it'd be worth your while to recruit one eventually. The Sage is not accessible from the start, since it is a high-level class with powerful magic. The main character has a class exclusive to him/her: the Hero. The Hero has a balance between offensive/defensive magic, and he/she has good mix of offense and defense (all main characters are like that, aren't they?). You will eventually be able to change classes; you can't change into anything new (except the Sage), but the advantage of switching classes is that your characters keep whatever they learned in their current class. So, if you wanted to have a Warrior with Cleric abilities, you can do that. The catch, however, is that your character's stats are reduced by 1/2, and he/she begins at level 1. It's a small price to pay, but you can make some great combinations. The Hero can't change his/her class. 

So far, the new features in DWIII are: the obligatory graphics upgrade, a streamlined menu, better walking speed, an additional class (Thief), personality traits for each character, and new scenes, such as the introductory scene (Ortega's journey). What's next? If you've played Dragon Warrior IV, then you'll be pleased to know that Tiny Medals have made their way into DWIII. There's a Medal Collector in Aliahan (the town you start in...search the well!) who will exchange your Medals for some cool items. There's another kind of medal you can collect, too--Monster Medals. Monster Medals can be acquired by defeating enemies in battle. Every single monster in the game carries a Monster Medal--including bosses, and those bastard Mimics who can kill your party in an instant. You can collect up to three types of Medals--bronze, silver, and gold. Monster Medals have a purpose, but you won't find that out until after you've completed the game... 

Next up, we have battle animations. DWIII is the most beautifully animated GBC game I've ever seen. Each enemy's attack is packed with frame after frame of animation. Not only are the animations fun to watch, but they tell you what's coming; if you see a Stone Man stamping his feet instead of throwing a punch, watch out--he's going for a critical blow. Spell animations are great to look at, too. 

Finally, we have the Pachisi Tracks, which are probably the best addition to DWIII. Pachisi is a board game where the playing piece is one of your characters. For one Token, you get a certain number of rolls with one die. Your task is to get to the "Goal," where you'll be rewarded with something cool. Of course, there are spaces on the board which are harmful (monster encounters, trap doors, etc.), but there are also spaces that are helpful, such as: permanent stat upgrades, items (often good ones), even stores and inns! There are several Pachisi tracks around the world--each one more complex and difficult than the last, but with greater rewards. Pachisi is addictive; whenever I found a Token, I would immediately abandon my quest and head straight for the tracks. 

After you've completed DWIII, don't put it away just yet. If you continue the game with the file you finished the game with, there are some new subquests for you to complete. There aren't many RPGs that have new quests for you to do after beating the final boss, but DWIII is such a RPG. Needless to say, there's some good replay value here. 

So, having said nothing but good things about DWIII, what's wrong with the game? Well, that depends on what you want in your RPGs. If you're looking for melodrama, there's very little...and what's there is kinda cheesy. If you want fleshed-out characters, then you probably aren't a Dragon Warrior fan...why are you reading this review? If you dislike the old 8-bit RPG conventions (constant levelling up, money-hunting), then stay away from DWIII. Luckily, I grew up playing 8-bit RPGs, so I'm used to old RPG conventions. Hey, DWIII could have been worse...it could've been Final Fantasy, where you found yourself fighting those Kyzoku guys trying to supply your party with Silver equipment (Silver Swords are a **** to purchase). DWIII isn't that bad, fortunately; you actually get plenty of cash, thanks to the inclusion of tons of items which can be sold for high prices. 

When it's all said and done, Dragon Warrior III is about the adventure, and not the soap-opera drama that are most of today's RPGs. If the quest is all you really want in your RPGs, then you can't go wrong with DWIII. The GBC version is ten times better than the NES version...there's enough here to warrant a second purchase, even if you already have the NES version. It's like a whole new game that happens to share the same name as its NES counterpart. 

Get the full article at GameSpot

"King9999 reviewed Dragon Warrior III for the Game Boy Color..." was posted by King9999 on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:41:47 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-warrior-iii/user-reviews/796915/platform/gbc/ Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:24:51 -0700 King9999 reviewed Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/virtua-fighter-5-final-showdown/user-reviews/795801/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is a miracle in digital form. It's a game that never would've seen a North American release if it wasn't for the pleas of hardcore fans within the fighting game community: the group that Virtua Fighter strictly caters to. With its barebones package, VF5FS isn't likely to attract gamers who place large importance on single-player modes. A series like VF can only be appreciated by plumbing its depths, moreso than any other fighting games in existence.

If you happen to be one of those rare, non-hardcore fans who's actually interested in FS and is willing to dedicate a lot of time to it, but don't know anything about the series, read on. Final Showdown is the final revision to the VF5 series of games. FS adds some significant changes to the system; the throw system has been modified, and the animations have been upgraded. Of course, the characters have been changed, too. FS lets you choose from one of 19 characters, each with a distinct, real-life fighting style (but tweaked to be more video game-like). While there are only three main buttons-Punch, Kick, and Guard-each character's movelist spans several pages. While the movelists may be a bit daunting, rest assured that you don't need to memorize all of them to be good. Even the best players don't utilize every move; versus play is less about who can do more moves, and more about reading your opponent's attack, and reacting accordingly. It's much more important to know how to defend against attacks.

And learning how to defend against attacks is made really easy with FS's robust free training mode. Unlike most other fighting games, you are given tons of options to tweak; you can have the CPU react in many & specific ways, which will allow you to find counters to them. For the first time ever, you now have access to a frame counter display. To the not-so-hardcore fan, this might not sound important, but if you ever wanted to know why certain moves lose out to others, the frame counter will tell you. It would be in your best interest to use the frame display.

The original Virtua Fighter 5 included a cool single-player mode called Quest, where you visited various arcades and fought AI opponents for rank and costumes. FS removes this mode, and instead of earning the costumes in-game, they are sold separately as DLC, for better or worse. Instead of a Quest mode, there's a License Challenge where you fight AI opponents under special conditions. While some may lament the removal of Quest mode, License Challenge serves as a handy tool for improving your skill, outside of versus play and training. Other single-player modes include the usual arcade and score attack, and a special mode that requires the costume DLC. Any dedicated fan will spend the majority of their time (aside from training mode) in Versus mode.

There has been recent strides in the quality of netplay in fighting games. With the possible exception of Skullgirls, FS stands as having the best netcode of the bunch. Finding a game is fast and painless; it's very possible to blow through tens of matches in an hour. Maybe a hundred if you're really dedicated. Matches can be lag-free affairs, even if the game says the connection isn't perfect. As always, your mileage may vary. You can download and save replays to your hard drive, and also upload your own matches. There are some small issues with online play, at least in the PS3 version. The "players met" feature currently doesn't work, so your only chance to add someone to your friend's list is to do so right after a match, or by memorizing their handle. This isn't an issue with the game, but it's worth mentioning: the vast majority of the players are found in ranked matches. If you're the sort who prefers unranked matches, then you're better off doing that with online friends.

As of this writing, you can purchase the game and all costume packs for $30, which is admittedly a nice deal considering: 1) it's a limited-time offer; 2) it's a PlayStation 3-exclusive deal. The Xbox 360 version of the game does not have the same promotion, presumably due to limitations of the infrastructure. As an added bonus, the game is free if you have PlayStation Plus (the game only).

Because there's a lot of information to take in, it's important that these games have tutorials. Sadly, most developers of fighting games have not learned how to properly teach players how to play their own games. Sega designed a brilliant tutorial mode for VF4 Evolution, and to this day, it's the gold standard. While the included tutorial for FS is good, it isn't anywhere near as robust as the one found in Evolution. As such, you may want to check out virtuafighter.com or YouTube for additional info. As useful as these resources are, it's unacceptable that anyone should have to use external sources to learn how a game works when it's the game designers' job to document all of the rules. It's like playing Monopoly without knowing that you can buy properties because the rule wasn't in the manual.

For a six-year old game, VF5 still looks good, and it looks even better thanks to the upgraded visuals. The animations are well-done, especially the throws. VF games have never been flashy, but they always looked great, right down to small details. The music is quite good, and as an added bonus for the fans, Sega has included the soundtrack from every game in the series. Really nice touch, because the earlier games have some great tunes.

Final Showdown is the result of the efforts made by dedicated fans to bring more exposure to the VF games. Sega deserves much praise for responding positively to feedback, and releasing what is one of the best fighting games of 2012. So far, recent sales reports out of Japan suggests Sega made the right decision, but the true test is how the game performs outside of Japan. Final Showdown isn't the first VF game to be released on consoles, but it's definitely the most important one.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/virtua-fighter-5-final-showdown/user-reviews/795801/platform/ps3/ Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:54:23 -0800 King9999 reviewed Pushmo for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/pushmo/user-reviews/783657/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Have you ever played a game that's so simple in its design, yet it's brilliant and original? That's exactly what Pushmo is. Pushmo is an eShop puzzle game by Intelligent Systems, makers of the fine Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, and Paper Mario series, among other titles. In the game, you're tasked with rescuing little children from a set of blocks called Pushmo. The Pushmo appear as flat objects, but they are in fact 3D shapes; by pulling out these shapes, you create platforms that assist you in reaching your destination. What was once a block puzzle ends up becoming a simple platformer, and vice versa; it's this back-and-forth that makes Pushmo so unique and compelling. The idea of pushing and pulling blocks is such a simple concept, but the implementation is mind-blowing.

Pushmo boasts 250 levels, so you'll be kept busy for quite a while. As you progress through the game, you'll be introduced to new features that make the puzzles even more complex-and more entertaining. The levels you encounter will consist of all sorts of shapes and sizes, including those based on the real world. Being a Nintendo game, you can expect to see some familiar characters in the form of puzzles. The stereoscopic 3D is used to great effect because it helps you to judge distances and block depth (very important!). Even if you turn off the 3D, you're still in good hands since the block depth is colour-coded. Either way, you will be able to tell immediately if a block can be pulled or pushed some more. The best kinds of puzzles are the ones that have multiple solutions, and Pushmo has them in spades.

So, Pushmo already sounds like a fun game, right? But I haven't even gotten to the best part: you can create your own levels. They could have stopped at the 250 levels and called it a day, but when you're given the ability to create your own Pushmo and share them over the Internet, well...the replay value is virtually endless. The level editor, called Pushmo Studio, is as simple and brilliant as the game itself. Basically, anything you draw becomes a level. You don't even have to be an artist to make something recognizable; scribbling something on a whim could be a legitimately challenging level. Once your masterpiece is finished, you must play and complete the level before you can create a QR code and upload it to the Internet. This ensures that any level created by you or someone else can be completed, no matter how complex it may look. You are your own quality control!

At $6.99, Pushmo offers a lot of value with its numerous levels, but the inclusion of an elegant level editor makes the game a steal. I would easily have paid double for a game like this, but at its current price, Pushmo is a must-own, no excuses. Pushmo is a textbook example of the kinds of games a developer could make when they're given creative freedom without fear of breaking the bank.

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"King9999 reviewed Pushmo for the 3DS..." was posted by King9999 on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:54:23 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pushmo/user-reviews/783657/platform/3ds/ Sat, 22 Jan 2011 19:48:23 -0800 King9999 reviewed Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/nine-hours-nine-persons-nine-doors/user-reviews/753358/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Adventure games for the DS have really come into their own. Game developers have shown repeatedly that the genre feels right at home on Nintendo's popular handheld. The nature of the genre allows designers to present their games in a way only the DS can permit, resulting in unique and memorable experiences. It's too bad, then, that the games that are most deserving of attention get lost in the shuffle, leaving things up to word-of-mouth or Internet forums to get unaware gamers to take notice. Such is the case with Aksys Games' Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (also known as 999).

In 999, you play as Junpei, an average college student in a not-so-average situation: for reasons unknown, Junpei ends up on a cruise liner ship that's rigged to sink in nine hours if he and eight other players don't complete a twisted game. The Nonary Game, as it's called, is run by an enigmatic character named Zero who seems to think combining puzzles and despair are a great idea for a game. The obvious questions that arise are: who is Zero? Why is he running this game? Who are the other players? You will find the answers, but oftentimes the answers just lead to more questions, and when things start to fall into place, your mind is blown. The game leaves some parts of the plot open to interpretation, and despite one seemingly irrelevant subplot that players will undoubtedly try to analyze, you will love every moment of the story.

A major part of 999's story and puzzles involve a real-life math formula called a digital root, which is basically the sum of a sum. Add some numbers together, and if the result is greater than 10, you keep adding its digits together until the result is a single digit. If you're the type of player who runs at the sight of anything that looks like math, take comfort in knowing that the game doesn't leave you hanging to figure things out for yourself, thanks to straightforward tutorials that are always available. 999 even includes a handy in-game calculator so you can get what you need quickly and move on. Not all of 999's puzzles involve math; the game runs the gamut of traditional puzzle themes, including pattern recognition, logic, and memorization. Don't be put off by the "nine hours" part of the game's title; there is no time pressure in 999, so you can take your time to ponder all of your actions.

And you will ponder your actions, since 999 offers multiple paths that affect the puzzles you encounter, as well as the endings you receive. There is a true ending, but to get it requires that you witness a specific bad ending. Although that might sound like a flaw (who wants to be forced to watch a bad ending?), the reason behind it is what makes 999's story so compelling. Mercifully, you can fast-forward through any text that you've read once you've completed the game the first time. If you happen to come across any new text, the game smartly disables the fast-forward so you don't miss it. Even if you happen to miss something, you can scroll back to previously displayed text. Also, any choices you've made in a previous run will be greyed out, making it easy to find new paths. The game designers have got your back.

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors offers a perfect mixture of brain teasers and suspense that nine hours may literally pass before you realize it. There are some moments of inconsistent pacing, but when you're presented with a plot as compelling as 999's, chances are you won't mind too much. Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors may end up being another victim among many DS games that don't get a fair shake, but if you play it, you won't forget it.

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"King9999 reviewed Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for the DS..." was posted by King9999 on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 19:48:23 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/nine-hours-nine-persons-nine-doors/user-reviews/753358/platform/ds/ Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:10:06 -0700 CHAMPANERIA reviewed Dead Space for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/dead-space/user-reviews/729230/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Story: just dead good, play as a unique engineer on a mission to fix a ship go on board find out its empty and go from each area of a ship fixing and finding out what went wrong with scares along the way...fix the lights, doors, hydraulics each part of the ship you fix kinda kool really oh some werid stuff along the way I didn't follow completely tho too scared half the time playing to listen to what they yell at you while things are jumping around. A solid 8/10 or higher

Gameplay: weapons and cutting limbs off enemies make this game fun too play with one of the best weapon upgrade systems...slow pace as its dark and you slowly walk around hallways killing what jumps at you...takes about 8-12hours with replaying at high value as you will not upgrade your suit and weapons the first play. A solid 8/10 or higher

Graphics: very atmospheric scray spaceship feels like your there. Amazing hud display without menu loading all real time effects and displays. Can't complain about graphics easily 8/10 or higher

Replay Value: the weapon upgrade system is amazing and allows you to replay upgrading fully threw different playthroughs...all you can ask for a single-player driven game as the focus. 8.5/10 or higher really liked the upgrade system here other games need to be like this.

Sound: no music really just mute dead space good sound effect some scary effects put in empty rooms get less scary along the way. Some music would of been nice 7/10 or higher

Overall: It an ambitious game none like it really and does what it set out to do very good and rare. Second most scaries game I think I've played to FEAR 1 and some Resident Evil games disturbingly gruesome deep-space adventure that will haunt your dreams and leave you wanting more! overall if they polished this a bit more it would be one to remember for a long time its still a solid game however must play and experience.

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"CHAMPANERIA reviewed Dead Space for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by CHAMPANERIA on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:10:06 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dead-space/user-reviews/729230/platform/ps3/ Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:28:13 -0800 ozzdog123 reviewed Heavy Rain for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/heavy-rain/user-reviews/709494/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Heavy Rain is considered to be an 'interactive drama' and while it is considered a 'game', I it is much more than that, It's an interactive experience like no other.

The Good:
-Emotional, engaging, and completely immersive story
-'Unique' controls
-Acting(for the most part) is executed very well
-Actually adapts to 'Your' decisions
-Soundtrack

The Bad:
-Controls(while not always bad,often get in the way when walking)
-Voice overs
-Plot holes
-Camera(see controls)

Review-Norman Jayden, Ethan Mars, Madison Paige, and Scott Shelby. These are 'your characters'. You will see the story through their eyes. You become so connected with these characters that you start to questions every move morally. The main story revolves around the 'Origami killer' and trying to stop him/her and find out who he/she is. While the main story is a set story, the results within each chapter will/may vary with each individual play through.
The music makes this game. It brings you into the game.The atmosphere is insanely incredible. There is certain parts of the game that you can literally feel your heart beating. Never in my gaming have I ever cared so much about the characters I was playing with. Heavy Rain hits you on every emotion and it hits hard.
The unique control system works very well for the most part and is structured as to keep you one your toes at all times. There are certain points I encountered when the camera or controls were a tad but frustrating, but nothing to unreasonable that it took away from the experience.
In closing, Heavy Rain is an incredibly original and compelling story. It is an milestone release that merges gaming and movies into one. The game ends leaving you craving for more and rightfully so. I have never been more entranced in a game than I have with Heavy Rain and never have I had the experience I had with Heavy Rain. This is a game that needs to be experienced

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"ozzdog123 reviewed Heavy Rain for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by ozzdog123 on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:28:13 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/heavy-rain/user-reviews/709494/platform/ps3/ Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:52:24 -0800 King9999 reviewed Mass Effect 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2/user-reviews/705666/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

We're not far into 2010, but Mass Effect 2 is easily a contender for game of the year. The significant improvements made to the game essentially makes the original Mass Effect seem like an afterthought. BioWare took the criticisms levied against ME1 to heart, and as a result created an extremely polished game with few technical flaws and minor gameplay issues. Mass Effect 2 runs beautifully and looks gorgeous even on modest PCs, making it a joy to play all the way to its satisfying (and potentially shocking) conclusion.

The opening to Mass Effect 2 starts off with quite a bang. Frankly, the opening is the strongest I've ever seen in a game in a long while. It isn't too long before Commander Shepard-the hero/heroine of the original Mass Effect-is back in action, thanks to the efforts of Cerberus. You would be forgiven if that name doesn't ring a bell; Cerberus only had a minor role in ME1, and it was entirely possible to finish the game without ever hearing their name. In ME2, they play a more prominent role in preserving humanity, and ultimately the universe. Cerberus has a shady reputation, but their leader, the Illusive Man, would have you believe that Cerberus' cause is a just one. Nevertheless, Shepard has to roll with Cerberus if he wants to save the universe, because nobody else will.

One of the big attractions of ME2 is the ability to import your character from ME1, and with it, all the decisions you made in that game. BioWare made a name for themselves creating RPGs where the journey is never a linear one, but being able to customize your experience in an unconventional manner takes branching storylines to a new and satisfying level. Not only does this add replay value to ME2, but to ME1 as well. It must have been a nightmare managing the dialogue trees for every situation, considering that the experience is different for both male and female Shepard.

The writing in ME2 is exceptional, and it demonstrates that BioWare is the best at what they do. The humor in particular is noteworthy; there are definitely some funny moments in ME1, but the humor in ME2 is out in full force. Even Jacob, who initially seems like someone who's all business, will have you dying at times. Although the main story is about the suicide mission that Shepard is faced with, the narrative is focused more on the characters you recruit during the game. It might sound weird to say it, but ME2 has the most human aliens ever witnessed in a RPG, and not just because they can all speak English. The cast is very likeable, and are always interesting to talk to. The character loyalty quests that you can undertake are optional, but highly encouraged; not only can you strengthen each party member for combat, but you gain even more insight into what makes these characters so endearing.

Mass Effect 2's core gameplay is a vast improvement over ME1. I would go so far to say that ME2 almost invalidates ME1 completely-it's that much better. BioWare addressed the issues that bogged down the first game, and while some of their decisions may seem puzzling, it's not hard to fathom why they were made. The developers trimmed the fat everywhere they could so that the focus is shifted squarely on the combat-not on tedious inventory management, or driving a vehicle with wacky physics. Although there are no brand-new classes, the returning classes are more pronounced. Each class comes with skills and abilities that no other class has access to, ensuring a unique experience. The class-based weapon restrictions from the first game are intact, except this time you can't use a weapon at all if you aren't trained to use it. Speaking of weapons, there are fewer of them to collect, and there are no visible statistics for any of them, but they can be upgraded. More importance is placed on what each weapon type is good for; otherwise, it would always come down to picking the weapon with the highest numbers-a common scenario in most RPGs. The only criticism with the weapon selection is a lack of variety. The few weapons that are available are unique from one another, but it's a little disappointing that you only have access to two of each weapon type, maybe three at best. Ironically, you're given a large number of heavy weapons, but they are meant to be used sparingly. Also streamlined is the skill system, but don't mistake the word "streamlined" for "scaled down." BioWare simply refined the system so that the benefits of strengthening a skill are felt immediately, rather than in tiny steps. Once a skill reaches its maximum level, you have the option to expand into one of two specialties, in which the skill can either be more effective on single targets, or be given area-of-effect properties (this isn't the case for every skill). It's worth noting that skills recharge much more quickly than before, but the trade-off is that using ANY skill results in all of your other skills becoming locked until the cooldown ends. Consider your situation before using a skill.

The controls have improved, but there are some questionable design choices. The spacebar is now used as a context-sensitive key; it's used for opening doors, talking to NPCs, making certain selections, sprinting, and for going into (and out of) cover. It's also used for jumping and leaping over obstacles, but it doesn't work like it should since you have to go into cover before you can leap (a separate key for this action would have sufficed). If you want to give specific commands to your squad, you use the left shift key (though the AI is improved enough so that you don't have to access the menu often). If you don't like the controls, you can map the keys however you wish. For some strange reason, none of the menu shortcuts from the first game are present; if you want to access the codex or the journal, you have to go into the main menu to do so. It's a minor, but correctable issue.

The audiovisual presentation in ME2 is spectacular. A PC with modest specs-say, a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, and a Nvidia 8800GT video card-will give you great results with most settings maxed out. The voice acting is up to the standard that is expected of BioWare; they spared no expense, getting many prolific voice actors for their game. The music sets the mood perfectly, whether you're in an intense firefight or you're exploring the creepy interiors of a deserted ship.

The praise that ME2's been receiving is well-deserved, but the game is not perfect. Although the developers eliminated the tedious and absurd planet exploration involving the Mako, they replaced it with something that isn't much better: scanning planets for minerals. It's as bad as it sounds. The problem is that the target cursor moves far too slowly, which means that it takes several minutes to clean out a planet. The problem is compounded when you find a planet with a lot of resources. Fortunately, you can get an upgrade for your ship that speeds up the process considerably, but the whole idea of scanning planets for minerals to upgrade your gear and your squad was ill-conceived from the start. The other problem with ME2 is of a technical nature; sometimes, small black squares will appear around the subtitles. It's a minor issue at worst, and to be fair, it may be hardware-related. What isn't a hardware issue is the fact that players can occasionally get stuck in objects, forcing them to reload a previous game. Until a patch is available, players should save their game often.

Mass Effect 2 is a shining example of a sequel where its improvements are so numerous, and so significant, that it's hard to go back to its predecessor and expect the same enjoyment you had when you initially played it. The only reason to play the original Mass Effect now would be to import a different set of decisions and see what the consequences are. Even then, it would be far easier to download a completed file from the Internet and not waste time that could be spent playing Mass Effect 2. The final game in the trilogy won't be released presumably for a few years, and the wait is going to be painful.

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"King9999 reviewed Mass Effect 2 for the PC..." was posted by King9999 on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:52:24 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2/user-reviews/705666/platform/pc/ Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:24:52 -0800 King9999 reviewed Darksiders for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/darksiders/user-reviews/703539/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Darksiders is an interesting game from new developer Vigil Games. It takes elements from various popular games and wraps them around a story loosely based on events from the Bible. The game's graphics even resembles a certain world-renowned MMORPG. To its credit, Darksiders mostly succeeds in meshing these various gameplay elements together, but the best way to approach the game is to think of it as a more violent version of The Legend of Zelda. If you try to play the game with any other expectations, you'll be rewarded only with disappointment.

Darksiders begins with Armageddon-always a good way to begin a story, right? The twist is that the purging of the world occurred a bit too early, thus upsetting the delicate balance of power between Heaven and Hell, and leaving both parties broken and battered. The game's protagonist is one of the Four Horsemen; you play as War, who is framed for passing judgment when it wasn't called for. War takes it upon himself to clear his name by finding the real culprit and figuring out their motive. Along for the ride is The Watcher, whose job is to make sure that War carries out his objective and doesn't try to rebel against his masters. The Watcher occasionally serves as a guide, either by telling you what your next objective is, or by showing you something of interest. He's essentially the Darksiders version of Navi, except he's annoying in different ways.

For the first few hours, Darksiders might not seem all that great thanks to the limited combat, but its strengths become apparent once you reach the first dungeon. The game's dungeons share more than a little resemblance to Zelda, but it was Vigil Games' decision to imitate from the best. Dungeons are a joy to play through, and although they are few in number, they're quite lengthy, and take up a good chunk of the 15-20 hour quest. Another thing that Darksiders does well is provide constant rewards; it feels like you can't turn a corner without acquiring a shiny new item. Items range from new dungeon tools, to passive skills, to weapon enhancements. There's a shop where you can purchase new moves for each of the weapons you currently have. You can also buy wrath abilities, which are essentially magic skills that require a sufficient amount of wrath meter.

There's plenty of power at War's disposal, but it's a shame that all that power doesn't need to be used to any great effect. If you're expecting combat that's on the level of Devil May Cry, then you're looking at the wrong game. War can hurt his enemies any number of ways, but Darksiders doesn't do much to encourage using anything other than your basic weapon techniques and a handy dodge move. The other problem with combat relates to control; you can lock-on to a target by holding down the L2 button, but if you want to use a wrath ability, you must hold down L1, then press any of the face buttons with an assigned skill. Now, it may be that I'm just not accustomed to using my middle finger to press a shoulder button, but using a wrath ability while locked on is more complicated than it should be. There are other scenarios where the controls could have been simplified, but they are areas of opportunity for a likely sequel.

The graphics in Darksiders are very pleasing, even if the characters look like they came from something straight out of a Blizzard Activision game. The Xbox 360 version of the game apparently suffers from some heavy screen tearing (which will be fixed according to the developer), but rest assured that the PlayStation 3 version has no such issues. The music is standard fare, with ambient tunes and choruses peppered throughout, but there's actually quite a bit of silence. The lack of music may just be a design choice, perhaps as a way to illustrate the aftermath of the end of the world. The voice acting is quite good, with some recognizable voice actors lending their talents. Mark Hamill in particular reprises his role as the Joker, now known as the Watcher. Joking aside, the voice suits the Watcher's character just fine, but it's a little strange hearing that iconic voice being used for a character other than the Joker.

Let's be clear here: Darksiders is not an original game in the slightest. The developers knew what kind of game they wanted to make, and in that regard, they absolutely succeeded. Not many games can consist of a mishmash of genres and still be considered good. Vigil Games has made a solid effort for their first attempt at making a game; let's see if they can carve out a more unique identity for the inevitable sequel.

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"King9999 reviewed Darksiders for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by King9999 on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:24:52 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/darksiders/user-reviews/703539/platform/ps3/ Fri, 01 May 2009 18:53:24 -0700 Ghanima_A reviewed The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year/user-reviews/657295/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

You'll find Lucian and many other "colorful" characters in Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion. Oblivion is an open world western RPG available on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

To steal a line from another great game, Fable 2, "Who will you become?"

The choice is yours.

Like most adventure/RPG type games, you begin as a nobody. A nobody in a prison cell being mocked by the prisoner across from you actually. Why are you there? Aside from it being necessary to get the game going, your guess is as good as mine. Of course, your past misdeeds aren't relevant. It's your future that matters. Like most games in the genre you soon find out you just might be the chosen one.

You are informed of this possibility by none other than the Emperor (voiced by Professor X/Captain Picard) as he conveniently uses a secret passage from your cell to escape from  well something. With an exit in your cell and the Emperors endorsement, you begin your quest through the tutorial.

Eventually after choosing your skills, c.lass and area of expertise (I myself an a dark elf battle mage). You will stumble out of the dark sewers and into the light of the sky. The moment you step outside you'll be left speechless by the scope and beauty of the land of Cyrodil.

The game boasts beautiful and sufficiently "Next Gen" graphics. There really is nothing quite like standing high on a mountain and looking across rolling hills, valleys, and woods towards the walls of the Imperial City and the majestic white tower in its center.

Of course that's not to say the game has no issues. It does suffer from quite a bit of pop up and occasional jaggies. Also, you'll be seeing quite a few loading screens, which tend to break the flow at times. Though these loading screens offer up tips and a little back story after reading the same one for the 15th time, you'll stop caring and start getting a little annoyed.

The Land of Cyrodil is fairly large with hundreds of ruins and caves to explore along the way to its nine cities. These caves and ruins are populated with everything from giant rats to Vampire covens. They're great places to hone your skills and get some really great loot. As you make your way from ruin to ruin or city to city you'll find yourself accosted by bandits and wild animals along the roads. Luckily there are Imperial guards regularly patrolling the roads and every so often you'll get a little help from them or you can bail them out of trouble as well if you feel so inclined. However the game does offer a Fast Travel mechanic that lets you warp to any location you have previously visited instantly, while this does take a little out of the whole "adventurer trekking the wild" feeling, its an invaluable time saver if you really need to find a bed to rest in or drop off some loot or you just don't feel like hiking. You'll also have the ability to procure a horse as well, which is a nice compromise between walking and fast traveling.


Don't think you're all alone in this huge world. Through out your travels you will run into a wide assortment of people from beggars to Counts. Most of these people will need you to fetch items, gather information, and even commit the occasional murder. You have the eccentric collector of ancient artifacts that sends you out like a medieval Indiana Jones to recover loot from lost civilizations. Unlike Indy however, you don't have that pesky need to see things in a museum, you get a nice reward that clinks when you return a lost artifact.. You even get to participate in a fun little Agatha Christie "whodunit" in a locked mansion.

Most of these tasks are voluntary and not doing them will have no effect on the main quest but you'll really be missing out on a lot of fun, money and local color if you decide to skip them.

Yes, you will meet many people throughout your travels which interestingly enough is one of the games major shortcomings. Not only are the character models far from aesthetically pleasing though they are for the most part pretty life-like, most of the characters of any given race look very much alike. Meaning it is a fairly common sight to see a couple of people on the street corner talking to themselves and if you don't see them but just hear them it sounds like a schizophrenic having a conversation with themselves. Not only do these characters look a like but their voices sound alike as well.

Though the principle characters are voiced by some pretty great talent, as mentioned above The Emperor is voiced by Patrick Stewart and his son Martin is voiced by Sean Bean (The Sharpe Series, LOTR) not to mention The main villain being voiced by none other that Terrance Stamp (General Zod, Superman, Chancellor Valorum, SW: Episode 1), for the most part each race is voiced by a single voice actor. There's also a jarring inconsistency in characterization. One moment you 're talking to a whiny beggar asking you for a coin and the next moment that same beggar is speaking to you with the tone and accent of a highborn lady. Its not game breaking but it does take you out of character.

During the course of the game you'll have the opportunity to join a few different factions. Whether you're a warrior, a wizard, a thief or a cold-blooded assassin there's a guild for you. Joining guilds not only gives you a variety of different quests it also offers quite a few perks. Being in a guild automatically makes every other member of that guild like you more. It will also give you access to armor, weapons, alchemy ingredients and a warm bed to sleep in free of charge whenever you need it. You'll start out as just another lowly member but can rise through the ranks until you become leader of the faction, which will offer additional perks such as having the option to choose someone to go adventuring with you. If you join all of the guilds and get all the expansions and DLC you could potentially have your own small entourage dungeon delving with you.

If you find yourself getting a little bored of the landscape and people of Cyrodil then you can head on over to the Shivering Isles, a place you won't soon forget. While the people you find in the Shivering Isles look just like the people of Cyrodil you'll quickly find out that they are um different.

The Shivering Isles is divided into three areas; The Fringe, Dementia and Madness. Upon your arrival you'll find yourself in the Fringe, the area outside of the Shivering Isles "proper" but don't worry, there's enough nuttiness to go around in The Fringe.

The Shivering Isles is ruled by the delightfully odd Deadric Prince Sheogorath, also known as the Mad God (and believe me, he deserves the name). I don't want to give anything away but I recommend at some point you save the game and then attack Sheogorath afterwards, his reaction is definitely something you won't want to miss.

If you don't mind getting completely sucked into a video game void for months I recommend you run out and get The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion The Game of the Year Edition and if possible go with the PC version. While the console versions of the game are excellent (I did my first play through on the 360), The PC version will allow you to customize the game to a greater extent and also open up the ability to utilize user created mods that will keep Oblivion fresh, new and exciting for months to come. Regardless of what version you purchase I highly recommend the DLC. Not only will it give you some pretty cool places to live (one of which comes with your very own minion, another with your own pirates and another with a castle full of knights) The also give you access to certain fun and necessary items early on in the game.

Just one more word 

Don't buy Horse Armor.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year/user-reviews/657295/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 01 May 2009 18:51:35 -0700 Ghanima_A reviewed Avalon Code for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/avalon-code/user-reviews/657294/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Avalon Code is a new Action RPG made by the same company that made the DS Final Fantasy remakes, which were extremely well done.
The game takes the traditional "Save the World" RPG story and gives it a fresh new twist. Yes, the world is about to end in this game as well, the difference is that your task isn't to save it, no one can, its been decided the world is too far gone. No, your task is to record anything of interest in a book, but not just any book, the magical Book of Prophecy. After the current world is destroyed the entries you made in the Book of Prophecy will be used to create the new world.

How will you accomplish this task? Quite simply really; When you come across anything or anyone of note you press the B button to thump them overhead with the book (don't worry they won't feel it at all.) The scan only works the first time but its always amusing to repeatedly thump people over the head. Of course repeated thumpings do serve a practical purpose as well, as your book gets more and more pages sometimes the fastest way to get to the page you want is to thump that person or object again.

The game play takes place on the top DS screen while the bottom screen holds the Book of Prophecy. You use the d-pad and buttons to control your character and the stylus to flip through the book and rearrange things. Get comfortable with the book because you'll be flipping through it a lot.

The Book of Prophecy and Codes

The book is both the game's main strength and its most frustrating weakness. You see, everything you scan has a code. The code is made up of Tetris-like pieces on a small grid called a mental map. Each piece is a specific trait, for example, fruit juice is made up of five parts Forest and two parts Freedom. For the most part you are free to rearrange these codes at will to help you through the game. You might scan a flower and find that its attribute is Fire; you can then take that Fire code from the flower and drop it into your sword's mental map and turn your regular sword into a flaming sword for extra damage.

But that isn't all you can do with codes. As you scan people you'll be able to read about their likes, their dislikes, and their 'aspirations'. At first most people's aspirations will show question marks but as you befriend them by talking to them, doing tasks for them and giving them gifts based on their likes, the question marks will start getting replaced by code attributes and or the person's ideal title (aspiration). Your job is to find out this information and then give them the right combination of codes.

As you fill up the book and move the codes around, the book, will level up giving you more mystic points (what you use to move codes around, perform magic and equip items) and health. Playing around with codes is fun for a while and with a few little tweaks, it could have been better.
Though you do have a table of contents that helps you, the book could really have used some sort of index or search function. If you are looking for, let's say a hammer, you can use the table of contents to turn to weapons and then hammers. However, if you want to find say, a two block code of hope, well you better have a good memory because if not, you'll have to flip through the entire book to find it.

Another problem that arises when you are wheelin' and dealin' codes is space limitations. In order to move codes from place to place you need somewhere to put them between spot A and spot B. When you tap on a mental map, a little bar will pop up for you to place the code to be moved. Unfortunately it will only hold 4 pieces of code at a time, which can be a real hassle when dealing with a lot of code or a lengthy recipe.

Ah yes, recipes, any weapons your hero wields, accessories they wear, or items they consume are created in the book out of recipes called "metalize". You will receive metalize from other characters, in certain locations after defeating all enemies or from finding all the "exploration points' in certain areas.

Exploration Points

Exploration points tend to be a study in frustration and tedium. Don't get me wrong, as a huge fan of RPGs and adventure games I love to explore, but Avalon Code has gone a little overboard. Each area you go into has a corresponding number of points, some also have hidden tablets that will increase health or magic or provide new metalize recipes. In order to get the points and unlock the hidden items, you basically have to walk every single inch of each section and mash the A button and hope you stumble on these "places of note" (Once you get "Judgement Link", explained below, you'll also have to put up with your character saying HA!, HEEYA! And doing a little jig every time you press the A button to explore). Dungeons work a little differently from regular areas. When you enter a room in a dungeon, it is closed off and you'll be given a list of objectives. Based on how many you complete and how quickly, you'll be awarded points for the page/room and medals.

Judgement Link

You'll have an assortment of weapons to choose from, everything from swords to dynamite and at one point, only your fists. Eventually you will unlock a special fighting move that also happens to be the country's national sport. This is the "Judgement Link". Basically, it's a juggling mechanic. by timing your button presses, you'll bounce an enemy higher and higher until they explode. When an enemy explodes you'll be able to pick up Mystic jewels (the game's currency) and replenish your health and Mystic Points. Once you unlock "Judgement Link" you'll be able to enter tournaments. If you win, you'll receive new recipes. If you lose, well, you can keep trying until you win without penalty.

Romance

In this game, you'll be given the opportunity not only to befriend characters, but to form romantic attachments. You do this in the same way that you upgrade their pages, by giving them gifts that they like and playing "Judgement Link" battles with them. When they like you enough, you will be treated to a confession scene the next time your character goes to sleep. You can accept or deny the character or leave them for another character later on with no negative repercussions except a slight drop in points on their page. You'll also be treated to a little guessing game where every time you go to bed a character with high affection for you will ask "guess who" and you'll be given a list of names to choose from.

During game play you'll be assisted by four elemental spirits that are shackled to the Book of Prophecy. You can romance them as well, though it works a little differently for them. Instead of giving them gifts and such to up their points, you merely have to use their special attacks or talk to them repeatedly until their points get high enough (around 3800). When you reach the right level of affection for the Spirits it will trigger a confession scene which will lead to the removal of their shackles. But be warned, once you accept one of the spirits any time you complete a quest for an NPC of the opposite sex, the spirit's points will drop dramatically.

There are so many elements in this game that this review could go on for a long while but I think I'll call it a day and let you explore for yourself. As I've pointed out, the game does have its flaws but they aren't game breaking and once you get a feel for it, the game will easily keep you engaged and entertained. If you're looking for an action RPG, you could do a lot worse than Avalon Code.

And a final note
Ur looks MUCH better with the blindfold. (you'll see what I mean)

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ghanima_A reviewed Avalon Code for the DS..." was posted by Ghanima_A on Fri, 01 May 2009 18:51:35 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/avalon-code/user-reviews/657294/platform/ds/ Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:51:27 -0800 dunnuck reviewed Killzone 2 for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/killzone-2/user-reviews/647263/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Killzone 2 is a good FPS, do not get me wrong. I have yet to play the online multiplayer. However, the story is horribly weak, and most of the time you are stuck wondering what your mission is. Since there is no story drive, the gameplay gets repetitive, especially since it just feels like another first person shooter wrapped in a prettier bow.

Hearing so much about the storyline from the first from my friend, I was expecting an awesome story to drive me. Given the epic opening (which I noted as 'how an opening for a game should look'), I was expecting a wondrous story. But, no. The lack of story makes the gameplay repetitive. While the storyline is not always the most important aspect of first person shooters, it has to at least be a factor when your bringing to the table a standard FPS game with great graphics. Graphics do not make a game.

The battles are intense, and satisfying...for a while. But then there is another intense battle. Another intense battle. And, like a drug, players get something called "tolerance". This is where a higher dose of the drug is needed for the same effect. Killzone 2 lacks the higher dose. It stays at the epic, bullet riddled, explosion filled action throughout the entire game. And while this may sound good, it is not. Since it stays at the same level, if feels like your seeing the same thing over. Especially since there isn't a single unique gameplay component, or vehicles for that matter, and no developed story, it makes the game feel lacking. Since no one really uses a mic on PS3 online, it feels as though you are playing computers that are just good at the game. It feels exactly how it felt in campaign.

This game needed to pace itself, keep itself under control. But it couldn't. And didn't.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"dunnuck reviewed Killzone 2 for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by dunnuck on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:51:27 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/killzone-2/user-reviews/647263/platform/ps3/ Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:29:44 -0800 m0zart reviewed Silent Hill: Origins for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill-origins/user-reviews/643567/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

For a while now, I've felt that the Silent Hill series is dead. For me at least, the beginning of the end was in Silent Hill 3, a game that moved the horror away from psychological terror and put it squarely into the arena of teen flicks and B-movies. Still, while it may not have been the horror masterpiece the first two games were and eschewed much of the exploration structure of the first two titles, the gameplay structure was mostly still in tact and the game contained a lot of the genuinely thought-provoking thrills of its forebearers. That can't be said for the two most recent releases developed primarily for a console. Silent Hill 4: The Room had a potentially intriguing and dark storyline which was squandered in a host of contradictions and a gameplay system that lacked a real sense of discovery and exploration, leaving it a chore to play without strong rewards in the storyline for seeing it through. Silent Hill Homecoming made some great strides in the visual department and had an interesting storyline to boot, but by turning the game into primarily a combat-heavy action game, the thoughtful aspects of the story were de-emphasized. These two games attempt to execute a reimaging of the series, following a trend of series reinvention that has proven wildly successful for some. But the results are not comparable to Resident Evil 4, as they neither bring the series to a new fanbase nor renew the waning interest of existing fans. In fact, these entries have done more to alienate fans of the original games in the series than spark new interest.

Silent Hill Origins, developed originally for the PSP and now ported to the PS2, is one of those games that sparks the kind of anxiety in fans of the series to whom I most relate, namely those fans who wish that Silent Hill as a series could continue being the kind of series it was in the first two near-perfect entries. What kind of series is that? One that doesn't try to continue the first game's uncontinuable storyline in awkward ways or otherwise squander the potential thought-provoking horror those first two games are known for, and one that doesn't try to turn itself into a linear adventure or an action-game primarily about combat. For the longest time, Silent Hill Origins seemed like it would be a combination of both of these atrocities by acting as a prequel to the original story and taking a combat-heavy approach similar to that of Resident Evil 4. Through its many years of development, suffering a switch to another development studio in the process, that focus changed to something fans of my persuasion can be more at home with -- a game that treats the Silent Hill township as that haunted place we visit inside of ourselves in our dreams and nightmares, a place where lost souls come to exercise their demons and face their fears, and in facing them either perish or leave freed of their burdens.

The game's story still attempts to connect itself to the events that took place prior to the original Silent Hill's storyline, and you'll see some of the events that led to the first game's scenario as well as meet some of the most important figures in that game's cast of characters. There will even be a return to a location from the original game which will leave the hearts of many fans pattering in blissful nostalgia. It won't take long though to realize that most of these circumstances associated with the original game are superficial at best, providing a backdrop and some motivation for the main character, a truck driver passing through Silent Hill named Travis Grady, to face and resolve a few personal tragedies of his own. At the start of the game, Travis encounters upon a main event that anyone familiar with the series will already recognize, a childhood experience which defines Alessa's character in the original Silent Hill game. His participation in the aftermath of that event serves to trap him in the alternate reality of Silent Hill. And while he continually seeks out Alessa in an attempt to understand what happened to her, this motivation serves only as a rouse, leading him to locations and situations that switch his focus away from Alessa's childhood and fate and back to his own, forcing him to face his own painful childhood experiences as a corollary to hers. In this way, the game's storyline is much more in line with the masterpiece that was Silent Hill 2, in that its primary focus is on the experiences of Travis rather than the experiences of yet another incarnation of Alessa. The monsters that Travis meets here are images from his own mind, manifestations of his own nightmares, rather than those of Alessa. The resolution he's seeking is to his own trauma, not Alessa's.

But the storyline isn't the only thing that fans of the traditional series will find refreshing. The gameplay itself takes a page right out of the first two games, presenting the same sort of exploration and discovery. Like the first two games, you explore the Silent Hill township to find the next important location. The downside is that because the game was developed for a handheld, the township isn't quite as large as it was in previous entries. Still, this game represents a happy return to that formula that worked so well in the series' beginnings. As mentioned, one location is revisited from the first game, but most of the new locations you will explore are very new and extremely well designed and executed. They are as fitting as they are innovative, eschewing the randomness that has plagued the last few entries of the series, as each location relates directly to the storyline in ways that will be obvious as you experience them.

For all the similarities this game bears to the original two games in terms of gameplay, there are two new gameplay mechanics that are worth mentioning. The first one is the limited use of melee weapons. With few exceptions, melee weapons in this game have only a set number of uses in combat, after which they will disappear. This mechanic was obviously added in order to put more emphasis on the scarcity prevalent in the first two Silent Hill games, necessitated by the emphasis on melee combat with which this entry is saddled. The limitation does seem to put the scarcity and "survival" back into the formula, but it also serves to be a bit of an annoyance, especially the clumsy execution of the expiration, which ends up with the weapon simply disappearing mid-battle with little indication to what actually occurred.

The second new mechanic fares much better, being a reinvention of the transition to the "nightmare" world that forms a foundation for the plot and gameplay of each entry in the entire series. Unlike its predecessors, in which passage to the hellish version of Silent Hill is something that just happens to the main character and the player at specific plot points, in this game the player transitions to and from the spectral plane through a series of well-placed portals through his own direction. Each portal is a mirror location which toggles Travis between worlds each time he accesses them. This works amazingly well, serving to turn the transition between worlds into an environmental puzzle element rather than a mere plot transition. There is a price to pay for this new treatment of the dark world, as the movement from a plot device to a puzzle element removes some of the feeling in previous games that these nightmare scenarios are something you are subjected to in ways you can never predict and not easily escape. Still, the overall effect is positive, serving to add some spice to the traditional gameplay structure of the series without completely redrawing it.

For many, the word "Origins" in the title will feel a bit misleading, especially upon realization that this game is really Travis' story and that Alessa's story is little more than a backdrop, but I feel it is perfectly fitting for a game that brings the wandering series back to its roots. Some gamers will be less happy with it, considering it a regression, especially if those gamers are fond of the most recent attempts at reinvention previously mentioned. But the game will speak to many of those who just wish Silent Hill games could continue to be Silent Hill games and not some new series branded frivolously with the Silent Hill name. Silent Hill Origins demonstrates that the formula we've grown to love can be shaken up minimally in targeted ways to breathe some new life into it without throwing it out in its entirety, along with the baby and its proverbial bathwater. Because this industry in general seems so steeped in tired old formulas at the expense of new concepts, it can be tempting to put so much emphasis on new ideas that old ideas which are still relevant are thrown in the legacy bin. It's important though for games that we've grown to love not to lose their identity in striving for innovation. Silent Hill Origins accomplishes that, and thus is an effort I hope we see more of in the future.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"m0zart reviewed Silent Hill: Origins for the PSP..." was posted by m0zart on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:29:44 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill-origins/user-reviews/643567/platform/psp/ Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:09:16 -0800 m0zart reviewed Silent Hill: Origins for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill-origins/user-reviews/643335/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

For a while now, I've felt that the Silent Hill series is dead. For me at least, the beginning of the end was in Silent Hill 3, a game that moved the horror away from psychological terror and put it squarely into the arena of teen flicks and B-movies. Still, while it may not have been the horror masterpiece the first two games were and eschewed much of the exploration structure of the first two titles, the gameplay structure was mostly still in tact and the game contained a lot of the genuinely thought-provoking thrills of its forebearers. That can't be said for the two most recent releases developed primarily for a console. Silent Hill 4: The Room had a potentially intriguing and dark storyline which was squandered in a host of contradictions and a gameplay system that lacked a real sense of discovery and exploration, leaving it a chore to play without strong rewards in the storyline for seeing it through. Silent Hill Homecoming made some great strides in the visual department and had an interesting storyline to boot, but by turning the game into primarily a combat-heavy action game, the thoughtful aspects of the story were de-emphasized. These two games attempt to execute a reimaging of the series, following a trend of series reinvention that has proven wildly successful for some. But the results are not comparable to Resident Evil 4, as they neither bring the series to a new fanbase nor renew the waning interest of existing fans. In fact, these entries have done more to alienate fans of the original games in the series than spark new interest.

Silent Hill Origins, developed originally for the PSP and now ported to the PS2, is one of those games that sparks the kind of anxiety in fans of the series to whom I most relate, namely those fans who wish that Silent Hill as a series could continue being the kind of series it was in the first two near-perfect entries. What kind of series is that? One that doesn't try to continue the first game's uncontinuable storyline in awkward ways or otherwise squander the potential thought-provoking horror those first two games are known for, and one that doesn't try to turn itself into a linear adventure or an action-game primarily about combat. For the longest time, Silent Hill Origins seemed like it would be a combination of both of these atrocities by acting as a prequel to the original story and taking a combat-heavy approach similar to that of Resident Evil 4. Through its many years of development, suffering a switch to another development studio in the process, that focus changed to something fans of my persuasion can be more at home with -- a game that treats the Silent Hill township as that haunted place we visit inside of ourselves in our dreams and nightmares, a place where lost souls come to exercise their demons and face their fears, and in facing them either perish or leave freed of their burdens.

The game's story still attempts to connect itself to the events that took place prior to the original Silent Hill's storyline, and you'll see some of the events that led to the first game's scenario as well as meet some of the most important figures in that game's cast of characters. There will even be a return to a location from the original game which will leave the hearts of many fans pattering in blissful nostalgia. It won't take long though to realize that most of these circumstances associated with the original game are superficial at best, providing a backdrop and some motivation for the main character, a truck driver passing through Silent Hill named Travis Grady, to face and resolve a few personal tragedies of his own. At the start of the game, Travis encounters upon a main event that anyone familiar with the series will already recognize, a childhood experience which defines Alessa's character in the original Silent Hill game. His participation in the aftermath of that event serves to trap him in the alternate reality of Silent Hill. And while he continually seeks out Alessa in an attempt to understand what happened to her, this motivation serves only as a rouse, leading him to locations and situations that switch his focus away from Alessa's childhood and fate and back to his own, forcing him to face his own painful childhood experiences as a corollary to hers. In this way, the game's storyline is much more in line with the masterpiece that was Silent Hill 2, in that its primary focus is on the experiences of Travis rather than the experiences of yet another incarnation of Alessa. The monsters that Travis meets here are images from his own mind, manifestations of his own nightmares, rather than those of Alessa. The resolution he's seeking is to his own trauma, not Alessa's.

But the storyline isn't the only thing that fans of the traditional series will find refreshing. The gameplay itself takes a page right out of the first two games, presenting the same sort of exploration and discovery. Like the first two games, you explore the Silent Hill township to find the next important location. The downside is that because the game was developed for a handheld, the township isn't quite as large as it was in previous entries. Still, this game represents a happy return to that formula that worked so well in the series' beginnings. As mentioned, one location is revisited from the first game, but most of the new locations you will explore are very new and extremely well designed and executed. They are as fitting as they are innovative, eschewing the randomness that has plagued the last few entries of the series, as each location relates directly to the storyline in ways that will be obvious as you experience them.

For all the similarities this game bears to the original two games in terms of gameplay, there are two new gameplay mechanics that are worth mentioning. The first one is the limited use of melee weapons. With few exceptions, melee weapons in this game have only a set number of uses in combat, after which they will disappear. This mechanic was obviously added in order to put more emphasis on the scarcity prevalent in the first two Silent Hill games, necessitated by the emphasis on melee combat with which this entry is saddled. The limitation does seem to put the scarcity and "survival" back into the formula, but it also serves to be a bit of an annoyance, especially the clumsy execution of the expiration, which ends up with the weapon simply disappearing mid-battle with little indication to what actually occurred.

The second new mechanic fares much better, being a reinvention of the transition to the "nightmare" world that forms a foundation for the plot and gameplay of each entry in the entire series. Unlike its predecessors, in which passage to the hellish version of Silent Hill is something that just happens to the main character and the player at specific plot points, in this game the player transitions to and from the spectral plane through a series of well-placed portals through his own direction. Each portal is a mirror location which toggles Travis between worlds each time he accesses them. This works amazingly well, serving to turn the transition between worlds into an environmental puzzle element rather than a mere plot transition. There is a price to pay for this new treatment of the dark world, as the movement from a plot device to a puzzle element removes some of the feeling in previous games that these nightmare scenarios are something you are subjected to in ways you can never predict and not easily escape. Still, the overall effect is positive, serving to add some spice to the traditional gameplay structure of the series without completely redrawing it.

For many, the word "Origins" in the title will feel a bit misleading, especially upon realization that this game is really Travis' story and that Alessa's story is little more than a backdrop, but I feel it is perfectly fitting for a game that brings the wandering series back to its roots. Some gamers will be less happy with it, considering it a regression, especially if those gamers are fond of the most recent attempts at reinvention previously mentioned. But the game will speak to many of those who just wish Silent Hill games could continue to be Silent Hill games and not some new series branded frivolously with the Silent Hill name. Silent Hill Origins demonstrates that the formula we've grown to love can be shaken up minimally in targeted ways to breathe some new life into it without throwing it out in its entirety, along with the baby and its proverbial bathwater. Because this industry in general seems so steeped in tired old formulas at the expense of new concepts, it can be tempting to put so much emphasis on new ideas that old ideas which are still relevant are thrown in the legacy bin. It's important though for games that we've grown to love not to lose their identity in striving for innovation. Silent Hill Origins accomplishes that, and thus is an effort I hope we see more of in the future.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"m0zart reviewed Silent Hill: Origins for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by m0zart on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:09:16 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill-origins/user-reviews/643335/platform/ps2/ Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:02:21 -0800 dunnuck reviewed Left 4 Dead for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/left-4-dead/user-reviews/630457/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Left 4 Dead is an amazingly simple game, that somehow has the exact right blend to make it a memorable, rich multiplayer experience. The game features next to no storyline, the only story given in the safe rooms on the walls. It is a very, very, simple idea, but executed so well, that it is almost unbelievable. The multiplayer experience is unique, no other game has anything like it. There has been no real horror multiplayer experience on the xbox. There have been attempts, none of which were good. This game provides scares and adrenaline rushes all the way throughout. The replacement of enemies and weapons makes the experience different. And while the game will not entertain everyone, it is surely going to entertain most people. The AI is done well, at least as well as it can for being a zombie game. The characters have a large range of lines to speak, the zombies all act in certain ways; Leaning against walls, sitting down, fighting each other. The music, unlike any other game out there, is actually vital to the gameplay. It will allow you to be aware of when a certain enemy is nearby and you will grow to learn how to hunt down these fiends so that you may avoid them instead of running up on them by surprise. It is nothing like the Orange Box, which a certain moron happened to say in the reviews. That person gave the game a 4.5 and said "gears this, gears that". Trust me, if your going to be a stupid fanboy and favor Gears 2 over everything, don't play the game. It doesn't deserve to be insulted so.

In my opinion, Left 4 Dead is a quicker, more intense multiplayer experience than Gears 2. Not to say Gears 2 is bad, not in the least. The game is amazing. It is just that, Gears 2 stays the same whether your teammates have mics or not, while Left 4 Dead is not. With a full party of talkable teammates, Left 4 Dead is an amazing experience. People get frantic, and often scream in excitement. While Gears 2, you just camp one spot and fight hordes of enemies, which doesn't require teammate communication at all. In Gears, all you have to do is follow the leader or go off on your own killing spree, and if you go down, someone notices immediatly and comes for you. In Left 4 Dead, it is not so simple. Yes, it says that they are down, but most of the times you don't notice because your either A, being chased by a tank, B, cant see because of boomer vomit, C, fighting a horde, D, trying to kill a witch, E, getting grabbed by a smoker, f, Getting tackled by a hunter or, G, all of the above.

And we can't forget Versus. There is a competetiveness that is absent in Gears of War 2. When online, there are no vendettas. In Gears 2, there is no sense of revenge. In Left 4 Dead's versus mode, you play AS THE ZOMBIES to take out the survivors. And it is never over. I was playing with a party and there were two survivors left, they entered the safe room and both got tackled by my teammates who were hunters and we won, them not surviving at all. This puts tensions high, as the positions flip and you get a chance at revenge.

Left 4 Dead is a truly unique experience. Play it.

Now.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"dunnuck reviewed Left 4 Dead for the Xbox 360..." was posted by dunnuck on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:02:21 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/left-4-dead/user-reviews/630457/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:12:00 -0800 spacer69 reviewed AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/ac-dc-live-rock-band-track-pack/user-reviews/619840/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

YES, but it would of been better if all the tracks weren't live. Brian Johnson voice during some of the songs couldn't be heard clearly. Maybe because he drank a few bottles of oil before they went live. God how I wish Bon Scott never died from alcohol overdose. But the game is an awesome collection of AC/DC tracks but a few short of being a great list of tracks. Missing are Rocker, Ride On, Squealer, Problem Child, What Do You Do For Money, Have a Drink On Me, Big Balls, Girls Got Rhythm, Walk All Over You, Touch to Much, Love at First Feel, Shot Down in Flames, If You Want Blood, and Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution. Maybe these tracks will come out threw some download tracks or maybe another AC/DC track pack that isn't LIVE. The game itself is just like Rock Band one with some nice achievements. The tracks can be ported to Rock Band 2 track list, but I haven't attempted to load them up yet. Still playing as an individual game at the moment. Well worth the $39.99 even if the vocals are weak at times in my opinion.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"spacer69 reviewed AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack for the Xbox 360..." was posted by spacer69 on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:12:00 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/ac-dc-live-rock-band-track-pack/user-reviews/619840/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:38:16 -0700 spacer69 reviewed Eternal Sonata for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/eternal-sonata/user-reviews/619736/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

The answer to that question imo is YES. The graphics are improved over the 360 version along with new content to explore. One dungeon is open during your regular play while the other is open after you beat the game. Two new characters currently not in the 360 version. The combat is the same as before but using the ps3 controller felt more natural to me, hate the big bulky 360 controller lol, but just as satisfying. Even the sound was more crisp on this version. I was wondering if Brady games would reprint the strategy guide to include the ps3 version of this game. I doubt it :( This is the superior version of the game. About time Sony fan boys, like myself, start getting better games for a great system. Even if they are better remakes from the 360 library. Anyone who bought the 360 version should give this a go if you have a PS3 also.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"spacer69 reviewed Eternal Sonata for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by spacer69 on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:38:16 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/eternal-sonata/user-reviews/619736/platform/ps3/