ClearDagger's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ClearDagger's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ClearDagger's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Tue, 21 May 2013 04:43:18 -0700 GameSpot ClearDagger's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Mon, 20 May 2013 15:11:47 -0700 benleslie5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811535/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

It's never easy to find the best first-person shooter game out there on any platform there's been some classics in the past like Goldeneye and Timesplitters 2. BioShock Infinite is one of those that should be highly recommend to any gamer out there, if you haven't played the series before or you have played BioShock 1 and 2.

Set before the 60's during the events of BioShock 1 and 2, Infinite takes place in 1912 where Booker DeWitt heads to the lighthouse which transports him to Columbia with the mission from Luteces to "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt". Elizabeth plays a very important role throughout the main story; she is not like other people you'll meet in Columbia. Throughout the story you'll be escorting Elizabeth and finding out what is really going on its story.

Gameplay: Like the past two BioShock games if you've played them do feel a little similar on its first-person shooter with a mix of RPG elements you've still got your standard weapons like the pistol gun, machine gun and shot gun, you'll also get other guns which you'll use later on through various parts of Columbia. You'll also get to use the grappling gun which you can either attack against enemies or grabbing on railways connecting to buildings called skylines where you can ride your way around the city feeling like you're on a roller-coaster.

The fun part is when riding the skyline and shooting at enemies at the same time, you can also grab on to hooks which can help you get across various building and areas you can't reach; you can also assassinate your enemies from above if you see a star icon when they are not looking.

Another feature in Infinite by pressing L1 you can use powers and abilities using vigors, which is similar to BioShock's plasmids and tonics. You can burn your enemies by insinuating them or murder of crows can summon a swarm of crows to attack enemies. You will get more powers later on in the game and some of the powers are pretty cool to use, when you finally rescue Elizabeth she can help you lock-pick through certain doors and padlocks, she can also help you find money and items. You'll have a health bar and salt bar for powers, you'll find cash machines where you can purchase stuff and upgrade weapons and powers to help you get through the game. If you're not sure where you suppose to go you can press the up button where a green arrow will tell you where you need to go.

Graphics and Sound: BioShock 1 and 2 were setting in an underwater city, in Bioshock Infinite the floating-city of Columbia is set in the skies which feels more like a Steampunk game with it being set during the early 1900's. The stunning visuals and environments are extremely impressive to look for a first-person shooter; it does feel more like an open world game where you can go anywhere you like around Columbia.

The animation for the characters are very done and could have been perfect for an animated film if it ever happened despite the amount of violence and blood you'll see throughout the game. You can easily get yourself lost around the city if you're not too careful, and as I mention on the gameplay section riding the skylines do make it feel like you're on a roller-coaster ride making you feel that you're riding it.

Troy Baker does the voicing for Booker and Courtnee Draper does the voicing for Elizabeth, both actors have really much made this game perfect for its fine voice acting and also the same with the rest of the characters you'll meet in Bioshock Infinite with the setting being set in 1912. You will hear some remix music from the 80's and 90's but being done in the setting around that time making it more impressive to listen to.

Overall: I really don't want to spoil the ending or the main story for Bioshock Infinite you'll also hear some of the best quotes and see some of the most memorable moments in gaming. Clearing the game on your first play through can take you at least 20 hours or more pending on if you want to try and collect everything including audio tapes. There is trophy support if you want to collect trophies, there's even quite a few easter eggs being added in fans will really get a laugh out of it.

Unlocking 1999 mode after your play through is the biggest challenge with it being on the hardest difficulty setting making it more rewarding to play the game again and again. I rarely play first-person shooters but this one is highly recommended to any gamer out there for their collection.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"benleslie5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by benleslie5 on Mon, 20 May 2013 15:11:47 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811535/platform/ps3/ Sun, 19 May 2013 14:02:42 -0700 The_Deepblue reviewed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-drakes-fortune/user-reviews/811494/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Often considered to be the Playstation 3's first must-own exclusive, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a platformer-shooter hybrid resembling the previous generation's Prince of Persia titles and the old Tomb Raider games. It starts with promise: Nathan Drake has partnered up with television personality Elena Fisher, who apparently hosts a television show that would probably be a staple series on the Discovery channel. She documents Nathan's recovery of his ancestor's (Sir Francis Drake) coffin from the bottom of the sea floor. There is no body within but instead the late Drake's treasure booklet, containing maps, pictures, and clues to a coveted treasure located in El Dorado. Assisted by his partner, the middle-aged, cantankerous Sully Sllivan, Nate and company embark on a grand treasure hunt.

The first few hours shine with promise. Aside from the captivating cutscenes, climbing around in the jungle and exploring a tomb or two sparks curiosity. The platforming is mostly smooth thanks to Drake's fluid movement and great animation, though not completely perfect. Similar to how one must press the "Z" button in 3D Legend of Zelda games to position the camera to line up Link's jump, you must do the same with Drake. While Link's jump looks a bit mechanical, Drake's is more lifelike, but his jumps will often be slightly off, making landing on smaller platforms a bit more tricky. Shimmying along walls and swinging from ropes and vines is pleasant, but the platforming does not escalate into any exciting territory.

From what I have seen from Uncharted 2 and the third installment in the series, with their movie-like action sequences, I thought the first would be more explorative. This is, after all, a game whose plot is centered on a treasure hunt. There are treasures to be found, which unlock concept art and behind-the-scene videos chronicling the making of Drake's Fortune, but this game has virtually no explorative qualities. As linear as a straight line, the tidbits of tomb-conquering quickly turns into a sequence of firefights.

Gun-wielding pirates are the only enemies for quite some time. These foes come in gangs, and they can shoot an airborne penny from a hundred yards away and throw grenades like world champion corn-hole players. Luckily, these gun showdowns take place in areas with lots of projectiles utilizable for cover. A good duck and cover system allows Drake to hide and shoot around corners. The controls for this system are fine, and without it some battles would be impossible to win.

However, you are put in a more than a few damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situations where if you emerge from cover, you are shot and killed, or if you stay in that position, enemies will flank you from an unexpected direction and slay you where you are. In these scenarios, the only thing to do is run around like a trigger-happy psycho and hope you kill them before they kill you. Kinda sloppy design. The firefights are fun for a while, however, but for some hours in the middle of the game, these sequences happen far too often, making the majority of Drake's Fortune a repetitive, predictable, frustrating slog. There are a few set-pieces such as a water-ski getaway sequence, but that particular piece is hampered by annoying control and, of course, relentless baddies that are crack-shots regardless of their shooting distance.

There is little else to keep Drake's Fortune fresh and interesting. A plot twist of sorts causes the game to pick up its pace near the end, but by that time fatigue has set in, making the ending desirable. The first Uncharted still looks great, though it is a six year old game. The animations are smooth, environments illustrious, and the musical score induces an Indiana Jones feel. All of the positives can be savored for a fine experience, but the repetitive bulk of the game with its frustrating firefights hardly make this a treasure worth playing.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-drakes-fortune/user-reviews/811494/platform/ps3/ Thu, 16 May 2013 20:23:03 -0700 naju890_963 reviewed Metal Slug 3 for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/metal-slug-3/user-reviews/811398/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Metal Slug, a series best known for it's frantic gameplay and challenging difficulty. SNK's third outing in the franchise, Metal Slug 3 is critically acclaimed and loved by many fans of the series and it's deemed to be the best game in the franchise. While I personally never played a Metal Slug game before this one, I can't deny that MS3 is incredible. Metal Slug 3 was originally released in the arcades on the NEO-GEO MVS hardware which was a dominant force in the days of the arcades. Along the years it has been ported to many different systems, including the Xbox, PC and PS2. The one I'll be reviewing is the PS2 version.

Metal Slug is a series that has always thrived on ridiculously frantic gameplay and Metal Slug 3 doesn't fail to deliver. It's as frantic as ever. It does have a few new additions since Metal Slug 2/X. While no new weapons were added, SNK brought in a couple of new vehicles. One of these vehicles is an ostrich with a machine gun mounted on it. That's why I love this game. It's just goofy, the whole series has a great sense of humour. Apart from a few changes, Metal Slug 3's gameplay is still classic Metal Slug. That's not a problem at all. Metal Slug is one of those games were it is easy to pickup but hard to master. It can really get overwhelming sometimes and death can become unavoidable. Metal Slug 3 has four playable characters, which all play and feel the same. Their's also some backstory, which I wasn't bothered to read because personally I come to Metal Slug for one thing, gameplay. But it might interest some die hard fans of the series.

Gameplay wise, MS3 is very similar to previous entries in the franchise. Almost identical actually, except for a few new mechanics. Levels can actually branch out and can be played differently each time. This adds a lot to replay value. Metal Slug is all about non stop action. I love how it keeps at it all the time and rarely let's down. Most of the time, the screen will be filled with gunfire, soldiers and gigantic bosses. Speaking of gigantic bosses, these are probably the craziest bosses you'll ever see in a 2D run and gunner. They take a lot of hits too and most of the time there are standard soldiers running with them. The bosses don't require much strategy but they are still challenging none the less. A few gimmicks are present in some levels. In a particular level if the player dies, he'll be transformed into a zombie were he is immune to gunfire but still can die if other zombies attack him. I feel like they are a worthy addition and can help break up the gameplay at times. Weapons remain unchanged but I don't feel like that's a problem because they are all fun to use. SNK compensated for that and brought in a couple new Metal Slugs.

Metal Slugs resemble tanks but way wackier. Most of them have machine guns mounted on them, but some might have some special secondary weapons. They'll offer extra protection too. There is one metal slug available for each level. Their isn't much to say about the controls, they work great for the most part but I have a small gripe with them. In one level in particular I found myself on a platform with enemy soldiers underneath me. But for some reason it doesn't allow me to shoot below me which was a real pain as I had to restart the level and take them out first before proceeding upwards. It's nothing to cry about but it did manage to bother me for a while. Graphically it looks very close to the MVS version, I personally see no difference and it's a well done port. Metal Slug features that iconic announcer, you know the one.

The soundtrack rocks too, perfectly fitting. The console versions feature two bonus modes that can be played after finishing the main game. They are fun to play for a while but I didn't find myself going back to them nearly as much as I did with the main game. I would definitely recommend this version for anyone who hasn't played Metal Slug 3 but for those who did play it, I'd see no reason to buy this version except for the bonus modes which aren't that special to begin with. Overall I found Metal Slug 3 to be fun as all hell, fans of 2D games must check this one out.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"naju890_963 reviewed Metal Slug 3 for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by naju890_963 on Thu, 16 May 2013 20:23:03 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/metal-slug-3/user-reviews/811398/platform/ps2/ Mon, 13 May 2013 20:09:56 -0700 XENOmorph00010 reviewed Halo 4 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/halo-4/user-reviews/811273/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Master Chief might have gotten a long nap, but even he has yet to earn actual retirement. The arrival of Halo 4 came on wheels equal parts heavy and shaky, with the question of whether 343 Industries could deliver being just the start of many hot topics. Halo: Anniversary didn't exactly let them spread many legs, so fans really couldn't be blamed for feeling uneasy about the future of the Xbox's juggernaut. Thankfully, the game is a pleasant experience, one that tends to hit very high, only occasionally slumping into unremarkable territory.

After floating around space for about 4 years, Master Chief and his typically fun-poking AI companion, Cortana, find themselves careening towards a strange planet, called Requiem. Though the fight was technically finished, Covenant forces still find a way to do more than give Master Chief some updated target practice from the get-go. Yet they're just the start of the encounters throughout the game, with folklore from the novels coming to light. Needless to say, things get very plot-heavy, especially for a videogame series.

What's most impressive about the story isn't so much its scale and expansiveness, but the fact everything is held together by a tugging narrative. Halo is far from what comes to mind when one thinks emotionally involved, but this latest installment does more for the characters, both old and new, than any of the previous entries. Much of this stems from Cortana, who reveals herself as rampant, which is a simplistic way of saying "I'm on my unrecoverable period." Hope, tension and a surprisingly emotional bond shine throughout the game. It's an extremely welcoming change for the series, such that it suggests great things for the next two installments.

One area that doesn't feel as changed up, however, is the gameplay. Ever since Halo 2, the series has definitely fallen under the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" category. Halo: Reach made a couple realistic adjustments, but the frantic and fluent playing style remained intact. Outside of some new weapons, the Campaign doesn't truly showcase many changes. Head into War Games with other gamers, however, and the differences start to shine. Tweaks such as jet packs, infinite sprinting, camouflage and decoys return to keep things wild and interesting. The most controversial change, however, comes with how weapons are dealt out. While you have freedom to choose what standard firearms you'll start with (assault rifles and pistols), the big and weird guns are randomly scattered about the maps, or called in via ordinance drops. These are essentially rewards for players who perform well during the game, or when they hit a certain number of points. That's another change we have: matches are won by earning points, as opposed to just kills. Get enough of them yourself and your enemy might just stare down the end of the appropriately named Saw.

Needless to say, changes like these have drawn comparisons to Call of Duty's perks and killstreak rewards. And while the influence of a tired series is apparent, this doesn't strip Halo of its identity. Halo 4 retains the smooth, quick and dexterous feeling of its predecessors, allowing just enough freedom to where players will feel empowered, but not overly privileged.

In addition to War Games, Halo 4 includes a cooperative multiplayer mode called Spartan Ops. This plays out over the course of episodes, continuing 6 months after the Campaign. Don't worry though, it's a completely separate storyline. Swarms upon swarms of enemies are really what Spartan Ops delivers, meaning solo players will need loads of patience. Since Halo is generally highlighted by intense firefights, this might feel like a counterintuitive mode for some. Spartan Ops really serves as little more than a bonus (and less scripted way) to blow through even more enemies.

The quality of gameplay between the Campaign and multiplayer modes might not be consistent, but one thing that perseveres is how Halo 4 looks. The game was touted as a limit-pusher for the Xbox 360, which is completely attest-able. Playing through the Campaign is, unsurprisingly, the best way to see Halo 4. Even minuscule parts of levels such as rock and boulder formations are alarmingly convincing. But it's far from all drab locales, as luscious outdoor environments offer color, detail, lighting and scale which few, if any games have hit nearly as well on the Xbox 360. The multiplayer maps don't necessarily have the most innovative design choices, but they all look the part technically. Thanks to a broad color spectrum, influenced by anything from vehicular explosions to the Incineration Cannon, there's seldom a dull moment to feast. Like the gameplay, Halo 4's looks are smooth and blissful.

Another constant in Halo 4 is the stellar sound design, especially when it comes to the score. While Martin O'Donnell's classic, notable touches are missed, our ears are still left to salivate music that only further drives the game's many key moments. Neil Davidge has managed to compose a sound that somehow combines sadness, urgency, triumph and sheer awe all at once. One listen to the track "117" is all any person needs. It's astounding, quality work.

Note must also be made of the voice acting, which gives that much more authenticity to the game itself. Even without a face, the underlying delivery of some of Master Chief's lines hit some truly sincere notes. When the going gets tough, you believe it thanks to the combination of graphics and implementation of voiceovers.

As for the weapons and various sound effects, these also tend to hit great punchlines. While the Warthog sounds out of place, just about everything else lights up like a perfectly placed grenade. The aforementioned Saw is a blood-bursting joy to fire, while the simple notes emitted by the Plasma Pistol make it seem new and refined, even before firing. Taking part in(multiplayer) battles doesn't sound as cinematic as it does pitch-perfect, partly due to the unexaggerated explosions. You're not going to make anyone think World War IV is going down in your room, but guests will certainly become curious of the variety of noises emitted by your speakers.

Halo 4 treads a shaky line between fan loyalty and different direction, but it walks with finesse. The small changes do little to hinder its core identity as a tried-and-true Halo game, especially on the controller. In a number of ways, 343 Industries have completely triumphed what Bungie provided during their time with the series. Lackluster multiplayer matches are an unfortunate given, but there's still a stronger sense of initiative here than just about any other first-person shooter on the market. Combine that with a terrific, unforgettable Campaign and we have a game that more than earns its sequel status.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"XENOmorph00010 reviewed Halo 4 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by XENOmorph00010 on Mon, 13 May 2013 20:09:56 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/halo-4/user-reviews/811273/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 13 May 2013 20:05:55 -0700 XENOmorph00010 reviewed Gears of War 3 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war-3/user-reviews/811272/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

*This review is strictly for the single player.

www.recaphub.com

For a while, Gears of War was considered THE technical marvel to top, especially for home consoles. Aside from a stiff learning curve and uneven difficulty, Epic's first foray into the current gaming generation served up a gore-infested experience like few others. That was nearly 8 years ago. In-between that time, we were treated to an infinitely superior sequel which lived up to the "bigger, better and more badass" claim in every way. After such a step up in quality, it's difficult to imagine how Epic could craft an even greater game.

Two years have passed since the COG flooded Jacinto in an attempt to defeat the Locust. But like cockroaches in a college apartment, those grubs just can't resist the light. This goes both literally and figuratively, as the COG now face Locust enlightened by Imulsion, a glowing oil-like substance. Amidst these even more deformed opponents is yet another final attempt to eradicate the Locust, with the proposer being none other than Marcus Fenix's father, Adam.

While Gears of War never brought out the most riveting material, the second game managed to find a harmony of battles, set pieces and just enough emotional tugging. Gears of War 3 feels a bit empty, by comparison. Part of this has to do with its sprawling narrative, which leads to a lack of overall focus. Not every attempt at emotional payoff actually pays off, and the ones that do don't hit nearly as hard as they should. I still had at least one fundamental question when the final cutscene ended, which succeeds a climax that felt rather minuscule, especially given the developer's name.

Minor gameplay changes have been made, but they leave little impression in regards to single player. These amount to being able to switch weapons with your partners, and a consistent presence of three other squad mates. Given the slower, more deliberate nature Gears of War is known for, this is great for cooperative gaming. However, solo players will be left with a less than compelling road to walk. As a result, Gears of War 3 feels like it was meant to be experienced with human companions which, if gamers recall Resident Evil 5, isn't exactly ideal. This isn't to say the friendly AI is worthless, however. They actually tend to come through in most situations and many deaths will likely be a result of savage enemy attacks, more than anything. But there were a few points where my allies literally abandoned me or couldn't figure out how to climb over an obstacle of cover. If anything, your allies often become distractions for the bigger foes, so much of the game can actually feel like a series of mousetrap trials.

Where Gears of War 3 starts to step things up is with the enemies, which are many and varied. Standard issue Locust still make frequent appearances, but now there are Lament Locust, which pose a number of various threats. Sometimes shooting them enough times will cause them to deform into a different, more taxing beast. Finding their glowing weak points is the opposite of challenging, however, so as long as your aim and ammo supply keep going, they shouldn't be too demanding. Truth be told, the more difficult points are those where you're literally swarmed with enemies. The prime culprits here are these new Lambent behemoths, who just love stretching their arms out to supply a one-hit kills.

In most respects, Gears of War 3's presentation outdoes even its predecessor. Levels are loaded almost entirely within a brief span of time, while the game itself looks even better when played than it does during cutscenes. Some of the most visually pleasing points include seeing Locust jump up--steam and smoke behind them and all, a city left almost completely in ash and the regal, colorful setting for the final Act. That said, the game still feels very downsized compared to the last installment, which makes the traditional, conclusive take on the score feel a bit misplaced. Also lacking is the sense of scale from the set pieces. While there are some terrific places to feast your eyes upon, none of them evoke the sense of peril Gears of War 2 so consistently provided. Even with the lackluster controls, I'll still take the snowy vehicle sequence from the second game over the aimless submarine level here.

For all the accolades Gears of War 3 can be afforded, its single player still remains in the shadow of its predecessor. Not every point hits a flat note, but the game is severely lacking when it comes to blood-pumping thrills. Cliff Bleszinski might think "Gears 3 is a better game on every level," but to this particular gamer, it couldn't be any further from the truth.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"XENOmorph00010 reviewed Gears of War 3 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by XENOmorph00010 on Mon, 13 May 2013 20:05:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war-3/user-reviews/811272/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 11 May 2013 00:09:48 -0700 SR71halo reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811196/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Creating a follow up to a game as immerse and sophisticated as the original Bioshock is no easy task. How could you recreate that atmosphere and gameplay that stunned millions almost 6 years ago? Well, when the third game in the series, Bioshock Infinite, was announced, we were in just as much awe as we were when the first game was introduced. Unfortunately, the game was delayed several times and gamers were left waiting for this highly anticipated sequel. Now that it's out, does Bioshock Infinite live up to the high standards of the original? Short answer: yes. Long answer: eh, let's take a look anyway...

Taking place in the year 1912, you play as Booker Dewitt; a private investigator with a mysterious past and one mission; "get the girl and wipe away the debt". However, the girl and this "debt" remain a mystery at the beginning. You start the game at a mysterious lighthouse in the middle of the ocean. Upon entering this lighthouse, you find a chair at the top, which you are then strapped to and sent sky high (literally) to Columbia, a flying city. This fine city was founded by Comstock, whom everyone here seems to refer to as "The Prophet", and it seems like a friendly city at first, but you will find that it holds many dark secrets as you progress.

I hate to stop talking about the story there, but that's because the best part about Infinite is its remarkable story telling. It lures you in with its mysterious characters and setting and everything plays out perfectly at the end. It's just one of those plots that keeps you guessing throughout the whole game which instantly peaks your curiosity of what happens next. Of course, if you played the original, you know how well Irrational can pull off that "WTF" moment very well, and that moment here is no different. In fact, the twist is made even less obvious here. The ending will also leave an impression on you and will keep you thinking long after the credits role, that to me is a sign of good storytelling. Bioshock Infinite's story is absolutely fascinating, to the point where it deserves to be called one of the best told stories in video game history. The atmosphere, characters, and setting all compliment one another to give you one though provoking story that you will never forget.

The story is also accompanied by its brilliant presentation in both the art style and the environment around you. The city of Columbia looks so breathtaking, you'll want to explore and soak it all in. What makes it more interesting is that the city actually changes as you progress the story. It starts off all beautiful and innocent but then that beauty fades and you're left with a darker, war torn city in the sky, just to keep your excitement and curiosity high. The first Bioshock set the bar high with its tremendous atmosphere and visuals, it's nice to know that Infinite looks and feels just as good.

The gameplay remains true to the original Bioshock's formula. It has no set pieces like most military shooters, but that doesn't mean it's lacking on the action. Of course, being an FPS, the gameplay naturally involves pointing your gun and shooting. Of course you get a selection of weaponry like the machine gun, pistol, sniper rifle, rocket launcher, carbine, shotgun, grenade launcher, etc. The shooting is intense at times though it plays out like most FPS'. However, like the first game, you also have vigors to help you out (known in the first game as "plasmids"). Each vigor has different advantages like one that possesses enemies to fight in your favor or the one that sends crows at your enemies and distracts them. As you progress, you can use the money you find to upgrade your vigors (or weapons for that matter) so that they can do secondary attacks like using them to set traps. The vigors are fun to play around with but using them will eat up your vigor pool, which can be replenished by finding salts. This means that if you run out in the middle of battle, you'll have to resort on your gunplay more.

The gameplay is as fun as always but for the most part, there isn't much new when regarding gunplay. However, there are two gameplay elements that really help mix things up a bit. The first is the addition of the sky lines all throughout Columbia. Upon jumping on one, you're in for one hell of a roller coaster ride. You can attach and ride these rails to either travel from one spot to another or use it to your advantage during combat; either by making you a more difficult target (while firing at them from above at the same time) or using them to reach vantage points. Riding on these rails is always a thrill, whether you're traveling or just messing around.

The second element that really makes this game feel unique is your new trusted companion; Elizabeth ("the girl" I mentioned earlier). Storywise, Elizabeth is a well rounded and interesting character who holds a dark secret. Gameplay wise, she's the biggest advantage you got. She can't wield a gun and give you covering fire but what she can do is throw you ammo or salts if you're running low, or even health should you really need it. That's not all though, for she also has this mysterious ability to "tear" which involves opening doorways or portals. These tears can open up many elements that can give you the upper hand, from cover and rocket sentries to hooks to jump on for vantage points or even crates of ammo. The best part is Elizabeth never feels like she's holding you back or that you have to constantly babysit or protect her on a regular basis. She stays out of enemy fire just fine and can look after herself while you're busy trying to save your own hide. Outside of battle, she's also helpful for picking locks and finding you loot. Luckily, the AI has no trouble following close behind you and never gets stuck. Having this competent partner with you really adds to the gameplay and she can even be the deciding factor in every combat situation she's in.

However, as excellent as this game is, it isn't without a few flaws. First of all, there is only a two weapon limit this time. This isn't such a big issue in games like Halo where having two weapons works with split up levels and adds strategy to the multiplayer. For Infinite, none of that matters (open ended and no multiplayer) and having only two weapons when the first game let you carry many is a drag. Not to mention the game is a bit on the easy side. There is a little more punishment for dying by losing your money, unlike the first game which hardly gave you any punishment, but I highly recommend playing this game on hard if you have experience with FPS games before. Normal is too easy.

In 2007, Irrational set the bar with a well told story, unique visuals and fun gameplay with the original Bioshock. In 2013, they may have just reached that bar once again and showed other FPS devs how it's done. The gunplay may not seem spectacular but the extra elements it adds to the combat, like sky lines and Elizabeth, do. If there's one thing the developers did outdo themselves in, it would be the amazing story of Booker Dewitt and Elizabeth with a jaw dropping ending that will keep you thinking long after you're done, and you will want to play through it again. Bioshock Infinite is more than an impressive game, it's an experience that you should never miss.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SR71halo reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by SR71halo on Sat, 11 May 2013 00:09:48 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811196/platform/xbox360/ Tue, 07 May 2013 15:08:22 -0700 WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811097/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Who dares doesn't always win, apparently. BioShock Infinite is a game that far too often goes only halfway in realizing its many grand ambitions. It dares to speak on ever-relevant issues of racism, classism, and nationalism, but in an odd twist of irony, it marginalizes these plot elements that, in the real world, often lead to oppression and marginalization to instead focus on some good old-fashioned mind-bending speculative science fiction. It admirably deigns to not fall back on jarring cutscenes, but predicates most of its major mechanics on familiar shooting structures, leaving most of its truly affecting moments to be navigated through singular button-presses, that is, if you are given the opportunity to have any real input in these moments in the first place. It wants you to lose yourself in the visually engrossing but philosophically abhorrent world of Columbia, but many of the floating city's major players are paper-thin caricatures, and the game's wealth of audiologs feels cheaper and more overly-convenient than ever.

Still, it must be said that the fact that Infinite even partly accomplishes any of the tasks that it sets out for itself is hugely impressive. Considering many games have difficulties spicing up even the most rote shooting mechanics, unleash a deluge of cutscenes and quicktime events on players at every possible opportunity, and often struggle to not, themselves, be racist, BioShock Infinite stands out as an important step forward for big budget games that strive for serious artistry and drama. Irrational's latest isn't the gaming medium's magnum opus of cultural expression that one might expect given the game's self-serious artistic posturing, and huge critical acclaim, but it's still an utterly important release, and a damn good one too.

This is because there are plenty of things that Infinite gets totally right. The game's astounding audiovisual presentation is perhaps the foremost place to start. The game doesn't overtly flex any technical wizardry in the way an id or Crytek release might, but its sheer artistic splendor makes it one of the very best looking games of this console generation. At the root of this is no doubt the game's stellar environment, which ranks among the pantheon of gaming's greatest settings.

In the game's opening hour, players are slowly, calmly introduced to the seeming utopia of Columbia, an opulent, sun-drenched city above the clouds defined by exaggerated American expressions. Bright, idyllic gardens surround grand Palladian building; a peaceful stillness remains pervasive even through bustling storefronts and chatting citizens, only to occasionally be interrupted by enticing music selections (seriously, pay attention to this game's soundtrack), or - as players will encounter soon after arrival - a gleeful carnival complete with silly games and booming fireworks.

The game is wise to devote such a long period of time to simply navigating and luxuriating in its enticing environment, as Columbia is a true marvel that demonstrates the fact that Infinite's surely ungodly budget was put to good use - Irrational's hugely talented art team seems to have been truly unleashed. And though the game reserves for itself a few more simple moments of quietude, players will also soon discover their chief motivation for the rip-roaring action that consumes the vast majority of Infinite's running time.

Lead by the self-righteous and disturbed Father Comstock, most of Columbia's denizens have adopted a worldview that takes notions of American Exceptionalism to ridiculous but no less frightening extremes. Here, other religions have been extinguished in favor of a faith that idealizes America's founding fathers, as well as Comstock and his family, and all but the Anglo-Saxon adherents to this dogma are marginalized, reviled and exploited. This, as you might imagine, is causing some problems within the floating city, and tensions continually escalate from the moment you arrive.

But don't ready your spinning skyhook just yet, as there's quite a bit to dissect with this hefty plot setup. As mentioned before, Infinite has no qualms about diving headfirst into seemingly risky storytelling territory. But, much like the original BioShock's awkward and contradictory critique of Randian Objectivism, Infinite handles its set of sociopolitical critiques in a rather bumbling, heavy-handed, and ultimately ineffective way. For most of the game, these heavy themes of discrimination are mostly shock with little substance. Early on, for example, players will find themselves in the headquarters of The Fraternal Order of the Raven, an environment whose every last bit of iconography - including statues of John Wilkes Boothe, and enemies garbed in darkened Klu Klux Klan robes - spews bigoted filth. Troubling, to be sure, but this environment is never explored to a satisfactory degree in a narrative context. We are never told what drove the Order's members to this disgusting mindset, or what function it plays in Columbian society as a whole; instead we're instructed to simply tear through the environment, dismembering every racist we can find. Indeed, almost every one of the game's on-the-nose explorations of racism and jingoism seems to exist as more out of a desire to simply justify Infinite's absurd level of bombastic violence than a willingness to earnestly and cerebrally comment on these weighty issues.

It's a true shame, but again, the fact that the game is willing to go to these dark places in an upfront and confrontational manner when most games dodge around similar issues or make heavy use of metaphor and allegory in order to indirectly speak on them is commendable, even if it keeps Infinite's apparent daring from being something to truly celebrate.

But there is a second major component of Infinite's ideological critique, one that is much more subtly woven throughout the game, and one that ultimately cuts much deeper. Forgiveness and rebirth, in regards to its inherent inclusion in many major religions, is relentlessly examined and scrutinized over the course of the campaign in some truly unsettling ways. This side of the game's narrative might be so uncomfortable, in fact, as to offend adherents to the faiths that Infinite draws some heavily parallels to with its own disturbing belief system. The fact, however, that these themes aren't merely dabbled in, as are the game's superficial commentaries discrimination, but rather made absolutely integral to the core narrative and explored fully and fearlessly leads Infinite, in this instance, to fully live up to its grandiose goals. This is the moment where Infinite's narrative triumphs, and I can only hope that more games follow in its footsteps in bringing to light serious thematic content in a more direct manner, as can be seen so often in other media yet so rarely within video games.

Alright, here's where you can start revving up your skyhook. As he progresses through the carnival that greets him as he first steps foot in Columbia, Booker DeWitt, the game's playable and decidedly not-mute protagonist, begins to fully unravel the noxious worldview of Columbia's inhabitants. On his way towards a strange raffle that serves as the fair's main event, Comstock's voice booms over a loudspeaker, warning the citizens of Columbia about the arrival of the False Prophet, a man who has the letters "AD" burned into his right hand. Sure enough, our anti-hero holds his hand up to reveal that exact marking. And sure enough, during this eerie raffle event, the Columbians take notice of the mark, and Booker DeWitt swiftly digs a spinning hookblade into the skull of the first police officer that attempts to apprehend him.

With this, BioShock Infinite reveals its heavy emphasis on twitchy shooter gameplay and ridiculous amounts of gore. Engaging in the game's slick shooting mechanics feels no different than it might in the latest Call of Duty game; guns have a fantastic sense of weight to them and the responsiveness and ingenuity of the game's heads-up display ensures steady environmental awareness despite the over-the-top freneticism of many of the game's combat sequences. But where Infinite's combat truly shines is in its surprising mechanical density. Vigors that grant Booker special powers like the ability to shoot electricity from his fingertips or absorb bullets and toss them right back at foes serve as the first extra layering. For those familiar with the series, these powers might seem quite like the Plasmids introduced in the first BioShock, and though they do perform the same function, they're implemented in a far more balanced way in Infinite than they are in its predecessors; they're powerful and readily available but must be dealt out conservatively, as the mana pool they run on is rather restrictive.

But as gleefully destructive as they can be, Vigors are decidedly uninteresting in the face of Infinite's more inspired new mechanics. Booker's ability to latch onto the aerial Skylines running throughout Columbia is perhaps the most mind-blowing gameplay feature of them all. Though the mechanic seemed rather unbelievable during its first E3 showing a couple years ago, it speaks to the ingenuity of the game's level design that fluidly navigating Skylines that weave throughout many of the game's rather conspicuous battle arenas while taking shots at enemies, a potentially disorienting feat, becomes effortless after only a few encounters. The verticality and freedom of movement this system grants the game is awe-inspiring, and almost attaches a sense of childlike wonder to the act of mass-murdering racists.

For the first few hours of gameplay, these are the mechanics that Booker is limited to. It's during this time that he seeks to accomplish a seemingly simple direction mandated by a mysterious client: "Give us the girl, and wipe away the debt." Though this phrase ends up holding more significance than an uninitiated player could possibly know, it nonetheless serves as the impetus for finding Elizabeth, a young woman whose power to tear holes in the space-time continuum has, perhaps expectedly, lead her to be sequestered on the looming, Statue of Liberty-esque research facility, Monument Island.

So, as one might expect, this ability of hers adds more than a few layers of complexity to what might've otherwise been a rather straightforward plot. As the extent of her powers is gradually revealed, a suitably mind-bending narrative begins to form that comments, among other things, on the frail nature of identity and the profound ways in which a single choice can influence personhood, for better or worse. Though the introduction of converging space-time might seem to risk devolving the story into an Inception-esque exercise in overly complex authorial self-indulgence, BioShock Infinite uses this storytelling conceit to build a truly tragedian narrative.

But Elizabeth isn't merely a means for crafting a brain-melting metaphysical storyline. Nor is Booker DeWitt a stupefied on-looker who hails from the same lineage of horribly flat shooter protagonists as Gordon Freeman, or Corvo Attano. They are both memorable characters whose defined personalities infuse the plot's affecting tragedy with a true sense of humanity. Elizabeth, on one hand, starts out as a surprisingly cultured and self-aware inversion of the classic damsel-in-distress trope, and her evolution over the course of the game's ten- to twelve-hour campaign is astonishingly well-paced and believable. Her exaggerated features and expressive animations that pay homage to the distinctive style Grim Natwick invented for Disney solidify her as one of the most memorable and empathetic characters in gaming. DeWitt, by contrast, is predominately a closed-book, limiting himself to practical, yet charismatic antics strongly reminiscent of classic swashbucklers like Han Solo until his dark past is fully revealed during the final act. When that happens, he extends far beyond his narrative role as a foil to Elizabeth, and the resulting revelations cut to the bone. Major compliments are due to Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper, who faultlessly brings this odd couple to life even through all the mind-blowing turns the story takes.

The duo also serve as a great team during Infinite's huge combat sequences. Though Booker, as mentioned before, is in charge of most of the direct combat, Elizabeth is a key ingredient in what makes the game's massive shootouts so dazzling. Most significantly, she uses her ability to alter time and space to bring objects into the battlefields that didn't previously exist. Asking for a wall of cover to hide behind when a dozen enemies are facing you down, or perhaps a Skyhook that lets you access a sniper perch adds an exciting tactical dynamism to combat that feels especially important considering the sheer number of foes the game throws at you. Since you can only select one object to tear in at a time, more heated battles require a constant mindfulness and economization of Elizabeth's power that is as exhilaratingly strategic as the best of tactical shooters.

A smaller, but no less genius touch is the fact that Elizabeth tosses you mana and ammo when it feels clutch. Even when it becomes obvious that she's scripted to do so whenever your resources are running low, the notion that an AI is looking out for you is relentlessly fulfilling, especially in a game that constructs a scenario that might've so easily fallen into the dreaded escort-mission trap. Indeed, going back to other first-person shooters has become tough, as Elizabeth is not just a delightful companion in a narrative sense, but she's also integral to the satisfaction of Infinite's moment-to-moment combat proceedings.

Each of the augments to the core shooting experience are satisfying in their own right, but once they all start working in tandem, Infinite's combat scenarios reach the upper-echelon of FPS sublimation. Not since Half-Life 2 has a shooter married pulse-pounding twitch thrills to a deeply strategic core so seamlessly, and while leaving so much room for experimentation. The gritty sound design that punctuates the action is equally superb; a combination of abrasive string stabs, impactful weapon sound effects and some truly horrifying enemy damage reactions unfailingly sell you on the weighty ferocity of the mayhem you cause.

All this, of course, sounds amazing, and on some level it truly is. But consider this: for all its fast-paced entertainment, Infinite's combat never fully works. In a mechanical sense, it's pretty much as polished as can be, but the game's massive amount of carnage doesn't quite work within the context of the story. In fact, story and gameplay don't feel merged at all. While there's a fair amount of narrative justification for the heavy degree of violence, the fact that shooting people and ripping their heads of with a spinning hook is pretty much Booker's only way of interacting with the world undercuts much of the arresting emotionality of Infinite's narrative.

Highlighting this problem is the fact that many of the game's most powerful moments either preclude player input, or limit interactivity to the push of a single button. Elizabeth's ability to tear holes in the space-time continuum, for example, may have been the basis for some ingenious puzzle solving and narrative interaction, but players are instead left to simply push a button to demand entry into a new reality where they can proceed to shoot more people in the face. Again, this feels like BioShock Infinite going only halfway in bringing its many fantastic ideas to life; some truly inventive mechanical structures may have been borne out of the game's central narrative conceits, but Irrational has disappointingly opted to instead rely on more comfortable and pre-established action gameplay.

This disconnect is furthered by the game's odd focus on scavenging between each firefight. While the opportunity to really dig into and appreciate each environment, as well as get a break from the nearly nonstop action is welcome, the context of the narrative doesn't really support these detours either. Booker's mission is given an impactful sense of urgency, so the fact that the game encourages you to stop down for long stretches of time to eat random food items littered about and try to uncover Columbia's many secrets is rather off-putting. Early on, for instance, Elizabeth finds herself in immediate danger. An objective indicator flashes on-screen telling you to go rescue her, yet you find yourself surrounded by lootable objects designated by a pulsating golden glow. Of all the moments to try and fish pieces of cake out of a trashcan, this may be the least opportune, but Infinite's structure, which evidently values narrative over gameplay in terms of pacing and logic, continues to tempt you astray regardless. This might all seem a bit nitpicky, but considering the fact that Infinite is so intent on being treated as a significant work of art, these small annoyances can't be ignored, as they gradually undermine the meaning the game tries so hard to construct for itself.

BioShock Infinite is a game worth any mature player's while, but it has come at an unfortunate time. Within the past year alone, the industry has been treated to games like Spec Ops: The Line, The Walking Dead, and Hotline Miami, just a few titles that are capable of eloquently and expertly exploring dark themes while being cognizant of their respective mechanics' impact on the narratives they try to weave, making a game like Infinite - one that never fully accounts for the ways in which its gameplay influences the meaning and effectiveness of its story - seem a bit clumsy by comparison. David Jaffe, the brilliant designer behind games like God of War and Twisted Metal once deemed the relationship between gameplay and narrative as being like the combination of "chocolate and tunafish." I would argue that this claim isn't necessarily true, and games like Spec Ops are perfect demonstrations as to why that is. In the case of Infinite, however, Jaffe's argument has a haunting validity. But take heart, the chocolate that is BioShock Infinite's gameplay and the tunafish that is its story are pretty much premium grade when enjoyed separately. Just accept the fact that the combination is going to taste a little odd and find something to savor within it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WTA2k5 on Tue, 07 May 2013 15:08:22 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811097/platform/xbox360/ Tue, 07 May 2013 13:42:46 -0700 WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811095/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Who dares doesn't always win, apparently. BioShock Infinite is a game that far too often goes only halfway in realizing its many grand ambitions. It dares to speak on ever-relevant issues of racism, classism, and nationalism, but in an odd twist of irony, it marginalizes these plot elements that, in the real world, often lead to oppression and marginalization to instead focus on some good old-fashioned mind-bending speculative science fiction. It admirably deigns to not fall back on jarring cutscenes, but predicates most of its major mechanics on familiar shooting structures, leaving most of its truly affecting moments to be navigated through singular button-presses, that is, if you are given the opportunity to have any real input in these moments in the first place. It wants you to lose yourself in the visually engrossing but philosophically abhorrent world of Columbia, but many of the floating city's major players are paper-thin caricatures, and the game's wealth of audiologs feels cheaper and more overly-convenient than ever.

Still, it must be said that the fact that Infinite even partly accomplishes any of the tasks that it sets out for itself is hugely impressive. Considering have huge difficulties spicing up even the most rote shooting mechanics, unleash a deluge of cutscenes and quicktime events on players at every possible opportunity, and often struggle to not, themselves, be racist, BioShock Infinite stands out as an important step forward for big budget games that strive for serious artistry and drama. Irrational's latest isn't the gaming medium's magnum opus of cultural expression that one might expect given the game's self-serious artistic posturing, and huge critical acclaim, but it's still an utterly important release, and a damn good one too.

This is because there are plenty of things that Infinite gets totally right. The game's astounding audiovisual presentation is perhaps the foremost place to start. The game doesn't overtly flex any technical wizardry in the way an id or Crytek release might, but its sheer artistic splendor makes it one of the very best looking games of this console generation. At the root of this is no doubt the game's stellar environment, which ranks among the pantheon of gaming's greatest settings.

In the game's opening hour, players are slowly, calmly introduced to the seeming utopia of Columbia, an opulent, sun-drenched city above the clouds defined by exaggerated American expressions. Bright, idyllic gardens surround grand Palladian building; a peaceful stillness remains pervasive even through bustling storefronts and chatting citizens, only to occasionally be interrupted by enticing music selections (seriously, pay attention to this game's soundtrack), or - as players will encounter soon after arrival - a gleeful carnival complete with silly games and booming fireworks.

The game is wise to devote such a long period of time to simply navigating and luxuriating in its enticing environment, as Columbia is a true marvel that demonstrates the fact that Infinite's surely ungodly budget was put to good use - Irrational's hugely talented art team seems to have been truly unleashed. And though the game reserves for itself a few more simple moments of quietude, players will also soon discover their chief motivation for the rip-roaring action that consumes the vast majority of Infinite's running time.

Lead by the self-righteous and disturbed Father Comstock, most of Columbia's denizens have adopted a worldview that takes notions of American Exceptionalism to ridiculous but no less frightening extremes. Here, other religions have been extinguished in favor of a faith that idealizes America's founding fathers, as well as Comstock and his family, and all but the Anglo-Saxon adherents to this dogma are marginalized, reviled and exploited. This, as you might imagine, is causing some problems within the floating city, and tensions continually escalate from the moment you arrive.

But don't ready your spinning skyhook just yet, as there's quite a bit to dissect with this hefty plot setup. As mentioned before, Infinite has no qualms about diving headfirst into seemingly risky storytelling territory. But, much like the original BioShock's awkward and contradictory critique of Randian Objectivism, Infinite handles its set of sociopolitical critiques in a rather bumbling, heavy-handed, and ultimately ineffective way. For most of the game, these heavy themes of discrimination are mostly shock with little substance. Early on, for example, players will find themselves in the headquarters of The Fraternal Order of the Raven, an environment whose every last bit of iconography - including statues of John Wilkes Boothe, and enemies garbed in darkened Klu Klux Klan robes - spews bigoted filth. Troubling, to be sure, but this environment is never explored to a satisfactory degree in a narrative context. We are never told what drove the Order's members to this disgusting mindset, or what function it plays in Columbian society as a whole; instead we're instructed to simply tear through the environment, dismembering every racist we can find. Indeed, almost every one of the game's on-the-nose explorations of racism and jingoism seems to exist as more out of a desire to simply justify Infinite's absurd level of bombastic violence than a willingness to earnestly and cerebrally comment on these weighty issues.

It's a true shame, but again, the fact that the game is willing to go to these dark places in an upfront and confrontational manner when most games dodge around similar issues or make heavy use of metaphor and allegory in order to indirectly speak on them is commendable, even if it keeps Infinite's apparent daring from being something to truly celebrate.

But there is a second major component of Infinite's ideological critique, one that is much more subtly woven throughout the game, and one that ultimately cuts much deeper. Forgiveness and rebirth, in regards to its inherent inclusion in many major religions, is relentlessly examined and scrutinized over the course of the campaign in some truly unsettling ways. This side of the game's narrative might be so uncomfortable, in fact, as to offend adherents to the faiths that Infinite draws some heavily parallels to with its own disturbing belief system. The fact, however, that these themes aren't merely dabbled in, as are the game's superficial commentaries discrimination, but rather made absolutely integral to the core narrative and explored fully and fearlessly leads Infinite, in this instance, to fully live up to its grandiose goals. This is the moment where Infinite's narrative triumphs, and I can only hope that more games follow in its footsteps in bringing to light serious thematic content in a more direct manner, as can be seen so often in other media yet so rarely within video games.

Alright, here's where you can start revving up your skyhook. As he progresses through the carnival that greets him as he first steps foot in Columbia, Booker DeWitt, the game's playable and decidedly not-mute protagonist, begins to fully unravel the noxious worldview of Columbia's inhabitants. On his way towards a strange raffle that serves as the fair's main event, Comstock's voice booms over a loudspeaker, warning the citizens of Columbia about the arrival of the False Prophet, a man who has the letters "AD" burned into his right hand. Sure enough, our anti-hero holds his hand up to reveal that exact marking. And sure enough, during this eerie raffle event, the Columbians take notice of the mark, and Booker DeWitt swiftly digs a spinning hookblade into the skull of the first police officer that attempts to apprehend him.

With this, BioShock Infinite reveals its heavy emphasis on twitchy shooter gameplay and ridiculous amounts of gore. Engaging in the game's slick shooting mechanics feels no different than it might in the latest Call of Duty game; guns have a fantastic sense of weight to them and the responsiveness and ingenuity of the game's heads-up display ensures steady environmental awareness despite the over-the-top freneticism of many of the game's combat sequences. But where Infinite's combat truly shines is in its surprising mechanical density. Vigors that grant Booker special powers like the ability to shoot electricity from his fingertips or absorb bullets and toss them right back at foes serve as the first extra layering. For those familiar with the series, these powers might seem quite like the Plasmids introduced in the first BioShock, and though they do perform the same function, they're implemented in a far more balanced way in Infinite than they are in its predecessors; they're powerful and readily available but must be dealt out conservatively, as the mana pool they run on is rather restrictive.

But as gleefully destructive as they can be, Vigors are decidedly uninteresting in the face of Infinite's more inspired new mechanics. Booker's ability to latch onto the aerial Skylines running throughout Columbia is perhaps the most mind-blowing gameplay feature of them all. Though the mechanic seemed rather unbelievable during its first E3 showing a couple years ago, it speaks to the ingenuity of the game's level design that fluidly navigating Skylines that weave throughout many of the game's rather conspicuous battle arenas while taking shots at enemies, a potentially disorienting feat, becomes effortless after only a few encounters. The verticality and freedom of movement this system grants the game is awe-inspiring, and almost attaches a sense of childlike wonder to the act of mass-murdering racists.

For the first few hours of gameplay, these are the mechanics that Booker is limited to. It's during this time that he seeks to accomplish a seemingly simple direction mandated by a mysterious client: "Give us the girl, and wipe away the debt." Though this phrase ends up holding more significance than an uninitiated player could possibly know, it nonetheless serves as the impetus for finding Elizabeth, a young woman whose power to tear holes in the space-time continuum has, perhaps expectedly, lead her to be sequestered on the looming, Statue of Liberty-esque research facility, Monument Island.

So, as one might expect, this ability of hers adds more than a few layers of complexity to what might've otherwise been a rather straightforward plot. As the extent of her powers is gradually revealed, a suitably mind-bending narrative begins to form that comments, among other things, on the frail nature of identity and the profound ways in which a single choice can influence personhood, for better or worse. Though the introduction of converging space-time might seem to risk devolving the story into an Inception-esque exercise in overly complex authorial self-indulgence, BioShock Infinite uses this storytelling conceit to build a truly tragedian narrative.

But Elizabeth isn't merely a means for crafting a brain-melting metaphysical storyline. Nor is Booker DeWitt a stupefied on-looker who hails from the same lineage of horribly flat shooter protagonists as Gordon Freeman, or Corvo Attano. They are both memorable characters whose defined personalities infuse the plot's affecting tragedy with a true sense of humanity. Elizabeth, on one hand, starts out as a surprisingly cultured and self-aware inversion of the classic damsel-in-distress trope, and her evolution over the course of the game's ten- to twelve-hour campaign is astonishingly well-paced and believable. Her exaggerated features and expressive animations that pay homage to the distinctive style Grim Natwick invented for Disney solidify her as one of the most memorable and empathetic characters in gaming. DeWitt, by contrast, is predominately a closed-book, limiting himself to practical, yet charismatic antics strongly reminiscent of classic swashbucklers like Han Solo until his dark past is fully revealed during the final act. When that happens, he extends far beyond his narrative role as a foil to Elizabeth, and the resulting revelations cut to the bone. Major compliments are due to Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper, who faultlessly brings this odd couple to life even through all the mind-blowing turns the story takes.

The duo also serve as a great team during Infinite's huge combat sequences. Though Booker, as mentioned before, is in charge of most of the direct combat, Elizabeth is a key ingredient in what makes the game's massive shootouts so dazzling. Most significantly, she uses her ability to alter time and space to bring objects into the battlefields that didn't previously exist. Asking for a wall of cover to hide behind when a dozen enemies are facing you down, or perhaps a Skyhook that lets you access a sniper perch adds an exciting tactical dynamism to combat that feels especially important considering the sheer number of foes the game throws at you. Since you can only select one object to tear in at a time, more heated battles require a constant mindfulness and economization of Elizabeth's power that is as exhilaratingly strategic as the best of tactical shooters.

A smaller, but no less genius touch is the fact that Elizabeth tosses you mana and ammo when it feels clutch. Even when it becomes obvious that she's scripted to do so whenever your resources are running low, the notion that an AI is looking out for you is relentlessly fulfilling, especially in a game that constructs a scenario that might've so easily fallen into the dreaded escort-mission trap. Indeed, going back to other first-person shooters has become tough, as Elizabeth is not just a delightful companion in a narrative sense, but she's also integral to the satisfaction of Infinite's moment-to-moment combat proceedings.

Each of the augments to the core shooting experience are satisfying in their own right, but once they all start working in tandem, Infinite's combat scenarios reach the upper-echelon of FPS sublimation. Not since Half-Life 2 has a shooter married pulse-pounding twitch thrills to a deeply strategic core so seamlessly, and while leaving so much room for experimentation. The gritty sound design that punctuates the action is equally superb; a combination of abrasive string stabs, impactful weapon sound effects and some truly horrifying enemy damage reactions unfailingly sell you on the weighty ferocity of the mayhem you cause.

All this, of course, sounds amazing, and on some level it truly is. But consider this: for all its fast-paced entertainment, Infinite's combat never fully works. In a mechanical sense, it's pretty much as polished as can be, but the game's massive amount of carnage doesn't quite work within the context of the story. In fact, story and gameplay don't feel merged at all. While there's a fair amount of narrative justification for the heavy degree of violence, the fact that shooting people and ripping their heads of with a spinning hook is pretty much Booker's only way of interacting with the world undercuts much of the arresting emotionality of Infinite's narrative.

Highlighting this problem is the fact that many of the game's most powerful moments either preclude player input, or limit interactivity to the push of a single button. Elizabeth's ability to tear holes in the space-time continuum, for example, may have been the basis for some ingenious puzzle solving and narrative interaction, but players are instead left to simply push a button to demand entry into a new reality where they can proceed to shoot more people in the face. Again, this feels like BioShock Infinite going only halfway in bringing its many fantastic ideas to life; some truly inventive mechanical structures may have been borne out of the game's central narrative conceits, but Irrational has disappointingly opted to instead rely on more comfortable and pre-established action gameplay.

This disconnect is furthered by the game's odd focus on scavenging between each firefight. While the opportunity to really dig into and appreciate each environment, as well as get a break from the nearly nonstop action is welcome, the context of the narrative doesn't really support these detours either. Booker's mission is given an impactful sense of urgency, so the fact that the game encourages you to stop down for long stretches of time to eat random food items littered about and try to uncover Columbia's many secrets is rather off-putting. Early on, for instance, Elizabeth finds herself in immediate danger. An objective indicator flashes on-screen telling you to go rescue her, yet you find yourself surrounded by lootable objects designated by a pulsating golden glow. Of all the moments to try and fish pieces of cake out of a trashcan, this may be the least opportune, but Infinite's structure, which evidently values narrative over gameplay in terms of pacing and logic, continues to tempt you astray regardless. This might all seem a bit nitpicky, but considering the fact that Infinite is so intent on being treated as a significant work of art, these small annoyances can't be ignored, as they gradually undermine the meaning the game tries so hard to construct for itself.

BioShock Infinite is a game worth any mature player's while, but it has come at an unfortunate time. Within the past year alone, the industry has been treated to games like Spec Ops: The Line, The Walking Dead, and Hotline Miami, just a few titles that are capable of eloquently and expertly exploring dark themes while being cognizant of their respective mechanics' impact on the narratives they try to weave, making a game like Infinite - one that never fully accounts for the ways in which its gameplay influences the meaning and effectiveness of its story - seem a bit clumsy by comparison. David Jaffe, the brilliant designer behind games like God of War and Twisted Metal once deemed the relationship between gameplay and narrative as being like the combination of "chocolate and tunafish." I would argue that this claim isn't necessarily true, and games like Spec Ops are perfect demonstrations as to why that is. In the case of Infinite, however, Jaffe's argument has a haunting validity. But take heart, the chocolate that is BioShock Infinite's gameplay and the tunafish that is its story are pretty much premium grade when enjoyed separately. Just accept the fact that the combination is to taste a little odd and find something to savor within it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by WTA2k5 on Tue, 07 May 2013 13:42:46 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811095/platform/ps3/ Sat, 04 May 2013 14:48:51 -0700 SR71halo reviewed Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/luigis-mansion-dark-moon/user-reviews/811009/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

It must be rough being Luigi. Always following in his brother's foot steps, Luigi was usually portrayed as the cowardly sidekick who always relies on Mario to hog the spotlight and save the day. Well, he was finally given his own game.....on the NES, which stunk, but then he got a second chance in a ghost catching game on the Gamecube, which didn't. The first Luigi's Mansion was definitely an odd choice to throw this cowardly anxious sidekick into, but luckily it ended up being incredibly fun and a good example of what the system can do. It took only 12 years, but Nintendo finally decided to give us some more ghost catching goodness with a sequel; Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the Nintendo 3DS. Now the question is; was it truly worth the long wait for a second helping?

The game begins in a place called "Evershade Valley," where Professor E. Gadd lives in his laboratory and studies the friendly ghosts living in the area. One night, King Boo escaped from his prison and shatters an object called the "Dark Moon," which immediately causes the ghosts to become hostile. Retreating to his secret lair, E Gadd knows that only one man is right for the job (mainly because he's the only ghost hunter he knows about). Luigi, who was relaxing peacefully at home, is summoned by E Gadd to put on his Poltergust once more, recollect the 5 pieces of the Dark Moon, defeat King Boo and restore peace to Evershade Valley once more.

For a Mario game (or Luigi game), the story actually has a lot of personality to it. There's hardly any cut scenes out side of text boxes when you're back in E Gadd's lair, but it tells the humorous narrative very well. Luigi himself has plenty of expression to give. You feel bad for the poor guy when he shivers or freaks out at any ghost he comes across. I also like how the comedic timing was handled. Most of the humor in the game has to do with interacting with the environment around you; watching ghosts through a peep hole or Luigi being pulled into a closet. I thought it was especially funny when Luigi's hums to the background music.

The gameplay and controls are actually pretty straight forward, but it is engaging and fun. Your main tool that you'll be using is the Poltergust 5000 that is used for almost everything. You can press the R button to suck and the L button to blow, which can help either reveal secrets (like sucking up dust or rugs) or even catch ghosts that wander the mansion. Catching ghosts basically turns into a game of hide and seek. To actually find and catch them, you'll have to blind them with your attached strobe light and then engage in a long struggle with your vacuum. A timer will count down until you can officially suck the ghost up but when the above meter fills, you can press A to make the timer drop faster. It sounds easy at first but some ghosts are protected with armor or other ghosts may hit you while trying to catch another. This adds a bit of strategy to the gameplay as you may have to decide whether or not to sacrifice your catch in order to move out of the way is worth it.

The other tool you'll get on your poltergust is the light-dark device, which will be used to find invisible objects or enemies (like boos). When you find an invisible object, you'll need to suck up all the orbs that pop out of it in a limited time or it will remain invisible until you do. This and the strobe light seem pretty weak at first but luckily, you can find a lot of money within each mansion that you can collect to upgrade your gadgets, though they work more like experience. Upgrades include a stronger strobe light, a longer lasting dark light and a stronger poltergust (you can suck them up faster). All of these gadgets work well and they add to the great amount of exploration this game offers.

Speaking of which, this game gives you 5 mansions to explore, each with a different look and layout than the last. With the help of your tools, you must explore every nook and cranny in these mansions to find money or other collectables by blowing fans, pulling ropes or sucking up rugs or curtains. The game follows a mission based structure where E Gadd will give you objectives and tells you where you need to go, but don't this game is linear for that. In fact, exploration is greatly rewarded by giving you extra money or collectable gems should you go out of your way. The missions structure works surprisingly well and each mansion feels fresh and new from the last, giving you plenty of variety in its level design. The only problem you may come across is there's no checkpoints in this game, which means you have to do it all in one go. However, this game isn't particularly all that hard and I had few problems with dying.

The music and graphics also help the atmosphere and feel of the game. I already mentioned how expressive Luigi and the ghosts are, but the eerie music in the background and the graphical style help lay into this too. The visuals themselves are nice and crisp, possibly one of the better looking games on the 3DS. The 3D also adds plenty of depth to the visuals, but not a whole lot. The depth is nice but it doesn't add to the experience as much as you'd think.

The atmosphere in all of these mansions are brimming with personality, but the only thing that ruins this is, actually, E Gadd. At first, he calls you on the Dual Scream (hehe) more often than an overprotective mother at the beginning of the game, but luckily he calls you only when you beat an objective over time. The biggest problem I have is when you complete a mission. When you finish your last objective, instead of letting you explore the mansion a bit longer, you are immediately pixelated back to E Gadd's lair, which can break the immersion. I wish it was more open ended, letting you walk from mission to mission instead of pulling you back in between segments.

This game is full of surprises, and perhaps the biggest surprise is its multiplayer mode. Whether local or matchmaking, you and up to 3 other people enter the Scarescraper and are given one of three objectives. Players have a choice between Hunt (work together and catch every ghost on each floor), Polterpup (catch every Polterpup on each floor), or Race (find the exit on the floor). Once you and your teammates work together and complete the task on a floor, you move on to the next until you reach the top. If everyone dies or the timer runs out, the game is over. Even though this is a co-op mode, it feels very competitive when trying to get a higher score than your teammates. You'll also find yourself trying to catch ghosts or collect red coins for the bonus upgrade before everyone else. Surprisingly, the multiplayer works very well. This mode adds to the high replay value and each mode feels engaging, when you don't deal with people quitting all the time. It's also important to point out that coins collected in this mode get added to your total amount.

To answer my question before; yes, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was well worth the long wait. Next Level Games basically took the amount of fun and potential the first Luigi's Mansion created and added more content as well as fleshed out the gameplay and exploration aspects, making for a more engaging and entertaining experience while keeping what made the first game such a gem. Dark Moon has plenty of charm and personality to go around and it will make an excellent addition to your 3DS collection.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SR71halo reviewed Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS..." was posted by SR71halo on Sat, 04 May 2013 14:48:51 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/luigis-mansion-dark-moon/user-reviews/811009/platform/3ds/ Fri, 03 May 2013 04:19:30 -0700 naju890_963 reviewed Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-the-hedgehog/user-reviews/810955/platform/genesis/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

The Sonic the Hedgehog series has been running since 1991 when the first game debuted on the Sega Genesis. This was Sega's idea of a mascot. A blue hedgehog, with spikes on its back and red shoes. Sega created a platformer with this character, made him run very fast in colorful levels with lots of enemies, power-ups and bosses. This was a winning formula. It was the game that got the Sega Genesis up on its feet. Nowadays Sonic is on par with Mario when it comes to popularity but in the last 10 years we have seen a decrease in quality when it came to Sonic games. None the less, Sonic is still loved by many and his old games will always be cherished by Sega fans everywhere.

Sonic The Hedgehog was the first 2D platformer to feature a character so fast. At the time, Genesis owners were amazed at the speed that Sonic ran. He still runs fast nowadays but it won't blow your mind like it did back in the 90s. This contributed to fast platforming and an incredible flow that made Mario and other platformers seem sluggish. The main antagonist is Doctor Ivo Robotnik who was snatching animals and transforming them into evil robots. It's up to Sonic to defeat Robotnik and save the day. Sonic 1 features 6 zones with 3 acts each. This means that it has 18 playable levels with a special stage that can only be accessed in the first two acts of every zone. While most of the levels are pretty solid, I found the pacing to be poor. Let's see. The game starts of with the infamous Green Hill Zone. It's a fast and short level just like it should be. The second level is called Marble Zone. This is a platform heavy zone, so it's naturally quite slow. I personally find it fun but Sonic is not about slow platforming. All of the levels after Green Hill except Starlight Zone don't capture the feel of speed the first zone manages to achieve. Even so the platforming in these levels still managed to keep my attention and are pretty challenging.

Every zone has a boss of its own. The boss is always Robotnik with a new machine wreaking havoc upon Sonic. Once you get the patterns down, the boss fights are laughably easy, they're still fun to go through though. The levels are packed with rings, enemies and power-ups. Rings are very important. Sonic doesn't have the usual health system found in most platformers. If Sonic doesn't have any rings and gets hit by an enemy he will die. But if Sonic has one or more rings on him and gets hit, Sonic will simply drop all his rings. It's a great system and it helps keep the action fast. There are other things that the rings can do. If Sonic collects a 100 rings in one act than he gets an extra life. Rings are also necessary if the player wants to access the special zone. If Sonic collect fifty rings, a giant ring will appear at the end of the level. When Sonic jumps through it he'll be teleported to the special stage. Sonic will need to traverse a maze with multi-colored blocks while collecting rings. Collecting another hundred rings here will grant the player an extra life and a continue. But the main reason why the special stages exist is the Chaos Emeralds. If Sonic collects all the emeralds in all the special stages, a different ending will play instead of the normal one. These special stages get annoying sometimes, although the background and the music are kinda trippy. Keep in mind that special zones are not available at the end of act 3 of every zone, as a boss is present.

A bevy of power-ups are available, they can usually be found in computer monitors. There is the Super ring, which rewards Sonic with 10 rings, the Speed shoes, which make Sonic run even faster, a shield which grants Sonic an extra layer of protection against enemies, Invincibility, speaks for itself and a 1-up, extra life basically. Also keep in mind that invincibility won't help if Sonic falls on spikes or a pit. Sonic has a few attacks up his sleeve. He can jump on enemies or use the spin attack in which Sonic rolls up into a ball and charges his enemy. Speaking of enemies, theirs a plethora of enemies which are all Robotnik's robots. Theirs a couple of annoying enemies here and their but I think they look cool and most of the time they're fun to stomp on. Sonic has very simple controls, D-pad for movement and the A button for jumping. Simplicity at it's finest. The 16-bit sonic games are all beautiful to look at, and this is no exception. The colors are simply amazing, everything just pops out of the screen. It's ironic that a game this old can still wow gamers with its colorful graphics while newer games like Battlefield 3 can bore me to death with its various shades of brown. Also the infamous soundtrack for Sonic, unbelievably catchy and just a joy to listen too, truly a gem.

What can I say more? The original Sonic the Hedgehog is something that everyone must play, most of you must have already played it. It's available on tons of platforms but if you want to be a purist and buy it on the original console then it's not a problem at all. The Sega Genesis or Megadrive, depending on where you live is very easy to find, the sonic games are quite easy to find aswell, they were best sellers on the console after all.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"naju890_963 reviewed Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis..." was posted by naju890_963 on Fri, 03 May 2013 04:19:30 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-the-hedgehog/user-reviews/810955/platform/genesis/ Thu, 02 May 2013 00:09:14 -0700 SR71halo reviewed Sonic Generations for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-generations/user-reviews/810926/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

It's funny. For the last decade, Sonic was struggling to find himself on the console versions. Every major 3D Sonic release got panned and fans declared that Sega couldn't do anything right. Meanwhile, at the same time, Dimps kept making hits with the handheld titles such as the Advance trilogy and Rush duo. Years later, the roles have switched. Both versions of Sonic Colors were BOTH received well and now, Generations on the 360, PS3 and PC managed to finally give us a solid 3D Sonic title. However, while Generations HD is a step forward, the 3DS version, once again created by Dimps, is a step backwards.

The story hasn't changed at all from the console game, but the only major differences are 1) Sonic friends are all absent this time except for Tails and 2) there are no cutscenes, just text boxes. Basically, Sonic and Tails are getting ready for his birthday party when suddenly, a mysterious creature called the Time Eater captures Tails and swallows the world around him. Sonic wakes up in a white void and now, with the help of his past self, he must run through these familiar levels and restore time back to normal. If you played the console version, you might just skip most of the story since it's the exact same thing but toned down.

Much like its older brother, you are given two different Sonics to play with, each with their own unique gameplay style. First up is Classic Sonic, who represents the old Sonic games on the Genesis in both gameplay and design. I must admit, he does play more like classic Sonic than the 360 version. The physics are much closer to the real thing and both the jumping and rolling feel better. We finally have a replica of the classic games......until they gave him the homing attack. I'm not usually one to rage at small things like this but giving classic Sonic homing attack is just unnecessary, and it isn't needed here either. Other than that, Classic Sonic actually plays decently.

The other gameplay this game offers is Modern Sonic. Seeing as how this is the hand held version, it would be more appropriate that he plays more like the Rush games, of course (as opposed to Unleashed/Colors gameplay on the console). Much like the Rush games (and Colors DS), you can use the boost to blast your way through the stage as well as homing attack and stomp. There isn't really a whole lore more to say, it's just Sonic Rush again without anything new added, and inferior level design.

Besides the two gameplay styles that define Sonic the Hedgehog for the past 20 years, the levels also consist of stages from past Sonic games. The 3DS follows this same trend. In fact, the one reason to buy this one is because the level selection is actually different from the console counterpart. Both versions include Green Hill Zone but this time you get Casino Night (Sonic 2), Mushroom Hill (Sonic & Knuckles), Emerald Coast (Sonic Adventure), Radical Highway (Adventure 2), Water Palace (Rush) and Tropical Resort (Colors) instead. While none of these stages are bad by any means, there are a few problems. First off, if you noticed, there are less stages than the other version (which had 9). This version could have handled more than that, and the game feels shorter overall (and Green Hill can be beaten within a minute each). Why not include levels from the Advance trilogy or Rush Adventure? My other problem is the amount of copy/paste level design. What made the level design good on the 360/PS3 version is that each stage felt like a reimagined version of an existing level. On the 3DS version, the classic stages for classic Sonic are all practically the same exact levels from their respective games. Likewise, Water Palace and Tropical Resort feel very similar to the Rush and Colors counterparts. The rest of the levels are a little more original but nothing truly that noteworthy. Just decent levels to kill some time in on the go.

Completing both acts of each stage will unlock a special stage, which is a throwback to the special stages in Sonic Heroes.....only with better controls and no teammates following you. The goal is to run down a long pipe and chase after an emerald as fast as you can while dodging obstacles like bombs. You can also run into these bubble.....things and refill your boost meter. Like I said, thanks to better controls, these stages play much better than what Heroes had. Not to mention getting to them isn't as much of a hassle.

The bosses on the other hand are better than the console version. The problem with the bosses before were they were over too quickly and didn't quite take as much imagination. The bosses in this game, on the other hand, are much more fun and they actually take more than 4 hits. Not to mention, the Time Eater fight in this game is actually fun (unlike that terrible fight in the other version). I think the one that took the least amount of creativity is the Biolizard, which is almost exactly like the one in Adventure 2 but with a better camera angle. He's still decent though, as are the Big Arm robot (Sonic 3) and the Egg Emperor (Sonic Heroes). Dimps have always been good at boss fights so it's no surprise that they did a good job here...........

As long as we're not talking about the rival fights, which unfortunately aren't good. The rivals are the same three that you fought before (Metal Sonic, Shadow and Silver) but they share one major flaw; they are all exactly the same. They basically play like Sonic Rivals only less fun. The goal in all 3 is to beat them to the end while dodging their attacks, like Metal Sonic's static, Shadow's chaos spear and cheating Silver's teleportation. The console had decent rival fights but here, it seems as though there was no effort, at least not as much as the boss fights.

As for other modes, there are missions to accomplish just like the 360/PS3 version. However, these also show a lack of effort. They're basically the typical missions like finishing the stage in a given amount of time, destroying a number of enemies, etc. Needless to say the mission variety is lacking compared to every other copy. Unlike the others though, the 3DS has a multiplayer mode that is.....ok. How it works is you enter a matchmaking playlist with one other player. Both of you pick either classic or modern Sonic and a stage. The game randomly picks one of the two selected Sonics and stages, assuming you both chose different things, and you pretty much just have to beat your opponent to the finish line. Wifi multiplayer is nice addition and the multiplayer can occasionally be fun...except for the speed traps. If you get caught in one of these, it traps you until you tap a button repeatably to get out. Multiplayer is ok overall though, and it isn't too difficult to find people.....for now.

Sonic Generations on the 360 and PS3 was a surprise and was good enough to be considered one of the best. It's a shame to see that Dimps didn't put as much love into the 3DS version like the other one, or the Rush games for that matter. While not a bad game by any means, the 3DS version just feels bare bones, whether you compare it to the HD one or not. I will say that for a game that was rushed, it does have its share of fun every now and again, but there isn't enough here to warrant a full price when you have better options for Sonic games and platformers on the system. I would recommend it to the hardcore Sonic fan that wants to play every stage in both Generations games. However, if you have access to a 360, PS3, or a decent gaming quality PC, you might be happier with that version instead.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SR71halo reviewed Sonic Generations for the 3DS..." was posted by SR71halo on Thu, 02 May 2013 00:09:14 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-generations/user-reviews/810926/platform/3ds/ Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:14:27 -0700 SR71halo reviewed Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/super-smash-bros-brawl/user-reviews/810845/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

When it comes to fan service, very few games have even come close to the amount of fun and chaos that is the Super Smash Bros. series. An instant success on the Nintendo 64, this game was a dream come true to those who grew up with Nintendo; the most iconic and beloved characters gathered together for one game and fighting one another. Luckily, it turned out to be great fun and with each game came even more favorites for you to play with. Now, two games later, comes Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. Building off what it did well in previous games plus adding a bigger roster, bigger brawls and bigger thrills, Super Smash Bros. has never been better.

For those who are new to this series, Super Smash Bros. is a party fighting game that lets you choose from a wide variety of Nintendo characters and pits you against up to 3 other players (or AI) from a 2D perspective. The goal is to knock the other players off the map; whether that means send them flying above you, knock them off the side of the screen or knock them off the cliff to their doom below. Each player has a percentage meter that rises every time you get hit. As it gets bigger, the player becomes easier to knock off the map. You are also assisted by random items and special moves that drop on the map. This fast paced gameplay is chaotic and fun, and no other game does it better than Brawl. Playing against an AI is fun enough, but it's even more fun when you have friends to play with.

The gameplay is complimented by how accessible it is. There are only two real attack buttons and a block button but depending on which way you tilt your stick, you can perform a variety of attacks without having to memorize 20 different combos. And then there is the character roster, which is bigger than ever before with a grand total of 35 playable fighters at your disposal. Not only do you get the returning favorites like Mario, Link, Pikachu, Fox, Kirby, etc., but we are also introduced to many newcomers like Wario, Meta Knight from Kirby, Lucario from Pokemon, Olimar from Pikmin and many more. As a bonus, Brawl is also the first game in the series to introduce two third party characters into the action; Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series and Sonic the Hedgehog. With their own signature moves and abilities, Brawl offers a nice variety for you to choose from.

Luckily, this time around you're not limited to playing offline if you want to play with others. This is the first game in the series to offer online play. How this works is you get the choice between free for all and teams, and the game will try to find a match for you. After picking your character, you will be taken to a practice room to warm up before fighting. In spite of fighting other people being as fun as fighting people offline, matchmaking is so-so. Sometimes I can connect with little issues, other times I suffered from some serious lag. Not to mention if you want to play with friends online, you'll have to exchange friend codes which is always a hassle. Online is ok, but the matchmaking could have used some tweaking.

Even though there are a lot of fun stages to choose from, you also have the option to create your own stage. Using a simple interface, you can specify a size, background picture, and theme song to go along with your work. Then it's just a matter of selecting which of the premade terrain parts and platforms you want to lay out. This tool works surprisingly well, and you can make some pretty interesting levels. It's just too bad you can't play them online, not even with friends.

There is plenty more for single players too. There is the traditional Classic mode, of course, where you must fight in a number of rounds, two bonus rounds and eventually, defeat the master hand, a mysterious giant hand that is the main enemy in every SSB game. The best part about classic in this version is the fighters you take on change every time you play, so you will never take on the same fighters twice. Next is event mode which is a series of fights where you must complete a specific objective to complete.

The main event in the single player mode is the story mode, otherwise known as the Subspace Emissary. The story is pretty simple, all of the Nintendo characters (and Snake) band together to take on a mysterious enemy that's freezing everyone into statues. It usually starts off with two or more characters teaming up against this oncoming threat, but eventually, all stories slowly weave together. There isn't a whole lot more to say about the story, but it is cool to see characters like Link and Mario interacting with each other, or just to see what happens when Samus teams up with Pikachu.

As for the game itself, Subspace Emissary is controlled from a side scrolling perspective and plays like a beat em up, only with platforming. The percentage rule in the main game still applies here only this time, you have a life system, only dying may switch you to another character if you have the option. For the most part, this mode has it's moments and it can be a blast to play. However, there are moments tat drag it down like sections where the level scrolls or other annoying platforming sections. Not to mention some characters fair better in a platforming style game than others. Other than that, it's an interesting new experience for fans and newcomers alike, and you can play it in co-op if you like.

What started out as fan service on the Nintendo 64 is now one of, if not the, best party/fighting games on the Nintendo Wii. With bigger brawls, a bigger cast, and an improvement on that crazy chaotic gameplay we all know and love, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is simply one of the best game to grace the system. Tht's also not to mention the amount of content, stages and unlockables available. I would go ahead and say this is a must own to all Wii owners but let's be honest, if you own a Wii, chances are you already have it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SR71halo reviewed Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii..." was posted by SR71halo on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:14:27 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/super-smash-bros-brawl/user-reviews/810845/platform/wii/ Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:46:48 -0700 clock0 reviewed Sonic Dash for the iPhone/iPod... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-dash/user-reviews/810718/platform/iphone/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

This is one of the best apps I have ever played.This is a sonic version of temple run but even better then temple run you can chose to play as 4 characters Sonic,Tails,Amy and Knuckles.My favorite character in this game is knuckles but it doesn't matter which character you have because they all do the same moves but it is cool to add different characters to play as.This game is really awesome.What do you get when you put temple run and sonic in a blender? A pretty damn good smoothie.Temple Run + Sonic=A pretty damn awesome game.This is a free app and it is worth getting.If you liked all the temple runs then by all means get this really awesome game.I deleted subway surfer because I had this awesome game to replace it so goodbye subway surfer and hello sonic dash,but I didn't delete temple run because that game is too good to be deleted but this game I will NEVER delete it is just so damn awesome.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"clock0 reviewed Sonic Dash for the iPhone/iPod..." was posted by clock0 on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:46:48 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-dash/user-reviews/810718/platform/iphone/ Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:40:45 -0700 SR71halo reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/user-reviews/810725/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

For the past 25 years, it seems as though The Legend of Zelda could do no wrong. It succeeded in almost era of gaming imaginable; from the overhead games on the NES and SNES to the 3 dimensional world of Ocarina of Time and onwards (with the exception of those CDi games of course). The very last game for the Nintendo Wii, Skyward Sword, is certainly no exception. It doesn't do everything right but what it does well, it does really well. With a beautiful art style and interesting puzzles, Skyward Sword has plenty to offer to veterans and newcomers alike.

Taking place at the earliest point in the franchise, the plot begins with Link, of course, who was born and raised in Skyloft (a civilization in the sky after the ground below was swallowed by darkness). He begins to have dreams of a strange figure. Woken up by his friend Zelda, Link prepares for the Wing Ceremony, a tradition to acknowledge one as a knight. Link completes the ceremony after overcoming the attempts of his classmate Groose to sabotage him. Link and Zelda take their Loftwings (giant birds) out for a flight to celebrate, but encounter a storm which sucks Zelda down to the still demon-infested Hyrule. Soon after, Link learns that the figure from his dream is Fi, the spirit of the Goddess Sword, which Hylia created in case the evil she defeated was to stir again. She tells him that Link must descend to the surface below to find Zelda. With guidance from an elderly woman in the Sealed Temple near Faron Woods, Link pursues Zelda to the Skyview Spring where he encounters the Demon Lord Ghirahim, who is responsible for Zelda's predicament. For an origin story, it's told pretty well for the most part. The dialogue is well written and the cut scenes are amusing. The relationship between Link and Zelda is much stronger in this game too, they even give a reason why the series should be named after her.

When you step into this beautiful looking world of Hyrule, you'll start off in the sky which is where you'll probably be spending your time in between dungeons. Eventually, you'll be able to go to the ground as well, which is where you'll find every dungeon in the game and enemies roaming the forests, volcanoes and deserts. The overworld is huge but unfortunately, the ground is far more interesting than the sky. The ground is well designed, it's full of secrets to discover and puzzles to solve with many paths to follow. You'll be spending much time here before reaching each dungeon so it's nice that these landscapes are made interesting. The sky, on the other hand, could have used more content. There is the city of Skyloft which is fun to explore at first, until you realize that the only spots you'll be visiting in between quests are the stores. Other than that, you can fly to other islands in the sky on your Loftwing. These places don't offer much either outside of a piece of heart or rupees. Flying around on the bird is actually a lot of fun, but the islands are not.

For the most part, the controls never gave me too much trouble. The biggest problem you'll face is this game requires the Wii Motion Plus attachment or controller, or else you can't play the game. Outside of that, the game controls ok. The swings of your sword will give you trouble at first but within a few more minutes of playing, the almost become second nature. However, you may swing in a different direction than you intended but these controls are actually satisfying once you master them. You'll really feel like Link when slashing up badies with enough practice. The most trouble I had with the motion controls were moments that require movement like falling from the sky or guiding an item called the hook beetle. Moving the Wiimote to control where you're going can be frustrating at first and requires a lot of concentration and precision.

The dungeons are the core of the Zelda franchise, they're what basically every Zelda game relies on. I am pleased to say that Skyward Sword's dungeon designs are fantastic. They're not really all that hard to figure out, but they're fun and memorable. I think this game deserves praise for less block pushing and more focus on funner puzzles. This is also aided by some clever items to aid you like the whip which is used to swing from platform to platform, or the hook beetle which can be used to activate switches or carry other items. I do wish there were more temples in this game, but from what we have, these temples are great fun.

Much like every Zelda game before it, you'll encounter bosses at the end of every dungeon. Once again, a lot of these bosses are well designed and fun. For instance, the volcano boss which requires you to roll bombs down a hill after him and strike him with your sword. The best boss of all though, and quite possibly one of the most memorable of the series, is Magmanos. To defeat him, you have to wait for him to strike, which will allow you to throw your whip and pull his arms off, giving you access to his weak spot. Eventually he rises out of the ground and pulling his arms off gives you a chance to pick up one of his giant swords, which you can use to annihilate him. Many of the enemies and bosses are well done and require some fancy sword play from the player.

The problem is outside of these great dungeons, you have sidequests to complete, which aren't all that exciting. These quests usually involve you performing tasks like escorting or search missions as well as a stealth mission. These quests are by no means terrible or even bad, but they feel more like filler in the end. The rewards are small and they contribute little to nothing to the story.

Smart use of the motion controls, a vibrant art style and some great dungeon designs are what make Skyward Sword a strong entry into this long running series. The game will take you well over 40 hours to complete and while the side quests may just be mere filler, the dungeons and story segments are not. It is another memorable adventure that will fit any fan's collection quite nicely. Although it may not be a masterpiece, Skyward Sword keeps the series going strong and demonstrates why Zelda is still fun after 25 years.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SR71halo reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii..." was posted by SR71halo on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:40:45 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/user-reviews/810725/platform/wii/ Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:44:00 -0700 naju890_963 reviewed Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/duke-nukem-3d-atomic-edition/user-reviews/810705/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

It's time to go back to Duke's glory days. As you may know, Duke's latest game, Duke Nukem Forever was a flop. It was an outdated mess that made Duke look pathetic. DNF went through countless development cycles and it was basically a big old mess. But let's forget about that for now and go back to the time when Duke was still a force to be reckoned with in the gaming industry.

Duke Nukem 3D originally came out on MS-DOS back in 1996. This was back when games were harder to boot up than launching a rocket in space. But thankfully nowadays we have procedures that are much easier. There are numerous versions and ports of this game. The one I'll be reviewing is the Atomic edition. This contains another episode with eleven levels. You can try being a purist and buying the original DOS version but that would be a big pain in the ass. The easy way is to buy it off gog.com or get the Megaton edition from Steam. Let's dig in.

Duke Nukem 3D is an old-school FPS, were you control the always charming Duke Nukem. There are four episodes in total with eleven levels each, except for the first episode that only has seven levels. A multiplayer mode was also available but that is long gone. After the events of Duke Nukem 2, Duke finds himself back on earth. He finds out that an unknown force has taken over earth and it's up to Duke Nukem to save the day. It's a very simplistic storyline, although it doesn't really show itself throughout the game except at the occasional cutscene peppered throughout the episodes. But I believe that a simplistic, cliché storyline like this goes perfectly with Duke's outrageous character. Speaking about Duke, he's one hell of a character. Firing one liners at every opportunity he gets and blasting aliens without remorse, that's Duke alright. Duke is as two-dimensional as it gets. Nowadays characters in video games are more realistic and most of today's games have abandoned these macho one man army's with no soul, like we used to find in games like Doom or Wolfenstein 3D. I can't imagine what kind of controversy this game sparked up back in 1996. Why you ask. Well Duke 3D features strippers, (probably the first game to do it) and countless more nods to pornography.

Now that we have covered the setting and story, it's time talk about the gameplay. First of all, this game runs on the 2.5D build engine which is similar to the engine that Doom uses. Moving and shooting feels a lot like other 2.5D FPS's. It can be pretty weird to control Duke for players that never played a 2.5D game before. Unlike 3D shooters, the player is only allowed to look left or right. Eliminating enemies that are standing above or under the player can be done by shooting in the direction that the enemy is situated in. Unlike shooters of today, Duke 3D doesn't try to be realistic by giving the player only two weapons to use at a time, no it lets the player use the full arsenal once you unlocked them all obviously. Speaking about weapons, theirs a bevy of fun weapons to choose from like the chaingun, shrink-ray, microwave expander and others. It's so refreshing to play a shooter that doesn't have the usual military weapons like the M4, AK-47 and so on. Not to mention that all these weapons feel very different from each other. Theirs also an inventory system which is used to store items like Holodukes, health packs and steroids. To be honest the inventory is a bit of a pain to use and flip through items. I really like the levels in Duke 3D. I think that the level design is very clever at times. There are multiple routes to take to get to the objective and tons of secrets and easter eggs to find. The levels look awesome and the environments are very interesting to explore. These levels are filled with fun things to do like, tipping strippers, pissing in toilets and lots of other things to interact with.

Graphically it looks dated by today's standards, but it's totally playable. Even though graphically it looks dated it has this charm to it that makes everything all the better. As far as sound goes, everything sounds retro and awesome. To be honest some sounds from the alien enemies really creeped but I guess it's just me. I almost forgot to mention that the main theme is incredible. It's so awesome in fact that Megadeth actually made a cover for it. Duke Nukem 3D manages to still retain its charm after all these years and clearly stood the test of time. I doubt that you'll find an FPS as fun and creative as Duke 3D.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"naju890_963 reviewed Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition for the PC..." was posted by naju890_963 on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:44:00 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/duke-nukem-3d-atomic-edition/user-reviews/810705/platform/pc/ Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:07:19 -0700 benleslie5 reviewed Wreck-it Ralph for the Android... http://www.gamespot.com/wreck-it-ralph/user-reviews/810529/platform/android/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

If you've been playing video games when you were a kid, then it's likely you've already seen the movie Wreck-it Ralph. Based on the movie you're in Game Central and you can hop into three challenging arcade games on your mobile phone.

The first game is Fix-it Felix Jr. which looks a little similar to games like Donkey Kong, Ralph is wrecking buildings and it's up to Fix-it Felix Jr to fix the broken windows by climbing, dodge and using magic hammer your way to a high score which you can upload which you can share with your friends or post on Facebook.

The second game is Hero's Duty which does look a little similar to games like Dead Nation. Suited up and play as Sergeant Calhoun and getting rid those cy-bugs which will pop out of every corner. You'll get to analog sticks and hold your phone like a handheld console set on a 3rd-person shooter above. And using the right analog stick to fire your weapon, there are other weapons and upgrades you can use to take out the cy-bugs.

And the last game is Sweet Climber which is a lot like Doodle Jump, playing as Ralph in an endless climbing game. Tilt your phone left to right to climb to the top, fizzy jet packs can give you a boost, jump from candy stalk to candy stalk, but watch out for weak branches.

All three games overall are very short but can be a little addictive, like I said before the higher score you get in any of those games you can share that score with your friends online. There might possibly be more updates for it later in the future, but it could have been nice if it had a little story-plot for the mobile phone version of Wreck-it Ralph. You get to hear various quotes from the movie but you don't get much of a soundtrack or see mini clips from the film.

For the price you pay is very cheap around 65p on Android or 69p on IPhone, buts worth the purchase if you want to play some short and simple mini games on your phone.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"benleslie5 reviewed Wreck-it Ralph for the Android..." was posted by benleslie5 on Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:07:19 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/wreck-it-ralph/user-reviews/810529/platform/android/ Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:14:56 -0700 ad0234 reviewed New Super Mario Bros. U for the Wii U... http://www.gamespot.com/new-super-mario-bros-u/user-reviews/810485/platform/wii-u/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Last year has been a significant one for the New Super Mario Bros series, since Nintendo had released two games of it in that year. That isn't to be said it was a very good one. The earlier one, New Super Mario Bros 2, released on the 3DS, was shoved in during the development of the Wii U version, with young, more inexperienced people working on the game, and one that didn't really succeed all too much, because it was simply too similar to it's predecessors, adding barely any novelty to the series. And then there was New Super Mario Bros U. A game with more significant changes and additions, and simply put, a game that savored more professional work and effort. And New Super Mario Bros U is also the first Mario platformer launch title since Super Mario 64 on the N64. Plus the Wii U needed some fresh, exclusive titles for it's launch, since a lot of the launch games were only ports of games already existing on different platforms. Luckily, New Super Mario Bros U, unlike the 3DS version, has succeed in bringing the series back to a more glamorous shine, even though it isn't that kind of launch title to show off the new console's possibilities and strengths.

--- Presentation ---

Believe it or not, but in New Super Mario Bros U, the story actually gets a little twist. Instead of having Bowser and family kidnapping the Princess and taking her to Bowser's own castle, Bowser this time decides to simply take over Peach's castle, throwing Mario and CO. far, far away from the castle, and now it's up to the heroes to make their way back to the castle and save Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser's mighty plans. In every other game such little twist would have absolutely no impact, but for a Mario game, it's actually quite a nice one.

Actually, it is the twists, the little or not so little twists to the New Super Mario Bros formula, that separate this game from it's predecessors. In a nutshell, New Super Mario Bros U is what you expect, and what you've come to know. You have to make your way through eight different worlds in order to defeat Bowser and save Peach and the Kingdom, each world contains it's own typical theme, you'll always encounter a level count that retains the ca. 8-10 levels per world, and so on.

Making your way back to the castle instead of moving away from it gave the developers an opportunity to give the game another load of novelty they have missed. Since your way to the final stand of Bowser is more the exact opposite direction than it is usual, it would have been more than fitting to have some dramatic shift in world themes and the order of them. Instead, New Super Mario Bros U has pretty much the exact same world themes as well as order like in the previous New Super Mario Bros games. Yet, New Super Mario Bros U gives each world theme a new, little twist to make them feel at least a little different.

And another, much better twist of New Super Mario Bros U: It's the first of the New Super Mario Bros games to contain a big, full featured world map with all the smaller worlds fit into it, making the vibrant and rich world of Mario viewable in a whole. It's smaller worlds are connected great with each other, the path Mario must take through the main worlds takes you everywhere, and the different world themes make for a colorful and detailed world map. Not only does it look beautiful, but it also adds a better sense of an actual adventure happening. During any time you may scroll around the map and take a peak at where the adventure will take you, and adding to the charm, the game tosses a few cut scenes that show what happens to the castle while Mario's on his way to that destination. And one last note: the game's world map also contains extra content such as enemies and powerups wondering around the world map, as well as a few other clever features, including some little by-the-by minigames, and hidden paths that must be found, making the world map part of the fun.

As far as the new features of the Wii U go, New Super Mario Bros U doesn't take that much usage of them. It's the best launch title to show off the off-screen play, but the touchscreen is only used for multiplayer, with some good yet limited use of it, and the visuals do not push the graphical abilities of Nintendo's system at all. Don't get me wrong, though, this isn't counted as a negative.

What does seem like a negative is that it seems like Nintendo took it quite easy with this game and made it themselves quite comfortable. They did put a lot of thought and polish into this game, but you'll also notice that they only did that, what was really necessary. Take the visuals, for example. Seeing the typical New Super Mario Bros visual style shine in HD, with backgrounds finally being 3D and getting lots of depth really is great. Actually, there are multiple beautiful and impressive looking backgrounds here to be admired. However, seeing the game recycling backgrounds for multiple levels is a bit odd. Or take the animations. Seriously, Nintendo took the amount of newly created animations to the possible minimum, making some cutscenes look a bit dated.

However, what's absolutely not acceptable is the soundtrack. It's still heavily the soundtrack from the Wii game, with some more, new tracks than New Super Mario Bros 2 had, but it's still lame having to hear so many tracks from the Wii game a third time. It's reaching a limit where the music just comes soaring out of people's ears right after entering them, and it's pretty frustrating and odd to see that Nintendo was so lazy with the game's soundtrack when considering that Nintendo puts a lot of effort into making good music for most of their games.

--- Gameplay ---

Just as the presentation, New Super Mario Bros U's gameplay is very familiar. Like usual for a 2D platformer game, you guide Mario from left to right, avoiding the usual obstacles while snagging powerups to enlarge your chance of success and coins to collect 1-Ups, which are as easy to become as stomping yet another Goomba. Controls are, weirdly, even better than ever. Mario has all of his typical moves at disposal, and he controls as if you're controlling him with your own thoughts. Level Design in New Super Mario Bros U is even more creative than ever, offering the best levels of the series so far, with some meaty challenge after the first 4 worlds of the game, and the 3 Star Coins in each to find, some of them hidden cleverly, while some other are hard to reach. Not to forget the occasional secret exits that unlock hidden paths among the world map. It's all quite familiar yet all still so fun. And like stated before, it's not as if the game hasn't improved over it's predecessors, since it's got clearly the best level design of all four games. And there is some innovation in the level design; a few new ideas and objects as well as a combination of 2 familiar ideas that haven't been combined within a level before make for some innovation, though not much. The majority of the levels seem rather familiar, just better and more cleverly designed than ever.

It's outside of the level design where the game picks more up in novelty. Baby Yoshi's can be found on the world map which than follow you from level to level, until you die or lose them, granting Mario some unique, new powers. Meanwhile, Nabbit, a totally new character to the Mario Universe, steals Mushrooms from Mushroom houses and hides in specific levels, who you then have to chase down in the level he hides in. A much different, but nice addition is the integration of Miiverse. It lets you state your opinion about levels you've just played, while at the same time let's comments from many different people appear on the world map. It really is these touches that make the game stand out from the other ones and let it feel fresh.

And of course, this game can be experienced, just like the Wii one, with multiple friends among your side. While the main four players still play the same role and characters, a fifth player can join the Mustache-Mushroom fun and create platforms out of thin air, as well as interact with some enemies and platforms. The multiplayer is as fun and chaotic as ever, and definitely a particularly great offering for parties. The addition of a fifth player engaging himself with a kind of god-mode is a nice one, though it's probably not as fun as playing as one of the 4 main characters. It can however be a great help for inexperienced gamers, or a great option for those who aren't very good at platformer games and just want to join the fun fast and easy. Oh, and if you're up for some competitive play, Coin Battle mode is the perfect choice. It's the same as in the Wii game, yet a bit more competitive this time around.

Snagging a copy of New Super Mario Bros U will also mean you'll have quite an impressive amount on content to discover. The lengthy main game is only part of what forms New Super Mario Bros U, as there are also two additional modes, Boost Rush Mode and Challenge Mode. Boost Rush Mode is about mastering side scrolling levels as fast as possible, speeding up the scrolling by collecting coins, which is accessible from one to five players. The real surprise is challenge mode. This mode tosses challenges towards you that rate from one star (fairly challenging) to 5 stars(super-enormous-tough), in which you can get a bronze medal, silver medal or gold medal. Or of course a fail. These challenges take place either in totally new terrains or in levels from the main game, and it's incredibly fun to try to beat each challenge, and succeeding in them is tremendously satisfying. They are also quite varied, and only the fewest are less than good or frustrating.

--- Verdict ---

It's simple: New Super Mario Bros U prefers to deliver an experience not very different from it's predecessors, while at the same time, never falling into the category "predictable". Sure, there are some overly predictable parts in the game. But others, like the sudden appearance of an classic Mario enemy in glorious HD on your TV screen that hasn't been seen since the mighty Super Mario World, or a level with a theme unlike any other level seen before in the New Super Mario Bros series, form some truly great moments of the game. You won't be able to shake off the familiar feel the game has, but these new, little twists make sure you will be getting enough "new" to keep you playing.

In fact, New Super Mario Bros U is without a doubt the best entry into it's series yet, as well as one of the launch titles worth to get for the Wii U. It's level design is always creative and fun, it is an overall challenging and satisfying game with lots of secrets, it's got some cool bosses and a very epic final battle, and, unlike the 3DS version, it's able to separate itself from it's predecessors, with new features and innovations, new, additional modes, in particular challenge mode, that add variety, novelty and more fun content as well as HD graphics with much nicer visuals. It's definitely not a good showcase of the Wii U, and does not present next-generation gaming in any ways, but that isn't a negative at all. What does disturb at some occasions is when you do notice that it could have been more, it could have been grander, as Nintendo did stay relatively save with this title, not taking too many risks (and yes, even in terms of level design that is). But it's still an incredibly enjoyable game that is definitely worth getting.

The Good
+ creative, varied and challenging levels
+ fun and cool boss battles
+ Incredible controls
+ Nice HD visuals
+ a full world map with all the little worlds connected with each other adds to the experience and looks really good
+ new features and other innovations give the game a fresh enough feeling, while still featuring many throwbacks
+ Multiplayer is a blast
+ great use of Miiverse

The Bad
- Recycled music, again
- occasionally predictable
- game lies on the safe side


Review Score: 8.0/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ad0234 reviewed New Super Mario Bros. U for the Wii U..." was posted by ad0234 on Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:14:56 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/new-super-mario-bros-u/user-reviews/810485/platform/wii-u/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:12:47 -0700 PHILRYABKIN reviewed The World Ends With You for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/the-world-ends-with-you/user-reviews/810480/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

The World Ends With You has consumed me in so many ways. This game has kept me busy for so many hours and as an RPG and it might just be the best one SquareEnix has ever made. It has a very awesome Risk Reward type system with gameplay that seems so fresh it always keeps you coming back for more. Now the story is that there is a Seven Day period game known as the UG in the area of Shibuya,Tokyo. Now you play as Neku Sakuraba who is an anti-social teenager who just doesn't get people and seems to hate them. However as his life was taken from him and he's forced to enter into the game he has to learn to trust his partners or he won't make it out alive. Now The World Ends With You has some awesome gameplay functions. Using the Touch Screen of the DS you use it to attack your enemies by doing a different variety of functions. Which could include slashing, dragging the Stylus, Focusing on the enemy, Blowing into the Microphone and much more. By equipping different abilities by using your pins you can find a gameplay style that suits you right and it always keeps the game fresh and engaging. Your partner can also do attacks and you can command them by using either the Face buttons or D-Pad. It all works out really well and it has a really addictive gameplay premise with the simple aspects of Kingdom Hearts and the style of Devil May Cry. With Challenging bosses thrown in and a couple of unique enemies for good use as well. You will also encounter some unique characters along the way. Such as Shiki Misaki who is your first partner who just wants to help Neku and see things to the end. The smart guy Joshua who helps you along halfway through the game and is really powerful, Sho Minamimoto who is a crazy boss who goes against the rules but is a super smart Math genius, Beat who might seem like a idiot and a pretty unfriendly guy at first hand. But when he gets down to business he really helps out in the end and cares about all of his friends. Overall the characters are really unique and they really add to the game. You can also go around Shibuya to explore the area. Such as Buying stuff to equip for your character like clothes or accessories for stat boosts. Eating Food to increase your Attack, Defense and ect. You can also read people's mind in the game to find areas of interest, Facts, Funny stuff which add to the game. The music is also really awesome with an awesome mix of Japanese Techno, Rock, Electronic and Rap. The soundtrack is fresh and unique which adds style to the game. The graphics are also really awesome with an anime inspired Art style, Manga Based Text boxes and the really unique design of the game's version of Shibuya. Overall The World Ends With You is an awesome RPG experience that shouldn't be missed. It's a really fresh take on the RPG genre and it's a game that will keep you busy from time to time overall.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"PHILRYABKIN reviewed The World Ends With You for the DS..." was posted by PHILRYABKIN on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:12:47 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-world-ends-with-you/user-reviews/810480/platform/ds/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:23:14 -0700 XENOmorph00010 reviewed Crysis 2 for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-2/user-reviews/810462/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

A tired yet important notion comes to mind when playing Crysis 2; a game can have all the pretty looks in the world, but if it doesn't play well, then it's a wasted opportunity. This isn't to say that Crytek's first sequel to the controversial Crysis is necessarily a bad experience, but the entertainment value is unfortunately inconsistent and, oftentimes, too short-lived.

As is the case with so many other shooters, the plot of Crysis 2 gets lost in loads of militaristic jargon, courtesy of characters who, though not forgettable, don't leave much of an impression. Essentially, you're thrust into the Nanosuit, an oh-so-fancy slice of technology which will be the key reason you repel an alien invasion in New York City. The aforementioned militaristic part of the plot feels like it's there to give the entire scenario a sense of backbone and authenticity, but it almost immediately becomes tiring in its very foundation. You're just here to kill (or evade) aliens with a variety of tools at your disposal.

So the story isn't worth saluting, but what about everything else? Crysis 2 is a jarring game to pick up, and will likely put several (console) gamers off, due to its clunky controls. It's not just the overwhelming assortment of options to memorize on the controller (and screen), but simply how one looks and moves around. This is somewhere between the quick-yet-smooth feel of Halo, and the borderline-unplayable sluggishness of Killzone on the PS2. If and when you get a fair enough grip on how Crysis 2 has been implemented, some enjoyable moments can definitely be salvaged.

A good chunk of the firefights go without challenge, which means you'll have a decent amount of time to toy around. Difficulty gradually ramps up around the third act, with some scenarios gearing towards one specific play style. While options are always available, many later points might become so overwhelming that the player will simply seek the quickest, most discrete way to complete the mission. This isn't exactly the indication of a fulfilling campaign, and parts of the game really do feel like a chore. For me, it got to the point where I wanted to beat the game for the sake of completion, not out of a desire to play.

If anything could alleviate my reservations to continue, it would have to be looking at the game. And yes, even after two years, Crysis 2 does still look good. But many of the game's prettiest moments occur when you're not even in (full) control of your body. Oftentimes the clunky controls and movement, combined with some frantic firefights, can make the visual feast a tough meal to digest. The setting of New York City isn't nearly as lush as a more open-ended jungle, but there's at least enough color to keep you from being bored by the architecture and designs.

Another of Crysis 2's many inconsistencies is its soundboard. The score is oddly catchy, even if one wishes it would take after the Nanosuit's variety and versatility. Taking part in gunfights opens the door for any number of clashing noises; some of these will be sharp and hard-hitting while others will bestow mellow or unpronounced notes. Some of the harsher sound effects, oftentimes giant, scripted explosions, emit an unpleasant and static-like effect. It's almost as if the game's treble-to-bass balance is out of whack. Meanwhile, the voice acting neither adds nor detracts from the game's plausibility, while the noises of the Ceph, your alien adversaries, are the very definition of the word bland.

In all, Crysis 2 feels meatier (in length) than it really is. Perhaps being built from the ground-up with consoles in-mind led to the abundant limitations and compromises which are present. But if such an attempt is to be made, it should be done, first and foremost, with the experience in-mind. Crysis 2 certainly has the tools to leave a strong and positive final impression, but without proper utilization, it's just a sloppy assortment of toys for one to struggle with.

www.recaphub.com

Get the full article at GameSpot

"XENOmorph00010 reviewed Crysis 2 for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by XENOmorph00010 on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:23:14 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-2/user-reviews/810462/platform/ps3/ Sun, 14 Apr 2013 00:04:46 -0700 naju890_963 reviewed Killzone for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/killzone/user-reviews/810217/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Killzone is your typical Sci-fi FPS series, nowadays the 2nd and 3rd game in the franchise are very popular on the PS3. But let's take a look at the first game in the franchise, Killzone. Killzone is set during a Helghast invasion on earth. Helghast are basically the main baddies of the franchise. They wear their signature helmet which makes their eyes glow red. Basically Helghast are invading earth and the ISA, earth's defense force must save the day. I can't say much about the plot as it's pretty generic and uninspired.

Killzone takes itself very seriously and that's one of the things that I personally dislike about it. The setting and story are too boring to be taken seriously and therefore isn't fun to experience. Comparing KZ1 to shooters of this era is a bit unfair so I'll be going a little bit soft on it, so to speak. KZ is pretty standard when it comes to content. It packs a single player campaign that lasts around 10-12 hours which is pretty average for shooters these days. It also features a Multiplayer mode which is quite barebones when compared to today's robust multiplayer shooters.

Now let's talk about the campaign. First you'll be greeted by a character select screen. For now you'll be only able to choose one character but the others will be unlocked throughout the campaign. The only thing that differentiates these characters from each other are the weapons that they use. There are also a lot of cutscenes scattered throughout the campaign missions backed up by some solid voice acting. But as I said before, Killzone takes it self too seriously and personally I found these cutscenes to be quite boring. The controls are very problematic, they feel heavy and trying to aim can be annoying. This could be intentional. Lots of "realistic" military shooters like to incorporate these type of controls which feel a bit more realistic. While these type of controls work on games like battlefield, sadly they feel like crap on Killzone. Now let's talk about another important factor in an FPS game, the levels. KZ tries it's best to be a gritty realistic shooter and it definitely shows. While I would normally be against visuals like these, I have to honestly say that these type of visuals fit KZ perfectly. As I said before as a game that wants to be taken seriously, gritty visuals are a no brainier. But sadly everything looks drab and boring, level's aren't any fun to explore as everything looks the same.

Oddly enough, even with all these problems, I can't deny that KZ can be very fun at times. I don't know if it's the way that the Helghast collapse when shot or how the weapons feel but there is something very satisfying. Speaking about the weapons, they are standard fare and fun to use most of the time. Both factions (ISA and Helghast) have their own set of weapons. Most of the time I found myself sticking to one assault rifle because most of them feel similar. Level design isn't bad for the most part but in some levels I found myself lost because I couldn't tell which way I should be going. It could be better but the basic design gets the job done. The AI could use some tuning for both friendly and enemy. They both suffer from the typical AI problems, like getting stuck or being dumb in general. From time to time my squad AI would actually do some work.

This one thing annoyed me throughout the course of my playthrough, the frame rate. It's plan awful. It's choppy as hell and frame drops are very common. Now I'm not saying that Killzone is unplayable, no. It normally holds up but in moments when a lot of things are going on the frame rate just drops very low. I understand that the PS2 isn't the most advanced system of all time but they still could have done better. Also I already talked about the artistic style and how drab it looks but I haven't touched on the technical side of things. I guess it looks quite good for a PS2 game, character models look decent, same for the gun models.

What about the multiplayer. Well unfortunately the official servers were closed down long ago so Online play is cut off. Their's still offline multiplayer though. You can either play on your own with bots or with a friend. It's very barebones and it's what you expect out of a 2004 FPS. If you enjoyed the core gameplay in the singleplayer than you will most likely enjoy the multiplayer aswell. All in all Killzone is a decent at best shooter, I won't recommend this for anyone who's looking for your average FPS, there are much better offerings on the market today. But for those who are fans of the series, I'd give it a shot.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"naju890_963 reviewed Killzone for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by naju890_963 on Sun, 14 Apr 2013 00:04:46 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/killzone/user-reviews/810217/platform/ps2/