Drazule's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Drazule's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Drazule's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Thu, 23 May 2013 10:18:22 -0700 GameSpot Drazule's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:42:59 -0800 sandyqbg reviewed Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/company-of-heroes-tales-of-valor/user-reviews/804087/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

I had heard that Tales of Valor was the weakest link in the Company of Heroes franchise and I had no idea how true that would be until tried the game myself. Tales of Valor is a spoilsport to the amazing franchise that Company of Heroes is.

Tales of Valor features three short campaigns - the romp of the village of Villers-Bocage in a Tiger tank(Tiger Ace), the assault of the heavily defended La Fiere Causeway by American airborne divisions(Causeway) and the defense of the Falaise Pocket from Allied attack(Falaise Pocket).

All three campaigns suffer from the crucial drawback of poor mission design, something that the original Company of Heroes excelled at. The 2006 game might not have been completely original, but the way the missions tied into the story and the larger narrative of the game was unbeatable. On the other hand, the secondary and 'medal' objectives in Tales of Valor seem to be mostly thrown in for the sake of it and probably served to add more complexity to the game than being relevant to the primary objectives.

The Tiger Ace and Causeway campaigns are too narrowly scoped as the focus is on only a handful of units and all you do here is move units in and out of cover when you're controlling infantry and flanking if you're controlling a tank. It is annoyingly straightforward and there are simply no decisions to be made here. Ultimately, the depth and the variety of the gameplay is sacrificed for a closer-to-combat experience. To add to its woes, these units are too strong and even on the hardest setting, the missions are a breeze.

Falaise Pocket, even with its flaws, is probably the saving grace for this standalone expansion. You are given more options here; you can build units and structures. However, pacing is inconsistent, and this is particularly obvious when you're given a 'defend the position' type of mission with secondary objectives to setup defenses at particular choke points, but not given any time to set them up. I would have enjoyed the mission much more had I been given the chance to pit my well set defenses against a determined attacker.

In addition to poor pacing, Falaise Pocket also had the problem of having a confusing mission design, where there were way too many things to do; to the point where it started to feel like an APM game and continuously cycling through a number of points on the map became tiresome.

On a more general note, the narration in Tales of Valor is another letdown compared to the original Company of Heroes. The cut scenes seem to be forced just for the sake of giving a story to the missions and the voice acting feels distinctly out of place.

On the bright side, the core gameplay remains the same, complete with its immersive WW2 experience, intense action moments and highly destructible environments. There is also a good mission variety, and it is loads better than the repetitive build the base, attack the enemy routine that most RTS games offer. So kudos to that.

The expansion also adds three new multiplayer modes to the game. I am not much of a multiplayer gamer myself, but the new modes seem to be half-hearted attempts at bringing something new to the table. They certainly are attempts in the right direction, but they are yet to be developed into attractive multiplayer features.

VERDICT:

The original Company of Heroes had set the bar too high and Tales of Valor falls miserably short. It's not worth buying the game, unless you get it very cheap. Even if you do end up getting the game, don't bother playing Tiger Ace or Causeway.

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"sandyqbg reviewed Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor for the PC..." was posted by sandyqbg on Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:42:59 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/company-of-heroes-tales-of-valor/user-reviews/804087/platform/pc/ Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:47:54 -0700 biggest_loser reviewed Max Payne 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/797162/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

"When you're looking down the barrel of a gun, time slows down," Max Payne once said. But time has not stopped for the Max Payne series. In the nine year ceasefire between the second Max Payne game (2003) and this latest entry, many changes in the gaming industry and this iconic franchise have taken place. With the departure of the original creators Remedy, who chose to develop Alan Wake instead, Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar took over this much anticipated and equally troubled project. Rockstar was originally a publisher on the first two games and share a basic understanding of the series. Max's poetic language is more overwrought and colourful than ever before and the slow-motion gunplay, complete with violence amped up to sickening levels, is intense over the game's minor duration.

However, despite the efficiency of the combat model, this is the weakest entry in the series. The game is lacking the moral complexity of its predecessor's narrative and bizarrely omits any pop or literary references, integral to strengthening the themes of the narrative. Instead, someone at Rockstar decided that Max Payne needed a sunny, overtly military-themed setting in Brazil, some speedboat chases, car chases, rail sequences and a lot more gore. The idiosyncratic feeling of the original games is missing, along with the series' unique stylistic identity. The old bloke is inches away from calling in a UAV but a long way from New York City.

From the start, the game's narrative attains a visceral charge and some interesting formal choices, but it gradually deteriorates under its own convoluted labyrinth. Maturely, the previous titles are fixated on the failure of the American Dream. Max is a symbol of American accomplishment, a person so dogged and determined in the face of overwhelming odds. Yet for all the bloodshed and any scarce resolutions he finds, Max remains a tragic figure, tortured and isolated by his past. His bravery to fight the underworld, like an unstoppable winter blizzard over a city, is more of a symptom of madness and revenge, than righteous justice. He is like a classic Noir detective, modernised as man who is pushed one step too far. However, this compelling internal conflict is largely resolved at the end of the second game, The Fall of Max Payne. The follow-up offers little means of adjoining or reference the second game and its resolutions in any detail. Did Max not say that his dreams no longer haunted him?

Neglecting Max's development means that his sudden reliance on booze and pills again offers the game a convenient dark edge, rather than a plausible sense of continuity between the games and the protagonist. Additionally, this is the first game in the series not to use a graphic novel to tell its story. There are now frequent cutscenes to tell the story, seamlessly interwoven between the game play, but it also means that Max is detached from his roots in pulp fiction. It's strange how a developer like Rockstar, so attuned to pop culture and satire, would fail to address either Max's Film Noir or comic book symmetry, refusing to include in-jokes, film references, or just the graphic novel itself, favouring a supposed gritty realism, with speedboat chases.

The game's visceral nature is at times overcharged but often quite affecting too. The story opens gratuitously in Brazil, with a dismembered torso on the ground, not a sight I ever want to relive, but more intense is the raid on the party. Having left America and the police force, Max is now a bodyguard for a private company, protecting a spoilt family. The reasons for this are revealed in scarce flashbacks to New York. While Max is boozing at a party he is meant to be overseeing, the place is raided scarily by armed thugs who kidnap one of the girls in the family. What is problematic about this opening is that little time is taken to establish the side characters beyond caricatures of spoilt brats, before the bullets start to fly. There is also little identification with the villains, even when they are revealed late in the game, which means that their inevitable demise at the hands of Max is far less powerful and meaningful than it was in the other games.

A part of this anonymity in Brazil is deliberate. One of the most successful ideas of the game is Max's sense of disorientation and isolation. The game uses a number of clever techniques, smartly including native Brazilian dialect with no subtitles (a beautiful touch), copious amounts of screen blurring and superimposing key words, so that Max's senses are diluted. There is a fantastic scene early in the game where Max enters a club to protect the family. The amplification of the music and the blurring is tremendously effective in sharing Max's dislocation with the player. Yet true to the lack of development in Max's story, these techniques eventually feel overused. Right up to the final moments in the game, the blurring is still in effect, which weakens its stylistic meaning. Rockstar has not reigned in Max's narration either. The amount of voice-over, self-loathing, swearing and poetic language ("I'd killed more cops than cholesterol") seem to be working in overdrive but not with any purpose. Sometimes Max's quips are achingly blunt and funny but by the end it's forced so heavily and frequently onto the player, trying to convince you of Max's damaged soul, that it feels like he's become a parody of his own cynicism, rather than someone who is selectively witty.

What is also integral to a crime story, painfully missing here, is a plausible motive. If Max is so dispirited, what drives him to keep pursuing these baddies when things become really messy? If it is guilt, I think some dream sequences could have neatly asserted that emotion but they have also been removed too, which means that Max's actions of mowing down cops (or are they?) seems baseless. The overall trajectory of the plot is also a shambles. With two mysterious gangs to fight, an unnecessary subplot about selling organs, characters randomly showing up to explain plot points and scarcely defined personalities, I could not make any sense of the story. This is coupled with awkward jumps in the narrative's timeframe. Max and the family decide to put together money for a ransom payout and in the next scene they've already got the bag in the middle of a stadium. Similarly, a flashback to New York is abruptly dumped right in the middle of an important transition period in Brazil and feels unresolved.

For many of the weaknesses in the narrative though, Max Payne 3 is most successful and fun as a pure shooter. It retains the original bullet time game play but now Max is more fragile than ever: he can die in just a few shots and you must rely strictly on a checkpoint system. As with many modern games now, you also have a cover system to protect yourself from bullets. To play the game at exciting levels though it is best to forget the cover and dive into the action, using shootdodging and bullet time collectively. You can spectacularly dodge bullets and move in slow motion, watch individual rounds wiz straight past you as you return fire. I found this was the game at its most thrilling, with many intense and incredibly exciting gun battles. The downside is your fragility because it removes a lot of the elegance and the transcendent beauty from the original games. The previous games allowed you choreograph your own Matrix-like gunfights, as you waded across environments in slow motion, with superhuman grace. Now you can only sporadically use bullet time, which does force you to be more strategic, but some of the fun is lost.

There are a few handy touches, including being able to stay prone on the ground and keep firing and also a final kill move, which gives you a brief period of time to make a last ditch effort to kill an attacker before you die, restoring some of your health too. This removes a lot of the frustration from your limited pain threshold. There's also a wide variety of locations, such as warehouses, factories, rooftops, apartment blocks, city streets and glimpses of New York. All of these levels rely on a checkpoint system: you can't save your game individually anymore, which is challenging but not overly so. Only in the final stages of an airport, including a ridiculous boss battle, does it become very frustrating. Many of these environments are well detailed, with appropriate levels of graffiti, debris and ample panes of glass to shoot through, but the atmosphere and the feel of the game seems remote for this series.

Setting the game anywhere but America, especially sunburnt Brazil, away from the ice and snow of New York, was always going to be problematic. Brazil is colourful, vibrant, noisy and alive. As a series, Max Payne is not. Where is the sense of cold dread, the slums of an icy city, alit through short bursts of gunfire? This sequel offers a different sense of isolation, successful in its own right, but not as haunting as the brooding Noir universe we once knew. Returning briefly to New York, I rejoiced in seeing the dark shadows, the thick layers of snow and the deliciously morbid gothic architecture, all hallmarks of the series. Also deterring from the Noir atmosphere is the reliance on gimmicks like rail sequences. There are moments Max will attach himself to a cable line, or flying fox, and drift across the top of a room in slow-motion, firing bullets on baddies below. These aren't very challenging but provide a harmless diversion.

That is also where I draw the line. But Max is required to man turrets on the back of a speedboat, gunning down baddies along a river, or lean out of a train window to blast gangsters parallel to him. Even more ridiculous is a late sequence where he leans out of a bus to take aim, followed most stupidly by an end chase where he fires a grenade launcher off at various speeding jeeps. It detracts sharply from the classic Noir feel of the original games, if only so that Max Payne can now resemble recent military shooters.

Max Payne 3 features solid and sometimes exhilarating bullet time game play but it is not a true sequel to The Fall of Max Payne. The convoluted story lacks the same ambition and creativity as its predecessors, failing to assert Max as a character who is more than just a killing machine. Also, in spite of the quality of the gunplay, there are too many moments and design choices that feel misplaced. Brazil is a miscalculated setting, too far removed from 'Noir York City', and the games reliance on big set pieces, is detached from the contained mood and isolation of the rest of the series. This game had plenty of fun action moments for me but it feels like Rockstar was preparing for Grand Theft Auto V, instead of making a true Max Payne game. I felt this was a missed opportunity to build on the foundations of an outstanding series and I worry that Max's time might have finally run out.

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"biggest_loser reviewed Max Payne 3 for the PC..." was posted by biggest_loser on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:47:54 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/797162/platform/pc/ Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:33:15 -0700 Soviet1232 reviewed Batman: Arkham City for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/batman-arkham-city/user-reviews/777852/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

First off, this game is definetly the best thing i have ever played. Nothing in the game forced me to rage quit or even become mildly irritated. The basic controls are exactly the same as arkham asylum, but with a few new features, including just about every gadget into combat and, my new favorite thing to do, the beat down. Predator gameplay, in which you take thugs out one by one, has been revamped as well, offering new adversities for you to overcome. The gliding mechanic has been revamped as well. You can now use the grapple to gain speed for gliding across large distances, and dive bomb to glide long distaces as well. The story is immersive and well thought out, with a very satisfying and shocking ending. Overall, the game is an instant classic, building on everything the first game did right and improving it did wrong, which wasn't really anything.

Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 9.7/10
Story: 10/10
Sound: 10/10

Replay Value: Very High

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"Soviet1232 reviewed Batman: Arkham City for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Soviet1232 on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:33:15 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/batman-arkham-city/user-reviews/777852/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:58:55 -0700 arijit_2404 reviewed Everyday Genius: SquareLogic for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/everyday-genius-squarelogic/user-reviews/766940/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

you have to have love for math. If you want to succeed at this beautiful puzzle game. This ain't a complex game but it's complex enough to make yourself addictive to it and glued to the screen. Lot's of puzzles are to be solved in this game.

Player will see that this game has nice touch of nature while progressing through it. The game is divided into regions - based on nature like, ocean, sky etc. Each region has multiple sub-regions which has plenty of puzzles to solve. More than thousands of puzzles are there for you to be solved. Each puzzle has some pre-defined par steps under which you must solve that puzzle. I don't think any average IQ person will find it difficult to match that par steps.

Not all puzzles are same - difficulty levels will also rise as you progress but I didn't find that any puzzles are really that much challenging.

If you fear math? Then also you'll find this game beautiful time pass. Go get it.

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"arijit_2404 reviewed Everyday Genius: SquareLogic for the PC..." was posted by arijit_2404 on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:58:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/everyday-genius-squarelogic/user-reviews/766940/platform/pc/ Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:00:23 -0700 arijit_2404 reviewed Medal of Honor for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/medal-of-honor/user-reviews/762842/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

I generally don't play FPS games because I like story based games like RPG and action-adventures. But I play few FPS games when friends recommend me and lend me their DVDs.

So recently I got my hand on Medal Of Honor (2010) from one of my friend. At first I thought it won't be as good as Call of Duty but to my surprise, it's as much as enjoyable like CoD: MW2, last FPS game I've played.

This game revolves around teamwork and positioning. You cannot go in RAMBO-like in this game. Also some missions require you to use stealthy killings/sniper shootings which were quite enjoyable. Single-player was total fun, a little short but, it was fun. The levels themselves didn't feel too long or too short, so is difficulty level. Since I'm uncomfortable with FPS games, I play them at EASY difficulty levels. MoH easy level is really easy to play for and I was able to complete the game in less than 6 hours which is a record for me.

Graphics was awesome – which really cool. Voice acting is also worth mentioning. I would give graphics an 8/10 and voice acting 7/10. As I said game play is enjoyable, I must give a 9/10. Music is nothing exceptional – so a 6/10.

Overall I can give an 8/10 score and recommend this game to you for good timepass.

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"arijit_2404 reviewed Medal of Honor for the PC..." was posted by arijit_2404 on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:00:23 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/medal-of-honor/user-reviews/762842/platform/pc/ Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:51:07 -0800 biggest_loser reviewed Tales of Monkey Island for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-monkey-island/user-reviews/752458/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The signature quality of the Monkey Island series, since it was first developed by Ron Gilbert and Lucasfilm Games in 1992, has been its self-awareness and depreciative humour. Before the outbreak of military simulations, gamers warmed fondly to the often hilarious antics of an anachronistic, wannabe pirate, Guybrush Threepwood. Till recently the adventure genre looked to become extinct as gamers embraced more casual and action-based experiences. Telltale Games, a company specialising in episodic gaming, reinvigorated adventure games by relaunching intellectual properties like Sam and Max through digital distribution services. Tales of Monkey Island is the fifth Monkey Island game and the first not to be developed by LucasArts. It is also one of the best because across each of its five downloadable chapters it's a surprisingly involving adventure, with puzzles that are likely to both challenge and frustrate gamers. Yet it rewards the patient player with a genuinely funny script and charming characters too.

From the outset Tales makes interesting changes to reinvigorate its familiar premise. The player is again cast as Guybrush Threepwood, out to save his wife Elaine Marley from the demon pirate LeChuck, who has stalked them for years across the Caribbean. Yet the opening epilogue of the first chapter, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, cleverly throws the player a curve ball. A spell that is meant to destroy LeChuck turns him into a human and then casts a pox that infects and posses Guybrush's hand and dozens of other pirates too. Washed up on the seemingly inescapable Flotsam Island, Guybrush must find a way to return to Elaine and stop the plague. From here players are tasked with picking up and stealing items and talking to zany characters to solve an assortment of tricky puzzles. Guybrush handles relatively smoothly with a keyboard, although having to hold down the run key can feel sticky at times. Pleasantly, the interface is minimal. A very clean and simple inventory keeps track of your items and allows you to inspect or combine objects together.

In fitting with the games humorous and wildly playful tone, many of the games puzzles are deliberately implausible. They require a lot of guesswork, trail-and-error, or the process of elimination by scanning each area for objects. There's little gravity about the situations, which can make them as funny as they are difficult. The game starts off a little slowly with Launch of the Screaming Narwhal. There's a frustrating maze sequence and a few annoying characters but from the start of the second chapter and onwards there's more variety to the puzzles and more locations to explore. It gradually builds momentum and it is surprising how involving the crazy plot becomes. This is in part due to the games exciting use of the episodic format, with each chapter ending with a rousing climax. It's a very effective technique because I was inspired to download the next chapter immediately.

The game does not rest on the glory of the franchises well-loved foundations either as some liberties are taken in develops the game's story and characters. There are hints at new relationships between unlikely pairings, leaving the narrative as reasonably unpredictable. However, some of the threads tie-up a little too safely, Guybrush's relationship with his assassin and admirer Morgan LeFlay in particular and the game also has a weaker grasp on some of its bigger revelations towards the end. After finishing the fifth chapter, be sure to stay till after the credits to see how one loose end is tied up. These complaints aside, the game's writers have a sophisticated understanding of comedy. The key to any kind of comedy is to play it straight. Dominic Armato reads Guybrush perfectly, a young man entirely nonchalant about his separation from the rest of the pirate world but also entirely naive about his own anachronistic traits too. When contrasted with the gloomy and overdramatic speak of the side characters, a near-perfect comedic tone is achieved. Only a few characters, like a newspaper reporter called Davey Nipperkin, feel misplaced and Morgan LeFlay's voice work sounds more like a character from a Disney movie. But adding to the fun of the buccaneering are broad swipes at modern life including: celebrity, political parties, the legal system and groaning pop culture references. Tales of Monkey Island wins big for being as smart as it is laugh out loud hilarious.

For those who are willing to spend multiple hours searching for tiny items and wading through some rather obscure clues, each episode of Tales of Monkey Island will thoroughly reward these persistent players. The continuation and development of many of these very lovable characters will bring back and surprise old fans of the series. Those unfamiliar to the games will be amused by the hysterical writing and pitch-perfect voice work that takes aim at all aspects of modern society. Aside from a slightly rushed final chapter and a lack of replay value, Tales is a triumph for episodic gaming and edges very closely to being in the same class as The Curse of Monkey Island.

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"biggest_loser reviewed Tales of Monkey Island for the PC..." was posted by biggest_loser on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:51:07 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-monkey-island/user-reviews/752458/platform/pc/ Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:12:09 -0800 pitchblack3 reviewed Doom 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/doom-3/user-reviews/749495/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Doom 3 takes place in an interplanetary facility in the later half of the 21st century. Technological advancements and breakthroughs are evident across the compound which adds more jaunt as you, a newcomer, and a marine from Earth venture forth in this one helluva facility at first, as you nose around, observe weird contraptions and read what your co-workers are doing around via the computer or from talks.

But, as soon as you scan through some of their PDA's and listen to their audio logs and from their small group discussions, you soon find out that obscure happenings occur inside the facility.Higher ups refuse to believe that the supernatural forces are at work and the medical team diagnosed those who said so as schizophrenic, having delusions, plain stress, etc.. but the truth comes out eventually as you proceed further into the game.

While doing you first errand, a major disturbance occurs and some people suddenly turn into mindless zombies, others who fought back are killed brutally. Creatures appear out of nowhere and furthermore, a third-party mercenary group is also involved. All are hostile and will not give you the freedom to strut around the compound as you plan your means of escaping the hell hole.

The game play has nothing special to offer more than the typical first person shooter game, the weapons aren't that futuristic and analogous to the time line with the exception of the plasma gun. They are decent enough though, but the factor that amazes me is the game atmosphere. The levels are designed perfectly to match the situation you are in. In a dark corridor for instance, you just have this gut feeling that something is about to happen. You can't tell yet what type of creature you would be facing, where it would come from or how many are they. They tend to attack you from the rear while you are busy figuring it out and while you curse it, blasting its hideous face then all the while another one pops out of nowhere attacking you from another direction. You need to study and take advantage of your surroundings and its objects.

Another thing that makes this game great is the turn of events. Some makes you want to rush for the open button because you are outside, and running out of oxygen, not to mention being chased down by ugly creatures. Most of the time, you will have to use your flashlight because it pitch black. Since you can't hold a weapon and a flashlight at the same time, you have to be alert. Listen carefully for any grunts or heavy breathing and get ready to swap your light for a gun because they lurk in the darkness with you, or its just some broken down machine making weird noises but you were to scared or cautious to check it out immediately. The sound effects and background music also adds up to pack Doom 3 an unforgettable nightmarish escapade.

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"pitchblack3 reviewed Doom 3 for the PC..." was posted by pitchblack3 on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:12:09 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/doom-3/user-reviews/749495/platform/pc/ Sat, 18 Dec 2010 01:13:56 -0800 pitchblack3 reviewed The Punisher for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-punisher/user-reviews/748819/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

The Punisher is a decent third person action shooter that gives you a lot of guilty pleasure and is a fun way to unleash your anger. The plot goes back a few days before the protagonist, Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher deliberately let himself get captured to meet his long time arch rival in prison.

Upon his debriefing, Agent Soap asks him about the mischievous punishments Frank has made subsequently before his captivity. That is where the first mission starts. You get to venture out as The Punisher and judge those free roaming street thugs, Yakuzas, and other sons of guns out there like the infamous Gnucci Family and its hired goons. When you are able to grab one of your poor victims in a chokehold ala hostage taker kind of position, this is where the devious mind comes to play. If there are special kill markers nearby, you could drag him their and enjoy the macabre sight of your victims' misery. OR You could chuck him out of a 10 story building if you're lucky enough to be on the rooftops or near an open window during the encounter. If you're a paragon player, you could just knock 'em out cold and get on with the rest of them.

Another thing featured in this game is the interrogation. Similar to the special kill markers, there are also markers which feature special interrogation methods like stuffing their face into a rhinoceros' cage, plunging their face in a toilet bowl full of crap, the jail warden's favorite contraption- the electric chair, and many others. When you successfully coerce them to talk, answers vary. They could give important infos, make Frank visualize random flashbacks from his bitter past, or just plain old unmanly excuses. Forcing the interrogation to much leads to yet another gruesome death of your helpless friend.

Whatever the choice of killing you prefer, every kill is recorded as points and these accumulated babies lets you unlock goodies like new weapons, added weapon features and other bonus contents. Getting a killing spree w/o being hit grants you a point multiplier and increases as you kill and kill flawlessly, giving you second thoughts of quick killing every enemy you see like some crazed manhunter but study the environment first and plan your assault.

Overall, a solid packed action-shooting game with a nasty sense of humor.

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"pitchblack3 reviewed The Punisher for the PC..." was posted by pitchblack3 on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 01:13:56 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-punisher/user-reviews/748819/platform/pc/ Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:04:10 -0800 sandyqbg reviewed Amnesia: The Dark Descent for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-the-dark-descent/user-reviews/744396/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

If there is one thing I have to say about the horror game genre, it is that games with the label 'horror' are progressively getting worse. I can't put my finger on the exact cause - Is it because developers want to reach out to wider audience and are afraid that making games too scary may discourage the more 'sensitive' gamers? Or is it because we've seen enough frighteners in all sorts of media that we've grown numb to it? Or is it because that most developers have simple no clue as to how it is done?

I don't know about the others, but as far as Frictional Games goes, they don't qualify for the last category. Hell, they don't even fall into any of the categories I've mentioned. That's because they've consistently delivered the goods as far as the horror goes with their excellent Penumbra series and their latest masterpiece, 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent'.

You play the role of Daniel, who is suffering from a severe case of amnesia and finds himself in an old medieval castle that is falling apart. As the story progresses, Daniel regains his lost memory bit by bit as he explores the castle and comes across notes and diaries.

Yeah, you would have heard that one before, and I agree that the storyline as such is far from original. However, the key lies in the storytelling - it's all in the way the story unravels, with all its twists and turns. The game is also paced just right, so you are neither overwhelmed by the plot nor are there long lulls in the play. Of course, the pacing is rather slow, befitting the game, but if you're one of those who would not bear shooting any less than a hundred baddies a minute, you can very well stop reading this review.

The main reason for my last line was that there are no weapons in the game; absolutely none. If you were to come across a monster, the only thing that you can do is hide and hope that you were not spotted. This greatly adds to the horror element of the game. You can't just kill it in the blink of an eye, but you can very well be killed pretty quickly if it spots you.

An important aspect of the gameplay is the brilliant use of light and darkness, and herein lies the winner. You see, Daniel is not completely sane. He is a few nuts short of normal and being in the darkness only makes it worse. And as he loses his sanity, his vision starts swimming and slides in and out of focus, not to mention the bugs crawling on the screen, leading to really intense moments. In order to keep your sanity you must search for well lit places, which again are hard to come by. Candles and torches(the burning type) are scattered all over the castle and you even get a lamp early on in the game. But then again, just as hard to get are the tinderboxes, which are needed to light the candles and torches, and oil for the lamp.

This presents with some interesting gameplay choices: Stay in the dark and you'll go insane, making it easier for the monsters to find you, or stay in the light and the monsters are gonna come after you. Now this is one game where monsters don't lurk in the darkness waiting to jump on you if you come by. The light/dark element contributes a lot to the tense and eerie atmosphere. You will be on the edge most of the time and being spotted by a monster definitely gets your heart pumping. It isn't just a moment of cheap thrill, but true scare as you scamper to find a hiding spot.

Apart from the horror, there is also a puzzle element to the game, which greatly enhances the gameplay value. You didn't really think it was all about running and hiding, did you? You will have to solve a number of puzzles in order to advance through the game, and the best part about it is that it is seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. You never feel that a puzzle was put there just to make it hard for you. As you solve the puzzles, you will also notice some neat implementation of practical physics - like the weight of objects, the effect their size and so on.

One of the first things that you will probably notice when you start the game is the visuals, and that it is outdated. While the textures are varied enough, their rendering exposes the rather old graphic engine, and character modelling is even worse. However, don't let that fool you, because the game offers you some of the slickest visual effects, and you'll notice them especially when Daniel goes insane. One other drawback is that the game is too dark, so you'll find it hard if you're playing in bright room.

Complementing the creepy atmosphere are the brilliant sound effects. Everything right from the patter of rain drops to the creak of the stairs to the chilling screams that resonate from within the castle, add to the overall horror experience. Even the ominous silence becomes a sound effect of its own. The voice acting is also very natural and you could literally feel the emotions in the voices.

There is a downside (apart from the game being rather short, that is) - the game is harsh on the eyes, with all the darkness and the wobbly visual effects. It will give you a headache and even a mild sense of disorientation if you play the game for long.

VERDICT:

It is not just a game, it is an immersive horror experience. I don't give games scores greater than 9, but I have given this a 9.5. So unless you hate horror games, this is one game you MUST try. Of course, it's not for the weak hearted(literally speaking) and people suffering from chronic headaches, nausea and the sort. Oh, and another tip, turn off the lights and turn up the volume.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sandyqbg reviewed Amnesia: The Dark Descent for the PC..." was posted by sandyqbg on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:04:10 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-the-dark-descent/user-reviews/744396/platform/pc/ Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:29:24 -0800 sandyqbg reviewed Scribblenauts for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/scribblenauts/user-reviews/744053/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

How many games let you conjure up almost whatever you wish for in the game and then use it to complete levels? Not many, I guess, but I sure know one game that does it: Scribblenauts.

Scribblenauts is a puzzle platformer with a difference - you can use any of the large collection of objects that the game offers in order to solve the puzzles. All you have to do is type in(or scribble in) the name of the object and voila, you get it. It could be anything from a flower to a jackhammer, from a gun to a car and you could use these in a number of ways. Wall blocking your path? Just use the bomb to clear it. You could even couple two objects to get the work done. A rock that needs to be moved? Use a glue and a rope and you can tow it away.

It is the very concept of being able to use almost any object you want that makes Scribblenauts completely original and unique. It is a game that demands the player to be creative to solve puzzles and does not limit you to just a handful of options to solve it.

The puzzles in the game are fresh and engaging. The game offers two modes: Puzzle and Explosion. The Puzzle mode has you thinking through the level's objectives and solving the puzzle and is the easier of the two modes. In the Explosion mode, you will have to find a way to reach Starites(which is the game's objective), overcoming various obstacles. Both involve puzzle solving with the only difference being each mode's objectives.

To top it all, the game offers over 200 levels of puzzle solving fun, something that fans of the genre are sure to appreciate.

However, the concept alone does not make the game and Scribblenauts is plagued by a number of quirks that go on to prove that it is not a mature concept and is in need of better implementation.

As I said before, the game dictionary is pretty extensive but is just not enough. I found a lot of objects that could have been included in the database but were left out. Smoke bombs or sleeping gas anyone? On top of that a number of objects would probably never be needed in the game or even if they are, it would be a one-use affair, since there are others that do the same job. Then again, you will find that you could probably finish a good number of levels with the same set of tools. Stages with live enemies? Just torch them or shoot them. Objectives in high places? Use a ladder or chopper.

Object interactivity could have also been better. Had the devs implemented this well, they could have improved the strength of the puzzle element. For example, you could call for spray cans and insecticide separately, which can later be mixed to create a bug spray. However, that is not the case and in most cases interactivity between objects is limited.

The most important nag of all, though, is the control scheme. The game is almost completely touch controlled. You touch a spot on screen to get your character, Maxwell, to go to that point. Touch is also used to move and interact with objects or other characters on screen. A lot of actions for a single control? Translates to more room for errors. To make things worse, the control sometimes become unresponsive.

There is some bonus content in the form of sound tracks and character avatars, which you have to buy at the in-game store using ollars, the in-game money, which in turn is earned by completing levels. The quicker you finish a level and the lesser the objects you use, the more ollars you earn.

These extras are not much of an incentive to try and maximize your ollar earnings. The only worthwhile use of your ollars would be buying new levels. Yes, you have to buy new and that in a way is some incentive to rack up the cash.

The achievement system is also neither very helpful nor exciting. Most of the time you don't really know what a particular trophy was awarded for and you would probably stop caring about it a few levels into the game. This is because you get several such trophies each level, you get the same trophies over and over again and they are not tough to get at all. That beats the objective of even having achievements.

The devs have also thrown in a level editor where you can create and edit your own custom levels, thrown in a few objects and characters and even set the personality of these characters. It is a nice addition and a bonus for the game.

The art style for the game is inviting, especially given the nature of the game, while the sounds are not anything to drive home about.

VERDICT:

It's got an original concept, it's got some good puzzles and there's hours of fun to be had conjuring objects and playing with them as you solve puzzles. However, the game still has a good distance to go before it can win top honors. And it has quite a lot of potential too.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sandyqbg reviewed Scribblenauts for the DS..." was posted by sandyqbg on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:29:24 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/scribblenauts/user-reviews/744053/platform/ds/ Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:51:11 -0700 sandyqbg reviewed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-bad-company-2/user-reviews/743111/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Honestly speaking, one of the major driving factors behind my buying Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was the hype. Touted as the competitor to Modern Warfare, the game was rolled out amid great fanfare and the pomp continued long after the release. However, all this hype did not seem well placed and the game did disappoint for all the hype.

I don't say that the game sucks. Quite the contrary, the game is a really good shooter with solid game mechanics and an even more appealing multiplayer component. However, there were several noticeable areas where the game did disappoint.

The game puts you once again in the company of Sarge, Sweets, Haggard and Marlowe, with you playing mostly as Marlowe. The game starts with a intro on Project Aurora and something related to the Project serves as the MacGuffin here(I'm not telling you what). The storyline as such is nothing new and the game makes no bones about the fact that it does have a strong storyline. The game is primarily about a macho squad that goes in, guns blazing, takes on scores of enemies all by themselves and saves America.

The most important aspect of the game is the solid gameplay. The game is paced right and shooting through the hordes of 'baddies' never becomes a chore as happens in many a shooter. The action is intense and engaging, but never crosses the mark where you feel bogged down by the frenzy.

The mission variety is excellent, which makes sure that the game feels fresh from start to end and not once do you sense even a slight hint of monotony setting in. Of course the pacing and presentation of the game also has a lot to do with it too. You will also be riding buggies, hummers, boats, choppers and even tanks, not to mention calling in airstrikes, which all work very well to build upon the variety.

Highly destructible environments add a layer of tactics to it, not to mention the greater realism. However, the scope of destructive environments have not been fully utilized and the scale of destruction is not consistent. For example an RPG shot might bring down concrete blocks in one go, but may take several shots to bring down a frail looking tree or branch. The destructible environs mostly serve to expose an enemy from behind cover and cannot be used in any significant way to roll out creative strategies that use them. In fact the game itself is presented in such a way that there is no avenue where such a need for strategy arises.

One of the major drawbacks of the game is poor weapon modelling. An assault rifle has almost the same accuracy as a sniper rifle even at long range. So given the same scope, it makes no difference which gun you use. The sniper rifle hardly has recoil and is almost dead accurate even when you shoot, standing. The shotgun is just as deadly as an assault rifle in long range. For a game of its caliber (and hype), this is simply unacceptable.

Closely following weapon modelling in the black list is damage simulation. Headshots on stationary targets at point blank range and with sniper rifles do not always kill the enemy. This is unforgivable - who would have thought headshots would not kill? It's not just the headshots - the problem is applicable to damage simulation in general, be it to the environment or to enemy units.

The graphics is astounding, especially when it comes to lighting. Some of the vistas are really beautiful and you should probably take some time off to enjoy them. Dust, fog and smoke effects have also been rendered pretty realistically, though that does obstructs view and makes it hard to track the enemy, while he can easily spot you even through the almost solid looking layers of smoke. That can get annoying at times. Apart from the occasional visual glitches like black patches in place of glares, the game is a treat to look at.

The sound department has done a great job. The voice acting is top notch and totally professional. Sometimes listening to the banter of your teammates can be fun and the brilliant voice acting, with the perfect pitch and modulation, is evident here. Of course, the same applies for the cut scenes. The sound effects are simply superb, but the background score was not very apparent; not that it was needed anyway.

The other relatively minor issue was that the game was supposed to be presented in a lighter veined, as opposed to the serious and intense pace of Modern Warfare. However, while the game was a bit slower and the presented in easy to play chunks, it was definitely was not what you can call 'light hearted'. The dialogues are not all that humorous or witty as a number of sources including Gamespot claim. The atmosphere seemed to suffer from an identity crisis, having caught somewhere between intense and light veined.

Having said all this, it would be unwise to close the review without a mention of the multiplayer. While my net conenction would not allow me to get serious with this aspect of the game, what little experience I had was satisfying and given all that I have heard about the great multiplayer component, it is the best part of the game in terms of value.

VERDICT

Battlefield Bad Company is definitely a great shooter that promises a lots of fun with the short single player and most importantly, the multiplayer. But don't expect anything new... or a strong storyline either.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sandyqbg reviewed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for the PC..." was posted by sandyqbg on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:51:11 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-bad-company-2/user-reviews/743111/platform/pc/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:52:57 -0700 pitchblack3 reviewed Bubblefish Bob for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/bubblefish-bob/user-reviews/741782/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 5.0.

This is typically your ordinary match 3 puzzle game just like the well known Zuma, except that you take control of a fishie instead of a frog.
For those of you who aren't familiar with these types of game like Zuma, here's a quick glance at the game objectives:
- A chain of color coded objects, usually in the form of orbs trails through each level.
- You have to link the similar colored orbs together, usually by 3.
- Linking colored orbs in consecutively will merit a higher score. This is where the thinking and analysis part comes and you;ll need to do this once you've reached the latter levels of the game.
- Bonuses may pop up randomly while playing which include slowing the trail of orbs, exploding it, etc..


You would easily get bored after a few stages but in case you can endure staying awake with this bore, you're in luck because its packed with about 60 levels of boredom. The idea is okay but it could do with some features because its so-so game that could only please mild or new gamers.
In case you want to break away from hardcore gaming experience, there are a lot of alternatives there so stay away from this game if you can.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"pitchblack3 reviewed Bubblefish Bob for the PC..." was posted by pitchblack3 on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:52:57 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bubblefish-bob/user-reviews/741782/platform/pc/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:40:30 -0700 illmatic87 reviewed Angry Birds for the iPhone/iPod... http://www.gamespot.com/angry-birds/user-reviews/735485/platform/iphone/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

This just isn't fair. A review is intended to provide an overview and serve as a buyers guide; But for a fun and addictive game--one of which I have dropped 16 and counting hours mind you--to cost only $1.19, is just not fair game on my critical end. I should just FORCE you to buy Angry Birds, It also may as well be the new minesweeper – compulsory, and if this game isn't somehow sitting in your app library after seeing the screenshots and that price-tag, you should be punished by a fatal barrage of bird droppings.

Hopefully I have already convinced you and if I had a choice I would shut you off right now and just fill the rest of this review with youtube video links of birds that happen to have made its way into indoor space causing all sorts of shenanigans, unfortunately I am here to criticize, so for those that are still cautious (I bet its those that haven't tied their iTunes to a credit card), this review will serve as a forewarning; yes a warning, on whether or not it is 'worth' drilling your time into.

On paper Angry birds will really win you over, I mean, look at it – launching odd looking birds from a slingshot for some colourful destruction against a piglet kingdom, a vivid warner brothers colour palette that is pleasant to look at, an accessible core objective; what is not to like?

Lets just get the most perceptible qualities out of the way – Angry Birds is an exceptionally polished game, you probably wont find an Appstore game at this price with such attention to detail and as clean as this; Sprites and animations are crisp, , the physics act in a logical smooth manner, camera control is fluid, menus are simplistic with a sense of character and good lord, there is even an opening animated cartoon introducing its story which is ingeniously as well as seamlessly accessed externally through a friggin full-screen youtube link, brilliant.

Look at the screenshots. If you haven't figured out from the screens (and two would be enough), Angry Birds follows your 2D ballistic ammo to target mechanic seen in games like Worms and Gunbound (it is even aesthetically similar to those two), however here is the switch, environments aren't destructible and wind isn't the thing stopping you, rather it's a set of physical obstacles and structural compositions that stand in the way of your sheltered objective, thus transforming Angry Birds into a puzzle game, figuring out and exploiting weaknesses.

You have six different kinds of birds to launch by simply using Mr. index finger or Dr. Greenthumb to drag out the slingshot back towards an angle and at a velocity, actually, scratch velocity because anything under full velocity is hard to accurately get right, most of the time I would just go full force at different angles as it just seems more accurate that way. The four birds have their own uses and abilities which is activated by a tap on the screen once the bird is in flight, you have your standard bird, your high speed bird, a cluster bird, a vertical drop bird and an exploding bird (no reference to feeding birds Panadol unfortunately). Each bird also has physical properties; say for example the cluster bird can rip through Ice blocks, the high speed bird can plough through layers of wood blocks, the bomb bird can pummel through almost anything - until it detonates, a green bird which acts as a boomerang and the red bird is well, your useless bouncy one.

(in time of writing, they have just updated in a new big red bird)

The variety of birds offered contributes to the levels puzzle solving as you have to decide what to hit, exploiting weaknesses in materials with the pre-determined birds you are given. It does sound great but it is often frustrating how you can't choose what birds to tackle a specific level or at least set the order of your given 'ammunition'. This means you're left to solve a problem their way instead of yours and if you happen to use your way, expect to not be rewarded with a high score. It doesnt help that the majority of the levels become somewhat formulaic and repetitive; there are levels that trigger off entertaining domino-style set pieces similar to ragdoll blaster 2 and on top of that there are secret golden egg levels that blend in timing, physics and accuracy quite evenly, but don't expect a good number of these to be seen and the latter you have to work for.

It does please me to say that Angry Birds is quite challenging; consistency? or a logical difficulty curve is absent here however. The difficulty comes from its restrictions, you have a finite amount of birds to use in order to wipe the area clean of piglets, so there are brief moments of tension and weight for your remaining bird to hit the final piglet. On top of that there are certain milestones/achievements that are awarded on how well you completed the level – the more birds you've spared and the more destruction to the level the better.

By design, Angry Birds is a perfect fit for the iPhone, it literally IS pick up and play; the zoom and pan controls are tacit/identical with the general interface functions of the iPhone so users are instantly familiar with it and each level can easily carve a space right into whatever else you're doing on the go as there are zero load times. Also there is no background music, besides the ambient bird and piglet sound effects, so you can play this in unison with your MP3 music library and even during an incoming call provided you have a hands-free set.

Angry Birds essentially bundles up into a single coloured ball of yarn. You would pull the same long string and it will stay the same shape, slowly reducing its size. But if you have nothing else to do and you see a fleck of string poking out, you'd might as well pull, and keep pulling until you've had enough of what is nothing short of a mere distraction. Unlike a ball of yarn though is value that is too good to dismiss and chances are, you're friends will have it, which will add a layer of competition with its online leaderboards and social media integration using facebook as well as twitter.

At 30MB you could have easily downloaded and played a few levels in the time of reading this review and since you made a choice to read this far after the first paragraph, hopefully you can decide whether or not all 180 levels of Angry Birds and constant added content updates is worth your time. The one thing that is for certain though is that when simply looking at the pictures, numbers and popularity alone, the choice in whether or not to purchase Angry Birds on the iPhone is the easiest one to make

7/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"illmatic87 reviewed Angry Birds for the iPhone/iPod..." was posted by illmatic87 on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:40:30 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/angry-birds/user-reviews/735485/platform/iphone/ Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:15:09 -0700 illmatic87 reviewed Kometen for the iPhone/iPod... http://www.gamespot.com/kometen/user-reviews/724538/platform/iphone/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

I am probably the worst person to be reviewing Kometen, First of all, I wasn't too fond of 2009 IGF winner and Erik Svedangs previous game Blueberry Garden, partly because it decimated my favourite game of last year - Machinarium. Secondly, I couldn't really care less about a comet flying nearby Earth, "lame, see you in another 75 years" I would say and thirdly, I had to make the tough decision in removing songs of my Ipod Touch just to install it. On the bright side the fact that I managed to delete a fair few Hall & Oates tracks is some indication that I was actually quite keen on Kometen, I mean look at it – its watercolour pretty, yet at the same time daunted by it; I've come across too many A-word games that come off as an awful lot smarter than I am, or maybe just weirder - more weird than someone with Hall & Oates on their IPod.

Thankfully this isn't the case for Kometen, I'll borrow a promo blurb also saying that Kometen is best described as your post-modern Pacman, it is not your traditional game where challenges are imposed on you; rather it is a game where you impose challenges upon yourself. You control a tongue wagging Comet for which you give your protagonist its own name and it shares its thoughts with you, "Okay Clamps" I think to myself "reject me from being my in-game Avatar, I never liked the film anyway"; the fact that I thought about talking to the comet is some precursor that this comet is your pet - your responsibility.

Your objective is sparked by your own curiosity, there are landmarks placed around the galaxy for you to explore and an open means to reaching them. There is a feeling of emptiness when traversing the galaxy, feeling austere; you'd think this will make exploration in Kometen to lead you into nothing but Oblivion (pun intended) but what is most peculiar for an explorative game is how involving and fascinating the movement can be, part of it is the sentiment of pure-horizon a lack of proper direction - you could literally flip the device in 90' rotations every second or so and it will look 'correct'. The controls will really absorb most of your attention, keeping you diligent as opposed to other explorative walking simulators like 'The Path'.

Controls are rather simple - tap on a nearby star and the comet will naturally use the orbits and gravitational pull of the surrounding stars to keep your comet floating around; you don't directly control the comet, just its direction; besides – its your pet. I mentioned earlier how you set yourself challenges, in one way or another you'll need to feed your Comet so you can slingshot your comet at high speeds towards a designated landmark; collecting food efficiently isn't really easy and I found myself timing my movement and utilising the stars' orbit to travel in nice neat circles to hopefully line up the comets orbit with that of the 'food belt'.

Once your Comet is satisfied, in comes the fun part - to swipe across the screen and shoot towards your destination at high speeds; it's a gorgeous sight that lifts up the beautiful yet dormant sprites into animated watercolours, seeing coloured streaks slip across the screen and witnessing the stars zooming right past you is well worth the effort in collecting the food and to top it off you are informed of how fast your launch is; so whether or not setting yourself personal goals is up to you.

One thing Kometen could not have done better is how apt one individual composition complements the game; it's a beautiful piece that gives Kometen a proper sense of explorative pace and at the same time some wonderful vibes that will keep even the Pitchfork review board happy. From the 2-step rim-shot infused drum riff, to the subtle electrik piano chords and thank the lord, a tight violin/viola section that attacks the composition rather than the habitual recipe of flagging the strings in. I don't exactly know how long the track goes for as it never seemed to repeat itself in a noticeable loop; all I know is that, I never got tired of it, nor did I get tired of zooming through space, collecting food and uncovering new landmarks for the 5 or so hours I had with it.

By the end of the game I had my comet really flying through the galaxy, swiftly hopping from star-to-star, short jumping while developing some sort of rhythm for itself - launching my Comet when I felt the momentum was right. Yet I still ponder to myself "what is all this for?", disappointingly enough there was some 'real' answer where the game tells you to throw on some diapers, clutch daddy's hand, go to some website and put in some 'code' – whether or not I am or the right track I thought it wasn't really necessary, rather it is downright asinine for a game of this nature to do such a thing - to hop out and let someone do the thinking for you.

Kometen will perplex you with some strange, abstract and cryptic messages once you reach your designated landmarks. The tarot-esque imagery and augmenting nouns that surround the landmark artefacts will feel all to familiar leaving you bewildered – frustrated, while your pet comet zooms throughout the desolate universe as a free spirit and without a care in the world, boy am I jealous of it. I get the feeling that Kometen is insulting the fact that I keep dissecting something that will just laugh and wag its tongue around me in return. I wish I lived like this comet – I also wished it didn't do that silly code thing, I wish the games sprites were less static and I wish the background sprite-layer was as varied as space should be. Kometen is not an awful lot smarter than I am, If anything I realised I am just an awful lot more introspective and derogatory. Kometen is a laudable experience of the exploration of ones own and with regards my interpretation; it was uncovering a lost, forgotten, yet convoluted universe that is... my own.

9/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"illmatic87 reviewed Kometen for the iPhone/iPod..." was posted by illmatic87 on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:15:09 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/kometen/user-reviews/724538/platform/iphone/ Sat, 01 May 2010 07:12:14 -0700 illmatic87 reviewed Ragdoll Blaster 2 for the iPhone/iPod... http://www.gamespot.com/ragdoll-blaster-2/user-reviews/719002/platform/iphone/ ...and gave it a 8.0.


You'd always begin to wonder who (or what) comes up with these situations, it was only last week when I thought about it; between then and in time of writing I have come across launching space cows, angry projectile birds, suicidal ninja robots, flying combat hammers and Niko Bellic. I would stick with 'what' as opposed to whom came up with the ideas though; and my only conclusion points towards a hat, yes a hat with words you pick out --- 3 of them actually, filled with an array of adjectives and nouns written by a group of 5th graders. If it was my hat, I would probably be reviewing a game based on an epic journey of the inanimate carbon rod or reviewing Worms Armageddon again, but unfortunately the latest hat offering finds myself reviewing a puzzle game about helpless ballistic ragdolls (yes it was that smart asian kid that put the ballistic word in).

First thing you will notice about Ragdoll Blaster 2 is its rather brown steampunk aesthetics--cogs, gears, levers, wood and more brown colours; it is a complete backflip from the original Ragdoll Blaster which served up the indie game clich– of stick figures and pen and lined paper drawings. The primary objective is the same as the original Ragdoll Blaster and for those new to the party, Ragdoll Blaster--it is simple, you are some sort of cannon mounted or on wheels, you aim, point with your finger on the screen with the indicated crosshair, launch a ragdoll through the physics based puzzle and hit a target. It is a very tacit control interface---the further you aim the higher the velocity of the ragdoll. As simple is it is, it is not perfect; most often your velocity is restricted by the size of the screen and tied down by the proximity of the cannon to the edge (especially if you're firing from the top edge) a zoom-out would have been neat or a velocity flick alternative. In general the controls just all up feel rather responsive as you could easily keep up with the physics in action and unlike the popular Angry Birds - low velocity shots can be executed quite meticulously.

The main attraction here is the puzzle variety on offer and there are 135 of them to be exact; they rarely ever repeat themselves but rather add new twists altering either gravity, working with force, icy surfaces, adhesives, portals, twisting pipes, working in reverse by moving the target to hit a well placed ragdoll, experimenting with mechanical contraptions and even hitting the target through some familiar scenario eg. The game interpets ski jumping, breaking the snooker triangle and sky diving which really adds an action/reflex element on top of its puzzle-solving, experimentation, minor calculation of physics and precision. Not all puzzles are picture perfect with its execution though, as clever as some are, there are a handful of force and wheel puzzles that feel rather tedious and slightly overstay its welcome. There are loopholes to be exploited and some puzzles are really just about getting the obvious orders right.

It is strange how they separated the puzzles into 9 rooms spanning 15 levels each---there really is no underlying theme or character that separates each room from each other and difficultly is somewhat rampant from the fourth room onwards; which gives no sense of progression. No puzzle will give you difficulty however and the more 'challenging' levels are found after the first 45 levels or so. The clue or puzzle titles also give the key to the puzzle away; crikey! there is even an unlimited use of ragdolls provided; it sure makes the game more experimental as opposed to difficult or tense and sometimes you can just mindlessly fire away and you'll succeed; Whether or not this makes the game somewhat cleaner is quite tentative but one thing is for sure is that solving these puzzles aren't all that satisfying. It is not like you cant fail here (and there is a level that points the 'fail' out) messing up a contraption; losing a target or your cannon falling means you have to try again by pressing an onscreen reset button to start the puzzle again. My goodness! it resets instantly, it is the next best thing behind ctrl+z (take that Mac OS) and there is no seeing the puzzle title intro again or figuring out whatever that coffeebreak clue that was given in Scribblenauts was about. But of course the less ragdolls you launch the better and to add to some production values, there are online leaderboards, personal bests and plus integration to compare with friends to compensate for its difficulty.

What surprises me though is how charming the game is for something that puts the browns in Gears of War to shame; it does it effortlessly through its puzzles too, sure the music is charming, the sackboy like ragdolls make elmo (who is in the middle of getting beaten up) sounds, but it is how the physics and puzzles present themselves that provides the most laughs. The puzzles are just stupendously clever that part of its charm is not knowing exactly what will happen -- then seeing the puzzle work its wonders and set-pieces, I cant even give examples I'll only just spoil it for you; it is much like the first 20 levels of Crayon Physics deluxe or the first level of each world in Braid--Ragdoll blaster 2 tries to showcase something new throughout the whole game. It is also the simple things like seeing the ragdolls flail around in the air, pile on each other, being squeezed between sets of gears, watching it float around in space-like gravity, even a slow rolling target falling and tapping an inanimate ragdolls head lightly to pass a level bought a slight laugh.

On the technical side it runs well, sometimes you'll see slowdowns when ragdolls and objects crank around simultaneously, but the technical performance will never punish your own 'performance'. Despite the small objects in the game, they contain some detail that really characterises them, cannons are detailed, portals can be identified and the ragdolls have eyes and a mouth despite its small size. For those with an iPhone that value the battery power, Ragdoll Blaster 2 doesn't chew up all important phone and music time either.

Radgoll Blaster 2 Is one of those games that could be summed up in a sentence, because the heart of the game is to simply 'launch ragdolls from a cannon and hit the target' but that just wont do this game justice. At approximately two Australian cents a puzzle, it really is a platform of the clever interaction of physics, mechanics and its unadorned charm; Despite the slight sense of developer Backflip studios showboating their clever charming ideas over providing some degree of challenge found in most puzzle games denies this game from its 9--which is where it should be, but to its credit its flaw is one indicator that the people behind Ragdoll Blaster 2 was not just there to bring you a game but to provide you with some guaranteed smiles too.

8/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"illmatic87 reviewed Ragdoll Blaster 2 for the iPhone/iPod..." was posted by illmatic87 on Sat, 01 May 2010 07:12:14 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/ragdoll-blaster-2/user-reviews/719002/platform/iphone/ Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:14:30 -0700 sandyqbg reviewed Torchlight for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/torchlight/user-reviews/715306/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

The one thing that strikes you when you start playing the game is how familiar it is to Diablo and this feeling keeps getting stronger the more you play it. However, this, by no means, undermines the game, as is the case with many shameless clones. In fact there is one major difference that imparts Torchlight it's rather distinct personality - the light easy going attitude of the game, that is in stark contrast with the intense, dark and sometimes even outright suffocating atmosphere of Diablo and its numerous clones.

The game revolves around the town of Torchlight, famed for its extensive mines of the valuable and rare mineral Ember. When things start getting fishy and evil creatures start crawling out of the woodwork, you, as the hero, must fight your way through several floors of enemies underground - a la Diablo I. Nothing impressive, but it gives you an excuse to play the part of the courageous dungeon crawler.

The game starts off standard RPG style by offering you three classes to choose from - the Destroyer, the Vanquisher and the Alchemist, which in simplified terms read Warrior, Ranger and Mage. Just like Diablo, the difference between the classes lie in the starting values of the four attributes(Strength, Dexterity, Defence and Magic) and the Skill sets, which are divided into three sub-sets for each class. End this by choosing a pet and naming both your character and the pet.

The game mechanics are the rudimentary hack-n-slash - no frills there. Plough through waves of enemies, floor by floor and complete objectives, which include fighting bosses to retrieving rare types of Ember for a Mage in town. Weapons are the usual fare - swords, maces, bows, staves, etc. However, the devs also decided throw in guns, which, while serving a more cosmetic purpose as far gameplay is concerned, was still an interesting addition.

Your pet is a key element in the game. It will be your loyal sidekick, always fighting by your side. While you could still do well, albeit with a little more difficulty, even without your pet, it's companionship lightens the atmosphere a bit, by just being there. Also, you need not run back to town to sell goods, every time your inventory fills up(which will happen a lot as monsters drop a lot of items in loot). You could simply send your pet to town and get unwanted items sold.

One of the most important aspects of RPGs are the missions, which upto an extent can make or break a fairly good RPG. There is little apart from the storyline missions in Torchlight and secondary missions include retrieving rare ember for the mage, fighting a certain boss monster or hunting for a specific treasure for a wannabe prince. However, one good thing about the secondary missions is that you don't have to go out of the way too much to accomplish them. So you'll hardly be side tracked from the main missions.

On the flip side, the marked lack of things to do other than kill wave after wave of monsters, soon devolves to mindless drudgery, mostly thanks to the fact that even at medium difficulty the game has been rather easy to play. Also, the fact that level design is not very brilliant helps the game in no way. There is a lack of challenge and there is completely nothing in the game that makes you use your brain. Perhaps a little more variety and challenge would have done the game ample good.

Inspite of this, the game manages to keep the gamer hooked on to it, for a considerably long time, and I attribute this to the game's atmosphere. Everything from the graphics to the way you play the game stresses on the light hearted nature of the game and you never feel overwhelmed by the sheer monotony of the gameplay. I'd even say that it is comic parody of Diablo and its kin.

The graphics are obviously outdated with blocky textures and rather rough character modelling. But none of this matters, thanks to the comic art style.

The background score is almost non-existent. There is a continuous hum in the background but you hardly notice it and it neither aids nor troubles the game in any way. Sound effects are solid and whatever little voice acting is there, is decent and for most part reflects the comic nature of the game.

VERDICT

It's a decent game, but I wouldn't recommend it as a game that should be played. It's more of a time pass, whenever you're bored or tired with more intense games and just need a break or perhaps you want to vent your frustration. I'd say it's just a stand-in till Diablo 3 comes.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sandyqbg reviewed Torchlight for the PC..." was posted by sandyqbg on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:14:30 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/torchlight/user-reviews/715306/platform/pc/ Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:28:54 -0700 sandyqbg reviewed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2/user-reviews/713633/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

After a two year wait, Infinity Ward finally rolled out the sequel to the highly popular first person shooter CoD Modern Warfare, the title that changed it all for the CoD franchise. The Modern Warfare, which is fast becoming a franchise of its own, with a probable sequel in the pipeline, has surely set new standards for Modern military FPSes.

The story picks up five years after the events of the first MW in a world fraught with political tensions, what with the prime antagonist of the first MW, Imran Zakhaev being celebrated as a martyr in Russia. The plot follows two main characters Roach and Ramirez, to track down and capture the terrorist Markov, while trying to fight a war on the home-front against the invading Russian army. The story does take a few interesting twists and turns, but I'm not going to spoil them for you.

The gameplay is just as frantic and fast paced as in the first - right from the word 'go' in the training missions to the last scene of the game. Little has changed since then, and while this is not exactly a bad thing, it does take the sheen off the novelty that MW 1 brought with it.

The storyline supplies ample fuel to keep the game going, but suffers significantly, thanks to the nature of the plot. MW 1 featured a war in the middle east, which had a rather authentic feel to it, but MW 2 has the Russians invading the US, which feels more like a dark fairy tale. The flow of the story is quite muddled up, with subsequent missions feeling disconnected at times. Sometimes, you get the feeling that a certain scene did not agree properly with the rest of the story and that perhaps, it was developed for another game, but the devs decided to throw it in MW 2.

However, the biggest let-down of MW 2 is its length. You thought MW 1 was short, but wait till you play this. It's perhaps the shortest game I've ever played(Of course, excluding flash games and intended short games). For a guy who plays a game nice and slow, MW 2 was over in a little more than 7 hours. So the hardcore gamer will finish it in probably 3 to 4 hours; definitely not worth the money when you're talking about the game time.

MW 2 brings an all new Special Ops mode, which is basically a skirmish map, with the objectives varying from map to map. This is a big bonus for the single player mode of the game as the campaign fails to deliver. For anyone picking up this game for the single player, this mode truly completes the game and makes most of the value for money. The mode can be played both solo and co-op, which is again another added bonus.

With a rather disappointing single player, the game's main selling point is its multiplayer. However, here too I was a bit disappointed since the game needed Steam to play and in my opinion, Steam is broken. I've had my share of bad experiences with the Orange Box, as I had to update and use Steam to play it. And this time it was even worse, as Steam kept throwing errors and my poor net connection was no help. So I'm docking points for the multiplayer too for Steam.

With that aside, I still believe that multiplayer is THE most important component of the game. If you really want to experience MW 2, then you have to play it on LAN or online. Without that, you're not even getting half of what the game's worth.

Coming to the display, the HUD has seen some changes and while it might just need some getting used to, I still feel that it feels slightly more cramped than in MW 1. Also, the devs have simplified the mission display,so that what little thinking that had to be done for it has been completely removed. Most of the time, you end up following the big white 'Follow' tag on one of characters, without pausing to think about directions or orientation. Just keep following it, while shooting the bad guys and you're soon at the end point. This dumbs down the effect of mission variety(which is quite good, in fact), as you only see yourself doing one thing and that's 'follow'.

The graphics is crisp. While not superlative or game changing, it easily falls in with the 'great graphics' category. The textures are spotless and while the game is such that you don't focus much on distant targets, the draw distance is great. Attention to detail is also commendable.

Finally, to sound - Voice acting is solid and the sounds feel quite realistic. The game packs a punch here. Inspite of the poor 'screenplay', the voice acting does much to alleviate it, as you're absorbed by the dialogues, some coarse, some witty, but all in all, great to listen to.

VERDICT

Great game, but unless you're going to play multiplayer for the most part, you're missing much of what it has to offer. Hell, don't even buy it if you're not going to play multiplayer.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sandyqbg reviewed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the PC..." was posted by sandyqbg on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:28:54 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2/user-reviews/713633/platform/pc/ Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:58:17 -0800 arijit_2404 reviewed Fallout 3: Point Lookout for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-point-lookout/user-reviews/707890/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Among 5 DLC packs for Fallout 3, I would rate them like this,

1. Point Lookout
2. Mother ship Zeta
3. The Pitt
4. Broken Steel
5. Operation Anchorage

'Point Lookout' is the best DLC pack among them, it has everything. Post-nuclear war landscape, awesome visuals, thrilling actions, no-nonsense quests and side-quests.

I would keep 'Mother ship Zeta' ahead of others because it is fun. Killing those Aliens is really fun! Suck it, you aliens.

'The Pitt' undoubtedly will be another favorite of me because it has cruelly harsh theme. I love the location and story in that expansion. And twist at the end of the story is another plus.

'Broken Steel' is continuation of default story line so I won't say it has to do much to impress gamers. Still it fell apart some times and I won't say it has met the bar set by original FO3 story.

F*** it ... 'Operation Anchorage' - the worst DLC /expansion in Fallout franchise. It looked like a B-grade action movie from start-2-end and only plus is the stunning visuals. Rest forget it!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"arijit_2404 reviewed Fallout 3: Point Lookout for the PC..." was posted by arijit_2404 on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:58:17 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-point-lookout/user-reviews/707890/platform/pc/ Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:57:01 -0800 arijit_2404 reviewed Fallout 3: The Pitt for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-the-pitt/user-reviews/707889/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Among 5 DLC packs for Fallout 3, I would rate them like this,

1. Point Lookout
2. Mother ship Zeta
3. The Pitt
4. Broken Steel
5. Operation Anchorage

'Point Lookout' is the best DLC pack among them, it has everything. Post-nuclear war landscape, awesome visuals, thrilling actions, no-nonsense quests and side-quests.

I would keep 'Mother ship Zeta' ahead of others because it is fun. Killing those Aliens is really fun! Suck it, you aliens.

'The Pitt' undoubtedly will be another favorite of me because it has cruelly harsh theme. I love the location and story in that expansion. And twist at the end of the story is another plus.

'Broken Steel' is continuation of default story line so I won't say it has to do much to impress gamers. Still it fell apart some times and I won't say it has met the bar set by original FO3 story.

F*** it ... 'Operation Anchorage' - the worst DLC /expansion in Fallout franchise. It looked like a B-grade action movie from start-2-end and only plus is the stunning visuals. Rest forget it!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"arijit_2404 reviewed Fallout 3: The Pitt for the PC..." was posted by arijit_2404 on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:57:01 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-the-pitt/user-reviews/707889/platform/pc/ Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:55:43 -0800 arijit_2404 reviewed Fallout 3: Broken Steel for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-broken-steel/user-reviews/707886/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Among 5 DLC packs for Fallout 3, I would rate them like this,

1. Point Lookout
2. Mother ship Zeta
3. The Pitt
4. Broken Steel
5. Operation Anchorage

'Point Lookout' is the best DLC pack among them, it has everything. Post-nuclear war landscape, awesome visuals, thrilling actions, no-nonsense quests and side-quests.

I would keep 'Mother ship Zeta' ahead of others because it is fun. Killing those Aliens is really fun! Suck it, you aliens.

'The Pitt' undoubtedly will be another favorite of me because it has cruelly harsh theme. I love the location and story in that expansion. And twist at the end of the story is another plus.

'Broken Steel' is continuation of default story line so I won't say it has to do much to impress gamers. Still it fell apart some times and I won't say it has met the bar set by original FO3 story.

F*** it ... 'Operation Anchorage' - the worst DLC /expansion in Fallout franchise. It looked like a B-grade action movie from start-2-end and only plus is the stunning visuals. Rest forget it!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"arijit_2404 reviewed Fallout 3: Broken Steel for the PC..." was posted by arijit_2404 on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:55:43 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-3-broken-steel/user-reviews/707886/platform/pc/