Kenny789's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Kenny789's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Kenny789's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Sun, 19 May 2013 07:29:18 -0700 GameSpot Kenny789's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sat, 11 May 2013 04:28:33 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Angry Birds for the iPhone/iPod... http://www.gamespot.com/angry-birds/user-reviews/811201/platform/iphone/ ...and gave it a 2.0.

"Angry Birds is so cute!" "Angry Birds is so awesome!" "Little birdies, take wing..." How many times have you heard sentences like these in the past half-decade? I would guess around 950, 000 times.

But Angry Birds is the Justin Bieber of video games. It's undeservingly popular and is potentially dangerous. Some of the birds are cute, and that's about it. It's a game where skill is thrown into a lake of carnivorous piranhas and all you do is pull the birds back on the slingshot and kill annoying green pigs.

There's only one tune in the whole game (not counting the tune that plays when you beat a level, which is almost the same and lasts, oh, half a second), and it's very annoying. The birds make noises when they launch and when you tap the screen to use their special ability, like the yellow bird can speed up, but that's all there is to it.

The visuals are decent - compared to most iPhone games anyway - but the game isn't enjoyable. It's nothing but pure frustration. You pull the birds and launch them repeatedly just for the heck of it. You become the Rambo of video games. You don't even look if you're hitting the pigs, all you want is to beat the level just so that you can get the hell out of here.

I don't know why this game is so popular - yes, the birds are cute, but then babies are cute and yet except for Charlie in the 'Charlie Bit My Finger' video none of them became exactly famous. Maybe it's because some people don't know what games are. They think they're just crap like this where you just exercise your index finger and leave smudges across your iPhone screen.

One of the worst, no, THE worst because of its undeserved popularity, casual games of all time.

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"Spinnerweb reviewed Angry Birds for the iPhone/iPod..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Sat, 11 May 2013 04:28:33 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/angry-birds/user-reviews/811201/platform/iphone/ Sat, 11 May 2013 04:12:07 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Resident Evil: Deadly Silence for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil-deadly-silence/user-reviews/811200/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is a port of the original Resident Evil on the PS1. What's truly impressive is that everything - the FMV cutscenes, the gameplay and the sound - all of it from the PS1 is intact. This is an amazing achievement for a DS game.

It's the same story, which means it's very good. The graphics are almost identical to the PS1 version except for some effects, and there isn't any slowdown which is a problem in quite a number of 3D games for the DS.

There's more - a new Rebirth mode, which can be called something like, 'Resident Evil Remixed.' Enemies are at different locations from the original version, and it's slightly harder. There are new puzzles, and it makes use of the DS's touchscreen and microphone.

The cutscenes are fully voiced, and the FMV cutscenes are all there and haven't been dumbed down. The game plays quite well with the DS's controls, and best of all, Resident Evil is finally portable.

Any horror game fan with a Nintendo DS would do well to play this.

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"Spinnerweb reviewed Resident Evil: Deadly Silence for the DS..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Sat, 11 May 2013 04:12:07 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil-deadly-silence/user-reviews/811200/platform/ds/ Sat, 11 May 2013 03:07:00 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Facebook for the BlackBerry... http://www.gamespot.com/facebook/user-reviews/811198/platform/blackberry/ ...and gave it a 1.0.

Facebook... Why is it so successful? Because it encourages people to waste time. It is a menace to society. People visit it, everyday, posting things like, 'Brushing my teeth', 'having my breakfast' ... I mean, who cares?

The only beings it makes sense for is the older generation. Like, can't-get-out-of-my-wheelchair old. They can talk to their friends and it'll be like old times again.

But oddly, young 'uns use Facebook the most.

And it's glitchy. Every page you go to, it says, "Oops, ironing out a few kinks." There are awful waste-your-time online games like YoVille, FarmVille, ZooVille, CityVille and a possible AssVille.

I urge everyone to stay away from this.

It does nothing but create a bunch of narcissistic self-obsessed attention seekers, and I wish for a crushingly violent punishment for the assclown who came up with the idea of Facebook.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Spinnerweb reviewed Facebook for the BlackBerry..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Sat, 11 May 2013 03:07:00 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/facebook/user-reviews/811198/platform/blackberry/ Fri, 10 May 2013 22:42:33 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Tomb Raider: Underworld for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider-underworld/user-reviews/811192/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

It's easy to see that unlike other developers, Santa Cruz really did try (a little) to make this a good handheld version of a console game. But for whatever reason, whether out of laziness or because it was rushed to meet the release date, they didn't succeed. The end result is a game that is impressive in terms of visuals, but a mixture of too-easy gameplay and choppy sound results in a game that is disappointing and doesn't last very long.

One feat that I would commend the developers for is that the FMV cutscenes are all here, and all are intact, without any loss in quality. That is something that induces a 'wow', but let's get onto the actual game. The story is the same as the console version - in other words, it's very good, but after that it's downhill.

The graphics, like I said before, are amazing for a DS game. There is no slowdown like in other 3D games on the Nintendo DS, and the lighting is great. The character models aren't HD, of course, but they look very good on the DS.

The gameplay is on the easy side. Like, disappointingly easy. Sometimes you die because you don't expect it to be so easy and overshoot. Unbelievable. And there is no increase in difficulty as the game goes along.

The game plays like a 2D side scrolling platformer, but with 3D character models and environments. You use the touchscreen for the inventory. And man, the screen is dark! You'll only be able to see everything if you play on a DS Lite on the highest brightness setting. It's easy, even though Lara has all her moves from the console games like hanging from ledges, swinging around poles and using her grapple, because it's side scrolling. You can't fall off because you jumped a little too much to one side.

It should take an average of less than six hours to beat this game. So what good you can take from this game, can be taken from its screenshots - the graphics. Aside from that, unless it's your life's goal to collect every Tomb Raider game on every platform, or you don't have any other console to play this on except the DS, I would dissuade you from playing it.

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"Spinnerweb reviewed Tomb Raider: Underworld for the DS..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Fri, 10 May 2013 22:42:33 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider-underworld/user-reviews/811192/platform/ds/ Fri, 10 May 2013 21:12:33 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Tomb Raider: Underworld for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider-underworld/user-reviews/811190/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Poor Lara. While I enjoyed every single Tomb Raider game in the original series, her popularity has been plummeting for a while now. People just can't be satisfied that easily. So what do the developers do? Do they just put in revealing costumes and a cover starring her midriff and hope it'll sell? Of course not. They do that, but they make a great game as well.

Underworld continues the story where Legend left off, and the story is very good. If this had to be the end of the series it's very satisfyingly so. My greatest fear, however, was that the game would be half-assed on the PS2 and the developers would give all the attention to the seventh generation version. But right from the start, Underworld restored my faith in developers. The FMV cutscenes are excellent, and amazingly the in-game graphics are comparable to the PS3 version - this isn't a joke. Whether it's because the PS3's version's graphics are bad or the PS2 one's are very good, depends on whether you see the glass as half empty or half full.

The gameplay is very similar to Legend, but it's more non-linear. You can do more stuff now - shift along small ledges just by moving the analog stick rather than taking a risky jump, and there's an obligatory bike in one level. There's also a 'realistic' factor that makes it more believable through animations and excellent graphics - when standing near a fire in the first level, Lara will raise her arms in that direction to protect herself from the heat. After climbing out of water, Lara's clothes will be drenched. Yes, the latter also happened in Legend and Anniversary, but I never stopped being amazed at how much the developers did on the PS2 in the matter of visuals. The music is good, and the voice acting is well done. There is some minor slowdown in the gameplay of the second level (the one with the giant squid in it) but it never amounted to excessive frustration.

Of course, it's still a PS2 game, so the developers had to make some sacrifices - namely, the double auto target mode from the PS3 version isn't here. Ah well. Who wants that, anyway?

Overall, the now-bankrupt developers did a really good job with it and it's a shame the series was rebooted, though it couldn't have gone on forever obviously and over a decade is a nice long run for a series... but Underworld is a very satisfying end to the original series whichever platform you play it on.

... Except the Nintendo DS, of course.



Get the full article at GameSpot

"Spinnerweb reviewed Tomb Raider: Underworld for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Fri, 10 May 2013 21:12:33 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider-underworld/user-reviews/811190/platform/ps2/ Sun, 05 May 2013 08:10:02 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Way of the Samurai 2 for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/way-of-the-samurai-2/user-reviews/811025/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Samurai. The legends of Japan. People who would commit suicide instead of surrendering, if my history book told me the truth.

Way of the Samurai 2 is not about samurai. That may be surprising, but it seems the developers have never seen a history textbook. In this game, you create a character, and you're a bum with a sword in feudal Japan who is starving when a little girl gives him a rice ball to eat, at the start of the game. Guess that makes you a samurai? Anyway, the story is not so great, and given how short the game is you would have thought the developers would have put more work into the story. There are multiple endings, but all but two of the story paths have the same ending. And none of the endings are good.

You can make choices on what to say which sometimes affects the story, and you can do stuff to prolong your story, but mostly it makes no difference. None of the characters are likeable - a dumb girl who the townspeople call 'No-name' (but you can find her real name by teaching her to read and write), a woman who runs some kind of business, a few side characters and Hanzayaman Takamura who is the 'rebel leader' of the town of Amahara.

The gameplay - you walk around town but there's rarely ever anything to do except go in the shops for doing stuff like eating to restore health or drinking alcohol which increases your energy but loses you some health. And you never need the shops because it's too short. You can talk to people, but nothing they say is interesting. If you kill even one person (except thugs), all the shopkeepers kick you out of their shop when they see you. Honestly, what else is there to do in free-roaming except kill a few people? You can visit a dojo where they teach you how to fight, but you learn as much on the fly.

There are different types of swords like 'Ore' and 'Ninja' and the swords break if you use them too much without pausing between attacks. You can collect items like scrolls which power up your swords and food items which restore health. You can roam around, sleep in your house, etc. Just pass the time. There isn't much to do.

The graphics are not very good, and all battles have the same music - which is decent but gets repetitive. The voice acting is poor, but the sound effects are good. There aren't that many options in create-a-character mode, which means whatever you create, you won't like in the least.

Overall, the developers really could have put together a good game here, but they didn't even bother to do a little homework. Even after playing through all the story paths and watching all the endings, I wasn't all that satisfied. Way of the Samurai 2 is historically inaccurate, gameplay-wise and graphically average, and the voice acting will hurt the ears of anyone with functioning aural cavities. It's really disappointing what the developers came up with when they had such a good premise to go on. I wanted to like this game, but it's hard to. Overall, this is not the best samurai-based game.

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"Spinnerweb reviewed Way of the Samurai 2 for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Sun, 05 May 2013 08:10:02 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/way-of-the-samurai-2/user-reviews/811025/platform/ps2/ Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:44:29 -0700 Opnotikis reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/810846/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Bioshock Infinite is an ambitious story, an innovative story, a strange twisted tale.

Like the previous entries the story the story is such a big part of the Bioshock games that you have to pay close attention or you'll miss a key part and may become confused. In the beginning of the game read all the signs/banners/torn pages it will help setup the mood. Once in the floating city of Colombia, listen to the people and the voxaphones. The voxaphones give you a deeper look into the city, just like the audio logs in Rapture. Also listen to the music that is sung in the game. It will really surprise you which songs are played and how well they work where they are. My personal favorite song is Fortunate Son by CCR. I believe most of the songs show up more then once in the game so if you miss it the first time it may be somewhere else for you. The story would suffer if the game play was not viable.

Now the game play is the same as Bioshock 2. You get to dual wield a gun and vigor, but this time you only get to have 2 guns with you, but you get to have 2 vigors to switch between instead of only one out. The big difference is the sky rail. Boy is that fun, chaotic, and if your scared to heights (Like I am) and little terrifying. But once you get the mechanics down, you should have a blast using it to get around and fight enemies.

Graphics this time are bright, warm and almost a little more terrifying then Rapture. In Rapture you saw the destruction and decay of the city all around you. Here in Columbia you don't see that. What you get thou is a first hand experience of a city crumble around you as it falls apart. It starts off slowly and you don't see much of the city change around you, but then all of a sudden buildings are on fire and destroyed. The city looks amazing as it changes, which makes you feel like you're effecting the city more this time.

The voice acting is well done and really helps the story and game move forward. Nice to have a protagonist say what he is thinking, then just move around the world. And Elizabeth is one of the most useful escort characters I have ever seen. She doesn't just run to a safe spot and hide, she helps you when and if she can, in and out of battle. She'll give you ammo, coins, salts, and health, as well as figure out codes, and pick locks. The conversations between her and Booker feel weighted and meaningful.

The mood in this game starts off in an erie of mystery, with a light house and a quickly written note. Then for a quick moment there is the wonderful feeling of amazement as your get your first look at Columbia. Then just as quickly you start to get a creepy feeling. It could be from anything you're seeing or walking through. That creepy feeling will stay with you the whole game. It may not be front and center but it's still there. You will be in awe of the situations, the sights and sounds of the city, and curious of what is right around the corner or down in the next room. The mood may be ever changing, but that is a good thing. To be in one mood for too long and you start to get comfortable, or unnerved (If this was a horror game). An ever changing mood keeps you off balance and engaged in the world the whole time.

Bioshock Infinite is an ambitious game that does not over reach its self. I always felt like I could understand what was going on in the story line. Even thou I am not a person into Quantum Science. The ending still made sense to me and I was able to get the whole purpose of the tears and the other worlds. In a simple way thought of the film The One with Jet Li. If you know the film then you get the connection. For those of you who have not, the connection is all about the multiple yous and worlds. The key is the brother/sister Lutece and who they are to each other.

So is this game worth playing? I believe so, but I am bias in that I enjoy the series. Is this game for everyone? No, and I will not say that it is. If you're not into FPS games or Dystopia stories that you can skip this game. I enjoyed it and will enjoy it over the years. I hope that more games could have stories that were just as interesting, compelling, and thought provoking.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Opnotikis reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Opnotikis on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:44:29 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/810846/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:33:04 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Street Cleaning Simulator for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/street-cleaning-simulator/user-reviews/810660/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

I first played Street Cleaning Simulator about a year ago, and I have been playing it over and over ever since like a man possessed. So anyway, when I first played it it was with my best friend. We popped it in and started playing. I rarely get touchy while playing video games, but this game was so moving in every aspect that I started crying about five minutes into the game and by the time the credits rolled, I was basically bawling my eyes out. My friend didn't even look at me after it was over and he has never played a video game with me since. I have no idea why.

The game's script was written by many well-known geniuses the likes of Roald Dahl, Joanne Rowling, Jamie Rix, Aristotle, Mark Twain and Arnold Schwarzenegg-whatsisname, Stephen King, Sylvester Stallone and a small chipmunk. In fact, there are very few famous people who have not worked on this game one way or another.

So, anyway, you play as a street cleaner who has made it his life's mission to clean the streets of vermin. While little toddlers pore over comic books and movies and licensed garbage video games of men wearing their underwear on the outside and wearing a cape as if they're going to the opera, this real-life superhero puts his truck on the road and cleans, cleans, cleans. He never rests because he knows that if he does, the streets will get dirty. And if they get dirty, he drives his car to the edge of a cliff and stays there.

Our street cleaning superhero apparently doesn't have a stereo in his truck, so there is no music. Smart choice because otherwise every time he gets off a bunch of bad guys in masks would smash the windows, steal his stereo and leave a note sneering at his taste in music. And since he's busy fighting the real evil: smidgens of dust, he would not be able to stop them. Oh well, he fares much better than other superheroes. They never fight crime in neighbourhoods that need it. I'd like to see Batman fight crime in my neighbourhood.

"Robin?"

"Yes Batman?"

"Didn't we park the car right here, man?"

Along the way, our hero encounters other cars whose drivers are either busy defying gravity or driving their vehicles full pelt into your truck in a desperate effort to ram it off the road. Obviously these are the same people who say, "Littering is a very bad habit," and at the same time drop a banana peel in the middle of the road, ready for the next unfortunate wretch to cross the road. But our hero here... he stops it. He risks it all. The game lasts a good long time itself, but you will play it over and over and over again because it's so damn addictive. And in the end, there is only one gripe with this game - the inclusion of Stephenie Meyer in the credits. I can't forgive that. They should have had her work uncredited. Big Rigs, I've got two words for you: ha and ha. Turns out, a street cleaner surpasses a big rig in every way. So there you have it. It's not the reigning champ of video games (which is Valkyria Chronicles II. Sorry, I can't help myself even in troll reviews), but it's definitely one of the top contenders.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Spinnerweb reviewed Street Cleaning Simulator for the PC..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:33:04 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/street-cleaning-simulator/user-reviews/810660/platform/pc/ Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:52:55 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Strikers 1945 Plus Portable for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/strikers-1945-plus-portable/user-reviews/810500/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 5.0.

Strikers was a series of bullet hell games before bullet hell games were cool. Now, I happen to be a big fan of bullet hell games, and since the PSP has a tragically undernourished library of bullet hell games, of course I had to try this. Who cares if every reviewer in existence panned it, right?

Turns out, I should have listened to the reviewers. This game may be good to distract a child for a while (after tying his wrists to your PSP of course, so he doesn't throw it down in frustration at this game) and if you just feel like a 15-minute blast once in a while, then Strikers 1945 Plus Portable can be pretty fun. But looking at the price and the value for money this game offers, you should look at alternatives like Neo Geo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting instead.

The idea of the game is unique - a sci-fi World War II shooter, and the music is very good - war trumpets - but after that, it goes downhill. There are six planes you can choose from, and what I don't get is why the hell why we have to choose from them in nine seconds flat - nine seconds flat! Nine seconds is barely enough time to look through the planes. And none of the plane's powers or strengths or abilities are shown in the select screen if that's what you're wondering.

It plays like a generic shmup. If you hold down the shot button, you get a special charged attack, but that's the only special thing about this game. You use your bombs to call an airstrike in which five planes come to back you up; they stay for a very long time and absorb bullets, so all you have to do is get behind them and you're in barely any danger.

The level designs are generic, the bosses are easy and you get infinite continues! Infinite continues, and the scores are randomized so if you play this game for a high score, don't bother since there is no set score for killing a certain type of enemy. So you have infinite continues and you die on one hit; this makes the game both insanely hard and awfully easy at the same time. Worse still, the levels start repeating themselves after a while. Do they think we have amnesia or something that we can't remember?

I'd love to give this game a higher score, but I really don't feel it deserves it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Spinnerweb reviewed Strikers 1945 Plus Portable for the PSP..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:52:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/strikers-1945-plus-portable/user-reviews/810500/platform/psp/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:39:21 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Cho Aniki Zero for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/cho-aniki-zero/user-reviews/810458/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Cho Aniki has been around since the mid-1990s, but was never released outside of Japan, and what we'll get to in a second will prove why. Anyway, this is one of those games that never made a buzz and is lucky to get localized at all. And if it had been more noticed, then there would be more lawsuits. Quite simply, you can retitle this game, "Sexual Objectification in Videogames: How Would Men Like It?" and it would fit perfectly.

About ninety-three per cent of the cast (the rest are robots) is three-quarters-nude, and horror of horrors, all but one of them are men. The creepiest are Adon and Samson - really huge, muscular men (the subtitle of the game is 'Muscle Brothers') who are almost always in awfully homoerotic poses. Writing about it makes my stomach roil. And there are the two naked babies Misha and El.

Anyway, the only normal-looking characters are the two playable ones - Itadon's a guy (and yes, he's muscular as hell too but at least wears pants) and Benten's the only female character. And she is pretty hot. Actually, she's very hot. They had to make this game sell a little somehow, after all.

I'd have preferred not to have naked men or babies flying around the screen, but you have to pick a sidekick alongside the character you're playing - Itadon can pick between Samson and Adon and Benten has to stick with both Misha and El.

The story is that BuilderPlanet is running out of protein so Itadon and Benten set out to kill off Balzac II the Villain. Quite a simple and idiotic story, with no speech narration, and it's all told through the opening but the story's never the focus in bullet hell games - the gameplay is.

So what about the gameplay? It's decent. You fly horizontally around the screen shooting stuff, you can change directions, and you can use traditional bombs (called Eruptions - it's not as bad as it sounds) and Men Beams - basically laser attacks - though if you pick Benten it's called the Splash Beam and is more of a screen-sweep. Your sidekicks shoot alongside you and absorb bullets. Enemies drop protein capsules and man-juice which you can pick up for more bombs and lasers - let's just call them lasers. You can change your direction, which is a feature not all bullet hell games have. The graphics are nice - the models and environment are 3D - and the music is fine too. There isn't that crazy sense of speed because backgrounds are static, but overall the game does well in the gameplay, graphics and sound department.

One thing to complain about is the presentation. The title and options menu makes you expect it's gonna be hella oldschool - 16-bit graphics and choppy sound effect - but it's not like that, which is good. The Pause screen is just a simple 'PAUSE' written across the screen in WordPad font and you can't exit to the main menu or anything (you have to quit the whole game). In the options menu the control scheme indicates that you can access the options midgame by pressing O, but you can't.

Overall, Cho Aniki Zero is a good bullet hell game for someone who can maintain an indifference to a lot of the stuff shown and implied in the game, and can simply focus on shooting everything, but if you're sensitive to such things then definitely avoid it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Spinnerweb reviewed Cho Aniki Zero for the PSP..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:39:21 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/cho-aniki-zero/user-reviews/810458/platform/psp/ Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:21:07 -0700 bladex8 reviewed Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/disney-epic-mickey-the-power-of-illusion/user-reviews/809254/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 5.5.

Power of Illusion is chronologically the third game in the Epic Mickey series exclusively made for the 3DS. Made by DreamRift, the creators of the criminally underrated Monster Tale, made a new 2D Mickey Mouse game paying tribute to the not only the Illusion games, but various Disney games like Ducktales for the NES. This game was released alongside Epic Mickey Power of Two which received mixed reviews at best so does this game deliver?

Power of Illusion starts where Power of Two left off. Oswald contacts Mickey through a television claiming that the evil Mizrabel and her castle got transported to the wasteland and Minnie Mouse was spotted inside. Mickey then sets off to save Minnie and the "illusions" of other Disney characters trapped in the castle. Upon arriving Mickey and Oswald enter the castle and the door shuts behind them. There they meet Jiminy Cricket who tells them that Mizrabel plans to steal the heart power of all the imprisoned toons to get back to the cartoon world. Will Mickey defeat Mizrabel and save our beloved Disney characters? What do you think?

The writing is pretty non-existent. There's very little story and I'm fine with that, but there's a huge cast of Disney characters in this game who all have the same thing to say over and over again. They'll always spout something like "Thanks for saving me!" or "You're the best thing ever!". I swear this game has the most repetitive lines in video game history. Granted they all say in their own way, but that's not enough. They don't really try to hide that they're just cameos and won't really interact with each other at all despite the fact that you bring them all to one place once you saved them. Mickeys or Jiminy's dialogue isn't much better as the only they'll do is explain the situation over and over again until there's nobody to save anymore.

So the dialogue and story are a bit tiring, but how's the gameplay?
It's pretty dull honestly. Mickey has quite a lot of moves. He can jump on enemies, spin around like a tasmanian devil and he can shoot paint/ thinner with his brush, but there's one problem. The game moves at a snails pace. I don't really mind slow movement, because I grew up on the Magical Quest games, but the game frequently forces you to stop and create or remove an object to proceed into the level. To be fair, every time you do this, you're a bit faster and stronger for a short period, but that's only to negate the time you wasted with your paint/thinner. It's like a tease, why couldn't the game always be that fast? Is it because the game would have been over in 5 minutes? Yeah, we'll get to that later.

Power of Illusion features three worlds: Agrabah, Neverland and Atlantica.
Neverland and Agrabah are mostly well designed and feature the most memorable locations from their respective movies. Atlantica on the other hand is a different story. First of, the last two levels in that world are under water meaning that the slow gameplay is even slower. Second, you jump way too high, meaning that you'll jump into enemies or obstacles and most of the time, you won't see them coming until it's too late. Thirdly, Atlantica drove me insane. The amount of hits I endured, because of all the crap the game threw at me almost made me rage quit. The spikes, the current, the enemies that have better range, speed and movement than you and so on.

The enemies mostly fit in their respective worlds with others being references to certain Disney characters, movies or even games. They never give you to much of a challenge unless you rush in with your head first like a maniac, that is until Atlantica. I've already said the enemies (especially the sharks) can really be annoying, but it's more their placement that bothers. I swear that some evil mastermind too over here. Every time I jump on something, I bounce off and run into spikes or a different enemy, because of the water physics. Spinning almost never works for me, because it requires a lot of timing underwater. Using your brush as a projectile attack might work, but sharks or squids pretty much guarantee one hit, because you have to be right next to them and areas in Atlantica can be pretty claustrophobic.

Often you'll need to rescue Disney characters in these levels, but if they're not immediately there, you need to activate a quest and THEN go back to a level. This means that you have to play levels over and over until you've caught them all. What do you get for rescuing them all? Nothing! Well, that's not entirely true. By completing quests, whether it is finding someone or a random object (which you also need to find in one of the levels!), you might obtain upgrades for Mickeys abilities or money which is helpful, but you won't get anything for saving them all except for seeing them at the end of the game.
This is just to pad out the game, but it only took me eight hours to complete the game which is pathetic for a 3DS game. Beating the game would take less then an hour, possible even less.

You know, I have a theory. Neverland, Agrabah and Atlantica all take place in one wing of the castle. There's an east wing, a south wing and a west, but there's no north wing. I think that there was supposed to be a north wing. It was probably supposed to be Wonderland, because a lot of Alice in Wonderland characters appear in the game and the queen of hearts is actually on the box of the game, when she's not even in the actual game! All the characters on the box besides Mickey are the villains in the game, so that's only more evidence that queen of hearts might have been a boss at one point. Even then, if everything I said isn't true, that there really wasn't a fourth world, there's one more thing. The three wings all have four levels.... except for the third one which only has three and no boss to fight. That's right, you don't fight Ursula despite the fact that she's on the box alongside Hook and Jafar who you do get to fight!

Speaking of which, I should probably talk about the bosses. You only fight three: Hook, snake Jafar and dragon Mizrabel.
You can only hurt them by jumping into them and there's not much to them.

There's one more thing. One of the main gimmicks of Epic Mickey is painting and using thinner. Painting can create objects, while thinner destroys them. In this game you have use the stylus to other draw something or remove something which gets painly repetitive. Especially if you have to replay levels to finish certain quests. There's also certain drawings you can bring along a lvel like Pluto attacks enemies, Tinkerbell gives you a glide, but the only really useful one is a platform. You see to obtain some goodies, you have to bounce of some enemies. If all else fails, you can always create a platform out of nowwhere. Granted some of them are useful if you're overwhelmed, but half the time, I forget I even have them.

Out of all the three, Hook is actually the most unique, because Snake Jafar and Dragon Mizrabel are pretty similar with only very slight differences.
Again, I think there should have been a boss fight with Urusula, but Disney said no.

The graphics are really good. The environments are fantastic and represent the movies perfectly and the animation is very fluid. The only area that looks kinda bad is the third level of Atlantica, because you're underwater, but the background has a beach and Prince erics castle. How's that possible? I know that it takes place in a castle of illusion and in its own world, anything is possible, but visually, it's really distracting.

The music is decent enough. Some of it is taken from earlier games in the series and it does enhance the mood of the levels, but on its own, it's not that impressive. It's certainly isn't something I'd put on my iPod.

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is a disseapointment. It's unbalanced, unfinished, boring and often frustrating game that's not worth the forty dollars to play the game. If you want to play a 2D platformer for the 3DS, There's always New Super Mario Bros 2, Rayman origins, Cave Story, Sonic Generations and so on.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"bladex8 reviewed Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion for the 3DS..." was posted by bladex8 on Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:21:07 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/disney-epic-mickey-the-power-of-illusion/user-reviews/809254/platform/3ds/ Sat, 02 Mar 2013 21:49:25 -0800 darksongbird reviewed Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation... http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-vii/user-reviews/808170/platform/ps/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Final Fantasy 7 is a classic. The game is great. The characters are special, the graphics were pretty good for its time, the game play was on point and who can really mention Final Fantasy 7 without mentioning the FREAKING MUSIC??! I really love the characters and just about everything else about the game. However, when you mix in the music everything just fit. I think this was the second Final Fantasy title I played after 3. After playing, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, Tactics and the first Tactics game on the GBA I must say that this game is still my favorite Final Fantasy. It's spectacular. And while I honestly don't think I could play through the game again today it still holds up as one of the best games I've ever played. Definitely the best RPG game I've ever played. If I hadn't booted it up and played it so much in the past I might feel different about owning it again. However, if you've never played the game (do you live under a rock?!) then it's really a great idea to try it somehow. If you missed it because you were too young/not born when it came out in '97 then do so. Now. :)

Final rating --------> 10/10

written solely by Darksongbird

(also posted at Amazon.com by me)

Get the full article at GameSpot

"darksongbird reviewed Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation..." was posted by darksongbird on Sat, 02 Mar 2013 21:49:25 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-vii/user-reviews/808170/platform/ps/ Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:49:56 -0800 Cloud_765 reviewed Mighty Switch Force! for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/mighty-switch-force/user-reviews/806911/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

You're a cop. Your car has crashed and all of your captured convicts have escaped! In order to find them and bring justice, you must traverse the levels and use your jump, blaster, and platform-controlling siren. Surprisingly enough, this formula works fantastic.

The basic gameplay is that on each of the initial 16 levels, you have to use your blaster to get rid of enemies, jump to different platforms, and the key piece to this game, the siren, which switches what platforms are solid and which ones are transparent with the push of a button. Each level contains 5 felons you must capture, and when all of them have been caught, you find the transport mech to take you to the next level. Each level has a par time you can attempt to top, which is where the challenge comes in.

There are several types of blocks the siren controls. There's the ordinary goldish-tan color, which are normal solid platforms controlled by the siren on and off. Some of them are lined up in ways to make platforming tricky, requiring you press the button to switch the platforms mid-jump.

There's also launch blocks, which are purple and launch anything (enemy or you!) in the direction of the arrow of the block, when triggered. Some levels contain puzzles built entirely around this, other levels contain mini-puzzles where you need to launch an enemy through a path of these blocks to get them to reach something to trigger a needed switch.

The final of these is the lock blocks, which will not fade out if you are standing on one. Typically, some blocks will fade out and cannot be used while others will fade in. These make the puzzles even more complex. These tend to combine later on with the regular yellow ones to create tricky platform puzzles.

Your blaster, less used than your trusty siren, is capable of breaking small blocks in your path, or defeating enemies. Sometimes an enemy which is hard to defeat may need to be provoked through the blaster then defeated when you switch a block from transparent to solid to crush them. In addition, enemies and yourself can be crushed if you are standing where a block can be switched on, and that block does switch on with you right there (or the enemy). Your character has 3 hearts, and if you lose them all, you are thrown back to the level select. You can choose to retry a level when you pause the game or quit to the level select as well.

There are 16 levels in the game, with increasing difficulty. New puzzles are constantly introduced, and the platforming aspect is made trickier with the switchable blocks needing to be controlled with more and more finesse. Each of these levels are often highly replayable, and are tons of fun. You tend to feel a decent sense of accomplishment at the end of a level. To help you locate any missing felons or the transport mech, the radar on the bottom screen will show you which direction they're in.

The final main level is a "boss level" of sorts, which tests the player on everything they've learned. It uses everything up to that point, while making the player climb higher and higher up a building of sorts... with your siren unable to be controlled yourself, but rather be on a timer. At the end of this is a boss which as it is injured sets free a felon for you to capture (as there are no felons on the climb up). Defeating this boss unlocks a superpowered blaster to use in the first 16 levels, and the first of 5 bonus levels is unlocked. Defeating these bonus levels and reaching the par time on any level is where you'll find yourself soaking up more time playing this game.

The music is fantastic. Trance-like techno beats, and driving rhythms guide you through level after level. There's a couple dozen tracks to the game soundtrack in all, and all of them are quite catchy, with a few standing out really well. I highly recommend giving the OST a listen to even if you're not sold on the game concept, as the soundtrack is just great listening. The sound effects are nice, from the pew pew of the blaster, to the glass-shattering when something is launched into the screen from a block switch, to the explosions of the bomb enemies, and even the voice of the heroine rooting you on. They get the job done well.

The graphics are decent, colorful and fairly satisfying. The drawn environments where the game takes place (a trashy city ridden with criminals running away from the heroine) can be fairly eye-catching, but they slowly tend to recycle themselves slightly. Aside from that, the animations are decently detailed and give everything in the world of the game life. The 3D effects make shooting something into the screen that much more entertaining.

The game's biggest draw is in challenge and replayability. You will not reach any par times on your first run, I can almost guarantee you. But striving for those fast times (speed-running the entire game, essentially), as well as completing those optional bonus levels, is one of the game's most attractive features. The levels themselves are replayable just out of their entertainment value alone, regardless of how fast you can complete the level. Unfortunately, the main game is short, and will likely be completed in just a few hours. The replay value will bring the game time up a lot more, likely over the amount of time it took to beat the main game.

Breakdown:
Pros...
+High replay value
+Great music
+Unique, tricky mix of puzzle and platforming gameplay
+Only $5.99 off the eShop - really, get this game

Cons...
-Graphics, while nice, are slightly recycled later in the game
-The one boss in the game lacks challenge and is a Giant Space Flea From Nowhere

Scores:
Gameplay - 8.5/10
Presentation - 7/10
Sound - 8.5/10
Graphics - 7.5/10
Tilt - 8.5/10

Overall - 8/10

While a short main game experience, Mighty Switch Force is filled with flatteringly tricky puzzle/platforming gameplay that begs to be replayed. It also has fantastic music your ears will love, and the detailed sprite animations are catching. For only $6 off the eShop you can get a very good, worthwhile game for the 3DS. If you have an interest in platformers and puzzles, and access to the eShop, this is a game you definitely want to try.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Cloud_765 reviewed Mighty Switch Force! for the 3DS..." was posted by Cloud_765 on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:49:56 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mighty-switch-force/user-reviews/806911/platform/3ds/ Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:42:09 -0800 JasonDarksavior reviewed Far Cry 3 for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3/user-reviews/806445/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Far Cry 3 is Ubisoft Montreal's latest release and after the great success of Far Cry 2, the franchise has promised to take bold steps forward and provide first person shooter fans a game they will never forget. Far Cry 3 is an impressive testament that the current generation video game consoles still have much life left as it provides a stunning single player experience enthralled with addictive game mechanics packaged in a beautiful photogenic world. Being in development for a number of years, the developers ensured Far Cry 3 would be a memorable hit appropriate to the end of 2012. Apart from just incorporating engrossing game mechanics, Far Cry 3 also features an emotive and realistic storyline, interesting themes of insanity and a lengthy campaign accompanied with stunning and gorgeous graphics.

Ubisoft Montreal promised an unforgettable experience which would set Far Cry 3 apart from the large plethora of shooters already on the market, and this is just an absolute understatement. Far Cry 3 follows the tale of Jason Brody and his group of friends as they are captured by the native pirates of Rook Island. Over the course of the game, shy and reserved Jason is transformed into a brutal and violent warrior as he unleashes a side of him never known to exist. The plot of Far Cry 3 revolves around Jason trying to free his friends and eventually finding a way to escape Rook Island. Throughout the lengthy campaign, a large cast of characters are introduced and this provides a sense of desperation which enhances the atmosphere and brutal situation he is forced into. All the characters in Far Cry 3 are voiced by talented voice actors and this greatly enhances the game's storyline. The character development in Far Cry 3 is also well above most games as Jason has strong attachments with his friends which ultimately encourages the player to have a connection and not just feel like they are replaceable. Jason's girlfriend Liza frequently questions his growing aggression and transformation to a warrior which leads back to Far Cry 3's theme of loss of control and insanity. The plot also has a number of twists and turns which are genuinely unpredictable. Overall, the plot and characters of Far Cry 3 have been created perfectly in turn making the story believable, realistic and most importantly relatable.

The most impressive aspects of Far Cry 3 are the creative and clever game mechanics which are new to the Far Cry franchise. The game encourages the player to go hunting, exploring and crafting. Unlike Far Cry 2 where money was generally not very problematic, money is hard to come by in Far Cry 3. Instead a profound focus is placed on hunting exotic animals for rewards, which is a very welcome addition to the series. Hunting requires you to drive to an area and find the rare animal that needs to be put down which is generally well rewarded. Money from these hunts can contribute to your new weapon or other vital equipment. Apart from just hunting animals, Far Cry 3 also has a completely new gameplay mechanic, crafting. Crafting is absolutely essential if you are to survive being on Rook Island. Crafting requires you to hunt a variety of different animals to create items such as larger syringe kits, ammunition holsters, grenade belts and wallets. Rather than simply buying these items, the game encourages you to go explore and craft items you need. Obviously, as the item becomes more and more useful, the harder it is to hunt the animals needed which range from boar to sharks.

To accompany the storyline missions, Far Cry 3 has a variety of side missions and other activities. Side missions are unlocked every time an outpost is unlocked and may involve saving someone or killing troublesome pirates. To add further variety the developers also included timed races on quad bikes and jet skis which is a great break from the story missions. Liberating and attacking outposts is another key aspect of Far Cry 3. From the start Rook Island is completely in pirate hands, however as you attack and liberate more outposts, the pirates lose influence making the island safer. It is your choice in how to take these outposts, in stealth or with brute force. The game provides a wide amount of activities to do between missions such as Poker, where you can test your skills and earn some extra money. It can clearly be seen the developers took great effort to provide a stunning single player experience to totally immerse the player.

There are also a wide variety of different weapons to use throughout the single player campaign which allows you to play the game however you like. Another aspect known familiar with the Far Cry 3 series is its sandbox style which gives the player great freedom. For example you can play the entire campaign in stealth or you can choose to attack outposts with guns blazing. The game is designed to let the player have control how he wants to play and does not limit or force you to play a certain way. This freedom to use whatever weapon provides endless possibilities. Outposts can be attacked with traditional weapons such as rifles, or blown to bits using plastic explosives, or be burnt to the ground with Molotov cocktails. The large varieties of weapons range from rifles to rocket launchers and give players the chance to play the game to their own individual liking.

Set on the beautiful yet mysterious Rook Island, the developers took great care to offer the best graphics that could be crafted on the current generation systems. Even on console, Far Cry 3 looks absolutely beautiful. The game features a full day and night cycle and the jungles of Rook Island have totally different personalities during the night and day. The island features a number of bays and jungles which look stunning. Even as we soon reach the end of the current generation systems, Ubisoft Montreal shows that consoles are still able to deliver gorgeous visuals. Water effects are also done extremely well and the particle effects as you dive underwater are impressive as well. It can be seen that the graphics are perhaps one of the most impressive of 2012.

An interesting note is that generally such large sandbox games have their fair share of glitches yet surprisingly Far Cry 3 really does have very little glitches when taken into account the sheer size of the game. During the single player campaign, no game-breaking glitches were encountered which is a very impressive feat from Ubisoft. However there are some technical issues that may interrupt the immersion of Far Cry 3. Occasionally, at times of great stress to the game such as when many enemies are on screen firing at the player, the game can lag. It is quite rare for a console game to lag, yet this issue does affect Far Cry 3. At the time of writing, no patch has been released which effectively fixes this. After encountering this issue, restarting the console seemed to resolve it. Therefore, this issue should be a priority fix for the developers.

Far Cry 3 also includes a multiplayer mode however it lacks the depth and atmosphere of the single player campaign. Far Cry 3 is a single player experience which should stand in its own right. The multiplayer experience seems rather tacked on, and added as the developers felt that all shooters have to have a multiplayer component. The multiplayer experience has the typical first person shooter game modes such as Team Deathmatch which may provide a few hours of fun, yet players will find the single player campaign to be the star and most attractive mode. Do not expect the multiplayer to be the main interest as you will be disappointed. The online mode also seems quite shallow in comparison to the stunning single player experience.

Overall, Ubisoft's latest offering is an extremely impressive package that has met all the hype. Providing a stellar and rock solid single player campaign mode with several brand new game mechanics has made Far Cry 3 a possible Game of the Year contender. It's rich and brutally realistic storyline adds great depth and immersion to the game while its length provides gamers with a fun and addictive journey. Prepare for a great game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"JasonDarksavior reviewed Far Cry 3 for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by JasonDarksavior on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:42:09 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3/user-reviews/806445/platform/ps3/ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:03:05 -0800 duran_gabriel reviewed Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/rapala-pro-bass-fishing-2010/user-reviews/805286/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Want to fish when there is a prohibition (you are not allowed to fish)? Play it! Hint: "Always is a bigger fish" ! Is a challenging phrase that motivated me to play more and more.
The problem that I see in the game is that tournament is too short but still attractive (maybe in next games more complex scenarios will be added).
The environment, landscape, weather, movements, fishing are very realistic and provides cool feelings. Also the underwater life is beautiful.

The game does not require much knowledge`s for fishing and it introduces newbies to fishing sport with lot of hints and "how to" scenarios for different fishes, different fishing stiles.
Also boats, cloths, etc, it was better if had more options / configurations.

Good job Activision! And keep producing this kind of educative-realistic games.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/rapala-pro-bass-fishing-2010/user-reviews/805286/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:50:06 -0800 duran_gabriel reviewed Far Cry 3 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3/user-reviews/805251/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

One of the games that made me fight with my family members :) in order to let me play blow up some enemies plant bombs any mines, fly free with flying suit.

Sniper also was also amaizing when shooting from long distances where enemies couldn`t reach.

A very very good story, good continuity and best match between your level and enemies. The quests were also funny, intriguing and hard some times.

Best graphics: enemies, animals, weapons, landscape, vehicles, boats.
Best updates: coll updates regarding skills, crafting and ammo/weapons caring.
Best arsenal: lot of weapons and variety and cool effect.
Best missions and story: everytinhg was chained and continuity in story.
Best wai to attack enemy: stealth (using sniper), explosions (using mines, C4 explosive, grenade laucher and molotov) and combined (WAR! :) ).

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"duran_gabriel reviewed Far Cry 3 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by duran_gabriel on Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:50:06 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3/user-reviews/805251/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:27:40 -0800 darksongbird reviewed Catherine for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/catherine/user-reviews/804492/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

I'm not even a straight guy but this game was awesome. Gorgeous visuals, interesting characters and gameplay that is pretty addicting. You play as the attractive main character, Vincent who is confused about his life and where his relationship is headed with his girlfriend, Katherine. He often goes to the bar to meet up with his friends to talk about guy things and catch up on what is happening around town. I felt that the male characters' bond was one of the most intriguing aspects of the game. The main gameplay however is puzzle-related and happens in Vincent's dreams. You find yourself in a nightmare and having to tower and maneuver yourself around these different blocks. At first it is pretty easy and straightforward to manage your way to the top. But after a few stages it gets increasingly difficult. Now I haven't played this game since like April but I'm a bit more than halfway through the game and think it's worth it. The controls take some getting used to but can be mastered within a half hour or so.

I think it'd be weird to make a review of this game and forget the main attraction though: The other Catherine. She is the sexy blond girl who is alluring yet has a short temper. She knows how to get her way too! Catherine is the girl who helps Vincent cheat on his girlfriend Katherine and Vincent eventually starts feeling really bad about it. Another one of the cool things about this game though happens after you climb the mountain of blocks in a level and get to the end. You wander around a large, floating rock where there are sheep men and eventually you have to go into the confession booth. The booth presents you with a question of morality and such and you have to give your opinion on what you think is right for you or what you believe. Then after that's over it goes to a screen that shows the percentage of what men and women said online. It's really neat.

There are more things about this game that are pleasing and I could go on and on but I'm gonna end the review here. It's definitely different from any puzzle game I've ever played and I really like the story and characters that go along with it. I think most people who like video games and are 17 or older should try this game at least once.

written solely by Darksongbird. (Also posted at Amazon.com)

Final grade --------> 8.5/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"darksongbird reviewed Catherine for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by darksongbird on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:27:40 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/catherine/user-reviews/804492/platform/ps3/ Sun, 02 Dec 2012 00:22:17 -0800 Spinnerweb reviewed Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for the iPhone/iPod... http://www.gamespot.com/lara-croft-and-the-guardian-of-light/user-reviews/804063/platform/iphone/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is the first Tomb Raider game Square Enix made when they bought out Eidos and its franchises. It happens to be the only Tomb Raider games not to have Tomb Raider in the title, and it doesn't deserve that degree of merit because while it's a fair enough game, it's by far the worst in the series.

Let's start with the story first. A bunch of idiot explorers (every explorer except Lara is an idiot) get their grubby hands on a Mirror of Smoke and set free the evil being trapped in it, going by the name of Xolotl. Lara, always the heroine, teams up with the Guardian of Light, Totec, who defeated Xolotl once before and sets out to imprison the bad guy once and for all. The story just about hangs together, but by Tomb Raider standards it's disappointing. The story, at least, is a department in which every Tomb Raider game has excelled whereas here it's rushed and very little focus is on the plot. Cutscenes are short, rushed, few and far between. The ending is a bit too sudden, and isn't satisfying compared to the other games.

Square Enix has made some changes to the gameplay here. First of all, the camera is fixed from an isometric viewpoint and while this works most of the time, it really screws up when, for example, the grappling icon appears right at the edge of the screen or under your HUD. Lara has a spear that she can stick into walls to climb up to higher ledges. Grappling along walls is somewhat similar to that of the previous games, except it's a helluva lot more awkward due to the camera. While combat was almost never the focus in the first era Tomb Raider games, and secondary to puzzles and platforming in the second era games, here it is one of the big parts and most of the combat sequences consist of enemies ganging up on you twenty to one while you rush around planting and exploding landmines behind you... yes, Lara has landmines in this game too.

Health is refilled from health packs that enemies drop (you can't carry them around like in previous games) or at Health Shrines. Ammo isn't measured in bullets, it's a blue bar under your health bar and depletes as you use weapons other than the infinite-ammo pistols. All weapons use the same ammo bar; ammo is refilled from ammo packs placed at hard-to-get locations or at Ammo Shrines.

Puzzles are simple, few and far between, but it's not all bad. There is a big focus on platforming and there are some tense sequences where you keep going jumping from platform to falling platform. The controls work well, though sometimes Lara shoots completely away from where you're aiming. The graphics are good for a mobile game, and the music, which usually was non-existent in first era games, is decent as well, though not as good as that of the second era games.

Square Enix have done a decent job with the franchise they finally got their hands on, but Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light cannot be compared favourably to any other Tomb Raider game (yes, that INCLUDES Angel of Darkness). Tomb Raider fans won't be dissatisfied with it, but they won't be as satisfied as they've come to expect from the previous games either.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/lara-croft-and-the-guardian-of-light/user-reviews/804063/platform/iphone/ Fri, 26 Oct 2012 08:00:09 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/brian-lara-2007-pressure-play/user-reviews/801997/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 4.0.

Have you ever wondered why people like you are so fat and flabby? Why you can't walk more than a few yards without having to draw breath? Why you're always lounging around on your broad-beamed backside reading the reviews this polite reviewer writes? It's because you'd rather play video games of the king sport, cricket, than cricket itself.
... Ahem. Sorry.

Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play is a predictably watered-down-for-PSP version of Brian Lara 2007 International Cricket. Also known as Ricky Ponting 2007 Pressure Play in Australia, but the way it's not called Inzamam-ul-Haq 2007 Pressure Play in Pakistan is a telling one. It would be an insult to said legend. The game doesn't even feel like it was made by a respectable company with a CEO in a dark suit. The presentation is plain, the load times are awfully long and plain and extremely frequent, there's no commentary, stumpings do not exist in this version and the players do not look remotely like their real-life counterparts. There are countless things to complain about. We'll start with the presentation first.

The title loading screen is a disc spinning around in the bottom right corner. Would it have killed them to make it feel more ... cricket-ish? Second, in the title menu after every option you select there is a loading screen. There is also a loading screen after every over in a match. The game doesn't even have a tutorial - you have to figure everything out yourself. There is no commentary, and the graphics are just bad. The characters barely resemble their real-life selves, have super-deformed heads, and often the colour of the skin of their arms is in stark contrast with the skin colour of their face. Most of the crowd are present without stands to sit in. There are texture seams, slow-downs, lags after every ball and matches feel sluggish overall. It feels like the players are playing in slow-motion. There are no stumpings in this game either. Poor wicket-keeper.

Still, once you figure out the controls, you can have tiny amounts of fun - ocassionally. Mostly you're just frustrated and waiting for the awful loading screens to go by. Either way, you can find solace in once again having the retired greats of your national cricket team play. Cricket '97 was more fun than this. So all in all, it's not even a fraction as exciting as a live match.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Spinnerweb reviewed Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play for the PSP..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 08:00:09 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/brian-lara-2007-pressure-play/user-reviews/801997/platform/psp/ Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:51:24 -0700 InstantKlassick reviewed AMY for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/amy/user-reviews/801982/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 1.0.

I found this game on PSN for $2.50, this game was a waste of both time and money. I can't believe this game debuted for $14.99. This game is broken in every way. The screen tearing is atrocious, the graphics are painful, and story is almost non-existent. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to purchase this crap. Even though it's discounted for a special time, just pass it up. I played this game for 47 minutes, that was 46 minutes too long. Just say no to Amy! Graphics - Horrible (Screen Tearing, to many trails on character models) Sound - Grating and Annoying. Game-play - Awful (Clunky Combat, Stiff Character Models, Horrible Collision Detection) Replay Value - NONE! (If you beat the first level and not die of boredom first, Kudos to you!) All-in-all, this game sucks, please do not buy! Thank you!

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"InstantKlassick reviewed AMY for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by InstantKlassick on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:51:24 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/amy/user-reviews/801982/platform/ps3/