Killing_Free's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Killing_Free's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Killing_Free's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Tue, 21 May 2013 22:52:01 -0700 GameSpot Killing_Free's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Tue, 21 May 2013 21:15:53 -0700 NightFox313 reviewed Silent Hill for the PlayStation... http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill/user-reviews/811592/platform/ps/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

It made me cringe.

I yearned to play it, but at the same time I dreaded gripping my hands on the controller to do so. I loved and despised playing it. This is the game that made me question if pressing on was really a thing I wanted to do. It made me want to vomit. It was mentally draining. But still I went on to complete it, and here I am now.

Breathless. "The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh."

Silent Hill is just one of those games. A gripping narrative, a believable cast of characters, coupled with a chilling soundtrack and unnerving set-pieces are everything one could want in a horror video game. However, rather than just going for the standard B-movie scare-tactics a la Resident Evil, Silent Hill redefines the horror genre, while - in its own right - the way for a completely new and horrifying genre - psychological horror. A game that was so terribly scary, I had to draw in all of the courage I could possibly take for a human being to play it. And that's what makes this game such a memorable one, and it is indeed an unforgettable experience that I could never forget, no matter how hard I tried. All of the good memories I had with it, complete with all of the ones I didn't want to remember - Silent Hill simply burns a sick, twisted, and distorted image of a peaceful resort gone wrong into the deepest caverns of your mind. And no matter how hard you try scratching it out of your memory, it'll always still be there.

Developed by KCET and published by Konami, Silent Hill was released for the original Sony PlayStation on 31 January, 1999 - during perhaps "the golden age of horror video games". Notable hits such as Clock Tower and Parasite Eve were making their way into the pool of countless survival horror games at the time, but the most renowned and successful survival horror franchise - Resident Evil - was clearly raking in the dough. However, with the release of Silent Hill, things took a disturbingly hard turn. Gone were the zombies and biological disasters, and that Scissor Man lunatic. The horrifying, terrifying creatures of Silent Hill were the things that could only be seen in your worst nightmares - from the deepest bowels of the earth. That's what made the game so intensely scary and yet so satisfying; the feeling of the unknown has never struck more fear into me from any horror game I've played than Silent Hill.

Resident Evil went for the famous jump-scares that plague many of today's independent "indie" horror games. Biological experiments gone wrong would crash through a disturbingly reflective window when you'd least expect it. It's a shame, really, because whenever there was a window to be seen, you could already expect something to crash through it when you come across the same area later in the game. Silent Hill takes all of the cheap scares and throws it out the window. It embraces you relentlessly, throwing every single piece of violent and disturbing imagery as inhumanely possible and envelops you in its pure-evil atmosphere. That's where the magic of Silent Hill lies. And the way the game's atmosphere was so meticulously, so painstakingly designed to remind you of your worst nightmares (and to, of course, conjure up some new ones) works so unbelievably well that you fear that the game you're playing could potentially be a reality. It's like inviting a living hellish nightmare-town into the safety in your own home.

You play the game through the eyes of Harry Mason, a middle-aged man whose occupation is a writer (however, don't take the phrase too seriously; Silent Hill is a third-person psychological horror game - although it occasionally uses fixed camera angles in some cases). He takes his seven year-old daughter, Cheryl, along with him for a vacation in a peaceful resort town, Silent Hill. During a long drive through the night on the highway, Harry notices that a mysterious young girl is walking across the street, and tries to swerve violently to avoid impacting the girl but ends up crashing his car and is knocked out unconscious. However, the long drive wasn't all for naught - upon waking up in Silent Hill after the car crash, Harry notices that Cheryl is missing and ventures out into the ominous fog that defines the town of Silent Hill. He vows to find her and discover the unknown secrets of the creepy town and find out if the world he is in is a reality or a living nightmare.

Trust me, I'd go on and on but that puts you at risk of some major spoilers. So I'll just leave it at that. The third-person camera makes use of some fixed camera angles for more cinematic in-game shots (and in cinematic cutscenes) and the freakier scares, but for the most part the camera is always controllable, giving you a better view of your surroundings. That might seem that having a camera you can easily control takes away from the fear, but it only adds to it in the end. At least it doesn't venture into the notorious trope of Camera Screw and adding artificial difficulty by having a seriously uncooperative camera.

Harry Mason is in a way an "everyman", or an average person who has no real defining qualities other than being an average Joe and simply serves as a sort of avatar for the character. The scary thing about this is, is that Harry is in no way a seasoned veteran, nor has he ever had any sort of experience with fighting, and that makes you feel like you're helpless in some cases - like you're so hopelessly weak and have no chance of surviving in the hellish world. Controlled from a third-person perspective, Silent Hill doesn't feel as clunky in controls or as robust as Resident Evil's infamous "tank controls". There are several ways that give the gameplay a more fluid feeling, such as being able to strafe from side-to-side and - my personal favorite - the ability to shoot and walk in any direction at the same time. The combat system is so limited and hard-to-use, but is effectively scary in the sense that Harry has such little experience with fighting - especially fighting things he's only seen in his worst nightmares.

Harry will also have to take care of himself and manage a rather large assortment of items. The majority of the weapons are melee-based, but ranged weapons can also be used. There is a strangely large amount of ammunition to be found in Silent Hill, and there will be rare cases where you'll run out of ammo for your shotgun or hunting rifle unless you've been shooting it around like a mad dog. Healing items are few and far between, and you're likely to use them frequently, as Harry is a generally weak individual. He can die from a few attacks and is relatively, physically weak - which only adds to the feeling of helplessness, isolation, and desperation. Keys and other items are used for navigating throughout Silent Hill, and maps have to be found to traverse through the large overworld. Locations vary from convenience stores, small houses, to police stations and gas stations. I won't spoil the more important locations.

The atmosphere in Silent Hill is simply the best I've seen in the genre. Derelict and dilapidated buildings, along with cafes and mom-and-pop stores that have seen better days all add to the feeling that Silent Hill is an empty, deserted town. The haunting vision of a town with a dark past is only enhanced by the addition of Silent Hill's trademark: fog. The fog is so thick and heavy that you have no idea what might be ahead of you. Cleverly used as a way to hide the Sony PlayStation's limitations at the time, the game's limited point-distance is hidden with the fog effect that is used so effectively that it made the daytime as scary as pure darkness. The game tricks you into thinking you're in a safe place, and the numerous save points scattered throughout the overworld make each one feel like a breath of fresh air.

And then the lights go down. There is no mercy now. Silent Hill grips you at the neck and refuses to give you any chance of hope or feeling of safety. It is a brutal, mentally-draining experience until the very end. My most memorable moments of the game came from the relentlessly dark portions of the game, where Silent Hill was enveloped in pure darkness. This is what makes Silent Hill so unique in the horror genre. During these portions of the game, enemies are far more disturbing and aggressive. All you have to light the darkness with is a flashlight attached to your jacket - and you never know what lurks ahead or what is hiding in the impending shadows. This is where the radio comes in. Whenever an enemy is nearby, the radio will emit static, and the sounds of demonic children with bloody knives can be heard growling as their bare feet scrape towards your direction. The shrieking of gargoyles and the moaning of the possessed inhabitants of Silent Hill send chills down your spine and make you want to cover your ears in fright.

The tension is further increased with the music and sound departments. Masterfully composed, the game's soundtrack is minimalist in some cases while heart-pounding in others. Depressing and mellow undertones add to the psychological elements of the game, and Harry's feelings that he might not make it out alive with his daughter can be reflected in the game's soundtrack. The haunting blaring of the air raid sirens in the background are so mysteriously timed in the game; so startlingly original. It all makes you wonder about the mysteries of what really happened in Silent Hill. There's nothing scarier when you've just narrowly escaped an ambush from bloodthirsty, savage dogs with the relentless lashing of industrial beats and entering into a room you've never been to before, only to notice that the music has suddenly disappeared. The fear of the unknown is the greatest scare-tactic in this game, and it worked so effectively that I had to play the game in breaks at times, listening to Bossa Nova music - the game is that intense. It robs you of your sanity and throws you into multiple locales that you've never even imagined before and expecting you to explore it.

And where would a great horror game be without puzzles? Silent Hill is chock-full of riddles and clues, many of which left me scratching my head in confusion. Puzzles are abundant and are deviously confusing and devilishly created to make you want to look up answers via walkthrough. Many will leave you frustrated, especially later in the game. The problem about the puzzles is that many of them are so impossibly vague that they put Zelda and Metroid to shame. They are ridiculously hard, but the feeling of conquering the puzzles are so satisfying that it's hard to judge whether the riddles add or subtract from the game. Aside from these, Silent Hill adds a twist on the puzzles. It takes standard items you'd find in your average household and forces you to cleverly use them in a different way. The game really makes you think about that random rubber ball in your inventory, or that metal ring.

The scares of Silent Hill are its core, next to the atmosphere. Even though they almost never use jump-scares to make the player have to buy a new pair of pants, the feeling of imminent death and the fear of what lurks ahead scares me way more than the dogs that crashed through the mansion windows in Resident Evil. Sometimes you'll hear your radio emit static, but there won't be anyone around. You might hear noises in a room next to you, or you might enter a room you once thought was safe but as soon as you open the door a possessed nurse is ready to stab you senselessly. In many cases, you'll wonder if you're hearing things, such as hearing scraping noises on the walls of the room next to you or a banging on the door shortly after you enter an operating room gone wrong. The disturbing imagery works so well here, taking conventional objects and places and turning them into things you'll want to stay away from in real life. The game psychologically attacks you whenever possible, and burns the visions into your skull, making you want to forget the horrifying scenes you've just seen even though it's impossible.

Silent Hill is a startlingly original entry in the horror genre. It builds up the tension to the point where you're simply expecting something to happen, but nothing does. And then it gets you when you least expect it. Although on the short side (the first playthrough can be completed in around five to six hours), every scream you make and every pounding your heart makes makes the journey worth it. It's like an amusement park ride from hell, and the characters are sympathetic. It makes you actually want to care about Harry Mason and whatever might happen to his daughter Cheryl, along with the mysteries of Silent Hill and the tragic occurrences of the past.

It made me want to check into a psychiatrist. It made me want to close my eyes forever. Anything you see in this game will be a thing you'll want to forget about. Silent Hill is a game that defines horror, and is pure psychological horror fuel. It's a game that will build you up and break you down, and drag you through a world you won't ever want to remember.

The game that I wanted to forget. The game that will always strike a chord of fear in my heart.

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"NightFox313 reviewed Silent Hill for the PlayStation..." was posted by NightFox313 on Tue, 21 May 2013 21:15:53 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill/user-reviews/811592/platform/ps/ Tue, 21 May 2013 09:35:15 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Army of Two: The 40th Day for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/army-of-two-the-40th-day/user-reviews/811558/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Sometimes you get that feeling. You want a game that is satisfying, but not excessively challenging. Usually you associate it with a good licensed game, like back in the PS1 days, but good licensed games are hard to come by now. Well, Army of Two: The 40th Day for the PSP definitely has that endearing quality that a lot of games don't have. It's easy, it's short, the graphics aren't the best on the system - but the game succeeds most importantly because of its enjoyable gameplay.

Salem and Rios from the first Army of Two game are back, this time in Shanghai, going from meeting a contact to a pointless detour through a zoo to saving the world. The story isn't mind-blowing, but it makes the game hang together, which is enough because it's the gameplay that is the main factor here.

Ever played Age of Zombies? The gameplay is somewhat like that. You press the face buttons to shoot in the direction of their placement, for example, pressing X to shoot downward - this is a top-down game, see. But you can also rescue hostages, buy upgrades and new weapons, pick up items such as cash, shields and power-ups, and then there is the Morality feature. In this, a cutscene plays and you have to make a choice that is either 'good' (which usually gives you no benefit but hey, you did the right thing) and 'evil' (which can give you cash, weapons, and other gear in exchange for pricking your conscience). While Morality cutscenes don't really affect the story except towards the end of the game, it's still fun and makes you go through the game again to make different choices.

There is also an achievements-like feature where you unlock achievements as you progress through the game. For the completionist, this too increases the replay value.

While Army of Two: The 40th Day is not a long game - it can be completed in one long afternoon, it was fun enough for me to play it over and over again. If you know what you're getting with this game, chances are it will be so for you too.

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"Spinnerweb reviewed Army of Two: The 40th Day for the PSP..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:35:15 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/army-of-two-the-40th-day/user-reviews/811558/platform/psp/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:32:48 -0700 Spinnerweb reviewed Dante's Inferno for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/dantes-inferno/user-reviews/811556/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 3.0.

Were that there were copyrights for gameplay. Sony's God of War franchise, as I have always stated, sucks - but they might have gleaned even more cash by suing EA for making such an absolute rip off of their games.

The game is set in the Crusades; Dante is busy killing in some place near Jerusalem. But because he's unskilled, he gets stabbed and dies, but fights off Death and takes his scythe. Then he goes to hell (literally) to get back his wife Beatrice from some smoky-hazy guy, who, I don't know, might be Satan or just some demon; I haven't read Divine Comedy (didn't have the patience for bad poetry) and I didn't play Dante's Inferno to the end (didn't have the patience for bad gameplay). So this Satan/demon bloke takes away his waifu for some reason... the game repeats the same cutscene where Dante vows to Beatrice not to have any 'pleasures of the flesh' until he returns from the Crusades... so what did he do? Adultery? Killing? Like I said, I wasn't interested enough to find out.

So the story is pretty bad. Dante is a weak-chinned, unlikeable jerk, and the game never really manages to make you care about what happens. I have played plenty of horrible games to the end just to see how the story ends, but in this case I just couldn't be bothered. I don't know if it's because the base material for this game's story is awful or the game struggles to settle into its twelfth-century setting. Probably both.

The sound in this game is low and is only hearable on the maximum volume both in-game and with the PSP speakers, and it's not memorable either. Some of the music tracks were almost, but not quite, listenable to by a person with functioning aural cavities. The voice acting is just plain awful - especially Dante's.

The graphics are very good and the only plus point in this entire game. This game actually surpasses the God of War games on the PSP because they had an awful framerate, but the visuals in this game are undeniably excellent. The CGI cutscenes were decent too.

The gameplay is identical to that of God of War - so basically, it sucks. A God of War fan might enjoy mashing the square button and pressing triangle only for the heck of it once in a while, but I don't. Like God of War, you can upgrade your abilities and unlock new attacks with 'souls' collected from defeating enemies. I hated the gameplay in God of War, therefore I hate the gameplay in Dante's Inferno. You almost can't tell them apart.

It's a very easy game, since the enemies are so stupid you barely ever have to guard. Unlocked combos don't have crushing power like you'd expect - indeed, some of them are even weaker than the attacks you have at the start. The combo system is broken - if you take a hit, you sometimes don't get knocked out of a combo, and you still build up your combo even if you repeat the same move over and over.

An avid God of War fan might enjoy Dante's Inferno, but I didn't. In my opinion, it's slightly better than the abysmal God of War games on the PSP, because at least the graphics aren't technically busted. But the visuals do not make this game worth playing. The horrendous gameplay, presentation, story, voice acting and music take care of that.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Spinnerweb reviewed Dante's Inferno for the PSP..." was posted by Spinnerweb on Tue, 21 May 2013 08:32:48 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dantes-inferno/user-reviews/811556/platform/psp/ Sun, 12 May 2013 01:53:05 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/castlevania-lords-of-shadow/user-reviews/811223/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

I wanted to get the game when it launched, unfortunately I got distracted and went off the radar until I got it for cheap recently. I must say, wow, why didn't we hear a lot about this game? From the reviews it made it sound like an average game, but is much better than the recognition it got. This game is a wet dream for someone who is a huge fan of Dark Gothic architecture flanked by sweeping vistas stretching all the way into heaven; haunting soundtrack along with everything else which resonates with Dark Fantasy.

Lord of Shadow is a reboot of the Castlevania franchise according to I never played previous Castlevania games, I know shame on me, so going into the game I had no idea what Castlevania is all about other than a gothic dark fantasy game. I heard many complain that Lords of Shadow is more like God of War than Castlevania, which might be true but then again I never played the classic games so I cannot draw comparison, nor does it matter as long as it is a good game. So, is it a good game? Lets find out.

You play as Gabriel Belmont, one of the young knights of the Brotherhood of Light. A group of knights sworn to protect the world from any supernatural threat that casts darkness to the land. Something strange happened, the darkness tipped over the scale of balance and opened the floodgates to abundance of creatures from the knightmares to enter the world and cause massacre everywhere. Among them, Gabriel's wife was a victim. Fueled by rage, righteousness and sorrow; Gabriel sets out on an impossible quest to bring back order to this world.

The game is developed by a Spanish studio called Mercury Games, leading the development was Dave Cox and the mastermind behind the Metal Gear Solid series, Hideo Kojima.

Before we dive into the review, let us talk about understand the differences between fantasy games. There are mainly of two types and are vastly different from each other.

There is high fantasy and then there is dark fantasy. The key to dark fantasy is all about subtle nudges towards beauty as well as something that is mysterious. The whole portrait comes out as something which is .... very unsettling. Your mind can't decide whether the thing you're looking at is beautiful or something you should be afraid of. The form of communication is also another pillar of dark fantasy. The dialogue between characters tend to be less, however the dialog between the player and the environment take the center stage. It is through the environment the players can deduce the story behind the place and the world around it. So it is very tricky to pull off dark fantasy. If you end up throwing in a lot of magic, myth, creatures and craft a world with the most epic architectures imaginable...even though those are some of the staples of dark fantasy, it looses all the subtle things I mentioned and comes comes out flat. What happens is it tries to say too many things at the same time, and not the right things at the right time, so in the process the whole narration suffers greatly and becomes a mess. The team at Mercury Studios under the guidance of Kojima, aced the feel and look of their dark fantasy world, 2nd only to From Software's Dark Souls, which I think is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow's greatest accomplishment.

Lords of Shadow plays to the ambience most of the time, like the screeching of batmans in a cave or being greeted to shivering howl of werewolves as you enter a dark forest. During these moments the music is nowhere to be found as the environmental sound takes front row and center and creates the mood and sort of warning for the dangers lurking ahead.Then suddenly, the music swirls in and sends shockwaves down the spine...Lords of Shadow sits at the very top among among all the video games and movies with incredible music that feeds into the very fabric of the atmosphere like a vampire.

At first glance the combat may appear a straight up hack and slash, like the one in God of War series, but...like the very nature of the game itself; first glances can be deceiving. As you will very soon realize that playing like God of War will drastically cut your adventure time and drag you under the dirt. God of war series values attack and urges players to overpower their opponents to victory. However, Gabriel is not a fallen god like Kratos, he has his limitations. That is why LOS believes a strong defence is the key to surviving an encounter and hence eventually, come out as the victor. With that notion, combat is tend to be more slower paced, lengthier and tactical affair where patience see you to the end instead of heroism. The game even has a focus system that encourages defence. Basically the less hits you take which means when you dodge, block or counter more, the meter fills up and can be used to absorb orbs from the enemies which you can spend on either healing yourself or making your attacks more devastating.

Lord of Shadow would have been much better experience if it had a good camera. The static camera sometimes swings wildly, or getting distracted to something else over our hero. I died a few times because I felt I got betrayed by the camera. There are some platforming sections in the game, and some require a degree of precision which is beyond the tuning of the controls in the game, and makes platforming unnecessarily frustrating. I also felt the game

Overall, it is a stunning experience for me playing the game. I honestly enjoyed playing the game more than any of the God of War games to date, that includes Ascension. Do yourself a favor, forget the reviews for a second and get this game.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/castlevania-lords-of-shadow/user-reviews/811223/platform/ps3/ 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.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"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.



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"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/ Mon, 06 May 2013 23:36:32 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3-blood-dragon/user-reviews/811079/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

I really wanna know what happened at the boardroom during the first meeting behind Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, also what kind of substance the guys were on. All because the concept behind Blood Dragon is just ridiculous, crazy and not something any modern designer in his/her right mind would pitch in, but yet it did happen.

Ok, I am just gonna put it out, Blood Dragon is the most awesome thing happened to videogames since.... video games. I have no idea what ubisoft was thinking (if they were thinking at all), but was the most brilliant decision ever made and potentially, a start of another great new franchise for them.


With the core game being Far Cry 3, the game is extremely flexible allowing the player to reach his/her goals with vareity of tools, approaching from multitude of direction.

It is the most fun game I've played in recent memory. The core game being the superflexible Far Cry 3, with added speed,agility and awesome weapons and everything coated with neon and purple hues make the game standout while still as fun as ever to play by your own rules.


The game is dipped in neon, to further emphasize that this sci-fi world is the one you left in the 80's.

The nod to the 80's cheesy sci-fi moments and many references is what really makes Blood Dragon pure...gold. What makes the game further standout from other games is that Blood Dragon is bold enough to make those references, not subtle at all, but in your face. The game made me smile to all the way to falling on the floor while laughing like a maniac.

You're getting incredible value for 15$. All I can do is hope that the numbers turn out to be good and Ubisoft makes a separate franchise out of it.

To sum up Blood Dragon, this game is Ultra Mega Awesome!

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"Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon for the PC..." was posted by Gamer_4_Fun on Mon, 06 May 2013 23:36:32 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3-blood-dragon/user-reviews/811079/platform/pc/ 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/ 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.

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"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/ Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:07:08 -0700 towny_ reviewed Torchlight II for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/torchlight-ii/user-reviews/810629/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

After playing through the game twice, it's time that I finally review a game which has become one of my favorites. First of all the game-play is simple, yet satisfying, fun and unique. No two playthroughs are the same, loot and mission rewards are randomized and so are the enemies and even every dungeon in the game. This, the four different classes and all the mods available through the steam workshop add a lot of replay value to this game.

I recommend playing the game on hardcore, this adds a lot more thought to the game and keeps you a lot more interested in the game.
The games GUI is clean and the steam-punk graphical style is really well matched to the gameplay and classes.
Your companion throughout the game is your pet, you can choose any pet from a collection of 10, ranging from dogs to headcrabs. The pets are very useful in the game as not only can they attack enemies, carry loot and cast spells. They can also be sent to town to sell the things in their inventories and even buy items like potions and scrolls.

I really liked the leveling system in Torchlight 2 because, although there are different abilities trees you're not locked to a certain one and don't have to go through a whole tree to get an ability at the end of the tree, this creates more variety and gives you a lot more choices of how you want to play your character, you can go a 'Jack of all Trades' or just specialise in spawning robots as the engineer, or using fast, duel-wielding attacks as the beserker.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"towny_ reviewed Torchlight II for the PC..." was posted by towny_ on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:07:08 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/torchlight-ii/user-reviews/810629/platform/pc/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:26:51 -0700 DWraySweZ reviewed Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the Wii U... http://www.gamespot.com/monster-hunter-3-ultimate/user-reviews/810589/platform/wii-u/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Starting off I was quite frustrated with the gaming mechanics thinking that they were very clunky and thinking to myself, how can this game have such a cult following of fans that it has, yet noticed that it had potential if I learned them.
It also didn't help anything what so ever that I was playing this game on a standard definition tv. Every word was so blurry that I spent the first 10 hours just barely having a clue as to what to do, but somehow I figured out the basic gameplay structure and was able complete the 1 and 2 star quest and while completing these learned that a game update would be available to play off screen with the game pad, so unfortunately I put the game down for about a week.
During this week, I went to the web to learn more about this game because after 10 hours in and liking the basic premise, I was becoming hooked to hunting monsters. I learned a few things and when the update went live, I started playing exclusively on the game pad and instantly fell in love with what this game was. With finally being able to read the text of the game I was now able to build my arsenal of monster destruction.
The game has an amazing inventory system, with combos being the beauty of it all. Oh how I love finding new resources to be able to fashion together the items I need while on safari. Finding rare valuables is always a thrill. However sometimes when you want or need a specific item it never seems to be where it should be when you need it but I am sure that is due to the fact that I am now just learning the importance of the Moga forecast, my shipping fleet, and farming, and how all this is integral to finding the items that you need.
I also with the use of understanding how to better control the game have learned some combat tricks that have made the battles a thrilling joy with great intensity instead of the clunky unintuitive cluster of clutter I first believe this game had. I must however state that I really enjoy the quickness of the duel blades, while the strength and the slowness of the hammer or long swords for instance annoy my some still, but that is because I have yet took the time or patience to understand the finer points of those battle systems. Battling a huge monster with dual blades can be a test of endurance but seems quicker than battling with a hammer, yet in actuality are quite comparatively the same in spite of their differences, so in other words there is a nice balance between them.
The graphics are pretty, especially cuts scenes as they seem to be specifically designed with the Wii U in mind, however the graphics in-game are at times here and there a little dated for what is a next gen system, but hearing from others that this is just a tweaked up port of the Wii Monster Hunter Tri, then that is the reason why, still the upscaling to HD is better than Wii graphics and that is still a beautiful game in its own rights. The monsters are all gorgeously designed, some making you laugh and other striking you with a sense of dread and awe for detail I haven't seen for colossal monsters since Shadow of the Colossus.
This is an action rpg, and at its core it is, but lacks severely in the story department. It has a reason as too why you do what you do but there is no developement of the character other than developing your character to be the greatest hunter ever. If it wasn't for the addictiveness of just becoming the best and completing as many quest as you can to collect the best merchandise possible there would be nothing to drive you to your goal, for this game however, it doesn't detract from the over all gameplay. It is a game meant to keep you busy for time wasting enjoyment, that is all. Nothing philosophical, no epic adventure to save the world before evil swallows it whole, it is just a simulation of a primitive culture just wanting to live their day to day life, with some men or women wanting to be acknowledge for protecting the village from the wild thing. This is probably why I love this game as much as I do.
I am sure once I try online mode with friends I'll find and have an even greater love for this game but as of this review I'm 30 hrs in, playing single player and truly enjoying ever minute. That is until I faint.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"DWraySweZ reviewed Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the Wii U..." was posted by DWraySweZ on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:26:51 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/monster-hunter-3-ultimate/user-reviews/810589/platform/wii-u/ 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, 06 Apr 2013 00:30:39 -0700 vegamineral reviewed Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES... http://www.gamespot.com/zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link/user-reviews/809928/platform/nes/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Ive know this game for a long time but only until recently have I come too understand it. It is very difficult at the beginning but if you spend time leveling up it should start to get easier. This game contains many puzzles, secrets, amd mysteries but I would have to say would be the best action based RPG of its time.
The action of the game is very strategic. Every palace you go to you must learn about it, it's enemies and find out how to work a way around these conflicts with the use of either your sword or certain spells. The enemies at the beginning start out hard and only dramatically get harder. Every area you explore you must understand and work your way through it many times coming up with a detailed plan to get to the boss, and then, hopefully win. The bosses themselves were hard too if you didnt understand the skills too well.
The puzzles in the game at times would be very confusing and give you no clues onto what you have to do. At times I would have to look at walkthroughs to see just what to do only to find the most ridiculous answer to what you have to do. The secrets were also hidden well in the game, perhaps too well. I needed to use walkthroughs to find hidden heart containers in the game, which again happen to be hidden in the most ridiculous places.
As far as the story goes there wasnt much of a story really. It is all about saving Hyrule again. Though the action in this game is very (strangely) addicting, but it doesnt seem like a game you would want to play through again, since it is very difficult and takes time of training and planning to beat. Although I love a good challenge. This was my very 1st Zelda game and I would highly recommend any RPG or old-school game players to play this.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"vegamineral reviewed Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES..." was posted by vegamineral on Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:30:39 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link/user-reviews/809928/platform/nes/ Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:19 -0700 wolf503 reviewed Quantum Conundrum for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/quantum-conundrum/user-reviews/809650/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Airtight Games did an awesome job with this title by placing you in your uncles' care for the day and resulting in a string of catastrophes that you must overcome to get him and yourself out of your uncles' mansion alive.

In Quantum Conundrum you play as the 12 year old nephew of Professor Fitz Quadwrangle. Unfortunately Professor Fitz wasn't aware that his sister was bringing over his nephew as he was working on an experiment that just happened to go wrong as you arrived, sending him into a bizarre pocket dimension with memory loss, and affecting what he remembers before the experiment went wrong. Fortunately though Professor Fitz is still able to communicate with his nephew and watch him as he tackles all the obstacles thrown at him to free his uncle from the dimension he's trapped in.

There isn't much to say about the protagonist as his name is not mentioned throughout the game at all and very little is explained about his past. His mother believes his uncle; Professor Fitz, is lonely at times and requires company, so every so often his mother will drop him off into his uncles' care, where his uncle would greet him with 1 of his new inventions.

Professor Fitz Quadwrangle although not much is explained about him, he will do a lot of the talking in the game. In fact he narrates the game as well as gives you hints while you play. Professor Fitz is the comedy relief for the game. He is very similar to The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper in the way that he will poke fun at your intelligence, constantly disparage your efforts or even sometimes compliment your efforts and achievements throughout the game as though as if it's nothing to be proud of. Throughout the game he will also talk about certain portraits found around the house that give some insight into who he is as well as adding additional humour to the game.

Another character you will find in the game that adds some mild humour is Ike. Ike is a mysterious fury little creature that followed your uncle home at some point in his travels. Not overly too much is explained about Ike either but it is made known that he can eat furniture and is very hungry at times. Ike will occasionally help you throughout the game but can also be found at times doing random things throughout the mansion.

At some point in the game you will have to take 1 of your uncles' prototype Interdimensional Shift Device gloves (ISD Glove) which allows you to change the dimension in certain parts of the mansion. You start off with the Fluffy dimension which makes items that otherwise cannot be picked up as light as a pillow. You will then unlock the heavy dimension which makes items that are too light, extremely heavy to use to your advantage or indestructible. There is the slow dimension which slows down time around you. And last the reverse gravity dimension where gravity is reversed around you. Each dimension primarily affects the items you will interact with but never the player themselves.

The gameplay in Quantum Conundrum is very smooth and flowing, depending on how you play though. The puzzles that it offers in the game aren't difficult but do still add some challenge to get your brain working. It offers a lot of platforming elements that can be easy but frustrating if you make the slightest wrong move. The game defies physics as much as it can but still maintains some of its laws to make the game very enjoyable and allows you to be creative with some of the puzzles you need to solve or some of the platforming scenarios. At 1 point you could find yourself needing to pass across a large gap and the only way to do it may be to use a table where you can activate the fluffy dimension and then throw the table across the gap but activating slow dimension right after to allow yourself to surf the table across the gap.

The graphics in the game are cartoony but this is not an issue as the game is rated G. Fortunately though the game isn't that cartoony that you'd avoid playing it, the level of graphics is just right for all ages. There are some performance issues on the PC version of the game where depending on your system specifications you will either get a whole lot of lag or occasional lag spikes. This is made worse by the fact there are no major options in the video options to change the graphical settings.

While this game will only last you around 5hrs of game time it is definitely worth the play and is good value for money. You may not laugh out loud throughout the game but the humour still adds a great level of amusement to the game that has you at least laughing on the inside. It doesn't offer too much replay value but there are collectables in certain levels that you can go back to find if you missed them in your first play through. All in all the game lasted the right amount of time and provided the right amount of humour and amusement to keep you playing through to the end.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"wolf503 reviewed Quantum Conundrum for the PC..." was posted by wolf503 on Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:19 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/quantum-conundrum/user-reviews/809650/platform/pc/ Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:57:27 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/809553/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Do you crave a good story and characters in a game? Do you want chaotic but controlled exciting game play? You do… then Columbia is the place to be. BioShock Infinite is everything in one. It has a beautiful world to explore, a story that plays out perfectly and characters worth caring for. This was my top g desired game of 2013 and it delivered in every way. :)

Plot/Story:
The game takes place in 1912. Booker DeWitt is hired by and unknown to "give them the girl and wipe away the debt", and provide him information on Elizabeth's location in Columbia. Booker is taken by boat to an island lighthouse near Maine that houses a rocket silo, from which he is taken to Columbia.
I won't share anymore of the story with you. The best part of Infinite is the story telling. It plays out perfectly. It draws you in like a really good show that you have to know what's next. Booker and Elizabeth's characters are a joy to watch and listen too as they interact with each other and the world around them.
If you have played the original BioShock then you are aware of the ability of Irrational Games to write stories with a WTF… moment at the least expected time. I played Infinite slowly watching and listening to everything trying to figure out the WTF before it could WTF me. Well… I failed! :) Irrational Games pulled it off. There several moments where you can't believe what you are seeing and hearing. I'm not afraid to say I was confused too. It keeps you thinking long after the credit roll. You will want to play this game again. Just so you can see everything again but through different eyes that have now seen the light.
Infinite is up there with one of the best stories told. You will love every moment of it. Though, you might not fully get it. It will have you pondering until it finally clicks. I love stories that make you think things through way after it is done.
Game Play:
Infinite plays a lot like the previous BioShock games at its core but Infinite does have some very nice additions to make the game feel extremely fresh. For one… Elizabeth is with you most of the game. She is not there just to be there. She is there to help Booker. She does this in several ways. She can throw you ammo, salt and health packets as needed. The other thing she adds is the ability to bring objects from another world into the current world through Tears. She can pull walls in for protection, health crate or even a mechanical gun to help you out. There are several things you can use through her powers and abilities.

To turn the action up a notch Irrational Games combined FPSs with roller coasters. They did this nicely. All around Columbia is rails that Booker can attach to the rails and take a ride while still having the ability to fire his weapon in his right hand. This changes how you play Infinite. It is so much fun to do and sometimes enemies are so far off or high up. You have to jump on and take a ride on the "coaster" to get to them in order to kill them.

In my opinion Infinite plays the best out of all the BioShock games. It was easier than the previous two but that was on Normal difficulty. I'd like to go back and play at a higher difficulty and plan to do so soon. Infinite plays at the highest level a FPS can play at. It has so much to offer the player. It has set a new standard in terms of FPS game play.

Graphics/Presentation:

Back in 2007 the original BioShock set the bar with next gen. (current gen) graphics. Game in 2006 and 2007 were nothing more than HD versions of Xbox and PS2 games. That was until BioShock came out and blew everyone away with its stellar graphics and amazing world. So going into Infinite the bar was set very high. Did Infinite deliver? You bet they did. Infinite is one of the nicest looking 360 games you will ever see. It may end up being the best looking game for all of this generation. The world of Columbia is so alive. I literally felt like I was walking around Disney World as I played the game in the beginning. The world changes as the game goes on and keeps the excitement of it alive in doing so. The characters are extremely detailed with stellar animations. Elizabeth is just beautiful. I could stare at her for hours. :)

The art style is unique and one that only Irrational Games can do at the level they do it at. Dishonored tried to rip it off and did solid but not even close to what Infinite pulls off. The world is big and there is so much to see and with how wonderfully looking it is… you will want to explore and soak it in.

The Final Word:

My expectations of Infinite were through the roof. I'm a huge fan of the first and BioShock and loved the second as well. I did manage to protect myself from spoiling anything about the game. I refused to watch trailers or read articles. I just wanted Infinite to be fresh to me. Infinite delivers in every way possible. The story, game play and presentation are flawless. This is GOTY material and one I don't see being passed by any game in 2013 for me. It is as perfect as perfect can be. That blows me away that I can say this about a game I had so hyped. It actually delivered.

This is my new favorite franchise. Would you kindly… move over Mass Effect? Would you kindly… please have a seat somewhere else KoToR. The new King has arrived to take his throne. His name is BioShock. :)

Plot/Story: 10
Game Play: 9.5
Graphics: 9.5
Replay Value: 9.0

The Final Score: 9.5

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:57:27 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/809553/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:30:17 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/user-reviews/809486/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Witcher 2 puts players in the shoe of Gerald of Rivia in a rich fantasy world, awesome cast of characters and deep political story.

I love how it is more Game of Thrones type of fantasy realm than Lord of the Rings, basically the focus is on political drama and turmoil than something like out worldly foes putting humanity on the brink of chaos.

The visuals are stunning Not only the fantasy world comes to life with great graphics, but the artists need to be applauded for their fantastic use of hues and contrast to highlight the mood without getting much in the way. Witcher 2 is a great looking game.

The voice acting is equally stellar. The main characters are voiced by clear professionals who brings life into their characters. However, outside of that, the rest of the characters range from anywhere between average to poor. Also the random battering the characters make feel repetitive and takes you out of the experience if it happens too often.Considering how good the main characters are, its a shame they couldn't even the quality among the rest of the cast.

This game unfortunately has a horrible map, it makes it hard to know where to go: A big portion of my time I spent wondering where to go, who to talk to. The game is sometimes not clear on it's objectives and even if you know what to do, it is hard to actually do it with the horrible map which tries to be authentic rather than functional.

The combat is deep and awesome in witcher 2 and requires tactical approach to them, however it is somewhat diminished by the uneven difficulty the game throws at you. At times playing on normal is virtually impossible because not only there are tons of enemies on screen, but mostly because their attacks hurt you a lot compared to a measly poke your sword slash comes out. When you switch to easy, the game comes way too easy and it just takes the tactical approach out of it

I enjoyed Witcher 2 a lot. Yes it is rough around the edges, but those are just that...edges. On surface however, this game shines.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Gamer_4_Fun reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the PC..." was posted by Gamer_4_Fun on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:30:17 -0700
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