Pierst179's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Pierst179's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Pierst179's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:35:31 -0700 GameSpot Pierst179's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:37:27 -0700 JustPlainLucas reviewed Mario Hoops 3 on 3 for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/mario-hoops-3-on-3/user-reviews/812147/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 5.0.

Mario's done it all in his long career. Basketball's just one of his many recreational activities he's pursued. A tournament's taking place in the Mushroom Kingdom and courts have been set up across various locales. Mario's looking to win the trophy, but no matter how great Mario happens to be, he can't do it alone. So, he needs to grab two partners to help him win. Thus, Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is born.

Obviously, Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is not a basketball simulation. It does follow some pretty loose rules, such as you have to dribble. Balls can be stolen and shots can be blocked. There's no such thing as fouls in this game, though. You can jump up in the air and spin attack your opponent in the middle of their dunk. There are question mark panels that dispense items right out of Mario Kart, and you can use them to easily get the ball from your opponent.

These panels also dispense coins, which you'll need to tap the touch screen while in possession of the ball to collect. The scoring system doesn't follow the usual two and three point shots. Rather, every shot made starts at 20 points and you can collect up to 100 coins which will get added to a successful shot. You'll also lose coins if someone manages to steal the ball from you. You can shoot from the three-point line, which will net you 30. Games are rather short, clocking in at five minutes, with two quarters of two and a half minutes.

The major problem of the game is the way the control is set up. Aside from moving your character, everything is controlled via touchscreen. You have to swipe up to shoot, side to side to pass, up to block, back to steal, etc. This causes so many problems with unresponsiveness and misunderstood inputs. You may want to pass, but the pad registered a shot, so it shoots the ball clear down from the other end of the court. You may want to jump and block, but the game thinks you're trying to do so something else. It even lags when trying to steal or passing. It's entirely too problematic.

Too make matters worse, your teammates are completely useless. They will not get the ball for you. They will cover poorly, never attempt to steal or try for a rebound. They'll literally stand there and let the ball hit them in the nose after it's been knocked out of your control. It's quite frustrating trying to win a game when your team AI simply cannot match the AI of the opposing team.

The AI in general is just pathetically inconsistent. For the first two tournaments, you don't even have to try to beat them. They'll easily stand there and let you knock the ball away and score on them time and again. You can shut them out easily but when the game gets into the upper tournaments, things take a turn for the worse. They'll always be under you to attack you when you're trying to make a dunk. Their shot ratio is high while yours is poor. Of course, you simply don't have the precision control and timing to adapt to the heightened difficulty.

Mario Hoops 3 on 3 has one cool thing about it. The courts are patterned after levels in the Mario universe, so you'll see the courts of Peach's Castle, an underwater court complete with Blooper, Bowser's Castle and more. Also, some courts have ongoing hazards to watch out for, such as cannonballs on the pirate ship court. This can prove to be obnoxious, because it can ruin a close game. Other conditions can be just as annoying, such as the ice level where you slide every time you lunge for the ball, or DK's Jungle, where the piranha plants are the hoops, and will hurt you when you try to dunk.

There also just isn't much in the way of content. There are only four cups to participate in the main mode. There's an exhibition mode and a match-up mode where you can play via WiFi. There's a mode that lets you practice a few of the basic skills, but it's a far cry from better, more fleshed out Mario sports titles that give you a host of mini games to play. Plus, at only five minutes per match, games end just before they start getting good.

It's hard to comment on the graphics of a 2006 DS title, but if you can place yourself in that era, you might feel like it's a decent looking game. Characters are instantly recognizable, and the special effects will remind you of Mario Kart. Lightning bolts zap the court, knocking everyone down, spilling coins. Spike Shells produce that hated blue plume of fire. The courts are also well-designed and some even have their own signature special effect, such as the underwater court slowing things down like it's actually underwater.

It's a Mario-themed sports game, so it sounds like a Mario game. Coins pop up from being collected by dribbling. Bombs explode and lightning bolts sizzle. Shells boink as they ricochet around the court. The large cast of Mario characters all have their unique and recognizable voices. Hearing poor Yoshi moan in disappointment every time he gets dunked on is enough to make you hang your own head in shame.

Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is just simply not one of the better Mario sports games. The first couple tournaments are such a bore that you get more challenge from trying to stay awake. There's no reason why the game had to be controlled entirely from the touchpad; face buttons would have worked much better. There also isn't much in the way of actual content, and you really have no incentive to play again when you're through. If you never got around to playing this game seven years ago, you aren't missing anything.

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"JustPlainLucas reviewed Mario Hoops 3 on 3 for the DS..." was posted by JustPlainLucas on Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:37:27 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mario-hoops-3-on-3/user-reviews/812147/platform/ds/ Thu, 06 Jun 2013 07:21:03 -0700 JustPlainLucas reviewed Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Parts 1 and 2 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/watchmen-the-end-is-nigh-parts-1-and-2/user-reviews/812122/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Who watches the Watchmen? That's the question that's on every New York citizen's minds. It's the late '70s and the streets of NYC are strewn with litter, both literal trash type, and the figurative scumbag type. The Watchmen clean the streets of the latter, but they are vigilantes. They follow their own rules, and they don't get the trust and respect from the very people they protect. What's worse? There's an ongoing police strike, which keeps the Watchmen evermore busier.

The Watchmen Part 1 and 2 is an on-disc compilation of 2009's Xbox Live Arcade digital releases. The game is a beat 'em up action title and focuses solely on Rorschach and Night Owl. The two work their way through prison riots, rooftops and alleyways, streets on fire and strip clubs and bordellos beating up a seemingly endless stream of henchmen. Part 1's story is about tracking down the villain Underboss, while Part 2's story is going after Twilight Lady for abducting a girl and making her work in pornography. Cutscenes are told via motion comics.

Combat is relatively simple. You have X for light attacks, Y for strong attacks and B for throws. You can string attacks together for combos, but in Part 1, you will have to find icons to unlock them. Rorschach can dodge out of the way, while Night Owl blocks, but it must be said that it's harder to play as Night Owl, because his blocking isn't as responsive as Rorschach's dodging. Rorschach has a Rage meter that fills up and once full, he can unleash his Rage and attack more quickly and stronger. Night Owl has a Charge meter that fills up over time and when full, he discharges a burst of electricity knocking thugs down and also attacks with electrified fists. Both characters can also use chunks of their meters at a time to rush or stun enemies when they get surrounded.

Combat is brutal. When enough damage has been done to an enemy, a button prompt appears over their heads. This allows you to "execute" them by unleashing devastating knockout blows. Night Owl's finishers are reflective of a refined, trained fighter, while Rorschach's are much more vicious, indicative of the psychological mess that character is. All this fighting is fun at first, but it grows very repetitive, and instead of introducing a varied cast of combatants, it just dispenses the same tired wave of light and heavies.

You progress from area to area, occasionally needing your partner to grapple up to a rooftop, or to lift a door so you can slide under. Once you clear a room full of lackeys, you'll be treated to another room of the exact same guys. There's no puzzles to solve, clues to investigate, people to talk or anything else of interest; just nonstop fisticuffs. Yes, this game has XBLA origins, but that is not a very good excuse, as there are plenty of other XBLA titles that are nowhere near this shallow.

The game unfortunately suffers some bad glitches. You might be fighting an enemy and all of a sudden, you're slung completely into the ceiling. Your partner might decide to just stand in one place instead of following you. Plus, ally AI is inconsistent where he might hold his own, but then stand around and do nothing while you have to deal with everyone else. There might also be a moment where an interaction with you and Twilight Lady will not trigger, preventing you from having the prompt to open the gate.

For an arcade title, the graphics are pretty good. The characters are rendered quite well with excellent textures. The environments could have looked a little better, and the level design is very repetitive causing you to easily get lost after a giant skirmish disorients you. The characters also have quite a range of attack animations, and you'll still see new ones well into the game's final chapter. Enemies use rag doll physics, but they sometimes crumble to the ground unrealistically. It's a bloody game, so you'll see blood and even teeth, but the game takes a bit too far with this effect, shedding more teeth than one person's mouth can hold.

The audio is solid with some pretty brutal sound effects. You can hear bones and noses and teeth being broken. It's even more violent once Rorschach uses one of the many weapons he gets from enemies. Just hearing someone being hit in the head with a mace is cringe-worthy. The music sounds just like it came from the movie, so it accentuates the action well. Voicing acting from the main characters is performed well, but the quips from the thugs are generic and lame.

The Watchmen Part 1 and 2 is a wasted opportunity. Although it's fun in short bursts, it becomes tiresome if you play it for extended periods. You're also left with a sense that there should be more to the game. There should be more to the story. The gameplay should have more to it than just beating people up. There are so many more Watchmen other than Rorschach and Night Owl; the IP deserved a larger game. If you have twenty bucks lying around, and you really love The Watchmen, go for it. Just keep in mind you won't be getting much.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/watchmen-the-end-is-nigh-parts-1-and-2/user-reviews/812122/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:26:10 -0700 JustPlainLucas reviewed Wheelman for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/wheelman/user-reviews/812022/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 5.5.

Vin Diesel has had a dream of getting into video games for years. He starred in the critically acclaimed Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and its sequel Assault on Dark Athena. Now, he's in another game called Wheelman. It's a GTA-style sandbox game that hosts several unique tricks, but the lack of refinement will relegate this game to the wannabe GTA crowd.

You play as stone-faced Milo Burik, a driver in Barcelona, who is immediately employed to help with an escape. He barrels down alleyways and flies across main streets eluding the cops who give chase. Once the heat dies down and he parks his ride, he quickly finds himself freelancing for the three main gangs who control Barcelona: the Romanian, Los Lantos and the Chulos Canallas.. There doesn't seem to be any sort of trouble that Milo won't get himself involved in; all he needs is a car and somewhere to go.

Because the game's GTA-like, you can run around and carjack any vehicle you see. Wheelman's trick up its sleeve is that you can carjack from one car to another while in motion. Called airjacking, it's a very important tool in your arsenal of skills. When your vehicle's taking too much damage, you hold B to lean out of your car while behind a vehicle in front of you. Once you get close enough, the red arrow above the targeted car turns green, and then you execute your airjack. The only problem is, it's very hard to airjack when the action becomes incredibly intense. You can be perfectly lined up and let go of B and in that very split second, you lose your window.

Car combat plays an integral role in the gameplay. You can "melee" with your car, jerking it left and right, or ramming straight ahead. If you're in a heavy car, you can take out lighter vehicles extremely quickly, but the downside when meleeing with any ride is that more often than not, it will throw you off course in the thick of action. When they perform their melees on you, they are mostly dead on and continue to stay on course after they smash into you, even if it wasn't a direct hit.

You have a focus meter that charges when you drive recklessly and when it's full enough, you can perform some special skills. The basic ability is Turbo Boost, but the extremely useful skills are Aiming Shot and Cyclone. Aiming Shot zooms the camera in behind Milo and slows down time. During this state, you can move your reticle on drivers, passengers, tires and fuel tanks. Once lined up, you can kill drivers, pop tires and even ignite the fuel tanks and send the car flying. Cyclone works exactly the same, except that you spin the car 180 degrees, so you can shoot the enemies behind you. The downside is that several times, the game will not realign your position, meaning you'll either crash or take a turn you didn't want to.

You'll basically only have one major contact for main story missions, although occasionally you'll have two or three you can do in whatever order you want. Wheelman has quite a few "side-missions", which are just challenges. You can speed across the city as a taxi dropping off fares, take place in street races, pick up and drop off packages, cause wanton destruction by running over property and smashing into cars, escape from police, and more. These challenges serve to unlock garages, ammo stashes, and increase performances of your vehicle, attack and defense and other stats. The problem is that these side-missions quickly outnumber your main missions. Not only are some of them extremely frustrating, but they also clutter your map and there's no filter to use to make finding one particular challenge easier.

Vin Diesel will also have to step out from behind the wheel to get behind cover when it's time to exchange lead. He carries a pistol with unlimited ammo, and to be honest, you can go through the entire game with just that. He can also carry one secondary weapon, such as assault rifles, Uzis or shotguns. You can aim with a lock-on and adjust your reticule to land a headshot, or you can free aim to shoot explosive barrels. Unfortunately, controlling on foot is clumsy at times, which can have you running right out in the open when you're trying to get into better position.

The game could have definitely benefited from some fine-tuning, because the controls are quite wonky. The physics engine is also highly unrealistic, stopping you flat in your tracks sometimes when you just hit a curb, or bouncing you around like a pinball. For a game that promotes the ability to take out tires, it sure doesn't matter, as cars running on rims not only don't lose speed, but their control is not affected in the slightest. In extremely chaotic missions and the more challenging side-missions, these flaws become magnified and further frustrate the player.

The graphics are hardly impressive, even if it was still 2009. The character models look alright, but they all have plastic action figure expressions. Seeing Vin Diesel show no range of emotion at all questions whether that was a directorial decision, or if the animation artist just couldn't pull it off. The vehicles themselves look decent, as well as the environments, but the special effects look cheesy. Seeing a car blow up might be fun at first, but you start to notice how unimpressive it is after 50 or so crashes. You see the skeletal remains as you pelt enemy cars with your bullets, but just about everything in the game could have used more refinement.

In the sound department, the constant firing of weapons, slamming of cars, explosions and other sound effects are done well. There's a nice accompanying chime that follows a headshot so you know they're down for good. Tires squeal while engines rev, and the sound slows down when you enter Aiming Shot and Cyclone. There are different radio stations to listen to, but the game's original soundtrack takes over during main story missions. This original music also grows old after a while. Unfortunately, the game's voice acting is rather poor, and performed over average dialogue at best. Diesel's performance is about as stiff as his character's facial expressions.

By now, you can find Wheelman on the super cheap. The story neither contains a compelling plot or a well-executed narrative and it's impossible to care for any of the characters. Don't be fooled into thinking the game contains plenty of content with all the side-missions, because you probably won't be bothered to finish half of them. 10 bucks would be a good price and it's worth playing to experience the game's unique take on sandbox driving action.

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"JustPlainLucas reviewed Wheelman for the Xbox 360..." was posted by JustPlainLucas on Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:26:10 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/wheelman/user-reviews/812022/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 02 Jun 2013 21:28:01 -0700 zgreenwell reviewed Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-all-stars-racing-transformed/user-reviews/811996/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Sonic All Star Racing Transformed is really just a very well made and fun game to play. Its tight controls and inspired levels remind me of playing Mario Kart on the SNES. However, you don't have to be nostalgic to enjoy this game. Its a quality title that will have both old-school fans and new players alike enthralled.

The game is a Kart Racer. Its a cartoony style race where you use boosts and weapon power ups to be the first to finish. That simple premise is expanded on however with three different vehicle modes. Not only do you switch between car, boat, and plane but the tracks themselves also change mid-race. It keeps everything very interesting and the controls are tight and reliable the whole time. The game includes several characters from well known Sega games. Each character plays slightly differently, but they are well balanced. There are also tracks representing different Sega franchises. These all do a great job at retaining the feel of their original franchise while also feeling well suited to the racing game.

The main portion of the game is the world tour mode where you complete different objective based missions. There are some regular races, but there are several other modes too. There are modes where you're flying through rings, or driving through traffic, or fighting a tank to name a few. On the harder difficulties some of the missions can get aggravating, but it always feels like just enough to stress a player out, not to make them quit playing entirely. There is also a GP mode where you can play through a series of races. Both of these modes can also be played in local multiplayer, up to four people.

There is an online mode as well. Local and online players can simultaneously compete in races and battle modes. The battle mode is very different from the story missions and the different flavors complement each other. Its a good distraction while considering how to best approach the tough missions have left to beat.

Sonic All Star Racing is not necessarily a perfect game. I have had it glitch a few times. I also feel the one or two of the missions are a little too hard on the hardest mode. Overall though, the game achieves all its objectives and maintains a high level of excitement throughout. There are essentially no low points and the stages are all fun to replay. I've really had fun playing the game and can not encourage people enough to give it a try. It is a game everyone can enjoy and everyone should buy.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-all-stars-racing-transformed/user-reviews/811996/platform/ps3/ Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:32:16 -0700 rigbybot127 reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-iv/user-reviews/811965/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

If you've been on a gaming website in the last 6 years, and have brought up this game, chances are you were exposed to the totally shattered base that is the general opinion on GTA IV. One half of the zeitgeist loves GTA IV and thinks it is a landmark in video gaming history, while the other side loathes it, citing some sort of phantom bad controls, since I cant find these anywhere, and a more dark and dramatic storyline, making them more likely to jump ship and swim to the nearest one harboring Saints Row, which is itself a great game series. Others have a moral vendetta against it, due to the graphic language and violence, as well as depictions of drugs and alcohol and some sexual themes; of course, there are also the people who complain, whom of which have never played it, citing instances of the player character indulging in drugs (usually citing heroin) and raping women, neither of which ever happens, though this sort of blind feces has been spewing from the media watchdogs' mouths since III.

I, myself, am planted firmly in the former end of the zeitgeist (I keep using this word, not knowing what it means!); with the strong belief that GTA IV is one of the greatest video games of all-time.

You are Niko Bellic, an ex-soldier who immigrated to America, looking for a new life amidst the bullshit fairy tales his cousin Roman sings to him over the phone. Here, he makes the best of the bad situation he lands in, and must take to an underground of criminals, drug dealers, mafioso, diamonds and trucks full of heroin, as well as friends, all while trying to make his and his cousin's life better, in the search of the elusive American Dream.

That is my spoiler-free summary of the plot. Sounds good, right? Well, its even better than you can imagine. Its actually really hard to describe the exuberant effect the narrative hits you with, and the surprisingly deep sociopolitical satire hidden within a deep, dark, emotional tale of revenge and your various bonds with people, good or bad; all this from the guys who like to hide dick jokes and 69 in all their games (which is far from absent here).

All of the characters feel much more human than ever in a Rockstar game. They all have some sort of motivation driving them to do what they do, and good reasons for it. And of course, this being a Rockstar game, they are also very-well characterized, and a joy to be around.

Such as Roman, your cousin, who is a very large ham who likes to yuk about his love for "big American t*tties" and how much of a sex machine he is, with all his fortune, even though he has a girlfriend, Mallorie. Once you arrive in America, it turns out that it was a ploy to get you out here, because he wanted to hang out with his cousin. A man he owes money, Vlad, is screwing his girlfriend, and he just stands by allowing it to happen, as to not anger Vlad. Niko doesn't sit too idly to this, and doesn't pretend for a minute to enjoy Vlad's company. Niko gets fed up with Vlad's big loud mouth, and the mockery he's making of Roman's life, so he executes him. Within the first 10 missions of the game. Only once this happens, does Roman grow at least half of a pair, and tell Niko off for putting his whole life in jeopardy with this stunt, even though he was trying to help. This sets the rest of the plot into motion.

Best for me not to talk about any more of the plot, and just let you experience it yourself, as you would not want this wonderfully written narrative spoiled for you. Needless to say, its Rockstar's finest story, and will be very hard to top.

The structure is non-linear, and mission-based, with sometimes up to several story missions available at once for you to accomplish, and can be completed in almost any order. Because of this, a story mission branch that is available at the same time as another story mission branch will never reference each other at the time, until after the necessary branches crossover (if they ever do).

Most people will divide most of their time from doing story missions into exploring the booming dystopia known as Liberty City (an expy of New York City, with an area dedicated to New Jersey), searching for the games numerous side-missions and random character encounters (little hidden mission branches, activated by approaching certain characters, indicated on the map when close to one). Liberty City isn't quite as vast as San Andreas was (though that's not to say that its tiny by any definition), but it is infinitely more detailed, and, as a result, much more enjoyable to play around in. No need to cross huge canvases filled with water, just to get to your mission. Due to honest-to-God atmosphere and level of detail, the city feels very alive, as if all of its residents are people, with friends and family, going places, to do things. Which makes it a tad bit more gut-wrenching and shocking (not to mention with the highly-advanced and realistic physics engine, RAGE) to crash into them with your vehicle, though no less fun. Be sure not to finish the game without first reading all the signs located in Star Junction!

The gameplay is the same, and very different from what we had on the PS2. You can still jack cars and kill people, all the basics. The combat system is when the differences really start to pile up. The PS2 and PSP games had admittedly lousy gunplay. This game vastly improves the gunplay controls, and adds a cover-system ala Gears of War and Uncharted. The new physics engine makes the impact of the bullets "part-sensitive"; for example: if you shoot a cop in the left leg, their response will accommodate that, prompting a fall in the correct canon direction.

The driving system has also been revamped, bordering on simulation, compared to the past games arcade-style. This is where the majority of the complaints for this game come from, people disliking the realistic control of the vehicles, saying they shouldn't actually have to try in order to use a vehicle. I, personally, feel that the driving control is perfect, and am actually pretty disappointed when going back to past games. The physics engine allows for more realistic burnouts, meaning when you driving outlandishly fast, and crash into something solid, you better believe you're coming out of that windshield. The cars also don't blow up as much as in past iterations, and when damage is taken, the part that received the damage is the part that is most affected, rightfully so. Your engine is much more likely to give out before the car ever catches on fire, though if it does catch on fire, you have an ample amount of time to escape, compared to San Andreas' "by the skin of your ass escapes". Alternatively, you can just hail a taxi.

The cops have received a much more grimacing revamp. As series tradition, the tiniest little bump of your car to theirs will prompt a city-wide manhunt. There is now a radius of mass search, indicated on your radar, which you must escape and hide out soon afterwards; difficulty either lowering or spiking, depending on your current number of stars (1-6). You can also take an alternative route and just give yourself up the first time they ask (and only the first time, since its impossible if you resist arrest even once), resulting in them arresting you, in case you want to avoid the chase; but doing this will result in the loss of your weapons, and is just not a very fun alternative. Because of the advanced AI, you will actually see cops doing their job, arresting people that have no chronology to you. This can be exploited for fun, such as starting a fight, then luring the opponent to an area with police, letting them jab you, resulting in them being arrested.

You now have access to a cell phone and computer, the former being much more important than the latter. The latter is only useful, story-wise, a couple of times, and can be used to find a bunch of funny in-game websites filled to the brim with satire, while the latter is your gateway to all but the options. You can use it to call up friends and girlfriends, for hang-outs and dates, respectively, as well they can call you; another common complaint, people stating that they are interrupted a lot from friends wanting to hang-out (spawning the infamous meme "Hey cousin, lets go bowling! stated by Roman at least once during a phone call); though you don't have to hang out with them unless you care about your level of friendship with them (which, at a high enough percentage, can result in some pretty sweet bonuses, the best being Roman's; as well as an achievement for getting all of your friends percentage past 90%), and even then, you can just accept it, and then call back and cancel, without the friendship percentage taking a loss; and you never get hang-out calls during missions save for two (very inconvenient) instances, and you automatically take a rain check.

When you do go out with friends, will you be able to get to know them, and can take them out anywhere from bowling and pool minigames to stand-up acts including Ricky Gervais and Katt Williams, whom of which can also be seen on….

Your in-game TV! Located at any one of your safehouses is a TV, which you can power on and watch any of the hilarious satirical programs currently on. My favorites are Republican Space Rangers, a jab against hard-blooded ant-communism American extremists; and The Men's Room starring Bas FREAKING Rutten. That's all that needs to be said. While the satire is top-notch, it does not compare to what you will find on….

The radio! Lazlow's very presence makes it explicitly clear that some hardcore satire awaits. Like every other 3D GTA, he has his own radio station; in this game its Integrity 2.0. That station, along with many others, contain some hilarious satire that I'd rather not spoil here. The game also sports a huge library of great tunes for your enjoyment, spanning many tastes.

Back to the phone: it can also be used to access the games multiplayer, which makes GTA IV the first GTA to have (official) multiplayer. Its 16-player, with many game modes for you to romp around LC in. This includes basic free-for-all and team deathmatch, some capture the flag-like modes, small slightly narrative-driven competitive and co-op missions, and a free mode, allowing you to just screw around in LC with your buddies, with no obligations. Its quite cathartic, to say the least.

Unlocking 1000 gamerscore, while not exactly very difficult, is quite time-consuming, requiring for you to acquire 100% completion, which is no walk in the park (I still haven't gotten it, as of the time of this writing).

Niko's attire can be fully customized, at various clothing stores, though he cannot receive hair-cuts and tats like CJ could in San Andreas. The RPG aspects of San Andreas are completely absent, for the better.

You will find yourself in a lot of difficult missions/situations, which, unlike the previous games, are actually some of the most fun parts of the game; with my (and many others) personal favorite mission, Three Leaf Clover, being very hard, and very rewarding. These situations will be impossible to complete if not properly prepared, which you should be throughout the entirety of the game. You can stalk up on weapons and armor in illegal back-alley gun vendors (the mayor has a real hard-on for gun control; so Ammunation stores do not exist in LC), with the enormous amounts of money you will acquire throughout the game.

In 2009 came two "DLC" episodes, quotations around DLC because they are basically entire games in their own right. They both come with about 20+ missions each, new protagonists, storylines happening around the same time as IVs, which even crossover with each other a few times; new weapons, radio, stand-up, and TV shows; and many new side-missions. They are absolutely imperative to understanding the entirety of the GTA IV era story, and are two of the best DLC ever released. They are both included in the Complete Edition, along with IV.

Grand Theft Auto IV is Rockstar's Magnum Opus, and a landmark in video game storytelling and technological prowess. With it's well-written, non-linear, dark, emotional storyline, filled with largely memorable characters; unfolding in a large, beautifully detailed city, powered by a revolutionary physics engine and sophisticated AI; and featuring a polished, advanced rendition of the series renowned style of gameplay; Grand Theft Auto IV is an unforgettable experience, that is incredible in every way. You owe it to yourself to hop on the next flight out to Liberty City.

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"rigbybot127 reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360..." was posted by rigbybot127 on Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:32:16 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-iv/user-reviews/811965/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:15:49 -0700 rigbybot127 reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-iv/user-reviews/811963/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

If you've been on a gaming website in the last 6 years, and have brought up this game, chances are you were exposed to the totally shattered base that is the general opinion on GTA IV. One half of the zeitgeist loves GTA IV and thinks it is a landmark in video gaming history, while the other side loathes it, citing some sort of phantom bad controls, since I cant find these anywhere, and a more dark and dramatic storyline, making them more likely to jump ship and swim to the nearest one harboring Saints Row, which is itself a great game series. Others have a moral vendetta against it, due to the graphic language and violence, as well as depictions of drugs and alcohol and some sexual themes; of course, there are also the people who complain, whom of which have never played it, citing instances of the player character indulging in drugs (usually citing heroin) and raping women, neither of which ever happens, though this sort of blind feces has been spewing from the media watchdogs' mouths since III.

I, myself, am planted firmly in the former end of the zeitgeist (I keep using this word, not knowing what it means!); with the strong belief that GTA IV is one of the greatest video games of all-time.

You are Niko Bellic, an ex-soldier who immigrated to America, looking for a new life amidst the bullshit fairy tales his cousin Roman sings to him over the phone. Here, he makes the best of the bad situation he lands in, and must take to an underground of criminals, drug dealers, mafioso, diamonds and trucks full of heroin, as well as friends, all while trying to make his and his cousin's life better, in the search of the elusive American Dream.

That is my spoiler-free summary of the plot. Sounds good, right? Well, its even better than you can imagine. Its actually really hard to describe the exuberant effect the narrative hits you with, and the surprisingly deep sociopolitical satire hidden within a deep, dark, emotional tale of revenge and your various bonds with people, good or bad; all this from the guys who like to hide dick jokes and 69 in all their games (which is far from absent here).

All of the characters feel much more human than ever in a Rockstar game. They all have some sort of motivation driving them to do what they do, and good reasons for it. And of course, this being a Rockstar game, they are also very-well characterized, and a joy to be around.

Such as Roman, your cousin, who is a very large ham who likes to yuk about his love for "big American t*tties" and how much of a sex machine he is, with all his fortune, even though he has a girlfriend, Mallorie. Once you arrive in America, it turns out that it was a ploy to get you out here, because he wanted to hang out with his cousin. A man he owes money, Vlad, is screwing his girlfriend, and he just stands by allowing it to happen, as to not anger Vlad. Niko doesn't sit too idly to this, and doesn't pretend for a minute to enjoy Vlad's company. Niko gets fed up with Vlad's big loud mouth, and the mockery he's making of Roman's life, so he executes him. Within the first 10 missions of the game. Only once this happens, does Roman grow at least half of a pair, and tell Niko off for putting his whole life in jeopardy with this stunt, even though he was trying to help. This sets the rest of the plot into motion.

Best for me not to talk about any more of the plot, and just let you experience it yourself, as you would not want this wonderfully written narrative spoiled for you. Needless to say, its Rockstar's finest story, and will be very hard to top.

The structure is non-linear, and mission-based, with sometimes up to several story missions available at once for you to accomplish, and can be completed in almost any order. Because of this, a story mission branch that is available at the same time as another story mission branch will never reference each other at the time, until after the necessary branches crossover (if they ever do).

Most people will divide most of their time from doing story missions into exploring the booming dystopia known as Liberty City (an expy of New York City, with an area dedicated to New Jersey), searching for the games numerous side-missions and random character encounters (little hidden mission branches, activated by approaching certain characters, indicated on the map when close to one). Liberty City isn't quite as vast as San Andreas was (though that's not to say that its tiny by any definition), but it is infinitely more detailed, and, as a result, much more enjoyable to play around in. No need to cross huge canvases filled with water, just to get to your mission. Due to honest-to-God atmosphere and level of detail, the city feels very alive, as if all of its residents are people, with friends and family, going places, to do things. Which makes it a tad bit more gut-wrenching and shocking (not to mention with the highly-advanced and realistic physics engine, RAGE) to crash into them with your vehicle, though no less fun. Be sure not to finish the game without first reading all the signs located in Star Junction!

The gameplay is the same, and very different from what we had on the PS2. You can still jack cars and kill people, all the basics. The combat system is when the differences really start to pile up. The PS2 and PSP games had admittedly lousy gunplay. This game vastly improves the gunplay controls, and adds a cover-system ala Gears of War and Uncharted. The new physics engine makes the impact of the bullets "part-sensitive"; for example: if you shoot a cop in the left leg, their response will accommodate that, prompting a fall in the correct canon direction. The PS3 version is enhanced with optional Sixaxis controls, which should be kept off, except for the option to flip upwards on the Sixaxis to reload, which is enormously helpful.

The driving system has also been revamped, bordering on simulation, compared to the past games arcade-style. This is where the majority of the complaints for this game come from, people disliking the realistic control of the vehicles, saying they shouldn't actually have to try in order to use a vehicle. I, personally, feel that the driving control is perfect, and am actually pretty disappointed when going back to past games. The physics engine allows for more realistic burnouts, meaning when you driving outlandishly fast, and crash into something solid, you better believe you're coming out of that windshield. The cars also don't blow up as much as in past iterations, and when damage is taken, the part that received the damage is the part that is most affected, rightfully so. Your engine is much more likely to give out before the car ever catches on fire, though if it does catch on fire, you have an ample amount of time to escape, compared to San Andreas' "by the skin of your ass escapes". Alternatively, you can just hail a taxi.

The cops have received a much more grimacing revamp. As series tradition, the tiniest little bump of your car to theirs will prompt a city-wide manhunt. There is now a radius of mass search, indicated on your radar, which you must escape and hide out soon afterwards; difficulty either lowering or spiking, depending on your current number of stars (1-6). You can also take an alternative route and just give yourself up the first time they ask (and only the first time, since its impossible if you resist arrest even once), resulting in them arresting you, in case you want to avoid the chase; but doing this will result in the loss of your weapons, and is just not a very fun alternative. Because of the advanced AI, you will actually see cops doing their job, arresting people that have no chronology to you. This can be exploited for fun, such as starting a fight, then luring the opponent to an area with police, letting them jab you, resulting in them being arrested.

You now have access to a cell phone and computer, the former being much more important than the latter. The latter is only useful, story-wise, a couple of times, and can be used to find a bunch of funny in-game websites filled to the brim with satire, while the latter is your gateway to all but the options. You can use it to call up friends and girlfriends, for hang-outs and dates, respectively, as well they can call you; another common complaint, people stating that they are interrupted a lot from friends wanting to hang-out (spawning the infamous meme "Hey cousin, lets go bowling! stated by Roman at least once during a phone call); though you don't have to hang out with them unless you care about your level of friendship with them (which, at a high enough percentage, can result in some pretty sweet bonuses, the best being Roman's; as well as a trophy for getting all of your friends percentage past 90%), and even then, you can just accept it, and then call back and cancel, without the friendship percentage taking a loss; and you never get hang-out calls during missions save for two (very inconvenient) instances, and you automatically take a rain check.

When you do go out with friends, will you be able to get to know them, and can take them out anywhere from bowling and pool minigames to stand-up acts including Ricky Gervais and Katt Williams, whom of which can also be seen on….

Your in-game TV! Located at any one of your safehouses is a TV, which you can power on and watch any of the hilarious satirical programs currently on. My favorites are Republican Space Rangers, a jab against hard-blooded ant-communism American extremists; and The Men's Room starring Bas FREAKING Rutten. That's all that needs to be said. While the satire is top-notch, it does not compare to what you will find on….

The radio! Lazlow's very presence makes it explicitly clear that some hardcore satire awaits. Like every other 3D GTA, he has his own radio station; in this game its Integrity 2.0. That station, along with many others, contain some hilarious satire that I'd rather not spoil here. The game also sports a huge library of great tunes for your enjoyment, spanning many tastes.

Back to the phone: it can also be used to access the games multiplayer, which makes GTA IV the first GTA to have (official) multiplayer. Its 16-player, with many game modes for you to romp around LC in. This includes basic free-for-all and team deathmatch, some capture the flag-like modes, small slightly narrative-driven competitive and co-op missions, and a free mode, allowing you to just screw around in LC with your buddies, with no obligations. Its quite cathartic, to say the least.

The platinum for this game, while not exactly very difficult, is quite time-consuming, requiring for you to acquire 100% completion, which is no walk in the park (I still haven't gotten it, as of the time of this writing).

Niko's attire can be fully customized, at various clothing stores, though he cannot receive hair-cuts and tats like CJ could in San Andreas. The RPG aspects of San Andreas are completely absent, for the better.

You will find yourself in a lot of difficult missions/situations, which, unlike the previous games, are actually some of the most fun parts of the game; with my (and many others) personal favorite mission, Three Leaf Clover, being very hard, and very rewarding. These situations will be impossible to complete if not properly prepared, which you should be throughout the entirety of the game. You can stalk up on weapons and armor in illegal back-alley gun vendors (the mayor has a real hard-on for gun control; so Ammunation stores do not exist in LC), with the enormous amounts of money you will acquire throughout the game.

In 2009 came two "DLC" episodes, quotations around DLC because they are basically entire games in their own right. They both come with about 20+ missions each, new protagonists, storylines happening around the same time as IVs, which even crossover with each other a few times; new weapons, radio, stand-up, and TV shows; and many new side-missions. They are absolutely imperative to understanding the entirety of the GTA IV era story, and are two of the best DLC ever released. They are both included in the Complete Edition, along with IV.

Grand Theft Auto IV is Rockstar's Magnum Opus, and a landmark in video game storytelling and technological prowess. With it's well-written, non-linear, dark, emotional storyline, filled with largely memorable characters; unfolding in a large, beautifully detailed city, powered by a revolutionary physics engine and sophisticated AI; and featuring a polished, advanced rendition of the series renowned style of gameplay; Grand Theft Auto IV is an unforgettable experience, that is incredible in every way. You owe it to yourself to hop on the next flight out to Liberty City.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"rigbybot127 reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by rigbybot127 on Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:15:49 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-iv/user-reviews/811963/platform/ps3/ Wed, 29 May 2013 17:52:07 -0700 rigbybot127 reviewed L.A. Noire for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/l-a-noire/user-reviews/811868/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

From the now-defunct Team Bondi comes L.A. Noire. Utilizing the very-most advanced facial technology, they were able to bring Cole Phillips rise to glory to life, with very-well done facial acting, as well as phenomenal voice-acting, and an absolutely perfect rendition of Los Angeles, right down to the last spilled can of Cola King (most of the development time went into the amazing detail). Any inconsistency you find here (such as the set of Intolerance being around in 1947, even though the set was destroyed in 1919) was intentional, for rule of cool, so the developers could put you in the coolest historical set-pieces they could imagine.

Cole Phillips is a married man, to both his wife and the force. He is an officer of the law, there to protect the inhabitants of L.A. with little compromise; who is given the chance to rise up in the ranks, and takes it. With each successive desk, you will be greeted by a new partner; conversations with them provide some of the best dialogue in the game (including a conversation about events that may or may not have happened, depending on whether or not you played the DLC), and more thrilling cases, with more badass set-pieces and mysteries. These desks are Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson; two were cut from the final version of the game, as they would have had difficulty fitting it on one Blu-Ray disc (the Xbox 360 version already takes 3 discs); these desks were Bunco and Burglary. Littered around the games environment are newspapers which, when picked up, will show a little cinematic, which is absolutely imperative to fully understanding the story. They're usually not too far off the beaten path, so you would do good to pick them up.

Aside from the story cases, you can also participate in Street Crimes, some random crimes which sometimes tie into earlier cases, which give a perfect excuse to explore this perfect rendition of 1947 Los Angeles. Sleepless nights were put into research, so they could bring us as much detail as they could, when most people wont see half of it, anyway.

Those nights were also put into perfecting the facial technology that the perfectionists at Team Bondi couldn't live without. It is as close to real human flesh as video games have ever come to (no, Sega CD games do not count). The realism of the facial twitches is how you can tell if someone is lying during an interrogation. The realism of the faces does make the body look a bit dead by comparison, however.

Depending on what clues you have found, you can ask the interviewee different questions, and judging on your evidence, and their facial expression; you can either believe them, doubt them, or call them liars, and shove the evidence in their face (in case you screw up the accusal of lying, you can back out of it with no repercussions).

Even though its under the Rockstar Games logo, you cant just screw around like in Grand Theft Auto. You can only pull your gun out in the right circumstances, and its really hard (not impossible) to smash into pedestrians with your vehicles. Also, besides the Street Crimes and finding special vehicles and collecting golden reels (both of which are nigh-impossible to do without help from a wiki, and even then), or just looking at scenery, there's really not much to do in this town; compared to GTA or Red Dead Redemption, or the real-life L.A. for that matter. You most likely wont even go into half the town! A little bit more to do, spread over the game-world would have been nice.

Perhaps the best part of this game is its soundtrack. From the old-timey music and radio dramas, to the incredible voice-acting, this games aural mood is great, and will put you in the mood to solve crimes. At a crime scene, a wonderful little score plays to help with clue-finding (finding every clue is a necessity for getting 100% for your case), as in once the score stops, youve found all the clues in that crime scene.

The game plays around with history, such as the identity of The Black Dahlia Killer (AKA The Werewolf), who to this day has never been caught (and you'll find out why).

Even though they cut out 2 desks, and 11 cases overall to allow the game to fit on one Blu-Ray (and 3 DVDs for Xbox), a couple of cases were removed from the game and repackaged as DLC, one of which is exclusive to the PS3 version, and only available for Xbox via the Complete Edition, which comes with all the DLC, and is the version you should buy.

L.A. Noire is a thrilling police procedural, with a lot of twists and turns, that concludes in a commendable way (especially if you collected the newspapers). It may bore some of the ADHD gamers of the world, but for those who are patient, they may find it rewarding and interesting to play on the opposite side of the law for once.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"rigbybot127 reviewed L.A. Noire for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by rigbybot127 on Wed, 29 May 2013 17:52:07 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/l-a-noire/user-reviews/811868/platform/ps3/ Sun, 26 May 2013 01:24:16 -0700 pigfish2 reviewed Red Dead Redemption for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/red-dead-redemption/user-reviews/811734/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Red Dead Redemption is best described as Rockstar taking the formula of their Grand Theft Auto games and transplanting it into a Wild West setting. That may seem like an easy way of describing it but it is also the most apt. Set in 1911, you are cast as former outlaw John Marston, who is forced by the US government to hunt down the members of his old gang in exchange for his continued freedom. Like GTA, the game is a third person action adventure with most missions involving some form of gun fight.

Red Dead Redemption's game world is huge spanning two fictional US states and one in the north of Mexico. The world is entirely sandbox too so if you don't feel like carrying out a mission you can partake in a host of other activities including poker, arm wrestling and of course a multitude of side quests. Most of these activities are simple diversions to earn cash but the side quests are just as fun as the story missions and there are plenty to complete. The main story is about 13-16 hours long but add in everything else that there is to do and that could be doubled.

The Wild West setting is a refreshing difference from most games of this style and Rockstar have captured it perfectly. The tone is one of danger but also opportunity. Setting the game in 1911 as new technologies like telegraph communication and trains are coming into full swing just adds to this feeling. The setting enables the inclusion of weapons like repeating rifles and revolvers and in an even more refreshing change, cars are substituted for horses. Horse riding feels intuitive and the mechanics of it are nicely tuned. Roaming the environment on a horse felt much more liberating than exploring it in a car would have been. The game's story is passable with few genuine unexpected moments or twists but what really brings the game to life are its characters. It features a colourful cast, each with their own interesting personality and the characterisation is superb. This includes a crazed treasure hunting grave robber and an animated, old, snake oil salesman. All of the characters including John Marston are wonderfully voice acted and the dialogue is well written and enjoyable to listen too. The characters are brought to life magnificently. The music of the game may be forgettable but the rest of the sound work is certainly not. Everything from the horses to the trains sounds spot on and makes the world feel even more realistic. Graphically the game is not spectacular but it is good with few blemishes or glitches and some decent facial animations. Overall the graphics, characters, setting and sounds come together to recreate the Wild West and its inhabitants in a captivating manner that you can't help but want to explore.

All that is fine but what really matters is how it plays. Unfortunately whilst not being bad by any stretch of the imagination the gameplay can't live up to what surrounds it. Mission variety is strong in a sense with missions ranging from defending a train to storming an outpost and much more in between. Most missions boil down to shooting enemies in different scenarios though. Whilst this is fun for the most part it does get repetitive at times and there is no getting away from the fact that the gameplay is fairly shallow. Therefore it is a good job that the shooting mechanics refined and accurate. Taking cover is simple to execute and picking off enemies strikes the right balance between being too hard and too easy. Different weapons also handle uniquely and have differing degrees of effectiveness indicating the effort put in the development team. The game struggles when it departs from the shooting missions though which is shame because more quality variation is needed. Horse racing and duels are well handled but tasks such as cow herding and breaking in new horses are simply dull. What results is the unfortunate situation where you hope for a break from the repetitive shooting missions only to find yourself yearning for them again after enduring the likes of cow herding. On the whole the missions are fun but they are also largely one note with attempts at a change of pace disappointing.

Red Dead Redemption's strength is its world and its characters and as such it plays to these. There is plenty of focus on characterisation and dialogue especially as you ride alongside fellow characters on the way to mission locations. The core of the game is its gameplay though and that is fun but can get repetitive and is undeniably shallow. Many reviewers have claimed it to be one of the best games ever. The aesthetics and characters certainly justify this claim but the gameplay they are wrapped around sadly does not. It's not bad but unlike what surrounds it, it is not top draw.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"pigfish2 reviewed Red Dead Redemption for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by pigfish2 on Sun, 26 May 2013 01:24:16 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/red-dead-redemption/user-reviews/811734/platform/ps3/ Sat, 25 May 2013 20:07:14 -0700 AK_the_Twilight reviewed Tomb Raider for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/811722/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

The Tomb Raider series might have been the rise of Lara Croft in the early years of the Playstation, but at this point, the series has been coasting on its legacy. We haven't seen a fresh imagining of the legendary adventure series in years. Lara Croft's role as a breakthrough female lead is set in the history books of yesteryear instead of on the internet forums of today. Crystal Dynamics, the company involved with many of the more recent Tomb Raider titles, have delivered a remedy to that sentiment. In an ambitious move, the development house has reshaped expectations for Tomb Raider by delivering a dark and unsettling reboot for the series. With survival over sensationalism being the name of the game, Lara's back in business. While it's a solid reboot with an alternative tone unlike anything else seen in the series, gameplay annoyances and a neglect of the series' key values keep the new Tomb Raider from combatting its peers in quality.

Tomb Raider's story begins with iconic video game heroine Lara Croft in a different kind of role. Instead of the brash bombshell that we've grown to know, this Lara is a fresh young archaeology upstart. After enlisting in her first research expedition on the Endurance vessel, Lara convinces her fellow crew members to deviate from the set path and explore the dangerous Dragon's Triangle region to find the rumored kingdom of Yamatai. Things get shaky when the ship enters a treacherous storm and the entire crew is separated and stranded on a mysterious island. Lara awakens on the island, and after a rather harrowing escape from a cave prison, discovers that the island isn't uninhabited after all. The story progresses, with Lara regrouping with friends, discovering new enemies, and learning more about the dangerous island she and her crewmates are trapped on. While the new Tomb Raider has its signature adventure vibe, the core theme is Lara's growth as a survivor. While she begins the story as an ambitious, but rather timid soul, the game shows Lara ultimately growing into someone who will do anything to survive. It's not as steady as in other similar games, but once Lara makes her first kill, you begin to see the motion clearly. The secondary characters are interesting and the setting offers for some intrigue, but Lara remains the star and it's her transition that makes Tomb Raider's story stand out from past games in the series.

This Tomb Raider is an interesting point in the long-running series. The original Tomb Raider and many of the series' later entries were pioneers in their genre, taking cues from action films like Indiana Jones while mixing in exploration and puzzle elements seen in games like the original Prince of Persia. These cues also caused Tomb Raider to be a major influence on a later, similar franchise, Naughty Dog's Uncharted series. Now, this 2013 reboot shows that the student has become the master; it's clear that Uncharted was a major influence on this Tomb Raider. This new Lara Croft adventure focuses on a number of extremely over-the-top action sequences, a la Uncharted, but unlike in Naughty Dog's hit franchise, these sequences don't possess the same amount of creativity. Lara will escape out of collapsing caves, scale giant radio towers and dash through burning temples, and while these are very well done, many of these ideas are reused far too often. This is mostly caused by a more limited scenery variety; the forests, cliffs, and caves are fine, but this isn't a world-traveling game, so there are no traintop firefights or jungle chases. Tomb Raider is at a disadvantage here, but for what it has, you will find plenty of harrowing encounters.

However, these encounters suffer from a painfully excessive amount of quick-time events. Many of these moments are of the typical "press X to not die" situation, where one missed button press can result in instant death. While these offer a sense of tension, it simply cannot be ignored that these are far too frequent. Having to redo a stage portion just because you missed a cheap button press is obnoxious, ruining the pacing of the gameplay. Quick-time events also appear in combat and are noticeably tough to get a hold of. It's easy to see why these would be implemented, as (once again) Uncharted has made them rather commonplace in the genre, but even that series had too many and Tomb Raider has even more. The quick-time events are so frequent that their negative impact on the game flow is absolutely impossible to ignore, throwing mud on the face of what would otherwise be an amazing action-adventure title.

Tomb Raider's combat takes more cues from Uncharted, offering cover-based combat and multiple weapons. The combat sequences are nothing too special; Lara can use weapons like a pistol, shotgun, or her trusty bow, with each weapon having different pros and cons in the heat of battle. The cover system is easy to learn and taking out a crowd of enemies can be pretty frantic. Dashing from cover to cover is intense and while the enemies aren't going to earn any Ph.D.'s, they will use some varied tactics like flushing Lara out with explosives or burning cover with flames. The introduction of melee techniques and stealth kills are great as well, but many of the combat situations can be solved with a solid headshot instead of a clever blend of tactics. It's a bit disappointing, but the combat in Tomb Raider is still pretty fun, through and through.

Exploration and puzzles have become a cornerstone in Tomb Raider's gameplay legacy, but this reboot tones down both of those considerably. While Lara's repertoire of exploration skills like climbing and jumping are good and relatively important all around, you won't find too many reasons to go off the beaten bath (unless you're after some rather insignificant pickups). The puzzles are damn near ignored outside of the very few hidden Tombs, which offer rewards like maps, treasure or hidden items. These Tombs usually require some thought not only to complete, but also to find, but compared to other more puzzle-centric adventure games, they aren't nearly as challenging. Many involve simple uses of weights or switches and aren't very rewarding at the end of the day. It's a shame, because the element of puzzle-solving has been an important factor in the Tomb Raider formula as late as Tomb Raider Legend was years ago. This neglect is discouraging and doesn't make Tomb Raider as interesting a game as it should have been.

The replay value in Tomb Raider stems from the rather large number of side quests. You can find hidden GPS caches, relics, or secondary objectives like burning faction flags, but many of these are so rooted in completionism that you can't help but feel a bit bored after searching for the thirtieth GPS cache. You can earn XP from completing these objectives, which can be spent on new upgrades and techniques. While the idea of earning new abilities is great, these moves are not in any way required, or in some cases, barely useful at all. Lara can hunt animals (which is nowhere near as important as the trailers suggested) or upgrade weapons with salvage or custom parts. These are fine additions, but don't do much to broaden the gameplay. It's about as intricate and inventive as checking off items on your grocery list at the supermarket. The multiplayer is absolutely forgettable, suffering from bleak servers and an inexcusably low amount of creativity. You're better off saving your online time playing something else. Tomb Raider has a lot to do once the campaign is over, but none of it feels essential or even distracting enough to be worth revisiting.

In contrast to the Hollywood flash and flair of past Tomb Raider games like Tomb Raider Legend and Tomb Raider Underworld, this Tomb Raider is a gritty and dark adventure into the realms of survival instinct. No better example is the graphics. Lara's struggle to survive is illustrated in an almost cringe-worthy fashion, as many of the situations she must go through can result in her dying in extremely gruesome ways (like being impaled in the throat on a branch in a river rapid or being smashed against a rock in a beach undertow). Even when she's not being killed, Lara goes through some very painful situations. One in particular has her treating a wound by burning it with a hot utensil, resulting in a scene that isn't just difficult to watch, but it also goes on for way too long (a couple minutes, in fact). While it's clear that these scenes are used to illustrate the struggle and pain of trying to survive in harsh conditions, they feel excessive, almost like they are only there because the developers wanted them to. Aside from these moments, Tomb Raider's aesthetic is a fine change of pace both from past Tomb Raider games and other games in the genre like Uncharted. It's not about sensational, cinematic flair anymore; this Tomb Raider is all about realism, but in a dark and gritty way.

The voice acting is very well done, with Camilla Luddington taking up the role of Lara. Her performance is shockingly convincing, with Lara's progression toward being a true survivor being demonstrated with varied mood and constant gusto. The writing is convincing and charismatic enough for every character, but the shift in tone from Lara's role specifically is what makes the overall voice acting so captivating. The musical themes are subtle and don't do too much to revolutionize the presentation, but the excellent sound effects are rough and rugged in the right ways. The sound design captures the tone perfectly, offering a compelling performance from the voice cast and some excellent audio effects that make a strong mark.

Tomb Raider's reboot deviates a bit too far from what made the series so memorable, but by introducing a potent and interesting tone for its iconic lead, it still manages to be stand out as a great move forward for the long-running series. From its great combat to its nail-bitingly intense setpieces, Tomb Raider modernizes the series into something far beyond what the recent incarnations have set. Lara's character has evolved; it'll be tough to see another Tomb Raider game without thinking of this reboot. However, a lack of compelling side-quests, a horribly high amount of quick-time events and a squandering of the puzzle and exploration elements we've grown to associate with Tomb Raider all make this reboot only a good game, when it really could've been something more. With the vision of Lara Croft now reshaped into this new installment of the Tomb Raider series, there really is no turning back for the franchise. The Tomb Raider reboot is a successful re-imagining of the story of one of gaming's most memorable female characters; it's not Lara's best, but you'd be hard-pressed to find another action-adventure game with this much blood, sweat and tears to spill in 2013.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"AK_the_Twilight reviewed Tomb Raider for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by AK_the_Twilight on Sat, 25 May 2013 20:07:14 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/811722/platform/ps3/ Fri, 24 May 2013 07:42:41 -0700 david_lck reviewed The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/811669/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The stench of rotting corpses fills the air, alone and separated from your group, fear begins to set in. As you scramble gingerly and take a glance of the inhospitable surroundings, a slight misstep could spell the end. In the distance, the sound of chewing and gnawing is all too familiar. A horde of walkers have claimed yet another life. When will it all end?

Lee Everett, the game's protagonist is first seen in a patrol vehicle on route to prison. A former university professor, his reputation is now tarnished and battered. What he doesn't know is that the next few days will make all that pale in comparison. Within minutes, a walker causes the vehicle to swerve and tailspin onto the side of the road, spiraling out of control into a ditch. Dazed momentarily, Lee makes his way out of the wreckage by breaking the windscreen.

Lee's very first encounter with a walker is truly memorable as the policeman, or at least what's left of him is crawling menacingly towards you. A quick glance to the right, you notice a shotgun beside you. Left with no choice, you are forced to put it out of its misery. Fumble and take too long to react, and it could get messy.

The Walking Dead presents you with many different choices to play the game. Do you shoot someone to save them from the unimaginable pain of being eaten alive? Take supplies that isn't yours out of sheer desperation or risk starvation? Choosing to spare the life of a maniac isn't so easy when the opportunity presents itself. Be the guy who thinks of nothing but the safety of the group or one that everyone would loathe and despise. These are just some of the choices that the game presents to you. How you choose to respond, whom do you pledge your allegiance with, or decide to rescue … they ultimately go a long way in altering the game. Which is why, playing differently on your next session just to see what other alternatives can unravel is very much encouraged.

No zombie apocalypse would be complete without a well diverse cast, and this is where The Walking Dead delivers. Staples of the genre; college jock, the journalist with a keen eye, an overly protective dad, and an orphan are just some of the different people you will meet. Their motives and hidden agenda bring much conflict and tension once food and medication supplies run dry. Often at times, Lee will have to play peacekeeper and attempt to diffuse the situation.

With top-notch writing, initiating conversations isn't a chore but an integral experience. Friendships turn hostile, uneasy alliances are formed out of sheer desperation, romance could spark as you get to know someone, this game has emotion down to a pat. And in an industry marred with many one-dimensional characters that fail to engage, the cast here are well-rounded and relatable.

Players use the left analog to control Lee while the right one is reserved for looking around the environment. Everyday tools such as shovels, ladders and wrenches can be used to get out of a sticky situation or to fight off incoming walkers. Conversations are more often then not, timed as you are forced to choose from four options to respond. Get caught telling a lie and you will be called on it, raising further suspicion on Lee. Your actions are also tied and timed to the D-pad. Be too quick and press on the trigger, and it will alert walkers to your presence. With the onrush of footsteps and no escape in sight, scanning the environment for an exit or a tool that you can use, is bound to set your heart racing.

Point and click games will always have the issue of certain items and objectives not being highlighted clearly enough which is bound to frustrate and cause moments of aimlessly wandering around, but as they occur so rarely, it doesn't detract from the experience. If you appreciate a well woven tale that is high on drama and intrigue, $20 is all but a small sum. Ironically, The Walking Dead revives the slumbering point and click games from its grave to new heights, and sets the benchmark for others to follow. Season 2 can't come soon enough, and I am already waiting with bated breath.

Most bizarre moment (LOOK AWAY IF YOU HAVEN'T BEATEN THE EPISODE): Episode 2 will leave you disgusted once the motives of a group is revealed. Something about the St. John's just doesn't seem right. With those shifty eyes and Brenda's willingness to cook up a meal for our whole group, surely something is up. You see, they have a well thought out plan, survivors who wander onto the area will be presented with an offer that is too good to pass up on. Food for gas, you say? Fair trade in a world gone to shit. We will just keep you alive long enough and feast on your flesh. Its downright gory and sick, but that's what make this episode so awesome.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/811669/platform/ps3/ Wed, 22 May 2013 07:19:49 -0700 pigfish2 reviewed Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/luigis-mansion-dark-moon/user-reviews/811599/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Luigi is a man who is used to living in his brothers shadow. Most of the time he is confined to supporting roles in Mario's adventures or is just one of numerous characters in the likes of Mario Kart and the Mario sports games. If Luigi's mansion 2 is anything to go by though, then Nintendo should give him the limelight more often. Luigi's has taken his chance to star with both hands in a game that plays to his strengths.

Luigi is scared and timid on the outside but courageous on the inside and Luigi's mansion 2 showcases both of these sides to his character. The story is simple: the dark moon that prevents all the ghosts in Evershade valley from getting up to no good has been destroyed so Professor E Gadd has called in Luigi, who has experience in this sort of thing from the first Luigi's mansion, to find the pieces of the dark moon. Armed with his poltergust 5000, Luigi must enter the mansions in the valley, capture the ghosts running amok and find the dark moon pieces. This is, of course, easier said than done. The ghosts are hidden everywhere and Luigi is afraid of everything. His inner courage ensures he presses on but ghosts popping out of suits of armour and much more seriously tests his resolve. The environment is full of objects to interact with and suck up with the poltergust providing a strong feeling of exploration. One of the game's greatest strengths however is its humour. Luigi cowers and quivers at the slightest thing and he is fantastically brought to life by the voice of Charles Martinet. There are plenty of comedy moments throughout too, especially those involving Professor E Gadd's toad assistants who are even more afraid than Luigi. Next Level Games have recognised that Luigi is not the hero that Mario is and thankfully constructed the games narrative and style to reflect this.

Each of the games five mansions vary in theme from a clock mansion to an ice mansion but they all share in the fact that they have a wonderful contrast between the ghosts and the environments. The mansions themselves are dark and foreboding with effective use of lighting whilst the ghosts are brightly coloured and mischievous with grinning faces. This design works well and makes the ghosts stand out from the dark backgrounds that maintain a feel of being threatening. The ghosts are the real danger of course though and if Luigi is hit by them too much he will die. The sound design of the game is top notch too. The ghosts are given character with laughs and other sound effects and music is also effectively used to further the game's scary but light-hearted tone.

In order to capture ghosts and find the pieces of the dark moon Luigi has three pieces of kit provided by Professor E Gadd. The first and most important is the Poltergust 5000. This is used to suck up or blow out interactive elements of the environment and more importantly ghosts. First a ghost must be stunned by the second piece of Luigi's kit, the strobulb. Once this has been done a tug of war like process commences as you pull on the thumb pad in the opposite direction to the ghost until it is captured. This mechanic provides a tactile feel to ghost catching and works well with no control or design issues. It is also great fun. Luigi's third piece of kit is the darklight. This is used to illuminate hidden objects or doorways among other things. It becomes increasingly important as you progress and must be used in more challenging ways. All of Luigi's kit works well and is fun to use. However the game can be criticised for a lack of development in abilities. You get all three items early on and part from some slight improving of them there are no further additions. Thankfully the game finds a variety of ways to use them with new ideas until the very end. They are integral to the game's many puzzles, which make up a sizable portion of the game. It is about much more than just capturing ghosts and the puzzles are always thought provoking and at times pretty challenging. The balance between ghost catching and puzzle solving is well struck and both aspects are well implemented and a joy to perform. Each mansion also ends with a boss level. The bosses are tough but can be defeated with patience and thought. The boss fights are well designed and further enhance the game's level of variety.

This second entry in the Luigi's mansion series is a step up on the first in both length and difficulty. It is 10-15 hours long in terms of the main story compared to the originals meagre few hours and provided much more of a challenge too in terms of capturing ghosts and puzzles. Having five mansions rather than one keeps the game fresh as you progress too. Each mansion is also split into bitesize levels of around 15 minutes each. This is perfect for handheld play and shows the developers have optimised the game for its platform. On the same note, they have made good use of 3D effects to improve the graphical impact of the environments as well. One final way in which Luigi's Mansion 2 improves on its predecessor is the delightful addition of multiplayer. The new thrill tower mode can be played on or offline with up to three other players in a number of modes. The gameplay is much the same as the main game but with a focus on ghost catching over puzzles as you progress up the floors of the tower. It is an unexpected but welcome addition that is especially fun when played with friends.

Luigi's Mansion 2 is one of the best games available on 3DS. It is a vast improvement on the original and plays to Luigi's strengths. The core gameplay carries over from its predecessor but plenty of successful additions and even more humour mean that the series is taken to a new level. If Luigi is capable of giving us more games like this, then I for one, hope he steps out of his brother's shadow a little bit more often.

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"pigfish2 reviewed Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS..." was posted by pigfish2 on Wed, 22 May 2013 07:19:49 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/luigis-mansion-dark-moon/user-reviews/811599/platform/3ds/ Mon, 20 May 2013 14:17:32 -0700 rigbybot127 reviewed Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/user-reviews/811533/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Rockstar had a pretty stellar idea: Grand Theft Auto on the go! Liberty City Stories was their first portable (good) Grand Theft Auto, and this is GTA on the go. No compromises were made….. to the GTA III game mechanics. This entry, unfortunately, leaves out some of the new features introduced in the previous title, San Andreas, such as the ability to customize your car and free-aim while moving; though most of us used the auto-aim more often than not; it's still unfortunate that they had to compromise a bit due to the PSP's being less powerful technically than the PS2. Still, this is like GTA III on the go; in fact it's a prequel to GTA III, with some added features, such as the ability to pick between a couple of already-owned outfits (though you can't buy, and fully customize like in SA), as well as unlocking some; and a brand-new, hefty campaign, with a good story, that sets up one of GTA III's main mission-givers, Toni Cipriani, the main protagonist of this story; and a decent, fun local multiplayer.

Like I mentioned before, you will be playing as Toni Cipriani, an NPC from GTA III, and a made man in the Leone crime family. Toni Cipriani leaves Liberty City after killing a made man for Salvatore Leone, and lays his head low for a good while. In 1998 (3 years before III), he returns to resume business as usual, only to realize that in the time he had been gone, he had his rank stripped from him, and gave it to Vincenzo Cilli. He now just a goon, and has to work his way back up the ladder. To do this, he must take out two other rival families; the Sindaccos and the Forellis; and help a couple of familiar GTA III faces…..

If you've played GTA III (since it's been 12 years, you should have), you will be instantly familiar with the map, since it's almost exactly the same as III's, but with minor cosmetic changes (such as store signs and the such) ; as well as a Little Italy section that isn't in GTA III (for good reason….).

Perhaps the biggest improvement compared to III is the inclusion of motor bikes, marking the first time a player has ever driven a motorcycle in Liberty City, since they were outlawed prior to III, by a public ordinence supported by the Maibatsu Corporation, to make room for cars (including their Maibatsu Monstrosity). A great improvement over San Andreas is the removal of having to exercise and eat, though that means that you now have one less way to heal yourself.

Unfortunately, there were some pretty great features introduced in San Andreas that have been removed, the most jarring removal being the ability to swim, which means that water is once again an instant death trap (the in-game explanation for this is that the water in LC is very toxic, and will kill you in a matter of seconds). You also can no longer climb, making reaching certain hidden packages difficult; and the ability to fly aircraft is removed entirely (unless you use cheats). Also, due to the nature of the PSP, you can no longer manually control the camera, since there is only one stick, though this isn't really a problem; this feature is included in the PS2 port, which features controls identical to III and Vice City.

Another staple brought over from it's console brethren is the car radio, which features music and talk radio. Unfortunately, the music isn't all that great, and even Lazlow can't save this mess of a radio. It's not just a mess in programming, as it's also pretty glitchy, and inconsistent. Whenever you leave a vehicle, the programming will often change to something else, or the audio track will start over. Still, Lazlow is pretty funny; and Liberty City's FCC seems to be more lax when it comes to censoring profanities on the air than in III.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is another solid entry for the series, and is deserving of a playthrough. It may not be the best Grand Theft Auto, but it's still pretty fun, with a hefty playtime (for the PSP). One thing I have to say is that it has a rather easy ending, which is off-putting, considering how the rest of the game isn't all too easy. Still, if you're a fan, or are just looking for a solid open-world game for your PSP, give this one a try.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/user-reviews/811533/platform/psp/ Sun, 19 May 2013 21:02:42 -0700 The_Deepblue reviewed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-drakes-fortune/user-reviews/811494/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-drakes-fortune/user-reviews/811494/platform/ps3/ Fri, 17 May 2013 08:27:42 -0700 pigfish2 reviewed Tomb Raider for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/811411/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

It is easy to say that hitting the reboot button is the easy option with a franchise as it enables the developers to start from scratch once more. However in reality it is a difficult task to pull off. Make it too similar to previous iterations and people will wonder why you bothered but make it too different and existing fans will be up in arms. Thankfully with Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics has for the most part got the balance right, albeit opting for more that's different than the same.

Being a reboot, the game casts you as a young Lara Croft setting out on her first adventure. Lara and the entire crew of the ship The Endurance are shipwrecked on the island of Yamatai and as Lara you must uncover the islands mysteries, defeat a crazed cult and find a way to escape. All in all the plot and characters are pretty generic with some clich…d dialogue at times but it is the strength of characterisation put into Lara that stands out. She begins as a naive and frightened girl but over the course of the game develops into a strong and confident woman willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Her character development is handled well and is the stand out feature of the game. Most games allow you to advance in terms of abilities and weapons but it is rare for a developer to attempt such a degree of character development. Crystal Dynamics have pulled it off though. This is helped by capable voice performance by Camilla Luddington as Lara. Of course Lara also advances in terms of abilities which are earn using skill points and weapons which can be upgraded using salvage. Just like with the development of Lara's character these are satisfying. They also enable more tasks to be completed and improved combat capability but crucially without making the game too easy as you progress.

Gameplay can be split into three main types. Firstly there is combat. Whilst not groundbreaking the cover system is well implemented and useful in what are some pretty intense firefights at times. The enemy AI is competent too with foes hiding behind cover and making themselves difficult to take down. The combat is very much like that of the Uncharted series, which Crystal Dynamics have clearly taken a number of cues from for this reboot. This can be seen in the second type of gameplay, the exploration and platforming. Lara is just as acrobatic as Nathan Drake and makes use of whatever she can to climb and explore. Jumps and climbs are easy to perform and satisfying to pull off. In another cue taken from the Uncharted series, the scenery will often collapse as Lara climbs it, leading to a scramble to hang on and grab something else. This forms part of the game's edge of your seat tone. Set pieces abound and the game maintains a fast pace as Lara rushes to escape collapsing buildings, is swept down rushing rivers and much more. This lends the game a strong cinematic feel with Lara as the heroine of the piece. The fast pace works well due to the strength of its execution but at times it could do with slowing down. This pace is occasionally broken up the third gameplay type; puzzles. I was disappointed by the lack of puzzles in the early stages of the game and whilst they do increase in number as it progresses, I still would have welcomed more to slow the game's breakneck pace at times. The puzzles that do exist require some thought but none are likely to leave you stumped for long. Overall I feel the gameplay balance is about right though and the difficulty is appropriate too. An omission that fans of the franchise might find hard to take is the lack of tombs. There are seven, short optional tombs, hidden away to find but none that are compulsory for completion. This doesn't detract from the game's quality but existing fans could be left disappointed. It is worth noting though that despite its fast pace and lack of tombs the game is surprisingly lengthy, clocking in at over ten hours.

Graphically, Tomb Raider is not spectacular but it is a good effort. The dark colours and foreboding locales instantly set the island out as a place to be feared and lighting is effectively used to enhance the sense of unease. The music is well chosen and complements the graphical choices in making you truly believe that this is a scary place that Lara is desperate to escape from. In addition to the use of sights and sounds to create a dangerous atmosphere, the game includes a large number of collectibles that flesh out the islands backstory. These are genuinely compelling to discover and extend the games already generous run time. Relics reveal the islands physical history whilst documents are used to portray the experiences of individuals who have previously had the misfortune of ending up on Yamatai. I often find collectibles to be in a game simply for the sake of making it seem to have more value but the Documents and Relics as well as GPS caches (which reveal two secret documents if you find them all) actually complement and enhance the story of the game. Tomb Raider also features online multiplayer in an attempt to further enhance the experience. It is a woefully lacklustre though. Lag is commonplace and it is quite simply boring. As an additional feature that is entirely separate of the main game it can gratefully be ignored though and does not detract from what is a top draw adventure.

Multiplayer aside, Crystal Dynamics' reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise has done what it set out to. It successfully reinvents Lara Croft with a strong level of character development and a fast paced adventure full of memorable moments. Tom Raider has been brought up to date and whilst it may take many cues from the Uncharted series it stands out as a fantastic game in its own right and re-establishes Lara Croft at gaming's top table.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"pigfish2 reviewed Tomb Raider for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by pigfish2 on Fri, 17 May 2013 08:27:42 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/811411/platform/ps3/ Sat, 11 May 2013 04:33:39 -0700 chocolate1325 reviewed Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/luigis-mansion-dark-moon/user-reviews/811202/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The first Luigis Mansion was mainly critcised for being to short and being a bit lack in terms of replayability and it was also very easy. Well the sequel Luigis Mansion Dark Moon is a massive improvement.

Story

The game starts where Crystal Shards have been shattered across various mansions. Professor E Gadd notices this and calls back Luigi to help retrieve them.

Gameplay

Luigis Mansion doesn't have a variety of items just your standard Vacuum Cleaner Polergeister 5000 and Torch but things like your torch can be upgraded to have a bit more power to suck ghosts in. You also get something called a Dark Light which lets things that should really be there come back to the area. It is vital because of either doors or wardrobes and sometimes Boos hide in places as well.

There are 6 different themed mansions in the game and that is what the first one lacked. The missions are set out from the word go. You get informed of something wrong in an earlier mission and towards the end find the source of what is causing it such as a boss. The bosses are very well designed and some are really fun and puzzles in themselves but not to hard to figure out.

At the end of each mansion you are ranked on damage,speed,money and are ranked on how well you did but also it is worth replaying the missions not just to get a better rank but to look for jewels in that particular section. The ghosts can make it hard because earlier in the game they are simple to catch but later they might be shielded and the environment can make things tricky as well.

Also throughout each level a bone can be found to resurrect you if you run out of life and also there are little bonus rounds as well.

The game has a multiplayer mode called Scarescraper. One is called Hunter Mode where 4 Luigis work together to get a many ghosts as possible before time runs out. Rush Mode is where you try to reach an exit floor before time runs out and Polterpup mode where Luigis try to catch Polterpups. This adds replay value to the game and makes it feels unlike it's predesscor to have replay value.

Are there any faults with the game. Yes some sections particularly walking on balance beams can be a bit tricky and affect your overall performance in the game. The Polterpups can be a bit of a pain as well and also maybe another slight interference in the game is Professor E Gadd talking to you every 5 minutes at the beginning of the game. Yes if you die you don't get checkpoints but to be honest it's not like each mission is like 2 hours long they are basically up to about 30 to an hour long but that's not a big problem.. Also the Toad sections are annoying but there aren't to many of those missions which is okay.


Presentation

The best looking game on the system at this moment in time. The 3D effects are lovely and with Luigi being a bit of a coward and a bit scared always adds a few laughs to the game. The game has alot of great humor and Luigi really fits this game really well.

Lastability

The main quest about 10 hours possibly but you might play some missions again for a faster time and better rank. As well the multiplayer is fun to and you should get some joy out of it.

Overall Opinion

Luigis Mansion Dark Moon is one of the best games on the system so far with an excellent main quest and the multiplayer being a nice bonus feature. The game should keep you glued to your 3DS for a few weeks. With great humor and impressive graphics Luigi has finally showed he can possibly match his brother high standards. Hope this is the start of many games for the lanky green brother of Marios. A game you should not hesitate in getting for your 3DS. Go buy it now.


Overall Score 9 out 10

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"chocolate1325 reviewed Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS..." was posted by chocolate1325 on Sat, 11 May 2013 04:33:39 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/luigis-mansion-dark-moon/user-reviews/811202/platform/3ds/ Tue, 07 May 2013 22:08:22 -0700 WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811097/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WTA2k5 on Tue, 07 May 2013 22:08:22 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811097/platform/xbox360/ Tue, 07 May 2013 20:42:46 -0700 WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811095/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WTA2k5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by WTA2k5 on Tue, 07 May 2013 20:42:46 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811095/platform/ps3/ Sat, 04 May 2013 06:53:13 -0700 chocolate1325 reviewed Resistance: Fall of Man for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-fall-of-man/user-reviews/810992/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

We know Insomniac for making Spyro the Dragon and the Ratchet and Clank series now they have decided to make Resistance that is you hoping to rid the world of the Chimera threat.

Story

You are Nathan Hale sent with your squad mates to help get rid of the Chimera andto find out what they are doing with their intentions are.

Gameplay

The game practically plays like your typical first person shooter with lots of shooting. Your weapons are mainly stuff you would find in certain other games but there are some interesting ones like an Auger that can shoot through walls. Also most of these guns have an alternate fire and can really tip the balance in your favor on the battlefield. As with the Ratchet and Clank games Insomniac has made some awesome firepower to take down the Chimera.


The game does have a mission structure so you don't get lost and mostly it is shooting but you shall at certain points in the game be allowed to drive vehicles to help you get around the area quicker and take down stronger enemies

The game itself lacks in variety it's mainly shooting and cover based gameplay but there are some cool scenes and such. You get certain dialogue and other collectibles along the way. The multiplayer is well as you'd expect a solid experience.


Presentation

For an early PS3 exclusive it looks amazing the attention to detail and even at this early stage in the PS3 era it was a technical marvel.

Lastability

About 10 to 12 hours to beat but there are harder difficulties to play and Skill Points to go for.

Overall Opinion

Resistance Fall of Man is a good title for the PS3 if you find it somewhere on the cheap why not give it a whirl.

Overall Score 8.6

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-fall-of-man/user-reviews/810992/platform/ps3/ Fri, 03 May 2013 02:38:19 -0700 AK_the_Twilight reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/810945/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Playing through Bioshock Infinite, it's very easy to constantly recall that debut trailer years ago. That shattering of the Big Daddy figure, that breaking of the dark Rapture-esque view into the wide open sky of the floating cities; it was a pure feeling. It struck a contrast with its confusion; why kill Rapture? Because something bigger was coming. By leaving Rapture behind, Irrational Games have given themselves the opportunity to clean their slate and start again, and in the process, they've done something truly memorable with their newest project. Bioshock Infinite is Irrational Games' magnum opus, a game with such polish, reverence, and overall significance that it sets a ceiling-smashingly high standard for this generation, along with anything else released this year or beyond.

Bioshock Infinite begins with Booker Dewitt, an everyman investigator from New York who hopes to erase his current debt by delivering a mysterious girl to his bargainer. The trek starts with a rather ominous boat ride to a lighthouse, but within minutes, Booker is jettisoned into the sky and transported to the floating steampunk metropolis of Columbia. The dreamchild of its prophet ruler Zachary Comstock, Columbia is a city with early 20th century fundamentals, including racial disputes, industrialization and a steady mix of religious forwardness and patriotic gusto. Booker's mission brings him to the second main character, Elizabeth, the girl he is told to escort in exchange for a release from debt. After being held in a tower for years, Elizabeth is liberated by Booker and the two's goal to escape Comstock's city of dreams becomes a harrowing journey with many memorable moments throughout. In addition, the Vox Populi revolutionary group quickly becomes a key player in the story, but it isn't until the game's second half that you realize that there's much more to Bioshock Infinite's narrative. The story tackles so many potent and expandable subjects that you might initially think there's too much on its plate to digest, but the fact that these subjects are so integral to the world of the game completely erases that thought. The narrative is the epicenter of Bioshock Infinite, with the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth being the strongest essence you'll ever see this year. By the game's ending, every subtle clue will come together into something meaningful and genuinely original, something that will leave you lost for words, but begging to revisit.

The original Bioshock may have had some fine characters in Andrew Ryan, but it was its haunting underwater city of Rapture that made it so very memorable. Bioshock Infinite's Columbia, in contrast, isn't the star of the show in the same way Rapture was to the original. Instead, the characters of Booker and Elizabeth take control of the stage, and while this might bother some gamers who were blown away by Rapture, the sheer amount of importance that both characters have make continuing through the game an absolute joy. That's not to say that Columbia is a boring component. Rapture was a ruined dystopia were a majority of the life stood in psychopaths, struggling to stay sane in the crumbling sea kingdom. Columbia, on the other hand, is alive, and throughout the course of the game, you get to watch it die.

This unquestionably high importance in the storyline department doesn't imply that the gameplay is neglected. Irrational Games' progression and invention in game design are so apparent in Bioshock Infinite; so many elements are introduced throughout the course of the campaign, many of which are stunning steps forward for shooter design and game design in general. While the original Bioshock had this dark elegance to its design, one where a steady hand was more important than a fast one, Bioshock Infinite is a significant change of pace. This game is about fluidity, motion, and organic freedom. No better example of this is the Skyline mechanic, cable-based ziplines that stretch across the city landscapes. The Skylines can be boarded with simple context-sensitive taps of the A button, allowing for instant reverses in direction, shooting while in motion, and even a powerful dive-bomb attack to take out enemies. Many of the game's battlefields offer the Skylines to use, making the confrontations much more open-ended and varied.

The story itself demonstrates Elizabeth's significance, but her importance in the gameplay is just as omnipresent. Elizabeth's special ability to manifest items through "tears" allows for cover, ammo, supplies, allies, and more keeps even the ground firefights fresh. Elizabeth can revive Booker on the spot if he dies and can even toss Booker health, ammo, Salts (ability fuel), or even cash in some situations with the push of the X button. Elizabeth's AI is so well designed that you'll find her to be just as crucial to a victorious confrontation as your gun or your reflexes.

These ideas are not baby steps, but major catalysts in making the combat a healthy improvement over the original Bioshock's. As great as Bioshock was, the combat was clearly a significant afterthought for Irrational Games. That's not the case in Bioshock Infinite. There isn't a single moment where the combat feels dull or overdone. Steady enemy progression (both in number and skill), varied environment construction, and all of the weapon, equipment, and ability upgrades you'd expect contribute to the stellar combat in Bioshock Infinite. In a game where the story is the core focus of the immersion, it's stunning to see the combat so enriching and exciting to a point where the firefights are undeniably crucial.

Columbia's liveliness offers ample opportunity for immersion and exploration. The Bioshock elements of gathering cash for upgrades, finding hidden puzzles and trying out new special abilities (now in the form of Vigors) are still here and they don't lose a trace of luster in Columbia. These ideas give the player incentive to travel off the directed path and find some helpful rewards in the process. The Voxophone items are audio logs detailing the events of Columbia through the lenses of the different characters of the game, which offer creative insight to the narrative and are very rewarding for diligent players looking for more to chew on in terms of story. Upon completing the game, the difficult "1999 Mode" is unlocked, offering tougher enemies, less rewards, and more limitations on how you progress. It's stunning how valuable and resonant Bioshock Infinite is. The first thing that you'll do (once you're out of shock from the game's earthshatteringly exceptional conclusion) is dive right back into Columbia.

The ascendant sky city aesthetic may be a stark contrast to that of the remnants of an underwater empire gone wrong, but Columbia is a brilliant piece of anachronistic beauty that you can't help but be impressed. The initial offerings of a lively boardwalk or garden festival show the content and calm world of early 20th century America. It proves to be much more involving than Rapture was; while Rapture kept the doom and gloom on 100% all the time, Columbia means much more in that you get to watch the city fall from grace. This becomes very apparent upon the visit to Shantytown, the slum district where the rebellious Vox Populi organization gathers influence. The fact that you're watching Columbia fall offers agency; while Rapture had been dead on arrival in Bioshock, Columbia wasn't, and that vision gives a serious one-up to Bioshock Infinite. The open-ended combat situations and impressive sense of historical era authenticity complement the freedom of the game's vibe. Irrational Games want the player to be free, just as much as the player wants Booker and Elizabeth to be free.

Voice performances were something quite crucial to getting immersed in Bioshock's world. Bioshock Infinite follows that lead with some exceptional voice acting, all complemented by unparalleled writing. Veteran gaming voice actor Troy Baker leads the helm with his role as Booker, but the exchanges he performs with Elizabeth's voice actress Courtnee Draper bring the characters to life. The writing is natural, there's no way around it; Baker and Draper make even the simplest of discussions into something meaningful, building relations and character dynamics that no other game has come close to showing. The audio bursts with life even more not in gun sound effects or haunting scores (though they are also quite impressive), but in the downtime. The natural elements of a busy market district or local arcade calm the storm of the harrowing firefights; it's in these subtle moments that you see Bioshock Infinite as a presentation spectacle. No game has made a world like this.

While it would be untrue to call Bioshock Infinite a flawless experience (the fetch quest near the end of the story sticks out like a sore thumb during the sweaty-palm anticipation of the conclusion), it's something truly memorable when it becomes this hard to find a tangible flaw in a game. Bioshock Infinite is as fresh and vitalizing of an experience as Bioshock was back in 2007. Irrational Games' success with the first Bioshock didn't interfere with their ambitions to push forward and create a game design that truly feels progressive. The combat is levels above its predecessors'. The faster and smoother pacing, the masterful versatility in the weapons during encounters, it all unites into something fresh, but shockingly fundamental. But as great as the gameplay is, Bioshock Infinite's storyline is something that will be fondly referenced, discussed, and revered for decades. The fully realized relationship between Booker and Elizabeth transcends first impressions, diving deep into something so textured that any game storyline forward will be compared to it. Call it foolishly pre-emptive to say that Bioshock Infinite will be named the best game of 2013, but after exploring Columbia from humble start to unforgettable finish, that argument won't sound ridiculous at all.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"AK_the_Twilight reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by AK_the_Twilight on Fri, 03 May 2013 02:38:19 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/810945/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:20:10 -0700 pigfish2 reviewed LEGO City Undercover for the Wii U... http://www.gamespot.com/lego-city-undercover/user-reviews/810781/platform/wii-u/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Lego City Undercover marks the first entirely original game in Travellers Tales series of Lego games that began with Lego Star Wars back in 2005 and for the most part its better for this. Much of the charm of the Lego games is the way they poke fun at characters you know but free of the constraints of a familiar franchise the developers have kept the series' trademark humour intact with their own cast of likeable and funny characters. The story goes that as legendary cop Chase McCain you have returned to Lego City after two years away to help return the notorious criminal Rex Fury to prison. Undercover is still heavily indebted to films though with countless nods to and parodies of classic movies throughout. One of the best is a construction worker who is clearly a parody of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The game is light-hearted in tone as you expect from a Lego game and genuinely amusing throughout with full voice acting for all the major characters. Said characters are for the most part well characterised but sadly Rex Fury is criminally underused with little explanation of his motives. All in all it is very much what you expect from a Lego game on the exterior but delve deeper and there is some noticeable tinkering and additions.

Lego City is fully open world and you can make your way throughout the entire city with no loading screens. This sense of exploration fits well with Lego and is improved further by the ability to take control of any of the over 100 types of vehicles dotted throughout the city. Impressively each vehicle has its own unique handling, which is an extra level of sheen than you would expect. The 15-20 hour story involves both exploration and completing goals in the city and 15 special assignments set in self contained levels. This works well and introduces variety to proceedings. The chief gameplay mechanic is the ability for Chase to switch between a number of disguises ranging from burglar to fireman. Each disguise once unlocked provides its own unique abilities for solving different puzzles. This is a good way of keeping the Lego games character swapping intact whilst casting you as a single character. One free play mode is unlocked you can use any of the games 290 disguises that there are to collect. These disguises include all of the games major and minor characters and beyond and fit into categories based on the disguises Chase can use in the story. Gameplay involves a mix of fighting, platforming and puzzle solving and whilst for the most part these are all simplistic they are nevertheless fun. In terms of gameplay there is little change from what you expect from the tried and tested Lego formula. The game is rarely challenging, but that has never been the point with the Lego games, instead it offers relatively easy childlike enjoyment.

Graphically the game is not groundbreaking but holds up well with minor blemishes only noticeable when the camera moves in close. The voice work for the game is well recorded and the sound work in general is good. The music whilst decent quickly becomes irritating though as the game only has a few tracks that constantly repeat. One area where the game falls down is in technical details. The loading times when starting or finishing levels, and entering the police station are horribly long and clock in at a minimum 40 seconds each. This can be in part understood by the huge open world nature of the city but nevertheless it is an irritating waste of times. More worryingly the game at times suffers from freezing and other minor technical problems but these are rare. Lack of multiplayer in such a family orientated game is another drawback. The gamepad is well implemented if hardly original, with it serving as a communicator, scanner and map.

Undercover is a fun, if hardly exceptional game that offers plenty of hours of enjoyment. The story can be finished in 15-20 hours but with loads to collect and unlock beyond that and a huge city to explore there is plenty of value to be had. It is one of the best games in the Lego series that benefits from being unchained by the absence of a license and whilst it may not be a classic, it is a welcome addition to the Wii U's library.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"pigfish2 reviewed LEGO City Undercover for the Wii U..." was posted by pigfish2 on Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:20:10 -0700
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