Samparksh's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Samparksh's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Samparksh'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 21:09:36 -0700 GameSpot Samparksh's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sat, 01 Jun 2013 11:21:36 -0700 VictorReviews reviewed Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-crystal-chronicles-my-life-as-a-kin/user-reviews/811957/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King is an interesting blend. The game combines the acclaimed Final Fantasy series with simulation and managing. On paper the idea isn't bad, especially for those familiar to the Rune Factory or Atelier series. Still, it raises the question, is simulation really what Final Fantasy needs or is the game yet another disappointment in the series? Keep reading to find out!


Gameplay:


In this game, you play as the son of King Epitav from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Your main job is to build a kingdom with the help of a crystal that grants you the power to magically make structures appear. All you require to do this is a place to build, memories of the structure that you want there, and magicite, which is one of the game's currencies. Memories can be obtained through various means. For example, you can look at a drawing of the place that you want to build.


When you build a house or another structure, people will magically appear inside of it, making your town's population grow. While initially you only have three characters in your town (the king and his two "helpers", Chime and Sir Yurgh), it eventually grows so big that it's hard to recognize individuals.


The game is divided in days, similar to others in the genre. Each day, you will receive taxes from your townspeople that you can spend in improving the kingdom. You'll also be able to do other daily tasks.


Even though you have to manage many things, most of your free time will be spent speaking to the townsfolk. Talking to others boosts the town's morale, which grants certain bonuses. Sometimes, when you talk to the citizens, they will give you special requests, similar to your typical RPG quests. However, these situations are very rare.


Speaking with citizens is the most boring task in the game, since they repeat the same lines over and over and most of these lines aren't even interesting. The game does a bad job at balancing the gameplay, making every day a tedious task. Fortunately, you can skip ahead in time and just attempt to do the managing part of the game, but that hinders your progress a little, since morale is needed for some parts of the game.


This game has an RPG aspect to it as well. You can hire adventurers to serve the kingdom and clear dungeons, which progresses the story and earns you some interesting things, like magicite. However, you can't really see what adventurers do, but rather read reports about it, which is understandable given the filesize limitation, but still a disappointment.


Another important aspect of the game is DLC. With DLC, you can buy costumes for your characters, extra dungeons, or more races among your people. These things, however, end up being no more than a neat extra, and don't add much to the gameplay.


Overall, the game utilizes some good ideas, but the execution is bad, due to long, tedious days spent talking and reading the same lines over and over.


5/10


Presentation:


The presentation is good. The graphics are nice, with pretty character models and buildings, but there's little variety. There are some cut-scenes which use the game's engine but they're nothing special.


The music is solid, but really repetitive, since there aren't many songs. A little more tunes would have been appreciated, but again, it's understandable because of the filesize.


Overall, this feels like any Final Fantasy game, but with noticeable limitations. It's not completely the developer's fault though, but more due to technical limitations.


8/10


Story:


The game's story continues where Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles left. Without a home, the prince is left to wander looking for a place to live. One day, he stumbles upon the crystal that grants him the power to make buildings appear (this power is called architekt) and decides to rebuild the kingdom.


The story is very clichéd and there's really not much to it. Given the game's nature, not much was expected, but having the citizens say more interesting things and talk more about their lives would've been a nice addition.


6/10


Replay Value:


After clearing the game, new game+ is unlocked. It lets you keep some items and play on a higher difficulty that makes dungeons harder for adventurers (which means you just have to order them to grind more), but since there's not much novelty to it, players are unlikely to be thrilled about replaying the game.


The DLC can add some extra hours of gameplay, but it's just in the form of some extra dungeons.


The game does a good job in terms of replay value, but the appeal of playing much after clearing the storyline once simply isn't there.


8/10


Fun:


This game is tedious, so it gets boring fast. Talking to citizens couldn't be less appealing, which takes a lot from what is otherwise a well made game.


Still, if you're into managing games, there's some fun to be had, and the game can be addictive at times, but you shouldn't expect much.


5/10


Overall:


The game has an interesting premise. However, the bad execution turns this adventure into a chore. While there's some fun to be had, it doesn't justify the purchase. You're better off skipping this one.


6.1/10


Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-crystal-chronicles-my-life-as-a-kin/user-reviews/811957/platform/wii/ Sun, 05 May 2013 10:14:55 -0700 SpaceDr00ze reviewed Gears of War: Judgment for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war-judgment/user-reviews/811020/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

I have been a Gears fan since day one. I remember rushing to EB Games to pick up my preordered copy on day one, speeding home and wasting the next few weeks of my life chainsawing dudes in the face. Gears 2 came around and it was interesting. There was more of a story and Horde mode. Gears 3 didn't disappoint either. Then came Judgement.

Very rarely do I buy games new when they first come out. It is even more rare for me to preorder it and pay it off weeks before it comes out, then wake up early to pick it up. That is exactly what happened with Judgement, and its not something I regret, but it is something I could've done without.

Gears of War: Judgement is essentially a game built off of lame side quests. You play for something like 15 spurts of 3 to 5 minutes, then are interrupted by a DMC style scoring system, then you do it again. I enjoyed this in DMC because it felt like a short break. In GoW, however, it feels like someone is in my way when I am trying to get to the bathroom.

To add to that, the scoring system is vague and uninteresting. When you are playing multiplayer your score is competitive against those on your team... You know... the ones you're supposed to work with to beat the game? Yeah. You're trying to out do them. I guess that is not inherently a bad thing, but this game does not pull it off well at all.

The good news is, after you finish the annoying Judgement campaign, you unlock another one! This one is equally annoying and seems to consist mostly of Kamikaze lambent humans that just run at you over and over.

Don't get me wrong, the gameplay is decent. I don't regret buying it or playing it, but if you don't have it yet, I would advise you to wait until it hits the 15-20 (insert your currency here), because it isn't worth much more than that.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SpaceDr00ze reviewed Gears of War: Judgment for the Xbox 360..." was posted by SpaceDr00ze on Sun, 05 May 2013 10:14:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war-judgment/user-reviews/811020/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 05 May 2013 09:56:33 -0700 SpaceDr00ze reviewed Dishonored for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/811019/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

My favorite thing about Dishonored is that is can be whatever you want it to be. If you manage to play through this game and not have a good time, you were probably just doing it wrong.

The world is alive. Everything you do has an effect. Not just on you, but the entire town. The more people you kill, the more rats there are, the more hostile the environment, and the more action oriented the game is.

If you want to play it as a stealth game (which I recommend), the game takes much longer (but it is worth mentioning that it is a rather short campaign, no matter how careful you are) and is much more immersive. It can also be quite stressful!

The game is easy to get involved with, easy to learn, and easy to become addicted to. It is one of the few games that I would play through again for the single player campaign.

On the bad side, however, the loading times are terrible. Every time you die (or start over because you effed something up) you have to wait for what feels like an eternity. There are also some points in the plot that are pretty predictable.

Over all, though, it is a great game. The multiple endings make it worth a second (or fourth) play through. I would definitely recommend it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SpaceDr00ze reviewed Dishonored for the Xbox 360..." was posted by SpaceDr00ze on Sun, 05 May 2013 09:56:33 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/811019/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 05 May 2013 05:17:16 -0700 SpaceDr00ze reviewed Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/user-reviews/811017/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

When I first picked up Ni No Kuni I had very little experience with JRPGs, and I didn't really like it. It is evident from the beginning that the story is going to be great, but the gameplay was really just not my style. After about 6 or 7 hours of playing without it picking up I got bored and left it alone for a bit. A few days ago I picked it back up, and it turns out I gave up just a tad bit too early.

The first several hours are essentially a tutorial, and aside from the story, they are rather boring to those of who are used to more action based games. Once the tutorial finishes, though, you are pushed into a world that will suck your soul right out of you. This is literally one of the most immersive games I have ever played. There are times when I go to new towns and miss the ones that I was in before, and the level of excitement I feel when going to new places is more than I could ever ask to get out of real life.

The story is awesome, and it is mixed with the gameplay in relevant ways that make what you are doing make sense. The entire feel of the game (at least to the point that I am at right now) flows very, very nicely. The side quests are usually fun and rewarding, and they are typically the only places where you will see fetch quests or kill-10-of-these-and-return-to-me quests, which is nice.

Finally, the art style is phenomenal. It looks like a cartoon, but the attention to detail makes it feel like you are in another world, not playing a video game. There is an example of a time you are in one of the beginning cities and you walk across a glass floor. Your reflection and your shadow match perfectly, down to the waves of your cape. When you run up and down stairs, you actually step on each one. It is incredibly realistic for something so non-realistic. It really has the Ghibli feel to it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/user-reviews/811017/platform/ps3/ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:49:19 -0700 VictorReviews reviewed Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for the GameCube... http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-path-of-radiance/user-reviews/809134/platform/gamecube/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Localized in America back in 2005, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance used to be one of Nintendo's least popular games for the Nintendo Gamecube, due to being from a relatively unknown franchise and having a rather limited release. However, interest in the series has grown greatly since the release of its latest entry, Fire Emblem: Awakening, which made demand go up for previous Fire Emblem games. This game in particular comes as expensive due to the limited number of copies, so if you're just recently interested in the series you might be wondering whether it's worth playing. Keep reading to find if this game is the right match for you

Gameplay:

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a strategy role-playing game where you command a group of mercenaries in an attempt to save a country. During your journey, you'll be able to recruit different units with different stats and abilities to help you win the battles ahead of you. You can choose from multiple equipment and skills for your units, so there's a lot of variety among the game's characters. Every time one of your units engages in a battle, it earns experience, which helps it level up and earn stats. The stats you gain after leveling up are decided by a random generator the first time you play through the game, which can make a unit either really good or really bad. The second time you play the game, you can choose from random gains or fixed gains. There are also some items throughout the game that can boost stats, but since they are limited, you have to use them carefully.

Each unit has a class, like archer or thief, and once they reach level 21, they automatically change class and become more powerful, though there are some units that can't change class and there are other methods to change class.

Like every traditional SRPG, the game is divided in chapters, which have different goals and requirements. Sometimes, you'll be required to dispatch certain units, or you'll be asked not to kill a specific type of enemy.

This game is known for being difficult, but it can in fact be one of the easiest Fire Emblem games as long as you don't use too many units. The game has no form of grinding, so you have to be careful not to waste experience in units that you don't plan on using too much. This can come as rather unfortunate for people who like to use every character in an RPG, but it also makes playing the game many times more interesting, since you can experiment with different party combinations.

What sets this game apart from others in the genre is permadeath, which means that once a unit dies, you can't bring it back unless you restart the chapter. This can be quite frustrating, especially with how difficult and long some of the maps can be, but it forces the player to create better strategies and adds a lot of challenge to the game.

Once you beat the game, you unlock trial maps, which are basically a form of quick play in which you just choose from a number of maps and start playing. If you connect your GBA with a Fire Emblem or Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones game, you can unlock extra trial maps, and if you beat the game multiple times, you can unlock special characters for trial maps.

Overall, the gameplay comes as perfect. The game has a good amount of challenge for experienced players, and newcomers can always play in the easy difficulty. The permadeath mechanic makes the player feel more attached to the characters, and it also adds a lot to the strategy.

10/10

Presentation:

The presentation in Path of Radiance is a mixed bag. The music is pretty cool, with most tracks being quite enjoyable. However, some of the themes repeat too much and others appear very little. The battle themes got slightly annoying sometimes, because they didn't change much.

The graphics on the other hand are quite disappointing. During battles, the character models look a little choppy and bland, and definitely do not push the Gamecube to its maximum capacity.

While most of the game's story is told with dialogue boxes, the game does includes a few cutscenes. These cutscenes have cel-shaded characters and look pretty nice as far as graphics go. The voice acting in the cutscenes is most of the time terrible, and there's no voice acting in the rest of the game.

Still, the quality of the cutscenes and the enjoyable soundtrack make the game's presentation worthy of an:

8/10

Story:

The game's story is similar to other games in the series in the sense that you have to save a country in war. You play as Ike, a novice mercenary who travels with his father's group. After the group is hired by the princess of a country in war, it is up to Ike and friends to help her save her homeland.

The story doesn't have multiple plot twists and is quite predictable. However, it still has depth because of all the different playable characters, since it is really interesting to see each character's background. Since the story isn't anything special but still serves its purpose, it deserves a score of:

7/10

Replay Value:

This game is very replayable despite having only two modes of play. The large number of playable characters makes for almost endless possibilities to replay the story. The only flaw that I can find is that battles can be slow because you have to see every enemy make a move, so the game can be boring to replay for impatient players. The dialogue and cutscenes are fortunately skippable, but the battle animations aren't unless you select not to view them in the options menu. What I mean with this is: you can't skip them with Start like in other Fire Emblem games.

Other things you can do inlcude seeing images of the characters and hearing the game's musical tracks in the extra menu. This is pretty cool, but unlikely to be entertaining for a long time.

The game's replayability relies solely on the endless combinations since you can change your party to any way that suits you and you can also assign different skills to your units. Overall, the replay value is good enough to get a score of:

10/10

Fun:

This game was pretty fun to play, but I've got to admit that it isn't perfect. At a lot of times, the game frustrated me to death, but it taught me how to be a better strategist. However, frustration will not be an issue for gamers who play on easy or normal.

Most of the game's fun comes from trying multiple strategies with your units and finding unique ways to use their different abilities.

This game was one of the most fun Gamecube games I've ever played, but it isn't perfect because of the frustration that comes with it, especially the one that comes from losing a unit deep into a battle. The game's fun factor deserves a score of:

9/10

Overall:

The game is a great experience for RPG fans. Even if you can't find a cheap copy, I definitely recommend buying it. The game has its pros and cons, but the pros clearly outweigh the cons, making it one of the best Gamecube games ever and a must have for every decent collector.

8.8/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-path-of-radiance/user-reviews/809134/platform/gamecube/ Sun, 03 Feb 2013 09:35:56 -0800 VictorReviews reviewed Corpse Party: Book of Shadows for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/corpse-party-book-of-shadows/user-reviews/807045/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Corpse Party, released in 2011 as a downloadable title for the PSP, was a surprising localization in the West. The game was a 16-bit like adventure where you played as a group of students who got caught in Heavenly Host, a haunted school full of threats, and tried to find a way out of it. Despite its looks, the game had a terrifying atmosphere, mainly due to the incredible soundtrack and voice acting with binaural sound. This, together with the intriguing storyline, earned the game a fan base big enough to ensure localization of the second entry in the series: Corpse Party: Book of Shadows.

This time around however, the game doesn't follow the gameplay style from its predecessor, but rather makes a leap toward the visual novel field, making its localization in the West even more surprising than the first game's.

Is this second installment as scary as the first game? Is it worth playing if you played the first one? And if you didn't? Keep reading to find the answers to this questions and more.


Gameplay:

As I mentioned earlier, this game plays very differently from Corpse Party. Players will spend most of their time reading, but there are also some sections where you walk around the school and search different places inside of it. Make no mistake though, you can't actually control your character, but rather choose where to go, and search in a point-and-click like interface.

Sometimes, you're given choices during conversations. Similarly to the first game, a bad choice may trigger a Wrong End, which is basically a game over with a storyline. Usually, Wrong Ends are just gruesome ways in which your character dies.

There are other ways to trigger Wrong Ends. For example: walking into the wrong place, doing certain tasks, and getting your darkening meter to 100%. The darkening meter is a bar that plays like hit points do in a regular game; if you get the darkening meter to 100%, you lose and get either a Game Over screen or a Wrong End depending on the chapter and in-game location you're playing at. The darkening meter goes up every time you examine a corpse or do other certain actions.

This game is considerably easier than its predecessor. The point-and-click interface makes it faster and less of a chore to look around the school.

As with any good visual novel, there's an option to fast-forward the text, and you can save anywhere, which takes away the fear of getting a Wrong End and having to replay long sections like in the first game. This, unfortunately, makes this game less scary than the first one.

In the first game, some of the most terrifying parts were the ones in which you had to run away from someone, and sadly, those are gone in this game.

The new gameplay has its pros and cons. While it is disappointing to have some of the fear from the first game gone, some new additions like the ability to save anywhere make the game less tedious. Overall, the gameplay deserves a score of:

6/10


Presentation:

The game manages to take the top-notch presentation that now characterizes the series.

The graphics in this game are basically anime-like CG still images. There are no cutscenes, which is a disappointment but is understandable, since the game's file size is pretty big due to so many voice acting lines and music tracks, and this is a downloadable game.

The game's graphics help convey a sense of fear. However, what really makes this game like no other is the voice acting. The game has binaural sound, so, as long as you wear headphones, you're bound to get a scary experience, with voices coming from many unexpected places.

The game's voice acting is in Japanese. This however, is not a bad thing, because all the voice actors do an amazing job, and the game is subtitled.

Most of the game's gory scenes are not visually shown; you only hear them. This talks about how much effort was put in the voice acting, special effects, and music, because the game manages to scare the player without much visual support.

Some of the musical tracks in this game are from the first game, but some others are completely new. The choices are very varied, from happy songs to others that make you completely freak out to others that just stick in your head, helping give the game the atmosphere it requires.

The game does an amazing job in terms of presentation. I found the atmosphere to be really creepy and similar to the first game, despite the change of gameplay. With a combination of amazing voice acting, awesome soundtrack, creepy sound effects, and great graphics (despite being still images), the game's presentation deserves a score of:

10/10


Story:

In contrast to the first game, this one doesn't have a linear storyline. Instead, the game is divided in eight chapters, each one with a different, mostly unrelated story.

Some chapters are based off Wrong Ends from the first game, other are prequels, other are events that took place at the same time of the first game's events, and the last chapter is a direct sequel to Corpse Party.

Something to note about the story, is that it will only be understood by people who played Corpse Party, since it contains more than simple references to said game.

The story this time is not as great as in the first game. I found that, in some chapters, the story really dragged and felt like filler, making beating the game a chore sometimes, especially because most of the gameplay is reading text.

A good thing about the story is that there is a lot of character development for some characters that didn't get it in the first game, making the story of richer.

Some players will find that playing the game is a chore. While some people will enjoy the story, others will find themselves going through the game only to get to the last chapter, which is without a doubt the most interesting part of the game. Overall, the story deserves a score of :

8/10


Replay Value:

Surprisingly for a visual novel, this game has a lot of things to do besides getting all the different endings.

You can collect name tags from dead corpses in Heavenly Host. Once you collect a name tag, some information like name, school, and cause of death of the person will appear on a menu.

Other collectibles include CG images (these can be exported to the memory stick), the game's soundtrack, and comments from the voice actors. Also, if you have a save file from Corpse Party, more CG images are automatically unlocked.

Unfortunately, most collectibles are automatically obtained as the story progresses, so if you beat the game once, it is unlikely for you to be missing more than a few things.

Another feature that the game includes is the EVP Machine, which is basically an option to create your own conversations between characters using the lines said throughout the game. This allows for a lot of creativity. The EVP Machine is unlocked after you beat the game.

Many different collectibles, the EVP machine, and the multiple Wrong Ends make this game's replay value worthy of a:

7/10


Fun:

As I mentioned earlier, this game was a chore to play sometimes. I found chapters to be either boring or a blast.

Fans of Corpse Party will definitely find some enjoyment in this game. Even though the game is nowhere near its predecessor in terms of fun, it is still fun enough to deserve a score of:

7/10


Overall:

While the game can be a chore sometimes, and certainly doesn't compare to its predecessor, the amazing atmosphere and new storyline , combined with the surprising amount of replayability and bonus features, make the game worth a buy for fans of Corpse Party. Overall, the game deserves a score of:

7.6/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"VictorReviews reviewed Corpse Party: Book of Shadows for the PSP..." was posted by VictorReviews on Sun, 03 Feb 2013 09:35:56 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/corpse-party-book-of-shadows/user-reviews/807045/platform/psp/ Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:08:00 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon Red Version for the Game Boy... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-red-version/user-reviews/805822/platform/gameboy/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

The Good:
-Engrossing, Engaging Adventure (Catching all 150 Pokemon, Foiling Team Rocket's schenanigans, defeating all eight gym leaders/collecting all eight gym badges, challenging the elite four, etc. This style of gameplay would repeat with some minor adjustments to the story and whatnot for years to come.)
-Catchy music soundtrack.
-Great graphics for its time (Tip: You can change the background colors by pressing around on the Dpad, B + Dpad, or A + Dpad. When you first turn on the game.)
-Battles offer a good challenge.
-Controls/Menus/PC system are easy to grasp.
-Great multiplayer.
-Great sound effects.

The Bad:
-No complaints really. (There are a few silly glitches here and there. i.e: If you pause by the water on the left side of Route 17, the water will be replaced by bushes. But overall, i dont see any problems with it.)

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon Red Version for the Game Boy..." was posted by Ericthehammer76 on Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:08:00 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-red-version/user-reviews/805822/platform/gameboy/ Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:27:19 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Major League Baseball 2K11 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/major-league-baseball-2k11/user-reviews/805768/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

The Good:
-Presentation is more refined (The lighting effects on the field have never looked better.)
-Animations are solid (Especially the pitching.)
-Commentary is still pretty good, even if Gary Thorne, Steve Phillips, and John Kruk sound as though they have not recorded any new dialogue at times.
-Pitching has been improved a little (the new throwing meter isn't bad either).
-Controls have been tweaked a little (The fielding, routine plays, etc. are more fluent.)
-Online play is as fun as ever.

The Bad:
-Save for roster updates and whatnot not much has changed over MLB 2K10 (Sure, it's a sports game and sports games are essentially the same thing every year, but the gameplay options, menu layout, etc. are pretty much the same as they were in its predecessor.)
-Frame Rate tends to hitch up here and there (this tends to happen when the ball is hit into play.)
-Soundtrack is hit-or-miss (It is not as annoying and all-over-the-place as MLB 2K10's soundtrack, but it still jarringly switches from indie rock to hard rock often.)
-Players' faces still look a little misshapen.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/major-league-baseball-2k11/user-reviews/805768/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 31 Dec 2012 22:28:03 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/mario-and-luigi-bowsers-inside-story/user-reviews/805560/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The Good:
-The RPG elements work well here (Running into various enemies inside Bowser and having Mario and Luigi attack and counterattack enemies with jumps, hammers, etc. Badges, ranks, and level up rewards aren't too bad either. The game in general does a good job of mixing RPG elements within a predominantly 2D platforming title.)
-Funny, engaging storyline.
-Plenty of creative puzzles to solve and gameplay features.
-Bright, colorful graphics.
-Controls are easy to pick up (Sidescrolling, A to jump, swapping between Bowser and Mario and Luigi from top screen to touch screen, etc.)
-Great variety of moves and combo moves in battles (Jumps, hammers, koopa shells, etc.)
-Delightful music soundtrack.
-Lots of funny, memorable characters.
-Excellent Tutorials.

The Bad:
-none



Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mario-and-luigi-bowsers-inside-story/user-reviews/805560/platform/ds/ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:36:21 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/mario-vs-donkey-kong-mini-land-mayhem/user-reviews/805415/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

The Good:
-Mini Marios give an undeniable charm (they got their own personalities).
-Great action-puzzle gameplay (connect steel frame bridges to each corresponding platform at the right moment, to collect cards spelling MINI MARIO, and collecting coins, etc. Also with guiding Mini Marios strategically to the door before time runs out or falling into lava pits, etc. if not planned correctly.)
-Levels offer a good challenge.
-Excellent use of touch-screen controls.
-Bright, colorful presentation.

The Bad:
-You have seen much of the platforming (or gameplay in general) elements in previous Mario titles.
-Bare-bones story (DK kidnaps Pauline when he is guest number 101 at Mini Land whereas the first 100 would receive toys and Mario must send his MiniMarios to deal with DK. You have seen similar stories in Mario games in this fashion before.)

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mario-vs-donkey-kong-mini-land-mayhem/user-reviews/805415/platform/ds/ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 14:17:47 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Asphalt: Urban GT for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/asphalt-urban-gt/user-reviews/805403/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

The Good:
-Good variety of race events.
-Large, varied car roster (Hummer, Saleen, Corvettes, etc.)
-Great visuals, albeit a tad blocky in some areas (Car designs, city designs such as Hong Kong.)
-Controls feel responsive (Drifts are also fun to do.)
-Solid frame rate.
-Great use of camera rattle when pulling off turbo boosts.

The Bad:
-All cars in the game have the same engine sounds and they tend to repeat a little too much (Since when did a Saleen S7 have the same engine sound as a Morgan Classic Roadster?)
-Collision detection is a mess (You spin when you hit oncoming cars, barely anything happens when you hit certain scenery,etc.)
-Music isn't anything exciting (You will hear the same, generic techno/synth music throughout the game.)
-Not much touch screen usage other than showing the map of the course you are racing on, for example (What touch screen elements that are available are more or less of an afterthought.)

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ericthehammer76 reviewed Asphalt: Urban GT for the DS..." was posted by Ericthehammer76 on Sat, 29 Dec 2012 14:17:47 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/asphalt-urban-gt/user-reviews/805403/platform/ds/ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 13:33:04 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/mario-kart-7/user-reviews/805399/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

The Good:
-Racing is as fun as ever (The powerups are still as thrilling to use as ever,even if you've seen most of them plenty of times beforehand.)
-Track designs are cool (the same applies to the tracks from the previous mario kart titles present here).
-Hang gliding is an excellent touch (It makes gliding over pits fun.)
-AI provides a fair amount of challenge (Playing against them as well as playing others online is as exciting as ever.)
-3D mode can look good in some respects.
-Good vehicle upgrades (i.e: monster tires.)
-Nice, colorful visuals, characters, and kart designs.
-Runs at a mostly good frame rate.

The Bad:
-Mission mode is missing (You have Grand Prix, Time Challenge, Coin Battle, or Balloon Battle. You can always jump online if you quickly tire of single player. Grand Prix mode is the way to go for the unlockables.)

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ericthehammer76 reviewed Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS..." was posted by Ericthehammer76 on Sat, 29 Dec 2012 13:33:04 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mario-kart-7/user-reviews/805399/platform/3ds/ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:20:51 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon LeafGreen Version for the Game Boy Advance... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-leafgreen-version/user-reviews/805253/platform/gba/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The Good:
-Bright, colorful graphics (Kanto has never looked better!)
-Lengthy, Engrossing quest.
-The Sevii Islands are a plus (Team Rocket's shenannigans still continue there.)
-Introduction of the national pokedex gives plenty of incentive to catch all 250 pokemon of Kanto and Johto.
-Nice GBA rendition of the original soundtrack from Kanto and Johto (The updated tunes to the Pokemon center, for example, don't sound too bad either.)
-VS Seeker is a great item for rechallenging your opponents.
-Wireless adapter is a nice feature (It saves you from the trouble of tangling with link cords.)

The Bad:
-The Kanto journey hasn't changed much since Red/Blue/Yellow and it is the same pokemon format you have seen since those games were released (Once again, collecting all eight gym badges, beat the elite four, foil the evil schemes of Team *Insert generic name here*, etc.).
-Pokemon cries sound muffled (Ruby/Sapphire had the same issue.)
-Sound effects are recycled from Ruby/Sapphire and still sound a little weak.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-leafgreen-version/user-reviews/805253/platform/gba/ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:01:16 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed/user-reviews/805203/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

The Good:
-Excellent story and storytelling (Memories of Altair).
-Solid, fluent controls (Jumping around on rooftops and doing leaps of faith in haybales are exciting.)
-Beautiful music score.
-Combat is a thrill (Silent blades, pickpocketing/throwing swords at rooftop guards, using your main blade, fists to ward of annoying, combative civilians, etc.)
-Great stealth mechanics (pickpockets, silent assassinations, blending with scholars, etc.)
-Graphics and animations are solid (i.e: Jerusalem and Damascus during the time of the Crusades have never looked better.)
-Sound is top-notch (Combat, townspeople/main character dialogue, etc.)
-Useful map/inventory system.
-Steady frame rate.
-Balanced difficulty.

The Bad:
-Ending is a tad confusing.
-Some minor camera and visual gaffes.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ericthehammer76 reviewed Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Ericthehammer76 on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:01:16 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed/user-reviews/805203/platform/xbox360/ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:33:52 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Midnight Club: Los Angeles for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/midnight-club-los-angeles/user-reviews/805200/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

The Good:
-Very gorgeous recreation of Los Angeles (Pizza Huts, Billboards for iPods, Games Stops, 7elevens, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Paramount Studios, etc.).
-Brisk frame rate.
-Engrossing, In-depth Customization (Interiors, License Plates, etc.)
-Sharp graphics.
-Fast, challenging races.
-Good roster of cars and bikes (Complete Edition is the best way to go.)

-Soundtrack is varied and good.
The Bad:
-AI can make races aggravating at times (They almost never make mistakes and if they do, they will almost immediately catch back up with you as if nothing happened. Plus, if you mess up during a race, there is a high possibility that you will not catch back up with the AI.)
-Map system isn't very user-friendly (You cannot rotate it, most streets are not labelled, and the route marker does not always show you the best route to take.)
-Characters are kind of goofy.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/midnight-club-los-angeles/user-reviews/805200/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 22 Dec 2012 14:31:50 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon HeartGold Version for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-heartgold-version/user-reviews/805063/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

The Good:
-Great visuals (Great update over the past 10 years and the addition of changing seasons is a nice touch).
-Catchy, memorable soundtrack (Still sounds as great as it did in 2000).
-Having your leading pokemon walk with you is a nice feature (It also worked well with Pikachu is Pokemon Yellow from 1999).
-Lengthy, engaging, engrossing adventure (As fun as the original and still an addicting quest).
-Pokewalker is a great addition.

The Bad:
-It's the same Pokemon format you have seen since the late 1990's (The quest here has not changed much since the original from 2000).
-Sound effects are muddled and dull (Some sound effects have also been recycled from previous games.).
-Pokemon cries sound weak.
-Generic battle animations (Still the same turn-based battle style with every pokemon game like this).
-Battle screens repeat too much.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon HeartGold Version for the DS..." was posted by Ericthehammer76 on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 14:31:50 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-heartgold-version/user-reviews/805063/platform/ds/ Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:38:33 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/marvel-ultimate-alliance/user-reviews/805040/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

The Good:
-Lengthy, Engaging, Engrossing Campagin.
-Balanced difficulty.
-Great music score.
-Epic Boss Fights (The QTE's here work rather well and gives good variety to them as opposed to just randomly mashing buttons.)
-Large roster of Marvel characters to choose from.
-Character customization may be optional, but it is ridiculously deep.
-Great variety to levels and stages.
-Animations are fluent.
-Great performance enhancements with such teams as Fantastic Four.
-Great variety of moves for each character.

The Bad:
-Some presentation gaffes here and there (some large blurry backgrounds in some places.)
-Characters tend to talk a bit too much.
-Frame rate tends to take some minor dips in some places.
-It can be tempting to mash the same button(s) when fighting enemies/bosses.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/marvel-ultimate-alliance/user-reviews/805040/platform/xbox360/ Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:01:37 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon Diamond Version for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-diamond-version/user-reviews/804884/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The Good:
-493 Pokemon to collect (Yes, that includes the national pokedex.)
-Amazing soundtrack.
-Lengthy, engaging storyline, side missions, and adventure.
-Nice visuals and animations.
-Addition of online play is a plus.
-New HM's such as rock climb are cool.
-New weather effects such as snow and fog are a nice addition.

The Bad:
-It's the same Pokemon format you've seen for the past 10+ years (Beat 8 gym leaders, beat the elite 4+champion, battle your rival a few times, foil the plot of team *insert generic name here*, catch all pokemon, etc.)
-Sound effects have been recycled from previous games and Pokemon cries sound tinny (Most of which from R/S/E from 2003 and 2005.)
-Some minor problematic online issues.
-Touch screen controls have little use (Check the time, check how many steps you took, use a counter for whatever.)

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon Diamond Version for the DS..." was posted by Ericthehammer76 on Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:01:37 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-diamond-version/user-reviews/804884/platform/ds/ Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:29:50 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pimp My Ride for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/pimp-my-ride/user-reviews/804882/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 1.5.

What is wrong with this game:
-Frame rate is appalling (It never runs at more than 20 FPS.)
-The driving controls are slippery beyond belief (Worse than the console ports of this game and the drift controls on the first NFS Shift combined.)
-Customer voice acting is beyond irritating (OMG! IT'S XZIBIT!!! PLZ PMP MAH RYDE! *Squeals uncontrollably*).
-Load times are frustratingly long and frequent (One minute load times? Might as well start a game of 20 questions...)
-Idiotic, repetitive minigames (You can earn cash by making people walking down the street dance from the generic hip hop beats playing in your car? Sure why not?)
-Driving physics are atrocious. (i didnt know cars could do the electric slide)
-Dull presentation.
-Numerous bugs, glitches, crashes.

The only good thing about this game is the soundtrack by Xzibit. Other than that, this game does not need to be in your PSP library at all.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pimp My Ride for the PSP..." was posted by Ericthehammer76 on Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:29:50 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pimp-my-ride/user-reviews/804882/platform/psp/ Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:48:33 -0800 Ericthehammer76 reviewed Pokemon Ruby Version for the Game Boy Advance... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-ruby-version/user-reviews/804841/platform/gba/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The Good:
-Sharp Graphics.
-Catchy, memorable soundtrack.
-2-on-2 battling is a nice addition.
-New ,memorable pokemon.
-Good story.
-Frame rate is good.
-Addition of running shoes is a great addition.
-Battle screens have corresponding backgrounds (i.e: sand backdrops when battling in the desert.)
-Pokemon contests are a nice touch (pokeblocks are also good for enhancing your pokemon's abilities during the contests.)
-2 different types of bikes (Mach for speed, Acro for jumps, bunny hops.)
-New weather additions such as the desert on Route 111 and rain on Route 119, etc.

The Bad:
-Most of the battles are too easy (Most Super effective attacks result in one hit K.O's if not leaving less than 5HP remaining.)
-Only 64 of the original 250 pokemon are on the roster.
-Pokemon cries and battle sound effects sound a little muffled and tinny.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-ruby-version/user-reviews/804841/platform/gba/