ShirkDawg's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ShirkDawg's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ShirkDawg's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:34:54 -0700 GameSpot ShirkDawg's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:21 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-awakening/user-reviews/811505/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The top release games on the 3DS have been getting better and better, and Fire Emblem: Awakening is the latest example. The game is really the same game you've played since the Game Boy Advance days -- turn-based fantasy strategic combat, with heavy emphasis on developing different characters' experience and equipment, and learning how to best configure your teams for different combat situations.

However, what it does, it does extremely well, and feels very fresh, well polished, and overall is a blast to play.

The good:
* Graphics: The visuals, including 3d use, are very good. 3D character models, 2D artwork, backgrounds, animations, etc. are all very solidly done. (Although everyone in the game world has little stubby feet...?)
* Music/Audio/Voices -- All first rate, a very good musical track, lots of solid voice-over work, and some solid cut-scenes.
* Gameplay -- Again, this is the Fire Emblem we've always known and (maybe) liked: turn based combat, a solid story to steer along your battles, lots of optional battles that make 'grinding' for experience and gear fun, etc.

The not-so-good:
* Repetition -- While the game does introduce what variety it can, when you get right down to it, most battles are really very much the same. I find as long as I take a break every few days, the game stays fun. The plot's not super creative or compelling, so for me that's not quite enough. You are either going to enjoy the combat, or you'll tire of the game quickly.
* Equipment management -- Managing your loot is a key part of this game, and unfortunately, it's clunky. You'll spend a lot of time hopping around different screens just to figure out who has what, whether one item is better than the other, what you can/can't equip, etc.

As a whole, again, it's nothing new -- if you haven't liked fantasy turn-based strategy games in the past, this game won't change your mind. If you do like that genre, you'll likely love Awakening.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:21 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-awakening/user-reviews/811505/platform/3ds/ Sun, 19 May 2013 18:59:10 -0700 Swoosie reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811504/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Bioshock Infinite had a lot of hype to live up to. After a very compelling teaser trailer two years ago, and with the runaway hit that was the first Bioshock, it couldn't help but be a bit of a let down. But just considered on its own, it's an immersive game world, and I had fun with it.

The good:
* Amazing visuals -- some people don't care for the visual style, but I find it very successful. Yes, it's very similar to Bioshock, but has its own personality and style. I feel there's more overall variety in visuals from enemies to environments than we saw in Bioshock
* Sound and voice-overs are all first rate
* Storyline/storytelling -- this is another area you'll either like or won't. It is absolutely linear and has very few elements of exploring, and most of the combat are set pieces. I play games primarily as interactive stories, so I liked it. If you want open world, you may well not like this game.

The not-so-good:
* Combat -- combat is not bad, but there's very little difference in how/where you use the tonics (aka plasmids/magic), and the weapons all seem a little too basic -- close range, medium range, long range, but little variety between different weapons and what they can and can't do. Seemingly missing is the creative and immersive mix of plasmids and weapons in the first game (e.g. freezing, then shattering enemies with a gun) Combat just feels like any other action adventure.
* Character development -- I also find the development of your character and your main NPC to be lacking. In Bioshock, you were vulnerable, confused, and weak. In Infinite, you're pretty much a bad-arse from day 1, and I just don't get a sense like I'm getting tougher and smarter as I play. The difficulty feels very flat.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the game. It's a _slight_ let down versus my minds-eye expectations w/ all of the pre-release hype. But if you're OK with story-heavy linear gameplay, and somewhat limited combat, you may really like this game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 19 May 2013 18:59:10 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811504/platform/pc/ Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:36:28 -0800 Swoosie reviewed Code of Princess for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/code-of-princess/user-reviews/806520/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Code of Princess takes concepts from JRPGs:
- Plucky teenage heroes that must save the world
- Giant swords
- Quirky sidekicks
- Busty, scantly clad women
- Androgynous boys
and mixes in combo-driven combat against 5-20 bad guys at once that's basically side-scrolling 2D that's more Street Fighter than Devil May Cry.

Each level has you fighting a group of bad guys + a boss. The better you do (quicker you kill them, less damage you take) the better loot and experience you get. The main storyline is strictly some dialog and movie segments that send you to the next fight. You can control any one of several of the protagonists, choose their equipment as you gain new stuff, and you can redo any battle (to grind, basically). There's no exploring, crafting, or any dialog choices, so it's definitely not heavy on RPG -- just basic loot grabbing and some control over your level up stat boosts.

Everything is well done -- the 3D is OK, more Paper Mario than anything too immersive. But the graphics mix 3D models with a lot of traditional 2D elements. Visuals have decent detail and color -- nothing too spectacular.

Audio is also... fine... there's a fair amount of voice-over work throughout that's pretty well done. Music is nothing too memorable.

Overall, it's an OK game if you like those combo-based many-enemy action battles and only light RPG elements. But for me, it got too repetitive too soon, and the other bits (story, visuals, etc.) weren't special enough to keep me going more than a few hours.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Code of Princess for the 3DS..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:36:28 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/code-of-princess/user-reviews/806520/platform/3ds/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:43:58 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/doctor-who-the-eternity-clock/user-reviews/801656/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 4.0.

The world of Doctor Who is coveted by throngs of fans, and I'd bet many of those fans are also gamers. Seems like a slam-dunk... an action adventure puzzle game based on Doctor Who. Well, this one feels like something went horribly awry during development, and we ended up with a strikeout.

The gameplay is pretty straight forward: it's a 2d side-scrolling platform game, complete with jumping and climbing and crawling. You can only interact with items appearing in your straight line view. There are puzzles involving stealth (sneak past enemies, or sneak up and disable them), puzzles involving crate sliding and stacking, etc. There are some full-screen minigame puzzles. But everything you do in the game is a basic example of each of these things -- there just isn't any interesting twists or flair. None of the puzzles are particularly "Doctor Who-y".

There's decent spit-and-polish on the graphics and audio of the Vita version, and it's less buggy than the PS3 version. But ultimately, it's still buggy, and bland. Some of the levels have really terrible design -- including making you wait in spots for, literally, minutes at a time without moving. Wheeee! You get no hints, and some of the puzzling is pretty obtuse or at least really tedious. Overall.... well.... yuck.

The Good:
* Cut scenes, menus, etc. are generally well done and look good
* Good voice acting, and pretty good music

The not-so-good:
* Some really terrible puzzle/level design
* The 2d platforming is really slow moving and clunky
* Some bad bugs involving bad collision detection, or random deaths Overall, it's just boring... It feels like this game started with a big budget, and at some point mid-development, that budget was pulled to zero and some poor soul had to finish the game by themselves.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/doctor-who-the-eternity-clock/user-reviews/801656/platform/vita/ Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:33:24 -0700 Swoosie reviewed The Next Big Thing for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-next-big-thing/user-reviews/801073/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Next Big Thing is a traditional point-and-click adventure, but one of the few recent ones with so much attention to the finish -- great graphics, animation, music, and voice work. The puzzles are good, ranging from the basic (key in lock) to the obtuse (smash up a car with a bat?) and everything in between.

Overall, if you like point-and-click adventures, Next Big Thing is well worth a playthrough.

The good:
* Great graphics and animation -- combo of cell drawn with a few colorful 3D bits.
* Lots of silly characters
* Tons of voice over work, all of it generally well done
* Good puzzle variety without too many super easy puzzles and not too many were obtuse.

The not-so-good:
* Humor was a little flat... but humor is different from person to person...
* Short -- I was done in less than 6 hours with only a couple of hints along the way.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed The Next Big Thing for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:33:24 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-next-big-thing/user-reviews/801073/platform/pc/ Sat, 08 Sep 2012 19:09:44 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode Three for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/penny-arcade-adventures-episode-three/user-reviews/799764/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Penny Arcade 3 went in a new route -- old-skool turn-based 8-bit style RPG. It's a cool concept, and it retains the humor and silliness of the other PA games. But ultimately, it gets really repetitive because there's just not much story to propel you along, and the humor lacks the laugh-out-loud moments of the first two games.

The good:
* The core RPG gameplay is solidly done, with some interesting add-on skills, appropriately silly weapons and skills, and a good variety of unique and funny monster types.
* Not too long -- you'll finish in 6-10 hours
* The graphics -- considering it's intentionally the old-skool 8-bit style, look great.

The not-so-good:
- Gameplay gets old -- there's just not that much variety, and you'll use some very simple strategies to crank through most of the monsters without much trouble.
- The humor is a little flat and tame for Penny Arcade -- if you like the over-the-top crude humor of the webcomic or the other PA games, this one will feel bland to you.

Overall, it's not bad. It just wasn't fun enough for me to keep on playing.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/penny-arcade-adventures-episode-three/user-reviews/799764/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 03 Sep 2012 11:24:37 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Theatrhythm Final Fantasy for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/theatrhythm-final-fantasy/user-reviews/799535/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

I had two reasons to think I'd hate this game:
1. I don't like music rhythm games (generally)
2. I've only played two FF games all the way through, and the others very little
So I figured it would be a genre I hate (music rhythm), and be a fanboy service to a series I don't know well. Thanks to an article in GameInformer, I gave it a shot. FF Theatrhythm is so weird, unique, and well done, that I'm addicted.

The game doesn't really have a plot -- the RPG elements of the game are somewhat thin. You will level up characters and give them better powerups, which do help, but given there's so little story, it's more about opening up new songs and characters and many other very cool unlockables/collectibles.

The gameplay is straightforward: in the main game mode, you play a level, where each level represents one of the 13 FF games, and then one musical theme in that game. In a given level, you'll basically play 4 different rhythm games to different versions of the musical theme. The rhythm portions are very well done, synchronized to the music, and use just the stylus. The actions are simple (tap, tap-drag, or tap-hold), but they combine them in interesting ways, and your taps actually add bits of percussion or light background melody to the songs. The more cues/notes you hit, and the better on-time you hit them, the more experience points you'll get. When you completely blow a note, you lose HP, and when it reaches 0 you lose.

The game shines in a lot of unique ways -- characters are all pulled from the FF games, and are little cartoony representations, each with its own personality. As you do each rhythm game, any number of things happen in the background of your rhythm cues: it'll show scenes from the original games, it'll simulate a boss battle, or show major events or opening/closing story sequences from the games. They can be distracting if you let them, but they were easy to ignore. There are cool and often funny graphical and text touches all over the game's menus, level-up screens, and other spots.

Overall, the game is just packed with content, and if you love Final Fantasy music, or even just good ol' chiptune videogame music, it'll pull you in. Also, if you're a rhythm klutz like me, you can still do great in the first many levels and enjoy the game.

The good:
+ Graphics are fantastic -- lots of details and color, very good use of 3d, generally everything is laid out well. Some of the best visual on the 3DS so far.
+ Music, Music, Music -- sooooo many tunes... basically, all of them from the FF series (a few they will try to sell you through their online store...)
+ Easy to learn, pick up and play, and a good number of different game modes -- it's very addictive for me.

The not-so-good:
- Holding the 3DS (especially the 3DSxl) in one hand and frantically tapping in rhythm with the other can get tiring quickly
- You do, in true FF form, have to grind to do well. You'll replay levels quite a bit to make later rhythms easier.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Theatrhythm Final Fantasy for the 3DS..." was posted by Swoosie on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 11:24:37 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/theatrhythm-final-fantasy/user-reviews/799535/platform/3ds/ Sun, 02 Sep 2012 18:35:43 -0700 Swoosie reviewed The Walking Dead: Episode 3 - Long Road Ahead for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-episode-3-long-road-ahead/user-reviews/799504/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

(no spoilers!)

Episode 3 continues everything I loved in Eps 1 & 2. It does have a couple of slow sections, but it also features some of the most dramatic and emotional moments so far in the game. It felt more linear (e.g. fewer choices with big immediate impact) than the other chapters -- but maybe we'll see the changes in coming episodes.

Length was good -- maybe a titch shorter than Ep2 (didn't time it, but around 4-5 hours is my guess), but I liked the progress of the story and the character development better in Ep3.

Keeping it spoiler free, you'll get some new (and very deep) wrinkles in the plot. The puzzles were very easy, and even the Quick Time Events were very simple and didn't require much 'twitch' (which I like).

Anyway, if you enjoyed Eps 1 & 2, you'll still be hooked!

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-episode-3-long-road-ahead/user-reviews/799504/platform/pc/ Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:12:55 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Kaptain Brawe: A Brave New World for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/kaptain-brawe-a-brave-new-world/user-reviews/799487/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 5.0.

Kaptain Brawe is another in a recent line of "indie" point-and-click adventures that was clearly done with care, but ultimately just falls flat.

The story is a familiar one... you play a "hero" that is only great in his own mind, helped by his begrudging underling that really does all the work, as you help solve various problems around your (rather small) solar system.

The artwork is well done -- it's 1800's-esque settings with a bit of steampunk and railroad-era looking tech, with space travel. It's going for a pulp fiction feel. The puzzles are not terrible, but tend to be pretty straightforward and easy, while the hard puzzles are obtuse. The game attempts to keep the humor up with lots of one liners and dialog-based jokes, but it's pretty... well... bad...

Again, making great puzzles is VERY hard to do, and making humorous dialog is also really hard to do, but this game lacks both, which ultimately makes the whole affair pretty boring.

The good:
+ Lovingly done, colorful, hand-drawn graphics with lots of nice detail.
+ Plenty of puzzles to solve -- not a lot of talky exposition.

The not-so-good:
- The dialog and characters are really bland and lack any laugh-out-loud humor. The dialog is all text (there's no recorded voice), which would be fine if the writing were better...
- Puzzles are a little too easy and straightforward. I don't want obtuse, but I'd like at least some clever puzzles...
- Game world is a little lifeless -- more characters to interact with could've helped a lot.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Kaptain Brawe: A Brave New World for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:12:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/kaptain-brawe-a-brave-new-world/user-reviews/799487/platform/pc/ Sat, 01 Sep 2012 19:15:38 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Home for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/home/user-reviews/799444/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

(No Spoilers!)

I played Home just as it said you should -- in the dark, with headphones on. I think different people playing this game will immerse themselves differently... Home's use of old-skool 80's graphics creates a nice game world where your brain is meant to fill in the details. I went with them, followed the story (more on that below), and ultimately, said... "meh".

It's an interesting premise for a game -- you wake up in a strange house, all alone, and begin exploring the world, trying to piece together what has happened, and also, who you even are... It's ambitious, and leaves much of the story telling up to you and your decisions. I can't describe how or why without ruining it. For a $2.50 Steam sale, it was worth a go, but ultimately, I left the game feeling like it wasn't that impactful. If you search Google for "ANOTHER 20 GAMES THAT MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT LIFE" you'll find more compelling choices, in my opinion.

Still, I applaud the authors, and think the chance was worth taking. Just didn't work for me -- it might for others.

The good:
+ Cool 8 bit graphics leave details to your imagination
+ Atmospheric sound and music
+ Neat concept of storytelling

The bad:
- Just lacked the impact that I was hoping for...

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Home for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 19:15:38 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/home/user-reviews/799444/platform/pc/ Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:03:27 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Risen for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/risen/user-reviews/799099/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

I admit it: I was never a Gothic fan. I found it clumsy, ugly, and just not engrossing. I tried Risen expecting Gothic IV, and it's actually much better than I expected, but still retains some of the clunkiness and buginess that drove me bonkers in the Gothic games.

Not much need for an overview on this game -- it's an open world, Western RPG with the usual mix of might and magic. I can see why people enjoy it, but for me, I couldn't get past the negatives.

The good:
+ Big, lively game world
+ Lots of questing, loot, monsters
+ Plenty of little hidden caves and caches of stuff to reward explorers
+ Combat rewards real strategy versus random clicking
+ Good voice over work and music
+ Good pacing -- it doesn't get too easy too quickly, you really get the feeling you're earning your skills, items, and experience points.

The not-so-good
- Buggy: the game will delete saves seemingly at random (but it keeps backups you can manually copy back in place -- but why should I have to?)
- Buggy: key quests can get into bad states and you have to do odd things (e.g. pick pockets) to jar the game back into a good state and continue the story
- Lots of trekking back and forth on the map to complete fetch/kill quests
- The game will let you wander to the point that you can completely hose quests

If you love western RPGs, are patient, and can put up with buggy quirks, you may love Risen. Otherwise, better to steer clear.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Risen for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:03:27 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/risen/user-reviews/799099/platform/pc/ Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:44:25 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Deponia for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/deponia/user-reviews/798577/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

I am an adventure gamer, and always have been. A great point-n-click adventure is like a great novel -- can't wait to pick it up, hate to put it down. I wanted Deponia to be like that, but it wasn't quite for me. I think other folks may like this game, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea.

Deponia is a straight, classic-style point and click adventure. The puzzles, character interaction, and overall look and feel are very traditional. That's not a bad thing -- there have been (and will continue to be) great games that follow the formula.

Where it falls short for me is the writing -- the dialog and puzzles fell flat. Everything else is very well done, from the artwork to the music. (The voice overs can be cheesy, but that's also somewhat normal for this genre.) Without clever puzzling, clever dialog, or an interesting plot, there's just not enough there to keep me playing.

But, these games are also like books in that what doesn't float my boat might be great for someone else -- it's all a matter of personal taste.

The good:
+ Great looking, artful, colorful hand-drawn visuals!
+ Very good cinematic musical score.
+ Good length.
+ Solid game design -- interactions with objects and people is very fluid and easy, no major bugs or annoyances

The not-so-good:
- The audio quality of the voice overs was poor -- the sound was scratchy and low-bitrate
- The pronunciations of the English translation can be a little weird (minor issue)
- Bland puzzling -- I ripped through this game pretty quickly from a puzzle perspective
- Bland dialog -- The humor felt very flat for me.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Deponia for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:44:25 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/deponia/user-reviews/798577/platform/pc/ Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:20:26 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Alice: Madness Returns for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/alice-madness-returns/user-reviews/798496/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Alice, Madness Returns is:
-- One part Mario -- lots of platform game mechanics
-- One part Tim Burton -- goth/bizarre game world but looks great
-- One pinch of Tomb Raider -- very well animated, large, detailed 3d graphics
It's a well done game with great atmosphere, graphics, audio, but it's definitely a game where you'll really love the gameplay, or you'll get tired of it.

At it's core, it's a 3d third (or first if you prefer) person platformer -- you'll jump, you'll double jump, you'll fight bad guys with melee or missile weapons, you'll fight bosses, you can shrink yourself, there are hidden goodies all over, there are collectibles. Everything you'd expect in a good platformer.

The cut scenes, voice acting, graphics, music, visuals, animation and such are all fantastically done. The game looks and sounds terrific.

But for me, the same thing I get tired of in other platformers got me here -- repetition. You'll do the same thing over and over again. If you love what you're doing, you'll love the game. If, like me, you're just 'meh' about platforming, then the great look of the game will wear off in a couple of hours.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Alice: Madness Returns for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:20:26 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/alice-madness-returns/user-reviews/798496/platform/pc/ Sat, 11 Aug 2012 17:53:17 -0700 Swoosie reviewed The Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-episode-1-a-new-day/user-reviews/798492/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Walking Dead is a unique and overall entertaining affair. If you've played other Telltale games (Sam & Max, Wallace & Gromit, etc.), then this game might surprise you. Zombies, gore, guns, but maybe most of all, the linear gameplay might catch you off guard. This plays more like an interactive story -- there are a handful of moments that you might call "puzzles", but this game is definitely meant to be a character and dialog-driven story.

It's only about 2 to 3 hours in length, and your actions and dialog choices have some affect in how characters respond to you, and there are a few choices that will have lingering effects in the overall game. Of course, the game isn't going to let you hose your ability to finish -- it's more affecting how the story unfolds. It will match your personality, and game-playing morality, essentially.

In other words, this game is really here to set up the rest of the chapters -- it's not quite an adventure game, but the storytelling is compelling enough that it pulled me in, and may for you as well.

The good:
+ I like the 3d models with pencil-sketch style drawing on top
+ Good audio and music
+ Voice work is generally pretty good -- as usual, kids are a little stiff, and a few performances are corny, but still solid.
+ Good pacing -- just like a movie or TV show, with exciting high points, quiet exploratory segments, etc.

The not-so-good:
+ I had some major game-save bugs that other have had. I had to play through the whole game (again, it's only a couple of hours) in one sitting.
+ Very linear gameplay -- I would've liked a FEW puzzles, even some game-ender choices. I felt like I was being led through an inevitable outcome and my choices were superficial.

Overall, I think it's worth playing if you like adventure games and horror movies.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed The Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 17:53:17 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-episode-1-a-new-day/user-reviews/798492/platform/pc/ Sun, 17 Jun 2012 09:13:47 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Corpse Party for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/corpse-party/user-reviews/795982/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

If you like horror novels, like games like 999 or Ghost Trick on the DS, don't get hung up on graphics, and like a good, creepy story, Corpse Party is for you. If you're looking for Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or a horror JRPG, Corpse Party may not fit what you want.

The game tells the story of a group of school children and their teacher taking part in what they think is a silly occult "game" or mock ritual, only to discover it's essentially a trap that whisks them away into an alternate dimension. This dimension is occupied by a myriad of ghosts that have been involved in a series of horrific crimes and tragic events, and the characters must work their way back to the real world. They must avoid going crazy, being possessed by evil spirits, and avoiding being killed by each other or other evil beings.

The story and characters are what shine in this game: it's a compelling, sometimes tragic, sometimes moving story of these friends. They are forced to evaluate their own lives, make moral choices, and confront internal and external "demons".

The graphics are 2d top-down, low-res sprites with occasional detailed manga drawings to show character portraits or individual moments in the game. The manga drawings are very well done, and actually the 2d sprites look great and are intentionally, nostalgically crude, but still colorful and detailed. Details in the game are told via voice-overs/text, sometimes with just a black screen. While that sounds like a cop-out, the descriptions are extremely well done, detailed, and often gruesome.

The sound in the game is great, from excellent Japanese voice-overs (with English subtitling), to good use of sound effects, to a varied and very good musical score.

The game clocks in at about 8-12 hours, depending on your luck. This is a game where it's easy to make some wrong choices that lead to a "Wrong End", and I ultimately did use a walk-through on the final chapter to succeed, because particularly in the last chapter you can make choices that prevent a good ending, but you may not know for 30 minutes of play that it was a bad choice.

That's really my only complaint -- the game is very linear, and not really "hard". It's more of an interactive story with some light puzzle elements.

But again, for fans of Japanese horror, or horror stories in general, Corpse Party is well done and very immersive.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Corpse Party for the PSP..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 17 Jun 2012 09:13:47 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/corpse-party/user-reviews/795982/platform/psp/ Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:42:34 -0700 Wensea10 reviewed Balloon Bomber for the Arcade Games... http://www.gamespot.com/balloon-bomber/user-reviews/791202/platform/arcade/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Balloon Bomber

Balloon Bomber is a shoot-them-game from 1980. The player controls a tank that shoots balloons propelling on the tank's level. This video game makes for somewhat satisfying experiences.

This gameplay pretty much flows until the players' lives expire. With the beginning levels, the game turns out being challenging. Players should adapt by gunning the balloons depending on their direction. As the levels progress, there is a bomber constantly sending grenades around the battle-tank's surface. Advice here is that gamers need to become evasive, specifically depending on where the bomb aircraft's weapon forces impact.

Balloon Bomber pretty much gives simplistic quantities of enjoyment. Even with five minutes passing, the game becomes stiff with challenge. This game will mainly also barely satisfy serious shooter fans.

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"Wensea10 reviewed Balloon Bomber for the Arcade Games..." was posted by Wensea10 on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:42:34 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/balloon-bomber/user-reviews/791202/platform/arcade/ Sun, 25 Mar 2012 21:06:05 -0700 Wensea10 reviewed Lunar Rescue for the Arcade Games... http://www.gamespot.com/lunar-rescue-1979/user-reviews/790765/platform/arcade/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Lunar Rescue is a shoot-them-up game within arcades. The pilot must land on platforms to rescue individuals then pilot upward taking them towards the player's headquarters. This shooter is workable but needs better game-play mechanics.

The game starts off supposedly easy but is actually stiff with challenge. Players should predictably utilize fuel when close towards asteroids. As the game progresses, spaceships become faster, fuel should become more conservative, etc. Often gamers need to make sure they very accurately land on the point platforms. Continuing, this is pretty much what gamers obtain from the game.

Its still good that Lunar Rescue functions well. The game often feels like its just a test of endurance. Shooter fans will very little feel passionate about this gaming piece.

6/10

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"Wensea10 reviewed Lunar Rescue for the Arcade Games..." was posted by Wensea10 on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 21:06:05 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/lunar-rescue-1979/user-reviews/790765/platform/arcade/ Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:49:34 -0700 Wensea10 reviewed Missile Command for the Arcade Games... http://www.gamespot.com/missile-command-original/user-reviews/790736/platform/arcade/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

Missile Command is a shoot-them-up video game within various consoles. The mission around this game is to shoot missiles rocketing towards the city. From this, gamers have a game that gets a little of the basics right.

Within the first couple of levels, the missiles drop around simple paces. Players should implement the middle weaponry more cause of their speed. As the video progresses the rockets also shuffling airborne enemies become faster. The players' weapons become more valuable as they should attempt to hit multiple objects. Even more, the adversaries start moving at light-speed. Competitors need to be skillful with their shots to easily score more lives.

Missile Command comes as being a minor gaming experience. The game-play does a minor good accomplishment of giving that retro vibeology. Shooter fans will barely enjoy this and then find more intriguing games.

6/10

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"Wensea10 reviewed Missile Command for the Arcade Games..." was posted by Wensea10 on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:49:34 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/missile-command-original/user-reviews/790736/platform/arcade/ Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:30:07 -0700 Swoosie reviewed The Tiny Bang Story for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-tiny-bang-story/user-reviews/789711/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Hidden object/puzzle games are a dime-a-dozen. But Tiny Bang Story does the formula with such charming style, that it stands out.

The gameplay is pretty standard, but with a sprinkle of light adventure-game style exploration. You'll play the game in 5 "chapters" of sorts. In each chapter will be a half-dozen locations to explore -- each location is basically a full screen, each connected with doorways, stairs, etc. To complete the chapter, you solve series of puzzles, but to begin each puzzle, you must go to the locations in that chapter and find the objects needed for the puzzle. The puzzles, themselves, are pretty standard -- sliding tile, rotating pipes, unscrambling pictures, figuring out patterns, solving simple codes.

Where TBS stands out is the general presentation -- it's completely filled with wonderfully detailed hand-drawn artwork that is exceptionally well done. It's intentionally a whimsical, colorful, "folksy" look, mixed with terrific, light hearted music. The world is so charming, you forget that you're playing something you've played 54 times before. I had no issues with any of the puzzling -- although easy, it was relaxing and fun to explore the game world.

The only place it fell down for me is the story... There is a pretty interesting story there, but it's subtle. You'll need to pick up on a range of small clues -- this game has no intention of explaining the story to you. The game starts with the charming little world being shattered into jigsaw puzzle pieces, and you spend the game putting the puzzle back together. But at no time are you really told what's going on. Maybe that's the point -- the story is in the mind of the player, however you choose to interpret the little visual cues. But for a game with "Story" as part of the title, I expected at least a bit more of a narrative?

At any rate, for folks that like light puzzle games -- even if you think you've played more than enough hidden object games -- Tiny Bang Story is well worth your time.

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"Swoosie reviewed The Tiny Bang Story for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:30:07 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-tiny-bang-story/user-reviews/789711/platform/pc/ Sun, 04 Mar 2012 10:06:56 -0800 Swoosie reviewed Escape Plan for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/escape-plan/user-reviews/789068/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Escape Plan is a puzzle game, plain and simple -- you'll move from room-to-room, each room being it's own self-contained puzzle you must solve before you can proceed. You are trying to help the two main characters escape a large complex through a wide range of obstacles and hazards.

You'll help them get through each room by physically interacting with them, or other objects in the room, by using the front and back touch pads, etc. Some basic examples:
* You swipe across the characters to start them moving across the screen, then tap them to stop.
* You might flick an object out of the way, tap it from behind to move it towards you, or flick the blades on a fan to get them spinning
* You can "pinch" the characters (squeeze the front and back of your Vita at the same time) to make them sprint, or to squeeze the gas out of one character.

Some puzzles have timing elements, and some you just need to use the right combo of subtle moves. Some are very straightforward, and some are horrendously devious.

The game looks terrific -- it's a monochrome world, but there's a ton of character in every fine details of the game. Everything is fluidly animated, looks and acts "real", even though it's a surreal universe within the game.

Sounds are minimal, soundtrack is well-suited if not super memorable.

The game is best played in short sittings -- you'll get tired of it quickly if you try to play through the levels in large chunks. When I play it 3 or 4 levels a day, it all feels fresh and fun.

In short, if you like physical puzzle games (Limbo, Braid), then this might be a good one for you. If you're looking for more of an action platformer (Rayman), this may not be ideal.

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"Swoosie reviewed Escape Plan for the PlayStation Vita..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 10:06:56 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/escape-plan/user-reviews/789068/platform/vita/