Spelunker's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Spelunker's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Spelunker's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Mon, 20 May 2013 20:14:59 -0700 GameSpot Spelunker's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sat, 01 Sep 2012 10:54:52 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-brotherhood/user-reviews/799430/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

I've been lukewarm on the AC series up until this point, so I wasn't expecting much from Brotherhood. But it was a huge pleasant surprise to sink into something that feels very familiar to AC2 but is so polished and rewarding to play, it's hard not to fall for this game. Previous AC games felt very pretty but ultimately shallow. That's still more or less the case with Brotherhood, but here all the game mechanics and systems are perfected to the point where you constantly feel rewarded as you play through the game, almost like a World of Warcraft leveling mechanic that steadily introduces new gameplay concepts and eventually lets you master them and cut loose.

Brotherhood also succeds in making side missions feel satisfying and worth exploring instead of busywork. Some of the game's most fun levels are found inside the Lairs of Romulus, which specialize in awesome platforming in a variety of ruins in Rome's underbelly, including a great mission through the dilapidated previuous residence of a Pope. Leonardo da Vinci also makes a return with a batch of missions that show off his crazy medieval war contraptions to great effect, as you infiltrate a base and then go hogwild in whichever vehicle the mission is themed around.

The main storyline takes you through a series of very creative small missions that are each fairly quick to complete, so you can always take a break into any of Brotherhood's many side attractions. The narrative is interesting but not mind-blowing, and certainly not as personally effecting as what takes place in AC2. The developer may have been aware of this, as a small series of core Ezio memories are unlocked as you progress and each of these feels very personal and intimate to Ezio's character, whereas the rest of the game can feel very detached from anything you may like about Ezio.

All in all, I was surprised by how addicting this round of Assassin's Creed was, especially as someone who wasn't overly thrilled with the previous two installments. Brotherhood looked like an unnecessary annual cash-in on Ubisoft's part, but this is actually a total blast to play and a great refinement of all the gameplay mechanics AC has built to date.

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"sgthalka reviewed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for the Xbox 360..." was posted by sgthalka on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 10:54:52 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-brotherhood/user-reviews/799430/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:12:59 -0700 sgthalka reviewed God of War III for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-iii/user-reviews/798816/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Just when I thought I couldn't take another God of War game, along came God of War III. Like most people, the first title blew my mind. The second title got a bit overlooked in the transition to the PS3/360 generation, but was incredibly impressive after finally playing it years later. The PSP titles are also system showcases and a blast to play through. But after all of that, I really wasn't feeling the need for more God of War. More swinging chains and square-square-triangle? More QTEs and sex mini-games? More medusas! Ennhhhh ...

The truth is, I had to force myself to finally sit down and finally play through God of War III. Within the first few minutes of gameplay, that God-of-War feeling instantly sets in and you know what you're in store for. The PS3 debut is an absolute visual stunner, so that certainly might amp you up more for what's to come, but the mechanics are, for better or worse, extremely familiar (aka identical) to what you've come to love about the series. Combat is still fun and controls are pitch-perfect, but it also feels very repetitive if you've already been through previous entries.

But hang in there a couple hours after the inital fatigue and the game really starts to open up. The pace between combat and platforming is very balanced and moves quickly, so you rarely feel like you're endlessly bashing your way through fight after fight after fight. Instead, GoW III really puts the spotlight on its magnificent level designs with a sense of titanic scale and terrific platforming segments that wind you through tons of turns, tiers and tunnels, only to end where you began. An amazing highlight comes toward the final third of the game, where one segment ingeniously plays off of the overhead isometric perspective made famous in PC RPGs and used to brilliant effect for puzzle-solving here. It's a real joy to explore these environments, as nearly every level is filled to the brim with epic scenery to gawk at.

Combat even livens up as you acquire new weapons and magic with unique properties that really give the mechanics some fresh air. While the trusty Blades of Chaos will still probably be your default weapon for most of the game, the other three weapons are just as serviceable and tons of fun to play around with.

Storywise, this is probably the weaker of the GoW games I've played. The story beats begin in an overly familiar fashion with Kratos pissed off yet again at Zeus and slicing every Greek or Roman myth figure who comes his way. Eventually you'll meet a young character who tries to give Kratos some resolution over his tortured past with his own family, but it never really sinks in so don't expect any unexpected emotional finales, despite the game's best intentions.

Even if the God of War franchise is getting overly familiar at this point in its lifespan, you certainly can't fault the developers of GoW III for trying to give it a fresh coat of paint without losing the core gameplay that makes it what it is. If anything, the series really needs some new characters and settings outside of the Kratos/Zeus conflict, but that's hard when the entire franchise is based so closely on Greek mythology, so who knows where it goes next.

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"sgthalka reviewed God of War III for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by sgthalka on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:12:59 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-iii/user-reviews/798816/platform/ps3/ Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:49:17 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/user-reviews/796980/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

It's tough coming into a game like Mass Effect 3 with a universe you've come to love and characters you can't wait to adventure with again, all the while knowing this is it. It has to end. (… Well, for now, at any rate.)

It's also tough going into ME3 knowing that it's very unlikely to be better than its predecessor. That's not really Bioware's fault, but the simple fact that it's the third and final part of a trilogy. The story has to be wound down, conflicts must resolve, characters must reach their ends. None of that is rarely as exciting or interesting as setting up the conflict or getting to know new characters or be knee-deep in the story, not knowing where it's going to go next.

As you play through the opening missions of ME3, it quickly becomes clear that this is a story of a showdown and there's not much (any) deviation from that. I held out hope that we might see interesting side-episodes and mini-stories within the greater arc of The Reaper Showdown, much like in ME2 where the best storytelling occurred during your teammates' personal missions -- and not the main Collector storyline -- like awesome standalone episodes in a sci-fi series. That's not the case in ME3. Side missions are minimal, limited to planet scanning fetch "quests" and Cerberus shoot-outs on recycled multiplayer levels. Progression with your squadmates is limited to conversations on the Normandy, where you'll eventually unlock access to one of their unique abilities. So you're 100% focused on the Reaper invasion. But that should be enough, shouldn't it?

Well … the quality of The Reaper Showdown storyline is a mixed bag. A lot of characters can (and will) die, and I was surprised how inconsequential any of it felt. I hate to compare it to the suicide mission at the end of ME2, but it's pretty jarring how different that experience feels to ME3, where the stakes are supposedly so much higher. I felt much more tense and involved in ME2's endgame, and felt visceral pain and sadness at the end after losing a few squadmates in the final push. In ME3, however, the experience just feels less … intimate? Less involved? Maybe the man behind the curtain had been exposed too much with Mass Effect. When you know too many of the game mechanics, it can detract from the emotional connection you might otherwise have with the story and characters. When you know pressing up is Paragon and down is Renegade to every single situation you encounter, it can make resolving situations feel less authentic. Watching a numerical stat bar fill up as a way of quantifying how prepared the universe is for a final assault steals some of the drama from the situation. Whatever it is, I felt very disconnected and never felt a twinge of anything throughout ME3's many supposedly dramatic events.

There are high moments, of course -- the fate of Mordin Solus, the resolution (or lack thereof) between the Geth and the Quarians, and strangely a short little scene with Garrus on the Citadel before you embark on the final mission. But these moments felt very few and far-between for a game I spent 30-some hours on and a series I've put well over 100 hours into. The simplest way to put it is very little feels surprising in Mass Effect 3. These are familiar sci-fi situations that may remind you of other games or other movies or comics or television shows you've already experienced. The aliens are coming! We must defeat them! In the past, Mass Effect made a name for itself with the rich world lore and awesome character development and back-stories. Here in ME3, the game focuses so much on The Battle With Aliens, and that's to its detriment. You can tell great war stories, but here it feels like you're going through the motions a bit. The sense of familiarity also extends to the much-maligned ending sequence and the deus ex machina explanation behind the Reapers and your eventual resolution with them and the universe. It's a clever attempt to do something beyond WE DEFEATED THEM, YES but it still feels a bit simplistic and unsatisfying.

I guess genre fatigue might apply to all science fiction or fantasy these days, when everyone is mining those genres for the next big entertainment franchise. It makes you really appreciate those few standouts that offer a truly unique take on genre conventions … things like Battlestar Galactica in years past or Game of Thrones more recently … (or Mass Effect 2). Mass Effect 3 is by no means a disappointing game. It's still plenty fun to play through and see how it all wraps up, but it is not a special game and that's a shame because the potential was certainly (and obviously) there.

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"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 3 for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:49:17 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/user-reviews/796980/platform/pc/ Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:36:10 -0800 sgthalka reviewed Crysis 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-2/user-reviews/780336/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

It's hard to comment on a game like Crysis 2, one which is incredibly well-made and -designed, generally a pleasure to play through, no major problems to quibble about, and something you will probably immediately forget as soon as you finish.

There's just not much to really latch onto with Crysis 2. Is it better than the first Crysis? In many ways, yes. It's generally an easier, faster-paced game that gives you ample opportunity to plan approaches into bases (the hallmark of Far Cry and Crysis gameplay), as well as just shoot the crap out of everything with no regard for stealth or tactics if you so choose.

There are certainly some challenging encounters if you just run and gun, but it's mainly limited to the large group fights that feature one of two "mega" enemies (the large armored behemoths, the Devastator and Pinger). These don't appear until the second half or so of the game, and are somewhat infrequent, which is too bad because fighting these brutes is much more engaging than going against the typical foot soldiers. These battles feel more unique to Crysis, where you're literally jumping all over the battle area, dodging in and out of cover, taking out the generic foot soldiers while trying to get in your hits on the big guys. The best fight in the entire game is probably your first fight with a Pinger in Grand Central Station. While the smaller levels in Crysis 2 are generally disappointing, compared to the epic sweeps of land in Crytek's previous games, fighting a Pinger in the dark, cluttered confines of Grand Central is a massive rush that shows you just how fun and open the combat mechanics in this game can be.

Of course, there's plenty of eye candy to gawk. While it's not as gorgeous or photo-realistic as what you may remember in the tropical jungles of Crysis or Far Cry, Crysis 2 succeeds in really getting the tall vertical claustrophobia of New York City across. The skyscrapers in Crysis 2 really feel authentic to wandering around the city on foot, feeling completely dwarfed by these massive structures that most other games fail to translate into pixels. Aside from building height, however, Crytek's version of New York feels noticeably small ... both compared to the real New York (somehow making Times Square feel like a random street corner) and compared to shooter levels in general. It does a good job of concealing how small the arenas are, with lots of environmental obstacles and ledges and little pathways, but it's still a very narrow experience, which is I guess is to be expected for something that's designed for the Call of Duty audience.

As far as the storyline goes, there is a story. And it is not good.

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"sgthalka reviewed Crysis 2 for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:36:10 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-2/user-reviews/780336/platform/pc/ Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:46:20 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Final Fantasy XIII for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-xiii/user-reviews/777168/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

I really tried to give Square-Enix the benefit of the doubt with FF13, knowing full well the complaints that have been lobbed its way. It's hard not to respect the talent and resources that go into colossal games like this, but unfortunately I think there's just a fundamental taste level that's hard to bridge between Japanese and Western RPG designers. Most gamers come to RPGs for great storytelling, exploration, leveling and combat mechanics. FF13 delivers on the combat front, with a thoughtful and fun update on classic turn-based RPG battle mechanics that retains the need for strategic thought but streamlines the tedium of queuing every single action by hand or memorizing resistances and debuffs for dozens of enemy types.

Everything else, sadly, is mostly terrible.

FF13 lays on the melodrama early and often, which makes developing any fondness for its characters or storyline difficult. Lushly detailed cutscenes are peppered with only the cheesiest of dialogue as you try to clench your stomach through the game's near-inpenetrable plot concerning magical, technological demons of some sort and society's fear of anyone who goes near them. Given the level of background detail on the world's fiction, it's clear the developers are quite taken with their invention. It's too bad they never noticed how boring this sequence of events would be to anyone outside their office building. As I kept trudging through the 60 hours of gametime, I kept hoping the story would go farther or reach beyond the core conflict between "la cie" (humans tainted by techno god things called "fal cie") and society, but it never does. The conflict that opens the game is essentially all you will be concerned with for the next five dozen hours of your life, and it never gets any more interesting. So your enjoyment of the game's storyline should be quickly apparent. If you're not hooked, strap yourself in for some trauma.

The upside, however, is the "game" part of this package is actually a total blast. Combat itself moves quickly and requires you to constantly shift your party's tactics on the fly between variations of standard MMO roles like tank, DPS, heals, buffs and debuffs. I'd honestly love to see other single-player RPGs try to mix in combat like this, as the options are wide and the variety of chess-like strategic decisions are always fun, even moreso as the game's opponents increase in difficulty about halfway through the plot. The leveling and gear upgrading systems are also deep, unique and fun to experiment with. The game itself poorly explains the gear system, maybe intentionally so to keep the underlying math a bit mysterious, but an FAQ will get you up to speed and it's a lot of fun trying different gear loadouts for your characters.

All in all, it's hard not to feel like your time with FF13 is a little misspent as you reach the game's final chapters. There's never a satisfying payoff for all the hours you have to invest in the storyline. Still, by the time I finished FF13, I'm glad I saw what the game had to offer firsthand, even if it wasn't that memorable.

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"sgthalka reviewed Final Fantasy XIII for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by sgthalka on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:46:20 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-xiii/user-reviews/777168/platform/ps3/ Fri, 16 Sep 2011 22:12:51 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Demon's Souls for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/demons-souls/user-reviews/774771/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

I'm getting to the age where I shouldn't like games like Demon's Souls. Poorly explained, convoluted game systems. Unforgiving difficulty. Giant time-suck to play your way through a barren game world with minmal plot exposition or character development. And yet ... What is it about this game that gets its hooks in you and keeps you up til the early a.m. hours?

I think a lot of the addictive attraction to a game like Demon's Souls is it's the genuine article ... It really will scare you, and frustrate you, and push you, and exhilarate you. As you push through the game and learn the nuances of its deep game mechanics, you'll fail an awful lot and you'll spend a lot of time retracing your steps, trying to avoid those lone mistakes that can turn a 30-minute push into a dungeon into a complete do-over. And -- similar to the addictive rush of high-stakes, unforgiving gaming like endgame raiding in MMOs -- Demon's Souls delivers similar bursts of adrenaline as you step into a boss fight fully aware that one dumb mistake will leave you dead and forced to replay the entire level to try once more. It's a masochistic experience, but for some reason, one that I couldn't get enough of, as I routinely stayed up way too late on work nights wrapped up in this game.

It certainly helps that the core combat mechanics are actually quite fun in a pure gaming sense. Melee combat feels more similar to traditional fighting games than RPGs, with the success of combat always depending on your reflexes, not die rolls or invisible number crunching. Different classes of weapons also actually feel different, depending on whether you're using massive two-handed hammers or short-range daggers or the long reach of spears. Combat is always a fun experiment if you so choose. Magic is also surprisingly robust and effective, with numerous high-powered spells giving you a viable alternative to the usual swordplay. Adding archery to the mix gives a very rich set of combat mechanics to the player that physically feels different depending on how you approach each battle. Demon's Souls also might have the most effective use of shields and blocking I've ever seen in a fantasy game, maybe second only to the God of War franchise in terms of giving you power to dodge or block blows as effectively as smiting out damage.

Topping off the game experience is Demon's Souls awesomely unique, completely depressing atmosphere. This might be the bleakest game world you will ever see, and the game is brilliant for it. The music, the miserable characters, the sagging grey majesty of the landscape all delivers an incredibly evocative world that perfetly matches its bleak game mechanics. There is nothing else quite like Demon's Souls, and while it is quite likely a game that will make you want to throw your PS3 out the window, there's little argument that you will ever forget this unapologetically barren game world.

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"sgthalka reviewed Demon's Souls for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by sgthalka on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 22:12:51 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/demons-souls/user-reviews/774771/platform/ps3/ Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:15:46 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Burnout Paradise for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/burnout-paradise/user-reviews/772241/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Full disclosure -- I wasn't a fan of Burnout Paradise when it originally was released. I tried to give it my best effort, but the open-city format proved to be too jarring at the time and so it sat on my shelf for three long years. I'm sure I wasn't alone in this. Criterion's decision to eliminate discrete racing tracks in favor of a GTA-style "open world" format quickly alienated a lot of racing fans who just couldn't wrap their heads around the freedom the developers wanted to bring into their flagship racer.

Fast forward the clock to 2011, and I felt like I needed to give this game a second chance, so in I dove. It's remarkable how well the game's core driving mechanics and presentation still hold up. Cruising through Paradise City still looks gorgeous. It's especially impressive how many different types of geography -- dense downtown, beachy seasides, rural backroads, mountainous overpasses -- Criterion managed to squeeze into the land mass without it sprawling way too large or losing the feeling of a unified city. It's a large environment, to be sure, but all of it is purposely designed. You're never in a dull spot of the map as each area has something interesting to drive through, around or past.

That said, after you've been playing the game for a week or two, repetition does set in. The city isn't so monstrously large that you won't become familiar with all its areas within a week of steady play. Add to that the limited variety of race options over the same terrain, and it's easier to feel repetition fatigue from Paradise, compared to other racing games.

It also calls into the question the whole notion of an open-city. While it's interesting, in theory, to navigate through races yourself using shortcuts, backroads and alleys, in practice I can't honestly say it's "more fun" than a traditional racer on defined tracks. In fact, as you progress to faster and faster cars with your A license, you'll be racing through the city so quickly, it becomes next to impossible to take your eyes off the road for half a second to glance at the minimap in the corner of the screen to see whether you're going anywhere near where you're supposed to. At this point, the normal racing events become much more challenging with tougher opponents, on top of the navigation issues. While I'm sure some people relish the challenge, the game quickly became tiresome for me at this point. Non-race events are fun as ever, and free driving at breakneck speeds throughout the city is still fun -- but trying to handle pure races becomes a real chore because of the open format.

The overall experience in Burnout Paradise is still fantastic, all map griping aside. While I can't say I hope Criterion does another open-city format racer in the future, I'll still always look forward to whatever racing experiment they come up with next.

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"sgthalka reviewed Burnout Paradise for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by sgthalka on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:15:46 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/burnout-paradise/user-reviews/772241/platform/ps3/ Thu, 04 Aug 2011 06:22:04 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Valkyria Chronicles for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/valkyria-chronicles/user-reviews/771855/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Going into Valkyria Chronicles, I expected this experience to be no different than all the other critically acclaimed sRPGs I've tried to enjoy and just wound up being bored out of my mind. These types of games tend to lay the drama and sentimentality on extra thick, like any proper JRPG, coupled with tedious combat systems and repetitive game mechanics. So it's with great relief I can finally point to a hyped sRPG and say, "YES. This lives up to the billing."

The first thing that caught my attention in VC, besides the gorgeous art direction, was the writing. Japanese games tend to be riddled with cliches, and while you'll definitely see your share of familiar World War II "moments," I found the overall storyline, world lore, and character development in VC to be extremely well crafted, mature and thoughtful. You'll fight alongside dozens of personalties, and the developers do a great job of bringing these faces to life and making you care who dies and who survives. The parallels to real-world events also lend the game some gravitas in the same way Metal Gear Solid games can feel ripped from reality despite all the sci-fi or fantasy underpinnings.

The combat and leveling systems are also fun to tinker around with. VC does a decent job gradually unveiling core mechanics to the player as you move along, and mission levels are some of the best I've seen in the strategy genre ... Story-based and consistently creative and challenging. This is a long game, so you can expect to tire out a bit as you wind up the game's final third or so, but it's impressive that game fatigue rarely sets in, even when you're repeatedly loading mission progress in particularly tough maps. The first-person viewpoint on the combat field does a great job of keeping you engaged with each mission, and never feel like you're just shuffling chess board pieces around a table.

Even if you've never gotten into turn-based strategy games before, Valkyria Chronicles is easy to recommend.

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"sgthalka reviewed Valkyria Chronicles for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by sgthalka on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 06:22:04 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/valkyria-chronicles/user-reviews/771855/platform/ps3/ Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:35:58 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Alan Wake for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/alan-wake/user-reviews/768999/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

The good news is the first half of Alan Wake is an absolute stunner. In the back of my mind, I was comparing this experience to the very similar-in-concept adventure thriller, Heavy Rain, and I have to tip my cap in Alan Wake's direction for the first few hours. Remedy does an excellent job gently sinking you into an increasingly creepy small wilderness town and gradually unfolding a genuinely intriguing mystery story. If you're at all a fan of "Twin Peaks" or "The Twilight Zone," this game scratches that particular spooky itch extremely well. The creatively appropriate combat mechanics are just icing on the cake, fitting completely within the scope of the paranormal mystery world and being fun, to boot.

At least for the first few hours.

The trouble with Alan Wake is, even though the combat is reasonably fun, it's also extremely repetitive and the game becomes more and more combat-intensive as you progress through the storyline. And that's to the detriment of the game's atmosphere and storytelling, which is the big calling card for a game like this. The first half gives you plenty of plot hooks to explore and characters to meet, but halfway through, the story becomes stretched very thin as combat fills out entire chapters and oddball level designs break away from the realistic, natural world and become more obviously video game levels. (The bizarre concert stage being the worst offender.)

Basically, the entire second half is the finale, as all the exposition has been done and you're fighting your way toward the end over several hours of uninteresting monster bashing. It just becomes tiresome and you'll probably be racing toward the next lamppost checkpoint and skip combat entirely where possible just to keep the pace moving along. This is where Heavy Rain did a much better job maintaining that level of curiosity and addictive gameplay throughout the entire length of the game. Like a good book, I felt like I was racing toward the end, dying to find out what would happen next. Regardless of the eventual disappointment I had with Heavy Rain's wonky conclusion, at least they never gave up on their primary mission ... great storytelling and characters. Maybe Remedy put more emphasis on combat because they felt gamers wouldn't maintain interest for the entire game on just storytelling -- or they were just trying to pad out the overall length -- but it really dragged down the experience for me.

All in all, I'd give the first half of Alan Wake a 9.0 and the second half a 7.0, so overall an 8.0 will have to do.

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"sgthalka reviewed Alan Wake for the Xbox 360..." was posted by sgthalka on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:35:58 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/alan-wake/user-reviews/768999/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 30 May 2011 22:54:44 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Fable II for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/fable-ii/user-reviews/766128/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

I wasn't a fan of the original Fable by any measure, but I had heard enough good things about its sequel, that I went into Fable II with only the best of intentions. The game certainly makes a good first impression, just like its predecessor, with polished graphics, a stylish cartoon fantasy game world, and solid voice acting throughout.

Everything else about Fable II, unfortunately, just falls off the rails. The overall storyline never gets its hooks into you. It starts flat, it continues flat, and it ends flat. If you play through to the game's completion, it's easy to wonder why exactly you've put so many hours into such an empty game experience. At least in the original Fable, the storyline had its moments of imagination and the pacing kept you entertained, if not overly impressed with the somewhat cliched plot. Here in Fable II, it's just boring. The characters are boring. Your nemesis is boring. The sidequests are boring. I literally had to force myself to finish this game, always hoping that something would develop that would explain all the rave reviews this game has gotten over the years. But cripes ... it never happens. Fable II might be the most boring RPG I've ever played. Maybe if you're under the age of 10, you'll get more out of this experience as it's definitely on par with a below average Saturday-morning cartoon in the story department.

The game mechanics don't help matters either. Combat is a button-mashing affair against repetitive enemies throughout the game's dozen or so hours of gameplay. By the end of it, at least your character has powered up enough to make fairly quick work of foes so you can get on with the ending and stop playing if you share an OCD completionist mentality like I do. You can play around with combinations of magic and melee to try to keep things interesting, but spellcasting quickly becomes a chore as you must hold-and-charge up each spellcast as a meter fills up to unleash one of 5 levels of spell power. If you just tap the button, you'll pop out only the wimpiest of spell damage, so each and every time you want to do a powerful spell, you have to sit there while enemies are plunking you with your button depressed and charge up that spell.

Fable II also famously made use of a pet mechanic, but your dog is fairly useless in combat and only serves as an aesthetic companion in your travels, with his own set of emoticons that I'm sure second-graders will never get tired of. I assume Lionhead tooks its cues on pets from World of Warcraft's Hunter class, but here unfortunately they're just a pain. Constantly getting in your way with collision physics that force you to constantly bump into and around your dog. Of course, there's the "digging" minigame, where your dog sniffs out an unending supply of potions, jewels and whatever around Albion, and you'll enjoy the 5-second digging animation I'm sure well into its 100th repetition or the 5-second chest-opening animation to pick up your 100th healing potion.

Oftentimes, there are games with promise but a lot of hiccups that force you to put up with annoyances for the sake of a great story or fun game mechanics. Here in Fable II, there's zero payoff that comes with its abundance of annoying traits. It's hard to think of a more disappointing game I've played through in recent years, so please, if you're an RPG fan and you've held out this long on Fable II, trust me ... you're not missing anything. Like, at all.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sgthalka reviewed Fable II for the Xbox 360..." was posted by sgthalka on Mon, 30 May 2011 22:54:44 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fable-ii/user-reviews/766128/platform/xbox360/ Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:58:55 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-black-ops/user-reviews/761888/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Full disclosure -- I don't play much online multiplayer, and I don't like playing FPS games with a controller, so that basically rules me out of Call of Duty's target audience.

That said, I still love playing the single-player campaigns in all major shooters. While Black Ops rings in on the short side (5-6 hours?), this is still an action-packed, creatively told story that gradually unwraps a mystery centered on your main character. The lavish setpieces are always fun to see in Call of Duty games. This is one of the rare franchises where the developer has the resoures to create a full-on airfield outside the Pentagon with a fully detailed environment, just for a 15-second cutscene that shows you getting off a plane. The attention to detail throughout all the levels -- spanning jungles, tunnels, government offices, factories, mine shafts, seafaring freighters -- is pretty stunning. It's a shame, then, that the graphics can look so good for faces or landscapes, but individual textures can look so god-awful with blocky lo-res detail on objects. I'm assuming the PC version of Black Ops doesn't suffer from this with beefed-up hardware, but on PS3, the cruddy texture fidelity is noticeable often.

In terms of the storyline, this is actually much stronger than I ever expected from Treyarch. The conceit of playing a soldier reliving his memories, trying to figure out what exactly happened to him and how it affects the near future is actually really interesting. Great voice acting amplifies the tension. While the story definitely drifts into comic book territory, it always has an air of plausability to it and feels like something that could actually happen, more or less, which adds to the drama.

So far, so good -- so looking back on Black Ops, why did this epic game feel so boring? It's because of the Call of Duty design template. CoD SP campaigns are all about scripted events and linear battlefields, and with Black Ops, it feels more scripted than ever. You're constantly following an NPC, constantly funneling forward on a narrow, pre-described path, constantly waiting for the next scripted event to occur. The entire thing -- while visually impressive -- comes off so tightly on the rails, like you're just whacking moles at a carnival game. It doesn't help matters that the CoD formula has been repeated over and over and over now, and copied by so many other games, that simply substituting the setting and adding a new presentation layer doesn't change the fact that you feel like you've played this experience already, many times over. And while the story and levels are good, they're not so good that they make up for lack of control and boredom that sets in as you chase after NPCs as scripted events unfold over and over.

Here's hoping the franchise creators who moved over to EA and Respawn can inject some fresh ideas into this series, as I expect Activision and Treyarch will bleed this current franchise dry creatively, if they haven't already.

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"sgthalka reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by sgthalka on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:58:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-black-ops/user-reviews/761888/platform/ps3/ Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:31:45 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Arrival for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-arrival/user-reviews/760526/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

It's easy to criticize Arrival, considering the high quality of its two outstanding DLC predecessors. Even if Arrival's scope doesn't exactly equal what was on display in Overlord and Shadow Broker, there's still a lot to enjoy in this brief solo mission that sets up an interesting potential opening to Mass Effect 3.

In just 90 minutes, Bioware tells an engaging search-and-rescue story and develops a new character to the point where you'll have some kind of emotional reaction to the events that unfold. Unfortunately, the major decisions you make in Arrival seem to be decided in advance for you. You can approach each key situation from a paragon or renegade perspective, but it has no tangible effect on how events play out or how the world of ME3 will be affected. That said, this is still an entertaining mini-drama to play through that, for me at least, got my blood pumping in a few places.

The weakest part of Arrival, which the rest of ME2 and its DLC usually knocked out of the park, is the level design and combat sequences. You'll storm through a lot of vanilla recycled corridors and space station hallways in what should otherwise have felt like an epic battle across a gigantic asteroid. Instead, you get brief glimpses outside and no real sensation that you're ever really heading toward an ominous target. The final stage at least gives you a unique environment, but it's too little, too late, as the mission wraps up shortly after. Combat sequences are fairly straight-forward and well-balanced for solo play.

All in all, Arrival is a satisfying sendoff for one of the best games of recent years, even if it falls short of the games that preceded it.

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"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Arrival for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:31:45 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-arrival/user-reviews/760526/platform/pc/ Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:44:16 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: The Price of Revenge for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-the-price-of-revenge/user-reviews/759547/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

You'd think picking up a renegade bounty hunter in a space soap opera would lead to some brilliant tension in your party or some dramatic showdowns between crew members or fantastically slimy adventures among criminal elements, or at the very least some clever sarcastic commentary as you play through the base game ... but no, not really. With The Price of Revenge, you get some decent voice acting with some kind of Australian accent, along with an altogether middling loyalty mission that takes you inside a generic warehouse to shoot some generic Blue Sun baddies and ... well, that's about it really.

If you're a ME2 completionist, it's obviously worth picking up or downloading. But if you're looking for a worthwhile new crew member, you're far better off with Kasumi's Stolen Memory. While Kasumi isn't necessarily more interesting, personality-wise, she's way more useful in combat with an excellent unique ability (maybe the best in the game) and a fantastic, super-accurate new SMG to play around with.

On the upside, you do get a new flamethrower heavy weapon and Zaeed is a competant combatant (assault rifle/sniper specialty), especially early in the game when your party options are otherwise limited to Jacob and Miranda.

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"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: The Price of Revenge for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:44:16 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-the-price-of-revenge/user-reviews/759547/platform/pc/ Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:31:53 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Normandy Crash Site for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-normandy-crash-site/user-reviews/759545/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 5.0.

This is purely decorative DLC ... a great idea to memorialize the crash site of the fallen Normandy and collect dog tags of dead crew members to send to their families. There's a nice tip of the hat to your navigator as well, but the scope of this mission is extremely thin. Bioware blew an opportunity to build some interesting story-driven content around this concept, instead of just having you wander around a field fetching items for 15 minutes. Return to Ostagar from Dragon Age is very similar in scope, except they built out an actual storyline, gave you motivation to play through and seek some revenge with combat that actually gave some gameplay and value to the DLC.

Emotionally, yes, this is a nice acknowledgement to play through and reminisce. But it really could have been a lot more.

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"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Normandy Crash Site for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:31:53 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-normandy-crash-site/user-reviews/759545/platform/pc/ Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:21:50 -0700 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Kasumi - Stolen Memory for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-kasumi-stolen-memory/user-reviews/759543/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

I'm a bit late to Kasumi's Stolen Memory, having avoided it a long time because of negative reviews. Being the ME2 addict I am, my temptation eventually buckled. After finally playing through this mission pack, I have to say it's not nearly as bad as what reviews make it out to be. While Kasumi's personal mission is brief, it's just as unique and worthwhile to play through as any of the other excellent personal missions in the base game. Snooping your way around a high-society criminal's mansion is fun enough, with a clever payoff of seeing various artifacts stored away in his massive gallery vault.

But the best reason for picking up Kasumi's Stolen Memory is Kasumi herself. Her personality is so-so, but she does contribute witty comments throughout the full game. More importantly, she's an absolute beast in combat. With the addition of her DLC-exclusive super-accurate SMG and her incredible Shadow Strike ability, Kasumi is an easy choice for most missions and will make mincemeat out of foes while popping in and out of stealth.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Kasumi - Stolen Memory for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:21:50 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-kasumi-stolen-memory/user-reviews/759543/platform/pc/ Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:11:35 -0700 sgthalka reviewed God of War Collection for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-collection/user-reviews/759320/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

While playing through the God of War franchise, it's easy to forget these games really aren't that old. The original debuted late in the PS2's lifespan (2005), while God of War II came out as the shift to HD consoles was well under way (2007). So perhaps it shouldn't be so shocking that this HD re-release looks as good as it does ... but still ... it does. These are PS2 games, and seeing them in crisp 1080p, it's amazing they look as good as most current-generation releases.

GoW and GoW II certainly play as well as current-gen action games, having practically perfected the action-platformer in their day. The only knock you can really make on God of War's gameplay is that it does get repetitive, even moreso if you play the two games back-to-back, or if you've already dabbled with the original games on PS2 or the PSP releases. There is a clear-cut GoW formula, and if you've grown tired of swinging those chains and tapping through QTE boss battles, I doubt the HD re-skin is going to do much to reignite any excitement for these games.

That said, if you never played the originals to completion or if this is your first time seeing them at all, you're in for a treat as both games hold up remarkably well in 2011. Even moreso with widescreen HD to show off the incredible level designs and art direction going on outside of the action. These are epic levels that cover tons of environments, with well-considered pacing as you alternate between combat heroics and light puzzle-solving. The overall storyline is surprisingly impactful in the series debut as Kratos' personal history is unveiled. There are clear and dramatic motivations for the insane violence you unleash on the world.

Unfortunately, the plot quickly loses steam in the sequel as it's clear the developers had to come up with something to justify an additional game rather than tell any sort of necessary story. The sequel also feels more like brainless bloodlust than any sort of compelling personal vendetta like the original, which can eventually grate you as a player. It can be tiring to play a mindless butcher who lashes out at everyone and everything, even moreso when the combat mechanics eventually start to wear you out and the storyline isn't doing much to propel you forward.

All things considered, the God of War Collection is a brilliant idea as a package and a total steal at only $40 (new). I can only hope other classic franchises receive the HD compilation treatment in the near future.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sgthalka reviewed God of War Collection for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by sgthalka on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:11:35 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-collection/user-reviews/759320/platform/ps3/ Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:56:15 -0800 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-lair-of-the-shadow-broker/user-reviews/757248/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

As much as I enjoyed Overlord for its creepy atmosphere and smart storytelling, Lair of the Shadow Broker makes a bigger impact overall to the Mass Effect universe. Whereas most of ME2's missions have a decidedly TV feel -- discover a problem, resolve the problem, get out of town -- something about Shadow Broker feels more epic, like a classic film instead of a TV episode. This is probably largely due to the history you may (or may not) have with the game's two main characters, Liara and the Shadow Broker, and the ramifications this DLC has on the world's overall fiction.

If you had a romance with Liara in the first game, I'm sure you noticed how cold she was to your character in ME2. In that case, playing through this DLC will give you exactly what you may have been hoping for in the base game. Liara barely acknowledges you in ME2, and here you find out why. At the risk of sounding a little dramatic, it's actually an emotional story that might tug the heartstrings depending on how much you care for her character. Liara feels more developed as a person and the relationship between her and Shepard feels way more authentic this time around. Bioware even includes a touching epilogue with Liara after your main mission is done that can play out multiple ways depending on your character's actions over the past two games.

Shadow Broker is a fast-paced adventure. There's some brilliant combat design here in gorgeous environments, but you'll be storming the gates of the Shadow Broker's HQ before you know it. It's a little unfortunate Bioware didn't spin this particular tale a bit more slowly, but then again, when the storytelling is this good, it's going to feel like a fast page-turner no matter what the intended pacing is. All in all, this is an essential DLC pack that gives a sweet send-off to ME2 while perfectly setting the stage to get you pumped for Mass Effect 3.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:56:15 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-lair-of-the-shadow-broker/user-reviews/757248/platform/pc/ Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:19:15 -0800 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Overlord for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-overlord/user-reviews/757244/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Bioware really sets a new standard for story-based DLC with Overlord. This is a brief campaign, maybe a few hours on your first playthrough -- but the experience certainly feels much larger. Overlord takes you to what appears to be a deserted Cerberus outpost and quickly reels you into a creepy suspense thriller not unlike older classics like System Shock II.

Level design and art direction are outstanding as you explore what genuinely feels like a huge base of operations. The sense of scale as you immediately fight inside a massive satellite dish is impressive, and the attention to detail continues in several other locations that feel completely unique from anything you've experienced in ME2.

Overlord tells a solid -- if not terribly original -- story that flows well like an episode of a good TV show, similar to the loyalty missions in ME2. What really elevates the storytelling is the well-timed combat sequences and creepy surprises that keep you on your toes throughout. If you're going to spend some extra money on DLC, it certainly won't go to waste on Overlord. This is a must-play mission if you've enjoyed the base game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2: Overlord for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:19:15 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2-overlord/user-reviews/757244/platform/pc/ Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:52:55 -0800 sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2/user-reviews/756293/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Back in the late '90s, Bioware developed what became the definitive formula for epic computer RPGs. Thanks to franchises like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment, the Infinity Engine basically defined computer RPGs for a decade. Many companies struggle to grow and innovate past their initial success, so watching Bioware's growth over the last decade as they transitioned from exclusively PC to consoles has been a mixed bag, with hits (KOTOR), misses (Jade Empire) and in-between (NWN).

The release of Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 so close to each other is hard to comprehend from the outside looking in. Developing one memorable game is hard enough, but releasing two RPG masterpieces within months of each other is just unbelievable, even moreso when each represents such different views of what RPGs were and where they can go. It sounds a bit like sacrilege considering how much I worshipped Baldur's Gate, but Mass Effect 2 really represents the best RPG Bioware has ever created and possibly the definitive template for RPGs moving forward.

The highest compliment you can pay Mass Effect 2 is this is a universe that's very easy to get sucked into and very hard to pull away from. Whereas the attention to detail in Mass Effect 1 felt overbearing, in ME2 the world feels fully realized and you simply sink into the details, rather than being clobbered over the head with them. The level designers have really outdone themselves. Each city, base and world in ME2 has a distinctive feel and gorgeous aesthetic. It's hard to play without constantly lingering over a beautiful landscape or scenic interior, especially when you want more time to linger but combat forces you to focus on what's directly in front of you.

Speaking of combat, ME2 also represents Bioware's first truly great combat system since the Infinity Engine era. Most RPGs developers have struggled with innovating on classic rules-based RPG combat systems and how they fit into modern action games, and Bioware's no exception. But ME2 is genuinely a joy to play as a shooter with fairly easily managed group tactics. While it's obviously not as robust as what's on display in Dragon Age or pure shooters, ME2's mechanics work for what the game is trying to accomplish and it's combat never really feels tedious.

It certainly helps that the overall pacing of the game is second-to-none, with standout loyalty missions being the game's true storytelling highlight. The central campaign is interesting on its own, if not a little standard for space marine sci-fi action games. But each of your party's personal backgrounds and individual missions are absolute stunners. The final stages of the game are some of the most riveting action I've ever played. The way Bioware integrated your decisions on squad leadership and roles, and the way events can unfold in those final moments is nothing short of amazing. Everyone who plays will likely lose key party members, and each one feels like a honest-to-goodness punch in the gut. You wouldn't feel this way if you didn't care about the people, so it's a tribute to how well Bioware has developed these personalities that they have the dramatic weight it does. Many of the missions in ME2 play out like episodes of a great sci-fi TV show with remarkable writing, voice acting and drama. Mix in a Hollywood blockbuster quality musical score to enhance all the combat and conversation, and you've got a piece of science fiction that can rival the best we've seen on film and TV.

Mass Effect 2 is one of those special games that really feels like the first page of a new era of game development. Not just in terms of blending genre mechanics, but in terms of elevating storytelling in games to a genuine Hollywood level. Playing through Mass Effect 2 can be an impactful experience, just as impactful as the first time you ever saw Blade Runner or Star Wars. It's an experience that will stick with you in a game world that's impossible to forget.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sgthalka reviewed Mass Effect 2 for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:52:55 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-2/user-reviews/756293/platform/pc/ Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:22:15 -0800 sgthalka reviewed Borderlands for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/borderlands/user-reviews/752837/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

It's a bit unfair reviewing the core Borderlands game by itself these days, considering the well-received DLC and the Game of the Year edition that now exist. Taken as a whole, Borderlands GOTY is a tremendous package, especially if discounted.

But if you focus just on the base game itself, Borderlands' appeal doesn't shine quite as bright. This is pretty much the definitive guilty pleasure game, not unlike MMOs. Borderlands' combat is average for the genre and can get repetitive, especially considering the game's length (30+ hours on playthrough *one*) and monotonous brown canyon environments.

The real hook here isn't gunplay or exploration, and definitely not the threadbare storyline. The main draw are the group dynamics if you're playing co-op with friends, and the addictive nature of RPG-style leveling mechanics, stat building and random loot drops. One cannot understate how addictive the Diablo formula still is after all these years, even moreso when applied to the generally breezy fast pace of a first-person shooter. I'm usually a story-first type of gamer, but I found myself playing Borderlands non-stop for several weeks to its finish, despite how weak the fiction and characters are.

Not that I went into Borderlands expecting any kind of epic, detailed RPG universe. Gearbox always pitched this game as GUNS and LOOT, and nothing more. There's a hint at the great sense of humor that's more fully developed in the DLC add-ons, but there's really hardly any characters here that you'll become attached to besides the hilarious little Claptrap robots peppered throughout the game. The storyline borrows a lot from apocalyptic standouts like Fallout 3 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., except grossly simplified with a Saturday morning cartoon vibe. Which is totally fine by me. The attitude is a fresh change of pace, even if the fiction is so simple.

Combat is definitely good but not great. The gunplay and enemy AI are on par with what's expected from the genre, but never quite feels as satisfying as what's on display in category leaders like Call of Duty or Halo. Guns don't have the same punch. The endless variety of stats doesn't change the fact that one shotgun basically feels the same as the next shotgun, even if the graphics are slightly different from gun to gun. Borderlands has a decent variety of enemy types that gets repetitive only because the campaign is so long. It would have hugely benefitted from more boss and mini-boss fights to spruce up the overly drawn-out pacing. Tactics are generally fun. Enemies will try to take cover, outflank you or flush you out of safe spots with grenades. The four character classes give you an opportunity to specialize a little bit in various combat strategies -- tank, DPS, crowd control -- but I really wish each class had more than just one single unique combat ability to play around with.

On its own, Borderlands is a satisfying shooter that hints at how great the DLC add-ons would eventually make this game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"sgthalka reviewed Borderlands for the PC..." was posted by sgthalka on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:22:15 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/borderlands/user-reviews/752837/platform/pc/