Talonfire's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Talonfire's GameSpot Friend's Reviews Talonfire's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Sat, 18 May 2013 17:54:52 -0700 GameSpot Talonfire's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Wed, 15 May 2013 07:10:07 -0700 KingLim reviewed Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-new-vegas-honest-hearts/user-reviews/811331/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Honest Hearts features a generally low tech environment dominated by canyons, rivers and caves. You would expect a lot of wild creatures and tribals, but the strange thing is these tribals pack state-of-the-art weapons like the Anti-materiel rifle and 12.7mm subs, which on the other hand, is useful for hoarding and saving back on your main quests.

The quests are mostly generic kill this, fetch that sort of errands, but provide opportunities to explore the stretches of Zion. One of the interesting unmarked quests to do would be to uncover the "Survivalist's" story and his hidden cache. For the unique loot collector, Honest Hearts doesn't disappoint. Check out the Desert Ranger Armor set, the one and only in the game.

Though it can be completed in a rough 6-8 hours with little climax, it still caters enough fun and blissful distraction for the wasteland explorer in you and me.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Wed, 15 May 2013 07:10:07 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-new-vegas-honest-hearts/user-reviews/811331/platform/pc/ Fri, 10 May 2013 00:30:18 -0700 KingLim reviewed Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-new-vegas-dead-money/user-reviews/811165/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

The first add-on provides some relief from the main quest in the original game, and also to add spice to the gameplay, you are stripped of all the good gear and weapons you've been hoarding in your inventory. Although you'll be adding some nifty stuff back from the Sierra Madre Casino, so keep everything in your player safehouse before you venture into this one-way location.

The main challenges to this game are a 2-sided coin. The bad part is the dull and hard (for low level) creatures, namely the "Ghost People", which are the only creatures you can physically harm, oh and the random 1xp radroaches. Why are the Ghost People dull? Because they don't look the part if you're expecting Paranormal Activity IV, in fact they look like veteran NCR junkies, with knives. Furthermore, the variants all look the same, and their dark clothes make them look more dreary in the gloomy backdrop. Bottom line is, they create more annoyance than tension.

The best side of the challenge in Dead Money is the vulnerability and scarcity you face, with an almost clean inventory slate, rare healing and offensive pickups, which makes a certain loot called "Dean's Stashes" very rewarding through exploration. Yes, this game rewards exploration in the desperation manner. Vulnerability occurs in the form of an explosive collar around you, annoying but entertainingly nail-biting in some situations.

There are some unique loot only the add-on offers, like the Holorifle and the Automatic Rifle, but not much. The companion characters provide some nice perspectives in their backstory muses, thus Speech is a key skill here. All in all, Dead Money appeals more to the quest-solver, not the trigger-happy.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Fri, 10 May 2013 00:30:18 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fallout-new-vegas-dead-money/user-reviews/811165/platform/pc/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:49:31 -0700 KingLim reviewed Darksiders for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/darksiders/user-reviews/810582/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Once you play Darksiders for an hour, you naturally have to compare it to God of War, with its similar combat moves, level of violence (yanking off wings from angels) and puzzle-solving techniques. Some of you may be shouting "Rip-off!" but once you've played long enough, you'll realise the sincerity of the game through its integrity in game-world interactions, via innovations in a great arsenal of puzzle-solving tools, player engagement through rewarding explorations and increasing sense of character power through the resulting unlockables.

The plot itself and the theme is a little too morbid in my perspective though, as it takes place on Earth (what's left of it), where in the wake of the apocalypse as depicted in the slick opening cinematics, humans are reduced to negligible health snacks for our protagonist, rendering the game experience a bit depressing after a while. This is unlike Kratos in God of War, where his inner struggle with his wife and brother makes him more "human", thus a more likeable character than War in Darksiders.

However, Darksiders proved to be a brutally satisfying game that feeds any blood-thirsty gamer well, and the scaleable difficulty levels are friendly to newcomers and can be challenging to veterans as well.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Darksiders for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:49:31 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/darksiders/user-reviews/810582/platform/pc/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:37:07 -0700 weedman1985 reviewed The Graveyard for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-graveyard/user-reviews/810471/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 1.0.

Wow.... I'm utterly speechless. Never in my wildest dreams have I witnessed such horror. To think that comparing a game to Big Rigs racing will end up as an insult to Big Rigs is something I used to joke about, a very long time ago. We all used to sit down and laugh at how terrible Action 52 was with it's broken games and false promises.... all of which pale in comparison to this horrid atrocity.

At least you can bloody play Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing.

The game starts with the player controlling an old lady at the gate of what appears to be a cemetery. There is a path that leads to a far away bench that sits beneath a mausoleum of some kind. There seem to be some deviating paths on the way, although the game forces you on aforesaid narrow straight line with no ability to stray from it. And as you might suspect, being an old lady means that you walk at a painfully slow pace, occasionally limping like a wounded rabbit for what would seem like an eternity, before sitting your ass down on the bench at the end so we can see a close-up view of her horribly jagged and poorly textured face while listening to a poorly subtitled song in German. Then the lady has to stand up, and the player gets the incredibly tedious task of walking back to the entrance, whereupon you can gaze at the credits (if you haven't) and possibly write down the names of the people involved with it just in case you'd want to kill them all, which I presume will happen sooner or later when people realize they paid 5 USD for this "game" that would be embarassed by ****ing ET on the Atari 2600.

Many questions seem to arise from the paper thin plot of this game, like who is this woman? why did she come here? and most importantly, why should I give a rat's buttock? all of which seem to remain unanswered at the end of the 5-10 minutes it takes to finish this "game". Some people say that it's open to interpretation and that excuses the game's length and overall lack of substance. Sadly, what most people view as art, I view as bollocks. Big, fat, hairy bollocks that exist only to hide the fact that developers are lazy, from gullible folks that generally consider tripe like this as high Art.

Common arguments also include:
"Oh, but it's unique", Well, so is a cheese and dog shit sandwich.
"Oh, it's dark". And so is my stool. And the doctor says that's a bad thing.

Case in point, if everything your game has to offer is in the above criteria, then something has gone horribly wrong somewhere. A game cannot stand on it's own with merely an art direction and no substance at all. In an industry where people make games, this is simply unacceptable. In The Graveyard's case, I'm not sure it even qualifies as a short movie. It has no plot to speak of and only one completely blank and unrelatable character. There is no atmosphere to speak of, either. This is storytelling at it's absolute worst. And you know that something is horribly wrong when games like Final Fantasy 13 have better storyteling and characters.

This game has absolutely no redeeming qualities. There is nothing here that would satisfy anyone other than the lowest common denominator - The bottom of the barrel of expectations. Even other bad games have at least some substance, no matter how terrible they are. You could at least spend some time laughing at the bad design choices, the awful voice acting, the crappy graphics.... etc. The Graveyard doesn't even offer the chance to laugh at it, with the game being so terribly short and linear, you will be more occupied with how painfully boring it is. And I'll be buggered if I have to play it again just to rip it apart some more.


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"weedman1985 reviewed The Graveyard for the PC..." was posted by weedman1985 on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:37:07 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-graveyard/user-reviews/810471/platform/pc/ Mon, 01 Apr 2013 06:59:05 -0700 KingLim reviewed Call of Duty 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-2/user-reviews/809712/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Call of Duty 2 plays very well, kudos to strict quality assurance from the developers, with tight combat and varied challenges that are always engaging, despite the overused WWII FPS theme. For those of you who've played Brothers-in-Arms, you would notice familiar scenarios and squad-based tactics involving house and bunker clearing, with the occasional heroic moments. These "flip-the-odds" moments are well scripted into the game, and I especially appreciate the sniping part in the Silo mission, as well as signalling for arti strikes, and I think you would too. Also, there's a scenario where you have to chase a tank that's running from you and your sticky bomb, I'm serious.

The tank missions, though brief, provide a good break from the running, crawling and jumping. Like the first game, you get to shoot stuff with a few cool gun fixtures, such as the Flak 88 and AA gun, but I feel it would be nice to be able to use more variety of such stationary weapons, as a sequel feature.

Nevertheless, the soundscape is as immersive as ever, bringing WWII to life, and the visuals still look good today in 2013 even though it's dated, because the game just feels timeless. A masterpiece yet again.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Call of Duty 2 for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 06:59:05 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-2/user-reviews/809712/platform/pc/ Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:00:35 -0700 KingLim reviewed Unreal Tournament III for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/unreal-tournament-iii/user-reviews/809521/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

The closest thing I've played something like Unreal Tournament is the 2000 version of Counter-Strike, so UT3 presents a lot of wow factors in my point of view. Counter-Strike simulates a real-world counter-terrorist scenario with real guns and combat tactics, but that would be boring in the perspective of a sci-fi world. In this game, the weapons are one of the coolest gadgets I've seen in a shooter in terms of design and rendering, compared to Halo and Mass Effect, and their specific uses in combat tactics are well thought out and admirable.

I love the vehicles in this game, and controlling Darkwalkers here is bad-a** and feels liberating. Kudos to the developers for their idea of this War of the Worlds-inspired vehicle! In terms of gameplay design, I appreciate the variety of modes in this kind of Counter-Strike styled layout, where the Warfare scenarios really pump up my blood pressure, apart from the usual Deathmatches and Capture-the-Flags. But it provokes a lot of bad tempers too, as the chaotic level in UT3 Warfares is notorious, thanks to crazy maps and high mortality rates brought by super-powerful weapons and uncoordinated AI bots.

Actually, UT3 is annoyingly hard, and playing in Casual mode doesn't help in later stages if you're either playing alone or with equally inexperienced pals. However, UT3 shines if you're the veteran "pwner" in FPS and you'll really appreciate the efforts put into this game, both in terms of gameplay design and aesthetics. For me, my kind of reward for grinding through the single-player campaign is the exceptionally presented cinematics.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Unreal Tournament III for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:00:35 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/unreal-tournament-iii/user-reviews/809521/platform/pc/ Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:29:55 -0700 adders11 reviewed Doom 3 BFG Edition for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/doom-3-bfg-edition/user-reviews/809389/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

So around eight years after Doom 3 hit the PC in 2004, id Software and Bethesda released the BFG Edition on the PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as the PC. Despite the time it took to finally play the game in HD on the latest-generation consoles, I still absolutely love Doom 3 to this day. Good news then, that the BFG Edition doesn't just contain Doom 3, but also the 2005 expansion Resurrection of Evil as well as complete versions of Ultimate Doom and Doom II. There's also a brand new, eight-level single-player campaign titled 'The Lost Mission' thrown in for good measure.

Here's a quick recap of these titles: Doom 3 is essentially a re-imagining of the original Doom; not necessarily a remake, but more of a reboot. You play as a nameless, silent Marine who's been assigned to a huge base Mars on controlled by the Union Aerospace Corporation. Your mission: to search for a missing scientist. Before you know it, one thing leads to another and the whole base has been overrun by demonic forces and most of the bases personnel have been transformed into flesh-eating zombies, leaving you to fight your way out.

Doom 3's gameplay is relatively straightforward and lacks a major plot, but since Doom was never intended to be that way, it doesn't matter. Most people will remember the game for it's incredible graphics, which blew away the rest of the competition for some time with the exception of a few odd titles here and there (Half-Life 2 anyone?). But honestly, I loved the way that this game played just as much as it's visuals. The weapons for example, were very satisfying to use, and the attention to detail within the levels was unrivaled.

Resurrection of Evil takes place a few years later and has you in the boots of a different Marine who also just happens to never speak a word for the entire game. RoE is essentially the same game over with several new weapons and abilities, including the 'Artifact' and the 'Grabber' (basically a rip-off of Half-Life 2's gravity gun). In my opinion RoE had it's strengths and weaknesses over Doom 3; if you want an even more action-oriented Doom, RoE is the better choice, but if you were looking for more of a horror/atmospheric experience, Doom 3 is the better game.

The Lost Chapter is a solid eight-level campaign, but don't expect a lengthy game (mind you, games these days rarely last any longer than five or six hours). It doesn't really add anything new to the series, and is simply a set of well designed levels for the fans to enjoy. The whole point of the game is to shut down a teleporter to Earth in order to prevent the demon forces from invading, but really, it's just an excuse to create some more Doom 3 levels. If, like me, you are a Doom fanboy, having more new Doom 3 levels to play is a treat.

First of all, I'd like to just say that the guy who told you 'BFG Edition is pointless, just get the PC game and mod the hell out of it' is wrong. True, there's nothing wrong with playing the original game modded to the extreme, but did people forget that not everybody plays PC games!? Yes, the game is available on the PC as well, and in this respect I can understand why you'd pick the original over the PC version of BFG Edition, but the console versions of the game are still there for anybody who never played a Doom title in their life, or for anybody who simply just wanted to play the game in an armchair in front of their massive TV's.

Seeing as this is essentially a port, albeit an enhanced one, not much has really changed at the end of the day, and that goes for all the games included. There are a few minor tweaks to be had here and there, but the gameplay largely remains the same. So if for example, you hated the whole PDA business (the audio logs, the emails etc. that were integral to the game) that was introduced to Doom 3 in 2004, then you probably still won't enjoy the game. However, what has been altered is the flashlight.

Anyone who's played Doom 3 will remember constantly switching between their flashlight and their weapons due to the constant darkness the game beholds, and the fact that you couldn't hold both at the same time, and there was a lot of criticism from many gamers at the time. Well the BFG Edition removes the flashlight and now you have a light fixed onto your armour instead, which can be switched on or off at any time. True, this will make many players happy, but honestly, I LIKED the original flashlight system. You heard me. Much of the tension of the 2004 game has been lost in the BFG Edition, and that's mostly because of the lack of a physical torch that you hold separately to the rest your arsenal. Of course, I'm in the minority on this front, so if anything the average player would actually prefer this so-called 'improvement' over the PC original. Meh, it's not like it ruined the BFG Edition for me. Far from it.

One of the most obvious topics to discuss is how well the game holds up visually today, and how much better the game looks over the original. Well, the best news for me is that the game runs at a consistent 60 frames per second on the PS3, and I assume the same can be said for the 360 version of the game. I didn't experience any issues with the frame-rate whatsoever, and the game runs very nice and smooth throughout. In all honesty, this was a big deal for me, because I absolutely can't stand a game with a broken frame-rate – especially a GREAT game that's been butchered due to it running at a snails pace. Well, there's no need to worry about this aspect. The controls are perfect, very responsive and well-mapped out. Put simply, playing Doom 3 on a DualShock controller works as well as any other well-received FPS on the console.

Graphically, the game has been improved over the 2004 original – just don't expect any major differences. The graphics are very crisp and clear, and in my opinion, the game still looks better than the majority of other first person shooters on the PS3, and this is largely due to the high frame-rate and excellent atmosphere. It's quite amazing how well Doom 3 holds up today. True, this is an enhanced version of the game, but only in minor ways. The game looks like the PC original on ultra settings, with improved character and enemy models, crisper shadows and brighter levels. Apparently the game was build on the original Doom 3 engine (id Tech 4), with elements of id Software's latest engine, id Tech 5, the same engine which powers the mediocre Rage. There's also 3D support...which I've yet to try.

My only complaint regarding the visuals is the fact that the shadows and lighting could have been better at times. For whatever reason, shining your light on an object in the world no longer casts a dynamic shadow, and I can't understand why this sacrifice was made. That said, the rest of the shadows still look fantastic, and you would only be complaining about this if you played the original. The music and sound mostly remains the same, so there isn't anything to be excited about here either, though I thought the game's sound design never needed any improvements anyway.

Any other complaints? Well, despite the game running exceptionally well and also looking damn good on the visual front, there are still a couple of technical issues to be had. The load and save times are pretty ridiculous for a game like Doom. Loading a level takes way longer than it should; my guess would be around one minute, and it can be pretty frustrating if you die and have to load the level again. Why the load times are as bad as this I don't know. The good news is that you can still save wherever and whenever you please, so it's not a huge complaint really.

A checkpoint system has also been included, but it doesn't really work that well because the game seems to save almost randomly at times. There are many points in the game where you'd expect a checkpoint, but it never comes. Then, out of the blue, the game saves itself. Again, not a huge complaint because you can save the game manually at any time, but it can be annoying if you're not a PC gamer and you aren't used to manual saving.

Of course, you're also getting full versions of the Ultimate Doom and Doom II, as well as the Xbox Live Arcade WAD, No Rest For The Living. I'm not going to give an in-depth description of these classics, because a) they are so legendary I don't think it's necessary, and b) I've reviewed countless ports of them already. But the upshot of it is this: if you've never played classic Doom before, you can't go wrong with these versions.

These ports are very accurate to the original DOS format, and really there's nothing wrong with this. But personally I think each of the games could have been rendered better and play at higher resolutions than they are presented on the PS3. They play at 1080p for sure, but they aren't quite as silky smooth as I expected them to be, and personally I don't think there's any excuse for this. Not that these games are unplayable, that's the last thing they are, I was just disappointed by the fact that they felt as if they were thrown in at the last minute and not polished enough. I did enjoy playing No Rest For The Living very much however, as this was something I was looking forward to playing (I don't own a 360).

The good news is that as well as the obvious single-player modes, you also get multiplayer co-op and deathmatch modes as well as split-screen support, so you can enjoy some good, proper fragging 1994-style. Like any other Doom fanatic however, it's no surprise that playing classic Doom with a keyboard and mouse on the PC is still the best way to go. Especially when played through a source port such as ZDoom.

In the end it's difficult for me not to give this game the nine out of ten I've scored it – it is a collection of my favourite game series after all. And to be honest, the BFG Edition port of Doom 3 ended up the way I expected it to...more-or-less. The actual ports of Doom 3 and Resurrection of Evil are very nice to play, The Lost Mission is an enjoyable, albeit brief set of new levels and the ports of classic Doom...well, it's old-school Doom. And when you consider the fact you're getting hours and hours of quality gaming for half the price of a brand new title, well, it's a steal. If it wasn't for the minor technical issues, I'd have happily given the BFG Edition a ten out of ten. The game is missing a (very thin) coat of paint, but this is still Doom – id Software's magnum opus is back once again for a whole new generation of fans to enjoy.

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"adders11 reviewed Doom 3 BFG Edition for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by adders11 on Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:29:55 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/doom-3-bfg-edition/user-reviews/809389/platform/ps3/ Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:34:37 -0700 KingLim reviewed BioShock 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-2/user-reviews/809272/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Bioshock 2 is fantastic, and though it offers more or less of the same experience in the first game, it still manages to grab my full attention to its story, atmosphere and gameplay yet again, depriving me of a week's proper life. This time being the Big Daddy, it allows you to revisit the horror of Rapture in its armored glory, but even so, you are still as vulnerable as before, requiring tonics and upgrades in order to safeguard your journey.

Actually, this is what makes Bioshock 2 so satisfying in the first place! The experience of being trapped in a survival-horror scenario with a vulnerable physique and scarce supplies serves to induce a lot of desire to explore and scavenge for higher chances of survival, and the developers reward players very well who dared to explore, balancing between risk of enemy encounters and reaping huge rewards. One of the best features repeated here is the "Power to the People" stations for the weapon upgrades, and the journey of finding them is equally exhilarating.

The story deals with the fundamental relationships between a father, mother and daughter and is infused with sinister secrets and darkness, and kudos to the scriptwriting team, produces yet another jaw-dropping twist in plot, wrapped neatly in the vintage post-WWII visuals and sound design.

Some improvements to the game include revamped hacking sequences and the elimination of film ammo for the camera, yes the camera is back, and the rewards of getting level 4 research is still as satisfying. My keyword here in Bioshock 2 if you realized, is satisfying.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed BioShock 2 for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:34:37 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-2/user-reviews/809272/platform/pc/ Sun, 17 Mar 2013 07:32:37 -0700 KingLim reviewed Nox for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/nox/user-reviews/808952/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Nox is like an eccentric grandfather, a nostalgic game reminiscent of the first Diablo but behaves like an old fart. Why? The story is quirky, the humor is outlandish and the gameplay is unforgiving. I played as a warrior, so perhaps it's an odd balance, as you're fighting a lot of ranged monsters and wizards, and most of the wizard enemies can instant kill with a spell, from far. Though the warrior can wear fancy stuff with long names and neat abilities, it still becomes stupefyingly difficult mid-game onwards and ramps up like nobody's business, because the gear can "turn to dust" after a few strong hits, with limited repair opportunities and extremely dear repair costs, making it unplayable without either hardcore determination or the cheat sheet. Yeah, I'm using the cheat sheet...

I mentioned the humor is outlandish, and it spreads from the intro cinematics all the way into the game and ending, with the likes of Ghosts'n Goblins, complete with armor too. So, though it's a nice shift from the moody Diablo, it can be irritating when the game gets too hard to appreciate it. Talking about gameplay, other than the brutal combat conditions, the maze-like level design also doesn't give slack. It still is a gentleman's challenge though, without considering the pestering 'undead' enemies, and is actually well-devised given the dated 90's game engine.

However, as a fantasy RPG, character development and gear customization is almost non-existent in the single-player campaign, forming a void for fans of the genre. Even so, Nox is still a gem of a Diablo clone for old-school fans in the pre-Diablo 2 era, and I believe it's a blast for those looking for nostalgia.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Nox for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Sun, 17 Mar 2013 07:32:37 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/nox/user-reviews/808952/platform/pc/ Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:51:37 -0700 adders11 reviewed Daytona USA for the Saturn... http://www.gamespot.com/daytona-usa/user-reviews/808608/platform/saturn/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

If you played Daytona USA in the arcade, you'll know that it was one of the fastest and most exciting racers to blow your cash on. Sadly, when the game was ported to Sega's brand new console in 1995, the Saturn, the same couldn't be said. Not that Daytona on the Saturn is bad, it just isn't the pixel-perfect arcade conversion that AM2 claimed it was on the box.

So anyway, Daytona USA puts you at the wheel of a stock car and has you race against twenty AI opponents on the Intermediate and Expert tracks and forty on the Beginner track, which is presumably based on Daytona International Speedway itself. It's an extremely fast-paced game with a good level of difficulty, in true old-school gaming fashion. It's also quite possibly one of the first 3D racing titles to feature a level of visible car damage as well as the ability to make a pit-stop in the middle of race (to fix up your car of course). So if you hadn't already guessed, all these factors add up to make a winner, at least with the arcade original anyway.

Content-wise, everything is in tact. All three circuits are present and there's some nice console-exclusive settings to tinker with, including the new 'Saturn Mode', which essentially removes the timer so you aren't racing against the clock. The trouble is, the game feels very rough around the edges; let me explain...

...although the game does take advantage of the Saturn's 3D power, the frame-rate is much, much lower than it's arcade cousin, running around a measly 20fps as opposed to 60fps. While this doesn't make the game unplayable as such, far from it, it just doesn't feel quite 'right', particularly if you were used to the arcade version. The game doesn't play like a slug, but even compared to other specific Saturn racers, it certainly could've been better had the game spent more time in development.

It isn't that bad graphically in all fairness, and, apart from a lower resolution and some noticeable pixellation (which was to be expected), there are few-to-no sacrifices to be found regarding track and vehicle detail. What has been drastically altered however, is the draw-distance. Christ is it bad. You can be racing through the relatively-short tunnel of the second track and all you can see at the end of it is blue sky and clouds, until suddenly the bend in the tunnel appears out of nowhere. And the first and best-known track, the Beginner course suddenly doesn't look quite as awesome as it used to thanks to these horrific draw-distances. I know that pop-up was present in the majority of 3D games on the Saturn, and even early PlayStation titles, but this is certainly up there as one of the worse titles regarding this aspect. It's catastrophically bad.

The other major let-down is the lack of any kind of social gameplay. Basically, there's no split-screen mode, despite the fact that the best feature of the arcade version was the ability to play with your mates. And this also goes for, well, most racing games since the dawn of mankind. I suppose you have to wonder what kind of effect a split-screen option would have on the already struggling frame-rate and god-awful draw-distance. There's also no Time Attack mode, although this didn't bother me especially.

Aside from these technical gripes, you've still got a good game here, regardless of what I say. It still plays and feels like the arcade classic, and the three tracks will always be superb. That reason alone puts the gameplay well above average. When you think about it, that's probably the most important factor right there.

The sound design has survived the transition, and it's pure cheese, but I love it. Everything from the ridiculous tunes that play ('Daytonaaaaaaa!', if that rings a bell) to the voice that pumps out such quotes as 'Great, you're time is being extended!', 'Try to go easy on the car!' and 'You're looking good!' whilst you race. Oh, and then there's the epic 'GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES' quote on the loading screen. And did I mention the guy that sings 'Rolling starrrrrrrrrt!' at the beginning of the first race? Heck, there's a voice for just about everything in this game, even when you enter your name on the record screen. Because the sound has been left in-tact, this not only means that the gameplay is still there, but the atmosphere too.

The game controls fairly well, with my only real observation being that the developers chose to use the C button as the throttle instead of the B button. I dunno, it just felt a little odd to me, but no big deal by any means. I heard the game is compatible with the 3D analog controller, but since I haven't got one I can't say what it's like to play with. The controls work just fine with a standard controller anyhow.

The Arcade and Saturn modes aren't that much different from one another (I've already explained the new Saturn mode), and there's only really one car to be had – just like there was in the arcade version – save for the option of manual and automatic transmission. But then you can't really blame the developers for this because let's not forget that this game is a port of an arcade title.

Overall Daytona USA on the Saturn is a sloppy port of a great game. The technical flaws and laziness from the developers aren't enough to stop this from being a good game. It's a must for the serious collectors out there, but any casual Saturn fan may want to check out the so-called 'Champion Circuit Edition' of the game instead – I hear AM2 fixed many of the issues which plagued this port as well as bringing several new cars to the game. Or you could just go and play your copy of Sega Rally, the best racer on the console.

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"adders11 reviewed Daytona USA for the Saturn..." was posted by adders11 on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:51:37 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/daytona-usa/user-reviews/808608/platform/saturn/ Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:57:46 -0800 weedman1985 reviewed The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/807812/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

The Walking Dead represented a rather difficult moral dilemma for me. On one hand the game is an astonishing piece of storytelling and atmosphere, but on the other, a pretty bland and unchallenging adventure game.

The core of the problem is the fact that the touted "moral choice" system is rather lacking. Over the ten or so hours it takes to finish all five episodes, there are only a few moral dilemmas that actually have any effect on your progress that are more than just cosmetic, while the vast majority of them don't really change the outcome of a situation. For example, there is a moment early on in the game where you have to either save a kid or the ranch owner's son from the zombie horde, and no matter who you choose, the outcome will always be the same. It feels like a missed opportunity to do something truly outstanding with the game.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that the framework was in place to accommodate specific gameplay, but was then repurposed for other means or scrapped entirely. The rail shooting sequences are a good indication for this if nothing else, which suggest survival horror elements that could have been easily implemented if they had the permission or time to do so. Instead, the game is riddled with QTEs and unchallenging, but thankfully brief, shooting galleries that might as well could have been part of a cut scene, considering the emotional impact they have on the players.

The rest is your usual adventure game affair, although the words which best describe this game are "squandered potential", since almost every aspect of it is head scratchingly simplistic, as if it was bent into shape to smoothen out the half finished ideas the developer team tried to implement in to the game. The core of the game - the actual puzzles - usually don't take longer than a few seconds to figure out, and the hints the game generiously throws your way if you fail, usually give away the solution to the puzzle, which doesn't go well with the whole "gameplay" aspect of the game.

The Walking Dead also begs for survival horror elements and unscripted zombie encounters that would have benefited the game significantly by adding some much needed tension. The ability to resolve different situations by using different characters' skills to your advantage wouldn't have been amiss. In fact, there are several moments in the game where you enlist Clementine to help climb into places unreachable by other NPCs, which begs the question "why wasn't this mechanic used more often?"

On the plus side, the story is interesting and well told for the most part, though the characters are less than sympathetic which , I suppose, is understandable given the situation. There are some contrivances here and there, that are blatantly shoehorned into the plot to raise the stakes, but overall the game provides a very compelling and dramatic story with interesting characters and unpredictable plot twists to keep you playing to the very end.

The story is sadly the only reason to invest your time in this game, since the episodes are disappointingly short and horribly overpriced unless bundled together. In addition, the lacking gameplay and easy puzzles will likely disappoint adventure game veterans, while other people will probably enjoy it once and never touch this game again.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/807812/platform/pc/ Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:50:30 -0800 KingLim reviewed Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/command-and-conquer-red-alert-3/user-reviews/807482/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

The original Red Alert is well-liked for its wacky WWII time-screw plot coupled with cheesy acting and cool CG cinematics, this time with a good amount of sleaziness, featuring half a dozen hotties including Jenny McCarthy and Kelly Hu! The rest of the wacky cast includes Tim Curry, J.K. Simmons and George Takei! Expect a lot of entertainment.

The Allies and Soviets have both kept their iconic units and structures such as Tanya, Allied spy, Tesla Coil, V-series rocket launcher, the Iron Curtain, and the Chronosphere. All the air, land and sea capablities are stretched to the limits, providing fun tactics and engaging counter-measures. This time, the developers even thought of having an alternate or additional supportive ability for each unit, which can be a tactical overkill.

A new faction joins, or rather, antagonizes the Allies and Soviets, headed by George Takei... Ha, yes, the Japanese empire, and their units are distinctively mecha in design, with the likes of Gundam and Patlabor. Their military strength is centered on the navy with transformable land/sea/air units, which sort of pays homage to their history and culture, and though their campaign missions are tougher, it features a special super unit for you to wreak havoc sometimes, tilting the much needed odds.

Red Alert 3 is strategically enjoyable and exciting, graphically enhanced with a distinctive retro design and accompanied by a rock-infused soundtrack inspired from the award-winning Hell March. Though seedy at times, judging from the aggressive "babes" marketing, it's a game with a lot of heart.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:50:30 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/command-and-conquer-red-alert-3/user-reviews/807482/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.

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"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/ Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:38:18 -0800 um_i_love_games reviewed Lollipop Chainsaw for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/lollipop-chainsaw/user-reviews/805953/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

In Lollipop Chainsaw you take the role of Juliet Starling, a zombie hunting cheerleader who is having her eighteenth birthday. She realizes that she is running late to pickup her boyfriend and speeds out of her home only to reach the school and have her boyfriend half dead on the floor. It turns out Nick, her boyfriend, was bitten by a zombie! Juliet sees that there is only one way to fix this problem: decapitation. Now, with a smoking hot cheerleader holding a chainsaw and killing zombies (Not to mention her boyfriends living head hanging off of her butt) you fight through hordes of zombies in attempt to destroy the five Dark Purveyors send out on a mission to destroy you. How many pom-poms do you think you'll need to survive?

In my point of view, the story line may be cheesy, but all of the hilarious dialogue and cutscenes make up for every bit of it. The characters are wacky and quite possibly suffering from a mental disorder where they have completely lost their minds. These matchups lead for quite an interesting series of conversation. Get ready to have a laugh when you play Lollipop Chainsaw, because it is humorous. A bit crude, but definitely humorous.

The game itself is a bit short, but if you don't do everything right, get ready to play again to get the happy ending! Even if you do finish the game quickly, it is likely you will step back in the game to obtain all of the unlockables and all of the trophies that you can achieve. Still, the game is incredibly fun to play, even if the camera controls can be a bit of a bother. Hacking and slashing through zombies with your chainsaw can make anybody happy, especially teenage boys who enjoy doing just that while looking at a hot cheerleader.

The graphics are almost set as if they were in a comic book. Considering the game is Japanese made, I feel the developers wanted to make the game seem more American by adding this detail to the graphics. Seeing an American highschooler and her boyfriend slaying zombies with a chainsaw? Comicbook style, obviously! The style of the art gives a more western feel on the game, so it feels much more in place being that way.

The music is definitely well chosen, once again being an Americanized theme. You will recognize the 1958 song Lollipop along with notable artists such as Dragonforce, Dead or Alive, and even Skrillex! The background music is always fitting and sometimes the licensed music has you laughing at parts. While there is no creepy ambiance in the music throughout the entire game, keep in mind it is not supposed to be a horror game. The voice acting can be a little on the edge, but only for certain characters (None of which are main characters). Tara Strong does an amazing job, as always, along with everyone else. The actors and actresses are very clear and without hesitation. Very well selected music and great voicing makes this section of the game great!

All in all, Lollipop Chainsaw is a fun and wacky game that will have you laugh while potentially "in the mood" at the same time, if you catch my meaning. If you're not into humor as crude and perverted as this, or hot zombie killing chicks, then this game may not be for you. If you are, then that's great! Go grab Lollipop Chainsaw and give it a try, guys and girls too, because everybody likes cutting zombies into pieces.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/lollipop-chainsaw/user-reviews/805953/platform/ps3/ Sun, 30 Dec 2012 22:09:52 -0800 um_i_love_games reviewed Sonic Generations for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-generations/user-reviews/805502/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

From 1991 to 2011, Sonic and friends have one great birthday bash. The only problem is that all of his friends have been kidnapped by an unknown evil force that is going through time. In efforts to save his friends, Sonic embarks on his fun yet short adventure.

In the game, you control Sonic and Sonic. By that I mean the modern and classic sonic. Each stage has two modes, Modern and classic, where you play the levels from the old sonic games you know and love in a sidescrolling and modern sonic style. After you finish your stages, you must complete challenges to get keys to enter the boss stage.

It should take you no more than 10 hours to complete the main story of the game due to it's short length. It is probable that you could complete it in a four to six hour session depending on your experience with platformers. The game uses one level from each game, however the problem lies where it does not use every game in the franchise. There is a small amount (nine main levels) of levels needed to complete the story, but do not worry, the challenges and boss battles make up for it. There are over 60 different challenges to complete, so prepare to play. Also, do not forget that you must complete the stage in both classic and modern sonic to have finished the stage.

As you progress through the game, you get points for completing each level. You can spend these points to get extra lives, skills that help you through the game (Like in Sonic and the Secret Rings), or other power ups you could use. They aren't really troublesome to obtain, but they can definitely be useful for certain stages. This addition to the game makes it a bit easier for newer players, but it isn't anything to go crazy over.

The graphics and music for the game are more than superb. I have seen no flaws whatsoever in the design of stages, characters, etc, not to mention that it looks beautiful and is compatible with 3DTVs. The music in the game is a collection of remixed songs from the older games, including a fan favorite remix of City Escape.

Overall, Sonic Generations brings us a good entry to the franchise once more. Although it may be short, it's graphics, music, and gameplay are nothing to laugh at. If you have ever enjoyed a sonic game in your life, I recommend checking this game out.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-generations/user-reviews/805502/platform/ps3/ Sat, 03 Nov 2012 09:35:19 -0700 KingLim reviewed Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war-ii/user-reviews/802481/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Now that your squads come with hero characters that can level up, it feels like Warcraft DOTA, just that you are controlling 4 heroes at a time! Anybody who loves a bit of RPG elements will love this aspect of gameplay, which just ramps up the addictiveness this game already provides with its improved combat tactics and challenging enemies. And when I said "challenging", it applies to Normal difficulty as well. You could fail a mission easily in Normal if you're not careful with your squad's health and tactical positioning in the battlefield, especially against bosses, which could be a spoilsport at first, but when you're familiar with the overall playing style and beefing up your heroes a bit more, you will definitely appreciate your hard-earned mission accomplishments.

Other than completing missions for the sake of advancement, looting and gearing up your heroes are always the key in such an RPG/strategy formula, which makes time-stressed optional missions here less annoying, if not bearable, for the grind. Also, the idea of unlocking Terminator armor late-game just makes it such a sweet endeavour.

The soundtrack is great, but not really catchy for me. Sound effects are the music to my ears, especially when you're playing the Space Marines. I could play the assault cannon in my MP3 player all day, and immerse myself with the deep, powerful and resonating focus firing, complete with trills of the bolter barrel... Anyway, it may be a repetitive game for some, but fans of the franchise wouldn't be disappointed.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Sat, 03 Nov 2012 09:35:19 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war-ii/user-reviews/802481/platform/pc/ 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/ Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:10:37 -0700 KingLim reviewed Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/sherlock-holmes-the-awakened/user-reviews/800677/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.0.

No offense to Sherlock Holmes fans but, I have to compare it with the few games of the genre that I've played. As a pure adventure game, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened offers less imagination than The Longest Journey and Syberia, and as a 3D puzzle solving game, less engaging than Indigo Prophecy. I think even the Gabriel Knight franchise has done better. The world of old England and America is bland in this game, even with accurate and picturesque settings, as you can sense that it's a game on budget.

At first, the puzzles seem fitting of a Sherlock Holmes case, with the occasional need for a little lab science time. It's intriguing initially, for a non-fan of the novel, but then the hints to the puzzles get more vague (I'm not really the observant type, thus depending on guides), and then the solutions become a bit far-fetched sometimes. Well, some are really informative, now I know what else lemons are good for other than in tea!

Graphically, I'm only impressed with the facial textures, but the rest of the 3D models are bland. There are also stability issues, especially with the water particles. The music distorts obviously also. The story is deliciously dark and intriguing actually, but is marred by poor production value.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:10:37 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sherlock-holmes-the-awakened/user-reviews/800677/platform/pc/ Sat, 22 Sep 2012 01:18:11 -0700 KingLim reviewed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning/user-reviews/800291/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

In the first 20 minutes, I was wowed by the stylized graphics and cinematic soundtrack, and then the next 2 hours intrigued by the engaging environment, NPCs and their quests. The next 20 hours I still can't get over the sprawling landscape, sweeping score and kick-ass combat moves. The next thing I know, I'm at my 200th hour, finally crawling to the last boss.

Well, that's just the choice I make. Kingdoms of Amalur is packed with some 200 quests, of which 80% of them are side ones, some are fun depending on your taste, though most of them just boil down to kill-this-dude and fetch-me-that kind of stuff. Luckily, the game world is just so beautiful that the grinding and boring tasks are bearable at least for the first half of the campaign. The game rewards exploration and have plenty of unique and set items for the loot junkies. The incredibly vast landscape is divided into forests, plains, deserts and swamps, which makes up a lot of room for quite a good variety of creatures that are well animated. Watching them die is also fun :)

Character abilities and skills are not unfamiliar to the typical gamer, though the combat techniques are a fresh take. There's just this one thing I'm baffled with here, that is, the dialogue. There are tons and tons of spoken dialogue, like over 1000 lines with hundreds of NPCs, and they're all well-acted! So, what's not to like? Because it's just so much lore and backstories it's creepily overwhelming until a point when you realize you get sick of it... they still have new things to say! In terms of production value, this aspect is insane. If you've played Mass Effect and know what I mean, the amount of dialogue here is times 3.

But even with all the good points, the gameplay still stretches too unnecessarily long for me to leave a satisfying impression. This is a game that seriously tests your idleness level, be warned.

KingLim

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"KingLim reviewed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for the PC..." was posted by KingLim on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 01:18:11 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning/user-reviews/800291/platform/pc/