brian376's GameSpot Friend's Reviews brian376's GameSpot Friend's Reviews brian376's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:30:12 -0700 GameSpot brian376's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:48:25 -0700 AQWBlaZer91 reviewed Gunfighter II: Revenge of Jesse James for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/gunfighter-ii-revenge-of-jesse-james/user-reviews/812454/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 3.0.

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Game Title: Gunfighter II: The Revenge of Jeese James
Platform: PlayStation 2
Developer: Rebellion Developments
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Light Gun Shooter
Age Rating: ELSPA: 11+
Release Date: March 28th 2003 (Europe)
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Game Score: 3.0/10
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Summery:
Gunfighter II is simply just another shallow Time Crisis knock off that you should avoid.
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Light Gun on rail shooters have grown stale over the years until Namco's Time Crisis games came and showed how Light Gun shooters can actually be interesting. However due to it's popularity one company named Rebellion attempts to rip it off in order to gain a quick buck. One such title is Gunfighter which told the story of 19th century American Outlaw Jeese James. It was shallow at best but that didn't stop the developers from jumping into the fan wagon again with a squeal. That's right, Rebellion made a sequel for the PlayStation 2 to capitalize on the Time Crisis craze. Let's be honest with Time Crisis 2 around Gunfighter II is simply just another knock off that you should avoid.

Gunfighter II follows after events from the original, As Jeese James you fight off against outlaws and gang members who are after Jeese's head as well as the main villain Bob Younger who wants revenge against him for the death of his brother. Jeese James did his best to save his brother in the original game (Which is Cole, Jeese's partner) but however Bob takes Jeese's gold and his girl and he fights to get them back. Mostly the plot is ridiculous revenge telling even if the main character didn't really kill his brother. The entire plot is lame and also the voice acting is worse then the original.

If you've played Time Crisis at an arcade resort or on your PlayStation game system then you'll feel right at home with Gunfighter II's gunplay. The game is on rails where your character moves automatically and you use either a standard controller or a compatible Light Gun controller. You can optionally play it with a single controller or go dual wield with two Light Gun controllers which is fun I guess but yeah it's Two Player mode but also either one player can the guns so it can actually get awkward a lot.

Gunfighter II shares the same gameplay elements as Namco's Time Crisis where you can release the reload button to engage and pressing it to take cover and dodge incoming fire as well as reloading your six shooter. You have a time limit so you need to dispatch all the bad guys on screen quickly before the time runs out.

While the Time Crisis formula works fine for this game's case there are some changes. The first is that you can now shoot while your character is moving onto the next cover point in the level which I guess it's a nice feature to get some guys out of the way but however it does become somewhat useless later on as some guys don't appear when you've nearly reached the cover point. You can pump up multiple shots into parts of an enemy's body to gain additional points and you can find extra lifes and continues during the levels as well as money for extra points. Don't forget Jeese James is a wanted man so he has to get a massive amount of money to become more infamous.

Now for the various segments of the game. Mostly it handles as simple shootouts but however one level changes the game with a horse riding segment and in my opinion it's one of the coolest features of the game. It's where you're riding on a carriage where dozens of gang members on horses are shooting at you and later on you got signs that you got to shoot to go in a direction away from a trap, otherwise you'll die and be sent back to the previous checkpoint with your highscore reset.

The next segments is where the game gets worse. There is a Gatling Gun you get to use for a brief moment and while it could be fun to pump loads of bullets into enemies with it, it's broken by it's terrible turret controls when using the Light Gun. Firing the gun at anywhere on the screen makes the gun turret fire while the crosshair tries to follow where aiming your gun to. Most of the time it ends up not going to where your aiming and you can't take cover with it equipped so you'll end up taking a hit which makes the gun really useless.

The worst segment of the game is where you're in the mines and it gets annoying when sometimes the camera sometimes never points to when an enemy is about to shoot you or when you got to dodge a obstacle. This becomes very annoying when sometimes you can't do a thing to avoid getting hit by the level's cheapness.

Lastly the game only has a few bosses, I think they are about 4 I think and the game has about 8 three to five minute long stages to play through so you'll be done with the single player in about 30 minutes. You can play on multiple difficulties and also unlock the Shotgun and Gatling guns should you manage to get a high score. At the end of the game you'll get a showdown segment where both men holster their guns and wait for the clock to strike the hour. Once the signal strikes you draw your gun and shoot down the enemy before the enemy shoots you.

In addition to the main game there's also a mode which allows you play any of the game's stages but each has 3 different challenges which are Score, Accuracy and Time and it's the same for each stage you decide to play and you have to beat all 3 of them to unlock the next stage which is ridiculous and you'll easily get bored of playing through the same stages every time for this mode as well as the minigames.

Speaking of which are a collection of minigames that are to unlocked as you play the story. Only the bottle shooting minigame is unlocked as you first boot up the game. Most of these minigames are lame and worst of some of them go up as far as Level 10 so you'll be playing for a while to try and beat it unless you get really bored at playing. Overall the gameplay in Gunfighter II is nowhere near as good as Time Crisis and the minigames, arcade challenges and frustrating segments are only lame efforts to extend the playtime.

Once you took a shot at the gameplay you can take a shot at the game's poor production. Simply the graphics are weaker compared to most other PS2 Light Gun games. Character models look blend and rough while the environments look repetitive and the lighting effects look poor in a lot of dark areas like the saloon at night and the caves. On the positive side is that the explosion effects are pretty decent including the gunfire smoke effects and dynamite. My biggest complaint with the graphics is the animations, most of which they feel very unrealistic and also the death animations that each target on the screen do in the game just look plain stupid such as flipping over and doing a crazed spin when they take a bullet. These animations make Mad Dog McCree's acting look like a master piece of acting.

The soundtrack at least fairs better dispute being mostly reused from the original game with wild western tracks which do set the mood the game is set in. Each track is handled with twangy guitars and galloping percussions and the gunfire does sound cool but however you will have a hard time tolerating the game's awful voice acting which is worse then in the original Gunfighter especially Jeese's.

Honestly the game simply looks more like a cheap imitation of Time Crisis and with all the above mentioned then it's impossible to even recommend this game at full price. If you're still looking for a Light Gun game that's well built on content then personally I'd recommend just playing Time Crisis 2 or Vampire Night instead. I'd also would recommend playing Mad Dog McCree instead of this as you'll get more enjoyment then playing visiting this side of the western country.
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The Good Points:
1. You can shoot while moving towards the next cover point
2. The Horse riding stage is cool

The Bad Points:
1. Terrible storyline and worse voice acting
2. Lame minigames and boring challenges
3. Stupid death animations
4. Lousy Gatling gun controls when using the Light Gun
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
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Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/gunfighter-ii-revenge-of-jesse-james/user-reviews/812454/platform/ps2/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:23:05 -0700 darthcobain17 reviewed LittleBigPlanet for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/littlebigplanet/user-reviews/812376/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

LittleBigPlanet is a unique and original adventure game for the Sony PSP, the premise behind it is quite cool. All of the unused ideas people come up with float out of their heads and up in to outer space, culminating in the creation of the aforementioned LittleBigPlanet. The beings in charge of constructing things on LittleBigPlanet, out of these ideas, are called the Creator Curators. Once a year they have a special carnival and all of the Curators attend, however this year nobody has responded to their invitations. Taking control of a puppet themed hero named Sackboy, your job is to explore LittleBigPlanet, find the Creator Curators, and convince them to come to the carnival.

From the main menu of this title you have four options, the first of which is called "LittleBigPlanet". It is divided up in to three sub-options, the first of which is "Story Levels", the main story mode of the game. When you choose this option you will then be tasked with working your way through seven regions of the planet and the levels they contain, in order to find the Curator Creators and get them to come to the carnival. The regions and levels in this game are: Down Under (The Introduction, Walkabout, Gift of the Grab, Wave Goodbye, Didgerido Didgeridon't, Dreamtime, and Shear Madness), The Orient (Mortar Do, Double Dragons, Dragon on a Bite, Stamp Collection, and Eggstraction), The Bazaar (Cheeky Monkey, Thieves' Den, Ladderal Thinking, Rugs and Kisses, and Monkey Puzzle), Golden Sands (Get the Hump, Out Foxed, Sand Ahoy, Fun Pharaoh, and Sackar Rally), Alpine Run (Mountin' Excitement, Roque n Roller, Peak Performance, Dogged Determination, and Off Piste), Tinsel Town (Stitch Gordon, I Race Dead People, Frying Saucers, The Sewn Identity, Opening Fright, and Leap of Faith) and The Carnival (Crashing the Party, Road to Joy, Golissimo!, and The Procession).

When you go to select a level in this game you may see up to three icons on it. A Sackboy icon means you have previously completed the level, a canvas sack means you've collected all items in that level, and a spade means you have aced that level (meaning you've done it quickly, gaining a lot of points, and not dying much). When you confirm the level you want to play you will then be able view your previous high scores and item collection percentage, a level description, and high scores from around the LittleBigPlanet community. Confirm your choice and you will then be taken to play the level. Most levels in this game are of medium to long length and have you on a search and quest type scenario, but there are some shorter levels that are more like mini games as well, at least one or two in each region. Successfully complete all levels in the game and you've won!

The second sub-option under LittleBigPlanet is "Downloaded Levels". Here you can play any levels that you have downloaded from the LittleBigPlanet community. These levels don't cost anything, but they do take up great space on your memory stick. The third and final sub-option here is "Purchased Levels", and is where you go to play any additional levels you've purchased from the PlayStation Store.

Back to the main menu the second option you'll find is "My Moon", there being only one sub-option, called "My Levels". This is where you can build and create your very own LittleBigPlanet levels and then play them afterwards.

Third on the main menu we have the "My Pod" option, there being just one sub-option called "Me", which is further broken down in to even more options, which is weird. Anyways, the first of these is "My Sackperson". Here you can make changes to the appearance of Sackboy, making alterations to his skin, head, eyes, glasses, hair, moustache, mouth, feet, hands, legs, neck, torso and waist. The second of these options is "My Avatar", where you assign yourself a small avatar to be displayed beside all your high scores and what not. The last of these options is "My News", which is simply a portal to receive news and updates on the LittleBigPlanet franchise.

The fourth and final option from the main menu is called "Community Moon", which is divided up in to two sub-options. The first of these is "Go Online!", which itself is broken up in to three more sub-options. The first one is called "Community Levels", which is where you go to download levels created by other LittleBigPlanet users. The second of these is "My Published Levels", where you can go to view any levels that you yourself may have created and let loose in the LittleBigPlanet community. And third is the "Collect from Friend" option. This is just an Ad Hoc mode where you and a friend can communicate between PSPs and share creations. The second sub-option under Community Moon is simply the "Collect from Friend" option again, not sure why they did it twice.

While out and about in the levels of this game there are three main things to watch out for, the most prevalent of which are score bubbles. These are tiny blue/clear bubbles that will be randomly scattered throughout each level and are the main source of your points in this game. Another is the item bubbles. These bubbles appear the same as score bubbles, only they are much larger and have an item inside of them. Said items are either stickers or various upgrade items you can use to improve Sackboy. Third are the save point indicators. There are a number of them scattered throughout most levels, after reaching one your progress will be saved up to that point, and if you perish it will be where you respawn from. There are many other items to watch out for in this game, but they are more random. Things like keys, a genie lamp, balloons, and the list goes on and on, it all depends on the level and the situation you find yourself in. Also, many things in the environments of this game can be grabbed and manipulated by Sackboy, such as levers, cranes, vehicles, etc., so keep an eye out for those opportunities.

The game screen for LittleBigPlanet is so sparse it's almost blank! In the top left corner you will see a growing bubble icon with a number inside of it, which represents your current point total. In the top middle of the screen dialog between Sackboy and other game characters will appear when you talk to them. And that's it, pretty uncluttered to say the least! As for the pause menu, when you halt the action you are faced with six options, as such: About This Level (view level description and high score/item collection percentage), Restart Level, Return to Main Menu, Settings (toggle both music or subtitles on/off), Videos and Voice Overs (listen to and read various in game messages you may have seen along the way in this game) and Credits.

Another menu that's important to mention is the Popit menu, a tool Sackboy uses during his quest. When you access it on screen you are presented with three options, the first of these is "Stickers". During your quest you will sometimes be required to place the stickers you find in the item bubbles amongst your environment, in order to advance. This is where you go to select said stickers. The second option is "Customize Character" and is exactly the same option from the main menu where you can trick Sackboy out with all manner of upgrades. The third and final option is "Retry". If you ever get Sackboy stuck in a situation he can't get out of, or if you just want to go back and retry a certain sequence you can't otherwise access, you can choose this option to die and then respawn at the last save point . . . although it does cost you some points to do so.

Now, the controls for this game are very much like the game screen, sparse and simple, which is the way I like it! To move Sackboy around his environment you use the analog button. The X button is used to jump, and also to confirm choices when you open the Popit menu. The Square button opens the Popit menu, while the O button is used to cancel/clear things like the Popit menu or in game messages. Triangle is used to interact with certain other characters in the game and display the dialogue between you. As for the directional buttons, pressing them in their various directions will bring different expressions to Sackboy's face, while pressing them multiple times will exaggerate said expression. The L button is used to lock a desired expression in place on Sackboy's face, while the R button is used to grab on to certain objects or items. Finally, the Start button is what pauses the game.

LittleBigPlanet's presentation is very good, what I like most about it is the unique nature of the game. The different sorts of objects the environments are made of and the almost toy like vibe of the various items and objects within them is so cool and different. The graphics are well done, not much in need of any extra polish, a good amount of colour as well. The sound is great, very zany and wacky effects and music, to go in suit with the generally crazy vibe of the game. The controls are great too, they are simple and easy to use, and respond very well. No issues with camera controls or anything like that either, this game is quite well technically executed, not much left to be desired.

The pros and cons are pretty even for this game. On the good side all aspects of it's gameplay are excellent as I mentioned above. The look, sound, feel of the controls, and just plain fun the game offers makes it quite desirable. The other thing I really like, my favourite part of the game, is just how different and unique it is. It's just so different from most other games that are out there today, the wacky, zany adventures this game contains are just so cool and well imagined!! On the bad side, even though the game contains about 37 levels, it still seems pretty short. Plus overall the game is fairly easy, so you can pretty much just whip right through it. The other thing I found disappointing is that it could have used a better alternate mode(s). Everything else on this game is pretty much going online and downloading other levels, or creating your own. That's all well and good, but it takes up a lot of space on your memory stick, and let's be honest . . . creation modes seem great in theory, but once you get in to them and it takes you forever to build something you even come close to liking, you've already lost interest. A little more depth in this game would have gone a very long way.

In terms of the tips and tricks I can offer potential players of this game, there aren't many to be honest. Like I said above, this game is fairly easy. The trickiest part is being able to find 100% of the items in each level. In order to do this you must leave no stone unturned, exploring every nook and cranny of each level. A lot of the hiding spots seem obvious in hindsight, but at the time not so much. Solving some of the puzzles can also use some of your brainpower, but if you just pay attention, search everything, and use the method of trial and error, you will have no trouble defeating this game.

To summarize, at heart LittleBigPlanet is a unique and exciting adventure game that will leave you wanting more. Although the developers dropped the ball a bit in providing viable secondary game modes, the core game will have you so enthralled it won't even matter. A fun and exciting adventure, to say the least!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"darthcobain17 reviewed LittleBigPlanet for the PSP..." was posted by darthcobain17 on Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:23:05 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/littlebigplanet/user-reviews/812376/platform/psp/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:14:30 -0700 darthcobain17 reviewed Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/super-mario-3d-land/user-reviews/812375/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS is yet another Mario Bros. title that sees you try and rescue Princess Peach . . . for your dastardly arch rival, King Koopa, has kidnapped her for the umpteenth time! Playing your way through the levels in this game you must take on both old and new enemies alike, and work your way past many environmental puzzles, mostly involving jumping, on your way to getting Peach back. However, the difference with this game is that it utilizes the Nintendo 3DS's 3D capabilities, and does a good job of it at that.

Let's get right in to the game now. After the title screen appears you will be taken to the game save profile screen, which features three different save slots. Each one that is in use will display what world you are currently playing in that respective game, as well as have an icon of your Mii beside it. Small stars will also appear here, indicating just how far along you are in your overall completion of the game. At this screen you can choose to view the vital statistics associated with each game save profile, including your star level, how many Star Medals you've collected (more on them later), how many lives you have, and how many lives you have lost over the course of your play. You can also copy or erase your save profiles at this screen.

After determining which game save file you want to use, you are then taken to what passes for the main menu on this game. The menu appears on the 3DS's bottom screen. A banner across the top of this screen, labelled W1 through W8, represents the eight various worlds you need to play through in order to complete this game. You can tap on any world in order to go there immediately, but before you can start play on any given world you must beat the world that came before it. Now, just below this top bar is a map display of whichever world you are on, showing the various levels it contains. As you move between levels an old school Mario icon will move along the map, in relation to your progress. Your fastest completion time on certain levels will also be displayed near this map. To choose a level that you want you can tap on it, or you can use the analog button and A button to steer you there and confirm your choice.

As for the various worlds, they are usually composed of around five to six main levels or so, the breakdown of each world is as follows: World 1 (World 1-1, 1-2, Mystery Box, 1-3, 1-4, Toad House, 1 – Castle), World 2 (World 2-1, 2-2, Mystery Box, 2-3, 2-4, Toad House, 2 – Pirate Ship), World 3 (World 3-1, 3-2, Toad House, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, 3 – Pirate Ship), World 4 (World 4-1, Mystery Box, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 4 – Pirate Ship), World 5 (World 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, Toad House, 5-5, 5 – Castle), World 6 (World 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, Mystery Box, 6-4, 6-5, 6 – Pirate Ship), World 7 (World 7-1, 7-2, Toad House, 7-3, 7-4, 7-5, 7 – Pirate Ship) and World 8 (World 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4, 8-5, 8 – Castle, 8-6, and another 8 – Castle).

The regular levels in this game are usually set high in the air and the challenge is to not only dispatch the enemies after you and jump around various environmental objects, but to do so while suspended high up in the air where one little slip sends you plummeting to your doom. However, not all levels are high up in the air, in some you plunge underwater, visit haunted houses, and of course enter and explore castles. In the Toad House levels you simply visit Toad at his house, where he usually gifts you with a powerup, although in one of them he presents you with a photo album. In this photo album are various cartoons depicting events throughout the game, but in order to get all 12 of them you must complete the game in full. And as for the Mystery Box levels, in these you are taken to a very small room that usually contains a number of enemies that you can count on one hand. If you destroy them all you are gifted with items like coins, powerups, and even Star Medals, but you have to be fast as there is a timer going and there is never much time on it.

Once you play through these eight worlds, rescue Princess Peach and beat the game, you may think you are done and finished. That is where you're wrong! Upon completion of these eight worlds two things happen. First of all, Luigi then becomes a playable character. Secondly, a whole new eight worlds worth of special levels are unlocked for your gaming pleasure!! These special levels break down as follows: Special 1 (Special 1-1, 1-2, Toad House, 1-3, 1-4, Mystery Box, 1 – Castle), Special 2 (Special 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, Toad House, 2-4, 2-5, 2 – Pirate Ship), Special 3 (Special 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, Mystery Box, 3-4, 3-5, 3 – Pirate Ship), Special 4 (Special 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, Toad House, 4-4, 4-5, 4 – Pirate Ship), Special 5 (Special 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, Mystery Box, 5-4, 5-5, 5 – Castle), Special 6 (Special 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, Toad House, 6-4, 6-5, 6 – Pirate Ship), Special 7 (Special 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, Mystery Box, 7-4, 7-5, 7 – Castle) and Special 8 (Special 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, Toad House, 8-4, 8-5, 8 – Castle). The levels in these special worlds rehash a lot of the original levels you play in the game, but they make them substantially different by adding different sequences, enemies, colour schemes, etc. A small number of these levels even are completely new. If you are able to complete these extra eight worlds then you are finally, and rightfully, a champion of this game!

As you are out and about in this game, there are a number of things to watch out for. First and foremost are the various types of enemies that will be attempting to cut you down to size, literally. A lot of the enemies you'll face in this game are classic Super Mario Bros. characters like Goombas, turtles, ghost turtles, ghosts, bullets, bombs, living stone blocks, venus fly trap style plants (some even spit fire or ink), and various types of fish and other underwater creatures. There are other newer types of enemies also, that I've never seen before such as giant eels, spiked turtles, wizards, electric shocks, lava monsters, caterpillars, lady bugs, bumblebees, giant moles, wrench throwing gophers, and a gaseous purple and black entity that chases you through the level (shows up in the special worlds only). You'll also have to deal with slightly trickier enemies such as the Hammer brothers, Boomerang brothers, various offspring of King Koopa that usually show up as bosses in the flying Pirate Ship levels, and of course King Koopa himself as the boss in some of the castle levels.

Environmental obstacles must also be given much thought in this game, as they factor greatly in to your passage through each level. These obstacles usually end up making you do a lot of jumping and include various types of crumbling, disappearing, or otherwise moving platforms, spiked balls, spiked logs, lava balls and lava eruptions, rotating cylinders, spinning blocks, sinking gangways, spinning cogs, yellow cables for tightrope walking, bouncy platforms, pipes, spiked blocks, cannons (to shoot yourself out of) and platforms moving along on tracks, just to name a few.

The last thing you need to be aware of are the various items and powerups available that can help make your life easier in this game. Foremost of these items are coins. Coins can be found lying around in the open, hidden inside of objects like bricks or crates, and they are also left by enemies upon their destruction. Coins are important as with every 100 you collect, you earn yourself an additional life. Another very important pickup are the Star Medals I mentioned earlier. Each level of this game contains three of these Star Medals (plus you can earn the odd one in the Mystery Box levels as well), it is important to collect as many of them as you can as certain levels in the game can only be unlocked for play if you have a required number of them in your possession. The Golden Flag is another worthwhile powerup to shoot for. It is pretty simple to obtain in most cases, you just have to grab the very top of the flagpole at the end of each level. Each time you obtain one you earn an extra life, so it's definitely worth the effort. The good old Mario Bros. powerups are essentials in this game too, and are usually found hidden inside of certain bricks in each level, although they are sometimes found just lying about in the open. These powerups include red mushrooms (turns little Mario/Luigi in to their bigger versions), fire flowers (gives you the power to shoot fireballs), leaf (gives you the fox disguise, allowing you to fly slightly and whack things with your tail), boomerang (gives you the ability to throw boomerangs), green mushrooms (awards you with an extra life), and stars (gifts you with temporary invincibility). Other items to watch out for are helicopter bricks (you wear them and they give you the ability to jump extra high), large red rings (when you walk or jump through them a line of red coins appears, if you collect them all before they disappear you are awarded a powerup), rainbow coloured bouncy musical platforms (they launch you up in to the clouds where you'll collect lots of coins and sometimes powerups or Star Medals), clocks (blue clocks add 10 seconds to your timer while green clocks add 100 seconds), power buttons (jumping on them reveals some sort of small challenge to gain a powerup or else cause destruction to an enemy) and question mark bricks (orange ones warp you to a different part of the level, while purple ones take you away to a Mystery Box themed in level bonus room).

As for the game screens for Super Mario 3D Land, I'll do the top screen first. When you are in the main menu of the game this top screen simply displays what's going on on the map screen below, but in full game graphical detail. You will see Mario or Luigi move from level to level here, plus there is a bit of information displayed at the same time. In the top left corner of this screen is an icon representing what world and level you are currently on, in the top middle is how many Star Medals you've managed to collect (if any) from that particular level, and in the top right corner is how many lives you have remaining (just below this is an icon representing what powerup you have in reserve, if any). In the bottom middle portion of this screen is how many Star Medals you've collected in total over the course of the game, and in the bottom right corner is an icon of the Golden Flag, if you've managed to obtain it for said level (just to the left of the Golden Flag icon will appear small M or L icons, telling you which characters you've previously completed that level with). During gameplay the top screen is where all of the action unfolds, but there is some information displayed here as well that you need to be aware of. In the top left corner of the screen is your current coin count, and in the top right hand corner is the level timer. Leftover time is converted to coins at the end of each level, so it pays to be fast.

In terms of the bottom screen, I've already glossed over how it appears and functions while you're on the main menu of the game, but it does change once the action begins. While you are in play the top left corner of this screen will display what world/level you are currently playing, the top middle of the screen will display how many Star Medals you've collected in said level, and the top right will tell you how many lives you have left. In the very middle of this screen a large icon will indicate which powerup you might hold in reserve, to use it you simply have to tap on it with the stylus. When you pause the game the pause menu shows up on this screen, giving you three options: Continue, To Course Selection (go back to the main menu) or Quit (quit all the way out to the title screen).

The control scheme is pretty simple and easy to get used to for this game. Of course, you can pretty much tap on anything that appears on the bottom screen with the stylus, but to control Mario and Luigi you use the analog button to steer them around their environments. As for the directional buttons, you can press up/down on them to control the depth of the 3D function, and you can press left/right on them to pan the camera slightly in either direction. The A or B button is what makes the brothers jump in this game. If you are against a wall after you jump you can press them again to perform a high wall jump. You hold down either the X or Y button in conjunction with the analog button in order to run, and they are also used to fire your weapons (fireballs, boomerangs, fox tail, etc.). The R and L buttons are used to crouch/duck, allowing Mario or Luigi in to tighter spaces. Also, while jumping you can press these buttons to perform an offensive ground pound maneuver. Lastly, the Start button is what pauses this game.

The presentation behind Super Mario 3D Land is outstanding, truly. In most levels you are able to move not only from side to side, but front and back as well, although there are variations on a few levels such as one that features a seldom used overhead view. No matter what though they designed these levels to make full use of the 3D capabilities and they did a good job of it. The sensation of height and the depth behind things feels quite realistic. As for the graphics themselves, they are almost perfect. Every level in this game is so well rendered, almost flawless, and all of the environments are quite varied and super colourful. There is no extra polish required in this game whatsoever! The sound is great too, just like it has always been from when the very first Super Mario Bros. game was introduced all those years ago. The controls are well laid out, easy to use, and respond just right. Not much else to say!

In terms of the pros and cons to this game, the pros are just so, so many. First of all, like I mentioned in the paragraph above, everything about the presentation behind this game is completely top drawer! It looks amazing, sounds amazing, and the gameplay is outstanding . . . it's virtually flawless. Another thing I really liked was all of the extras you had to shoot for, such as collecting Star Medals, gaining Golden Flags, or collecting pictures in the photo album. You don't just rush through the levels in this game, you have to explore them and perform well enough to find and collect all of these items. Well, you don't have to I suppose, but why wouldn't you? And then of course I like all of the extras you unlock such as the ability to use Luigi, and of course the additional eight worlds worth of levels that come as a complete surprise! You don't play through this game in just a couple days, you gotta work for it. As for cons, I honestly can't think of anything I didn't like about this game, or that it was missing. Bravo Nintendo, once again you prove you're light years ahead of the competition!

There are only a couple of tips and tricks I can offer for this game as it's mostly just a matter of trial and error. First, don't always necessarily try and get all of the Star Medals on your first time through a level. In a lot of levels you will find them all right away, but on others they are more well hidden or otherwise harder to get at. In these cases running through the level and collecting the other, easier to find Star Medals as well as the Golden Flag, makes it easier to get the ones you are missing on future tries, as you'll have more time to devote to the task (plus you'll lose less lives). My other tip involves restocking, especially extra lives and getting the leaf to powerup to foxtail mode. Once you unlock the additional eight special worlds worth of levels, go to Special world 1, and play level 1. In this level alone there are two leafs to collect, as well there are two star powerups. Stars are important because when you take out a long string of enemies while invincible, you earn a free man each time you score a kill. So this level can really help sustain you as you get in to the later, harder levels of the game, where you might be getting hit and losing lives more often.

In summary, what else can I say about this game? With virtually no flaws and a great depth of expertly rendered video game all on the miniature confines of a handheld Nintendo system, I can pretty much shut up at this point. Such a great game!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"darthcobain17 reviewed Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS..." was posted by darthcobain17 on Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:14:30 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/super-mario-3d-land/user-reviews/812375/platform/3ds/ Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:01:57 -0700 AQWBlaZer91 reviewed Vampire Night for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/vampire-night/user-reviews/812328/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game Title: Vampire Night
Platform: PlayStation 2
Developer: AM1
Publisher: Namco/Sega
Genre: Light Gun Shooter
Age Rating: ELSPA: 15+, ESRB: Teen
Release Date: 14th December 2001 (North America), 6th December 2001 (Japan), 14th June 2002 (Europe)
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Game Score: 8.5/10
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Summery:
You'll easily sink your teeth into it's content and solid production once you put aside the corny voice acting.
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Vampire Night released in arcades in 2000 makes it's way over to the PlayStation 2 games console, carrying the Vampire blasting action that easily compares to Sega's House of the Dead series, only that you're taking on Vampires instead of zombies. For the game and gun bargain Vampire Night for the PS2 is surprisingly an excellent deal that You'll easily sink your teeth into for it's content and solid production once you put aside the corny voice acting.

Vampire Night follows a 300 year old battle between a vampire lord named Augeste and two Vampire Hunters who are armed with enough firepower from the players Light Gun controllers. They must defeat the vampiric monsters, rescue a girl named Caroline and her fellow villagers and finally settle the score that they once started. The plot has it's pluses providing a few drama moments but however you will be put of with it's acting which can be campy and corny in a lot of places.

Unless you never played the game in the arcade environment, Vampire Night includes the default arcade mode where you can play through 6 medieval Gothic themed levels that challenge your reflexes and accuracy. Sure it's done in about 45 minutes but the frantic gunplay that you'll have is enjoyable and challenging.

The game is on-rails where the game controls your movement, leaving you to aim at hordes of vampiric monsters, ghouls and bats that appear on the screen. Every now and then you'll have crates to shoot for items that will either give you points or you'll may find an extra life. The game is Light Gun compatible with the G-Con 2 controller but the game also supports the original G-Con 45 as well. Personally the G-Con 2 is recommended as the button layout can allow you easily reload your gun without ever needing to fire away from the screen to do so.

In between some segments of the game you'll get parts where villagers who have sarcomas attached to their bodies instead of having to rescue them by taking out the monster that's attacking them. What you need to do is shoot down the sarcoma on that villager but should you hit the villager then it will turn into a vampire. If you rescue the villagers then you'll receive an extra life as well receiving an extra life at the end of the stage should your performance be satisfactory.

Vampire Night also has a pathway system that works much like the House of the Dead instalments but however it doesn't matter about how villagers you rescue but what should happen to Caroline . Rescuing her from an Knight for example takes you to the upper level while letting the knight capture her will take you underground. Another example is in Stage 3 where Caroline is kidnapped by the third boss you chase him through the stage, he'll decide to chose what direction between left or right randomly at the beginning of the stage. This keeps the game from not giving the same experience each time you play through the stages.

At the end of each stage you'll face off against a boss. Each boss has it's own life bar and it's own attack pattern and multiple forms that you go against. Each will throw projectiles at you which can be shot in the air, when you reach the boss's true form then you'll be given a a screen showing the boss's weakpoint that you need to hit in order to damage the boss. The boss's also have a bar below their health which represents their attack they are going to unleash on you. Should they reach you before that bar depletes the boss's attack successfully gets you which does make some of them challenging specially when some boss's have multiple attack patterns and you'll need to shoot them at the right timing to defend against the attacks.

After you beat through a boss battle it's on to the next stage where the level changes up the enemies to ensure that you're not fighting the same enemies everytime throughout the game. It's worth mentioning that any enemy has it's weakness as there is a crosshair pointed at enemies that reveal their weakness, most of which it's the head as it's a one shot take down.

Once you complete the arcade game you are then shown your Highscore and you can enter your name on the Highscore chart. If you wish you can change the difficulty as well setting the Life and Credit counter towards the Max of 9 which saves a lot of stress of having to fail the game each time to increase the Max amount. Overall the gamepay of Vampire Night is impressive and frantic against the horde of evil Vampires and it's always a lot more fun to allow a second player to join in on the fun.

In addition to the Arcade Mode there are multiple modes that are included in this version of the game. There is a 17 course training mode which have about 3 levels in difficulty, each of them tests your speed and accuracy. Completing these will unlock unlimited continues as well as some information for another mode called Hunter's Files.

Hunter's Files allows you to look at the game's bio as well as information on the character's, items and image gallery that are unlocked also by completing objectives in the Special Mode.

When you enter Special Mode you'll be greeted by a villager who will ask you for your help. You'll do missions like finding people's lost items like a doll or tools, rescuing certain villagers and challenges like going through the whole game without continuing or getting a Highscore. These missions add a lot more of replay value compared to House of the Dead 2 and even when you've beaten all 33 different missions there's still more items that you want to find and purchase in the store. Playing through the stages in Special Mode makes items appear in crates and they can be equipped through 4 different slots for 3 item types. One for different weapons, one for accessories and two for items which can only be used once. You can also find Sliver which can use to purchase items which will come in handy so at least the game adds more to the games replay value if you're at interested in trying out.

Vampire Night looks as impressive unlike most other PlayStation 2 that's out there. It takes advantage of the system with nice reflecting on lake areas, impressive fire effects and shifting effects on the second boss. The character models are impressively cool each broken box and create that you shoot in the game is pretty neat as well. As for the monsters they are well animated and their projectiles look cool enough, most of the details come from when they are blown up by your gun. The sound effects are great but however the soundtrack is spot on with some techno beats alongside more gothic feeling tracks which do set the mood in boss fights.

Vampire Night is a superb and enjoyable game from start to finish and it's a shame they aren't many Light Gun games like this one. If you're already done with Time Crisis 2 and you're looking for a more polished and developed Light Gun experience for the PS2 then you shouldn't look no further then personally this is the go to game especially if you can get the Light Gun bundle with it.
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The Good Points:
1. Plenty of modes and content to unlock
2. Challenging gameplay and interesting boss battles
3. Missions add plenty of replay value
4. New enemies in each level change up the pacing

The Bad Points:
1. Campy and corny voice acting
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get the full article at GameSpot

"AQWBlaZer91 reviewed Vampire Night for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by AQWBlaZer91 on Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:01:57 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/vampire-night/user-reviews/812328/platform/ps2/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:26:03 -0700 oscaromarjp reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3d/user-reviews/812298/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Debo aclarar que mi vida como videojugador comenzo a los 5 a–os con el NES, he jugado mucho desde ese entonces y practicamento todo lo de las principales consolas los ultimos 15 a–os, pero por alguna razon, no jugue TLOZ Ocarine of Time cuando salio por primera vez, supe del furor y de la grandeza de este titulo, todos mis amigos lo jugaron y hablaban del excelente titulo que era, todos excepto yo, asi que cuando salio para el 3DS lo apunte en mi lista, lo compre y cuando lo jugu–, oh! decepci–n, es cierto, los a–os no pasan en balde, el juego pudo haber sido una maravilla en su –poca, el primer 10 cerrado de gamespot y todo lo que quieras, pero para los est–ndares actuales queda muy por debajo de ser un buen juego, el control es rudimentario, me di cuenta que el d–a de hoy, es forzosa la segunda palanca an–loga, cosa que el 3ds no tiene, los gr–ficos, aunque actualizados se ven simplemente promedio, la historia es mas que predecible, los items que utiliza Link son arcaicos, la campa–a principal es aburrida, el 3d incluso esta mal configurado y tiene uno que ver un poco de lado el 3ds para poder apreciarlo bien, sobra decir que teniendo todo esto en conjunto, la magia que trasmit–a este juego en su a–o de lanzamiento original se perdi– en alguna parte, no digo que sea un p–simo juego, pero tampoco es lo que dicen que es, todos mis primos y amigos que me vieron jug–ndolo en el 3ds me dec–an que era el mejor juego que hab–an jugado en la vida o que era el mejor de todos los tiempos, siento lastima por mi mismo por no haberlo jugado en su momento, me perd– de un gran juego, con esto y algunas otras experiencias aprend– que los juegos tienes que jugarlos en su a–o, tan solo 3 o 4 a–os despu–s, si eres un jugador constante, ya no es lo mismo, algo de su grandeza se pierde con el tiempo, incluso es mejor si jugaste un juego en su a–o, no volver a jugarlo a–os despu–s y quedarte con el bonito recuerdo que te dejo la primera vez, esto puede tener sus excepciones, pero en mi opini–n, generalmente es as–...

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3d/user-reviews/812298/platform/3ds/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:06:36 -0700 The_Last_Ride reviewed Journey for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/journey/user-reviews/812291/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Journey is hard to explain. You get dropped in to a world where nothing is told. Where there are no huds, tutorial or any instructions at all. This game does nothing to introduce you to the world or what you have been dropped into.

The Bad:
Don't get me wrong. This game has little to any flaws at all. But some people might not like the linear form this game has or deeper gameplay.

The Good:
Everything about this game is really sublime. The character, the story, the world, the graphics and music are all amazing.
The story is what you make it out to be. It can be an analogy for several things in life in general. I don't want to go deeper, because it's something the player has to go through and something each person have to decide for themselves.
The music is just stunning through the entire game. The game gives this game a lot of depth and meaning and is really amazing to listen to. It tells you how good a great soundtrack when the composer has won an emmy.
The visuals are stunning and simple at the same time. The game just looks so amazing. It really has it's own unique look and just looks amazing through the whole game.
The gameplay is solid and is also very unique with random nameless players joining in and going on the same journey without any way of communicating and not showing their names is something very unique.

Overall:
The game is an experience and every gamer or none gamer should experience this visual deep story. It has amazing graphics and unique game mechanics. The game is amazing and worth getting.

+Stunning Visuals
+Unique Presentation
+Unique Co-Op experience
+Unique experience and story

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"The_Last_Ride reviewed Journey for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by The_Last_Ride on Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:06:36 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/journey/user-reviews/812291/platform/ps3/ Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:32:53 -0700 The_Last_Ride reviewed Medal of Honor for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/medal-of-honor/user-reviews/812268/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Medal of Honor takes on a realistic approach to war and soldiers. The games takes a squad in the war on terror. This squad gets in the middle of terrorism and the taliban. With this game they are trying to tell a soldiers side to the story without over the top action or fancy futuristic weapons or gadgets. In this game you also get to view the story from different perspectives from the squad you get to follow around.

The Bad:
The story is extremely linear. It makes no effort to make the player take different approaches or exploration. It makes every gun fight a straight up shooting gallery and keeps you shooting until the enemy or the player is down.
The gameplay doesn't really make it stand out. Even though it takes a realistic approach, there isn't a whole lot that makes this very unique compared to other shooters. It doesn't really stand out for those that hoped this games was something very different.
Even though the multiplayer has some interesting modes. It doesn't really set itself apart from other shooters with progression modes or different styles of playing the multiplayer.

The Good:
The story is really good. It has a really emotional ending that doesn't come out of nowhere, but is built through the game with having stackes in the characters through the game's story. It doesn't have anything over the top, but it makes it more realistic.
The audio is great and doesn't really do a whole lot wrong. It gets the job done in the end of the day.
The voice acting is good, and makes the characters believable. It gives them more life, and it's great to see not only jumping from one scene to the next without any context.
The graphics still look good on the consoles. It doesn't have any framedrops and has a really realistic look. And makes it a more down to earth game without the over the top action sequences
The multiplayer has some interesting modes and tries to differ itself from others. It does have some lasting appeal.

Overall:
It's a good shooter to at least have a look at and try for the story and also try some of the multiplayer. But compared to others only some that are in the shooter genre might want to try this out and it doesn't really stand out to others. It has a realistic story and tries to tell a good story from a soldiers view.

+Realistic story
+Good Audio
+Good Voice Acting
+Good modes for multiplayer
+Good looking graphics

-Doesn't stand out
-Multiplayer doesn't stand out
- Very Linear Story
-Gunfights feel the same

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"The_Last_Ride reviewed Medal of Honor for the Xbox 360..." was posted by The_Last_Ride on Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:32:53 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/medal-of-honor/user-reviews/812268/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 09 Jun 2013 14:07:42 -0700 The_Last_Ride reviewed The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/812233/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The story takes place when Lee, the main character. Get's a ride from a police officer to take him to to jail. Suddenly everything goes wrong and in the midst he meets Clementine. A girl he takes the responsibility over and gets dependent on Lee. Through the entire story you have to take hard decisions between what you think is right and wrong. There is no black and white in this story. Only doing what you need to do to keep yourself, friends and Clementine alive.You get to experience the story between Clementine and Lee through 5 emotional episodes of Walking Dead.

The Bad:
The Playstation 3 version of this game has some really, really bad framrate issues. So bad that there are actually part of the conversations freeze and you only hear the conversation. This is takes the player really out of the experience and should be fixed.

The gameplay element of this game are really light. It's a point and click adventure. For those looking for really deep gameplay functions may be dissapointed. This can also make the game feel simple sometimes. The diffculty during the gameplay isn't much either, because for the most part it is straight forward.


The Good:
The game tells a really, really great story between several characters. The entire story has a thread going through it, and makes everything you do in the game matter. Whatever you do has consequences. This makes everything harder to decide and actually makes the player make really hard decisions sudden. This makes the story really dynamic and deeper. The main characters are really strong and have a deep relationship between them. The bond Lee and Clementine have through all of the episodes are heartwarming and hearbreaking. You really care what happens to the characters.

The audio and music really set the mood for the story and the setting in all the games. It's not any metal or known singer in them, but they are subtle and don't do too much or too little.

The graphical style of this game is also really good. It has a certain distinctive look and makes the game stand out. This also makes the game look really great. It won't look outdated, which is a really smart design decision. It's distinctive in the way it doesn't look too cartoonish, but make expressions and emotions for all the characters shine through.

Even though the gameplay isn't that deep or really that engaging doesn't mean it doesn't get the job done. It's also very easy for anyone that doesn't even like games to pick these games up just for the story.

Overall:
This is a cheap downloadable game worth gettting. It has a deep engaging story, with believable characters it makes the game stand out. While it doesn't heavily rely on gameplay mechanics other than solving puzzles it gives newcomers to gaming a chance to try out the medium. If you like a deep story driven game that is clever written, then you should try it.

+ Strong story
+ Great characters
+Good looking graphics
+ Easy to pick up
+Consequences that matter

- Frame drops for PS3 version
-Too simple for some gamers

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/812233/platform/ps3/ Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:47:31 -0700 Falcon084 reviewed Remember Me for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/remember-me/user-reviews/812156/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Remember Me from Dontnod Entertainment is the french developers first game, and I can say with certainty that Dontnod will become a leader in innovating games.

Non spoiler story:

Remember Me is a fantastic game set in the Cyberpunk theme of Neo-Paris, a city built after a European Union Civil War in 2066. Humanity has become addicted to a new form of technology that allows the sharing and downloading of memories.

You play as a woman with a form of amnesia that if I explained more would ruin the story. Suffice to say that a lot of people want you dead.


Gameplay:

Gameplay reminds me of the Tomb Raider without guns, along with great memory based puzzles. Before you think "boring" and stop reading you should know that the memories are other peoples. You have the ability to alter a persons memories in a genius puzzle that lets you tryout different outcomes to what could have happened and warping your targets perception if his or her own reality. You can only do this a few times during the story which is a shame but it makes a great change of pace from the combat.


Combat:

Speaking of combat, you can unlock moves during the game and arrange them in any order you like giving you that ability to make your own combos! Enemies are varied and will keep you on your toes as you try to figure out how to best them.


As you go on other abilities become available and give you more puzzling and can also play a role in combat, but as I try to write spoiler free reviews I'll leave that up to you to discover!

No toilet breaks!:

If you have a day sick in bed (like me) you will beat it in a day but you can't stop playing to do so.

Graphics and sound:

With the exception of one hard boss fight that has some repetition, the voice acting is well enough for the characters, with the best acting going to the main character. It is a beautiful game to look at from the grimy under city to the richer upper city and small extras in the environment really bring out the immersion.


Out of Ten:

Graphics 9

Sound 8

Gameplay 9

Collectibles 7

Over all 9.5

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"Falcon084 reviewed Remember Me for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Falcon084 on Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:47:31 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/remember-me/user-reviews/812156/platform/xbox360/ Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:44:00 -0700 benleslie5 reviewed Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-hd-collection/user-reviews/812038/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

It's been over 10 years since Metal Gear Solid 2 was released back in 2001 and almost 9 years since Metal Gear Solid 3 was released in 2004. During those years when the PlayStation 2 was around both games were summed up to be the best games to experience on its story, gameplay and memorable moments. Now you can relive those memories again in HD, Metal Gear Solid Collection was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and then a few months later got released for the PlayStation Vita.

Both games still play well and nothing has really changed from its gameplay, if you've played both titles back on the PlayStation 2 nothing much has changed, but do note that you'll be using the left analog stick to move and holding R button and Square to fire your weapon. Instead of using the shoulder buttons to select back and forth weapons and items, on the PS Vita you are using the touch screen to select weapons and items like you would do on a DS handheld or a touch screen mobile phone.

In Metal Gear Solid 3 you can use the touch screen to patch up Snake if he's badly injured during gameplay or getting rid of gunshot wounds. Apart from that nothing hasn't really changed much on its gameplay it is trying to be more touch screen related for the handheld version.

Yet both games do look impressive when they are in HD both cutscenes look very well detailed to look at on your PS Vita. The voice acting is still the best as it was over 10 years ago and the soundtrack makes a great a touch when you're playing both games when you are out and about either on a bus to work or hanging out with your friends. If you have a PlayStation 3 you can transfer both saves back and forth to your console and to your PS Vita, the only downside to the Vita version of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is that it does not contain Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker in the collection.

Not only that the HD Collection also contains both MSX titles Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 which makes another good feature being added into the collection also including the VR missions as well. Trying to obtain all trophies will be a challenge for trophy collectors, as a Metal Gear Solid fan I would recommend the HD Collection if you have played the games before or new to the series it's worth the purchase if you want two of the best stealth action games that made the series is memorable and great for what it is.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-hd-collection/user-reviews/812038/platform/vita/ Sat, 01 Jun 2013 18:12:08 -0700 pokecharm reviewed Hitman: Absolution for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/hitman-absolution/user-reviews/811971/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

The Hitman franchise was one of the first stealth games I'd played when I got my PS2. The worlds were fairly open. You could move around and find a variety of ways to eliminate your targets. The AI was robust. The environments were varied. The story was passable. Some things haven't changed, while others have changed quite a bit. This is the first Hitman game on the next gen console, and the most noticeable difference is the polished graphics and environment. I never felt limited by the Playstation controls, but I didn't feel like there was a great leap in technology from the previous games, though my memory isn't what it used to be.

The game begins with Agent 47 on a mission to eliminate someone who worked within the agency and has seemingly betrayed them by kidnapping a valuable asset, a girl. When Agent 47 infiltrates the compound and has her in his sights, she divulges her reasoning for doing what she's done and the onus of the mission shifts to Agent 47. Once this shift occurs, Agent 47 must protect this girl and keep her from the clutches of the Agency. The two are separated and she is taken by a third party who has little to do with the Agency, but knows the value of the girl. Agent 47 must battle the crazed kidnapper and the Agency as he must go to great lengths to protect the girl and save her from a fate she didn't choose.

The game is broken up into sections, each one having a very different look and feel. The graphics are quite breath-taking, as I've discovered seems to be something Square Enix takes great pride in. What stunts the otherwise stunning visuals are the glitches that are far too frequent. Both the AI and Agent 47 seem to move through solid structures. Though the detail is clear in most environments and items, the detail doesn't surpass either Tomb Raider or even Deus Ex.

The voice acting is decent. The story isn't stellar, but the actors seem to do the best they can, playing up the stereotypical bad people they all portray. There was little depth in either the stories or the characters, no clear reason anyone was doing anything, other than because the story told them to. In many ways, it made the entire game seem inauthentic and difficult to feel invested in.

What keeps you playing, or at least kept me playing, was the game play. It wasn't amazing, it didn't do anything I hadn't seen before, but it made the game fun. There were a variety of ways to eliminate targets, in most sections and the gamer was rewarded for being creative and for not being discovered. I've always been a fan of stealth games, thank you Metal Gear Solid. And while this one doesn't bring much new to the concept, it brings just enough that I couldn't put the game down until I'd finished it.

The one thing I must comment on, the reason for a lower score than perhaps the game may deserve, the AI was predictable and yet unpredictable. At times, the game didn't seem to reset and I'd have to restart checkpoints to get the game to stop looping. It could have been me playing the game incorrectly, but the game should work and shouldn't glitch. This wasn't a terrible glitch, but it was frustrating at times. This is actually a very decent game, and for a lower price, well worth playing.

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"pokecharm reviewed Hitman: Absolution for the Xbox 360..." was posted by pokecharm on Sat, 01 Jun 2013 18:12:08 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/hitman-absolution/user-reviews/811971/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 31 May 2013 10:27:26 -0700 darthcobain17 reviewed Sonic and the Black Knight for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-the-black-knight/user-reviews/811914/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Sonic and the Black Knight is a Sonic game unlike any other I've played before! The story sees Sonic dragged back in time, to the era of King Arthur and his Knights of the round table. Merlin's daughter, Merlina, has brought Sonic here as King Arthur has apparently been corrupted by an ancient evil and is now ruling the land in tyrannical fashion. Your job is to grab a wisecracking sword named Caliburn, do some training, and then take the fight to King Arthur and his minions! Once he's defeated though, the true nature of the plot is revealed . . . that the evil King Arthur was all an illusion, for Merlina is behind this grand deception and these events are all a part of her trying to become the Dark Queen. Combining forces with the Knights of the round table you were at odds with earlier in the game, Sonic is now tasked with stopping Merlina and putting an end to things once and for all.

From the game's title screen you have three options, which are Continue (restart from where you left off on your last saved game), New Game (where you go to start a brand new game), and Load (load a different saved game file than you were playing the last time out).

Once you decide on one of the above options from the title screen you are then taken to the game's main menu, from which there are six options. The first of these options is called "Adventure" and is the main story mode of the game. Sonic and the Black Knight isn't a side-scrolling adventure where you get to explore different avenues and areas, this is a face forward, 3D adventure, where you race through each level (which are usually short to medium length) as fast as you can, attempting to achieve the objectives that are set out for you at the start of the level along the way. You select the level you want to play by first choosing a region on the map of King Arthur's kingdom. The region's represented in this game include Shrouded Forest (6 levels), Camelot Castle (9 levels), Deep Woods (9 levels), Misty Lake (7 levels), Molten Mine (9 levels), The Cauldron (6 levels), Knight's Passage (5 levels), Titanic Plain (9 levels), Great Megalith (6 levels), Crystal Cave (8 levels), Dragon's Lair (8 levels), Dark Hollow (1 level) & Faraway Avalon (2 levels). Once you choose your region you then select the individual level you want to take part in. Now, these aren't actually the correct total number of levels in the game as I wasn't able completely beat this title and in turn unlock the last number of levels, but I got pretty close. So in total there are at least 85 game levels, probably more like 90+ (give or take) in the end. Also note that when you highlight an individual level on this map screen you will then see your best star rating and high score for that level, as well as other categories of statistics that are specific to the type of level it was like your best clear time, max hit chains, knight's honor bonus, attacks remaining, etc.

Before your level starts you will come to a screen that shows an icon of Tails, who is your Blacksmith. At this screen you can choose to change your character (Sonic is the default character for the first part of the game, but once you defeat King Arthur and Merlina's deception is exposed, soon after you can use the Knights of the round table as playable characters as well). You can also choose to visit your blacksmith Tails, and do a number of things. These options include Style Change (switch fighting styles between Paladin, Cavalier and Knight, and also view how proficient each character has become at these various styles), Equipment (as you progress through the levels in this game you collect various items and artifacts, which can then be equipped to each character, a maximum of two at a time, and gives said characters extra abilities), Weapon (you can go in and craft a weapon of your own design using some of the items you collect during the game, then equip one of your characters with it) and Status (here you can check on the various style proficiencies for each character, the number of followers they've earned, etc.).

After deciding on all of the above issues you then start your level. As I mentioned earlier there are different objectives to complete in certain types of levels. The various types of levels in this game include: Go for the Goal (simply reach the level's end), Beat the Clock (pass through the entire level before time runs out), Pass Through the Gate (reach the end of the level in time), Ring-Giver (give the townspeople a certain amount of rings during your journey through the level), Collect Rings (collect a certain number of rings during the level), Rush Hour (physically don't run in to anybody over the course of the level), Grind Challenge (reach the end of the level while grinding on rails the whole while, without falling to your doom), Chain of Enemies (finish the level while hitting a certain consecutive amount of enemies at some point along the way), Chain of Rings (collect a certain number of ring chains throughout the level), Hide and Seek (find a certain number of secret fairies during the level), Special Challenge (levels with different types of objectives like not touching the ground, rescuing a certain number of townspeople, and other such unique scenarios), Rampage (defeat a certain number of enemies during the level), Total Rampage (defeat as many enemies as you possibly can during a level), Defeat the Boss (defeat one of the game's bosses including Sir Lancelot, Sir Percival, Sir Gawain, King Arthur, and the Dark Queen), Ultimate Challenge (defeat enemies and take no damage during a level), Mastery Stage (only allowed a certain number of sword swings during the level), Perfect Challenge (make it through the level, taking no damage), Diehard Challenge (clear the level without being defeated) & Legacy (reach the end of the level in a more classically themed Sonic level with little or no enemies).

After completing a level a screen will be displayed telling you how you did, whether you passed or failed the objective requirements. A number of other things will also be displayed here, such as your star rating (depending on your point total, your time and other contributing factors, you are given a star rating between 1-5 for your performance), high score, knight's bonus, number of followers gained (as Sonic proceeds through the game and combats evil the townspeople rally to his cause, how many you convert is displayed here, and they all contribute towards increases in your rank and proficiency), and your clear time. Once you pass this screen you will be taken to the item codex. I mentioned earlier that you collect items during the levels in this game. For your performance you also earn ID points. You can then use these ID points at this screen to unlock these items you've found and see what they are, adding them to your inventory. Finally, on the next screen you are made aware of any unlocks you may have achieved. As you progress through this game your performance unlocks future levels, additional game modes, bonus content, and other such items. This will all be described to you in detail on this screen. And that's about it for Adventure mode, just plough through the hordes of levels it has to offer and you'll complete the game!

Back at the main menu the second choice you come to is called "Battle", which is the multiplayer mode of the game. Here you can head in to combat with 2-4 human players in a variety of different modes. These modes include Battle (a timed fight, the player with the most kills at the end wins), Survival Battle (each player has three lives, whoever stays alive as the last man standing wins), Goblet Battle (gain control of the moving goblet and then defend it successfully for a short period of time to win), Evasion Battle (basically a game of tag, the person who gets tagged has a skull overtop of them that sucks rings from their inventory, he with the most rings at the end of time wins), Battle Phantoms (battle enemies from Adventure mode, whoever has the most kills at the end of time wins) & Battle Giants (combine forces to defeat the giant enemies featured in Adventure mode). You also have the option of choosing to randomize your selection here.

Once you select which specific mode you want to play under Battle, you must then select which character you want to utilize. In total there are 12 playable characters (you can randomize this choice as well) but not all are available at the start of the game, most must be unlocked by progressing through Adventure mode. At this screen you can also set handicaps by choosing how many rings each player starts with, how many lives each player has, and how much soul surge each player starts with (more on soul surge later). Once all characters are selected you then move on to the arena select screen. In total there are 7 arenas to compete at (or you can randomize), but they must be unlocked via your progress in Adventure mode. Once all of this is decided upon, let the carnage begin!

Third we come to the "Ranking" option, which is kind of an online game mode. There are 13 available levels to play (5 easy, 5 normal, and 3 hard), you compete in them normally, just as you would in Adventure mode. Upon completion of said level your results (in a number of categories) are compared online against other people who have chosen to play this mode as well. When I tried it there were no comparative results to be found online, so this is kind of a dead mode, as most online modes tend to be anymore.

Next we have the "Treasury" option. When you select it a large grid of small icons is presented to you, within this grid are represented all of the various items you've collected during the levels over the course of your play on this game. If you haven't found an item that particular square will simply have a question mark in it's space, but if you have found it you can click on the item in question, which brings up it's name, a short description, and how many of them you have in your inventory. There are 247 such items in total.

Fifth comes the "Gallery" option, which is where you go to view all of this game's unlockable content. When you select it you are presented with 8 vaults worth of bonus material that you can scroll through at your leisure. There are 15 individual items per vault, and this unlockable content focuses on data/images, movies, books, background music, flags, and character voices. Most of this content is achieved by gaining 5 star ratings in the various game levels on Arcade mode.

The sixth and final option on the main menu is "Options". Here you can adjust some of the game's settings, these options include Subtitle/Language Settings (toggle between 6 subtitle languages and 2 voice over languages), Game Settings (toggle subtitles and game hints on/off), Change Name (edit the name you use to save your game/profile under), Display Settings (toggle between soft/sharp), Pointer Settings (toggle pointer on/off) & Emblem Editor (create or edit the personalized emblem you use to represent your character during the proceedings of this game).

Now, once you get out in the levels of this game there are a number of things to look out for. First and foremost are your enemies, which take on many forms. There are spiders, various types of demon knights, giant demon knights, bear traps, swinging spiked balls, spiked floors, lava pits, flows and balls, thorny vines, evil trees, various weird mutant creatures (some on the ground, and others that can fly), and of course the numerous bosses in the game (including a large dragon at one point). There are also a number of environmental objects to watch out for including golden rings, barrels and clay pots (which sometimes contain rings or items), treasure chests (can contain rings, items or traps), stone blocks (some of which can be destroyed), fairies (yellow fairies give you rings, blue fairies launch you in to long jumps, red fairies help fill your soul surge gauge, while green fairies are the ones you look for during the Hide and Seek levels), boost pads, bumpers, pieces of fruit, and townspeople (can interact with them and give them rings in exchange for items).

There is a fair bit of information offered up on the game screen for Sonic and the Black Knight, but not overwhelmingly so. In the top left corner of the screen is your ring count. When you get hit by an enemy you will lose some of your rings. If you run out of rings and are then hit, you perish and must start the level over again. How many rings you have at the end of a level contributes to your overall star ranking. In the top middle of the screen your hit counter will appear when you string together multiple attacks on your enemies and create combos, which help boost your score and ranking. When not hitting enemies this portion of the screen is blank. The level timer is what appears in the top right corner of the screen. The top number is your best completion time for whatever level you happen to be playing, while underneath it is a timer showing the elapsed time of your current run through on said level. In the bottom left corner of the screen is a long gauge that represents your soul surge function. When you do anything successful in the game, like pick up rings and items, run really fast for an extended period of time, or launch attacks on your enemies, this gauge will fill. When you use your soul surge function Sonic goes in to almost a hypnotic, invulnerable state where he runs even faster and when he comes in to contact with enemies, he locks on to them and dices them up even more efficiently. If you wait until your sword glows during a soul surge attack you receive bonus points for performing "perfect hits". Finally, in the bottom middle of the game screen the subtitles will appear when there is a cutscene or some in level talking going on. As for the pause screen, when you halt the action you are faced with three options, as such: Retry, Continue, or Quit. All pretty self-explanatory.

The control scheme for this title is actually pretty simple and easy to catch on to. You move Sonic around his environments by pressing the control stick on the nunchuk (tap to move slowly, or hold down to get running). Holding the Z button down will perform a block, as well as instigate contact with certain townspeople. As for the Wii remote, you swing it up and down and side to side to initiate attacks with your sword. The A button is what you use to jump. If you press it again while in the air, Sonic will dash forward at great speed in mid-air. Holding back on the control stick while jumping makes Sonic jump backwards. As for the B button, this is what starts your soul surge. Hold it down while on the ground or in mid-air, and then run or launch attacks as usual to start using it. Also while in soul surge mode you can flick the nunchuk to perform a kick move. There are other instances in the game where moving with the control stick or jumping with the A button will be used, such as shimmying along ledges, jumping up or sliding down walls, or grinding on rails, but it's all pretty intuitive. Lastly, the + button is used to pause the game.

The presentation behind Sonic and the Black Knight is downright fantastic. The graphics are amazing, so distinct and colourful, and so well polished to boot. It really is remarkable how good this game looks, doubly so when you consider that the graphics don't weaken at all as Sonic flies through his environments at the greatest of speeds! The music also is very well done. There are a lot of original pieces included in this game, and they suit the whole medieval theme it holds quite well. As for the controls, they are laid out perfectly and for the most part respond well enough.

The pros and cons are pretty even, but unfortunately the cons include a big one that drags this game down a bit. The worst thing I found about this game were the controls. I just finished saying that they respond well enough, and they do, but that is not good enough for a game like this. I sometimes found that Sonic's actions either didn't register at all, or were greatly delayed from when you executed them. Not all the time, just sporadically. I also found that the really fine controls were a problem and were sluggish to respond, or were very choppy in execution. Stuff like trying to move side to side, or jumping backwards, it sometimes seemed to take more tries than it should have to execute such simple maneuvers. Now, the controls don't always act up like this, they are somewhat erratic, but it happens enough to make it a big deal. And considering you're trying to achieve 5 star ratings on these missions, where you have to make your way as fast as possible through a level and not get hit along the way, these issues are magnified even more. The other con I found, and it's not a huge one, is just the overwhelming confusion that this game brings. There is just so much presented to you in terms of what options are available to you at the start of each level to switch around to try and help you succeed, plus there are so many unlockables and rank ups that come your way, it's confusing to try and decipher how the game all fits together. It really is an assault on your senses! On the good side, this game looks and sounds just amazing, plus it's got a pretty interesting storyline going on. Also, it's quite long, figuring in at around 90 levels in total, with a lot of variety in those levels to boot. Factor in the couple of alternate game modes and all of the unlockable content there is to be had and you've got yourself a pretty immersive experience on your hands!

In terms of tips and tricks that I can offer, I have one main one, and that is just to dive in head first right off the get go with this game. From an early stage in the game make sure to experiment with Sonic's different fighting styles, with equipping the various items you acquire and discovering their effects, even crafting your own weapons to add to your arsenal. It's quite hard to gain 5 star ratings on a lot of these levels, so getting your head in the game early on and figuring out how this game works will greatly improve your odds of success in the long run (make sure to experiment with the other characters when they become available as well). Also, if you can't seem to achieve a good rating/score on a certain level, move on and come back to it later. The main thing at first is just to beat it and unlock the next set of levels. With more experience gained, more items gained, more proficiency gained, you can come back to that level at a later time and have more advantages at your disposal than you did the first time around.

In conclusion, Sonic and the Black Knight is a huge game and a truly immersive experience. With great looks, sound, and story behind the game, plus a whole lot of content, even the sometimes wonky controls aren't enough to assign this game to the bargain bin, at least in my opinion. Lots of fun!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"darthcobain17 reviewed Sonic and the Black Knight for the Wii..." was posted by darthcobain17 on Fri, 31 May 2013 10:27:26 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-the-black-knight/user-reviews/811914/platform/wii/ Wed, 29 May 2013 13:37:47 -0700 SUPACRAZY84 reviewed Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/apollo-justice-ace-attorney/user-reviews/811856/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

The whole game plays out like an high rated television show. The character which you follow have unique personalities. And you learn thier backstory in each one. Some people who have played other Ace Attorney games, might know that you play as a different protagonist. But fear not, the classic Pheonix Wright has alot to do with the story. And for newcomers (like myself) Apollo Justice is a good novice character. He seeks out the truth, but is always less confident than his rival. In this game your an attourney, a defence attourney. So your job is to prove your client is not guilty, and to do that you must find flaws in the witness testimonys by using evidence and pressing for more information. All the characters (Prosecuters, Witness's ect) are all unique. and they all have a specific way they talk, some aggresive, some use "youth lingo" or some may speak in german. The actual game goes from hard to easy at some times, and if you fail it is not forgiving. I admit i had to look up a walkthrough at times. And not only is there the attourney plot, there is also a strong subplot, which keeps you interested in the fate of your mentor. The real star in this game is the story, which is probably the best storytelling in a game i have ever seen. There are a few things which i think could be buffed out, like how saves come around at intervals, that can sometimes be a while.

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"SUPACRAZY84 reviewed Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney for the DS..." was posted by SUPACRAZY84 on Wed, 29 May 2013 13:37:47 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/apollo-justice-ace-attorney/user-reviews/811856/platform/ds/ Sat, 25 May 2013 18:43:18 -0700 pokecharm reviewed Saints Row: The Third for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/saints-row-the-third/user-reviews/811721/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Saints Row the Third has been compared to Grand Theft Auto, but silly and crude. That assessment, from what I can tell, is about right, though it doesn't give the game nearly enough credit. In Steelport, the Saints are a famous gang, one that does drugs, gets into trouble, shots up the place and generally carouses throughout the city. The game starts off with a bang as the leader of the Saints commits sepuka by taking an entire plane down to save the rest of the gang. You play the character that is then the de facto leader, or at least this was what I pieced together while only paying some attention.

Though it is perhaps not a fair comparison, Saints Row does remind me a great deal of Grand Theft Auto. The world is open, you can run around and to what you like, though there are always repercussions to your actions. The police and other gangs are looking for reasons to attack you. The controls are easy to understand, for the most part. There are variable rules, it seemed, for the controls of weapons while in a vehicle. Some vehicles came with weapons, some do not. When you have a gang member with you, they control the mounted guns, making some larger battle sequences amazingly frustrating because they don't shot or shot at nothing. This was the one down-side I found to the otherwise simple to use controls.

The colours, graphics and overall feel of Saints Row was authentic to the kind of city and atmosphere the game aims for. It does remind me of any big city with good and bad parts of town. Each gang had a different colour scheme, which helped slightly in understand what group you were challenging by driving through their area. The city is beautifully rendered, especially as the area becomes more Saints controlled and the royal purple surfaces more and more. Much like with the other open-world games, as you control more of the map, more of your supporters pepper the map, making it feel more homey.

The story was hilarious, I can't be more clear than that. I found it absurd, comical and a ton of fun. The voice acting made the outlandish plot that much more fun. My personal favourite was Shandi and the star-struck actor Josh who loved her. Silly and funny, and it doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes the whole game one that shouldn't be missed.

Having said that, the number of glitches I encountered were too many to count, and this is the major detraction of the game. When you have to stop playing, reload missions or shut the console down and still can't get things to work, the fun of the game becomes more frustrating than enjoyable. Some of the 'find' missions were just plain broken. I'm not sure how many times I attempted one of the vehicle thefts, but after an hour plus, I just gave up. The map, oftentimes, wouldn't work or display an actual direction, as if it didn't realise I was in the water and kept telling me to get on land or the other way around. Only when I was in the air did it seem to recognise that was where I was. The in-game GPS was like the one I have for real, for no particular reason, it would lead me to the longest, most convoluted ways around the map, purposely throwing me in the face of cars that materialised out of nowhere. Glitch after glitch after glitch and I finally couldn't take it anymore and burned through the last few missions just so the game would be over.

This is a fun game, no question about it. But technical issues, especially for a game that has been out for two years, is not acceptable. In retrospect, I might not have picked this game up at a low $30 had I known. And now that I've had this experience, I'm reluctant to drop money on a pre-order for the next one.

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"pokecharm reviewed Saints Row: The Third for the Xbox 360..." was posted by pokecharm on Sat, 25 May 2013 18:43:18 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/saints-row-the-third/user-reviews/811721/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 24 May 2013 21:36:05 -0700 FuryX-4 reviewed Persona 4 Golden for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/persona-4-golden/user-reviews/811694/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Good:
Best story
Memorable scenes and events
It's funny (Believe me, it's definitely awesome XD) Awesome soundtracks
Good voice acting
Great character personality
Good game play
Nice settings
etc.

Bad:
It starts of slow but the pacing catches up

Persona 4 Golden for the PS Vita is the greatest RPG ever made with more additional content the original lack. Since this is the first time I have played a Persona game and I'm really interested in playing previous Persona sequels.

Contents:
Despite the fact that I never played the original and I can't be so sure what contents has to offer from the previous, what definitely is added to this game is a new character (Marie), new Social Links (Marie and Adachi) that goes in-depth of the story, improved details, new events, new scenes, new musics, new voice, online features that could help you and help you decide what you want to do, new places, new dungeon, more Personas, costumes you get to wear and more. You'll also be given an option for a New Game+, customize what is appropriate for you. If you want the battle easy, go easy. If you want to maximize the intensity of actions, go very hard. With such contents, this game maximizes to the limit to where it's so awesome, it makes you cry, even for the new epilogue.

Story:
Similar to what I said in the "Content" category, I never played the previous sequels of Persona but in comparisons with this game's story and the previous stories, this game has some dark moments, but it is mostly taking place in a happy settings. The others set in a dark, gloomy settings. In the end, it depends on your kind of taste, whether you like both, or not. So... You'll be playing as a Hero (name whatever you want to name, but it's default name is Yu Narukami), before you start going on the adventure, you'll be in your dream, meeting Igor and Margaret in the Velvet Room (Inside a car). They will serve you, tell you what lies ahead in the future, where it will lead and what can happen with mysteries and such. After that, you are being transferred to Inaba by your parents to live with Ryotaro Dojima, a father detective and Nanako Dojima, Dojima's daughter, lovable and always love for Junes Department Store, stay for 1 year. You'll be going to school at Yasogami High School, listen to some lectures and most importantly meet new friends, at school and at Inaba.

You'll meet up with first 3 friends such as:
-Yosuke Hanamura
-Chie Satonaka
-Yukiko Amagi
-more as you progress the story

Things have gone weird as there is murder in Inaba and rumors of a channel called "Midnight Channel" where if you look at the TV on a rainy midnight, you'll see your soul mate. As you have the magic to go into TV, you'll be discovering weird places that ties in to people. Since you figure that the rumors ties-in to the murders, you'll be gathering up team members (or friends) to help you guide through bold bizarre worlds, dungeon-crawlings, defeat enemies and solve the mystery on who is responsible behind this. I got to say, I really love the story. Aside from the main focus of the story, the events are worth laughing and remembering. You'll be enjoying the days and such with the events to go into.

Gameplay:
Before we go to the real gameplay, let's talk about the functions in game. So the game provides you stuffs like fusing Personas, spending your days in life, go into dungeon, do quest and such. What's one of the important elements of this game is Social Links. What you basically do is to meet new people with specific Arcana that could help you fuse Personas with a better EXP and the more time you spend with the person, the better you bond with to earn more EXP, max out to create the ultimate Persona. You can also get someone to be your relationship (Some certain people that is, mostly girls). Your status plays a role for your character. It has 5 important characteristics that could improve your choice of dialogue: Courage, Diligence, Knowledge, Expression and Understanding. All the 5 characteristics can be found in real life, improving but can take away your time so decide wisely.

Now this is where the real action starts. Like any other JRPG, it is your traditional role-playing game, you or the enemy starts attacking you and you'll make the decision on what is effective and what is not with your equipment and importantly, your Persona. Each of your party members have their own Personas, but for you, you get to choose what Persona Arcana you would like to use in battle and leveling up. Be aware though, some Personas have their own weakness and when the enemy figures out the weakness, they'll go in to One More, where vice versa, you'll be given another action. Another battle feature is All Out attack. When all the enemies are down, you'll be given a choice to accept or decline. Depending on enemies, the results are a massive damage. But if it's not enough, it will go into Tag Team Attack, when a partner goes for the extra damage. Next is the AI support. Depending on the order you attack, you'll be given a help from your teammate, whether it'll be a critical attack, aid or removing enemy. The game is forgiving. Sometimes, it tends to be struggling but with the right amount of grinding, battle will be easy. With so much stuffs going on, the game provides the proper amount of actions that'll make the game enjoyable.

Graphics:
Not much important here about the graphics, but it did add in more background and character details that makes Inaba look calm, valuable and pretty, like sunshines, birds, etc.


Replay Value:
Depending on how your characters plays out, you could be at 100+ hours overall. Since it has lots of contents, you can do some interactions with characters and the events. When you finish, you can go for a second playthrough with different result.

Sounds:
Soundtracks returns in this new game but there's new music that is not heard in the original. (Ex: Snowflakes). Some recurring voice actors and the new latest voice actors. The obvious character that made changes (I'm not about some characters but I know most recurred) is Chie. It goes from very normal to an exciting character and that adds up to a great personality for her. I know some people do not like the new Chie voice, but it grows on you. It starts of annoying, but for awhile, you can't deny on how cute and lovable it sounds.

Overall:
This is definitely the best RPG game ever made and it'll keep you talking for long time until the next Persona comes, then the next game will keep you talking for long time. For the question, is it worth owning a Vita for this game? If you got a some variety taste, yes. If not, then it is still a yes. If you got the guts to shell out a Vita, then while at it, pick up the memory card and this (And some other games if you want to choose).

Get the full article at GameSpot

"FuryX-4 reviewed Persona 4 Golden for the PlayStation Vita..." was posted by FuryX-4 on Fri, 24 May 2013 21:36:05 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/persona-4-golden/user-reviews/811694/platform/vita/ Tue, 21 May 2013 21:15:53 -0700 NightFox313 reviewed Silent Hill for the PlayStation... http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill/user-reviews/811592/platform/ps/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

It made me cringe.

I yearned to play it, but at the same time I dreaded gripping my hands on the controller to do so. I loved and despised playing it. This is the game that made me question if pressing on was really a thing I wanted to do. It made me want to vomit. It was mentally draining. But still I went on to complete it, and here I am now.

Breathless. "The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh."

Silent Hill is just one of those games. A gripping narrative, a believable cast of characters, coupled with a chilling soundtrack and unnerving set-pieces are everything one could want in a horror video game. However, rather than just going for the standard B-movie scare-tactics a la Resident Evil, Silent Hill redefines the horror genre, while - in its own right - the way for a completely new and horrifying genre - psychological horror. A game that was so terribly scary, I had to draw in all of the courage I could possibly take for a human being to play it. And that's what makes this game such a memorable one, and it is indeed an unforgettable experience that I could never forget, no matter how hard I tried. All of the good memories I had with it, complete with all of the ones I didn't want to remember - Silent Hill simply burns a sick, twisted, and distorted image of a peaceful resort gone wrong into the deepest caverns of your mind. And no matter how hard you try scratching it out of your memory, it'll always still be there.

Developed by KCET and published by Konami, Silent Hill was released for the original Sony PlayStation on 31 January, 1999 - during perhaps "the golden age of horror video games". Notable hits such as Clock Tower and Parasite Eve were making their way into the pool of countless survival horror games at the time, but the most renowned and successful survival horror franchise - Resident Evil - was clearly raking in the dough. However, with the release of Silent Hill, things took a disturbingly hard turn. Gone were the zombies and biological disasters, and that Scissor Man lunatic. The horrifying, terrifying creatures of Silent Hill were the things that could only be seen in your worst nightmares - from the deepest bowels of the earth. That's what made the game so intensely scary and yet so satisfying; the feeling of the unknown has never struck more fear into me from any horror game I've played than Silent Hill.

Resident Evil went for the famous jump-scares that plague many of today's independent "indie" horror games. Biological experiments gone wrong would crash through a disturbingly reflective window when you'd least expect it. It's a shame, really, because whenever there was a window to be seen, you could already expect something to crash through it when you come across the same area later in the game. Silent Hill takes all of the cheap scares and throws it out the window. It embraces you relentlessly, throwing every single piece of violent and disturbing imagery as inhumanely possible and envelops you in its pure-evil atmosphere. That's where the magic of Silent Hill lies. And the way the game's atmosphere was so meticulously, so painstakingly designed to remind you of your worst nightmares (and to, of course, conjure up some new ones) works so unbelievably well that you fear that the game you're playing could potentially be a reality. It's like inviting a living hellish nightmare-town into the safety in your own home.

You play the game through the eyes of Harry Mason, a middle-aged man whose occupation is a writer (however, don't take the phrase too seriously; Silent Hill is a third-person psychological horror game - although it occasionally uses fixed camera angles in some cases). He takes his seven year-old daughter, Cheryl, along with him for a vacation in a peaceful resort town, Silent Hill. During a long drive through the night on the highway, Harry notices that a mysterious young girl is walking across the street, and tries to swerve violently to avoid impacting the girl but ends up crashing his car and is knocked out unconscious. However, the long drive wasn't all for naught - upon waking up in Silent Hill after the car crash, Harry notices that Cheryl is missing and ventures out into the ominous fog that defines the town of Silent Hill. He vows to find her and discover the unknown secrets of the creepy town and find out if the world he is in is a reality or a living nightmare.

Trust me, I'd go on and on but that puts you at risk of some major spoilers. So I'll just leave it at that. The third-person camera makes use of some fixed camera angles for more cinematic in-game shots (and in cinematic cutscenes) and the freakier scares, but for the most part the camera is always controllable, giving you a better view of your surroundings. That might seem that having a camera you can easily control takes away from the fear, but it only adds to it in the end. At least it doesn't venture into the notorious trope of Camera Screw and adding artificial difficulty by having a seriously uncooperative camera.

Harry Mason is in a way an "everyman", or an average person who has no real defining qualities other than being an average Joe and simply serves as a sort of avatar for the character. The scary thing about this is, is that Harry is in no way a seasoned veteran, nor has he ever had any sort of experience with fighting, and that makes you feel like you're helpless in some cases - like you're so hopelessly weak and have no chance of surviving in the hellish world. Controlled from a third-person perspective, Silent Hill doesn't feel as clunky in controls or as robust as Resident Evil's infamous "tank controls". There are several ways that give the gameplay a more fluid feeling, such as being able to strafe from side-to-side and - my personal favorite - the ability to shoot and walk in any direction at the same time. The combat system is so limited and hard-to-use, but is effectively scary in the sense that Harry has such little experience with fighting - especially fighting things he's only seen in his worst nightmares.

Harry will also have to take care of himself and manage a rather large assortment of items. The majority of the weapons are melee-based, but ranged weapons can also be used. There is a strangely large amount of ammunition to be found in Silent Hill, and there will be rare cases where you'll run out of ammo for your shotgun or hunting rifle unless you've been shooting it around like a mad dog. Healing items are few and far between, and you're likely to use them frequently, as Harry is a generally weak individual. He can die from a few attacks and is relatively, physically weak - which only adds to the feeling of helplessness, isolation, and desperation. Keys and other items are used for navigating throughout Silent Hill, and maps have to be found to traverse through the large overworld. Locations vary from convenience stores, small houses, to police stations and gas stations. I won't spoil the more important locations.

The atmosphere in Silent Hill is simply the best I've seen in the genre. Derelict and dilapidated buildings, along with cafes and mom-and-pop stores that have seen better days all add to the feeling that Silent Hill is an empty, deserted town. The haunting vision of a town with a dark past is only enhanced by the addition of Silent Hill's trademark: fog. The fog is so thick and heavy that you have no idea what might be ahead of you. Cleverly used as a way to hide the Sony PlayStation's limitations at the time, the game's limited point-distance is hidden with the fog effect that is used so effectively that it made the daytime as scary as pure darkness. The game tricks you into thinking you're in a safe place, and the numerous save points scattered throughout the overworld make each one feel like a breath of fresh air.

And then the lights go down. There is no mercy now. Silent Hill grips you at the neck and refuses to give you any chance of hope or feeling of safety. It is a brutal, mentally-draining experience until the very end. My most memorable moments of the game came from the relentlessly dark portions of the game, where Silent Hill was enveloped in pure darkness. This is what makes Silent Hill so unique in the horror genre. During these portions of the game, enemies are far more disturbing and aggressive. All you have to light the darkness with is a flashlight attached to your jacket - and you never know what lurks ahead or what is hiding in the impending shadows. This is where the radio comes in. Whenever an enemy is nearby, the radio will emit static, and the sounds of demonic children with bloody knives can be heard growling as their bare feet scrape towards your direction. The shrieking of gargoyles and the moaning of the possessed inhabitants of Silent Hill send chills down your spine and make you want to cover your ears in fright.

The tension is further increased with the music and sound departments. Masterfully composed, the game's soundtrack is minimalist in some cases while heart-pounding in others. Depressing and mellow undertones add to the psychological elements of the game, and Harry's feelings that he might not make it out alive with his daughter can be reflected in the game's soundtrack. The haunting blaring of the air raid sirens in the background are so mysteriously timed in the game; so startlingly original. It all makes you wonder about the mysteries of what really happened in Silent Hill. There's nothing scarier when you've just narrowly escaped an ambush from bloodthirsty, savage dogs with the relentless lashing of industrial beats and entering into a room you've never been to before, only to notice that the music has suddenly disappeared. The fear of the unknown is the greatest scare-tactic in this game, and it worked so effectively that I had to play the game in breaks at times, listening to Bossa Nova music - the game is that intense. It robs you of your sanity and throws you into multiple locales that you've never even imagined before and expecting you to explore it.

And where would a great horror game be without puzzles? Silent Hill is chock-full of riddles and clues, many of which left me scratching my head in confusion. Puzzles are abundant and are deviously confusing and devilishly created to make you want to look up answers via walkthrough. Many will leave you frustrated, especially later in the game. The problem about the puzzles is that many of them are so impossibly vague that they put Zelda and Metroid to shame. They are ridiculously hard, but the feeling of conquering the puzzles are so satisfying that it's hard to judge whether the riddles add or subtract from the game. Aside from these, Silent Hill adds a twist on the puzzles. It takes standard items you'd find in your average household and forces you to cleverly use them in a different way. The game really makes you think about that random rubber ball in your inventory, or that metal ring.

The scares of Silent Hill are its core, next to the atmosphere. Even though they almost never use jump-scares to make the player have to buy a new pair of pants, the feeling of imminent death and the fear of what lurks ahead scares me way more than the dogs that crashed through the mansion windows in Resident Evil. Sometimes you'll hear your radio emit static, but there won't be anyone around. You might hear noises in a room next to you, or you might enter a room you once thought was safe but as soon as you open the door a possessed nurse is ready to stab you senselessly. In many cases, you'll wonder if you're hearing things, such as hearing scraping noises on the walls of the room next to you or a banging on the door shortly after you enter an operating room gone wrong. The disturbing imagery works so well here, taking conventional objects and places and turning them into things you'll want to stay away from in real life. The game psychologically attacks you whenever possible, and burns the visions into your skull, making you want to forget the horrifying scenes you've just seen even though it's impossible.

Silent Hill is a startlingly original entry in the horror genre. It builds up the tension to the point where you're simply expecting something to happen, but nothing does. And then it gets you when you least expect it. Although on the short side (the first playthrough can be completed in around five to six hours), every scream you make and every pounding your heart makes makes the journey worth it. It's like an amusement park ride from hell, and the characters are sympathetic. It makes you actually want to care about Harry Mason and whatever might happen to his daughter Cheryl, along with the mysteries of Silent Hill and the tragic occurrences of the past.

It made me want to check into a psychiatrist. It made me want to close my eyes forever. Anything you see in this game will be a thing you'll want to forget about. Silent Hill is a game that defines horror, and is pure psychological horror fuel. It's a game that will build you up and break you down, and drag you through a world you won't ever want to remember.

The game that I wanted to forget. The game that will always strike a chord of fear in my heart.

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"NightFox313 reviewed Silent Hill for the PlayStation..." was posted by NightFox313 on Tue, 21 May 2013 21:15:53 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill/user-reviews/811592/platform/ps/ Mon, 20 May 2013 16:55:52 -0700 The_Last_Ride reviewed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-bad-company-2/user-reviews/811537/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Bad Company starts takes place with a company that suddenly stumbles on something big on a military mission. With all the different personalities and actually a fun and good story spent on the singleplayer it makes for a great singleplayer story. The multiplayer doesn't lack anything either with a progression system and a lot of destructable enviroments that makes for dynamic gameplay.

The bad:
The graphic does take a hit in this game and does have framerate issues. If you don't care for the greatest graphics this won't be something to take notice of. But some may take notice.
Some of singleplayer events might be annoying with smaller glitches and sometimes quick time/live scenes events taking you out of the experience.
The multiplayer might feel a little familiar to most. The multiplayer does offer detructable enviroment, but doesn't really have anything new than any other shooter when it comes to multiplayer.

The Good:
The singleplayer really gives you a lot of options to approach the situation. Not forcing the player to choose just some random weapon the character is assigned. But actually choosing a weapons the level and what the player wants. The levels are linear, but don't feel linear as it actually might be.
The gameplay itself is really solid and does give the player enough to choose from in multiplayer and singleplayer.
The story is really solid in singleplayer and gives the player a story full of action story. With funny one liners and some great voice acting, it gives the story depth and purpose.
The level design is well done and never feels forced and gives the player enough variety to actually be a good change of pace instead of the constant gun shooting.

Overall:
It's a great shooter with really great singleplayer with humor and depth and a multiplayer that is solid but doesn't really add whole lot to formula, but is still fun to play. I would recomend this to anyone that is a fan of shooters to explore and some that haven't really tried the genre out yet.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-bad-company-2/user-reviews/811537/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 20 May 2013 15:11:47 -0700 benleslie5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811535/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

It's never easy to find the best first-person shooter game out there on any platform there's been some classics in the past like Goldeneye and Timesplitters 2. BioShock Infinite is one of those that should be highly recommend to any gamer out there, if you haven't played the series before or you have played BioShock 1 and 2.

Set before the 60's during the events of BioShock 1 and 2, Infinite takes place in 1912 where Booker DeWitt heads to the lighthouse which transports him to Columbia with the mission from Luteces to "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt". Elizabeth plays a very important role throughout the main story; she is not like other people you'll meet in Columbia. Throughout the story you'll be escorting Elizabeth and finding out what is really going on its story.

Gameplay: Like the past two BioShock games if you've played them do feel a little similar on its first-person shooter with a mix of RPG elements you've still got your standard weapons like the pistol gun, machine gun and shot gun, you'll also get other guns which you'll use later on through various parts of Columbia. You'll also get to use the grappling gun which you can either attack against enemies or grabbing on railways connecting to buildings called skylines where you can ride your way around the city feeling like you're on a roller-coaster.

The fun part is when riding the skyline and shooting at enemies at the same time, you can also grab on to hooks which can help you get across various building and areas you can't reach; you can also assassinate your enemies from above if you see a star icon when they are not looking.

Another feature in Infinite by pressing L1 you can use powers and abilities using vigors, which is similar to BioShock's plasmids and tonics. You can burn your enemies by insinuating them or murder of crows can summon a swarm of crows to attack enemies. You will get more powers later on in the game and some of the powers are pretty cool to use, when you finally rescue Elizabeth she can help you lock-pick through certain doors and padlocks, she can also help you find money and items. You'll have a health bar and salt bar for powers, you'll find cash machines where you can purchase stuff and upgrade weapons and powers to help you get through the game. If you're not sure where you suppose to go you can press the up button where a green arrow will tell you where you need to go.

Graphics and Sound: BioShock 1 and 2 were setting in an underwater city, in Bioshock Infinite the floating-city of Columbia is set in the skies which feels more like a Steampunk game with it being set during the early 1900's. The stunning visuals and environments are extremely impressive to look for a first-person shooter; it does feel more like an open world game where you can go anywhere you like around Columbia.

The animation for the characters are very done and could have been perfect for an animated film if it ever happened despite the amount of violence and blood you'll see throughout the game. You can easily get yourself lost around the city if you're not too careful, and as I mention on the gameplay section riding the skylines do make it feel like you're on a roller-coaster ride making you feel that you're riding it.

Troy Baker does the voicing for Booker and Courtnee Draper does the voicing for Elizabeth, both actors have really much made this game perfect for its fine voice acting and also the same with the rest of the characters you'll meet in Bioshock Infinite with the setting being set in 1912. You will hear some remix music from the 80's and 90's but being done in the setting around that time making it more impressive to listen to.

Overall: I really don't want to spoil the ending or the main story for Bioshock Infinite you'll also hear some of the best quotes and see some of the most memorable moments in gaming. Clearing the game on your first play through can take you at least 20 hours or more pending on if you want to try and collect everything including audio tapes. There is trophy support if you want to collect trophies, there's even quite a few easter eggs being added in fans will really get a laugh out of it.

Unlocking 1999 mode after your play through is the biggest challenge with it being on the hardest difficulty setting making it more rewarding to play the game again and again. I rarely play first-person shooters but this one is highly recommended to any gamer out there for their collection.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"benleslie5 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by benleslie5 on Mon, 20 May 2013 15:11:47 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811535/platform/ps3/ Sun, 19 May 2013 15:35:46 -0700 Ravenhoe reviewed Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/batman-arkham-asylum/user-reviews/811495/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

As every other geek on this planet, I am a big fan of the dark knight (even though I thought his last film was not that good despite the hype) and I am thrilled to say that this has been the purest Batman gaming experience I had the pleasure to taste so far. Yes, there are some shortcomings, but all fade away in the bright light of quality that Rocksteady delivered with Arkham Asylum.

The visuals, sounds, music and the great voice acting (especially Batman and the Joker) create a very broody, yet exciting atmosphere, a perfect fit for the dark undertone of the Batman comics, while maintaining the thrilling spirit of adventure that makes this franchise so energetic and popular.

The setting is a tad weird, a large island, which serves as an asylum, certainly makes it much easier to create the game in terms of level desing, yet I would have prefered some more realistic locations, in line with the comics / films / lore. On the other hand, the setting gave the designers the freedom to throw in all sorts of bosses (a who is who of batman villains, most of which are second class villains, I reckon they are saving Catwoman and The Penguin for some other time) and levels. The remote setting makes it possible to have a whole island taken over by plantlife without you getting the weird feeling that you are playing some weird Japanese RPG.

The combat is visceral and so is the level 'solving', even though I found the game quite easy to beat, unless you are trying to find each and every secret level and item that is, but I am not a completist and here to beat the single-player story and that's it, thank you very much.

When it comes to first person combat, be it medieval melee or martial arts, most games either lack the finesse and excitment of combat or have control schemes that make your fingers go all entangled on your ass (Severance, TMNT, Dark Messiah of M&M etc.). Batmam AA manages to make the combat easy to get into, yet you still feel that you are in charge of the action the whole time. The pacing is also very nice, with some parts relying on your stealth skills while other are just bedlam and brawling like there is no tomorrow.

The idea of leveling Batman up is neat but never really takes over the game like some RPG game would, but it is a nice addition to add some depth and tangible feeling of progress as you fight your way through hordes of people with make-up issues.

The story is nice, not a lot of twists and Joker wants to take over the world (O rly?). As usual, all the villains are never inclined to kill Batman when they have the chance but rather let him live, only to have him thwart they plans before curtain fall, ... what the heck, that is what it's like in the movies too eh ?

All in all, this game is loads of fun and I sincerely hope that the other games in the series (City and Origins) add a bit more spice to the levels and the story, but retain the tight and super-polished gameplay. SLICK !

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"Ravenhoe reviewed Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PC..." was posted by Ravenhoe on Sun, 19 May 2013 15:35:46 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/batman-arkham-asylum/user-reviews/811495/platform/pc/ Fri, 17 May 2013 11:55:19 -0700 darthcobain17 reviewed Transformers Animated: The Game for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/transformers-animated-the-game/user-reviews/811416/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Transformers Animated is a game for the Nintendo DS that takes place in the world of the short lived cartoon with the same name. Taking control of a few select Autobots you must engage Megatron and his forces, for they plan to open up Space Bridges all over the galaxy and warp their forces through to Cybertron, where they are set to embark upon an epic war and take the planet over once and for all. It's up to you to stop them . . .

From the main menu of Transformers Animated you have four choices, the first of which is called "New Game". When you select it there are three save slots you can choose from to save your new game to, once that is decided upon you are taken to the first level. There are 25 levels in total, and they cover four different areas. The game begins with some simple training levels in the Autobots' headquarters, before moving along to the Sumdac robotics facility and then the Sumdac mines, before ending on Cybertron. Most levels are platform levels, where you must use a team of three main Autobots (Optimus Prime, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee) to navigate your way through each level. There are some enemies to fight along the way, such as Decepticon drones, various rogue Sumdac machinations, and even the odd Decepticon boss, such as Lockdown and Megatron. But mostly the challenge to this game is finding the correct path through each level, using a series of pressure plates, various switches, electric generators, elevators, wind tunnels, magnet cranes, etc. Some of these devices can only be utilized by certain Autobots, making the challenge even harder. There are also a few vehicle levels scattered throughout the game, where you race down the highway in pursuit of some objective. In these levels you mostly use Bumblebee but you also see Optimus Prime, as well as a fourth Autobot, Prowl. Complete all 25 levels and you have beaten this game!

The second option from the main menu is "Load Game". If you have already begun play on Transformers Animated and have a game saved, you choose this option. Upon doing so you will be asked which game you want to load, from any of the three available save slots, when you do you will be taken to the next uncompleted level of that game save file.

Third we come to the "Options" option. Here you can fiddle with some of the game's settings, including Language (toggle between English, French, Italian or Spanish), Controls (toggle to configure to either a right-handed or left-handed scheme), and Credits (view the game credits).

Finally we have the "Unlockables" option. When you choose this option you are able to view three pages of game videos (14 videos in total), which are unlocked as you progress through the game. These videos focus mostly around the various characters' transformation sequences.

Once out in the game there is virtually nothing to look for, at least in terms of items or pickups. The only thing to be on the hunt for are Energon cubes. The small pink ones restore a small portion of your health, while the large blue ones fully restore your health. Other than that your focus should be on finding all of the various switches, pressure plates, etc. and how they work, so that you can escape each level.

The game screens for Transformers Animated are very spartan, not much going on there at all, which is nice. The bottom screen is where all the action unfolds, and this screen is not obstructed at all by any icons, gauges or other such things. During cutscenes this screen will display the action that is unfolding. As for the top screen, as you make your way through the game this screen defaults to your status display. Icons representing each of the three main Autobots are displayed, along with the current state of their health gauge. Also displayed here are how many lives you have left (you get 3 in total). During vehicle levels it changes slightly, showing a gauge for your turbo, and a small map representing how far you've made it in terms of your objective. During cutscenes or other breaks in the action this screen will show images of the characters who are talking, along with a printed on screen edition of the conversation. You can also be given instructions from Ratchet, which will be displayed here as well. As for the pause menu screen, when you pull it up you are faced with four choices, which include Resume, Restart, Options (including just the Language and Controls options), and Quit.

This is the very first game I've ever played for any sort of Nintendo DS system, so I was quite intrigued by the multiple screens and the control scheme. The controls are pretty confusing at first (probably just for me though, due to my learning curve) but after a while they become second nature. First of all, you can use both the control pad and the analog button to move the Autobots around their environment, both during platform levels and vehicle levels. These buttons also control your movements of elevators, magnet cranes, etc. For Optimus Prime you can press up to make him use his grappling hook and climb up a ledge (only under certain types of ledges though). The R and L buttons are used to cycle control through any available Autobots during a given mission, in reverse orders from each other. The rest of the buttons differ, depending on which Autobot you are controlling. The Y button is used to initiate an axe swing (Optimus Prime), fire stingers (Bumblebee), or punch (Bulkhead). As for the B button, it is used to block (both Optimus Prime and Bulkhead) or jump (Bumblebee, who can also jump off walls by pressing B again when against the surface of a wall). The A button is only used by Bulkhead, making him grab on to large objects so that he can pull or push them. The last bit of controls I need to mention is using the stylus to interact with the bottom touch screen. By tapping on enemies you can have the Autobots attack them, and you can even perform trickier moves, like making Optimus Prime throw his axe, or having Bulkhead fire his battering ram/ball thing. You can do so by tapping on the Autobot in question and then drawing a path away from them in the direction you want them to perform the action. Also in vehicle mode you use it to fire your weapons, by tapping on the invading enemies, which makes Prowl throw his shurikens at them, for example.

The presentation behind this game is very nice, nothing ground-breaking or anything, but very solid. It's definitely a very colourful game, with the locations all fitting right in with the Transformers Animated universe. The characters too were very well animated, they move great. The sound was well done, with realistic sound effects and what seemed like the original voice actors from the show reprising their roles. The controls were also very well done, they responded quite well.

As for pros and cons, there are some of each present in this game. First of all, on the good side my favourite part of the game was just how well executed it was. The whole package, look, sound, controls, fun factor, it's just a very solid game all around, in every facet. I also really enjoyed how it fit right in to the Transformers Animated universe, as I really like that show. On the down side, this game is pretty devoid of any extra bells and whistles. There isn't much unlockable content, and absolutely no other types of game modes, which don't help it's replayability factor any. The biggest con though, is the feeling of repetition you get while playing it at times. Because there aren't that many enemies in the game overall, you find yourself simply trying to solve the same types of puzzles over and over again. Although the puzzles do vary in terms of their size and complexity, they are the same obstacles in essence and can get pretty tiresome. Despite the game's excellent execution this fact really helps to diminish it's overall impact.

There aren't any real tips and tricks I can offer for this title, it's a pretty straightforward game. All I can say is remember at all times what each Autobot's capabilities are, and think hard if you get stuck. There is always a way out of each puzzle, you just need to uncover it.

Overall this is a very solid game. The mechanics behind it are just perfect, but it is also one of those games that will forever be labelled as didn't live up to it's potential. More enemies and a little less puzzle solving may have brought more balance to the game and made it more interesting, and an alternate game mode definitely would have helped. But like I said, the execution behind it is very good, so although it's not a must play, it's definitely worth a play.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"darthcobain17 reviewed Transformers Animated: The Game for the DS..." was posted by darthcobain17 on Fri, 17 May 2013 11:55:19 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/transformers-animated-the-game/user-reviews/811416/platform/ds/