lokizarro's GameSpot Friend's Reviews lokizarro's GameSpot Friend's Reviews lokizarro's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:26:53 -0700 GameSpot lokizarro'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 20:06:18 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Tales of the Abyss for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-the-abyss/user-reviews/812461/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Tales of the Abyss is one of the best 6th Gen RPGs I've played and it's good enough to have been rereleased for 3DS.

It's storytelling is great and it has a great love story and it's story in general is very heartfelt and creative and it's battle system is fun and typical of the Tales series and so is it's colorful,charming,anime-inspired visuals and it's music is beautiful and delicate at times and helps add to the heartfelt moments.

The story is about a male character with long red-hair named 'Luke' whom was mysteriously kidnapped and has lost much of his memories.After trying to defend his master from a female assassin,Luke and the female assassin named Tear get teleported to the other side of the world.The world has elements that allow people to use magic and power great machines and even see into the future and this means nations are in a race to see into the future before other nations to gain an advantage over them and being able to see in the future can help them become more prosperous because they can see new technologies and mistakes and events ahead of time and this causes a lot of political tension around the world.

There is more to the story than this and some of the story revelations are quite shocking and can contribute to some every emotional story moments and they're very creative too.Another reason the story is very emotional at times is because it's presented very delicately,especially for when the romance is building and the story is interesting from start to finish because there is so much going on in the world and because the story is creative.

The love story is quite heartfelt because it shows how the male and female will be trying to save each other and also because it's an imperfect romance in the sense the 2 people involved with tease and annoy each other but they do it because they love each other and feel comfortable together and it creates a realistic feel for the love story.

The cast of characters is quite good,the party members are quite likable and the story even shows the potential of a love triangle and the other party members besides Luke and Tear are involved in some intense and interesting story moments.

The battle system is typical of the Tales series,real-time and hack n slashy but quite fun and fast and the longer your combos are the more damage each hit on an enemy will do.Once again the artes system returns for magic use,but a new feature the battle system has is if you stand in a circle that appears on the battlefields and perform an elemental attack that corresponds to the circle it will do more damage and enemies are capable of using these elemental circles referred to as 'field of fonons' to power up their attacks too.

I like how ToTA is traditional in the sense it has towns to explore and lots of people in towns to talk with and a world mape to explore.The game uses anime scenes to give the story a more life-like effect at times and the cutscenes are quite stunning from an artistic perspective,especially when it blends with a starry night sky or sunsets and add a delicate romance scene to them it's quite something.The world has a nice blend of medieval and Sci Fi because even though you'll see castles and rural style towns and knights with swords you'll see quite a lot of futuristic buildings/structures and airships.

It would be nice if the game gave you more info on where you needed to go next for quests though because sometimes I found myself running around randomly not sure where I needed to go next/do next.

The artstyle is colorful and the world map,characters and towns have a charming visual look to them,even the futuristic environments have a nice use of color that makes them look high-tech and not too cold and lifeless but not too cutsey either.

The music is beautiful at times and it makes you feel the delicate and emotional story moments even more.

Overall,this game is not only one of the best RPGs from the 6th gen and if you like JRPGs you MUST play this game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed Tales of the Abyss for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:06:18 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-the-abyss/user-reviews/812461/platform/ps2/ Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:02:31 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-the-abyss/user-reviews/812460/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Tales of the Abyss is one of the best 6th Gen RPGs I've played and now it's available for 3DS.

It's storytelling is great and it has a great love story and it's story in general is very heartfelt and creative and it's battle system is fun and typical of the Tales series and so is it's colorful,charming,anime-inspired visuals and it's music is beautiful and delicate at times and helps add to the heartfelt moments.

The story is about a male character with long red-hair named 'Luke' whom was mysteriously kidnapped and has lost much of his memories.After trying to defend his master from a female assassin,Luke and the female assassin named Tear get teleported to the other side of the world.The world has elements that allow people to use magic and power great machines and even see into the future and this means nations are in a race to see into the future before other nations to gain an advantage over them and being able to see in the future can help them become more prosperous because they can see new technologies and mistakes and events ahead of time and this causes a lot of political tension around the world.

There is more to the story than this and some of the story revelations are quite shocking and can contribute to some every emotional story moments and they're very creative too.Another reason the story is very emotional at times is because it's presented very delicately,especially for when the romance is building and the story is interesting from start to finish because there is so much going on in the world and because the story is creative.

The love story is quite heartfelt because it shows how the male and female will be trying to save each other and also because it's an imperfect romance in the sense the 2 people involved with tease and annoy each other but they do it because they love each other and feel comfortable together and it creates a realistic feel for the love story.

The cast of characters is quite good,the party members are quite likable and the story even shows the potential of a love triangle and the other party members besides Luke and Tear are involved in some intense and interesting story moments.

The battle system is typical of the Tales series,real-time and hack n slashy but quite fun and fast and the longer your combos are the more damage each hit on an enemy will do.Once again the artes system returns for magic use,but a new feature the battle system has is if you stand in a circle that appears on the battlefields and perform an elemental attack that corresponds to the circle it will do more damage and enemies are capable of using these elemental circles referred to as 'field of fonons' to power up their attacks too.

I like how ToTA is traditional in the sense it has towns to explore and lots of people in towns to talk with and a world mape to explore.The game uses anime scenes to give the story a more life-like effect at times and the cutscenes are quite stunning from an artistic perspective,especially when it blends with a starry night sky or sunsets and add a delicate romance scene to them it's quite something.The world has a nice blend of medieval and Sci Fi because even though you'll see castles and rural style towns and knights with swords you'll see quite a lot of futuristic buildings/structures and airships.

It would be nice if the game gave you more info on where you needed to go next for quests though because sometimes I found myself running around randomly not sure where I needed to go next/do next.

The touch screen allows you to access menus without having to press a button which is kinda nice.

The artstyle is colorful and the world map,characters and towns have a charming visual look to them,even the futuristic environments have a nice use of color that makes them look high-tech and not too cold and lifeless but not too cutsey either.

As for the 3D visual effects,the 3D effects look good in some places but in other places they don't.It's kinda nice to see this traditional style JRPG's environments pop up in front of you but in some of the environments the 3D visuals look kinda fuzzy.

The music is beautiful at times and it makes you feel the delicate and emotional story moments even more.

Overall,this game is not only one of the best RPGs from the 6th gen and now it's available for a handheld.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:02:31 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tales-of-the-abyss/user-reviews/812460/platform/3ds/ Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:53:29 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/new-super-mario-bros-2/user-reviews/812344/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

New Super Mario Bros 2 is a fun game but it's a bit disappointing at the same time.It's level designs are fun and often challenging without being painfully difficult but it's levels are too short.I like how the levels take influence from Super Mario Bros 3 which means you'll see a lot of colored boxes and colorful environments and charming bosses and the boss battles are influenced from Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World(which means you'll need to knock dinosaurs off moving platforms and face various Koopa bosses whom will use various methods to try to defeat you).

It's gameplay is fun and it's controls are tight as ever,it does feel like I've played this game many times when I've played the other 2D Mario games which isn't a bad thing because they're all fun except the short levels and short story mode make the experience a bit disappointing and the new things the game has to offer revolve around coin collecting.

Graphically this game looks like a visually upgraded version of a Super Mario Bros 3 which isn't a bad thing because I love the artstyle of SMB3 more than the artstyle for any other 2D Super Mario game,however it would have been nice if instead of the typical desert and snow levels the developers could have gone for new types of environments to freshen the game up a bit,perhaps city levels or tropical levels(city environments are in the Mario Kart games and although tropical levels are in the first NSMB game for DS they could have been done a lot better).But I'm glad they kept the typical grassy area with the castle in the background which is part of Super Mario folklore.

The story is the same as usual,Princess is kidnapped but instead of being kidnapped by Bowser directly it's his goons who kidnap her but of course you'll need to rescue her from Bowser.The final boss battle is epic and has a creative design and does a good job of creating story suspense...you'll see why.

The game focuses a lot on coin collecting,you can collect coins in many places and there's powerups which give you coins just for running and the level designs encourage you to risk dying in order to collect coins because there's rewards if you reach 1 million coins but collecting 1 million coins doesn't really appeal to me because I play games to experience story and level progression.If collecting 1 million coins appeals to you then you'll need to make use of the tanooki suit's abilities as well as the ability of the suit that gives you coins for running and it can be quite challenging and would add replay value.Coin rush mode is another mode that lets you collect coins that count to your coin total and you're encouraged to rush through the levels since quicker level completion times means more coins whilst collecting as many coins as you can without dying.

Overall,like I said it's a fun game but due to it's short levels and focus on coin collecting I don't think it's a great game but it's a good game and fun game nonetheless.If you want to play a great and newer 2D Super Mario game I suggest you try New Super Mario Bros U(which has HD visuals and new and enjoyable features that don't revolve around coin collecting).

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:53:29 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/new-super-mario-bros-2/user-reviews/812344/platform/3ds/ Fri, 24 May 2013 08:45:17 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed BioShock for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock/user-reviews/811673/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

I am not a FPS fan,in fact the FPS genre is amongst my least favorite genres but Bioshock is one of the top games I've played from the 7th generation of video games.

The thing that makes Bioshock stand out to me the most is it's atmosphere,you'll travel to an underwater city named 'Rapture' that's at the bottom of a deep ocean and hidden from the rest of the world and it will provide an eery atmosphere because the city is surrounded by a bluish tinge from the ocean water and you'll even see fish swimming and from the start of the game you'll be shown an outside view of the city that shows all of this and it made me feel like I was going to enter a very daunting place.

The story for Bioshock is about a man named Jack who survives a plane crash and is lead to Rapture and hell has broken loose in the city and genetically modified psychotic humans referred to as 'Splicers' infest Rapture and will attack you on sight.All the 'normal human' survivors are hiding so basically you'll be alone against lots of splicers and you'll be trying to discover why you are there(it will make sense when you experience the story)and you'll discover dark secrets about Rapture and about your character and there is some big surprises installed.

Basically Rapture was created as a place where science could flourish without religion getting in the way and to be a place free from political oppression but obviously something/a number of things have gone wrong and you'll be trying to find out what they are,and there's quite a lot to learn about Rapture because it was once a city full of people with lots of scientific advancements and commercial things operating from within it.

The controls are quite fun for FPS standard,the aiming mechanics and character movements feel fluid and fast.Even though the story is set in the 1960's you can upgrade the weapons to make them feel high-tech.For example,a 45 magnum is known for being a very powerful handgun but it shoots very slowly but in Bioshock you can upgrade it so it fires much more quickly.You can also upgrade your machine-gun and shotgun to make them more advanced compared with the average versions of those weapons for their time.

You can also use plasmas which are abilities gained from genetically modifying your character and some of these abilities allow you to knock heavy objects over a distance without touching them and this can be used as a weapon or counter attack(if enemies have grenades)or to remove objects blocking doors.You can use plasmas to create fireballs,ice,electricity or for mind control and they definitely come in handy,for example you can shoot electricity into water and if enemies are in the water they'll get eletrocuted or you can use plasmas to make enemies attack other enemies or to stun enemies.

The combat in the game is fun because of the fluid and fast aiming mechanics and character movements.

The game has lots of fetch quests and they can become boring,especially when you have to search all over the place for an item needed to progress through the story.The brings me to my next point,Bioshock offers quite a lot of exploration for a FPS game because there's many rooms and passageways and many levels and many types of different environments to explore.Often a yellow arrow will point to where you need to go next but it doesn't always point to where items you need to find are and often you'll need to search many rooms for items you need.But being able to explore a lot is fun because the city has commercial areas and recreational areas and areas devoted to nature as well as office and science rooms and areas that let you see the ocean surrounding the city and it creates quite a daunting atmosphere.You can also search for voice recordings that have extra story information and you can try to rescue the little sisters which are little girls that are being hunted down by big daddies(enemies that use big,heavily armored suits with giant drills that makes them almost look like a mech suit) because people want to harvest the energy from the little sisters(this energy referred to as 'Adam')so they can use this energy to genetically enhance themselves.

A lot of the environments in the game will be dark and you'll hear the splicers yelling and screaming and it can create a creepy and great psychological horror effect.

The splicers are usually armed with weapons whether they be firearms or melee weapons and some splicers referred to as 'spider slicers' can run across ceilings like a spider whilst shooting at you and some splicers use explosive weapons and can teleport.You'll often run into big daddies which will make you use up lots of ammo and security robots if you move into the security spotlights or if they move onto you.

Even though the game is a FPS you can upgrade your stats such as max health,max plasma and your abilities to hack doors and devices(which often contain helpful items or so you can go through a door without having to find the code or so you can get cheaper prices for items)by using Adam which you get from either harvesting or rescuing little sisters that you save from the big daddies and Adam is kind of like experience points in the game.

You can buy items to heal your character or to restore plasma and you can customize which abilities you want to use because there is a limited number of slots for abilities but when you use Adam to upgrade your number of slots you can use more abilities.And of course you can upgrade your weapons too in a variety of ways(the damage they do to enemies,rate of fire,reload time etc.).Splicers respawn in many areas and often drop money and ammo and items.

From a technical perspective,the graphics look quite good and detailed for a 2007 release(even though the PS3 version was released in 2008 the Xbox360 version which is graphically similar to the PS3 version was released in 2007).But like I've said,it's the game's eery underwater atmosphere that makes it visually appealing to me in the way it uses the eery tinges of blue from the surrounding ocean to surround Rapture and I love the way Rapture has neon signs for it's buildings and a dark look to it's city,it feels like a film noir style environment at times,especially with the old style classical music playing constantly in the game.I also like other little touches to the environments such as how you'll see everyday objects in a messy layout to help create the feeling of knowing a lot of chaos has happened in the city and some parts of the city are flooded or dark and the fact you're alone makes you feel even more vulnerable.

Overall,Bioshock is a great game in terms of story,game play and atmosphere and even if you're not a FPS fan you should give this game a try.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed BioShock for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Fri, 24 May 2013 08:45:17 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock/user-reviews/811673/platform/ps3/ Sun, 19 May 2013 22:57:25 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Shadow Hearts: Covenant for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/shadow-hearts-covenant/user-reviews/811512/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 9.5!




I'm a big JRPG fan and I've played lots of JRPGs on my Playstation 2 and Shadow Hearts Covenant is not only one of my top 4 favorite JRPGs for the Playstation 2 it's also one of my top 5 favorite Playstation 2 games.

Shadow Hearts Covenant is quite a unique RPG indeed.To quickly explain what makes it a unique and captivating experience I'll say it's story is set during World War 1 and demons are corrupting humans and causing the war to escalate and become more brutal.The story has a love story and a romance triangle.The atmospheres for story scenes and environments are often incredible because they'll have a hazy or mellowed-out feel from the way it uses dim lighting beautifully or the way colors are used for the sky and it's combat system combines fast reaction-time and turn-based elements and Shadow Hearts Covenant has some great,diabolic-sounding music too.

As for a more in-depth review for it,I'll start off with it's story.

Like I've said,it's story is set during World War 1 and certain demons are corrupting humans/creating pacts with certain humans who have a lot of power in the world in an effort to control the world.This will cause humans who have formed alliances with demons to do despicable acts of evil and will even cause the war to escalate and brutality of the war to escalate.

The main character in the game is named Yuri who is a male who can transform into a variety of demonic forms and he's one of the good guys who is trying to use his demonic abilities to scare away invading soldiers and he lost the woman he loved named Alice in the first Shadow Hearts game.In Shadow Hearts Covenant he becomes inflicted with a curse and after certain events a busty German female officer named Karin accompanies Yuri to help him find a cure to the curse,after all he saved her life during an earlier story event.As you'd expect,the story becomes much more than about finding a cure and becomes about saving the world and a bunch of other characters will join your party and some of them are quite interesting because of their occupation(such as a puppeteer who uses his puppet doll in battle and one of the characters is a wrestler)and some of the other characters are involved in some emotional story moments that relate to them personally as well as the main story and you'll meet some interesting villains.

The story has a romance triangle since Yuri's heart still belongs to Alice and he hasn't given up being with her again but another female character has taken a liking to him too(I won't say who it is)and the story has great plot twits and can be very emotional and can be chilling from the shocking acts of evil by some of the villains.The story has some exciting,high-action moments too and will take you to numerous famous places in Europe as well as outside of Europe but I won't spoil it for you.

Other things that makes it's story great is the way it's presented,the love story-related scenes are emotional because of their delicate artistic effects and their delicate and heart felt dialogue and even from certain action scenes.As well as story scenes that have poetic narrative and are in relation to the love story or from dark but beautifully poetic story scenes accompanied by morbid-looking,dark-themed but at the same time beautiful cinematics that can send chills down my spine whilst being beautiful at the same time in a similar way to Demon's Souls story presentation does.

As for the game play,it's like most other JRPGs in the sense you'll travel to different towns/cities and you can/will need to interact with people in them and you'll level up your characters and will need to utilize various character abilities in battle.Even though each character has unique abilities they can also be equipped with abilities if they're equipped by items referred to as crests.So you can make most characters be a white mage(healer)or give them abilities to buff or do elemental damage.Yuri and another character are capable of transforming into demons,Yuri can transform into a wider variety of demons so he can gain elemental properties as well as a wide range of abilities for attacking or healing whilst the other character who can transform into a demon uses demonic forms that focus more on strength and speed.

The battle system is turn-based but the number of times you hit an enemy and how much damage you do and whether you actually hit an enemy or not or use a spell effectively or not depends on your button timing for the ring system.You can also customize the ring so you don't have to do as many button presses but it also means less chances to hit your enemy(meaning if you mess up the timing with a button press you will have less chances to damage an enemy or use a spell).It's a good risk vs reward system.The battle system also lets you decide whether you want to knock an enemy down,backwards or attack from a high angle and combining the right combination of these attacks can allow you to perform combos.I like the battle system for the game because it makes you concentrate and stops it feeling like another generic turn-based system as well as encourages you to experiment and gives you the option of trying a few risk vs reward systems.

The only thing I dislike about the game play is there is annoying obstacles in the way if you want to level grind such as areas where random enemies appear are often far from an inn forcing you to use healing magic and items to replace MP and stocking up on MP is a waste of money that could be used to buy better weapons/armor.

As for the games visuals,like I've said the atmosphere in the game is incredible and the dim use of lightning and and shades of yellow lighting and orangey sky affect and darker,evil-looking atmospheres and industrial environments all go well together but there is some charming little town environments too.The cinematics for the darker,morbid story scenes are beautiful and dark and the same time.For certain romantic scenes,the dim use of lighting and shades of yellow and the way it combines with being on a train and seeing Yuri and Alice there together is really quite something,and there is a nice haziness to these scenes to let you guess is this just a dream or a vision of something to come?

On a technical level the graphics have a decent amount of realism for a 2004 PS2 game and combine that with stunning artistic effects the game is really lovely to look at.

The music can suit the romantic moments quite well because of it's delicate piano music and there is some great,diabolical-sounding music for battles.Some of the voice acting sounds a bit silly and I would have liked it if Japanese voice acting was an option.

Overall,Shadow Hearts Covenant is a unique,special and heartfelt JRPG experience and is amongst the best RPGs released during the 6th gen and IMO is one of the best games released during the 6th gen period.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/shadow-hearts-covenant/user-reviews/811512/platform/ps2/ Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:21 -0700 Swoosie reviewed Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-awakening/user-reviews/811505/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

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

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

The good:
* Graphics: The visuals, including 3d use, are very good. 3D character models, 2D artwork, backgrounds, animations, etc. are all very solidly done. (Although everyone in the game world has little stubby feet...?)
* Music/Audio/Voices -- All first rate, a very good musical track, lots of solid voice-over work, and some solid cut-scenes.
* Gameplay -- Again, this is the Fire Emblem we've always known and (maybe) liked: turn based combat, a solid story to steer along your battles, lots of optional battles that make 'grinding' for experience and gear fun, etc. In fact, unless you like 'talk heavy' SRGPs, the long dialog sequences and need to deal with party character friendship development may wear on you (I like it, personally).

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

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

Get the full article at GameSpot

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

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

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

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

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

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PC..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 19 May 2013 18:59:10 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811504/platform/pc/ Sun, 19 May 2013 17:59:17 -0700 Garrison_Ford reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811500/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

*** BIOSHOCK INFINITE ***

THE GOOD

-Rich story and characters
-Memorable ending
-Gratifying combat elements
-Skyline and dimensional tears are a fun and unique gameplay aspect
-Columbia is an enthralling place to explore

THE BAD

-Minor glitches and rough textures up close

The United States in the late 1800s launched an era of exceptionalism which brought about a national pride that invigorated the masses. A major byproduct, during this prosperous time, was the development of the majestic floating civilization known as Columbia. From the outside this paradise in the clouds seems to be the kind of utopia people yearn for, but to those who call Columbia home there is something more sinister that plagues each and every one of the inhabitants. Years of segregation has created an endless and violent power struggle between the elite, Caucasian upper class and poverty-stricken, minority lower class (known as the Vox Populi).

Bioshock Infinite begins with a former detective named Booker DeWitt getting transported, via row boat, to a mysterious light house. The two strange couriers drop Mr. DeWitt off and leave him with one simple instruction, "retrieve the girl and wipe away the debt." Booker then ascends in a rocket propelled pod to the beautiful world of Columbia and his outrageous journey to recover "the girl" aka Elisabeth begins.

The chemistry between the two leading protagonists, Booker and Elisabeth, is fantastic. The way the two interact, converse, or just share experiences together throughout this adventure is delightful. The storytelling is masterful and gripping up to the very end with a mind blowing finale that will surely keep you talking about it for months and years to come. The emotional conflict between the upper and lower classes is very real with segregation and racism as a dominate theme. Bioshock Infinite does a fantastic job in getting across the idea that the term 'good' is completely relative.

Columbia is a fun place to explore, which is mainly due two major aspects: the Skyline rail system and the ability to manipulate dimensional tears. The Skyline is a system of roller coaster type rails allowing you to quickly zip between locations via the handheld Skyhook device. Transferring from platform to platform, getting the drop on enemies, and escaping difficult situations makes this aspect a dynamic part of the gameplay. In addition, Columbia is a mysterious place in that dimensional tears or rifts to other worlds are ever so present. Elisabeth has the uncanny ability to interact with these portals and doing so, whether during a cut scene or by your command, is really fun to watch. This feature definitely comes in handy during combat as altering the battlefield in your favor can be the difference between life and death.

The shooting mechanics work well in this first person shooter and Booker's arsenal of weapons is quite impressive. They vary from the familiar like the pistol, shotgun, and sniper rifle to the more unique like the hand cannon and crank mini-gun. Upgrades are available, for a price, at various vending machines and for the most part each weapon works well in combat.

What truly makes the combat system in Bioshock Infinite such an absolute blast is the combination of firepower and special abilities granted by a mysterious substance known as Vigors. Vigors are an engineered concoction that alter Booker's DNA and lets him unleash havoc upon the enemy. Commanding elements like fire and electricity, telepathically mind-controlling baddies to fight for you, and summoning a murder of crows are just some of the awesome things these Vigors can do.

The voice acting is top-notch with Troy Baker (Booker) and Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth) giving outstanding performances. In addition, the music is wonderfully themed in Bioshock Infinite. One of the more notable moments came when a barbershop quartet harmonized The Beach Boys' tune "God Only Knows". This along with other catchy melodies are heard all throughout the game.

The steampunk style of Columbia looks great from a distance but flaws are forever evident from a closer angle. Textures and detail are unfortunately lost in the transition and the visual glitches from time to time don't help it's case either. Thankfully, these setbacks are minor and can be easily overlooked.

Bioshock Infinite is a brilliant masterpiece with a thrilling narrative and enchanting protagonists. The mysterious story unfolds gracefully and gradually intensifies to a dramatic finish. The steampunk themed world of Columbia offers many memorable moments. Opening dimensional tears and using the Skyline rail system adds a dynamic feel to the gameplay and makes exploring this city above the clouds enjoyable. The invigorating combination of guns and Vigors make you feel like a modern-day battle-mage in combat. If you are an Xbox 360 owner you owe it to yourself to play this game. Bioshock Infinite is an illustrious experience and is yet another reason why the Bioshock series will be looked upon as one of the greats for years to come.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Garrison_Ford reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Garrison_Ford on Sun, 19 May 2013 17:59:17 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/811500/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 03:13:30 -0700 Garrison_Ford reviewed LEGO The Lord of the Rings for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/lego-the-lord-of-the-rings/user-reviews/810545/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

*** LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS ***

THE GOOD

-Expansive free roaming world to traverse
-Fantastic dubbed in movie dialog
-Plenty of unlockables to discover

THE BAD

-Depth perception irritations

The brand name LEGO has made quite an impact not only in the toy industry but also in the video game market. The more notable installments in the franchise have been based on movies and comic books like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Batman. These family-friendly games offer good wholesome fun with simple controls and a lighthearted story loosely based on the content material. The next brave development by the block fanatics takes place in the fantasy world of Middle-earth and closely follows The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The story starts with a hobbit named Frodo Baggins in a small village called the Shire. Frodo has just inherited a mysterious and powerful ring from his cousin Bilbo. After a short introduction to the immense evil that lurks inside this fine piece of jewelry by the all-knowledgeable wizard Gandalf, Frodo with his pals Sam, Merry, and Pippin set off east bound. After a few tense moments Mr. Baggins and company arrive in the elven town of Rivendell where our hero's ragtag group, called the Fellowship of the Ring, is formed and the epic quest to destroy this evil golden trinket begins.

The first aspect that stands out, right from the get go, is the dubbed over voices from the movies. The cut scenes are more than just grunts and gestures used in previous LEGO games. Snippets of dialog from the silver screen with voices from famous actors like Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, and Viggo Mortensen bring these block characters to life. With this entire journey closely referencing the superb film you'd be very hard pressed to find any faults here. That's not to say that this game has completely turned to a serious tone because there are still plenty of quirky LEGOisms to keep things fun.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) is a hack and slash adventure with an extensive world to explore. From the beginning only the Story Mode is available. As you traverse through the three LOTR movies you'll get to experience plenty of major events like the Battle at Helm's Deep, for instance. Whether you are fighting hordes of orcs by yourself or with a buddy, this epic campaign is filled with many hours of fantastic LEGO entertainment. A dynamic standout in the Story Mode occurs when you are playing with a friend and at a point where your party splits up into two groups. In this unique scenario both players can control each group separately and simultaneously to progress the adventure in real time. Upon completing this epic tale an additional Free Play Mode becomes unlocked. The Free Play variant gives you the freedom to examine all those nooks and crannies this game has to offer and the split screen multiplayer lets each adventurer traverse different areas of the world separately.

The LEGO version of Middle-earth is a vast place filled with many puzzles to solve, enemies to dispatch, and studs to collect. The large, expansive world is quite intimidating at first but thankfully the developers added a helpful map tool to aid you along the way. All your main and side quests appear on the map and toggling these locations will trigger transparent blue studs to appear which guide you to your destination. This nice feature plus the ability to instantly travel from one major location to another ensures that you never get lost and don't waste time.

The simplistic control scheme ensures that anyone can get up to speed fairly quickly. The excessive single button-mashing strategy will suffice for most enemies but the occasional boss may require a bit more finesse. Characters have unique skill-sets and are useful in certain circumstances. This is purposefully intentional so that none of our block friends feel left out. Unfortunately, platforming in LEGO LOTR has a few heartaches. The annoyances occur when excessive jumping is required because the depth perception in trying to accurately pinpoint your character in 3D space is challenging.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings is an enjoyable, family-friendly adventure. The story closely follows the events of the LOTR trilogy and the spliced in movie dialog was a nice touch. The bright and colorful atmosphere is expansive with plenty of areas to explore, collectibles to discover, and puzzles to scratch your head over. Depth perception setbacks and funky camera angles can make more of the heavy platforming elements a challenge but the simple controls and easy navigation system ensures that anybody can pick up, play, and have fun. Most of the LEGO games in the franchise have been lighthearted and entertaining but LEGO LOTR shows that this series can be that and so much more.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/lego-the-lord-of-the-rings/user-reviews/810545/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 21 Apr 2013 06:25:04 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-awakening/user-reviews/810504/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 9.5!


Fire Emblem Awakening is the first Fire Emblem game I've played and I can safely say it's one of the best and most addicting games I've played over the last few years.

There's numerous reasons why this game is great,it's story has great plot twists and can be emotional,the characters are charming and the game makes you care about them by allowing characters to get married and to make children with other characters and you can even use the children in your party! The battle system is very tactical and in order to succeed in the game you'll need to think multiple moves ahead and the game has beautiful art styles for it's visuals and it's music is beautiful too.There is also little extra things the game does to make you care about it's characters such as how it shows profiles about the characters and displays who their spouse and children are and the way the game has in-depth character stories for every party member(even minor ones).And the most distinguishable feature of all which is the permadeath which allows characters to die permanently which creates more tension to game play and can mean making good decisions during battle is important not just for winning,but to keep your most beloved characters alive,also if your most powerful characters die it can greatly reduce your chances of winning.

The story for the game is about how an evil force of zombie-like beings known as 'Risen' are plaguing the world and other nations are attacking the peaceful nation of Ylisse.Chrom is the prince of Ylisse and him and his group of soldiers go out to investigate and to put an end to all the madness from the other nations and to put an end to the Risen.For a while the story moves slowly but it's fitting because it shows a war happening.However,huge and great plot twists later come into the story and the story starts focusing a lot on mythological type things.

You'll create a character who wakes up and has no memory of who they are and they get caught in the middle of the war and I can't explain why the story is so great without giving away spoilers,but trust me it becomes great and emotional.Another way the story is emotional is the way you can create romances,marriages and children and the fact your spouse,children,friends can die and after you've been through many tough battles with them and have seen them in many story scenes you'll grow attached to them and if they die it can be quite heartbreaking to know you won't see them again.

Creating romance is fun,not just because you can make characters get married and have kids,but also because the way the characters flirt can be quite cute and funny.

As for the battle system and game play,the battle system places big importance on character relationships.When you place a unit next to another unit,you'll get some sort of stat boost at the very least but when some units are next to other units they can perform team style attacks or one of the units will block attacks directed for the unit they're standing next to.You can also 'pair up' characters which means you can ask a character to hide behind another character and they'll continue doing so until you tell them not to and this adds an extra element of strategy because when they're hiding behind another character they cannot be attacked but cannot perform any sort of actions whether they be attacking or healing,but this is a good way of keeping your more vulnerable units such as white mages alive and when you think it's safe to use them you can command them to stop hiding behind another character(but it consumes the turn of that unit so you have to wait until your next turn to be able to use that unit).

Each unit can be used one time per turn.When a unit attacks another unit,quite often the unit they're attacking will attack the aggressor back.Sometimes units will attack more than one time during their turn and the unit being attacked can attack their aggressor more than one time when they're retaliating and this can cause some epic exchanges,especially when the aggressors or units being attacked are paired up with a unit that's next to them and you see numerous attacks being exchanged by 3 or more units in one turn(I can't remember the AI enemies doing team attacks but my units could whether they were the aggressor or the ones defending during their turn.

The fact units will often fight back when they're attacked means you have to think more carefully about your strategy because the units you attack won't just stand there and let themselves be attacked like in many other turn-based style battle systems.

Your units can perform super attacks which I think are referred to as skills.Whether they use these skills or not is chance and it adds more excitement.

The be successful in the game you'll need to utilize the various character classes,which there's many of but basically there's swordsmen,heavily armored knights in horseback,dark mages,white mages,cavalry,units who can transform into beasts,archers and units that use flying creatures.There's also units which aren't heavily armored but have great agility due to their high luck stats and can dodge most attacks and whom can perform powerful attacks themselves.

Basically you'll need to utilize the scissors,paper,rock system,for example highly leveled knights can withstand a lot of melee attacks but they have shorter attack range.Mages can inflict big damage to knights when they use their magic and can attack units from a further distance away but mages have weaker armor making them vulnerable to melee attacks.Archers are effective against flying enemies but whether they're effective or not against ground units depends on how highly they're leveled and how well they're equipped.The units who can transform into beasts are interesting because they can perform extremely powerful attacks and can have great defensive stats and be great and dodging enemy attacks but there isn't many of these types of units to keep things balanced,and as the story says,some of them are from races that are nearly extinct.

To make things more interesting,your weapons can break,even your spells can break and transformation stones which units that can transform into powerful beasts use can break too.They break after you use them a certain number of times(I think they can break earlier too)which encourages you to utilize as many units as you can even more.You can get around this by buying and equipping numerous weapons,spells,beast stones for your units but it will be expensive and in the game you need to be careful with money because there's limited chances to find money,just like there's limited chances to level up,so you'll want to do as many side story quests and optional missions as you can to get more money,to get more XP and to find more weapons.

There's over 20 side story quests and they allow you to find new and helpful party members and they aren't directly related to the main story but relate to certain characters who need to be rescued or helped during missions and if you rescue these characters they can be helpful and powerful party members(at least one of them is someone who can transform into a dragon)but if you don't rescue them they don't become part of your party or if they get killed before you complete the mission you can't use them,even if you have permadeath off.

That brings me to my next point,the player can choose whether to have permadeath on or not and this means players who want to sit back and relax and enjoy the story and game play without the stress of worrying about losing party members can enjoy the game and people who want a more hardcore experience and the emotional experience of worrying about losing party members can enjoy the game too.

To create romance you'll need to raise the relationship level of two characters whom are romantically compatible whom are of the opposite sex to level S(prior levels will be C,B,A)and that means sometimes you'll need to pair up the two characters in battle by making the characters help each other or do team attacks in battle or you can pair them up(which is the same thing as when you make a character hide behind another character)and there is times when you can talk to a potential romantic partner outside of battle to increase the relationship level.The benefits of creating romance besides battlefield stat boosts when the characters stand next to each other is some romantic couples can create children who can be valuable party members.However,the way love stories build up is charming because of the flirting and humor and that's reward enough and you can choose to make two characters fall in love and get married even if they can't make children because you want to see them together.The scenes that show romance building up/happening are short and there's only a few of them but there is a surprise for you after you beat the game if you make characters get married and have kids,especially if the character you create gets married and has kids.Basically I like how the game play doesn't just focus on winning but trying to create romance for fun.Like I said,the game has character profiles that shows which characters the characters are married to and who are their parents/children.

But you can make characters relationship levels grow in terms of their friendship level and even characters who are friends will give each other stat boosts so it's beneficial to increase friendship levels as well as create romance and make children.

I don't like to play games in multiplayer so I have no opinion of Fire Emblem Awakening's multiplayer.

The game has beautiful art styles for it's visuals,there is scenes that look like they're from an anime and the battle scenes have 3D models and both have a lovely use of colors.You'll see things such as beautiful waterfalls and lush green grassy plains and scenes that have a more hazy atmosphere with lighter colors.The 3D feature works well with thie game and it makes the characters look like they're real 3D objects,even for the anime scenes.

The music is quite beautiful too and has a nice orchestrated sound to it.

Overall,Fire Emblem is one of the best JRPGs I've played in the last few years and is a must for 3DS owners.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Sun, 21 Apr 2013 06:25:04 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-awakening/user-reviews/810504/platform/3ds/ Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:44:21 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/another-code-r-a-journey-into-lost-memories/user-reviews/810103/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Another Code:R-A Journey into Lost Memories,which I'll abbreviate as ACR is a sequel to a well-received title named Another Code:Two memories.ACR is much like a murder mystery story presented like a visual novel and it has puzzles and point and click game play too.If you've played Another Code:Two memories you'll probably feel more emotionally attached to the story,but if not you can easily pick up story events from the first Another Code game and still be able to get into ACR's story quite easily,I have played the first Another Code game but I didn't finish it but I had no problem getting into ACR's story.

Anyways,first I'll talk about ACR's story.It takes place 3 years after the events in Another Code:Two memories and Ashley has become distant from her father and has gone to visit him in a town called 'Lake Juliet'.She begins suffering flashbacks that seem to be related to around the time her mother died 13 years ago when she was only 3 years old.Weird things begin happening to her after she arrives in the town(I won't say what they are),and she discovers people in the town have gone missing and people in the town are acting very strange,even her own father.

She and her friend Matt(who's father disappeared under strange circumstances)will try to find clues as to why Ashley's mother was killed 13 years ago,and as to why Matt's father disappeared and as to why people in the town are acting weird and why bizarre things keep happening.The way the story is presented creates a lot of suspense and I like it how often when Ashely makes an important story discovery it will create a lot more questions/mysteries than answers and slowly Ashley will need to discover information by traveling around the town,sneaking into restricted places,searching for items that might hold clues and talking to people so she can discover why her mother was killed.

It's obvious from the start of the game the story is going to have science fiction in it and it uses science fiction quite well.Ashley's personality has a good amount of realism because she acts like how you'd expect many 16-year old girls to act,her personality isn't flawless and she can complain a lot but at the same time the story does a good job of showing you it's not all her fault.The story has some emotional moments and surprising revelations which fit into the story well and I found it's story captivating.Besides Ashely and Matt and her father there's other interesting or likable characters to meet.

As for the game play,most of the time you'll be reading dialogue and watching the story.Sometimes you'll need to solve a puzzle which will mean you'll need to move the Wii remote in certain ways and in certain sequences and at first doing so felt satisfying because it felt like I was really interacting with the environment but after a while it loses it's appeal and perhaps more variety of puzzles could have been used.Also the motion controls aren't responsive sometimes and it makes doing puzzles harder than it needs to be.

Sometimes you'll need to travel around the town and you can automatically go to another area by simply clicking on an arrow which is a feature I like.Sometimes you'll need to use point and click style game play and touch and search environmental objects for items that are needed for puzzles or for clues to the story.At times interacting with environmental objects such as opening drawers and and reading letters or digital data can be interesting because you'll never know what discoveries you'll find,not just in relation to Ashely's mother or her father's occupation but also to the weird and crazy things happening in the town.

However,this is not a game for everyone,as the game play is simplistic and like I've said,most of the game involves watching the story.The puzzles don't require much thought either.

This is a game for people who want to be presented with a great story.

The art style for the game is lovely and it has some nice environments with a lake in the background and trees and resort style cabins and seeing these things relaxed me.Also you'll constantly hear waves from the lake and it's very relaxing to hear.The flashbacks are presented in a hazy way to give them more effect.I like the detail with some of the environments such as people's home's are filled with personal items and restricted looking areas have signs indicating so and high tech lock systems which Ashley's TAS can open as well as high tech science style labs to explore/search as well as caves.Ashley will end up exploring/searching many types of environments,many are nothing unusual such as houses and cabins but some of them are quite adventurous/futuristic and it makes her mission to find out who killed her mother feel quite an adventure.There's also times you'll see beautiful sunsets in the background.

However,the characters are mute and sometimes during long dialogue it would be nice if I could hear their voices to add a bit of atmosphere but at the same time at least the character's great and sometimes fairly unique personalities weren't put at risk by bad voice acting.Also,not having overpowering music and voice acting means you can hear the waves in the lake and it gives a nice peaceful feel to the town.

Overall,I found this game to be a great experience but it's suited for people who can watch story scenes for a long time and isn't for everyone.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/another-code-r-a-journey-into-lost-memories/user-reviews/810103/platform/wii/ Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:43:13 -0700 Garrison_Ford reviewed Tomb Raider for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/809468/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

*** TOMB RAIDER ***

THE GOOD

-Superb story
-Intense and thrilling cut scene events
-Stunning graphical presentation
-Solid platforming

THE BAD

-Lackluster multiplayer
-Slight flaws in the shooting mechanics

Currently the industry is over saturated with gritty male lead protagonists with hulking biceps and chiseled physiques. Heroes like Marcus Fenix, Master Chief, and Nathan Drake come to mind. These guys are great but, quite frankly, gamers are well overdue for a change in the popular formula and Lara Croft is the answer. This young brunette may seem inexperienced at first but she quickly establishes herself as a heroine that can definitely "hang with the boys" when it comes to action adventure.

Tomb Raider is essentially a reboot for the franchise and begins with Lara's origin story. Lara is a brilliant, ambitious archaeology graduate with highly convincing theories on the location of the lost kingdom of Yamatai. Her research is the reason why she finds herself aboard the Endurance in search for this ancient civilization. Unfortunately, when the captain plots a course for an island in the Dragon's Triangle, courtesy of Lara's intuitive hunch, the ship smacks headstrong into a sudden and brutal storm. Lara and the rest of the crew find themselves scattered and washed ashore with their shipping vessel completely destroyed. This is where our brave heroine's adventure begins. Not only is the island inhabited by ruthless terrorists but there is some unknown, almost supernatural, presence preventing anyone from leaving.

The story-telling in Tomb Raider is action-packed and well paced with many intense, edge of your seat moments. There are many cut-scene events that require you to act quickly in order to survive. Lara's transition from book-worm to full-on adventurer is exciting to watch and makes her a fantastic protagonist. The overarching theme of this tale isn't focused on raiding tombs for personal gain but more along the lines of survival; and she takes many hard knocks along the way. The amount of punishment Lara endures is excessive and a bit unrealistic but its sure entertaining to watch.

Tomb Raider is played from the third person perspective. The aggressive camera angles in the more dynamic scenes create many thrilling experiences. The environment is filled with many rock faces to climb, crevasses to jump over, and ropes to zip-line across. Solid platforming and controls make it extremely easy to navigate the lush landscape.

There are plenty of fun puzzles to tackle in this game. Most of them aren't brainteasers by any means but still require some thought to figure out. If you do get stumped, the LB button can be used to activate your survival instincts. While in this mode the background turns to shades of grey with important items accented in gold.

The developers created a stunningly beautiful island to explore. The rich detail in the character and level design is outstanding. There are plenty of artifacts, documents, and tombs to find along the way, which provide additional information and back story about the island and its unlucky inhabitants. The crisp scenery is complimented well by the harmonious musical score, which enhances the gameplay; especially in the more suspenseful moments. You also have the option to fast travel between previously visited locations, which comes in handy for those who enjoy collecting everything.

Tomb Raider is a fairly decent shooter. Gunning down fast moving targets at close range is a bit tricky, however. Also, the enemy AI could use a little touch up as well with enemies that sometimes don't react to being shot while crouched behind cover. Aside from that this game plays very similar to other third person shooters on the market. All the weapons at your disposal are fun to use in combat and there are a myriad of upgrades to unlock.

The single player campaign is an extraordinary work of art. Unfortunately, the multiplayer is sluggish and lackluster. Most of the team based games just really aren't that much fun to play and you can definitely tell that this aspect was a complete afterthought.

Tomb Raider is a fantastic reboot to the franchise. The story is captivating while the fast paced action keeps your heart pumping throughout the entire game. Lara Croft is an exceptional heroine and her development from novice to veteran is exciting to watch. Solid platforming mechanics and a shockingly beautiful environment makes exploration an absolute blast. The multiplayer may have missed the mark but the single player hits the bullseye. With the odds stacked against her, Lara Croft courageously gathers herself together and proves that she can be a survivor.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Garrison_Ford reviewed Tomb Raider for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Garrison_Ford on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:43:13 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/809468/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:10:40 -0700 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Journey for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/journey/user-reviews/808641/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Journey is a truly spiritual experience.

You play as a mysterious hooded character in a mysterious but beautiful world.In the world you'll see ruins and remnants of civilizations but the story doesn't make it clear what happened to the people in the world nor does it make it clear why your character is there or who your character actually is but I like how it does this because it makes you think and observe and use your imagination as to why the world is how it is,you'll be given clues with story scenes and from what you'll see in some of the environments but the story scenes don't use any understandable language.

With this game,the first two things you'll probably notice are it's visuals and it's music.

The world has beautiful artistic effects and much of the visuals are made to be abstract and not focus on realism which allows for the sand dunes and the way your character looks in their red-colored robe and the way some of the environmental objects look to have some beautiful artistic effects.The way the yellowy/brown sand dunes combine with the beige-colored sky is quite stunning and the way the sunlight shines over objects is quite beautiful.The game does use realism for certain environmental objects and it creates a beautiful mix of art style and realism.Besides just desert landscapes you'll also be in snowy environments as well as in other types of places but I don't want to spoil the surprise.

As for the actual gameplay,you basically need to reach a certain points in the environments,however the point you need to reach is often up high or has obstacles in the form of light platforming puzzles before you get to it.Your character can touch scarfs in the environments which gives your character the ability to float up high(to a certain height)and your character always has the ability to glide through the air but your character can only float as long as they have power in their scarf which is indicated by the scarf your character is carrying having color to it.Certain environmental objects you need to use as platforms are too high for your character to float onto with one use of a scarf which means you'll need to look for other objects you can use as platforms so you can reach the place you need to go or sometimes you'll need to look for certain environmental objects which act like switches to construct bridges or make certain things happen in the environment so you can progress to where you need to go.

Sometimes you'll glide through the air and will touch scarfs which will allow you to float up again and sometimes you'll need to use certain flying creatures as platforms(fast moving,flying platforms)as a means to get to somewhere where you can't float to.

Part of the adventure in the game comes from finding where you need to go and how to get there because the environments are in 3D and even though they're not huge they still have enough space and sparsely placed objects which could be possible platforms/passageways to make you think how to get to where you're supposed to be going.

You cannot die in the game but I don't think the game needs a death penalty,if you fall when you're up very high you'll need to redo lots of work and I think that is penalty enough.Creatures in the game can attack you but when they attack you it just knocks you back a distance and makes you try to get past them again.

The environments can encourage you to explore,not only because they're so beautiful and full of mystery but finding certain items/symbols/creatures can get you trophies.

I'm not a big fan of online gaming but I like the way Journey incorporates the online gameplay.During the game you'll encounter other online players and they cannot send you messages or verbally communicate with you(there PSN name and your PSN name won't even show up on players met until you beat the game) and you don't know if they're trying to help you by leading you on the right path or if they're just exploring the environments and perhaps searching for hidden items for trophies.I think this makes it a more spiritual experience because even though you won't be alone for much of your journey because you'll see other online players,in many ways you are alone because you can't verbally or linguistically communicate with them.Another reason I like this feature is you don't have to listen to or read angry/rude comments from online players.I know people have the option of turning off message displays and turning down in-game chat volume when they play games online but it doesn't stop you from receiving hate mail and I'd like it if more online multiplayer games gave you the option of hiding your PSN from other players.

There's also times when your character will need to avoid powerful wind gusts which blow your character back by making use of environmental objects to avoid the powerful wind gusts.In the snow your scarf's energy will get drained quickly so you'll need to make more efficient use of it.I like it how in a thick snowstorm your character will begin to freeze and move slowly and there is more details I could give as to why it's emotionally draining but I don't want to spoil that experience for you.There is times when you'll slide down vertical slides made from sand/snow while trying to dodge obstacles and it's fast paced and epic.There is gameplay segments when you'll float in the air and will need to move quickly to a certain area and you'll need to make use of scarfs that are high in the air and it can provide quite a rush.

The game can be beaten in only 2 hours but it's trophies provide replay value such as searching for hidden things or playing through most of the game with the same online companion or playing the game after you haven't played it for a week.The game is a cheap price anyways.

The music is very beautiful and adds to the spiritual feel of the game.

Overall,Journey is a spiritual and emotional experience that was felt by my soul and it spirituality and gameplay blend magnificently.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed Journey for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:10:40 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/journey/user-reviews/808641/platform/ps3/ Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:51:41 -0800 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/user-reviews/808335/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Ni No Kuni brings many of the things that old school JRPG fans love as well as giving us a creative real-time battle system which I find fun to use and quite tactical.

Ni No Kuni's story takes place in two different worlds,one of them is a world that resembles a 1950ish version of our world and when you're in this 1950's style world you'll be in a quaint little town called 'Motorville' and the other world is a fantasy world named 'Ni No Kuni' that's parallel to the world you begin in.

Much of the story is presented with anime scenes that look like they're from a studio Ghibli anime film and it works wonderfully well to make Oliver and his mother feel like they're real people with the types of lives/problems normal everyday people have.

The story is about how a 13-year-old boy named Oliver whom he and another boy were playing around with a motorized vehicle one night and Oliver ends up in the lake and Oliver's mother discovers Oliver isn't at home like he's supposed to be,she goes searching for him and sees him drowning so she goes into the lake and saves Oliver and everything seems well OK but Oliver's mother suddenly dies after this because she has a weak heart.

Oliver is obviously devastated about losing his mother and he feels guilty,however a strange doll Oliver's mother gave to him comes to life and it tells Oliver there's a way to bring his mother back if they travel to Ni No Kuni and find a person who shares their soul with Oliver's mother.

Oliver jumps at the opportunity that could bring his mother back.Meanwhile,a mysterious person has been watching Oliver and is happy Oliver has entered Ni No Kuni and I like how the story makes you guess at who this person is,it makes you guess are they good or evil? is this person the white witch like the title suggests?

The story becomes more than about Oliver trying to bring his mother back of course because like in most RPGs he'll find himself in a situation where him and a group of characters he's with will need to try to save the world(Ni No Kuni)as well as help people in the world he comes from(I won't say why because it's a spoiler)but the story scenes that are related to it are quite emotional and surprising.

The doll accompanies Oliver on his journey and the doll's name is Drippy and Drippy is quite a charming character and knows all about Ni No Kuni.Drippy is a party member but you cannot control him in battle and he cannot damage enemies(although he tries to attack them)but he occasionally casts healing spells when your party members are low in HP.The other characters who join Oliver include a blonde-haired girl who's around Oliver's age named Esther and a man who's a thief but who acts like a sailor named Swaine as well as a prince.You'll meet some other characters who are friends but whom won't join your party or who will join your party but won't fight in battle.

Of course the story will slowly reveal who the bad guys are and what their motives are and it does a good job of revealing it slowly and pacing it with the main plot/side stories.

The story has more than one love story and they're presented in a charming way and one of them is quite emotional too and the story has some good moral lessons as to why we can't have everything we want and the story also has a darker side and isn't always charming and Oliver will need to learn how to use magic and learn how to use it well enough to defeat powerful bad guys.

What makes the story enjoyable isn't just because of what it's about,but it's how it's presented with charming dialogue and
story scenes as well as emotional story scenes,like I've said the studio Ghilbi animated story scenes give the story more feeling to it and make you care about Oliver and his mother and combine that with interesting/heart felt side stories and a touch of mystery and it makes for an enjoyable story experience.

The battle system allows you to use creatures referred to as 'familiars' which you catch or are given to you that you can level up and equip with weapons and armor and you can also use your human party members whom have certain advantage/disadvantages compared with familiars,for example Oliver and Esther can cast spells that are very powerful and more so than those of the familiars but Oliver and Esther can be Koed much more easily than a familiar can.On the other hand,the familiars when leveled up highly and when equipped with good armor can withstand a lot more punishment than human characters and with the exception of Swaine in some instances many familiars are capable of doing much more physical damage than Oliver and Esther can and when they perform basic attacks it doesn't require any MP and for long boss battles where it's possible to run out of MP and it makes utilizing them in battle quite important.

Since the battle system is real-time,you control one character and the AI controls the rest.The AI is good for the most part although it does make some silly decisions at times such as when even I tell my AI controlled party members to use all out defense(meaning I want it to defend and heal)it won't heal my characters when they're low on HP.When I tell the AI to all out attack they do as asked without any problems but the all out attack or all out defense orders last for a temporary period and when you haven't ordered them to all out attack/defend the AI can make some pretty bad decisions,especially when my party members have lots of HP but they won't focus on being aggressive.

I understand the AI isn't supposed to do everything for me and I appreciate the fact it usually lets using buffs or attack spells for me to do,but it would be nice if the AI members would cast a healing spell when my party members are low on HP so I don't have to switch to the character and manually do it myself.

The all out attack and all out defend commands can be done with the press of a button and it's a nice feature because you're switching between all out attack and all out defense regularly it can make the boss battles become intense as you see them charging up a powerful attack and you switch to all out defense so they defend(block)the attack and usually focus on healing.And knowing when to take a risk and use all out attack can make battles tense as some bosses can inflict a lot of damage to all your party members with one attack if you're not defending.

You can manually make a character defend by choosing the defend command.As you would expect,there's commands for attack(basic attack)defend,spells.Some spells damage every enemy,some spells allow you to summon and often you'll be switching between characters/familiars so you can make use of the best spell for a situation and it makes the battles feel epic.Of course there's a command that allows you to use items.

Even though the battles are in real-time,there's a timer for how much time a party member has to attack or for how long they can defend.You can cancel commands such as attack commands which is useful,for example if one of your party members is in the middle of an attack command and you see an enemy charging up a powerful attack you can cancel their attack command and instruct them to defend.

You can have 3 human party members and each human party member can have 3 familiars with them,so technically you can use 9 different party members in a battle.You can also bring 3 reserve familiars with you and you can switch a 4th human party member(who also can bring 3 familiars with them) with another human party member.So technically your party will consist of 19 party members,9 of which you can use in a single battle.

There's hundreds of familiars that you can catch and they have a wide range of advantages/disadvantages,for example familiars from the volcanic area are vulnerable to ice magic.Some familiars have powerful attacks but move around slowly(and keep in mind it's possible for them to miss with an attack if the enemy moves and some enemies move around a lot)and some familiars have great healing abilities but are not good with physical attacking.

In battle,your party members and enemies can run around a battle area and like I said it's possible to run out of the way of certain attacks/spells but doing so means you cannot attack the enemy either.

I've mentioned how Ni No Kuni brings many of the things that old school JRPG fans love,well this includes a world map with diverse regions,towns to visit,towns people you can talk to and whom you can so quests for.The game has lots of side quests (over 100)and 40 or so creature hunts to do.The side quests can be simple errands but can be also defeating secret and powerful bosses.You can also learn new spells which aren't side quests but still something to discover.There's also alchemy so you can create useful items without having to buy them.

The game's difficulty level can spike up quite a bit at times,the enemies are easy for the first 10-15 hours but then you can face some enemies/bosses who can do lots of damage to your party,even if you do lots of level grinding.

For a bit of variation there's even environments in which you travel around in 2D style but it's quite charming and there's only a small amount of it.

You can also return to Motorville during most times in the game by casting a spell that will instantly take you there and it's nice being able to switch between a 1950's version of our world and a fantasy world,even though Motorville doesn't have much to explore but you can still go inside some of it's buildings where as Ni No Kuni is huge and has lots to explore and sometimes you'll be required to return to Motorville for some quests/story moments.

You can also use magic outside of battle and sometimes you will need to for puzzles in dungeons or to make people help you(you can take courage,enthusiasm from certain people and give it to another person who you want to do something for you).

The art style for the game is lovely.Motorville has a nice 1950 style look with 1950 style cars driving past.I like the town in the snowy region in Ni No Kuni called Yule that has people wearing fur coats and living in igloos and having fires inside their igloo(sometimes they're cooking things in pots).Hamlet is an industrial style city with a yellowish sky and it blends well together.Of course there's the more traditional little towns you'd see in a fantasy world and they have nice details such as watermills or people's homes.There's also arabian style villages.There's also some Sci Fi style environments too.I love the tropical village named Castaway cove and I love how some of the forest areas have autumn colored leaves.

I love when you see Ni No Kuni from above when you're riding the dragon because you're not too high up like when you're on an airship so the world below still looks fairly big and detailed and you can see sand dunes in the desert or high snowy mountains or the autumn style leaves or tropical areas.

I also love the aurora style sky effect when you're in Yule.

For some of the story scenes,there's some nice story book style scenes that use hand style coloring and it goes well for one of the love stories in the game and the music for these scenes is quite charming and especially suits the love story scene.

I like how the localized version of the game still offers Japanese voice overs(which I usually prefer)but with English subtitles.The music for the game suits the environments/story moments quite well(is delicate when it needs to be,charming when you want more of a lighthearted feel).

Overall,if you've been turned off JRPGs during the 7th gen,perhaps you'd want to give Ni No Kuni a try because it brings back many of the things old school JRPGs love such as charming dialogue/story/art style as well as a story you care about that's easy to get into without the intense Sci Fi,religious,political stuff that many other 7th gen JRPGs use.Ni No Kuni reminds me of the SNES/Playstation One JRPGs because of it's charm and JRPG fans should at least give Ni No Kuni a try,it's easily one of the best JRPGs of the 7th generation and can hold it's own against the best JRPGs of past generations.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/user-reviews/808335/platform/ps3/ Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:47:57 -0800 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Chrono Trigger for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/chrono-trigger/user-reviews/807796/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Chrono Trigger is a timeless classic,released back in 1995,developed by Square and the likes of Sakaguchi(Final Fantasy creator who wrote the story for many popular Final Fantasy games),Kitase(director of the development of many Final Fantasy games),Toriyama(Dragon Ball Z artist)were involved with the development of this game.

What makes this game such a compelling experience is the way it's story is presented and what it's story is about.It begins in the year 1000 AD and the protagonist named Crono and his friend Lucca are at a carnival and they meet a girl named Marle.Marle volunteers to be teleported using some machine Lucca and her father invented but instead she is transported through time because the teleporter interacts with a pendant Marle was wearing.

Crono and Lucca go through a time portal to find Marle and discover Marle's presence in 600 AD lead to changes in the timeline(I won't say why)and time paradoxes are created and Crono,Lucca,Marle and other characters they meet go on a journey to correct these time paradoxes to restore history to normal and to also save their world from disasters.

The story might not sound like much but it's the way the story is presented that makes it a fabulous experience.You'll travel to distant regions in time,such as far in the future where much of the world is a frozen wasteland and robots and high tech stuff exist and you'll travel more than 60 000 million years into the past in a time where that's dinosaurs and you'll travel to medieval time periods which has knights and castles.

It's not just the fact you travel far into the past or future,but it's the way the group interact with people who are in the future or far in the past and the events that are happening far in the future or past that make the story interesting,the time paradoxes can create some very weird alternative timelines and I like it how when you're 65 million years in the past the human character you meet(Alya)looks,acts and talks like a primitive human.One of your party members is a talking humanoid frog from the medieval period and he talks like he is from that period too and some of your party members will consist of robots or the scientist Lucca and Marle is a cheerful character who brightens up the mood.

The story can be charming at times but at other times it can be quite serious and emotional.The story provides many different ending possibilities(including some wacky,crazy endings that relate to messed up timelines)as well as endings that are the type the player can hope for.

The story has hints of romance but personally I found the romance in the game could have been presented a bit better,especially for one of the endings,but this is the only thing about the story/game as a whole that I was a bit disappointed with,everything else for the game is great.

The battle system encourages you to experiment because besides having basic attacks,special attacks and spells(special attacks and spells are referred to 'techs' in the game)you can combine basic attacks and techs together by having multiple characters combine a basic attack/tech with your basic attack/one of your techs to make much more powerful attack and experimenting with different attack/tech combinations and finding the most effective ones can be crucial in defeating bosses.The battle system is an ATB one.

Being an old school JRPG,you'll travel a world map,travel to different towns and interact with NPCs.The fact the world and world map constantly change depending which time period you're in and how the timeline for that time period has been affect makes it feel more like an epic adventure.

There is no random battles and you can try to sneak/run past enemies which is a feature I like.

The DS version allows you to use the touch screen which makes it easier to maneuver around and easier to use the menu and the DS version has new dungeons and quests but you can play the SNES version too if you want(it's included with the DS version).

The DS version also has FMV which is a nice addition.

The visuals are charming and inside people's homes have good detail and the character designs from Toriyama look good and the visuals do a good job to provide different periods in times with very different atmospheres,for example far in the future you'll be in some frozen wasteland with high tech stuff and you'll even see computers scan the environment up close and in the medieval time period you'll be inside castles and in the present time(where you start the game)you'll experience a relaxing,carnival type atmosphere and in the past you'll see dinosaurs.Some of the environments have waterfalls or artistic views of the sun shining over the ocean in the background or beautiful mountain views from when you're high up on a mountain.There is lots of forest environments to give you the feel you're in environments with dangerous wild animals and there's dungeons of course,some of them futuristic ones with robot enemies,

I like how in the frozen wasteland you'll hear the wind blowing and for other environments you'll hear haunting music when you're traveling through the forest you'll hear music that suits the eery feeling of time paradoxes occurring or music appropriate for the theme of the environment.

Chrono Trigger is a great game,it's very well put together and even though the concept of time travel had been used many times in stories before Chrono Trigger was released,Chrono Trigger uses the concept of time travel in a very creative way and combine that traveling to vast regions in time and diverse characters from many different periods in history and add emotion and charm and a good battle system(for it's time)and old style JRPG goodness you have a great game that's a timeless classic to many people.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed Chrono Trigger for the DS..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:47:57 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/chrono-trigger/user-reviews/807796/platform/ds/ Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:42:04 -0800 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo... http://www.gamespot.com/chrono-trigger/user-reviews/807794/platform/snes/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Chrono Trigger is a timeless classic,released back in 1995,developed by Square and the likes of Sakaguchi(Final Fantasy creator who wrote the story for many popular Final Fantasy games),Kitase(director of the development of many Final Fantasy games),Toriyama(Dragon Ball Z artist)were involved with the development of this game.

What makes this game such a compelling experience is the way it's story is presented and what it's story is about.It begins in the year 1000 AD and the protagonist named Crono and his friend Lucca are at a carnival and they meet a girl named Marle.Marle volunteers to be teleported using some machine Lucca and her father invented but instead she is transported through time because the teleporter interacts with a pendant Marle was wearing.

Crono and Lucca go through a time portal to find Marle and discover Marle's presence in 600 AD lead to changes in the timeline(I won't say why)and time paradoxes are created and Crono,Lucca,Marle and other characters they meet go on a journey to correct these time paradoxes to restore history to normal and to also save their world from disasters.

The story might not sound like much but it's the way the story is presented that makes it a fabulous experience.You'll travel to distant regions in time,such as far in the future where much of the world is a frozen wasteland and robots and high tech stuff exist and you'll travel more than 60 000 million years into the past in a time where that's dinosaurs and you'll travel to a medieval time period where there's knights and castles.

It's not just the fact you travel far into the past or future,but it's the way the group interact with people whom are in the future or far in the past and the events that are happening far in the future or past that make the story interesting,the time paradoxes can create some very weird alternative timelines and I like it how when you're 65 million years in the past the human character you meet(Alya)looks,acts and talks like a primitive human.One of your party members is a talking humanoid frog from the medieval period and he talks like he is from that period too and some of your party members will consist of robots or the scientist Lucca and Marle is a cheerful character who brightens up the mood.

The story can be charming at times but at other times it can be quite serious and emotional.The story provides many different ending possibilities(including some wacky,crazy endings that relate to messed up timelines)as well as endings that are the type the player can hope for.

The story has hints of romance but personally I found the romance in the game could have been presented a bit better,especially for one of the endings,but this is the only thing about the story/game as a whole that I was a bit disappointed with,everything else for the game is great.

The battle system encourages you to experiment because besides having basic attacks,special attacks and spells(special attacks and spells are referred to 'techs' in the game)you can combine basic attacks and techs together by having multiple characters combine a basic attack/tech with your basic attack/one of your techs to make much more powerful attack and experimenting with different attack/tech combinations and finding the most effective ones can be crucial in defeating bosses.The battle system is an ATB one.

Being an old school JRPG,you'll travel a world map,travel to different towns and interact with NPCs.The fact the world and world map constantly change depending which time period you're in and how the timeline for that time period has been affect makes it feel more like an epic adventure.

There is no random battles and you can try to sneak/run past enemies which is a feature I like.

The visuals are charming and inside people's homes have good detail and the character designs from Toriyama look good and the visuals do a good job to provide different periods in times with very different atmospheres,for example far in the future you'll be in some frozen wasteland with high tech stuff and you'll even see computers scan the environment up close and in the medieval time period you'll be inside castles and in the present time(where you start the game)you'll experience a relaxing,carnival type atmosphere and in the past you'll see dinosaurs.Some of the environments have waterfalls or artistic views of the sun shining over the ocean in the background or beautiful mountain views from when you're high up on a mountain.There is lots of forest environments to give you the feel you're in environments with dangerous wild animals and there's dungeons of course,some of them futuristic ones with robot enemies,

I like how in the frozen wasteland you'll hear the wind blowing and for other environments you'll hear haunting music when you're traveling through the forest you'll hear music that suits the eery feeling of time paradoxes occurring or music appropriate for the theme of the environment.

Chrono Trigger is a great game,it's very well put together and even though the concept of time travel had been used many times in stories before Chrono Trigger was released,Chrono Trigger uses the concept of time travel in a very creative way and combine that traveling to vast regions in time and diverse characters from many different periods in history and add emotion and charm and a good battle system(for it's time)and old style JRPG goodness you have a great game that's a timeless classic to many people.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:42:04 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/chrono-trigger/user-reviews/807794/platform/snes/ Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:34:41 -0800 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/hatsune-miku-project-diva-f/user-reviews/806725/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 8.0.






Hatsune Miku Project Diva f is the only Hatsune Miku Project Diva game I've played so I can't compare it to the other ones,but I can say it was an enjoyable experience even though I'm not a big fan of music/rhythm games.What makes HMPDf stand out to me amongst other music games is it's beautiful CGI's and the enjoyable music from the vocaloids(singing voice synthesizers that are in the form of virtual people who have personalities).The vocaloids sing songs from various genres including J-pop,rock,the more gentle type of music that has a bit of emotional or spiritual touch,gothic influenced songs,techno/electro style music etc.

I really did like every song to an extent and some of the songs are catchy or very beautiful.The CGI's go well with the songs and show the vocaloid/s that are singing the song doing something in the environment and I love the song 　タイムマシン because it sounds very delicate and relaxing and I like how you'll see rural Japanese countryside with lovely flowers and a view of the sea while Hatsune Miku interacts with the environments.I also like the song モノクロ∞ブルースカイ which is quite spiritual and you get beautiful views of the sky.

There's songs for a variety of themes though,such as nostalgia,Christmas,fantasy,pets,punk,video games,space,city etc.Like I said,the CGI's and art styles for the themes are done beautifully and the vocaloids do activities while they sing.

Some songs have more than one vocaloid singing,there's a male vocaloid but the rest of them are female.

Like all music games you need to match commands with the rhythm of the music and the amount of different buttons you'll use and how many times you use touch screen inputs during songs depends on the difficulty level you choose.There is times you'll need to swipe the touch screen in time with the rhythm or press a button or a combination of buttons or hold a button and release it in time with the rhythm.

Each song has a pass mark on the song gauge and every time you time a rhythm command well enough you'll see a ''fine'' or ''cool'' mentioned on the screen and the gauge will be increased but if you don't time it well enough in accordance with the rhythm you'll see either ''safe'' ''sad'' or ''worst'' mentioned on the screen.Safe means you didn't time it well enough to increase the gauge but not bad enough to decrease the gauge but if you time the inputs poorly or miss one all together you'll get a ''sad'' or ''worst'' which decreases your gauge.

There's technical zones in the song which occur during the more rhythmically demanding times during a song and executing the technical zones perfectly gives you gauge bonuses,so does chaining long combos of ''fine'' or ''cool'' which will be represented by a number but if you receive a ''safe'' or anything worse it will stop the combo.

Near the end of each song you have a chance of extending the song to increase your chances of reaching the pass mark on the gauge by getting a certain number of ''fine'' or ''cool''.

Besides just playing songs,you can also do virtual life sim stuff with each vocaloid and you can try to buy it stuff to make it happy(food,drinks,furniture,new clothes that it can wear) and decorate it's room and see what it gets up to when you visit it's room and you can play scissors,paper,rock with it.The vocaloids are adorable and can get in a happy or cranky mood depending on what you do for it and what you do to it(you can touch it and rub it's head using the touch screen but you need to do it gently otherwise you'll make it cranky and if you rub it's head for too long it will become cranky but rubbing it's head gently for the right amount of time will make it happy).

There's over 30 songs but trying to beat them all on the tougher difficulty levels can be challenging and can take a while.

This game is only in Japanese language.

There isn't really anything negative I can say about this game but whether you like it or not will depend if you like Japanese music and whether you can enjoy music games.


Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/hatsune-miku-project-diva-f/user-reviews/806725/platform/vita/ Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:36:28 -0800 Swoosie reviewed Code of Princess for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/code-of-princess/user-reviews/806520/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

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

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

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

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

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

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Swoosie reviewed Code of Princess for the 3DS..." was posted by Swoosie on Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:36:28 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/code-of-princess/user-reviews/806520/platform/3ds/ Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:50:20 -0800 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Dynasty Warriors Next for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/dynasty-warriors-next/user-reviews/806409/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

The Dynasty Warriors series is very popular in Asia but in the west it receives more mixed reactions and is known as being repetitive or being milked but the same could be said about all those Halo and CoD games which are popular in the west.

Anyways,as you've probably heard,the series is based loosely on the Romance and the Three Kingdoms novel.

First I'll start off with what it does differently to the other Dynasty Warriors games.Obviously it takes advantage of the VITA's touchscreen functions and it's kinda cool to use at first because you'll need to tilt your VITA to see where enemies are on the screen who are rushing at you and you can tap on the screen to eliminate enemies/projectiles that are coming towards you and there's duel segments where you'll need to swipe or touch certain parts of the screen to defeat an opponent.I guess they sound gimmicky but if you fail to pull off the touch screen commands it will result in a loss of health and since the game has no mid-mission save feature it adds tension to the gameplay because if you fail a mission you'll need to redo it from the start.

The two main modes in the game are campaign mode(which is story mode)and conquest mode(which is more strategy oriented).

Campaign mode is made up of numerous character stories.You play as various characters and see the story from their perspective.You can use a bit of turn-based strategy and select officers in campaign mode but it's a bit gimmicky.The gameplay for campaign mode is very fun but it's story and story presentation are nowhere near as epic as that of Dynasty Warriors 7.

Conquest mode makes you think more carefully about how you use turn-based strategy and you can capture more than one territory at a time but it only allows you to invade territories that have a level lower than yours.

I like how the game allows you to marry certain characters or make pacts with them,I know the marriage feature isn't new to the series but I like it anyways.

Otherwise,it's the same old Dynasty Warriors and it has some great and spectacular CGI's and it's great to see them on a portable console.

For people who are unfamiliar with the DW series,much of the gameplay involves fighting past lots of enemies,capturing enemy bases by killing many enemies in those bases and after you capture a base ally soldiers will respawn from your base unless it gets captured by the enemy(enemy soldiers/officers will try to swarm your bases to try to capture your bases).The gameplay can be exciting when you're trying to capture enemy bases while trying to prevent your bases from being captured and enemy soldiers and your ally soldiers are everywhere.

I like how each base has a counter that represents how close it is to being captured.

The bottom line is the gameplay is fun and I still find it fun to hack n slash through thousands of enemies and even though it's not as good a game as DW7 is it's still a great DW game to have on a portable console.

I like how the CGI's show the traditional Chinese clothing and hairstyles and facial hair style.

Overall,it's my favorite Vita exclusive game right now(not counting remakes),I like it more Uncharted Golden Abyss and Gravity Rush(even though they're very good games too).

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dynasty-warriors-next/user-reviews/806409/platform/vita/ Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:29:38 -0800 ZanarkandTidus reviewed Alien vs. Predator for the Arcade Games... http://www.gamespot.com/alien-vs-predator/user-reviews/806334/platform/arcade/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

After experiencing the greatness from Final Fight,Golden Axe,Warriors of Fate,the TMNT beat em up games as well as playing a bunch of generic beat em up games,I had started to grow tired of the genre but Alien vs Predator was my final enjoyable experience as far as arcade style beat em ups go.

It was developed by Capcom and released in 1994.You gotta give kudos to Capcom because they took western liceneses and merged them to make a great game,lets not forget how many times western movie liceneses were used to make many horrible games by western developers.

You can play as 'Dutch',the main protagonist from the first Predator movie that Arnie played,or you can play as a cyborg female or as two different Predator aliens(one is a warrior and the other is a hunter).As you would expect,the type of character you play as will affect the power in their attacks as well as their agility.The predator aliens have great agility and can leap across the screen,where as Dutch has very powerful physical attacks but he cannot jump and Lynn(the cyborg woman)has great agility and is skillful at using firearms or bladed weapons and can perform a few special attacks but enemy attacks that hit her body do a lot more damage than with the other characters.The differences between the hunter and warrior predator are the hunter predator does much damage but has limited range with his attacks and cannot perform attacks when in mid-air where as the warrior predator does less damage but can use his weapon in mid-air and hit multiple targets.

The game allows the characters to carry a permanent weapon/s and they can use the weapon until it overheats and then you have to wait for the weapon to cool down before you can use it again.It's a better system than what other beat em up games do which is make you lose the weapon after a while and then make you have to find another weapon again and it means you might have to wait a while for that particular weapon to be available again.You can pick up other weapons to use temporarily if you want for a bit of gameplay variety or to give you a bit of extra advantage on the battlefield,such as picking up a gun to use while your permanent projectile weapon is cooling down.Using your main weapon effectively can be crucial when facing bosses because your main weapon can damage and knock down a boss from a distance.

Some of the boss battles are epic,and include fighting against Queen aliens or giant aliens and you'll even encounter the Queen when she's in her nest and will see people stuck to the sticky stuff on the walls meaning they've had eggs implanted inside them and you'll see egg layers running around and the plants the egg layers come out of in the nest area and it provides great atmosphere and the size and power and devastating attacks of a Queen alien is quite something.

The story even has a bit of a twist and it's not just the aliens you'll be fighting against.

What makes the gameplay for Alien vs Predator more fun than most other arcade style beat ups I've played is the enemies aren't cheap and usually if they land an attack on you it's because you made a mistake and even though the bosses have devestating attacks that cover a big area it's possible to learn their patterns and dodge their attacks.This game is not like other arcade beat em ups in which enemies start constantly landing cheap hits in certain areas in order to burn up your credits and to try to milk more money from you to keep playing the game.However,some stages such as when you're on moving vehicles require a bit of trial by error or guess work and can burn up your credits quickly.

The artstyle for the game suits the theme well,the aliens look like in the aliens movies and quite vicious,especially when they swarm you in numbers and when some of them open their extended-second mouth to try to bite you.The predators look just like in the movies and I like how after you complete a level they'll take off their masks and roar like in the movies.As you would expect from a game from that time,Dutch looks cartoony but he looks bada** too.

I like how the environments mix up urban,industrial and jungle.

This is easily one of the best arcade style beat em up games I've played and is probably the last true arcade style beat em up that I enjoyed before consoles changed beat em ups for the better by giving the player check points and action/adventure gameplay elements.

You can download the arcade version of this game for free and play it on a CPS2 emulator and if you like either of the movie series,you'll probably enjoy playing through this game at least one time.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"ZanarkandTidus reviewed Alien vs. Predator for the Arcade Games..." was posted by ZanarkandTidus on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:29:38 -0800
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