pencru's GameSpot Friend's Reviews pencru's GameSpot Friend's Reviews pencru's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Fri, 24 May 2013 03:22:43 -0700 GameSpot pencru's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 04:03:50 -0800 SadPSPAddict reviewed WRC 3 for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/wrc-3-2012/user-reviews/803251/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 5.5.

So I'd like to start by saying I am a big fan of the WRC series and have the last 3 iterations for the Xbox. I was excited to see a Vita version but decided to rent it first just in case it was identical to the console version - if only that had been the problem!

So graphically and game play wise it is the same as the console version. Graphics are good if not outstanding and the cars handle like rally cars should! Plenty of options exist for driver assists so even people with little "driving game" experience can pick up and play. So far so good.

Here comes the BUT ( and there are a couple of them I'm afraid ) - only half the number of rally locations and stages as the console version! Major downside and maybe we will get more later as DLC but even so......

Second BUT - No career mode! Now unlike the PSP version of Gran Turismo that everyone said there was no career mode when the reality was no STRUCTURED career mode in WRC 3 there really is no career. In the console version you can choose from Multiplayer, Experience ( pick a driver and either stage, rally or championship ) and Road To Glory which is the career mode. In the Vita version only the Multiplayer and Experience modes exist. So all you can do in the game is pick drivers and a number of events and race them.
Nothing to unlock, no structure and therefore no reason to keep playing it. I got 75% of the trophies in only a few hours game play and then got bored with it. Very disappointing in this aspect.

So to sum up, solid portable racer with good accessibility and great for short bursts but missing that vital component - a career mode and therefore reason to carry on playing!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed WRC 3 for the PlayStation Vita..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 04:03:50 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/wrc-3-2012/user-reviews/803251/platform/vita/ Mon, 02 Jul 2012 03:34:26 -0700 SadPSPAddict reviewed LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/lego-batman-2-dc-super-heroes/user-reviews/796759/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

The first thing I want to make clear is that this is a different type of review! Different I hear you ask....in what way different? Well I haven't actually played the game - nor have I played any of the Lego games!
How can I possibly review it then? Well my wife and all 4 children are huge fans of the brand and have all managed Platinum Trophies/1000G on multiple games in the series. So far on this particular game my wife and 3rd eldest child ( who is 8 ) have put in a considerable number of hours and I have discussed the pros and cons of this game compared to previous titles at length with them!

Please continue reading and any feedback is welcome!

I have scored it as an 8 and the reason for this is that my 8 year old says 8.5 and best in series but my wife says 7.5 and only third in series ( behind Pirates and Harry years 5-7 ).

I will now examine this difference of opinion - my wife likes to play the levels and prefers the idea that the majority of the "discoverables" ( gold bricks, characters etc ) should be hidden within the levels and that multiple play through's are required with different characters to get at everything. While this holds true in Lego Batman 2 to a certain extent, at least as far as replaying levels goes, there are only 15 levels! The majority of the "discoverables" are located in the "open world" aspect of it. This is where my 8 year old sees the game as an improvement - he has enjoyed finishing all 15 levels but is having much more fun exploring the open world to find bricks and characters while racking his "money" up for the 10 billion stud achievement! My wife feels that Lego Batman 2 leans too far in this direction and preferred the balance found in Pirates!

Both find the combat enjoyable - if a little easy, and the talking characters is a huge huge improvement. The depth of humour is much, well, deeper and I have thoroughly enjoyed the cut scenes!

As is common in all the Lego games there have been the fair share of glitches - either things not working as expected or the whole system freezing up! According to my family this is the most important thing for the developers to address in the next game.

So all in all a worthy addition to the series and lots of fun for all ages!

Thanks for reading and feel free to let me know your thoughts!!

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/lego-batman-2-dc-super-heroes/user-reviews/796759/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:46:07 -0700 phazer reviewed Brink for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/brink/user-reviews/769251/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Brink is an objective-based shooter which pits two teams against each other in assault/defensive-type missions, much like games like Team Fortress 2. Unlike Team Fortress 2 though, Brink also has a single player campaign which the multiplayer is based-upon. Or, should I say, the difference between single player and multiplayer is simply the players - whether they're bots or humans - and it is also the key difference in this game.

Campaign

The game is set in The Ark, a fictional utopian city floating on some place on Earth. Two factions battle for their cause - the Resistance, who want to escape from The Ark; and the Security, who are The Ark's peacekeeping and views the Resistance as terrorists. After all that is said, the story is merely a backdrop to the events in Brink, and is as uninspiring as they come. Each mission starts with a loading screen where the factions' narrator dramatically briefs you on the level. Although not excruciatingly bad (or funny) like Just Cause 2, it's not good either. After the loading screen there will be a cutscene with the characters. At least the voice acting here is better, i.e. normal. Unfortunately if you're playing the level in campaign mode by yourself, you'll have to sit through the whole thing. Which is kind of a drag since the story is, as mentioned, inconsequential. Team Fortress 2 had the right approach by ignoring the story altogether and focusing on pure multiplayer action.

The game has a campaign mode for both factions with 8 core levels/maps. It's basically just playing as one side or the other, but there are also faction-specific (and did I mention unskippable?) cutscenes. You can play the campaign solo, with friends or with the public. Games can be set to be co-op (humans vs. bots on easy/normal/hard) or versus (players can join the opposing team too), and you can choose whether other players have to be at the same rank as you or higher. You can also choose Freeplay public/private matches which allow you to customize the game rules - map, minimum and maximum number of human players, friendly fire on/off etc.

Character Customization

First off, you create a character to play as (you can create up to 10 characters). You can use the same character for both factions, either online or offline. Your character retains his level, abilities and weapons, although you will have separate appearances for each faction. Notice I said "his", because there are no female characters in this game (makes you wonder why humanity hasn't died out…). Unfortunately, the customization options here are restricted to clothing and weapons only. There is no facial/body customization here, unlike games such as Oblivion or Saints Row 2. You choose from a set of preset faces (or "archetypes" as the game calls it) and voices to start off. From there, you select from a range of headgear, shirts, jackets, pants etc. which come in various colors/patterns (which are also fixed, so you can't dress yourself from top to toe in pink or something). There are various sets of clothes or styles, but you can mix them up as you see fit. Resistance characters will have more rebel-like, street punk-ish clothes such as hoodies, hockey masks. Security characters will have, well, enforcement agency-type clothes like police vests and shirts, and weird alien masks. As mentioned, you will have to choose 2 different sets of appearances for your Resistance/Security model.

You start off with a few options and unlock more as you level up and complete challenges. Unfortunately if you're playing on the 360 like me, it takes a few seconds to load each piece of clothing. This might put you off from really exploring the different customization options, as it did to me. Based on some videos the PC version doesn't seem to have this problem, so the same might apply if you install the game on the console. You can also choose between Light, Medium and Heavy builds (although only Medium is unlocked from the start), which not only affects your character's look, but his agility and health as well. This also affects the weapons available for usage. For example, only Heavy characters can use miniguns, whereas Light characters can only carry pistols as secondary weapons. Most weapons can be customized, some which are superficial while others affect the weapons' stats. The customization options here are pretty much standard across all weapons. You get the same under-barrels, magazine attachments, scopes and such but it's still a nice feature to have. How often do you get to choose between a four-/six-vent muzzle brake?

Classes

There are 4 classes in Brink … Soldier, Medic, Engineer and Operative. There are abilities for characters in general, as well as specific class-based ones. By levelling up you gain credits which can be spent on abilities. Abilities are restricted based on ranks; at the every fifth level you will gain one rank (up to a maximum of 20 levels, or 5 ranks). Each class (other than the Operative) also has a starting buff which can be placed on themselves or on teammates - Soldiers can resupply ammunition (and increase the maximum capacity); Engineers can buff weapon damage; and Medics can heal (and add to the maximum health). The use of active abilities requires Supply, which is indicated by the Supply Meter. There are also other abilities such as Flashbangs for Soldiers, Self Resurrection for Medics, Turrets for Engineers and Caltrops for Operatives. Up to 3 active abilities can be mapped onto the directional pad, with the top button being reserved for the objective wheel (more on that later). Besides these there are also passive ones which increase your Health or Supply and boost your buff effects. Due the class-based objectives in the game, if you specialize in one class, you will either have to change to another class which you are less-developed in, or hope your teammates are specialized in those classes. Or, you can also reset your abilities at the cost of one level.

Some objectives require you to demolish a structure as a Solider by placing a HE charge, and defending it for 40 seconds until it goes off. Some will require Operatives to hack the objective, which requires the player to plant the hackbox through the initial animation, and stay in the area until the hacking reaches 100%. During this time the player can only move/crouch, and straying from the objective will decrease the signal strength and reduce the hacking speed. Multiple players can hack the objective to increase the speed. Engineers have the most objectives in this game. Besides their own objectives of fixing bots (a vehicle you have escort in some maps) and repairing/constructing, they are also the only class which can dismantle HE charges and hackboxes. Lastly, the only mission objective which requires the Medic is when you have to revive the hostage (similar to the bot, except that you're escorting a human target… well, human as in non-mechanical).

Besides the class-based objectives, there are also general objectives such as capturing Command Posts and carrying objectives. The latter involves bringing an item from one location to another. Think of it as capturing the flag - attackers who die drop the item, at which point it can be picked up by other attackers or returned to its original location by defenders. Command Posts will let you change classes and weapons, and capturing them will provide additional health or supply to your team.

General Gameplay

To help you sort out the various objectives in the game, you can call up the objective wheel and select various objectives to focus on. Primary objectives are highlighted in yellow, with the main objective at the top. Optional objectives such as capturing command posts are highlighted in blue. This helps you locate the various objectives in the different levels, especially for new players. The game also features a SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) free-running system where you hold down a button to run and also to climb over/up and slide under obstacles. To the game's credit, this doesn't translate into a gimmicky feature in-game, but instead helps to make movement across the map more smooth. It's one of the game's features that doesn't fall short.

Besides the campaign levels, there are 4 challenge maps with 1 to 3 star difficulty ratings to complete. Completing the challenges will unlock extra customization options. 2 of them can be done fairly easily, while the parkour one might take you a few tries to figure out the best route to take. There is also one which involves various class-based objective, and it's also the most frustrating of all. Your teammates are programmed not to assist you in completing the objectives, so you'll have to handle everything by yourself (although you'll find yourself doing that a lot when playing with the AI…). They will still attack enemies, but they don't seem to engage them as much as they would in a normal game. You will need a ton of patience and/or luck to complete this on the 3 star level.

Combat is decent, although most of the time you'll find that having more firepower (in terms of number of teammates and weapons) is a sure-win. The AI will sometimes bunch up together when on defense, and simply hose you down with bullets (more on the AI below). Every character can use the standard frag grenades, but you will have to wait for the grenade meter (which is separate from the Supply Meter for abilities) to recharge each time you throw one. When it goes off, it will knockdown enemies, which is helpful in delaying them from completing their objectives. When killed, players will be in a "down but not out" state where they can wait for a medic to revive them, or spawn at the next wave. It takes quite a few bullets to put enemies down for good, but one good melee will do the same.

About the AI

The AI in this game is bad in general, although this becomes apparent (and frustrating) in varying degrees as you play in different levels. Think of it as this: the time required to complete an objective roughly corresponds to the level of frustration/bad AI you will experience. For objectives which can be completed almost instantly, like the Medic reviving the hostage (or other teammates), the AI is up to standard for the most part. Capturing command posts is also their forte - you'll see your teammates and the enemy capturing/re-capturing them often. For anything else, the AI is bad.

This is especially so for hacking objectives, since it requires the player to stay in the area long enough for the hack to complete. Your team's Operative will rarely come to assist you. So far I've only seen them do so once or twice. One time I was hacking the objective, and he was just standing down there, not doing anything (which also happens in general). This is made doubly frustrating by the fact that the enemy engineer can undo your efforts fairly quickly, and your own teammates won't bother to stop him. I've seen the AI help out more in Engineer objectives, although at times you'll have to do it yourself too. At least for Engineer objectives, the repair progress made can't be undone, so in the worst case scenario you'll just have to keep trying if the enemy kills you. Part of the reason for this is because the AI tends to care more about capturing the optional Command Posts instead of the mission-required objectives… but the lack of help is probably mostly due to the bad AI.

Soldier objectives are more manageable since planting the charge only takes a few seconds. Defending it before it goes off basically means "play like normal" when it comes to the AI, which is just to kill enemies. If you leave it to the AI they won't plant the charge straight away, so you'll be better off changing to Soldier and planting the charge yourself while the AI helps you defend it. The AI is decent at escort objectives, and although not as good when it comes to those involve carrying/fetching, they are still better at it (and in fact anything) then at hacking.

Sometimes the enemy AI will ignore you completely when you are completing your objective (although this is more for enclosed areas where you can somewhat hide yourself), and go for your teammates or the Command Posts instead. On the bright side at least this helps to somewhat ease the frustration from the lack of help. Other times you may find the enemy all gathered in the room with the objective, and shoot you on sight, which makes even approaching the objective difficult. The reverse is also true - when playing on defense, your AI teammates won't focus on enemies who are completing the primary objective and just play as they like. You may also notice that at times the enemy AI seems to be more proficient at Operative/Engineer objectives as compared to the friendly AI.

Multiplayer

This is where the game shines… or at least, it's supposed to. Public matches are done through match-making, there isn't a list of servers for you to choose from. If there are no matches available, the game will just start anyway and fill the slots with bots or start with a warmup session, depending on your settings. In my case (and apparently for Asian gamers in general), I couldn't find any public matches online, be it from the campaign, or from the Freeplay section. 1-2 months later, I managed to find human players, but only 1 or 2 per game. I guess if you're playing in the Asian region, you're out of luck. For those in North America, Europe etc. your multiplayer experience will probably depend on the amount of lag (if any). Either way, playing with friends is the way to go, in terms of general fun and reduced lag. That is, assuming you can get enough players for a match.

Graphics/Audio

If you thought the graphics looked nice from the screenshots and trailers, well, you're not wrong. They do look nice… although the actual game is much different. Textures are blurry and yet they still suffer from what seems like pop-in issues (although instead of going from blur to sharp in other games, in here it's blur to slightly less blur). Apparently this was improved in an auto-update at launch. Improved, but the problem still exists. Installing the game to the hard disk might help though. Character models fare better, but it still pales in comparison to other games today. The PS3 version is slightly sharper though, and the PC version is definitely better than its console counterparts. As mentioned above, the character customization also appears real-time on the PC.

Music and sound effects are decent, but not great. Weapons don't sound too different from each other and for some reason explosions from grenades don't really have much sound effect either, which dampens the feel. As mentioned earlier, besides the narrator (who is also the announcer), voice acting is also decent.

Conclusion

Brink is a game which shows a lot of promise, but delivers on few of them. The game's presentation is plagued with many issues, from the graphical flaws to the less-than-stellar AI and multiplayer kinks. Underneath all that though, there is a game which is still fairly enjoyable (considering I played through both factions' campaigns with bots)… if you can put up with the faults. As I've been saying many times throughout the review, this game is decent, but not great. The PC version seems to be the way to go for this game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"phazer reviewed Brink for the Xbox 360..." was posted by phazer on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:46:07 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/brink/user-reviews/769251/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:40:23 -0700 SadPSPAddict reviewed Asphalt 3D for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/asphalt-3d/user-reviews/761965/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

So this latest game in the Asphalt franchise was a launch title for the 3DS here in the UK. If you have played Asphalt games before then this will be no real shock to you.
Gameplay
Very arcadey racing with plenty of drifting and boosting. The tracks are littered with pick-ups that are either money, for buying new cars and upgrades, or nitrous for use there and then in the race via the shoulder buttons. Lap based races and time trials are the order of the day and I think these modes are pretty self explanatory. One is against AI and one against the clock!
The 3D effect is done as well as in other games and offers the extra emmersion you'd expect without bringing anything spectacular to the game.

As with most games in this series it comes down on the easy side which, while disappointing to veteran racers, opens up the genre to younger players.

For what it is, it is a nice little game but it is one I would look for in the sale rather than rushing out and paying full price for - unless you are a relative newcomer to racing games!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed Asphalt 3D for the 3DS..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:40:23 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/asphalt-3d/user-reviews/761965/platform/3ds/ Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:13:00 -0700 SadPSPAddict reviewed nail'd for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/naild/user-reviews/758430/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

nail'd is an off-road arcade racer following on from the likes of Pure and MotorStorm but doesn't quite live up to the standard set by those games.

Environment - the tracks are very well designed with multiple routes through all of them each with their own pros and cons. Graphics are OK and it is occasionally hard to tell where the "edge" of the track is.

Objectives - race through a series of tournaments to unlock the Grand Finale. Well it is a racing game so what else did you expect?

Gameplay - while racing you can earn boost in a variety of ways including wipeing out other riders, landing cleanly after a jump, passing through burning rings or a pair of burning gates. Events can be a single large circuit or a 3 lap race on a smaller track. There are also stunt races - the stunts being the activites required to earn boost with the added pressure of once the first rider is across the line everyone else's scores start to count down until you finish. Thus there is an incentive for staying near the front!
The sense of speed is incredibly even without the boost and the extra blurring under boost makes it an insane experience. Yes the physics are over the top - some of the directional changes in mid-air are somewhat unbelievable BUT and this is an important but - the game is fun!

Conclusion - If you enjoy a bit of over-the-top tearing down mountainsides and launching yourself into the stratosphere to dodge hot-air balloons then get out there and give nail'd a try!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed nail'd for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:13:00 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/naild/user-reviews/758430/platform/ps3/ Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:13:28 -0700 phazer reviewed Hot Springs Story for the iPhone/iPod... http://www.gamespot.com/hot-springs-story/user-reviews/758407/platform/iphone/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Hot Springs Story is developer Kairosoft's follow-up to the popular Game Dev Story. For me (and probably many others), what made Game Dev Story so intriguing was how it put you in the shoes of a game developing company, letting you develop million-selling games (which you can name after your favourite real-life games as a tribute... or parody), multi-million-selling games, consoles and more -- something which gamers would find right up their alley. So how does Hot Springs Story, which offers a whole new (and possibly alien) setting, fare? In short, Hot Springs Story is every bit as addictive as its predecessor, and in some cases, even more so.


Gameplay

As its name suggests, Hot Springs Story puts you in charge of managing a Japanese Hot Springs Inn. You start off with a small inn with minimal facilities and a handful of guests visiting each day (or month in the game's context), but it gradually becomes a large, popular inn that is twice its original size with lots of guests coming in and out. This time round, you can actually design your own inn, complete with land expansions, environmental decorations and facilities. In some ways, this offers a more hands-on experience than Game Dev Story did, although from time to time, you will find yourself simply waiting for your bank account or guests' popularity to rise.

New guests, or "Targets", are unlocked through Investments, as with most facilities and decorations. Raise a target's popularity to a high enough level, and he/she/they (there are groups as well) will recommend a new target to the inn, from Pop Singers (complete with pink hair) to Rich Heirs. Each time a target "levels up", they bring with them more money to spend in your inn.

After meeting certain conditions, you can also invite special guests to your inn. If they are satisfied with their stay, they will offer to set up shop and grant you access to new facilities. As you unlock more facilities, you will find that some provide bonuses when placed near each other, while others will have the opposite effect. For example, building a Massage Chair next to a Tatami Room makes it more popular among Adults and Seniors, but placing a Karaoke Room reduces its popularity (or compatibility as the game calls it) instead. Add bath effects and decorations to the mix, and you will find yourself trying to create an optimal layout to attract guests to your inn.

Indeed, a large part of the game's fun comes from trying out various layouts and experimenting with different facilities. It is also the way you are meant to play the game, as there are no options to move a facility once you have built them. The game only lets you remove them, so you will find yourself destroying parts of your inn and re-building it. This may be the cause of frustration if you accidentally place a building on the wrong spot (which may happen on iPhones, especially when you are zoomed out), forcing you to demolish it and re-build. It seems like a feat at first (especially with the lack of funds), but as the game progresses, you will get used to it, and in fact, you will do it often. You will want to re-build your inn from time to time to accommodate new facilities or unlocked effects, and doing so will prove to be more productive than haphazardly building your facilities all over the place.

While Game Dev Story had its annual game convention and Game of the Year awards, Hot Springs Story has bi-annual guides which you can enter and get your inn ranked with other inns, and rewards you with cash prizes regardless of your rank. Of course, getting higher ranks net better rewards, including items such as Popularity Seeds, which boosts your facilities' popularity. You can also buy such items and other upgrades from the store, which is now a permanent fixture in the game (compared to the item seller in Game Dev Story).

Bonus/secret characters make a re-appearance in this game too, giving you access to special facilities when unlocked. As with Game Dev Story, the game "ends" after 15 years, during which your score is calculated. You can continue to play after that for as long as you want, but should you choose to start a new game, certain bonuses will carry over -- some have to be unlocked before the 15 years, while others will carry over regardless of when they were unlocked. This is one way which will keep you playing after you have "finished" the game. Although the game mentions an online ranking, the only scores I see are that of your own in the game's starting menu and in the "Hi Scores" menu in-game. Game Dev Story was recently updated with Game Center support for achievements and leaderboards, so presumably we'll see the same treatment given to Hot Springs Story eventually.


Graphics/Sound

The game's art style will be instantly recognizable to those who have played Game Dev Story, but those of you who have will find that Hot Springs Story is more colourful and vibrant due to its outdoor settings. The seasonal changes help in this too -- Plum Trees blossom in Spring and provide a nice pink colour; Maple Trees turn orange in Autumn; Winter covers everything with snow. The different facilities and numerous types of guests you can unlock provide variety to the game as well. You start off with the same few guests each time, but as you progress you will find all sorts of guests coming to your inn. Landscape mode is enabled this time round (granted, you only had to look at one office in Game Dev Story), giving you a better view of your inn. You can also zoom in/out by pinching on the screen.

When you start to get lots of guests, the game may start to lag slightly, especially when the screen is on the entrance for some reason. The game provides an option to change the graphics setting to optimize performance, which solves the problem for the most part. In some cases it can still lag, but it is less noticeable. That said, I am playing the game on iPhone 3GS, so those with iPhone 4 or iPads (or iPad 2 now) should have better luck. Also, from what I have heard (and seen from screenshots), the game looks decent when enlarged on the iPad screen as well. The only sound you will hear in this game pretty much comes from the in-game track as you play, but if you are like me, you will find yourself too engrossed in the game to notice about the sound anyway.


Conclusion

Before this, the only sim-building games I've played were pretty much Roller Coaster Tycoon andZoo Tycoon (and The Sims, if you count the building mode). Both of them were released almost a decade ago, and somehow I didn't play any others since then. I enjoyed playing those games and Hot Springs Story has revitalized my interest in the genre.

All in all, if you have played Game Dev Story and enjoyed it, you will most probably enjoy Hot Springs Story as well. It adds on many gameplay features while retaining the immersive sim-management elements from its predecessor. And if you haven't played Game Dev Story, do yourself a favour, and get it along with Hot Springs Story. They'll keep you occupied for a long, long time… until Game Dev Story 2 is released (whenever that is).

Good points:
- Same addictive gameplay as Game Dev Story that will keep you playing for hours at length, and more
- Endearing and colourful pixel art

Bad points:
- Lack of move system when building
- No actual online leaderboard (through Game Center or any other obvious outlets) to compare your scores with others, if that's what floats your boat
- "Fast" game speed is only available after you "beat" the game once
- Lags on certain occasions on iPhone 3GS, but not bad enough to detract gameplay

Get the full article at GameSpot

"phazer reviewed Hot Springs Story for the iPhone/iPod..." was posted by phazer on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:13:28 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/hot-springs-story/user-reviews/758407/platform/iphone/ Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:13:45 -0700 SadPSPAddict reviewed Split/Second for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/split-second/user-reviews/724970/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Split/Second is so much more than a one trick pony - it has taken the basic concept of Ridge Racer and improved upon it while adding some new modes to the mix!

Story:
Do arcade racers need a story? Well not really but thankfully this one does not get in the way. The premise is that you are a constest in a reality tv show where the object is to take part in races within a specially designed "city". You drift/draft and jump your way to filling the power bars and then let rip. Unlike in Ridge Racer where the bars offer you boost, in Split/Second the bars offer you insane explosions. All round the 11 race tracks are "explosion points" and as your rivals drive past you can trigger these explosions to wreck your rivals and help you to victory. There are 2 levels of expolsion, blue and red. Blue requires 1 bar and red requires all 3. Red ones, as you might imagine, are much more significant and have a much larger impact on the surrounding environment. Red ones can also be used to trigger route changes and it is possible to have the route change on every lap of a race. If you catch your rivals in a route change it also wrecks them.
There are 12 "episodes" and in each episopde there are 4 races plus a locked bonus race and a locked elite race. Earning credits in the 4 races unloacks the elite race and finishing in the top 3 of the elite race unlocks the next episode. To unlock the bonus event there is a target of how many rivals to wreck in total within that episode. You can replay the races as often as needed to reach this target. Finish the 12th elite race to finish the season in the top 3 to "beat" the game although there are many other trophies to get after that.
The credits earned for completing the races also unlock better cars. Cars have 4 characteristics Speed, Acceleration, Drift and Strength and I think the only one to explain is strength - basically how well it rides the shockwaves of the explosions! Picking the right car for the race can be important!

Event Types:
Race - a 2 or 3 lap race where the objective is to finish first.

Detonator - Basically a time trial where you are alone on track and the explosions trigger automatically. It is the same subset of explosions each time so unfortanutely it is just a case of learning which ones are triggered but a fun mode none the less. Preset target times are given.

Survival - Earn points by overtaking big rigs on relatively simple tracks that don't appear anywhere else in the game. Earn point multipliers for 3 cleans passes in a row. Preset points target to reach. Oh yeah, the big rigs drop red and blue barrels off the back. Red ones wreck you ( and lose the multiplier ) and blue ones slow you down. There is a timer and each pass adds more time - once the clock runs out its sudden death - pass as many more as you can until the next time you wreck! This mode is great fun and can also be played split screen and on-line

Air-Strike - You race alone round the track and a helicopter fires missiles into the ground around you. Avoid them all to score points and a bonus for completely clean waves. Clean waves also give you point multipliers and the aim is to reach a target score as quickly as possible. Pre-set times are there to beat.

Air-Revenge - Same as air strike accpet that instead of points you earn your power bars for dodging the missiles - once your bar is full you can deflect the missiles back at the helipcopter! Bring the helicopter down within the set times to win. Saving up for a red power bar does more damage to the helicopter!

Elimination - 8 cars on the track after a minute the last one is eliminated and every 20 seconds after that. The rules for earning power and triggering explosions are the same as in race mode so wreck your rivals to get to the front and stay there!

All of these events appear in the various episodes of the game and all can be played in Quick Play modes as well. Split screen is available for 2 players for race, elimination and survival modes and this is fun with a friend ( or in my case my son! )

On-line - probably the weakest part of the game. The same modes as are available in split screen are available here and you can choose to play public ( anyone can join and track selection is random ) or private where the host is in control. 8 players can compete together and once in a race it is a lot of fun however the lobby system is a bit glitchy and it can be frustrating finding a race in the first place and equally I've had it crash on me post race while returning to the lobby that required me to restart my PS3. This has happened more than once although not so much recently so maybe they have stabalised the servers a bit!
On-line you start with a ranking of 99 and finishing in the top half of a race increases your score and in the bottom half decreases again. Trophies are available for hitting 75, 25, and 1 ( bronze, silver and gold respectively and on a personal note finally got my gold one this evening!! )

Overall then this a great aracade racer that brings something new to the genre and is adicitve to say the least. I for one am looking forward to Split/Second 2 already!!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed Split/Second for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:13:45 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/split-second/user-reviews/724970/platform/ps3/ Tue, 11 May 2010 06:27:31 -0700 SadPSPAddict reviewed MotoGP 09/10 for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/motogp-09-10/user-reviews/720043/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

First I'd like to make it clear that I am not a major MotoGP fan nor have I ever owned a motorbike. I do however like playing racing games on my PS3 and it is from that point of view I have written this review.

General
An fairly significant step forward from the last offering with improved career mode but one or two niggles stop it being absolutely top notch.

Gameplay Modes
Time Trial - speaks for itself, pick a CC, pick a track and have race against yourself.
Championship - Race a season as a "real" rider with practice, qualifiying and race to take part in. Only the 125cc is available and the 250cc is unlocked by winning the 125cc and MotoGP is unocked by winning 250cc - this is also repeated in the career and arcade modes
Arcade - fun mode this one - play as a real rider, racing the season but with only the race itself to compete it. As well as racing against the AI you are competing against the clock. Clean sections, overtaking, slipstreaming etc all add to your time and the aim is to get through a season without using the "continue" option when time runs out. This mode is great if you only have a short period of time to kill.
Career - the main event! Race as yourself and work your way up. In this mode you have to hire a staff of PR people and engineers. The PR people find you sponsors to earn money to pay the salaries while the engineers work tirelessly to improve your bike. You pay the salaries and deliver on the track to earn the sponsorship rewards. This isn't overly complicated and you can only do so much with it but is a nice feature! Upgrade your bike and win the races. In each race there is also a dynamic challenge which might be achieving a top speed or average speed or overtaking a certain rider. Sometimes distracting from the race itself but if completed sucessfully earns you extra "XP" to level up!

Graphics
Good but not awe enspiring

On-line
Works well although some more options might be nice!

Sound
Good

Bike Handling
I think the model is about right. Perhaps a little too forgiving in that you don't fall off too often but other than that - the difference between the classes is significant although rain appears to have little impact which is a shame.

Free DLC
As the title suggests the game covers 2 seasons. The 09 season is on the disc and the 2010 season will be available as DLC as it unfolds! And the DLC is free so a nice touch there and we can hope the shape of things to come!

Niggles
For me the biggest niggle is not being able to see how your qualifying lap time compares with the AI without having to go into the pits!

All in all a good game for race enthusiasts but hard enough that those just wishing to dabble would be better off sticking to 4 wheels.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed MotoGP 09/10 for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Tue, 11 May 2010 06:27:31 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/motogp-09-10/user-reviews/720043/platform/ps3/ Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:20:20 -0800 SadPSPAddict reviewed Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-sega-all-stars-racing/user-reviews/711450/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

So any kart racer on any console inevitably draws comparisons with Mario Kart and until now all have come up short - Madagascar Kart Racing anyone??

So what does Sonic and SEGA All-star Racing ( SASASR ) have to offer?

1. 24 beautifully detailed tracks themed on some of SEGA's back catalogue
2. 20 interesting and diverse characters from SEGS's back catalogue including Sonic, Tails, Dr Eggman, Knuckles, Amy, Billy Hatcher and Bigs the Cat to name but a few.
3. Several single player modes, local 4 player split screen and on-line 8 player racing

The main "career" is a series of Grand Prix - 6 in total consisting of 4 races each ( thus incorporating all 24 tracks ) with 3 difficulty settings. As a fairly experienced "racer" I found the easy level to be just that and waltzed through but then found the difficulty start to ramp up nicely - making the "career" something you will want to finish.

Then there is time trial - does what it says on the tin, and provides a top 1000 worldwide leader board as well as a friends leaderboard and your local leaderboard.

Mission Mode - 64 missions of various types - race, collect rings, certain amount of boost or drift etc. Score an A or better to unlock the next one and the aim is to get AAA for all - something to keep you going back to it!

The controls are tight and responsive and I have experienced no frame rate issues. You drift to earn boost, collect items to attack the other racers ( these items include rockets, mines, rainbow (like the ink in Mario Kart) etc.

Both local split screen and on-line only allow single-races and this is arguably the biggest and probably only weakness of the game. It would have been nice to be able to set up a grand prix among friends. Usual options are available - you can race with or without AI opponents and can turn items on or off etc. One interesting aspect of this is that there can only be one of each character racing in any one race so sometimes on line you have to go to your second or third choice racer.

SEGA Miles are earned for every race/mission/time trial and these can be used to unlock the last 10 characters and 12 tracks ( only 10 and 12 respectively are available to start with ) and also some more music tracks. Your license colour also changes depending on the lifetime number of miles you have earned!

There are 49 trophies to earn including various ones as you hit "number of SEGA mile" milestones, posting a time trial time on all tracks, buying all the items plus various ones for on-line as well.

Overall this is a fun and addicting game that will keep you coming back for both the single player modes and the fun of playing on line!

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-sega-all-stars-racing/user-reviews/711450/platform/ps3/ Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:07:11 -0800 SadPSPAddict reviewed Puzzle Chronicles for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/puzzle-chronicles/user-reviews/711105/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 4.5.

I'm always on the look out for good puzzle games but, having read the reviews already on here I rented it first - and was that one of my better decisions? YES!

Gameplay:
An interesting sideways entering "colour matching to make blocks disappear" style gameplay is innovative and interesting. Takes a bit of getting used to but after a while it feels right. Different types of block do different things such as release more powerful weapons and different coloured blocks also charge up different items. The idea is to clear the blocks to charge up said items and weapons and "battle" your oponent off the screen. This concept works well BUT for some reason best known to themselves the game developers decided to ruin this "reasonably good" idea with a boring and far too long winded story line. Said story is dull with horrendous load times making the gameplay sheer dullness with the occasional moment of puzzle solving fun!

Sound:
About what you'd expect for this type of game - nothing mind blowing but OK

Graphics:
See comment about sound

So overall another good idea ruined by the implementation and one that I would advise you to stay well clear of unless you see it in the rental store or the mega bargin bin!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed Puzzle Chronicles for the PSP..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:07:11 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/puzzle-chronicles/user-reviews/711105/platform/psp/ Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:41:11 -0800 SadPSPAddict reviewed Need for Speed: Shift for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/need-for-speed-shift/user-reviews/706382/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

As a fan of NFS I was looking forward to this title and initial impressions were positive. It has a nice arcade feel to it without being over the top. A good selection of cars, tracks and race modes and the only thing lacking is perhaps an element of customisation. Yes the cars can be customised but for each vehicle there is a list of upgrades that using said vehicle slowly works you through. So for car A you might get better tires, then a better engine then nitrous but for car B is could be nitrous then tires then engine. Use the car enough and eventually you get everything and that's it.

In world tour mode - the main game "career" mode there are 8 levels each with a variety of events to compete in. Within a level you can unlock the "final" event by accumulating enough points for placing in the other events. However winning the final event does not automatically unlock the next level and herein lies the main problem of the game. To unlock the next level you must place in the top 3 in each and every event in the current level. This leads to what I consider to be the biggest issue with some racing games and that is a "single point of failure" - namely if you get stuck on an event you cannot progress. Yes you can play "quick play" and practice the tricky event or similar and yes doing this still upgrades your car. Also you are subject to challenges from the RoadKings consisting of 2 events and winning them both defeats the RoadKing and gives you their car. However there is still the single point of failure. In a lot of games this needn't be a problem as eventually most races can be beaten, however likes it's console cousin the PSP version has insanely difficult drift events and unlike the PS3 version you have to place in the top 3. Ultimately this deafeted me as I dislike drift events at the best of times and even after 15+ attempts (on the 4th level) I was only getting to half the required points to place 3rd.

This was ultimately a major disappointent to me without which I would have scored the game as a 9/10.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed Need for Speed: Shift for the PSP..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:41:11 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/need-for-speed-shift/user-reviews/706382/platform/psp/ Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:48:13 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/soulcalibur-broken-destiny/user-reviews/699557/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.0.


I thought I would never ever live to see this game released on the PSP. Yes, It's the long awaited Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny review for the PSP. I had high expectations when this game was first announced. I even wrote about it about it in a blog(nothing says I'm psyched about a game more than bloggin' about it.) Did it pass my expectations or was it just another sad disappointment and should be banned from every single house?


CHARACTERS:

There are 28 characters exactly in Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny, including a new character, Dampierre. Trying to live up with Soul Calibur IV, which they released Darth Vader and Yoda in, Namco threw in an exclusive character: Kratos from God of War. Epic. No, literally. All the favorites from previous games return including Cassandra, Tira, Ivy, Siegfried,Yoshimitsu and Voldo. Not only the original characters get in on the action, however. Following in the footsteps of Soul Calibur III and IV, Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny has a character creation mode which lets you create up to 16 characters. I was overall really impressed with the characters.

Score: 10/10


GAMEPLAY:

The gameplay for fighting follows the same formula as all the previous 'Soul' additions. Someone must've really hated modes at Namco Bandai though, because Soul Calibur has been REALLY stripped down from it's (basically) console version, Soul Calibur IV. Quick Match mode lets you play a few quick matches(hence the name). The game features a mode called 'The Gauntlet' which features boring 'challenges', which goes on for wayyyyy too long. Trial Mode also exists, for trial of attack, trial of defense and endless trial. Wow, how exciting! Versus mode lets you face off against players in the same room, and not around the world. Creation lets you create your own character, or edit the costume color of a character from the game. Training is just your average practice mode. Last but probably least, Records lets you view your honors, battle records,and other 'legacies'. I wasn't too impressed with the gameplay, due to it's stripped-down averageness.

Score: 7/10


STORYLINE:

There really doesn't seem to be any basic storyline for SC: BD, and there isn't a basic storyline for each character to tell either. All there is is the storyline from The Gauntlet mode, which really isn't that great either. Just, average again.

Score: 6/10


REPLAY VALUE:

Due to its lack of modes, SC: BD doesn't have as much replay value as it could've had. It does have a moderate value however.

Score: 8/10


Overall Score: 31/40
Overall Thoughts: Not bad, but not great either. Tekken 6 seemed to be taking hints from SC:BD also. 0 for 2 Namco Bandai, 0 for 2. Still, I say at least try it, because it can be fun for awhile.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:48:13 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/soulcalibur-broken-destiny/user-reviews/699557/platform/psp/ Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:46:17 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed Scribblenauts for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/scribblenauts/user-reviews/699556/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Are you ready to explore a vast land with your creativity? That's exactly what Scribblenauts for the DS lets you do. From writing words to make an object appear on screen to making sure you don't drown, Scribblenauts does it all. However, what seems like the perfect game, wasn't so perfect at all.


CHARACTERS:

The only main character is Maxwell, whom you have to help reach things called starites. In addition, you can cast other characters onto the screen by using the writing pad to call a firefighter, a dragon, or just about anything you want. So only for that reason(because if Maxwell was the only character, trust me, the score would NOT be perfect.

Score: 10/10


GAMEPLAY:

Ah, the gameplay of Scribblenuts. Let's get one thing out of the way: This game includes of 10,000 objects to put on screen, making it one of the most original games I've played, and maybe some of you readers feel the same way. Starting up the game will lead you to the playground(the screen that says start). Here you can test out how things react with eachother by writing just about anything that's in the game, with no objective. Challenge mode features to inner modes: Puzzle Mode and Action Mode. Puzzle mode is where you just help solve a problem by using objects to get the starite, and was the mode I tended to stick with. Action Mode is where you try to get the starite by using objects. The big difference is you can solve the level by doing just about anything that can lead you to the starite in Action Mode. The game includes a level editor which lets you create your own levels, share them with friends online, and download their levels too. I was impressed with everything......but the controls just suck. You cannot move Maxwell with the D-Pad, as this triggers the camera view. The touch screen controls were the worst though, most of the time not recognizing what I tried to pick up or get out of, making it a big problem if you were trying to get a low time to get more 'Ollars' . Luckily, the creativity put into this game takes away most of the suckiness left from the controls.

SCORE: 8/10


STORYLINE:

Just like most of the games I've been reviewing lately, this one really doesn't have a storyline. The only really objective is just to get a starite. Woo.

SCORE: 8/10


REPLAY VALUE:

Due to the max amount of creativity, wi-fi connection, and the urge for some of you to get a better score on levels previously beaten, Scribblenauts does hold quite a handful of replay value, believe it or not.

SCORE: 9/10

Overall Score: 36/40
Overall Thoughts: What really saved this game was all the objects you could cast onto the screen, making it a very good game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed Scribblenauts for the DS..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:46:17 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/scribblenauts/user-reviews/699556/platform/ds/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:40:53 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed Tekken 6 for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/tekken-6/user-reviews/698408/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

CHARACTERS:

Wow. Probably the best part of this whole entire game is the wide range of characters. There are exactly 40 characters in this game, including 6 new characters. Zafina reminds me of Voldo, a character from the Soul Calibur series. Her moves are actually pretty fun. Bob surprised me the most out of everyone. As an obese character, he moves extremely fast. A very good character, but in my opinion, he's very forgettable. Alisa is a robot with fun moves, and that's about it for her. Lars, to me, is not exactly easy to remember about either, but has a good move set. Miguel is 'norm' one out of the bunch, meaning there's nothing really wrong about him like the others, and he has some good moves. Finally, there's Leo.....what to say about Leo.....Well, Leo, is genderless as of right now. At first, Leo was introduced to the public as a female dressing up as a male. Then on an official site, Leo was considered a boy. No other information about Leo's gender has been announced. However, Leo is a great choice for beginner players.

GAMEPLAY:

The gameplay is much more simpler than that of Tekken Dark Resurrection. Tekken Dojo and Tekken Bowl have both vanished, leaving only Gold Rush left. There are many, not unlimited, customizations in this game, which is a plus for me. Arcade mode still exists, as does Story Mode. Story Mode, however, only has 4 levels. A new feature is the Ghost Battle, which was technically in Tekken Dark Resurrection, but had a different name. Graphics seem to be more slick, compared to Tekken DR. One final feature missing from the game happens to be the instant replay, which appears after you win a game. No reason has been given for the missing feature.

STORYLINE:

The storyline seems to get murkier and murkier towards me for every game. One thing I do know, however, is the characters still have a storyline, like always. Some are better than others, and some just plain-out suck. I can't give it an average grade, but it can't be perfect either.

REPLAY VALUE:

The replay value is the most important feature if you like playing your games over again. Tekken 6 on the PSP has a lot of replay value for a port. It has a lot of customization features, plus 40 characters to get to the maximum ranking with. It's fun factor doesn't stop for me.

Overall thoughts: This game is definitely a must in a PSP collection. Even with the lack of modes, it's a great port.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed Tekken 6 for the PSP..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:40:53 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tekken-6/user-reviews/698408/platform/psp/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:29:33 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed Pokemon Blue Version for the Game Boy... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-blue-version/user-reviews/698404/platform/gameboy/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

A franchise built off of just these three games......A series of games almost EVERYBODY knows. Yes. You knew it was coming. The Pokemon Yellow/Red/Blue review for the Game Boy Color.These are the games that have started the whole franchise, with other versions of Pokemon including Gold, Silver, Crystal, Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Stadium, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Pokemon Colosseum, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Heart Gold, Soul Silver, and more. Here we go!!

CHARACTERS:

There are only a few types of characters you meet when playing this game. Professor Oak, Your rival(in the anime, he's called 'Gary'), the main character (in the anime, he's called 'Ash'), Gym leaders, NPCs(basically all trainer battles, and team rocket), and Pokemon. Just a quick run through on each: Professor Oak is, in my opinion, the funniest Professor you meet in all the Pokemon games;he's very interested in what he does. Your rival is probably the most cockiest person you will ever meet. Even when he loses, he still thinks he's the best. The main character is a young Pokemon trainer, whom if you couldn't tell by now, is the character you use throughout the game. Gym leaders can be found in certain towns or cities in the 'Gym'. Each have their own specific type of Pokemon which they prefer. Example: Misty has all water Pokemon(Staryu, and it's evolution Starmie). These also include the Elite 4. NPCs include bug catchers,hikers,team rocket, etc. Some prefer to cater to a specific type of Pokemon, while others have a range. Finally, the reason for the games: The Pokemon. There are 151(1 is technically unobtainable) to catch. You can level up a Pokemon to lvl. 100.

GAMEPLAY:

The first of it's kind, Pokemon has a different approach to the standard RPG. You walk around, collecting and training Pokemon that learn moves as it levels up.You can heal your Pokemon, fight trainers, and that's about it.


STORYLINE:

As complex as you think the storyline might be, I'm going to simplify it. You are a Pokemon trainer just starting out. Your main goal is to catch all 151 Pokemon and get all 8 gym badges along the way. Throughout your journey, you defeat your rival a few times, meet Team Rocket, and become Pokemon Champion. WOOOOOO!

REPLAY VALUE:

Ouch. I'm torn on this part of the review. I want to say it has a good replay value, if you want to have all three starter Pokemon(in which if you wanted to catch all Pokemon, you would either need another game or a good friend who will let you have their starter). But then again, you don't really HAVE TO collect all the starters, but I did. So it's your call.

Overall Thoughts: One of the best games, in my opinion, but it didn't make a perfect score. Sorry. Let's see how Gold/Silver. Diamond/Pearl, and Emerald look to my standards soon ;D.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed Pokemon Blue Version for the Game Boy..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:29:33 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-blue-version/user-reviews/698404/platform/gameboy/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:28:26 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed Pokemon Diamond Version for the DS... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-diamond-version/user-reviews/698403/platform/ds/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Now that I've already done Pokemon Yellow/Red/Blue, I've decided not to go in order with the games, so I'm mixing it up a little. This time I will be taking a close look at the first main Pokemon games on the Nintendo DS: Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. Let's see if it's better than the original!


CHARACTERS:

This time you have some different characters thrown into the mix of the previous ones who made it into these games. NPCs, like the gentleman trainers or hikers, still exist in the game. The new villain team, Team Galactic, including Mars, Jupiter, Cyrus, and more are NPCs also. The main character can either be a boy or a girl(depending on which you pick at the start. The female represents Dawn from the anime, while the boy is well, just some random boy I guess.). The new professor introduced in this game is Professor Rowan, who seems to be more serious than the other professors. Gym leaders and the Elite 4 still exist in this game, as does the Champion whom you have to beat after the Elite 4(All are different Elite 4 members and different gym leaders than the ones in previous games. Sorry for the confusion!). Finally, there are the Pokemon. Over 100, if I do recall(more or less), different Pokemon are added into the mix, as well as all the Pokemon from the other games(most require the National Dex, however). Perfect Score!

GAMEPLAY:

The gameplay hasn't really been touched, to tell you the truth. You still get running shoes, you still get a bike, you still get three different types of fishing rods throughout the game, and you still get to pick a starter Pokemon at the beginning of the game. The only differences that do exist is the Night/Day feature from Gold/Silver/Crystal is back, the Pokemon food(from the 3rd generation, I believe was known as 'Poke Blocks') are now called 'Poffins', and that's about it really. Why change perfection though?


STORYLINE:

Again with the simplifying: You are, once again, a young Pokemon trainer just starting out. Along the way you discover that Team Galactic have stolen three legendary Pokemon from the three lakes in the Sinnoh Region to awaken Diagla(Diamond) and Palkia(Pearl). The Pokemon trainer must save the day, along with collecting all 8 gym badges, beating the Elite 4, and becoming Pokemon Champion(Of the Sinnoh region, of course). Personally, my favorite storyline.

REPLAY VALUE:

Unlike my previous review for Yellow/Red/Blue, this generation of Pokemon games makes this section a little easier on me. With the original games, there was no National Pokedex, but with this game, there is a way better replay value due to over 490(only 490 are obtainable, with some left out that you need to go to a Pokemon event for, and some that you need to go to a Pokemon event for, but are counted in the 490. Confusing, I know.) different Pokemon. There is also a whole new system in which you can battle with friends or random people from all over the world, and even trade with them! Pretty cool! The only problem with trading is some of the Pokemon are hacked. Blah. Why are you going to give a hacked Pokemon for a Pokemon like Combee or something?! Really?! If you could hack a Pokemon, why not just go catch one!? Ok, enough of that rant. But seriously: you people are crazy. A lvl. 9 Aipom for a lvl. 100 Darkrai?! Really?! How'd you even see Darkrai!?!?


Overall Thoughts: Although I do like it's update, Pokemon Platinum, better, I think Pokemon Diamond/Pearl is single handedly the best game I've reviewed so far. So far......MUHAHAHAHA! Or at least until the crazy people who want a lvl. 100 Darkrai get me :/

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed Pokemon Diamond Version for the DS..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:28:26 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-diamond-version/user-reviews/698403/platform/ds/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:27:14 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed Mortal Kombat: Unchained for the PSP... http://www.gamespot.com/mortal-kombat-unchained/user-reviews/698402/platform/psp/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

What would you think of an okay PSP port of a great PS2 game? Well that's exactly what Mortal Kombat Unchained is. A game released after the 2004 hit Mortal Kombat Deception, Mortal Kombat Unchained is kind of like it's name. A port of a game that requires no cords, or in this case, 'chains'. But is it really worth your time? Or more importantly, is it worth your money?


CHARACTERS:

This port includes not only the 24 characters from the PS2 version, but GameCube exclusives Shao Kahn and Goro, and that wasn't even enough. They also added an additional 4 characters from Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance: Jax, Kitana, Blaze, and the ever-so-evil Frost. That's a total of 30 characters. I must say, even though the roster falls short to Tekken Dark Resurrection, it's a pretty good mixture of fighters, and there was really no one else that I would ask for in the game(Thank god Mavado or Moloch's not in it.). For it's great cast, this section gets a perfect score.


GAMEPLAY:

Here comes the fun part. This is a port. A PORT. It does, however, have one new mode in it: Endurance Mode. In all honesty, it's not that fun of a mode really either. Even though it IS a port, the modes from the previous game are fun to play, and I have, in particular, had fun in Chess Kombat. Other modes include Konquest, Puzzle Kombat, Arcade, Practice, and Multiplayer. Speaking of multiplayer, the game doesn't have any Wi-Fi connection, and you can only play wireless with a person in the same room as you. Even if it WAS a port, they still could have included it, especially when Tekken had time to. The score goes down for that one. Sorry Midway!

STORYLINE:

So, as far as I can understand, the storyline goes something like this: It is the end of the Deadly Alliance, and Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi are fighting. Raiden fails to defeat the Deadly Alliance, and Tsung and Chi turn on each other, facing in mortal kombat. Quan Chi succeeds, only to find the Dragon King has come back to take his throne. All three form a temporary alliance to help destroy the Dragon King, but all fail. With the help of Shujinko, the Dragon King becomes back in power. It hasn't changed one bit since I reviewed the PS2 version. The only difference is the 4 other characters have kind of been included in the story.

REPLAY VALUE:

This always seems to be the hardest part for me, because everyone likes a certain type of game better than another. In all fairness, Unchained does have some replay value, with the additional games like chess, puzzle, and konquest. Still, I would have loved to see some Wi-Fi compatibility, and that would have gained some replay value. But without the inclusion of Wi-Fi, the score goes down once again.

Overall Thoughts: A decent score for a decent port. But that's all it is: A port. Without the inclusion of Wi-Fi, the game just seems to be missing something. It is a great game to play though, and it is worth its value at places like Game Stop. It's worth a buy, or at least a rent.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed Mortal Kombat: Unchained for the PSP..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:27:14 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mortal-kombat-unchained/user-reviews/698402/platform/psp/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:25:08 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/animal-crossing-city-folk/user-reviews/698401/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Welcome all to yet another very special review. Today I will be reviewing Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii. This game is the fourth installment of the series which includes Animal Crossing(N64, only in Japan), Animal Crossing(Game Cube) and Animal Crossing: Wild World(Nintendo DS). The game is much like its successors, but with a couple differences.

CHARACTERS:Not only do you have your own character that you create at the beginning of the game(or import from Wild World), but you also have your neighbors and town/city regulars. The neighbors from what I have seen have very different styles, but can share the same personality or animal type with another neighbor. A few were added into this game, and all the old ones are back for more. Now there are animals like Pelly, Tom Nook, K.K., Tortimer, Gulliver, Mabel, Sable, Redd, Dr. Shrunk and more. You can find Pelly, Phyllis, Tom Nook, Booker and Copper, Blathers, Celeste, Brewster, Mabel and Sable and Tortimer all at their regular spots from previous game. However, many have moved into the city. Lyle now works for Happy Room Academy, and is not selling insurance. Redd moved from coming to your town in a tent to the far left of the city. Dr. Shrunk now has his own comedy show and Katrina, Harriet, Lloid and Gracie all have their own parts of the city also. Overall there were a few nice chances and they were easy to adapt to.

GAMEPLAY:The gameplay has not changed as much from what I have seen, except for the Wii motions. These Wii motions include throwing your fishing rod like an actual one into a river, ocean or pond and pulling out of the water, and with your net you swing your remote down to catch a bug. These controls seem pretty good for the most part, but there were a few problems for me. For example, whenever you used the pointer to run or walk the menu would pop up, making this very irritating. This game sticks to the basics of the other games, making this a very easy game to adapt to for new gamers and old ones alike. Gathering bells to pay off your house and other stuff is a little harder than in Wild World, due to its non-portability, but is very awarding after you do so. With only very few problems and the stick-to-basics routine, the game play gets an 'OK' score.

STORYLINE:Let's just make this short and simple. You are new to a town and travel to the city to have fun and your only goal is to collect every item possible and pay of your house. There's nothing more and nothing less. For this simple storyline, I have to give this section a good score, because they actually let you pick your own storyline.

REPLAY VALUE:This is the problem that everyone seems to have for some reason. The game urges you to play the game at least for a couple minutes a day, but is it really worth it? I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly think its worth it. This game can be very easy if you just work towards one simple goal: upgrade your house. Very simple. After that, the replay value seems to dwindle down. I can't really tell you to play it again, because it is your opinion, but based on other peoples' opinions and my own opinion, the replay value is pretty good.


Overall thoughts: If you don't have a lot of time and want something exciting, I wouldn't get this game. If you are more of a casual gamer and are fascinated with calm games, this is probably a good game for you.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:25:08 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/animal-crossing-city-folk/user-reviews/698401/platform/wii/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:20:56 -0800 RaaaJon reviewed Samba de Amigo for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/samba-de-amigo/user-reviews/698400/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

This is an update of the popular Dreamcast game, and its Japan sequel(not including arcade versions of this game.). I had one major problem with the game that almost made this game unplayable, but I'll get to that later. Let's check out the categories!

CHARACTERS:This game features a lot of colorful characters. The main character is 'Amigo', an overly-happy monkey that has a major dancing disorder and is fascinated with the 70's. He stars with his sister, appropriately called 'Amiga', a weird butterfly dancer named Linda, and some random stick figure named Mr. Pose. A very odd mixture of characters, wouldn't you think? Somehow, the cast worked for me anyways. The game features appearances from Ulala(Space Channel 5) and Sonic(from Sonic The Hedgehog). The guests also include their own stages, which adds to the 'coolness' factor of the
game. I really didn't have a problem with the cast, and the guest stars from other Sega games were cool to see. All in fairness, this category gets a very moderate score.

GAMEPLAY:The major problem everyone has with this game, and I'm not kidding. The Wii motions for this game are horrible. On easy mode the motions seem to be dead-on for the most part, but for the upper modes like 'hard' and 'super hard', the controls struggle. Countless hours I have spent replaying the song I keep on missing over and over and over again until I get at least a 'C'(the lowest grade you can get to pass the song). You swear you moved the Wii Remote when the dots move into the circles, but it doesn't seem to recognize it. It also appears to happen in certain songs, too. One of the major songs I had a problem with the motion controls on was 'Low Rider' on hard mode. The sensor bar just didn't want to recognize most of my movements, which is necessary when you are playing a game that makes you complete every single song if you want to complete story mode. Just Horrible. Now time to explain what you actually do, in case some of you haven't played the game before. You have 6 little circles representing the areas where you are supposed to aim the Wii Remote to hit the notes(little circle objects) as they go in the areas. To hit the upper circles, you move your arm(s) up. To hit the middle circles, you position your arms in between where you hit the upper and lower circles. To hit the lower circles, you move your arms down. Confusing I know, but you really can't explain it without it being confusing. Mr. Pose will sometimes come on the screen, telling you to perform a dance or position your arms in some weird way. The game also includes mini games like Volleyball, which really has no place in a musical rhythm game. Overall, the gameplay is just...bad.

STORYLINE:Like Animal Crossing, this game has no storyline what so ever. It just has a dancing monkey with very weird friends dancing around. That's it, and Sega should keep it like that.

REPLAY VALUE:Although the game has some bad motion controls, I still think you can play this game over and over again, which is probably what you are going to do because of the bad motion controls(unless you drink too much Monster Energy and throw your Wii Remote half way across the room. Hey, it happens.). The game features a pretty good soundtrack, which will have you shaking your Wii Remote for hours. I just don't recommend playing the mini games. At all.

Overall thoughts: If you are one of those gamers that gets frustrated too easily, then I wouldn't recommend this game at all. I wouldn't really buy this game, I would have to recommend renting this game and only playing it for an hour at a time, or else your arms will regret it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"RaaaJon reviewed Samba de Amigo for the Wii..." was posted by RaaaJon on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:20:56 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/samba-de-amigo/user-reviews/698400/platform/wii/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:36:27 -0800 SadPSPAddict reviewed Forza Motorsport 3 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/forza-motorsport-3/user-reviews/694869/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

So where shall I start? Well Forza 3 is an excellent racing game and by far the best offering on the Xbox 360. There are over 400 cars to choose from and many different tracks and track variations.
There are many ways to customize the cars you collect and the mechanic for doing this is very user friendly. I however play racing games to, well, race and complete the career so that's all I'm going to say on that subject.

The bulk of the game is the career mode and this centres around seasons, each of which is a "world champioship". The lengths of the seasons vary from 3 races upwards and the races are always at least two weeks apart. Inbetween times you are invited to partake in a series event - anything bewteen 3 and 5 races usually with a theme. These themes can be location, trying new tracks or trying new cars. After each world champioship race you are given a choice of 3 of these series events to partake in before the next WC race. Credits are awarded to build up your cash, driver level and car level. Leveling up the cars gives you access to cheaper upgrades, at each driver level you are presented with a new car and cash can be used to buy more cars or to upgrade the ones you have.
All of these events can be replayed (or played for the first time if it's one of the events you didn't choose) from the event menu allowing you to replay until you get the victory you desire!

On-line play is very solid and there are on-line leader boards for the best times on all tracks with all car classes.

There are several driver assists that can be toggled on and off at will (and inbetween each race if you want) and this includes automatic braking (which I always turn off), dynamic racing line, traction control, auto gearing. Turning the assists off earns you a percentage extra for all prizes you earn.

Grapically the game is stunning - some of the backdrops are amazing and using the cockpit view you could almost be there. On one of the courses is a stunning waterfall in the distance! The cars are well modelled and the damage is very realistically done.

The sound is very good - the cars sound like cars and there is a difference between them.

Plenty of replay value to win all the events, buy all the cars and get some on-line scalps and records.

If you're a racing fan and you own a 360.....go get it!!

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SadPSPAddict reviewed Forza Motorsport 3 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by SadPSPAddict on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:36:27 -0800
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