tjoeb123's GameSpot Friend's Reviews tjoeb123's GameSpot Friend's Reviews tjoeb123's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Mon, 20 May 2013 01:48:34 -0700 GameSpot tjoeb123's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:59:18 -0700 sonictrainer reviewed Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-mystery-dungeon-gates-to-infinity/user-reviews/810093/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series is normally one of my favorite Spinoff titles for the Pokemon Franchise. With the recent jump from the DS to the 3DS, the Mystery Dungeon formula has gotten some changes. However, can too many changes improve the gameplay or make things worse?
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The Story
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If you've played any of the previous PMD games, the story is pretty much the same as Red/Blue Rescue Team and Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky. The player is a human who somehow became a Pokémon. However, instead of getting complete amnesia like the past game, you are specifically asked by some unknown source to save the world. After getting a Partner Pokémon, you travel through Mystery Dungeons, mysterious places that contain treasure, Pokémon in danger, and answers to saving this Pokémon World from some sort of crisis.

When players first start up the game, I should note that they don't have to do a Personality Quiz to decide who their Starter Pokémon will be. In the past, this was one of my few complaints for this series and I'm glad that they finally fixed this. However, the downside to this is that you only have 5 choices of Pokémon to choose from: Pikachu, Axew, or the Unova Starters. Compared to past PMD games, where you could choose from any Gen's starters to a couple fan favorites, this is kind of a letdown.
--------------------------
Mystery Dungeons
--------------------------
After watching some cutscenes, you will enter your first Mystery Dungeon. While the dungeons are now in 3D, they still play in the same as before. Normally, players travel along the floors of each dungeon while trying to get to the Stairs and get to the next floor. You can move the Team Leader Pokémon while the other members follow behind it. You still can't control your teammates directly but you can choose which moves they use and what they do through "Team Tactics". If an enemy Pokémon appears, you and your teammates move first before they do. If you can defeat an enemy Pokemon in battle, you gain experience, any items the enemy Pokemon were holding, and sometimes enemy Pokemon may ask to join your team. However, if your Leader Pokemon or Partner Pokemon's HP goes to zero in the dungeon, you will "White Out" and be sent back to base (unless you have some Reviver Seeds). In past PMD games, this also means losing half your money and items but this has been altered in "Gates to Infinity" to only affect your money until later dungeons. You could also get a friend to come help you out, which will allow you to continue from where you got defeated. Unfortunately, instead of sending out an SOS using a Wi-Fi Connection, and having your friend go into the same dungeon and climb up to the point where you got defeated, in Gates to Infinity, you have to use StreetPass and hope that the other player put "Reviver Seeds" in their Mailbox for you to use.
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Post Town
---------------
"Post Town" is this game's Shopping District and one part of the Hub, where you can get items and talk to the NPC Pokemon who live in the town for news and tips. There is a "Deposit Box" that replaces the formally known "Kanganstan Storage" and banks from past games, where players can store their items and money. There's still a Kecleon that owns a shop but now works alone. He can sell you health items, Orbs, and sometimes TMs. Rampardos can open any "Treasure Chests" you find, which are sometimes dropped by enemies in the dungeons. There are different kinds of treasure chests that have different kinds of items. In Gates to Infinity, there are 3 New Shop Businesses in this game:
-At "Cinccino's Gift Shop" you can create "Gifts", which are items that can make it easier to recruit enemy Pokemon into your team. However, you need specific items to make certain Gifts.
-At "Glorious Gold", you can trade any "Gold Bars" you find in dungeons or get from Treasure Chests for money or rare items.
-The last shop is randomized and is normally an area you can create in the "Pokemon Paradise."
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Pokemon Paradise
--------------------------
The "Pokemon Paradise" is the main area of the game's hub. The best way to describe the "Pokemon Paradise" is that it is a combination of the "Friend Areas" from Red/Blue Rescue Team and the "Join Avenue" from Black 2/White 2. After a certain point in the game, you can do missions that reward you with "Materials" and increase your "Paradise Rank". After collecting certain "Materials" and saving money, you can transform the wasteland surrounding your Team Base into areas for your team members to live and have Gurdurr create special places within these areas. Later on, you can even customize and upgrade areas with different Materials. Here's what you can have in your Paradise:
-Specialty Shops: You can create shops that provide different items for you to buy, sell, or trade. Some even provide special services and minigames
-Fields: Want more Berries and Seeds? You can create fields where you can grow and plant them, giving you more items and saving you money
-Dojos: Want to improve the power of your moves? You can now create your own Dojos to train specific Pokemon-type moves
-There is also mention of a dungeon possibly being in the "Pokemon Paradise" but I haven't discovered this yet.

Outside of the "Pokemon Paradise" are default areas:
-The Mission Board can be found in the "Pokemon Paradise". In "Gates to Infinity", you can now hold on to up to 16 Missions at a time instead of just 8 like in past games. When you're ready to go on a Mission, talk to Azumarill at the "Request Counter" to open the "Request Gate". However, once the "Request Gate" is open, you can't go into the Friend Area parts of "Pokemon Paradise" or go to "Post Town" unless you talk to Azumarill again.
-At "Quagsire's Assembly", you can change your Team Members. Like the past games, you can only have 4 Pokemon on your Team at a time. Quagsire also has his own shop similar to Kecleon's.
-At "Scraggy's Savvy Moves", you can have your Pokemon forget and remember old moves like the Move Relearner in the main games.
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New Mechanics and Changes
------------------------------------------
Now that's I've covered the basics, let's go over some of the major changes in the game.

"Move Growth": After your team becomes official and gets their Team Badges, you'll be able to do activate "Move Growth". As your Pokemon Team uses Physical and Special Attacks, each individual move will grow in Level. For example, if Pikachu and any of its teammates use Thunderbolt multiple times, eventually Thunderbolt will level up and become Thunderbolt Level 2, increasing its Power, Accuracy, and PP usage. Regardless of who knows the move, all Pokemon's moves are at the same level. For example, since Pikachu's Thunderbolt is now Thunderbolt Level 2, Emolga and Blitzle's Thunderbolt are now Thunderbolt Level 2. Also, "Move Growth" does not go down, so you can delete "moves" and not have to worry about moves going back to Level 1.

"Team Attack": After your team becomes official and gets their Team Badges, you'll be able to do a Team Attack, which is a powerful technique that your entire team can use to attack all enemy Pokemon in a room regardless of position. Even if it doesn't defeat enemy Pokemon, it can cause status effects to suspend them, giving you time to plan your next move. As powerful as it is, it does takes time to charge up depending on the amount of Pokemon you have on your team in a dungeon.

"Team Skills:" The IQ system has been changed into "Team Skills". In the past, Pokemon could eat a Gummi, specific to their Type, to increase their IQ and unlock special skills that could help in different ways. In "Gates to Infinity", you can now unlock "Team Skills" which are skills that can help your entire team and not just 1 individual Pokemon. "Team Skills" can be found in treasure chests.

"V-Wave:" The "V-Wave" is a special upgrade that changes everyday and affects a specific type of Pokemon for that day.

"Companion Mode:" Need a break from the game's Story? In "Companion Mode" you can play as your teammates instead of just your Starter and Partner Pokemon. This is also a Multiplayer segment, although at the time of writing this I have not experienced multiplayer first hand yet.

Experience: Each time you go into a dungeon with a Pokemon that hasn't been on missions in a while, ALL of the experience points that have been collected by your Starter and Partner will go into the Pokemon after taking 1 step.

Evolving: As soon as your teammates are ready, they can evolve after reaching certain conditions. Of course, you still have to beat the game to evolve your Starter and Partner Pokemon. In some dungeons if an enemy Pokemon defeats your teammates and gain experience, they can evolve as well so watch out!

Bosses: When you reach the end of some dungeons, you may have to fight a Boss Battle. Like in Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky, you will have to fight 2 or more enemy Pokemon in a majority of the story dungeon boss battles. The only difference is now you can use Orbs in Outlaw and Boss Battles, which can make things a little easier.
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Magnagate Dungeons
-------------------------------
Don't want to play in Story Mode or Companion Mode? Try out the Magnagate Dungeons which are completely random, down to the Pokemon you get to use to explore the dungeon. To open a Magnagate, find a well lit, circular object in real life and hold up your 3DS in front of it. If it works out, you will enter the dungeon with a random Pokemon Team.

Other Information about Magnagates:
-Magnagate Dungeons normally are the best to get free TMs.
-Magnagate Dungeons vary in length and difficulty
-enemy Pokemon are randomized. I'm not even sure if you can recruit them
-the objective of the Magnagate Dungeons is to go through all of the floors and defeat the Boss Pokemon waiting at the end
-after clearing a Magnagate, all items and money go into the Deposit Box and the Pokemon you used can be used again when you revisit Magnagates you've cleared or attempted
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DLC
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You can download more dungeons for this game to get certain Pokemon (like the Unova Starters and Pikachu), some cool items, and some extra challenges.
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Complaints
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While I welcomed some of the changes to the Mystery Dungeon formula with open arms, some of the design decisions are questionable and ruin the experience for me.

One them is the "Gridless Floors", which are areas of a Mystery Dungeon where your Leader Pokémon and Teammates can walk in any direction, like in "Post Town", "Pokemon Paradise", or Rest Stops. However, if your Leader Pokémon or Teammates touch an enemy Pokémon, the field will turn into the regular Grid Layout. Once the battle is over, the Grid disappears again. While this may seem cool, there some problems. First off, "Gridless Floors" are extremely easy to get through. Sure you have to watch out for enemy Pokémon but only 2 to 4 enemies appear and the areas are so wide, you can easily bypass them. Not to mention sometimes enemy Pokemon are asleep and are stationary. Another problem is that "Gridless Floors" make the dungeons shorter. Each area takes up at least 1 floor of a dungeon, or in some cages, split dungeons up into mini sections. One dungeon, if you take out the "Gridless Floors" only has 3 Floors. Finally, even though the "Gridless Floors" have puzzles, they're ridiculously easy. From pressing a switch to knocking down logs to form bridges, you shouldn't have trouble during any "Gridless Floors". When revisiting old dungeons during missions, "Gridless Floors" can ruin the flow of the game.

Remember how I said you can hold up to 16 missions instead 8 now? Well, you only choose to go on 1 mission at a time, even if multiple missions take place at the same dungeon. This is a major setback because choosing how many missions you can do on 1 trip was part of the challenge of the past games.

Speaking of missions, their only purpose is to supply you with "Materials" and money. I'm not sure if you can get new recruits anymore by clearing missions, which is another letdown.

A big thing that's a lot of people have discussed about this game is the Pokemon Selection. IIRC, there are 151 Pokemon, out of the currently known 649 (not counting anything from the upcoming X and Y games), in this game. Most of them come from Unova, with the rest being small portions of non legendary Pokemon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Normally, the Pokemon Spinoff games only have 200 known Pokemon or more but Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was the exception because it had every Pokemon plus easter eggs of upcoming new Pokemon.

Another problem is that the "Post Game's Story" is shorter than the past games. Red/Blue Rescue Team had multiple story related things you could do after beating the game while Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky had an entire 2nd arc set up for the post game. "Gates to Infinity" does something new but it's extremely short compared to the last games.
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Conclusion
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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity is still a fun and addictive game but I feel like they overdid changes to the formula and should have added more Pokemon.

My final score for this game is a C+ or 7.5 out of 10.

If you've never played a Pokemon Spinoff before, I would recommend this game.

If you've only played Red/Blue Rescue Team, I would recommend getting Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky or rent a copy of this game.

If you're like me and have played all of the previous installments, I would also recommend renting this game.

There is a demo of the game at retailers and the Nintendo E Shop. The E Shop demo allows you to play through the story past the first 2 dungeons, access to Magnagate Dungeons, and allows you to use your Demo Data to continue where you left off if you actually buy the game.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/pokemon-mystery-dungeon-gates-to-infinity/user-reviews/810093/platform/3ds/ Mon, 04 Feb 2013 01:43:37 -0800 AznEvan reviewed Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-awakening/user-reviews/807073/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

When I heard about the release of Fire Emblem: Awakening in North America, I was ecstatic. When I was younger, the first of the Fire Emblem games were out, but I never was able to buy it. I was fortunate to get Fire Emblem: Awakening a week earlier than the official release of February 4th since EB Games released it early here in Canada. The time I've spent playing this has been a blast so far, the gameplay is really engaging, and it seems that I'll have more fun times in the future.


Graphics:

The visuals of the game come in three types: CG cutscenes, sprites, and "feetless miniature characters" as well as the art form of the characters. I love how there is a blend of it all, and the CG cutscenes are especially engaging.


Gameplay:

Fire Emblem has been known for its strategy roleplay, which is similar to chess. Depending on the difficulty of easy, normal, or hard, you can also pick between casual or classic mode. If you are in it for the storyline, then play casual since your characters won't die forever (lol) and classic if you want a challenge, which is what I chose.


Characters:

The characters are really well done, and characters become stronger depending on their relationships with other characters. I find that this is a really good formula to work with since it gives the gamer more thought as to how to use the characters efficiently.


Recommendation:

I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who loves strategy roleplaying games, anime, or even someone interested in a good action game for their 3DS.


Score:

9.5/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"AznEvan reviewed Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS..." was posted by AznEvan on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 01:43:37 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fire-emblem-awakening/user-reviews/807073/platform/3ds/ Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:11:23 -0800 AznEvan 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/806974/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

It's been a long time since a great JRPG came to the PS3. No no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a breathtaking adventure with a deep but perfect battle system. When this game was announced in Japan, I was 100% sure that this game was going to be localized because of the sheer beauty and charm of the game.


Story:

Without ruining too much, the main character Oliver gets sent to an alternate world in an attempt to save his mother's life since she died trying to save his life.


Presentation:

The game's graphics, character designs, and environment is absolutely stunning. It's like playing in a Studio Ghibli movie!


Music:

The music is quite memorable, and very original. None of it seems bland or stock, and maybe that's because an entire symphony orchestrated the music for the game.


Battle System:

The battle system is deep but easy to learn once you get the hang of things. Characters summon familiars, which are monsters that fight and evolve (much like Pokemon!), and it's an open area battle in which you can move around and dodge enemy attacks.


Character Development:

The characters are very well-presented, and the characters are very original. It's quite a big step from the traditional RPG-like characters where you have many stock character descriptions. Oliver is a pure-hearted boy who always stands for what is right, and yet he is also guided by the good intentions of the other characters to help him in his quest.


Recommendation:

I recommend this game to anyone who loves Studio Ghibli movies, anime, Japanese role-playing games, or even role-playing games in general. This game will definitely make you proud to have it on your shelf of video games.


Score:

10/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/user-reviews/806974/platform/ps3/ Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:49:56 -0800 Cloud_765 reviewed Mighty Switch Force! for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/mighty-switch-force/user-reviews/806911/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

You're a cop. Your car has crashed and all of your captured convicts have escaped! In order to find them and bring justice, you must traverse the levels and use your jump, blaster, and platform-controlling siren. Surprisingly enough, this formula works fantastic.

The basic gameplay is that on each of the initial 16 levels, you have to use your blaster to get rid of enemies, jump to different platforms, and the key piece to this game, the siren, which switches what platforms are solid and which ones are transparent with the push of a button. Each level contains 5 felons you must capture, and when all of them have been caught, you find the transport mech to take you to the next level. Each level has a par time you can attempt to top, which is where the challenge comes in.

There are several types of blocks the siren controls. There's the ordinary goldish-tan color, which are normal solid platforms controlled by the siren on and off. Some of them are lined up in ways to make platforming tricky, requiring you press the button to switch the platforms mid-jump.

There's also launch blocks, which are purple and launch anything (enemy or you!) in the direction of the arrow of the block, when triggered. Some levels contain puzzles built entirely around this, other levels contain mini-puzzles where you need to launch an enemy through a path of these blocks to get them to reach something to trigger a needed switch.

The final of these is the lock blocks, which will not fade out if you are standing on one. Typically, some blocks will fade out and cannot be used while others will fade in. These make the puzzles even more complex. These tend to combine later on with the regular yellow ones to create tricky platform puzzles.

Your blaster, less used than your trusty siren, is capable of breaking small blocks in your path, or defeating enemies. Sometimes an enemy which is hard to defeat may need to be provoked through the blaster then defeated when you switch a block from transparent to solid to crush them. In addition, enemies and yourself can be crushed if you are standing where a block can be switched on, and that block does switch on with you right there (or the enemy). Your character has 3 hearts, and if you lose them all, you are thrown back to the level select. You can choose to retry a level when you pause the game or quit to the level select as well.

There are 16 levels in the game, with increasing difficulty. New puzzles are constantly introduced, and the platforming aspect is made trickier with the switchable blocks needing to be controlled with more and more finesse. Each of these levels are often highly replayable, and are tons of fun. You tend to feel a decent sense of accomplishment at the end of a level. To help you locate any missing felons or the transport mech, the radar on the bottom screen will show you which direction they're in.

The final main level is a "boss level" of sorts, which tests the player on everything they've learned. It uses everything up to that point, while making the player climb higher and higher up a building of sorts... with your siren unable to be controlled yourself, but rather be on a timer. At the end of this is a boss which as it is injured sets free a felon for you to capture (as there are no felons on the climb up). Defeating this boss unlocks a superpowered blaster to use in the first 16 levels, and the first of 5 bonus levels is unlocked. Defeating these bonus levels and reaching the par time on any level is where you'll find yourself soaking up more time playing this game.

The music is fantastic. Trance-like techno beats, and driving rhythms guide you through level after level. There's a couple dozen tracks to the game soundtrack in all, and all of them are quite catchy, with a few standing out really well. I highly recommend giving the OST a listen to even if you're not sold on the game concept, as the soundtrack is just great listening. The sound effects are nice, from the pew pew of the blaster, to the glass-shattering when something is launched into the screen from a block switch, to the explosions of the bomb enemies, and even the voice of the heroine rooting you on. They get the job done well.

The graphics are decent, colorful and fairly satisfying. The drawn environments where the game takes place (a trashy city ridden with criminals running away from the heroine) can be fairly eye-catching, but they slowly tend to recycle themselves slightly. Aside from that, the animations are decently detailed and give everything in the world of the game life. The 3D effects make shooting something into the screen that much more entertaining.

The game's biggest draw is in challenge and replayability. You will not reach any par times on your first run, I can almost guarantee you. But striving for those fast times (speed-running the entire game, essentially), as well as completing those optional bonus levels, is one of the game's most attractive features. The levels themselves are replayable just out of their entertainment value alone, regardless of how fast you can complete the level. Unfortunately, the main game is short, and will likely be completed in just a few hours. The replay value will bring the game time up a lot more, likely over the amount of time it took to beat the main game.

Breakdown:
Pros...
+High replay value
+Great music
+Unique, tricky mix of puzzle and platforming gameplay
+Only $5.99 off the eShop - really, get this game

Cons...
-Graphics, while nice, are slightly recycled later in the game
-The one boss in the game lacks challenge and is a Giant Space Flea From Nowhere

Scores:
Gameplay - 8.5/10
Presentation - 7/10
Sound - 8.5/10
Graphics - 7.5/10
Tilt - 8.5/10

Overall - 8/10

While a short main game experience, Mighty Switch Force is filled with flatteringly tricky puzzle/platforming gameplay that begs to be replayed. It also has fantastic music your ears will love, and the detailed sprite animations are catching. For only $6 off the eShop you can get a very good, worthwhile game for the 3DS. If you have an interest in platformers and puzzles, and access to the eShop, this is a game you definitely want to try.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Cloud_765 reviewed Mighty Switch Force! for the 3DS..." was posted by Cloud_765 on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:49:56 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mighty-switch-force/user-reviews/806911/platform/3ds/ Sun, 09 Dec 2012 14:16:10 -0800 sonictrainer reviewed Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-all-stars-racing-transformed/user-reviews/804467/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

For a while SEGA has done a series of games where Sonic and other SEGA game characters have gotten together to have fun and enjoy some competition.

The most recent game was Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing, where they all got cars, trucks, planes, motorcycles, and other modes of transportation and did some Super Sonic Racing.

While players of the past were worried because of failed attempts with Sonic and Racing with Sonic Drift, Sonic R, and Sonic Rivals. However, SUMO Digital was able to make the concept work and the game was awesome.

Now for the sequel of All-Stars Racing they decided to take an idea similar to Diddy Kong Racing: What if your car could transform into a boat and plane during the race?

This is where Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed comes and changes things up a bit.


*Gameplay*

Controls
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Even though we have now have cars, boats, and planes, the controls are the same for all 3 and haven't changed much since the last game.

You use the Left Analog Stick to steer, you use the RT to accelerate and keep your vehicle moving, use the LT to drift, and the Right Analog Stick to perform stunts.

If you drift for a long time or pull off a certain number of stunts, you can do Drift Boosts and Stunt Boosts. However, if you drift into a wall or miss the landing on your stunt, you'll lose both boosts and slow down.

You use the A Button to use and fire weapons in front of you. If you hold the Left Analog Stick down and press A you can drop and fire some items behind you.

Press the X Button to have the camera quickly change to a Back View, putting the camera right in the front of your car so you can see who's behind you.


Transformations
----------------------------
During the races, all Vehicles will transform for certain segments of the Locations and during certain Laps. This will automatically happen when you go through the big spinning Transformation Gates.

As mentioned before, the controls are the same for all 3 transformations. However, there are differences with the boats and planes.

While in a boat, you'll sometimes be able to do stunts off of waves depending on how big they are.

Planes are faster than cars and boats, although there's a lot more stuff to dodge and look out for. For some Plane Tracks, if you don't position yourself properly when getting close to a transformation gate, you can crash into something and get stuck or miss the gate completely, in which the game will treat it like you fell off a platform, like in a car, and reset your position.


Racers
----------------------------
The first game had 21 Racers, which includes extra characters like Avatar. This time around we have about 24 characters, although some characters have been swapped out:
-Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Eggman return with Metal Sonic once again being DLC while Big leaves the roster
-B.D Joe returns from Crazy Taxi
-AiAi returns with newcomer MeeMee from Super Monkey Ball
-Beat returns with newcomer Gum from Jet Set Radio
-Ulala returns with her rival, Pudding, from Space Channel 5
-NiGHTS gives his Flagman role to Ristar and joins in the race with his twin, Reala
-newcomer Vyse from Skies of Arcadia joins the race
-newcomer Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe
-newcomer Joe Mushashi from Shinobi
-your Xbox Avatar and Miis can once again join the race
-there are some secret characters but I won't spoiler them here...8)

There's a special reason why the word "SEGA" has been taken out of the title of the game: special guest characters, like Banjo in the Xbox 360 version of the last game, will appear to race with everyone else. We have Ralph from the brand new Disney/Pixar movie "Wreck-It Ralph" and Danica Patrick who is a Nascar Driver IRL.

Although people have complained about the new character roster, since a lot of favorites either got removed or didn't appear this time around, I personally think it's nice to see some more female racers and not just have 1 of each character from a specific universe while Sonic is the only one to bring friends. That and I'm happy NiGHTS is at least playable this time around.

The Stats System has been upgraded with a Mod and Experience System. Every time you use a character in an Event, they'll receive Experience Points based on different criteria. When your character levels up, it unlocks a new Mod, which can increase and decrease stats, for that character. Each character has 6 unlockable mods.

Finally, all racers this time around are balanced. In the first game, characters that had a motorcycle (*cough*Shadow*cough*) dominated the races. This time around you can pick any character and have a chance of winning...depending on how well your own skills are.


Locations
--------------------------
While the character cast is debatable, the Locations in Transformed are more diverse than the original.

This game has 16 brand new tracks based on different games and franchises from SEGA's history and 4 returning tracks from the first game.

Some of the Tracks include:
-Ocean View, a track based on Sonic Heroes' Seaside Hill
-Samba Studios, a track based on Samba the Amigo
-Carrier Zone, a track based on After Burner: Climax
-Dragon Canyon, a track based on Panzer Dragoon
-Temple Trouble, a track based on Super Monkey Ball
-Galactic Parade, a tracked on Sonic Colors' Starlight Carnival
-Seasonal Shrines, a track based on Shinobi
-Rogues' Landing, a track based on Skies of Arcadia
-Dream Valley, based on NiGHTS
-Chilly Castle, based on Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
-Graffiti City, based on the level from Jet Set Radio
-Sanctuary Falls, based on Sonic & Knuckles' Sky Sanctuary

All Tracks have segments and Laps where the course transforms adding Transformation Gates, except for the 4 returning tracks which are the Car Only Tracks.

For example, on Ocean View, the first 2 Laps start out in your car but in Lap 3, the platforms at the starting line lower into the water, starting up the Boat segment.

On the Carrier Zone course, you'll change from Car to Plane to Car to Boat to Plane and Car again all in 1 Lap, all 3 Laps.

Also, as you continue to play different tracks, the courses get harder. Not only do the Laps change up the paths but different obstacles will start to appear each time.

Once you've unlocked all the Courses, you'll also unlock the Mirrored Tracks, which are versions of the original tracks that have been reversed horizontally and some cases you go through the original course backwards.



Items and Weapons
--------------------
This time around we have some new creative items, some which can be fired forward and backwards like the first game

-Boost: Moves you faster
-Glove: Acts as a shield that catches any other item meant to hurt you and allows you to use it
-Hot Rod: A engine that makes you go faster and explodes into a small range attack depending on when you press A. If you wait too late, you'll get hurt instead
-Rocket: Basic projectile, that can bounce off the sides of the course
-Blowfish: Similar to Rocket, except that it can also be used as a land mine
-Drone: creates a mini remote control version of your racer that homes in on other racer and blows them up
-Ice: snowballs you can shoot at other racers. If you have 3, you can shoot them all to temporary freeze a player
-Sky Tigers: Sends a group of hornets in front of whoever's in first place or behind you that grow into giant obstacles. They can be dodged though.
-Twister: This causes a racer to turn backwards, causing the controls to reverse for the Left Analog Stick (I hate this with a passion)
-Tokens: These are Star Coins that appear on the track. Collecting these power up your character allowing them to do an All-Star Move (not sure how many is needed or if it's the same for every character) and allows you to use Casinos/Bonus Chances

Before a race starts, you can use Tokens in Casinos to get a Bonus Chance, which are slot machines that can give you special effects depending on if you can get 3 in a row. For example, you could get an item early in a race or have a certain item be not as effective when you can get hit by it. These only last 1 Event and not easy to get.



All-Star Moves
----------------------------
All-Star Moves are each character's special attacks they can do after collecting a certain amount of Tokens and touching an Item Box. Unlike the first game where Sonic and Shadow turn Super, most of them have been changed.

Some Examples:
-Sonic's All-Star has him in his plane, home attacking anyone in front of him
-Tails' All-Star has him shoot missiles in a straight line in front of him
-Knuckles' All-Star has him use the Master Emerald to do small short range explosions
-Shadow's All-Star has him doing Chaos Blasts
-Amy's All-Star has her chunking multiple hammers at people in front of her
-NiGHTS' All-Star has him go into his regular form and fly around and Drill Dash like in his games

Also, multiple characters can use their All-Star Moves at the same time. However, trying to get your All-Star is hard because any attack from a weapon or obstacle will make you drop your Tokens.



Career Mode (1-2 Players)
------------------------------
This is basically a more organized Mission Mode. Here you'll play different kinds of Events on 6 different Tours (which are on maps that remind me of the Super Mario Galaxy 2 Galaxy Maps) which will gain Experience for your characters, Locations to race on in Single Race and Time Attack, and unlock Stars, which can be used to unlock Gates to progress the Map, 9 more characters, and the exclusive Console Mods.

Speaking of the 9 characters, which are Amigo, Shadow, and most of the Newcomers, Career Mode is the only way to unlock them in the game. Also, as you get further, the unlockables become more expensive. To unlock NiGHTS, you'll need about 80 Stars. The last character needs 165.

You'll be able to get more Stars after you unlock Expert Difficulty, but that also means having to replay certain Missions again.



Match Making (Online Multiplayer)
----------------------------------
At the time of this review, I have not played in the Local Multiplayer.

As for the Online Multiplayer, you have 3 choices:
-Race: Here you can have regular 3 Lap Races with 9 other players
-Arena: Here you can play in 2 different battle style arenas
-Lucky Dip: A combo of the first 2, allowing different kinds of Races like the Boost Races and Battle Races

While in the waiting rooms, you pick your character (Avatar is the only character that can be picked by multiple players), wait for the Event to start, and get to it. After Events are over, players must vote on 1 of 3 choices, randomly chosen by the computer, for the next Race or Event. Also, each player has a rating that gives you some sort of idea of how good they are.

Online Multiplayer is pretty awesome. I used it to help get some Experience for some of my characters and unlocked courses that I had raced in. Also, if 1 or 2 people decide to leave during an event, the Computer will take control of their characters.


Bonus Edition DLC
------------------------------
If you download this DLC, you will unlock Metal Sonic, Outrun Bay's regular and Mirrored Course, and bonus stickers for your Sticker Collection. Metal Sonic starts out with all his Mods unlocked which is nice. The Outrun Bay stage switches between Car and Boat and may remind you of SEGA's Arcade Time Attack games that you could find in an arcade back in the day or at Chuck E Cheeses'.


Complaints
------------------------------
Now that I've talked about some of the games' features, here are some problems I found that may or may not affect others as well.

First off, unlike the first game, there is no tutorial. I was able to get into the game easily because I played the first one and the controls are virtually the same, but if you haven't played the first one you may have to practice on Easy Difficulty until you can understand how the game works.

Second, the collisions between racers is randomly chaotic. Having another racer slightly touch you can cause you to slow down, get a random speed boost, or randomly come to a complete stop. In some cases, you can actually knock someone into an obstacle or off the course into a pit.

Third, in Multiplayer, you no longer have any control over the Location, Event, items, or the number of Laps for each race. The only thing you can control is your character. If you want a race without Items, you can do this in the Boost Races but you have to wait to see if you get the event in Lucky Dip.

Another problem in Multiplayer is the Lobby rooms are smaller than in the first game. Basically, you may get stuck with the same number of people in the Lobby for different races, even if you leave and come back in.

Finally, if enough people quit the game during a Multiplayer Race or Event, you'll get thrown out. While this doesn't affect your rating, you won't get Experience for your character. Also, if you're playing a course you've never been on before, you won't unlock it.

Besides these 5 problems, the game is doing pretty good.

Overall Gameplay Score: 9


*Graphics*
The characters and courses look awesome. The idea of each of the courses being represented by floating islands is brilliant. The art direction reminds me of Sonic Generations in that they brought back old levels and remixed them in new ways.

For example, even though Ocean View is basically Sonic Generations' version of Seaside Hill, they added an giant Octopus Robot in the Boat Segment.

Overall Graphics Score: 9


*Speed*
In the game, speed is determined by the racer's stats and the location you race on. Obviously, Sonic is one of the fastest characters here as well as some others.

However, there are some things that will slow you down like the awkward collision physics, hitting the railing or crashing into something, or getting hit by weapons.

Overall Speed Score: 9


*Sound*
Besides the character's sound bytes, every Location in the game has a remix of 1-3 songs. Each Races starts with a Intro Theme and goes into its main theme during the entire race.

Some Examples:
-in Ocean View, the Intro starts out with the Japanese "Sonic CD" Title Screen Theme and the race theme is a mix of Seaside Hill and Sonic R's Super Sonic Racing
-in Sauntuary Falls, the Intro starts out with the "Sonic and Knuckles" Title Screen Theme and the race theme is a mix of Sky Sanctuary and Sonic R's Regal Ruin music

During the All-Star Moves, different remixed themes will play as well:
-Sonic's is "Reach for the Stars"
-Tails' sounds like the Sonic Adventure Invincibility Theme
-Knuckles and Amy have their Sonic Adventure themes
-Eggman and Metal Sonic have their Sonic 4: Episode 2 Boss Themes

While it would have been nice to have a Sound Test area, it was mentioned by a SUMO Digital worker that it might not make it in.

Overall Sound Score: 9


My Final Overall Score for the game is a 9.

Keeping the first game's philosophy of using your skills to win instead of just item spamming and adding new features like the boats and planes, Mods, and new characters makes Transformed a must have sequel for people who played the first game. However, the game's difficulty may not be for everyone. Whether, it's racing, tennis, or something brand new, I can't wait to see where Sonic and the All-Stars go next.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-and-all-stars-racing-transformed/user-reviews/804467/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 07 Dec 2012 05:17:11 -0800 Hanzoadam reviewed E.X. Troopers for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/e-x-troopers/user-reviews/804358/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

E.X. Trooper is a spin off of Lost planet, taking place in the Lost Planet universe. You take the role of Bren an trainee VS pilot attending a NEVEC academy on EDN-3. Here you take on various quests and missions with friends you make on the way through the game, Collecting items and money to buy new weapons and upgrading them.

Gameplay- The Game is very simple to play which make the game very easy to just pick up and play with no steep learning curve. The game involves you going along your daily life in the academy. You'll be take on a lot of missions and later unlock a VR room to play new missions to train up and collect item and money. Anyway on to how the game plays The game is very simple to play and is not complicated at all. Theres simply a button to shoot primary, a button to fire secondary, melee, evade/boost and lock on. There is also a button for an EX attack with can be used when collecting enough energy.

The game basically involves fighting enemies, VS's and Akrids. The game mostly plays like hunt from monster hunter with most missions involving taking down a set number of enemies or making your way through a level to fight a boss Akrid. The game is extremely easy to understand and isn't too complex which makes the game very appealing.

As you progress through the game you meet new people who can me used as partners in VR missions, partners each have their own unique weapon to them so no other partner will use the same weapon as another. They have their level which can go upto 10 increasing their life points. With this there is also a relationship system with characters that increase by using them in VR missions and missions, unlocking weapons, items and new costumes for that character. Besides the VR and main game there is online co-op which is a lot of fun. You can play as any of the characters you have unlocked as partners and play with up to 2 friends doing missions in teams of 3. There is also an online competitive play which I would say is kind of lacking in a way but I have not fully explored and played.

With the game having a lot to offer in terms of game play and replay value as the VR missions can be replayed over and over and each have 2 extra objectives to complete. There a lot of weapons to upgrade and characters to level up which also adds to the replay value of the game not forgetting the online co-op which offers a lot of fun.

Graphics- The game takes on a kind of anime Cel-shaded graphics, which many including me would find very appealing, but doesn't offer much of realism. The characters designs again are very appealing like an anime. The games cut scenes tend to take the form of a comic book panel which is quite different.

Sounds and Music- The sound effects are pretty good and the voice acting is good too though it is all in Japanese. But onto the Music basically to sum it up the soundtrack to this game is simply amazing. Its very good and it really adds to the game value.

Accessibility for none Japanese players- even though the game is in Japanese which can obviously provides some issues. The game itself isn't too hard to navigate through, the person you need to talk to at the time is highlighted with a mark so you know who to talk to progress with the game and the VR is pretty simple to navigate. The only issue is the item names are in Kanji which can provide some difficulty with trying to find the enemy with certain items but does not offer a huge problem.

The game itself on PS3 is very easily purchased through places like amiami, Play-asia and ebay.

Summary- This game is a fantastic play I have to recommend it all I can because it is fantastic game and really deserves the score I gave it. The game is very easy to play which I think is one of the best points of the game is its easy to play game play. The game itself is very enjoyable game to go through and offers a lot of game play and aspects like weapon upgrades and characters to add more value in the game.

But let's talk if you're a Lost planet fan. The game does not really play like lost planet much, It does take place in the same world, but the game plays a lot different its plays more like monster hunter than lost planet. But if you want to explore the world then you should enjoy it. But please take into consideration it is very anime style based so if you dislike anime I would maybe think about sitting it out.

Besides the issues mentioned in the accessibility it can provide some issues but none of the are really serious or provide many problems towards playing the game. But as Capcom have said there will be no plans to release it in the west so it basically means you need to weigh up not playing it or dealing with the issues.

+ Great visuals
+ Great Soundtrack
+ Easy to pick up and play
+ Very appealing
+ Online co-op is a lot of fun

- Language barrier
- Online competitive is kind of lacking

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Hanzoadam reviewed E.X. Troopers for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by Hanzoadam on Fri, 07 Dec 2012 05:17:11 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/e-x-troopers/user-reviews/804358/platform/ps3/ 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/ Fri, 05 Oct 2012 06:16:25 -0700 Hanzoadam reviewed Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/hell-yeah-wrath-of-the-dead-rabbit/user-reviews/800949/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Hell Yeah! Wrath of the dead rabbit puts you in the role of Ash the prince of hell who has been caught in the bath with a rubber Ducky. The pictures are leaked and he's become the laughing stock of hell. So Ash goes off to kill all the monsters in hell to find these photo's and destroy them.

The game involves you going through the areas in the game killing the monsters that life in the different areas of hell to try and uncover the photos taken and regain your credibility. Ash has a jetpack saw wheel which he uses to get around and kill enemies. Not just armed with this he is also armed with an armoury of weapons, from shotguns to holy water throwers and missiles to laser guns. The game plays a lot like the old metroid games where you have to travel though the different areas which can feel a lot like a mases and killing so many monsters in the area before you can move on.

Upon killing the monster you have to do a bishi bashi special like game to finish the monster off in a brutal way. The game can sometime be a bit frustrating as some monsters can take some time and thinking to figure out and some of the monsters involve a lot of platform gamer skills to transfers.

The graphics are solid and smooth traversing through the worlds and the monster designs were a lot of fun to see. The soundtrack is pretty impressive and gives an enjoyable experience for the player.

Personally I really enjoyed the game and found it a lot of fun and addictive. I actually did the whole game in a day getting all of the trophies in the game.

Summary- A great game to play but is quite short for the price. It is a hell of a lot of fun I have to say and I really enjoyed it personally. But I wouldn't say it is worth the money, so play it on Playstation Plus or wait for a sale

+ Great soundtrack
+ Hell of a lot of fun

- Mediocre story
- Short
- Jackpot trophy involves luck and time

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/hell-yeah-wrath-of-the-dead-rabbit/user-reviews/800949/platform/ps3/ Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:42:30 -0700 Hanzoadam reviewed Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f for the PlayStation Vita... http://www.gamespot.com/hatsune-miku-project-diva-f/user-reviews/800155/platform/vita/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Project Diva makes it way to the Playstation Vita for the 1st time For those new to the series the game is a music rhythm based around the world of Vocaloid. The game involves you pressing the right button as it flies across the screen to the point where you have to press it to put it simply.

The game has 32 songs to play plus a tutorial Song, which is less than the last game which had 36. Each song has its own PV which is watchable without playing after finishing the song. The PV's are very nice and very well done using the HD on the Vita.

Like all music games theres going to be songs that you love and songs you hate, But In general most of the music in this game is pretty good. There are 6 vocaloids in the game, Miku, Rin, Len, Luka , Kaito and Meiko. Each Character has 2 songs each where they are the main vocal and some have other vocaloids in the song. I was kind of disappointed in the fact that each vocaloid only got two songs besides Miku who has over 20 songs which I thought was a shame personally I'd of liked to see more Luka. Though saying that the game does let you replay levels as the vocaloid you want.

Along with a reduction in songs there is also a reduction in the amount of costumes to unlock compared to Project Diva Extend which was also a little disappointing. But the game has changed the Room in the game where your vocaloids live. In this version you can give your vocaloids presents and play games with them to increase their relationships which unlocks you new room items and a trophy for maxing each character.

The game has also introduced some VR into the game using the Vita camera. You can take pictures with you camera posing the vocaloid and costume of your choice in to the photo which is a little fun though the vita's camera is not the best in the 1st place. The game also includes a Poster VR card which when placed down Miku will pop up and sing, dance and move where the poster is, this feature offers 4 PV's to choose from.

Summary

The game itself is fantastic and a lot of fun to play featuring some great songs and costumes. It would have been nice to have more variety than just Miku and it would have been nice to have Gumi in there somewhere But besides that its a great game, The game plays solid and there's a lot of content to unlock to keep you entertained. Returning players may find the game a bit weird at first with the menus and layout but will soon get used to it.

When it comes down to the question of should I or Shouldn't I import the game I'd give the answer yes If your a fan of the series or the music genre. If you're interested in the game and not played one before I would listen to some of the songs and watch some game play to get an idea of what your getting into.

+ Costumes are great
+ Trophies
+ Great Music

- Too Much Miku
- Only 32 Songs
- Quickly Finished


Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/hatsune-miku-project-diva-f/user-reviews/800155/platform/vita/ Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:45:08 -0700 The-Apostle reviewed Madden NFL 13 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/madden-nfl-13/user-reviews/799707/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 1.0.

Every year, I've waited with anticipation for Madden to come out. The same was true of this year. However, with as many features that were taken out I can no longer buy Madden day one.

Franchise mode is gone, replaced by coach mode in connected careers and they're totally not the same thing. Sure, we can play both sides of the ball. We can sign free agents and draft picks. EA Sports even added player progression and goals, so that's something they got right. However, I loved my annual created team vs. Green Bay Packers rivalry I tried to do every year in Franchise mode. I couldn't do that this year because the feature was taken out. I didn't really care about the fantasy draft, which was also taken out, but I know its omission angered a lot of fans. However, what did anger me was the fact that we could no longer use edited rosters. While I would never take only superstars before starting franchise, I did like using created players. Furthermore, another major problem I had was the fact that we couldn't edit a player's position. If I pick someone up in the offseason I want to start but I'd rather not bench the current starter, I'd like to be able to convert him to another position and I couldn't do that this year.

The gameplay was okay, though I didn't appreciate the fact that no matter where my running back ran, he always seemed to run right into his blocker. Sometimes on a running play I'd get hit with a white screen, which at times killed the play, but it would go away after a second. In player connected career mode the computer will typically cheat. If you score when you're not on the field your opponent will answer. If you're down in the fourth quarter, the computer tends to screw you.

They added a new commentary team but didn't do a good job with it. For example, it'll be third and 5, I'll get a 20-yard run and Phil Sims might say it's fourth down. If it already was fourth down he might say my team blew it.

This was the worst Madden I've ever played and that dates back to Madden 95.

I give it a 1/10.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"The-Apostle reviewed Madden NFL 13 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by The-Apostle on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:45:08 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/madden-nfl-13/user-reviews/799707/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:35:39 -0700 finalstar2007 reviewed Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/user-reviews/798459/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

I have always been a PlayStation gamer ever since the first console the PS1. From then on until now, I've lost count a rather long time ago how many epic/fun/amazing/emotional/enjoyable exclusives I've had the immense pleasure and honor of experiencing.

Let me first start by saying that MGS4 was my very first MGS game i got to play and enjoy, despite people and friends telling me to start from the first game i decided to just start with the 4th game and see what this franchise is about..let me just say that i was completely blown away..not by the long cut-scenes :P but how deep the story is, no matter you're new to the franchise or returning to it this game will capture you by its magic.

I will not spoil anything, by the end of the game you'll probably be in tears. Because how powerful the story, the controls, the music, the characters, the voice acting and the immersiveness of the game is, not to mention the beautiful graphics even by 2012 standards.

What is most great about the game is that it has huge amount of weapons and customizations.

I suggest every single PS3 owner to own and play this game, be ready to be crying...alot.
This game can be easily found anywhere for $10 or less even.

Final words:
Stunning! Epic! Amazing! Emotional! Legendary!

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/user-reviews/798459/platform/ps3/ Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:59:33 -0700 kerk12 reviewed Minecraft for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/minecraft/user-reviews/796977/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

It all started about 3 years ago, when a Swedish developer, named Notch, first created the game. The game was really popular, right from the beginning, attracting massive crowds of gamers who love sandbox games, or gamers in general.
Now it's a "must have" game, good for any person, from the youngest to the oldest.

The game, when you open it up, welcomes you with a log in screen. This is where you type in your account credentials, and then log into the game. On the login screen, you can also see the latest news from mojang, the game's company. Right after the login screen, the main menu takes over, letting you choose from single player mode, multiplayer mode, the game's options and whether you want to put in a texture pack (which I'm gonna talk later about that).
The menu itself is pretty simple, and really good for players new to the game.

The first choice is Singleplayer, where you play all alone(well... almost). In the Singleplayer menu, you then get the choice to select one of your already made/played worlds, or you can create a new one.

The new world is created through an input called "Seed". This defines how the world will look like. You can type in anything as a seed, from numbers, to letters, to special characters (spaces, exlamation marks etc.). This string will define how your new world will look like.

Right after you type in the seed, you get to select the Game Mode. There are currently 3 game modes (at the time of posting this review):
- Survival, where you get no materials and you have to find them on your own in order to survive.
- Creative, where you get unlimited materials, and you can build anything you like, from small to huge.
- Hardcore, where it's like playing in survival, but with the exception that the difficulty is set to hard and you cannot change it, and if you get killed, then you have to delete the world.

Right after you type in the seed and select your gamemode, you then leap in the world of Minecraft, where everything is made of blocks, even the moon and the sun. The game's target is basically nothing. The only thing that can limit your creations is your imagination itself.

The game has 4 difficulty settings which all of them are divided in 2 categories:
- Peaceful, where only friendly mobs (animals) are spawned.
- Easy, Normal, Hard, where friendly, along with hostile mobs can spawn.
The difficulty is not affected on the way you play, but will remain on hard if you choose hardcore as a game mode.

The world in which you spawn is divided into areas called "Biomes". These biomes are: Forest, Desert, Plains, Swampland, Jungle, Tundra, Taiga, Extreme hills, Oceans and Mushroom islands. These biomes are placed according to the string the player types as a seed.

The other choise the player has is Multiplayer, where he can join a server and build accordingly to the server's rules. Servers can be found over the internet through a little searching.

The third choice the player has is to put in a "Texture Pack". Texture packs, simply put, change the game's appearence. Texture packs can be found on the internet, through searching.

And the fourth and final choice the player has is to change the game's settings.

And if the player wishes to add new ways to play the game can simply browse for some mods, or even create his own. There is a HUGE selection of modes on the internet.

So here are the final scores:
Gameplay:
- Singleplayer: 9.5/10 > The experience on the singleplayer portion is really good, but is nothing compared to the experience one can gain when playing multiplayer.
- Multiplayer: 10/10 > The experience is absolutely amazing on the multiplayer portion, and even better if you're playing with your friends. It will change according to the server you're playing in.
Graphics: 10/10 (This applies to the default texture pack. It changes according to the TP the player activates.)
Overall score: 10/10

Minecraft is an amazing game, both for old school gamers and new ones. Its simple graphics and gameplay make it an awesome game that you're simply going to enjoy playing, and don't forget, ANYTHING can happen in Minecraft.
In order to form your own opinion on the game,you have to play it first.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"kerk12 reviewed Minecraft for the PC..." was posted by kerk12 on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:59:33 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/minecraft/user-reviews/796977/platform/pc/ 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/ Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:13:05 -0700 fanaticsm reviewed Lollipop Chainsaw for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/lollipop-chainsaw/user-reviews/796512/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

this is an amazing game....its varied, its funny, its got different types of zombies, an awesome soundtrack (licensed and original) and signature Suda 51 weirdness.....but its not as weird as Shadows of the Damned which is a good thing.....

u have tons of mingames that include zombie basketball, baseball and even using your boyfriends' head (Suda 51 weirdness) as a weapons, concept art, costumes and music as unlockables and highly satisfying sparkle hunting.....

dont believe the reviews......play this one and i guarantee you wont be disappointed.....and its one of those rare games that will make your hands hurt from all that zombie hunting.....

discard the complaints about sexism, profanity and other crap because movies have doing it for waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than games and everyone seems to be fine with it......even with those movies where it doesnt make any sense.....

Juliet Starling could be the next heroine to join the ranks of Lara Croft, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine and Samus Aran.....

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"fanaticsm reviewed Lollipop Chainsaw for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by fanaticsm on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:13:05 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/lollipop-chainsaw/user-reviews/796512/platform/ps3/ Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:47:36 -0700 N-E-Me reviewed Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/atelier-meruru-the-apprentice-of-arland/user-reviews/795767/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland is the third game in the Arland series. This game features characters from the last two games and is written so well that the player does not need to know the last two games to enjoy it.

Story

Meruru is a princess who wants to study alchemy and escape from her life. But due to her status around the kingdom she cannot become an alchemist without her father's permission. Her father makes a proposal stating that if she wants to become an alchemist she must use alchemy to do her royal duties and advance the population within the next three years. If she does not do as her father asks she must forget alchemy all together. Will Meruru obtain her dreams? The choice is up to you.

Graphics

The graphics obtain the cartoonish atmosphere that all the other Ateliers have within the games. The textures and atmospheres provide the player with nice visual effects that show off this eye catchy land. The game features illustrations of the characters as they speak their lines. The over-world map has the atmosphere of a pop-up book making the player feel as if a book is being opened to read.

Gameplay

Like all the Atelier games the player must search, synthesize items, and battle monsters.

Search and Synthesis

The player will be assigned an item to produce. The player must go out and find the ingredients in caves, in forests, on hills, or through shopping. Once the ingredients are found the player must use them to create the item. Depending on the assignment the player may have to go the extra mile to find an ingredient holding a particular trait or quality (example: a fruit can be ripe or unripe).

Battles

While gathering ingredients the player will run into monsters. During the battles the player will have options to attack, defend, special attack, use item, or run. Depending on the types of characters in the player's party, the moves will be different. Alchemists can use items but a knight may not be able to, for example.

Note: To make the game play more intense, there is a time limit throughout the game and the player may feel rushed. The time will go by very quickly while traveling, gathering, synthesizing and battling.

Music

The music is some of the best music I have ever heard in a game. In many cases the game explains its scenes and situations through the music played, making the world seem to unfold. Other times the music shows the danger the character is seeing or feeling as the story goes on. As the game continues the player will notice the music track looping, but the music never gets old. One thing to say about the music though, is that it sometimes can drown out the characters' dialogue as they speak.

Even as I write this review I am listening to one of the tracks of music as the game continues to play on. The music is stunning.

Thoughts

This game is a masterpiece for its beautiful art style, music, gameplay, and story. The game is one of the best games in the Atelier series and one of the best games I have ever played. This game deserves a "10" for many reasons, but because of some minor defects it just misses that "10."

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/atelier-meruru-the-apprentice-of-arland/user-reviews/795767/platform/ps3/ Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:48:34 -0700 pspman1997 reviewed Silent Hill for the PlayStation... http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill/user-reviews/795455/platform/ps/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Silent hill is the beginning of the franchise that has given people a real survival horror experience. You play as a man named Harry Mason; A widower who loves to have late vacations with his young daughter Cheryl. This time he and his daughter goes to a town named Silent Hill a mysterious town that has a frightening past. While on the way he crashes his car and wakes up in the town of Silent Hill noticing that his daughter has left the car. Worried, he leaves his car to embark on an adventure that he will remember for the rest of his life.

Silent Hill's core gameplay is simple. When you see a monster your radio starts to play, your handgun is the weapon that you will use the most and, killing certain monsters can be hard and frustrating at times. The game also plays like any other survival horror that you have played on the ps1 though, the camera follows you as you move around so you won't have to worry about monsters around corners. Also your flashlight affects how well you can shoot and how well a monster can detect you. Some of the puzzles are extremely difficult (well only one) but they are still fun and mind boggling

The visuals for the game are dark and grimacing, there are many grotesque bodies and monsters that can frighten you but, the game is exceptionally beautiful.

If you die there are tips that the publishers give you that are not in the game manual this will more than likely help you in the long run.

All and all this game is the start of a wonderful franchise filled with scares and dark moments it is an experience that you will never forget!




Get the full article at GameSpot

"pspman1997 reviewed Silent Hill for the PlayStation..." was posted by pspman1997 on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:48:34 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/silent-hill/user-reviews/795455/platform/ps/ Thu, 17 May 2012 12:37:01 -0700 sonictrainer reviewed Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-ii/user-reviews/793992/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 was a peculiar game.

It's a Modern Era Sonic game that's trying to act like the Genesis Era Sonic games. As a result, it lacks parts of what made the games that came before it so great.

While I enjoyed it to some extent, I agreed that the next episode would have to improve upon Episode 1's shortcomings.

So when asked, "Can Sonic 4 get better?" I reply, "Yes, it can."


*Gameplay*

The Story
-----------------------
Time has passed since the events of Episode 1 as the Little Planet, from Sonic CD, starts to make its way towards Sonic's planet. However, Sonic has heard that Eggman is up to no good and both him and Tails go to investigate.

Basically, they're tying Sonic CD into the storyline of the Genesis Trilogy.


Controls
----------------------------
-Sonic's moveset is the same as it was in Episode 1, while Tails' moveset is taken from Sonic 3
-Sonic and Tails have the same running speed
-Sonic can do a Homing Attack by pressing the A Button twice while Tails can Fly/Swim around using the same Button combination.
-The Rolling Physics have been changed, allowing Sonic and Tails to stay in ball form longer.
-Sonic no longer uncurls when going up inclines and can actually bounce off enemies instead of just using the Homing Attack.

During the Sky Fortress Acts where you control the Tornado, in Single Player, you can move around and have Sonic attack anywhere and the plane will automatically fly to where he'll land. It also has a Tornado Boost, where it does a fast spin attack. While the Tornado Boost is useful, Tails will do an animation where he gets dizzy and during this time you can't move.


Tag Actions
----------------------------
In Episode 2, Sonic and Tails can use Tag Actions, which are special moves, to get past certain areas and find secrets.

The first Tag Action is the Copter Combo. It's basically Tails flying while carrying Sonic. To activate it, someone has to press the X Button while in Midair. In Single Player Mode, you can press A to have Tails fly higher while in Multiplayer, whoever is controlling Tails will be in charge of pressing the A Button. It seems that trying to go higher will tire Tails out more, so you have to time this. Sonic can let go of Tails by pressing X again or A.

The second Tag Action is the Rolling Combo. It's kinda a combination of the Spin Dash and the Boost. To activate it, press the X Button. It's starts out very fast and gains speed. It can destroy obstacles that were normally take 2 or more hits to destroy in 1 hit, while even being able to ride on top of spikes. If you hit a wall, or slow down, you will eventually stop. You can also hit X again to revert back to normal.

The last and final Tag Action is the Submarine Combo. This is an underwater version of the Copter Combo. In underwater sections, Tails can carry Sonic for an infinite amount of time in any direction and with quick and precise movements while grabbing Rings and air bubbles and dodging enemies and obstacles. When you leave the water, you automatically go into a Copter Combo and vice versa. I hope we see something similar to the Submarine Combo in future Sonic games.


Zones and Acts
----------------------------
Like Episode 1, Episode 2 has 5 Zones, with the game starting out in Sylvania Castle.

After clearing Sylvania Castle Act 1, White Park and Oil Desert Zone will be unlocked, along with all their Acts. Like before you have the freedom of choosing your destination instead of being forced to play Acts from Zone 1 to the last Zone. If you want to do it the old way, press the Y button after clearing an Act/Special Stage when the "Play to Next Act" appears.

The Zones for this game are more challenging and longer than in Episode 1. Underwater areas and Bottomless pits appear very early in the game and there are many hazards that try to crush you, bury you, drown you, and burn you.

Acts still increase in difficulty from Act 1 to Act 3, while Zones range from Sylvania Castle being the easiest, White Park being slightly harder, Oil Desert being intermediate, and Sky Fortress being the hardest.

All the Zones including Sky Fortress, which is a throwback level, are unique. There are a few elements you may recognize in some of the Acts but they are used in new ways.

Each Act offers different challenges as well as shortcuts and hidden passages. Also, you'll sometimes get a heads up with the Headings like "Sky Fortress Zone Act 1: The Tornado Takes Flight".

As far as Level Design goes, there is a heavier emphasis on platforming. There are still areas where you can try to speed run but only experienced players will be able to pull it off. While I've noticed that the Acts have an abundance of Springs and Boosters, they really didn't have an impact on me. Though I do admit some spots didn't really need them.

Episode 2 introduces some new Badniks (enemies) along with some older ones that also make the game more challenging. For example, Spikes is a badnik that can only be destroyed using Tag Actions while Snowy, a giant polar bear Badnik, normally needs to be hit at least 3 times to be destroyed. While I'm happy with how Episode 2 uses its enemies, for some reason Bubbles is still being used in most of the Acts. At least with uncurling is gone so I can bounce off of them without any problems.

While the Item Boxes are the same as in Episode 1, Sonic and Tails will both benefit from the Item you get. Also, there is a new Item Box called "Special Combination". While it's rare, hitting it will trigger a special team attack where Sonic and Tails bounce around the screen and you have to press the A Button quickly to increase the numbers on the screen. At the end, you will receive Rings based on how high the number is.

Special Stages
--------------------------
In order to reach the Special Stages in Episode 2, you still have to do 2 things:
-play the regular Acts and reach the goal with 50 rings or more
-jump into the giant ring before the goal sign stops spinning

However, the Special Stages themselves are modernized versions of the Halfpipe Highway, which has been used in the series since their first appearance in Sonic 2.

The difference in Episode 2 is
-they work like they did in Sonic 2, where you have to pass Checkpoints with a certain amount of Rings
-Sonic and Tails can boost to gain speed
-there are 10 Rings on the tracks and a new obstacle that slows you down
-there are springs that can take you to different paths
-there is a power-up that forms a rope between Sonic and Tails that grabs any Rings it touches, allowing you to get more Rings
-there are areas where you have to collect a certain amount of Rings before time runs out to get a Bonus
-in Single Player, if Tails gets hit, you won't have to suffer for it

The first 5 are OK but the last 2 Special Stages are hard. Luckily, you can still cheat by pressing "Retry" when Pausing.

If you have a friend who's good with the Special Stages, you can team up to get more Rings.

Once you get a Chaos Emerald, an icon will appear over the Act where you got it, so you can't replay the same acts to get to the other Special Stages.


Boss Acts
--------------------
Just like in Episode 1, once players have cleared Acts 1, 2, and 3 of a Zone, the Boss Act will be unlocked.

In this Episode, Eggman and Metal Sonic take turns against Sonic and Tails in some of the most original and challenging Boss Battles.

You won't be able to spam the Homing Attack or the Rolling Combo against Bosses because most of the Boss Acts have Eggman out of Sonic's reach while Metal Sonic has a "Unleashed Mode" that will hurt you if you touch him.

One of the nice additions to the Boss Acts is that there are now at least 50 Rings in each area before the Boss allowing you to be able to use Super Sonic during Boss Fights.


Super Sonic
----------------------------
Once you collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds, you can become Super Sonic during Regular Acts and Boss Acts, after you've collected 50 or more Rings, and pressing the Y buttons.

In Episode 2, Super Sonic is a combo of the "Power Sneakers" power-up, "Invincibility" power-up, and the Rolling Combo. Plus, his jump is higher and his Home Attack range is bigger.

His rings still deplete as you play and he reverts back to normal once it reaches Zero. However, if you use a Tag Action with Tails, he will turn back to normal and the Rings will stop depleting.


Multiplayer
------------------------------
While I started my first playthrough by myself, I spent most of my time playing Episode 2 in Multiplayer.

For local Co-op, you need 2 controllers and someone to help you. For Online Co-op, you can either do a Quick Match, join a game, or create one.

Anyway, here are some differences in Multiplayer:
-both characters are shown in one screen. If a person goes too far off screen, they will automatically float over to where the person is and can press A to reappear. Also, using Tag Actions can rejoin people together.
-all Rings are shared. If Sonic or Tails take a hit, they will drop all the Rings, regardless of who collected them
-all Lives are shared. If Sonic or Tails get hit when there's no Rings or die, a Life will be used up. If both characters die simultaneously, 2 Lives will be used up
-any Acts or Bosses cleared and Chaos Emeralds or Red Star Rings collected in Multiplayer are added to your file in Single Player

Playing with someone else makes Episode 2 more engaging, whether it's your first time or you've beaten the game. For most of my team ups, I learned secrets and ways to get through certain areas that I hadn't noticed before in Single Player. There were also some pretty good playthroughs.

While Multiplayer is fun, you have to work together to clear the levels. If your partner wants to rush through the level or isn't on the same page as you, they're more than likely to lose Rings, use up your lives, prevent you from getting to the Special Stage, or cause you to miss out on Item Boxes.


Episode Metal
------------------------------
If you have Episode 1 and Episode 2, you will unlock DLC where you can play as Metal Sonic, as some form of Lock-On Technology.

While this is cool and all, compared to Sonic and Knuckles, where you can play as Knuckles in any Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 levels, you can only play as Metal Sonic in 1 Act of each Zone in Episode 1.

The backstory cutscenes were interesting but I hope that future DLC has more content.

Overall Gameplay Score: 9


*Graphics*
Episode 2 has a new graphics engine, that puts Episode 1 to shame. While it's not as good as the Hedgehog Engine, which was used in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Generations, it still does an impressive of looking good.

Overall Graphics Score: 9


*Speed*
To be honest, the speed is kinda controlled. Sonic and Tails are not too slow, not too fast, but just perfect.

For the Tag Actions, Rolling Combo is the fastest way to go, while the Copter Combo is the slowest.

Overall Speed Score: 9


*Sound*
Like Episode 1, the music for Episode 2 was made to sound "retro".

While I would have preferred actual instruments, I didn't have a problem with the music.

Some of the tunes are catchy while some have bits and pieces of music from other Sonic games. Sylvania Castle Act 2 has a little of Aquatic Ruin Zone Act 2 (from Sonic 2) in it while White Park Zone Act 2 has a little of Twinkle Park (from Sonic Adventure) in it.

Eggman and Metal Sonic each have their own themes during the Boss Acts.

Overall Sound Score: 9


My Final Overall Score for the game is a 7.5.

Episode 2 improves upon what Episode 1 started with. However, Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode Metal still need some work done to be able to call themselves a "Sequel to Sonic 3 and Knuckles".

It was said that Sonic 4 may end with Episode 2 depending on how well Episode 2 does. While there is no "teaser" in Episode 2, I hope that Episode 3 gets made and that it completes Sonic 4.

If you're interested in trying the game, download the demo.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-ii/user-reviews/793992/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 07 May 2012 15:22:08 -0700 N-E-Me reviewed Cafe World for the Online/Browser... http://www.gamespot.com/cafe-world/user-reviews/793285/platform/webonly/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Café World

Café World is a game by Zynga. The game is on Facebook for free.

Story

There isn't really any story to this game. The players are starting their own café where they can serve food to hungry customers.

Graphics

The graphics, which feel like MySims with a 2D fashion, get the job done in making items look like what they are suppose to be. The animations are fun to look at and include people who enter in, sit in a chair, and move their hands in eating like positions. Sometimes a thought bubble will appear with a cartoon icon showing what the characters are thinking.

Gameplay

The game play is very simple. In the game the players decide what they will cook and how much money it takes to put the item on the stove. The players then prepare the food; depending on how hard the dish is to make, the players may take longer in preparing the food. Some dishes may even take several days to make. The players then decide if they want to put spices on the food to make the food taste better or to shorten the cooking time of the food. After the players finish cooking they must clean up the stove so that they can eventually cook again. If the players leave the food on the stove for too long, the food will mold and not be servable. After finishing many dishes the players may learn new recipes as they level up in cooking.

If the players happen to have friends playing the game, the players can hire their friends' characters to help them serve the food. After awhile the players are allowed to go to a friend's café and help that friend spice up food. One thing about this game is if the players have a lot of friends playing, they are allowed to expand their own café walls to bring in more customers.

What I find is that the customization of this game is fun. The players are allowed to customize their own character's wardrobe and to make the actual café look nicer by adding props. Enhancing the wardrobe and expanding the café can also be done through using a gift card or credit card.

Music

The music is peaceful and makes the game pleasant, but sometimes it can get irritating; as the game goes on the same sound track loops over and over. There are sound effects of people eating, money being spent, and things being done on the stove.

Thoughts

Personally this is my favorite Zynga game. Zynga is updating this game often and sometimes has sales on items and game money. This game can be addicting and really fun, especially in experiencing its customization and learning new recipes.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"N-E-Me reviewed Cafe World for the Online/Browser..." was posted by N-E-Me on Mon, 07 May 2012 15:22:08 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/cafe-world/user-reviews/793285/platform/webonly/ Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:10:15 -0700 Cloud_765 reviewed Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/xenosaga-episode-i-der-wille-zur-macht/user-reviews/792438/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Sometimes, games have trouble telling a powerful story. Many games manage to get by with their gameplay but outside of that they don't have much going. Xenosaga is not one of those games. With a strong, motivating narrative, excellent battle system, among a myriad of other aspects that shine, Xenosaga is in many instances a masterpiece of a game.

The story begins with Shion Uzuki testing KOS-MOS inside her own simulator. KOS-MOS is a battle android made to combat the invading Gnosis, a race of alien monsters. They soon come after a special item that was on the ship Shion resides on, the Woglinde called the Zohar Emulator. Without giving too much away, this invasion of the Woglinde causes a problem which an awakened KOS-MOS manages to fix temporarily. However, it only gets more complicated as events occur that pull the entire team behind the KOS-MOS development away from their objective of returning to Second Miltia to give data to them about the development, and the very few survivors from the attack are pulled into a struggle to save Miltia from a strange threat.

Xenosaga is extremely plot-heavy, and it'd be a real shame to spoil too much more than what's already been said. The best way to experience the game involves watching these intriguing cutscenes. In fact, part of Xenosaga is like a sci-fi anime with a fairly deep plot. Unfortunately, these cutscenes are very plentiful. This is remedied by how well-done the story (and the characters are) is and the fact that you can skip cutscenes if you'd like by pausing the game and pressing Triangle.

Exploring the overworld in Xenosaga is much like the usual RPG, but is mostly akin to Final Fantasy X. There is no world map, but you can move from location to location fairly smoothly. Despite the game taking place in the vast expanses of space, the game has a unique number of environments and the various "dungeons" have very potent atmospheres to them. There are various objects you can find while exploring that can be destroyed, and sometimes this reveals items or opens up new paths.

The battle system and menu system in Xenosaga is where the bread and butter is. Xenosaga's battle system is very unique, where characters initiate attacks with Square or Triangle button presses or use Tech Attacks, special attacks each character has, with the Circle Button (with AP stocked up, which is accrued each turn). The Ether mechanics are reminiscent of magic in any Final Fantasy, but they, too, have their own special touches that separates them from other RPGs. In the menu you can upgrade your characters' Ethers and Techs to improve your party the way you want to. You can even give your characters slight stat boosts to give them a little push in the desired direction. Accessories can give your characters special abilities which can be extracted to give to your characters permanently. To top all of that, most of your characters can board mechs with immense amounts of power but are lack the versatility of a regular character, which can be easily jumped in and out of.

To summarize, Xenosaga's gameplay is easily related to other RPGs on the PS2, but it has special touches that differentiates itself from all of them. If you can lend yourself the first hours it will take to get the hang of the battle system, you can find yourself highly rewarded. Everything is put together very nicely so arranging your party in different ways is never a chore. Much of the preparations for battle go very nicely and hasslefree.

The graphical power of Xenosaga is just above par for the course. The game itself has nice-looking but not-too-impressive character models and environment textures. Cutscenes often add smart lighting and shadows and add the needed atmosphere to the scene. Animations are fluid, believable, and entertaining to watch. The story-telling of Xenosaga just could not be done without the cinematic cutscenes that help pull you in. There are even CG cutscenes to push the more potent moments in the story.

Musically, Xenosaga is a wonderful orchestral star. Dramatic music plays in all necessary circumstances, and everything has just the right touch. Yasunori Mitsuda, mastermind behind Chrono Trigger's unforgettable soundtrack, is the genius behind Xenosaga's very moving music. A minor complaint can be made in that there is no boss song (save for the final boss), but the wonderful normal battle theme more than makes up for it. Music used in scenes aids the atmosphere in the best ways. Sound effects are nicely done and some of them have that nostalgic RPG feel.

Pros and Cons
+ Excellent characters and story aided by dramatic cutscenes
+ Unique battle system aided by smartly designed menu-homed upgrading systems
+ Great graphics and wonderful soundtrack
+ Cinematic and atmospheric presentation
- Cutscenes are LONG

Score Breakdown
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Presentation: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9.5/10
Tilt: 9.5/10

Xenosaga's first episode is a wonderful RPG that anyone willing to invest the time into should try. Due to its heavy plot and some more advanced mechanics, it's not very highly recommended to RPG newbies, but an RPG veteran will love this game, as will anyone who loves a game with a great story. Many players with a background of watching sci-fi anime will find a lot to love here as well, lending Xenosaga to be able to draw in a little more of a crowd than it may garner otherwise. All in all, Der Wille zur Macht is likely worth your time, and is a quintessential RPG for the PS2, and easily a part of the list of cIassics for the system.

Overall: 9.5

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/xenosaga-episode-i-der-wille-zur-macht/user-reviews/792438/platform/ps2/ Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:53:57 -0700 N-E-Me reviewed Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS... http://www.gamespot.com/kid-icarus-uprising/user-reviews/791254/platform/3ds/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Kid Icarus Uprising

Many may remember an old NES game called Kid Icarus that introduced the character Pit and later seeing Pit on Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters. Pit even appeared in a 1989 cartoon, Captain N The Game Master, and is recently being seen in the Nintendo fans' favorite fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Finally after a long time Pit has come back in his own new and exciting 3DS adventure.

At first, after playing a little of the game I didn't know what I was getting into and didn't totally like the feel of the game. But later the game experience improved and I started to enjoy the game a lot.

The Story

The game starts 25 years later where Medusa, Queen of the Underworld, is revived and trying to take over the world again. Pit, who's an angel who cannot fly on his own without the help of the Goddess Palutena, must fight to save the world from the Underworld Queen and help Palutena gain her trust with the humans. This game shows more than just a hit story line with tons of humor; it shows well performed character development, chemistry between the characters, and very exciting gameplay.

The Graphics

Immediately the players will see that the graphics in this game have improved since the previous games. The art style is a very clean cut anime style. The textures are realistic, but still keep that anime/cartoon feel. Once in a while the game will show a picture of how the enemy was shown in the old pixilated art of the first Kid Icarus games. The 3D element works well with this game as the action pops from the screen. Personally I felt as if I was in a movie theater, watching an action packed A-rated film that will win an Academy Award. What's also nice about this game is that it tells the players their system's battery life: high or low.

The Gameplay

There are two types of gameplay: in flight and on land.

In Flight: At the start of the game the players find a tutorial showing how things work. They learn that they should move with the circle pad, aim with the touch screen, and shoot with an L/A/B/Y button. When I first tried doing these techniques I had a hard time; I was afraid my hands might cramp up or that I might drop the 3DS. I learned quickly that I should have used the stand that comes with the game. After playing the game using the stand, things felt way better as I had more control over how I held the system.

On Land: Again the players have a tutorial and in this part will be using the touch screen to change directions. This technique can get very difficult, especially in areas that an enemy is fast, as the players may not be able to react fast enough. The circle pad is used to move away and dodge attacks. The players will be using L/A/B/Y buttons to shoot and melee attack enemies when close to them, while aiming at enemies with the touch screen. Also the lock-on will go yellow indicating players are using an item. While gathering items the players will learn they can use the L/A/B/Y button to use the items. Also if the players like first person shooters, they can push the X button and get a first person point of view. This move is very cool but can be a bit hard since the players lose sight of what's behind them.

The player may obtain hearts, which are the currency of the game. Hearts can be spent to buy new weapons or they can be offered to the Goddess Palutena. If players collect enough hearts, they can earn achievements. The players may even get new weapons, which they can equip, offer for more hearts, or fuse together to make a stronger weapon. A skill board is available. The players can put the skills in a small block area to equip the skills they feel they may need or want to try out.

One thing to note: the players can replay the levels as much as they want, but also need hearts to play the more difficult levels. Certain places cannot be reached with out playing at a more difficult level. Players have an option of using a practice range to enhance their abilities.

Multiplayer Mode

There are multiplayer modes in this game, so players can fight friends or people online, in a team-death match kind of thing or a free-for-all.

In the team-death match each team is fighting to kill off the other team's angel. If an angel dies, the other team wins. In free-for-all players fight against all other players. After either match ends, players may acquire a few items: idols and hearts.

The Music

Some of the music of the game makes the players feel like they are floating or sleeping in the clouds. The players feel comfort and peace. Other music energizes the players. This music may even send chills down the players' spine, as the feeling of excitement emerges. The music is very refreshing. The shooting/melee attacking does not interrupt the music. Sometimes the story will interrupt the music, but music continues undisturbed.

Some Extras

The game comes with a stand that is very helpful in preventing dropping the 3DS while playing the game. The problem I see with the stand is that it needs a flat surface to rest on. If players are sitting on a park bench waiting for a bus and there are no flat surfaces available to set the 3DS onto, they won't be comfortable playing the game.

Players will learn that they get new AR cards that show off the character's 3d figure on the camera view on the top screen; players can take pictures if they want. The players can use the coins they have earned in an "idol" toss and obtain new idols. Achievements are part of this game. Players want to obtain as many achievements as they can so that they receive new power-ups, hearts, weapons, and idols. The players will make up a huge puzzle that develops as the achievements are unlocked.

A fun thing to do: players can hold down on the menu options, drag the menu options all around, and then watch as the menu options return to their original positions.

Final Thoughts

At first I found myself wondering if I would enjoy this game, but after getting through several levels and learning more about the characters the game became great. The game needs to be played on the stand for the total experience, so buying this game used may be a problem unless Nintendo sells the stand separately. This game deserves to be on everybody's library of video games for the 3DS.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"N-E-Me reviewed Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS..." was posted by N-E-Me on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:53:57 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/kid-icarus-uprising/user-reviews/791254/platform/3ds/