NO FAMOUS QUOTE... Just a Journal

• 27Dec 05

  Christmas Gone By

  Christmas has gone by and so has my birthday and I have reaped a great many rewards but first: I must apologize for my vicious abuse of the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4. The game doesn't suck, it is actually quite good and the extras are definitely worth my switch. The initial shock was mostly caused by the fact that the faces of your semi-human assailents didn't have the texture and depth that made them frightening and the water was gorgeous in the Gamecube version whereas here it was scaled down considerably but these nuisances aside, the game is still fabulous. Sorry, Capcom! Now, onto bigger and better things: my birthday got me an extra $100 to save up for an Xbox 360 (when the damn things become available) and from Christmas, I got approximately $200 worth of gift cards. I already had money saved in the bank and so I currently have $540 which will get me all that I want: the premium edition Xbox 360 package, an extra controller, and the Halo Triple Pack. I want Halo more than any other 360 title because I have never had an Xbox so I haven't had time to experience the joy of mowing down people in a Warthog so that comes first. Later, I hope to get Call of Duty 2, Perfect Dark Zero, and a Rechargeable Battery Pack. Also, for my video game haul for Christmas, I just tricked out my Gamecube with some classic titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Hopefully before Christmas break ends, I can find an Xbox 360 and waste my life basking in its lime-green glory... hopefully.

  • Posted Dec 27, 2005 9:15 am GMT
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• 23Nov 05

  Trading Up for the Extras... Not a Good Idea

  I love Resident Evil 4 and when I was at my local Gamestop store I saw a Premium Edition Resident Evil 4 for Playstation 2. I looked on the back and thought the Prologue from BradyGames was a nice touch along with the laser cell photo and all the other junk but what really got my attention was the new weapons and Ada side missions. So, I traded in my Gamecube copy of Resident Evil 4, completely oblivious to the consequences. I had overestimated the Playstation 2's power and it was a fatal mistake... Now, lots of people are going to be pissed at me for arguing about the graphics of RE4 but I have to protest: the graphics are truly lower quality and definitely noticeable. Anyone who has played RE4 on the Gamecube will be so utterly stunned by the graphical downgrade that they will likely forfeit the PS2 version's extras for the superior graphics in the Gamecube version. The enemies aren't even scary anymore because there is a severe loss of shading or something on their faces that takes away the scary detail that had me running for cover in the Gamecube version. I scored Gamecube's RE4 at a remarkable 10.0 but the PS2's graphics are so terrible in comparison that its score is roughly an 8.5. I don't know if I will ever make it through the normal game to get to those coveted extras that I bought this version for. DON'T DISAPPOINT YOURSELF! IF YOU HAVE EVEN SEEN A SCREENSHOT FOR THE GAMECUBE VERSION, YOU WILL NEVER WANT TO TOUCH A PS2 CONTROLLER THAT IS HOOKED UP TO THIS GAME. I can't help it but I really have given up on Capcom for PS2. Hopefully, their works on PS3 will be better than the rehashed, downgraded RE4 junk for PS2. I want my money back... Damn, Capcom! Why couldn't you just release a Premium Edition for Gamecube so we faithful followers don't have to suffer through the mediocre PS2 adaptation? WHY?!? I remain angry and thoroughly disappointed.

  • Posted Nov 23, 2005 4:58 pm GMT
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• 27Aug 05

  Way Behind... Again

  I recently bought 3 new games, all for the grand total of $50 and all of them were brand new. I bought the Pure Evil 2-Pack ($30) and Super Mario Sunshine ($20). Super Mario Sunshine, being a Greatest Hits title and a Mario game, is fantastic and one of the most challenging platforming games I've ever played. The FLUDD pack is a nice addition to gameplay and makes a fun toy if you ever get bored of doing the episodes; the four different nozzles add some variety to the water using and two nozzles, in particular, I found myself being forced to use over and over again (not in a bad way): the hover nozzle is great for any occasion (floating over danger, spanning large gaps, attacking enemies from above, etc.) and the nozzle I use the most whereas the basic spray nozzle is required to beat just about every enemy or boss. One thing that I have got to compliment this game tremendously for is its water effects. The offshore water ripples and flows and has a certain shiny realism to it that actually got me staring at the water for about an hour. I could say that besides Myst on PC and a select few other titles, this is the best video game water I have ever seen. The controls are also something that is to be commended about this game. The only downfall I could find is that there is recycling of some of the minibosses that you fight in the levels (for example, in Ricco Harbor, if you ever fight a boss in this level, it is the tentacled Giant Blooper and the only changes are where you must go to fight it).

  The Pure Evil 2-Pack is a collection of Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil (the remakes/updates) for Gamecube. I bought this pack because RE4 knocked my socks off and I figured that the rest of the series had to be this good... I was wrong. Now, I'm not saying these games are bad but they are most definitely not on par with RE4 and here is why:

  Title: Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil

  Good: the graphics are astounding, the music creates a creepy ambience to each room, the story is quite good and the dialogue is NOT terrible, the enemies are not rehashed (every zombie is somewhat different), the survival horror really sinks in which is something that I personally thought RE4 lacked, and the scares come at a good pace

  Bad: the inventory works but, like in RE4, should be upgradeable (find a bigger backpack on train or something), RE0: the ability to drop items is a blessing and a curse (again RE4 should be taken into account with its much better inventory and key item management) because hiking back to find dropped items can be a little annoying

  Ugly: the worst thing in both games is the mother trucking ink ribbons which are so aggravating: Capcom, the survival horror is already there, please don't punish us more!!! luckily, they wised up for RE4 and didn't have ink ribbons in it or I can guarantee that that game would have sucked and lost tons of sales (you can rejoice that they didn't kill the best game in the series... I guess), the controls, nuff said, I was really praying for just one scene in which I didn't have to think because the puzzles become relentless (sure they're inventive and challenging... very challenging, but I really was looking forward to a part where I would have to outsmart enemies or just mindlessly blast my way to freedom but it never came), RE: the itemboxes are a bit of a pain, having to hike to a save room to get that necessary item you need which gives RE0 a slight edge, and the most annoying element is in play here: Crimson Heads, a great idea that scares alot but they are a bit too strong (and is it ever explained why this only happens in RE or, for that matter, why it happens at all)

  Title: Resident Evil 4

  Good: pretty much everything, a damn near perfect game

  Bad: some dialogue and acting is a bit cheesy, minor graphical glitches like when I climbed a ladder holding a rocket laucher and I stood up the back of the rocket launcher stuck out of my shoulder or how enemy weapons show through some wooden doors

  Ugly: ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME?!? Go jump off a cliff this game can't possibly have an "ugly."

  So, these games all have there problems but I definitely had and am still having fun with all three of them. If I had to recommend one, obviously I would tell you to get off your ass and make sure you have a copy of the Game of the Year, Resident Evil 4!

  • Posted Aug 27, 2005 2:29 pm GMT
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