• 26Sep 09

  Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Demo Impressions

  Not having played the first Ninja Gaiden Sigma, I wasn't sure what to expect with this demo. I went in with an open mind, and was pleasantly surprised. Despite being tricked into thinking this was an artsy game: the demo opens with a shot of a beautifully rendered cherry blossom, and had buildings with architecture reminiscent of feudal Japan. Then, in the night sky, a hovercraft flies by and totally kills the opening for me. The camera pans over to a nearby building showcasing some more of those flying vehicles, and more importantly sets up the plot.

  A young, scantily clad woman (with the largest breasts ever rendered in a videogame) is looking for the ninja Ryu Hayabusa. This is where the game tries to impress that name into your mind forever. This woman's conversation with the bartender includes the name "Ryu Hayabusa" in at least every sentence. She might have had short term memory loss and was just keeping the name in her thoughts, or maybe the game is so self absorbed that it thinks you care what this dude's name is. In typical bad guy fashion, the evil ninja clan blows up the wall of the bar, intending to capture the timid young lady.

  In typical good-guy fashion, Ryu Hayabusa shows up in the nick of time. He slices some evil ninjas in half, and other stuff to let you know he's the protagonist. This is where the game lets you play. The controls are no different than any hack and slash game that's come out since last generation. Ryu's got quick attacks, heavy attacks and a ranged attack along with the standard block and dodge moves. After fending off some enemies, the leader of the evil ninjas appears to kidnap the aforementioned young woman. Then he makes his dramatic exit, mocking you with one of the most clichéd lines in film, literature or games. "I would have expected more from the great Ryu Hayabusa."

  Now you get to control Ryu again, taking him through a rather uninspired level. I wouldn't say it was bad, it just wasn't that fun. A serious case of been there done that, twenty times over. You'll progress through a linear level, picking up useless tutorial scrolls for moves that you've already figured out. There was a useful magic spell that Ryu learned, and it obliterated any enemies in the area, so whenever I had the meter full to perform it, you can bet that I did. 100 enemies and 17 hallways later the demo's boss decided to show up. It was ripped straight from God of War 2. Seriously, a colossal statue come to life. Actually that's been done in just about every game, regardless of genre. The demo ends after the boss is downed, or so I thought.

  Beating Ryu's scenario unlocks…someone. I forget her name, but it's not my fault, they were too busy burning Ryu Hayabusa into my skull. Anyway, this female character controls exactly the same as Ryu, uses nearly identical attacks, but the attacks don't do as much damage. The most prominent thing about her (beside the mountains on her chest) was the butterfly-esque ensemble she wore. This part of the demo basically didn't matter, and was just put in to show you that there are two characters, and that you'll have to play the game twice just to experience the entire thing.

  • Posted Sep 26, 2009 8:22 pm PT
  • Category: Games
  • 18 Comments
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• 14Aug 09

  Tons of Purchases This Month

  This month, before the holiday game rush of September-December, I've decided to catch up on some games that I'd missed in the past. All of them ended up being PS2 games, but not necessarily exclusive to the system.

  Beyond Good and Evil

  Psychonauts

  Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

  Final Fantasy X

  Lord of the Rings: Two Towers

  Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

  Evil Dead: Regeneration

  Beyond Good and Evil, Psychonauts, and Klonoa 2 have all come very highly recommended from just about everyone who's played them. They're all critically acclaimed, but never sold as many copies as they could of, due to poor marketing, or just a lack of interest. If you've played games like this and want to discuss them, come to the Under the Radar Union.

  Final Fantasy X was sort ofa weird choice for me. I'm not really into JRPG's but the deal on this game was just too good to pass up.

  And that brings me to the last 3. Licensed games are usually something that I'll pass on, just because of how notoriously bad they turn out. Both Lord of the Rings games have actually gotten favorable reviews. Evil Dead: Regeneration didn't get very good scores at all, but I loved the movies, and I can deal with the ocassional bug.

  • Posted Aug 14, 2009 3:49 pm PT
  • Category: Games
  • 26 Comments
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• 31Jul 09

  Good Ole' Tom

  Good Ole' Tom. Chances are if you live in the states surrounding Connecticut, you've seen his ads every now and again. No one is sure who he really is, or why he does what he does, for that matter. One thing's for sure though, he has the creepiest ads on television. No to mention the "real people" that go to his store. If you're wondering what exactly his store is, to the best of my knowledge, it's a pawn shop. Every customer goes in with broken jewelry, from their "jewelry box" and gets paid a ridiculous sum of money. Here's a few of his commercials, so that you can form your own opinion if you've never heard of him. They're all pretty short, aroud thirty seconds each, and I promise they're worth it.

  Good Ole Tom

  Thank You, Raymond

  I Wanna Givit To Ya

  • Posted Jul 31, 2009 11:03 pm PT
  • Category: People
  • 9 Comments
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