Ah the GTA of War simulation. Complete with competing factions, car stealing, diamond jacking, and really awkward animations from buddy characters.
The game opens with a fairly long intro. And truthfully it sets a mood it never follows through on. Essentially that the world you've been dropped into is a politically charged war zone. Turns out it isn't. It's really just a bunch of bland blind enemies who've decided shooting at you is better then not. Which admitted in some places can really happen, but the game spends such a great amount of its energy indicating that whatever you do matters, but it doesn't. It creates a sense of grandeur it never lives up to.
The graphics and controls are both well done and very solid. Driving feels wonky at first, but once you adjust to its peculiarities, it's a solid system for control. The game however meanders more often then not even with these wonderful interaction devices. The landscape is wonderful and beautiful. If you can take your eyes off how well the scenery is animated. The beauty of the land doesn't translate into virtually any character models, everyone is poorly modeled and poorly animated. It feels like they placed middle of the road last gen models and movements into this game. It feels wrong to actually watch any character doing anything. It makes you wonder how the dev team managed to spend so much time on the land and not spend any time on how the actual interactions progressed which is fairly awkward. In fact it does seem they were mindful of how bad dealing with characters can be considering when purchasing weapons you are required to access a computer in the weapon dealers shop. Disturbing.
The sound is very well done. With a proper sound setup you can pinpoint where nearly anything is. In one very short test I managed to actually take down to guards using only sound. To me that is damn fine sound. No flaws in my opinion. Except when you get into voice acting. But that was mostly awful, except for the Jackal's first appearance.
The game's slow pace and lack of story development hinders the ability to feel properly invested. Otherwise its fairly solid.
Graphics - 8/10 - Well done until you look at character models, then forget it.
Sound - 10/10 - If you can kill people by using sound alone, the sound is perfect, even if the voice acting is poor.
Control - 8/10 - Tight controls but a few awkward bits during combat cause a bit of trouble.
Fun Factor - 6/10 - Combat is extremely satisfying, but the rest of the game feels like it's trapped in molasses and that tears the game down, hard.
Reviewer's Lean - 6/10 - The story and lack of forward movement crushes the momentum of the opening to the point where it never really recovers.
Total Score - 7/10 - Eh. It was ok.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Spider - Man 3 PS3
The next few reviews are all going to be sequels and with the exception of this game, none of the series involved are very well established which means I won't be referring to previous games much. Do you know what that means? No? Neither do I, on to the review.
Spider-Man 3 takes place in the same timeframe as the movie roughly. It contains several more plot lines then the movie, but none of them overly complex or even interesting to follow. In fact the movie plot is easily the weakest and sadly it has the most material behind it.
The controls have not changed much. The sound hasn't really improved. The graphics are better. Not too much but still better.
Combat is slower and more frustrating, depending on whether you are winning or losing combat is either wonderful and fun or so frustrating a new controller might become trashed. It happens and in this game its entirely possible to go either way, so buyer beware.
Swinging around town thankfully is stil wicked crazy awesome-o funzies. Truthfully this game is really only worth playing to swing around saving people casually. The story is garbage truthfully, the combat is blood boiling, but swinging your ass is amazing. Amazing. Even after two other games, still fun.
But sadly there are virtually no other high points. Actually there is one more. Spider-Man doesn't drown. It's amazing the progression these games have shown, first we couldn't swing down to the street or we'd die. We couldn't hit the water or we'd die. Now, we can't actually fight bad guys even with superpowers and superior combat skills or we'll die because Spidey's powers kinda come in and out in this game. I wonder what other crazy drawbacks the next games will have? Maybe we can only climb walls sometimes? In some missions we'll have to slowly walk across town? Oh the possibilities!
I'm pretty sure that is all I really need to say about this game I spose. In fact I've said everything I needed to so often that I'm not qualifying any of these scores.
Graphics - 7/10
Sound - 7/10
Controls - 7/10
Funzie Level - 8/10
Reviewer's Lean - 7/10
Final Total - 7.2/10 It was alright and thats pretty much how all the recent games have been. Let's hope when I get around to Web of Shadows it does something better.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Ninja Gaiden 2
The wrath of Ryu Hyabusa is the core element of this game.
The son of the leader of the Dragon Clan. Ryu Hyabusa has tangled with some of the most dangerous people on the planet, and come out with a frown and nary a scratch on him after.
This review will be short since the game hasn't differed too much from the original. They have cut down on the variety of the weapons, but upped the usefulness of each depending on the situation. You can get by in nearly every fight with just about any weapon, but then why would you want to, (with the exception of achievement hunters) when you have all manner of hurt sitting off to the side waiting to be tagged in to tear into some baddie flesh?
The sound has improved from the previous games, usually it is clearer and less grating.
Occasionally there are issues with the sound but at best they are minor and do not detract from the gameplay.
Gameplay itself has no major flaws, sometimes the controls feel a bit slow to react but that is usually only during very long attack animations that seem to go on a bit long. Such as with the Lunar Staff's attack in air, or the other larger weapons during a strangely long attack, the game doesn't seem to care that you've been hit and should be able to jump out of there. No using a different character (thank play testers for that I'd bet) and getting irritated because they are molasses frozen in time. It's all Ryu, all the way.
This game features some amazing battles that don't have the useless addition of protecting someone who is functionally useless like so many potentially perfect games. (RE4, ZOE:Second Runner, and so many others)
Not much else to say. The game hasn't become ground breaking in its changes, just mostly minor tweaks that definitely improve the game. Impossibly, it is more fun then the original, though I am saddened by the loss of a certain paddle.
Graphics: 8/10 - Good graphics, but not much improvement. And not much to say. Nothing that makes you think the XBOX is really being pushed.
Sound: 7/10 - Decent sound. Nothing that puts the wowzers in your trousers, but still good.
Controls: 8/10 - Good controls, a bit testy at times.
Fun Factor: 9/10 - This is where NG2 shines. After a solid ten minutes of kicking the asses of everyone who shows up, you'll see what I mean.
Reviewer's lean: 8/10 - I had a great time, some minor irritations, nothing to report, but still enough to drop the game from a 9 to an 8. (Aside from one minor glitch that leads to a crappy crappy outcome, so switch saving to manual people!)
Total: 8/10 - Yeah sounds about right.
The son of the leader of the Dragon Clan. Ryu Hyabusa has tangled with some of the most dangerous people on the planet, and come out with a frown and nary a scratch on him after.
This review will be short since the game hasn't differed too much from the original. They have cut down on the variety of the weapons, but upped the usefulness of each depending on the situation. You can get by in nearly every fight with just about any weapon, but then why would you want to, (with the exception of achievement hunters) when you have all manner of hurt sitting off to the side waiting to be tagged in to tear into some baddie flesh?
The sound has improved from the previous games, usually it is clearer and less grating.
Occasionally there are issues with the sound but at best they are minor and do not detract from the gameplay.
Gameplay itself has no major flaws, sometimes the controls feel a bit slow to react but that is usually only during very long attack animations that seem to go on a bit long. Such as with the Lunar Staff's attack in air, or the other larger weapons during a strangely long attack, the game doesn't seem to care that you've been hit and should be able to jump out of there. No using a different character (thank play testers for that I'd bet) and getting irritated because they are molasses frozen in time. It's all Ryu, all the way.
This game features some amazing battles that don't have the useless addition of protecting someone who is functionally useless like so many potentially perfect games. (RE4, ZOE:Second Runner, and so many others)
Not much else to say. The game hasn't become ground breaking in its changes, just mostly minor tweaks that definitely improve the game. Impossibly, it is more fun then the original, though I am saddened by the loss of a certain paddle.
Graphics: 8/10 - Good graphics, but not much improvement. And not much to say. Nothing that makes you think the XBOX is really being pushed.
Sound: 7/10 - Decent sound. Nothing that puts the wowzers in your trousers, but still good.
Controls: 8/10 - Good controls, a bit testy at times.
Fun Factor: 9/10 - This is where NG2 shines. After a solid ten minutes of kicking the asses of everyone who shows up, you'll see what I mean.
Reviewer's lean: 8/10 - I had a great time, some minor irritations, nothing to report, but still enough to drop the game from a 9 to an 8. (Aside from one minor glitch that leads to a crappy crappy outcome, so switch saving to manual people!)
Total: 8/10 - Yeah sounds about right.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Metal Gear Solid 4:Guns of the Patriots
All of it has been leading to this.
We've waded through the original Metal Gears and then Metal Gear Solids 1-3. The side games and the non-canon games. We've watched and waited at marveled at the progression of technology making one of gaming's most revered franchises, more involving, more beautiful, and sadly more convoluted.
Metal Gear Solid 4 : The Guns of the Patriots is a whole lot of things, big and small, involving and superficial, beautiful and ugly. It is a game full of paradoxes. That is the best way for me to succinctly describe this game.
Amazingly, in my humble opinion, much of the gameplay lives up to the hype. Yes, the outlandish claims of this game being the best of the series could (arguably) be true.
That statement sets a high bar I know, but depending on what you took from this series to begin with, you'll either agree with me, or disagree with me.
This game opens up in the Middle East. With Solid Snake (now Old Snake) narrating how the world has changed in a remarkably short time. Olga's child Sunny has grown some and is now aboard the Nomad with Snake and Octacon serving as surrogate parents, and Raiden having rescued her, this creates a Three Men and a Baby situation of sorts.
The game uses this moment to display the graphical power of the PS3 which admittedly is stunning. Light reflecting off the guns, the dust in the wake of the truck flying around realistically, even the slight and slow movements of the soldiers do not feel awkward or rushed for the most part.
Character animations have always been the strong point of the MGS series. Even in the PlayStation days, there was a bit were you (as Snake) heavily relied upon a certain character's animation to recognize...them. Oh screw it. It was Meryl, you had to watch her butt to find her in that one bit. There were other ways to do it, but the game implied watching the soldiers' butts would light the way.
As previously implied, this games strong point is easily its graphical ability. For the most part the game provides a photorealistic experience. Background events and combat is at times frighteningly real. Some scenes do fall into the realm of surrealist drama, but the quality of the animation and character models still makes many scripted events seem entirely plausible, which is a testament to the art department's talent.
The audio is also amazingly well done. Very few games truly require a full sound system to get a great sense of the audio's high production value, (which is hopefully the only time I'll use that phrase while referring to this game, otherwise it will start to sound like a mantra.) but this one does. Easily. The sound of a clip being jammed back into the weapon, even (but hard to hear except when playing loudly I spose) the sound of a syringe being pushed into its target, the animals sighted and unsighted. This game takes what you'd expect from any high-end game and turns it into a hemophiliac baby and kicks it in the face, with a giant robot. Yes, that good.
But the amazing thing is, more and more reveals itself as you listen harder and harder. And if you aren't an audiophile, you'll still be impressed if you stop to pay attention to the sounds around you. Nearly everything in this game becomes important on high difficulties, and so the developers seemed to have endeavoured to take as much "OMFG the game is so cheap! There was no warning for that giant dog to show up and eat me!"-type situations out of the equation. Which for anyone trying to gain the Big Boss emblem will appreciate. A no kill, no alert, no heal run is hard enough without shit suddenly flying at you with no real notice. And that is how good the sound is people.
The gameplay, the meat and potatoes of the Metal Gear franchise. More important then even the crazy story which grows even crazier in this game then ever dreamed possible. (Re: Nanomachines) Is both old and new. CQC is introduced into the 'modern' era. Introduced into the series by the previous game, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The CQC system however has been slightly modified since the PS3 is now more pressure sensitive then the PS2 was, so now depending on how you press the button, you get any number of actions. At first its a bit tricky, and I recommend creating an alternate save (if you want your first run through to have as little kills as possible that is, if you don't give a crap, go to town!) and practicing the amount of pressure needed to perform each action. Yes there is a briefing section where you can do that, however I prefer using the real environment to practice, as it shows you what works and what doesn't in whatever situation. On the job training. Though really there are only three main branches of action, they do still take a bit of getting used to if you are the type of gamer to just jam a button and expect that action done. (Not everyone is a gentle gaming type, I'm not for instance.)
The sneaking has generally not changed, though again pressure sensitivity might take some getting used to, for the most part any changes are now intuitive once you grasp the main concept, the harder you push the more drastic the action. In CQC if you press the button hard you are left with one major option, the victim's death. But you can change your mind before you inflict death of course. And crawling is as simple as pressing the X button firmly and you're laying down, a tap gets you kneeling or bent low, and another tap will get you standing again. See intuitive.
Now there is a threat ring, which is straight from another Kojima game, Zone of the Enders. Though this is based more on sound then radar as in the other game, but it works in the same way. Closer threats are a higher bump on the ring and all threats in the area are on the ring, even animals, which can create some false positives while sneaking around, making this game even more in depth.
The newest addition to the game being the psyche bar. Combat, sneaking closely to enemies, alert status, anything inherently stressful, all lower the psyche bar. Which is a direct level of Snake's mental state. It has similar effects to MGS3's stamina bar. In fact it is nearly a complete parallel. The only difference being the combat high, where Snake takes less damage and has better accuracy, but the risk is he could collapse after the high. So smoke your ass off to keep from falling apart is what we've learned.
So at the start I claimed the game was both awesome and crappy. Why?
Take a look at everything I wrote. All that rambling.
The game does in no way force you to notice any of those things. Is that humility? Maybe, is that poor game design? No. But the quality of your experience is significantly diminished if you end up not noticing some of those things, (definitely not all of them of course) just a few. But you don't really have too. You can breeze through the game on normal using the Solid Eye shooting and killing whatever you want yes. You won't notice how great the graphics really are. Or how useful the sound actually is. Just by listening you can pinpoint where soldiers are around the way and how many there are. But you don't HAVE to even come close to noticing that. There are no bits where sneaking becomes important. Which is great yes. And how does that detract from this game? It doesn't really. Which is why I mostly praised this game throughout this review. However for those who will play this game once and move on, you will not have savoured the game. By no means should people HAVE to be gaming connoisseurs, but a good paced play through the game will reveal these things. Which kinda sucks, because anyone playing on easy will definitely not have to even consider any of these things. And truthfully, that is why I stated that this game is full of paradoxes.
And by the way, the story constantly using nanomachines as its deus ex machina? Ridiculous. But otherwise a fun ride.
Metal Gear 4 was everything I had hoped it would be, and mostly more.
It generally felt like a satisfying end to a very memorable series.
And so I give it fairly high scores as shown below. It is not and I cannot state this any more firmly, the best game ever. But it is one of the best games I've played in the long time.
Graphics - 9/10 - Wonderful but with some flaws, like when you get too close to certain textures. Or Akiba's shit stained pants. But the Rat Patrol's squad animations were flawless.
Sound - 9/10 - Great sound, stunning for the most part, but some sounds were far too loud in certain sections, louder then they really would have been.
Controls - 8/10 - Generally tight controls, certain (spoiler filled!) sections had testy controls, but overall very good.
Fun Factor - 8/10 - Not really that different then previous games, except for the addition of a gajillion guns. This would have been a 7 had it not been for two of the very fun battles at the end.
Reviewers lean - 9/10 - I do love this game a whole lot. In fact as of this writing (September 17th) I'm on my 6th playthrough. Which says a lot considering I played the crap out of this game on the FIRST play. Something like 90 hrs logged in that one game.
Total - 8.6/10 - A very strong game. One of the best games of the year easily. A great play for the casual or hardcore gamer. Just don't expect to understand the story if you are familiar with real nanotech, but if Star Trek's techobabble sounds plausible to you, then this story will blow you away.
Metal Gear Solid 4: The Guns of the Patriots
We've waded through the original Metal Gears and then Metal Gear Solids 1-3. The side games and the non-canon games. We've watched and waited at marveled at the progression of technology making one of gaming's most revered franchises, more involving, more beautiful, and sadly more convoluted.
Metal Gear Solid 4 : The Guns of the Patriots is a whole lot of things, big and small, involving and superficial, beautiful and ugly. It is a game full of paradoxes. That is the best way for me to succinctly describe this game.
Amazingly, in my humble opinion, much of the gameplay lives up to the hype. Yes, the outlandish claims of this game being the best of the series could (arguably) be true.
That statement sets a high bar I know, but depending on what you took from this series to begin with, you'll either agree with me, or disagree with me.
This game opens up in the Middle East. With Solid Snake (now Old Snake) narrating how the world has changed in a remarkably short time. Olga's child Sunny has grown some and is now aboard the Nomad with Snake and Octacon serving as surrogate parents, and Raiden having rescued her, this creates a Three Men and a Baby situation of sorts.
The game uses this moment to display the graphical power of the PS3 which admittedly is stunning. Light reflecting off the guns, the dust in the wake of the truck flying around realistically, even the slight and slow movements of the soldiers do not feel awkward or rushed for the most part.
Character animations have always been the strong point of the MGS series. Even in the PlayStation days, there was a bit were you (as Snake) heavily relied upon a certain character's animation to recognize...them. Oh screw it. It was Meryl, you had to watch her butt to find her in that one bit. There were other ways to do it, but the game implied watching the soldiers' butts would light the way.
As previously implied, this games strong point is easily its graphical ability. For the most part the game provides a photorealistic experience. Background events and combat is at times frighteningly real. Some scenes do fall into the realm of surrealist drama, but the quality of the animation and character models still makes many scripted events seem entirely plausible, which is a testament to the art department's talent.
The audio is also amazingly well done. Very few games truly require a full sound system to get a great sense of the audio's high production value, (which is hopefully the only time I'll use that phrase while referring to this game, otherwise it will start to sound like a mantra.) but this one does. Easily. The sound of a clip being jammed back into the weapon, even (but hard to hear except when playing loudly I spose) the sound of a syringe being pushed into its target, the animals sighted and unsighted. This game takes what you'd expect from any high-end game and turns it into a hemophiliac baby and kicks it in the face, with a giant robot. Yes, that good.
But the amazing thing is, more and more reveals itself as you listen harder and harder. And if you aren't an audiophile, you'll still be impressed if you stop to pay attention to the sounds around you. Nearly everything in this game becomes important on high difficulties, and so the developers seemed to have endeavoured to take as much "OMFG the game is so cheap! There was no warning for that giant dog to show up and eat me!"-type situations out of the equation. Which for anyone trying to gain the Big Boss emblem will appreciate. A no kill, no alert, no heal run is hard enough without shit suddenly flying at you with no real notice. And that is how good the sound is people.
The gameplay, the meat and potatoes of the Metal Gear franchise. More important then even the crazy story which grows even crazier in this game then ever dreamed possible. (Re: Nanomachines) Is both old and new. CQC is introduced into the 'modern' era. Introduced into the series by the previous game, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The CQC system however has been slightly modified since the PS3 is now more pressure sensitive then the PS2 was, so now depending on how you press the button, you get any number of actions. At first its a bit tricky, and I recommend creating an alternate save (if you want your first run through to have as little kills as possible that is, if you don't give a crap, go to town!) and practicing the amount of pressure needed to perform each action. Yes there is a briefing section where you can do that, however I prefer using the real environment to practice, as it shows you what works and what doesn't in whatever situation. On the job training. Though really there are only three main branches of action, they do still take a bit of getting used to if you are the type of gamer to just jam a button and expect that action done. (Not everyone is a gentle gaming type, I'm not for instance.)
The sneaking has generally not changed, though again pressure sensitivity might take some getting used to, for the most part any changes are now intuitive once you grasp the main concept, the harder you push the more drastic the action. In CQC if you press the button hard you are left with one major option, the victim's death. But you can change your mind before you inflict death of course. And crawling is as simple as pressing the X button firmly and you're laying down, a tap gets you kneeling or bent low, and another tap will get you standing again. See intuitive.
Now there is a threat ring, which is straight from another Kojima game, Zone of the Enders. Though this is based more on sound then radar as in the other game, but it works in the same way. Closer threats are a higher bump on the ring and all threats in the area are on the ring, even animals, which can create some false positives while sneaking around, making this game even more in depth.
The newest addition to the game being the psyche bar. Combat, sneaking closely to enemies, alert status, anything inherently stressful, all lower the psyche bar. Which is a direct level of Snake's mental state. It has similar effects to MGS3's stamina bar. In fact it is nearly a complete parallel. The only difference being the combat high, where Snake takes less damage and has better accuracy, but the risk is he could collapse after the high. So smoke your ass off to keep from falling apart is what we've learned.
So at the start I claimed the game was both awesome and crappy. Why?
Take a look at everything I wrote. All that rambling.
The game does in no way force you to notice any of those things. Is that humility? Maybe, is that poor game design? No. But the quality of your experience is significantly diminished if you end up not noticing some of those things, (definitely not all of them of course) just a few. But you don't really have too. You can breeze through the game on normal using the Solid Eye shooting and killing whatever you want yes. You won't notice how great the graphics really are. Or how useful the sound actually is. Just by listening you can pinpoint where soldiers are around the way and how many there are. But you don't HAVE to even come close to noticing that. There are no bits where sneaking becomes important. Which is great yes. And how does that detract from this game? It doesn't really. Which is why I mostly praised this game throughout this review. However for those who will play this game once and move on, you will not have savoured the game. By no means should people HAVE to be gaming connoisseurs, but a good paced play through the game will reveal these things. Which kinda sucks, because anyone playing on easy will definitely not have to even consider any of these things. And truthfully, that is why I stated that this game is full of paradoxes.
And by the way, the story constantly using nanomachines as its deus ex machina? Ridiculous. But otherwise a fun ride.
Metal Gear 4 was everything I had hoped it would be, and mostly more.
It generally felt like a satisfying end to a very memorable series.
And so I give it fairly high scores as shown below. It is not and I cannot state this any more firmly, the best game ever. But it is one of the best games I've played in the long time.
Graphics - 9/10 - Wonderful but with some flaws, like when you get too close to certain textures. Or Akiba's shit stained pants. But the Rat Patrol's squad animations were flawless.
Sound - 9/10 - Great sound, stunning for the most part, but some sounds were far too loud in certain sections, louder then they really would have been.
Controls - 8/10 - Generally tight controls, certain (spoiler filled!) sections had testy controls, but overall very good.
Fun Factor - 8/10 - Not really that different then previous games, except for the addition of a gajillion guns. This would have been a 7 had it not been for two of the very fun battles at the end.
Reviewers lean - 9/10 - I do love this game a whole lot. In fact as of this writing (September 17th) I'm on my 6th playthrough. Which says a lot considering I played the crap out of this game on the FIRST play. Something like 90 hrs logged in that one game.
Total - 8.6/10 - A very strong game. One of the best games of the year easily. A great play for the casual or hardcore gamer. Just don't expect to understand the story if you are familiar with real nanotech, but if Star Trek's techobabble sounds plausible to you, then this story will blow you away.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Ninja Gaiden Sigma.
Shazam! I have returned and with a very late set of reviews. Most of these games are well over due for reviews by me but hey I've been busy and this is a hobby.
First up:
Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Which claims itself to be a remake, when really its graphical update with stuff taken out and a few new things put in.
The game is essentially just a graphical update of the previous versions. No MAJOR differences. Yes, they added a new weapon. Yes, they added new bosses. Yes, they took out features and a cut scene. And added new enemies. Made Rachel more then a throwaway character (not by much and her boobs are still far too prominent for my tastes. But hey thats how Tecmo gets its audiences attention who am I to judge.) That doesn't mean it enhanced the game experience a great deal. Not enough for the game to be considered brand new, or a proper remake.
However that doesn't make the game inferior to the previous games by any means. In fact the game play experience has been enhanced, but just a bit. Enough for a difference to be felt. Notably, the controls are more responsive. And that brightens my eyes a bit more.
The graphics have been improved, enough so that you really can call this a PS3 game. It isn't a marginal upgrade. The graphics for this game were already phenomenal, and they just got better. The colours are vibrant and strong. The enemies though generally generic in feel, they are not visually more generic then you'd expect from any game. They look good, move well, and fight commendably on any difficulty. There was slow down in a few moments where the battles became extremely hectic. Such as an early boss on a burning bridge, if you manage to get a screen filled with all the enemies launching attacks at you, and you are launching your UT at max well, expect a moments freezing if you are unlucky.
The sound hasn't changed significantly. It isn't poor but it isn't the outstanding sound you'd expect from a PS3 game. But that is neither here nor there at this point. The game is still a port. You cannot expect anything very new or earth shattering. It's just essentially an update with some graphical enhancement. Really there is no point in giving this game a fleshed out review.
The controls however did have a little bit more life in them. It did not take as long as expected to get acclimated to the control scheme again. Comparing it to the original version of the game yields a very interesting result, the controls have been tightened. Movements aren't as stiff initially which is a great boon to the rare player who HASN'T already experienced this game numerous times. To returning players, this game will be easy on you. The difficulty is about the same. I don't think it has changed, but thats the catch it hasn't changed. So if you are like the legions of gamers who also felt the game was too hard on normal, well...It hasn't changed so get ready to get mad all over again.
This game is the same as before.
Just prettier and the controls are cleaner.
Sounds the same as before.
Content has changed a fair bit, depending on what you like. Certain features have been cut. The opening cut scene about the two swords has been cut.
Good game.
But not new.
Graphics: 8/10 - Strong but not awe inspiring.
Sound: 7/10 - Same as before. Still good though.
Controls: 8/10 - Tighter, smoother, cleaner. Like fresh apples.
Fun Factor: 9/10 - If you've never played it.
8/10 - If you have.
Reviewer's Lean - 7/10 - Just because there is nothing new offered and very little feels updated for what feels like the jillionth re-release. (Well it is only the 3 time NG has been released.)
Total: 7.6/10 (B) - It's a good game. But it's not enough. Not enough to be a game that people have to go out and get if they already own one of the previous incarnations.
First up:
Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Which claims itself to be a remake, when really its graphical update with stuff taken out and a few new things put in.
The game is essentially just a graphical update of the previous versions. No MAJOR differences. Yes, they added a new weapon. Yes, they added new bosses. Yes, they took out features and a cut scene. And added new enemies. Made Rachel more then a throwaway character (not by much and her boobs are still far too prominent for my tastes. But hey thats how Tecmo gets its audiences attention who am I to judge.) That doesn't mean it enhanced the game experience a great deal. Not enough for the game to be considered brand new, or a proper remake.
However that doesn't make the game inferior to the previous games by any means. In fact the game play experience has been enhanced, but just a bit. Enough for a difference to be felt. Notably, the controls are more responsive. And that brightens my eyes a bit more.
The graphics have been improved, enough so that you really can call this a PS3 game. It isn't a marginal upgrade. The graphics for this game were already phenomenal, and they just got better. The colours are vibrant and strong. The enemies though generally generic in feel, they are not visually more generic then you'd expect from any game. They look good, move well, and fight commendably on any difficulty. There was slow down in a few moments where the battles became extremely hectic. Such as an early boss on a burning bridge, if you manage to get a screen filled with all the enemies launching attacks at you, and you are launching your UT at max well, expect a moments freezing if you are unlucky.
The sound hasn't changed significantly. It isn't poor but it isn't the outstanding sound you'd expect from a PS3 game. But that is neither here nor there at this point. The game is still a port. You cannot expect anything very new or earth shattering. It's just essentially an update with some graphical enhancement. Really there is no point in giving this game a fleshed out review.
The controls however did have a little bit more life in them. It did not take as long as expected to get acclimated to the control scheme again. Comparing it to the original version of the game yields a very interesting result, the controls have been tightened. Movements aren't as stiff initially which is a great boon to the rare player who HASN'T already experienced this game numerous times. To returning players, this game will be easy on you. The difficulty is about the same. I don't think it has changed, but thats the catch it hasn't changed. So if you are like the legions of gamers who also felt the game was too hard on normal, well...It hasn't changed so get ready to get mad all over again.
This game is the same as before.
Just prettier and the controls are cleaner.
Sounds the same as before.
Content has changed a fair bit, depending on what you like. Certain features have been cut. The opening cut scene about the two swords has been cut.
Good game.
But not new.
Graphics: 8/10 - Strong but not awe inspiring.
Sound: 7/10 - Same as before. Still good though.
Controls: 8/10 - Tighter, smoother, cleaner. Like fresh apples.
Fun Factor: 9/10 - If you've never played it.
8/10 - If you have.
Reviewer's Lean - 7/10 - Just because there is nothing new offered and very little feels updated for what feels like the jillionth re-release. (Well it is only the 3 time NG has been released.)
Total: 7.6/10 (B) - It's a good game. But it's not enough. Not enough to be a game that people have to go out and get if they already own one of the previous incarnations.
Monday, February 11, 2008
11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
I could write reviews on each of these games but mostly my comments through this list will let you know how I feel about most of them. And some of them are still going to get reviews anyway.
Also a major note, if anyone gets confused, I don't normally factor Portal into my vote for The Orange Box, the other games just don't deserve the vote that Portal gets from me, UNLESS portal is specifically stated. And that only happens once.
I know my opinion won't make a difference. But I will still pretend my vote is the only one! My choices shall be bolded. But I know what I want, is what will be. Or in this case was.
I could write for hours on how this next category can't EVEN possibly have any nominations for this year. None of these games did anything innovative, in any vague sense of the word. Rock Band was just a cheap extension of several ideas already in play, in fact outside of its financial success I consider the game a waste. Yes, I'm aware the Wii was really just a reconstitution of other ideas that had already been done, but here is the trick, it hadn't been done right. Rock Band wasn't improving the formula, it was just reusing it. Not even close to the same.
It's not really that different from Guitar Hero, its fun, but thats it. There's no replay value, there's no substance. Yes, I know I'm writing about video games, but when you use the word innovative, it comes with responsibilities.
Orange Box has had numerous nominations when I feel it doesn't really validate most of them. Yes it was good and fun, but not in any way that demands it be nominated for so many awards.
You would think that for this next category, the easy choice would be the games that are filled with classic rock ect. However, I don't feel they deserve credit for picking music that has been acclaimed for years, and some modern popular songs. Besides even with the songs between the two games, BioShock outclassed them EASILY.
This is the department where Orange Box DOES deserve the win! (This was a triumph...I'm making a note here. Huge success..)
For all of my animosity towards the game, Assassin's Creed sure was pretty. And deserving of these next few awards.
One day I'm gonna make the money to have a new Scene It? made to my tastes. Light, camera, BLACKTION!
Stay Tuned!
Also a major note, if anyone gets confused, I don't normally factor Portal into my vote for The Orange Box, the other games just don't deserve the vote that Portal gets from me, UNLESS portal is specifically stated. And that only happens once.
I know my opinion won't make a difference. But I will still pretend my vote is the only one! My choices shall be bolded. But I know what I want, is what will be. Or in this case was.
| Overall Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Rock Band | MTV Games / Electronic Arts | Harmonix |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| The Orange Box | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
| Console Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Mass Effect | Microsoft Game Studios | BioWare |
| Rock Band | MTV Games / Electronic Arts | Harmonix |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| Computer Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Crysis | Electronic Arts | Crytek |
| The Orange Box | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
| World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade | Vivendi Games | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| EVE Online: Trinity | CCP | CCP |
| Guild Wars: Eye of the North | NCsoft | AreaNet |
| Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa | NCsoft | Destination Games |
| The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar | Midway | Turbine |
| World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade | Vivendi Games | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Action Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Crysis | Electronic Arts | Crytek |
| Halo 3 | Microsoft Game Studios | Bungie Studios |
| The Orange Box | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
| Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation | Namco Bandai Games America | Namco Bandai Games |
| Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars | Electronic Arts | EA LA |
| Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts | THQ | Relic |
| Supreme Commander | THQ | Gas Powered Games |
| World in Conflict | Vivendi Games | Massive Entertainment |
| Sports Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| FIFA Soccer 08 | Electronic Arts | Electronic Arts |
| MLB 07: The Show | Sony Computer Entertainment America | SCE San Diego |
| NBA 2K8 | 2K Sports | Visual Concepts |
| NHL 08 | Electronic Arts | EA Canada |
| skate. | Electronic Arts | EA Black Box |
| Adventure Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Montreal |
| God of War II | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Sony Computer Entertainment Santa Monica |
| Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Insomniac Games |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Naughty Dog |
I could write for hours on how this next category can't EVEN possibly have any nominations for this year. None of these games did anything innovative, in any vague sense of the word. Rock Band was just a cheap extension of several ideas already in play, in fact outside of its financial success I consider the game a waste. Yes, I'm aware the Wii was really just a reconstitution of other ideas that had already been done, but here is the trick, it hadn't been done right. Rock Band wasn't improving the formula, it was just reusing it. Not even close to the same.
It's not really that different from Guitar Hero, its fun, but thats it. There's no replay value, there's no substance. Yes, I know I'm writing about video games, but when you use the word innovative, it comes with responsibilities.
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Montreal |
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Rock Band | MTV Games / Electronic Arts | Harmonix |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| The Orange Box | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
Orange Box has had numerous nominations when I feel it doesn't really validate most of them. Yes it was good and fun, but not in any way that demands it be nominated for so many awards.
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Design | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Rock Band | MTV Games / Electronic Arts | Harmonix |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| The Orange Box | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
| Racing Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| DiRT | Codemasters | Codemasters |
| Forza Motorsport 2 | Microsoft Game Studios | Turn 10 Studios |
| Motorstorm | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Evolution Studios |
| Need For Speed Pro Street | Electronic Arts | EA Black Box |
| Project Gotham Racing 4 | Microsoft Game Studios | Bizarre Creations |
| Role-Playing Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Eternal Sonata | Namco Bandai Games America | Tri-Crescendo |
| Jeanne d'Arc | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Level 5 |
| Mass Effect | Microsoft Game Studios | BioWare |
| Rogue Galaxy | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Level 5 |
| The Witcher | Atari | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Paris, Red Storm |
| skate. | Electronic Arts | EA Mobile |
| Need For Speed Pro Street | Electronic Arts | EA Black Box |
You would think that for this next category, the easy choice would be the games that are filled with classic rock ect. However, I don't feel they deserve credit for picking music that has been acclaimed for years, and some modern popular songs. Besides even with the songs between the two games, BioShock outclassed them EASILY.
| Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Guitar Hero III | Activision | Neversoft |
| Rock Band | MTV Games / Electronic Arts | Harmonix |
| Singstar POP | Sony Computer Entertainment America | SCEE London Studio |
| skate. | Electronic Arts | EA Mobile |
This is the department where Orange Box DOES deserve the win! (This was a triumph...I'm making a note here. Huge success..)
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Rock Band | MTV Games / Electronic Arts | Harmonix |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| The Orange Box: Portal | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
| Outstanding Achievement in Story Development | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Drawn to Life | THQ | 5th Cell |
| Mass Effect | Microsoft Game Studios | BioWare |
| The Darkness | 2K Games | Starbreeze Studios |
| Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Naughty Dog |
| Outstanding Character Performance | ||
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Heavenly Sword | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Ninja Theory |
| Mass Effect | Microsoft Game Studios | BioWare |
| The Orange Box: Portal | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
| Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Naughty Dog |
For all of my animosity towards the game, Assassin's Creed sure was pretty. And deserving of these next few awards.
| Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Crysis | Electronic Arts | Crytek |
| Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Insomniac Games |
| Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Naughty Dog |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Montreal |
| BioShock | 2K Games | 2K Boston, 2K Australia |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Heavenly Sword | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Ninja Theory |
| The Orange Box: Team Fortress 2 | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
| Outstanding Achievement in Animation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | Infinity Ward |
| Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Insomniac Games |
| Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Naughty Dog |
| The Orange Box: Team Fortress 2 | Electronic Arts/Valve Software | Valve Software |
One day I'm gonna make the money to have a new Scene It? made to my tastes. Light, camera, BLACKTION!
| Family Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Guitar Hero III | Activision | Neversoft |
| Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 | Ubisoft | Ubisoft Montpellier |
| Rock Band | MTV Games / Electronic Arts | Harmonix |
| Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action | Microsoft Games Studios | Screenlife |
| WarioWare: Smooth Moves | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
| Handheld Game of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Drawn to Life | THQ | 5th Cell |
| Jeanne d'Arc | Sony Computer Entertainment America | Level 5 |
| Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords | D3 Publisher of America | Infinite Interactive, 1st Playable Productions |
| Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters | Sony Computer Entertainment America | High Impact Games |
| The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | Nintendo of America | Nintendo |
Stay Tuned!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Smash Brothers Delayed and PS3 for me?!
Super Smash Brothers Brawl has been delayed yet again. March 9th stands as the next release date. They think this time its for sure! The game looks to be in very good shape though. I don't expect most people will be disappointed. But if they remove Ness. Well there will be hell to pay.
I played the PS3 for the first time recently. I was impressed by the graphical power. But thats all that impressed me. The user interface was disappointing. It was slow, cumbersome at times and most of all plain. I could have ignored the fact that it sometimes took up to a minute to load just WHO had user accounts, if I had something pretty to look at. And that is just me trying to give the PS3 some points. Then I played a few games. The first being Assassin's Creed.
Disappointing. It seems to be a recurring theme with the system.
The graphics were definitely pretty. It was organic and fluid. It was almost natural. The sound was stunning. It was crisp clear and very easily discernible. But that's it. Again. That's it. The game was repetitive and easy. The combat was bland.
I could turn this post into a review of Assassin's Creed but I wouldn't fill very much space. The game doesn't deserve a space in your game library unless you get it free when you buy a GOOD game or if it is REALLY REALLY cheap. Somewhere in the 5-10 dollar range. It isn't really worth a new buy, or even a semi-used price. Its a rental.
The game is repetitive, the story is predictable, the game mechanics rehashed. Though I will admit, for the first two hours exploring was a kick ass time, but as interesting things and challenges washed away so did my interest. When climbing is essentially the same task over and over it isn't interesting. It's annoying. I actually managed to find nearly all the flags in my first play through. Then I went online to see how long it normally takes (because I expected a much shorter time for people) and yeah I did it as fast as most speed players were on most message boards. I'm not an above average player people. In some games, sure I excel, (who doesn't?) but to me thats ridiculous. I wasn't a dedicated player of this game. So either these people really sucked, or I was just that good. But I postulated a third answer: The game just wasn't very good at hiding stuff and some people get so wrapped up in what they are doing in game, that they miss items. Which I won't hold against them if they are still marveling at the pretty pretty game. It sure is pretty. But it's empty beauty and what is the point of that?
The Combat system was what I was very excited to see. I know this game is about stealth, but if the combat isn't very good when you DO have to fight, what the hell are you supposed to do for fun? Climb?! No way man. That's not interesting. That is why the first Spider-Man movie game blew straight out the ass. It was boring to climb over and over. The second one however did a good job. It changed the whole system around so that climbing was a means to an end, namely the most fun webslinging available to non-webslingers. It was repetitive. Getting annoying yet? Play the game and feel the annoyance for yourself.
The Graphics Pretty. The Sound Great. The game? Rent it.
I have yet to play Uncharted waters, but I will. The next game on the PS3 I will be playing? Ninja Gaiden...Sigma? Whatever the hundredth rerelease of the same damn game is called. Apparently this is a worthwhile game to buy, or so I'm told. However it seems to me that a majority of the folks who'd buy this game, already OWN the older versions. All of them.
Stay tuned!
I played the PS3 for the first time recently. I was impressed by the graphical power. But thats all that impressed me. The user interface was disappointing. It was slow, cumbersome at times and most of all plain. I could have ignored the fact that it sometimes took up to a minute to load just WHO had user accounts, if I had something pretty to look at. And that is just me trying to give the PS3 some points. Then I played a few games. The first being Assassin's Creed.
Disappointing. It seems to be a recurring theme with the system.
The graphics were definitely pretty. It was organic and fluid. It was almost natural. The sound was stunning. It was crisp clear and very easily discernible. But that's it. Again. That's it. The game was repetitive and easy. The combat was bland.
I could turn this post into a review of Assassin's Creed but I wouldn't fill very much space. The game doesn't deserve a space in your game library unless you get it free when you buy a GOOD game or if it is REALLY REALLY cheap. Somewhere in the 5-10 dollar range. It isn't really worth a new buy, or even a semi-used price. Its a rental.
The game is repetitive, the story is predictable, the game mechanics rehashed. Though I will admit, for the first two hours exploring was a kick ass time, but as interesting things and challenges washed away so did my interest. When climbing is essentially the same task over and over it isn't interesting. It's annoying. I actually managed to find nearly all the flags in my first play through. Then I went online to see how long it normally takes (because I expected a much shorter time for people) and yeah I did it as fast as most speed players were on most message boards. I'm not an above average player people. In some games, sure I excel, (who doesn't?) but to me thats ridiculous. I wasn't a dedicated player of this game. So either these people really sucked, or I was just that good. But I postulated a third answer: The game just wasn't very good at hiding stuff and some people get so wrapped up in what they are doing in game, that they miss items. Which I won't hold against them if they are still marveling at the pretty pretty game. It sure is pretty. But it's empty beauty and what is the point of that?
The Combat system was what I was very excited to see. I know this game is about stealth, but if the combat isn't very good when you DO have to fight, what the hell are you supposed to do for fun? Climb?! No way man. That's not interesting. That is why the first Spider-Man movie game blew straight out the ass. It was boring to climb over and over. The second one however did a good job. It changed the whole system around so that climbing was a means to an end, namely the most fun webslinging available to non-webslingers. It was repetitive. Getting annoying yet? Play the game and feel the annoyance for yourself.
The Graphics Pretty. The Sound Great. The game? Rent it.
I have yet to play Uncharted waters, but I will. The next game on the PS3 I will be playing? Ninja Gaiden...Sigma? Whatever the hundredth rerelease of the same damn game is called. Apparently this is a worthwhile game to buy, or so I'm told. However it seems to me that a majority of the folks who'd buy this game, already OWN the older versions. All of them.
Stay tuned!
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