Adventure game from Capcom. Played on PS2, also available on Nintendo Wii.
A Zelda clone. Starring a wolf. No it's not Twilight Princess (LOLOLOLOLOL), and no it's not as good as Twilight Princess, but it's still absolutely fantastic. from the developers of viewtiful joe, it has s similar cel shaded style that looks absolutely beautiful and puts Wind Waker (another zelda title) to shame. The use of the 'celestial brush' to draw bombs and cuts as you fight and explore is nothing short of genius as well, and makes this a great game in its own right rather than 'another zelda clone'. And even without that, the game would be fantastic; the game world is huge and the main game takes ages to complete; and I'm sure I missed some bonuses.
Best adventure on ps2.
9/10
Monday, 19 May 2008
Guitar Hero 3
Rhythm game from Neversoft. Played on Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, also available on PS2 and PS3.
Wannabe rock star fun at its very best. Play songs from a variety of rock sub genres on 4 difficulties using a guitar shaped plastic controller. Absolute genius, and among my favourite games of all time. Simplified hammer ons in this threequel mean much more insane note combinations, bringing fresh challenge to the series while making it easier for newbies to grasp the concept of playing notes without strumming. However, the boss battles are a load of rubbish.
Still, the ultimate party game. 9/10.
Wannabe rock star fun at its very best. Play songs from a variety of rock sub genres on 4 difficulties using a guitar shaped plastic controller. Absolute genius, and among my favourite games of all time. Simplified hammer ons in this threequel mean much more insane note combinations, bringing fresh challenge to the series while making it easier for newbies to grasp the concept of playing notes without strumming. However, the boss battles are a load of rubbish.
Still, the ultimate party game. 9/10.
Final Fantasy 7
Role Playing Game from Squaresoft. Played on PS1, also available on PC.
TEH BEST RPG EVAR. Period.
But no, really. Amazing narrative, soundtrack, and gameplay makes up for the now dated visuals. Some locations still look stunning even now.
10/10
TEH BEST RPG EVAR. Period.
But no, really. Amazing narrative, soundtrack, and gameplay makes up for the now dated visuals. Some locations still look stunning even now.
10/10
Starfox Adventures
Adventure game from Rareware. Played on Nintendo Gamecube.
An adventure game that's received very varied responses in the media. Some hailed it as the cube's best game when it was released while others branded it a mediocre disappointment. While I can see both points, I have to go with a more positive outlook.
Essentially a Zelda clone starring fox Mc Cloud of Starfox fame, you must explore dinosaur planet in order to.... actually I have no idea. The storyline's awful, who cares. The combat's slick but descends into repetitive button mashing and is very easy. It doesn't matter. because the game is fun to play, and beautiful to watch. The environments are absolutely gorgeous as well, making you want to explore them. There are the generic icey and firey areas, but they look so good... and some areas, like the moon-style terrain, are original as well as attractive.
The main downside is that annoying little turd Prince Tricky who follows you everywhere. Thankfully you can hit him with your stick. And thankfully the scarab loving shopkeeper's brilliance outweighs tricky's general rubbishness. If only you had scarab guy as your sidekick... shouting 'YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SCARABS' as he slaps opponents... aaah, to dream.
8/10
An adventure game that's received very varied responses in the media. Some hailed it as the cube's best game when it was released while others branded it a mediocre disappointment. While I can see both points, I have to go with a more positive outlook.
Essentially a Zelda clone starring fox Mc Cloud of Starfox fame, you must explore dinosaur planet in order to.... actually I have no idea. The storyline's awful, who cares. The combat's slick but descends into repetitive button mashing and is very easy. It doesn't matter. because the game is fun to play, and beautiful to watch. The environments are absolutely gorgeous as well, making you want to explore them. There are the generic icey and firey areas, but they look so good... and some areas, like the moon-style terrain, are original as well as attractive.
The main downside is that annoying little turd Prince Tricky who follows you everywhere. Thankfully you can hit him with your stick. And thankfully the scarab loving shopkeeper's brilliance outweighs tricky's general rubbishness. If only you had scarab guy as your sidekick... shouting 'YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SCARABS' as he slaps opponents... aaah, to dream.
8/10
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Role Playing Game from Square-Enix. Played on Nintendo Gamecube.
A difficult game to judge, being an rpg designed for co-operative multiplayer gameplay. Unfortunately, arranging a multiplayer playthrough is very tricky seeing as you need friends with game boy advances and link cables who are willing to get together and play through a whole 20 hour adventure. Fortunately I was able to do just that, and complete the game in 3 player over the course of a year. I must do it again sometime.
At its heart, the game is repetitive hacking and slashing, which is why it isn't as good in single player; but getting a team together, designating a healer, ganging up on tough monsters, combining spells... the whole thing is just genius when done as a team. The storyline's good but there aren't an intrusive amount of cut-scenes, so the whole thing flows as a multiplayer adventure. And the graphics are superb. Add alcohol to a crystal chronicles night and frankly, this is as good as gaming gets.
I can't give it top marks due to the hassle of arranging a gaming session on it; overall, I think 8/10 is a fair score.
A difficult game to judge, being an rpg designed for co-operative multiplayer gameplay. Unfortunately, arranging a multiplayer playthrough is very tricky seeing as you need friends with game boy advances and link cables who are willing to get together and play through a whole 20 hour adventure. Fortunately I was able to do just that, and complete the game in 3 player over the course of a year. I must do it again sometime.
At its heart, the game is repetitive hacking and slashing, which is why it isn't as good in single player; but getting a team together, designating a healer, ganging up on tough monsters, combining spells... the whole thing is just genius when done as a team. The storyline's good but there aren't an intrusive amount of cut-scenes, so the whole thing flows as a multiplayer adventure. And the graphics are superb. Add alcohol to a crystal chronicles night and frankly, this is as good as gaming gets.
I can't give it top marks due to the hassle of arranging a gaming session on it; overall, I think 8/10 is a fair score.
Metroid Prime 3
Adventure FPS from Retro Studies at Nintendo. Played on Nintendo Wii.
There has been much gimmical use of the Wii remote since the console's launch. It isn't often a game comes along where you think 'wow, the Wii remote was made for this game' rather than vice-versa. But Metroid Prime 3 is one of those rare few games. Aiming and looking around with the remote as you move using the nunchuk's analog stick feels so fluid and so natural, it far surpasses most fps efforts seen these days. That's the control system covered; how does the rest of the game fare?
Fantastically well, actually. The gameplay is more adventure than fps, and exploring the environments is actually genuinely entertaining, unlike most games where it can become a chore. Finding unreachable items and making a mental note to come back once you have a correspondent upgrade makes backtracking a rewarding and fun task, which is often optional rather than mandatory. The fps combat is great, especially pulling with the nunchuk for the grappling beam.
Graphically, it's mindblowing, and the audio works perfectly as well.
9/10
There has been much gimmical use of the Wii remote since the console's launch. It isn't often a game comes along where you think 'wow, the Wii remote was made for this game' rather than vice-versa. But Metroid Prime 3 is one of those rare few games. Aiming and looking around with the remote as you move using the nunchuk's analog stick feels so fluid and so natural, it far surpasses most fps efforts seen these days. That's the control system covered; how does the rest of the game fare?
Fantastically well, actually. The gameplay is more adventure than fps, and exploring the environments is actually genuinely entertaining, unlike most games where it can become a chore. Finding unreachable items and making a mental note to come back once you have a correspondent upgrade makes backtracking a rewarding and fun task, which is often optional rather than mandatory. The fps combat is great, especially pulling with the nunchuk for the grappling beam.
Graphically, it's mindblowing, and the audio works perfectly as well.
9/10
Onimusha: dawn of dreams
Action game from Capcom. Played on PS2.
Although it has received a mixed reaction in the media, I personally consider this the best onimusha game. It definitely has the best visuals and soundtrack in the whole series, although it strays away from the traditional samurai nature of the music. The twin-character gameplay works really well in my opinion, and the amount of collectable weapons and items adds replay value. The main game is also quite lengthy, with a brilliantly epic final boss battle. Narrative-wise, it is pretty impressive too. The downside is that much of the gameplay gets repetitive, particuarly in terms of puzzles.
Combat is largely about countering attacks, which takes skill to pull off properly; definitely a good thing. The addition of levelling up is cool too, and fits the onimusha gameplay.
8/10
Although it has received a mixed reaction in the media, I personally consider this the best onimusha game. It definitely has the best visuals and soundtrack in the whole series, although it strays away from the traditional samurai nature of the music. The twin-character gameplay works really well in my opinion, and the amount of collectable weapons and items adds replay value. The main game is also quite lengthy, with a brilliantly epic final boss battle. Narrative-wise, it is pretty impressive too. The downside is that much of the gameplay gets repetitive, particuarly in terms of puzzles.
Combat is largely about countering attacks, which takes skill to pull off properly; definitely a good thing. The addition of levelling up is cool too, and fits the onimusha gameplay.
8/10
Ultimate Spiderman
Action game from Activision. Played on PS2, also available for Gamecube, Xbox, and PC.
Free roaming action game where you play as Spiderman and roam around the city stopping crimes, collecting tokens (just like in the comic) and fighting super villains. Based around the Ultimate Spiderman comics, unsurprisingly. The main problem this game has is that it is too short... that and the frustrating nature of some missions, particularly chase scenes. Webbing around the city is undeniably fun though, and there are many optional missions although they quickly become repetitive. Combat is fun as well, but becomes repetitive. The best part is easily playing as Venom and eating children.
7/10
Free roaming action game where you play as Spiderman and roam around the city stopping crimes, collecting tokens (just like in the comic) and fighting super villains. Based around the Ultimate Spiderman comics, unsurprisingly. The main problem this game has is that it is too short... that and the frustrating nature of some missions, particularly chase scenes. Webbing around the city is undeniably fun though, and there are many optional missions although they quickly become repetitive. Combat is fun as well, but becomes repetitive. The best part is easily playing as Venom and eating children.
7/10
F-Zero GX
Racing game from Nintendo. Played on Nintendo Gamecube.
Insanely fast and insanely hard futuristic racing game, and also insanely fun; this coming from someone who generally gets bored senseless by racers. The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the soundtrack really gets the adrenaline going. While it's hard and can be frustrating, it's never unfair, so while I myself lack skills I know it's my own fault, not the game's. The fact it runs perfectly smoothly despite having 30 racers going at any one time is testament to its quality. And with the several cups in the grand prix and decent story mode, there really isn't much more that could be asked of it. Pure, skillful, driving fun.
9/10
Insanely fast and insanely hard futuristic racing game, and also insanely fun; this coming from someone who generally gets bored senseless by racers. The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the soundtrack really gets the adrenaline going. While it's hard and can be frustrating, it's never unfair, so while I myself lack skills I know it's my own fault, not the game's. The fact it runs perfectly smoothly despite having 30 racers going at any one time is testament to its quality. And with the several cups in the grand prix and decent story mode, there really isn't much more that could be asked of it. Pure, skillful, driving fun.
9/10
Mickey's Speedway USA
Cartoon racer from Rareware. Played on N64.
A shameless mario kart rip-off with disney characters. Except, it's actually quite good. Tracks are well designed with some sneaky shortcuts, the power-ups are decent enough, and the characters are well balanced. Also has enough courses for decent lasting value, and the game is pretty difficult below its cutesy exterior. Well, it was made by Rareware.
7/10
A shameless mario kart rip-off with disney characters. Except, it's actually quite good. Tracks are well designed with some sneaky shortcuts, the power-ups are decent enough, and the characters are well balanced. Also has enough courses for decent lasting value, and the game is pretty difficult below its cutesy exterior. Well, it was made by Rareware.
7/10
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Platformer from Rareware. Played on N64.
The funniest game on the N64 and, believe it or not, one of the most violent and explicit. Certainly not a kid's game. The story is full of jokes aimed at films, and the gameplay has elements of platforming, shooting, and racing. Some levels are simply genius, like the zombie mansion for instance. Boss battles are epic and outrageous: the opera singing Great Mighty Poo springs to mind. The game also has an absolutely fantastic multiplayer mode which in my opinion is the best on the N64. Graphics are great for its day, sound is awesome. Some parts are extremely frustrating, however.
9/10
The funniest game on the N64 and, believe it or not, one of the most violent and explicit. Certainly not a kid's game. The story is full of jokes aimed at films, and the gameplay has elements of platforming, shooting, and racing. Some levels are simply genius, like the zombie mansion for instance. Boss battles are epic and outrageous: the opera singing Great Mighty Poo springs to mind. The game also has an absolutely fantastic multiplayer mode which in my opinion is the best on the N64. Graphics are great for its day, sound is awesome. Some parts are extremely frustrating, however.
9/10
Pokemon Red/Blue
RPG from Game Freak/Nintendo. Played on Game Boy.
The best handheld game out there. Period. Brilliant, deep combat rests below the childish surface, and the exploration is awesome. It also has a perfect amount of pokemon to catch; the later instalments should have improved gameplay rather than just adding more creatures. The ability to save anywhere makes this perfect handheld material too, and trading and battling friends is brilliant. Who cares about the simple graphics and sound? The game's awesome.
10/10
The best handheld game out there. Period. Brilliant, deep combat rests below the childish surface, and the exploration is awesome. It also has a perfect amount of pokemon to catch; the later instalments should have improved gameplay rather than just adding more creatures. The ability to save anywhere makes this perfect handheld material too, and trading and battling friends is brilliant. Who cares about the simple graphics and sound? The game's awesome.
10/10
God of war/gow2
Action platformers from Sony. Played on pS2.
Forget Mortal Kombat, this game is the king of badass fatalities. Action/platforming at its best. Combat is fast, chaotic, and skillful, with immensely satisfying throws and finishers. the game revolves around some bald guy called Kratos beating the living hell out of all of greek mythology. It's a well told narrative, but it really plays second fiddle to the gameplay, which is far from an insult. Brilliant traps, brilliant combat, and fantastic use of QTEs for traps and for boss battles. Brilliant secondary weapons too. My only gripe is that some of the platform sections are frustrating, especially the sections in the underworld.
The second one is essentially the first but better.
Both easily get 9/10. If there were a level select option to improve replay value, and the option to replay with all earned abilities, it would definitely be a perfect 10.
Forget Mortal Kombat, this game is the king of badass fatalities. Action/platforming at its best. Combat is fast, chaotic, and skillful, with immensely satisfying throws and finishers. the game revolves around some bald guy called Kratos beating the living hell out of all of greek mythology. It's a well told narrative, but it really plays second fiddle to the gameplay, which is far from an insult. Brilliant traps, brilliant combat, and fantastic use of QTEs for traps and for boss battles. Brilliant secondary weapons too. My only gripe is that some of the platform sections are frustrating, especially the sections in the underworld.
The second one is essentially the first but better.
Both easily get 9/10. If there were a level select option to improve replay value, and the option to replay with all earned abilities, it would definitely be a perfect 10.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
RPG from Squaresoft. Played on PS2.
More like Star Ocean: Till the End of my Patience. The difficulty curve goes up and down like a yo-yo, the combat is nothing special which frankly sucks considering how much of it you have to do, and the storyline is just rubbish. The characters are all despicable and poorly designed, the environments are just boring, and the music is the same repetitive guitar solo for approximately 90% of the game. This is a horribly overrated frustrating game.
1/10
More like Star Ocean: Till the End of my Patience. The difficulty curve goes up and down like a yo-yo, the combat is nothing special which frankly sucks considering how much of it you have to do, and the storyline is just rubbish. The characters are all despicable and poorly designed, the environments are just boring, and the music is the same repetitive guitar solo for approximately 90% of the game. This is a horribly overrated frustrating game.
1/10
Tales of Symphonia
RPG from Namco. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available in Japan for PS2.
A marvellous rpg for the gamecube, which isn't something you see every day/year/decade. Admittedly very cliche, especially at first, although the narrative picks up later on and delivers some nice surprises. Characters are likeable, with my personal favourites being badass mercenary Kratos Aurion and ladies man Zelos Wilder.
Graphics do a good job of looking anime-style, although the animation in cut scenes is often quite lazy. However, everything looks good during gameplay, in battles and the like.
The heart of the game is the combat, and this is where it shines. A combination of turn based and real time combat, it's alot of fun stringing together combos as you link different levelled special attacks, and you can string together huge amounts of hits; my record stands at 95.
As well as having a massive single player, it also has considerable replay value, as you spend style points earned through the game on carrying over titles, techniques, monster data, cooking ability, figurines, etc. There is a huge amount of hidden content outside the main story, and frankly, I couldn't ask for much more in an rpg.
9/10
A marvellous rpg for the gamecube, which isn't something you see every day/year/decade. Admittedly very cliche, especially at first, although the narrative picks up later on and delivers some nice surprises. Characters are likeable, with my personal favourites being badass mercenary Kratos Aurion and ladies man Zelos Wilder.
Graphics do a good job of looking anime-style, although the animation in cut scenes is often quite lazy. However, everything looks good during gameplay, in battles and the like.
The heart of the game is the combat, and this is where it shines. A combination of turn based and real time combat, it's alot of fun stringing together combos as you link different levelled special attacks, and you can string together huge amounts of hits; my record stands at 95.
As well as having a massive single player, it also has considerable replay value, as you spend style points earned through the game on carrying over titles, techniques, monster data, cooking ability, figurines, etc. There is a huge amount of hidden content outside the main story, and frankly, I couldn't ask for much more in an rpg.
9/10
Spawn: Armageddon
Action platformer from Namco. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available on Xbox and PS2.
Spawn runs around repetitive environments solving every puzzle by hitting it with an axe. He treats anyone he meets the same way, occasionally using guns stolen from Dante in devil may cry, just for laughs. I want my two pounds back. Well since I paid two pounds I'll give it:
2/10
Devil may cry 2 is just as bad as this, ironically.
Spawn runs around repetitive environments solving every puzzle by hitting it with an axe. He treats anyone he meets the same way, occasionally using guns stolen from Dante in devil may cry, just for laughs. I want my two pounds back. Well since I paid two pounds I'll give it:
2/10
Devil may cry 2 is just as bad as this, ironically.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Action platformer from Eidos. Played on PS2.
A really good Legacy of Kain game. No, really. Combat is fluid and really enjoyable, especially juggle combos, and finishers are sweet; evasion is also much improved and feels really cool, particularly as Kain who turns into bats as he sidesteps. In this game, you play as both Raziel and Kain, although Raziel feels like an absolute pansy sucking up souls while Kain rips into an opponent's jugular. They're both fun to use though.
Graphically it's actually impressive too, with nice gothic locations. The graphics aren't perfect but they're very solid on the whole. The sound is good as well, matching the gameplay well. And as ever, the narrative is intriguing. My only gripe with the game is that backtracking begins and it seems as if the designers ran out of imagination for much of the latter half of the game.
Overall, a great game. 8/10
A really good Legacy of Kain game. No, really. Combat is fluid and really enjoyable, especially juggle combos, and finishers are sweet; evasion is also much improved and feels really cool, particularly as Kain who turns into bats as he sidesteps. In this game, you play as both Raziel and Kain, although Raziel feels like an absolute pansy sucking up souls while Kain rips into an opponent's jugular. They're both fun to use though.
Graphically it's actually impressive too, with nice gothic locations. The graphics aren't perfect but they're very solid on the whole. The sound is good as well, matching the gameplay well. And as ever, the narrative is intriguing. My only gripe with the game is that backtracking begins and it seems as if the designers ran out of imagination for much of the latter half of the game.
Overall, a great game. 8/10
Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2
Action platformer from Eidos. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available on Xbox and PS2.
Laughable graphics, but actually a fun game to play. The combat feels a little rigid, and much of the gameplay feels glitchy, but fighting's skillful enough, and landing finishing moves is fun. Sneaking up on enemies for stealth kills is also cool, and the special abilities are nice enough. Not particularly lengthy though.
6/10
Laughable graphics, but actually a fun game to play. The combat feels a little rigid, and much of the gameplay feels glitchy, but fighting's skillful enough, and landing finishing moves is fun. Sneaking up on enemies for stealth kills is also cool, and the special abilities are nice enough. Not particularly lengthy though.
6/10
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Action platformer from Eidos. Played on PS2.
Hilariously poor action adventure game. Combat is dull, graphics are abysmal, controls poorly, but it earns marks for having an intriguing storyline. The gothic environments are reasonably well constructed, at least, so it earns some credit for art direction; shame the art direction didn't transfer so well to the actual game graphics.
3/10
Hilariously poor action adventure game. Combat is dull, graphics are abysmal, controls poorly, but it earns marks for having an intriguing storyline. The gothic environments are reasonably well constructed, at least, so it earns some credit for art direction; shame the art direction didn't transfer so well to the actual game graphics.
3/10
Drakengard
Action RPG from Square-Enix. Played on PS2.
An action rpg as awful as its name. Run around bland environments hammering X for the same 3 hit combo over and over. Apparently new weapons make for different gameplay, but the only change I saw was that the finishing move took longer to activate. Nuking the areas from your dragon's back is cool though. The flying missions are disgusting, on the other hand. Graphics are poor. The music sounds like a cat scratching a violin to pieces before scratching it some more. Most sound effects were probably generated in that fashion too.
2/10
An action rpg as awful as its name. Run around bland environments hammering X for the same 3 hit combo over and over. Apparently new weapons make for different gameplay, but the only change I saw was that the finishing move took longer to activate. Nuking the areas from your dragon's back is cool though. The flying missions are disgusting, on the other hand. Graphics are poor. The music sounds like a cat scratching a violin to pieces before scratching it some more. Most sound effects were probably generated in that fashion too.
2/10
Luigi's mansion
Puzzle game from Nintendo. Played on Nintendo Gamecube.
You walk around a haunted cartoon mansion sucking up ghosts in a hoover. So much for killing the kiddy image, Nintendo. Thankfully the game is quite short, presumably because three year olds can't say focused on something for more than 3 minutes.
In fairness, it plays fluidly enough, it's original, and the graphics are well presented. And it's quite fun.
6/10
You walk around a haunted cartoon mansion sucking up ghosts in a hoover. So much for killing the kiddy image, Nintendo. Thankfully the game is quite short, presumably because three year olds can't say focused on something for more than 3 minutes.
In fairness, it plays fluidly enough, it's original, and the graphics are well presented. And it's quite fun.
6/10
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Fighting game from Capcom. Played on PS2, also available on Xbox.
Team based 2d fighter with characters from Marvel and Capcom. Gameplay is fast and frantic although often descends into cheapness. There are only a few modes as well. However there are so many characters, and it's so much fun that frankly I don't care. Seeing sentinel spam rocket punches into megaman's face isn't something you see every day, after all. There is quite alot to do with the fighting system too, as concerns assists, cancels, super moves, etc. A good fighter.
7/10
Team based 2d fighter with characters from Marvel and Capcom. Gameplay is fast and frantic although often descends into cheapness. There are only a few modes as well. However there are so many characters, and it's so much fun that frankly I don't care. Seeing sentinel spam rocket punches into megaman's face isn't something you see every day, after all. There is quite alot to do with the fighting system too, as concerns assists, cancels, super moves, etc. A good fighter.
7/10
Enter The Matrix
Action game from Atari. played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available on PS2.
Did you like the Matrix? Actually don't bother answering that cos either way you won't like this. Well that's a tad harsh; combat in this game is kind of fun, utilising slow mo and triggering different moves depending on your position in relation to the opponent. Points for effort. Unfortunately much of it feels glitchy, and some set pieces are just awful, like escaping from the sentinels for example. Graphics are so-so, gameplay... erratic. Fighting in the chateau is great. Trolling through sewers isn't. Still, there is fun to be had in the glitchyness, and the hacker mode is admittedly quite cool.
6/10
Did you like the Matrix? Actually don't bother answering that cos either way you won't like this. Well that's a tad harsh; combat in this game is kind of fun, utilising slow mo and triggering different moves depending on your position in relation to the opponent. Points for effort. Unfortunately much of it feels glitchy, and some set pieces are just awful, like escaping from the sentinels for example. Graphics are so-so, gameplay... erratic. Fighting in the chateau is great. Trolling through sewers isn't. Still, there is fun to be had in the glitchyness, and the hacker mode is admittedly quite cool.
6/10
XIII
FPS from Ubi soft. Played on Nintendo gamecube, also available on Xbox.
Cel-shaded fps with an intelligent narrative. Impressive shooting action, and very stylishly presented. Levels are challenging but you actually want to retry; a mark of a good game. I'm particularly fond of the little comic strip boxes that appear for successful snipes or headshots. Being based on a comic book, it earns marks for originality and for successfully emulating a comic feel too. Also has a decent multiplayer.
7/10
Cel-shaded fps with an intelligent narrative. Impressive shooting action, and very stylishly presented. Levels are challenging but you actually want to retry; a mark of a good game. I'm particularly fond of the little comic strip boxes that appear for successful snipes or headshots. Being based on a comic book, it earns marks for originality and for successfully emulating a comic feel too. Also has a decent multiplayer.
7/10
Die Hard Vendetta
FPS from Bits Studios. Played on Nintendo Gamecube.
I'll die (hard) before I play this fps again. Terrible glitchy aiming, disgusting animation, tacked on 'bullet time' sections, and you fail if you shoot the annoying hideous civilians or police officers. I hate this game. With a vengeance.
2/10
I'll die (hard) before I play this fps again. Terrible glitchy aiming, disgusting animation, tacked on 'bullet time' sections, and you fail if you shoot the annoying hideous civilians or police officers. I hate this game. With a vengeance.
2/10
James Bond: Nightfire
FPS from EA. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available on PS2.
Generic Bond game from generic EA. Play generic first person shooter action with added generic driving sections and generic gadgets. Has a generic multiplayer mode too of course. It's really not a bad game, it ticks all the right boxes in being a Bond game.... but fails to impress with originality and innovation. Graphics are so-so. 5/10
Generic Bond game from generic EA. Play generic first person shooter action with added generic driving sections and generic gadgets. Has a generic multiplayer mode too of course. It's really not a bad game, it ticks all the right boxes in being a Bond game.... but fails to impress with originality and innovation. Graphics are so-so. 5/10
Killer7
FPS puzzle game from Capcom. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available on pS2.
SUDA 51's game before No More Heroes, and possibly the weirdest game you will ever play. It's an on-rails shooter-puzzle-adventure... or something like that. You play as a team of 7 hitmen in one, all with unique abilities, as youfight the Heaven Smiles, exploding zombies. It's really very tricky to summarise, as the unique narrative is one of the game's strongest points.
The graphics are really quite special, with a very original gritty cel shaded style; it's certainly not a kid's game, with extreme amounts of blood and very mature themes. Gameplay involves running along set paths, stopping to scan for enemies, then hitting enemies' weak spots, and solving puzzles. It seems like little on the surface but the game has to be judged as more than the sum of its parts.
I give it 9/10. It's difficult to describe, but suffice to say, there's nothing else quite like it.
SUDA 51's game before No More Heroes, and possibly the weirdest game you will ever play. It's an on-rails shooter-puzzle-adventure... or something like that. You play as a team of 7 hitmen in one, all with unique abilities, as youfight the Heaven Smiles, exploding zombies. It's really very tricky to summarise, as the unique narrative is one of the game's strongest points.
The graphics are really quite special, with a very original gritty cel shaded style; it's certainly not a kid's game, with extreme amounts of blood and very mature themes. Gameplay involves running along set paths, stopping to scan for enemies, then hitting enemies' weak spots, and solving puzzles. It seems like little on the surface but the game has to be judged as more than the sum of its parts.
I give it 9/10. It's difficult to describe, but suffice to say, there's nothing else quite like it.
No More Heroes
Action game from Capcom. Played on Nintendo Wii.
Probably the coolest game ever made, it's also extremely weird. You play Travis Touchdown, otaku hitman with the aim of becoming number 1 assasin in Santa Destroy so he can get laid. No, really. Gameplay can be best described as GTA with light sabers; you free-roam around santa destroy earning money from odd jobs and assasination jobs until you have money to enter a ranking match, where you fight a higher ranked assasin with your beam katana to reach the next rank.
The free roaming sections are easily the worst part, although it's cool collecting new items of clothing and doing jumps on Travis's insanely big motorbike. unfortunately the city is very glitchy, as npcs disappear and destroyed objects instantly respawn. Fortunately the combat more than makes up for this. With a good system of twin stances using the Wii remote and counters, it is alot of fun, especially when you land that QTE for a slow motion finisher. When you go into limit break-style mode, it's also absolutely awesome, although this is unfortunately quite rare. One limit mode consists entirely of hitting QTEs to brutalise opponents, which looks awesome.
Despite the glitchy city, the game is so original and cool it doesn't matter. The graphical style is awesome, the audio is great, and the narrative is so Tarantino-esque; a post-modern game if ever there was one. 8/10.
Probably the coolest game ever made, it's also extremely weird. You play Travis Touchdown, otaku hitman with the aim of becoming number 1 assasin in Santa Destroy so he can get laid. No, really. Gameplay can be best described as GTA with light sabers; you free-roam around santa destroy earning money from odd jobs and assasination jobs until you have money to enter a ranking match, where you fight a higher ranked assasin with your beam katana to reach the next rank.
The free roaming sections are easily the worst part, although it's cool collecting new items of clothing and doing jumps on Travis's insanely big motorbike. unfortunately the city is very glitchy, as npcs disappear and destroyed objects instantly respawn. Fortunately the combat more than makes up for this. With a good system of twin stances using the Wii remote and counters, it is alot of fun, especially when you land that QTE for a slow motion finisher. When you go into limit break-style mode, it's also absolutely awesome, although this is unfortunately quite rare. One limit mode consists entirely of hitting QTEs to brutalise opponents, which looks awesome.
Despite the glitchy city, the game is so original and cool it doesn't matter. The graphical style is awesome, the audio is great, and the narrative is so Tarantino-esque; a post-modern game if ever there was one. 8/10.
Resident Evil 4
Survival horror game from Capcom. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available on PS2 and Nintendo Wii.
The game that radically changed the survival horror genre. While not actually as scary as previous Resident Evil games, it succeeds in making the series far more dynamic and vastly improves the gameplay. Aiming is done from a semi-first person over-the-shoulder perspective using a laser sight, so lining up headshots is far more skillful than before. Essentially still a survival horror, you have to think carefully about how you spend your ammunition. You now have to also think about how you spend cash as weapons can be upgraded, but this is costly; will you really be using that mine thrower that much, or should upgrading the shotgun's capacity or firepower take priority? The merchant who sells weapons and offers upgrades is also so brilliant, he alone bumps this game up to 8/10
AI is also much improved over zombies, as the villager enemies work in groups to attack you or kidnap your companion Ashleigh. Ashleigh, while annoying, is thankfully considerably more intelligent than that mentally challenged woman in Ico. It can be irritating when she gets herself knifed though.
However any flaws are too minor to make a difference. The game is just so cinematic, you feel like you're in an action zombie movie. Quick Time Events are used a la Shenmue, to very cinematic effect; and the death scenes when you mess up are nothing short of awesome. Getting your face melted off by acid is a personal favourite, and there's even a QTE fight with multiple deaths.
In terms of lifespan, the main game is a very respectable length, and fun to replay repeatedly, plus there are bonus modes to play such as mercenaries, in which you can even play as some of the villains. I can't in good conscience give the game anything less than 10.
The game that radically changed the survival horror genre. While not actually as scary as previous Resident Evil games, it succeeds in making the series far more dynamic and vastly improves the gameplay. Aiming is done from a semi-first person over-the-shoulder perspective using a laser sight, so lining up headshots is far more skillful than before. Essentially still a survival horror, you have to think carefully about how you spend your ammunition. You now have to also think about how you spend cash as weapons can be upgraded, but this is costly; will you really be using that mine thrower that much, or should upgrading the shotgun's capacity or firepower take priority? The merchant who sells weapons and offers upgrades is also so brilliant, he alone bumps this game up to 8/10
AI is also much improved over zombies, as the villager enemies work in groups to attack you or kidnap your companion Ashleigh. Ashleigh, while annoying, is thankfully considerably more intelligent than that mentally challenged woman in Ico. It can be irritating when she gets herself knifed though.
However any flaws are too minor to make a difference. The game is just so cinematic, you feel like you're in an action zombie movie. Quick Time Events are used a la Shenmue, to very cinematic effect; and the death scenes when you mess up are nothing short of awesome. Getting your face melted off by acid is a personal favourite, and there's even a QTE fight with multiple deaths.
In terms of lifespan, the main game is a very respectable length, and fun to replay repeatedly, plus there are bonus modes to play such as mercenaries, in which you can even play as some of the villains. I can't in good conscience give the game anything less than 10.
Shenmue
Free roaming game from Sega. Played on Sega Dreamcast, also available on Xbox.
Pretty much the godfather of quick time events, Shenmue follows Ryo's quest to avenge his father by finding the man who killed him. An adventure game at heart, Shenmue has an unprecedented level of interaction with your environment; you can play the lottery, play on arcade machines, etc. It emulates things you can do in real life, but at the same time is clearly not real life; the non-player characters' hilarious acting and voice acting is testament to this. In fact they are more reminiscent of dubbing in old 70's ninja movies: which at first seems like a flaw, but actually gives the game extra cult classic value. The game's quick time events are also an amazing addition to gaming; pressing button prompts during cut scenes is necessary to progress in fight scenes for example, although some mistakes can be forgiven, so there are numerous possible outcomes to each situation.
While dated now, it remains an awesome and original game. 8/10
Pretty much the godfather of quick time events, Shenmue follows Ryo's quest to avenge his father by finding the man who killed him. An adventure game at heart, Shenmue has an unprecedented level of interaction with your environment; you can play the lottery, play on arcade machines, etc. It emulates things you can do in real life, but at the same time is clearly not real life; the non-player characters' hilarious acting and voice acting is testament to this. In fact they are more reminiscent of dubbing in old 70's ninja movies: which at first seems like a flaw, but actually gives the game extra cult classic value. The game's quick time events are also an amazing addition to gaming; pressing button prompts during cut scenes is necessary to progress in fight scenes for example, although some mistakes can be forgiven, so there are numerous possible outcomes to each situation.
While dated now, it remains an awesome and original game. 8/10
Kingdom Hearts 2
Action RPG from Square-Enix. Played on PS2.
Collaboration between Square-Enix and Disney, so has characters from both companies' products. While this enlarges the potential audience, it's also a downside because no one wants to hear 'GAAAWWRSH SOMMMEBODY COME QUICK' from the hideous Goofy while they try to concentrate on fighting enemies.
Thankfully the game itself is actually fantastic. Graphically, it is very impressive, and succeeds well in emulating all the locations from disney films; each planet in the game is based on a disney film, so every area feels unique, although this means you have to torture yourself going to Atlantica. Thankfully, pirates of the caribbean world and nightmare before christman world are awesome. Gameplay consists of exploration and combat, and the combat is where the game excels. There are also shoot em up sections between worlds which are actually quite well implemented.
The combat consists of using physical attack combos and magic, and while fights are on the whole quite easy, the attacks are so stylish you end up having alot of fun playing. There are also alot of combination attacks and limit techniques; but the best feature has to be the context sensitive reaction commands. Hitting the Triangle button at the right time during battles can shift the tide of battle, as you pull off a huge attack, or block a potentially fatal strike. There is even a section where successive triangle inputs make you jump across skyscrapers hurled at you by a huge monster. Imaginative, physics-defying, insane... and amazing to watch. And since these differ for every big fight, it helps make fights cinematic and unique rather than just button mashing X. Mid-fight you can also transform when a gauge is built up, which is extremely cool but can also put you at a disadvantage if you choose the wrong form.
Overall, the game is quite easy but so much fun that doesn't matter, and there are optional battles for players who want a challenge. The narrative is also interesting enough to warrant playing through the game. 9/10.
Collaboration between Square-Enix and Disney, so has characters from both companies' products. While this enlarges the potential audience, it's also a downside because no one wants to hear 'GAAAWWRSH SOMMMEBODY COME QUICK' from the hideous Goofy while they try to concentrate on fighting enemies.
Thankfully the game itself is actually fantastic. Graphically, it is very impressive, and succeeds well in emulating all the locations from disney films; each planet in the game is based on a disney film, so every area feels unique, although this means you have to torture yourself going to Atlantica. Thankfully, pirates of the caribbean world and nightmare before christman world are awesome. Gameplay consists of exploration and combat, and the combat is where the game excels. There are also shoot em up sections between worlds which are actually quite well implemented.
The combat consists of using physical attack combos and magic, and while fights are on the whole quite easy, the attacks are so stylish you end up having alot of fun playing. There are also alot of combination attacks and limit techniques; but the best feature has to be the context sensitive reaction commands. Hitting the Triangle button at the right time during battles can shift the tide of battle, as you pull off a huge attack, or block a potentially fatal strike. There is even a section where successive triangle inputs make you jump across skyscrapers hurled at you by a huge monster. Imaginative, physics-defying, insane... and amazing to watch. And since these differ for every big fight, it helps make fights cinematic and unique rather than just button mashing X. Mid-fight you can also transform when a gauge is built up, which is extremely cool but can also put you at a disadvantage if you choose the wrong form.
Overall, the game is quite easy but so much fun that doesn't matter, and there are optional battles for players who want a challenge. The narrative is also interesting enough to warrant playing through the game. 9/10.
Soul Calibur 3
Fighting game from Namco. Played on PS2.
Should be more aptly named Soul Tekkenbur 3. yes, this one feels like a combination of Tekken and Soul Calibur; which is in ways good and bad. the bad is that countering and side stepping feels less fluid now, which could to be fair be due to the ps2 controls (I played sc2 on gamecube). On the other hand, there are more counter moves, more emphasis on comboing, and more (HUGELY satisfying) attacks that link into throws, for example Nightmare's gigantic lifting stab, or his punch that links into a choke hold followed by a beat down with his sword. The word 'sweet' comes to mind. Therefore, the fighting system is still fantastic.
As with all fighter sequels, there are more characters available to play as than in its predecessor, and scythe-wielding Zasalamel in particular is great to use. However the biggest addition to the character select is the option to create your own custom character, for whom there are several classes to choose from for your fighting style.
The lasting appeal of collecting weapons is still there; however now there are also collectable items of clothing, thankfully much more affordable than in Tekken 5, which allow you to make your own custom character look as perfect as possible. And while the time consuming weapon master mode is gone, now there is the equally time consuming Chronicles of the sword mode where you guide custom-made characters through strategy game-type maps to take strongholds; these characters also level up, so powering them up adds lasting value too. However, like weapon master, this mode can become tedious.
A final interesting addition is the story mode, 'Tales of Souls'. Each character has a different storyline and path through the narrative to take on this series of fights, but this is made more interesting by the inclusion of choices to certain destinations. Additional choices of whether to accept one chance-only fights, and Quick Time Events in the cut scenes make this a far more interactive affair than most story modes, and taking a specific path in each storyline can even change the final boss of the game. However, working out this path for every character is a tedious affair, and clues should have been included for this in my opinion. However, this is still a smart idea for a mode, and the inclusion of two endings for every character (decided by a final QTE) is most welcome.
In summary: just as good as Soul Calibur 2. Therefore, 9/10.
Should be more aptly named Soul Tekkenbur 3. yes, this one feels like a combination of Tekken and Soul Calibur; which is in ways good and bad. the bad is that countering and side stepping feels less fluid now, which could to be fair be due to the ps2 controls (I played sc2 on gamecube). On the other hand, there are more counter moves, more emphasis on comboing, and more (HUGELY satisfying) attacks that link into throws, for example Nightmare's gigantic lifting stab, or his punch that links into a choke hold followed by a beat down with his sword. The word 'sweet' comes to mind. Therefore, the fighting system is still fantastic.
As with all fighter sequels, there are more characters available to play as than in its predecessor, and scythe-wielding Zasalamel in particular is great to use. However the biggest addition to the character select is the option to create your own custom character, for whom there are several classes to choose from for your fighting style.
The lasting appeal of collecting weapons is still there; however now there are also collectable items of clothing, thankfully much more affordable than in Tekken 5, which allow you to make your own custom character look as perfect as possible. And while the time consuming weapon master mode is gone, now there is the equally time consuming Chronicles of the sword mode where you guide custom-made characters through strategy game-type maps to take strongholds; these characters also level up, so powering them up adds lasting value too. However, like weapon master, this mode can become tedious.
A final interesting addition is the story mode, 'Tales of Souls'. Each character has a different storyline and path through the narrative to take on this series of fights, but this is made more interesting by the inclusion of choices to certain destinations. Additional choices of whether to accept one chance-only fights, and Quick Time Events in the cut scenes make this a far more interactive affair than most story modes, and taking a specific path in each storyline can even change the final boss of the game. However, working out this path for every character is a tedious affair, and clues should have been included for this in my opinion. However, this is still a smart idea for a mode, and the inclusion of two endings for every character (decided by a final QTE) is most welcome.
In summary: just as good as Soul Calibur 2. Therefore, 9/10.
Soul Calibur 2
Fighting game from Namco. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available for PS2 and Xbox.
Tekken with swords. And consequently better than Tekken too. Side stepping is more fluid, parrying with a designated button feels alot more responsive, and with the huge variety of weapons characters all feel very unique; there's the well rounded guy witha samurai sword, the ranged fighter with a pole, the short range fast ninja with kunai, and (my personal favourite) the slow knight with an oversized demonic sword, among many others. A cool addition is console exclusive characters, with Link for Gamecube, Spawn for Xbox, and (lol) Heihachi for PS2.
For a fighting game, there is quite alot to do; largely thanks to the weapon based combat. Each character has a variety of weapons to unlock, which mainly means playing through weapon master mode: a huge map full of fights, with different winning conditions such as guard impacting the opponent, or ringing them out. Ring outs are another element added: you can win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, so it is more imperative to be aware of your position in the ring than in many fighting games. Weapon master mode does get repetitive, however.
Graphics and sound: fantastic. Overall: 9/10
Tekken with swords. And consequently better than Tekken too. Side stepping is more fluid, parrying with a designated button feels alot more responsive, and with the huge variety of weapons characters all feel very unique; there's the well rounded guy witha samurai sword, the ranged fighter with a pole, the short range fast ninja with kunai, and (my personal favourite) the slow knight with an oversized demonic sword, among many others. A cool addition is console exclusive characters, with Link for Gamecube, Spawn for Xbox, and (lol) Heihachi for PS2.
For a fighting game, there is quite alot to do; largely thanks to the weapon based combat. Each character has a variety of weapons to unlock, which mainly means playing through weapon master mode: a huge map full of fights, with different winning conditions such as guard impacting the opponent, or ringing them out. Ring outs are another element added: you can win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, so it is more imperative to be aware of your position in the ring than in many fighting games. Weapon master mode does get repetitive, however.
Graphics and sound: fantastic. Overall: 9/10
Dragon Ball Z Budokai tenkaichi 2 and 3
Fighting games from Bandai. Played on PS2.
Reviewing both at once because they're almost exactly the same, which is a little something I call EA FIFA syndrome. Anyway, a fighting game with a twist: to emulate the dragon ball z combat, fights take place in large 3d arenas where you can fly around and shoot giant energy beams, or go into close combat and start chaining together epic pummeling combos. Or pummel someone, kick them away, then shoot an energy beam in their face. Absolutely awesome.
And it delivers all this really well. There are many techniques to master, although with such a fighting system a problem arises; trying to make each fighter individual. And this is where the game falls flat a little, as the button combinations are exactly the same for everyone, it's just the moves they do that differ. That said, there is a massive difference between playing as Krillin and playing as Great Ape Baby. And with 150-odd characters capable of transforming mid-battle, it's forgivable.
Overall score for both games: 8/10. Tenkaichi 3 has a little more content and more unique fighters so it's definitely the pinnacle of the series.
Reviewing both at once because they're almost exactly the same, which is a little something I call EA FIFA syndrome. Anyway, a fighting game with a twist: to emulate the dragon ball z combat, fights take place in large 3d arenas where you can fly around and shoot giant energy beams, or go into close combat and start chaining together epic pummeling combos. Or pummel someone, kick them away, then shoot an energy beam in their face. Absolutely awesome.
And it delivers all this really well. There are many techniques to master, although with such a fighting system a problem arises; trying to make each fighter individual. And this is where the game falls flat a little, as the button combinations are exactly the same for everyone, it's just the moves they do that differ. That said, there is a massive difference between playing as Krillin and playing as Great Ape Baby. And with 150-odd characters capable of transforming mid-battle, it's forgivable.
Overall score for both games: 8/10. Tenkaichi 3 has a little more content and more unique fighters so it's definitely the pinnacle of the series.
Tekken 5
Fighting game from Namco. Played on PS2.
Excellent fighting game. Fast-paced, unlike the sluggish Tekken 4; and consequently alot more fun. The graphics are fantastic for ps2, and the soundtrack gets the adrenaline going. The characters are all significantly different from one another too, and everyone will choose someone different; personally I go with Heihachi with his inexplicably electrified palm strikes.
Customising characters' outfits is fun too, although the clothing is vastly overpriced in what I can only assume is a vain attempt to stretch out the game's lifespan. Story mode is rather short, although it's fun playing through as every character to see their endings (Law gets a particularly comical one). However, fighting games don't require a vast single player so long as the core engine is good, and Tekken delivers here.
My only major criticisms: Jinpachi's cheapness and Devil Within mode. I presumed they named it Devil Within because the worst sinners have to play the disgusting mode in hell for eternity.
8/10 overall
Excellent fighting game. Fast-paced, unlike the sluggish Tekken 4; and consequently alot more fun. The graphics are fantastic for ps2, and the soundtrack gets the adrenaline going. The characters are all significantly different from one another too, and everyone will choose someone different; personally I go with Heihachi with his inexplicably electrified palm strikes.
Customising characters' outfits is fun too, although the clothing is vastly overpriced in what I can only assume is a vain attempt to stretch out the game's lifespan. Story mode is rather short, although it's fun playing through as every character to see their endings (Law gets a particularly comical one). However, fighting games don't require a vast single player so long as the core engine is good, and Tekken delivers here.
My only major criticisms: Jinpachi's cheapness and Devil Within mode. I presumed they named it Devil Within because the worst sinners have to play the disgusting mode in hell for eternity.
8/10 overall
Virtua Fighter 4
Fighting game from Sega. Played on PS2.
I played this fighter for two days before I got the massively superior Tekken 5. Quite fun, a tad button bashey. Graphics nothing to write home about. Clearly has quite an intricate fighting system were one to really get into the game... but a lack of motivating elements compels me to steer clear of the game. 5/10
I played this fighter for two days before I got the massively superior Tekken 5. Quite fun, a tad button bashey. Graphics nothing to write home about. Clearly has quite an intricate fighting system were one to really get into the game... but a lack of motivating elements compels me to steer clear of the game. 5/10
GTA San Andreas
Free roaming game from Rockstar. Played on PS2, also available for PC and Xbox.
Kept me entertained for all of 3 minutes. Seeing as there's apparently alot of stuff to do, I'm therefore gonna give it 3 for effort.
Kept me entertained for all of 3 minutes. Seeing as there's apparently alot of stuff to do, I'm therefore gonna give it 3 for effort.
Shadow of the Colossus
Adventure game from Sony. Played on PS2.
The sequel to the massively overrated Ico, and unsurprisingly another overrated title. Again the graphial style is stunning, albeit flawed close up. Again, the locations look beautiful; this time the scale of the explorable world is the most stunning aspect. Riding on horseback is actually really impressive. And again, the game is full of flaws, for example the questionable animation. The main character runs like he has a limp, which is alot of fun to watch seeing as you play as him for the whole game.
It does improve on Ico, however. For a start, you don't have a useless woman following you and getting kidnapped every 2 minutes, although the aim of the game is to revive a useless woman. I don't really know why seeing as the plot is again absolute codswallop; the lead protagonist is called 'Wanda' for Pete's sake. Some argue 'Wander' which is even worse seeing as it isn't even a noun, and to be accurate they should have named him 'limp' anyway. But going back to its improvements, no woman getting kidnapped means no annoying small shadows creatures bothering you every few seconds either. Although you do get a horse to accompany you, so the annoying shouting to get your companion's attention is still present; but at least the horse is some use, and it's absolutely hilarious seeing some bosses beat the horse around while you run away.
Yes, bosses. This game centres around finding colossi and defeating them, although they are essentially big puzzles rather than fights. Seeing as Team Ico suck at combat engines, this is a good thing. However, the initially impressive colossi soon become a tad repetitive to tackle. No problem seeing as there's a huge fully immersive world full of other things to do? Wrong. There is absolutely nothing to find in the game except colossi. Any exploration is a complete waste of time. What a waste of a good environment.
Overall: 7/10. Big improvement over Ico, but less original now and still flawed.
The sequel to the massively overrated Ico, and unsurprisingly another overrated title. Again the graphial style is stunning, albeit flawed close up. Again, the locations look beautiful; this time the scale of the explorable world is the most stunning aspect. Riding on horseback is actually really impressive. And again, the game is full of flaws, for example the questionable animation. The main character runs like he has a limp, which is alot of fun to watch seeing as you play as him for the whole game.
It does improve on Ico, however. For a start, you don't have a useless woman following you and getting kidnapped every 2 minutes, although the aim of the game is to revive a useless woman. I don't really know why seeing as the plot is again absolute codswallop; the lead protagonist is called 'Wanda' for Pete's sake. Some argue 'Wander' which is even worse seeing as it isn't even a noun, and to be accurate they should have named him 'limp' anyway. But going back to its improvements, no woman getting kidnapped means no annoying small shadows creatures bothering you every few seconds either. Although you do get a horse to accompany you, so the annoying shouting to get your companion's attention is still present; but at least the horse is some use, and it's absolutely hilarious seeing some bosses beat the horse around while you run away.
Yes, bosses. This game centres around finding colossi and defeating them, although they are essentially big puzzles rather than fights. Seeing as Team Ico suck at combat engines, this is a good thing. However, the initially impressive colossi soon become a tad repetitive to tackle. No problem seeing as there's a huge fully immersive world full of other things to do? Wrong. There is absolutely nothing to find in the game except colossi. Any exploration is a complete waste of time. What a waste of a good environment.
Overall: 7/10. Big improvement over Ico, but less original now and still flawed.
Ico
Adventure game from Sony. Played on PS2.
I'm going to cut to the chase: possibly the most overrated game I've ever played. Games are expensive, so it is my opinion that a game should have some lasting value. Ico takes a 'whopping' 6 hours to complete, and only 2-3 hours on a replay once you know what to do (that's replaying on the unlocked slightly harder mode).
Now I don't hate Ico. The art direction is absolutely beautiful: the fortress you have to escape looks stunning, the camera angles highlight this really nicely, and while the graphics are flawed close up, you rarely notice this. In the game's favour, many puzzles are well designed as well. However, I can't give the game perfect marks for art direction and a few good puzzles.
The aim of the game is to escape a large fortress, leading your absolutely useless companion out in the process. And when I say useless I'm not exaggerating in the slightest: you have to actually bellow at her in the game to get her to follow you, and half the time she refuses because a pixel two millimetres wide is in her way. And if you leave her behind, strange badly animated shadow creatures appear and kidnap her, resulting in a game over. This has some significance to do with a shadow queen (the last and only boss) in the plot, but seeing as the plot makes absolutely no sense anyway I don't see why I or anyone else should care. So naturally you have to beat these shadows off, by using the same 3 hit combo with a pathetic stick for the majority of the game. Later the fight system is developed by letting you do a 3 hit combo with a sword instead. There's only about 2 or 3 types of enemy, and they appear all the time. The word 'tedious' springs to mind.
The game gets a 6/10 from me, earning all its marks for art direction and originality. It's an ok game... just really overrated.
I'm going to cut to the chase: possibly the most overrated game I've ever played. Games are expensive, so it is my opinion that a game should have some lasting value. Ico takes a 'whopping' 6 hours to complete, and only 2-3 hours on a replay once you know what to do (that's replaying on the unlocked slightly harder mode).
Now I don't hate Ico. The art direction is absolutely beautiful: the fortress you have to escape looks stunning, the camera angles highlight this really nicely, and while the graphics are flawed close up, you rarely notice this. In the game's favour, many puzzles are well designed as well. However, I can't give the game perfect marks for art direction and a few good puzzles.
The aim of the game is to escape a large fortress, leading your absolutely useless companion out in the process. And when I say useless I'm not exaggerating in the slightest: you have to actually bellow at her in the game to get her to follow you, and half the time she refuses because a pixel two millimetres wide is in her way. And if you leave her behind, strange badly animated shadow creatures appear and kidnap her, resulting in a game over. This has some significance to do with a shadow queen (the last and only boss) in the plot, but seeing as the plot makes absolutely no sense anyway I don't see why I or anyone else should care. So naturally you have to beat these shadows off, by using the same 3 hit combo with a pathetic stick for the majority of the game. Later the fight system is developed by letting you do a 3 hit combo with a sword instead. There's only about 2 or 3 types of enemy, and they appear all the time. The word 'tedious' springs to mind.
The game gets a 6/10 from me, earning all its marks for art direction and originality. It's an ok game... just really overrated.
Fruit fall
Amateur flash game. Played on the PC.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/332159
roatate the stage to line up fruit of the same colour and burst it. I beat two levels and got bored. But it was nicely made. If I wasn't so easily bored, I would have certainly played it more. Being fair I have to give it 6/10
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/332159
roatate the stage to line up fruit of the same colour and burst it. I beat two levels and got bored. But it was nicely made. If I wasn't so easily bored, I would have certainly played it more. Being fair I have to give it 6/10
Cherry Cola
Amateur flash game. Played on PC.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/319527
Place tools in certain places to guide a cherry cola to his goal. There was some kind of storyline but, it wasn't important. Challenging enough, but not particularly motivating. 4/10
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/319527
Place tools in certain places to guide a cherry cola to his goal. There was some kind of storyline but, it wasn't important. Challenging enough, but not particularly motivating. 4/10
Zombie Swarm
Amateur flash game. Played on PC.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/275479
Manic zombie shooting. Actually very fun, despite its simplicity. I particularly like how to recharge the gun you have to frantically click on the battery as zombies continue to advance.
I actually had to tear myself away from this one; it's good clean zombie blasting fun. 7/10
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/275479
Manic zombie shooting. Actually very fun, despite its simplicity. I particularly like how to recharge the gun you have to frantically click on the battery as zombies continue to advance.
I actually had to tear myself away from this one; it's good clean zombie blasting fun. 7/10
Duck Hunt 1945
Amateur flash game. Played on PC.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/290917
a violent shooter + a violent shooter = a violent shooter. Pretty simple! Except it's also ridiculously difficult. Well made though, reloading animation's cool. Just, not very fun overall. Proves shooting does not equal fun. 3/10
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/290917
a violent shooter + a violent shooter = a violent shooter. Pretty simple! Except it's also ridiculously difficult. Well made though, reloading animation's cool. Just, not very fun overall. Proves shooting does not equal fun. 3/10
The Rambo Bros
Amateur flash game. Played on PC.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/306263
A mario flash game where you shoot koopas, mainly with a sniper rifle. I admit, it kept me playing till I died. It also gains extra violence points for taking a peaceful game franchise (mario) and adding in guns and blood. Not that I'm ever going to play it again, mind you. I give it 5/10 as it is still very decent for a fan-made flash game.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/306263
A mario flash game where you shoot koopas, mainly with a sniper rifle. I admit, it kept me playing till I died. It also gains extra violence points for taking a peaceful game franchise (mario) and adding in guns and blood. Not that I'm ever going to play it again, mind you. I give it 5/10 as it is still very decent for a fan-made flash game.
Viewtiful Joe and VJ2
Action platform games from Capcom. Played on Nintendo Gamecube, also available on PS2.
A japanese 2d side scrolling platform beat-em-up from Capcom which makes use of cel shading and 3d backgrounds. It's a short game, taking 5-7 hours to finish, but is easily enough fun to warrant replaying the whole game... and with several difficulty levels to unlock, it's always a challenge. In fact 'challenge' is possibly an understatement... the game is rock hard, something that has become quite characteristic of capcom. Hwever it is never unfair, with success rewarded for making smart use of 'VFX'... basically special effects. You have a gauge that allows you to put the world into slow motion, fast motion, or zoom in. It's intended to be like fighting in an action movie and editing it at the same time; in fact, the storyline follows the main character being sucked into 'movieland' and striving to become a superhero and save his girlfriend.
It certainly isn't an everyday game concept; it's orginal, zany, and funny, and a far cry from most EA releases. Consequently it didn't sell very well. However, it was critically very successful, earning many 9/10 ratings. I would personally give it an 8 for myself and the target audience of 12 and above, due to the short lifespan of each playthrough. The game was fortunately successful enough for a sequel to be developed, which I would heartilly give 9/10 for myself and the audience; it addresses problems in the original by adding in a level select, making the difficulty a tad more forgiving, and also has an extra playable character.
In summary, Viewtiful Joe feels retro with its 2d gameplay yet fresh, and is a must-play.
A japanese 2d side scrolling platform beat-em-up from Capcom which makes use of cel shading and 3d backgrounds. It's a short game, taking 5-7 hours to finish, but is easily enough fun to warrant replaying the whole game... and with several difficulty levels to unlock, it's always a challenge. In fact 'challenge' is possibly an understatement... the game is rock hard, something that has become quite characteristic of capcom. Hwever it is never unfair, with success rewarded for making smart use of 'VFX'... basically special effects. You have a gauge that allows you to put the world into slow motion, fast motion, or zoom in. It's intended to be like fighting in an action movie and editing it at the same time; in fact, the storyline follows the main character being sucked into 'movieland' and striving to become a superhero and save his girlfriend.
It certainly isn't an everyday game concept; it's orginal, zany, and funny, and a far cry from most EA releases. Consequently it didn't sell very well. However, it was critically very successful, earning many 9/10 ratings. I would personally give it an 8 for myself and the target audience of 12 and above, due to the short lifespan of each playthrough. The game was fortunately successful enough for a sequel to be developed, which I would heartilly give 9/10 for myself and the audience; it addresses problems in the original by adding in a level select, making the difficulty a tad more forgiving, and also has an extra playable character.
In summary, Viewtiful Joe feels retro with its 2d gameplay yet fresh, and is a must-play.
Warioland 2
Platform game from Nintendo. Played on Game Boy.
Warioland 2's narrative follows Wario's quest to retrieve the treasure stolen from him, while amassing plenty of new treasure along the way. Since his motivation is greed, he should really be seen as an anti-hero... differentiating it from Mario games which have similar gameplay. The adventure is also less linear than 2d mario levels, with 5 separate paths through the game and plenty of detours on each level for additional treasure, giving the game impressive scope for replay value. The graphics are unimpressive by today's standards, but consideirng it is for the old Game Boy this is irrelevant; it has to be judged on gameplay. However, one flaw with the game is its difficulty, which is largely quite easy due to the fact Wario cannot actually die. That said, the difficulty lies more in platforming and puzzles, and boss battles are a reasonable challenge as they often have an area effect where if you mess up you are ejected from the battleground. This is also a positive to avoid frustrating younger players, who are definitely the game's target audience. That said, I still find it fun shoulder barging hapless creatures to their doom... perhaps it's just nostalgia.
Overall I'd give the game a 7.
Warioland 2's narrative follows Wario's quest to retrieve the treasure stolen from him, while amassing plenty of new treasure along the way. Since his motivation is greed, he should really be seen as an anti-hero... differentiating it from Mario games which have similar gameplay. The adventure is also less linear than 2d mario levels, with 5 separate paths through the game and plenty of detours on each level for additional treasure, giving the game impressive scope for replay value. The graphics are unimpressive by today's standards, but consideirng it is for the old Game Boy this is irrelevant; it has to be judged on gameplay. However, one flaw with the game is its difficulty, which is largely quite easy due to the fact Wario cannot actually die. That said, the difficulty lies more in platforming and puzzles, and boss battles are a reasonable challenge as they often have an area effect where if you mess up you are ejected from the battleground. This is also a positive to avoid frustrating younger players, who are definitely the game's target audience. That said, I still find it fun shoulder barging hapless creatures to their doom... perhaps it's just nostalgia.
Overall I'd give the game a 7.
Super Smash Bros Melee
Fighting game from Nintendo. Played on Nintendo Gamecube.
A childish button bashing party game at first glance, and indeed fun can be had playing it that way; the aim of the game is to pick one of several Nintendo fighters, then outlast your opponents or score as many k.o.s as possible by knocking your opponents off the chosen stage. Rather than using a traditional energy bar, a damage percentage builds up, and when it is over 100% the character is in danger of being knocked off the stage by a strong attack. This varies per character, as every character has a different weight, and some are fast fallers, some float, etc. Items appear and the tide of battle in a multiplayer melee can shift dramatically with this random element.
However, beneath this frantic exterior is one of the deepest combat systems in any fighting game. Pro players play one on one with no items on simple stages, relying only on their character's moveset; and when two skilled players clash, the amount of mind games, feints, dodges, counters, and combos is in my opinion beyond that of any other fighter. At this point, while the game is still frantic, every move is carefully calculated, as combos are adapted to the opponent's weight class and damage percentage. With friends becoming equally skilled at the game, this can literally be years of fun.
The game has a variety of nintendo characters and locations, and trophies can be collected depicting hundreds of nintendo characters; it is therefore a massive nostalgia trip for any nintendo fan. Collecting these trophies also adds lasting value to the game, which is already crammed full of different game modes. My only criticism of the game is that the adventure mode can become repetitive, but as it is only a small part of a much larger package, I have to give the game 10/10 regardless.
A childish button bashing party game at first glance, and indeed fun can be had playing it that way; the aim of the game is to pick one of several Nintendo fighters, then outlast your opponents or score as many k.o.s as possible by knocking your opponents off the chosen stage. Rather than using a traditional energy bar, a damage percentage builds up, and when it is over 100% the character is in danger of being knocked off the stage by a strong attack. This varies per character, as every character has a different weight, and some are fast fallers, some float, etc. Items appear and the tide of battle in a multiplayer melee can shift dramatically with this random element.
However, beneath this frantic exterior is one of the deepest combat systems in any fighting game. Pro players play one on one with no items on simple stages, relying only on their character's moveset; and when two skilled players clash, the amount of mind games, feints, dodges, counters, and combos is in my opinion beyond that of any other fighter. At this point, while the game is still frantic, every move is carefully calculated, as combos are adapted to the opponent's weight class and damage percentage. With friends becoming equally skilled at the game, this can literally be years of fun.
The game has a variety of nintendo characters and locations, and trophies can be collected depicting hundreds of nintendo characters; it is therefore a massive nostalgia trip for any nintendo fan. Collecting these trophies also adds lasting value to the game, which is already crammed full of different game modes. My only criticism of the game is that the adventure mode can become repetitive, but as it is only a small part of a much larger package, I have to give the game 10/10 regardless.
Streetfighter Alpha Anthology
Fighting game from Capcom. Played on PS2.
As the name suggests, this is a collection of the streetfighter alpha series: streetfighter alpha, alpha 2, alpha 2 gold, alpha 3, as well as Super Gem Fighters. Now this is certainly nice to get a grip on how the series has evolved... but that is its fatal flaw. Streetfighter alpha 3 has the most characters, the most polished gameplay, the most involving (if still limited) arcade storylines, and is the most fun out of all the alpha games. Once you've tried them all, you'll only want to play the third one. Now it does succeed in showing evolution this way at least... with one exception. Alpha 2 gold is absolutely pointless. As far as I can tell it's just Alpha 2 with a gold tint on the title screen and different default colours for every character. Oh, and don't get me started on Super Gem Fighters, as far as I'm concerned it never existed.
However vitriol aside, streetfighter alpha 3 is a great fighter, one of the best 2d beat-em-ups out there. Varied characters, great fighting system, and dated but still stylish graphics. And Alpha 1 and Alpha 2, though clearly inferior, are still good fighters.
Overall I have to give the game a 7 both for myself and the target audience of 12+, as criticisms aside it is very decent. Just not fantastic.
As the name suggests, this is a collection of the streetfighter alpha series: streetfighter alpha, alpha 2, alpha 2 gold, alpha 3, as well as Super Gem Fighters. Now this is certainly nice to get a grip on how the series has evolved... but that is its fatal flaw. Streetfighter alpha 3 has the most characters, the most polished gameplay, the most involving (if still limited) arcade storylines, and is the most fun out of all the alpha games. Once you've tried them all, you'll only want to play the third one. Now it does succeed in showing evolution this way at least... with one exception. Alpha 2 gold is absolutely pointless. As far as I can tell it's just Alpha 2 with a gold tint on the title screen and different default colours for every character. Oh, and don't get me started on Super Gem Fighters, as far as I'm concerned it never existed.
However vitriol aside, streetfighter alpha 3 is a great fighter, one of the best 2d beat-em-ups out there. Varied characters, great fighting system, and dated but still stylish graphics. And Alpha 1 and Alpha 2, though clearly inferior, are still good fighters.
Overall I have to give the game a 7 both for myself and the target audience of 12+, as criticisms aside it is very decent. Just not fantastic.
Jazzy Jones
Amateur flash game. Played on PC.
Alot of people would disagree, but I personally think this is the most charming flash game I have ever played. The gameplay is top-notch and addictive despite being simplistic, the graphics have charm in a simplistic way, and every spelling mistake adds to the childish charm. The character design is similarly wonderful, with such legendary characters as rainbow car, bomb guy, and of course jazzy jones himself. Everything about it makes me laugh as a flash animator... the badly done backgrounds, the overuse of default radial colour fills, continuity errors, etc. The creator was either the ultimate flash noobie, or a skilled flash artist with a great sense of humour. It is a fact this game made it into the newgrounds top 50, which is testament to its popularity. I think I have to give it 9/10.
Alot of people would disagree, but I personally think this is the most charming flash game I have ever played. The gameplay is top-notch and addictive despite being simplistic, the graphics have charm in a simplistic way, and every spelling mistake adds to the childish charm. The character design is similarly wonderful, with such legendary characters as rainbow car, bomb guy, and of course jazzy jones himself. Everything about it makes me laugh as a flash animator... the badly done backgrounds, the overuse of default radial colour fills, continuity errors, etc. The creator was either the ultimate flash noobie, or a skilled flash artist with a great sense of humour. It is a fact this game made it into the newgrounds top 50, which is testament to its popularity. I think I have to give it 9/10.
Devil May Cry 3
Action platformer from Capcom. Played on PS2.
The third instalment of Capcom's stylish demon blasting and slashing action/platformer franchise, it had the task of returning the series to the original's heights after the dismal second game. Did it succeed? Oh my, yes... in fact it far surpassed the original in every way.
Devil May Cry 3 is a prequel to its predecessors, and follows the struggle between Dante and his brother Vergil, both sons of the legendary demon Sparda. Vergil seeks his father's power, and it falls upon Dante to stop him lest the world be turned into a demonic wasteland as a consequence. Cue an adventure filled with slick gunplay, smooth swordplay, comic and cheesy moments, and a very stylish gothic look.
The gameplay consists of platforming, solving puzzles, and principally fending off hordes of demons. The focus when fighting is to show off as much as possible: mix up attacks, hit fast, and you can boost your meter from 'Dope' up to 'Stylish', therefore earning more points to upgrade your equipment and purchase recovery items. However, fighting stylishly and surviving is much easier said than done: DMC3 is by no means an easy game, far from it. It is likely to punish first-time players quite severely, and many boss battles are nothing short of 'hardcore'.
And there are 5 difficulty levels to top it off. Although a challenge is certainly a good thing, it is a tad imposing; however, the special edition version is more forgiving, and comes with the added option of playing as Dante's brother Vergil, who is fantastic to use although not quite as much fun as Dante.
The game was very successful, critically and commercially. And it deserves it too. It earns a 9/10 from me (10 for the special edition), and 9/10 for its target audience of 15+.
The third instalment of Capcom's stylish demon blasting and slashing action/platformer franchise, it had the task of returning the series to the original's heights after the dismal second game. Did it succeed? Oh my, yes... in fact it far surpassed the original in every way.
Devil May Cry 3 is a prequel to its predecessors, and follows the struggle between Dante and his brother Vergil, both sons of the legendary demon Sparda. Vergil seeks his father's power, and it falls upon Dante to stop him lest the world be turned into a demonic wasteland as a consequence. Cue an adventure filled with slick gunplay, smooth swordplay, comic and cheesy moments, and a very stylish gothic look.
The gameplay consists of platforming, solving puzzles, and principally fending off hordes of demons. The focus when fighting is to show off as much as possible: mix up attacks, hit fast, and you can boost your meter from 'Dope' up to 'Stylish', therefore earning more points to upgrade your equipment and purchase recovery items. However, fighting stylishly and surviving is much easier said than done: DMC3 is by no means an easy game, far from it. It is likely to punish first-time players quite severely, and many boss battles are nothing short of 'hardcore'.
And there are 5 difficulty levels to top it off. Although a challenge is certainly a good thing, it is a tad imposing; however, the special edition version is more forgiving, and comes with the added option of playing as Dante's brother Vergil, who is fantastic to use although not quite as much fun as Dante.
The game was very successful, critically and commercially. And it deserves it too. It earns a 9/10 from me (10 for the special edition), and 9/10 for its target audience of 15+.
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