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New Super Mario Bros. Review

spencerjj2 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:38:41 GMT

New Super Mario Bros. Review

Introduction

New Super Mario Bros. Is a Mario game that returns to the classic 2-D games. It was released on the Nintendo DS in 2006. It brings back the all the enemies and old power-ups and some new ones. So does the game bring the charm of the old games, and bring in the new stuff successfully or does it fall on its face?

Story

The story is just like any Mario game story. Princess Peach has been captured by Bowser Jr. and Mario has to save the princess. The story is simple and for Mario games that's just fine. But its getting old, and the only difference is Bowser Jr. when they could have made it at least at little bit more different. So overall, the story works.

Graphics

Most of the game's graphics run on the in game engine so I'll talk about that. The graphics are great. They keep the 2-D style of old Mario games (like they're supposed to), but the have some 3-D feel to it. Everything is simple and colorful and well detailed. There wasn't any frame rate drops either. The game's graphics are great for the Nintendo DS.

Controls

The music for this game is what you would expect. I is simple and memorable. It keeps classics and makes them new like the underground theme. This is truly a great mixture of new and old. All the music fits the surroundings and have a good beat to them. You won't be disappointed and you will never be sick of the music.

Controls

OK, that controls are perfect. Everything is precise, and button placement is great. A is jumping, B to run, D � Pad is to walk/run. The controls are simple and can't get any better. There really isn't much I can say about the controls.

Game Modes/Gameplay
Game Modes

There are 3 game modes (not including options). First off the there is the normal single Mario game. It's simple, it's just the normal adventure. And if you hold L and R you can play as Luigi. Then there is Mario Vs. Luigi. This is multiplayer mode. You each go to a course and try to collect all the stars. You can also hit the other player to steal one of their stars. Now onto the mini games. These are short games that you unlock as you play the ones you start off with. They're fun and short, great for multiplayer.

A minigame.

Gameplay

Now I will talk more about the single player adventure. You have three profiles to choose from. While selecting them hold L and R to play as Luigi instead of Mario. First off, you have an over world map. You can move around each world here. You can enter normal levels, secret levels, and toad houses (which contain items). On the map a lot of the secret levels and toad houses require star coins, which we'll get onto later. The levels themselves are great. They contain everything from past Mario games and now have added even more stuff like the mini and mega mushroom. In the levels you have jumping, stopping on enemies, and dodging obstacles and getting to the flag pole without dying. As for new things, you have new enemies, bosses, and levels. It defiantly shows that it is indeed, the Mario bros. 4 (and more). So overall, the gameplay and level designs are a great way to meet new and old succesfully. By far, the only problem is it's way too short.

Mario going through a water level.

So overall this is a great game. 9/10

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias [Wiiware]

SuperSonic — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:07:55 GMT

Nintendo have decided to celebrate the landmark 100th Wiiware game in style with Frontier Development�s LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias, a follow-on to what was the very first, and arguably still the best Wiiware game, LostWinds.
The game is a platformer/adventure game with many puzzle elements, which to begin with, sees you guiding Toku, with the help of wind spirit Enril on a heart warming quest to save his mother.

The game plays like a side-scrolling platformer with a difference. You control Toku only with the Nunchuck, walking left and right via the control stick; however, Toku himself can�t jump, or do a lot really on his own accord. Instead, you get around with the help of a wind spirit known as Enril, who takes on the form of the Wiimote�s pointer.

You use this to �draw� gusts of wind that fling Toku up over obstacles, up ledges and even use chains of gusts that allow you to almost fly across huge gaps in the terrain. This can not only be used on Toku, but on a variety of objects, handy for the games many puzzles, and also on the game�s enemies; Glorbs, the smallest of which can be dealt with with a simple flick into the air and slam back down to the ground.

Of course, a whole host of other abilities come into play here, and thankfully, the game wastes little time re-introducing the abilities obtained in the previous game, such as the ability to trap enemies and items in a vortex and fling them miles, and to channel water and fire, again adding some clever puzzle solving. It doesn�t take long for brand new abilities to be found that see you summoning huge tornadoes and upgrades to your clothing, all of which grant you access to areas you couldn�t previously access.

This whole system using the pointer quickly becomes second nature and feels like a dream to play. Another fantastic example of how the Wii remote and Nunchuck can add truly innovative and clever gameplay elements when developers can look past the waggle. LostWinds pulls it off great.

Other new gameplay elements to the game in the sea of originality and innovation include the ability to swim under water, and this game�s main gimmick � the ability to instantly change seasons, transforming the terrain from a hot summer�s day with waterfalls and lakes to a frozen winter wonderland. This combines with the other gameplay elements, particularly the manipulation of water, fire and even the ability to create snowballs for further puzzle solving elements. Without spoiling much, there�s even a point later on in the game which sees you controlling Toku and another character simultaneously for some almost Mario & Luigi style gameplay, as if all that wasn�t enough. Nothing is overly difficult, to be honest, it�s probably a little too easy, I never once died in the game, but it�s the kind of clever gameplay that�s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

There is some albeit simple combat in the game. As mentioned earlier, the enemies are called Glorbs, and as the name suggests, these are basically hideous, pulsating blob creatures. These do vary from the basic, to flying, armoured and even giant varieties, however most are killed in the same way, which is a simple fling to the ground, and bumping into wave after wave of basic Glorb as you travel does get a little repetitive. There are, however boss battles that need much more clever thinking to beat, which are a welcome addition.

The graphics are nothing less than beautiful. The game has its own unique art style with great character design and stunning backdrops. The animation is fantastic as the wind gusts through trees, grass and other characters. Early on in the game you�ll find yourself wowed as you�re helped through the level by the massive stone golem, Magmok, who was encountered in the last game, and you encounter a number of similarly spectacular creatures throughout.

The sound is certainly nothing spectacular, but the game has a nice atmospheric soundtrack to accompany the graphics to make a great package. There are no voices at all, with only some light background music and the sound of the wind and the splat of any enemies unlucky enough to get in your way.

The game is absolutely fantastic overall. If you thought Nintendo was happy to let any old garbage shovel itself onto Wiiware, you need to play this. It alone shows why Wiiware exists, to give small publishers the platform to make their ideas happen, without needing a multi-million budget, and with this game, they�ve done that spectacularly.

There is, however, one major flaw that needs to be covered. If you played the original LostWinds, you�ll know the game was fantastic, but far too short. Sadly, they haven�t really done anything to change that here. I completed the story in 3 and a half hours, which can be described as nothing less than pathetic. The hidden Totem Poles from the previous game make a return here for you to find and collect, and new to this game are unlockable biographies for the many characters you�ll encounter on your travels, but this is certainly nothing to keep you going for long. Still, it is only 1000 Wii points for a game of this quality.

Pros: Great platforming, stunning graphics, clever puzzles, innovative gameplay and makes great use of the Wii remote.

Cons: A bit too easy and far too short.

9/10
(Not an average)

Star Ocean: Last Hope

Firestar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:59:27 GMT

Story Line

The fourth game of the Star Ocean series takes place in 2064, after World War Three. The war left our home planet uninhabitable and humanity was left on the brink of destruction. Though there was still hope. Going ahead to 2087 the USTA (Universal Science and Technology Administration) have been trying to create ships for deep space exploration. They have finally succeeded and are ready for their first launch.
The main character is a young man named Edge Maverick. He and his team set out to find new planets, find his old lost childhood friend and eventually get sucked into the responsibility to destroy the evil grogori that induce unnatural evolution which will eventyally lead to the destruction of the universe.

Ranking: 7

Graphics

Game Play: The graphics are ok. They show great detail at a distance but up close they look plain. This is mostly when your in buildings. The actual environment on the planets can actually be very beautiful at times. Then when it comes to the voice of a character talking, they just don't match up. If you watch the mouth of someone it will sometimes be closed when there are still talking going on. The camera view can also be a annoyance at times, like if you�re in a building. If you try to go around a corner and your too close then you sometimes disappear or stop for no reason.

Battle Mode: The battle mode is the better of the graphics. Each move, attack or spell (symbology) is distinctive and unlike the in the game play you don't have to worry about the camera view messing you up.

Ranking: 7

Sound

Music: The music is deferent for each setting (except when you�re in battle mode). They are all nice, though I'm sure that after a few hours of running around in circles lost (like what sometimes happens) and listening to a particular tune almost none stop it could get on your nerves.
Sound: I really liked the sound effects. In battle you can tell what's happening most of the time and out of battle you can tell if a monster is after you. Then each little sound just add the effect to the setting.
Extra: After each battle one (or more) of the characters will say something like "It's not like I was holding back, but is this all they've got?"- Edge or "I could have done this all by myself."- Lymle. Again, it's nice, but if you prefer this one particular character and you keep getting the last blow then it too can get annoying.

Ranking: 7

Over all Rank: 7

I really enjoyed the game. With all the different settings, monsters, weapons and private actions it keeps things interesting. Then there are interesting climaxes on a regular basis to keep you playing. It's not that interesting once the main story plot is finished so replaying may not be the top thing on your list of to-do. Though it's long enough to keep you entertained for a long while.

bakugan battle brawlers DS review

nelo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:21:33 GMT

The game that could become the next yu-gi-oh???

Well as you may know bakugan battle brawlers came out on the 20th i couldn't wait to get my copy and if you're out you should pick it up to here's why.

Gameplay 9/10
The gameplay style is great it really does pull you in it's not and exact replica of the show but this way it's more fun. So first you start of with your screen on bottom shows where all the gatecards are and to the right of the screen you have 3 symbols bakugan gatecards and info. So at the start you lay down a gatecard automatically then you have a choice another gatecard info bakugan normally you would pick bakugan. Then after you do that it will appear on the bottom of the screen the bakugan will just sit there you need to use your ds styles to control how fast it launches and how far it launches. Your main aim is of course to land on the gatecard which is your but it doesn't really matter but before you land on your gatecard you can control your bakugan use the touchscreen to manuver it around and you can collect a few nifty things like gp up and energy up jsut to give you an extra boost. But anyway so after you land on your gatecard you will go stand your bakugan will pop out and so on. Then your opponent goes now normally your opponent is an idiot for like the first 4 hours of the game and then things start to get hard. So if your opponent lands on the gatecard your on you'll go into a battle phase. Your bakugan will pop out there bakugan will pop out and then everything turns 3D which just pulls you into the game more. So when your in your battle phase you have a choice to activate an ability card yes or no. Then after that you go into a scene where your bakugan and your opponets are head clashing then your have to do something using the touch screen to increase your gp and if ur vsing a comp then you'll basically win everytime which does take the fun out of the game and separates it more from the show.But after your character wins the attack phase comes up and he does an attack based on his type and bakugan.The attacks arn't very detailed unless your using your main bakugan then there a little better but still could have been better.

just about to send out bakugan

another great thing that i forgot to mention is that you can great your own character and he actually has things to say. He is 3d in all of the cutscene's it's really just great and really just helps you get into the game

a photo of creating your avatar.
graphics 10/10
Nintendo really pulled this off well there used there 3D animation skills to produce some great battle scene's and awsome cut scene's.

a scene where the bakugan come out of there 2d animation.

music 9/10
kind of music you would expect from a game like this. Starts of slow then as you progress into the battle music starts to heat up and when you win it's like your classic final fantasy they say a quick chant like yeah i did it and then it goes to the exp screen.

storyline 7/10
the story is okay it's you just going around doing tortaments but that can be fun because after each tortament you kinda get pumped up to see what new bakugan you've unlocked. But you start out doing the easy stuff like vsing non mains and getting bad bakugan then you will eventually get into the harder tordaments where you get to vs a couple of mains and get some sweet new bakugan. But you normally won't vs to many which is a good thing because some of them like dan and shaun can be really hard. Eventually once you progress enough you'll go into the doom dimension and you're bakugan will evolve then you beat a bad guy then it's back to real life.
The only thing that frustrated me about the story is that it is incredible short like only 5 hours long depending on how many times you lose and do other assorted activities.

replay value 10/10
it is honestly one of the best i've seen for all of those who were wondering there is a vs mode. Where you have a choice of about 36 people your guy and all of the main guys in the story like dan shaun masquerade and many many more. One of the best parts is that you can choose if you want to be hard medium or easy eg if you pick easy you'll have weak bakugan and you're main will not be evolved.
Medium is the same deal a couple stronger bakugan. Then hard where you get the evolved form of the main bakugan of that certain character. that is why i gave it a 10 because you have so many characters to use and multiplayer really makes it more fun and there is just so many bakugan.

subtotal 9/10
This is a great game for anyone who has watched the show and espically anyone that was like me and had no idea how the game worked. It's ok at the start you get to choose if you want to do a tutorial or not which is great. So in my opinion if your out and are looking for something to keep you entertained for atleast a couple of weeks pick it up or even if you're just out pick it up it is just a great game with alot of great features. if you've a person who doesn't like yu-gi-oh and those sort of games. I would suggest pick it up if your into trying new things. But if you're a real hater maybe a nice rpg would be good for you.

p.s sorry i couldn't find an image of any battle scene's

also when posting be truthful and honest tell me where i made my flaws so i can improve thxs

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky

DaWn — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:36:39 GMT

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/ Darkness' story is that the hero (you) have to go save the world from Dialga's wrath. Sooner or later during the story the hero (you) found out that he/she was from the future along with some other Pokemon as well. In this game it goes even deeper then the first games.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky is the continuation story of the games Explorers of Time/ Explorers of Darkness. (If you do not know what Explorers of Sky is saying, play Explorers of Time/ Darkness.)

Graphics
The graphics are like every other Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game, pixelized. It is pretty good but it could be a little bit better, but no one is complaining. The graphics get a high score from me is because of the pictures, and cut-scenes how it is well done even with pixelized pictures.

Sound
The music is very well done with all the sounds, and even the smallest detail, can be heard and imagined. The music is a job well done. To put it all together is something I can't even do myself. Without the music in this game you basically will be bored to the point of reasoning why you bought this game.

Replay Value
The story is well planned out because, the story goes in depth in each chapter, each mission, basically everything. It will make you emotional (happened to me when I played the Explorers of Time game) and make you want to play it over, and over again.

Controls
The control system is very simple to use. The control pad moves the hero (you) forward, backward, and to both of the sides. The A button is to attack the opponent in front. The B button is to make the hero run instead of walk. And if you press the L and R button on the sides of the DS or DSi you will heal up, but it causes the enemy pokemon to come more quickly towards you.

Wi-Fi
This game has Wi-Fi for missions, rescue missions, and more. If one of your members on your team dies during the story, you can send an S.O.S to fellow friends to help you be revived and finish the mission. How do you save your friend? Easy, they have to give you the mission's code which is on the Main Menu where it has a list of options like, Continue game, New game, etc.

New Features
There is 3 new Pokemon that you can become. More jobs can be done when you are done with the main story. You can visit a new village called Shaymin Village, and obtain some new items.

I hope this review was very informative. I am playing the game myself, even though I have the guide. I will make an other guide soon. Hope you keep on exploring and have fun.
:D

mario and luigi bowser's inside story REVIEW

nelo — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:17:34 GMT

all so the game that everyone is rushing to get but is it worth the money

graphics 9/10
well as you know you arent going to expect a graphic masterpiece from a handheld system but this game is good because nintendo stuck to the basic's and didn't try to make them into some crappy 3d bobble head game the classic graphics are what make us remember the good old days of mario and luigi superstar saga and super mario rpg and they kept the graphics of the move's the same which is even better

sound and music 9/10
well as you would expect from a mario rpg the sounds are hilarious the way how mario and luigi talk all the affects all the movements of the characters the sounds is the part of the game which really shines and makes you love the rpg even more

story 6/10
now i'm not going to say that i hated the story but i didn't find it exactly entertaining first you start of in bowser so you think thats alright then you get out of bowser's learn a few moves fight a boss or two then get back straight into him for about another 2-4 hours depending on what kind of gaming you are but there are somne highlights in the story like when you have to fight bowser's castle as giant bowser's that is really quite alot of fun also one of the things good about the story is that how you unlock you're special moves you go around and collect ten puzzle piece's one you have all ten you unlock a new move which is then followed up by a demo also one of the cons is that the humor it is hilarious but it isn't as i remember it i mean mario and luigi still talk like they have no tounge's with no actuall words coming out which does make the game that much better but compare that to SSS or super mario rpg you got to think nintendo wasn't really focusing on humour for this game
the story is a real downpoint for the game it is just very repetative until about ten hours in when you're out of bowser for good than it does start to pick up but you don't have that much gameplay left after that

free roam 10/10
the freeroam is just as good as it was in SSS where you can go around exploring towns and new areas it's not like it pit we you're stricted to the castle which isn't that bad but it would still be better if you could explore more

controls 8/10
the controls are great in fact better then ever except for the madatory touch screen sequences in the game which do actually come up alot for you to do all the mini games you need the touch screen so before you get the game you better make sure you're touch screen is calibrated

overall rating 7/10
this game is just a real dissapointment not in every department but it is really just the story that put me off it the old pick up and play for hour's and hour's is gone the old way you used to know isn' gone but it's fading now this isn't a bad game they could have done alot worse but looking at the series over years and working my way threw all the rpg's including the paper mario even though there basically a whole differnet series i still liked them but anyway i realiused that this game is just one of the ones that some people like and some people don't there won't really be anyone in the middle

in my opinion if you have played SSS and super mario rpg and have not played pit yet then play that see if you enjoy it if you do than this game is for you but if your more old school and like the classic's i suggest waiting a few months waiting till it's cheap and then buy it if you're looking for something to do

by the way this is my first review so go easy thxs for reading

Scribblenauts Review

vVv Rapture — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:57:34 GMT

Scribblenauts
Nintendo DS

With probably the most hype a DS game could have in recently memory, Scribblenauts filled our minds with hopes of creating a unimaginable array of new ideas and things to play with. A game that could please our every whim with the touch of a button sounded almost too good to be true. It certainly, and without a doubt, was. While Scribblenauts is definitely not the masterpiece many sought for their DS handhelds, it certainly rivals the latest DS releases at some level (which isn't much, considering I haven't bought a fairly good DS game in a while).. Still, it is almost disappointing that a game with that much flair and finesse could fall flat on its face with almost the same amount of skill. Scribblenauts is the game many of you waited for, will still play, but won't experience the same title many drooled over months ago.

Sure, throwing the donut looks good, but he'll probably turn around and shoot me regardless.

Scribblenauts is as simple as a game can really get at this point. Solve the puzzle, move on to the next one. Solve that puzzle, advance once more. Not that hard to grasp. That's really about it. Don't look for some sort of hidden campaign extra that sends you to the bowels of hell trying to save a damsel in distress. However, the system works well, for the most part. The levels are spread out in a fashion similar to the Super Mario Bros games of years past. Beating one level unlocks more levels to play. To advance to the next �world�, which has another stack of puzzles to play, you'll have to collect Ollars. This poorly-named currency is your ticket to unlocking whatever unlockables the game offers, which isn't much, but I'll get to that later. Your main usage of these Ollars will be to unlock the next world in the game. Ollars are granted simply by completing puzzles, so don't expect fetch quests either. Actually, just don't expect much from really anything.

The main attraction of Scribblenauts, however, is obvious. Think of any word, type it in, and blam, it appears before you. Most of the word bank in Scribblenauts, if not all of it, is full of common nouns, so explicits, verbs, adjectives, names (save for some rather famous ones, like Einstein) won't be there to add to your army of word choices. You can then use your creations in the two kinds of puzzles found in each world. The first is rather simple: complete the objective to reach the Starite, the (you guessed it) star-like object that is your focus to collect in these kinds of puzzles. The other is along the same lines, but is more puzzle like, as in, there is no Starite collecting and the way to finish these puzzles is to just complete the task at hand. The latter kind of puzzle gives you a bit more freedom to use your imagination, but collecting Starites in the first kind are almost a bit more challenging.

I don't even know what I'm trying to do here...

That's really it. Collect the Starite or complete the objective. Nothing else. The game becomes more of a challenge as each level is played, but may come off as a bit irritating and almost worthy of breaking your DS in half. Some levels are just ridiculous and the learning curve of the game itself takes a steep climb way too early into the game. Not only that, but the hints given before each level are so vague you could have gotten better information from a brain-dead chimpanzee.

Another misstep in Scribblenauts is that there is too much freedom. When a person has limited freedom, they think of all the things they think they should be able to do. But, when you give that person all the freedom they want, they can barely think of more than a couple of things. Don't be surprised when every puzzle, which allows you to create essentially anything the game allows, ends up being solved by the same three items over and over again. Sure, I can create any kind of vehicle I want, but when I realize this, I almost get a type of writer's block and just choose the UFO to get myself around. Even if I could get a dictionary to find all the cool things I can use, I'll only choose the most effective. Why go through everything else when I can solve every possible puzzle with a large boulder, a shotgun, and a jet pack?

Past all of that, Scribblenauts is bone-dry. The menus aren't plentiful, which may be a good thing in retrospect. Unlockables are also barely there. Ollars will unlock you different songs, costumes and other unnecessary things, but, like said, they are completely useless in the main game. Dressing up as a ninja was cool for the first five minutes, but I completely forgot about it not that long afterwards.

When I tap to try and dodge the giant crab about to eat me, Maxwell decides that it is a good idea to go sightseeing.

Another major dilemma is how the game is controlled. Everything, aside from controlling the camera, is done on the touch screen. In theory, that could all pan out, but in execution, it fails miserably. Players will have to resort to typing in words if you want to get things done quickly, as the other option, the notepad that allows you to literally write letters, is faulty at best. Controlling the main character Maxwell is just a nightmare. Tap where you want him to go and he has a body spasm and decides he wants to jump on top of everything and do everything but go four inches in front of him. Have you laid out an elaborate plan to get a Starite? Forget about it. He'll ruin it ten times faster than it took you to step it all up. Why couldn't we just use the D-Pad for this kind of thing? That's what it is there for.

However, I'm a little torn on the sights and sounds of Scribblenauts. At some points, I have marveled at the cute, cartoon design of the game, as well as keeping in tune with the boisterous noises everything makes. At other times, I can barely understand what I'm seeing and every annoying squeak or background track that shows up makes my ears bleed. It may just be about taste, but I didn't find it surprising that keeping my DS's volume off was a good idea.

My life's dream has always been this...

Unless you really find making all sorts of things pop up in-game, don't expect to pop this bad boy back into your DS on a routine basis. Playing with a friend is almost non-existent. Creating levels to play on isn't as fun as it should be. Sending them to players around the world isn't either. Still, if you really want to have fun, the most you'll find is on the title page, where you can just make anything pop up for no apparent reason. I spent most of my time there rather than hitting Start and actually playing the game.

Scribblenauts is the story of not reaching expectations. It had all the potential to be a magnificent game and, for some reason, was the complete opposite. It isn't a terrible game, quite the contrary. Many may find it to be the game they've been looking for all their lives. As for me, I didn't find it that extraordinary, which saddens me, as I found it to be rather interesting before release. Maybe one day a developer will make a game that actually reaches its potential. Maybe a game will come out that is actually as good as it sounds. Or, we can just wait for Modern Warfare 2 to come out. I'll stick with that one.

I typed in Modern Warfare 2, not a vampire!

Animal Crossing: Wild World

vVv Rapture — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:11:08 GMT

Animal Crossing: Wild World
For the Nintendo DS

Ask any hardcore gamer today and they'll tell you that Nintendo lost touch with them when the Wii came out. I'd have to agree with them, since I'm certainly not buying that Wii Fit is essential to my library of dust-collecting Wii titles. Yet, many don't know that Nintendo had already tried this casual market once before with many a game, including Animal Crossing. What at first seems like a fresh and relaxing experience becomes more like a chore, leading me to believe that I'd be better off doing a chore that's constructive than doing one in front of my TV screen. So, when the second AC game came out on the DS, Animal Crossing: Wild World, I was once again tricked by the cheery atmosphere and sucked into a world of relentless torture. That, my friends, is Animal Crossing: Wild World in a nutshell.

Sadly, I can't even begin to call Wild World an actual game. It simply mimics what you do in real life, but replaces you with an odd-looking child that's eyes refuse to move in any direction and tasks to complete that are as entertaining as watching snails in a foot race. With that said, Wild World does little to full immerse you in the experience, starting off with the simple fact that a plot is nonexistent. Wild World places you in a random town full of annoying creatures in hopes of living a good life. This good life, however, comes with a price. You'll soon find that enjoying the game becomes much more difficult when the local shopkeeper places a mortgage on your home and your only option to pay it off is sell things you find laying around the village. I feel no remorse when I say that Wild World completely misses when it comes to being fun. Completely.

This couldn't get any more boring...Oh wait, it swam away...It just got more boring

Wild World does start out amusing, I'll give it that. It'll entice you with the ability to build up your house, make friends, go fishing, and numerous other activities you can take part in. Unfortunately, the number isn't big enough to avoid the game becoming repetitive and downright boring. Collecting fruit to pay bills over and over again just doesn't make a fun game. What makes matters worse is that Wild World is extremely shallow in what it offers. Customization barely scratches the surface of what other games provide, special events give no purpose to attend them and the game never changes its daily routine of �make money, pay bills� gimmick that never gave off a good vibe in the first place. The sad thing is that the game had so much potential to be better than it was; to actually be a game worth buying.

It's at this point that many who do play the game realize that AC:WW is nothing more than a chore: a game that makes you feel that you have to play it, rather than making you want to because you enjoy it. I can recall numerous occasions when I'd pop the game in because I realized I needed to collect some money for the huge loan I took on my house. I can call myself an idiot, because when I am playing a game that has you live through some of the worst parts of real life, it's time to stop. Plus, the game even penalizes you for not playing. Things will become deteriorated as time goes on without your maintenance. It once again sucks you into an experience that is absolutely dreadful.

If this ends up as the layout of your bedroom, you need to find a good doctor.

Then again, the development team behind Wild World did succeed in making the title far from an eyesore. The graphical style presents a 3-D world that breaks away from other 3-D DS games by creating an environment that is inventive, easy on the eyes, and, above all, simply extraordinary. Though the sounds that ring in your ear canals may become tedious, you'll never become weary of the cartoon-like characters joyfully trouncing up and down through the community. Wild World may have struck out repeatedly already, but it hits a home run when it comes to graphics and audio.

Nevertheless, ACWW once again strikes out. Multiplayer could have brought the game out of the gutter, but all it does is drive the nail through your head, reminding you that the game is nothing more than a shell of the awesome title it could have been. Interactions between other players is limited to local and WiFi visits from friends. They can't do much other than explore your town and, without any special modes to keep the experience going, multiplayer doesn't become much else than walking around with someone you can do the same with in real life. It is a horrible letdown and shamefully doesn't do much to remedy the problem with special add-ons relating to it.

A wild party? Maybe next time, boys, maybe next time...

To be honest, simulation games like Animal Crossing: Wild World seem to be sorry excuses for games. I said the same thing about Nintendogs. Why play with this virtual mut when I have one of my own? AC:WW applies the same way. Why endure through this when I can do so much more in real life? Ask yourself that when you think about playing the game. For what it's worth, I can't think of many good reasons of why I ever acquired the game. It was fun at first, but then it became exactly what I've already described: a chore. No one likes chores.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

ToonLink — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:03:19 GMT

This is the sequel of Mario & Sonic at the Olimpic Games.
The game looks better than the previous game, it has WiFi Connection.
In my opinion i didnt like the first game so i hope this will be better.

Mario & Sonic on the Wii and DS is a collection of events based on the Olympic Winter Games. Players can assume the role of a Nintendo or Sega character while competing against the others in these events. The game features all of the playable characters that were present in its predecessor, as well as some new characters.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games retains the gameplay mechanics of its predecessor, controlling an on-screen character through authentic Olympic events with the specific tailored controls for the Wii and DS. Unlike its predecessor, some of the events in the Wii game can use the Balance Board accessory, but it is not a requirement.

You can read all the article here:
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Official Game Site:
Olympicvideogames.com - the official video games of the Olympic Games

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Review

Metocles — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:01:10 GMT

Introduction

Shin Megami Tensei returns with another RPG in the days leading up to the apocalypse where demons are summoned through hand-held computers. The citizens of Tokyo go frantic when the government seals off the entire city through questionable means and our main characters are set to find out what exactly happened to lead up to the events of the lock-down. Your decisions will decide what will happen to the people in the city and what the fate of your main character will be.

Gameplay, Game Flow, and Combat

This time the game is based on time-slots instead of free roaming RPGs most of you might be used to. The way the game is set up, there are exclamation points showing where the events to progress the game will happen. At the beginning of the game, most of the game is pretty linear with on event happening in each half hour where most of the major characters and plot foundations are based. This is a way for the game to immerse you in it's plot as much as possible so that the player can decide what actions to take corresponding to each character in the game. There are six major characters in the story that correspond to the six endings that the story can end with. In previous Shin Megami Tensei games, these paths were normally represented with arcane groups or a way of thought such as being good or being bad or even being neutral. The set of questions that you confront with each character will determine if that specific ending can be obtained.

Don't let this gameplay aspect bother you too much, as the first playthrough is basic, and, as with most games of Shin Megami Tensei are meant to be played once so that the next times can be completed more thoroughly and with more thought behind the actions. There are several secrets in the game that can be caught easily in this manor like attaining more demons or finding different enemies to interact with.

Devil Survivor introduces a unique aspect to the series that many players thought badly of in the past. There is an ability presented to the player called the "Skill Crack" which allows you to steal abilities of different demons you defeat in the game. This is the most useful tool in the game allowing you to progress through the game. Whereas in past games, like Persona, players didn't have much choice of abilities to choose, however; Devil Survivor allows full customization of the abilities that the characters can use.

The combat system in an infusion of both strategy and turn-based combat. On a battlefield, the player will deploy his teams to face the enemy. Any fans of Final Fantasy Tactics will know about the grid system where the player moves a certain amount of spaces to face the enemy. In Devil Survivor, positioning is determined the exact same way, however; when you face opponents it turns into turn-based RPG strategy. This will take advantage of the demons under your leadership and yourself as you defeat the enemies in the traditional RPG manner.

Any fans of Nocturne, will know about the Demon Fusion, but if you don't I'll explain the ways in which you can obtain your "soldiers" as it were. The normal way to get demons in this game is through the demon auctioning system, where players use their money from defeating opponents to buy demons to use in battle. As you buy more and more demons this way, the stronger the ones you'll be able to afford. As you progress further into the game you'll be able to use the Demon Fusion system, as I mentioned before. To get stronger demons into the game, the player has to "fuse" together two demons he previously owned to make a new demon. Some of the strongest demons can only be attained through this method. When fusing, you can pass on abilities of the two demons to make stronger and stronger demons which you will surely need in the game. As you can imagine, a little strategy is involved in order to have the strongest demon army possible for the battles in this game.

Each character's ending is very unique. As you fight back hordes of enemies to hold back your impending doom, you find out more and more things about your own existence and the existence of those around you. The meaning behind the plot in this game is very deep and mature material. You must make the choice between what you will do and who you will serve. All of this mounts up into a sure to be climactic ending.

Graphics and Presentation

The graphics of the game are good considering it's on the DS. The character models have been professionally drawn, as well as, the models for the demons in the game. The sprites look good for the gameplay and there are vibrant colors for some of the stages. I like the presentation of the main menu in the game where the main character basically works off of his personal computer to perform Auctions, Fusions, and E-mails. The game is easy to follow with the places on the map clearly shown and in game battle screens made for easy access to make the flow of the game continue.

Controls

It's pretty basic as far as DS controls for this game go. Selection screens are as should be with the A button, but there was no option to change controls. It's not all that bad though since most of the controls are self explanatory and can be learned by yourself. You can see enemy information and scroll through your own versus the enemies on screen to check through weaknesses and skill cracks. Besides the shoulder buttons which you use for those, it's basically an A button completion game. Not to say it's as easy as pressing the Control Pad and A button to get you through the game, but it is what it is.

Re-playability

This game is made for re-playability. Every Shin Megami Tensei game is made for replaying actually and it's expected of players to play through at least two times. I played through three times myself before the release of this review, and I plan to play through three more times. Successive playthroughs actually give you more to do and allow you to unlock things that you couldn't the first time through. I normally put at least 100 hours into gameplay for these games and you'll find you will to if you get addicted to it.

Audio and Soundtrack

The soundtrack and sounds for this game are well polished and well acclimated to the game. Shin Megami Tensei games have had a history of good soundtracks and it doesn't stop here. There is no voice acting here so you'll have to read through the text to understand most of the story. Songs for battle and important scenes are well conducted for a DS.

Summary and the Wrap Up

Shin Megami Tensei has made another game that pleases me to play it. There is massive re-playability in this game as with most SMT games and I'll play more in the future. The game is very rewarding for the effort you put in but can be very punishing if you don't. It stacks very well for a hand-held RPG against the console RPGs sold so far for the next generation consoles. In that aspect it's like Golden Sun in that it shows that you don't need console graphics to make a quality a worthwhile game.

Good Stuff: Re-playability through the roof. Fun and very rewarding. Good graphics and one of the best plot lines you can find out there. It carries the SMT name and it delivers.

Bad Stuff: I'll be honest; at the beginning the game can be a little slow so you catch up and learn the combat system, but when it picks up; it picks up. The difficulty curve can beat back some leisure RPG players that don't want challenges. SMT: Devil Survivor gives a challenge.

9/10

Muramasa: The Demon Blade Review

Metocles — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:16:21 GMT

Introduction

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is an Action/Adventure platform game from Vanillaware Ltd. and Ignition Entertainment that takes on the story of two sword-wielding characters through ancient Japan. They both take on their own unique storyline as Kisuke, an amnesia-ridden Ninja, and Momohime, a young maiden who's body is taken over by a sword master's spirit.

Gameplay, Game Flow, and Combat

Like previous games from Vanillaware, this game takes on a 2-D sidescroller field of view as you make your way through a map to progress through the game. This time the scene is feudal Japan and the overview map expands over several locations. If you're worrying of whether you'd get yourself lost or not, the levels are actually easily navigable as most of maps are somewhat linear and a flag pinpoints what your next destination is.

As you scroll across the screen, you'll oftentimes be immersed in a beautiful background and beautiful foreground to accompany it. Your adventure will send you through forests, caves, mountains, cities, and the seas of Japan; all beautifully depicted as you slash your enemies in each stage.

Speaking of combat, this time around Vanillaware has taken a unique look at the way players will defeat their foes as the onslaught of characters on screen aim to eliminate you. As the player in both Kisuke and Momohime's stories, you will start out with three blades. A tutorial on combat is available as it's needed right away and some players might not be used to the method in which you defeat several types of opponents. These blades are prone to break if used to defend or deflect attacks too often tracked with a meter called Soul Power. Some players might be drawn back with this feature where sometimes you could end up with all three of your blades broken and no way to defend or attack, however; if configured properly you'll be able to alleviate the problem pretty easily.

The blades are the drawing point of the game where players are compelled to collect all 107 of the blades either through defeating a boss or forging the blade in the main menu. The main blades after defeating the bosses in the game allow one to open up barriers scattered through the game to get further in the story or even traverse side dungeons. I'm personally amazed by the detail they gave all of the blades in the game where either the look of the blade itself or the hilt color differentiates and adds style. There are two types of blades; the long blade and the short blade. I personally felt the faster short blade made the action more fluid and fun since the long blade can feel sluggish and boring to use after a while. Collecting the blades are quite interesting as you can attain more of them after beating the game and swapping blades between Momohime and Kisuke. Normal blades stem off of the main blades attained in the game, and they are bought with Spirit points and Soul points. Each blade has an inherent "blade skill" that adds to the combat action and releases impressive attacks to help defeat enemies.

At some points in the action though, you may be prone to think that this game is mostly hack and slash. Sometimes pressing the A button like a frantic schizophrenic may be the way you get through crowds of enemies, but action can also be strategic with the different blades and it's inherent soul power along with its blade skill. The game is divided in difficulty between Muso and Shura version and even a harder difficulty after you beat the game with Shura. Muso is basically the easier of the two modes where the game is much easier and enemies take off less damage, while Shura gives a challenge to those who become accustomed to the action in the game.

I played through both story modes and felt that Kisuke's was much shorter than Momohime's. Both stories, like I said before, are completely different from each other, though they both occur at the same time, and both are equally compelling story lines. Players will find that both characters are fun to use and the little quirks and side things are what make it fun. Personally I loved seeing the different character designs on the enemies and bosses I faced. I think if one were to give the game a chance; they'd find that they would enjoy something the game offers.

Graphics and Presentation

The layout of the levels are beautiful and rarely do I see any slack on the design of things overall. The bosses often take up massive stages from fighting a giant centipede to slashing at the God of Thunder the cell shading and artistic representation really impressed me. There was a point in the game where I actually went to the random restaurants just to see the design of the food and seeing it be eaten by the main character. Even simple things like that had no fault in design and no re-using of old designs.

From a person looking in on the game and hearing it's 2-D might not expect that it could achieve good graphics, but one look at the game will really surprise you.

Controls

I used the wiimote and the the gamecube controller for the most part through the game and I liked the gamecube the controller the most. For an action game, I felt that the wiimote would have felt clumsier to me, and I was right for the most part. The motion sensor isn't used here, but the button layout isn't all that bad, and you could get used to it if you used it for a good amount of the game. The button layout on the gamecube controller is sort of strange to start out with although getting used to it isn't all that bad. In combat and roaming the map you basically use four buttons and the control stick. So even if you're terrible at memorizing buttons to press, it's easy to pick up what to do. I personally found myself using just the L button and A button most of the time, which are the switch blades button and attack button, respectively.

Re-Playability

I've read a couple of other reviews for this game and the main complaint was that there was no depth in gameplay and nothing to do besides playing the main part of the game. I disagree slightly with those reviewers because I saw a lot more depth than what it was said to have. Like I mentioned before, the game can be won multiple times with different blades to earn more blades and earning new endings for the characters. I beat the game with both Kisuke and Momohime in one save file and it was highly rewarding when I did so. After you beat the game it gives you the ability to go into dungeons that were previously locked and the ability to earn more items.

The only factor that the RPG fans might hate is even with leveling up to gain strength and vitality, there's not a whole lot of customization for the character that a typical RPG would have. I'm a big RPG player myself, however; I didn't have any problems with game the way it is, where it's straightforward with it's combat system and easy to pick up with its game flow. Different difficulty levels offer another playthrough for those who want more challenge and those who want to do things differently the second time.

Audio and Soundtrack

The sound is what I expected from the game; basically traditional Japanese music that goes well with the game. It's not outstanding, but it's not bad at all. Battle music pops up when you battle and different tracks pop up as you travel across different areas on the map. I must say the voice acting is completely in Japanese with English subtitles which I love. The mouths move for the characters on the screen as they say the words and the voice acting is actually pretty good. If you're an anime fan you might even be able to recognize some of them ^_^.

Summary and the Wrap Up

Vanillaware has made another side-scrolling classic for the Wii and this time mastered the art of the sword. I came in expecting gold and came out with gold. I loved Odin Sphere and now I love Muramasa. The Action becomes intuitive and is a must buy for fans of the games made by the company. If you're unsure then demo it! It's worth your time and attention to play through at least once.

Good Stuff: The graphics are out of this world and the side-scrolling combat action is fun. Gameplay is easy to follow so you won't get lost and the story for both Kisuke and Momohime are interesting. The little quirks in the game will have you enjoying it for days.

Bad Stuff: I will warn you that at a point in the game the difficulty curve for fighting enemies goes up if you're playing on Shura or not. It's not customizable to the extent of RPGs; instead mostly made for action.

9/10

Metroid Prime Trilogy [Wii Review]

SuperSonic — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:14:31 GMT

Metroid Prime Trilogy is a first-person action/adventure game that brings the Wii�s Metroid Prime 3 together with new Play Control versions of the first 2 critically acclaimed Metroid Prime games together on one disk in a funky special edition box. But how do they work on Wii, and how much of an improvement, if any, are they?
The games see you playing as bounty hunter Samus Aran as you save various planets from the nasty space pirates and their evil experiments with a mysterious and deadly substance called Phazon.

Gameplay

The game appears to be a first-person shooter, in that it has a first-person perspective, and you, well shoot things. However, the reason I describe it as a first-person action/adventure game is that there�s so much more to the game than simply running and shooting stuff, with the first two Metroid Prime games especially putting very little emphasis on shooting, and more into exploration and puzzle solving.

You�re armed (literally) in the games only with Samus� arm cannon, a hugely adaptable and innovative weapon that fires it�s standard single shots in a truly old-school fashion, but can also be charged to fire off more powerful shots, fire rockets and be upgraded in various ways for additions such as different beams, like the Ice Beam and awesomely named Plasma Cannon. Who needs multiple guns when you�re armed like Samus?

Samus' arch nemesis, Dark Samus.

Samus� other abilities lie in her suit, the main gem being the good old Morph Ball, which allows Samus to completely transform into a ball in which you can roll around and get through small tunnels and such which you otherwise can�t and drop bombs. The camera changes to a third-person perspective here, so you can see where you�re going in the often wonderfully intricate tunnels. This feature has always been fun, even in Metroid�s SNES days and brings a whole new level of puzzle/platform like gameplay to the game.

The other main ability you have in Metroid that differentiates it from just about any other game out there is to change visors, with a variety of effects. The main one (aside from the main, Combat Visor) is the Scan Visor, which you can use to scan a huge variety of objects and enemies you�ll encounter on your way, not only to interfere with computers and such to solve puzzles and make your way through the game, but also to gain information on the object, (particularly useful for info on enemies,) all of which is recorded into your logbook for reference. Dedicated players will find themselves attempting to scan everything in the game to fill up their logbooks to add even further longevity to the game.

The Scan Visor in action.

Aside from this, Samus is armed with other abilities that you gain as you progress through the game, (all 3 see Samus being �damaged� in some way early on and having to regain lost abilities,) such as a grappling hook that allows you to swing through the landscape. A nice touch to this is added in Metroid Prime 3 where you can also use this against enemies with the help of motion control to pull away an enemies shield/armour. There�s also nifty wall jumps, double jumps, various morph ball and visor upgrades and more, all of which are required at some point to give you access to previously inaccessible areas and often add a fun platforming touch to the gameplay.

All this upgrade business adds a huge amount of depth to the game, however it does also link to one of my biggest disagreements with the game, which is that there is a hell of a lot of tedious backtracking through areas you�ve already explored, simply to get to a door or obstacle you couldn�t get through before without a certain upgrade. It does all add to the �exploration� factor in the game, so you�ll either love this or hate it, but I did find it quite tedious, especially when it isn�t always clear where exactly you�re supposed to be heading next, which often leads to you running around the huge game world aimlessly, constantly checking your map for a place you haven�t yet explored.

While I�m on the annoyances, the save system is another, as this game sees those dreaded save points that have found their way into so many otherwise great games, where in order to save your progress, you must locate a �save station�. They�re not too harsh with the distribution of these to be honest, but it�s still annoying when something comes up and you�re in the middle of playing, and you�re unable to save and quit. Why all games don�t simply allow you to save anywhere is anyone�s guess.

All 3 games are pretty similar in gameplay and structure, which was always one of the main criticisms for Metroid Primes 2 and 3 (being too similar to their predecessors), but the concept is good enough and the games unique enough for them to get away with this, and this is why I�ve talked about the gameplay as a whole up until now rather than a section for each game, but there are a few features unique to specific games that should be mentioned.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes expands on Metroid Prime with the edition of the slightly overused concept of a �light� and �dark� world, where the same place can be explored in a different... dimension(?) where the odd change is made in layout and enemies, and there�s the �wonderful� edition of the air being toxic, causing you to lose health while you�re there. What happens in one dimension having some effect on the other, which does add another level of puzzle-solving to it all; however it does seem a bit of an excuse to drag the game out a bit and re-use the same areas even more, and the fact that you have to stay within certain spots to get your health back after having it sapped by the toxic atmosphere reduces the pace to a bit of a crawl. This concept isn�t exactly the best Retro have come up with and it�s for this reason Metroid Prime 2 is probably the worst of the trilogy, although that�s not to say it�s a bad game.
The 1 on 1 multiplayer from Echoes is also included, and is as awful and pointless as ever.

Dark Aether in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption thankfully ditches the light and dark world concept from Echoes and plays more like the first Prime, except with much greater emphasis on shooting. The puzzle, exploration and platforming aspects remain, but probably thanks to the greater disk space on offer when designing this for the Wii and that they wanted to show off how well the Wii remote can work for Shooters you�ll find areas absolutely swarming with space pirates quite early on, with the game as a whole being much more action-packed.

This game also introduces a �corruption� feature. Basically, Samus� body is corrupted by Phazon, which threatens to consume her completely and turn her into Dark Samus. However, this has a few side-effects you can use to your advantage, as you can let this Phazon temporarily flood through your body, putting you in �Hypermode�, where your shots pack much greater firepower, and your weapon can be charged and even overloaded to unleash a sustained beam of shining, blue ownage on any unfortunate Space Pirates and Metroids that happen to be in the vicinity. This is great fun, however, use at your own risk, as if you stay in Hypermode for too long Samus can become completely corrupted, in which case it�s game over.

The unlockables/bonuses feature from Metroid Prime 3, which allows you to unlock different �tokens� for different tasks, such as defeating bosses and making a certain amount of kills is incorporated into all 3 games, so artwork, music and other bonuses can be unlocked for all games, including the screenshot tool where you can take a screenshot at any point in the game and send it to the Wii menu to share with your friends. These tokens include �friend vouchers� which can only be used when received from friends over Wiiconnect24, which I find quite annoying since you therefore can�t unlock everything without WiFi.

Controls

This is the bit you�re probably most interested in if you�ve already played Metroid Prime 1 + 2 on GameCube.
All 3 games control the same, exactly like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. There is no option to use the GameCube controller for the first 2 games. You run via the control stick on the Nunchuck and use the pointer on the Wii remote to both point your crosshair to aim and shoot and to look around. Jumping is done with the B button, and shooting with A, unless you choose to switch them in the option menu; I much prefer B to shoot, it feels more like a trigger.

The sensitivity of your pointer and how it reacts can be fully customised too. There are 3 options, ranging from the camera remaining fixed in place until you point right at the edge of the screen, or the �advanced� option, which I would recommend you change to for quick, effortless and fluid movement where the camera follows your pointer with the slightest movement off centre.

This does work fantastically and really shows off how well the Wii remote and Nunchuck combo is suited for shooters and feels a real dream to play, particularly in Metroid Prime 3 where the gameplay is more shooting based, however, in the first two Metroid Primes, which were originally made for the GameCube, I find myself asking if it really is much of an improvement, since such a small part of the game requires pointing and shooting stuff. It still works just as well as in Metroid Prime 3, but whether it�s necessary is another question, and I find myself leaning towards �no�.

Aside from this, the C button on the Nunchuck puts you in Morph Ball mode, and then the A button drops bombs. Firing rockets is done via the down button on the Wiimote�s D-pad. This is all simple enough. However, changing visors and weapon beams is done by holding the - and + buttons respectively, and then pointing at a certain region of the screen when letting go. It works well enough, but is a bit fiddly, and again I found myself asking if it�s really necessary when this could be done via a simple button press in the GameCube versions.

Motion sensing is utilised in certain abilities, such as the grapple beam, which makes use of the Nunchuck as you swing and a lot of these gimmicks are added in Metroid Prime 3 as you move the Wiimote to mimic actions such as pulling levers and such in Samus� spaceship, which is pretty impressive for a while before it inevitably wears off and you want to go back to pressing buttons.

Graphics

Samus enters Phendrana Drifts in Metroid Prime

The main view in the game is a unique first-person view through Samus' visor, which adds a feel like you really are inside of Samus' suit, which of course is added to by the controls. The transparency of the helmet and visor can be adjusted as you please.

There�s a great sense of atmosphere in the games contributed to by the often beautiful surroundings. They are wonderfully diverse in Metroid Prime and Echoes, ranging from old, barren wastelands, to snowdrifts, volcanoes, futuristic, computer filled pirate bases and my personal favourite, the beautifully atmospheric Torvus Bog. Metroid Prime 3 is less so, with most of the game being quite dark and dingy as most of your time is spent in metallic Pirate bases and such, although all 3 games have a truly alien feel with an awful lot of thought and imagination put into everything.

Metroid Prime 1 and 2 have both undergone upgrades in some parts, with apparently improved textures (to be honest, I couldn�t tell) and widescreen and 480p support, although your visor is simply stretched to fit the screen. However, as hard as this may be to believe, it seems some nice graphical features that were originally in the games including water effects and weapon fire effects, such as how your Ice Beam would freeze when charged and leave ice wherever fired have actually been REMOVED from the games. That said, these effects were nothing major and don�t affect the game in any real way, and the games certainly don�t look dated but it�s still pretty odd.

The enemies in the game are pretty imaginative, ranging from tiny insects to massive monsters, although, bearing in mind these are long games, the enemies early on seem to be limited to small wasps and other bugs, which is quite unspectacular, although as you�d expect from a Nintendo game, boss battles feature with truly massive and spectacular enemies. A special side-mention goes to Dark Samus who is undeniably cool-looking.

A spectacular fight with Meta Ridley, an old nemesis from Super Metroid.

Metroid Prime 3 adds big, cinematic cutscenes as you make encounters and fly between planets and a whole bunch of friends and a whole army of allies, such as the other bounty hunters you met in the DS� Metroid Prime Hunters. These are all quite spectacular and give a much deeper feel of the whole Metroid Universe when you�re not all alone and are part of some huge battle with weapons fire everywhere.

Sound

The soundtrack in all 3 games is fantastic. All the music has a really alien and sci-fi sound to it and contributed to what is already created by the graphics to make one hell of a package in terms of atmosphere. The themes are often recognizable from the early Metroid games on NES and SNES too for a nice nod to the excellent classics.

Sound effects range from the typical blasts and roars and screeches of various monsters, with the odd weird sci-fi effects. Metroid Prime 3 also includes voice acting both in-game as people bark orders at you and during cutscenes, although Samus herself remains silent beyond the typical grunts and such. Not exactly Oscar-worthy but not bad at all and contributes further to the �epic� feel in Corruption.

Overall

It delivers what it says on the tin. 3 Fantastic games on 1 disk, in a gorgeous special edition sleeve plus artwork book all for the price of an ordinary game! You don�t get much better than that.
However, if you already have the games separately I would put some serious thought into whether or not they�re worth a second purchase, as the updates don�t add quite as much to the first two games as you might think.

Good Points: Rivals the Orange Box for bargain of the century. A truly epic adventure with unique gameplay a huge amount to explore and an absolute ton of longevity. The controls do work very well...

Bad Points: ...However, they don�t really add a lot to the first two Primes. Tedious backtracking and save points will annoy some.

9/10
(not an average)

Batman Arkham Asylum

Rorschach — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:43:20 GMT

Over the past couple of years Batman has been gaining popularity. (With two movies the first one doing relatively well and the second doing very good and a game that did okay but since it was based off the movie it wasn�t very good overall because if you saw the movie you know the game and vice-versa.) Well Eidos decided it wanted in on Batman�s popularity by making Batman Arkham Asylum. Not based on The Dark Knight movie, but it did have a lot to do with the Joker.
This game is mainly stealth, so keeping in the shadows is a must. Of course unlike most stealth games staying hidden is fairly easy compared to others. For example you can hide in ventalation shafts, on top of gargoyles, under floor pannels and on top of buildings. So staying hidden is not so hard, but if you play on hard mode enemies will be able to detect you easier. One of my favorite things with the stealth is to hang from a gargoyle and grab somebody when they pass under and hang them from the gargoyle.
Combat is mainly a beat-em-up, by which I mean smash X until everything in the room dies. Sometimes however the game likes to pull out baddies that need a little bit more. For example some with tazors have to be hit from behind while others with knives have to be stunned with the B button before you can hit them. This being one of the few flaws I found in the game.
The cast of the game is also a major point of the game where as you will meet up with many of Batman�s enemies such as The Joker, Harley Quin, Killer Croc, Zsasz, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Bane and The Riddler. However you never see The Riddler you only hear him through a communicator every time you solve one of his riddles or find a Riddler trophy. Others like Two Face are only mentioned in the game. Also many of the characters have their original voice actors from the cartoons such as Batman, The Joker, and Harley Quin. So if you were a fan of the old shows then you will be able to feel a bit of nostalgia from this.
Boss fights seem to be few and far between, but this is sort of a good thing because it lets you explore more of Arkham Island without running into a boss everytime you enter a room. The people you will face in boss fights are most of the main cast of villians except Harley Quin, Killer Croc and Scarecrow because I really don�t consider what you did to him a boss fight. More of a fight his minions and every time a batch is dead and a light shines on him causing his nightmare segment to end.
Killer Croc�s part of the game is more of a challenge and pressing buttons at the right time to stay alive. This being the second flaw I found in the game because if there could be one thing I could change about video games it would be quick time events because they are annoying. Nothing ruins a game more than press X not to die and it sends you spiraling back in time to whenever you last saved or the game auto saved and try it all again. I hope whoever made the first quick time event has a special space in Hell waiting for him along with whoever made bullet time.
Graphics in this game are well worth mentioning because it seems like its real during cutscenes, but even when it isn�t a cutscene the graphics still look very good. I usually don�t like to go on about graphics but they deserve being talked about. Batmans cape flow is very nice to look at which is nice because you will see it most of the time. Also Batman�s suit rips and tears over time which I know isn�t a major thing, but I thought it was neat and showed that you were in Arkham Aslum for quite a while fighting many enemies.
Overall Batman Arkham Asylum was a good game. It sucked me into it and didn�t let me out untill the end, character designs were new and creative and very immersive. I congratulate Eidos for making yet another very successful game such as their original Tomb Raider and the Legacy of Kain series. The end of the game screams sequel so lets hope they can make a great sequel without screwing it up.

P.S at school will ad pics later

Watchmen: The End Is Nigh

Rorschach — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:58:14 GMT

Bob Dylan- The Times They Are A Changin

Intro
Finally a super hero game with some of my favorite heroes in it was my first thought upon renting this game. My second thought was oh I hope Alan Moore wrote the story, but sadly once I got home and saw the opening credits he did not. I thought to myself it couldn�t be all bad because several comics have had several writers and they were still good so my optimism for the game remained a little while longer. Sooner into the game I was whacked across the face like a Adam West Batman villain with a big pow symbol next to my head when I actually played the game. There are several things I will go over some good, some bad, and some thought fall off the scale of bad game design.

Graphics
First lets talk about the graphics shall we. I was surprised to see for a game like this to have good graphics. Seriously the water effects were so good on my High Def TV that I�d have to wipe it down because of condensation. Even though things were dark though they match the theme so I will let this slide under the bar unlike most overly dark games for the 360. I�m probably not the first person to attack current generation graphics for being dark, but developers need to realize that when things need to be dark they need to be dark, and when they don�t need to be dark they don�t need to be dark.

(Nite Owl and Rorschach in the burning jail)

(My favorite rain part)

Next in graphics is the nice cut scenes. Every last one of them is like a 1980�s comic book. This I really enjoyed because it made everything during the cut scenes have that dark charm that the comic did which is something not even the movie could do. Score one for games and none for movies. Maybe Peter Jackson should take some notes from this game and go back in time and learn how to put the right atmosphere into the film.

(cut scene from part 2)

Game Play
Game play was a major flaw in the slaw of this game. Damage was realistic only to you and not to your enemies. Which means when there is a cluster of them you have to run around punch one in the arm run again and repeat the process until every enemy in the room is dead. Something that takes forever to do and if you fail you have to sit through what I believe to be the worlds longest loading screen with it�s mocking tips.

(Rorschach fighting criminals)

One major key to game play was Rage. Which allowed you to do heavy damage to enemies, but only for a short amount of time. This comes in handy a lot, but sometimes it tends to be like the No More Heroes power ups and you will only get it only after every enemy has been beaten because you were to busy defending yourself to notice the gauge was full down on the bottom left of the screen. Which basically proves Murphy�s Law that if anything can go bad it will.

Another major game play element was the multiplayer mode which made things ten times easier. I�ve only played it once with a friend, but we tended to go through enemies much faster than when we were playing alone. So if you�re having a hard time some where get a friend to help or if you have to train your cat to play if you must and you will.

The camera was another bad part of the game. The best I can put it is that it is like a the cameraman was drunk and decided that weird angles were cool. Because a lot of the camera angles are confusing and make you run in circles. Sure you have the ability to control it, but only to a certain extent. Its more like you can tell it what to do and then it will either take your advice or decide groovy new camera angles that no one uses are in and alternative.

Story
The story like I said is not written by Alan Moore so that means it isn�t as dark as it should be, but all the characters seem to still be who they are and do what they are supposed to do. Rorschach being a sociopathic right wing conservative, Nite Owl being basically the character foil to Rorschach by keeping a open mind to politics and not being anti-social, Dr. Manhattan still caring about human beings, and Silk Spectre still being in love with Dr. Manhattan.

However this game is mainly about the partnership of Rorschach and Nite Owl, and yes you spell it Nite. As I said they play character foil to each other. Events that weren�t even in the comic happen in this game to show the power of team work and blah blah blah we get the picture.

Sound
Most of the actors that were in the movie play their characters voice in the game. So everyone still sounds the same. I can only think of a few who might have had different voices, but like I said this game is about Rorschach and Nite Owl so everyone else could sound like a muppet and it wouldn�t really matter. I do like Rorschach�s rugged voice. It really adds to the character in a good way.

Punches sound very realistic in this game and you will notice the punches because that�s about all you do when it comes to game play. Bones actually sound like they snap, jaws sound like jaws being broke, and the sound of a crow bar being beaten across someone�s head is very convincing.

Outro
So overall Watchmen: The End Is Nigh isn�t a bad game, but it wasn�t what fans were expecting out of a watchmen game. The fighting was repetitive, punches were really the only string to your bow, having to restart over and over is a pain in the neck, but the cut scenes were worth it just because they were like the comic. Also it was fun to take control of two of comic histories greatest characters of all time.

Game play

Trailer

Assassin's Creed Review

Puzzler — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:39:13 GMT

INTRODUCTION AND STORYLINE.
Jerusalem, 1191 AD during the brutal times of the Third Crusade. The streets are bustling with activity, but in a few seconds, everything will change all because of you, Altair, a feared Assassin.

In this game you will be able to experiene the power of the Assassin as your travel back in time to cause havoc and solve a mystery that has gone unsolved for many years in the future (present). You take on two main roles, Altair Ibn La-Ahad, a 25 year old assasson from Jerusalem in the year 1191. You taken on this role of this man for the main course of the game, however, you wouldn't be able to the play man if it was for Subject #17, a Desmond Miles. He is situated in the present, through his memory his ancestor Altair can finally be shown in all of his glory. Will you follow the story and become a part of history? Or will you fall of your horse?

"Altair, feel the force on a completely different level."

SPECIAL CONTROLS AND FEATURES.
In this game your talent has to be survival, you have to keep out of the 'laws' eyes or else you will be punished for the jobs you carry out. Who says being an Assassinis an easy job? Special controls include interactions with the crowd around you, when in a pickle you are able to blend in with groups of people by pressing and holding the 'X' button. When holding down the 'O' button your character will perform a gentle push on the crowd members around them, hitting a passer-by may gain the attention of unwated enemies.

All these moves when encorporated in to the gameplay make escaping from trouble even more fun, I found myself inbetween 'missions' creaking the law only to try and find a way to disappear as quickly as possible with minimal fuss using some of these methods combined.

You can also hide in certain areas of the maps you travel to, it is exciting to find a new space to crawl within when needed. All these extras give the game something more than just a base, it helps to build upon it. Attacking controls are usual. You also have the ability to ride a horse in this game, if you find one of course. This extra proved to be useful when fleaing. Just a hint....

There are also side game, in certain areas you will find the 'Kings' men hounding members of the public, help them and they will be forever in your debt, it does help to be the 'Spider-Man' of the community sometimes.

"Please, move aside. Assassin coming through..."

GRAPHICS.
I was pretty impressed with the ammount of effort which has gone in to the graphics side of the game, sure game trailers show off game potentials but some of them are hardly fulfiled. Assassin's Creed proved to be different in this respect. The graphics are crisp and inviting, Ubisoft even seem to have the way the assassin's clock rustle in the wind/when running/walking down to a tee. Crowds even have ecentric detail added to them, the buildings look touchable and you really feel as though you are actually attacking people (pardon for that little children).

Sunlight is evenly spread making everything have a touch of realism, great in any game created nowadays. Correct? This game deffinately deserves ist ratings in this section, and all sections for that matter.

SOUNDS.
From the begging of an old woman, to the clink clank of weaponary Ubisoft haven't just stopped at graphics. They have placed their magic touch on all aspects of this game. The rustling of cloaks, the groans of dying victims and the smashing of vases from water carriers is all around. Even the chatter can be funny to listen to, even the town criers. Check them out. All round thumbs up from me!

"Whoops, sorry. There IS a ledge there don't you know?"

REPLAY VALUE.
I have completed this game once, and have done so again. Once you play the game I think you may become addicted. The storyline does capture you in many ways, sure you may have heard the story once before; that happens there etc etc but surely you would like to cause more havoc this time around? I thought so...

You could possibly get another 2 plays of this game after completion, even if they are not all the way through. You may even spend time roaming around the cities to find what else there is to do, either way you will have fun jumping from rooftop to rooftop, swinging from signs and knocking down brutes and old woman. Haha.

VALUE/CONCLUSION.
Buy it, try it. You really can't lose out. Fantastic graphics and sound bites. Everything you would really want in a game, with a fantastic new type of storyline to be involved in. Forget about zombies, haunted houses or war games...this is different. A THUMBS UP FROM PUZZLER.

RATINGS.
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Replay Value: 7/10
Value: 9/10
Multiplayer: None

CSI: Hard Evidence Review

Puzzler — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:09:07 GMT

INTRODUCTION.
If you are not new to the CSI series (which has been available for some time now on the PC, aswell as the PlayStation and Xbox you will know what this game is about. Or you should; if you still haven't got around to playing this game yet this review is for you!

The next installment in a wide range of CSI game I think is the best yet, partener up with Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes, Catherine Willows, Sara Sidle and Greg Sanders to battle your way through 5 different cases ranging from different areas over Las Vegas. Use your brains to piece the pieces of the puzzle together and find the real criminal. Use all of the gadgets found on the show such as DNA Database, fingerprint machine and the chemical analyzer. You could be the next CSI in the business.

STORYLINE.
There is not a straight forward storyline per say; instead the main storyline is replaced by five completely different mini stories which you have to work your way through. Each of these 'Cases' as they are known are completely different in every aspect; you get a different partener, the outcome is not always murder and Grissom will not always give you the same grades (if you are not an expert).

I will refrain from telling you what each of these cases involve but I am sure that you can find this out on YouTube or any good gaming site. Let me just say that Telltale Games have done very well in the creation of this new CSI installment, there are many new features which make it different from past CSI games.

CHARACTERS.
As always you meet all of the characters seen within the show, with new ones in each case. Some very interesting to say the least. Another great aspect of this game are the character voices; I have been told that some of the cast on the show have taken part in the voice talents and some haven't. But in my own opinion voicing is fantastic, it does feel as though you are taking part in one of the shoots. However upon saying that I do find Sara Sidle's character far from 'similar' in the voice department, too deep.

Nevertheless you come in contact with all of the characters throughout the course of the game. Fantastic.

"The comparison microscope."

SPECIAL CONTROLS AND GAME FEATURES.
Simply put, there are none. All you use in this game is the main control. Move it to the left of the screen and it moves your POV to the left, and I am sure that you get the rest. Use the 'A' button to select items and...well that is all.

Game features, there seem to be more this time around. As a part of the CSI team you now have a personal PDA which you use to change locations, view evidence, view casefiles on suspects/victims and ultimately save and edit your game. You can bring this little fellow up by clicking on it when needed. It also proves helpful when in some of the cases as other members of the CSI team can contact you directly, no need to go back in to Jim Brass' office to question a suspect again; simply ring him.

A new added feature, if you could call it this is Grissom's bug collection. The creators of the game have noted that some people wanted more to do in the CSI games, and so they created a sort of mini game within each case. Find all of the bugs in each case and Grissom will award you with a certain 'Bonus Item' when you get your final evaluation. Nice huh? Bugman has been noticed!

"Its Poncho, you work with him on your first case."

GRAPHICS AND SOUNDS.
These are the same as they always have been, colours are of the same brightness although I have noted that more light has been used to make the game exactly like the show. Though I am not surprised as the team at Telltale Games have worked closely with the creators of the CSI show. Great teamwork guys! Sounds are also similar, with the machines in the lab using the familiar searching noise along with the match 'blink, blink' that CSI gamers will be familar with.

I am inpressed with the characters, faces match those of the actors which is always a bonus when you are playing a video game based on a TV show or indeed a movie. You feel as though you are interecting with them, not just some dummy placed there for your own entretainment. All in all a great attempt, and on the Wii it has to be a mega bonus. But again I must note that at certain points the game seems to momentarily freeze before continuing, the same with certain sound bites. It can become slightly frustrating but its only a minor thing, worth a mentioning though seeing as it is not my disk causing the problem.

REPLAY VALUE.
There is so much to do in this game you couldn't possibly find everything on your first go. Of course you will know your way around the game when playing it a second time but in some of the cases you may have missed certain pieces of evidence, missed some of Grissom's bugs for his collection or used some hints. These all go against your evaluation; the more 'Master' results you get the better right?!

Playing again would be fun, and seeing as you can skip text scenes it make it even more classy.

VALUE/CONCLUSION.
If you are a fan of the CSI series or indeed forensics then this is a game for you, the game is also on deal in some stores so even better although it is worth 3/4 of the original retail price I reckon. You will still have room to play the game through once more, if you want to be the Master of the Graveyard Shift that is. Game extras will have you coming back for more, and the characters are just as loveable as ever with the graphics and sound. All in all a fantastic game from Telltale Games and Ubisoft.

RATINGS.
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8-9/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Value: 8.5/10 (9 rounded)
Multiplayer: None

Feel The Magic XY/XX

SSJ Vegito — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:25:55 GMT

"Is she worth it?"

Storyline
The storyline is quite basic, it's the classic boy meets girl story.Your just this random crazy dude, who is apart of the "Rub Rabbits".The Rub Rabbits is the video game version of the crew from MTV's Jackass.They do crazy stunts, and stuff like riding a shopping cart down a highway.So basically your character meets this smoking hot babe, the only way for her to notice you is to do crazy stunts with your crew.You have to make her fall in love with you.You have to take her out and dates and stuff etc.

Graphics
The graphics are pretty nice in this game.This is a pretty old ds game, but the graphics still look pretty par with today's games.They remind me of classic playstation one graphics.The character models have there own unique style of detail, which impressed me at first.This is a very colorful game.

Gameplay
This game soley uses the touch screen, and mic.There's many unique touch screen games, like in this video, where you have to save your teammates from falling out the plane, by pressing a right combnation.Theres games such as extreme bowling, where you are the bowling ball, but you have to hit the pins from across a highway.Theres other games thats uses the mic, where you have to blow out fire, or sail your boat to rescue your girlfriend from downing.

Sounds
The sounds in this game, I have to say is different.Meaning the sounds in this game sounds really weird.Thats a good thing though.This game is just full of crazy sounds effects, and high pitch voices, which makes this game fun and quite funny.Fun fact, if your playing this game on your Birthday it will tell you happy birthday lolz.

Replay Value
After beating this game, you will find yourself wanting to play more.The mini games in this game are so addicting.You can also unlock clothes for your girlfriend to wear, by getting high scores on those mini games.The replay value is quite decent for a game you can get for $10.00.

My Final Say
It's a good game, you should check it out.If you want just some fun crazy touch screen games, kinda like wario ware, get this.You can probably find this game for 5-15 dollars.

Name- Feel The Magic XX/XY
Platform- Ds handhelds
Publisher- Sega
Rated- T for Teen
My rating- 8.5/10

Left 4 Dead Review

Kaboom — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:03:21 GMT

This is my first time so be gentle...

Valve�s new IP Left 4 Dead is a fast paced, zombie apocalypse first person shooter and is available on p.c. and Xbox 360. The Story features around the four main characters Bill the crazed veteran from the vietnam war, Louis a young business man, Francis a pessimistic biker that appears to loath almost anything and Zoey the young rich girl who is far from defenseless. All these characters are playable in the game be it co-op or single player. The whole game is set up like a movie, for example at the start it displays a movie poster featuring all of the cast and players. Also at the end, movie like credits will appear stating how many zombies where killed and who caused the most damage in the making of the film. Instead of Cut scenes the game offer the choice of story, you can blast your way through not playing attention or you can read text in the inside of the safe rooms most of which are jokes but some provide a back story to what has happened.

Although Left 4 dead is quite a serious shooter the range in difficulty settings make it easy for a novice too start playing. But when you are experienced enough you can try your hand at expert, which is not for the faint hearted. For every zombie hit you receive in expert your health decrease by ten as opposed to easy where it only takes off one. Despite Left 4 Dead�s campaign is rather short the game has allot of replayability purely by how fun the basic dynamics and Left for Dead�s unique AI director. This Director values how well the players are doing and decides to throw them a bone such as ammo or to bring them down a notch by through a tank into the mix. This keeps the game fresh every time you play. The game features 5 main weapons Pump shotgun, SMG, Assault rifle, sniper rifle and automatic shotgun one of these weapons will be your primary weapon and will have limited ammo for. For your secondary weapon you start with a single pistol which later in the game you will be able to dual wield. The pistol has unlimited ammo making it a great back up when you have run out of your ammo on your primary weapon.

Despite the game having a single player mode Left for dead has been designed from the ground up as a Co-op experience so it's no surprise this is were it excels. The campaign is split into 4 chapters No Mercy, Death Toll, Blood Harvest and Dead Air all the campaigns can be played in Co-op or versus. Versus is a mode were you and your team take on another group of 4 people were you take turns being the infected and try and kill the other team that are the survivors attempting to reach the safe house. The infected that you play as in verses are made up of the boomer who vomits on the survivors impairing their vision and attract a large hoard of zombies to the survivors. The hunter who has the ability to jump from wall to wall and pounces on survivors ripping apart their chests. The smoker probably the oddest of the lot he had a large tongue which he pull unsuspecting survivors in with. The final infected you get to play as is the tank which is basically a beefed up zombie. The tank is the biggest out of all the zombies and the deadliest, whenever the tank spawns all the survivors will have to focus their attention on him to kill the beast. The survivors gain points by how far throughout the campaign that they get. Depending on how many people reach the safe house the game issues a multiplier accordingly. While playing online you will meet many people with different game plans most of which are "Run as fast as you can to the base" this tactic almost never works. However if your team paces through the level covering each other and working cooperatively you stand good change in getting to the safe room.

The graphics in Left 4 Dead is familiar for anyone that has played Half-Life 2 despite the update in engine the games look pretty much the same. The only cinematic in Left 4 Dead is one that appears when you start up the game this is incredibly well done with amazing animation and really gets you psyched up for the game. Although you have to have a good eye to look out for lurking smokers and rampaging tanks the audio plays a large part in the game. A lot of the time you can here the infected grunting and groaning around corners before you see them which prepares you for their arrival. The tank and hoard even have the own orchestral music that warns you they are approaching.

RATINGS.
Graphics: 8
Sound: 10
Replay Value: 9
Value: 7
Multiplayer: 10

Overall score - 9

Manhunt 2 Loaded Review

Puzzler — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:26:13 GMT

STORYLINE.
An experiment at a secret reseach facility has gone castastrophicallly wrong. Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper are the only surviving subjects. The Pickman Project will stop at nothing to hunt them down and stop the truth from getting out. Demented screams echo around the dank asylum that has caged you for the last six years. You open your eyes. A white-coated body slumps to the floor through your shaking hands. A blood syringe slips from your arm. Waves of confusion and paranoia crash over you. You have no idea who you are or how you got there.

The door to your cell is open. One choice. One chance. They took your life. Time to take it back.

It does sound like a great storyline doesn't it? Well that was why I decided to give it a try, after playing the first game I thought 'How bad could this one be?', aparently not as bad. Rockstar have calmed down since the fuss the first game brought them. Nonetheless the storyline had me gripped from the beginning. You play Daniel Lamb, a thirty-something man who has been locked up for six years for project reasons. After a storm passes by the asylum which has kept you locked in the power goes out, when everything returns back to normal the electrics have malfunctioned and all of the doors have opened. This meaning the weirdo's, including yourself, can now roam the corridors free. Or beat up an aid or two.

Your first mission is to escape the asylum without harm, can you do it?

CHARACTERS.
Sadly you do not continue onwards from the first Manhunt installation, the old plug in the ear and Saw like guy guiding you no longer exists. It is just you and your abscent friend Leo Kasper. He seems to be wandering off throughout the game, you get no help from him physically but mentally you get hints. Go this way, go that way, kill him etc etc. I find it a little troubling; one minute you are fighting off guards and when on the brink of death after completing the chapter he comes in to the cutscene with you. 'Help, please?'. However no worries, you will see later on in the game.

You play Daniel Lamb first, he suffers from psycotic episodes, paramoia, psycotic reactions, delisional hallucinations and schizophrenic disorders. Doesn't he sounds absoloutly peachy? He is an alright character, you get the jist of what he is about from an early point in the game.

GAMEPLAY AND SPECIAL CONTROLS.
Gameplay is easy to follow, along with the movements once you have tested them out on a couple of the staff members and fellow weirdos in the asylum you live in during the first chapter. This game encorporates both the control and the nunchuck; this being the manouvering device. The camera automatically follows the player on screen, so there is no need to use your control to turn around etc.
The control is simply used for shooting weapons (when you have a gun handy) aswell as pulling of certain moves such as picking up devices, starting your assassination attempts amongst some.

A nice added feature is also the combat, you can actually move your control and nunchuck as you would in Wii Sports Boxing in order to attack an enemy. Left jab, right hook etc. But I find this slightly disapointing when you go to give a staff member of the asylum a right hook and the control does not register your movement, and instead you end up falling to the floor. I sometimes wonder...
Still, if you like up close contact with your game this is brilliant, punch away until your foe falls to the floor. K.O!

"Move the nunchuck and controller upwards to make an attack.."

You also use this for killing people in 'assassination' mode as I call it. When you get behind an enemy you press the A button (holding this longer can allow you to cause maximum damage, or a 'Gruesome' kill if you wish) and then move the nunchuck and/or control in the direction shown on screen. You have to have a quick eye in order to catch it though. (Y) It gives the game some realistic proportion to it. And don't forget when in the face of danger, keep extremely still! (Keeping your remote and nunchuck still when facing danger in the shawdows keeps you on the low; handy).

GRAPHICS.
Good considering the console we are playing it on (if you are in another world, it's the Wii), but then again they are pretty average. I doubt that we will ever see Rockstar create a Manhunt game with the graphical output of GTA IV. Having to see almost 2D shrubs and chain locks gets annoying but what can you do about it? Also the fact that needles seem to be twice the size of your characters hand becomes worrying; are they trying to give an overdose or is that what you call a single dose? Colours are dark, then again why would Manhunt be full of beautiful colours and fluffy rabbits? Haha. It adds to the affect, although you can clearly sort the shadows from other areas in the game.

Just think of GTA Vice City and you will catch my drift with this section. Got me? Okay good. Blood, you can see it but its no big deal. Gash...no, maybe a little paper cut.

SOUNDS.
Oo la la. That scared the jebus out of me! Quite clearly you will hear most sounds; screams, shouts, movements, voices etc etc. Some of them are quite realistic, although you will get the old fashioned hearing voices very clearly trick when enemies are nowhere near your character. But it does keep you on your toes. Hit an object with a weapon; clank. Kick a bin; clunk. You get my drift, Rockstar have done well on this game considering.

"No please, that's my writing hand!"

CUTSCENES.
Are of good quality, again think back to GTA Vice City and such and you will understand what I am trying to say without me saying it. Not too long and not too short, enough to keep your interested in the game and what it has to offer. Although Rockstar cutscenes are usualy quite good anyway.

REPLAY VALUE.
I would say PLAY AGAIN! Why not, you can brush up on your moves. Teach that first guy what you have learnt, betcha he didn't see it coming. Complete the game quicker, find quicker routes around each of the chapters. Kick a couple more people in the head. Why not?

I would enjoy playing this game again, maybe I will listen to the storyline and dialouge a little bit more. Ehh, who am I kidding, I wont haha but I am going to play it gain anyways.

VALUE.
Any fan of the Manhunt series should play this, its not the original but its still a good game and it is on sale for those people in the UK. Pre owned is cheap. If you are also a fan of the Rockstar developers then have a try, scare yourself maybe if you are new to the games. Or just have fun. In any case the game is great value, especially for the buy it new price, at least this is my own view of the game. But what do I know, I am just an amatuer reviwer. RIGHT?!?

Go on, get it. Buy some sweet and pop, set up the Wii in front of the big box, turn out all the lights and play. There might not be zombies but there is plenty more to offer than the un-dead. Partly dead brained metalists to be exact, close enough.

RATINGS.
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 7/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Multiplayer: None

Puzzler's Rating Guide.
1 - 3 = Poor
4 - 6 = Good
7 - 9 = Great
10 = Excellent

Grey's Anatomy - The Review!

Puzzler — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:25:10 GMT

Grey's Anatomy The Video Game
Reviewed by Puzzler.

TESTING THE WATER - STORYLINE.
Hello and welcome to Seattle Grace Hospital, you are going to be playing Doctor with all the characters from the US's hit TV show Grey's Anatomy. The storyline is simple and easy to follow; whilst trying to help each characters individual needs the hospital seems to have been stricken down by a virus which is spreading fast. Because of this the hospital has been placed in lockdown; oh no. A fun and exciting adventure with Meredith Grey, Alex Karev to name but a few.

FIRST THOUGHTS.
I can not lie when I let out the fan girl scream when I saw that this game was going to be released, any fan of the show would understand how eager I was and when it hit the shelves I went in there. Now, I thought this game was going to be the equivilant of The Sims. Roleplaying on a better level, free roam with a character of your choice etc etc. But I was sadly wrong.

GRAPHICS.
These are sadly disappointing, comic book. Sure these features are good in some games but not this one. The first thing which poped in to my mind when first playing this game was the cartoon 'Edd Ed and Eddy'. Why you ask? Well ever noticed that think moving line around the characters? Thats why, in this game that seems to be the major feature when looking at a character, that big black outline which they have. It over-rides everything else. :G

But I can not say the likeness to the real characters/actors is a disapointment, I think they have spent alot of time with some of the facial features. Meredith looks like Meredith, Derek looks like Derek...and I think you get my point!? A* on that point.

A wide range of colours have also been used, bright and easy to differ from one another. Again it gives the graphics that comic book feel, although I wouldn't really expect anything close to the PS3 or Xbox on the Wii. Good for the console and I will leave it at that I reckon. :roll:

"Well, what is this. A MINI GAME?!"

GAME FEATURES.
Like I mentioned before I thought this game was going to be on the lines of The Sims, but I was wrong. The main bulk of the game is you choosing certain paths to lead a character down, followed by a mini game or 'Challenge' as they are called. These range from small surgeries (which do not but Trauma Centre to shame) to 'Courage Collecting Sprees'. After a while I did get bored of these games as they began to drag, in the end I couldn't be bothered removing Meredith's doubt and giving Cristina courage. :G If they had some variation then I might have continued, who knows?

CONTROL FEATURES?
Nothing special really, simply use the control to move around the screen and press the A button in order to grab and then drag items dependant on the mini game or challenge. Thats all really?

SOUND.
I feel sorry for the actors, they did use their voices in the game and to be honest I think it is a flop. However I did get excited hearing the characters speak, instead of some randomer who can't even duplicate them. Kudos for that.

Music comes from the show, the theme tune is an extra added bonus for you fans out there I guess.

VALUE.
I should have waited until the sales lowered the price, in the UK it is currently �15.00 at local game stores and this is way too much for what the game is offering. I would honestly sell this game for around �8.00 if that. If you are a fan try it, but buy it preowned, rent it or borrow it from a friend if they have it. It is not worth all of those precious pennies.

REPLAY VALUE.
I am going to be generous with my rating below, I wouldn't play it again and I think people who have played this game will agree with me on this point. Once you have completed the mini games you will get bored, however if you wanted you could play the game once more but choose differetn choices and see how that turns out. I haven't done that...but you could try. :smilie_toad:

CONCLUSION.
Graphics are good for the Wii, sounds are great and voices are realistic giving the game that special little touch. The storyline could be slightly more interesting, along with how you play the game, too many mini games and challenges. I would enjoy the freedom to free roam with a character of your choice, like The Sims. That would make the game more pleasureable.

RATINGS.
Graphics: 6/10
Sound: 8/10
Replay Value: 3/10
Value: 4/10
Multiplayer: No

Puzzler's Rating Guide.
1-3 = Poor
4-6 = Good
7-9 = Great
10 = Excellent

Saints Row 2

SSJ Vegito — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:28:16 GMT

"Why Work Alone?"

Saints Row 2

Storyline
Waking up, from your coma, from Saints Row 1.You find yourself in a prison.After remembering how Julius, screwed you and the Saints over, you break yourself out of prison.Just to find out, your gang the Saints are no longer number 1, in Stillwater City.Now 3, new gangs are now running Stillwater city for supremacy The Ronin(A group of katana wielding Asians), The Sons Of Semidi(A drug dealing Jamaican group), and The Brother Hood(A group of ruff necks, who like wrestling and monster trucking).It's up to you, to restart your gang from scratch, and reclaim Stillwater city.

Gameplay
The gameplay, is quite similar to Grand Theif Auto.This is a free roam game, you can do missions whenever you want etc.The good thing about this game, is you can choose your sex, meaning you can be either male or female in this game unlike GTA.I made Megan Fox lolz.You can have street races in this game, with other things do in this game, like doing activites, such as being a cop, firefighter, hitman and other activities to earn money and respect.Before each mission you have to earn respect to play the mission.You can customize your own gangs and cribs to your styles.You can buy a wide varitey of clothes and shoes etc.You can also customize your cars.The best thing is this story is fully Co-op, why play this 30-50 hour game alone when you can do it all with a friend?One thing I wished they added in GTA4.This game does also offer online modes, such as deathmatch and team deathmatch.

Sounds & Soundtrack
I must say, the guns in this game sound pretty good.The cars and motorcyles sound pretty decent.Everything sounds like it suppose to.The best thing though, is the soundtrack.It fits or all people, you have your choices of rock, rap, hip-hop and techno.Features artist are Paramore, Panic at the disco, Young Jezzy, Neyo and many more.

Replay Value
Your gonna replay this game quite a lot.With modes such as, Zombie Uprising, which is a zombie mode where you have to fight against hordes of zombies, which is also Co-op.Think of it as a cheap version of Dead rising.The cheat codes are so fun, you can make it raining dead people if you want and many more.The activites will keep you busy also after beating this.You have funny ones such as, finding your hoes around the city cause your a pimp.

Graphics
The graphics aren't the best, but they are good.There not like GTA4 polished graphics.It's still ok.The character models look decent and the enviroment.There are some minor graphics bugs, but it's nothing serious.Like sometimes the rode would change colors a little.

Overall Good Game Worth A Buy. 8.5/10

Platform 360/PS3 (PS3 version don't have trophies) =(

Mirrors Edge Review

Puzzler — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:41:25 GMT

"Defiy graivty.."

Mirrors Edge

Written by Puzzler.
1st Review.

STORYLINE.
Mirrors Edge is based in a city which is constantly under serveillance, everything is tracked ellectronically in order to crack down on crime within the city. Information has to be tracked from its sender to the reciever, however, to get around this problem a team of 'runners' has been assembled by Merc, an ex runner himself.
You take the role of Faith Connors a female lead. Runners recieve pieces of physical information and use the rooftops and alleways in order to stay out of sight. As Faith you must uncover the secrets behind the death of Pope and why your sister has been blamed (Kate Connors).

Via a first person view you must make your way through the city using different modes of transport, it isn't just your legs which you use. You start off by learning the basic with a friend of yours, you must learn how to slide under objects, jump over them, grasp on to ledges and do combinations of wall runs to jumps etc.
Once you have passed this level you are free to continue with the story.

GRAPHICS.
EA have done extremely well with their graphics in this game, and alot of time has been spent perfecting even the slightest details. For example, when Faith gains momentum the space around her becomes blared, hit an object hard and she yelp in pain and the speed will gradually slow. Via first person you can only view her hands, if you look around however you will be able to see her feet and legs. A great FP look if I have ever seen one. Colours are nicely built together but I would say that the surrounding environments can get a little harsh on the eyes at some points. It almost have a comic book feel, the cut scenes certainly.

Which brings me on to real time affects; sunlight is very powerful in this game and can affect you. Stand directly in to the suns firing line and your vision will become impared, stand in the shadows and you can see clearly. Falling from a height also gives a buzz, legs and arms push upwards, sight becomes impaired slightly and the noise of air rushing past you all comes in to affect. Very realistic indeed.

I have noticed however that apart from your own character, enemies seem almost square. Obviously EA have taken too much care of creating the main characters than the enemies etc. Look out for the guys in black combat outifts especially.

SOUND/S.
Very impressive I have to say, EA seemed to have taken alot of time in figuring out the sounds as well as the real time affects. For instance when wall running over an object you can hear the scrapping of the shoes against the object you are wall running. Breathing also becomes more shallow as Faith runs for longer distances, however EA have let us down slightly when it comes to weapon noise. It feels as though the same noise is just repeated constantly, no variation, well apart from when a bullet hits an object instead of thing air. :roll:

GAME EXTRAS.
Apart from the main storyline you can collect runner bags, these are located randomly within the chapters and can gain you points or trophys (Xbox/PS3). However I did find that finding them on some of the levels does become hard when police are tracking you down after you ran over a building or disarming an officer, its almost impossible to get some of the bags without being quick handed with the controls.

There is no 'online' mode available for the user, however you can race in time trials with the worlds best if you like.

REPLAY VALUE.
You could probably only play this game once, as the storyline is fun after one play through. If you want to get all of the runner bags you may need to play through the game for a second go, however that is up to the player. Slightly poor :G

PUZZLER'S CONCLUSION.
The stoyline was deffinately unique in many ways but the whole reason why you are continuing on this journey becomes unknown in some of th echapters? The graphics are good in most areas along with the realistic tones of everyday life going on around you; it can be marked down in some areas but the game shouldn't be looked down at by a handful of gamers out there. Its good.

PROS (Y)

Graphics are of suberb quality, almost realistic if it wasn't for using a controller
Use of light and surroundings is well used; you can deffinately use many objects and area of buildings when considering how to complete a level.
Story is unique.

CONS

The story maybe lengthy in some forms and sometimes the reasons why you are going to these lengths to find and answer is uncertain.
There is no online mode but you can challenge your friends 'ghosts' in the different time trials. You time will then be saved and you can add that time to the leaderboards if you wish. No too good.
The bosses aren't exactly what I would deem as challenging.

OVERALL RATINGS.

Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Replay Value: 4/10
Value: 6/10
Wifi: No

Halo 3 Review

Arceus — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:13:38 GMT

Halo 3
By Arceusmaster

Developer:Bungie
Publisher:Microsoft
Release Date:September 25,2009
Rating:M for Mature

Story

In this Game,You must destroy a unknown space system called Halo. You must fight off the Brutes,Hunters, And other enemies.Destroy Halo and the Prophits.

Gameplay

The gameplay to this game is really fun and easy.There are 5 game modes. The First Mode is Campaign.In that mode is a Single player.In Campaign is Levels,Diffuculty,and other useful modes.In Matchmaking is like connecting to Xbox live. You can play online multiplayer mode to connect to other players.In Custom Games is a offline multiplayer Game.You could play offline with other partners.You could play other multiplayer modes.In Forge,You can create your own gaming level on multiplayer. But it will be still the same level as it is. You could try to put weapons,Grenades, and other objects.After your done,You can play the level that you created.Different Weapons and vehicles.On Theater,you can record on multiplayer or Single player mode so you could watch the whole thing that has happened in the event.Rewind it,Forward it,Pause it, And do anything with it.It's like a inserting a video in a VCR!New weapons,Powerful Weapons,Grenades, other objects to use in the game.

Controls

The controls are easy and simple. So here is the list of controls.
A:Jump
B:Melee attack
X:Use/Pick up Equipment.
Y:Swap Weapon
Right Trigger:Shoot Primary Weapon
Left Trigger:Throw grenades/Use secondary weapons.
Left Button:Dual Wield weapon/Reload or swapSecondary Weapon/Select Grenade Types
Right Button:Action/ Reload Primary Weapon.
Start:Menu/Settings.
Back:View Co-op Scores/Carnage Report.
Left Stick:Move/Crouch
Right Stick:Aim/Turn/Look/Press zoom mode.
D pad:Flashlight (Up)/ Talking to teams. (Multiplayer only)

Graphics

The picture and setbacks are colorful.When shooting weapons, It's almost as putting more color and lighting in the screen.The graphics and 3-d figures are really well and great.Dropping weapons makes the game in 3-D features.It's better than the old Halo Series.

Sound
The sound is really clear and loud enough for hearing and better gaming.Throwing grenades,hearing explosions, and Hearing vehicle Engines.You'll hear fine on the narrotor voice.You either get some killing sprees on Multiplayer games.

8/10

Retro Review: Goldeneye 007

Smashsoul1992 — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:37:11 GMT

Game � Goldeneye: 007

Platforms � N64

Developer � Rare

Publisher � Nintendo

Genre � First Person Shooter

WiFi? � No

Goldeneye 007 is a spin-off game developed by Rare for the N64 in 1997, based around the film of the same name released in 1995, was this game a horrible movie spin-off, or was it something so much more? Read on to find out!

Gameplay

Goldeneye is an FPS, it follows almost the exact same story of the film. Most of the environments and settings are taken directly from the film and dropped straight into the game, you start in a bathroom in one of the missions after free falling from a dam, exactly like the film. It is not necessarily a gun and run format like most FPS from this generation and takes a more tactical stealth approach, there are also a very wide variety of weapons in the game, from the PP7 to the Klobb and Sniper Rifle. And from your bare fists to throwing knifes! Goldeneye was also one of the first games I played where NPC�s and others will die from hitting certain body parts such as getting a headshot. The multiplayer mode is universally brilliant, upon playing this when I was younger with 3 friends it was just the best thing ever. You could sit there for hours playing it! And you know what, even in this day and age you still can, it never gets old. With a whole host of characters to pick from and the very varying weapons, no match was the same. Most of the multiplayer levels come straight from the solo missions, similar to Call of Duty today.

Graphics

At the time it was released 12 years ago, Goldeneyes graphics really stood out, the character looks and their animations such as when they were killed are very unique. The cutscenes introducing you to a level are beautiful and very well thought out so as to match the film in pretty much everyway. The level design is brilliant and there are some pretty interesting environments, from factories to snowy tundras. Jungles to the ocean. The guns also leave small marks on walls and spark off of them when hit too which is a nice but very unrecognisable addition unless you watch closely. The facial characteristics are very good aswell, many of the NPC�s faces are based off real people!

Music/Sound

The music from Goldeneye is taken directly from the film but slightly toned down to fit into the N64s cartridges, most of the songs from the films soundtrack are in there including the famous Bond intro theme, there may not be any voice acting but that is something that you won�t even remember listening to the background themes, sound effects are also present, the guns all have their own unique sounds, Bullets also make a memorable ricocheting sound when they hit walls which sticks in my mind so well.

Replay Value

The main story has 3 levels of difficulty to work through which will take you a good few hours, and if you have 4 mates and 4 N64 pads, the replay ability is immense, you can customize your games to a good extent and just have some plain good fun messing around on the brilliant maps. But mainly, even after all these years, people including myself still get the urge to go back and play this gem every now and again to relive my childhood!

Conclusion

Overall, Goldeneye has to be the pinnacle of the N64, rivalling even Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, its multiplayer really stands out as being one of the best on the system, with a story that follows closely to the film, excellent animations, superb graphics for its time, Goldeneye is a MUST own for anybody who has an N64, if you have not played this game, go out and do it! Even 12 years on it still shines as one of the best games ever created! This is one movie spin-off you won�t be disappointed with!

Gameplay � 9/10
Graphics � 8.5/10
Music/Sound � 9/10
Replay Value � 9/10

Final Score
9/10

Red Faction: Guerrilla

Smashsoul1992 — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:45:13 GMT

Game � Red Faction: Guerrilla

Platforms � Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Developer � Volition

Publisher � THQ

Genre � Third Person Shooter/Sandbox

WiFi? � Online Multiplayer

From the creators of the highly acclaimed Saints Row series comes Red Faction: Guerrilla, the third game in the Red Faction series sees you take the role of an insurgent fighter trying to liberate the EDF controlled planet Mars. Does it live up to expectations? Read on!

The hero, Alec Mason

Gameplay

Red Faction Guerrilla is a third person shooter in a free roam environment taking place on Mars, your objective? Join the Red Faction and drive the oppressive Earth Defence Force off the face of Mars! There are 5 sectors where the human race has settled on the planet, Parker, Dust, Badlands, Oasis and Eos. All of these sectors must be cleared of EDF and liberated for the hard working people using a variety of guerrilla tactics, including tearing down EDF property brick by brick with a sledgehammer or the Martian equivalent of a nuke. The whole game revolves around the same type of gameplay, get rid of EDF in one sector by ruining their supply lines and completing missions, then repeat when you move on, however there are lots of little side missions (Guerrilla Actions) to complete, including Raids, Demolitions, Transporting etc. Upon wrecking buildings you can pick up �salvage� which is your basic money in RFG, use it to purchase better armour and weapon upgrade.

Online multiplayer has several different game types, Anarchy (Free for All) Team Anarchy, (Team Deathmatch) Demolition, (Essentially one teammate has to destroy as much as possible while you protect him and take out the other team�s destroyer), the more experience you earn, you will unlock special experience events and better sledgehammers (The last of which is an ostrich!) You also get the option to wear different types of �backpacks� in multiplayer that will give you certain advantages, for example you can get a jetpack to jump higher, or a backpack that increases your weapon damage, or a backpack that causes a giant earthquake to level buildings.

The offline pass the controller mode �Wrecking Crew� sees you and other friends in the same room destroying as much as you can to get a high score. While it is good fun, it gets slightly repetitive and boring after 10 minutes or so.
I have no real criticisms of the gameplay itself, it is almost flawless and seriously good fun smashing things up, Wrecking Crew is just maybe a tad too bland for some peoples liking.

Using the rocket launcher!

Graphics

The buildings collapsing is definitely something you don�t see in games everyday, RFG does this superbly well and the explosions are devastating and just plain awesome to watch! However the car details seem incredibly out of character and impossible to believe for only being around 100 years in the future, some of the pick up trucks are as big as lorries whilst others are tiny and have bubble domes, character design is nothing special either, aside from the main characters the same designs are used almost continuously throughout the whole game, however the environments are pretty good, the terraformed Oasis is a fine example of this as it makes you feel like you are on Earth and not the red planet.

Destroying EDF property

Music/Sound

Nothing too special here, the voice acting is pretty dry and boring with almost no change in the tone of voices used, you get some interesting bursts of music here and there but most of the time you won�t even notice they are playing, there are some pretty interesting sound effects such as when you crash your car or the explosion sounds when blowing up buildings, the buildings also collapse with a tremendous crash as well which is very satisfying to hear!

The highly destructive walker

Replay Value

After the main story is finished there is still a lot to do, there are 250 EDF supply crates out there to find and destroy, doing so will net you an achievement, you will also have to complete all of the Guerrilla Actions across Mars, and the option to upgrade all your weapons to the max. There are also 3 batches of DLC being released, the first of which, Demons of the Badlands expands on the single player experience, whilst the others appear to be more multiplayer based. RFG will keep you coming back for the extremely satisfying online multiplayer where you can also just mess around with friends in a custom match!

Conclusion

Red Faction: Guerrilla is a solid game that will keep you occupied for a few good hours, however it has its weak points in design and sounds but the overall gameplay is nearly flawless a smooth, with more DLC being released and a surprising story and great multiplayer, the game is probably one of the biggest summer blockbusters of this year, it is at least worth a rent for those of you who want a taster but it will keep you coming back for more!

Gameplay � 9/10
Graphics � 8/10
Music � 7/10
Replay Value � 9/10

Final Score
8.5/10

Fable II

Smashsoul1992 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:56:15 GMT

Game � Fable II
Platforms � Xbox 360
Developer � Lionhead Studios
Publisher � Microsoft Game Studios
Genre � Role Playing Game
WiFi? � Co-Op

Fable II is the sequel to the critically acclaimed original Xbox RPG �Fable�, with its tongue-in-cheek humour and compelling storyline, this is one RPG you don�t want to miss out on, read on to find out why.

Battling a Troll

Gameplay

Fable II starts with you (The Hero), living as an orphan in the slums of the now radically expanded city of Bowerstone which serves as your main hub throughout the game, as a child you will have to gather gold pieces for a fateful purpose, I won�t ruin it for you but it sets up basis for your quest through Albion. Revenge. The main storyline does not have to be completed straight off the bat in Fable II, after your 15-20 minute tutorial as to how the game works, you could complete many of the side missions if you so wish, or find a job and earn gold to start your real estate empire, maybe starting a family and raising a child is more to your taste? It�s entirely up to you. Choose your path, to being Pure or Corrupt, Good or Evil, Giving or Greedy. A lot of the gameplay however does revolve around you killing the various creatures and villains (or villagers) to gain experience and makes yourself stronger in the ways of Magic, Skills, and Strength, the more powerful you become the more carnage you can cause. You will also not be alone in Albion, you have a faithful dog who will follow you around and can be very helpful in finding treasure and things buried underground.

The game will also make you laugh at some points with its brilliant humour, read some of the items you will find in the tutorial to find out what I mean. Where other RPG�s like Fallout 3 try to be serious, Fable II tries to be silly and funny which makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

My main criticism is the co-op aspect of the game, you are forced to share the same screen as the other player you are playing locally or over the internet with, rather frustrating if your friend needs to go away for a minute and you can�t do anything, also the person joining your game does not have the option to use their own Fable 2 character, instead they must choose a pre-set underpowered character to use.

The loading times are no good thing either, it can take up to a minute to load one area after you leave another, and if you all of a sudden remember there was something you forgot to do from where you came from, its about another minutes waiting going back.

Using Inferno spell

Graphics

The game has some very lush graphics, the lighting is great and the environments are visually different when looking at them at morning or night. Your character can sport a variety of different looks (dreadlocks, a moustache and mutton-chops anyone?), for example the more magic you use, your character will obtain many glowing lines over their skin. And when you are knocked out (You do not die in game) you will receive a scar that will NOT go away. Upon using magic your environments will sometimes bask in the glow of them, for example conjuring fire makes you environment a sunset orange, or using lightning make it sky blue. Upon using these spells they will most of the time travel along the ground around you towards your enemies.

Sunset

Music

The music is outstanding, whilst roaming through a marketplace you will here lovely cheery music, on the other hand when confronted by enemies the music will take a more sinister turn and drums will start beating and a choir starts to sing. On the loading screens you are treated to a ghostly choir singing in the background to occupy you whilst you load the next area, the music takes many dramatic and unexpected turns throughout the game and to experience them is brilliant.

Female character using Shock

Replay Value

Throughout the course of the game you have to find and destroy 50 obnoxious little sods called gargoyles, these stony nuisances will shout annoyingly at you whenever they spot you, you must find all 50 and take them out to be awarded with something special, there are also a bounty of side quests that will keep you occupied for hours, there are also 2 DLC packs out for Fable II, Knothole Island takes you to a completely new place to explore and adds new items, quests and clothing, See The Future adds more quests to the mix and allows you to obtain potions to change the breed of your dog, and enter an arena called the colloseum.

Conclusion

Overall, Fable II is a must own RPG if you own an Xbox 360, with a compelling story, lots of side quests to complete, high scores to top in arenas, gargoyle hunting, customization of your character and many moral decisions to make, its a classic in its own respect. However it is let down by slow load times and a horrible co-op mode, but don�t let those out you off and enjoy your journey through Albion.

Gameplay � 8.5/10
Graphics � 8.5/10
Music � 9/10
Replay Value � 9.5/10

Final Score
9/10

Gears Of War 2

SSJ Vegito — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:51:38 GMT

Gears Of War 2
This is Epic Games second installment in the popular 3rd person tactical shooter franchise Gears of war.

Story
Winter is coming soon and the humans of Sera have to prepare an all out assault on the locust horde underground below the Earth's crust.This time the Locust are stronger and ruthless more then ever ready for whatever the humans can dish at them.Locust enemies are sinking cities left and right and its up to the Marcus,Dom,Baird,Cole and the new characters Tai and Ben Carmine to put a end to this before all is lost.You can either play as Marcus Fenix or Dom Santiago in this epic two player campiagn.

Gameplay

Same gameplay as Gears of war 1.The basic take cover and shoot or run and gun which ever you perfer.So pick yourself up a Lancer and start chainsawing the locust horde in half.

New Features

Unlike in Gears 1, there or more ways of executing your enemies when they are downed.In the picture above this is a new execution.Theres a total of eleven but you got to learn the others for yourself.

Another cool feature is chainsaw battlling.When two players have their chainsaws reved up they will enter a chainsaw battle.The person who can mash the B button the most will win.

Also notice the Golden Lancer held by Baird in that picture?For people who buys the collectors version of Gears 2 will recieve a Golden Lancer promo code for Gears 2 Multi player.

Horde mode is also a new feature.In this mode you and up to five friends can fight against 50 waves of enemies, with each level getting harder.This mode takes team work.

Multi Player 5 vs 5
Muti now goes from 4 vs 4 now to 5 vs 5.Theres plenty of games modes from execution to annex including new modes such as capture the meatsheild and Wingman, which is a game consist of 5 teams with two player teams.Theres over 20 maps including DLC.

Graphics

This game runs in full 1080p.So graphics are top notch for 360.Charater models look great and well detailed.A image speaks better then words.

Sound
The sound didn't really change from Gears of war 1.Sound still sounds great.Guns sound real.The voice acting is qoute good.

Replay Value
You will be playing this game constantly.Horde Mode will keep you and your friends busy.Multiplayer player will keep you coming back for more.This game has 70+ achievements and over 3 DLC.

Gears of war 2
Rated - M Intense Violence,Languge and Gore
Platform - 360
Publisher - Mircrosoft Game Studios,Epic Games
GamePlay - Third Person Shooter
Players - 1-10 players
Final Score 9.2/10

super mario world

hokieman — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:49:36 GMT

If your looking for a great, classic mario game that is worth your money then super mario world is the game for you.

The gameplay is awesome. What you do is play as mario and go through the mario world and beat the usual bad guys. In between the fighting you can pick up yoshi on some levels to help eat your enemies. There are many castle levels that test your overall skill on the game and there are boo house levels that test your brainthinking and puzzle skills. There is also a 2 player mode which you are mario and your friend is luigi and you take turns during the adventure.

The graphics in the game are really good for a 1994 game. It has good usage of colors, nice and bright, and probably one of the earliest games to have great graphics like this.

The sounds for each level are very creative but as most mario games, the sound isn't a huge WOW factor.

the replay value is very high. As you defeat bosses and win through levels you want to play it again and own all the goombas and koppa on the levels.

For 800 wii points ($8) your getting your money's worth as there is unlimited fun in the game.

I recommend this game as a must buy and should be one of the first virtual console games you buy for the wii.

Super Mario RPG [Wii Virtual Console]

SuperSonic — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:54:45 GMT

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Super Mario RPG; a classic RPG-Platform hybrid created by Nintendo working together with RPG gods, Square, (before they became Square Enix,) that was originally released on the SNES as the console�s last hurrah before the transition to the Nintendo 64 was made.
Did this game make the SNES go out with a bang, well, yes. But how does it live up to today�s standards on the Wii Virtual Console?

The game kicks off with an intro before the game officially starts, however there is a difference here, as you actually have to play through these events yourself.
It all starts in the traditional manner, with Princess Peach being kidnapped by the evil Bowser and held captive in his castle. Mario pursues Bowser to his castle, and you must control Mario as you make it through a bunch of Goombas in order to start a fight with Bowser himself.
However, as Mario finishes Bowser off, a series of events that seem way out of Bowser�s doing unfold, resulting in Mario, Bowser and Princess Peach plummeting to their doom as a gigantic sword falls from the sky and into Bowser�s castle.
Mario wakes up to find that Princess Peach is still missing, and the bridge to Bowser�s castle is destroyed, making it impossible to get access. So Mario�s goal (initially) is to find and save Princess Peach once again. But what�s with the giant sword and other strange events unfolding in Mushroom Kingdom? Of course, it doesn�t turn out as simple as this.

Gameplay

The game has your typical RPG elements in that you journey to and from different worlds, exploring, entering buildings and shops and talking to any of the many inhabitants you meet on your way.
The amount and size of places to explore is very impressive and the dialogue is often hilarious. The story is surprisingly gripping for a Mario title too.
However, being a Mario game, it integrates many platforming elements into this too. You can, of course, jump to get across platforms and jump on top of things. It�s not exactly Super Mario Bros, but it�s a nice change from your typical method of roaming around in RPGs.

You will encounter platforming sections where the platforms move around in different ways as you jump from one to the next. There are also parts where you can get around by rolling on barrels and even launching from cannons later in the game, plus water sections where you can either swim around on the surface or walk around on the bottom with the help of whirlpools.
It is nice and varied and often really clever, the kind of clever that puts a smile on your face as you figure it out, and it all blends together really well with the RPG elements.

Battles are turn based like in most RPGs, however they�re not completely random, and are instead activated when you make contact with an on-screen enemy, although sometimes enemies will spring out of bushes and take you by surprise, in which case there�s not a lot you can do unless you�re really quick on your toes. I fought pretty much every enemy I could along the way and never had any major difficulties, and since the amount of Exp. You gain seems to reflect how tough the enemy is compared to you, you could probably get away with avoiding a few fights if you wish.

You have 4 options to use in battle: Attack, defend, magic and items.
The attack option will trigger an attack on an enemy of your choice. The attack depends on the equipped weapon the character has, for example Mario can have a Koopa Shell to kick at the enemy, or a hammer to clobber them with, amongst other things.
The Defend option gives you the choice to either defend, which will result in you taking less damage from enemy attacks for that turn, or to run away from the battle. Simple enough.
Magic lets you use one of that characters magic abilities, which can vary from different kinds of attack, to ones that can help your team by restoring health or boosting other stats. This option is where one of my main criticisms of the battle system, since there�s no way, at least that I can see, to know what these magic attacks actually do without actually doing them, and even then it�s not always clear what the result was. This is a little confusing to say the least.
Items, as the name suggests, allows you to use an item. Different items have different effects, such as restoring HP (health points) or Flower Points (these allow you to use magic attacks), curing status ailments and even boosting stats or lowering those of the enemy. All items, including weapons and armour (which boosts defense when equipped) are bought from the many shops in the game, or occasionally found lying around.

A nice touch in this game, which paved the way for many RPGs that followed is that instead of simply selecting your attacks and watching them unfold, you can boost their power with timed button presses. The same technique can be used to defend against enemy attacks. Boosting the power of magic attacks can be done in a variety of ways, depending in the attack, such as tapping a button as fast as you can or rotating the control stick.
This adds a whole other dimension and some much needed interaction to the otherwise typical RPG battle system. It�s a great innovation.

During battle you can have up to 3 characters in your team, these characters will join you as you meet them on your travels. You will have a total of 5 characters to choose from by the end of the game. As well as Mario, who you play as from the start, the first two you meet are new characters, only ever seen in this game; Mallow, a strange cloud-like creature that thinks he�s a frog, who excels in magic attacks, and Geno, a hero doll brought to life by some strange magic, who excels in brute power and speed. The other 2 are more familiar faces.
All the characters have very different attributes, so you may think about selecting different people for your team to adapt to the situation. Mario, however, can�t be switched out.

There are many, many different types of enemy you�ll encounter in the game. These range from typical Mario baddies such as Goombas, Koopa Troopas and Bloopers, but also a lot of enemies that are not familiar to the Mario franchise. The diversity of different enemies is huge and you�ll hardly ever encounter the same enemies for long, and obviously each enemy has different powers and abilities.
However this links to another annoyance I found in the game, which is that there�s no way (or again, not that I could see,) to know an enemy�s stats and powers. This again results in a lot of trial and error, launching different attacks at random to see which are effective and which are not, which is not so good.

Outside of battle, you can manage your party in the menu screen. You can see all your characters stats (attack, defense, magic attack and magic defense, and speed,) however; this too is a bit confusing with a bunch of different numbers with no real indication as to what they actually represent.

Each character�s held items can also be changed as you please, with multiple weapons, which boost attack, armor, which boosts defenses and even accessories, which have a variety of weird and wonderful effects that can be equipped.
Items can be managed and used outside of battle too, since you aren�t refreshed between battles. There is a pretty harsh limit, however, on the amount of items you can carry at once, and often you�ll find new items lying around and then annoyingly have to toss something out to fit it in your, err, bag. (Where does Mario store his stuff again?)
The level and depth of customization of your team is very clever once you get your head round it though.

On top of all this, there are a few really fun side-games to give you a nice break from the usual stuff. These see you playing all kinds of crazy games, such as riding a barrel down waterfalls and down a stream at high speed, collecting coins and racing around in a mine cart. These will be encountered as part of the main story, however after that you can replay them at any time and aim for a certain score/time in order to earn coins and other rewards. It�s really nice to meet something a little different like this and these are all the simple and fun kind of games you�d expect from Mario. They really are great fun and a good way to earn coins too.

There�s also a ton of other Easter eggs to be found in the game, which I won�t spoil but if/when you notice these they are guaranteed to put a grin on your face, just to add even more character and humour to the game.
There are multiple side quests of the type you�d expect in the game too as if it needed even further longevity.
You can also find Yoshi in the game, although sadly his participation is limited only to his homeland of Yo�ster Isle where you can ride around and race on him, although he can be summoned to help you out during battles, whic is a nice, albeit small addition.

The gameplay is a really deep and really fun experience overall, with the odd little annoyance, and a ton of variety too. It�s admittedly slow at first, but once you get into the swing of things, (bearing in mind the length, patience is required here,) you really will become hooked on the character of this game.

Controls

Moving around the game world is done as you�d expect. The D-pad or control stick on the Classic (or GameCube) controller is used for walking around. D-pad feels much more natural considering the camera angle and the fact that it was made for SNES, so Classic controller is recommended.
The A button is for interacting and selecting, B button is jump and X opens up the menu. It�s all as you�d expect it and easy to access, and platforming feels as tight as you�d expect from Mario, so no complaints here.

During battles is an entirely different affair however. Each of the 4 actions described earlier is assigned to a different button. A is attack, B is defend, Y is magic, and X opens up the items menu. You must press the corresponding button a second time to initiate your move after selecting your target. The options on screen are shown in the shape of your 4 buttons for a bit of clarity, however, having to use different buttons instead of one universal button (A) for all feels somewhat unnatural and occasionally led to me accidentally launching a normal attack with the A button instead of what I meant to do. This could have been made a lot simpler.

Graphics

Everything is rendered in full 3D. The view is a panned top-view kind of angle, but works well, it rarely obstructs anything unlike other RPGs that come to mind. Only minor annoyance is that platforming from certain angles can be a little awkward.
Unlike most attempts at full 3D from this time, the visuals haven�t aged too badly. Not exactly Super Mario Galaxy, but the cartoon style of everything just about saves it from looking completely fugly.

All environments have surprising attention to detail and are quite varied. Levels vary from forest and mountain terrain, to inside pirate ships and even in the clouds, they really are breathtaking at times and take full advantage of the SNES� power, being one of its last games.
This goes for everything within your current map, however, no attempt is made at filling the backgrounds with anything, with most just cutting off at the edge of the map to a vast, blue pile of nothingness. A little artwork here could have made it just that little bit better.

One of my favourite things is the design of the characters themselves. Instead of just remaining motionless during conversations, you�re often treated to quite humorous animations as Mario and friends jump, shake their heads and run around like crazy people. This adds even further to the character of the game. A real thumbs-up there.

When you make contact with an enemy, battle is not done there and then, but it instead flashes into a kind of �battlefield� that resembles the place you�re in, where more enemies join the battle. It�s just as well really, because I can�t imagine all the flashy animations working without this. Some of these are quite impressive.

Sound

The soundtrack is a true classic here. Classic soundtracks from both Mario and Final Fantasy (courtesy of Square) make appearances, as well as soundtracks unique to this game. These together make for one excellent soundtrack overall which is an absolute joy to listen to.

All the typical Mario sounds you�d expect are here too as you jump, collect coins and items and hit item blocks. Obviously there are no voices or anything, beyond Bowser's "Blaaargaagg".

Overall

Nintendo�s unrivaled genius and game design from the golden era of video games combined with the RPG know-how of Square combine to create a truly fantastic game and real classic which still feels great today, as it hits the Wii Virtual Console. It�s huge depth, longevity and real personality and character puts today�s big releases to shame.

Good points: Will likely take weeks to complete, not taking into account the side-quests and bonuses. A huge amount of depth and variation in gameplay, Great story, lovable characters and all round huge personality. Timing-based battle system is truly revolutionary and paved the way for many games that followed. And for just 800 Wii Points???

Bad points: Some clarity needed in the confusing battle system and in the stats system. A few control issues and takes a bit to get going.

9/10
(Not an average)

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle

Fame — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:46:41 GMT

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle

Introduction
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. A great Sonic game released by Sega. You play as 6 of well known Sonic characters in 2 & an unlockable 3rd story modes. I'm going to tell you why this game is great, and what makes it great. Please, read on to find out more.

Plot
To kick off this story is of course, Eggman. He reads about a secret weapon mentioned in Gerald Robotnik's (his grandfather) diary. Eggman infilitraits a high security G.U.N facility to find it. He finds out this "weapon" is none other than Shadow the Hedgehog, the worlds ultimate life form. Shadow helps Eggman take over the world and tells him about the Space Colony ARK. Shadow steals a Chaos Emerald from Centrel City and the G.U.N mistakes Shadow for Sonic. Which leads to the first stage in the Hero story. Of course he needs all the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald to power the abandoned ARK. So Knuckles shatters the Master Emerald and then searches for every piece.

Gameplay
There are two modes of Gameplay in this game. 1 Player and 2 Player. 1 player as you probably know is home to the story part of the game. There are (as I mentioned many times before) 2 and a 3rd unlockable storys. The first Hero, features the 3 main hero characters in Sonic. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. The second Dark, features the 3 main dark characters in Sonic. Shadow, Rouge, and Dr.Eggman. As Sonic & Shadow you run to get through stages as quickly as possible. As Knuckles and Rouge you try to find all the pieces of the Master Emerald. IMO its very, very annoying. As Tails and Eggman you go in in these giant machines and try to get through various stages. The 3rd story you are all 6 charactors but you are on the same team you might say. Your mission? To destroy the real "Project Shadow". 2 Player offers Running Levels, Hunting Levels, and Machine Levels. The cool part is all the stages in the different levels have stages that match all the levels you played in the main story.

Controls
The controls of this game were outstanding. There were comfortable, easy to remember, and easy to use. Control Stick to move, B to perform actions. Y to change your "B actions", and A to jump. Pretty easy right? I thought so. Hopefully you would to.

Graphics
To me I thought these graphics were great. Not all scenes were good but the majority were just awesome. The objects, enemies, characters, and even animals were greatly made. Every flip, move, and jump were greatly made. The flow in the movements were also good. No choppyness in this game. The background scenary was kinda of plain. Mostly it's just water or a picture of a rain forest. Though overall the did a great job on this game's graphics.

Sound
The sound? The sound was just excellent. The music for every stage fit it's theme, the sound were very well synced, and you could even hear them talking. Pretty much every song was well recorded and was loud enough to hear but wasn't too loud if you need to keep the volume down. The characters voices matched with every other Sonic game so it was nothing new...Which is good and bad. The good part is your familiar with them, the bad, it would be kinda nice to have new voices. But IMHO I like the voices just the way they are.

City Escape

Misc.
Two words, Chao World. Chao World, definitely adds on to this game's replay value. After beating story it might get quite boring right? WRONG. There is a little world called Chao world where you raise baby chao's from hatch to death. IMO without this little world I wouldn't play at all anymore if I had beaten the game. With Chao's there is a whole lot to know about them. But it's way too long to explain here. So I just leave you with this World definitely makes this game much much better.

Conclusion
This game was overall just an amazing game. It impressed me alot. But I'm not saying everyone would like this game. If I were you and unsure about getting this game I would rent it to see if I liked it. And if I liked it I would deffinatly buy this game. To me this is a must have game for Sonic lovers. Thank you all for reading this review.

Thrillville: Off The Rails (Wii) Review

Devil — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 06:26:46 GMT

Thrillville: Off The Rails for Wii Review By Dan/Devil

Specs/Intro

Consoles: Wii, XBOX 360, PSP, PS2, Nintendo DS, PC
Release Date: October 16, 2007

--This review is only for the Wii version, and the controls are much different in the others-- (Not all pictures are from the Wii version, due to lack of many people having it)

In Thrillville: Off The Rails (TOTR) you run your own theme park, Thrillville. You must build coasters, install carnival rides, mini-games, and more! However, it has its fair share of cons, and could have been made into something truly amazing. I own this game on Wii and 360, and I must say TOTR looks much better on the 360. Though, it doesn't ruin the game at all. TOTR requires the nunchuck.

This isn't the type of game where you can predict it will only last a few hours. The process of leveling up takes a little while.

Story

You're the park manager of Thrillville. However, that's not all to the story. You have one competitor, Globo Joy, that is determined to make your park fail no matter what.

Gameplay

In TOTR, your main goal is to create five successful theme parks which each have:

Three separate areas
Each area contains two spots for either two coasters or one coaster and one race track. (Only one spot can hold a race track)
Three areas to put in bathrooms, food stalls, drink stalls, carnival rides, mini-games, etc.

However, coasters and other attractions cannot interfere with each other. If they do, red will mask over whatever is trying to be built, showing it cannot be installed there.

In each of the five theme parks, there is something to collect. Whether it be anti-thrillville posters, or journal entries. There are six items scattered around the whole park, and it's your job to go get them. It is also possible to find blue-prints of new carnival rides, coasters, etc.

In each area of the park, there is a power limit to worry about. Each attraction uses a different amount of power, so be careful not to use it all! Interaction with your customers is possible, so be sure to find out what they need or want. By simply selecting topics to talk about, the friendship bar can go up or down. A good way to get more "points" is to make "max friends" with your customers.

Every two times leveled up, a new theme park of choice will be opened. The little bar in the top left corner shows how much you have leveled up. Leveling up will come with the more thrilling attractions you install, interacting with customers, hiring/training new employees, etc. Hiring new employees is mandatory, since parks will be filled with vomit everywhere possible, and other problems. From the menu, easily hire a new employee, hover the Wii Remote on top of their name, and press train. Then a mini-game will appear. Be sure to hire as many employees as needed, and train them fully. You can also ride your coasters/carnival rides, play mini-games, and ride your race tracks.

Many new "extreme" type of tracks are available in some types of coasters, such as fire hoops, explosions, even going off the rails!

Controls

The controls for the Wii version were a bit annoying for me. Building racetracks and coasters is done by holding the wii remote in the direction wanted for your track to turn, and leaning the nunchuck left or right if you want your track to lean to the side a bit too. It wasn't the best idea for controls, but they worked decently. Talking to guests and accessing the menu for attractions is done by pressing A.

Pressing B takes you to the menu, and the analog stick on the nunchuck is used for moving. Pressing Z on the nunchuck while the analog stick is tilt allows the character to run. While running, the sides of the screen blur a bit, which got me dizzy. The + button goes to the main menu.

Also, while playing the game I noticed a message appeared saying, "please connect nunchuck into Wii Remote 1," when it was clearly plugged in. After a few seconds of waiting it allowed me to press okay and go back to the game though.

Graphics

The graphics are really nothing special, and could have been much better. Wasn't enough to stop me from playing, though.

Sound

The sound that plays in the background while roaming the park are actually real songs, and one is from Miley Cyrus. But, it isn't as bad as her other songs.

If you played the original Thrillville for PS2, the sounds are identical. They work well, however. Many of the guests in the park use the same voice-overs, so don't be surprised if you hear the voice more than 50 times.

Overview

Thrillville: Off The Rails is a title definitely worth checking out, especially due to the low price it is being sold for, and not only is it about coasters, there's much more to do!

Pros: Replay Value, Mini-Games, Interaction With Guests, Tons Of Content

Cons: Controls, Depth, Graphics

7.8

Super Mario Sunshine Review

Devil — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:48:53 GMT

Super Mario Sunshine Review by Dan/Devil

Specs/Intro

Console: GameCube
Release Date: August 22, 2002

Super Mario Sunshine is definitely not a game to disappoint, but rather to challenge the gamer, be they average or professional. The controls are fairly easy to grasp after a few minutes of play, and can be enjoyed for a long period of time. This game relates to Super Mario 64 (N64) and Super Mario Galaxy (Wii), where you must collect 120 shine sprites throughout levels to fully complete it. Though, this game can be frustrating enough to make you want to throw your controller out the second story window.

Story

The story takes place where Mario and Peach are on a plane going to a nice, pleasant vacation. Or so it seemed at first. Once they arrive on the island, they find a nice pile of "paint-like" goo. Mario finds a machine named FLUDD (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device) introduces himself to you. Then he will teach you the basics and you will have to fight a big monster from the goo. Once done, the cutscene will continue to Mario being in court. A "Pianta" will show proof that Mario is endangering their way of life by the goo and all the shine sprites have gone. The cutscene then takes you to Mario being in jail and FLUDD talking. Then you will come out of jail, and be on parol to clean the island.

Gameplay

Each time you want to visit an "episode" you must go into a world and jump into it by pressing A, and then selecting which episode you want to go into. There are a few types of different missions that are:

100 Coin Missions
Defeat a Boss
"Secret" missions (in missions started with "secret," you lose FLUDD and have to go through obstacles to get a shine sprite at the end.
Red Coin Challenges (Like secret missions, except you have FLUDD and have to collect 8 red coins scattered around within a time limit)
Red Coin "Hunts" (Some missions have red coins scattered around the area, no time limit though)

All of these are not required, though, if you want to collect all 120 shine sprites, they are. Sometimes the camera angle can be horrid, but changing the view is possible. Though, if you're trying to do something within a time limit, it can slow you down.

You will find goo in many missions, less and less as you progress through the game however. "Blue coins" are also obtainable by spraying red 'M's, cleaning up Piantas, and many more ways. It is possible to trade in ten blue coins for a shine sprite, so be sure to collect all you can!

Controls

The controls of Super Mario Sunshine are pretty easy to get the hang of, and are similar to Super Mario 64. Jumping is performed by pressing the A button, as in many games. Height is determined by how long the button is held down for. Attacking is basically jumping on an enemy, or shooting water at them. Sadly, the controls could be a bit unresponsive at times.

The Y button enters first person view mode, which is great for precise aiming. Mario cannot move while doing this, however, and can easily be damaged by a foe while in this mode.

The B button allows Mario to "dive" underwater or hop if on land. This control is very useful for transportation if on land, especially if there's a path of streaming water. If Yoshi is being ridden, pressing B allows him to perform his tongue attack which can defeat enemies Mario could not defeat on his own.

The X button changes your nozzle type, like "squirt" to hover nozzle. The hover nozzle is also very useful for red coin challenges.

The R button does several things depending which mode FLUDD is in. Tapping it slightly can release water if in "squirt" mode (just referring it to squirt mode) and if held down completely makes Mario still for much better aiming, similar to first person view mode. Useful for some of the first bosses in the game. If in hover mode, pressing it down completely will make you hover in the air for a bit. Same with all the other modes. While in water you can press R to refill FLUDD too.

The analog stick controls the way Mario moves.

The C stick is possibly one of the most essential keys to the game, if it's not used, the game will become much harder to complete or nearly impossible. It controls the camera angle. I suggest changing it every so often for a new situation.

Graphics

The graphics in this game are top-notch. Better than some of the Wii games out to date. From some points of view, you can see other worlds too. Whenever Mario is behind a wall and he's at a point of view where you can't see him, his shadow will appear which is really thought out well. There's not much to say on this.

Sound

Most of the music from Super Mario Sunshine is remixed from some of the original Super Mario Bros. games. However, it's really catchy and you'll be whistling along with it after a few minutes. In fact, I have it stuck in my head right now, writing this review. It can get annoying and repetitive after a while, though.

Mario's sound effects are what you would basically expect from most Mario games. It sounds very similar, if not identical, to some of Mario's sounds in Super Mario Galaxy.

The voice overs for FLUDD and the Piantas are awful in my opinion, however. That's one of the biggest reasons why this game is so underrated. But, this won't stop me from playing. That's the biggest downfall I found about this game.

Overall

Super Mario Sunshine is a title definitely worth checking out, with its amazing graphics, outstanding gameplay, and easy-to-learn controls. It gives any gamer a challenge that could last weeks or months, and did not fail to entertain anyone I know.

Pros: Graphics, gameplay, controls, long lasting game, challenging, and failed to keep me bored.

Cons: Voice-overs and that the game could get a bit repetitive and frustrating at times. The controls were a bit unresponsive at times too.

9/10

Megaman Star Force 3 black ace and red joker

solid-deadeye — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:23:52 GMT

Intro

First thing first mega man starforce is a spin off from the popular game boy series mega man battle network.Now to start with the review btw for future notice this is my first review so forgive me if its sloppy.

Mega Man star force is capcom's newest megaman title that was released during the summer of 09.The game takes place in the far future were em waves are a great part of everyday life.The games hero this time is 5th grader geo stelar who is a boy who 3 years ago lost his father and closed connections to everyone
but now he has many friends even an alien to be close with.
little do most people know he lives with an alien who he merges with to become our present day megaman and has save earth twice from doom.

Story

Basically the game is about geo trying to save the earth from meoter G. which is on a course to destroy earth.while fighting out of control wizards infected by noise little does our hero knows that he to is being infected.using the power of noise mega man takes on multiple enemies even joining the police just to stop this in coming doom.

Gameplay:awesome:

Now time to talk about games gameplay.
If uyou guys were expecting completely awesome gameplay differing from other MMSF titles this is not the game you are looking for. The gameplay is basically the same form the other 2 games.the concept is to defeat waves on enemies on a 3X5 battlefield shaped like a bored where you can only move left and right on 3 panels. This is not as bad as it sounds this is actually pretty challenging and fun,but this can get pretty old pretty quick.Luckily mega man is mega man without some new type of power up to aid him which is where the new noise system comes in.In about halfway into the game megaman will gain the ability to what the game calls a noise cahnge. this is similar to battle network 3's style change system.How this works is that megaman will enter a battle agaist giant sized viruses and after the battle is over he will randomly change into 1 of 11 different forms each with its own element and weakness (exacpt rouge noise).This was a great idea but it seems a little one sided because in order to build up noise you have to use non elemental non dimming cards which means if you build a folder based on your noise it may be hard trying to build up noise due to the fact u can't use elemental cards such as water if your cancer noise to build up noise.
Despite this it really isn't all that bad now time to get to the games main goodies:awesome:. There are to versions of this game black ace and red joker once you build your noise level to 200% you can use your ultimate form which one you get depends on what you buy.The ultimate forms of this game are amazing but they are not completely balanced. Not to say red joker sucks but me and my friend play this alot and i own black ace and he owns red joker and we compared abilities what over powered folder you get at each level and each versions respective ultimate attack and its clear black ace is the superior form.9 time out of 10 black ace is gonna have the superior folder and overwhelm red joker and the fact that red joker's finisher is not a garunteed 600 damage due to the fact that the lasers in the sky and the one mega man shoots can easily miss.while black ace has a pretty much promised hit on the oppenent regardless of what the due unless they disapear off the field or block.As always capcom delivered pretty well in the boss battle department where the bosses all require unique strategy's to beat easily.The folder editing is good as ever exept with the fact that fav cards are gone and replaced with random white cards.Overall the gameplay is the same as previous versions and that means capcom has to cahnge things up or the game will get boring.

Multiplayer

This game does decent on the multiplayer area where you can form a brotherband with friends and make your megaman stronger. You can also battle with a friend in the neighborhood or any around the world with the games use of wifi connection.

Graphics

okay this is gonna be short and sweet the graphics in this game during the middle of a battle is impressive for a ds game but not top notch.Sadly when roaming around the world the game sports the same old battle network style of almost game boy graphics.which is embarassing for someone like capcom.

Sound

The sound in this game is top notch from the main them to the credits capcom out done themselves in this area,Also for those who have been jeoulous of japs for the voice overs in their version of the game the english usa version also has voice over for the characters.The down side is that the voice acting isn't the best. the characters who did the voices in the anime aren't in this game and quite frankly the voice of geo could have been better at times it sounds like he is extending the phrases to long and sounds scratchy.Also he doesn't pronounce attacks correctly such or doesn't say them as him sounding like he says battle blazer or atom blazer when he does atomic blazer.overall voices need improvement.

Ending

All in all megaman starforce3 is pretty much the same game you have been since the first one with the exeption of the noise forms.For those who are wondering if this is worth 30$ to get.my answer is if your not a fan and you don't have wifi connection or a friend that owns this you should not get this game you will entertainment in the beginning but as sometime goes buy you will be ready to trade it in.

[B]WELL THIS IS THE END OF MY REVIEW HOPE IT WASN'T TO HORRIBLE DUE TO THE FACT ITS MY FIRST BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOYED

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Kyon — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:57:21 GMT

Condemned: Criminal Origins
Written By Kyon

Intro
Well this game came out for the PC and the Xbox 360 and I don't think I've heard of many horror games made by Sega before but this one caught my eye with the nice cover! The game was actually horrifying with it's eerie sound effects and surroundings. Places like abandoned subways, apartments, or just a back alley in one of those strange or bad neighborhoods. It was definitely a good horror game. All I can say is nice job for Sega!

Story
You play as a investigator named Ethan Thomas who tries to catch a serial killer. You start out in a department store looking for clues by using high tech equipment such as a scent tracker or a UV light. Helping him along the way is a women named Rosa who guides him through his cell phone. Of course while looking for clues in the store one of the police officers detects someone to be on the roof. Separating the 2 people one tries to pursue the person on the roof while the other one is sent to wait for backup. While waiting someone attacks him Ethan and he continues through the store on his own little adventure. So after this he gets himself into his own mess of things trying to catch the killer on his own but only his partner Rosa to help him. I thought the story was kind of silly most of the time. You fight these weird bad guys throughout the game without even knowing what your dealing with. Sometimes they seem like some weird zombie but other times they look like a thug. You even see Hobos trying to attack you. Ethan isn't even curious at all to find out what they are. I don't even think they were mentioned throughout the game. The story was still pretty good though. Most people don't think about these minor flaws too much.

Gameplay
Well the game is in first person perspective but you are told to use your gun wisely mainly because bullets are rare in the game. Most of the time you'll be finding yourself with a pipe or a conduit to wack your enemy with. Holding only one weapon at a time even if you are out of bullets you can always turn your fire arm into a melee weapon and give that a good wack or two. The combat in the game is usually one on one. It's very uncommon in the game were a group of thugs or zombie looking enemies would attack you all at once. Sometimes the enemies attack each other (I don't know why). So you'll be actually planning out your blocking and dodges. When your health is low you'll have to find a health kit. Don't worry about that because health kits are found almost everywhere in the game! I'm not kidding you'll almost never find yourself in a situation in where you need one badly because you cannot find one. But overall it was the puzzle solving that kept the fun going.

Graphics
I've played a lot of Sega games before and usually you could tell that they all share a similarity in graphics. This one was a bit different however. That doesn't mean they were bad. I really liked the textures and the creepy eyes you would see sometimes drawn into the wall. Made the game very freaky and frightening. Sometimes in the game you would go into some weird mode where your vision becomes all foggy as you walk down a hallway and suddenly you see enemies run across but your too far away to attack. I did find one thing that bothered me a lot. In some games you could hit the wall or shoot at it and they usually leave some sort of mark or hole. In this game it didn't. A bunch of wood or rocks just flew out the area you would of hit but no mark. It made it much less realistic.

Sound
Your average sound effects you would hear in most scary movies. A leaky pipe that drips water or footsteps you hear when your not moving. I'll be honest it made me very paranoid! I would stand there looking around for several seconds before continuing the mission just to make sure nothing will jump out. Music however was very well made too! I loved the eerie background music! Very mysterious.
From Unofficial Soundtrack (First Crime Scene)

Replay Value
Close to no replay value at all. Once you beat the game you were pretty much done. There was however in every chapter a small side quest such as collecting metals, dead birds, and TVs but it was exactly something you would want to replay the game all over again. It didn't even benefit you at all. The game doesn't take very long to complete. If you were dedicated you could probably beat it in 4-5 hours.

Overall
Story - 8/10
Gameplay - 6/10
Graphics 7/10
Sound - 9/10
Replay Value - 2/10
Total - 6.4/10

Very creepy game and you don't come across a good one but it was a decent one and I'm not going to lie it's pretty scary! Makes you want to check every single corner so there won't be any sudden surprises. Made me scream actual haha.

Prototype

Rorschach — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:58:30 GMT

Intro
While going through my local video store I saw this game and decided to rent it. Pretty much because it is a sand box and because you are some type of super hero. At first I thought maybe not to because the last super hero sand box game wasn�t so good, but I decided to go ahead anyways. A choice I am glad I made because this really is a good game.

Graphics
First lets talk about the graphics. My jaw nearly dropped after the first cut scene. It was amazingly real. I could barely tell that the taxi and black goo going up it was a bunch of ones and zeros. Also the man behind it was as convincingly real as the rest of it. My first thought was a amazed wow. While my second one was to remember that good graphics don�t make a good game. So I remembered and played the game further and dived into the depths of the game.

(tanks and the infected)

Sound
The next thing that got me was the sound. I actually felt like I was in a crowd of screaming running people with police and military gunning at weird creatures that I would soon have to destroy. Although the sound effects are stunning I wasn�t all into the voice acting the main character was fine and so were the soldiers but some of the other characters just didn�t seem into it to me. Thus my score of eight is justified.

Game Play
Controls were at first a little screwy but then I got a hold of them. X button to attack like usual and then Y button for heavy attack like usual and A was jump and B was grab. Pretty easy basic controls to get a handle of. The camera is also controlled with the right analog stick while you move with the left. The bumpers really don�t do anything unless you are in a vehicle but since you are a super hero that doesn�t tend to happen to often.

The one thing I did find wrong with the controls was trying to glide and the lock on system. For one gliding takes a pseudo-complex combo that shouldn�t be as hard as it should be but they made it to close to a other combo and trying to do it is like trying to jump over a pit of spikes with stubby legs they just don�t work right. What I had a problem with the lock on system was that it�s priorities weren�t to good. It thinks a huge snarling mutant with teeth and claws is less important then a huge tank of gas or something or other.

Getting around in the city is pretty easy since you can walk up walls, run real fast, and jump real high. So getting to your target doesn�t take to long and along the way if you get bored you can murder a few civilians as long as you don�t get caught by the national guard. Oh also there is gliding but like I said the combo is really hard to get and its really more falling at less of a rate than you normally would because I could never figure our how to move long distances using it.

(On top of a bridge)

One of the coolest things is this game is the ability to eat someone and then look like them. You can literally do this with anyone as long as its not a mutant or infected or whatever they call them. This makes for some easy entertainment and fun along the way to your next objective. Also its used a lot in missions and retrieving memories out of people since you lost all of yours.

(eating someone)

Probably the next coolest thing is the weapons you get to choose from. You have Freddy Krueger claws, a scythe like thing, fist of steel that can destroy tanks, and super tentacles. All have their own strengths and weaknesses of course. The Krueger claws aren�t as strong, the scythe isn�t as fast, and trying to land a heavy attack with the fist of steel is like trying to shoot the whole of a needle. You just can�t do it no matter how hard you try unless the enemy is coming at you. Also if those don�t satisfy you, you can pick up guns and shoot people to death.

(the claws of doom.)

Extra
There are also collectibles in the game to collect. Most of them are building tokens and others are hints. Finding them takes a long time and I�m really not going to go through all of whatever New York town it is to find them. So don�t send me messages about where to find them because I only know where a few are and am not willing to find the rest.

(cars falling)

Outro
So overall I would say Prototype is a good sandbox game. Its fun addictive and you get to slice people up like my favorite horror movie character. So if you want a good sandbox game but don�t want to sit through the dull realism of GTA 4 get this one. Realism is left dead in the middle of the street where it should be and left to rot while we get to jump off of buildings onto people rip them in two, smash them, and send them into a all new dimension of pain. I�m definitely going to get this once I have the money and I suggest you do to.

(Trailer)

(Opening Cinematic)

(Game Play)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Koopa Chrissy — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:55:02 GMT

Introduction

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game was released on PS3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Mac and DS. Modern Warfare will also be released on the Nintendo Wii later this year. It is the 4th installment in the Call of Duty franchise and is the first to not be set during World War II.

Storyline

Khaled Al-Asad stages a coup d'etat in the Middle East and the Ultranationlist Party instigates a civil war in Russia. The SAS are sent to Russia to stop the Ultranationlists while the US Marines invade the Middle Eastern country in pursuit of Al-Asad. Personally, I really enjoyed the story in this game. It felt like a Hollywood blockbuster and there was a lot of twists in the plot which suprised me.

Graphics

Call of Duty 4 is one of the finest-looking games ever made. Infinity Ward created their own engine for this game and it really impresses in the graphics department. For example, one of the Middle Eastern missions takes place in a city under siege. Buildings are up in flames, the roads are filled with abandoned cars and there are firefights between US and Al-Asad's forces. The weapons and militiary vehicles look incredibly realistic and boast detail. Characters were also filled to the brim with personality and emotion. I feel the graphics in these games are some of the best I've seen on Playstation 3 or any other console for that matter.

Sound

Call of Duty 4 has a good soundtrack but I wasn't totally impressed having played games such as Zelda or Mario were the music has been fantastic. The music may not be brilliant but it certainly fits in with the game. There's quiet music as you crawl through Pripyat in a Ghillie Suit while there's loud, deafening music as you storm through a Russian village and there's also sad, softening music during the more emotional parts of the story. However, the voice acting was brilliant in the game. Zach Hanks may be american but he managed to pull off a Scottish accent brilliantly while Billy Murray and Craig Fairbrass brought the characters of Captain Price and Gaz to life. Here's a sample of the music:

Gameplay

You take control of a SAS commando and a US Marine from 1st person perspective. Now that the game is set in Modern times, weapons such as the AK-47, MP5, M4A1 carbine can be used. There's also equipment such as grenade launchers, C-4, Claymores and Night-vision goggles for the player to utilise. AI-controlled teammates help you through the levels by providing covering fire, gunning down enemies and clearing rooms for entry. I thought it was pretty cool being able to use Modern weapons and equipment.

Mutiplayer

Call of Duty 4 is one of the best Multiplayer games around at the moment. There's a splitscreen mode where up to 4 players can play gamemodes such as Team Deathmatch and Sabotage. There's also the option to join a LAN game where you can play all the gamemodes featured in the online multiplayer. Finally, you can go online which is the funnest part of the game. You can create a custom class choosing which weapon and equipment you use before heading out into battle. There are loads of gamemodes such as Capture the Flag, Search & Destroy, Headquarters and Domination. You gain XP for killing enemy players, completing objectives and winning matches. Once you have gained enough XP, you level up to the next rank. There are 55 ranks in total and as you work your way up you gain new weapons and gear. I throughly enjoyed playing Call of Duty 4 online and with my friends. I thought that the online ran smoothless and it was pretty addictive.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Infinity Ward have created one of the finest FPS to date. If you haven't bought this game yet, get out and buy it now. If your a Wii owner, you've got time to save up until November rolls around. This is one game you can't miss.

- Review by Christopher Barbour

Doki Majo Plus

hachi1 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:07:37 GMT

Two years ago, Nintendo teamed up with SNK Playmore to create something so controversial, Japan tried protesting against the game, and the U.S. Government even stepped in and warn them not to cross over. Yet, despite the uproar, the game still came out as planned. It involved a Junior High student, an angel with a mission, and the DS's touch screen used in ways you never thought you'd witness. Thus, Doki Doki Majo Shipan! was born. It's almost exactly two years later, and fans and haters are now picked out. Yet, despite the ones who are against it, the ones for it were heard out louder. Creating a sequel to it last year, and the whole uproar begins again. But that wasn't enough for Nintendo to stop producing the series. It's now 2009, and it newest sequel comes to the Nintendo DS, titled Doki Majo Plus. Does this game finally have a chance for a clean slate, or is this strict Japan only game still heading in the wrong direction?

Story:

The story is is almost taken from the first game. Doki Majo Plus tells the story of a Junior High student; Akuji Nishimura. He goes around school being proud of his "bad boy" status. Being perverted, and causing mischief for girls. It's not until one day he is summoned by some powerful force in need of his help. Saying because he is such a bad boy, he would have no problem finding the witch that go to his school. They are determine by a witch mark that is only revealed once they are touched in the right area and make their heart beats faster. After the news, Akuji feels resistant in cooperating, exclaiming he just doesn't want to, but is blackmailed into it. Threatened to take his "bad boy" status away, and turn him into a good boy, Akuji is reluctant to comply. The arch-angel gives him a companion. A stubborn, perverted angel name LuLu, who aids Akuji in finding the witch that go to his school. He then goes back and starts investigating the girls who go to his school. One by one, he gathers the evidence and confront each girl. They will usually give up right then and there, revealing who they are, and your stuck in a showdown against them. Once defeated, you are allowed to explore their body to locate the witch mark. You take the mark away, give it to LuLu, and their powers are now in check, and you continue to find the real witch. After that, they will aid you in your quest to find the others, and offer their powers when you need it. The story is starting to show its age, duplicating almost the same game when it first arrived two years before. However, with new characters, and new techniques to win, its keeps the game fresh, but only for so long. The story is just as in depth as its predecessors, and the comic relief from LuLu still makes us laugh today, if your Japanese. But a game with more subtitle lines than Final Fantasy VII in 30 minutes, it grows quite stale real quick.

Gameplay:

The game is easy enough for anyone young or old to understand. Speak with LuLu to find your next suspect, gather clues around her and follow her. Once the clues are found, confront the girl in question, duke it out in a magic battle, then look for the mark on their body once defeated. Each process takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on if your skimming through the game, and you will repeat the process for the next 12 or so hours. For the perverts of the world or someone who actually enjoys the game will attempt to see the end. For someone who's impatient, prude, doesn't like foreign languages, or just doesn't like the series will probably never see how it ends. The reason for controversy comes from how the touch screen works in the game. For the most part, the stylus is used to find hidden things in the game, and use your spells when in battle. But when it comes time for inspection, eyebrows raise. The girls you inspect are usually underage. In fact, it usually seems like the one who is the witch is the only one overage. This is where Nintendo is backed into a corner, because touching underage girls inappropriately, no matter the country, people quickly frown on it. Whether you believe in Nintendo's belief is wrong or not is not the problem. But Doki Majo Plus is still a video game and not considered an H-game, so it's definitely worth looking into for those who actually play it for the enjoyment... just not the other enjoyment.

Design:

For an Anime-esque, the game does well balancing secrets and mini-games the hours you place into it. We're still complaining about the story still. The mini games are comprised of the Magic Battle Mode and the Witch Check Mode. Both might be scarcely played in the game itself. But after you finish the game once, and you have the chance to play competitively and aim for new high scores. Unfortunately, these are not unlocked upon completion. Instead, the reverse panda's return for its third time. Throughout the game, they are hidden as you progress in the game. The more you collect, the more you unlock. Its a bit tedious, but to get the perfect record is worth having at the end. The Anime shaded characters return, and major improvements to the games look and sound is noticeable right when the title screen starts. The graphics take a step up, and rivals or surpass most Anime games on console. The music score still lacks its up-to-date motion, still having that 70's-retro feel to it. Though it is upbeat, and the race to find the girls really fits the setting surprisingly. The release of the game even had a special Manga booklet and art CD, showing the art work and the game are finally catching up to what a game should look like today.

Overall:

The game is the first of the three to have a C rating in Japan, or equivalent to T 15+ in America. The game has gotten a lot softer when it comes to the underage issue, but still has a long ways to go. Aside from that, anyone just looking for the experience, this game will do. Take the issues away, less story lines, and more mini-games, then the game is set up to be even better gameplay. For most people, the experience will come from the controversial problems. But for those playing just for the sport, it might be a game to try once, but definitely not recommended to play again.

Story: 7.5
Gameplay: 7.0
Design: 8.0

Overall: 7.5

Mega Man X

Rorschach — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:12:20 GMT

Intro
I�m going to take you back to the past when we played games on cartridges like cave men and downloadable games were something you would see in a sci-fi movie. Back in the days of game boys so big that you could beat someone to death with one and of course let�s not forget the batteries that went with them. One of the reasons why I�m reviewing this game is because I found it the other day and the other reason is because I keep forgetting to play other games.

Mega Man is like an 80�s rock star of the gaming world. He had a series of successful games. He was known world round and he made enough money to buy whatever he wanted and burn it down to the ground just to buy something else expensive and do it again for giggles. Sadly he grew old and has gone on to other things than 2D plat forming much like Sonic and like Sonic mostly entertains little kids now and his older crowd is downloading his older games on their Wiis hoping that he will come back to them in a blaze of glory.

With all that past aside I will say that I love Mega Man games and always have since I was little. Of course back then I couldn�t beat any of the bosses because I was a kid and Mega Man games are known for being really hard. Now if Capcom could get off their lazy butts and make a Mega Man game that was challenging like the old days maybe they would sell better. Then maybe they could make a sequel for Okami.

(The first level of the game)

Game Play
Like most Mega Man games it is a 2D plat former by that I mean you can jump and move left or right adding to the difficulty because you can�t move in a 3D plain. You also have your trusty buster as always that copies your opponent�s power after you have killed them. Each power you collect will give the ability to not only change color but easily beat one of the other eight bosses. Sometimes you can easily pick which power beats which but then sometimes you are wrong and have to use a power that doesn�t seem like the logical choice. Like freezing the electric guy or hitting the octopus guy with giant balls. One that did make sense was the metal boomerangs cutting the iguana guy down from hanging off the ceiling when he hangs by his tongue and then there are the homing missiles that get the guy that disappears.

(Megaman running through the Armored Armadillo stage)

In this game you will find power ups that will help you along the way and make the game a lot easier. Health increasing capsules, armor that takes in fifty percent of the damage, a helmet that protects you from falling objects, boots that help you move faster, and a better buster. All these power ups are hidden throughout the game and while it is not required to collect them all it is wise to. The one I tended to find useful were the boots that helped you move faster because you have to be able dodge attacks fast and this helps out a lot in boss battles.

(Power up Capsule)

Sound
One thing Mega Man is known for is having a good sound track and it does. The sound is filled with a lot of good music to listen to and each area has fitting music for each place. It was probably done with a synthesizer or some kind of music program to create it all. I would have to say it was probably made with a program since technology wasn�t so good back then and we were using cassettes to mass produce music.
All the added sound effects are a lot better than older Mega Man titles for the NES. Weapons sound a lot more sci-fi like. Machinery sounds more like machinery. Even Explosions have had an upgrade. They aren�t huge epic Michael Bay explosions, but still explosions none the less. However the dialogue sound did tend to get on my nerves. I know there were no voiceovers back then, but they could have tried to make it sound less like a sci-fi type writer crunching away.

Graphics
Thanks to the SNES�s advanced technology over the NES the sixteen bit graphics look much better than older Mega Man titles. Weapon shots look more like lasers rather than little dots and all the other things like fire look much better. When you get Mega Man�s new suit he looks a lot better than old Mega Man. Zero looks much better, bosses are pretty well defined, and artwork looks great for a SNES title.

(Mega Man, Zero, and Vile

Outro
Overall I would say get Mega Man X. I believe it is available in the Virtual Console for the price of a SNES game. I�m not sure how much that is since I haven�t bought any SNES games yet, but well worth the money. You can play it tons of times again and again and not get bored of it. It is just a very well done plat former and deserves a lot of applause. So if you still have your SNES look it up on Ebay. Or if you have a Wii with Wi-Fi look get it. It has wonderful replay value, its challenging and most of all it�s a blast from the past that you will have a blast playing.

Puyo Puyo 7

hachi1 — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:53:58 GMT

After being on a three year hiatus, Arle and Amitie are back again with their next installment; Puyo Puyo 7, the second game ever to feature a number next to their game. After it's last epic blowing game, everyone's eyes set this game for higher expectations. But does this game rise above its predecessor, or is Sega letting this veteran game go under?

Story:

For 13 years, Arle was the heroin to rise above the baddies. After Compiles misfortune of bankruptcy, Sega took control and wiped Arle almost completely out, replacing her with Amitie. Now, nine years later, they both fight side by side together, but are no longer heroins. Instead, the one who rises above them is a girl name Ringo, named after Sega's project code name. She is being taught by the former hero's how to play the game Puyo. One day, after her session, a plague of raining Puyo fall to the earth, and its up to Ringo to find out who is causing it. She goes through her entire adventures only to find out that it was a doppelganger of Arle. Only she is being is being controlled by some evil force. Once Dark Arle is defeated, a mysterious character name Enkoro emerges and challenges all three heroins to one final game of Puyo for control over the the world. Once defeated, he proclaims he just wanted a better place for the world, and dissapears as everything goes back to normal. The heroins rejoice, Sega sticks to Compiles very corny and humorous plot line, and you put down the controller trying to forget that you ever saw anything. Its just a very washed down plot that most of the world has seen for the past 18 years, and its finally time to move on.

Gameplay:

Puyo, much like Tetris, stays true to itself. The "connect four blobs of the same color, create chains, send garbage to your opponent, and third column from the left is game over" is still in effect. Only this time, the game has noticeable changes and twists. The Fever mode that's been around since Puyo Pop Fever comes back, but with major alternations. Instead, the formula's been wiped out and replaced with Puyo Puyo Great Transformation. With this, your character transforms into a younger, or older version of themselves. When younger, the matrix increases, and your puyo are much smaller, allowing for more combos, but with little devastation. The Puyo that were originally allowed to be set for 20 combos, now increases to 47 combos. However, the Puyo on the board are so tiny, it takes a lot more concentration to find out where they're going to land, and it gets frustrating quickly when your not hitting a chain or a combo, or accidentally setting one off. Furthermore, the chains are incredibly slow in Fever, usually taking half your time to set off 10 or so combos. Luckily there's your older self, otherwise the game would be a test against your nerves. Your older version creates Big Puyo. Much like the game itself in its 15th anniversary, this one allows you to form small combos. With the matrix cut down so small, your max combo can create up to four chains, five if your willing to push it. But, as long as you have time in Fever, and not messing around, then each chain is counted as a combo. Meaning if you created 20 separate chains when you were in fever, all 20 chains would be considered a combo. And your combos also remain intact if you go back into Fever mode later, setting a possibility of 99 combos. Its considered fun, but when you create a certain combo, the challenges are lost, and it becomes a breeze if you know what to do. The hard drop method of pushing up on the D-pad to instantly drop your piece finally makes its debut on the game. There's just some buggy after effects from it though. When playing against an opponent, your the only one who can perform hard drops, while your opponent sticks to traditional dropping, decreasing the challenge significantly. Also, the hard drop is only included in the Puyo Puyo Great Transformation. so the older games like Fever, Tsu, and the original Puyo are still not compatible, which is annoying because the hard drop is a vital piece for any puzzle game today. Not to include this in any of the other games provided in Puyo Puyo 7 is almost enough to make you wanna cry foul play. Wi-Fi also makes its appearance for its second time. With new gameplays from the Great Transformation, and the originals, all new and old players can jump in and either rise above everyone else, or be squished and probably called a newbie behind your back.

Deisgn:

As mentioned at the beginning, Puyo Puyo 7 had higher expectations thanks to its predecessor, Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary; having chalk full of content, and characters that came back after being M.I.A. for nearly a decade. 7 falls way below any standards. In 15th Anniversary, the story mode consisted of playing with all 22 characters, each all having their own story and goals. Even an avid gamer took a few hours to complete it all. 7's story mode consisted with just Ringo, passing by all the opponents, and winning the game in just little under a couple hours, which then unlocks side quest characters that followed you through the story. Don't get your hopes up though, because the back stories are anything but fulfilling. With just a half hour more of your time, and everything is unlocked. The things that are unlockable probably isn't worth anyone's time either. As with 15th Anniversary, 22 characters were playable, and 12 seperate games to play from. Almost making it the best Puyo game in the series. 7 is anything but good. With only 19 characters to play from, four of which are entirely new, and only five games to play from. These include Puyo Puyo Great Transformation, the original Puyo Puyo, Puyo Tsu, Puyo Fever, and goals. Exclude the Great Transformation, and your playing the same exact game three years before with much higher content and more characters, all of which everyone is use to by now. The voices were all redone as well. The original characters from Puyo Pop Fever, and newer ones later on were all scrapped and redone. Carbuncle which seems like the only one that hasn't been touched by voice over. All the drawings that were beginning to become a main state were completely redone. Arle's traditional clothing that's been her trademark since the beginning were replace in a school uniform. Making it believe our little Puyo heroin that has been playing the game for 18 years, is only a student of her knowledge. And people are going to sit back and really believe that. The only noticeable improvement is the graphics. While it still consist of 2-D characters in a chibi-like form, the graphics look more crisp and clear, and reaction time and movement of the game seem a lot faster, making split second timings that much more vital. Making veterans of the series want to rise to the challenge. And we can't get enough of what they do best.

Overall:

Veterans will no doubt scream foul play against Sega's turn for the worst. With little to no content, challenge from the game getting more scarce, and unrecognizable, if not annoying new characters that is a loss that we're all going to have to put up with until they bring their next game out. Though veteran characters like Draco and Dark Arle is a great welcoming for those who grew up in the 90's. For newcomers who want to jump into the series should consider playing its predecessor first. The cost it a lot less for more fun. If not, then its probably "doable" for anyone new. For those who already dished out their 50 or so dollars, are probably ready to admit it was a poor mistake. The demo on the Nintendo Channel from the Japanese Wii looked promising, and we all had to get our hands on it. But playing this game first hand almost makes you wonder if Sega is trying to throw the game away, or just throwing something out there just because of high demand. Like just about every game of the series out there, this one probably won't see over the Land of the Rising Sun. But for American and PAL owners, we'll be thanking them that it never did.

Story: 7.0
Gameplay: 6.3
Design: 4.0

Overall: 5.7

Sonic Unleashed [Wii Review]

SuperSonic — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:27:38 GMT

Intro

Sonic is back! And he has a lot to live up to with his disappointing outings in recent years, but with all this hype, could this really be the game in which Sega finally make Sonic work in 3D?

The game kicks off in spectacular fashion, with a glorious CGI cutscene set in space amongst Eggman�s fleet of ships with spectacular speed, explosions, and even Super Sonic makes an appearance. A sign of things to come? Well, not quite...

It doesn�t take long for Sonic to be �tricked� by Eggman, trapped, and zapped with some strange beam that changes his DNA and turns him into a big, wolf-like creature, or �Warehog�, for name�s sake, AKA this game�s gimmick. (Ugh!)

In a series of events way too complicated to get into, the whole planet ends up being shattered into pieces, and Sonic is sent plunging to earth, where he encounters a new character (ugh!) named Chip; a strange, flying, purple, puppy-like creature. He�s this game�s equivalent of Navi the Fairy, if that says anything. Some will find him cute, others will want to forcibly remove his voice box and flush it down the nearest lavatory. Still, at least you don�t have to play as him.

So, Sonic�s aim this time, with the help of his [slash]annoying[/slash] special new buddy Chip, is to travel around the world to collect the chaos emeralds (originality!) for reasons, again, far too complicated to get into, but they basically restore the planet.

Gameplay

The game is split into two kinds of level, each with very different gameplay. �Daytime� levels, which see you dashing through levels at high speed, collecting rings as you go, until you get to the end, and �night time� levels, where Sonic�s Warehog form takes over, and the game is a more slower paced, combat-focused affair.

The daytime stages see Sonic take a huge leap in the right direction. Almost Sonic the Hedgehog back at his best.

The game sees Sonic running through levels, collecting rings, smashing Eggman�s robots, rebounding off bumpers, grinding on rails, hanging on cranes, riding in bobsleds, jumping through hoops to launch you further, firing from cannons, the list goes on and on, and the transition from one to the next is done surprisingly smoothly. This makes for excellent varied, fast-paced, gameplay and is great fun. It really does feel like a true homage to the greatness of the original games.

The aim, as usual, is simply to get to the end of the level, although there are bonus missions within each stage, such as getting a certain number of rings within a certain time limit, and completing a portion of the stage without getting hurt. There are no fundamental changes within these, besides a different layout of rings and enemies respectively.

There are occasional boss battles,(the Wii version has had an entire boss battle cut, as well as multiple daytime stages,) which feature Eggman�s typical giant contraptions that still don�t seem to have the brains to attack in anything but obvious patterns. These battles mostly feature your running forward down a linear �track�, dodging attacks, and waiting for your opportunity to attack the giant robot�s obvious weak point.
They�re nothing special, but there are no major flaws.

Sonic�s usual list of abilities make appearances here.

Sonic has his Homing Attack, which allows Sonic to lock on to an enemy after jumping, and home in for an attack. As always, these can be strung together and grants you to bounce from one enemy to the next, destroying them as you go, which is one fun game mechanic that�s come from his transition to 3D at least.

He also has his �light dash�, which allows him to zip through lines of rings, no matter what the length or whether they are in the air or not, which is another fun mechanic.

New to unleashed, is a �drifting� mechanic, which allows Sonic to slide around tight corners whilst running at full speed, without slowing down. This can be tricky, but with some practice, you�ll find yourself hitting them spot on, which is a very nice achievement to those that like to try for a perfect run without slowing down or hitting obstacles. Sonic can also use this in straight lines to slide under things.

You can control the height of his jump, either jumping high in the air to prepare his Homing Attack, or a small �hop� to jump onto a ledge or over a small obstacle. This works well, however, it�s often hard to see one of these small obstacles coming first time round thanks to all the speed and it can be a little frustrated when you�re brought to a halt by a small curb that you failed to see coming and hop over. This does encourage some replay value though, if you aim to get though the stage flawlessly, however.

There�s a new �dodging� mechanic too, where Sonic can quickly dodge to the left or right without changing direction to get out of the way of obstacles if you can see them coming.

While I�m on the subject of �not seeing things coming�, the usual problem of, well, not seeing things coming, that�s been with Sonic since the start is still very prominent here. Occasionally, when running at high speed, which you are encouraged to do, it�s almost impossible to see that a series of spears or something are about to get thrown your way, and even more so to actually react fast enough to avoid being hit. This makes playing for the first time, when you don�t have the levels memorised somewhat of a lottery. But still, replaying levels to do get a good score has always been part of Sonic, so I guess I can�t criticise that too much.

The camera is fixed behind Sonic as you play, like in Sonic and the Secret Rings, except Sonic doesn�t run on his own this time, which irons out some of the flaws, however, this is still a problem if, for example, you run into a wall and need to backtrack to get yourself back on course. It can be a little awkward, although nowhere near that of previous 3D Sonic games.

The camera occasionally switches to a side-scrolling perspective too, for brief moments of nostalgia of when Sonic games actually had quality, and Sonic is able to jump between walls and such, almost like Mario, to reflect this, which is a nice nod to the fans from Sega. Perhaps they are listening... Well, maybe not.

The night time stages...

These see Sonic turning into his Warehog form. Again, the goal is to simply get to the end, but you do so in a very different way.
Sadly, the speed of the excellent daytime stages is all but lost here, and the gameplay mainly focuses on combat sections and slow platforming.

The combat is the more prominent part. You can�t seem to walk a few feet without being closed off by some glowy barriers and yet again forced to fight wave after wave of this mode�s enemies, �Gaia� soldiers. To be honest, this gets very repetitive, very fast.
The combat itself is composed really of nothing more than flailing your arms around to kill them. You do unlock more �moves� as you gain experience, (this is exclusive to the night time levels and is gained by defeating enemies and smashing crates,) but these don�t really... Actually work.
The Warehog also has an �unleashed� mode, which can be activated when enough glowy red things are collected to fill a gauge. This grants you a bit more power, so you don�t have to swing your arms around quite as long to defeat enemies, which is one good thing, since you�ll want to be done with these levels as quickly as possible.

Then there�s the platforming...
If they managed to fix the camera issues with the daytime stages, they went in the other direction with this. The problems with previous Sonic games have been transferred here, making for some very awkward angles when attempting tricky platforming sections, usually resulting on you simply not being able to tell which direction to jump in, and ultimately, falling off the stage, repeatedly.

There are portions in which you can hang on and climb on things, such as these floating Gaia monsters that you can hang from and can transport you across gaps and such, but these move at a frustratingly slow pace, as everything seems to do in these stages, and again, the awful camera often results in misjudged jumps resulting in your death.

Combine these awfully executed platforming sections with the onslaught of Gaia enemies firing various projectiles at you, and you have what is easily the most frustrating, tedious and all round awful gaming experience I have had in a long time, if not, ever. It really is that bad.

So you may be thinking to yourself that it�s worth braving the night stages for the fun Daytime ones. After all, Sonic fans have gotten used to having to ignore Sega�s unwanted gimmicks in order to see the good in their games.
Well, it�s not that easy this time, sadly...

There are not only more of the night time stages, but they last a lot longer too. Where the daytime stages may last you a few minutes, the night time ones can last you anything up to half an hour. I found myself often getting to the end of one tedious Warehog level, praying that another daytime stage was around the corner, only to be met with the start of another Warehog level. My Wii remote is lucky it was never shattered in rage as a result of this.

There are Medals to obtain within each stage (day and night) that you can get for finishing in a certain time, a certain amount of rings and with a certain score. These can be used to gain access to secrets in the game and will unlock concept art and music for your pleasure.
This adds some replay value, however, annoyingly, you have to get an equal amount of these from the Night stages to unlock this stuff, and you really won�t want to replay those.

Controls

All running around is done by the control stick, and A button is Jump, as you�d expect.
During the daytime stages, the Z button is used for drifting and sliding, and motion controls are used for dodging and your homing attack.
This works fine for the homing attack, and feels nice, however it can be a tad unreliable for dodging.
For this reason, you may prefer using the Classic or GameCube controllers, where dodging can be done with the L and R triggers. (Homing attack here is done by another press of the A button after jumping, and drifting with the Y button.)

During the Warehog stages, on top of what has already been covered, everything else is done with every quality game�s best friend � plenty of waggle.
Swinging the Nunchuck results in a left punch, and the Wiimote a right. You need to alternate these in order to string together combos. There are special moves such as an uppercut and a ground smash, but the waggle is so loose and unresponsive, it�s not even worth trying. You don�t particularly need them anyway.
There is also the odd part in between the endless combat where you have to climb or swing on something, again, this is done via the waggle I described previously, as if we hadn�t had enough of it during combat.
The classic and GameCube controllers can be used here too, however, where the X and Y buttons alternate punches, which is much the preferred option to relieve you of all that arm waggling, although all it really does is replace it with endless button mashing.

Graphics

The graphics are pretty impressive all round actually.
The environments are lush and have a good amount of variation to them, (more so in the daytime stages, the night time ones are a bit dull,) with single stages taking you from running down Italian streets to soaring miles in the air between bell towers , with breathtaking 3D backgrounds going on for miles. Everything is very detailed considering the speed at which you fly through the levels.
Different stages vary from African Savannah to Arctic mountains. Good stuff.

One big disappointment, however, is the menu interface in between levels.
In the 360/PS3 versions, this is done via a �hub world� where you can explore and talk to inhabitants, however, in the Wii version this is completely replaced by a boring map, where you can click to communicate with people via a boring load of text and a series of pictures. Not so good...

There are a few CGI cutscenes throughout the game, but they�re fairly boring, compared to the magnificence of the intro at least.

Sound

The in-game music is a change from other recent titles, as it�s more of an instrumental affair, without any vocals. As the stages vary from resembling places such as Brazil an Italy, the soundtrack reflects this, so it fits in quite well.

The main soundtrack isn�t done by the usual Crush 40, which will disappoint some hardcore fans, but is instead performed by a band put together by Sega, and includes singer Jaret Red************************ of Bowling for Soup. I personally found it a bit too �pop-ish� and cheesy, but it�s all a matter of taste I guess.

Sonic�s voice is as �Whoa, like TOTALLY awesome, YEAHHHH!!!� (Annoying) as ever, but this is nothing compared to your �helper�, Chip, who�s voice somewhat resembles the sound of a cat losing a fight with a chainsaw.

The usual Sonic sound effects are here, such as the �ka-ching� of collecting rings. Can�t really complain there.

Overall

Annoyingly, the Daytime stages see a massive step in the right direction, yet Sega feel the need to ruin an otherwise perfectly good game with an unwanted, and awful, gimmick in the form of the Warehog. Even more annoying is that the game seems to put much more focus on the bad aspects, with hardly any focus on what they got right.
Yes, the game would have been awfully short without the Warehog, but I�d much rather have a short, fun game with plenty of replay value, than a long and tedious one.

If they can�t get Sonic to work in 3D without having to ruin it, perhaps they should re-think their approach entirely, and hopefully give the fans the damn 2D game they�ve been crying out for for years.
Yet again Sega prove that they are run by complete, utter idiots, and yet again drag Sonic�s already rotting corpse through the dirt.

Another disgrace to the once great name of Sonic...

Good Points: The daytime stages are fun while they last.

Bad Points: Everything else. Far too much focus on the Night stages, with it�s awful, repetitive gameplay, awful controls and abysmal camera. Even the daytime stages have one or two control issues.

5/10

(not an average)

Dementium: The Ward, Review

Ami — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:31:13 GMT

(just a note: I've played this game myself, and I think the UK rating for this is seriously wrong, I believe the UK rating is 15 for it, I think. Should be an 18.)

Dementium: The Ward
Developer: Renegade Kid
Publisher: South Peak Interactive (EU)
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release Date: October, 2007 (NA)
April 17, 2009 (EU)
Genres: First Person, Survival, Horror
Mode: Single Player
Rating: M

Background
Dementium is a first person, survival horror game, as described on the box, its "Doom 3 meets Silent Hill". Its also rated an "M", and I'm not entirely sure what that is in a UK rating, but having played this game myself... I think it should be an 18 (if it isn't already)
Its a love it AND hate it type of game. You love it for gameplay and graphics, and the fact that it is VERY addictive. Then you hate it because, it is quite literally, the scariest horror game for the DS.

Storyline
You awake in a hospital room. Lights are off, probably due to the storm outside. Nearby in your room, you find a notepad and a key. On the Notepad is written, "Why Did You Do It?" The Key opens the door of your room. And now the horror begins, with monsters/zombies, with their chests cracked open, their hearts visible. Further on in the game, you'll discover more monster, leech type monsters, and The Cleaver. An obese mutilated monster, with a butcher knife surgically attached to his wrist. You see him drag a little girl away into a room.
A quote from our own GreenThunder,

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenThunder

Its safer in the hospital room, once you leave that room, the horror begins

At first light is limitless, a phrase i heard was "you have at least 6 feet of light". But not to worry, soon enough you'll come across a flashlight, which soon begets annoying, as it has the tendency to flicker a lot.
As for weapons, you start off with, nothing, weaponless, vulnerable, walking monster meat. When you get to the next corridor, after solving the locked doors, code, you'll come across a beating stick (one of those thingys that cops/police use during riots) and in the room to the left of the stick, is a cage with shotguns in it (yay!) but unfortunately, its locked (aww!) In this corridor, is where the horror starts, walking forward, you'll soon get attacked by the zombies.
This game is full of riddles and problems for you to advance to the next level/ward. Like a piano Solo. Numbers smeared in blood on the walls of rooms.

Monster Information

Chest Maws
These are the first type of Monsters which you'll see. (well, which actually attack you). They are quite weak, not surprisingly. Their chest are cracked open, and they have the tendency to hide, sometimes. (Personal Experience, they stole my hiding space, then when i went there, they waited for me, oh the horror!!!)

Infantile Mollusca/Baby Leeches
I don't know much about these as, personally I haven't come across them, but in many video's, and research, they seem to move quite fast, and either the player was a terrible gunman on the video, or these things move too fast to get shot. You don't really meet these until you get to the Nursery. Hence the name "Baby Leeches" and why apparently, they cry like babies.

Screamers
Screamers, again, I haven't come across these. Another name for them is Banshee heads. No idea why though. They are very very fast, and will hunt you down almost immediately. Even with a gun, these monsters WILL be a challenge to destroy.

The Cleaver
This is a Boss. Which I believe you fight twice. In my gameplay, I've only seen him once, dragging a girl away. Not seen him since yet. He has a Butcher Knife surgically attached to his wrist. And despite being obese... apparently, he is quite fast.

GamePlay
Dementium uses mostly the top screen for visual. And the bottom/touch screen is like a menu, where you can access the NotePad, Items, Weapons, and see your health. Use the Stylus to look around, Use the D-Pad to move around, and the L button to use an item, eg, pressing L will turn the flashlight on and off if you have it in your hand.

This is the Gameplay screen. I've type on it the different functions and areas.
Map - Leads to the Map (duh!!)
Notepad - First thing you find, contains a page saying "why did you do it?"
Items - Leads to the Item, and the Items are below it.
Options - Now, yeah Options for brightness and stuff, even though you can save and quit from this part, it doesn't actually save. When you come back to Gameplay, you start from the Auto save spot.

Graphics & Music
Ok, so the graphics and music are what makes this game scary. D: and give it its horror feel. Well the music, there isn't really any music, its mostly sound effects. Like screaming, the alarms. The graphics on the monsters are good. The detail on the Chest Maws could be improved slightly. Cos well, I'd love to see more detail. One thing I don't like is when monsters are defeated, they do the typical, "hey-we're-dead-so-lets-disintegrate-outta-here-thing" They don't like fall down and stay there in a pool of blood. Like on some games. They literally just disappear.
So that puts a fail on the graphics. There's not even any detail in the disintegrating. They turn into blobs then disappear.

Good Points
- Graphics make it meet its "horror" mark
- Sound, as above
- Variety of Monsters and Characters

Bad Points
- Saving, of lack thereof
- Some Monsters are edited repeats, ex, The Chest Maws change later, into Vomiting Chest Maws, like the couldn't make another different Monster.
- idk, this game scares me D: Lawl.

Overall, I give this game a 9/10.
Graphics could do with a slight tweaking, Scary Music could be added. And well, I demand a weapon from the start >:-( Not having to walk all the way to the roof first! Grr.

But yes, this game is so worth buying, if your into the whole first-person, shooter, survival, horror thing.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Koopa Chrissy — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:51:55 GMT

Introduction

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami. The game was released worldwide on 12th June 2008 exclusively on Playstation 3. This game was the last in the Metal Gear Saga to feature the series' protoganist, Solid Snake.

Storyline

Metal Gear Solid 4 takes place in 2014, five years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2. The world economy depends on continous warfare fueled by PMCs (Private Militiary Companies). Each soldier has nanomachines injected into their bodies which enhance and regulate their abilities when they are engaged in combat action. This control network is known as SOP. Liquid Ocelot plans to hijack this control network to launch an armed insurrection against the Patriots. Snake is tasked with a new mission from Roy Campbell, his former Commander. The mission is simple- terminate Liquid Ocelot.

Graphics

Metal Gear Solid 4 is one of the best-looking games to date. The graphics in this game just boast detail and ooze style. Characters are brimming with emotion and personality while backgrounds are incredibly detailed. For example, the South America part of the game has lush green grass while the Middle East part is an abandoned city with buildings up in smoke and debris on the road. Water looks so life-like and so does the snow in the Shadow Moses area. There's also nice little touches such as specks of dust landing on the screen or blood splashing on parts of the screen.

Gameplay

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a stealth action game. You play as Snake utilising CQC, stealth and weapons/gadgets to sucessfully complete your mission. There are new gadgets at Snake's disposal such as the Solid Eye which displays information about the battlefield, has a Night-Vision and Binocular feature too. Then there's the Octocamo suit which allows Snake to blend into any surface and the MK.II is a robot which provides operational support and can be controlled to stun enemies and interact with the enviroment. MGS4 now offers a
3D camera compared to the older games in the series which had a toptown view.
A new addition to the game is the Psyche Guage which montiors Snake's stress. If the Psyche Guage begins to fall this can affect Snake's ability in combat such as diffuculty in aiming. Finally, there's Drebin's shop which allows you to buy and customise weapons you have. Drebin can also unlock ID guns so you can use them.

Sound

Once again, Harry-Gregson Williams has done an astounding job on the music. Metal Gear Solid 4 has one of the best soundtracks in gaming. Every piece of music is greatly played and fits the mood of the situation. Be it the fast music during the bike-chase in Eastern Europe or the quiet, calm music as you trail a Resistance member or the loud music as Rebels storm a safehouse, MGS4's music never dissapoints. There's also an in-game IPod where you can find songs scattered in the game which you can listen to. These IPod songs are from old MGS games such as "Snake Eater" from MGS3 or "Encounter" from MGS1. Here's a sample of the music:

Metal Gear Online

Metal Gear Online is also incoporated with the game. Metal Gear Online allows you and 15 other players to wage tatical battles utilising equipment such as the Cardboard box or the tranquilizer gun. Players use the SOP system to communicate with each other through a set of pre-set messages. There's also a training mode where veteran players can teach the newbs the basics. I liked how you could buy expansion packs which allow you to play as characters from the story such as Meryl and Liquid Ocelot. However, I felt that Metal Gear Online was pretty average and it took about 2 hours to install. If your a fan of online games such as COD4 or The Conduit, Metal Gear Online probably won't grab your attention. However, it is a good online component for another wise decent package.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Metal Gear Solid is a gaming masterpiece which will be remembered for years to come. It also provides a close for the Metal Gear Solid storyline managing to tie up any loose ends. I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of MGS or is looking for a good blockbuster for their PS3. Heck, if you don't have a PS3, you should buy one just to expierence this game. It's not often a game like MGS4 comes along. Hideo Kojima, you are a genious!

- Review by Christopher Barbour

The Nostalgia Game Reviewer - Wii Sports

wiistevenduda1 — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:10:41 GMT

This review was originally on my web site but I wanted the site to be more well know (By well known I mean No one knew about this site but me)

The Nostalgia Game Reviewer

Since this is my very first review on here I might as well do the first game for my favorite system, The Nintendo Wii! OK, onto the review. Wii Sports is more a tech demo for the Wii than a actual game. There are 5 sports to play Tennis,Baseball,Bowling,Boxing, and Golf. In Tennis you swing the Wii remote as if it where a tennis racket. Baseball you hold and swing the wii remote like a baseball bat. Also you throw the wii remote like your throwing the baseball when your the pitcher (Just don't let go of the wii remote or your probably going to shack up $40). In bowling you swing the remote like your actually throw a bowling ball. Now golf you hold the wii remote (Like I didn't say that 4 time already :P) as if your holding a golf club. You hold the A button and Swing! You can also use the D-Pad to change your aim and change your club.Some courses are from the NES game,NES Open Tournament Golf. The final sports is boxing and this game needs the nunchuk to play. You hold the wii remote and nunchuck and throw then like your punching. you can also move your body to block punches. There is also a training mode where you get mini games like hit the tennis ball against the wall and punch the punching bag. I don't find the Wii Fitness mode fun because you play three training mini game and it determines you wii fitness age. I could find that out by playing Wii Fit. So overall it OK, not anything special. But it free and if you bought the wii you had to play this game. This is the part of the review where I would say you should buy,rent,or skip this game, but this game comes with the wii so this is a At least Worth A Play.
Review by:Steven Duda

Edit* - Please don't try to advertise and recruit people for your own site.

-Mike

Wii Sports Resort Review

eric1002 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:41:28 GMT

Wii Sports Resort Review

The perfect getaway...from bad motion controls, that is.

GAME SPECS/INTRODUCTION

Wii Sports Resort is the sequel to Wii Sports, the ever-popular motion control showcase that was packaged in with every Wii console. Wii Sports was, for the past two years or so, one of, if not the best showcase for the Wii's motion-control capabilities. Will Wii Sports Resort usurp the throne and claim that title? Read on to find out!

Wii Sports Resort (abbreviated to WSR for the sake of this review) was released on June 25, 2009 in Japan, and worldwide in July 2009. WSR is a collection of several different resort-themed sports and activities. The game is exclusive to the Wii, and goes for approximately $49.99 US. WSR comes bundled with the Wii Motion Plus accessory, which normally costs about $20.00 US by itself. WSR supports up to four player multiplayer, but, unfortunately, lacks online play.

STORY

WSR is a very simple story. It may not even seem as much of a story as it is a premise.

After playing several sports back at home, the miis have decided to go on a vacation. Their destination? Wu-hu island- a large, tropical resort area where miis can relax, chat, and of course, play.

How do they get to Wu-hu island though? Well, what better way than skydiving?! The miis take a plane to Wu-hu island, and once looming over the sandy beaches, they take a leap, plunge through the blue skies, and open their parachutes, landing on the wet sand.

This is where the fun begins.

GAME STRUCTURE

The first time you play the game, you will begin by jumping out of your airplane, and as described in the story, skydive down onto the island.

After that game, you've got the choice of twelve different activities to play. The games are:

1. Swordplay
2. Archery
3. Wakeboarding
4. Golf
5. Bowling
6. Ski dooing
7. Frisbee
8. Air Sports
9. Cycling
10. Canoeing
11. Basketball
12. Table Tennis

Each of these activities have varying games that you can play. For example, in Swordplay, you have the choice of vs. mode (where you face a single opponent in a swordfight), speed slice (where you cut objects as fast as you can), and showdown (where you face several miis at once as you proceed through an area). I'd estimate, taking into account the many different games in each specific activity, that there are approximately 30 or so different games to play.

Most games support multiplayer, and some games require the use of only one wiimote, meaning you can have fun with others without buying too many wiimotes/motion pluses. It's great for people who simply cant afford to have four controls with motion plus attachments. That can get quite pricey.

GAMEPLAY/CONTROLS

Generally, most of the games in WSR are very fun to play, and are especially amusing when playing with others. The game is truly a blast when you've got four people around the screen waving their remotes around. On top of this, the motion plus attachment makes the controls for mostly all the games EXTREMELY accurate and precise. Controls as accurate as these could simply not be achieved without the motion plus.

You're probably wondering which games can really swim, and which sink, so i'll briefly share my thoughts on each of the activities.

1. SWORDPLAY- Swordplay is truly great. It's without a doubt one of the best activites in the package. It's a great deal of fun to play. You'll love smacking your friends around with that sword. What really makes swordplay so amazing though, is how awesome the motion controls are. This, my friends, is true 1:1 motion control. However you position your wiimote, the game will do the exact same with the sword. This is like the frantic fun of Wii Sports Boxing, only with GOOD motion controls.

2. ARCHERY- Another good activity. The accuracy and realism of the wii remote controls make the experience. The way you position your wii remote and pull back your nunchuk perfectly simulates the real archery experience, and that's where the fun lies. Realism.

3. WAKEBOADING- Wakeboarding wasn't the best game in WSR, that's for sure. It's not a very good showcase to the motion plus's capabilities. All you have to do is tilt and shake the wii remote. This could all be done before, and it has been. There's not much to wakeboarding, and it gets stale fast. Jumping a wave repeatedly isn't as fun as it sounds.

4. GOLF- ahhhh, it feels so good to play golf when it actually works! This is, essentially, a functioning version of Wii Sports's golf. The motion plus finally makes the wii able to recognize the strength your putting into your swing. I also like how they've added new courses in this version of gold to keep things fresh. As always, the game looks pretty.

5. BOWLING- it's nice that it's back, but nothing's really changed. Team mode is a nice addition, however. The game is also able to recognize when you curve your ball better than the original.

6. SKI DOOING- This is fun. It feels like waverace. I've actually wanted something like this ever since the Wii came out. The steering and acceleration really makes you feel like your riding a Ski doo.

7. FRISBEE- awwww, the dog is so cute! that's always a plus. anyway, again, the accurate motion controls make this a winner. This couldn't be done with the motion controls alone. What makes this game different from the others is that this one is REALLY reliant on skill. If you're good at frisbee in real life, you'll succeed in this. If not...start practicing! Frisbee golf is also pretty interesting, and a cool twist on the regular golf game, for sure.

8. AIR SPORTS- there are two different air sports. parachuting was a cool tech demo, but not much more than that. i didn't play this much, as it's basically the same thing every time, and multiplayer isn't supported. Island flyover, however, is one of my favourites. Essentially, you take your plane for a spin and take a tour all over the island. The free roaming exploration aspect is great, and there's a lot to see. The multiplayer mode of Island Flyover (dogfight) is pretty fun. I do wish, however, you could play with more than just one other person.

9. CYCLING- pass on this. it's the rotten banana of the bunch. the peddling concept is stupid, and it is just not very fun.

10. CANOEING- meh, it feels repetitive. Nothing really changes. It's fun the first few times, and it controls great, but you'll get bored with this mode quickly. It feels like a tech demo instead of a game, just like parachuting.

11. BASKETBALL- I liked the free throw contest. I like how the wii remote is able to read the curve of your wrist and determine the arch of the shot. It's also a good pick up and play game. It's easy to get into, and the quick play aspect make it appealing to people who want to keep trying for a higher score. 3 vs. 3 on the other hand, isn't nearly as fun. It's a watered down version of a real basketball game to accomodate for the undeniable limitations of the wii remote. On top of that, it's boring.

12. TABLE TENNIS- Table tennis is essentially Wii Sports tennis with more precise controls. The wii remote is now able to detect the curve in your swing and from which side of your body you are hitting from. On top of that, it can now also measure the power of your swing more accurately. Multiplayer is just as fun as it was back in Wii Sports, however it's a shame it lacks 2 on 2 matches.

GRAPHICS

The graphics for WSR are what you'd expect- cute, clean, and crisp. The colours are very vivid, and the island setting looks beautiful. The framerate never drops.

There may not be much raw power in the graphics, but it's the art style that really makes it pop. The grass is a lush green; the water is a refreshing, serene blue. Everything just looks so surreal. You really do get the feeling that you're on a vacation.

MUSIC

There's not much to say here. Generally, the music is forgettable. Most of it is passive, relaxing island themed music. On the plus side though, they fit the mood perfectly, and it's nice to hear a spin on the original Wii Sports theme that we've heard so much. It makes you feel like you're home again.

REPLAYABILITY

There's many reasons to keep playing wii sports, including stamps (which are essentially achievements like on the 360) and highscores. You'll play time and time again trying to get that specific stamp, or beat your best friend. On top of this, just like in the original Wii Sports, you can keep playing to increase your player points in an effort to reach pro status. This is great for bragging.

Multiplayer is, without a doubt, the strongest point of this game, and it will be the reason you'll keep coming back to this game. WSR is a great game to bring out for family and friend gatherings because it's such a blast to play. Don't be surprised if your friends tell you "let's play wii sports resort again!"

For quick, active fun, you'll rely on Wii Sports Resort for a long time.

VALUE

WSR costs 10 dollars more than your average wii game because it comes bundled with the motion plus accessory. This may seem like a pain for some, but in reality, you are getting a deal.

Normally, the motion plus costs twenty dollars. In buying Wii Sports Resort, you are saving ten dollars off the motion plus accessory. So, if you want to think of it this way, you're saving ten dollars, not paying ten dollars more.

CONCLUSION

Wii Sports Resort is, all in all, a great package. Most of the games are real winners. The motion plus works, and it works well. The replay value is strong, and the multiplayer is the most fun I've had since the original Wii Sports. The graphics are pretty. The music is relaxing, albeit forgettable.

Wii Sports Resort is definitely worthy of being in your wii library. So put on that sunscreen, grab your beach towel, and pick up a copy now. I'll see you on Wu-hu island.

Controls: 9.5

Graphics: 8

Sound: 6

Gameplay: 9.5

Replayability: 8

Value: 9

Multiplayer: 10

TOTAL: 9.0

Just like the sea, the Wii spans a vast area, and can carry a wide variety of unpleasant things. Also like the sea, however, there is the odd glimmering pearl, and we've found it.

Another Pina Colada please! - eric1002

de Blob Review

SuperSonic — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:35:24 GMT

Intro

de Blob is a platform-puzzle game, in which you take control of a blob, named de Blob. Your aim, with the help of your team of friends that give you missions and instructions along the way, aim to explore and restore colour to a once beautiful Chroma City, which has had its colour taken away and its once fun-loving citizens transformed into mindless drones by the games villains � the evil INKT corporation.

Gameplay

Each level starts out with you being plonked somewhere in a big, colourless city. Your ultimate aim here, like all good platformers, is to get to the end. However, it�s not that simple � In order to gain access to the finish, you must complete a set number of sub-missions, given to you by your allies along the way.

There are 4 types of sub-mission you can be given - Restoring a complete block of buildings with certain colours. A �race� which sees you having to pass through a number of checkpoints. Taking control of certain �key� buildings, and wiping out an onslaught of enemies. All of these have to be completed within a certain time limit. Points and a grade are awarded as you complete each sub-mission, depending on your time and number of attempts.

All 4 types of challenge are very fun, and evenly dispersed across the level and in great numbers too, making for nice varied gameplay. No one challenge is usually compulsory, however, so if you like or dislike a certain type of challenge, you can avoid or target these at will.

Each level is divided into a number of areas, and access to the next will be granted after completing a certain number of challenges, until you reach the final area, which will normally see you having to restore colour to a big landmark in order to gain access to the finish.

The main part of the gameplay in de Blob is obviously the painting. At the start of each level you will be a small, colourless blob, and you must smash �Paintbots� in order to take paint on board. These Paintbots come in a red, yellow and blue variety and a number of sizes. These colours can be mixed too, for example, if you smash a red, and then a blue Paintbot, you will get Purple paint! Your blob changes colour to reflect the colour of paint you currently have on board, and size to reflect the amount, which is a nice touch. The amount of paint you have decreases as you use it.

To paint things, you simply need to touch them, and the whole object (or part of the object, depending on the complexity) will change colour, depending on the colour paint you have on board. You can paint almost anything in the level, from the buildings, to the park bench. You can also collect �patterns� located within the level, so it�s not only the colour you can customise.

Points are collected during the level for each object you paint, with bonuses awarded for completing whole �blocks� of buildings, and rescuing their inhabitants (also by painting them), which stand in groups outside the buildings.
This, along with the amount of sub-missions and secret tasks to complete within each level add up for a ton of replay value, as you aim to get a good overall score at the end, and complete every task.

That�s a lot of stuff, yes, but hold it, because all this stuff to do links to one of my biggest gripes with the game.
If you�re one of these people that likes to do things properly and try to complete things 100%, the lack of any ability to save your progress mid-level will no doubt frustrate you, as painting every building and completing every task will take you well over an hour to do, which is a big problem if you don�t have the time for sittings with a game that last hours at a time, and believe me, they will.

The platforming is another good aspect of de Blob.

Aside from a few minor control issues (which I�ll get to later) the platforming sections are very well done, with expert level design. The perspective will sometimes shift to the side, giving some almost side-scrolling gameplay, which is a delight.

There are buttons to smash to remove obstacles and such in order to get across otherwise impassable terrain and my personal favourite part � Launch pads that enable you to leap huge distances, defying gravity in an excellent cross between Sonic and Spiderman.

The typical traps you�d expect to find are here, such as spikes, fire and electricity, and unique to de Blob, pools of ink.
If you make contact with this ink, you will become a cursed, ink-coloured blob, where you will not only wash away all colour from anything you touch, ruining all your hard work, but you will slowly decrease in size, until eventually dying (no pun intended), unless you can quickly make your way to some water to wash the ink away. This gives a whole new level of challenge to overcome, especially during the sub-missions.

The platforming is excellent, however, I just wish there was more of it, as these sections aren�t that common, which is a shame, because they�re very well done and great fun while they last.

The combat isn�t the deepest of experiences, but is simple and works well enough. At first you�ll only really encounter small INKT soldiers which can be beaten with a simple jump in the air, and a splat. However, later on the game you will encounter much more formidable foes that require much more skill and timing to beat without getting �inked� yourself.

All foes are beaten with a simple �splat� one way or another, although there is a nice power up you�ll often conveniently find amongst the bigger fights later on in the game, which will grant you special powers, which I won�t spoil, but are quite simply, epic.

As well as the main story, there are multiplayer modes (nothing special), and also a �free play� mode, which allows you to roam around levels for fun, but can be also used to complete any tasks you missed the first time round. You will also unlock new missions within each level after you complete them, for even further longevity.

Presentation

As you first enter a level, everything has an eerie white and grey look to it, however as you progress through the level, the eerie colourlessness will be replaced by a colourful paradise, as entire trash heaps are replaced with fountains and trees bloom, and a trail of paint is left everywhere you move. Even the sky regains colour as you make progress, which is a nice touch.

This makes for a great relaxing atmosphere. There is something really satisfying about restoring beauty to a whole city as you roll and jump around.
The menus are slick and stylish and very well presented. Even your cursor leaves a trail of paint behind it, which is another nice little touch, even if it does fade away.

Before each level, you will be presented with a comic-book style load screen where your friends will share information about the area, and there are also full 3D cutscenes. Both of these have plenty of wonderful slapstick humour.

Overall, the enemies and levels are creative enough, and the whole game has a very stylish, albeit quite simple look to it. It�s all very good.

Controls

The controls are the usual Wiimote and Nunchuck affair you�d expect.
Moving around is done via the stick on the Nunchuck and actions are done with the A button. However, jumping and attacking are both done with motion controls, with no alternative option.

Jumping is done by flicking the Wiimote upwards, which is usually fine. However, in tricky platforming sections, it can be annoyingly unresponsive. For this reason, it would be nice if there was an optional button for jumping, or maybe some Classic Controller support.

Attacking is fine however, after Jumping, a target will appear on your enemy and you can splat them with a flick downwards, which feels very satisfying.

The camera does move by itself, but you can also control it with the Wiimote�s D-pad. Left and right moves the camera left and right, and the up and down buttons pans the camera in/out. The sensitivity, or speed, in which it does this can be fully adjusted. It works surprisingly well for a platformer.

Sound

The soundtrack is a Jazz affair, which may not be to everyone�s tastes, but is inoffensive and fits in well with the relaxing atmosphere in the game. The in-level music can be chosen before you start. More options are unlocked with each level.
The sound effects are quite minimal, but have a humorous slapstick sound to them.

Nobody speaks in the game, at least not in English. De Blob himself remains silent, but the games other characters communicate via a strange, undecipherable, but admittedly cute language.

Overall, it�s nothing special and pretty minimal, but fits in well with the game�s style.

In short

THQ have made a wonderfully unique and strangely relaxing puzzle-platformer, which is easily one of the best third party titles on Wii. You should go out and get this game if you haven�t already, if only to encourage more good quality titles like this from third parties.

Good Points: Almost everything. One of the most unique games out there, with a very relaxing painting mechanic, excellently designed platforming and a ton of features to add lots of longevity. All round great fun.

Bad Points: The lack of any save points within levels will annoy, motion controls can be occasionally unresponsive and awkward, and there could be more of the excellent platforming sections.

8/10
(not an average)

Ninety-Nine Nights

Rorschach — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:27:49 GMT

While going through a buddies games while staying the night at his grandparents I found this game. The first thing I noticed was the katakana which is one of the Japanese kana writing systems which are like a alphabet. The second thing I noticed was the woman on the box with a sword not knowing that I would soon loathe everything about her be it her voice or her spazztastic flailing of her sword in the air like she was a ballerina with a sword. My friend said it was like Dynasty Warriors and I kind of liked the Dynasty Warriors franchise a little and there was nothing really else to do so I decided to play this game and boy was I a idiot for doing it.

(The Priest Klarram who is probably my favorite character)
Sound

The first bad thing that popped up was the bad voice acting in the game. Now usually I let these things slide and just pay attention to the story, but it was hard to do since the story is filled with every mid evil clich� and Lord of the Rings idea. So it was really hard to not rag on the bad voice acting. I really wish I could stop there, but the monsters in this game sound just as bad as if the company hired a bunch of hobos off the street to do the monster voiceovers. I will however give them some credit because they did a better job than I could so I will be sympathetic and give them a score above one.

(The goblin warrior Dwingsvatt)
Graphics
Graphics in this game were also not very good not as bad as the voice acting and sound effects, but still not up to snuff for a current generation game. I might have let this slide be it on the Wii, but something on the 360 with this low of quality graphics doesn�t deserve any praise what so ever. It looked like to me that they were on a budget of some kind and couldn�t afford top notch quality programmers for high quality graphics. Now you might think did you play it on a HD TV? Yes I did indeed play this game on a HD TV with the HD plugs plugged in. So I did experience it fully and have valid arguments to say.
(Inphyy the Character I hate)
Game play

Game play is like what I said earlier like Dynasty warriors but a heck of a lot more broken. You literally mow down enemies like they are nothing. Some of the bosses not so much, but you can mow them down to if you use a power up. I remember one attack being so broken that it literally sucks every soul out of every enemy in a certain area. I was expecting more of a challenge in this game, but all I really had to do was mash the x and y button over and over and not even having to remember a certain combo order to pull of any combos. I literally pulled off crazy combos by mashing buttons. I expect this out of 2D plat formers, and fighting games, but come on there is a limit to how much you should be able to do without knowing anything.

(Tyurru the witch)
Story

I really didn�t pay too much attention to the story because one it wasn�t good like I said before and two it wasn�t pulling me in. It didn�t make me want more in fact it made me want to skip the scenes and get straight back to the fighting as soon as possible and this really is a bad quality for any game. If you can�t pull people in with the story you�re not going to be making a lot of money out of the game. I think it had some potential with all the characters it had in it, but it just seemed stale and done before.
Value

The value of this game is really low. If you buy it used for whatever it is going for it will probably be a little bit more of a value, but at fifty dollars I would say it is a low value indeed. I would never buy this game after experiencing it first hand and really with the box art I would be catious to buy it even if I did not know what it was. I would probably rent it first see how good or bad it is and then decide, but in this case I would decide no. Do not buy this game you won�t have a very good time with this one.
Replay Value

One thing that really defines a good game is replay value and if its really worth playing it all over again. Again this is a no because of the very poor quality and game play. I really did not like going through it once so going through it again would be torture. I played through one character for what seemed like hours when only one had passed which is not good. A good game should seem like I�ve been playing it for only a few minutes when it has been hours.

So a big fat no for this game and any other like it. If there is a sequal or one coming out I will avoid it at all cost when there are much better games to play than this one. If I could I would just give this game a NO out of ten, but since we have to go with numbers I can�t. So even if you liked Dynasty Warriors I will guarantee you will not like this game it is bad. Not Superman 64 bad but pretty low on the scale of bad.

Team Fortress 2

Count Bleck — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:27:07 GMT

TEAM FORTRESS 2

Story

There realy is no story to this. It's just oining servers and playing games to get achievements, weapons, kills, etc.

Controls

Since you can get this game fore 3 different consoles and I have it for computer I'm only going to tell you about the comp controls. It's also recommended you buy it for the computer anyway because more people play the computer version than any other version. The controls are quite simple:

w, a, s, d: foward, left, backward, right
E: Call for medic
R: Reload
1, 2, 3, 4, mouse wheel: Scroll through weapons (4 is only for if you are playing as a spy)
X, C: commands and alerts
V: Voice chat
Y: type chat
~`: console (kill, sv_cheats, etc.)
Space: jump
Left click: fire
Right click: scope (sniper)

Graphics

The graphics arent all that good. Not what you would except from a game of the time. It was made in 2003 and is still one of the most popular games of all time and it has those graphics. There's really not much to talk about so on to the next point.

Sound

The sound is great for this game. There's very accurate sounds of guns, deaths, headshots, backstabs, etc. It's great when you shoot that grenade and blow someone to bits. Again there's not much to say about this topic so now to Value.

Value

For only $20.00 how can you beat this. There's achievements to unlock weapons for almost every class free servers, noobs to kill, 9 different classes to play as and a metric ass load of weapons. I'll go into tht later.

Replay Value

Just like value. Once you start playing you can't stop. So many possiblities of games you can pick one for every day of the year.

Classes: *updated* = acheivements for new weapons

1. Scout: Worst Enemy(s): Heavy. The scout is the fastest of all the classes. When you cap a point as a scout he counts as two people. *updated*
2. Soldier: Worst Enemy(s): none. not much to say. He uses a rocket launcher...and a helmet which seems to do nothing.
3. Pyro: Worst enemy(s): none.Has a flamthrower. He is the spies worst enemy. *updated*
4. Demoman: Worst Enemy(s): Spy, Heavy, Sniper. Grenade and sticky bomb launcher. Very good at rigging forts.
5. Heavy: Worst Enemy(s): Spy, Sniper. The biggest of all the classes. He uses a minigun. This class is a great combo with a medic beig that he is a huge target.
6. Engineer: Worst Enemy(s): Spy, Demoman, Soldier. He builds sentrys, teleporters, and dispencers.
7. Medic: Worst Enemy(s): Spy. He heals people. He also has a syringe gun that heals himself when da,age is dealt to enemies.

8. Sniper: Worst Enemy(s): Spy.The name says it all.
9. Spy: Worst Enemy(s): Every class except sniper. Uses a knife to backstab people, has a gun in the event he needs to use it, disguise case, sapper for sapping engi buildings.
[BREAK=Page 2]
Weapons

Scattergun: Scout's primary weapon. It's like a mini shotgun.
Pistol: secondary weapon.
Metal Bat: Scout's Melee weapon.
Force-A-Nature: Scout's achievment gun. 2 shots, more damage.
BONK! Atomic Punch: Energy Drink. Makes Scout invincible for 5 seconds.
The Sandman: Has a range attack where it knocks out the victim for 5 seconds.
Rocket Launcher: Shoots rockets (duh)
Shotgun: ...
Shovel: A shovel
Flamethrower: Shoots fire, has a compression blast to deflect arrows, rockets grenades, stickys, etc.
Fire Axe: An Axe.
Backburner: Kind of like the knife except its not an insta kill. !00% critical hits it you hit thm in the back. 25% less damage from front.
Flare Gun: Shoots fire balls that light people on fire.
Axtinguisher: 100% critical hit on someone who is on fire.

Grenade Launcher: Shoots grenades
Sticky bomb launcher: shoots sticky bombs that you detonate manually.
Bottle: A beer bottle used for hitting people.
Sasha(Minigun): Heavy's first gun.
Fists: Punches people, taunt kill
Natasha(lv 2 minigun): Makes people slower, 25% less damage.
Sandvich: A sandwich you can heal yourself with.
Killer Gloves of Boxing: Same as the fists except n taunt kill.
Wrench: Makes building stuff faster.
Build PDA/Destroy PDA: Let you build/destroy stuff.
Syringe Gun: Shoots Syringes.
Medic Gun: Lets you heal people
Bonesaw: Melee Weapon.
Blutsauger: Upgraded Syringe gun. Heals 3 health upon hitting enemy.
Kritzkrieg: Upgraded Medi gun. !00% crit rate when ubered.
Ubersaw: Upgraded Bonesaw. Uber counter goes up 25% every hit to an enemy.
Sniper Rifle: Lets you snipe people.
SMG: Short Range Weapon.
Kukri(Machete): Melee Weapon.
Huntsman: Bow and arrow. More damage. Faster charging rate.
Jarate: A jar of piss. Put out fires, uncloaks Spies, 3x extra damage to enemies.
Razorback: Blocks backstabs from spies once.
Butterfly knife: Spies weapon of mass destruction. Backstab = insta kill.

Revolver: Gun
Sapper: Destroys engi buildings.
Disguise Kit: Allows you to disguise yourself as enemies to walk among them and kill them.
Invisibility Watch: Let's you cloak for a certain amount of time.
Ambassador: 100% crits on Headshot. 25% less damage than the revolver.
Cloak and Dagger: Let's you cloak forever if you are standing in one place. Also regeneate cloak over time.
Dead Ringer: When holding it you can survive anything. A corpse of ou wll appear and you will cloak at the same time allwoing you t run away for 9 seconds. Very loud uncloacking noise.

Those are all the weapons.

My Opinion

I personally love this game. Spy is my favorite class. I wouln't recommend getting it for PS3 however because you can't get the achivment weapons.

Video:

Thanks for Reading

Count Bleck

Wii Play

leezy97 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:41:43 GMT

Review by leezy97.
My 9th review.

Wii Play is a video game for the Wii console released in North America on February 12, 2007.

Wii Play.

Introduction:
Within Wii Play, the celebrity of the game is you! Fashion your own individual Mii character and after that have fun playing around as you in this collection of nine easy, entertaining games like target shooting, table tennis and fishing.

Gameplay and Wii Remote Features:
Wii Play consists of nine games. All games are intended for 2 people, but can also be played solo, with a computer-controlled opponent in games where it is required. No Nunchuks are necessary for any of the games; though players can use a Nunchuk as an alternate for the D-Pad for the Tanks! game if they desire. After playing each game an extra game is unlocked, until all nine games are accessible. In solo player, points are received in every game and the top 5 highest scores are accumulated. Receiving high enough scores in single player rewards the contestant bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals for that game. It furthermore sends a letter to the Wii Message Board saying which game and award was unlocked, and provides a diminutive tip for that game.
Wii Play makes use of the Wii's Mii Channel, which lets the user generate a personalized avatar that can be introduced into games that sustain the element. Numerous minigames in Wii Play, in particular Pose Mii and Find Mii, exploit Miis. Here is some information about each game, including some Wii Remote Features.

� Shooting Range
Players undergo a range of rounds of shooting balloons, targets, clay pigeons, ducks, etc. It is like a fresh edition of Duck Hunt and confirms that although the Wii Remote isn't to a certain extent the equivalent as using a light gun, it's perhaps enhanced, as the machinery allows flames in faster progression, and doesn't necessitate the television screen to flicker. The game on its own is as enjoyable and assorted as any game including solitary shot targets on a motionless display could be, with several rounds of diverse intricacy.

� Find Mii
Masses of Mii characters will group on the screen in a range of busy locations and the player is given particular details to look for amid them. The player then must select out the correct Mii that fits the details given. It is similar to a 'Where's Wally' kind of game and is great for those frightened of the more action-intensive practice.

� Pose Mii
Players move about their Miis with the Wii remote and position themselves in the accurate location and pose of hovering translucent Miis to gain points, also taking the revolving of the pointer into account.

� Table Tennis
The game is for one or two players and is practically an easy adaptation of the actual sport, involving the user to merely point with the Wii remote where they want the paddle; striking the ball is automatic. There's still some tactic, as you can thrash the cursor in any way to direct the ball or put in spin. The Mii characters are maintained, and are seen in the audience. As the game advances, the audience grows bigger.

� Laser Hockey
The game is a pointer based translation of the traditional Air Hockey. It is a two player game where the players move about the Wii remote up and down to prevent shots and struggle to gain points in the rival�s goal. Slanting the paddle aims the ball.

� Fishing
The objective of the game is to race to catch particular paper fish and then pull upwards to capture them, using the Wii remote much like an actual fishing rod.

� Tanks!
The game is an up to date version of the common game Combat. The player controls a tank with the Wii Remote; aims the cannon, bounds missiles off walls, and detonate enemies.

� Billiards
Billiards is an unexpectedly in detail 3D billiards game, where you line up your shot and draw the cue stick (Wii remote) back, then push it forward to get the ball underway.

� Charge!
The participant catches a bull by the horns, manoeuvres the feral steer by clutching the Wii Remote sideways, as if grasping the straps, and tumbling over scarecrows to attain points.

Billiards, Pose Mii, Table Tennis, Tanks!, Find Mii, Shooting Range. (From top, down, left to right.)

Graphics:
The graphics in Wii Play are just about as fine and just as easy as Wii Sports. While 'Fishing' gives the impression of being like an dull, cardboard-cut-out fish fest, 'Pool' features several practical, pleasing elements for example the board, the reflections and the backdrop props. But predominantly, they're plain but nevertheless clean. No way approaching Wii's hardware, but accomplishing what it was going for.

Sound:
Sound is not predominantly a large aspect of this game. The effervescent sounds are intact like in the other kid-friendly Nintendo games. Music is rather appropriate, and several harmonies are even appealing. One mini-game that truly does profit from music is the abovementioned Laser Hockey. The music undeniably fits the stage and it manages to alter as you score points in opposition to the computer-generated antagonist. The rest of the sounds are well represented additionally, from the audience applauding when you locate the correct Mii's, the pistol shooting when you fire at the range of targets in Shooting Range, to the cue ball pounding any one of the pool balls in a game of Billiards. On the whole, the audio is pretty well signified, but it doesn't overdo it to advance the gaming practice in Wii Play.

Pros:
Original ideas
Reasonably enjoyable

Cons:
It can get tedious
There�s too little content
Monotonous gameplay
Doesn't meet its prospects
Some aggravating audio
Sometimes unresponsive controls

Wrap Up:
It's not all dire, but Wii Play doesn't delay as a stand-alone trade game. Nintendo appears to be alert of that, as the single manner you can get Wii Play in North America as of this writing is as a pack-in among a Wii Remote. The constant lack of the Wii Remote, and the reality that the Wii Play package is selling for only $10 more than a remote on its own, makes the game's inadequacy easier to fail to notice. Not taking into account the cost, Wii Play possibly isn't going to grasp your interest for long.

Wii Play Trailer.

1-10 Grades:
Gameplay - 6/10
Graphics - 6/10
Sound - 5/10
Value - 7/10

Wii Play.

Review by leezy97.
My 9th review.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Rowdy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:27:00 GMT

Review by Rowdy
This is my second review

Muramasa is Nintendo Wii game that will soon be released in the U.S on September 8, 2009

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Plot

The game takes place during the Genroku era at the time of shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi on Honshū, the main island of Japan. Because of his thirst for power, a conflict over immensely powerful swords, the Demon Blades, occurs. The swords are cursed and are said to bring tragedy, madness, and untimely deaths. As the chaos from the conflict spreads, creatures from the netherworld are summoned by these blades, along with Dragon and Demon Gods.

Kisuke, who has lost his memories, is a fugitive being chased for a crime he no longer remembers. His only desire is to find a certain katana. After defeating his arresters, he meets Yuzuruha who offers to guide his path. Meanwhile, Momohime, after being possessed by a foul swordsman, Jinkuro Izuna's soul, is forced to flee her castle and accept Jinkuro's offer to complete his plan.

Gameplay

The game has two different control methods, one that involves the Wii Remote and another that uses the Classic Controller (for players who prefer more precision).
Graphically the game is similar to Odin Sphere, retaining the same hand-drawn 2D art style, though inspiration will be drawn from Japanese mythology and culture rather than Norse mythology. The game will have over 30 different stages.
Two playable characters have been specified: Kisuke, a young amnesiac ninja, and Momohime a young princess of Narukami Han, Mino Province.
Momohime starts off in the eastern Kyo and goes to the western Edo, while Kisuke goes the opposite direction. Both wield three katana out of 108 possible to collect and forge.
Swords are distinguished into two categories, Tachi and Odachi. Odachi is bigger and deals higher damage but bulkier than Tachi, suitable for sweeping a group of weak foes, while Tachi has a shorter attack interval and is geared for aerial or high agility combat. Each sword has an ogi, the powerful attack technique. Overuse of a sword (unleashing ogi or defending) will deplete its "Soul Gauge" and eventually break it and its attack power will drop substantially. A broken sword will automatically recover itself when reserved for a short span.
The game can be played in 3 modes: Unmatched Mode, Carnage Mode and Insane Death Mode. Unmatched Mode focuses on character leveling as opposed to action, whereas Carnage Mode is more action based, recommended for skilled players. Insane Death Mode is only available after a player clears the game in Unmatched Mode, this mode plays in the same fashion as Unmatched Mode but limits player's HP to 1 and will never grow when leveled up.

Sound

Graphics

In fact, one title in particular looks amazing. Muramasa: The Demon Blade, looks gorgious. IGN even went on to call is the best looking game ever made in one of their previews of it. That's a pretty strong endorsement considering this is a Nintendo Wii title.
What you should know about The Demon Blade is that is features beautiful hand-drawn graphics with great 2D action. It's kind of like being in an alternate universe where 2D graphics lived on, and Muramasa is the pinnacle of what could be offered by the medium. It truly is a sight to behold, with crisp, clean animation.

Wrap up

To wrap all of this up. I would have to say this game seems very nice to be on the Wii.
Makes you think that it's for the PS3 or 360. All you gamers out there watch out for this game. Coming to a store near you ;)

Phantom Brave (Wii)

Rowdy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:42:48 GMT

Review by Rowdy
This my first ever review.

Phantom Brave is a Nintendo Wii game that will soon be released in the U.S on August 11, 2009

Phantom Brave

Plot

The protagonist of Phantom Brave is a 13 yr. old girl names Marona. Having lost her parents at a young age, Marona lives on Phantom Isle in the land of Ivoire with a phantom named Ash. While he was still alive, Ash worked alongside Jasmine and Haze (Marona's parents) as a Chroma, a sort of bounty hunter.
On an assignment at the Isle of Evil, a fragment of a malevolent being known as Sulphur attacked the group, mortally wounding them. Using the last of his life energy, Haze attempted to revive Ash after the battle. However, there was only enough life left in him to bring Ash back as a phantom. Haze and Jasmine's dying wish was for Ash to watch over their then-infant daughter Marona.

Gameplay

The gameplay in this game is the same as in Disgaea, except for you can move anywhere on the map without certain squares to go to. As in other tactical role-playing games, battles take place on an isometric board. In Phantom Brave, Marona dispatches her phantom allies by confining them to things such as trees, grass, rocks, and flowers.
Different objects give different kinds of stat bonuses, making it advantageous to confine certain characters to certain things. A Soldier, for example, often benefits from the type of stat bonuses found on a rock, while a Witch does not. Up to 14 phantoms can be dispatched during a battle, but they only last for a particular number of turns.
The number is based on class. A Witch lasts three turns, while a Soldier lasts eight. While a high confine is desirable for continuous use of the character, a low confine is often wanted for stealing purposes, or for 'bomber' units. The phantom known as bottle mail lasts for 3 turns and has a 100% steal rate making him/her an invaluable ally.

Graphics

The graphics in this game are a bit cartoonish.

Sound

The sound in this game is good.
Nice battle music.

Wrap up

To wrap up this game. I will have to say that the Wii version of Phantom Brave have new chapters that were not in the PS2 version. So if you love RPG games then this is the right one for you.

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 Age of Heroes.

terms2k1 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:53:53 GMT

LET'S GO CRAZY!

This is Terms2k1's review of Marvel Vs Capcom 2 please do leave comments on how i can make my reviews better.

Alright, This is one of my favorite game revivals cuz it was once my favorite fighting game of all time.

Quick Overview
This is the 4th and last installment of the Marvel vs Capcom series. commonly know for the fact that this is the rarest game you'll ever find on the PS2, and one of the more popular fighters. MvC2 could be considered by many the greatest fighting game every designed for it's quick paced action and amazing animations.

ON TO THE REVIEW!

Graphics and Sound

Graphics: The graphics are the same as they where before the switch to the current gen consoles, except the HD compatibility of the 360 and PS3 makes the game's fancy art style a lot crisper than before. I'll have to give Capcom a hand on the Fantastic art style of the this game. The characters are beautifully animated and each and every attack animation looks flawless. In the options menu, there's 3 video filters on how the game projects onto the tv. You can choose Smooth, Crisp and Classic. Smooth, i believe is like the deflicker like in brawl on, smoother image, but blurry. Crisp is the deflicker off in brawl, jagged, but woah, crispy image. So what's Classic? Classic is pretty much the original filter before the HD conversions came out.

Spidey and Venom have a little chat before battling it out

Ryu About to get owned by a triple hyper combo from Iron Man Wolverine and spidey.

Sound: Never sounded better. Sounds like an A+. the quality of the battle music is good, Always upbeat and is loop able which is good. Also the attack Fxs of the game are incredible! The sound FXS sound ridiculously amazing and they are all different. for example hitting someone with akuma's gou hadoken sounds different then hitting the same person with ryu's hadoken, which is pretty cool.

some of the stage music on MvC2

Gameplay
Ok this is the glue that holds the game together. The fighting system for any Marvel vs Capcom game is unquie but MvC2 is just flat out Pwnage.First off you have to chose 3 heroes or villians or a mix of the 2 from a cast of 56 characters. that's pretty big.Now on to the controls, you have 4 basic attack buttons and 2 assist buttons and an analog stick. The Assist button allows one of the 2 other fighters that aren't on the screen to come out and "assist" you with an attack . could be a special attack or a normal one or heck even a hyper combo attack. it depends on which assist button you press and assist type of the character chosen. you chose your assist types when you select you character. there are many assist types, like ground anti air and projectile assists. the assists can help you into or continue a combo or just pull one out just for a sneaky attack.

Here's a little look at what the gameplay is like-these are pro players, so don't think you can pull this stuff off yet.

Replay Value and Online

ONLINE: The People online are pretty good. but if you can find the right time to go on, you should be able to find and fight players some where around your skill level, course unless your one of those guys that are what i like too call an game shark. Game Sharks are pros that play the game a little 2 much. Pro Players like Orge 1 and 2 TSquared and people from Mlg are people that i could consider game sharks only because they play the game 2 much to practice to win some moolah. haha-no offense to any MLG pro players, i love you guys-

Replay: With the amount of time you'll need to pick your acual main team, Practice with your main team, experiment with your combos,Play matches off and online. Dude this should run you at least a week if your into fighting games. if not then maybe a few hrs if not an hour.

Overall and Final Overview
Overallscore 10/10: All of the above for 15 dollars? a few yrs ago, this game would cost about 100 for the ps2. hot damm. you get an 85% cut. it's a good game for what it's worth. Stunning and Amazing Gameplay, Cool Graphics, Amazing soundtrack. all that for 15? it's worth it.

This is Terms2k1 signing off... time to go practice some combos.

The cast of MvC2

Red Faction Guerrilla

Mad.Mrocker — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:30:19 GMT

PLOT!

Alec Mason just arrived on Mars to find his brother Daniel who has joined a group called Red Faction When Daniel Dies by and EDF (Earth Defense Force) aircraft you are visited by Sam who introduces you to commander Hugo Davies and you become a member of the Red Faction to "Purify" Mars and get rid of EDF scum.

GAMEPLAY

The Gameplay isn't that bad, but i looked into it a littlebit and right now this game is Grand Theft Auto on Mars just minus a few things

1. when you take a car you dont hit someone in the face or throw them out the car
2. when an explosion happens and a citizen is standing right there they happen to run and yell S@*!, S@*!
3. when you speed up in a vehical a blur comes around you just like grand theft auto.
etc.

but enough of that, over all this game is really good and i think it is a must buy because you'l have fun just bustin' S@*! open with a sledge hammer and a couple of rockets and bombs.

Vehicals and Weapons

now i dont want to get into to much detail here, but there are very many weapons and vehicals in the game i may not be able to mention but im sure the videos below will help, it mentions a few weapons,vehicals and backpacks.

GRAPHICS

the graphics are like any ordinary Xbox360 game highly detailed and it looks good. :nod:

SOUND

the sound is okay,its as if you crashed into a metal pole it sounds like you hit a pot with a wooden spoon sometimes other than that, the explosions the buildings falling and everythig else put together is really good.

MULTIPLAYER

That Pretty muched summed it up.

but if you do not have online gameplay than you must take turns doing several game options

1. Destruction - you get points off of how much Destruction you cause.
2. Barrels - destroy as many barrels as possible within the time limit.

and they get a little less boring as they go on.

so in the long run.
Online (7)
offline (2)

SUMMARY

so lets review.
You go around shooting a bunch of EDF property to run them out of Mars only because your brother died and you only wanted vengance, so you go on to the Red Faction and end up destroying everything in your site because it's to much fun!
Multiplayer sucks offline cause you cant use four controllers and have to pass the controller around everytime you finish.
Graphics and sound are overall good and has great quality. :)
Replay Value is a 10 it got game of the month on GameInformer and you'll never get tired of the destruction trust me.

So if you think your intrested in buying this game i say go right ahead have fun crushing bones and causing chaos.

Red Faction Guerrilla is for Xbox360,PS3, and Microsoft Windows

Apply Here for the Review Team!

Shade — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:22:20 GMT

The Review Team has decided to open up a new thread, start fresh. There were many old applications on the previous thread, and a lot of chatter.

Here is the application!

Name/Username (whichever you prefer):
Any other commitments that may take away from the fullness of this job:
Prior Experience with Game Reviewing and/or Writing: ATTENTION: This is a REQUIRED field. If you cannot fill this out, your application will automatically be denied.
***Post Examples of your work***
Why should you be on the Review Team? (try to tell us, in a few words, why you should be on the Review Team.)

P.S. - Strictly Applications Only. No chatting. Let only Review Team members give applicants advice and/or results. Any member who cannot follow these rules will have the post deleted.

Good luck to you all!

Smackdown! VS. RAW: 2009 Review

Dr. Feelgood — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:16:51 GMT

Smackdown! VS. RAW: 2009 Review

By: Dr. Feelgood

Introduction:

I am reviewing the game Smackdown! VS. RAW: 2009 (often referred to as SvR: 09) for the Xbox 360, although it is available for the Wii, PS2, and PS3. SvR: 09 is a professional wrestling game based on the storylines of the professional wrestling company, the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). The game features many of the WWE�s famous superstars and wraps them in one game. The Road to Wrestlemania mode is a story mode where you play as a one of many optional WWE superstars and play in a storyline created by the WWE, somewhat based off of real WWE storylines. Although there are many WWE superstars to choose from, you can also use an old feature that has returned: Create a Superstar, where you can create your own wrestler and edit his/her abilities and attributes. All of this and much more will be discussed in my review.Also, there is one thing that I have realized about SvR: 09: you don�t have to like wrestling to enjoy this game. Something about that game is so much fun. Hopefully my review will expose that answer. Enjoy!

Controls and Game play:

SvR: 09�s controls are rather simple. You use the four main letter buttons for some basic actions: The �X� button to use basic actions, such as punches and kicks; The �B� button to use an Irish Whip (sling your opponent across the ring); The �A� button to get on top of a downed opponent and use punches, head butts, and chin holds; and you use the �Y� button to use your finishers or signature moves. You use the right analog stick use grappling moves, such as special punches, kicks, submission holds, or pins. The left analog stick is to move, and the left and right triggers are used to reverse. Those are the basic controls.

This game can be played with one to four players. The game has many modes to play in. The basic multiplayer mode is Exhibition mode (which is my favorite). You can do anything from One on One matches to Two on Two matches to 30 man Royal Rumble. You can play these matches as any of the WWE superstars or any of your created superstars, which I will cover later in the review. You can do these matches on Xbox LIVE, as well.

John Cena elbowing Mr. Kennedy

Road to Wrestlemania:

The Road to Wrestlemania is the story mode for the WWE superstars. You play storylines for the following superstars: Triple H, CM Punk, John Cena, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, and the first multiplayer storyline, Rey Mysterio with Batista.

These storylines go through several weeks leading up to the WWE�s main event: Wrestlemania, where you duke it out with your arch nemesis that you have made from the Road to Wrestlemania storyline.

Create A Superstar:

SvR: 09 has returned with the Create a Superstar (CAS) mode. With this mode you can create a wrestler, create how they look, make their entrance, create finishers for them and even create a move set (you can edit move sets and finishers for WWE superstars, also). Although you can make your characters look really cool, their graphics are poor compared to the WWE superstars.

Your created superstars start out with no abilities, and overall experience level starts off really low. To raise your stats, you must put your character through Career mode.

A Created Superstar

Career Mode:

Career mode is the mode where you improve the stats and abilities of created superstars and even WWE superstars. In this mode you go through a series of championship paths, eventually to have won every championship. Once you defend your championships enough, your character can be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. From Career, your character can go from level 36 to level 100. He/She can earn the ability smash someone�s throat with a chair. Your character can become the fastest or the strongest, or the most charismatic character in the game.

Online play:

Online play is very similar to Exhibition mode. You can do One on One matches, Two on Two, Triple Threats, Fatal Four-ways, and handicap matches. The more Ranked matches you play, the higher your online rank increases. You can also do Player matches and Private matches, but those do not increase your rank.

Graphics:

For an overview fighting game, the graphics are pretty good. Aside from the Created Superstars, the WWE superstars look pretty good. Blood will stream from their head and onto the mat when injured in the cranium enough. But the graphics are not the most important thing as we all know.

John Cena and Triple H in an Exhibition Inferno match

Sound:

The game sounds good. During matches, the announcers will talk the whole time, relating to the match you are playing. You can hear the sound of bones crunching under the intense pressure of the game. The voice-overs for the WWE characters are pretty good, sounding very similar to the actual WWE superstars. Also, for the entrances and the menu screens, the game plays the WWE superstars� theme songs, such as Triple H�s song, �The Game,� by Motorhead.

Replay Value:

The replay value for this game is pretty good. There is always something to do. From dozens of different Exhibition matches, to Road to Wrestlemania�s many storylines, top creating a Superstar, to Career, to Online play, this game is worth the $40 (probably $30 for the Wii) you can get it for at a GameStop.

Overall:

I love this game. I truly do. I find myself being entertained for hours straight by this game. I highly suggest to anyone who enjoys video games. My friends whom don�t even like wrestling want to get this game. You don�t have to like wrestling to enjoy this game. Thank you for reading my review.

Overall score: 9

Wii Sports

leezy97 — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:22:41 GMT

Review by leezy97.
My 8th review.

Wii Sports is a sports game developed and produced by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console. It was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month.

Wii Sports

~ Gameplay ~
The game consists of pick-up-and-play editions of tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, boxing, and being trained the necessaries couldn't be more straightforward. You simply lift the Wii remote and move it backward and forward similar to a baseball bat to smack the ball out of the playing field or wave an underhanded gently sloping action to hurl the bowling ball down the alleyway. These innovative controls make the old original yet again. But Wii Sports is as well considerable as it is the ideal demonstration of a fresh improvement road for Nintendo; One alert on easy gameplay controls and basic, primal graphics. The name is the outcome of a company-wide attempt to succeed over the subtle non-gamer!

~ Wii Remote Features ~
What instantaneously makes Wii Sports eye-catching is its simplicity of use. Every one of the games demonstrates its relevant sport down to a small amount of important fundamentals and then has you role-playing these basic actions with the Wii Remote, and in the case of boxing, the Nunchuk is used as well. The games employ the motion sensor qualifications of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk addition to manage the movements of the on-screen character. The participant moves about the remote in a comparable approach to how the games are played in actual life; for instance, holding and swaying the Wii Remote similar to a golf club, baseball bat or bowling ball.

Top, from left; Boxing, Bowling, and Golf. Bottom, from left; Tennis, and Baseball.

~ Graphics ~
I think the graphics are far from what the Wii can achieve. That said, they are successful in this circumstance. I wouldn�t wish to see them continual, but as a fun free offer that�s crammed in with each Wii, and as a game that�s as approachable to our propositions as this is, who can protest? As Nintendo regularly reminds us, they�re just graphics. Gameplay comes foremost.

~ Enjoyable Rating ~
Some pros of Wii Sports are that it has fantastic multi-player, an addictive gameplay, innovative concepts, loads of content, and is just plain fun!

~ Setbacks ~
Unfortunately, there are a few setbacks. These include bad visuals, sometimes unresponsive controls, and occasionally after playing the game a lot, it can get quite repetitive and boring.

~ Wrap Up ~
Wii Sports is at its most excellent in a cluster situation, where the acquaintance that everybody has with these games makes them extraordinarily simple to pick up and take part in. It's a game where you can have fun with your friends and relatives, and it flawlessly places interest in the way that Nintendo is taking with the proposal. It isn�t the best-looking game on the console, and it's certainly not full of meaning, but it may possibly be the most enjoyable. You won�t be scrounging over any cash for Wii Sports, so regard it as the best money you won't use up!
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Wii Sports Trailer

~ 1-10 Grade ~
Graphics: 6/10
Sound: 6/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7/10

Wii Sports

Review by leezy97.
My 8th review.

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time review

Bakuri — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:38:22 GMT

A quick note before I begin:

Please bear in mind that I have yet to fully complete this game, so this review may not be entirely accurate. It is based solely off of the knowledge I have so far acquired, which is not much seeing as how I am not even halfway through the game yet. If there is something wrong with this review due to my lack of information, I would prefer not be told due to spoilers. I will edit this as I further progress in the game. I thank you in advance for your patience. Enjoy the review. =)

~ The Game ~

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is an RPG released in February of 2003 for the PlayStation 2. It was developed by tri-ace, and published by Enix shortly before they became Square Enix. It was released in Japan, North America, and the PAL territories. The game was re-released in 2004 as a 2-disk Director�s Cut edition, with features such as new characters, new areas to go, etc. Till the End of Time takes place approximately four hundred years after Star Ocean: The Second Story.

~ Storyline ~

Fayt Leingod is an average, lazy college student on vacation with his parents and childhood friend, Sophia Esteed, on the planet Hyda IV. Very shortly into the game, Hyda is attacked by what is later discovered to be the Vendeen Empire. Fayt and Sophia escape on the starship Helre, but are separated from Fayt�s parents. The Helre is soon after attacked as well, forcing Fayt and Sophia, as well as the rest of the civilians passengers, to flee via escape pods.

Fayt�s escape pod lands on an underdeveloped planet, called Vanguard III. There, he is found by Cliff Fittir, who claims to have to take Fayt to his leader for a meeting. While traveling through space to the rendezvous point, their ship is also attacked by the Vendeeni, causing them to crash-land on another underdeveloped planet called Elicoor III. Here, the Kingdom of Airyglyph and the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria are at war. After being taken prisoner by Airyglyph soldiers, Fayt and Cliff are rescued by Nel Zelpher, an Aquarian spy who uses �runology�, which is mysteriously like the Symbology Fayt�s father studies. She claims to want their technology to save her planet - and refusal is not an option. Here, the real adventure begins. But they later realize that, while they are busy and unaware on Elicoor, mysterious things are happening in the rest of the universe...

~ Gameplay ~

The gameplay for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is definitely new. Most RPGs in which the player controls more than one character have turn-based battle systems, correct? Not this one. The player controls a party of 3 characters in each battle. One is controlled by the player, while the others are controlled automatically by the game itself. At any time the player can hit the R1 button and control a different character. Many skills are available to use, including regular fighting tactics, special attacks (triggered by assigning them to a button and then holding down that button), and Symbology (the game�s form of magic, in a way). Each character has a different forte - some with head-to-head fighting, some with long-ranged attacks, some with spamming the special attacks, and some with spamming Symbology techniques. It�s pretty difficult to not have at least one character you feel comfortable playing as.

Another great thing about this game is that there are many extra things to do, and even different endings to make. It can be annoying, since it�s an extremely long game (it takes up 2 disks), but it�s also very cool and interesting. You get to choose 2 out of 4 optional characters to become permanent party members, for example. Among many other secrets I have yet to discover.

Characters are, from left to right, Fayt, Cliff, Maria, and Mirage.

~ Sound ~

The sound in Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is, without a doubt, the worst and most annoying thing about the game. The voice actors are wonderfully cast and match the characters perfectly, so that�s not a problem. The music is also not much of a problem, as it is also wonderful. It fits the mood of the area well, and gives the player something to think about so they�re not running around in silence. Sound effects in the game are okay - there is absolutely no doubt when one of a player�s characters have been attacked by an enemy, or vice versa, but some of them are overly fake. Overall, the different components that make up the sound in the game are extremely well done.

The problem is that they don�t flow together well at all. Many times the different sounds will drown each other out. During many cutscenes, the player is left wondering what was said because the music was far too loud to hear the characters� voices. Battle sound effects can sometimes drown out the epic battle music. Etc.

When separated into components, the sound is amazing. But as a whole, it is awful.

The game�s main battle theme - �Cutting Edge of Notion�

~ Graphics ~

The graphics for this game are amazingly well done, both for the time it came out (the engine was completed in 2001), and overall. Certain cutscenes are choppy and not well done, but the battle sequences are better than most, and major scenes are incredible. (Below are 2 scenes - one of the lesser ones along with a battle sequence, and the other is one with amazing graphics.) Little things like the characters� hair and clothes have detail most games at the time didn�t have. The environment was also very well done. The rock wall of a mountain didn�t look like a mere brown wall, as many other games look. The maps of the areas included many areas that didn�t even have anything to do with where the player needs to go - which is actually a good thing, as it adds to the realistic look to the game.

First fight with Black Brigade leader Albel Nox - notice the graphical difference between the battle sequence and the cutscene itself.

Fayt�s true power is awakened - warning, could be considered a spoiler to some.

~ Personal Opinion ~

This game is definitely a must-play!! I absolutely love it! Solid storyline, solid characters, amazing graphics - it�s near perfection! The music soundtrack is amazing - I could spend all day listening to the different tracks on YouTube, lol. One thing I like is that, you don�t just automatically get a map, but you have to make it. See, everywhere you step adds a little bit to your map. If you get 100% of the map done, you get a 1/144 Scale Bunny, which increases your characters� movement rate (this simply means they move faster). It�s quite handy, and fixing up the maps is a fun way to waste time. But it�s quite annoying because you literally have to hug the wall to get everything >.<

Something else that I don�t personally like is that you can only play the game as Fayt. Sure, it makes sense, seeing as how he�s the main character and whatnot, but seriously, you should be able to run around as any member of your party that you want to, in my opinion. I dunno, knowing that I have all of these people I can play as and still having to play as the same guy when I�m not fighting just bugs me. A minor detail, but meh.

~ My Ratings ~

Storline: 9 - So far it seems pretty solid and interesting. I�ve heard rumors that it gets somewhat ruined later on in the game, but I�ll have to see that for myself before this rating comes down any.
Gameplay: 9.3 - The battle system is amazing and something you don�t see every day with multi-character RPGs. A few things bug me, personally, but it�s only minor things that don�t effect the game overall.
Sound: 7.9 - Amazing music, greatly cast voices (with a few exceptions) - a few overly fake sound effects, and bad mixing ruins it.
Graphics: 8.9 - Noticed some minor flaws, but overall the graphics are amazing.

Overall Rating: 8.8/10

The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker

Rorschach — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:07:29 GMT

Another theme song for my review. I know you can't fish in the game but the lyrics match up alot for the game and I always take a chance to use Primus.

Since its already Wednesday and I haven�t met my one review a week quota yet I decided I might as well get it done before its too late. This week I�m going to talk about one of my favorite games of the last generation because it�s the summer and very few games come out in the summer that are any good and also I haven�t beaten The World Ends With You and can�t release a review of it yet. So its time to go a little bit back to the past to look at one of the best games for the Game Cube.

(The characters of the game)

Graphics
Now probably my favorite part of this game is the graphics. Now I know what your thinking its either they were too cartoony or you will agree that they were nice graphics. Also you are probably wondering why well I�ll tell you. There we were with playing are dark and dreary games that looked depressing and caused mass suicides because according to every developer in the world real is brown, gray, and every other dark color which is what I like to call Quake Syndrome. Then came games like Wind Waker, Killer 7, and Veautiful Joe, which punched these games in the teeth and showed that you can have bright colorful graphics and still have a great game. I know all the Xbox fan boys are going to disagree and barf out there favorite Xbox title, but I stand by my reasons which are that I like to be able so see what the heck I�m doing and would like more colors from the color chart other than the whole dark side of the moon ones.

Sound
The sound in this game was good and in some parts epic, but I would have liked to hear voiceovers in the game. I know they will never give Link a voice and I�m not expecting them to. The sound could be a lot better with voiceovers because like most adventure games it has heavy dialogue scenes that desperately need them.

Game Play
Game play is your usual Zelda title game play. It can be fun at times it can be bad at times and it can be console breaking frustrating. The major new thing in Wind Waker�s game play is the fact that you have to sail from one island to another and this to can either be fun, bad, or console stomping frustrating. At first I looked at it as a fun thing because I�ve always had a fondness of sailing, but after a while it become as stale as the chips on my top shelf. The way you sail in this game however is a little different because you have to change the direction of the wind using the wind waker which can be a little annoying after a while because sometimes you will have to use this several times before you get to your destination.

(Sailing and Link using the Wind Waker)

(Screen shot of Link)

(another screen shot)

Puzzles
Now onto the puzzles that have been apart of the Zelda franchise since day one. Unlike past games these puzzles really wont rack your brain unless your younger or just not good at puzzles. In fact I think it�s a little insulting to puzzles to call some of them puzzles. One however that got me for quite a while was in the forest island where you had to float to each plat form to get to the temple. It took me a while but finally I did manage to get it right. That seems to be about the only one in the game that really got me and I don�t even think it was supposed to be a puzzle.

(where i got stuck)

Overall I would say that Wind Waker is a good game the replay value is a little low, but most Zelda games aren�t usually played again right after they are beat. It might take a few months or years to finally want to play the game again, but you can guarantee it will still be a good game to play years from now.

the Legend Of Zelda Majoras Mask

Steviesan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:57:03 GMT

5 STARS

Sequal of the Ocarina of Time Game.

Link is riding on his horse Epona while he is riding in search for his old friend Navi (OOT) he loses control of Epona and wakes up to see Skull Kid playing with his ocarina. He then steals Epona and Link goes to catch him and falls into the world of Termina. Now that he has found Skull Kid, Skull Kid turns him into a Deku Scrub. Skull Kid then escapes with Epona but one of Skull Kids fairies gets left behind and travels with link. then link meets a mask salesman and he tells him to get majoras mask back from skull kid before bad things happen. Link meets Skull Kid on top of a clock tower and now has to save the world of Termina from the moon falling. Now you got to go to different parts of Termina collecting masks and new items and to stop skull kid and save termina.

Characters: Link, Two Fairies (Forgot Names), and Skull Kid

Graphics: Five stars cause at the time it had the best graphics a game can have

Sound: the sound is ok it couldve been better

Systems: Wii Virtual Console, N64, Zelda Collectors Edition (Gamecube)

Features: In Majoras Mask you can use certain masks to change yourself into different creatures in the from a goron to a zora and even into deity link

New Enemys: There also new enemies since the oot game like chu chus, bird, and even a giant skull child

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chrinicles

Steviesan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:46:45 GMT

4 stars

The umbrella chronicles has alot of freatures in it that makes it a great resident evil game when you get the game you start out with resident evil 0 and you can be either billy coen or rebbeca chambers and have to escape off of a train. At the end of each level you fight a boss like Nemisis or Tyrant. The caracters you can be are billy coen, rebbbeca chambers, jill valentine, chris redfield, carlos olivaria, albert wesker and many more. The bad part of the game that probily doesnt make this the best RE game is that you cant move thats why it gets 4 stars

Guns: There are a ton of guns in the game like shotguns and magnums

Upgrade: You can upgrade weapons you unlock with points you get from when you complete a level

Upgrade 1: Reload Speed allows you to reload guns faster.

Upgrade 2: Ammo Capacity allows your guns to hold more ammo.

Upgrade 3: Firepower, makes your gun cause more damage.

Guitar Hero III

Rorschach — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:46:46 GMT

some music to go with the game. song Guitar Hero by Monkey Steals the Peach

Guitar Hero III is pretty much known as the bad one. Why because everything is different from the first two. No more Clive Winston, graphics are gritty, your singer looks like he could swallow a tire and a monster truck one at that, the song list isn�t as good, and once you get to the end there is a huge difficulty curve. Now I�m not going to say the game is all bad, but it isn�t all that good either especially compared to the others. Overall it�s just too tough for anyone even people who could play hard on the old one and don�t tell me you beat Raining Blood on hard because if you did you can admit yourself to the nearest hospital because you are insane.

(the logo)

The song list this time isn�t that great. Sure there are a few like Rock You like a Hurricane, Before I Forget, Number of the Beast, Raining Blood, Through the Fire and the Flames, and Rock and Roll All Night, but there isn�t as much great Rock hits like I and II. I know some are going to say there is more to music than Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, but this series was founded on letting players play Rock and Metal classics such as I wanna be Sedated, Iron Man, and Strutter not crappy mediocre ones like Barricuda.

The graphics this time around are different again because Red Octane did not make this one and like I said before your singer is some kind of freak child of a man and a wide mouth bass. I for one thought Guitar Hero was fine with the graphics it had. Cartoonish to a point and not serious after all DDR aren�t gritty and realistic, but then again DDR isn�t about Rock music.

Multiplayer was a big thing about this game. You now had the option to play career co-op with a friend which means you will fight over who has to be bass, because we all know the only good bass song was in Guitar Hero II and it was John the Fisherman by Primus with Les Claypool on bass guitar, but enough about the old and more about the new. Multiplayer also gives you the option to battle your friend in a guitar battle, but these matches are pretty broken in my opinion. The powers usually cripple your opponent after one or two hits and after that it�s not really a competition this is also known as Mario Kart Syndrome or MKS for short.

Game play is yet again the same twister match the colors set up and if you need me to say more than play the game yourself there really isn�t really much more I can say. Wait there is the tremolo bar, but since that was introduced in game one you basically know what is does all you do is on long notes waggle it around. Also to activate your star power you either make a jerking motion with the guitar or you press the select button. I always just press the select button because shifting my hands upwards always messes me up.

(A screenshot of the game in a venue that is further in the game)

Now comes the fun part the bad things about Guitar Hero III and yes I�m going to point them out I�m a critic if I didn�t I wouldn�t be doing my job. One Clive Winston is replaced with a bubbly J-pop creature from the Japanese black lagoon, two there is only one real legend of Rock in this game and that is Slash because if the guy from Rage Against the Machine is a Rock legend the my butt needs to be displayed in the Louvre museum in Paris, and four the product placement shows that Activision has no dignity.

(Slash the true legen of rock in the game)

Overall I kind of liked GH III, but really it didn�t impress me very much. Sure it brought in career co-op but it left out a lot of the things that were really good about about the first two. If you really have to get it then get it for at least the sake of adding it to your collection with the other two. If you don�t have the other two than I suggest you get them first before you shell out the money for this one. Seriously they�re probably not that expensive now.

The trailer

Gameplay