KnightAttack
01-07-2009, 03:39 AM
Umbrae, I'm sorry, hope you don't mind.
Everything is going nuts at 1up, and I don't really want to lose my old reviews, so, for the time being, I'm going to create a backup here.
Yakuza
The year is 2005.
Sega is still reeling from a series of bad game releases. There is not many fans die-hard fans of Sega anymore. Sonic has never been the same since going 3-D. Shenmue, costs large amounts of money, and never lived up to the success it was thought it should have.
Slowly, we begin to hear of this game coming to America from Japan, known as Ryu ga Gotuku. The game changed it's name, to Yakuza for an American release. Suddenly, a list of well known actors, had signed on for the English Translation of the game.
A short list of them?:
Mark Hamill (also known as Luke Skywalker to many)
Michael Rosenbaum (famous for his role as Lex Luthor in Smallville)
Eliza Dushku (of Buffy fame)
Rachel Leigh Cook (probably best known for She's All That)
Alan Dale (better known as the Grandfather in the OC.)
Michael Madsen (famous from the movie adaptation of Sin City)
Dwight Schultz (famous from the A-Team and to Trekkies)
the list goes on.
When a game gets this good of voice talent, people should stand up and take notice. It came out in 2006, to great reviews.
However, most people, myself included, really did not.
It wasn't really until late 2007 that my interest was sparked in the series. I began to search out a copy, and soon, found myself buying a used one from my local EB Games for $15 Canadian.
I was blown away.
Yakuza puts you in the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu, an enforcer for a famous Yakuza (aka Mafia) clan in Japan.
Kazuma is known as the "Dragon" of the Dojima Family. Kazuma eventually finds himself taking the wrap for the murder of the family leader, Mr. Dojima himself, after his buddy Nishiki kills Dojima in order to prevent him from raping one of their mutual friends.
He spends 10 years in jail, and is kicked out of the Tojo clan (which the Dojima family was apart of). After his release, Kazuma is pulled back into the Yakuza underground, after his former bosses boss, was murdered, and Ten Billion yen goes missing.
There's a huge amount more, but I don't really want to go into it, as it really spoils the game.
So, Gameplay wise, Yakuza plays as an Action/Adventure, mixed with some RPG elements. It also uses some fighting elements, that are very reminiscent of both River City Ransom, Final Fight and Double Dragon.
This world is truly a great sandbox game. Having people in the street react as you run by or run into them, is very intriguing. The map is quite helpful figuring your way around the city, but soon enough, you'll know your own way around.
There is also plenty of mini-games and side mission to keep you busy for quite some time.
The music is perfect. It really makes you feel as though you are submersed in Japanese Culture. Everything works. The fantastic English Voice Overs are well timed, and work well with every character. I mean, who doesn't love Mark Hamill voice over-ing a Crazy Person? I know I do!
The controls handle well. They are very responsive. There is some times that the camera gets frustrating, especially in battles. The camera occasionally get on buildings, but usually fixes itself before you have too much damage done to you.
Battling itself does do quite a bit of difference too. You can pick up objects, and they do help attacks, however, your time to land them is significantly decreased. However, size does matter. The smaller the weapon, of, the easier it is to swing, such as a bat, the faster the attack is.
Overall, this is one game you should definitely not miss.
Final Score: 87%.
If you own a PS2, or PS3, you should pick this up. Loved Shenmue? This is its spiritual sequel, as getting a sequel for that series seems less and likely as time goes buy.
With Yakuza 2 already out (and my review of it coming out soon), and Yakuza: Kensen (a spin-off, already out in Japan), and Yakuza 3 on its way, GO. PLAY. NOW.
<Note: All Screens belong to whoever originally published them>Dark Sector
Dark Sector. A game that came out in March 2008. Possibly one of the most overlooked games of the year. So, why was it so overlooked? People labeled it a Gears of War ripoff. But really, if this is true, why is it that a bad thing? Gears of War is a fantastic game, therefore, should Dark Sector not be a great game also? In short, yes. But does it?
Well, the story tells us a lot about the game. We get quickly introduced to the main character, Hayden Tenno. He is a CIA agent, infiltrating a former Eastern-Bloc country (and for those of you who do not know what that is, it's a country that sided with the USSR during the Cold War), after a CIA contact sends them a disturbing message. Hayden inflitrates the compound, despite wanting to back out. He finds out that a new terrorist-type leader is planning on using a virus to wipe out the country, in an attempt to take over the world.
Soon, Hayden confronts the terrorist, named Meznar, but gets his ass kicked by the "Nemesis", and soon finds himself getting infected by Meznar, who has come partially into the control of an infectious disease.
The disease becomes more rampant, and it's up to Hayden to stop it. He meets a sleeper agent, named Yargo who helps him out along the way. He also runs into Nadia, another assumed agent, working for Meznar.
The plot runs fairly deep enough, but I can't help but feel as though I have played this story before. It really feels as though this game is suppose to be a Resident Evil clone. Part of it might be because of the controls, but it's the story more than anything. Evil guy + Infection + Good guy trying to save the day = RE Clone. That doesn't mean it's a bad story however.
The biggest different is the weapons. After getting infected, Hayden begins to control a Glaive (basically, a boomerrang, with blades). Beheading enemies, or taking off their arms has never been so fun. With the Glaive, he also dual-wields a pistol. You also can purchase another secondary weapon, weather that be an assault rifle, Shotgun, etc, change your pistol, and upgrade them all. They are all very conveniently placed throughout the game.
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As you progress, and the infection in Hayden spreads, Hayden also begins to learn....well..........essentially Force Powers. From Force Shielding, among other things. One of the coolest powers however, is the ability to slow down time with the Glaive. In the PS3 version of the game, it is controlled with SIXAXIS, which allows you to move the Glaive up and down, and side to side, allowing you to unlock doors, hit switches, or whatever. More importantly, you can also power-up your Glaive, by lighting it on fire, putting electricity through it, etc. Super-fun.
The controls also respond well, with one minor exception, at some times, it is fairly tough to control Glaive through the SIXAXIS. Sometimes it is fairly finky, making stuff tough to hit.
The rest of the gameplay holds up very well, in a very large, Gears of War style. There is lots of dark, and grey areas, but the lighting is done to perfection. It also makes a bit of a difference since the game is built on the Unreal Engine, although D3, the developers of the game, claimed they completly rebuilt it.
The music in this game, as well as many others this generation, is perfect for the game. The voice acting, led by Michael Rosenbaum (also known as Lex Luthor from Smallville), who voices Hayden. A more perfect guy could have not been picked.
The enemy AI is also smart enough. They duck for cover. They try to swarm you. It's alway fun, and challenging to play.
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The game also includes a Multi-player mode, featuring up to 16 players. There however is only 2 gameplay types, Infection, and Epidemic. One game is a person who is turned into Hayden, versus up to 15 soldiers. Hayden has his superior travels, which is challenging. The 2nd game, makes up 2 teams, this time evenly matched, as each team has a player being Hayden. The point is to defeat the other team's Hayden.
Overall Score:
Originally: 76%
Now, because you can buy it at $20 for both the 360 and PS3: 85%.
You SHOULD buy this game. It is fun, and well worth the $20.
All pictures belong to original publishers.Final Fight
Possibly the BEST box-art on the SNES (haha), and cartridge:
Final Fight. One of the greatest Beat-'Em-Ups of All time. There isn't many people who haven't played this game. Originally released in 1989 in the Arcade, it has since been ported to, just about on everything, so I'm sure you've probably come across it at sometime. Since it's release, it has been on:
Arcade
Amiga
Amstrad CPC
Atari ST
Commodore 64
PlayStation 2
Sega CD
ZX Spectrum
Super NES
Sharp X68000
Xbox
Game Boy Advance
PlayStation Portable
Virtual Console
(List from wikipedia)
Most recently, and the way many new gamers may have played the game was on the Ps2/Xbox version, as it was released on the Capcom Classic Collection Volume 1.
I own both the original SNES version, as well as the PS2 one.
What's the difference? Well, you might actually have a chance at beating the PS2 version. Seriously.
Gameplay wise, the game still holds up. It is your typical side-scrolling game. You move across the screen, beating up everyone until they are dead, then move onto the next area, continue, until you beat the Boss, then, start the new area.
It does nothing very original now, but it still holds up. Controls are responsive, and work. Picking up food, or weapons has a drastic effect on gameplay. If you hope to survive this game, you NEVER pick up a weapon. At that, you can beat the game in about an hour if you are playing the PS2 version.
If not, be prepared to want to kill yourself. It will take your hours, if not days to remember the patterns that you need to know to survive this game. You only get 2 lives, so you better get good.
Graphically, it's exactly what you would expect for it's time. It's bright. It's shiny. Because of the styling of the game, it still holds up well.
The sound really makes this game. No, not the music, although it's great. It's when you hear a certain character scream, as seen here:
It will make you laugh every time.
The story is straight out of 1989. The newly elected Mayor of a town goes on a rampage after finding out his daughter has been kidnapped. He recruits her boyfriend, and his buddy to help him.
Did i mention the Dad is a former pro-wrestler, and the boyfriend, and his buddy are martial arts masters? Lucky huh?
They go on to beat up everyone.....and I mean EVERYONE in the city, as it appears everyone is against them.
So, in the end, is this game one to pick up? Yes. Yes, if you love the franchise. Yes if you love hilarity. Yes, if you love a challenge.
I mean, has there ever been a better continue screen then this?
I mean, the last guy tied up, trying to blow out a pound of Dynamite? CLASSIC!
Final Score: 72/100 It's fun. It's frustrating. And you'll love it for it. Pick it up, although I highly recommend the CCCv1, as you get unlimited Continues.
Ps: All pictures belong to their respected owners. NOT me.Resistance 2
Resistance 2. One of the most anticipated Playstation 3 exclusive titles of 2008. And boy, it let's you down in some places, but makes you love it next! Is this the best game out on the PS3? No, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't pick it up.
The game starts exactly where the 2006 PS3 launch gamed ended. You, playing Sgt. Nathan Hale are picked up by a mysterious group of fighters, and loaded into a plane at gun point. You find yourself brought in a by a group of elite fighters from the US, known as the Sentinels, who have decided to recruit Sgt. Hale into their ranks.
So, what's changed since Resistance? The controls were tightened, and made much better. You can only hold 2 weapons now, and at that, the weapons have been improved. Guns that have returned, such as the Bullseye and Carbine Rifle, have been given smaller clips, but their ammo do much more damage. The addition of a few new guns, such as the Magnum are welcome additions.
The story has also changed, as Sgt. then later Lt. Hale semi-narrate the game. I say semi-narrate because the cut-scenes are nothing like the first game. All information is told in real time, or, shown to us in the Intel Documents. I don't want to touch on the story too much, as it gives away a lot of the game. However, it is quite good, and very enjoyable.
More importantly, Resistance 2 has two individual campaigns. The 2nd, is a co-operative campaign. You can play this with up to 4 players offline, or 8 players online. However, I do not suggest playing with any less than 3 players. The game is incredibly tough. It goes into some of the single players campaigns missions that are heard about, but not scene. Players can choose 1 of 3 classes, each class, does something different, and are all very important to have in the game.
The games are incredibly tough, as monster the sheer amount of monsters in this mode is incredible, as well as adding more toughness to all of them. It is incredibly fun to play, and possibly the best part of the game.
The other multiplayer portion, is competitive, carrying over from the original game. DM, TDM, CTF, etc, are all in the game. More importantly, and even somewhat revolutionary has 60 player fighting online. I hope we see more 60-player games online on the consoles.
The graphics are outstanding for the most part in SP campaign. There are a few lighting issues in some parts, but everything has a great gloss on it. It cannot be said for the co-op however. I'm guessing due to the large amount of Chimera appearing on screen, it takes away some from the game, so it doesn't look quite as good as the rest of the game. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad, just not as good as they should have been.
The sounds remains the same, regardless of what you are playing, and it's ALL good. From the classic 1950's music, to the announcer on the radio, or Hale, it's all very enjoyable.
The roughest part of the game, comes down to the A.I. Your teammates are fairly smart. They move with you, covering you if you run, following you, and helping you to a point. The enemy A.I. is great too. If you're shooting at them, they will throw up a shield. They duct for cover. The problem however, is very annoying. Every single bullet is coming at you. Every enemy chases you. They don't chase your squad. It's stupid that way.
So, in the end, is the game enjoyable? The answer, is a simple, yet unequivocal Yes. Is it the best game I've ever played? No. Does it do anything innovative? No.
What does it do? It does everything right. It does exactly the same as Resistance 1 did. It doesn't innovate the genre in any way, but it doesn't do anything wrong either. It perfects what it does.
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Final Score: 86%
If you liked the first, you'll enjoy this one too. If you like the genre, you'll enjoy this one. Online is a blast.
(Note: All pictures belong to their perspective owners)Project: Snowblind
[Originally written on the 1up Retreat forums, posted on February 22/06, by me, images reserved to their rightful owners]
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To begin to describe this game...well, it's pretty damn good. The graphics are very, very good, and have a great framerate. The controls are steady, and the storyline, pretty damn good.
(Knight's note: Despite the graphics now looking dated, especially the player models, the effects still look good)
Let's begin with a little story. The story is set in the future, and basically, it's kinda a rip-off of World War II. A military guy is trying to take over the world and create a new, "pure" race (sounds like Hilter doesn't it? happy.gif ) Anyways, you and your troop are sent there to infiltrate and win the war. Unfortunately for you, you almost die.
(Knight's Note: It's still a kinda cool story, it takes place in China, in 2065.)
And by ALMOST, you basically get transformed into a Cyborg. This adds a new, interesting element to the gameplay. It basically acts just kinda like...well for lack of anything else, Force Powers, you can only use them for so long, but they don't regenerate. You find things, like health that regenerate it for you. The abilities range from making you invisible, to blocking fire, etc, etc.
(Knight's Note: Cyborg, haha. Well, ya, that's pretty much it. Your body pulsates with power. It's cool. Being block bullets at any time comes in quite handy during firefights)
The weapons and firing are very well done. The maps are good, and very detailed, but really, you are basically only playing about 10 maps (if that). Everything revolves around one certain area, but the cool thing is, every time the areas are shown differently (ie: walls might be missing from explosions).
(Knight's Note: Ouch, that was explained poorly. What I mean is, the gameplay stages vary, it varies in a way different from many games. You don't constantly go to new areas. Consider it like this (Which part of the game is). You ran through a buidling, killing every enemy in site. You come back 3 hours later, to see that this building, is once again infested with the enemy except, guess what? That wall you blew up to surprise the enemy is still gone, and they have also set up new traps for you, demolished doors you left, and blew up walls to kill you easier)
My biggest thing with this game is sometimes it gets a fairly hard. The only other problem I ran into was one MAJOR glitch. When I finally got to face off against the "boss", I managed to kill him during/just before one of the cutscenes (which obviously wasn't suppose to happen, especially so soon), and the game almost froze. But really, it wasn't froze, it was kinda just suspended it mid air. I could still move around, fire my weapons, but the boss was no where to be found, and I couldn't get out of the room....Not the best glitch.
(Knight's Note: I remember this now, it was seriously the weirdest glitch I have ever encountered. Some may also find the levels aren't as good because you repeat, but I find it unique. There wasn't, and still isn't many games like this)
This game didn't do anything up and out of the ordinary, but it's solid. It was overshadowed due to the fact it came out basically at the same time as TimeSplitters 3. If your looking for a well done shooter, I suggest picking this one up.
(Knight's Final Note: This game came out on PC/PS2/and Xbox. If you stumble across it, it'll run you about $10, but if you are looking for a good, 8-10 time waster, this is one you will enjoy. I guess I should also run off a quick list of the weapons.
It doesn't have anything out of the ordinary, you have your handgun, rifle, shotgun, missile launcher, grenades, etc but it does have 2 guns that are unique:
(1) The Icepick: This allows you to break into enemy electronics, such as cameras, or gun turrets, then use them against the enemy. It can also turn around enemy unarmed walking tanks, that you will subsequently control, and be able to destroy them with.
(2) The Kicker: It pretty much a rip-off of Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun, and so, for that reason alone, it's awesome. GTAIV
Grand Theft Auto IV - The game was called the "greatest game of all time" by some reviewers. That's mighty high expectations to live up to.
A good game it is, The greatest, it is not.
Grand Theft Auto has always been a series of innovation, and now, after number 4, it's beginning to feel a little tiring.
The storyline is similar to any other previous LC game. A guy comes. He needs money. So he works. He is seeking vengeance on someone.
Sure, that was great back in 2001, but, why the hell, 7 years later, has Rockstar not came up with anything new?
What changed from GTAIII to IV?
GTAIII - Guy gets out of prison after being betrayed
GTAIV - Guy gets off boat, looking for someone who betrayed him.
GTAIII - Guy does missions
GTAIV - Guy does missions
GTAIV - Story is slightly revealed
III + IV - Guy does more missions.
IV - Slightly more story is revealed, again.
etc....
So what is new in the game?
...You can watch TV. You can go out on dates, or just hang with friends.
Fun?
To a point, but it feels like it just drags the game out more. No doubt that having your friends, and there special abilities is pretty cool. But, it seems like such a waste of time.
So lets discuss more:
Graphics: - Now, GTAIV has some decent graphics, but they aren't the best. What it does well, is make things look nicer, and the PS3 version is easily superior in my opinion to the 360. There are still lots of problems with the games though, which have been around since 2001......and still haven't been fixed. You will still roll/jump/get out of the car/etc and find Niko going into walls/cars/building/objects/other people/etc. Why is this still happening?
Sound: - The game sounds good. They got a lot of actual music, that many people will know, and more importantly, Lazlow's Back!
However, Sound is another problem with the game. Why? I can't help but feel that the 360 really gimped what could have been an awesome soundtrack.
Now before you jump on my back, here's why: Sure, the radio stations are great, but they only carry 1 game day's worth of content. And really, that sucks. Who wants to hear Lazlow blab about the same damn thing day after day at the exact same time everyday? I don't.
Take doing missions. If you ever replay missions (because you died, got busted, etc) there is often some change in dialogue. It usually switches back and forth between 2 different conversations. I like that. However, I wish there was more, or that Niko could participate in some of them.
Now, had the game been for the PS3, I do really think that they could have done more days worth of content, and added more dialogue, just for the simple fact of, more room on the disc.
Controls:- No surprise. I really, did not appreciate these new controls. There are some good things, but I hated the first layout. I stuck to the "classic" control mode at all times. My biggest complaint was that it was very had to freelance aim your gun, because, it seemed like every time i tried, I had about 5 seconds to aim, then suddenly my gun was firing, rather then letting me scope everything out.
AI + City: - Now regardless of what you may think, the AI in Liberty City is incredibly stupid. How is it, if my car is all banged up, Blood is smeared everywhere on my car, that a Cop doesn't go "hey, look at that guy", and suddenly try and pull me over. Now I'm not saying I want the most realistic game ever, but it seems rather stupid to go by like 20 Cop Cars (and 1 or 2 police stations), and not once would I be flagged down to be pulled over.
I can also, never, EVER, understand, how a tree can stop my car instantly, yet a well made lamp post can't.
Nor can I understand the amazing amount of crappy, vehicles appearing out of no where in the game. I once had a bus suddenly appear right in front of me driving, and, one time, when I was being chased, I looked back, only to look forward again and ram into a cop car that wasn't there 5 seconds ago, to increase my wanted level. Ridiculous.
Fun Factor: - As talked about previously, GTAIV does not strand far from any other previous GTA title. It is much the same.
One of the CRAZIEST parts I'll never understand in this game, is how we can make choices in the game, yet, they have so little effect in the overall picture. Sure, they have some, but really, for the most part, it simply changes a couple of lines of dialog, instead of having characters break out in gun fights, and making things much more difficult, and changing (aka missing certain plot points) in the game.
So I give this game the score of: 84%. it's a good game. A fun game, but there are too many things wrong, too many things not perfected, too many things not new for this game to get a higher score.Where I've been
So, here we are, a few days away from Christmas. School's done, and I really haven't been gaming enough to write a decent review. Instead, I've been at home, busy with lots of work, although I had a chance to reinstall Battlefield 2142, and play it for the first time in probably close to a year [and get my ass kicked], I began thinking about my turns with clans in Video Games.
To most people, the amount of clans I have been in, quite small to how many they have been. My own personal amount of clans, is 7.
But each clan I have been in was quite fun, or at least, while it lasted it was. I thought this post should explain some things, my actions, so that you people will know a little more about me.
So, the 7 clans I have been in, are:
* -=JO=- - The Jedi Order - [Game:] Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
* eXe - [didn't really stand for anything] - [Game:] Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
* <Ca> - Clan Apathy - [Game:] Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
* I have to leave this one blank, because I don't remember the name. [Game:] Counter Strike Source.
* .:AFW:. - Affinity For War - [Game:] Counter Strike Source
* ^ESC^ - Exiled Soldiers Coalition - [Game:] Battlefield 2142
* <uFo> - u Fear only - [Game:] Battlefield 2
Each clan has had signifigant impact on where I am today.
So, let's start with a little history.
After coming back to Jedi Knight II online after my area finally got DSL in late 2004, I was way out of touch. Eventually, someone came on, recognized I was new, and helped me understand the controls, and better basics of the game. In May of 2005, I was able to join a the clan of -=JO=-. I got my new tags, new colors. About 3 weeks after I joined however, the clan folded, as we ran out of money, and could no longer pay for a server.
For a few months, I bounced around and around, going to different servers. In September, I eventually found my way to eXe. The server was always fairly busy. They were announcing that the clan was recruiting, when I met a fellow Canadian, and member, Teh_Nemesis, who recruited me into the eXe ranks.
I was fairly well liked, active, and moved up the the first few ranks quickly. Soon, I began recruiting some new people, and at almost any given time, there was 5 members on. By November of 2005, the money once again ran-dry. Our server was gone, as was most of the members.
Except me.
I kept playing. Wearing the tags, and kept in constant contact with our leaders. I began playing on another clans server, known as -[KoTp]- (Keepers of The Peace), where I soon made friends with one of their clan members, Chop_Sticks. Soon, I regularly played with him, keeping the clan alive. Members started to come back, and, in January of 2006, we launched a server hosted by a member on a spare computer. It only held 16 people, and was occasionally unstable, but it worked. And the clan expanded.
The clan, moved to a new site, new forum, and new web page. I was unofficially put in charge of recruiting, and clan relations. As many members will atest to, I helped refound this broken clan. The membership, which was struggling around 15 active people, jumped to 40. All of them, good members. 2 new alliances, one with -[KoTp]- and <Ca> were established. However, it was during this time, a fracture began in the clan. Many of the original members were gone, some less active. One of our leaders, got involved with a "Guild" in the game. Originally this wasn't a problem...Until later. Members who I had recruited, good people, such as Teemu, Vanilla, Deathy all were chosen over me to council us, as that was how the clan worked. I wasn't bitter. I was a step below council, and most of these people confided in me, discussing what was going on during the meeting, or in the forums.
I was still actively taking part in recruiting, and admining the server, as I was one of the few on in my timezone. During the spring months of 2006, a membership swelled to 80+ members. We spand all over the world. However, structure problems began.
The council changed policies, allowing them to have the power to choose who to recruit into the clan. The council also began promoting people, which, to an untrained eye seemed random. New recruits were being brought up faster than members who had been there for months. However, these new recruits, were fellow friends, and members of people on the council. They were now hoisting admin on the server when they should have not been.
The man hosting the server passed out admin not just to members, but to his friends as well. New members were getting upset, but no one on council had enough balls to admit that there was problems, or go against our founders wishes.
In May of 2006, my first problem with another member occurred. While admining the server, one new member was cursing, laming, and doing everything that broke the rules in the server. I first tried to control him, but he refused to listen. I removed him from the server 3 times, but he refused to listen again. I went online, found one of the guys who I had recruited who was on council, and had them Ban him from the server.
I went on to Post in the members only forum about the lack of respect in the clan. No one was respecting the elder members of the clan. It was the way how we worked. However, my post after only about 3 members had seen it, was removed from our Members forum and put in the council forum. Later, I shown the logs from the post. The people who I had recruited had defended the actions I had taken, while the founder ripped them for agreeing with me, and eventually unbanned the person.
I was taken aback. This clan, which I helped keep alive, was going down a very bad path. And I wanted to stop it. However, I pled my case with one of the council, and they thought I was stupid. "Admin to friends was fine", I was told. What set me off last however, was the day I found out our leader was showing his buddies, who were not in the clan, our "Members Only" Forum. This is detailed information, where we discussed important clan topics. Privid information. I lambasted the leader for allowing this, where he basically told me to "F**k off" as he thought it was fine.
In June of 2006, I left eXe. The clan had taken a road I could not follow. It was going to implode. It was only a matter of time. Other people in the JK2 community saw it, and that's why they didn't join. The leader told me I was "next" to be on council, if that was why I was leaving. He thought I was power hungry. It just proved how little he did know me. I later learned that there was several votes on myself becoming a council member, with the decision split right down the leader. Half thought I was too rash, too angry to be one, while the others thought i would bring exactly what was missing. Ironically, my biggest ally in the clan, was one of the founders, a man who went by the name Ste- or disrupti0n, the seldom heard, and rarely played member (usually, only with me, despite the fact he was in England). He and I discusses everything with the clan, including expansions into the sequel game.
By November of that year, eXe was dead. There was several attempts to revive it, but it was never right. Ex-Members agree, when I left, eXe might as well have closed shop. Some members followed me, others simply quit playing.
However, my time in JK2 does not end there. After being asked to join a various amount of other clans in the game, I eventually decided to join our old ally, <Ca>, or Clan Apathy. Clan Apathy was one of the original JK2 clans. They had been around since shortly after the game went online. The clan was/and is still more or less ran by a man name HaunTed, although the clan structure is set up to spread jobs around.
When I joined in September of '06, I quickly found a place at home. Soon, I became actively involved on the forums, and then found myself working on the recruiting team. I worked dillegently with the other members, bringing new members into the fold.
Everything was fine, until......May of 2007. In our scouting department, I saw something posted that made me very upset, as it reminded me a lot of what happened in eXe. A member came on the forums, lambasting us for recruiting someone while he was away for a week, because he thought they were "weak" and "not worthy" of being in the clan. This particular member, had been giving me some grief before, and I just went off on that post. I told him to get "STFU" and "GFO" if he was going to be like that.
He began a massive war of words, with him accusing me of not being nice to his "Girlfriend" when she tried to join. [Point of Fact: We had an emote with a smily face guy holding the sign of "lier". I used this icon on her post, when she had posted that she had played the game for 2 years longer than it had been out. It was just for fun, and I still wished her "good luck", as was our policy]. I tore the member a new one for that.
By the end of it, I eventually decided as long as this member was still in the clan, I could not be. So I left <Ca>, until January of 2008, when I rejoined, after the two members left. I don't play a huge amount of the game anymore, or am all that active in the clan, but I'm still around.
That about wraps up the JK2 saga. However, I also was in more clans at the same time.
When I played JK2, I met a person online by the name of Exloded. He came, and often played on our <Ca> server. Eventually I added him to my Steam list, and we started playing Counter Strike: Source together. He was apart of a clan based in England, which I played with. Eventually I joined. Sadly, a week after I started playing with the clan [who's name I cannot still remember], lost the server, because they quit paying for it.
Exloded and I were quite saddened by this event. After about 2 weeks, he decided he was going to start a new clan, .:AFW:. - Affinity For War. He asked me to join in around November of 2006. We had a server the size of 12, but our clan grew, mostly do to me recruiting friends. We reached about a size of 10, and practiced, and played regularly. We also held a few informal clan matches, winning over half of them.
In late January of 2007 however, funds ran out again, and no one wanted to cough up money for a new server, so we folded once again.
In March 2007, one of my friends from eXe, and one of the founders, Ste-, got me to start playing Battlefield 2142. He was part of a clan, called ^ESC^ - Exiled Soldiers Coalition. At the time, ^ESC^ was running one of the hottest servers in Battlefield 2142. They were running a 48 person 24/7 Camp Gibraltar. It was full almost all the time. If it was empty, it could start up in less than half an hour.
Ste- got me to join. So soon, I met the rest of the clan. We varied from all over North America. Our leaders were in the Army, serving in Iraq. The clan held together well though. We had a 24/7 City Maps server, and a 12 person practice/challenge server as well. Everything worked well. It was great. We practiced regularly, and I got much better. Gun fights, knife training, weapons training, was all part of us learning. Not just that however. We were also trained as commanders, and squad leaders. We taught each other specific places that were good for us to set up spawn points, or where to hid for snipers. We learned the ins and outs of every map, mostly by exploring it ourself.
We also ran our servers fairly strictly, anyone who did not abid by the rules, was removed. By May however, the same problem, once again, occured. We ran out of money. We didn't have clan fees, and with the leaders in Iraq, we folded.
The majority of us stayed close however. Playing together occasionally on a variety of games, or at least talking on xfire/msn/whatever.
My dates are a little hazy.
I believe it was in September/October of 2007, a couple of the leaders from ^ESC^ were back from Iraq. One on leave, and one full-time. One of the leaders, theffoh, wanted to restart the clan. However, he chose to restart the clan under a different name, <uFo>, standing for U Fear Only. He also wanted to open the clan up, starting different games, Instead of playing BF2142, he wanted to play Battlefield 2. He also wanted to open up new division in Counter Strike: Source as well as Team Fortress 2.
He jumped in right away, spending $1000 on a layout/website/forums for the clan for one year, which I personally thought was ridiculous. He also set up 4 servers in Battlefield 2, as well as one in Counter Strike Source.
I was astounded at this. We have 5 servers, for a clan of only about 20. On top of that, he wanted to start offering free gear to the member who played the most, as well as sending people Battlefield 2 copies to anyone who who wanted it.
I couldn't understand this. WHY was he explaining this large amount of money? I talked to one of the leaders, but was largely ignored. So, I went to the clan forums. I posted that I thought it was ridiculous that he was spending such a large amount of money on this clan. I said it was stupid without at least asking us for donations, or charging membership fees.
Clan Response? "Knight STFU".
Leader Response? "Your out of the clan."
I was astounded. I got removed BECAUSE I told the clan leader to stop spending money. How is that even possible? Does it even make sense to anyone?
Ironically, the clan blew up in January of 2008, due to no one wanting to pay money for the servers, and the clan leader was getting a divorce. I laughed for about a week, mostly because I was told by another former member that his wife was divorcing him partially for spending so much money on the internet, and spending too much time on the computer. Hilarious that the website was up for almost 9 months, without anyone using it.
Well, that's been my clan history. It's been a long journey. It's been hurtful at times. I've invested a lot, and seen only a little. Does that mean I would never go in another clan? No. I loved every minute, and I can't wait to join another one in the future.
Should you join a clan? Yes. Clan's are there for fun. They are there to help you when playing a game. They are the admins for the servers. You should be nice to them, as they help you enjoy the game.God of War: Chains of Olympus
First off, I decided to upgrade to a new PSP (from a launch one), so I bought the God of War bundle. First off, the "blood red" system is just awesome. Kratos on the back looks pimp.
So let's look at the game.
God of War: Chains of Olympus is exactly what you come to expect for a PSP game. Great graphics, easy controls, and easy to jump in and out of. Immediately, I'm happy.
But the game boots up, and the menu screen shows an Angry looking Kratos, ready to kick some ass.
So, after the load, we discover, that, in fact, this game looks very similar to all the other God of War games. Maybe it isn't quite as detailed, but it still looks damn good.
The gameplay is very simplistic, utilizing all the buttons, ranging from light to heavy attacks/jump/block/etc. They are quick and responsive. You defeat mindless amounts of generic enemies, over and over. Typical for this type of game.
The sound is just like any other game. It's good tunes. Not much to say here.
As far as the story goes, it's not bad, nothing expansive, but it's fun for the time you play it.....which is only around 9 hours. A friend of mine however has beat the game now in 2 and 1/2 hours flat.
So the most important part: Is the game fun?
The answer is simple: Yes, it's a good time while it lasts, but it just wasn't long enough....some people probably here that too often (haha)
So my final score is 7.5/10 for that reason.
It's a good game to get with a bundle, a good game if you like the series, but paying full price for this game just doesn't seem justifiable in my mind.PSP vs. PSP2000
So, I was asked to talk about the PSP and their new models, the PSP2000 (aka Slim).
So, where to begin?
Immediately, you can notice a massive size difference. There seems really stupid to point out, but yes, there is a massive weight difference. The PSP Slim is much more lightweight, and easy to handle.
Staying on that subject though, if you owned an original PSP, you will be in for a bit of a shock when you open up the package to see your new model. There has been several changes made to help with the weight factor.
Examples of this:
The Memory Stick duo holder on the PSP slim is held to the system by a few fairly light...let's just say....rubber bands. It is also in a slightly different place.
The UMD reader is also built much differently, as the back no longer has a clip to open, and the UMD slides into the back, rather than the user having to "lock" the UMD into it's spot.
Are these big deals? No. Do they make the system feel "cheap"? In a way, yes, but it also is much nicer to play with the system feeling so much lighter.
So, what other features/examples does someone get if they decide to upgrade?
Good news people! The PSP now comes in 3 (yes, that's right) 4 colors! Red, White, Silver, or Black. Sure, this may not be important to some people (especially people who use skins over their systems), but it sure is a nice to have a choice.
The new PSP's also have some new, more advanced hardware in them. What does this mean? The system itself runs a quieter, which is nice. With this new hardware, the system itself also consumes less battery power.
I know what you are thinking: "YA! Longer Battery Life!"
Sorry to disappoint you. But that's just not true. You see, in a cost-saving measure, Sony slightly downgraded their batteries in the PSP2000, (I believe it was around ~1000 mAh. But this does not mean that you are losing power either. The battery time is almost identical in the units.
However, with the PSP Slim battery upgrade (either by buying one off the shelve, or grabbing one out of your old PSP), you can improve your PSP battery life by close to 4 hours!
Pretty awesome eh?
What else is new?
Do you have any old UMD's movies you have laying around? Want to watch them on your TV? Feel like playing your PSP games on your TV?
Now you can!
(Note: I know you could before, but let's face it, no one wanted to buy $120 cables to do it.)
Sony has released by Composite and Component Cable connectors for the PSP Slim. Although this reviewer has yet to try them, I have heard reports that they both work excellent.
_________________________________
So in the end, is the PSP2000 (aka Slim), worth the upgrade?
In the end, it's completely up to you. You must look at the bigger picture. Do you intend to play things on your TV? Do you intend to listen to music/watch movies off your PSP? Would you like it lighter in your hands?
But let me throw out some numbers, and facts for you:
I wanted to purchase God Of War, and the bundle made sense, especially with the upgrade.
But here's what's in every bundle:
God of War PSP bundle ($199.99 Canadian):
You get:
- The Red PSP
- (Movie) Superbad
- (Game) God of War: Chains of Olympus
- (Game) Syphon Filter: Combat Ops (free download)
Daxter PSP Bundle ($199.99 Canadian)
You get:
- The White PSP
- 1GB Memory Duo Stick
- (Game) Daxter
- (Movie) Family Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection
Star Wars PSP Bundle ($199.99 Canadian)
You get:
- Bitchin' close-to-silver PSP (with Darth Vader on the back)
- (Game) Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
PSP Slim Core Bundle ($169.99 Canadian)
- Black PSP Slim
____________________________
It should also be noted that EB Games gave me $50 for my old fat PSP. Post that got me my first shot of recognition. I'm thinking about doing a follow-up on it as well.
Alright, so here's my latest Blog. I still have some of the fancy things to add, but my computer has gone to crap...so please, give me some time. I will be opening this up on the Game Message Board shortly after this post also.
I find myself constantly discussing this topic with friends. A multi-platform game gets delayed. The developer "claims" they are having problems with the PS3. They push the game back (or sometimes just the PS3 version) for a later release.
I continue to ask myself...Why? Is the Sony Playstation 3 really that hard to develop for? Is the 360 better?
This has been on my mind a lot over the last month. Examples of The Orange Box, Frontline: Fuels of War (first claimed delayed, now cancelled), GTA IV, amony many, many other games have been claimed that the PS3 was causing development concerns, so releases are pushed back. I went on a...sort of scavanger hunt if you will to see if I could come up with any real answers. True be told, I didn't look hard, but that wasn't the point.
I have had multiple discussions, with multiple console owners, who have owned every system, to having just owned a Xbox 360, to Wii Owners, to just PS3 owners. These people range from 12 - 40.
Everyone seems amiss. 360 Owners like to blame the PS3. This isn't flame. This is truth. However, it's looking past that. Incase you don't know, my rank on the 1up Message Boards is " One of the Last Few OPMers. He Deserves Your Respect."
That ranks means a lot to me. But you see, being an OPM message boarder, means that I spent a lot of time with other OPMers. Many of us are in hiding these days, mostly at the 1up Retreat and 1up Paradise. Now, many who were.....well, we will say Playstation supporters, are now, 360 owners. I have have conversed with many of them from time to time on why they think the Playstation 3 is delayed.
One of my more recent talks, was with another former OPMer, TealSmith. We chatted about many things, but we discussed this topic. After a lot of banter, we both agreed on a few things.
Here's what they were:
(1) Developers are whining too much.
(2) Developers need to get off their asses.
(3) Games that are being developed should now be focused more on creating them for the PS3 (which we both agreed was the superior console in terms of power), rather then the 360.
This third point is quit important. Why? It's a huge difference for developers. Incase you missed it, the Original Xbox was a superior to the PS2. So, where do you think the majority of games were developed for? The Xbox, then ported down to the PS2. The 360, and guess what? Games were still being ported back to the PS2.
But, here's the change: After the PS3 came out, it seems that the developers thought that they could simply just do a nice and neat transfer from the 360 to the PS3.
Well guess what? That isn't the case. And you want to know why? Because the PS3 utilizes different things then its 360 counterpart.
It seems to me, that games that are being developed more for the PS3, or are better joint developed, are out much faster then games then games that being developed for the 360, then ported to the PS3. There is too much coding difference.
Now, this could be speculation, and hearsay, as I don't really have any official proof, because I am not in the game industry. But look back, doesn't this make sense?
Maybe you need a little proof. Okay, I can't give you exact quotes, websites, or articles, but I do remember reading this (as many of you probably had).
Assassin's Creed was having trouble coming out on both systems. Why? Coding on the PS3, and the limited disc Storage Space on the DVD for the 360. Both are problems when you are trying to create games that can go mulitplatform.
Which brings me to another point:
For all of you who use the claim that:
"Multiple DVD's are just as good as Blu-Rays" -- Get your head out of your ass.
How in God's name do you think that? The only way that could even be remotely true is if that multiple DVD Game unpacked onto a HDD so that information could be grabbed instantly.
Now some of you may be thinking, "Why?"
And here's my answer to that.
Every image, every texture, every....everything takes up room on a disc. Every time you have to put some repeated code on a repeated disc, it's room that is taken away from moves/graphics/sound, etc.
Now tell me. If you could have 1 disc, that could hold every single move/graphic/sound, plus, hold all your gameplay, is that not better?Mario Galaxy small review:
Well my friend and I recently beat Mario Galaxy. This is probably my 3rd Favorite Mario, behind Mario 3 and Mario 64. But here's my small review:
Game Ranking: 8.0/10
Graphics: They are great, amazing infact. Mario looks better then ever.
Sound: The music is good, but my one complaint as always: IT'S BEEN 10 F***ING YEARS SINCE THE PLAYSTATION LAUNCHED.. Dear Nintendo: I WANT VOICEOVERS. I AM TIRED OF READING LONG LINES OF TEXT. I had the same thing to say about LoZ. Why, God, WHY am I reading text?
A friend argued to me that if "Link talked, he'd sound like a complete dork. High pitched-voice..blah blah blah." My reply was simple.- "Sez who?" Why does Link have to sound like that? Link could sound super cool. Same goes for Mario, and every other character in the Nintendo Library. Does this mean I want to get rid of text? No, but just throw the voice in there damn it!.
Controls: Smooth. The nunchuck and Wiimote works really well. Very responsive...except for a couple of times.
Fun Factor: Mario is....well....Mario. No other game is quite the same as Mario. However, the fact that I do not have the ability to control the camera angles very much. This is part of the my Fun Factor for 1, major reason. I dislike the fact that I'm having to look at Mario upside down so much. It becomes quite hard to look at at certain points. Mario loses points here.
So as I previously said, 8.0/10. The game is good, damn good. It was a great time playing it. It is NOT a perfect game, for the reasons stated above, but it is by no means a bad game. If you have a Wii, it's definitely worth a pick up.Call of Duty 3
Being such, this is my first review, and in true reviewing fashion, I haven't completed the game yet (due to the fact that I'm not an addict)
So Let's begin:
Call of Duty 3 is the 3rd game (obviously by the title) In the award winning series. So far, 3 is a console exclusive only. The game was also designed by a different developer then the first 2. From experience though, they haven't missed a beat.
Graphics:
My Goodness! Damn they are beautiful. They are bar none the best graphics I have seen on a system yet. The shading effects will blow your mind. The characters are the best, more realistic looking ones that I've seen in a World War II game. As I continue to progress, the game looks better and better.
4.5/5
Sound:
The sound in the game is quite simply great. First off, the voice acting is shattering. With attention to detail, you can quickly learn which one of your comrades is talking, which becomes very helpful. The game music is intriguing, fitting well with the genre. It also features very realistic gunfire, which I'm guessing the studio probably is using what the guns actually sound like going off.
4.5/5
Controls:
Innovative. The typical standards are their, but the designers where quick to utilize the new Synaxis controllers on the PS3. The melee attack has been redesigned and incorporated, so instead, you flick your wrists to the left, or two the right to due the attack. Also, if a guy manages to attack you with his melee and wrestles you to the ground, you fight back using left and right wrist flicks to push him back. My personal favorite, however, is the new vehicles ideas. You can, if you chose to, drive with the analog stick, but the designers put in the option to make the controller literally be the steering wheel. It can be frustrating at parts however, due to the fact that it isn't always responsive, but overall, very enjoyable. The other new movement I has discovered is for paddling a boat across the river. Very fun and enjoyable. I'm excited to see what else will come.
4/5
Fun Factor:
Overall, this game has been very good. It does have some minor tweaking issues which need to be addressed, being the A.I. on your team. Sometimes they don't clear out rooms, skip rooms, or walk right past guys that are shooting them, leaving you to clean up their misses. The game however is still great. If you haven't picked it up, do so.
4/5-- That's all.
Everything is going nuts at 1up, and I don't really want to lose my old reviews, so, for the time being, I'm going to create a backup here.
Yakuza
The year is 2005.
Sega is still reeling from a series of bad game releases. There is not many fans die-hard fans of Sega anymore. Sonic has never been the same since going 3-D. Shenmue, costs large amounts of money, and never lived up to the success it was thought it should have.
Slowly, we begin to hear of this game coming to America from Japan, known as Ryu ga Gotuku. The game changed it's name, to Yakuza for an American release. Suddenly, a list of well known actors, had signed on for the English Translation of the game.
A short list of them?:
Mark Hamill (also known as Luke Skywalker to many)
Michael Rosenbaum (famous for his role as Lex Luthor in Smallville)
Eliza Dushku (of Buffy fame)
Rachel Leigh Cook (probably best known for She's All That)
Alan Dale (better known as the Grandfather in the OC.)
Michael Madsen (famous from the movie adaptation of Sin City)
Dwight Schultz (famous from the A-Team and to Trekkies)
the list goes on.
When a game gets this good of voice talent, people should stand up and take notice. It came out in 2006, to great reviews.
However, most people, myself included, really did not.
It wasn't really until late 2007 that my interest was sparked in the series. I began to search out a copy, and soon, found myself buying a used one from my local EB Games for $15 Canadian.
I was blown away.
Yakuza puts you in the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu, an enforcer for a famous Yakuza (aka Mafia) clan in Japan.
Kazuma is known as the "Dragon" of the Dojima Family. Kazuma eventually finds himself taking the wrap for the murder of the family leader, Mr. Dojima himself, after his buddy Nishiki kills Dojima in order to prevent him from raping one of their mutual friends.
He spends 10 years in jail, and is kicked out of the Tojo clan (which the Dojima family was apart of). After his release, Kazuma is pulled back into the Yakuza underground, after his former bosses boss, was murdered, and Ten Billion yen goes missing.
There's a huge amount more, but I don't really want to go into it, as it really spoils the game.
So, Gameplay wise, Yakuza plays as an Action/Adventure, mixed with some RPG elements. It also uses some fighting elements, that are very reminiscent of both River City Ransom, Final Fight and Double Dragon.
This world is truly a great sandbox game. Having people in the street react as you run by or run into them, is very intriguing. The map is quite helpful figuring your way around the city, but soon enough, you'll know your own way around.
There is also plenty of mini-games and side mission to keep you busy for quite some time.
The music is perfect. It really makes you feel as though you are submersed in Japanese Culture. Everything works. The fantastic English Voice Overs are well timed, and work well with every character. I mean, who doesn't love Mark Hamill voice over-ing a Crazy Person? I know I do!
The controls handle well. They are very responsive. There is some times that the camera gets frustrating, especially in battles. The camera occasionally get on buildings, but usually fixes itself before you have too much damage done to you.
Battling itself does do quite a bit of difference too. You can pick up objects, and they do help attacks, however, your time to land them is significantly decreased. However, size does matter. The smaller the weapon, of, the easier it is to swing, such as a bat, the faster the attack is.
Overall, this is one game you should definitely not miss.
Final Score: 87%.
If you own a PS2, or PS3, you should pick this up. Loved Shenmue? This is its spiritual sequel, as getting a sequel for that series seems less and likely as time goes buy.
With Yakuza 2 already out (and my review of it coming out soon), and Yakuza: Kensen (a spin-off, already out in Japan), and Yakuza 3 on its way, GO. PLAY. NOW.
<Note: All Screens belong to whoever originally published them>Dark Sector
Dark Sector. A game that came out in March 2008. Possibly one of the most overlooked games of the year. So, why was it so overlooked? People labeled it a Gears of War ripoff. But really, if this is true, why is it that a bad thing? Gears of War is a fantastic game, therefore, should Dark Sector not be a great game also? In short, yes. But does it?
Well, the story tells us a lot about the game. We get quickly introduced to the main character, Hayden Tenno. He is a CIA agent, infiltrating a former Eastern-Bloc country (and for those of you who do not know what that is, it's a country that sided with the USSR during the Cold War), after a CIA contact sends them a disturbing message. Hayden inflitrates the compound, despite wanting to back out. He finds out that a new terrorist-type leader is planning on using a virus to wipe out the country, in an attempt to take over the world.
Soon, Hayden confronts the terrorist, named Meznar, but gets his ass kicked by the "Nemesis", and soon finds himself getting infected by Meznar, who has come partially into the control of an infectious disease.
The disease becomes more rampant, and it's up to Hayden to stop it. He meets a sleeper agent, named Yargo who helps him out along the way. He also runs into Nadia, another assumed agent, working for Meznar.
The plot runs fairly deep enough, but I can't help but feel as though I have played this story before. It really feels as though this game is suppose to be a Resident Evil clone. Part of it might be because of the controls, but it's the story more than anything. Evil guy + Infection + Good guy trying to save the day = RE Clone. That doesn't mean it's a bad story however.
The biggest different is the weapons. After getting infected, Hayden begins to control a Glaive (basically, a boomerrang, with blades). Beheading enemies, or taking off their arms has never been so fun. With the Glaive, he also dual-wields a pistol. You also can purchase another secondary weapon, weather that be an assault rifle, Shotgun, etc, change your pistol, and upgrade them all. They are all very conveniently placed throughout the game.
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As you progress, and the infection in Hayden spreads, Hayden also begins to learn....well..........essentially Force Powers. From Force Shielding, among other things. One of the coolest powers however, is the ability to slow down time with the Glaive. In the PS3 version of the game, it is controlled with SIXAXIS, which allows you to move the Glaive up and down, and side to side, allowing you to unlock doors, hit switches, or whatever. More importantly, you can also power-up your Glaive, by lighting it on fire, putting electricity through it, etc. Super-fun.
The controls also respond well, with one minor exception, at some times, it is fairly tough to control Glaive through the SIXAXIS. Sometimes it is fairly finky, making stuff tough to hit.
The rest of the gameplay holds up very well, in a very large, Gears of War style. There is lots of dark, and grey areas, but the lighting is done to perfection. It also makes a bit of a difference since the game is built on the Unreal Engine, although D3, the developers of the game, claimed they completly rebuilt it.
The music in this game, as well as many others this generation, is perfect for the game. The voice acting, led by Michael Rosenbaum (also known as Lex Luthor from Smallville), who voices Hayden. A more perfect guy could have not been picked.
The enemy AI is also smart enough. They duck for cover. They try to swarm you. It's alway fun, and challenging to play.
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The game also includes a Multi-player mode, featuring up to 16 players. There however is only 2 gameplay types, Infection, and Epidemic. One game is a person who is turned into Hayden, versus up to 15 soldiers. Hayden has his superior travels, which is challenging. The 2nd game, makes up 2 teams, this time evenly matched, as each team has a player being Hayden. The point is to defeat the other team's Hayden.
Overall Score:
Originally: 76%
Now, because you can buy it at $20 for both the 360 and PS3: 85%.
You SHOULD buy this game. It is fun, and well worth the $20.
All pictures belong to original publishers.Final Fight
Possibly the BEST box-art on the SNES (haha), and cartridge:
Final Fight. One of the greatest Beat-'Em-Ups of All time. There isn't many people who haven't played this game. Originally released in 1989 in the Arcade, it has since been ported to, just about on everything, so I'm sure you've probably come across it at sometime. Since it's release, it has been on:
Arcade
Amiga
Amstrad CPC
Atari ST
Commodore 64
PlayStation 2
Sega CD
ZX Spectrum
Super NES
Sharp X68000
Xbox
Game Boy Advance
PlayStation Portable
Virtual Console
(List from wikipedia)
Most recently, and the way many new gamers may have played the game was on the Ps2/Xbox version, as it was released on the Capcom Classic Collection Volume 1.
I own both the original SNES version, as well as the PS2 one.
What's the difference? Well, you might actually have a chance at beating the PS2 version. Seriously.
Gameplay wise, the game still holds up. It is your typical side-scrolling game. You move across the screen, beating up everyone until they are dead, then move onto the next area, continue, until you beat the Boss, then, start the new area.
It does nothing very original now, but it still holds up. Controls are responsive, and work. Picking up food, or weapons has a drastic effect on gameplay. If you hope to survive this game, you NEVER pick up a weapon. At that, you can beat the game in about an hour if you are playing the PS2 version.
If not, be prepared to want to kill yourself. It will take your hours, if not days to remember the patterns that you need to know to survive this game. You only get 2 lives, so you better get good.
Graphically, it's exactly what you would expect for it's time. It's bright. It's shiny. Because of the styling of the game, it still holds up well.
The sound really makes this game. No, not the music, although it's great. It's when you hear a certain character scream, as seen here:
It will make you laugh every time.
The story is straight out of 1989. The newly elected Mayor of a town goes on a rampage after finding out his daughter has been kidnapped. He recruits her boyfriend, and his buddy to help him.
Did i mention the Dad is a former pro-wrestler, and the boyfriend, and his buddy are martial arts masters? Lucky huh?
They go on to beat up everyone.....and I mean EVERYONE in the city, as it appears everyone is against them.
So, in the end, is this game one to pick up? Yes. Yes, if you love the franchise. Yes if you love hilarity. Yes, if you love a challenge.
I mean, has there ever been a better continue screen then this?
I mean, the last guy tied up, trying to blow out a pound of Dynamite? CLASSIC!
Final Score: 72/100 It's fun. It's frustrating. And you'll love it for it. Pick it up, although I highly recommend the CCCv1, as you get unlimited Continues.
Ps: All pictures belong to their respected owners. NOT me.Resistance 2
Resistance 2. One of the most anticipated Playstation 3 exclusive titles of 2008. And boy, it let's you down in some places, but makes you love it next! Is this the best game out on the PS3? No, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't pick it up.
The game starts exactly where the 2006 PS3 launch gamed ended. You, playing Sgt. Nathan Hale are picked up by a mysterious group of fighters, and loaded into a plane at gun point. You find yourself brought in a by a group of elite fighters from the US, known as the Sentinels, who have decided to recruit Sgt. Hale into their ranks.
So, what's changed since Resistance? The controls were tightened, and made much better. You can only hold 2 weapons now, and at that, the weapons have been improved. Guns that have returned, such as the Bullseye and Carbine Rifle, have been given smaller clips, but their ammo do much more damage. The addition of a few new guns, such as the Magnum are welcome additions.
The story has also changed, as Sgt. then later Lt. Hale semi-narrate the game. I say semi-narrate because the cut-scenes are nothing like the first game. All information is told in real time, or, shown to us in the Intel Documents. I don't want to touch on the story too much, as it gives away a lot of the game. However, it is quite good, and very enjoyable.
More importantly, Resistance 2 has two individual campaigns. The 2nd, is a co-operative campaign. You can play this with up to 4 players offline, or 8 players online. However, I do not suggest playing with any less than 3 players. The game is incredibly tough. It goes into some of the single players campaigns missions that are heard about, but not scene. Players can choose 1 of 3 classes, each class, does something different, and are all very important to have in the game.
The games are incredibly tough, as monster the sheer amount of monsters in this mode is incredible, as well as adding more toughness to all of them. It is incredibly fun to play, and possibly the best part of the game.
The other multiplayer portion, is competitive, carrying over from the original game. DM, TDM, CTF, etc, are all in the game. More importantly, and even somewhat revolutionary has 60 player fighting online. I hope we see more 60-player games online on the consoles.
The graphics are outstanding for the most part in SP campaign. There are a few lighting issues in some parts, but everything has a great gloss on it. It cannot be said for the co-op however. I'm guessing due to the large amount of Chimera appearing on screen, it takes away some from the game, so it doesn't look quite as good as the rest of the game. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad, just not as good as they should have been.
The sounds remains the same, regardless of what you are playing, and it's ALL good. From the classic 1950's music, to the announcer on the radio, or Hale, it's all very enjoyable.
The roughest part of the game, comes down to the A.I. Your teammates are fairly smart. They move with you, covering you if you run, following you, and helping you to a point. The enemy A.I. is great too. If you're shooting at them, they will throw up a shield. They duct for cover. The problem however, is very annoying. Every single bullet is coming at you. Every enemy chases you. They don't chase your squad. It's stupid that way.
So, in the end, is the game enjoyable? The answer, is a simple, yet unequivocal Yes. Is it the best game I've ever played? No. Does it do anything innovative? No.
What does it do? It does everything right. It does exactly the same as Resistance 1 did. It doesn't innovate the genre in any way, but it doesn't do anything wrong either. It perfects what it does.
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Final Score: 86%
If you liked the first, you'll enjoy this one too. If you like the genre, you'll enjoy this one. Online is a blast.
(Note: All pictures belong to their perspective owners)Project: Snowblind
[Originally written on the 1up Retreat forums, posted on February 22/06, by me, images reserved to their rightful owners]
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To begin to describe this game...well, it's pretty damn good. The graphics are very, very good, and have a great framerate. The controls are steady, and the storyline, pretty damn good.
(Knight's note: Despite the graphics now looking dated, especially the player models, the effects still look good)
Let's begin with a little story. The story is set in the future, and basically, it's kinda a rip-off of World War II. A military guy is trying to take over the world and create a new, "pure" race (sounds like Hilter doesn't it? happy.gif ) Anyways, you and your troop are sent there to infiltrate and win the war. Unfortunately for you, you almost die.
(Knight's Note: It's still a kinda cool story, it takes place in China, in 2065.)
And by ALMOST, you basically get transformed into a Cyborg. This adds a new, interesting element to the gameplay. It basically acts just kinda like...well for lack of anything else, Force Powers, you can only use them for so long, but they don't regenerate. You find things, like health that regenerate it for you. The abilities range from making you invisible, to blocking fire, etc, etc.
(Knight's Note: Cyborg, haha. Well, ya, that's pretty much it. Your body pulsates with power. It's cool. Being block bullets at any time comes in quite handy during firefights)
The weapons and firing are very well done. The maps are good, and very detailed, but really, you are basically only playing about 10 maps (if that). Everything revolves around one certain area, but the cool thing is, every time the areas are shown differently (ie: walls might be missing from explosions).
(Knight's Note: Ouch, that was explained poorly. What I mean is, the gameplay stages vary, it varies in a way different from many games. You don't constantly go to new areas. Consider it like this (Which part of the game is). You ran through a buidling, killing every enemy in site. You come back 3 hours later, to see that this building, is once again infested with the enemy except, guess what? That wall you blew up to surprise the enemy is still gone, and they have also set up new traps for you, demolished doors you left, and blew up walls to kill you easier)
My biggest thing with this game is sometimes it gets a fairly hard. The only other problem I ran into was one MAJOR glitch. When I finally got to face off against the "boss", I managed to kill him during/just before one of the cutscenes (which obviously wasn't suppose to happen, especially so soon), and the game almost froze. But really, it wasn't froze, it was kinda just suspended it mid air. I could still move around, fire my weapons, but the boss was no where to be found, and I couldn't get out of the room....Not the best glitch.
(Knight's Note: I remember this now, it was seriously the weirdest glitch I have ever encountered. Some may also find the levels aren't as good because you repeat, but I find it unique. There wasn't, and still isn't many games like this)
This game didn't do anything up and out of the ordinary, but it's solid. It was overshadowed due to the fact it came out basically at the same time as TimeSplitters 3. If your looking for a well done shooter, I suggest picking this one up.
(Knight's Final Note: This game came out on PC/PS2/and Xbox. If you stumble across it, it'll run you about $10, but if you are looking for a good, 8-10 time waster, this is one you will enjoy. I guess I should also run off a quick list of the weapons.
It doesn't have anything out of the ordinary, you have your handgun, rifle, shotgun, missile launcher, grenades, etc but it does have 2 guns that are unique:
(1) The Icepick: This allows you to break into enemy electronics, such as cameras, or gun turrets, then use them against the enemy. It can also turn around enemy unarmed walking tanks, that you will subsequently control, and be able to destroy them with.
(2) The Kicker: It pretty much a rip-off of Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun, and so, for that reason alone, it's awesome. GTAIV
Grand Theft Auto IV - The game was called the "greatest game of all time" by some reviewers. That's mighty high expectations to live up to.
A good game it is, The greatest, it is not.
Grand Theft Auto has always been a series of innovation, and now, after number 4, it's beginning to feel a little tiring.
The storyline is similar to any other previous LC game. A guy comes. He needs money. So he works. He is seeking vengeance on someone.
Sure, that was great back in 2001, but, why the hell, 7 years later, has Rockstar not came up with anything new?
What changed from GTAIII to IV?
GTAIII - Guy gets out of prison after being betrayed
GTAIV - Guy gets off boat, looking for someone who betrayed him.
GTAIII - Guy does missions
GTAIV - Guy does missions
GTAIV - Story is slightly revealed
III + IV - Guy does more missions.
IV - Slightly more story is revealed, again.
etc....
So what is new in the game?
...You can watch TV. You can go out on dates, or just hang with friends.
Fun?
To a point, but it feels like it just drags the game out more. No doubt that having your friends, and there special abilities is pretty cool. But, it seems like such a waste of time.
So lets discuss more:
Graphics: - Now, GTAIV has some decent graphics, but they aren't the best. What it does well, is make things look nicer, and the PS3 version is easily superior in my opinion to the 360. There are still lots of problems with the games though, which have been around since 2001......and still haven't been fixed. You will still roll/jump/get out of the car/etc and find Niko going into walls/cars/building/objects/other people/etc. Why is this still happening?
Sound: - The game sounds good. They got a lot of actual music, that many people will know, and more importantly, Lazlow's Back!
However, Sound is another problem with the game. Why? I can't help but feel that the 360 really gimped what could have been an awesome soundtrack.
Now before you jump on my back, here's why: Sure, the radio stations are great, but they only carry 1 game day's worth of content. And really, that sucks. Who wants to hear Lazlow blab about the same damn thing day after day at the exact same time everyday? I don't.
Take doing missions. If you ever replay missions (because you died, got busted, etc) there is often some change in dialogue. It usually switches back and forth between 2 different conversations. I like that. However, I wish there was more, or that Niko could participate in some of them.
Now, had the game been for the PS3, I do really think that they could have done more days worth of content, and added more dialogue, just for the simple fact of, more room on the disc.
Controls:- No surprise. I really, did not appreciate these new controls. There are some good things, but I hated the first layout. I stuck to the "classic" control mode at all times. My biggest complaint was that it was very had to freelance aim your gun, because, it seemed like every time i tried, I had about 5 seconds to aim, then suddenly my gun was firing, rather then letting me scope everything out.
AI + City: - Now regardless of what you may think, the AI in Liberty City is incredibly stupid. How is it, if my car is all banged up, Blood is smeared everywhere on my car, that a Cop doesn't go "hey, look at that guy", and suddenly try and pull me over. Now I'm not saying I want the most realistic game ever, but it seems rather stupid to go by like 20 Cop Cars (and 1 or 2 police stations), and not once would I be flagged down to be pulled over.
I can also, never, EVER, understand, how a tree can stop my car instantly, yet a well made lamp post can't.
Nor can I understand the amazing amount of crappy, vehicles appearing out of no where in the game. I once had a bus suddenly appear right in front of me driving, and, one time, when I was being chased, I looked back, only to look forward again and ram into a cop car that wasn't there 5 seconds ago, to increase my wanted level. Ridiculous.
Fun Factor: - As talked about previously, GTAIV does not strand far from any other previous GTA title. It is much the same.
One of the CRAZIEST parts I'll never understand in this game, is how we can make choices in the game, yet, they have so little effect in the overall picture. Sure, they have some, but really, for the most part, it simply changes a couple of lines of dialog, instead of having characters break out in gun fights, and making things much more difficult, and changing (aka missing certain plot points) in the game.
So I give this game the score of: 84%. it's a good game. A fun game, but there are too many things wrong, too many things not perfected, too many things not new for this game to get a higher score.Where I've been
So, here we are, a few days away from Christmas. School's done, and I really haven't been gaming enough to write a decent review. Instead, I've been at home, busy with lots of work, although I had a chance to reinstall Battlefield 2142, and play it for the first time in probably close to a year [and get my ass kicked], I began thinking about my turns with clans in Video Games.
To most people, the amount of clans I have been in, quite small to how many they have been. My own personal amount of clans, is 7.
But each clan I have been in was quite fun, or at least, while it lasted it was. I thought this post should explain some things, my actions, so that you people will know a little more about me.
So, the 7 clans I have been in, are:
* -=JO=- - The Jedi Order - [Game:] Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
* eXe - [didn't really stand for anything] - [Game:] Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
* <Ca> - Clan Apathy - [Game:] Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
* I have to leave this one blank, because I don't remember the name. [Game:] Counter Strike Source.
* .:AFW:. - Affinity For War - [Game:] Counter Strike Source
* ^ESC^ - Exiled Soldiers Coalition - [Game:] Battlefield 2142
* <uFo> - u Fear only - [Game:] Battlefield 2
Each clan has had signifigant impact on where I am today.
So, let's start with a little history.
After coming back to Jedi Knight II online after my area finally got DSL in late 2004, I was way out of touch. Eventually, someone came on, recognized I was new, and helped me understand the controls, and better basics of the game. In May of 2005, I was able to join a the clan of -=JO=-. I got my new tags, new colors. About 3 weeks after I joined however, the clan folded, as we ran out of money, and could no longer pay for a server.
For a few months, I bounced around and around, going to different servers. In September, I eventually found my way to eXe. The server was always fairly busy. They were announcing that the clan was recruiting, when I met a fellow Canadian, and member, Teh_Nemesis, who recruited me into the eXe ranks.
I was fairly well liked, active, and moved up the the first few ranks quickly. Soon, I began recruiting some new people, and at almost any given time, there was 5 members on. By November of 2005, the money once again ran-dry. Our server was gone, as was most of the members.
Except me.
I kept playing. Wearing the tags, and kept in constant contact with our leaders. I began playing on another clans server, known as -[KoTp]- (Keepers of The Peace), where I soon made friends with one of their clan members, Chop_Sticks. Soon, I regularly played with him, keeping the clan alive. Members started to come back, and, in January of 2006, we launched a server hosted by a member on a spare computer. It only held 16 people, and was occasionally unstable, but it worked. And the clan expanded.
The clan, moved to a new site, new forum, and new web page. I was unofficially put in charge of recruiting, and clan relations. As many members will atest to, I helped refound this broken clan. The membership, which was struggling around 15 active people, jumped to 40. All of them, good members. 2 new alliances, one with -[KoTp]- and <Ca> were established. However, it was during this time, a fracture began in the clan. Many of the original members were gone, some less active. One of our leaders, got involved with a "Guild" in the game. Originally this wasn't a problem...Until later. Members who I had recruited, good people, such as Teemu, Vanilla, Deathy all were chosen over me to council us, as that was how the clan worked. I wasn't bitter. I was a step below council, and most of these people confided in me, discussing what was going on during the meeting, or in the forums.
I was still actively taking part in recruiting, and admining the server, as I was one of the few on in my timezone. During the spring months of 2006, a membership swelled to 80+ members. We spand all over the world. However, structure problems began.
The council changed policies, allowing them to have the power to choose who to recruit into the clan. The council also began promoting people, which, to an untrained eye seemed random. New recruits were being brought up faster than members who had been there for months. However, these new recruits, were fellow friends, and members of people on the council. They were now hoisting admin on the server when they should have not been.
The man hosting the server passed out admin not just to members, but to his friends as well. New members were getting upset, but no one on council had enough balls to admit that there was problems, or go against our founders wishes.
In May of 2006, my first problem with another member occurred. While admining the server, one new member was cursing, laming, and doing everything that broke the rules in the server. I first tried to control him, but he refused to listen. I removed him from the server 3 times, but he refused to listen again. I went online, found one of the guys who I had recruited who was on council, and had them Ban him from the server.
I went on to Post in the members only forum about the lack of respect in the clan. No one was respecting the elder members of the clan. It was the way how we worked. However, my post after only about 3 members had seen it, was removed from our Members forum and put in the council forum. Later, I shown the logs from the post. The people who I had recruited had defended the actions I had taken, while the founder ripped them for agreeing with me, and eventually unbanned the person.
I was taken aback. This clan, which I helped keep alive, was going down a very bad path. And I wanted to stop it. However, I pled my case with one of the council, and they thought I was stupid. "Admin to friends was fine", I was told. What set me off last however, was the day I found out our leader was showing his buddies, who were not in the clan, our "Members Only" Forum. This is detailed information, where we discussed important clan topics. Privid information. I lambasted the leader for allowing this, where he basically told me to "F**k off" as he thought it was fine.
In June of 2006, I left eXe. The clan had taken a road I could not follow. It was going to implode. It was only a matter of time. Other people in the JK2 community saw it, and that's why they didn't join. The leader told me I was "next" to be on council, if that was why I was leaving. He thought I was power hungry. It just proved how little he did know me. I later learned that there was several votes on myself becoming a council member, with the decision split right down the leader. Half thought I was too rash, too angry to be one, while the others thought i would bring exactly what was missing. Ironically, my biggest ally in the clan, was one of the founders, a man who went by the name Ste- or disrupti0n, the seldom heard, and rarely played member (usually, only with me, despite the fact he was in England). He and I discusses everything with the clan, including expansions into the sequel game.
By November of that year, eXe was dead. There was several attempts to revive it, but it was never right. Ex-Members agree, when I left, eXe might as well have closed shop. Some members followed me, others simply quit playing.
However, my time in JK2 does not end there. After being asked to join a various amount of other clans in the game, I eventually decided to join our old ally, <Ca>, or Clan Apathy. Clan Apathy was one of the original JK2 clans. They had been around since shortly after the game went online. The clan was/and is still more or less ran by a man name HaunTed, although the clan structure is set up to spread jobs around.
When I joined in September of '06, I quickly found a place at home. Soon, I became actively involved on the forums, and then found myself working on the recruiting team. I worked dillegently with the other members, bringing new members into the fold.
Everything was fine, until......May of 2007. In our scouting department, I saw something posted that made me very upset, as it reminded me a lot of what happened in eXe. A member came on the forums, lambasting us for recruiting someone while he was away for a week, because he thought they were "weak" and "not worthy" of being in the clan. This particular member, had been giving me some grief before, and I just went off on that post. I told him to get "STFU" and "GFO" if he was going to be like that.
He began a massive war of words, with him accusing me of not being nice to his "Girlfriend" when she tried to join. [Point of Fact: We had an emote with a smily face guy holding the sign of "lier". I used this icon on her post, when she had posted that she had played the game for 2 years longer than it had been out. It was just for fun, and I still wished her "good luck", as was our policy]. I tore the member a new one for that.
By the end of it, I eventually decided as long as this member was still in the clan, I could not be. So I left <Ca>, until January of 2008, when I rejoined, after the two members left. I don't play a huge amount of the game anymore, or am all that active in the clan, but I'm still around.
That about wraps up the JK2 saga. However, I also was in more clans at the same time.
When I played JK2, I met a person online by the name of Exloded. He came, and often played on our <Ca> server. Eventually I added him to my Steam list, and we started playing Counter Strike: Source together. He was apart of a clan based in England, which I played with. Eventually I joined. Sadly, a week after I started playing with the clan [who's name I cannot still remember], lost the server, because they quit paying for it.
Exloded and I were quite saddened by this event. After about 2 weeks, he decided he was going to start a new clan, .:AFW:. - Affinity For War. He asked me to join in around November of 2006. We had a server the size of 12, but our clan grew, mostly do to me recruiting friends. We reached about a size of 10, and practiced, and played regularly. We also held a few informal clan matches, winning over half of them.
In late January of 2007 however, funds ran out again, and no one wanted to cough up money for a new server, so we folded once again.
In March 2007, one of my friends from eXe, and one of the founders, Ste-, got me to start playing Battlefield 2142. He was part of a clan, called ^ESC^ - Exiled Soldiers Coalition. At the time, ^ESC^ was running one of the hottest servers in Battlefield 2142. They were running a 48 person 24/7 Camp Gibraltar. It was full almost all the time. If it was empty, it could start up in less than half an hour.
Ste- got me to join. So soon, I met the rest of the clan. We varied from all over North America. Our leaders were in the Army, serving in Iraq. The clan held together well though. We had a 24/7 City Maps server, and a 12 person practice/challenge server as well. Everything worked well. It was great. We practiced regularly, and I got much better. Gun fights, knife training, weapons training, was all part of us learning. Not just that however. We were also trained as commanders, and squad leaders. We taught each other specific places that were good for us to set up spawn points, or where to hid for snipers. We learned the ins and outs of every map, mostly by exploring it ourself.
We also ran our servers fairly strictly, anyone who did not abid by the rules, was removed. By May however, the same problem, once again, occured. We ran out of money. We didn't have clan fees, and with the leaders in Iraq, we folded.
The majority of us stayed close however. Playing together occasionally on a variety of games, or at least talking on xfire/msn/whatever.
My dates are a little hazy.
I believe it was in September/October of 2007, a couple of the leaders from ^ESC^ were back from Iraq. One on leave, and one full-time. One of the leaders, theffoh, wanted to restart the clan. However, he chose to restart the clan under a different name, <uFo>, standing for U Fear Only. He also wanted to open the clan up, starting different games, Instead of playing BF2142, he wanted to play Battlefield 2. He also wanted to open up new division in Counter Strike: Source as well as Team Fortress 2.
He jumped in right away, spending $1000 on a layout/website/forums for the clan for one year, which I personally thought was ridiculous. He also set up 4 servers in Battlefield 2, as well as one in Counter Strike Source.
I was astounded at this. We have 5 servers, for a clan of only about 20. On top of that, he wanted to start offering free gear to the member who played the most, as well as sending people Battlefield 2 copies to anyone who who wanted it.
I couldn't understand this. WHY was he explaining this large amount of money? I talked to one of the leaders, but was largely ignored. So, I went to the clan forums. I posted that I thought it was ridiculous that he was spending such a large amount of money on this clan. I said it was stupid without at least asking us for donations, or charging membership fees.
Clan Response? "Knight STFU".
Leader Response? "Your out of the clan."
I was astounded. I got removed BECAUSE I told the clan leader to stop spending money. How is that even possible? Does it even make sense to anyone?
Ironically, the clan blew up in January of 2008, due to no one wanting to pay money for the servers, and the clan leader was getting a divorce. I laughed for about a week, mostly because I was told by another former member that his wife was divorcing him partially for spending so much money on the internet, and spending too much time on the computer. Hilarious that the website was up for almost 9 months, without anyone using it.
Well, that's been my clan history. It's been a long journey. It's been hurtful at times. I've invested a lot, and seen only a little. Does that mean I would never go in another clan? No. I loved every minute, and I can't wait to join another one in the future.
Should you join a clan? Yes. Clan's are there for fun. They are there to help you when playing a game. They are the admins for the servers. You should be nice to them, as they help you enjoy the game.God of War: Chains of Olympus
First off, I decided to upgrade to a new PSP (from a launch one), so I bought the God of War bundle. First off, the "blood red" system is just awesome. Kratos on the back looks pimp.
So let's look at the game.
God of War: Chains of Olympus is exactly what you come to expect for a PSP game. Great graphics, easy controls, and easy to jump in and out of. Immediately, I'm happy.
But the game boots up, and the menu screen shows an Angry looking Kratos, ready to kick some ass.
So, after the load, we discover, that, in fact, this game looks very similar to all the other God of War games. Maybe it isn't quite as detailed, but it still looks damn good.
The gameplay is very simplistic, utilizing all the buttons, ranging from light to heavy attacks/jump/block/etc. They are quick and responsive. You defeat mindless amounts of generic enemies, over and over. Typical for this type of game.
The sound is just like any other game. It's good tunes. Not much to say here.
As far as the story goes, it's not bad, nothing expansive, but it's fun for the time you play it.....which is only around 9 hours. A friend of mine however has beat the game now in 2 and 1/2 hours flat.
So the most important part: Is the game fun?
The answer is simple: Yes, it's a good time while it lasts, but it just wasn't long enough....some people probably here that too often (haha)
So my final score is 7.5/10 for that reason.
It's a good game to get with a bundle, a good game if you like the series, but paying full price for this game just doesn't seem justifiable in my mind.PSP vs. PSP2000
So, I was asked to talk about the PSP and their new models, the PSP2000 (aka Slim).
So, where to begin?
Immediately, you can notice a massive size difference. There seems really stupid to point out, but yes, there is a massive weight difference. The PSP Slim is much more lightweight, and easy to handle.
Staying on that subject though, if you owned an original PSP, you will be in for a bit of a shock when you open up the package to see your new model. There has been several changes made to help with the weight factor.
Examples of this:
The Memory Stick duo holder on the PSP slim is held to the system by a few fairly light...let's just say....rubber bands. It is also in a slightly different place.
The UMD reader is also built much differently, as the back no longer has a clip to open, and the UMD slides into the back, rather than the user having to "lock" the UMD into it's spot.
Are these big deals? No. Do they make the system feel "cheap"? In a way, yes, but it also is much nicer to play with the system feeling so much lighter.
So, what other features/examples does someone get if they decide to upgrade?
Good news people! The PSP now comes in 3 (yes, that's right) 4 colors! Red, White, Silver, or Black. Sure, this may not be important to some people (especially people who use skins over their systems), but it sure is a nice to have a choice.
The new PSP's also have some new, more advanced hardware in them. What does this mean? The system itself runs a quieter, which is nice. With this new hardware, the system itself also consumes less battery power.
I know what you are thinking: "YA! Longer Battery Life!"
Sorry to disappoint you. But that's just not true. You see, in a cost-saving measure, Sony slightly downgraded their batteries in the PSP2000, (I believe it was around ~1000 mAh. But this does not mean that you are losing power either. The battery time is almost identical in the units.
However, with the PSP Slim battery upgrade (either by buying one off the shelve, or grabbing one out of your old PSP), you can improve your PSP battery life by close to 4 hours!
Pretty awesome eh?
What else is new?
Do you have any old UMD's movies you have laying around? Want to watch them on your TV? Feel like playing your PSP games on your TV?
Now you can!
(Note: I know you could before, but let's face it, no one wanted to buy $120 cables to do it.)
Sony has released by Composite and Component Cable connectors for the PSP Slim. Although this reviewer has yet to try them, I have heard reports that they both work excellent.
_________________________________
So in the end, is the PSP2000 (aka Slim), worth the upgrade?
In the end, it's completely up to you. You must look at the bigger picture. Do you intend to play things on your TV? Do you intend to listen to music/watch movies off your PSP? Would you like it lighter in your hands?
But let me throw out some numbers, and facts for you:
I wanted to purchase God Of War, and the bundle made sense, especially with the upgrade.
But here's what's in every bundle:
God of War PSP bundle ($199.99 Canadian):
You get:
- The Red PSP
- (Movie) Superbad
- (Game) God of War: Chains of Olympus
- (Game) Syphon Filter: Combat Ops (free download)
Daxter PSP Bundle ($199.99 Canadian)
You get:
- The White PSP
- 1GB Memory Duo Stick
- (Game) Daxter
- (Movie) Family Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection
Star Wars PSP Bundle ($199.99 Canadian)
You get:
- Bitchin' close-to-silver PSP (with Darth Vader on the back)
- (Game) Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
PSP Slim Core Bundle ($169.99 Canadian)
- Black PSP Slim
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It should also be noted that EB Games gave me $50 for my old fat PSP. Post that got me my first shot of recognition. I'm thinking about doing a follow-up on it as well.
Alright, so here's my latest Blog. I still have some of the fancy things to add, but my computer has gone to crap...so please, give me some time. I will be opening this up on the Game Message Board shortly after this post also.
I find myself constantly discussing this topic with friends. A multi-platform game gets delayed. The developer "claims" they are having problems with the PS3. They push the game back (or sometimes just the PS3 version) for a later release.
I continue to ask myself...Why? Is the Sony Playstation 3 really that hard to develop for? Is the 360 better?
This has been on my mind a lot over the last month. Examples of The Orange Box, Frontline: Fuels of War (first claimed delayed, now cancelled), GTA IV, amony many, many other games have been claimed that the PS3 was causing development concerns, so releases are pushed back. I went on a...sort of scavanger hunt if you will to see if I could come up with any real answers. True be told, I didn't look hard, but that wasn't the point.
I have had multiple discussions, with multiple console owners, who have owned every system, to having just owned a Xbox 360, to Wii Owners, to just PS3 owners. These people range from 12 - 40.
Everyone seems amiss. 360 Owners like to blame the PS3. This isn't flame. This is truth. However, it's looking past that. Incase you don't know, my rank on the 1up Message Boards is " One of the Last Few OPMers. He Deserves Your Respect."
That ranks means a lot to me. But you see, being an OPM message boarder, means that I spent a lot of time with other OPMers. Many of us are in hiding these days, mostly at the 1up Retreat and 1up Paradise. Now, many who were.....well, we will say Playstation supporters, are now, 360 owners. I have have conversed with many of them from time to time on why they think the Playstation 3 is delayed.
One of my more recent talks, was with another former OPMer, TealSmith. We chatted about many things, but we discussed this topic. After a lot of banter, we both agreed on a few things.
Here's what they were:
(1) Developers are whining too much.
(2) Developers need to get off their asses.
(3) Games that are being developed should now be focused more on creating them for the PS3 (which we both agreed was the superior console in terms of power), rather then the 360.
This third point is quit important. Why? It's a huge difference for developers. Incase you missed it, the Original Xbox was a superior to the PS2. So, where do you think the majority of games were developed for? The Xbox, then ported down to the PS2. The 360, and guess what? Games were still being ported back to the PS2.
But, here's the change: After the PS3 came out, it seems that the developers thought that they could simply just do a nice and neat transfer from the 360 to the PS3.
Well guess what? That isn't the case. And you want to know why? Because the PS3 utilizes different things then its 360 counterpart.
It seems to me, that games that are being developed more for the PS3, or are better joint developed, are out much faster then games then games that being developed for the 360, then ported to the PS3. There is too much coding difference.
Now, this could be speculation, and hearsay, as I don't really have any official proof, because I am not in the game industry. But look back, doesn't this make sense?
Maybe you need a little proof. Okay, I can't give you exact quotes, websites, or articles, but I do remember reading this (as many of you probably had).
Assassin's Creed was having trouble coming out on both systems. Why? Coding on the PS3, and the limited disc Storage Space on the DVD for the 360. Both are problems when you are trying to create games that can go mulitplatform.
Which brings me to another point:
For all of you who use the claim that:
"Multiple DVD's are just as good as Blu-Rays" -- Get your head out of your ass.
How in God's name do you think that? The only way that could even be remotely true is if that multiple DVD Game unpacked onto a HDD so that information could be grabbed instantly.
Now some of you may be thinking, "Why?"
And here's my answer to that.
Every image, every texture, every....everything takes up room on a disc. Every time you have to put some repeated code on a repeated disc, it's room that is taken away from moves/graphics/sound, etc.
Now tell me. If you could have 1 disc, that could hold every single move/graphic/sound, plus, hold all your gameplay, is that not better?Mario Galaxy small review:
Well my friend and I recently beat Mario Galaxy. This is probably my 3rd Favorite Mario, behind Mario 3 and Mario 64. But here's my small review:
Game Ranking: 8.0/10
Graphics: They are great, amazing infact. Mario looks better then ever.
Sound: The music is good, but my one complaint as always: IT'S BEEN 10 F***ING YEARS SINCE THE PLAYSTATION LAUNCHED.. Dear Nintendo: I WANT VOICEOVERS. I AM TIRED OF READING LONG LINES OF TEXT. I had the same thing to say about LoZ. Why, God, WHY am I reading text?
A friend argued to me that if "Link talked, he'd sound like a complete dork. High pitched-voice..blah blah blah." My reply was simple.- "Sez who?" Why does Link have to sound like that? Link could sound super cool. Same goes for Mario, and every other character in the Nintendo Library. Does this mean I want to get rid of text? No, but just throw the voice in there damn it!.
Controls: Smooth. The nunchuck and Wiimote works really well. Very responsive...except for a couple of times.
Fun Factor: Mario is....well....Mario. No other game is quite the same as Mario. However, the fact that I do not have the ability to control the camera angles very much. This is part of the my Fun Factor for 1, major reason. I dislike the fact that I'm having to look at Mario upside down so much. It becomes quite hard to look at at certain points. Mario loses points here.
So as I previously said, 8.0/10. The game is good, damn good. It was a great time playing it. It is NOT a perfect game, for the reasons stated above, but it is by no means a bad game. If you have a Wii, it's definitely worth a pick up.Call of Duty 3
Being such, this is my first review, and in true reviewing fashion, I haven't completed the game yet (due to the fact that I'm not an addict)
So Let's begin:
Call of Duty 3 is the 3rd game (obviously by the title) In the award winning series. So far, 3 is a console exclusive only. The game was also designed by a different developer then the first 2. From experience though, they haven't missed a beat.
Graphics:
My Goodness! Damn they are beautiful. They are bar none the best graphics I have seen on a system yet. The shading effects will blow your mind. The characters are the best, more realistic looking ones that I've seen in a World War II game. As I continue to progress, the game looks better and better.
4.5/5
Sound:
The sound in the game is quite simply great. First off, the voice acting is shattering. With attention to detail, you can quickly learn which one of your comrades is talking, which becomes very helpful. The game music is intriguing, fitting well with the genre. It also features very realistic gunfire, which I'm guessing the studio probably is using what the guns actually sound like going off.
4.5/5
Controls:
Innovative. The typical standards are their, but the designers where quick to utilize the new Synaxis controllers on the PS3. The melee attack has been redesigned and incorporated, so instead, you flick your wrists to the left, or two the right to due the attack. Also, if a guy manages to attack you with his melee and wrestles you to the ground, you fight back using left and right wrist flicks to push him back. My personal favorite, however, is the new vehicles ideas. You can, if you chose to, drive with the analog stick, but the designers put in the option to make the controller literally be the steering wheel. It can be frustrating at parts however, due to the fact that it isn't always responsive, but overall, very enjoyable. The other new movement I has discovered is for paddling a boat across the river. Very fun and enjoyable. I'm excited to see what else will come.
4/5
Fun Factor:
Overall, this game has been very good. It does have some minor tweaking issues which need to be addressed, being the A.I. on your team. Sometimes they don't clear out rooms, skip rooms, or walk right past guys that are shooting them, leaving you to clean up their misses. The game however is still great. If you haven't picked it up, do so.
4/5-- That's all.