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Quick video game reviews
2010-05-23 22:48:00
Splinter Cell: Conviction (Xbox 360):
The latest entry into the Splinter Cell saga is much more action oriented than other games in the series. The ability to mark and instantly take down enemies is a really cool and useful feature. However, unlike in previous games where you can get through a level and barely have to kill anyone, it’s difficult to advance in Conviction without clearing the room of bad guys. The online co-operative mode (which acts as a prologue to the single player story) is really cool, and it was a lot of fun to stealthily kill enemies with another person. Overall, Conviction is a great entry to the series. I give Conviction 4/5 stars.
Call of Duty: World at War (Xbox 360):
World War II shooters have been done to death. That being said, Call of Duty: World at War was still an enjoyable game. The single player portion isn’t anything revolutionary, but it is still well paced, action-packed experience. The voice acting in the game is nicely done, thanks to actors like Gary Oldman and Kiefer Sutherland lending their talents. However, the highlight of the game for me is the Nazi Zombies mode, which has you fighting off wave after wave of the undead, and is undeniably good times. I give World at War 4/5 stars.
Dead Rising (Xbox 360):
Speaking of zombies, as a fan of Dawn of the Dead (both the original movie and remake), Dead Rising was a game I wanted to play for some time. After finding it (as well as World at War) for a good price at some nearby Blockbuster Video stores, I decided to give it a go. On paper, the idea of fighting off a zombie horde in a mall sounds cool, but overall execution of the idea in this game is a bit off. For example, on many occasions you’ll have to escort civilians to safety, but the pathfinding and AI often has them running straight into a group of zombies. Also, if you die during a boss battle, you don’t restart near the boss, but at the last save point which could be on the other side of the mall. Still, some of the missions you take on (including battles against psychopath mini-bosses) can be pretty intense, and few things are as satisfying as slicing up zombies with a katana. I give Dead Rising 3.5/5 stars. -
2010-05-11 23:19:49
AMVs:
It’s been four years now since I’ve joined the Org. In that time I’ve released many videos, and watched plenty more in return. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love being a part of this community, and I definitely hope to still be making AMVs in the future.
As for my plans for the rest of this year, at first I was planning on releasing three more AMVs this year. However, due to time constraints, I will likely be releasing only one more video this year (although I may help on an MEP or two). That being said, I will definitely do everything that I can to make this one video great.
My video game reviews:
Although I’ve been posting many game reviews, I should note that there are many more games that I’ve played that I have not reviewed. However, doing a full length review for all of these would be pretty time consuming. As such, in the future I will be posting “quick” reviews, in addition to my full length reviews. These quick reviews are going to be one to two paragraphs long, and are meant as more of a short summary of my thoughts on the game. If I quick review a game, it will likely be because of one of the following reasons:
1) I didn’t spend as much time with the game as I wanted (e.g. I may trade it in not too long after I get it to take advantage of a good trade offer), and so I couldn’t get to everything in the game.
2) Quite simply, for one reason or another, I may not have that much to say about the game.
I hope to have some quick reviews up soon. -
God of War 3 (PS3 game review)
2010-05-02 21:08:20
Really cool weapons? Yes. Awesome boss battles? Yes. Ridiculously gratuitous violence and gore? Oh, hell yes! In this third instalment of the saga of Kratos, the developers at Santa Monica Studio have taken advantage of the PS3’s hardware, and have crafted an adventure of unrivalled scale and scope. If this is really to be the final chapter for Kratos, then this game is a fantastic send off to a truly memorable character.
The story of God of War 3 picks up right where the second game left off, with Kratos and the Titans climbing Mount Olympus to fight the Olympian gods. As you progress through the game, you will encounter (and often do battle with) many of these gods, as well as other figures in Greek mythology. Also, just like the previous God of War games, the story pulls no punches in detailing how remorseless and revenge driven Kratos is. Where other games may give you the option to kill or spare a helpless person, God of War 3 makes it gruesomely clear that you only have one choice, and that Kratos’ revenge trumps everything.
God of War 3 is structured similarly to its predecessors. It’s an action game played from a 3rd person perspective (although the camera position is fixed) that has you fighting through hordes of enemies including minotaurs, harpies, and giant cyclopes. Interspersed between the action are cutscenes used to forward the story, as well as simple puzzle sequences for Katros to solve. Periodically you’ll also gain access to new weapons, such as the Claws of Hades (which can summon various souls) and the Nemesis Whip (which allows you to electrocute opponents). My personal favourite weapon is the Nemean Cestus, which is a pair of huge lion-headed gauntlets that are perfect for just plain beating down your enemies.
As with many recent games on the PS3, God of War 3 looks phenomenal, with the graphics approaching CG quality. But arguably the most impressive thing about God of War 3’s graphics is not just how the levels and characters look, but the sheer scale of them. You can see this right off the bat with the first level, where Kratos has to fend off enemies on the back of Gaia, as well as fighting off attacks from Poseidon. What’s even more amazing is that all of this action is happening in real-time, which shows that there is still plenty of life left in this generation of console hardware.
Another highpoint of God of War 3 is the game’s voice cast. TC Carson reprises his role as Kratos, and does another great job channeling the rage and anger of the character. The music is also great, featuring a booming orchestral soundtrack. The only downside (and it’s a minor one) is that the game is kind of short, and could be finished in 8 to 10 hours (it took me longer since I played on the Titan difficulty setting). But it’s a testament to how great the game is that I still wanted to play more of it.
I’ve read that there is the possibility that more games will be developed for the series. But even if no new games come out, God of War 3 is a fantastic way to cap off a great trilogy. This series of games will easily rank as some of the best action games to come out in recent memory. If you need an excuse to get a Playstation 3, then God of War 3 is it.
I give God of War 3 5/5 stars. -
Final Fantasy XIII (PS3 game review)
2010-04-18 23:05:32
**Warning: Possible spoilers ahead**
The latest instalment for one of gaming’s most hallowed franchises was released last month. But after all these years in development, does it live up to all the hype? After clocking in dozens of hours into the game my answer is yes...and no. Final Fantasy XIII makes some cool and innovative design choices (particularly the combat system), but then takes out other features that fans have become accustomed to (such as the ability to truly explore the gameworld). In other words, this game is a case of two steps forward, and one step back.
Final Fantasy XIII takes place on a massive city called Cocoon, which floats above the world of Pulse. Cocoon was created by a race of powerful beings called the fal’Cie. The fal’Cie are also able to create servants with magical abilities out of humans. Those who become servants are called l’Cie, and are given a “Focus”, which is a task they are required to complete. In the past, however, the fal’Cie who live on Cocoon have been at odds with fal’Cie who live on Pulse. As such, the human citizens of Cocoon live in constant fear of the Pulse fal’Cie. When a dormant Pulse fal’Cie is discovered living on Cocoon, all the citizens in its vicinity are forced into exile, for fear contact with this being could endanger Cocoon. A mysterious woman known only as Lightning sneaks aboard a train carrying citizens to be exiled, in the hopes of rescuing her sister, Serah. Admittedly, I could go on longer describing the game’s plot, but I don’t want to spoil too much for those who haven’t played it.
If there was one thing about Final Fantasy XIII that I thought that really stood out, it would definitely be its combat system. Just like FF12, there are no random encounters, as enemies appear right on the map. However, unlike FF12, battles are not fought right on the map, and instead are fought in a separate battle arena (just like in more traditional Final Fantasy games). Each character you control has access to six different “roles”, which are the Commando (focuses on physical attacks), Ravager (the offensive magic caster), Sentinel (a damage absorber), Synergist (casts spells to buff your characters), Saboteur (casts spells which weaken your enemies), and Medic (casts spells that heal your characters). Through the “Paradigm Shift” system, your party can switch between a formation of roles on the fly (e.g. the “Relentless Assault” formation will turn 2 characters into Ravagers, and 1 into a Commando).
Each enemy also has a “chain gauge” that can be filled by attacking an enemy (in particular, offensive magical attacks will fill a gauge faster). Once the gauge is filled, the enemy will be “staggered”, meaning they’ll take more damage from your attacks. Utilizing, the Paradigm Shift system and chain gauge will become necessary to take out tougher opponents. One interesting thing to note about combat is that, unlike in previous games, you can only control the group leader. This might seem like an odd decision, but as I played the game I realized it was the right one, since the fast pace of the combat would have made controlling more than one character pretty difficult.
Unlike more traditional role-playing games, there are no experience points. Instead, there are Crystogen Points (CP) which you get from defeating enemies. You can use these points to increase the power of a class on one of your characters. For example, towards the start of the game I poured my CP into Lightning’s Commando class to unlock stronger Commando abilities for her. As in previous Final Fantasy games, your characters have the ability to summon creatures to fight for you. In FF13, each character can summon an Eidolon to fight alongside you, which will replace the other two people in your group. Each Eidolon also has a “Gestalt Mode” which will transform the Eidolon into form the character can take direct control of. For example, the Odin Eidolon can transform into a horse that Lightning can ride on. One complaint I have about the Eidolons is the fact that although they look really cool, and their attacks look spectacular, they are actually not all that powerful, and in my opinion, have little use against some of the game’s stronger enemies.
Now, this being a “main series” Final Fantasy game, you know that the production values are through the roof. The cinematic cutscenes are absolutely gorgeous and really well animated, and I always could not wait to get to see each of these cutscenes. The in-game graphics engine also produces well detailed environments, and characters that look almost as good as their cinematic cutscene counterparts. The voice acting in this game is on par with other JRPGs that I’ve played, although admittedly some of the dialogue is a bit cringe worthy. I should also note that the soundtrack to this game is great. It’s a good mix of orchestral, as well as some ambient and dance type music, which changes depending on the setting/environment you’re in.
However, despite the many technical advances Final Fantasy XIII has made, there was one design choice that left me feeling a bit disappointed. The first two-thirds of this game are extremely linear, with no real gameworld to “explore”. Now, I know that JRPGs in general are more linear than western RPGs, but with FF13, for the most part it’s one straight path from point A to B with no deviation. It’s not until the last third of the game, when you leave Cocoon and enter Pulse that the game opens up a bit, with various monster killing missions you can take on to get cool items. After Final Fantasy 12, and its more open ended world and gameplay, I was hoping that FF13 would continue this trend. That’s not to say that the first two-thirds of FF13 were bad, because it absolutely isn’t. The story kept me interested in moving forward, as did the awesome combat system. But frankly, the linearity of much of the game did irk me a bit.
Overall though, I still found Final Fantasy XIII to be an enjoyable experience. Its story, awesome visuals, and great fights were more than enough to satisfy my JRPG cravings. That being said, I’m hoping that for the next single player Final Fantasy game, the developers at Square Enix will try something that truly innovates this franchise and pushes it forward.
I give Final Fantasy XIII 4/5 stars. - @Code 2010-04-14 23:16:43 Aside from going to places and doing things I could never do in real life, one of the other reasons I play games is the competitive aspect. I like competing against other people, and playing video games is a great way to do that. Mind you, I tend to lose more than I win, but it's still fun nonetheless.
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