tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59381235119611031252024-03-21T05:11:54.559-07:00Gaming Nomad's Reviews Gaming, movie, and anime reviews! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-59511911792882121252014-03-10T19:18:00.001-07:002014-03-10T19:18:35.037-07:00South Park The Stick of Truth Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr3M8zsgot_TFVNKANefI3V9bAJu98kNTU02tPCwXZe7zo83743Ce-MYgrKYiKjcQq14v06oj_3vlHnpGr3sw2k-ouR1s1qqnLZY0vn-J_6Ujnh_uaHfqQIJyDsvUVG-0qS2HtHWTA4H2/s1600/Gaming-Nomad-vs.-South-Park-The-Stick-of-Truth-featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr3M8zsgot_TFVNKANefI3V9bAJu98kNTU02tPCwXZe7zo83743Ce-MYgrKYiKjcQq14v06oj_3vlHnpGr3sw2k-ouR1s1qqnLZY0vn-J_6Ujnh_uaHfqQIJyDsvUVG-0qS2HtHWTA4H2/s1600/Gaming-Nomad-vs.-South-Park-The-Stick-of-Truth-featured.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomad-vs-south-park-the-stick-of-truth/">Wow. I have not posted on here in awhile. Here's South Park!</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-7574685942640516302013-12-30T05:42:00.002-08:002013-12-30T05:42:25.893-08:00Top 5 Games of the Year 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnympVAhq1eeYkQ-fVKC8YNdJ7PCKQclMcPqd9Zlbq5V49ftI0aCC8cHivP6YiMDF6r-62T1eXkt4AwmLZTb59BzrFKeOtOvlJL3pd8cc38fjCMWZwg3RudgTXyEt17Xaa_AnB5u_vQkRX/s1600/Feature+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnympVAhq1eeYkQ-fVKC8YNdJ7PCKQclMcPqd9Zlbq5V49ftI0aCC8cHivP6YiMDF6r-62T1eXkt4AwmLZTb59BzrFKeOtOvlJL3pd8cc38fjCMWZwg3RudgTXyEt17Xaa_AnB5u_vQkRX/s640/Feature+image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomads-top-5-games-of-2013/">Gaming Nomad's Top 5 Games of the Year!</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-21202197508266528132013-12-19T12:15:00.003-08:002013-12-19T12:15:43.930-08:00Gaming Nomad’s Naughty And Nice List Of Video Game Cartoons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBRSuHf4FGzojIitI51tEp-ZEkfIkEojuKgq6WuczZwK4XFVA3ymlQl_9Hw6vHC4nToUauPNuoHbmnN6npfqO1vBZWmQZBAveKYRsbDJDIyXTMJHudsoo5RFWuV_D4_tym5RRXqoZWm5w/s1600/Gaming-Nomads-Naughty-And-Nice-List-Video-Game-Cartoons-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBRSuHf4FGzojIitI51tEp-ZEkfIkEojuKgq6WuczZwK4XFVA3ymlQl_9Hw6vHC4nToUauPNuoHbmnN6npfqO1vBZWmQZBAveKYRsbDJDIyXTMJHudsoo5RFWuV_D4_tym5RRXqoZWm5w/s400/Gaming-Nomads-Naughty-And-Nice-List-Video-Game-Cartoons-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomads-naughty-and-nice-list-of-video-game-cartoons/">I take a look at the best and worst nostalgic video game cartoons. </a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-63127034401163888522013-11-15T18:41:00.001-08:002013-11-15T18:41:41.906-08:00Journey: Collector's Edition Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjB2hPzFxSglgjOf6JgUQ9vhyb2IAOGCY5tc_eq4jN-IH1yx_G8moAzf_LHyiPilDBsQ0naPJDZCmKIZxL4rZJrhTayFoVpiVRlM6N5IkHeHqXCj8GxJvoI55kpASKHmPH5Z2KHgGIFHJd/s1600/Gaming-Nomad-vs.-Journey-Collector%E2%80%99s-Edition-featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjB2hPzFxSglgjOf6JgUQ9vhyb2IAOGCY5tc_eq4jN-IH1yx_G8moAzf_LHyiPilDBsQ0naPJDZCmKIZxL4rZJrhTayFoVpiVRlM6N5IkHeHqXCj8GxJvoI55kpASKHmPH5Z2KHgGIFHJd/s640/Gaming-Nomad-vs.-Journey-Collector%E2%80%99s-Edition-featured.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomad-vs-journey-collectors-edition/">I take a look at the collector's edition of Journey.</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-81836688652487157182013-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:002013-10-30T11:08:07.216-07:00Batman Arkham Origins review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYMcn0OCLln76wt9wEYFYUgSW65SYiTr76MgqlIcT6H_fIVkVJyA-glLFhIhw-8GlGUcX-MfeQT62SrlPJuxhb1mS5zMVU4gO5n-oWwewQ_yGJ4YxKdDVt-dttqwJC242n0cNUpgQkyLi/s1600/Video+Game_batman-+arkham+origins_443061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYMcn0OCLln76wt9wEYFYUgSW65SYiTr76MgqlIcT6H_fIVkVJyA-glLFhIhw-8GlGUcX-MfeQT62SrlPJuxhb1mS5zMVU4gO5n-oWwewQ_yGJ4YxKdDVt-dttqwJC242n0cNUpgQkyLi/s400/Video+Game_batman-+arkham+origins_443061.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomad-vs-batman-arkham-origins/">Batman Arkham Origins review! What went wrong, Bats?</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-68711358834654209572013-10-24T17:45:00.000-07:002013-10-24T17:45:17.221-07:00Gaming Nomad's Top 6 Scariest Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsPWH-1IkLSOrdaWbHR9-bQ4DcxVSKmtqbD-ijrKQbbGQ-Mn15iMNMP6Kwf9jnSLMrnGRwOoWxg6x2Fz_BZEOSNxGvHLT6EwtAcfQy3c99fg_ebgR5vyY3pPeYbyWSTdE6bavWjoifbaU/s1600/Untitled+(2).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsPWH-1IkLSOrdaWbHR9-bQ4DcxVSKmtqbD-ijrKQbbGQ-Mn15iMNMP6Kwf9jnSLMrnGRwOoWxg6x2Fz_BZEOSNxGvHLT6EwtAcfQy3c99fg_ebgR5vyY3pPeYbyWSTdE6bavWjoifbaU/s400/Untitled+(2).png" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomads-top-6-scariest-video-games/">My Top 6 Scariest Games</a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-64040105477553817872013-10-19T11:52:00.004-07:002013-10-19T11:52:30.052-07:00Pokemon X and Y review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4m80xuwDeE68bLzCyUqNDLjMiYmR2YWhSksVkJj2BZ85hSYhLSB_hIOmH7eYwiOvss-mYdFt_YUTGbkOrz1S_w3KnZsMyUvyozn__va9CWOOOGmeWeZ7MIf-G2L-IsCih5KJocFW1O595/s1600/pokemon_xy_legendaries_wallpaper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4m80xuwDeE68bLzCyUqNDLjMiYmR2YWhSksVkJj2BZ85hSYhLSB_hIOmH7eYwiOvss-mYdFt_YUTGbkOrz1S_w3KnZsMyUvyozn__va9CWOOOGmeWeZ7MIf-G2L-IsCih5KJocFW1O595/s400/pokemon_xy_legendaries_wallpaper.png" width="400" /></a></div>
I review Pokemon X and Y! <a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomad-vs-pokemon-x-y/">http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomad-vs-pokemon-x-y/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-79458892074724941662013-10-06T18:05:00.001-07:002013-10-06T18:05:18.567-07:00Escapist Expo 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdY7I6J0P8C6I-pUGQmYZFlF9tgyUe9Wh04sNROXUepLYZsvrXrqM0618z-RcQ2sdmZiS4H2LmQgrVQFmFPOX9THfFf2etF50ZHwB9Q8OFQqrZbYweHWDkAp0e0g5eRFXJjLN-8iXivbs/s1600/Header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdY7I6J0P8C6I-pUGQmYZFlF9tgyUe9Wh04sNROXUepLYZsvrXrqM0618z-RcQ2sdmZiS4H2LmQgrVQFmFPOX9THfFf2etF50ZHwB9Q8OFQqrZbYweHWDkAp0e0g5eRFXJjLN-8iXivbs/s400/Header.png" width="400" /></a></div>
A quick write and pictures from Escapist Expo 2013! <a href="http://www.candidslice.com/escaping-escapist-expo/">http://www.candidslice.com/escaping-escapist-expo/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-39631585317680535682013-09-25T18:42:00.001-07:002013-09-25T18:42:12.757-07:00Gaming Nomad's Retrospective: Dance Dance Revolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dpC2IFYYtwAZzbnxtcWElfCse8EG0ANmHGpvpkXchrTgha2JNun88kQqkczVpco2Xty72xyD3tIpuIGeZz-iDJSawDHclAPFQ4lOgeWpDhyphenhyphenOkwFB74zVPnpIg-LL4jYJ1zhJKM2GYvN9/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dpC2IFYYtwAZzbnxtcWElfCse8EG0ANmHGpvpkXchrTgha2JNun88kQqkczVpco2Xty72xyD3tIpuIGeZz-iDJSawDHclAPFQ4lOgeWpDhyphenhyphenOkwFB74zVPnpIg-LL4jYJ1zhJKM2GYvN9/s320/Untitled.png" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
I take a look back on Dance Dance Revolution!<br /><a href="http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomads-retrospective-dance-dance-revolution/">http://www.candidslice.com/gaming-nomads-retrospective-dance-dance-revolution/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-5063411137453690082013-09-10T08:27:00.003-07:002013-09-10T08:27:49.789-07:00Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Overview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SK6Dt31VowhSjcTCBs7ZMD6U0dJNVYX021Ra0ytfh70onpHovIGlwfcos6Fc1VkDrSmHNLGiVktoWcp9DfX1pyfnBZMhdjqAuucTb5Zv8UqOBokJfckX2NKq7KPZeapIx5blGNCeNeXh/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SK6Dt31VowhSjcTCBs7ZMD6U0dJNVYX021Ra0ytfh70onpHovIGlwfcos6Fc1VkDrSmHNLGiVktoWcp9DfX1pyfnBZMhdjqAuucTb5Zv8UqOBokJfckX2NKq7KPZeapIx5blGNCeNeXh/s320/Untitled.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BGJPSSF2N_E1VkuX7TnIz345_IMAVdqLYtpeeWfGvegXtO86mrWkNLldsYMtuWQeaJDdMv_qJmdGvBCv9CJ_iHAeSUFH4Rsvz3C6-UNLJcYbsBbxiIzwn7Y2GMYJg_rXRv3ViV3E-hmf/s1600/DO5U_roster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BGJPSSF2N_E1VkuX7TnIz345_IMAVdqLYtpeeWfGvegXtO86mrWkNLldsYMtuWQeaJDdMv_qJmdGvBCv9CJ_iHAeSUFH4Rsvz3C6-UNLJcYbsBbxiIzwn7Y2GMYJg_rXRv3ViV3E-hmf/s1600/DO5U_roster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BGJPSSF2N_E1VkuX7TnIz345_IMAVdqLYtpeeWfGvegXtO86mrWkNLldsYMtuWQeaJDdMv_qJmdGvBCv9CJ_iHAeSUFH4Rsvz3C6-UNLJcYbsBbxiIzwn7Y2GMYJg_rXRv3ViV3E-hmf/s1600/DO5U_roster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The
fifth installment of the long running Dead or Alive franchise is here and it
definitely lives up to the hopes of- …wait a minute! I already reviewed this
game! Yeah, <a href="http://gamingnomadgamereviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/dead-or-alive-5-game-review.html">Dead or Alive 5</a> came out this time last year. It was a good game
but like so many fighting games, they had to release another version of it. Not
a sequel, just another edition of the same game. I’ll get to that can of worms
later but for now, let’s take a look at what Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate offers.
Please refer to my old DOA5 review for coverage of the game itself; I am only
going to be covering what’s new to the game in this article and if it’s really
worthy of having the word ULTIMATE slapped on it. </span></div>
<br />
First off, the game is priced new at only $40 so they’re not trying to sell it
at the typical new game price of $60 which is good. The biggest add-on is the
addition of five new fighters.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>Momiji:</b> A female ninja from the most
recent Ninja Gaiden games.<br />
<b>Jacky Bryant:</b> The sister of Sarah
Bryant and the fourth <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtua_Fighter">Virtua Fighter</a> character to be featured in DOA. His voice
reminds me of Sonic the Hedgehog.<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>Leon:</b> A long time DOA character that
was missing from the DOA5 roster is brought back though he is still mostly a
clone of <a href="http://deadoralive.wikia.com/wiki/Bayman">Bayman</a>’s fighting style.<br />
<b>Ein:</b> Hayate’s alter-ego and like
Leon, he returns from previous DOA games.<br />
<b>Rachel:</b> The sexy fiend hunter from
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Gaiden">Ninja Gaiden</a> to add to the game’s already large amount of fan service.<br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BGJPSSF2N_E1VkuX7TnIz345_IMAVdqLYtpeeWfGvegXtO86mrWkNLldsYMtuWQeaJDdMv_qJmdGvBCv9CJ_iHAeSUFH4Rsvz3C6-UNLJcYbsBbxiIzwn7Y2GMYJg_rXRv3ViV3E-hmf/s1600/DO5U_roster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BGJPSSF2N_E1VkuX7TnIz345_IMAVdqLYtpeeWfGvegXtO86mrWkNLldsYMtuWQeaJDdMv_qJmdGvBCv9CJ_iHAeSUFH4Rsvz3C6-UNLJcYbsBbxiIzwn7Y2GMYJg_rXRv3ViV3E-hmf/s400/DO5U_roster.png" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">
These five, in addition to the completely unlocked previous roster, brings the
total of playable characters to 30 making it the largest roster in the
franchise to date. New levels are added in including some returning levels from
DOA3 and 4 giving it the largest roster of stages as well. The story mode
remains the same and does not include any of the 5 new characters. The only
difference is the removal of the tutorials which makes some of the earlier
fights slightly more difficult than they previously were. In my review of this
game last year, I did give the story quite a bit of praise but after playing
through it again… Yeah… I was less impressed. I give them an A for effort and I
know fighting games aren’t well known for their stories but Injustice did show
that a fighting game can have a really good story. I feel Dead or Alive
Dimensions for the 3DS had the best for story for the franchise so far, in
terms of pacing anyway. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">
Training mode is now separated into five different extensive modes. If you
really want to become a master at this game, it gives you all the tools to make
it happen. In addition to regular fighting, arcade, time attack, and survival
modes, is the 7 on 7 mode in which you pick a seven person team and go up
against another 7 person team controlled by the CPU or another player. Great
for parties! Aside from 7v7 mode, tag matches have been added to all fighting
modes giving double to cover if you are looking to complete all the modes with
each character as well the several levels difficulty for each. If you’re
looking to complete this game 100%, you got your work cut out for you. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo_Em_umK7HA645zU1xoCmV_GbWIRFin4gjOq8R0yw_DT4iitS7hwuwBQdufkrVSPLEBfXhjrgFynvcJcfdXnldWoWLDrYBwPDDnx7JjtQOyt86MI504F7z7FqXF44fOZt_MIb56P1tzA/s1600/DeadorAlive5UltimateBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo_Em_umK7HA645zU1xoCmV_GbWIRFin4gjOq8R0yw_DT4iitS7hwuwBQdufkrVSPLEBfXhjrgFynvcJcfdXnldWoWLDrYBwPDDnx7JjtQOyt86MI504F7z7FqXF44fOZt_MIb56P1tzA/s400/DeadorAlive5UltimateBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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The game comes with many more costumes than the original version and the costumes
released via DLC BUT the DLC costumes are locked on the disk, which is
something I can’t stand, and you will have to download them if you don’t
already have them. They can only be unlocked if have internet connection. If
you have already downloaded costumes, they do transfer into Ultimate so no
worries there. I did notice that it is easier to unlock costumes in this
version of the game. Beating any fighting game mode with a character for the
first time will ensure a new costume is unlocked. This is nice for those who
want variety in the appearance of your fighters and/or for those who want to
see the female characters in sexy outfits. It is a bit disappointing that all
of the costumes that had been released for DLC were not also included in
Ultimate for unlock and not needing to be unlocked from the disc. Lame.
Exhibition mode was been added to the basic versus fight mode. Turning this on
will temporarily unlock all costumes and levels. I guess this is for when you
are playing at your friend’s house and they want to see everything in the game
without actually unlocking everything. You also now have access to the game’s
music and are free to remix the wide selection of music as you see fit. Oh and
there is a ‘Breast movement’ setting in the opinion menu. I couldn’t help but
laugh when I saw this. <a href="http://31.media.tumblr.com/c40fa01890567770d90498dba1e92a76/tumblr_msqnqqJ15m1qdt0joo1_1280.jpg">Stay classy, Japan</a>. </span></span><br />
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Only a couple very minor things about the gameplay are changed. Characters now
have more than one opening and victory speeches which makes things less
repetitive at the start and endings of matches. Taunting is now easier to do
and most characters having different taunts that can be performed with L
trigger and D-Pad. I should note that the Virtua Fighter characters do not have
taunts they can perform. I did notice that the AI will still sometimes spam
moves with certain characters. This is a problem I hoped would have been worked
out from the original. Spamming moves is something a newbie to fighting games
does, not the game AI. I would’ve also liked to have seen a way to transfer the
pictures you take in spectator mode to your computer or internet somehow. I
think there is a way to do it but I have no idea how. If anyone knows, please
let me know. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDAfAXRs7bGorswkbm8sR5TD8D-K-cDvgXXE_IQVCdmno7LZjVpYMCXmFllnatrwjXLfzWAo3ODCFjjozcOGDaC6GJDIjmdbfi5GzxzVjS2_UD_Qz2zrczfFL00EtCOVuR0BNGNmcgVj_/s1600/1373068549-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDAfAXRs7bGorswkbm8sR5TD8D-K-cDvgXXE_IQVCdmno7LZjVpYMCXmFllnatrwjXLfzWAo3ODCFjjozcOGDaC6GJDIjmdbfi5GzxzVjS2_UD_Qz2zrczfFL00EtCOVuR0BNGNmcgVj_/s400/1373068549-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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So is DOA5 Ultimate worth getting over the original? If you don’t own the
original, yes, this is the version you’d want since it has much more content
but that’s about it. Speaking of which, have you ever noticed that there are so
many different versions to fighting games out there? You go to buy a fighting
game and there are like 2 or 3, sometimes more, different variants of the same
game. Some have more characters or are more designed for tournaments but
they’re the same game. Many can point the start of this to the early 90’s with
Capcom’s mega hit Street Fighter 2. A great game but it ended up having four
different versions of the game between 1991 and 1994. Then there was the Alpha
series and EX series till FINALLY getting to Street Fighter 3 in 1997 which in
turn had its own series of spin-offs. So when someone asks you ‘have you played
Street Fighter 3?’ you pretty much have to ask, ‘which one?’ They’re still
doing it even with Street Fighter 4. When buying it, I had to figure out which
was the best version and the consensus seemed to be on Super Street Fighter 4.
What’s the difference from the other versions? It’s SUPER, I guess. And there is
another version of SF4 on the way as we speak too. </span></span><br />
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Many other franchises and companies do this for the sake of hardcore tournament
players and, of course, money. What grinds my gears is how, unless money isn’t
an issue for you, it makes the original game obsolete over time, so you might
as well wait for the super ultimate game of the year complete edition or
whatever. To pick on Capcom again, the long anticipated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_vs._Capcom_3">Marvel Vs Capcom 3</a> came
out in 2011. It was a fun game but was extremely lacking on the content. Then
just nine months later – NINE MONTHS – They release Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3
(yeah, throwing the word ULTIMATE around again) with more characters and
levels. You couldn’t even wait a year? Like the first MVC3 was just a demo of
this Ultimate version? And it was still missing the four DLC characters that
were released after the original game. You still had to download and pay for
them. DLC has made it a guarantee that there will be some kind of second
edition release of a game and not just for fighting games. So many games go
crazy with add-on content with new characters, levels, and missions that you might
as well wait till the Game of the Year edition to get everything in one neat
bundle. But you’re not are you? You want that damn game when it comes out and
play it with the rest of the world, right? It’s like when a big blockbuster
movie comes out. You can’t wait to see it; you need to see it ASAP so you can
talk about it with your friends! Or that’s how I feel anyway… </span></span><br />
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If you lack internet, you’re really screwed. You have to wait for those
completed or ultimate versions of games to come around. <a href="http://www.candidslice.com/injustice-gods-among-us-game-review/">Injustice</a> is an awesome
game but since its release there has been a ton of DLC with new characters for
it. I’m sure by sometime next year there will be an ultimate version of Injustice.
It would be nice if you could swap the original out for the updated releases at
retailers for free but we all know that isn’t how the game is played. I got $5
for the trade-in of the original DOA5 for DOA5U. Not a great deal going towards
an upgrade and it really isn’t all that much of an upgrade. There is a free version of DOA5U called DOA
Core Fighters available on PSN and Xbox Live. It’s basically a free demo of the
game that you can pay into and download more fighters or the entire game. I’d
rather just go buy the physical copy but that’s just me. This ‘free but pay in
to get more’ strategy is actually what Microsoft is doing with the <a href="http://kotaku.com/killer-instinct-characters-are-5-a-pop-but-wait-th-1171097583?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow">Killer Instinct</a> reboot for the Xbox One. Will this become the new way to get fighting
games? Time will tell. </span></span><br />
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As for DOA5 Ultimate, is it worth buying? If you do not already own the
original, yes. That is a much harder call if you already own the original DOA5,
especially if you’ve gotten all the post-release DLCs since last year. While Ultimate
does offer more modes, characters, and other little extras, nothing about this
version really adds to the overall gameplay. It’s still the fun, fast-paced,
martial arts fighting that I loved about DOA5 but that’s about it. The 5 new
fighters really don’t add much other than two more sexy girls for fanboys to
gawk at. If I were to rate this, I’d give it an 8/10 which is the same as what
I gave DOA5 last year so basically nothing has changed in the overall game
quality. Ultimately, it’s your call if any of these new features make it worth
upgrading your old DOA5 for this year’s model. Thanks for reading! Keep a look
out for my upcoming retrospective on Dance Dance Revolution, some spooky
Halloween related stuff in October, and the highly anticipated Batman: Arkham
Origins. </span></span><br />
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<!--[endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-14887067556184018832013-09-03T09:40:00.002-07:002013-09-03T09:40:40.447-07:00Saints Row 4 Game Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqxikz8uVBlqBDfJrHRuS3cKy0F3FHhIID1LANxr-Ejhkx_DGh_H6rDstRf6jiobnBEoFP-FdMXO1-4haX9Ajatg-tddBQvkYKFNx88WHsQjQ3XvdTCP_45BH7nAFt2KoRiHCUl4HwBNJ/s1600/saintsrow4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqxikz8uVBlqBDfJrHRuS3cKy0F3FHhIID1LANxr-Ejhkx_DGh_H6rDstRf6jiobnBEoFP-FdMXO1-4haX9Ajatg-tddBQvkYKFNx88WHsQjQ3XvdTCP_45BH7nAFt2KoRiHCUl4HwBNJ/s400/saintsrow4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I originally had no plans to review this game but a friend
of mine got me a gift card for my birthday and instructed me to use said gift
card to get Saints Row 4 and review it. So
I guess I have to do it now. I should first start by saying that I have only
played the first Saints Row game and even then it was for only 20 minutes. The
other two games never really grabbed my attention since I’m not exactly a big
fan of GTA style gangster games. Unless it’s something like <a href="http://gamingnomadgamereviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/sleeping-dogs-game-review.html">Sleeping Dogs</a> with
a duel identify system and set in a different culture. That said, Saints Row 4 definitely
grabbed my attention with the fact that you play as the President of the United
States, who has super powers, and fights aliens. That might just be the best
idea for a video game ever. For those who don’t know, Saints Row can be
considered the rival franchise to the highly successful open world, crime
series Grand Theft Auto. While it started out as an above average GTA clone, it
gained its own identity with its crazy characters, over the top missions and
story. For their fourth outing, the 3<sup>rd</sup>
Street Saints take on their hardest task yet: Running the White House and
saving world. But is this presidential drive-by worth being elected to your
gaming console of choice? <br />
<br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTc7MNrv6lx_KS0CHmyXCurC3wWyjDCzM31NPI2oZgEC-V2bx5W9bxrCIzko_XXpVY4sGJJZQATaxOpLxyvs6VWZKIztMYRLAr2egTVGRmczjDH8nh-SvPuebCmo3zeTJU_EQk2IUsu6ip/s1600/SaintsRow4VideoPreview610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTc7MNrv6lx_KS0CHmyXCurC3wWyjDCzM31NPI2oZgEC-V2bx5W9bxrCIzko_XXpVY4sGJJZQATaxOpLxyvs6VWZKIztMYRLAr2egTVGRmczjDH8nh-SvPuebCmo3zeTJU_EQk2IUsu6ip/s400/SaintsRow4VideoPreview610.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<b>STORY: </b>The Third Street Saints have gone from low-level
gang bangers, to crime bosses, to music icons, to super spies, and have finally
landed in the White House with your character becoming the President of the
United States. Now that’s what I call living the American dream. As your
character walks around with your cabinet members, consisting of old gang
members and Keith David, you head to a press meeting when suddenly the White
House is attacked by aliens! Zinyak, the leader of the Zin Empire, has decided
to abduct the brightest of the human race and kill the rest. One by one,
members of your cabinet are snatched up by the aliens and after a failed
attempt to beat up Zinyak, so is your character. You then find yourself in a
simulated version of your old stomping grounds, Steelport, USA. You must save
members of your crew and humanity for the ultimate test as the President and,
more importantly, the leader of the Saints.</div>
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As you can tell, this story is crazy, over the top, and
doesn’t take itself too seriously most of the time. This is a good thing
because it makes story fun and hilarious to experience as this ridiculous tale
unfolds. The game parodies many other video games and movies like Mass Effect,
The Matrix, Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, Armageddon, and countless others.
You will catch witty references and funny parodies left and right throughout
the game. The well written script is backed up by a great cast of characters. While
I’m not familiar with them, most of the characters are given proper introductions.
You also have missions and side missions to develop characters more as well as
audio logs to find that are hidden around the game for even more incite. Even
with no experience with the past games, I got a good sense of who these people
were and enjoyed them. Zinyak, the leader of the aliens, makes for an excellent
and amusing villain being cultured and seems to know more about human culture
and art than the President. The Zin would be worthy of being on my list of <a href="http://www.candidslice.com/top-10-alien-invaders-in-video-games/">Top10 Alien Invaders in Video Games</a>. </div>
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Length wise, this game sits at a healthy 30+ hours but that
depends if you do all the side missions and explore the simulated city. It’s
probably shorter if you just blast through all the main missions but if you’re
doing that, you’re missing one of the main aspects of the game. However, what
really sets Saints Row 4 apart from its previous titles is in the gameplay. </div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>What
stands out most about Saints Row 4 and what is a big game changer is the
ability to get super powers. Within the first hour of the game you will get
super jumping and super speed. You gain more and more throughout the game and
they are extremely fun to use. It will make you feel like the entire Justice
League combined. While these powers are very fun and become the core of the
gameplay, they also make the game a little too easy. You become way too over
powered way too quickly. You will almost always be able to get out of tight
situations with no problem thanks to your powers. Also the powers make certain
parts of the game obsolete. Vehicles and driving is a major part of these GTA
style games but in Saints Row 4, there is almost no reason to use a car again
after you get your powers. You run faster than any vehicle in the game so what’s
the point? There is a lot of variation in vehicles and you can take them to
shops to get completely customized but then again, what’s the point? Now I
should bring up that you only have your powers inside the Matrix like
simulation. In the real world, aka the space ship that you are on, you will not
have these powers and there are some missions where your powers will be
switched off in the simulation. </div>
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The ship acts as the home and work place for your team. You
can talk to them and ‘romance’ them as a parody of Mass Effect’s relationship
system. One thing that can get annoying is that characters will want you to
come out of the simulation to come to talk to them each time you complete some
kind of quest for them. There are points where if feels like you’re doing this
several times in a row and it just feels time consuming and unnecessary when
the reward can only be used inside the sim city. Why not just transfer it to me
while I’m in the simulation? Like previous Saints games, if features a high
degree of customization. The extensive character creator lets you make your
character look like anything you want. It’s a lot of fun and I spent the first
30 minutes of my time with the game making my character. You can go to stores and
buy clothes that have custom colors you can choose from. Your guns are all
fully upgradeable and customizable. You can even make them look like weapons
from sci-fi movies like Star Wars, Aliens, Firefly, and Star Trek. Speaking of
which, the guns in the game are a lot of fun to use. My favorite being the
proudly featured Dubstep Gun in which you can lay a path of destruction and death
with dub dubs and wub wubs. The gunplay itself, however, is very shallow. There
is no cover system and not much of a dodge mechanic but you won’t really need
it when you can just speed or jump out of the way like Superman. </div>
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There are lots of side missions and activities scattered throughout
the game, most of which are fun. There is super racing, superhero fight club,
mayhem destruction missions, Dr. Ginki’s telekinesis challenge, and many more.
I’m sure everyone will find one to be their favorite. My least favorite was the
hacking which you have to do if you want to unlock all the stores in the city.
Speaking of the city, Saint’s fans might be a little disappointed in the fact
that they are basically just revisiting Steelport from the previous game again
instead of getting a new place to explore and I can see how that can be
disappointing. On the upside, the super powers make the way you explore and
move about the city differently. Sadly, Saints Row 4 is filled with many
glitches. While a lot of them are harmless to the overall gameplay, there are
some game breaking glitches that you may encounter. The most serious glitch I
encountered causes an infinite loading screen halfway through a mission. I
replayed the mission multiple times only to run into the same problem over and
over. I even went back to the store and got the disc swapped out to see if it
would make a difference. Nothing. Then I found out on a forum that you cannot
use explosive weapons at all at the start of the mission or else it will cause
that loading screen. This isn’t exclusive to one version of the game, it’s
across all consoles. Not cool. Another glitch caused this object I was supposed
to be guarding and moving to fall through the ground and disappear, leading me
to have to restart the mission. I noticed these types of glitches picked up
near the end of the game and I’ve heard about the game freezing on the last
couple missions though the PC version is supposed to have fewer glitches and
are more likely to see a patch sooner. </div>
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<b>GRAPHICS & SOUND:
</b>If the best graphics are important to you, you’ll definitely want to go
with the PC version of the game. I have the 360 version and it’s downright ugly
at times. Even after installing it, it still have pop-in textures from time to
time and other texture glitches like rippling walls, which I’ve never seen
before. TO BE FAIR, some of these texture glitches could be on purpose since
the majority of the game takes place inside a computer simulation and do
increase as the game progresses. In that case, some of the graphics glitches
work in the game’s favor as a kind of 4<sup>th</sup> wall joke. The character
models look good though and I was impressed with the level of emotion shown on
their faces, especially my character since she was a custom design. </div>
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The voice acting for SR4 is top notch and really brings the
characters to life. The President has 7 different voices to choose from
including Nolan North. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_David">Keith David</a> plays the role he was born to play as Keith
David. Natalie Lander does a great job as the Saint’s computer nerd Kinzie.
Danielle Nicolet does a good job as both young and older Shaundi. And there are
many more great voice actors on board with this game including Troy Baker who’s
just in every game this year it seems. The music is filled with licensed music
from multiple genres such as rock, hip-hop, dubstep, 80’s pop, 90’s grunge,
classical, and many more. All of which can be listened to from the in game radio
that has a playlist that can be edited to your liking. The game also has the
best use of Stan Bush’s <i>You Got the Touch
</i>since the 1986 Transformers movie. </div>
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Overall, Saints Row 4 is a crazy game that lives up to the
over the top nature that everyone has come to expect from the franchise. They
have painted themselves into a corner with this game however. I mean, how do
you top being a super hero and fighting aliens? The developers have said that
this will be the last iteration of Saints Row as we know it so whatever Saints
Row 5 will be called, it will most likely be a reboot of some kind. The game
does have its share of problems and some might not like its complete deviation
from crime/gangster gameplay but personally, that deviation is what made me
interested in this title in the first place. If you want a serious open-world
crime game, go with GTA5 which comes out in a couple weeks. Like I mentioned,
you’ll probably want to go with the PC version of the game if you want the best
graphics and performance, so feel free to give this review an 8/10 instead of a
7 if you’re going with the PC version. Thanks
for reading! I will not be covering Grand Theft Auto 5; however, my friend
Grant will so be on the lookout his review of that highly anticipated game.
Also look out for my overview of Dead Or Alive 5 Ultimate coming very soon.</div>
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<b>OVERALL: 7/10</b><br />
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<b>PROS:</b><br />
-Super powers are a lot of fun to use<br />
-Crazy and fun story with great characters<br />
-Good length with lots to explore and do<br />
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<b>CONS:</b><br />
-Many glitches including some game breaking infinite loading screens<br />
-Super powers do make some aspects of the game obsolete<br />
-Shallow gun play <br />
<br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfO70E5TZuhstq6Eb0oxhWc5F2yg9d6pqGWJYEcze0hTC9-9EBLza3Lwc5Fw6lWHc6PfWTsazPwb3TC6iBqTP2Y_GhmhkLkopSzhTY3677la6ZtQ1_s0FiMxa0Cve-Jyiw5G6dgp-jguT/s1600/Saints-Row-4-Gets-Impressive-Cover-Artwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfO70E5TZuhstq6Eb0oxhWc5F2yg9d6pqGWJYEcze0hTC9-9EBLza3Lwc5Fw6lWHc6PfWTsazPwb3TC6iBqTP2Y_GhmhkLkopSzhTY3677la6ZtQ1_s0FiMxa0Cve-Jyiw5G6dgp-jguT/s400/Saints-Row-4-Gets-Impressive-Cover-Artwork.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-15267296124380311902013-08-12T11:14:00.000-07:002013-08-12T11:14:30.983-07:00Megaman Unlimited Game Review<div class="MsoNormal">
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Megaman is one of my favorite video game franchises of all
time and is one of the games that got me into video games in general when I was
a kid. Over the past couple decades, there have been several spinoffs to the
franchise but few of them hold a candle to the original games. The original
series came back into the spot light a couple years ago when Capcom released
Megaman 9 for download on the three major consoles. It was a hit as it went
back to the old 8-bit style of gaming and brought lots of fresh new level
designs to the series along with lots of new features. Megaman 10 continued
this but sadly wasn’t nearly as good as MM9. Capcom has since canned ideas for
future Megaman games such as a Megaman MMO and Megaman Legends 3 much to the
disappointment of fans. But Megaman still makes cameos in games such as <a href="http://www.candidslice.com/project-x-zone-3ds-game-review/">ProjectX Zone</a> and the upcoming Super Smash Bros 4. Many die-hard fans have taken
things into their own hands by making ROM hacks and original Megaman games of their
own. The internet is filled with fan-made Megaman games. One that got a lot of
attention was Street Fighter X Megaman which was actually licensed by Capcom for
download in honor of the Megaman and Street Fighter 25<sup>th</sup> anniversary.
I even did a review for it but I have found a fan-made title that far surpasses
SSXMM. Enter Megaman Unlimited: a completely original title from the team at
megaphilx.com. This game is what Megaman 10 should have been, is one of the
best Megaman games I’ve played since Megaman 3, and is a title that deserved to
get noticed. <br />
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<b>STORY & GAMEPLAY: </b>After a couple
years of peace, some robots made by Dr. Wily suddenly attack the city. Dr. Wily
is confronted by Dr. Light and Megaman but he claims that this is not his doing
and asks to aid Light in finding out what is causing them to run amuck, because
nothing can go wrong with trusting your oldest enemy. While trying to figure
out what is going on, Dr. Wily is suddenly kidnapped. Can Megaman to save Dr.
Wily from a mysterious enemy?<br />
<br />
Yeah… Megaman games have never really been known for excelling at story. If you’ve
ever played a Megaman game before, you pretty much know what’s coming and won’t
really be surprised by the plot. The only real surprise might be the last boss
but I’ll get to that later. The story is average as far as Megaman games but on
par with MM9 and 10. However, if you’re playing classic style Megaman games for
the story, you’re doing it wrong. The gameplay is and has always been the heart
of these games and what makes them great. This is where Unlimited rocks.</div>
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First it should be noted that the all the levels, enemies,
and music is original. There a couple returning enemies from the original games
in this but they all have nice new twists. The game is in the classic 8-bit
style and plays much like NES titles did. The game controls like Megaman 3 as
in there is no charge shot but you can slide. Also I highly recommend playing
this game with an actual controller. Playing with the keyboard is an option but
games like this require precise and quick reflexes that a keyboard just can’t
give you. The controls are tight and easy to master. Any MM veteran will feel
right at home. The one controller issue I have is how sliding his handled.
Traditionally, you press down and the jump button to slide, however, on
occasion I found myself jumping inside of sliding when I pressed this
combination. This can lead to some sticky situations. There is the option to
dedicate a button solely to sliding but I prefer the old fashioned way. </div>
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The level designs and robot masters are awesome. The levels
are well designed, challenging, and a lot of fun to play through. They all have
their own gimmicks and themes that make each stage feel unique such as the glue
floors on Glue Man’s stage or the space station setting of Comet Woman’s stage.
Some of the levels are longer than seen in previous NES titles as this game is
not bound by a cartridge. This did cause
some problems with stage check points being stretched too far, making dying
late in the stage very punishing considering how far back you’d have to restart
but with the newest version of the game, that has been fixed for the most part.
There are four letters that are hidden in four of the robot master’s stages
that spell out YOKU. When you collect all four, you unlock the ninth robot
master: Yoku Man! If you’re a fan of the disappearing block gimmick present in
most Megaman titles then you’ll just LOVE this stage (obvious sarcasm). The
very last boss might be disappointing to some as it’s not a true boss fight. I
won’t spoil who it is but I’ll just say that you can’t win. </div>
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The game features a save system instead of passwords making
it easy to pick up where you left off and you will be needing to save often.
However, the only way to save during the fortress stages is to run out of
lives. It would be nice to be able to save after completing a level rather than
having to die. Megaman Unlimited is a very challenging game and is definitely made
with Megaman veterans in mind. If you’re a causal gamer or have never played a
Megaman game before, you’re in for some frustration. The game does have an easy
mode for those who find the original game too difficult. It helps a lot to
those who might be new to old school platformers. It does make some parts maybe
a little too easy but still retains a good amount of challenge over all. For
those who are true masochists, there is the insta-death mode where one hit will
kill you! Yeah, no thanks. While this can be a very difficult game, it is also
learnable. The old school way of try and try again method is present in this
game and I’m glad. </div>
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<b>GRAPHICS & SOUND:
</b>Unlimited is presented with classic 8-bit graphics like the NES titles and
it looks great. The levels are all beautifully colored and have fully animated
backgrounds. I really like the neon lights of the runway and city of Jet Man’s
stage and the flashing colors of Rainbow Man’s stage. The robot master’s
themselves look awesome as well, with the exception of Glue Man who is kind of
plan looking. Most of the enemies are of original design and are nicely
detailed and creative. <br />
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The music is just amazing. Megaman games have been well known for having
amazing soundtracks, even back in the 8-bit days, and Unlimited is no
exception. The MegaPhilX team did a great job in making catchy and remember-able
tunes for this game. I really liked Trinitro Man and Jet Man’s themes. I think
I will be downloading the soundtrack actually. I’d love to hear some covers and
remixes of these songs in the near future.<br />
<br />
Overall, Megaman Unlimited is probably the best fan made Megaman game I have
ever played. It stands tall with the original Capcom games. I would love to see
Capcom look into this title and maybe look into making it downloadable for
consoles. Doubt it would happen but a neat idea. Oh by the way, the game is completely
free. Its degree of difficulty makes it hard to recommend for gamers who are inexperienced
at old school games but this is a must play for hardcore Megaman fans. Thanks
for reading and feel free to check out <a href="http://megaphilx.com/">MegaPhilX.com</a> to download the game. Feel
free to donate a little money their way for the hard work they put into this
title. They deserve it.<br />
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<b>OVERALL: 9/10<br />
<br />
PROS:<br />
</b>-Great original level design, bosses, and enemies<br />
-Excellent gameplay, graphics, and music<br />
-FREE<br />
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<b>CONS:<br />
</b>-Being able to save after completing Wily levels would be nice <br />
-Sliding messes up from time to time<br />
-Difficulty doesn’t make this for everyone<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-50439981255481047242013-08-01T08:46:00.002-07:002013-08-01T08:46:32.542-07:00Top 10 Alien Invaders in Video Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg145kOZsdrbiYkRp72raW0VwQ8Kk1JgwK4AEUxZyPBCk_4Yk1oQijxb6B2G4V_49vPR-uq0MdhDAiSmYv0LZJxEfWS1H-e7FujVNw3b41RIkwrIvNvyPAaoW5m0ah_Dh5faSsqEVwiKSrU/s1600/alien-invasion-770x519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg145kOZsdrbiYkRp72raW0VwQ8Kk1JgwK4AEUxZyPBCk_4Yk1oQijxb6B2G4V_49vPR-uq0MdhDAiSmYv0LZJxEfWS1H-e7FujVNw3b41RIkwrIvNvyPAaoW5m0ah_Dh5faSsqEVwiKSrU/s400/alien-invasion-770x519.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.candidslice.com/top-10-alien-invaders-in-video-games/">Check out my picks for the top 10 alien invaders in video games!</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-3143100464703869172013-07-21T11:11:00.000-07:002013-07-21T11:11:08.239-07:00Catherine Game Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every summer during down times between first quarter
releases and holiday releases, I tend to find myself catching up on older games
and I also tend to have a theme for the summer. One year it was zombie games,
another year it was survival horror games, last year it was PS1 games. This
year the theme seems to be very Japanesey games. I guess it sort of started
with Project X Zone and now I find myself catching up on a game that caught my
eye in 2011 but I just never got around to playing until now. That game would
be Catherine. I can honestly say that I have never played a game quite like
this before. The closest things I can think of that it reminds me of are
Cubert, Nightmare on Elm Street, and an episode of the Twilight Zone. That’s a
crazy combination right there. Having played this, I’m kind of regretting not
getting to it sooner as it has a surprisingly damn good and relatable story. So
let’s jump into the nightmarish world of Catherine. </div>
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<b>STORY: </b> You play as Vincent Brooks, a 32-year old, neurotic
computer programmer. He has started to have strange nightmares in which he is
forced to climb a tower with herds of sheep. The nightmare leaves him very
drained during the day in which he finds himself having some issues with his
long time girlfriend Katherine, staying out late drinking with his friends, and
hears bizarre rumors about young men being found dead in their sleep. After another
night of heavy drinking and more nightmares, Vincent wakes up to discover
another girl in bed with him. It would appear he is cheating on his girlfriend
with a young and sexy woman named Catherine. But many things do not add up as
he has no memory of going home with her or anything else. Racked with guilt,
Vincent learns that all the men that have been dying had similar nightmares
before their deaths and were all cheating. As Vincent’s nightmares continue, this
mysterious girl won’t leave him alone and continues to tempt him. But there is more
something going on here than men being unable to stay loyal to their partners, something
supernatural. </div>
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Catherine has a surprisingly good story going for it and one
I’ve never seen done in a video game. It has a surprising mix of comedy, drama,
horror, and suspense along with several plot twists along the way. The story
was a lot more than I expected it to be. It is also surprisingly relatable to
anyone who has ever found themselves in a troubled relationship and also has
quite a bit of commentary on relationships and life in general; making many
aspects of the game feel very smart. The cast of characters is what makes it
work. Vincent, despite appearing to be a cheating asshole, is actually a very sympathetic
character as his world comes spiraling out of control and struggles to come to
terms with his inner demons. Katherine and Catherine are both well portrayed as
representing a stable life or a more carefree and exciting life. Vincent’s
friends and acquaintances are interesting and feel like people you might know
in real life, making them slightly stereotypical but enjoyable none the less. Catherine is around 14 hours for the main story
mode, making it a bit longer than I expected. However, it does have 8 different
endings depending on the choices you make during the game giving it a lot of
replay value if you enjoyed the story. </div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>This is where things get dicey for
Catherine while, at the same time, being the most unique part of the game. The
meat of the gameplay happens during the nightmare sections where Vincent must
climb walls of blocks to make it to the top of each section before the blocks
fall away and he falls to his death. These are logic puzzles in which you must
figure out the best way to arrange the blocks in the quickest and most efficient
way possible before time runs out. This game has become notorious for its level
of difficulty. Even Japanese gamers were complaining about how hard this game
is and this led Atlus release a patch that added a Very Easy mode. Right off
the bat, the game throws you off the deep end with the first level, not really
telling you any techniques or methods for climbing the blocks. I think I died
about 5 times during the first level alone. It can be extremely unforgiving
considering that it is very possible find yourself in situations that leave you
stuck with no way to complete the stage and be forced to kill yourself. It is
even possible to cause the goal of the level to fall into the void, leaving you
screwed. The easiest setting has an undo button for your previous move but even
then, sometimes the best thing to do is just die and start over. But keep in
mind, there are limited continues. There
are items to pick up during levels that are helpful but they are rare so used
them only when you absolutely need to. </div>
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While the tower levels are very difficult, they are also
very learnable. After 2 or 3 levels, you should be able to get the hang of many
basic aspects to the game. Most levels can be completely in one or two ways and
once you master those, you can beat it without a problem each time. But as the
game gets more difficult, you will find some puzzles that you will find
yourself dying over and over again on and must also contend with various trap
blocks. Breaking up the stages are
platform areas where after each climb you can save your game and talk to others
who are going through these nightmares as well. You can help them out some by
giving them confidence to keep climbing and/or share climbing techniques with
others. Before moving onto the next level, Vincent must answer a question in a confessional
from a mysterious man. The questions are about relationships and how one leads
their life. These questions, along with other decisions, will impact the game’s
story. At the end of each of the night’s nightmares is a boss level. This is
where I expect controllers to be thrown. Vincent will be faced with some
horrific nightmare beast in which he must climb the tower of blocks while
dodging attacks from these monsters. You will need to be able to think fast and
solve these puzzles as quickly as possible as some of the attacks the monsters
launch are instant death. I found the 5<sup>th</sup> level boss to the absolute
hardest boss in the game. </div>
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It’s during these boss levels where I found some issues with
the controls. They can be really finicky if you’re trying to move too quickly.
I found Vincent making some moves I didn’t mean for him to or hanging off
something I didn’t want him to or falling off something unexpectedly. On most
of the normal levels, you have time to think carefully about your next move and
execute it calmly but during the boss battles, your brain has to work faster
and the controls can’t always keep up. Also the camera becomes an issue at
times. It’s possible for Vincent to hang and shimmy around blocks and go behind
the wall of blocks, however, you cannot fully turn the camera around the wall to
see Vincent, and so if you manage to get behind the wall, you will be blind.
This is also one of those games where the direction controls reverse depending
on where the camera is (which I hate) and when Vincent is hanging off the back
of a block. This can lead to some frustration especially during boss battles. Despite
the extreme difficulties of these levels, it is impossible to deny to
triumphant feel you get when you complete these levels.</div>
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Outside of the nightmare levels, the only other place of
gameplay is the bar that Vincent and his friends visit nightly. Things are much
more relaxed here. You can walk around, talk with people, drink, listen to
music, and even play an arcade game where you can improve your skills and it
might even hold some other secrets. Vincent can also use his cell phone to receive
and send texts and save the game. Catherine might even send him some <a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/s720x720/988634_10151848984390802_294236604_n.jpg">naughtypictures</a> he can view in the bathroom…….. heeeeeeeh… Anyway, it is important to
drink and talk to the people at the bar as they will help shed clues as to what
is going on as well as have some impact on the outcome of the story. These
segments are surprisingly good at creating a sense of dread and suspense knowing
that when you leave, you’ll be faced with a new and more challenging nightmare.
The game does also have a co-op mode outside of the main game though I haven’t
had a chance to play it but it seems like it would be a lot of fun. This mode
is only unlocked after beating the game though. </div>
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<b>GRAPHICS AND SOUND: </b>Visually this
game is dripping style with the sort of falling dream serving as a motif. The
2D animated cut scenes are done by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_4%C2%B0C" title="Studio 4°C"><span style="background: white; color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Studio 4°C</span></a> who is known for
animated movies and TV shows such as Steamboy, First Squad, The Animatrix,
Batman: Gotham Knight, and the ThunderCats reboot to name a few. They are very
well done and could have made for an anime spin off or short if they wanted.
The rest of the cut scenes are in game rendered and have a cell shaded look to
them. It fits perfectly along with the 2D cut scenes. The character models are
a little bit hit and miss. Vincent is very well animated both in 3D and 2D and
looks like a scruffy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Spiegel">Spike Spiegel</a>. His facial expressions are hilarious. A lot
of work went into Catherine as well but other characters end up looking like
dolls while others you never exactly get a good look at. The nightmare monsters
look terrifyingly awesome though. </div>
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Catherine has an interesting soundtrack. Outside of the
nightmare world, it’s very smooth and relaxing light jazz type music and some
tracks from another Atlus game (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_4">Persona 4</a>) snuck in. You can switch the songs
at the jukebox in the bar. During the nightmare levels, we are treated to some
remixed classical music such as Symphony No. 5 in C Minor by Beethoven, William
Tell Overture Part 2 ‘The Storm’ by Gioachino Rossini, Revoulutionary Etude by
Frederic Chopin, and many more. It makes for an interesting contrast between
the real world and the action on the screen.
The game has very good voice acting and has some of the best voice
actors in the business. Troy Baker, who just keeps appearing in games I’ve been
playing recently (Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us, Samurai Heroes), plays
Vincent perfectly. Catherine is played
by Laura Bailey, making her sound cute, seductive, and even creepy at times.
Michelle Ruff plays the other Katherine and does a good job of making her be a
mature and intelligent woman, the stable life that Vincent should be going for.
Several other notable voice actors make up the cast and I’m sure if you watch a
lot of anime, you’ll probably recognize some voices. One problem I did have with
the dialogue was the audio level. The voices just seemed too quiet at times and
there was no way to adjust the voice volume in the options. Maybe it’s just my
copy of the game or sound system? I’m not sure. Also, the lip synch wasn’t
always the best during the 3D rendered cut scenes but dubbing computer animated
lip flaps is harder than traditionally animated lip flaps so I give it pass. <br />
<br />
Overall, Catherine is a very unique game with a very good story and lots of
replay value that is something I will honestly recommend to most people. It can
be very difficult though so if you’re not a fan of games that are frustratingly
hard, then you might want to stay away to keep your blood pressure down. If you
enjoy a good challenge and have not played this, then this is your new summit
to climb. Since it’s been out for a couple years now, you can easily find it
for $11-15 or maybe even less online. Thanks for reading! Look for my next
write up where I take a look at two classic licensed games based on the Ghost
in the Shell franchise. Also if you have any suggestions for any Japanese games
I should look into this summer, let me know. </div>
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<b>OVERALL: </b>8/10</div>
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<b>PROS:<br />
</b>-Great story with lots of replay<br />
-Unique puzzle solving gameplay<br />
-Very stylistic and excellent voice work<br />
<br />
<b>CONS:<br />
</b>-Very challenging gameplay<br />
-Controls can be finicky<br />
-Adjustable audio would have been nice <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-27819429419437556392013-07-13T12:34:00.001-07:002013-07-13T12:34:21.765-07:00Project X Zone (3DS) Game Review<div class="MsoNormal">
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Project X Zone is a notable title because it is possibly one
of the biggest game crossovers ever. It was a collaboration between Bandai
Namco, Capcom, and Sega. I only just found about this game last week while looking
around on the 3DS virtual store. I saw Megaman X on the cover and immediately checked
it out and downloaded the demo. When I asked people about it, they had either
never heard of it or thought it was a fighting game since they are the most
common crossover titles. Once I started playing the demo I quickly learned this
was not a fighting game but rather a tactical strategy RPG. While RPGs have
been big in the US for over the past decade, Japanese strategy RPGs have not
really been that big. Which is why it is rather surprising that this game saw
an international release at all. After the playing the demo, I was hooked and
went out to Gamestop and picked up a copy and was able to get the limited
edition, which came with an art book, mini-poster, and soundtrack. Playing
through the actual game has been full of ups and downs for me and sadly, it
ends with a down. This has been an odd experience as many things that I usually
find to be positives in games these days are negatives in this game. But it’s
not all bad. Let’s take a closer look.</div>
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<b>STORY: </b>Mii
Koryuji, a fiery young girl of the Koryuji clan in Japan, has hired the help of
the suave detective Kogoro Tenzai to help investigate the disappearance of a
mysterious rock known as the Portal Stone that has been guarded by her family
for ages. They are unable to find anything till some strange creatures appear
in their garden. They battle them off only to have a portal from in the garden’s
fountain and send them into another time and place. Similar portals start
opening up in other worlds, dimensions, and time periods sucking some of our
favorite game characters head long into meeting each other. As they gradually
team up and try to discover why this is happening, they learn many of their
arch villains have a hand in this escalating mystery. <br />
<br />
From there, the story is like trying to explain quantum physics in 30 seconds…
in fact; some of it is quantum physics. As in any crossover story, it has a
crazy plot in order to get all of these characters together but that is the
main attraction to this game. It is a who’s who from the Namco, Capcom, Sega
universes. You’ll play as and see characters from Street Fighter, Tekken,
Darkstalkers, Dead Rising, God Eater, Endless Frontier, Sakura Wars, Resonance
of Fate, .Hack, Devil May Cry, Xenosaga, Megaman X, Virtua Fighter, Resident
Evil, Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Vesperia, and many more plus cameos and
references to other characters and franchises. Sadly, it’s only humanoid characters that make
the cut. No Sonic the Hedgehog or Pac-Man, though it is disappointing to not
see Bayonetta in the lineup since she’s technically under the Sega label. <br />
<br />
The majority of the story is given through conversations between the characters
as they go from world to world trying to figure out what is going on. What’s
great about the story is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously all the
time. In fact, many of the characters point out just how ridiculous this plot
is. There are a lot of tongue-in-cheek in jokes that fans of these game series
will probably grab and find hilarious. One example is Chris Redfield making a
joke out of the infamous ‘Jill Sandwich’ line from the Resident Evil remake, to
which Jill replies with ‘Oh, cram it!’ There is another line that makes
reference to Rainbow Road from Mario Kart. In another line, Ken from Street
Fighter sarcastically points out that Seth from S.I.N. is trust worthy and ‘not
RIDICULOUSLY OBVIOUSLY <a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/03b21c38a9d42dad968079f8df9c2e43/tumblr_mpuwia7oen1qh1wy9o1_500.jpg">EVIL</a> or anything.’ The dialogue is surprisingly witty
and well translated. By the way, I hope you enjoy reading because you’ll be
doing a lot of it in this game. Don’t think that the game’s self-referential
humor is the only good thing about the story. There are some surprisingly epic
parts and powerful moments in the game. <br />
<br />
That said, we come to one of the game’s biggest faults: this is a very long
game, a little TOO long. This is odd since I usually complain about games these
days being too short. Project X Zone has over 40 chapters and from start to
finish it rubs between 55 to over 60 hours. Maybe I’m just too conditioned to
the average 6 to 10 hour length you see in most games these days? But this game’s
length does lead to two big problems: First problem is that many of these
chapters really just feel like filler and takes forever for anything of true significance
to happen. They seriously could have cut some of these chapters out of the game
and it wouldn’t have affected the story at all. More than once I thought I was
nearing the end of the game when it turned out I was far from it and it just
kept going. Each chapter lasts from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending how the
battles play out. By the way, if you’re expecting to see X and Zero, you’ll
have to wait till about 20 hours into the game before seeing them. The other
big problem with the game’s length I will cover in gameplay.</div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>The gameplay of Project X
Zone starts out stupid easy but as the difficulty ramps up it becomes very strategic
and addicting. The actually gameplay can be broken up into two sections: board
movement and combat. You move your teams around the board like a grid. Each
team has different walking ranges and attack ranges. To engage enemies you
simply walk up to them and attack, however, it is smart to try and position
yourself with another nearby team so they can help in the fight. Some boards
have items and breakable objects around that you can collect but that’s the
extent of exploration in this game. Remember, this is a tactical RPG, not an
adventure RPG. On the board overview you can pull up items which will be your
life blood in this game, view enemy stats and your own, whoever’s team you have
selected set of skills, and quick save. Be aware that this game does not have
autosave. You can save between chapters and quick save whenever it is your
turn. If you’re the cautious type of player, you’ll probably be saving each
turn you get. But if you’re careless this can lead to a sudden game over and
there are no continues. Whatever your last save point was, that is where you’ll
pick back up. You have set requirements for winning and failing during each
chapter. This usually requires defeating all the enemies or a boss but
sometimes requires you to complete a certain task before a certain number turn
is reached. The requirements for failure are something you should pay attention
to as sometimes it will require you to keep a certain team alive. If they die,
it’s game over so keep that in mind. </div>
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Combat can be both really simple and very strategic. When
you enter the fight screen you have a limited amount of times you can strike
your enemy. This is represented by a red segmented bar under the blue XP power gauge.
It starts at 2 but eventually becomes 6 segments as you level up. The attacks
are listed on the bottom screen and preformed with simple combinations of the A
button and D pad plus Y being your ultimate attack move which is a necessity
for taking out bosses. You use your XP gauge for ultimate attacks, special
skills on the overview screen, and how to handle attacking enemies on the over
screen. You can fill it up from fighting or by using special items. Each team
gets a solo member who can be called in with the L button and if you’re
positioned near another team, you can call them in as support with the R button.
The key is to maximize the amount of damage to an enemy by the end of a turn.
This does require timing as enemies will bounce and fly around as you beat the
crap out of them and this can lead to misses if you’re not timing your attacks
well. And that’s about it for the gameplay. Like I said, it starts out very
easy and repetitive but as the difficulty increases; it becomes much more strategic,
addicting, and fun. Pulling off these coordinated attacks becomes extremely
satisfying. </div>
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However, this is where the game’s length becomes a boon to
the gameplay. There just isn’t enough variation in the gameplay to warrant such
a long game length. If there was actual exploring to be done in this game, it
would be a different story but there isn’t. You also find yourself fighting the
same bosses and enemies over and over and over again. The boss fights are not
easy either. They will require you to attack with multiple teams, multiple
times using their ultimate attack powers. It gets annoying having the face the
same bad guy repeatedly even after you ‘officially’ killed them. The challenge
is balanced well throughout the game up until the last boss when things become
insanely and almost unfairly hard as he can take out multiple teams with one
hit and throws every boss in the game at you at the same time. Have mercy,
Japan! It feels like a grind making it to the end and like I said, it really
didn’t need to be this long or have all these chapters. The cartridge space
could have been better used for unlockables and/or a multiplayer type mode
which is something I never thought I’d say. There is zero content outside of the
main game and it is sorely missing extra content and hurt by a gameplay time
that over stays it’s welcome.</div>
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<b>GRAPHICS AND SOUND: </b>For
those who grew up during the 16-bit age, you will probably find the sprites used
in the game to be awesome. They are animated very well, especially when
attacking which leads to a flurry of action on the screen with lots of flashes
of light and explosions in an anime style like assault on your enemies. The
ultimate attack animations are a lot of fun to watch as your characters unleash
punishing and well animated attacks on your foes. The enemies are also nicely
designed though are less animated. Many of them come from various games from
the franchises featured in this game. The opening cut scene appears to have
been animated by Gainax and has a very Gurren Lagann feel to it. The cell drawn stills of characters that
appear during dialogue scenes are very well drawn and give the characters lots
of personality with different stills for different emotions. However, I will
point out that this is a lot fan service in this game with many of the female
characters showing off cleavage or their butts in some way in these stills.
Granted, many of them were already full of fan service with the way they dress
in the games they come from but the artists went out of the way to get boob and
ass shots for some of these girls. <a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/af7ab217e3fa1b69849acc9e9310348c/tumblr_mp4xz6waTS1qhrdn6o1_500.jpg">Stay classy, Japan. </a></div>
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The music in the game is just awesome. It has a lot of
covers of themes from various games featured as well as some great original
music that makes this game feel like an RPG classic from the SNES days and
gives it a lot of charm. The Devil May Cry, Street Fighter, and Megaman X tunes
always get me pumped for battle but the song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Gk4h7DoOE">Stairs of Time</a> from .Hack takes
the cake for best song on the soundtrack. It is absolutely gorgeous. All of the
voicing in the game is in Japanese which leads me to think that releasing this
game to an international market was an 11<sup>th</sup> hour decision and there
was no time to find English voice actors which is fine. The Japanese voice
actors do a good job and I only assume they have their respective talents
reprising their roles. </div>
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Overall, Project X Zone is an interesting game with some big
flaws that some might be easier for some to over look while others might get easily
get bored with in within a few hours. For me, the game does a have a lot of
charm to it and some might find the charm as well, especially if they are big
fans of the franchises featured in this game and are fans of old school J-RPGs.
If it wasn’t for the game’s extremely long length and lack of any real game variation,
it would be getting a much higher score from me. If you’re curious about this
game, I highly recommend playing the demos on the 3DS shop and if you still
like it, go for it. I don’t recommend paying full price for this though. I got
it for $17 but that was after a few trade ins. Thanks for reading! Look out for
my upcoming summer review of Catherine. Also, unless I find it for a super low
price or someone donates it to me; I will not be reviewing Deadpool. You’ll
have to look elsewhere for a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yaePaai410">Deadpool</a> review. </div>
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<b>OVERALL: 5.5/10<br />
<br />
PROS:<br />
</b>-Strategic and addictive gameplay<br />
-Beautiful art and soundtrack<br />
-Really cool seeing all these characters together<br />
<br />
<b>CONS:<br />
</b>-Lacks gameplay variation to support the game’s length<br />
-Sorely missing a multiplayer or extra content<br />
-Last boss is almost unfairly hard </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-18119976048913341582013-06-20T13:45:00.003-07:002013-06-20T13:45:48.632-07:00The Last of Us Game Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Last of Us has been a highly anticipated game since last
year’s E3 and is made by the studio Naughty Dog which is best known for the
Uncharted series, Jak and Daxter, and Crash Bandicoot. Prior to release of The
Last of Us, it received over 30 perfect 10/10 scores from various reviewers.
Now I’m one not to buy into the hype until I get my hands on the actual game or
movie and I hope that is part of the reason why you read my reviews. Also the
zombie apocalypse setting also hurt my interest in the game prior to playing
it. I’m rather tired of the zombie genre and I have a feeling World War Z will
be the nail in the coffin for the undead genre, for awhile at least. However, after actually playing The Last of
Us, I learned it was about far more than just fighting zombies. This is one of
the most emotionally strong and well acted games I have ever played as well as
one of the best survival horror games I have played in a long time. Many do not
consider it a survival horror but I do as survival is a big part of the game
and it does a good job of building suspense and it got a few good scares out of
me. Let’s take a closer look at this odyssey of a zombie game.</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<b>STORY: </b>It’s been
20 years since a pandemic spread by spores of a cordyceps-like infection that
alters humans into cannibalistic zombie like creatures spread across the world
(based on <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Ophiocordyceps unilateralis</span>.
It’s a real thing. Look it up. I give them points for something a little more
original than some zombie making virus). Humanity has been ravaged by the infection and
most survivors reside in Quarantine Zones controlled by what has become a very
oppressive US government. You play as Joel, a man who has had a really hard
life since the outbreak began. He and his partner Tess routinely run smuggling
operations out of the quarantine zone for various reasons. They end up taking a
job from a resistance group known as the Fireflies. Their job to take a 14
year-old girl named Ellie to a group of Fireflies in center of Boston. As they
set out, they learn things will be nowhere near as easy as they had first thought
and end up on a long trail across the country dealing with infected and humans alike
in the hopes of finding reason and hope for the last of humanity.</div>
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The first ten minutes
of this game may go down as one of the most powerful and emotional openings to
a game ever. It has brought many people to tears. The downside is that it slows
down significantly after that and goes into the usual tutorial mode that you
see integrated into the start of most games. This does not affect the flow of the
story however. The game is very well paced and is rather long at around 15+
hours, I think. I didn’t keep track but it was a lot longer than I expected. At
the heart of the story is the forming bond between Joel and Ellie and this game
is an emotional roller coaster. The interaction between Joel and Ellie is
interesting and watching develop is done in a very realistic and believable
way. This game is a benchmark in acting and character development in video
games. The most interesting conversations mainly deal with the generational gap
between the two characters; Joel remembering life before the pandemic and Ellie
has never lived outside a quarantine zone. Joel, Ellie, and pretty much every
other character in the game truly feels like a real person. Sadly, it never
really tops the emotional punch in the face that the first 10 minutes of the
game is. Especially, the ending which I felt was rather anti-climatic and didn’t
really care for the note it left on BUT that isn’t to say the ending is bad. It’s
no let down of an ending like Mass Effect 3 but it doesn’t come close to
touching those first 10 minutes. That’s all up to opinion though. The emotional
drama is not just felt in the cut scenes but also in the game play as well.<br />
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>The core of The Last of Us generally acts
like a third person shooter with stealth playing a big role. The game expects
you to use stealth as much as possible because you will not be able to Rambo
your way out of most situations like in most survival games these days. This is
not an easy game and you will most likely find yourself dying in certain parts
over and over again so be warned. The game gives you very limited ammo for all
of your weapons. You must approach a situation and figure out the best way to
get through or around it and it all depends on who or what you are dealing
with. The tension that can get built from sneaking around a group of infected
can be bought and sold whole sale. It leads to some very intense situations
especially when dealing with the Clicker type zombies who can kill you as soon
as they get a hold of you. When I say this game is scary, I don’t mean in the
jump scares that you sadly see relied on in most horror movies and games these
days. It builds it up to the point where you are afraid to make the wrong move.
The infected are not the only enemies you’ll be dealing with. Humans are just a
big a threat as zombies. The heart lands of America are filled with ruthless
nomads who will do anything to survive and it’s them or you. You will often
find yourself in fire fights with them but since you have very limited ammo,
you better make each shot count. This game really makes it sting when you miss
a shot. Dealing with humans can be just as scary as dealing with zombies.</div>
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You also have melee weapons and homemade explosives at your
disposal as well as beer bottles or bricks laying around that you can use to
cause a distraction or beat someone with at close range. Melee weapons range
from 2x4s and lead pipes to axes and machetes. You can only use them a limited amount
of times before they break but you can also upgrade them using scissors and
tape you find laying around to salvage. That goes for med kits, shivs, and
other stuff in your arsenal. Always be on the lookout for things you can use.
You will find all kinds of ways to defend yourself other than just with guns. And
sometimes it’s better to just run. </div>
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However, the biggest problem in the game comes from the
friendly AI. During this game’s development, it was mentioned that this game
would have unparallel AI design. In the gameplay footage shown at E3, it looked
like Ellie was being controlled by another person instead of by the computer
but it was indeed the game’s AI. Well, it would seem something must have
happened because the AI can be just plain dumb during some stealth segments.
Many times they would just wonder out where enemies could see them or the enemy
AI would literally walk right up on them and would act like nothing is there.
Till they saw me, that is. My guess is that their hopes to have very
intelligent AI wasn’t working and they were running out of time so they just
made the friendly AI immune to getting spotted by the enemy. The enemy is
designed to only react to when spotting the human player. This is how most AI
works in most games but here it becomes extremely obvious, especially with how
the rest of the game is made to be painstakingly realistic. It takes you out of
the game when you see these hick ups with the AI happen. Also occasionally
Ellie would get in my way on a narrow path and block my way. She’d move but not
enough so I’d have to fight to get around her. However, this only happened a
couple times. The enemy AI when you’re fighting them, on the other hand, is
very smart and will find ways to flank and ambush you. This is when you need to
make go use of the listening mode. </div>
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There are a couple minor graphical glitches like textures or
parts of the world disappearing for a second but these were very minor and
rare. One big glitch I did find was if you climbed into the window that is
partly open from inside the restaurant during Winter, it will cause you to fall
through the world and die. So, don’t do that. The game also has fairly long
load times when you are first starting up and loading a game. However, the lack
of load times in game makes up for it, I guess</div>
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<b>GRAPHICS AND SOUND: </b>The Last of Us is easily one of the most
photorealistic games I have ever played and takes full advantage of the PS3’s
hardware. The environments are just spectacular to look at and a lot of effort
was put in to the locations that the game takes place in. The strangely beautiful
ruins of American cities and towns and the wilderness, The Last of Us is just
pure eye candy in showing what life would be like after humanity falls. The
motion capture is also some of the best I’ve ever seen and a big part of the
emotional drive for this game especially when it comes to facial expressions.
It looks like you’re watching real people on screen, not video game characters.
This is not just in cut scenes, but in game as well. The characters move and
act like real people as you play as them. This feels like a next gen-game in
terms of graphics.</div>
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Troy Baker might possibly be one of the best voice actors
currently out there and he does an amazing performance as Joel. Troy also
recently played Booker DeWitt in Bioshock Infinite but here we actually see him
acting, not just voice acting. His Texas accent is just perfect. Of course,
Troy is originally from Texas so it makes sense. Ashley Johnson plays Ellie
does a superb job playing a teen age girl coping with the situation she is in.
She’s funny sometimes and a very tragic character at times as well. As I
mentioned before, the characters are what brings this game’s story to life and
the acting in it is academy award worthy. </div>
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Overall, The Last of Us is a must have game if you like
anything related to zombies, The Walking Dead, or anything else that is post-apocalyptic.
Sadly, this is a PS3 exclusive which I did not realize till after getting picking
it up. It’s been a long time since I’ve played an exclusive title for the PS3.
This game is a reason to get a PS3 or at least barrow one from a friend. It is
a very challenging game but don’t let that scare you. This is a very strong
contender for my game of the year list. It would get a 10/10 from me if it
weren’t for the less than impressive AI (Elizabeth from Bioshock is still the
best AI I’ve seen) and the rather ‘meh’ ending. Never the less, this is a must
play game for this year and I urge anyone to check out. Thanks for reading! My
next game review may be the Deadpool game but I’m not sure when I’ll get around
to actually covering it. Also be on the lookout for some SNES and other classic
game over views I’ll be working on this summer.</div>
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<b>OVERALL: 9.5/10<br />
<br />
PROS:<br />
</b>-Strong, emotional story, especially the opening<br />
-Great stealth and survival gameplay<br />
-Beautiful visuals and motion capturing<br />
<br />
<b>CONS:<br />
</b>-Dumb AI during stealth<br />
-Long load times at start up<br />
-Ending is might be a letdown for some <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-59091366767357816952013-06-19T14:32:00.001-07:002013-06-19T14:32:25.059-07:00Xbox One Rant UPDATE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE67Zers_3VwnEQmA4hoeWVYlHW8HWAM0_NXFQiEHH4h7OQpuP4q8aUysb9wfKqV54puUcHENotB2ghQjuUyuIbT17lEuk52BT4_KzgENVzGUbfYmQs3rXC6NY9sb7lmgFTJhlJNgI4Uv/s1600/1014581_10151518981016633_529170728_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE67Zers_3VwnEQmA4hoeWVYlHW8HWAM0_NXFQiEHH4h7OQpuP4q8aUysb9wfKqV54puUcHENotB2ghQjuUyuIbT17lEuk52BT4_KzgENVzGUbfYmQs3rXC6NY9sb7lmgFTJhlJNgI4Uv/s400/1014581_10151518981016633_529170728_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Massive update:</b> Microsoft
has reversed almost all features and policies on the Xbox One. The two big
points that I talked about in my previous Xbox One Rant, required internet
connect and used games policies, have been done away with. The following
changes have been made (info via <a href="http://kotaku.com/microsoft-is-removing-xbox-one-drm-514390310">Kotaku</a>):</div>
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<b>-No more always online requirement</b><b><br />
-The console no longer has to check in
every 24 hours<br />
-All game discs will work on Xbox One
as they do on Xbox 360<br />
-Authentication is no longer necessary<br />
-An Internet connection is only
required when initially setting up the console<br />
-All downloaded games will function
the same when online or offline<br />
-No additional restrictions on trading
games or loaning discs<br />
-Region locks have been dropped<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This is of
course following over a month of backlash and criticism from gamers and others
in the game industry. It’s unclear what will happen to digital sharing and
family sharing plan that was originally set up for the Xbox One. What I do know
is that these changes make me much more likely to check out this system in the
future. Am I running out to buy one the day of release? No. But I’m not running
out to get a PS4 either. I’d like to see
this as a victory for gamers and that the voice of the gamer can matter even to
big money hungry companies. Too early to say what truly influenced Microsoft’s
decisions but it’s a step in the right direction. However, now we can’t make internet memes
making fun of Xbox One for obvious things anymore. <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-48769706913855973752013-06-16T11:37:00.004-07:002013-06-16T11:37:56.469-07:00Remember Me Game Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKRP9SN3pv2Ehv3WFsunx-3qFb37gx9JZHvzeSaENa2Tpvr_ltfcm7UFe1TtxmnuhPtlGrddxJEJkfwJ-5Sg0_moVBdZOdcpzdAzQXox71gIzmRzLUoEcB9Ei3aUehMIheiTcumfiixC7/s1600/image_293969_thumb_wide620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKRP9SN3pv2Ehv3WFsunx-3qFb37gx9JZHvzeSaENa2Tpvr_ltfcm7UFe1TtxmnuhPtlGrddxJEJkfwJ-5Sg0_moVBdZOdcpzdAzQXox71gIzmRzLUoEcB9Ei3aUehMIheiTcumfiixC7/s400/image_293969_thumb_wide620.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Remember Me is a game that flew in under the radar earlier
this month. I only knew of it from ads on Facebook via friends over the past
few months. It looked interesting with a futuristic setting and a kickass
female lead character. It was developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published
by Capcom as a sci-fi beat’em up, platformer. Sadly, this game was berated by
critics on upon its release saying that while it is a very pretty game, its
combat system is it’s down fall. As usual, I wanted to have my own experience
with it in hoping that I could disprove its critics and find that the short
comings critics hammered on could be looked over by gamers. Sadly, this is not
the case. Let’s take a closer to see if Remember Me is worth remembering. </div>
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<b>STORY: </b>Set in
2084 in Neo-Paris, the world is a very different place. An invention by the
Memorize Corporation has swept through the world. The Sensation Engine or
Sensen lets 99% of the population upload shared memories to a massive virtual
space and remove bad memories. The world has become addicted to this amazing
invention but has become a controlled one that is always being watched by
Memorize. A rebellion has formed known as ‘Erroists’ who are looking to end the
control of Memorize and the world’s dependence on Sensen. You play as Nilian, a
woman who was imprisoned in Neo-Paris’s feared Bastille prison. She has had most
of her memory erased and his about to be executed when a mysterious man named ‘Edge’
contacts her and helps her escape the prison. She learns that she used to be a
memory hunter and was the best at it. Edge reunites her with friends she has forgotten
about and explains to her the importance of her role in taking down Memorize.
However, as she heads out on this quest, she learns many things are not as they
seem, the ugly truth behind Sensen, and she herself still can’t remember
everything about her past. </div>
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Right off the bat, this game reminds me a lot of <i>Ghost in the Shell</i>, <i>Total Recall</i>, and a little bit of <i>Mirror’s Edge</i>. The story is one of the game’s strong points. From a
philosophical standpoint, it does have a deep story that asks questions such as
if a society can’t remember the bad things from its past, can it ever truly progress
as a society. And what memories truly define you? It’s all there but this is where
I feel Remember Me might have actually worked better as a movie rather than a
video game. If you’re only interested in the story, you’re probably going to
find that the gameplay gets in the way and that is not the mark of a good game.
The game does have some very good plot twists. It’s not the twists themselves
that are all that shocking but the way they are presented and followed through
with that makes them really work. I also like that Nilian questions the things
she’s done in the past, yet can’t remember, and why she follows Edge. Nilian makes
for a great character and a strong female character that need to be seen more
in video games. I also like that she is not over sexualized like many female
game characters often become. </div>
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The ending is pretty good and could lead to a sequel but is
by no means sequel bait like many game endings are these days. The game is
fairly average in length at a little over 8 hours with 8 episodes that last a
little over an hour each. There is some
replay value as there are things to collect in game but I honestly could care
that much about them. The gameplay is where things go downhill.</div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>First
let’s start with the good. Platforming is something that was complained about a
lot with this game. I won’t lie, there were a couple spots where I fell to my
death and it felt unjustified but other times I could tell it was my fault.
Only one part of the game presented me consistent trouble with the platforms
and that was in the flooded upper class area of Paris which was a challenging
place. The platforming itself was very similar to the newest Tomb Raider. There
is a lot of climbing up sides of buildings and there are some creative puzzles
in how to traverse obstacles thrown in there as well. Bottom line, I didn’t
think the platforming was as bad as the critics made it out to be. The levels don’t have much to explore and are
pretty linier even though there are items to collect. In every level there are screens
that appear that show the location of a health upgrade or a power gauge upgrade.
You must remember the location in the picture and try and locate the item based
on memory. I guess that works with the memory theme of this game. But most of
the time I couldn’t really be bothered to find these upgrades. However, I did
get better at it by the end of the game but by them I managed to only get one
new chunk of health and power. </div>
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Nilian gets new equipment upgrades as the game progresses
such as a cybernetic arm cannon type thing and a digital lock pick. While the
cannon is self explanatory, I wish the lock pick was explained better as it
took me about 10 minutes of being stuck before realizing just how it worked.
The arm cannon is not as responsive as I’d like it to be, especially in combat
where locking on to the target you want can be jerky if there is more than one
enemy. The Memory Remix segments are some of the coolest parts of this game
once you get the hang of them. When this happens you are trying to alter
someone’s memory to remember something else in hopes of changing their mind about
something. You watch the memory of someone and after viewing it, you rewind,
fast forward, and pause looking for glitches in the memory to alter the memory.
It’s a puzzle to figure out the right combination of glitches to get the memory
to properly alter and complete the memory remix. It’s also fun to make
different but incorrect out comes occur which you should try out anyway if you
like unlocking achievements. </div>
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Now to the combat… This is where I suspect many controllers
will be thrown in anger and frustration. The combat uses the Pressen system
where you unlock and program button combinations for combos similar to fighting
games. Some of the combos grant you health, cool down time, and heavier damage
if you perform them right. But pulling off these combos became the biggest
challenge if you’re up against many enemies and especially late in the game when
you’ll find that some enemies can only be taken down in certain ways. This
might just be me, but part of my problem was that this combat is TOO similar to
the fighting system in the Batman Arkham games but in Batman it is much easier
to master and much less restricted. I’ve played Arkham City so many damn times
my brain just keeps thinking that is how to fight in this game but free flow
combat doesn’t work in Remember Me. A huge problem is that fights feel like
that last way too long despite how bad you are beating up the enemies. If you’re
not able to pull off full combos, you’re doing hardly any damage and it makes
you feel weak. </div>
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You do have some ultimate moves that you can use and the
game expects you to use them often but there is the penalty of a cool down
time. This can last from 40 seconds to 190 seconds before you can use the move
again. There are some enemies that can only be defeated with these moves and
require you to use that move more than once leaving you mostly defenseless
during the cool down time. There were quite a few times I had to just run
around avoiding attacks while waiting for the clock to run down. Also certain
super moves only work against certain enemies so in some fights and it’s a
complete waste to try and use other moves against them. These super moves are
also limited by a gauge so you have to make sure it is filled before using. Another problem is that the combat system
lacks a counter or block move. The only thing you can do when you’re about to
get hit is dodge out of the way. While it’s usually effective, it can disrupt
the combo you had going and might not protect you if there was another enemy
trying to hit you at the same time. This all leads to some extremely
frustrating and long fights later on in the game. I did not enjoy many of the
fights I encountered and did not look forward to having to using this combat system
but maybe you can get a better grasp of the combat system than I did and enjoy
it more. But for me, the combat system gives Remember Me a big black eye.</div>
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<b>GRAPHICS AND
SOUND: </b>This is what I feel attracted
most people to this game in the first place. The scenery and visuals in the
game are just flat out beautiful. You can tell a lot of work went into the
artwork and setting of this game. The futuristic Paris has so much to look at
that it’s a shame this game isn’t open world. I really like the digital text
that appears around businesses or working drones that also acts as the game’s
interphase system. You know how you’re playing a game and you come up to a door
and the button you need to push appears but it feels out of place being appearing
there? Remember Me does a great job of making that typical convention of gaming
blend in perfectly to the world this game takes place in. Nilian looks awesome
in her character design and the same with many other characters found in this
game. </div>
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Right from the title screen, you can tell this game is going
to have an amazing soundtrack. Beautifully orchestral music mixed with electronic
music makes for the perfect tone for this futuristic world. The voice acting is
generally well done though Kezia Burrows (the voice of Nilian) definitely stands
over all the others in this game for her performance. One thing that bugged me
was the lip sync. In game, it’s really off with most characters and even a
little off in the cut scenes. Also why is almost everyone speaking English with
American accents in Paris? Nilian is the only character who sounds remotely
French. Speaking of which, there is no French to be seen in Neo-Paris either.
Did the United States invade France at some point before this? It is implied
that there was third world war. Maybe that’s why… </div>
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Overall, Remember Me is a game filled with interesting
ideas, beautiful scenery, and a great female lead that sadly is nearly ruined
by a frustrating and unforgiving combat system. Some might be able to get the
hang of the fighting beter than others but I’m going to have to go with the critics
on this one. When it came to the fighting, I was just not having fun. I got
this game full price online and I’m rather regretting that now. If you see it
at a much lower price, it’s worth checking out. If you’re only interested in
the story and do not want to mess with the gameplay, then I would suggest
watching a let’s play on youtube or something as the combat will only dampen
your spirits for this game’s story. Thank you for reading and look out for my
new game review of the highly acclaimed The Last of Us coming soon.</div>
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<b>OVERALL: 6/10<br />
<br />
PROS:<br />
</b>-Beautiful graphics and scenery<br />
-Interesting story and ideas<br />
-Excellent soundtrack<br />
<br />
<b>CONS:<br />
</b>-Frustrating combat system<br />
-Linier levels<br />
-Some game mechanics could be explained better<b> </b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-27252383468476238022013-06-10T19:02:00.002-07:002013-06-10T19:02:40.768-07:00Xbox One Rant: Why I am Not Buying One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PmNvHZ6lPBse11pGAjVdteYTv3JV9BJCAZl8Mfi0ggqAxTEmFHiwdpy4jPku62Lk9Eqzle33lCk_zqxQFIcMNeWQgSTtUkoESFlIoFrUWAnrSKTfb8dY8tFj_2J_dpJO_BE45FoV4Ulh/s1600/Xbox-One-635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PmNvHZ6lPBse11pGAjVdteYTv3JV9BJCAZl8Mfi0ggqAxTEmFHiwdpy4jPku62Lk9Eqzle33lCk_zqxQFIcMNeWQgSTtUkoESFlIoFrUWAnrSKTfb8dY8tFj_2J_dpJO_BE45FoV4Ulh/s400/Xbox-One-635.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next gen console war is on the horizon and this week at
E3, the big three consoles are showing off the future of what gaming has to
offer. However, this time things are different. This time it isn’t about which
system has the better games or which system has better graphics. It’s about
which system gives you more freedom. Microsoft’s Xbox One (which is rather
stupid and confusing name) has been the subject of controversy since its reveal
earlier last month. The initial reveal was clearly to show off some of the
functions of the system like the TV channels for it and unique programming but
I personally could not care less about that stuff and most gamers don’t. They
wanted to see games and the poor selection shown was a massive disappointment.
Now, Microsoft did get some redemption today at E3. They showcased a nice
selection of games today. I was excited to see a Killer Instinct reboot but one
exclusive game is not enough to make me want this system especially with all
the restrictions it places on the gamer. The restrictive features of this
system are really what render the Xbox One null and void for me. Now I’m not
the first to rant and rave about how this system is Microsoft shooting
themselves in the foot repeatedly but I’d like to talk about the two big
reasons I am not going to buy an Xbox One. Maybe you can relate to me. If you can, I hope you’ll agree and not buy
this thing.</div>
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<b>BIG REASON #1: </b>24
HOUR INTERNET CHECK-IN AND THE KINECT<br />
<br />
This is basically DRM, needing to always be online. In order to play games
offline, you must have your system check into Xbox Live once every 24 hrs for
your game to work. To me, this is like having to check in with a parole
officer. Xbox Live will become your parole officer. Now, if you have really
good, constant internet connection for your 360 already, this clearly isn’t a
big deal to you. However, I live in an older house that is not really conducive
to setting up a home network. My internet router is upstairs and my gaming
consoles are located down stairs. They barely get a signal so I can’t play
games online because they can’t even connect and on the rare blue moon that
they do connect, it’s so slow that I’d be better off using a 56K modem. As you
can see, console gaming involving the internet matters not to me. Now I am well
aware that online gaming with consoles has exploded over the past 8 or 9 years
resulting in so many games trying to become the next big Call of Duty or Halo
multiplayer phenomenon. DLC is another huge reason console internet usage has
become a major factor in the gaming market. I understand why the internet on
consoles is as big a deal as it is, however, it’s always been optional. I don’t
need the internet to play the single player campaign of Halo 4 or Bioshock
Infinite. Otherwise I wouldn’t own a 360, it would be pointless. Now Microsoft
is making a system that will basically not function without the internet. No
thank you, I’m not interested in your $499 big black brick. I would have no use
for that. It would be like buying a car that only ran on rocket fuel. I don’t
know about you, but I don’t live near any gas stations that pump rocket fuel. </div>
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I do plan on moving somewhere else within the year that will
hopefully be easier to set up a home networking but even then, I really don’t
want an Xbox One set up always needing the internet. Two reasons: 1) I do not
want to pay for Xbox Live. Paying for XBL while PSN is free has always been at
the core of the Xbox vs Playstation argument. For me, I’d rather go with PSN since
the service is free. I had Xbox Live for a time when living in Louisiana and it
was draining $50 a month from the bank account that I had at the time till it
was empty without me knowing. That was my fault for not reading the fine print
but still, $50 a month verses free. Free usually wins in my book. Now Microsoft
has said that XBL gold members will get two free DL games a month for paying
for the service. That’s nice but still not enough to make me consider. 2) When
I think of console gaming, I think of sitting on the couch relaxing and maybe
playing a game with a buddy who might be sitting there playing the game with me
or just watching. None of which involves the internet. If I want to play games
online, I’d rather be using a PC. When I want to play a game on a console, I want
to get away from the internet and my computer. The Xbox One is trying to be
like a PC or a ‘super powered PC’ as said by IGN. Yeah, shut up, IGN. With the
Xbox One requiring full game installation of all games on only a 500GB hard
drive, it’s going to run out of space fast unless plan to have a very small
library of games for it. If you’re a PC gamer, keep on truckin’. You’re way
better off and have been for awhile so I doubt any of the new consoles are
really turning your head. </div>
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The Kinect. Ugh, this devilish device comes with the Xbox One
and is a required piece of the system. While you can turn it off and not use
it, it is required for the system to work at maximum use. As long as it is
plugged in, it is always on, even when it’s off. First of all, the first
version of the Kinect sucked. I am not a fan of motion sensor gaming at all and
the Kinect is what embodies my hate for it. It barely works. The only games it
works to its full ability are the ‘Just Dance’ games. I was not interested in
it when it came out and after using a friend’s, I was even less interested.
Supposedly, the new Kinect works better but they have yet to give any demonstrations
of any improvements. Requiring this thing is like if when the Nintendo 64 was
released, Nintendo made it mandatory that the system also required the use of
the Virtual Boy in order to use the system to its fullest extent. But everyone’s
biggest worry is if this thing will be used to spy on you for Microsoft. I’m
not going to get into any conspiracy theories or anything of that nature but it
is a legitimate concern. </div>
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<b>BIG REASON #2: </b>NO
USED GAMES</div>
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Or not as it currently works. When you trade in a used game
right now, what do you do? You go to Gamestop, give them any current gen game,
they give you store credit or money, and that’s that. Sure they rip you off but
you just traded that game in with no issue. With the Xbox One, only certain
stories will be able to sell used Xbox One games. Most likely they will be
Gamestops and maybe Walmart or Best Buy. Small game shops? Uh oh. I highly
doubt Microsoft will give them the green light. So they won’t be making any
money from the Xbox One. Buying online from ebay or personal dealers Amazon?
Not happening. You will be left with almost no choice but to buy all your Xbox
games brand new. I don’t know about you, but unless it’s a game I REALLY REALLY
know I want to play, I am not going to be too interested in paying full price
for a game I might not even like, so I’m going to look for the cheapest used
copy I can find. Also, you’ll only be able to get used Xbox One game if the
publisher of said game has okayed it. No wonder EA and Activision have been
such big backers of the Xbox One. They’ve been trying to shut down used games
for years. They want you to pay full price for all their games. All the games
you buy and install to the Xbox One get linked to your XBL account. Once again,
if you don’t have internet, you won’t be able to use any of this. Now you can
link 10 family members to your games and share the games with them. How it
knows who your family members are has still not yet been explained. Will it use
the Kinect to scan people’s faces in the house you live in? Will it be based on
credit card numbers used for your XBL account? Will it use IP addresses? We don’t
know yet. You might be able to freely choose who your ‘family’ is which can make
a loophole that would let your friends be able play your games for free. Maybe
they did this on purpose knowing using games will be a hassle now? We’ll see. </div>
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I’ve never really be so adamantly against a game system
before. I’m usually totally open to play all the systems that are available at
any given time. I’m usually willing to give a system a chance and find the pros
and cons to each system but this is the first time I seriously found myself truly
against getting a gaming system and wanting to see it fail. Now don’t go
thinking I’m a Playstation fanboy and that is why I’m writing this. NO! If Sony
did the same things or similar things with the PS4, I would be including them
in this rant too. As gamers we cannot allow these types of practices to
continue. If this is the future of gaming, I’m not sure I want to be a part of
it and maybe this is all a sign that I’m getting too old for video games. I got
a Super Nintendo the other day and I was happier to play it than I am hearing
about and finding out the latest info on the next gen consoles coming out. So
bottom line, if you can’t relate to anything I just wrote or are okay with
everything I just talked about, the by all means go buy an Xbox One this fall.
However, if you agree or relate with what I said and do not like the ‘features’
and practices that Microsoft is using with the Xbox One, then do not give them
a penny. Gamers need to take a stand to these companies and tell them we will
not stand for these practices and the only way to get their attention by
hitting them in the wallets. Maybe if sales flounder, they’re release an Xbox
One in a year or two with all these restrictive features removed. Then I’d have
no problem warming back up to Microsoft but till then if ever, the Xbox One is
just not for me. <br />
<br />
Thanks for reading. Keep a look out for my upcoming reviews of Remember Me and
The Last of Us. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-11905486954341339612013-05-31T11:46:00.001-07:002013-05-31T11:46:17.861-07:00Metro: Last Light Game Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In Post-Apocalyptic Russia, borscht eats YOU! Metro Last
Light is the sequel to the 2010 game Metro 2033 which is all based on a novel
by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Originally called Metro 2034, its name was changed after
publisher Deep Silver acquired the game from THQ which had gone bankrupt since
the previous game, which lead to a very questionable business move for the
release of this game that I will talk about later in the review. I have not
played the first game in this series and I’m not sure why. If you know me, I
have a huge fascination with Russia and Eastern Europe and since this game was
made by Ukrainians and Russians with the same setting, I should have checked
out the Metro series sooner. Metro Last Light is pretty much what I expected
Fallout 3 to be. I am not a big fan of Fallout 3 at all which is blasphemous to
some people, but when I played Fallout 3, I was expecting a post-apocalyptic
shooter which is not what it is at all. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not
for me. Metro, on the other hand, is the post-nuclear war shooter that I had
been wanting. This game has been called like a cross between Silent Hill and
Fallout but I found it to be more like a cross of FEAR 2 and Fallout. It mixes
FPS action with survival horror and does it quiet well. Put on your gasmask, we’re
diving into this review.</div>
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<b>STORY: </b>Set in Russia in the year
2034, humanity lives crowded and dying in the massive Moscow metro. Subway
stations are now makeshift cities and fortifications, the few working subway
trains are the only forms of transportation, and the dark tunnels hide mutated
life evolved from the nuclear war that made life on the surface uninhabitable
to humans. The surface is now populated with monstrous beasts and other things
considered to be unnatural. On top of that, humans are constantly at odds with
each other in the Metro, trying to go to war with each other over the last bit
of resources. You play as Artyom, a member of the Spartan Rangers, an elite
military force that tries to police and keep peace in the Metro. In the
previous game, Artyom nuked a mysterious surface dwelling race known as The
Dark Ones and now there are reports that there is still one of these beings
left. On the mission, Artyom and the Dark One, which is just a child, both get
captured by one of the warring factions. Artyom must now escape and complete
his mission to find out the secret to this last Dark One and survive the hellish
world Earth has become. </div>
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In terms of setting, Metro is amazing. The world this game
is set in is extremely dark and oppressing as life in a subway system would be.
The majority of mankind is destitute or dying and it brings out the worst in
humanity. You really get that uncomfortable feeling of this is what life would
be life if this really happened. The story itself is good and comes together
well at the end but there are long stretches of time in the game where the
story isn’t really moved along at all as you’re just trying to make your way
from one area to another. And there are other times where I was wondering ‘why
am I here and what does this have to do with anything?’ But this isn’t too big
a deal as it never gets in the way of the gameplay. The game just seems to
spend more time immersing you in the setting as opposed to the story. You may
take that as a good thing or a bad thing. Most of the male characters are
interesting and well acted, especially a guy named Pavel who because a friend
of yours. Artyom himself is a semi-silent protagonist though. He talks during
the intermissions between levels as he writes in a diary but he never actually
talks in the missions. I don’t understand why they chose to do this. I’m not a
fan of the silent protagonist in games like this. This then leads me to the
female characters…</div>
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This is not a game you’re going to be bringing up in discussions
women being positively portrayed in video games. 1) The game sports the most
realistic and graphic nearly nude lap dance I’ve ever seen in a video game. It’s
optional but it’s there and most likely you’ll pay money to see it at least once.
In terms of context, it makes sense because this scene happens in a brothel
while you’re trying to spy on somebody. It just makes you feel like you’re
suddenly in a Duke Nukem game for a minute. <br />
2) The character of Anna. She is the only female in this game that has any real
character and it’s not done so well. When you first meet her, she flat out
doesn’t like you, and then you don’t see her for a long time. When you finally
do see her again, she’s happy to see you for some reason. Mind you, there was zero
character development in that gap of time. Then a level later, she basically
makes you have sex with her and then you don’t really see her again till the
end of the game. She was basically there for a boob slip and a non-explicit sex
scene. Now I’m no prude. I have no
problem with nudity and sex in video games but it has to have purpose. Had this
relationship had more build up and context, I wouldn’t be making a big deal out
of this but the way Metro goes about it is borderline exploitive. The Witcher
and Mass Effect series did it sooo much better. If you don’t care how games go
about portraying their women, then ignore my little rant here. </div>
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The game is around 8 to 10 hours long depending on the
difficulty you are playing on and the difficulty makes a big difference in this
game. There are a lot of levels. 31 to be exact but the levels themselves are
short. While some will feel longer than others, some you’ll find yourself thinking
‘that was it?’ The game does have two endings giving it some replay value and
both the endings are well done and satisfying regardless if it’s the good or
bad ending. The last level is also
pretty damn epic. While the story of Metro is good, it will constantly be the
setting that seems more interesting, for me at least. </div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>The
core of Metro is like most FPS games so if you’re a veteran of such games, you
won’t have too much trouble. It’s all the equipment you have is where it gets
interesting. Your guns are not the only things you’ll be carrying on you
through the tunnels and wastelands. You’ll have a headlamp, lighter, battery
charger, NVGs, med kits, and most importantly your gasmask. They all serve
their purposes and you’ll find yourself having to use them throughout the game
but everything has limitations. The gasmask isn’t just something you slap on
and you’re good to go. You’ll have to keep an eye on your watch while wearing
it as the air filter has to be replaced every five minutes or so. The lens of
your mask will also get dirty and you will have to manually wipe it off the mud
and blood from time to time. Ammo conservation is also very important
especially on the higher difficulties. While finding ammo when fighting human
enemies isn’t too much of a problem, long periods of time where you face
non-human enemies is where you’ll find yourself starved for bullets. Mutated enemies
do not go down easy, not even human enemies without well placed shots. On the
high difficulties it is imperative that you exercise stealth by staying in the
shadows and taking out lights sort of like in Splinter Cell. If you remain undetected
in the dark, the AI is laughably stupid and you’ll be able to get so many
unrealistic unnoticed kills. However, if the enemies are fully alerted to you,
they become much smarter and do put up a good fight. That stealth trick only
works for the human enemies by the way. Monsters are best avoided if possible
as fights with them can lead you to literally fighting down to your last
bullet. </div>
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If you like your guns unrealistic and crazy, then you’re
going to be disappointed. Most of the weapons are jury-rigged old Soviet
weapons but they are customizable and satisfying to use. You really feel the
punch of these guns. A lot of the guns have a magazine where you can clearly see
how much ammo you have left which leads you to using your HUD less (which is
already limited). You also have secondary weapons like throwing knifes,
grenades, and mines. When you’re at a major settlement, you can buy weapons and
supplies at various shops. You pay with military grade ammo. Bullets are this
game’s currency which I found interesting. You can even use your money in your
guns if you find yourself in a pinch. They do more damage than regular bullets
but you are literally shooting money away so this is to be avoided this. Not
that it matters much. Most of the time I found it better just to pick up a
stray weapon during my travels than spend the money on a new one at the stores.
You have no health gauge and it is based on how much red and blood is on the
screen like many shooters these days. Artyom can regenerate health if he stays
in cover but it happens very, very slowly. You are best using your med kits. </div>
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Many of the levels are fairly linear but then again, you are
going through subway tunnels so they’re supposed to be. There is some limited
exploring that can be done but it never takes you too far off the main path.
Some invisible walls and the inability to climb over waist high structures do
not help when trying to find cover. That is one thing modern shooters should
take away from Call of Duty. The surface areas are a different story. Surprisingly,
the dark, claustrophobic areas of the Metro are less scary than the open,
bright, surface of nuked out Moscow. That is mainly because out here almost
everything is trying to kill you, including the air. You’ll encounter beasts
that are nearly unkillable and hazards that will really make you watch where
you step. The weather changes radically, being sunny one moment then suddenly you
find an acid rain storm is bearing down on you with high winds. This whole time
you must keep an eye on how much air you have to breathe. If you’re too busy to
look at your watch, keep an ear out for Artyom’s breathing which becomes more
labored as the clock runs out. This isn’t the scariest game I’ve played but I
was surprised how on edge the surface levels made me feel. Not once did I feel
safe on the surface till I was back in the Metro. </div>
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Last thing I will talk about is the Ranger mode. This was
advertized as the ‘true survival horror mode’ and to true way to play the game.
This was a DLC available ONLY if you pre-ordered Metro Last Light. So if you
didn’t pre-order the game, you’re out of luck if you wanted to play the highest
difficulty. Not to mention, it would cost a bit extra. Supposedly, this is THQ’s
doing, not Deep Silver’s and for some reason due to legal red tape they couldn’t
undo this when they acquired the license. Maybe they’re going release the DLC
for free in the future but right now, you could only get it through pre-order
which is bullshit. You should not have to pay extra for something that should
be a part of the main game. If you see another business practice like this in
the future, do not pay into it. It is unacceptable and the only way for these
game companies to get the message is by hitting them in their wallets by not
paying for crap like that. </div>
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<b>GRAPHICS AND SOUND: </b>Metro Last Light is one of the best
looking games I’ve seen on the Xbox 360 this year. Easily ranks with Crysis 3
and Bioshock Infinite in terms of visuals and obviously if you want the best
visuals, play it on PC. Do I even need to say that anymore? What steals the
show are the wastelands of Moscow. They are hauntingly beautiful with burned
out buildings, cars, roads, and mutated wild life taking it back. You can see
famous Russian landmarks throughout these levels and I’m far more impressed
with these ruins than the ones seen in Fallout 3. The weather effects add to
the detail of this poisoned Earth. The Metro’s look beautiful as well with
excellent lighting effects. The character models all look good though there are
some repeating character models here and there. </div>
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The sound design is very noteworthy as it greatly adds to
the horror aspect of the game. There is nothing more terrifying than walking
around in a grassy field on the surface, hearing something roaring in the
distance and something moving in the grass around you. I found myself saying ‘OH
GOD, WHAT IS THAT!?’ many times due to the excellent sound design in this game.
The voice acting uses pretty much every Russian voice actor out there right
now. If you’ve played many Call of Duty games, you’ll hear some familiar
voices. If you’re extra hardcore and want a truly immersive game, play through
the game with the Russian language audio selected. It’s like playing a foreign
film, though trying to read subtitles while shooting at things is not so easy.
The music is fitting but mostly just there with a light Russian folk feel to
it. It fits the depressing tone of this world. </div>
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Overall, Metro Last Light is an enjoyable post-apocalyptic
shooter. It can be a very immersive experience and a challenging one depending
on the difficulty you play it on. Like I said, this is the game I expected when
I played Fallout 3. If you’re a fan of such shooters, definitely check it out.
If you’re expecting something closer to Fallout, then you will be disappointed
as it doesn’t have much to offer in terms of exploration that Fallout had. If
you liked the FEAR games, I suggest also giving this a try. Considering how it
differs depending on the difficulty, and different endings it defiantly warrants
more than one play through. I just hope whatever they do next with the
franchise doesn’t involve paying for more extra game modes. Thank you for reading!
Keep a look out for my next review which will be for the game Remember Me. </div>
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<b>OVERALL: 8/10<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>PROS:</b><br />
-Excellent combat<br />
-Great and immersive setting, good story<br />
-Difference difficulties and endings give replay value<br />
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<b>CONS:</b><br />
-Ranger mode BS<br />
-Short, linear levels<br />
-Limited exploration </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-35279561231310890252013-05-18T07:48:00.000-07:002013-05-18T07:48:17.652-07:00Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes Game Review <br />
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Since I’m going to an anime convention in less than a week,
I figured I’d review something Japanesey so I’ve been playing Sengoku Basara:
Samurai Heroes. Originally released in 2010 by Capcom and having an anime based
on it, I had never heard of this game before a couple weeks ago after watching
an episode of Game Grumps. Considering how cheap it was on Amazon, I thought
what the heck, I’ll check it out and what we have here is a very fun but
mindless hack-n-slash type beat’em up with lots of flare and characters. It is
very similar to Dynasty Warriors in the general gameplay and setting but is
very much stylized like an anime. Now other than what I’ve just told you, I
know nothing about the series beyond what I’ve played in this game. I have not
seen the anime; I don’t know which came first. I assume the game did. I don’t
know which follows the other better or whatever. I do know this is the third
game in the Sengoku Basara series but the first to be released in the US. There
are two versions of this game: the PS3 version and the Wii version. I am
playing the PS3 version. I have no idea how the Wii version differs. Anyway, let’s
dive into this Samurai madness.</div>
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<b>STORY: </b>Very loosely
set during the civil wars of Japan during the 19<sup>th</sup> century, the
country has been split apart into many warring factions. The two main armies
are The Eastern Army lead by Ieyasu Tolugawa and the feared Western Army lead
by Ishida Mitsunari. Mitsunari wants nothing more than to avenge his former leader’s
death at the hands of Ieyasu and will stop at nothing to get this moment while
Ieyasu seeks to unite Japan and form a peaceful empire. Caught in the middle
are many other armies and factions that must either join one of the two sides
or face inevitable destruction. </div>
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While the general story is pretty much a run of the mill
plot you see in many anime series, what makes Samurai Heroes interesting is
just how many stories there are. There are 17 playable characters in this game,
each with their own campaign and story. Many of the stories over lap and can
end differently depending on what path you choose during the campaigns. There
is a wide variety of characters ranging from super serious and badass
characters to really whacky and weird characters, all with their own fighting
styles. Battles and cut scenes will play out differently in the campaign
depending on who you are playing as so it gives some replay value to levels you
had already played through as other characters. Some of the story is fleshed
out by conversations characters have during battle… somehow.. And some of the
conversations are laughably clam considering the actual action happening on
screen.</div>
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Some knowledge of Japanese history might be helpful to
understand a couple real world events that are referred to in this game but I
honestly don’t really care that much. While some people might find the stories
interesting, I find myself skipping over cut scenes if I’ve already seen them. Some
of the characters have more interesting stories than others and some of the
characters I found downright annoying but the story never over stays its
welcome. Each campaign consists of 8 battles varying between 10 to 30 minutes
each. It can take up to an hour and a half to two and half hours to complete a
single campaign but considering that there are 17 campaigns, you’re not going
to be finishing this game 100% in a single sitting. </div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>The
core gameplay of Samurai Heroes is all about beating the crap out of armies
with a flurry of attacks. Each character has their own weapons, attacks, and
super attacks that are a lot of fun to use. It’s extremely satisfying to charge
into a group of 20+ enemies and start throwing their bodies around like
popcorn. The weapons characters use vary from swords, guns, tridents, bows and
arrows, super natural powers, ect. One guy even uses a wrecking ball as his
weapon. Super moves are easy to pull off once your gauges are filled and I usually
use them to finish off bosses. The camera can be a bit of a pain sometimes as
it doesn’t correct itself often enough. I usually find myself having to do it
manually but it’s never too much of an issue. The combat is the reason you want
to play this game. It is simple and mindless but tons of fun.</div>
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Sadly, there are some missed opportunities here that will
disappoint people who might have wanted a deeper experience from this game. The
over world map gives the impression that this game might have more strategy involved
but it really doesn’t. Other than choosing the order of your battles, you have
no real control of your armies in battle. Different battlefields offer
different hazards and objectives but the lay outs and order of events will
always remain the same with the exception of a couple maps. While the levels
are not completely open battlefields, there are usually multiple paths to
explore within the levels with hidden items scattered through them, making them
worth exploring. Your objective is to capture each of the enemy base camps then
go for the army leader, kind of like in Battlefield and there is a similar
Battlefield style map on the screen that is easy to read. But like I said, you
do not have control of your actual army so you can’t give commands for one group
to go take this camp while another battles this group of enemies ect. It’s
probably a good thing too because the AI is just dumb. I rarely see them
actually doing anything other than running around. You can get a buddy AI who
follows you around to back you up but he does even less. It’s not like really
it matters since you can easily take on multiple platoons of enemies and come
out without a scratch. Thankfully, the boss AI is a bit better and can make for
some enjoyable battles, especially on higher difficulties. </div>
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In addition to the campaign mode, there is also Quick Battle
which is just an instant action mode where you can pick any of the battles you
previously played and play them without all the in between cut scenes and with
any character. Though the default cut scenes will still be in the levels but I
end up just skipping past them. This is also a good way to level up your
characters and gather resources outside the main game. You can collect new
weapons and power-ups from your battles to add some RPG elements to the game
but they are pretty shallow so don’t expect anything too deep. Thankfully, the
game sports 2 player co-op so you and a friend can tear up the battlefield
together so you don’t have to rely on your army of crappy AI. </div>
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<b>GRAPHICS AND SOUND: </b>Visually
the in game graphics I found to be rather middle of the road and something you
would have seen from early PS3 games. That’s not a bad thing but it’s nothing
that will blow you away either. The level designs are nicely done and the
scenery varies from forests, castles, mountains, and other typical settings in
Japan. There is one level that is a bunch of boats connected to each other that
is pretty cool. A lot of the textures look pretty flat but you don’t really
have time to stand there and look around since there is so much action
happening on the screen. Samurai Heroes does have flawless frame rate though
and this is very important for a game that will literally have hundreds of
characters on the screen at once. This makes the battles even more fun with how
smooth the animations are. In terms of visuals on the other hand, the opening
cinematic is beautifully rendered and really gets you pumped for this game. Or
will annoy you with J-Pop. The characters all have really cool designs though
very few of them actually look like samurai. Most of them look like Tekken or Guilty
Gear characters. Or J-Rock stars. </div>
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The voice acting is pretty average for what you’d expect from
anime voice acting these days. There are a lot of recognizable English voice
actors in this game though. Troy Baker (the voice of Booker in Bioshock
Infinite) voices Ishida Mitsunari and Johnny Bosch, who has voiced so many
anime characters over the years, voicing Sanada Yukimura. There are many others
I recognize but can’t name of the top of my head. Most of the dialogue is over
the top but if you’ve seen anime, it’s nothing too different from what you’d
expect from most anime series. Take that as a good or bad thing but a Japanese
audio track option would have been nice. Regardless of what you might think of
the voice acting, the game has some poor lip synch. Sometimes a character will
have their mouth shut and will still be talking. This was excusable in the
early days of 3D games but not so much anymore. Lastly, the game does have a
great soundtrack that is fitting of the game and works perfectly with its
style. The game features the song ‘Naked Arms’ by T.M. Revolution during the
opening theme and final boss fight once again adding to the anime feel of the
game. </div>
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Overall, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes is a fun but
mindless beat’em action game that has very satisfying combat. With 17
characters to choose from, there is a lot of gameplay here though it can become
repetitive after awhile. While this game is definitely not for everyone, anime
fans and fans of Dynasty Warriors and other hack n’ slash type games should
check it out. If you want something with more strategy though, you’re going to
be disappointed. If you want to get this game, I recommend getting it off
Amazon as you can find it for $15 on there. It runs between $20 and $40 on Ebay
and not really worth that much money. Thank you for reading! Keep a look out
for upcoming reviews of Metro: Last Light and the Deadpool game later this
summer. </div>
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<b>OVERALL: 7/10<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>PROS: </b><br />
-Extremely fun and satisfying combat, many characters to play as<br />
-Fun 2 player mode<br />
-Perfect frame rate<br />
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<b>CONS:</b><br />
-Story won’t interest everyone<br />
-Varying degrees of voice acting<br />
-Levels can get repetitive </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-50534456662345112002013-05-08T15:24:00.002-07:002013-05-08T15:24:47.442-07:00Bioshock Infinite (Over Due) Game Review<br />
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Oh boy, a review of another great game that I had been
putting off on playing! So unless you’ve been living under a rock for over the
past month or just not paying attention to the gaming media (same thing), you
probably have heard that Bioshock Infinite is being highly praised by everyone
and their mother. Now I’m not one to buy so easily into hype. I’ve been
disappointed by the hype before like with Fallout 3 and Skyrim (Sorry, I didn’t
like those games). However, I have had more experience with the Bioshock series
so I was never planning to completely rule this game out but good lord! This
game! Yes, the hype was right. Not only is this game amazing, it far surpasses
the previous games. I’m sure many of you have already played it by now and
already know this or at least agree it’s a good game. So I’m just going to just
give a quick rundown of my thoughts on the previous games before jumping into
the Infinite review. </div>
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The first Bioshock game was actually one of the first games
I played for the Xbox 360 and one of the first games for the system that I
really enjoyed. I thought the setting, weapons, powers, and enemies were cool.
I was impressed with the visuals and at the time considered it one of the best
looking games I had ever played. The one thing that bugged me about it was the
endings: they all sucked. They all felt hurried, extremely short and unsatisfying.
Maybe it’s just me but it feels like since the first Bioshock many great games
have had short and unsatisfying endings (ME3 being the most notorious).
Bioshock 2 took me awhile to get around to playing. I had heard mixed things,
it seemed to get delayed a lot and when it did finally come out I didn’t really
hear much about it which usually isn’t a good sign. I managed to get it for $7
at Gamestop so I got a pretty good deal on it. I found it had a better story
and endings than the first game but the unchanged game engine was definitely showing
its age. My interest in the series died down for awhile and while I liked it, I
wasn’t as crazy about it as some of my friends. This is probably what made me
wait for Infinite, a game that had already been delayed multiple times, but
after finally playing it would seem the wait was definitely worth it. </div>
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<b>STORY: </b>Set in
1912, Booker DeWitt, a washed up Pinkerton detective, is sent on mission to retrieve
a mysterious girl so he can have all his debits erased. After rocket ride from
on top of a lighthouse, he lands in a city in the sky known as Columbia. At first,
it seems like a very nice place with steam punk like technology, seemingly
peaceful people, and a nice fair to attend. But something is off as this is a
deeply religious city and has some very backwards beliefs. They follow the
Prophet Comstock and his Confederate States style of beliefs. The girl Booker
seeks is Elizabeth, a woman that has been looked up in a tower all her life and
possesses powers that cause tears and openings in time. Getting to her is a
fight but getting her out of this city and their fate will be an even bigger
fight. </div>
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So there is a lot to talk about here. This game’s story is
one of its strongest points and I love a game with a deep and immersive story
and Infinite delivers. The logical move of having a new setting that is in the
sky as oppose to at the bottom of the ocean like the previous games was smart.
It makes for an awesome setting especially if you’re a fan of steam punk. This isn’t just another utopia fallen grace
like Rapture was in the previous games, it’s very much in order until Booker is
identified as the False Prophet by the authorities and then everyone is out to
get him. The story goes through all kinds of twists and turns from then on with
commentary on American expectionalism and imperialism. This game has drawn some
fire with themes of racism and extreme Baptist religion but I feel this is all
fitting considering the time period it is set in and that Columbia is modeled after
an Antebellum South like culture. In other words, if this seriously bothers you
and you think this game is dumb because it’s not politically correct, then you
should go read up on some history.</div>
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However, the real heart of the story is the characters;
Booker and Elizabeth add a level of immersion that just wasn’t there in the
previous Bioshock games. Not since Mass Effect have I found myself really
caring so much about game characters and I loved the interaction between the two.
I’m glad Booker is not another silent protagonist. Those seem to be fading away
from games and I’m glad. This game couldn’t have worked with a hero who never
talks so I’m glad Irrational Games made him talk and have real character. Other
characters like Combstock and the Lutece twins are great but its Elizabeth who
steals the show. She has been popular long before this game came out with
plenty of fan art and cosplays of her over the past couple years. A lot of work
was put in to make her a very likeable character and it definitely shows. She
is heavily inspired by Disney princesses, namely Belle from Beauty and the
Beast. I’ll talk more about Elizabeth later on in the review.<br />
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Lastly I’ll point out that the game has a very good ending. Good as in, it is
clear there was a lot of effort put into it and it was not rushed like the
ending to most games these days. It’s definitely a mind bender though and not
exactly what I was expecting but it was very good none the less. Everyone will
have a different opinion on the ending but I’ve seen far worse endings to
games. Also there is only one ending, no multiple endings. However, I’d rather
have one well done ending instead of a couple half assed ones so it’s all good.
The game clocks it at around 9 to 10 hours I think so it’s slightly above average
in length but it didn’t feel too short or too long at all and it gave me that
feeling of not wanting it to end which is a good feeling in my book.</div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>The
core gameplay of Bioshock Infinite remains relatively unchanged from the
previous games. You shoot guns with the right hand and use special powers with
the left and most anything can be checked and looted for goods. One thing I
could tell I wouldn’t like from the game before even playing it was the change
of weapons. In the previous games you’d collect and upgrade weapons throughout
the game and you would keep all those weapons on you the entire time. This time
you can only carry two guns at a time. The guns are mostly modeled after real
weapons from the time period but are less interesting to look at than the guns from
the previous games. However, there is an upside to this. There are many more
guns to be found this time around ranging from pistols, to carbines, to machine
guns, and rocket launchers. During major fights, it’s usually easy to find weapons
fitting to the situation if you stop and look around for a moment. All the guns
can be upgraded but the upgrades are less noticeable than in the previous games
however the guns do feel satisfying to use and are generally accurate whether
you’re aiming down the sites or from the hip. The vigor powers (same thing as
plasmids from the previous games) are all new, creative, and fun to use. They
all have multiple uses and alternative uses for setting up traps which makes
combat even more fun. I was a bit disappointed that they did not bring back telekinesis
but the ability to block and throw back bullets greatly replaces it. You also
have this hook device that you use to ride on the sky rails that are found
around the city. You use these for travel and combat. These segments are fun
and feel like a rollercoaster ride but can be a little difficult to control if
you’re trying to attack enemies from them. The hook can also be used as a melee
weapon to deliver some brutal finishers to enemies. The combat is a lot of fun
and can be very challenging.</div>
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While the level designs are fairly linear, there are always
areas to explore in each part of the city you visit with tons of things to
loot, items to collect, and sites to see. The fair at the beginning of the game
has lots of little mini-games to play and acts as sort of a tutorial. Speaking
of tutorials, this game doesn’t seem to know when they end. Throughout almost
the entire game, instructions would appear on the screen to tell you how to do
things from time to time. I can understand having these pop up at the beginning
of the game or when a new mechanic is introduced but through the entire game?
It doesn’t break the game; it’s just annoying to be trying to look through a
wall of text that blocks half the screen from time to time. There is a good variety of enemies you face
including regular gun wielding guards to vigor powered enemies. You sometimes
also have to battle a Handyman which is pretty much this game’s Big Daddy. They’re
a bit more disturbing though as they are just old or disabled people forced to
wear these mechanical bodies. These guys
are hard though. There are only a few battles with them in the game but they
are some of the hardest. I am little disappointed that there is no climatic
battle with the Songbird (the other Big Daddy like thing) but that might
because I was dreading it the whole game. What happens instead is more
interesting.</div>
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Unlike in the previous games there is no morality system
which would affect the game’s ending since there is only one ending. Then why
did they have you make seemingly important choices in a couple spots in the
game? Only one had an outcome later but it was minor. Another is just picking
which broche Elizabeth is going to wear throughout the rest of the game. They
seem a little pointless now but do not detract from the game. The AI for
Elizabeth is where the game stands out again. She’s one of the much more competent
AIs I’ve dealt with in a video game. Not only does she act like a real person
for the most part, she is also helpful. She will actively search levels for items
and will give you ammo and power ups during fights. You can also have her pick
locks for you to gain access to secret areas in stages. She’s far more useful
than say the AI in Call of Duty games who just run around and shoot at nothing…
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<b>GRAPHICS AND SOUND: </b>What
can I say? Wow. This game is just beautiful. One of the best looking games I’ve
ever seen on the 360. However, if you want the best possible visuals you MUST
play it on the PC. It has been declared a technical benchmark in gaming if that
means anything to you. It is a feast for the eyes. This is one of those games
where you just walk around looking at everything and just take in the sites.
The design of Columbia is just jaw dropping. The character models are just as
beautiful but once again Elizabeth steals the show. Like I said, she was
designed after Disney princesses and she looks like one with those big blue
eyes. While her model is very impressive and technical feat, I’ll honestly say
I was more impressed by the way Lara Croft’s character model acted in the Tomb
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Along with the excellent visuals is the excellent sound
design. Everything sounds great including the amazing voice acting that really
brings these characters to life. Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper suit the roles
of Booker and Elizabeth perfectly. The old timey music used for the soundtrack
is very fitting and adds to the immersive feel of the game. It reminds me of
the music from <i>O Brother Where Art Thou?</i>
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Over all, this game surpasses the previous Bioshock games
far more than I was expecting and has given me new love for this franchise. Not
only is the best Bioshock game yet, this is one of the best FPS games I have
played in awhile, even better than Crysis 3. I should add that this game does
not have a multiplayer mode and I’m glad they didn’t try to force one in like
they did with Tomb Raider and every other game out there. If you’re one of
those people who enjoy games just for their multiplayer, this game clearly isn’t
for you. If you are a Bioshock fan, most like you’ve already played this game multiple
times by now and loved it. If you’re like me and were on the fence, play it.
Play it now! Even if you’ve never played the previous games, I highly recommend
checking this game out. This game has the honor of being my first 10 out 10
game since I started writing game reviews. It’s not 100% perfect but the pros
greatly outweigh the cons to the point where they didn’t really bother me at
all. Bioshock Infinite is one hell of a ride everyone should check out. Thank
you for reading and waiting for me to getting around to writing this. I’m not
exactly sure what my next review will be but keep a look out through this
summer!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">OVERALL:
10/10</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
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<b>PROS:</b><br />
-Strong story and characters<br />
-Fun, challenging combat<br />
-Beautiful graphics and an immersive setting<br />
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<b>CONS:</b><br />
-Too many on screen instructions at times<br />
-Weapons less interesting than previous games<br />
-Good gaming PC required for best way to view the visuals </span></span><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-49803700704506104252013-05-04T15:04:00.002-07:002013-05-04T15:04:46.385-07:00Bioshock Infinite Review is coming.. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ve finally gotten around to playing Bioshock Infinite… And… I really like it so far. Expect a long over due review within a week. </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-84502183361349203572013-04-25T06:30:00.002-07:002013-04-25T06:30:04.207-07:00No Dead Island Riptide <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_N_YKJGdN0Qqk7OoYCZZjcHnTUrdeie6-YsrMLC_UR9VTT8cUztJH3WERyr46bPwEVs7y0uP1HIDWmXerokB9-5BYFAoRM1La9KPDjLDUYBOSF9anX6b5EhQq82eYsaZDkStvA4w0c6EU/s1600/Glitch-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_N_YKJGdN0Qqk7OoYCZZjcHnTUrdeie6-YsrMLC_UR9VTT8cUztJH3WERyr46bPwEVs7y0uP1HIDWmXerokB9-5BYFAoRM1La9KPDjLDUYBOSF9anX6b5EhQq82eYsaZDkStvA4w0c6EU/s400/Glitch-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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No, I am not going to review Dead Island Riptide. I didn't like the first game and it sounds like this one still has all the problems the first game had. ...Also I'm sick and tired of zombies.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198459061449918757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938123511961103125.post-42476686763215240382013-04-17T15:42:00.002-07:002013-04-17T15:57:38.969-07:00INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us Game Review<br />
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Injustice: Gods Among Us is the ultimate clash of the titans
that every DC comics fan has dreamed about. From NetherRealm Studios (the guys
now in charge of Mortal Kombat) introduced the game to the world at the 2012
San Diego Comic Con. It drew my interest with its highly detailed character
models (most of which DC should really consider using in future movies) and
highly interactive levels. With the game building hype over the past year, it is
finally out and after playing it, I am very pleased. It’s a very fun fighting game
and is what fans have probably been hoping for. Is it perfect? No. But let’s
take a closer look.<br />
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<b>STORY: </b>Fighting games are not
exactly well known from having good stories. They’re mainly just an excuse to
give reason to why everyone is beating each other up. If you’re playing a
fighting game JUST for the story, then, well, you’re doing it wrong. That said,
I was quite impressed with Injustice’s story mode. If you don’t want any
spoilers then I suggest you skip down to the next paragraph. Heavily influenced
by the Crisis on Two Earths story arch, several members of the Justice League
find themselves somehow transported to an alternate Earth. On this Earth’s
timeline, Metropolis was destroyed by the Joker, killing millions including
Lois Lane and Superman’s unborn child. In his blind rage, Superman killed The
Joker and unleashed his power on the world forming a brutal global dictatorship
under his rule. Anyone who did not join him, he destroyed. The Justice League from
Earth One find themselves having to stop their alternate universe selves and
team up some unlikely allies to bring down the rule of this evil Superman.</div>
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Like I said, for a fighting game, I usually don’t expect a
good or long story. But Injustice goes the extra mile and delivers a compelling
story worthy of any of their comics. The cut scenes were entertaining and the
story moves at really good pace so it never gets too slow or too fast and the
fights never feel just thrown in there or pointless. The short mode is short at
around 3 to 4 hours but I can’t see it going on longer than that and there is
plenty of other content on this game. The game’s fighting roster is quite
impressive with 25 well known and more obscure super heroes from the DC
universe. You have the big six: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern,
Aquaman, and The Flash and their arch enemies like Lex Luthor, The Joker,
Sinestro, Doomsday, ect. But you also have some lesser known characters like
Shazam and Ares. All of these characters
are portrayed really well and all have their own unique game canon endings when
you complete the classic arcade mode with them. </div>
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Now I may be a big Batman fan but I will admit that the
roster is pretty heavy on Batman characters. Oh, and no Martian Manhunter. You
see him in the background of a level but you never get to play as him. I am a
bit disappointed by that. The only real negative thing I can say about the game’s
story is that it really won’t appeal to those who are not fans of DC comics. There
are so many references to the DC universe through the story and game, it might
require a little research to figure out who some of these people are and such.
If you don’t like the comics or the cartoon shows, then you probably won’t be
able to get into the story. For those who are DC fans, you’ll hopefully love
the story. </div>
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<b>GAMEPLAY: </b>The
fighting system for Injustice can be described as easy to learn, difficult to
master. Most of the characters share the same button combinations for moves but
they are all different for each. If you can memorize most of those moves then
you’re good to go. One thing new that Injustice brings to the table is the
ability to tag moves on the move list screen and display them for you below
your life bar in game. This is something that I hope all fighting games do from
now on. This almost eliminates having to keep pausing and unpausing to try and
pull off a move. Each character has a unique ultimate super move which will trigger
a mini-cut scene if it connects. For example, Superman’s super move will punch
your opponent into space; Superman will fly up and slam them back down to
Earth. Obviously, this does a lot of damage. While pulling off these moves are
simple (hit L and R trigger together when your power meter is filled) and they
are satisfying, they only have one cut scene for the move so seeing these moves
over and over will get old pretty quick, especially if you’re playing the same
character repeatedly. Another gimmick the game has is the Clash wager mode.
When initiated, a mini-cut scene will start and you must pick how much of your
power meter you want to wager by pressing the buttons that correspond on screen
and then the characters will attack each other in an epic clash. If you win the
wager, then you hurt your opponent and you regain some health and vice versa.
This also depletes however much of your power bar you wagered. The idea is cool
but it has some major issues. First of all, I have no idea how to initiate
these things. They seem to happen at random during the match and often cause me
to place my wager before I know what is going on. Secondly, if you’re playing
against the computer, it is always going to wager everything it has so if you
don’t have a full meter, you’re screwed. This was a neat idea but it could have
been handled differently.<br />
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The stages are designed to be multi-tiered and interactive. There are all kinds
of things in the level you can grab, kick, and blow up to use in your fights.
The stages also fall apart as the fight rages on. It is easy to know when you’re
near something that you can interact with as the button you need to press will
appear near your life bar. This adds another level of strategy to your fights
and how to make the best use out of the stage. You can also knock opponents
into other parts of the stage if you hit them hard enough on the far right or
left side of the screen and send them flying. These are a lot of fun to pull
off. Something else that Injustice does that I haven’t seen before in a fighter
is the removal of rounds during a match. You have two life bars instead with a brief
pause for the characters to get up or taunt the other before continuing the
fight. This keeps the game flowing instead of the screen having to reset itself
and announce what round it is. The character victory animations are amusing but
they could have used more variation. The same pose or lines of dialogue after
each match gets old. Also the game is all one on one. There are no team fights
or tag matches. This is definitely a missed opportunity here because you could
have made some really interesting teams with this game’s roster. </div>
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There are many game modes to unlock and play in this game.
Aside from the story mode, you also have the classic arcade, heroes only,
villains only, mirror matches, and at least 20 other modes to play. There are
also the STAR lab missions which are around 300 mini-missions to play with each
character. You earn stars for each objective you complete in the mission. These
are neat but the only way to know what the objectives are is to view them on
the mission select screen. You cannot view them while in the mission or if you
can, they are not clearly visible. This game has lots of content to unlock as
well. You gain XP in all the matches you take part in and level up which
unlocks costumes, artwork, music, ect which can be viewed in the archives. You
also unlock pictures for your fighter ID card which has become a big thing in
fighting games over the past few years. Personally, I could care less about it.
There are no characters to unlock that I know of but there is a character DLC
pack coming out very soon which will include Lobo. Oh, we’ll be fun to play as.
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<b>GRAPHICS AND SOUND: </b> Like I said before, DC should really use these
designs for future movies. All the super heroes look awesome and have excellent
designs. They are a mix of designs from movies and the New 52 comics. Hawkgirl’s
design stands out with her beautifully rendered wings. The stages are also beautifully
detailed and filled with all kinds of references to various DC comics. The
Arkham Asylum level is filled with references to the Rocksteady Arkham games
including some cameos from some of its inmates. The graphics for the cut scenes
during the story mode are slightly less impressive. The environments look
rather dull and dry compared to the actual fighting stages but this is pretty
common in fighting games. Dead Or Alive 5 had the same issue. The artwork for
this game is amazing. Just look up some of it. The same style of artwork is
used for the individual endings for the arcade mode. </div>
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The voice acting in this game is great. It includes many
voice actors from various animated versions of the Justice League reprising
their roles, the most notable being Kevin Conroy reprising his role as Batman.
Jennifer Hale did the voice of Hawkgirl. She doesn’t say all that much but when
she did, I couldn’t help but think of Commander Shepard from Mass Effect. Tara Strong
reprises her roles as Harley Quinn (started with Arkham City) and as Raven
though Teen Titan fans might be disappointed that she speaks in a deep demonic
voice rather than how she talked in the show. Sadly, Mark Hamill does not
reprise his role as The Joker. The new guy is alright but Hamill’s voice is
sorely missing. The music is fitting with an epic sound but nothing I would
write home about. The voice acting is what will stand out in the audio department
to the fans. </div>
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Overall, Injustice is one of the best super hero themed games
I’ve ever played and one of the better fighting games I’ve ever played. Those
two things might be the game’s greatest strengths and its greatest weaknesses.
If you’re not a fan of fighting games, this will not win you over. If you’re
not a fan of DC comics, I have a feeling you’ll have a very hard time getting
into this game. If you are a fan of both fighting games and DC super heroes, go
get this game now. It has its flaws but for the most part it’s a sold fighting
game with a great story, lots of content and modes to play. I hope to see in
the gaming rooms at conventions in the near future. Thanks for reading! My next
review will definitely be the much praised and hyped Bioshock Infinite. </div>
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OVERALL: 8/10<br />
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<b>PROS:</b><br />
-Fun and easy to use fighting system with awesome unique moves<br />
-Excellent story with lots of legendary characters to choose from<br />
-Lots of content and DLC support on the way<br />
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<b>CONS:</b><br />
-Clash wager system, while interesting on paper, is poorly executed<br />
-Super moves and victory poses lack variation and can get old quick<br />
-This game is not likely to appeal to those who are not DC comics fans</div>
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