Saturday, June 30, 2012

No More Heroes (Wii)

Balls to the wall action, insane amounts of violence, and sexual overtones that are not really overtones.  All these things are phrases that I would probably not describe this game because it doesn't give an extreme enough description.  Let's get this out in the open, this is one of the most tedious games I've played in a long time.  The only saving grace is the boss battles.  Those are more than worth purchasing the game for.

The time between boss battles is spent doing jobs, brawling for cash, and fighting cannon fodder.  Sure this get tedious, actually it is always tedious.  You do level up some skills with money and finding balls and things but once you have certain moves and the best beamsaber, the cannon fodder becomes even more tedious.

Like I said earlier, the boss battles are the best parts.  In fact, if you ignore the other parts of the game...these are easily the best and most well-designed boss battles I've ever fought.  Each boss has a pattern and a set of times when you can hit them and when you should be wary.  Learning this will help you be successful.

I also have to say, this has the craziest writing in any game I've played in a long time.  Everything is insane and just to the point of insanity that it is beyond believable.  The sexual overtones add some humor to the game but at times it can get a little rough if you aren't into that.

All in all, this is a good game and should be part of anybodies Wii collection.  The action is great if you can look past the terrible pieces that are between bosses.  Plus, what game lets you play with a cat and it does nothing to effect the game at all?  Only a handful.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! (PSP)

If you compare this game to the first game, this game is much, much better and much, much harder.  As platformers go, this game is probably the most challenging one I've ever played.  This game isn't challenging because of bad controls or unfair conditions, it is difficult because of the design.  It was designed to be difficult.

This is pretty much the same as the first game, run, jump, and climb to stay alive.  You have to try your hardest in each level and each level just gets harder as time goes on.  The story is ridiculous and it should be.  N1 is good at that.  They are incredibly good at writing things that are funny.

The key draw is the new mode, Asagi Wars.  This adds even more by adding weapons and a life bar.  Plus the story adds more to a great character.  It also has one of the most difficult bosses I've ever faced.  In fact, the last boss in this game is the most difficult game that I've ever faced.  And I loved it.

This is a game that pushes you.  It pushes you to try to be better at gaming in general.  Sure at times it is unfair and you just want to give up but making it to the end and seeing everything it has to offer.  It is the most satisfying thing I've ever been through.  Yes, I love platformers and I love this game.  Sure I got really mad at it a lot but I persevered and it made me a better gamer.  If you want to challenge yourself, buy this.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

Few people will say this game is great.  Few people will understand what the game was trying to do.  The fact is, the game changed the formula a lot.  It was very linear, which is indeed not a very good thing.  But the game had something that was missing from some of the more recent JRPGs.  It had a battle system that tried something.  Sure, part of it didn't work and auto-battle made many people lazy but overlooking this, you can see a great system.  Paradigms and shifting can make the game take on many forms.  Fighting an enemy that is resistant to most things, what do you do?  You have options.  You can have to commandos and a sentinel tank it.  Sure that means you will likely not get a good ranking.

Or you could be smarter and try to use saboteurs and synergists to give you the edge.  Or build the gauge with ravagers.  There are many possibilities.  This gives battles depth.  You can be cheap and auto-battle and tank, but miss out or you can try to be smart and go for the record.  It's up to the player.

The other key thing I love about this game is the soundtrack.  It is simply brilliant.  It evokes emotions at times that most games only wish they could.  The boss battle themes for the main antagonist being some of the best in the series.

Sure this game had flaws but if you try to understand what they were trying to do with this game.  You will have a great time.  The story does fizzle out in the later chapters and it really stops making sense at times.  If you are looking for a good time and you can look past some of the flaws, you can have a great time.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)

I bought this game just as Partners in Time was coming out.  I was eager to play a Mario RPG since the last one I had played was for the SNES.  I have to say, I was gladly surprised at how much fun this game was.  It was incredibly fun.

The bits I can remember cause it has been years since I beat this have all been good.  The story is awesome, well-paced, and well-thought out.  The combat is the key draw to this game.  It's a turn-based RPG but each attack has a context sensitive cue to do more damage.  I got to the point where I could do most of the difficult attacks without the easy mode turned on for them.

This is one game I would play again had it not been for the last boss.  This is the only really challenging part of the game and such it should.  This boss doesn't break the barrier of being frustrating though.  Once you know what you are doing, you can do it but it is difficult nonetheless.

Through out the game, you know who will be the boss.  You don't expect it to be difficult but you know who you are fighting.  You learn everything you need to know to defend yourself and you are given every opportunity to use those skills.  That's how a game should end.  Using what you have learned throughout the game to win.

For being a GBA game, I was surprised with the depth and the amount of content.  It was a great game and should be in anybodies collection.  Plus it has some hilarious moments and the whole game just has a great feel to it.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Sushi Cat (iPhone)

My first mobile game review!  I'll make this short.  At the time I played this, I had gotten it free from free app a week thingy.  My roommate had played the game on his computer and it looked like fun.

Flash games should not be ported to iOS.  This game was buggy.  Buggy enough to make my phone close the stupid game while I was playing it.  It wasn't particularly fun and it was just so glitchy, it's one of the reasons I don't do mobile gaming anymore.  In fact, I really dislike anything that is iOS and gaming.

Did I give the mobile app market a try?  Sure, but when even games like Solitaire can't be done correctly, I didn't have high hopes for the games as a whole.  So I'm disappointed.  Give me a Gameboy before an iOS game any day.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Half-Minute Hero (PSP)

To make a long story short, this game is awesome.  Immensely awesome.  Let me get this out of the way early though, the main game type (hero mode) is the best one.  I mean sure some of the other ones are alright but they are not very much fun.  Hero mode ties an entire RPG into a very short amount of time.  Sure the game does take about 30 seconds to complete some missions, but others will take a while.  The time mechanics make the game seem rushed for an RPG.  This is by no means a bad thing.

The music is very iconic, it will remind you of the older RPGs.  The graphics are almost straight from the NES but there are some features the old system could never do.  The game itself is slick, it plays very nicely.  There is a variety of modes but as I said before the hero mode is the best one.

The story is pretty good with some very funny parts.  I won't spoil it but the time goddess is hilarious.  I would recommend this game to anybody that wants a fun little romp through some nostalgic things.  Ah, nostalgia.  How you cloud a good portion of my reviews with the awesomeness.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (NDS)

Days march on and we see that things never change.  This game is no exception.  Parts of this game are very similar to the Kingdom Hearts games I've played in the past.  You travel around, kill things and level up.  You get new weapons and skills, then have even more fun.

The biggest issue I have with this game is the mission structure.  Every mission is spelled out pretty clear but some are rather boring.  Like collecting a bunch of items or killing some immobile objects.  Sure it sounds fun on paper but it is often boring.

The keyblades are a joke this time around.  Sure the DS has some limitation in what it can render but still, don't skimp on putting in some nicer keyblades.  Palette swapping does not work when you are working with the main weapon that is iconic to the series.  Also, skip the online part...sure it brings in some replayability and what not but it wasn't needed.

I would say this was a bad game but I can't bring myself to do it.  It wasn't that bad of a game.  I had some fun with it.  Some aspects didn't click with me but others were quite tedious.  The story isn't terrible and it is easier to follow than other games in the series but it's not bad.  If you need some fun times in an action adventure game, get this.  If not, it's passable.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

3d Dot Game Hero (PS3)

What can I say about this game?  The concept is simple.  You start your journey to save the world as whatever character you want.  There is nothing better than setting out on an adventure to save the world, but allowing the player to play as whatever they want.  Be it a tank, to a pencil, to a single pixel block.  The game lets you play.

The story is pretty funny.  There are a lot of things to talk to and plenty of things to discover.  Lots of items and lots of stuff to collect.  Getting all the swords and items and things takes a long time but it is fun.  My biggest issue with the game is the map system.  It is downright terrible.  Trying to figure out where to go is often frustrating and really annoying.  Sure this is a throwback to the old games of the same genre but it gets to a point of frustration that it pulls from the experience.

I have to say that this is one of my favorite games on the PS3.  I can look past some of the limitations and tedious traveling at times because it is fun.  The bosses are fun, the dialogue is often hilarious, and there is enough going on that will remind you of the older games in the genre that you will definitely feel some kind of nostalgia.  From Software has been putting out good games and I enjoyed this nice little romp through memory lane.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Hammerin' Hero (PSP)

I didn't know what to expect with this game.  In fact, I didn't know this game was part of a series of games from Japan.  Little did I know, I would run into a game that challenged me and was so insane that it was the most fun I had with PSP for a long time.

It's a simple concept.  Start and go right, avoid things, and fight your way to the end.  Sounds simple?  Well when everything and the scenery wants to kill you, it's not.  I loved how difficult the game can get.  Sure you get different vocations and those are helpful but nothing beats hammering things into the ground.

It's not a long game and parts are really hard but the game is really fun.  Plain simple fun.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Super Robot Taisen: OG Saga Endless Frontier (DS)

Wall of boobs.  This is a game that is really stuck in my heart.  I didn't quite enjoy the battle system because it is very strict and unforgiving.  If you don't get extremely good at juggling your opponents, they will guard you.  Not only that but they can drop all of your next attacks as well.  Sure this is only the later enemies and by then you should know what to do.  But there is a point where it is very frustrating.

The story is what I enjoyed the most.  It combines some good characters and some great story arcs.  There is always something new and everything comes together.  The conversations between the party members are often funny but it gets the job done.

As an RPG, the battle system is unique and I loved it.  Yes I mentioned the unforgiving nature and the fact that you have to be near perfect to win some fights.  I still loved it despite this.  The attacks all have their uses and there is a lot of strategy in this.  When to use skills, when to use items, etc.  A bad choice could easily spell death.

The great thing about this game is that there is a lot of variety and a lot of fun stuff to it.  I wish we had gotten the sequel.  It still stands as one of my favorite games on the DS.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)

On-rails shooters.  This is a genre that I generally don't like.  In fact, I know I don't like this.  This game though, has changed my mind a little bit.  It helped me get better at shooting.  I had to focus and shoot the critical areas.

The story does rather clear up some of the plot that I missed with some of the games I hadn't played.  I liked the recap of the stories that I hadn't ever seen.  I also liked some of the guns and leveling them up.

The bosses were kind of inventive and some of the battles are pretty intense.  Sure one of them drags on for way to long if you run out of grenades or shotgun ammo but it doesn't detract too much.

All in all, this is a game that I went into not really enjoying and ended up having a nice time.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

Mario has always been a great series in my mind.  I have enjoyed most of the games in the series.  It's hard to think of a platformer series that I haven't liked and this is no different.

I have to say that the game is fun.  Really fun.  The 3D effects are incredibly useful at times.  They give a feeling of depth that many 3D platformers have been missing in the past.  Sure the gimmick at times is a little much but watching Bullet Bills stream past as they head towards the screen is enjoyable.

Although the main game is rather easy, there are challenging parts.  The return of the Tanuki Suit is great.  In fact, the game can easily be beaten with just this item.  Having two of them almost guarantees that you can beat a level.

I haven't tried the extra levels and I have heard that they are much more difficult and make the game even better.  I would recommend this to anybody who wants a 3DS game.  If you like platforming, this is a game for you.  This is one of the most solid and polished platformers I've played in a long time.