Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Quake 3 Team Arena (PC)

What is the difference between this and my Quake 3 Arena review?  I don't think I actually played this.  When I had Steam, I used to buy cheap stuff.  This was on that list.  I got the full Quake pack for dirt cheap.  Now I don't use Steam anymore because I couldn't deal with never having a good enough computer to play things the way I wanted.  So I gave up on PC gaming.

Will I come back to this?  Maybe.  Probably not though.  That would involve getting Steam again.  I can only assume this is just like the other game.  Running around, shooting stuff till it dies and not caring about what happens.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Motorstorm RC (PSVita)

A freebie game that I picked up because it was free.  I haven't done too much with it but it is decently fun.  You drive little RC cars around and hope that you don't crash.  The controls do take some time to get used to but it is not difficult to pick up.  This will be short because there isn't much to this game.  Great little game and definitely fun.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixer (PS2)

I received this game as a gift on year at Christmas time.  I didn't really ask it or was interested in it, I was actually trying to get the DVDs but this is what I got.  I could complain but this game wasn't terrible.  It had some frustrating parts but it also was pretty fun.

The reason why I was interested in this as I was just finishing up the show.  I liked the characters and the storyline.  I liked everything about the source material.  This game was something I got into.  The combat wasn't too bad.  The story kind of fit with the show.  My major gripe about this game is the fact that it is short and there are some frustrating bosses.

The alchemy parts are decently done, being able to use turrets and robots is kind of fun.  Some weapons are way more overpowered than others though.  Like the Hammer, it is too slow to be of any use other than for other slow things.  Usually using the environment to your advantage is the best route.  It made for a decently fun time.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Lunar Knights (NDS)

A game that is supposed to be fun and people enjoyed it.  What could be wrong?  Well for one, this game is incredibly boring and slow.  I will be short, the little stuff that I remember about this game is the element system which was terrible.  The combat that was incredibly one-sided and shallow.  Then there were the parts where you are in the ship. I remember how bad those were.  The story is incredibly boring as well.

I have been playing action RPGs for a long time.  They are my favorite genre of game.  This game has no redeeming qualities and I hate the fact that it is praised.  I guess it was just not for me.  I can understand why people like this game but I cannot like it.  I'm glad that I didn't almost finish it without realizing it wasn't fun, oh wait.  I stopped playing in the last dungeon cause I got tired of it.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)

What do you get when you cross a hooker with a hammer?  This game.  Simply put, this is the best Grand Theft Auto I have played.  The music is awesome, the gameplay is tight, and it is fun to play.  The weapons are unique and each has a purpose.

The story is quite good.  You are a gangster, Tommy Vercetti, in the interesting times for Vice City.  Things are new and the world is just spiraling down.  Which is good news for you, there is always a job to do. The missions are good.  They have a lot of variety.

The only gripe I have about this game is the way mission failures work.  If you fail a mission, you don't start back at the mission.  So if you end up really far away from the mission, you have to travel back to it if you fail.  It is often annoying when the police come out of nowhere and just grab your car door and you lose a mission.  You try to get away but the window to get away is far too short.

This game was fun.  Probably the best GTA game I've played.  Sure I haven't played many sandbox games but this was one that I spent quite a bit of time with.  The feeling of the times is captured in this game, it feels like Scarface and that is what Rockstar was going for.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Metroid: Other M (Wii)

It pains me to talk about this game too much.  Such potential was in this title and it turned into a terrible game.  From the lackluster story, that nearly ruined Samus as a character, to a set of gameplay mechanics that make it a pain to play.  This isn't a Metroid game, it's a Team Ninja mess.

Let me get this out of the way now, I am a huge Metroid fan.  I have played them all, even the titles most people would say are not strong outings.  This game left a terrible taste in my mouth.  One that I am hoping will go away in the next title.

Everything about this game is different from the norm.  Sure there is the standard shooting and running but it definitely has some issues.  First issue is the lack exploration.  You are guided to where to go for most of the game.  Sure the Prime series did this as well but they also left it up to you and didn't annoy you into getting to the next objective.

My second issue with the game is the story.  It proves that somebody wasn't thinking clearly when they thought it up.  It doesn't make Samus seem like a badass bounty hunter, like she is.  It makes her seem like a crybaby that hides at the first hint of Ridley.  I mean in one of the Prime games, she kills a fellow bounty hunter and doesn't shed a tear.  This one, she takes her suit off to try to keep somebody from doing what they need to.  That is not the Samus I know and love.

Lastly, the game ends badly.  Not storywise, it drops the ball in terms off boss battles.  The last boss is needlessly frustrating due to bad controls and bad indications as to what you are supposed to for it.  Having to watch that last stupid cutscene for an hour cause you don't know what you are supposed to do was stupid.  It was a bad mechanic and I really hope somebody realizes that having a pixel hunt is not fun.

I wish I could forget this game but it has forever stained my memory of an otherwise great series.  Sure I had a little fun with it and some of the bosses were pretty fun. But this game doesn't feel like a Metroid game.  It feels like somebody had designed an engine and then just slapped Metroid on it.  Team Ninja should feel bad about this.  Everybody should, killing a classic series with this.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Alleyway (GBC)

For a simple concept, this game does it well.  Bounce the ball back at the blocks and don't let it fall.  Simple right?  I have been playing this game as a kid and I have never been good at these games.  Be it Arkanoid or Breakout, even Kirby's Blockball (Which I've only played once and would like to play again).

What makes this game unique isn't the fact that it is technically Mario controlling the little barship thing. It's that this simple concept can be done on such a simple system.  I played this on the Gameboy with the green screen and everything.  To this day, I can't beat the third level.

For an arcade type game, this game doesn't hold up well to todays standards.  In fact, it doesn't hold up well to a lot of standards.  But it is still really fun to play and I had some fun remembering about this game.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Izuna 2 The Unemployed Ninja Returns (NDS)

Few games are frustrating for the right reasons.  Losing all your items and things because you made a mistake and solely your mistake, that is okay.  Losing all your items and things cause you got unlucky, that is not okay.  This game makes both things happen.

This game is simple, make it through the dungeons with limited items and no levels.  Since you lose levels every time you clear a dungeon (At least I think so, I can't really remember).  You have to plan accordingly, make sure you bring items with you.

This was a fun game.  It had a decent story, the characters were likeable, and it was funny.  I enjoyed it and was decently challenged.  I'm hoping for another title in the series.  It is very interesting and they have a lot to build on.