SELECT PAGE
|
The Incredible Hulk#23
Reviewed on 28th July 2012
Platform: PC
Released Date :10th June 2008
Developer:Edge of Reality
Publisher: SEGA
Genre : Third Person Action
ESRB: T for Teen
"Hulk dont like Hulk Ugly Game"
The Incredible Hulk is based on the movie of the same title. You can guess that being a movie tie in , this game would be mediocre at best. Edge of reality , instead of porting the PS3 & X360 games , made another game for the wii & PC with watered down graphics. As you can see below , not only are the graphics bad on PC , but it is also terrible for Wii standards as well. Have a look for yourselves.
Like Movie , Like game
Remember the movie of this game . How the story was mdiocrely written with dull ,boring & unrealized acting from the cast ? Incredible Hulk for the PC has apparently inherited the qualities of its parent movie.
However , the plot is fairly off the radar according to the movie. Its not very interesting either......
Bruce banners starts off captured in Rio, which is when you smash you way out of the place. After that , there is not much relation to the movie except for a few scenes imported & graphically interpreted from the movie.
A mediocre story can be mended if it is presented well. But unfortunately , it is turns out to be worst than anyone would have expected.
The graphics are abseloutely horrible, therefore , making the cutscene just a lot worse. It also doesnt help that the direction of dialogue isnt very special either , majing cutscenes look lamer than it can ever be.
Often a cutscene lasts only about 30 seconds , not more ....making the storyline redundant & unimportant . And dont expect it to have cinematic feel.
The voice acting may be decent, but the dialogue direction wast very good , making the cutscenes very artificial & flat.
Yes , The Incredible Hulk presents before us a fully destructible New York , but it is pretty much most of the time grey & empty. The fact that there many things to do is another story alltogether. But my point is that it doesnt feel like the city that never sleeps. There hardly any pedestrians on the streets & there are hardly any other things that you see everyday.....No pots , barrels , railings , graffiti , nothing. Its as if a neuclear explosion has left the city uninhabitable. Its not fun roaming around an empty & dead city.
I have seen in the newly released The Amazing Soiderman has a spirited & lively NY. With cheering / Jeering civilians , cars zooming past & all those random crimes. It feels so real & truly the city that never sleeps. But if you take all that away , You get The Icredible Hulk.
The worst part is that the graphics abseloutely suck. The buildings look like they have been made of LEGO blocks & so does the grainy grass. The low polygonal figures dont help & th e draw in distances are very short.
In fact , the draw in distances are the main weakness of TIH.
In the amazing spiderman..... If you stand on top of the Chrystler , you can see loads of things. Cars wading through the traggic , loads of civillians rushing in a hurry along the sidewalk. If you do the same in TIH though , all you see is blue fog covering the observably New York city.
This is definately the ugliest it can look for the PC.
Hulk Smash
I know I have been dissimg this game left & right , but when it comes to gameplay , The Incredible hulk can pack a good punch & give you at least some bang for your buck....
First thing I liked was that Hulk can destroy builings...as in he can just reduce the buildings down to nothing else but only rubble. This adds to the destructive feel.
Another feature is the charge jump. While in the air , if you hold the jump button & release as Hulk touches the ground , Hulk can jump higher & he jumps higher everytime , making travelling to places a lot faster.
A good touch added by the developers was that every step that hulk takes leaves behind cracks on the road & huge stomping sounds , which makes you feel truly out of controll.
The more destruction you cause , the more your threat level rises. Guys in ar,y colours , tanks etc come in to stop you . Most of them just shoot bullets & do some other silly stuff one in his right mind wouldnt do , but its no big deal for the Incredible hulk. Even if you do lose health , you can heal it , which means you will rarely ever die , as long as you have an eye on your health meter.
Also , when hulk has had enough & his rage meter is full , he can unleash groundbreaking attacks such as the ground slam , leaving everyone around you 20 feet farther than they were. Its very effective & fun to pull off , but it takes away a lot of challenge from the game.
The main game consists of missions & most of the mission objectives are either fetch quests or protect quests , sometimes both. These missions are fun at times but they get repetitive & tired after a while.
Not only that , but sometimes you are overwhelmed by the sheer number of firepower around you & its quite hard to look at your health meter.
Also during a few Protect missions , your attacks shockwaves affect the items you want to protect , deteriorating them & making you fail your mission. That gets frustrating after a few faliures.
The Verdict............
Overall , the Incredible Hulk can be a great time & some valuable time wasted. But looking at it as a form of art , this game certainly fails. Buy a rental if you want to , it can be some fun.
Scorecard
Presentation
Bad cutscenes & unrealized voice acting marred with poorly directed cutscenes make for a flimsy game
3.5
Graphics
The streets & buildings are flat & without texture while the draw in distances are terribly short.... Abseloutely terrible looking game.
2.0
Soundtrack
The voice acting is only a little under the mark.,..the rest are just about there.
6.0
Gameplay
The basic elements are fun but there is a bit too much of a challenge , a little more than you would like.
Not to forget that many of the missions are repetitive
6.5
Lasting Appeal
Apart from the 12 hour campaign , there is a lot more to do , such as challenges & much more.
7.5
Overall: 5.5
Mediocre
|
|
  
Spiderman :Shattered Dimensions#22
4 Spidermen are here to cover up what one Spiderman couldnt .
The previous endevours of spiderman may be weren't so good.
Some games ranging from passable to an abseloute abuse to the franchise (Friend or Foe) but a few elements added or subtracted results to outcomes which are present in this game. Are the outcomes good or bad ? Find out in this review.
What the 4 spidermen have for us
SD , unlike it's recent predecessors , doesn't have an open world . There is non need to be disheartened by the fact that you cannot swing around an open new York city ( its not that there was anything In those lifeless grey cities) . There is still a lot Of fun to be had. Another thing to be known is that there are 4 spidermen across four different universes.
[Picture2here]
The story begins as Mysterio is caught stealing an ancient artifact from a meuseum . These few cutscenes are narrated b Stan Lee himself.
That is when Spiderman barges in. During the battle , the artifact is broken & shattered . It's fragments are spread across 4 dimensions with 4 different heroes ( or spidermen ) of their own.
Well , there is not really a plot. The story has an episodic structure which doesnt really work . The focus shifts from dimension to dimension as the levels complete. Almost the proceeding of every level is exactly the same. There is no Peter Parke , Mary Jane , Aunt May , Gwen Stacy or even a Jameson , which is why knowing about the story is a bit depressing.
Not to worry though.........All the voice acting there is in the game is great , perfectly well realise. Same goes to all the different masked heroes & villins as well.
Overall , the presentation values seem miles ahead of Web of Shadows , being consistent , neat & perfectly cohesive.
The most impressive of all is the art style , that too , being different for the 4 universes.The amazing spiderman is full of colour , irrespective of the colour of the surroundings. The Ultimte Spiderman has darker & moodier colours with a bit of neon , & in case if you dont know , the ultimate spiderman is the one with the symbiote.2099 is from the future , full of wierd cyan & maroon colours with a lot of neon lighting.The Noir Spiderman from the 30's is black & white & mostly in shadows. All these have been mixed with the cell shaded pencil outlines , making it look like it jumped straight out of the comics.
Also , the menue system looks pretty too , with a comick font.
SD has charachter bios , additional suites & rare collectables , all adding replay value to the 12-15 hour campaign.
Although SD is full of colourfull stuff , it feels a bit shallow. SD could have been so much more. If only there was more story & relevance to Peters community around him. Also , itcould have used a few more missions , it could have been a lot similar to The Ultimate Spiderman which was 7 years ago.
How Spidey Rolls..............
The matter of variety lies in the fact that SD has 4 different dimensios with all of the Spider-men having different melee & special attacks. Each have different ways to move.
Spiderman 2099 likes to stay in the air & has an accelerated vision which can slow down time. Ultimate spiderman has a rage mode in which spidey goes out of control & punishes everyone around him. He often like to have symbiote tendrills drill through his enemies coming out of every part of his body. Noir doesnt like to be seen , as bullets hurt him a lot , so he decides to strike from the shadows. He depends on hiding in the shadows & strike as he comes closer without getting noticed, Batman style.
All of them have similar melee attacks. But have different appearences. Hand to hand combat is as fun as it will ever be. Of course there are upgradables & cool comboes , making it all the more fun. Most of the times the enemies have snipers or stuff , allowing a wide range of attacks & tactics. Some enemies have shields which need some smart thinking. In 2099 , you can also have missiles diverting back to the sender.
The level design for the most part is believable & clever. Ranging from huge sandbox style levels to narrow corridors. It doesnt push your mental abilities to the cusp , but there is a bit of puzzle soving stuff.
This one level has us zipping from box to box flying away from the center of a sandstorm in order to reach the source of the storm.
While one level has us fighting Scorpion who constantly keeps running between the three platforms.
Now , the latter of the levels is something well udesired , with it getting harder to even make contact to the Scorpion. It feels downright broken. But it can be forgiven as a one time mistake as the rest of the levels may range from intersting to very interesting , ending with some very memorable bossfights.
Also , the games environments are very colourfull & new everytime. Credits to Beenox for smartly avoiding repetition in any given level. Even if there is repetition , it is not as bad as WOS. To top it off , there are 180 challenges to complete after the game. Dont worry , the challenges do not make you to do lame stuff like kill a number of enemies , bit it tells you to complete a stretch before a given time limit. Its not mundane , its only fun.
The Verdict
SD is a smart diversion from the previous repetitive & boring spiderman adventures. It has a very good art style , some interesting level designs & some excellent voice acting. The problems , though are t small , are a lot. The storyline is not up to the mark , the game feels shallow & there4 are too many individual mistakes.
Also not to forget that the game shifts into a first person boxing mode with your boss......which was a dumb idea.
overall , the games succeeds to impress & give new concepts to more spidey games in the near future.
Scorecard
Presentation
The charming pencil outlined style works... the story doesnt...
7.0
Graphics
The art style definately works & the animations are fluid.
8.5
Soundtrack
The voice acting is outstanding while the music is still a bit short of something special
8.5
Gameplay
The level design is interesting but there are too many individual mistakes & one time glitches
7.5
Lasting Appeal
The campaign lasts about 12-15 hours but there are still 180 challenges to complete.
7.5
Overall 7.5
Impressive |
|
Anubis II
Disgrace to the Egyptian heritage.........
Egypt has a great culture & a respectable heritage. The Egyptian history is something to learn about & one of the most significant & interesting history in the world. It is an important part of world history ..............
But this....does not help the Egyptian image by any sorts. What it does is thqat it disgraces not only the Egyptian history , but also the art of developing games !!!!!
And how owuld you even expect for this pile of s**t to do the world any good , after all it has been developed by Data Design Interactive....... And if you have ever played a ddi product you would know exactly what I'm talking about.
Beware , the plot is hopelessly predictable
Once you have started playing this excuse for a game , if you can predict the story of the game successfully , it means that you are a normal human being with an IQ of above 30.......Mainly because there is barely a story..
You are supposed yo step in the shoes of Anubis II (read as "Anubis the second") to save the place from an evil spirit named Mum'hotep . In order to do that , you are supposed to struggle ( I mean literally struggle) through 2 hours of a fit full of fury , which is definately not part of the game.
Not only the game is a struggle , but the only thing that can be presented are the menues, which , just like the other elements of the game , are utterly horrendous & barely exist.
The game isnt vissually pleasing either. Infact , it is one of the most horrible looking game on the Wii. We talk about developers taking the Wii's capabities too lightly & dumbing the graphics down too much , but iin this case , it is quite obvious that the developers didnt even try ....
In the entire game , there is nothing called a texture , not even once. There are hardly any charachter models (not that there are any charachters either....). The enemies too , are never humans. They are either cashewnuts or gobstoppers....or atleast that is what they look like. And the worst part is that they look like your 5 year old sister drew them......no identifying what they actually are.
The sountrack is sparse & the music is god awfull!!!!!
You will be hearing electro pop in a game about pre-modern Egypt....
The "struggle"
All of that may have been excused if the most important aspect , ie , the gameplay would have been at least passable. But unfortunately , that doesnt happen either.
The very basic aspect of gaming ....that is the controlls suck so bad. The directional controlls are aldready quite loose & the combat is poorly done. It also doesnt help one bit that the motion controls are downright broken. To swing your stab , you are supposed to attack & in order to do that , you swing your Wii remote. But since the game doesnt read your inputs well , on an average you would have to swing your remote 2-3 times to attack once. Couple that with the fact that it takes at least 6-7 blows ie , lousy swings of the remote to kill one awkwardly modelled piramid shaped enemy, You can understand my true pain. It is most likely that you will die while trying to kill one little sucker of an enemy , which is why I advise you to avoid any contact with the enemy (or avoid buying the dang game itself......)
There are other ways to confront your enemies such as sending out energy balls oor whatever they are...but they are pretty weak & it takes about 15 blows to take them out. So the entire combat sucks.
Also the game has many jumping puzzles. To jump , you flick your nunchuck in the air. But unfortunately , the game will read your input at the most 40% OF THE TIME !!!!. So since the game is full of jumping puzzles , the whole experience is horrifying & frustrating.
You have to give it up to the developersfor doing one thing right....that is making the game only 2 hours long. One point for ddi for doing that.
Other than that , you have mini puzzles which pretty much suck too. so there is nothing to look out for in this game.
The Verdict
ddi..... Off with you head !!!!!
This game has nothing to write about. The levels are not interesting & given that the controls absolutely suck the former are abseloutely frustrating. There are no collectibles or unlockables & overall , this peice of an excuse is downright broken .
Scorecard
Presentation
Bad menues , no cutscenes , bad music. All of the given statements are huge undserstatements (<< :P)
1.0
Graphics
The textures are invisible. The enemies are blocky & the colours are an eyebleed.
1.0
Soundtrack
The music is out of place & the sound effects are sparse.
0.5
Gameplay
The contrpolls suck & the level design is jumping friendly... so that does not help
1.5
Lasting appeal
XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD..............please....its just two hours long
0.0
Overall : 1.0
|
|
Crysis 2#20
Platform: XBox 360 (also available on Playstation 3 &PC)
Released Date:22 March 2011
ESRB : M
Genre: First Person Shooter
Developer : Crytek Studioes
Publisher EA
The nanosuite is not to be trifled with
Crysis 2 had some heavy load on its back , thanks to its predecessor which delivered such groundbreaking technology bringing in jaw dropping scenery & visuals....
Combining modern New York with some great scenes & destruction with the grace of movements .
It is without a doubt , one of the best looking game I have ever played. Therefore , It gives its successor enough reason to be given equal hype..
Turmoil in NY
Crysis 2 is set in New York of 2024 which is being attacked by all four directions...... or probably even more. Which is why I thought that the plot is a bit over the top.....
The city is under a martial law that is not understoood by the citizens , there is a viral outbreak consuming dozens at once going wild. Then comes the alien Invasion , this is where a marine named Alacatraz has to put his foot down in order to put a stop to this mess.
Alcatraz dons the crysis series trademark nanosuit , a semi-living combat armour.
The blur at the corner of the screens show that you have the nanosuit on , (and I am pretty sure most of the time you are...)Most of the load screens & menues are seen through your nanosuit , which seems innovative.
The nanosuite has three modes : Stealth , Strenght & armour.
Stealth makes you nearly invisible , Strenght gives you stronger melee attacks , greater speed & makes you jump taller & farther.. Armour makes you somewhat an indestructible object.
While playing you should focus in making use of all three of the nanosuites offerings , combine them & use them in different ways.
The enviroments , which are mostly sandbox style , look beautifull . You can literally see the warmth in the atmosphere. The light showers in through holes & bounces all around the place The textures are perfect , providing the amazingness during breakdowns & destruction. This game avoids any visual gimmicks such as dark filtering or cell shading. It is true to the heart , simple & colourfull , yet providing the seriousness that the game is suppose to have.
The cutscenes look graphically masterfull. The voice acting & charachters bring to life the plot & it has been done quite well. Though its not that the plot is very good at all.The game , as expected is quite linear but still has some amazing environments , some being jaw dropping. Crysis 2 hardly ever fails , but when it does , one is always quick to forget it , for there is always another amazing moment waiting out there.
Wading through torn down NY
The strenght of the game lies in scope for tactics. There is this verticallity in the sandbox like levels that gives you the 3D feel , by which I mean that you can attack from any angle & sometimes your foes dont even know what hit them. You can get in from this way or that way , use your zooming lens & knock 'em down from a distance
The nanosuit allows some great moments to flow in . This usually happens when you combine the nanosuites strenghts to use it in a logical , or rathe 'clever' way. The nanosuite allows you to sneak up from behind , taking out foes one by one.. The suite also locate places of potential strategic points by which you can overcome your objective in an easy way & make you feel smart, or just evil , depending on the way you choose to attack. You can either sneak up from behind , or just find your way to the top & come tumbling down at your enemy.
The dimensions of the level also allow you to attack from high above , predator style.
These strategic points can help you set up attack plans to really ambush your foes. Though it should not be mismanaged , or it will lead to miscommunication (sort of ) & you are in trouble unless you can think your way out , which still feels good if you are able to do so.
Though , not everything comes by easy for Alcatraz. When there is more of them & less of you , you are the one who is ambushed & it is you who is on the backfoot. This is when you are supposed to go smart rather than go hard. You have many tools at your disposal , use them....
This is made possible by a smart , yet easy Artificial intelligence , you cant take them for granted , nor are they too hard to beat. There are these particular alien AI , which jump around the place like crazy , scaring the living daylight out ouf you. Waht are you suppose to do ? its up to you....
Though , the AI isnt always too smart. Sometimes you encounter wierd glitches. One glitch I kept finding was the one in which you enemy keeps walking in circles. Otherwise you would find certain enemies chilling out when their teammate is in the fight right in front of him....
In Crysis 2 , Weapon customization meets upgrades. This allows more scope for tactics..
The game is fast moving & relentless , preventing you from going into the details of the graphics. The situaltions build according to the catastrophe around you.. Sometimes the very ground you are standing on gives way , these are just some amazing moments of the game.
The only problems encountered in this game were that of the saving system. Sometimes it throws you seemingly way back where you were supposed to be. Where you dont even remember the objectives & there is no one to tell you. This triggers outright confusion.
The Verdict
Crysis 2 is an amazing game , which focuses on producing some unbelievable moments in the flashiest possible way. It is fast paced & flexible. It allows problem solving & yet is a bit linear. The environments which rapidly change due to non stop action lets the tactics & drama flow in. It is a game to be picked up by anyone who has one of these console.. It is outright stunning & brain engaging , making it one of the smartest & one of the best shooters aroung.... pick it up.
Scorecard
Presentation
Crysis 2 has some slick & innovative in game menues related to the nanosuit. The story is a bit thin , but yet enjoyable
8.5
Graphics
An example as to why perfect lighting can let everything unnoticed. Also along with some great effects & animations.
10.0
Soundtrack
The voice acting is decent but the sound effects are the star of the show.The orchestral scores are also very good.
8.5
Gameplay
Crysis 2 is fast paced & allows cleverness to be meld with outright power.
9.5
Lasting appeal
Campaign last about 14 hours but the upgrades take a while to unlock. Also given that every fight unfolds differently every time.
9.0
OVERALL:9.5
Incredible
|
|
Legend Of Zelda : Twilight Princess #19
Platform:Nintendo Wii
Realeased Date:17 November 2006
ESRB:T
Genre:Action Adventure
Developer:Nintendo
Publisher:Nintendo
Link always lives up to his hype
Everytime there is a Legend of Zelda game in the market , there is a huge hype swirling behind it & its poor nintendos responsibility to tackle the weight put on its shoulders , every single time.
Everyone does well know why LoZ is a hit every time it comes out which is why a nintendo console owner should not miss it. This game , like the ones earlier , depends on the same old principles , but always brings something new around every corner. Here is why it is so good.
Links Journey...............................................
Once again , Link is off to an adventure to save the princess , just like in any other Zelda game , but this time there is somethng different.
This time around, there is this evil entity named Twighlight that leaves the land it touches in darkness.
This is where we journey around the Hyrule kingdom map , saving each area from twightlight. But there is a twist in the tale,every time Link enters the twighlight , he turns into a wolf...........
A beast which can sense spirits.
Almost all the time you are stuck in the story , among the colourfull & vivid charachters , beautiful & vast environments. The Hyrule kingdom is huge & in every corner there is something rare hidden.
Each of the charachter has his/her own personality & always has something to say.They are all drawn & animated beautifully.
Also to mention that THERE IS NO VOICE ACTING , but still it manages to be strong.
same for the environments . There are a few moments when your jaw will drop .
Link is his own mute self, which is why he is so adorable.
How it plays out..............................................
Throughout Links adventure , you will be crossing dungeons , go around the vast hyrule kingdom on your horse for fetch quests or meet quests just to find something totally unexpected every single time.It certainly seems pro.....
For the most part , the controls are pretty tight , which is why it is not so hard navigating through tight dungeon sections. TP uses its motion controlls in a more balanced way which is enjoyable.
The wolf part of link is equally enjoyable & controlls roughly same. But in these portions you can sense what cannot be seen as a human.
Throughout the game you are told to go to different villages in the hyrule kingdome to help , assist , or meet someone & this is usually where the twist occurs.
While at other times , you are navigating some dungeouns , which are mostly brain teasers.
Most of them make use of the items you get throughout the game (from fishing rods to magnetic boots) quite brilliantly , which is whay a regular ho hum guy cant play the game.You use these items in the dungeons in an unthinkable for any other game. This is the main attraction of the game.For example , you have to reach a platform across thin air , fortunately you have magnetic boots & can walk on magnetic walls. These ideas have been marred with some brilliant level design.There may be a feeling though that the dungeons are a bit too complicated , there arent really tutorials of any kind & neither are there any tips , which is why the solution to a door or reaching a platform could be staring right at you the whole time , & you wont even notice it.
The Items are generally used by the wii remote through a pointer on a screen , but you can turn the pointer off & be old school , use the analog. The pointer works perfectly , we all would like to point an arrow on the screen rather than use the analog. It seems a wlcome change from the older consoles.
One would instantly notice though , that many sound effects ,visuals & game elements seem way too familiar to the past Zelda games.These few sound effects have been dragged along in the zelda series since it even started , which is why I hope that Legend of Zelda :Skyward sword is different , hoping I will play it sometime very soon.
There are other mini games as well , such as fishing& flying a hawk , both driven by the power of the wii remote.
When youre out of the proffesional stuff , you have plenty of collectibles.And none of them give you lame rewards. You usually get heart peices , which if 5 collected , it can increase your health by one heart.
These heart peices are located in places not easy to reach. You even get some of these hidden under water under a boulder which caqn be exploded by water bombs.This can keep you busy when you dont want to get to the real stuff yet.
The only complaint I may have from fishing is that there are way too less variety of fish , 90 % of the time youll be stuck catching those good for nothing green gills which can be found everywhere.
Verdict.........................................
After 40 hours of gaming I decided that this is one of the best wii games out there , even though dragging along an aged formula , works brilliantly well. Everything comes together to produce a brilliantly cohesive game. From the graphics , the story , charachters , dungeons & controls , everything is present in equally good quantities. The only complaints being that the dungeons may be a bit too complicated & also that the aeging gameplay & visual elements should be gotten rid of.
Scorecard
Presentation
Great storyline ,colourfull charachters & a vast hyrule kingdome to run around & about every corner has something new.Many mini games , many environments to discover
9.5
Graphics
There is a bit of datedness in there but generally it looks expressive , colourfull & generally great on the whole.
8.5
Soundtrack
No voice acting but has some pretty memorable scores. Copuld have been orchestrated though.
7.5
Gameplay
Uses some genius elements & some great level design. One of the best thought uses are the ones of the items used throughout the game.
9.5
Lasting Appeal
A normal runthrough would make it around 40 hours , but you would probably go for the collectibles & make it 60 hours.
9.5
+Good beautifull graphics , genius game elemnts , vast explorable world , charachters , storyline
-A few dated elements , Overly complicated dungeons
OVERALL:9.5
Incredible
|
|
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince#18
Platform : Nintendo Wii
Released Date: 30 June 2009
ESRB : E10+
Genre : Action Adventure
Developer : EA Paris
Publishers : EA
The motion controls save this half made prince
Its been ages since I have played a Harry Potter game & I dont really remember how it was but it wasnt good . I havent really followed Harry Potter games & I wasnt very interested in this one either. But since my friend had it...would I leave a chance to play it ?
Obviously not. I am a gamer...I try every game I get.
So....I picked it up from my friends house. The first 4/10 quality of this game is that I took it on wednesday & gave it back on Saturday playing it for a total of about 4 & a half hours.....that isnt half as long as Star Wars : The Force Unleashed.
Though this game has 8/10 qualities also like the menus & the graphics . Both are rich in harry Potter style with dark & bright colors. Its fun to look at. While in the sun everything is orange tint & everything looks fresh. It just gives a kind of appeal of exactly what is going on & all their expression.You also get a huge hogwarts to roam around in & that too is filled with Harry Potter Personality. Though the hair doesnt look good at all & the animation may look extremely stiff at times. About the infrequent low polygon level....what about it ? it usually happens so during night times. The stiff animation is obviously in the cutscenes but some spectacular voice acting saves it. The various orchestrated Harry Potter score blends in quite good but not in the dueling parts of the game. So presentation wise this game is great.
As for the gameplay....well....its not so good. The game is divided into 4 sections which are adventure ones which we can roam in & around the hogwarts. This section contains the major chunk in the game. You have missions which lead to the objectives like the other 3 types. You can walk & run & you have spells like reparo , wingardium leviosa etc. Next is the dueling sections in which....you obviously have to fight with your wand of course. The problem is that there is not much difference in an enemy to the other. All you have to do is immobilise him/her & keep stupefying him untill he gets up. You get attacking spells. Next is the quitditch ones in which you fly on the quitditch ground through rings.....the many rings you miss.....the less your time. This is the best section of the game mostly because of the sense of speed.
Next is the potion making. You pick up items from the table & pour it into the beacon untill it turns into the desired color. If you pour to much the potion will break into smoke & you will lose some time. Again....there is not much variety in here.
There are some good thisngs though.Like if you want a path to get to the desired place then you can someone nearly headless nick the ghost.
Also the motion controls have been nailed in sensibly. you have to shake the remote in a way to cast a spell in adventures & duels. While in the potion making , you lift something by pointing on it & pressing A & pour it by tilting the remote as if you are really pouring something.
But in the end....this game is short & the camera controls arent good at all. I found myself resenting the camera everytime I turned. That was how I controled my camera.
Verdict
In the end , this game is a mixed bag with more good in it. The controls feel great & the overall presentation feels good. But the camera , repetitive missions stop it from being at least a good game.
Scorecard
Presentation
The dialog & cutscenes are great & everything is rich in english style.
9.0
Graphics
The polygon & animation issues aside , this game is colorful enough to bring the better wii titles to shame
8.0
Soundtrack
The british score & voice acting is great.
9.0
Gameplay
This game lacks challenge & variety though the motion controls work great.
5.5
Lasting Appeal
This game lasts 4 & a half hours. Replay value zero.
5.0
PROS
+Graphics
+Presentation
+Motion controls
+Rich in Harry Potter Style
CONS
-Short & empty
-Shallow & repetitive
-Lacks challenge.
OVERALL : 6.7
Decent
|
|
Transformers : War For Cybertron#17
Platform : Xbox 360
Released Date: 22 June 2010
ESRB: T
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Developer: High Moon
Publisher: Activision
Size used to matter. But not now
Tranformers games at the best , were okay , worst , okay. There were just two games which were just okay (at review no 19 I would be reviewing Transformers). I usually just couldnt get past the repetitive missions & the bulky combat. But now , we go back to where it all started , where you dont need hand to hand combat. This game is totally different , in a good way.
Over here there is no empty old city to roam around , because this game isnt situated on earth . We play on cybertron .... at the root of the grand fight between Autobots & Decepticons. Surprisingly , the story seems to be the strong point of this game. Also, the cutscenes are presented wonderfully with dramatic camera angles , exelent voice acting & some Crisp artwork. Though The menues are seen before , with the glowing planet of cybertron in the middle of space & menues at the side....seen that hundred times before.
But still the cutscenes keep everything fresh. Unlike before , the robot mods arent so detailed & to even it up , the metal peices lacking texture , but instead we have a better looking plain robots. The surrounding , even though repeated , look crisp with tiny scraps of metal apearing eveywhere around you. But everything doesnt turn out well when the frmerate drop , and sadly that happens pretty often.
Along with the awesome graphics you have the non repetitive first person shooter , replacing the bulky & oversized 3rd person action. The combat used to be bulky & slow but over here everything moves fine , maybe because of the gravity of cybertron , it feels as if size matters no more. The pleasure of blasting & ripping apart opponents by bullets is way more than satisfying . This kills the repetitiveness of the earlier games.
Also the multiplayer is no less than fantastic. You can actually create you own robot & name it.Youve got Deathmatch,Conquest (capture the flag),Countdown to extinction,Power struggle & Code of power. All these modes are overwhelmingly exciting to play in a fast pace world of real people racing to win.
The game lasts 16 long hours & with a few unlockables , it goes to 20 hours. The multiplayer will make the game lst more than 2 months though.
Verdict
So overall this is the first truly great experience I have had with a transformers game. The slow & bulky combat has been ditched to a better , fast paced 3rd person shooter. The framerate drops & the visuals are repeated often but that doesnt stop it from being great. To add to it , the multiplayer is near to unbeatable so , Transformer freaks should go. for it
Scorecard
Presentation
The experience is great , mostly because of the cutscenes.
9.0
Graphics
Crisp & colorful. You cant diss the level of detail & the overall effort put into the making.
9.0
Soundtrack
Dialog have been given brilliantly , the music is memorable but the sound effects dont bring anything to life
8.5
Gameplay
May be repetitive & a bit shallow but otherwise...........
8.5
Lasting appeal
Long live the multiplayer !!!!!!!!!!!
9.0
PROS
+Great visuals
+Good gameplay mechanics
+Satisfying bossfights
+Cutscenes
+Multiplayer
CONS
-Repetitive
-Repeated Visuals
-Framerate dips
Overall : 8.8
Awesome
|
|
Ultimate Spiderman#16
Platform : PlayStation 2
Released Date : 22 Sept 2005
ESRB : T
Genre : Action
Developer : Treyarch
Publisher : Activision
Not actually the "ultimate" Expirience. But still hell of a ride.
Nowadays , Spiderman isnt doing so well in his games. His games may range from bad to passable , but mostly mediocre . But now we go back before Spideys bad days & see how it used to be.
The year before, came Spiderman 2 , the best Spiderman game up to date , which means the Ultimate isnot better than '2'. But Ultimate takes some lessons from Spiderman 2 PS2& kind of ends up being a 'copy' of the game which brings nothing new or isnt better. Here you get the same NY in which you can roam around freely & this time The Ultimate follows a cel shaded art style , who's roots are the well known comic series 'The Ultimate Spiderman' It looks pretty satisfying , in fact , it looks great. The vivid art style was what comic fans were waiting for , the animations too are pretty fluid , though the cutscenes are animated stifly which weighs down in the presentation. You totally feel you are playing a comic book , along with the art style , even the menues are comic panels with comic style text below. The cutscenes are comic panels who's contents are animated , it looks really good.
Just like the comic book , the city has become fairly short , the flashy lights in SpiderMan are gone , hence the city looks slightly dull. Swinging is a bit of a disapointment because it proves to be short & bouncy , you cant actually enjoy swinging high in the air. So , no credit to the free roaming as it even gets pretty boring after you know every part of it (that was the problem with Web Of Shadows & Spiderman 3) But , all hope isnt lost..... The combat system is even better than SpiderMan 2 PS2 . Over here you can not only punch & kick as usual , but also you can web your enemy , pull him closer , jump in the air & scissor kick him. This is one of the best combat systems I've ever played. To make things better , you have 36 combat tours which involves you in defeating 4-5 groups randomly placed in the city. The boss fights prove to be way more than satisfying. Though , in most of the boss fights , you have to race or chase them , which gets boring after a while. Also , I've got to admit it , that the combat tours get repetitive after maybe 27-30 of them.
You can also play as Venom , wreaking havoc in the city. Destroying things , consuming by standers to prevent your already deteriorating health meter to run out.
A swing around new york may not seem empty as the newer games.. Mostly because its full of voices. Peter Parker really sounds like a geeky , unlucky 15 year old. The background techno is solid , perfect mood.
The game will not run out so fast , it lasts 16 hours if you breez through it , if you dont , it will take around 25 hours & unlocking all the unlockables & all , you will be in it for 40 hours.
Scorecard
Presentation
Everything is comic . So much that you actually feel you are in a comic.
8.5
Graphics
Again , its cel shaded to bring a comic feel. The animation can be loose or stiff
8.0
Soundtrack
Full of voices & sound effects when roaming & the dialog is delivered just fine.
8.0
Gameplay
The Bouncy swinging & race & chase missions are okay , forgivable , but the combat system & Combat tours just pull it way up.
8.5
Lasting Appeal
Lasts around 17-21 hours & with all the unlockables , this game lasts long.
8.0
PROS
+Comic art style
+Impressive combat
+Memorable boss fights
+Plenty of unlockables
CONS
-Repetitive Race & Chase missions
-Bouncy swinging
OVERALL 8.4
GREAT
|
|
Painkiller#15
Platform : PC
Released Date : 12 April 2004
ESRB : M
Genre : Shooter
Developer : People Can Fly
Publishers : DreamCatcher Interactive
Even if its repetitive , it is a blast
(Note : This is a review I made over an year ago , so you may find it amateur)
This is one of the best first person shooters I have ever played. Why ? because we are trying to survive even in the middle of heaven & hell. Trying to fight your way through numerous monsters with skulls & swords in their hands or with old men or deadly vampires. Everything could have been perfect just if everything were not repetitive.This is a horror game , it thrills you as your enemies charge towards you in white faces with bloodstains on them.
The graphics are amazing , the lighting is perfect & the models do look scary & the framerate is fantastic. If you blow just one pillar of any structure the whole structure would come down in a lump. The physics are impressive & there are a lot of details like the bloodstains on ones face & the dust on the wallls. The bad is that cracks on the rocks are 2D & have no effect & the physics may be way over the top. You also have some visual glitches & some opponents may looks like they have suffered from short term memory loss.
The gameplay can be repetitive but never boring. Your enemies can start sneeking up behind you or they can just jump on you so you better be carefull. You get many weapons & some which can blow an enemie in one shot , my favorite is the painkiller which is like a fan on your fist & it rotates as you click the left mouse button. , it tears most of the enemies into peices. There are also some enemies which are like 10 times bigger then you so it is really fun to blast them. You go through various places & fight with many types of enemies. Level after level all my nerves pleaded me to play more as I was about to quit. The other downside I found is that you can die & respawn many times , of course you can , your aldready dead.
The soundtrack is pretty good , the rock is awesome but the weapon noise can be a bit boring or repetitive but the voice acting is amazing & the noise some enemies make is clearly audible. Overall its crisp & clear but the weapon noise can be sad & repetitive.
The presentation can be really boring , the menus in some ancient style though this game is not about ancient times. The story is nice though , you die in a car accident & now you are in the middle of heaven & hell , overall this game is awesome.
Scorecard
Graphics
Clean textures , great detiles & awesome artwork helps a lot. 9.2
Sound
Awesome music & sound effects dissapointed by weapon noise. 8.2
Gameplay
Can be repetitive but overall very fun. 8.4
Storyline
Trying to survive when your aldready dead , cool. 9.0
Presentation
Can be boring & the load times can be long. 6.5
PROS Graphics , gameplay , physics , enemies , weapons.
CONS Can be repetitive.
TOTAL 8.7
Awesome |
|
Burnout Paradise#14
Platform : Xbox 360
Released Date : 22 January 2008
ESRB : E 10+
Genre : Racing
Developers : Criterion games
Publisher : EA
Burnout , since 2001 has been overwhelming gamers & critics alike. Mainly because of its sense of speed , the key which brought it to the top of the list when it comes to arcade racing & vehicular destruction type games. I have played some flatout games , Some Destruction derby games but none of them are better than any of the Burnout games ( especially Burnout 3 : Takedown , that is my favorite racing game !)But this game is totally different. Even though it is hugely unrealistic , it has some realism : It has an open world & unlike other games , the world doesn't revolve around us , everything happens like were just another racer.
When I first time I saw the cover , I knew that I was into something good , the cover itself was pretty artistic , explained everything. The menus are made of Yellow & Black warning signs & worn out & scratched up metal. You have an open world as I said before , Paradise city is a very realistic city , some roads let you go flat out while some may contain you because of the traffic. Just like many of the open world racing games , you have to drive to events, but unlike them , there wont be any transparent wall showing you where to go , or preventing you from diverting from the track while in races , you have to decide your own track . In races , there is a big city , ahead of you (the whole city) You are at point A & you have to finish at point B , you choose your own track , you may get diverted here or there but you can rely on your map , that was abrilliant idea.
Then when I start playing, the first thing the game did is stun me. The sunshines brightly & the cars , the environment ,everything looks brilliant. The framerate is reliable & sturdy , so you wont have any complaint about low response of the controls. The real time reflections on the car & the texture , the ligting & the framerate are the stars here.
The overall experience of playing the game was exhilarating , mainly because of the sense of speed , the shortcuts & its ways of enthralling you. Going into detail , the classification of cars are how you choose them. They are classified into Speed , stunt & agressive. Speed cars are , well , speedy , they are recommended for races but do not be fooled , you can only use the nitros when the meter is full , but when it does get full , hell is unleashed., the stunt cars are used for stunt events , they are light & therefore good for jumping & drifting. Agressive cars are heavy & can be recommended for road rage events .All the 75 cars in Burnout paradise falls into one of these three categories.
Coming to the events , all of the events over here are thrilling. One is the well known road rage where every racer battles to knock down the other , but instead of having just 3 or 4 takedowns to make this time youll have 6 or 7, mainly because the road rage is more dense in this game , more cars knocking out the hell out of their opponents. Show times are the replacements for the crash events , over here you can start an event at any point , you have to keep bouncing onto some or the other vehicle before the combo metre runs out. Then is the stunt mode which is the latest addition to the Burnout series. You can jump & drift your way through to earn points.
There are downsides though , if you fail during an event , you cant actually restart from the starting point , you have to drive back to that place. You also constantly have to rely on the map , cant we just mark it on the map & make a red line lead us ?. Also the compass is of no use , it can show us the direction to the finish line but not the route.
So overall , the experience has been exhilarating. I have gotten used to the insane speeds , the tight controls & the insane new ways of racing , so the next time I play a racing game , I know how to race.
Presentation
The menus explain everything but if you want to go more deeper , my blog cant be that big.
8.5
Graphics
Well , even though it is highly realistic , its urealistically fast.
9.0
Sound
Some pretty amazing sound effects & engine noises bring everything to life.
9.5
Gameplay
It still has the original Burnout traits but has some newer mechanics. Tight controls , sense of speed & number of events to play make the game a brilliant way to spend time.
9.0
Lasting Appeal
Completing 100% may take over a month or two. And obviously you would want to play it again.
9.3
PROSCrashes , Driving mechanics , Modes , Tight controls , Sense of speed.
CONSA few Presentation quirks
|
|
Redsteel
Platform:Nintendo Wii
Released Date: 19 Nov 2006
ESRB: T
Genre: First Person Action/Shooter
Developer: Ubisoft Paris
Publisher: Ubisoft
Even though I havent played any shooters on the wii , I can tell that this shooter is definately not the best one. Even though Redsteel has a lot of its own moments & not to forget , Striking visuals , the blemishes
overshadow 2/5th of the strenghts.
Well , this game has a lot of good sides , lots of them , but it fails to prove that it is an 8.5/10 expirience ,It even isnt a healthy 7/10 experience.
Redsteel has some awesome graphics. Texture detail is one of the good sides , the models are sharp & well animated. You wont have any complaint with the environments either. So the worls is just full of color. This game even be disapointed on the new games which have considerably weaker graphics , well , though this is not the best looking game on the wii , it sure is one of them.
The level design is interesting while the mechanics are no less than innovative. The first person shooter is a fun & enjoyable one , the use of motion control to aim & throw bombs is smart , it definatel is better than pressing a button to trigger a bomb.. The AI is decent though , not really a challenge , but it is a lot of fun. Now , Coming to the title part , When I played this game ,I thought that this game would be full of gore , sword fighting etc.
But the sword duels only turn up in the bossfights. The Boss fights is where this game falls , you have to swing the wii remote to attack , but the motion controls at the most 60% of the time. That is a problem with t he controlls , it sometimes glitches without any reason , sometimes it doesnt even respond.
If there werent any good points in this game all the critics would have given into the glitchy controls & given it less than 5.
You can also have bullet time to showcase your fake accuracy , but I think , even it is cool , it certainly does not throw in a challenge. But still , it is fun going through the shiny streets going through explosions & all.
Now , enough of the good sides , here is the only serious bad side , which actually ruins everything : its the camera system , unresponsive , sluggish & unforgiving. You cant actually face an enemy that easily , if you want to , you have to go through that "adjusting" ( yep , I said "adjusting"). Adjusting like , if you waste a couple of seconds turning & taking damage , when you are actually satisfied with the direction you are facing , the camera moves a few extra inches. But it is still a delight to go through this game.
So overall , Even though this game may prove a bit quirky , the overall experience is fun enough to be worth a buy.
Scorecard
Presentation
Good menues , slightly still cutscenes , overall , decent.
7.2
Graphics
Crisp , clear & colorful
9.0
Soundtrack
The japaneese voice acting is nice , so are the crisp sound effects.
7.6
Gameplay
The overall experience would have been great if there werent those camera problems.
6.0
Lasting Appeal
The single player is long enought & the multiplayer will keep you involved.
8.0
PROSGraphics , Level Design , Mechanics
CONSSome big control issues.
OVERALL: 6.7
Decent
|
|
Jeep Thrills #12Platform : Nintendo Wii
Released Date : 24 October 2008
ESRB : E
Developers :Gamesauce
Publishers: DSI
Okay , where should I start .... erm ...... oh yeah , why would you buy this game ? either to torture yourself , or if youve done something really bad , or a crime. This game is a good punishment for those who either didnt know & bought it , or who need to give themselves a punishment. The PS2 version at least has better controls.
The entry of Jeep Thrills seems allright , the generic rock is pretty catchy & the green background with grey dialog boxes with white text gives you the sense of offroading. There are a few types of races : Tournament , group races & multiplayer. There are four groupes with 5 tracks each , sounds nice eh ? Only the first groupe is playable , the rest have to be unlocked. The problem with this is that you cant win a race so easily in this game , not only the races seem sluggish & lazy but the controls suck , if you try & turn the wii remote to steer , your jeep will either oversteer or understeer , you can never get it right , the reason is because of the sluggish input , by the time the game reads your input , it would be to late & you go & crash into a wall of cardboard plants.Okay then , you have a turbo boost , why dont you use that , well why wont I use that , if I did , the stupid steering controls would play a trick on me & make me crash into the wall again, I would say. There are some interesting shortcuts you get here & there in the middle of some tracks , but if you tried to use them , youd end up eating the cardboard plants again.
And I am not joking , those are ardboard plants . Jeep thrills has some cools particle effects & the scenery , the cars have a good shape & the reflections are pretty nice , the water looks good , but the plants look like cardboard. Also at times this game may look like a PS1 game. The textures are quite grainey & the low res scenery makes it look ugly. The lack ofdetails & the overky repeated patterns are just shamefull.
The AI in this game are like the problem of the controls are fixed , they steer perfectly , why cant we ? All we can do is watch them cruise by , try to catch up to them but end up hearing their horrible engine noise , it sounds as if a man is dying under some matreses , they all seem muffled. The opening music is the only music which seems good , the rest are either cacophony or marred with bad quality . I would rather mute & play this game.
Another thing that makes this game suck is that the gameplay is not only sluggish & lazy but it seems lifeless. The way Need For Speed Hot Pursuit makes you feel that everything has come to life , Jeep thrills does not. Seems as if some waywars zombies are driving these jeeps.
So whoever is reading this , I plead you not to make the same mistake I did. Dont even buy it even if your not into jeeps or love offroading. If you really like to do those thing buy something else , but dont even think about buying this one.
Presentation Cool menues & some nice rock music seem nice , many types of races help.
7.2
Graphics Low res , ugly & pixelated , can be good for a PS1 game
5.5
Soundtrack Some bad music bring down the aldready horrible engine noises &
sound effects.
2.6
Gameplay While overall it is sluggish & lazy , the controls too suck
1.6
Lasting Appeal Will take you over a month to get over the horific controls , I guess you would get tired before that
1.5
PROS Scenery might look nice
CONS Almost everything
Recommendation If your bent on hurting yourself or giving yourself a punishment , you should go for it.
OVERALL 2.4
HORRENDOUS |
|
Spiderman : Web Of Shadows #11Platform : Nintendo Wii
Released Date:21 October 2008
ESRB : T
Genre: Action
Developers : Treyarch
Publishers: Activision
I am reviewing this game again to correct what I had writtent in the previous review. I had said that this game is the most entertainig spiderman game ever made , but I was wrog. Its the most frustrating one.
I only realised it after completing the game .
Web of shadows starts out with a video of spidey swinging around in some credits in some glossy duds , but the wii graphics dont allow the glossy duds anyway (it could have if designed carefully).Then comes a very small menu , the saving system is the most inconvinient one , you can save 3 games in 3 different slots but when you load another game , the autosave will overwrite on the one you were previously playing. The menu looks nice but is dull & gray . The system of switching from mission to mission is poor , no cutscenes or any status , it just says that the mission is complete, thats it . Though like other spiderman games , this game too has minimal loading times. That is one good point.
As you start playing with the dull & blunt graphics , with awkwardly dark colours you start feeling a surge of excitement. The graphics as I said before are too dull , If youre in a black suite , you wont probably see spiderman ( you can switch between red or symbiote suite in the middle of the game)or your symbiote enemies , the models during the cutscenes look brilliant but those are the Xbox360 graphics ( the one with glossy duds) but during the gameplay the are pretty blunt with low dwtailes , the textures seem pretty bland & drab.
The graphics also use some overly repeated patterns too. The visuals may looks awesome , the insanely brutal attacks may steel your mind on youtube but as you progress through the game , you would say that it is just button mashing. The iconic web strike is actually pretty repetitive , you keep doing it untill the end & end up saying that I didnt do anything else in this game. The lock on system in this game could have been brilliant in this game but isnt because of the flying enemies which just steal your camera towards themselves when you are in the middle of somethig. And then turning of the lock on system is pretty hard because it has similar controls to the suite switching one , so if you want to turn on the lock on system you may end up switching your suite instead or vice versa.The same for the web strike , you swing the remote sideways to initiate a web strike & you do it again to strike on an enemy , while you flick the remote downwards to swing , so if you are in the middle of performing a web strike , the next time you shake the remote , you may end up swingigng. Swinging is indeed very fun in this game though but too bad it is not your objective. An objective in this game is really repetitive . The just say kill these many number of enemies , or perform this attack theese many times & then do it twice as much as you just did , thats it . The boss battles can be infuriating , the lock on system keeps failing & all but in the end if not you but I regretted that I could have tried this game as a rental first.
Another major complaint is the voice actor of spiderman . He is extremely whiney & irritating. His voice is far too gruff to be a good pick.The same music keeps repeating again & again. So , the soundtrack of this one is not really good.
Though there are some good features. You can choose your desicion of a selfless hero or a selfish person (not villain). If you choose a good action you will be loved by citizens & you end up doing a benificial thing. If you chose a bad decision , you would turn selfish & give in to the emotions of the black suite , end result : the citizens will either start booing at you or start running away as you arrive.
Presentation The dull & short menues dont help nor do the cutscenes. What
does help is the ability to choose a good decision or a bad one.
5.8
Graphics They may look decent at times but otherwise dull & bland
6.2
Soundtrack Sound effects & voice acting is nice but spidey doesnt sound right at all
5.7
Gameplay Repetitive & frustrating half of the time. The other half is fun
6.3
Lasting Appeal The actual game lasts 7 hours but getting all the extras &
unlocking more brutal attacks are fun.
7.0
PROS Fun swinging , style , brutal attacks , ability to choose between good & bad
CONS Repetitive gameplay , lack of mission variations , lock on system , spideys voice acting
OVERALL :6.0
SATISFACTORY
|
|
Mass Effect 2 #10
Platform : Xbox 360
Released Date: 26 January 2010
ESRB : M
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Developers:Bioware
Publishers:EA
Maybe I am getting really lucky this month . I played Need For Speed Hot Pursuit , Transformers : War For Cybertron & now this , & all of the games I have mentioned would obviously get more than a 9/10.
As Far as I know Bioware was the developer of Mass Effect . Which is an excellent game , I also heard that Bioware is in one of the top 5 Developers & My friend had this game on his 360 . Those were the reasons I wanted to play this game so badly.
Mass Effect 2 is a continued story of Shepard who was killed in the previous game by some aliens also known as the collectors. 2 years later in the year 2185 , he is revived & assigned to find more about the collectors. I havent played Mass Effect though but they say that the story is not as dramatic as the first one but I felt that the story was great. The cutscenes really work well , mostly because of the graphics & the conversation wheel , in which the game allows you to react to the given dialogue in the cutscene. These reactions or dialogues do matter , they may have an effect on the story later. In the final battle , shepard may make it alive or your teame may be slaughtered in there , but that all depends on the desecions made earlier. That is one big leap in the presentation. Another thing is that if you have played Mass effect in which you have edited the charachter ( there is a default but you can make your own , based on gender , appearence , background etc.Though I played with the default shepard with a different background . In both the games , the charachters in the cutscenes react & say things according to your background.)You can Import that charachter & in the second , too the charachters react according to the background.
You also have 6 different classes of soldiers to play in , each class has their unique talents powers & ability. The idea of having six different classes to be in greatly increases the lasting appeal of this game.
The art style is epic , the colors match with the environments perfectly & the charachter models are near to flaweless. The shading gives the depth of the game , the framerate never gives up . During th cutscenes I see vary little amount of stiff animation , otherwise everything about the animation is perfect. During the gameplay the game really looks life like. The intense gunfights have all the excitement in the graphics , helped by the effects. The need of textures are not actually there because it is the future but still there are some .
The attention to detail is paid really very well , the enemies even fight when they are injured & you see every detail even from around 100 yards.
The gameplay mechanics are great . I especcially the hide & shootm one , that one is needed in a lot of areas , if you decide to go out in front & kill the enemies I bet you wont even last a second.The way of changing the weapon is fast , all you have to do is press the button & the pictorial list of weapons will appear under the health meter , then you choose you weapon & resume. But anyone would think that so what it has a hide & shoot mechanic , there might be thousands of other games which have that . Thats not the only thing that makes this game so special , it is the level design itself . It also has a power called biotec power which is an equivalent to force powers in star wars , that also can be selected in the weapons list..The gameplay is made more interesting by the stellar voice acting & the music , which is , perfectly realised. The dialogues are constantly active while you are playing. The vast list of charachters make the gameplay even more exiting.
If I an say anything more , I would say that the founer of mass effect 2's mechanics has been gifted with a wonderfull brain & this game has no reason that it should not succeed. This game awesome gameplay mechanics & level design , stellar soundtrack , stunning visuals and lot of features. I state that, even if its not perfect, this is the best game I have ever played.
Presentation With loads of features , charachter customization , decesion making & of course , a gripping storyline , nothing can stop it from being perfect.
10.0
Graphics The shading & art style is exellent while the animation can be stiff.
9.4
Soundtrack Stellar voice acting , life like sound effects & music make this field
perfect too !
10.0
Gameplay Awesome shooting mechanics & other powers like biotic with great
level design brough down a bit by some few glitches
9.6
Lasting Appeal 6 different classes to play in , different decisions which lead to different endings & the fun gameplay make you stick to it for months
9.9
PROS Voice acting , shooting mechanics, vast variety of options for customizing your charachter , art style.
CONS Few infrequent glitches.
Recommendation Reccomended to all who have a new PC & an Xbox 360.
OVERALL : 9.7
OUTRAGEOUS |
|
Spiderman 3 #9
Platform : PS3
Released Date : 4 May 2007
ESRB : T
Another 'just' good game by a major hit movie. Spiderman 3 is actually just a new paintjob done for spiderman 2 for the PS2 with some more boring combat. Spidey 2s combat was awesome but 3 left us with just button mashing.
Lets start with the good things, the city is 2 & a half times bigger than it was in spiderman 2 for the PS2 & Gamecube. You can activate your spidersense which turns your surroundings black & white & the enemies & allies in other colors & you could also see through walls. So what is the problem ? The problem is that the combat is just button mashing , of course the combat looks cool but once you learn the moves you dont actually care what comboes you are pulling off. Yes , swinging is fun once you learn it but it takes so long to get the hang of it. In spiderman 2 you pressed R2 to swing & X to release the webline while over here you you have to hold down R2 & leave R2 to release the webline , you had to jump all you could to gain height which was very hard but once you get the hang of it you have fun.
The mission objectives are fine & is pretty fun , like reach his place in this time & stop the robbery going on there. There are also a lot of side quests , you often find some idiots aka arsenic candy fighting against each other or destroying things so you can just drop in & beat them up. The boss fights are better than the usual button mashing combats but too bad there are very few bosses. You also find so many challenges like dive challenge which is not at all impressive but still fun.
The graphics are okay , the models look good , the city looks detailed but the problem is that the textures are so bland. Just look at it , no surface shows its textures. Just look at the windows of the buildings , just look at the buildings , the textures are flat & somtimes the textures are not there at all. But otherwise if you are just swinging it seems really fluent & smooth , but all that goes away when you are halfway through , the framerate gets really choppy . The whole game becomes choppy. Though the lighting is good & there are no other technical problems. Another thing is that the pedestrians sometimes dont react to battles.
To hear spiderman 3 is not bad either , but I do think that NY is too quiet. The voice acting may become cheesy & the sound effects are not really special.
The storyline is the same as the movie except some details like scorpian . Whats up with scorpian ? theyve got it all wrong. The scenario should be like this - Scorpian is after jonah while spidey sneaks up from behind to rescue jonah but instead spidey & the scorpian are helping each other & spidey is helping scorpian to get his suite off , thats totally wrong. You also meet the lizard , kraven etc who are not in the movie.
The menues are slick making the presentation pretty good & the load times are really short which I really like , the cutscenes are good but the framerate chugs are unnexcusable.
Graphics The models look good but the textures are ultra bland , the framerate starts chugging after a while
6.2
Sound Really boring except for the voice acting
6.0
Gameplay Simply button mashing , the swinging is fun though
6.1
Presentation The menues are good & sleek & the minimal load times for such a big city is amazing
8.0
Lasting appeal May take some days to complete it but you hang around for the extra chalenges
7.0
PROS Lighting , stylised action
CONS Textures , combat is just button mashing
TOTAL 6.4
Satisfactory |
|
Need For Speed : Hot Pursuit
Platform : PC
Genre : Race
Released : 16 Nov 2010
ESRB:E 10+
When I got my hands on the earliest Hot Pursuit , I was delighted. I was only five & so I didnt realise that the game was pretty old by that time. The cop chases & all were just too much fun for me to exept that this game sucked at that time. I used to keep on playing it for hours , but then I had to move on & I was forced to move on.
Now , about 9 years later , when I found out that the rebooted version was ariving , I couldnt wait. I knew it all lead to this.
The feeling of playing the latest game till now is different than that of playing the latest awesome game. I realised it when I saw the opening meu, it gave me a chill of excitement down my spine. Then came the career menu which had a map of a city , on some places there is a piece of text telling you the event going on there & how many events you have won at that place. Each time you win at least a silver in an event , you unlock another event , thats how it goes on.
Then came the car selection , in this game , you cant actually buy or customize cars. You just pick one & race. And there isnt any class , there just races that give you different sets of cars, and you have to choose one of them.
When you enter an event , you start from 100 mph , all your opponents too start at the same speed. You see the graphics & are stunned , the road has that grainy looks it should have with dots of sang here & there. The car polygon is high & sharp
with real time reflections on them. Everything runs so smoothely without framerate hitches , the sense of speed is bound to give you chills. One thing Ididnt find right is the plasticky damage . But otherwise everyhing is so brilliant. You dont even notice that the background behind is just am image.
One thrilling thing of this game are the crashes , they just never get old , sometimes you may want to crash deliberately. The sense of speed in this game makes it so amusing. The steering is realistic , it isnt really reluctant to turn so you may have to drift which is really a joy to do. You are constantly under pressure because of the sense of speed, whether your a cop or a racer. If your a cop , you have to make sure that whoever the racers are , they should , not get to the finishing line. To ensure that , you have an arsenal of weapons , just like Blur , or maybe lesser than blur. There are EMPs , they disable the electronics in the car & damage the car at the same time. You get some spikes which come out of the back of your car & if youre a cop , you can summone a helicopter or a roadblock. Being a race , you get objectives like a simple race , go through a pursuite , time trials & a lot more.
The soundtrack is way better than anyone would expect. The weather effects which I havent seen since NFS II. All the other games have too much of either engine noise or music , but this game has all the three of them balanced.If its raining , it feels like it does , because of the sound & youcan feel that the car has actually become slower due to the rain. The music suits the track perfectly & whatever the voice acting there is , its awesome.
That is totally felt in the online play , racing with real people make you feel you are actually in prsuite whith the cops behind you , or the racers ahead of you. In online play , ther are only two objectives , if you are a racer , you must reach the finishing line. I youre a cop , you must not let any racer reach the finish line.
The main point system is the bounty that you earn in each race , by this you unlock each track or a car. The career of this game seems to last around 50 hours but still it may get repetitive when you finish 85 percent of it. But the online play may last forever.
Though the best part of the game is that , all the things that I have typed above , make the game come to life , the graphics , gameplay & all the effects make you feel that you are actually racing. You can feel the tension rising in the atmosphere
Presentation The menues are laid out so brilliantly & the crashes look simply
stunning. One bad thing though is that you cant buy or customise cars
9.0
Graphics The lighting is brilliant & the detail is high . The damage may look
plasticky
9.3
Sound The effects are realistic & the music really suites , the engine noises are
really life like.
9.7
Gameplay This is the most realistic gameplay I have ever played in a racing
game. The speed brings in tension , though I feel that something is missing.
9.4
Lasting appeal The game lasts 50 hours but gets repetitive towards the end
but the online play will last on forever
8.7
PROS Speedy gameplay , online play , graphics
CONS Repetitive career.
RECOMMENDATION Racing fans must have this & otherwise gamers who have a good enough PC , may like to buy this
OVERALL : 9.5
OUTRAGEOUS
|
|
Star Wars Force Unleashed
Platform : Nintendo Wii Released date : 16 Sept 2008 ESRB:T
Hurray for Crome Sudioes !!!!!
Why ? because Crome studioes could have Added some waggle & made this game for under 10 & get a 5.2 but no , they wanted to make a wonderfull game with more precise controls & here is the result. A wonderfull game. It would have been marginnally better if it had more polish though.
You are starkiller & you were found by darth vader while he was seeking for his father , Starkiller was like 5 years old when vader found him. After years of training & when star killer is like 20 he has to beat some people to complete his training. After you beat Shaak Ti on planet felucia she tells SK that sith is a wrong path & he gets proof when Vader stabs him in his back & he kills his father ( he didnt know that he was his father) & now you have to chose between jedi & sith.
The controls are super precise. Okay , maybe not super but they are precise enough. You can swing the lightsaber left to right or right to left , up to down or down to up & stab. You cant do any of these in the PS3 & 360. You control the lightsaber by the wii remote & Force powers by the nunchuck. You jump by the B button & boost with the A button. Swing your remote to swing your Lightsaber. You can pick up enemies , push them ,Zap them . You can also perform comboes.
The level design isnt that good but it is interesting. The boss fights can be extremely fun & at times it goes into a cinematic gameplay where youll have to follow the onscreen quotes. The downside was that the AI can be really annoying at times when they gang up on you & that must be the only downside. This game also lacks polish , you can see troopers floating in the air at times. Other than that everything else is wonderfull.
The graphics are passable. The framerates are good but the animation is stiff & models become expressionless. Sometimes it becomes so grainey & the models get edgy but its still okay because the visuals are good & it dosnt look so bad. Another place where it went wrong is that the detailes can be 2D & the shading is not really that good. There are also some virtual glitches but they are very small like the troopers lofting above the ground .
This is still a star wars game & so it has a great soundtrack. I must award an extra 0.5 because James Earl Jones did not act for Vader & no one noticed it untill I checked in Wikipedia & told it to everybody. Even while playing it I didnt notice that something wrong in the voice. The voice acting is great but Starkiller is too gentle , that was not a great pick. The music is spot on & the sound effects tell you the depth of the area.
The presentation is pretty good too , the menues are in a operator style but the cutscenes show the lack graphical effort. You can unlock costumes & ooh , my favorite !! there is a multiplayer mode in where two of you can fight against each other in an arena. This game is pretty short , just 8-10 hours long , you can complete it within a week so you can pick it up but for star wars or action fans this is a must.
Graphics Sometimes grainey & the cutscene animation is stiff but during the gameplay its okay. 6.7
Sound Crisp & interesting but sometimes really messy 9.0
Gameplay Really well done & thank god its not waggle.But the AI is extremely buggy 8.1
Storyline Interesting but sometimes stupid 8.5
Presentation Menues are good but cutscenes need work 7.5
PROS Gameplay , Soundtrack & environments.
CONS Grainy grahics & buggy AI when ganged up
TOTAL 7.9 Impressive |
|
Need For Speed : Most Wanted #10
Platform : PS2
Released Date :15 Nov 2005
ESRB : T
Whoever has not played this game I have to say that I feel so sorry for you but who have played this game then without a doubt they are awesome. This is a kings game & you will find very less complaints about this game. It is now nearly five years since this game was released but still it stands out of the crowd.Why ? because of its amazing graphics , realistic soundtrack & its speedy gameplay. It is just too addictive & whoever doesnt want to play this game ( if they havent ) then they are loosers.
To start , I will with the graphics . They are amazing. The textures are not pixelated & they look so real , they are so detailed that you can see some cracks on them. The roadside textures are awesome too & the grass looks real , at a speed of 100 MPH at least but you dont get any time to look at it. The cars are totally realistic , you could see its shine & the reflections. The screen starts blurring out to pick up speed & the buildings look great. Everything looks almost masterfull. The new car physics are totally proportionate & gravitational. Though there is a " could have been a bit more better " feel.
To hear this game is great too. The sonds & the engine noise fill your ears & it lets you enjoy & concentrate.The selection of songs are awesome & the sound effects let you feel that you are racing. The voice acting gives you the feel as if you are watching a movie. All the cars have different sounds & the police voices are awesome. Overall the music , the voice acting & the sound effects are near to perfect , really.
The gameplay is just incredible.
You can race races like circuit & sprint or even drags. You can fall into a pursuite with a police & achieve a bounty.
The sense of speed is amazing & the tracks are more of amazing. You just dont feel like quitting.The main reason why this game succeeds in gameplay is the sense of speed & achieving a speed , the other reason is because of the sense of accomplishment , during the race/pursuite the game puts you under great pressure & when you are done you feel that you have done a great job.Also you can freeroam around the city & drive to an upgrade shop.
The career has 15 blacklists & you have to beat a particular no of races , bounty & milestones & then only you can access that race to the blacklist.
This game has a n awesome presentation & even has a storyline. You have the best car in rockport & keep winning with it. You have a BMW M3 GTR. Then one day you race against razor but razor cheats by damaging your fuel tank. After you lose he takes you car & then you have to start all over & fight your way through 15 blacklist & then get to razor. Your friend , Mia helps you finding a place & she is actually a police. Though at the end where the police arives to bust the racers Mia spares all of them.
Graphics. The textures are awesome , the cars are realistic & the physics are flaweless 9.3
Sound The tracks , sound effects & voice acting are very close to perfect. 9.6
Gameplay. Really addictive. Great sense of speed & sense of accomplishment. 9.1
Career Not really great but progressive indeed. 8.2
Presentation Slick menues along with those addictive wrap/rock. 9.3
PROS Graphics , soundtrack , gameplay , presentation.
TOTAL 9.2
Fantastic
|
|
Need For Speed Underground
Platform:PC
Released Date : 17 Nov 2003
ESRB:E
Need for speed changed its image totally with this , the earlier gave NFS an impression of a good brand but undrground & onwards gave an impression of an exellent brand. Hitting its ninth year in 2003 it made a shocking effort.If I were in 2003 I would give this game a 8.8 but since I am not I would deduct a few. It was so famous in its days that it was ported to every single console that was in the house & people still play it.
Its graphics are still good & looks fresh (kind of). They are so detailed & fluent . The roadside detailes are awesome & every texture tells exactly what it has to say. The framerate looks awesom & must be 60 frames per second. The particle effects look great too & at times while stunting the camera views you in slow motion & from the movie angle & it looks like it is a movie. The models are pretty & well animated though there are very few models in the game but unlike in Grand theft auto Vice city all the body parts look proportionate.
Underground plays great too , sometimes the cars do feel underweight but that happens very rarely , the tracks are so interesting & takes you through empty sewers , shortcuts & thin streets between building & thanks to the visuals you can actually feel the place. The cars in this game has the feel allright but the cars sometimes get so light that you cannot feel them. Two downsides I fond is that it has no freeroaming & also you get one single city. The other event isdrifting , you get a different track made for drifting . You use no handbrake , you just do a sharp turn , your drifts will be classified into different titles according to how many points you obtain.
The career system is simple. You just race some races & win in them & a guy will just come up to you & challenge you & you win against him & unlock some new tracks but it is fun & addictive.
To hear this game is good too , the roar of the motor is muffled by the music & the track selections are great too. But over here too the crashing effects are one. The voice acting is good too & gives a feeling that you are one of the racers. But there is nothing much about sound to discuss . the overall quality of the sound is good & this game is good to hear.
Final Words
This game has a good gameplay & an addictive career system with some awesome graphics so this game is all "feel". You could actually feel your environments & does set a new benchmark but too bad that was 2003 when underground did this.
Graphics: Textures are awesome & give the feel & the 60 fps is most welcome. 8.8
Sound : Nothing much but very well put together. The sound effects are nice & gives you the feel that you are in it 7.9
Gameplay : Very fun & addictive , youll feel like playing it even in your grave. 8.9
Career: Simple but progressive & addictive 8.0
Presentation. The menues are great & so are the cutscenes. The menue layout is awesome too 9.0
PROS : Textures , addictive gameplay , tracks .
CONS : Sometimes the cars get too light.
TOTAL 8.1
Great |
|
Perfect Ace Pro Tournament Championship
Platform : PC
Released Date: N/A
ESRB: E
Perfect Ace itis , eigh? not so perfect it is , with almost everything going wrong it isnt perfect , the last time I played a tennis game it was top spin & that was the game which I liked but this is worth for being bought just for time pass with no seriousness in it. Everything from the mediocre graphics to the bad controls in the gameplay result for a perfect result " 4.7" But the only thing that makes it 5.1 is the championship mode , that is the only thing I enjoyed in this game but everything else is mediocre to bad.
At the starting of the game you see a cheap menu asking you to choose a language , then with the same cheap style it will show you some options, side by side at the bottom of the screen , on the top its just an outline of a tennis court & your viewing camera revolving around it , then comes the fake players.
The gameplay is at the most mediocre & at the least bad. You do enjoy the tennis but after a week yu will start yawning or cursing the game while playing it. You can hit four shots & move around freely but it just int there , the controls are too unresponsive . My player dives in after the ball is in, untill then he just stands there. About your opposing player ,at timeshe doesnt even bother to look at the ball. Even he just stands there & does nothing & when he loses he then feels bad. The computer of this game also cheats & I start saying " the ball was on the line , what are you talking about." Only once in a while you enjoy tennis & thank god this is real tennis. I have to give the gameplay a 4.7.
The graphics are totally mediocre , the textures are mediocre, the models look funny & what is with the audience , they are so 2D bad framerated like 4fps. The framerate is kinda bad but acceptable so overall this game doesnt look bad.
The sounds are good especially the sound effects , the thunds , moans , groans etc but whats up with the commentator, he repeats his dialogue 7 or 8 times throughout the game . Why does he say that I am doing good while I am not, our brains are running at 16 GB per second while his is running at 16 KBs per scond & the announcer is so boring . Whats up with the croud , they dont clap for a big comeback ut clap for a pathetic out.
Final Words
This game has many downs but the championship saves it all , only if there were more responsive controls & smarter AI the game would have got a 7.5 at least but thet ruins it all ,you will also yawn at least twenty times during a match.
Graphics : Textures are bad & models look funny. 5.2
Sound: The tennis usuals are okay but the announcer & tthe commentators are too dumb 4.3
Gameplay: Bad Controls & sleeping AI , Perfect !!!!!!!!! 4.7
Presentation Very cheap & lacks quality 5.0
PROS : Championship
CONS : Unresponsive controls , stupid AI , Boring soundtrack.
TOTAL : 5.1
Mediocre |
|
Spiderman 2 #5
Platform : Playstation 2 / PC
Released date : 29 June 2004
ESRB: T / E
One game with the same title can be so different , like we saw the spiderman game of 2000/2001. This is the same situation but unlike the 2001 game with minor differences , these both games are totally different. In this duel I will review the spiderman 2 for the PC & The PS2.
The storyline is same from the movie for the PS2 but some other detailes like the meeting of the black cat etc are some extras & they do make sense. Wonder why I said "make sense"? I said that becaus the detailes which are on the PC version do not make sense at all. One instance , Rhino has just broken out of jail with the help of his suit, didnt the guys who held him take off his suit somehow , why didnt rhino break out through prison as soon as he came to his senses then ? While the PS2 version has some better detailes though. If in the PS2 version dock ock takes away mary jane & then you are told to reach a place, then ock catches a subway & you go after him. In the PC version you fight with mysterio & then mysterio tells you to search for him near the subway .
As we move on to the graphics , the better one is the PS2 version. The city is massive though the textures go for a holiday as you move farther the framerates are good without any chugs or anything. The models are good too but they have small & vague mouths & their heads are flattish. It lacks a bit polish but still good to see. Peter looks dorky with those glasses though. The animation may be a bit stiff but still acceptable. What is wrong with the PC version , its standards are just above playstation level. The framerates are bad , the models look like they ave melted from the heat & spideys movements are awefull ,he runs as if his underwear is too tight , he spins his web in a fraction of a second. He fights as if his joints are injured. The thugs out there are twins ,triplets , sextuplets , septuplets . How many twins do they have , many of them wear the same shirt. While the models talk they move their heads too. All the details are 2D.
The worst part is , that the buildings are of the same size & they are arranged side by side & have less height , the city is scanty & well organized while NY is supposed to have dense & tall buildings & people all over.
Spiderman 2 for the PS2 has some pretty bad voice acting , peter sounds good , even ock but what is wrong with the others . Black cat is also good in this but the civilians sound bad. The music is good & solid though , the rock while beating up thugs is great but the danny elfman just repeats mission after mission , missions like get to the theater or get to your house have the same danny elfman tune , all of them.
The sound effects are good because they are puchy , the sound effects of the thugs getting beaten is really punchy & the web sounds are awesome. While the PC versions voice acting is okay but tobey has done a bad job in this one. The sound effects are bad & sloppily executed & NY is sleeping !!!!!!! no noise of the pedestrians catcalling & no big shows The music is boring & bland.
The gameplay of the PS2 is just plain awesome. You could swing freely throughout the city & if you spot a random crime you can fight it & you will find it some where , you can upgrade your swings & attacks by hero points . You can interact with the pedestrians on the street. The city is huge & almost all the parts are accesible. The combat is just amazing , you can jump yank , shoot etc & it is all just so fun & the controls are amazingly responsive. While swinging you can jump & do some stunts which is just so fun , at times you reach the eights of the sky scrapers & there you will experience thrill. The missions are mostly interesting & some are like get to mary jane etc. The boss battles are good too but sometimes the area is closed & the enemie is too powerfull like in the case of shocker. The game is divided into chapters according to the story. In this field the PC Version went awefully wrong. You are not at all free & the city is boring , you cannot roam freely & the worst par is it has a multipurpouse button & we have to do what it says. Like when you aim at a building it will say Zip then only you can zip. Swinging has no stunts & very repetitive ,They have set markers on the sides of the buildings & you have to aim at it untill it turns green , then you press the multipurpouse button which is left clicking & there you go , next you will see another marker & you have to aim at it while you are on the webline & clik again. Combat is bad, all you have to do is just keep clicking , no other cool comboes , just kick & punch. The boss battles have no action , its just..... when your opponent attacks you have to dodge it & then he gets dizzy & then you have to attack him before he gets to his senses , thats it. Why does the boss get dizzy , does he have a medical problem or something , if he has then how did he become a supervillain ?
Final words
Both the versions are totally opposite to each other , one is totally free & fun while the other is just "do what I say ". PS2 version has everything you need ,interaction , side missions , huge city etc while the PC version has "do what I say " , "do what I say " & some more "do what I say". Too bad the PC didnt get the same fun thet the PS2 got.
Playstation 2
Graphics Everyhing is just fine but has some flaws in the models , the textures can be seen when close. 7.3
Sound Bad voice acting & danny elfman 101 times throughout the game is not good but the sound effects &
combat music is awesome 7.2
Gameplay Totally free & really fun 9.5Storyline One after the other & pretty fluent. Makes total sense 8.7
Presentation Seams like your playing the movie but graphics bring it down a bit. 8.5
PROS Fun & free gameplay , side missions & big city.
CONS Voice acting
TOTAL : 9.1
Fantastic
PC
Graphics Bad framerates & bad models accompained by pathetic city , the list continues. 4.5
Sound Youll yawn 20 times in two minutes. 4.9
Gameplay Not at all free & really too simple 3.7
Storyline Overall the same but the detailes dont make sense 4.2
Presentation One single menue , bad cutscenes , Presentation ? I didnt see any presentation in this game. 3.0
PROS Can be a bit interesting
CONS Sorry , cant tell you , list too big.
TOTAL : 4.1
Poor |
|
Star Wars Battlefront II
Platform : PC Released Date :31 October 2005 ESRB: T
Is battlefront II better than its predecessor. It did have some quirks (I cant say anything because I havent played it. ) But it has said to have brought some new quirks in while fixing those quirks. But as a guy who hasnt played its predeccessor I cant compare it so I have to review it as if its brand new which will be fair otherwise I would compare it to the older one & rate it .
One good thing about this game is obvious that you can play as the Rebel Alliance or the Gallactic Empire. There are also two eras Galactic civil war or Clone Wars. You can play as 6 different classes of troopers or fighters of any one side. Once in a while you are offered to play as a jedi or a sith or a bounty hunter. This game also has a multiplayer which is just awesome. This is the game for SW fans & hardcore gamers alike. BF II also gives you to play the level you are about to play on land or in space sitting in ships but the ship gameplays controls are too sensitive so it may be hard to control your ship.. The missions are just so interesting like : protect this for two and a half minutes or get inside there & steel this & bring it back.That what made this game so good. Playing as a jedi proved a lot of fun but that is just button clicking & the next thing you find is that all the enemies around you are dead , it feels so lifeless. Playing as troopers are much more lively then playing as a jedi. This is a third person shooter but you can switch to first person , though I still prefer first person view. The troopers are fun because of the missions & do feel very good. The only problem is the weapons. One gun is powerful but needs to cool down after evry shot while the other can be shooted continuously but is vey weak, the other is powerfull but has a very short range but overall great experience.
The graphics are fairly more than mediocre & is very sharp indeed but the details are sometimes lifeless & looks dead. The explosions are great but 2D from the side. But the cutscenes are great & tells you everything you need to know. The visuals are good & the framerates may stall for bout one sixth of a second but then it is still allright. The models look good but they are too rough edged & the curves are sharp. So when I saw battlefront on youtube I thought it was a bit more prettier than II.
As usual the soundtrack is great as this is still a star wars game. The music is great. The sound effects are crisp & tells you the whole volume of the place.The voice acting is just fantastic & I especially loved the " GRENADE !!!! GET DOWN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ". But I have observed in this game the music sometimes cuts off but overall great game to hear.
Final Words
This game is overall good & the irritating weapons are forgiven because of the missions & fantastic level design. The jedi are lifeless & the ships are uncontrollable but still they are not unplayable & thats what makes it such a great game. The universe of BF II is so big that no one in this world would like to miss this game.
Graphics: Sharp & detailed But the detailes are sometimes lifeless. The models may sometimes blockey 7.5Soundtrack: Still a star Wars Game 9.1
Gameplay:Great level design , great missions a big universe with weapon quirks ,lifeless jedi & shabby controlled space 8.4
combat
Presentation The menu system is no special & nothing different but the ability to choose space or land mission is good. 7.6
PROS : Level design , big universe , multiplayer & the ability to choose sides.
CONS: Quirky weapons , lifeless jedi & space combat controls
TOTAL 8.2
GREAT
|
|
Need for speed Nitro
Platform : Nintendo Wii Released Date : 3 Nov 2009 ESRB : E 10 +
According to all the comments ive seen on Youtube about this game , all of them say that this game sucks but they just say whatever they say because of it graphic which are half cartoonish. To them I would say only one thing to them , please try this game & then youll be commenting that this is a great game. Which it is , from now on people , try before you comment. The other comments on websites say that this is a good game that is because they have played this game.
For me this game is great , This has a really fun gameplay & the sense of speed is awesome. You twist the wiimote to steer the car but I think the mote & nunchuck combo is the best. The tracks are great & the cars do have different feel. Though when you move to the last city the game may get irritating because of the cops & the roads are so thin that you will damage out your car within the first twenty seconds. You shake your mote to release the NoS.
As you release the Nos you release the heaven of speed. There are two Nitros , one is the primary one for the boost while the double nitros for unleashing the heaven. The most fun part is earning style points. You can earn those by drifting , drafting , having some air etc. You can earn Nitros by pulling of style points. So pulling of comboes like catching some air & blowing the nitroes as soon as you land is really fun. The bad thing is that there is only one camera mode , the third person so sometimes the traffic pops into vision & the speed is also a problem in vision. It also gets irritating in the city of Dubai as the roads are thin & the cops are too much but the best city over here is Rio De Janerio , that is the real city to race.
The most awarding thing about this game is it s career. It uses a star system. Each race consists of 5 stars , each star representing a record , if you break a record you get a star & by that way you earn some stars in each race . As you collect stars you unlock cars & more cities. There are 3 cups , gold, silver & bronze . Gold for supercars ,Silver for sportscars & bronze for city games. In order to unlock the next cup you have to unlock the grand prix for the current cup & stay in a healthy position. There are 5 different cities & all are the same for all the cups. Those cities are Rio De Janerio , Cairo , Madrid , Singapore & Dubai. All of them have No 1 racers & have a total of 32 stars to earn in it. If you earn all 32 stars in a city then you will be the No 1 racer replacing the older one.
Another good thing in this game is the car customization. You can choose a brush, adjust its size & aim the cursor on the car . You will then see the image of your brush on the car. So now you can decide the position of the vinyl yourself. Then press the A Button to Imprint the Vinyl on the car.
Back to the graphics. The cutscenes are 3D animated but they are so smooth & amazing. The in game graphics show the sense of speed & are very detailed. Nitro runs on 60 frames per second & looks really good. The cars are so glossy that you would like to look at it repeatedly & it never grows old unles it has been with you since a decade. The roadside has a lot of detailes & they all look awesome. You can even see the faraway buildings come closer.
Now coming to the soundtrack. Nitro uses so many tracks and most of them were good. The roar of the rides were also awesome & all of the cars had a differemt one. The sound effects of the nitroes were awesome & you could actually hear the wind roar against you. The only downside was the crashing effect , no matter how hard you hit you would hear the same sound.
Even the presentation was great . First comes an aldready seen menu , then the career menu which consists of a world map marking the 5 cities.On top were the garadge, license & exit career menu. When you click on a city you will see a picture & below that the event. You can scroll through all the events.
Final words
This game has a lot of potential. It can do better with a free roam but the game scores well in so many other subjects that we have to call it a great game. The game is extremely well put together & is of extremely well quality. So the Nitro team , if your reading me (They arent , I know) Come out with Nitro II with freeroam ,5 more cities , 64 stars in each & also some pursuite events.
Graphics Cartoonish but smooth & the sense of speed is awesome. It has so much detail. 8.8
Soundtrack Crash effect needs work but everything else is just great 8.2Gameplay Speedy & really fun. Fun to earn style points. 9.1
Career Star system is addictive & exellent 8.7
Lasting Apeal It may be a good game but has nothing much in it . Five months maximum 8.0
Pros Sense of speed , career system , car customization , gameplay
Cons Open world , camera system.
TOTAL 8.4
GREAT |
|
|
