Topic: Rate The Last Game You Played

[broodwars]

Rage - It has a nice visual aesthetic, the crafting is some of the better-handled I've seen in game with RPG elements, there is some fantastic character animation on NPCs (something that's incredibly rare in games), and the main quest is fairly well-paced.  Unfortunately, the gunplay is pretty average, the driving (which this game has you do a LOT of) is pretty mediocre at best, and the RPG elements are few and far between.  And while the game looks lovely, it only appears so from a distance as textures are very blurry and very noticeably draw-in as the character approaches things.

What sidequests there are often send you back into dungeons you've already completed just to wipe out more generic enemies, which gets tedious after a while.  And the way the story plays out is abysmal, as the player literally spends probably 85% of the game just performing random tasks for random strangers that have no bearing whatsoever on the plot.  I could tolerate that in a game like Fallout 3 because the quests were so well-executed (especially the story ones), but here the quests are not particularly interesting.  There is barely any story here, and almost no memorable or notable characters.

Overall, it's a game I did enjoy playing, but the lack of story and mediocre gunplay (seriously, why do goons take three headshots to kill in a non-RPG FPS?) really took its toll on me over the course of my 21 hours with the game.  Sorry, id, but "slightly above average" just doesn't cut it during this Fall season with so many excellent games.

Child of Eden - I really liked this game, but man the final 3 or so levels of this game are pretty brutal (and there are no checkpoints).  It's probably the best Star Fox game I've played since Star Fox 64, though.   ;)   It's a strange game, though, in that the game is both too short and too long: there are only 5 stages + a challenge stage, but to unlock each stage the player has to collect stars by performing well in the stages.  This means you inevitably have to grind stars for the later stages, which didn't happen to me since I really enjoyed playing the first 2 stages but it could be an issue for other players.

The music in this game is outstanding, though I'm not fond of the track they remixed for the "Beauty" stage (I don't care for that stage in general, really).  And the developers did a superb job of complementing the remixed Genki Rockets music with perfectly timed sound effects and vocal samples that play when the player "purifies" targets on-screen or shoots down incoming "missiles", especially if the player times things particularly well and triggers a "Perfect" by purifying 8 targets at once with the beat of the music.  Likewise, this game is not technically doing anything extraordinary visually, but the way the visuals are used to complement the music is stunning.

I love what this game does, as it hits that same vibe that the Bit.Trip games do in giving you the impression that you are creating your own soundtrack unique to each playthrough, reliant on your skill at the game.  The game gets too hard too quickly for my taste and the lack of content does mean I can't recommend anyone buy it for full price at $40, though.  But by all means, play it when it gets discounted in the $20 or so range.  For all its faults, it's one thing that seems increasingly rare in Japanese-developed games these days: it's incredibly memorable and unique.  And yes, it plays fine with a controller.  Actually, I never could get the Move controller to calibrate right with this game.

[broodwars]

After having the game in my backlog for months, I finally got around to playing through Vanquish.  Overall, the game's a decent ride while it lasts but it's ultimately forgettable.  My biggest issue with the game is that it never evolves past its first 5 minutes of gameplay, where you learn the formula of "zoom behind cover or near a dude, leap into slow-mo, blast him in the face, get away, wash, rinse, repeat."  That's the entire game, including boss fights.  You never learn any new tactics, there's no reason to use any weapons beyond your starter set and the sniper rifle (because you can just power them up to be more than sufficient), and your enemies never really evolve to force you to come at them a unique way.

Then there are the environments, which are just the same bland open room/corridor copied & pasted with slightly different wallpaper.  What set piece boss fights there are are nice, but they're repeated a fair amount throughout the game.  And the story is horribly written and stupid, though not in the way I expected.  I can enjoy a good, simple "this dude wants to destroy the world, so go take him out" story, if it's told well.  But oh look, one of the things I hate most in Japanese anime as well: the story tries to have a "serious message" about U.S. foreign policy, and there's more than a little implication that the United States government is responsible for all the world's problems.  If that was done well in this game, perhaps I could overlook it, but it isn't so it's just downright insulting and I came walking away from the experience disgusted.

Vanquish has some neat ideas, but there's just no meat to this experience and when I was done with the game I never wanted to play it again.  The Japanese games industry needs more games with the energy and sheer insanity that moments of this game whole-heartedly embrace, though.

[Ymeegod]

Finished up Goldeneye 007 (WII) and here's my single player review:

The controls were a nightmare--had to adjust quite a bit to get something decent.  Tried using either GC or the Classic controller but recieved so odd results--like like the analog was stuck in the up postion, tried multiple other games and the controllers worked just fine.

After fighting the controls I finally get into the game and I found a very average FPS.  007 games should be all about the gadgets but there's isn't much other than an PDA phone that can hack into consoles to either gain info or control SGs.  The gameplay is pretty linear and you don't need stealth though you can try that metioned but I found the AI to damn twitchy at times.  For example, the building on fire and there's explosions all over yet the AI zeroes in on my footsteps even though I'm crouching. Anyways  how can they tell Bonds footprint sounds for all the other AI's running around the place?  That's just poor IMO.

The graphics are still inferior to the other WII FPS--Metroid Prime 3 but I really didn't expect much to begin with.  They really need more textures on the floors and walls which were plain with zero bump mapping at all.

Overall the game's short and pretty damn average, Everything or Nothing is still the best Bond game IMO. 

An 5/10  Granted I only reviewed the Single Player mode--so if you're an MP nut you might find some joy out of this.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS:  Did anyone else find it funny how some padlocks where on the inside of doors.  :0.  Also found one guy kicking the sh!T out of a vending machine even though the building was on FIRE.  That's one determine guy. 

[ejamer]

Gargoyle's Quest (3DS Virtual Console)
Verdict: 6/10


Taking the most annoying enemy out of Ghosts 'n Goblins and turning him into the protagonist for a separate game seemed like a great way to empower gamers and let them revel in being evil - at least for a while.


So outside of taking control of one of gaming's greatest bad-asses, what makes this game special? Mostly the interesting combination of RPG and action-platforming gameplay. As the demon Firebrand, you roam across a large overworld interacting with non-playable characters in towns and searching for powerups and the next boss stage. Action-platforming stages make up the most memorable part of the game - largely because of Firebrand's unique abilities to hover and grip firmly onto the sides of walls using his formidable claws. As the game progresses powerups are found that give you more life, the ability to hover for longer periods of time, and increased firepower.


The problem is that I just can't see this game appealing to many people who don't have experience with old-school gaming. Outside of random encounters while traveling to the next stage, RPG elements really felt like a token effort, especially when combined with the linear nature of the game and punishing difficulty in early action stages. If the game had a bit more depth and the questing portion was fleshed out then perhaps my final opinion would've been better. There is certainly a great deal of potential for this type of game; perhaps the NES sequel did a better job of reaching that potential?


I was glad to play through this game and finally get to see what the hype was all about. Unfortunately the amount of content provided and overall enjoyment received from playing just wasn't enough to recommend the game to anyone who didn't already know what they are getting into - even at a budget price.

[Ymeegod]

Just finished up Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess again (it's been 5 years after all):

Even after 5 years this game still shines but there was a couple of minor gripes about it.  The DS games allow you to scribble on the maps which is great for those trying to get the 100% complete list but in LoZ TP that ability isn't there and there's countless times I had to backtrack though looking for "Pols" or chests.  Also since this game was last generation I let it slide but there's alot of open spaces with awhole lot of nothing but walking distance. 

Still an 9/10 game even by today standards.  Bring on Skyward Sword.

[broodwars]

A couple of comic book games today, both of which I've finished.

Batman: Arkham City - Arkham Asylum was my favorite game of 2009, and its sequel may very well be my favorite game of 2011.  The combat; atmosphere; voice acting; and visuals are still fantastic.  The boss encounters this time are very well-done, especially one late in the game that plays like one of the Predator room segments where you have to continually out-think your opponent.  My biggest worry about this game going in was that making the game Open World would cause Rocksteady to lose focus and the game would be less memorable.  Thankfully, the game isn't really Open World.  It's just a much larger Arkham Asylum, one you can just glide across in the matter of a few minutes.

My main issue with Arkham City is the story, which feels like a real step down from its predecessor.  It's not very focused and is prone to getting sidetracked by one of the many encounters with the members of Batman's infamous Rogue's Gallery.  There are just too many characters in this story, and the encounters with some of them are less than memorable (especially in the sidequests).  When the plot finally gets back on message late in the game, it's fine but there's just too much meandering for my taste.

And that ending sequence...wow.  Some really incredible moments happen late in this game.

The other game I've been playing is Spider-Man: Edge of Time (Platinum #45).  I really enjoyed Beenox's Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions last year, but this is a considerably weaker game.  Considering Activision forced Beenox to make this game in a year while also splitting their teams to work on the upcoming Spider-Man movie reboot game, I still think Edge of Time is a much better game than it really should have been.

A lot of reviews have harped on the fact that the game takes place entirely in the Alchemax office building, and that is a problem.  To me, though, a much larger problem is the Web of Challenges feature.  In Shattered Dimensions, I loved its "Web of Destiny", a series of mini-achievements in each level that encouraged you to play the game in different ways and really take advantage of the level design.  Edge of Time's "Web of Challenges", though, very nearly ruined the game for me.  You enter a room, and you're told to slaughter a certain number of enemies in X number of seconds; or get to a certain point in the room within X number of seconds; or collect a certain number of orbs within X number of seconds; etc.  It's tedious busywork, and while it is optional you need the golden spiders you collect from them to power-up your characters.  So that means you'll be spending a lot of time reloading checkpoints to do these challenges, which destroys the pacing of the game and instead of making you fight strategically it tends to make you just button-mash your way through fights.

What saves the game for me, though, is the story (which is pretty decent for a Spider-Man game) and the dialogue.  The banter back-and-forth between the two Spidermen is fantastically well-written and consistently entertaining, mocking everything from 2099's very "90s" characterization to video game tropes and the ridiculousness of comic book writing.  I really don't understand how the games and animated series consistently get that this character is a smart-ass, but the movies never do.  It also helps that they are voiced by the two best Spider-Man voice actors: Josh Keaton (Spectacular Spider-Man) and Christopher Daniel Barnes (Spider-Man: The Animated Series).

So is Edge of Time a "good" game?  Eh, probably not.  The game is very formulaic and can get monotonous.  But did I enjoy playing it and would I recommend the game on the banter alone?  Sure.

[Lithium]

Punchout!
Wii

I completed the first run-though of all the fighters and lost interest halfway through title defense. I wouldn't say its worth $60 but now that's its $20 its worth considering. Although I still think its probably gamefly/rental material. Not that its a bad game its just pretty shallow.

6/10

[Ceric]

I played the demo last night of Resistance 3.  It has move support and it has 3D.

The 3D was cool.  The Move support is terrible.  As someone who really stinks at dual analog control but can rip it up in a light gun game or RE4 Wii Edition I want to the dual analog controls.  I could get the cursor to be ok but the turn box not really.  Also all the targeted shot of the gun where they don't have nearly as large of spray pattern move like stirring molasses even with the Move.

The game wants me to use cover but has no cover system.  You can crouch but that's not a cover system.  In this day and age if you want me to take cover I expect better tools to do just that.

The enemy design isn't bad but the color scheme is horrendous.  In the abstract out of the game environment as just a character there fine but, in the game the whole game uses the brown, tan, more brown style color scheme.  Since the enemies are pretty much brown, tan, and more brown they blend right into the background.  It got the point where I found enemies 1 of 3 ways:

1) Muzzle Flash
2) Reticule going Red
3) Heat Vision from the one gun

I have yet to find how to get to the mythical gun information in the demo that was suppose to tell me the secondary modes.  I finally figured them out but, it would have been nice earlier to know I could send out drones or explode magnum rounds.

I think the game is killing itself with lots of Paper Cuts.

I have to give this game a 5/10 from the Demo.  It needed to bake longer.

[broodwars]

From the sounds of it, the demo takes place at the beginning of the game in Haven OK, which is a very brown section of it since it's largely rural farmland.  I suppose they might have set the demo in St. Louis, considering it sounds like you had the Marksman rifle.  The rest of the game is much more colorful, especially with one series of stages set at night and another set in an Iced-over New York City.

I've heard the Move support is bad, but honestly I've been finding the Move to be rather poor in general lately. I recently tried using it on House of the Dead Overkill HD, and the camera kept losing my Move so my cursor would just disappear.

It's odd that the game doesn't tell you in the demo what your guns can do, because in the main game when you pick up a new gun it tells you just that.  I never had an issue with the gun handling with the standard dualshock, though.  It always felt nice and responsive.

It sounds like it was just a bad demo.  The game itself is awesome.

[Ceric]

Time Crisis with the move is as good as your calibration.  EyePet its very easy to suddenly be stopped by the floor and you need to go forward.  It can be odd.  Wiimoye is just consistently better.  Even though the Move can be more precise.

[Ymeegod]

Just finished up another platformer, Super Princess Peach (DS) and here's my thoughts if anyone cares:

Nintendo isn't known for it's storylines but even by their standards this is AWFUL.  An talking umbellera who used to be an boy who was magically changed for whatever reason and kidnapped falls into the hands of Princes Peach who's castle was attack by Bowser's minions using an vile magical rod that makes the Mario bros powerless.  And if that wasn't bad enogh then you have the same crappy storybook images between levels where the only thing that appears to change is a few text bubbles. 

So what's good about the game?  That's easy to answer--the gameplay, while it's fairly on the easy side it's still an decent platforming game with some interesting challenges for upcoming gamers.  You get 4 special powers than you'll use for various objects to unlock passages to collectables like Toads and music files.  There's plenty to unlock like a few mini-games but I felt there were rather weak so I didn't bother much with them but there is an new game+ where Princess gets new powers and more collectables.

7 Peaches of 10.

[Ceric]

SPP has a New Game + Mode.  I don't remember seeing that.  I'm going to have to dig out my Copy now and go through that.

While not as long as Super Princess Peach, I was super excited when my Wife got me as an Early Birthday Present, I was there when she bought it, Skylanders 3DS.

Everyone on this site has probably read the reviews. The 3DS version of Skylanders is a Platform Brawler.  I had a lot of fun with it but I beat the whole game and maxed out 2 out of 3 of my initial figurings in a little over ~6 hrs according to my 3DS.  Now I have done every challenge but enough to go through ever level and get the credits naturally.

As I said the game is fun.  Its not super challenging but its challenging enough to stay engaged.  They have done a wonderful job differentiating at the very least the 3 characters that come with the 3DS version.  Everyone will pick there favorites but a fully powered up Dark Spyro makes the defend style levels a lot easier then a fully upgraded Ignitor. 

Another thing I like to Squeeze in here is that the 3DS version has no puzzles.  No Switches.  No Boxes.  Nothing like that and I have to say its a much better game for it.

The hats I wish they were more then just hats and then as hats they sort of float above you characters head.  Which looks goofy.

Each of the levels are themed and they can correlate to an element type.  Though that is mostly because you know Elves and Walking trees are Nature, etc.  While I enjoyed the levels and they vary mechanics up a bit.  I can't help but wish there were a few more worlds to go to.  I like to see a fully realized Tech World for example, though the last level is in this style.

I know my wife got me some of the Adventure Sets and the PS3 version but she isn't letting me have them till Christmas and my Birthday (Thanksgiving).  I enjoyed the game but it really needs more worlds for the price.  The 3D is done well especially Hektor who sometimes look to be coming out of the screen to laugh at you.  I also don't know where in the timeline the 3DS game takes place.

The Camera for the Game is good if your going forward through the level.  It will have angles that intentionally had collectables and if you try to go up the flow to get something you miss you'll be fighting it because it won't reorient and you Skylander will be walking towards you.

I'm sad that you can't play with friends with the 3DS.  Online friend play be awesome.  Though without it there this has to be the fastest way to level up 2 Skylanders at a time.

The figurines themselves seem durable and are fun to play with.  For the cost if you had to decide between Skylanders and Super Princess Peach get Super Princess Peach.  I would have to give this game a 7 out of 10.  It has all the makings of a 9 out of 10 game but, it just cost so much.  There just isn't enough content in the game as a solo game to keep me running it to level up different figures that would also cost me $8.  I'm going to go back in since I just beat the game and look to see if maybe they had opened up a new world with a new set of levels.  Though I don't think so this would help elevate the content draught.

Good game, I like to play more but, there isn't more.


Edit: In case your wondering my Figurines are Dark Spyro 10 (Max), Ignitor 1 (Max), and Stealth Elf 7.


Alright I just finished maxing out Stealth Elf as well.  I'm going back and getting the crystals I can.  Which there are actually quite a few which is nice.  Unfortunately a lot of those are "No Food" ones so a lot of hard break going through the level just to accidentally run into a food trying for the exit...

Edit 2 The Continuation:
11:06 to get all the 85 Crystals you can get with just the Starter Pack.  I had fun with it and I'll have to wait to get new levels.  If they are the quality of the ones in the game they should be fun as well.  Though now I'm worried I won't like the console Version.

[Lithium]

Professor Layton and the unwound future
As part of my backlog of games on the NWR's DS top 30 that I haven't played yet.
I got it since I've only heard good things about this series. I'm not much of a puzzle fan so I didn't really like the game play but It's the presentation that makes this game. You should get it if you're a puzzle fan, if not then watch the movie instead.

7/10

[ejamer]

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS)

Finally polished off this lengthy RPG and have to admit that I really enjoyed it. While the main story was less impressive than I had hoped for, the game made up for that by providing nearly an endless amount of extra content: downloadable content, optional quests, unlockable character classes, secret treasure maps leading to randomly generated dungeons, hidden legacy bosses... even after you defeat the "final" boss there is more to the game (and the story) to keep you busy for as long as you want to keep playing. Be warned though: this is still an old-school RPG and anyone hoping to avoid the traditional genre trappings might not find Dragon Quest to their liking.

Funniest moment: After taking on the final boss and getting quickly dispatched (partly due to bad luck), I set out to explore some of the other game features instead of rushing back for a rematch. By the time I tired of side-quests and optional adventures and returned to fight the end boss, the strength of my party had grown enough that I was able to outlast him despite forgetting to equip any armor...   my characters were all undressed to help meet conditions for a side-quest. Fighting in the nude? Not a problem!

9/10

[Ymeegod]

Finished up a couple of PC games that's been on an shelf the last couple of years:

Cyrsis
Even though it's 4 years dated it still looks great, the combat is a bit weak--blame the poor AI who run straight towards their doom even on Hard mode.  Still there's some epic moments in the game (mountain collapsing) that kept me entertained. 
8/10

Cyrsis Warhead
This expansion pack came with an 6 hour single player mode that delievers on the action but at the expense of the story.  Some of the graphically effects were turned down in this one (alot less objects I noticed), and there's not much to do than run and gun, besides a few "rail" sequences. 
An 7/10

[Lithium]

im playing thorugh fire emblem: radiant dawn right now...

this game is too fucking long. Talk about overstaying your welcome.

[Lithium]

Fire emblem: radiant dawn



As a fan of advance wars and tactical rpgs in general the core gameplay is fine. The story forces too much exposition throughout the game adding in details that wont mean much except to the most die hard of Fire Emblem fans. While the story is pretty bad at first as the story progresses it gets better until part 4 of the game where it does a massive nosedive.

The main issue i have with this game however is time... specifically the fact that this game does not respect the players time at all. If a unit dies, he/she is dead forever and with a game clocking 40 hours it just isn't an option to accept the losses and move on since in addition to being a time sink, this game is also pretty tough. Because of this you will find yourself resetting again, and again....and again. That is as much of a critique of the game and the series as a whole. The game's internal clock tells me i spent 40 hours on this game, but in real world time it's probably hovering around 60-70 hours.

In the end however i still enjoyed it because of the core tactical rpg game play, however I've come to the conclusion that im much better off sticking to Intelligent Systems' other game, Advance wars. Get this game if you're a fan of tactical rpgs and have unlimited time on your hands. For everyone else this game probably wont be for you.

6/10

[broodwars]

Well, I haven't done one of these in a while, so I'm going to briefly cover a couple of games and focus on one of them:

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - Honestly, I was a huge fan of Uncharted 2, but I didn't like this game.  The writing is terrible and inconsistent with previous Uncharted games, the set pieces are few and far between, and the game just feels like it takes way too long to get going.  There are also some mechanical issues with the aiming that makes it harder to get a bead on enemies.  Probably my biggest grievance, though, is that Naughty Dog brought back the waves of cheap enemies from the first Uncharted, which gets tedious and monotonous.  It's still not a bad game, but I just didn't enjoy it.

House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut  - It's House of the Dead: Overkill on PS3, but with two not very entertaining new stages; a minor graphical upgrade; and Move support.  And this game continues my current trend of being disappointed with the Move, as it's almost unusable in this game.  The game will frequently lose track of the Move wand, so the cursor had a tendency to just vanish after cutscenes, requiring you to constantly recalibrate the thing.  Not recommended.

Jurassic Park: The Game - Now this game, I did like.  It plays like a merger of Telltale's traditional Adventure games with the QTE action of Heavy Rain, and I think by the end of the 4th and final episode that really worked for me despite some major technical issues.  For one thing, the button prompts are way too damn small on PS3, making it hard at times to distinguish between a O and square; L1 or R1; or Left Stick or Right Stick callouts.  The window the game gives you for entering some button sequences is also absurdly short at times, so unless you're hammering on the appropriate button pretty much the second it appears, you're going to die.  The game also has some technical issues that are just native to Telltale games, with noticeable stuttering when the game auto-saves and after completing some button sequences.

All that said, I really enjoyed this game because of the writing and presentation.  The QTEs can get frustrating, but the cinematography and pacing of those sequences is really well-done and feels true to the movies.  As for the presentation, these are easily the highest production values Telltale's ever put into one of their games.  The characters and environments look like PS3 launch games (which, once again, is impressive for Telltale considering their low budgets and status as a small developer); the characters are fairly expressive AND mobile (which is usually a problem in Telltale games, where characters will just stand completely stiff and only move their head and arms); and the music (lifted from the films) and voice acting are pretty good overall.

But my main props to Telltale go to the story, which takes place during and following the events of the first movie.  While the story is pretty typical popcorn action movie, it fits so seamlessly in with the first movie and the book that I rather enjoyed it.  The storytelling is probably the best Telltale's ever done, and that's saying something considering how well Back to the Future turned out.  By the end of the story, I had a good feel for the characters and their motivations, and I actually cared when something happened to them.  I certainly couldn't say any of that for Uncharted 3, that's for sure.

Jurassic Park isn't for everyone.  If you didn't like Heavy Rain for its gameplay, you won't like this game.  There are some design issues and technical problems.  But I think this game sets a new benchmark for Telltale in cinematic storytelling, and I highly recommend it.

[Sundoulos]

Thanks for the write-up about Jurassic Park!  I generally do like Telltales's stuff (and I didn't mind Back to the Future so much), but was leery of giving this one a try.  I'll probably pick it up when my I work through my fall backlog.

[UltimatePartyBear]

You don't work for Telltale, do you, broodwars?

[broodwars]

You don't work for Telltale, do you, broodwars?

Heh, I wish.  No, I just enjoy the game for what it is: an interactive movie with some serious flaws but an overall enjoyable experience.

[Halbred]

Jurassic Park is actually good? I was worried.

INSTA-BUY.

[broodwars]

Jurassic Park is actually good? I was worried.

INSTA-BUY.

Just know what you've getting into beforehand, because it is definitely a flawed game with some major problems and its gameplay style has already proved divisive.  I just feel like its storytelling and cinematic strengths outweigh those flaws enough to recommend it.

[UltimatePartyBear]

I was tempted, but the dinosaur deaths gave me a Dirk the Daring vibe.  I suppose quick time events are slightly better than trial and error gameplay.  Is there logic to which buttons you press?  Does it flash a random button or a button associated with what you have to do?

[broodwars]

I was tempted, but the dinosaur deaths gave me a Dirk the Daring vibe.  I suppose quick time events are slightly better than trial and error gameplay.  Is there logic to which buttons you press?  Does it flash a random button or a button associated with what you have to do?

There is indeed more than a bit of a "Dragon's Lair" vibe to the game, just as there was in Heavy Rain.  But the button callouts are not randomized.  Generally speaking, the button callouts tend to match the relative position of where the action is on-screen (for example, left-hand actions use the Square Buttons, upper actions Triangle, and so on).  If your character has to change direction in one of these sequences, the game tends to use a direction on the right control stick.  And so on.  The choice of buttons doesn't always makes sense and can blindside you, but it's not random.  With some practice, the worst sequence probably took me maybe 2-3 tries to do right.