MGS4: Guns of the Patriots review

So, Metal Gear Solid 4. This was the game, beside Little Big Planet, that I was looking forward to on the PS3. While I liked and played it a lot when it came out, when I got the trophy patch and played it again, it wasn't as good as it came out. Buy why?

Story
Old Snake is aging rapidly so he agrees on a hit to kill the ghost of Liquid Snake, possessing the body of Revolver Ocelot. Not only that, but he has to die with a changing world, new weapons of warfare and a system that keeps check on everything on the battle field.
This is a hard game to talk about story as this relies on the previous games so I'll give a pro and con list on my thoughts but in short: It's the most boring of the Metal Gear plots. I know it's suppose dark and everything's going to hell, but 's so boring and I didn't care what was going on and the exposition is so long and tedious. Now the list. SPOILERS

PROS:

• I liked Sunny and Drebin(ad his monkey sidekick).
• The Patriots being a group of rouge AI is pretty cool.
• Raiden becoming the Cyborg Ninja made sense.
• Glad that most of the surviving cast had role no matter how small.
• That scene at the end of Chapter 3 with Liquid is awesome. Best scene in the game.
• The bit about changing the discs was one of the only bits I smile.

CONS:

• Why are nano-machines the answer for all almost all the superpowers?
• While the bit with Psycho was fun cool back, what was the point of bringing back from the dead?
• I didn't like Naomi at all.
• This game ruined Paramedic for me and she was my favorite member of MGS3's support team.
• Ed and Jonathan have nothing to do and could be replaced by generic soldiers.
• The Beauty and the Beast unit are my least favorite goon squad in the series.
• The cut-scenes are too long.
• It's okay to kill you main character Hideo.
•  What was the point of those fake commercials at the beginning.

If there are other things I do or don't like, I probably forgot it or I just don't care

GameplayWhile this a stealth game, it also has some elements of a third-person shooter which isn't too bad and makes sense as enemies can still kill you easily and whole war theme the levels have makes you want to be more careful. While don't like the streamlined stamina meter because I have trouble figuring out how to decrease at times, I liked the octo-camo as all I have to do is just lie down and my camo changes instantly. Saves the hassle of going into the menu. You can also help the rebels fight back as it can help you get through sections easier.
As for the Drebin system, I don't care much for it. I just use the guns I found instead of the store brought ones. It's only problem is that there are no chaff grenades in the store and you need chaff grenades. Another problem is that the weapon inventory is so small compared to Snake Eater as in that game you can have at least ten weapons available while here you can only equip five, but that's not trues as the handgun and M4 will be placed in their slots automatically so that leaves three. Also I rarely used the Mk.II.
I also found the boss fights to be pretty dull with only three good ones; Laughing Octopus, the Metal Gear fight and Liquid Ocelot, the middle one being the best. Also, the fact that every chapter ended with a big action scene. I know that all the other games had a big acton scene, but those were at the end of the games(and before any asks, they are the jeep(MGS), the gunfight(MGS2) and the bike(MGS3)) and I got bored of them after a while. Except for chapter four as that was awesome.
However, the biggest problem I have is the final level, or lack there of. Sure, you get ONE sneaking section and TWO boss fights and a long corridor, but in reality, it's mostly a very long cut-scene and I just didn't care and I starting. I was thinking about actually finishing the game again for this review but I just got so bored with it that I just left it at the final boss and called it a day.

Presentation
While I don't that much for realistic graphics, this game really shows the potential the PS3 had at this moment in time. And the voice acting is great as always. Music, I'm not to keen on as there was only one original song I liked which was the GEKKO theme.

Verdict
I was thinking about giving this game a seven but since the story completely covers the game-play, I have to take points off.
6/10

Last Dream First Impressions

Since I'm almost done on the first continent, I'll talk about what I think about my first thoughts.

The game is an traditinol RPG, made RPG MAKER VX ace, and I know this as I have the trial version and the game uses the already made assets. Not that I'm complaining. You have eight classes to pick which are Knight, Monk, Hunter, Enginner, Theif nd White, Black and Gray Mages. My party consists of a White and Black Mage, a Hunter and an Enginner. Besides the different abilities like the Hunters slow or the magic of the Mages, some classes can affect the overworld in different ways like the Hunter being able to use chocobos and the engineer being able to use tunnels.
From what I hear, this game is huge. and with all the places I found on the first continet alone, I think I agree. It's also a bit non-linear as you can complete dungeons in any order as soon as you find them. At the start for example, you have to go to an old castle to save someone. You can do that or go into the sewers to get a few items and kill some monsters. After that, the rest of the continent opens up, with the main objective being to get a boat in the capital an there re two ways to get there: Take the long way around the continent or go through the dangerous forest. I don't have much to say about the story since I'm still very early on in the game.
One the more unique parts of the game is the level up system. You get SP from enemies or finding orbs in chests or shops that you can use to by skills that unlock as you level up. But that's not the unique about the level system. The unique thing is that when you level up, you get points to spend on you stats. The game does tell you which stats your classes should focus on but you can customize your party any way you want. Of course some stats are more expensive than others.

So if anyone's interested in this game, look up some more detailed review or look for gameplay footage in case it's not your cup of tea. But from me, this game is a recommendation.

Mario n Luigi: Partners in Time

"BACK TO ADVENTURE!" Stuffwell (Partners in Time)

This was one of the games I was looking forward to on the DS. I loved Superstar Saga and this one had the babies, and I like the babies.  While it's not bad, I just don't like compared to other Mario games.

Story
Years ago, an alien race called the Shroobs have invaded the Mushroom kingdom and are converting it to their own creepy needs. Meanwhile, Professor E.Gadd has created a Time a machine and Princess Peach wants to give it a test drive. So of course things go wrong and the Mario Bros. get attack by the Shroobs and find a hole in time. There they meet their baby selves and together, must defeat the Shroobs.
I find the story to be a waste of ideas. The biggest problem is that the time travel feels like a complete gimmick as it's hardly used in the story it's only there just so you can play with the babies. While Baby Bowser is a villain in the story, regular  Bowser feels shoe-horned in for a boss fight. Even Kamek, one of my favorite Mario villains is quickly removed from the plot after his fight.
The Shroobs are also a disappointment and I was looking forward for them. They are just a generic evil alien race and the reason they leave their home is never fully explained. There's also a plot hole very early on that only exist so that the characters can go forward.

GameplayLike the last game, you control Mario and Luigi with the A and B buttons but now you can control the babies with the X and Y buttons. The adults are stronger in battle and can spin jump and turn into a ball and the babies are weaker than the adults and can go into small places the adults can't go. While this isn't bad, I don't like getting the babies to fight.
The combat has improved a bit with the hammer defense having time before giving out and the introduction of a combo jump, plus the enemies take full advantage of the top screen as some enemy moves are telegraphed on the top. However, I'm mix on the bros items. You can stock up on these items and use them in battle. However, this leads to my biggest problem with the combat which is the game wants you to use these items, even if you don't want to. Sometimes you'll fight a large number of enemies or enemies with lots of health and the best way to deal with them is to use  bros item. And most of them aren't that good as there are only three I used: the canonballer, the trampoline(best move) and the copy flower. Another problem I have is that you can only use the hammers with the babies But I admit that's a nitpick.
But the biggest problem of the game is how there's nothing to do. Sure there's collecting beans and that slot machine but thats it. Superstar Saga had several mini-games, a few side-quest, some secret areas and mini levels and even a hidden surf track. There's nothing in this game. And I don't like the hub in this game. Peach's castle feels more linear than it should and beside sealing beans for badges, there's nothing. Compare to the hub in Superstar Saga which was also linear but was filled to the brim with secrets. I don't even like the final boss in this game.

PresentationAt least I can say that the art is good. The sprites are well done and I liked the design of the Shroobs but I will admit I felt that some the Shroob enemies felt like ripoffs of Mario enemies. I do like that the sprites are allowed to be as big has they have to be instead of being force to be smaller. Unfortunately I don't like the maps as they make the areas feel smaller than they should be.
The music is good although are some track I don't care about. I don't like the battle music or the Shroob theme but I really like Thwomp Volcano and Toad Town. This also has my favorite boss track in the three MnL games I played.

Verdict
I don't think I'll play this game again. It's just an underwhelming sequel with wasted potential. And I dislike wasted potential.
6/10

MGS3: Snake Eater review

This is my personal favorite of the series. Not only that, it's one of the few games that's almost perfect in it's genre. Why? Let's talk.

StoryNaked Snake of the FOX unit is sent to Russia to retrieve a scientist called Sokolov from a test site. It turns out, Sokolov is forced to work on a weapon called the Shagohod. However, Snake's mentor, The Boss, defects to the Soviet Union, injures Snake, takes Sokolov and gives a GRU coronal called Volgin a pair of miniature nukes. However, on a whim, Volgin, for no reason, nukes a lab and puts the US and USSR  on the brink of war so a week later, Snake must go back, find Sokolov, destroy the Shagohod and eliminate the boss.
This is my favorite story in the MGS series. While there are some dark elements to it, like the whole having to kill the mother in your life, there's a more fun and light-hearted side to it, like meeting EVA and having her trying to seduce Snake. Plus this ending is one I freely admit I cried or at least get teary eyed. Although this last point isn't important, I like that at some points you can look around the scenes with the R1 button and see some of the background details.
I also like cutscene pacing as they are more spaced out and if you want to skip them, the  amount of skipping is kept to a minimum.

GameplayThis game takes place in a variety of locations, for example, you start in a forest and go to a red, run building. To help you, you can use camouflage to help blend in like green camo for the forest and orange camo for the ruined building. You also need to find food,  like snakes or birds,etc ,as you have a stamina bar which slowly drains as you go through or if you if you have to heal. Of course you need to heal injuries as some attacks or environments will damage you so you can't fully heal so you have to fix them. However, this leads to the game's only real flaw which is to do any of this stuff, you have to open the menu, go to the section you want and do all the things you need to do. I don't have a problem with this myself but depending on how you play, you might be doing this constantly.
Speaking of playing, almost every area has number of ways of to approach them like sneak your way with being seen, take a back door or vent or just the simple kill everyone in sight with head-shots. This also applies to the boss fights as each of them as more than one way to kill them. I need to play MGS4 again but these are my favorites. The example I'll give will be the Ocelot Unit. In the other games, the enemy boss fights are just gun fights. In this one, you have hide and take out each member as stealthy as possible.I also like that some events can change how later levels will be like or how long turn off the game will affect you and certain things around you.

Presentation
This is the nicest looking of the games in my opinion. I love the environments, and absence of music really makes you feel like you're hiding in an actually jungle or mountain or whatever. When there is music, it's very, very good. The alert theme is very well done and I love the boss tracks. I personally like Ocelot's, Fear's and Fury the most but the others are great too. And the voice is once again top notch. Yes, they don't sound Russian but they have this throw away line that explains so any language can bypass the accent no problem.

Verdict
I don't give these away lightly, but despite it's flaws, it earns:
10/10

Heavy Rain Review

 
(Almost forgot about this one)
This is hard game to talk about, mainly because it wants to be treated as a movie instead of a game. So I'm gonna be lazy and just list  Pros and Cons of it.

Pros

- The Quick Time Events are surprisingly good. mainly the fight scenes and the origami trials.
- I enjoyed it when we're using Norman's future glasses.
- The identity of the killer surprised me.
-The cartoons in the background are funny.
- It's short.

Cons

- The prologue and tragedy is so forced.
- Maddison is pointless fan-service.
- The young boys sound terrible.
- Story isn't that great.
-Forgot to mention that moving the play is terrible because you have to hold down R2.

If you want some advice, rent it or borrow it from a friend. If it's your kind of game, then go ahead and buy it.

5/10

MGS2: Sons of Liberty review

"Yeah! I haven't had any field experience, but I was part of the Army's Force XXI trials! I was trained by video games!" Raiden(hiimdaisy's Let's Destroy Metal Gear Again)

Story
2 years after MGS1, Snake finds out about a tanker that's containing, METAL GEAR RAY! But enough about that. The story really takes place 2 years after that where Dead Cell and some Russian mercenaries have taken over an oil clean-up site called the Big Shell and have the president hostage. Now Raiden must go in, stop the terrorists and save the president.
Lets get the obivouis out of the way; No I don't hate Raiden and I never did. I use to dislike his girlfriend, Rose, but she didn't bother me this time. I would complain about about the cutscenes, but mine only real complaint about them is that some of the more important ones take place in Codec when you're  face to face with them. They say it's to prevent ease-dropping but we them talking out loud in the parts of the scene where they're not in codec. but that's a nitpick.
As for the story itself. I don't mind it...up til the final area. It's not bad, it's just a bit to out of place for me. You probaly have your own opinion on the ending section, but it's just off. I do have a question for anyone who's played it: Who do you think is the villain?
Gameplay
The gameplay has improved greatly over the years in development. The aiming mode makes gun-fighting and bosses more enjoyable, the hanging allowed more places to hide while the roll was an effective dodge move, although not a good jump and now you can get through the game without killing anyone. The bosses were also a decent challenge and some of them were even fun, my favorite being the Harrier. There's also a part in the game early on where you have to dispose of bombs which was pretty good and I'm glad they made mission of them in the update version.
I heard that this game was hard for some people but I found it easy. If there's an optional challenge I did like, it was the dog tags. The idea is that to get the bonuses in the game like stealth or the bandana and wigs, you have to collect dog tags by holding up the guards and point a gun to their face. And if they resist, shoot them in an arm or a leg.
if there's one problem I have is that the game feels smaller than it actually is. I think it's we don't get to explore half of Big Shell due to story reasons, which could have be been fixed by making you go the long way around.
PresentationGraphics are good. The main models look well animated, although I noticed that in some scenes, characters will have crab like hands. While the enemy models aren't that bad, every other model that doesn't have a mask has a hideous face. Seriously, try the casting thester with a background model in a speaking role. You'll see how bad they are.
As for the music, while the music is very good when we hear it and the boss tracks are some of my favorites, most of the game is completely silent. The  voice  acting is also well done but I'm not sure if the Russians have proper accents or not.
One final note about the final area. The main problem is that the atheistic of it being are sci-fi is one of the reason I don't like it. I even don't like the arena where you fight RAY. Good fight but I have no idea where I am. Some other dimension.
Verdict
This is a solid sequel that improves all the gameplay and makes it more fun. And while I do have a few nitpicks, I still recommended.
8/10

Metal Gear Solid review

The thing about the first game of a series is that it's rarely the best in a series.Although technically this isn't the first Metal Gear game, it it the first one in 3D. So lets see if it's aged well.

Story
I'm not gonna go to deep into the story in any of these games as there are people who already picked apart all the little details of this games story. But'll give a brief description along with my thoughts on them.
FOXHOUND and the Genome Army have taken over a nuclear disposal site called Shadow Moses and will launch a nuke unless they get the body of the greatest solider ever: Big Boss. Solid Snake, fresh from retirement, is sent to save a pair of hostages and stop Snake's evil twin brother, Liquid Snake.
I found the story to be pretty simple with some nice twists and enjoyable characters. I don't have many problems with the story, it's too stragiht forward to dislike. Plus the cut-scenes aren't that infamously long... yet.

Gameplay
Hate to say it, but the controls haven't aged well. The basic gameplay is fine, with you trying to sneak past guards and hide in a box in a corner if you get spotted. The controls on the other hand are awkward. The amount of times I started a crawl when I thought I could roll, were annoying, the guns were troublesome to use and the hand fighting....okay that was okay. It's fun breaking people's necks. Most of the weapons you get are very situational, for example: The sniper Rifle is only really needed for the fights with Wolf.
If there's one thing that deserves praise, is the fact that the game loves to break the fourth wall in places, like in the fight with Mantis. It's just a fun detail that has to be mentioned. Speaking of which, for everyone who downloaded this game and don't have the box, the codec number for Meryl is 140.15. Fourth wall gameplay there.
Presentation
Despite the dated graphics, they have a charm that I love. The music is good, but my favorite is not any of the sneaking music or the combat themes, but the credits song. I find it to be the  most memorable song in the whole game. The best part of the presentation is the voice acting. Even if you don't like the writing, the voice acting is solid even is solid even to keep your finger away from that skip button.
VerdictWhile the gameplay is't as good as it use to be, it's still a decent game and everything else helps it get to the level we all know and love.
7/10

Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando Review

"What?! Even the computers are charging us? That's it, this galaxy blows!"

There are a decent number of Ratchet and Clank games. Four on the PS2, two on the PSP, three on the PS3 with three downloadable adventures(which can also be bought in stores, thanks for the consideration Insomniac.) a crossover with Jak and Sly and many others I might have forgot. But I won't be reviewing all of them, mainly because I'll just be repeating myself. Out of all the games, I only stuff to talk about for three games: Going Commando, Gladiator and Q-Force. Lets talk bout Going Commando first, one which I have weird feelings for

Story
After Ratchet and Clank's fifteen minutes of fame, the Megacorp CEO, Abercrombie Fizzwidget, kidnaps them and wants Ratchet to rescue an experiment that was stolen by a thief while Clank gets a job as an account. Now Ratchet must save the fluffy ball of fur before it's too late.
This is one of the harder games to talk about, not because it's overly complicated, but because the story is in the 'clever in hindsight' category. I will talk about a few points though.

• I liked the thief and Thug-4-Less because the thief was slapstick gold and T4L  were a bunch of fun, dumb brutes.
• There's a cute girl infobot, which they never used ever again.
• While not the funniest of the series, this one has some of my favorite jokes

Gameplay
This game is the start of many elements for the series. First is the level up system, where your health and guns gain experience as you kill enemies. You have to use the gun in order to level it up which is a big plus as a problem of the first game is that I never used any weapon besides the wench. You can also get five weapons from the first game for free if you have the save data for it. You also get more health from killing enemies but also from a few helix's, two of which can be the hardest items to get in the whole game.
This is also the first game with the arena, where you do series of battles, each with a certain condition like one weapon only or don't get hit. These are simple compare to Arenas in later games, but this is a great first impression. There are also space ship levels, which they never did in this again. Which is having an open area to fly round in as you do one of four missions per levels. I like these levels but strangely the space races were easier than I remember. Also they're bike races which I also like although they can get repetitive.
As for gadgets, you get a tractor beam to move some pillars, a hypnotic device to control hypno-bots, a thermal gun that turns water to ice and vice-versa and our old friend the slingshot. The slingshot also gets a new friend with the dynamo which turns on machines and holograms that you can use as platforms, and I do mean friend as the next, the gadgets have a baby called the hypershot. If there's anything I didn't like, I didn't like hacking mini-game and the Clank levels are the weakest. There's one robot that you only use once just to lift a block.

PresentationVoice acting's good. Ratchet's got a noticable voice change, one he keeps for the rest of the series and all the other voice acting do a job well done. That's probably the only applause I'm gonna give it as everything else is not bad, but very lacking. The music is very bland for my taste with only three songs standing out, Oozla, the arena boss theme and the final T4L boss theme. The art is also very dull to me, as most of the levels take place in grey factories. Even the level that has hellish red skies looks bland.

Verdict
I think I figured out why I don't like this game compared to others in the series. I just don't like the galaxy it takes place in. Like an a person who just smiles and  waves and you have this irrationally dislike for them. It's not a favorite but I can't deny it's good.
8/10

Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga(DS) Review

Before we begin, I just want to say that you should NEVER BUY "LEGO STAR WARS 2" FOR THE DS. It's a broken, incomplete mess that I feel sorry for anyone who bought it. The only good thing about it was the character creator. Now that that rant's over, lets talk about this successful port.

StoryIt's all the "Star Wars" movies so if you've seen the movies, you know the plot to it. The game is an abriged version of the six movies although most of the plot is told through text scrolls at the beginning of each level. I would say that final boss is simple but very good.

GameplayThe game is a puzzle-platformer where you control two to eight characters to solve puzzles and fight enemies. There are, in my opinion, three classes: blaster, light-saber and droid, which are also divided into sub-classes : blaster has normal, bounty hunter and short, Light-saber has Jedi ad Sith and droids have C3-PO and R2-D2. The Bounty hunter and Sith are better than the others of their class as the Sith can use any force object and open storm trooper doors and bounty hunters can use explosives and can open BH doors, although you still need the droids to open their doors.
You get all the classes you need during the story but you can collect studs to buy more characters ad even some special extras like multipliers and bigger weapons, but you need to find the red bricks that unlock them first.This along with competing levels, collecting everything gives you gold bricks which do absolutely nothing but add to 100%.
As for the vechile levels, I really like them. They're top-down shooting sections and with one exception, because it's a decent race, that are simple but let you go at your own pace as you go left and right and even turn around and go backwards. There are a few other sections where you constantly go forward which don't last too long.
You can also buy some mini-games that use the touch screen, you unlock from the red bricks which you can get gold bricks by getting a very high score or getting to the end. These include:
Deflection:A pretty challenging mini game where you use a light-saber to deflect lasers. It's so challenging it's the only one with a practice mode.
Focus: Very simple game of keeping everything in a circle. Forgettable
Kamino: a touch the buttons in order game. I'm not a big fan of these games as they keep adding more to the sequence than I can remember, but I was able to mange it.
Evasion: A fun little game where you dodge asteroids and collect points. I like it.
Levitation: A good game where you move C3-PO through a tunnel avoiding storm-troopers and collecting yoda's to stay in the game. It does get harder but it's gradually so it's good.
Grevious: A straight forward game where you go through a course to collect points. Also pretty forgettable.
Pit-stop: A series of smaller games where you have to complete them as fast as possible. I'm a bit mixed as I like it but I dislike the first game as the matching parts game can really eat your time.
Activation: A collection of the four door mini-games which are touch falling blocks in order, match the pairs, touch all the same blocks in order and match a circle of blocks in order. You're bound to get some practis at this during free-play.
There's also a character creator but i rarely play as my character.

PresentionThe sounds and music are all from star wars so if you like them there, you'll might like them here. the graphics are not the best but there servicesable as I can tell each detail on the LEGO models. The cut-scenes have suffered a bit for being on the DS as they're mainly animated with stills. They are well done and are better than them using the ingame models(Believe me, I know) but most of the humor the LEGO games are known for are lost.

Verdict
This is a well done remake port ad more than makes up for disaterous previous DS version.
8/10

Shovel Knight Review

"Shut up and take my money." Philip J. Fry (Futurama)
The game almost everyone is saying is one of the best or THE best of 2014. And it's true! 10/10. No spoiler, it's that good. But I can't leave you at that. No that be unprofessional. So lets talk about why the game is great.

Story

Shovel Knight and his love, Shield Knight were once brave heroes who went on adventures. One adventure led them to the Tower of Fate where a dark amulet took Shield Knight, sealing the tower and leaving a grieving Shovel Knight alone. Some time later, an evil Enchantress opens the Tower and her Order of No Quarter take over the land. Now Shovel Knight must defeat the Order, get to the tower and hopefully find Shield Knight.
This story is simple but very good. Shovel Knight is a well done hero, who is willing to talk someone down from fighting, but will fight if provoke or if the person deserves it. For example, every time he faces Black Knight, Shovel is always the one who doesn't want to fight.
Speaking of bosses, the Order of No Quarter are just awesome. Each of them of their own quirks and styles in both fighting and the way they talk. There are also NPC's in the village and other places that each have their own character and stand out, from the frog who likes puns to the different shopkeepers.
One of the best parts of the story is the loss Shovel feels for Shield. Some nights, Shovel will have dreams of Shield falling from the sky and you have to catch her and every time you almost catch her, the dream ends. And this is in gameplay too. it really made me want to save her. And that ending. Beautiful.

Gameplay

This is a 2D platformer that inspiration from NES games like DuckTales and Megaman, but it does it's own thing with it. You shovel is used as a weapon, dig up dirt for gold,open chests and secrets, pogo off enemies and other uses if you can buy the upgrades like having a ground attack at full health. There are no lives so when you die, you lose some of your money, which you can get back if you reach where you died but you can't die or you lose it. This isn't a big deal later but early on you want as much money to buy stuff.
Speaking of which, the relics you find are very useful. Besides the Ichors which can use Trouple potions, you have ranged weapons like the wand, anchor or sphere, the knuckles, locket, mobile gear and dagger can be use to get through obstacles and make sections easier. Never had  much use for the coin though.
The levels themselves are pretty challenging, each with their ow gimmicks like falling chandlers or using snow to cover spikes. The bosses are also a good challenge, even weak little Tinker Knight can be a hassle if your facing them for the first time. My favorites were Mole Knight and Specter Knight. There are also optional levels and bosses that appear on the map at times and even a level you have to pay for.

Presentation

I wasn't around around for the NES era, I was a DOS man, so I don't have much thought on the NES graphics. That being said, I think Shovel Knight looks great. All the colors stand out and the sprites and scenery are nicely detail. The animation of most characters and objects is well done there was only one time i had no idea on what I was looking at.
Music is great. it's pleasant on the ears and is differently fitting and memorable. If I was to pick favorites, I pick the Lich Yard theme, the Explodatorium theme, the Stranded Ship theme and Shield Knights theme. Also the wolfs sound and look adorable.

Verdict

If you need more convincing, check out anyone else who's reviewed the game. but if you're a platformer fan, you should get it already.
10/10

Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix Review

"As you move closer to the light, the darkness grows."

Story

Sora and his friends, Riku and Kairi, get separated when his home get's attacked by the Heartless and is given a key-shaped sword that has the power of locking and unlocking everything and being a sharp,pointing thing. Donald and Goofy are tasked by King Micky to find this keyman and use him to find the King while Sora searches for his friends. And Disney adventures ensue.
This game is a good starting chapter for a story. While it's a full story, it has little setting pieces like a little talk about how destructive keyblades are or who can have a heart, which is a big deal in this setting. The Disney worlds are mostly good but there are a few that annoy me, mainly the Atlantica world because of Ariel. The biggest warning I can give to this is nothing to do with spoilers but that writing can be very cheesy with all this talk about hearts and light and friendship. There are also a few new scenes in the final mix.

Gameplay

The game is an action RPG with a party of three. Not much to say about the combat, it's pretty simple with very little thought needed until later in the game. Camera is pretty sensitive at times and makes some fights and jumping sections awkward.  I know many people hate the water level but once you get use to the controls of going up and down, it's not so bad. I don't have much else to except it's simple and fun.
There are also little space section between worlds that also very simple but the final mix added missions to them to encourage you to make new ships as some missons require a type of ship part. Also added in the final mix was not only a hard boss but new enemies that you have to find and beat to get items for crafting. I wouldn't mind as it makes you see the enemies but some of them aren't fun to fight, the worst being a mushroom you have to use stop on and then hit him as many times as you can before it wears off, and it's annoying as gnats in a swarm.  do like the the robot one and the black ballad was a fair mini game.

Presentation

The graphics are pretty good as the Disney characters don't feel out of place ext to the anime Square characters. Music is good, voice acting is good, everything's good. However I do have one big nitpick: Why are most of the enemies recolored. I say that because most of them aren't even that good and the fact that most of the new enemies are also recolours. One of worst was the search ghosts which use to have white heads but now they are orange for some reason which I don't understand.

Verdict

If you want to start with the Kingdom Hearts series , nothing is better than the one that started it.
8/10

Hexen: Beyond Heretic Review

"Greetings mortal. Are you ready to die."

-Korax

Story

Korax(the second Serpent Rider) has taken over the world of Cronos and has corrupted it's leaders. Now one of three heroes must go kill Korax and save the land. Once again I have nothing to say except that Korax actually insults you in every hub. I like that.

Gameplay

The game has three characters you can play as: the Cleric, the Mage and the Warrior.
The Cleric starts out pretty bad with a weak weapon but soon gets some of the best weapons and the flask can really destroy groups if used right.
The Mage is my favorite as he has good range with weapons and while I didn't like he's ultimate weapon, his other weapons can carry you.
I didn't finish the Warrior as while he does have a good starter weapon, I knew I wasn't gotta have fun with cause I like range in my FPS.

One of the unique gameplay features is that the game use a hub system. Every hub is divided into several levels and you have to go back and forth to pull switches and find keys. While I don't mind this as it encourages exploration, there's no way of no knowing what the switch did and you might have to be lucky in finding the level that has the next key or switch that you have to get and you might get lost.

You have twelve weapons in the game, but each class has four. a starter that use no ammo, a blue and green weapon, I called that they use blue and green ammo and the ultimate weapon which can only be used when you find the three parts to it. The enemies, while simple, are varied and can be difficult if you don't know what you doing. Ex. you first fight with two headed goons that just wack you with club, but in the same level, you meet flying imps that rapidly fire fireballs, and these things tend to appear in groups. and these are the foes you start with.
The inventory is still here with some old toys like the health potion and the one that turns enemies into animals(this time pigs.) and new ones like the flask which is a different bomb for each class and one toy that can summon a MAULOTAUR!!
Also, there's jumping and some minor jumping parts.

Presentation

Don't care much about the music, it's just there. The art design and presentation however is great despite being dark and brown and grey. Each level has a different theme to it and you can tell where you are by knowing what design it is. In the first hub, each level portal is surrounded by the textures you see in the level, but when you see fire themes and textures in the ice level means there's a portal to the fire level nearby.
This is both a minor and major point both there's a lot a little details added like destroying glass leaves some shards on the ground or when you overkill a grunt, his club will be laying somewhere away from the corpse. Heck, even the way some doors open is pretty cool for a DOOM engine game.

Verdict

I like this game and while I would personally give it an nine, the lack of direction holds it back so instead it's:
7/10

Assassin's Creed 2 Review

"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
This is a series my brother's big into but I had little interest in. Since the trophy data is in my PS3 system and I wanted the Upoints so lets what  we got.

Story

You play as Desmond Miles. A man who's used as a plot device for the main story about Ezio Auditore, an Italian man who discovers his father is an assassin and joins them to uncover a plot that could change Italy as he knows it.
I don't have any major problems with the story. Ezio is a fun guy and I can see why he's popular, being a badass while having a sense of humor. There are also some other memorable characters like Leonado and that army guy in Venice, but most of them are very bland and forgettable, especially the villains, who I felt were built up but every hit felt like an anti-climax, except for the big bad himself and the young brat who antagonizes you early on.
Another problem I have is that I don't feel the passage of time. It's suppose to happen over the course of several years but it feels more like months.

Gameplay

I'm not a huge fan of gameplay. I felt the combat was unresponsive and had trouble with it, although you can hire people to distract the guards which I started to use after a while. It is cool to stab some when they're not looking. I really didn't like the free running parkour stuff mainly because while simple to do, is very to mess up. Numerous times was running around, having a bit of fun when I suddenly grab onto a wall. This s the main reason I rarely went up the roof tops unless I had too and I really hated the races. Also, there's one optional dungeon where you have to use a move you never used and was very annoying.
Speaking of the side quests, they're varied enough like beat-up husbands, delivering mail and collecting feather. I didn't do that many assassination missions mainly because the one I found were mainly kill all the enemies and I don't like the combat. I know there are ones where you get to find a target but I only found one. You also get to upgrade a town to get discounts but that's nothing big.
This is a personal thing but I didn't feel like I was falling when I did those leaps of fate. I got the feeling of falling when I thought  will break every bone from jumping as far way from hay as possible.

Presentation

I can not deny the fact that this game is gorgeous. You can tell they put alot of effort in the scenery so you can climb all over it. Musics there, nothing special. And the voice acting... Now the actors are not that bad, they sound Italian to me with no voice that makes me rip my ears. My problem is that the writing switches between English and Italian and it gets annoying after awhile. Yes it's nitpicking but it really bugs me.

Verdict

I don't think I'll bother catching up with this series. Yes it's a good game but it's not my thing.
7/10

Spongebob: Supersponge review

"I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!"
-Spongebob Squarepants
Story
It's Patricks birthday and Spongebob want's to give the greatest present ever, autographs from Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. However, they want nothing with him so they send him away doing some errands like making a sandwich and getting some new costumes.
Yes it's silly and simple but I don't anything with it. It's nice for a story to not involve imminent doom every once and a while. The only probelm is that Sandy and Mr.Krabs are shoved in for no reason and Manray is just a generic enemy.

Gameplay

This is a 2D platformer where you have to find the item for the superheroes. You attack enemies with either a butt bounce attack or some weapons you find like the jellyfish net or launcher. One hint I'll give you is to remove the reef blower when you're done with as it has an effect on your controls. The hit system is like the sonic games in which you collect spatulas and when you get hit, you lose them all and another hit kills you, and there's only 100 in each level. I would say that the final level and boss are very easy compared to the rest of the game.

Presentation

I have mix things to about the presentation. The music is okay and the voice acting's good, except for Mr.Krabs who sounds terrible. The game has a pseudo 3D thing going on which I find cool. I wish they decided what kind of sprite style they wanted becuase the enemies look weird, some are cartoonish with the outlines but others have this awkward look to them that feels out of place.

Verdict

It's a pretty average game, but I see nothing majorly wrong with it.
6/10

Tiny Tank Review

 
"Our time has come, a new industrial revolution. Only this time we don't follow the wills of humans. We steer ourselves. There is no of switch to our destiny, joins us or get out of the way." -Mutank

I might do this from now on since I have trouble making intros for my reviews.

Story

Tiny Tank is a mascot for a weapon company called SenTrax that made a robot army to fight wars. After being killed in accident, he is repaired 100 years later and has to stop the robot army and their leader, Mutank from turning the world into a oxgren-free planet.
The story is pretty simple, but it seems to be more focus on the comedy and it is funny. The cut-scenes are mainly to show Tiny's personality which is also summed up in a funny scene near the end. Mutank is also a fun and unique villain, being a leader of the Sentrax army, and having his own radio show which is one of the highlights of the game.

Gameplay

Despite controlling a tank, Tiny is very simple to use. while turning is very easy to do and you can jump and strafe to avoid attacks, you can't see whats behind you, which can be problem in combat. You also have a small arsenal of guns which are needed for the many missions with only one gun(Freeze turret) being not only useless, but goes against the mission objective. Speaking of missions, they all are about destroy stuff(for a reason). The first level is like destroy these two enemy spawners, use rocket launcher to break door, kill the boss. The bosses are pretty good although some can be very hard like the Strider's.
The health system can be troublesome, as it's regnearting health, but it's limited as you only have a limited amount of nano-metal to use, and this was an annoying problem during one boss fight. I know there's a story reason, but it's boring and tedious. Also, invincibility is useless  and I never used the mini tanks.
But my biggest problem with the game is the platforming. At first it's not  too bad when use raised platforms to cross a mine field, but the penalty for failing becomes worse as the game goes on, ending in a level where you have to cross a frozen lake with ice chucks, failing equals death and i couldn't get across it. I had to cheat to through these sections, I admit it, of course only one cheat doesn't break parts of the game.

Presentation

I really like the robot designs in this game. Almost all of the look original and have their own personal flare to them. And while the art design may look generic with the deserts and robot complexes, it never felt bland. The music is great, they could've easily made some generic rock tunes but a good portion of the tracks are pretty upbeat, and lets not forget about the title jingle.
Besides the very good voice acting, the FMV cut-scenes look brilliant. Tiny Tank looks real in these FMV's and this was pack in the PS1 era.  I think it helps that they never show any humans.

Verdict

If you not interested in playing this game, at least watch the cutscenes and listen to Mutank's radio show, you're bound to get a few good laughs.
7/10

Bionicle: the Video Game Review

I don't have that many games that I consider bad. I'm not one of those guys who seeks out bad games for comedy. So why Am I talking about it. Well this was one of the first games I played I ever felt disappointed. Bionicle was something I was into when I was growing up and one of the thing I was looking forward to was this game, and man is this bad.

Story

Usually I give a brief description of the plot but I have no idea what the story is. The people who are fans are gonna be nitpick this story to no end and people who touched the series before will find this alienating. The biggest problem is that they try to shove all the story arcs into eight levels even if it makes no sense. Like why do I become the Toa Nuva after two levels or  why the Bohrok Kal are easily dispatched by Gali.

Gameplay

This is a mix. Walking around and fighting is fine if nor a bit dull but when it tries to mix it up, it doesn't work out. the snow/surf boarding level are pretty hard to control, easy to mess up and you're constantly chasing something or are timed. Also while some levels do look nice and platforming is good, there are some level gimmicks that aren't that good. Like in the Lewa level where you start with a dull grind rail section then we get a decent platforming section where we can glide from platform to platform and the get a terrible section where you have to glide to a floating bubble which leads to an annoying part with following a bird and ending with a very dull boss fights.
Most of the other problems I have are mainly nitpicks like why everyone has a shield when that's Tahu's powers or why I'm doing an underground cart section in the desert level.

Presentation

The music is okay, i think it suits the areas you're in but the problem is that it just stops out of nowhere. The sound design isn't the best either, I don't like the monster screams and one time the sound besides the light stone went missing. Voice acting is okay, not bad...Except for the last level where the voices are so bad I couldn't understand what they were saying, beside the mess up writing. The cinematics are terrible and I have no words to explain why.
Do I have some nice things to say. Yes I do. The art design actually have some effort  to making it look like the areas they are suppose to like the volcanic rivers of Ta-Wahi to the tree tops of Le-Wahi. They even have a timer that use Bionicle numbers and Lewa is using his treespeak slang.

Verdict

Maybe if they decide what plot to use or did a game like Spyro or Banjo Kazooie maybe it might have been good, but this is something no one should be introduced to a toyline.
4/10

Sly 3: Honor Amoung Theives Review

The last of the Sly series. Is it as good as Band of Thieves. let's see. Spoiler: this is my favorite.

Story

Sly meets  member of his father's gang who tells him of the Cooper Vault where all the Coopers store all their loot. However, a scientist called Dr M has been trying to break into it and turned the area into a fortress. Now Sly must assemble a team of specialists to get past the mad doctor and get into the Cooper Vault.
The story is a bit lighter than the last game as the stakes aren't as big as a monster coming back to life. It is a bit more character focus as the gang have some development over the story, like Murray training in a mystic art and Bentley getting jealous of Sly. Also, there's no villain gang in this one which I think nice break and the episodes aren't just about doing a heist, of cousre there's one episode which is quite unsettling when the Cooper Gang commit mass murder on some miners(I'm not making this up.)

Gameplay

Same as last time, though the gang had learn some new moves, like a pick pocket move for Bently and Murray, Bentley also has improved mobility being able to jump higher and fend off against enemies and Murray's got a new ball move. There are also new character to play as like the Guru who can ride on enemies and use them to destroy stuff and Carmelita is playable now in brief third-person shooting sections.
There are also some challenges you can do which are the same as the jobs except you have either less health or have time limit among other things. other than that, everything else has just been polished up. They even remake a boss fight from the first game in a cool way.

present

Nothing much to say. It's just polished up. I don't know if it was just the PS3 I was playing on but the music seem to be skipping on me during cut-scenes. I should commit on Carmelita's new voice: not as good as her predecessor  but I think it's cute.

Verdict

I found this game to be more enjoyable than Sly 2 and the while story isn't as good, I found it to be my style of enjoyability.
9/10

Sly 2:Band of Theives Revew

The good thing about sequels is that even if the first game wasn't the best, the will be better and boy is this on better. Everything has been improved, from the stealth and platforming to the art and presentation. In short, this was the game where Sly found his identity.

Story

Two years after Sly destroyed Clockwerk, his gang found out his remains were found and stored in a museum. With Bently and Murray now out on the field with him, they plan to take the parts  to stop Clockwerks return... Only to find Carmelita and her new partner Neyla saying that the Klaww Gang got them first. Now Sly and the gang must find the Klaww Gang and get the parts back before anyone gets the idea to revive Clockwerk.
The best part about the story is not just the better writing but how the episodes feel more like episodes. The villains are more involved in the plots and the finales feel like they've been built up, not to mention the villains actually have a massive drug operation going on. I also like that Murray and Bently are more useful now, especially Murray as he was just the driver last time. Now he's the driver and brawn.
If there's one thing I don't like it's the main villain. The person is very bland with zero motivation besides being backstabber.

Gameplay

While still a platformer, the game is no longer a get to the exit kind of game. now you have a hub to sneak around. You have to do several small jobs in order to get ready for a big heist which range from following some, shooting down air security, pickpocket goons for keys or shoving several people into a water pump. The game also use a simple beat-em up system for taking out enemies, which varies depending on the character
Beside sly, you also get to control Bently and Murray now. Sly plays mostly the same only with a few new moves, like pickpocketing and wall hooks, and while he can hold his own in a fight, you better run when the big guys show up. Bently uses bombs and a dartgun to take one foes but he can't get into a straight fight as he's the weakest of the three. He can also get into a pretty fun hack mini-game which I believe was based on one of the final levels from the last game. Murray is the strongest of the gang, what he lack agility and stealth, he makes up for it in pure brawn, able to take even the biggest enemy in two hits. And if you want to which ones my favorite, it's Sly's.

Presentation

Just like everything else, the graphics and style is better. the character models look sharper and more polish while the cutscenes look like a better comic, or at least one I'll look at. Some of the hubs are very nice to look at or explore, my favorite being lumber mill in Canada.
Music is more mood fitting this time with some nice tracks for when things get tense or fighting one of the Klaww Gang.

Verdict

a great example of a squeal and finding a comfort zone. Sly 2 is recommendation for stealth or platforming fan.
9/10

Sly Raccoon AKA Sky Cooper and the Thievius Raccoon review

The good thing about those PS2 port collections for the PS3 is that people who wanted to play these games but never were to buy can get another chance to play them. So yes I always wanted to play this series when I first saw it, even played a demo of the second game. So of course I got it the PS3 collection when I got the chance and I'm gonna talk about the first game now.

Story

Sly Cooper comes from a long line of master thieves, who wrote all of there skills and adventures in a book called the Thievius Raccoonus. On the night he was suppose to inherit the book, five villains arrived, kill his parents and split the book among themselves. Years later, Sly and his two friends, Bently and Murray, goes to find the villains and get the book back.
The game is told in a episodic format, as in each level is treated as its own story which build up to a final episode. Unfortunately this game is the most formalic of the series as every episode is just: do first level, get keys, beat boss. It's a good thing the writings good as the characters are especially enjoyable to listen to, especially the banter between Sly and Carmelita, that always makes me smile. I also want to add that the big bad is on my list of best villains, mainly due to what it is and the implications of a monster like that.

Gameplay

The game is a platformer with an interesting gimmick in that it's also a stealth game. As thief, you have to sneak around levels avoiding lasers and spotlights to get to the exit. While sneaking around is pretty fun, that's not what you're always doing. Sometime You're racing, sometimes you're shooting goons, sometimes you're in a submarine, etc. I wouldn't have a problem with this if it weren't for the fact that I want to be playing a stealth game.
When it's in the main levels, it encourages you to be sneaky by making spotlights, lasers and flashlights. Unless you have a lucky charm, you only get one free go to get past the security  as they from lights into heat beams, unless it's a flashlight guard which is almost an instant kill as they guns or similar. You can find extra moves and blueprints in vaults you can open with the clue bottles in the level, but I never used them except if they're passive as I got by with my regular moves as enemies die in one hit. Though I find the life system to be pretty pointless as I had no trouble on the regular levels and the only real penalty for a game over is starting  a level from the beginning.

Just a note on the PS3 port. Apparently the Mz.Ruby fight was ported poorly as the fight is suppose to be a rythem game and the music isn't sync up right.

Presentation

While I like the cel-shaded design of the character models, Sly face looks a little off to me. The animation itself is also a bit stilted and the mouths of some characters look off like the Panda King.
The voice acting is a good first time though Carmelita's voice still needs work(this would be a recurring thing with her.).
The music is decent, it's quiet for the most part and gets louder when fighting an enemy, especially in boss fights and there are a few track that I like. Though I'm not a fan of the main theme.

Verdict

While it's not a great game. it's a nice first step to a good trilogy.
7/10