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Post by Powerfullove on Aug 27, 2008 20:01:23 GMT -5
Hmm, I'll just put these all in one post.
Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door Review. Written up by Powerfullove
The Paper Mario series began on the Nintendo 64 and quickly became one of the coolest games in the Mario franchise. The second game in the trilogy, Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door is an even better example of what our papery buddy can do.
Gameplay: Basically, here’s the story. Our lovely Princess Peach is in a rather distasteful neighborhood full of bandits. However, while shopping, she comes upon a strange merchant who offers her a treasure box that will only open for one with a truly noble heart. Of course, it opens for her, and a treasure map is found inside, sparking the adventure to find seven “Crystal Stars” that will open the Thousand Year Door, where a marvelous treasure is said to be stowed. I don’t want to ruin the marvelous story for you so let’s move on. Being a piece of paper has many advantages in the Mario world. Along your journey you will be comically “cursed” with new abilities such as folding into an airplane, rolling like a tube, folding into a paper boat, or just turning sideways to reach new and hidden areas. You will also be joined by several partners that will also aid you in your quest to find the Crystal Stars. For example, Flurrie will blow away loose flaps of the paper world to discover new areas, Bobbery will blow debris out of the way, and Goombella will inform you of people around you, items, your surroundings, etc. On your way to the Thousand Year Door, you will also find special hammers, boots and badges that could aid (and sometimes weaken) your abilities in Battle. Speaking of Battle, this is one of the most entertaining and original concepts I have ever seen. Basically, during every battle sequence you’re on a stage. People are in the grandstands watching your fights with your enemies. If you impress the crowd, they’ll give you star power to fill up your Star Power meter (not to be mistaken with Guitar Hero Star Power). Every time you earn a Crystal Star, you will learn a new Star Power move. There are different moves. Some up your abilities, some heal you, and some deliver massive damage to your enemy. Depending on the strength of the Star Power move, you will require to use up some of your Star Power meter. This is where the crowds pleasure of your show comes in. Please and amaze them with awesome performances and Stylish commands, and they’ll fill up your meter in no time. Do an average job and they’ll start leaving the arena and throwing things at you. Also, as you gain experience, every 10 Level-Ups you will gain a new arena that will seat a larger audience. Giving you more of an opportunity to fill your Star Power meter.
Graphics: I love the graphics in Paper Mario Games. The shading and animation is brilliant and the frame rate never goes down. Also, another pleasing feature of this game is how Paper Mario’s paper world is actually put into play. You can blow flaps of world away (as mentioned above), peel away sections of the world, fold staircases the other way to allow access to a new area. It all fits smoothly and well. Also, although character sprites are very simple, they are very vibrant and creative.
Sound: I think Paper Mario is one of the only games I have ever considered to have a good soundtrack. Not just good either, excellent, just excellent. Every level and area has its own wonderfully orchestrated music that kind of tingles in your heart. The music in this game can raise your heart rate while in Creepy Castle, or give you a calm feeling with just a hint of danger in Rogueport. I absolutely loved Paper Mario for this trait. I was really impressed. If you have a good sound system, by all means, blast those speakers!
Control: Hmmm…Don’t really know how to evaluate control in a Paper Mario game. I’ll try… I had some problems getting the airplane mode to do exactly what I wanted at first but plenty of practice helped. The controls are really responsive and always get you where you want to be quickly.
Challenge: I was really pleased with the challenge factor in Paper Mario. The game starts out really easy, you do some pretty easy missions, but the story is interesting enough to keep you hooked. After a couple Crystal Stars, the challenge starts to kick in. The thing that I was really happy with is the fact that each level eases you into the next difficulty. It takes some logic and brainwork to get around in the latter levels. You’ll need to solve a few puzzle-like missions and mysteries that may take a few seconds to actually understand. It’s one of the factors that kept me attached to this game. It doesn’t immediately throw you into a pool full of sharks, it teaches you how to think, and sends you into the woods prepared.
Fun: This could easily be among my favorite games that I’ve ever played. It’s attractive and thrilling storyline is a great one that is entertaining and immediately gets you hooked along with interesting and original gaming concepts that probably only Nintendo can offer. Humor is also often implemented into the game, and all of this comes together that has you feeling lighthearted and happy until the very end of the game.
Final Comments: Another must. I would definitely recommend this game above all others I’ve reviewed so far. It’s fun for all ages, it’s just simply a classic game that’s really fun and attractive. Get it, I can guarantee you that you will LOVE it.
Ratings: Graphics: A Sound: A+ Story: A+ Challenge: A Control: N/A? Fun: A+
Overall (Not an average): A+
Sonic Riders Review: By Powerfullove (Faze)
Sonic Riders was the first game out of two Sonic games that was based on the concept of airboarding. No doubt an attempt to compete with Nintendo’s popular Mario Kart series, such as other games like Kirby: Air Ride and Crash: Tag erm… Well, I seem to have forgotten the rest of the name so, let’s just get into the review.
Gameplay: This time around, Sonic and the gang (he, Tails, and Knux) are hanging around in Future City. Tails has a device in his hand that is tracking a Chaos Emerald. The signal gains interference. Suddenly, three mysterious shapes crash through panels of windows from a building, riding strange hover boards. Tails’ tracker finds an emerald, and he points toward the direction it is located. Our favorite hedgehog dashes off, towards the three figures. However, on the boards they zip past him. Knuckles throws a few punches at the biggest and he flies off of the board. Caught by his partner they dash away anyway. Sonic looks at the fallen board and makes a drastic decision. He takes the flying plank and gets the first taste of how this thing actually works. He flies past two of the dark figures and reaches what appears to be the leader. The two combat for a few seconds until Sonic pulls out in the lead. However, he is quickly shot down by his adversary performing a turbulent dive towards him. All three regain their boards as they run away, the leader mocking, “So, you’re the fastest thing alive?” Our blue hedgehog cockily responds, “Heh, new competition!” Basically, this sparks a search for Chaos Emeralds, and a spot in Dr. Eggman’s World Ex Grand Prix. You now own a hover board. Basically, you play it like a Mario Kart game, except for the fact that there are no items and the board accelerates by itself. You can dash at any moment you like, and while you do, you are in attack mode. Hit anyone while you are in this condition and you’ll knock out all their rings and steal a bit of their air. However there is a downside. Doing so wastes your air, which is kind of like “gasoline” in this game(Promoting good Earth-saving techniques are we?). You run out quickly, and when you do, you are forced to run on foot. Luckily, there is a way to replenish your firepower. Simply, charge before a jump (which are scattered all over each level) and jump. Use your Control Stick to do as many gnarly tricks as you can before landing back on the ground. Depending on the ranking of your air performance, you will receive an amount of air that reflects your ranking. A tip for jumping. There are often alternate paths that act as shortcuts. They, however, are going to be a bit harder to get to. Pulling back on the control stick gets you high in the air, and pushing forward gets you major distance. See which one gets you to each of these alternate paths and see what works for you. Now, let’s talk about rings. The maximum you can get on one stage is 100 rings. Build up your collection and head over to the shop to buy more Extreme Gear (fancy name for air board ). There’s bikes, scooters, skates, and more regular boards. However not each board works for just any character. For example, a pair of S Type boots may work for a Speed Type character, but not for a Fly Type character such as Tails. Some Gear will double the rings you receive, some will enhance your performance, some will give you new attack abilities, etc. That’s about it…
Graphics: Graphics aren’t that good in Sonic Riders. The colors often get muddy, and the motion blur in this game is really overdone. Textures on tracks look rushed and the outside details such as trees, bushes, look very blocky. The characters have pretty nice and fluid animation. Animation during the cut-scenes is pretty weird. Sometimes characters just put their arms up for no reason.
Sound: Hmmm. All this game has a few techno tracks. Every two levels have the same music track. Not a really good job here. Everything soundwise in this game is pretty drab and really rushed. Nothing will stay in your mind for very long.
Control: Overall each gear has pretty nice control. Jumps need a bit of work because you may twist this way, but the character goes that way. While you run, the controls pretty much go haywire. They are really sensitive, and if you over-steer, you’ll find your character taking steps backward. Also, it depends on what gear you are riding. For example, there’s a Cloud gear that has absolutely excellent stats. It’s fast as hell and does the quickest tricks you will ever see, but then it majorly over-steers. A minor tilt on the control stick could have you going in circles in the middle of the track.
Challenge: Honestly, Sonic Riders never gave me much of a challenge. I got through both story modes awfully quick, and the challenges took about three days. However, gaining all of the rings for all of the Extreme Gear took a few more days. You won’t get stuck much on a game like this.
Fun: Like most recent Sonic games, this one won’t be much fun. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the voice-acting issues in the Sonic world right now. No different in this game, it’s really bad, sometimes to the point of it being funny. Jet’s laughs are absolutely classic. Also, the storyline in this game is really cheesy. All of the character’s lines sound really stupid and don’t have much depth to them.
Final Comments: Not really a game I would recommend. I mean, I bought this because I still had some hope in Sonic games, but really, this thing dampened my hopes. Don’t get this unless you’re really looking for something to play. It’s better than some games, but definitely not as good as it could be. Save this for later on, when you really have nothing better to do.
Ratings: Graphics: B- Sound: C- Story: D+ Challenge: D Control: A- Fun: C
Overall (Not an average): C
Pac-Man World 3 Review: by Powerfullove/Faze
Straight from Namco and Blitz Games, Pac-Man World 3 is (obviously) the third part in a series of 3-D Pac-Man games and celebrates the great muncher’s 25th birthday. And honestly, this game isn’t half bad. Let’s begin.
Gameplay: This time around, we find our buddy Pac-Man celebrating his 25th birthday in Pac-Village when he’s suddenly teleported away just as he’s ready to blow out the candles. He lands in a sewer where he is communicated with by an old nemesis-turned-ally, Orson. However, the signal is bad so the line cuts off and you’re faced to brave the dangers of the pit yourself. Here you learn the basic controls and features of the game, such as Rev Rolls, Butt Bounces, and punches. You’ll also get a pretty good feel of how this game works. There’s quite a bit of trekking to do to complete puzzles, gain access to the next area, open the door, etc. Once you’re out of the pit. Orson will explain the situation a little more clearly. Basically, a guy named Erwin has begun siphoning energy out of the Spectral Realm (land of the ghosts, specters…) and the real world. By doing so, he is making both worlds very unstable, and if the problem isn’t taken care of soon, both worlds will “fall into each other” and the world will became dark, cold, and basically dead, with ghosts from the Spectral Realm wreaking havoc as well. So Orson pleas Pac-Man to help him restore balance to both worlds before it’s too late. Of course, our buddy Pac-Man takes on the quest eagerly. And so the game begins. This game works pretty much the same as the game before it. You’ll be placed at the beginning of a world, and you’ll have to trek, solve puzzles, find hidden items, combat enemies such as robots, monsters, and Spectrals, and eat Pellets and Fruit bonuses in order to increase your score, all while heading towards the end of a level. Grab a Galaxian and you’ll enter a classic Pac-Man styled maze where you’ll munch all the pellets without getting killed by the cool little ghosts. These stages all have different layouts and will really deliver that retro feel. You’ll also be taking control of a couple of unlikely characters in this game. Yep, Clyde and Pinky, Pac-Man’s arch-enemies, are, as Clyde once states, “on the same side of a Power Pellet” as Pac-Man. You’ll be using each one for different situations. For example, got a giant pillar to knock down? Charge Clyde up at a fountain and use his Sonic Boo to knock it down. Is there a huge pit of death separating you from the next area? Charge Pinky up at three fountains, and she’ll be able to solidify three platforms of spectral energy for Pac-Man to walk on. Pac-Man will also have a few new Power-Ups to help him along the way. One of them is Ribbon-Loop Pellet, which will allow you to literally run circles around your enemies and destroy them in a ranged explosion. The Super Stomp Pellet will increase the power and range of your Butt Bounce. The Electro-Shock Pellet will replace your punch with a mediocre shock that automatically homes into the enemies around you. Along with a few new Power-Ups come some new skills. Among them are the wall-jump, fence-climb, pole-swing, and punching. Not to mention controlling a giant punching, spinning, and smashing robot, Toc-Man.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are…meh. Not the best, not the worst. Pac-Man, Pinky, and Clyde are modeled well, but the rest of the characters look rushed. Especially the self proclaimed “Worst Nightmare.” That guy definitely needs some work. The game’s frame will slow down quite a bit when a lot of activity’s going on, such as the beginning of the Gogekka Towers’ first level. A few levels are a bit rough, but they are pretty large and scale over a massive world. You could start in one place and go through three other different places in the span of just one level. In fact, one level could probably take near 10 minutes to complete.
Sound: Some of music in this game is very well-made. It has kind of an “epic-adventure” feel to it, and it’s pretty good. However, some of the tracks could use a bit of work. One song I really liked was the one that plays during the classic stages. I swear, I have it on my iPod, and I listen to it all the time.
Control: The controls are pretty tight in this game, and sometimes, the work is done for you, which is nice, but it takes some of the entertainment out of the game. For example, when you flew off of a Bounce Pad in Pac-Man World 2, you had to control your flight to the next Pad. However in this game, the Pads already have a predetermined path for you. As for a more in-depth look at the controls, they’re easy to use, and it’ll be interesting to see how each move plays out in all of the environments. You won’t ever slip into an abyss, or run into an enemy due to a traction problem, since the controls respond pretty well.
Challenge: Oddly enough, this isn’t the easiest game you’ll ever play. It’s a game that’ll take a bit of getting used to, but it can be really fun once you do. Like I said, this game isn’t that easy. It’s a pretty challenging package for anyone. I handed the controller over to my cousin on the second level, and he was dying pretty often. It’s probably not what you’ll expect from a Pac-Man game, unless you’ve played any other of Pac-Man World series.
Fun: I honestly feel that Pac-Man World 3 is a pretty decent and well-built video-game. It has huge levels that will take much more than 5 minutes to complete, not the worst storyline you’ve ever seen, and a great Namco Museum full of extra features such as an exclusive interview with the creator of Pac-Man, a history of Pac-Man, collectible cards, and your very own copy of original arcade game.
Final Comments: This game isn’t a must-play experience, but it’s definitely worth looking into. Try it, and hey, you just might be interested.
Ratings:
Graphics: C- Sound: B+ Story: B- Challenge: A+ Control: A Fun: B+
Overall (not an average): B-
Bomberman Jetters Review by Powerfullove/Faze
Bomberman’s back with a new load of bombs in a full-fledged world. But will this game blow you into the sky with happiness?
Gameplay: Once you start the game, you’ll be faced with two modes, Normal and Battle. Let’s start with normal mode, which is like the story mode in Jetters. Basically, a gang known to you as the Hige Hige Bandits has plans to destroy Planet Bomber by colliding their artificial comet, the Dark Star into it. The Dark Star is powered by four main engines, which will render it inactive if they are destroyed, which becomes Bomberman’s main mission. Blow this thing up before it reaches Planet Bomber. Alright, main gameplay… As Bomberman, you’ll be traversing small 3-D worlds with bombs at your side. Attacking you will be Hige Hige Bandits, varying in type and strength. You have basic attacks, such as simply throwing your bomb in the desired direction, or a bit more varied attacks, such as kicking a bomb into a base to destroy it. You can also build up your bomb by holding A. A Built-Up bomb will cause a lot more damage than a normal bomb. And that’s basically all you can do. However, a few features will alter your gaming experience. This time around, Bomberman will be aided by all new “Charabombs” which are critters that can help you cross obstacles and basically make life easier. A quick example of a Charabomb is Sharkun, who can traverse water. Simply pick him in your Charabomb menu, and you’ll be set to travel the waters. You can level up your several Charabombs by collecting fruit while you’re holding one. On another note, you’ll also be interacting with all new Special Bombs. This is done by synthesizing items with your regular Fire Bomb. For example, combine a bomb with a water jug, and you’ll get an Aqua Bomb, which will send droplets of water in every direction once it explodes. Combine a light bulb with a bomb and you’ll receive the Thunder Bomb, which delivers a wide-range shock attack to all enemies that are near. Etc. You’ll also be able to collect a few items such as health vessels, and items that will increase your bombs explosion range, your speed, and how many bombs you can actually equip, which doesn’t apply to Special Bombs, which you can only equip one at a time. Also, you’ll be able to switch between Max as well. He’s got this super effective blast that takes a few seconds to charge, but it’s really effective for clearing the area of enemies. But otherwise he’s got the same abilities as Bomberman, but he can’t interact with Charabombs or use Special Bombs. That’s pretty much Normal Mode. Let’s move on to Battle. Battle works pretty much the same way as the classic Bomberman games with a few more modes of gameplay. I won’t bother explaining them all, because there are eight and have very unique instructions, and I’d probably end up with two pages just explaining the modes.
Graphics: I really don’t know. I think the simple graphics are meant to be like that, but they are still very edgy and have little to no detail on them. All character models themselves have almost no shading. I would almost classify this as a cell-shaded game, but I don’t quite know. The particle effects on charges and explosions are rather nice though. The worlds themselves are really drab. They’re not really that colorful and some of them have that weird maze feel to them. However, the frame rate is always maintained the same.
Sound: Again, drab. Tracks are really repetitive and can really, REALLY get on your nerves. The level music doesn’t really seem to match and you’d swear that the music to this level should’ve have gone to the other. Oh, and that “Hige” sound the Bandits can really tick the hell out of you. Honestly, mute the sound on your TV and just listen to an MP3 player or something, you’ll life will be much easier.
Control: Bad. Throwing your bombs in just the right direction can be quite a hassle, and sometimes you’ll die if you don’t pull off a throw just right. Kicking bombs can also get quite tedious, since the bombs usually fly in a predetermined direction, one that’s usually not the right one. Bomberman doesn’t run very fast and it’s usually not a problem, except that as your bomb’s explosion range grows, you’ll have to get away quickly if you don’t want to get hurt. Turning is also a hassle. You won’t be able to pull off those quick 90 degree turns in this game to avoid getting hit by something. The Charabombs movement can also get quite annoying at some points since they usually don’t go in the direction you want.
Challenge: Not a lot. At some points, you might get really stuck and realize the way out, which is right in front of you, yet so unobvious. The bosses may be a little tricky due to the control issues, but you’ll find a way to defeat them sooner or later. Otherwise, I’m sure you’ll fly through the game.
Fun: There’s very little to no fun you’ll find in this game, in fact, the only thing you’ll probably find is irritation. If this game sounds amusing, and seems like a fun play, forget it.
Final Comments: Maybe it’s the fact that they changed Bomberman’s head shape that completely screwed this up. I wouldn’t recommend this game unless you’re easily amused. It definitely doesn’t deserve the title of Bomberman, which is an otherwise fun series.
Ratings:
Graphics: C Sound: D- Story: D Challenge: C- Control: D- Fun: D
Overall (not an average): D
Super Mario Galaxy Review: by Powerfullove(Faze)
The supposed sequel to Super Mario 64, this game, Super Mario Galaxy, carries the legacy above and beyond to the next level. Bringing back some classic concepts and introducing a couple new ones, this truly is a fun game.
Gameplay: Super Mario Galaxy begins with… Do I even have to tell you? Yep, once again Mario’s lovely Princess Peach is once again kidnapped by Bowser. This time around, it’s during the Star Festival where, every year, small stars called “Star Bits” fall from the sky and are collected by the Toads of Mushroom Kingdom. Princess Peach sends Mario a letter, telling him to hurry over to her castle, as she has something for him. You take control of Mario for the first time here, and learn the basic controls. Once you reach the castle, the sky darkens, and a brigade of Bowser’s flying pirate ships attacks the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser literally cuts the castle out of the ground and hauls it away, hinting at a new grand scheme to rule the world. Unknown to him, Mario has somehow boarded to rapidly escaping castle, and has plans to quickly rescue Peach and bail out of there. His plans are interrupted, however, by a Kammy Koopa that blasts him with a bullet of energy, throwing him off the castle completely and into space. I’ll leave the rest for you to find out. Being SM64s successor, the game has a few similar concepts. Once you reach Rosalina’s observatory, you’ll need to walk into domes scattered throughout to begin your adventure. Inside each dome, you have access to 4-5 galaxies, but not all of them are opened for you at once. You will need to beat a few levels in each galaxy and earn Power Stars that will allow you to travel to further galaxies. There are full-level galaxies, and a few bonus galaxies. Bonus galaxies are beaten by collecting only one Power Star, and usually only test your abilities on rolling on a ball, surfing on a Manta Ray, and many more. The final galaxy unlocked in a dome is a Boss Battle where you’ll take on Bowser’s horde. Once you beat this galaxy, you will earn a Grand Star. Grand Stars are important because, like galaxies, all domes aren’t automatically unlocked for you. Once you earn a Grand Star, another dome will be opened with access to a whole new array of galaxies and the process continues. Also, while you’re in the level, make sure to collect the most Star Bits you can. At a few points in the story, hungry Lumas (newborn stars) will appear. Feed them the desired amount and they’ll transform into planets, items that will help you get to the next area, and even whole other galaxies. Also a new introduction to the game are Prankster Comets. Basically, when these orbit around a galaxy, they will have an effect on it. For example, a Daredevil Comet will force you to complete a level in the galaxy with only one health bar. A Cosmic Comet will pit you up in a race against another Mario to a certain point, similar to the races against Piantismo III in Super Mario Sunshine. Fast Foe Comets will speed up the enemies in the level, and trust me; it’s not as easy as it sounds! There are also a few new Power-Ups in the game as well. Among them are Bee Mario, Ice Mario, Spring Mario, and a few others.
Graphics: Wow, incredible. So far, I haven’t seen anything even closely compare to the job done here. Every galaxy in this game is completely different from the others. There are no two that are even slightly similar in concept. Every one of them has incredible world modeling and texture detail. The thing that impressed me most was world modeling. Every galaxy is really big and has most sections spread out all over the place. The fact that every planet, platform, piece of debris, etc. in this game maintains so much detail, even in the size of each world, is quite impressive, specifically for the Wii. And the thing that I love most is that graphical detail was implemented into every single part of the game. I was looking at the Start Screen a few days back. Basically, here you have to press A and B at the same time. So I pressed A, and the Galaxy logo began to glow a slight blue. I then pressed B alone and the logo glowed white. Once you press them at the same time, the game starts with the logo flashing white with a blue outer glow. Characters are beautifully modeled with lots of detail and light sourcing. Definitely a jump over the last Mario platformer. Honestly, these are the best graphics on Wii, hands down. You won’t find anything much better as of now.
Sound: Being an avid musician myself, I tend to pay very close attention to the music in a video game. I sometimes just let the character sit there and listen to the tune for a while. Let me tell you, Galaxy’s music is absolutely wonderful. Most of it is orchestrated, and each tune is wonderfully matched with its level. The combination is almost magical. I went from an adventurous ride in the wind, to joyride surf atop a manta ray, and the music makes all the events seem all the more fun. Like Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door, wonderful job here.
Control: I believe this is one of Super Mario Galaxy’s strongest qualities that make it a top notch game. It has very unique uses for the Remote. For example, at one point, you’ll be walking atop a glass ball in which the Star is located. You’ll have to point the Remote straight up to the roof as a stationary position, and to move, simply tilt the Remote in that direction. In another situation, you’ll be mounting a Manta Ray. Hold the Remote as if you’re holding a doorknob, press A to accelerate, and steer by turning in the corresponding direction. One of the things I really liked in this section is that both the Nunchuk and Remote are always being used. Neither is ever used more than the other (except for a few instances) and it creates a good balance between them. Only a few times will you put one down to use the other. But otherwise, you’ll be using them simultaneously to get through the galaxies.
Challenge: Galaxy won’t be that hard to any player familiar to the gameplay style. There are 60 stars you must collect to beat the game, but 120 to collect to complete the game. I completed both tasks in about 3 weeks and, I’ll just say, a nice surprise awaits you at the end. The game isn’t hard, but it will take a bit of skill to complete, and a whole lot of patience!
Fun: Super Mario Galaxy provides will provide you with lots of fun for quite a while. It’s a really interesting game with lots of cool features and levels that will keep you hooked. I would really recommend this game to absolutely anyone.
Final Comments: With all the great things said above, why wouldn’t you get it? Galaxy is out of this world, and you’ll truly enjoy yourself while travelling the skies with this one. A must-play title once again comes out of Nintendo’s hands.
Ratings:
Graphics: A+ Sound: A+ Story: A Challenge: A- Control: A+ Fun: A+
Overall (not an average): A+
Also, coming up are:
SNES: TMNT 4, SpiderMan: Maximum Carnage, Super Mario World
Wii: Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, and Need for Speed: Prostreet.
I also think it's safe to say that this is the longest post ever on NN.
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Post by Powerfullove on Sept 2, 2008 14:17:09 GMT -5
Excellent, as always, PFL. Thanks, I got some more. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Time REVIEW. By: Powefullove(Faze) Released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, TMNT 4 is probably among the best of the series. It’s not very long, but it does offer a nice challenge, a nice fighting system, and decent graphics for its time. Gameplay: There’s not much of a storyline this time around. Once you press start, the game goes into a cutscene where Krang is seen in one of his android suits stealing the Statue of Liberty from New York. Next, we see Shredder on the Turtles’ TV, laughing in an evil manner. Last, we see Leonardo demanding the statue back, and the game begins. You pick a character and get thrown in New York. The game is pretty basic. You’ll land in one area, defeat the enemies there, and keep trooping. There’s one button for attacks. Even though it’s only one, with a bit of button mashing, you can pull off some handy combos. There’s also a button for jumping, and if you combine it together with your attack button at certain points of the jump, you can pull off a few aerial attacks. Enemies will vary. Some will be unarmed, but some will have swords, nunchuks, and flame-throwers. Some will take a few hits to defeat, and others will be a bit sturdier. But you will get hit once in a while. Eat up a pizza to fully recover you’re health. There are also special pizzas lying around marked with a bomb. Chomp these up and you’ll turn into a spinning tornado that delivers a one-hit kill to anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact. This lasts about five seconds only, so use it wisely. At the end of each level you’ll encounter a boss fight, which requires a bit of skill in evasion and attack, but they’re pretty easy over all. Also, every few stages you’ll encounter a bonus stage, where you’ll be able to rack up some kills, get a few bonus pizzas, and go up against yet another boss. Graphics: Pretty impressive for the SNES. All the sprites are really clean, and animation is really fluid. The frame rate in this game never goes down, which is a big plus due to the amount of activity going on in one area. Also, if you go to the options menu, you can even choose the shading style of your Turtle. You can choose the Animation style, of the Cartoon style, which is a bit smoother. Sound: The music in TMNT 4 is really fun to listen to. Sound effects also sound really clean. All the punch and slash and pound effects really give this game a fighting feel. Control: The controls here are really tight and respond really well. You can make quick dodges put together great combos without any controller lag. Also, the speed of the game is really good. No enemies are ever faster than you, but they are quick enough to put up a good fight. Challenge: Easy Mode isn’t very difficult, but it will take up a few continues unless you’re something of a TMNT god. If so, then feel free to head over to the options menu and crank it up to hard, which is significantly more difficult. Enemies get more aggressive, and boss fights also rise in difficulty. Fun: All in all, this game is a pretty fun package. I love button-mashing games so that may be one of the reasons, but it’s a good game at that. Final Comments: TMNTs graphics, control, challenge, and gameplay style come together to create a well-rounded video game for the SNES. It will keep you hooked for a while, and, if you haven’t checked this game out yet, do so now. Ratings: Graphics: A Sound: B+ Story: B Challenge: B+ Control: A Fun: A- Overall(not an average): B+ Sonic Adventure 2: Battle REVIEW. By: Powerfullove(Faze) SA2:B is a port of the Dreamcast version of Sonic Adventure 2 on the Gamecube. It’s easily one of the best 3-D Sonic games released, packed with a variety of missions and the extremely popular Chao Garden. Gameplay: The story (in chronological order) is this. Basically, Eggman has discovered the “Ultimate Weapon” held by G.U.N. (military service). He plans to uncover this “weapon” and use it to bring the world to his knees. What he discovers is a black hedgehog, Shadow, who has the power of the Chaos Emeralds at his fingertips. Shadow grants Eggman one wish, but the Doctor is cut off as a Military Mech attacks them. This is where Shadow displays his true power. At this point, Eggman commands the new hedgehog to get him the Chaos Emeralds, as he plans to use them for destruction of Planet Earth. However, Sonic enters the mix when he is accused for robbing a bank. Confused, the hedgehog is forced to fight a similar Mech, and meets the mysterious Shadow who framed him. It is also where he sees what the new hedgehog can do. The black hedgehog disappears, however, as soon as the military arrives to take Sonic away, not aware that they have the wrong hedgehog. From there, the story unravels as you race through Story Mode. Let’s talk about gameplay. There’s a lot to cover. From the beginning you have 2 choices. You can either choose to follow the villainous Dark side, where you’ll follow the gameplay of Shadow, Eggman, and Rouge, or the rescuing Hero side, where you’ll utilize Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. There’s three basic gameplay styles. First we’ll talk about the Platform style. Sonic and Shadow are responsible here. This style is all about speed, and getting to the end of a level, kind of like Sonic’s stages in SADX. Collect a few rings here and there, do some grinding, and use the Homing Attack to combo up some points. There’s also a shooter style, which is played by Tails and Eggman. This style is a little different. Here, both characters are in Mechs of their own, equipped with guns and boosters on their feet to help you hover across pits of death. Your setup is like this: Use your laser to lock onto the enemies you need to, note that the more you do lock onto, the more points you receive. Let go of the laser and your cannons deal the destruction. Last is the treasure hunting mode which follows Knuckles and Rouge. Here, you’ll scavenge vast areas for shards of the Master Emerald, and a few other items that will get you to the next areas. There’s also a “Last” story mode, which is unlocked after you beat both the Hero and Dark stories. This mode finishes the story off. Eggman’s ancestor, Gerald Robotnik, has planned to punish the world for killing his daughter and terminating a project on the Space Colony ARK that he had been working on. So, by blowing off half of the Colony, he reveals the Eclipse Cannon, a weapon capable of blowing planets into bits. It is currently at full power, and will be fired just before his execution. The entire team goes up there to fix things, while you control Sonic through the last chamber to cut off the power, and maneuver Shadow to fight off the “Ultimate Life Form,” the Biohazard. Then deliver the finishing blow as Super Sonic and Super Shadow. In the end, Shadow is seemingly lost… Let’s continue. If you’re in a level, and you collect a Chao Key, you’ll be immediately transported to the Chao Garden. The Chao Garden is a place where you can raise small child-like creatures called Chao. In the level, you can also collect crystals and animals to raise your Chao’s stats. The Chao World is really vast. You can compete in races, have your Chao beat up others in a kung-fu style match, take it to the doctor, take it to school, and buy it items such as toys, hats, and TVs with rings that you collect within a level. 2-Player is also pretty fun here. You can choose your game style, choose characters, choose the stage, and battle it out with friends. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle delivers lots of content. Graphics: Unfortunately, SA2: B does not sport the best graphics out there for the Gamecube. The cutscenes are very rough, and level building and textures don’t look like they’ve been worked on very much. Character models are alright, and the Chao Garden does look a little cleaner, but I believe this section could have been worked on a little more. Sound: SA2:B has a bit of a rock music type feel to it. With tracks from Crush 40, and guitar work from Jun Senoue, the message is delivered clearly. The music seems to match perfectly with the level style and each character’s gameplay has a distinct sound to it. For example, Knuckles’ levels feature some nice rap tracks, while Sonic’s levels deliver really upbeat rock, while Rouge’s levels sport smooth jazz music. It creates a nice atmosphere while you play through this game. Lip-syncing, however, did not make my day. There’s a scene where Tails’ lips start moving one entire second before the voice actually kicks in. This happens often, it’s ridiculous. Control: Each gameplay style has unique controls, but they’ll be easy to learn. Especially with a small bar at the top showing you the action that corresponds with a button. Challenge: The challenge factor in SA2:B is definitely a plus in this game. After story mode, you are able to play the levels you have played in adventure mode, which allows you to choose any level and play it. In addition to this, each level has five goals that you have to achieve, such as a finding a hidden Chao in the level, beating the level in a harder setting, all while getting a ranking based on your performance, “A” being best, “E” the worst. Mind you, there are rewards to this system. For example, if you manage to get all “A” ranks on all missions on all of Sonic’s levels, you unlock a spiffy costume for him that you can use when you play in two-player action. This reward applies to all characters. Also, as you achieve high rankings, you can unlock items that you can purchase for your Chao. Fun: This is probably one of the only Sonic games that were executed really well in 3-D. It’s a fast paced adventure with a good storyline, an interactive Chao Garden, and many unlockables that will have you playing for quite a while. Final Comments: This is probably one of my favorite games of all time, simply because it really focuses on the speed a 3-D Sonic game should have. There’s level variety all over the place, and extra missions to complete will keep you busy. The Chao Garden by itself is a pretty cool feature that really depends on your actions. I would recommend this game to anyone, Sonic fan or not. Ratings: Graphics: C- Sound: A Story: A Challenge: A+ Control: A+ Fun: A+ Overall (Not an Average): A- Hope I'm not overloading you or anything.
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