This where I will chronicle my opinions on games (rented or bought), and general hi-jinks that ensue in my quest to find an MMO that doesn't make me want to tear my hair out.
XBL / PSN / Steam: Dotsusama
I had played a demo for this game some time ago, and enjoyed the short-lived glimpse into the world of Shadow Complex well enough, that I was quite pleased to discover it as XBLA’s Deal of the Week.
Even though I finished the main campaign at a bit over 8 hours - and that is getting 100% item collection and map completion - which I would call short, I have to commend the game on a lot of things. In no particular order:
Intense platforming action. Sprinting, wall-jumping, shooting, hanging from grappling hooks, shooting while wall-jumping, only to hang from a wall via a hook and then shoot some more? Yeah, this game has a lot of that. The comparison Super Metroid I could make is not too far-fetched, considering they even threw in a somewhat obvious homage to the game, the Speed Dash. Nothing against Samus, though, but they had to one-up that classic maneuver.
The game is pretty. It reminds me a little of an old 2D platforming game called Hunter Hunted, which looked better at the time it was released (1996). Shadow Complex is unlike other games, which may use a lot of 2D backgrounds with 3D models popping out, in that everything is in 3D. I would almost say that the game could be played in more free-roaming style, rather than be a side-scrolling platformer, but that would likely cause more headaches than it would be worth, not to mention the cost. This is an XBLA game, after all.
I have never been a huge fan of the pause-and-command games of the tactical, top-down, RPG variety: Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, etc. I know this seems strange, since I absolutely adore a well-made turn-based, top-down strategy RPG (Final Fantasy Tactics being my gold standard), and I do love games that let me pause to issue menu and battle commands while stopped.
For whatever reason, those two interests never quite intersected for me. That is, until I started playing Dragon Age: Origins.
In the interest of keeping this review on-target, I will be ranting about Bioware, and talking about the episodic 2D Flash-based game, Dragon Age: Journeys, in their respective posts.
This review will be quite easy, as there isn’t too much I am ambivalent about regarding this installment of the Chronicles of Riddick series of games. I have never watched Pitch Black, nor have I played the previous games. The remake of Escape from Butcher Bay (on the same disk) is actually quite tempting, if only to see how the flaws in the third game compare, but I will likely abstain.
I like how this game has a filter for the gore, but not for the language. This is not even the best example of the writing; just the most shocking. (Warning: totally NSFA - not safe for anywhere)
For Indexes, I will use them to catalog the various games of a kind that I play, or have played in the past, to give people an idea of what my experiences are. If I remember, or have a current account, I will try to include my character(s) name(s) as appropriate.
This index is for the various free-to-play (F2P) games I have tried. Some lasted, while others did not, and I will eventually get around to talking a little bit about them all.
And that’s currently all I can think of. There have been a few that I may have created an account for and played for all of an hour or so before logging out in disgust for one reason or another, but I won’t waste space on this list. There will be other lists for consoles, PC titles, retail (subscription) MMOs, etc.
Something that bugs me often about various games is how my character or party moves around. This isn’t, strictly speaking, about travel over long distances - though I will get to that - but more about navigating towns and dungeons.
This is the name I will use when I want to get down to brass tacks regarding a game that I plan on finishing, but am not far enough in to warrant a full review. For this example, I have chosen The Last Remnant, which is something a little difficult to be critical about because I am presently not very far in, though I have put in over a dozen hours already.
I should say that, for the record, I chose to wait for the PC version to come to Steam because I had heard of some of the terrible framerate issues plaguing the 360 version. For this reason, I will also try to record some of the scenes that I am talking about, so that it gives a clearer picture of the game.
Breath of Fire is a bit of a cult hit RPG series in the US, as far as the extent that I know. Some may not know it, but if they do, they usually appreciate one of the games from the series in some form or another.
One complaint I hear from my friends is that the protagonist, Ryu, in III and IV does not actually speak at any point. This, in itself, may not be that odd because there are quite a few games wherein we play in the first or third perspective, and the character we are in control of never utters a word, even in today’s ever-growing world of voice-scripted games.
One of the last few Playstation 2 games I have played in recent years, I was actually very excited to get it via Gamefly. The trailer and previews looked interesting, the combat system seemed like it was fun and it had decent voice acting (from what I saw).
Then I received it, and I want at least 10 hours of my life back. Here is why:
A lot of websites have their own mechanics for reviewing products. One common scheme is rating a game either on a numeric scale (1 to 5, or 1 to 10) with the higher score being better, and other may employ the classic “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” approach.
Me? I like to make my reviews a little more practical. I will sometimes use hyperbole to indicate that something was “200% more fun once patched” or “about 10% of the game I liked; the rest was trash” but that is more for dramatic effect than anything. I like to keep things complicated. I like to talk about flaws.
