The Redcafe Video Game Review Thread

[Wonder Pigeon]

Watch Weaste become this thread's version of Spoony in the film thread. Anyway, feel free to review the newest video game releases, or, as I am about to do, games from the past. Hopefully the mods will make this a sticky?

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Premise: Skirt wearing elf boy Link repeats the same three days over and over Groundhog Day style, except rather than the having to suffer the horror of getting Andie MacDowell to fall in love with him, Link just has to stop a the moon from crashing into the earth, killing everyone. He uses a variety of masks with special powers to do this, and has to solve the problems of the people living in the town where the game takes place.

Rating: 10/10 probably my favourite game of all time, the time travel gamplay works really well, the side quests which make up the game are varied and engrossing, and the game has a great, very dark atmosphere.

 

[Leg-End]

The Godfather 2 (PS3)

Premise: Follows the story arc of the original film and allows the player to step into the shoes of a fledgling villan that will eventually rise to become the a Don.

Rating: 6.5/10 not a next gen console game, in fact it plays almost exactly the same as the original Godfather game and has no real improvements in terms of graphics. The actual gameplay itself apart from the terrible car handling is not too bad, enjoyable atleast. The missions basically involve more or less the same thing eveytime albeit at different locations and against people with different faces but sometimes not voices. Dissapointing cash in by EA but we almost come to expect that these days. Worth a rental, but I wouldn't buy it unless your desperate for the 1000 Gamerscore or Platinum trophy which are very easy to achieve.

 

[R.N7]

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Premise: Skirt wearing elf boy Link repeats the same three days over and over Groundhog Day style, except rather than the having to suffer the horror of getting Andie MacDowell to fall in love with him, Link just has to stop a the moon from crashing into the earth, killing everyone. He uses a variety of masks with special powers to do this, and has to solve the problems of the people living in the town where the game takes place.

Rating: 10/10 probably my favourite game of all time, the time travel gamplay works really well, the side quests which make up the game are varied and engrossing, and the game has a great, very dark atmosphere.

It's probably my favourite game ever as well, can't decide between it and Ocarina of Time.

The dark, sad and surreal tone of the game is brilliant. The music helps a lot to create that gloomy atmosphere. Song of Healing is definitely one of the best video game songs of all time.

That Music Box House in Ikana Canyon is probably one of the most creepiest things i've ever encountred in a video game.

10/10

 

[Wonder Pigeon]

It's probably my favourite game ever as well, can't decide between it and Ocarina of Time.

The dark, sad and surreal tone of the game is brilliant. The music helps a lot to create that gloomy atmosphere. Song of Healing is one of the best video game songs of all time.

That Music Box House in Ikana Canyon is probably one of the most creepiest things i've ever encountred in a video game.

10/10

You really felt a connection to the characters, used to break my heart if I messed up on the Kafei/Anju quest. Did you, at the end of the game, endeavour to everything done on your last three day cycle? I could never manage it but I always tried.

 

[Solius]

Resident Evil 5

Premise: Carries on the story of the previous Resident Evil games with main Character Chris in Africa alongside new partner Sheva fighting virus infected zombie types.

Rating: 8.7/10 - While a very good action game, it loses marks purely on it not being that scary at all. The RE series has been built on scaring the player, with some great moments in previous games. However the switch to next gen seems to have focused more on the action this time round. Without zombies you probably wouldn't even know it was Resident Evil. Despite this it's still a solid game. The controls take a bit of getting used to and Chris has a bizarre lack of the ability to walk and aim at the same time, but it is good fun.

Co-op offline and online story mode make it fun for you and your mate, or online if you have no real friends. The collectables and upgrading of weapons give it longevity, as well as the downloadable Online Versus mode where everyone is stupidly good and just picks Wesker. I had to replay through the story mode the other day after losing my data and it wasn't a chore. I still enjoyed it on my second play-through

Overall, top game.

 

[R.N7]

You really felt a connection to the characters, used to break my heart if I messed up on the Kafei/Anju quest. Did you, at the end of the game, endeavour to everything done on your last three day cycle? I could never manage it but I always tried.

Everytime I warped back in time to save my game I thought really bad for all the people who were awaiting their demises. It was also sad that no one remembered me and knew just what i've done for them (Anju/Kafei).

The connection you had with the other characters was something I thought the newest Zelda game was desperately lacking.

 

[SharkyMcShark]

Left 4 Dead

Survival Co Op fun, or hilarious griefing engine? Perhaps both...

Essentially you are on a team of four survivors (except in Vs mode wher eyou take turns playing as the zombie team) and you have to make it from point A to point B on the map. In your way are ZOMBIES EVERYWHERE. Allegedly there is what's called an 'AI director' that makes each play through different but all it really amounts to is weapons and equipment in different places, and random zombie placement, which you won't have time to appreciate if you're blasting the hell out of a crowd of 30 of the bastards.

Initially it seems like a good blast, and in fairness it is for the first little while. The game ages badly though - once you see through the zombies EVERYWHERE the maps are generally small, ugly (especially blood harvest), linear, and poorly realised. There are only so many times you can take on a tank throwing cars at you before you get bored. Then the griefing options come into play...
Grab a friend, join two more people. With practise you can rush ahead and survive to get to the saferoom and use all the medbags. Rage ensues, and it is awesome.

Anyway, short lived clean fun, seemingly endless rage possibilities.

7/10 (which isn't really fair seeing as I have about 400 hours of this played on xfire or something obscene like that).

 

[Solius]

LittleBigPlanet

Premise: You play as fully customizable sackboy in a world full of imagination. Platforming game where you can literally create almost anything.

Rating: 9/10 - Superb game. It's very hard to get bored of it if you have a vivid imagination, the possibilities are endless and it's even better fun with mates or online with others. I've had fun creating my own levels with my own story-lines, enemies, etc... and playing crazy Japanese peoples levels which are fecking brilliant. Also I owned Elvis at it.

 

[Solius]

Fahrenheit

Premise: You are Lucas Kane, normal guy who wakes up out of a trance having just brutally killed a man in a Diner bathroom. You have to make decisions to get through the game which affect parts of the story.

Rating: 9/10 A very underrated game in my opinion. When you wake up in the bathroom you can do what you like, but there is a policeman drinking coffee who's going to need the toilet very soon. You can mop up the blood and hide the body in the stall, or you can run the feck out of there. It's all about how you would react to that situation. The game uses the right analogue stick in a very unique way, you have to flick in the direction of the thing you want to do. There are different dialogue choices and gaming choices. It's up to you what you do, but the story is good and the game as a whole is very engrossing.

I only picked it up for £15 quid one day after just reading the blurb and after I finished it I thought it was brilliant and really original.

 

[Wonder Pigeon]

Buck Bumble

Premise: Buck Bumble is a cyborg bee, who fights against an evil oppresive regime of other bugs. They've all been affected by radiation or something. He has rockets. He's a bee.

Rating: 5/10 I bought this game because I was about 8 and it had a cyborg bee in it. The graphics looked like someone had thrown green and brown paint at the television screen, whether Buck was in the air or on the ground he handled like a drunk blind person who had been shot in the leg, and if you touched any water whatsoever Buck would flail about like an idiot and die. It also had a terrible theme tune that would get stuck in your head AND NEVER EVER LEAVE.

 

[Boothy]

The Godfather 2 (PS3)

Premise: Follows the story arc of the original film and allows the player to step into the shoes of a fledgling villan that will eventually rise to become the a Don.

Rating: 6.5/10 not a next gen console game, in fact it plays almost exactly the same as the original Godfather game and has no real improvements in terms of graphics. The actual gameplay itself apart from the terrible car handling is not too bad, enjoyable atleast. The missions basically involve more or less the same thing eveytime albeit at different locations and against people with different faces but sometimes not voices. Dissapointing cash in by EA but we almost come to expect that these days. Worth a rental, but I wouldn't buy it unless your desperate for the 1000 Gamerscore or Platinum trophy which are very easy to achieve.

I really enjoy this game, I can see what you mean about the missions, but still a game I recommend to buy - 8/10 for me

 

[Count Duckula]

Mass Effect

Premise: You play Commander Shepard, one of humanity's greatest soldiers, in a race against time to save the universe. The Systems Alliance - humanity's face on the interstellar stage - is a newcomer, and you become their best hope of acceptance as the alien Council, based on the huge, ancient spacestation known as the "Citadel", welcomes you on board as one of their own elite operatives. Soon enough things take a turn for the worse, and you are tasked by the Council to take down a rogue agent, unravelling as you do so an ancient mystery that threatens all life in the universe.

Rating: 10/10 - My favourite RPG of all time, and easily the best game I've played in the last five years or so. It's very dialogue heavy, but I personally find that a good thing. The character development is exceptionally good, and I found myself caring for each and every one of them. The setting is beautifully realised, the score and the environment are wonderfully composed, and the plot races along at a fantastic pace. If you can stomach a lot of talking, you'll love it.

 

[mexos]

Elasto Mania 10/10

Love it.

 

[esmufc07]

FINAL FANTASY VII​

Premise - You take the role of ex-SOLDIER member Cloud Strife, who has just joined a group called AVALANCHE, a resistance group fighting against the Shinra Corporation. The Shinra kidnap the last known 'Cetra' in Aeris Gainsborough whom they hope can lead them to the 'Promised Land', a land that promises to have vast amounts of Mako energy - and thus one of the most epic tales in video game history begins.

Rating - 10/10. If I could go higher than a 10, I would. Put simply, this is the best game I have ever had the pleasure of playing, and which I never tire of going through over and over again. Total play time myst exceed that of 600 hours and that is testament to how strong and great the game is.

Firstly, the characters. The likes of Cloud, Barret, Cid, Tifa, Aeris to name but a few of the characters are all phenomenal characters who's stories are excellently told. You gain a connection with each of the characters. Their stories, why they are here, why they are fighting against the Shinra and why they are prepared to die to do so. Each character has their own tragedies and difficulties to deal with and this only adds to the emotion of the story that is being told, and each of their stories is told brilliantly.

Then there is the story itself. Whilst difficult to follow at times due to poor translation, and being very complicated, it is one which grips you from the start right until the very end (If there can be an 'end' to the story in this game, which I don't actually think there is. There are many questions left unanswered, which adds to the greatness of the game).

Thirdly what I found great about this game was levelling up. I never saw it as a chore and it was bags of fun. The materia system was great and is for me the best they have done in any FF. It was so vast, so many different kinds, fighting hundreds of enemies to upgrade it to the next level. There were so many combinations aswell. Quadra magic with Ultima. Phoenix and Final Attack, there were hundreds of different ways to customise your characters which guaranteed you hours of endless fun.

And to make the game fun a key element would be the enemies on offer - and Final Fantasy VII delivered so many great enemies and boss battles it is untrue. The music coupled with this made battles the most pleasurable experience in any FF to date. Boss battle music was so good in fact, that I would often delay beating the boss just so I could carry on listening to the music! It really was great. Who can forget that epic boss battle in Cosmo Canyon? Or the battle versus the Scorpion in Mt. Nibel, or, if you were brave enough, the epic fights against the Emerald and Ruby Weapons? They were all brilliantly executed boss fights, and great fun. And with the latter two, great pride was taken in beating them. (And even more could be taken if you managed to beat them without KOTR - which I have)

Then there is the antagonist. Sephiroth. The antagonist of all antagonists. A complicated, yet brilliant character who made FF7 what it was. His character is too deep to really divulge into in a review but he really was awesome, the best villain in a game ever.

I've rambled on quite a bit now yet there is still so much I could talk about. Limit Breaks, side-quests, secret characters, the amazing cut-scenes, the world itself. Which shows just how vast this game is, so vast that you could easily spend upwards of 100+ hours on it during a play-through, if not more.

Quite simply, the best game ever.

And, if we're really, really lucky, we may one day see it arrive on the PlayStation 3.

 

[esmufc07]

Good thread WP, I've god a shitload of games I'll review.

 

[Solius]

Good thread WP, I've god a shitload of games I'll review.

I'm also going to go through my collection.

 

[Solius]

I only played half of FF7, didn't see the big deal, though I may replay it one day.

 

[esmufc07]

My respect for you just halved.

Well actually, no it didn't, because you can't halve nothing but you get what I mean.

 

[Solius]

Final Fantasy X

Premise: An RPG, where you play as Tidus, a local Blitzball player who gets dragged into a battle to save Spira from a destructive creature known as Sin.

Rating: 9.7/10 - This game is fantastic. I don't give out 10's for anything unless it completely blows me away. While this hasn't actually got a 10 like that sentence would suggest, it is bloody close, and deservedly so. The gameplay is superb, the environments are stunning and the graphics (especially for cutscenes) are breathtaking considering the console it is on. The characters are all extremely well developed and likable, especially Tidus himself and Auron who is pretty fecking badass.

I had so much fun playing this game, I remember it took my something like 60 hours to complete because I didn't rush through the story for the sheer fact that I loved playing it and didn't want it to end. One of the best games I've ever played, would recommend it to anyone, even if you don't like Final Fantasy. Just a brilliant game.

feck it, I'm going to go play it.

 

[mexos]

I'm guessing every Zelda and Final Fantasy game will get reviewed

 

[anything about now]

The Last Remnant (PC)

Rating 8/10 - This is originally for the XBox 360, but i'm too cheap to buy a console since PSX so i waited for the PC port. It is a very good port, very little problems and uses the Unreal 3 engine so optimization is well done.

I'm currently busy with this game, and while far from a perfect game, it is enjoyable for those who like squad battles and without the need to micromanage every single unit. Your party is divided into groups, or 'unions'. You assign a leader to each union, and in battle you fight against multiple enemy unions. Every turn you get to pick an option for each union, such as regular attacks, combat arts, mystic arts, etc. There is a tactical side to it in that if two unions gang up on one target, the second union engages in a Flank attack and deals more damage, etc. Outside of the combat, there is not too much exploration compared to your mainstream RPGs, so it's a bit like Final Fantasy Tactics (which i absolutely adored), but you can still explore towns and dungeons. The story seems huuuge, i've played for a few days and I think i've only skimmed the top. The graphics are pretty good, the music is great, and the story and characters seem solid. Definitely worth a rental at least.

 

[Christofaux]

Fifa 09

Premise: Play Football, includes a new Be a Pro Season Mode, updated graphics and animations, for extra cost includes the Ultimate Team trading card styled game

Rating: 8/10

The gameplay is better then ever. Its manager mode and be a pro mode that really let this game down. In Manager mode you feel like your the only one doing anything in terms of team selection and rtansfer market, players seemingly randomly get transfer listed usually a year before their contract ends. No other teams really bid for players other then yours. Big teams come in for crap players. You need to start from a low league to have any sense of acheivment in this game. Be a Pro is only 4 seasons long and is supposed to represent just after the previous world cup you are uspposed to become the captain and lead your team to world cup glory. You can only transfer at the end of seasons, other teams don't transfer around you. They really need to extend this to a career mode similar to the Madden franchise. I guess manager mode could be good like the Madden franchise as well.
Trick stick is fun and usefull. Still too much emphasis on having quick players as opposed to skillfull players.

 

[Xander45]

Fallout 3

Premise - You are the Vault Dweller, born and raised in vault 101 whilst the outside world is a wastleland ravaged by nuclear war. When a series of events leads to you leaving the vault, you must face the destroyed city of Washington and all the horrors it contains.

Rating - 9/10- What a game, everything about this game i enjoyed. Be it stealing all the goods from a store, killing a giant mutant in the Whitehouse, or just walking through the ruins of Washington DC. The customisation of your character as very easy to grasp and the fighting system brought an element of strategy to the gameplay. From choosing whether to be good or evil you can shape the future of entire towns and in turn the entire wasteland (dethroning Dave was an amusing sidenote). Listening to the radio (and the haunting "I don't want to set the world on fire") whilst walking through the wastes was an experience in of itself, although 3 Dog can get a bit annoying with his holla. I could go on for a long time about this game but i don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't played it yet.

A wonderful game that i've played through twice already to see what effect my actions have, and would play again. Truly an epic game in both story and scope and one of the best RPG's that the next generation of consoles has to offer. You would be mad to miss out on this experience.

 

[Xander45]

Overlord

Premise - You are the Overlord, a tyrannical leader of sorts that was buried underground and revived by Gnarl and his horde of minions. After waking you see your tower is in disarray and in need of dire repair, and the world is full of "heroes" who need to be got rid of. So get your minions together and get ready to take... well whatever you want.

Rating 7/10 - A good bit of fun this game and pretty simple to get to grips with. Once you get control of your minions and start killing sheep and halflings you realise that this might be a little kiddy. You get to control 4 types of minions after retrieving their hives, Greens can walk through and destroy poisonous plants, Reds can tame fire, Blues can walk through water and Browns are just your loyal soldiers.
You do have a choice between being good or evil. Although most of the choices you make, make very little difference to the overall scope of things. The only one i can think of that affects the game is when you choose your mistress. You can choose to either be a villages saviour and worshipped as such, or it's tyrannical ruler and be feared. And as is the case in most games of this ilk, it's much more beneficial to be evil.
The only real bit of customisation comes when you forge your weapons and pimp your tower. Upgrading your weapons relies on you sacrificing your little buggers into a smelting pot to give you more bang for your buck.

This game is fun, and cheap now, and i would say to people to give it a go because it is quite good fun and the humour does make me chuckle. And if anyone has played Pikmin on the Gamecube, they'll pick this up very quickly.

 

[Xander45]

Braid

Premise - You are Tim, a man on a quest to find the princess. Heard it before? Think again, Tim has the power to manipulate time (or time has the power to manipulate him?) you must battle through the worlds to find your love and reveal the truth about yourself.

Rating 9.5/10 - I also don't like giving out 10's, for me a ten would have to be perfect and there is no perfect game, yet. But this is damn close to as perfect a platformer as you can get. As said before you can control time, from simply pressing a button to reverse it to a more complicated reversing time and having a shadow copy what you just did. A lot of this game is obviously taken from other classic platformers ie Mario, such as jump on the head of a baddie to kill it. But it's not the platformer aspect that makes this game so great, it's all about the art and storytelling.

You know very little of Tim and his princess, and you have to learn through reading little books before each level to try and piece together what's going on. You learn that he is searching for his princess and leaves behind his lover to find her. I won't go any further into it than that because it gets very deep and very complicated. The final quote at the end of the game after the shock ending leads you down a path to one possible outcome. But i won't reveal it, but it seems to be confirmed because if you collect all the stars then do a specific action in the end level something happens that all but nails on that story.

Its a game that kept me thinking, which is rare for a platformer, and the artwork and music is stunning. A great game and one which everyone should at least try.

 

[VivaRonaldo7]

Has anyone played John Woo Presents: Stranglehold?

Looking to get it as it's around £5-£10.

 

[Cina]

Chrono Trigger

Premise: Chrono Trigger takes place in an original world similar to earth, with eras such as the prehistoric age, where early humans and dinosaurs share the earth; the Middle Ages, replete with knights and magic; and the post-apocalyptic future, where humans and sentient robots struggle to survive. The characters frequently travel through time to obtain allies, gather equipment, and learn information to help them in their quest. The party also gains access to the End of Time (represented as year ∞), which serves as a hub to travel back to other time periods. The party eventually acquires a time-machine vehicle known as the Wings of Time, nicknamed the Epoch. The vehicle is capable of time travel between any time period without first having to travel to the End of Time.

Rating 10/10 One of only 2 games ever made (the second of which will probably get a review at some later point) that I'd give a 10 to. It's quite simply a remarkable game, the perfect RPG. In my opinion it has the finest battle system of any RPG ever created, it's active time battle is so fun, customizable and challenging.

The plot is awesome too, there are a hell of a lot of playable characters in the game, something that I generally don't like in RPGs, but it works really well in this. Depending on how you go about the game, certain characters will join you, and certain characters won't. You can literally replay this game 9 or 10 times and the story will play out differently every single time.

The best game I've ever played (err ... along with the other one).

 

[Xander45]

Has anyone played John Woo Presents: Stranglehold?

Looking to get it as it's around £5-£10.

Yeah mate it's pretty good. Graphics are nothing to shout about but it's good fun while it lasts.

 

[Scholesgoals]

Chrono Trigger

Premise: Chrono Trigger takes place in an original world similar to earth, with eras such as the prehistoric age, where early humans and dinosaurs share the earth; the Middle Ages, replete with knights and magic; and the post-apocalyptic future, where humans and sentient robots struggle to survive. The characters frequently travel through time to obtain allies, gather equipment, and learn information to help them in their quest. The party also gains access to the End of Time (represented as year ∞), which serves as a hub to travel back to other time periods. The party eventually acquires a time-machine vehicle known as the Wings of Time, nicknamed the Epoch. The vehicle is capable of time travel between any time period without first having to travel to the End of Time.

Rating 10/10 One of only 2 games ever made (the second of which will probably get a review at some later point) that I'd give a 10 to. It's quite simply a remarkable game, the perfect RPG. In my opinion it has the finest battle system of any RPG ever created, it's active time battle is so fun, customizable and challenging.

The plot is awesome too, there are a hell of a lot of playable characters in the game, something that I generally don't like in RPGs, but it works really well in this. Depending on how you go about the game, certain characters will join you, and certain characters won't. You can literally replay this game 9 or 10 times and the story will play out differently every single time.

The best game I've ever played (err ... along with the other one).

The other one is secret of mana right?

 

[Solius]

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Premise: You play as 3 different soldiers during a war, taking down terrorists and the like.

Rating: 9.5/10 - By far the best Call Of Duty game ever. The story mode is brilliant, the online is probably the most in-depth and well made I've ever played. I spent so much time on the online and people still do even though theres been a new COD out. One of the best games of it's time, will be looked back on as a classic.

 

[Xander45]

The other one is secret of mana right?

No i believe it's Final Fantasy VI following his profession of love in the top 5 games thread.

 

[Cina]

No i believe it's Final Fantasy VI following his profession of love in the top 5 games thread.

Yum.

 

[Xander45]

lol It's quite funny though, you say you don't like games with a lot of characters but your two favourite games have both got a ridiculous amount of characters! Not that i'm complaining about either game, i love em both as well. Cracking games, Squaresoft>>>>>Square-Enix. At least so far.

 

[Freak]

Grand Theft Auto 4

Premise: GTA 4 is the famous sandbox style game where you are free to roam the city and do as you like; completing missions at your own free will. You play as Niko Bellic, a russion immigrant who travels to the Liberty City(the land of opportunities as they call it) in the hope of making it big. On arriving in Liberty City, Niko realises that all is not what it seems and soon gets embroiled in a world of crime and revenge to make money as well as find the person who betrayed Niko's team in the bosnian war.

Rating: 9/10

I found this game to be absolute top class. Firstly, the storyline is amazing; I was intrigued by it and could not stop doing the missions just so I could go deeper into it. The gameplay is rich and brilliant. While I was not so fond of the driving mechanics, going around shooting people and committing crimes was fun and engaging. In fact, I enjoyed the vigilante missions where you helped the police do a series of missions to catch criminals. Liberty City literally breathes; the people interact among themselves and with you as you explore the city, the weather and even the time of the day changes well. The graphical aspect of this game takes some getting used to. It might seem dreamy at first, but once you get used to it it's actually very very good. Overall, I found this GTA edition to be one of the best in the series, if not THE best. I've put countless number of hours into this game having fun, so much so that I've recently started to replay it again. Definitely a must have game.

 

[Freak]

Street Fighter IV

Premise: Street Fighter IV is a basic beat em' up(or fighting) game. There are different modes of gameplay ranging from a story mode where you choose a character and go through a fighting tournament to reveal animations relating to that character. Alternatively, players may choose to play a series of challenges ranging from time related challenges or health related challenges.

Rating: 9/10:

This was definitely one nostalgic game. Players who are familiar and have played Street Fighter games from previous generations would absolutely love this gem of a game. Offered to you are familiar characters such as Ryu, Ken, Blanka, Chun Li, Zangief etc. However, in addition to those characters are some new ones like Seth, the new boss in this game. Storymode is fairly basic, but yet fun. I love the animations when you do a super or ultra move. However, perhaps the most annoying thing about this game is the boss, Seth. You simply cannot beat him in less than 5 attempts(unless you play on the easiest mode). Graphically, this game is fantastic. Technically, it's not really full 3D, but it was made such that it definitely looks 3D. Overall, if you're a fan of the fighting genre this is definitely one game that should be in your collection.

 

[Freak]

Need For Speed Undercover

Premise: Need For Speed Undercover is the latest racing game in the Need For Speed series that have produced so many memorable and fun games. You play as an undercover cop looking to take down a racing syndicate. You join this racing syndicate, doing races and trying to win to gain their respect, while uncovering key information for the team to take down these racing 'gangs'. Look out for twists in the storyline.

Rating: 7/10

While the games in this series have not been up to standard since Most Wanted, Undercover proves to be a fun game. However, it does have its problems that unfortunately undermines the game as a whole. The storyline is good, but the cutscenes are somewhat exaggerated. Maggie Que is pure eye candy though. Gameplay is fun, until you realise that you're basically doing the same type of races over and over. However, highway races don't run out of the fun factor. Some have complained of frame rate issues while playing the game, however I failed to notice any. Graphics is good, but could have been better in all honesty. The sun is too bright, and you always seem to be looking into it, which is not good at all. Also, I feel there is a lack of glamour to the way the cars look. Online mode is fantastic though, especially cops and robbers which will give you hours of fun with your mates. Overall, Need For Speed Undercover is a decent, fun game that is much better than the recent Need For Speed Games. However, it definitely could have been much much better.

 

[R.N7]

Okami

Premise: This game is set in classical Japanese history. You control the the sun goddess Amaterasu, a white wolf who's task is to remove the curse that covers the land of Nippon. Nippon is a huge place with lots of beautiful landscapes and towns. You have a celestial brush which is a gesture-system to perform godly stuff like creating wind and restore the nature in cursed areas. It can also be used as a weapon to cut down your enemies with like a sword. On your journey you will encounter several celestial gods, who will teach you new brush techniques.

Rating: 9/10 -A real masterpiece. The cel shaded art style and the music is absolutely stunning. The gameplay is very Zelda-esque which can only be a good thing. The storyline is epic in both length and scale, very original as well. As said before, Nippon is a huge place and there's lots of sidequests everywhere that can be done. So it takes a while to complete the game, at least 30-40 hours. The replay value is also great.

The game's release went rather unnoticed by most people since it was one of the last games to be released on the PS2. It was very well received by critics though and it did win the IGN Game of the Year award for 2006. It received more popularity when it was released on the Wii in 2008. The only thing that stops this game from being a 10 out of 10 is that it can be fairly easy at times.

 

[Cina]

lol It's quite funny though, you say you don't like games with a lot of characters but your two favourite games have both got a ridiculous amount of characters! Not that i'm complaining about either game, i love em both as well. Cracking games, Squaresoft>>>>>Square-Enix. At least so far.

Erm...

something that I generally don't like in RPGs, but it works really well in this.

What's your point?

 

[Xander45]

No point, you just said you don't generally like lots of characters in your rpg's but your two favourites have a fair few characters. Just thought it was a tad ironic is all.

 

[Solius]

No point, you just said you don't generally like lots of characters in your rpg's but your two favourites have a fair few characters. Just thought it was a tad ironic is all.

Don't you mean contradictory?