Since I primarily play Xbox games that's generally what I'll be reviewing. Unless otherwise noted all reviews are of Xbox titles. These reviews are in no particular order; just whenever I get around to it.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition - Rating: 4.0

I'm not really quite sure what to make of this game. I'm a huge fan of RPG games stemming from my endless days playing games like Fantasy Star on my old Sega Genesis system. This game is everything I thought I wanted in a RPG. It's Massive. It gives you a lot of freedom in customizing your character. It's massive. It's very open-ended so that you don't feel like you're being strung along to this event and that. You can do what you want when you want. It's massive.... Did I mention it's massive? I mean big... really really big. It's mind boggling. It's so big, in fact, that I felt hopelessly lost at times.

I even ordered the 300 page strategy guide to help me sort things out and it's still too big and open-ended for me to really get into it. The interface is clunky. They tried to make a neat combat system and I can see how it might work on a keyboard but it just wasn't doing it for me on my Xbox controller.

Another issue I had was traveling. Unless you cough up the money to take the big bug taxies in the game you're going to find yourself walking around for 20 minutes trying to find the next town. The fact that you get fatigued REALLY quickly and aren't worth a hoot in a fight as such doesn't help either. The numerous loading screens get very tedious after a while but at least they throw up some concept art and the occasional game hint to keep you occupied.

You're either going to love or hate this game. Personally, I hate it. I can't even sell the bugger on ebay either. I listed it twice for $5.00 and never got a single bid.

Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude - Rating: 8.5

Ok, bad things out of the way first. You hit a loading screen in this game about every 2-3 minutes at times. The good news is all the loading screens have semi-undressed chicks (real and animated) so it's not all that difficult to endure. The other bad thing I have to say is the game is basically just a bunch of mini-games tied together with a central story of Larry trying to get laid. This is my first Leisure Suit Larry game so the entire series may be like that. Some of the games are fun but some can be annoying. A few were a bit too difficult for me to bother with so I used the wimp out option that's always available.

Now that the bad stuff is out of the way we can get on to the good stuff. This game is hilarious. You do things as Larry that I never would have imagined doing in a video game. A good example of the feel for this game is one of the characters, The Porn Fairy. Imagine Ron Jeremy as a tinkerbell fairy with a transparent pink dildo as a wand. There you have it. That's the whole attitude of the game summed up. I find myself playing this for hours on end and even my wife is watching because some of the stuff is so entirely outlandish. Not one for the kiddies but absolutely one for adults with a sense of humor.** Breasts are exposed but anything below the belt is censored.

Jade Empire - Rating: 10 - A near-perfect game.

This is, quite simply, the best RPG I've ever played. That says a LOT as I've played more than my fair share from that genre since my first Sega Genesis and Phantasy Star II and Super Hylide. The graphics are simply breathtaking. The combat is real-time and very streamlined so that it's not about button pounding, it's about strategy and tactics. The storyline could be straight out of a NY Times Bestseller complete with some very nice plot twists. Imagine the best of KOTOR I and II and put that game into an ancient eastern setting and fix all the minor annoyances with KOTOR and you have Jade Empire. You have tons of companions, several different way of handling the story line with the built in morality system and combat customization is almost unlimited with several different direct damage marital arts, support styles and magic forms. I have a feeling once I finish working through my current game I'm going to immediately start all over and take a different path.

Doom 3 - Rating: 8.0

Graphics are great. The suspense and creepiness of the game is pretty intense. That's the major selling point here. This is not like previous versions of Doom. Playing single player on campaign mode is the best way to do it but it gets very repetitive after about three hours of the same type of thing. You're just running and gunning. It's very interesting though that you have a choice to use either your flashlight in a dark hallway OR your fun. You can either see what you want to shoot at or shoot and hope you hit it. That's an interesting choice. The sound effects are very creepy. Playing campaign in co-op isn't nearly as creepy because you have someone to talk to and ammo is ALWAYS an issue. Don't even get me started with the online competitive play. It's truly a waste considering the doom heritage. I give graphics an A, Campaign mode solo an A+, Co-op campaign a B- and multiplayer online a D- .

 

Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) II - Rating: 8.9

The original game was great. II is an improvement above and beyond that. There are much more opportunities to gain and lose force alignment. Not only are you putting 3 crystals in your lightsabers but you have 3 other gadgets that can go in each blade to allow further customization. The items generation system (workbench) is much improved over the last game as well. There are, of course, more force powers as well. Your allies that you gain through your journeys are also more in-depth than before. The combat system is about the same. It's a bit more slick than the previous but still overall a tad on the klunky side. There are plenty of optional side quests to keep you busy as well.


Ghost Recon 2 - Rating 10

I really can't say enough about this game. I've had it for months and it's not old yet. It's a slower version of a shooter compared to titles like Unreal but there are lots of strategies to be had in plenty of game modes and weapons. I would like to see more blood and gore but that's a personal preference. The menu system isn't as intuitive as it could be but nothing is perfect. Overall though, the game is good when you're running on campaign mode offline but you really don't see the true potential of the game until you go online. That's when the game really comes into it's own. If you're even remotely a fan of Tom Clancy or shooters you'll be playing this for hours and hours and hours.


Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow - Rating: 9.3

This is another great installment of the Tom Clancy series. The campaign mode is GREAT. I can't tell you how many times I got caught up in the mood of the game. The graphics are outstanding as well. I wish there were a few more moves in your arsenal but what you got works and it works well. I also wish the game wasn't so linear. It would be nice to have several different ways to do something but often there's really only one way to accomplish your mission. The online games are a bit clunky and in my experience not nearly as much fun as the campaign which is the exact opposite of Ghost Recon. Maybe I didn't play it enough though. Overall, the game is GREAT and I can't wait to play Chaos Theory which just came out this week.


Project Snowblind - Rating: 7.0

I rented this as soon as it came out thinking maybe it would be something new and different. Basically, it's Quake with a few modifications. Same old same old. There are a few twists and gizmos but it's not much above and beyond your straight-up basic shooter.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - Rating: 9.9

Pandora Tomorrow was great. This version of the game is greater than great. It's totally awesome. The graphics are even slicker, you get a new moves and updated heads up display along with new toys. Did I mention the graphics are incredible? Campaign mode puts you as a single splinter cell against the world. The missions are intense and make you think from time to time. I really enjoy the various ways you can deal with your opponents. Co-op mode lets you play one of 4 missions with one other player. There are special moves that you can do together with your partner that add another level of play. One neat feature that stands out in this mode is your voice volume is registered in the game as sound. If you're talking to your partner on the headset and you're close to an enemy you just might alert him. I found myself whispering with the anticipation of the moment many times. Oh yeah, and very cool graphics.

They have updated and improved the vs. online mode. At first I wasn't really happy with it because the character interaction was a bit clunky by comparison to the co-op and campaign mode. You're also in one of 2 roles as a Spy or a Merc in this mode. At first, Mercs seem all-powerful and spies have a very hard time dealing with them, especially in deathmatch. After a while and a bit of practice you start to get the hang of things. I've played about 20 hours in vs. mode I'm starting to get a real feel for the game. I just wish the format supported more people playing at once.

Overall, this game is a must-have, especially if you're a fan of pevious Splinter Cell games.

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath - Rating: 6.5

The graphics are OK but it seems like they spent more effort on making the game background pretty (which is important too) than they did on the actual toon you play with. The game is cute, yes, I'll admit that. But, it's also very slow, at least the 30 minutes I made myself play. You know those old games where you jump and you're hanging in the air for a really long time, almost like stuck there, this is one of those games. That annoys me to no end. If you're buying this game for a younger kid (6 to 10yrs) then it's probably going to be an ok game. If you're an older gamer and you expect more excitement out of your games then try another title.

Ninja Gaiden - Rating: 9.8

This is honestly one of the best games I've ever played on any platform anywhere. It's part adventure game, part action and part RPG. The graphics must be seen to be believed, especially if you have a high definition setup. The combat system is simple, elegant and very very effective. You get the classic ninja gaiden magic stuff from previous games but with a seriously amped up kick. You also get a variety of weapons and have various techniques for each. You can get through the game by just button pounding but you're a lot more effective if you learn the specialized weapon moves. This is one of the few games I will NOT sell and I'm still playing it more than a year after I bought it. As an added bonus you can also unlock versions of previous Ninja Gaiden games. It's like getting 3 games in 1.

 

Comments

Add New Search RSS