Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
So, as most of you game lovers probably know Iby now, the PlayStation Network just rereleased the old 1997 FFVII for $10 on the PS3 and PSP. I just got it a few days ago myself, after finally finding a playstation network card after looking in 9 different stores all over Vancouver. Anyway, this was probably one of the best games ever made (second second best according to the gamefaqs polls, but at least it came in second to another great game: Ocarina of Time) but I didn’t think reviewing it would be a good idea, because everybody’s played it, or at least knows what it’s about. So instead, I’ve decided to review one of the many spin offs of the game: Crisis Core. Crisis Core is available on PSP.
Story: 8/10
The story is definitely interesting. It’s a prequel to the original FFVII, and you play as the character Zack, whom you find out about near the end of the game in the original story . It’s really fun to play through some of those mysteries that the original left behind. It clears up some answers from the “first” game as well. Although it is a prequel, there is a lot of original storyline of the game, that doesn’t really seem related in any way to the original Final Fantasy VII… I could be wrong. Honestly I haven’t finished it yet, but it has a really good story so far.
Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are really good. I find it so hard to believe that a little handheld PSP could have better graphics than the old PlayStation… but I guess that’s how technology goes. Anyway, I’d say they’re up to par with PS2 graphics almost. And the cinematics are just amazing.
Innovation: 7/10
I’m not exactly a fan of the classic turn based gaming, so I was excited to learn about the new battle system. It’s pretty basic… just button mashing for the most part, but you can change your battle type from attack to use materia or an item by just using your L and R buttons along the bottom of the screen. The only problem I have with this, is that your enemies are free to attack you because it’s not turn based, so if you’re somewhat clumsy like I am, you may fumble over the buttons and get hit numerous times, and possibly even die while you’re trying to get to your potions. The other new thing they added in this game, is the leveling system, which I have to say… I really didn’t like. It almost seems like you’re just playing the slots and you level up through luck, because you need to get all 7’s to level up while you’re doing one of Zack’s special attacks, which also have to be activated by slots landing on three of the same character-. However, I have since been informed that it is not by chance, and that the longer you go without leveling up, the more chance you have of leveling up. But I think I’d still rather go with the basic EXP, and meter to see how close you are to the next level.
Overall: 9/10
I would definitely recommend this game. It’s no where near as good as the first one, but I’m definitely enjoying it so far. The good thing is that if for some reason you haven’t played the original, you don’t really need to know the story from it, so you can play this one anyway. And also, if you’re a fan of the FFVII series, you may like the story in this game, as you get to play through the events that happen previously to the story… or it may ruin it completely for you. I’d still say it’s worth it though, and it’s probably the best game I’ve played for PSP so far.
Hotel 626
So yesterday, I was just informed about this fairly new online game called “Hotel 626”. I think it’s some sort of promotional game by Doritos or something. I don’t really know a lot about why it was made or anything, but I tried it out last night, and I thought I’d inform you all while it’s still going.
Anyway, here’s the link if you want to check it out. http://hotel626.com/
Now, here’s the catch. It’s a horror type survival game, and being online, the developers thought it would be really cool to limit your play times. So what they did is made the game only available between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. I played this at about midnight last night, and I was pretty scared. It’s short, and some of the parts are sort of tricky to figure out, but it’s still fun, and I think it’s worth it to play this game if you just want a break, or if you’re looking for a bit of a scare.
It’s somewhat frustrating, because I did die numerous times, but the good thing about this game is that they let you give up if you want to, and let you skip the level if you so choose.
One other really awesome thing about this game, is that it connects to your web cam, so when they put on a scary part, they’ll take your picture… I thought that was cool, although I still didn’t enable my camera. They will also send you your picture after you play it.
I just thought I would let you guys know about it. I thought it was a pretty cool idea.
Dead Space
So last week I finally finished Dead Space. I bought this game at launch, and through a combination of being too terrified to play it and not having time because of school, I kind of put it aside until last week. I got so excited, and decided that I had to write my next review about it. And as always (as it would seem) I’m reviewing it for Xbox 360, but it was also released for PS3 and PC. It’s a 3rd person shooter, survival/horror game.
So I have to say that I loved this game. I was actually kind of upset when it ended but that’s how I know it’s a good game I guess. I would definitely recommend this game, and in fact, I liked it so much that I even watched the animated film (or most of it anyway, thanks to computer technical difficulties :S I haven’t been able to finish it yet… yet being the key word there). The film is okay so far, and I would recommend it, but probably only if you’re a fan of the game. It’s called “Dead Space: Downfall” and it was a prequel to the game, so I would also recommend playing the game first because I think the story is just better that way… but that’s just my opinion.
Story: 10/10
I would have to say that the story is one of the better ones that I’ve played recently. It starts with your crew on a small repair ship. You’re headed towards the Ishimura, to respond to a distress call. You play as Isaac Clarke, who is surprisingly just a poor engineer stuck in an unfortunate situation, and forced to fight for his life to find a way off the ship as he finds that it’s been infested with this alien/human hybrid species called necromorphs. The story has a few twists and turns along the way, but mostly right at the end.
Graphics: 10/10
The graphics in this game were really amazing. I know I say that a lot, but honestly they were. The Necromorphs looked awesome, and the environments looked so realistic. I would definitely consider this game to be an inspiration to me. I honestly don’t know what more to say about it. Just look for your self I guess.
Sound: 10/10
Now, I know I don’t normally add this category into the reviews, but I think it was so good that this game deserved a rating in this category. What I would actually recommend while playing this game, is getting a big pair of noise cancelling headphones, and wearing those while you play. You’ll hear so much more than you normally would. Every footstep (even if it’s not yours), and things creeping behind the walls or in the ceilings. It really is amazing, and adds a lot to the game.
Innovation: 10/10
This game had one amazing feature that I’ve been wishing for in video games for a long time. Do you ever play open ended video games, and get lost easily? Well I know I do, and I have to say, that’s probably the number one thing that I hate most in a video game. I know a lot of games have maps, but most of the time they don’t clearly show which way to go. But Isaac gets this awesome feature in his engineering suit that if you click the right stick in, it’ll point Isaac in the right direction, and a blue line will show you to your destination… how cool is that. I know what you may be thinking… the possible downfall being that the game isn’t so open ended right, or may limit play. But the fact is, this feature isn’t limiting you from exploring, it just points you in the right direction if you should need some navigational assistance.
There were some other really cool features, but I know similar things have been added in games before, so they’re not THAT innovative. But they also added the gravity jump in Zero Gravity mode, Kenisis and Stasis, which are all pretty cool features anyway.
Overall: 10/10
Seeing how much this game has decreased in value, and how fast it’s happened, I’m guessing that it’s not the most popular game compared to the big titles. But I really think it’s being undervalued. Maybe it got too much hype that it didn’t live up to? That seems to be the case most of the time, but I really think that that’s unfortunate, because this game has probably made it to my list of top 5 favorites. Anyway, if you’re a survival/horror, shooter, or sci-fi fan, then I would definitely recommend Dead Space. A word of warning though, if you don’t like gore, then definitely don’t get this game.
Rathchet and Clank: Size Matters
If you have a PS2, you most likely have played at least one of the Ratchet and Clank games available, considering that there are 5 just on the PS2. I really like this series in general, although I thought the general storyline and gaming started to go south in the fourth game Ratchet and Clank: Deadlocked. That’s why when Size Matterscame out, I was on the fence as to whether or not I should get this game. I decided to get it for the PSP, because I had no good games for it at the time. And I’m glad I got it now.
So just to clarify, Size Matters is the 5th game in the series and is for the PS2 and PSP. I’m rating it based on the PSP version. I haven’t played the PS2 version, but apparently the reviews for the PS2 game were worse than the PSP’s reviews. Originally the Ratchet series was made by Insomniac, but this game was made by High Impact Games, so there are some subtle differences in gameplay, which I wasn’t a fan of, but you’ll get used to it.
Graphics: 7/10
The graphics for this game weren’t bad at all. I’ve seen better graphics on the PSP, but I’ve also seen much worse. They’re fairly simple, but I really like the cartoony style. I don’t really see that a lot these days, so it’s nice to see something a bit more unique. Of course the general style hasn’t changed at all from the first game, but still.
Plot: 7/10
The plot is similar to the first three games in that, at the beginning, Ratchet and Clank are both minding their own business, (in this case they’re on vacation) and then something happens (in this case it’s a creepy little girl wanting to do a report on them… this has trouble written all over it doesn’t it?) and they then become heroes embarking on a new journey.
I’m guessing I don’t sound very enthused about the general plot line. That’s because it is used quite often, but then again, maybe that’s because it works and people like it. I really did like the story, and I know when they tried to change it (aka to Deadlocked fail) it didn’t work out so well.
Gameplay: 9/10
I really like the gameplay in Ratchet and Clank. For the most part, it’s classified as a platform/3rd person shooter, which is already a good combination. But they also add the space fights which are normally done with spaceships, but in this game you get to use Giant Clank for that. They also have the arena battles, which are always one of my personal favorites in these games. So they really try hard to keep the game interesting at all times.
Replayability: 5/10
When you finish the game the first time, you unlock what’s called “Challenge Mode”. It’s basically the same thing as the first play through, but the enemies are harder, and you get a money/bolt multiplier. And you can upgrade your weapons even more than before. It’s fun to play this game again, but I never finished the second playthrough.
Overall: 8/10
I definitely think this game was worth the money. I really liked it enjoyed. I’d say that if you were a fan of any of the first three Ratchet and Clank games, then I would recommend it. It doesn’t have a continuing storyline from the previous games either, so if you haven’t played any of the games before, you can still try it out and not be lost.
Condemned: Criminal Origins
This game is definitely among my favorites. It was released for the Xbox 360 and the PC. I want to classify it as an FPS, but really, firearms are few and far between. Technically it’s classified as a survival horror, or a “psychological horror” which personally I’ve never heard of before, but I believe that Condemned is rightly deserving of that title.
But what’s best about this game is that I saw it in one of EB Games’ discount bins, for around $12, so it’s cheap too!!! (If you’re willing to buy used that is) Anyway… on to the ratings.
Story: 10/10
I really enjoyed the story of Condemned. Right off the bat, this game gets into some crazy action. You play as Ethan Thomas, who works as a police officer, or more specifically a Serial Crime Unit Investigator. You start by investigating a murder, but somehow two cops get killed, and you’re suddenly the only suspect. So you basically play through the game trying to escape your colleagues, and prove your innosence. But along the way, you encounter this new phenomenon that’s changing the locals into murderers, and other weird things. This game is most definitely the scariest game I’ve ever played (but I haven’t finished Condemned 2 yet, so who knows). I really like horror games though, aren’t adrenaline rushes awesome?
Graphics: 7/10
The graphics were quite good when the game launched, but they became quickly outdated I guess. In the sequel the graphics have greatly improved anyway. To me, there wasn’t anything really special about the graphics, but I didn’t notice any flaws either.
Gameplay/Innovation: 10/10
The game is entirely from a first person perspective, and that’s probably why I thought it was an FPS… whoops. But what I think is really cool about this game, is that when you do have access to guns, they’re very realistic unlike how they’re used in other games. For instance, they’re powerful and will kill your enemies with a single shot most of the time. That being said, they also only last for the amount of ammunition you have. So I rarely would use guns anyway, because you could be left in the middle of nowhere with no other weapons around you.
This game did have some other cool new features to it. In a way it was sort of like CSI, but way better. Being an SCU you’re given all these tools to solve murders or interpret clues, and guess what, you get to use them throughout the game. Plus Ethan has instincts that alert when evidence is lingering.
Replayability: 3/10
There’s not really much reason to play this game twice… other than if you really liked it. If you stride for achievements on the 360, then that always adds replayability. There is an alternate ending as well, so if you wanted to see both you could start all over. The only thing is that the alternate ending is dependant on what you do during the final boss battle, not on how you play the game. So if you wanted just don’t save over the save file before the final boss battle. (I think the saves are automatic, and go by checkpoints if I’m not mistaken, so just don’t make a new game and save over the file before you’ve seen the second ending).
Overall: 10/10
It was a really good game, and it’s definitely worth it in my opinion.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Hard Evidence
Today I will be doing my very first ever bad game review, which is for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Hard Evidence. I have it for the Xbox 360, but it’s also available for the Wii, and PC. Quite honestly I have no idea why I even picked this game up… probably because I’m a fan of the show, as I would imagine is the same reason why anyone else bought this game. And the really unfortunate thing is that this game comes from a great company. Oh Ubisoft (/CSI), how you’ve failed me.
Let’s start with content… I give it a 3/10.
I finished this game probably within three days… and the only reason it took me that long is because of my demanding school hours. The game consists of only 5 cases you have to solve, so you can imagine it would be over quickly. All you have to do is talk to the witnesses/suspects, then look at some evidence, repeat until you solve the case. And every single time you have to do something you pretty much have to go to a new environment which takes way too long to load considering how much of that nonsense they require. I’m giving it a three because it was still fun to pretend that I’m a CSI… otherwise I’m not happy with it. It was way too short.
Graphics 3/10
The graphics were bad to moderately okay… The environments all look fairly good. But half of the characters looked weird. Especially being modeled after real characters that are seen every week on TV, I’d expect them to look better. Maybe if I didn’t see them all the time on the show I wouldn’t be so harsh on the graphics.
Gameplay: 4/10
The gameplay was actually sort of fun. You get to go to crime scenes, collect evidence and then you get to question witnesses. The problems I have with it though, is that it’s always the same thing. It does get sort of boring after a while. The other problem I have with it is that there’s no flexibility whatsoever. You pretty much have to get every single piece of evidence, and question every single suspect to solve the case, and therefore the story isn’t very open at all.
My verdict: 3/10
Maybe the game was just too rushed, but needless to say I wouldn’t recommend this game. However I am still a fan of Ubisoft, and will continue to buy their games in the future.
Bioshock
Today’s review is for Bioshock on the Xbox 360. It’s also available for PC and for PS3, however I wouldn’t recommend getting it on PC unless you have a fairly high end/gaming computer. It even has problems on the Xbox 360 unfortunately… maybe it was just mine… aww poor little Xbox. The only real problem I encountered on this game is that it kept freezing on me. Luckily I haven’t gotten the dreaded “Red Ring of Death” yet, but maybe the freezing is a sign that it’s not far off. I’m still an Xbox 360 fan despite RRoD, but that’s definitely an unfortunate flaw for Microsoft.
Anyway, on to Bioshock the horror FPS
Graphics 10/10
This game had amazing graphics. They were somewhat stylized in a bit more of a cartoony sense, but were definitely able to maintain a very realistic style. The modeling was great. It had a real 50’s black and white sort of feel to it. That was pretty unique, and I liked it a lot. I don’t remember any major flaws with the graphics. Although it has been some time since I’ve played it. I remember that the lighting was also fantastic. It definitely added more horror aspect to the game. I remember the lights would randomly go out, and flash on and some guy would be standing in front of you. Or you’d see people moving in the shadows. This was honestly the first game I really noticed lighting in, and it was great.
Story 8/10 (bad ending) 10/10 (good ending)
Well the story was definitely good no matter which ending you get, but the “good ending” definitely makes the story. Without going in to too much detail, the general storyline starts out with your plane crashing into the ocean. Being the only survivor you swim over to this island with what looks to be a lighthouse but really it’s the entrance to this whole underwater city that’s been kept a secret. You basically have to explore the city while staying alive. You’re forced to make choices which do affect the outcome of the story. I love it when games have alternate endings.
Innovation 10/10
This game added a somewhat new feature to gaming with the plasmids which give your character new powers. They’re definitely awesome to play with. Of course you still get your handy wrench and other weapons along the way, but part of video games is to experience something we can’t in real life, and to sort of escape. So adding things that aren’t real, can definitely be cool. I am giving innovation a 10, but this sort of thing has been done in games before. It’s not completely new, but Bioshock definitely did it well, and I think they deserve the credit.
Overall 10/10
I really did love this game. I haven’t played a better game for the Xbox 360 since. I can’t wait until Bioshock 2 which is set to be released sometime mid to end of 2009, and for the Bioshock movie coming 2010. Although, neither of those dates are guaranteed. I’m sure there will be plenty of delays. Although, as long as delays make it better, I don’t mind them. I just hope that the movie doesn’t ruin the franchise like most video game movies.
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