Overall winner
Spore
Honourable mentions
Grand Theft Auto IV
Call of Duty: World at War
Mario Kart Wii
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Tuesday 25 November 2008
Tuesday 11 November 2008
CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR (2008) REVIEW
Unattractive, unnerving and unpleasant for all the right reasons.
PS3 version reviewed.
Call of Duty: World at War is a first person shooter published by Activision and developed by Treyarch for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PC.
What I really liked about this game was how it was so far against depicting war as glamorous, down to the unwelcoming dark title screen and music to the gruelling and gruesome campaign. The game held nothing back in showing how horrible war can be and how it should never have to be a viable option.
GAMEPLAY
Multiplayer maps are a lot more open than in Modern Warfare, but I couldn't help but feel how well made some of the maps actually were. Outskirts may be one of the best Call of Duty maps ever with the variety of ways you can come out on top in it. Most of the DLC maps are outstanding too, the most noteworthy for me being Battery and Breach.
Guns in multiplayer are for the most part well balanced, while the sub machine guns are generally the best and useful in all the maps, there are some maps that will be won and lost over snipers or shotguns. As you can guess maps really vary in size too, which is a nice change from the tighter Modern Warfare designs, World at War even found room to put tanks in some of them.
I really enjoyed the new War game mode in multiplayer, with the momentum and things in certainly brought something a bit new to the table and a welcome break from the usual death matches, even if that's where you'll still find most people.
The campaign was very good, although I do wish there was a western front setting, as it seems a bit strange to call it one of the definitive WWII games when it doesn't feature one of the major places of conflict (Although apparently the PS2 counterpart Final Fronts does).
The unexpected zombies mode was a nice feature, and looking back in retrospective probably the biggest idea Call of Duty came up with since the franchise's inception.
STORY
While the story might not be anything complex, the atmospheres the game creates are fantastic
GRAPHICS
Seeing people loose limbs or watching them turn into burnt husks is both horrifying and gruesome, and Treyarch deserve some credit for not daring to shy away from how graphic war can be. It really isn't nice to watch and may even make you contemplate why you're playing the game, but that's exactly how they want you to feel.
SOUND
At first I didn't like Sean Murray's soundtrack because I found it dark and unnerving, thinking it wasn't really something I would want to listen to again. I must have been a bit stupid because that's exactly what this soundtrack is supposed to bring across. This game isn't supposed to be about happy times we like to remember, but rather a time we'd like to forget but know we shouldn't. The soundtrack fits the bill perfectly and is a complement to the games gritty and odious direction.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Worth the price for the campaign as well as multiplayer and zombies mode. Props to Treyarch for making all the DLC free on PC too.
OVERALL
This could be the definitive World War II game. If you're a fan of the setting or the genre this is definitely worth picking up.
Wednesday 5 November 2008
THE LEGEND OF SPYRO: DAWN OF THE DRAGON (2008) REVIEW
Might be the best of a pretty average trilogy.
PS2 and PS3 versions reviewed.
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is an action adventure game published by Activision and developed by Etranges Libellules for the Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS.
GAMEPLAY
Being able to fly is kind of cool, but not as cool as it sounds as most levels will restrict where and how you can fly. I'd even go as far to say that most levels could have worked without the flying, although flying certainly feels nicer than trying to move around on the ground in this game.
A lot of people like to complain about the chain keeping the two characters together, and while it can be annoying in some segments I thought they used the mechanic in a somewhat interesting way, making players have to swing around each other to complete certain objects, or even one hang in one location while the other comes in as a wrecking ball to smash a wall down, dare I say at times I actually found it quite fun.
The PS2 version had a few rare minor bugs, such as Spyro or Cynder getting stuck in something, or running along walls instead of grabbing vines.
Hit combos are a nice little addition, as well as finally being able to select levels and the addition of far more collectables including things like armour with different bonuses. Why Krome were so opposed to adding these in TEN I still don't know.
I also think it's worth mentioning how loose the combat feels, if anything it can feel a bit floaty and awkward at times. I wouldn't describe it as bad, or even unsatisfying as combos can feel good, but there's some element to it that just makes it feel a bit strange at times.
STORY
While the other two stories weren't anything spectacular they at lead managed to hold up, sadly Dawn of the Dragon's story is bit messy. There are plenty of plot holes and miss-consistencies, some of the things I can understand, changing developers meant some characters were going to look different and things like that are fine, but some things don't really makes sense (Cynder was a fire dragon in ANB yet is now instead a wind dragon, Spyro's lack of dragon time, just to name a few).
GRAPHICS
SOUND
It's ironic really, that so much money was probably spent on the voice actors in the game, when it's actually the music that stands out. I've said it twice already, and I'll say it yet again, Rebecca Kneubuhl and Gabriel Mann's score is fantastic. The whole trilogy sounds wonderful and if anyone can take any real positives out of this reboot then it's the fact we got to hear their brilliant efforts with the soundtrack. Guide You Home is one of my favourite pieces of music ever.
I've heard the opinion that the game could have been better if they spent more money on the actual development, and less on voice actors, and I think it's a really valid point. I mean sure, keep Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman's fine too, and it's a shame they didn't keep David Spade as Sparx, but did they really need to change Cynder's voice actor to a big name, did Hunter have to have a big one too? What's the point of getting Mark Hamill in only to distort his voice beyond recognition?(At 2:07 in this video you get to hear how amazing he sounded without distortion)
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
I'd say this is probably the best game in the trilogy, even if that perhaps isn't the biggest accolade. If you're up for an action or adventure game then this one might be worth a look, just don't expect anything too fantastic. If you have the option I'd definitely get the PS3 version over the PS2 as it looks better and seemingly has fewer bugs.
Tuesday 28 October 2008
FALLOUT 3
.
PC version.
Fallout 3 is a RPG published and developed by Bethesda Softworks for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
GAMEPLAY
STORY
GRAPHICS
SOUND
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
Monday 27 October 2008
Tuesday 21 October 2008
Monday 13 October 2008
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER - INTO THE INFERNO (2008) REVIEW
PS2 version reviewed.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno is an action advenutre game published and developed by THQ for the Playstation 2, Wii and Nintendo DS.
GAMEPLAY
Almost just the same type of enemy throughout the game and if you try to avoid combat then invisible walls will prevent you from leaving, which is an obvious design feature for terrible games that need to pad out timing because the game is so woeful and probably short. Every single fight is like this and numerous enemies keep spawning in, so you just spam one button and wait until the wall disperses. This long and painfully boring experiencing is only furthered by enemies falling over and you having to wait for them to get back up. Enemies also keep spawning in after others are wiped out, which is repetitive
Unlike the previous game enemies can't fall off edges and you can't block. So instead you have to awkwardly jump to someone who isn't blocking, beating them is inevitable though, so it only pads out more time.
This game, like the last two, suffers from the issue of why wouldn't you play as Aang. He can use all the elements, so you won't need to waste time switching and has no obvious downfall like the other characters. There's also no AI partners in this game because it seems no one cared about it anymore so they couldn't be bothered to do it.
Sometimes bending abilities wouldn't really work properly, such as pillars and platforms rising in the wrong place, meaning you miss an enemy or have to wait for platforms you've put down to disappear so you can get past, not to mention how terrible the hit boxes are on some of these things, getting caught on invisible edges is common for example. Similar things can happen with water, where it fails to transfer between containers correctly meaning some sections, such as timed ones, are way too drawn out as you keep emptying a container rather than filling it up because the two sources are too close together to be correctly done easily.
The most astounding part about this game is how it managed to be worse than the first two, which weren't very good anyway.
STORY
Like a really terrible, watered down version of the TV show, really though, if you don't know the TV show you'll be confused as to what's going in - in fact even if you know the TV show you still won't know what's going on because nothing really makes any sense.
GRAPHICS
SOUND
Music starts and stops when it likes.
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
This game is a waste of time and should be avoided by anyone, including fans of the show. Quite frankly this is amongst the worst games I've ever played, it's not even on the so bad it's good scale. It ends a very lacking, but sadly expectedly poor trilogy of games based on the Avatar series, which is such a shame as this licence has so much potential.
Tuesday 23 September 2008
Tuesday 16 September 2008
THE WITCHER: ENHANCED EDITION
.
PC exclusive.
The Witcher is an RPG published and developed by CD Projekt Red for the PC.
Original reviewed here: https://theunorthodoxnetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/the-witcher.html
DIFFERENCES FROM ORIGINAL
OVERALL
Monday 15 September 2008
DRAWN TO LIFE: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS EDITION
.
version reviewed.
GAMEPLAY
GRAPHICS
SOUND
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
Thursday 4 September 2008
SPORE (2008) REVIEW
Sims in space? Something Different? Something even better?
PC exclusive.
Spore is a strategy life simulation game published by EA Games and developed by Maxis for the PC.
GAMEPLAY
Creature stage and space stage are certainly the best of the five.
Creature creator is fantastic, perhaps even worth getting the game just for that.
Space actually feels like space, with binary stars, black holes and other things.
Different stages should have been longer and could have used more depth
STORY
GRAPHICS
The game looks pretty nice and various points, sometime it can be nice to just stare at the galaxy map in the space stage
SOUND
Really nice ambient music
VALUE FOR MONEY
You can't really "complete" the game, so to some extend you can't really use a money to hour ratio. Some people might be driven away after a few hours of the space stage though, as you'll have seen most of what the game has to offer, and it can take around 10 hours to get there.
OVERALL
I really enjoyed Spore, and anyone who wants some kind of creature creator surely will too. I found the creature and space stage just straight up fun, but some people may find the later boring after a few hours. People looking for very in-depth gameplay may want to avoid this game though, as it certainly doesn't offer much beyond its simple presentation, but what is there satisfied me greatly.
Thursday 21 August 2008
RATCHET & CLANK: QUEST FOR BOOTY (2008) REVIEW
If Ratchet & Clank was a TV series then this would be a filler episode.
PS3 exclusive.
Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty is a platformer published by Sony and developed by Insomniac Games for the Playstation 3.
GAMEPLAY
My main gripe with this game is that it's basically an extension of the pirate segments from Tools of Destruction, however all the pirate stuff was done better in Tools of Destruction, making this game feel some what redundant.
In terms of new things for the franchise this game fails to offer much, some levels are darker now and require lights to navigate them, and now you can use your wrench to move platforms about so you can progress to different areas. In terms of differences the game gives you more weapons and ammo as you progress, rather than making you buy them. As there are only about four different places in the game, and many of the enemies you face are from the previous game too, it feels a bit repetitive and another step back from Tools of Destruction.
STORY
The story doesn't really advance the plot from the previous game. By the end you hardly know anything more than from the ending of Tools of Destruction
GRAPHICS
SOUND
Reuses and expands upon the pirate themes in Tools of Destruction, which were certainly some of the better in the game.
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
Quest for Booty probably would have served better as an add-on or standalone expansion to Tools of Destruction, rather than being completely independent. The game is worth a go if you're a fan of the franchise, however if you're looking to get into it then this game is probably not the one to go to. Even in spite of it being the shortest game in the series, I just didn't really find it as fun as some of the other entries.
Friday 13 June 2008
Tuesday 3 June 2008
LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES
Heading.
version reviewed.
GAMEPLAY
GRAPHICS
SOUND
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL
Tuesday 29 April 2008
Thursday 10 April 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)