Rocky M, NC Life of a Gamer...

Review: FABLE
Platform: X-BOX
Genre: Action/Adventure - RPG

Graphics: In a word amazing. The game really comes alive and it appears every possible detail is accounted for. My personal favorite is the emotes in the game. You can be as disgusting and rude as you want... on the same note you can just be creepy by laughing at random times. Baddies really hate that by the way.

Sound: OMG, the music in this game is awesome. They have used a full symphonic soundtrack for the game. I have never heard such rich music in a game before. The only thing I found lacking was no voice is ever given to your character. You may laugh, sigh and hum but no real voice. Everyone else is very talkative and I found it's very satisfying to run by a group of people and hear what that have to say about you .
"That kid doesn't know right from wrong."
"Where is his mother?"

Gameplay: Combat is a bit tricky at first but after about a hour it becomes second nature. Button assignment for various items makes the interface even easier to use. The controls are very tight and responsive.

Story: Not quite half-way through the game, the story is well written and the multitude of quest is staggering. Again your reputation can precede you so when you arrive there could be a surprise waiting for you.

Re-play: Not sure about this one. You can flip flop your alignment on a whim and end up completing everything in the first go round. Though if you want to just remain true to the character I could see trying to play through multiple times doing things differently each time.

Overall: 9/10 A great game and well worth picking up.

Lod-Reh SaJon ~
"If you seek knowledge and understanding look to the Force.
If you seek pain and suffering look no further than me."

 

Review: GTA: San Andreas
Platform: PS2
Genre: Action

Graphics: On par if not slightly better than Vice City. The animation appears to be a little smoother.

Sound: The voice acting is slightly better than Vice City and for the music junkies there seems to be a lot more radio stations. Some of the talk shows are funny and the commercials are HIGHlarious. Overall it adds a good amount of depth to the game.

Gameplay: The controls are slightly different than Vice City but easy enough to adapt to. There are a ton of mini games. But my current favorite thing to do is bounce in the low-rider with a prostitute. ( Sorry Eddie-Wan but nothing really new on that front ) An interesting side note... all cars handle about the same. As you increase your driving skill the cars handle better.

Story: The story begins in the early 90's with a brother in his mid 20's being released from prison. He comes home to San Andreas to find his old gang is failing apart, his sister is dating a rival gang member, and your moms is dead. The story missions are actually fun and engrossing. Honestly it took me a bit to get into the mind set of C.J. but now, "I'm banging like a gangster not a buster."

Re-play: Not sure about this one. I'm no where near completion but like Vice City you have the freedom to just run around and blow **** up... which is a plus in any game.

Overall: 9/10 Graphics could have been a bit better... still I am genuinely glad I picked it up. So far it's been a great game with lots of neat little side missions and mini games to keep you entertained for days on end.

Lod-Reh SaJon ~
"If you seek knowledge and understanding look to the Force.
If you seek pain and suffering look no further than me."

 

well i was talking to this guy at EB games and he said it is just like Vice City except it is set in a different time and you can do some more things (i.e. swim, ride bikes, get fat) is it actually as good as vice city?

 

i also personnaly thought Fable was a bit too short. What would have made it the ultimate rpg for the rest of the worlds time is if they took Fables awesomeness and mixed it with Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. That my friends is a game worth picking up...

 

Vice City was easy for me to get into... somehow I can relate to an Italian Psychopath. In San Andreas you are playing a young black gang member... if relating to him is easy for you then the game is ten times better than Vice City... if you just don't like him or can't relate then you most likely will not enjoy it as much as Vice City.

It took me a bit to get into but after that first step I've been tearing it up.

Lod-Reh SaJon ~
"If you seek knowledge and understanding look to the Force.
If you seek pain and suffering look no further than me."

 

::wonders if its ok to do a review on Lodrehs review thread, hmm... probably if i use correct punctuation::

Review: Dead or Alive: ultimate
Platform: Xbox
Genre: fighting

Graphics: A step up from DOA3 when it comes to characters. The backgrounds are so impressive that i find myself distracted from the fight (especialy the fight with the Tengu, as he can change the climate around him). Then again, i have been easily distracted lately (ask Jimmy about the red light in Raliegh).

Sound: I went into it expecting NOTHING from the soundtrack. I was pleasantly suprised with what i found though (which is impressive, because im hard to please when it comes to music). I think I might buy the soundtrack.

Gameplay: As good as you can expect from DOA. Faster-than-your-average-3D-fighter kind of action, precise controlls, and online capability (which I will have soon). It has a slightly different counter system, but i like it very much. I also like the fact that everyone has like...10 costumes, and the girls have their DOA beach volleyball costumes (no thats not why i bought the game) for a total of like...22 costumes for the ladies.

Story: Hmm...its different for every person

Re-play: its a fighting game.

Overall: 9/10 Its no Metal Gear Solid 3 (but then again, what is?), but I am very pleased with the purchase and would suggest any other fans of the series take it into consideration

That is for DOA 2 Ultimate. DOA 1 Ultimate is a direct remake i think (but with online capability), I havent played it yet because I'm so hooked on DOA 2 Ultimate

 

Review: HALO 2
Platform: X-Box
Genre: First Person Shooter

Graphics: Out standing. Take the original HALO and gears it up. Real time reflections and realistic explosions make this one a keeper.

Sound: The voice acting seems to be slightly better than the original. Weapon fire and vehicle noises are very distinct which only adds to the engrossing gameplay. The musical score is rich and really sets your pulse to the beat of the game.

Gameplay: Like it's predecessor the controls are very tight and intuitive. Each weapon seems to have it's place and different combinations will work better for different people. My personal favorite is the shotgun but your mileage may vary. Vehicle control has been revamped for more precise control which takes a moment to adjust to. On a side note, vehicle mounting is brilliantly done.

Story: The story opens not long after the destruction of the first HALO. Not wanting to give anything away I will say that the Covenent's faith and ideals play a large part in this game.

Re-play: I'm sure I will play this game countless times in multiplayer and hopefully even once trough in Co-opt. I have yet to come across any console game that can compare to the depth of this multiplayer set up.

Overall: 10/10 I do not give this score lightly. This game has delivered on the hype and jacked it up a notch with X-Box Live. If you have yet to play on Live then you are missing one of the best pieces of this game.

Lod-Reh SaJon ~
"If you seek knowledge and understanding look to the Force.
If you seek pain and suffering look no further than me."

 

Review: Metal Gear Solid 3
Platform: PS2
Genre: Action
Graphics: For PS2, its a record best. Very smooth

Sound: Well who couldnt love the music of a MGS title. It delivers on all fronts. Once again the brilliant vocal skills of David Hayter have returned to say all of snakes best phrases. Didnt like the voice acting of the "Campbell equivalent".

Gameplay: Same as the others controll wise. And the equipment realy makes you feel like the government of the 60's was backing you up. Not so espionage anymore but its understandable seeing that it is not a remake of the origional Metal Gear as I once thought.

Story: You play as Big Boss, which is Snakes dad. Hideo Kajima once again shows his amazing ability to direct a story that will blow your mind.

Re-play: Plenty. Gotta unlock everything from playing varying difficulties...right.

Overall: 10. Its good

 

...I cried at the end.

 

did anybody pickup any magic the gathering : unhinged

 

DOOM 3 tomorow! Prince of Persia also!

 

DOOM 3 on which console?

 

xbox

 

Oh, sweet! I've been waiting for it to come out on the X-Box, because it has co-op, and thats always a hoot.

 

Review: Need for Speed Underground 2
Platform: xbox, gamecube, ps2 (this review is for the xbox version)
Genre: Racing

Graphics: Excellent. Very smooth lighting effects and when you are going fast, it gives you a sense of speed by kind of smearing things.

Sound: In my oppinion a terrible soundtrack. Rap and NuMetal. The cars sound good though.

Gameplay: Pretty good. Easy to learn and very responsive.

Story: You are a street racer who wants to make it big i guess.

Re-play: Moderate. With xbox Live capability, youl never get bored

Overall: 8 out of 10. If it had custom soundtracks, I would give it a 10 out of 10 without thinking. (the right music is needed to realy set the mood)

 

Like how any type of driving is done. Like how my driving recently has been to the sounds of Disturbed, Korn, and Hed(pe) blaring from the car.

FT

 

Ill do DOOM 3 in a couple of days. ForceTheologian, I dont qute get what your saying.

 

Sol, you said something about you need the right type of music to set the mood. Well, your mood goes into how you drive. I've been delivering pizzas, so I need to get there fast, aggressive-like, ergo, Korn, Disturbed, and Hed(pe) is what I play in the CD player. Aggressive metal and hip-hop mixed to develop the right mood for delivering pizzas. And, there is the right music for the mood. Got it now, Sol?

FT

 

When I used to drive around listening to Pantera, THAT was a receipe for trouble, if you ran into any jerk drivers.

 

FT, have you heard of a band called Flaw?? they rock arse, try them out.

 

Wow I didnt think Riff would listen to Pantera.
Oh I get you now FT.

 

Are you kidding? I LOVE Pantera. Hard metal type bands are my absolute faves... hands down.

"Re.... Spect.... Walk on home, boy"!!!

 

I love Panthro, too. And Cheetara, Tygra, etc...

 

Thundercats... wow.... that takes me back...

Lod-Reh SaJon ~
"If you seek knowledge and understanding look to the Force.
If you seek pain and suffering look no further than me."

 

the "C" is capitalized, too... not just the "T", but yes.... way back.