Have you been wondering what I’ve been playing? After the jump will be several quick blurbs about games I’ve played recently. Except a full review dedicated to Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2 soon.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Despite having a story that is much better than anything George Lucas has churned out recently (then again, the same could be said for all things related to Star Wars that George Lucas didn’t write), the game itself is a huge disappointment (then again, the same could be said for most of the Star Wars games). The combat is sub-par, the camera sucks, the AI is horrible, ect. I’d say it’s a rental at most, though I suppose die hard Star Wars fans might find more enjoyment out of the title than I did.
Bottom Line: C
Prince of Persia
The game itself is fun, but very flawed, similar to the Sands of Time Trilogy from the last console generation. The combat, though better than the previous installments, still sucks, the game is very easy seeing as how you can no longer die (this is both a blessing and a curse), the main female protagonist isn’t nearly as interesting as Farah from the previous trilogy, the story isn’t anything spectacular, the game recycles bosses like there’s no tomorrow, the special abilities that Elika obtains are horrid, and the majority of the game consists of collecting stuff. Oh, and it has elements of a sandbox game, which doesn’t quite work as well as the developers intended. On the plus side the music is fantastic, the voice acting is superb, and the game itself is rather fun.
Bottom Line: B
Alone in the Dark: Inferno
Despite being touted as an “improved” version of Alone In The Dark, the game is actually worse than it’s 360 cousin. Why is that? Because the developers didn’t do ANYTHING to fix the majority of the problems that plagued the original game. Combat is still horrible, enemies are still awful, inventory system (though supposedly “improved”) is still horrendous, driving (also supposedly improved) is terrible. The list goes on. The one addition is a new playable sequence in Episode 6 that is rather fun. There is a problem though, and this goes to show you how lazy the developers are: if you actually watch the “Previously on Alone in the Dark.” sequence for Episode 7, you’ll see a sequence of Edward Carnby walking across a wooden plank, only for it to break in half and him fall. Guess what? This doesn’t HAPPEN in the PS3 version of the game. They replaced this sequence with the new sequence, yet didn’t bother altering the “Previously on…” segment. It’s rather pathetic, and very lazy. Not to mention the only time you’ll see the game’s new title is on box art and the disc. They didn’t even bother adding in the subtitle within the game itself.
Bottom Line: F
Army of Two
Take Gears of War, remove a majority of the fun/game play, add in shoddy partner AI (single player is a mess), add in a bunch of homo eroticism, and toss in a story that is so bad you’d think it was a parody (even as a parody it sucks, though). The characters are unlikeable, the plot is horrid, and the dialogue is atrocious.
Bottom Line: D
Bionic Commando
I really wanted to like this game, and the platforming elements are quite fun. Hell, combat can even be fun. The problem is there are so many elements that just don’t work and make the entire thing unnecessarily frustrating. The story is horrible, the dialogue is even worse, and the man they got to voice Nathan “Rad” Spencer is awful (everyone else is fine, though). The fact that the collectables and challenges don’t stay collected/completed when you die makes the whole thing frustrating if you are trying to go for those achievements/trophies. It’s barely, BARELY a rental. It’s such a shame, since the developers obviously cherish the Bionic Commando name (as evidenced by their previous title, Bionic Commando Rearmed).
Bottom Line: D
WALL-E
I rented this because I heard that the achievements were easy to snag. Though this is true, the game is just a mess in general so I returned it as quickly as humanly possible. Eventually I’ll re-rent it to get the remainder of the achievements, but I can’t recommend it for anything other than that (easy achievements are the only thing keeping this game from an F).
Bottom Line: D
BioShock (PS3)
BioShock was my favorite game of 2007. I loved it so much that I bought the PS3 version the day it came out just so I would have another excuse to go through it again. Though the game is still good, and it’s a must own for people who’ve never played the original because they lacked a 360 or a high end PC, I can’t give it the same score. The only new addition is a harder difficulty mode. Yes, there are the PS3 exclusive challenge rooms, but considering that they are DLC and you have to pay $10 for them and they aren’t particularly noteworthy. I can think of a number of things that you’d get more enjoyment out of than these challenge rooms. Not to mention I found a number of glitches that I don’t remember being present in the original 360 version. Still a great game, though.
Bottom Line: A
Uncharted: Darke’s Fortune
Simply put, this is one of the best exclusives available on the PS3 and is probably the quintessential Indiana Jones simulator (Yes, there are a number of Indiana Jones games, and yes there is the Tomb Raider franchise. Just keep in mind that the majority of those games are quite awful). Combat is fun (very Gears of War esq.), platforming is fantastic, the graphics are amazing, the story is compelling, the dialogue is great, and the characters are very likable. If you own a PS3, this is definitely a game you should check out.
Bottom Line: A
Perfect Dark Zero
I initially loved this game when I first played it back in January of 2006. Recently I attempted to replay it with a friend of mine on co-op so we could get some achievements… We didn’t even finish the second level. It was pretty bad. Multiplayer, from what I remember, is fun though (and you can get the achievements offline with bots, even though all of the freakin’ multiplayer achievements are grinding ones). Maybe worth a rental, or if you can get it for like $10, but seeing as how there are a bunch of better games out there for $10, you could even just skip this and call it a day…
Bottom Line: C
Noby Noby Boy
I liked Katamari Damacy. I hate this game. There is absolutely no point to this thing. Nothing. Katamari was weird, but at least it was fun. This isn’t fun. It’s just… Bleh…
Bottom Line: D
Lost: Via Domus
I’ve never seen a single episode of the TV series, but I’m pretty sure this game doesn’t do the series justice. It’s a horrible game, with pretty bad voice acting, awful writing, terrible game play, and the worst main character in recent memory that I can think of. There are no redeeming qualities about this game.
Bottom Line: F
Terminator: Salvation
The game wants to be Gears of War, and it fails in just about every way possible. It’s just not fun. The only bright spot is the fact that you can get all of the achievements just by beating the game once, and the game itself is very short. It’s still terrible, though.
Bottom Line: D
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Arguably the greatest first person shooter of all time, this game has it all: an amazing single player campaign that includes epic/intense gun fights, a gripping and unpredictable story, well-rounded and likable characters, an amazing soundtrack, and pitch perfect pacing combined with one of the best multiplayer components of all time. Infinity Ward has proven that they are one of the best developers out there, and this title is easily their magnum opus. With Modern Warfare 2 set to come out in just a few days, one can ask how they would ever be able to top themselves? Judging by the two most recent trailers, it looks like they’ve somehow found a way to do just that.
Bottom Line: S
As you can see, I’ve been playing a number of video games as of recent. There are a few gems here, but the majority of them are mediocre to shit. That’s mainly because of my GameFly account and choosing to rent a variety of titles that have easy trophies or achievements. A few of theses games, however, are titles I actually own and decided to replay for various reasons (MW, Uncharted, PDZ, BioShock).
Review Round-Up
Have you been wondering what I’ve been playing? After the jump will be several quick blurbs about games I’ve played recently. Except a full review dedicated to Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2 soon.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Despite having a story that is much better than anything George Lucas has churned out recently (then again, the same could be said for all things related to Star Wars that George Lucas didn’t write), the game itself is a huge disappointment (then again, the same could be said for most of the Star Wars games). The combat is sub-par, the camera sucks, the AI is horrible, ect. I’d say it’s a rental at most, though I suppose die hard Star Wars fans might find more enjoyment out of the title than I did.
Bottom Line: C
Prince of Persia
The game itself is fun, but very flawed, similar to the Sands of Time Trilogy from the last console generation. The combat, though better than the previous installments, still sucks, the game is very easy seeing as how you can no longer die (this is both a blessing and a curse), the main female protagonist isn’t nearly as interesting as Farah from the previous trilogy, the story isn’t anything spectacular, the game recycles bosses like there’s no tomorrow, the special abilities that Elika obtains are horrid, and the majority of the game consists of collecting stuff. Oh, and it has elements of a sandbox game, which doesn’t quite work as well as the developers intended. On the plus side the music is fantastic, the voice acting is superb, and the game itself is rather fun.
Bottom Line: B
Alone in the Dark: Inferno
Despite being touted as an “improved” version of Alone In The Dark, the game is actually worse than it’s 360 cousin. Why is that? Because the developers didn’t do ANYTHING to fix the majority of the problems that plagued the original game. Combat is still horrible, enemies are still awful, inventory system (though supposedly “improved”) is still horrendous, driving (also supposedly improved) is terrible. The list goes on. The one addition is a new playable sequence in Episode 6 that is rather fun. There is a problem though, and this goes to show you how lazy the developers are: if you actually watch the “Previously on Alone in the Dark.” sequence for Episode 7, you’ll see a sequence of Edward Carnby walking across a wooden plank, only for it to break in half and him fall. Guess what? This doesn’t HAPPEN in the PS3 version of the game. They replaced this sequence with the new sequence, yet didn’t bother altering the “Previously on…” segment. It’s rather pathetic, and very lazy. Not to mention the only time you’ll see the game’s new title is on box art and the disc. They didn’t even bother adding in the subtitle within the game itself.
Bottom Line: F
Army of Two
Take Gears of War, remove a majority of the fun/game play, add in shoddy partner AI (single player is a mess), add in a bunch of homo eroticism, and toss in a story that is so bad you’d think it was a parody (even as a parody it sucks, though). The characters are unlikeable, the plot is horrid, and the dialogue is atrocious.
Bottom Line: D
Bionic Commando
I really wanted to like this game, and the platforming elements are quite fun. Hell, combat can even be fun. The problem is there are so many elements that just don’t work and make the entire thing unnecessarily frustrating. The story is horrible, the dialogue is even worse, and the man they got to voice Nathan “Rad” Spencer is awful (everyone else is fine, though). The fact that the collectables and challenges don’t stay collected/completed when you die makes the whole thing frustrating if you are trying to go for those achievements/trophies. It’s barely, BARELY a rental. It’s such a shame, since the developers obviously cherish the Bionic Commando name (as evidenced by their previous title, Bionic Commando Rearmed).
Bottom Line: D
WALL-E
I rented this because I heard that the achievements were easy to snag. Though this is true, the game is just a mess in general so I returned it as quickly as humanly possible. Eventually I’ll re-rent it to get the remainder of the achievements, but I can’t recommend it for anything other than that (easy achievements are the only thing keeping this game from an F).
Bottom Line: D
BioShock (PS3)
BioShock was my favorite game of 2007. I loved it so much that I bought the PS3 version the day it came out just so I would have another excuse to go through it again. Though the game is still good, and it’s a must own for people who’ve never played the original because they lacked a 360 or a high end PC, I can’t give it the same score. The only new addition is a harder difficulty mode. Yes, there are the PS3 exclusive challenge rooms, but considering that they are DLC and you have to pay $10 for them and they aren’t particularly noteworthy. I can think of a number of things that you’d get more enjoyment out of than these challenge rooms. Not to mention I found a number of glitches that I don’t remember being present in the original 360 version. Still a great game, though.
Bottom Line: A
Uncharted: Darke’s Fortune
Simply put, this is one of the best exclusives available on the PS3 and is probably the quintessential Indiana Jones simulator (Yes, there are a number of Indiana Jones games, and yes there is the Tomb Raider franchise. Just keep in mind that the majority of those games are quite awful). Combat is fun (very Gears of War esq.), platforming is fantastic, the graphics are amazing, the story is compelling, the dialogue is great, and the characters are very likable. If you own a PS3, this is definitely a game you should check out.
Bottom Line: A
Perfect Dark Zero
I initially loved this game when I first played it back in January of 2006. Recently I attempted to replay it with a friend of mine on co-op so we could get some achievements… We didn’t even finish the second level. It was pretty bad. Multiplayer, from what I remember, is fun though (and you can get the achievements offline with bots, even though all of the freakin’ multiplayer achievements are grinding ones). Maybe worth a rental, or if you can get it for like $10, but seeing as how there are a bunch of better games out there for $10, you could even just skip this and call it a day…
Bottom Line: C
Noby Noby Boy
I liked Katamari Damacy. I hate this game. There is absolutely no point to this thing. Nothing. Katamari was weird, but at least it was fun. This isn’t fun. It’s just… Bleh…
Bottom Line: D
Lost: Via Domus
I’ve never seen a single episode of the TV series, but I’m pretty sure this game doesn’t do the series justice. It’s a horrible game, with pretty bad voice acting, awful writing, terrible game play, and the worst main character in recent memory that I can think of. There are no redeeming qualities about this game.
Bottom Line: F
Terminator: Salvation
The game wants to be Gears of War, and it fails in just about every way possible. It’s just not fun. The only bright spot is the fact that you can get all of the achievements just by beating the game once, and the game itself is very short. It’s still terrible, though.
Bottom Line: D
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Arguably the greatest first person shooter of all time, this game has it all: an amazing single player campaign that includes epic/intense gun fights, a gripping and unpredictable story, well-rounded and likable characters, an amazing soundtrack, and pitch perfect pacing combined with one of the best multiplayer components of all time. Infinity Ward has proven that they are one of the best developers out there, and this title is easily their magnum opus. With Modern Warfare 2 set to come out in just a few days, one can ask how they would ever be able to top themselves? Judging by the two most recent trailers, it looks like they’ve somehow found a way to do just that.
Bottom Line: S
As you can see, I’ve been playing a number of video games as of recent. There are a few gems here, but the majority of them are mediocre to shit. That’s mainly because of my GameFly account and choosing to rent a variety of titles that have easy trophies or achievements. A few of theses games, however, are titles I actually own and decided to replay for various reasons (MW, Uncharted, PDZ, BioShock).