Little Big Planet Review

Little Big Planet Review

"If you ever step on my patch, I'll bring you down, bring you down."

Game: Little Big Planet
Developer: Media Molecule
M.S.R.P: 17.99
Platform: PS3

This game has gone over my head for a while, but just recently I decided to give one of the opening titles for the PS3 library a chance. "Little Big Planet" is what many have called this generations Mario. Is this adorable game worth the cash in your pockets? Lets find out!

Story:

Little Big Planet has a simple enough story, you are a cute lil sackboy on an adventure that will take you all around the world of Little Big Planet. You will visit locations similair to New York, Mexico, India and Anartica, each with their own unique feeling that makes them part of Little Big Planet.

That's pretty much it. The game is pretty straightforward.

Grade: B

Gameplay:

Little Big Planet is essentially Super Mario styled gameplay at its core. You go from one end of the stage to the other, jumping, swinging and running past obstacles in your way. But its the little differences that make "Little Big Planet" something to remember. You are given a cute little sackboy to control and you can dress them to look however you want. Put a funny dress on him, a silly hat, make him a her, anything you want. It's apparent a lot of time and energy went into making this game so customizable and I for one am thankful for it.

A big part of "Little Big Planet" is the play, create and share aspect in which the game teaches you how to make your own levels from the ground up. You can then take your made levels and share them online. So its like Super Mario, but with the ability to create your own levels to be shared with the world. That is simply awesome, I can't deny that.

Grade: A

Graphics and Sound:

This game definitely has some of the catchiest, coolest songs I've ever heard. The music goes with themes of the levels perfectly. For the levels that take place in Africa, a real african soul beat by an african folk artist plays, and in the Mexico themed levels a real latin grammy winning song plays in the background. These are bits of music that I would have never heard if I didnt play Little Big Planet" and since then I'm happy I had.

The game itself has top of the line graphics and something about the screen makes me feel like im watching a blend between reality and game. True everything is cartoon like, but it's high def and random objects that appear in the game like lets say a shoe, look stunningly real. As if these levels were created by a child looking for a world for their doll to be in. Amazing.

Grade: A

Verdict:

This game is awesome and I don't know how I lived before playing it. Go buy it now!!!!

Final Grade: -A

Is it worth your money: I would've paid for this game at full price if I had known about it when it first came out. This is an unbelievable price for an unbelievable game.

Stars Aren't Worth This F.T.W

This F.T.W is called "Stars Aren't Worth This" a cute interpretation of the classic super mario games as one has to braze all sorts of crazy dangers to get a star. This game is brought to us by, "Cranktrain" on Addicting games.com

Online Game
Free to Play
No age rating

The controls for this game are simple, you move left and right and you jump. The character can also wall slide and jump from wall to wall. Your goal for every stage is to reach the star at the end and as the game goes on, the game gets more and more difficult. What begins as a simple mario like game, becomes a hellish torture like device to test your skills.

Definitely a game worth trying, at least once! And trust me, you will die....a lot.

ENJOY!!!

You can play "Stars Aren't Worth This" here:
http://www.addictinggames.com/action-games/stars-arent-worth-this-game.jsp

2am Truck Stop F.T.W

This F.T.W is called "2 am Truck Stop" and it is brought to us by "Adult Swim games". Its art style seems to be one of a drug trip and its gameplay is sure to keep you hooked.

Online Game
Free to play
No Age Rating / Mature Concepts and Themes

In this automatic side scrolling game you control an industrial trailer truck as it runs down highways to its destination. Using the guns that stick out of the top of your vehicle you must defend yourself from all the dangers that appear on the highway for truckers. Dangers such as pills, demonic coffee, and skull logos.

It's fun, trippy and colorful, definitely check it out.

ENJOY!!!

You can play "2 am Truck Stop" here:
http://games.adultswim.com/two-am-truck-stop-twitchy-online-game.html

Sonic Generations Review

Sonic Generations Review

"Follow me, set me free, trust in me and we'll escape from the city."

Game: Sonic Generations
Developer: Sega
Platforms: PS3 / Xbox 360
M.S.R.P: 29.99

Everyone's favorite blue hedgehog is back, but unless you've been under a rock it is a well known fact that recent Sonic games have, well, sucked. Sega is aware of this and has made its final attempt to give Sonic is old glory with Sonic Generations,  a game that combines the best of the new games with the best of the old school ones. Has Sonic finally reached his old glory or is this a game you should skip.

Story:

This sonic tale begins with a shadowy creature appearing before sonic and his friends at a party. The creature sucks up all of sonic's friends into a time vortex and sonic chases after him. However, this happens twice. The first time it is with new sonic, and all the new obnoxious friends he has made over the years and the second time occurs with good ol' sega genesis sonic when it was just him and tails. Sonic..or Sonics discover that this creature has altered both space and time and that they must go through memories from their past to rescue their friends.

While the plot is cheesy it serves its purpose in terms of a framing device. The point of the game is to highlight the best of Sonic over the years and in so the levels are all fan favorite levels from Sonic's past. The dialogue is cheesy and cutscenes are few, well few for sonic games. The game is Sonic at his bare minimum and it shows, and to be honest I'm not complaining.

Grade: C+

Gameplay:

The point of having two Sonics is that the game is played in two perspectives. One type of gameplay is new age sonic in which you run around at blazing fast a.d.h.d level speeds to reach the end of the level. The other is the strategic running around, classic sonic gameplay. The levels as aforementioned are based off of fan favorites and because there are two sonics one can play their favorite sonic levels in ways they have never seen before.

The game itself essentially works as a linear mission hub. You are in a huge white space with the levels hanging as backdrops in the background. You can then choose as which Sonic to play as for each level, and after completing a level as both sonics, little challenge missions open up. Completing most of these are optional but it unlocks concept art and alternate songs for levels if you do.

It is a fun and new way to do the series and I appreciated it.

Grade: B

Graphics and Sound:

Graphically its a very childish looking, colorful game. The game looks cool enough and it is kind of cool to see levels I grew up with, redone in glorious hd. The music is entirely based off of old favorites in the series, remixed / remastered. And I will say right now the tunes are as catchy now as they were then.

Grade: B+

Verdict:

I'm glad the Sonic series is finally getting good again. I actually really enjoyed playing this game though, it can seem a bit bland at times with its layout. But to be honest, when I reflect on the most recently released games it actually isn't too far from what has been put out before. If you havent picked up sonic since his sega genesis days I recommend giving this one a try, and if you love Sonic in general then this is a must have for your collection.

Final Grade: B

Is it worth your money: I'd wait for the price to drop a bit more, I would honestly pay 20.00 for this game.

Road of the Dead F.T.W

This F.T.W is a fun first person driving game called, "Road of the Dead" developed by "EvilDog"

Online Game
Free to play
Mature Age Rating

In Road of the Dead you play a survivor of the Zombie Apocolaypse as you try to make your way from city to city to stay alive. The game style is reminiscent of games from the NES era such as excite bike where one keeps going and going to avoid obstacles.

You must keep driving while avoiding obstacles to reach the next city, if you take too much damage your car will explode.

If your mood for something dark and different, check it out,

ENJOY!!!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/550714

Persona 3 F.E.S Review

Persona 3 F.E.S Review

"Get back here you son of a b----"

PSN re-release
Game: Persona 3 F.E.S
Developer: Atlus
M.S.R.P: 9.99
Platforms: Ps3

The persona series by Atlus has a massive cult following, they are little known RPG's that often place you in the perspective of a highschooler tasked between balancing school work and fighting demons. This game was originally released for the PS2 and is now available for download on PSN. Is this game worth it's asking price, or is it better left as a forgotten relic?

Story:

Persona 3 begins with you being a teen who has just transferred to a new school. The protagonist is silent in the hopes that you will feel like you are the individual himself. You begin the game by choosing your name and are told you will have one school year to overcome all the obstacles life has for you and to "use your heart as your guide."

The character is put in a dorm with other students who all attend a wealth private boarding school. All goes well until one night a dormmate kicks open your door at midnight and asks you to come with her, because your dorm is under attack. The two of you escape to the rooftop where you are attacked by creatures called shadows. The dormmate helping you, pulls out a gun and points it to her head and screams out, "Persona" but nothing happens. She becomes disarmed and so you take the gun and try it yourself, causing a god to appear before you and fight with you. Later that night your fellow dorm mates reveal to you that you were chosen for this dorm because you have the ability to summon these gods, these other forms of yourself called "Personas" and that they all have that ability and would like you to fight with them.

Every night at midnight there is a hidden hour that occurs where these demons appear and only those with the power of persona are awake to fight them. On top of that every night a giant tower appears in the middle of town, and they believe the answers for why the shadows and the secret hours appear must be at the top. You decide to help them climb this tower, balancing school and a social life as well to put an end to all this once and for all.

Interesting story huh? 


Grade: B+

Gameplay:

The game is a simple RPG with a social simulation aspect involved. At night, if you so choose you can climb the tower known as "Tartarus" to fight enemies and become stronger. During the day you attend class, hang out with friends, do homework or hang around town. Ya know, typical highschooler stuff.

This all takes place in the course of the year in game time and a day usually consists of going to school then doing at least two activities of your choice. So essentially you go to school, then hang out with people then go to "Tartarus", or go to school, spend time at an arcade then go home and study. When fighting the game is a turn based rpg, you and your dormmates make up your "party" (the groups of individuals who will fight with you every night). You can only control the main character in combat and the rest of your party is controlled by the games computer.

Your party members don't always make the smartest moves in battle but they are reliable enough and if you want them to focus on something especially (I.e; healing) you can command them to be the healer for most of the battle. Every turn you can only make one move but if you make a move that exploits an enemies weakness (i.e hitting a tree enemy with a fire attack) then your characters can do something called "AN ALL OUT ATTACK" where your party throws taking turns to the wind and bum rushes the enemy doing extra damage and not costing a turn.

Aside from that the game is essentially just walking around and talking to people. The better friendships you get the stronger you are in battle, and you can even date some of the people you are closest to. It becomes a weird cross between an rpg and a social sim and it really makes the highschool experience seem a lot more fun than it is in reality?

Did I also mention you take midterms???

Grade: B+

Graphics and Sound

Being a port of a PS2 game the graphics are a bit outdated. The game is mostly cell shaded but even so, its art style shows its age horribly. There is a lot of hand drawn art in the game as well however,  like when people talk / descriptions of personas and they still look amazing.

The music in the game can be catchy especially the battle music. All the tracks are memorable and given that this is a game from way way back and the tracks still got stuck in my head from time to time, thats saying something.

Grade: B

Verdict:

I say get this game because you will never play anything like it. The dialogue is believable and witty and you will find yourself caring and falling in love with the characters in this world. It is blaintantly apparent the developers spent alot of time making this game and it shows, this is definetely something to pick up. This version also comes with the add on "The Answer" which takes place a few months after the end of the game adding another 20 hours to gameplay. All this for such a meager price should not be passed up.

Final Grade: B+

Is it worth your money: Yes, for 9.99 it's a steal.

Angry Bees F.T.W

For this F.T.W Im going to introduce a cute and fun, wave shooter. This week's F.T.W is "Angry Bees" brought to us by developers, "Shahsoft" and "c0rupt3d"

Online Game
Free to play
No age rating

In this simple wave shooter you are the King of the Bees. Your fellow bees had worked for you day and night creating honey for you, but now have started an uprising to take all the honey away from you. You must defend your crown and honey but shooting down and killing any bees that come towards your glob of honey.

The game is a wave shooter, if you are unfamiliar with the term it essentially means enemies will keep coming to you in wave after waves and you have to try to last as long as you can. You are given a handgun and everytime you complete a wave the game gives you the option to upgrade to use more powerful weapons. All you need to do is click at an enemy and keep clicking until they're dead.

Sounds fun, no?

ENJOY!!!

You can play "Angry Bees" here:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/593406

Alan Wake Review

Alan Wake Review

"I know everyone says this, but Mr. Wake, I am your biggest fan."

Game: Alan Wake
Developer: Remedy
Rating: Teen
Platform: Xbox 360
M.S.R.P: 19.99

This is another game that I am late to the party on. However I have just recently purchased a 360 and felt compelled to review what is apparently a cult exclusive for the system. Taking the genre of survival horror to a new perspective, Alan Wake promises to be a game you will never forget. Is this game truly something to remember, or is it b rate game with the same gags over and over.

Story:

The story of Alan Wake follows a successful writer who is plunged into these unfortunate circumstances. Times are hard for Mr. Wake as he has had writer's block for several months now and can't seem to even be able to write a page. He then decides to go on vacation with his wife to a quiet little mountain town to recharge his creative chi. Upon traveling to his destination Mr. Wake has a dream that he accidentally hits someone with his car. The person turns out to be a character from his novels and then proceeds to chases him with an axe. A light intervenes telling him that the man is possessed by darkness and only light can save him.

Mr. Wake then wakes up and finds that he had been napping, and he and his wife have arrived. Upon going to their lodge, while Alan is outside during the night he hears a struggle and his wife screaming. He soon cannot find her, and on top of that the power and telephone lines are down. Alan must venture into the forests to reach the town to get help, but in the forest people are waiting, shrouded in darkness to kill him. Alan must brave these people who are possesed by darkness if he has any hope of saving his wife.

This is an interesting story, I will give it that much but it is VERY reminiscent of "Silent hill". Silent hill if you are unfamiliar is a popular game in the survival horror genre, in which an ordinary individual is trapped in a foggy town of sadism, blood and macabre. Alan wake carries that same feel but more....g rated. When enemies are around the world gets dark and hazy, almost fog like, just like in "Silent Hill" and even the set up itself is essentially the same as the first "Silent Hill" as well. A man trying to find his wife yada yada yada. There are many more similarities that I won't go into, but so far nothing feels completely genuine about the game.

Grade: C

Gameplay:

The gameplay, at least to me feels broken to a fault, but is still playable. Alan has a few simple actions, jumping, shooting, and flashing his light from his flashlight at enemies. The game also calls for some quick time event actions when doing things like starting generators and moving objects but that's about it for the controls.There are no health items but Alan can recover health by standing under a street light for a few moments, because he is surrounded by darkness and darkness possessed enemies lights are the only "safe havens" in the game.

The shooting style slightly reminds me of Shadows of the damned, except more annoying. To even do damage to an enemy Alan must flash his flashlight at an enemy for a good couple of seconds until the darkness has completely left their body. Then you have to immediately switch over to your gun to shoot at the enemies a good couple of times before they die. It just strikes me as a really annoying and time consuming way to kill enemies, the flash light idea is cool I will admit, but how long it takes....isnt.

Now the reason I found the gameplay broken is that in every enemy scenario it is either ridiculously easy or obnoxiously hard. In most games a player has the choice to run or fight the enemies head on, yet that is not the case in Alan Wake. When enemies appear the game usually alerts you from afar giving you ample time to get the drop on enemies making them nothing more than a slight inconvenience.There is no challenge because you can do so much damage from so far. And yet, if one wants to conserve their ammo and instead run past them into the light the enemies are relentless. If you have more than one enemy coming for you and you didnt shoot them from far away, and are running from them, consider your ass grass. I died on multiple occasions from waiting too long to fire my gun in the hoops of just running past the combat. If all you are supposed to do is shoot things and run then its not a survival horror, its just an unconventional shooter.

Grade: C-

Graphics and Sound:

Here is where I have to admit Alan Wake does alot of things right. The graphics for the game are beautiful, the landscape is very life like and believable and all the tiny detail in the game's enviornment really shine. There is some oddity with the character models as the faces do look real when still, but when animated such as talking, or walking it is impossible to not be aware that you are playing a game.

The game thrives on the atmosphere it creates of the dark silent mountain town. I found myself turning around with my flashlight and gun ready to what I thought was an enemy, but turns out it was only just a tree. The environment is truly something deserving of praise, its just a shame the rest of the game doesn't live up to it.

Sound is alright, there's nothing to memorable about the music as it is a horror game. The games sound effects while effectively creating the ambience of an evil town, just gets annoying after a while. Hearing the wind blow heavily and almost statically caused me to turn down my speakers after a while because it wasn't luring me in more, just bugging me.

Grade: B

Verdict:

If your a fan of the genre I say check it out. However I'll be honest, I was bored. It didn't engage me for the entire run through, and while it does alot of things right I couldn't help but say, "so....what." Alan Wake does what other games have done before, and doesn't even do them better, it does them slightly worse. The enivornment is the only thing this game has going for it, and its a shame it was wasted on such a poorly executed game such as this.

Final Grade: C

Is it worth your money: Even at 19.99 I feel kinda cheated. I mean if you haven't played survival horror before then you can have a lot of fun with this game. But if you have...your better off just buying one of the new "Silent Hills".

UNO F.T.W

Everyone loves UNO, so why not play it online when your bored at work/ home! This F.T.W is "UNO ONLINE" brought to us by "HitPointStudios"

Online Game
Free
No age rating

In this version of UNO you play against 4 computerized opponents as you try to be the first person with no cards left. You play uno by stacking cards on top of each other based on either color or number. So if there is a yellow eight on the table and its your turn, you can put down an eight of any color, or a yellow card of any number. When you are down to your last card you have to hit the UNO button and then try to put your final card down.

No brainer if you played this before. Have fun!

ENJOY!!!!

You can play UNO online here:
http://www.gamehouse.com/online-games/uno-online

Fallout 3 Review

Fallout 3 Review

"War never Changes"

Game: Fallout 3
Developer: Bethesda Works
Rating: Mature
Platforms: Xbox 360 / Ps3 / PC
MSRP: 9.99

I do realize I am a bit late to the party on this one. Fallout was a game I was told about so much and I never cared to try it until recently. When "Skyrim" came out (a game by the same developer but set in a mystical dragon fantasy setting) I was told that If I liked "Skyrim" I would love "Fallout". Well I hated "Skyrim", but I found myself really digging "Fallout". Is this game worth your time? We'll find out right now.

Story:

Fallout's charm lies in its aethestics and story telling. The game itself is retro armagedon, in the sense that the style of the game is what the 50's thought the end of the world would be like. In this world, the cold war ended up with nukes hitting all the countries, ushering us into what humanity calls the wasteland. Nothing grows really, and survivors have to scavenge and fight each other to survive. Before the war began however the U.S government built safehouses or Vaults to keep a select few groups of society intact for when they would be needed to repopulate the planet. You play as an inhabitant of one of these vaults, the war has been over for at least 100 years but no one you know how dared to go outside. You, of course have to.

The character you control is speechless and of your own design. When talking to people the game gives you a wide list of things to say as a response to most things, meaning that you control the character's destiny, actions and story. In turn this engages the player to the story more because the game is trying to make you one with the character your controlling. The main quest of the game is to find your dad who escaped the vault and that simple task will take you on some wacky adventures until you find him. Fallout is the kind of game in which you reap what you sow, the more time you spend playing it, the more rewarded you will feel afterwards with the stories and events it throws at you.

Grade: B+

Gameplay:

This is by far one of the most violent games I've ever played, way past "Grand Theft Auto". As an inhabitant of this world you can explore the wasteland ruins of what was once Washington D.C and its surrounding towns and countryside. There are about 3-4 places that act as towns where you are safe and can get rest, and buy weapons. The rest of this world wants you dead, enslaved or to eat you. Everything in this game is your enemy, from radioactive flys, to overgrown crabs and even other canibalistic humans want your blood. And the game gives you an arsenal of weapons to fight back with, like Ak-47's, machine guns, grenades and bats. As the game goes on you can level up your character and make them stronger with certain weapons giving you a customizeable edge, but in the beginning most things can kill you easily.

Running with the plot the game implements a karma system. Depending on your actions in the world you can either by loved by the world, or feared by it. Most significant actions fall under the frames of good or evil and when you fall into the extreme of either category, perks happen. For example if your really good, people will bring you food and give you free items. Or even simply give quest objectives to you instead of having to run around for them. When your evil some of the bad characters instead of attacking you will revere you and people become easier to rob. Either way you choose to play the game is up to you, it is fun however to see that every action has a consequence in ways that arent clear at first.

Grade: B+

Graphics and Sound:

This is an incredibly gorgeous game to look at, even now. Released in 2008 all the detail in the game still shines as if it were made this year. There is some oddities with how humans are made however, when people talk to you they stay perfectly still and only their lips move, but aside from that most of the game seems very lifelike.

The music of the game is provided by a little handheld computer the character carries. Being that the bombs dropped in the 50's all thats left of the worlds music are hits from the 50's. The soundtrack has songs from "Billie Holliday" and the "Inkspots" to name a few. Dont know who they are? Play this game for a few hours and you will and you will love them.

Grade: B

Verdict:

This isnt a shock to those who already own this game, but Fallout is amazing. I'm late to the party I realize but it really is something that you don't quite get too often these days. While it may not be as expansive as "Skyrim" I found myself caring about this world and the setting alot more than I did about the former. This game is grand and if you haven't played it yet, go to gamestop right now and buy it.

Final Grade: B+

Is this game worth your money?: For 10 bucks its a steal right now.

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!! F.T.W

I don't usually like to do console games for my F.T.W's but this game is so quick, short and awesome I had to put it up. This is a game from the Xbox live arcade entitled , "I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!" by "Independent Ska Studios" and it is awesome.

Xbox live arcade
1.00
No age rating

This is a simple shooter that gets needlessly complex over time. You begin the game by shooting zombies in a grass field, the zombies change into weird symbolic snakes, then into zombies then into weird seizure inducing diamonds. The background of the game itself becomes all techno like and it becomes incredibly hard to see while you are playing, in the sense that you cant tell what an enemy is from the background.

The game is simple but really fun. The highlight of the game, and the reason why I gave it a chance has to do with the song that plays in the first round. Rather than leave you with a two images, I'm leaving you all with a music video of the song that plays. It is awesome, and yes it was written by the games creator.




Did I also mention this game is just one man's project? Pretty sick.

Axon F.T.W

This game I came across while being bored and unemployed. Don't worry Im job hunting :D. This game has to have been made by science nerds, and yet it is so addicting and simple.  This F.T.W is called "Axon" brought to us by "WellcomeCollection"

Online Game
Free to Play
No rating

Axon is simply the tale of a neuron trying to get bigger. You control the neuron as it eats protein cells and fights against the other neurons to consume the most before it dies out. Yep.

The game is actually a really simple point and click game. When you devour a protien a circle appears, you need to click on another protein within that circle before the circle shrivels up and dies. So it becomes a fast reaction clicking game. There are protein "powerups" that will enable you to collect a massive amount of proteins in a short amount of time AND there are proteins that increase the size of your ring.

Its a cool game albeit dorky concept , and if you have a moment you should check it out!

ENJOY!!!

You can play "Axon" here:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/592325

Draw Something F.T.W

I found out about this on my last day at my job. And no I wasn't fired for gaming, I quit because I was starting to do shitty in all of my classes. Anyway my boss introduces this game to me and I may very well be the last person to jump on the bandwagon but I decided to put it up anyway. This game is called "Draw Something" brought to us by "OMGPOP"

Iphone App
Free
No age rating

This game is essentially pictionary. The game pairs you with another person playing the game (you can choose a friend with the app or a stranger) and then gives you prompts of what to draw. You choose one and draw it out.  That drawing is then sent to the other player and if they guess what you're drawing right, then you both win points. This goes back and forth and after a while you realize theres more fun in simply drawing than the points.

This game is simple and addictive. You use your fingers on your touch screen to draw, and the game gives you options on how you want the lines you draw to come out. (I.e; Thickness and what color) By getting more points you can unlock more colors, but I never cared to.

It's free to play so get to it.

Arkedo Pixel Review

Pixel Review

"Meow"

Game: Arkedo Series 003 Pixel
Developer: Arkedo
Rating: Unrated
Platforms: Xbox 360
M.S.R.P: 200 live points (5.00)

This time I decided to do something different and review some of the games from the Xbox live arcade. On a whim I chose the game "Pixel" because it looked funky. Now this isnt a standard game so the review is going to be shorter than usual but it should still be a fun little romp. Lets take a look.

Story:

In "Pixel" you are a cat going on an adventure. That is essentially it. I suppose in a sense it accomplishes what it needs to. Giving you an excuse to be cute running around a world.

Grade: C

Gameplay:

"Pixel" is essentially "Super Mario" through and through. You jump on top of enemies to kill them and try to make it to the goal at the end of the stage. There are no power-ups in "Pixel", however for killing 5 enemies in a row, the player gets a MEOWWW attack that kills enemies for you with the cats voice.

In the course of the game you travel through 6 levels, from a house to a garden, to a cave and etc etc. Now despite being a platformer there is a puzzle element to it. To get past certain areas you have to enter a kind of mini game, the mini game usually requires you to run through a maze and reach the goal before time runs out. They are quirky and cute, but can be unnecessarily hard from time to time.

Grade: B

Graphics and Sound:

This game looks like something out of an oldschool gameboy with a newschool feel. The environment and the characters are all made of white pixels against blue backgrounds and it looks cool. Simplistic but beautiful. Definetely a purposeful retro vibe.

The music is catchy in the first level, but thats about it. In terms of being something in  the background, the songs afterwards arent annoying, just not really memorable.

Grade: B-

Verdict:

This game is pretty cool as a fun minigame to have around on your Xbox, and believe me you can do alot worse than this game. If you have live points to spare, I say get it.

Final Grade: C+

Is it worth your money: For that price, yes Id say so.

Heavy Rain Review

Heavy Rain Review

"How far would you go to save your son?"

Game: Heavy Rain
Developer: Quantic Dream
Rating: Mature
Platforms: Ps3
M.S.R.P: 29.99

Never in the entirety of my life had I played a game that had got me so emotionally invested in the characters in a way that "Heavy Rain" does. This is not your typical game, if anything it is an interactive movie that blows you away. I'm going to review this all for you, but let me say now, this game is art. Like drama movie that you dont expect to make you cry, but it does, art.

Story:

The story of "Heavy Rain" falls on deeply mature themes, ones not touched upon in video games before. "Heavy Rain" is the story of four people whose lives become entangled with a tragedy going on in their community. There is a man kidnapping children, drowning the bodies and leaving an origami on their corpse. No one has been able to catch him before he has killed a child, and the game has you unravel the mystery to find out who the culprit is.

As aforementioned you play as four different characters. (You take control of one every chapter.) They are: A father whose son gets kidnapped, a journalist writing about the case, a FBI Agent sent to investigate, and a private investigator who is paid by the families to find the killer. Each story and driving force behind the characters are rich and compelling and you will want to see their stories till the end.

Grade: B+

Gameplay:

The gameplay of Heavy Rain is different, in the sense that the game is essentially quick time events. If you are unfamiliar, QTE's are essentially button prompts, so when a game tells you to hit the A button before the timer runs out...thats a QTE. Heavy Rain is nothing but those, but in a way that is engaging. After a while it becomes really fun and intuitive to do the actions the game wants you to do. That is not to say that it isn't always perfect. There were times where I would mess up scenes because the actions the controls wanted you to take were a bit too complicated...even for me. But I will say this, there is a scene where a finger gets hand sawn off, and you have to do the motions...I have never been so squeamish or engaged in anything so much my whole life.

Another interesting addition to the game is that the characters do come across situations that can kill them. Now of course you as the player are trying your best to not have them die, but you can choose to have certain characters be killed off. There is no game over screen the narrative just keeps going. So once one has beaten the game, they can go back and see what happens if certain characters weren't alive at certain parts in the game and see how it all pans out. It makes the game very engaging and worth multiple play throughs.

Grade: B+

Graphics and Sound:

If your familiar with "L.A Noire", then you must know about motion scan. Motion scan is a new tool used by developers to capture real actors faces and translate them into 3D environments with astounding accuracy. Like "L.A Noire", "Heavy Rain" uses that same technology in its gameplay and it looks amazing. The game has trillions of little details that look gorgeous when playing through. Sure there are some oddities (I.e; when someone isnt a central character they clearly look fake/ made up) but the environment, the tiny objects and even the rain look life like.

The soundtrack is alright. There is nothing that I would rush to download, but it does its job as being an atmospheric addition to the game.

Grade: B-

Verdict:

This game is an art project, and while I have been tooting its horn the game is like a movie. Once you find out who's behind the crimes, the plot actually doesnt change. There isnt anything you can do to make it a different person, as a result the replay value, while fun at first dies out quickly. Sure there are different scenes but once you know who it is, the suspense kinda dies. A great game however, and it should be experienced at least once.

Final Grade: B

Is it worth your money: I would rent it to be honest, it can be beaten in two days sitting. If you like it enough, buy it of course. But if you find its not for you, I wouldn't blame you.

GTA IV Complete Edition Review

Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition

"I'm looking for that special someone."

Game: Grand Theft Auto IV& Episodes from Liberty City
Developer: Rockstar North
Rating: Mature
Platforms: Xbox 360 & PS3
M.S.R.P: 39.99

Ever since Rockstar announced "GTA V" people have been eagerly awaiting more details about the upcoming entry. Besides a trailer being released, the most info we have to go on are rumors and lies spread by fans. I for one am excited to see the next chapter in the GTA universe and I am celebrating with GTA IV the complete edition. Originally released in 2008, this edition carries both the original story of IV and the add ons, "The Ballad of Gay Tony" and "The Lost and The Damned". Is this a joy ride you should pay for? We'll find out.

Story:

There are three stories to GTA IV told by different protagonists which intertwine at different points. The original story of GTA IV revolves around a serbian immigrant named Niko Bellic. He arrives at Liberty City (a city fashioned after New York) to start life anew away from the debt he owed mobsters in Europe. Living with his cousin he hopes to have an honest job, however his cousins gambling addiction and debts lure Niko back into a life of crime, to which he and his cousin must do their best to survive in a city where money is everything.

The writing is spectacular and the game is the most mature entry in the series to date. While there is still alot of the GTA society satire to be found, in terms of how Niko interacts with the world is more realistic than cartoony. The game is essentially a commentary on the American way of life, its capitalistic greed, its unrealistic oppourtunities. While all GTA games require one to suspend their disbelief,  GTA IV unlike the last games doesn't feel like too far of a stretch. You sympathize with this character and in the end, you want him to win, which is a rarity for the jerks the series usually has you control.

Grade: A

Gameplay:

The gameplay has remained, in principal relatively the same since GTA III. In an open world map you control the character and the game allows you to go anywhere you please. You steal cars to get to locations faster, or take cabs or trains. And yet there are tiny details the game goes for, that make it a memorable experience. The streets are populated with pedestrains who will do everything from, carrying a bag of groceries, talking on celphones, having conversations or even being bums sleeping under some shade. One can walk down the street and get hot dogs, pay a subway musician some change or even simply take a train ride. This game has a massive potential of violence to be sure, but the creators went up and beyond to make this feel like a real breathing world, and it shows.

In terms of combat, the series has finally been upgraded. In this entry you can autolock onto enemies easier and a dynamic cover system has been put in place. Litterally anything you see in the city you can use as cover in a gun fight. (From a nearby dumpster to the car your driving). Driving itself has also changed as the shoulder buttons now accelarte and decelerate the car to create a more realistic feel. ( As opposed to the usual buttons) There are also tons of mini games to play, like bowling, darts and pool and each have so much detail they can be games on their own. If you played GTA before you know what to expect and you will have a blast.

Grade: A

Graphics and sound:

Unfortunately the graphics in GTA IV are starting to look a little dated. While this version of GTA IV actually upscales the details to a degree (yes there is a noticeable difference in this version compared to a regular version of gta) when compared to more recent games like Red Dead Redemption or even Mass Effect 3, the game does not look as spectacular as it did when it first game out. That is not to say that it isn't still stunning, it merely got old.

The music however is why I run to buy GTA games when they first come out. The games radio stations have the greatest songs ever made and fit the atmosphere the game is trying to make. It plays everything from cool jazz to indie rock, to kanye west hip hop and even bob marley. The music and sounds will blow you away and that is something that has to be considered.

Grade: B

Verdict:

Buy this game. If you already have GTA IV and the dlc episodes, then I suppose it is a waste of money to buy it again. However if you havent, sell your GTA IV copy and pick up this one. (Especially f you havent even played GTA IV yet) get this and you wont regret it.

Final Grade: A-

Is it worth your money: If you're new to the series yes! If you already own all the episodes and an original disc, save your money.

Grand Theft Auto 3 F.T.W

Its time, that long last boring hour at work with your mind at boredoms edge. Here is this friday's F.T.W, "Grand Theft Auto 3 : 10 Year Anniversary" for Iphone/ Ipad brought to us by "Rockstar Games"

Iphone Game
9.99
Rating: Mature Content and Themes

Unless you've been living under a rock, this is one of the single most important video games of the last century. Grand Theft Auto revolutionized the now overdone concept of "Open world" gaming. Without it there would be no Assassin's Creed, no Saints Row, no Batman Arkham City etc. And despite all the protests from parents at the time the game is pretty tame compared to most violent games now. If you're looking for a trip down memory lane look no further.

Although this game is a ps2 port the graphics have been upscaled, with the controls tweaked for iphone. Most commands are touch sensitive with an icon on screen representing the ps2 equivalent. To be honest the controls take some time to get used to, but after a while it is still as immersive now as it was then. A fun mafiaoso game everyone should try out. So if you have an Iphone....whats stopping you.

ENJOY!!!

JS Gameboy Color Game Center F.T.W

I came across this link from a friend and this is by far the greatest online program I have ever come across. I can barely contain my excitement, but this is without a doubt the greatest time waster of them all. I give you, "JS Gameboy Color Game Center"

Online Game(s)
Free to play

Some of you may be familiar with emulators and or roms. In the gaming world when a game is ripped and its data is placed into a computer file it is called a rom. The programs that run these roms are called emulators. In most cases you have to go around downloading the roms and emulators you want from different sources. This program eliminates all that and lets you play your favorite games from the gameboy golden age for free.

So if you want to play some classic Zelda or Mario while your killing time at work go ahead. I find it works best on Google Chrome.

ENJOY!!!

You can play "JS Gameboy Color Game Center" here:

http://gamecenter.grantgalitz.org/