Konfucius Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 The Wheelman Although it uses the Havoc physics engine, the engine was tuned to Vin Diesel physics meaning everything explodes and you can do things that are not physically possible. For instance setting your car to the side by a meter to ram enemies. It is great fun though only shame is that everything looks a bit sterile and the graphics aren't very good either. Driving is very simple yet very fun and although it has the obligatory shootout the focus is really on killing the enemies with your car or just getting from A to B. The controls are responsive but as I said the driving physics are "special". Still somehow just driving around and doing shit really reminds me of GTA 2 which I loved exactly for that. 7/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
or else you will DIE Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 (edited) Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow a step up from HoD. it was the only GBA castlevania game that i missed out on when it was first released. incredibly fun to play. up there with CotM for me. 8/10 Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow i can understand this game a bit more now that i have played AoS, as story wise it never really made much sense to me. i don't know if it's because i've played this game so many times, but it just seems a bit boring to me now. i really wasn't interested in getting the best ending. i'm not a fan of the wwhole Anime art style either. it really isn't necessary. i also hated the way you upgraded your weapons. it really didnt make much sense to me until the end. a good game, not the best. 6/10 Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin a nice concept going on here. having different sub areas makes the game feel a little bigger than it would have been if it was just the castle. the sub areas are pretty linear, but i don't think there was much that could be done. again, not a fan of the anime art style, but this was a good game. a nice direction. 7.5/10 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia this is probably the second worst game i have ever played in my life. this game is just a chore. everything is so boring i just wanted to get it over with. i really didn't feel like doing some extra fighting to gain some exp. i just wanted it over for the sake of completion. first of all, the weapons just suck. i find the ones with high strength are weak against many enemies, and the ones with little strength somehow do the most damage. what kinda of sense does that make? also, your main weapon should NOT use up your MP. MP is for subweapons. it is such a pain in the ass when i'm fighting a boss or even an enemy, and i gotta sit and wait for my MP to fill up so i can continue the fight. second of all, why can i not buy potions? im sorry but i dont really want to have to keep buying meat that only restores 29hp. i know you randomly find potions in chests, but thats just it, you find them randomly. if i got an annoying boss coming up (which is likely), i'd like to store up on some health. then you got all this "bring me ______ and i'll make ____". you put all the effort in finding materials, but no, you still gotta buy the thing. you'll be getting more items in soon, mr store owner? well i'm like 90% through the game and you still have the same 8 items. fuck you. also, the food. corn soup? milk? coffee? minestrone? what the fuck does any of this do? does it recover my HP or MP? you'd think it would say in the description, but no, it just tells you what it is. why the fuck would i care that the milk is low fat (2% to be exact)? why cant you just tell me what it does. some of the areas are identical to others, just a different colour. how incredibly lazy. there are also areas that are just straight, go from left to right (or right to left). seriously, i fail to see the point. there was a part in the game, after a long ass fight with Albus, the old man tells you to use a "Union Attack" using the Dominus glyphs. what is a union attack, and how do you do it. every time i tried, pressing any button combination i could, i died. you got a "weapon" that not only depletes your MP, but half of your HP aswell per blow. so i die, and it doesn't just tell me to do it again, oh no, i gotta go and fight that asshole Albus again. very nice. i finally get to draculas castle and wow, there must be no more than 6 different enemies in the whole thing. and the map is such a mess, it doesn't resemble a castles layout at all. now for the bosses, if you are going to make them incredibly hard to defeat, at least give us the option to skip their "introduction". how many more times do i have to watch this guy transform / create a shadow? its crap what a shitty, shitty game. by FAR the worst castlevania game. i never want to play it again. 1/10 the only reason i give it a 1 is because the art is quite nice. Edited December 30, 2009 by or else you will DIE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipaul Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Infamous I just completed this game last night and I really enjoyed it My only real gripe with it was the story, about halfway through it just became completely convoluted and seemed to lose anything it had going for it. The power ups are fairly creative, the missions are nearly all fun and interesting, getting around the city is incredibly fun and easy. It just does so much right. The karma system is quite nice, but you are very rarely inclined to choose anything other than what you are already doing - you're either entirely nice or entirely evil. I really like the addition of the 'dead drops' that you can find, it adds to the atmosphere nicely - even if it does copy Bioshock a bit. On a side note, I felt a bit silly because I had changed the difficulty to hard without realizing and had to do the final boss on that difficulty as a result. Oh well. I chose to do the game as a Hero first, mainly to spite the title/marketing of the game. Good thing I did that one on medium, have started playing through on hard but evil and it doesn't seem to have changed much in difficulty really. 85/100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goafer Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Rock Band 2 The best rhythm game I've played so far. I love how the career has events like earning a new vehicle to get you to further away gigs instead of just the play here, then there, then the next level etc. I like the idea of fans as well. More fame = better venues. I always feel myself having to balance money and fame. Do I sell out to get more money, or do benefit gigs to get more fans? I love it. Also love that you can actually pick your own band members this time (took me a while to find out how though). Definately makes it feel like your part of a band, rather than just a hobo guitarist. The only bad point is, it's come too late. I'm already partly bored of guitar games. If this was the first one I'd played, I'd never put it down. But as it is, I'll probably get bored pretty quick. 9/10 While it lasts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Uncharted 2, 8.8 Great. A very enjoyable game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcj metroid Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow a step up from HoD. it was the only GBA castlevania game that i missed out on when it was first released. incredibly fun to play. up there with CotM for me. 8/10 Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow i can understand this game a bit more now that i have played AoS, as story wise it never really made much sense to me. i don't know if it's because i've played this game so many times, but it just seems a bit boring to me now. i really wasn't interested in getting the best ending. i'm not a fan of the wwhole Anime art style either. it really isn't necessary. i also hated the way you upgraded your weapons. it really didnt make much sense to me until the end. a good game, not the best. 6/10 Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin a nice concept going on here. having different sub areas makes the game feel a little bigger than it would have been if it was just the castle. the sub areas are pretty linear, but i don't think there was much that could be done. again, not a fan of the anime art style, but this was a good game. a nice direction. 7.5/10 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia this is probably the second worst game i have ever played in my life. this game is just a chore. everything is so boring i just wanted to get it over with. i really didn't feel like doing some extra fighting to gain some exp. i just wanted it over for the sake of completion. first of all, the weapons just suck. i find the ones with high strength are weak against many enemies, and the ones with little strength somehow do the most damage. what kinda of sense does that make? also, your main weapon should NOT use up your MP. MP is for subweapons. it is such a pain in the ass when i'm fighting a boss or even an enemy, and i gotta sit and wait for my MP to fill up so i can continue the fight. second of all, why can i not buy potions? im sorry but i dont really want to have to keep buying meat that only restores 29hp. i know you randomly find potions in chests, but thats just it, you find them randomly. if i got an annoying boss coming up (which is likely), i'd like to store up on some health. then you got all this "bring me ______ and i'll make ____". you put all the effort in finding materials, but no, you still gotta buy the thing. you'll be getting more items in soon, mr store owner? well i'm like 90% through the game and you still have the same 8 items. fuck you. also, the food. corn soup? milk? coffee? minestrone? what the fuck does any of this do? does it recover my HP or MP? you'd think it would say in the description, but no, it just tells you what it is. why the fuck would i care that the milk is low fat (2% to be exact)? why cant you just tell me what it does. some of the areas are identical to others, just a different colour. how incredibly lazy. there are also areas that are just straight, go from left to right (or right to left). seriously, i fail to see the point. there was a part in the game, after a long ass fight with Albus, the old man tells you to use a "Union Attack" using the Dominus glyphs. what is a union attack, and how do you do it. every time i tried, pressing any button combination i could, i died. you got a "weapon" that not only depletes your MP, but half of your HP aswell per blow. so i die, and it doesn't just tell me to do it again, oh no, i gotta go and fight that asshole Albus again. very nice. i finally get to draculas castle and wow, there must be no more than 6 different enemies in the whole thing. and the map is such a mess, it doesn't resemble a castles layout at all. now for the bosses, if you are going to make them incredibly hard to defeat, at least give us the option to skip their "introduction". how many more times do i have to watch this guy transform / create a shadow? its crap what a shitty, shitty game. by FAR the worst castlevania game. i never want to play it again. 1/10 the only reason i give it a 1 is because the art is quite nice. you're order is scewed up.. Saying that protrait of ruin is better than the other 2 is ridiculous. THAT was the worst. for OOE I'll agree with your union part. Very badly explained but a lot of your other points are just nit-picking. NOT Being able to skip intros is very annoying but A lot of japanese games do that. I found myself going through that shit with resident evil 5 even. The glyphs gave you powers no other game could and the game wasn't THAT hard. I mean it's harder than the other 2 but they were piss easy. The weapons don't suck you just need to find a good balance and weapon combination... Its all organising and the game has more strategy than the others. It's actually one of my favourite castlevania games to be honest. At least it had different environments and wasnt based in the same damn castle for the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I've played all of the games I got for Christmas properly so now I'm gonna rate them not from first impressions but as a whole. Devil May Cry 4 Great graphics and the cutscenes are just stunning. The boss battles are brilliant and I love the design of the weapons too. I prefer playing as Nero to Dante though which I thought I wouldn't see myself saying that. Better than I thought it would be. The only criticism I have is the camera angles. 9/10 Mirror's Edge Disappointing. The first few levels are fantastic and then it all goes downhill from there. The designs are still nice but the storyline just gets stupid. Plus sometimes the controls can be dodgy, affecting either my time on a time trial or a speedrun. 6/10 Ninja Gaiden II Just like DMC4, it's beautiful. Love almost everything about it. I have no criticism so far for it. 9/10 Def Jam: Icon Very disappointed in this game but at the same time I'm not. I thought it would be awesome but the controls are very complicated half of the time and the responses are slow sometimes. Other than that, the story mode is entertaining enough to play and the graphics are brilliant but it doesn't exactly have that replay factor like the other games do (and I love beat 'em ups). After completing the game, I can't see myself playing it again. 4/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mundi Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 You have no criticism over Ninja Gaiden 2? Just started playing it a few days ago and I must ask if your high while playing it, because the camera is fucking abysmal! As much as I like it, when the camera decides that I should exclusively look at a brick wall while I´m fighting giant wolfs that want to tear me a new asshole. I get very tempted to put the game into my toaster and cackle madly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 You have no criticism over Ninja Gaiden 2?Just started playing it a few days ago and I must ask if your high while playing it, because the camera is fucking abysmal! As much as I like it, when the camera decides that I should exclusively look at a brick wall while I´m fighting giant wolfs that want to tear me a new asshole. I get very tempted to put the game into my toaster and cackle madly. I haven't had that problem yet tbh. The camera's always been alright for me, it hasn't gotten in the way at all yet. Then again, I am on chapter 2 so it might get worse... DMC4 pisses me off for the camera. When you run somewhere, it decides to move and also steers your character away from where you want to go for a bit so you're forever adjusting (like you run to a door and it changes camera angle and your character follows it until you move the LS...can get irritating when fighting enemies) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksnowman Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Pro Evo 2010 on PS3. I like it more than Fifa. It feels different to the PS2 Pro Evo's which is both a good and bad thing. It seems tougher to score but is pretty satisfying when you manage it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce_LiNk Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Dead Space: Extraction I know this game isn't or won't be for everyone, but it really is ticking all the right boxes for me. The more I play eet, the more I'm getting sucked in and the more I want to play. I haven't played that many light-gun games in the past. A few over the years, but I missed HotD: Overkill and I only borrowed Umbrella Chronicles for a short time, so my experience on the Wii is quite limited with this. But, I have to say that it works for me. It pretty much feels like you're being walked through a film, but you're never certain what's around the next corridor or through the next door. That works for me. There's one great part where you're going through a set of Air Vents, and I just screamed out "ALIIIIEEEEN!" when playing. A very tense part of the game, because of the reduced lighting, the claustrophobia, and the segments where you hear the creatures but are not quite sure where they are. For me, it's a 9/10 game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkjak Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Perfect Dark After christmas my stepfathers family came over. Me and Adam, who'se going to start the same course in game design as I'm studying right now decided to play something. With my GC only having one controller and my Wii, Dreamcast and 360 being in Skövde, there was only one choice: the N64. We played through a bunch of games before getting to Perfect Dark. It's 2 years since I last touched the game, and what a great game it is. While I've grown boored with the single player missions, I must say that the multiplayer is an example for modern games to take after. The multiplayer settings are limitless, with the inclusion of bots, the ability to create custom characters, custom weapon sets, saveable scenarios and a shitload of maps. When playing the combat simulator alone with the High Resolution mode activated, I noticed that the graphics haven't actually aged that badly. While the framerate isn't the best, most of the graphics look alright. If someone would port this over to the Wii with higher resolution, smoother framerate, Wiimote support and online modes and PERHAPS improved character models, this would be the best FPS on the Wii! 8/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the great Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 assassins creed 2 really good game, vast improvment over the first. nothing more satisfying then pulling off a prefect kill. gotta say, the ending was wierd as hell mind. 8.5/10 great fun, but a little more varity would have helped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Perfect Dark When playing the combat simulator alone with the High Resolution mode activated, I noticed that the graphics haven't actually aged that badly. While the framerate isn't the best, most of the graphics look alright. If someone would port this over to the Wii with higher resolution, smoother framerate, Wiimote support and online modes and PERHAPS improved character models, this would be the best FPS on the Wii! 8/10 It's going to be the best FPS on the Xbox 360 in a month or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epic fail Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Not if they use the same type of gameplay and controls as Perfect Dark Zero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Half-way impressions on Xmas Games New Super Mario Bros. Wii Really like this. I like how challenging it is, and how you playing with someone else has pros and cons. It's easier to remain intact and not get a game over, but tricker to do well without bouncing off each other etc. Fun and enjoyable. Not really being a completionist at the moment, just trying to power through all the castles, then will go back and do the secret bits (I assume you can). Currently on World 5. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn Of The New World Loved the first one, only proper RPG I've ever finished or really loved. This one has the same spirit which is really nice and I like the battle system. Still not quite sure the fuck is going on with Pact Magic, but having a massive bear on my team stuns. Not too far, about 7 hours in, but love it. EXCEPT the glaring horrible problem of the overworld, or lack thereof. It felt a bit like a hole had been punched in my heart when that shitty map first appeared. Pointless omission. Loved the original freedom of the world. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Wii) Knew this would be shite compared to the PS3/Xbox one, but I'm a forgiving fan of the series. It's annoying though, how it just seems rushed and..badly done. The controls aren't awful, but a bit tricky with the remote. The story was very hard to follow, pretty sure they missed out some essential movie or something, and I'm a Marvel fan! The difficulty spikes tremendously, meaning I HAVE to use certain characters with the rapid-tap powers to really do well against bosses. Iceman rarely left my team roster. I'd like to try the "real" version and see how it was done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 A lot of fun. A very charming game full of humour - and this is why I'd take a Ratchet & Clank game over any Mario game. Mario isn't a character, he's a tool. The end credits are amazing. 8/10 Also, the Insomniac museum that you unlock is brilliant. It lets you walk round this virtual museum where you can look at concept art, the development of the characters and even play unfinished levels that didn't make the final game (Like the Hover Boot racing). A lot of love went into this game and it shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Not if they use the same type of gameplay and controls as Perfect Dark Zero It's a port of the N64 version (with enhanced graphics and online). The controls are similar to PDZ (and every other shooter in the 360). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chairdriver Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Kessen II Fucking awful in-battle fighting mechanics. Literally the most unwieldy thing I've ever experienced. Either make it like Dynasty Warriors, or make it like Dynasty Tactics. Don't make it a shite hybrid. But I like the story alot (and the twist on the Dynasty Warriors characters - Hu Zhi being a woman, and Diao Chan being Lui Bei's love interest rather than Lu Bu's), and the character developement is actually really good considering its a strategy game. Love the video graphics (actually really good), and I love how when you see people through the Heaven's Mandate thingy you see them as real people. The actress who plays Diao Chan stuns. As I said, I like the story and strategy aspects of the game. And I like how it expands on the Three Kingdoms story, which Dynasty Warriors never gets round to. Lovely to learn about the Xi Provence. But the in-battle system is fucking awful, and almost ruins it. 7.5/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 And Yet it Moves. Best game I've played so far this year. Hehehe. One of the most visually pleasing games I've played in a while (since Darwinia). The levels at the end are awwwwesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Dare Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Also, the Insomniac museum that you unlock is brilliant. It lets you walk round this virtual museum where you can look at concept art, the development of the characters and even play unfinished levels that didn't make the final game (Like the Hover Boot racing). A lot of love went into this game and it shows. Gotta say, that sounds ace. Much more interesting than the usual fare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goafer Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 MW2 Multiplayer It's the most unbalanced thing I've ever played, yet I can't stop playing it. From my first game, I was playing against Lvl70s, so it's safe to assume matchmaking is non-existant. To make matters even more unbalanced, higher levels mean more unlocked equipment, perks and killstreaks. So not only are newbs being placed against veterans, but the veterans are getting a bigger choice of equipment (double shotguns are the bain of my existance). How people get into this game is beyond me. Tactical nukes are shit as well. Love the EMP though, got hit by one and everything went eerie. That said, my play count is up to 10 hours+ on multiplayer, so I'm clearly enjoying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I found that playing anything other than Ground War feels like stepping back a generation in online progression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goafer Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I found that playing anything other than Ground War feels like stepping back a generation in online progression. Ground war and "the one where you have to wang a bomb at the enemies base" are pretty much the only ones I play. I occasionally go for the Pro games or capture the flag too. Love the lack of hud and stuff on the pro games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaggle64 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Mario Kart Wii With an online multiplayer so moorish it's only recently been rivaled by MW2. And where else are you going to be heard screaming "Blooper you cocksucker!!"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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