Video Game Reviews

[Velox]

Talk about your favorite video games to your best online buddies.

I wanna know what my fellow CBGers think about some of the games out there.

I'll kick this thread off and ask if anybody has played Half Life 2 yet. I loved the first one, and played the hell out of Half-life, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, and even Case Closed. Wonderful first person shooter, it provided me many many hours of entertainment over the summers of 2002-2004. The plot was sweet, and was even a little bit different from the norm. Sure, every first person shooter is about some kind of interdimensional invasion (think about it - most of them are), but at least in this one, the hero is a scientist and not a marine. Although, you still end up smashing stuff with a crowbar and chucking explosives at people. Man do I love tossing explosives at people.

The second one looks cool, but I'd have to get the Xbox version, since my computer is crap. Anybody play that xboxy version? Is it any good; graphics? Gameplay changes? Were some levels cut? I know sometimes those computer-xbox conversions just aren't up to snuff. I beleive that the Xbox version of Doom3 had some stuff removed, and was of a reduced length. It seems like they cut out some of the Martian surface stuff. It's a shame, cuz the Martian surface is damn cool.

[Darkxarth]

Never played Half-Life or Half-Life 2 or any of them.  However, there is a game I've played recently that I absolutely loved.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

This makes my list of Ten Favorite Games of All Time.  It's an RPG, which I already like (obviously) but instead of simply clicking which moves you want to perform and just sitting around waiting for them to happen, you get to participate in the action by powering up your moves with control functions.  One of the simplest, and eventually most powerful, moves you get is the Power Smash with your Hammer.  You simply hold the Control stick left until the release button lights up, and then, you know, release.  Many of the moves are more complicated than that, but they are all pretty easy once you get the hang of them.

As an RPG, you get to put together a party, which you do in almost every RPG.  But you can only have one partner on the field at a time, plus yourself.  Different partners are good at different things.  Goombella, your first partner, can "Tattle" on enemies and give you their stats, strengths, and weaknesses.  She ended up being my favorite partner because of the final move she learns which gives Mario another turn.  You also join forces with a Koopa, a Bob-Omb, a Yoshi (which you get to name), a weird creepy Genie thing, and several others which I can't tell you without giving away some of the story.

There are a number of other unique elements in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door which made it enjoyable, including the Audience and Appeal system, the Badge system, the out-of-battle puzzles, and the unique 2D/3D world you live in.  But I think the thing I enjoyed most about the game was the humor scattered throughout it.  They break the 4th wall more times than any game I've ever seen, make countless sly references to other Mario and Nintendo games, and are just amusing in general.

The only thing bad I have to say about the game is about the ending, not the final-battle/big-boss ending, which was great, but the after-the-game-is-over-tie-all-the-loose-strings-together ending.  I thought they were a little wussy on it, but maybe it's just me.

In any event, it was a GREAT game overall, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who owns a GameCube.

[Johnny Wraith]

I did play Half Life for a while (Never got the second one, though). I was more of a Counter-Strike guy, I played a lot of that and eventually joined a clan and was ranked among the top 3 in my country (And you know top 3 is just a nicer way of saying third), which was real cool :D. I stopped playing the game when I moved countries, since we used to play in this sort of internet cafe that was only used for gaming.

Paper Mario was a big dissapointment for me (Not this Thousand-Year Door one, the original one that was supposed to be Super Mario RPG 2). Mostly it was because Super Mario RPG has got to be one of my fav games of all time, and that Paper Mario one that came out just didn't have the same feel to it and it wasn't at all what I was expecting. If you have the chance to, get an emulator and download Super Mario RPG (It's a SNES game).

Hmm... I've been a gamer for all my life, both my parents like video games, so they got (For themselves) a NES when I was like 2, I think... I remember playing the Super Mario Bros. game at that age (Just an image that never got deleted from my brain), though I remember I couldn't go through the first level, haha...

I learnt to read when I was 3, and one of the games my parents had gotten was the original Legend of Zelda for NES, and I distinctively remember playing it and loving it (I still do!), I am proud to say I still own my NES and I've got the first two Legend of Zelda games for NES (They are golden cartridges so that makes it even cooler, haha) and the original Final Fantasy (I always got confused with the numbers and the whole thing with the japanese ones, but this one is the first one, the one the guy from squaresoft ,I think it was, made as his last game).

I couldn't really tell you what's my fav. game since I've played and still play so many of them, they are a really big part of my life. Overall, I love shooters (Counter-Strike), RPGs (Final Fantasy), Adventure/Rpg (Like Neverwinter Nights), racing games (Big F1 fan for all my life), RTS (Age of Empires), and I dunno, so many games I love... Grand Theft Auto, Diablo, Gabriel Knight, Monkey Island, wow... so many.

I just couldn't pick a fav one.. Though I think one thing that always is in the back of my head whenever I play a game is that, for instance, if I'm playing something like Age of Empires... I love the game and all, but I always feel I'd love the game even more if I could be one of those guys and roleplay him, hahaha... Customize how he looks and just be him and I dunno... That's why D&D was such a right thing for me, it's just basically something that I craved for whenever I was playing a game (I'm still a big gamer, though, they have stuff D&D doesn't have :P). Lol... I remember creating scenarios back when I played Age of Empires II that were actually RPGs... I'd have NPCs and you could just command 1 guy (and sometimes a small group of warriors)... ah well... *Sniff* The memories...

[Polycarp]

I've played HL2, but only on the PC.  It's an excellent game that's well worth your time if you enjoyed the original.  I only own Day of Defeat Source, however; it's really the best multiplayer first person shooter out there for PC (I haven't played them all by any means, but many more people play DoD Source than most other multiplayer FPS games out now, making the choice of matches quite broad).

The awesomeness of the gravity gun simply can't be overstated; it really doubles the fun of the game.  It can do practically anything, and you'll have a lot of fun doing it.  It's that kind of practical physics that makes the game so enjoyable, as almost every object becomes a potential weapon or shield.

[Benicus]

HL2 is freaking awsome, I played through it within three weeks of summer vacation almost nonstop it was so sweet. That and Counter Strike Source are God's gift to man. :)

Dead Rising:
Who doesn't love killing zombies in a mall with chainsaws? I mean, honestly? The plot is good, though could be better, the graphics are nice, the controls could have a little work but the real thing that hits home with this is just the sheer fun of it. I spent hours playing this sucker just to beat it and discover [spoiler spoiler].

You have to play it :). 9.5/10.

[SA]

Gears of War (360)
Two words: Torque Bow.  For those of you who've never played, this little beauty is a mechanical bow that fires rounds which explode inside the opponent.  Now, this alone makes for a very messy game, but there are also grenades that can be melee'd onto an opponent (make sure you run away quickly) and an assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet.  The magic never ends.

As for the plot, it's basically about reclaiming a planet that has been al but lost to the subterranean hordes of the Locust.  That's about it.  Beyond that, it's a handful of diehard vets running through ruined streets, hiding behind barracades and rubble, shooting the crap out of "grubs".  Some have complained that it's a little too shallow.  Preposterous!  This isn't about such petty contrivances as STORY, this is about hewing through guts and sinew with wirring blades of eviscerative fury!  Who gives a damn if the characters are one dimensional? What does that have to do with headshots and grey matter?

Oh yeah, and the final boss' name is General RAAAM.  Yes, three A's.  He's just that badass. 6/7

Saint's Row (360)
Yes, it is a GTA clone.  Yes, it is a good one.  The graphics are better, the music selection is bigger, and there's a pimpcane shotgun (if you get it, watch the way your character walks). And you can shoot the trains off the tracks.  And you can customise your personal soundtrack, so that your AK spews death into the crowds to the tune of Pachelbel's Cannon in D.  Alas, it hasn't the humour of GTA (expressed most vividly in the radio shows), nor the variety of missions, nor the memorable characters.  In the end, it takes itself a little too seriously.

So I'll be hanging out for GTA 4, which I do not doubt will light anew the fire of raucous, bloody irreverence that so readily warms my heart. 5/7

Oblivion (PC)
It is perhaps unsurprising that this would get a mention, but let me tell you that while I enjoy it, I do not consider this a truly great game.  I'm one of those blasphemers who calls Morrowind the "height of Bethesda's achievement" (I told a friend once that if they simply remade Vvardenfell with the graphics of Oblivion, I would have eagerly gobbled it up).  Why do I disagree with all the 9.5's and 5/5's?  Well, for one, it's repetitive.  Sure, it's got a great draw distance (if your PC's up to it), but what do they put in this ever-so expansive wilderness?  Trees.  Rocks.  Grass.  The occasional wolf, deer or bandit.  Lordy, so much effort goes into their expansive and engrossing Elder Scrolls lore, and yet they can't afford to mix the scenery up a little?  It's so... bare.

To speak nothing of their "radiant AI".  I was so looking forward to it, but when I finally got a hold of the game, the NPCs didn't seem any more realistic than in any previous RPG.  This wasn't helped by their extensive cast of voice-actors (read: you could count them on your fingers).  I could go on and on, but there'd be no point.  It works as hack and slash, but do not be deceived: it isn't as deep as they claim.

Hopefully, they get Fallout 3 right.  There is no excuse for this not turning out to be the greatest game of all time.  I mean, they've got 2-headed cows, fo God's sake! 4/7

Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Some love it, some hate it, but whatever your stance they're still going strong.  I'm personally in the "love" corner (heck, even the series' first spin-off, FFX-2, worked in a crazy oddball kinda way).  Maybe it's the crazy-ass, monolithic bosses, the gaudy eccentricities of its locales or Nobuo Uematsu's gorgeous soundtracks.  Maybe all of the above, and more.

When FFXII comes out, I'll lose another 200+ hours of my life.  Damn you, Yasumi Matsuno... 6/7

Lost Odyssey (360)
How can you like this game if tt isn't even out yet? Two reasons: Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu.  'Nuff said.

Shadow of the Colossus (PS 2)
So I bitched about Oblivion's wilderness.  You know who's wilderness was totally sweet?  Shadow of the Colossus.  What do you do in Shadow of the Colossus?  Oh, I dunno, just CLIMB UP THE SHAGGY PELTS OF GARGANTUAN EARTHEN MONSTROSITIES AND STAB THEM IN THE FACE!  THat's right.  You, the intrepid young hero Wander, ride around grand, empty vistas on your horse Argo, hunting down 16 Colossi to slay with your trusty magic sword, so as to resurrect a dead maiden.  Who is this maiden, and how did she die?  Who knows?  You are never told.  Nor do you know if Wander is the hero; he goes gallavanting about slaying the colossi who are just going about their business, in such a manner that one begins to suspect he is in fact the villain.

There isn't really much more to the action than finding the colossi and killing them (the game has been described as a "series of boss battles"), but it isn't boring by any stretch, because the world is so beautiful, consisting of deserts, fields, mountains, underwater caves and ancient ruins, all detailed with an eerie, seemingly minimalist beauty.  It truly captures the sense of alienation - it's just you and your horse, bucko.

Fumito Ueda, I want to have your babies. 6/7
______

That's just a few of 'em.

Oh yeah, and bioshock wil pwn all ur cadny assez lol

[Velox]

Yes, FFX is an acheivement. It's something that people can look back upon many years from now and say "that generation has accomplished something".

As for those other games... I don't own any of them, and thanks for the reviews! I've played the crap out of Gears of War, and its a favorite pasttime of mine to go over to somebodies house who does own the game, and within an hour Im kicking their ass. UHOOHRAH

[Johnny Wraith]

I mostly play PC games nowadays, I got tired of spending so much money with consoles (I guess you spend just as much upgrading your PC but eh, I don't feel as bad doing so). I haven't played Oblivion yet, although I did play Morrowind... And well, to tell you the truth, I was very in love with the idea of having this completely free-style RPG that seemed to simulate D&D in a way I have been expecting for so long now... But meh, lol... that lasted for only a short while. The game lets you do a lot of things, yes, but it's so... 'free' that you never get to feel that you're embarking on an important quest for something... I dunno, at least that's what I think.

I did want to get Oblivion however, as I felt that the Elder Scrolls saga had some stuff done right... However, what you say about it, Salacious, leads me to believe that it lacks what Morrowind lacked. So now I'll just wait to get NWN II and try that one out :)

[Velox]

Yeah, after this Xbox360/PS3 mega-money-madness debacle, I felt my faith in the console wavering. Now that I hear that Microsoft is planning on releasing another system in less than two years, I've decided I'm out. If I'm gonna dump almost a grand into something, it'll be a payment on a good computer.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Freedom was never really something I craved in video games.  Certainly some is good, but I kind of prefer the epic, swift moving plot when I play a video game.

No video game can ever really simulate the freedom of the real pen and paper game; even just the simple fact that it cannot be programmed to understand all possible things you could say to an NPC.  But I just don't really see CRPGs as related to RPGs in anything but name.  I can enjoy both, but I don't see CRPGs as involving any roleplaying.