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Favorite Games of All-time
Topic Started: Jan 6 2010, 05:35 PM (1,002 Views)
Omega
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Alice: Madness Returns

Overview: On a spur of the moment decision, I decided I'd look at gameplay for Alice: Madness Returns. In a few short days, I ended up purchasing the game and having the time of my life.

Plot: Taking place after the events of American McGee's Alice, Alice Liddel is still haunted by the death of her family in a fire that consumed her home at a young age. Now a patient of Dr. Angus Bumby, she attempts to forget her past only to realize that Wonderland has become corrupted even without the influence of the Queen of Hearts. Now on a quest to save Wonderland once more, Alice must reclaim her forgotten memories and free the inhabitants of Wonderland from the new evil that plans to consume it along with Alice's sanity.

A great story riddled with complexity and mind-bending aspects. Combining mystery with an air of intrigue, Alice's journey in Wonderland gives us small clues as to the nature of the fire until we understand that the big picture may be even larger than we first thought. One of the few games I will not spoil anything for....go play it.

Characters: Having two worlds to play in, it's easy to see that there is a large cast of characters. With both the citizens of Whitechapel and Wonderland being influenced by the other. Alice herself is a strong-willed, sarcastic girl with a curious personality. She can become very confrontive at times, and downright cold, even to her friends in Wonderland. Though all is meant with good intentions, mostly in saving them all. Her allies include the Cheshire Cat, who has gotten a little....thin since his appearance in the books. His cryptic nature returns from the last game along with his wit and interesting personality, though he appears to help Alice along with hints. For the real world cast, many who tended to Alice at Rutledge asylum return, with Dr. Bumby being the recent addition, who acts as her psychiatrist. A very forceful man, he is dead set on helping Alice forget the painful memories that haunt her. He runs a home for children wanting to forget their pasts. However, he can be...creepy at times. As shown in memories, Bumby has a unique view of the world and the order of things.

Gameplay: The game plays out like many action-adventure platforming games. The main objective is to make it to the end of a level by navigating the terrain of Wonderland through corridors and platforms. Once in a while you will encounter puzzles or even enemies and will have to overcome them in order to advance. Alice is given a few weapons for such purposes. A knife and hammer-esque toy (called a Hobby Horse) for melee based combat, a pepper grinder gatling gun and tea kettle grenade launcher for ranged combat, a timebomb for diversions, demolitions and puzzle solving (weighted platforms) and an umbrella for reflecting attacks. Every enemy has a weakness to one or more of these weapons, so it's good to be prepared. The game's story is split into 5 massive locations with varying geographical types and enemies. Each must be played differently due to this. There are a few mingames scattered throughout the worlds, involving quizzes, survival modes and a few others. This is the problem. The minigames, save for the quiz ones, are tedious and terrible. I dreaded every moment playing them.

Graphics: This game is one of the most beautiful and ugly games I've ever seen. When the graphics are good, the environments and characters are vibrant and wonderful to look at. However, there are severe texturing problems that appear most often in cutscenes and transitions between areas. It's very distracting.

Voice Acting: The voice acting is great as usual, with a British flair I'd expect from a game based on an English literary classic.

Music: Creepy, haunting and atmospheric, the musical score is not always the most "out there" but when it does show up the music really helps.

Levels: As previously stated, the levels are massively expansive and detailed with wide variety. However, the last level is my most hated. The over use of puzzles and confusing layout, combined with blatant use of slide and "pinball" minigames can irritate even the most calm players.

Difficulty: The game has great variances between difficulty levels, though even then it's expected that you will die alot.

Overall: Despite some glaring problems, I enjoyed Madness Returns. The story itself pulled me in and the gameplay kept me coming back, though I was disappointed by the ending levels. I give Alice: Madness Returns an 8.5/10
Edited by Omega, Nov 30 2011, 04:37 PM.
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Omega
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Jak II

Overview: Having loved the first game in the Jak and Daxter series, the time eventually came when I heard of the creation of a sequel. It was on the same disk as the demo for War of the Monsters, but the shock from the single trailer was enough to get me fixated on it. Jak II would change the series forever.

Plot: Continuing from the point the previous game left off, Jak and his gang have found a precursor artifact that allows time travel, including a wormhole generator. After fueling it up, however, a portal is opened, and through it a swarming mass of monstrous creatures commanded by some demonic leader. With no time to spare, the group plunges themselves into the portal, landing in an unknown time and place. Jak is beaten by a squadron of guards clad in red (no, they don't move 3 times faster than a normal guard) and taken prisoner. Many years pass, and we see Jak being violently tortured in experiments with Dark Eco by a man named Baron Praxis. Daxter, having waited for the right time to free Jak, busts him out only to learn that Jak has become violent and can now speak. Along with his newfound voice, Jak harbors a dark side spawned by the experiments, and now plans on killing Baron Praxis and figuring out what the Hell is going on.

Jak II has one of the sharpest deviations from its predecessor in videogame history. The story has become alot more complex and nothing is ever as it seems. The change in the ESRB rating also brought along with it more mature dialogue to appeal to the older audience. While J&D is still my personal favorite, I'll have to admit that the actual story in II is far and away superior, sporting better character development and mystery.

Characters: All of the former leads from J&D return along with a new cast. There are three I'd like to focus on.

Jak: In J&D, Jak couldn't speak so we were left with a bland character who wasn't nearly as endearing as the game itself was. In Jak II, his personality can finally be expressed, and boy is it a 180 from the original. Foul-mouthed and aggressive, Jak is hungry for revenge against the Baron and his goons. However, he's also practical enough to understand that some things need to be done in order to accomplish this goal. However, at times he seems like a cliche action movie hero. He loves big explosions, big guns and big breasts...no need to go any further with that.

Daxter: Good old Daxter is still his goofy self, though we also see him become more aggressive as a character, mainly through his proactive role in the story, rather than just being the sidekick. Hell, in the intro it's Daxter who rescues Jak and utters the first curse word of the game. Daxter even gets his own love interest...a human one...a very good looking one at that.

Baron Praxis: The villain of the first act of the game, the Baron is the totalitarian leader of Haven City, using his Krimson Guards to keep the citizens under his thumb. However, this is mainly a front for his wish to protect the city from the metalheads, the beasts that attack the city on a regular basis. He goes as far as pretending to work with them just so he can destroy the leader for good. His end however, doesn't justify the means he uses, including torture, experimentation and dictatorship, harming instead of helping.

Gameplay: Similar to the previous game, allbeit with new missions and items. Jak can now transform into his Dark Eco form, which increases his strength and attack range, with each attack sending out lightning that arcs from one enemy to another. This form also comes complete with special attacks that can wipe out an entire area of enemies. In his normal form, Jak can also use a hoverboard and vehicles to get around easier by either taking an empty one or hijacking it from a citizen or Krimson Guard (oddly enough, the red ones DO move three times faster). There's also the inclusion of 4 guns, a shotgun, a rifle, a machine-gun/minigun and a plasma rifle. Each has their own strengths, weaknesses and methods of integration into combat.

Graphics: Like the previous game, the graphics are spectacular and fluid. Again, not SquareEnix good, but good enough considering CGI isn't used in any of the cutscenes.

Voice Acting: Still great from the first game, the actors reprised their roles, and everyone in this game reprised their roles in subsequent sequels. They did THAT good of a job.

Music: Unfortunately, the music is just like the first, mostly atmosphereic, but barely there at times.

Levels: The game is just as expansive as the original, but with a more dark and gritty setting that works very well with the subject matter. Every section is a blast to play through and has its own unique feel.

Difficulty: Along with the T rating came a jump in difficulty. The gap between this and the first is massive. Prepare to die ALOT.

Overall: So, did Jak II do better than the first? Yes...very much so. Despite my love of the original, the sequel far and away surpassed its predecessor and is the greatest game in the series. I give Jak II a 10/10.
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Omega
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Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

Overview: Once again, I was overjoyed to learn of another sequel to a beloved title. Sly 3, I thought, would be even better than Sly 2. Did it live up to the expectations?

Plot: The story begins on a heavily fortified island in the pacific ocean. Sly and his gang confront the mysterious Dr. M, who runs the island, specifically so he can get at a Cooper heirloom: the Cooper Vault. Sly and Bentley flee from the Doctor only to confront a gigantic genetic experiment of his that easily defeats them, proceeding to attempt at devouring Sly. As this happens, our protagonist reflects on the events that lead up to this moment...

In the second game, Bentley was paralyzed during the battle with Clock-La, with Murray taking the blame for it. Due to this, he left the gang. Afterwards, the two found a lead on another remnant of the Cooper legacy from a walrus named McSweeney, who used to work with Sly's father. This was the Cooper Vault, a place that contained all the treasures that the Cooper clan accumulated over the years. The literal motherload of wealth. Sly and Bentley investigated only to discover that Dr. M had set up shop, turning the island into a fortress 15 times more impenetrable than anything they had tried to rob before. Sly says it himself that it would take an army of master thieves to break in, so that's exactly what the two set out to do: round up a team of specialists to pull off the biggest heist ever planned.

Now, while the story deserves plenty of props, even more so for having the main hero nearly die in an E-rated title, there are some issues. Many characters aren't fleshed out enough in this game. Sure, some are very familiar faces from previous games, but for how often they are used, it seems like a waste. The story itself is still great though, finally fleshing out romantic sub-plots and making them work, not to mention having them come full circle (finally).

Characters: Now, like the previous game, the characters go through a change in some way, mainly the three leading protagonists. Sly finally admits his feelings for Carmelita and his brotherly relationship with his friends, Murray learns to accept that Bentley losing his legs was not his fault, and Bentley himself learns through a small sub-plot with Dr. M that he is valued as a member of the team, and that Sly, Murray and himself are nothing like Sly's dad and his crew. As for others...

Spoiler: click to toggle


The Villains this time around are not in league with one another and have their own goals in mind, though they can be a bit one dimensional as a result. The only truely great villain of them all is Dr. M, who shows what happens when greed, jealousy and pride can override our sense of right and wrong, and even our compassion for others.

Gameplay: Very similar to Sly 2 without the clues to collect. A few new minigame missions are added and combat aspects that involve charging attacks, but nothing special.

Graphics: Still the same as Sly 2.

Voice Acting: Again...same as Sly 2.

Music: Repeat.

Levels: The level variety is still similar to Sly 2, but certain minigames allow you to access completely unique sections of the job area.

Difficulty: It's harder than Sly 2 in terms of mission difficulty. However, combat is made easier with the new charge attack system.

Overall: Not the best and not the worst of the series, Sly 3 still had alot to learn from its predecessor. I give Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves a 9/10.
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Mass Effect (PC)

Overview: I came to this game not knowing what to expect given its Action RPG genre, as is usual with Bioware games they got me interested with the promise of a Unique story and gameplay

Plot: Well lets start right at the begining, You are commander Shepard, to be precise you are your own commander shepard, your backstory is what you select as is your birth place, You are an Alliance Military officer who has been selected for a mission to Eden Prime the paradise world, a simple pickup mission for an ancient Prothean Beacon, but upon arrival in the sector things change, it is revealed that you are being scouted for the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance (Spectres) by a Turian Spectre called Nihlus.

Upon arrival at Eden Prime things aren't as simple as they first sound, the ships Helmsman Joker chimes in through the com that there is a distress call from Eden prime the Captain of the ship orders joker to display it, the jewel in the crown of humanitys colonies is under attack from a unknown ship

When your squad turns up you identify that the colony is under attack by a sentiant machine race (the geth) led by a rogue turian Spectre named Saren, This creepy bastard acts as a friend to Nihlus then shoots him in the back. When you locate the beacon it activates (due to one of your squad being a dumbass)it deposits some muddled visions into Shepard’s mind before Exploding knocking shep out.

After you recover in the sickbay you return to the Citadel Council to inform them of what happened and the actions of Saren. Due to their lack of trust of humanity the Council rejects your initial accusation of their Top spectre and you begin your own investigation, what you find leads to Saren being declared a rogue Spectre. you are then Begrudgingly given the rank of Spectre and given command of the Normandy with orders to hunt down Saren. While doing so you unravel his plot to bring back the ancient machine race known as the Reapers.

Characters: The ships crew and your squad are a diverse group, from the comedic Joker and the Anti alien Navigator Pressly through to the ships engineer and the squad members you recruit, each character behaves differently and is unique, they all have their own reasons to join you in the start and you watch as they change according to your choices, there are some great characters in this game and some complete assholes (usually humans)

The enemies and the seedy side of the universe is done very well, it ranges from thugs in the lower levels of the citidel and on worlds you explore through to sovereign, a sentiant ship who is the first of a force that will return to destroy all organic life in the galaxy a truely terrifying thought when you think about it

The plot flows fluidly through the game, the story drives the game but allows you to explore the colourful galaxy around you, you do the story when you wish too, and progress at your own speed. The plot doesn't suffor from the typical western, we are all perfect because we are human thing, it shows flaws in all the races and makes you want to play more

Everything you do you do for a reason, be it helping out with side missions or doing the main story Every little thing you do matters, you are made to feel important and that you are shaping the fate of the galaxy

Gameplay: A good mix of Conversation, Driving and shooting along with a decent skill system make this an enjoyable experiance for those who like RPG's and Shooting games, that said the controls for the Mako have a very twitch feel to them when turning but it isn't enough to detract from the experiance, the main feature that everyone goes on about is the System of choices you make, these fall into two catagories, Paragon (good) or Renegade (bad) these choices not only affect how you progress and level but how your team act towards you and ultimately how the game will end

Graphics: This game was released in 2008 and you would think that it would mean that the graphics would not be upto par this is not the case, the Graphics in Mass Effect are great, the facial animation is smooth as are the combat animations, the Transition from area's of the galaxy is made more enjoyable due to an scene of the Normandy using a Mass Relay

One of the best shows of the graphics is at the end of the game in the battle for the Citidel, its a truely beautiful peice of work

Voice Acting: Now this is where some games fall flat on their asses but Mass Effect stands Tall over the others, the voice acting is fantastic with good actors involved, the script is well written and Sovereigns cybernetic voice is creepy as hell one of my favorite voices is Joker, he brings a good sence of humor at really inappropriate times which is great. two well known names in this cast would be Seth Green and Marina Sirtis.

Music: With a Score the combines Big Orchestral peices with Techno music mass effect is able to give a epic soundtrack when needed yet a fast techno battle theme for when you are under heavy fire from enemies, it is a solid Soundtrack that i would happily listen to casually

Levels: The Level design in this game is impressive, from the massive Citidel the center of all galactic polotics through to the ruins on Ilos every world you visit feels different, and each world you explore on the side has its own dangers from toxic environments through to Thresher maw's, its a truely unique universe

Difficultly: This depends on you, you can have it on easy and not break a sweat or you can have it on hard and things become alot more interesting, firefights on hard mean you have to be tactical and use your squad and cover properly or you die

Overall: I bought mass effect on a whim and i am glad i did because it is one of the best games i have played in a long time, a truely unique experiance and a great RPG i give it a 9/10
Edited by Kenpachi, Aug 14 2011, 10:49 AM.
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You always seem to have a plan, its just that people don't have a clue as to what it may be. [MSW-07 Omega Gundam]

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Omega
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Brutal Legend

Overview: When this game first came out, I didn't know what to say. All I knew was that I wasn't interested...at first. I went out on a limb and bought the game...it changed my perceptions completely.

Plot: Eddie Riggs is the world's greatest roadie, able to fix anything and create grand stage sets in no time. However, he has the unfortunate position of working for the worst Heavy Metal band in the world: Kabbage Boy, a Tween Metal band (mocking such bands as Linkin Park). In the middle of a show, one of the band members nearly falls to his death, saved by Eddie just in time. However, after saving him, the set collapses on him, knocking him unconscious and spilling blood into the mouth of his nickel plated belt buckle. This summons a massive beast of fire and metal, who kills the band members and transports Eddie to another world, where Heavy Metal is engrained in the very land. It is here that humans are held under an oppressive rule by General Lionwhyte and his ruler, Emperor Doviculus. Now, Eddie must use his skills as a roadie to wage war against the evil Emperor and his minions.

The first thing I have to point out about the game is the great story. Disregarding the Heavy Metal setting, the plot is really good, moving along rather steadily due to superb character interaction and direction on the part of Tim Schafer. Like most plots to other great games and films, there are three acts in which the characters experience a rise, a fall and a redemption, and every moment of it is genuinely amazing.

Characters: Now, anyone who knows Tim Schafer and his games would know that his casts are usually filled with amazingly varied characters with wonderful chemistry. Our main character, Eddie, is disappointed with his situation, claiming Metal is dead and feeling he was meant for something greater. However, when he finally gets the chance, unlike many protagonists in games, he doesn't steal the spotlight or take up a mantle of leadership. His lack of arrogance and destructive ambition makes him a truely endearing character, and really quotable to boot. The rest of the cast is handled very well, each being distinguishable and with their own charismatic aura that makes them likable (or deliciously evil like Doviculus and Lionwhyte).

Gameplay: The game itself is a sandbox adventure game, presenting the player with an open world to explore. Items such as bound serpents (power-ups), music statues, videos and much more are hidden in this massive world and provide for some rigorous hunting. There are many side-missions too, though some can be a tad repetitive. Most involve fighting groups of enemies or shooting them from a platform. The actual story missions vary from escorts, to brawls, boss fights and a unique RTS mode where you engage another force in combat. You create troops using "fans" collected from special geysers. As you progress through the game, the more units you aquire, with their own special abilities. The objective is to destroy the enemy's "stage" where they produce units or to destroy a particular object. Eddie can use a variety of guitar riffs to aid him in and out of battle, summoning a car, crashing a zepplin into the ground, and various other effects. The car actually serves as a main method of transportation in the world of Brutal Legend as it's fast and armed with several weapons after customization. That, and you can play some great metal tunes on the radio.

Graphics: Like most games in Schafer's collection, they rely on cel shading and possess a more cartoonish look to them. Even so, the graphics look great, wth the characters and world looking absolutely flawless in detail.

Voice Acting: The voice casting of the game is one of its strongest points, with Jack Black surprising me in his role as Eddie, finally playing a serious, even badass character very naturally. On the flip side, Tim Curry as Doviculus is downright epic to the point where I can't stress how perfect this combination was. Other cast members have familiar faces like Kyle Gass of Tenacious D and Brian Posehn a popular comedian, and maybe some familiar voices like Veteran VAs Jennifer Hale as Ophelia and Kath Soucie as Lita Halford. On top of that, the cast includes several Heavy Metal legends, such as Ozzy Osbourne as The Guardian of Metal, Lemmy Kilmeister as The Kill Master, Lita Ford as Rima and Rob Halford as General Lionwhyte and The Baron. The selling point is that even though the dialogue is very casual in most instances, it seems fitting in this pre-modern, almost alternative medieval time period.

Music: A mosly Heavy Metal track with ranges from soft to booming, and a wide collection of artists from Early Metal to Death and Black Metal. A kickass soundtrack that puts all other games to shame.

Levels: Since it's a sandbox game, there's no break in the action, but the different biomes presented in the game all draw influence from Heavy Metal album art and their fantastic designs. Heavy Metal objects are scattered throughout the landscape, showing the creativity of the development team when making the game. Each area is so vast and beautiful that, sometimes, just driving around can be fun. However, walking is not recommended. The game has a plethora of enemies who wander the wilderness and they will seek to destroy you. The one thing I do lament is that there's no on-screen map. You have to keep looking at the map in the menu.

Difficulty: The game is hard as fuck. But, there are tricks to beating everything easily. All you need to do is Zerg swarm an enemy and have Eddy join in the fun too on the RTS battles.

Overall: More games need to be like Brutal Legend. Not like Call of Duty, not like Halo, not like Gears of War or God of War, or etc. Brutal Legend shows us that we can have a great story, great characters and have a fun game without online play being the sole selling point. I give Brutal Legend a 10/10.

Final Word: For those who aren't Heavy Metal fans, I don't care. You need to play it and see for yourself. Regardless of your tastes in music, this game will have you flashing the devil horns in no time.

Edited by Omega, Nov 30 2011, 04:19 PM.
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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda. A game franchise that has had a huge fan base since its initial release in 1986. Since the beginning, it’s has the same overall plot. Princess gets kidnapped, elf boy has to go save her by going to numerous different temples, solving ridiculously cliché puzzles, and killing the large pig creature. If you expected Skyward sword to be any different, well, you aren’t getting much.
That being said, aside from the recycled overall plot, Skyward Sword offers more to the Zelda franchise than any of its other predecessor’s before it, adding to the table a Stamina Gauge, Upgradable Weapons, and of course, motion control (this is rarely a plus). This game has fixed where Twilight Princess fell short in terms of motion control, though it still has quite a bit to improve on.

Plot: You are Link (derp?), and you live on a floating island above the clouds known as Skyloft, a place that lives high above the clouds, which separates them from the land below, which is often referred to as the Surface. It is here that Link (or whatever it is you think is funny to name the blonde elf boy) has high hopes of becoming a knight. Link is plagued by dreams, in which he sees a mysterious figure. You later learn that Zelda has been having the same strange dreams. After Link passes a test during the Wing Ceremony and him and Zelda have their little “we are in love but don’t acknowledge it” moment, Zelda and Link are interrupted by a whirlwind, which pulls Zelda down below the cloud line, to the Surface. Link awakens after the event, learning that Zelda was missing. Soon after, you follow the mysterious figure, which leads you to the Goddess statue, where you encounter this figure, who identifies itself as Fi, a creation of the Goddess. She speaks a lot like a robot most of the time, providing you with statistical information throughout the entirety of the game. Here, you learn that you are the chosen hero (who saw it coming?) from above the clouds. You are given the Skyward Sword, or the Goddess Sword, which Fi also inhabits. This sword later becomes the Master Sword (making this game a prequel to Ocarina of Time). From here, your journey begins when Fi gives you access to the Surface. The plot, while simple and your basic Zelda story, is just as engaging as it’s always been. That is as long as you are able to sit down for the first hour or so of the game and not expect much more than a basic tutorial. 8/10

Gameplay: As I’ve said before, this game offers a lot that previous titles haven’t. One example is if your shield is over used, it can break, so you are prompted to maintain it using potions. The stamina gauge is also an interesting addition to the game. Doing many of the basic needs of the game drain this gauge, such as climbing, and using the spin attack. You are also able to run and run up walls, which drain the gauge faster than most anything else. When this gauge runs out, you will be rendered useless for a few second duration, so use it as little as possible in hostile situations.
The Motion controls take a bit to get used to, but once you get it down, you will be looking for enemies to swing a sword at. Controls, such as basic movement, feel extremely smoothed out from Twilight Princess, which to me felt a little awkward. The biggest problem I have with it is when you open the “look” screen, if you don’t have the controller pointed DIRECTLY in the center of the screen, you will have to manually reposition the cursor by pressing down on the d-pad. This can be extremely annoying, especially when you are in a hurry. But this is a minor annoyance, and is easy to get used to over the course of time. 9/10

Graphics: Anyone who has a Wii knows that it’s limited graphic capabilities can be an eyesore. This is not the case with Skyward Sword however. The graphics are a well-made mix of Twilight Princess, and the cell shaded look from Wind Waker, the result being a visually beautiful environment and popping colors that keep you interested. 10/10

Characters: There isn’t a whole lot to say about the characters Link? He’s mute if you didn’t know, and yet everyone knows exactly what he says. Zelda has a slightly different attitude however, seeming a little bit more teenager like than most of her other roles. It’s good to see that our heroin doesn’t make me feel like Link is trying to chase a man who thinks he’s a woman. Oh, for those of you wondering, no Ganon does not have a role in this. Ever. The main antagonist is in fact a swordsman demon by the name of Ghirahim. He is in many ways you basic, stock main boss. He’s irritable, cocky, and extremely flamboyant. What can I say aside from THIS GAME NEEDS GANON! I understand that since this is a prequel, this is impossible, but even I could come up with a more original antagonist than him While I admit, the times you face him offer a fair challenge, I still dread it simply because I have to ready the text boxes that fly out of his face. 7/10

Level layout: If you’ve played ANY previous Zelda title, then you know what to expect here. You travel from destination to destination, going to the temples and solving all of the puzzles to get to the main boss. That said, the level layouts are extremely well done, offering you a fair amount of area to explore, as well as gorgeous visuals. Items such as heart pieces, which now grow on plants, are spaced out at reasonable intervals, however, rupees seem to come easy in this one, so when your wallet fills up faster than you can spend it, don’t be shocked. I really have very few complaints on this one. 10/10

Overall: What can I really say that I haven’t already said? It’s Zelda, plain and simple down to the bones. If that’s all you’re looking for, then you will not be disappointed. The game offers engaging gameplay mechanics, and beautiful imagery that, personally, leaves me with a want for more. This game gets a very well deserved 9 out of 10 from me. Here’s hoping that the next great Zelda title doesn’t come on a portable system, and it doesn’t take 5 years or more to come.
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It's been forever since I reviewed a game for this section, so like the cheating bastard I am, I'm going to do an analysis of a series that is by far my favorite series created by Koei: Dynasty Warriors Gundam.

Original Mode: Each game in the series has taken a different approach to the story, though the basic premise is that every timeline has been fused and the pilots must work towards a set goal, be it a shared or seperate one. I wanted to discuss it first since it's the main attraction for the DWG series and the only thing that all 3 games have (though it's called "Story Mode" and "Mission Mode" in DWG3 and DWG2 repectively).

DWG1 started off with having the pilots form small teams in order to discover the secrets behind a mysterious planet that seems to be caught in a dimensional warp that allows the pilots to meet one another. They discover that the evil Musha Gundam plans to destroy the Earth by smashing this planet into it. Now, the team you're playing as is always good in that story, while the villains will vary from team to team. Some like Master Asia's team are actually not the villains in two story modes, their own and that of Domon's team. What worked about this story was that it had a very apparent objective that was shared, but with the different teams being the focus, they were allowed to change things up to be unique for each group while still achieving the objective. The cast was able to be fleshed out and given their time to shine in the spotlight, with no single character stealing the show completely, which allowed me to truly enjoy every moment since there wasn't a clear bias.

DWG2 followed the older DW style of storytelling, with the plot centering around the character you happen to be using at the time. However, unlike DWG1, there is no central objective or even a shared story. Each character's story is unique to them and no one else, which allows everyone to shine individually, but it's an example of forced isolation probably due to Koei's lack of faith in itself to create another great story after DWG1 with the massive roster increase. Though I found the individual stories to be good, I do prefer the "Rashomon" style of the original, showing the events through the POV of different characters, and having teams that allowed for development and chemistry between them to show through.

DWG3 is different from the previous two in that it has a central point to the story that every character must aspire to. Every event leads up to it. The different pilots find themselves in a strange place after following weird signals detected by their MS. When they get there, they find that it's thoroughly abandoned, and they have no clue to what is emitting the signals. The different groups fight and exchange information about the place and eventually discover that it's an illusion conjured by a mystical mobile doll called "Knight Gundam," whose sole purpose is to test humanity and see if it can truly understand *takes shot* and overcome their differences to accomplish a common goal. Let me say first that the story is pure and total shit. It's clumsily made, has no sense of where it's going or what it wants to do, and worst of all it's lopsided as all Hell, with the only important characters being Amuro, Banagher, Setsuna, Ribbons and Full Frontal, while the rest are there merely for decoration. Not only that, but the story itself consists of just FINDING INFORMATION...that's it!!! That's all there is to it!! The whole premise itself is so heavily influenced by 00's pretentious bullshit that the entire story becomes mainly an episode of "Punk'd" but with the idea that everything is caused by misunderstandings *takes shot* and that only by understanding *takes shot* others can we finally end war. To which I say: BULL SHIT!!!


Official Mode: Each game has had the decency to allow us to play through parts of the Gundam Mythos, though not to the greatest extent yet. While still needing plenty of improvement, there are points where each game excels.

DWG1 was of course the first and started the trend. The official mode allowed you to play as Amuro, Char, Kamille, Judau, Scirocco and Haman, and set you in some of their most famous battles in the series. The cutscenes were the best part, revitalizing infamous scenes like the showdown with Ramba Ral or the fight between the Zeta and The O, and they were plentiful as well. The only issue was that, being the first in the series, it didn't cover enough to be as engaging as the Original Mode. The big problem is that there are no AU stories included.

DWG2 added on more moments and were even better in their details, such as the inclusion of Mobile Armor enemies for the player to face. The game truly went to great lengths to show the player the story of Gundam, this time ending with Char's Counterattack. However, it was still lacking AU stories, opting for many of them to be played out in their individual stories. Plus, I wish there were more in-game cutscenes like the original.

DWG3 is again a total mess. The history missions are bland and uninteresting due to the bad level design, the lack of cutscenes and the apparent lack of involvement in the actual story. It makes the player feel as though they're playing just another mission, but with less enemies. The only positive thing I can say is that it actually tries to give the AU series history missions, but just like the UC ones, they're bland and no different than other missions.


Gameplay: This series has had quite a few ups and downs in terms of gameplay. Though the general concensus is that Koei is taking giant leaps forward, but a few steps back that aren't damaging to the gameplay.

DWG1 was reminiscient of Dynasty Warriors 2 in that it had a severely limited moveset that only went up to a C4 attack. However it had many changes including dashing for both movement and adding a whole new attack string. Plus a new SP attack system replaced the old Musou attack by adding more attacks as the gauge's level increases and even adding another level if the attack is used in tandem with another character. The point of the game is still to kill certain enemy generals, though the difficulty curve is pretty steep, and with such a limited moveset, it could take a while to complete a single level. Pilots and MS level up as you play as them, but they don't transfer levels over to other pilots.

DWG2 cranked up the gameplay to 11. The game introduced a new class system, allowing gamers to use not only the high level MS, but the grunts as well, creating three tiers where a mobile suit could be placed, with 1 being the highest and 3 the lowest. The movesets vary from class to class, with Class 1 MS having full DW movesets (DW3-5/7), Class 2 MS having the old DWG movesets, and Class 3s having just normal strings with up to 8 strikes. Class 1 MS also had seperated SP attacks from the last game, now having them split into ground, aerial and combined SP attacks executed in different circumstances. The game also introduced Mobile Armor bosses, which, while very difficult to beat and requiring patience, added more to the game in how it could be played. The only real problem was that the parts system was really random and amounted to a tedious grinding cycle. Difficulty was toned down from the previous game, with the actual difficulty setting having to do with how hard the game was than the controls or the overpowered AI.

DWG3 has some issues. In an attempt to win back the high difficulty curb crowd, they made the enemy AI extremely aggressive and deal out high damage in groups. This all but eliminated the need for the defense stat for MS and pilots, as every suit seemed to go down and take damage at the same rate regardless of which you picked. The blueprint system is complete shit. At least the difficulty level mattered in DWG2, dictating what level parts you can obtain and which you can't. However, in DWG3, it doesn't matter at all. You have just as good a chance at finding maxed rank 4 parts as you do ranked 1 parts on the highest difficulty. Even then, finding one that allows you to perfectly max out your mobile suit is rare and a tedious grind like the last game. The good thing about 3 is that it made bases have an actual purpose, which the entire Warriors series seems to lack across the board. This set up makes base capture necessary and not just a superficial portion of the game. Plus, an added Emergency Dash was added in case you were getting juggled by the enemy. I think this is a good feature to go along with the aggressive AI, but I'd also like to see my defense stat actually matter again.


Overall w/Points Not Addressed:

DWG1
-Official Mode is a good start, but doesn't give enough information.
-Original Mode is the best of the games.
-Characters are allowed to shine more.
-Lower Replay Value
-Feels unfinished
-Levels are gigantic and actually feel like battlefields.
-Voice Acting is good, with nice VA choices for characters whose shows have no English Dub.
-Gameplay is slow
-AI is a bit TOO difficult for aces
-Leveling is a pain

DWG2
-Official Mode is the best of the games.
-Stories for characters are disappointing after playing DWG1.
-Mission mode has alot of replay value.
-Leaps in gameplay development.
-Levels are still massive.
-Voice Acting can be a bit cringe worthy for some characters.
-Faster gameplay broken up by long MA bosses.
-Difficulty is just right.
-Finding parts is too much of a grind.

DWG3
-Neither the story nor the history missions are good.
-Lopsided character usage.
-Many pilots don't play a role in the story.
-Replay value is high, but the game's missions are boring.
-Levels are terrible, now just rooms connected by hallways.
-Music is better.
-Difficulty curve makes defense useless.
-Gameplay is even faster paced, making MA battles less tedious and slow.
-Finding blueprints is even more of a grind than the parts from DWG2.
-Characters/MS were cut.
-Voice acting is absolute shit. First time in the series where Japanese VAs were NEEDED to cover up terrible replacement VAs for the dub and terrible voices for many new characters.
Edited by Omega, Jan 2 2012, 03:17 PM.
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