Bebpo Neogaf member XenoBlade review :
Battle system
+Fast
+In addition to the normal choosing of commands, positioning and party member interaction make it more interactive than FFXII and thus more fun.
+Chain attack system is great. Connecting the same color attack increases damage exponentially, while tumbling an enemy opens up opportunity. Interesting decision choices.
+Tumble, paralyze, aura systems are great and lead to a lot of interesting battles.
+Every character is totally unique. Exact opposite of FFXII. By endgame no character is even remotely alike. All have their uses. All are fun to main as.
+Over 100 optional boss battles. Some are quite challenging and require good strategies, others are pushovers. Some just depend on what level you are when you fight them. But there's enough of them throughout, that you'll always have exciting fights with good rewards.
+No punishment for death gives an incentive to push yourself and try to fight anything you think you can. If you die, you simply start at last warp point and don't lose anything.
-3 party feels too limiting. Especially since so few spell types crossover. Someone is hit with poison? If you don't have the 1 character with cure status, you just gotta wait it out which is annoying. At times you are basically required to keep Shulk in your party and then you're limited even further to only 2 open slots. 4 person party would've gone a long way.
-AI is not terrible and you do have some control over it, but at the end of the day your AI partners will not play their characters as efficiently as you would have, which can be a bit annoying.
-Always auto-attacking while in battle. This is built into the system and so defenses are built around it occasionally. But sometimes you just want to NOT ATTACK so you don't trigger the counters, but you can't. >_<
Field/Questing
+Great dungeon/field designs. Really intricate places with tons of secrets to reward those who explore. Lots of variety.
+Awesome weather effects. Every area has unique weather at random parts of the day.
+Gorgeous day/night cycle with music that fades nicely between night and day. Some areas become completely different during the night than they are during the day.
+One of the best endgames ever. As you go through your adventure you come across many monsters or places you can't fight or access. Endgame is going back and doing everything you couldn't during the main game. Very rewarding and pretty long.
+Quick travel and the ability to adjust time is awesome
+Save anywhere is fantastic and needs to be in more jrpgs
+400 optional quests. Some with neat stories. Some with great rewards
+Hundreds of unique named NPCs with their own stories that play out as you become more involved in the towns/cities by doing their quests
+Skill trees and borrowing skills from other trees is a good dynamic that provides lots and lots of passive skills. Some very good.
+Good amount of hidden things. Hidden skill trees, hidden attacks, hidden extensions of normal attacks, Ultimate weapons, Hidden areas, hidden npcs, etc...
+Gem crafting is neat and gems are very useful.
+Loot is alright. You get lots of it, but 75% of things in the game are useless
+Almost nothing important is missable. The few quests that are give you fair warning although they don't tell you when they expire.
+Character relation system is neat. Good rewards for building it up between characters.
-Some quests with rare drop grinds which are the worst thing ever invented. The only times I truly hated playing XB was spending 20-30 mins grinding an enemy for drops.
-Towns are sometimes too big with not enough quick travel landmarks. So when you're running quests there's a ton of in-town running back and forth to talk to people.
-Running speed is a bit slow for the size of the areas. Even with gems that boost running speed, it's capped at 125% for no reason. Should have at least uncapped it to 200% on new game+
-NPCs can be a pain to find without a guide of where everyone is at what time. Since every town has a day/night cycle you have to check the entire towns (which are huge) twice when looking for quests.
-Limited inventory SUCKS. Especially because you're constantly bombarded with items. Almost every time you kill an enemy (95%?) they leave a treasure with like 3-4 items each. Most of it junk. But just because it's fast (and because you can't compare it to your current equip) you click "take all" and move on. This means you fill up your inventories quick and often have to sell stuff to make room.
-Comparing equipment is really tedious. Especially if you ever think about buying from a shop.
-Character relation system between characters grows way to slowly. After 120 hours with everything done, you'll still only have about 50% of the relations maxed out. Growth needed to be at least twice as fast.
-Wish the game had field treasure chests as another way to reward players for exploring
-No beastiary. Inexcusable for a game like this that requires drops all the time.
-Because of no beastiary and the amount of named npcs you often have to find (and sometimes the unclear quest intructions), XB is a "wiki or die" game when trying to 100% it. Without some sort of a guide it'd be near impossible to do everything on the first run.
Story:
+Very interesting plot set in a very unique world.
+Great pacing, exciting cutscenes, mysteries, foreshadowing, twists
+Smart writing. You will not find a more intelligently written rpg this gen. The game avoids most cliches and stereotypes and at no point will you roll your eyes or have to deal with stupid characters acting idiotically. The characters (even the lead) are all intelligent people and act accordingly.
+Good length. Story size is probably about the size of two of the Xenosaga games combined. Smaller in scope and length than Xenogears though.
+Satisfying tale from start to finish. The story is great from the start and never dips even once before the end credits roll. A grand adventure.
+Good cast. Everyone is likeable, no one is generic game/anime stereotype. Character depth doesn't go as deep as something like Xenosaga.
+ or - depending on what you want. XB's story is great and cinematic, but it's not melodramatic like XG/XS/FF/KH. You will not get white room speeches with piano green grass playing. I think this is the biggest change from Takahashi's previous works. XB is not any more mainstream or less ambitious than XG/XS. The story is just as original and creative and well told, it's just that Takahashi has moved away from trying to pull the emotional strings of his audience and make melodrama. Instead it's simply a story where things happen and you enjoy them and watch the story unfold.
Graphics/Audio
+Gorgeous environments
+Good character design
+Visibile equipment is pretty varied and has some real cool designs
+Nice range of tunes that are incorporated very well into the gameplay and cutscene
+Great voice acting
-Wii image quality drags things down a bit
Other
+Large game; takes at least 60-70 hours first time. If you plan to do everything, you're looking at ~120 hours first time.
+New game+ is great. Almost everything carries over.
-Game clock stops at 99:59. Really dumb for a huge game like this
Overall
While there might be a decent amount of small negatives spread throughout the title, the fact of the matter is that in the face of the giant adventure that Xenoblade presents, they're all minor issues that only pick away at the greatness of the experience Xenoblade gives. Anyone willing to invest the time to explore the world of Xenoblade will find that it's populated with hundreds of creatures, quests, characters, bosses, and hidden tales. All which add to up to a truly satisfying console rpg experience unlike any other out there.
Without the budget/time issues that caused the 2nd disc of Xenogears, or the production issues that caused Xenosaga Ep2, Xenoblade feels like the first time Takahashi has been able to give the game experience he wanted from start to finish without resistance blocking his way. And if this is the kind of experience that Takahashi wants to give, then I can only look forward immensely to whatever he creates next.
The three years Monolith Soft spent creating Xenoblade feel truly justified by the end product. As the best game in their resume to date, and the best rpg on a Nintendo system since Chrono Trigger, Xenoblade stands as a proud example of how great rpgs are made.
A+
Battle system
+Fast
+In addition to the normal choosing of commands, positioning and party member interaction make it more interactive than FFXII and thus more fun.
+Chain attack system is great. Connecting the same color attack increases damage exponentially, while tumbling an enemy opens up opportunity. Interesting decision choices.
+Tumble, paralyze, aura systems are great and lead to a lot of interesting battles.
+Every character is totally unique. Exact opposite of FFXII. By endgame no character is even remotely alike. All have their uses. All are fun to main as.
+Over 100 optional boss battles. Some are quite challenging and require good strategies, others are pushovers. Some just depend on what level you are when you fight them. But there's enough of them throughout, that you'll always have exciting fights with good rewards.
+No punishment for death gives an incentive to push yourself and try to fight anything you think you can. If you die, you simply start at last warp point and don't lose anything.
-3 party feels too limiting. Especially since so few spell types crossover. Someone is hit with poison? If you don't have the 1 character with cure status, you just gotta wait it out which is annoying. At times you are basically required to keep Shulk in your party and then you're limited even further to only 2 open slots. 4 person party would've gone a long way.
-AI is not terrible and you do have some control over it, but at the end of the day your AI partners will not play their characters as efficiently as you would have, which can be a bit annoying.
-Always auto-attacking while in battle. This is built into the system and so defenses are built around it occasionally. But sometimes you just want to NOT ATTACK so you don't trigger the counters, but you can't. >_<
Field/Questing
+Great dungeon/field designs. Really intricate places with tons of secrets to reward those who explore. Lots of variety.
+Awesome weather effects. Every area has unique weather at random parts of the day.
+Gorgeous day/night cycle with music that fades nicely between night and day. Some areas become completely different during the night than they are during the day.
+One of the best endgames ever. As you go through your adventure you come across many monsters or places you can't fight or access. Endgame is going back and doing everything you couldn't during the main game. Very rewarding and pretty long.
+Quick travel and the ability to adjust time is awesome
+Save anywhere is fantastic and needs to be in more jrpgs
+400 optional quests. Some with neat stories. Some with great rewards
+Hundreds of unique named NPCs with their own stories that play out as you become more involved in the towns/cities by doing their quests
+Skill trees and borrowing skills from other trees is a good dynamic that provides lots and lots of passive skills. Some very good.
+Good amount of hidden things. Hidden skill trees, hidden attacks, hidden extensions of normal attacks, Ultimate weapons, Hidden areas, hidden npcs, etc...
+Gem crafting is neat and gems are very useful.
+Loot is alright. You get lots of it, but 75% of things in the game are useless
+Almost nothing important is missable. The few quests that are give you fair warning although they don't tell you when they expire.
+Character relation system is neat. Good rewards for building it up between characters.
-Some quests with rare drop grinds which are the worst thing ever invented. The only times I truly hated playing XB was spending 20-30 mins grinding an enemy for drops.
-Towns are sometimes too big with not enough quick travel landmarks. So when you're running quests there's a ton of in-town running back and forth to talk to people.
-Running speed is a bit slow for the size of the areas. Even with gems that boost running speed, it's capped at 125% for no reason. Should have at least uncapped it to 200% on new game+
-NPCs can be a pain to find without a guide of where everyone is at what time. Since every town has a day/night cycle you have to check the entire towns (which are huge) twice when looking for quests.
-Limited inventory SUCKS. Especially because you're constantly bombarded with items. Almost every time you kill an enemy (95%?) they leave a treasure with like 3-4 items each. Most of it junk. But just because it's fast (and because you can't compare it to your current equip) you click "take all" and move on. This means you fill up your inventories quick and often have to sell stuff to make room.
-Comparing equipment is really tedious. Especially if you ever think about buying from a shop.
-Character relation system between characters grows way to slowly. After 120 hours with everything done, you'll still only have about 50% of the relations maxed out. Growth needed to be at least twice as fast.
-Wish the game had field treasure chests as another way to reward players for exploring
-No beastiary. Inexcusable for a game like this that requires drops all the time.
-Because of no beastiary and the amount of named npcs you often have to find (and sometimes the unclear quest intructions), XB is a "wiki or die" game when trying to 100% it. Without some sort of a guide it'd be near impossible to do everything on the first run.
Story:
+Very interesting plot set in a very unique world.
+Great pacing, exciting cutscenes, mysteries, foreshadowing, twists
+Smart writing. You will not find a more intelligently written rpg this gen. The game avoids most cliches and stereotypes and at no point will you roll your eyes or have to deal with stupid characters acting idiotically. The characters (even the lead) are all intelligent people and act accordingly.
+Good length. Story size is probably about the size of two of the Xenosaga games combined. Smaller in scope and length than Xenogears though.
+Satisfying tale from start to finish. The story is great from the start and never dips even once before the end credits roll. A grand adventure.
+Good cast. Everyone is likeable, no one is generic game/anime stereotype. Character depth doesn't go as deep as something like Xenosaga.
+ or - depending on what you want. XB's story is great and cinematic, but it's not melodramatic like XG/XS/FF/KH. You will not get white room speeches with piano green grass playing. I think this is the biggest change from Takahashi's previous works. XB is not any more mainstream or less ambitious than XG/XS. The story is just as original and creative and well told, it's just that Takahashi has moved away from trying to pull the emotional strings of his audience and make melodrama. Instead it's simply a story where things happen and you enjoy them and watch the story unfold.
Graphics/Audio
+Gorgeous environments
+Good character design
+Visibile equipment is pretty varied and has some real cool designs
+Nice range of tunes that are incorporated very well into the gameplay and cutscene
+Great voice acting
-Wii image quality drags things down a bit
Other
+Large game; takes at least 60-70 hours first time. If you plan to do everything, you're looking at ~120 hours first time.
+New game+ is great. Almost everything carries over.
-Game clock stops at 99:59. Really dumb for a huge game like this
Overall
While there might be a decent amount of small negatives spread throughout the title, the fact of the matter is that in the face of the giant adventure that Xenoblade presents, they're all minor issues that only pick away at the greatness of the experience Xenoblade gives. Anyone willing to invest the time to explore the world of Xenoblade will find that it's populated with hundreds of creatures, quests, characters, bosses, and hidden tales. All which add to up to a truly satisfying console rpg experience unlike any other out there.
Without the budget/time issues that caused the 2nd disc of Xenogears, or the production issues that caused Xenosaga Ep2, Xenoblade feels like the first time Takahashi has been able to give the game experience he wanted from start to finish without resistance blocking his way. And if this is the kind of experience that Takahashi wants to give, then I can only look forward immensely to whatever he creates next.
The three years Monolith Soft spent creating Xenoblade feel truly justified by the end product. As the best game in their resume to date, and the best rpg on a Nintendo system since Chrono Trigger, Xenoblade stands as a proud example of how great rpgs are made.
A+
There's some good news in addition to this. Nintendo of America just registered a domain name for XenoBlade Chronicles. This game may very well be announced soon for North America as well.
I just finished another playthrough of Red Steel 2. I'll probably play some more Monster Hunter Tri tonight and maybe start up another play through of No More Heroes 2 tomorrow.
I was trying to get into Epic Mickey but the games' first two hours have been been quite boring. Plus, the clunky camera controls and unreliable IR pointer are doing their best to help ruin the already trashy experience of dull fetch quests, cumbersome combat, and mediocre platforming.
For a game concept that sounded so cool, its execution has been terrible in every except for possibly the story. The whole thing just feels like one big chore.
I was trying to get into Epic Mickey but the games' first two hours have been been quite boring. Plus, the clunky camera controls and unreliable IR pointer are doing their best to help ruin the already trashy experience of dull fetch quests, cumbersome combat, and mediocre platforming.
For a game concept that sounded so cool, its execution has been terrible in every except for possibly the story. The whole thing just feels like one big chore.
Like I said before, I'm not feeling much of anything for Jack's fruity pebbles colored version. This game sure sports some aweful looking character designs, particularly with Sasha. The only good thing about Jacks's new design is his chainsaw.
MadWorld featured some decent fun but it suffered from a lot of issues. The simplistic and repetitive gameplay, criminally short campaign, dull story and cheap cut scenes, tacked-on multiplayer mode, frusterating hard mode, and it lacked replay value as well.
On the bright side, the graphics and art style were cool, the music's quite catchy (despite how it was looped) and motion control was for the most part, used very well (except for anything related to the ocassional waggle gestures). The commentary stuff was amusing even though it also frequently repeated itself.
MadWorld featured some decent fun but it suffered from a lot of issues. The simplistic and repetitive gameplay, criminally short campaign, dull story and cheap cut scenes, tacked-on multiplayer mode, frusterating hard mode, and it lacked replay value as well.
On the bright side, the graphics and art style were cool, the music's quite catchy (despite how it was looped) and motion control was for the most part, used very well (except for anything related to the ocassional waggle gestures). The commentary stuff was amusing even though it also frequently repeated itself.
I would have been happy with just a more creative sequel to Epic Yarn.However, a seemingly more traditional Kirby game is perfectly acceptable.
Suddenly, The Wii 2011 game lineup just got a shot in the arm with these new two games. So confirmed upcoming games include Conduit 2, de Blob 2, and Mario Sports Mix.
TBA includes The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Last Story , Rhythm Heaven, Pandora's Tower, Kirby, Fatal Frame 2, Pikmin 3, and Dragon Quest X, Night of the Sacrifice, and XenoBlade.
Oh, almost forgot about the Wiiware stuff. There's Retro City Rampage, Bit. Trip Flux, and possibly Super Meat Boy making an appearance of some sort.
Suddenly, The Wii 2011 game lineup just got a shot in the arm with these new two games. So confirmed upcoming games include Conduit 2, de Blob 2, and Mario Sports Mix.
TBA includes The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Last Story , Rhythm Heaven, Pandora's Tower, Kirby, Fatal Frame 2, Pikmin 3, and Dragon Quest X, Night of the Sacrifice, and XenoBlade.
Oh, almost forgot about the Wiiware stuff. There's Retro City Rampage, Bit. Trip Flux, and possibly Super Meat Boy making an appearance of some sort.
I actually agree with Nintendo about this. Achievement systems can be cool but they're largely unnecessary especially given how mundane most of them can be (go kill 200 of those really annoying enemies). Yeah, that sounds like fun!
- Super Mario Galaxy 2: Wicked Wall Jumps in the Flip Out Galaxy
The clever platform switching timed to Mario's spin jump made for the most satisfying platforming experiences in the franchise's history.
- Monster Hunter Tri: Slaying a Lagiacrus
Lagiacrus is pretty intimidating the first time you face it in the water by yourself as a low-level hunter. He proved to be a formidable foe in the water, especially due to his electrified current rush attack, which can instantly stun you and isn't that easy to dodge. In a way, Lagiacrus is like the Jaws of Monster Hunter Tri.
- Red Steel 2: "The Shot" Finishing Move
Red Steel 2 features a lot of fun moves to pull off, but there's nothing quite like shoving your Magnum underneath an enemy's chin to send a bullet vertically through their skull.
- No More Heroes 2 : Shinobu vs. New Destroyman
It was amusing to watch these perverted twin bosses talk down to Shinobu and attempt to pull off the same dirty trick as in the first game. Not only was is really fun to play as Shinobu, but she ends up giving New Destroyman one of the coolest boss deaths in the game.
- Doneky Kong Country Returns: Bomb's Away
This was the hardest mine cart level in the game for me. Lowered crystal stalactites, bomb throwing moles, and a giant rolling track with holes in it at at the end. This is one of those stages that really tested your player skills.
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine
Being able to use the awesome Cloud suit power-up alone is enough to make any level fun as hell. However, using it to take on a boss makes the victory all the more satisfying.
- Metroid: Other M: Little Birdie
Little Birdie, you’re so cute! Oh wait, your …
The clever platform switching timed to Mario's spin jump made for the most satisfying platforming experiences in the franchise's history.
- Monster Hunter Tri: Slaying a Lagiacrus
Lagiacrus is pretty intimidating the first time you face it in the water by yourself as a low-level hunter. He proved to be a formidable foe in the water, especially due to his electrified current rush attack, which can instantly stun you and isn't that easy to dodge. In a way, Lagiacrus is like the Jaws of Monster Hunter Tri.
- Red Steel 2: "The Shot" Finishing Move
Red Steel 2 features a lot of fun moves to pull off, but there's nothing quite like shoving your Magnum underneath an enemy's chin to send a bullet vertically through their skull.
- No More Heroes 2 : Shinobu vs. New Destroyman
It was amusing to watch these perverted twin bosses talk down to Shinobu and attempt to pull off the same dirty trick as in the first game. Not only was is really fun to play as Shinobu, but she ends up giving New Destroyman one of the coolest boss deaths in the game.
- Doneky Kong Country Returns: Bomb's Away
This was the hardest mine cart level in the game for me. Lowered crystal stalactites, bomb throwing moles, and a giant rolling track with holes in it at at the end. This is one of those stages that really tested your player skills.
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine
Being able to use the awesome Cloud suit power-up alone is enough to make any level fun as hell. However, using it to take on a boss makes the victory all the more satisfying.
- Metroid: Other M: Little Birdie
Little Birdie, you’re so cute! Oh wait, your …
Thanks for doing all of that interesting but tedious data collecting, Kotaku. We appreciate it!
My top three most played games are Monster Hunter Tri (probably my second most played game of all time next to Counter-Strike:Source) followed in a distant second by Smash Bros. Brawl and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
My top three most played games are Monster Hunter Tri (probably my second most played game of all time next to Counter-Strike:Source) followed in a distant second by Smash Bros. Brawl and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
@Batman: Yes, it is worthy of buying for $25. I'd go so far as to say that Sin & Punishment 2 is worth the purchase of $49 if you're a fan of the original game and of the on-rails shooter genre. It's a very good game with intuitive controls, cool levels, weird bosses and good replay value as well. The only bad things about this game are the same issues that the first game had which were ugly looking main character designs and a stupid story.
Kirby's Epic Yarn is the polar opposite of DKC Returns. Epic Yarn is just very easy to beat due to the general lack of challenge (less than a handful of later levels will actually provide a decent sense of challenge, if any). The game's graphics and animation are beautiful, the gameplay is fun and solid, and the level design is well done.Some of the bosses are more creative and others and the music exceeded my expextations with how enjoyable it was to listen to in a in a pleasantly soothing kind of way. Oh, and the game's hub world presentation is pretty cool. Even though the gameplay length is short (5-6 hours) it offers good replay value. The only bad things about the game are the unresponsive train transformation controls and a stupid, childish story.
From what I have read in terms of reviews, DKC Returns is one of Nintendo's best and hardest 2D platformers. I think you can expect the game to be really good but it all comes down to whether or not you're ready to play a very challenging game just like with the original DKC trilogy titles.
Anyway, I highly recommend buying all of these games.
Kirby's Epic Yarn is the polar opposite of DKC Returns. Epic Yarn is just very easy to beat due to the general lack of challenge (less than a handful of later levels will actually provide a decent sense of challenge, if any). The game's graphics and animation are beautiful, the gameplay is fun and solid, and the level design is well done.Some of the bosses are more creative and others and the music exceeded my expextations with how enjoyable it was to listen to in a in a pleasantly soothing kind of way. Oh, and the game's hub world presentation is pretty cool. Even though the gameplay length is short (5-6 hours) it offers good replay value. The only bad things about the game are the unresponsive train transformation controls and a stupid, childish story.
From what I have read in terms of reviews, DKC Returns is one of Nintendo's best and hardest 2D platformers. I think you can expect the game to be really good but it all comes down to whether or not you're ready to play a very challenging game just like with the original DKC trilogy titles.
Anyway, I highly recommend buying all of these games.
Honestly, the game was fun for a couple of days but then I traded it in and have no regrets. The gameplay is just too repetitive and wears out its welcome in just a handful of matches. The remix tour is mostly a snoozefest with the exception of the boss battles. Backboard smash is the most amusing of the bunch but it doesn't add anything new to the gameplay. Elimination was frustrating due to how more aggressive the AI is. I got sick of playing the remix tour and after unlocking some content and just stuck to the single player mode.
By the way, playing as the mascots and politicians is pretty cool.
I don't see how online play is going to make this game any more enjoyable than the Wii version. I'd still would have traded it in even if it had the feature. The amount of content just isn't enough to hold my interest when the gameplay is so tediously repetitive despite performing the crazy dunks.
By the way, playing as the mascots and politicians is pretty cool.
I don't see how online play is going to make this game any more enjoyable than the Wii version. I'd still would have traded it in even if it had the feature. The amount of content just isn't enough to hold my interest when the gameplay is so tediously repetitive despite performing the crazy dunks.
Yep, Monster Hunter Tri is my most played Wii game with over 550 hours spent. I play it almost every day.
I just got to hunter rank 107 and obtained a 2nd stout horn (about freaking time!). Time to upgrade the old Great Demonbind switch axe.
Now all I need are two skypiercers to upgrade to the Black Harvest switch axe.
MH Tri's single player mode is still quite enjoyable even though the core experience is all about online multiplayer. The only downsides are that you can't obtain the switch axe weapon in the single player mode. Also, there's two exclusive monsters available only to fight online. In addition, you'll need to fight the regular boss monsters online in order to obtain exclusive higher ranked monster carvings and other items used further upgrade and craft more armor and weapons.
I just got to hunter rank 107 and obtained a 2nd stout horn (about freaking time!). Time to upgrade the old Great Demonbind switch axe.
Now all I need are two skypiercers to upgrade to the Black Harvest switch axe.
MH Tri's single player mode is still quite enjoyable even though the core experience is all about online multiplayer. The only downsides are that you can't obtain the switch axe weapon in the single player mode. Also, there's two exclusive monsters available only to fight online. In addition, you'll need to fight the regular boss monsters online in order to obtain exclusive higher ranked monster carvings and other items used further upgrade and craft more armor and weapons.
The good:
- slick graphics & fluid animation
- good voice acting
- solid combat and puzzle-solving
- cool boss battles
- cinematic camera system
- Seamless mix of 2d & 3d level design
- surprisingly tight and responsive D-pad controls
- good variety of environments
- well implemented save system
- some good plot twists ... even if some where predictable (like Ridley's).
The bad:
- Fairly cumbersome switch to the Wii remote pointer FPS control scheme
- lack of satisfying conclusions to different parts of the story.
- some awkward dialogue.
- lacking in sense of atmosphere mainly due to the music being too subtle.
- rare but unnecessary, fairly confusing, and forced FPS scanning sections.
- rare but unnecessary and forced walking sections.
- Lack of upgradable power-suits.
- Lack of classic Metroid-style circular doors.
- shallow relationship between Samus & Adam Malkovich
- Illogical gameplay elements like Samus requiring permission to use the MAJORITY of power suit abilities.
- Cut scene during Ridley boss fight.
Samus was scared of him for a reason (hinted at by one of the Chozo in the metroid manga) but Other M never bothers to offer an explanation for it .If anything, Other M assumes you've read the metroid manga.
- BRING BACK Kraid.
- Final boss battle ending.
Too simple. Confusing. Not fun. Not challenging. Not Epic.
It's only success is robbing the player of any sense of satisfaction.
The most disappointing: The story
What fans wanted - An exciting and informative retelling of Samus Aran's past from her perspective and what emotional impact it had on her. Ideally, based mainly on the events that lead to be raised by the Chozo
and her time spent with the Galactic Federation. In addition, fleshing out Samus's relationships with Adam, Ridley, Chozo, and Mother Brain. With that said, the plot did include include the current fate of the Metroids.
What fans got: Half the story is an altered version of Metroid Fusion with a mysterious conspiracy that fails to properly handle the characterization of Samus and provide a meaningful relationship between her and Adam. The ending to the Bottle ship conspiracy felt like something out of a cheesy Resident Evil game and robbed gamers of what they really wanted from a final boss fight (hint: Mother B).
- slick graphics & fluid animation
- good voice acting
- solid combat and puzzle-solving
- cool boss battles
- cinematic camera system
- Seamless mix of 2d & 3d level design
- surprisingly tight and responsive D-pad controls
- good variety of environments
- well implemented save system
- some good plot twists ... even if some where predictable (like Ridley's).
The bad:
- Fairly cumbersome switch to the Wii remote pointer FPS control scheme
- lack of satisfying conclusions to different parts of the story.
- some awkward dialogue.
- lacking in sense of atmosphere mainly due to the music being too subtle.
- rare but unnecessary, fairly confusing, and forced FPS scanning sections.
- rare but unnecessary and forced walking sections.
- Lack of upgradable power-suits.
- Lack of classic Metroid-style circular doors.
- shallow relationship between Samus & Adam Malkovich
- Illogical gameplay elements like Samus requiring permission to use the MAJORITY of power suit abilities.
- Cut scene during Ridley boss fight.
Samus was scared of him for a reason (hinted at by one of the Chozo in the metroid manga) but Other M never bothers to offer an explanation for it .If anything, Other M assumes you've read the metroid manga.
- BRING BACK Kraid.
- Final boss battle ending.
Too simple. Confusing. Not fun. Not challenging. Not Epic.
It's only success is robbing the player of any sense of satisfaction.
The most disappointing: The story
What fans wanted - An exciting and informative retelling of Samus Aran's past from her perspective and what emotional impact it had on her. Ideally, based mainly on the events that lead to be raised by the Chozo
and her time spent with the Galactic Federation. In addition, fleshing out Samus's relationships with Adam, Ridley, Chozo, and Mother Brain. With that said, the plot did include include the current fate of the Metroids.
What fans got: Half the story is an altered version of Metroid Fusion with a mysterious conspiracy that fails to properly handle the characterization of Samus and provide a meaningful relationship between her and Adam. The ending to the Bottle ship conspiracy felt like something out of a cheesy Resident Evil game and robbed gamers of what they really wanted from a final boss fight (hint: Mother B).
I' m sorry, Owen, but you're wrong about the default Wii remote controls. It's probably just boils down player experience with Wii FPS games, but I found the Wii controls to be superior to dual analog when playing GoldenEye 007.
Classic Controller Pro works just fine (even though it is noticeably slower and clunkier when compared to the default Wii controls.The speed and precision offered by the Wii remote's IR pointer is simply superior.
The problem with the Wii contros in GoldenEye 007 is that the pre-determined default settings are not optimized as well as they should have been so that is due to the developer's fault. Players will simply have to spend some time tweaking the settings until they find the control scheme that satisfies them.
I find it silly how so many reviewers are failing to use the Wii controls properly. I understand that it takes time to find the preferred customized control settings and that reviewers do not always have the luxury to take as much time as they want to review a game. However, it ultimately is not a good enough excuse as it does a disserve to the quality of the games. My God reviewers , have you not played Red Steel 2, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Conduit, or any of the COD and Medal of Honor titles ? Golden Eye 007's controls may not be as precise as some of those, but it is still better than dual analog. Again, using CC Pro is great to use and it does have the advantage of plug and play as you do not have to mess around with the controller settings.
Classic Controller Pro works just fine (even though it is noticeably slower and clunkier when compared to the default Wii controls.The speed and precision offered by the Wii remote's IR pointer is simply superior.
The problem with the Wii contros in GoldenEye 007 is that the pre-determined default settings are not optimized as well as they should have been so that is due to the developer's fault. Players will simply have to spend some time tweaking the settings until they find the control scheme that satisfies them.
I find it silly how so many reviewers are failing to use the Wii controls properly. I understand that it takes time to find the preferred customized control settings and that reviewers do not always have the luxury to take as much time as they want to review a game. However, it ultimately is not a good enough excuse as it does a disserve to the quality of the games. My God reviewers , have you not played Red Steel 2, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Conduit, or any of the COD and Medal of Honor titles ? Golden Eye 007's controls may not be as precise as some of those, but it is still better than dual analog. Again, using CC Pro is great to use and it does have the advantage of plug and play as you do not have to mess around with the controller settings.
That was pure awesomeness.
Retro does what Rare don't.
Retro does what Rare don't.
I finished the single player mode a few hours ago so now it is time for online multiplayer with GoldenEye o07.
I'm also going to start a third playthrough of Kirby's Epic Yarn tonight with my friend in 2 player co-op.
I also still need to kill a high rank Diablos in Monster Hunter Tri's online multiplayer to get a second stout horn.
Eh, don't you just hate it when a Diablos targets you with 2-3 consecutiveunderground attacks ?
I'm also going to start a third playthrough of Kirby's Epic Yarn tonight with my friend in 2 player co-op.
I also still need to kill a high rank Diablos in Monster Hunter Tri's online multiplayer to get a second stout horn.
Eh, don't you just hate it when a Diablos targets you with 2-3 consecutiveunderground attacks ?
I wonder if Microsoft and third-party devs have any concerns over the seemingly severe technical and genre limitations that Kinect faces. How can one make a game with traditional free roaming player movement as well as camera control without the use of dual analog or even an IR pointer ? So far, all of Kinect's titles either use on-rails or stationary player movement. Heck, even that Star Wars game was nothing more than an simplistic on-rails brawler.
I don't see how Kinect would ever offer a similar experience to something like Red Steel 2 which uses a good balance of motion control and buttons without being forced to dumb down the experience with player movement (no on-rails) and manual camera control.
I don't see how Kinect would ever offer a similar experience to something like Red Steel 2 which uses a good balance of motion control and buttons without being forced to dumb down the experience with player movement (no on-rails) and manual camera control.
I'm currently on my second play through of Kirby's Epic Yarn.
Resident Evil Remake
Scariest moment: First encounter with a Crimsom Head.
I was walking through a hallway in the mansion when I went past what appeared to be a zombie I had previously killed. However, it surprisingly came back to life. Before I could turn around, it started to chase me and I realized that I had run out of ammo. The zombie ran after me through the rest of the hallway until I got to the nearest door.
I remember screaming like a girl in front of my younger brother.
Scariest moment: First encounter with a Crimsom Head.
I was walking through a hallway in the mansion when I went past what appeared to be a zombie I had previously killed. However, it surprisingly came back to life. Before I could turn around, it started to chase me and I realized that I had run out of ammo. The zombie ran after me through the rest of the hallway until I got to the nearest door.
I remember screaming like a girl in front of my younger brother.
I'd have to go with Morrigan talking dirty to Sten, then he eventually scares her away with the rough Qunari sex talk.
I'll finish up my second playthrough of Kirby's Epic Yarn.
I also plan on sinking in some time with Monster Hunter Tri to level up 5 more times to reach hunter rank 100.
I also plan on sinking in some time with Monster Hunter Tri to level up 5 more times to reach hunter rank 100.
