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Post by Red Dragon Negotiator on Dec 27, 2011 23:20:06 GMT -6
I figured I would do a quick review on Batman Arkham City, and then I thought I might as well review Arkham Asylum too and compare the games, but I'm starting a generic thread here for game reviews of any kind. So if anyone has a game they'd like to review, ask questions about, or recommend, then post it here. Anyways, I reluctantly decided to give Arkham Asylum (PC) a try a few months after it came out in 2009 (can't believe it's already been that long). My hopes weren't high, because we all know that superhero comics turned into games never work right. Without knowing really anything about the game I expected a lackluster experience that would maybe entertain me while bored, but could quite possibly border on childish and bland. Up to this point I hadn't even read any reviews, but after I noticed the game received high praise, I had a little more confidence in it. All my fears of an unimaginative game vanished immediately after the game's intro. The environment, the characters (and information about dozens from the comics), the voice acting, the graphics, the presentation, the colors and lighting, even the game's interface, everything about the game is top notch and you know it from the start. Combat and use of gadgets is simple but brilliant and loads of fun. The dark, gritty, cinematic styled intro banished any thoughts I had of the game being cheap or childish. Make no mistake, while the game has an occational joke or crack of dry humor, it has a serious and gritty tone. Joker's maniacal laugh and crude jokes as Batman escorts him through the asylum show you right off the bat that this game has first rate voice actors. Right away I recognized Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy. All in all the game just does everything perfectly, and really makes you feel like you're the bad ass himself. PC is a standout for me, in high resolution with PhysX and all settings up, this game from 2009 looks better than 90% of new games coming out now. I was also amazed at how smooth and steady the game ran at high settings, even during intense combat. I think the game is fine with keyboard and mouse but you can use an Xbox controller. The only downside about the Arkham Asylum -besides that it ends, IMO was the lack of a lot of characters even the game brings into light. But it's not really a big deal because Arkham City fixes this problem. Some complained the game was way too easy and or too linear, and while I did think it was too easy and linear, I don't think that's a bad thing. You want to feel powerfull and in control if you're playing as Batman. You don't want to keep getting killed constantly, or have no idea what you're supposed to be doing. I thought the game could of been a tad more difficult by default, but I didn't have any issue on this topic. The objectives keep linearity, but the Asylum is still huge and most of the time you're free to run around and do whatever you want, like collect Riddler trophies or something. After the brilliance of Arkham Asylum, I was really looking forward to Arkham City. I ordered the game a few days after it was released on PC (after patiently waiting). Graphics are almost identicle, except for some new fancy eye candy and DX11 features. With settings on max and DX11 features on, I had some slowdown during fights etc, so you need an above average system to play with all the eye candy. Improved combat and the inclusion of a number of famous Batman characters are my favorite things about this game. In combat you can now virtually counter as many enemies at a time as you want, as long as you can push the counter button fast enough. This is really cool and makes for some insane animations that will make you laugh and or your jaw drop. Just like in the first game, combat is flawlessly smooth. You also have more ability to use gadgets in combat and now you can even grab a chair in mid air that an enemy has thrown and hurl it back at his head, before smashing two thugs to the ground simultaneously and then raking up 800 points of freeflow combat moves in just a few seconds. Catwoman is also playable in a few chapters, and she has her own amazingly fun, lightning fast combat style. There are many new characters included in the main story now, Two-Face, Penguin, Mister Freeze, Ra's Al-Ghul, Talia Al-Ghul, Hugo Strange, even Calendar Man and the Mad Hatter make appearances. All of their voice acting is top notch and their diverse physical characteristics combined with the games graphics are nothing short of brilliant. I actually liked getting killed sometimes just to see a character close up on the "game over" screen, taunting Batman. In general I loved this game as well, and it's faults are few, but I will say that if I had to pick a favorite of the two, I would choose Arkham Asylum. Arkham City does everything bigger and mostly better, but I prefer the story and setting in Arkham Asylum slightly. I also realized the game is noticably more difficult, on the Normal setting. Good or bad? Not really too sure. I think Arkham City was a little too complex for it's own good, and the developers may have got too ambitous with it and took a huge jump from Arkham Asylum, instead of a moderate leap. I've always been a pretty big fan of Batman. It was really the only comic and super hero I ever got into. But even if you aren't into Batman or even comics, these games are amazingly done, and loads of fun if you like action/adventure/fighting. The presentation, production value, artistry and graphics of these two games is better than anything I've played in quite some time. It's right up there with Red Dead Redemption IMO, for the two(technically three) best titles in the last five years. Aside from the things I've already talked about, the fact that these games try something different than anything else around these days is their strongest asset. Arkham Asylum (PC) Graphics:10 Gameplay:10 Sound:10 Story:10 Length of main story:9 Replayability:9 Overall: 9.8 Screens: Arkham City (PC) Graphics:10 Gameplay:10 Sound:10 Story:8.5 Length of main story:9 Replayability:10 Overall:9.5 Screens:
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Post by TOP' on Dec 28, 2011 10:35:56 GMT -6
The graphics and physics looks amazing! Nice review Kurt
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Post by Red Dragon Negotiator on Jan 5, 2012 22:02:24 GMT -6
My review for Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead came out in November 2008 for PC and Xbox. Basically, if you haven't played this game, you can't call yourself a true video game fan, and you're missing out big time. Valve/Turtle Rock (Turtle Rock was bought by Valve during production of L4D) took the Source Engine, tried and true Half Life/Team Fortress formula and added zombies. Can't get much better than that. The game is focused completely around multiplayer, that's where the most fun is. I'm not going to talk about actual gameplay much, because if you don't know it by now you must be a zombie. I just have to point out that this is one of the best games ever made, and it will probably remain in my top five or so favorites of all time. The formula, playability, fun factor and even visuals are all reasons for that. I purchased the game shortly after it's release in 2008. Steam has logged me at 437 hours of play. It might be the most hours I've played any game ever in around a 4 year period. I even love playing with bots because the gameplay is just hilarious. Bots often behave stupid but it's always amusing, especially with cheats. Spawn a tank or let a boomer hurl all over Zoey and get ready to laugh. The game is NEVER boring, with people or bots. Left 4 Dead originally shipped with four campaigns. Each can be completed in around 45-50 minutes, or 30-35 if you rush. I still to this day play the original maps the game shipped with and have not grown tired of them. I know ever nook and cranny, ever possible location of ammo or supplies, where a tank or witch might spawn, but I still never get sick of it. At the time of release, graphics were considered a downside and even obsolete, but I can't say I agree with that. I think the game's visuals are well done and the colors and lighting set the mood perfectly. While textures throughout the maps and on zombies are a bit blurry at times, the graphics overall are solid. You won't be ooh-ing and ahh-ing over them by any means, expect a polished Team Fortress feel, but they do what they're supposed to do and do it very well. The thing that immediately surprised me when I first played this game is the sheer amount of zombies that can rush at you at any given time. I was expecting something like, enter a room, shoot three or four zombies, move to the next room, get attacked by two others, etc. Right after leaving the safe area at the start of a campaign expect to see twenty or more zombies hovering around the room. The "Survivors" are amazingly detailed with good textures and hilarious facial expressions. Each character looks believable and unique. Sound is perfect. The music is perfect. The eerie music at the menu screen is like something out of a horror movie. The screams and disgusting noises zombies make are freakily realistic. The Survivors have hundreds, probably thousands of lines of comments and dialoge that can be said and might change depending on various situations in game. I still occasionally hear a survivor yell out a funny line that I haven't heard yet, even after years of playing. Weapon sounds aren't 100%, but hardly any (if any) games get weapon sounds spot on realistic. I've fired lots of different weapons in my life so I know. Going with the gameplay though, the weapons are well done. Loud and powerfull sounding enough, but not too over the top. While I do prefer the characters, simplicity and grittier setting in the first game, Left 4 Dead 2 is also great fun, especially with friends. I can't think of many other games I've played in my life time that I could constantly enjoy at any random time and not get sick of. A+++ to Valve and Turtle Rock for this game and series. Looking forward to a third installment. First person shooters or video games in general don't get much better than this.
Left 4 Dead Summary (PC) Graphics: 8.8; (Maxed out in 1920x1080) Above average IMO, the Survivors look especially good as well as color and lighting/shadow effects, but textures sometimes look blurry and lack detail. But hey, you're blasting zombies and fighting for your life, not looking at the scenery. Gameplay: 10; Perfect, especially with friends. Sound: 10 Campaigns/Characters: 10; Campaign maps are dark and gritty which I love. Maps have a variety of city and rural locations, airport, hospital, farm, etc. I thought the characters were spot on believable and made up perfect visually. Replayability: 10 Overall: 10; For me personally, the game is a perfect score overall. Some might give it lower, which I could understand. But I've had almost 500 hours of fun with this game for the $30 price tag. The last Call of Duty game I bought was $60 and I beat it once in 7 hours and haven't touched it since. I know I'll be playing L4D for years to come. This is a video game at it's best.
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Post by Red Dragon Negotiator on Feb 7, 2012 0:32:56 GMT -6
Here's a little review of Red Dead Redemption. (PS3)
Quite simply one of the best games ever made from all aspects. Been playing it on PS3 since the release and it never fails to entertain. Rockstar Games takes the basic structural elements from GTA4 like sandbox gameplay, completely open world, 3rd person shooting, character driven and drama filled story and even the Euphoria engine. All the things that make GTA4 so good are present in RDR. But RDR manages to take it a step further and do something fresh and unique with it's story and early 1900's setting.
First off, the game will never bore you and you'll literally never run out of things to do. The main story is very lengthy by todays standards. And that's not including the side missions, challenges, gang hideouts, obtainable extras like outfits, mini-games, hunting. The list can go on. The mini-games are a game in themselves. I've wasted hours just playing blackjack and liars dice. The hunting and inclusion of animals were a pleasant surprise for me. I was surprised at how realistic the animals behaved. A cougar or bear might ambush you when you don't expect it. Or if you come face to face with one they might just stop first and stare you down before attacking. Dogs in towns playfully chase your horse around. Non threatening animals spawn and move in packs like they should. There's even so many different types of birds in the game I still find one's I've never seen. No detail has been missed. Going out to complete the hunting challenges was more realistic and enjoyable than any hunting game I've ever played in my life. And that's just something that's a side show in RDR.
The graphics are beautiful, as well as the environments, colors and lighting. I was particularly impressed with the Great Plains and Tall Trees parts of the map. You can virtually see from one end of the game world to the other, given you can find a high enough point. The way the lighting changes depending on the time of day and area of the map is brilliantly done. It really makes you feel like you're there. The snowy mountains in Tall Trees feel cold and intimidating, and Mexico feels hot and oppressive. Detail in the game world is off the charts. The clothing on characters, animals, buildings and towns, rural areas, trees and foilage. The water is some of the best looking water I've ever seen a video game. The physics seem purposefully stiffer than in GTA4, which is a good thing IMO. But occasionally when Marston falls or characters or animals knock into things, it happens oddly, but it's not a big deal. The engine makes this game really beautiful. Combat situations look like they're straight out of a classic movie. Shootouts really pull you in with the way the characters react after being shot and the fact that their gun and hat can go flying from them. The way characters fall and roll after being killed is actually....rediculously good. It almost looks like it's motion capture, but it never happens exactly the same way twice. Sometimes when you shoot someone who's on a horse, they get caught by the saddle and the horse bouces their corpse around as it runs away. The gattling gun portions of the game are way too fun. The way glass shatters and debris/objects move is extrememly realistic. You can shoot someone into a window and the window pane and glass will burst and shatter around their body leaving blood splattered around. The blood is just right, enough but not over the topc. Outside of combat, every character and animal walks, runs and moves realistically. Marston will shift his weight forward when walking up a hill. You can see a horse's muscles flex and relax as they walk and gallop. Everything about the visuals, combat and gameplay is just all so well done.
Getting around is by your horse, paying for a ride, or steam train. You could walk but it would virtually take you a real time hour just to get to the next town. It works well I think and it's a lot of fun. They did a great job implementing realistically controlling a horse but still keeping it fun.
The vintage weapons are fun to use and realistic. I like how realistically powerful all the firearms in the game feel. The lowest level revolver packs a less punch than say a Mauser, just as it should. Same goes for the rifles/shotguns etc. But all the weapons in the game are realistically deadly. If you shoot someone once or twice in the chest with a Mauser, they'll be toast, but it'll probably take a little more to take them down with the weakest revolver. There's even throwing knives, a lasso, etc. I was extremely impressed with the weapons and shooting in this game, even more so than in GTA4. The slow motion "Dead Eye" is very similar to the Bullet Time in Max Payne, just without the fancy tumbles and leaps. It works great and is fun every single time, especially with how you can mark exactly where you want your bullets to go. In a couple seconds you can unload 10 rounds into someones face if you please.
Besides weapons there's a shit ton of items to be bought or looted, each with their own worth and use. Chewing tobacco, grizzly meat from the bear you just killed, plant life, an apple for your horse, even rosary beads from a friendly random nun. Too much to even begin to remember.
I want to take a second to touch upon the DLC's. Every game these days either pre-ships with DLC in some special edition package that is more expensive, or they make a shit ton of DLC available to download. In my expirience, most games DLC isn't usually worth the price, if it's worth even playing at all. All in all I thought the DLC for RDR (single and multiplayer) was great and best of all for very reasonable prices. They even made various DLC's available for free, which shows me Rockstar cares about their true fanbase unlike most developers these days. The Undead Nightmare DLC was one of the best $10 bucks I've ever spend on anything. It has a whole new story, new weapons, animals, missions, challenges and...zombies. All for 10 freakin bucks. It could literally ship as a seperate game for full price and I'd gladly buy it compared to half of the shit big developers release these days. Most DLC's that cost 10 bucks give you something worth MAYBE half that. Not the case in RDR.
Quickly on multiplayer...I have played way more hours of singleplayer than multiplayer in this game, but what I have played of MP was very fun. Quite similar to GTA4, but way better. There's lots of cool modes to play, a free roam, challenges like those in single player, lots of characters to choose from, etc, etc, etc. It's impossible to sum up such a game packed with so much content.
The only real complaint I have with the game, isn't really with the GAME itself. I just can't understand why Rockstar decided not to release the game on PC. I was hopeful at first, but it's not going to happen. I'm a PC gamer at heart, and I enjoy games more on PC. I like the keyboard and mouse better etc. And RDR is the perfect game for the modern high end PC. I guess they decided it would be better to port LA Noire, but I'd of much rather had Red Dead. Even on PS3 the graphics are unbelievably good. But if this game was released on PC with extra goodies and eye candy, in real widescreen HD resolution, it would of been one of or even THE best looking game EVER made. Yes I mean that. Whatever Rockstar's reason was for not porting to PC must of been a good one. This does lead to a small gripe with the actual game, sometimes, due to the consoles power (or lack there of) when a lot is going on on-screen, there's a noticeable drop in framerate and the game becomes lag city. But it's brief and rare.
I wanted to take a few minutes to write how I feel about this game because it deserves as much praise as it can get. It's a one of a kind hit and is what a true video game should consist of IMO; unique, lasting appeal, replayability, strong visuals, lots of content and fun. A lot of newer games seem to lack many of these important qualities, but definitely not this one. All I can say is I hope they make a sequel or prequel to this one some day.
Red Dead Redemption Summary (PS3) Graphics: 10; HDMI connection, at the game's max available resolution of 720p (I think 1280x720). I can't sometimes believe how amazing and realistic the game's graphics and environments are, even on console. I'm just sorely dissapointed I will never be able to expirience a game with visuals like this in 1920x1080 on a powerful PC. Gameplay: 10; For all the reasons I wrote above. Sound: 10; Voice acting is perfect-particularly Marston's actor. But all characters major and minor are high above expectation for a video game. Every other conceivable sound is also the highest quality, including guns and animals. Story: 10; It's more serious than GTA, more drama, tries to get you to care about the characters much more. Overall it's not as funny and goofy as a GTA game, but it is from the guys at Rockstar and there's plenty of crude jokes and dry humor in this one. Length of main story: 10; It's just right I guess. I was going to give it a 9.5 because I wished they had made the ending portion of the game just a little deeper with a few more missions, but it's probably just because you never want the game to end. Besides the main story, everything else to do can easily get you 30+ hours out of one play through. Replayability: 10; For the reasons above. Overall: 10; One of the best games I've ever played. Plain and simple. If you haven't played it you should be red dead.
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Illousion
Frequent Flyer
Sweden sucks
Posts: 602
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Post by Illousion on Feb 7, 2012 4:04:52 GMT -6
Great review! I can agree with pretty much everything you say. Red Dead Redemption is just a fantastic experience everyone who owns a console should try.
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Post by Red Dragon Negotiator on Mar 27, 2012 15:10:08 GMT -6
The other week I got the urge to play Metal Gear Solid. I do own the game on PC so I prefer to play it there. Every so often I love to play the game for the story and a trip down memory lane. Of course after playing that one, I have to play Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, etc. The series is just that good, and the story is addicting. Well anyway, as I was about to fire up the old PS2 and pop in Sons of Liberty in continuation of my Metal Gear frenzy, I was thinking to myself it might be a good idea to spend $40 bucks on the recently released Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. It came out November of 2011. My local Gamestop had low stock, but I picked it up for $39.99+ tax. Not bad for Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater AND Peace Walker (I've yet to play it so I'm excited about that). Also included is the bonus content that was released with Substance and Subsistance which was a big selling point for me. I do own Substance but I only have the original Snake Eater. I'm glad they chose to add all the bonus content into the collection and not scrimp in that area. I'm not going to go into the details of all the games. I will just say the Metal Gear Solid series is one of the greatest in video game history. It invented the stealth genre, it's story, characters, graphics - all out of this world. So I wanted to take a few minutes to give my opinion and some information on this new HD collection for the PS3. (Also available on Xbox360) It basically boils down to this - If you're a fan of this series and these games, you have to buy this collection on your PS3 or Xbox. Aside from the fact that your old PS2 or the original game disks are now more likely to sucumb to deterioration and scratches and become unplayable, you might be getting tired of the blury low res graphics and less than stellar audio. It's good for the memories, but not so much the gaming experience. My PS2 is hooked up to my HD monitor, so I can now see every imperfection when I play an old PS2 game. The titles in this collection have been completely remastered for 1080p/HDMI along with current generation consoles, in audio and graphics. This is the biggest plus without a doubt. Immediately you notice the difference compared to the old PS2 versions. It's almost as if you are playing completely different games. The graphics are crisp and clean and you can see details that you never would have on the PS2 version. What amazes me is how good the game's visuals, which were made for PS2, hold up after ten years. At the time these game's came out, their graphics were jaw dropping, even on PS2. Having them look comparable to current games now, ten years later, simply by increasing the resolution and balancing a few things is proof of how great these game's really were visually. You CAN notice texture's aren't 100% perfect to today's standards, but it's simply amazing how good these game's still look. Audio is also crisper, clearer and more balanced. Another great thing is the framerate is quite noticably smoother than on the old PS2 versions. The second I started playing this collection, I almost forgot these game's were made for PS2, and not the PS3. Overall, the experience is just much more enjoyable and really makes you remember how amazing this series is. It breathes all new life into it. IMO the second best thing about this release is it's also a good opportunity for people who have never played the series to experience it and enjoy it. Whether it's because you've never owned a Playstation, or if you're younger. This is the great thing about having all the games and their bonus content included into one package. For $40.00 it's a pretty good deal. Peace Walker was originally a PSP exclusive, so it's also a plus that they included that. The PS3 version is nice because it has only one disk because of the BluRay layering. More convenient. The only "complaint" I have is I sort of wish they included the original Metal Gear Solid. It probably wouldn't of been difficult to do. Even if they didn't remaster it, they could of threw it on there. But you can download it through the Playstation Store for $10 bucks. I'm not sure about on Xbox. Not a big deal though, I'll just continue playing it on PC. Bottom line: Buy it if you're a fan; Buy it if you've never played. The games are already masterpieces and this collection for current generation systems just make them better and more immersive. Who thought that would of even been possible? Start up screen on the PS3. Also included are in-game manuals for each title. Nice. Packaging and BluRay disk. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_HD_Collection
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