Game Review: Lost in Blue 2

I’ve been playing Lost in Blue 2 on the DS, and while I always love games about island survival, like MyTribe, Sims 2: Castaway, etc., there’s a lot of room for improvement.

Cool minigames make use of the the DS’s capabilities, but the hundredth time you have to light a fire, it stops being fun. The same can be said for cooking, fishing, catching animals, and every other repetitive action. I’m a big fan of Cooking Mama 2, but this is no Cooking Mama. Also, the actions you need to perform repeatedly are hidden in sub-menus or are only available after a chain of choices, instead of being accessible, one-click actions.

The story begins as two high-schoolers are washed up on a beach after a shipwreck. Players can choose Jack or Amy as their primary character, but they are responsible for the survival of both.

Jack, your companion on the island, is not the brightest bulb in the box. You need to feed him, making him more like a rather dim pet than a boyfriend. Every time he gets hungry, you need to let go of his hand (one click), target Jack (varies), select Talk (one click), tell him you have something for him (one click), wait for him to ask what it is, tell him it’s something to eat (one click), wait for him to ask what he’s eating, and then select the item from your backpack to feed him (varies, but you select, choose ‘give’ and confirm), he says it’s delicious (one click to confirm). Early items, like raspberries and coconuts, fill his meter between 3 and 5 percent, out of a possible hundred percent, so even if he doesn’t perform any physical labor — like a million walks to the stream to quench his inexhaustible thirst — which makes the hunger meter empty faster,  you’ll need to do this series of actions between 20 and 33 times in a day to get him full.

Items must be fed from Amy’s backpack to Jack. You cannot feed him items that he’s carrying, and he will literally die of starvation with a backpack full of lunchboxes and fruit.  To exchange items between backpack, you need to let go of his hand (one click), target Jack (varies), select Talk (one click), tell him you have something for him (one click), wait for him to ask what it is, select give  (one click), wait for him to ask what you’re giving him, and then exchange items between the backpacks. If you play as Jack, Amy becomes similarly dim-witted.

A lot of the game involves learning about the island… read the rest here.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Battlefield 1943 Trailer

The ladies of PlayGirlz have the trailer of EA’s upcoming Battlefield 1943. Here it is!

Popularity: 16% [?]

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

In the previous postI reviewed Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World which was released by Bandai Namco Games and Dimps Corporation on Dec 4 2008 and is the latest game in the series. In this post I will Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was released by Atari, Spike on Nov 27 2007. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular 3d fighting games on the ps2. The ESRB rating of this game is mature Teen. The gamers will be able to choose from a huge cast of playable characters (more than 90!). There are different difficultly levels for different types of players ranging from easy to expert. There are more than 10 single player game modes. The ingame sound is also good. However, Dragon Ballz Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is not without its flaws. The fighting system of the game is not very intense and there is not too much variety in the game. The online multiplayer game modes are not great either. One thing that i hate about this game is that it has no online multiplayer game modes. You won’t be able to play the game with your friends over the internet. Overall, it is a good game and it is better than Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World. I will give it 7.5 out of 10.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World

I like playing 3D beat em up games and some of my favorite ps2 titles are Mortal Kombat, Def Jam Fight for NY. Write now i am going to review Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World. This game was released by Bandai Namco Games and Dimps Corporation on Dec 4 2008 and is a 3d beat-em-up game. Its ESRB rating is Teen. Usually the Dragon Ball Z games are not very interesting and it was not really surprising to see a game like this from Bandai Namco. Some of the good features of the game are that it has a very fast and intense battle system and it is very entertaining to perform different finishing moves. The bad thing about the game is that it is very difficult to play even in the lower difficulty levels. Another thing that i did not like about this game is that there is no tutorial or guideline for playing the game. You have to figure out every thing all by your self. Overall, this is not a good game and i will give it 6 out of 10. If you have played the previous Dragon Ballz games then don’t buy this game as there is nothing new in this game.

Popularity: 11% [?]

God of War (original) Review

A few days ago i review God of War 2. Now i am going to review the original God of War which gave birth to the God of War series. God of War is a fantasy action adventure game which was released by Sony’s American in-house game development studio in 2005 and its ESRB rating is Mature. God of War is one of the best games that the video game industry has ever seen and if you miss this game you are going to regret it for your life. The combat system in the game is very impressive and intense. In the beginning you only have one weapon which is a sword attached to a steel chain which is helpful for attacking enemies from a distance. The main character looks great and it matches and blends with the story. There are alot of great characters in the game. The story of the game is great with alot of twists and turns. Overall it is a great game and you anyone having a ps2 shouldn’t miss this game. I will give it 9.5 out of 10.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Final Fantasy XII Review

I am a big fan of action RPG games especially those involving fantasy. Such as God of War, Max Payne, Gta, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid. One of my favorite fantasy RPG games is Final Fantasy XII. I have a great respect for this game franchise in my heart. It is no doubt one of the best RPG video games that i have ever played on the PS2. The game has a rich cast of characters which will take you away from the real world into a totally different and magical world. The game offers a very engaging storyline with alot of twists and turns which keep you glued to your seats even after you have ended the game. The combat system is strategic and very complex. You will also get to explore a number of different environments. The graphics are also very good. Overall it is one of the best games that i have played so far and i will give it 9.3 out of 10.

Popularity: 13% [?]

God Of War 2

I am a huge fan of action adventure games such as gta, final fantasy, resident evil, bully, metal gear solid etc. One of my favorite action adventure games on PS2 platform is God Of War. The original God of War was released a long time ago and i have played that game about 4 times and i still like it. God of War 2 is equally awesome and it continues the story of the original game. It was released by SCEA in 2007 and its ESRB rating is Mature. The game is full of intense action and entertainment. The gameplay is superb and the story is very interesting with alot of twists and turns. You will also get to solve some clever and interesting puzzles in the game. The graphics are awesome and the sound is also great. Wheather you have played the original game or no, you will definitely like this game. My advice is that you play the original game first in order to get an idea of the story. This game is recommended to everyone and i will give it 9.5 out of 10.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

Kingdom Hearts is one of my favorite gaming franchise and because of this franchise Square Enix become one of my favorite video game companies. This is the reason why I bought Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories soon after its release. But, to my surprise this game did not deliver what i had expected from it. The repetation of the content from the original Kingdom Hearts has somewhat decreased the excitement and intense entertainment that was the trademark of the game. This game was released id December by Square Enix and is a Action Role-Playing game. The ESRB rating of this game is 10+. The battle system of the game is very good and fighting with enemies is quite fun. Another good feature of the game is that it is fixed at a very low price. The weak point of the game is that it copies alot of materialt from the previous Kingdom Hearts and does not offers anything new. I will give this game 6.8 out of 10. If you have played the original Kingdom Hearts then this game is not for you. But if you have never played the game before then i am sure that you will like this game.

Popularity: 12% [?]

WWE Smackdown VS. Raw 2009

If you are a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) fan lie me then this game is just for you. My brother knows that i love wrestling games so he bought me this game after a few days of its release. WWE SmackDown VS. Raw 2009 is a wrestling game that was released by THQ in November 2008 and its ESRB rating is Teen. The game is realistic and the player control system is very easy. The gamers will be able to perform alot of different moves including the trademark moves that are unique for each superstar. The player models are great and look very realistic. You can also create your own wrestlers with easy-to-use player creation tools that are present in the game. You can also assign different finishing moves to your character. You will be able to play all types of matches that you have ever watched on your tv. There are a number of single player game modes that offer intense gameplay. Overall the game is quite impressive and i will give it 7.8 out of 10.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock Review

Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock is a music game that was released by Red Octane, Activision in Oct 2007 and Its ESRB rating is Teen. I bought this game a long time ago and I still love to play it as I am a huge fan of music. Guitar Hero 3 comes up with new and challenging game modes and offers an addictive gameplay and it is sure to stick with you for a long time. The major advancement of this game is its huge and spectacular songs lineup. The track list is better than any other Guitar Hero Game. There are a lot of intense and extraordinarily good tracks from original bands in this game. To keep experienced players engaged in the game, a higher difficulty mode has been introduced. Boss battles are also a good addition to the game. However, Guitar Hero 3 is not without its flaws. First of all there is no online play in Guitar Hero 3. Secondly, the expert difficulty level is harder than it should be. Overall the game is good and I will give it 7.8 out of 10.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Review

A few days ago I bought Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, and believe me this game is worth a buy. I saw this game at one of my friends house. I did’nt get the chance to play the game as I was in a hurry, but the game looked so good that I decided to buy it for my self. Shing Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is an excellent role playing game with a great story that will give you hours of fun. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 was released on 8 December 2008 by Atlus Co. and its ESRB rating is Mature. You will play the role of a detective who is on to solve a murder mystery and has the power to summon different creatures. You will get the chance to explore different environment including a series of dungeons all having a different layout. The combat system in this game is very addictive and entertaining and it is a lot better from its predecessors. This game features realistic and attractive looking characters. You will meet different characters as you will progress further in the game. This game is great and the only problem I found in this game is the bad camera angle that produces difficulty in taking turns while you are in the dungeons. But, overall this game is great and I will recommend it to everyone. I will give this game 9 out of 10 because it is worth it.

Popularity: 8% [?]

The Godfather Review

God Father is one of the greatest English movies of all times and the game is a great addition to the movie. You should have seen the movie so there is no need of telling the story over here. I will just talk about the game play. Playing the game feels like playing a character in the movie. There are a lot of challenging and engaging missions that are enough to keep you busy for hours. The combat system is great and a lot of fun. The landscape is huge and there are plenty of places to explore. The map shows a great image of the 1940s New York City. The in game music is also good. However The Godfather is not without its flaws. There are some glitches in the game and the AI is lousy and unpleasant. The frame rate is also not constant and is fickle. Overall it is a great game and it will give you hours of fun gameplay. I will give it 8.5 out of 10.

Popularity: 5% [?]

TNA! Impact PS2 Review

I am a huge fan of wrestling and I love to watch it at home with my dad. I love wrestling games as much as I like watching it. These games give you the chance to take control of your favorite wrestler and at the same time beat the wrestler that you dislike most. TNA Impact (game) came out on Sep 09 2008. I didn’t buy it and decided to wait and I am glad that I didn’t buy it because it is not worth it and I didn’t want to waste my 40 dollars. Though there are some good features too but, overall the game is not great. Control scheme is simple and easy to use. The graphics are not very bad either (am talking about ps2). However there are some technical flaws in the game. The sound is not good. Only two players can play in the multiplayer mode. Though all the TNA superstars are available but, there is no character creation. Overall I will give it 6.5 out of ten.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Special edition Soul Calibur IV

If you like fighting game like Soul Calibur series, you should know that Soul Calibur IV is already at your favorite game shop but may be you dont know yet, it s that there will have a colector edition. You can find inside the kit : t-shirt XL, the game, a comic book, a tournament kit. Depending of your console, the t-shirt will have a different color. For Xbox, it s white and for PS3, it s black.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Star wars, the force unleashed

This new game in the Star Wars tradition will bring us to play a jedi and in some moment the player will be able to play Darth Vader. The action is occuring between Star Wars 3 and Star Wars 4 you will have to play an apprendice jedi of Darth Vader on which his mission is to track and to kill all good jedis. This game will use new graphic technologies and a new IA.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Review

Game Spot has a great article about the upcoming video game Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. They tell you all about the game and you can see some pictures and read the preview.

Mortal Kombat should be out this fall for Xbox and Playstation 2.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Dragon Quest VIII: A “Must-Buy” for Role-Players

Dragon Quest, one of the longest-running franchises in the world of role-playing games, is still going strong after 14 years.

The Journey of the Cursed King, its latest offering, sold a whopping 4 million copies upon being released in Japan. It also got high ratings from BBC reviewer Seth Goolnik (who played it on PlayStation 2):

Graphics: 10
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 8
Enduring appeal: 9
Overall: 9

Goolnik calls the graphics “very stunning” and says that this, coupled with “great voice acting,” makes playing the game feel “like an interactive anime movie.”

Also, this game is seriously long, featuring over 100 hours of gameplay. (It took the reviewer 6 hours just to finish the first dungeon.)

“With gorgeous graphics, luscious longevity and marvellous mechanics, Dragon Quest is a must-buy for any role-playing game fan.”

Popularity: 5% [?]

Phoenix Wright Retails In America

“Courtroom drama”: this is how Gamespot qualified Capcom’s Phoenix Wright. Until now, the game wasn’t available in the USA before, but soon this won’t be a problem anymore: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney now retails for $29.99 on PS 2.

According to a previous review written about it, the game is pretty much heavily text-driven, but this isn’t a problem in my eyes, as long as it remains interesting to play it, which it seems to do. Actually, this simple paragraph from the review is what caught my interest:

The game has you controlling Phoenix Wright, a lawyer fresh off the bar who is, initially, more than a little nervous. The first case you take on, a murder trial in defense of Phoenix’s dopey best friend, Larry Butz, serves as a tutorial in which law firm chief Mia Fey guides you through the ins and outs of courtroom procedure. Each of the game’s five cases begins in the same way, as you’re treated to a brief cinematic that shows the events of the murder, during which you’ll usually get to view the killer. In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, discovering the killer is not the surprise; instead, it’s the way in which you bring him or her to justice. The events surrounding the murder always end up leading to the false accusations of innocent witnesses, and as a defense attorney, it’s Phoenix’s job to get a verdict of “not guilty,” despite the lying witnesses, shady prosecutors, and a judge who sometimes forgets the letter of the law.

Intriguing? I have to say that it sure looks worth a try.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Final Fantasy: A Look Back

I love the role-playing video game genre. The Final Fantasy games are as much a staple of the role-playing genre as good old fashioned Dungeons and Dragons. Some of the FF games are much better than others. I think the most beloved of all the Final Fantasy games is Final Fantasy III (or FF VI in Japan). Other great FF games are VII, VIII, and X. Here is how I rate them:

1.) Final Fantasy III- The most engaging storyline, the most memorable characters, and the most excellent gameplay of all the Final Fantasy games. Just imagine if this one had graphics that were worth a bean. One of my most favorite things about this game is that there are 15 playable characters, and it seems like most of them have a pretty neat story as well as cool abilities. This video game would make a pretty fantastic movie (when I make my millions, that is my first order of business, to make this into a story).

2.) Final Fantasy X- This game has a great magic system, which is much like Final Fantasy III (probably why it is so great). It has a great story and memorable characters. Although, I felt like the ending was disappointing. It had excellent side quests. The final bosses were not too challenging (that may have been a tribute to my time spent leveling up, but I wasn’t too impressed, regardless). Overall, though, I had a blast throughout the entire game.

3.) Final Fantasy VII- This game had pretty decent graphics (if you look past the outrageous polygon-pop). The story is quite good. The magic system is pretty interesting (though a little tough to learn at first). The characters are lovable and enduring.

4.) Final Fantasy VIII- This game had great graphics, and neat movie sequences. However, it had a very confusing story. It was difficult to identify with the characters, and the magic system absolutely stunk. Since the magic system stunk and the Aeons were so powerful, I would give up on my magic attacks and regular attacks and just use my Aeons over and over again (it would take forever to watch the little Aeon video clips, so after awhile it would get quite tiresome). If you have the opportunity to buy this game, don’t; rent a movie instead. The only redeeming feature of this game is its cool graphics and beautiful movie scenes.

Popularity: 7% [?]

New Gundam Seed “Versus” Game for PS2

Bandai plans to bring the latest arcade “versus” Gundam game to the PS2, reports IGN.com today:

Federation vs. Z.A.F.T. takes the versus series to the Seed universe for the first time. For the home version in addition to all the pilots and Mobile Suits of the arcade game, Bandai will be including Force Impluse Gundam and Shin Asuka from Gundam Seed Destiny as playable characters.

While the arcade version was the fifth entry in the versus series, Capcom actually made a number of changes to the gameplay systems in order to make the series compatible with the Seed universe. This is reflected primarily in the inclusion of air-based battles. Previously, the series has separated ground battles from space battles, but this time the flight-based battles are mixed in with the ground battles. The developers hope that, with the game coming to the home now, they’ll be able to expand the series’ audience further than before.

Gundam Seed: Federation vs. Z.A.F.T. should be released in Japan on November 17th.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Resident Evil 4 on PS2: Spot on Ada Wong

Scheduled for release in the US on October 25th, Resident Evil 4 for PS 2 is going to be a remake, rather than a simple copy of the original game for GameCube, and the hero is not the expected one.

According to Japanese magazine Famitsu, the PS2 version of RE4 will do some departing of its own by slightly deviating from the GameCube version, presenting some new features.

The biggest addition to the game will be a new scenario, which roughly translates to “The Other Order” in English. Gamers expecting to take on a whole new slew of enemies with Leon will be thrown for a curve, as Leon won’t even be featured in the new gameplay. That role belongs to Ada Wong, the sultry siren who made her return to the series in the GameCube version of RE4 after she was thought to have met her maker in Resident Evil 2.

This version of the game will also feature a new gun model.

(Source: GameSpot)

Popularity: 5% [?]

Suikoden Tactics Preview

Here’s something that got me hyped and enthusiastic. No, really. Contrary to my habit of not being too thrilled about tactical games, I’ve however always been a huge fan of Final Fantasy Tactics, from a few years ago, when I was running amok trying to find a PSX imported from the USA because the only version of the game I had found was the US one, to fondly getting my CD out again from time to time nowadays. So what did I think when I saw this article at Gamespy featuring a preview of Suikoden Tactics? Well, I thought: “Me must have! Mine! Mine!”

*coughs* Alright, I need to calm down. Nevertheless, a FF Tactics-style game would be something I’d really like to get my hands on once it goes live by November of this year (I’m also quite fond of the Suikoden series, that is).

The gameplay, again, will be largely familiar to fans of tactics games. Character turns are taken based on stats; Suikoden Tactics is not a “you go then they go” type of game. Turn progression for player characters and enemies is individually determined. Physical attacks, of course, require you to be in range of the enemy; here’s one place where the game’s new system of “balloons” (think speech bubbles from a comic book) helps out the player: if an enemy is in range to attack you on its next turn, a sword icon will appear in a bubble over it; whereas if you’re in range to attack it on your current turn, a teardrop (a typical Japanese signifier of anxiety as seen in anime, manga, and games) will appear over it. This saves you from having to manually check movement range, as in other tactical games. These balloons can also show status ailments (poison, etc.). Characters who are hurting bad will call for healing in their balloons, too. The system is designed so that the player can easily see what needs to be done in any given gameplay situation.

And I really don’t care if the graphics looka bit goofy.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Demon Stone On PS2

Some information about Stormfront Studios’ Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, their third-person action RPG bound for PS2. GamePro.com gets hands-on on it for a little review:

One part D&D (saving throws, familiar spells and bestiary), one part button-mashing action (X button is your friend), Demon Stone adds another twist to the action adventure genre–switching between characters. At any time in the game, players can switch between the three characters: Rannek, a frontline-tank fighter, Illius, a sorcerer, and Zhai, a quick-tongued Half-Drow (Drow’s are dark elves, for non-D&D geeks) rogue. Hitting the directional button instantly puts players in the shoes of a different character, enabling you to play to the individual strengths of each character for every level. As the typical bruiser, Rannek specializes in taking on multiple enemies at close range. Zhai with her short swords favors hiding in shadows, backstabbing and slitting opponent’s necks. Illius is the best ranged character, shooting bolts of lightning, magic missiles, and acid arrows. Despite having different strengths, each have the same mechanics–all have three-hit melee combos, ranged attacks, evasion moves, and special attacks–meaning players don’t need to memorize three different control sets.

More details in the article itself. I’m not a total D&D-styled games fan, but this one can be quite interesting to peruse further.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Say Hello To My Little Over-hyped Movie Port

This fall Scarface (no, not the autobiography of Tina Fey, but the mafia movie) is coming to the PS2 and Xbox. Rent it for the false hope that you’re as cool as every D-list celebrity tard on MTV’s “Cribs”, buy it for the racist Cuban-American stereotypes:

Al Pacino will be lending his likeness, but not his voice, for “Scarface: The World is Yours,” which is based on his 1983 hit film “Scarface.” Although Pacino will be the only original actor seen in the game, “Scarface” cast members Steven Bauer (Manny Ray) and Robert Loggia (Frank Lopez) are lending their voices to new characters. Other actors signed on for roles are James Woods, Jay Mohr, Cheech Marin, Michael Rapaport, Michael York, Miguel Sandoval and Robert Davi.

Call us crazy but with a line-up like that, we’d like to see some really original and innovative advertising to get the word out. Something like, oh I don’t know…posters? Posters that could hang on the walls of college dorm rooms and frat houses across the country!!! Nah, you’re right, it’d never work.

Al Pacino in ‘Scarface’ video game [Canoe Wham!]

Popularity: 5% [?]

GameFAQs 101, Lesson 2

Want to add that subtle hint of rage to an already angry GameFAQs review? Start it off in Yiddish:

Oy…what a game this turned out to be. I, thankfully, rented this game because I wanted to have something to pass the time for a few nights. Too bad that I will never see that 7.25 again. Seriously folks, this game is flawed beyond all belief. What makes me most upset is that it had potential.

Red Ninja: End of Honor [GameFAQs]

Popularity: 5% [?]