Okay, I've played... Resonance of Fate, Singularity, The Saboteur, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Call of Duty: Black
Well, let's get this started off with Tri-Ace's most recent game: Resonance of Fate. If you happened to follow this game at all prior to it's US release, you may know it as End of Eternity. It came out last March around the time of Final Fantasy XIII, and many never played it. I got it the day it came out, but got distracted by something else - though I can't for the life of me recall what. In any case, the game relies heavily on the battle mechanics - don't like games that involve lots of fighting? This isn't the game for you. Though, it does work in this game's case, being so much different from most RPGs around. It's got a John Woo style, with Vagrant Story aiming (though the body part damage is just used as shields in this game) and a charging ATB sort of gauge that you can enhance by leveling up and customizing/acquiring new guns.
The voice work is splendid, and actually left me giggling quite a few times. See if you can recognize any of the voices in this video...
In addition to these three are plenty of other famous voice actors you'll undoubtedly recognize if you happen to play the game. I mean, even Mario's voice actor is in this! Overall, I'd say this game is definitely not for just anybody. If you love JRPGs, particularly Tri-Ace games, you'll sort of know what you are getting yourself into - a lot of grinding and a ton of awesomeness. Seeing as how you can't really grasp this game as a whole without owning it, I'm saying it's a BUY, assuming you are intrigued. I mean, it's less than thirty bucks... may as well, right?
Next up is Singularity, the most recent game from Activision's Raven studio. You may know them as the people that made Wolverine, or the people working on the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer. Or, maybe the old PC game Hexen back in 1995. Je ne c'est pas. Regardless, they made this game that I was confused about at first, and ever so glad I played by the end. Now, if you are unaware of what Singularity is, let me just keep this vague - I'd really rather not go on a huge lecture, as I doubt you would either. If you want to know more, look it up. Basically, it deals with the time-space of an object, meaning you can make something in the past old (speed up its aging process), or something in the future new again (reverse its age). Obviously this is butchering what Singularity actually is, but for simplicity to understand the game's mechanics, that is it.
So what is this game? A first person shooter that starts off feeling like Bioshock, then Dead Space, and a few other games thrown in. Once you get the TMD (Time Manipulation Device) though, the game begins to shine. You use rifts to travel back and forth in time to change the future and outcome of the game. While changing the future is limited (the game is linear, the only point that actually changes anything is the very end), it is still nice to have more than one choice in a game with loosely deals with morality - though I think more choices throughout the game would've bettered this. Also, Raven has quite the sense of humor, making Borat and Metroid jokes at different points in the game. Unfortunately, with almost all FPS games, it was short. Thus, this game is a RENT.
So, who is up for a fighting game? No one? Oh, hi Ryan. Wait... you don't like BlazBlue. Hi James. This one is for you (and anyone else that likes fighting games reading this). This is the second game in the BlazBlue series, which is more or less a spiritual successor to the Guilty Gear series. What did they change? Well, quite a bit, actually. Obviously the story mode (which is much like an anime series from every character's point of view, with both serious and hilarious arcs), the mapping of the characters, a beginner's mode was added (making those ridiculous button combinations into a joke), as well as a couple characters. "But Jason, you suck at fighting games these days." True enough, I played them a lot in my youth, but never got back into them after Bushido Blade (if you want to consider that fighting). At this point in time, I play them for the aesthetics. I mean... seriously. Look at this (note: this match is actually terrible, but I enjoy Hazama's Joker colors):
These games have hand made sprites, each character plays completely different unlike games with 3 "types" of fighters, contains a beautiful score, and plenty of other aspects to appreciate that you may otherwise overlook. I rated the original BlazBlue as a BUY, and this game is no different. If you are a fan of the fighting game genre, I recommend this game as a BUY without any question. If I can love this game, anyone can - especially a fan of fighting games. To watch a match with people that actually know what they're doing? Breathtaking.
Assassin's Creed has been a series I've wanted to love since the beginning. If you enjoyed the first, you'll love the second. The third was scheduled to come out only a year later, so what could they really make better? Apparently, quite a bit, being that this is by far the best in the series. In past games of the series (PSP included) I've always been bogged down by repetitive gameplay, pointless side missions, and... I don't know, I always seem to get bored at some point. If you follow the story exclusively, the games are actually rather intriguing, albeit a bit short. Brotherhood never had a dull moment for me though. In fact, I couldn't get enough. So much so that I even bothered to get online and get sucked into that for a little bit. And... it was actually rather enjoyable.
Yeah, that's right. The multiplayer is actually playable, perhaps because of the fact that it's different from most other games you'll play online. There's a free-for-all assassination mode, a team hide-and-seek mode, and... well, I don't remember the other. Because while it is fun, you have to be in the right mood. Right after playing AC I wanted more. After a few days of playing other games, I lost interest in it. That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy it if I played it right this second. I just don't have a burning desire to play online like I did with Uncharted 2 the past few months. If you've been following the story, this game is a must play. If this is your first Assassin's Creed, look forward to an amazing experience, and... good luck trying to catch up with the short review of the series at the beginning of the game. If you didn't bother to read this review at all and are just skimming for the bold rating, this obviously is a BUY.
Finally, we have the latest (and greatest?) Call of Duty game. While Steve sort of reviewed this, I'm a firm believer of multiple takes on a game. In doing so, you can see who you agree with most, and who to follow on the blog over others. In any case, this is my first Treyarch CoD in quite a while, being that I skipped over World at War. Let's just say, they did a decent enough job in terms of what CoD has become. Was it mind-blowing? No. Was it the FPS of the year? No. Would I buy it? No. Did I like anything about it? Yeah, surprisingly. I know, I know, you're tired of hearing people bash on your beloved Call of Duty series. I liked Modern Warfare quite a bit, though the second was definitely lacking.
One thing I love about a game is the story and how it's told. Black Ops actually does a pretty good job of this, in a manner of flashbacks while being interrogated. Tons of conspiracies ensue (I won't go into the details to spare any spoilers for anyone that wants to play it), and I was almost getting excited for the end... until it came. They had me, and then they gave it up. "Hey, you know what would be cool? Let's end this game like *pulls out previous CoD game scene*" "Oh yeah, that would be awesome!" Um... Nope. That isn't the only recycled part of the game. Not in the least, I mean... this is the Madden of FPS. But those are more or less expected now, and I tried to make the best of this game. Honestly, it felt like if Final Fantasy XIII was an FPS. The actual gameplay aspects were akin to a DVD game in terms of how much you get to do. While it isn't the worst game I've ever played (it was better than Jurassic: The Hunted), I wouldn't spend any money on it. One of the few ACQUIRE ratings I give out.
That's it for this week. Hopefully you were able to abolish any skepticism on these games if you were considering them, or maybe have found you do(n't) agree with my opinion on games. As long as you got something out of this, I'm pleased. Next week I'll be delving into an important relationship that we all have, and the different levels in which it entails. That is, assuming I'm able to write it coherently. See you next week!
No comments:
Post a Comment