Shenmue for the Sega Dreamcast is a unique blend of a role playing game and a fighter. Shenmue follows the story of Ryo Hazuki as he seeks to avenge his father's death. The story starts off with Ryo racing home to find his father confronted by a strange man who seeks a sacred object. The strange man, later to be revealed as a member of a Chinese cartel, kills Ryos father and leaves to go back to China. Players take on the role of Ryo as he finds out exactly who this strange person is, and how to get to him.
the game surprisingly starts off slow despite all he action that recently took place, but it serves the players well as they get acquainted with the mechanics of the game. Ryo spends a majority of the game looking for clues and talking to almost everybody in Japan to see if they know anything about what happened the day of his fathers death. This isn't exactly a bad thing, as most of the characters that you come across are pretty amusing and interesting.There also is an open world element to Shenmue, which covers a small town. The game also has a time cycle, which includes day, night, and even seasons. The cool thing is with Shenmue there are multiple ways to go about getting to the next part. There are things that I never witnessed in my first playthrough that I did in my second. However, one thing that players will always come across is the QTEs.
A core gameplay mechanic of Shenme is QTE, or quick time event. These are the sequences in the game that offer no preparation what so ever, and hope that the player is paying the slightest bit of attention. The way that QTEs are set up is, during a cutscene(a movie of sorts), out of nowhere a specific button, or direction, will flash on screen and players have to react to it. Press X not to die! The thing that gets me about these QTEs in Shenmue is that they can last up to 5 minutes, and if you mess up even just one little thing, you have to go back to the beginning of the QTE and do it all over again, there's no checkpoints and no remorse for the players. While this may be a big glaring frustration, it is not a majority of the game.
The way that players mostly handle hostile situations is with kung-fu. Luckily for players Ryo is a martial arts master, and knows a plethora of moves, and he can learn new ones along the way! The controls require precision, so it's not so easy to pick up and start hammering away at the punch and kick buttons. Thankfully there is a full list of moves that the game provides, as well as a dojo for practice. There are some great fight sequences in the game, especially at towards the end where players take on 40 bad guys!
The graphics, sound, and voice acting of the game are very well done, especially for it's time. The graphics set the tone for the small town which players walk through and gives it a quaint homey feel. The soundtrack of the game is absolutely astonishing, with sweeping overtures and soft melodies, the music is something to truly behold and admire. The voice acting, while not much by todays standards, is still pretty solid. Though it seems as though the actors of the main characters really put forth the effort.
If you've ever owned a Sega Dreamcast, or looking to get one, you need this game to go along with it. It will consume your time and you will be completely immersed in the story. There is plenty to do in this game, whether it be helping out a friend or wasting your hard earned paycheck on toy capsule machines, check this title out!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
SSX 3
Platforms: Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube
Release date: October 20, 2003
ESRB rating: E
SSX 3 comes to us from EA BIG, famous for creating the Street Sports series (NBA, NFL, FIFA). SSX 3 is obviously the third installment of the series, and I'd have to say it's the best on several different levels.
SSX 3 is an arcade style snowboard game. Characters in SSX 3 can pull off ridiculous tricks on their snowboard, or should I say off, as they detach themselves from their board and perform impossible aerial acrobatics. The trick system in SSX 3 has grabs assigned to three buttons on the controller, players can press a button to perform a grab, or combine it with another grab button to perform another kind of grab. Players can also "tweak" grabs to nab themselves some more points, and use the directional pad to flip and spin to earn even more points. Performing tricks also generates boost, which makes players go faster and fly higher allowing for bigger and better tricks. Pull off enough tricks and you can go Uber, which is where characters leave their boards for more exotic high-flying stunts.
SSX 3's single player mode has players conquering the mountain, on three different peaks. Players start from the bottom and work their way up to the top. The game has players carving through the back country or shredding through insane trick courses. A neat feature about the mountain in SSX 3 is that all the courses are interconnected, the game even has player going on tours through each peak. There are also challenges that players can do to earn some extra cash for the shop and work toward achieving 100% completion.
The soundtrack of SSX 3 is the best licensed soudtrack I have ever heard. Songs range from booming trance music to relaxing electronic jams, also are some really good rock songs from Finger Eleven, Yellowcard, Thrice, Autopilot Off, and many others. There are a few songs that I don't particularly like, but the soundtrack is completely customizable, so you don't have to worry about being forced to listen to that annoying song all the way through before something good comes up.
The voice work and writing for SSX 3 is brilliant. Characters shouting out taunts and dissing others as they zip past them, or exclaiming how awesome they are for pulling off that incredible stunt. Another cool voice that is heard throughout the game is good ol' DJ Atomika, he's never seen in the game but he's always watching you. Not that it really matters, because his job is to play some great tunes and deliver some witty conversation that will make you smile.
Each peak in SSX 3 is extremely different from the next. Peak 1 is mellow, yet colorful, taking players through the beginning courses with style. Peak 2 has a dichotomy of the serene and dangerous, as players will run away from avalanches or race over crumbling bridges. Peak 3 is very blunt about how it wants players to feel about it: mean. Right from the start of peak 3 players have to carve their way out of danger as huge chunks fall out from beneath them.
All in all SSX 3 is an incredible game with really fun gameplay, clever one-liners, a wicked soundtrack, and a slick presentation it would be an injustice to pass this game up. Find yourself a copy and start shredding!
Release date: October 20, 2003
ESRB rating: E
SSX 3 comes to us from EA BIG, famous for creating the Street Sports series (NBA, NFL, FIFA). SSX 3 is obviously the third installment of the series, and I'd have to say it's the best on several different levels.
SSX 3 is an arcade style snowboard game. Characters in SSX 3 can pull off ridiculous tricks on their snowboard, or should I say off, as they detach themselves from their board and perform impossible aerial acrobatics. The trick system in SSX 3 has grabs assigned to three buttons on the controller, players can press a button to perform a grab, or combine it with another grab button to perform another kind of grab. Players can also "tweak" grabs to nab themselves some more points, and use the directional pad to flip and spin to earn even more points. Performing tricks also generates boost, which makes players go faster and fly higher allowing for bigger and better tricks. Pull off enough tricks and you can go Uber, which is where characters leave their boards for more exotic high-flying stunts.
SSX 3's single player mode has players conquering the mountain, on three different peaks. Players start from the bottom and work their way up to the top. The game has players carving through the back country or shredding through insane trick courses. A neat feature about the mountain in SSX 3 is that all the courses are interconnected, the game even has player going on tours through each peak. There are also challenges that players can do to earn some extra cash for the shop and work toward achieving 100% completion.
The soundtrack of SSX 3 is the best licensed soudtrack I have ever heard. Songs range from booming trance music to relaxing electronic jams, also are some really good rock songs from Finger Eleven, Yellowcard, Thrice, Autopilot Off, and many others. There are a few songs that I don't particularly like, but the soundtrack is completely customizable, so you don't have to worry about being forced to listen to that annoying song all the way through before something good comes up.
The voice work and writing for SSX 3 is brilliant. Characters shouting out taunts and dissing others as they zip past them, or exclaiming how awesome they are for pulling off that incredible stunt. Another cool voice that is heard throughout the game is good ol' DJ Atomika, he's never seen in the game but he's always watching you. Not that it really matters, because his job is to play some great tunes and deliver some witty conversation that will make you smile.
Each peak in SSX 3 is extremely different from the next. Peak 1 is mellow, yet colorful, taking players through the beginning courses with style. Peak 2 has a dichotomy of the serene and dangerous, as players will run away from avalanches or race over crumbling bridges. Peak 3 is very blunt about how it wants players to feel about it: mean. Right from the start of peak 3 players have to carve their way out of danger as huge chunks fall out from beneath them.
All in all SSX 3 is an incredible game with really fun gameplay, clever one-liners, a wicked soundtrack, and a slick presentation it would be an injustice to pass this game up. Find yourself a copy and start shredding!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Dynamite Cop
Rated: T
Platform: Sega Dreamcast
Release: November 3, 1999
Dynamite Cop for the sega dreamcast is an absolutely rumpus, ridiculous, and just all around fun game. Dynamite Cop has players taking back a cruise line boat that has bee "taken over by modern day pirates" and they have "taken captive all of the over 20,000 guests on board... including the presidents daughter!" The objective, if you could call it that, is to find and rescue the presidents daughter. Nevermind the other 20,000 guests. Howver, they never seem to cross my mind as i'm having too much fun beating the snot out of these "modern day pirates" which for some reason have been cybernetically augmented, and on occassion dress up like sea creatures.
Dynamite Cop onlly has 3 different missions to go through but all of them are equally fun. The game is a beat 'em up, but it's a fun beat 'em up where you can use anything and any one as a weapon. The weapons of Dynamite Cop range from a pistol, to a rocket lancher, to cake, to even a nuclear bomb. Aside from the vast array of weapons, players can use hand to hand combat. There are three different characters to choose from, each with a unique fighting style. players can acquire power-ups throughout the game, collecting enought will super charge the players to unleash furious combos on the unsespecting pirates. The pirates have a varied cast of characters at their disposal, ranging from actual pirates, to people dressed like tortoises, to the cybernetically enhanced, to voodoo priests, to even a kraken.
The graphics and presentation are terrible, but it's not something to take seriously, especially when cybernetic-modern-pirates are on the line. Voice work and the soundtrack are over the top and reek of pure cheesiness. The environments of Dynamite Cop take players all over the cruise liner, from the dance club to the engine room.
All in all, Dynamite Cop is a great load of fun. Every time I dust off the Dreamcast I have to play it, because simply it brings a smile to my face. With the addition of Cooperative mode, you can share that smile with a friend.
Platform: Sega Dreamcast
Release: November 3, 1999
Dynamite Cop for the sega dreamcast is an absolutely rumpus, ridiculous, and just all around fun game. Dynamite Cop has players taking back a cruise line boat that has bee "taken over by modern day pirates" and they have "taken captive all of the over 20,000 guests on board... including the presidents daughter!" The objective, if you could call it that, is to find and rescue the presidents daughter. Nevermind the other 20,000 guests. Howver, they never seem to cross my mind as i'm having too much fun beating the snot out of these "modern day pirates" which for some reason have been cybernetically augmented, and on occassion dress up like sea creatures.
Dynamite Cop onlly has 3 different missions to go through but all of them are equally fun. The game is a beat 'em up, but it's a fun beat 'em up where you can use anything and any one as a weapon. The weapons of Dynamite Cop range from a pistol, to a rocket lancher, to cake, to even a nuclear bomb. Aside from the vast array of weapons, players can use hand to hand combat. There are three different characters to choose from, each with a unique fighting style. players can acquire power-ups throughout the game, collecting enought will super charge the players to unleash furious combos on the unsespecting pirates. The pirates have a varied cast of characters at their disposal, ranging from actual pirates, to people dressed like tortoises, to the cybernetically enhanced, to voodoo priests, to even a kraken.
The graphics and presentation are terrible, but it's not something to take seriously, especially when cybernetic-modern-pirates are on the line. Voice work and the soundtrack are over the top and reek of pure cheesiness. The environments of Dynamite Cop take players all over the cruise liner, from the dance club to the engine room.
All in all, Dynamite Cop is a great load of fun. Every time I dust off the Dreamcast I have to play it, because simply it brings a smile to my face. With the addition of Cooperative mode, you can share that smile with a friend.
Friday, June 19, 2009
E3
the electronic entertainment expo this year was one of the best shows i have seen. while it ended about 2 weeks ago, i'm going to talk about it now.
E3 decided to let it's doors open to the public, or at least the people who could afford tickets, again this year so the show was bigger and badder than last year when it closed it's doors to the public and only let people of the industry and press in. so on with the games.
Microsoft
Microsoft showed that it had lots of money this year during it's press conference, by having Ringo Star and Paul McCartney come to show off the beatles rock band game, Tony Hawk with his latest game Ride, which includes a skateboard without wheels peripheral. and all of their new exclusive titles. Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Halo ODST, Halo Reach just to name a few, oh and a Metal Gear Game. Microsoft sure came out swinging. towards the end of their press conference they showed off their shot at motion control with project natal (pronounced Nah-Tahl) a completely hads free way to game. it showed of some really cool features, such as face recognition, because it's too hard to work the profile system, picture scan technology, a microphone, and several other things that seem a bit too cool to be true. Mr. Molyneux showed up to speak about his project with the natal, and praised it like it was the second coming. the game that was showcased buy lion head studios CEO was a kid. quite literally just a kid, but he's got a cool british accent. it was neat to see how the character in the game recognized that the player was a bit worried during the tech demo, either because of facial recognition or voice tone. however it worked the player had a full flegged conversation with this AI. so, if you're worried about your kids not making friends, or if you don't have any yourself you might want to look into this game. microsoft made some announcements that clearly stated that they want their xbox 360 to be the only technological device that anyone uses ever, with their partnerships with facebook, twitter, and last.fm. microsoft has invaded the living room and is taking over it seems, and it looks like they wont stop until every one has an xbox 360.
Nintendo
Nintendo's press conference was like a 3 course dinner, with a bland and uninteresting appetiser, which was the samething you had for lunch(Nintendo bragging about how they still have a vice grip on the handheld market). an equally bland with questionable side dishes for the main course( showcasing new games for the DS, like proffessor layton, and some style game for the girls, several RPGs, golden sun included, and a few more casual games). then nintendo ended the meal with the best desert you've had ever(new metroid game with a side of mario galaxy 2). what i have to say to nintendo is this. yes we know that you still rule the plain of handhelds, yes we know that you have sold more consoles than sony or microsoft combined, yes we know that you still have you're core franchises, and yes we know that you have plenty of people playing games that weren't playing games before. about that last point. what really bothers me is that they would show case games for that causual crowd. for those of you that have no idea what the causal crowd is, it's those people that play peggle, diner dash, cake mania(which are the same games by the way) bejeweled, and other games that were invented soley for the act of killing time. nintendo announced several games of that nature, when people who play said games don't even know that E3 even exists. they only know of it because either their kids or friends who are gamers keep on talking about it even though it ended 2 weeks ago. so nintendo make some games yourself! it's hard to i know, but if you can come up with another unique title like pikmin, which in my opinion is nintendo's latest original franchise and not those Wii instert noun/verb here. it would really be beneficial to you and to the comunity of gamers and game developers alike. people look up to nintendo because they've lasted this long. please don't keep seling yourself out to casual games it's a crying shame what you're doing to yourself nintendo, pick it up. until you do, i'll be playing mass effect on my xbox 360.
Sony
nothing much to tell here due to microsoft buying out some of sony's exclusives(metal gear, final fantasy). sony introduced a new PSP, with nothing all that impressive or new, it no longer requires umds, that's cool...right? and they showed of a wii mote painted black with the playstation symbol slapped on. sweet. they still have good games though, god of war, ratchet and clank, and as word has it, a new game from the team that brought us ICO and Shadow of the colossus.
E3 in general
there were a lot of original games showcased this year at the show. WET, the Sabatour, Brink, Alan Wake, and Brutal legend to name a few. however there was also a lot of titles with the number 2 in them. mass effect 2, modern warfare 2, bioshock 2, left 4 dead 2(6?). it's not that i'm not exited for these games, it's just that they are all sequells, some continuing the story others a completely new episode with the same engine. i'm both proud and appreciative of the original games that are coming out, good on you for making them! but all these sequels. i am indeed looking forward to what happens next in rapture in bioshock, i am looking foward to what is to become of commander shepard in mass effect 2, and what historical figure can i kill next in assassins creed 2. but other games like left 4 dead 2, i though that this was going downloadable content for my game. i like the game left 4 dead, i really do, however 4 campaigns are just not enough, you can only play through them so many times until you can play them with your eyes closed, even with the random elements generator. but oh well thats how the cards fall. all in all it was a good show, and i still would like to go there one of these days. perhaps i'll actually be a video game journalist and be able to publish my thoughts in a magazine, or atleast online and get payed for it. E3 is out there and it's calling to me.
E3 decided to let it's doors open to the public, or at least the people who could afford tickets, again this year so the show was bigger and badder than last year when it closed it's doors to the public and only let people of the industry and press in. so on with the games.
Microsoft
Microsoft showed that it had lots of money this year during it's press conference, by having Ringo Star and Paul McCartney come to show off the beatles rock band game, Tony Hawk with his latest game Ride, which includes a skateboard without wheels peripheral. and all of their new exclusive titles. Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Halo ODST, Halo Reach just to name a few, oh and a Metal Gear Game. Microsoft sure came out swinging. towards the end of their press conference they showed off their shot at motion control with project natal (pronounced Nah-Tahl) a completely hads free way to game. it showed of some really cool features, such as face recognition, because it's too hard to work the profile system, picture scan technology, a microphone, and several other things that seem a bit too cool to be true. Mr. Molyneux showed up to speak about his project with the natal, and praised it like it was the second coming. the game that was showcased buy lion head studios CEO was a kid. quite literally just a kid, but he's got a cool british accent. it was neat to see how the character in the game recognized that the player was a bit worried during the tech demo, either because of facial recognition or voice tone. however it worked the player had a full flegged conversation with this AI. so, if you're worried about your kids not making friends, or if you don't have any yourself you might want to look into this game. microsoft made some announcements that clearly stated that they want their xbox 360 to be the only technological device that anyone uses ever, with their partnerships with facebook, twitter, and last.fm. microsoft has invaded the living room and is taking over it seems, and it looks like they wont stop until every one has an xbox 360.
Nintendo
Nintendo's press conference was like a 3 course dinner, with a bland and uninteresting appetiser, which was the samething you had for lunch(Nintendo bragging about how they still have a vice grip on the handheld market). an equally bland with questionable side dishes for the main course( showcasing new games for the DS, like proffessor layton, and some style game for the girls, several RPGs, golden sun included, and a few more casual games). then nintendo ended the meal with the best desert you've had ever(new metroid game with a side of mario galaxy 2). what i have to say to nintendo is this. yes we know that you still rule the plain of handhelds, yes we know that you have sold more consoles than sony or microsoft combined, yes we know that you still have you're core franchises, and yes we know that you have plenty of people playing games that weren't playing games before. about that last point. what really bothers me is that they would show case games for that causual crowd. for those of you that have no idea what the causal crowd is, it's those people that play peggle, diner dash, cake mania(which are the same games by the way) bejeweled, and other games that were invented soley for the act of killing time. nintendo announced several games of that nature, when people who play said games don't even know that E3 even exists. they only know of it because either their kids or friends who are gamers keep on talking about it even though it ended 2 weeks ago. so nintendo make some games yourself! it's hard to i know, but if you can come up with another unique title like pikmin, which in my opinion is nintendo's latest original franchise and not those Wii instert noun/verb here. it would really be beneficial to you and to the comunity of gamers and game developers alike. people look up to nintendo because they've lasted this long. please don't keep seling yourself out to casual games it's a crying shame what you're doing to yourself nintendo, pick it up. until you do, i'll be playing mass effect on my xbox 360.
Sony
nothing much to tell here due to microsoft buying out some of sony's exclusives(metal gear, final fantasy). sony introduced a new PSP, with nothing all that impressive or new, it no longer requires umds, that's cool...right? and they showed of a wii mote painted black with the playstation symbol slapped on. sweet. they still have good games though, god of war, ratchet and clank, and as word has it, a new game from the team that brought us ICO and Shadow of the colossus.
E3 in general
there were a lot of original games showcased this year at the show. WET, the Sabatour, Brink, Alan Wake, and Brutal legend to name a few. however there was also a lot of titles with the number 2 in them. mass effect 2, modern warfare 2, bioshock 2, left 4 dead 2(6?). it's not that i'm not exited for these games, it's just that they are all sequells, some continuing the story others a completely new episode with the same engine. i'm both proud and appreciative of the original games that are coming out, good on you for making them! but all these sequels. i am indeed looking forward to what happens next in rapture in bioshock, i am looking foward to what is to become of commander shepard in mass effect 2, and what historical figure can i kill next in assassins creed 2. but other games like left 4 dead 2, i though that this was going downloadable content for my game. i like the game left 4 dead, i really do, however 4 campaigns are just not enough, you can only play through them so many times until you can play them with your eyes closed, even with the random elements generator. but oh well thats how the cards fall. all in all it was a good show, and i still would like to go there one of these days. perhaps i'll actually be a video game journalist and be able to publish my thoughts in a magazine, or atleast online and get payed for it. E3 is out there and it's calling to me.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Knights of the Old Republic is regarded as one of the best Star Wars games ever. KOTOR uses an interesting system where the players choices decided how the story unfolds. Players can be evil or good, depending on the choices which they make. KOTORs combat system is based of an edition of the table top game Dungeons and Dragons.
The story of KOTOR starts off by having the player in a ship that is being attacked by Darth Malak, the main bad guy. The player gets off the ship and lands on the planet Taris, and begins looking for a Jedi that was on the ship. From there the player eventually gets off Taris and embarks on an epic journey of betrayal, making new allies, and solving mysteries, of course this is all up to the player and what they choose to do.
As mentioned before, the combat system runs on sort of a D&D system. Players can acquire new weapons, and customize and upgrade them. The combat works in turn-base, however it looks and feels real time. KOTOR allows to plot out strategies of moves in series of four moves, and can pause the action to set up the next four moves. Players can also plot the next moves for their party members as well, this can lead to some pretty heavy, well coordinated attacks. As, with all RPGs, there is much dialogue to be done. KOTORs dialogue system give players several options to choose from to further the conversation. Each choice affects how the character reacts towards the player. This element of the game forces players to look over their options before continuing. Each character in KOTOR is voices, however some have the same voice track which is either read by a male or female voice. The important characters are voiced by top notch voice actors that give life to the characters that they are voicing.
The music of KOTOR is, as expected, orchestrated by John Williams, at least the original songs are. There is the main theme of Star Wars, and others which are recognizable from the movies. However, the original compositions for the game sound and feel like Star Wars.
The graphics of the game are pretty decent. It’s not the graphics, so much as how the designers use the systems power to create the environments that the players visit. Each area in the game has recognizable architecture and characteristics, which create a unique experience for each world.
All in all, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is one of the best Star Wars games of all time. With the ability to be either Jedi or Sith, a rock solid combat system, a great storyline with lovable characters, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is a necessary addition to any Star Wars fan and gamers library.
The story of KOTOR starts off by having the player in a ship that is being attacked by Darth Malak, the main bad guy. The player gets off the ship and lands on the planet Taris, and begins looking for a Jedi that was on the ship. From there the player eventually gets off Taris and embarks on an epic journey of betrayal, making new allies, and solving mysteries, of course this is all up to the player and what they choose to do.
As mentioned before, the combat system runs on sort of a D&D system. Players can acquire new weapons, and customize and upgrade them. The combat works in turn-base, however it looks and feels real time. KOTOR allows to plot out strategies of moves in series of four moves, and can pause the action to set up the next four moves. Players can also plot the next moves for their party members as well, this can lead to some pretty heavy, well coordinated attacks. As, with all RPGs, there is much dialogue to be done. KOTORs dialogue system give players several options to choose from to further the conversation. Each choice affects how the character reacts towards the player. This element of the game forces players to look over their options before continuing. Each character in KOTOR is voices, however some have the same voice track which is either read by a male or female voice. The important characters are voiced by top notch voice actors that give life to the characters that they are voicing.
The music of KOTOR is, as expected, orchestrated by John Williams, at least the original songs are. There is the main theme of Star Wars, and others which are recognizable from the movies. However, the original compositions for the game sound and feel like Star Wars.
The graphics of the game are pretty decent. It’s not the graphics, so much as how the designers use the systems power to create the environments that the players visit. Each area in the game has recognizable architecture and characteristics, which create a unique experience for each world.
All in all, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is one of the best Star Wars games of all time. With the ability to be either Jedi or Sith, a rock solid combat system, a great storyline with lovable characters, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is a necessary addition to any Star Wars fan and gamers library.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus is a game that is known as the game with only boss fights. So, how does it do? In a word: Epic
Shadow of the Colossus follows a nameless character that travels to a forbidden land to perform a ritual to resurrect what we can only assume is his deceased lover. In order to complete the ritual, he is commanded by a big voice in the ceiling to find and kill the colossi that roam the land, though the price he’ll have to pay will be severe.
Gameplay in Shadow is rather simple: go find a colossus, kill it, repeat. However, this is not to say that Shadow is boring. Each colossus battle is huge, and requires a different strategy to defeat it. Each fight gives players a sense of accomplishment afterwards, because every single colossus make the player feel small and insignificant in comparison to the size of each one.
Shadow of the Colossus has a huge world to explore, which is beautiful. In fact the game gives you a horse to make travel easier because of the scale of the world. Each area of the world has a level of detail which makes the world believable, with deserts that span for what seems like miles, forests with lush green trees, and ruins of forgotten cities.
The soundtrack of Shadow completes the game. Every score is an original composition which puts players in the game even more with its epic sound. The high paced, melodic orchestral sound gives each battle a cinematic feel as the player progresses through each battle. The music escalates when the player advances on the colossus and is able to strike at its weak points.
All in all Shadow of the Colossus is a worthy experience to any one that considers themselves a gamer. With amazing gameplay, sound, graphics, and story Shadow is a necessary addition to the library of Playstation 2 owners.
Shadow of the Colossus follows a nameless character that travels to a forbidden land to perform a ritual to resurrect what we can only assume is his deceased lover. In order to complete the ritual, he is commanded by a big voice in the ceiling to find and kill the colossi that roam the land, though the price he’ll have to pay will be severe.
Gameplay in Shadow is rather simple: go find a colossus, kill it, repeat. However, this is not to say that Shadow is boring. Each colossus battle is huge, and requires a different strategy to defeat it. Each fight gives players a sense of accomplishment afterwards, because every single colossus make the player feel small and insignificant in comparison to the size of each one.
Shadow of the Colossus has a huge world to explore, which is beautiful. In fact the game gives you a horse to make travel easier because of the scale of the world. Each area of the world has a level of detail which makes the world believable, with deserts that span for what seems like miles, forests with lush green trees, and ruins of forgotten cities.
The soundtrack of Shadow completes the game. Every score is an original composition which puts players in the game even more with its epic sound. The high paced, melodic orchestral sound gives each battle a cinematic feel as the player progresses through each battle. The music escalates when the player advances on the colossus and is able to strike at its weak points.
All in all Shadow of the Colossus is a worthy experience to any one that considers themselves a gamer. With amazing gameplay, sound, graphics, and story Shadow is a necessary addition to the library of Playstation 2 owners.
Burnout 3
The Burnout series has been around for a while and this is the third installment of the series, and it far surpasses all of its predecessors.
First off let’s start with the gameplay. Burnout 3 is fast, the graphics give players an extreme sense of speed. Each car handles differently and has their own unique qualities as to why the player would choose one over the other. The track selection of Burnout 3 is huge and there are 3 areas that players can travel to choose from its courses. The single player experience of Burnout 3 offers a lot to players to keep them hooked for quite some time, with plenty of unlockables and extras. Burnout 3 also has its traditional crash mode and even features a new “road rage” mode where players try to take out as many computer opponents as they can before time runs out. Burnout 3 also has an online multiplayer mode, with crash sessions, races, and road rage modes.
Burnout 3’s soundtrack has music which is high paced and energetic to fit the game, and it does so perfectly. The soundtrack features artists such as yellowcard, finger eleven, my chemical romance, and many more. As far as sound design goes, it too is up to par with the rest of the game. Each car has a different sounding engine, which is a nice touch. Tires screech like they should. When cars crash the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass fill the air, as cars smash into each other on screen.
The graphics are top notch for the generation of consoles that it’s on. The cars look beautiful and each one shatters, bends and breaks like a car should. Crash sequences are a sight to behold; each one is as unique as the last. While it may be frustrating when players crash into the many pedestrian cars that occupy the road, it is almost forgiven by the sight of the car pirouetting though the air with shards of metal and glass following in an almost choreographed fashion.
All in all Burnout 3 is an excellent racing game with amazing graphics, sound, and gameplay, and it is a necessary addition to any racing fans library of games. The only complaints that I have with Burnout 3 is the load times on the Playstation 2 version. Also some songs the soundtrack cannot be turned off.
First off let’s start with the gameplay. Burnout 3 is fast, the graphics give players an extreme sense of speed. Each car handles differently and has their own unique qualities as to why the player would choose one over the other. The track selection of Burnout 3 is huge and there are 3 areas that players can travel to choose from its courses. The single player experience of Burnout 3 offers a lot to players to keep them hooked for quite some time, with plenty of unlockables and extras. Burnout 3 also has its traditional crash mode and even features a new “road rage” mode where players try to take out as many computer opponents as they can before time runs out. Burnout 3 also has an online multiplayer mode, with crash sessions, races, and road rage modes.
Burnout 3’s soundtrack has music which is high paced and energetic to fit the game, and it does so perfectly. The soundtrack features artists such as yellowcard, finger eleven, my chemical romance, and many more. As far as sound design goes, it too is up to par with the rest of the game. Each car has a different sounding engine, which is a nice touch. Tires screech like they should. When cars crash the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass fill the air, as cars smash into each other on screen.
The graphics are top notch for the generation of consoles that it’s on. The cars look beautiful and each one shatters, bends and breaks like a car should. Crash sequences are a sight to behold; each one is as unique as the last. While it may be frustrating when players crash into the many pedestrian cars that occupy the road, it is almost forgiven by the sight of the car pirouetting though the air with shards of metal and glass following in an almost choreographed fashion.
All in all Burnout 3 is an excellent racing game with amazing graphics, sound, and gameplay, and it is a necessary addition to any racing fans library of games. The only complaints that I have with Burnout 3 is the load times on the Playstation 2 version. Also some songs the soundtrack cannot be turned off.
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