MEMBER PROFILE FOR bray
Average Overall Score Given: 6.75000 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 4
Reviews
Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack
Overall: if you dont know there is no way you have access to a computer. let me just say this is the definitive version of the games. having played the heck out of it on pc i wasnt really in the mood to play it on the box but after starting( you have to turn off the trails in the options) i was hooked again. the controls and graphics blow away the ps2 and pc versions. this is a must have for anyone with an xbox. show your support by buying this immediately and maybe we wont have to wait so long for the next installment due out by xmas because the xbox is where this series belongs Gameplay: drive and run and fly and boat around a living city that is eerily realistic of florida in the 80s. its like the coolest episode of miami vice ever. you get missions but there is no rush to do anything so you can set your own pace. the perfect game for any gaming session because you can play for 20 minutes straight or you can play for 6 hours straight. you will never get bored
Graphics: having played both the ps2 and pc version i have to say this one looks the best. simply incredible. the hubcaps of your cars, the real time lighting , the people in the streets, everything is top notch.
Audio: music is a little low but that can be adjusted. vice city has one of the best soundtracks of any media be it movie or game
Suggestions: dont make xbox owners wait for the next one. its obvious this series owns xbox and thats where it should be released from now on
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Project Gotham Racing 2
Overall: the first PGR is one of my all time favorites and this game outdoes it in every department except gameplay. the original setup was classic arcade style gameplay and trying to get a higher kudos score allowed for endless hours of gameplay. the kudos system in this game is way more advanced but lacks the simplicity and is just not as intuitive as the first PGR. plus the diffuculty level is nigh impossible... or way to easy. you pick which medal you want to drive for ( 5 in all )and while silver medals are sometimes easily obtained , platinum medals are incredibly hard to get. your choice of cars is limited to about 8 or so per event in kudos world series which is kinda like the first kudos challenge. but you dont win cars , those you have to buy with kudos tokens that you get from adding all your kudos that you raced for. you pick which is the best of the lot and finish all your events then move on to the next series. you can rush through it by setting your standards low but you wont get that many kudos tokens. arcade and race mode are back ( sorta ) but in these events you only drive a specific car for each event.its different enough from the first that if you really love the first PGR like I do you will kinda wish they just left it well enough alone and just added everything else in the game. it is just as addicting but its missing the charm of the first one. it seems as if all the really good gameplay will be for those fortunate enough to have xbox live because thats where most people will be trying to beat other peoples score instead of trying for impossible platinum medals. Gameplay: you have kudos world series which has basically the same races as kudos challenge but these are broken up by car class. the cone challenges and street race modes are back as well but just not as much fun as the original due to the complex kudos system. Ive been playing for hours but have yet to get any rewards for time spent like in the original.
Graphics: the graphics and framerate are excellent but I do have one complaint that is pretty major. the camera stays right on your butt the whole time no matter how wide or how little you turn. its hard to explain but when your driving it seems as if the car is stationary and the scenery is moving. it doest have that loose feel as the first one did. play them both and you will see what Im talking about. oh and you cant read what you put on your plates either. but everything else is pretty amazing. cities, cars, birds, water, it all looks really good and runs buttery smooth.
Audio: what else would you expect. a bunch of songs that either rock or rap and your standard car sounds. to be honest I play with my stereo on most of the time but I know that what is there is pretty much the same as before.
Suggestions: if it aint broke dont fix it. keep the kudos system simple yet challenging in the "oh my God I know I can do better on that track" way of the first PGR. sliding is much more harder in this one and it shouldnt be. other than that kick back , have a beer, and start thinking about an expansion disc for the first game and then another shot at revamping for the third game.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
Overall: first off let me say I am a huge medal of honor fan. that being said this game does not feel like a medal of honor game. by taking the series out of the european theater it loses any character the previous games have had. star wars episodes 1 & 2 sucked but they at least felt like star wars. Gameplay: you run and you shoot with some rail guided missions thrown in ( very early on I might add ).the level design is somewhat confusing at times and they have save points you must find to save your progress during missions which you will need because the hit detection is somewhat spotty. I have been playing on the hard diffulculty but a head shot should still count as a one hit kill, sometimes it does sometimes it doesnt. your allies are totally idiotic and will actually block your line of fire sometimes but dont worry,you can shoot them as many times as you want. as for your enemy they just dont seem right. maybe its because your not battling the nazis that it feels so disjointed , maybe its because the enemy respawn while you try to find your way out of what is basically a green maze. rent it and youll see what Im talking about , it just doesnt feel like a medal of honor game. big mistake on E.As part is changing the control scheme and not giving you the option to control the same as frontline. there is only one button to switch weapons ( which as far as I can tell you only get 2 in a level ) the x button is now the grenade button so you will be throwing grenades on accident while trying to reload. the grenade button is not analog so dont sweat blowing yourself up because that grenade will go far. since you have so little control over the accuracy of your grenades the only time you will throw them is when your trying to reload. the framerate has been upped a little except when your in aim mode and then you will wonder if the game has frozen on you. some enemys will die with only 5 or 6 hits to the chest or head , some with one hit to the head, its very spotty and inconsistent. the music is one of the biggest dissapointments, gone is the sweeping score of saving private ryan and in its place is don ho elevator music(or is that muzak?). Im being negative but I did have high hopes for this one.
Graphics: some visuals such as the smoke and explosions are done well ( suprising for an E.A. xbox game ) but some levels are just plain boring. granted I didnt beat the game yet because of the spotty hit detection which will totally take you out of the game but Im not expecting much. frontline will put you more in the frame of mind for a WWII than this . this actually reminds me of soldier of fortune 2. the pearl harbor level is done very well and everything else is polished looking for what it is but believe me it aint much. sometimes you see where your bullet will hit and a puff of dirt will fly up and sometimes you will hit an enemys hand and they will react as if they got hit in the hand which is all well and good but most of the time you will just shoot blindly and hope for the best. the character models are actually creepy looking up close and the reload animations have been sped up a little but that just makes it look more cartoony. the stationary guns are useless since there is flak and bullet trails but even though it looks loke your hitting the enemy they dont die unless you aim way low so that throws off the sense off realism . although the graphics are a step up from frontline , frontline is actually better because you at least get a sense of place.
Audio: guns sound good , music sounds bad. I miss the old guy who briefed your missions in frontline. that is replaced by cutscenes of what can only be described as corny . its like come on guys and get out of the closet already. the enemy banzai shouts are interesting in a laughable sort of way. its all so stereotyped.
Suggestions: BRING BACK THE NAZIS. put us back in the european theater or at least give us some missions that are not grunt work. make your allies a little smarter and implement friendly fire for a more realistic feel . can the don ho soundtrack and bring back the orchestra . bring the old control scheme back or give us the freedom to choose. and seriously fix the hit detection , nothing will ruin a fps faster than spotty hit detection.
Overall Score: 5.0 / 10
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Overall: was really looking forward to this one. beat it the 2nd day i had it ( about 8 hours of game time ).this game needed to be either a full fledged rpg or a zelda rip-off. either one would have been better than the linear gameplay found in this title. i really wanted to like it but couldnt find it in my heart especially with all the other killer titles that are coming out now.Gameplay: captures the look but not the feel of embarking on a massive quest.the side quests are pointless and add nothing to the game. I found a slight delay in attack and blocking ( most notable in blocking ) that caused me to want to throw my controller across the room. granted some levels were cool but this game had to pack on about 20 more hours of gameplay to do the book justice.
Graphics: awesome. the games only saving grace and the reason to at least rent this game.some slowdown present but not enough to really affect gameplay.
Audio: a lot of voice acting that aint that bad. even a song thrown in ( but the dancing had to go).everything else was what youd expect from this type of game.
Suggestions: if you have the license to something with the potential of lotr dont blow it buy trying to bring in the unconverted and dont be shy to steal tried and tested ideas (imagine this game with a real zelda feel to it)after all every fantasy game has borrowed something from lotr already.developers have to realize that 50 bucks is still alot of money and x-box is churning out games faster than the normal working shmoe can fork out and still eat. any game should have lasting appeal and 25 to 30 hours to get to the end sounds like 50 bucks well spent.
Overall Score: 4.0 / 10
