MEMBER PROFILE FOR SaintHax
Average Overall Score Given: 6.69231 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 7
Reviews
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
Overall: A take on Dynasty Warriors, w/ some interesting RTS twists, and bad voice acting. Sadly, the stuff added didn't work as well as they planned.Gameplay: Controling the armies seems to have been made for a mouse. On a few occasions this can get frustrating. Also, the special abilities, that seem cool at first, are akward to use in game. They may rule later on, but around 15-20 hours w/ the game, I was too bored to stay around and master them.
The leveling up commanders/troops is left wide open. This sucks, b/c trying to find the balance of which teams need leveling, w/o knowing what missions are coming up is frustrating. You'll want to save and reload, or buy a cheat book to help you here.
Graphics: Visually, it's middle of the road for XBox. I can't recall any particle effects, and the models are stock.
Audio: The voice acting is painful! And the way they push the story is a throw back to 8-bit RPG games w/ pop-up dialoug, w/ a headshot present to let you know whose speaking. Also, the story is so basic that you'll not really care about it.
Overall Score: 4.0 / 10
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
Overall: First, there seems to be a lot of reviews from fanboys and haters, which makes this forum weak. I never liked DOA fighting games, I foudn the graphics their only claim to fame; however, I do play this game all the time. I'm not 13, I'm recently 27. I'll try to give an honest review for those who want one. The rules are real, and to those that complain that the 2 player sucks-- excluding Halo, most of the Top 5 games on here have been 1 player games. This one is really a one player game w/ the 2 player thrown in for kicks.Gameplay: First, let me say this game uses USA Beach Volleyball Rally rules: Format A. The only mod is they play to 7 (by default, this is changable) instead of 15. Format A means 1 win (not best of), and Rally means you can score regardless of who serves. Beach Volleyball does require you to win by 2, or the first person to score 17. DOAX simplified that to 7 and 10 for speed, I'm sure. The 2 button control is actually genius! Now my g/f or dad can play this game. Everyone has been in the mindset of more buttons means better, and Tecmo gave it all to us w/ 2 buttons!! It makes the game easy to learn, but the real skill comes w/ timing and positioning (of your partner via the R-thumb stick too). The weakness in the volleyball is the defense is too good. If a girl has to dive for a save, she hits it to her partner who doesn't have to move-- I think she should it it almost straight up and make her partner try to run for it. That's minor. It's strange how additive buying bathing suits and accesories is-- sad maybe too. The collection is too Japenese; they also looked like they rushed it-- you don't need to buy the pistols for them to show up on 1 bathing suit, etc. Also, the idea of keeping your partner happy is cool-- it's easy to do if you win, harder if you lose. Each character has a different personality, but somethings are B.S. that will upset you. You can partner w/ a girl that has a next to nothing bathing suit in her personal selection, give her something slightly skimpy, and she'll get upset w/ you for days. Also, the girls get mad if you goof, and won't get right again until after the match is over-- maybe that's realistic. Also, you can only interface w/ the girls that are in 1 of the 4 areas outside the hotel. You can give them gifts or ask them to partner. You can never interface w/ your partner this way-- sucks. Or at the hotel you can send gifts to anyone. Tecmo should have let you give your partner stuff during the day, and find everyone on the island via the hotel. They dropped the ball here.
Graphics: The games visuals are fantastic. The girls, the clothing selections, the backgrounds... everything is top notch.
Audio: Sound it good. There's really not too much there-- game sounds, Japanese voices (w/ subtitles), and music I didn't care for. I used my own though.
Suggestions: Work on more mini-games, expand character interaction, just add more.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Outlaw Golf
Overall: The character's are tacky and entertaining. The golf engine is the best I've ever played on. For us that aren't avid golf fans, some non-golf mini-games or some character interaction via a club house would have been pretty cool. I'd give this game a 5, but b/c it's gold, the action is not intense in multiplayer, and it's really golf or nothing. Just not a genre that deserves a 5 b/c of the few amount of players that would want to do this all the time. The cheekiness of the game does make it fun for people that usually wouldn't be interested in a golf game though.Gameplay: The good and bad is that this game has a very realistic game mechanics. It's has an hour or three learning curve, and even then you'll go from an under par player to a double boogie on a bad streak.
The "in the zone" type of feature is sweet. The more confident your player, the more forgiving the game is on your swing. However, it's easy come, easy go. Beating your caddy (when you have a beating token), helps you recover your swing.
Graphics: Wow... the courses are sweet. The greens, and roughs... sky... water hazards. Everything looks real.
Audio: The commentator makes the game. His wit and sarcasm is great. You stil have the usual birds singing, the fans, the swing of the club. The players themselves (and caddies) have some cute lines too.
Suggestions: I had to return my game b/c after buying 2 copies, both gave me "CD read" errors at bad times. Buffer on the harddrive, or watch the quality of your burns. I'm sorry I couldn't get this game to last for me.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Overall: Interesting RPG. It's more hack-n-slash than than the other Baldur's Gate, and has nothing to do w/ the other's storyline. The game play is linear (which isn't bad in a video game), and the story is good, but lacks the NPC's that really "kicked it up a notch" that the other BG's had. If you aren't a D&D player, you'll probably like this game more, b/c they took a lot of freedom w/ the rules. I gave the game a 3.5 instead of a 4 b/c it lacks replay value. I'll rent it one more time to beat it, but I Gameplay: Snowmutt is just wrong. The gameplay has it's problems, but none that he describes! Monster's drop potions like crazy, there's never been a time where I had to wait for a long time to regenerate. I did have to buy some potions in Act II, but you are making a lot of loot by then. If you use tactics, you can fight up to 3 monsters successfully, if you start your game over after reaching level 2, you'll probably do better also. Unfortunately, BG:DA only gives 3 character choices: Dwarf fighter, Elven Sorceress, and Human Archer. The Dwarf is the best! They screwed the D&D magic system, but tried to make up for it by making the Sorceress very combative also. Unfortunately that doesn't work out that well at the mid levels. FYI: Fireball sucks! Magic Missle is only decent, and when you PAY skill points to increase your spell damage, the energy cost increases more than the damage does. Ranged combat is a little difficult to aim also. Standard RPG rule bend, they increase number of monsters, and thus decrease XP earned so you don't level to quickly. They also increase your hitpoints, which was a great idea considering the former. Armor and To Hit bonuses are both changed. At 8 level I have an AC of 62. Unfortunatley, they didn't increase the stat bonus by the same multiplier, so a high Dex (Archer and Sorceress) character won't be on par armor wise w/o wearing heavy stuff. The AI could be improved too... animals aren't scared of fire (magic), and you can melee a creature that has chosen to attack your buddy, and he'll ignore you. This causes the play to be more Diablo like, than typical RPG. All and all, these actually don't annoy me that much. Controls are nice, rewards seem balanced. They have a nice 3.5 game, but could have done better.
Graphics: Again, Snowmutt's comment about the camera angles seems uneducated. This is not a game I really feel like defending, but how can he play it for 20+ hours and not understand?? When inside you have full control over the camer angles. The reason why, is that b/c of the walls, monsters can be hidden from view unless you turn the camera around. While outside, the maps are drawn different, so they lock the camera angles down in most places. These places are normally small in comparison. This is the general rule. Really, this game is loaded w/ visual appeal. The graphics don't go for realistic, but fantastic. The water is perfect, the ice/snow unrealisticly bright but awesome. Ice blues are perfectly unnatural! I love it. You have to see it to understand. The character models are great... but! But, the animation is smooth, but has terrible buisness (as we actors say). The NPC's sway so much while they talk, you'd think they were on boats. That's really the only bad thing.
Audio: Sound is really good in some parts, the voices are good, but some of the monsters and animals could have used some more sounds.
Suggestions: Support 4 player co-op, more character choices, fix the friggin magic, and w/ 4 players you'll need an "auto-pan out" feature so they still have freedom of movement. For the fire ball, give it a 10 or 5' radius, so it's somewhat like the D&D spell. When I hold down B to cast it, pause the game while I place where I want it to denonate. Since the fighters can just buy weapons for more damage, don't make me spend my few skill points to power up my spells. Power them up for me when I level! Also, burning hands has a 45 degree arc, it isn't a flame thrower!
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
Turok: Evolution
Overall: PLEASE READ! This is perhaps the worst game made for the X-Box. I can't believe anyone not on heavy medication would give this game a 5 unless they were somehow involved in it's creation. This game has absolutely no redeeming qualities-- and I'm a fan of FPS and never tire of new ones! If you like choppy views, no AI, no physics, and difficult areas that you are forced to jump too-- this game may be for you, but only if you want a lack of plot coupled w/ a lack of realism! I only spent 5 bucks for the rental, but I still feel cheated and wished I had spent it on a value meal-- I would have received more enjoyment, and for a longer time. It's so bad that the Lead Designer should never be employeed in this industry again, I have no idea how this got released!Gameplay: A game this bad you'd think it'd be hard to determine what the worst aspect is-- but it's not. It's the gameplay. It's so bad it deserves negatives, but let me explain. Let's go over the good stuff first, it's shorter: the controls are your standard FPS XBox controls. Now the bad: first, their is no physic engine in the game, when you jump, you jump as if there are rubber bands tied to your ankles and the ground. Up and one speed, then you snap back down at the same, constant speed. Your shoes must have lead in them too, b/c you have a 4 inch jump. Not too bad, it's a FPS, who needs to jump? You do. The Game Designer decided to put "keys" in hard to reach places. There's no real logical reason for them or the aliens that carried it to be in a place so hard to get to, but that way you can appreciate the lack of effort they put into jumping. The worse is the AI, or lack of it all together. There are 2 AI settings "bad-guy" and "good-guy" creatures. Bad-guys will attack you if they see you, but have no tactics-- even worse, if you shoot a bad guy in the back, he won't turn around to see you, but continue on walking. Good guys just eat. I was chopping a stegasaurus in the head, and he just stood there and ate until I finally killed him. Another moved, and couldn't step on me, he was forced to move his 3 ton body around me. When the Tricertops ran and pushed over trees I was impressed. I thought they added AI to at least one creature. But then he just continued to run in a circle, and ran, and ran. A Baboon (bad-guy) jumped from a ledge and died on impact (smart ape!), another chased me and fell into a 2' pond and died on contact w/ the water! But then I saw a Raptor!! Just like in the movies, they hunt in packs-- but attack one at a time! The fast dino's that they are, you can out run them back pedalling. They also use their famous jump and rake attack-- no, just playing, they just bite you like every other creature. I shot one in the back in the swamp, and he just kept walking b/c he couldn't see me. They are great hunters!
Graphics: I give it a 2, b/c it can take good still shots. The models are good, but the visuals are so choppy and disorinting that it made me physically nauseous. Your scope of view is narrow, and they don't seem to use a point of perspective (angled view so that you see a larger area in the distance). Instead, they use an atiquated engine that shows you a corridor type view. The amount of foliage, and the bouncing while you walk/run made me sick (or perhaps it was the gameplay that did that). My brother got a headache from it. The foliage, which is annoying, looks horrible up close! BTW: you can chop down small trees, but not tiny ferns!!
Audio: The diverse sounds of dinosaurs! In Turok, all animals believe in stealth, evidently. With the money they saved on programmers (evident in gameplay and the little graphic engine that couldn't), you'd expect the sounds to be great, or at the very least average. The wild howlings that baboons are famous for don't exist. The baboons sometimes squek out a lil bark. Dino's graze w/o making a sound to their small herd, and even when attacked are quiet. Yes, sounds are almost completely missing in Turok. What a pathetic waste of a game.
Suggestions: I alternated play w/ my brother so we could stomach down 2 hours and 2 levels; I doubt I'll ever play it again. This game has peaked my morbib couriosity as to what the games are like that are ranked lower though! My suggestion: fire the development team and forget you made this game. It has less play value than pong
Overall Score: 2.0 / 10
Azurik: Rise of Perathia
Overall: This game has some interesting graphics and ideas, but just fails to have any kind of draw. Where they tried to break away from traditional game play of this genre, they failed b/c of bad implimentation.Gameplay: There's some neat ideas here. The whole elemental powers/power ups was almost nicely done. Having several power ups, and having to choose which one to use was a nice item. However, having the powers run off a power bar that you refill by killing monsters is tired. Your weapon is severly underpowered! It takes about 6 hits w/ a bladed staff to kill the weakest monster. Once you knock them down, they are immune to further damage for 1 second-- which allows them to get back up, and for some charge you also. Also, you have some nice combat moves which allow you to attack enemies in all directions when they circle you; however, (again) the enemies AI sucks, so that you use the same tatic on everyone-- run close, dodge their attack, then counter. You have 2 buttons to attack; however, (AGAIN!) one of them is usless, so you have less moves than Double Dragon 2 of the NES. Sad, really. Also, where you need to go is often unclear, so you are forced to muddle through.
Graphics: I liked the graphics. They were clean, flowed well; and I thought the monsters were pretty cool looking. Too bad the gameplay was so dull.
Audio: Nothing much can be said here. The sound is the normal attack swings, some fire stuff, the usual. Nothing special.
Suggestions: Improve combat, and make the goals more obvious. Add a map.
Overall Score: 6.0 / 10
Hunter: The Reckoning
Overall: I bought this game as a multiplayer game (it supports 4 player co-op) and returned it. It may have been an interesting single player game, but it wasn't enough for me to keep it.Gameplay: The single player controls work great. The undead just fade in and appear w/o rhyme or reason though. Multiplayer sucks!! You have a very small area you can wander around it, you can't get farther than X distance from another player. This sucks when you go to run away or charge a monster and get stopped 5' short or in a middle of a pack of zombies. Some powers are worthless b/c of this: the power that increases your speed offeres little help b/c you can't outrun the monsters and fire. Also, the power ups (health/magic) fade QUICKLY! This is fine in single player, but you can't help heal a weak teammate in multiplayer. This could be a feature if everything else is fixed. One last thing-- experience is not split evenly. If you have a support role, like shooting the monsters to weaken them so your melee guy can kill them quickly, you'll get screwed over XP wise.
Graphics: The graphics are good for this perspective-- 3/4 top down, gauntlet style shooter/melee. The mosnters aren't very original, not only in type but appearence. All the zombies look alike, there seems to be 1 character model for each monster.
Audio: Sound was mediocre at best. The gun's have different sounds, and the voices are decent. There are few environment sounds, the monsters a weakly supported w/ audio.
Suggestions: This game type screams multiplayer, yet it was a car wreck in that respect. Gauntlet's zoom out feature so that players can seperate is a much needed feature for Hunter: The Reckoning. Work on the powers too.
Overall Score: 5.0 / 10
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Overall: Like Ghost Recon, this game had potential to be better, but is still a title I'm glad to own. Don't believe the hype, this game is not a 5, but after a while you start to ignore the annoyances and thoroughly enjoy the game play. This game is more arcade like than some of the other Tom Clancy titles that are very realistic. Bullets effect a life bar, and you may have to shoot someone a few times for them to die. Getting shot yourself has no ill effects unless it's enough to kill you (of course!).Gameplay: Here's the games only real fault. So much of it is so good-- outstanding even. Your character is great, the amount of control you have is great... however...
First, Sam is the best of the best, but he shoots like crap! You can't "gun and run" b/c if you aren't set, you can't hit anything. On the contrary, the "bad guys" can pop you w/ pistols even if you have "a human shield". You also can't force a reload of your pistol-- this is a major problem. I was very frustrated when I grabed a human to use as a shield, shot 2 rounds at his buddy and just stood there b/c I was out of ammo. You have to then knock the guy you are holding out, click fire to reload, and then reset and fire. You're dead by then. Also, I was 5' from a light-- and had to shoot it twice to break it. A big part of the game is also sneaking up behind someone and grabbing them-- unfortunately, the game doesn't let you do this until you are VERY close. This is not good if you are trying to grab a walker. I've bumped into them on occasion. Sam apparently doesn't know how to grapple once he's been seen, even if you get behind the person again. I've called Sam a few choice words b/c he's been so inept during these times. Also, since the game is about stealth, I've been upset when the NPC's have "thought" they've seen me, even though I was behind a wall and not moving. The first mission is the worst, but the rest seem better.
Then there's the map! It's completely worthless!!! It's a rough, rectangled buildings, schematic that doesn't show your current position. You will never need to look at the map; luckily, the game is linear and you won't need to.
The game also has some unrealistic qualities that requires a learning curve. Once you realize that the noise a person makes when you grab him from behind, is totally silent to the guy 5' from him, the game get's easier. There are a few other things like this to learn.
Graphics: The graphics are terrific! The lighting, the animation, everything. I doubt you'll own a title anytime soon that outdoes Splinter Cell.
Audio: After reading the deaf guy's post, I have to lower the sound from a 4.5 to a 4. Like Ghost Recon, there are some sounds that are much to loud. When you knock a person out, they hit the ground like bricks; however, no one but you can apparently hear this noise either. Also there are audio clues that are very helpful that don't appear in your "notes" section. If you are hearing impaired, or have a bad memory, you'll have a much tougher time.
Suggestions: The game is a superb idea and would be game of the year if you would have fixed the shooting, map, and grappling ability. Have Sam able to start a grapple from a step away, so he can take that last step for us.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Fuzion Frenzy
Overall: This is a multiplayer game. If you don't plan on playing it w/ 2 other people, then you may want to reconsider buying it. Part of it's appeal is that it's cheap ($20), the other great thing is all the games are easy to learn. The hardest controls are 4-buttons or 1 control stick and 2 buttons. Thus, my mom and dad can play it when they come over. As a 1 player game it's a 2.0, as a 2 player game, it's a 2.5 or 3. Three or more people....Gameplay: Game play is easy to learn. There are many mini-games: some suck, some are very entertaining. You notice that many of the games seem very similar to other games from the past: DDR (today), Tron (80's), Snakes (80's). Other than the stupid bug smashing games, it's pretty fun party games.
Graphics: The graphics are pretty good. They stick w/ a cartoony theme, so nothing is too special. The environments are diverse and very fitting.
Audio: How much sound is needed in a party game?? I'd like to see some more taunts or something during the game, instead of just after them. The sounds were average.
Suggestions: During the tournament mode, you should allow a custom list of excluded games. I hate the bug smashing game, and never want to see them in my tournament games.
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
Spider-Man
Overall: Comic heros never port right to video games. The average comic hero would walk through 90% of a video game and that wouldn't be fun. So, they add in an unbelievable amount of thugs and/or make the hero weaker. While Spiderman did a decent job on keeping Spidey, Spidey; the game play itself was not immersive. If you'd replaced Spiderman w/ an unknown hero, this game would have received much lower ratings than it has so far.Gameplay: Spirderman's moves and abilities are great. They didn't hose Spidey at all; however, the missions are uncreative and if you've played an action arcade game before, you'll feel the De'ja vu that you've done this before but w/ a different custom. Go through the building, beat up wandering thugs that have nothing to do but wait to shoot at you. Then track down a real villian and have a boss fight. Maybe defuse a bomb, you know the drill.
Graphics: Graphics would get a 4.5 from me; however, the camera angle is ANNOYING. At times you can't see where you are going, or the camera is pointing the wrong direction. Add this to wall crawling and I was turned off.
Audio: Sound is clean, but unremarkable here too. Usual pistol shots, web shooter sfx, etc. The environment doesn't effect the report of a firearm-- no echo, or twang.
Overall Score: 6.0 / 10
Deathrow
Overall: This game reeks of HyperBlade for the PC back in '98 or so; however, it is a BLAST! Four on four is so much better than larger team sports; the action is quick, easy to learn, and exciting. The teams vary in personality, and the in between game options are great.Gameplay: Gameplay could be improved. You can lock on to the disk, and the goal, but not a player to fight. Fighting has a few options, but a lock on and a better blocking system would improve this aspect greatly. Running and scoring works great though! Also, you get emails between victories, and I can't delete them. Minor annoyance. Training your players works well, but could have been explained better in the rule book. Multiplayer, of course, is better.
Graphics: Not in the upper 2% of games, but outstanding. The arenas are great, floors, walls, goals. The character models are good, but not the best of XBox games. I have no complaints about them though.
Audio: Voices are good. They used some talent in this game and they have a selection of lines to let you know how good or bad you are doing. Most of these lines are only fit for late night cable TV, but I find it ammusing and say similar stuff myself. The sound effects isn't as immersive as some other sport games, so I'm giving it a 4.
Suggestions: Clean up the fighting control, expand on the out of game content, and more game options for different kinds of games: 3-on-3, 2on2, "brass knuckle games", ice (slick) arenas, etc; and I'll buy the sequel.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Halo: Combat Evolved
Overall: If you own one game, this should be it. This game is a solid 5 two-player game/multi-player game. Maybe a 4 single player. Anyone who gave the overall under a 3, or Graphics under a 5 is just a kill joy as popular opinion proves. Can't believe retarded fanboys of other FPS would dare rate this game a 1 in anything.Gameplay: The gameplay is smooth, controls are great. The only think I'd like to see is an option to dive out of hte way of vehicles, or under hover vehicles-- as all the NPCs can do this. I wouldn't mind taking damage, instead of automatic death from unmanned vehicles either. It sucks to jump out of a Banshee and have it tap you at it's 2 MPH float and die.
Graphics: The graphics are a joy to behold. The Covenant are superb: except the dorky grunts, but their personality fits and the laugh factor makes up for this. The Flood are frightening! Ice looks real, textures are alive. A real winner.
Audio: The music is excellent. While beating it the second time (on Heroic), I noticed that at one point the music was a little classical for the big battle you were going into. Other than that, the voices are great, and lines are excellent. I love the marine shouts while I'm driving the warthog.
Suggestions: Please improve the Assualt Rifle! The pistol should not be a better long range weapon than any rifle. The AR's damage factor sucks. Put a zoom on that baby, and not the pistol! Increase the speed of the needles flight by a tad, so it's not such a terrible weapon. Default weapons should be human. Why do I respawn w/ an AR and _Plasma_Pistol_ so often?
Also, add more voice to the Master Chief; I'd love for him to make some comments in 2 player co-op while I'm driving the warthog also.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Overall: Outstanding 1 player game! I would love to see a sequel w/ some multiplayer improvement and bump mapped graphics for better textures. This is one of the few games where multiplayer is less enjoyable than single. I'd give it a 3 for multiplayer.Gameplay: The biggest complaint here is the AI! It sucks. I can kill a person walking patrol, and the next patrol will walk past their dead bodies as if they weren't there. You also need specialist to complete some missions, and if they die you can't pick up their weapons. I'd like it if you could at least pick up their ammo. Multiplayer game play (co-op) isn't that great. First, only player one can go into the tactical window. Second, you are in control of a squad, and in single palyer you can select who you want to control from the tactical window-- can't do this in multiplayer. Lastly, one of the really cool features in the single player campaign is getting new recruits/specialist. In co-op multiplayer you don't get them, and you can't unlock ANYTHING. My very last complaint is that to unlock several aspects you have to complete missions on a certain level as a Quick Mission. Since you have to do this anyway to complete the campaign on that level, it becomes redundent. If I could do this co-op, it would be worth it, but other wise it's boring to beat the same mission 4 times at 3 different levels. W/ all the complaints, let me just say that the single player campaign is a joy to play. Very realistic and may spawn copycat games in it's wake. Great own for a single player game!
Graphics: The movies are stunning. Tom Clancy games really have a great opening movie, they get you hyped to play. One small complaint is that there is no "gun view", you feel more removed in it's first person POV. My major complain is it's lack of textures. The graphics are very 2D, but wrapped around polygons. Since this game is about camoflauge and ambushes, it's sometimes hard to tell a tree from an unimform when zoomed in. Textures would make this game outstanding.
Audio: I have to rank this low, b/c it did not live up to the rest of the games quality. There are very few voices (1 female, I think, even though there are 2 female specialist). Also, I've been the only female in the group, and when a NPC get's a kill, it's a females voice that says "I got 'em". The noise you make going to your belly is GOD awefully loud. All the gun shots sound the same, no AK47 pop in comparison to the M16's report.
Suggestions: See above, and... allow multiplayer co-op during the "Quick Missions" and "Campaign". Also, show stats for the multiplayer recruits so they are not so vanilla. Keep the realism though (good job!).
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
