MEMBER PROFILE FOR Scapegoats
Average Overall Score Given: 8.08571 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 91
Reviews
ESPN NHL 2K5
Overall: EA really messed up when they changed all of the controls on me with NHL 2004. This totally left the door open for Sega to walk right in and steal a place in my heart with ESPN NHL Hockey. When I played it, I just fell in love. The new game, 2K5 is more of the same, and no surprises there.Gameplay: There are lots of little improvements to the gameplay, and there are lots of cool things to do, like air hockey and shuffleboard. If they add in a foosball minigame for 2K6, I'll preorder it right now. If you were familiar with last year's game, you'll feel at home with this one. There are some new additions that are cool, but I find myself button-mashing most of the time, and even that is still enjoyable.
Graphics: Visually, I had hoped for more. Last year's was great, and this year's is slightly improved, but everything is just not as real as I was anticipating. That's not really that fair, because I notice a lot of cool things in this game, but just sometimes it seems the puck is attached to your stick with an invisible wire, allowing you to deke and shoot with the puck on the wrong side of the stick. Some of the movements are repetitive, but all in all, it's alright. The camera angles would be nicer if they had more flexibility, more modes, including a broadcast-type option where there are various angles. I know it might be hard to play like that, but I'd practice just to have it look like I'm watching on TV.
Audio: Sound is good, especially when you go into the options and change the default to Broadcast, so that the announcers are louder. They can sometimes be repetitive, but that's alright. It's not nearly as bad as some of the older games I've heard, and at least there IS commentary (not like some other sports games out there *cough*WWE RAW*cough*). I did notice that sometimes the voices get cut off-mid sentence, even if you aren't pushing any buttons. That's sorta annoying, but I just try and ignore it. The 5.1 sound is nice.
Suggestions: A little more work on the visual aspect of the game, and fix the sound issue I mentioned, and you're unstoppable! Unless of course, EA brings out a title with foosball in it, then I might have to check that out.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Myst III: Exile
Overall: Cool game, in my opinion. It's nice to have more of this sort of game, especially on Xbox for people who don't like PC gaming.Gameplay: Gameplay, while it might seem outdated to some, is familiar, yet improved. I like how it is low-action. I really appreciate a game like this, from time to time.
Graphics: Visually, it's better than the first two games, and does look great. I could tell that it was done in 3D Studio MAX though, even before I watched the bonus content on the disc.
Audio: The sound is great, as it always has been with this series. The surround sound is nice, and fits well with the rest of the engine improvements.
I wasn't really a big fan of Riven, but I think I'm hooked again, thanks to Exile.
Suggestions: I'd like further Myst games for Xbox please. Thanks. Also, please don't switch to fully 3D... I don't think it'll translate well. Real Myst seemed ok and all, but Exile is nicer.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Thief: Deadly Shadows
So far, I have only played this game through the first couple levels, and I must say, these guys have done a great job keeping it real. Everything in it is great - graphics, sounds, AI is decent, everything. I remember pirating the first Thief back when it first came out, and I couldn't afford it due to the fact that I was just entereing high school. By the time I could afford it, it was gone. But, Thief 2 came out. I bought that up right away. What seemed like the next day, I switched to Linux, and didn't ever get very far in it. Until now, I hadn't had any Thief action in a few years. Now my thirst has been quenched again, and I am very satisfied.I think it's the first time ever on Xbox that I can play in first-person mode without giving up after 5 minutes. The controls work great. The option to use first- or third-person perspective is something that I really think would have helped me out in many other games for Xbox, and I'm glad they made this decision. The AI is great, although not much improved over the older games. Fans who would like a game loosely described like Splinter Cell set in the medieval times should definitely check this out.
The graphics are great, and this is one of the rare instances where screenshots actually do represent it accurately, as you spend a lot of time immobile, or moving very slowly. The graphic textures look nice, and is a step up from the previous ones without a doubt. There are mostly dark areas, and if there is light, you'll find yourself trying to douse the flames to remain unseen. But it's still well done. Details such as mice running around and particles in the air that catch the light are nice touches as well.
The intensity of the game is much more present if you're wearing headphones, or have a loud surround sound system. Either way, lots of great ambient sounds, and great dialog, although sometimes repetitive, not unlike the original games. Still, overall, this game is great, and every Thief fan would love it, I'm nearly 100% sure.
Suggestions: Thank you so much for bringing this non-action title to Xbox! Don't rush out the next one, but I do want to see a sequel before Xbox2 (because I am not buying one).
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
Pitfall - that great game we all remember playing for hours straight on our Atari 2600 systems when we were kids. Yep, the game's star, Harry, has come a long way, moving through various platforms, Jaguar, SNES, Playstation, even PC. Sure, we'd all like to forget all about Super Pitfall for the NES, and maybe this incarnation will help...When you first fire up this game, you are thrust into the middle of a battle with a demon tiger - a glimpse of the future, it seems. I don't know about you, but I have this thing where if a game starts off anywhere but the beginning or with a different character than the star, it automatically gains a few points in my books. Take for example, Neutopia II for the Turbo Grafx 16, where you start off fighting a giant squid-like creature as your father... I don't know what it is, but I just like it. I think it helps me keep my interest; appeals to my curiosity, perhaps. Whatever it is, it works.
On top of the interesting opening, the actual gameplay is amazing. I like how you can use the right thumbstick to wave your hand around so as to taunt your enemies. Or at least that's what I thought it was for until I got the first item, the canteen. Heh. As it turns out, the developers came up with a quite clever use for that thumbstick. You can use it to pick up objects, such as idol statues (which you can use to buy other things from shamans), press or pull switches, as well as use your other equipment. Using the canteen as and example, you press down on the thumbstick with it equipped, and it will fill up with water, so long as you're at a healing fountain. Press up with said canteen in hand, and you will drink from it, replenishing your health. Each other object of your arsenal makes similar use of this control. It does take a while to get used to this difference, at least for me, since I'm used to having that thumbstick for camera control.
So, with a game like this, you do need camera control, so what did they do with it? Well, they narrowed it down to rotation using the left and right triggers, as well as using the white button to allow you to enter a free-look mode (not unlike the one found in The Hobbit while in rock-throwing mode). It works well though.
Further into the cool factor of this game are the simple combos that you continually learn. Press one button, then another, and you'll do a different move. Sweep-kicks, jump-kicks, and so forth add much-needed variety to this game's combat system. There isn't tons of fighting in Pitfall, but these extra moves make it enjoyable.
If you don't like the standard running and crawling that you find in pretty much every game like this, then you will be amused at the ability to curl into a ball and roll your way through the jungle. Except, of course, when you need to swim, jump, climb, and swing from vines. All of these activities are easily accomplished due to the highly intuitive controls. Another nice touch is that the faster you press the swimming button, the faster Harry flails his arms. It's also cool to be able to slide down vines and swing on them back and forth. I also like how I can fall down nearly unlimited heights and not lose health. Sure, it's not realistic, but it means I don't have to worry about all the jumping puzzles as much (well, unless there is no bottom below).
Jumping over rolling logs and onto crocodile backs are elements that have translated well from the older games to this fully-3D environment. The enemies that you encounter will be sleeping (in which case you can tip-toe around them), throwing things at you, and so forth. A nice variety, and all in all, this game is a welcomed great new take on an old classic concept.
If I didn't know better, I'd say that this game took many elements from The Hobbit... The controls are more refined, but the overall look and feel is quite similar, at least in my opinion. For example, there is a lot of green in this game (at least in the beginning), and they both share the cartoony 3D look. I would say that Pitfall gains points in the cinematics department though. The characters are all detailed, and the camera cuts are movie-like. And the element of humor in this game is great. Just watch the opening scene on the plane, and try not to laugh.
The in-game animations are good, and lots of little details are there, including lots of butterflies in the air, leaves and grass, as well as water ripples. Really, this game is a visual pleasure, and the graphical details don't detract from the superb gameplay.
The only bad thing about the graphics is that text is hard to read, at least for my bad eyes, in the menus. Luckily, you don't need to spend much time in there.
The game sounds are pretty sweet. Ambient jungle sounds in Dolby Surround goodness, coupled with an Indiana Jones-esque soundtrack create the ultimate jungle adventure gaming mood. If you're not into the music, you can turn the volume down or off, but it does seem to fit well.
The character sounds are good too. Not too much repetition, and no major issues that I noticed with clipping or sounds cutting out abruptly. You can hear everything from the splashing of your arms in the water to the jaws of pit traps chewing on you. Harry's voices won't even get on your nerves because they aren't overused, which is definitely nice to see (or hear as the case may be).
The voice acting is great, and did I mention humorous? I loved the opening clip with the narration part. Quite a nice touch.
Overall, the sound works well with the gameplay, and I found that it is quite easy to immerse yourself in the game. If you were a fan of this series, the original game in particular, you would probably love this 3D adaptation.
Suggestions: This is a great re-visitation to the roots of my gaming experience... Thank you for doing such a great job on this game, and the only improvement I would say is make it harder to miss jumping between vines... And that's a minor complaint, really. Keep up the great work!
Overall Score: 8.2 / 10
Arx Fatalis
I went into this game not really knowing what to expect. The cover art isn't anything special, and the name isn't very memorable. I had heard people try and compare it to other games like Morrowind. Well, let me tell you what I found...Unlike Morrowind, I had an easy time getting into this game. It has a coherent story line, very little reading to do, and a little something more that is very hard to explain... Perhaps the best way to do this is to ask: do you remember the old Interplay game for DOS called Stonekeep? Did you like it? If so, then Arx Fatalis is right up your alley... I can't place my finger on what it is; perhaps the fact that the entire game takes place underground, or the usage of darker colors and many shades of brown, I'm not entirely sure. But whatever it is, I made the connection, and so have other people I have talked to. If you didn't play Stonekeep, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about, but that's okay - Arx Fatalis is a great game, even without that nostalgic feeling.
So you awaken with no memory of who you are or how you got there. You're imprisoned, and you need to escape. As you progress through the game, you learn about yourself and what you were sent to do. Sound familiar? Well sure, it may be a common plot, but Arx Fatalis has some cool things that separate it from the rest.
Arx Fatalis isn't just another hack and slash; there is a story, things to do, goals, and an ultimate resolution. I love that I can walk through troll caves and not worry about being decimated by them. They only get angry if you give them reason to. You can sneak up on enemies, lure one away from a group and take care of it, rinse and repeat. You can pick up different strategies of your own to get through the game, and it just works.
The controls for this game are quite similar to Morrowind, so if you've played it, you'll slip right into this one easily. However, there are some differences, particularly in regards to the user interface.
Magic usage has two modes: combo-based mode where you need to use the directional pad to trace runes to complete spells, and arcade mode, where you simply choose the spell to cast. I prefer the arcade mode myself, but you can take your pick. You can store a few spells in memory that you can have access to with the pre-cast button, which is useful in combat. I'm not sure how this could have been made better, but it can sometimes get in the way and cause you some pain and frustration.
I found jumping to be abnormally far and fast. I don't know any humans that can jump around places faster than they can walk... Also, trying to jump up on ledges is annoyingly hard - if you find yourself falling down to the ground, don't be surprised.
Pressing the directional pad to have quick access to your inventory is sorta cool, but it can also prove to be quite cumbersome. Because of the inventory system, which goes by space instead of by weight, you can have tons and tons of things to scroll through before you find the one thing you were looking for. The items aren't sorted either; and in fact, you can randomize the list while in the full inventory screen. Pushing up to drop items is agitating, as I found myself dropping things by accident all the time. However, you get used to these things and you end up not dropping your sword in the middle of a battle any longer.
Another thing that might be sort of annoying is that while you are looking at your maps, your stats, or your inventory, the game doesn't pause - and if you're near enemies, this means death or damage. This is more realistic, but if you're not expecting it, it might be sorta aggravating at first.
The good news is that your health and mana can be replenished naturally, albeit slowly. This means that after a hard-fought battle, you can always sit back and take a breather while you recover. Other options are potions, which you can find, buy, or even distill yourself. You can eat food that you purchase, steal, or find. You can also pick up food from animals that you have attacked, and if you have a fishing pole, you can go catch some out of the nearest body of water. But if your food is not cooked first, your character will refuse to eat it (I don't like sushi either). Walk over to the nearest flammage, drop your food onto it, wait for it to cook, then pick it back up. Mmm, fresh ribs! You can even bake your own bread, if you happen to find some flour and have a bottle of water handy. You'll know when your character is hungry too, for you'll be walking through a cave, and all of a sudden, he just says "I'm hungry" out of nowhere. These little elements are the ones that make a game realistic without overdoing it, and add that extra enjoyment to it.
At first, the visual presentation of Arx Fatalis seems dated, something that may have been great a few years back, but by today's standards isn't anything special. However, the more you play the game, the more that you see that there is some great detail and effort put into it. For instance, frogs sit around water pools and jump in when you get close to them. Cave walls are blackened where torches have been burning. Goblins sitting around a campfire with rats on spits, eating food, and so forth. Movements are often quite good, although occasionally there are some clipping issues.
Characters don't seem overly blocky to me, and the game is easy to immerse yourself in once you look past the initial impression of the first level. Sure, some things could have been improved, such as water rippling and splashing, better shadows and such. But, no game is perfect.
Even if a game is perfect visually, the sound needs to be there to back it up. This is Arx Fatalis' main weak point. On one hand, the music that is there is great, it fits the scene, and it isn't annoying. The neatest music I have found so far is in the castle on the human level, where there is a minstrel playing some nice music. If you're far away from him, the music is quieter. This is a nice touch. I wish all games had Dolby Digital 5.1 support, such as this. It greatly enhances the experience.
Of course, just because a game has positional audio doesn't mean it doesn't have flaws. In Arx Fatalis, there is way too much echo on every single sound that you hear in the game - voices, objects dropping, water splashing, and so forth. The volumes aren't balanced either. I would find myself talking to someone important in a tavern, and I couldn't hear what they were saying because someone is blaringly loud, going on about playing a gambling game. Good thing there are subtitles as well, else I may have missed something important!
Overall, the game is quite good, the sound isn't horrible and you get used to it after a while, but had it been less reverbed, it would have received a much better score.
Suggestions: Less reverb and echo! Sure the game is underground and all, but lay off a bit! I do wish that saving games was a lot faster (look at Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for a good example). A bit of work on the interface, and that's about it. Very cool game otherwise.
Overall Score: 7.8 / 10
Tom and Jerry: War of the Whiskers
Who would have thought that a Tom and Jerry cartoon would turn into a wacky fighting game? Okay, I did. But it is actually pretty cool.You get to play as Tom or Jerry, and as you play, you unlock seven other characters, including Spike and Tyke, Nibbles and Butch, and my personal favorite, Duckling. You have over a dozen levels to play in, and a few different game modes.
A cartoony game such as this one can only be aimed at one thing - multiplayer goodness, fun for the whole family. And that is where this game succeeds. There is no blood or gore, and it is obviously fake, so even though the game is rated T for Teen, I'd still have no issues sitting there playing a few rounds with my younger siblings.
You may not want to run out and buy this game, but if you're planning a weekend of fun, and Shrek Super Party has worn out it's welcome, go check this one out of your local rental shop.
Tom, Jerry, and friends fight through a bunch of different destructible environments, each with their own pitfalls and platforms. For instance, if you're duking it out in the kitchen, the sink will overflow, and water will go all over the floor. Now, the refrigerator will open and freeze the water. If you're standing in it, you'll be frozen there as well, leaving you out in the open for a short time, allowing your enemies to take advantage of your situation. If you're on the beach level when the tide comes in, you might be attacked by a shark! The levels are well done and various, and take away from the monotonous gameplay that we have come to expect from the fighting game genre.
The controls are pretty good as well. You can do all the de facto standards for fighting games such as jump, kick, punch, and block, as well, you have the ability to pick up items and weapons to use against your opponents. In fact, there are over seventy-five different implements of destruction for you to use and abuse. Aside from this, the moves are pretty limited.
You can boost up your berserk meter by damaging or taunting the other players, and once your berserk bar is full, you can activate it to do double damage to your opponents, and this lasts as long as the bar drains. But be careful while taunting, as you are left vulnerable to attacks.
You can play up to four players at once, making this game ideal for parties. There are various game modes, such as tournament, tag team, versus, and team play. There is no network or online play, but that's alright because it wouldn't be nearly as fun as playing it with three other people sitting on your couch playing against each other.
Unfortunately, this is where the fun factor wears thin. Playing this game in single-player mode isn't nearly as rewarding an experience. Sure, you can unlock secret characters and face boss characters, but in the end, it's just not enjoyable. It's like going to the movie theater alone, or singing without a band... If you have no friends, this game may not be for you.
Visually, this game is alright. It's animated, yet 3D, so it looks like a cartoon. Quite fitting really, since a realistic mouse and cat fighting just doesn't seem like a very entertaining game to play.
The levels have a lot of things going on in them, and lots of little details were put in. The effects used for berserk mode and such are good as well. The shadows work well too, and nothing is overused or underused, so it all feels quite good for a game of this style.
Although I would like to see more cel-shaded games, this is one of those that is still pretty cool even without it. I honestly don't know if this game would have looked as good had it not been standard 3D animation. It would likely have caused a loss in visual detail, which is one of the only factors that this game is relying on to set it apart from all the others in its genre.
The only downfall in the visual department is when you end a round, and the characters are shown sulking or gloating. These animations have little to no variation whatsoever, and can get annoying extremely fast. But I guess during these few seconds, you can be poking fun at your friends that you have just conquered, which will take your mind off of the repetitive motions.
The sounds for Tom and Jerry are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. This is pretty cool, but for a fighting game where the camera is pretty much fixed, and the user has no control over it, it's not going to add much to the experience.
The music is decent, and the announcer voice sounds akin to that of the cartoon announcer from The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, adding that extra touch.
The sounds that are emitted from the characters can get repetitive though, and the same with some of the sound effects. More variation in the types of yelps and taunts would have gone far in helping break the annoyance factor inherent in this sort of game.
Overall, it's not a bad little game, especially when playing multiplayer, but it's best in small doses.
Suggestions: As I said earlier, more variation in the sound effects, as well as perhaps some other modes with more unique features that break some of the boredom of single-player mode, and you'd be all set. I'd love a hybrid platform/fighting game with these characters, where you could have a quest mode of sorts, perhaps trying to survive traveling between one fight and another, maybe collecting different fighting moves, taunts and so forth.
Overall Score: 6.6 / 10
The Hobbit
In the months leading up to the release date, I became very anxious for this game. I always liked the story of the Hobbit, ever since the first time I listened to the audio book. I could never stand to actually read any of Tolkein's writing myself, but if it was read to me, it wasn't that bad. And the Lord of the Rings movies are amazing. Maybe I'm not a true fan, but my love for these stories and games is. Naturally, it is my opinion that the more games out there that revolve around these stories, the better. When this one came out, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but having checked out screenshots online, I couldn't help but notice the resemblance to Nintendo's Zelda games. I ran to EB as fast as I could to preorder this game, and that got me a copy of the novel (which I will never read, but hey, free book) and even more anxiety. The day the game was released, I could not wait to get home and throw it into my Xbox and play it. I did so, and a couple months later, here I am, game completed, new XBA staffer, writing this review.In this game, you play the starring role: Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire. You are suckered into going on a journey with some dwarves, in order to defeat a dragon, Smaug, and get the stolen treasure back. Although the dwarves don't really do anything for themselves in this game, and you are stuck doing tasks for them, freeing them, basically babysitting them, it is still quite fun. You start off in the amazingly green Shire, and you prepare for your journey. From there, you visit mountainsides, caves, forests, and battlefields. An array of quests, puzzles, and enemies stand between you and the final level, and you make your way though, collecting courage points and silver pennies, which increase your health levels and allow you to afford new items and upgrades respectively.
My only major gripe with the gameplay is the controls. They could have been much tighter, and that would have made the game even more fun to play. The most annoying part about it was the fact that when you jumped, you couldn?t rotate while in mid-air, so if you didn?t pay attention, you could be jumping and attacking in one direction, while the enemy is stabbing you in the back, like enemies tend to do. There is a targeting system in place, but it is easy to forget about and hard to use effectively. Also, who's bright idea was it to make pressing down on the directional pad consume a potion? I can't count how many potions I lost throughout my quest while attempting to quick-switch my weapons. This isn?t a major issue if you take your time and concentrate on what you are doing, but nonetheless, the controls could have been vastly improved.
One issue I had with the interface was the game save features. You have only four slots to work with... All in all, it's not that much or a problem, except that I had to use all of the slots each time I saved my game to be on the safe side ? I had to redo an entire level because I was bitten by the corrupt game save bug.
Although it is great once through, the game offers very limited re-playability, since nothing is randomly generated at all, and there are no difficulty modes, no unlockable extras, or anything of that sort. However, the first level of game is probably the best, and the second last, where you help rebuild the dwarven kingdom. These levels were the most fun, and I would perhaps replay the game in the distant future, if only for these two levels.
I liked the fact that the game wasn't overly complex with many different weapons and things like that, so that you were free to concentrate on playing and enjoying the game, the story, the puzzles, and the quests.
In my opinion, there really could have been fewer enemies (especially the spiders) and more puzzles, but overall, it?s still fairly well balanced. You have the levels where you need to sneak around wearing the ring, then the levels where you need to rescue prisoners, sneak up on a dragon, find an exit and missing treasure ? the game has it all ? except multiplayer capabilities of any sort. And understandably so, as there can only be one Bilbo Baggins.
If I had to choose one color to associate with this game, I think I'd say ?green.? It seems that everywhere you go, and everything you see is green, or something close to it... Especially when you're carrying your sword, Sting, in the open, as it glows blue throughout the entire game, causing all colors around you to be distorted with a bluish tint. This effect looks cool for the first five minutes, but after that, you'll find yourself switching to the good old walking stick, just to balance out the color levels. Some of the environments in this game are quite large, and they do look nice, albeit cartoony. There is no support for any resolutions aside from the standard, so you people with 52-inch screens might find the textures a little blurry.
The inanimate cutscenes were somewhat boring, especially when followed by lengthy load times. They seemed to actually detract more from the story than add to it. The animated scenes, however, were nice, but short. More of the latter, and less of the former would have helped to balance it all out nicely.
In-game, you'll find dragonflies and other bugs flying around in the air occasionally, footprints in the sand on the beach when you walk, and miscellaneous other subtle details that are great touches, and show that someone put a lot of time and thought into this.
Overall, the game is nice on the eyes, but if the engine had cell shading in it, it would look even better.
The game doesn't support Dolby Surround or Dolby 5.1, but it does sound great nonetheless. The sounds don't seem to be overused, or have enough variation and just enough reverb applied to them at the right places in the game. If you're in a cave, you'll have more echo than if you're in a forest. There are sounds for everything here, enemies talking, creatures walking, wood splintering, vines snapping ? you name it, it's there.
The voice acting is great, with a good, steady flow, and just the right amount of emphasis on words. You can hardly tell they are acting.
The music in this game is very fitting. The happy levels have happy music, the dangerous levels sound dangerous, and so forth. The music in the level with Smaug is simply amazing on an emotional level... It just has this indescribable feel to it that you need to experience to understand. You can actually download the Hobbit soundtrack from Sierra's FTP server, if you want to check it all out.
The ambient sounds create a good mood as well. They mix with the music and sound effects and give that extra quality, for overall above-average sound. This is definitely not one of those games that makes you want to kick your speakers in or hit the mute button on your remote control.
Suggestions: Please make at least one more game with this engine, even if it's nothing to do with Tokein's books. We don't have the luxury of Zelda games, so this void can be filled with more like The Hobbit. Also, be sure to test your games more stressfully ? corrupt saved games is not cool.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
