MEMBER PROFILE FOR GamerSince'76
Average Overall Score Given: 7.67143 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 1162
Reviews
Fracture
Overall: You are Jet Brody It is the year 2161 and the United States has been split in two by the "Great Flood". The polar ice cap has melted and the Mississippi River wiped out a large portion of The U.S. The Federal Government has failed at stopping a civil war between the Atlantic Alliance and the Republic of Pacifica. You use a vast array of unique and powerful weapons as well as Terrain Deformation (TD) to shape the battlefield against a clever and aggressive Pacifican Army. Shape the battlefield, shape the battle.Gameplay: As Jet Brody you fight against the Pacifican army using new and innovative weapons. Included in your arsenal is the ability to shape the landscape called Terrain Deformation. You use this unique ability to raise and lower the land to reach higher areas of the terrain such as ledges, cliffs and bridges. You also use your ability to lower the land to access areas that were once covered by land. The Pacificans have the same ability which leads to your screen filled with weapon fire and explosions while the land is constantly moving beneath you. This brings the game to life and and a whole new twist to the shooter genre. Terrain Deformation never feels tacked on as you use it not only to access areas that were once off limits but for cover and to solve puzzles.
Graphics: The graphics are not only on par with some next gen game, they surp@!%#*! others. Press the "Y" button to run and watch your character blaze forward with the jaw dropping visuals blurring by. This is one game where is in game visuals are better than the cut scenes. Top notch graphics blended with pulse pounding gameplay
Audio: The audio is what you would expect from a shooter as good as Fracture. The dialogue is not over the top and is appropriate to the context of the game. The weapons sound unique and powerful. The land makes a distinct rumbling sound when moving. Characters lip sync when speaking. The visuals are crisp and clean with a solid frame-rate.
Suggestions: With a game as good as Fracture, a sequil is a must have. If there is another Fracture in the works, the ability to play as either side of the warring factions would be a nice addition to the game. Explore different locales next game. More driving sequences would round out the game.
Overall Score: 8.7 / 10
Need For Speed Pro Street
Overall: Need for Speed Prostreet gave me a need to give Most Wanted another test drive. The graphics are good (on par with Most Wanted and Carbon) but they have not progressed beyond that. The cars look good but the crowd makes you think Tobey Maguires' character in Spiderman 3 is a Van Gough. The tracks are just that, tracks. As such they are bland. This is an average racer. It tries to imitate Forza 2 and doesn't quite hit it's mark. The game isn't bad, it's just not Need For Speed. Gameplay: I'm not sure how I can pull off 50 words that I require in this section when the game is about driving on tracks. That's it. Gone are the cops, free roam and Speedbreaker. Playing this game on a track is like driving a Porshe in a sandbox. Sure your ride looks sweet but you have nowhere to go. Prostreet gives the player that same effect. You would think a street racing game would take place on the street. Maybe EA is twitchy about getting sued. Maybe they could hear Jack Thompson slithering around. EA played it safe here and so will you with no sense of excitement or thrill.
Graphics: Cars look good. They do break apart really nicely but you have to pay for all that bent metal so you tend to drive more cautiously. Think of it as Need for Speed with training wheels. You don't want to write off your car. The tracks look good but lack environmental detail. The crowd looks terrible. A huge step back for the series in terms of the look of the characters and no graphic progression in any other areas.
Audio: The vehicles sound good. There isn't much else in terms of audio. At least Most Wanted had the cool cop chatter. The announcer is really bad as well. Kind of like when you go to the grocery store and you can hear someone talkng on the P.A. system but you tune them out because you have no interest in what they are saying. You will drown out the event announcer in a similar fashion.
Suggestions: Drag racing is really improved in this version. Keep that and scrap everything else. Maybe EA is on to something here. I bought Prostreet and traded it and got Most Wanted instead. I had Most Wanted when the 360 launched and I should have kept it. EA basically just sold me two games. Unless the next Need For Speed is true to the series, EA won't be selling me another.
Overall Score: 4.0 / 10
Mass Effect
Overall: Initially I gave M@!%#*! Effect a poor review. It's not the kind of game where there is instant action. I was hasty and impatient in expecting so. I traded a few games in and gave M@!%#*! Effect another try. There have been too many positive reviews and pleased fans of this game for it to be as poor a game as I once thought it was. The story is like no other. It sets the bar for other games. If one is patient, the combat will come. I am so into my character and the characters around me that I am enjoying the story. The combat is a bonus. I actually care about the characters. The game will suck you in if you let it and that's a good thing.Gameplay: As the main character, Shepard (you can play as as a male or female character), you are on a quest to uncover the greatest threat that civilization has ever known. You are a proven warrior but not trusted and the galaxy is not convinced that a threat actually exists. You travel the vast universe putting together evidence that humanity is in grave danger. M@!%#*! Effect is like being the director and lead actor in a blockbuster movie.
Graphics: Falls short in the graphics department. M@!%#*! Effect is far from being an ugly game but it is not the beauty most of us hoped it would be. You can adjust the visual effect, grain and brightness which is a nice touch but it does little to boost the visuals. The trailers of the game pre launch looked almost photo realistic. The games visuals are not.
Audio: This is where the game shines. Depending on your perspective, this may be a good thing or a bad thing when the audio is the best part of the game. The dialogue is spot on and immerses the gamer in the story. There is nothing that can be improved upon in the audio department. Puts most other games to shame.
Suggestions: There are freezes in the game when it loads. Halo 3 pulls off a nearly seamless experience. It would be nice if the next M@!%#*! Effect game is more seamless. The visuals could have been better but in the scope of how immersive the game is, this is not a major issue.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Overall: "They took out King's bridge!". Time for you as an upstart Garuda pilot to scramble to a surprise attack by Estovakian forces on the Emmerian capital of Gracemeria which leads to an all of airial dogfight between the two countries. Ace Combat 6 is an Xbox 360 exclusive and airial combat simply does not get any better than this. The Ace Combat series started out 15 years ago and Namco Bandai has consistantly put out stellar titles. Ace Combat 6 is no exception.Gameplay: You are a pilot in the Emmerian air force. Your capital city of Gracemaria is under attack. Your air force is vastly outnumbered by Estovakian planes. Ace Combat 6 features authentic planes in stunning photorealistic detail. Thera are literally hundreds of aircraft onscreen at any given time as the game rolls along at a seamless frame-rate. The controls are spot on as is the A.I. Time to dance with the angels.
Graphics: Most games claim to have "stunning", "realistic", or "next gen" graphics. Some games hit their mark while others fall short. Ace Combat 6 claims to have "photorealistic" graphics and in every sense of the word it does. Impressive since the combat arena is so large in scale and the planes are so plentiful. On an HDTV, graphics don't get any better than this.
Audio: There is the constant radio chatter from your squad and the enemy that is in real time and in context with what is happening onscreen. There are constant sounds of warnings, the roar of aircraft kicking it into high gear, explosions and general mayhem. Fans of the series will be accustomed to the game dialogue, those dancing with the angels for the first time may consider some of the dialogue to be over the top.
Suggestions: There are already downloadable planes for Ace Combat 6. Nice work Namco. The developer has fine tuned their skills into making each game in the Ace Combat series a thrilling airial adventure. No doubt with the success of the Xbox 360 console and the popularity of the Ace Combat series, 360 owners will be enjoying stand out titles like this one for years to come. The only suggestion is give the gamer the option to turn off the in game music without muting the dialogue in cut scenes.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
BlackSite: Area 51
Overall: EDITED by writer due to numerous game glitches and framerate issues later in the game. Run for your lives, gaint alien bugs...make that annoying bugs and glitches spoil what could have been a decent game. BlackSite: Area 51 features intense action with decent graphics and A.I. The weapons are as plentiful as the ammo. Unfortunately so are the aliens. Rachel, Nevada is the backdrop for this action shooter and it could be Anytown, U.S.A. Just a sleepy little hollow until a small army of "secret soldiers," converge into Rachel, Nevada to battle an invasion of unidentified enemy races. Gameplay: You fight your way from the ravages of Iraq to Anytown, U.S.A. to battle enemy soldiers and aliens some of which are taller than buildings. The A.I. of both your squad and the enemy is decent. The more you play the game, the more the glitches will annoy and make you wonder why Midway released the game at this stage. Not worthy of a rental.
Graphics: A mixed bag. Indoor environments don't look as appealing as outdoor areas. Outdoor environments are next gen, indoor areas are last gen. Don't get me wrong, seeing a giant serpent explode up from inside a house and eat it's occupant is thrilling as is killing an alien to find out that it isn't as dead as you think it is. Why Midway, why with all this slaughtering goodness do you not fix a glitch where my Humvie is up in the air? Why is it that in one early spot in the game can I walk through not one but two vehicles?
Audio: Standard F.P.S. type gunfire and explosions. The squad dialogue is appropriate to what is transpiring on the screen. The game does take a few pokes at the U.S. Government without coming across as too contrived. This dialogue while not predominant may annoy some. Then again it is pretty cool to walk right through a truck. Right?
Suggestions: Don't release a game for $39.99 with bugs (pun intended) allowing the player to waltz right through a pickup truck and for heavens sake, don't charge $59.99 for it. You had the time to make this a stellar game. I've seen demo's with less flaws. The more I played, the more glitches I encountered. In later stages the game actually went along at a crawl due to poor framerates. SEND MIDWAY A MESSAGE AND DON'T EVEN RENT THIS MESS.
Overall Score: 4.5 / 10
Halo 3
Overall: The slogan is "Finish The Fight" and in that aspect the game delivers. I have noticed some degree of Halo 3 bashing on the internet. Probably a vocal minority since the game has sold 5 Million + copies. There are cpmplaints that Halo 3 is too different, complaints that it's too similar. That is where the problem lies. Bungie couldn't please everyone. Change the game too much and it's not like Halo (think Halo 2), don't change it enough and it's Halo 2.5. Personally it's the best video game I've ever played. In the vast open visual world that is Halo 3, the game delivers quite well graphically. Controls are Haloesque. 'nuff said. Dailogue is good and the plot is what I had hoped Halo 3 would be. I didn't expect Halo 3 to save me from the ills of my mundane job, cure my hypertension or help me quit smoking. I realized that it is a video game and that if it lives up to half the hype, will be a great game. It is and it's not available on any other console. Let's appreciate what we have here.Gameplay: Once again (thankfully) you play as the Masterchief saving the world. You don't switch characters this game and the ending is not only complete this time. It is satisfying. Halo 3 is the third game of the series and masterfully picks up where Halo 2 ended. There are new weapons in the game and new vehicles that fit the series perfectly. The graphics, controls, storyline and controls are from the wizards at bungie. They pulled out all stops to make Halo 3 an epic title. The accolades are well deserved.
Graphics: There are some parts of the game like the circular cloud with the alien ships flying into the center where I just paused to enjoy the beauty of the scenery before me. There are many points of the game where I just stopped to smell the Grunts...er...roses. Speaking of Grunts, even the subtilest detail was not overlooked like whacking them on the back to see green gas shoot out. Some of the character models could have been better in particular the humans. They are a notch down from the grahics in the rest of the game but overall the graphics are very well done. The draw distance is simply amazing.
Audio: The weapons don't sound as "tinny" as some of the weapons did in Halo 2 (luckily they don't take up half of the screen either). The dialogue is what you would expect after playing the first two Halo games. My real compliant is that I can't adjust the music volume. Sure the audio score sends shivers down my spine and fits the visual context perfectly. Yes, my wife who is a fan of Johann Pachelbel and Beethoven hums along with the score but at least allow the user to adjust the background music.
Suggestions: Just make another Halo game.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Overall: Infinity Wards first shot at Modern Day combat. Play as a British S.A.S. agent and a U.S. marine in a riviting storyline that doesn't let up from start to finish. You have a wide variety of modern day weapons. You will need them to survive. The A.I. of your squad and the enemy further blurs the lines between this video game and reality.The plot focuses on stolen Russian nuclear weapons and Middle-Eastern terrorists hellbent on revenge and total destruction. The plot could easily be torn from modern day headlines. There is one very minor flaw in the game that needs to be addressed. See my Developer Suggestions.
Gameplay: Fight against modern day terrorists controlling a British S.A.S. agent and a U.S. marine in a pulse racing, gripping plot that takes you from the present into the past with a spot-on control scheme and jawdropping visuals. Take the best of the Rainbow Six series and the Ghost Recon series and combine it with Infinity Wards flair to get it right and you have the best modern day shooter ever made. Escape a sinking ship, drop bombs from an aircraft andman the gun of a helicopter. This game has it all.
Graphics: Simply the best visuals of any game on any modern day platform. The visuals combined with a thrilling plot, perfect controls, accurate audio and smart enemy A.I. bring you right into the action. The game looks like footage out of the news. You are totally imbedded by the steller graphics.
Audio: The best looking videogame to date needs perfect audio to match. Call of Duty 4 delivers rich, deep battlesounds and context appropriate dialogue. Sounds as real as it gets. You really feel like you are part of the squad due to the impeccable audio. There are also coomands that you must listen to in order to survive. Tootally immersive audio experience.
Suggestions: The only flaw in the game, if you can call it that, is the names that appear near your friendlies. This should be an option that will hopefully be addressed in an update. Having the names of your squad displayed takes the gamer one step back from this ashtonishing shooter.
Overall Score: 9.5 / 10
