MEMBER PROFILE FOR fusionfrenzie
Average Overall Score Given: 8.00000 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 2
Reviews
Unreal Championship
Overall: Let me begin this review by saying that THIS TITLE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. I cannot stress that fact enough. I have been anticipating since the announcement of XBox Live--so much so that to me, the success (or failure) of Microsoft's online service depended upon the success (or failure) of this title. Unfortunately, this title falls FAR short of my expectations, leaving me wishing I had researched it more before making the purchase.
The most-brief yet also most important advice I can give to any person interested in buying this game is this: If you were a fan of the old Quake-style online gameplay, this game will be right up your alley. If you hated Quake (as I most certainly did), chances are, you will find this game distasteful.
Gameplay: Gameplay is where Unreal Championship really suffers. The average battle (taken from an online perspective) will consist entirely of "shoot everything that moves". Gameplay is nothing like that of the FPS "greats", such as Halo or the Battlefield 1942 style. Run, gun, get a kill, die, respawn, repeat.
Not only is this where UC suffers the most, but, IMHO, gameplay is the MOST important part of the game. While some might say it is my fault for buying this game with Halo in my mind, I am sure I'm not the only one who bought for the same reason. It's because of gameplay (or a lack-thereof) that this game will join the ranks of Blood Wake to collect dust in my games cabinet.
Bottom line: no strategy + total fragfest = not all that much FUN
Graphics: The visuals in Unreal are crisp and clean. Exactly what you would expect from an XBox game. That's where it stands though. The developers really didn't take the time to go out of their way to make this game a real visual treat, so I am deducting 1/2 from an otherwise perfect visual score. Contrary to that, however, the landscape in some areas just screams visual flair.
Nicely done, none-the less.
Audio: No complaints. Nothing that really stood out except for the nicely-done intro-music at the start menu. That's the only audio that caught my attention. The rest was exactly what you would expect from a FPS.
Suggestions: I have a hard time recommending this game to anyone who isn't a die-hard Quake fan. My suggestion would be to add some sort of strategy to the gameplay. Forget working on vehicles until you get the foundation for a good game set up. Again, my harshness may reside in my distate for Quake, but I sympathize with the many others who buy this game for the same reasons I did. 99% hype
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Overall: No question about it, Ghost Recon is an outstanding game. While the majority of my time spent has been over the Live network, I did test drive the single player element a bit before sitting down to write this review. At a first glance, Ghost Recon may not be all that appealing. Many of the graphical features are outdated, and on the easier difficulty settings, the AI skill is almost laughable. Despite these shortcomings, this game just. . . pure. . . FUN! Read on to find out why.Gameplay: Ghost Recon puts you and your teammates in some of the toughest scenarios imagineable. Tough? Yes. Impossible? No, provided you have patience and the right weapons for the job. While many of the missions in this game are in open territory: farm fields, forests, cargo yards, and swamps, others take an entirely different approach by sending you through bombed out cities or Soviet urban locations. Knowing how to handle the different locations becomes key to the survival of your team. There is no right way or wrong way to take on the enemy. The game leaves players open to choose whether to camp out in the hills or unleash a barrage of rockets in the enemies direction. Regardless of playing style, strategy is crucial. Running into an open area without first scouting for enemies will probably land you and many of your teammates in body bags. In online play, communicating with the team to develop an effective strategy becomes essential to planning out an effective albeit successful attack (or defense). Players who prefer the spray-and-pray technique will have a hard time in Ghost Recon. Bottom line: a blast to play on the Live network with teammates, but it would be hard to justify this game for it's single player element unless you enjoy the Tom Clancy style of gaming.
Graphics: From the start, it's easy to see that Ghost Recon suffers from graphical shortcomings. The trees appear "blocky" and unconvincing. The hills are not "smooth" at places where there are different grades. Instead, there is a sharp edge where two slopes of ground meet. Not Acceptable, especially for an XBox game. Also, no view of the gun? What's up with that! Clearly a PC port.
Audio: The sound is truly beautiful. Until you hear it firsthand, you won't be able to appreciate the wonderful job UbiSoft did with it. Environmental effects, trees, wind, footsteps, water, EVERYTHING has sound. The best part is that it all sounds amazingly LIFELIKE. If the gameplay doesn't get you convinced, the sound will make you feel like you are actually in the soldier's place. Even little touches like an audio "too deep" if you try to crouch down in water that's too deep to do so. It all makes this title stand out from EVERY other game I've played.
Bottom line: BEST AUDIO. . . EVER.
Suggestions: Fix the graphics.
Also, work on the lobbies on Live. Much improvement could have been done, the ability to punt players is most notable.
Otherwise, AWESOME job, AWESOME game. I can't wait for Rainbow Six III
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Fuzion Frenzy
Overall: When you read this review, please keep in mind I am rating it based on MULTIPLAYER gameplay ONLY. The single player "game" will keep you occupied for as much time as it takes to open the box. Quite honestly, I feel it's just "filler". With that said, let's get on with the review.Gameplay: What happens when you mix a couple of your best buddies, grocery bags of junk food, and Fusion Frenzie? You guessed it! HOURS of pure fun. The game is packed to the rim with many distinctly different minigames. There are enough that you probably won't play the same minigame twice for a good length of time (unless you are like me and you go ahead and select your favorites every time).
Most of the games take place on futuristic landscapes, and while the controls vary for each game, a helpful screen will show during load times to make sure everyone is on the same page. Even parents and people who may not usually play videogames might want to give Fusion Frenzie a whirl. The gameplay is just right that competition will be fierce amongst friends, and friendly enough for the whole family. The only way this game could be improved is to make it online with downloadable mini games. Still, great gameplay none-the-less.
(Note that points were deducted for an apparent lack of a REAL single player game--that's worth your time to play)
Graphics: With these so-called "party games", usually visuals take a backseat. While it's clear that the developers cut some corners, overall the graphics were surprisingly good (especially in the cooling-rod level). Water effects were also nicely done. In comparison with other Party games on the other consoles, this game would get a 5.0 score. Comparing this with other titles on the XBox would probably yield a 4.
Audio: The fact that this game supports custom soundtracks really helps. The only problem is that this feature was VERY poorly implemented. The track will only play during the level (which doesn't last, in most cases, as long as HALF of the sountrack). After the level is finished, the sountrack will stop. This can be such a pain that you might eventually just mute the television and bring out the old CD player for music. This isn't where the sound problems end for Fusion Frenzie. The character voices (especially Zac's) can really get on your nerves. Many of the same catch phrases are simply repeated over and over. Audio could've definately stood some improvement.
Suggestions: Downloadable minigames.
Play people over the Live network.
Fix the audio problems.
Overall: Worth the $19.99 price tag.
Overall Score: 5.0 / 10
Halo: Combat Evolved
Overall: This game is great. For those who are unfamiliar with Halo, it is a first person shooter in which you (Master Chief) must discover the secret behind a mysterious ring world in outer space.While it may not sound all that exciting, there are many *surprising* twists and turns in the plot, which leads your character through many different types of terrain, both human and alien. Should you be afraid? Nah. In many of the missions, you will have AI characters who will follow you and support you. They strategize and plan out their attacks in a way that's so lifelike, you'll often stop and wonder how the programmers were able to do all of this.
The worlds are gigantic, but Master Chief doesn't have to walk. The developers also included three different FULLY operational vehicles. There is a warthog, which is an armored jeep with a gun turret, a tank, an alien vehicle called a ghost.
Gameplay: Gameplay is where Halo definately shines. Single player and multiplayer both can be played over and over. Personally, I went through the game on the easy difficulty setting, and then made my way up to the hardest. The cool part is, it never got boring or repetitve in the least.
Couple that with a system link option to allow you to link up to 4 XBoxs together for 16 player mayhem, and we have a title just reaching for Game of the Year.
Graphics: The graphics are amazing. Even the Master Chief is bump-mapped (which means that the textures appear to have depth). When you see the sun through the trees, the light reflects in such a way it looks lifelike. You really have to see it to believe it.
Audio: Marines yell out commands to eachother. Every enemy reacts to your presence. The guns all sound like they should. There are even some minor additions that show just how much effort the developers put into this game. Also, you can hear the other players footsteps in multi player. It's truly amazing.
Suggestions: You guys did great, but take a lesson from Perfect Dark. This game only falls short with the lack of bots for multiplayer and STATS for player profiles.
Also, include a fly-by-wire rocket launcher and possibly online.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
