MEMBER PROFILE FOR matthew_white14
Average Overall Score Given: 10.00000 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 2
Reviews
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Overall: Ubisoft have brought countless brilliant multiplayer games onto the Xbox making full use of its Live play, now another title has joined the likes of Rainbow Six 3 and 13, taking us hostage from the shadows and knocking us unconscious. The first splinter cell was a marvellous take on the stealth genre, kicking solid snake to the kerb, now sam fisher has returned, this time to kick some indonesian ass, Suhadi Sadono takes the position of idiot trying to take over the world and as usual you have to stop him/kill him, whichever comes first. The original splinter cell was condemned for being too "hard" for some people, the second outing is much harder which is bad for some and good for others(like me) who fancy a challenge. Continuing with the line of Live games, Ubisoft have smartly included Live play, where you can thrash other people in different countries. In the single player, for us non Live people, we've been promised extensive levels, multiple routes through levels and up the anted difficulty. Sweet.Gameplay: As always Sam is back in the role of stealthy, silent operative out to save the world. As Sam you have to infiltrate tight security buildings and find out information regarding the smallpox virus Suhadi might set off if he's killed or captured, nothing must be done to compromise him. And this is where you come in, your job is to find the virus and stop it before it infects the whole of America. If you are discovered the Government will deny all knowledge of your existence. Are you up to the challenge. Nothing compares to sneaking up on an unsuspecting person and delievering an elbow to the back of the head, his limp body falling to the ground makes you feel proud as well as hard, now what do you do with the body, you hide it of course. This is bascially the main aim of the whole game, adding twists whenever, wherever. The difficulty is rock solid you won't get throught the first level without slipping up at least once, and even when you've done certain part 10 times, you'll still come back for more.
Graphics: Splinter Cell revolusionised stealth gaming, using the shadows to move through undetected. Not only must you defy enemy eyes but also enemy ears to, while you're squatting for most of the game, movement is very much restricted, but you notice how differently sam moves, his motions and everything he does seem almost human in nature, from climbing ladders to shimmying, Sam's atmosphere has gained a darker theme. Cutscenes in the game are vastly improved and lip synching has improved also.
Audio: An enemy has just spotted you and is about to open fire, what do you do, you dive into the bushes and he loses track of you. During that scene loud music would have started making you aware that your position is known, that's what splinter cell does, whenever an enemy is even suspicious someone's there the music will get faster as he's searching, fading until he's given up and gone back to his post. That's the sort of tension the music mounts up inside of you, as he just misses tripping over and discovering you.
Suggestions: Make the single player longer for splinter cell 3 for people who don't have Live play and include more ways in completing levels.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Ninja Gaiden
Overall: Team Ninja have always made quality games, dead or alive 3 and the guilt inducing dead or alive xtreme beach volleyball being the lastest creations for our beloved Xbox. Ninja Gaiden is a completely different game altogether, gone are the babes of dead or alive and in it's place stands Ryu Hayabusa a legendary(soon to be)ninja. This guy lops off the heads of other ninja games, tosses some shurikens at them for good measure and does a ninja jig on top of their twitching corpses. He's a ninja killing machine and he will take Xbox by storm leaving dead bodies falling in his wake.Gameplay: The gameplay is the main focus of the game, the control layout will instantaneously grab you, you'd think with all his ninja abilities you would be just button bashing, that's where Team Ninja brought out their strengths tenfold, to truth the game is hard, but Team Ninja want you to master the game's combos and the block button, if you don't block you're dead before you can say "this is hard". I have completed the game and i have to say in my opinion that there could've been more combos, unlike the dreadfulness that is devil may cry 2 on PS2(who said that) it never gets boring, there's tons to do, lots to find, weapons to upgrade, there are more weapons than you can imagine, you'll never sell it. Maybe. Dying 20 times before getting past a bit can be frustarting but prehaps you missed something, maybe you missed a certain weapon upgrade, didn't see that enemies weak spot in their defense before did you, persist and you'll get through, trust me.
Graphics: Team Ninja has long been known for it's gorgeous graphics, the dead or alive girls look like they should be real, visual wise, no other game can compare, anything with the Team Ninja moniker on it you can expect to be pure quality, hands down. Fisrt time you come up against a boss you'll probably get cut down easily, but the way he/she/it does it will amaze you. The cutscenes have everything they need, nothing missing. Taking a page from Soul Caliber 2's book(which is inferior)the swords, axes,etc swish through the air and leave trails in their wake. Everything about the game has special graphical touches, which are inconspicuous at first, but then you become to truely appreciate the work Team Ninja have put into there masterpiece.
Audio: The sound flows through the levels like butter, depending on what you're doing, i don't want to spoil things, but in a certain warehouse in the game there's no power, when you find the switch the music starts and picks up slowly as you would expect power to. The msuic really is inspiring especially in certain places in the game, where you feel it is needed.
Suggestions: For Ninja Gaiden 2, if it's not to much trouble firstly, you can make the game much bigger, for a game in production for about 5 years, i would expect more than 16 levels/chapters, also the combos are too limited there could've been loads more call me if you need any ideas, apart from these minor things the game's great and i'm sure game purists will love it.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
