MEMBER PROFILE FOR LanPB01
Average Overall Score Given: 6.22222 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 2
Reviews
Halo 2
Overall: In all honesty, this game does not deserve the great reviews it has received, at least if you don't have Live! If you take out the Live! support, you have a game that lasts about a third as long as the first, and doesn't really improve on it that much. Other than being able to pilot all vehicles and dual wield weapons, it's basically just the first game over again, minus two-thirds the time it took to complete it. This game is short - Max Payne 2 level short. Gameplay: Plays exactly the same as the first game, which is great. The dual wield feature is nice, as is the ability to pilot all the vehicles. But really - why was this game so long in coming? There is nothing in it to justify the time it took to release this after Halo 1, at least not for those of us not on Live! It's a shame, because I really expected to love this game.
Graphics: Excellent graphics. I can't imagine the game getting any more improvements in this department, particularly not on the XBox. Maybe on XBox II.
Audio: As with the graphics, I can't imagine it getting any better. This game is top notch in everything except the one important feature Bungie apparently forgot - WHERE IS THE FREAKIN' GAME? I can't believe how fast I got through this thing!
Suggestions: This game is incredibly frustrating to review. It plays great, looks great, sounds great . . . and is over in a few hours on the one player setting. This is absolutely inexcusable. If Bungie intended this game to be primarily a Live! experience, they shouldn't have even bothered wasting the time and effort of putting the short one player game on the disc. It looks like my biggest fear with the Live! service has become a reality. Developers are starting to ignore the single player game, and focusing their efforts on the online game.
Overall Score: 5.0 / 10
Ninja Gaiden
Overall: Based on the majority of reviews on this site, I'm the only person in the world that didn't like this game. It had great graphics and sound, but everything else was a giant letdown for me. Gameplay: The movement of the character in Ninja Gaiden is similar to that of the character in Prince of Persia, except Ryu moves at ridiculous speeds and is not as easy to control. The basic idea behind this game is sound, but there are some unforgivable flaws. One, if you have to go back in a level, all the opponents you've already killed once are there again. Two, the enemies are ridiculously hard to beat - combine this with the fact that they regenerate, and you've got major problems. But the biggest problem with this game is the camera. I have never seen worse angles in my life! Maybe the enemies wouldn't be so hard to beat if I could actually see them. How hard would it have been for Tecmo to set the right joystick as a camera control? Instead, moving the right joystick immediately puts you in first person view. The only control you have over the camera is the ability to re-center it behind you.
Graphics: Excellent graphics. Unfortunately, as with all games, I don't play for graphics, sound, or even storyline. None of these things matter if the gameplay is lousy, and in this case, it is.
Audio: Once again, I fall back on the argument I used when discussing the grahpics. The sound in Ninja Gaiden is nice, but sound is only there to compliment gameplay.
Suggestions: The ability to control the camera is an absolute must. Personally, I also would have enjoyed this game more if the physics of the characters was more believable. I realize it's a video game, but Ryu moves at speeds that are ridiculous.
Overall Score: 4.0 / 10
Batman: Dark Tomorrow
Overall: The appeal of this game comes solely from the "Batman" title. Fans of the comic book and cartoon series might be slightly amused by the ability to use some of Batman's gadgets, but the game itself is a bomb. Gameplay: Terrible. Simply terrible. After an intro cutscene which seems to go on forever, you suddenly find yourself in an alley facing three people that just robbed a convenience store. After stomping them, another cutscene appears, these first three villians having meant absolutely nothing and having no relation to anything else in the game (I assume it was supposed to be a "training mission" of sorts). Suddenly, you find yourself on a rooftop, and have to swing from building to building to reach your destination, which is highlited in red on your radar.
After swinging from building to building, you reach Commissioner Gordon, who askss you to intervene in a turf war going on between a few villians somewhere in town. When you get there, the game gets worse. You have to fight a gang armed with machine guns, and the control on the game is awful. The fighting is the usual punch-and-kick variety, with the occasional Batarang thrown in for good measure. The Batarang system is also a letdown, as sometimes you immediately throw the weapon, and others it goes to a form of aiming screen when you push the button to enact the weapon.
Graphics: The movies in the cutscenes look great. Unfortunately, the graphics during the actual gameplay don't look much better than the old Batman Returns game for the Sega Genesis.
Further, I have never played a game with worse camera angles. When moving Batman, the camera will suddenly shift, and you find yourself no longer moving in the direction you originally intended. Terrible.
Audio: The sound was fine, but after dealing with the terrible gameplay and lackluster graphics, no amount of brooding music and cutscene dialog could save this turkey.
Suggestions: This is a terrible game. I can't think of any suggestions to improve it, because the entire thing is a fiasco. I guess if I have to say something nice about it, I'd say nice job on the cutscene movies. Otherwise, you totally dropped the ball on this one.
Overall Score: 3.0 / 10
True Crime: Streets Of L.A.
Overall: Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series might be a little frustrated when they first start to play this game due to the fact that they might feel they already know how to play it (it occassionally looks so much like GTA, you might forget which game you're playing). I was very frustrated when I first started the game, having GTA expecatations, but once you adapt and get used to the scheme of True Crime, you realize this is a great game in its own right. In addition to resembling GTA, there are also strong similarities to Max Payne and Enter the Matrix (in that the fighting scenes are basically just button pushers). Some people may be disappointed by the fact that True Crime has taken elements from so many other games, yet not improved on any of them, but the game is still highly enjoyable. Still, it doesn't top GTA. Gameplay: The play of this game is basically a combination of three other games - Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and Enter the Matrix. The driving and mission seeking is almost EXACTLY that of GTA. You have an assigned destination which shows on your radar, but you also have the option of stopping along the way to break up/solve various crimes. How you deal with these crimes defines the "karma" of your character (Nick Kang); if you constantly kill perps, you get credit for stopping crime, but no bonus on your karma score. If you accidentally (or intentionally) kill a bystander or an innocent, your karma is lowered by one. Once you reach negative numbers, you're considered a "bad cop", and this alters the storyline of the game. During some of the missions, the game becomes a third person shooter like Max Payne (complete with bullet time). Perhaps the weakest missions, as far as gameplay is concerned, are the ones in which your character participates in hand-to-hand combat. These missions require very little skill, as it becomes a contest to see how fast you can push buttons to throw various punches, kicks, and grappling takedowns.
Graphics: The graphics are not that exciting. In fact, I'd say they're somewhat subpar, considering the power of the Xbox.
Audio: I'm normally not a fan of the style of music found on True Crime, but it fits perfectly with the tone of the game.
Suggestions: There is one flaw with this game that is totally unforgivable - the terrible camera angles. This is especially a problem when Nick is inside of a building, as the computer sometimes will let you run the camera angle completely around Nick, and at other times won't, for no apparent reason. It also has a problem I've never encountered before; inverting the controls on the horizontal control of the camera. The options let you control the inversion feature for aiming (when you activate Nick's "targeting" system), but adjusting the camera angle (using the right joystick) is opposite of the default on every other game I've ever played, and there is no option to change it. I've also found a few glitches in the game where Nick is walking down the street, then suddenly appears to fall (the screen background goes blue), and then you die for no apparent reason. Despite these complaints, this is still a great game.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Overall: A good game, but I'm not as impressed with it as most people seem to be. I recommend a rental before buying. Gameplay: The controls are easy to master. Your craft is directed with the left control stick, and the right stick allows for rolls. Trick moves can be performed by clicking the right stick and then moving both sticks in various directions (different aerial maneuvers depending on which direction you point the sticks). There are also brakes and speed bursts, but if you use these for too long, your plane goes into an uncontrollable spin.
Graphics: The graphics are top notch, as are the cut scenes. Then again, I have rarely played an Xbox game in which I complained about the graphics afterwards; I'm more concerned with gameplay.
Audio: The sound is great. Very clear sounds from the weapons, and the actors speaking during the cut scenes don't sound as wooden as I've become accustomed to on most games.
Suggestions: The radar could benefit from the ability to tell if your enemies are above or below you, perhaps by having them appear as different colors on the map (rather than just having all enemies appear as red dots). I also would have liked to see a targeting system which allowed your craft to "lock on" to enemies after keeping them in your sights for a set period of time.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home
Overall: The game plays like a combination wrestler/fighter. It moves much too fast to be realistic, and the moves are so over the top it's absurd. But, there is a basic grappling system that's similar to the old WWF games on the N64, so that alone makes it better than other wrestling games available on the XBox. Gameplay: The game provides two buttons for "attack" (basically, kick and punch, depending on your fighter), a "grab" feature (lock up with your opponent), and the ability to run and pick up weapons. Unfortunately, there are no submission holds. Personally, I would have preferred a little more actual wrestling, and a little less use of foreign objects. The various matches where the fights are held have such objects as shopping carts, bats wrapped in barb wire, and bricks. Almost all the environments can be destroyed in some way.
Graphics: The graphics are good enough for this type of game. There is a lot of blood, and the characters actually seem to bleed more based on the amount of damage you do to their head.
Audio: The game has a huge number of songs that play in the background at every fight. Eidos did a great job of organizing this soundtrack.
Suggestions: Less foreign objects, and more wrestling. Also, the characters move too fast. I realize this game is not meant to be a simulation, but the speed detracts from the game at some points. The reversal system could use some work as well. Overall, though, I'm very pleased with this game.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Freedom Fighters
Overall: First, I'd like to point out that the first review on this board (the one that has sunk this game's stats so low) is a blatant lie, since Freedom Fighters hadn't even shipped until after the date Hunter-Seeker claims to have rented it at Blockbuster. This is a solid game that combines the features of Hitman 2 with those of Brute Force, and I recommend it to all fans of action games. Gameplay: The controls are fairly standard third-person fare. Your character (a plumber from New York City) can jump, fire weapons, and activate/use items that he finds. There are also a limited number of commands he can give to fellow soldiers he recruits to his side - attack, defend, and follow/cover.
Graphics: Characters move very similarly to those of Hitman 2, and the graphics are also similar to that game. It's not revolutionary of groundbreaking, but it's still solid.
Audio: The voice acting is clear and very easy to understand (albeit, the girl who does the voice of Isabella sounds like a very wooden actress). The weapon fire is clear, and the subtle music in the background adds to the game.
Suggestions: I seem to be moving through this game at a fast pace, so I would suggest to the developers that they might want to make the sequel longer. Of course, I'd also like to suggest the ability to play online.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
WWF Raw
Overall: Easily one of the worst wrestling games ever made. I can't imagine how anyone that has played the far superior WWF Wrestlemania 2000 or even the old WCW/NWO games for the Nintendo 64 can be anything but greatly disappointed in this travesty. Gameplay: Simply awful. Your character can be what appears to be 10 feet away from your opponent, and yet with the push of a button, he suddenly makes a long-jump that would do an olympian proud. The strength meter that appears over the top of your characters head during the match is annoying. In short, nothing is good about the play of this game.
Graphics: At least the graphics aren't as pitiful as the rest of the game. But I don't play a game for great graphics; if I want to see something that's pleasing to the eye, I'll watch a movie. Graphics should be a bonus in video game. Gameplay should be key.
Audio: There's nothing great, nor nothing particularly bad, about the sound in this game. The one thing they managed to do right was leave out an annoying announcer (but I suspect that's just because the developers of this half-baked attempt to make a wrestling game were just too lazy to put one in).
Suggestions: This game is so bad, it needs to be scrapped and re-developed from start. It plays like a partially completed beta version of a game. THQ should be ashamed about releasing this game to the public. If this is the best that the team at Anchor development can come up with, then I hope they NEVER make another WWF game. Maybe AKI will get the license for the next one.
Overall Score: 3.0 / 10
UFC: Tapout
Overall: I really enjoy this game. For all the people that were burned by the god-awful "WWF: Raw is War", you might want to consider giving this title a try. Some reviewers have complained about the fact that matches can end as quickly as ten seconds in - this is true at first, but after you play the game for a while, you see that you actually have to develop a strategy before going in and just wildy throwing punches; it's not Mortal Kombat, people. You might have to actually think a little for this title. Gameplay: The gameplay is good. You have to understand fighters strengths and weaknesses in order to be competetive in the UFC, and the game is no different. Some fighters are better on the ground while grappling; others are better staying on their feet and throwing punches and kicks. Don't listen to reviews that say once you're on the ground, the game is over. That's simply not true. You can maneuver your fighter into the guard position, or push your opponent off into a standing position (if you want to; remember, some submission fighters WANT to be on the ground). The only problem with the gameplay is replay value. I'm not sure how much fun this game will be after beating most of the characters.
Graphics: The entrances to the octagon are spectacular, but the actual fighting sequences are nothing special.
Audio: The sound is nothing great. There isn't much to the sound, actually. It's mostly just the sound of punches, kicks, and the occasional groan or moan.
Suggestions: The instruction guide for this game is pretty much useless as far as determining your fighter's moves, which I can understand; there's not enough room for all that. However, there should be some feature on the game where you can see a list of your fighter's moves, rather than just seeing what buttons to push to perform a move without even knowing what it is. A training mode would be nice as well.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
