MEMBER PROFILE FOR AlphaRaptor
Average Overall Score Given: 9.66667 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 569
Reviews
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Overall: Because Im a little short on funds, I had to rent the game, but I wish I had it! I loved FEAR, and since this was made by Monolith as well, I had to give it a try. You play as a detective who gets wrapped in a case in which he has only one on his side. Like FEAR, Condemned has a polished story that'll keep you playing until you get to the end.Gameplay: One thing a love about Monolith is how they "put you in the eyes of the character" this makes the game very impassive. Fighting in the game, although tough at first, is fun. You rarely have a gun, and sometimes a gun just might not be the best thing to have in a given area. You can use many different objects laying around, from a pipe to a butcher knife. For this reason blocking plays a huge role of gameplay. It can be harder than it seems because often enemys throw "fakes" and fallow up with a hit before you can block again. So you really have to stay on your toes and watch you enemies movements closelly so you don't get caught off gaurd.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are impressive to say the least. It uses the FEAR engine so everything is dynamically lit and has a very realistic appearance. There may be some textures that appear a bit low res, but everything is so well textured you dont notice them to often. Be warned though, this game is dark, and thus makes it VERY creepy. If you dare, play this game 10pm or later when all is quiet in the house.
Audio: Topnotch, no complaints here.
Suggestions: I want a Condemned 2!
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Chromehounds
Overall: Mechwarrior, the best mech game to grace any platform, but sadly Mechwarrior 5 was canceled. Fatherly, because of unknown problems, I haven't been able to play MW4 since we switched to DSL years ago. What I loved about Mechwarrior (Don't get it confused with Mechassault) was the depth of it all. How you could fully customize your mech to your liking, and later tear up the battlefield with it online. To me Mechassault on the Xbox was a good game, but to fast paced, and to simple, it almost seemed like 3rd person shooter in taking the form of a mech. Plus, the maps seemed to small and linear, in a true mech game the maps are big and open enough so that you can play them how you want to play them. Then, I heard of Chromhounds coming to the Xbox 360, it promised fully customizable mechs, huge open maps, and awesome online. This is the mech game I have been waiting years for.Gameplay: Ok, I'd like to start off by saying that if you don't have Xbox Live, don't bother with this game unless you have bunch of freinds to play on lan with you. This is simply because the single player really isn't that great. Its more like something to train you before you go online. This game is all about online play, it delivers everything I hoped this game would deliver. Each mech you "build" is yours, you made it, the chance there's another one exactly like it out there is very, very slim. You have a huge array of parts to choose from, each with their own specs to help you decide whats better for your setup. Online is a pure blast, this game is an instant classic, maybe the first great online game to land on the Xbox 360 IMO. When you first signin online you have to join a squad and a country to defend. Like Mechassault 2, there is an online persistent world, but instead of taking over planets, the goal is to dominate a single continent. But everything is much deeper and refined in Chromhounds, and good teamwork and comunication is a must if you want to win battles. I could go on and on about this game....overall, its a blast to play.
Graphics: The graphics aren't the best, but they get the job done. The mechs are exceptionally detailed and have a very mechanical look to them. The smoke and particle effects are also done very, very well. Theres no better feeling than shooting your heavy cannon and watching the massive shell hitting its target engulfing it in smoke and fire--all being at a range of 1 1/2 miles or more. So obviously the draw distance can be impressive on some maps! Really, when the battles heat up, this game looks quite graphically impressive.
Audio: Many devs mess up in the area of sounds. Most of the time they just don't give sounds effects enough punch. This is not the case in Chromhounds, although not perfect, they have punch. This is a game you wasn't to hear on a 6.1 surround sound system with the base and volume set way up to rock the house with every step of your mech.
Suggestions: A better single player, although its an AWESOME game, sadly many people will be turned off before they even give it a chance because of the reviews. Take my word for it, GET THIS GAME! Or at least give it a rent and see if you like it!
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Burnout 3: Takedown
Overall: This is one of the greatest Xbox games I've bought yet, definitely the best racing game. Its an extremely intense game, cars, debree, civilians, you name it, are flying everywhere. The graphics, sounds, and gameplay tie in perfectly for a awesome experience. This is one great game, even at full price, its a must buy. So why are you still reading this? Go get it! Gameplay: This isn't at all a simulation, the cars handle very arcade like. But what?s so great about this is that unlike games such as PGR & PGR2 anybody can sit down and have LOADS of fun right away. But that doesn?t mean its an easy game...no, it get quite challenging. Your just pulled right into this game, great gameplay. Five out of five!
Graphics: No problems here! Incredible damage effects, like you?ve never seen before in a game. And the blur effect really gives you a beautiful sense of speed. Textures are a little on the blurry in some parts but most of them are pretty sharp and well done. The environments are well varied and the detail they put into these maps is just fantastic.
Audio: Crash sounds really make you say OUCH! The sound trak matches the fast pace game nicely. ?Some? of the songs I didn?t quite dig...but thats just my tasts. What also contributes to the speed factor is the nice touch of adding a kind of ?wind? sound when you fly by civilians or other cars. The engine noises could have varied more than they did, but im not to picky on that subject. Great sound, good job EA.
Suggestions: Can't wait for Burnout 4 on Xbox 2 :)
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
