MEMBER PROFILE FOR LatexMantus
Average Overall Score Given: 9.42857 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 10
Reviews
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Overall: last year there was a little game called Halo that sold systems, was a must buy and was game of the year. this year, that game is Splinter Cell. the game may not be revolutionary, but it does everything it sets out to do with perfection.Gameplay: the gameplay in this game is very polished, which is surprising for a company like UbiSoft who doesn't have a lot of experience at this style of game. it ususally takes many releases to get level of gameplay, but UbiSoft has done a masterful job.
Graphics: easily the best graphics i have ever seen on a console. there may be better out there, but with the technology this game uses, it graphics will blow any gamer away. the next evolution of games is upon us, realism taken to the next step. i do love those shadows and curtains, heh.
Audio: the sounds make up such a huge part of this game and this style of game. when everthing around you is dark, you really rely on your hearing, and this game does it perfectly. if you don't have a surround setup you are missing out on a lot.
Suggestions: get us that downloadable content and don't stop! can't wait to see how you follow this up. would like to see more of a story, better cut scenes, and a larger game. but as far as actual gaming goes (not watching cut scene after cut scene like MGS2) you have a masterpiece.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4
Overall: this game does what a game should do, be fun and entertaining. i think some people complaining about pointless challenges may have missed the point of them, and that being that they are challenges. they don't have to be logical or meaningful, just fun and a challenge, which i have so far found they are. this game is just the next evolution of the always popular Tony Hawk line, and it won't disappoint fans and those new to the series.Gameplay: the gameplay is very polished as they have the knowledge of their previous games and it shows. the level designs are excellent and offer tons of chanes to put on a show. only problem i have is that my thumb hurts now from playing it too much. gotta play a slower paced game like MGS2:Substance for a while.
Graphics: the game looks great, but it stills feels like it has a lot of room for improvement. the 720p option is nice and gives you a little visual treat, but it lacks the details that will blow people away like Splinter Cell has.
Audio: the sounds are good, but nothing special. i do like how they allow your own soundtrack, which is a MUST in just about every game these days, especially those that don't rely on music for mood, like MGS2 or Splinter Cell do. i would go nuts if i had to listen to the crap music in most of these games, it would be like owning a PS2, which would sucketh.
Suggestions: i would love to see a trick trainer. this would be in a skate park and have a voice turtorial, ghost and demo for training you how to do the various tricks or pulling off a combo. it would help a lot for the newbies and give you a good place to practice your skills and raise your skills to the next level.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Overall: i was hyped about MGS2:Substance back when it was thought to be MGS:X. while this was taken down a notch after playing Splinter Cell, this game is much different and great in it's own way. there is so much on this DVD, and being a huge fan of the previous Metal Gear games, this is an ultimate collector's edition. just the sheer amount of game time and features in this game is enough to make it a must buy and the biggest bang-for-your-buck to EVER be seen in a console game. this will be a difficult act to follow for any game.Gameplay: if you've played a previous MGS game, then this will feel like an old comfortable glove. the gameplay has been perfected from years of gaming experience and would be hard to fault. the game mechanics are tried and true, which can only be flawed in that there is little new added to the formula, just a lot more quantity of what already made it great.
Graphics: the game looks good, and being 480p is very nice, but it still doesn't look as good as Splinter Cell or Halo. it's nice, but you can tell it suffers from that horrible game flaw, being a port from a lesser system.
Audio: the sound is good, but it's really hard to judge game sound until you try to compare it to something that far excells it. MGS2:Substance does it's job, but it's nothing beyond what i would have expected. there are never any moments that i have already experienced in DooM III where the sound really enhanced the gameplay to a whole new level.
Suggestions: where's the skateboarding Snake? why can't there be a remake of the first MGS for the Xbox? when is MGS3 coming to the Xbox? release for the Xbox first, or go Xbox exclusive and make real use of the Xbox's power. and make the first release have the depth of this game. while we had to wait longer to get this game, it was very much worth the wait. when will there be a MGS holywood movie?
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Whacked!
Overall: it's no Halo, but it is fun. definately a party game, as playing solo ends up getting boring quickly. it's easy to learn how to play, not very complicated to master, and the game variety isn't bad, although it's the boards they take place on that make all the difference. great rental if you're having friends over, or a buy if you live in a dorm. haven't played Xbox Live with it yet (as Live isn't out yet) but i think this could end up being a blast on Live. with various levels of difficulty, this game could keep you going for a while, but Live play is what i think will keep the game alive for a good while.Gameplay: the game controls are very good. only two main buttons, attack and jump, and then the controls, and shoulder streef buttons. it doesn't get any easier than this.
Graphics: the graphics are good, but nothing that will drop your jaw... unless they got rid of those censor bars on Lucy. the design of the characters is very good, all unique in their own way.
Audio: i loved the sound in this game, not so much because it was spectacular, but because of the funny comments some characters make and the wonderful attitude of the various characters. where ToeJam & Earl III fails to do attitude, this game succeeds.
Suggestions: having Xbox Live for a game is a great point for any game. would love to be able to use my own soundtracks while playing various boards, as it's a feature that should be in EVERY game, especially party ones. i loved some of the commercials, yet others were just not funny at all. would like to see downloadable content in the form of more boards, characters, commericals, weapons, etc. downloadable content (whether Live or OXM disc) is what will keep aging games young and keep people coming back for more (see Half-Life on the PC).
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Toejam and Earl 3: Mission To Earth
Overall: it has it's good, it's bad, and it's ugly. the good is that i remember the days of the first ToeJam & Earl, and this game does manage to bring some of that back. the bad is that they didn't manage to do it properly. the ugly is that they seem to try to force the games attitude down your throat, almost making you gag on it. it's fun for now, but it may become tiresome in the future. good multiplayer fun, but would've loved to seen a fourth character and allow four player action. on the nice side, Sega claims they'll have downloadable levels and characters, so that could be a huge plus, if they actually follow through and give more than just a tiny sampling.Gameplay: the gameplay itself works fairly well. the game takes you slowly from the easy stuff into more complicated later in the game. this is not a complex game, easy to learn, and not much harder to master. i take issue with the camera though. while there is a button to center the camera behind you and you can use the right analog to zoom and rotate, i would really have loved a smarter auto-camera. if there is a huge flaw, it's in the camera.
Graphics: the games graphics suit it's style, the funky cartoon look, but you get the feeling they could've done a lot more, even if it was as simple as running in a higher resolution. the games graphics make it playable, but it doesn't make it a site to behold. nice, but it's looking like they didn't try too hard when converting this from a Dreamcast game to the Xbox, which is a little sad.
Audio: i always find sound hard to judge. some of the comments can be amusing, others rather boring. the characters don't seem to flow naturally with their comments, almost seeming very pushed. they try to have attitude within the game, but end up shoving way too much attitude in your face. reminds of the 80's, and i'm not sure that is a good thing.
Suggestions: first, decide which you are going for, funk or hip-hop. the game says it's about funk, but it seems to being trying too hard at the hip-hop style. although if you are making fun of hip-hop, all the more power to you. fix the auto-camera, it really needs work. i hope you follow through with the downloadable content, and do so often, but glad to see you considered Xbox Live. but please, when making a game for the Xbox, make it for the Xbox and not another console, which means make use of the Xbox's power.
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
Sega GT 2002
Overall: there used to be two games i wanted from the PS2 on the Xbox, Metal Gear Solid 2 and GranTurismo 3. well, MGS:Substance is on it's way and Sega GT 2002 is far superior to GT3 in everyway. in fact, this game shouldn't even be compared to GT3 as it is truly in a class above it. this game has everything i loved about GT3, and far far more. i am shocked at the quality of product Sega has been putting out since dropping their own system and developing for others, especially the Xbox. this game is another reason to buy an Xbox, if Halo wasn't enough.Gameplay: the control on this game is very good. it's hard to say if it's better than GT3, but it's very close. but what puts this game over even greater is level of detail in the game beyond simply graphics. from the features in the garage, to car damage and part failure, to being able to have my own soundtrack, these game will keep you playing. find it hard to find flaw with this game, but i'm sure it will be found eventually.
Graphics: owning a 32" HDTV has it's advatages, and this is one of them. this game look spectacular in my opinion. from the sparks when hitting a wall, to the amazing reflections, the effect with the windows, this game has it all. while i don't think it's up there with some other games, it's still amazing looking and a sight to behold. i think they could do better, but then the nVidia graphics chip is now very dated and holding this system back. too bad it didn't have an ATI R300 video chip in it, then you might see true cutting edge graphics.
Audio: i haven't listened to the music yet, except for in the menu. but from the music i've heard, i think it's rather generic. and while the car sound effects are decent, i've heard nothing that puts this game above another. it lacks that extra detail in the sound which it does have in the graphics. i think a lot of improvement could be made in the sound features, but what i've heard is very good, although rather generic. do love the turbo though.
Suggestions: make use of Xbox Live. i don't care if a game was the first game on the Xbox or the newest, all games should make use of Xbox Live. even small features would be wonderful, like new cars or tracks, or sharing stats with others or trading/selling cars with others. and if this game allowed people to race each other, that would put it into a whole new category that would be a huge leap forward. unfortunately, it seems Sega lacks the ability to think ahead or simply wanted to get this game into the market and wait for Sega GT 2003, which hopefully will have Xbox Live features.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Halo: Combat Evolved
Overall: I usually hate first person shooters, as all I have played have been on the PC. I've tried all the best ones, but besides LAN with friends, I have found little to like about them. But Halo has changed this completely. I can't remember the last time I picked up a game on any system and been impressed. Sure, Final Fantasy X has nice video, and GTA3 has that fun killing thing (PC version), but nothing has really made me think it was the next evolution, until Halo. Halo is what FPS should become, not just about killing, but about combat, teamwork, vehicles, storyline, and great multiplayer. In fact, it's hard to find something that Halo doesn't do right. I've had friends knock Halo because Microsoft bought it, and didn't release it for the PC. But hey, if you were starting a new console franchise and saw a game as amazing as Halo, wouldn't you want it as an exclusive too?Gameplay: FPS games don't appeal to me at all. In fact, for the most part, I hate them. All previous FPS have been on the PC using keyboard/mouse. Most PC gamers thought it would be impossible to do a FPS shooter and make it control great on a console, simply because they are missing that mouse. But I must say that I am rather impressed. My friend and I sat down to play Halo together, neither being hardcare console gamers and never having played it before, and within ten minutes, we had the control down perfectly. The button configuration is second nature, and while the walk and view controls took a little while to get used to, fairly soon we were able to play without even thinking about the control aspect. If I have to flaw one thing, it would be the vehicles. I love them now, but it was a little odd to get used to at first with the default settings. But once I got the hang of it, I was having more fun with the vehicles than I was hunting down enemies.
Graphics: Halo is simply stunning. It isn't revolutionary, and having a top-end PC, I've seen as good if not better on the PC (UT2003). But on an HDTV, this game has some of the best graphics I've ever seen in a game. It's by no means perfect, but the minor flaws can easily be ignored due to the engrossing gameplay. It's good, but it's limited by the nVidia graphics GPU which is now dated. But it's still way above anything you'll ever see on a PS2.
Audio: Sound is a key part of this game, as it should be in any game. There is a real sense of paranoia when playing, always hearing enemies when you can't see them. Sound is often overlooked, but I must say that Halo offers some of the most engrossing gaming sounds to be heard on a console. It's really hard area to say anything negative about, as they have done it so well in Halo.
Suggestions: Of course I have suggestions. First, I would love to have had a training area. This would help a newbie get used to the controls. Not something madatory, but an optional traning area, sorta like Metal Gear Solids VR area. Second, I would've like more options in character customization. I think adding a few stats and more custom character outfit creation could really add to the game. Third, it would be cool if you could play as the enemy, just for something different. Fourth, more vehicles, more vehicles, more vehicles. Fifth, added material to the game making use of the harddrive. Whether this be outfits, weapons, enemies, vehicles, it would be cool to have that free extra content every now and again. Really makes the fans feel like you haven't forgot about them and care that they keep playing.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
