MEMBER PROFILE FOR VA1N
Average Overall Score Given: 9.30000 / 10
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Reviews
Left 4 Dead
Overall: Left 4 Dead isn't for everybody. People without XBOX Live will get little to no enjoyment out of this title. People without any friends won't like this title. People without any social skills for online gaming will not like this game. For the rest of us, welcome to the best way to waste your time before Christmas.Left 4 Dead really doesn't have a single player component. You can play the multiplayer game with AI Bots (labeled as single player), but that's really not fun now is it? This game is meant to be played with people online. You and three other people team up to star in a B Grade Horror Flick with 5 different linear levels. Your role? To get from point A to point B and kill everything in your path. At the beginning of each level you are given a choice of weapon (either automatic gun or shotgun), healthpack, and some ammo. After you collect this, you are your friends are on your way. The AI in this game is aptly named the "Director". This director will throw waves upon waves of enemies at you depending on how you are doing. It's a very smart system that takes a number of things into consideration. What does this mean? Each time you go through a level, it's completely different than the last time you did.
Along the way you will meet a couple different types of zombies. There's the normal horde (you, me, the next guy) who became infected and lumber around until startled. Then there is the hunter who pounces on people and slashes out their intestines. The Boomer is a huge hulking fat behemoth who spews vomit on unsuspecting survivors only to have the Horde be attracted to it. The Smoker shoots his tounge out at people at draws them near. The Tank is a huge enemy with lots of health and deals lots of damage. To take him down you need a cooperative effort. Finally, the witch...oh, the witch. She won't bother you, unless you bother her. You will know where she is too. When you hear an emo chick crying, turn off your flashlights and be mindful of where you step. If you disturb her she will get up and run at you with razor sharp claws. These claws usually kill in 1-2 hits depending on health. But, if you leave her alone, she will do the same to you.
Sounds awesome right? It gets better. Versus play lets two teams (one for survivors, one for infected) duke it out in a similar method like the campaign. The survivors go about the game as normal while the infected take over the role of the director. You spawn as a boomer, hunter, smoker, or even a tank in some cases and try to bring down the survivors. You can't chose who you want to be on the infected side (so the director still has some say), but it's fun nonetheless.
Ok, there's the good, so what about the bad? Of course there is bad stuff, but the good heavily outweigh the bad. For starters, there's really only 4 maps. These 4 maps are broken up into 5 levels each (totaling 20) but when you really start to play the game a lot, these same levels can get a little predictable. Thankfully, the AI (director) mixes up the encounters enough that each level feels a little different each time. Hopefully, in the future, we will see some DLC/updates that add to this mix.
The graphics in the game aren't top notch, but they aren't anything to scoff at. Instead of focusing on the graphics by themselves (character models, trashcans, etc.) focus on the level in it's entirety. VALVE do a @!%#*! good job making you feel like you are in an abandoned world. A world that use to be thriving with cop cars and news vans on the streets, broken coffee pots lying in store rooms, etc. This world is alive, or should I say, undead.
To recommend this game, it really comes down to one thing...do you like co-op games online? If you do, then you will most likely enjoy this title. If you prefer single player games and can't stand the thought of playing online with other people, avoid this game at all costs. The single player (remember, multiplayer with bots) is not a single player as much as it is practice for the online component.
All in all, this is a stellar game that will provide hours upon hours of entertainment for anyone who appreciates a good co-op game and enjoys zombie horror flicks (doesn't everyone?)
Overall Score: 9.4 / 10
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Overall: Having never played a Star Ocean game before, I was a little iffy about picking this one up. I didn't know if it would be another Final Fantasy clone or really stand out amongst the m@!%#*!es of JRPG games that have been hitting the 360 lately. After checking out some pretty decent reviews, I decided to take the leap and pick up the game on a whim.From the start of the game, I got the feeling that the combat would be a lot like Tales of Vesperia. This is a good thing, as I loved every minute of Tales and for a game to bring up memories of a favorite is definitely a plus. The combat is similar, but not exactly the same. Where Tales used a lot of one button (maybe 2 button) presses to take down most enemies, Star Ocean at least involves a little more strategy. You can whip yourself around bad guys when they least expect it (blindside move) and attack from their rear, issue orders, etc. There's a lot going on in combat, but it's not hard to manage. There are a lot of tools at your disposal, how (or if) you use them, are completely up to you. The combat through the first couple hours of the game remained fresh and exciting, and I actually looked forward to getting new skills and abilities. Where other games kind of throw them at you, I got the feeling SO eases you into them and gives them out a lot less often.
The story in this game is different that most RPGs I have played (remember, I never played the other Star Ocean games). The world suffered after World War 3 and sent explorers into the heavens to find a new home for Earthlings. You play Edge Maverick, one of the chosen explorers on the maiden voyage. That's about all you need to know to get started in the game. Like all games though, something has to go horribly wrong and it does, thus throwing you right into the action (if after a pretty long cutscene). There is a support character, named Reimi, who is your childhood bestfriend. The relationship between the two is definitely going to make for some interesting story elements. While they aren't "in love", they do have a very deep bond between the two of them. As time goes on, it looks like a love interest could form between the two given the right cir@!%#*!stances. And by cir@!%#*!stances, I mean user inputted actions. I didn't realize this was something the series does, but you control the feelings of people towards you (to a degree). For instance, in the first level, you stumble upon a flower patch. Reimi looks at the flowers and says they are beautiful. You are given 3 options to respond... "They are beautiful", "You are beautiful", "You are both beautiful". Obviously, being a chick, she want's to hear number 2 and if you choose that, you are going to increase the affinity between you and Reimi. If you chose the flowers are beautiful, Reimi may be insulted and the affinity between the two of you will decrease. With increased affinity comes increased cut scenes and pivotal moments between the characters (this doesn't just happen with Reimi, you can form bonds with all characters). When an affinity reaches a high enough level, guys and girls can share a room together...leaving the rest up to the imagination.
Graphics are a big thing for me. I love the direction current genre games are taking graphics. Tales of Vesperia was a great looking game, but I'm not too big into the anime scene. Last Remnant was a decent looking game, that had trouble performing/loading. Star Ocean on the other hand, looks great. It's nothing to write home about (a la Gears, MGS, or Killzone 2) but it's a very good looking game! Although the characters do show some anime sides to them (namely the eyes), it's easy to look past because they have normal sized features. But, anime might be your thing so that comment is just opinion. The worlds are varied and the colors are really pretty in some areas. You may not have many stop and smell the roses moments, but you will enjoy the ambiance.
Overall, I'm loving Star Ocean: The Last Hope. It's the perfect RPG to hold us fans over until FF13 comes out this year (or next). If you love collecting things, there's a ton of things for you to do. From enemy data, to battle trophies, room items, ship data, spells, it's all there. It's a collector's dream. Finishing this game is said to take around 40-60 hours, but if you want to complete it in it's entirety (all endings, all collectibles, etc.), chalk on another 30-40.
If you are a fan of games such as Tales of Vesperia, Last Remnant, and other JRPGs, you're going to love this game. If you are more of a western RPG fan (M@!%#*! Effect, Fallout 3) like myself, give this one a try. It's got the sci-fi thing going for it and the combat is very fresh. Battles are in real time and fun. Who knows, maybe it will reawaken your love for JRPGs.
Overall Score: 9.2 / 10
