MEMBER PROFILE FOR rpgreligion
Average Overall Score Given: 7.43478 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 1881
Reviews
Madden NFL 2004
Overall: Madden NFL 2004 is the latest game in the long lasting Madden series. And considering I have not played a football video game since 1999, I was definetly impressed. I'm not a harcore football fan by any means, but I thoroughly enjoyed this game. A fairly steep learning curve was required, considering it's a sports title, but all in all it isn't too bad. I'll openly admit, I have played this game, hours upon hours. I'm sure hard core sports fans, found more flaws in the game than I did, but I still believe that it's a excellent game. EA Sports has had it's ups and downs with the Xbox community, and I consider this game a definite up.Gameplay: The learning curve in Madden NFL 2k4 is a bit steep. It took me awhile to figure out the entire control scheme. I found myself throwing interception after interception, no matter what team I selected to play with. Basically you can throw two types of passes: A low bullet, and a high floater. Both of which can be picked easily. The low bullet is the easiest to intercept. It gets to the receiver much quicker, but much closer to the ground. If a defensive player is anywhere near he can easily jump up and grab it. For the floater the ball can be thrown very high and far. But the great AI of the defense can spot it much easier, and get in position to pick it off. But to use the two different types of passes, you actually have to know how to pass. To snap the ball, as with most football games, you press A. Then your passing icons are brought up. To throw a high floater, you tap the button of your chosen receiver quickly. For a low bullet, it is exactly the opposite. You hold the button of the chosen receiver. If you find yourself unable to throw the ball before the insuing blitzers attack, you can scramble with the ball by pressing Y. Your quarterback then acts as a running back, but probably much slower. I was pleased with the kicking system, as I believe the developers finally got it right. The more powerful you kick the ball, the harder it is for accuracy, and vise versa. Rushing doesn't involve a very steep learning curve, in Madden NFL 2k4. You just select your running play, snap the ball, and it is handed off to your running back. Your abilities to break tackles in rushing mode, are to juke, spin, hurdle and throw a stiff arm. Stiff arms are effective, but it is much easier to strip the player of the ball and force a fumble. One bug I have found while rushing, is that you can get 5-6 extra yards sometimes by hurdling. This sounds reasonable, but hurdling is supposed to be used to get past downed lineman. To get the extra yardage, you simply have to hurdle through still standing lineman. Jumping over lineman shouldn't be that easy if you ask me. The AI is very good in this game. The defense, depending on which team you are facing, will call audibles to match your offense. You have to outwit the other team, by selecting a play they cannot audible out of, or audible into one yourself. The audible feature in Madden 2k4 is noticably improved from most games. On a rushing play you are able to switch the direction of your running back. When passing you can hot route the primary receiver, and change the pattern. This can all occur by the simple movement of the right thumbstick, and all of it can be done before the snap. You can also do similar audibles when playing defense. You can change your pass coverage, to cover a certain receiver more strongly, or totally switch the direction of your blitzers and lineman. After the snap you can even commit to a rushing play, or a passing play. This has led me into making many mistakes. I'll commit to a rushing play, and the AI will use a fake, and throw a long pass. Committing to the rush is effective for sacking the quarterback, however. One annoying element of M:2k4 is the weather. No matter what team I pick, I end up fumbling multiple times in the rain. If my skill to contain the ball is high, then why should I fumble every 2 seconds? Penalties are of course generally random, though when attempting to strip the other team of the ball, you can occasionally grab their facemask. This results in a sometimes nasty penalty. In Franchise Mode, there is an Off-Season. You have to make decisions real coaches and owners have to make. This game even goes so far, to allow you to change the ticket prices and buy upgrades for you stadium. Eventually you will have to release, resign, draft, and train your players. At first I thought training camp was a very pointless feature. But after a couple of seasons, I realized just how useful it is. If you succeed in the training camp tasks, you get to change player's skill levels. The game goes into much detail, as player weight and height also play a factor. Pre-Season is an optional mode, where you can decide how you want your teams to play (Type of defense, focus on pass or rush, which players to use, etc.) Other modes in the game include head to head gameplay, and 2 minute drills. The two minute drill allows you to practice getting as many points as you can during the last two minutes of each half. Head-to-head gameplay is decent. I imagine it would be much better if EA sports supported xbox live. Being able to see the other person's plays is very annoying, but not much can be done about it when playing split screen. Madden Cards are also a new feature to the Madden franchise. Some allow you to improve interception percentage, amount of broken tackles, fumbles, etc. I've only touched on the gameplay with Madden NFL: 2004, but I'm sure that if you buy it, you won't be disapointed.
Graphics: Graphics are very nice in Madden. EA really went all out on character models. They aren't the greatest, and are a bit blocky at times, but it's great being able to distinct your favorite players and coaches from one another. Some of the players are a bit bland though. Size ratio between players is pretty well done. A big guy is big and bulky, naturally, while a little guy is small and skinny. A complaint I've had with some football games in the past (Remember, I haven't played one since 1999) is the unability to see through field-goal posts. I was pleased when I first rented this game, because when backed up to your own goal line, you can easily see through them. Weather effects are nice and realistic. When playing in the spring, you may encounter a sunny day, or it could be pouring the rain and foggy. This decreases the user's visibility. Snow is well done, except levels never really increase no matter how hard it snows. Another thing I have noticed is that bad weather never goes away over the course of a game. It rains or snows at the same rate the whole game. The field looks very well done, and if you by chance you run out of bounds, there are photographers and camera men just begging you to knock them down. Occasionally the graphics can be glitchy, and lag, when many players are crouded into one small area. For those of you who are sticklers for a victory dance, don't worry--if you score a touchdown, I'm sure your players will please you with some sort of endzone celebration. Collision graphics are superb in this game. Depending on what portion of the player you hit, how big they are, and how hard you hit them depends on how you go down. Sometimes you will simply be tripped up, and sometimes you will get absolutely body slammed. On other occasions you may get dragged down by the face mask, and flip over another player. Instants replays are well done in the game, but I don't believe it is neccesary to show a replay after every single play. When challenging a play, you'll be sure to see exactly what took place when that inevitable fumble, or other disasterous event occurs.
Audio: This is the only portion of the game that can be very repetitive and annoying. I am yet to see a sports game with non-repetitive commentary. John Madden never fails to annoy you, whether it is real life, or in a video game. They may do that on purpose, who know, but my god...does that guy ever shutup? And he says the same thing every two or three plays. I will honestly be impressed when I see a sports game that has good commentary. To get a bit picky about sound, I keep noticing a little flaw when the score of the game is announced. The announcer says both the scores in totally different tones. I'm sure this is because the numbers were all recorded at different times, but like I said...that's getting a bit picky. Another sound glitch I have found, is that grunts from the players are a bit delayed. Especially in instant replays. Sometimes I watch instant replays in slow motion, and the players grunt before they are even hit. But collision noises other than the grunts of pain, are very well done. Especially on DD 5.1. I don't really have any complaints about the music in this game.
Suggestions: None really. Besides the basic shutting up of John Madden, I have no reall problems. Keep up the good work, I can't wait until Madden NFL 2005.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Outlaw Golf: 9 Holes of X-Mas
Overall: Outlaw Golf: 9 Holes of Xmas is an Outlaw Golf demo with 9 new holes to play on. It is a decent demo, although the quality is steeply lowered from the original gameplay. But I'm sure noone was expecting a masterpiece for five U.S. dollars. Gameplay: As I previously stated, the quality of gameplay is definatly lowered from the original Outlaw Golf. In this demo you have two players to choose from. Harley, and Killer Miller. No unlocking characters or clubs is nessacery, considering it is only a demo. There are nine holes to play on, all in a festive environment. Being Outlaw Volleyball, you of course can beat the crap out of you caddie. The caddie just so happens to be good ole St. Nick in this game. I'm not a huge fan of the fighting system in any of the 'Outlaw' games from Simon & Schuster. It works by pressing the action button whenever the meter reaches a certain point, until eventually you can knock out the caddie.
Graphics: This game is quite different from the original in terms of graphics. You are surrounded by elves, snow, and ice. The graphics aren't quite up to par with the original, but they are satisfactory enough for five dollars.
Audio: The sounds, music and everything is just plain annoying in this game. Elves laugh at you when you swing, and the festive music ends up driving you crazy before you finish all nine holes. But other than that, the sound is fine.
Suggestions: Stick to the real games. :D
Overall Score: 6.0 / 10
SWAT: Global Strike Team
Overall: Another era in extreme law enforcement has began with, SWAT: Global Strike Team. SWAT is brought in, when the situation becomes unmanageable by regular police units. This is where your mission begins. You are the leader of a 3 person elite SWAT team. A sniper, the electronics expert, and you...and you mean business. Does SWAT live up to its high expectations? I think it falls far short from what it should have been.If you really want a good shooter in this style...go for Rainbow Six 3.
Gameplay: You begin the campaign in SWAT: Global Strike Team at a bank. Your mission: Break up the raid. After your mission briefing, you are brought to the weapons screen. Here you can choose your weapons, grenades, and upgrade your weapons. The variety of weapons to choose from is not exactly spectacular. Shotgun, Assault Rifle, and Machine gun. Grenades choices are Concussion (regular grenade), Flashbang (temporarily blinds and deafens enemy), and a grenade that disrupts electrical currents. By pressing the X button you can upgrade any of these weapons. Upgrades vary from an increased magazine capacity, to more powerful ammunition, etc. You earn upgrade points for completing missions successfully. At the end of missions you get graded on your performance. The grade is based on enemy kills, enemy captures, civilian deaths, hostage rescues, accuracy, and so on. You will earn either an A, B, C, D, or F. Depending on your grade, you get a certain amount of upgrade points. Now to the actual gameplay. The learning curve in SWAT: GST is not very steep. Basic controls: Right trigger to fire, left trigger for grenades (except when using headset), A to reload, X for enemy compliance issues (SWAT, get your hands up!), B to melee attack the enemy with your weapon. The white button is used to throw grenades, when using the headset. One issue I have with this game, is the difficulty level. It is painfully easy. In little over and hour I completed the majority of the missions. The game gets very boring because of this repetitive, and easy gameplay. Another issue I have, is the aracade-like feel. When playing a SWAT game, I expect some realism. This game barely has any. Shoot, shoot, shoot, never die, shoot. I barely ever died in this game. Most of the time, you don't even need to shoot your weapon. With the terrible AI, you can run up to an enemy and beat the crapola out of him with your weapon, without being shot once. Also, you can sometimes shoot enemies dozens of times and they will not even die. They will simply fall to the ground and allow you to put them in the cuffs. AI, and realism are absolutely terrible in GST, and do not even make for an average game.
Graphics: Graphics in SWAT: Global Strike team are terrible. Characters are blocky, and the character animation is glitchy and not very well done. For example: A few times during the game I got my sniper to pick locks on doors. She would walk nowhere near the door and start picking the lock. Also when using the electronics specialist to hack security systems, he would act as if typing on a keyboard. Yet he would be standing in the middle of nowhere typing on his...well...imaginary friend. Crazy SWAT guys! So bottomline: Graphics are full of glitches. Environments in GST are also horrible. They aren't even ps2-esque. In the first level of the game, you enter through the sewers. The sewage water looks like something you would find in Banjo Kazooie. Also, in almost every single level the environments look strikingly similar. Same untextured walls, untextured floors, and so on. Graphics have never been the most important thing to me in video games, but SWAT falls far short of Xbox visual capabilities.
Audio: Probably the best thing about this game, but still not great. The gun fire sounds like it should, but for some reason still gives me the arcadey feel. When snakeing your way through levels, you often hear the sounds of police shouting orders to the suspects, or the sounds of helicopters. The shouts aren't very clear, but audible enough to be enjoyable. Criminals, and the SWAT team alike say entirely too little. Another downside to the sound, is that when pressing X for issue compliance, the only thing ever said is "SWAT: Put your hands up!"
Suggestions: Totally redo your graphics to begin with. They are horrible. Then start making over the gameplay. A greater variety of weapons would be nice. 3 weapons is not nearly enough, and the weapon upgrading needs to be improved. The difficulty level needs to be steeply raised. This game is far too easy. Try not to go for the arcadey feel..it doesn't work in a game like this.
Overall Score: 5.0 / 10
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
Overall: Ghost Recon: Island Thunder is the second installment in the Ghost Recon franchise for xbox. Island Thunder is an improvement over the original Ghost Recon but not a drastic one. But with improved graphics, a whole new story, and tons of multiplayer fun, Ghost Recon: Island Thunder proves to be another excellent installment by Red Storm.When terrorism is raging in Cuba...you and the Ghosts are sent to stop it.
Gameplay: The control scheme in IT is the same as the original Ghost Recon. Nothing too difficult about the control scheme, so begginers and experienced Ghosts alike, get the hang of it quick. Island Thunder provides yet another intriguing storyline leaving you dumped off in Cuba to fight off the hordes of terrorists. A new feature in IT is vehicles. But don't get your hopes up people...you cannot use them. However, the enemies do use them, and it is not to your advantage. Sometimes vehicles will come out of nowhere carrying soldiers who are shooting at you from inside the vehicles, and from behind them. AI is still very good in Island Thunder. Soldiers will use the environment to their advantage. They will hide behind vehicles, use trees for cover, and get into a prone position to avoid being shot. Island Thunder has many new weapons to assist you in your terrorist hunt, each with unique capabilities. This includes the mounted grenade launcher. In the original Ghost Recon, you would occasionally find mounted machine guns. Well...now you will find mounted AUTOMATIC grenade launchers. Yep..you heard me. Automatic. You can launch an unlimited (as long as the weapon doesn't overheat) amount of grenades at your opponents, as they run frantically trying to dodge the explosions. One thing that Ghost Recon lacked was obstacles to hide behind. Normally you were running around, frantically shooting your weapon. In Island Thunder, to put it quite simply...the problem is fixed. In every level you will find an obstacle to crouch behind, reload, and pop out again to destroy the oncoming enemies.The one downside about the gameplay in Island Thunder is the lack of missions. Sure, Ghost Recon didn't have many...but this is pathetic. Even with the awesome gameplay, I would not recommend paying the cash for Island Thunder. This game can be finished in little over an hour if you are experienced in Ghost Recon, and probably a little over two hours if you are a beginner. The multiplayer experience in Island Thunder exceeds the original Ghost Recon by far. Many more maps, and weapons in Island Thunder. Most of the maps are very well suited for multiplayer gameplay, and will not leave you disapointed.
Graphics: The graphics in Ghost Recon: Island Thunder are improved...but not by much. Environments look a bit better as well as the characters, but the game still falls short of what it should be in the visual department. Environments are still blocky, and not extremely detailed. Although, they did improve some major flaws from Ghost Recon. Remember the night vision bug from the original game? You could see through rain, when you turned on night vision. Well..the bug is fixed. It is nearly impossible to see now when it is raining.
Audio: The sounds of Ghost Recon: Island Thunder are the same of the original. Guns sound like they should, explosions are decent, voice overs are decent, and everything is as it should be. No really noticable flaws in the sound department.
Suggestions: Next time you make an expansion pack, make sure to include, oh I dunno...about double the missions! This game was far too short, and even with the slightly lowered price it is not worth the cash. Other than that, just improve the graphics, and keep making great games!
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Pirates of the Caribbean
Overall: First of all, I would like to say that this game had TONS of potential. I followed it for awhile and was very excited when it was released. But to be honest, I'm a bit disapointed by this game. The bugs, the lack of 'freedom', and the lack of replay value. Before Disney got their hands on this title, I think Bethesda and Akella would have took the proper time to fix the bugs, and make it a bit more open ended. Too late now =(. Beautiful graphics, fun gameplay, but in the end it falls short of the 'Morrowind at Sea' that it was anticipated to be.Is it worth the money? I wouldn't pay $50 dollars for it, but if the prices have gone down than it is a good buy.
Gameplay: You start out POTC in a house where you begin your pirate training. The controls are a bit akward at first, but you grow accustomed to them quickly.
gameplay- The controls are a bit ackward at first, but after the beginning tutorial you get the hang of them. For Land- B to bring up the character menu, Y to take items and quick travel, A as the action button, X to draw weapon, Right Trigger to shoot gun, Left trigger to block, Click left joystick to go from third to first person.
For Sea- D Pad to adjust sails, Left thumbstick for sailing, Click Right thumbstick to go from 3rd person to 1st, A to fire cannons, Y for quick commands, right trigger to zoom in with spyscope, left trigger to zoom out.
A feature in Pirates that I like, is being able to carry your sword in one hand and your gun in the other.
Speaking of guns...as a pirate, you will defiantly need one. There are many types of guns in POTC, ranging from the standard pistol, to a grapeshot pistol. As you become richer, you can afford to become better equipped.
How do you become rich you ask? There is a variety of ways to make money. You can do jobs for merchants and tavern keepers, smuggle illegal contraband between islands, loot a pirates island, among other things.
Now to the main quest. This is defiantly the most fun part of the game, as we don't see the huge amount of side quests that we saw in Morrowind. Many hours of quests are provided from the start when the island you are on is invaded by an enemy nation. The quests are fun for the first few hours, but slowly get repetetive until you eventually become sick of the game.
Now how much control do you actually have when at sea?
Well, you can raise and lower the sails, replace your captains, battle with enemy ships (and eventually board them, and possibly steal it), save your ship from the wrath of a storm, and sail from island to island. If you choose to do so, you can sail from one island to the next without using the map....but it would probably take hours. Instead it is more beneficial to use the world map, which allows you to sail a 2d ship around a map very quickly. Not a very good feature in my opinion. It is too easy to avoid storms, enemy ships, and so forth. Akella should have made it so that you could sleep, or pass time once you have your ship on course until a navigator, or spotter warns of an enemy ship or storm. If you have no navigator...I guess you would just be screwed =).
Being at sea is a fun experience, but also gets old and repetitive.
What happens when you do make landfall? Well...you can choose to get off at a certain point on the island, such as the docks or a back entrance. You can then walk to town, or face the adventures of the island (which there isn't a huge amount of, considering you are forced to follow a couple of paths on each island). Once in town you can buy and sell goods or ships, do some of the few side quests, or wreek havoc on the townspeople. Fun for awhile, but once again...boring and repetitive.
This game would have been much more fun, if they had just made it more open ended. I don't enjoy Rpgs that force you to take one path, and to follow it for the entire game.
Graphics: Visually, Pirates of the Caribbean is beautiful. The sea is stunning. Whether sailing at sunset, on the pink glow of the water, or sailing through the huge waves of a storm...POTC is a beautiful game.
When I first encountered a storm I almost shat myself. Waves that were 2 times bigger than my ship came crashing over my boat almost sending it down into the depths of the sea.
Land enviroments were pretty, but not anything spectacular like the sea. Characters were stiff and towns were plain. Bushes and plants were often 2d, and paths were plain. Animations in battle sequences were very well done though.
Some graphical flaws-
When I am battling at sea, or in a storm I expect some of my crewmembers to be sent flying overboard.
Never happened.
The sea battle sequences could really use some work. Cannon shells exploding were rather poorly done, and when boarding enemy ships every ship looked the same.
Another thing visually lacking--
Video sequences.
Now when playing a game, I don't feel like watching a movie. But this game defiantly lacks in video sequences. I think it would have added to the storyline, if there had been just a couple of more.
Audio: The music is Disney like, and rather repetitive (that dreaded word again) but I never really found myself getting annoyed. Characters could have talked more, as I do not remember much interaction between characters. The sounds of battle, at land and sea are great. This game is not Medal of Honor, but the sounds are pleasing enough.
Suggestions: Enviromental interaction! There is virtually none in this game! Hell...there isn't enough environments! At least make the islands look a little different from on another. If enviromental interaction had been implemented in this game better, it would probaly get a 4.5 out of me.
Bethesda, Akella--Make POTC 2...just spend enough time on it, and work out the bugs.
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
Azurik: Rise of Perathia
Overall: the gameplay is very hard and takes strategy to get through it, the only reason this game gets bad reviews from those non gamers that say "its too hard" is because umm.....there non gamers:D(sick of the game now since i already beat it)Gameplay: it has great gameplay, a little too much like a puzzle game at times though and not enough roleplaying involved....besides that it gets boring fairly fast
Graphics: not that great but the video sequences are ok but backgrounds and character desighn isnt all that great
Audio: typical adventure game, same song over and over again, so just pop in a cd in your cd player and start playing
Suggestions: better graphics sound and a little more fun
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Brute Force
Overall: Brute Force is a very solid third person sqad based action title. The best third person shooter in my opinion. The question everyone asks is does it exceed halo? My answer is yes. This game isn't just a shoot em' up. You actually have to use strategy. The single player experience of Brute Force definatly exceeds that of Halo. The multiplayer.....well thats a different story. I think only Halo 2 can beat Halo's multiplayer experience. Brute Force has excellent gameplay, a solid storyline, great graphics, and great sound effects. This should be on your 'to buy' list.Gameplay: The controls in Brute Force are very similar to Halo. Right joystick to look, left to move. The right trigger is used to fire your weapong and the left trigger is used to use your items.(grenades, etc) The black button is used to use your medkits. Back shows your mission briefing, and in multiplayer shows stats. The d-pad in Brute Force is used to give various commands to your squad of four, and to switch characters. You pick up the control scheme quickly. The characters: Tex: The big guy, he is an assault trooper. He like to go right in and shoot stuff up. His special is called beserk, and it allows you to use both of his weapons at the same time.
Brutus: Brutus is an Alien Warrior, called a 'Feral'. His special is called the Spirit of Vengar and it allows him to see through fog, heal, and charge enemys killing them on the spot.
Flint: Flint is the sniper. She can't pick up the heavier weapons, but she also doesent have to breath...
Bio attacks do not affect her and her rifle does not shake due to breathing. Her special allows her to automatically target enemies.
Hawk: Hawk is a scout. She is great at stealth. She can't pick up heavier weapons. Her special abilitie allows her to turn invisible.
One complaint I have of this game is, that it should be longer. The 11 hours of gameplay just aren't enough for me.
The storyline is Brute Force is very good. A bit confusing at times...but good nonetheless. I don't think that it is as good as Halo's storyline, but it is still very good.
What I really like about this game, is the fact that it isnt a pure shoot em up. You have to play tactically, or you will suffer way more deaths and waste alot more money. (You earn money for killing enemies, and completing mission objectives. Each time you have to clone a character you lose money)
Being an action game it does get a bit repetative, but thats nothing out of the ordinary.
The multiplayer is also very fun. I wouldn't say so much as good as halo, but it does have 4 player co-op!
The ai in Brute Force was generally very good. Sometime the team members did do stupid things tho, like fall into lava and such. The enemy ai was excellent. They would hide, and shoot. They fought tactically.
Graphics: The graphics in Brute Force are gorgeous. Revolutionary for a third person action title. Especialy one that is squad based. The enviroments look great in this game, and the character models are very good. Sometimes enemies, and enviroments can be a bit blocky, but it's hardly noticable.
The video sequences are excellent. Probably the best on the xbox right now. And the ending video sequence....all i can see is WOW. Great cinematics.
The explosions were also very good.
Audio: The sounds in Brute force were great. Great music, excellent explosions, superb gun sounds, and..*tries to think of another synonym for excellent** fantastic in game sound, when your squad mates talk to each other. And the voice overs were really not all that cheezy. I actually enjoyed them.
Suggestions: More multiplayer modes, less multiplayer choppiness, improved ai(even though it was very good), vehicles v-e-h-i-c-l-e-s VEHICLES, a longer game, more worlds....6 different environments weren't enough, Brute Force 2!
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Turok: Evolution
Overall: This game is defiantly not as bad as some people make it out to be. I have always been a turok fan, and have been waiting for another member of the turok lineage to be put into my console. Turok 1 was a great game, a classic. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil was also a great game. Not as good as the first...but good. Turok 3. Shadow of Oblivion failed miserably. So I have been waiting for another turok game based in the lost world with dinosaurs. So why not have a prequel! In Turok: Evolution, you are Tal' Set. The first Turok. You ultimate goal is to have revenge on your "real world" enemy, Captain Bruckner who has terrorized your tribe. Captain Bruckner also fell into the lost world, with you. He has befriended the evil of the Lost World. I'll admit the first couple of levels are bland and boring. But if you keep p laying long enough to be sensible, then you will see the fun in this game. This game has many mixed reviews, so i suggest that you rent it first. But it is a pretty solid game.Gameplay: As always the gameplay in Turok is great. The AI is very good. This is also the first Turok, in which you can fly. No no, turok doesent have wings. He has a bird. Ptero....something can't remember the name. The bird is armed with machine guns, and missles, and is ready to fight. But before you get to fly, you start out on foot. Traditionally, just like it's predecessors Turok: Evolution has it's share of weapons. Anywhere from your sniper pistol, to your tek bow, to your rocket launcher. And many of your weapons have secondary functions, which is a nice thing to have when you need that extra punch. The thing i miss about older Turoks is collecting the diamond type things, and the puzzles. Games today just aren't difficult enough, and don't have enough puzzles to solve. They need to make you use your brain more often.
Back to Turok. There is a vast array of levels, from the jungle, to stealth missions. The gameplay can get a bit repetative and boring though. But overall the gameplay is very fun.
Graphics: This is the bad part of Turok: Evolution. The graphics aren't great by any means. The enviroments are a bit 2D and the terrain is a bit too repetative. I suggest that they get a whole new graphics engine. The character models are ok, on a brighter note.
Audio: Once again the sound is repative. But the guns sound great, and the enemies voices are cool. The music....hmm i can't seem to recall any music. I don't remember paying attention to the music, too much action :D.
Suggestions: More enviroment interaction, totaly redo the graphics, give the game a bit more variety, make a sequel, and keep it in the dinosaur age!
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Enclave
Overall: Enclave is a very solid game. It keeps you hooked for hours at a time, it is really addictive. I stopped playing splinter cell for a couple of weeks to conquer this game! The game play is very good, and the storyline is generally intrigueing...the ai can really be sucky though. Blech. All in all a superb xbox title.Gameplay: When you cut the beloved xbox on, create your game, and begin the first level you are addicted. Very addicted. Enclave has a more linear feel to it than most xbox titles thus far, but come on! We need a few linear titles. Some levels you have to fight bosses in, others you just make it out and its over. So it has alot of variety. Now lets discuss the ai. Ugh. I found myself saying this many times throughout the game, punching the wall and turning the xbox off, to watch tv. When you meet allies in the game, and they follow you the ai is absolutely disgusting. They get stuck behind things, fight wildly, and go off venturing on their own. From the level with the huntress on, I just left all friendlys behind. Enemy ai is more than decent. They fight strategically, know when to attack, and know where to attack. (The archers go for head-shots and so on) Often I found my own character stuck behind crates and boxes. Once or twice I had to restart the whole level, in result of being stuck. But overall the ai is decent. In each level you are supposed to find a certain amount of gold. If you dont find it all you always have the option of re -doing the level, without losing the progress you have made in the levels after the one you are retrying. The more gold you find, the better items you can get. After each level you can equip your character with various weapons, shields, staff's, armor, etc. After each level you normally unlock more items that you can buy. But with the druid, and wizard more staff's would have been nice. I think there is only about 8 staffs you can use through the light campaighn. Also there needs to be more of a difference between the evil creatures, and the good characters, and the weapons that you are able to use. There should also be more characters you can unlock in each campaighn. Starbreeze also needs to focus a bit on the storyline. It wasn't very in depth. A more variety of weapons would also be nice, Instead of just staff's, axes, hammers, and swords.
Graphics: The graphics in enclave were very good, although some of the character models and levels are a bit rough and unproportional. But the druid's bum did bounce exactly how I thought it should ;). The enemies looked fairly well, and the level designs were ok. Too many of the levels looked alike though, and I found myself passing things that looks exactly alike over and over and over again. But overall the visual appeal is great.
Audio: Medieval music. Nice. Im a sucker for anything medieval so it suited me well. The hack and slash of the swords sounded like the hack and slash of swords, and the voices were good. The only really annoying thing was the constant ugh's and moans of each character.
Suggestions: More characters, more weapon variety, better storyline, more roleplaying elements, a much bigger difference between the dark's weapons and characters, and the lights. Oh yea... and an Enclave II!
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Hunter: The Reckoning
Overall: Tis a good renter at most. It was fun for about two or three days, but the the repetitiveness of this title makes me want to hurl.Gameplay: Crappy one player. Ok cooperatively. Killing undead things is the point of the game. It is what you do every level. On and on and on with killing the monsters. You gain experience and eventually improve your skills. But if you die in a level and a friend beats it you lose all you xp for the whole game, which just kinda sorta really sucks extremely bad. The weapons are ok i guess. I dont suppose they really could make them better, in a overhead game such as this. I have to take a half point for the worst camera angles of ever seen in a game, on one player, and coop. If you are looking for nice smooth extensive gameplay, and buy this game, its like laying in the middle of the freeway hoping not to get ran over.
Graphics: Excellent graphics for an overhead game. The character models arent that great, and neither are the enemies. The weapons also look fairly bad. But the scenery is very nice and the bosses look good. The cut scenes absolutely disgust me. Their mouths dont flow with the words, and well....the cut scenes just suck, you would have to see it yourself to know how bad they are. Yes yes, blood and gore is ok. It basically just splatter all over the ground the same way every time, but that is good i guess.
Audio: Music is cool. Coma. Metal. Yes good music for this type of game. Voices dont really blend in with the characters though. The weapons sound like what they should sound like i guess, but all the enemies sound the same. I sometimes dont even hear footsteps when walking, which is unappealing sound-wise.
Suggestions: Try a totaly new concept for a game.
Overall Score: 5.0 / 10
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Overall: Wowa. Yowza. Holy Holla. Definetly the best xbox game to date. This game is engraving halos headstone, and that is no lie. Such extensive gameplay, which is generally unrepititive is always a good thing. Metal gear ripoff? Ha, this game is very distinct from metal gear, and is 10 times better for that matter. Buy this game and you will be hooked for the first 5 minutes until you beat it...tho i havent yet, second part of chinese embassy, freaking mine field. :DGameplay: You boot it up , start your game, you're hooked. Every level there is a new challenge, and new obstacles to overcome. Darkness is definetly your friend in this game. You want to use your gun as infrequently as possible, a thing i love about this game. That is what makes it so different from other games. The controls fit perfectly and are very comfortable. I had the hang of the controls after about 20 minutes. Some people complain about lack of save points, but i believe they have just the right amount. It makes just the right amount of challenge. After you get past something big, like one of your submissions, you have a save. The save-points come at just the right time, everytime. The only real flaws, are when it doesent change your weapon, and sometimes the guards seem really dumb...if you shoot right behind them they dont hear. But besides that the artificial intelligence is fantastic. If they hear you and you try to go up a ladder and hide, and think you have outsmarted them, here comes a guard up the ladder. I must say, this game OWNS halo.
Graphics: The best use of lighting i have ever seen in a game. The shadows, are unreal. When you come to an area with alot of light, or with a small amounts, your shadow either shrinks or grows. It is awesome to see the shadow of a guard, just around the corner. The character models are very well made as well, and the eye candy...OH THE EYE CANDY. Sometimes i find myself staring at a building or a tree, for minutes at a time. The only real problem is that all the guards look alike...we need some distinction between them.
Audio: Wowa. Excellent choice of music in this game and sam fishers voice RULZ. Interrogating is always fun. One problem is the fact that the guards repeat the same lines many times. The sound goes right along with the gameplay...if you step too loudly, the guard will find you, and very likely blow your brains out. Sometimes the enemies will be listening to the radio, or talking on there cellphone. Cans and bottles...hehehehehe, always fun to throw, and a very good distraction technique because of the noise.
Suggestions: Double the amount of levels. 9 missions just isnt enough for a game like this. Definetly make a sequel. Make the guards look different from each other, and have them say different things every once in awhile. Maybe size differences and weight diffrences, so some people are easier, or harder to pick up. And if they are fat you can drag them :D
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Nascar Thunder 2002
Overall: Fun game. The gameplay is superb, but has its flaws but of course. Visuals are excellent. Sound is ok. Probaly the best nascar racing game out currently for xbox, i think it beats heat. Having played 2003 yet, but its probaly better.Gameplay: Racing, fun. But ummm i found crashing other drivers to be just a bit too hard. And we need an instant replay system! All races in career mode would be nice. The physics really suck. You hit a car as hard as you can and nothing happens except they spin half way around and get it back going. Also mechanical failures would be nice. More npc crashes. Npc cars need more of a mind of their own, so improve the ai.
Graphics: Wow. Nice glare, and shadowing, excellent cars. Pit crew could use some work. The tracks look fantastic.
Audio: Sweet home alambama is a sweet song and all...but ummm VARIETY would be nice. The cars sound, are a little dull...and dont really sound like the cars, at least to me.
Suggestions: Driver injuries, instant replay system, improved physics, improved ai, more sound variety, more car customization, better graphics, more add-ons, good luck!
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
MechAssault
Overall: Tis ok. Nothing special, I don't plan on buying it. The gameplay lacks, and is repetitive, the graphics arent good at all...the sound is ok.Gameplay: It is fun for the first few missions...but gets repetitive. It gets very boring, same old thing every level. The story line isn't very intrigueing either. Twould be pleasent if you could customize a mech. They worked too hard on it for xbox live, and didnt take the time to make the campaign fun. The weapons arent that great, and why cant you step on tanks, lol. The multiplayer isnt that great...it's ok, the grinder mode gets boring, and fast. Not enough mechs. The power-ups are all the same. You also overheat just a bit too easily.
Graphics: Ugh. 2d environments much of the time, very unrealistic explosions. The mechs are ok...probaly the only really good thing, besides the buildings. Why is it that when destroying a building it stops getting damaged after a while? They could have did much, MUCH better on the graphics. Mechs explode all the same... I thought this was kind of strange. Why does the rain not put out fire?
Audio: Bah, it's ok. Just baiscally gunfire, and explosions, and some poeple talking to you.
Suggestions: Spend much more time on campaign. Totaly redo graphics. More mechs, more than 2 people on multiplayer, on local xbox. Mech customization.
Overall Score: 6.0 / 10
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Overall: Very fun. Excellent gameplay, great ai(most of the time), and nice graphics. But there is many annoying bugs, and ghost recon lacks something in the fun factor. BUT overall this game is one of the best out there.Gameplay: Excellent gameplay. There's nothing like sitting back, watching the enemy hiding in the trees, about to be shot. The ai is fantastic, except when moving them by the map. They often get stuck behind things, or don't go the full course. The map can be hard to work with. They need to rework it, so that it's just easier to use, but doesent need to be used constantly. Possibly a feature to add multiple courses, and choose what order you want to do them in. It is also too short, and too easy. I rented it for two days and nearly beat it, so a longer campaign would be nice. A medical unit would be great to have, so you can patch up your wounded soldiers. Very fun gameplay.
Graphics: Good. Could be better, but im not really sure how...it just doesent live up to the full xbox potential.
Audio: Great sound. I see no problems in this department. Good job.
Suggestions: Already listed them. Co-op?
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Circus Maximus: Chariot Wars
Overall: Great game to play with friends...gets kinda boring after awhile tho. Like a couple of hours:P:P:P:PGameplay: Great multiplayer fun. Single player isnt that fun. This game had fun fighting, and a very unique idea, but i believe ill try out gladius when it come out.
Graphics: Very good graphics, they could always use improvement, but i dont really think graphical perfection is a "must-have" on this game.
Audio: Pretty good sound. Lol i dont have that much to say about it.
Suggestions: Make a better single player system. Make it less arcadish.
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2x
Overall: A very fun game. It was fun on playstation, but it has really improved on the xbox. Graphics are excellent, and the gameplay doesent get old for about a month. But there are a few annoying flaws in it. Sound is great.Gameplay: Very fun for a month or so. I think they could give it a more realistic approach... but the way they do approach it is very intriguing. I dont really like getting the secret tape and such, but ya know :P. Multiplayer is ok, but i think there should be more modes...like contests where you and more players face other npc's competing for medals.
Graphics: Nice. Drastic improvement over the playstation. Could still use some work though, to live up to the xbox's potential.
Audio: Excellent soundtrack. Perfect for skating.
Suggestions: Make more competitions, and make a better multioplayer mode. I think someone needs to make a skating game with a storyline.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Project Gotham Racing
Overall: This game is ok...but i only recommend it for rental. It has a very arcadey feel, and a very unrealistic touch....the only really stunning part of this game are the graphics.Gameplay: Ugh. It was fun for about an hour, and quickly got boring...The realism is pitiful. Barely get damage, Extremely hard to crash other cars(reminds me of nascar thunder). It does have its good points....like the cars, are realistic and such....if you look at them...driving them is a different experience all together. I really think they could have improved the physics drastically. And the whole kudos system isnt really appealing. Also it is very hard to turn, which is another downside to the cars.
Graphics: Wow. This game almost lives up to the xbox's graphical potential....emphasise ALMOST. The cars are nice, but i still thank the tracks could use some work.
Audio: Sounds like a car. It has basically good sound, but it is off at times.
Suggestions: Improve the physics. Make it less arcadey. Try to come up with a better system than kudos.
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Overall: definetly a must buy. Its very addictive and will keep you hooked for weeks(which is pretty good for a game to go on that long and not get boring) visual is great, sound excellent, gameplay besides a few minor flaws is extremely good.Gameplay: A very fun game, and addictive, but there is a few minor flaws. Like the fact that the controls can be a bit annoying. And theres not an extremely wide variety of tricks, but there enough to keep you hooked. I do really hate the multiplayer mode though. This games multiplayer mode would be extremely fun split screen.(im sorta sick of it now since ive had it since it came out, and im one level away from nixon jibfest and i cant get there:P) but the urges to play it are always off and on, kinda like grand theft auto, but when you first get it youll be hooked for a few weeks, playing it nonstop(thats how i was anywayz) so i definetly reccomend this game to anyone, whether your an rpg fan(like me) a baseball fan, or racing fan alike, definetly a must buy.
Graphics: Graphics for a snowboarding game are amazing. I cant think of one flaw in the graphics right now.
Audio: So many different soundtracks to choose from, and definetly a snowboarder style of music.
Suggestions: If you make a sequel, make a split screen multiplayer and possibly a system link mode, and maybe more realistic(even though its got some high realism how it is) like tree wells, and more varietys of wipeouts and such.And maybe have a time based thing as well. Like at a cetain time of year they will have winter xgames and if youve got enough exposure you can qualify and try to compete and win medals depending on what events you qualifyed for(that would be a great add on) also maybe reputation with fans and media etc. Like if you wiped out other boarders and crashed into media they would boo you when you went on runs, and maybe the media wouldnt pay much attention to you.(also like if the xgames idea went into effect the announcers would make mean comments about you)And maybe a better instant replay system, that you could take screenshots and put them in your portfolio. But even without those features still a very great game , good job.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Halo: Combat Evolved
Overall: this game rules. The gameplay can eventually get old and the character design sorta sux but over this game is awesome!Gameplay: awesome. after awhile it can get old though, i mean think about it "hey theres an alien i shot it o yay woohoo!" but when you do get bored thats only temporary. Besides that the multiplayer feature kicks ass!
Graphics: all the textures are great but im not really impressed with the character design but it is something i can live with!
Audio: once again the sound gets old but its good for this type of game.
Suggestions: better graphics, and maybe more of a choice of vehicles.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
SSX Tricky
Overall: i hate it its so gay and cartoony the gameplay sux, graphics arent great, and the sound, ugh, the terrible noise makes me want to shove my finger down my throat and throw up, amped is 50 times better than this game!Gameplay: How could anyone stand playing this game for more than 30 minutes without taking a loooong break. It reminds me of a fuzion frenzy with snowboarding , and even worse sound and graphics. Its one of the most boring games ive ever played i reccomend to you people DONT EVEN RENT IT dont waste your money!
Graphics: ugh once again i say amped is 200 times better.
Audio: its so pituffly annoying, like i said before it sounds like a cartoon
Suggestions: dont even bother making a sequel it will be a waste of money. (you should try cartoon based roleplaying games that would be a little more interesting :P)
Overall Score: 2.0 / 10
Elder Scrolls III : Morrowind
Overall: it has a few flaws and disapointmants but overall its the best game ive played so far on xbox:):) Gameplay: gameplay is excellent--combat can be annoying but the gameplay is the best ive seen for a console yet
Graphics: graphics are remarkable
Audio: get old after a while
Suggestions: better sound, and maybe online accesss where you could download mods and make your own to the xbox
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
