No doubt this is a remarkable experience; although I don't find it to be as scary as people say it is, it's still very haunting, depressive and has an insanely well-built atmosphere surrounding its rather interesting characters; Eddie, Maria, Angela, and of course, our main guy, James. Speaking of James, this story is mostly about him, as he meet other people, and searches for his late wife, who's been dead for three years, yet somehow sent him a letter in her handwriting, asking if he could come visit her on their favorite spot, located in Silent Hill. This game is honestly, a slow-paced walk into the abyss, as places become more twisted and people sink into their own guilt. Just like Silent Hill explored Alessa's terrible past and tried to represent her feelings through monsters and environment, Silent Hill 2 dives into James' anguish, and sins. Almost everything is somehow connected to James' past, and how he feels about things he did. Gameplay-wise, I honestly liked it, except for the extremely messy camera angles and controls; but overall, the exploration and item search of Silent Hill always satisfied me enough to keep me from lashing out on other very annoying points of its gameplay. As we're getting a little more into technical aspects, I'd like to congratulate this game's graphics; it's still so beautiful to look at, somehow to this day, and there were basically no bugs or glitches. It plays very well. And all of this, of course, is backed by master artist Akira Yamaoka, and his incredibly amazing series of original soundtracks; this has got to be one of the most amazing things about this franchise. Silent Hill 2 proudly waves its horror banner, and has the power to scare without jump-scaring, which is honestly, a hard feat to accomplish. Its story will try its best to haunt you. Between the two, I prefer the first one, but the second entry deserves its recognition for its incredibly mature story and rather bold take on some themes. It probably stands side by side with the greatest horror experiences. A VERY GOOD game. The special edition comes with "Born From a Wish", which focuses on Maria just a little before she meets up with James. She explores a really creepy haunted house, as she tries to help a Silent Hill resident, whose family was taken from him. I liked this extra content, but it honestly left me with more questions than answers, on both the main plot and it's own little plot. It was good while it lasted, though; around two hours max.
Tells the story of childhood friends; Kit, Michelle and Chi, as they are caught amidst a mob hierarchy conspiracy. I got to say, I appreciate what this game tried, but it lacks many things, such as good characters, villains, a good story, gameplay depth and remarkable soundtrack. Despite its great, and energetic opening, and it's quite unique fighting mechanics, all of it grows tiring as you reach around 5 hours of gameplay or so. There are no upgrades, character customization or evolution at all. I do believe it has the appropriate duration for what it offers though, but lacks replayability and it doesn't really offer anything else except for a hard mode. That alone shouldn't be able to give you a lot of incentive if someday the thought of replaying it crosses your mind. Rise to Honor is a simple, yet fun and challenging beat 'em up / shoot 'em up that will most probably satisfy your hunger for action, however, you shouldn't expect anything deep or emotionally involving; or even sense, out of some of the action sequences. It's probably the cheesiest game you'll ever play. It is a FINE game nonetheless, that could've been a lot more.
Tells a tale of greed, power and vengeance as we follow young gunslinger Colton White, in his bloody journey to put an end to a corrupt syndicate. Starting off by the game's PROS: I could say the atmosphere is pretty good. The sound effects, the overall map design, although small, it has a lot of heart and personality. The soundtrack helps a lot on building up that atmosphere, though. To be honest, there aren't a lot of remarkable OSTs in this title, but its main theme is just to stick with you. Somehow, it represents the dirt and bad smell of that time and age. There are some good characters in GUN, but none of them is actually deeply explored, or humanized (in case of the villains); they're all just bad for the sake of being bad, but I don't think that's a con, by any means. In fact, GUN's villains are irrefutably well written, for what they are. They actually steal the show for the most part, as they are extremely unpredictable, and could escalate the situation pretty quickly. The gameplay should also be mentioned, and it is really fun, and responds well to basically everything. You have a full-power arsenal at your disposal, and blowing limbs off of your enemies' bodies could be quite pleasant. As for the CONS, though: The story... it just doesn't get you hooked at all. It is basically good vs. evil, and a man's road to ruin due to greed. It could've been a lot better if there was a good character development. The main story is also very short on length, and has serious pacing issues, for example: Colton shares his knowledge on how to attack a fortress, and everything is calm and nice; it cuts into a black screen, and then all of sudden Colton is in the middle of a fortress attack, dressed up in an indian outfit. It was weird - really weird. And this sudden, vibe-breaking change happens a couple of times. The hunting side-missions in specific are really uninteresting, and kind of irritating at times. You're given an untracked task by an indian, who describes where the beast lurks in the map. You must find it, approach while crouched and shoot an arrow to it's head. The animals are completely dumb, and it just doesn't capture the essence of hunting. The overall quality of side-missions is fine, it isn't a con at all, but it could've had more compelling stories. They're all just a collection of events that are fun to play, at times. GUN might not have the greatest of plots, but it delivers the feel of being in the old west, and has some really unpredictable, gruesome scenes during its 6 hours max main campaign. Unfortunately it feels rushed, but it should be able to satisfy any western fan who's been looking for some adventure. To me, this was a GOOD experience.
There are plenty of things I like about this game: The characters are well written, and all the main ones have their own impact on the narrative. The atmosphere is extremely well done, and carries a lot of weight. It's depressive, it's dark, and it's immersive, even for today. And God, the soundtrack. Akira Yamaoka is a master of his craft, no doubt. HUGE mention for the "Not Tomorrow" OST. This guy alone built a certain idetity for the series when it comes to beats. There are a few things that keep me from giving this title a higher rating, though. For starters, I think the voice acting was overall, OK, but it certainly could've been better. There are some dialogue lines in which the intonation just felt... weird. The game also slows down so much near the end, it had me wishing it'd just get over with it. You basically run around an otherworldly labyrinth collecting a series of key items, and solving some rather difficult, consecutive puzzles, as you uncover a lot more about the town's secrets (which is the good part about all that). It can be really annoying to run around with no map, nor direction for over an hour if you're not in the best of your days; which I was, by the way. Speaking of puzzles, they're well designed, and can also be frustratingly difficult to solve; like the piano and zodiac puzzles for instance. You can feel extremely smart by solving them, yet extremely dumb for looking them up on the internet, or thinking so hard about them. They're tough, though, really. Unfortunately, I achieved the bad ending, which was almost like a joke ending, and I didn't like that at all. It's a real slap to the face to play a game for over ten hours, just to get a stupid, sarcastic ending as a reward. It should've been just straight bad. You might argue I should've explored the game more, but I tell you, I really did. Actually most, if not all of the ending's requirements are located at the final resort area, which is filled by monsters that wouldn't leave you alone for a minute. I still ran towards every corner and looked for every spot I could explore, but unfortunately I missed the requirements. I wish the game was more clear as to what items or actions could change the ending; it's all very non-intuitive. I'm not a fan of multiple endings anyways, I pretty much prefer a solid finale as to what really happened, but I can appreciate what this game offered for it's time. I'm glad I got to experience this classic. While not my favorite horror game, it is still a respectable horror nonetheless, and its heavy atmosphere and psychological pression stays with me even after I beat it. To me, this was a VERY GOOD game.
Quite the improvement over it's previous entry; as well as packed with a much better selection of songs that would satisfy the most metal-hungry person. The campaign mode was fairly improved as well, featuring a better sense of progression, plenty of satisfying encore songs, and a proper, over-the-top finale featuring Free Bird, one of the greatest songs ever made. I wish, however, that the campaign shop had been improved with more useful items, and not so much cosmetics, as they don't really appeal to me. You can still buy extra songs, that are, overall, less popular than the main ones, and two behind-the-scenes videos, which is cool. Guitar Hero II is a step forward, but could've brought a little bit more changes to the table. It was released only an year after the first installment, though, so there's a very short period in-between them. Nevertheless, I appreciate this game, and it is a GOOD experience.
Let me start by saying how great the physics for this game are, and how it surprisingly still holds up TO THIS DAY; it's incredible. The way the car moves, and reacts to the environment; the crashes, and swinging - really cool. I should also mention the good atmosphere and soundtrack for this title. A lot of jazz and blues, and that's great to listen. It brings a retro feeling (even for when it was released, back in 99', I believe). The rain effects are really good, they look great. The game presents four major cities in the campaign, each with their individual vibe, and well represented. I don't think they hold many secrets, but they still pleasant to the eyes, as these were fairly good graphics for it's time. Also, there's a good replayability factor, since you can't do all of the missions in just one playthrough; sometimes you may have to choose one from two or three available contacts. Plus, you still got a director camera to film and edit your own cuts, and a few additional standalone modes you can have an extra fun with. Unfortunately, the game lacks a captivating story, a good protagonist, interesting characters overall, and car variety, as we only have a handful of vehicles to drive around the cities. Tanner doesn't have much charisma, and that certainly applies to the rest of the cast; no exceptions (actually they don't have any charisma at all). It's kind of hard to keep track of who's talking, and who's who during the cinematics, as they don't have any lip-synch or subtitles pointing out who's having the word. Some missions have a timer only for the sake of having it, instead of making any sense. Also, the opening mission, where you're given a proficiency test in the parking lot, doesn't make much sense at all. Why would you ask a proficiency test from a person who just got his hands in the controller? Sure, Tanner is already good using the wheels, but the player isn't. There's the tutorial, but the tutorial should be included in the campaign. Kinda poorly executed. Many people gave up right there and then. Anyway - I don't really have a lot to complain about the gameplay itself, as it does a good job of being a driving simulator, but that sort of brings me to the final mission of the game. NO SPOILERS: The final mission throws the idea of being a simulation to the garbage bin, and tries everything in it's power to completely frustrate and ruin your day. It doubles up the chasers' speed, and probably triples their bumping strength. I was countless times pummeled to death, and even thrown OUT OF THE MAP... literally; I could see the whole map disintegrate right before me as I flew away. For some reason, developer Reflections turned the game into a bumper car simulator, and let me tell you, it is the hardest mission I've ever played in a video-game; and I've played a lot of games. DRIVER was well respected, and very influential back in the day, and I believe you should at least experience what it offers once; though keep in mind it has aged in some aspects, and is also incredibly difficult at some points; especially during it's final mission, where all hell breaks loose, and you shall feel hopeless. In my opinion, it was an OK game back then.
I went in expecting something like Fight for NY (since it was part of my childhood), and I discovered one of the most button-mashing, controller-breaking, frustatingly difficult games I've ever played. The controls are horrible; The upgrades make no true changes to the game. Plus, they're not even explained; what the **** is charisma for?? The camera during tag team matches is horrible; a total clusterf*ck; Lacks a decent tutorial; The story is stupid, and nothing especial. Plus, it treats females like mindless, sex-driven, dirty little sluts who fight over men they haven't even seen before. The graphics are really good, by the way, considering the year it came out, and props for even having a story mode to begin with; a really uncommon feature in fighting games back then. Plus, there's a big roster of wrestlers you can have fun with, in case you actually enjoy this game. And, of course, a good amount of modes and arenas, despite the fact you can't interact in a lot of different ways with them, as they're all just square WWE rings. You can, of course, do the usual: climb up the turnbuckle, use the ropes, etc. I do know alot of people like this title, but my time in it was filled by frustration and the need to just get it done. Despite it's many positive reviews, I believe this is an irritating experience. I really wish I liked it, but due to it's absurd difficulty level (Medium), and frustrating controls, I couldn't. A MEDIOCRE game at best.
I confess; this game has some magic in it, but it could've been a lot more. It starts off quite nicely, in the Shire, introducing it's many habitants, and their way of life. It can be relaxing and surprisingly good to just walk around the place and explore it's surroundings. The lore is great, and it follows the book in a satisfying way, but the gameplay itself is the real problem in here... especially the combat, and it's COMPLETELY failed attempt of a stealth. It can be absolute hell to control Frodo in a fight, and less of a tragedy for the other characters, such as Gandalf and Aragorn. "Oh, but Frodo can't fight", I know he can't, but the gameplay is still trash all the same. The level design has some inspired segments, but the graphics themselves are not really that great to look at (and that's putting it mildly). By the end of 2001 (a year ago at that time), we already had games like Final Fantasy X and Shadow Hearts, so there's no excuse for such mediocrity from a respectable IP such as this one; you could feel the developer did put a certain small amount of passion in some aspects of this title though. I had some fun in it, but that's probably 'cause I just love the theme it's based, so I went in with all the patience in the world. Anyway; there are a lot of semi, or full RPG games out there in the PS2 market that would completely obliterate this guy, but do give it a try if you're a LOTR fan, or you'd just like to experience the Fellowship of the Ring story arc in a video-game. It is a BELOW AVERAGE game.
They all say Mortal Kombat 9 re-invented the fighting games with a proper storyline with actual cutscenes and character development, but more than ten years ago, DEF JAM Fight for NY had already done that, and before him, Vendetta. (Of course, Vendetta was not nearly as good, and well thought as Fight for NY, but it still tried, and delivered a prototype for an idea. The story picks up right after Vendetta, but you don't really have to play the previous game to get into this one, as they don't share many important plot-points. It took me around 5 hours to beat the campaign, and that includes me, shopping every time after a couple of fights. As a whole, the story mode is pretty satisfying, filled with fights and brutality among the characters. I do have only one problem with it, though, specifically during it's second half, as you have to re-take every turf back for Crow (Snoop Dogg, the villain), going up against your brothers for a pretty stupid reason if you ask me; it didn't have to go that way - it was poorly executed. The re-taking of the turfs fill another hour of gameplay, or so. This game is filled with content, and basically has almost everything a fighter title should; Plenty of stages, characters to choose, and a good variety of modes. There's also a fair incentive to replay the story mode, such as being able to try different mixes of fighting styles. DEF JAM Fight for NY was ahead of it's time, and it STILL holds up to this year and day; it's gameplay still rocks! It should satisfy your thirst for some bare-knuckled action. It is a GREAT game.
It doesn't have enough of the very popular rock, or metal, but it does have a handful of hidden gems to be discovered. I do respect this entry a lot, for it is the very first in the series, and creates a gameplay foundation so fun, challenging and iconic that still remains very influential these days. I wish, though, there was a way to make some extra cash with the bonus songs in the career mode, instead of repeating the base ones. I know, I know it's fun to repeat them, and eventually master them, but I'm just sayin' there's no reason to block income from bonus tracks. Having them pay us for playing them would actually encourage such attempts. The career mode is very simplistic, but functional and fun; it doesn't really feature any endings or cutscenes like future games, though. The unlockables are nothing special except for the bonus tracks you can unlock. Other than that, there are just cosmetics and new guitars and character, which is... nice. GUITAR HERO built something to be remembered, and eventually, upgraded into much better installments. I do recommend you give it a try; there are some fun songs to be "rock n' roll'd".
