Valkyria Chronicles is honestly a game that shouldn't be a game. I feel like it should be an anime that I could easily ignore, and the game itself want's to be an anime that should be easily ignored. Look, I wouldn't have a problem with the gameplay, if the game actually wanted to be played. But the problem is that it doesn't. Instead, it focuses on a love story that not only feels forced, but makes the Attack of the Clones feel shakespearean by comparison. All, that you need to know is this, after thirty minutes I decided to skip the story just to get to the game itself. The problem is that the game doesn't have any gameplay for about four hours or maybe more. I didn't bother to find out, as I couldn't take pressing "X" to watch the next scene anymore. Again, this is something that wanted to be an anime, but was released as a game. If you want to play a strategy RPG that is worth your time, play Disgea or Final Fantasy Tactics. This game is not worth your time, and it doesn't want to be. 1/10.
Silent Hill 2 has the best story a game has ever offered. I can honestly say that I have never cared as much about a games story as I have for Silent Hill 2's story. And I'm not much of a survivor horror fan, but this game knows how to make use the gameplay to perfection. Though, at times, I feel that the gameplay is the reason for why you will die, and that is my biggest problem with the game. Look, the game is worth playing though once for it's story. But I can't go back to it. It is the right way to do a survival horror game, but the gameplay will keep me from playing it ever again. 5/10
Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix is one the best HD collections ever released. The collections includes Kingdom Hearts 2 remix and Birth By Sleep remix. Games at the top of the series. Fans will be happy to learn that Kingdom Hearts 2 remix includes the Roxes fight, something that should have been added into the original release, along with several new optional boss fights that are both challenging and welcomed. Except maybe the Lingering Will fight. That will brake you in every way possible and isn't for the experienced player. If you're like me, when you finally beat him, you will hear yourself saying, "never again." This remake alone is worth the price of the collection. But than Birth By Sleep reminds you why innovation can be a good thing. Birth By Sleep has one of the most interesting idea's I've ever seen in a game. That idea being that you can combined two different magics and attacks, or a combination of the two, to create something new. And while Birth By Sleep isn't the first game to use this idea, it is by far a welcomed addition to the series. It is also something I hope to see return in any latter Kingdom Hearts game. The combat is smooth and the fact that you can see the story unfold from three different perspectives, with three different play styles and level designs was also a most welcomed addition to the series. I don't really know what was added to the remake, as I've only played a sort amount of the PSP version. I do know that the multiplayer was removed, and I can't tell if that's a good thing or not. However, it doesn't matter. Birth By Sleep took a chance and it payed off in it's favor. Sometimes a game will come along and become the best of it's receptive genera. Kingdom Hearts 2 is one of those games. And the remake is everything that Kingdom Hearts 2 is and more. It offers more story, more action and more adventure than in any previous entry. And Birth By Sleep is one of the best ports I have ever played. I will admit that there is a frame rate issue in both those games, but that's more of the PlayStation's 3 fault than anything else. If you own a PlayStation 3 and are looking for something to add to your collection, look no further than Kingdom Hearts 2 HD Remix. It's got everything fans want, and it has everything the series needs. 10/10
Kingdom Hearts is a series that has earned its way into the hearts of gamers. (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?) And this remake of the original game is a most welcome addition to the franchise. I'm not going to really get into the whole product, so much as I'm going to get into the only reason to buy this. That reason being the original Kingdom Hearts remake. But I'll touch on the other two things here and now. Chain of Memories is so badly crippled by it's gameplay, that it's virtually unplayable. Because of this I would recommend watching a play through before playing the game. The other thing in this collection is a movie made up of cinematic scenes from 358/2 and should only be watched if you care about a character from the second game. Other then that, it doesn't really ad to the story. Anyway, on to the reason for why you should buy this game. Kingdom Hearts. The game just makes me feel good. Yes the ending is bitter sweet, but the story is good if you're into Disney. The narrative follows a boy named Sora who is looking for his friends, with the help of Donald and Goofy. Along the way the three of them embark on an epic adventure that spans many worlds. Meeting and befriending characters from both the Disney and Final Fantasy universes. The game also has it's own unique art style that plays to the strengths of the previous mentioned franchisees. But where this game really shines is it's gameplay. The genera is an action RPG with the effervescence being on "actions." Forgoing the normal turn based system in most RPG's of it's time, for more a beat'em up feel. This game still had a standard level system, the more enemies you fight and defeat in battle, the more powerful Sora and company will become. Sora has a lot of unique weapon designs, but that's the only piece of equipment that will change shape, size and color. The normal enemies in this game (or heartless if you want) are variant in both appearance and behavior. Though, once you understand how they will act, they don't really offer much of a challenge. Unless you play on a higher difficulty. In which case, don't let the enemy attack ever. But if you want to talk about combat then you have to talk about the boss fights. Or to be more specific the secret boss fights. I can honestly say that I've never had as much of a challenge with a boss as I did with The Unknown boss fight. Though he did have one attack that was a little too broken for it's own good. But the Sephiroth boss fight was also something that I enjoyed. Both of which have their own style of fighting that keeps the player constantly on his feet. All in all, I could go on all day about Kingdom Hearts and everything it has to offer. It built a franchise that is still going strong today. It has one of the strongest follower base today, and for good reason. Kingdom Hearts is perfectly in its designed, and executed flawlessly. The Remake is that game with more to offer. The only problem is that it's on the PlayStation 3, which will cause some frame-rate issues. Oh and it feels like it takes forever to loads things at times. But that's just a general problem with the PlayStation 3. If you own a PlayStation 3, then you owe it to yourself to buy this game. 8/10
Rain is a beautiful looking game. Sadly, that's about all that stands out. I get where the creators where going, but the problem isn't that the creators didn't have a vision, it's that they didn't have much of one. The game followers the story of a boy and girl trying escape a maze and variant monsters. Not the least of which is something called the unknown which shows up constantly. Every level feels like it's own puzzle, but there isn't much variety in that area either. But, for an indy game that doesn't overstay it's welcome, it's to be expected. A problem I had with this game is that the game will sometimes show you the story but then explains the action. Words will appear, and by the time you notice them, they would have already left. Which causes another problem all together, because most of the story is told to you through those words. It didn't succeed in making me interesting in what was going on in the game. If anything it only made me want to finish this game just so I could put it behind me. The major problem this game suffers, is that it is too eager to hold the players hand. The game will constantly ask to give you hints, not because you don't know what to do, but because you didn't do it fast enough. The first play through had nothing to collect, and the second play through just ins't worth it. I'm not saying that the developers didn't make a good running game, so much as they made a monotonous game. All in all, the idea of being an invisible person that can only be seen in the rain sound nice on paper, but that's really all the game has going for it. For all intensive purposes the game is just boring. The game runs well, but there isn't much going on for the game to stand out. By every meaning of the word, Rain is just average. 5/10
If you're looking for a game that is both creepy and unsettling, look no further then the Silent Hill series. Every game has something unique to offer to the series and Homecoming is no different. Offering a new combat system and streamlined controls. Throwing away tank controls does do some harm to the atmosphere the game is trying to create, but there are still genuine creepy moments. Make no mistake, running away from a fight is still your best option, when you can take it. Most of the monsters are no push over, and down right ferocious. If giving the chance they will kill Alex without any problem. The boss fights, on the other hand, where disappointing and offered little to no challenge at all. Including the final boss, which only succeeds in being disgusting. The story isn't the strongest the series has to offer, but for what it is, it's good. And if you've played Silent Hill 2, you should be able to figure out the twist at the end. Though, a lot of the characters needed more time to develop. We barely learn anything about the antagonists of the game, and there are even two throw away characters that only exist to move the story forward. And really Pyramid Head had no reason being in the game. He was only there to remind the player of Silent Hill 2. Still, as a character study, it works. The game only wishes to focus on Alex's quest to find his brother, and that's mainly what the game focuses on. The game looks scary in it's own way, in that the eyes on character models don't always match up with where they are looking. But the fog from previous games is still there and it does help to create an atmosphere that can at times be unsettling. There are also two different kinds of settings in the game. There is the normal world and the hell world. The normal world is the foggy city we've all come to know and understand. The hell world is something taking right out of an H. P. Lovecraft novel, and I like it. The difference between the two couldn't contrast more than it does. And the game loves to switch between them constantly, bringing a caution with every building you enter. In the end, if you enjoy the visuals of Silent Hill then you will enjoy the way this game looks. Silent Hill: Homecoming is a somewhat underrated game. It's controls are a much needed improvement for the series, allowing a much wider audience to join in to the experience of the series.
The last of us is okay. It isn't by any means bad, but neither is it any good. Everything about this game is just middle of the road. The combat could have used some tweaking, as the guns are completely useless and I would have liked an option to not use melee weapons and save them on other specific enemies as apposed to whoever comes close enough for me to use it. As for the multi-player, avoid it at all costs. It's just tacked on and was added as a selling point rather then being something fun to play. The story was predictable and I didn't really care for any of the characters except for Joel. Yes, I know that the developers didn't want anyone to like him, but he's the only person who made sense to me in the game. All in all, I don't think the game is deserving of any of the awards it got and it hasn't earned it's place on my shelf. 6/10.
I've played enough of Remember Me to give you my verdict on the game. It's bad in every sense of the word. The combat is boring and repetitive. Combos will drop for no reason what so ever. The platforming is a joke. The story is too artsy fartsy for its own good. The graphics are decent, but I wouldn't say that they stand out in any way. All in all, the game feels like it's trying to be Mirrors Edge. Only it isn't fun to play and the story is somehow worse. I give the game a 3/10. A complete waist of time.
