jqm78

As an "O.G." Castlevania fan, (I'm 36 and I've played virtually all of them since the original NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, PS2 and the phenomenal DS titles) I can honestly say that Castlevania has finally made a successful jump to the 3-D playing field, I hope we continue to get more of these games (Some 2-D games like the DS titles would be great too). Overall, LOS 2 is a great game. Lots of upgrades to attain, lots of action to be enjoyed (some epic boss battles). Ignore the critics and even the developer who've given this game negative reviews. If you enjoyed the first game, you'll certainly enjoy this one. The "stealth" parts that many critics are complaining about is nothing to be concerned about, as the stealth portions mostly have you transforming into a rat and finding ways to get around stronger enemies. The stealth parts are also quite few and far between, so it's nothing that really throws off the continuity of the game. Graphics are on par with the best of the best last-gen titles and sound is quite memorable and fitting for the environments. One of the few negatives in my opinion is there's a specific upgrade (I won't mention which one, but you'll figure it out once you play) that takes too long to attain. You won't really need it earlier in the game, but it would have been nice to have earlier than the game decides to give it to you.

So I've been looking for reviews on this game for Vita and couldn't find a single one. I'm guessing Activision didn't send out any review copies to websites. I finally decided to buy the game, since I love my Vita and prefer portable gaming to console.... I wasn't disappointed. ASM is simply a port of the console game that came out earlier this year. For some reason, the graphics have taken a major dip, though. After seeing Killzone Mercenary, we all know what kind of graphics the Vita is capable of. So it's a mystery to me why it looks so bad. They're not horrible, but it really looks like a PSP game in comparison to what we've come to expect on the VIta. The framerate has issues as well, but all together, it's easy to look past, since the game is fun. ASM is an open-world game, like GTA or even more so like Infamous or Prototype. It follows the same type of layout that those games have. You upgrade Spider Man by accomplishing tasks and the story and you have an entire city to explore. For Trophy hunters, this is a GREAT game. There's alot to do and collect. As a trophy guy myself, I can see this staying in my Vita for quite some time. Bottom line... If you can look past the graphical issues and have not yet played ASM on the consoles and you liked inFamous or Prototype, definitely check this out, especially if you want something like said games on-the-go.

Great Game for the 3DS.... Great Game OVERALL! Graphics are amazing and could be mistaken for an Xbox 360 or PS3 game.. Playing the game in 3D is a joy, but there will be alot of "ghosting", which can be easily ignored.. It's also budget priced, with a current msrp of 19.99, this game is a great deal that will provide hours of entertainment. Difficulty is high when you start playing, but once you get the hang of it and earn power ups and extra lives, it becomes almost easy. Moving your ship in order to avoid projectiles is the key to this game, once you get the feel for it, you'll be able to move and shoot your enemies with ease. Personally, while I firmly believe this is a great game for the price, if you have a Gamefly account, you might want to rent it first, as it can be finished fairly easily, once you get a handle on the games learning curve. I'd say it's definitely in the top 5 3DS games available, and would be a great addition to new 3DS owners, as it really shows of the systems power.

@Santaglaus: You should not be reviewing games on Metacritic. If you're going to give a game a 10, there should be no complaints whatsoever, yet in your review, which is fairly short, you go on to complain half the time about the game and you cannot spell! A 10/10 game is flawless, RE: Mercenaries is not flawless...... you even say so yourself. Please stay off of Metacritic. It's ignorant people like you who destroy the credibility of game reviews here on metacritic. Oh, and BTW, the game is OK. I gave it a 6 / 10, which is being generous. No touchscreen first person shooter controls on a touchscreen centered gaming system?! WTF?! This game should really not have even been released as a stand - alone $40 MSRP game. It should have been an add-on or a Downloadable title in it's current iteration. Don't even get me started on the Saving debacle associated with this game..... I won't go there because plenty of us already know what kind of crap that whole thing turned out to be. Hopefully Capcom won't pull that BS anymore. Overall though, for what it's worth, it's an OK game and suits "on - the - go" portable gaming well. It should have been a DLC game though and not a full retail release.

Yawwwwn!! Wow, what is this? L.A. Noire had so much potential, but ends up being a snore-fest. It makes me really miss Red Dead Redemption. The graphics are amazing, yes. Everything else though is Linear and boring. Not to mention that the controls are terribly sluggish and "clunky". I'm really disappointed. I guess for what it is, L.A. Noire is pretty good, just don't expect anything nearly as engaging and entertaining as Red Dead Redemption or GTA, for that matter. If anything, I hope that the graphics and the facial animation tech gets adopted for future games and if they make more of this game in the way of sequels, they come up with a way to keep me from falling asleep at the wheel (which I literally did a few times while playing this game!)

Sounds like the developers caught wind of the poor review and decided to make their own to up the score, much like what has been done here on metacritic to raise review scores. Devoting entire user reviews to try and discredit a user review is pathetic. If your game ****, it ****. And I, as a consumer and a long time gamer (27 years) have the right to voice my opinion, as does everyone on the web. If's sad that developers and publishers come on to metacritic and review their own games. Next time, make a good game and you won't have to defend this garbage..... Stay away, this game is NOT fun... it's more like a chore. There's way better games coming out that will provide a challenge and entertainment.

I've played through Okami. It was a fantastic game from start to finish. But Okamiden is an Exceptional game overall, possibly one of the best action-RPGs ever. I'm not going to spend too much time comparing games, but I will say this, being able to use the stylus as opposed to a Dual Shock 2 or a Wii-mote, makes this game so much more accessible. As you can imagine, the use of the 'celestial brush' is the center of this game. So naturally, being able to use the stylus on the bottom screen of the DS is great. Slashing through enemies, creating whirlwinds, Bombs, Firebursts, etc. make the action oriented combat of this game a blast. Okamiden is kinda like Ninja Gaiden DS, The World ends with you, and both of the Zelda DS titles, all wrapped into one game! If you liked any of those games, go buy Okamiden NOW! For a game on the DS, it's one of the top five, and most likely will make the top 25 on many GOTY lists for 2011 The only gripe I have with the game is actually my favorite part of the game, the stylus. Once in a while when you draw something, it does not register properly, so there's a few times where you'll get killed, so try to stay neat and "color in the lines!" As for the graphics, they are outstanding as always. The Story is immersive and engaging, and will last you upwards of 40 hours. A definite buy, especially since it's MSRP is only 29.99 U.S. A fantastic game overall and a fine "swan song" for the Nintendo DS as we enter the 3DS era!