Mass Effect
ESRB Rating:M
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Mass Effect, there are many, many, MANY reviews of it online already, but hey, I have to make blog entries anyway, so why not add my 2 cents to the mix?
The best way I can sum this up is that I have played for about 4 hours, and even now the fact that I am sitting here at work and not playing fills me with a rage that I fear will lead to a brain aneurysm. The game is awesome, the conversation system is everything it is promised to be, and I care about discovering the story, not just getting to the next group of npcs that I need to shoot in the face.
The annoying technical issues mentioned in other reviews are a bit of a distraction, but they pale with the high quality of voice acting, story, and "world" elements that draw you into the game. I care about the people I talk to, and want to hear their stories, from the floating jellyfish prophet, to the hazard suited ammonia breathing banker.
One thing that really impressed me is that Bioware took pains to include humans from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities in the story, not just White North American types, and even more impressive, these ethnic groups are people, not cardboard caricatures.
Combat is a bit of a trick to learn at first, but once you understand the "rules" then it becomes a fairly simple process.
This game was everything I had hoped it would be, and I give it my highest rating, one galactic singularity of mass up!
We don't have it in quite yet at the library, but we do have it on order. You can put a hold on it through our online catalogue. No holds on it when I wrote this, so be first in line to get this great game.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
ESRB Rating:M
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Sam Fisher continues his adventures in this third installment of the infiltration Splinter Cell Series.
This review pertains to the xbox360 version, which I have played. There are actually two versions of this game, with the Xbox360, Playstation 3 and PC versions differing significantly from the Playstation 2,Xbox, Gamecube and Wii version.
Plot wise, Sam Fisher is infiltrating a domestic terrorist Cell after the death of his daughter who is killed by a drunk driver. Don't want to reveal too much, so moving on to gameplay.
The game is beautiful, with well thought out levels that provide good background and many options when sneaking around.
I found the game fairly difficult, even on the "Easy" setting, this is definitely for gamers who really enjoy the subtle approach, if shooting is more your thing, try HALO or Call of Duty series.
Parents, this game is NOT for kids, or even younger teens. IT is rated M for the violence, and there is a lot of violence, including a fairly disturbing scene where you have a choice of executing a prisoner, who has been severely beaten. There is a moral choice there, but it is for a more mature crowd.
While this is not my kind of game, it is well done, and worth checking out if you like spying and sneaking.
I give it 4 nightvision visors!
Gears of War
ESRB Rating:M
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Well this game is older so most of you probably know about it, but for those who don't as well as parents checking things over for their kids here is my review:
Gears of War is a fairly straightforward shooter with one special "twist": Cover is vital in this game. If you aren't in cover you die, quickly. This is not a last minute addition, but the levels, controls and gameplay are designed around this feature. This makes for a more tactical slant to fights, especially as you have a squad of friends to back you up during fights.
Graphically the game shows off what the Xbox360 is capable of, with great looking character models and environments to fight through.
The boss fights are imaginative and different, leading to memorable encounters.
The voice acting and portrayals of the characters is also well done, with my favourite being Augustus Cole, aka "The Cole Train", who has some of the best dialogue lines.
The plot leaves something to be desired, with some very inexplicable moments; "Why are we doing this? Who is this guy? WHATS GOING ON?" were some of the things shouted at my TV screen while playing through. This was something of a distraction for me as it was jarring to just end up in a place for no reason whatsoever.
This game is definitely not for kids, there is a lot of blood and gore, as well as some very harsh language. Parents, you have been warned, sorry kids.
I give it 5 Gears for technical aspects, but 2 for somewhat incomprehensible story.
Bioshock
ESRB rating:M
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Welcome to Rapture! The freaky underwater Art-deco "Utopia" that is now filled with a horde of mutant "splicers" flying death helicopter-bots and enough "Big Daddies" to make you quake in fear.
I have put about 16 hours into this game since I got it on Tuesday and it lived up to all the hype and expectation (on the Xbox360 at least.)
The atmosphere is great, the art-deco Ayn Rand inspired world of Rapture is done to such high quality and with attention to detail that you lose yourself in it. The constant loudspeaker announcements and the audio diaries you find throughout bring creepy audio to match the visuals. My favorite so far is an engineer telling a doctor to heat his pipes, the idiom and use of language is amazing.
The story is really enjoyable with a couple of really good twists. I won't even hint at what they are, but trust me, it is really, er, well, twisted!
So, if you haven't bought this game yet, borrow it from us.
(Sadly we haven't received it with the first load of Adult games, but hopefully soon, keep checking the catalogue!)
5 out of 5 Big Daddies.
Dead Rising
ESRB Rating:M
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Dead Rising, the story of a reporter Frank "I've covered wars" West and a mall brimming with zombies. This was the game that convinced me to buy my first Xbox360, and kept me coming back despite multiple RROD.
The great thing about this game is fighting zombies, with anything you can find in a mall. Want to stab them with a knife? Bah! Uncreative! Instead stick a painting over their head and smash them with a guitar.
The story is pretty good, with enough mini-boss fights and objectives to break up the zombie slaughter. In fact you don't actually need to kill any zombies, you can wait out the three days of the games timer in the security room waiting for rescue if you like.
The save system is a concern for some people, as you only have one save and the mission timer, requiring you to be at certain places by certain times means you can save and leave yourself with not enough time to get to the next mission. I personally did not have a problem with this, as you can restart the game at the same experience level and try again, but it could get frustrating if you have progressed far in the game and have to start from the beginning.
A warning, if you do not have a big screen TV prepare for some eye strain as you try and make out the tiny tiny text.
I give this game 4 zombies out of 5.
Here it is! Our first games review from you the public! Just click the "Submit Review" button to the right and you too could be sharing your opinion with all and sundry!
First Name (ONLY): Jacqueline
Type of Review: Game
Intended Audience: Teens
Title: simpsons road rage
Your Rating: *** Recommended
GC, PS2, xBox?: xBox
Your Review: It was a fun game! i beat my sister badly at it! I've played it before when i was little at my friends house and i loved playing it again!
Lost Planet:Extreme Condition
ESRB Rating:
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As we have new Xbox360 games in the catalogue, I figure I would review one to build the excitement! Woo! Party!
Ahem, anyhow, this game has one of the silliest premises I have ever encountered in my many many MANY years of gaming. It revolves around the frozen world of E.D.N. III, oh the irony of naming a frozen wasteland Eden! Earth has suffered ecological collapse, apparently badly enough to make frozen death worlds seem like a good real estate investment. The kicker is this world is infested with horrid bug monsters who want to eat us! That's bad! But the bugs contain a delicious oil-like substance that can power our machinery! That’s good! So we decide to move in! Hooray for humanity! Then one of the giant bugs kills your father and you swear revenge! Like I said, silly.
Graphically the game is beautiful, with gorgeous snowscapes and creepy giant bugs to fight. The third person behind the shoulder views make navigation of the world relatively easy.
The controls are adequate if not stellar, and game play is fairly standard for a shooter, with some annoying grappling hook puzzles to solve thrown in.
All in all I give this game 2 giant bugs for silly story, but 3 for game play.
Katamari Damacy
ESRB Rating: E
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This is perhaps the strangest game ever thought up in the fevered dreams of the mad Japanese. Most great works are the product of madness however, and Katamari Damacy is definitely a great work.
What you do with this game is roll a ball that picks things up, making the ball bigger, until you run out of time, at which point if it is large enough your dear old dad, the King of All Cosmos, will turn it into a star to replace one of the ones he destroyed while, ahem, "Happy".
The quirkiness of this title is what makes it great, the description of "rolling stuff up" does not do justice to the "up till 3am" fun of this game. The vast range of items to roll up, well designed play mechanics and, cartoonish atmosphere, amazing soundtrack, not to mention delightfully bizzaro cut scenes, make this a game everyone should play at least once.
I give it my highest rating yet, 5 thumbs up, and 10 rolled up balls of stuff!
Harvest Moon:A Wonderful Life
Playstation 2, Gamecube
ESRB Rating:E
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In a medium dominated with games about driving cars, beating people up, chomping on mushrooms to grow big, this game allows you to be...a farmer!
It is a lot better than I make it sound, you inherit a farm and have to run it, improve it, and help out the townspeople in the various small tasks that they need done to make their electronic lives better.
It is surprisingly addictive, with the player having to carefully manage their budget, decide on which aspects of the farm to improve, and what tasks they need to prioritize in order to make the most money.
In addition to all of this, there are several women around town that you can chase and convince to marry you! Pick the right things to brib...er,GIFT them with, and you too can live the exciting, fantastical life of a married farmer.
This game is totally non-violent, and is a great way to introduce your children to simple management ideas.
I give it a solid 4 cows of goodness.
Well, this game is a beat 'em up in the same vein as Dynasty Warriors. I haven't played it yet, but I hear good things.
Here is the Gamespot review: Devil Kings for PS2