Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
New review is up!
After several years away, I managed to write out a new review and post it to GameFAQs. The interface has changed quite a bit since the last time I wrote a review and now allows pictures and formatting but I had already finished it before realizing this. Irregardless, if you're curious how RPG Maker MV plays on PS4, feel free to check out my new review on GameFAQs! I'm not sure if this is a return to form but it's definitely been a while!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Pac-Man World 2/Pac-Man Vs. Review for the Gamecube
Anyone can tell you who Pac-Man is. Pac-Man was the undisputed king of games in the early eighties. He not only revolutionized gaming, he created a brand new genre and went down in history as one of the most revolutionary games of all time. Pretty much every gamer has fond memories of eating yellow dots and avoiding ghosts. However, times have changed and gaming is no longer the same as the days of the arcades. The real question is as follows: how does Pac-Man stand up in the current generation? The short answer? Pretty good, though don't expect any more revolutions out of this one.
Pac-Man World 2 is not your father's Pac-Man game. When I read the box, I was surprised to find that Pac-Man was no longer chomping up edible dots in mazes anymore but rather staring in his on 3D platformer. Does Pac-Man make the transition well? Yes, but like I said earlier, there's nothing in this game that will revolutionize the industry again. What it does do, however, is blend classic Pac-Man with the style you'll see in newer Mario/Sonic style games. And it manages to do a good job at that. Plus with some goodies like unlockable arcade games and (if you've got yourself a copy of the Player's Choice edition) Pac-Man Vs, this game will keep you occupied for a good while.
The graphics are between good and mediocre. Nothing really shines in this game, but the colors are well done and the envoriments are well put together, which set the mood pretty well. Then again, it's based on a game where the main character was 3/4 of a circle so to see it come this far is pretty neat, though compared to other games on the Gamecube, there's nothing out there to set it apart.
Most of the games sounds come from the 80s arcade game, though there are a few exceptions. Pretty much anything you could do in the old games that you can do in this one retains it's old sound (eating dots, power pellets, ghosts turning blue, etc.). It's mostly for nostalgia, but I couldn't imagine it being any other way. The new sounds accurately describe the action you're doing, though some can get annoying after a while (I find myself growing tired of the Tom Tom Butt Bounce sound after so long). The music's pretty much the same story: overall they're great pieces, though some will really wear on you after playing for a good amount of time.
The story is pretty mediocre to sub-par. Those miscreant ghosts manage to sneak into Pac-Village at night and steal the mystic gold fruit off of the village tree, which somehow awakens an ancient demon sealed by the fruit. Promising to eradicate the Pac-People, the ghosts follow "Spooky", each taking a fruit. Pac-Man, awaking from his slumber, hears the plight from Professor Pac and decides to save the world from Spooky. Nothing epic but this is a platformer, so it's pretty average.
Again, the real question however is how does the game play? I think the game's a blast, though you won't find anything totally new if you're a platformer buff. The game combines classic Pac-Man with the 3D platformer genre with pretty good results. You explore 3D worlds, collecting fruit, tokens and Pac-Dots, attempting to reach the end. Each level can be accessed through the world map, which you unlock more of by playing through levels. After every three levels, you face a boss and move to another world with a different theme. Like I said, nothing revolutionary but is it fun?
Yes. Yes it is. The worlds each keep a central theme, but manage to mix it up enough to keep it interesting. Throughout each world, there's a number of hidden fruit (which will pop up if you manage to find all of a certain kind), as well as a number of Pac-Dots. Though a lot of these are out in the open, you may have to do some searching to find all of them for a 100% rating. In this way, it still keeps a classic Pac-Man feel to it, while keeping you interested and playing for a while (though it's pretty hard to get to 100%). Also hidden in the game are tokens, which by collecting certain amounts unlock various tidbits, including FOUR classic Pac-Man games: Pac-Man, Pac-Attack, Pac-Mania and Ms. Pac-Man. Though it can take a while to unlock them, the fact that they went through the trouble to put the classics in the game is a really cool feature and almost worth the price of the game alone.
Pac-Man is given few abilities to explore and kill enemies (though the ghosts have to be killed the old fashioned way: Power Pellets and eat them), though they're useful and it's somewhat nice not to be bogged down with useless abilities. He has the Rev Roll (which lets him fly up ramps) and the Butt Bounce (which smashes crates and heads alike). Although you don't learn any later, there aren't any points where you feel like you need any.
One of the things I dislike about this game is the way they baby you through. Although the game is heavily geared towards the older generation who grew up with him, the game practically tells you what to do for most of it. Heck, even the instruction manual explains what a "level" means in gaming. Though you expect most games to do this in the beginning so you get the hang of it, there are instances of it thoughout the game and it almost feels insulting to the platformer lover. It may be good if you're new to the genre, though the game is a tad difficult for those who are new. Even so, walking into the boss and having Pac-Man detail the steps to beating it is a bit on the annoying side.
Another thing that can be disappointing is the length. If you're going for 100%, it'll be quite the trip but if you don't feel like taking out a magnifing glass and detailing every level, this game can be beaten in a matter of hours. It's length is more in the exploration you have to do to 100% the game, which will keep you coming back to this game, though if you're not much of an explorer/collector, you may not get the most from this game.
As an added bonus, if you're purchasing the Player's Choice edition of the game, you'll get Pac-Man Vs bundled in free. It's pretty much the same Pac-Man you know with a twist: your friends play as the ghosts! You have to have a GBA and a link cable to do it, but it's an absolute blast. One person plays as Pac-Man on the GBA in classic maze style, while up to three people can play as the ghosts in a clouded 3D version of the maze. If one of the ghosts happens to catch Pac-Man, the players trade off who plays as Pac-Man until you reach a certain amount of points. Plus it's all narrarated by the man himself: Mario! This game is a blast and will keep you and your friends entertained.
Overall, I recommend this game to any fan of Platformers, even if you've been skipping out on the newer games. It may not be the newest, biggest, baddest kid on the block but it's worth the money, if nothing else, for the four classic games and Pac-Man Vs. It may feel anachronistic at times, but it'll keep you entertained.
Pac-Man World 2 is not your father's Pac-Man game. When I read the box, I was surprised to find that Pac-Man was no longer chomping up edible dots in mazes anymore but rather staring in his on 3D platformer. Does Pac-Man make the transition well? Yes, but like I said earlier, there's nothing in this game that will revolutionize the industry again. What it does do, however, is blend classic Pac-Man with the style you'll see in newer Mario/Sonic style games. And it manages to do a good job at that. Plus with some goodies like unlockable arcade games and (if you've got yourself a copy of the Player's Choice edition) Pac-Man Vs, this game will keep you occupied for a good while.
The graphics are between good and mediocre. Nothing really shines in this game, but the colors are well done and the envoriments are well put together, which set the mood pretty well. Then again, it's based on a game where the main character was 3/4 of a circle so to see it come this far is pretty neat, though compared to other games on the Gamecube, there's nothing out there to set it apart.
Most of the games sounds come from the 80s arcade game, though there are a few exceptions. Pretty much anything you could do in the old games that you can do in this one retains it's old sound (eating dots, power pellets, ghosts turning blue, etc.). It's mostly for nostalgia, but I couldn't imagine it being any other way. The new sounds accurately describe the action you're doing, though some can get annoying after a while (I find myself growing tired of the Tom Tom Butt Bounce sound after so long). The music's pretty much the same story: overall they're great pieces, though some will really wear on you after playing for a good amount of time.
The story is pretty mediocre to sub-par. Those miscreant ghosts manage to sneak into Pac-Village at night and steal the mystic gold fruit off of the village tree, which somehow awakens an ancient demon sealed by the fruit. Promising to eradicate the Pac-People, the ghosts follow "Spooky", each taking a fruit. Pac-Man, awaking from his slumber, hears the plight from Professor Pac and decides to save the world from Spooky. Nothing epic but this is a platformer, so it's pretty average.
Again, the real question however is how does the game play? I think the game's a blast, though you won't find anything totally new if you're a platformer buff. The game combines classic Pac-Man with the 3D platformer genre with pretty good results. You explore 3D worlds, collecting fruit, tokens and Pac-Dots, attempting to reach the end. Each level can be accessed through the world map, which you unlock more of by playing through levels. After every three levels, you face a boss and move to another world with a different theme. Like I said, nothing revolutionary but is it fun?
Yes. Yes it is. The worlds each keep a central theme, but manage to mix it up enough to keep it interesting. Throughout each world, there's a number of hidden fruit (which will pop up if you manage to find all of a certain kind), as well as a number of Pac-Dots. Though a lot of these are out in the open, you may have to do some searching to find all of them for a 100% rating. In this way, it still keeps a classic Pac-Man feel to it, while keeping you interested and playing for a while (though it's pretty hard to get to 100%). Also hidden in the game are tokens, which by collecting certain amounts unlock various tidbits, including FOUR classic Pac-Man games: Pac-Man, Pac-Attack, Pac-Mania and Ms. Pac-Man. Though it can take a while to unlock them, the fact that they went through the trouble to put the classics in the game is a really cool feature and almost worth the price of the game alone.
Pac-Man is given few abilities to explore and kill enemies (though the ghosts have to be killed the old fashioned way: Power Pellets and eat them), though they're useful and it's somewhat nice not to be bogged down with useless abilities. He has the Rev Roll (which lets him fly up ramps) and the Butt Bounce (which smashes crates and heads alike). Although you don't learn any later, there aren't any points where you feel like you need any.
One of the things I dislike about this game is the way they baby you through. Although the game is heavily geared towards the older generation who grew up with him, the game practically tells you what to do for most of it. Heck, even the instruction manual explains what a "level" means in gaming. Though you expect most games to do this in the beginning so you get the hang of it, there are instances of it thoughout the game and it almost feels insulting to the platformer lover. It may be good if you're new to the genre, though the game is a tad difficult for those who are new. Even so, walking into the boss and having Pac-Man detail the steps to beating it is a bit on the annoying side.
Another thing that can be disappointing is the length. If you're going for 100%, it'll be quite the trip but if you don't feel like taking out a magnifing glass and detailing every level, this game can be beaten in a matter of hours. It's length is more in the exploration you have to do to 100% the game, which will keep you coming back to this game, though if you're not much of an explorer/collector, you may not get the most from this game.
As an added bonus, if you're purchasing the Player's Choice edition of the game, you'll get Pac-Man Vs bundled in free. It's pretty much the same Pac-Man you know with a twist: your friends play as the ghosts! You have to have a GBA and a link cable to do it, but it's an absolute blast. One person plays as Pac-Man on the GBA in classic maze style, while up to three people can play as the ghosts in a clouded 3D version of the maze. If one of the ghosts happens to catch Pac-Man, the players trade off who plays as Pac-Man until you reach a certain amount of points. Plus it's all narrarated by the man himself: Mario! This game is a blast and will keep you and your friends entertained.
Overall, I recommend this game to any fan of Platformers, even if you've been skipping out on the newer games. It may not be the newest, biggest, baddest kid on the block but it's worth the money, if nothing else, for the four classic games and Pac-Man Vs. It may feel anachronistic at times, but it'll keep you entertained.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
My Pokemon Ranch Review
My last post talked about the impact and memories that Pokemon creates. This one is an official review for the Wiiware 'game': My Pokemon Ranch! It is available for download on the Wiiware section of the Wii Shop Channel for 1000 points.
First of all, I want to say that for all of you out there who are looking for a fun new Pokemon game to try or you're first starting on Pokemon, this game is not for you. If you don't happen to have a copy of Pokemon Diamond or Pearl (not Platinum as of this blog the Platinum patch hasn't come out yet in English), then don't bother with this game.
My Pokemon Ranch is Generation IV's Pokemon storage application, similar to how Pokemon Box was for Generation III and Pokemon Stadium 2 was for Generation I and II. However, this time around, they've changed a few things. Some for the better, some for the worst. The storage apps for the previous three generations have been predominately for storing Pokemon only, having little to no gameplay (with Gen I & II's only being an addition to the main game). This time around, they tried to make it more of a video game than before. This makes it a little bit more fun.
You start off with a small ranch owned by Hayley, your main contact in this game. Her dream is to fill the ranch with tons of Pokemon to play with. She'll bring one a day, which at the end of your play session she will give you a vague description of and ask if you'd like that one. You can answer no, prompting her to describe another Pokemon and if you say no again she'll automatically pick one herself. You can then add up to 5 Miis to help Hayley tend to the ranch and play with the Pokemon. The ranch starts off small, holding only 20 Pokemon, but once you hit a certain number of pokemon, you'll prompt Hayley to upgrade the ranch, which takes a day to do. Once the ranch as upgraded, the number of Pokemon it can hold increases as well as certain other benefits (such as getting a number of toys per day, more miis can tend to the ranch). This will continue until you reach the max ranch level and can deposit 1000 Pokemon.
The ranch is somewhat boring and is more like a screensaver than anything else. Once you unlock Free Mode, you can move Pokemon and Miis around as you please, dragging them to other Pokemon and toys. Otherwise, you'll be limited to watching them wander around on their own. Every now and then, the Pokemon on the ranch will all pose together. You can take pictures of the Pokemon, your Miis, pretty much whatever you're watching at the time and send them to your friends, which is pretty cool. However, this is about all you can do if you're only playing on Wii. Although the interactions can be somewhat humerous at times, it's rather boring on its own. Still, watching Groudon use Earthquake every 2 seconds and constantly make the Miis and Pokemon around him 'faint' is rather amusing. Keep in mind though that if you don't have a DS, this is what you are limited to.
The main reason for this game is the DS connectivity. If you have a copy of Pokemon Diamond or Pearl, you can link up to this game and deposit Pokemon. As of this writing, Platinum is not compatible with My Pokemon Ranch, although there is a patch if you're living in Japan. Unfortunately, My Pokemon Ranch contains one colossal error: any Pokemon deposited by your DS game can only be withdrawn by the same copy of the game. That means if you want to start over, you better have some trustworthy friends with lots of box space. I seriously don't understand why they would limit this, as the previous storage applications were used predominately by people starting over. But, regardless, the game does have many perks.
By connecting your DS to My Pokemon Ranch, you can deposit your Pokemon to live on the ranch, which will then be converted into the Mii-like Pokemon that wander around the ranch. You can play with them and watch them the same way you can with Hayley's Pokemon. It's great if you need the extra storage. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Whenever you connect your DS, it autoreads your Pokedex and saves the information. It then posts three Pokemon on the BBS: a board that contains Pokemon Hayley wants you to transfer over from Diamond or Pearl. They're always Pokemon you have yet to obtain and by clicking on their wanted ad on the BBS, it will show you exactly where and when you can get these Pokemon. For any Pokemon with additional tricks to catching it, it will explain them to you. This is an incredible addition and really helps give you the drive to complete your Pokedex. It also tells you how your Pokedex is filling out since the last time you connected. Plus, if you have more than one copy of Diamond or Pearl, it will do the same for that copy as well, although it will only put one more wanted ad up for that copy. Be forewarned though, posting Pokemon for another game will result in Hayley chewing you out.
Also, if Hayley happens to have brought certain Pokemon to the ranch, whenever you complete a wanted ad, she'll offer to trade you for that pokemon. Sometimes the trades are completely ridiculous (Gible for Pikachu), but if you decline, she'll keep the Pokemon and the next time you complete a wanted ad, she'll offer the same Pokemon to you for the new one you just deposited. Two of these Pokemon are ones you'll only ever be able to get from events (or Ranger): Phione and Mew. Yes, that's right, after 10 years you can finally get a fully legit Mew outside of events!
The graphics, for those that care, are similar to Mii's. They're small, cartoony versions of the Pokemon you've caught and uploaded to My Pokemon Ranch. Plus, it keeps all variants your Pokemon may have (Shiny, M/F, Rotom Forms, etc).
Overall, I think this game is pretty cool. If you've got Diamond and Pearl, pick it up and check it out, if nothing else, to complete your Pokedex and get Mew. For those of you Wii players out there who want a Pokemon game to play, this is not for you. If you have Platinum, be forwarned, this game is not compatible. For those who want to deposit all their Pokemon and start over, sorry but this one's not for you.
First of all, I want to say that for all of you out there who are looking for a fun new Pokemon game to try or you're first starting on Pokemon, this game is not for you. If you don't happen to have a copy of Pokemon Diamond or Pearl (not Platinum as of this blog the Platinum patch hasn't come out yet in English), then don't bother with this game.
My Pokemon Ranch is Generation IV's Pokemon storage application, similar to how Pokemon Box was for Generation III and Pokemon Stadium 2 was for Generation I and II. However, this time around, they've changed a few things. Some for the better, some for the worst. The storage apps for the previous three generations have been predominately for storing Pokemon only, having little to no gameplay (with Gen I & II's only being an addition to the main game). This time around, they tried to make it more of a video game than before. This makes it a little bit more fun.
You start off with a small ranch owned by Hayley, your main contact in this game. Her dream is to fill the ranch with tons of Pokemon to play with. She'll bring one a day, which at the end of your play session she will give you a vague description of and ask if you'd like that one. You can answer no, prompting her to describe another Pokemon and if you say no again she'll automatically pick one herself. You can then add up to 5 Miis to help Hayley tend to the ranch and play with the Pokemon. The ranch starts off small, holding only 20 Pokemon, but once you hit a certain number of pokemon, you'll prompt Hayley to upgrade the ranch, which takes a day to do. Once the ranch as upgraded, the number of Pokemon it can hold increases as well as certain other benefits (such as getting a number of toys per day, more miis can tend to the ranch). This will continue until you reach the max ranch level and can deposit 1000 Pokemon.
The ranch is somewhat boring and is more like a screensaver than anything else. Once you unlock Free Mode, you can move Pokemon and Miis around as you please, dragging them to other Pokemon and toys. Otherwise, you'll be limited to watching them wander around on their own. Every now and then, the Pokemon on the ranch will all pose together. You can take pictures of the Pokemon, your Miis, pretty much whatever you're watching at the time and send them to your friends, which is pretty cool. However, this is about all you can do if you're only playing on Wii. Although the interactions can be somewhat humerous at times, it's rather boring on its own. Still, watching Groudon use Earthquake every 2 seconds and constantly make the Miis and Pokemon around him 'faint' is rather amusing. Keep in mind though that if you don't have a DS, this is what you are limited to.
The main reason for this game is the DS connectivity. If you have a copy of Pokemon Diamond or Pearl, you can link up to this game and deposit Pokemon. As of this writing, Platinum is not compatible with My Pokemon Ranch, although there is a patch if you're living in Japan. Unfortunately, My Pokemon Ranch contains one colossal error: any Pokemon deposited by your DS game can only be withdrawn by the same copy of the game. That means if you want to start over, you better have some trustworthy friends with lots of box space. I seriously don't understand why they would limit this, as the previous storage applications were used predominately by people starting over. But, regardless, the game does have many perks.
By connecting your DS to My Pokemon Ranch, you can deposit your Pokemon to live on the ranch, which will then be converted into the Mii-like Pokemon that wander around the ranch. You can play with them and watch them the same way you can with Hayley's Pokemon. It's great if you need the extra storage. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Whenever you connect your DS, it autoreads your Pokedex and saves the information. It then posts three Pokemon on the BBS: a board that contains Pokemon Hayley wants you to transfer over from Diamond or Pearl. They're always Pokemon you have yet to obtain and by clicking on their wanted ad on the BBS, it will show you exactly where and when you can get these Pokemon. For any Pokemon with additional tricks to catching it, it will explain them to you. This is an incredible addition and really helps give you the drive to complete your Pokedex. It also tells you how your Pokedex is filling out since the last time you connected. Plus, if you have more than one copy of Diamond or Pearl, it will do the same for that copy as well, although it will only put one more wanted ad up for that copy. Be forewarned though, posting Pokemon for another game will result in Hayley chewing you out.
Also, if Hayley happens to have brought certain Pokemon to the ranch, whenever you complete a wanted ad, she'll offer to trade you for that pokemon. Sometimes the trades are completely ridiculous (Gible for Pikachu), but if you decline, she'll keep the Pokemon and the next time you complete a wanted ad, she'll offer the same Pokemon to you for the new one you just deposited. Two of these Pokemon are ones you'll only ever be able to get from events (or Ranger): Phione and Mew. Yes, that's right, after 10 years you can finally get a fully legit Mew outside of events!
The graphics, for those that care, are similar to Mii's. They're small, cartoony versions of the Pokemon you've caught and uploaded to My Pokemon Ranch. Plus, it keeps all variants your Pokemon may have (Shiny, M/F, Rotom Forms, etc).
Overall, I think this game is pretty cool. If you've got Diamond and Pearl, pick it up and check it out, if nothing else, to complete your Pokedex and get Mew. For those of you Wii players out there who want a Pokemon game to play, this is not for you. If you have Platinum, be forwarned, this game is not compatible. For those who want to deposit all their Pokemon and start over, sorry but this one's not for you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
