Tag Archives: RPG

360 Review: Fable II

0
Posted by Rob on October 5, 2010 – 4:43 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I finally got the chance to rent Fable II from Gamefly, and the past two days have been a pleasant experience in the game. Fable II is a pretty in-depth and customizable RPG, and it’s environment and amount of control given to the player reminds me of the Elder Scroll series in many respects, but taking it a bit further as far as relationships and interactions with others go, while having less control concerning the over-all build of the main character. I have been tossed up on the thought of writing up a full review of the game, and I don’t really see a point in it: the game is two years old now, and most everyone who has a 360 has played it (or they should if they haven’t yet.) So instead of prattling on in one of my normal reviews, I’m just gonna mention a few aspects of the game that I liked and didn’t like about the game.

Read More »

360 Review: Mass Effect 2

0
Posted by Rob on September 2, 2010 – 7:11 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s not very often where the sequel to anything, be it a video game, movie, book, or some other medium, surpasses the original. Mass Effect 2 is one of those rare cases where everything good about the first game is included in an improved way along with some new features that make it better than the first time around. Whether you carry over your character from the first game or create a new one from scratch, the continuing adventures of Shepard and Co. prove to make a great story and amazing game.

The game picks up weeks after the first one, but Shepard’s adventures are briefly cut short when his ship is ambushed and he is left for dead. He is picked up by a mysterious company and over the course of two years his body is healed and he is ready to stand on his feet again. A new alien menace known as the Collectors are threatening the galaxy, and Shepard joins up with the company (who is headed by someone called the “Illusive Man”, who simply reminds me of the “Cigarette-Smoking Man from the X-Files), recruits his own hand-picked team, and prepares to take the fight to these new enemies on their homeworld. Along the way, Shepard will also have to gain their trust to make them completely loyal to him and their overall cause. To do this, you will need to talk to your new allies a lot, and also go on special “loyality” missions for them. These missions consist of helping that squad member deal with some demon from the past, which, upon successful completion, technically brings them at peace with their past so that they can give 100% devotion to the mission.

Read More »

PSN Review: Deathspank

0
Posted by Rob on August 21, 2010 – 2:53 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am a huge fan of hack-and-slash, dungeon crawler RPGs, so when Deathspank came out and I saw that it fit the genre nicely, I just had to check it out. Deathspank is a solid game for the PSN…that being said, it would not have held up well if it was a PS3 disc-based game. While the game succeeds in many ways, there are a few factors holding it back from being an extremely epic RPG experience.

You take on control of Deathspank, a hero for hire (who wears  a magical purple thong) who sets out to claim a magical artifact, which he believes will make him the strongest hero in the world. Deathspank will explore a somewhat small world that does have a few unique environments, but at the same time is limited in the amount of space given to play in. Like any good hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, Deathspank will dispatch countless hordes of enemies with a wide variety of weapons, armors and magical potions. Up to four weapons can be equipped at a time and are hotkeyed to the controller, and potions and other items can be hotkeyed to the directional pad. As enemies are slain and quests are completed, you will gain xp. When Deathspank levels, he is given a choice of three stats and can raise one of them up a level. For example, at level 2 he may choose to raise his melee damage, ranged damage, or speed at which he moves by 5% (this is just an example, I don’t recall what the exact three choices were at level 2.) Other stats to be raised include amount of money dropped by enemies and the ability to equip weapons and armors that are up to two levels higher than your character.

Read More »

360 Review: Mass Effect

0
Posted by Rob on August 11, 2010 – 4:26 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ahh, my first 360 game review. Playing games only on the PS3 until about  a week ago, I missed out on a lot of great RPGs designed by Bioware…the two that come to mind are Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect. I got my first taste of Bioware when I played through Dragon Age: Origins FOUR times (I did get a nice Platinum trophy for that one, too), and I loved it. So when I received my 360 last Thursday, I quickly popped Mass Effect onto the top of my Gamefly queue. I’ve had a few days to check it out, and so far I am totally loving it.

What Mass Effect does is that a fast-paced third person shooter and add to the gameplay possibilities by making it into an RPG. The story is basically about a human who is drafted into an intergalactic organization and must stop an alien from unleashing terror across the galaxy. First off, the main character, last name Shepard, can be a male or female, and there are a variety of different classes to choose from. Like an RPG, the classes are all distinct, ranging from warriors (the soldier, with automatic weaponry and heavy armor) to the “mage” characters, who are able to manipulate machines or create force fields. You can create a party of three out of seven characters (three human, including the main character, and four different alien species), but you can only directly control the main character. However, you are able to bring up a menu during combat to order your allies on which action to take. So it’s basically your typical fantasy RPG in a sci-fi environment, and the combination is pure awesome.

Read More »

My First 24 Hours of 360 Goodness: The Games

2
Posted by Rob on August 7, 2010 – 9:42 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So I previously went over my first impressions of the system itself, and what it offers. Now I’m going to spend some time talking about the great games I have gotten to play, and there are some great ones indeed!

Castle Crashers:

This is one of the games that had me drooling for a 360, especially since first getting to actually play it at PAX. It’s still in the works for a PS3 release, but it took so dang long so this was one of the first games I snagged. Castle Crashers is a beautiful, colorful, BLOODY beat em’ up, straight out of the old school days. Up to four players (locally or online, which is awesome) can team up with a character of their choice and lay the smackdown on dozens of minions and giant bosses. The leveling system is great, where if you die on a level you maintain all the gold, weapons, creatures, and XP you earned, and it all adds in to the awesome replay value of the game. This is the game I was waiting for, and now that I have it, I see that it’s everything I thought it would be and more. If you have a 360 and don’t have this game, then you’re a fool!

castle-crashers-2-small

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 1989 Classic Arcade

This game is straight out of the old school arcade we all know and love. The graphics and gameplay are all down right as they were…no lame “revival” like Turtles in Time Re-Shelled was. There is really little to say about the awesomeness of this game: old school arcade beat em’ up! The only thing they did was make it so that you have unlimited continues, so no worries about losing your last quarter by being turned into a little turtle by Shredder!!!

tmntarcade-small

Mass Effect:

After playing the crud out of Dragon Age: Origins through four different play-throughs, I was extremely jealous of Biowares sci-fi RPG Mass Effect. I didn’t think it was a game to own, so I rented this one from Gamefly so I could play through it and then send it back for Mass Effect 2. I am about an hour or two into the game, and so far it is a great combination of RPG goodness in a sci-fi environment. It has everything that Dragon Age had: several backgrounds and classes to choose from, a ton of weapons and equipment to keep checking on, and special abilities for you and your party to make short work of your enemies. I can’t say too much more since I’m still in the beginnings of the game, but I’m impressed by what I’ve seen so far.

masseffect-small

Crackdown 2:

Crackdown 2 is an interesting third-person shooter that takes place in a city overrun by zombie-ish creatures (referred to simply as “freaks”.) Your mission is to help clear them out of the city by running or driving around and fulfilling various missions. I have not personally played online yet, but when you do your friends can come and join in your world to help you on your missions. I haven’t put much time into the game yet, so I don’t have too much to say about it yet, but when I do a full review will be forth-coming.

Left 4 Dead:

This is hands-down one of the definitive games for the 360. Left 4 Dead is a FPS that sticks you smack dab in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. You and three allies (either actual players or AI) must race through the level and try to survive to the end, where rescue awaits. The typical weapons of pistols, rifles, shotguns, and machine guns are what stands between you and hordes of various zombies, all of which move extremely quickly (no shambling here.) I played through two levels (each level contains five stages) with some people online last night and had a true blast. This is a game that I can’t see ever getting old, and was definitely something I was missing on the PS3.

left-4-dead_02_360_012809-small

Recent Gaming

1
Posted by Rob on July 21, 2010 – 10:15 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Well I don’t want to make a bunch of little posts about stuff I want to say about what I’m currently playing, so I figured I would pop it all together.

First and foremost, I have beaten Oblivion! It was extremely challenging in the end, especially when I had to go into a zombie-infested dungeon. However, I luckily had an invisibility spell so the remainder of the game was spent sneaking around from point to point. In the end there was only one boss, who wasn’t much of a challenge, so I was able to survive and complete the game. That being said, I already started a new thief/assassin character who is just starting out.

I have Lego Harry Potter in from Gamefly, and so far I am really enjoying it. I loved the Lego Star Wars games, but I wasn’t a fan of Batman or either Indiana Jones game. However, I find Harry Potter a lot more enjoyable. On the plus side, I played with Shell a little bit, and she enjoyed it. The beauty of the Lego games is that they take some great source material, and throw in some ridiculous humor along with a lot of fun environmental interactions and a really easy game difficulty, making the games accessible to anyone. I will definitely be holding on to it until I beat the game, and then I’ll probably go through on free mode to unlock other stuff. Read More »

Close to Completing Oblivion

2
Posted by Rob on July 17, 2010 – 8:34 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

oblivion_goty

Yup, I’m doing it again. Only this time, I’m going to succeed.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was one of the first games I bought back when I bought my PS3 two years ago. I love the game, and I must have started up new games with at least six different characters, and I always had the intent to complete the main quest. However, shortly after firing up the game and getting a little bit of the main quest done, I would get sucked into the massive world. I spent so much time on all the side quests with the different factions, that after putting 30-40 hours into the game, I would be ready to move on to the next, and the main quest would go unfinished, and unattempted at that.

This time was different. I told myself from the beginning that I would focus on the main quest. I built myself a battle mage, and basically made a tank with plenty of magic capabilities. I did do the Shivering Isles main quest right away though, but only because there are plenty of good weapons, armors and other items to be had there. I also did the first stages of the Dark Brotherhood quests just to gain access to the sanctum, so that I could purchase lockpicks and the invisibility spell (makes the game sooo much easier, especially in those crazy Oblivion gate worlds). But once that was done, I went right to the main quest, and have been doing it since. I cheated a little, and looked at the Oblivion wiki to see how many other parts of the main quest there were to go, and I’m ridiculously close…only three more to go!

By this time next week, I hope that I will be able to climb to the tallest mountain and shout “It took me two years, but I have “beaten” Oblivion!!!”

PS3 Review: Trine

0
Posted by Rob on July 15, 2010 – 9:23 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

trine-logo2

The game received quite a bit of hype when it was released, but I was dissuaded due to the price sticker at the time. Now that this game can be purchased over PSN for $10, I decided to give it a whirl and see what all the fuss was about. I was quite pleased with the results.

Trine is a platformer at heart, with some RPG elements thrown in. The main gist of the game is that a warrior, thief, and wizard have to join forces to save the kingdom. Together, they venture across a variety of different platforming environments, overcoming puzzles and undead forces. Combat is only a small part of the game, and the puzzles (many of which are physics-based) and level navigation definitely take precedence. It is in this where you see the differences between the three characters.

trine-plank1

Now before I get into the individual characters I want to explain how the game works. You can play either by yourself or with up to two buddies locally only…there is no online play, sadly (it will be a shared screen, so no running off on your own.) All three characters are necessary to get through each level. That being said, if there is only one player playing the game, you can quickly swap between the characters with the touch of a button. So let’s say that you are the thief, and you are walking down a hall, and all of a sudden the ceiling collapses. If you are quick enough, you can swap to the knight and pop your shield up to protect yourself. If there are two players playing, a player can swap between their current character and the other unused character (so that no one is fighting back and forth for control of the knight or whatnot.) While you can swap out the characters, they each have their own health and energy bars, if someone is on the verge of dying, you can switch to another character with more health. Also, if a character dies, heading to the nearest checkpoint will resurrect all dead characters, as well as give them about 80% health and energy. Read More »

Valkyria Chronicles on the Way

0
Posted by Rob on April 3, 2010 – 1:48 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

valkyria-box-art2

So my next game coming in from Gamefly will be Valkyria Chronicles. This has been the first time in a long time that I actually had a full Gamefly queue and didn’t really care what came in next. I’m looking forward to playing a nice RPG again, and hopefully it’s a little more tactical and challenging than Dragon Age and Sacred 2 have been. I played the demo a long time ago, and the mix of an RPG with guns and tanks was pretty sweet. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it.

site_valkyriachronicles_wallpaper2-hd

Book Review: Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

0
Posted by Rob on January 31, 2010 – 3:23 pm
Filed under Books, Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

dragon-age-the-stolen-throne

I really enjoyed the story and lore that shaped the RPG Dragon Age: Origins. When perusing the Dragon Age Wiki one day, I saw that there were two novels written by the game’s writer. These novels served as prequels to the game, and I was excited to start reading them to partake of more adventures in Ferelden. The first book in the series, The Stolen Throne, proved to be an excellent edition to Dragon Age lore.

The Stolen Throne starts off depicting the adventures of Prince Maric, the heir to the Ferelden throne. Unfortunately, the Orlesian nation has conquered Ferelden, and the royal family has been running a rebellion against the usurper. After his mother (the Queen) is killed, Maric flees, and eventually meets up with Loghain (who is one of the antagonists of the Dragon Age: Origins game.) The book then follows their adventures over the next few years, as they work to get Maric back on the throne.

Read More »

Back to Oblivion

0
Posted by Rob on December 16, 2009 – 12:42 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

oblivion_goty

When I first bought the PS3, the first games I bought were Resistance Fall of Man, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I knew the least about Oblivion, but from what I had heard about it, it was a truly expansive, epic RPG and I was excited to play. However, I never got very far, but not in a bad way. There is so much to do in the game, and so much to explore, that I created two characters who got far (as far as leveling and hours played goes) but never scratched the main story quest. I would play for a long time, but eventually new games would grab my attention and what not.

Last week I felt like playing a new game, so I decided to whip out Oblivion again. I created my third character (a Orc custom class character) and got cracking. This time what I did was something I havent done yet…I actually checked out the DLC. When I bought Oblivion, I bought the GOTY edition, which included the Shivering Isles expansion. However, I had never even touched it, which is silly since I spent the extra to get the expansion.

This morning I completed the main story of the expansion, and it was a blast. Not only was it a fun quest in a totally unique world (it takes place outside the realm of the main game) but I got a bunch of awesome items, weapons, and armor that I never had before, and it definitely gave me an advantage.

Read More »

PS3 Review: Dragon Age: Origins

0
Posted by Rob on November 12, 2009 – 6:45 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

dragonage1

I sent Dragon Age Origins back to Gamefly today. I probably put about ten to twelve hours into it, and barely scratched the surface. Yet, from what I played, I know its a game that I HAVE to own. I was gunning to get Borderlands, but Dragon Age really blew me away, and I just have to have it as my next game. If I hadnt just bought MUA2, Uncharted 2, and WWE 2010 I would have been more inclined to keep it, but Ive been spending too much on games as it is. Regardless, it is safe to say that Dragon Age is the best RPG on the PS3 that I have played, and that says a lot based on how much I loved Sacred 2.

When you start a game, you create a new character by choosing the race, sex, and class. Then, you will select one of six “background stories” which introduce your character and the game. Which story you can choose depends on what kind of character you created. From there, you are thrust right into the game.

Read More »

PS3 Quick Review: Dragon Age: Origins

0
Posted by Rob on November 8, 2009 – 10:20 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

dragonage

I was waiting and waiting to get Fairytale Fights in from Gamefly, but they kept pushing the release date further and further back. Eventually it was pushed back so much that Dragon Age was now releasing before it, so I went for it. The PS3, in my opinion, is lacking in the RPG library, so I wanted to see how Dragon Age was. I had heard lots of good things, but for some reason I wasnt following the game closely, so I had no idea what to expect. I didnt know what kind of RPG it was, how leveling and combat was worked, etc. So when I popped the game in last night, I wasnt sure what to expect.

What from the about two hours I have played so far, I am very impressed and pleased with the game. There are six different stories to choose from, and which story quest you will follow for the game is based on the kind of character you create. There are three races (human, elf, dwarf), three classes (warrior, mage, rogue), and each race can be either male or female, so that makes a total of 18 different character combinations. Depending on which of the three you choose, there are either one or two stories to choose from. The stories are actually more like background information for your character, and give a general sense of where your character will go in the game.

For example, last night I made my first character. I didnt know how the game play or combat was, so I wanted to play it safe. Thus, I created a boring male human warrior. This choice unlocked one story for me, in which I was the son of some Lord. That was all well and good. I played for a bit, and got to see how the game play was, and enjoyed it. I saw that I would definitely be able to play as any character I wanted. So this morning I pop it in, and start up a whole new character. This one is a male elf rogue. Upon choosing him, two of the stories were unlocked…I  could either be a tribal forest elf, or a slave elf that eventually revolts because some king tries to rape my newfound wife. I decided to go with being a slave elf, since the background reminded me of Braveheart.

Read More »

PS3 Quick Review: Borderlands

2
Posted by Rob on October 23, 2009 – 6:24 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

borderbox_full1

I got home from my college class at around 7:45. After wolfing down dinner and finishing up some school work, it was a little after 9:00pm, and I was ready to pop Borderlands in and try it out. I wont be around Friday or Saturday, and I have a bunch of school work to do Sunday, so I wanted to use the opportunity to get to see what Borderlands was all about.

Its pretty great.

Read More »

PS3 First Impression: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

0
Posted by Rob on September 15, 2009 – 10:05 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

mua2-cover

As many may know, I have been looking forward to this release for quite some time. I love the action/rpg games of Marvel, which include X-Men Legends 1 and 2, and the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I was pleased to see that the game made some nice improvements and other changes which makes this game far superior to others.

Like the first MUA, you start the game with a fixed team of heroes (Spidey, Ironman, Capt. America, and Wolverine) who are on mission for Nick Fury. As with the original, up to four players can take control of the characters, and any free characters (ie- character who is not controlled by a physical player) can be switched to with a hit of the directional. The basic combat moves are the same as the first, with a light attack, heavy attack, and grapple.

The super powers are of course the key change. You can now do “fusion” attacks, where two players combine their power for one massive area attack. For example, Iron Man can fire a beam into Capt. America’s shield, which will reflect like ten points of energy to hit several different opponents. Juggernaut and Spidey had a cool one too, where Juggernaut rips a huge chunk of pavement out of the ground and throws it in the air, and Spidey grabs it with his web and brings it down on several groups of enemies. This is the big change, and its awesome.

Read More »

First Impressions of Sacred 2 PS3

1
Posted by Rob on May 13, 2009 – 1:29 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ok, so Ive put a few hours into the game, so I feel like Im ready to give my first impressions.

The game rocks.

Its much more than I anticipated. Its huge…the world map is quite a formidable thing to view, and where I am now seems so insignificant compared to the rest of the map. I can see how someone can play this game to level 200 with such a huge and beautiful playground. The game is wonderfully done graphic-wise, though it loses some of that as you zoom out. Luckily I prefer to play zoomed in, so I get plenty of visual goodness.

One of my biggest complaints so far has to do with the text size. It is ridiculously small, and the colors chosen tend to clash or blend in with the background, making it difficult to see and read. This is frustrating, as its hard for me to see the name of items I pick up or how much experience I gain for defeating a monster.

I expected the game to be similar to games such as Baldurs Gate and Champions of Norrath, and while the game meets these expectations, it also blows past them with a complex system for special moves, called combat arts. This is a very complex system to master, and I have yet to do so. However, I can tell already that it is going to be awesome, once I fully understand how to upgrade and level up these abilities.

I initially started a game as a Dryad, but I was not feeling it. I re-started with the Shadow Warrior, who is a heavy melee fighter, and have been happy ever since. I think he is a good starting character to use in order to get accustomed to the world of Sacred 2.

I have not played the game online yet, so that part will wait until my fuller review. I intend on writing another more in-depth post once I get some more gametime in and I understand the combat arts more. Until then, Im simply going to say that if you are a fan of hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers, then this game is key. A huge world to explore, over 600 quests to partake in, the ability to level your character up to at least 200, and the online drop in/drop out co-op with voice chat are all very, very good reasons why any RPG fan should check Sacred 2 out. And as I said, if you loved Baldurs Gate and Champions of Norrath, then dont even rent the game first…JUST BUY IT!!!

Shadow Warrior

Only a Few More Days…

0
Posted by Rob on May 8, 2009 – 6:30 pm
Filed under Sacred 2, Video Games
Tagged as , , , , ,

Tuesday, May 12 is just around the corner. Its only a matter of time before I have the precious Sacred 2 in my possession! I plan on hitting up Gamestop nice and early in order to optimize my gaming time for the day.

sacred2_2dboxshot_ps3

PS3- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

0
Posted by Rob on January 30, 2009 – 12:29 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

One of my biggest disappointments with the PS3 is its lack of RPGs. There are a few, but the only one I have gotten my hands on so far is Oblivion.

When I say a “true” RPG, Im talking about a massively indepth adventure. There are others, such as Dark Kingdom, which can be considered an RPG, but that game is more of a dungeon-crawling hack-and-slash beat-em-up RPG. Oblivion is, needless to say, an awesome RPG. Its is a single player game set in a MMO world. The world you can explore is massive, with many different towns and even more dungeons. Basically, you do whatever you want.

You start off by creating your own character. You choose their race, sex, and appearance, and then you select a class (or create your own custom class). My character ended up being a male Wood Elf Assassin. From there, you start off in the game’s main story, but pretty soon, you are free to do as you will. You can continue advancing the main story whenever you want, but the games main fun is in its hundreds of mini sidequests, usually brought upon by NPCs. There are also many different dungeons, mines, and other locals you can explore in order to snag some swag. The free-roam of Oblivion is extremely great, and the freedom you have to do whatever you want makes the game extremely addictive.

Whats unique is that the game plays like a FPS, so all you see of your character is the weapon they are holding (be it sword, axe, bow, staff, etc.) This game was one of the first ones I bought with my PS3, so for me it took a lot of getting used to (I played very few FPS previously.) However, once you get the hang of the controls, you get sucked in. Between the free-roam, the ability to make a ton of choices for yourself, and the controls/camera, you really connect with the game. Without spoiling too much, one of the best parts of the game was when I had joined the Assassin’s Guild. I had done several missions for the guild, and suddenly the head of the group contacts me and informs me that one of the other guild members is a traitor. Thus, I am forced to go in and kill all the guild members. That was a blast.

This game is really revolutionary, as far as Im concerned. I have never played an RPG that sucked me in as much as this one did. However, the free-roam and seemingly endless quests are also one of the games biggest problems, as it makes the game extremely daunting. However, it is still the best RPG on the PS3, and one of my favorite PS3 games in all.

Review:

Story/Premise- 4.5

As I mentioned, while the free-roam of the game is awesome, if you spend too much time off the main quest (which you will do without even realizing it), you will forget what is going on.
Graphics- 4

The graphics were good. Not as clear or crisp, but still clearly superior to the PS2.
Controls/Camera- 5

The controls and camera took a bit of getting used to, but within an hour or two you will be good to go. After that, it all makes sense and comes together, and it really flows well with the game.
Replay Value- 5

The game has an unlimited replay value. I mean, there is just sooo much stuff to do. Even when you eventually finish the main quest, and all the side quests, you can download two expansions which add even more quests. Plus, all the races and classes offer a different experience, so I can see myself going back through as a warrior or mage at some point.
Online/Multiplayer- N/A
Final score-  4.6/5

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the best RPGs on the PS3. If you’re looking for a 50+hour RPG, this is the one.
Recommendation

A must have for the PS3 if you like RPGs.

Wii- Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire Review

0
Posted by Rob on August 31, 2008 – 9:34 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , ,

This game was surprisingly decent at first, but soon got so difficult I threw it down in disgust. The game play resembles that of Twilight Princess; its a 3rd-person view with a sword that is slashed by using the Wiimote. Its pretty fun to run around, slashing minotaurs and lizard-men.

One of the cons to the game, however, are the Wiimote slashes. Some enemies (for example, spiders) are very small and low to the ground, so you have to slash down with the Wiimote to hit them. Unfortunately, the controls are not perfect, and you do not always end up doing the move you’re trying to. Boo to that.

Otherwise, the game seems to be a decent and solid adventure game. I guess I would be happier if the map was more open-ended like in Twilight Princess, but rather each area is a stage, and reaching the end of it moves the story to the next area. As I already mentioned, the later levels get increasingly difficult, and I stopped playing due to the frustration I was getting.
Give this game a rent before purchasing it.

Wii- Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn Review

0
Posted by Rob on August 31, 2008 – 12:50 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

First off, the entire Fire Emblem series is amazing. I really love tactical turn-based RPGs, where you command an entire army as opposed to a small party. I also love turn-based, because it tends to lead to more strategy being used to finish a battle. What I love (and hate) about Fire Emblem is that its one of the only RPGs Ive played where if a character dies in battle, he or she is lost for the entire game. So you will find yourself resetting the battle and starting over several times to ensure all your characters survive.

Before you play Radiant Dawn, you have to play Path of Radiance, which was available on the Gamecube. Same exact gameplay and everything, but to fully appreciate Radiant Dawns story, you have to play through Path of Radiance.

Radiant Dawn is great. The Wii is lacking in RPGs where you fight with a party, and Fire Emblem gets it right. Gameplay is also very simple, with the Wiimote being turned on its side, and relying on the 1 and 2 buttons.

This is one of my top five Wii games. I fell in love with the Fire Emblem series, and I look forward to a hopefully eventual sequel. Its a must have for RPG fans.