Games: Rate and Discuss

[Asknoone]

We are rejuvenating the “Rate and Discuss” threads, with the intent of generating discussion and debate, in regard to your recent watch, playthrough, or read. For the music forum, this could be the last gig you attended or the latest albums you have been listening to. As a prerequisite of posting in this thread, you must expand upon your rating with, at the very least, a brief paragraph as to why you delegated it said rating. You must discuss, analyse, and critique – “I liked it” is not sufficient, and any posts that do not meet this criteria will be deleted.

There can, of course, be discussion and argument - but in the same way that "I liked it" does not constitute a post, neither does - and it pains me to say this - "You're stupid, shut up" though some of you clearly are.

An example of a suitable post:

Pinocchio - 4/5
With the Disney movies, it takes me a while to work out whether I've seen them before in my childhood. I'm still none the wiser here, since I'm pretty sure I would have repressed memories of seeing this if I was a child... but then, as an adult there's a whole extra dimension of sinister to it. Some of it's probably not intentional (why does Gepetto want a real boy in his house anyway, huh?) but some of it must be (the coachman who takes young boys to pleasure island, and they 'don't come back as boys'?!), and it's just generally as far from a stereotype of Disney as simple, tedious good versus evil as you're likely to find.

 

[Lucid]

Star Wars: Empire at War - 7.5/10...
Alright, the singleplayer campaign was decent enough but felt really short and skirmish is of course always great, you can do a land battle or a space battle and you have tons of maps and mods to download for it...
But, the one thing that they basically made such a big deal about was Galactic Conquest mode and I must say that it was an absolute chore to play for two reasons alone:
1) It's not turn-based, when it really should be... managing several planets in real time is extremely tough as anything can come and kick your ass at any second and you'd have no chance to properly defend yourself.
2) The AI cheats, seriously, I started a game as the Empire and about 5 minutes into it they had 2 Mon Calamari Cruisers and a huge fleet of frigates of varying types while I only had a few squadrons of tie fighters and bombers, consequently I got my ass beat.
Anyways, it just wasn't fun in any way shape or form... however, I played multiplayer with a friend and had a blast since we were both fairly new to the game and didn't quit have an idea of what expect and it was just really fun, it lasted about and hour until I built a Death Star and sufficiently whooped his ass.

All in all, don't go playing this if you want an indepth singleplayer campaign, the multiplayer and skirmish is really where it's at.
Also, do check out the moddb page for the game for tons of stuff to dl.

Going to be playing Forces of Corruption later on in the week.

edit: Also, going to be playing Beyond Good & Evil to see if it's really as phenomenal as Samon claims it is. :upstare:

 

[Shakermaker]

Armed Assault 2 demo - 9/10

The best demo I have played in years. Lots of content for both singleplayer and multiplayer. As any BIS game it has its share of bugs but none were showstoppers imo. Getting this game as soon as it hits the shops.

 

[Rizzo]

Trap the cat
Satisfying to finaly trap the god damn thing. But doesn't really warant another play through. 5/10

 

[Dinnesch]

RSC Legacy - 7/10

It is runescape, the original version. The major downside is it is a private server, not run by Jagex. It is free to play, has a smaller community. Graphics are from 2001 era.I enjoy the game.

 

[PimpinPenguin]

Ghostbusters - 9/10

I was a bit apprehensive about buying it as movie to game adaptations usually end bad and i heard quite bad things about the PC port. Well, anyway i gave in and i'm glad i did. The script was great and retained the charm and wit from the movies, and the voice acting overall was superb. Gameplay was excellent the ghost trapping was fun if not a bit to easy, the AI can be dodgy and towards the end i spent more time reviving them than actually fighting the bosses. The additional modes to the proton pack seemed a bit unnecessary as the main mode you start with is pretty much the best and the one you'll use overall. The physics in the game really makes the game come alive, hitting objects with your proton stream causes the the smash up into little pieces and it's a great sight going into a luxury dining hall and smashing it to bits while trying to catch the ghost.
The PC port overall is decent, i've come across much worse. The main drawbacks are that there is no multiplayer and if you buy retail you get the SecuROM 5 installation limit. I did encounter a few issues, mouse acceleration can't be disabled and as such makes it that you must really push your mouse hard to get it to register any movement, also the game lags really bad in places where it really shouldn't although i fix this problem my setting the game priority to low

 

[Eejit]

Civilization IV: Colonization - 7/10

Despite the name it's a full game, simply using the same engine. Much narrower in scope than CIV which can be a pro or a con depending on your mood and what you're looking for.
The focus on economy and endgame warfare with a bare minimum of diplomacy or research works quite well. While I find it quite replayable I get burned out after a stretch more quickly than when playing vanilla CIV.
Fairly well balanced game, does what it wants to well, good graphics, good performance, great music. Some bugs need fixed and some balance tweaks should be done and it could do with some more scenarios though.

 

[stemot]

Ghostbusters - 9/10

I was a bit apprehensive about buying it as movie to game adaptations usually end bad and i heard quite bad things about the PC port. Well, anyway i gave in and i'm glad i did. The script was great and retained the charm and wit from the movies, and the voice acting overall was superb. Gameplay was excellent the ghost trapping was fun if not a bit to easy, the AI can be dodgy and towards the end i spent more time reviving them than actually fighting the bosses. The additional modes to the proton pack seemed a bit unnecessary as the main mode you start with is pretty much the best and the one you'll use overall. The physics in the game really makes the game come alive, hitting objects with your proton stream causes the the smash up into little pieces and it's a great sight going into a luxury dining hall and smashing it to bits while trying to catch the ghost.
The PC port overall is decent, i've come across much worse. The main drawbacks are that there is no multiplayer and if you buy retail you get the SecuROM 5 installation limit. I did encounter a few issues, mouse acceleration can't be disabled and as such makes it that you must really push your mouse hard to get it to register any movement, also the game lags really bad in places where it really shouldn't although i fix this problem my setting the game priority to low

That's how much I would have given the game had the PC port not been optimised really badly and the mouse implementation not been so poorly implemented. The camera etc work fine on gamepad and it's only when using the mouse it happens. I also found the island level to be really badly designed, especially the sewers which were awfully generic with bland textures and crappy layout.
The rest however is deserving of such a high score. The way it feels, when using a mouse, you trap a ghost. Having to really battle against the pull of the ghost simply doesn't have the same feel on a joypad.
The dialogue and voice acting from the main GB characters was spot on, even if Bill Murray could have been a little more enthusiastic. The story was also a worthy sequel to the movies with humour and tension in equal measure in all the right places.

Unfortunately, with the problems the PC version has these bring my score down and I still stick with my original 7.5/10 score.

 

[Shakermaker]

even if Bill Murray could have been a little more enthusiastic.

How typical. He must be the most sarcastic actor ever.

 

[Saturos]

Mass Effect- 9/10

One of the most enjoyable modern RPGs I've ever played. Great blend of action and RPG elements that reminded me of Deus-Ex the first time I played it. I've heard some who said they feel like the dialogue wheel was pretty much just a gimmick though, but I liked the level of control it offered players in conversation and story, even if many decisions contrast a little too much. Above-average graphics, but nothing I've never seen before.

Above-all, a very enjoyable game. Can't wait for Mass Effect 2.

 

[Nibwoddle]

Prototype - 9/10

This is a highly rewarding and entertaining super - "hero" game. I've been spending a lot more time at it than I initially anticipated. The way it gets you to work towards powers is not tedious, and things become more fun, difficult and badass as it progresses. The massive amounts of moves and surprisingly good PC controls make me think I'll be playing this for some time.

 

[stemot]

Beyond Good And Evil - 5/10

I found the controls on a mouse and keyboard incredibly clunky and unresponsive, the stealth mechanics extremely badly implemented and the level design to be poor.
The story was mildly interesting and enough to make me finish the game but not really enough to be memorable.

 

[Asknoone]

Beyond Good And Evil - 5/10

I found the controls on a mouse and keyboard incredibly clunky and unresponsive, the stealth mechanics extremely badly implemented and the level design to be poor.
The story was mildly interesting and enough to make me finish the game but not really enough to be memorable.

That is indeed unfortunate; I am quite at a loss at how a game of such genuine charm and ingenuity, and intelligent, wonderfully crafted gameplay and design could be so scorned by anyone.

Tom Clancy's Hawx PC - 8/10

F.E.A.R. 2 - Project Origin 9/10

Mirrors Edge 9/10

Ah. Well.

 

[CyberPitz]

GRID - 9/10

I'd say this game is virtually flawless. The feel of the cars in a straight and turns feels pretty darned great. The way the speed looks in the game isn't exactly the most believable, but it works well for it's slightly arcadey style. The car selection is wonderful! They had the 787B 1991 ALMS winner! I kinda wish there was a different car selection, but to keep races balanced, I see why they did that. The damage is so fun. Makes those Instant Replays very satisfying when you're getting down the neck to your last one...

The only reason it doesn't get a 10/10 is lack of multiplayer with a person next to you.

 

[Kadayi]

Hitman: Blood Money 8/10

Hitman BM is a PoS of a game. The story (what there is) is utter bollocks, the look is fairly unremarkable, and the relationship between the controls and the game space schizophrenic to the extreme (I'd like to open that door in front of me to make my escape, but no I moved the mouse a millimetre and instead I've pulled out my gun in the middle of a police station during a presidential visit whilst on stage apparently...time to reload). If you look up 'exercise in frustration' in the dictionary, a picture of Hitman: Blood Money 8/10 looks back at you.

So what is it that despite these flaws makes me so addicted to playing this utterly frustrating life leeching time vampire? Two reasons, firstly a sense of a job well done. When a hit goes perfectly like clockwork (despite the constant battle you face with the games controls) and you make your escape like a shadow in the night with no one the wiser as to your nefariousness you know you are indeed 'The Daddy' of hitmen. Secondly and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that there is more than one way to skin a cat. The game is deceptive in this respect in that the introduction tutorial is very much an on rails affair and kind of lulls you into a sense of there only being one way to achieve a result, where as the reality is a lot different, and if you put your noggin into effect you can come up with interesting ways to achieve your goals. This multiple path approach greatly reminds me of Deus Ex in a lot of ways. Here is hoping that whatever IO choose to do next with Agent 47 just is a bit more considered when it comes to the controls.

 

[stemot]

That is indeed unfortunate; I am quite at a loss at how a game of such genuine charm and ingenuity, and intelligent, wonderfully crafted gameplay and design could be so scorned by anyone.







Ah. Well.

Hmm, guess I just prefer games that have decent gameplay mechanics and competent level design over ones that can't implement core functions and leave the player to get frustrated in poorly conceived (technically, not artistically) worlds.

A game can have charm and intelligence, as long as it doesn't commit the player to mistakes because of the implemented controls or force the player through linear, awkward stealth levels or bland hub worlds.

Then again, these things are not quite so important to people if they can get lost in the world the game is trying to create. I am not one of these people. I like to feel in control before I can get immersed.

Every single one of those games listed by you that I rated has the mechanics nailed down perfectly. Say what you want about Mirrors Edge but the acrobatics you do in game come second nature after the first level and you do not even need to think about it from then on.
That's how a game should take it's approach to movement and controls.

 

[Asknoone]

bland hub worlds.

Are you quite serious?

 

[stemot]

Are you quite serious?
*pictures*

Yes I'm serious, your screens from BGAE are not from the games town hubs, which is what I was referring to.
These are the hub towns:-

Which are bland and uneventful and just serve as a device to pad out the game longer.
Also, you used a shot from F.E.A.R. 1, of which I have always said looks terrible.

A better one from F.E.A.R. 2

So yes, I'm quite serious.

Besides, all the pretty screenshots don't go any way to addressing the problems with the games core mechanics.

 

[Barnz]

http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/geforce_7900_gtx/images/fear_2b.jpg

Best level design in a game?

 

[stemot]

Best level design in a game?

Like I said. F.E.A.R. 1, which has some of the worst level design in gaming history, but then I never said otherwise did I?

 

[Asknoone]

Yes I'm serious, your screens from BGAE are not from the games town hubs, which is what I was referring to.
These are the hub towns:-

Yes, who could possibly advocate the atmosphere of central European, inner-city ardour over corridors and subways.

I think I shall play FEAR 2 very soon, in all its... creative glory.

Besides, all the pretty screenshots don't go any way to addressing the problems with the games core mechanics.

I had no issue with the core gameplay mechanics.

 

[stemot]

Yes, who could possibly advocate the atmosphere of central European, inner-city ardour over corridors and subways.

I have no problem with the look of it, like I said, it's the way that much of the time they serve no purpose than to make you go from point A to point B with absolutely nothing else going on in the supposedly busy town.
A few extra things to do in these places would have helped immeasurably rather than them just being a place to walk through on your way to your next story marker.

I had no issue with the core gameplay mechanics.

I'm glad for you, that doesn't mean other players haven't and that these issues do not exist.

I think I shall play FEAR 2 very soon, in all its... creative glory.

Okay, go for it. I fail to see why you have felt the need to take this to a comparison between two completely different games though.
All I said was the mechanics of the game were bad and the hubs bland and uneventful for me and for other players this holds true.
I never once said F.E.A.R. 2 was as creative as BGAE, I just said it had it's own gameplay mechanics and controls pretty much nailed down. A game can be as creative as it wants, but if it switched my controls so my character runs the other way when the camera switches and I have not let go of the key, that's badly implemented controls. If I'm forced on some terribly linear, one mistake and game over stealth levels it stops being fun. When I have to run through a town with nothing going on in it apart from my next mission at the other end of said town for no other reason than to make me take longer to get to my next mission, then I get frustrated.

This is what I said in my first post.

 

[Asknoone]

I have no problem with the look of it, like I said, it's the way that much of the time they serve no purpose than to make you go from point A to point B with absolutely nothing else going on in the supposedly busy town.

A few extra things to do in these places would have helped immeasurably rather than them just being a place to walk through on your way to your next story marker.

It serves no purpose? Please - the Pedestrian District is a testament to the situation on Hyllis; it showcases the anthropomorphic community of the planet, and the prevailing, baleful influence of the Alpha Section - it is very much alive with a delicate ambience, and further layers to it would serve no purpose. Perhaps you forget the Alpha Section base, which entry to is never touched upon in the main story arc? Did you even investigate the adjacent warehouse, or interact with the locals of the Akuda bar? What is more, further debunking your nonsense, is the changing nature of it; the Pedestrian District is a reflection of your progress in the game, bringing about an onslaught of resistance to the Alpha Section, who respond by 'staging' an attack on their headquarters. Perhaps these elements fluttered past you?

I'm glad for you, that doesn't mean other players haven't.

There is a reason I did not reply with "I'm glad for you, that doesn't mean other players have a problem with it." It is meaningless to state such.

If I'm forced on some terribly linear, one mistake and game over stealth levels it stops being fun.

BGE is not a linear game, and what is more, what are you even talking about? 'Game over'? There is no game over; if you are caught, you may easily escape - if you are hit by a turret, and die in a single shot, and you are taken back to one of the frequent checkpoints.

You do that.

Oh, I will.

 

[stemot]

It serves no purpose? Please - the Pedestrian District is a testament to the situation on Hyllis; it showcases the anthropomorphic community of the planet, and the prevailing, baleful influence of the Alpha Section - it is very much alive with a delicate ambience, and further layers to it would serve no purpose. Perhaps you forget the Alpha Section base, which entry to is never touched upon in the main story arc? Did you even investigate the adjacent warehouse, or interact with the locals of the Akuda bar? What is more, further debunking your nonsense, is the changing nature of it; the Pedestrian District is a reflection of your progress in the game, bringing about an onslaught of resistance to the Alpha Section, who respond by 'staging' an attack on their headquarters. Perhaps these elements fluttered past you?

That may be, but gameplay wise it is void of anything other than what your doing on your specific mission. Interacting with locals is nothing more than a mere distraction. Exploring different buildings is fine, and I will admit I never took the time to try this, but the actual town always seemed to me like it was just devoid of things to do. If your mission is not in the town but instead on the other side or in one of the buildings it becomes a task to navigate a town with nothing happening with regards to the mechanics of the game.
It can invoke this and that, which I am not denying. After you've gone through it just to get where you need to be for the 15th time though, it gets boring when you've seen exactly the same things and the same people with nothing different from the last 14 times you had to pass through.

There is a reason I did not reply with "I'm glad for you, that doesn't mean other players have a problem with it." It is meaningless to state such.

Doesn't make it any less true though, You didn't have problems with the controls or mechanics but the problems do exist whether you encountered them or not.

BGE is not a linear game, and what is more, what are you even talking about? 'Game over'? There is no game over; if you are caught, you may easily escape - if you are hit by a turret, and die in a single shot, and you are taken back to one of the frequent checkpoints.

BGE is linear. The world is not as open as it likes to think it is. You are incredibly restricted in where you can go in your little hoverboat, then when you leave it your restricted to the towns etc. Also, the story missions are incredibly linear in their layout as far as I can remember.

By one mistake and game over I meant that you are forced to escape and try the stealth route again. If you do not do these stealth missions how the game wants you to you have no chance of getting through them.


I simply didn't enjoy it because for me the core mechanics were not as well developed as the creative side of the game. That's it.

 

[Asknoone]

I am quite convinced of your ignorance toward this game; the examples I stated are gameplay sequences. What is more, BGE is appropriately non-linear - it does not pretend to be more than it is, and has no wish to exceed that. Besides, linearity is not a negative trait, but rather a positive one. BGE strikes a fine balance.

I am done discussing this with you.

 

[stemot]

I am quite convinced of your ignorance toward this game; the examples I stated are gameplay sequences. What is more, BGE is appropriately linear - it does not pretend to be more than it is. It is non-linear to a fine extent, and does no wish to exceed that. Linear is not a negative trait, but rather a positive one. BGE strikes a fine balance.
I am done discussing this with you.

Okay, I was only expressing what I believe to be the games faults.

 

[Asknoone]

I know. It is not a perfect game, and I have my own grievances with it - they are simply not that ones you hold, and I take issue with yours, as I believe some to be unfounded. Your problems with the Pedestrian District, for instance, are incomprehensible to me. Let us leave it at that.

 

[stemot]

I know. It is not a perfect game, and I have my own grievances with it - they are simply not that ones you hold, and I take issue with yours, as I believe some to be unfounded. Your problems with the Pedestrian District, for instance, are incomprehensible to me. Let us leave it at that.

Take issue if you want and no matter how unbelievable it is to you I don't like the town hub, and I will admit my memory could be a little foggy, it's been a good few years since I played it, my memory of how frustrating the controls were or my repeated attempts to play certain levels how the game believed I should be playing remain clear.

The game was very creative, and it did make a nice change from the usual run and gun FPS's. I was just let down that the same degree of thought didn't go into some of the missions or the controls, which soured the experience for me.

That is all.

 

[Saturos]

I know. It is not a perfect game, and I have my own grievances with it - they are simply not that ones you hold, and I take issue with yours, as I believe some to be unfounded. Your problems with the Pedestrian District, for instance, are incomprehensible to me. Let us leave it at that.

Salmon, I too thoroughly enjoyed BG&E, the story, art direction and everything, but I still agree with stemot about the linear hub world thing. There were so many places in the game where I though, "Gee, I wish I could check that place out at some point in the game" because I truly loved the world of Hillys. (I wanted to check out that huge capitol building/tower in the background , but the game never offers any chance during any missions)

Also, how come the player couldn't explore the city freely other than just the channels with the hoverboat? I'm not talking about the pedestrian district, but the rest of the city that seemed to be just there for props.

Also, the rest of the world of Hillys is up for grabs in BG&E 2 even and not just the capitol city. Here's hoping.

BTW, when is BG&E 2 coming out? I'm getting impatient!!!!!

 

[Direwolf]

There were a lot of hopes of BG&E2 getting unveiled at E3, unfortunately it never materialized. It's also important to keep in mind that BG&E was released in 2003. I was still in high school, playing Day of Defeat and BF1942, and getting into Led Zepplin. Suffice it to say both I, and story-driven open world games, have come a long way since then.


However, the Zep still rocks.

 

[simonjedi]

Star Wars: Empire at War - 7.5/10...
Alright, the singleplayer campaign was decent enough but felt really short and skirmish is of course always great, you can do a land battle or a space battle and you have tons of maps and mods to download for it...
But, the one thing that they basically made such a big deal about was Galactic Conquest mode and I must say that it was an absolute chore to play for two reasons alone:
1) It's not turn-based, when it really should be... managing several planets in real time is extremely tough as anything can come and kick your ass at any second and you'd have no chance to properly defend yourself.
2) The AI cheats, seriously, I started a game as the Empire and about 5 minutes into it they had 2 Mon Calamari Cruisers and a huge fleet of frigates of varying types while I only had a few squadrons of tie fighters and bombers, consequently I got my ass beat.
Anyways, it just wasn't fun in any way shape or form... however, I played multiplayer with a friend and had a blast since we were both fairly new to the game and didn't quit have an idea of what expect and it was just really fun, it lasted about and hour until I built a Death Star and sufficiently whooped his ass.

All in all, don't go playing this if you want an indepth singleplayer campaign, the multiplayer and skirmish is really where it's at.
Also, do check out the moddb page for the game for tons of stuff to dl.

Going to be playing Forces of Corruption later on in the week.

Forces of corruption is alright, consortium is a tad overpowered, (i took over kamino with a defiler) but they have sith riding Rancors and suicide Ewok bombers.

I agree with most of your points, i find the space battles more fun than the ground battles, and i like the battlecam.

 

[Ennui]

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - 8/10

Finally got around to devoting some real time to this game, and it's growing on me. It's a pretty huge step from the gameplay of DOW - much smaller in scale and focused on Heroes, abilities and micro. I still suck at it but I've been enjoying playing it quite a lot, it's a beautiful game. I'm a complete sucker for the 40k universe. I'm also of the opinion that Relic is the best RTS developer out there, or at least tied with folks like Blizzard and Stardock (yes, I like Sins that much).

 

[stemot]

Call Of Juarez - Bound In Blood - 8.5/10

I played the original when it was first released in 2006 and quickly tired of it. The graphics were nice but were too much for my system to handle without making them look like a PS2 games visuals and the inclusion of the forced stealth missions only succeeded to infuriate me, especially as I enjoyed the preachers missions so much. That's why I had absolutely no interest in the new prequel at all, I ignored all the pre-release movies etc and was prepared to let it pass me by.
Anyway, I got my hands on it just to see how bad Techland had ignored their critics and found a completely different game.
First off, the game looks stunning, with environments that drip the atmosphere of the dusty old west but at the same time can give us beautiful forests and rivers with real water physics. Character models look amazing and although the animation can be a little stiff at times overall it is quite good.
I approached this game differently to how many people will play it due to not bothering discovering the first games story and with this being a prequel I missed certain things about characters I should of probably already knew, such as the ultimate fate of some of them. As it stands, it didn't really matter as the games story is contained well in this game and is perfectly understood as a stand alone story. The story gives many twists and turns (although I saw the first one a mile off ) and keeps you drawn in, especially given the banter between Ray and Thomas which at time is very amusing and extremely well acted. In fact all the voices in this game are top notch.
The actual gameplay is not a lot like the original and more like your Call Of Duty games in some places, with regenerating health and massive amounts of enemies to take down before you can progress but unlike CoD the game never forces you over a programmers fresh hold of infinitely spawning baddies. This style of gameplay works well in the game though and gives the game a better sense of taking on a whole gang against the odds. The game is essentially a linear story led game although there a couple of places with some side missions where you get to explore on your horse and save stagecoaches etc from bandit attacks. They serve to get more money for new weapons for the missions ahead and never really amount to much more than that.

There are a some problems I had with the game, such as the third brother, who while I understood his place in the story and his eventual need to be present in the game, he was just plain irritating with his constant sermons about slipping into darkness etc
Also the hit detection occasionally seemed to be a little off the mark.

Overall though I was pleasantly surprised by the game. I never encountered a single scripting problem or NPC getting stuck and the game on PC is one of the best optimised in recent years. This clearly is not just a console port.

If your looking for the definitive PC Wild West action game, this is it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWDTbTwAkmg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0AB8NkzIL4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6qZ_Ve1180

 

[CptStern]

ARMA 2 demo 7/10


buggy as all hell. the AI is hilariously stupid, the vehicle controls are wonky (driving a shoppping cart is more fun). performance is pitiful, dialogue is horrible, your player speaks in a monotonous voice that's easily 2 x louder than the npcs ...yet for some reason it's a lot of fun ..when it works as it's supposed to


will wait for the inevitable 50% steam sale

 

[Sliver]

Call of Jaurez Bound in Blood- 8.9/10

Picked this up not expecting too much, and I got really sucked in. The characters in this game are some of the most real I've seen in a game for awhile. The conflicts are all familiar, but are pulled off gorgeously. The levels take place from Atlanta, down to Mexico, Arizona, and finishes in a forest, with all settings beautifully pulled off. The gameplay differences between the two brothers warrants another replay, along with the large amount of secrets placed throughout the game.

 

[Sheepo]

I have purchased Beyond Good and Evil (as Samon has noticed) from Steam.

 

[CptStern]

a bunch of ipod touch/iphone game reviews:

Assassin's creed, Altair's chronicles 9/10
a platforming game that's a lot of fun and probably the best itouch game in terms of production values etc. Fun and not as frustrating as other itouch AAA games (I'm looking at you terminator salvation/brothers in arms)

shift: 8/10
avoid the trap game sorta like pitfall but with a twist; you can turn the itouch upside down and your character will run on what was the ceiling

Cops and Robbers 8/10
on rails 3rd person perspective platformer. tilt the ipod to move etc but it's lots of fun, especially when you're about to get caught and the cell doors start closing in on you

Drum Challenge 8/10
touch the drum/cymbal to the beat type game. more like prove how uncoordinated I am game

Brothers in Arms 7/10
over the shoulder 3d pov. control takes some getting used to, the auo aim is overly generous, a little open for the limited pov and awkward controls. not a bad game but maybe they should try something new instead of just porting a game to the itouch

 

[dfc05]

Half-Life 1 - 9.5/10

It's been at least 5 years since I last played this. Long enough that levels are still nostalgic but almost like new again. It's so much fun! I stopped when I got to Blast Pit (probably my favorite level) so I'll be looking forward to starting it up again. I took off half a point because I'm dreading On a Rail (which I've always thought was too long) and Xen.

 

[Warbie]

Trine - 8/10

I'm being real harsh with an 8 because Trine is awesome. It loses a mark because, despite being one of the most fun games i've played in recent years, it could have been that much better (I can't think of a single game that's this good that could also have been so improved upon). A few more enemy types/bosses/weapons/skills would have turned excellent into top 10 classic material. It also loses a mark for the last level, which is annoying (what were they thinking?!).

I dunno if criticising a game based on how much better it could have been rather than how good it actually is makes much sense, but i'll likely remember Trine as one of the better games I played this year that could have been the best. Oh, Trine is an excellent 2d platform/action/puzzler/rpg/physics'em'up, for those that don't know.

 

[Reflex]

So far this has been Samon's and stemot's chat room :|.

Mirror's Edge - 9/10

This game is too underated, it is infact very fun and great and good and awsome...D: