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4
8
0
Active Life: Outdoor Challenge - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Another one you can't technically beat, but this game gets your heart rate up like no other "Active" video game. The games themselves are pretty good if somewhat repetitive, save some poor controls (Kayak) and a few graphics glitches this game is excellent. Yeah, it looks like an early Dreamcast graphically, but the fun and workout make up for it ten fold.
Another one you can't technically beat, but this game gets your heart rate up like no other "Active" video game. The games themselves are pretty good if somewhat repetitive, save some poor controls (Kayak) and a few graphics glitches this game is excellent. Yeah, it looks like an early Dreamcast graphically, but the fun and workout make up for it ten fold.
This was me after getting a high score on the tube level, except in real life I couldn't move my arm...
voodoozen's rating:
1
8
0
Active Life Explorer - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
One note- Active Life: Explorer is the best activity game ever. There's actually a main story line and quest- and it's fun!
One note- Active Life: Explorer is the best activity game ever. There's actually a main story line and quest- and it's fun!
voodoozen's rating:
9
8
0
Band Hero - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Another one you can't technically beat. Teeny Pop with some occasional good stuff.
Another one you can't technically beat. Teeny Pop with some occasional good stuff.
voodoozen's rating:
7
6.7
0
Cabela's Big Game Hunter - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Unfinished
Really need to knuckle down and beat this. It's not bad, just a little slow at times.
Really need to knuckle down and beat this. It's not bad, just a little slow at times.
"C'mon, big fella. I'm gonna waggle your ass into a rug"
voodoozen's rating:
6
8
0
Call of Duty: Black Ops - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 6h50m
A short single player campaign (c'mon, no one but me gets FPS's for single player), but overall the game was fun.
Kinda like an interactive Michael Bay film at times.
TIME TO BEAT: 6h50m
A short single player campaign (c'mon, no one but me gets FPS's for single player), but overall the game was fun.
Kinda like an interactive Michael Bay film at times.
voodoozen's rating:
36
7.1
0
The Conduit - Nintendo Wii
Status: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 7h45m
MiniReview:
I hated the game and blamed the controls at first- took me literally half the game to realize that I needed to turn down the difficulty. Once I did that it was fun! Maybe it's because I'm not a FPS kinda guy, but the enemies respawning and constant fire coupled with the constant tight hallways in this game made me want to quit.
Graphics Aren't as bad as the internet made them out to be. High Voltage bragged this would look like a PS360 game, and I agree they did admirably... For the Wii. There's a few blurry textures and aliasing issues, but
it is a fine looking game. Color scheme... well, it's a lot of gray, brown and various red/orange colors. So they DID make it look like PS360!
Really what hurts The Conduit is the level design- gameplay is burdened by the cutscene" formula. There's just not enough open spaces and no alternative paths. Even some of the boss fights put you in pretty tight quarters with lots of junk (indestructible junk, FWIW) to navigate around. Based on the criticism I've read and responses from the dev team, I bet HV fixes that in The Conduit 2.
I'll probably replay this one time, right before I start Conduit 2 (and then maybe only if I have a weekend to kill).
Despite being linear and basically running your from one gray concrete corridor to another, it's a solid game and had cool ideas: ASE is pretty nifty, if an overused 'catch all' to solve every puzzle), the weapons are cool (a bit samey, and the alien weapons are awesomely overpowered), and darn fine graphics.
Those things aren't always easy to come by for us Wii owners... I can give The Conduit credit for what it did right.
TIME TO BEAT: 7h45m
MiniReview:
I hated the game and blamed the controls at first- took me literally half the game to realize that I needed to turn down the difficulty. Once I did that it was fun! Maybe it's because I'm not a FPS kinda guy, but the enemies respawning and constant fire coupled with the constant tight hallways in this game made me want to quit.
Graphics Aren't as bad as the internet made them out to be. High Voltage bragged this would look like a PS360 game, and I agree they did admirably... For the Wii. There's a few blurry textures and aliasing issues, but
it is a fine looking game. Color scheme... well, it's a lot of gray, brown and various red/orange colors. So they DID make it look like PS360!
This is a darn respectable character model and alien warp hole fire thing. Looks good upres'd to 1080p on my set, too
Really what hurts The Conduit is the level design- gameplay is burdened by the cutscene" formula. There's just not enough open spaces and no alternative paths. Even some of the boss fights put you in pretty tight quarters with lots of junk (indestructible junk, FWIW) to navigate around. Based on the criticism I've read and responses from the dev team, I bet HV fixes that in The Conduit 2.
This is about as open as space get in The Conduit. If you could fly, then there's no issues!
I'll probably replay this one time, right before I start Conduit 2 (and then maybe only if I have a weekend to kill).
Despite being linear and basically running your from one gray concrete corridor to another, it's a solid game and had cool ideas: ASE is pretty nifty, if an overused 'catch all' to solve every puzzle), the weapons are cool (a bit samey, and the alien weapons are awesomely overpowered), and darn fine graphics.
Those things aren't always easy to come by for us Wii owners... I can give The Conduit credit for what it did right.
voodoozen's rating:
9
5
0
Conduit 2 - Nintendo Wii
Status: Unplayed
Did High Voltage fix the 'hallway-arena-hallway-boss" issues?
Did the gameplay get more varied?
Are the environments not all gray and brown?
Tune in next time to find out!
Did High Voltage fix the 'hallway-arena-hallway-boss" issues?
Did the gameplay get more varied?
Are the environments not all gray and brown?
Tune in next time to find out!
33
7.6
0
Cursed Mountain - Nintendo Wii
Status: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 10h
[Oct 2011] I'm well aware: I have too little time to dedicate to M-rated games right now... but this was one of those games I really, really wanted to finish, and with it being Halloween season and all I decided to knuckle down and go for it. By "knuckle down" I of course mean play late at night, after the kids are in bed and household duties are all finished up... so I played CM almost exclusively post 11PM, alone, lights down and surround up, and talk about a good way to build atmosphere and immersion- it's top shelf.
This game deserved to do better, much better, than it did at retail. To support the devs I bought the standard game and the metal box Deluxe Edition. I regret nothing, worth every penny and now that I'm through I wish that more people had been willing to take a step away from Raccoon city and trek up Chomolonzo.
Due to pure laziness, I moved pretttty slow on my dual Tomb Raider run, and I put off finishing Shattered Memories until this 2xTR thing is done
What's so great about Cursed Mountain? Immersion, pure and simple. Here you are, dropped in a narrow side street in a deserted Asian city and have no idea what's going on, you don't know where to go, why everything here is dead, nada. It takes that cue from Silent Hill obviously, and while it's not nearly as jarring as being dropped into, say, Beyond Good and Evil (which is the undisputed king of all "wait, no, what?" openings), it's spookier than SH1. And the 'lost in Tibet, alone', feeling exactly encapsulates the mood for the game. I feel like I am the character. Great start, and there's even more of that feeling later as you're higher up the mountain...
Level layouts are a plus for the game, it seems completely natural that you're traversing from each location to the next. Yes, you basically open every door and look for a key to open the next door, but that's to be expected. The way the game flows from city to village to mountain makes for a very real, organic progression you'd expect to find in the Himalayas, and adds another nice touch of realism to the experience. It's also nice to not throw in some strange lab, haunted alternate reality or endless mansion.
You get a lot of your information regarding the plot through on screen text and books you find scattered throughout the game- again, not unfamiliar territory for a survival horror gam- but CM does anice job of making the comments and texts feel like they mean something. You can tell by the notes you find that some of the ghosts don't even realize their ghosts, that these empty buildings and tents were someone's home/shelter just days ago, and the game makes sure to mention this. These aren't just a series of rooms where keys and weapons are hidden in chests, these are the remains of what used to be normal life. It hits you right here, man [pats heart].
Audio- perfect. Ambient sounds seem to come from everywhere and no place at the same time, and the build and fit the slow burn creepy vibe. There's strange, supernatural forces about you at all times, and you can't tell if it's part of the music, part of the background, or just noise. Voice acting is well above average as well.
Only complaints I have are minor. While the graphics are good and the lighting is great (walking through Lhando reminded me instantly of when I was actually walking some of the small streets in China), the contrast is a little strange in places. It's almost like the dev's used the washed out, high contrast filter to make the snow levels look good, then just hit 'paste' and put it on the whole game. A quick example:
Original screen shot:
3 second contrast/brightness adjustment and I got this:
Outside and on the mountain it's not so noticeable because there's plenty of fog (bad fog, but that's the Wii's crappy rendering to blame) and particle effects to hide it, but inside and around some of the shadowy areas you feel like there's a lot of detail being washed out. REmake definitely was dark, but at least you felt that the book cases and shadows had depth. I did adjust the brightness down, but there's not enough setting in the options menu to correct for it. Shame, but overlook-able.
Controls are hit and miss. You do move a bit jerky when looking in 3rd eye mode, you're pretty plodding and slow (I'd have loved a 180* spin move to turn around quickly), but overall it's a serviceable control scheme. Motion controls are ok, I didn't have a single issue with the motion controls until I hit Base Camp, and controls were instantly totally unresponsive whilst in the middle of a 5 ghost fight (nice!). I tried standing up, sitting down, restarted the game and even switched remotes, all to no avail. So I quit for the night, came back the next day and had no trouble. Whatever was wrong was just a strange cosmic happenstance, and overall the motion controls work just fine
The game is slowly paced and 100% linear, and that's really the only reason I can't give this 10/10 or even 9/10. I can deal with both, and I like that kind of build up a LOT, but there are long periods of time when you just feel like you're playing a hiking simulator, since you can't fall off of a path or take alternate routes, there's no risk/reward just travel. Having said that, being so alone in this vast, huge mountain world of staggeringly steep cliffs, vast, deserted monasteries and creepy abandoned villages is the most realistic and immersive survival horror game I've ever played. You're alone in this quest, and CM makes sure you know it.
Unfortunately, while that loneliness and sensation of being minuscule in comparison to your surroundings would have made for a bunch of great jump scares or tense run-for-you-life moments, the game really didn't go that direction. Scares were more around when 5-7 ghosts come out at once, and then it's really only tense because you're always fighting in such a small area and can't turn around or maneuver quickly. It's more frustrating than truly scary.
But there's two moments that honestly blew me away, the first is early in the game, you've just crossed a bridge after leaving the first village and the camera angle shifts to reveal how precarious the bridge you crossed was and narrow your path forward is, it's a stunning moment. Then later, high on the mountain where you are several thousand feet above the start of the game, the camera pans back and reveals a dramatic cliff side, allowing you to see the villages where you started and the monasteries lying above them... the wind whistles, the prayer flags flutter noisily in the breeze, and there's mist swirling around your feet...
It was me was standing there. Amazing feeling for a game to capture.
TIME TO BEAT: 10h
[Oct 2011] I'm well aware: I have too little time to dedicate to M-rated games right now... but this was one of those games I really, really wanted to finish, and with it being Halloween season and all I decided to knuckle down and go for it. By "knuckle down" I of course mean play late at night, after the kids are in bed and household duties are all finished up... so I played CM almost exclusively post 11PM, alone, lights down and surround up, and talk about a good way to build atmosphere and immersion- it's top shelf.
This game deserved to do better, much better, than it did at retail. To support the devs I bought the standard game and the metal box Deluxe Edition. I regret nothing, worth every penny and now that I'm through I wish that more people had been willing to take a step away from Raccoon city and trek up Chomolonzo.
Due to pure laziness, I moved pretttty slow on my dual Tomb Raider run, and I put off finishing Shattered Memories until this 2xTR thing is done
Won't see that in Silent Hill. In fact, am I seeing this at all?
What's so great about Cursed Mountain? Immersion, pure and simple. Here you are, dropped in a narrow side street in a deserted Asian city and have no idea what's going on, you don't know where to go, why everything here is dead, nada. It takes that cue from Silent Hill obviously, and while it's not nearly as jarring as being dropped into, say, Beyond Good and Evil (which is the undisputed king of all "wait, no, what?" openings), it's spookier than SH1. And the 'lost in Tibet, alone', feeling exactly encapsulates the mood for the game. I feel like I am the character. Great start, and there's even more of that feeling later as you're higher up the mountain...
Level layouts are a plus for the game, it seems completely natural that you're traversing from each location to the next. Yes, you basically open every door and look for a key to open the next door, but that's to be expected. The way the game flows from city to village to mountain makes for a very real, organic progression you'd expect to find in the Himalayas, and adds another nice touch of realism to the experience. It's also nice to not throw in some strange lab, haunted alternate reality or endless mansion.
You get a lot of your information regarding the plot through on screen text and books you find scattered throughout the game- again, not unfamiliar territory for a survival horror gam- but CM does anice job of making the comments and texts feel like they mean something. You can tell by the notes you find that some of the ghosts don't even realize their ghosts, that these empty buildings and tents were someone's home/shelter just days ago, and the game makes sure to mention this. These aren't just a series of rooms where keys and weapons are hidden in chests, these are the remains of what used to be normal life. It hits you right here, man [pats heart].
Audio- perfect. Ambient sounds seem to come from everywhere and no place at the same time, and the build and fit the slow burn creepy vibe. There's strange, supernatural forces about you at all times, and you can't tell if it's part of the music, part of the background, or just noise. Voice acting is well above average as well.
Only complaints I have are minor. While the graphics are good and the lighting is great (walking through Lhando reminded me instantly of when I was actually walking some of the small streets in China), the contrast is a little strange in places. It's almost like the dev's used the washed out, high contrast filter to make the snow levels look good, then just hit 'paste' and put it on the whole game. A quick example:
Original screen shot:
3 second contrast/brightness adjustment and I got this:
Outside and on the mountain it's not so noticeable because there's plenty of fog (bad fog, but that's the Wii's crappy rendering to blame) and particle effects to hide it, but inside and around some of the shadowy areas you feel like there's a lot of detail being washed out. REmake definitely was dark, but at least you felt that the book cases and shadows had depth. I did adjust the brightness down, but there's not enough setting in the options menu to correct for it. Shame, but overlook-able.
Controls are hit and miss. You do move a bit jerky when looking in 3rd eye mode, you're pretty plodding and slow (I'd have loved a 180* spin move to turn around quickly), but overall it's a serviceable control scheme. Motion controls are ok, I didn't have a single issue with the motion controls until I hit Base Camp, and controls were instantly totally unresponsive whilst in the middle of a 5 ghost fight (nice!). I tried standing up, sitting down, restarted the game and even switched remotes, all to no avail. So I quit for the night, came back the next day and had no trouble. Whatever was wrong was just a strange cosmic happenstance, and overall the motion controls work just fine
The game is slowly paced and 100% linear, and that's really the only reason I can't give this 10/10 or even 9/10. I can deal with both, and I like that kind of build up a LOT, but there are long periods of time when you just feel like you're playing a hiking simulator, since you can't fall off of a path or take alternate routes, there's no risk/reward just travel. Having said that, being so alone in this vast, huge mountain world of staggeringly steep cliffs, vast, deserted monasteries and creepy abandoned villages is the most realistic and immersive survival horror game I've ever played. You're alone in this quest, and CM makes sure you know it.
Unfortunately, while that loneliness and sensation of being minuscule in comparison to your surroundings would have made for a bunch of great jump scares or tense run-for-you-life moments, the game really didn't go that direction. Scares were more around when 5-7 ghosts come out at once, and then it's really only tense because you're always fighting in such a small area and can't turn around or maneuver quickly. It's more frustrating than truly scary.
But there's two moments that honestly blew me away, the first is early in the game, you've just crossed a bridge after leaving the first village and the camera angle shifts to reveal how precarious the bridge you crossed was and narrow your path forward is, it's a stunning moment. Then later, high on the mountain where you are several thousand feet above the start of the game, the camera pans back and reveals a dramatic cliff side, allowing you to see the villages where you started and the monasteries lying above them... the wind whistles, the prayer flags flutter noisily in the breeze, and there's mist swirling around your feet...
It was me was standing there. Amazing feeling for a game to capture.
voodoozen's rating:
69
7.6
0
Dead Space: Extraction - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 8h30m
Best. Mature. Game. On. Wii - yes, I'm putting this one higher than HotD:Overkill, because it deserves it. In one 8-or-so hour game you get a fully realized, breathtaking Dead Space experience with some of the most creative FPS/on-rails gameplay ever.
Being a big fan of on rail shooters (I draw a very clear distinction between FPS and ORS, in that ORS are usually fun) and a recent convert to survival horror, I knew this one would be something I would enjoy. Turns out it would be WAY more than just something to "enjoy".
Starts off strong?: You betcha
DS:E starts off absolutely perfectly, putting you into a seemingly mundane situation that, in a short 5 minutes' time has you questioning everything, then rapidly unravels into a violent, gruesome, haunting trek to the edge of sanity before giving you a chance to breathe again- and that's only the first level. A first chapter ideally sets the tone and pace for the rest of the game- but a perfect opening act is rare. In fact I can't think of many games that start out so strongly and manage to continue the level of intensity like DS:E, and ones that come to mind are classics like Super Metroid and Mario Galaxy. Good company to be in!
Weapons? Fantastic, and I'll explain in a minute, but I believe this is the way weapons should be handled in games like this. They all feel unique (not just gun/machine gun/bigger machine gun) and after a short time you'll start to notice situations where a different weapon can be the most effective. Making the weapons truly varied is nice, but where Visceral Games really succeeded was stopping you from carrying around unlimited fire power.... space to carry weapons is limited to 4 slots per level, with weapons chosen prior to starting each level- meaning you'll make mistakes picking your setup that force you to try the level again.
So how is that any different or better than, say, Resident Evil or even Halo? Because although you'll find yourself loading and using the same 2-3 weapons as your work horses (flamethrower FTW!), you absolutely have to put some thought into what you're doing. It's a big part of getting the player truly immersed into the game, and adds a bit of strategy that isn't common in FPS's. It's more akin to building power ups for your sword in an RPG, taking the time to make the experience greater than just gunning down everything in sight. A+, guys.
Frame rate: Stays pretty high considering the graphics and how much is going on at all times. I only experienced one level ending glitch -a quick reboot and all was well again- but keep your Wii cool, it's going to be taxed playing this beautiful massacre.
Characters: Well developed, and darn good voice acting to boot. Since the NPCs are with you pretty much all the time, you start to believe you're really in the situation and get attached to each one, in part thanks to the first person perspective, but also the first class facial animations, dialog and acting. Facial models aren't PS360 quality, but the mocap and synchronization are spot on.
Innovative?
DS:E was reviewed poorly by some simply because it was on rails- EA argued it was a "Guided first person" game, which seemed like a cheap attempt at avoiding being lumped in with arcade shooters... except in this case that's absolutely accurate. You may be in first person, but you're way more in control than the typical arcade-style ORS you might be thinking of. A short list of the things on rails provides DS:E:
*Pacing - Frantic one minute, delayed the next, you have no control. More akin to experiencing a Michael Bay film than a video game, the set pacing is 100% worth it here because it adds...
*Tension - Typically in games players can avoid tension as they need to. "I need ammo!! Let's go find some!" "Damn! It's not safe here, run away!", you make that happen in the traditional FPS genre. In DS:E you'll be on your toes all the time to deal with whatever event happens next, regardless of how prepared you think you are.
*Graphics - Stunning. Since you can't really focus on things are outside your field of view, the programmers put pixelated textures out in the distance where minor details don't matter, but pumped clear hi-res textures in up close situations, similar to how RE looked so great by used pre-rendered, highly detailed backgrounds rather than forcing them to be rendered in game. The framerate can be a little rough if too many enemies are on screen at once, but hey, that's YOUR fault, cowboy. get some good shots in and that's a non issue :)
*Zero Gravity - You heard that right, you have to float in zero g in a FPS... not such an easy task to pull off if you're looking at the typical on rails game, but since you're NOT REALLY PLAYING AN ON RAILS GAME, it's all good. Just like the original DS, you choose the start and stop point -that's just not possible in the regular rails shooters, mate. Free look? Maybe sometimes, but movement like this is not gonna happen. And it's executed perfectly.
*Flaws? Yeah, maybe a flaw or two...
Here's the big drawback to this game: it's short. Everything else is scripted and set for you, which is OK because it delivers what it needs to in spades. The action, scares, soundtrack, all are amazing and will keep you playing.
And now that I've finished every other DS game (thanks to borrowing a 360 for a couple months), I can see where series fans were disappointed in the lack of free movement. You have to run, you have to hide, you need to backtrack after opening gates or moving objects in your way in the main series games. DS:E handles that movement for you, and it does it well, but if you're used to RE or Halo type experiences, on rails just isn't the same. Didn't bother me in the least, but I'm not a "core audience" gamer.
Beyond the length, there's no reason this isn't heralded as a perfect addition to the series. Great characters, great immersion, replayability, amazing weapons, story to lust for, graphics that rival its HD predecessor.. the list is endless.
Easy vote for 5/5 stars. DS:E gives players action, awesome tension and a few good frights, nudity (on Wii!), swearing (on Wii!), and is absolutely fun to boot.
TIME TO BEAT: 8h30m
Best. Mature. Game. On. Wii - yes, I'm putting this one higher than HotD:Overkill, because it deserves it. In one 8-or-so hour game you get a fully realized, breathtaking Dead Space experience with some of the most creative FPS/on-rails gameplay ever.
This is not a zombie. It's a SPACE zombie
Being a big fan of on rail shooters (I draw a very clear distinction between FPS and ORS, in that ORS are usually fun) and a recent convert to survival horror, I knew this one would be something I would enjoy. Turns out it would be WAY more than just something to "enjoy".
Starts off strong?: You betcha
DS:E starts off absolutely perfectly, putting you into a seemingly mundane situation that, in a short 5 minutes' time has you questioning everything, then rapidly unravels into a violent, gruesome, haunting trek to the edge of sanity before giving you a chance to breathe again- and that's only the first level. A first chapter ideally sets the tone and pace for the rest of the game- but a perfect opening act is rare. In fact I can't think of many games that start out so strongly and manage to continue the level of intensity like DS:E, and ones that come to mind are classics like Super Metroid and Mario Galaxy. Good company to be in!
Such a beautiful thing to be so... nasty
Weapons? Fantastic, and I'll explain in a minute, but I believe this is the way weapons should be handled in games like this. They all feel unique (not just gun/machine gun/bigger machine gun) and after a short time you'll start to notice situations where a different weapon can be the most effective. Making the weapons truly varied is nice, but where Visceral Games really succeeded was stopping you from carrying around unlimited fire power.... space to carry weapons is limited to 4 slots per level, with weapons chosen prior to starting each level- meaning you'll make mistakes picking your setup that force you to try the level again.
So how is that any different or better than, say, Resident Evil or even Halo? Because although you'll find yourself loading and using the same 2-3 weapons as your work horses (flamethrower FTW!), you absolutely have to put some thought into what you're doing. It's a big part of getting the player truly immersed into the game, and adds a bit of strategy that isn't common in FPS's. It's more akin to building power ups for your sword in an RPG, taking the time to make the experience greater than just gunning down everything in sight. A+, guys.
Frame rate: Stays pretty high considering the graphics and how much is going on at all times. I only experienced one level ending glitch -a quick reboot and all was well again- but keep your Wii cool, it's going to be taxed playing this beautiful massacre.
Characters: Well developed, and darn good voice acting to boot. Since the NPCs are with you pretty much all the time, you start to believe you're really in the situation and get attached to each one, in part thanks to the first person perspective, but also the first class facial animations, dialog and acting. Facial models aren't PS360 quality, but the mocap and synchronization are spot on.
Innovative?
DS:E was reviewed poorly by some simply because it was on rails- EA argued it was a "Guided first person" game, which seemed like a cheap attempt at avoiding being lumped in with arcade shooters... except in this case that's absolutely accurate. You may be in first person, but you're way more in control than the typical arcade-style ORS you might be thinking of. A short list of the things on rails provides DS:E:
*Pacing - Frantic one minute, delayed the next, you have no control. More akin to experiencing a Michael Bay film than a video game, the set pacing is 100% worth it here because it adds...
*Tension - Typically in games players can avoid tension as they need to. "I need ammo!! Let's go find some!" "Damn! It's not safe here, run away!", you make that happen in the traditional FPS genre. In DS:E you'll be on your toes all the time to deal with whatever event happens next, regardless of how prepared you think you are.
*Graphics - Stunning. Since you can't really focus on things are outside your field of view, the programmers put pixelated textures out in the distance where minor details don't matter, but pumped clear hi-res textures in up close situations, similar to how RE looked so great by used pre-rendered, highly detailed backgrounds rather than forcing them to be rendered in game. The framerate can be a little rough if too many enemies are on screen at once, but hey, that's YOUR fault, cowboy. get some good shots in and that's a non issue :)
*Zero Gravity - You heard that right, you have to float in zero g in a FPS... not such an easy task to pull off if you're looking at the typical on rails game, but since you're NOT REALLY PLAYING AN ON RAILS GAME, it's all good. Just like the original DS, you choose the start and stop point -that's just not possible in the regular rails shooters, mate. Free look? Maybe sometimes, but movement like this is not gonna happen. And it's executed perfectly.
*Flaws? Yeah, maybe a flaw or two...
Here's the big drawback to this game: it's short. Everything else is scripted and set for you, which is OK because it delivers what it needs to in spades. The action, scares, soundtrack, all are amazing and will keep you playing.
And now that I've finished every other DS game (thanks to borrowing a 360 for a couple months), I can see where series fans were disappointed in the lack of free movement. You have to run, you have to hide, you need to backtrack after opening gates or moving objects in your way in the main series games. DS:E handles that movement for you, and it does it well, but if you're used to RE or Halo type experiences, on rails just isn't the same. Didn't bother me in the least, but I'm not a "core audience" gamer.
Beyond the length, there's no reason this isn't heralded as a perfect addition to the series. Great characters, great immersion, replayability, amazing weapons, story to lust for, graphics that rival its HD predecessor.. the list is endless.
Easy vote for 5/5 stars. DS:E gives players action, awesome tension and a few good frights, nudity (on Wii!), swearing (on Wii!), and is absolutely fun to boot.
voodoozen's rating:
34
7.3
0
Disaster: Day of Crisis - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Now Playing
TIME TO BEAT:
Never released in North America... had to import this one from Russia.
Spasibo, soviets!
TIME TO BEAT:
Never released in North America... had to import this one from Russia.
Spasibo, soviets!
246
8
0
Donkey Kong Country Returns - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 15 hours
I put off DKCR for one good reason: I played about 15 minutes of the first level and got my butt royally kicked.
So when I booted it back up and tried it again, history repeated itself... but my resolve was stronger this time, and I wanted to get farther just to see what everyone had been talking about. Turns out everything in this game is stunning- and somehow each level is even more spectacular than the last. It sounds impossible, but the creativity, art design, even the enemies are ever-improving as I rolled, jumped, climbed and pounded my way through the worlds.
Favorite level: Tidal Terror. I felt like I was watching a storm roll in on me the whole time, the colors are just perfect, and the detail is absolutely engrossing... the graphics are nothing short of eye popping, in fact, I could literally write up nothing for the rest of the game, only post screen shots and let your eyes make their own conclusions. Let's try that.
[FINAL THOUGHTS]
I'm glad I didn't give up- it was mega hard, and trying/dying 30+ times on so many of the levels got truly defeating here and there (only resorted to Super Kong 3 times, and went back to beat all but one level, 8-2), but once I finished this game there was that old feeling of "Oh yeah! We did it! We did it!" like I used to get as a kid... and it was amazing!
TIME TO BEAT: 15 hours
I put off DKCR for one good reason: I played about 15 minutes of the first level and got my butt royally kicked.
So when I booted it back up and tried it again, history repeated itself... but my resolve was stronger this time, and I wanted to get farther just to see what everyone had been talking about. Turns out everything in this game is stunning- and somehow each level is even more spectacular than the last. It sounds impossible, but the creativity, art design, even the enemies are ever-improving as I rolled, jumped, climbed and pounded my way through the worlds.
Favorite level: Tidal Terror. I felt like I was watching a storm roll in on me the whole time, the colors are just perfect, and the detail is absolutely engrossing... the graphics are nothing short of eye popping, in fact, I could literally write up nothing for the rest of the game, only post screen shots and let your eyes make their own conclusions. Let's try that.
Tidal Terror is wonderful
Amazing graphics, fluid movement, challenging difficulty... from the first level on, DKCR is just amazing.
Perspective shifts and camera changes add boatloads to the gameplay. Regular old platformer? Not in the least
Seriously... how could you not love the art style
[FINAL THOUGHTS]
I'm glad I didn't give up- it was mega hard, and trying/dying 30+ times on so many of the levels got truly defeating here and there (only resorted to Super Kong 3 times, and went back to beat all but one level, 8-2), but once I finished this game there was that old feeling of "Oh yeah! We did it! We did it!" like I used to get as a kid... and it was amazing!
Me after final boss:
2
6
0
Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Short game, flash-like graphics and interface, but it's for 3 year olds. And mine loves it, so that's a perfect reason to play it.
You could probably get the same gameplay and learning experience on www.pbskids.org, but you can't do that on your Wii browser... I think. Maybe with a bluetooth keyboard.
Short game, flash-like graphics and interface, but it's for 3 year olds. And mine loves it, so that's a perfect reason to play it.
You could probably get the same gameplay and learning experience on www.pbskids.org, but you can't do that on your Wii browser... I think. Maybe with a bluetooth keyboard.
voodoozen's rating:
70
6.8
0
Elebits - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Unfinished
I could finish this, but it's not high on my list (and I can't see it ever being high on the list). It was a very early Wii title, and as such is quite immature in the way it approached the wiimotes- and by that I mean it tried TOO hard to use motion for everything. The Wiimote without WM+ just isn't a precision instrument.
Unique concept and fun in small doses, just not a showcase game like it was when it released. Lots of crazy things going on and critters running around, a timer always counting down, and no real instruction make this a little fun and a little frustrating. Not my favorite combo.
I could finish this, but it's not high on my list (and I can't see it ever being high on the list). It was a very early Wii title, and as such is quite immature in the way it approached the wiimotes- and by that I mean it tried TOO hard to use motion for everything. The Wiimote without WM+ just isn't a precision instrument.
Yeah, it's Japanese- how could you tell?
Unique concept and fun in small doses, just not a showcase game like it was when it released. Lots of crazy things going on and critters running around, a timer always counting down, and no real instruction make this a little fun and a little frustrating. Not my favorite combo.
voodoozen's rating:
149
7.2
0
Epic Mickey - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 18h30m
[Oct 2011] I thought I should end up liking this game by the end, right? It's a nifty concept, it's a great reinterpretation of the Disney universe, has great depth fantastic characters of old... but EM has the worst, most bogus camera ever that essentially just follows Mickey as he fetch-quests his way across claustrophobic little dungeons separated by paint thinner oceans on his way to the occasional boss. Teasing me endlessly but not delivering is not cool, Junction Point. Not cool.
I hope EM2 is great. This one almost was... Almost.
By the time I passed the mad doctor I was feeling good about progress in the game, and the worlds had started to really gel for me; Lonesome Manor felt like haunted Disney, Mickeyjunk Mountain was full of great little throwbacks and clever hidden references, and the flow of the worlds was making sense.
But then every time I hit combat, the aiming and insane positioning of the camera... they all bring the great things down to just "OK" with tons more potential untapped. That wonky camera bit me more times than I care to count, and I got dizzy from the too-damn-many concurrent fetch quests going on. I couldn't keep track of what was going where and with whom... and I shouldn't have to, this is supposed to be fun!
The game has so many awesome pieces just waiting to be great, cool story with loads of retro-Disney throwbacks, one truly creative art style, and a just-long-enough game time that doesn't feel like you're simply traversing endless, barren overworlds to pad time until the next challenge (did you hear that, Twilight Princess?). But those side quests, oh the side quests. People, STOP asking Mickey to go get your things. And, by the way, who put all these gremlins in glass barrels? Are they just giant gremlin-sized mouse traps that the gullible little guys are lured inexplicably into?
Best moment
I got excited when I saw the spooky atmosphere at Bog Easy and Lonesome Manor. They're,as close to the concept art as previews led me to believe we'd get... but they're both small areas, separated by some jumps here and there and blocked into isolated rooms, not the expansive, precariously tilting worlds of the concept art.
The end (Spoilers here- beware)
I played the Heartwarming path, and got all my robo-friends put back together, all the open tasks completed and most of the fetch quests fetched. Reaching the last level, I jetted off to some crumbling towers, one aptly named "Grief Tower", to painfully miss jumps, get bashed repeatedly by enemies the camera won't pan around to reveal, and thwacked off of every edge by randomly appearing tentacles. I endured all of this for a good ending... and it was nice enough, I realized the handful of things I hadn't done properly for a full "good" ending, but the last level was just infuriating and couldn't have been more contrasting to the happytime ending that was to quickly follow. Seemed like a let down, I guess I was expecting more relief after the beatdown I had just received.
To steal a bit from a buddy... My review in 10 words or less:
There's an adventure here, but it's often hard to enjoy.
TIME TO BEAT: 18h30m
[Oct 2011] I thought I should end up liking this game by the end, right? It's a nifty concept, it's a great reinterpretation of the Disney universe, has great depth fantastic characters of old... but EM has the worst, most bogus camera ever that essentially just follows Mickey as he fetch-quests his way across claustrophobic little dungeons separated by paint thinner oceans on his way to the occasional boss. Teasing me endlessly but not delivering is not cool, Junction Point. Not cool.
I hope EM2 is great. This one almost was... Almost.
By the time I passed the mad doctor I was feeling good about progress in the game, and the worlds had started to really gel for me; Lonesome Manor felt like haunted Disney, Mickeyjunk Mountain was full of great little throwbacks and clever hidden references, and the flow of the worlds was making sense.
But then every time I hit combat, the aiming and insane positioning of the camera... they all bring the great things down to just "OK" with tons more potential untapped. That wonky camera bit me more times than I care to count, and I got dizzy from the too-damn-many concurrent fetch quests going on. I couldn't keep track of what was going where and with whom... and I shouldn't have to, this is supposed to be fun!
"Say, famous movie star I just met, can you go get this one thing that I left at another guy's house then bring it back so I can give it to that other person? I'll give you another useless pin!"
The game has so many awesome pieces just waiting to be great, cool story with loads of retro-Disney throwbacks, one truly creative art style, and a just-long-enough game time that doesn't feel like you're simply traversing endless, barren overworlds to pad time until the next challenge (did you hear that, Twilight Princess?). But those side quests, oh the side quests. People, STOP asking Mickey to go get your things. And, by the way, who put all these gremlins in glass barrels? Are they just giant gremlin-sized mouse traps that the gullible little guys are lured inexplicably into?
Best moment
I got excited when I saw the spooky atmosphere at Bog Easy and Lonesome Manor. They're,as close to the concept art as previews led me to believe we'd get... but they're both small areas, separated by some jumps here and there and blocked into isolated rooms, not the expansive, precariously tilting worlds of the concept art.
This is good:
but this was better:
The end (Spoilers here- beware)
I played the Heartwarming path, and got all my robo-friends put back together, all the open tasks completed and most of the fetch quests fetched. Reaching the last level, I jetted off to some crumbling towers, one aptly named "Grief Tower", to painfully miss jumps, get bashed repeatedly by enemies the camera won't pan around to reveal, and thwacked off of every edge by randomly appearing tentacles. I endured all of this for a good ending... and it was nice enough, I realized the handful of things I hadn't done properly for a full "good" ending, but the last level was just infuriating and couldn't have been more contrasting to the happytime ending that was to quickly follow. Seemed like a let down, I guess I was expecting more relief after the beatdown I had just received.
To steal a bit from a buddy... My review in 10 words or less:
There's an adventure here, but it's often hard to enjoy.
voodoozen's rating:
11
6.3
0
Game Party 2 - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Fun party game, but there's a lot of repetition. You don't care after a few beers, though!
Fun party game, but there's a lot of repetition. You don't care after a few beers, though!
Even the faux Mii's look bored
voodoozen's rating:
26
8
0
Ghostbusters: The Video Game - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 7h
[MAY 2009]
Murray, Ramis, Ackroyd AND Hudson? AWESOME!
Too bad the game's a little hard to follow on the first play through. Story, although very Ghostbuster-y, gets confusing after about the first hour and doesn't always flow like a movie, which I kinda expected. Second play through it was so much better- because I was paying attention to the story and not just the game. Things that were bad on the first go round were really just minor flaws in round 2. And again, fits right in with the Ghostbusters universe.
Awesome: Art style. It's animated, but not like the Real Ghostbusters fortunately (because even though I love them they're way off canon). I found the style to be amazingly fitting, and given the Wii's less-than-impressive hardware they're amazing.
Great: Wiimote and 'chuck are just perfect, I WAS a Ghostbuster, wanted to do that since '84 :)
Good: Bosses and levels are big, and pay homage to the original movies without being copy/paste. The third person view works well most of the time, but when the camera decides to take a strange turn here and there in tight corridors it can be a pain the the proton pack.
Bad: Plot seems a bit high on the retcon, story can be confusing if you're not paying close attention and the dialog is often hard to hear (well, Peter is).
Since I rarely play games twice -look at the size of this backlog- I have to admit I'm glad I played through this again. Definitely worth the time, and at ~7 hours, a small commitment for such a fun ride!
TIME TO BEAT: 7h
[MAY 2009]
Murray, Ramis, Ackroyd AND Hudson? AWESOME!
Too bad the game's a little hard to follow on the first play through. Story, although very Ghostbuster-y, gets confusing after about the first hour and doesn't always flow like a movie, which I kinda expected. Second play through it was so much better- because I was paying attention to the story and not just the game. Things that were bad on the first go round were really just minor flaws in round 2. And again, fits right in with the Ghostbusters universe.
Awesome: Art style. It's animated, but not like the Real Ghostbusters fortunately (because even though I love them they're way off canon). I found the style to be amazingly fitting, and given the Wii's less-than-impressive hardware they're amazing.
Get a look at the new guy
Great: Wiimote and 'chuck are just perfect, I WAS a Ghostbuster, wanted to do that since '84 :)
Good: Bosses and levels are big, and pay homage to the original movies without being copy/paste. The third person view works well most of the time, but when the camera decides to take a strange turn here and there in tight corridors it can be a pain the the proton pack.
Bosses weren't the same design for Wii as PS360, which matches up with the different art direction nicely
Bad: Plot seems a bit high on the retcon, story can be confusing if you're not paying close attention and the dialog is often hard to hear (well, Peter is).
Since I rarely play games twice -look at the size of this backlog- I have to admit I'm glad I played through this again. Definitely worth the time, and at ~7 hours, a small commitment for such a fun ride!
voodoozen's rating:
18
6.4
0
Guitar Hero 5 - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Just like all other Guitar Hero's, really, but it has Judith. So it wins!
Just like all other Guitar Hero's, really, but it has Judith. So it wins!
voodoozen's rating:
1
6
0
Gummy Bears Magical Medallion - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 4h (100%)
Don't laugh, it was free...
Ok, laugh if you need to. But if you're 6-8 years old and don't mind trading stiff jump controls for infinite lives, this little 2.5D platfomer is kinda cool. It's a strangely enchanting gameplay style that's somehow reminiscent of classic Pitfall.
Jumping is difficult at best, but the worlds are colorful and the music is light and upbeat, which helps hold your attention even when the game is nothing special. The whole "candy world" idea is neat and fits into the Gummy Bear universe (is there a Gummy Bear universe?), and I did think the graphics, which were just above Gamecube level, were good enough.
Play it again? Probably not unless a small kid is looking for a game to play, but it's worth spending time with a little one for the 3 or so hours it takes to beat.
TIME TO BEAT: 4h (100%)
Don't laugh, it was free...
Ok, laugh if you need to. But if you're 6-8 years old and don't mind trading stiff jump controls for infinite lives, this little 2.5D platfomer is kinda cool. It's a strangely enchanting gameplay style that's somehow reminiscent of classic Pitfall.
Jumping is difficult at best, but the worlds are colorful and the music is light and upbeat, which helps hold your attention even when the game is nothing special. The whole "candy world" idea is neat and fits into the Gummy Bear universe (is there a Gummy Bear universe?), and I did think the graphics, which were just above Gamecube level, were good enough.
Play it again? Probably not unless a small kid is looking for a game to play, but it's worth spending time with a little one for the 3 or so hours it takes to beat.
voodoozen's rating:
66
6.8
0
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Fun lightgun shooter, but HARD. It was meant to munch quarters, and that stayed true in the Wii port...
Fun lightgun shooter, but HARD. It was meant to munch quarters, and that stayed true in the Wii port...
Either these are
a) quadruplet zombies or
b) boy-band zombies or
c) there's not a lot of character models...
voodoozen's rating:
92
7.7
0
The House of the Dead: Overkill - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 8h30m
Played through in 1 night (that turned into a LONG night) with a buddy, drunk, and having a freeking awesome time. I've played through this twice and most of another time on dual-wield mode... and it never gets old.
So dumb and so good, this is everything it promised. If Wii2 doesn't have a sequel they should be ashamed!
TIME TO BEAT: 8h30m
Played through in 1 night (that turned into a LONG night) with a buddy, drunk, and having a freeking awesome time. I've played through this twice and most of another time on dual-wield mode... and it never gets old.
This game just begs you to play it in dual-wield mode
So dumb and so good, this is everything it promised. If Wii2 doesn't have a sequel they should be ashamed!
voodoozen's rating:
36
8.2
0
Kirby's Dream Collection - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Unplayed
$7.99 on clearance from Best Buy. Now THAT'S a bargain!
$7.99 on clearance from Best Buy. Now THAT'S a bargain!
176
7.4
0
Kirby's Epic Yarn - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 8h
Tons of cutesy, stupid easy, complete baby game for babies things everywhere.
Consider me a baby! Found it cute and challenging at the same time, the collectibles and art style make this the kind of game that no one can honestly say they dislike, at least not real Nintendo fans.
TIME TO BEAT: 8h
Tons of cutesy, stupid easy, complete baby game for babies things everywhere.
Consider me a baby! Found it cute and challenging at the same time, the collectibles and art style make this the kind of game that no one can honestly say they dislike, at least not real Nintendo fans.
3
7
0
Madden NFL 11 - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
I've played a few games, a very solid Madden, love the style and the play calling mechanics. I can't figure out the stinking buttons and motion controls though... I need to open the manual!
I've played a few games, a very solid Madden, love the style and the play calling mechanics. I can't figure out the stinking buttons and motion controls though... I need to open the manual!
7
8
0
Marble Saga Kororinpa - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Fun, fun, fun. Hard as heck with the balance board, but very satisfying.
Fun, fun, fun. Hard as heck with the balance board, but very satisfying.
Try this with no hands. Challenging!
voodoozen's rating:
698
8
0
Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Maybe the best "Occasional Play" game ever. Moms, dads, kids, dogs... everyone loves MKW!
Also, technically speaking, I have beat this one. I opened all the tracks and all the accomplishments. Yay, me!
Maybe the best "Occasional Play" game ever. Moms, dads, kids, dogs... everyone loves MKW!
Wheeee!
Also, technically speaking, I have beat this one. I opened all the tracks and all the accomplishments. Yay, me!
voodoozen's rating:
68
6.5
0
Mario Party 9 - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
THIS GAME IS AWESOME!
Part board game, part action platformer, part minigame... MP9 is the perfect Wii 4-player experience.
THIS GAME IS AWESOME!
Part board game, part action platformer, part minigame... MP9 is the perfect Wii 4-player experience.
voodoozen's rating:
59
6.5
0
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Tried this a few times, and so far this is great and easily the best use of the balance board outside Wii Fit, which is the reason I picked this one up.
Good: The number of characters and events available are good, with a range of choices from both Mario and Sonic's universes.
Better: Controls are intuitive and are explained very well during the game. Kids and adults should be able to pick up the Wiimote or step on the balance board and be playing in 30 seconds.
Best: The Dream Events- designers took Mario Kart tracks and Sonic Levels, covered them with snow and made them playable events. Snowboarding down Radical Highway or Ski Jumping through the Good Egg Galaxy is a blast.
As far as activity games go, this one is a keeper for sure... add in the party game fun, the multiplayer, all of the Mario and Sonic goodness and this is an A+ game.
Tried this a few times, and so far this is great and easily the best use of the balance board outside Wii Fit, which is the reason I picked this one up.
The Dream Events are creative- and fun
Good: The number of characters and events available are good, with a range of choices from both Mario and Sonic's universes.
Better: Controls are intuitive and are explained very well during the game. Kids and adults should be able to pick up the Wiimote or step on the balance board and be playing in 30 seconds.
Best: The Dream Events- designers took Mario Kart tracks and Sonic Levels, covered them with snow and made them playable events. Snowboarding down Radical Highway or Ski Jumping through the Good Egg Galaxy is a blast.
As far as activity games go, this one is a keeper for sure... add in the party game fun, the multiplayer, all of the Mario and Sonic goodness and this is an A+ game.
voodoozen's rating:
335
8
0
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 18h
[Mar 2011]First thought: I love Metroid. Always have, always will. And the GBA Metroids were some of the best games I've ever played, hands down.
Second thought: I hate FPS. Well, hate isn't really the right word, but 'strongly despise' is probably close. I just don't see the allure of having limited visibility AND lame controls- who ever invented the second thubstick is a jerk.
But I've wanted to play the Prime games in order for some time, FPS or not. I played MP1 and 2 on GCN before starting MP3, and, having overcome my distaste for the controls, found them both to be fantastic- excellent games with giant bosses, tons of depth, and all the exploration and adventure Metroid is known for. Needless to say I was excited to give the Wii controls a try.
MP3 blew me away. Everything was perfect; graphics, game play, story, bosses, level design- amazing! Folks complain that MP3 is too linear, that there's not enough exploration and the plot gets in the way of the isolation you want in a Metroid game... I couldn't disagree more, even with the story and cut scenes this is exactly like what Metroid should be. MY number one Metroid Prime choice, hands down.
Pointer controls: Perfect
Enemies: Amazing, varied well by world and often gang up on you
Bosses: Challenging and balanced
Worlds: New and pretty darn creative
Flying the gun ship: YEESSS!
Corruption suit: Great twist, and interesting help/hurt dynamic
Morphball: Good enough (some jumps could get tricky)
Exploration and puzzles: More than plentiful
Ending Fetch quest: Ok, coulda stood 1 Prime without it
There's no doubt in my mind that Retro finally perfected everything by the time they published this last piece of the Trilogy. MP3 is the is the best of the Prime series and very close to being the best in Metroid altogether. Shame that Super, Zero Mission and Fusion are also so damn good... and Prime 1, 2, Metroid 2, Metroid NES...
And after feeling how great the controls were on Wii, I ditched my GCN copies and found MP Trilogy immediately. What and amazing disc, Wii's peak, without question.
TIME TO BEAT: 18h
[Mar 2011]First thought: I love Metroid. Always have, always will. And the GBA Metroids were some of the best games I've ever played, hands down.
Second thought: I hate FPS. Well, hate isn't really the right word, but 'strongly despise' is probably close. I just don't see the allure of having limited visibility AND lame controls- who ever invented the second thubstick is a jerk.
But I've wanted to play the Prime games in order for some time, FPS or not. I played MP1 and 2 on GCN before starting MP3, and, having overcome my distaste for the controls, found them both to be fantastic- excellent games with giant bosses, tons of depth, and all the exploration and adventure Metroid is known for. Needless to say I was excited to give the Wii controls a try.
MP3 blew me away. Everything was perfect; graphics, game play, story, bosses, level design- amazing! Folks complain that MP3 is too linear, that there's not enough exploration and the plot gets in the way of the isolation you want in a Metroid game... I couldn't disagree more, even with the story and cut scenes this is exactly like what Metroid should be. MY number one Metroid Prime choice, hands down.
Pointer controls: Perfect
Enemies: Amazing, varied well by world and often gang up on you
Bosses: Challenging and balanced
Worlds: New and pretty darn creative
Flying the gun ship: YEESSS!
Corruption suit: Great twist, and interesting help/hurt dynamic
Morphball: Good enough (some jumps could get tricky)
Exploration and puzzles: More than plentiful
Ending Fetch quest: Ok, coulda stood 1 Prime without it
I had to stop playing and inhale pure oxygen because of how awesome this battle was
There's no doubt in my mind that Retro finally perfected everything by the time they published this last piece of the Trilogy. MP3 is the is the best of the Prime series and very close to being the best in Metroid altogether. Shame that Super, Zero Mission and Fusion are also so damn good... and Prime 1, 2, Metroid 2, Metroid NES...
And after feeling how great the controls were on Wii, I ditched my GCN copies and found MP Trilogy immediately. What and amazing disc, Wii's peak, without question.
voodoozen's rating:
166
6.8
0
Metroid: Other M - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 9h30m
I wanted to like this game, really badly. So much so that I PREORDERED the game. And yes, that means I paid full price.... Main quest started great, then took a turn south when all the sense move and "concentration" stuff started to be necessary. By the time I got through the first couple of bosses, I wanted nothing to do with this game. Near the end it got more "Metroid", but that first 'ending'... ungh. A real turd.
Let's put this into two pieces: 1) the vapid, nonsensical story part, and 2) the amazing Metroid that comes afterwards, an enjoyable 30 minutes of the game that is sadly just table scraps and an indication of what could have been.
Part 1: Within 10 minutes M:OM plops Saums suddenly in the middle of a team of unknown, anime-inspired space marines, insists you perform absolutely unnecessary "Do this, all the time!" sense moves, some lucky-if-you-can-land-em fatal strikes, and then the game somehow worsens; the way you refill health and missiles is to squat on the floor, basically saying "Target meeee!" while some kind of samurai concentration magic happens and until your health and missile bars are refilled... And that's the game, folks. If you take those things, these new elements and what they do to the pace and gameplay... it completely kills the fun. If this was a 3rd party game developer they would have been shot, beaten, peed on, and THEN fired. The reason this game went to $20 new within 3 months of release? It's only worth $20, Nintendo. More on that later…
But. Then... the epilogue. Wow!
What makes this game worth playing through all the way, or even thinking of playing past the credits? Everything! Get past the Manga/Japanime/"George Lucas wrote this on drugs" story. The post-game mission was GREAT. Changed my mind on the whole thing- ok, not totally changed it I guess, but I love completion and feel better when games are done... the last 2 hours, they were pure Metroid, made even better with great graphics (among the best I've seen on Wii), a good old-fashioned set of hard *but not too hair-pulling* bosses, and of course the picture perfect Metroid ending count down.
So, Wow- now that I'm done with Other M, what happened during this game exactly? What was the problem that made me hate the first 90% of the game?
Cue "Theatre Mode", where you can watch the game's cutscenes in movie form -and you'll get to the real problem much faster: this was just sad fanfic, written by none other than Sakamoto San himself. Besides being dreadfully written, it honestly makes NO sense. POINT AT HAND: What happened to the traitor? There was a boss fight where the traitor was trying to get you, then there was something off on the side... who was it? What was the motivation? YOU NEVER FIND OUT.
And later, when Adam can see things killing his troops (while he sits in relative safety in the control room) AND he knew in advance about the development of secret, potentially troop-massacring Bioweapons but said nothing, didn't stop anything from happening to his men or at least allow Samus to go into full offense mode... he's either an idiot or a terrible leader. Then he kills himself. Like an idiot.
And Samus, well, she went full retard... Just disobey orders and go to town on the bad guys already. The game was criticized for being sexist, but it really wasn't... it was just that Samus was portrayed as a blubbering mess for far too long over the course of the game, and that's never been the case in a previous Metroid. It's just not fitting... to the character or the series as a whole.
In short: Sakamoto, move on and take this game with you...) My real hope is that Nintendo uses M:OM gameplay as the foundation for their next Metroid, and then removes basically everything they changed from Super & MPT to get to M:OM. The graphics, the tension, the soundtrack? Great. The sense moves, dumb story, low exploration, weak Samus and talking constantly? F'ughettaboutem.
I've played through twice now. No more. Thank goodness for Retro and MP:Trilogy when I need my fix.
TIME TO BEAT: 9h30m
I wanted to like this game, really badly. So much so that I PREORDERED the game. And yes, that means I paid full price.... Main quest started great, then took a turn south when all the sense move and "concentration" stuff started to be necessary. By the time I got through the first couple of bosses, I wanted nothing to do with this game. Near the end it got more "Metroid", but that first 'ending'... ungh. A real turd.
Let's put this into two pieces: 1) the vapid, nonsensical story part, and 2) the amazing Metroid that comes afterwards, an enjoyable 30 minutes of the game that is sadly just table scraps and an indication of what could have been.
Part 1: Within 10 minutes M:OM plops Saums suddenly in the middle of a team of unknown, anime-inspired space marines, insists you perform absolutely unnecessary "Do this, all the time!" sense moves, some lucky-if-you-can-land-em fatal strikes, and then the game somehow worsens; the way you refill health and missiles is to squat on the floor, basically saying "Target meeee!" while some kind of samurai concentration magic happens and until your health and missile bars are refilled... And that's the game, folks. If you take those things, these new elements and what they do to the pace and gameplay... it completely kills the fun. If this was a 3rd party game developer they would have been shot, beaten, peed on, and THEN fired. The reason this game went to $20 new within 3 months of release? It's only worth $20, Nintendo. More on that later…
But. Then... the epilogue. Wow!
What makes this game worth playing through all the way, or even thinking of playing past the credits? Everything! Get past the Manga/Japanime/"George Lucas wrote this on drugs" story. The post-game mission was GREAT. Changed my mind on the whole thing- ok, not totally changed it I guess, but I love completion and feel better when games are done... the last 2 hours, they were pure Metroid, made even better with great graphics (among the best I've seen on Wii), a good old-fashioned set of hard *but not too hair-pulling* bosses, and of course the picture perfect Metroid ending count down.
So, Wow- now that I'm done with Other M, what happened during this game exactly? What was the problem that made me hate the first 90% of the game?
Cue "Theatre Mode", where you can watch the game's cutscenes in movie form -and you'll get to the real problem much faster: this was just sad fanfic, written by none other than Sakamoto San himself. Besides being dreadfully written, it honestly makes NO sense. POINT AT HAND: What happened to the traitor? There was a boss fight where the traitor was trying to get you, then there was something off on the side... who was it? What was the motivation? YOU NEVER FIND OUT.
And later, when Adam can see things killing his troops (while he sits in relative safety in the control room) AND he knew in advance about the development of secret, potentially troop-massacring Bioweapons but said nothing, didn't stop anything from happening to his men or at least allow Samus to go into full offense mode... he's either an idiot or a terrible leader. Then he kills himself. Like an idiot.
And Samus, well, she went full retard... Just disobey orders and go to town on the bad guys already. The game was criticized for being sexist, but it really wasn't... it was just that Samus was portrayed as a blubbering mess for far too long over the course of the game, and that's never been the case in a previous Metroid. It's just not fitting... to the character or the series as a whole.
Pretty? Yes. Metroid? Barely
In short: Sakamoto, move on and take this game with you...) My real hope is that Nintendo uses M:OM gameplay as the foundation for their next Metroid, and then removes basically everything they changed from Super & MPT to get to M:OM. The graphics, the tension, the soundtrack? Great. The sense moves, dumb story, low exploration, weak Samus and talking constantly? F'ughettaboutem.
I've played through twice now. No more. Thank goodness for Retro and MP:Trilogy when I need my fix.
voodoozen's rating:
117
9.1
0
Metroid Prime Trilogy - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Waiting to play
You have no idea how much I'm waiting to play this. Relegated to 'later' status since the backlog is so big (and I've already finished all 3 games in their original formats), but when I get the time, I'l blazing through all 3 of these babies with much joy.
You have no idea how much I'm waiting to play this. Relegated to 'later' status since the backlog is so big (and I've already finished all 3 games in their original formats), but when I get the time, I'l blazing through all 3 of these babies with much joy.
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
voodoozen's rating:
1
7
0
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day - Nintendo Wii... - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Occasional Play
Kids game, and very small kids can play this one.
Kids game, and very small kids can play this one.
voodoozen's rating:
3
0
0
Duplicate - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Unplayed
Well.. I mean, I already got Xenoblade and Last Story. Can't just ignore the final jewel of Operation Rainfall, right?
Well.. I mean, I already got Xenoblade and Last Story. Can't just ignore the final jewel of Operation Rainfall, right?
4
8
0
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension - Nintendo Wii
STATUS: Finished
TIME TO BEAT: 7h
100 points to Disney and High Impact Games! This looks, sounds and feels like an episode of P&F.
TIME TO BEAT: 7h
100 points to Disney and High Impact Games! This looks, sounds and feels like an episode of P&F.
Graphics are great- it's like playing an episode!
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Nintendo, you've created a monster. Not only were my childhood dreams filled with your pixel-y goodness, my adolescent wallet emptied by your abundant offerings, but you've yet again found a way, or should I say "found a Wii", to repeat the magic and keep your games in forever my dreams...
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