Red Dead Redemption

"A damn fine rental"

Rockstar can build a hype machine like none-other, but what about their games ? If you've played GTA 4 you've seen this engine, Red Dead of course was what this engine was built for - so naturally it runs at a better framerate and can dish out some better draw distances and character models than GTA 4 did.

One of the biggest improvements from it's predecessor (GTA) are the aiming and shooting mechanics. The new "normal" aiming lets you pick your targets much swifter and precise than the lock on from GTA, it doesn't do all the work for you fortunately leaving you with lining the headshots up real clean. Handling your horse takes some time to get used to, but once you've got it down it's nice and responsive. Something that isn't as responsive is the general walking/running/jumping - in fact it even seems more sluggish than GTA 4 O_O .

My biggest complaint about the single player is the campaign itself. The writing, nor the missions contain really any variety at all. Everyone you meet follows the same exact formula. Marston meets eccentric character, they say they can help him with something, but they need a favor. Marston does favor, goes back and what do you know they aren't ready to deliver on their end of the deal, so Martson does another favor ? Marston does a couple more favors and gets pissed, then he does a FINAL favor. (this happens pretty much with every character you meet).

The actual missions are all pretty much the same exact stuff every time. Go here, shoot these guys, protect a carriage while shooting guys, do a dumb race. The big set piece shootouts have taken a big step down from those of GTA, leaving them hard to distinguish from each other. A few missions that are distinct from the pack are the ones at the ranch, they're also really annoying and boring. Herding cows, breaking in horses, and protecting crops from rabbits are probably less fun here than in real life. You'll be thanking god by the time you're done with Bonnie's chores. It should also be noted Redemption doesn't make up in quantity, what it lacks in quality. The main campaign is MUCH shorter than GTA 4's.

The sandbox in Red Dead is that of the southern-most part of America and tip of Mexico. It's very expansive (Rockstar says four times bigger than GTA 4's Liberty City - although I really doubt this) and full of landmark cities and locations. Vast plains, hills, and canyons are scattered throughout - although not neccesarily waiting to be self explored. Most of your free roaming will leave you solitary, removed from almost all civilization. Random encounters and wildlife are Rockstar's answer to loneliness. There are around 15 different random encounters (which you'll come across uncommonly) inside and out of towns. You'll often hear them or see them on your mini-map, sometimes a man will attempt to kill a hooker, othertimes people will have just gotten robbed and require your help. How you settle these encounters is always up to you. There also many side-missions which you'll bump into (which are often times better than the main missions).

Killing rampages come with much more severe consequences in this game, not only do you waste a lot of money and ammo, the bounty on your head is permanent until you either pay your way out, or go to jail. If you're trying to see how big of a ruckus you can cause - well it'll probably end by the time you shoot your last bullet. There just aren't nearly enough cops to ever stop you - especially with the slew of tools you have. Your Dead Eye meter fills with every kill you get, the meter allows you to slow time and pick your targets in a calm. It also refills at such a constant rate, you are hardly ever without it.

Even in a giant release like this is missing some really major stuff. To quick travel you have to set up camp somewhere and THEN do it, it's just pointless and a waste of time. Some missions are unavailable at certain times, yet there is no pass time feature. The save system sucks, my multiplayer rank went from 31 back to 0 because of a corrupt game save - yep Rockstar doesn't actually keep track of your MP data. None of the cutscenes are properly aspect-ratioed for 4:3 televisions, I don't know why it wouldn't just switch to 16:3 for cutscenes. Oh yeah, the multiplayer, it's not good.

They haven't learned a whole lot from GTA 4. The netcode is actually passable now, it's not the broken lagfest GTA was - but most of the same problems remain.

Free Roam lets you gather 16 players and explore a super-empty version of the single player world. There are almost no NPC's or wildlife to be found - anywhere. Gang hideouts, which are just human vs NPC co-op missions - are pretty much the only thing to do in free roam. There's only seven of them, so after about a day or two - they are very stale. Players can rack up bounties by killing what few NPC's there are and taking on waves of cops - which makes them a target for other players wanting to collect on the bounty. But this is pretty pointless as it leads to no XP.

XP unlocks new characters, weapons, and rarely a new mount. There are 50 levels in total (I got to level 31 and was only on the fourth mount of 13). The only way to actually level up is doing gang hideouts, which give an unfair amount more XP than anything else in the game. Grinding these for about a day or two will get you to max level.

As for the adversarial modes, well they just don't work out that good. Many of the maps are briefly edited areas of the single player world. For such an large world map, there really are only a couple maps (around 8-10). Some gametypes can be a lot of fun, others not so much. All of them start out with a standoff, with both teams staring down each other from 5 feet - unfortunately you have to watch a tutorial on "how to duel", EVERY SINGLE MATCH. Team Deatchmatch and Bag Return work pretty good, Capture the Flag has the burden of just not ever working on certain maps. In the multiplayer you use the normal-aim, which isn't really fine tuned enough for multiplayer - often times letting you shoot people through trees or bushes. Close range combat is also really messy, instead of executions from single player - you whack each other with your guns. Picking up the right gun can also give you an enormous advantage, some guns are just too good. The semi-auto pistol shoots at an incredibly fast rate, with big range and big damage : beating pretty much anything.

Another big problem is you don't spawn with explosives or AOE items. So most times, anyone can just hide behind cover without being punished. The framerate isn't nearly as smooth online either, slowing down whenever things get hectic. The leveling and XP system is pretty much absent from PVP gametypes. You get a tiny bit of XP (even if you're MVP) and none of it benefits you anyway since it picks your character and guns for you.

Matchmaking has made a big improvement thankfully, finding matches much faster than GTA 4 and actually keeping you with the group you just played with. Although it unnecessarily wastes time going in and out of the lobby every match.

I know this review seems to be giant list of complaints, but there is plenty to chew on in Red Dead Redemption. It doesn't take giant leaps from the GTA formula, or really move it into next-gen territory - but for a game that makes plain shooting folks so much fun, it's got a lot of content to explore. The multiplayer, which is really shallow - is still good for hours of stupid fun.

Read more »

Mass Effect 2

"The Empire Strikes Back of video games...."

There are no spoilers for either Mass Effect 1 or Mass Effect 2 in this review except for a basic plot description of the second game (which says less than the back of the box).

The Good:

-Incredible storytelling with one of the best casts in gaming
-Unprecedented presentation, especially the star-studded voice work
-Updated combat system rivals the best third-person shooters
-Overall streamlined design makes it supremely polished

The Bad:

-The text on SDTV's could make you go blind
-Mining is a chore

Sequels are a tricky thing; especially the ones bridging a trilogy together. Though flawed, the original Mass Effect had a charm and freshness unrivaled by other console RPGs at the time of its release in 2007. A common problem with sequels is that they change little to the initial winning formula, following the mentality “if it ain't broke, don't fix it” and because of its familiarity, the charm and freshness that made the original so beloved is all but gone. Luckily, the team behind Mass Effect, veteran RPG hit-makers BioWare, recognized this and made a bold move to overhaul the gameplay for its sequel. And what do you know, they pulled it off. Not only is Mass Effect 2 BioWare's masterpiece, it is a landmark title in video games, successfully combining streamlined third-person shooter gameplay with one of the deepest and most thoroughly satisfying narratives in gaming.

Welcome Back to the Milky Way, Commander Shephard

It's obvious from the opening minutes of the game that BioWare aren't slouches when it comes to presentation. Two years ago, the original Mass Effect was lauded for its breathtaking graphics and sound. Mass Effect 2 continues the trend with some of the best production values in the business. From start to finish, Mass Effect 2 will keep jaws on the floor with the almost creepy realism of the game. The characters move more fluently during conversations and the locales you'll be visiting on your trip are simply awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, there is a minor and fairly annoying flaw. The game was designed to be played on HDTV's and because of this, the in-game text and subtitles will suffer on SDTV's. The text is small, blurry and very difficult to read. Also, the load times can drag on a bit. Fortunately, they usually don't occur in the middle of missions, just between levels.

Though this will sound like a complete exaggeration, I simply cannot think of a game that's performed better when it comes to voice acting. The characters, though terrifically written, are pushed to the next level because of the incredible voice talent. It's startling how spot on these actors are with each character and there are plenty of them, both minor and major. Each one, no matter the size of the role, is complimented with a poignant performance by the actors and actresses. The cast is absolutely jam-packed with talent: Carrie Anne-Moss, Michael Hogan, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, Tricia Helfer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, returning funny-man Seth Green and of course, the incomparable Martin Sheen. If there is a game with better voice talent, please forgive my exaggeration, but I really think BioWare knocked it out of the park with this aspect of the game. As far as the music goes, the compositions are as strong as ever, further driving home the classic sci-fi thriller feel.

Previously on Mass Effect…

The story was ultimately the main reason to play the original Mass Effect. Yes, the combat was new and fun at the time but the story was doing things unheard of in the gaming world, especially with the player's involvement in the story. So obviously, Mass Effect 2 has a lot to live up to as far as storytelling goes. Though it's simple, the story of Mass Effect 2 is an emotionally gripping second act, showing the different emotional colors of each character and making it a more than worthy addition to the trilogy. Commander Shephard, the returning protagonist, is tasked to put together a team to embark on a suicide mission. The amount of character development that occurs within the game is what gives the seemingly thin plot a lot of weight and by the end of the game, the story feels as heavy as the original.

Every character in this game is brimming with intrigue, both human and alien. Where you may have skipped over some conversations in Mass Effect 1, you will feel compelled to learn absolutely everything you can about these rich characters. The games main focus is building a team for a suicide mission but once you've recruited team members, you are given the option to go on a character-specific mission to gain trust in each other. These loyalty missions are often the best and most rewarding in the game, revealing the emotional core of the characters and really fleshing them out. And when I say every character, I absolutely mean every single character. In Mass Effect 1 (and most RPG's actually), I had obvious favorites. But in Mass Effect 2, I wanted to talk to everyone an equal amount.

Mass Effect's greatest strength is still the open-ended character development. The first game presented many moral dilemmas for the player; choices that affected either individual people or whole species as well as affected the way people thought and interacted with the player's character. One thing BioWare made clear long before Mass Effect 2 was released was that you would be able to import your character from Mass Effect 1 into the game. The mind-blowing aspect of this is that all the decisions you made in the first Mass Effect crossover into its sequel. It's astonishing how something seemingly so simple could elevate the narrative to new heights. The references, both minor and major, are so rewarding and make the galaxy of Mass Effect 2 feel even more massive. BioWare ups the ante with decision making in this game. At one point I had to stop playing and think about what decision to make for around twenty minutes, especially since I knew the decision I was making was going to have consequences in the next game. It's rare that a game make the player care so much about a virtual decision but that's exactly what Mass Effect 2 will do.

The Paragon/Renegade system returns where strong morals add to the characters Paragon bank while depraved actions garner more Renegade points. This has been expanded with the exciting Interrupt System. You still have heavy Paragon and Renegade speech options now and then but you also have more physical options now. During certain conversations in the game, you will be prompted with performing either a very strong Paragon or Renegade action. The game doesn't tell you what will happen if you interrupt, only that it'll be intense and undoubtedly entertaining. You also don't have much time to think about the action; you have to choose on the spot or the opportunity disappears. I'll admit, a lot of these moments literally made me giddy as a school girl. I personally described the two as either pulling a Jack Bauer or pulling an Obi-Wan Kenobi (or a Qui-Gon Jinn if that's your cup of tea) but you can refer to them however you like I suppose…

Change We Can Believe In

The initial feel of Mass Effect 2 is a shock. Highly influenced by the modern king of third-person shooters Gears of War, the frenetic and quickly-paced action of Mass Effect 2 is in stark contrast to the slower, less hectic mold of the first Mass Effect. In the first game, it was common to pause the action to change a weapon or use a biotic/tech skill. Though the option to pause is still in the game, they also allow you to map powers to certain buttons. This makes the combat faster, more cinematic and a whole lot more fun. Where as you didn't really need to use the cover system of the first game too often, you need to employ the overhauled cover system in Mass Effect 2 to survive the many battles you get into throughout your journey. Enemies are faster and smarter and the player will have to keep their wits about them to make it through. Luckily, your team is a lot smarter, requiring little if any managing.

Of course, this hybrid of third-person shooter and light RPG will undoubtedly ruffle the feathers of traditionalists looking for a more RPG driven combat system. Though I still believe the combat system is highly influenced by your traditional RPGs (using certain ammo to take down certain defenses, still have plenty of biotics and tech to strategize with), if you want to have a more strategic and RPG-driven combat experience, boost the difficulty up to Insane. Unlike the first game, this difficulty truly is insane and it will require players to formulate the best possible plans of attack, use the smartest combination of teammates, and use often the very valuable biotics and tech at your disposable to survive.

There are lots of small tweaks and additions to the gameplay that ultimately make the game smoother and quicker, one of them being redesigned side-quests. Besides the main quest, there are plenty of fun side-quests to get involved in, all of which do not involve the terribly made Mako vehicle from the first game. The developers made the wise decision of eliminating the use of this chore of a vehicle. Instead, you find anomalies by scanning planets and land right at the missions start point (with a flying car no less). The side-quests feel more substantial this time around, having more variety and better rewards.

Another small change which helps make a big difference is a mid-game option to relocate your earned stats. I for one often get stressed during RPG games when I need to place stats on my character. Things that I think sound interesting turn out to be a waste of points and I'm never quite sure how many stats I have to work with until it's too late. With this option (which can be done multiple times), the stress and risk put into placing stats is gone. You're free to experiment with no penalty. I really hope this system is incorporated into future RPGs.

A consistently annoying aspect of the first game was the inventory system. The screen was unnecessarily messy and convoluted. In order to fix this problem, BioWare decided to eliminate the inventory screen all together. Instead, it's replaced by a load-out screen accessible when going out on missions and from lockers scattered in levels. When you obtain a new gun, it's added to the load-out screen for everyone on your squad to use. Guns that are deemed improvements over the previous models are automatically equipped. Now, not having an inventory screen in an RPG sounds utterly ridiculous but in Mass Effect 2, it works very well. It is simple changes to gameplay like this that makes Mass Effect 2 feel so polished. Pausing the game constantly to switch your faceless gun with another faceless gun would have killed the flow of the game.

And finally, upgrades for your weapons are no longer small pieces of equipment that get added to slots in your guns. Instead, you have a research bay on your ship where you combine schematics you either purchase or find during your missions with resources found while mining. The upgrades work very well, simplifying things the way the eliminating the equipment screen does. There is one problem, however, and it's the biggest flaw of the game. Mining is completely mind-numbing, offering no real substance or fun factor. Mining involves traveling to enriched planets, scanning for heavy resource deposits, and probing the area (and in case you were wondering, yes, you can in fact probe Uranus). Mining is time consuming and really bogs the games tempo down.

These updated features do present a slight problem, however. The game's economy has to be tight in order for all of these new features to work and if you're not careful with how you spend your money, you could run out of it all together. But there are a few obviously useless items in the game so as long as you avoid them and get store discounts (very easy to do) you shouldn't have much of a money issue.

To Be Continued…

Like in 2005 when Resident Evil 4 was released, 2010 may have just seen the release of the Game of the Year within its first month. Put simply, this is BioWare's magnum opus and stands proudly with the best sci-fi from any medium. They break rules and boundaries to deliver a streamlined experience that shouldn't be missed by anyone. Of course, if you try to plow through this game, not doing the loyalty missions or getting to know your crew, you won't have nearly as rewarding an experience as someone who does. Though the combat is completely visceral and worth playing the game for, it's still the open-ended storytelling and characters that makes the Mass Effect galaxy one of a kind. And besides that, most of the replay value (and there's a lot of it) comes from experimenting with different characters to see how it will affect the story. I can only imagine what BioWare has in store for the conclusion to this already outstanding trilogy.

Overall Score: 5/5 or 9/10

*Downloadable Content: There are two gameplay downloads available right now. Both of them add new items and side-quests to the game but one is clearly better than the other. A new character and loyalty mission is the crux of one download. The character is another great personality to have on deck and the loyalty mission is very intense and offers some tough decision making. The other download is a short, but poignant mission (further explanation may spoil a few things in the story so avoid the download list until you're past the prologue). Since they're both free, there's no reason not to pick them up.

Read more »

Fallout : New Vegas

"Viva New Vegas!"

Welcome to my review of Fallout: New Vegas (from this point on referred to as F:NV), the spin-off of Fallout 3. This game was developed by Obsidian, under supervision of Bethesda.

I really loved Fallout 3 (also the first Fallout-game I played; I bought the other Fallout-games later on PC) and like Obsidian's recent games, so I decided to get this on release date despite several other games (and DLC) being released around the same time.

I started writing this review when I was about 20 hours in. I'm playing on the Normal-setting with Hardcore-mode on. My goal is to more or less focus on the main story-line and do side-quests whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Story and setting

The game puts you in the role of The Courier who, after a deal went terribly wrong, ended up with two bullets in her (his) skull and was left for dead. The main quest of the game starts with you trying to find out what exactly went wrong and why, and getting bloody revenge of course. Pretty soon you'll find out that you were nothing more but a pawn between several factions, all fighting for the control of the Mojave Wasteland...

The game is set in the Las Vegas-area (dubbed New Vegas after the nuclear war). This place was more or less spared during the war so it has a totally different vibe than F3. Instead of walking around the desolate Capital Wasteland with its caves, subway-tunnels, industrial complexes and the ruins of Washington, you're walking around the Mojave-desert, which houses several intact small settlements, rest stops and the city of New Vegas.

Several areas are under the supervision of factions. Unlike F3 where you only had “The Brotherhood of Steel” and “The Enclave” (and the main story always had you siding with the Brotherhood), there are a whole lot more. Depending on choices you make during quests your fame or infamy with those factions will decrease or increase and you can side with any number of them. Even wearing faction-armour can have a significant outcome on the way people perceive you.

The faction-system more or less replaces the entire Karma-setting from F3, making it more dynamic and realistic as you “shape” the game-world, something that was non-existent in F3 (attempts were made with some of the DLC-packs, namely the Pitt and Broken Steel, but certainly not on this scale).

A nice example of the faction-system is when I first arrived in the Crimson Caravan compound. The first time I entered wearing a Great Kahn-outfit. Within seconds people were screaming “murderer” at me, and I was assaulted by at least a dozen armed CC-guards and some NCR-troopers which just happened to be there. The second time I switched to some random-, non-faction related armour before I entered, and people simply welcomed me, but in a really indifferent way.

It doesn't always work as intended though. Early on, I angered a certain faction (the Great Kahns) so occasionally they would send hit-squads after me. So far, so good. After progressing through the main story, I had formed an alliance with Caesar's Legion (well, not really, I'm just playing all sides). When I was exploring I just walked right into the Kahn's camp (honest mistake) and no-one was shooting at me. Strange, although a possible explanation could be that the Kahns were working for the Legion themselves and therefore didn't dare harm anyone who had Caesar's favour. I then started working my magic to break the alliance between the Kahns and the Legion, something the Legion didn't quite appreciate. For another quest much later, I went back to the Legion's camp, and I was greeted with the utmost respect. Weird.

Gameplay

Not many surprises here, this game plays exactly like F3... with some new features. I'll assume that if you're playing F:NV, you're already familiar with F3, so here's a quick rundown on these new features:
- Introduction of Hardcore-mode, which is supposed to add difficulty to the game (stimpaks healing over time; you need to eat, drink and sleep at regular intervals; you can't heal crippled limbs with stimpaks anymore; bullets and caps add weight to the inventory...). But for a F3-veteran it doesn't really add that much difficulty.
- Lots and lots of crafting-possibilities, as opposed to the six or seven unique weapons you could create in F3.
- A better way to command your squad-mates (2 max) by means of a command-wheel. But I played through F3 without the need for companions, and that's not about to change. I did have two companions at one time (for the achievement), but they died within seconds after attacking a nest of Giant Rad-Scorpions. Weaklings!
- Gambling to make more caps. The moment I arrived in Vegas, I immediately went to the tables and racked up over 35000 caps within half an hour (an insane amount compared to the 1500 max I had in F3). What am I going to be spending it on? More guns? More ammo? I already have more than enough of these.
- Some new perks (which are basically variations of other existing perks, and aren't that useful).
- Fixed difficulty for speech-checks, and if your skill is too low, it shows how much you should have to pass the check. A superb improvement over F3 in my opinion.
- The faction-system (as discussed in earlier paragraphs), which doesn't always work as intended.
- The ability to add scopes and different ammunition for your weapons.
- Magazines (which temporarily add 10 points to a related skill) and skill-books (which permanently add 3 points to a related skill). The skill-books were around in F3, but in this game there are fewer of them.
- Raised level-cap. Right now, you can level up to level 30, as opposed to level 20 in F3. Yes I know the level-cap was raised to 30 eventually, but only if you had the Broken Steel-DLC.

Despite the game being so similar, I find that skills such as barter and speech are a lot more important than they were in F3, because they often give you the opportunity to resolve matters without conflict. I spent over 4 hours in New Vegas itself and managed to get by on speech-checks alone, gaining three levels in the process. Beat that, Fallout 3...

Enemy-scaling is more or less dealt with, because early on there areas that are already populated with high-level critters. Try going north, right after the tutorial. You'll soon be running south again because you ran into a nest of Giant Rad-Scorpions or Cazadors at level 2. That doesn't mean enemy-scaling is completely out of the picture, but entering certain areas at a low level is basically suicide.

Glitches

This game has several issues. Luckily, most of it is negligible (people posing as ventriloquists, people gliding through the desert instead of walking...). Keep in mind this game was made by Obsidian (a firm that doesn't have the best reputation for delivering technically perfect games) and that it runs on the same code / engine Bethesda used for Oblivion and F3 (games that had their fare share of glitches as well).

And there were some major issues as well. On the day of the European release a patch was released, said to fix up to 200 issues within the game. People that were close to Nipton and then installed the patch (I was one of them) were having consistent freezing issues when going into VATS-mode and fast-travelling. And then there were a lot of random crashes as well. Deleting the patch, moving to another area far away from Nipton and then re-installing the patch, seemed to fix these problems though. And I haven't encountered any problems since.

To summarize, most issues were already present in both Oblivion and F3. Sad really that after all those years they still hasn't been able to fix them.

Graphics / sound

Recycled and outdated graphics...

Well, let's be honest. Compared to many other games released two years ago, F3 will certainly not be remembered for its stunning visuals. The graphics of F:NV are only a small step up. The graphics aren't that bad, but they certainly aren't up to today's standard.

If I have to make an analogy with another game-series, the games in the GTAIII-verse come to mind. GTAIII spawned two spin-offs (or four, if you insist), both using the same graphics as III. The first spin-off, Vice City, already had outdated graphics compared to III and San Andreas was really outdated when it came out. That didn't stop me from having more fun with the spin-offs than I had with the original though.

Several times though you'll notice things like rock-formations or run-down houses that were recycled from F3.

Voice-acting and recycled music...

Unlike Bethesda's previous games (F3 and Oblivion) this game stars several (emphasis on several) well known film- and TV-actors for the voice-cast (Matthew Perry, Ron Perlman, Danny Trejo...). Yes, I know all about Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson, but they were the only well-known voice-actors in Bethesda's games and Patrick's character is killed 5 minutes into the story and Liam's character disappears for twenty hours and is killed 5 minutes after he reappears again.

While the voices of important characters are done well, the voices of most NPC's aren't. There is just too much repetition: in Novac at least 7 characters, all speaking with the same voice, insisted on telling me that Primm had a new sheriff. And several hours later when I walked into the Crimson Caravan-complex everyone insisted on telling me exactly the same thing. Good to know, I made it happen after all. A little more variation in NPC-dialogue couldn't have hurt anyone.

And then there's the issue of the in-game music. You can once again listen to 50's music on the radio but the amount of songs is really limited (expect no more than 10 different songs). Near the compound of the Kings (a small faction that worships Elvis Presley!) I've only heard one song being repeated endlessly. And while I was running around the Mojave-desert I could swear I heard that background music before... in Oblivion. Hey, recycling is good and all, but this is just cheap.

Replayability

Replayability is pretty high.

There is a large world to explore. It may be of a smaller scale than F3, but it's still pretty big and there's definitely more variation in the landscape.

Choosing which faction to side with will result in a different experience since several quests may or may not be available to you. Want a new experience? Side with someone else... or with everyone... or choose to be standing alone on a large smoking pile of all the major factions you eliminated and rule the Wasteland as Queen Courier... Alright, I may be exaggerating on the last bit, but there is a lot more room for variation.

Or build a different character. Be a genius with zero strength... or a mentally challenged brute with a maxed-out luck stat.

And DLC is coming. Whether or not you will be able to continue after the end-game or not is not yet known at this time. And more Fallout is always a good thing... unless it's Mothership Zeta Strikes Back of course.
Summary

+ More Fallout!
+ Story is a strong-point and a major step up from Fallout 3
+ The faction-system
+ More variation in quests, which adds to replayability
+ New features...

- ... which don't add much to the game
- More of the same
- Graphics aren't spectacular
- Game does have some issues here and there

In short (because the differences between Fallout3 and Fallout: New Vegas aren't that great) chances are that if you liked (hated) Fallout3, you'll like (hate) this game.

It may seem outdated on a technical level, but don't let that hold you back. So far, there haven't been any EPIC moments like walking out of Vault 101 and seeing the Capital Wasteland for the first time or seeing Fawkes wreaking havoc on the Enclave when you escape the Enclave's base. It's still a good game and overall I enjoy it more than its predecessor.

This game once again proves that Obsidian is one of the better developers out there and close to the level of Bioware (my favourite RPG-firm, despite drivel like ME2). If only they would pull their act together and start making games that not only look as good but also play as good as they should be, because only glitches and mediocre graphics are holding Obsidian back from being the absolute top. Until they do, we're stuck with a game that has a ton of unfulfilled potential.

Read more »

Dragon Age : Origins

"Bioware's Next Great Adventure"

Let's start this thing by me explaining one very important thing: I have never done a game review before. I've done movie reviews however, and from that I can say that as a professional critic I suck, so there is no risk of me deliberately searching for faults in a game and being an elitist snob about it. To me games are a form of artistic expression and a source of great fun, so if it's fun it's good and if you readers think it sounds like fun then game on. Introduction over, let's move on.

Story: I've seen a lot of stories in games before, most can be split into two types. One is the type of deep, engrossing story that players are just along for the ride for, the ones where all we can really do is control the non-story aspects of the game. Then there are the ones that are more basic and are only significantly fleshed out by the actions and choices of the player; this is one of those stories. This kind of story is important for an RPG, because you're supposed to be playing a role here. It's your standard swords and sorcery world where you have to lead a group of heroes on a quest to save it from an ancient evil, quite familiar really. Again, the ability to choose your race, gender, and class isn't exactly new, and neither is the ability to craft your character's physical appearance. However, the interesting bit here is the choice of your "origin" story, which is effected by your race and class. The major impact on the story here only happens in the beginning, but it does effect everything afterwards regarding how you play and interact with party members and NPCs in the game, so you almost never play the same game twice. Very important for a role-playing game I think.

Controls: I have the PS3 version of the game, and the controls are very simple to get your head around. Mostly the controls are just basic but it's the battle controls that're more noticeably refined: a basic attack, spells and talents activated from either a menu or from hotkeys on screen, regular movement, and switching between party members. It's easy to control yourself and your party, and even easier if you can master the tactics system and get your party to move the way you want them to without telling them to. And if you are a PC gamer, then don't whine; buy the PC version and be happy!

Characters: I won't go in depth here about what the characters are like, but I will tell you that they all have differing personalities and they will change depending on who you are and how you interact with them. This is emphasized by the approval rating system; do something that someone likes and they'll like you more, might even fall in love with you at some point, and do something they don't like and they'll like you less. Get their rating so low and a "crisis moment" occurs, during which the character will leave the party unless you convince them to stay. It doesn't look like there's too much risk in that happening a lot unless you go out of your way to be a jerk to everyone though. They've also taken the Bioware RPG concept of romance, as seen in the KotOR series and Mass Effect, and expanded on it. In addition to romances being affected by the characters themselves it is also possible for gay/bisexual stuff to happen too, if you're into that sort of thing. Once again, still more variety to add to the depth of this game's story. Another thing to note is that it's possible to advance through the game without getting and/or keeping all the characters in your party, which adds further possibilities with the ending.

Sound: The sound is decent enough, fits the mood perfectly in most places. I'm not the kind of guy that will overanalyze something like this and tell you every little reason why it's good or bad, but I didn't have any major complaints. The voice acting is pretty solid as well, though I would've like it if they made the main character talk like they did in Mass Effect, I honestly thought they got past the whole silent protaganist thing by then.

Graphics: The graphics are beautiful, both in gameplay and during scenes, though I have seen slightly better graphics in other games. Still above average at any rate. The framerate does suffer a bit if there's a lot going on on-screen, but it's not too bad really.

DLC: Most of the downloadable content can be gotten for free with the Collector's Edition of the game, and while it's not required to have a good time it's still fun to have so if you can find the CE then get it.

Collector's Edition perks: Other than most of the DLC being free, the game comes in a shiny metal case without a slide off plastic cover, has a bonus disc containing such things as "making of game" information and other goodies, and a cloth map of the game world of Ferelden which would look lovely if framed and mounted on a wall. Those're the only differences between the CE and the normal game though.

Final Note: So that's it then, I'm not here to tell you what to play, just to tell you what you need to know to make an informed decision. If all this sounds good to you then don't let the inevitable haters stop you from having a good time, go play already. Play hard, or don't play at all.

Read more »

Dead Space 2

"Horror has a new name"

EA has been busy with Dead Space these last couple years. After the success of the first game they responded quickly to produce a Wii game, (Dead Space Extraction), a PSN/XBLA game, (Dead Space Ignition), two animated feature films, comic books, it seems there is even talk of a big budget Hollywood movie in the works. If I didn't know any better I would say EA is extremely proud of their new IP. What I admire about the way EA has handled this franchise though is that they really took their time to produce this next big game. Dead Space 2 isn't a sequel for the just for the sake of having one, this is the continuation of Issac's story, a rollercoaster ride through hell set in space. Not only does it improve on the first game in nearly every way, it takes the entire IP to new heights and seats it firmly at the top of the horror games genre.

For those unfamiliar with Dead Space listen up. Dead Space 2 is a 3rd person shooter, action/ survival horror game, meaning ammo and health are very limited making every shot count. Aside from the obvious fact that this game is set in space, this series distinguishes itself from the resident evil franchise in that to kill your enemies you have to dismember the limbs off them almost completely. Shooting them in the head will simply either do nothing or make the enemy harder to deal with. This creates some extremely fun combat sequences. The controls are much tighter in that you can shoot and move at the same time as opposed to resident evil's stiff combat where you have to stop first and then aim to shoot. The weapons in Dead Space 2 are also very unconventional because Issac is an engineer, not a soldier, and the futuristic setting allows for even cooler weapons to exist.

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay is the same necromorph dismembering mayhem from the first game, and it never gets old for me. However, the few tweaks that Visceral made are huge improvements. Combat is much smoother now. All of the original guns from Dead Space make a return here and many of the more useless ones you might remember now have an improved alternate firing mode. For example, the somewhat useless pulse rifle now has an alternate mode allowing it to fire grenades which makes it fantastic. You can also “re-spec” an entire weapon if you decide you do not like it anymore or maybe you just did not like the way you had the upgrades picked out. Re-specing returns all the power nodes you placed into the weapon for a small fee in credits. In addition to all of the original weapons making an appearance four new weapons were added and they all have their uses. I personally think the Detonator is best new addition. It allows you to strategically place proximity mines with trip wires around areas you think will be dangerous providing some protection for Issac.

Issac's Statis field now regenerates, (very slowly at first) overtime which makes it pretty reliable now. You can always upgrade Issac's Statis field generator at workbenches with power nodes. The regeneration time bothered me until I had it fully upgraded. Zero gravity is completely revamped and it is a blast to play with. Issac can now remain suspended in full 360 degrees now and move in any direction you want by boosting ,which pretty much equates to being able to fly. Lifting off and landing is still a breeze and it feels great. The zero-g areas are also more expansive than they were in the first game since they often take you outside the Sprawl. The areas and the puzzles that go with them are easily my favorite parts of the game.

I feel the need to mention that all the puzzles in the game are great even if they were all a tad on the simplistic side. There is an exceptionally gruesome and truly memorable mini-game near the end of the game, but I won't spoil it. The only puzzle I did not care for was the doors that you need to hack frequently throughout the game. This re-wiring puzzle was fun the first time couple times you play it but quickly becomes repetitive since there is probably 30 or more reoccurring throughout the game.

The pacing is very good, as new types of necromorphs will challenge you until you figure out how to deal with them. I moved along very quickly through the game's 15 chapters as the difficulty slowly ramped up. Then all of a sudden I hit a brick wall in Chapter 14 as I dealt with a new invincible, relentless enemy that followed me through the entire chapter. This was extremely annoying since the amount of times I died was probably close to twenty for that chapter alone. It should also be noted that Issac's death scenes are usually drawn out and brutal to watch so this added to the frustration. I can appreciate some good challenge but it almost felt a little unfair.

The variety of necromorphs is much better than the first, but by the game's final chapters they all start to reappear just in stronger versions noted by the black color to them. My one complaint with Dead Space 2's gameplay is the non-existence of boss battles. There are many “mini-bosses”, (which are basically just stronger necromorphs), the new Tri-pod necromorph and the returning Brutes, but hardly any bosses that have an epic feel. Even the last encounter was underwhelming for me.

Presentation: 10/10

First off, the interface in Dead Space 2 is easily the coolest in the series. I love the sci-fi feel to his power suit. All the information you need to see appears on Issac. The remaining ammo appears on the gun itself. The health and oxygen bars are on his back. Also the game does not pause when you want to look into your inventory. This keeps you from breaking the gameplay since you can still hear growling of necromorphs moving is the distance as you scan your inventory or mission objectives.

The Sprawl is a perfect setting and it adds plenty of futuristic areas with a just enough of a human touch to make it seem like people lived there. Not only does the game look great it also sounds great. The music builds up tension at times when there may or may not be a scare waiting for you around the next corner and it does not let up. The creepy ambient noises heard throughout the sprawl are back and better than the original. Voices whispering throughout deserted areas really ramps up the creep factor. Some of the sounds the necromorphs make are downright disgusting.

Voice acting is top-notch, and I personally thought Issac's voice was pitch perfect for his character. Him having a voice this time around actually added to the game. Issac's dead girlfriend follows him around and whispers crazy stuff constantly trying to break him down and you get to witness verbal exchange throughout the game.

Story: 7/10

When Issac wakes up three years later from the events of the first game he realizes there is another necromorph outbreak happening and he must escape. Dead Space 2's story starts out with some heart attack inducing moments right from the get go. New characters enter the story and help Issac through his mission to destroy the newly rebuilt Marker. Issac also makes his own decisions so there is a lot of character development here. Of course there are a couple twists here and there as well as some shocking discoveries. However, the biggest problem with Dead Space 2's story is that it raises too many more questions. Judging from watching the ending credits it seems that EA is hinting at plans for a third game. This is fine with me but what really bothers me is that virtually all the questions I had hanging over from the first game were all left unanswered. I really expected the plot to open up in this one and find out why the Markers were created by man in the first place and the whole reason behind the Unitology religion explained. A newcomer to Dead Space 2 might not care as much as I did but since I followed the series entire history I just couldn't help but be disappointed with the ending. It was just very un-fulfilling for me. At the very least it was nice to see Issac's more personal problems put to rest.

Replayability: 9/10

Yes, there is a multiplayer, and yes, it is quite fun, but it's probably not where the bulk of your hours are going to be coming from when you go back for more from this game. I completed the main story in about 11 hours. After completing the game the first time they reward you with a couple options. You get New Game Plus which basically encourages you to replay through the game on any difficulty setting with all of your weapons and upgrades that you earned in the first playthrough. Believe me, it is extremely enjoyable blasting through the game on a harder setting with a fully upgraded plasma cutter. Of course if you are also an achievement/trophy hunter like me you will be very busy. New and better suits are unlockable in the second playthrough including one for the multiplayer. Hardcore mode is also offered to you as the hardest difficulty which restricts you to only three saves throughout the game.

I actually enjoy the multiplayer in this game. It's a 4 v 4 humans versus necromorphs. The human team is given a simple objective which they must complete in a short amount of time. It is the necromorphs job to stop the humans. It is fun and allows for creative tactics to be employed by the necromorphs, like picking certain air vents to spawn behind the human team. The human team usually will not make much progress unless they stay together. The map selections are limited to five but they all have very different objectives for the humans and have to be tackled in separate ways.

You will probably die more as a necromorph in multiplayer depending on where you choose spawn and what type of necromorph you choose to spawn as. The better necromorphs require you to wait longer than usual to respawn as them (up to 10 seconds for the best one). Either way, at the end of the match both teams will flip sides and the previous human team is now necromorphs, and the necromorph team will play as the humans.

Overall: 9/10

For survival horror fans this game is going to be a must have since it is the best of its breed. The scares are bigger and the action is better this time around. The story might have fallen flat on its face by the end but it doesn't keep the game from being extremely fun throughout. The presentation was excellent just as I expected from Visceral Games and the improvements made to the combat were all great additions. Multiplayer provides a new fun distraction from the main storyline and adds plenty of replayability to an already great game. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Read more »

DC Universe

"Finally a MMORPG that isn't trying to be the "WoW killer" but a whole new idea for the genre"

I've been playing DC Universe Online since the beta and I've following the game since I first heard about it. What really drew me in was of course that fact that it's an MMO based on DC Comics but also that it really sticks out among all of the MMORPGs out there. It seems like everyone just wants to make the MMORPG that will make WoW obsolete and after all the smoke clears the new game is just WoW Lite. DCU on the other hand took the MMO formula and created a massive multiplayer online action RPG. There's no auto attack in this game, you're doing combos and big super powered attacks from the training area. I can see this as being a game that I'll be playing for years, just like WoW.

Graphics 8/10

This is an MMO game so don't expect it to blow your mind because they do need to keep it looking good but it's more about creating a game world that will run stable when the servers are at maximum capacity. It does look like a Playstation 3 game and it does have HD graphics (720p supported.) I would say that PS3 would be the version to get since it runs perfect while on the PC you would want a good quality gaming computer to run the same visual settings the PS3 runs by default. The characters are very detailed, mainly the player creations since everyone is getting new gear through shops, quests, drops, and so on. If you want to be a throwback to the colorful silver age of comics then you can look the part, if you want to be a dark brooding antihero then you can do it in plenty of ways, or if you want to fight in street clothes like inFamous or Prototype then you can look as awesome as you want. The DC characters all look just like you would expect them to down to the last detail.

The powers are probably one of the cooler aspects of the visuals of the game. No matter what weapon you're using, your power will show in your attacks. If you have a two handed weapon and nature then you'll see a green streak effect to the strikes and the enemy will have vines and thorns crawl on their body. Rifle and fire is a match made in heaven too with fiery bullets and cool power attacks that use the weapon like a fireball will appear to be shot out of your rifle while for a melee weapon it's usually like your throwing the fire from your hands. Also speaking of weapons, there is a great variety to pick from and they all have their own unique animations to go along with them. Everything you do will look very awesome from your movement power to your weapons. Also one of the smartest features as far as looks go is that there is a menu where you can browse all of the different costume styles you've gotten and switch off what looks the best but you keep the stats of what is already equipped. So if you get better stats from a full mask like Bane but you'd rather be wearing a hood then you can just change to the hood but keep the stats of the mask and even if you sell the item, you always keep the style.

Sound 9/10

There aren't isn't a lot of voice work in the MMORPG genre but DCU does have everything voice over. They managed to beat Star Wars: The Old Republic to the punch there. Every quest is voiced by your mentor, Oracle/Calculator (depending on hero or villain alignment,) or an NPC giving you the quest. Also the enemies, civilians, and other NPC's do talk too. There's also plenty of action sound effects in the battles depending on weapons and powers. The music itself does have a good superhero vibe to it. All around it does have better sound than most MMORPGs have.

Controls 9/10

They really had the right idea for creating a control scheme that feels natural on a PS3 controller. I would even assume that it feels better on a controller than a keyboard and mouse. Because the fighting is all real time, you will hit the square and triangle buttons a lot for your weapon attacks. To use your powers you just hold L2 and hit the face button that is displayed on your action bar. To heal or use various items just hold R2 and whichever button the item is mapped to. If you push up on the d-pad you get a brief menu where you can activate your role (tank, controller, or healer depending on the power you chose,) toggle PvP, and other quick changes. Start will bring up the larger selection of menus like inventory, alerts, redeeming DLC content, and so on. Everything feels nice and works well which you wouldn't expect from an MMO on a console. I'd say it does feel natural for anyone who's played plenty of modern action games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

Gameplay 9/10

What really impressed me from when I first played DCU was how polished the gameplay was and how much fun everything was for a brand new MMO. It didn't feel like any MMORPG I've ever played. Really the closest game you could compare it to would be Marvel Ultimate Alliance but on steroids. It's all based around how superheroes and villains fight, they don't take turns. You can go from swinging fists around like a beat 'em up game to being a skilled martial artist kind of like the Yakuza games, to dual wielding blades, one handed blade, massive two handed weapons, dual wielding guns for a more fast paced ranged/melee style, riffles for more medium range damage with great power, hand blasts for quick melee/range, and I'm probably leaving a few out. These styles really feel very different it's like using a riffle feels a lot different from dual pistols, not only in damage and how you fight but with all the skills you can choose in the skill trees (kind of like Diablo 2 or WoW.) The powers act like your 2nd method of combat and they do use an energy bar so you don't want go overboard and run out of energy right away. The powers are really diverse too like there's two skill trees for each power and there is no wrong way to play it. For fire you can focus on close ranged abilities like covering your body in flames to damage everyone attacking you to dropping a meteor on someone while the other tree has more in the way of big ranged damage. Stuff like nature is more different where one tree has plenty of nature based attacks and healing while the other tree is loaded with shape shifting powers like becoming a wolf, a gorilla, and others.

Creating a character can really be time consuming to get every last detail right and while it doesn't have as many options as City Of Heroes, there is a lot to work with. You can get very creative in the game. I've made a silver age superhero of Tommy Wiseau, a living planet, a giant tiger, a character inspired by The Gentleman Ghost, Bones Jackson from the Mutant League games, Frankenstein's Monster, and others. I've seen players recreate Dr. Doom, Spawn, various X-Men, The Punisher, Invincible, The Thing, Deadpool, and plenty more popular characters from other comics. Getting into the game is great because right at level 1 you get a nice weapon and best of all you can use a movement power (flight, super speed, or acrobatics) while other MMO's make you wait at least a few days of play to get a mount and they usually have you doing small tasks. In DCU you're on a Brainiac ship with a full assault force ready to attack Earth, it's not just about escaping but you must destroy that ship. This isn't fighting level 1 wolves for meat, you're fighting an invasion force. The game always makes you feel like a strong hero or villain and less like just another peon or rookie trying to make it to greatness. Early on you get to team up with Superman or Lex Luthor, then in missions that take you inside a building (it's just you or if your with a party then they go in to) you can usually work with different characters like Catwoman, Zatanna, Killer Croc, Batwoman, The Flash, and more. It really does feel awesome being called in to save an A or B list hero from a major villain. There is plenty of variety in the game and you can do quests for other mentors of your alignment. Leveling in this game is very fast and quests really give you a lot of experience and cool items. The current level cap is 30 which is just right since it's a good fast paced action game and of course there will plenty of expansion packs in the future. There is also plenty of end game content including epic armor sets based on the mentor you chose, like a magic character could get a costume based on Captain Marvel and a few others or a tech character could get a Batman style suit a cool Joker costume, and there's usually about 3 of these per mentor. The thing is that I haven't made it to level 30 yet, I keep making lots of new characters and trying different stuff out so I've barely scratched the surface of this game.

Overall 9/10

As of typing this, the game hasn't been out for a full week and I'm still on my one month free trial. It's pretty often to see the servers very busy or even full, but I haven't really had much of a wait to get in. I can honestly say that this was worth 60 bucks and I really do want to keep playing after my free time is up. A lot of console only players have been complaining about monthly fees and since there isn't much in the way of MMORPG's on consoles, a lot people just don't get it. DCU is worth paying 15 bucks for 30 days of play. It's an amazing game and really the most creative MMO since World Of Warcraft. The game is very stable and I haven't had any serious lag or problems even when playing a full server. Plus since it does have a monthly fee it does go to keeping the servers stable and really if everyone could play the game for free then it would a lot harder to get in the game with everyone playing at once and there would be a lot of micro-transactions for in game items and that is never fun. It costs money to play because these games aren't cheap to keep running smoothly for years. If you've never played an MMO and/or aren't a big RPG fan then I'd say this would be worth the money because it's much more of an online action game than anything else. For hardcore MMORPG fanatics, I'd say this is a great alternative to everything else out there.

Read more »

Final Fantasy XIII

"Like Greased Lightning, You're In For A Shock"

Return of the King

If sales promotion were any indication, then Final Fantasy XIII would be the God of War. Square has relentlessly been plugging away at pitching the first installment in its Fabula Nova Crystallis series (read: cash-exploiting monolith), bombarding Japanese people with TV ads, online promotions, tie-ins, trailer-sized billboards (one even right outside Shibuya Station's Hachiko Exit) and promotional junkets galore. As if the world didn't already know Final Fantasy 13 was in the future, it sure does now. It does, of course, have huge shoes to fill, for so many of the mainstream RPG fans, there has never been another fantasy so fantastic as the 7th installment: no one has ever come close to matching the menace of Sephiroth or the clout of Cloud. The most recent installments don't even compare, with FFX being more of a vacation in Okinawa rather than a cyber-punk adventure, FFXI being a joke (i.e. an online installment that had no business being numbered), and FFXII being an offline MMORPG with sparse narrative despite arguably having the best character in the history of the series (all hail Balthier). Helmed by many of the key staff members responsible for the sacred Seven, Final Fantasy 13 provides so much content and polish that one need not even question why it took ages to complete a game that was first unveiled publicly over 3 years ago. For better or worse, many people have been keen to note that FF13 is written "XIII" which, when read differently, can actually be X-3. In light of the glaring issues with this game, that is indeed what ti is.

As the digital "d-day" has now passed, it is thus time to take a look at the "other" RPG titan...

Glitz and Glam to Gore

Without question, Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most graphically breathtaking games ever created. Everything you see, everything you do, everything that exists is painstakingly detailed and full of emotion. It's particularly interesting as, in many respects, Mistwalker's "Lost Odyssey" was very much a "Final Fantasy" game in terms of its graphical grandeur and obsession with CG. At the time, I actually remember thinking that it would be difficult for the REAL FF game to surpass it's visuals. And yet, perhaps as a factor of time, it does. The product actually feels less like a game and more like a movie given how good it looks. Explosions blasting roads as hundreds of helpless humans plummet to their doom, gigantic fields that sprawl as far as the eye can see, even small particles dancing in the air are filled with an inexplicable amount of attention to detail.

Though I will avoid spoiling anything, suffice to say that early on, there is an in-game "re-enactment" of a certain Dead Sea-type event that will delight fans of Chrono Cross. In fact, while playing 13, there are dozens upon dozens of situations wherein you will end up recalling some old-school era game and wishing that Square could remake it today with these kinds of visuals. The battle scenes are equally fantastic; bits of cast magic remain lodged on the field, gigantic summon monsters animate with all the grace and fluidity as any real-life creature might, as do the characters and monsters. You will easily find yourself with bated anticipation to see what comes next and to be sure, the game never disappoints.

Unfortunately what DOES disappoint however, does so on three fronts:


Flash in the Pan

As good as the graphics are, there is something a bit unsettling about them. It seems as if Square went a bit too far with the detail and design, as for all of the superb sights, you can't actually make out what is happening in a lot of them. Cut scenes in particular, gorgeous as they are, are often so jam-packed with action and movement that your eyes have trouble taking all of it in. And the camera pans too fast thus creating a situation that, while fluid, leave you with only a general sense of what's going on. It's a bit ironic, but the massive scope of detail in this game actually serves as a detraction from the visuals. The environments themselves are equally at fault as their overly complex nature can prevent you from actually taking them in. It's as if your brain actually turns "off" because there is no way for it to take in the minutia of complexity. Now before anyone attacks this comment, consider that I've been playing games for over 15 years now and this is the first time I've ever encountered something of this nature.


Sin-ful Scrummaging

Those players who loved Final Fantasy X will instantly feel at home here, as for better or worse, XIII returns to the same "Tunnel-Vision" map system that plagued Yuna's pilgrimage. It's so similar to FFX that you might actually consider this Final Fantasy X-3 (especially with the "Dresssphere type gameplay mechanic-more on that later). Square created gorgeous, sprawling locals almost reaching FFXII-calibre expansiveness and brimming with tons of detail and depth, yet lo and behold you are usually prohibited from exploring 80% of it. The game is literally "boxed" as you can't even explore nooks and crannies that your characters can technically fit in; the game just outright prohibits any exploration outside of the clearly delineated space. This makes for great annoyance as there are hundreds upon hundreds of little alcoves that are screaming out for you to explore them, yet all you can do is look and fancy what it would have been like...

Granted many will argue that Final Fantasy 12's gigantic DQ8-sized areas were somewhat lacking in the design and detail department, but at the same time their being gigantic ensured that you could do a whole lot of exploring. With FF13, however, the only real exploration you can do is towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, there are some exceptions to this rule, but the utter fact that you spend much of the game traveling in a more-or-less linear line is a bit vexing, especially as this comes after the offline MMORPG before it and thus represents a step backwards. It's also quite frustrating as, when you finally get to said "open-ended" area, you quickly realize that it is the exception, not the new standard.

Terrible Towns

To put it bluntly, Final Fantasy 13 doesn't have towns. To explain it truthfully, it does. Confusing? Indeed; For all intents and purposes, this game doesn't have a real town in the sense that RPG towns accomplish three things: (1) providing new information about where to go, (2) providing places to shop, (3) peppered throughout the adventure to break up the dungeons. Given the criticism raised in the previous topic, it should come has absolutely no surprise to anyone that there is never a point in the game when you don't know what to do, especially since the game's auto map is ALWAYS marked with an arrow pointing towards the correct direction. Shops are gone entirely; you first wake up to this sobering reality a scant one minute after you start controlling Lightning as no sooner do you reach the save point than you notice a new option.

Yes, that's right: you save and shop at the same place. It came as a huge surprise to me; were this Biohazard then I could overlook this issue, but for an RPG to have shops stationed at every save point (which, I might add, is like 2 minutes worth of traveling) it's really unusual. I do like the manner in which you collect new "hyperlinks" to shops thus expanding the list as the game progresses and allowing you to buy more and more items. With respect to the third "town requirement", the game plays like an action movie with dungeon after dungeon after dungeon; it's not towns that are interlaced to stave off the tedium of the game, it's incessant cut-scenes every few minutes.

So, what do towns actually do in FF13? The "plethora" of towns that exist (read: utter sarcasm) are little more than dungeons lacking monsters and serve as no other point than to introduce different scenery really. Then again some of the dungeons are actually set IN towns, just without NPCs.

So Long Story...

While I won't give any story spoilers, it doesn't involve any kind of grand scheme or uber-political plot like Final Fantasy 12 featured. In fact, FF13 really doesn't have a story so much as it just follows the characters as they try to struggle with their fate. This means that, for all those expecting it, FF13 is already "broken" for not having its own Sephiroth, Kuja, or Kefka. In the first half of the game, there are a number of characters that you think might become the "big boss" or that could be a main menace (a la the Judges) however such is not the case. Unfortunately the story that is there is rather nonsensical with tons of over the top details and situations such that it becomes a total joke about 1 hour in; it takes itself way too seriously. To sum up the plot, it's about six individuals being "cursed" and their subsequent struggle to change their destiny. Quite simple really.

One of the things that annoyed me the most about the story is that, similar to the "Orphanage" situation in Final Fantasy 8, there is a similar "coincidental" event in the backstory of Final Fantasy 13 that is constantly being alluded to. It's so cliched and unoriginal that all of the main characters happened to be in the exact same place at the exact same time, even if they did or didn't know about each other.


Frantically Fun Fighting

The one area where Final Fantasy 13 really shines is the new combat system, though given it's mass-scale changes to the series, and to the genera as a whole, it is sure to enrage countless RPG fans.

Forget everything you know about the FF-series staple battles, because they are now rendered obsolete. As with the previous installment, all monsters are visible on the playing field. Final Fantasy 13 introduces a brand new ATB system: all actions, be they attacking, casting a spell, or using techniques, cost "time"; as a result there is no more MP. The game operates on a system such that as the full ATB bar fills up, you can split its content into different actions (the bar is thus broken up into set pieces). Thus, every action taken in battle costs "points"; standard attacks require only one charge bar however more advanced tactics require 2 or more. While waiting for the ATB bar to fill, you are thus tasked with selecting the desired actions and the subsequent monster to target, after which (when the bar fills), the assault will automatically commence. While the game starts with only 2 "Charges" per character, as you progress their bar will increase to 3, 4, and so on. To provide a basic illustration, say you want to use the "Attack" command with say, the magic Fira. Attack costs 1 bar and Fira 2. So to use both of these in a single ATB "phase", you must wait for the bar to fill all three units. But what if you are impatient or change your mind and don't want to wait for the entire bar to charge before attacking? No problem; push the Triangle Button at any time and the charge time will cancel prematurely and whichever attacks you have enough stock to use with initiate. Thus, if you decide to attack with only 2.5 of the bars filled, your character will commence the "Attack" command and the Fira magic will be cancelled. However, as you had 2.5/3 bars filled, that remaining 1.5 of ATB time will carry over to the next phase and thus you will start with 1.5 bars filled. Do note that when I say phase, I just mean the cycle of the bar filling and then emptying; fighting has no pauses whatsoever and no turns, thus if you sit and do nothing your PC will get slaughtered. (Yes, that's right, you are only in control of whomever is the main character at the time; the game will take control of the other 2. And yes, if your player character dies, it's Game Over even if the other 2 computer controlled characters are still living).

While it takes a few minutes to get use to initially, the system is polished to perfection and ensures that fighting is once again fresh, fun, and...fast! Those of you who dislike fast-paced battles are in for a sharp wake-up call: Final Fantasy XIII's fights are on par with FFX-2, if not even faster: trust me, that's a good thing given how frequently you will be fighting. You must remain constantly on your proverbial toes as even a few seconds of pause can result in life-or-death. Newcomers will be pleased to know that the ATB system can be toggled in the Configuration screen to allow more time for their decisions and command input.

Another aspect of battle is that, similar to Final Fantasy XII, it's truly in real time. Despite the characters automatically carrying out their selected commands, their actual ability to do so is largely dependant on what is going on on the battlefield. For example, if you input the Fight command, your character will do just that. However should the target move too far away, or should you get attacked in the process, the command is carried out (or cancelled) and the target remains unscathed. Properly timing your attacks is pivotal for success, as it plays a large part of what follows:

Tearing a page out of the Xenosaga playbook, FF13 introduces the "Break" system. All opponents have a life bar and a break bar. While the former is self explanatory, the latter may be quite new for those unaccustomed to Zarathustra and KOS-MOS. The Break Bar serves as a type of stress meter; each attack you launch on an enemy causes the bar to fill; after it reaches maximum capacity, the opponent will "break" and thus remain docile (save for the more difficult monsters) and let their guard down thus allowing for major damage opportunities. Note that the bar will begin to empty immediately after the attack connects, though it has a "holder" such that, if you execute another attack before the bar empties completely, the subsequent damage will continue filling the Break bar where the last blow ended. Physical Attacks cause the Break Bar to fill slowly, but the "rebound" to empty quite slow; Magic Attacks on the other hand, cause the bar to shoot up quickly, but with split-second emptying. Thus you need to combine both physical and magic attacks to properly break the bar. This is key, as many monsters are almost invincible should you not break them.

It's also worth mentioning that, if you score a Preemptive Strike, your main character will not only attack all the enemies before battle begins, but also have full ATB stock AND, most importantly, all of the monsters will be near break status.

Curiously, your HP is restored at the end of each fight, thus restorative items and spells may only be used during battle. I am ultimately not sure what the outcome of such a huge change is: on the one hand it allows the game to flow much smoother between exploration and battle, yet at the same time it eliminates much of the challenge as who among us can not recall a plethora of situations wherein we were nearing 0MP and low on healing items, and plugging away at the given game praying for a heal spot or Level Up; that kind of tension is sadly absent from the game. Equally curious is the obscene nature in which you can procure Potions; the game practically hands them out like candy (some fights can yield an excess of SIX as victory spoils). Equally questionable is the issue that potions, when used, heal everyone instead of just one character.

Those who played the FF13 demo will be interested to note that the final version allows for command overrides. This is to say that, in the demo, if you selected commands that exceeded your bars, the battle engine prevented the input. In the final version, the most recent command input will override the previous prior to selecting the target. (To use the prior example, if you selected Attack and Fira, that would use 3 bars. But if you then selected Firaga that might use 3 bars, it would cancel the input of Attack and Fira and replace it with Firaga).

Also "lifted" from the Nietzschean world of Xenosaga is the "Strategic Engagement" element. As you explore the game's environments you will come across a variety of items that, when used on the map, allow the use of a smoke screen to guarantee preemptive strikes, or other items that can boost certain magics or whatnot.


Crystal Spheres and Optimum Options

Each character takes on a set role in battle, and that role is determined by you. The "Optima" system is much like the Dress Sphere system employed in X-2 and consists of the following roles:

Attacker: Focuses exclusively on melee attacks. Can use a wide variety of automatic abilities when attacking.

Blaster: Focuses on Attack Magic and Magic Attacks (the latter being melee attacks that are enhanced by magic.)

Defender: Focuses exclusively on defensive abilities; can not deal damage to the enemy except for "Revenge" charges.

Enhancer: Focuses exclusively on party-supportive status magic such as Protect or Haste. No offensive abilities whatsoever.

Jammer: Focuses exclusively on enemy-related status magic such as Curse, Bio, or Dispel. No offensive abilities whatsoever.

Healer: Focuses exclusively on party-supportive restorative magic such as Heal, Esuna, or Raise. No offensive abilities whatsoever.

Each of these styles, or Optimas, has its own unique crystal board where you can develop your skills. Each style starts out with a single learned function, but as you battle and earn CP (Crystal Points), the points can be spent to learn a new ability, with each subsequent one requiring more CP. (More on this shortly).

The catch is that you must select the proper Optima to match the given battle situation, as you are basically "equipping" the style and all abilities contained therein. This is similar to the gameplay mechanic found in Star Ocean 4 wherein you level up a "Class" however said class bonus features only apply when you are using it. Thus, if you're up against a tough monster with thousands of HP, it's necessary to switch one (or two) characters to the role of Healer so that they can repair damage. Likewise, if you're pitted against a lot of cannon fodder, its best to change everyone to Attacker and make quit work of them. Fortunately, initiating an Optima Change is as simple as hitting the L1 Button and selecting the desired configuration. Similar to the Gambit System in FFXII, you can mix-and match your own Optima Change configurations to create a variety of party combinations, and then save them for pre-set use in battle. If you want the short version, think evolving Dress Spheres. Of course the down side is, obviously, that you will constantly have to change Optimas, as a party of 3 Healers, Jammers, or Enhancers are literally unable to attack.

Because the AI controls the other 2 battle characters, it's sometimes important to make sure that they are assigned a proper role, with your leader character having the most important role. This lies in the fact that the computer, while most of the time successful, can be unpredictable and use magic that is of lower value than you want (i.e. Fire instead of Firega) or heal everyone evenly when you want it to focus exclusively on you (since it's game over if you die).

Crystal Chronicles

The best way to describe this game's character development system is to imagine a combination of Final Fantasy X and X-2 with a touch of 12's Licence Board system. The Crystalium Board works much like the Sphere Grids, with each Optima "Class" having its own board to develop. The boards, then, have a clear starting point consisting of the first ability and you then expend CP to move to the next node. As one might expect, the content of the individual nodes is strictly dependent on which of the Optima classes you are evolving; while the Attacker boards will deal with damage, the Healer will deal with restorative magics. In addition to command abilities and automatic abilities for use in combat, these boards also contain HP, Attack, and Magic power bonuses.

While the Crystalium System does introduce some new abilities, such as the attack spell "Rune", it also sees the removal of some others that fans might consider "staple". The other issue sure to draw the irk of a number of fans is the lack of any sort of balance in the board's CP cost structure. After a certain major event early on in the game, when you first gain access to the development system, you will notice that the nodes require very little CP to activate. After about 2/3 of the game however, when you reach the final nodes, there is extensive grinding necessary to activate them given their huge CP requirements. Granted monsters give more CP than earlier in the game, but the fact remains that much of the latter portion of the adventure is not spent adventuring, but rather spent fighting. Additionally, while each character is limited to 3 "jobs" at first, later in the game they gain access to all the different classes, however activating any nodes on the "non-preferred" board comes with a huge CP cost as well.

It is also important to note that, although the status bonuses are permanent, all of the Command Abilities are restricted to their associated class. This means that, realistically, two of the characters will never actually use a physical attack as their roles are supportive in nature (in addition to Attack Magic) and thus you will actually have to grind like mad just to allow them the use of their weapons as melee objects.

The only down side is that, at least in the early parts of the game, you wind up with a huge surplus of CP even after you have maxed out the available boards. It's frustrating because the game thus impedes your ability to develop your characters until specific points wherein the "limiter" is removed.

Ranking Reality

At the end of each battle, you will receive a detailed screen informing you of various battle aspects, including the elapsed time, your "score", the amount of awarded CP, and your TP bonus (TP is akin to a special tactical abilities such as Libra that have their own usage gauge). And...a star ranking. The game ranks each fight out of a possible 5 star maximum that is determined by your performance. Unfortunately this system is horribly broken, as the game awards a perfect ranking way too easily. It's so bad that you actually find yourself annoyed that when you do pull off some great combination or finish the battle in record time with no damage, the score is no different than when you played half as good. IMHO a system more similar to Namco's Tales of's "Grade" score would have worked much better here, wherein the game would award your skill with a number as opposed to a set delineation. Nonetheless, it's a nice change of pace from the typical "Earned EXP/Gold/AP" fare that was so common in the FF series.

There is no Gil earned from battles. In fact, money is utterly pointless. To earn currency, it's necessary to sell battle spoils from to the "Save Shops". These shops carry only those items and weapons that you've already obtained 99% of the time, and thus it's highly likely you will go through the game without buying anything save for swapping the Gil for weapon customization items.

Stupid Summons, Pointless Powers

Square would have you believe that the Summon monsters in Final Fantasy 13 are hot stuff; all of the promotional material released after the Spring 2009 Japanese demo features them as did the print advertisements, TV commercials, etc. Countless pictures were shown of the diverse line-up and the "new" idea that you can drive the summons ("new" as in ripped straight out of Transformers). In the end, the Edolions are a total throw-away that serve no other purpose in the game other than to (1) create an infuriatingly difficult battle to get them, (2) increase each character's ATB gage stock by one, and (3) heal everyone's HP after they leave. Similar to the Guardian Forces in FF8, if you actually know how to play FF13 then there is absolutely no need to ever use a Summon. But I digress...let me start from the beginning:

After a major plot point early in the game, all of the main characters will have eventual access to their own summon monster. Eventual is the key word as it's entirely dependent on the story and thus, you will indeed wind up some 30 hours into the game and still not have all the summon monsters. During a key story sequence for each character (read: pointless melodrama), their summon power will awaken and you must subdue it to continue with the game. A battle thus ensues wherein you are automatically under Death status and have roughly 2 minutes to find the summon's weakness and exploit it enough to allow you to tame it. These are arguably the hardest battles in the game, in no small part because your optima configuration may or may not even be configured to allow you to use the abilities that will actually subdue the opponent. As a result, you will have to die and then choose the restart option just so you can access your menu to add the required Optimum Change to your list. Once you finally subdue the beast, that character gets an additional ATB stock gauge and can then summon the monster whenever they have at least 3 Tactical Points or more. Since it takes between 5-10 battles to accumulate enough TP, suffice to say that the summons are only for dire situations.

When summoned, the monster will replace the other 2 battle members and act on its own. It's life is timed and will rapidly decrease until reaching 0. The objective is to raise the summon's "energy" via the abilities you used to subdue it, then switch to Driving Mode. Driving Mode is Square's pathetic attempt to be cool and let players actually control the summons. The monster will transform into a vehicle and you then have a set number of action points to use for attacking the enemy. There are a number of different attacks, each of them costing a different number of action points. You can also let the game automatically decide which attack to use (Auto-Drive) and opt to expend all of your points for what would normally be considered a "Limit Break". After the action points reach 0, the summon disappears and your 3TP are gone.

Unfortunately the summon system is horribly broken. Normal monsters are too easy to kill to warrant the use of summons in light of the TP consumption, and difficult monsters have such absurdly high HP that the extra power has little to no effect. The only real reason to use a summon is to take advantage of the free restore that you get when it leaves: all your characters status and HP will be restored. Additionally, the fact that you won't get the final summon until quite far into the game means that roughly half of the characters in the game are of less value given that their ATB bar will be 1 less than the other 3 until their "crisis" calls their beast.

Music to Make

Ask any Final Fantasy fan about their favorite aspects of the series and chances are likely the word "music" will be somewhere in the answer. The series is known for its memorable themes, catchy battle tracks, and even the occasional waltz or two. Though staple-series composer Nobou Uematsu has long since parted ways with the FF universe, one should rest assured knowing that FF13 continues in the same tradition of upstanding, memorable pieces. Scoring the music this time around is veteran Square musician Masashi Hamauzu who contributed to the Final Fantasy X OST, as well as Brave Fencer Musashi 2, Unlimited Saga, Dirge of Cerberus, and Sigma Harmonics, to name but few of his works. What he accomplished with FF13 is nothing short of brilliant, especially in creating what might possibly be the best battle music in the entire series. SO good is the music, in fact, that it's actually incorporated into several other tracks and serves as a quasi-theme to the game itself.

At the same time however, there are a number of tracks that are reused too often, especially some of the poorer tracks. It's kind of like "what's good is good, but what's bad is always there." There are a handful of tracks that, in my opinion, truly hurt the quality of the score and are tracks that Uematsu would never have bothered with had he composed the music.

As with every modern FF game, each area has its own theme, each character has their own theme, and many battles have their own theme. Suffice to say that the game's score will take up 4 discs when the OST releases in January, one of which is the game's theme song, and the subject of a minor controversy as, for the first time ever, Square has opted to totally replace the theme song between the Japanese version and the English/foreign language versions. "Because You're Here" is the soft ballad sung by Sayuri Sugawara (the game also features another song by her, "Eternal Love"). The foreign version will feature the song "My Hands" by British singer Leona Lewis though from the get-go the reaction to such a change has been teeming with venom among the die-hard fans.

The voice acting (for the Japanese version, obviously) is excellent as par the course with Japanese voice actors, and the sound effects are also fitting and at times, fantastic.


Creating Crappy Characters

For all the things Final Fantasy XIII has going for it; for all the time and effort it took to make such a brilliant game; I can't for the life of me, understand why in the world the developers settled on what might be the worst set of characters in an RPG ever. Allow me to approach this from a triangular approach:


A. Character Design

Testuya Nomura, whom I use to love for his once-lively and fresh designs back in the PSOne days, continues in his relentless attempt to rehash each and every tired cliched character from the past. We've seen much of this before: Snow (i.e. Zell Dincht), Lightning (whom Nomura was actually told to design as a "female Cloud"), Vanilla (i.e. Selphie Tilmitt) and Fang (Paine dressed as Kimahri). What we haven't seen we really had no need for thanks to the terrible character designs: Hope and Sazh, the former a pathetic little chaos-looking wannabe, and the latter of whom annoyed me in particular; why must the series' second character of African decent be so horribly stereotyped, even down to the idea of something stuck in his "must have" huge afro (in this case a baby Chocobo). Japan really needs to wizen up to the fact that people of African decent are of a diverse composite and thus stop the stereotypical cliches that are so frequently depicted with respect to said race in Japanese pop-culture.

On a side note I will say that the CG models look worlds better than their in-game counterparts. Square had once claimed it would eliminate the gap between the two yet this game proves that there is still a LONG way to go. Lightning in particular looks awful in the in-game scenes for 90% of the time, as do does the fact that everyone has the lips of a pre-teen Japanese girl.


B. Characterization

Trite garbage. To say that this game reeks of cliched melodrama is an understatement. Whereas Final Fantasy X had its fair share of "acting" peppered throughout the sad story, save for Tidus it never managed to lower itself to the banal existence that Final Fantasy 13 achieves. This lies, in no small part, in the fault of the characters themselves, namely:

Zell...I mean Snow, is hands down the worst character in Final Fantasy history. Like an overgrown 7-year old, you will constantly hear about how he is "going to protect everyone" or "protect the world" or "protect what is important" or "protect [his] friends". It's difficult remembering a single cut-scene that transpired wherein he did not use the word "protect" or "hero". It's cliched, it's annoying, and it's pathetic, right down to the "thumbs up" he gives. It's also amusing how Lightning (the main character) even makes fun of him at one point. Where the writers got the idea that ANYONE would like this kind of looser is beyond me, though perhaps for the majority of anti-social otaku who worship this game series, to be such a "dynamic" character is their life's dream. Then again considering that the programmers were so in-love with Snow as to specify his shoe size (33cm for those not in-the-know) it might be their charismatic lust as well. Snow is, in a very real sense, the epitome of what makes normal people embarassed by videogames and what makes them ashamed to let someone else watch.

Hope is equally infuriating with his tired-and-true "tween-meets-emo" appeal. Are we suppose to feel sorry for him admist all his whining and running away and moping around? Give me a break. At least Squall Leonhart managed to be edgy with his angst; this louse seems to have no other purpose than to have dramatic outbursts. Listen up Square: no one wants to play a 40 hour game with an annoying Shinji Ikari in-tow, especially when you obviously designed him to look like chaos and we all know how chaos was really something special. No one wants kids in their videogames, especially when they are annoying and especially when you make a point of showing their cliched maturation from "child" to "adult" that happens in all of a days' worth of time.

Honestly speaking the only character I actually found myself liking was Lightning, perhaps in no small part because she is so different from the other party members. She is angry, violent, and unpredictable. She alone saved this game from being a total write-off in terms of the characters and content, though after a certain point she (as with Squall) suddenly looses her actual appeal and becomes another nobody. Thus it's the battle system that really saves this game.

Now I'm sure that many people will love the cast of characters and adore the banal Japanese "ningen drama" that reeks of anime like nothing else. Thus for those of you who will disagree with me on this aspect, the game is that much more enjoyable for you. It's just my opinion, but I'd much prefer more mature characters whom I could care about rather than this band of bothers.

C. Usefulness

I could look beyond the problems with the various party members if they had a clear and sufficient use. Frankly speaking however, the only three characters you ever need are Lightning, Fang, and Vanilla. While I give Square credit for trying to make all of the characters balanced and useful, if you are anything like me then you will pretty much play 95% of the game with the aforementioned trio, using a Optima such as "Furious" or "Rush Assault" (both emphasizing all-out melee or magic attacking) and Vanilla occasionally changing roles to serve as a Healer. I found no use whatsoever for the Defender role, the Enhancer role, and the Jammer role other than the occasional uber-difficult enemy. I'm sure that many players will disagree with me, but I have no doubt that these are the very players who prefer tedious, slow battles and who will be equally angry at the computer AI controlling the other 2 characters. The fact of the matter is that this game is designed for fast paced, quick battles, and thus using any configuration but an Assault based one is wasting your time. To this end, Snow, Hope, and Sazh have no real game related function whatsoever, rather they are mainly present for "story" reasons.

Final Focus

In the end, the real question is not whether you will buy FFXIII, but if you will enjoy it as much as the next person; the game has so many strong points, but also some very prominent shortcomings. In addition to the opinions expressed above, there is the fundamental issue of whether you (the reader/consumer/FF fan) will feel the same way. Perhaps some of you will loathe the battle system, for example. For better or worse, Square has continued its merging Final Fantasy with the mainstream gaming market and along with it, the benefits and the detractions. It's actually worth pondering what Final Fantasy XV will amount to as without a doubt, the feedback from this game (as well as the in-house related discussions) will strongly affect the next installment. Also worth wondering, what will come out of the other two planned projects; Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII; how will these two products fit into the universe? Will there be any overlap? Will we see cameo appearances (that is all but assured given the level of fan-service this company stoops to)? Final Fantasy 13 is truly the opening to a brand new universe: just make sure that once you step through, you don't forget your way back to the rabbit hole.

Read more »