I am writing a review about a game that I believe is truly exceptional.
Let me start off by saying that if you have been looking for an old-school role-playing game, this is the game for you. This game features boss battles, monster battles, spells, dungeon crawls, small towns complete with an inn, a tavern, a general store that sells equipment and towns people with plenty of random things to say that add nothing to the story what-so-ever. Most of all, this game features a compelling story and a lot of dialogue for your reading pleasure. In My opinion, this is the best RPG I have played since Lunar series (PS1 and Sega CD) and Final Fantasy 7. I believe that these days, the only company people trust with RPGs is Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series and while I too play those games for a good story, a lot of times, I feel bogged down with all of the customization that must be done in order to truly experience the game. If you are like that, rejoice, for in this game, while there is some customization that can be done, it is not needed to fully enjoy the game. Just continuously equip the armor and weapons in the next town and be on your way, just like it used to be.
If you're looking for an original story, you won't really find that here. This is the classic story of the troublesome angsty youth with a chip on his shoulder and no known job or schooling who starts doing a remedial task that takes him away on a journey against a seemingly invincible foe. And what journey would be complete without a clueless love interest and band of comrades to help the main character discover his personal identity? Even though this story has been done to death, to me, this story was a breath of fresh air compared to the complex tales that many games attempt to wave which leave you concentrating more on the back story and the world's politics than on the main characters themselves.
Now let's talk sound, the voice actors are great. I would say a good portion of the text in this game is spoken and the voice actors do a good job of adding personality to a 2D character. I also appreciate that it doesn't sound like one person did all the voice acting. The music is perfect as well and though you won't recognize any of the songs, each one sounds familiar and won't sound repetitive even if it starts over. Another added touch that you won't notice unless you focus on it, is the sound of people walking. When you walk across a bridge, it clanks and as soon as your character steps onto the grass on the other side, it sounds different, instead of constantly sounding like you are walking on some kind of metallic surface no matter where you are.
OK, now we come to the graphics. This game has beautiful backgrounds, colorful and memorable monsters, unique characters and beautiful areas (towns, dungeons, caves etc.). The game uses Cel-shading which, if you are not familiar, makes all the characters look like they are in a controllable cartoon. The beautiful thing is, the cut scene characters look just like the characters you play with, so you know how in Final Fantasy games every so often they switch to the ridiculous CG shots? None of that here. While some might see that as a setback, I believe it really helps keep the story in perspective and makes you feel like you are in control of the whole story and not just a majority of it.
The battle system is not turn based at all and reminded me a lot of old Playstation games like Star Ocean or Grandia, where your characters are free to roam around the battle ground and you must move them to the enemy and press the "attack" button to attack. There is magic, but the battle system is best understood by playing the game for yourself. Or, if you would rather, you can play with a friend. No longer are your friends forced to sit around and watch you go through the story by yourself. In this game 2-4 players can play together (provided you have enough controllers). I believe they can only participate in battles with you, but I am not sure as I have yet to play the game with a friend.
All in all, this game is destined to be a classic. Not just for the 360, but for video games as a whole. In this player's eyes, it is an instant classic. A departure from all the ridiculously complex RPGs to a more simple time, when games were more about the story and characters and going on a journey.
Tuesday, October 10, 2000
Sunday, October 8, 2000
Half-life 2 PC | 10
I thought HALF LIFE 2 was the best game ever so when buying this I had high expectations, and I am glad to tell you all that I was not disappointed. This has to be the best value in gaming that I have ever seen.
I already own HALF LIFE 2 and HALF LIFE 2: EPISODE ONE so I initially wasn't that keen in buying the ORANGE BOX set (because these two games are in the ORANGE BOX). However when I logged on to my STEAM account, to buy PORTAL, EPISODE 2 and TEAM FORTRESS 2 separately, this would have nearly trebled the price, so buying the ORANGE BOX is the cheaper option, even though you get more with the ORANGE BOX! Valve works in mysterious ways...
Plus, if you already own HALF LIFE 2 or EPISODE ONE then STEAM will let you give them to a friend!
I bought my copy from amazon.co.uk and for value it ended up that I paid five pounds (around 9 dollars?) for each game, which is unbelievable value when you consider that some mediocre console game costs up to 40 pounds.
Here are the games in the ORANGE BOX:
HALF LIFE 2 - arguably the best game ever made! I won't review it as I think that most people who will but the OB will already own it or at least be aware of its reputation.
EPISODE ONE: The next chapter from HALF LIFE 2.Very short game (around 4 to 5 hours). To me, this part is the weakest in the three made so far(HALF LIFE 2, this and HALF LIFE: EPISODE 2). The game offers little new from the original and even the environments and bad guys are the same. However it is still a great game.
EPISODE TWO: A whole lot better than EPISODE ONE. The environments are different, this being in lush forests and underground caves with new monsters (radioactive spiders that spew radioactive mush at you). The graphics are really superb and seem to be improved on the already fantastic looking EPISODE ONE. You begin to realise why VALVE had taken so long in bringing this game out.
The game is short as well, but I think a bit longer than EPISODE ONE. The script is quite impressive for a game (gives a lot of Hollywood movies a run for their money) and the characters are so familiar and believable that you have empathy for them, similar to characters in a favourite movie. This game is the main reason why I bought the OB and I was not disappointed in the least. One of the highlights is a Rourke's Drift like siege and antlions are coming in every direction. In this game you work with others more.
PORTAL: This is a strange game, and to be frank I have never seen anything like it! It is basically a puzzle game, and whilst it is fun and compelling it also has far reaching effects on gaming. The physics and complexity in making a game like this shows how serious games have become in the past few years. Portal is about a hand held device that creates holes in walls and then you create another hole in a wall somewhere else, and this lets you, the character, to walk through the first `portal' and exit the second `portal'. The child like female-electronic voice, a sort of HAL with the added craziness, adds to the quirkiness of the game. The puzzles get steadily harder and harder. I think this is a game will either love or hate but when you first play it is definitely something totally new and fresh.
TEAM FORTRESS 2 - a multiplayer game that is fun, fast and simple. The graphics are very cartoonish (in a good way) and it basically two teams (red and blue) with each team achieving a task to win the round. Players can be sniper, medic, engineer or even a spy, among others. The game is very addictive and because it is an online multiplayer this game has the most repay value of all the games in the ORANGE BOX.
STEAM gets a lot of bad credit from fans of HALF LIFE but I have never had any problems, well, I had one problem: if you are new to STEAM you may get an email/IM chat through STEAM by another user pretending to be from STEAM. He/she may say that your account is being used somewhere else (you need a STEAM account to play these games) and that STEAM requires your password and username to verify your account. DO NOT give your details to anyone as STEAM would never ask for them themselves! This is not very relevant to the actual game review but it is the only problem with STEAM that I have accounted (so far!)
You do need a fairly modern set-up pc to play all the games in the ORANGE BOX. It recommends at least 512mb RAM and 128mb graphics card. Though to be honest, at least a 1 GIG of RAM is needed and a 256mb card to enjoy the games. Games are to be enjoyed not played with sufferance as it takes he fun out of the games.
I already own HALF LIFE 2 and HALF LIFE 2: EPISODE ONE so I initially wasn't that keen in buying the ORANGE BOX set (because these two games are in the ORANGE BOX). However when I logged on to my STEAM account, to buy PORTAL, EPISODE 2 and TEAM FORTRESS 2 separately, this would have nearly trebled the price, so buying the ORANGE BOX is the cheaper option, even though you get more with the ORANGE BOX! Valve works in mysterious ways...
Plus, if you already own HALF LIFE 2 or EPISODE ONE then STEAM will let you give them to a friend!
I bought my copy from amazon.co.uk and for value it ended up that I paid five pounds (around 9 dollars?) for each game, which is unbelievable value when you consider that some mediocre console game costs up to 40 pounds.
Here are the games in the ORANGE BOX:
HALF LIFE 2 - arguably the best game ever made! I won't review it as I think that most people who will but the OB will already own it or at least be aware of its reputation.
EPISODE ONE: The next chapter from HALF LIFE 2.Very short game (around 4 to 5 hours). To me, this part is the weakest in the three made so far(HALF LIFE 2, this and HALF LIFE: EPISODE 2). The game offers little new from the original and even the environments and bad guys are the same. However it is still a great game.
EPISODE TWO: A whole lot better than EPISODE ONE. The environments are different, this being in lush forests and underground caves with new monsters (radioactive spiders that spew radioactive mush at you). The graphics are really superb and seem to be improved on the already fantastic looking EPISODE ONE. You begin to realise why VALVE had taken so long in bringing this game out.
The game is short as well, but I think a bit longer than EPISODE ONE. The script is quite impressive for a game (gives a lot of Hollywood movies a run for their money) and the characters are so familiar and believable that you have empathy for them, similar to characters in a favourite movie. This game is the main reason why I bought the OB and I was not disappointed in the least. One of the highlights is a Rourke's Drift like siege and antlions are coming in every direction. In this game you work with others more.
PORTAL: This is a strange game, and to be frank I have never seen anything like it! It is basically a puzzle game, and whilst it is fun and compelling it also has far reaching effects on gaming. The physics and complexity in making a game like this shows how serious games have become in the past few years. Portal is about a hand held device that creates holes in walls and then you create another hole in a wall somewhere else, and this lets you, the character, to walk through the first `portal' and exit the second `portal'. The child like female-electronic voice, a sort of HAL with the added craziness, adds to the quirkiness of the game. The puzzles get steadily harder and harder. I think this is a game will either love or hate but when you first play it is definitely something totally new and fresh.
TEAM FORTRESS 2 - a multiplayer game that is fun, fast and simple. The graphics are very cartoonish (in a good way) and it basically two teams (red and blue) with each team achieving a task to win the round. Players can be sniper, medic, engineer or even a spy, among others. The game is very addictive and because it is an online multiplayer this game has the most repay value of all the games in the ORANGE BOX.
STEAM gets a lot of bad credit from fans of HALF LIFE but I have never had any problems, well, I had one problem: if you are new to STEAM you may get an email/IM chat through STEAM by another user pretending to be from STEAM. He/she may say that your account is being used somewhere else (you need a STEAM account to play these games) and that STEAM requires your password and username to verify your account. DO NOT give your details to anyone as STEAM would never ask for them themselves! This is not very relevant to the actual game review but it is the only problem with STEAM that I have accounted (so far!)
You do need a fairly modern set-up pc to play all the games in the ORANGE BOX. It recommends at least 512mb RAM and 128mb graphics card. Though to be honest, at least a 1 GIG of RAM is needed and a 256mb card to enjoy the games. Games are to be enjoyed not played with sufferance as it takes he fun out of the games.
Saturday, October 7, 2000
Virtua Fighter 5 | 8.5
I have loved the Virtua Fighter series more than any other fighting game since I first played the original Virtua Fighter in arcades. For just $20 it seemed like a great deal (and it was). As another reviewer mentioned, it's definitely worth having for the affordable price tag.
That being said, this game fell a little bit short of my expectations. This is going to sound very strange, but the graphics are both better and worse than Virtua Fighter 4. They're better in the sense that the game is hi-res, fits my widescreen LCD, and is more detailed. However, as they say, the devil is in the details; it seems that the game has lost of visual quality and finesse when it was reworked for the new graphical format. A lot of the character models look worse and in many instances cheesy. The rings and backdrop are gorgeous, but they too seem to have suffered aesthetically. It really seems like the developers tried to "overdo" the graphics and ended up creating a game that looks worse than VF4; it is a little more flashy (or dare I say gaudy) and a little less realistic. Some people will like this. In any case, play them both and you will see what I'm talking about.
As for the content, I have mixed feelings about the new characters. I think Eileen is great and totally worth her weight in the game (she probably doesn't weigh that much, though), but "El Blaze" is one of the most retarded things ever to be found in the entire series. Having a lucha libre character is actually a decent idea, and the end result could have been very nice, but for some reason it just didn't work out here. Every time El Blaze appears in the game, you will cringe. I also thought that Brad and the blue guy were stupid characters when they were introduced, but even they are better than El Blaze. In fact, Brad actually seems better in VF5 than he did in Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. If you ask me, the creators of VF are doing a poor job attempting to integrate more "Western" style fighters; many of these recent additions are bland and uninteresting, and they probably don't correspond very well to actual martial arts trends in the Western world (not to say that the game is supposed to be realistic, but it does have better realism than practically all other fighters).
Which reminds me--if you've never played the VF series before and are just looking for a fighting game, you might appreciate the game's relative amount of realism.
This game appears to include all of the great features that were introduced in VF4:Evolution. You can skip the monotonous Arcade mode and go for the Quest mode, which lets you fight more varied opponents for rank and prizes such as character customizations. Unfortunately, I daresay that VF4:E does these better than VF5 does.
Overall it's a great buy and a solid PS3 title to keep on your shelf. I'm still convinced that Virtua Fighter is the best fighting game on any platform (sorry, Soul Calibur), so if you want a fighting game for the PS3, this is it (Tekken fans, prepare to launch your rebuttal).
IF you have a PS2, then get Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution instead; you'll save some money, and I honestly believe it is a better game than VF5 and possibly the best fighting game I've ever played. It's fair to say that VF5 is just VF4:Evolution with updated graphics (and alas, if only they had just done that!). If you are playing on an HD display (eg widescreen LCD), then definitely choose VF5.
That being said, this game fell a little bit short of my expectations. This is going to sound very strange, but the graphics are both better and worse than Virtua Fighter 4. They're better in the sense that the game is hi-res, fits my widescreen LCD, and is more detailed. However, as they say, the devil is in the details; it seems that the game has lost of visual quality and finesse when it was reworked for the new graphical format. A lot of the character models look worse and in many instances cheesy. The rings and backdrop are gorgeous, but they too seem to have suffered aesthetically. It really seems like the developers tried to "overdo" the graphics and ended up creating a game that looks worse than VF4; it is a little more flashy (or dare I say gaudy) and a little less realistic. Some people will like this. In any case, play them both and you will see what I'm talking about.
As for the content, I have mixed feelings about the new characters. I think Eileen is great and totally worth her weight in the game (she probably doesn't weigh that much, though), but "El Blaze" is one of the most retarded things ever to be found in the entire series. Having a lucha libre character is actually a decent idea, and the end result could have been very nice, but for some reason it just didn't work out here. Every time El Blaze appears in the game, you will cringe. I also thought that Brad and the blue guy were stupid characters when they were introduced, but even they are better than El Blaze. In fact, Brad actually seems better in VF5 than he did in Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. If you ask me, the creators of VF are doing a poor job attempting to integrate more "Western" style fighters; many of these recent additions are bland and uninteresting, and they probably don't correspond very well to actual martial arts trends in the Western world (not to say that the game is supposed to be realistic, but it does have better realism than practically all other fighters).
Which reminds me--if you've never played the VF series before and are just looking for a fighting game, you might appreciate the game's relative amount of realism.
This game appears to include all of the great features that were introduced in VF4:Evolution. You can skip the monotonous Arcade mode and go for the Quest mode, which lets you fight more varied opponents for rank and prizes such as character customizations. Unfortunately, I daresay that VF4:E does these better than VF5 does.
Overall it's a great buy and a solid PS3 title to keep on your shelf. I'm still convinced that Virtua Fighter is the best fighting game on any platform (sorry, Soul Calibur), so if you want a fighting game for the PS3, this is it (Tekken fans, prepare to launch your rebuttal).
IF you have a PS2, then get Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution instead; you'll save some money, and I honestly believe it is a better game than VF5 and possibly the best fighting game I've ever played. It's fair to say that VF5 is just VF4:Evolution with updated graphics (and alas, if only they had just done that!). If you are playing on an HD display (eg widescreen LCD), then definitely choose VF5.
Friday, October 6, 2000
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction | 8.0
I have been playing this game for a very long time and im still finding more and more things to do that i have never done before! If u have never played this game then you need to try it! When u do try Diablo 2 make sure you at least know a little about this game trust me it is awesome! there are thousands of items to use Swords, Shields, Armor, boots, belts etc. but don't just believe me try it for yourself there are also SETS to collect that make your character look really good and give a serious boost in every ability. there are 8 different characters but you can make many different "specialty" for your character! like for an assassin you can make pure martial arts assassin, for sorcerer you can make pure fire or ice OR lightning! There are sooo many different ways to go about creating your character but don't choose just one make many characters if you like. you can also play online for no extra charge and have others help you out in your game as u also can help them! you can trade items or gold if you'd like many things and friends to find! my account on D2 is listed as my name so contact me if you need some help or just want to know the ropes :)
The player can level up so much in Act 5 where its always worth it next to the cow level of course. Everybody knows that. I don't think anything important has changed since 2008 when I last logged into Battlenet. Diablo 2 was in its mainstream twilight hours. This is THE game that high schoolers play now-a-days. It is the only game that I played in high school in 2000 and even in 2009, high schoolers continue the legacy to my knowledge.
-20 points for terrible graphics and only impressive gameplay. It's not on the same level Halo 3, Metroid Prime 3 or MGS4.
The player can level up so much in Act 5 where its always worth it next to the cow level of course. Everybody knows that. I don't think anything important has changed since 2008 when I last logged into Battlenet. Diablo 2 was in its mainstream twilight hours. This is THE game that high schoolers play now-a-days. It is the only game that I played in high school in 2000 and even in 2009, high schoolers continue the legacy to my knowledge.
-20 points for terrible graphics and only impressive gameplay. It's not on the same level Halo 3, Metroid Prime 3 or MGS4.
Wednesday, October 4, 2000
Diablo II | 8.0
he original "Diablo" came along at a time when the CRPG market was in dire straits. The game breathed fresh life into the genre and created an unparalleled accessibility that made it very easy to pick up play. Using the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" formula, the sequel follows along the lines of the original, and expands it into a bigger and better game.
For starters, there are 5 available classes to play with. The fierce Amazon, who excels in javelin and ranged weapons, the melee-specialist Barbarian, the Sorceress, who excels in flinging destructive spells, the undead-raising Necromancer and the holy Paladin. All of the 5 classes have drastically different playing styles, and there is no skill sharing here. Every class is meticulously detailed in every aspect of their skills available, to provide a unique gameplay experience.
The story follows on from the prequel, and is intriguing, if rather sparse at times. The hero who killed Diablo in the first game, which you played as, is now possessed by the evil demon thanks to the soul shard embedded within him. Ironically the hero wanted to imprison Diablo within the shard, and then use his own body as a prison for the shard, but now the Lord Of Terror has overpowered the hero's will and taken control of his once noble body, and sets forth to release his brothers and open the gates of hell for the final time. Your job is to hunt down Diablo and playing as one of the 5 classes, you journey across 4 Acts, all of which are extremely detailed and well thought out in terms of difficulty balance. Act One alone is as big as the entire original game! The distances you can cover are truly humongous. There is a sense of restriction however, because there are pesky barriers set up to quarantine you within the zones. So there is no sightseeing here, you are given a path, and you've got to follow it in order to get the job done. The quests given are interesting and very fun, but the real shame is that there is so few of them. A couple more per Act wouldn't have hurt.
But the essence of "Diablo II" is very much in its practical side. Tinkering with your characters' stats and hunting for items dropped by the monsters is the main attraction. There are literally thousands of items in the game, from magical rings, to rare axes, to the golden unique items, all of which are there for you to play dress up with. Set items are the rarest of them all, and if the set is completed by finding all the pieces (e.g. Death's Hand Sash, Death's Hand Boots...) then you get a very nice bonus. The amount of different monsters you can slay is truly astounding. All kinds of evil critters and denizens of hell make an appearance here, from vicious giant vultures, to lurking sea snakes, and of course - zombies! And lots of zombies too, since this is very much a hack and slash game, you will be clicking and clicking as you trudge through the millions of minions the game throws at you. It does get tedious sometimes, which is the only real letdown of the game's design. There isn't really enough depth to the story to make up for the sheer amount of clicking you have to do. The variance in areas does help, as does the motivation to get better loot, but other than that, "Diablo II" is just a giant slashfest. The Bosses you face at the end of each Act do have to get special mention however. They are extremely challenging and very neat to go up against.
The graphics are attractive, and they were considered very good for its time. Of course, now the 2D backdrops and limited animations are considered dated. The graphics do not detract from the ambience however, all of the monsters have plenty of color, and weather kicks in every now and then. Your character isn't very complex in the animation department I must admit. After all, how many different ways can a Barbarian swing a sword? The different skills do look cool however, like the Sorceress' blaze, where she leaves a trail of fire in her wake.
The music is rather bland, if suitable for the atmosphere. There are dark overtones here with an emphasis on the instrumental side of music. The desert flutes and jungle drums are nice, but the dungeons could have used a little more flair. The monster sounds are amusing, and the voice acting is top notch, as can be expected from Blizzard. The cinematic FMV's (full motion videos) that play between the conclusion of each Act are nothing short of stunning, and truly blew me away. Blizzard set their bar with "Starcraft" and then jumped it themselves with the new standard of cutscenes in "Diablo II".
The multiplayer offering is solid, with Blizzard's Battle.net service providing a stable online gaming experience. Competitive ladders, duels, and just causal playing are all catered for with the ever popular Battle.net. You won't have to look far for a game to join, the lobbies are teeming with life even now. Online characters are created for Battle.net only and stored separately from your singleplayer characters, to prevent any funny business.
The replay value of this game is astonishing. Considering the 20+ hours it takes to complete it the first time, not to mention the Nightmare and Hell modes, which are unlocked after completing Normal mode, there is a lot of playing to do here. Nightmare and Hell modes offer new items, and harder monsters. It is essentially playing through the game a second time, with much tougher monsters, and much better loot. The concept is brilliant, and of course you will be itching to try the other classes as well to see how they fare. Let me warn you though, this game is very addictive, even in singleplayer. Online, that's a whole other level of cyber-crack. The intense competition for items and the jockeying for positions on the ladders are what kept the game alive for this long.
If you are looking for an action RPG that has longevity, without a deep story line and dialogue to bog you down, then this is your game. Those out there who are all about stats and equipment, and competitive gaming need look no further than "Diablo II". Blizzard is known for their excellent pedigree, and they don't disappoint. "Diablo II" improves upon the original in every aspect, and provides the most bang for your buck out of any classic RPG out there. Do yourself a favor and pick this up from a bargain bin. Putting it down again, now that's another story.
Graphics 3.0 out of 10
Sound 9 out of 10
Gameplay 8.0 out of 10
replay value 9.5 out of 10
Average 8.0 out of 20
For starters, there are 5 available classes to play with. The fierce Amazon, who excels in javelin and ranged weapons, the melee-specialist Barbarian, the Sorceress, who excels in flinging destructive spells, the undead-raising Necromancer and the holy Paladin. All of the 5 classes have drastically different playing styles, and there is no skill sharing here. Every class is meticulously detailed in every aspect of their skills available, to provide a unique gameplay experience.
The story follows on from the prequel, and is intriguing, if rather sparse at times. The hero who killed Diablo in the first game, which you played as, is now possessed by the evil demon thanks to the soul shard embedded within him. Ironically the hero wanted to imprison Diablo within the shard, and then use his own body as a prison for the shard, but now the Lord Of Terror has overpowered the hero's will and taken control of his once noble body, and sets forth to release his brothers and open the gates of hell for the final time. Your job is to hunt down Diablo and playing as one of the 5 classes, you journey across 4 Acts, all of which are extremely detailed and well thought out in terms of difficulty balance. Act One alone is as big as the entire original game! The distances you can cover are truly humongous. There is a sense of restriction however, because there are pesky barriers set up to quarantine you within the zones. So there is no sightseeing here, you are given a path, and you've got to follow it in order to get the job done. The quests given are interesting and very fun, but the real shame is that there is so few of them. A couple more per Act wouldn't have hurt.
But the essence of "Diablo II" is very much in its practical side. Tinkering with your characters' stats and hunting for items dropped by the monsters is the main attraction. There are literally thousands of items in the game, from magical rings, to rare axes, to the golden unique items, all of which are there for you to play dress up with. Set items are the rarest of them all, and if the set is completed by finding all the pieces (e.g. Death's Hand Sash, Death's Hand Boots...) then you get a very nice bonus. The amount of different monsters you can slay is truly astounding. All kinds of evil critters and denizens of hell make an appearance here, from vicious giant vultures, to lurking sea snakes, and of course - zombies! And lots of zombies too, since this is very much a hack and slash game, you will be clicking and clicking as you trudge through the millions of minions the game throws at you. It does get tedious sometimes, which is the only real letdown of the game's design. There isn't really enough depth to the story to make up for the sheer amount of clicking you have to do. The variance in areas does help, as does the motivation to get better loot, but other than that, "Diablo II" is just a giant slashfest. The Bosses you face at the end of each Act do have to get special mention however. They are extremely challenging and very neat to go up against.
The graphics are attractive, and they were considered very good for its time. Of course, now the 2D backdrops and limited animations are considered dated. The graphics do not detract from the ambience however, all of the monsters have plenty of color, and weather kicks in every now and then. Your character isn't very complex in the animation department I must admit. After all, how many different ways can a Barbarian swing a sword? The different skills do look cool however, like the Sorceress' blaze, where she leaves a trail of fire in her wake.
The music is rather bland, if suitable for the atmosphere. There are dark overtones here with an emphasis on the instrumental side of music. The desert flutes and jungle drums are nice, but the dungeons could have used a little more flair. The monster sounds are amusing, and the voice acting is top notch, as can be expected from Blizzard. The cinematic FMV's (full motion videos) that play between the conclusion of each Act are nothing short of stunning, and truly blew me away. Blizzard set their bar with "Starcraft" and then jumped it themselves with the new standard of cutscenes in "Diablo II".
The multiplayer offering is solid, with Blizzard's Battle.net service providing a stable online gaming experience. Competitive ladders, duels, and just causal playing are all catered for with the ever popular Battle.net. You won't have to look far for a game to join, the lobbies are teeming with life even now. Online characters are created for Battle.net only and stored separately from your singleplayer characters, to prevent any funny business.
The replay value of this game is astonishing. Considering the 20+ hours it takes to complete it the first time, not to mention the Nightmare and Hell modes, which are unlocked after completing Normal mode, there is a lot of playing to do here. Nightmare and Hell modes offer new items, and harder monsters. It is essentially playing through the game a second time, with much tougher monsters, and much better loot. The concept is brilliant, and of course you will be itching to try the other classes as well to see how they fare. Let me warn you though, this game is very addictive, even in singleplayer. Online, that's a whole other level of cyber-crack. The intense competition for items and the jockeying for positions on the ladders are what kept the game alive for this long.
If you are looking for an action RPG that has longevity, without a deep story line and dialogue to bog you down, then this is your game. Those out there who are all about stats and equipment, and competitive gaming need look no further than "Diablo II". Blizzard is known for their excellent pedigree, and they don't disappoint. "Diablo II" improves upon the original in every aspect, and provides the most bang for your buck out of any classic RPG out there. Do yourself a favor and pick this up from a bargain bin. Putting it down again, now that's another story.
Graphics 3.0 out of 10
Sound 9 out of 10
Gameplay 8.0 out of 10
replay value 9.5 out of 10
Average 8.0 out of 20
Monday, October 2, 2000
Monkey Island: Special Edition PC | 8.0
In a sense, I don't really feel like Monkey Island needs much promotion from me, because adventure gaming was such a huge part of computer game history, and Monkey Island was perhaps the finest example of adventure gaming. When I heard the game was being redesigned with modern graphics, sound and voice work, I was thrilled. Monkey Island was a darn near perfect game, and for that reason alone, I knew the redesign deserved those first three stars. In Monkey Island, you play Guybrush Threepwood; a scrawney little guy who wants to be a fearsome pirate; winning swordfights, hunting treasure and stealing from the rich.
Well, as it turns out, being a pirate is a rather tough business, with some strict job requirements, and after his job interview with the head pirates, Guybrush sets out to prove his worth. Armed with a mastery of insults and the ability to hold his breath for ten minutes, Guybrush Threepwood must learn swordplay, thievery and treasure-huntery even before the end of the game's first chapter (of four,) and then things really pick up.
The evil ghost pirate Lechuck is roaming the islands with his dread pirate crew, scaring all the other pirates into landlubber-hood, and Guybrush will need to travel to Monkey Island if he wants to do something about it. There's also the beautiful Governor Marley to worry about. She seems like more than a mere damsel in distress, of course, but what's her real role in Guybrush's adventure, and what are Lechuck's plans for her?
This stuff is even funnier than it sounds.
Of course, all of that only has to do with the game's storyline. The gameplay may turn some gamers off, since the game uses a point-and-click interface, with much less jumping, slashing, shooting and killing than modern gamers are used to. The majority of the gameplay consists of wandering around, looking at things, pushing them, pulling them, talking to them, picking them up and using them to solve logic puzzles. This is the backbone of the Monkey Island gameplay, and while it may not appeal to the mainstream crowd, there are a great many people who enjoy being able to complete challenges on sheer brainpower alone, and not having to worry about being ambushed by enemies every five seconds. For those who like games that provoke them to thought, rather than violence, Monkey Island is the cream of the crop.
The original Secret of Monkey Island was made using midi music and early VGA graphics. It didn't even have any voice acting. Because of this, it makes perfect sense for the game to be re-made with updated graphics and sound, and this is more or less what was done. I found some design choices baffling, but at least if you prefer the original version to the updated one, you can switch back with a single keystroke.
The graphics and sound of the updated version are of an unquestionably superior quality. The music is very well-done, and the voice acting is pretty nice. The man who plays Guybrush does a good job as always, and some very professional voice actors played other roles, such as Rob Paulson as the ghost Bob, one of the Fetuccini brothers, and a couple of others. That kind of voice talent is almost guaranteed to not sound like they're reading from a script. In fact, the only issue I had with any of the revised sound was that Governor Marley's original actress (from Monkey Island 3) didn't reprise her role, and the woman who does play her doesn't sound British enough, in my opinion.
In graphics, however, this game makes some design decisions that I couldn't really agree with. For one thing, the decision was apparently made to shift the art style of the original from relatively-realistic to the cartoon look of later games; something I never really felt was right for Monkey Island. Monkey Island 3 was fantastic, of course, but I feel it succeeded in spite of the cartoon graphics, rather than benefitting from them.
To their credit, most of the characters still generally carry the same mood and feel that they did in the original; especially in their close-up portraits, the only exceptions, oddly-enough, being Guybrush and the Governor, who look like relatively-bland cartoon characters, rather than innocently-boyish and enchantingly beautiful in a cunning sort of way, respectively, so the damage done by the art shift is minimized most effectively. I just don't feel the shift needed to happen at all.
The third change was to the interface. The interface, originally, was for a sentence-line interface with selectable verbs (push, pull, pick up, etc...) to be at the bottom of the screen, along with a scrollable inventory, while the action goes on at the top. This has been changed to a pair of subscreens for verbs and inventory, which isn't all that hard to navigate, if you're willing to use the keyboard. I admit, this element of the game felt somewhat forced, and a littly clumsy. In practice, it certainly didn't play out as smoothly as the original interface, and I found myself wondering why this change was made, so I looked it up.
Apparently, the interface change was made, because the game designers were unhappy with "the interface taking up half the screen." Fair enough. This gives them the opportunity to use the other half of the screen to show the gamers more scenery in the Monkey Island world, right?
Not exactly. Instead of adding anything where the old interface used to be, the remake has re-done the graphics of Monkey Island, then just centered it, so that it feels like you're watching the game in widescreen format, and there's no fullscreen format to switch to. That might fly for movies that were originally released that way, but in a video game, it really feels like there aught to be something going on in those large, black bars. Personally, I would have put a sentence line interface on the top, and the inventory on the bottom, but I wasn't in charge of the project.
For example, an options screen under the main menu, full of check-boxes, reading things like "Voices on/off," "Music old/new," "Graphics old/new," and "Interface old/new." I only bring this up because I was sort of hoping for it, and because if this feature had been included, I'd always play the game with the first two options on, and the last two off.
In short, as a game, Monkey Island is stellar. As a remake, it's merely good. For this reason, I give it 80%. I was a little disappointed, but not much. In general, I had a good time playing it, and I'll most likely play it again. Many of the lines carry a special wit and humor to them when spoken aloud, so I feel that this remake did add something to the series that wasn't there before, and if it didn't completely fulfill its potential, then at least it gave today's generation the chance to experience one of the greatest video game classics of all time. I think that's a very good thing, so overall, well done.
Well, as it turns out, being a pirate is a rather tough business, with some strict job requirements, and after his job interview with the head pirates, Guybrush sets out to prove his worth. Armed with a mastery of insults and the ability to hold his breath for ten minutes, Guybrush Threepwood must learn swordplay, thievery and treasure-huntery even before the end of the game's first chapter (of four,) and then things really pick up.
The evil ghost pirate Lechuck is roaming the islands with his dread pirate crew, scaring all the other pirates into landlubber-hood, and Guybrush will need to travel to Monkey Island if he wants to do something about it. There's also the beautiful Governor Marley to worry about. She seems like more than a mere damsel in distress, of course, but what's her real role in Guybrush's adventure, and what are Lechuck's plans for her?
This stuff is even funnier than it sounds.
Of course, all of that only has to do with the game's storyline. The gameplay may turn some gamers off, since the game uses a point-and-click interface, with much less jumping, slashing, shooting and killing than modern gamers are used to. The majority of the gameplay consists of wandering around, looking at things, pushing them, pulling them, talking to them, picking them up and using them to solve logic puzzles. This is the backbone of the Monkey Island gameplay, and while it may not appeal to the mainstream crowd, there are a great many people who enjoy being able to complete challenges on sheer brainpower alone, and not having to worry about being ambushed by enemies every five seconds. For those who like games that provoke them to thought, rather than violence, Monkey Island is the cream of the crop.
The original Secret of Monkey Island was made using midi music and early VGA graphics. It didn't even have any voice acting. Because of this, it makes perfect sense for the game to be re-made with updated graphics and sound, and this is more or less what was done. I found some design choices baffling, but at least if you prefer the original version to the updated one, you can switch back with a single keystroke.
The graphics and sound of the updated version are of an unquestionably superior quality. The music is very well-done, and the voice acting is pretty nice. The man who plays Guybrush does a good job as always, and some very professional voice actors played other roles, such as Rob Paulson as the ghost Bob, one of the Fetuccini brothers, and a couple of others. That kind of voice talent is almost guaranteed to not sound like they're reading from a script. In fact, the only issue I had with any of the revised sound was that Governor Marley's original actress (from Monkey Island 3) didn't reprise her role, and the woman who does play her doesn't sound British enough, in my opinion.
In graphics, however, this game makes some design decisions that I couldn't really agree with. For one thing, the decision was apparently made to shift the art style of the original from relatively-realistic to the cartoon look of later games; something I never really felt was right for Monkey Island. Monkey Island 3 was fantastic, of course, but I feel it succeeded in spite of the cartoon graphics, rather than benefitting from them.
To their credit, most of the characters still generally carry the same mood and feel that they did in the original; especially in their close-up portraits, the only exceptions, oddly-enough, being Guybrush and the Governor, who look like relatively-bland cartoon characters, rather than innocently-boyish and enchantingly beautiful in a cunning sort of way, respectively, so the damage done by the art shift is minimized most effectively. I just don't feel the shift needed to happen at all.
The third change was to the interface. The interface, originally, was for a sentence-line interface with selectable verbs (push, pull, pick up, etc...) to be at the bottom of the screen, along with a scrollable inventory, while the action goes on at the top. This has been changed to a pair of subscreens for verbs and inventory, which isn't all that hard to navigate, if you're willing to use the keyboard. I admit, this element of the game felt somewhat forced, and a littly clumsy. In practice, it certainly didn't play out as smoothly as the original interface, and I found myself wondering why this change was made, so I looked it up.
Apparently, the interface change was made, because the game designers were unhappy with "the interface taking up half the screen." Fair enough. This gives them the opportunity to use the other half of the screen to show the gamers more scenery in the Monkey Island world, right?
Not exactly. Instead of adding anything where the old interface used to be, the remake has re-done the graphics of Monkey Island, then just centered it, so that it feels like you're watching the game in widescreen format, and there's no fullscreen format to switch to. That might fly for movies that were originally released that way, but in a video game, it really feels like there aught to be something going on in those large, black bars. Personally, I would have put a sentence line interface on the top, and the inventory on the bottom, but I wasn't in charge of the project.
For example, an options screen under the main menu, full of check-boxes, reading things like "Voices on/off," "Music old/new," "Graphics old/new," and "Interface old/new." I only bring this up because I was sort of hoping for it, and because if this feature had been included, I'd always play the game with the first two options on, and the last two off.
In short, as a game, Monkey Island is stellar. As a remake, it's merely good. For this reason, I give it 80%. I was a little disappointed, but not much. In general, I had a good time playing it, and I'll most likely play it again. Many of the lines carry a special wit and humor to them when spoken aloud, so I feel that this remake did add something to the series that wasn't there before, and if it didn't completely fulfill its potential, then at least it gave today's generation the chance to experience one of the greatest video game classics of all time. I think that's a very good thing, so overall, well done.
Sunday, October 1, 2000
Monkey Island 2 SE | 8.0
Played the DOS version in 2003 after searching for Adventure genre reviews on this site. Upgrades are indeed worth it.
I remember playing this in 2003 at the age of 18 in ScrummVM. I didn't even know about it until I completed Funcom's The Longest Journey and went off searching for Adventure genre reviews. I was solely a console gamer all decade. I became a PC gamer in like 2000 after owning Diablo 2.
The Secret of Monkey Island was a slightly short, but magical & artistically masterful game. Meaning it was not great as a game, but it was an amazing experience.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is almost exactly the opposite. It is a full scale production that probably still ran over budget even after the success of the first game. It's bigger, better, and I think I already said bigger. But it somehow lacks a certain magic the original game had. Fortunately, it makes up for it in all "game-y" areas.
Monkey Island 2 is a vaguely "open ended" Point & Click Adventure with more puzzles, almost all of which are better. The music may not be as memorable, but it's somehow more fitting, and its pseudo-dynamic nature really bends to the emotion of each individual scene. There's also not many silent places in this game, which makes the whole experience more lively. Speaking of which, this game is funnier. A lot funnier. There's more jokes than you try to shake a stick at; several times.
I didn't plan this very well, but I'll wrap up and make my final statement on the game. Monkey Island 2 is a bit less of an experience than The Secret of Monkey Island was. It is, however, a much better game than the original in every other aspect. I'll leave it up to you to decide which you prefer.
If you have ever played Monkey Island 2 on your Amiga or PC two decades ago, your friends will enjoy it with you in your buddy time despite the 2 decades stench. I rate this above the Final Fantasy remakes.
Graphics 8
Gameplay 7
Sound 10
Replay 8
Overall 8.0
I remember playing this in 2003 at the age of 18 in ScrummVM. I didn't even know about it until I completed Funcom's The Longest Journey and went off searching for Adventure genre reviews. I was solely a console gamer all decade. I became a PC gamer in like 2000 after owning Diablo 2.
The Secret of Monkey Island was a slightly short, but magical & artistically masterful game. Meaning it was not great as a game, but it was an amazing experience.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is almost exactly the opposite. It is a full scale production that probably still ran over budget even after the success of the first game. It's bigger, better, and I think I already said bigger. But it somehow lacks a certain magic the original game had. Fortunately, it makes up for it in all "game-y" areas.
Monkey Island 2 is a vaguely "open ended" Point & Click Adventure with more puzzles, almost all of which are better. The music may not be as memorable, but it's somehow more fitting, and its pseudo-dynamic nature really bends to the emotion of each individual scene. There's also not many silent places in this game, which makes the whole experience more lively. Speaking of which, this game is funnier. A lot funnier. There's more jokes than you try to shake a stick at; several times.
I didn't plan this very well, but I'll wrap up and make my final statement on the game. Monkey Island 2 is a bit less of an experience than The Secret of Monkey Island was. It is, however, a much better game than the original in every other aspect. I'll leave it up to you to decide which you prefer.
If you have ever played Monkey Island 2 on your Amiga or PC two decades ago, your friends will enjoy it with you in your buddy time despite the 2 decades stench. I rate this above the Final Fantasy remakes.
Graphics 8
Gameplay 7
Sound 10
Replay 8
Overall 8.0
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