Matthew Melbourne @Matt16a
Reviews
Doom³ (Windows)
Nonstop scares and firefights
The Good
Even in 2009, Doom 3 still is visually impressive. There are a lot of great shadow and texture effects that make for a great and often scary atmosphere. The game does a good job of making metal surfaces and fleshy surfaces look quite real. There is a good variety of weapons to blow demons back to hell with. Doom 3 will provide you with some new types of monsters to kill as the game progresses so you never get bored and will have to develop new strategies to fight. Often something would jump out of the shadows and scare me and I would be swearing out loud. That might sound like a bad thing but it was fun in the end. There is much more health and ammo in this game than you will likely need, giving it an almost arcade like feel.
The Bad
There were a few things that I did not find so hot about Doom 3:
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Eventually you get tired of the enemies popping out from hidden rooms that make no sense to be realistically.
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Your character moves very slowly and you have a limited amount of stamina for running.
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There was no native widescreen support. I had to edit the games system files manually.
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You can not wield a flashlight and weapon at the same time... And some rooms have you in complete darkness.
The Bottom Line
Having purchased Doom 3 as part of the ID software Super Pack on Steam, I would say it was worth every penny. ( The package also includes the expansion to Doom 3, all the older Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein 3D Games, and a lot of other games). 5 Years later this game still looks great and was a blast to play. At times it might have been a little TOO scary, but i took my courage pills and finished it. I would have liked some Co-op multiplayer but I hear that it is only in the Xbox version. Overall, its a great shooter and lots of fun.
By Matthew Melbourne on August 30, 2009
Shadow Complex (Xbox 360)
Great game for fans Super Metroid, Castlevania, or Shooters
The Good
Like the games it draws most of its influence from ( Super Metroid, Castlevania : Symphony of the nights ) Shadow Complex features One large world map in which you need to explore. In order to access new areas you must find new items to help you out. There are lots of extra items you can find also to help you out although they are not required to finish the game. It is very addictive to search for 100% of the items. If you manage to collect everything you will become quite powerful and godlike. It is also fun to try and finish the game quickly and beat others times on the Xbox 360 leaderboards. Using the Unreal 3 engine the graphics are great. The controls also are very responsive and the aiming feels natural.
The Bad
The story felt a little bit like it was taken from a G.I. Joe cartoon.
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this game to everyone. There are 4 difficulty modes that will allow anyone to have a good time with this from the casual crowd to the hardcore gamers. Exploring and collecting items is a blast and will have you hooked for hours. For its price this game offers excellent value. After finishing this game, right away I started a new game to see how quickly I could finish.
By Matthew Melbourne on August 24, 2009
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS)
Fun little game that makes great use of the DS
The Good
Visually this game is its bright and colourful with great animations on all the characters. There is some good level design here. The music is good too. Surprisingly this game made me laugh a few times here and there too. The game is almost all controlled with the touch screen and it works well. Without giving away too much you can do some things like slash the stylus across an enemy to hit with the sword and draw a path that you want the boomerang to fly in.
The Bad
Rather than a traditional world map, this game has the player sailing an ocean and going onto various islands. It is not terrible, but I would rather be on dry land. There is one Dungeon that you have to revisit several times during the game. I wish that you could complete an area once and just move on.
The Bottom Line
Like nearly all other Zelda games, this game is a great adventure from start to finish. Complete with hunting down pieces of heart, finding cool new items to use, and salvaging the ocean floor for treasure. Recommended to anyone with a Nintendo DS.
By Matthew Melbourne on August 23, 2009
Moon (Nintendo DS)
Technically Impressive but feels lifeless
The Good
This game is technically impressive. It runs at a very smooth frame rate at all times. There are a good variety of weapons to collect and feels like you are provided with a good supply of ammo to blast things away with. The areas of the game when you are driving a Moon Buggy are kind of fun. The game provides enough challenge to keep you on your toes, but not so much that you are pulling out hair. The controls feel just right too. You can usually aim and shoot with ease.
The Bad
The environments feel very flat and lifeless. There are lots and lots of empty corridors and rooms with nothing but four walls to look at. Often it seems the only level variety is the color of the walls. There are not a lot of variety in the enemies. I was not impressed with the sound effects or music in this game either. The story is kind of B movie quality.
The Bottom Line
I would only recommend this game if you are dieing for a FPS on the Nintendo DS. That said I had more fun with the Call of duty 4 DS version. Despite being technically solid this game often left me depressed with its lonely atmosphere and blandness. Sure some of the weapons are cool but you won't get them until you force yourself to play trough 75% of the game and then its to little to late.
By Matthew Melbourne on August 18, 2009