iPinteus

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (Xbox 360)

Great Value Bundle

The Good
Well, its Fallout 3 plus all the expansions in one convenient package. What's there not to like?

The Bad
It took too long to be released, which hinders main game memory a bit for people who, like me, don't gradually buy DLC as they come out but rather wait for a GotY edition to get it all in at once.

The Bottom Line
It comes with 2 discs, the second one being an install-to-HDD disc containing all 5 DLC expansions. The main game has been thoroughly reviewed at this point, but to keep it short let's imagine that Bethesda's Oblivion is the skeleton and the muscles, and the first 2 Fallout games are both the skin and the brain. This is clearly an Action-RPG, but while other such games usually bait roleplaying fans to what turns out to be Action/Adventure with very few RPG elements, Fallout 3 runs the risk of attracting FPS aficionados who will probably be turned off by its unmistakable stat-derived gameplay.

As for the DLC, there are 5 of them:

• Operation: Anchorage - The weakest of the five, it takes the Lone Wanderer into a pre-war VR simulator, dug up by the Brotherhood of Steel, that re-enacts the events of the retaking of Anchorage, Alaska, by the US. It has a strong focus on the FPS side of FO3, and the least free-form of all mission paths. It is cool as a change of pace and style from the main game.

• The Pitt - The Lone Wanderer travels to Pittsburgh, a region of slavers and deranged mutants, at the behest of a former Pitt slave. It's pretty good, with an even grittier vibe than the main game.

• Broken Steel - Now this is the big one, altering the main game's ending in order to expand the Lone Wanderer's story. It also raises the level cap from 20 to 30. It's hard to provide details without spoiling, so let's just say that it let's you actually see the result of your actions at the end of the main game, and round out a wider sense of achievement.

• Point Lookout - This one brings back the "far away" style of the first two DLC, taking the player to Point Lookout State Park, Maryland, where, despite not having been hit by any bombs, it has become a filthy swamp wasteland populated with aggressive inbred hillbillies. It provides a new map, and several quest lines, but no main goal. It's a lot of fun exploring a completely new environment, and in my opinion it is the only DLC worth revisiting just for some free-form XP-hunting.

• Mothership Zeta - The wackiest expansion, it plays a lot on Fallout 2's trademark humour. The Lone Wanderer is abducted by aliens (of the "grey" variety), and has to escape captivity lest he be subjected to probes (of the "anal" variety). The experience is kept in rails most of the time, much like Operation: Anchorage, but the original environments and zany fun all add up to a nice Fallout treat. This DLC also provides the player with rather unbalanced equipment, but being the last release it probably won't harm the game much.

Wrapping it all up, this is the ultimate Fallout 3 experience, and although niche gamers will love some of the DLC while hating others, regular Fallout fans simply will not do without this lot. Recommended.

By iPinteus on July 2, 2012

Red Dead Revolver (Xbox)

Pow Pow

The Good
The typical Rockstar stories and characters, the decent graphics, super fluid gameplay, and the fact that it revisited the western genre (of the spaghetti variety) for a quick market probe that, i believe, eventually contributed to small but significantly enjoyable western offers of the last few years: Gun, Red Dead Redemption, Call of Juarez, a few films as well.

The Bad
Gameplay is somewhat repetitive, although I may have been spoiled by the fact that I bought this well into the Xbox 360 era and so my standards for gameplay variety in a single title may have been much higher. Also, the duel mechanics aren't that much fun (try again ad infinitum), and the difficulty curve is actually a zig-zag. The infamous cannon level with General Diego is a perfect illustration of how poor difficulty balance can prevent people from finishing a a game out of justified frustration.

The Bottom Line
As a preliminary Red Dead Redemption, minus the GTA inspired bits. Imagine Sergio Leone's style applied to multiple converging storylines, soap style, and then add a healthy dose of weird west.

By iPinteus on January 5, 2012

Guardian Heroes (Xbox 360)

Great re-visitation of a rare gem.

The Good
Guardian Heroes was one of the most slept-on games of the Sega Saturn, and eventually came to be regarded a cult classic fetching fairly high prices on eBay. It blended western fantasy conventions with oriental aesthetic sensibility, side-scrolling action with choose-your-own-path multiple endings, an RPG character-point system with classic beat'em-up fighting... It had a ridiculously enormous selection of characters, from useless villagers to god-like spirits... It had multiplayer for up to 6 simultaneous contenders... Well, it really was a good game. Now, to all that, add a 16:9 aspect ratio expansion, up-scaling filters and effects, tweaked and expanded gameplay (all optional), new game modes and multiplayer limit increased to 12... This, ladies and gentlemen, may very well be the epitome of well-deserved second chance.

The Bad
As a personal note, I do not care much for anime-style illustrations. Guardian Heroes, though, sometimes pushes this too far, with grossly incorrect anatomical perspectives on some of its characters (Han's arms, anyone?) although this usually seems to be in line with the game's over-the-top style, overall.

The Bottom Line
2 parts Golden Axe to 1 part Street Fighter and 1 part Dragon Ball Z, with a sprinkle of Dungeons & Dragons and a liberal dash of Japanese "funny-weird". You will most likely enjoy it if you have fond memories of ANY of these things above.

By iPinteus on January 4, 2012