Goteki45
Reviews
Siren (PlayStation 2)
Great, but it has some flaws.
The Good
Sound. Sound is of utmost importance when it comes to survival-horror games. The sound is perfect in Forbidden Siren. Right from the start when you see the "Project SIREN" intro, you realize that the developers have put a great deal of effort into the sound effects. The sounds that the Shibito (the undead in this game) are making is incredible. This time around the zombie's aren't just moaning, they can also mumble and sometimes talk. They can even laugh.
Another thing that i liked about this game is the new feature. Sight-Jacking. You can view the current situation trough the eyes of everyone who is in close proximity of you. This is truely unique. Not only is this adding to the creepy atmosphere of the game, it can also be handy to predict the moves of the enemy. It's really scary to see yourself through the eyes of a Shibito. I also like the static sound effects of sight-jacking. It sounds really cool to hear a zombie laugh and breath hard when they are following you.
Another thing i was rather fond of, was the fact that this isn't just another survival-horror game with zombies, huge guns and hero as playable character. This game introduces new elements. Not only the sight-jacking, but also the fact that your enemy's aren't just dumb undead monsters. The enemy is smart and unlike many other survival horror games, these zombies can use guns. The fact that the enemy is also smart this time around, means that this makes things even scarier.
The Bad
Controls. The controls can be a pain when you are playing the game for the first time. Especially when you are trying to dodge bullets from the police officer in the first mission. Sometimes they can also be frustrating. When you walk/run into a wall, the main character needs about 3 seconds to recover from his slight collision with the wall. This can be extremely frustrating. Especially when you need to navigate the little blind girl through a zombie ridden level. After a while you get the "Well, why don't you just keep moving b****!" feeling.
This game is extremely hard. The only weapons you get in this game are some melee weapons and a pistol, and even if you acquire this pistol, chances are that you only have a few bullets at your disposal. And not only that. It's easy to die. When a zombie attacks, it's almost certainly "Game Over", and to make things worse, you still have to deal with the hard controls.
The Bottom Line
This is a great game that add's a lot of new features to the survival-horror genre. If this game has a few follow-ups with improvements regarding the controls and the scale of difficulty in the game, we could be in for a massive hit.
Bottom line. If you can see through the lacking controls and almost unfair difficulty, you're in for a treat.
By Goteki45 on March 26th, 2004
Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams (Windows)
Pure horror. There is nothing quite like this (well perhaps SH3)
The Good
-The atmosphere is unbearably good. Never before have i been so frightened in a videogame. The ridiculously thick fog in Silent Hill makes everything so scary.
-The sound is amazing. The sound effects of the monsters are so scary. This game also uses background noises for the monsters. For instance; you are walking through a forest, you hear your own footsteps but you also hear footsteps that are not synchronous to yours which means that someone could be behind you. You turn around to find out there is nothing there. This happens in a lot of places in Silent Hill 2. The music is also great. In many places throughout the game you will hear mucho scary ambient music & sound effects that also add up to the atmosphere of this game. The idea of a broken radio used as a monster detector is also cleverly thought of.
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The graphics are simply amazing. No pre-drawn environments like in the Resident Evil games, but rendered three dimensional backgrounds. The grain effect is probably the best thought of feature of this game. The grain effect really comes to life when you are in the apartment building. The shades of dark colors are also nicely done.
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The monsters are probably even better. I've never seen such craftsmanship when it comes to enemie's. Not your standard "Thriller video clip" type zombies, but four legged what-ever-you'd-like-to-call-it enemies. A survival horror game is even scarier when you expect and find the unexpected. I also loved the sound effects from these monsters. The monsters are also pretty smart. They'll back each other up in combat, they respond to footsteps and your flashlight, and some of them even use other forms of attacking (the sprayers can/will lay themselves down on the ground and start crawling around at immense speeds and they can collide with you to cause extra damage).
-Some of the scripted events are also nicely done. Distant screams, monsters that avoid being detected by your radio by staying still etc.
-The idea that you received a letter from your deceased spouse alone is scarier than the entire Resident Evil series.
The Bad
-Well, some of the puzzles are to straightforward and perhaps a little too easy.
-Oh, and another thing. Don't play this game on your own at night before you go to bed. Believe me. It was pretty hard for me to sleep that night (i've even had a nightmare about this game :-).
The Bottom Line
Resident Evil, move over! This game is TRUE horror. Never before has a game been released with so much suspense and horror. This game is not gory, but it will frighten your pants off.
By Goteki45 on October 6th, 2003
Death Rally (DOS)
Cool & Addictive little game
The Good
-The easy gameplay. Just head out on the track and have some fun.
-I loved the black market option where you can buy various upgrades that aren't available in the standard market. Like the turbobooster, spikes to ram your opponent with, mines and off course the sabotage.
- The music is also great. Most games from that time used MIDI's. This game uses MOD's.
- I also loved all the offers from various underground crooks. They can ask you to pick up some narcotics along the way and finish first before everyone would know about it, or they can ask you to disable a specific driver. All these little opportunities pay off even better then finishing first.
The Bad
Well the shareware version was harder than the full version. That's because you can't buy everything from the black market at once in the shareware version. In the full version you could buy everything from the blackmarket.
The Bottom Line
This is a fun little game that is extremely addictive, because you'll have to make a name for yourself. It's easy gameplay makes it even more addictive. It's hard to win, but it's easy to play.
You won't be disappointed.
By Goteki45 on July 20th, 2003
Carmageddon (DOS)
Fun x Fun = Fun²
The Good
I loved the fact that you can run over innocent civilians. Simple but great idea. And you can run em over and get all kinds of special bonuses, like the splatter bones and the bonus for artistic impression etc etc. I really laughed my *ss off when i first played this game, I never had so much fun.
I loved the music. Normally I don't like rock/metal music that much, but this really adds up to the "stress killer" level of the game.
I really loved the variety of vehicles in this game. From basic sedan's with the grill removed to beetle's with spikes on top of them, bulldozers, bigfoots.... you name it, it's in the game.
I also love all the characters that drove the vehicle's. Their mugshots at the beginning of the race is all you'll ever see of them in the game, but it's always fun to know who you are racing against.
The characters can also challenge you to change positions at the start. You can accept it or "chicken out" on them.
The cops are really annoying in this game, but when you waste a cop in this game, you'll have an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Lovely!
The Bad
Well there are some lame things about this game. First of all, you can always splatter a pedestrian by bumping lightly into them. Doesn't matter how hard you'll hit them, they'll die anyway.
Another thing that I hated were the annoying remarks from Max Damage and Die Anna. It is fun when you first play the game, but it really gets into your head when you've played the game for about 15 minutes. Fortunately you can turn that off.
The Bottom Line
This game is fun. It is repetitive, but you won't notice it that quickly. If you had a rough day, and you want to blow off some steam, then this is the game for you.
By Goteki45 on April 22nd, 2003
Harvester (DOS)
Very good, but it has some critical flaws.
The Good
- The setting. A 1950's American suburb. What better place to experience a horror story?
- The sound in this game is incredible. I loved all the ambience sounds like a parade on the background, humming of a neon sign and the screeking sounds that you hear when the sign is turning. And then there is the music. The music really creates an atmosphere. In the slaughterhouse you have this eery toned down tune, and in the Pottsdam residence you can hear a 1930's science fiction movie tune. And then there is the voice acting, which was very nicely done (shame though that the acting in the video sequences is really bad).
- What i loved the most was the story. One day you wake up in a strange bed, in a strange room, in a strange house, in a strange town, with even stranger people. This game gives you that fealing that you want to complete it, which is pretty rare these days. What your stay in Harvest all comes down to will be revealed near the end of the game.
The Bad
Well the acting in the movie sequences is incredibly bad. Especially the video that is shown when you get an invitation to the lodge. They should've put more effort in the acting. Just look at Phantasmagoria 2, never seen such great acting in a video adventure game.
- The fight sequences are as funny as they are annoying. Fighting comes down to clicking your mouse as fast as you can, just hope you don't lose.
The Bottom Line
The main subject of Harvester is serial killers. Why are they behaving like this in the real world? Harvester contains the answers. I must say that games like Harvester are rare, they actually have something to say about events that happen in real life. I can highly recommend this game. Just don't pay any attention to the lousy acting and fight sequences.
By Goteki45 on April 10th, 2003
Pro Evolution Soccer (PlayStation 2)
THE ultimate soccer game.
The Good
Almost everything. This is the most realistic footie game ever released (Next to PES 2).
- Moves are suprisingly realistic. The enemy isn't easily fooled by your tricks, but execute them right and you should prove victorious.
- You can't gain impossible scores in a soccer match in this game (or example 11 - 0). Not even when the game is set at the easiest level.
- It all comes down to skill. When you score a goal with a Fifa game, you have the disturbing feeling that the computer just gave the chance away. No such thing in PES (Depending of course on the difficulty level). You'll have to work here to score a goal.
- Although you play with computer generated players, they still represent humans and they make mistakes like in the real thing. Like failing to see your teammate on time and passing the ball to your teammate's previous position, slipping on wet grass, failing to see a ball on time etc.
- The ball isn't "glued" to your foot. All FIFA games had that feeling (FIFA 2003 not included).
The Bad
- The Music. It sounded to "synthetic". It would've been great if the game had the original orchestrated national anthems of the country's.
- The crowd/audience is extremely disappointing. The cheer that you can hear after there has been a goal is also extremely hushed. It should have been a little bit louder. The crowd is also poorly animated. And besides. Fan's of different clubs / country's are mixed together. No that realistic either.
- This annoyed me the most. It can happen that a ball that is meant to be passed to a teammate is stolen away by the opponent, because that teammate refuses to get to the ball. This happened to me in a lot of critical moments and it really annoyed me.
The Bottom Line
It has a few minor flaws and one big flaw, but that doesn't change the fact that this is THE ultimate footie game. If you want to have realistic gameplay instead of relatively easy arcade gameplay then this is the game for you.
By Goteki45 on April 9th, 2003
Red Faction (PlayStation 2)
Tastes good, but you'll be hungry again in 15 minutes.
The Good
The setting. Mars. I loved the switches between hightech Ultor buildings to old abandoned mines which are prone to collapse.
I also loved the weapons (they aren't anything special, but they are very cool). The secondary modes are also good.
The so called GeoMod engine. This engine allows the player to "mangle" the levels with his/her weapons. You can blow everything to tiny little bits.
The multiplayer mode is fairly balanced. Not that many levels, but they do differ a lot. Shame though that there isn't a capture the flag mode.
The Bad
This game is to normal. The weapons are fun, but they arent revolutional. The Martian surroundings do offer a variety, but it just doesn't feel that special. The story is almost identical to the 1990 blockbuster movie "Total Recall" which adds nothing new to the story aspect either.
The AI of the opponenents is terrible! And i mean terrible! If a guard decides to attack you, he'll just run into you and when he notices that you are crouching, he'll flee and starts screaming. In the 'infiltration" level the guards have "super acute" hearing. You are disguised as a diplomat, but the guard will recognize you from quite a distance.
The potentially great GeoMod engine is severely underused. Blowing walls away isn't required to complete the game (oh all right, except for that one moment). I think that this problem has been taken care of in Red Faction 2. And let's be honest, the GeoMod engine is the only thing that is actually new in this game. It's an enormous dissappointment that this was disregarded by the developers.
The Bottom Line
This game isn't bad, but it sure isn't good either. This is just one of these games that just loses it's "taste" once you've played it for about 15 minutes. Multiplayer can be fun, but your going to have to do with deathmatch only. If you are looking for a basic shooter than this is the game for you. If you are looking for a shooter that has a lot of new things to offer, then upgrade your PC and wait for Doom III.
By Goteki45 on February 8th, 2003