Reborn_Demon
Reviews
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (PlayStation 2)
Essentially, you'll only love this game for its "psi" abilities.
The Good
I'm a lover of dark science-fiction, and maybe even a cyberpunk player, and a game like this caught my attention. After recent titles like this one, like "Project: Snowblind" and "Second Sight", my faith in the genre was declining (i've not played Second Sight, but i've heard bad things about it). But buying a game like this has restored my faith, even if just by a little. The "psi" powers were so fun, I want to play just so I can throw my enemies across rooms, control their minds, set fire to them, and finish them by absorbing their mind - heck, killing a person just by thought has never been so good (and legal, for that matter). Detailed graphics, great psi abilities and challenging boss battles keep the fun going!
The Bad
Games like this one are commonly backed up by a huge arsenal of weapons, should the player not like the "psi" element. However, I only remember using 4/5 weapons in the entire game (pistol, assault rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun) which will annoy gamers who like shooter games. The plot was so dull and confusing, with hardly any back-story to begin with, and so many twists that just add to the frustration... Normally, I love epic plots (like the Metal Gear franchise), but this game was just annoying for its story!
The Bottom Line
This game IS for you if: you like psi games, science-fiction games, cyberpunk games, games with detailed graphics and want a few hours fun. This game is NOT for you if; you like big shooter games, games with advanced plots, and if you love epic games. This game is short, little need to play more than once, and has a disgraceful weapons arsenal. Only recommended if you find it at a decent price, or a lover of cyberpunk science-fiction. No need spending a week's (or more) savings on a game like this; remember - bargain bins, pre-owned and sites like amazon can do wonders!
By Reborn_Demon on December 21, 2006
Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2)
One of my favourite PlayStation 2 games!
The Good
Kingdom Hearts 2 is amazing - over 30+ of game play (and that's without all the hidden stuff, side-quests, and maximum stats), this game is quite huge. It takes what was good from Kingdom Hearts 1, turns it great and places it into this new game. Almost everything from the previous game has been improved, upgraded and extended. The great massive plot, with lots of twists to keep you guessing, lovable characters, "Drive" feature, dozens of combat combinations and abilities, a huge range of extra characters, great detailed worlds and the graphics are simply awesome, and all this is topped off with a cool theme tune, cool weapons and the movie-stunt-like "Reaction" feature.
The Bad
I can honestly say that there was only one thing that needed to be improved on; the Gummi Ship quest. You build your own ship (which is hard if you don't read the boring tutorial) and fly out, destroying other ships that get in your way - which, with so many things going on at once, is extremely annoying until you get the hang of it. That was the only downfall. Luckily, the Gummi Ship wasn't a big part of the game, and there are hardly any good rewards for it, so this isn't really important.
The Bottom Line
This game is probably one of the best RPG's out for the PlayStation 2 at the moment, with it boasting some of the best graphics for the console - When I first saw the trailer for this game, it looked like the graphics for the PlayStation 3!! If you have some cash left over for Christmas, or an upcoming birthday - treat yourself to this gem. In terms of gameplay and storytelling, this game is quite revolutionary for the action-RPG genre. No doubt, this is a modern-day classic and a jewel for gaming history (at least, in the RPG genre).
By Reborn_Demon on December 19, 2006
Alien Storm (Genesis)
Aliens Storm! Aliens that look like slugs and trash bins!?
The Good
Alien Storm was my first and probably favourite Sega Genesis game ever! On one-player mode, you go around killing aliens and saving hostages, in either the form of a robot or some crazy man. It's a typical arcade game but is addictive. Sure it's hard, but it's just so fun. The graphics were good, but not very detailed - but what games were back then? After all the aliens in your area are dead, the fun really kicks in; the mode changes from a side-scrolling shoot-them-up to a first-person-shooter mode, trashing out all of the monsters that pop out from behind TVs in your local supermarket. Simple, but fun. I remember playing two-player mode with my mate; we had hours of fun and got really far, too. Gameplay is simple, controls are simple - but the replayability is unique, and after dying, you just want to play again and again - even if that means starting from the very start, its still so fun!
The Bad
If any thing, my mate (like four years younger than me) always complained how "why can't you take their weapons after you killed them" - This was actually a good idea. I never complained about the game at all until he suggested this, and every time I played it there after, it always felt as if it lacked something. The side-scroller portions of the game was also quite dull on some levels because it lacked character personality - no catch-phrases or special abilities - but heck, it was the Sega Genesis!
The Bottom Line
If any one is looking for this game, and still has a Sega Genesis or some form of emulator, I highly recommend this game; especially on two-player mode. Although you may not find the game, if you eventually do come across it, you're in for a treat - especially if you find it real cheap - but you're probably better off with a more up-to-date game. Good fun, and highly recommend for old-school gamers.
By Reborn_Demon on December 18, 2006
C-12: Final Resistance (PlayStation)
One of my favourite PlayStation 1 games, C-12!
The Good
I love all futuristic science fiction shooters (such as Time Splitters 3, etc.), and this one is one of my "classics", and a great title for the PlayStation. The graphics weren't exactly perfect, but they were good enough. The gameplay and mechanics of this game are simply awesome, and the plot highly compliments it. A great arsenal of weapons and detailed (well, detailed for the PlayStation) locations were good. One great feature was the cybernetic implant, which you could use to scan, locate, identify your prey, and give you their vital stats and distance. The epic journey through the vast levels is also enjoyable.
The Bad
As I said above, the graphics aren't perfect. And... Well, apart from the lack of Full Motion Video movies (which I think would have been so much better than the average-quality cutscenes), the graphics are the only thing that needs improving. I also remembering that when I played it last time, the game glitched and crashed my console numerous times, but that may be just my console or game.
The Bottom Line
If my memory serves me right, I think this game was once awarded "adrenaline soaked game of the year" for the PlayStation, from the UK version of the Official PlayStation magazine, and in my opinion, that's exactly what C-12 is, and i'm surprised other magazines / websites didn't name it "game of the year". If you find this game cheap, you're in for a definite treat (did that rhyme?).
By Reborn_Demon on December 17, 2006
Star Wars: Episode I - Jedi Power Battles (PlayStation)
Mediocre game... The two-player mode is good though!
The Good
Good? The special abilities of the force - moving objects with thought, deflect laser beams (that was fun) and lots of power-ups (by lightsaber is HUGE!) and probably the best two-player co-operative campaign mode in all the Star Wars games (on the PlayStation 1, of course). I remember when me and my mates played the two-player mode and died countless times, but had so much fun none-the-less. Happy days. Also, the gameplay was quite addictive, but soon loses its touch - but this is made up by the boss battles, which required some strategic thinking, which added a little puzzle element.
The Bad
Bad? The graphics were quite average for the PlayStation 1. The first player mode felt as if it lacked something, possibly a good story! Really, unless you watched the movies, you have no idea of what's going on. At the end of a level, text would display the new phase of story, which was really dull. Also, the levels were quite hard because you were told what to do, but without any useful hints of how to do it (this makes the last few levels really annoying).
The Bottom Line
This game was good, but only when playing the two-player mode with a friend. If you find this game cheap, buy it for a laugh, but you're probably better off with a newer game (like Star Wars Battlefront 2, perhaps? Two player and online play!), but still, don't buy this game hoping that it'll be a great side-story because you'll just find that you've wasted money.
By Reborn_Demon on December 17, 2006
40 Winks (PlayStation)
The game's fun, but only for the first ten minutes...
The Good
The first few levels were fun, the graphics alright and the comedy element. For the PlayStation at the time, 40 Winks had some great games, but 40 winks weren't one of them. However, some can consider that "it's so bad, it's good". The audio was good (although not great) and the sounds the characters and enemies made were quite laughable.
The Bad
Unfortunately, the bad things in this game sadly outweigh the good. As mentioned above, the graphics were alright, but not up to scratch with other games of the time, although some were quite smooth - although this didn't happen much. The plot was quite dull, and after a 30 minutes of game time, it seemed quite dull as if you were repeating everything over and over again.
The Bottom Line
If you can find this game, only consider to buy it in a £1 bargain bin - and even then, think about the fact that you'll only get 30 minutes of excitement. No replay value and not recommended.
By Reborn_Demon on December 17, 2006
Martian Gothic: Unification (Windows)
Resident Evil meets the planet Mars - but is this a good or bad thing?
The Good
Basically, this game is Resident Evil set on a futuristic Mars base, with zombies and grotesque monsters (which is a good thing) and a few very scary sequences that will make your heart stop. The puzzle element is quite unique in the way it is portrayed, but not very big. One atmospheric feature is salvaging audio recorders, which contain the members last moments. I liked some of the random-yet-weird comedy scenes in the game, although not used extensively (which is also a good thing). Also, the computer AI called "MOOD" was quite a lovable person, the way she speaks scary things. Probably contains the most scariest lines in PlayStation 1 history and plus, the starting sequence narration is quite atmospheric, which I simply loved. But the game's unique feature was; if any of your players meet face-to-face, they eat each other!
The Bad
Well, the graphics are terribly outdated for one thing, and the weapons
arsenal is quite limited to only a few weapons (A POP GUN? WHAT ON EARTH-- or should I say, MARS!?) and the controls were quite weird, although with time, could seem better. The plot could have been improved, but that doesn't really matter compared to the scary elements.
The Bottom Line
If you've played this game, you either hate it or slightly love it, although you probably only love it for the zombies and scary stuff. If you're wanting to play it, I so very highly recommend you play the PC version as the PlayStation version is full of fatal bugs, the infamous one of which is one that almost always crashes the console, so get the PC version! If you don't know if you should get it or not, it really depends on if you're a Resident Evil / zombie horror fan, as this game practically copied it.
By Reborn_Demon on December 17, 2006
Final Fantasy VIII (PlayStation)
One of the best RPGs of the PlayStation. Everyone has their own opinion, but most (not all) who hate this game are just over-the-top!
The Good
Almost everything was great. The graphics are CRAP - YES CRAP! Happy now Final Fantasy 8 haters? But, consider this; Final Fantasy 8 had the best graphics at the time on the PlayStation, especially compared with other RPG titles what had blocks for limbs (Final Fantasy 7) and is thus CRAP, but super FANTASTIC compared to other titles of the time. The music was fantastic. Simply fantastic. And i've got real proof of that - the game's theme tune "Eyes On Me" is currently the second-best ever video-game music released in Japan to date! (source: Wikipedia). The plot is extensive, with great back-story, history, plot and character development. The card game is possibly the best mini game on the for the early PlayStation, and the Full motion movies were just lovely. Even if you don't like the game, you just have to admit the movie quality was awesome, especially for PlayStation 1 titles.
However, the PC graphics for this game are very ugly, and repetitive of play and stay away - stick with the original PlayStation version! In my opinion, the music (which I just adore) and plot are the highlights of this game.
The Bad
Of course, hardly anyone liked the new Junction system, which was just plain stupid and hard to understand, even with help of the tutorial. The "chocobo world" minigame was included in the game, but no way to access it due to the Pocket Station device never being released out of Japan, and the over-world graphics. In Final Fantasy 7, towns looked smooth and sleak, but Final Fantasy 8 has locations that look like weird-looking lego blocks when viewed from the map. This is quite ironic, considering that Final Fantasy 7 was the one that, despite having detailed towns, had "block" limbs - whilst Final Fantasy had detailed limbs, but now "block" towns.
The Bottom Line
In a sense, Final Fantasy 8 is like marmalade - either you love it forever, or hate it. Simple. Due to the low availability of this game today, you've simply missed the opportunity to decide if the answer was "hate" or "love". No doubt most people hate Final Fantasy 8, but it's just misunderstood (listen to me, I'm acting like if this game was a person!) and terribly under-rated. If you have the opportunity to play, have a go, but don't bother running around hoping to find it in stores.
If you're in the mood for a RPG, you're probably better off with Final Fantasy 10 (rated game of the year once for the PlayStation 2, and hardly any haters for that game!) or the upcoming Final Fantasy 12 (one of the legendary few considered "perfect" by the Famitsu magazine).
By Reborn_Demon on December 16, 2006
Half-Life (PlayStation 2)
Simply a classic, a jewel of the gaming industry!
The Good
I've never played the PC version of this game, so I can't make any real comparisons. However, this game is a classic for the first-person-shooter genre and science fiction. What I loved was the introduction to the Black Mesa complex, and how the game smoothly started, and the action starts! The story is simple, typical "Area 51 outbreak" concept, but even though not original, its quite cool. The highlights of the game include: the variety of weapons available, the grotesque enemies, the puzzle element (which is just right), the amount of detail (of the time) and the huge life expectancy (the game can take hours to complete - but every minute is great).
The Bad
What I didn't like about the game? Possibly the audio - why? Because when a player speaks, even if they're human, the words they say sound muffled and hard to understand, which can prevent hints being revealed to the player. Also, the "save" option is initially hard to discover, until one plays around a bit, which is quite frustrating. One last thing though: the loading times. Although not long, they are frequent - but this isn't so bad, considering the game's age. But I must say that the good outweigh the bad, so buy this game now, PC or PlayStation 2!
The Bottom Line
It really is a highlight of the FPS and science fiction genres, and a classic that deserves to be mentioned every time you are discussing the game industry or other games. This is one of the most revolutionary games ever, and next to the Doom game series, this is one of the most important first-person-shooters ever. If you haven't got this game now, you should be ashamed. The only way to redeem yourself is to buy a copy (although the PC version may be more available) and complete it now and enjoy what everyone has experienced. Like I said, "simply a classic, a jewel of the gaming industry!"
By Reborn_Demon on December 16, 2006