User Reviews

All Reviews by LastSamurai

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MechAssault - Xbox

A very exhilirating experience on Xbox Live.

MechAssault stomps its way onto Xbox with tremendous force. If there was any reason to own Xbox Live, this is it. It offers fast and endless combat and even with a few flaws, it's still a machine gunnin', laser-pulsin', rocket-launchin' frenzy. MechAssault is an exceptional game for both veterans and newbies. It's a game based on teamwork and strategy. Run-and-gun alone, and you'll be killed in the blink of an eye. Focusing on the little Mechs while ignoring the huge monsters blasting your head off, and you'll be killed in half a second. Sticking by your teammates and talking over the Xbox Live headset are critical for planning attacks and gang-ups. Still, you'd still have a blast on the fast but occasionally dull single-player levels. The countless types of multi-player modes adds even more to MechAssault's arsenal. This would've been a legendary games without a few flaws. First, its arcadey feel may turn off hardcore FPS players who are looking for team-based shooters . If you want real teammate combat, check out my Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 review for Xbox. Sometimes, the arcade style of play may go over the edge when it looks like your Mech is actually sprinting toward your target when it weighs close to 3000 pounds. The little Mechs get annoying quickly when you pick a Mad Cat or another heavy Mech, because it's so frickin' hard to hit the little bastards accurately. A little help in that department would've helped out the newbs a bit. Still, this is a formidable game. Combing both Unreal Championship and smart combat makes this game a must have for the Xbox. I myself am still playing online, even a year after its release. Yes, it's quite good.

Shinobi - PS2

Old-school meets the new era.

I've enjoyed the past Shinobi games on the very beloved Sega Genesis. This new Shinobi is his usual badass self, but he's missing his past spark. First of all, I'm not purposely trying to point out Shinobi's flaws, but some of them are so noticeable they're unbearable. The sometimes- unresponsive controls are solid, but the camera sometimes strays out of view, making you a sitting duck for killer ninjas and vicious dogs. The graphics are PS2 material, but it doesn't quite exceed the graphical limits the PS2 currently offers. Other games that have taken advantage of the PS2's graphic capabilities are Final Fantasy X and Time Crisis 2; take some notes Shinobi. One more thing to complain about is the insanely irritating difficulty. Even the dumbest ninjas you fight are as smart as Einstein, and the bosses make you want to throw your PS2 across the room and smash it with a sledgehammer. Fixing these problems before its release could've made Shinobi the best installment since The Revenge of Shinobi. Now, onto the pros of this flexible game. The special effects of this game is very good to the eye, and the blur effects when Shinobi leaves his shadow behind looks good enough to eat. The slice-and-dice action never stops, and the different ways of cutting up your enemies into a gajillion pieces is very, very fun. I was almost convinced I could walk on the ceiling myself after seeing a demonstration from the master assassin himself. The sometimes repetitive platform jumping could have been limited and replaced with more sword-fighting. Shinobi is a classic, and while it's not an outstanding game, it's still a worthy weekend play with your friends over with some pizza and Pepsi. Warning: this game is for players with ultra-long patience and a flair for the 1990's.

Rainbow Six 3 - Xbox

A blast...best FPS on Xbox so far this year

The previous Tom Clancy FPS games on Xbox (Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon: Island Thunder) are great, but not outstanding. Finally, Rainbow Six 3 comes out and surpasses both of them. There are some good things and some bad things about R63. Firstly, it actually shows the gun in this game, instead of just a reticule in Ghost Recon. The graphics are outstanding, rivaling those of Splinter Cell and Halo. Throwing a flashbang into a room and rushing in is just as fun to me as an all-you-can-eat buffet to my uncle. Enemy and teammate I.Q. could be a few points higher, though. Sometimes, your teammates save your ass from getting a bullet or two dead-on, and sometimes they don't even notice that you're getting massacred about two feet away. Still, they get the job done, and it all couldn't be this much fun withouy the Xbox Live Communicator Headset. Issuing commands to your teammates is that much fun, such as "Open and clear" or "Breach and clear". But, it would've been nice if you could say things like, "Kill that mofo" or "Pop one in his ass". But anyways, R63 is a must-own title, and Xbox Live support makes this game legendary. Even without Xbox Live, the gameplay is fast and furious and is easily one of the best FPS games on the big black-and-green Box.