User Reviews

All Reviews by knuest

X-Men Legends - Xbox

Good gameplay meets poor presentation

Nearly every child growing up wants to be Wolverine from X-Men at some point in their childhood. The game allows four X-Men at a time to play a mission. The player can easily switch between different characters during play and can have anywhere from one player controlled character to four at a time. Also, each individual X-Men character grows with experience and the player has the choice of what to upgrade out of many different options from special attack powers, to max health, and even the sharpness of Wolverine's claws. Even though this is a good franchise game, X-Men Legends does fall short in some areas. The top-view camera angles can get in the way sometimes. Also, if one character advances position, then another player that is almost out of frame can become stuck and will not be able to move unless the lead character comes back toward the player. This happens because the camera view does not zoom out when characters are extending the limits of the viewable frame. This can get very frustrating, making it hard to enjoy the gameplay. Another huge drawback is when the game goes away from its bread and butter of being a high-action, multiplayer game. After an intense four-player mission, the game goes back to a boring, one-player story mode at the X-Mansion. The story-mode is also told by still-frame picture and text with voice-overs reading the text. X-Men Legends tries too hard to incorporate high pace, multiplayer action while trying to be true to the history and story of X-Men. When a player finally completes the boring one-player mission, the player has to contest with poor camera use. The selling point of the game, however, is the ability to improve the X-Men through experience, and being able to customize what attributes are improved. The game also includes extras such as original artwork for the diehard fan. I recommend renting this game because this is a hard game to purchase knowing the flaws that it contains. ~Kevin Nuest

Unreal Tournament 2004 - PC

Raises the bar for FPS on the PC

The Unreal series has presented many great titles and Unreal Tournament 2004 is no exception. This one is very special. If you have a DVD drive on your computer, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of the 2 Disc DVD Edition. Not only do you have the advantage of having this huge, spectacular game on just one DVD, but you will also have access to the Bonus Disc which includes UnrealED, the level editor. Enough about what "Extras" you get with this game, and on to what is expected. Unreal Tournament 2004 is visually stunning. It looks so good that most computers won't even be able to take full advantage of the graphics do to low end graphics cards. Even in medium quality settings, the game looks good and plays great. The maps are extensive and can be quiet large, but that does not slow game play down because this game has been ideally engineered. Controls are just as easy to use and responsive as they have been in the past. This game sets the bar for first person shooter control. Some of the new factors included in the game are new weapons, overhaul of weapons, new characters, and the addiction of "Vehicular manslaughter." It also includes new games such as Double Domination and Bombing Run. The Tournament Mode has changed, adding new Combat Modes to conquer to advance to the top, unlock new levels, and become the Tournament Champion. The online play is well supported and many players partake in the competition. This is one of the best features of the game. A downside is that if you are playing from a slow dial-up connection that it is not worth your time due to lag. You will always be the first one to get fragged every time. Unreal Tournament 2004 is a great addition to any computer gamer's library. The game play is intense, and will have you playing over and over again. The game is a beautifully rendered first person shooter. This is a must have for anyone looking for some extreme, in your face, heart pounding excitement. ~Kevin Nuest

Final Fantasy X - PS2

The BEST RPG of all time.

The Final Fantasy series is a very closely watched and scrutinized franchise. Well good news for all the Final Fantasy fans out there, because this game does not disappoint. Final Fantasy X has great innovation throughout they game. There are great character, enemies, storyline, and gameplay. The storyline follows the main character through a compelling story about his life that will have you watching every cut scene. There are also subplots with each character that is added to your party. The additional characters' stories are fleshed out throughout the game and merge well with the main theme of the game. To accent all the unique characters, there are great, unique enemies to fight. They take on many different forms with different attributes and powers. Elemental strengths and weaknesses are one of the strategic factors that can be used to defeat enemies. An abundance of useful items can also be used to advance in the game. Don't forget the value of leveling-up your characters. Final Fantasy X uses a unique, web-like system that allows the player to control what powers and attributes each character increases. This gives the potential for any character to learn any skill or spell. FFX also includes a "mini-game" you can play called Blitzball. It is an underwater game that is turn based like FFX. You are awarded prizes for winning. Blitzball's tournament mode is a great break from the RPG game of FFX and it is very easy to become enveloped in it. Blitzball is just icing on the cake for Final Fantasy X. This is a solid RPG and a great edition to the Final Fantasy series. This game is the BEST Final Fantasy game to date. There is no contest. This is the best RPG game that I have ever played and one of overall best games of all time. This is a must buy for anyone interested in RPG's or the Final Fantasy series. If not, this is a great game to pick-up, because it will spike your interests instantly. Anyone that owns a PS2 should own this game. ~Kevin Nuest

NBA Street - PS2

A commercialized look at streetball

Ever wanted to try all those sweet moves that you see on those streetball shows on the likes of ESPN? Well now you can, in NBA Street. You can choose to run three on three with the best three off of any NBA team, create your own team with some generic ballers, or a combination of both. As you advance through the game, more items such as new courts, new kicks, and new codes are unlocked. You are able to perform tricks that will leave your opponent on the ground with two broken ankles while you rise over them for a nasty dunk. The control of the players is fairly straight forward and not complicated. To combine sick moves for mad points, however, becomes a little more challenging. But in no time, you will be alley-op 'n it off the glass for a monstrous dunk. The game offers the option of creating a play whose experience grows as you win. You decide what experience to increase, if you want a 6'6" three-ball master, or a 7'2" dunking giant. Once advancing past all the teams in the NBA in tournament mode, you begin to play the best of each decade. The 50's and 60's games are in black and white and don't have a three-point line. It is a very unique flashback that pays homage to all those stars that came before today's NBA headliners. It would be nice, though, if the game paid its respect to the streetball legends. It would also be nice if the opponent had a little AI. Most teams will offer little to no resistance. NBA Street offers a more commercialized look at streetball and is not really at the heart of the courts such as Rutgers. If you are looking for some fast-paced, high-flying action, this game will hold you over for a little while, but I suggest looking somewhere else. NBA Street does not offer the depth or game play to make this game worth while. Look past the high-flying antics and see that there is little to offer at the core of this game. If you want to experience this game, I suggest renting it. ~Kevin Nuest

.hack: Infection - PS2

A poor attempt at a MMORPG

The concept behind this game is that you are a kid and you play an MMORPG by connecting to "The World", except there is no real-life network connection involved. It is kind of like playing an MMORPG offline. For the most part, to advance in the game, you must follow the linear path that has been given to you. You can veer off that path to travel to uncharted places and increase your skills, but you do not advance in the main scheme of the game. The game play is good. It is a real-time battle system like is found in MMORPG games. This is in contrast to the turn-based system that is so well known to the Final Fantasy franchise. This helps the fun factor of the game. The structure of the game, however, does not. Also, dungeons of the different worlds are all structured the same. There are a handful of different textures that are applied to the walls of the dungeons, but other than that, the monotony gets old very fast. The thing that is the worst about the dungeons is the complete lack of save points. A player could spendtwo hours in a dungeon, die near the end, and loss all the experience and items gained. This happens quite often and is a huge turnoff to the game. After this happens once or twice, the player is ready to put this game away. Thanks to the code system of the portal in "The World", there are virtually an unlimited number of different places to visit. Unfortunately they all look the same and few have something special to offer. What is worse is that there are four parts to this entire story! If you want to know how the story ends, you must go through all four of these excruciating games to find out. To add insult to injury, BAN-DIA is releasing .Hack//G.U. which is an entirely new independent game of its own. If you want to see the concept of an offline MMORPG in action, rent this game. Otherwise, steer clear of this Final Fantasy/World of Warcraft wannabe. ~Kevin Nuest