User Reviews

All Reviews by lanmandragoran

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Wii

Pros Cons
Addictive gameplay Annoying audio
Tight controls Not enough content
Fantastic multiplayer  
Just plain fun  
Guitar Hero-Heard of It?

In case you've been shipwrecked somewhere or holed up in your Y2K bunker, there's this little cultural phenomenon currently going on called Guitar Hero. Part III is a worthy installment in the mercilessly-milked cash cow that is GH, but the Wii version suffers a bit compared to its next-gen brethren. First, a synopsis: Because it's Guitar Hero, the strum-and-fret mechanics are top-notch and provide enough depth to require vast improvement in your skills if you are to progress in difficulty level. In this regard, Guitar Hero is king of the hill, besting the guitar mechanics of Rock Band handily. The track list is a great mix of old and new, with a great selection of bonus tracks thrown in as well. Unlockables aplenty make the numerous sessions you are bound to have with this game tangibly valuable, but the lack of downloadable content is laughable, as both the 360 and PS3 versions have this feature. Multiplayer modes are great, with co-op allowing you to unlock new songs that you can't access in single player mode. One lament about the game's audio is that most copies of the Wii GH3 were mono-only, an issue that Activision has since rectified, but let's be honest, this should have NEVER happened in the first place. In summation, it's fun, it's great for gamers of all ages, and you'll be culturally in the know if you snag this game-just beware the cost of the game+two guitars, as World Tour is right around the corner, drums and all.

Mario Kart Wii - Wii

Pros Cons
Addictive gameplay Doesn't live up to expectations
Fantastic multiplayer Braindead computer AI
Just plain fun  
It's-a-Me! Mario Kart!

In baseball terms (fitting, since Mario and crew were just impressed into duty in Mario Super Sluggers), Mario Kart is a fastball straight down the middle of the plate. Nintendo tweaks the Mario Kart formula only slightly with each iteration (Double Dash could be considered a major tweaking, and look how that turned out:( ) and doesn't throw too many curveballs in Mario Kart Wii either. The track list this time around is a mix of some fairly colorful and varied new courses and some old favorites, though to be honest the latter group seems to have been picked at random-how about a Rainbow Road remix cup?...just a thought. Instead of eight karts per race, now there are twelve. More is better, right? Um, not so fast. One of the hallmarks of Mario Kart, and to be quite honest, one of the areas where the game consistently fails, is in its CHEAP AI. The reward for first place is a banana peel, or a ghost item that seems only capable of stealing banana peels; meanwhile, places seven through twelve rain unholy terror upon you in the form of red shells, 1st-place seeking blue shells, and lightning bolts, meaning that your place at the finish line is more a result of lying low until the right moment or blind luck, or both. So, twelve racers means more cheap AI...but all is not bad in this game; in fact, Mario Kart is still the premiere racing franchise in all of videogamedom, and for good reason. The controls are spot-on, as always, and the selection of classic Nintendo racers and multiple karts (bikes, too, this time around) is excellent. You will, as always with this series, have a blast, despite some of the aforementioned shortcomings. One final note to Nintendo: The online is awesome, but why did you make battle a team-only affair? I happen to consider battle THE definitive Mario Kart experience, and whiled away countless enjoyable hours of my life playing Mario Kart 64's battle mode, the best, by far, to date. So, in summary, if you love Mario Kart, buy this one with no hesitation...just don't expect bigger to be better.

Soulcalibur Legends - Wii

Pros Cons
Addictive gameplay Ugly visuals
  Poor storytelling
  Not enough content
  Doesn't live up to expectations
  It's boooring
  Repetitive gameplay
  Lousy camera/viewpoint
If Your Soul Still Burns, Please Set This Game on Fire!

Soul Calibur Legends is the definition of promise unfulfilled. Although Namco folks assured the public that they had a "dream team" working on the game, the end result is just short of a nightmare. The game's most glaring fault is its repetition: enemies, empty hallways lined with pots, moves that lack creativity, re-used textures, everything about this game screams cash-in. The Soul Calibur cast, an interesting and well-designed group of heroes, is misused in this adventure, even though there are noticeable differences in their fighting e.g. Taki is nimble but Mitsurugi is an accurate, ground-based slash-machine. The story is woefully underpresented, although interesting; the primary problem that permeates the game bogs down the story as well: Static images and text drain any semblance of excitement for the narrative as surely as the endless (and mindless) waggling of the Wii remote saps variety and tension from the combat. It's a shame that this game was not given a longer development cycle, as the foundation for a good action game is there. I was ready to purchase this game, day one, but rented it instead and ended up wishing I could get my five dollars back.

No More Heroes - Wii

Pros Cons
Engaging story Not enough content
Epic boss fights  
Intense action  
Addictive gameplay  
Tight controls  
Just plain fun  
An Unpolished Gem

Those Wii owners who have waited with bated breath for a "mature" game (though the definition varies by person, a quick running version might be a game in which one or more people/creatures/life forms gushes blood at some point) will be glad to know that the wacky but gifted Suda 51 and co. have delivered an awesome action experience for the Wii, one that sheds any notion of kiddiness within the first five seconds of gameplay. The most impressive aspect of the game has to be its character work: generic baddies and bit characters are fairly rote, but both the protagonist, Travis Touchdown and his liason to the fighting-for-cash scene, Sylvia, are larger-than-life. This is to say nothing of the bosses, battles against whom are epic in scope and downright fun, though honestly in later levels you simply want to carve up cardboard-cutout generic baddies as quickly as possible and complete the mini-games in all haste to reach the far-more-satisfying fights against ranked assassins. The overworld could stand a little more variety, as there are only a handful of spots worth venturing to, and those mainstays tend to offer up repetitive events, but the quest for random items such as the orbs with which you can gain additional powers or the many new outfits with which to adorn the game's hero tend to be enjoyable excursions more often than not. In short, No More Heroes is greater than the sum of its parts, and the story truly shines during the memorable boss battles. Here's hoping for a new brand of Wii game: Far More Like This One!

Feel the Magic: XY/XX - DS

Pros Cons
Engaging story Ugly visuals
Innovative concepts Not enough content
Just plain fun  
Feel the Weirdness- But in a Good Way

Feel the Magic is a simple tale about a boy who is enamored with his lady love, first from afar, but, as you progress deeper through the game, our hero becomes increasingly closer to his objet d'amour. The game's visuals are nothing to write home about, but they don't attempt anything fancy: The simple graphics are but a vehicle for the developers to spin an engaging tale about young love. Where Feel the Magic truly strikes gold is in the variety and off-beat nature of the mini-games and challenges you must complete in order to win your lady's affections. Brushing away scorpions, bowling over pedestrians, and rescuing people who are trapped in an antlion's nest hardly seem like the ingredients for a successful game, but in fact the charming and ridiculous way in which these antics are presented have you wondering constantly what's around the next corner. A great game that is a bit short, but tells a wonderful tale that goes straight to the heart of young boys everywhere, Feel the Magic is a game that truly lives up to its name.