User Reviews

All Reviews by rickyraws

Resident Evil Zero - GameCube

Pros Cons
Amazing visuals Doesn't live up to expectations
Awesome audio Lousy camera/viewpoint
Engaging story  
Epic boss fights  
Innovative concepts  
Behead the undead.

After the amazing Resident Evil Remake, fans expected the upcoming sequel: Resident Evil 0 to be nothing less. I'd have to say that it isn't anything less, but not necessarily anything better. The story is as captivating and haunting this time around as ever. You'll play as Rebecca Chambers from the S.T.A.R.S. team, and an escaped convict, Billy Cohen and travel through trains, mansions, and research facilities, laying waste to the undead. The audio is great with nice voice acting, and very good sound effects. The audio is one of the aspects that bring the horror together, as haunting tracks will put you on edge, and the silence will scare you even more. The graphics are some of the best on the Gamecube, with the same well detailed pre-rendered environments as the remake, and well animated characters and enemies. As you play as two characters, you have an access to clever puzzle situations, the task of managing both characters' inventory, and it's overall well implemented. The game is as difficult as ever, and though it will scare you, it's not as bad as the Remake. You will have many logic puzzles to solve, and bosses to fell. Capcom has eliminated the item boxes in this game, and instead allows you to place items anywhere in the game. This lessens the annoyances of previous games, but there is still a fair share of back tracking. The controls are as hard to muster as the series has always brought to you, and this time you can't remap the controller layout. The game as a few renditions, but is basically the same Resident Evil game. There isn't anything in the game that sets it apart, but it is still a great, scary experience.

Mario Kart DS - DS

Pros Cons
Amazing visuals  
Loads of content  
Epic boss fights  
Addictive gameplay  
Tight controls  
Fantastic multiplayer  
Here we gooooooooooooo!!!!!

Mario Kart DS is both a great addition to the Mario Kart series, and a superb handheld title. I really can't think of any other portable game that serves its purpose more valiantly than Mario Kart DS. The graphics are very well done, with details, colors, and effects visible all over the place. There is a huge selection of characters to select, and an even greater selection of vehicles to choose from. There are numerous new and nostalgic courses from the N64, and GBA, and SNES. The audio is excellent, with true surround sound that echo out through the DS speakers harmoniously. There is a lot of polish in this game, from the Kart handling, to the character advantages/ disadvantages. There are hidden shortcuts meticulously placed in certain levels that will give you a distinctive boost to keep you on the path to victory. There are different circuit cups to complete in the single player mode, which unlock new tracks and karts for your personal use, and there is also single card muliplayer, so that you can play with your friends even if they don't have the game. The multiplayer is fun and addictive. You can find yourself hooked on racing and beating your opponents. You can customize your Kart for online play, by designing a logo that gets displayed both on your name indicator and your Kart. The online play is a blast, and can consume several hours of your time. There are also balloon battle, and shine chasing modes to play- this shakes up the racing experience, because the emphasis isn't on completing a race or coming in first; it's on beating the snot out of your opponents. The items are crazy, and so are the characters. It's fun trying to select your favorite racers,karts, tracks, and finding shortcuts to use to your advantage in online mode. This is one of the best titles on the DS and will surprise you at the sheer amount of fun packed into it. Never again will you stay bored while waiting in an airport.

Stranglehold - PS3

Pros Cons
Engaging story Not enough content
Intense action Repetitive gameplay
Addictive gameplay Unresponsive controls
Just plain fun Lousy camera/viewpoint
'Tequila Time-Click click!'

If you've ever seen the action classic, Hardboiled, you're familiar with intense gun fights, awesome action, and a fast paced gun toting, tequila drinking, jumping on a gurney and using it to gain momentum to kick some ass doing, action. Chow Yun Fat is the best character for his role, and as such, he takes on another role, this time in a video game. Stranglehold is a run and gun action shooter which tasks you with assuming the role of detective Tequila. He doesn't usually like to play by the rules, and won't hesitate to put his badge on the line to stop criminals. Unfortunately, you're the one who's gonna have to take the criminals out. Don't worry, though, because the game is fun, and action packed. There is enough gun play to keep the adrenaline junkie satiated, and the story isn't bad either. There is a cover system utilized in the game; this is a great alternative to blindly running into a barrage of bullets and getting shot to death. You also have the ability to go 'Tequila time', a mode in which time is slowed. This gives you a brief opportunity to scout out opponents, and take clearer shots. You can inflict damage with a wide arsenal of weapons, and can shoot many things in the environment to cause detrimental effects on your enemies. Most of the objects in the game are fully destructible, and sometimes even the tables and walls you seek refuge from. There are some drawbacks to the game though. The over all controls work alright, but don't seem to be well implemented. To elaborate, it sometimes feels very clunky trying to perform certain combinations of actions, and it is easy to do things you did not intend to. Sometimes, enemies just come out of nowhere, and fire at you. This forces you to either slow down time, or use one of your numerous special attacks. Lack either one though, and you'll be yelling 'cheap' frequently. There is online play in the game, but it's mainly a short lived time waster. The game isn't all that long, but it is still very enjoyable, especially if you're an action fiend.

Pokemon Diamond - DS

Pros Cons
Awesome audio  
Addictive gameplay  
Innovative concepts  
Fantastic multiplayer  
Just plain fun  
Great DS Pokemon game.

My favorite Pokemon games have got to be Gold Silver and Crystal, hands down. Those games were excellent in every sense of the word. I mean they had a lot of innovative concepts that have been used in newer games, or have stemmed other concepts that reoccur throughout the games. With an anticipation for a similar experience in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, I guess you could say that my expectations weren't EXACTLY met, but that doesn't mean that the games aren't superb. Now on the DS, the new Pokemon generation brings more species to the table, with new creatures, evolutions, and pre-evolutions to existing Pokemon. There are also a lot more varied type combinations this time around. The battle system has undergone a minor change; now physical and special attacks are fully dependent on the attack themselves. The day and night feature makes a return, and the story is typical for Pokemon, but is still fun. You'll travel many places, and meet new friends as well as enemies. The graphics aren't really a major upgrade, but get the job done. There are mini games, and light stylus inclusion, but the major addition to the series is online play. Now, you can trade Pokemon and battle trainers from around the world. This mode works well, and you can even chat with your adversaries using the DS mic. There is also a system for placing your Pokemon up online, as part of a trade system that works even when your DS is off. Placing earlier GBA Pokemon games allow you to move Pokemon over from those games to Diamond and Pearl. The game is lengthy and fun. Exploring every nook and cranny looking from items, new areas, new Pokemon, and new secrets all add to the experience. You just can't ask for a better title for the DS. And that's probably why the fun DS games have managed to sell more than 14 million copies world wide.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2 - PS2

Pros Cons
Amazing visuals Poor storytelling
Intense action Braindead computer AI
Addictive gameplay Lousy camera/viewpoint
Fantastic multiplayer  
Just plain fun  
It's time to kick some cel shaded tail

There are more installments in the Dragon Ball Z Budokai series than Lindsey Lohan has bad ideas. In other words, the Dragon Ball Z games come out basically every other year, and unless there are major changes to the fighting game, there really won't be much to go to. The Budokai series has always had slick, and well detailed cel shaded graphics, a wide varieties of moves, counter attacks and special attacks, and very fast paced action. All that comes into play in Budokai Tenkaichi 2, but after so many Dragon Ball games, what changes have come to the table? The graphics have received a slight oomph from before. The characters' facial expressions during battle are subtle, but nice, and after rigorous bouts, you may notice your character's clothes all tattered. The audio is typical, with the same voice actors from the animated series, and many Dragon Ball Z-esque tracks. The game play is as fast paced as ever, but has a few tweaks here and there. After getting past the learning curve, however, you'll start to master the mechanics, character's moves, and will be firing Kamehameha waves effortlessly. The story mode is quite long, and goes through the essential sagas of the series, with some movie story lines as well. It drags a bit, but is a method of unlocking new characters and moves. The character roster is huge, with just about every character you could think of. The moves are varied, but with such a roster, repeating attacks are inevitable. There are a good dose of modes to play in as well. The battling mechanics can seem a tad bit unbalanced, especially when fighting certain CPU enemies in the story mode, as it can start to get more cheap than hard. You can fuse items together to unlock characters, battle and switch characters out in tag team fashion, and overall, the game is the fast paced action of Dragon Ball Z we all know and love. Yes, the games are mainly geared towards fans of the series, but unless your power level is over 9000, this game should be more than enough for you.