[TiAgUh]

Originally Posted by Lucien21

Gears 2 has better graphics, better weapons and is miles more fun to play than either of those.

Oh yeah?
Well, I bet my dad can beat up your dad!!
No, seriously, really? Better graphics then R2? You're right, saying which is more fun (funner? ) is a matter of opinion, but graphics wise? Come on! And you shouldnt talk about Halo's story when all 3 games suck at that.

And nothing is better than The Splicer. Kinda reminds me of that great Turok weapon where it slices an enemy head than explodes (or something like that).

[Lucien21]

I thought the splicer was useless as a weapon.

No where near as gory as chainsawing them in the face or torque bowing them and watched them explode.

[JemyM]

Scratches: Director's Cut
Scratches is a MYST-style adventuregame (prerendered 3d puzzlegame, played in first person). All in all, the game is a nice horrorgame, if you just want some hours entertainment. The entire game is set within an old victorian house, as well as the surrounding garden. The main character is a horror-writer who came to the house to get some space to write his next masterpiece. Soon after entering the house, mysterious things begin to happen, such as a scratching noise coming from the basement.

Directors Cut is an updated version, with some fixes to the original story, as well as the addition of a very short second story that works like a bonus chapter with another main character.
I couldn't say that the bonus story did much to me though. The real surprises happened in the original story and nothing new was added in the bonus story.

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by Lucien21

Well each to their own.

Personally I though Halo 3 was pish. Seriously overrated. I can't be bothered with the story or the game (Can't even force myself to play it for more than 5 mins).

Resistance 2 was ok, but very very average.

Gears 2 has better graphics, better weapons and is miles more fun to play than either of those.

Oh man how right you are I finished half of Gears 2 so far, and WOW what a game, I can't put it down. I have played Resistance 2 twice (second time for the trophy and the extra challenge), and Gears 2 in the single player campaign so far is better in every single way. Better graphics, better gameplay, better AI, better more interesting squadmates, better story, better voice overs, better enemies. Hell even the weapons in Gears 2 are more satisfying than Resistance 2 and Insomniac is known as the Weapon masters. My only complaint (if that is even a complaint), is that my squad mates are sooooo good that I don't get enough action on normal difficulty. Gears 2 has improved on the original in every single way, and the original was already a very fine game, unlike Resistance 2 which I thought is a worse sequel than the awesome original.

Seriously Gears 2 is contender for game of the year for me, based on the few games I have gotten to play( I haven't played Grand Theft Auto 4, Fable 2 or Metal Gear Solid 4 yet, and have just started messing around with LittleBigPlanet).

[JemyM]

People loved Gears of War 1, so when it came to PC I managed to get through the first level before I turned off. It's one of extremely few games that I never finished. I do not remember why, but something about spending an entire level just shooting stuff running in from everywhere made me bored.

[Terramax]

I understand it's more fun in co-op. Perhaps you should try playing online multiplayer, although I read reviews on Amazon that some found it more hassle than it was worth.

[DustyShinigami]

F.E.A.R.

Yet again, another game i found to be overrated and repetitive. Having said that though, i played the 360 version instead of the PC version. The combat, no doubt, is still the same in either version and i personally found it a bit dull for some reason. It didn't seem to do a great deal for me. I think there are two reasons behind this:

1. I found the weapons to be pretty 'meh'. It has your usual fire-arms such as: pistols, shotgun, assault rifles, submachine guns, rocker launcher, sniper rifle etc. No problem there. The trouble is they look and feel... odd. I can't explain it, but they didn't really feel as satisfying to use compared to other games. The one weapon i do like though, is a particle beam weapon. Firing this sucker vapourizes the majority of your foes (except for bigger/harder enemies later on) and leaves behind their skeletons.

2. It might be because the enemies are replica soldiers and therefore sound, look and act the same. Hell, so do the human opponents for that matter. It's explained in the story why the soldiers are replicas (although the replica human security guards aren't. ) but there could have been more variation and they could have been made a bit more interesting.

One thing is certain, the 360 version suffers with some bad frame rates at times. Especially when the action can get hectic. It's puzzling because whilst the graphics are relatively good, and have some neat effects and physics, they're not all that special. The game is a few years old now after all. But you get these latest titles like Gears of War 2, where the graphics are much better, and the frame rates tend to be pretty damn solid all the way through.

In regards to the way enemies act though, the A.I is pretty good. They'll use anything they can find - a table, a vending machine, crates etc. - for cover and will try and flush you out of hiding with grenades. And if they can, they'll try to flank. The Slo-Mo feature spicies up the action and makes you a pretty powerful foe against your enemies. It is, however, limited. But there are boosters scattered through some of the levels that will increase your health and reflex abilities. Personally i prefered the slo-mo feature when it was used in Max Payne. The use of it in F.E.A.R. is to give it a sort of 'John Woo action movie experience'.
I found the horror theme to be the most exciting feature of F.E.A.R. And Alma (the creepy girl who stalks you) steals the show. I didn't find the game particularly scary the first time i played it, but some sections were still creepy and made me jump. It's quite clear there's inspiration from the likes of The Ring and other Japanese horror films and it's all done to great effect. Just like the enemies and combat at times, the environments didn't do that much for me either. However, some were ideal and appropriately creepy. There are a few areas that feel lonely and run-down. There's a section near towards the end that takes place in an abandoned, run-down apartment building. Combined with the very good, eerie ambience and sound effects, it can be unsettling for some people. The apartment building section reminds me of Condemned. Chances are, the developers who made Condemned were probably inspired by F.E.A.R. Overall a number of the environments felt a bit samey and dull to explore. It seems like there are too many levels that take place in warehouses or office buildings.
The plot is also quite good and interesting with a neat twist at the end. During my first playthrough i did get lost countless times with what exactly was going on. To unravel the mystery you must find and interact with certain laptops and red-glowing phones, which have information and voice messages on them. Firstly, the trouble with this, i found, was that the speech didn't sound loud enough to hear. I had to strain my ears a bit to get what was being said (it's probably just me and my ears. ). But, even when i turned down the sfx and music it didn't help much. What also frustrated me was the fact that there's no option to enable subtitles. The second problem, is that some of the phones and laptops can be easy to miss. So if you don't interact with all of them there could be some question marks appearing above your head.

Good Points:

+ Good graphics - very good use of lighting effects and physics etc.
+ Good voice acting
+ Interesting story
+ Disturbing, creepy and eerie physiological horror
+ Some creepy and eerie environments to explore
+ Very good use of ambience and sound effects
+ Can use the environment to your advantage
+ Clever A.I.
+ Slo-Mo feature is entertaining to use
+ Difficulty modes and game length are just about right

Bad Points:

- 360 version suffers from some bad frame rates
- No interesting characters (except Alma) or much character development
- Multiplayer (imo) is poor and boring - the multiplayer component suffers from the same problem that plagues some other multiplayer games: the host always has the advantage. They have no problems killing you, but you'll have difficulty taking them out. Especially if you don't consider yourself that good.
- The majority of the environments are repetitive and boring imo
- Combat isn't as great as i've been led to believe and is repetitive
- Weapons don't look or feel right for some reason
- Enemies look, act and sound the same - therefore they're not very interesting and there isn't much variation
- Achievements can be hard to get and some are worth more than others - for example, one that is quite easy to get is worth 75G whilst ones that take quite a bit of time are only worth 5G
- No option to enable subtitles
- Can't skip the lengthy credits at the end

Overall: 3.5/5

[Lucien21]

Prince of Persia

The new prince of persia game is a split personality game. At equal measures fun and maddening.

Fun

* Well the graphics are superb.
* Elika is seriously cute for a series of pologons. It also solved the loneliness aspect of the previous games having a companion to help and talk to helped the story.
* The platforming is enjoyable for the most part, although there is no real danger of death or falling off a ledge at any point.
* There are some decent new moves, like the wall scrape and Elika's extra distance throw which are fun. The animation as always is top notch.
* The open world and the sense of scale and height is superb. (It uses the Assassin's Creed engine which had the same feeling)
* The script is a times hilarious if you talk to your companion all the time. (Eye-spy something beginning with S)
* The hilarious "healing" actions, did nobody think of the innuendo possibilities or rapidly pushing a button until she groans and explodes in an orgasmic shower of light and flowers.

Maddening

* The combat is shit. The combos and using Elika can be fun, but it's far to easy and impossible to die. The price is capable of great acrobatics in previous games and when platforming, but when he gets to a fight he shuffles around like he has lead in his boots.
* It is a complete pain the ass to get through a level to a boss battle, kill him then have to basically go back to the start and redo the whole level just to collect light bulbs. (You only really need 540 of them to get all 4 plates unlocked, but there are 1001 in the game ---I had 905 at the end)
* The bloody stupid ending....... They could have given you a choice at the end with multiple endings. What happened to his donkey??
* The voice work. Making the prince into a wise cracking american was a bad idea. Although I didn eventually warm up to it towards the middle of the game and some of it was genuinly funny, I still thought it was the wrong choice.

Ok the impossible to die thing. I think video games are now at the stage that movies have been at for a fair few years now. To reach a mass market you have to be like summer blockbusters... big, lots of flashy SFX and easy to play or at least that is what the developers seem to be leaning towards. Lots of in-game help to ensure that the player never gets stuck. This is at least the 2nd game this year with a built in Sat Nav device (Dead Space being the other one) as developers try to lead players by the nose. (Of course it is entirely up to the player whether he uses these devices or not.)

ANywhooo.. Overall I did enjoy the experience. It was flashy and fun.

7/10

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by Lucien21

Prince of Persia

* The hilarious "healing" actions, did nobody think of the innuendo possibilities or rapidly pushing a button until she groans and explodes in an orgasmic shower of light and flowers.

I really never thought about it like that. Bad bad Lucien

[SoccerDude28]

Gears of War 2:
A truly epic game (from EPIC games ), that improves upon the awesome original in every way.

Pluses:
* Delta squad is back baby, and they are still as hilarious as always, plus they have some really awesome new additions (I just love Dizzy and Betty).
* Absolutely gorgeous graphics that are some of the best on the XBOX 360.
* Great gameplay cover mechanic that is much more robust than the original.
* Brilliant enemy and teammate AI.
* Locust horde presents some really kick ass enemies to fight against. And this time, you get to fight the bigger ones much more ofter.
* Variety is the spice of life, and Gears 2 offers up a lot of variety in its levels and gameplay. From fighting on top of derricks to taking the fights underground (and one level I won't spoil for you takes place in a totally unique location ), to offering 3 vehicular sections, gears 2 always keeps things fresh and exciting.
* The story this time is much better than the original, though it left a lot of stuff unanswered, and confused me at one point.
* Some of the best weapon arsenal. In addition to the awesome lancer with the chainsaw attachment, and the very cool hammer of dawn, we are introduced to the mulcher ( a portable gun turret), the mortar gun, and the flamethrower.
* Gore fest upped to 2000 %. Ripping someone to shreds with the lancer chainsaw is still the most satisfying way to kill an enemy in any video game, but now you are also introduced to 11 or so other finishing moves (my favorite of which is stomping them to the curb).
* Introduction of the shield. Whether it is using the meat shield (by picking up a downed enemy and using them as a shield), or the portable shield, using the shield introduces a new strategy to fight the locust.

Minuses
* The only complaint I had about the single player experience was that although the story was great for the most part, it left me very confused, and I hate being confused after playing a game or watching a movie. For example,

Spoiler:

I did not understand the abandoned Gears outpost section. Who is Niles and what are the Sires? also, he mentioned that he moved the subjects to the mountains and that's how the Delta squad figured out where the hive was. What are the subjects, and why would a human move them to where the locust live?

Anyone care to explain?

Overall this game is the most fun I had this year.
9.5/10

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by SoccerDude28

Gears of War 2:

Spoiler:

I did not understand the abandoned Gears outpost section. Who is Niles and what are the Sires? also, he mentioned that he moved the subjects to the mountains and that's how the Delta squad figured out where the hive was. What are the subjects, and why would a human move them to where the locust live?

Anyone care to explain?

Overall this game is the most fun I had this year.
9.5/10

Spoiler:

I was so sure as I played that level that I had it pegged.

As soon as I heard top secret lab and that it was hiding some dreadful secret.

I thought.....The BASTARDS...they created the Locusts. Experimenting on humans with imulsion. Then the sires appeared and seemed to confirm it as they were kind of locust-ish.

However it never answered any of the questions even in the papers you pick up. Which was really disappointing to tease you then not follow through.

[DustyShinigami]

Dang, SoccerDude28, you've reminded me of a few more pros and cons for Gears 2 i forgot to mention.

+ Better A.I for your team mates and enemies
+ Variety of levels
+ More gore
+ More finishing moves

And how could i forget to mention the flamethrower, the meat and portable shields as great new weapons?

- Unanswered questions in the story

Sorry to nick them.

Spoiler:

There were a few things that confused me such as Niles and the Sires. Also, why was the Queen of the Lucust half human? And what happened to her at the end? And how did she know Marcus? What happened and where is Marcus' father? And why didn't he want the city to be sunk? Some of those questions will probably be resolved in the next one. The first question about the Queen makes some sort of sense considering Lucien's theory about the humans being turned into Locusts. I just assumed the Sires were some other type of creature, that had been created, that you had to deal with.

[Lucien21]

Mirror's Edge.

Ok so the graphics are nice and the world is unique in it's primary colours. It's certainly a brave attempt at something new.

The first person parquor is initially exciting and new. So i'm giving it props for being original in a sea of sameness.

But by golly does the falling off rooftops every 5 seconds get old.

It is a VERY short game and most people could play through it in about 5/6 hours. That is the main story can be done in that time. I havn't really bothered with all the time trail stuff.

1st person viewpoint makes the jumps awkward so I end up missing the ledges and going splat, missing the ledges and going splat, then missing the ledges and going splat....you get the idea x1000.

Fecking annoying..oh I wish for Elika from POP to help out.

Mind you when you do get it right it is a thing of beauty. The flow of jumping, sliding, wall running etc is superb if you have the skill and know the level well enough. Me I tend to face plant all the time.

The combat is fecking useless in this game yet it actually forces you to kill on occassion. (although most of the time they are avoidable).

I quite like the anime movies in between missions, but it does kinda take you out of the moment as they are so different than the ingame graphics. It's an odd choice. What happened to the lovely model of faith you saw in th original trailers?

Overall it's a nice idea, but seriously broken. Fix the combat or take it out, make it more open world like Assassin's creed, give it a series of sub quests etc and make it into a GTA type game. Then maybe it will be a classic. (oh and maybe she will actually deliver something in the sequel--worlds worst messanger)

As it stands it's a reasonable enjoyabe, but frustrating, linear experiment, but not really a full game. A tech demo pushed to a full game perhaps.

6/10

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by Alucard

Dang, SoccerDude28, you've reminded me of a few more pros and cons for Gears 2 i forgot to mention.

- Unanswered questions in the story

My biggest unanswered question about Gears is.....If they can make Jack the robot invisible how come they can't do it for anything else. Would have come in handy.

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by Lucien21

My biggest unanswered question about Gears is.....If they can make Jack the robot invisible how come they can't do it for anything else. Would have come in handy.

Reminded me of this.

[JemyM]

Elvira 2: Jaws of Cerberus
Elvira 2 was originally released back in 1991, so this is an ancient game indeed. I played both Waxworks and Elvira back in 2007 and begun on Elvira 2 after that. After finishing the entrance and the first studio I was about to enter a catacomb for which I knew I had to draw a map. Not feeling for it back then I decided to wait for awhile, and I waited for one and a half year. I thought I was just about done when I started to play it again. I was wrong. Due to many bugs and mistakes I was forced to replay bits over and over again but even if I was frustrated I carried on. It's fun to have it finished since I wanted to play the game ever since I read about it in a magazine back in the 90'ies, but I wouldn't recommend the game to anyone now. It's just too old, too hardcore and too frustrating.

[Foozwah]

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Okay, it's not as scary as some games in the genre, but it definitely managed to give me a few uneasy cases of the chills along the way, when played in the wee small hours.

While I loved the whole sanity effects system, it would have been nice if these effects were a bit more far-reaching, or at least more difficult to negate than by simply casting a spell. (Which to my mind should have increased sanity loss, but I guess I'm old-school when it comes to Cthulhu-esque things...)

Speaking of casting spells, I thought the eerie voices used when constructing a spell were very atmospheric. Particularly liked the way they disturbed my partner whenever she got up late at night to get a drink, only to hear those guttural tones emanating from the darkened living room. Heh.

So anyway, despite some flaws and repetition, I give it a solid 8/10. Pity there'll likely never be a sequel.

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by Lucien21

Spoiler:

I was so sure as I played that level that I had it pegged.

As soon as I heard top secret lab and that it was hiding some dreadful secret.

I thought.....The BASTARDS...they created the Locusts. Experimenting on humans with imulsion. Then the sires appeared and seemed to confirm it as they were kind of locust-ish.

However it never answered any of the questions even in the papers you pick up. Which was really disappointing to tease you then not follow through.

I did find this article from gamesradar when I was just browsing around bored.
http://www.gamesradar.com/f/gears-of...02113232627033
It is the six mysteries of gears 2 with no answers, and their best shots at solving them. They seem to share your opinion about the point above. They also discuss other loose ends, and what they think are the answers. Interesting read.

[D.C.]

I've been geeking out on the Nintendo Wii since Christmas. Here are some thoughts...

Super Mario Galaxy:
Man, what an incredible game! Late last year I replayed most of the earlier Mario adventures and this one most definitely lives up to the standard. It has everything I loved about the earlier games and then some. Good times! 9/10

deBlob:
This game helped cure the Mario withdrawal. The gameplay might be simple, but it's completely polished and totally addictive to play. Only problem is that it takes so long to complete a level if you want to do it properly and you can't save in mission, but that's a reasonably minor problem when you realize just how much fun you're having! 8/10

[Denaron]

I've finished Portal today.

A wonderful game, at beginning you can't expect much about the storyline but when you are finishing it turns into a interesting thing. The game is pretty good and, as mirrors edge, it looks pretty clean. Had a loot of fun playing it.

I'll give 8.5/10 cause felt a little dizzy teleporting every time, hehehe.