[MoriartyL]

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (Yes, it's old. But I only got it recently.)

This second M&L game isn't fit to polish the shoes of the first game. Well, okay. It's fit to polish the shoes. But not much else. The battles are fun and clever, but in an RPG what matters most is the story, and the story is entirely unremarkable in both content and delivery. The first game was often hilarious, so this is pretty disappointing. Probably the least engaging of all Mario RPGs.

2/5

[wildcat]

I agree. If you ever have the opportunity to play the third game Bowser's Story, do so. It is a much better game.

[Lucien21]

Assassin's Creed II

Sweet jebus this was a looong game. 25 hours it took me to finish it. But that includes unlocking 90% of the trophies with the exception of a couple of minor ones and collecting all the feathers(Found all the treasures, bought every painting, armour etc, synched all the vistas etc etc).

Most of the length is eaten up by the hours just doing the parkour across the rooftops of Tuscany/Florence/Rome and Venice, searching for money in treasure chests so that you can buy new weapons and armour (or later in the game use the money to upgrade your villa), looking for Glyphs to uncover "The Truth" (a weird video sequence), racing other people, doing assassination jobs for hire, finding and raiding some tombs, beating people up or finding bits of the codex. The side missions are plentiful.

Does it's length detract from the game, well maybe it goes on for a little too long, but I still enjoyed it.

The Italian setting is beautifully rendered, the puzzle in the glyphs are fun, the combat is easy but enjoyable and the story is compelling.

This is what the first game should have been. WTF is with that ending though.

9/10

[Fantasysci5]

Moment of Silence-At first, I didn't like the game too much. There was a lot of boring talking, when usually I like a lot of dialogue, but what they were talking about just bored me. The plot sounded interesting, though, so I kept playing. The girl he met online, Christine, really interested me, and the chapter where he got

Spoiler:

caught and put in jail was amazing. I was on my toes and really enjoying it by then. And at the end with a "Hal" like computer running things and all of the conspiracies were really interesting. I LOVED the ending, where a random girl named "Susan" pops up and wants to be his friends. It gave me a shiver down my spine, like the computer was still alive...

So although it started off okay, it got good in my opinion. Not the best, but good. There were a lot of parts that reminded me of "The Longest Journey", but it fell short. Still a good game, though.

Diner Dash:Hometown Hero-Just finished all of the levels. I enjoyed it. Some levels were easy, some were really hard. I loved how you could personalize the restaurants by adding things you wanted, and the different types of customers were really interesting. Now that I'm done, I feel like the earlier games would be too easy and not as intersting to me, now that I've played a more recent game of Diner Dash, and the endless shift just doesn't seem as appealing, as I can't strategize like with the levels. Oh well, it was fun.

[AprilLives]

Happy New Year Everyone! Fantasy ... I just started Moment of Silence and I think I'm going to like it. I sense a bit of Longest Journey in it, too.

First though, I begin the new year with my take on Still Life Two, which I finished a short while ago.

Still Life Two has an ending that could have stretched out a little more after all I went through to get there. I’m still unclear about some of the events so I’ll be reading reviews and blogs to find out if what I think happened really happened.

My favorite scenes were recaps and those rare style moments that came close to the first Still Life. I loved the voice and art that is Victoria. She struck a very authentic tone and look IMO in the second Still Life.

On the other hand, either from laziness or mistake, using Paloma’s somewhat grating voice for both Paloma and Victoria when I tried an incorrect inventory item on an object took away from the adventure moment.

Also, it was a downer to spend so much time in dull and dingy surroundings. A little streak of sunlight was always a relief. I loved that big old livingroom in the otherwise bleak house.

Basically, it was all about pixel hunting and constantly saving because the game really does set you back if you don’t save wisely.

Overall, because I heard so many negatives before playing the game, I wasn’t disappointed and some video clips were impressive. Victoria’s attitude and true grit were also intact. So I give the game 7/10.

[Denaron]

Amerzone: the explore's legacy

What a beautiful game. It's short (3 or 4 hours of gameplay, maybe more, or less) but very cool. Now, I have to play only Paradise in order to beat all Benoit Sokal games. I really admire Benoit work.

Spoiler:

Well, theres something I really want to know on chapter 3 (I think). When you get beneath the village, when you wrap the rope on the well and get down, theres a statue (where i'm able to use a item, but don't know what) and a metal grate in front of it. I haven't found anything to use on that statue nor in the grate. I was able to finish the game using no item on these things but I would like to know if it's possible to get to the other side of that grate (maybe using something with the statue?).

[Luna Sevithiainen]

The Shivah

Rather short (finished it within a few hours) and not terribly hard (never needed more than ten minutes reflection as to what to do next), but with a nice story, and although not realy tough, I liked the puzzles. They made sense but the solutions were not immediately there.

I think I would rate it 4/5: Very interesting, but just somewhat too short. I can't help to have a nagging feeling that if it would have been longer everything could have been a bit more elaborate.

[M-E]

Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit

I played this game for a while some years ago, but never actually got that far into it. With the recent Steam sale i decided to give it another try. Even though the graphics are kinda dated the atmosphere in the game is still perfect. The story was great, until about 2/3 into the game, then it went downhill fast. The ending sucked even more.

Conclusion:

First 2/3 of the game: 4.5/5
Last 1/3 of the game: 2/5

3.5/5

[Lucien21]

Fallout 3

Been dicking around with this game for about a year and finally decided to finish the main quest.

I was playing along nicely and then it ended all of a sudden. Didn't see that coming.

Great game Naff ending.

9/10

[DustyShinigami]

Machinarium

Positives:

+ Fantastic, detailed and artistic graphics/animation
+ A very unusual but good soundtrack - it's great that you have the option to download the soundtrack along with the game.
+ Charming, cute and even humorous main characters - there's no dialog from them, just thought bubbles displaying what the characters are thinking.
+ A number of clever puzzles
+ An interesting hint system - you have to work for your hints

Negatives:

- There's no real characterization or story
- It's full of mechanical puzzles, which I'm really not that keen on. It's because of these puzzles that made me have mixed feelings about the game. The whole game started to feel like a chore around the middle onwards. Eventually I just couldn't wait to get the game done and dusted. Shame really.
- Abrupt ending
- I don't know if it's something to do with my computer or FLASH, but the cursor performed a bit stuttery for some reason.
- The controls for the final mini-game at the end - the one involving shooting red enemies - are crap and awkward. Being able to use the keyboard would've been better.
- The inventory tends to be unresponsive when trying to place an oject back into the inventory.

Overall:

***

[DustyShinigami]

Left 4 Dead 2

Positives:

+ New characters, new weapons - including new guns and even melee weapons, new campaigns, new Special Infected, all campaigns available for Versus Mode, includes Survival Mode, the all new Scavenge Mode and even a Realism Mode
+ New improved A.I. Director - 2.0
+ All weapons, campaigns, Versus Modes and Scavenge Modes are loads of fun to play (minus Survival Mode, which I never liked when it was introduced to Left 4 Dead via download) and killing zombies and helping each other survive never gets old.
+ Solid voice acting for the four survivors - their banter is funny to listen to
+ Although it's kinda used sparingly, there's a great use of music, which is never annoying and plays an appropriate piece depending on the situation your in. For example, the infamous (boss) Tank music when you encounter one, or the piece that plays when the Horde start to come for you.
+ The graphics are very good and Valve's Source engine still does an impeccable job
+ Setting up a game/match based on your preferences, along with the search function, has been improved.

Negatives:

- Valve's dodgy servers and my bloody connection tend to make the game unenjoyable. True, it's probably the fault of my connection more, but still... Valve's servers have been known to be iffy and loads of people tend to be in the same situation. This is especially the case when playing Versus or Scavenge Mode and more people are playing. It's ridiculous. Nine times out of ten my connection will be in the red. If I'm lucky, it'll be in the orange and stay that way for the majority of the game. I very rarely get a perfect and healthy green. The only way I can is to host a Local Server, but then, everyone else who joins will have to suffer a pants connection. I've tried both wireless and wired and it makes no difference.
- Again, like the first Left 4 Dead, there's not much in the way of characterization or story. But then, it's not one of those games that needs one, I suppose.
- The core gameplay is still the same as the first Left 4 Dead. I'm one of those people who thought a sequel was too soon and Valve should've focused on Half-Life 2: Episode Three instead. I think the bulk of these new features should've just been added to the first Left 4 Dead via download. Obviously, incorporating the new A.I. Director would've been very difficult.
- There's still no option to host your own game/match. You'll only get that privilege if the game can't find any matches based on your search results/preferences.
- If you have no specific friends to play with, which I don't, then you tend to have to put up with random people joining. Normally, that's fine. But there will be occasions where you'll get annoying and disruptive players. It's also quite annoying when other players spend most of the game 'Idle' instead of actually playing/helping. This is even worse if you're playing on Expert mode. And it baffles me when players quit if they die once or twice whilst playing Expert mode. I mean, they knew what they were getting into. They should expect that we'll die a LOT in Expert mode. Why bloody play an Expert game if that's what they're gonna do?

Overall:

****

[Fantasysci5]

Indigo Prophecy-Just replayed this game. The first time I played it, I was fascinated by the events in the beginning, but was disappointed in the ending and how things came together. Playing it through this time, I liked it a lot better. The extras, like the videos not shown in the game, the music, and the dancing are hilarious. The music in the game is amazing, some of the best I've heard, besides the music in Dreamfall.

The story, even though the first time I played I didn't like the direction it took, is really interesting and top notch. I love how detailed the graphics are, and the risks with showing a bit of skin.

The thing that urks me is that I liked Lucas and Tiffany together, not with the one he gets with at the end, and I like Carla and Tyler together. They have such a nice chemistry. But oh well. Good game, and although the timed sequences almost gave me a heart attack, I liked it a lot.

[Denaron]

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

Indigo Prophecy "The music in the game is amazing, some of the best I've heard"

Totally agree!

My sister used to love this one:

Martina Topley-Bird - Sandpaper kisses

[Fantasysci5]

My favorite music from "Indigo Prohpecy" would have to be "Hang it Up", and the Theory of a Deadman's songs, "Sana Monica" and "Say Goodbye". The Dreamfall music by Magnet are also my favorites, like "Be Wth Me" and "Nothing Hurts Now".

[M-E]

Broken Sword: The Shadows Of The Templars Director's Cut

A lot of people say this is the best in the series, but in my opinion it is not as good as The Smoking Mirror. It's a great game nonetheless, but I just loved the locations in the second game more. I don't think I need to explain why I think it's a great game, since that's probably obvious to all of you. One letdown to me was the ending. It was all over to quickly and there wasn't the big conclusion I hoped for.

4/5 due to the ending, else it would've been 4.5-5/5

[SharonB]

The Marionette -- A free download.

Game was short but the story was good. I found it interesting although I experienced some anxiety at the timed bits.

Glad I played it.

[pointandcliklover]

runaway 3 about 5 mins ago, not that i have finished 2 yet lol

well alot shorter than expected a whole 5.3Gb and i amit the videos were good and smooth when running. People complain about puzzles and i admit there were some interesting ones. all in all i enjoyed it there were some interesting plot lines, i agree about it not explaining the what happened to gina exactly but its worth a play. THe did seem to leave it in a slightly odd way but not a broken sword 4.

i give it 4/5 my only complaint being too short as we completed it within a day.

[DustyShinigami]

Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon

Positives:

+ Very good acting from the majority of the cast, especially Chris Jones as the hero, Tex Murphy. I quite like Tex's dialogue/monologues. And then of course there's none other than James 'Darth Vader' Earl Jones to boot.
+ Generally good retro/midi/noir music that plays throughout each area. I especially like the piece that plays at the beginning of each day.
+ Full of strange but interesting characters. Tex is the only one that I like the most though.
+ Puzzle difficulty is just about right and consists mostly of inventory and dialogue puzzles. They're all pretty logical as well.
+ Game is actually pretty humorous in places
+ I quite like the hint system. I like it how you have a Gabriel Knight style score point system. All the hints are filed under specific directories/tasks. For each hint you get it costs you 4 points. Each hint usually just tells you want you're supposed to do/get instead of merely 'hinting' or nudging you in the right direction. Either way, I wish more adventure games had a hint system like this. Trouble is, if you use it a number of times, it'll spoil you. You won't resist but to keep checking and then reloading your saved game so as not to spend any points.
+ A generally good story that starts off slowly before pulling you into the real plot.

Negatives:

- I'm not particularly keen on the control method. I wish it was either just point and click, or instead of using the mouse to move Tex forwards/backwards, to use direct control with the keyboard. Even when I did manage to get used to the control scheme I still found it awkward at times. The section at G.R.S comes to mind.
- The graphics haven't really aged very well in my opinion. They didn't stop me from enjoying the game, and usually dated graphics don't tend to bother me that much, but I found the 3D DOS environments/models to be pretty ugly. Ah, well... this is only a minor issue, anyway.
- While the story gets interesting as the game gets going, it still doesn't seem all that meaty or in-depth to me. I dunno, I guess I've been spoilt by the likes of Broken Sword's and Gabriel Knight's meaty plots.
- I'm not sure if these issues are present in the original, or if it's just with DOSBox, but the frame-rates tend to be slow/stuttery during a number of the cinematics - mainly the beginning and end sequences. Also, there are plenty of occasions where the actor's voices speed up for a split second and they sound like chipmunks. Could someone confirm if these issues are in the original or if it's just a DOSBox thing?
- I found the G.R.S section a bit annoying and tedious because of that 'security eye'. That section reminded me a lot of Dreamfall when you have to plant that virus.
- There's some pixel hunting to put up with at times. Some items are very easy to miss because of how small they are, or because of the pixelated environments hiding them.

Overall:

****

I'm certainly looking forward to playing Tex's next adventures - The Pandora Directive and Overseer.

[DustyShinigami]

Assassin's Creed II

Positives:

+ Absolutely stunning, detailed graphics and smooth animation
+ A much more likeable protagonist (unlike Altair)
+ A much more interesting conspiracy story to follow compared to the first Assassin's Creed
+ A great original music score that plays very subtly throughout the game
+ Solid voice acting and convincing Italian voicework/accents
+ Much more mission variety - there's soooo much more to do than the first game
+ Puzzles have been thrown into the mix - from fun Tomb Raider platforming in Assassin Tombs to solving enigmas and riddles by finding hidden glyphs. The difficulty of the glyph puzzles range from very easy to medium.
+ Gameplay is fun - from climbing practically any building you come into contact with (working out which parts of a building can be grabbed or climbed can be picked up in no time), to the pretty simple, but fun combat, to using stealth and any of your assassin skills to get a job done.
+ The game is pretty big and gives you well over 20+ hours of gameplay. This increases if you set out to do everything, of course.
+ Quite an interesting and cinematic ending that you can play whilst the credits roll. The ending certainly suggests that there'll be another game in the series.
+ A vast open-world to explore and with at least 4-5 beautifully detailed cities to run around in. Each city is full of life thanks to all the citizens that inhabit them as they go about their business.

Negatives:

- The frame-rates are usually pretty damn solid considering the sheer size and scope of each city and the graphics. And while there are some dips with the frame-rates, it's the screen tearing that seems to be the most notable to me.
- To me, the ending with Ezio seems a bit puzzling and daft. I didn't really feel satisfied with it to be honest. And...

Spoiler:

I also don't fully understand what a number of those historical events and riddles had to do with Subject 16 and the Piece of Eden. The Adam and Eve thing also seemed daft and far-fetched.

- The Hidden Blade is crap for counter-attacking with. There are better weapons to use obviously, but I still like using it from time-to-time for the results. Every other weapon seems to be no problem to use for counter-attacking, but whenever I try and use the Hidden Blades, Ezio justs seems to keep retracting them and then he gets hit as a result.
- There's an audio issue I've encountered a few times where the music, sound effects and speech go all stuttery.
- Some miscellaneous glitches - a red/enemy target marker appears over Ezio and follows him after I've dispatched certain targets.

Overall:

****

This is my favourite Assassin's Creed to date. Much better than the first in every way. Bring on Assassin's Creed 3!

[TiAgUh]

Superhero League of Hoboken



What can i say? one of the weirdest games i've played. 4* out of 5 (just put the fights on auto).