Ratchet: Deadlocked Review

Ratchet: Deadlocked is the fourth game in the popular Ratchet and Clank franchise, released in 2005 exclusively on PS2. In previous Ratchet and Clank games that have been released, the games were all about moving through linear levels, running and gunning, and platforming. Deadlocked isn't quite as linear as the first three games, and there's barely any platforming involved in the game.This is also the first time Clank doesn't return as a playable character. Despite being pretty different from the rest of the games, I still found this game to be very enjoyable. 

First up, we'll deal with the story. The reason we're starting with the story is because the events and plot sets up on the differences this game has. Ratchet, Clank, and Al are captured and taken prisoner and forced to participate in a TV show known as DreadZone. DreadZone is a gladiator-based show where heroes from the Ratchet and Clank universe are held prisoner and attempt to fight for their lives, for money, and for adoration of fans instead of freedom. Everyone is required to wear "DeadLock" collars, which can be detonated if a hero is uncooperative, or boring. Ratchet fights his way through enemies to try to become the number one gladiator. 

Now we get into gameplay. Again, it seems really different than the rest of the Ratchet and Clank games. In the basic levels of the story mode, you are faced with many different enemies, and you kill them all. Once you've killed them all, you try to move on to the next objective, which will most likely be hack a control node, destroying something, or simply getting from point A to point B. Of course, the weapons feature that Ratchet and Clank is famous for is also available in this game. However, instead of recycling the old weapons, you get new names for the weapons that you have (i.e. Dual Vipers for Dual Lacerators). Most of the time, you will also have mechanical partners assisting you in your efforts, but none of them involve Clank. These robots can perform different tasks. If they get killed, they can be revived. They send send out an EMP blast wherever needed. They can turn bolt cranks or hack control nodes. They can also give you a grind rail to slide on.  Also, they are equipped with their own guns, too. Your bots can be upgraded at anytime by visiting Al's shop. Sometimes, you will be required to use different vehicles, such as a basic tank with legs, a hoverbike, a Puma (a basic dirtbike), and a Hovership, a plane-like hovercraft. In addition to your weapons, new to the game is the Weapons Mod system, where you can add mods for function or damage (Alpha and Omega mods). Alpha mods include increasing your rate of fire, or explosion radius. Omega mods include adding napalm to every shot, or send out electricity to shock other enemies. Your weapons can be upgraded just by using them. Your health can be upgraded, too, just by killing enemies. You get gadgets which include the Swingshot and Charge boots. Currency in the game is known as "Bolts," and Bolts can be used to buy other weapons, ammo for your weapons, or Alpha and Omega mods. Deadlocked is noted to have a slightly shorter length in the campaign, and I think they may be right. I was able to beat the game within two days. Something to keep myself occupied, though, is Challenge Mode, where you start the game over with all of your guns and upgrades, and complete the campaign again, only this time the campaign gets a bit harder. A redeeming factor for diehard fans of the series is that it still has a level up system for your weapons and health. It alsol has skill points, which are like achievements in the game. Unlock enough of them, and you can unlock cheats.

The campaign can be played cooperatively, with up to two players. It plays similarly to the single player experience, except you have no combat bots. There is also the multiplayer mode, where you can square off in different modes such as standard Deathmatch, Conquest, Survival, Juggernaut, and Capture the Flag.  Local multiplayer supports up to four players, whilst online (if people are still playing online) supports up to 10 players.

Graphics-wise, I'm impressed. The environments look colorful, the sound is great. The only problem graphics-wise is the frame-rate. Most of the time, the game plays smoothly. However, once you get to the point where huge explosions are as common as the cold, there is a moderate slowdown in the action. But, what would you expect from a Playstation 2 game?

All in all, I particularly enjoyed this game. The campaign was fun, humorous, and it controlled well. This game may disappoint hardcore fans of the Ratchet series, but any fan of third person shooters should definitely consider picking this game up.

The Good: great control, campaign is a good length, looks awesome, funny, amazing weapons.
The Bad: campaign still isn't as long as other Ratchet games, some framerate issues.

Score:
9.3.

Sonic and the Black Knight Review.

     As many Sonic fans know, the swift blue hedgehog has been in a lot of forgettable adventures ever since the turn to the seventh generation of gaming. I can say right now that this game is one of them. Sega has came up with this radical idea of Sonic the Hedgehog running around in the Middle Ages with a talking sword. Not the best idea. What with poor gameplay, a story that really doesn't interest, and repetitive lines and bad actors, this Sonic adventure should be avoided like the plague.

   First up, the story. A sorceress basically summons Sonic in the middle of his chili dog meal. He is assigned to save a kingdom from King Arthur, who has turned evil all because of the sword he possesses, Excalibur's scabbard. On the way, he tackles various quests with the help of his sword, Caliburn, and the blacksmith (played by Tails) and the Lady of the Lake (played by Amy). This is only the beginning of having Sonic characters with different roles. The Knights of the Round Table are played by Knuckles, Shadow, and Blaze. After defeating them, you square off versus King Arthur himself. You later find out that King Arthur was only an illusion, and that the sorceress was actually the enemy you needed to face off. I gave out a pretty big spoiler, but I think you'd be better off with this spoiler in the first place. If you're really that interested, than just look it up on Google. 

     Next up, gameplay. The Sonic games are usually about getting from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, while collecting as many rings as possible. Sega has complete disregarded this gameplay. Instead, you now have a sword, and with this being a Wii game, you already know how to swing a sword. Shake the Wii Remote around. You'll basically be doing this for 75 percent of the regular levels. At the end of levels, you'll be graded based on stars, from 1 to 5. But, they actually expect you to get to the goal fast. With so many enemies popping up on the screen, it's basically a conundrum of getting a good grade. You could attempt jumping over the enemies, only to have another wave at your feet, or you could hack and slash your way through enemies, which will definitely take a lot of time. So, if your goal is to get 4 or 5 stars every level, may heaven help you. The gameplay is also repetitive. It would've been nice to have a little bit more depth into the game, such as if you swung the Wii Remote to the left, Sonic would swing it to the left also. But no, all you will be doing is just shaking the Wii Remote. The boss fights are also repetitive. The game warns that the bosses are challenging to beat, but the style is just like Punch-Out. All it takes is just pattern recognition, and a quick shake of the Remote. 

     Graphics-wise, there's not much to say here. It's a Wii game, so the visuals aren't really that impressive. 

     I'll admit, I didn't beat the game, so I can't really tell you how long the game actually is. But do yourself a favor, and don't buy this game. I recommend playing Secret Rings or Unleashed first. 

     The good: graphics are a bit colorful.

     The bad: Everything else. 

Score:

3.5/10

     

Just Dance 3 Review

     Just Dance 3 is the third installment of the critically acclaimed Just Dance series. Just Dance comes back with an all new soundtrack, new moves, and a new game of fun.

     Gameplay here is very simple. You have dancers on-screen, and you have to mimic their moves as if they were your reflection in the mirror. On the bottom, you will also have little stick figures giving you a vague understanding of what to anticipate. There are also Gold Moves, which, if done correctly, will give you a points boost. At the end of the song, you will be given an accolade, which will tell that you were the most creative, that you were in rhythm, or the most lazy. Using the Wii's motion controls (or the PlayStation Move's or Kinect's), the game will detect how well you are doing the moves. With the Wii and Move, you basically just have to move the remote around the same way they do it, but where's the fun in that? You keep dancing to earn stars, from one to five, and the stars you earn are counted towards your experience in the game, known as Mojo. Anytime you level up, you get a different version of one of the 40+ songs included in this game, such as a Dance Mash-Up. Dance Mash-Ups include virtual dancers from others songs and Just Dance games joining in the song. The game also has a Just Sweat mode, where it has you doing different exercise routines. In addition to the songs already included, you can get downloadable songs that'll cost ya.

     Nothing much to say here. The graphics are pretty appealing, and they still hold true to the Just Dance style. One thing I must say, though, get this game if you know you'll have somebody else to play it with. Otherwise, you might feel that your money is wasted. It would have been nice to see a career mode or campaign of some sort in this game. The other flaw I see in this game is that you could be doing exactly what the dancer is doing, including the footwork, and it would still say that you're not doing it right. But, it could just be me not doing it right. I wish that songs from other games would be in this game, or at least for DLC.

     The verdict of this game? I would say that it's a good game for a party or something. That's about it. But if you do go to a lot of social events, it's not a bad idea to have this game lying around. 

    The good: hit tracks, funky dance moves, awesome multiplayer game.

    The bad: kind of shallow, single player is lame.

    Score:

    8.0

GoldenEye 007 review by Raquay A. Holland

There has never been a real good first person shooter for Wii. That is, until 2010, when GoldenEye 007 was released. GoldenEye 007 is a remake of the old Nintendo 64 game that premiered FPS for consoles. Initially, it was released for Wii, but then it was released as GoldenEye 007 Reloaded for the PS3 and Xbox 360 by Activision. After playing this game, I can see why the N64 game was legend, what with a satisfying campaign and great multiplayer, both local and online.

First off, gameplay. It kinda feels like a stealth action game at some parts of the campaign. You try to make your footsteps quiet, you can pull off sneak attacks, and things like that. People that play Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell are probably the only ones that use stealth, though. All the others, who most likely play Call of Duty, they will use the other option in completing the game: surviving all-out firefights. Now, this will happen inevitably in some parts, but being spotted can also trigger these moments. I don't see anything wrong with people being thrill seekers in this game, though. The game does have a lot of exciting moments, but nothing we haven't seen before. The campaign took me around 8-10 hours to complete, but on the easiest difficulty, though. There are four difficulties for the campaign, and the hardest one, 007 Classic, is just like the original game. In all the other difficulties, the game has health regeneration, because Activision, the makers of Call of Duty, made this game. With 007 Classic, there is no health regeneration, so you'll need to keep finding armor vests to stay alive.

Also, there may be different experiences with different control schemes. GoldenEye comes with compatibility of the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combination, the Wii Zapper, and you can go classic mode with a Classic Controller or even the Gamecube Controller. I found it difficult to keep the reticle steady with the Remote, so I don't recommend using it, at least without the Zapper. Your best bet is to use the Gamecube controller (if you have one), or buy a Classic Controller.

Graphics-wise, it looks pretty impressive for a Wii game. The Wii is not compatible with HD features yet, so HD gamers will look down on that. Nothing much to say here.

I have saved the best feature about this game for last: multiplayer. This is probably the only reason why Nintendo Wii has Wi-Fi connection, and another perk, it's FREE. Again, since it is made by Activision, it has a lot of similarity to Call of Duty. You have a primary and secondary weapon, grenades, and perks. When you play multiplayer, you also have a leveling up system and gain XP. Modes include the usual setup, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag. However, the multiplayer isn't perfect. A lot of times there will be cross kills, and sometimes physics don't work. The local multiplayer is fine, too, even with only two players. Just like the N64 game, people pick who they want to be, and new to this game, they also pick their primary weapon.

Needless to say, I found out why people loved this game. GoldenEye was probably the only reason why people played Call of Duty. This is a game I shall never forget.

The good: awesome shooter gameplay, multiplayer is a blast (literally) and satisfying campaign.

The bad: Call of Duty exists, imperfect multiplayer.

Score:

9.0

     

Castle Crashers Review

Castle Crashers is an RPG beat-em-up for the Xbox 360 and PS3.  More specifically, the game was released for the XBLA and PSN.  The game was created by The Behemoth, the same guys who made Alien Hominid. Now, I have to say, it's one of the best games of its kind. It has some great humor, awesome hack and slash action, and, the icing on the cake, has up to four player co-op locally or over PSN/Xbox Live.

First up, gameplay. You play as one of four knights, a red, orange, blue, and green knight. What sets them apart is their magic powers, but we'll get to that in a sec. Gameplay is really accessible, since the attack buttons are X/Y, or Square and Triangle. Like in many different games, you alternate between button presses for different combos. The combinations are really satisfying to pull off, and gets really addicting. Like a lot of RPGs, you also have magic attacks, which differ from which knight you play as. You can also level up as you gain XP from killing enemies. When leveling up, after dying or completing a level, you gain skill points to add to your attributes, which are Strength, Magic, Defense, and Agility. There are a ton of bosses, and it will take you a good amount of time, and both the time and fun will vary depending on the number of players. It is possible to beat the game with one person, however, that takes away a lot of the enjoyment to be found in this game. To access the levels, you have this map where you can move around in, kinda like the Mario Bros. games do. Aside from the levels you battle in, you can also access stores to buy weapons or pets that can help you out. If you are playing with at least one other person, you can revive them if they are down. If you defeat a boss that captured a princess, you will have to fight for the princess's kiss in a multiplayer game. 

Next, graphics. Behemoth is used to making Flash games on the Internet, so, their games kind of have a simple texture. It's not that they're lazy, or that graphics are just bad, it's just the style of the graphics. Anyhoo, I like how the things look in this game, and the artwork is very humorous to experience. There are tons of different vistas to explore, and I, for one, really like the concepts. 

Story. It's basically a damsels-in-distress story. Your knight(s) are celebrating at your king's party. Suddenly, an evil wizard has taken a very powerful crystal and captured all four of the king's daughters. It is up to you to save the king's daughters and retrieve the crystal. Pretty simple story here, really. But, the story is not the main thing in this game. 

All in all, this game is exceptional. Problem is, once you beat the game, there really isn't much other modes to play as if your tired of the campaign. There is a mini-game called "All You Can Quaff" where you just tap the attack buttons to eat food, and then there is Arena, where you fight off hordes of enemies, or fight your partners in crime. However, some people can still find a lot of replay value, since it has an Insane Mode, basically a much harder run through the campaign. If your looking for either a good co-op game, or a hack and slash type game, this is the one for you.

The good: awesome hack and slash gameplay, funny antics, appreciable graphics, four player co-op, boss fights are fun(ny).

The bad: the only mode is Campaign (basically).

Score:

9.7

Street Fighter 4 Review

Street Fighter 4 review by Raquay A. Holland

Street Fighter 4 is the fourth game in the popular Street Fighter franchise. It was released for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. After playing it, I figured out why the Street Fighter series became so popular. Its fast and furious fighting, beautiful graphics, and stylish gameplay makes this an easy game to recommend.

First, we'll start off with gameplay. You have three types of punches and kicks; a high, medium, and low punch, and that's talking about damage, not position. I was originally a Tekken fan, so it took me a while to get used to having even the shoulder buttons as attacks. Some buttons work as all three punches and kicks. As the fight builds on, two meters will build up: the Super and Ultra Meter. The Super Meter builds up automatically, yet the Ultra Meter, also known as the Revenge Meter, builds up as you get hit, to turn the tide of battle, or end a round with an Ultra Combo Finish. Super and Ultra Combos are very stylish, and can take away nearly half of a full health meter. The Super Meter also helps with doing other special moves. Combining two specific buttons will let you do a throw move, and a new move called a Focus Attack. It's basically a charge up attack that lets you absorb one punch or kick, and then counter it. Each one has his or her own Focus Attack, which adds to the variety of modes you can do.

Next, the visuals. Street Fighter has it's own art style, with elements of ink in a lot of aspects. For the first time in Street Fighter history, it uses 3D grapics, but Street Fighter still remains a 2D fighter, either in homage to the arcade days, or that they know it just works well like that.

The modes are perfect for a fighting game. It has an arcade mode, which tells the story of each individual fighter, with an anime prologue and epilogue. I don't really like anime, mainly because of over-exaggerated facial expressions, and cutesy animals. But this wasn't so bad, since it doesn't have any of the things listed above. During arcade mode, just like the games of yesteryear, somebody else can join in locally or over Xbox Live/Playstation Network. Next, it has a Versus mode, which needs no explanation, and finally, it has Challenge Mode.

Flaws to this game, well, there aren't really much. It has a pretty cruel combo system. I would hit a guy 5 times, yet it would only say 2 or 3 hit combo, at the most. Street Fighter 4 demands your fastest button-pressing skills to the game. Some enemies are really cheap, especially the boss levels. For some reason, I decided to quit the game, but I kept coming back to it. But this game is perfect for beginners, like me. It has 7 or 8 difficulty levels, to put your skills to the ultimate test. The roster is pretty varied, and it has 16 characters already unlocked, and 9 more to unlock via Arcade mode. This game has been one of the greatest fighters I've ever played.

The good: fast and furious fighting, beautiful graphics, diverse roster, stylish combos, has all the modes a fighting game needs.

The bad: cheap enemies, cruel combo system, "bipolar" style.

Score:

9.0

Transformers: War For Cybertron Review

Transformers: War for Cybertron review by Raquay Holland

Transformers: War for Cybertron is a third person shooter game made by High Moon Studios released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. The game features a somewhat “prequel” story that happened before the movies, as this is probably the first game released for the franchise not based on a movie. As expected, you can play as Autobots, or Decepticons in all phases of the game.

The game has 3 features: a campaign mode in which you can play solo, or cooperatively over the Internet, a multiplayer mode which has modes like Team Deathmatch, Domination, or Free-for-all, and Escalation, which is like Zombies from World at War and Black Ops.

First, the campaign. It pretty much seems similar to a lot of shooters released in recent times. You kill a lot of enemies, and you move to an objective point. Oh, and you'll encounter tons of bosses along the way. Your arsenal of weapons include machine guns, snipers, shotguns, grenades, melee attacks including swords and hammers, rifles, and your vehicle weapons. Your robot can transform into a car, truck, tank, or plane. All this in 10 chapters, 5 for both factions. Once you beat the game, you might still be occupied, as the game offers 3 difficulty levels. Yet, it may seem a bit repititive, and bosses really daunting.

Next, multiplayer. You will get a variety of modes. All the modes include Team Deathmatch, Free-for-all, Domination, a somewhat unique mode called Countdown to Extinction, where you try to place a bomb into the enemy's base, King of the Hill, and Code of Power, where you fight for a giant melee weapon. You are offered 4 classes, each with their own weapons, perks, abilities, and even health amounts. The four classes are Leader, Scout, Soldier, and Scientist. You can level up, and get new weapons, just like Modern Warfare.

Finally, there's Escalation mode, or Zombies if you prefer. You can play as any official Autobot or Decepticon, depending on the map you're playing on. You can get more maps and characters with the DLC that has been released. No more explanation needed here, really. You get points for killing enemies, and can have up to 4 players cooperatively playing. Sound familiar? Also, you can spend your points on health, ammo, other guns, or more passageways. Once you've taken a lot of hits, you can be revived by other players.

All in all, Cybertron is definitely a great game if you're a Transformers fan. If your a shooter fan, though, don't shy away just because it's third person. It's actually a good shooter, and has some good multiplayer options. The campaign can deliver quite a challenge, but isn't that what it's supposed to do? Really, my regrets are that it doesn't have any local capabilities for multiplayer, which can bite in the butt for anyone that doesn't have an Xbox Live or PSN. Connection issues might be a problem, but it might just be my router. If you have a working network connection, like shooters in the third person, and like games that may have a lasting appeal, than this is the game for you.

The good: solid campaign, multiplayer is fun, especially Escalation, you blow stuff up, great story for transformers fans, good controls, great graphics, replay value.

The bad: no local capabilities, can be VERY hard.

Score:

8.5