- AK_the_Twilight
- Rank: Mishima Zaibatsu
- Member since: Feb 26, 2008
- Last online: 05/21/13 8:11 pm PT
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AK the Twilight has a blog
I mostly post here concerning games and my reviews, which I try to upload thoroughly and/or as frequently as I feel. If you comment on one of my blog posts, I'll return the favor and comment on yours. Hope you like the reviews and the blogs!
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18Aug 09
AK here, back with a review of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It's taken a long while for me to finish this game, but it was one amazing experience. See the review here!
After visiting the Rock Band 2 store and downloading "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys, I decided to see what Sony had up their sleeve for Gamescom. Little did I know that they'd pull out all the stops and debuted a ton of great announcements.
PS3 Slim Arrives: Long rumored to exist, the PS3 Slim elusively jumped around the gaming world, but finally, Sony has changed up the design of the PS3, all with 120 GB. It looks odd to me, but it doesn't scream "megalith" the way the original did. It doesn't seem like a huge departure, but it's sleek design may change the impression towards the gaming masses.
PSN Returns: New content like the under-100-MB "Minis" and digital comics could well change the PSN's image. The smaller, more casual approach towards PSN games is impressive, and being able to play some great games without taking up the memory is a good idea in my book.
Price Drop: After the infamous "599 U.S. dollars" announcement so long ago, Sony has made great strides towards making their machine a hit, and this could be the best announcement heard from Sony in a long while. The new $299 price point is what gamers were asking for since 2006, and Sony delivered.
I've been wanting to buy a PS3 for a long while. The price was what was really getting in the way, but Sony solved that issue. Thanks to some much needed PSN support, Sony is making me a believer. Yeah, backwards-compatibility would've helped, but I don't plan to lose my PS2 anytime soon. I want to play games like Infamous, Uncharted, and God of War III, so I'm aiming for a PS3 purchase soon. Kudos, Sony. Kudos.
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14Aug 09
Hello, everyone! AK has been hard at work with his games, finally able to review one of the best fighting games of this generation! Here's AK's take on Blazblue: Calamity Trigger for the Xbox 360!
I decided to return to an older Wii game that I started a long time ago but never finished. Surprisingly, it's a sequel to one of my favorite games of all time. I'm speaking of course of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. After getting distracted with games like de Blob, returning to Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was great. I nearly forgot how much fun it was. It's easily the best shooter I've ever seen on Wii, but from what I've played, it has its share of good Metroid puzzles. It doesn't have nearly as many puzzles as the original Metroid Prime, but they're good. I'll have the review of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption up once I finish the game.
But in between bigger games like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Blazblue, I revisited the Rock Band 2 store and picked up some songs from my all-time favorite band, Gorillaz. The three-pack, consisting of "Clint Eastwood", "Feel Good Inc.", and "Re-Hash", was a must-buy for me. Though I think they could've picked a better song than "Re-Hash", I'm thrilled to finally be able to play through my favorite band ever with plastic instruments. Now how about some Mars Volta, Harmonix?
With the summer winding down, my review schedule is bound to be altered. I may not be able to review as many games as I did back in July as quickly, but I do plan to make time for games. But academics must come first, so here's an appropriate heads-up to those who keep track of my reviews. Also, I will still blog here on Gamespot, but I may not have a review added to the post every time.
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5Aug 09
Here's another review from AK! Check out AK's take on the bloody, open-world adventure, Prototype for Xbox 360!
Well, I was able to get back in the swing of things after reviewing Prototype. It's good, because I still have more games to play, like Blazblue and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
Okay, so...big news! Xbox 360 update news. First up: Xbox 360 Games on Demand. Am I excited? Well...no. I'm one of these guys who likes having an actual copy of a game, especially if it's the same price as (or cheaper than) a regular game. I'm careful with my game discs, so I do like actual copies of a game instead of simply downloading them, whenever possible that is.
Next, Avatar Marketplace. Big whoop. If you check my 360 avatar picture, yes, I did pay for that VGCats Aeris icon. I liked it a lot, and wanted to buy it with actual money. Yes, ACTUAL MONEY. But I'm not sold on having an RC Warthog jeep for my little avatar guy to mess around with, especially one that costs money. I'm all for extra unlockable content, but don't expect me to be spending my Microsoft Points on stuff in the Avatar Marketplace until something really cool comes out.
Like a Mastodon t-shirt or something. You know, like, band t-shirts of bands in Rock Band 2. Ya hear that Harmonix? Make it happen!
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3Aug 09
Hello everyone! AK has another new review, this time for Wario Land: Shake It! for Wii. Check it out!
This was one of my toughest reviews to write, tougher than any other game I've reviewed. If you've written a review before, you may recall having to give your game a score. It seems simple for really good games or really bad games, but when I reviewed Wario Land: Shake It! I was torn between two distinct numerical scores. I pondered my final decision long after I had finished the game. Usually, once I finish a game, I think about it for a while and I am able to score it in my review, immediately weighing the pros and cons and delivering a numerical verdict that sums up the whole thing succinctly. Sadly, this wasn't the case with Wario Land: Shake It! I was stuck, essentially, and I couldn't give the game a numerical score after completing it. After pondering the score, going through my review over and over, counting up each point I made and their importance, I was able to finally give the game a proper numerical score.
Any up-and-coming reviewer is bound to have this issue. While it's great to review a really good game or even a really bad one, but it's when games are somewhere in the middle that you need to weigh how good each component is and how bad each problem is. It's a serious challenge for reviewers to decide games' qualities with a single number, so I have the utmost respect for those who are able to determine a game's quality with a number frequently. It's not easy at all. Instinct and reason can only get you so far, and this was easily the toughest review I've ever written.
One can ramble on and on about how great a game like Metroid Prime is or how bad a game like Big Rigs is, but when you get into that grey area, things get complicated. I think I've hit that mark with this review.
So enough about me and my review problems. Question: if you've written a review, has this ever happened? When you are stuck in between a set of scores, trying to finalize a review?
Simply food for thought.
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30Jul 09
Hope everyone's doing well. I must admit that I've been very busy with reviews these days, with a grand total of eight this month. I most likely won't finish another one before the month's over, but I'm still keeping at it. Speaking of which, here's AK's take on Naruto: The Broken Bond for the Xbox 360!
As for Wario Land: Shake It!, it's not really what I expected. The game is very good-looking, I must say. The anime-esque cutscenes and Wario's crazy actions are really fun to watch. The gameplay, so far at least, is challenging. The levels are short, but the missions and hidden treasures are definitely worth going back for. What I didn't expect was the overall design: like I said, the levels are short, but they're almost too simplistic. Regardless, I'm liking how serious Shake It is about returning to the Wario Land roots. Side-scrollers are some of my favorite types of games, so I'm trying Wario Land out with an open mind. Look for the review soon.
I also was able to download a video off of Xbox Live, one of my favorite TV shows ever: Megas XLR. If you don't know, Megas XLR follows a car and video-game enthusiast named Coop and his wise-cracking pal Jamie, who find a giant robot in the local junkyard. Turns out that the giant robot was a stolen prototype from the future, where humans battle the enemy aliens, The Glorft. In an effort to save the robot from the enemy hands, an intelligent space-soldier named Kiva sends the robot back in time, right in the middle of Jersey City. Coop, being the gearhead he is, changes the robot's interface, allowing it to be controlled by video game controllers and driving gears. Kiva goes back in time to retrieve the robot, only to find Coop's new controls to be too complex for her. Only Coop can control the robot now. When the Glorft follow Kiva back in time, it's up to Coop to save the world.
What's so awesome about Megas XLR are two things. First, it's full of anime/videogame references. Enemy robots look suspiciously like Gundam models and Coop's videogame controllers are similar to everything from the PS2 controller to a DDR mat. Second, it's every anime fan's dream. Who wouldn't want a giant robot that you can control with game controllers fighting enemy creatures to save the world? It's awesome.
I'm still waiting for a DVD release for Megas XLR, but being able to download my favorite episodes over Xbox Live is a good alternative. My favorite episode, Breakout, follows Coop as he picks up a new game cartridge (which looks a lot like an Atari cartridge), only to have it release space criminals instead. It's a riot, and worth checking out. It's been awhile since it was on Cartoon Network's Toonami block, but it's great to relive one of my favorite TV shows after its broadcast end.
Take care everyone!
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27Jul 09
AK is back with double the review goodness! First up is the review of PS2 platformer Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Also, I have a review of the Fallout 3 expansion, Point Lookout for 360!
As for the return to Konoha, I'm checking out Naruto: The Broken Bond for 360. From what I've played so far, it's a lot like Rise of a Ninja, only this takes place during the attack on Konoha by Orochimaru. Big whoop. The game has some slight mechanic improvements, but from what I've played, a lot of the problems in the design of Rise of a Ninja have snuck into this sequel. The missions haven't wowed me yet, and the frequent battles with rogue ninjas and thieves really drag the experience down. On a lighter note, the main storyline is well done and well voiced. I want to see the legendary battle between Naruto and Sasuke soon. It's a decent enough Naruto title thus far, but we'll see how things round out in my full review of The Broken Bond coming soon.
I'm also planning on trying out Wario Land: Shake It! for the Wii. After playing de Blob, I realized how much I missed playing my Wii, and Wario Land looks to be a great way to reassociate myself with Nintendo's latest console. I've heard great things about it: side-scrolling roots, impressive graphic design, and Wario! Awesomeness!
Take care everyone, and enjoy the summer while you can! Autumn is right around the corner!
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21Jul 09
Hello again, everyone! AK's been very busy these days, mostly in part to this addictive game known as de Blob. Check out my review for de Blob right here!
It's been a while since I've found some Rock Band DLC that I really liked. I bought some Underoath DLC a few weeks back, and I was wondering when there'd come a day that I'd find some that I really did enjoy. Today is that day. Harmonix unloaded a slew of awesome tracks. The Rise Against pack is great; "Prayer for the Refugee" is a great song, and the inclusion of two new tracks from Rise Against's new album Appeal to Reason were a solid move (though I think "Audience of One" would've been cooler). Second is some stuff from punk band Rancid, although I'm not too familiar with their work. I do like "Ruby Soho" and "Time Bomb" though. Awesome. Last but not least is Kings of Leon. Though I'm unfamiliar with their other songs released on the Rock Band store, their chart-topping hit "Sex on Fire" is up for download. That opening riff is addictive, I tell ya.
After the complete joyride that de Blob was, I'm wondering what to invest my gaming time with next. Surprisingly, I'm quickly growing addicted to Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy for my PS2. It's a light platformer, but it has all of the gameplay elements that I like: puzzles, collecting, jumping, and plenty of humor. The voice acting is great; Daxter is an absolute riot. It's quickly becoming a favorite to me; Naughty Dog really did a great job on this. It's far from over, but I'll be enjoying this one, I'm pretty sure.
Take care, everyone!
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17Jul 09
Hey, everyone! I've been pretty busy playing Pokemon Emerald; I almost forgot how addictive the Pokemon games are. Well, here's the review!
Gaming news! Rock Band is actually opening the doors to user-generated songs! When I heard this, I was shocked, but intrigued. I mean, independent musicians will be able to get their music out through Rock Band. While I'm no musician myself, I'm really excited to see what kind of new content will be released. I really think Harmonix is making a great move with this, as user-generated content has become a big hit since the release of games like Little Big Planet. Being a fan of Rock Band since its gaming inception, I think that this could be the next big step for the series.
With Pokemon Emerald now out of my gaming focus, I'm looking back at my long list of games that I still need to play. Fallout 3: Point Lookout is an option, as is Blazblue, de Blob, and my recent Arcade purchase, Ikaruga. I have sooo many games I still need to play.
Take care everyone, and keep on gaming!
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14Jul 09
AK's back! Feel free to check out my review of Mirror's Edge for the 360!
Aside from Mirror's Edge, I've been investigating an old RPG for the Game Boy Advance: Pokemon Emerald. Yeah, I know that Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum are available for the DS, but I wanted to complete the GBA trilogy before I move into the DS territory. Either way, I'm playing Emerald on my DS Lite. Thank heaven for the GBA slot! (As you can see, I don't plan on getting a DSi anytime soon).
I almost forgot how addictive Pokemon RPG's are. When I played Ruby and Sapphire, I tried to mix up my roster as best I could. I selected Ralts as my standard Psychic in Ruby, Grumpig as my standard Psychic in Sapphire. I decided to try Gardevoir again. Keeping my levels together is tough, but I can easily say that I'm having a great time playing Emerald. I haven't even gotten to the sixth Gym Battle yet; I'm too busy keeping my Pokemon's levels equal! In Sapphire, I raised a Cacnea into Cacturne (one of my favorite Pokemon in the Hoenn region), but since I chose Treecko as my starter in Emerald, raising another Grass-type wouldn't be the best idea, in my opinion. Fire-types are rare in Hoenn, while Water-types are easy to find. Hmm...it's still fun.
I'm going to start the review once I get further in. I can say for now that it's incredibly addictive. I remember getting hooked on past Pokemon games, and this one looks to be just another example of a handheld RPG done right.
Take care everyone!
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8Jul 09
Hey, everyone! It's taken some time, but I'm back to reviewing games at a generally steady pace. My proof: AK's review of Excitebots: Trick Racing for Wii!
I noticed that one of my reviews got put in the Community Blog here on Gamespot (thanks for the note, Gameblender!), and wouldn't you know it, I got a new emblem! Top 100? Seriously?! Well, to everyone who's been reading and/or recommending my reviews, thank you so much. I really put serious effort into my reviews and it's wonderful to see people liking them, especially the higher-ups at Gamespot. It means a ton to know that people are checking them out. Once more, thank you, and I'll keep writing reviews to help out everyone here.
I also picked up some new games: de Blob for Wii and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for PS2. I've actually played MGS3 before and completed it, but I never got to review it. All I know is that it's fun, and I really want to play it again. de Blob, on the other hand, is brand new to me. I haven't been playing my Wii too much lately, aside from Excitebots, so playing de Blob looks to be just what I needed to reaquaint myself with the Wii.
Thanks again to everyone, and happy gaming!
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6Jul 09
Hey, everyone! I'm back and I have a new review! Here's AK's look at the Prince of Persia game for the 360!
I have so many games that I need to check out these days. I recently picked up Blazblue: Calamity Trigger for the 360. I'm a bit of a sucker for anime games and the game is presumebly the spiritual successor to Guilty Gear, one of the best 2-D fighting games of the modern times. I'll review that soon.
I also gave in and picked up the Point Lookout expansion for Fallout 3. I wasn't a huge fan of the combat situations in Fallout 3, so I didn't pick up Operation Anchorage or the Pitt. The exploration and dungeon crawling of the Capital Wasteland were my fortes, and Point Lookout looks to deliver that. I've already encountered a side quest and it seems to have another morality issue that will need to be dealt with. Yeah, I'm a bit of a goody-goody when it comes to those: that and I don't want to get shot by random people in the swamplands. The boardwalk, the first real thing you see in Point Lookout, is astounding. It's so run-down and decrepit; you just know something creepy is coming. It's crazy, but it's sooo fun.
Lastly is Excitebots, whose review I've begun. It's fun to be able to play baseball, soccer, football, fishing, butterfly-catching, or darts while racing. It's kind of weird, but really addicting. Even the online play is good, despite being a bit limited, but you can actually bet stars (the currency) during online matches. Awesome.
Short, I know, but that's what's going on. Not much other big news I can recall. Happy gaming everyone!
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30Jun 09
Back from the dead, AK really doesn't have much to say, but here's a Guitar Hero: Smash Hits review. Hope you enjoy it!
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10Jun 09
It's taken a long while for Sony to officially announce the next redesign of their specific handheld system, the Sony PSP, but finally the public is able to take a serious look at the product. Though it has yet to be released and will remain out of gamers' hands till Fall 2009, the PSPgo! has brought up a number of praises and complaints from gamers everywhere.
Let me begin by saying that I own a PSP currently, though the only games that I've bothered buying are the original Sonic Rivals and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, the latter being a game that I've begun playing, but have yet to seriously master. I recently went online with my PSP, finally gaining access to the Playstation Store. I even picked up a demo of Rock Band Unplugged (which is surprisingly addictive, but that's for another blog). For the couple of years or so that I've had my PSP, I haven't even been able to take it on the go much because of the battery life, and the whir of the UMD drive has annoyed me, despite the increase in graphics and sound that the system provides. I liked being able to listen to music and browse the internet, but as stated before, there isn't much room for this because of the battery life. The PSP library itself has plenty of unique titles, and it pretty much covers all of the bases in terms of variety. You get your many sports and action games, along with a platformer or two, and plenty of classic RPG's. Sony's recently put another foot forward in terms of games, with exclusive titles like Rock Band Unplugged and a new Assassin's Creed, along with the Playstation-only franchises of Resistance: Retribution and Little Big Planet. It's a bright future for the PSP, I absolutely must say.
So, onto the PSPgo.
The biggest change is the implementation of digital media instead of the loud and battery-attacking UMD drive. I, for one, find this to be a marvelous inclusion, but like many others, the problem of these UMD-based games that I own (as few as they may be) is a serious issue. Sony has claimed that they will use a "goodwill" system to replace UMD's with digital games. The problem with that is that there are so many PSP games and there's a good chance that not all of the games will be represented. However, this will make the system faster and easier on the battery, IN THEORY.
The second change is the design, which is probably its most discouraging factor. The slidy screen looks fragile and the button placement just doesn't seem to nail it. And yes, we know that there's no second analog stick. I haven't yet held the PSPgo in my hands so I can't judge, but from what I've seen, it looks pretty uncomfortable.
I do have to say that it's near impossible for Sony to put a serious dent in Nintendo's handheld supremacy. Nintendo has had a hold on the portable market for what...like 20 years? It's surpassed competitor after competitor and still has managed to keep its momentum going. But for the record, the Sony PSP has probably been the closest of any competitor to taking a piece of the pie from Nintendo. The success of the Monster Hunter series has been a major factor in Sony's success in the Japanese and North American markets, but you can only run on a single franchise for so long. But Sony's attention is divided in this: not only are they trying to make a gaming system, but also a multimedia system. This is another great reason to use internal memory for sure, but now both Apple and Microsoft are major competitors in that market, and trying to sell in both types of markets isn't the best way to win.
But the ultimate question is "should I buy it?" That's up to you, but I'm probably going to keep my older PSP just in case. As thrilled as I am about a strong digital download service on a handheld system, Sony has a lot to learn. Overall, though, the PSPgo has potential. It looks to be the way to go for newcomers to the PSP world, but for the rest of us, we'll have to wait out for Sony's implementation of the UMD exchange program.
And a price drop. I mean, $250 bucks? Are they serious?
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6Jun 09
It's been over 80 hours in the making, but I've finally completed The Journey in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES. What a wild ride, I must say. While I wasn't blown away by the battle system, I did like its fluidity. It wasn't too complex, and in some regards, it reminded me of Pokemon. You can only hold a certain number of Personas, each with up to eight moves each, so it felt familiar and new all at once. The storyline, quite honestly, didn't feel too fresh to me. However, the characters really impressed me. Each had their own stories, personalities, and abilities throughout The Journey. Many of the Personas themselves were remarkably unique as well, and had plenty of unique properties to mix, match, and manipulate into something truly powerful. There's a ton of versatility in the Persona system and finding out what Persona is best for battle is fun on its own.
My review for Persona 3 FES will in the composition phase after I complete The Answer, which will take approximately 30 hours to complete.
Next up, the PSP Go! Now, I have a PSP, but I rarely play it. The two games that I have for the system are Sonic Rivals and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness. With the PSP Go!, however, I'm very intrigued in the 16 GB of memory and the ability to save games to the PSP's memory instead of on UMD. Though the design is a bit cumbersome-looking, I do like the way that Sony has implemented such technology into the handheld. What really matters, however, are the games, which Sony has definitely shifted into high gear in producing. The idea of putting Little Big Planet onto a portable game system is a great way to go, as is presenting a new Metal Gear game. Sony has a ton of catchup to do versus the Nintendo DS system family, but I did find the PSP Go! to be pushing handheld entertainment in a great new direction, especially compared to the Nintendo DSi, which isn't really that impressive in my eyes. All in all, I'll have to see more from Sony to constitute my purchase of the PSP Go!, but at this point, it's looking very promising.
With E3 over with, I can finally return to full-attention gaming. Along with the rest of Persona 3 FES, I have some more games that I need to check out. I was able to pick up Guitar Hero II for cheap, along with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy and Final Fantasy Tactics A2. I want to be able to play through the first Jak game before I move onto Jak II, which I also picked up for cheap. I'm also interested in both Prince of Persia for the 360, and Excitebots: Trick Racing. I'll be sure to check those out too.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed E3 in one way or another, and happy gaming!
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2Jun 09
Okay, so the big three have shown off their wares at E3 2009, and talk about a day of surprises. I've decided to present my personal opinion to the three conferences, each one describing what I liked and didn't like in each one, ultimately presenting my favorite game shown.
Microsoft: Microsoft really did have a good year at the last E3, but something tells me that they're starting to cave in to the casual gaming market. No better evidence is the NATAL project, a full-body motion camera and voice recognition piece of hardware. Now, a lot of people are really excited about this. I personally find it to look frustrating. I don't want to yell at my screen telling it to do stuff; I'd much rather use a controller of some sort. It feels too much like Sony's EyeToy taken to another level. Also, the "Milo" idea feels troublesome, and Peter Molyneux has a nasty habit of hyping up a huge game, even if this isn't much of a game at all. Not to say that I'm not happy with Microsoft's presentation. The integration of so many online worlds like Facebook and last.fm into the Xbox 360 is actually pretty cool. I was really excited about the New Xbox Experience months ago, and this is getting me excited as well. On the gaming side, Halo: ODST and the announced Halo: Reach look to be good continuations of Halo.
Personal Favorite: Alan Wake. Initially, I didn't know much about Alan Wake, but seeing the game in action really brought it into perspective. The dynamic storytelling and haunting environment in the demo were simply superb. I really liked how they presented the story and I must say that I found it better than many of Microsoft's other games that were presented and announced.
Nintendo: Nintendo struggled last year, bringing few hardcore titles and relying too much on the casual market's input. They were guilty of it this year too, but fortunately, they had a few surprises as well. New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks to be a great party game; it reminded me of Smash Bros. in fact, only a bit less intense. The appearance of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was a surprise, with Mario exploring new worlds and even letting Yoshi appear. The revival of Golden Sun was another shocker. The Wii Motion Plus looks to be worth it, as I am one of many who want to see how Red Steel 2 pans out. Although it could've been better, (more new IP's could've helped), Nintendo apparently has made some strides toward satisfying both hardcore and casual markets...
Personal Favorite: Metroid: Other M. ...and no better example is this. I loved the Metroid Prime series, and seeing the trilogy-conclusive Prime 3: Corruption was a heartwrenching moment. I was shocked when I saw that Team Ninja logo appear in the trailer, and I began wondering who that blonde lady was. Once they showed Samus in her Chozo armor, everything changed. The mix of third-person action and first-person combat reminded me of Ninja Gaiden, but the visceral beam and blasts were amazing. 2010 is already looking to be a winning year.
Sony: Sony's conference last year was actually quite good, and so was this year. They've finally nailed the connectivity of the PS3 and PSP, and the Playstation Network is getting on the right track. They did seem to neglect the PS2, but the PSP and PS3 stood tall. The PSP Go!'s internal memory is an excellent idea, as is the ability to download or purchase at retail PSP titles. I'm hesitant to purchase it, however, with its rather steep price point. The PS3's collection of exclusive titles like MAG and Uncharted 2 show that they have some good titles in the works. However, the motion control just doesn't look innovative anymore. The tech demos felt too simple. When Sony was doing what they do best, presenting games, the show was great. Oh, and God of War III? Awesome.
Personal Favorite: Assassin's Creed II. I liked Assassin's Creed, but behind all the technical capabilities, there was repetition and redundance in the missions. Fortunately, Assassin's Creed II's new world, varied weapons, and awesomely created architecture impressed me. The new ancestor's two hidden blades are amazing, and I can't wait to see the other weapons and skills he's able to wield. The buildings and world design are astonishingly creative; I did find it fun to just wander the city in the original, and there seems to be even more opportunities to do that in the second installment.
Well, they're be more E3 goodness soon. Can't wait!
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18May 09
Hey folks. I've been plenty busy with games, but I have two new reviews ready to go. First up is the Ancient Greek epic, God of War. Check out AK's judgment on Kratos' first journey.
Next up is the Xbox Live Arcade version of Banjo-Tooie. Here's the review.
Okay, Activision is already prepping info for the new Guitar Hero. No, not Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, or Band Hero. This one is Guitar Hero 5. Yes, it's confusing, but here we go again. I do like the idea of letting more than one type of instrument be used at a time. That's nice. Also, the song list has some interesting artist choices: Bob Dylan, the White Stripes, and Kings of Leon to name a few. Regardless of Activision's current milking of the franchise, I can't help but get excited for a new band-based installment of the series. World Tour had an excellent songlist in my eyes, but we have yet to see what kinds of surprises that Activision and Neversoft have in store.
Aside from music games, I've recently returned to an RPG that I've been neglecting to play: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES. Now, I know a lot of people I know have played or are playing Persona 4, but I bought Persona 3: FES first, so I'm going to try and be at least a bit orderly here and try Persona 3: FES first. I'm not a huge fan of turn-based RPG's, but Persona 3 FES is easily one of the most enjoyable turn-based RPG's I've ever played. The battle system is great and the art design is simply spectacular. I also am addicted to the school and time-based actions. It's great to see Atlus merging the gameplay of RPG's with a realistic school simulation. The end result is versatile and full of surprises. I'm barely 10 hours into the 70+ hour Journey, and I also have to play through The Answer especially released for the FES version. It'll take me awhile, but it'll get done. Then I can set my sights on Persona 4.
Take care, everyone!
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12May 09
Sorry about my disappearance, friends, but I've been quite busy in terms of gaming. Thought I'd prove I'm not dead with a quick review of a little game called Halo 3. You may have heard of it. Hope you like AK's review of Halo 3!
As for gaming news, there seems to be a whole lot.
First, more Guitar Hero. I wanted to put in some No More Heroes pun in the blog title, but I didn't. Oh well.
I just recently bought Guitar Hero World Tour, a game I reviewed a while back (8.5 for score). It's a very good game, and I'm still standing by my claim of it being on par with Rock Band 2. But enough about World Tour. Apparently Neversoft is delivering no less than 3 new Guitar Hero games soon: Guitar Hero Smash Hits, Band Hero, and Guitar Hero 5. Seriously, we've already gotten the great Guitar Hero Metallica, and I can deal with a light re-distribution of traditional Guitar Hero songs under the Smash Hits, but that's enough. I love music games, especially the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. They're excellent combinations of music and games, but do we really need so much?
The Guitar Hero franchise seems to be getting milked. Activision is distributing these games more frequently than annually. I'm all for new music (one reason why I support Rock Band DLC). We'll just have to see how Guitar Hero will move in the coming months.
Next up, "new Pokemon". Although I'm not thrilled with re-hashing content, Nintendo has gotten my attention with Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. Gold and Silver are easily my favorite games in the series. The real-time clock, the huge amount of Pokemon to catch, the massive quest; it was so cool. Now they seem to be getting a DS remake. Even after 10 years, I still find the Pokemon series to have some of the best RPG content around, and remaking two of the best RPG's in history is hardly an issue. Let's just hope that Nintendo doesn't rely too much on re-hashed content.
Surely, more news will arrive. For now, I'll be playing games. Summertime!
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13Apr 09
I may not be a huge Metallica fan, but I did try out Guitar Hero: Metallica for my 360. Here's my review!
I admit, the DSi is taking the world by storm, though I'm still very hesitant to buy one. From what I've seen, the DSiWare hasn't really taken the huge step yet. While minigame collections and Brain Age exercises are cool, the DSiWare needs something bigger and better. As World of Goo and the Virtual Console proved for the Wii, accessibility can hide complexity. A World of Goo game on the go would be amazing, especially with the stylus. Also, we're still clammering for a DS Virtual Console, though I'm wondering if Nintendo is even considering it.
Also, the multimedia seems to be pretty low-key. Experimenting with pictures has been a major selling point, but the music format is pretty limiting and there just hasn't been an amazing integration of the DSi's major abilities. We'll keep hoping that Nintendo is planning some cool new additions to the DSi.
The DSi is not appealing to me, at least not yet. These obscure additions don't feel fleshed out and seem to suffer from the limitations of the system. I'm not convinced that the DSi will surpass the original DS and DS Lite, but really, I'm not the deciding factor. Everyone is.
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6Apr 09
Hey, folks. Sorry about my short disappearance, but I've been playing through one of the year's biggest games: Resident Evil 5. My review for RE5 is up and ready! Check it out!
So, there's been a lot of news going on since my last post. First up is the DSi. I've heard a ton of opinions about Nintendo's newest handheld and it's getting me pretty excited. I still refuse to give up my GBA slot, but I may consider buying a DSi once Nintendo shows off the concept a bit more.
Next up, Nintendo's storage solution. Now, I honestly haven't downloaded much from the Wii Shop. Among the few game I've downloaded are World Of Goo, along with some VC games like Gunstar Heroes and Super Mario Bros. 3. I haven't had many issues, therefore, with the storage of the Wii. If there's a game that has serious DLC like Rock Band, I pick it up for 360 instead. Regardless, Nintendo's solution may not be what everyone had anticipated, but it's a good solution and that's what counts.
Oh yeah, and the new Zelda. I never played Phantom Hourglass, but this does sound pretty cool.
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17Mar 09
Bloody, bloody, MadWorld finally gets the AK review treatment! Check it out!
As for the new Resident Evil game, I have mixed feelings. Though I've barely scratched the surface of Resident Evil 5, I'm not finding much scary stuff. The giant axe guy from the demo came close, but having a second character around doesn't make the game much better. It's frustrating having to balance between two characters with two inventories in real-time. I have yet to play the game with co-op, but it still doesn't feel much like a Resident Evil game.
Resident Evil 4 managed to keep the action consistent, while also keeping the scares going. In Resident Evil 5, it's in the daytime. You can't get too scared in the daytime. The controls also feel a bit off, even when playing in a traditional RE4 control setup (which is a control option).
I have a long way to go before I can fully review RE5, but I'll get on that and have the review up in the coming weeks.
