Lego Batman Review Posted by TurboPhoenix , Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 3:37 PM, in Labels: Review

The Lego games have been some of my favourites for a long time. As a child I loved Lego the most out of all my different toys, and even now there are a few kits I'd love to buy and collect, though I'd never actually play with them like I did as a kid. The Lego series of games keep the fun that makes Lego so unique. I picked this up for a mere $6.95 at EB.

The premise of the Lego games is, and always has been, pretty simple. Levels are linear, and you'll usually know exactly what to do to get to the next area. You take control of at least 2 characters, and each usually has their own talents, like jumping high or super strength. You'll need to use these talents to solve relatively simple puzzles and move on.

Lego Batman is no different to the rest of the Lego games. The setting and characters have changed, but it's still the same game underneath. This is by no means a bad thing. In this installment you take control of Batman and Robin in one mode, as well as many of the series' super villains in another mode. The stories of these modes remains the same, just in one you are trying to stop the villains and in another you are the villains trying to achieve your goals. Though the stories are the same between modes, the levels are not, so each story feels different from the other. The story is told though humorous cutscenes, and it's incredibly easy to follow, even though there is no spoken dialogue, as is a trademark of the Lego series.

During the levels you'll find yourself collecting things that will be familiar if you've played any of the other Lego games - there are 10 mini-kit parts per level, one red brick used to unlock cheats, and of course thousands of little studs. These studs, as always, are the currency in the game, and can be used to unlock new characters and cheats. The purchasable characters in this game aren't as interesting as they were in other games, due to the dual story; you unlock any characters you play as, meaning you'll unlock most of the villains as you progress. This is a slight annoyance to those like myself who usually take a break between levels to see what is new, but overall it doesn't affect the game too much.

So as you can probably tell, the old and often mentioned saying, 'If it ain't broke don't fix it', is pretty fitting for the Lego games. They're all ridiculously fun, even more so if you are playing with a friend, and have very little flaws. However... the flaws are there. They always have been there, right from the first Lego Star Wars game, and it's quite a shame that the developers, Traveller's Tales, are taking the saying too literally.

For instance, there are many ares with respawning enemies. This is a big no-no in game design, and yet it's in every Lego game I have played! Sure the enemies are easy to kill, but how are you meant to concentrate on the puzzles when new enemies appear from nowhere every 10 seconds? In fact, almost every flaw the game has is related to the enemies. Often they'll head straight for whatever character you're playing as, leaving your partner alone. Many times I've seen them run right by Robin and head directly for me playing as Batman, and Robin will just stand there doing nothing! And when your partner does fight, they may as well be whacking the enemies with a newspaper. I don't think I've ever seen my partner take down an enemy without me taking control.

Finally, the partner AI is pretty stupid. They'll follow you everywhere, but they won't really do anything other than that. There are usually doors that need opening by both characters standing on a switch at the same time, or pulling a lever at the same time, and the AI will do those pretty easily, but that's about as helpful as they get. Even that is sometimes painful. At one point I needed to get Batman and Robin onto a dual-person switch on top of a platform. Every time I got on the platform as Batman, I fell off and had to do it again, but Robin would make it on. Then, as I'd go back up, Robin would jump off and follow me! Surely it's not hard for him to stand there and wait for me...

That said, it's still an excellent game. Graphics are okay, nothing special, but they don't really need to be. The sound is great, with excellent background music and sound effects. Best of all is, and always has been in Lego games, the gameplay. As always there is lots of replayability here - my tip is to finish all of the stories, unlock all the characters and then go back and do each level again in free play, because you won't be able to get everything unless you've unlocked certain characters.

My verdict - Buy it! Don't make the common mistake of overlooking it because it's Lego. It may be aimed at children, but it's so much fun that you won't care.

Red Dead Review Posted by TurboPhoenix , Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 11:24 AM, in Labels: Review

Set in 1911, Red Dead Redemption is one of only a few games in the western genre. Why aren't there more games in this genre, I don't know. Frankly, I don't care, because this is the only one that matters. It's just that good.

You play as John Marston, a man who has lived his life in the classic outlaw fashion. He's robbed banks, shot Indians and ridden horses all his life. But his gang members betrayed him. Left him for dead. So he decided to turn his life around. Start a family. Go straight. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy. His past has caught up with him. The government is holding his family hostage, and he won't see them again unless he hunts down and kills his old gang buddies. This is where Red Dead Redemption starts.

The storyline is engaging. It's full of memorable characters, standard western cliches and emotion. For me, the last one is what matters most. Rockstar have built this story out of emotion, and they expect you to care about the characters, your actions and the overall outcome. They succeeded in this. I won't spoil anything for those who haven't played the game, but it does get pretty emotional at certain times. The ending is especially unique. It's unlike anything I've experienced in a game before, and it will stay with me for a long time. Everything comes together for something truly memorable.

But the story is not the only thing that is memorable. The overall atmosphere is the best I have ever seen. No exceptions. As you ride up to an abandoned house, you really get the feeling that it was once somebodies home. As you're riding across the plains you'll spot birds in the distance, the setting sun making them all the more visible and easy to spot. The sky darkens and rain starts to fall. You want to get out of the rain, even though it has no effect on anything. The thunder rumbling in the distance makes you want to snuggle down somewhere and sleep through the storm.

The first thing that makes up this atmosphere is the game world itself. First of all, the map is huge. Even after over 50 hours of play time, there were interesting places I was stumbling across for the first time. The world also contains varied environments: plains, deserts, swamps, woods and mountains. And in each of these environments live animals. These animals you can hunt, and sell their skins and meat for money. They aren't just there as a source of income through. They are there to make the world feel more real. This is an alive world, and the animals reinforce that. The only other Rockstar game with this kind of scope was GTA San Andreas. It was filled with open space, but it all felt empty. There is none of that here. You could be walking through a featureless desert and it would not feel empty, because you can see the hawks flying overhead, hear the coyotes barking and chasing each other.

Not only that, but the world is full of interesting places to visit. Classical western towns like Armadillo, Mexican villages like Chuparosa and the beginnings of a modern city: Blackwater. These places are filled with life. Dogs barking and running around, chickens pecking at the ground, raccoons sneaking around at night trying to find something to steal. But of course, there are the people too. The sheriff, putting up wanted posters outside the prison. Prostitutes selling themselves to anybody who will listen. Drunks staggering around the street. The people are just as important as the animals in making up this world.

The next part the atmosphere is the graphics. They are, simply put, amazing. I have it on 360, but I know the graphics are nowhere near as good on the PS3 (my brother has it on PS3. He has a much better TV than I do, and the 360 version is still better on mine) Usually I would say that the graphical difference doesn't matter, but it really does. This is the first game where I would say that graphics are as important to me as gameplay. Because they pull you into the world, and they keep you there. At the time of writing there are a few graphical glitches, but they are so minor that it's hardly worth mentioning.

The final part of the excellent atmosphere is the sounds. Hawks screeching from above, a train chugging past, wolves howling. These all serve to immerse you further into the world. And the music! The music is authentic western music, usually not worth mentioning, but the way it is used is just so perfect. Not to mention the typical saloon music you'll here as you pass a saloon in town. I thought I would miss the radio from the GTA games while riding across the plains, but I don't.

The gameplay is typical of a Rockstar game: varied and excellent. Dueling is fun, though I only really got the hang of it once I looked it up online. I probably should have read the tutorial more carefully. Everything else, from shootouts to riding your horse, feels polished and smooth. The only criticism I have on this part is that changing weapons in a hurry takes a bit of getting used to. The animations and physics have been stepped up a notch from GTA IV, and the difference is noticeable. While taking cover, John will flinch and duck as bullets come flying towards him. It really makes it feel more real.

Red Dead Redemption is a game that I hope I never forget. It's the best game I have played all year, and quite possible the best I have ever played. It really deserves all the praise it gets. And from me, it gets a 10.

Updates (11/12/09) and a mini-review Posted by TurboPhoenix , Friday, December 11, 2009 at 5:26 PM, in Labels: Review, Updates

Hey guys,

So, some updates eh. Um... Oh! I played and finished Ballad of Gay Tony recently. Fun stuff. Impressions:

Overall it's a great expansion. Better than TLAD? Yes. But not by much. Luis isn't a much better character than Johnny, and neither of them are as good as Niko. The story itself isn't so good... It's basically "Tony screws shit up, you go fix it." Seriously... that's how the last mission could be described. But the missions are stand outs. Pretty much every mission includes a shoot out or something else that is fun. None of this riding in formation until you get somewhere and then doing nothing. It's good too see more of Bulgarin in Gay Tony too... in the main story of GTA IV I had more or less forgotten about him. When he showed up to try to get the diamonds back I was like "Who is this dude again?". But he's a bigger player in Gay Tony. Which leads me to Gay Tony himself... he's a pretty pathetic character actually. Never does anything right, hangs out with douchebags and fills himself full of drugs.

Which leads me again to something else - the nightclubs. The story was meant to be based around the club scene in Liberty City... instead you only get to visit 3, and one of those is only open for one mission. Luckily you can replay missions after you have finished the main story, but it would be better to go in there without having a set objective. The clubs themselves are impressive - I really must take my proverbial hat off to Rockstar for creating such an impressive atmosphere. The pounding bass of the music, the lights flashing, people bumping into you... they really outdid themselves. I just with Bahama Mamas was open for more than one mission, because it is probably the most impressive of the 3. Hercules, the gay club, is rather small and boring. Maisonette 9, the main club, closely follows Bahama Mamas, in that it is much more like a real club. You can even enter the restrooms and listen to other patrons getting it on in the stalls. The music is great, as long as you are into club music - that is Dance, House, Electronica and the like. It's pretty memorable, though the additions to Vladiovstok FM don't feel like they belong there. I was playing Episodes from Liberty City ('borrowed' from my brother), so I didn't get the regular GTA IV soundtrack too, but up-beat dance hardly fits in with Eastern European music. I was glad to see Vice City FM added in there though, with our good friend Fernando Martinez as the DJ.

Finally, the new weapons and vehicles rock. I found myself constantly using the new SMG, shotgun (with exploding shells) and assault rifle, without bothering with any of the older weapons. The exploding shells shotgun is particularly fun. There's nothing like shooting a car and putting a dent the size of a fat dude in the driver's side door. The Buzzard attack chopper is fun as anything, though I do have one complaint. The missiles have no heat seeking on them, which is a real pain when you are tasked with taking out other choppers. Not to mention the minigun doesn't move - you have to move the whole chopper to aim. This is especially annoying in the first mission you use it in, where you have to blow up the boat you stole it from. So many times I almost plunged into the water. And finally, the N.O.O.S.E. APC. Especially fun. Just cruise around and blow anything away. But don't expect it to be smooth sailing... cause enough carnage and the frame rate will start to lag like a bitch. This isn't really a problem if you are driving the whole time, but if you decide to stop and take people out, or get forced into a corner, it's going to bother you.

TL;DR? Get it now!

In other news, uh... I don't really have much other news. Though I do have some upcoming blogs - I'll be doing more mini reviews, probably 2 at the same time for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and Prototype which I'll be getting for Christmas, maybe a blog on what I did with Jessica when she visits here (though that'll probably be boring, I don't think we will do too many interesting things) and possibly something about what I got for Christmas (I am expecting mostly money)

That's all for now... next blog will be before the 29th. See you then!

Oh, and I also added a new poll. Vote on it.