TPM Game Reviews

[Razola]

"Borrowing" the same idea over in Other Anime, I think a review thread for Video Games would be nice to have for those that don't look at or trust other gaming sites. Or just people who want opinions from other TPMers.

So if you've played a game recently, just go ahead and write a short or long review of it here. To keep things organized, let's make the ratings on a scale of 0-10, and clearly mark the title of the game and the system you played it on.

I'll get things started:

Game: Beyond Good & Evil
System: Gamecube (also on PS2 and X-Box)

BG&E has been out for almost two months now, but I feel the need to review this because it is not selling well. I can't stand by and let another Yu-Gi-Oh game do well while a game truly worthy of praise gets ignored. Not that Ubisoft needs more praise: Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow Six 3 are all excellent games. The company has worked hard to earn your respect. Here's another reason why you should:

BG&E is best described as a game that does a little bit of everything. It runs on a engine similar to Zelda's, yet has less emphasis on battle and fetch-quests. Everything done, from boat races to stealth missions, isn't very deep, but is very well done. Controls are sharp and it's all fairly fun. The only gripe is that stealth is too heavily focused on. All the other game bits are in small doses, but the "dungeons" of BG&E are very stealth based. And it isn't deep like Splinter Cell, so you'll tire of it after a while.

BG&E is a beautiful game as well. All of the characters are well designed, and I enjoyed the backdrop of this game. The sound is also excellent. There's always chatter, be it from NPCs or televisions or radios. When combined with the graphics, it helps to draw you into the fairly interesting plot.

The main concern is that BG&E isn't long, and has little replay value. But since it's drastic price drop to $20 US, that isn't as strong an argument against the game as it was when it costed 50 bucks.

BG&E is a solid game. It shows that not all games have to be outstanding to be good. Just put a little time and effort into it, and make it fun.

Verdict: 8 out of 10

[Master Rudy]

It's been forever since I've written a game review mainly due to the fact that not much has caught my intrest as of late. Once Metal Gear Solid comes out for the Cube you can bet I'll be comparing the GCN and PSX versions. In the meantime here's the most recent review I've done. This was written when DBZ: UB22 hit the US shores early last year. In the near future I'm going to try to get something new posted here along with some of my classic reviews ^_~


UB22 finally hits the US shores after 8 years. However did it stand the test of time?
NOTE-This review is for the new US version that was released in 2003.

If you talk to any Dragon Ball fan about the games you'll likely hear about how bad they tend to be. Over the years we've seen some real stinkers such as Final Bout. We've have some that were borderline such as the recent GBA games. While they aren't that bad it's likely you will remember those two as games that you could have saved $60 on and rented instead. Finally there are those that stand out above the rest. Idainaru Dragon Ball Densetsu is one of them that fans tend to love. Also it's debatable if Budokai would rank as good when compared to other fighters. However as a DB game I believe it's another stand out title.

Of course one of the games that's bound to come up when you talk about the DBZ fighters is Ultimate Battle 22. It may not be the best looking game around but it got the job done. Since it's original Japanese release in 1995 it's been one of the more popular DBZ imports (or so I've heard). One would think that a US release would not have been far behind when the anime was starting to become popular in the US. However it never came. Finally after what seemed like forever UB22 saw it's US release. No need for importing now! Now you can play it without the hassle of mod chips and converters.

The question is does the game still manage to be fun in 2003? And how well does it stand up to the original version?

Gameplay-10
Sometimes simple is the best way to do something. Anyone who has played the import should know what to expect. Those of you that have only played Budokai but didn't like it's combo based fighting system are in for a treat. UB22 plays just like an old school fighter. The closest thing you could compare it to is Street Fighter. Of course unlike SF you can expect the usual stuff you see in DBZ games such as flying and ki bars. Once again those of you who have only played Budokai are in for a surprise. You can launch your ki attacks at any moment you want be be warned. If you don't have enough ki your character will tire out for a few moments and be able to do nothing. Knowing how much ki is needed for an attack is something important that you must keep in mind at all times. UB22 has an inital choice of 22 characters from DBZ. However with a code that's actually printed in the instructions and is also availble here at Gamefaqs you can add five more characters to the mix. SSJ3 Goku, Chibi Goku, Master Roshi and Mr. Satan are four of the characters it unlocks. In addition you also get Gogeta from one of the DBZ movies (Looks like someone goofed in the translation and called him Vegito instead. OOPS! ^_^;)

As far as modes go you've got your standard arcade mode and two player mode. However UB22 also has a tournament mode and a mode called build up. The main thing you do in that mode is choose your character and as you win fights you get a bigger life bar, stronger attacks and less ki usage among other stat boost. After saving to a memory card you can then use this character in a fight against another person's build up mode fighter. All in all this game is still a very good way to have fun.

Story-1
The point where the game takes a big blow. Originally the game had cut scenes for certain big moments in the anime such as Goku fighting Frieza following the death of Krillin and Gohan fighting Cell. However they have been removed from the US release of the game. In any case you are not missing much at all. Without any kind of story mode UB22 is one of those games where you are expected to know the storyline. You don't need to know it to play but without that knowledge your bound to have many questions about character relations, good guys, villians, ect.

Graphics-6
Once again removal of cut scenes hurts the game a tiny bit. While there may not have been much animation to those scenes it was pretty neat to see some good looking hand drawn models of the characters before a fight. Anyway seeing that this game was from 1995 you can expect it to be a bit outdated. Sadly the character models and attacks don't look their best. For an early PSX game it didn't look very bad. However many believe DBZ: Hyper Dimention for the Super NES managed to rival UB22 in this area. I know you've got to consider the fact that this game has nearly 30 characters but I honestly believe that in this day and age that it is possible to have been able to improve the way it looks just a bit. On the bright side keep an eye open for the opening video at the start of the game ^_~

Control-8
UB22 plays like a winner here. Anyone who has touched a Street Fighter game shouldn't have any problems here. Just don't expect to master everything in a few minutes if your not someone who plays fighters often. Some of the directions needed for certain attacks are just crazy and require a quick yet smooth motion to get them to work. Expect to spend some time trying to master the attacks of your favorite character.

Sound-10
Fans of DBZ subbed will be pleased to know that the game has kept the original Japanese voice acting intact. However not having the English voices might be a bit of a turnoff for those of you who are use to the English dub. However while I do like the Japanese voices this was the main reason behind removal of the cut scenes. Like I said before you aren't missing much. However it's a problem that could have easily been taken care of. I could be wrong but I honestly don't think it would be that hard to get Sean Schemmel, Stephanie Nadolny, Kyle Hebert and other key members of the English voice cast to do several samples for the game.

Complaints
Except for a lack of cut scenes none at all. It was a problem that could have easily been taken care of with either subtitles or English voices.

Replay Value-Medium
While it may not be high compared to other games keep in mind you've got build up mode and the tournamet. Both are great ways to test your skills against your friends.

Buy or Rent?
Not many stores I know of still carry PSX games for rental. If your unsure try Blockbuster first since some just might have a copy. As for DBZ fans think about adding it to your collection. It's only $20 and at that price you can't go wrong. As for those of you with the Japanese version there isn't anything new. You might want to stay away and save your money.

Final score (Not an average)
8 out of 10

Reviewer's Score: 8 / 10, Originally Posted on 04/22/2003

[Red Angel]

Oh, why not?

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

To quote EGM: "Nintendo and Square to bathe together in zillion-dollar bills."

Story: Bleargh. This is a "world undergoes mysterious changes, therefore bunch of spunky kids must bring it back to normal" kind of plot. There are some cool touches here and there, but overall, if you want plot, go play Golden Sun
5/10

Graphics: Since the last GBA game I played was Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the graphics here were a little underwhelming. Still, they're clean, bright, and colorfull, so there's really nothing to complain about.
8/10

Gameplay: Well, I can't say much for the game outside of battles. It involves two things: Class management (which is very cool and kinda addicting) and traveling the map (this is done point-and-click style, so it's quick and painless). The battles, on the other hand, are the soul of this game. Lots to think about, from positioning your characters to minimize damage from area-of-effect spells to matching the right attack to the right opponent, it's very complicated but lots of fun. Against low-level enemies (and there are lots of these) the battles become a simple manner of getting close enough to your enemy to clobber them with whatever.
8/10

Sound: Very well done, but the GBA's crappy speaker ruins it. If you have a nice pair of headphones, then it's very nice to just sit there and listen to the overworld tunes.
8/10

Replay Value: Well, with the hundreds of different party combibnations possible, its safe to say that this little cartridge has replay value up the wazoo. Unfortunately, after you've gone through the game a few times... well, unless you adore the battle system, you will just no loger care about playing, since you do the same things over and over and over ad nauseum.
7/10

Overall: Good game, so if you need a good RPG (the GBA is a little short on them at the moment), pick it up. Just remember that patience is very much needed to enjoy this.

Final Score: 8/10

[probationsmack]

the one thing i dont trust about most game sites is that they tack a number on everything, which just justifies why there is a tremoundous surge in damn.............................................. ...short attention spans
please think about NOT including a score, so that way people will actually read it,
ill be working on an ffcc review for abit though, without a score

[The Muffin Man]

Game
Viewtiful Joe

Story - Meeh...Joes girlfriend is kidnapped, and brought into movieland. Joe must follow her and becomes Viewtiful Joe. That's about the gist of it.
4/10...
After you learn the REAL plot
7/10. I can't reveal it, for spoilers.

Graphics - Depends on your taste or lack thereof. If you like cel-shaded graphics and bright colors, you'll love this game. Otherwise, the graphics may make your eyes bleed. This games color is very robust. Every color stands out, every line is prominent, and all the graphics are crisp and smooth. There's SLIGHT clipping, but it's usually stupid crap like your cape around your legs. Otherwise, graphics are beautiful and crisp. Even when it's grainy, choppy and "worn out" as normal Joe, it conveys the image of an old movie so well.
10/10

Sound - Voice acting fits the characters, although not the lips, and is pretty decently done. It's kind of hokey, but then again, that was the aim. All in all, the sound is really pretty good.
8/10

Action - Sweet baby moses this game SHINES in this area!!! Every punch and kick looks and feels more devastating as you riddle your opponent with blows. From the Red Hot One Hundred to the Red Hot Kick, to the basic(and some may say mandatory) Slide attack, every hit has its' own use. Easily one of the fastest-paced and fun games out there today.
10/10

Replay Value - Depends. If you're the kind of guy who has to unlock EVERY LAST CHARACTER, ITEM, AND TRICK, you'll be playing it ALOT. If you just wanna get the characters and have fun, then not alot. All in all I'd say decent replay value.
7/10

Overall(not averaged) - 10/10. Easily one of Gamecube/Capcoms best.

[Razola]

Originally posted by probationsmack
the one thing i dont trust about most game sites is that they tack a number on everything, which just justifies why there is a tremoundous surge in damn.............................................. ...short attention spans
please think about NOT including a score, so that way people will actually read it,
ill be working on an ffcc review for abit though, without a score

I'll go one better, I'll purposely post a random number from 1-10. So if they don't read it, they may end up buying a crappy game...or avoid buying a good one.

[probationsmack]

final fantasy:crystal chronicles
system: nintendo gamecube
recommended players: 2-4

Final Fantasy Chrystal Chronicles is no final fantasy, but thats actually saying something for it, because i am usually dissappointed with the genres monotnous gameplay composed of randombattles, boiling down to using the one same successful
strategy in said battles, staring at stats development that usually doesnt amount to anything as the creatures just get tougher and tougher, and a tradition of predictable stories that attempt to be epic and fail me. Final Fantasy Chrystal Chronicles is not most of these things, but it still has its unique flaws, all with a pretty face.

Concept
The world is covered in miasma, a poisonous gas to the four humanoid races, and to keep it at bay are crystals that emit a barrier to the miasma. Towns and cities naturally form around the crystals. The catch is the crystals can only withstand the miasma for one year before sputtering out (theres one example ingame). To prevent their doom, each town sends out a group of caravanners entrusted with a chalice. Their goal is to seek the "water of life" from trees that produce myrhh, a substance capable of rejuvenating the crystal for another year.

Gameplay
This is an action rpg (and i myself would use that term loosely), you bombard monsters with weapon strikes and spells until they expire, collecting treasure, fighting bosses, and raising statistics representingyour defenses and attack strengths. Four different styles of combat are available for some decent customization. The chocobo-esque (or skekie, if you know what that is) yukes can cast spells much faster than ther other races, liltys (think munchkins from oz) propel in hand to hand combat, selkies (indians?) are quicker in general and have some interesting long distance options, and clavats excel at defense. The game also offers 8 slots for characters, so the player (or group) can create plenty of alternatives for gameplay, one day i may feel like i want to be a badass mage, so ill pull out my female spoon yuke.

Once you set out of your hometown, notice that the caravan moves along preset paths on a worldmap. There is no pointless sprawling fields to explore, and everything from dungeon to town to seaport is labeled and in plain view. This is a tad constraining on those who live to explore the hidden unknown in rpgs, since there isnt much gameplay outside of the dungeons in crystal chronicles. Towns seem to be more for ambience and cosmetic for the game then much else, their only major purpose being weapon crafting, but it serves its purpose well. Dungeon gameplay is what this game is about, and the worldmap constraints were probably place so that young gamers wouldnt be offset by the unnecessary downtime prevalent in most rpgs (which they poorly compensate with random battles).

Before entering a dungeon, a woman wiht an irish/scottish/whatever accent will describe the situation, whether its hell on earth, a quite retreat, or tonberrys who dont cook dinner fast enough. From here you set your command list, which is basically what abilities are available to you depending on what equipment and such you have in stock. The command list can be altered anytime afterwards in the dungeon. Because this is an ACTION rpg, the mechanics constitute frolicking around with the analog stick, cycling through your availabe abilities with the l and r buttons, a button confirming your actions, and b being the confettie button, its role changing upon the situation.

Oh i almost forgot. the chalice. Remember that i said the world is covered in a lethal gas, fatal to the humanoid races but monsters practically thrive in it. To protect yourself from the miasma, your chalice emits a safe zone that covers about 80 percent of the screen, step outside of this and youll take damage. This is extremely integral to gameplay, especially so in multiplayer mode. In multiplayer mode, it feels right. In towns for instance, which are all safe zone, me and my brother are stubborn and try to run our own ways and frustrates until one of us gives in and goes along with the other. This BS doesnt happen in dungeons. Whoever has the chalice decides the direction of the party, and dissenters can suck miasma till they keel over. However, the moogle who carries the chalice in single player mode is a pain in the ***, constantly bickering about me having to carry the chalice and asking for it back after i walk with it for two seconds. supposedly cutting its hair can change this, i have yet to check it out. And yes, there is a moogle salon feature, allowing you to paint your moogle and cut its hair. its sure quirky enough, and it has some effects on the game if you use connectivity in single player mode.

Back to the gameplay mechanics. Battles are done in realtime, which means constant movement and action is required to dispose of your enemies before they do you in. The l and r buttons switch between your attack,defend,item,and spell command slots depending on how you configure it. You can opt to hack and slash your opponent to death by simply tapping the a button while the attack option is highlighted, or you could HOLD a, resulting in a different variety of attack . That is a focus attack, one that usually has varying strengths and effects from regular attacks depending on the weapon you have equip. the yukes hammers deliver a shockwave effect, while the clavats usually do jumping attacks, allowing you to avoid spells being aimed at you while you are bounding toward yours enemy. Spells work entirely off of focusing. Exactly like attack, a ring indicating the area the spell covers appears after a brief chargeup period, and the ring can be moved or aimed anywhere on the ground within a certain range. releasing the a button then unleashes the attack/spell (or both). The developers take this fun concept a step further, and allow for a mix and match spell system that relies on magic combos to produce new spells and effects. For instance, if two fires spell rings are stacked on top of each other and are released at the same time (multiplayer) then fira will result, firaga from three etc. But if you tweak timing with your partners so that one fire is released right after the other, you get a much more explosive fira. Excellent.

The other elements of gameplay include the cutscenes that are mostly generated randomly on the world map. this serve to try a unique method of generating a story and although sometimes events look awfully familiar, its one of the few moments ingame where you can appreciate the brilliant character designs upclose. This is not what some have come to expect from square, nothing usually epic, instead they are usually talking about farming methods, politics, etc, although the few exceptions are somewhat tense . Encounters on the world map sometimes provide items, but always provide diary entries, which fill up with the random (and required) encounters so sense can be made of it. Besides this there are the towns, which serve to craft weapon and armor and accessory designs gained elsewhere, and provide a little ambience. I particularly like the yuke city. Family structure also plays a role, as each individual character created will interact with their respective families, usually through the moogle mail service (ala ff9). Depending on how you respond to your families throuh letters, youll gain items and equipment, what you get depends on what trade your family paricipates in(fisherman,alchemist,farmer, blacksmith). Also, family give discounts to their kin when you directly shop with them at hometown, so use this to your advantage and trade with your friends.

The game as a whole feels like it has some major potential, but it just seems to fall short, a tad bit underdeveloped. The family system is a very interesting idea, yet there are plenty of jobs that, if you do choose for your family to specialize in them, feel useless compared to others. Why be a miller and get barely useable bread when you can be a blacksmith and get weapon discounts? Furthermore, the game could also include a bit more outside of dungeon play, but I wouldnt be sure how, perhaps include a buttload of multiplayer minigames, eh? so far ive found one, and it feels like a chore to play. Unfortuneatly, dungeons do not change substantially enough from year to year, while this seems it would have been an obvious addition to the game that would have made each repeated dungeon trek a fun new challenge. But i will admit that they change *slightly* and sometimes will require extra things from you to... fix things. Single player mode is actually a multiplayer preparation mode in denial. Its a tad boring, a tad simple, and the only really good potential in it is that you can raise your stats, gain new equipment until your friends can come over again. The connectivity was a tad overemphasized, and i would have appreciated if they omitted some features that felt tacked on ( a chart showing your your family's feelings for you, a screen showing what foods you liked)

And now to address the concerns of naysayers, and their obivious lack of insight to the games better points

"the chalice sucks, stupidest idea ever"
its incredibly irritating when you have four characters on screen who want to all in their own direction and everyone is too stubborn to do otherwise. We give the chalice to whoever has the level map, and they decide where the party goes and decide whether or not to consider are suggestions. It works. Even in the heat of battle i can appreciate this concept. We were fighting this aztec ghost boss who has a shock spell with incredible range, aimed right in the center of our bubble. the whole chaos of running to the "safety" of outside the chalice's range to avoid this deadly attack felt strangely satisfying, despite us taking a tad bit of hurt from the miasma.

"the leveling up is way to slow"
in other rpgs, gaining stats through exp feels like loaded numbers (lies) to convince the player they are developing. Actually, a new monster that can still knock you out in one hit is just around the corner. bull****. Gaining stats in ffcc is different. You collect artifacts in a dungeon that temporarily boost your stats until you beat the boss. Then all of the artifacts collected in the dungeon will be shown and each player may pick one. Once the boss has been vanquished, a screen will appear that details what everyones goal was in the dungeon. this goal was only known to each player via their gba, ranging from "deal damage" to "defeat enemies with spell fusion". Whoever accomplished their goal the best, gets first dibs, which becomes very important when everyone is eyeing that "magic+5" artifact. This instills a wonderful sense of competition while still cooperating. The stat gains, although they take awhile to accumalate, actually feel like they are at work. Monsters noticeably die faster and dont do as much damage. Another point to bring up is that this system makes it much harder for your friends to outperform you. To paraphrase tycho from pennyarcade, 'ya know what i hate about multiplayer rpgs? you take a break, miss a few days a week, and when you get back with your friends they are ryding wyervens and are all level awesome and you're level bull-****, that never happens in crystal chronicles'. Other bonuses include gaining more command slots and the ability to learn spells permanently, which brings me to my next point

" i absolutely hate how i cant keep spells between dungeons"
thats right, everytime you leave a dungeon you lose any spells you pick up, and im glad its that way. It offers an
incentive to explore the dungeon, and not head straight to the boss. It also offers a challenge, especially when you lack the component spells for gravity and extremely dangerous zu birds are aplenty. But guess what people, if you are willing to work hard, you CAN retain spells between dungeons. Find the necessary artifact and have the sexy ability to keep spells permanently. Wow, i love this system.

and thats my shabby review. i wouldnt recommend this game as a must buy, but the kind of game that if you do indeed pick it up and have all of the necessary equipment to enjoy it with friends, one should be able to appreciate it very much, and be able to see past the flaws and apprecate the glimpses of brilliance this game has to offer.
Oh, and the graphics are beautiful. Thats all ill say about that.