Review: Monster Hunter (PS2)

Graphics- 7/10
Sound- 8.5/10
Gameplay- 8.5/10
Replay Value- 9/10
Overall- 8.5/10

Monster Hunter by Capcom is an RPG in which hunt monsters, like the title implies. However, the main premise of the game is to carve dead monsters for parts which the player uses for weapons and items. This system, whether it sounds like it or not, works very well, and creates a fun and unique experience.

As soon as I heard about this game, I was excited. The whole monster-carving thing seemed like a cool idea. Thankfully, it worked very well, because now that I think about it, it could have been horrible. This game has both single-player and online multiplayer. At the time I got the game, I didn't have online, so I played offline. The offline part is okay. You talk to the town elder to get quests. They start off incredibly easy, and gradually get harder. The difficulty is rated by stars, with 5-star quests being the hardest. The thing is, in the first 2 stars, you barely hunt any monsters that can cause you significant harm. But in 3-star quests you get to fight more deadly prey. Unfortunately for me, I was really bad at first and had horrible weapons and armor. If I were to have reviewed it then, I probably would have given it a 5 or a 6.

But then my friend encouraged me to get the online because he said he was getting it, so I decided to finally get online for my PS2. This move was well worth it. The online portion of the game is very well done. First of all, there are more monsters you can fight. These are mainly ones that would be too hard to fight offline by yourself. This brings me to my second point: more materials to carve. These are used for the third point: more armor and weapons. The variety is truly incredible. The weapons get more powerful and the armor protects more. Also, there were a ton of people online to play with. Another advantage of online play: playing with someone better than you to get better stuff for yourself. Most of the quests from offline are here, but the game gets right to the action with some hunting quests in 1-star. There are up to 6-star quests online, with the 6-star ones being near impossible to beat alone, and still hard to do with 4 HR 20's (HR = "Hunter Rank" = level of character; 20 is the highest level). There are some quests that are very easy for 6-star (kill 20 ioprey), but also some that are very hard (powderstone, four horns).

The graphics in this game are decent; they sure could have been a lot worse. But there is so much clipping in this game that it's a little distracting. The soundtrack however, while a little repetitive, is very well done. It is orchestral, and fits the mood of the game very well. The sound effects also work well, although they are repeated for several different weapons.

If this game doesn't sound like a game for you, it might not be. It does take a while to get a very good character, especially if you play offline. The game also gets repetitive, even with all of the different weapons, armor, and enemies. Also, the game has been out for a few years. While there are still people online, there are only about a third of the amount at the game's peak. That doesn't mean you won't have fun, though, because the game is fun. It just means there is probably a different game you will like more. Also, a sequel has been out in Japan for a while, but it doesn't seem like the sequel is coming here to the States. Strangely enough, though, Monster Hunter Freedom has been released for the PSP, and a sequel is scheduled to be released later this year.

Pros: Lots of monsters, tons of upgradeable weapons, orchestral soundtrack, online.
Cons: Gets repetitive after a while, graphics could be better.

Review: Eric

Review: Super Mario 64 DS (DS)

Graphics- 9.5/10
Sound- 10/10
Gameplay- 9/10
Replay Value- 10/10
Overall- 9/10

Messing with one of the greatest games of all time? What are they crazy they? What...it's actually good? Oh, then it's ok.

As you can tell, when this game first came out I was very nervous, they could really screw up one of the greatest games of all time. After it came out it started to get positive reviews and it put my mind a bit more at ease, but I still wanted to see for myself. Now that I own the game, my mind is 100% at ease. Much like New Super Mario Bros. they managed to stick close to the original formula while still adding plenty of new stuff, so you aren't buying Super Mario 64 (which still would have sold really well.) The biggest update to this game is the graphics. They have been updated greatly and some levels even have new graphics all together. When I say the graphics have been updated, I guess I really should say they have been sharpened, because that is what really happened. As for new graphics, go to levels like Tick-Tock Clock to understand what I'm saying, but certain aspects of the game have new stuff on them....it's hard to explain. Another update is to some of the levels, they have newly added parts. While some levels are kept the same, other have newly added areas, usually pertaining to a new star. Usually these new areas are fine, however I strongly disagree with what they did to Tick-Tock Clock. They added more floor. Anyone who has played the original will know that falling from type of significant height almost always assures you death. Now its near impossible to die. To test this I randomly jumped of the edges 10 time and I only died twice.

As I hinted at before some of the stars have been changed. However, the main thing with the stars is the addition of them. In the original game there were 120 stars, now there are 150. one of the big ways that this is achieved is with the "5 silver stars" star. This is basically like the classic eight red coin missions, only with five silver stars. Along with that there many other minor changes made to the stars that only hard-core players of Super Mario 64 will notice. Believe it or not the star-changing is not the big problem that I have. The biggest problem that I have is the controls. More specifically the D-Pad. This game is meant to be played with an analog stick, end of story. Nintendo tried to fix this problem by adding the option to use the touch screen as an analog stick, and well that just doesn't work. It is way to hard to get used to and can end up costing you a lot more lifes than the D-Pad costs you (I can't tell you how many lifes it has cost me.) Other than that I really have no big problems with the game. Could the graphics be better? Maybe, but they will do just fine and there are only a few instances where you notice them being poor. In fact, I was impressed at the leap between this game and the original cartridge for the N64. The other big thing with this game was the multiple characters. This works a lot better than I thought. All the character have there own abilities that make you think before you attempt to get a star. Yoshi can to his classic quick feet movement that gives you an extra little bit on your jump and can save you in tight situations. Mario can do his wall jump. Wario is extra strong and is the only one that can break the black boxes. Finally Luigi can jump really high and do a helicopter move after a backflip so he can gently float to the ground.

This is one of the main reasons I purchased the DS as was the original with the N64. Fans of that game will love this game for it's added content and enhanced graphics as well as the multiplayer aspect, which isn't half bad. The multiplayer is basically seeing who can collect the most stars in a certain amount of time, but you can hit the stars out of other player leading to utter chaos. It's unfortunate that you can't play the mini-games as multiplayer. The mini-games are unlocked by catching rabbits throughout the game and most of them are really good and incorporate the stylus well. Enough rambling, the bottom line is this game is well worth the 30-35 dollars you will pay. Buy it.

Pros: Enhanced graphics, Multiple characters, Multiplayer, More stars, More stuff in general.
Cons: Controls, Some level/Star changes are for the worse.

Review: Dan

Review: Gripshift (PS3)

Graphics- 7/10
Sound- 8.5/10
Gameplay- 6/10
Replay Value- 6/10
Overall- 6.5/10

Gripshift for the PS3 looked like a nice racing game to get since there aren't too many games out right now, and for only $10 and loads of content, I decided I couldn't pass it up. However, it gets repetitive quick and after you realize this, nothing will keep you coming back for more.

If you read my preview of Gripshift, you know that I thought Gripshift would get repetitive. And it most certainly is. There are a nice variety of tracks, and although I'm not sure about the exact number, there are a LOT of tracks. Unless you have OCD and you must complete every game you own 100%, you will get bored. And even then, you will still probably get bored. This game is incredibly repetitive. To worsen the situation, the game features a steep learning curve. There are five difficulty levels: beginner, easy, intermediate, hard, and insane. Beginner is too easy. Easy is mostly easy, with some occasional hard objectives that require excellent timing to complete. Intermediate is somewhat easy, but starts to get a lot harder. Hard is pretty damn hard. Insane, well, to be honest, I gave up on this game before I got to insane, but I imagine it would be pretty freakin' insane. The game gets hard fairly quickly, and people with short attention spans (me) will get bored really quickly.

To mix up the gameplay, there are a few different environments the tracks are in. They all look nice, but there was nothing that wowed me. The cars also are well done, with cartoony graphics that actually add to the gameplay in the same way Katamari Damacy's did; it draws you into the experience. Also, the game features a techno soundtrack that fits well into the game. The soundtrack has good songs, and plenty of them, I think somewhere upwards of 30. I don't listen to techno, but I found several songs that I like.

That about sums up the single player section. Except for the racing. Yea, the racing... it's not very good. In the preview, I thought it was too easy. Well, the race that was featured was the first race in the entire game. The racing is easy in beginner and easy, a little harder in intermediate, challenging but still doable, and insane is near impossible. The racing features a "weapon system;" I guess you can call it that. There are three items: shield, TNT, and rockets. The shield is self-explanatory, the TNT is like a bomb or a mine, and the rocket is a homing missile. Simple enough, only the homing missile, the most useful of the weapons, has a tendency to suck. Turn sharply, and it will zoom right past you. And don't even try to use it on loops; it will only hit the enemy if they are two feet in front of you. The only multiplayer is online, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, except for there aren't many people online. On the plus side, there is a good sense of speed, and the game does feature simple and easy-to-use controls. So if you have $10 to spend and you need to play a decent racing game on the PS3, or you really like techno, buy this game. Otherwise, this game is a pass.

Pros: Only $10, soundtrack, simple controls, lots of tracks.
Cons: Repetitive, steep learning curve, repetitive, nobody online, repetitive.

Review: Eric

Review: Dynasty Warriors 4 (PS2*)

Graphics- 4/10
Sound- 6/10
Gameplay- 4/10
Replay Value- 6/10
Overall- 5/10

The 4th part of the Dynasty Warriors series- not much has changed... and that's a problem, a BIG problem.

Dynasty Warriors 4 is simple enough. You're in ancient China fighting thousands of cloned foot soldiers, squashing them like ants. As you rampage through the bland battlefield, a rock'n'roll soundtrack with a hint of the orient rages. This is the basic premise of Dynasty Warriors 4, just like 2 and 3.

The gameplay involves using the same two buttons to attack over and over again, making the game horridly repetitive and boring. Although you might find a few power ups and mounts such as horses and elephants along the way, it doesn't change. I've said it and I'll say it again- this game is PAINFULLY repetitive... As well, the graphics are so bland it's like you never change battlefields. Although the game allows you you to use different characters and unlock more along the way, it still plays the same in the same bland battlefields. The only bright spot is the music, for some. The mix of hard, metal rock and Chinese instruments might be welcomed by some, but it'll be annoying to others. The graphics, as I said, are bland. Although the player characters are actually well designed, the enemies in the game are all the same, and most of the time, that's all you'll see- the cloned soldiers and you. And as for the environments, I've already mentioned them- not good.

Dynasty Warriors 4 is a game that uses the same gameplay, same enemies, same environments, and same music throughout... no thank you.

Pros: Some might like the music, and the player's character looks cool.
Cons: Repetitive, repetitive, and repetitive. Bland environments and bland enemies.

Review: Vedran

* Also for Xbox, review only for PS2.