March Video Game Preview Thread

RC Cola · Mar 29, 2006

The Battlefield 2 demo is now available to download for the 360.

More reviews (switching back to Gamespot reviews, when possible, due to IGN's review of KH2 ):

Rumble Roses XX (360)
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/rumblerosesxx/review.html?sid=6146750

Rumble Roses XX introduces a few positives into the original game's formula, but too much of the content feels recycled, and the game's sense of sexuality is still rather unseemly.
The Good: A decent bit of variety and strategy in the wrestling; great graphics; online play.
The Bad: The game's voyeuristic aspects are kind of creepy at times; not enough variety in the costumes and editing functions to make them worthwhile; gameplay becomes predictable after a short time; single-player experience is just kind of confusing.
Click to expand...

Gameplay
7
Graphics
8
Sound
6
Value
6
Tilt
6
Overall
6.6 Fair
Click to expand...

6.6 at Gamespot, ~71% at Gamerankings.

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires (360, PS2)
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/dynastywarriors5empires/review.html?sid=6146757

Once again, the Empires expansion of Koei's long-running hack-and-slash action series turns out to be the bright spot amid the doldrums of endless button-mashing, thanks to some legitimately interesting strategy.
The Good: The empire mode is bigger than ever, with more scenarios, policies, and officers; the strategy elements of the empire mode make the repetitive battles far easier to stomach; a good, solid chunk of content.
The Bad: Battles still tend to get rather tedious; 360 version looks more like an original xbox game than a 360 game.
Click to expand...

Gameplay
7
Graphics
6
Sound
6
Value
7
Tilt
8
Overall
7.1 Good
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7.1 for the 360 and 7.2 for the PS2 at Gamespot, ~72% and ~74% at Gamerankings.

Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2)
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/kingdomhearts2/review.html?sid=6146742

Kingdom Hearts II is a long, cameo-infused joyride that improves upon the original and manages to be quite entertaining despite some minor problems with the gameplay mechanics.
The Good: Many improvements over the previous game; fixed camera angle and new gameplay dynamics; tons of guest appearances and cameos; wonderfully rich familiar environments; excellent voice acting and music.
The Bad: The standard level of difficulty is far too easy; some of the square characters are given horrible dialogue; gameplay relies too heavily on button mashing.
Click to expand...

Gameplay
8
Graphics
9
Sound
9
Value
9
Tilt
9
Overall
8.7 Great
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8.7 at Gamespot, ~90% at Gamerankings (7.6 at IGN???)

Harvest Moon: Magical Melody (GCN)
http://cube.ign.com/articles/698/698879p1.html

Closing Comments
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody will be the final GameCube version, and it is by far the best. The sheer depth of gameplay will impress even the most seasoned veterans, and the difficulty is there as well. While it will be a bit of a struggle for new players, Magical Melody is well worth the learning curve. The package isn’t perfect, suffering from dated graphics and bland audio, but it has it where it counts. For anyone who considers themselves a true Harvest Moon fan, this one simply can’t be passed up.
Click to expand...

8.0 Presentation
There are a ton of elements brought back from the originals, but a bit more life in the AI would have helped a ton.
5.5 Graphics
True, the gameplay is what makes Harvest Moon spectacular. It seems that gameplay was the only focus, however, as this one looks like a less-than-average Animal Crossing design.
6.0 Sound
Basic, but gets the job done. There isn’t anything special happening with the audio presentation, but the compositions can still be quite catchy.
8.5 Gameplay
Magical Melody is just as tough as the originals, offers a ton of depth and is a blast to play, whether you’re a seasoned veteran or first-time farmer.
8.0 Lasting Appeal
This one will last you until Harvest Moon for Revolution and beyond. The only annoyance is the simplicity of special events.
8.2
Impressive OVERALL
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Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble (PSP)
http://www.gamespot.com/psp/action/viewtifuljoe/review.html?sid=6146703

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble retains the same great style and attitude on the PSP, but the game is too fast and frantic for its own good.
The Good: Great storyline featuring familiar Viewtiful Joe characters; this game retains the slick presentation and style the series is known for; good music and voice acting; special content and game sharing exclusive to the psp.
The Bad: The action is just too chaotic and confusing; it's often difficult to tell where your character is on the screen, especially in multiplayer; battles consist of frenzied, unsatisfying button mashing ; unbalanced cast of characters.
Click to expand...

Gameplay
6
Graphics
8
Sound
7
Value
7
Tilt
7
Overall
6.9 Fair
Click to expand...

6.9 at Gamespot, ~67% at Gamerankings.

Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers (PS2, PC, XBX)
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/698/698711p1.html

Closing Comments
Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is a good sequel that's worth looking at if you enjoyed the first one. The multiple teams, added tanks, verticality, precision fire, the stepped-up AI, and the much-needed multiplayer modes are all smart, value-added features.

The game doesn't, however, advance much once you get going. With the exception of harder levels, you feel like you're playing very similar mission types with no real feeling of progression. The level designs are actually more interesting than in the first, but there is still so much repetition, so little feeling of advancement, growth, or evolution that each level feels like the last one. The controls also pose the same problem as before, only there are more, and the enemy is more aggressive and moves more often and faster. You, of course, have more weapons in your arsenal, but things like shooting an enemy in motion and having no solution to up-close combat would have been really nice.

As it is, FSW: Ten Hammers is a good game with similar problems returning from the original. All of the new features really serve to please the original hardcore gamers, rather than open the game up to any potential new ones. Still, if you want hardcore strategy and military sim gaming, this is for you.
Click to expand...

8.5 Presentation
Ten Hammers gives players a much smarter training session, but fails to deliver any kind of interesting story.
8.5 Graphics
These visuals are still very much like they were in 2004. They were superb back then, but almost two years later, they're just really good. There is also a distinct lack of polish.
7.0 Sound
The dynamic soundtrack is comparatively disappointing. The dialog is weak and cloying, and the story is pretty much absent.
8.0 Gameplay
The new features are good in some respects -- the tanks, second stories and split teams -- but they bring their own set of problems to the ones that weren't solved from the first game.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
Co-op makes its triumphant return, online and on Xbox System Link. The adversarial mode is an excellent addition. Too bad the PC and PS2 versions offer fewer players.
8.2
Impressive OVERALL
Click to expand...

8.2 for both PC and XBX while the PS2 got a 8.0 at IGN. ~75%,~72%, and ~71% at Gamerankings.

RC Cola · Apr 1, 2006

To finish up the reviews:

Top Spin 2 (360)
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/sports/topspin2/review.html?sid=6146970

Top Spin 2 has no ambition to redefine how tennis games are played. It just delivers a responsive and well-rounded tennis game that shouldn't be missed by fans.
The Good: Fun, responsive gameplay; engaging and varied career mode; lots of great, subtle detail in the sound design; maria sharapova; surprisingly deep player creation.
The Bad: Menus plagued by the same three, generic tunes; facial features can be eerie; less-than-optimal camera angles.
Click to expand...

Gameplay
8
Graphics
7
Sound
8
Value
8
Tilt
9
Overall
8.2 Great
Click to expand...

8.2 at Gamespot, ~74% at Gamerankings

Far Cry Instincts Predator (360)
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/699/699291p1.html

Closing Comments
Complaints about FCIP being a high resolution port of FCIE aside, what really matters is if the game's still fun. In FCIP's case, it's definitely fun. Killing things with feral powers is always enjoyable, and the expanded multiplayer options help to keep this game entertaining long after you blaze through the new single player content. If you're thinking of buying this game, consider the following. If you never played FCI before and are looking for a new shooter experience, by all means get this game. If you were a big fan of FCI and don't care much for slightly improved graphics, you'll be better off with the Xbox's FCIE, which allows you to import your existing created maps. If you were one of the many waiting for a true sequel to FCI, keep waiting.
Click to expand...

8.0 Presentation
Excellent multiplayer interface and it's always interesting seeing the plot play out from the first person perspective. The story could have been stronger.
7.5 Graphics
They can be impressive at times, but too many of the textures and character models are reused from the Xbox version.
8.0 Sound
Minor gripes about gun effects aside, the game still sounds very good. Ambient sounds, voices and musical tracks are strong.
8.0 Gameplay
A lot of fun to play, especially with the feral powers, but still largely the same as FCI. Enemy A.I. and reactions to being shot need to be improved.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
Though there are two single player games here, FCI has been out since last fall, leaving little new to keep you interested. The excellent multiplayer and map editor will keep you coming back.
8.3
Impressive OVERALL
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8.3 at IGN, ~81% at Gamerankings.

Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code(PSP)
http://psp.ign.com/articles/699/699660p1.html

Closing Comments
I was eager for Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code to deliver on the promise of the original with all the newly-added features and improvements in presentation, and the first couple of hours into this RPG started to pay off. Sure, it started awkwardly, but as soon as I hit the hidden temple and an explosion revealed a half-dozen cloaked spies following me while knocking me unconscious, I felt that the Untold Legends franchise might have finally arrived. However, deeper into the game, I was skipping dialog scenes and avoiding battles just to get somewhere interesting. My character was already nearly maxed out in every of the ability rankings I cared about by the halfway point, and battling a dozen enemies at a time was no big challenge. I was done with using the special moves and was instead just button-mashing my way through everything. The projectile enemies were annoying more than anything else, while the brutes were no threat (but I did like the critters that trapped you inside mini-battle spheres -- at least they were hungry for a fight), and nothing exhibited anything resembling AI or tactics. And when the game had to have me pretend to be feeding the Bulwark (supposedly a ravenous creature of the swamp) by killing creatures in a random corner of the level (I didn't even get to see the danged Bulwark -- I went in imagining a Sarlaac Pit with teeth and tentacles and powerful hunger, but apparently, all a Bulwark is in Untold Legends is an unmarked part of a wall), I had lost belief in the game's fantasy.

In multiplayer, there are still elements of Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code to recommend, and as a pure, raw action fest, it's faster and more wild than the original. But it wasn't much of a story to experience, and the novelty of playing an action-RPG on a portable has worn off. I had a good deal of fun bullying through the game for a while, but that was mostly because most realtime RPGs have the power to get you going -- it takes something compelling to recommend one over another, and in this case, The Warrior's Code doesn't have that something. You might still like it if you get it, but except for building up your own Friends List, you won't have much reason to recommend it to others.
Click to expand...

6.0 Presentation
Several steps forward, but it still feels like a game trying to stretch a cheapie handheld budget out as far as possible. The first game sold great -- why was so much done on the cheap here?
7.5 Graphics
Everything is more sharp and colorful, with tons of special effects thrown in. Still, you can only dress up the same uninteresting locales so much. Also, the foreground objects get in the way.
7.0 Sound
Music is much better (after the awful midi last game, it'd have to be), but there's still not a lot of it to go around. Sounds are killer on headphones. Voice-overs by ZRO Limit / Animaze are classy.
6.5 Gameplay
It's faster and more technical than the first Untold Legends, but the botching of Attacks of Opportunity is a crime, and the character balance just isn't very good this time.
7.0 Lasting Appeal
Because of the linear structure and simple storytelling, single-player feels shorter even if it plays longer, and replay isn't all that compelling. Multiplayer, however, makes up for a lot.
6.9
Passable OVERALL
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6.9 at IGN, ~67% at Gamerankings.

Any games I didn't post were probably delayed to April or even delayed further than that.

1UP show:

http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_0210_640x360.zip (WMV)
http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_0210_320x180.zip (QT Low-res)
http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_0210_quick.zip (QT Hi-res)
http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_0210_psp.zip (PSP)
The show talks about Oblivion, Brain Age, GDC, Ninety-Nine Nights, and some other things.

I got a late start on the April thread, so that might be out later than normal.

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March Video Game Preview Thread

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