News Archive for November 2008
November 30, 2008
|
Visions of Reviews -- Little Big Planet |
|
|
Imagine a platform world where a burlap sack doll jumps around cardboard cutout baddies and where complex physics interacted with every object. Imagine a colorful platformer with photo realistic textures that's dripping with cuteness. And you can go there now...
From the Review:
Gameplay is reasonably simple to explain for anyone that's played a Mario, Sonic, or Oddworld game. It's a good old classic side-scrolling platform game; something we don't see a whole lot of these days since the 3D gaming world got started (thanks, id.) There are a few notable differences from the conventional side-scroller, however. Most notably is the 3-planes of gameplay. The world is rendered in 3D, and thus allows you to move toward the front of the screen or rear of the screen over three planes of surfaces. Of Equal or greater importance, however, is the physics system. The entire world revolves around a Half-Life 2 style physics system where everything has physics model to it. Everything from your sack person to mine carts, to hanging lights, to carryable objects, and even some platforms have weight, and this affects their movement. Moreover, all objects and surfaces have a surface type that affects their grip, weight, lighting, and other attributes. The physics is not just a graphical effect in this case, it is a critical component of how you play the game.
To read the full review, click "Review" below, or simply click the Little Big Planet image in the "featured" bar!
|
|
|
Visions of Reviews -- Fallout 3 |
|
|
In the triumphant return of the dystopian post-apocalyptic nightmare with 50's kitsch, Fallout 3 fills the dismal wish lists of long-time fans and new vault dwellers alike. Does it live up to all the hype, or is it a water chip short of a classic?
From the Review:
For as much of the game that has stayed the same, quite a bit has changed. The environment, stories, characters, and the like all have thankfully remained true to form, and the additions to the game are more than welcome. The style of gameplay has changed quite a bit though. While it generally carries much of the same feeling out in the wastes and in missions, towns and interactive areas definitely inherited the feel and style of Oblivion. While many Fallout fans may find this to be a love it or hate it modification, I don't think it alters the game too much, and in many ways adds to it, especially for fans of Oblivion.
To read the full review, click "Review" below, or simply click the Fallout 3 image in the "featured" bar!
|
November 2, 2008
|
|
Enhanced Visions -- Console Comes to GameVisions! |
|
|
All us die-hard PC gamers know it, the PC game industry has been a mixed bag for the past few years. We all felt it when the original XBox came out, and we all wept for PCs. With some copy protection schemes these days drawing lots of attention, the ever-present patching schemes we've come to hate on the PC, and many games being released on multiple platforms, there's been something of a shift from PC to console in the AAA gaming world.
But never fear, consoles have come a long way since the days of old, with the two "heavy hitters" of console effectively being small PCs. And GameVisions is there to cover it all!
We'll be adding console content here at GV in the coming months. First up we're introducing the PlayStation 3 to our repertoire. We'll be covering this quarter's hottest titles from Little Big Planet to Sonic Unleashed, Valkyria Chronicles, Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, Final Fantasy XIII (date TBA), and more.
And coming to GameVisions in 2009 we'll be covering the Nintendo Wii. We'll be reviewing Nintendo first party titles as well as 3rd party Wii exclusives!
Don't worry, there's still lots of great PC action around GameVisions too. The Fallout 3 review is just around the bend, and more to come in 2009! Stay tuned!
|
November 1, 2008
|
|
Visions of Reviews -- Far Cry 2 |
|
|
After a bit of a hiatus, and a serious lag in the PC game industry we're hit with an amazing fourth quarter and some big guns in gaming for review. First on the hit list is Far Cry 2. With a new terrain, new developer, and new outlook on shooters, Far Cry 2 tries to be a truly open-ended shooter. Can this much hyped mutant-less version of Far Cry keep up with the legendary hype of the its predecessor, or does Ubisoft Montreal know Jack about Far Cry?
From the Review:
Somewhat surprisingly the game doesn't play like a clean cut open-ended shooter. Instead it revolves heavily around role-playing adventure elements. You are given quests over the radio from members of various factions, you must ride (or walk) to the location of the mission or side-quest, and plan your strategy for resolving the quest, though most quests are a simple matter of ambushing the enemies of a location and fetching/rescuing/locating whatever lay inside. This premise goes a long way to enhancing the game play experience, though at times it feels like a hackneyed rendition of Fallout 2's Chrysalis experience along with Morrowind's open-ended retrieval questing minus the inventories of both.
To read the full review, click "Review" below, or simply click the Far Cry 2 image in the "featured" bar!
|
 |  | |
