| G@mehe@d's Last 5 Game Reviews (view last 25) |
Unreal Gold
08-06-16 07:43 PM
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Unreal Review (PC): Epic's overlooked classic
Unreal is truly something special. A game that, in the grand scheme of things, isn't really well remembered. Yet is still a true masterpiece with design elements that were well ahead of it's time (1998)
Of course Unreal started development well before that, in fact it was initially going to be the "Doom killer" but development lasted a heck of a lot longer then that, and after constant delays, Unreal was finally released to the public on April 30th 1998. Despite the long development, Unreal's launch was not exactly great. Numerous bugs and performance issues with non Glide compatible 3D accelerators were of the main problems. While all of this was certainly not good. They didn't keep the game from being bad, in fact Unreal in my opinion is a masterpiece. Of course now most of those "bugs" were patched out, and modern PC hardware is more than powerful enough to muscle through the garbage Direct3D optimization.
In Unreal you play as a prisoner who's ship has crashed on an unknown planet. The game starts off with you getting up and seeing that your ship is in a terrible situation, but instead of the game giving you some obnoxious cut-scene or making you rush out of the ship in a spectacular fashion, you are alone, no ones there to help you, no ones there to tell you where you need to be. You figure that out on your own. Escaping the ship is your task. This is Unreal's biggest strength. The Intro on it's own teaches the player what to expect from Unreal from a design point of view. The game expects you to figure out where to go, to observe your surrounds and understand the games plot and narrative through it's level design. Something that has been lost over the years to be sure, but something that's quite brilliant.
Once you get out of the ship you walk outside to an unknown landscape, the music kicks in at just the right moment as the players jaw drops at the view. Unreal is filled with subtle set piece moments like that. It's subtle ye... Read the rest of this Review
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Ecco the Dolphin
06-06-16 05:19 PM
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Ecco the Dolphin Review
Ecco the Dolphin is known to be one of the Genesis's finest games, a classic, an artistic work of programming and game design that showed that the Genesis was more than just a system for shallow, short action games. However good those action games were. Rather, a system that can please anyone, and try new things. Ecco received heaps of praise upon it's 1993 release, and it's incredibly easy to see why. It was ahead of its time in so many ways and it had a lot of really interesting ideas. I say IDEAS because I don't particularly agree that this game is good. I actually don't like it very much, and over the past few years more and more people have begun to share this view that Ecco the Dolphin isn't really a good game.
Don't get me wrong it isn't terrible, Ecco has a lot of really neat ideas; but it suffers from a lot of design issues that simply kill it's fun factor.
Story B+: The story in Ecco the Dolphin isn't particularly deep, but I can't really think of a lot of console action games (yes Ecco classifies as an action based game) that had deep stories or even stories at all at the time. So what makes Ecco the Dolphin so special? The way it presents itself is the answer. Part of the games story is what you as the player experience throughout the game. The beginning is a notable example. You start off by swimming around in the ocean and just doing dolphin things, then out of nowhere when you jump up high enough the game throws a curve-ball at you. The screen flashes red and a loud storm occurs, you and several other sea creatures get sucked up into the air. Soon it stops, but unlike your family; you live. Soon ominous music plays, and both Ecco and the player feel the same thing. Scared and startled, you must figure out what exactly happened and where you go next. All of this was done in 5 or so minutes, no exposition dumps needed. You feel that shock and the fear just as Ecco would. That's brilliant game design and story telling. While there... Read the rest of this Review
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Tomb Raider
03-11-14 01:24 AM
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A classic indeed (Tomb Raider (Playstation 1) review)
Tomb Raider is an interesting game. It was released during an awkward period of gaming when sharp playable side scrollers were being turned into messy, and ugly 3D platformers. Tomb Raider was one of the first 3D games to truly get that feeling of freedom nailed down. It was released slightly after Super Mario 64, but where that game featured unrealistic worlds and controls. Tomb Raider has a more realistic world, and thus feels more satisfying and more like a real adventure. I like Mario 64, but I like this game more.
Gameplay B+: Tomb Raiders controls take some getting used to. Lara, the main character, controls like a tank. When used properly, this style of control isn't bad. Soon you will be jumping on platforms, and avoiding traps with ease. The levels are designed with this limited control scheme in mind. So it never becomes annoying. Still, it can make combat a chore, and usually results in cheap deaths. So you have to plan out your jumps and moves. Levels are separated into tombs, which offer plenty of puzzles to solve, traps to dodge, and monsters to fight (fighting that T-Rex in level 3 was one of the most memorable sights I have ever seen). The levels are quite well designed, they do a good job at keeping confusion at a minimum, while invoking a very ancient atmosphere. Later tombs, while well designed. Can take longer than an hour to beat on your first try. Yes, that's too long. Thankfully, save crystals are all over the levels. So as long as you plan out your saves, getting through each level isn't really a chore. If not, be prepared to do lots of backtracking.
Graphics (Playstation B Saturn B+ PC A): Considering the release date (1996) and the hardware this game was on (PS1, Saturn, PC). Tomb Raiders graphics have held up decently over the years. The tombs are packed with detail, and feel like they were designed by real ancient civilizations. The textures for the PS1 version (the one I have) are decent, though pixelated. They te... Read the rest of this Review
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Manx TT Super Bike
12-31-13 10:48 PM
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Manx TT Super Bike (Sega Saturn) review
There are times where I think the Saturn could do so much more then what its games showed, but then I picked up Manx TT Super BIke. Despite the generic title, I was wondering on how a motorcycle game held up on the Saturn. Turns out this is a perfect showcase for what the Saturn hardware could really do. It also provides pure arcade racing fun. Something that Sega is great at doing.
Gameplay B: The gameplay is solid, especially for a Saturn 3D racing game. It plays like an arcade game where you have to race through tracks and reach checkpoints to keep your time going. You have 7 other racers to go against, and they are pretty relentless. It seems as though their bikes are faster then yours and they even have analog steering. You can have analog steering too if you have a Saturn 3D controller. I don't have one, but from what I heard it works better then using the D-pad. Which is what I had to use to play the game. When steering with the D-pad, the controls are twitchy and its easy to over-steer. However if you are in first person mode this removes the issue. The game is challenging, and very addicting. Just like an arcade style game should. I spent hours shaving seconds off my best time. That's saying something there.
Graphics A-: The Saturn was very weak for 3D games, but Manx TT Super Bike is one of the best looking Saturn games I have ever seen. The framerate is smooth as butter, and the sunny enviroments and detailed graphics really show what the Saturn can do. This is due to the amount of sprites used instead of polygons. They are mixed so well that sometimes you can't tell the difference. All you can do is stare at the beautiful scenery. Of course to obtain a smooth framerate you must sacrifice SOMETHING. Well there is pop up, but its very well hidden, and it doesn't look nearly as bad as Daytona USA, or other earlier Saturn games.
Sound B-: The sound is good for the most part. The announcer sounds happy to be existing in the game, an... Read the rest of this Review
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Pac-Man World
11-30-13 12:39 PM
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Pac-Man World review (Playstation)
I hate it when classic games go into the mysterious 3D world. I really do. Franchises that were once hits in the 2D world (Sonic) took a big hit once they went into 3D. Then I come across Pac-Man World for the Sony Playstation. My expectations were mixed, but what I got was one of the best 3D platformers I have ever played on the PS1. More so any gaming platform. Not bad for a little yellow sphere that eats Tic-Tacs and murders ghosts.
Gameplay A-: Pac-Man World has some of the finest 3D platforming gameplay you can get out of the PS1 era of gaming. What makes it work so well is that it doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, it isn't a free roaming game like Mario 64. Its mostly side scrolling with full polygon visuals. Of course the levels do move forward and backward like you would expect but they are mostly left and right with free roaming controls. The levels are so well designed, that you will want to find every secret and maze contained in each one. Pac-Man has a full set of moves that borrow from other games of its genre. Pac-Man can butt bounce (Crash Bandicoot 2) rev up (Sonic) and shoot pac-dots at enemies that he finds scattered about. All these moves are used, and they all have their purpose. The game is mostly consistent of chomping ghosts, jumping (duh), bouncing on switches. You know, the standard stuff, but its all done so well. The levels are really well designed, I never felt lost. A benefit of its style of gameplay. The game has a light difficulty level that makes expert players want to find all the secrets, while allowing younger players to ease into the game. The bosses are really creative and add variety to the game.
Graphics B+: Like many PS1 games time has not been kind to the games visuals. The chunky polygon graphics look mediocre today, but have held up better then most PS1 games. If you think about the consoles limitations the graphics in Pac-Man world are bright, colorful, and good looking. There's no clipping, and mi... Read the rest of this Review
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