Shrek Super Party
March 15, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Shrek Is Good As A Party Game!
Shrek Super Party is the best Shrek game ever made! After I played Shrek 1, I wasn’t sure if I should play this one, but I did and am glad. You pick from six charcters: Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona, Lord Farquaad, Mousuier Hood and Thelonius (why Thelonius?). It’s very reminiscent of Crash Bash, Mario Party and Sonic Shuffle, only with Shrek characters. The graphics are hilarious! Each character has a super-inflated head. This may be a kid’s game, but I’m 13, a huge M-rated game fan, and I still love this game. If you had to buy one Shrek game, buy this one!
3 Stars A bit monotonous, but still good gameplay
My six and eight year old kids like playing this game and can spend hours doing so. My six year old doesn’t like the fact that the computer tends to beat him consistently in the ‘Epic Battles’, but as they continue to play the game, they are getting better at the various tasks. I’d recommend this game to families but just know that the ‘Epic Battles’ can be a bit trying on the patience for older players.
5 Stars Perfect for families to play together!
I played this game at a friends house and decided it was time to buy an XBox! My husband and I have been playing it for six months now.
Anyone that has opposable thumbs can play this game. You only need to use the left thumb pad and two buttons with your right hand. This is a fun game for the controller-challenged, children, and is stimulating enough for more advanced players. Some of our friends visited us and were surprised at the depth of involvment in this “children’s” game.
The biggest plus to Shrek is that you can set the time frame that you want to play. So you can play for anywhere from one-half of an hour up to two hours. If your kids are junkies, you can limit them to only playing one game, and you will know that they aren’t going to be zoned out for the next six hours.
This game is similar in style to Mario Super Party, but, once again, uses less buttons on the controller. You also have the option of playing the mini games.
An all around A+.
4 Stars Fun for the family!
This game is really great! But sometimes the announcer of the game (the magic mirror) gets a little on your nerves. I mean all the characters are from the movie which is good. Now all you have to say is… what are you playing? All of the games are mini games. There are 30 of them. Some of the games are lame. But some are very fun! If you like mini games that are family type, buy this.
5 Stars THE GREATEST GAME EVER IN THE HISTORY OF X BOX!!!
I love this game!!! Me and my friend love it. We are practicing the tournament now. Thelonious, Lord Farquaad, Shrek and Monsuier Hood are always playing the TV people and my friend always is Donkey and I am always Princess Fiona. We always lose, though but we keep practicing. My favorite one is Dragon’s breath. I recommend this Super Party to anyone who likes X Box games.
Kengo Legend Of The 9
February 26, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
In feudal Japan, it was kill or be killed for the samurai! Kengo: Legend of the 9 lets you battle as one of nine famous samurai warriors, each with his/her own storyline, attack techniques and upgradeable attributes (health, stamina, attack power and defense). Four modes of play offer a range of gameplay options, including the storyline advancing Main Mode; Mission Mode which challenges players to complete 10 missions within a specific time frame; Combat Mode that features two-player, head-to-head battles; and Xbox Live Leaderboard where players compete for new equipment and the best ranking against other Xbox Live gamers by pitting AI profiles against each other. Collect and use Spirit Spheres to upgrade your samurai’s attributes including health, stamina, attack power and defense. Earn experience points in battle to unlock new attacks. Three difficulty levels – Easy, Medium or Difficult. Gorgeous high definition, next generation graphics employ light scattering, normal mapping and atmospheric subtleties. Follow your ranking on Xbox Live and become the best in the world. ESRB Rated M for Mature
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Not Bad but Not that great either
Not Bad but Not that great either. Looks like a great game but would have been better if it had free roaming instead of automaticaly fighthing everytime just to get the story done,Altough online was fun fighthing one on one.
4 Stars Very subtle, strategic fighting game.
I’ll admit, when I first put this game in, I was sorely disappointed and frustrated beyond belief. I’ll also admit that I didn’t even glance at the book before I played, so I didn’t know that your health gauge regenerates if you stand still with a full stamina bar. I didn’t know you could lock onto a nearby samurai, instead of running around in circles hacking wildly, trying to stay alive. So… I’ll admit when I first put this game in after months of anticipation, I hated it. Then I read the book, thinking “No one in there right mind would release a game this broken”, and while I tried the game the way it was meant to be played, I noticed a fairly deep and strategic fighter. This game is by no means meant for everyone.It’s a very niche title. You really need to be a fan of Samurai and be sick of “Button Mashing” fighters to enjoy this. Those that enjoyed the first American “kengo” release, will miss the training sessions from “Master of bushido”, but if you do not try to play this like Onimusha you may enjoy it. I would definitely rent it first, even with the low price tag.
1 Star Hrm… yeah….
Kengo Legend of the 9….
For those of you who arent too keen on reading though a whole review to see the overall feel of the game here you go: Its a simple game, rent it, and IF you love it buy it…IF you love it…If you cant find it to rent…dont bother, really dont bother. Even if your very tempted.
Ive played the 1st Kengo years ago when the PS2 was just entering the gaming world. Ah the primitive days of “next gen” Bouncer, Kengo, Twisted Metal Black ect ect. The days of simple, pretty, and moneywasting games. At a quick play through the game one thing is clear- graphics aside this one was obviously meant to be on the ps2.
The Battle system is configurable yet the moves are still simple 123 combos that you interchange. And actually fighting is a dull few moments usually ending in alot of enemies yelping to death. The Majority of them just crowd around you gawking untill theyre quick demise. The controls are slower than wanted and very simple , vert slash, hor slash, scoot slowly, or attempt to grind your sword up to the enemy. The swordgrinding was a good idea but poorly played out. swordgrinding is just push, pull, break away, or try to shove and attack. The “boss” battles are just some slightly more agressive enemies with fancy clothes. One nice feature that it has is a instakill/major damage movement you can take out any enemy with(including a boss..or even yourself).
There are some features that make this game unique compared to the usuall samurai/fighting/hackn slash genre
#1 feature is that you gain experience!!! cool right!? no they ruined it with the fact that whatever experience you dont use is thrown away after each fight. and like it would matter the only thing you can use xp is for “secret” moves that are just simple strikes for your 123 combos. OH WOW I unlocked the Tiger’s Fang Wave technique! oh wait its just a diagonal slash…. Ive found that after 2 or 3 battles worth of xp (usually 2 or 3 new “techniques”) I have enough moves to do what I need.
#2 You play as real famous samurai from the past. This is one of the major things that got me interested in even playing this game. How many samurai games out there blow their horn about loving samurai, yet they dont even have a real one in them? thumbs up for that feature.
#3 Fighting mutiple enemies- a feature I think really makes or breaks a fighting game for me. so many times I play through soul calibur or ( insert fighting game here) Im siiting there stuck chopping up one loser when I could be doing it to 7 at once!
One “feature” about this game I really didnt like was that during the main “story” mode your stuck fighting a bunch of 1 hit kill nobodies who every now and then do get in a lucky shot, and then going straight up against a boss might or might not be able to instakill you. Sucky thing is when they do….bam you have to reload and start the WHOLE fight over. And man seriously, its like re chopping firewood-pointless and boring.
Other than that-
Graphics-are slightly better than ps2
Sound- well its japanese music and japanese voice so depends on the person.
Control- yikes someone was sloppy when they pulled this one together. workable yet very lacking
Replay- yup theres alot of that- different modes, lots of usless moves to get and more characters to use them.
Fun factor- hrmm its ok.. bit dull most of the time.
4 Stars Samurai sword fighting simulator
Pros
- Fans of the original Kengo, a very niche game, will like this game.
- This is not a traditional hack and slash game like Onimusha, Ninja Gaiden, or Way of the Samurai. It is a really more like a fencing simulator. So if you rush in hacking and slashing in combat mode the CPU will kill you over and over. The game will be rather frustrating to play until you have learned how to control your sword clashes, evade, and then counter.
- As you play your character through the main mission the system keeps track of your fighting mannerisms- even the negative ones- like tendencies to hack wildly and missing your opponent most of the time. Then you can take your AI and pit it against others on the Xbox Live National Leaderboard to see the outcome. I think this is rather innovative. Also by being able to watch your AI fight, it gives you a chance to reflect on your fighting style vs others.
- The graphics are definitely better than previous generations of the Kengo games. Shadows are soft, there is light blooming, and costumes are bump mapped.
Cons
- Buggy. It has frozen several times after completing a mission making it impossible to save your progress. So you are left with having to repeat the level.
- Like the previous generation of Kengo games, it is repetitive- but then so is real kendo or iaido practice. As I said this is really more of a simulator than a “game”.
- The dojo skill building mode from the previous Kengo games is lost. Skills are now built by progressing through the main storyline.
- The camera is much worse than previous Kengo games.
One will always try to compare this game with Bushido Blade. If you played the original BB before playing any of the Kengo games, chances are you will never be sated. It all depends on what you are looking for. Kengo’s sword fighting mechanics and sheer number of waza are much more extensive than BB. As someone who practices Kendo, I find BB just too dumbed down to be interesting. Kengo gave me a far more realistic and interesting fighting experience than any of the BB series games ever did.
PlayStation 3 80GB
January 8, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars 3 week Review
Not sure if I can add something which others have not stated already. I got my item in the time frame they mentioned. It was in good condition although I was a bit underwhelmed by the packaging(i.e. the retail , not speaking about amazon box) The console is heavier than it looks and is fairly wide at its highest curve.
I could not fix it in my pretty thin slot cabinet. Works perfectly well as of now, have been using it mostly for watching Blu-Ray movies, though did buy Heavenly Sword and Uncharted Drakes Fortune games(exclusive to PS3). I also own a 360 which gets most of my gaming time(gamerscore is the reason I go to it,almost exclusively). You also get Home with it(requires an Internet connection to download and use), though I am not a big fan tbh.
Since it uses bluetooth to connect to its controller and pretty much anything else(includes keyboard and mouse)your normal universal remotes wont work with it which is its biggest con I guess. Also, the on screen menu for watching movies is really bad(tiny icons & text describing them is not with the icon itself).
5 Stars Love this machine!
Can’t express how much I love this machine.
For the past few months I’ve been eying all three systems, the Wii, Xbox 360 and yes the PS3. Finally, these past holiday season I just had to pull the trigger. Never looked back since. Now don’t get me wrong each of the systems have their pros and cons, but my reasoning for choosing the PS3 was simply all the functionality it had to offer.
Whether I felt like being a rock-star on guitar hero world tour or crashing on the couch to watch a blu-ray movie with the family this system has it all and then some. Every movie and game I’ve played on this system has just blown me away. A definite must own all-in-one. You won’t be disappointed.
5 Stars Wow
Well i got on of these and they are just superb – a must for all serious gamers and if you have a psp then you have hit the jackpot aswell.
A truly spectactular piece of kit – a must!!
2 Stars It just cannot compete.
I’ve always been a Sony fan, but the ps3 just cannot compete with the competition today. There are only two problems with the system, however, these two problems pretty much make up the entire reason a console is bought.
The first problem with this system is the pricing. At 400 dollars, this console dwarfs others in terms of price. I could easily buy two x-box 360s for the same price. The games must also be factored in; 60 dollars for new releases will add to the pile spent. You’ll also be tempted to buy a larger hard-drive. Game demos easily reach 3 gigs in memory. Eventually, the avid gamer is going to have to buy a larger drive. You also have to remember the price of controllers (assuming you’ll be wanting more than one).
The second real problem with the system has to be the game selection. With the Wii you get the motion sensing games and the standard Mario/Zelda stories. Xbox has it’s Halo, Left4dead, and other really good titles. There are few games exclusive to the ps3 (MGS4 being the only good one coming to mind). Even Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy, which have long been Sony’s backbone, have gone the way of the 360 and Nintendo. The announcement that Final Fantasy XIII would be ported to the 360 was perhaps the nail on the coffin for the ps3.
In all, what you’re really buying is an expensive xbox 360 that may work a little better but has fewer games to choose from. As much as it pains me, I simply cannot bring myself to like this system.
1 Star More than $1,100 and I still can’t play
I have been playing video games for more than 20 years. My first gaming console was the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then, I have owned SNES; N64; Game Cube; XBOX; XBOX 360; PS1; PS2; and now, a PS3. IAfter extensive gameplay on this generation’s gaming consoles, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed with the leap off the cliff with the quality assurance of the consoles and games.
I purchased the whole HDTV/HDMI/PS3 package. The PS3 60 GB was working fine until I played Fallout 3. After hours of frustrating glitches; game freezes; unresponsive controllers; heavy audio static; system resets and crashes, my first PS3 wouldn’t read Fallout 3. The problem became so bad the system will no longer read any disc. Since it’s out of warranty, I am kind of screwed. I went ahead and purchased a newer model of the PS3 80 GB. I have also tried six copies of the game, all with the same painstaking results.
All Sony Technical Assistance could offer me was a replacement. I’m sorry, but that won’t be enough. Why is it that I have to send in a brand new PS3, not even a week old, in to be replaced? The same thing happened with Microsoft and my XBOX 360. I had thought when I was purchasing a PS3, I was escaping the system freezes and substandard customer service. Well, I was dead wrong. I never had these issues with previous generation consoles.
Now I’ll be out of a PS3 for another two weeks. What happens if Fallout 3 doesn’t play, then? Neither Sony or Bethesda will claim responsibility for releasing bugged software/hardware.