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Rivals of Aether Review

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In 2017, Dan Fornace and his team developed and produced Rivals of Aether for the Xbox One. The retro-style fighting game plays similarly to Super Smash Bros. with the damage counter and ability to knock opponents off the stage to win. Would Rivals of Aether be a knockout or would it whiff? Look out for walking whales in this Rivals of Aether review!

Rivals of Aether Plot:

Rivals of Aether’s plot revolves around six different animal civilizations who are at war with each other because of a mysterious purple shadow force that has duped them into believing they are to fault for each other’s problems. After fighting with each other they discover that a mystical force is at fault instead of each other and make their way toward the purple clouds around an island in the center of their lands. They team up and defeat the evil monster and its purple shadow clones.

As I mentioned earlier in this Rivals of Aether review, there are six different animal civilizations and you can play as a warrior from each tribe. Let’s take a look at the roster of fighters you can choose from. This information comes from the official website of Rivals of Aether.

Zetterburn – a son of the ruling family of the Firelands, he is an experienced and hardened warrior. He has fought many wars for the Fire Capital, a bellicose nation that constantly seeks to expand its influence over neighboring lands. His courage in battle has made him a hero among his people.

However, his straightforward character and unquestioning allegiance to the Fire Nation blind him at times. He is a reliable general on the field, but naive to the larger politics of Aether. In battle, Zetterburn is equally forthright; he uses no weapons except for his razor-sharp claws and ability to control the flame.

Orcane – When he first arrived in Water Town, the merchant capital of Aether, Orcane was considered a dangerous nuisance and a criminal. Orcane is a playful trickster, notorious for escaping even the most precarious of situations.

However, while the Water Merchants denounce Orcane in public, they do not hesitate to call upon him when they need a situation dealt with quietly. Orcane is sly and can infiltrate even the most secure strongholds. He can transform into water and confuse enemies with a spray of bubbles, making him the perfect candidate for stealth assignments.

Wrastor – The youngest trainee in the history of the Air Academy, Wrastor has never lived by anyone’s rules but his own. After graduating at the top of his class, he joined the Air Armada, the military force of Air Nation.

Within a year, Wrastor became renowned not just in Air Nation but across Aether as a fierce and unpredictable fighter. However, among his superiors, he is more infamous for his brashness and arrogance than for his daring deeds. Currently an Aerial Ace for the Air Armada, Wrastor is wreaking havoc among the Armada’s enemies and generals alike.

Kragg – Kragg is a defender of the colossal Aetherian Forest. Deliberate and loyal, he is one of the infamous Wall Runners who patrol the Rock Wall. From their position atop the Wall, Kragg and his fellow Runners defend both sides of the rock face and the forest below.

While normally slow because of their massive bodies, Wall Runners can curl up into balls and traverse the Wall at high speeds. Unlike other Wall Runners, Kragg has the legendary ability to control the earth with his will. When in peril, Kragg can summon the earth to aid him, and he repairs the Wall when it is under siege.

Forsburn – He is the disgraced, eldest son of the Firelands’ ruling family. While his brother Zetterburn served the kingdom through leadership on the battlefield, Forsburn was the Firelands’ chief diplomat. Forsburn was the right hand of the Fire King, and he could rely upon both to broker treaties and to quietly take care of threats to the kingdom.

However, after years of unquestioning service, Forsburn began to smell corruption simmering beneath the surface of the Fire Council. Before Forsburn could expose the conspiracy, his father was discovered slain with Forsburn’s own dagger protruding from his heart. Assumed to be the assassin, Forsburn was condemned by his brother and barely escaped the Capital with his life. Left wounded and nationless, he wandered for months before meeting a group of rebels on the outskirts of the Firelands. These outsiders of the kingdom had rejected flame and mastered the way of smoke, a philosophy of truthful deception. Forsburn joined the smoke tribe, soon becoming their leader. He plots to reclaim the Fire Capital from the Fire Council and their unsuspecting pawn, Zetterburn.

Maypul – She is the self-appointed Guardian of the Aetherian Forest. Her fellow tree-dwellers live in insular strongholds in the forest canopy – the quarrels of Aether quite literally beneath them.

Yet Maypul senses something rotten in the world of Aether. Only she listens to the whispers of distress amongst the trees. And so, Maypul patrols the forest seeking out threats to her home. She parlays with the surface dwellers, much to the dismay of her treetop clan. However, she commands fearful respect throughout the forest for her unhesitating vigilantism. She uses her agility to trap any unknown intruders before they even realize she is there.

Rivals of Aether Gameplay:

Once you select who you want to play the story with you’ll be introduced to their strain in the story as all of their plots intertwine in the end. The cut scenes are nothing but still images that look like they’ve been drawn in MS-Paint. You’ll read some brief text on the role of the character in their land and why they begin to fight. Each character during my Rivals of Aether review had a rival and at the end of their story, they battled.

Rivals of Aether plays very similar to Super Smash Bros with the damage counter and the goal of knocking your opponent off the stage. Most times during my Rivals of Aether review I was able to knock my opponent off the stage when they reached the 100 percent mark of damage but in some fights, it took until they reached up to 190 percent when I was using weaker fighters. My favorite fighter to use was Forsburn as I found his dagger the most effective in fights. I did not enjoy playing as Orcane or Wrastor as they focused more on speed than power and were difficult to master.

Each fighter has basic attacks as well as a special power that can be used pretty much anytime during the fight with infinite uses. Some I found to be very useful during my Rivals of Aether review like Zetterburn’s fire blast but others like Wrastor’s air zoom felt useless. There are a few combos to learn but each fighter isn’t built with in-depth levels of complex buttons.

The backgrounds look great and give a retro feel of early 90s games. Visually, Rivals of Aether stands out as you rarely see fighting games that look like it. The character animations are done well, and while I hated playing as Orcane and Wrastor during my Rivals of Aether review, they looked the best in my opinion. The sound fits perfectly into the game and I enjoyed listening to short tunes as the fights began.

You’ll fight five opponents to beat the game in story mode. I didn’t have too much trouble fighting any of them during my Rivals of Aether review but your damage counter doesn’t reset when you move on to the next round. You’re given three lives to complete the story mode but if you fail you can come back with another three lives for a penalty of an extra minute added to your total time. I didn’t care at all about the time I completed it, I just wanted to beat the game. You earn more points the fastest you beat the game and you’ll earn coins but I didn’t bother using them which I assume you can buy unlockables. The final fight is against your rival and they will have two lives instead of one.

Once you unlock the final boss you’ll fight him with all six characters one at a time until his health is gone. During my Rivals of Aether review, I thought the final boss was a clever fight even though I didn’t understand what I was fighting. There are two tentacles with eyes that shoot purple lasers and attack you while shadow clones form and attack. The key is to ignore the clones and focus on the tentacles as they have the health bar. I beat it on my first try but I was down to my final fighter.

Memories:
I picked this up as a free download for the Xbox Gold Membership.

Rivals of Aether Review Score:

Rivals of Aether is a decent retro fighting game that you can play locally or online. It’d be nice if there were stage hazards but the fighting mechanics are simple enough for anyone to pick up and play. It looks great and sounds good but I wish there was more substance to the fighting.

Rivals of Aether scores a 7.2 out of 10.

What would you write in your Rivals of Aether review? Do you remember when Rivals of Aether first came out? What was your favorite fighter to use? Have you downloaded any of the bonus characters? What did you think of the graphics? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

Bomber Raid Review

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It was an end of an era in 1989 when developer Sanritsu and publisher Activision teamed up and released Bomber Raid for the Sega Master System. Bomber Raid would become the last licensed Master System game released in Japan. Would Bomber Raid send the Master System out with a bang or would it end in a wreck? The end of the Sega Master System begins with this Bomber Raid review.

Bomber Raid Plot:

Oh man, the text on the back of the Bomber Raid cover is fantastic.

“Who has Mach-6 speed, helabad weapons, and a love for wastin’ dweebs in tanks? You do. It’s the gnarliest fighter-bomber game ever. So hot it feels like a coin-op. Why? Two-mega power means we cram a lot more game in the cartridge. So you get more action for your money.

Wow, what a marketing message for the gamers in the late 80s. HELABAD FUCKING WEAPONS! WASTE FUCKING DWEEBS IN TANKS AS YOU BLOW HOLES IN THEIR ASS WITH YOUR GNARLY FUCKING FIGHTER BOMBER!

Anyway, there’s not much of a story in this Bomber Raid review. The most I could find is in the manual.

“After receiving your mission from headquarters, you’ll automatically take off from your airbase and soar into enemy territory. You have five dangerous missions to accomplish before you can return to your base to a hero’s welcome. Headquarters will inform you of the main target in each mission. The main target must be destroyed before you move on to the next mission.”

Bomber Raid Gameplay:

The Sega Master System has always had vivid and bright colors in its games. With the ability to produce more colors on-screen than their competitors at Nintendo, Sega took advantage of it throughout most of the games on the first generation. Bomber Raid has a few small cut scenes and they all are brightly colored. The cockpit is especially fun to look at between levels with the many buttons littered on the dashboard, each a different color.

I’m learning from my Bomber Raid review that I really enjoy shooters and Bomber Raid is no exception. Like many other shooters, you’ll be able to power up your craft in various ways. There are speed boosts to pick up and power boosts. You get these by shooting capsules that break open during the levels. There are tons of them throughout the level and it’s not uncommon to pick up five or six of each boost throughout the level. I picked up a moderate amount of speed but didn’t want to go too fast throughout the screen. The power boosts continued to ramp up my firepower and by level three I had maxed it out with a powerful falcon-like fire shot that obliterated anything in my path. With my weapons at full power, even the bosses weren’t much of a challenge. You can drop mega-bombs but I rarely did it as my maxed-out weapons tore enemies to shreds. I did use them a few times on bosses but that’s just because I was bored.

There’s another power you can get throughout the game and that’s having two smaller planes mimic your movements including shooting and steering. You can change the formation of your small planes by getting a power-up that’s numbered between one and four. If you shoot the round red sign, the number will change along with the formation. Formations from my Bomber Raid review include the planes shooting behind you, to the side, right in front, and diagonal. You need to be careful steering yourself around because, unlike other shooters, the smaller planes that mimic you can be shot down. Their power will not increase if you get weapon boosts. Something that I found rare was the ability to shoot down incoming bullets. For most shooters, you just have to be evasive when flying around but in Bomber Raid your bullets can deflect enemy fire making it easier to defend yourself in bullet storms.

Five stages are playable in Bomber Raid and you’ll have to play them in order. Each stage lasts two-to-three minutes and ends with a boss that is your main target for the mission. The bosses in my Bomber Raid review included a battleship, a large tank, a bomber plane, a fighter jet, and a ship with multiple turrets. The final boss was called the “ultimate weapon” but it was the easiest boss! I was super disappointed because I was expecting to find some mega-weapon or a crazy airplane but instead, it was just a ship with a few turrets that went down in ten seconds! The bosses were easy but I’d rather them be easy than impossible. A few of them had second forms but after a few seconds, they were destroyed. After completing a level a stat page will pop up with how many enemies you destroyed and the percentage of total enemies killed in the level. I never reached 100 percent but I always was in the 92-98 percent so I was pretty close!

When you have survived all five levels and destroyed all targets you’ll be given a small cut scene of your plane landing and the pilot being awarded a medal for his heroics. THAT WILL SHOW THOSE FUCKING DWEEBS!

Memories:
I remember researching the Sega Master System and seeing that Bomber Raid was the final game released in Japan and North America for the system. I was interested to see how it played and looked compared to some of the older titles in the library that I grew up with.

Bomber Raid Review Score:

Bomber Raid is a well-balanced shooter that sends the Sega Master System out on a positive note. The enemies aren’t overwhelming, and the gameplay doesn’t break any barriers but Bomber Raid is a game that everyone can enjoy with the fair and relatively easy difficulty.

Bomber Raid scores a 7.5 out of 10.

What would you write in your Bomber Raid review? Do you remember when Bomber Raid first came out? Were you sad to see the Sega Master System cease the production of games? Where does Bomber Raid rank in the shooter library? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review

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The largest open-world experience hit video game consoles in 2011 when Bethesda released The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Skyrim would earn critical praise and massive commercial success from most of the video game community. It’s one of the most popular games in history and guess what? I don’t like it. I used to be an adventurer like you until I took an arrow to the knee in this Skyrim review.

Skyrim Plot:

You are the Dragonborn, it is your destiny to free Skyrim of dragons because they have returned whether most people believe it or not to wreak havoc on the land. You find yourself captured in Helgen about to be beheaded until a dragon flies overhead and sets the city on fire. You’re able to escape with other prisoners and after the basic tutorial level, you are set to do whatever you wish, and I mean whatever.

Aside from saving Skyrim from Dragons, there is another main quest and that is to unite Skyrim as it is under political distress. The Empire is fighting a rebel clan called the Stormcloaks. There is no clear-cut bad side between the two factions, it is merely different political views. The Stormcloaks want only Nords (humans) to have Skyrim and want to ban other religions. I was surprised that I viewed them more as the bad guys than the Empire during my Skyrim review. Usually, in most stories, the Empire is evil, but that wasn’t the case in the game so I joined the Empire which accepted all races and wanted peace in its country.

Skyrim Gameplay:

195 hours, 42 minutes, and 45 fucking seconds.

That is how long it took me to beat the game and complete my Skyrim review. I didn’t even complete every quest or explore every cave, although I certainly tried. This game was so ambitious but because it was, it had many flaws that I just couldn’t overlook.

I never thought I would ever say this but the game is just too damn big. It’s an open-world setup but the layout is massive. Mountains, rivers, lakes, caves, cities, towns, outposts, towers, forests, you name it, they created it. Except for a volcano, which surprised me.

The missions for the Empire were about the most fun my Skyrim review got. They included the basic clear-out of Stormcloak forts, intercepting letters, defending a city, and finally invading a city. I did this at the very end of the game after exploring about 90 percent of every nook and cranny of Skyrim. I was leveled up so high that I was a one-man wrecking crew and often ignored any suggestions from my general about teamwork because I was the grim reaper. Anytime I touched an enemy they died before my feet, and it took three blows at once from three different enemies to even damage my health bar. I was unstoppable.

I give credit to my OCD for searching every cave and taking on every quest that was given to me. My countless hours of level grinding during my Skyrim review and cave exploration led me to become a war god in battle. I feared no one, and even the final boss took less than a minute to defeat and barely did any damage to me.

The sheer amount of customization in Skyrim is amazing. You can be just about anything you want, and for almost a year I thought I was living in another world. You can pick from a few different races and choose between different classes with how you battle. The weapons and magic spells are almost endless, and in every city, there are so many quests to do and skills to learn it becomes overwhelming. You can learn different magic, blacksmithing, cooking, alchemy, enchanting, lumbering, seriously, just about anything in the real world you can do in Skyrim, and that includes getting married.

Those were the cool and ambitious parts of playing Skyrim, but there were many flaws too. Many of these flaws during my Skyrim review brought my level of excitement for it to a screeching halt and made it a chore to play. These flaws overcame the fun of Skyrim and ultimately ruined the game for me.

When someone creates a game so big, there are bound to be problems with it. Well, there were. There was lag from time to time in battle. Occasionally, I found my character randomly stuck on a log or between rocks unable to move. I would have to reload my game wiping over an hour of gameplay that I had to redo. The graphics were far from polished, and sometimes in a cave or castle, if you toggled the camera, the interior would become see-through and glitchy. But wait, there is more!

Loading screens that are required when you enter almost every door vary on loading time. Sometimes, it would take a few seconds, other times it would take five minutes, and in some cases, it took so long to load that I shut my PS3 off because I assumed the game froze. When you fight a dragon, its carcass would disappear after some time which was supposed to happen. Sometimes, however, a dragon would be defeated inside a city. As in the case of the city of Whiterun, I defeated a dragon early on in the game inside the city. Whenever I returned to the city, (It was where I called home) the dragon’s body would reappear right in front of a shop making it near impossible to enter the shop and trade goods.

Want to know about other glitches I faced during my Skyrim review? Let’s talk about my bow and arrows. Occasionally, I would try my luck with my bow to take down a dragon, well midway through the game, my arrows stopped flying. I Googled what the hell was the matter with them, and found out this was a common glitch in the game. It would randomly stop after you “shot” hundreds of arrows. Sometimes, if you didn’t do the quest in the correct order, the arrow on the map which would direct you to the next step in the quest would remain there even if you had finished the quest. You can take one companion with you on your quests, if they are killed then they are gone forever (most of the time) I went through a ton of companions during the game as many died in battle. (Whoops!) but one of the more frustrating things was when a companion would be killed and you return to a city to recruit another person only to see the same companion alive and well, ready to quest with you. Sometimes, I would purposely behead my companion to see if they would show up alive at the fort or wherever they were previously before I recruited them, and sure enough, they were like a lost puppy, happy to see me, ready to go fight by my side.

I can’t tell you enough how frustrating and annoying these glitches in my Skyrim review were for me and how much it really took away from a game that had great quests and battle mechanics. Skyrim reminded me of a school project that a student was very ambitious about. They started the project with a bunch of ideas and cool features but in the end, didn’t have enough power to do everything they wanted and ultimately turn into a sloppy product after being on the verge of producing something great.

In the end, after uniting Skyrim and saving it from dragons, I retired my character to his home in Whiterun. I unpacked everything and put the equipment in the chest, and changed into my underwear. I bid farewell to the world of Skyrim and laid my character to rest forever in his bed.

Memories:
I played Skyrim every day after work for a few months. I’d get home at around 5:15 PM and play until 8:30 PM forcing myself to play every quest I found. I’d get so mad at the game because of the glitches and it ended up ruining my experience. Once I beat the game, I didn’t know what to do with my time after work. I’m sure I did something much less frustrating.

Skyrim Review Score:

A huge world filled with quests and characters is ruined by endless glitches and headaches.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim scores a 6.4 out of 10.

What would you write in your Skyrim review? Do you remember when Skyrim first came out? Were you able to beat the game? Who did you side with? What was your character like and how many glitches did your game have? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Review

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Who’s your favorite character from the Star Wars universe? For many, it’s Obi-Wan as he has appeared in many of the movies. It’s no surprise that LucasArts wanted to cash in on the popularity of Obi-Wan and release a game starring one of our favorite Jedis. In 2001, LucasArts released Star Wars: Obi-Wan exclusively for the Xbox. This Star Wars: Obi-Wan Review is a pile of Poodoo!

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Plot

The game starts a few weeks before the events of Episode I and ends with the duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Obi-Wan is still a padawan and under the command of his Jedi Master Qui-Gon. After the opening scroll credits which are essential to any Star Wars movie or video game, Obi-Wan is sent to Coruscant to take down the criminal organization the “Black Heth” that has captured the Jedi Council’s informant.

With the informant saved, he reveals to Obi-Wan that the Black Heth has been supplied with weapons from arms dealers on the planet Obredaan. Obi-Wan travels to Obredaan to investigate the weapon manufacturers. The manufacturers are an alien race called Jin’ha and have created a special shield from the underground resources in their mines. This special shield is resistant to lightsabers which if sold to the wrong hands could defend criminals against Jedi. It turns out that the Jin’ha have been selling the shields to the Trade Federation.

This is where the story meshes with Episode I during my Star Wars Obi-Wan review. On the next mission, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are sent to meet Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray and inspect his facilities. The following missions closely resemble the plot of Episode I with the exception of Queen Amidala being kidnapped by Sand People on Tatooine. The game concludes with Obi-Wan defeating Darth Maul in a lightsaber duel just like Episode I.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Gameplay

Star Wars: Obi-Wan has a decent plot with a thread that leads up to the events of Episode I. What wrecks this Star Wars Obi-Wan review? The horrible, and I mean atrocious voice acting for Obi-Wan. He sounds like a hobbit from Lord of the Rings who is one or two veggies short of a full garden if you know what I mean. It’s so bad, I couldn’t believe LucasArts greenlit this. A few reviews back, I went through Star Wars: Episode I on the PS1. The voice acting was excellent in it and if they didn’t use the same actors from the movies, they got damn close. I have no idea how they went so off the rails for Obi-Wan. They recycled the same sound effects for lightsabers and switches, why can’t they get some decent voice acting?

Controlling Obi-Wan is slightly better than listening to him. He runs like his feet don’t touch the ground with his derpy body animation gliding over the screen. I don’t think LucasArts set off to make a terrible game, there are positive things that come from this Star Wars Obi-Wan review but when the biggest complaints are how the main character controls and talks, boy you are in for some trouble.

I’ll throw a compliment in here to avoid totally bashing this in my Star Wars Obi-Wan review. Obi-Wan will slash his way through levels and enemies using his lightsaber. With the right joystick, you’ll control how he swings it. Moving the joystick to the right, Obi-Wan will attack the right side of the enemy, moving it up, he’ll come crashing down upon them with his lightsaber and so forth. There’s a certain amount of skill required to fight enemies and you need to pay attention to where they are blocking for Obi-Wan to effectively attack. You can use the force by pressing the trigger button to jump higher, power up your lightsaber, go into slow motion, and push objects. I barely used the force, it was difficult to implement it into the battle mechanics when slashing at enemies was quicker and more effective. The one force mechanic that I liked was throwing my saber like a boomerang.

Enemies will gang up on you resulting in your death. It’s not uncommon to be overwhelmed by twenty thugs or battle droids at once. If Obi-Wan played like a real Jedi instead of the dweeb Jedi he is made out to be in this game then it wouldn’t be a problem, but his force powers are useless and once the enemy surrounds you, you might as well stick a saber in yourself.

Speaking of sticking sabers in bodies, Qui-Gon is only happy when you shove your lightsaber in his ass. My favorite mission during my Star Wars Obi-Wan review was when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were aboard the Trade Federation ship taking down battle droids on their way to Nute Gunray. Throughout the mission, Qui-Gon yells at you constantly to stick close to him and to hurry up. I would walk five feet away from him to grab health and he’d freak out and start scolding me.

I found that because Obi-Wan was incompetent in fighting the required enemies in the mission, it was best to just run through the level until the end. During the Obredaan mines and Sand People camps, I just ran through them without stopping to battle foes and it worked. You didn’t need to kill them to proceed although they chased you until the very end. Other levels like the “Queen in Peril” give no direction on where you need to go or what you need to do next. You can spend a half-hour just wandering around and looking at the same area over and over trying to find a hole to climb or a lever to flip. If you aren’t listening to some key characters then you miss out on what you are supposed to do because they don’t repeat themselves. In the level “Within A Palace” I needed to bring a girl up a couple of floors for her to hack the computers. I didn’t know that and spent a ton of time trying to figure out what to do. I got frustrated and just killed her in my anger. Sounds like a certain Sith Lord…

If you aren’t killed by the overwhelming number of enemies you face, then you’ll probably die a few times falling off ledges. Obi-Wan will fall hundreds of feet to his death before he gets stuck in his free fall animation for about 15 seconds before the “Mission Failed” menu comes up. The controls to Obi-Wan sucked and it caused me to fall a few times during my Star Wars Obi-Wan review when trying to perform some force jumps.

At the end of the game, you’ll fight Darth Maul just like in the movie. The first time I fought him during my Star Wars Obi-Wan review I was able to drain him down to just about a quarter of his health. I was surprised I got him down so low as I wasn’t the best at lightsaber combat. I went in for the killing blow only for him to say something stupid about the dark side and refill his entire life bar! After a few tries, I was able to kill him thanks to a big hint about jumping and swinging down on him. It kills him in two hits!

When you beat Darth Maul you open up the Battle Royal where you fight eight other Jedi in the council room. No Yoda, but you do fight Qui-Gon, Mace Windu, and other recognizable members. I was shocked but I beat it on my first try by letting the others kill off each other before it was just me and Mace Windu. I threw my lightsaber at him a few times and came away victorious.

Aside from the story mode, the game offers a “Jedi Battle” mode where you can fight against a friend in an arena. My wife and her brother are obsessed with this mode. I really hope they only liked this game because of this and never played the campaign mode…otherwise, I’m nervous they were abused as children and subjected to torture to enjoy this game.

Memories:
I have no memories of this awful game. I’m wiping my mind clean of it after this Star Wars Obi-Wan review.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Review Score

Obi-Wan, great character in Star Wars, terrible character in the game. LucasArts had a good idea with the lightsaber battle mechanics but due to terrible voice acting, repetitive fights, and clunky controls makes Obi-Wan wishing he was back as a hermit on Tatooine.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan scores a 5.2 out of 10.

What would you write in your Star Wars: Obi-Wan review? Do you remember when Star Wars: Obi-Wan first came out? Were you able to beat the game? Did you play the Jedi Battle and if so who was your Jedi of choice? Is this the worst Star Wars game? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

Medal of Honor Review

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What’s the first World War II game that you played as a kid? If you grew up in the late 90s as I did, it might be Medal of Honor. Developed by DreamWorks Interactive and published by Electronic Arts, Medal of Honor was released in 1999 for the PlayStation. Does this game earn the Medal of Honor? Strap in boys, we’re parachuting into the Medal of Honor review.

Medal of Honor Plot:

You play Jimmy Patterson, a fictional lieutenant who gets recruited into the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) a real organization that was involved in World War II. Patterson is sent on various missions to help the Allies win. Missions include rescuing a downed pilot, destroying “Greta” the railgun, going undercover to sabotage a U-Boat, shutting down a mustard gas facility, destroying a heavy water plant, recovering stolen art, and blowing up a rocket facility.

Before each mission during my Medal of Honor review, I heard the details through a black and white video showing WWII footage as my commander discussed what was crucial about the mission. You also have a pen pal friend who is a French woman that is undercover. I can’t remember her name but she gives important details in her letters about what you’ll face in the mission and objectives you need to complete. As the game progresses it sounds like she gets a crush on you but who wouldn’t after you’ve become a war machine slaughtering thousands of Nazis in your way!

Want to know a fun fact from this Medal of Honor review? Steven Spielberg, yes that Steven Speilberg wrote the story for the game!

Medal of Honor Gameplay:

Remember how much I loved the menu to Driver? It was perfect and something that games today don’t put a lot of effort into. Medal of Honor has a fantastic menu too. It’s set in an office with members of the army walking around and conducting various things. You can highlight different sections of the room to open up submenus like multiplayer, options, records, briefing, next missions, etc… There are lots to see and hear on this busy menu. When you save the game you use a typewriter, it’s these small details that go so far in creating a believable world and it scored big points during my Medal of Honor review.

This is WWII so there’s tons of shooting that you’ll be doing throughout the game. You aim by holding R2 to bring a red crosshair on the screen and move it with an analog stick. It took a little getting used to during my Medal of Honor review but after a few missions, I loved it and became an expert sharpshooter by the end of the game.

The best element of Medal of Honor is the enemy AI and their reactions to being shot. Shooting different areas of their body resulting in different animations from them. You can shoot them in the arm for them to clutch it, or in the leg to see them hop around on one foot, you can even shoot them in the nuts to watch them howl in pain and grab themselves. It’s all very detailed as the enemies can go down after being shot, get back up to defend themselves or crawl away to try and recover. It’s very realistic for a PS1 game and I came away very impressed during my Medal of Honor review. There are probably 20 different animation deaths to witness throughout the game for the common soldier. Your enemies respond to the environment around them too. It was fun to watch them gather around a snowman during a snow mission, or sneak up on them while they’re pissing or having a smoke. When you throw a grenade sometimes they’ll even pick it up and throw it back. One time an enemy tried kicking the grenade back at me only to have it ricochet back to him and blow him up. He started to run away with his hands up when he realized what he did before being blown up. There are attack dogs that scared the crap out of me. I think when I was younger they were tough to kill because they were low to the ground and you had to be quick before they bit you. I didn’t feat them at all this time around and quickly put them down like an old yeller.

There’s a great variety of missions in Medal of Honor. Some missions will be a firefight throughout the whole level as you kill Nazis left and right. Other missions will require you to be undercover and act accordingly as you sneak around stealing information or flipping switches. Most levels are beatable within 15 minutes but make sure not to die near the end of the level because there are no checkpoints. You’ll have to start all over and replay everything if you fail. This happened to me a few times during my Medal of Honor review where I was right by the end of the level and fooled around too much. I ended up getting blown up by an RPG which really ticked me off.

On occasion during my Medal of Honor review, there were a few times when the enemy would be able to shoot me from behind a wall. It didn’t happen much but it was a glitch I didn’t care for. Another glitch I ran into was a few soldiers got sucked into the wall but could still shoot at me. It only happened one time but it was strange and frustrating that I couldn’t kill them.

Memories:
The same friend that had Blackthorne for the SNES and Driver for the PS1 also had Medal of Honor. I used to go to his house after school and play it with him. The dogs always scared us but we discovered that if you threw a grenade they’d bite it and take it back to their commander blowing them both up. We used to say “Give the doggy a treat” before throwing a grenade. I never beat the game on my own until this review but it didn’t come without one huge issue.

My disc was scratched up and the movies between levels didn’t play very well. That wasn’t a big deal during my Medal of Honor review but when it came to the second to last level, a section of it wouldn’t load. You are in some mines where you are recovering stolen art and you need to make your way to the exit but instead of the tunnel being there, a large black hole blocked my path. I restarted that level almost 20 times to see if the black hole would glitch would stop but it never did. Thankfully it was near the end of the level and there’s a code that you can input to reach the last level so I did that and beat it. I was able to play 95 percent of my game with a damaged disc.

Medal of Honor Review Score:

Medal of Honor ushered in a new era of World War II games. It set the bar very high with detailed enemy soldiers, mission variety, and large weapon selection. Medal of Honor inspired Call of Duty, and I wish the series was still going strong today but sadly there hasn’t been a release since 2012 and that game received horrible reviews.

Medal of Honor scores an 8.9 out of 10.

What would you write for your Medal of Honor review? Do you remember when Medal of Honor first came out? Were you able to beat the game? Did you play multiplayer? What was your favorite weapon to use? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

Onimusha 2 Review

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Gamers couldn’t get enough of demons, undead, and samurai with the Capcom hit “Onimusha” on the PlayStation 2 in 2001. Just a year later in 2002, Capcom followed it up with a sequel titled Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny for the PlayStation 2. The sequel would feature a different main character and take place ten years after the first game. Would the strange mix of ancient Japan and demons work again in this Onimusha 2 review?

Onimusha 2 Plot:

Remember our good pal Samanosuke from the first Onimusha? Well, he’s not in this game or in my Onimusha 2 review! After Samonosuke defeated the demon king Fortinbras he’s been MIA. It has been ten years since the events of Onimusha and while Fortinbras was killed, Nobunaga the once-feared leader of a Japanese army has risen to power in the demon ranks. Nobunaga was killed in the opening video of the first game but the demons resurrected him to do their bidding. He’s taking full command of their armies and has set fire to any resistance.

Nobunaga’s army destroys Yagyu village killing everyone from the small town except Jubei Yagyu, the clan’s samurai who was not there when the army attacked. Now, Jubei is set on revenge against Nobunaga! As he looks over the wreckage of his village, he hears his name called by a mysterious voice. He runs to it discovering a wooden cabin that houses a female demon that informs Jubei that she is his real mother. She tells Jubei the only way to defeat Nobunaga is to reunite the five orbs that were created to protect the humans from demons.

During his quest for the orbs, Jubei meets four other warriors each with their own intentions. Ekei is a fat man that fights with a spear. He loves women and drinking. He wants to become a feudal lord. Magoichi is a master with guns. Keep in mind that the guns are not like they are today but are matchlocks. He plans on killing Nobunaga out of fear that his village will fall next. Kotaro is a ninja who was abandoned as a child by his mother. He wants to help Jubei defeat Nobunaga and uncover the mystery behind the fourth warrior that Jubei meets. That fourth warrior is Oyu, a cute female warrior who is set out on a mysterious quest of her own. It turns out that she is the sister of Nobunaga and wants him stopped.

Jubei collects the five orbs and uses them to defeat Nobunaga but is unable to kill him due to the lack of the Oni Gauntlet that is required to kill Nobunaga. (hint, hint, Samanosuke has it). Jubei and Oyu develop feelings for each other during the game which I thought was unnecessary. The game was tremendous already and didn’t need this love interest between the two characters. In the end, Jubei is on his horse overlooking a tower that Oyu is in as she watches him from afar.

Onimusa 2 Gameplay:

I ranted about how much I loved the opening video of the first Onimusha and the second one followed suit. Gosh, they sure do know how to make great videos to hype you up about the game you are about to play. This video introduces all the characters you’ll be able to interact with along with their personalities. In the video, Oyu is seen taking a shower under a waterfall. When I was in seventh grade all my buddies would gather around to watch the opening scenes of this game and we all ogled at the sideboob that is shown. When you are in seventh grade, side boob is everything. Actually, you know I still love side boob. Some things never change.

I noticed that the sound effects were more creepy during my Onimusha 2 review than the first. There’s a horror element to these games, and the atmosphere was great for Onimusha 1 and 2. The little details make a big difference like the sound of Jubei’s footsteps changing when he is on wooden floors, grass, or concrete.

At the beginning of my Onimusha 2 review, there was a city where you can explore and chat with the locals as you build up your strength and knowledge of the game. I LOVED this town, it was bustling with tons of villagers that you can talk to and hear their complaints about everyday life. It felt like a real town and I pictured myself in the 1500s in Japan. There’s even a town hooker that keeps trying to seduce you! Onimusha 2 offers many more personalities than the first game. There’s humor in the game, and it’s good humor too! Characters crack jokes, find themselves in awkward positions, and show a different side to the Onimusha universe. In Onimusha 1, the game was much more serious. Onimusha 2 gets down to business but has comic relief with the side characters.

A new change in gameplay is the gift system. Jubei can find gifts and give them to his companions to make them like him better. This determines who comes to your side in battles and opens up new scenarios and side stories. I loved the gift system in my Onimusha 2 review and giving gifts always ends in a funny reaction from the recipients. The gifts range from anything from a frog, sake, globe, flower, and even mushrooms that make the user hallucinate. Each companion will act differently toward gifts, and each gift has a rating system from A to D on the reaction scale. An A reaction makes the character like you the most while a D barely moves the friendship bar. Friendship is important in opening up scenarios. I finished the game thinking I played almost every scenario with the companions but at the end, it shows your stats and I only completed 52 percent of the scenarios! Jeez!

You’ll be hacking and slashing hundreds of demons throughout your quest and Onimusha 2 expands upon the weapons and combos. You’ll learn “secret” moves for each weapon by discovering hidden books on them. The three swords from the first game return and there’s a new huge hammer to smash the heads of demons. Just like the first game, you’ll be able to power them up. Boss battles are tougher than the first game and I found myself using my magic attacks much more during my Onimusha 2 review. Most bosses have an attitude too. There’s this hideous fat demon woman who thinks she is so hot with her umbrella and high heels. I loved fighting the bosses as they almost became likable and I was sorry to see them go. An example of the humor in Onimusha 2 is during a boss fight against the expert demon swordsman Gogandantess, he keeps bragging about himself. Jubei interrupts and just says “Can we get on with this?” as he rolls his eyes. Occasionally, there was some slowdown on the screen when there were too many enemies. I was surprised to see this on the PS2 but it only happened a few times.

The final fight against Nobunaga is what I was hoping for in the first game. He turns into a flying armored demon king as you battle each in his throne room. It was awesome but that’s just his first phase. He transforms into a giant walking machine of armor and Jubei counters by transforming with the five orbs into some supernatural Oni. The second phase of Noubunga during my Onimusha 2 review was stupid and I didn’t feel like it needed to be included. When the game concludes I was expecting a better cut scene or wrap up of the story but there was very little payoff.

Memories:
I loved the first Onimusha game as a sixth-grader so when the second game came out my dad bought it for me. I remember playing it with my friends, but I never beat it. I don’t remember where I stopped playing or what got me stuck. Completing my Onimusha 2 review with a full playthrough, I believe I was probably halfway through the game. when I quit as a kid. It probably got too difficult at the time. My friends and I would always pick characters to pretend to be as we played. I had a fat friend and we always made him be Ekei as he was fat too. Kids are mean, haha!

Onimusha 2 Review Score:

The first Onimusha game was great. The second one expanded on what made the first game amazing and added some huge enhancements. If you have never played this series, you really need to.

Onimusha 2 scores a 9.6 out of 10.

What would you write in your Onimusha 2 review? Do you remember when Onimusha 2 when it first came out? What did you think of the new characters and who was your favorite? Did you like the gift system? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

Adventure Island II Review

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When gamers couldn’t get enough of adventure or islands, Now Production and Hudson Soft rushed to push a sequel out for Adventure Island. In 1991, they released Adventure Island II for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Our favorite beach bum Master Higgins is back and once again he will rescue a princess. Will his second outing be as successful as his first? Master Higgins is moving on to the next one in this Adventure Islands II review.

Adventure Island II Plot:

The first interesting thing I learned about Adventure Island II, is that Master Higgins isn’t rescuing the same princess he was in the first game who was called Princess Leilani. Instead, he is now rescuing her sister, Princess Tina. We learned Master Higgins is just a well-to-do guy, as he didn’t know Leilani and just decided to rescue her on a whim, he is now going to risk himself to rescue yet another stranger? Gee, if only more humans acted like Higgins!

As you may recall the ending to Adventure Island, it had Master Higgins and his newly rescued Princess Leilani smooching on the beach. In a move to make all feminists upset, Master Higgins ditches Leilani after probably “getting it in” with her and leaves to rescue her sister, Princess Tina. Like her slutty sister, Princess Tina, puts out for Master Higgins, kissing him at the end. Just like that, a playa is born. I did learn something interesting about Master Higgins. He is based on a real-life person in Japan who worked for Nintendo. Don’t ask me his name, but the guy was famous for holding a record of pushing 16 buttons in one second. So just like in real life Master Higgins was good at hitting the spot, just in a different sense.

Adventure Island II Gameplay:

The first thing I notice about the actual gameplay during my Adventure Island II review is that Master Higgins is now accompanied by four different dinosaurs that can be found in eggs throughout levels, or called upon at the beginning of a level if you have saved one of them in your inventory. If you have a dinosaur this makes levels 100 times easier. I didn’t attempt one level without the help of a dinosaur. There are four of them. One flies, one shoots sparks out of his tail, one breathes fire, and the other swims underwater. Obviously, the flying and swimming ones are great for sky and water levels while the other two wreck any other level.

Having the dinosaurs helped a lot in my Adventure Island II review, so much that if I died, I restarted the level just to get my dinosaur back. The islands were much more detailed than the previous entry. Instead of just forests and woods, there were snow levels, sky levels, water levels, and volcano levels. The coolest discovery I made was the mysterious eggs that would pop out of either the ground or my dinosaur’s ass. No seriously, I don’t know where they come from! But the key, no pun intended was to hop fast and when the egg pops up quickly reverse course to crack it before it disappears off-screen. Inside the egg was a key that took you up to the sky and put you in a room with a talking pterodactyl. (I know this game should be played on LSD)

The friendly pterodactyl would ask if you would like to skip this world and go to the next. Well, wanting to beat the game as quickly as I could, I picked yes, and he would fly me to the next island. I thought it was the coolest thing and a fun secret in my Adventure Island II review that is rarely put into games made for today. I had a sense of discovery, and with it, I was able to skip two worlds completely. It was quite awesome!

Another thing that completely changed was the bosses. Thank God! The first Adventure Island lacked any creativity for the bosses at the end of the stages. Each was just a stone statue with a different head but shot the same stupid fireball at you. This time, however, each boss was unique and you needed different strategies to beat them.

In some cases, you could bring your dinosaur friend into battle to help defeat the bosses which ranged from weird vines that grew and shot fire, to wasps, scorpions, and an octopus. The final boss wasn’t too hard, but it did pose a challenge in my Adventure Island II review. It was two bosses in a row where you really had to time your jumping on the second boss.

Memories:
I first played the original Adventure Island in seventh grade in the basement of my church. I didn’t try playing the second one until a few years after college. I thought I was so cool because I had just purchased an NES USB controller for my computer and was going to play tons of emulated Nintendo games. One of the first that I picked was Adventure Island II. I didn’t care much for the first Adventure Island but once I start a series I sort of have OCD about playing every game in it so I had to move on to Adventure Island II. I was pleasantly surprised by how much the sequel improved during my Adventure Island II review.

The series was one of the first that I started to review for my original attempt at reviewing video games. I’m not sure why I stopped reviewing them, I think my job started to get crazy and I just lost motivation. It was the last game I reviewed on my original website but that work didn’t go to waste. I used much of the structure from that review for this one.

Adventure Island II Review Score:

Adventure Island II improved through creativity and better gameplay. The added dinosaur companion helped shoulder the load for Master Higgins and the change to bosses was a huge welcome. Bravo to pimp Master Higgins and slaying not only 16 islands in two games but two sisters as well!

Adventure Island II scores a 7.3 out of 10.

What would you write in your Adventure Island II review? Do you remember when Adventure Island II when it first came out? What was your favorite dinosaur to use? Did you have a boss that gave you issues? Are you a stud like Master Higgins? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

Dead or Alive 4 Review

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Team Ninja and Tecmo took the leap and launched Dead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360 in 2005. Our favorite girls are back in action as the evil DOATEC organization is under fire for their terrible human experiments. Join the jiggly cast of beautiful girls and help win the fourth Dead or Alive tournament exclusively on the Xbox 360. There’s plenty more TNA action in this Dead or Alive 4 review.

Dead or Alive 4 Plot:

In my very humble opinion, Dead or Alive 4 presents the best plot from the first four games in the series. It makes sense for once and includes various characters and subplots. You basically have two warring factions. DOATEC (Dead Or Alive Tournament Executive Committee) and the Mugen Tenshin Clan. DOATEC has been snatching up ninjas from the clan to experiment on and create a superhuman fighter. Returning fighters Helena and Christie represent DOATEC while Kasumi, Hayate, Hayabusa, and Ayane represent the Mugen Tenshin. DOATEC wants to unleash their newly created superhuman weapon, a clone of Kasumi with enhanced powers in liquid form and the Mugen Tenshin want to bring down DOATEC for good after the damage they have inflicted against the clan.

You have other characters fighting in the tournament with their own intertwining subplots that are just as interesting to discover so without further ado, let’s take a look at the roster for this Dead or Alive 4 review.

Kasumi: She chose to abdicate her position as leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan and become an outcast, overcoming a vast number of trials to survive. If only it were possible for her to live in peace with her brother, Hayate, the current clan leader…However, storm clouds are already brewing, and the next epic battle of Kasumi’s life is about to be set in motion. Alpha-152…Kasumi still has no idea of the nightmare about to be unleashed on the world by her own clone. Winner of the first DOA Tournament ***

Ryu Hayabusa: It is not known who first uttered the phrase, but people have come to know Ryu as “Super Ninja.” He is the lone surviving Ninja of the Hayabusa clan, a lineage that traces its roots back to ancient times. Tales of his extraordinary exploits and incredible ability are well known. Now, having heard reports of his dear friend Hayate’s rise to arms, Hayabusa lends his sword to the destruction of DOATEC! Winner of the second DOA Tournament ***

Bass Armstrong: Pro wrestling is the kind of thing that you can stake your entire life on and still not completely master…that is what he taught his daughter. “Yeah, but look at Tina now… first it’s modeling, then acting; what’s with all this flashy crap! I’ll have to take her on again in the DOA tournament and teach her once and for all the true worth of wrestling!” However, Bass had no idea that his precious Tina had already set her sights on a new conquest…

Zack: The infamous Zack Island, a tropical casino resort, has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Now all that remains is a mountain of debt, one hundred times the size of the original investment. Even the normally aloof Zack will have a hard time recovering from this blow… or so everyone thought. Zack’s sights are already set on his next conquest: the DOATEC Tritower, three enormous pillars stretching up to the sky… “I gotta climb this thing!”

Jann Lee: There is one thing that Jann Lee knows: a showdown between two truly powerful men is like an inferno! The heat that burns the soul and the scorching that says you are truly alive; these all come from the power of the fist. What Jann Lee is really searching for is the elation, the heat, which comes from trading blows with one who is truly powerful. The Dead or Alive martial arts tournament… This is the only reason that Jann Lee attempts to breach the strongholds of the victorious.

Leifang: It starts with a 6-year-old memory, always accompanied by battle cries that sound like they come from a strange bird. The gleaming blade rushes toward her as she feels it may be too late. Then, in an instant, the young man with the embroidered dragon leaps on the scene. He massacres the hoodlums with a single blow, accompanied by a piercing yell. Since then, she has committed herself to reaching the highest plateau of ability, all so that she may exist in the same world as that young man. She must defeat him! (For those that don’t know, it’s Jann Lee)

Tina Armstrong: It may have been because of her father Bass’ special training, or simply her natural talent, but either way Tina has become a well-established superstar in the world of women’s pro wrestling. She has also been amazingly successful at everything else she has done, both as a model and as an actress, always following her motto “Success breeds success.” Now, she has her sights set on a new dream…

Ayane: She is the kunoichi prodigy of Hajin Mon, the dark side of the Mugen Tenshin Clan. Although she is the half-sister to Kasumi and Hayate, she is doomed to the shadows because of her cursed birth. While she has an intense hatred towards Kasumi, who was brought up in a privileged environment unlike herself, she also feels strongly drawn toward Hayate. She has pledged her entire existence to the task of assisting Hayate in his plan to destroy DOATEC. Winner of the third DOA Tournament *** She is also the last original DOA fighter from the first game that is featured in every DOA story mode.

Gen-Fu: He’s unlockable in versus mode but not available for the story. Sounds like the old man has retired!

Bayman: The man personally responsible for Fame Douglas’ assassination after the first DOA tournament. However, Donovan’s payment for the deed came delivered in the form of a killer hired to shut him up. Such a misguided client must not be allowed to live. Now, the vengeful Bayman is infiltrating the Tritower, DOATEC’s base of operations, and he won’t be leaving until he has Donavon’s head.

Hayate: He is a young Ninja in charge of a powerful group of warriors in his role as the leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan. He cannot allow himself to look away any longer as DOATEC continues its orgy of indiscriminate violence. With the red-hot forge of fury burning within him, Hayate gives an order to his brethren: “DOATEC must fall! Let us eradicate them with the cleansing flames of justice!”

Helena: The daughter of Fame Douglas, the founder of DOATEC, Helena has sworn revenge after losing both her father and beloved mother, Maria, to a whirlwind of conspiracy. Now, she has chosen to throw herself into the storm by assuming the mantle of the president of DOATEC. Where does she intend to lead this giant organization, the source of all her misfortune? No matter which path she chooses, she will not find happiness at its end… Winner of the fourth Dead or Alive Tournament ***

Christie: She has served at Helena’s side, a poisonous needle slipped in by Donovan. Christie views this elegant woman, as completely opposite from herself with feelings that she cannot quite understand. What is this fixation? She won’t allow anyone else to harm that frail body… No, that is a privilege reserved only for her blood-soaked snake hands.

Hitomi: A sudden illness has befallen Hitomi’s father, a karate practitioner, and prominent member of the German martial arts community. Although his life was spared, the family’s training hall is in financial trouble! Hitomi’s days are so busy now… but one of her greatest strengths is not letting the seriousness of the situation faze her. “I’ll just have to rebuild the dojo! But I’ll need somebody’s help. Only one person comes to mind: Ein. (Hayate) I wonder where he is and what he’s doing…”

Brad Wong: His journey to find the illusive liquor “Genra” came to an end, but not in the form of a drink, but as a confrontation with a monster. He followed his master’s wishes and searched for three years. Three years is such a long time, and to have it turn out to be for nothing! Now, with nothing to lose, Brad continues to wander, if he roams enough, certainly he will run into someone to fight…

Leon: He’s not available for the story mode but he is unlockable in versus.

NEW FIGHTERS:

Kokoro: “It’s not that I don’t like training to be a geisha. It’s just that there’s something that I enjoy much more than any of my lessons. I really put my heart and soul into my Ba Ji Qua, and that’s what I’m truly confident in. I want to test myself. I want to enter the DOA Tournament!” And so, despite the worries of her mother Miyako, who knows all there is to know about the criminal underground, Kokoro takes her first steps on the path to bloodshed.

Eliot: He’s the only apprentice of the legendary “immovable fist” Gen Fu, but he has doubts. Why would Master Gen Fu, who had never taken an apprentice before, choose him as his successor? Eliot seeks the answer in the form of the DOA tournament. If he cannot win the tournament, he has no right to carry on Gen Fu’s legacy.

La Mariposa: A masked wrestler who hides her identity underneath her flamboyant costume, La Mariposa rose like a comet to the peak of stardom only a short while after her debut. She has never lost a match, and like so many other masked wrestlers, her past remains a mystery. It seems that she has special expectations for her entry in DOA.

Whew, okay that’s enough character bios for this Dead or Alive 4 review.

Dead or Alive 4 Gameplay:

Usually, I say how much the graphics have improved in each Dead or Alive game but for the first time in the series, I was left very unimpressed by the graphics for my Dead or Alive 4 review on the Xbox 360. I know it was an early entry on the system, but wow the graphics and fighters look like they belong on the PS2 or Xbox. I think DOA Hardcore might have better graphics than DOA4! Particularly, the hair on the fighters looked terrible. The strands slid around on the shoulders like spaghetti noodles.

My first fight was Kasumi vs Tina. The difficulty in the gameplay was ramped up and there was no “easy” mode to select during my Dead or Alive 4 review. The lowest difficulty is “normal”. Tina quickly beat my ass and put Kasumi into the hold before riding her down stone stairs like a toboggan! Holy shit, that was awesome to watch! I immediately knew that I’d have to bring my A-game to this tournament after Tina quickly disposed of me.

I still don’t know why there is no English voice acting! Why? I don’t get it. I loved the voice acting in DOA2 so why is it absent in DOA1, DOA3, and DOA4? The environments have continued to become more and more of a weapon in each entry. I loved sending my opponent into a wall or window and watching them crash below a few stories doing extra damage during my Dead or Alive 4 review. It’s great fun and even when it’s me getting sent downstairs or a fence, it’s cool to watch. There is one fighting area that takes place with dinosaurs. I don’t get it, there’s literally a T-Rex and other dinosaurs wandering around the area. Where did they come from? Did DOA rent out Jurassic Park Island?

Boss fights have been stupid in the DOA series. The first game was fine, but DOA2 and DOA3 featured supernatural demons with the screens blurry or weird camera angles. Finally, DOA4 has a respectable end boss. It’s still on the supernatural side, but at least it makes sense. Most fighters will fight Alpha-152, Kasumi’s clone for the final fight. She fights just like any other fighter, with no weird angles or blurry vision. Good! What I loved during my Dead or Alive 4 review was the final boss changed depending on the character you played. Not everyone fought Alpha-152, some fought other characters in the game that had more to do with their character arc. Great job Team Ninja and Tecmo! I loved that change because it made sense that not everyone could fight Alpha-152. These fights connected the overall story and made it much easier to understand.

My favorite part of my Dead or Alive 4 review was the ridiculous and bizarre end videos for the characters. Almost every character featured a crazy end video that was hilarious. I loved it! I beat the game with every character but the first one I beat the game with was Kasumi. In her end video, she appears as a naked mermaid swimming around in the ocean and gets caught in a net. She wakes up in a dream and is trapped by her sheets. The video was so weird and had nothing to do with the tournament, it made me want to beat the game with all the other characters just to see how crazy their end videos were and I wasn’t disappointed. I couldn’t help but show my wife some of the more weird videos.

Memories:
DOA4 has been sitting in my closet for a few months. I ordered my copy from eBay where it sat on the shelf for some time before I got through the first DOAs. My Xbox 360 has taken a beating over the years and I’ve needed serious maintenance on it. I didn’t have a reason to do so until now, so with a fork and paperclip, I was able to get my Xbox 360 going again for my Dead or Alive 4 review. Hooray!

For once, my favorite fighter wasn’t Leifang. I think she lost a step in her quickness. Instead, my champion is Jann Lee. He toned down his weird bird calls but can still kick ass.

Dead or Alive 4 Review Score Overall:

This is the best game in the series despite the poor graphics for the platform. Fighting motions are smooth, the gameplay is easy to learn and for once the plot makes sense. Pick it up if you see it!

Dead or Alive 4 scores an 8.7 out of 10.

What would you write in your Dead or Alive 4 review? Do you remember when Dead or Alive 4 first came out? Who was your favorite fighter? Did you laugh at the hilarious videos? What did you think of Alpha-152? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

God of War PS4 Review

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How do you start a new adventure for one of the most iconic video game characters? In 2018, Santa Monica Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment released “God of War” for the PlayStation 4. The fourth game in the series, not to be confused with the first game with the same title, saw an older Kratos. Does the former God of war still have the fiery hot rage within or has age calmed him down? Today, I’m diving into the latest entry in the massively successful God of War series. There’s a lot of old-man strength in this God of War PS4 review.

God of War PS4 Plot:

Remember where we last left our good pal Kratos? He had just completed his blood-filled revenge tour on Mount Olympus. He murdered all the Greek gods and destroyed the Titans. Kratos had achieved his revenge. Since then what has Kratos been up to? Well, at some point he left the Greek universe wandering far, far away to a new land. This land has no Greek gods or spartans instead, Kratos has made a life for himself in Midgard, a realm of Norse mythology. He’s been busy too, making a family for himself with a wife and boy. BOY! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

It is here from this God of War PS4 review that we start our journey with an older Kratos. His beard has grayed and his once chiseled body has seen ware. Kratos’ wife has recently passed away and her last wish was for her ashes to be scattered at the highest point in the realm. With his son, Atreus, Kratos sets off to reach the peak to spread the ashes of his wife. Atreus is somewhere between 10-13 years old. He is still innocent but he’s growing quickly and will soon reach that rebellious stage, especially with Kratos’ blood in him.

Right before they set off, Kratos is greeted by a mysterious man who challenges Kratos to a fight. After coaxing him into one, Kratos beats the living shit out of this man who keeps asking for more. No matter what Kratos does this man keeps coming back from the dead. Kratos disposes of him (for now) and they continue on their way.

They reach the hub of the nine realms and meet the World Serpent who towers over them. I hate snakes but the World Serpent is a friendly guardian, thankfully. A mysterious black mist blocks their way to the peak so Kratos and Atreus turn to the Witch of the Woods for help and travel to different realms to combat the mist. During their journey, they encounter Mimir a wise man who has been imprisoned in a tree. Kratos cuts his head off (but he still lives) and carries his head around for tips and he reveals to them how to get to other realms to complete their quest. The interaction with Mimir was very entertaining as Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir all quipped back and forth during my God of War PS4 review.

Remember the mysterious man who attacked Kratos before? He returns himself and is revealed to be Baldur. He is accompanied by two other Norse figures Modi and Magni. The two of them ambush Kratos kicking the shit out of Kratos and Atreus. The two kill Magni but Modi gets away. Later on in the journey, Kratos goes home to retrieve the blades of chaos. I remember this part so vividly, it was so epic to see Kratos get the blades back and relive those memories. That is when Kratos is truly back after trying to suppress his rage for so long on this quest. It was the best part of the game for me.

Kratos reveals to Atreus his mysterious past and lets his son know he is a god. Atreus gets a god complex and starts disobeying Kratos in an act of rebellion. Against Kratos’ orders, Atreus kills Modi after they battle him again. Long story short, Kratos ends up killing Baldur and reveals to Atreus his bloody past of killing all the Greek gods and his own father, Zeus. He tells Atreus they need to learn from the past and not repeat the same mistakes. (Obviously, Kratos doesn’t want to be killed by Atreus.)

They reach the highest point in the realm and discover that Kratos’ wife was a giant making Atreus half-giant and half-god. What a mix! They spread the ashes and return home to hear Mimir warn them of a three-year event called Fimbulwinter coming. This is a bad omen and Kratos dreams of Thor breaking down their cabin. Cue the rumors for God of War V.

God of War PS4 Gameplay:

God of War only received one entry on the PS4 but just like every entry, I noticed the graphics and environments improved substantially. For the first time in the series, Kratos is accompanied during his journey. Atreus listens well for an AI and I found him to be rather helpful during combat with his bow during my God of War PS4 review. He even warns you if an enemy is zeroing in on you. It wasn’t a game about babysitting, I found that Atreus truly added another welcomed layer to the play. Kratos’ axe is powerful but I’ll always prefer his blades of chaos. I noticed myself using the block function much more in this game than I ever have in the other God of Wars. It’s still a hack-n-slash game, but the camera is closer to Kratos making the battles more intimate. Like the other God of Wars, you’ll have the option to activate a rage after building it up to unleash it upon tough enemies.

I loved the hub of the nine realms in my God of War PS4 review and it was fun to unlock new ones to enter. The atmosphere and lore of each realm are fantastic making me want to stay longer than my welcome. Speaking of staying longer, God of War was the shortest game in my opinion for the series. I didn’t struggle with any fights or bosses, so I was surprised to finish the game in just a few days. You can keep playing after you defeat the game to kill some super tough valkyries but I didn’t feel like doing that. To help power up Kratos and Atreus you can craft stronger weapons and armor which was awesome. There are two dwarfs to help build your weapons. Each has a fun personality and each says their work is better than the other. I thought the personality of the characters introduced were better than the previous entries in the series. These characters aided Kratos in his quest instead of cowering from him in fear.

You’ll be able to explore the hub world in a boat that is paddled by Kratos. I enjoyed these moments during my God of War PS4 review as he talked with Mimir and Atreus, telling them stories from his past. While you can explore, the world isn’t open-world and the realms are fairly linear. You’ll need certain items to unlock the doors to them and they come in order.

Memories:
It was the dead of winter when I began my God of War PS4 review. It fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the game, I remember preparing myself for the next few weeks to feel the rage of Kratos but was surprised I beat the game in just a few days.

God of War PS4 Review Score:

Kratos is older and his rage has been suppressed. It feels like the developers and programmers of God of War have grown up themselves. You won’t find any naked women waiting for Kratos to ravage them in mini-games this time around, but God of War still packs tons of fun and is a must-buy for any PS4 owner. While God of War doesn’t reach the epic levels of God of War II or III, it still sits comfortably in the main series family.

God of War scores a 9.4 out of 10.

What would you write in your God of War PS4 review? Do you remember when God of War first came out? Were you shocked that Kratos had grown wise and calm? What did you think of Atreus and his AI controls? Did you like the Norse mythology? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!

Kirby’s Dream Land Review

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Who would have thought that a little pile of pink fluff could spawn a hugely successful video game franchise? Back in 1992, HAL Laboratory and Nintendo released Kirby’s Dream Land for the Game Boy. This cute side-scrolling action platformer was a must-have for the system and spawned one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises that is still thriving today nearly thirty years later. The introduction to everyone’s favorite little pink puff starts with Kirby’s Dream Land review.

Kirby’s Dream Land Plot:

Who would have thought that stealing food would start a war? Our cute little pink friend Kirby lives in Dream Land. One night, King Dedede, a mean and hungry penguin invades Dream Land and steals all the food away. Along with the food, King Dedede has stolen the sparkling stars that the Dream Land critters use to traverse the land and get more food. If Kirby doesn’t do something, all the residents of Dream Land will starve! That’s a cute little plot to go along with this cute little Kirby’s Dream Land review.

Kirby’s Dream Land Gameplay:

Kirby’s Dream Land has some of the most iconic music in video games, especially for the Game Boy. The entire game’s soundtrack is filled with cute little tunes and sound effects that will stay with you long after you’ve played the game. Even when poor little Kirby dies, the sound that the game makes is iconic. How about the sound that Kirby makes when he is sucking in air? Imagine it in your head, I know you know the sound!

Before each level, Kirby will have a fun animation previewing the scenery. It’s a nice touch by the developers and the small details make Kirby’s Dream Land come to life. Kirby comes with a unique attack and defense in the form of him being able to suck just about everything up. Kirby can use his vacuum-like mouth to defend himself against enemy projectiles and falling objects. He can take those objects and transform them into stars and shoot them back out at the enemies. There’s nothing like turning enemy attacks against them! If there’s nothing to suck up, Kirby can inhale and shoot air out as an attack which I did many times during my Kirby’s Dream Land review. His sucking power doesn’t just defend and attack, but it’s also a way he navigates through levels. Puffing himself up, Kirby can float around and fly up to new floors or flap his tiny arms as he floats over pits.

Unlike the last game I reviewed (Gunstar Heroes) Kirby’s Dream Land isn’t difficult. Rarely will you find yourself in danger of dying or exhausting Kirby’s hit points. Common enemies are pushovers with the only real danger coming from when Kirby is floating around in the air with projectiles or enemies flying around him. Boss fights were both fun and simple during my Kirby’s Dream Land review. The first boss is a stationary tree. The key to defeating him is to have Kirby suck up the falling fruit and shoot it at the tree. I think the boss fights might be a little too simple but I understand that the programmers couldn’t get too crazy on the Game Boy. There are three other bosses to fight before facing King Dedede. They are relatively easy to defeat and the only one I died on was the floating cannonball cloud. I think it just surprised me at first but I killed him on the second try.

King Dedede is the final boss but before you fight him you have a boss rush of the first four. They are just as easy the second time around, even more so because you know how to defeat them. King Dedede wasn’t difficult during my Kirby’s Dream Land review but it took longer to beat him due to his high health bar. He’ll try and smash Kirby with his hammer or jump on him but his attacks are easily recognizable and not difficult to avoid. When his hammer comes down or he lands on the ground after jumping stars will pop up. Kirby needs to suck up the stars and fire them back at King Dedede to defeat him. Blast him with stars and he goes down without much of a fight.

Once you defeat King Dedede you’re treated to a cute cutscene of Kirby blowing up and attaching himself to the castle and flying away. This makes so much more sense to me as I didn’t know what the heck he was doing when I beat the game but if King Dedede stole all the food it’s probably in the castle so Kirby is just returning it. The Game Boy is simple but it was nice to see all the animation from Kirby during these short scenes.

Memories:
I was first introduced to Kirby on the Nintendo when I was a little kid at my friend’s house. We would play it for hours and it was simple enough for a couple of six-year-olds to understand. There was a level that Kirby needed to suck up multiple blocks or get past some type of roadblock. For some reason, we never were able to do it but my friend’s mom knew how to make Kirby do it. She wasn’t a cool mom and was a complete hardass but I remember thinking it was cool to see her do it. To this day I still have no idea why or how she knew how to perform the trick but I’m thankful that she progressed the game for us.

I beat Kirby’s Dream Land a few years ago for the first time and had just as much fun back then as I did writing my Kirby’s Dream Land review. I’m excited to review more games in the series.

Kirby’s Dream Land Review Score:

Kirby’s Dream Land combines an amazing soundtrack with simple yet fun gameplay to form a lovable pink little blob in Kirby. I haven’t played a ton of Game Boy games but Kirby’s Dream Land ranks up there at the top of the library. If you want an introduction to platform side-scrolling games, Kirby’s Dream Land is where you want to start.

Kirby’s Dream Land scores a 9.0 out of 10.

What would you write in your Kirby’s Dream Land review? Do you remember when Kirby’s Dream Land first came out? Who was your favorite boss to fight and what did you think of King Dedede? Is it one of the best Game Boy games? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!