Showing posts with label PS3 Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PS3 Review. Show all posts

Saturday, July 12, 2014

One Piece Unlimited World Red (PS3)

Eiichiro Oda, and the development team at Bandai Namco once again grace the Playstation consoles with a tribute game designed around Eiichiro's fantastical world of pirates, and marines. Eiichiro's epic adventure known as "One Piece" boldly began in 1997 as a manga exclusive, later became an anime, and has since gained six seasons (over 600 episodes) worth of maritime lore surrounding the 'Straw Hat Pirates', and their quest for the ultimate treasure known as 'One Piece". With the addition of video games such as 'Unlimited World Red' making their debut on current generation consoles the 'One Piece' mythology continues to expand even further reaching an even broader audience than before. Staying faithful to the series, and expanding upon it Eiichiro Oda contributes to this latest One Piece game with additional plot based scenarios, and characters not yet seen in the anime series. You'll find high seas adventures in the form of a vastly constructed story mode, and a coliseum mode in which the "One Piece" battles mean everything. There are plenty of colorful characters to play as, and team up with as you take on the quests, face insurmountable odds in epic battles, and complete tasks that are asked of you. Much like 'Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker' you will be spending hours upon hours interacting with island residents, and expanding upon the island itself. There's lots to do, and plenty of fun to be had as you join Luffy, and his Straw Hat Pirate crew in their latest set of misadventures!

Monday, April 21, 2014

Castlevania: LoS2 - "Revelations" DLC (PS3)

In this latest "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2" DLC release titled "Revelations" Konami aims to test your mettle, and your patience with a handful of ridiculously hard boss fights, and only a small amount of level based platforming puzzles. The main protagonist this time around, who will be going along for the ride is none other than the weakling vampire Alucard, and I stress the word weakling. During Dracula's, and Alucard's last encounter we found (assuming you have beaten the game) that these two lead vampires had fooled Satan with a plot to end the dark lord's return. All Dracula wanted was for his eternal life to end, and all Alucard (aka, Trever Belmont) wanted was for the family's suffering to end. Just before the final fight with Satan Alucard let Dracula (aka, Gabriel Belmont) in on the secret between them, and in doing so had shed some light on the events that had taken place prior to their current day reunion. The sword placed in Dracula's still beating heart was no accident, and the near fatal wound was merely part of the ploy to get Dracula in good terms with a certain enemy (Zobeck). Together the two vampires thwarted Satan's plan ultimately killing him, and his demon spawn off for the second time since the beginning of this all inclusive mini-series.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Deception IV: Blood Ties (PS3 & PS VITA)

Rarely ever does a gamer get to fulfill the role of an absolute evil character. Usually there's some sort of hero out to end the evildoer's reign of terror, and bring peace to whatever kingdom it is that they hail from. In the case of "Deception IV: Blood Ties" you'll be taking on the role of a very special femme fatale with such an evil persona. This scantily clad demoness of whom I speak is none other than the Devil's daughter herself. She is literally a living part of the master of darkness's soul, and as such has inherited his evil nature. Along with the aid of three other female demons this lady of the damned aims to resurrect her father by collecting twelve holy verses from the descendants of twelve fabled saints who locked him away in his own unholy dungeon in the first place. This biblical-like scenario is anything but "good" though. As the Devil's daughter (Laegrinna) you'll either succeed in your quest to end mankind's reign, or fail in the process.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (PS3)

In the world of fighting games you'll find that not all games are created equal. You have your easy to play, and understand fighters such as that of the "Street Fighter" series, and then you have the more elaborate fighters such as "BlazBlue", and "Marvel vs Capcom" which demand so much more from the player. While BlazBlue, in general utilizes the same core practices as that of 'Street Fighter', or "King of the Fighters" including things like special button inputs to release certain attacks, and combo oriented fighting it still stands apart from the rest of the fighting game genre's offerings by making the applied mechanics more meticulous in nature.

Additions such as BlazBlue's exclusive 'OverDrive', 'Astral Heat', and 'Break Bursts' greatly alter the gameplay at hand. In doing so it demands dedicated attention from the player in order for that said player to come out victorious amongst the top tier players that make up it's faithful online community. Another huge thing that sets Arc System Works latest fighting franchise apart from the rest is the massive amount of content that comes with every game. A fully fleshed out 'Story Mode' with it's own in-depth character mythology as well as intricately laid out character specific interactions are among the many features that make the setting, and it's inhabitants all the more realistic, and relative.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (PS3)



Ninja Gaiden has always been a hardcore series. It's been hardcore in regards to it's difficulty, and in regards to it's required mastery. From it's early days on the NES to it's more modern debut Tecmo has kept the series faithful to the ninja theme that it's all about. Devotion, and consistent practice are a must if you hope to survive the many challenges contained within. If you've ever played, and completed any of the Ninja Gaiden games as I have you'll no doubt have felt accomplished when it was all said, and done. The same could be said for this latest spin-off about one of Ryu Hayabusa's longtime enemies, if you choose to take it on. While the gameplay in "Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z" is unlike any Ninja Gaiden game before it it still holds true to the hardcore formulas of the past. You will face insurmountable odds in the form of zombie hordes as well as larger than life bosses as you try to avenge your death, Kill Ryu Hayabusa, and do the bidding of the shady individual who revived you.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

The Witch and the Hundred Knight (PS3)

A foul mouthed witch, a faithful monstrous butler, and a summoned demon of legendary fame lead the cast of this latest action-rpg conquest that's all about magic, manipulation, and mayhem. NISA, the developers behind this new JRPG experience take their tried, and true JRPG formula, twist it six ways from Sunday, and present it in a wholly new fashion never seen before by their fans. Forget the tile based level grinding combat of "Disgaea", and the god-like management of "The Guided Fate Paradox" as they have little in common with this latest otherworldly plot. Instead of taking sides of the eternal kind (Good vs Evil) you will find that NISA aims to place you in the shoes of a summoned demon who is unfortunately bound by contract to do the bidding of a notorious swamp witch. This little creature known as "The Hundred Knight" does Metallia's (The Swamp Witch's) bidding from the beginning of the tale without so much as a question, but through experience, and your help he will gain powers, and assertive abilities that will help him decide his own fate amidst the morbid scheme at hand. In the end going good, or going bad is a decision that will be entirely up to you.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (PS3/PSN)

Prior to the release of the "Lords of Shadow" saga, and the "Mirror of Fate" tie-in the history of the Belmont clan, and their eternal struggle against Dracula had never really been fleshed out. In fact Gabriel Belmont, the forefather of the Belmont clan had not entered the picture until the first "Lords of Shadow" game had been released. Previous 2D releases did much of nothing in the way of fully revealing Gabriel's story, or the Belmont family ties. The origins of Alucard, and even the origins of Dracula himself were kept in the shadows of gaming history like the dark characters themselves. The 2D games that were released before these definitive plot installments came into play were shared in such a haphazard sort of way that many questions were left unanswered for faithful fans of the series. The introductions of new characters later on, and the new stories that were added also made little to no sense in the ongoing saga.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Skullgirls Encore (PS3): "The Good, The Bad & The Sugar Coated"

If you missed it a couple of years back a developer by the name 'Autumn Games" co-produced a fighter titled, "Skullgirls" with another development team known as 'Lab Zero Games'. Together these two studios got on board with 'Konami' to bring to the fighting game community what was suppsoed to be a fresh, and innovative take on the 2D fighting game genre. The teams working on the game incorporated impressive hand drawn character animations with a somewhat mature theme, and a fighting system that mirrored that of previous MvC (Marvel vs Capcom) offerings. While there were definitely nods to other fighting games via color palettes, and fighting styles the game did one important thing differently. That thing of course was a way to fight back against spammers. This innovative mechanic allowed spam assaulted players to break free of a combo if the player dishing out the attacks repeated the same combo twice. In essence it did work out properly, but in an unfortunate turn of events exploiters found a way to perform infinites despite the applied mechanic, and in turn ruined the game's intended experience.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Dustforce (PS3)

Retro gaming FTW!!! Any time a game developer (particularly an indie studio) takes an old idea, or ideas and makes it their own in a successful manner I become ecstatic as a gaming enthusiast. While it's often times hard not to come off seeming like someone ripping off another idea I think "HitBox" did good with "Dustforce". This indie-like title which contains elements of the classic "Prince of Persia", and "Sonic the Hedgehog" did good to stray away from any blatant misuse of such clone worthy material. In the end what they created was an offline, and online experience that caters not only to the gamer who is looking for something new, but also an experience that caters to the more competitive gamer. Through simple controls, and challenging arcade style gameplay HitBox, and their publisher Capcom aim to capture your attention with one of the more noteworthy gaming experiences of early 2014.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Diablo III (PS3)

Like readings ripped from apocalyptic scriptures of old Blizzard, and their team of creative geniuses bring forth the continuing tale about hell's lords, angels, and the people who are unfortunately caught in the midst of an ongoing war between the two factions. The clash between the long dead King Leoric, and the Horadrim who have sought to end the hell lords' reign of terror comes full circle as Horadrim descendant Deckard Cain, and his niece Leah try to make sense of the approaching dark times, and the apocalypse at hand. With Deckard, and Leah being the last of the Horadrim the fate of humanity lies in the balance of their discoveries that are found within the ancient manuscripts which were passed down to them. With the aid of a heavenly being, lost souls, and a select few individuals whose motivations in preventing the end times are each uniquely their own they set forth to rewrite humanity's final chapter.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Do Not Fall (PSN)

During my playthrough of XPEC's latest release of "Do Not Fall" a couple of things kept on popping up in the back of my mind. One such thought was that the main character "PiPi" reminded me an awful lot of the old "Nestle Quick" bunny from the animated television commercials, and secondly that the name "PiPi" reminded me of something I ought not mention here (Childish Laughter Follows ^.^). The game as odd as it is revolves around some interesting characters/creatures, and their pursuit to make the ultimate drink via the inside worlds of a vending machine. Some of you may not be sold on such an off-the-wall idea, but it's these out-of-the-box creations that generally gain most of my respect when it comes to video game offerings. The developer definitely knew what they were doing with the design, and theme of the game, and executed it all in what I like to call a "Perfect Storm". Do Not Fall, as cutesy as it may appear is a hardcore mind !@#$% that will have you returning for more, and cussing as you try your hardest to perfect your playthroughs. While this description would likely turn away a lot of you it's certainly not a bad thing.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Mamorukun Curse! (PSN)



When I first heard the title "Mamorukun Curse!" I had no clue in hell as to what it was about. Through the usual Youtube, and internet research though the details about the game did begin to emerge. Even so it wasn't until I actually got my hands on the game that it all began to truly make sense. The title "Mamorukun Curse!", which is odd in it's own right is actually a play on words that most anime lovers will understand. In most anime situations that involve younger characters "kun" is added to their name as a sign of affection in the shared character dialogue. Hence the title, "Mamomorukun's Curse". The main character of the game who goes by the name "Mamoru" ended up meeting his untimely demise as he was crossing a road in the real world. This vehicular tragedy ended up sending poor Mamoru barreling head first into the afterlife along with a handful of other boys, and girls from other parts of the real world. This newly banded army of friends found that not only they were dead, but that in order to gain a second chance at life in the real world that they'd have to aid the eccentric afterlife tour guide, "Fululu (pronounced "Fururu")" in the removal of an otherworldy threat. It is this vaguely fleshed out plot setup that is the basis for this full-fledged Japanese shmup (Shoot'em Up).

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Spartacus Legends (PSN): "First Impressions"

When it comes to Roman mythology, and history I'm a diehard fan. I have spent hours upon hours of my life at the schools' libraries as well as local libraries reading up on Spartan conquests, gladiators, and all the gory details associated with both. It seems to me though that as interesting as these subjects are, and have been in the past to people that the hype about them did not increase until films such as "300", and television series like "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" came into being. Speaking of which, I can't help but think of the phrase that Gerard Butler so brilliantly quoted in the film "300" ("THIS IS SPAAARTA!!!" xD) every time I hear something with the word "Sparta" in it. In fact this morning I came up with my own parody version of the quote, and it goes something like this, "THIS IS SPAAARTA-CUS!!!". As cheesy as that likely sounds I can't help, but quote it every time I get into a "Spartacus Legends" match. For those of you who are unaware of it, Spartacus Legends (a Free-to-Play) game was released today on the PSN store. This means PS3 owners get first dibs at sampling the new fighting experience. Xbox 360 owners will get their chance tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Tekken Revolution (PS3): "First Impressions"

When I first watched the trailer of this latest installment of the Tekken series I was truly mesmerized. The game looked gorgeous, and the fact that it was going to be a Free-to-Play exclusive for the PS3 made it seem even more special. The fact of the matter is that not everything we see in the world of gaming is as it seems though, and Tekken Revoulution unfortunately serves as a reminder of this. When you hear the term Free-to-Play in association with a game release it usually means that there are strings attached. Just how many strings, and the extent of those strings all depend on the developer releasing the game to the public. Some Free-to-Play games can be quite enjoyable, offering enough to the gamer to be fine without any additional DLC purchases. In the case of Tekken Revolution however this is not the situation.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

GRID 2 (PS3): "Offline Follow-up & Online Impressions"

Okay. Before I get started with my online first impressions I'd like to take back some of the things I said concerning GRID 2's visuals. Sure there are some imperfections, and certain things like random tools in the garage and the people in the crowd seem to be of poor quality, but the fact is the game doesn't look all that bad. You can actually get past the crowd of people looking like PS2 characters simply, because you hardly ever see them close-up. I must also take back my comment about the graphics in the garage. Upon closer observation I found it to be mostly current-gen quality. My apologies guys for the misinterpretation, and poor observations. Like I said in my last article what I said was merely "First Impressions" though.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

GRID 2 (PS3): "First Impressions"

I'm desperate folks. I'm desperate to find a worthwhile game that has both a solid offline, and online experience. In fact I was so desperate today that I ventured out to the local Gamestop just to pick up the newly released "GRID 2" for the PS3. It has been years since I last played any racing games, and I figured that GRID 2 might just be the answer to my gaming prayers. I forked over the $60+ dollars to the Gamestop employee, and headed back home to try out my newly found hope. Upon inspecting the contents of the game case, and the game case itself I found that Codemasters (The devs behind GRID 2) had jumped on the the old single use VIP PASS bandwagon. I thought for sure since EA was abandoning that practice that no other game developer would be foolish enough to do the same thing. I guess I was mistaken.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

KontrolFreek - Shields "Ammunition" (PS3)

I think it was either late last year, or earlier this year that I reviewed my first KontrolFreek products. I was truly impressed with the craftsmanship, the overall designs, and functionality of the "FPS Freek", and "FPS Havoc" controller enhancements. In fact I still use them to this day when gaming with my brothers in "Black Ops 2". The in-game improvements that these two products offered definitely showed throughout my product testing phase, and beyond. However good that may sound it is not the reason why I'm here today. It was recently announced that KontrolFreek was releasing a new line of controller add-ons to their online store, and I felt that these new products would be another noteworthy item worth featuring here on this blog. These latest add-ons, dubbed as "shields" were said to provide the gamer with a cleaner, more protected controller. In simple terms it's KontrolFreek's own unique take on controller decals.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Injustice: Gods Among Us - "Lowdown on the Showdown"

There's no doubt that a lot of us had high expectations for NetherRealm's latest fighting game, "Injustice: Gods Among Us". In fact I had so much confidence in the game I pre-ordered it, and even bought the season pass. Upon picking it up, and getting into it though my optimistic opinions of the game began to slowly diminish over time. The more I played it the more I found wrong with it. Whether, or not you are a fan of this game I think we can all agree on the fact that the game is in need of some serious patching. Certain characters need to be nerfed/buffed, and other online interactions need to be dealt with if the game is to succeed for the long run. Before I get too far ahead of myself though let me touch base on what this game offers the gamer.