Metal Gear Solid 4 'Review'

Author: Martyn Posted under:
Game: Metal Gear Solid 4
Published by: Konami
Developed by: Kojima Productions
Formats: Playstation 3 Format Played: Playstation 3

A late review but I never had a PS3 on release or when this game came out so you can hardly blame be for the later review.
This is the game I bought a PS3 for and I couldn’t wait any longer so once I had saved up enough money I purchased a PS3 80GB with MGS4 but I had waited so long to play this game that I never put it straight into the machine, I actually waited until I finished another one of my games so that I could give MGS4 my full attention.
Following the story of all previous Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear storylines 4 wrap-up everything neatly bringing in characters you will remember if you had played them all. And you would have needed to play them all to follow the story as this game was made for the films. Some people will argue that the length of the cut scenes is two long others will tell you how great they are and me? Well I love them! They really make you understand the characters better and get you more focused into the story. They also keep you involved with the ability to hit the Left trigger to focus your view or tap X button to relive a memory. These are interesting but not necessary and certainly not something you would worry about on the second play though but then again you can also skip any cut scene too which is good for anyone who wants to just play the game play.
The games play is very smooth and everything you can pick up quickly. Your suit camo now automatically changes to the background just by lying on the floor or pushing up against a wall which is much handier then manually changing it like you did in 3 (which is one of the only things I didn’t like about 3).
The only real problem I had with 4 was the amount of weapons you could find or pick up. It was ridiculous and unnecessary as I only used half the items to play through the game and even then I could have done it without some of them. Also if you earn enough points you could buy so much weapons and ammo from Drebin a weapons launderer you will meet. This makes the game easier unlike the first three where if you ran out of ammo you had to o searching for it or it forces you to use a different gun.
Having said this that is the only Issue I had with the game and let’s face it there is a harder mode I can play which could solve the fact I found the game easy and make it more of a challenge. The only other disappointment I had was with the end boss but without giving spoilers away I really can’t tell you why.
The game play is amazing it really is especially travelling back through Shadow Moses really gives you a sense of nostalgia. The boss battles are fantastic although once you work them out they could be finished easily and quickly.
But it doesn’t matter how nice the graphics and how good the gameplay is….ok it does but MGS4 is all about the story line and this game really delivers one of the best storylines and ties up the saga brilliantly.
I really can’t wait to play it again.

9/10
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Little Big Planet BETA ‘The shape of things to come’

Author: Martyn Posted under:
When I got my hands on the code for LBP beta on the PS3 (thanks Versus) I was over the moon! The first thing that strikes me about this game was how cute it all was and everything was just genius down to whoever does the narration.

The game itself is so easy to pick up and for something so simple its great fun. When I joined in the online games I did get lots of slowdown, something I hope will be sorted in the final version but I did play a few levels with Kate and everything was just breathtaking and entertaining. I think the best bit was when Kate jumped on a Jet propelled car and it kicked off and I was never going to make is so I spotted that there was something attached to it so I grabbed this ball behind then got propelled along with her like I was water skiing :D we laughed for ages about that. Well that and slapping each other down!
I have yet to build anything but I did enjoy the levels that the others had built. Thank you LBP I look forward to your late release.
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Infinite Undiscovery 'Review'

Author: Martyn Posted under:
Game: Infinite Undiscovery
Published by: Square Enix
Developed by: tri-Ace
Formats: X360 Format Played: X360


Well hello there and first off I am sorry it has been so long since my last review.
Anyone who knows me would know that I am a huge Final Fantasy fan and therefore I put a lot of trust into Square-Enix games. I had not heard much about IU right up until the release date. I think I downloaded a teaser trailer a few months ago but it wasn’t until a few weeks before the release that I caught wind of it.
As this game was sold for £30 in most places online I snapped it up despite the average reviews the game was getting.
First things first you play as a young kid (which seems to be a RPG must these days) called Capell who has been caught a put in prison because he happens to look like the Liberator who you soon find out is a guy called Sigmund who is trying to free the moon which has been chained to the planet and is being slowly pulled into a collision.
Most of the prison level is training how to use what! But you are not alone, as you are sprung free by a young lady called Aya.
Those who like your xbox achievements should be aware some are hard to get and most are involved in certain parts of the game only and if you miss them you can’t go back to claim them. One of these happens to be in the prison level!
The combat is free flowing and the best part about this game. Later on once you build up your party you may have too many characters battling on screen which makes the game much easier. You can have up to 4 people in your party who will follow you around in the battle areas but once you get into towns and villages these characters will be spread out around the place. You can link with each of these characters and there is some benefit in doing so as some characters can open locked chests or some of the townspeople might not speak to you but will if you have a certain character linked with you. Also there are extra story clips if you link one character and go talk to another character.
Another reason for linking characters is that you can cook meals or make weapons and items by doing so. Most characters have their own abilities and so long as you have the right materials/ingredients then your character will attempt to make whatever you choose from the list. Certain foods will replenish HP/MP or give you extra powers. You can also enhance yourself or others in your party for limited periods of time e.g. 200% extra damage! These can come in handy for certain boss battles but I found the cooking and item making boring and a waste of time.
Other bad points about this game is the fact that the story takes a long while to get going, most people I spoke to never made it to the good bit because they got put off at the start. As RPG’s tend to be long games I believe that its important to start off on a high and grab the player in early on. Having said this, this is one of the shorter RPG’s I have played and you could finish in around 25-30 hours.

Like I said the combat is very entertaining in this game and the story gets much more interesting the further in you go.

I should also point out that your main character also has a flute which holds different powers when different tunes are played but to be honest you will not find half of them let alone need them.

Poor camera angles can sometimes make battles harder and anyone following the cut scenes will notice that the lip sync is extremely poor.
I actually enjoyed this game, I liked the characters although there were too many and some you can’t even have in YOUR party and don’t even have a big part to play in the story, making me think why????
The boss battles were fun and enjoyable. And I loved the fact that your characters could become evil and turn against you while out in the field……you will see ;)
It had some good idea’s but because of so many little bad points I will have to make it down.

6/10
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The Review Catch Up!

Author: Martyn Posted under:
As I have finished a few games now it's time to sum them all up.

Game: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Formats: DS
Format Played: DS
Import: N/A

Well this might just have to settle for the best DS game ever made. So great from start to finish and the cases just get better. The 5th case is epic and use's more of the DS's touch screen. All in all this game kicks ass. I do have the second one to play and I am now going to drop the first play reviews and go straight into a full review. If anyone actually reads these.

10/10

Game: Lost Odyssey
Formats: X360

Format Played: X360
Import: Asia

From the makers of Final Fantasy and it did not disappoint, Took me 60 Hours to do most of everything, I still have outstanding side quests to do and one last hidden boss who happens to be a tough cookie. Levelling up towards the end is easy to do and most of the hidden bosses are easy to take down then you get to the backyard which proves to be a challenge and a half. I will kill that last boss if it's the last thing I do.
The story is fantastic from start to finish and can rival most Final Fantasy games but I just get the impression that Final Fantasy XIII will be so much better or maybe I just have high hopes of the game. Anyhow LO plays like Final Fantasy of old with Random battles and even the way you equip items. Levelling up and learning abilities is just like FF9 in the way you have to link Accessories to your immortals for them to learn new magic and skills. Also Immortals will learn more things off of your 4 mortal characters once they have levelled up enough to learn the spell or skill themselves mind.

Boss battles through out the game are mixed; some are easy while others prove to be a challenge, especially on Disk 4. Sometimes you are also plonked onto the world map without any idea where to go next. That is mainly my only bad points of the game, everything else runs smoothly and for those who want 1,000/1,000 achievement points will have their work cut out for them.

9/10

Game: Mario Galaxy
Formats: Wii
Format Played: Wii

Import: N/A

As I said below that this game does not feel like anything special however after playing more of the game the levels to get better and slightly more of a challenge unlike the easy easy first levels. Like Mario 64 there is a major problem with camera angles as you do not have two analogue sticks to change your view and have to keep pressing C or hope the camera stays where you want it too. Some places and wall jumps can be tricky as you can't change the camera while focusing with what is going on, on screen.

All in all Mario Galaxy is a fresh change but it still lacks something I can't put my feeling on and Mario has become even more annoying whenever he opens his mouth.

8/10



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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 'Preview - First Play’

Author: Martyn Posted under:
Formats: DS
Format Played: DS
Import: N/A
I should have bought this game ages ago but the way I see it is now I can play 4 of them in a row because I can't stop playing this game.
Yes my DS is back out of the drawn and for damn good reason. I have just got Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney on the DS and I have not stopped playing it in two days.

The game is based around a court room where you defend your clients in court but then after the first mission the game opens up and you have to go around finding clues, witnesses and evidence. Once you have all the info you need you head back to court to present them but the witnesses and prosecution make it difficult for you so when cross examining whoever takes the stand you have to find contradictions in what they are saying at the right time. Some cases go on for up to 3 days and take a lot of digging up dirt. Sometimes you are standing in court with no evidence so you have to work out a case from what is said in the courtroom.

All in all this is one of the best games on the DS and I should have realised this earlier as we are talking about Capcom.

The characters are brilliant and the storylines are entertaining and will keep you very interested as well as adding humour in there too.
If you want a hand held game that will keep you playing right until the end then this is it.
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Mario Galaxy ‘Preview - First Play’

Author: Martyn Posted under:
Formats: Wii
Format Played: Wii
Import: N/A

I don’t know what it is about Mario games but they seem to be losing the wow factor. Either that or I am getting older and Nintendo has served its purpose. I remember 12 years ago when I was looking forward to playing Mario 64 and I was genuinely excited when I took it out the box and started playing for the first time despite the fact I used to work in future publishing and had completed the game 1 year before it’s UK release.
Anyway this is Mario Galaxy on the Wii with a whole new control system. As good as it seems I can see the control system being hard for people close to the TV as you need to use your pointer for certain things. Now my Wii is in my bedroom and my bed isn’t far from the TV. When I play Wii Sports I have to stand up on the other side of the bed which is no problem for that type of game but Mario I don’t want to be standing playing a platform game. Now that leaves me sitting on the very edge of the bed, hope I don’t fall!
My point is that my bedroom isn’t really small. So other people with smaller rooms will have problems using the Wii unless they use the TV downstairs but if you don’t have your own home then this could be hard.

The Gameplay is actually quite fun and really easy to pick up. Controller and nunchuck work well together and it isn’t long before you are moving Mario around like a pro. This is what I love about Nintendo, anything that looks complicated to use just isn’t one little bit. So simple, so easy thank you Nintendo we love you.
Anyway moving on, so far the only thing I use the remote pointer for is to collect gems I can’t be bothered to run towards to pick up and to grab points I can’t jump to. The sensor on the remote is used to move between planets and galaxy’s with a quick shake of the controller and also a spin attack use by spinning the remote. Everything is really easy to use.
The game itself seems to have a weak story, Princess Peach kidnapped again? No really????? You think she would move somewhere else by now but then again in Sunshine she got kidnapped on holiday. Damn women get a restraining order on that big bad koopa! I will let you know more on the full review, those who read these keep a close eye :)





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Lost Odyssey ‘Preview’

Author: Martyn Posted under:
Formats: Xbox360
Format Played: Xbox360
Import: Japanese

Only just imported this from Play-Asia but the UK version is in fact out this Friday. Having said that it was only £25 and comes in a better box with better box art and it is in full English.

This is old style RPG game play with random battles. Coming from the makers of Final Fantasy and welcoming Nobuo Uematsu who has done much work with Square-Enix on the Final Fantasy games this sounds like an amazing RPG before anyone has played it. So far all I have done is a couple of battles at the start and I have seen lots of cut scenes. While walking around you can steal anything and you unlock memories as you progress through the game or when you sleep at Inns. These memories can be long at times but the stories are deep and sometimes sad. LO feels like Final Fantasy, the graphics are outstanding and the voice acting is far better then FFX. Like FFVIII there is an extra thing you can do while in battle. In FFVIII you could use Squalls Gunblade at the right to inflict extra damage, In LO you can do the same but hitting the left trigger when the outer circle hits the inner circle as you approach your enemy, the closer the circles the more damage.
I will update a Review as soon as I am more into the game. For now I sit back with my new Elite and hope to spend a great amount of time with this one. Also worth mentioning that this game is 4 disks long.
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