Ayen's Video Game Reviews

[Ayen]

I got the idea to do this from Pumpkin's Video Game Diary. Instead of having all my reviews spread out over the forums, I thought I'd have one big thread where I can post them all. Just like on Pumpkin's thread I'll link to them in the first post, and in addition I have EVERY review I posted on EoFF since joining in 2013 linked below so you can find them all easier.

Reviews List
Dark Souls [10.07.13]
Darksiders [10.14.13]
Devil May Cry [10.21.13]
F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin [10.28.13]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time [11.04.13]
Metal Gear Solid [11.11.13]
Super Mario Bros/Sonic the Hedgehog [11.18.13]
Atari Anniversary Edition Redux [11.25.13]
Game Dev Tycoon [12.02.13]
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [12.09.13]
Assassin's Creed II [12.16.13]
StarCraft [12.23.13]
Ninja Gaiden [12.30.13]
Final Fantasy VIII [01.06.14]
Dust: An Elysian Tail [01.13.14]
Katamari Damacy [01.20.14]
Batman Arkham Origins [01.27.14]
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty [04.21.14]
Final Fantasy VII [04.28.14]
Final Fantasy IX [05.19.14]
Secret of Evermore [06.09.14]
Super Mario RPG [06.16.14]
The Last of Us [06.23.14]
Deadpool [06.30.14]
Game of Thrones [07.07.14]
Metal Gear Solid 4 [07.14.14]
inFAMOUS [07.21.14]
inFAMOUS 2 [07.28.14]
The Walking Dead Season One [08.06.14]
Tomb Raider (2013) [08.13.14]
Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock [08.20.14]
DmC: Devil May Cry [08.27.14]
F.3.A.R. [09.03.14]
Darksiders II [09.17.14]
Final Fantasy XII [09.24.14]
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night [10.01.14]
Luigi's Mansion [10.08.14]
BioShock [10.15.14]
Resident Evil [10.22.14]
Silent Hill [10.29.14]
Yars' Revenge [11.05.14]
Super Mario Bros/Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [11.12.14]
Final Fantasy IV [11.19.14]
Morrowind [11.26.14]
San Francisco Rush Extreme Racing [12.03.14]
Dragon Rage [12.10.14]
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [12.17.14]
Shadow of the Beast [12.24.14]
Fallout [12.31.14]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer [01.07.15]
F.E.A.R. Online [01.14.15]
Final Fantasy VI[01.21.15]
Super Mario Bros Movie [01.28.15]
Street Fighter II Champion Edition [02.04.15]
Mortal Kombat [02.11.15]
Soul Blade [02.18.15]
Tekken [02.25.15]
Beyond Two Souls [03.04.15]
The Walking Dead Season Two [03.11.15]
Resident Evil 3 Nemesis [03.18.15]
Silent Hill 3 [03.25.15]
WWF WrestleMania 2000 [04.01.15]
The Legend of Zelda [04.08.15]
Final Fantasy [04.15.15.]
Street Fighter Movie [04.22.15]
Monster Rancher [04.26.15]
Metal Gear [04.29.15]
Crash Bandicoot [05.03.15]
Rush 2 Extreme Racing USA [05.06.15]
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos [05.10.15]
Xenogears [05.13.15]
Spyro the Dragon [05.17.15]
The Wolf Among Us [05.20.15]
Evil Zone [05.24.15]
Left 4 Dead [05.27.15]
Armored Core [05.31.15]
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All [06.03.15]
Dino Crisis [06.07.15]
Final Fantasy V [06.10.15]
Mega Man Legends [06.14.15]
Yggdra Union [06.17.15]
Casper: Friends Around the World [06.21.15]
Compare & Contrast: Batman [06.24.15]
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [06.28.15]
The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse [07.01.15]
SimCity 2000 [07.05.15]
The Lucky Dime Caper [07.08.15]
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue [07.12.15]
The Lion King [07.15.15]
Monsters, Inc. Scream Team [07.19.15]
Compare & Contrast: Aladdin [07.22.15]
The Little Mermaid [07.29.15]
BattleTanx Global Assault [08.05.15]

August Schedule


Don't be afraid to comment, tell me how wrong right I am, or boss me into reviewing something. I like it.

All new reviews will be posted every Wednesday.

[FFIX Choco Boy]

So, would you say that Final Fantasy IX is the best game you've reviewed so far, or the greatest?

[Ayen]

So, would you say that Final Fantasy IX is the best game you've reviewed so far, or the greatest?

It's somewhere between great and greatest.

[Ayen]

Originally published on 11.07.11

Monster Rancher (originally Monster Farm in Japan) was a game released by Tecmo in North America for the Sony PlayStation in November 1997. It would go on to receive a cult following, earning four more sequels spanning from the PlayStation 1 to the PlayStation 2 and spin-off games for various consoles and even an Anime. Needless to say, Monster Rancher has found a place in many people's hearts, but let take a look at the first game. The one that started it all.

You start the game off as a Beginner Monster Breeder and after choosing your name you set off to acquire your Breeder’s Assistant, Holly, who will help with the day to day operations of running the ranch.

Nice.

After that you’re off to town to find your first monster. Now the big innovation of this game is the ability to swap a CD ROM (called Mystery Discs) with the Monster Rancher game disc at The Shrine in order to generate a monster for you to breed. Discs can be anything from Playstation games, computer games, etc. This was the game biggest marketing plug as even the back of the CD case warns you not to sit too close to your CDs, as if a monster is going to latch out from them and grab you. Wonder what the children thought of that one?

You have the option of getting monsters in-game without having to use a CD ROM, but that limits you to three of the most basic monsters in the game. For anything else you’d have to use the shrine. You can also combine monsters to get different types and even use items to acquire rare monsters.

The main goal of the game is to be the very best! The best there ever was – by competing in tournaments and rising through the ranks to become eligible for the Big Four not to be confused with the Elite Four from Pokemon. To achieve this you have to work on your monster’s stats: life, power, defense, skill, speed and intelligence. You can raise these for your monsters by doing jobs for gold (cash) or by going through a training program that cost 2,000 gold without a discount.

The game time format goes by weeks, starting off on the first week of April in the year 1000. At the beginning of each month you can choose between three items for your monster to eat, because I guess a monster only needs to eat every 30 days, and official tournaments are held at the end of the month every couple of months. Working and Resting only last one week while Training lasts four. By the way wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to sleep in for seven days straight? On top of the stats you also have to keep a watch on the monster’s loyalty. The higher the loyalty, the less likely he’s to be confused during tournaments.

Battles aren't all that complicated, but depending on how your stats measure up it can be a pain in the ass. You fight with a time limit and the most you can do is close in, back off and attack. Your monster’s will power determines how much damage he can inflict and when it gets low you have to wait before you can attack again. The way to win is to either Knock Out your opponent or have the most health when the time runs out. At the end of each tournament you’ll receive the cash prize and your monster fame level will increase. In some tournaments you can also compete for an item.

If I had to give the game one major criticism it would be in how repetitive it can become. This is an unfortunate setback to the game’s style, but ultimately the most you can do is put your monster to work, train him, watch him sleep, and battle. As you progress in the game you’ll have the option to go on expeditions to collect rare items, but even those get boring after a while. Each monster type offers a new animation while its working, but there’s only so much one can expect from this game. If you’re the type who can get bore easily then this might not be the game for you.

While it’s important that you raise your monster stats up for battle, it can take a long time and your monster only has so many years before they die. That’s right, the monster you’re breeding can die. The average monster's life span is three years with some living a little bit longer. Wait too long and your monster will kick the bucket. You can usually tell when the end is near when Holly is telling you that your monster should retire. You can add some more years to their lives by freezing them and raising another monster in the meantime, but you’re just prolonging the inevitable. You can retire an existing monster by going to the Market place in town and giving them away. The death itself isn’t so much of a con as an inconvenience since many players I know have been caught off guard by it while trying to be patient with training their monster.

Monster Rancher is a fun game for children and adults. If you enjoy breeding animals and a good challenge, then I definitely recommend it.

Get it.

I guess there’s nothing else left to say but:

I wanna be the very best
like no one ever was.
To unlock them is my real test
to breed them is my cause.
I will travel across the CD rack
searching far and wide.
Teach the monsters to understand
the power that’s inside.
Monster Rancher! Gotta unlock’em all!
It's you and me.

Me
*glomps*

Holly
Get off.

I know it's my destiny!
Monster Rancher!
Oh, you’re my best friend
in a world we must defend (from a cow?)


Moo!

Monster Rancher! Gotta unlock’em all!
A heart so true
our courage will put us through.
You teach me and I’ll scold you!
Monster Rancher!
Gotta unlock’em all!
Gotta unlock’em all!
MONSTER RANCHER!

[Bolivar]

This was back in 2011!? Man time flies...

Lots of ToriJ in this thread!

[Ayen]

This was back in 2011!? Man time flies...

Lots of ToriJ in this thread!

This was my first review, too. Before my comeback in 2013 I mostly reviewed old PlayStation 1 games.

[Ayen]

Hello and welcome to ToriJ's Video Game Reviews. Today we're going back to 1987 to see how another long-time running series got its start. The very first Metal Gear by Konami. Metal Gear was originally developed on the MSX2 computer and later ported to other systems, but we don't talk about the NES version. It stars Solid Snake as he infiltrates Outer Heaven to save FOXHOUND member Gray Fox, and destroy the ultimate weapon, Metal Gear.

I hope I never have to swim my way to a base ever again!

Something that will be unheard of for anyone who started off on Metal Gear Solid, this game begins with no long cut-scene! Granted, that's because they couldn't do that kind of thing back then, but still. Even by 1987 standards this game had a lot more dialog than other games that was around at the time, so the story progression in later games doesn't come as any surprise.

The life bar starts out at the halfway point and will fill in the blank space as you progress through the game. Same thing with the stars next to class. Class affects certain things like how much ammunition you can carry. As always the key is to be stealthy. It's not about shooting your way through hundreds of soldiers like MGS4, it's about staying out of sight and completing your mission objective. Much like MGS1, if you get caught there's a good chance you're boned. Soldiers will dog pile you and go trigger happy. There seems to be inconsistencies when going into new rooms cancels the red alert. If that happens consider yourself lucky.

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

All Snake has at the beginning are the clothes on his back and a pack of cigarettes, and yes the cigarettes can still see infrared sensors. Basically, all the things a lot of us were introduced to with MGS1 goes back as far as the first game. Key cards, boxes, even the old gas room and electrified floor. I was surprised to find cameras considering how shocked Snake was to see them in Shadow Moses.

Guards are divided by gray and red. I'm assuming that the red guards are stronger, but I wasn't crazy enough to pick a fight with them to find out. You can find weapons to defend yourself like a pistol or the mines as seen above. As you can expect these are last resort as using the gun will alert enemies to your presence unless you find the suppressor to equip with it.

Good to see .85 has always been around in one form or another.

In this game Big Boss is your main contact and does all the things that people who played MGS1 are used to Roy Campbell doing. If you thought Roy was annoying when he called you to explain useless information then you're going to hate Big Boss with a passion. Imagine having a fixed Codec call every time you went into a room. Yeah, any room where Big Boss is programmed to tell you something he will repeatedly call every time you go back to that room. It doesn't matter if you already did what he told you, he will KEEP calling you.

Why did they program him like that? Did they think gamers have amnesia or something? You're not forced to answer or anything, but it gets annoying hearing the transceiver go off again and again for just having to enter that room again. STOP smurfING CALLING! To makes matters worse, Big Boss tells you about a Resistance's leader you're supposed to contact to help you on your mission but doesn't tell you his frequency. You're supposed to just try every possible frequency to find him or just look it up online. I eventually learned that his frequency is 120.79, but that's not the case if you play the game on the original difficulty setting (I'm playing through MGS3 Subsistence) I didn't get a response and couldn't find him! What kind of a deal is that?

Going up!

The only checkpoints you have in the game are the lifts. When you die you get sent back to the last lift you went through. Even if you save the game manually on the memory card when you load her up that's where you go back to. A fair restarting point all things considered, but it's still extremely frustrating when you die before you can make it back to the lift after getting a necessary item just to have to go back and get it all over again. That level two security card is NOT easy to attain.

First elevator you find is being guarded by two red guards which you have to wait for a shift change in order to get inside. The second elevator you discover is protected by two soldiers who never move. They just stand there turning in only two directions. You have to walk behind and then between them straight into the elevator unseen. I couldn't believe they didn't see me. Good thing people don't know how to turn their heads or I might be a dead Snake. I'm sure there are probably other elevators, but truth be told I didn't get that far.

GRAY FOX! That prisoner is Gray Fox! Somehow, that just doesn't have the same ring to it.

There are actually a lot of hostages you can rescue on your way to Gray Fox. Some of them offer useful hints that helps you down the line while others are just happy to be free. You have to get caught on purpose in order to get close to Gray Fox. Don't worry, you just need to find the right room and a scene will trigger so you get captured. From there you need to literally punch your way through into Gray Fox's cell. I understand that the walls were probably weak or something, but why is it that Snake can punch through solid walls, but has so much trouble fighting soldiers with his bare hands!?

Playing through this it's easy to see where they got the inspiration for the cell scene in Metal Gear Solid, and the painted over walls in the second floor basement of the Tank Hangar. The more I play this game, the more I come to appreciate MGS1 and all the little nods and throwbacks to the original game, though at the same time some could see them as tired repeats of the older games, like the first boss of FFVII being like the one in VI, or Ocarina of Time Past and Future being like the Light and Dark World in A Link to the Past. These games got away with it because a lot of people started the series with these entries so it was brand new to them. In Metal Gear's case I feel it was more meant as references than just a blatant rehash as these things either fuse or separate older ideas bringing them into a new light. Rather than just copying the old formula.

Nice name. You stay up all night working on that?

After escaping the cell you have to contend with the first boss of the game, Shotmaker. He sprays you with bullets and the only cover you have is the one on the right. Every time you get out into the open he sprays you with more bullets making it nearly impossible to get anywhere near him, and you need to if you want to get your shots in. You also have to go into the door near the right to get your stuff back before you can even hope of having a chance of beating him. Sorry to say, this is as far as I made it into the game. If the first boss is this hard I don't want to see the other bosses.

Metal Gear has always had an amazing soundtrack and this entry is no exception. The songs that play during the course of the game are very catchy. I still have Theme of Tara stuck in my head. Anyone who played the V.R. Missions in MGS1 will know what I'm talking about. The theme is a little different here (obviously due to tech limitations) and some different tones, but I honestly prefer it to the MGS1 version.

Long story short, Big Boss is actually the Outer Heaven mercenary leader and doesn't want Snake to succeed. I guess all those things he forgot to mention wasn't just because of poor memory. Hell, like most Metal Gear games, Big Boss even breaks the fourth wall and tells you to turn off the console at one point. That's right, even back in the older games Snake was being used for an end goal, though not nearly on as big a scale as MGS1. Boss just wanted Snake to get captured to feed misinformation back to authorities, but grossly underestimated Snake's abilities. Serves him right. The plot twist is a good one and has plenty of clues leading up to it, maybe even too obvious at times. Liquid is a lot like his dad, setting a bomb and giving them a time limit to their battle. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

It's nice they put the instructions on the title screen. I bet people still don't read it.

Metal Gear is a fun, challenging game to play, and a great game to play if you're like me and started off with MGS1. Seeing where all the inspiration and staples of the series began is a nice treat and the game still holds up reasonably well today. If you like old school stealth games I'd recommend it without hesitation. Until next time, my frequency is 181.80. I'm NOT Liquid. Or Solid Snake.

Get it

[Ayen]

Originally published on 11.14.11

Crash Bandicoot is a video game franchise formerly developed by Naughty Dog and published by Universal Interactive Studios for the Sony PlayStation. Later on when the games were moved to other publishers it would become available on multiple platforms. Once upon a time Crash Bandicoot was basically the PlayStation’s equivalent of Mario and Sonic.

Today we look at the game where our lovable Bandicoot crash into the scene. In case you haven’t figured it out already you play as Crash Bandicoot, an evolved Eastern Barred Bandicoot created by the evil Doctor Neo Cortex who planned to use him as his General for world conquest. Crash was dubbed a failure and escaped the laboratory leaving Cortex to fall back on his companion, Tawna, and our hero must embark on a quest to rescue her (the things we do for women).

In each level you collect Wumpa Fruit. Collect 100 and you earn an extra life. You can find some on the ground, but they’re usually in crates that Crash can open. Some crates contain an extra life and a witch doctor mask called Aku Aku (he always sounds like he’s in the middle of a really complicated tongue twister when you summon him) who protects Crash. Collect three and you become invincible temporarily, laying waste to your enemies and collecting items by simply approaching them. Some levels contains three crates with a picture of Tawna. Finding all three will bring you to a bonus stage.

There are over 30 levels in the game overall, some reoccurring themes, not just in the game itself but the franchise as a whole. The earliest example of this comes in levels 4, 5 and 8. Level 4 introduces the Boulder Chase stages, and of course they add some crates on the road you’re running down. Like you’re really going to try for them with impending death behind you. Level 5 is a water world level which will make a return in the sequel and level 9, Hog Wild, is where you ride on an animal for the remainder of the level.

I think the most annoying part about this game is saving data. Instead of just being able to save in-between stages you can only save if you complete the bonus levels. The problem with this is they aren’t in every stage and should you overlook them, or fail, you won’t be able to save period. Naughty Dog did rectify this problem in future titles and there are various passwords you can input for this so I guess it all worked out in the end.

Another thing, which is rather small in itself, is that the intro does not start when you begin the game. Instead, it runs when you leave the main menu screen on for too long so a lot of people probably missed the intro their first time playing this and not know what’s going on. Granted, that was always the case in video games back in the 80s, especially platformers, but for 1996? Even the game’s rival platform Super Mario 64 had the opening intro at the start so it's a small inconvenience for some. Not to mention it’s just plain weird to have it only cone on during the main title screen.

Crash Bandicoot doesn’t offer anything revolutionary for platformers of its time, but I don’t think that what the game was going for. All this game is trying to be is a fun platformer and it excels at that perfectly. So, if you’re a fan of platformer games I recommend Crash Bandicoot for your gaming pleasure.

Get it

[Rez09]

Oooooh, the original Crash Bandicoot; I remember loving this game. I didn't pick it up until fairly late in the Playstation's life cycle, so it felt a bit clunky even then when I picked it up, but it was still a favorite. I remember adoring the game's general tropical theme and stages (especially the boulder and side-scrolling temple stages), and Pinstripe and Ripper Roo were two of my favorite boss fights on the console, though looking at videos of those fights now I can't really figure out why. I think it's one of those things my younger mind just latched onto for whatever reason. I also seem to remember having a TON of fun collecting all the gems in the stages once I figured out they existed, and it was one of the first great gaming side quest/challenges I remember ever completing, along with getting all the remotes in Gex 2.

It's too bad the series has been rather 'meh' for the past two console generations.

[Ayen]

Yeah... I kinda wish Naughty Dog either stayed with it, or their last game was the last game in the series.

I never curse so much while playing a game before in my life.

[Karifean]

Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3 are my two favorite platformers of all time. Such amazing level design. I didn't play the first game until it came out on PSN, and I couldn't really get into it. The lack of refinement from the other two games showed. Especially not being able to save at will was what made me drop the game altogether.

[Ayen]

Yeah, the save issue is bogus. I started out with 2 so going back to 1 I can see what you mean. I still got a lot of enjoyment out of it, but 2 will remain my favorite from the series.

[Ayen]

Hello and welcome to ToriJ's Video Game Reviews. Last December I played San Francisco Rush Extreme Racing and it was one of the best racing games I've ever played for the Nintendo 64, so naturally I tracked down the sequels of the game with the intent to review every single one of them, and this time we take a look at the second entry of the franchise: Rush 2 Extreme Racing USA!

This time we start things off with an opening movie showing a race going on with explosions and all before being shown the game's logo, and then a preview of a race from the game. Kind of annoying. Just take me to the title screen! From there we have the same menus that made up the first game. The first changes from 1 to 2 won't be seen until you make it to the road maps.

Show me the money!

Unlike the first game that mainly took place in San Francisco, Rush 2 branches out by having maps from Vegas, New York City, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Seattle, and even Alcatraz! You have some special maps involving pipes, a crash course, and a place where you can perform your own stunts. There's a lot of variety in the tracks this time around and I had a lot of fun with each of them.

This time around you can change the features on each map before you click A. You can have the map spin backwards, not sure if that does anything to the actual course or not, mirror it to where you're racing in the opposite direction, edit the amount of fog or wind you have, turn off checkpoints, and even turn on deaths, which may as well be the fun on and off button.

Have I mentioned lately that I really like green and red?

I'd say we have the same amount of cars as in the first game, but different choices and a lot more options for the cars specs. Not only can you pick a secondary color, but you can add stripes and affect the stats of the vehicle. There are other things on here too like engines and all that, but I don't know much about cars so I really can't get into specifics.

Time to burn rubble!

Not much has changed in the racing side of things since the first game. You still have to be careful not to run into things and stay on the road or else you'll lose speed. Crashing still produces a large explosion that's cool as hell to watch, but grows ever more frustrating the closer you are to victory. Some times the computer will join you in these crashes. I hit a wall and bounced back only to have a computer car charge headlong into me killing us both. I can't remember how I did it, but I manage to take two cars with me in one of my crashes. Hell, the computer can't even past the finish line without blowing up!

You can adjust the difficulty on each course, but even if you don't the next track always seems to be harder than the last. I didn't have much trouble on the Vegas course only to go to New York or Hawaii to crash a lot more often. By the time I got to the track where you race in a pipe forget about it. That thing was spinning as you went and you can't tell if you should be turning or just let the pipe move on its own. The worse part about that course is if you have checkpoints on the timer is the lowest it has ever been and you'll run out before you can reach the next checkpoint. I couldn't even finish the race until I turned the timer off altogether.

77 points to Gryffindor – Wait.

The Circuit makes a return and is pretty much the same as the first game. There are twenty-eight races in total and you have no control over the course or the conditions so you have to bear with whatever the computer throws at you. At the very least they don't include the last couple of tracks. You also always have your choice of car and don't have to keep racing with the same set of wheels you had before. Not that I ever had reason to replace my Compact.

I enjoyed the Circuit races immensely and climbing up the ranks. You don't know how satisfying it is seeing yourself go from the last car in the lineup to the top three, or even first. I unfortunately still don't know how satisfying it is to start a race at first place. Maybe if I won more races and didn't crash so much I'd have more points by now. Easier said than done, my friend. If it's not the sharp corners or obstacles standing in your way it's the other cars. Everyone is a dick who wants to win in racing. They don't care how much damage they do to your car as long as they win. You have to crash them before they can crash you. It's a jungle out there.

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!

The stunts course is a lot of fun. Basically, all you do is run around and go up ramps to perform as many tricks as you can. It reminds me of the Tony Hawk games, but with cars, and a lot better than the Tony Hawk games. You can drive up ramps and spin in the air. Points are determined by how long you can stay in the air, and how many flips you can do. The catch? You have to land right-side up and not explode.

Since there's no race to the finish the time limit is a lot longer giving you plenty of time to perform as many tricks as possible and there are no other cars in your way. Although, you can get rid of the other cars in the other courses any time you want. Just race with yourself. I never tried that. I like my races to be filled with cars. No fun if you're the only one crashing. Anyway, this course is very large and has a lot of places to explore which makes it great for finding new ways to perform tricks, but not so great because it's easy to get lost. I had to restart the stage because I couldn't find my way back to where the ramps were. Tread carefully.

The good ol' red, white, and blue!

With more places to race and ways to modify your car, Rush 2 is an even better racing game than the first. If you enjoyed the first game immensely, then chances are you're going to absolutely love Rush 2. Give it a whirl!

Get it

[Rez09]

Tori! Where is the picture of an amazing spiny jump over the spike pit in the stunt mode?!

I am disappoint.

>: |

[Ayen]

Tori! Where is the picture of an amazing spiny jump over the spike pit in the stunt mode?!

I am disappoint.

>: |

-passes game box- You play the game, then!

Smurfing gamers thinking they're so great. Rabble, rabble!