Showing posts with label konami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label konami. Show all posts

1/08/2012

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Review

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Average Reviews:

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Let me start by saying that I am only about 2 and a half hours into the game which is far from beating it. However, I feel compelled to write something as this game just was released today. I want to let others know what they can expect in case they are on the fence about buying the game.
I have uploaded a video of the packaging and it's contents (Limited Edition). I have to say that over all the presentation is a lot nicer than I was expecting. The one thing I sort of didn't like was that the art book is attached into the packaging. It made it harder to flip through and enjoy.
Getting into the game I was curious as what to expect. I read a lot of pre-release reviews comparing this game to God of Way. But was hoping for more than just another hack and slash and so far this game has delivered BIG. I have played through all 3 god of war games and can say I never honestly used the block button one time. In this game I found myself using it quite a bit. Also i think this game takes a bit more defensive strategy than just going toe-to-toe and mashing one button over and over.
There are so many incredible things about this game that stand out. I will be careful to not give anything away as I want you to enjoy all the wonderful surprises just like I have. But, the way the game intertwines cut scenes right in the middle of battle adds a whole new level of depth to the game-play. It was like battle with a real quick cut to cut-scene, than battle ,cut-scene,battle,battle,cut-scene, battle all with what seemed like no load time. Added a very high level of energy to the battles without taking the gamer out of the experience. It should be said that you have no control over the camera at any time. But, I think they did a great job with always keeping the camera at an angle that seems so natural that not once did I find myself frustrated by not having control. The levels are set up where you are encouraged to explore and in just the first few levels their are multiple paths you can go down. In the first 5 levels I not completed more than %60 of any one level and I pride myself on being an explorer. This will add to the value of the game for me as now I want to go back and replay the levels to find everything missed. Also, there are items you can see but can't reach until you have upgraded later in the game and have to come back.
Some other subtle things I thought were worth mentioning was the 3rd person perspective. the weather elements interact with the screen so you feel like you are with the character. The rain in particular is cool as the drops run down the screen after hitting. Also , when your character is stopped the screen has a swaying, bobbling effect like you are carrying a camera on your shoulder following the character. So, far every single environment I have been in has added a deep layer of atmospheric effect, whether it is rain, mist, or windy snow. It always keeps you from seeing everything 100% crystal clear but really adds another cool layer of realism. speaking of realism I thought it was worth noting that when you interact with a tree the branches move as well as when you are walking through tall grass...Don't think your efforts went unnoticed Konami! I have to say I am an artist who has drawn in one form or another my whole life. I really appreciate art and the effort that goes into creating it. I cannot count how many times in the first 2 hours I said WOW! out loud. The scenery is so well done I found myself almost enjoying the times between battles more than the battles themselves just so I could soak in the environments and scenery they created. Truly beautiful work on the environments!
The voice acting is top notch! I should mention for any adults reading this that may want to buy the game for a young child. That there was one moment in the first 2 hours of play with a full frontal nude fairy (nips and all). That may be the only moment in the game I am not sure as I said before i am only about 1/12 of the way into the game. But I imagine if it's there once it will probably be there again...(ehhhhmmm ehhhmmm Dante's Inferno.)
They also have added an RPG element. You gain experiece as you battle enemies and can use that experiece to unlock new moves or special extras like artwork in a gallery. The music is amazing! The milted edition comes with the soundtrack as you can see. I can actually see myself listening to it and enjoying it.
Hope this helped answer some questions about the game. Thanks for taking time to read my review.


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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a single player Action-Adventure game developed as a reimagining of the classic Castlevania mythology. An entirely modern action console game, Lords of Shadow combines fast-paced weapons and magic based combat against otherworldly enemies, with platforming and puzzle-solving gameplay, to create a fresh gameplay experience that will thrill both fans of the original game series and gamers more rooted in modern action games. In addition to the game disc, this special Limited Edition contains a variety of extras. See a list of the complete contents below.


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12/24/2011

Dewy's Adventure Review

Dewy's Adventure
Average Reviews:

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Dewy's Adventure bombed (sales wise) in Japan, and Konami is quietly releasing it here a week early with absolutely no advertising. Reviews have just begun to trinkle in, a week after the release, and word of mouth is next to none. I went to five different stores for this game, and finally came across it after a two day search. I also got a Dewy plush toy with it, although I don't care much for it.
The main thing that surprises me about this is how surprisingly good this platformer is. It can be summed up in just a few words: Super Mario 64 + Super Monkey Ball. That's it. Of course, the controls are not as tight as either title, and as such it's a bit frustrating at certain points, but this is easily one of the year's finest platformers. At least until Super Mario Galaxy comes out.
In this game, you control Dewy, a droplet of water. He's beyond adorable, and to be quite honest, a bit beyond someone like myself -- I don't really care for the baby-ish persona of this character, although I'm sure there are many others who will (not to mention little kids). The story, while simple and absolutely standard, is augmented with rather nice illustrations and storybook sequences, reminiscent of Elebits. It would be pretty easy to already be put off by the whimsical nature this title presents, but wait until you start playing this thing.
You hold the Wiimote like a NES controller, and tilt it to move the stage in which Dewy inhabits. Press the D-Pad up to raise the temperature, down to lower the temperature. Doing so results in Dewy's multiple forms: the standard, water-like one, where he can jump the best and control easily; warmer for the mist form, in which he becomes a cloud and is able to strike down any nearby enemies with lightning; and colder for the ice form, in which he can slide across pools of now frozen water and do some awesome attacks.
The main complaint about this game thus far is how "average" it is. I honestly can not agree -- while it is basically a simple platformer game, the ability to modify your surroundings via temperature is a stroke of utter genius. In the ice world, you can lower and raise water levels, for example, and this creates obstacles within obstacles. The controls do take some use getting to, and they are never really quite as tight as they should be, but they work overall.
Besides that, the presentation is fantastic. The graphics in this game are some of Wii's best yet... absolutely beautiful at certain points. The music is just fine, and the level design is both clever and fun.
On top of all that, the game will last you a long time. There are many levels, and each level takes about 10-30 minutes to beat.. and that is not including doing the levels perfectly, as you are graded based on your performance. As you can imagine, the re-play factor is quite high.
I haven't even gotten to the solid multiplayer yet, not to mention the option to design your own multiplayer levels and send them to anyone with Nintendo's WiiConnect24 service.
I highly recommend this game for a couple reasons -- firstly, it's a great third-party effort (which Nintendo can always use) that oozes innovation and originality but also happens to be excellent. Second, although I'm not certain, you can count on this game being out of print within a year or less. There seems to be not many copies to begin with, and the fact that absolutely no one is talking about it a week after its release is a bit sad. I have a feeling this will be one of those forgotten classics, that sometime in the near future people will be profiled by some magazine as one of the best games you've never played.
So if you're a platformer junkie and love a good challenge, pick Dewy's Adventure up right away.

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12/12/2011

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Review

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Average Reviews:

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I have never played a Castlevania game before, so I was hesitant to buy this at first. However, each trailer I saw for this game looked great and when I played the demo, it kinda reminded me of God of War 2 (one my most favorite games of all time), so I had to give this one a shot. After I finished it once, here is what I thought.
PROS.
SOLID AND FLAWLESS ACTION: The combat system in this game is just perfect. Last time I enjoyed punishing enemies was in Devil May Cry games. Everything works just as you want to. Controls respond very well. Tactical use of dark and light magic adds whole new dimension to the combat. Once you master the different moves, the joy you get punishing the enemies using them, is just indescribable.
SPECTACULAR SUSPENSEFUL STORY: It has been a while since I have experienced a story in the game that makes me go wow. While the game does starts out a bit abruptly, things will make sense in the end. Don't want to spoil much.
UNANITICIPATED AFTER CREDIT ENDING: If you are familiar with character names than you may see this after the credits ending I am talking about, but I sure as hell did not see it coming. I was very surprised by it and quite frankly could not get this ending (LONG VIDEO) out of my head for days. Don't want to spoil much, but please FINISH THE GAME, trust me, after the credits will make it worth your while.
BEAUTIFUL GRAPHICS AND ANIMATION: This game will make you go through jungles, valley, barren towers, huge castles etc. etc. Frankly, they are very nicely designed and the game looks great in 720p.
GREAT VARIETY IN ENEMY: It has been a while I have seen SO MANY different types of enemies in the same game. Different types of werewolves, vampires, goblins, deads and other creatures I can't remember names of. All of these gothically designed. I am telling you artwork in this game is just magnificent.
RIDING HUGE ENEMIES GAMEPLAY: I personally loved it. Once you weaken huge enemies such as big warewolves, spiders etc, YOU CAN RIDE THEM. Use them to unleash devastating attacks, solve puzzle etc. etc. Truly remarkable.
TONS OF CHALLENGING BOSSES: Slaughtering hordes and hordes of enemies and moving forward in the game will reward you with some really compelling boss battles. Just like levels and small fry enemies, these bosses are also very aesthetically animated. To me boss battle was the third strongest aspect of the game (after story and art). As soon as I defeated a boss, I look forward to the next one. Such anticipation and mysterious story really drives you forward in this game.
ACROBATIC GAMEPLAY AND PUZZLES: If you like puzzles there are tons and tons of them in this game. If you don't like puzzles no worries. Spend your experience points and you don't have to solve them. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT? I salute this game for providing that option. Genius! The acrobatic gameplay, which would be hanging from cliff, then jumping from cliff to cliff, is pretty good. Kind of like Prince of Persia: Sands of Time games. What I particularly found interesting was use of the chain to do acrobats. There points in the game you can jump off of cliffs, use chains to hang somewhere, use the momentum of chain to break through weak structures etc. You have to play it to get a feel for what I am saying.
UPGRADABLES AND HIDDEN ITEMS: In this game you can buy new combat moves and upgrade them by trading your experience. While most of the moves can be purchased through the first gameplay (assuming you don't trade experience for solving puzzles), to get all moves and all hidden items, you will have to play different chapters in the game over again.
TREMENDOUS REPLAYABILITY: The game itself is long enough. If you want to go for 100% of the items, it will even take longer since you will have to revisit chapters and use your upgrades. In addition it comes with 4 different difficulty levels and a minigame. This will keep you engage for a long while.
OH DID I MENTION FREE CASTLEVANIA SOT GAME WITH THIS GAME?
CONS.
MINOR ISSUES WITH PUZZLES: Honestly the only con I found in this game was I was too used to God of War 2 controls. Because of that I was stuck in puzzles such as clocktower puzzle. Fortunately I figured out the difference in controls and was able to solve the puzzle. An example: In clocktower puzzle, ever time I tried to raise a platform, it would rise halfway and then fall as my character would let go of the lever contrary to the fact that I was holding the button. THE KEY IS TO LET GO OF R2(or L2 whichever is to hold the lever) once you hold the lever. The character will hold it himself without you having to hold the button. Other than this I think some puzzles are a bit too challenging. But again every one of them is solvable and if not, YOU CAN ALWAYS SOLVE THEM BY TRADING EXPERIENCE.
CONCLUSION:
I frankly am quite impressed by this game. As listed above, Pros. easily outweighs Cons. My score for this game would be 9.5/10. God of War, Prince of Persia and Devil May Cry fans, THIS IS A MUST BUY. Only thing I recommend is play it on the hardest mode possible for those of who are veteran to God of War type of games.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow


Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a single player Action-Adventure game developed as a reimagining of the classic Castlevania mythology. An entirely modern action console game, Lords of Shadow combines fast-paced weapons and magic based combat against otherworldly enemies, with platforming and puzzle-solving gameplay, to create a fresh gameplay experience that will thrill both fans of the original game series and gamers more rooted in modern action games.


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