The monster hunter series really is terrific. Or its horrible. It totally depends on your tastes, probably more than most any other series of games out there.
Monster Hunter doesn't really fit into a genre, and has no analogue experience against which it can be compared. If forced, I guess I would call it an offline/4 player online MMO/action/adventure/RPG(?)
Premise:
There's no plot. You can't "beat the game," because the game has no true end-point, or story for that matter. Instead, its all based on a premise, which is that you are the village monster hunter. Your sole task is taking on jobs (some involving killing X number of monsters, some involving killing some huge, odious beast, and some involving gathering resources for someone in the village while being beaten on by monsters). The jobs are organized by "ranks;" you must clear certain 1 star missions before you open the next rank of missions, etc.
There's no leveling in the game, but in its place is equipment upgrades--you will quickly reach the end of your ability to take on the next level of monster if you don't get the latest-and-greatest in gear. But you can't just buy it, you have to have the blacksmith craft it from items you collect. This means gathering the skins, scales, and bones of the most deadly monsters you can take down--because after all, if the monster is hard to kill, his hide will surely make a fine breastplate!
Speaking of crafting, the game also has a system for crafting virtually all consumables in the game. In fact, it is so rich that IMO, it puts most MMOs to shame. Need potions? Combine blue mushrooms and herbs. Need mega-potions? Combine potions and honey. Traps, poisons, antidotes, paintballs (for tracking your quarry when they try and run), you name it, you can make it.
Gameplay:
This is where Monster Hunter Tri has to prove its mettle. Previous games have been very enjoyable and addictive (just one more hunt!), but the controls have, er, sucked. Does Tri make things better?
Well, you can play with the nunchuck/wiimote. And, frankly, the game functions very competently with these controls (although I accidentally swung my sword a few times when scratching my nose). But honestly, when you start fighting monsters that can kill you in two hits, you realize that this is a series about perfectly timed, perfectly placed swings. Motion controls just don't work.
The classic controller pro is definately the way to go, and compared to previous games, is amazing. Its like comparing a NES pad to a Dualshock 3--you didn't realize you could play the game without your hands hurting before!
The game also offers several different weapon types you can use. This falls under gameplay because each weapon has its own system of functioning. Sword and shield is fast, and you have the ability to block with the shield. Greatsword does massive damage with each swing, but you move slower and the combos are totally different than sword and shield. Bowgun is a ranged weapon, and has its own unique set of moves and combos. This gives the game enormous depth, as mastery of one weapon means you've only bested a fraction of the game--there are still other weapons to master.
All in all, I can't help but give the gameplay a perfect score. This game is a joy from the moment you start. Just don't even bother with the nunchuck/ wiimote setup--save that for a game where it fits, like RE4.
Score: 10/10
Graphics and Level Design:
The game is pretty. Overall. Kinda.
But, well, it has this kind of graininess that you can't overlook. Its hard to describe. Maybe its because the wii isn't HD. Maybe its because they don't use anisotropic filtering or anti-aliasing. Maybe its because the models and textures are too low res. I can't really place it. But there's just . . . something that takes this otherwise pretty game and adds a certain uglification to it.
Oh, and while I'm complaining, the game uses this tiny font that is damn near impossible to read! I don't know why you would do that on a game system made for SDTVs, but there it is. Maybe there is a setting to change this--if there is, I didn't see it--but its definitely a "con" graphically.
There are other factors that do look really nice. For instance, the "torch" mechanic, which lights up darkened caves, has a nice light source effect. And the water areas, both above and below, look pretty cool.
Another "pro" in the graphics column is the variety in the areas of the game. Dark jungles, scalding volcanos, arctic tundras, and searing deserts are just a few of the places you will do battle. The game uses a broad pallette of colors, which makes me happy--I hate it when games try to look realistic by replacing virtually all colors with grey-tones *cough!* *Gears of War!* *cough!* The real world is colorful, and Monster Hunter Tri captures that beautifully.
So overall, eh, the game gets a 6 visually from me. Games like Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and Super Smash Bros Brawl prove to me that the Wii can do better. As far as level design goes, this game is a big ol' 10. Good design, crappy engine.
Graphics score: 6/10
Level design score: 10/10
Audio:
Monster hunter games are kinda like silent movies--there's music, but all talking is done with text. You'd think that at this point they'd realize that a dvd-9 is plenty big enough to fit compressed audio voice-overs, but here we are.
The music and sound effects are . . . eh. They get the job done, but they won't turn your world upside-down.
Score: 6/10
Story:
There is none.
Score: N/A
Replay:
This sorta seems like an unfair category for Monster Hunter Tri. The game doesn't have perfect replay, it really has infinite replay. Lets say you spend the hundreds of hours to get all armor and weapon sets tweaked to perfection, you beat all the missions with all weapon classes, and you fully completed all side quests (like repairing the damaged farm). There's *still* totally free online play! You could, theoretically, play this game every single day until the next game comes out and people stop playing Tri. And even then, you could play single player and explore every nook and cranny in the game world.
I'm giving Tri a 10/10, but know that the score should probably be infinity/10.
Score:10/10
Bottom line:
This game is good. Very good, even. But it isn't for everyone. If you're a graphics-whore (and I'll admit it, I'm one), the visuals are off-putting. The gameplay is great, but demanding and precise. Ultimately, if you love MMOs, but want something more action oriented and without level grinding, Monster Hunter Tri is a perfect fit. But if you want a somewhat more forgiving or more attractive game, you'll want to look elsewhere.
Score: 8/10
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Review: Dead Space
Yeah, I know, this has been out forever, but I only just recently have been playing it. So sue me!
Dead Space will go down in history along with Okami and Odin Sphere as one of the most under appreciated games. In fact, the game was rented/resold as often as it was sold new. That's not saying it didn't sell modestly well; in fact, EA claim they sold 1.5 million copies of the game--that should be profitable. But when compared with GTA IV, which sold 6 million copies in its first week of retail, well . . . Dead Space was under appreciated.
Premise:
If Resident Evil 4 and System Shock 2 had a baby, Dead Space would be it.
The comparisons to RE4 are painfully obvious. The game is played from an over-the-shoulder perspective, you have to go into aiming mode to fire, you can melee monsters if/when you run out of ammo . . . yeah. It's very RE4.
The comparisons to SS2 are also pretty obvious. The entire game is real-time, including all menu navigation (except saving the game). You use items in the game world to solve puzzles, check your map, and manage your inventory all in real time, risking monster attacks at every turn. You have certain telekinetic powers (like a stasis/freeze beam and telekinesis). Furthermore, the game takes place on a derelict space ship (sound familiar?), and you are guided from objective to objective by an ally over a radio (conveniently, he's always doing something that keeps him from having to go into the monster infested med labs and engineering levels). Oh, and ammo is very limited. Very. Almost too limited; just like SS2.
These comparisons are not bad. In fact, they're great. SS2 and RE4 were both 10/10 games in my opinion, and combining the best of the two is a great idea. Slap current gen graphics and various well-placed mini games onto that framework, and you have a winner of a game.
Gameplay:
The game plays just like RE4 + SS2. That means "quality." There isn't much here to say that I didn't already say in the premise. Perfect gameplay.
Score: 10/10
Graphics and Level Design:
The game is beautiful, and the developers were brilliant in their use of the technology.
Dead Space is all about the use of shadows. The game is dark--you are on a derelict space ship, after all--and the broad use of shadows turns the game from a run-and-gun into a real survival-horror title. The weapons (most of which are converted mining tools, since the ship was a mining vessel) all project a beam of light when aimed (think the flashlight in Doom 3, but duct-taped to a gun). The result is you spinning around like mad, looking for the danger lurking in the shadows, and jumping when you find it.
The monsters, character outfits, and ship design are all gorgeous. It's hard not to love this game for the eye candy.
Graphics score: 10/10
Level design score: 10/10
Audio:
This is one of the only places where the game falls flat. There isn't enough "moody music" to really scare ya, and when you're fighting monsters, the audio may as well just be someone crumbling up a sheet of aluminum foil behind a bull horn. Its just "noise," and that doesn't work for me.
The audio partially redeems itself when you enter the vacuum outside the ship. Sounds are severely muted, and the sound of your breathing is greatly increased. Technically, there should be /no/ sounds from outside in the vacuum of space, of course, but the muted sounds give the game a better ambiance.
Score: 8/10
Story:
I haven't finished the game yet, so take my score with a grain of salt. But that said, the story seems kinda hackneyed--space ship goes silent, you're on a rescue team, you find the ship crawling with zombies, you discover something-or-other caused everyone to be zombified. Ho-hum.
Score: 7/10
Replay:
Replay for Dead Space is like the replay for RE4--on second (and third and fourth) playthroughs, the goal is to get all collectibles and unlock all unlockables. It has no online mode (that I know of), but there's still alot here to keep you coming back for more.
Score: 8/10
Bottom line:
This game rocks the house. Don't come to the table expecting to be blown away by the story. Instead, expect this to follow your standard zombie-movie formula: get trapped by zombies, kill and/ or escape from zombies, destroy source of zombies. But the game still stands on its own as a great experience because of its gameplay mechanics.
Score: 9/10
Dead Space will go down in history along with Okami and Odin Sphere as one of the most under appreciated games. In fact, the game was rented/resold as often as it was sold new. That's not saying it didn't sell modestly well; in fact, EA claim they sold 1.5 million copies of the game--that should be profitable. But when compared with GTA IV, which sold 6 million copies in its first week of retail, well . . . Dead Space was under appreciated.
Premise:
If Resident Evil 4 and System Shock 2 had a baby, Dead Space would be it.
The comparisons to RE4 are painfully obvious. The game is played from an over-the-shoulder perspective, you have to go into aiming mode to fire, you can melee monsters if/when you run out of ammo . . . yeah. It's very RE4.
The comparisons to SS2 are also pretty obvious. The entire game is real-time, including all menu navigation (except saving the game). You use items in the game world to solve puzzles, check your map, and manage your inventory all in real time, risking monster attacks at every turn. You have certain telekinetic powers (like a stasis/freeze beam and telekinesis). Furthermore, the game takes place on a derelict space ship (sound familiar?), and you are guided from objective to objective by an ally over a radio (conveniently, he's always doing something that keeps him from having to go into the monster infested med labs and engineering levels). Oh, and ammo is very limited. Very. Almost too limited; just like SS2.
These comparisons are not bad. In fact, they're great. SS2 and RE4 were both 10/10 games in my opinion, and combining the best of the two is a great idea. Slap current gen graphics and various well-placed mini games onto that framework, and you have a winner of a game.
Gameplay:
The game plays just like RE4 + SS2. That means "quality." There isn't much here to say that I didn't already say in the premise. Perfect gameplay.
Score: 10/10
Graphics and Level Design:
The game is beautiful, and the developers were brilliant in their use of the technology.
Dead Space is all about the use of shadows. The game is dark--you are on a derelict space ship, after all--and the broad use of shadows turns the game from a run-and-gun into a real survival-horror title. The weapons (most of which are converted mining tools, since the ship was a mining vessel) all project a beam of light when aimed (think the flashlight in Doom 3, but duct-taped to a gun). The result is you spinning around like mad, looking for the danger lurking in the shadows, and jumping when you find it.
The monsters, character outfits, and ship design are all gorgeous. It's hard not to love this game for the eye candy.
Graphics score: 10/10
Level design score: 10/10
Audio:
This is one of the only places where the game falls flat. There isn't enough "moody music" to really scare ya, and when you're fighting monsters, the audio may as well just be someone crumbling up a sheet of aluminum foil behind a bull horn. Its just "noise," and that doesn't work for me.
The audio partially redeems itself when you enter the vacuum outside the ship. Sounds are severely muted, and the sound of your breathing is greatly increased. Technically, there should be /no/ sounds from outside in the vacuum of space, of course, but the muted sounds give the game a better ambiance.
Score: 8/10
Story:
I haven't finished the game yet, so take my score with a grain of salt. But that said, the story seems kinda hackneyed--space ship goes silent, you're on a rescue team, you find the ship crawling with zombies, you discover something-or-other caused everyone to be zombified. Ho-hum.
Score: 7/10
Replay:
Replay for Dead Space is like the replay for RE4--on second (and third and fourth) playthroughs, the goal is to get all collectibles and unlock all unlockables. It has no online mode (that I know of), but there's still alot here to keep you coming back for more.
Score: 8/10
Bottom line:
This game rocks the house. Don't come to the table expecting to be blown away by the story. Instead, expect this to follow your standard zombie-movie formula: get trapped by zombies, kill and/ or escape from zombies, destroy source of zombies. But the game still stands on its own as a great experience because of its gameplay mechanics.
Score: 9/10
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