Review: Silent Hill - Homecoming

Presentation

MjolnirX - Silent Hill: Homecoming is the story of Alex Shepard, a veteran who has been discharged, returning to his hometown only to find it in ruins. The townsfolk are rash and mostly incomprehensible. Some are catatonic at best. Upon your arrival, you come to realize that your little brother has gone missing and no one seems to be doing anything to find him. It is up to you to find out what happened to your town, and to find your brother.

The game's box art immediately sets the tone for the game. An uneasy, awkward portrait of your father and your little brother, whose stare is almost paralyzing. The character art is definitely in-sync with the rest of the series, improved in its high definition.

Graphics

The graphics, like all Silent Hill games, are not its strongest point. There are times where models seem jaggy or without texture. As well, the facial features have the same lack of emotion some of the voice actors do (picture Rocky Balboa). Aside from that, the gritty, dark, mysterious, hellish settings are improved this time around. There's a lot more variation in environments, from something that closely resembles Hell, to catacombs to the town of Shepard Glen itself. Each environment is carefully crafted to make you as uncomfortable as possible, including being in your own home. There's a lot of fine environmental details, like awkward portraits on walls and deteriorating furniture and walls that can really set the tone for what will happen. The enemies are as detailed as ever, especially the bosses; the amazing amount of detail in the bosses goes to show the effort that was put into the game.

Detailed.

Sound

Silent Hill's music has always been kind of an awkward spot for me. The game wouldn't be the same without it, yet I find there are moments when I actually notice the music isn't really the most appropriate for the area or situation I'm in. Specifically, the moments I dislike the most are the conversations. The music seems like something you'd hear in a PS1 Fantasy game (ex. Legend Of Legaia). Don't let that fool you for a minute about the power of the music elsewhere though. The quiet, almost non-existent ambient music in many of the game's areas creates an atmosphere that always leaves you wondering if it's the quiet before the storm.

Gameplay

It wasn't overly difficult to play through the game, though as expected there are frustrating-as-hell moments that make you want to quit. When you beat the game on the hardest difficulty, you unlock the Alien Gun, which makes going back for all the other achievements a breeze. Beating the game on the hardest difficulty definitely still has its work cut out for you. There's almost no ammo or health packs and the enemies are way stronger and do more damage. The controls are also Survival Horror-awkward, but that is more of a benefit than a hindrance to the genre. More often than not, you can avoid enemy encounters and run past the them to continue on your morbidly-merry way, but if you're trying to clear achievements on your way like I did, well, things get a little tricky. I ended up dying more times than I care to admit while trying to collect certain things. The hardest part is the lack of ammunition on the first playthrough; keeping enemies at a distance always has its advantages. Overall, I'd say the game was a 6/10 for difficulty.

Everything Else

At its worst, Silent Hill: Homecoming is replayable, if only for its alternative endings; the game has 5 endings. Though there is a so-called "good ending", they are all right in their own way. I won't spoil the endings here (that's not what this site is about). However, they consist of the obligatory "UFO Ending" where you will get your alien gun for your next playthrough, the "Bogeyman Ending", the "Downing Ending", the "Good Ending" and the "Hospital Ending". I recommend playing through to see them all. I say that on the basis that a few key decisions you make in the game will trigger these specific endings, and it's worth going back to make those decisions to see the consequences of them. After all, isn't that what Silent Hill is about?

Silent Hill: Homecoming didn't leave me wanting. It was overall a very decently put-together game. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes Survival Horror games. They don't get much better than this.

My Rating - 82 (Buy)

Achievements - 1000/1000

Hours Played - Over 30

Game Completed - Yes

Review: Ms. Splosion Man

Price: 800 Points

Castrum - Well, I just finished Ms. Splosion Man. A disclaimer: I did not use a guide at all, nor did I feel like using one, so to all thoughts of "dude, just use a damn guide", meh.

Here goes:

PRESENTATION

Story-wise, Ms. Splosion Man (MSM) is basically the same as the original Splosion Man (SM): the scientists go pissing around, something goes awry, MSM is created, and she goes on a killing spree to save the newly-captured SM. There's really not much else to it.

There are three bosses in MSM, with the last two really having very little to do with the initial story set-up or general sense, though are competent battles as they are.

In terms of art style, it's somewhat unique for a game these days, but it doesn't differentiate at all from SM's, so it feels pretty same-y.

As for ease of use, everything tends to respond well and the menus are satisfactory.

GRAPHICS

The graphics in MSM are certainly adequate and vibrant most of the time, though some typically out-of-camera areas (like the ones you end up falling into and dying) are rough.

I should note that the graphics, or at least their implementation, conflict with good gameplay at certain times. This is particularly prevalent when landing on flying transports (which explode everywhere) and in the second boss battle.

SOUND

The music in MSM is kind of catchy and good quality, but wears very thin after a while. I found myself wanting to mute both the music and especially the incessant blonde-girl gigglefests MSM got up to. These bouts of lunacy were amusing at first, but got old very quickly.

One song in particular in MSM is quite catchy though, I must say. It gets old after a while as well, but it's enjoyable the first 5 or so times you hear it.

For sound effects, aside from the aforementioned aggravating giggle-parties, the effects are taken straight out of SM, which were of competent quality.

GAMEPLAY

I played MSM solo, though there is a 4-player co-op mode I did not play. There is also a Hardcore Mode you unlock after you beat the campaign.

The gameplay in MSM is virtually identical to SM's: blow shit up, rack up points (which you don't see until the end of the level), and reach the end of the level after platforming/exploding through lots of hazards. MSM adds a few new things, like going inside a fat woman scientist to get past turrets instead of just holding a guy like in SM, but overall it's the same game. For clarity, I should note for anyone who has never played SM/MSM, you have unlimited lives.

That said, I did have a lot of issues with MSM by the end:

1) In MSM, there is a dearth (that is, a distinct lack) of checkpoints within levels, particularly during tough sections. Now, I know I'm not some Pro gamer and I know SM/MSM were designed for "t3h h4rdc0r3s", but christ man there's a lot of replaying shit you've already done, even more so than in SM. In fact, this lack of checkpoints can be so bad at times that cheating (via the Game Menu after you die an ungodly number of times, which also negates your score for the level) is really your only option if you don't have "1337 skillz".

2) The aforementioned lack of checkpoints within levels has an additional side-effect: due to their rarity and all the replaying of areas you've already been through once you die, you as the player have a distinct incentive NOT to explore, which is a shame as there is a pair of collectable Shoes in each level (MSM wears them till the end of the level) as well as potential Secret Exits. While I'm not saying it's impossible to go and search for secrets in MSM, it's certainly a large hassle to do so if you are not "1337".

3) Though I thought going into this game that I couldn't wait to play through more SM-style gameplay, sadly by halfway through World 3 (there's three Worlds in MSM with about 15+ levels each) I was simply waiting for the game to end. Whether it was MSM or the gameplay itself, I'm not too entirely sure. All I can say is that the gameplay felt stale by that point.

4) Annoying trial-and-error plagues MSM, even more so than it did SM. Entire sections rely upon either split-second reflexes or grueling die-try-die-try-die-try-etc. gameplay. Many times, barrels you need to explode on or platforms you need to land on/manuever towards are off-screen until it's too late, leading to the aforementioned. It's not like I wasn't expecting something like this, as it is a Platformer and I did beat SM, but it's just aggravatingly-common in MSM, especially after the start of World 2. There was one level in particular, 3-12, which had a section involving platform switches which for the life of me I could not discern how to act in order to proceed.

5) A minor annoyance, but important: I honestly feel the explosion recharge is lacking. I found it takes far too long to recharge, especially in tough situations, and my opinion would be to make it so that it auto-recharges fully the second you make contact with a surface.

Finally, I should state that the last boss has a gameplay sequence similar to the old Punch-Out games in style and input; however, it does not indicate at all what your controls are in this battle, which is reminiscent of the game's gameplay in general really.

ETC.

Really not much else to add. I guess if you had a bunch of friends who owned MSM, you could have a lot of fun in co-op and increase MSM's replayability, but as for solo, there's really not much else aside from secrets mop-up and time trials.

Also, there is a movie shown at the end of the game, before the credits, though it is too "Space Ghost" comedy-wise for my tastes.

I also left out a comment on the "store" in the game, where you can spend the coins you get for beating a level, though since it's all just concept art and random junk, I didn't see much point.

SUMMARY

Ms. Splosion Man is a decent platformer, and certainly worth something around 800 Points or lower (if it gets a sale). It's a virtual carbon-copy of Splosion Man for all intents and purposes, though is more "hardcore" and unforgiving. The game bothered me as I played it, and while I am no Pro gamer and realize as much, MSM gave me some notable bouts of swearing and sometimes even outright confusion as to what I should do to advance. It is by no means a bad game, however, it is by no means the equal of its predecessor either.

Achievements - 10/200
Hours Played - Probably around 12 hours
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 75 (Rent)

MjolnirX's Thoughts On Warhammer 40K - Kill Team

Castrum - Just thought I'd let everyone know that MjolnirX has contributed his thoughts on our playthrough of Warhammer 40K - Kill Team. You can find them below my own review on this page:

http://savepointsite.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-warhammer-40k-kill-team.html

Review: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Price: 1200 Points

Castrum - Two reviews in one day? I know, I can't believe it either. Here goes:

PRESENTATION

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet's (ITSP) story is pretty simple: some parasitic lifeform takes over its parent world, infects other nearby planets, and then, at the start of ITSP, fires off a colony of parasites to infect and devour the star of our protagonist's home planet. The infection spreads from there to said planet, and so begins our journey. It is up to Nameless Protagonist In A Ship to save his planet and its star from the same fate as the other consumed worlds. This is all told wordlessly in cutscenes that are expertly drawn and animated, something I particularly enjoyed.

There are a series of bosses you must fight in ITSP, each unique in its own regard. Some fights were interesting, others meh, but all were certainly fitting.

Needless to say, the art itself is a masterpiece. A beautiful Samurai Jack-esque art style combined with a few flourishes of originality lead this game to looking like quite possibly the most unique game of the year.

As for ease of use, it is a given in a game as polished as this.

GRAPHICS

Well, again, it goes without saying that this game has spectacular graphics. The art style alone is memorable and noteworthy, but the cleanness and beauty of the graphical implementation itself is flawless. Whether in still frame or in motion, it's just beautiful. I really can't praise these graphics enough to do them justice.

SOUND

Dimmu Borgir, a band that my buddy Joe loves (Contributor #2 here at Save Point), allowed the developer of ITSP to utilize their more epic pieces for both teaser trailers as well as in-game music. Personally, I wish the music was a bit more prominent during gameplay, as it all sounds a bit empty, but overall it's not too bad.

The sound effects are quite good, and suit the gameplay well. No complaints.

GAMEPLAY

ITSP isn't the longest game, but in that relatively-short timespan, you will experience a very fun and addicting game. I myself was hooked from the moment I began to play it until I had finally beaten the last boss after dying several times.

I should mention that ITSP does have a 4-player multiplayer co-op mode, called Lantern Run. It's possible to play this solo, but it's incredibly hard. I played about 40 seconds of it before dying on solo, so I can't speak for its quality, though it seemed like it could be fun.

You fly around in a little UFO thing that attains gadgets it can use for various tasks as the game progresses. The "meta" gameplay is very much like Shadow Complex or Metroid, but on a shorter, smaller scale: the game map is big, but not huge, and you'll explore all of it quite easily. For those who have never played the aforementioned, it can basically be summarized as "lots of backtracking" and "open exploration concept", however in ITSP, the game pretty much forces you down certain paths, even more so than other similar games.

As you progress, you will attain gadgets that you can use to assist you against enemies and bosses. These include a Laser weapon that is good for mowing through swarms, a Grabber Arm useful for latching onto things, and an Energy Shield. The variety is quite good, and you can assign up to 4 to "Hotkeys" (i.e. the face buttons A, X, B, Y). This is quite handy, though I do wish they had allowed the D-Pad to be utilized in addition to or in place of this, as there are more than 4 gadgets you'll be wanting to use regularly. One gadget in particular that is very useful is the Scanner you start the game with: when you scan enemies and notable terrain, just like in Metroid Prime, it will let you know their weaknesses or what you need to use.

Scattered throughout the world are Artifacts and Concept Art pieces, the first of which awards an Achievement for finding all 18 of them. If you keep an eye out, these aren't hard to find, and certainly provide a secondary set of goals for the player, particularly with regards to backtracking.

In addition to this, there are upgrades littered around the map for your main gun and your ship's defenses. The first of these is found early on, but the others require map exploration, as each needs 3 or 5 (for 2nd or 3rd upgrade) pieces for completion. This also awards an Achievement.

ITSP has some few puzzles that require a bit of thinking, as well as boss fights that aren't straightforward and predictable in nature. Usually I find this kind of stuff to be annoying, and requiring me to go look up solutions on Google, but for the most part the answers were quite intuitive. A few I had to think about after a liberal bout of swearing and frustration, but nothing too notable.

One thing I should note is that, when you die in ITSP, you simply restart from your last save point. You don't lose anything, and enemies stay dead, though bosses will reset. Some hardcores will be BAWWWWWWWWing about this I'm sure, but for me it was welcome.

One of the few flaws of ITSP is that when the camera zooms out or there are lots of enemies on-screen, the game suffers from slowdown. Nothing crippling or annoying, but certainly noticeable. As well, when zoomed out, unless you have a big TV, it will be difficult to see where your ship is sometimes.

ETC.

One thing of particular note that bothers me is that, in making ITSP, they seem to have had to cut a lot of cool things they had shown in the trailers and preview pics (one instance above), as well as a few elements of the game (such as the Samurai Jack-esque explosions). Hopefully this stuff makes it into a sequel.

SUMMARY

ITSP is a fantastic game, though it is fairly short. Would I say I got my money's worth? Probably. Maybe 1200 Points is a bit high, but for the polished nature of the product as well as the beautiful art design, I would say it's worth it. There are no recycled areas, and the gameplay does shift well, depending on what weapons are required as well as what section of the game world you're in (I note in particular, the Electrical Zone). Overall, I would say ITSP is a worthy Summer Of Arcade title in the same vein as Castle Crashers and Shadow Complex, and thus, I am rating it a Buy with a value of 85.

Achievements - 170/200
Hours Played - Probably around 8 hours
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 85 (Buy)

Review: Warhammer 40K – Kill Team

Price: 800 Points

Castrum - So here we are, my first review. I guess I should state what my criteria is and how we will go about this (taken from the Review page):

My Reviewing process is somewhat different from other blogs/websites. I typically won't run-down a long list of things everyone expects in any decent video game these days; therefore, anything I don't comment on you can assume is either not particularly noteworthy or is a given (ex. whether the controls are good, etc.).

Each review will be separated into 5 categories:

Presentation

- Story, art, ease of use.

Graphics

- Self-explanatory. Also, any weird bugs related to such.

Sound

- Music, sound effects, etc.

Gameplay

- Controls, difficulty, "fun factor", etc.

Etc.

- Anything else I can think of (ex. replayability).

I have also decided on utilizing a combination of Ratings: a numerical one alongside a Buy/Rent/Forget qualifier. The most important of the two is the B/R/F: I don't care how amazing a 4-hour retail game that costs $60 is, if it's over before I get my money's worth, it's a Rent at best. The numerical value will be out of 100, which will function in much the same way as any other site's vaguely-pointless number score.

As well, yes I am aware of game rental stores shutting down en masse. Replace "Rent" with "Borrow From A Friend", "Get Used", etc. if necessary.

Now, without further ado, my review:

PRESENTATION

Kill Team's story is pretty basic: Orks are invading an Imperial Forge World via a big "Kroozer" ship, and you have to stop them. This line of thought continues throughout the game's length, with a few shifts in theme once the Tyranids arrive. The story culminates in a fun boss battle with a machine that has never been fought before in any 40K video game, which I of course enjoyed, being a huge fan of the lore.

Personally, I'm sick of seeing Orks in every 40K game, though thank God Chaos doesn't get their millionth time in the limelight. The Tyranids showed up in Dawn Of War 2 after relentless whines on Relic's forums, so I guess they're taking Chaos' place now, though I can't imagine why: Nids and Orks are basically the same, tactics-wise.

Anyways, the art itself is typical 40K fare, though the transfer to the 360 has been done well, I must say. Very dark, very dirty, crude in the right ways, etc. Certainly great by Arcade standards.

The game's menus are suitable as well, and overall the game is easy to pick up and play.

GRAPHICS

Though there are a few flat textures and rough edges typical of this gen's game engines (think UE3 shine, though not quite as much in Kill Team), overall Kill Team's graphics are quite good. There are some weird moments in the selection menu where your guy will spawn in on the screen all fucked-up and contorted like a circus act, but otherwise the graphics and wireframes function properly.

SOUND

The music is recycled Dawn Of War stuff, though being from DoW, it's not bad music at all. In fact, it's basically become 40K's de-facto theme music by now. As it was Jeremy Soule who created it, of Elder Scrolls fame, I'm not one to object.

The sound effects are standard stuff you'd expect: explosions, sword swipes, bullets firing, etc. I believe these are also mostly recycled from DoW.

GAMEPLAY

When playing KT, I tried out both Singleplayer and Co-Op, with my buddy Joe (the other contributor here). KT only has 2-player Local Co-Op.

KT singleplayer is certainly possible, unlike many other games with a focus on co-op modes, though not a cakewalk. Mobs can be a bit overwhelming at times, but with a Sprint button smartly-placed on the LT and Special Attacks that power up over time tied to the LB, one can definitely manage. You can also use Grenades that you find in power-up pickups, though I found them to be a last-resort weapon at best, due to scarcity and fixed throw distance.

There are power-ups in KT, each of which benefits the player in some way. My favorite is probably the Quad Fire: nothing like firing 4 missiles at once.

Melee is tied to the A button, and Shooting is done via the Right Stick: I find this system works quite well, though Joe had some issues with it initially. There is an auto lock-on for melee attacks from a short distance away, which certainly helps when fighting off the hordes of Orks and/or Nids, and when playing as a Melee class, every now and then you will cast aside the enemies arrayed around you in a big attack that usually kills all of them.

There are four classes: the Vanguard Veteran, the Techmarine, the Sternguard Veteran, and the Librarian. For those of you who do not know much about 40K, let's just say this isn't your typical Librarian :-P

The Vanguard is the dedicated Melee class, easily capable to tossing aside the elite Nob warriors of the Orks at full strength. The Sternguard is the dedicated Ranged class, equipped with heavy weaponry to mow down swarms of mobs. The other two classes are a combination of these two: the Librarian better at Ranged than the Vanguard but worse in Melee, and the Techmarine better at Melee than the Sternguard but not as good at Ranged.

Each class has its own Special Attack: the Vanguard charges forward at super-speed swinging his weapon before setting off a radial blast, the Sternguard simply fires a torrent of shots, the Librarian sets off a delayed radial blast around him, and the Techmarine gets the best one of all, a turret :-P

Seriously though, the Tech's turret is worth playing that class alone. It's immensely useful when defending a position, and recharges fast enough to basically act as the equivalent of a brain-addled third player (it only fires every now and then) :-P

Throughout the game, as you rack up points by killing mobs and blowing shit up, you will unlock "Perks", which are basically permanent power-ups: +5% Health, +15% Ranged Damage, etc. You can equip 2 of these per character, and once you unlock one, everyone can use them (including co-op people).

ETC.

One thing of particular note that Joe and I found odd was the fact that, in Co-Op, only the First Player can unlock Achievements. Whether this was an attempt to keep people from going to their friends' houses and earning Achievements without buying the game or a crude attempt to lengthen gameplay time, we cannot discern.

As well, as for KT's replayability, I would rank it as quite good, depending on your tastes. There is a Survival Mode that you can play, based on the 5 large levels in the campaign, as well as the ability to replay each of the 5 levels over again with all your unlocks.

SUMMARY

Overall, I found KT to be quite fun, and it lasted a good while too, clocking in around 10 hours or so (of course, we played through the game twice for Achievements and for the hell of it, so judge accordingly). If they made a sequel to this game, I would certainly buy it. As it stands, however, I cannot fully recommend Kill Team, due to its short length (compared with other games in general) and its somewhat limited replayability (you will unlock everything by the campaign's end). That said, it is still a great game, and thus I am giving it a score of 80, in the Buy category, indicating it is worth picking up if you're looking for a good co-op romp.

Achievements - 105/200
Hours Played - Probably around 10
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 80 (Buy)

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Developer	THQ
Publisher	THQ
Platforms	XBLA, PSN
Genre	Twin-Stick Shooter
Modes	Single-player, Local Co-op
Metacritic Rating	66
My Rating	75
Cost	800MP, $9.99

MjolnirX - Having never played any kind of Warhammer game before, everything about this game aside from the genre of gameplay is new to me. The storyline is short and simple: you crash-land inside an Ork "Kroozer" ship and are tasked to take it down from the inside. This is the prequel to the events of the new "Warhammer 40K: Space Marine" game coming out. Aside from this, there is not much story, other than the disembodied voice of a commander who directs you to your next objective.

Graphics

The style of graphics is gritty, dark and atmospheric. My only problem with them is that every level, aside from the last one, feels the same. There's little variation in enemies with the exception of a mini-boss here and there. The last level is definitely where the game shines with the variation of backgrounds, multi-level fighting and excellent scripted events.

Sound

Music was not this game's strong point. At times, it seemed cheesy or too light for the situation. It ruined any atmosphere that may have created by the rest of the media in the game. It's not that the music was bad, by any means. It's just seems inappropriate at times, and unmemorable at others.

Gameplay

Kill Team is your basic twin-stick shooter, with basic pick-up power-ups (health, dual-tri-quad fire, bonus strength and ranged) with a few other basic amenities like grenades. Perks unlock as staggered rewards (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%).

The controls are easy to learn. As easy as they are, my biggest qualm with the controls is the dynamic camera. When the camera angle changes, it makes it so that your firing goes with it, which makes for very inaccurate shooting at distances. The melee classes also have a few downsides. The biggest downside being that the melee classes don't enjoy extra defense or health initially. Your health can drop extremely fast when surrounded by Orks of any class. Thankfully, the game supplies enough health packs to make it so that you never really have to worry about dying (on multiplayer).

Kill Team is not overly difficult, as long as you take your time and use your power-ups wisely. There were a few times when Castrum and I were fighting with our backs up against the wall, and a few times those ended up not quite in our favor. The great thing about the difficulty is that you never really had to think about it. That's how games should be. It presented many challenges, but did not make it so you had to work for hours to achieve one simple goal.

Multiplayer is what makes this game fun. The addition of a friend (or a frenemy, but who is asking?) makes the game go by much smoother. Having that person beside you to bail you out of a bad situation is priceless. With that being said, there are so many things wrong with the multiplayer. The first being that there's no online co-op. That's just an annoying hiccup. My biggest irritant is that fact that only the first player can earn Achievements. Castrum and I had to play the game twice-over just so both of us could earn the basic achievements. That was easily the worst part of the game.

The game has a little replay value. Going back and getting all the collectibles would be pretty easy after getting all the perks. The game doesn't last too long though. Just a straight run-through of the game can be easily done in around 2 hours. For only 800 points, I would definitely suggest this game as a buy.

My Rating - 75 - Buy

Review: Dead Space Ignition

Developers - Visceral Games, Sumo Digital
Publisher - Electronic Arts
Platforms - Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network
Genres - Survival Horror, Puzzle, Action
Modes - Single-player, Multiplayer
Metacritic - 35
User rating - 47
My rating - 49
Achievements - 200/200
Hours played - 2


MjolnirX - One of the major gripes I had with this game was its repetitiveness. It's three mini-games over and over again, with learning curves steeper than Mount Everest. While the games were fun initially, they quickly got annoying and difficult past the point of frustration. The only redeeming qualities of this game are the story, and the bonus suit for Dead Space 2. It tells the tale of Franco Delille, the man who sets you free from your cell at the beginning of Dead Space 2, as well as his motives and fate.

Upon completion of the game:

"After completing the game players will receive bonus items for Dead Space 2, including a hacker-themed suit with 15% armor and 15 inventory slots, as well as a bonus to the hacking portions of the game Players also receive a hacker-themed Contact Beam weapon, extra power nodes, health packs, ammo, and audio logs. These bonuses are found in "conduit rooms" unlocked with a Dead Space Ignition completed save file."

Hardware Crack

Hardware Crack is a fairly traditional puzzle-solving mini-game in which you re-direct various colored lasers to their respective exit points. You are time-limited in this one and thus required to think fast.

There are various components in the playing field each with different functions.

Trace Route

Trace Route involves controlling an electrical signal in a race against other signals to the finish line. You are required to dodge obstacles - walls and other moving objects - that will slow you down to a near stop whilst also aiming for various power-ups that grant you the ability to reverse the AI opponents' controls, drop walls behind you, or simply give you a speed boost.

System Override

System Override is a simple Tower Defense mini-game in which you are not only required to block enemy attackers, but to do so whilst advancing troops to an objective on the other side of the playing field. You have multiple unit types - one of which has the ability to slow down incoming enemy units.

Summary

Overall, this game was nothing more than a stepping stone to Dead Space 2, and should be avoided unless you plan on playing Dead Space 2 immediately afterwards.

Review: Dead Space 2

This is a new regular segment I will be featuring on this site. As an avid gamer, I love to play as much as possible. I will be reviewing the games I've played here, so look out for my new posts. The first games that I will be reviewing are Dead Space 2, as well as Dead Space: Ignition.

Developer - Visceral Games
Publisher - Electronic Arts
Platform - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genres - Survival Horror, Third-Person Shooter
Modes - Single-player, Multiplayer
MetaCritic - 90
User Ratings - 86
My Rating - 85
Achievements - 900/1000
Hours Played - 10


MjolnirX - Dead Space 2 is an all-round great game. The story picks up where Dead Space 1, or more recently, Dead Space: Ignition, left off (more on that later). You continue as protagonist Isaac Clarke, awakened from stasis by Dead Space: Ignition "protagonist" (I use that term loosely) Franco Delille. The game takes place on Saturn's now-shattered moon Titan, on a human colony called "The Sprawl". This time around, the story pits you against multiple adversaries: EarthGov, Unitologists and, of course, the Necromorphs.

The fate of Franco

The updated graphics are a welcome addition to this new iteration of the Dead Space franchise. They're visually rich and effective at establishing an unsettling environment. The music is dramatic, and queued to individual events, even some as small as things being knocked over in an area beyond your vision, being seen only via shadows cast on poorly-lit walls, creating a crescendo of nervousness and anxiety. Of course, Dead Space 2 makes best use of this in low-lit rooms, with full 5.1+ surround-sound, and on the largest HDTV you can find, with your chair or couch only two feet away.

Though the game is one of the best I've played so far, it has its flaws. My biggest disappointment is the lopsided multiplayer. It just seems unbalanced in favor of the Necromorphs. It is, however, fun. I spent a few hours playing through it, and I've had just as many fun moments as I've had frustrating moments. Another thing I couldn't get into was Isaac's new appearance and personality. I liked how in the first one, he was a faceless hero. It was easier to personify him. With his own personality, and his own struggles, it seems like they are just trying to dramatize and romanticize the whole story. The story itself seemed to make next to no progression into the Dead Space canon. It also seems, other than the now full-faced Isaac, the game has a Halo-like storyline: a be-all, end-all object that threatens the galaxy, and it turns out there are more, and the faceless hero has to save the day, and all this occurs in space. The length of the game was also kind of odd, considering it takes up two discs. I ended up getting 90% of the achievements in less than 10 hours.

As far as the controls go, I couldn't be happier. The sluggish movements pay homage to the greats of the Survival Horror genre like Dino Crisis, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill. The lack of a HUD makes the game much more immersive and cinematic, thus drawing the gamer in and setting up the inevitable scare-tactic that will scare the shit out of you and make you wonder why you're playing the game at all. Though there is a selection of weapons, I found that every time I acquired my next weapon, I never used it at all because my original weapon had all my nodes in it, and was superior in almost every way. This isn't a major concern, but it seems that for all the work put into diversifying weapons, there isn't any real reason to take any of the others, save for achievements.

My copies of Dead Space

I ended up only getting 900 out of the available 1000 achievement points. The last two are just too frustrating to try. One requires you to play the game on the hardest difficulty, which provides you with little to no ammo or health, makes each enemy seem like a boss, and you only get three saves for the entire length of the game. When you die, it sends you back to the last save point, not a checkpoint. Hours of work could be lost. Maybe some day I'll go back and try again, but not likely in the near future.

SUMMARY

Overall, I think Dead Space 2 is easily one of the best games for 2011 so far. I've never really felt so much anxiety playing a game. It is scary, but it's also fun and rewarding. I could easily recommend this game to anyone who loves FPS or Survival Horror games.