Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Check Out My New Renter
Check out my new renter Coffeestoned. This is a great blog and I know you will enjoy it. Have a look.
Monday, March 26, 2007
PSP Game Review Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
This game was originally an action adventure title for the Playstation 2, now it has evolved into a whole series with a dedicated following. Sony didn't even think this game would be as popular as it is today. This is the newest title in the series, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters is the first title in this series for the PSP System.
The first thing I noticed about this game is that it looks great. When you start the story mode, you are greeted with an intro scene. You can tell from this scene that the graphics are awesome. In the game, the details of the graphics are amazing. Ratchet especially looks great, even better than he does in some of the other titles in this series.
I can't even stress enough how great the graphics are. Of all the games I have seen go from PS2 to PSP this game is the one that has looked the best. Your surroundings have the smooth textures that the series is known for, as well as detailed scenery and a great set of enemies. The frame rate in this title is great, I have not yet seen it go below 30 frames per second, regardless of the actions on the screen. A lot of the special effects from other Ratchet and Clank titles were carried over to Size Matters, so you can look forward to that. This is one of the most visually impressive games I have seen for the PSP system so far.
This game is similar to the others, but like most Ratchet and Clank releases there are all new additions that you won't find on any other title. They generally give you a little something extra in each Ratchet and Clank game, probably so the series doesn't "get old" after a while. Some of the things that stay the same are, you can still buy weapons through out different parts of the stages, and you still defeat enemies the same way you did, with a gun or a melee weapon. In this game there is a new upgrade element which allows you to improve Ratchet and Clank's armor and capabilities. You will know it is time to upgrade when it starts getting harder for you to stay alive, or if you are dying to quickly it is probably because you are not fighting enough, which means your not collecting enough bolts, which means you can't expand your life-bar. You will see that being a solid warrior has it's rewards.
One of the biggest attractions to this title is Clank. In Clanks playable segments, not only are you playing as Clank in a regular stage, but you also use him to play a variety of different kinds of mini-games. There is one mini-game where Clank has to take control of a robot and defeat other bots around him in a Battle-bots like playground. Another game will remind you of Lemmings, in this level Clank has to guide little robots to "safe houses". You will also be able to travel into space and shoot down enemies that stand in your way. The cool thing about this level is that Clank turns into a giant version of himself that you get to control.
This game has a lot of unexpected things in it. For instance, the dialog is hilarious. This makes it way easier to get into this game. The dialog and cut-scenes make the game more fun and engaging. It makes you want to keep playing just to see what they will come up with next. This is one of those games that is hard to just play for a minute. Once you start playing you won't want to put it down. There is also a great online/multi-player game. You can have up to 4 player compete per battle. Setting up the games, picking a character, and choosing your name will all be like in other Ratchet and Clank online games.
If you have ever played a Ratchet and Clank game before, you will have no trouble getting used to the controls. The only little quirk I came across in this game is that you might come across an occasional camera issue, but there are two different camera modes you can toggle between so this may not be an issue for you. If you do have issues you can easily reset the camera with the L and R buttons. I would recommend this game to anyone. It has a humorous plot line, great single player, online multi-player, and the ability to grow your characters, this game is one of the best values available on the PSP system. Fans and people who have never played Ratchet and Clank will love this game. I give it 9 out of 10.
The first thing I noticed about this game is that it looks great. When you start the story mode, you are greeted with an intro scene. You can tell from this scene that the graphics are awesome. In the game, the details of the graphics are amazing. Ratchet especially looks great, even better than he does in some of the other titles in this series.
I can't even stress enough how great the graphics are. Of all the games I have seen go from PS2 to PSP this game is the one that has looked the best. Your surroundings have the smooth textures that the series is known for, as well as detailed scenery and a great set of enemies. The frame rate in this title is great, I have not yet seen it go below 30 frames per second, regardless of the actions on the screen. A lot of the special effects from other Ratchet and Clank titles were carried over to Size Matters, so you can look forward to that. This is one of the most visually impressive games I have seen for the PSP system so far.
This game is similar to the others, but like most Ratchet and Clank releases there are all new additions that you won't find on any other title. They generally give you a little something extra in each Ratchet and Clank game, probably so the series doesn't "get old" after a while. Some of the things that stay the same are, you can still buy weapons through out different parts of the stages, and you still defeat enemies the same way you did, with a gun or a melee weapon. In this game there is a new upgrade element which allows you to improve Ratchet and Clank's armor and capabilities. You will know it is time to upgrade when it starts getting harder for you to stay alive, or if you are dying to quickly it is probably because you are not fighting enough, which means your not collecting enough bolts, which means you can't expand your life-bar. You will see that being a solid warrior has it's rewards.
One of the biggest attractions to this title is Clank. In Clanks playable segments, not only are you playing as Clank in a regular stage, but you also use him to play a variety of different kinds of mini-games. There is one mini-game where Clank has to take control of a robot and defeat other bots around him in a Battle-bots like playground. Another game will remind you of Lemmings, in this level Clank has to guide little robots to "safe houses". You will also be able to travel into space and shoot down enemies that stand in your way. The cool thing about this level is that Clank turns into a giant version of himself that you get to control.
This game has a lot of unexpected things in it. For instance, the dialog is hilarious. This makes it way easier to get into this game. The dialog and cut-scenes make the game more fun and engaging. It makes you want to keep playing just to see what they will come up with next. This is one of those games that is hard to just play for a minute. Once you start playing you won't want to put it down. There is also a great online/multi-player game. You can have up to 4 player compete per battle. Setting up the games, picking a character, and choosing your name will all be like in other Ratchet and Clank online games.
If you have ever played a Ratchet and Clank game before, you will have no trouble getting used to the controls. The only little quirk I came across in this game is that you might come across an occasional camera issue, but there are two different camera modes you can toggle between so this may not be an issue for you. If you do have issues you can easily reset the camera with the L and R buttons. I would recommend this game to anyone. It has a humorous plot line, great single player, online multi-player, and the ability to grow your characters, this game is one of the best values available on the PSP system. Fans and people who have never played Ratchet and Clank will love this game. I give it 9 out of 10.
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Friday, March 23, 2007
PSP Game Review Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee is the PSP exclusive edition of this Hot Shots Golf. This game has everything I love in a game. It plays for a very long time, unlike some games that you can beat in a matter of hours. It has tons of fun unlockable items. The controls are very simple, and the graphics are amazing. That isn't even the beginning of why this game is so great.
This PSP version plays just like the Playstation 2 version "Hot Shots Golf: Fore!. Basically, you choose which character you would like to start with, play the different courses, and try to unlock all the extras that the game has. This game is so popular because the controls are very user friendly, and the graphics are like you are watching a cartoon. I really love this game!
Hot Shots Golf doesn't have any kind of story involved in it. It is very similar to an arcade kind of game where you just play. I love this about the game. When you start the game you have 2 characters that you can choose from. As you play through the game more items and equipment is opened. You can play the match-play mode to unlock the really cool stuff and even unlock new characters that you can use. Some of the items you will be able to unlock are; golf clubs, golf balls, cool outfits, and accessories. New golf clubs and golf balls increase your characters stats, like how far they can drive and how much control they have over the ball. This game does a great job of being able to tell the difference between different accessories. A lot of times in other games, you can't really see the difference when you have unlockables, but in this game you can really tell the difference when selecting the different items. Some of the items you unlock are really silly, like the trucker hats or the sunglasses. The unlockable outfits and accessories have no real bearing on the game other than changing the appearance of you character.
I would just like to mention at this point that the ad-hoc play in this game is great. This game has a great multi-player mode. You can play with up to 8 people in one game. In the multi-player part of the game you are allowed to heckle and try to distract your opponents. It really is fun and I would recommend trying it out. It just makes this game even more great.
The graphics in this PSP version are very similar to that in the PS2 version. In the golf courses themselves you can see great distance. You can change the camera angle to see exactly what you need to in order to make your shot. I really enjoy the way the camera angle changes on it's own while it is showing you where your golf ball is going after you hit it. The frame rate is very smooth and the, and it has very tight, clean lines making the graphics in this game great.
As I mentioned before you will unlock other characters as you play through the game. There are unfortunately a limited number of caddies to choose from, but your caddie doesn't really affect your game much, so it probably doesn't matter. The caddies do offer some encouragement, they say things like "Good Shot", or "A Little Right". The sound effects are fun too. The game has different noises for the sound of hitting the ball, or going through a tree, or landing in the water, or hitting a rock. The sound effects are pretty realistic and fun too.
Overall this game is great. You can set up with either a 3 button action swing or on auto mode to make it so you hit it straight every time. There are lots of different menus and game play options, which makes for a great gaming experience. The sound isn't amazing, but for a golf game it definitely isn't bad at all. I would say this game isn't difficult, just long, which I really like. It takes a while to unlock everything, and that is half the fun of it. There are over 250 unlockable items, and you can only unlock one item per round of golf, think about it. This game is also great because it is really fun and cartoonish, but at the same time it really is all about the golf and strategy. I would say get this game, you can pick it up anywhere for 20 bucks, and it is totally worth it.
This PSP version plays just like the Playstation 2 version "Hot Shots Golf: Fore!. Basically, you choose which character you would like to start with, play the different courses, and try to unlock all the extras that the game has. This game is so popular because the controls are very user friendly, and the graphics are like you are watching a cartoon. I really love this game!
Hot Shots Golf doesn't have any kind of story involved in it. It is very similar to an arcade kind of game where you just play. I love this about the game. When you start the game you have 2 characters that you can choose from. As you play through the game more items and equipment is opened. You can play the match-play mode to unlock the really cool stuff and even unlock new characters that you can use. Some of the items you will be able to unlock are; golf clubs, golf balls, cool outfits, and accessories. New golf clubs and golf balls increase your characters stats, like how far they can drive and how much control they have over the ball. This game does a great job of being able to tell the difference between different accessories. A lot of times in other games, you can't really see the difference when you have unlockables, but in this game you can really tell the difference when selecting the different items. Some of the items you unlock are really silly, like the trucker hats or the sunglasses. The unlockable outfits and accessories have no real bearing on the game other than changing the appearance of you character.
I would just like to mention at this point that the ad-hoc play in this game is great. This game has a great multi-player mode. You can play with up to 8 people in one game. In the multi-player part of the game you are allowed to heckle and try to distract your opponents. It really is fun and I would recommend trying it out. It just makes this game even more great.
The graphics in this PSP version are very similar to that in the PS2 version. In the golf courses themselves you can see great distance. You can change the camera angle to see exactly what you need to in order to make your shot. I really enjoy the way the camera angle changes on it's own while it is showing you where your golf ball is going after you hit it. The frame rate is very smooth and the, and it has very tight, clean lines making the graphics in this game great.
As I mentioned before you will unlock other characters as you play through the game. There are unfortunately a limited number of caddies to choose from, but your caddie doesn't really affect your game much, so it probably doesn't matter. The caddies do offer some encouragement, they say things like "Good Shot", or "A Little Right". The sound effects are fun too. The game has different noises for the sound of hitting the ball, or going through a tree, or landing in the water, or hitting a rock. The sound effects are pretty realistic and fun too.
Overall this game is great. You can set up with either a 3 button action swing or on auto mode to make it so you hit it straight every time. There are lots of different menus and game play options, which makes for a great gaming experience. The sound isn't amazing, but for a golf game it definitely isn't bad at all. I would say this game isn't difficult, just long, which I really like. It takes a while to unlock everything, and that is half the fun of it. There are over 250 unlockable items, and you can only unlock one item per round of golf, think about it. This game is also great because it is really fun and cartoonish, but at the same time it really is all about the golf and strategy. I would say get this game, you can pick it up anywhere for 20 bucks, and it is totally worth it.
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Trying To Get People To My Blog
I originally started this blog so that I could share the things that I enjoy with everybody. I really love the PSP system and I wanted to share my feelings about the games that I have purchased and stuff like that. Right now I am trying to get more traffic to my blog. I am not having very much luck. At the moment I am only getting about 20 visitors a day, and that is mostly from doing the blog traffic exchange thing. I would love to put some links on my site for other peoples blog if there is anyone that would like to do that. I am also looking for someone who would be willing to put my link on their blog. If anyone thinks that it might be beneficial to put their link here just leave a comment and I would be more than happy to. And if anybody wants to put my link up that would be great. Anyway, that's it for now, I will post my next game review either later today or tomorrow. I will be reviewing Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee. It's a great game!!! Okay, until next time...
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Friday, March 16, 2007
PSP Game Review Thrillville
Thrillville for the PSP System is a game that is also available on the PS2 and Xbox. It is slightly different for the PSP though. Basically the whole game revolves around your crazy Uncle Mortimer. He is the scientist who owns Thrillville. He really liked your coaster designs, so he decided to put you in charge of running Thrillville. You make all the decisions that have anything to do with the park. Like, the number of rides, how much each ride will cost, how many bathrooms, where you put your food stands, and so much more.
In Thrillville you are in charge of every aspect of the theme parks. Not to mention there are so many other things you can do. You have five parks that you will be in control of. In order to switch parks you just have to choose which one in the menu screen. You can customize your character to look exactly as you want it to. You get to build your own roller coasters in this game too. Anything you can think of you can control in this video game.
The game play in Thrillville is broken up into 2 different aspects. There is the management aspect and then there are the rides and mini games. The management aspect of the game is played by finishing missions, or specific tasks. There are different tasks for each part of managing your park. Things like hiring employees, building new rides, changing prices on rides, and other thing involved in managing a theme park. When you complete the tasks you earn money, this money is then used to improve your parks. These tasks do not need to be completed in order to continue in the game. It is just like a side story. You are able to roam around and build the park the way you want it to be.
The other aspect of the game is riding your rides and playing the games. This is my favorite part. You get to play on the games and rides that you put in your parks. The thing that I enjoy is that most of the games will be similar to another game you have played before. For example there is a shooter arcade game that will remind a lot of people of Gradius or R-type. None of the games are particularly fantastic but having so many to play makes it great. The great part of this aspect of the game is that you get money for playing the games which you can use for your parks. You can also ride all of your coasters and rides if you just get bored.
Like I said before, there are so many things you can do in this game. You can sell your old rides, you can build new ones, research potential rides, spend money on advertising your park, and even take out bank loans to spend more on your parks. It is really like managing a theme park. You are also able to talk to the people in your park to see if they like it. You can also play the flirt game, this allows you to increase your "attraction" rating by matching a series of heart colors. You have to try and press the correct colored heart in a spinning wheel. You will sometimes be able to challenge visitors to mini games, and sometimes you are able to play matchmaker, which allows you to control your visitor. Once controlling them you go and talk and flirt with other visitors.
Another part of the game is hiring and training your employees. You have three types of employees, groundskeeper, entertainer, and mechanic. All of the training is done in the form of mini games. The mini game to train your entertainers is very similar to Dance Dance Revolution, you have to push buttons at just the right time to make her dance. The mechanic mini game is kind of like pipe dream for the computer, you have to put pieces together to get from one part of the puzzle to the other, in order to repair rides. The groundskeeper mini game is like a third person shooter, you have to go around the park and try to catch debris and clean up puke. You also earn money for these mini games.
Some of the mini games may seem a little pointless, but they are still fun. The fact that the PSP only has one joystick makes it a little hard to play some of the mini games. For instance, in the groundskeeper game you use the joystick to move your character and then you use your X, circle, square, and triangle to aim your gun. This would have been a much easier mini game if there was a second joystick to control the gun. Another downside in Thrillville is that because of so much going on in the park, sometimes the frame rate breaks up a little or slows down too much. Basically Thrillville is a great mini game collection and a simulation game, it's like the best of both worlds in one game. The mini games aren't original but they are really fun.
The amount of options in the simulation aspect of this game makes great game play, but the lack of originality in the mini games is a little disappointing. There is a little motion blurring in the game, but since there are literally hundreds of visitors running around your park that you can see and talk to that really isn't that bad. The soundtrack for this game includes a lot of original rock songs. It sets a good mood for the game but isn't distracting. I would say that this is a pretty easy game, there are good tutorials to help you get started, and the rest is pretty self explanatory. You can play the tutorials at any point during the game. The multi player option is great. You can play any of the mini games with a friend via ad-hoc. While Thrillville isn't the first theme park simulator, it does feel more original because of the mixture of simulation and mini games. This is a great game to sit and play for a long time to build up your park, or if you just have a minute you can play one of the many mini games. I would give this game 9 out of 10.
In Thrillville you are in charge of every aspect of the theme parks. Not to mention there are so many other things you can do. You have five parks that you will be in control of. In order to switch parks you just have to choose which one in the menu screen. You can customize your character to look exactly as you want it to. You get to build your own roller coasters in this game too. Anything you can think of you can control in this video game.
The game play in Thrillville is broken up into 2 different aspects. There is the management aspect and then there are the rides and mini games. The management aspect of the game is played by finishing missions, or specific tasks. There are different tasks for each part of managing your park. Things like hiring employees, building new rides, changing prices on rides, and other thing involved in managing a theme park. When you complete the tasks you earn money, this money is then used to improve your parks. These tasks do not need to be completed in order to continue in the game. It is just like a side story. You are able to roam around and build the park the way you want it to be.
The other aspect of the game is riding your rides and playing the games. This is my favorite part. You get to play on the games and rides that you put in your parks. The thing that I enjoy is that most of the games will be similar to another game you have played before. For example there is a shooter arcade game that will remind a lot of people of Gradius or R-type. None of the games are particularly fantastic but having so many to play makes it great. The great part of this aspect of the game is that you get money for playing the games which you can use for your parks. You can also ride all of your coasters and rides if you just get bored.
Like I said before, there are so many things you can do in this game. You can sell your old rides, you can build new ones, research potential rides, spend money on advertising your park, and even take out bank loans to spend more on your parks. It is really like managing a theme park. You are also able to talk to the people in your park to see if they like it. You can also play the flirt game, this allows you to increase your "attraction" rating by matching a series of heart colors. You have to try and press the correct colored heart in a spinning wheel. You will sometimes be able to challenge visitors to mini games, and sometimes you are able to play matchmaker, which allows you to control your visitor. Once controlling them you go and talk and flirt with other visitors.
Another part of the game is hiring and training your employees. You have three types of employees, groundskeeper, entertainer, and mechanic. All of the training is done in the form of mini games. The mini game to train your entertainers is very similar to Dance Dance Revolution, you have to push buttons at just the right time to make her dance. The mechanic mini game is kind of like pipe dream for the computer, you have to put pieces together to get from one part of the puzzle to the other, in order to repair rides. The groundskeeper mini game is like a third person shooter, you have to go around the park and try to catch debris and clean up puke. You also earn money for these mini games.
Some of the mini games may seem a little pointless, but they are still fun. The fact that the PSP only has one joystick makes it a little hard to play some of the mini games. For instance, in the groundskeeper game you use the joystick to move your character and then you use your X, circle, square, and triangle to aim your gun. This would have been a much easier mini game if there was a second joystick to control the gun. Another downside in Thrillville is that because of so much going on in the park, sometimes the frame rate breaks up a little or slows down too much. Basically Thrillville is a great mini game collection and a simulation game, it's like the best of both worlds in one game. The mini games aren't original but they are really fun.
The amount of options in the simulation aspect of this game makes great game play, but the lack of originality in the mini games is a little disappointing. There is a little motion blurring in the game, but since there are literally hundreds of visitors running around your park that you can see and talk to that really isn't that bad. The soundtrack for this game includes a lot of original rock songs. It sets a good mood for the game but isn't distracting. I would say that this is a pretty easy game, there are good tutorials to help you get started, and the rest is pretty self explanatory. You can play the tutorials at any point during the game. The multi player option is great. You can play any of the mini games with a friend via ad-hoc. While Thrillville isn't the first theme park simulator, it does feel more original because of the mixture of simulation and mini games. This is a great game to sit and play for a long time to build up your park, or if you just have a minute you can play one of the many mini games. I would give this game 9 out of 10.
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Thursday, March 8, 2007
PSP Game Review Burnout: Dominator
The burnout franchise has been the leader in the arcade racing genre for several years now. These games are so great because the control response and feeling are perfect, the game is super fast, and looks great. Burnout Dominator is similar to some of the older burnout games. This game focuses mostly on racing, and doesn't include the extra games such as traffic checking, which you would find in the console versions. The tracks in this game are more for Burnouts and Boosting, good for long drifting, not so much for take downs.
Burnout Dominator is more like a "spin off" of the last few games, not really a sequel. While there were a lot of changes to the game play, this version of the game still looks and feels like Burnout should. The biggest difference in this game versus the last is the inclusion of Burnouts. While racing your boost meter will fill up, once it is full it will turn blue, this allows you to use a supercharged boost. You don't actually go any faster with the supercharge but you can chain them together to get multipliers. You earn them by doing crazy stunts and drifting while you are boosting, this allows you to earn more then just what the boost meter has, allowing you to continue boosting for longer periods of time. This will make your score much higher in the end.
There is a new type of race that replaced the Traffic Attack, it is called Maniac. It is like traffic attack in the sense that you start with a small amount of time on the clock and you try to get points before your time runs out. In maniac, instead of smacking into traffic you are trying to avoid traffic by cutting through the oncoming traffic and drifting around corners. You pretty much want to drive around like a "Maniac" without actually hitting anything. There are a few variations to Maniac races like Burnout, Near Miss, and Drift Challenges.
Burnouts are really important as you go through the game. It is possible to beat some of the races without acquiring burnout chains, but it will become very difficult and you will have to be just about perfect if you don't. So try to get those burnout chains. This has been the case in most of the burnout games, but it has become more important in this title, you really have to hold onto the boost for most of the race or you will not do very well at all. I believe that some people will like this feature, but that others will find it quite annoying that the race can't be won with out boosting.
The main racing part of the game reminds me of Burnout 2: Point of Revenge. There are huge, sweeping turns which makes it so you can drift around for hundreds of feet at a time. One added feature to this game is called the Signature shortcuts. This is similar to the Signature Take downs in some of the other titles, in the sense that you need to slam an opponent into a specific are of the race. By doing this you will actually open a new pathway in the race allowing you to cut your race times down. Some of the tracks have more then one Signature Shortcut. If you open these up they will stay open throughout the course of the game. This makes some of the later more difficult tracks a little easier to handle.
This version of the game has a lot less to offer then some of the other Burnout titles. The crash mode is not included it this game, but rumor has it that the reason for this is so that the producers can reintroduce it in their next title, and it will be way better. But unfortunately for now we will just have to go without.
One thing that they brought back from earlier titles is the Record Breaker mode. This mode allows you to pick a car, a track, and a race mode and basically try to beat your high score. This mode was not in Burnout Revenge, and they are hoping that people will appreciate it coming back.
You can play this title with up to 6 players at a time via the ad-hoc. The multiplayer options are similar to those in Burnout Legends. One new thing now is that you can trade high scores between systems. You can hang out in a kind of lobby with up to 16 other people where you just swap scores with the push of a button, this feature is also reversible if you change your mind.
This game has two online features; downloadable content, and leader boards. At the moment there isn't anything available for download, but there are rumors of new tracks being available for download soon. The leader board make it possible for you to upload you "Record Breaker" stats to see how you compare to others playing the game. The only downside is that you can't use your times from career mode on the leader boards, but it is still a nice feature.
The visual aspect of this game is great. It moves very quickly with out any frame problems. The scenery is a little bland, but it still looks just like the console versions when you are driving at full speed. The cars don't show as much damage detail as in the console version either, the only damage you will really see is doors and hoods popping open. One thing that I have noticed is that it will appear as though you have crashed into a car but you will just keep going, this game is way more forgiving then the console version. You almost have to hit something dead on for it to crash. You will get away with a lot more then you really should.
This game is kind of like a greatest hits version of a lot of the games put together. There are bits and pieces of all of the different games in the series, but at the same time there are bits and pieces that are missing. This is really a fun game and definitely one of the better racing titles for the PSP system. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes fast racing and hard drifting. I give it 9 out of 10
Burnout Dominator is more like a "spin off" of the last few games, not really a sequel. While there were a lot of changes to the game play, this version of the game still looks and feels like Burnout should. The biggest difference in this game versus the last is the inclusion of Burnouts. While racing your boost meter will fill up, once it is full it will turn blue, this allows you to use a supercharged boost. You don't actually go any faster with the supercharge but you can chain them together to get multipliers. You earn them by doing crazy stunts and drifting while you are boosting, this allows you to earn more then just what the boost meter has, allowing you to continue boosting for longer periods of time. This will make your score much higher in the end.
There is a new type of race that replaced the Traffic Attack, it is called Maniac. It is like traffic attack in the sense that you start with a small amount of time on the clock and you try to get points before your time runs out. In maniac, instead of smacking into traffic you are trying to avoid traffic by cutting through the oncoming traffic and drifting around corners. You pretty much want to drive around like a "Maniac" without actually hitting anything. There are a few variations to Maniac races like Burnout, Near Miss, and Drift Challenges.
Burnouts are really important as you go through the game. It is possible to beat some of the races without acquiring burnout chains, but it will become very difficult and you will have to be just about perfect if you don't. So try to get those burnout chains. This has been the case in most of the burnout games, but it has become more important in this title, you really have to hold onto the boost for most of the race or you will not do very well at all. I believe that some people will like this feature, but that others will find it quite annoying that the race can't be won with out boosting.
The main racing part of the game reminds me of Burnout 2: Point of Revenge. There are huge, sweeping turns which makes it so you can drift around for hundreds of feet at a time. One added feature to this game is called the Signature shortcuts. This is similar to the Signature Take downs in some of the other titles, in the sense that you need to slam an opponent into a specific are of the race. By doing this you will actually open a new pathway in the race allowing you to cut your race times down. Some of the tracks have more then one Signature Shortcut. If you open these up they will stay open throughout the course of the game. This makes some of the later more difficult tracks a little easier to handle.
This version of the game has a lot less to offer then some of the other Burnout titles. The crash mode is not included it this game, but rumor has it that the reason for this is so that the producers can reintroduce it in their next title, and it will be way better. But unfortunately for now we will just have to go without.
One thing that they brought back from earlier titles is the Record Breaker mode. This mode allows you to pick a car, a track, and a race mode and basically try to beat your high score. This mode was not in Burnout Revenge, and they are hoping that people will appreciate it coming back.
You can play this title with up to 6 players at a time via the ad-hoc. The multiplayer options are similar to those in Burnout Legends. One new thing now is that you can trade high scores between systems. You can hang out in a kind of lobby with up to 16 other people where you just swap scores with the push of a button, this feature is also reversible if you change your mind.
This game has two online features; downloadable content, and leader boards. At the moment there isn't anything available for download, but there are rumors of new tracks being available for download soon. The leader board make it possible for you to upload you "Record Breaker" stats to see how you compare to others playing the game. The only downside is that you can't use your times from career mode on the leader boards, but it is still a nice feature.
The visual aspect of this game is great. It moves very quickly with out any frame problems. The scenery is a little bland, but it still looks just like the console versions when you are driving at full speed. The cars don't show as much damage detail as in the console version either, the only damage you will really see is doors and hoods popping open. One thing that I have noticed is that it will appear as though you have crashed into a car but you will just keep going, this game is way more forgiving then the console version. You almost have to hit something dead on for it to crash. You will get away with a lot more then you really should.
This game is kind of like a greatest hits version of a lot of the games put together. There are bits and pieces of all of the different games in the series, but at the same time there are bits and pieces that are missing. This is really a fun game and definitely one of the better racing titles for the PSP system. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes fast racing and hard drifting. I give it 9 out of 10
Labels:
Burnout,
Dominator,
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racing
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
PSP Game Review Neopets: The Wand of Wishing
A lot of people may assume that Neopets is a kid's game. It may be geared towards kids, but adults are very fond of the Neopets games as well. Neopets: The Wand of Wishing is the first installment on the PSP for this series.
The Neopets brand used to be an online site where you could raise and create fantasy pets called "neopets" or "petpets". Once your pet was grown a little, it was able to participate in battles, go on quests, and play mini-games to get things to upgrade their abilities.
The PSP version of this game is similar to the online version. You can choose your clothing and weapons, talk with the villagers to acquire quests to perform, visit the multiple dungeons around the land, and upgrade your pet with training. You can also fight in the battledome against computer characters or via wi-fi with other human players.
The PSP version of this game is a hack and slash type role playing game, which happens to be my favorite kind. The game is a lot like most other role playing games. The map in the game is broken up into sections of settlements, jungles, and dungeons. In the settlements you will find shops to buy weapons and clothing/armor, you will also find other petpets that you can talk to in order to get more of the story. Some of the petpets will give you a quest when you talk to them. In the jungles and dungeons is where you do all of your fighting. There are many fun types of monsters you will be up against. When fighting you will use the X button for melee attacks and the triangle button for wide rage magic attacks. You can also use the select button to access any weapons or spells your petpet is carrying. In this game once you have killed a monster it stays dead, they don't come back to life once you leave the room, I really like this feature as well.
Unfortunately there is a bit of a lag in the game. When you push a button or move the "joystick" it takes a second before the action is actually performed. Sometimes that gets in the way when you are trying to beat a monster. This is only really a problem in the beginning of the game. Once your character becomes more developed and has better weapons the lag doesn't really have much of an effect on your battles, because you can do way more damage and you take much less damage.
Upgrading your character is a little different in this game then in other role playing type games. This is not an experience based leveling system which is more popular in role playing games. In Neopets, when you kill a monster you get neopoints and items. You use the neopoints to enter the battledome. In order to upgrade your petpets attributes you must win in these battledome matches. These can cost anywhere from 250 to 50,000 neopoints. The sad thing is that you don't get the points back if you lose the match.
You can also upgrade your your character by catching and collecting little "petpetpets"...(try to say that 10 times fast). In order to catch them you have to locate them, and then decide what kind of food you think it will eat. You lay the food in front of them, and if it is the right kind of food then your petpetpet will eat it all and get so full that it can't move. Then you pick it up and it is yours. Once you have caught your petpetpet you can equip it just like you would your weapon or clothing. Each petpetpet will give you certain extra attributes. The only thing is that you can only have one equipped at a time.
You will notice that there is a lot of upgrading that needs to be done as you start to explore new areas in this game. When you enter a new area all of the monsters are going to be stronger than your petpet. You have to catch up by visiting the shops for new armor and weapons, visiting the battledome to increase your attributes, and you will also have to visit the local trainer.
The graphics in this game are very fun, it will be very familiar to those who have played with Neopets online. The audio isn't anything to special. I really enjoy the way the enemies interact when you are fighting them. They don't just stand in one place while you hit them, when you hit them they fly backwards, it is actually kind of funny to watch. The only part of the audio that stuck out in my mind is in the jungle part of the game you hear crickets and waterfalls that actually sound realistic.
If you are a role-playing game fanatic this game may not be for you. If you love Neopets then you will love this game. It is also a good PSP title for the younger players. I really enjoyed this game because I love the Neopets website. I think you will enjoy it too. I would give this game 7 out of 10.
The Neopets brand used to be an online site where you could raise and create fantasy pets called "neopets" or "petpets". Once your pet was grown a little, it was able to participate in battles, go on quests, and play mini-games to get things to upgrade their abilities.
The PSP version of this game is similar to the online version. You can choose your clothing and weapons, talk with the villagers to acquire quests to perform, visit the multiple dungeons around the land, and upgrade your pet with training. You can also fight in the battledome against computer characters or via wi-fi with other human players.
The PSP version of this game is a hack and slash type role playing game, which happens to be my favorite kind. The game is a lot like most other role playing games. The map in the game is broken up into sections of settlements, jungles, and dungeons. In the settlements you will find shops to buy weapons and clothing/armor, you will also find other petpets that you can talk to in order to get more of the story. Some of the petpets will give you a quest when you talk to them. In the jungles and dungeons is where you do all of your fighting. There are many fun types of monsters you will be up against. When fighting you will use the X button for melee attacks and the triangle button for wide rage magic attacks. You can also use the select button to access any weapons or spells your petpet is carrying. In this game once you have killed a monster it stays dead, they don't come back to life once you leave the room, I really like this feature as well.
Unfortunately there is a bit of a lag in the game. When you push a button or move the "joystick" it takes a second before the action is actually performed. Sometimes that gets in the way when you are trying to beat a monster. This is only really a problem in the beginning of the game. Once your character becomes more developed and has better weapons the lag doesn't really have much of an effect on your battles, because you can do way more damage and you take much less damage.
Upgrading your character is a little different in this game then in other role playing type games. This is not an experience based leveling system which is more popular in role playing games. In Neopets, when you kill a monster you get neopoints and items. You use the neopoints to enter the battledome. In order to upgrade your petpets attributes you must win in these battledome matches. These can cost anywhere from 250 to 50,000 neopoints. The sad thing is that you don't get the points back if you lose the match.
You can also upgrade your your character by catching and collecting little "petpetpets"...(try to say that 10 times fast). In order to catch them you have to locate them, and then decide what kind of food you think it will eat. You lay the food in front of them, and if it is the right kind of food then your petpetpet will eat it all and get so full that it can't move. Then you pick it up and it is yours. Once you have caught your petpetpet you can equip it just like you would your weapon or clothing. Each petpetpet will give you certain extra attributes. The only thing is that you can only have one equipped at a time.
You will notice that there is a lot of upgrading that needs to be done as you start to explore new areas in this game. When you enter a new area all of the monsters are going to be stronger than your petpet. You have to catch up by visiting the shops for new armor and weapons, visiting the battledome to increase your attributes, and you will also have to visit the local trainer.
The graphics in this game are very fun, it will be very familiar to those who have played with Neopets online. The audio isn't anything to special. I really enjoy the way the enemies interact when you are fighting them. They don't just stand in one place while you hit them, when you hit them they fly backwards, it is actually kind of funny to watch. The only part of the audio that stuck out in my mind is in the jungle part of the game you hear crickets and waterfalls that actually sound realistic.
If you are a role-playing game fanatic this game may not be for you. If you love Neopets then you will love this game. It is also a good PSP title for the younger players. I really enjoyed this game because I love the Neopets website. I think you will enjoy it too. I would give this game 7 out of 10.
Labels:
Neopets,
PSP,
PSP Accessories,
PSP Games,
PSP System
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
PSP Game Review Midnight Club 3: dub edition
This is a fun street racing game for the PSP system. There is high energy arcade type racing that can be very exciting. The career mode is very in depth. There are 3 full cities to race through. The graphics are great, and you get to choose from more than 60 kinds of cars, all of which are customizable. There were a few downsides to this game that I have come across. The load times are less then desirable. The voice overs are kind of cheesey. The multiplayer portion of the game was not anything special. Other than these few downsides I really like this game.
This game like the other Midnight Club games before it give you the ability to race in a completely open city setting. You start in San Diego, after a few races you will open Atlanta as a raceable city, and soon after that Detroit becomes available. All of the cities are full of back alleys, shortcuts, and jumps. There are also Rockstar logos in a few places, you get a special bonus for finding these. The cruise mode is good for this, you can cruise around any of the 3 cities to get to know the tracks better and look for those shortcuts.
The races in this game are checkpoint races. The checkpoints are scattered all over the place leaving it to you to decide which ways to go and which ways are faster. This is another reason to take advantage of the cruise option. There are a few point to point and timed races to provide some variety, but mostly just checkpoint races. This game is very arcade style in the sense that it is less then realistic. You get big air when you go off jumps, you can turn corners at unrealistic speeds, and the crashes are huge!!!
There are a few different types of cars you can choose from. There are tuners, muscle cars, trucks, SUV's, motorcycles, and luxury cars. Each type of car has it's strengths and weaknesses. The cars in Midnight Club 3: DUB edition have some special moves that make this game unique. There are 3 kinds of special moves that the different car classes have. Big cars like the muscle cars have the ability to knock all the traffic around you out of the way. Another special ability is "agro" this ability allows you to inflict more damage on the cars that you hit. The faster cars like the tuners can use "zone" which allows you to slow down time so you can make a sharp turn easier or maneuver around traffic easier. There is also one ability that all the vehicle have, this ability is automatically available as soon as you start playing. This is the method of using a slip stream to boost you. This little feature comes in very handy while racing. The learning curve in this game is very realistic. If you crash once or twice you will still have a chance to catch the lead, because realistically your opponents will probably crash once or twice as well. You also don't have to worry about some car coming out of nowhere and passing you if you have been doing really well.
Most of the game is played in the career mode where you start with about 20 grand. The career mode starts in the garage where you pick out your first car. The career mode is all about the racing. There is not a lot of story attached, you are basically just trying to get to the top of the street racing scene which is done by beating certain people. You start off challenging a few people that are milling around the city. Each of these people usually have a series of about 3 or 4 races. Once you beat these races you get invited to race with specific car clubs, with bigger series and better prizes. For these special car club races you have to have the specific type of car that everyone else is racing with...i.e. a tuner or a muscle car and so on. You could go and buy the car you need, but usually you will be presented with the option to participate in a tournament where the winner just happens to receive the car that you need. It's actually quite convenient so you can save your money to build up your cars. There are also races that aren't connected to any tournament or series and these are called city races. City races are good for earning extra cash to build up your cars too.
I really enjoy customizing my cars in this game, it is easy to do and for those people who are not very car literate it is not confusing at all. Your vehicle starts with all stock parts. As you play upgraded parts will start to become available. You can then buy them to boost your car's acceleration, top speed, and handling abilities. You can also customize the outside of your car with body kits, decals, custom paint jobs, rims, just about anything. The career mode is the biggest part of the game, but it is not the only part.
Midnight club also comes with an arcade mode which has all the races available in career mode, it also has a few multi-player races. The multi-player races offer some fun, there are variations of capture the flag, tag, and a few paint games. Overall this game does have a few downfalls but it is still very enjoyable. I would give it a 7 out of 10.
This game like the other Midnight Club games before it give you the ability to race in a completely open city setting. You start in San Diego, after a few races you will open Atlanta as a raceable city, and soon after that Detroit becomes available. All of the cities are full of back alleys, shortcuts, and jumps. There are also Rockstar logos in a few places, you get a special bonus for finding these. The cruise mode is good for this, you can cruise around any of the 3 cities to get to know the tracks better and look for those shortcuts.
The races in this game are checkpoint races. The checkpoints are scattered all over the place leaving it to you to decide which ways to go and which ways are faster. This is another reason to take advantage of the cruise option. There are a few point to point and timed races to provide some variety, but mostly just checkpoint races. This game is very arcade style in the sense that it is less then realistic. You get big air when you go off jumps, you can turn corners at unrealistic speeds, and the crashes are huge!!!
There are a few different types of cars you can choose from. There are tuners, muscle cars, trucks, SUV's, motorcycles, and luxury cars. Each type of car has it's strengths and weaknesses. The cars in Midnight Club 3: DUB edition have some special moves that make this game unique. There are 3 kinds of special moves that the different car classes have. Big cars like the muscle cars have the ability to knock all the traffic around you out of the way. Another special ability is "agro" this ability allows you to inflict more damage on the cars that you hit. The faster cars like the tuners can use "zone" which allows you to slow down time so you can make a sharp turn easier or maneuver around traffic easier. There is also one ability that all the vehicle have, this ability is automatically available as soon as you start playing. This is the method of using a slip stream to boost you. This little feature comes in very handy while racing. The learning curve in this game is very realistic. If you crash once or twice you will still have a chance to catch the lead, because realistically your opponents will probably crash once or twice as well. You also don't have to worry about some car coming out of nowhere and passing you if you have been doing really well.
Most of the game is played in the career mode where you start with about 20 grand. The career mode starts in the garage where you pick out your first car. The career mode is all about the racing. There is not a lot of story attached, you are basically just trying to get to the top of the street racing scene which is done by beating certain people. You start off challenging a few people that are milling around the city. Each of these people usually have a series of about 3 or 4 races. Once you beat these races you get invited to race with specific car clubs, with bigger series and better prizes. For these special car club races you have to have the specific type of car that everyone else is racing with...i.e. a tuner or a muscle car and so on. You could go and buy the car you need, but usually you will be presented with the option to participate in a tournament where the winner just happens to receive the car that you need. It's actually quite convenient so you can save your money to build up your cars. There are also races that aren't connected to any tournament or series and these are called city races. City races are good for earning extra cash to build up your cars too.
I really enjoy customizing my cars in this game, it is easy to do and for those people who are not very car literate it is not confusing at all. Your vehicle starts with all stock parts. As you play upgraded parts will start to become available. You can then buy them to boost your car's acceleration, top speed, and handling abilities. You can also customize the outside of your car with body kits, decals, custom paint jobs, rims, just about anything. The career mode is the biggest part of the game, but it is not the only part.
Midnight club also comes with an arcade mode which has all the races available in career mode, it also has a few multi-player races. The multi-player races offer some fun, there are variations of capture the flag, tag, and a few paint games. Overall this game does have a few downfalls but it is still very enjoyable. I would give it a 7 out of 10.
Labels:
Midnight Club,
PSP,
PSP Accessories,
PSP Games,
PSP Review,
PSP System
Monday, March 5, 2007
PSP System Review
The PSP system is the first handheld system made by Sony. For a long time now the Nintendo company has dominated the market for hand held systems. The Game Boy and now the new Nintendo DS have been the top hand held systems in the market. That was until the Sony PSP system came along.
The first thing I noticed about the PSP system is that it looks nothing like the other portable gaming systems out there. The screen on the PSP is much larger then on any other popular portable gaming system. It has a very sleek design, and I do believe it fits in your hands the way you would want a portable system to feel, like a game controller. It is a bit heavier than the other game systems, it feels much sturdier.
The controls on the PSP will feel a lot like a Playstation 2 controller. One of the major differences in the PSP control is the new “analog nub” which was used instead of the joysticks on the Playstation controller. This “nub” is a little weird at first because it has more of a sliding motion as opposed to the tilting motion you get with the playstation controllers, but once you have used it for a little while it becomes like second nature. The “action” buttons on the PSP system are located where they would be in the Playstation controller. These buttons are very responsive and very well placed. There are only one L and R button; these are placed on the top of the system, in a similar place as the Playstation controller. I personally have a little bit of a hard time with these buttons as they for some reason just don’t feel right, but you do get used to them. Then there are the start and select buttons which I don’t really like at all, (it’s a good thing you don’t really have to use those buttons too much). These buttons are very small and located toward the bottom of the PSP system by a bunch of other buttons that feel the exact same way. The other buttons are the home button, which will take you out of your game or movie and back to the main screen, there is a brightness button which allows you to control the brightness of your screen, there are the volume buttons, and a mute button. Like I said before all these buttons are the same size and shape, which is something that I don’t really like because sometimes you accidentally push the wrong button and it totally throws you off. The next button is the power/hold button. I really like the way this button works. It is located on the right side of the system. This button has 4 purposes, purpose number 1 is to turn on the system, you do this by pushing it up, purpose number 2 is to put the system on hold which makes all of the system buttons non operational, you do this by pushing it down, purpose number 3 is to put the system into sleep mode, you do this by pushing the button up for just a second, the last purpose for this button is to turn the system off, you do this by pushing the button up and holding it for about 3 seconds until you see the system power off. On the left side of the PSP system you will find a button that feels similar to the power button, this is the wi-fi switch. It turns wi-fi on and off, up is on, down is off. On the top of the system is a switch that slides from left to right. This switch opens the UMD slot which is where you put your game or movie. The top of the system also has the mini-USB port for connecting to a computer.
Playing with the PSP system is like a whole new experience. You start by turning your system on. If you don’t have anything in the UMD slot it will bring you to the home screen. From the home screen you can control almost every aspect of your PSP System. You can play a game or watch a movie with one of two methods. You can either put the disc in before or after you turn on the system. If you put the disc in before you turn on the system then the game will automatically load without going to the home screen first. If you don’t put the disc in first then you find the UMD icon and select it, the game will start loading. When you put a game in it will take about 20-30 seconds to load to that games title screen. Then the load times for the game are significantly shorter in the 3-5 second range. While you are playing a game you can press the home button at any time and it will bring you back to the main screen, but first it will ask you if you are sure you want to quit your game. I like this because sometimes you accidentally hit the home button when you are going for the volume buttons. I would just like to briefly mention the screen. It is a 16:9 widescreen LCD and it is amazing. More then I thought was capable on such a small system. I am telling you that you will be totally shocked and amazed when you see the quality of picture this little machine creates.
Anybody who already owns the PSP system knows exactly why this system is so great. If you don’t already own one I suggest that you get down to the store and grab one right now. This is the best system I have come in contact with in a really long time and I think that everyone should get one and see why!!!
The first thing I noticed about the PSP system is that it looks nothing like the other portable gaming systems out there. The screen on the PSP is much larger then on any other popular portable gaming system. It has a very sleek design, and I do believe it fits in your hands the way you would want a portable system to feel, like a game controller. It is a bit heavier than the other game systems, it feels much sturdier.
The controls on the PSP will feel a lot like a Playstation 2 controller. One of the major differences in the PSP control is the new “analog nub” which was used instead of the joysticks on the Playstation controller. This “nub” is a little weird at first because it has more of a sliding motion as opposed to the tilting motion you get with the playstation controllers, but once you have used it for a little while it becomes like second nature. The “action” buttons on the PSP system are located where they would be in the Playstation controller. These buttons are very responsive and very well placed. There are only one L and R button; these are placed on the top of the system, in a similar place as the Playstation controller. I personally have a little bit of a hard time with these buttons as they for some reason just don’t feel right, but you do get used to them. Then there are the start and select buttons which I don’t really like at all, (it’s a good thing you don’t really have to use those buttons too much). These buttons are very small and located toward the bottom of the PSP system by a bunch of other buttons that feel the exact same way. The other buttons are the home button, which will take you out of your game or movie and back to the main screen, there is a brightness button which allows you to control the brightness of your screen, there are the volume buttons, and a mute button. Like I said before all these buttons are the same size and shape, which is something that I don’t really like because sometimes you accidentally push the wrong button and it totally throws you off. The next button is the power/hold button. I really like the way this button works. It is located on the right side of the system. This button has 4 purposes, purpose number 1 is to turn on the system, you do this by pushing it up, purpose number 2 is to put the system on hold which makes all of the system buttons non operational, you do this by pushing it down, purpose number 3 is to put the system into sleep mode, you do this by pushing the button up for just a second, the last purpose for this button is to turn the system off, you do this by pushing the button up and holding it for about 3 seconds until you see the system power off. On the left side of the PSP system you will find a button that feels similar to the power button, this is the wi-fi switch. It turns wi-fi on and off, up is on, down is off. On the top of the system is a switch that slides from left to right. This switch opens the UMD slot which is where you put your game or movie. The top of the system also has the mini-USB port for connecting to a computer.
Playing with the PSP system is like a whole new experience. You start by turning your system on. If you don’t have anything in the UMD slot it will bring you to the home screen. From the home screen you can control almost every aspect of your PSP System. You can play a game or watch a movie with one of two methods. You can either put the disc in before or after you turn on the system. If you put the disc in before you turn on the system then the game will automatically load without going to the home screen first. If you don’t put the disc in first then you find the UMD icon and select it, the game will start loading. When you put a game in it will take about 20-30 seconds to load to that games title screen. Then the load times for the game are significantly shorter in the 3-5 second range. While you are playing a game you can press the home button at any time and it will bring you back to the main screen, but first it will ask you if you are sure you want to quit your game. I like this because sometimes you accidentally hit the home button when you are going for the volume buttons. I would just like to briefly mention the screen. It is a 16:9 widescreen LCD and it is amazing. More then I thought was capable on such a small system. I am telling you that you will be totally shocked and amazed when you see the quality of picture this little machine creates.
Anybody who already owns the PSP system knows exactly why this system is so great. If you don’t already own one I suggest that you get down to the store and grab one right now. This is the best system I have come in contact with in a really long time and I think that everyone should get one and see why!!!
PSP System|Game Reviews
Welcome to PSP System and Game Reviews. This site is dedicated to everything PSP. It will include game reviews, accessory reviews, system news and anything else about the PSP that I find interesting. This will be the site to find anything and everything related to PSP System and it's games and accessories. Thanks for visiting and hope to see you back soon...
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