2.5D issue #7

Note: I previously published this on GamePro.com, so some of the content may involve that site, and some of the old links may not work anymore.



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The Poor Gamer's Guide to Being Entertained.




(by teh2Dgamer)




Wi th gas and food prices on the rise, a slumping housing market, and the whole economy on the fritz, we're all going to be feeling the economic crunch soon. It's getting harder and harder to keep up our gaming habit while still having enough money to pay the bills. With that in mind, Ive decided to write a guide on how to get great games without breaking the bank. The only catch is, most of them are older games. Now despite no longer having the graphical punch they used to, many older games still hold up in the gameplay department, and you can get a handful of oldies for the price of one brand new game.




Right now we're at the end of last gen's life cycle which means that stores are currently dumping as many last gen games as they can. This means great prices for old games that can still entertain. Now I have around 185 PS1 games (give or take). Many of them rarer RPG games. Some people would think that means I'm rich, but in reality, I bought most of them for dirt cheap at the end of the PS1's life cycle. You'd be surprised how far even $50 can get you in old games. It's the same concept with this gen. If you go to stores like Gamestop, Game Crazy, or even a mom and pop game store, you can literally find huge bins full of cheap used games. Game Crazy in particular has a 3 for $10 promotion where you get three last gen games for a mere $10. Though some of them might not be the best quality, you can find a number of gems in that pile.Similarly, Gamestop also has a bunch of cheap used PS2, GC, and Xbox games for under $10. I was able to find a copy of Deus Ex: The Invisible War for a mere $2.99 (I didn't buy it, because I already owned it). The problem might be that it's not compatible with the 360 (be sure to check the list of backwards compatible Xbox games on Xbox.com), however, if you've still got your old Xbox, you don't have to worry about it. You can also find cheap Gamecube games as well, but the GC games are disappearing faster than the other system's games. You may also be able find some great deals for used games on ebay, amazon, or even Craig's list.




Now you might be one of those who doesn't believe in buying used games, because it doesn't give money back to the developers, and while I can understand that thinking, you are still giving your money to someone, and in the end, gamestop employees, and ebay sellers have to feed their families too. Also, since Gamestop sells new games, you are technically giving them more revenue with which to invest in those new games who's preorders they love to shove down our throats every two seconds in the store. Furthermore, there aren't many stores that still sell new Xbox, or GC games, and if they do, they're probably a clearance item in which case the store has no plans to buy more, so the game companies won't be getting any new revenue from the store buying more to replace those that have sold. That technically makes it no different from buying a used game.




If you're still dead set against buying used games, then the PS2 is the most economical system to own. With many new PSP ports coming out a a mere $20, and tons of greatest hits to choose from, the PS2 is the cheapest and best choice for gamers who are strapped for cash. There are tons of great games on the system, and it still has enough life left in it to be getting new games made for those looking for some new experiences (assuming that you don't already own a PSP). Many Xbox 360 games have come down to a mere $20 budget price in stores as well. Granted, it's mostly games like Viva Piñata , and Sonic, but you can find some good ones like Prey as well. Just keep your eyes pealed.




There's also the Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, and the PSN Store which sell downloadable games that you don't have to expend gas to get. However, sometimes the prices of the games in each service is relatively steep when compared to the prices of the originals, and my faith in hard drives, and other storage devices isn't that great due to having one that was less than three years old die on me the other day taking much precious PC data with it.




Then there's the question of retro games. Sure, you can find a number on each console's download service. However, there are still tons of classics that you can't find on those services, and sometimes, there's nothing like playing them in their original form on their original console with their original controller. The bad thing about retro games is that unless you have a local mom and pop store that still sells them, you probably have to go the ebay route to get them, because the big chain stores have stopped carrying them. The unfortunate thing is that as you well know, the ebay sellers can be parasites who try and suck every last dime from you with not only a way overpriced asking price, but with exorbitant shipping costs as well. It's almost a wonder that people download illegal roms.




That brings me to my next subject: Roms. Some of you might ask, "Why pay for retro games, when I can just get them free online?" That's more up to your own moral code. I was always taught to work for the things you want, and to never take the free ride. There's really nothing stopping you from illegally downloading games, it's easy and free to do if you wish. I however, am dead set against roms. Not only am I a materialist who like to have the original game in his hands, I was taught to respect the laws of the land. Chances are that no one is going to bust down your door to arrest you over downloading Snes games, so it's up to your conscience on what to do. There are some people who use the excuse that there are some extremely rare game out there that you'd otherwise not be able to play, and that one thing, but the majority of rom players are just getting a free lunch, and while this feature is about saving money, there are some depths that this writer will not stoop to to obtain certain games. Besides, working for things makes you have more respect for the tings you have.




Plus playing roms requires a computer, and a computer eats up way more electricity than say a classic gaming console, so though you may have to pay for cartridges, they can save you money in the long run assuming you turn your computer off when you play your retro consoles. That might seem like a dumb excuse, but electricity cost will probably be on the rise just like everything else soon. Also those of you with a conscience can have piece of mind knowing that you're taking the moral high ground.





Bottom Line: Gamers who aren't totally new game only snobs can find tons a cheap games that are being dumped by retailers in their bargain bins. Not to mention that you can occasionally find great deals on Amazon, Ebay, and Craig's List. There's also the Virtual Console, XBLA, and the PSN Store for those wanting to save gas money. Even gaming retailers have websites where you can check the prices of their games, find the number to the stores around you so you can call ahead, or even check online to see what each store has in stock, and for what price. When is comes to being cheap, $50 can go really far in old games. Even $10-$20 can score you a number of great older games if you shop around right. And that's the most important thing, shop around, and do your homework before you waist time or gas money. There are tons of ways to still get your gaming fix, and save money doing it.





Note: One thing I forgot to work in to the article is absolutely, positively, do not trade your old games in to a game store. They completely and totally rip you off while making a killing on the game when they sell it. I know it might not be the easiest, option to go with, but get an ebay account, and sell you game for the same price that the game stores are selling it at. You'll still lose money from the purchase price, but you'll get a lot more back than you would if you just trade your game in to the store, and when it comes to saving money, or trying to recoup more money from the cost of selling your games, then there's no better way to do it. The retailers are highway robbers in that regard.



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HACKED




(by FETALJUICE)




So it all began at 11 am when I decided to play some Gears because I had no school today. I try to log in but an error message appears that says someone recovered my account into another 360. I was pissed. It also turned out that someone figured out my email password and changed it so I would no longer be able to use it. Good thing I have this extra email account for emergency situations. So I reset the password and change it. I get my account back and a mere 5 minutes when I recovered my gamertag into my 360, I get a message from Jr0dY iS fReSh, saying that he has all of my credit card information, where I live and that if I don't give him the account back to him in one day, he will spend every single penny in that credit card. It was a voice message by the way (what a retard). So I call my dad to go cancel the credit card as soon as possible and so there he goes and cancels it. The hacker has no idea. He still sends me more messages about changing the password from my account to 123456. The nerve! I call 1800 My XBOX to tell them of my troubles. It turns out this douchebag bought 3 bundles of 5000 MS points for 67 bucks each and downloaded picture packs and lots of arcade games. The support lady tells me to change my Windows Live ID so that the hacker wont have access to my account. I try but I get this error message telling me that you can only change it once a month. It so happens that today is when I made my new email account and set it as the default ID for my gamertag. And that was the email that got hacked. I still have my original email untouched. Talk about bad luck huh? Xbox Live is investigating into the matter and they gave me this number code so that when I call again, they can check what is going on with me when I provide that number code. I just hope that everything works out for the best and the asshole gets caught and rots in prison.




I have taken new measure to protect my Gamertag. Even though I have to wait 30 days before I can change my Windows Live ID, I changed my password and I set up the pass code for the controller should he be able to hack my account again. I am no longer purchasing stuff with credit cards online anymore. F*** that. I will now purchase those retail cards with a set amount of points/ the subscription cards from now on. It is a drag but the most safest way to protect yourself from this kind of sh*t. I might even have to change my password every day until those 30 days pass by so that I can protect the account.




Word of advice: NEVER buy stuff with credit cards on Xbox Live. Go safe with buying the retail cards.



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Ten Questions for A_a_A




(by teh2Dgamer)




1. What is your official job title, and what duties does it entail?




My official job title is Reviews Editor for GamePro. Basically, I am responsible for assigning, editing and preparing reviews for GamePro's monthly print magazine as well as our website. On top of covering video games, I am also in charge of GamePro Labs; this means I get to review and test out all the cool gadgets and tech gear as well. Oh, and I run contests on the site to give crap away to the readers.




2. How did you get your start at GamePro?




It's kind of a weird story. I had interned with George Jones, who is our Editorial Director (read: Big Cheese) at another magazine way back when. After I graduated from grad school, I gave George a buzz just to see what he was up to and he was hiring for GamePro. He told me to come in and interview, I did and the next thing I know, I'm the Reviews Editor.




3. What suggestions or tips do you have for anyone who interested in writing about games for a living?




You need to obviously be a good writer; having a strong grasp of the fundamentals and having an accessible and entertaining writing style helps as well. Organizational skills come in handy, though you wouldn't think I was organized if you saw the state of my cube, and being knowledgeable about the video game industry is key. You should also be a pretty good video game player. Aside from that, know your audience, don't be a jackass and keep trying to improve your writing.




4. Is a college degree required for writing for a magazine like GamePro, or do you hire based more on a person's passion than whether or not they have a degree?




A college degree helps but it doesn't matter to me who you are or where you come from: if you know your games, have a great writing style and are reliable, I'll give you a shot. It's not about finding good college graduates, it's about finding good people.




5. What's your favorite issue of Gamepro that you ever worked on?




Probably the one where I wrote the cover feature for Twilight Princess. I got to go Nintendo HQ and play Twilight Princess before anyone else outside of Nintendo. That was pretty special. I also got to interview Eiji Aonuma, who produced the game, for that story, which was fun.




6. What's the worst game you've ever played? What makes it so bad?




I try not to focus on bad games, just the good ones. So let me tactfully ignore your question and say that the best game I've ever played is the original Half-Life. The thing I loved about that game is the way it totally encapsulated you inside the persona of Gordan Freeman; there was no exposition shots that took you out of the character from the moment you started playing to the ending credits, you were Gordan Freeman. It's still the high point for me in terms of video game narratives.




7. Where do you see gaming in ten years?




I see it being far more mainstream and accepted as a form of entertainment. I think the hardware's going to get pretty nuts and I think we'll see games that offer up unique gaming experiences that we've never seen before. It'll be an exciting time for sure. Unfortunately, I also think fanboys will still be around, they're like cockroaches, you can't get rid of them.




9. Capcom or SNK?




I'd have to go Capcom for sure. I spent more time playing Street Fighter II during my youth than I did doing homework (I wasn't that great of a student). And Marvel vs Capcom 2 on the Dreamcast is still my favorite fighting game of all time. And you know, there's the none fighting stuff like Resident Evil and stuff like that too.




10. How's the unicycle working out?




Good. I haven't ridden it in a while but it's still hanging out in my cube. Travis Moses, our previews editor, takes it out for a spin every now and again. I haven't fallen off and broken anything on it yet, though there have been a few close calls involving a certain part of my male anatomy that left me feeling a little queasy, if you catch my drift. Those unicycle seats are freaking dangerous.




-tae

Tae K. Kim


Reviews Editor


GamePro




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http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q136/KKSparkles94/SaddestMomentsinGaming.png



(by ViciousJ)



Let me warn you all that there will definitely be spoilers in this article, if you aren't a fan of spoilers don't read on.



6. Death of Sniper Wolf - Metal Gear Solid




For the first time you get to face off against a sniper in MGS, it's pretty unexpected and you have no idea what to do, but somehow you finally take that one final shot, just barely seeing her hair above the white snow you pull the trigger. You walk up to her and the cutscene of her death unfolds. Then you learn that all along Otacon had a secret love for her. Of course he is crushed to learn that you had killed her, his one true love. And that is why Sniper Wolf's death made number six on the list.



5. Death of Emma - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (part 1, and Part 2)




Otacon's lucky streak just continues as his sister is killed by the bastard Vamp in Metal Gear Solid 2. Again, Otacon feels the pain of losing a loved one, hopefully this can be resolved some other way...to where he doesn't commit suicide.



4. Death of Gremio - Suikoden




In an attempt to save his party, Gremio has to lock himself in a room with man-eating spores. This is, of course, a sad scene, partly because no one likes getting eaten by man-eating spores and the other part because...well Gremio did a good thing for his party and no one likes to see a good man of the party die to save the entire rest of the party, no matter how necessary. I don't think I even need to say more of why this made number four.



3. Death of Odessa - Suikoden




After suffering many wounds, Odessa knows that she is going to die and cannot be healed, so she decides to give an earring to Mathiu of the village Seika and her final request is to have her body thrown into a nearby stream. Confused they say they won't do it, but she explains that if she is found dead the Liberation Forces will find her the Movement will lose faith and die....What is with all the dying in the Suikoden series!?



2. Death of the Boss - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater




We all know that The Boss was an annoying bitch. Well, that may be so, but she was pretty BA in the beginning of the game, and we all respected her. After she traited on Snake it was true that we liked her a bit less...but when she died and all that you could see was her limp body on the ground and the white flowers surrounding her you knew that it was an amazing setting. No matter for who it was a sad thing to see. The setting is really what made this death the perfect death and the saddest death as well. As she lay there barely alive she gave Snake the Patriot a tommygun that you can use the second play-through. And then...as you sit there she says to you,"Kill me." You have to follow her dying wish and you pull the trigger to end it all and as you do so the flowers surrounding you that were once white now turn red by the blood she shed. This was an unforgettable death



1. Aeris' Death - Final Fantasy VII




The most, undeniably, tear-jerking death in gaming history! As you sat there seeing both Cloud and Aeris becoming an obvious couple you had to have been happy just a little, even if you were a heartless bastard *cough* AngelOfChaos. Then when the game seems like a little ball of joy it's ripped right out from under you, as the next scene you see is Sephiroth flying down with his long Sasamune in his hands, he pulls it back as he inches his way closer to the unknowing Aeris, the next thing you see is the sword slicing through her chest. As she has been stabbed the sweet sound of her music emanates through the room creating a beautiful scene for her death. Cloud grabs her body and walks into the water and puts her Materia in her hands and holds her soon he drops her. The blue waters surround her as her body sinks into the land for one final scene that is the most amazing scene in the entire game. Cloud stands and watches her sink into the seemingly never ending body of water. After this scene of Cloud's love dying it was obvious that this drove him more to want to kill Sephiroth, for now it was not only to save the world but also to avenge Aeris




Thank you for reading, and I already warned you about spoilers so I don't want to see any hate mail. Haha, I wouldn't read it anyway!



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Reviews



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Delta Force: Black Hawk Down





(System: Xbox | Developed by: Climax | Published by: NovaLogic | Review by: FETALJUICE)



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I'll keep this review short and to the point. Black Hawk Down set out to be the best multiplayer game on Xbox Live when it came out in 2005. Well, it turned to be a EPIC FAILURE. The game's box art had a stamp that said 50 players online enabled. While this sounded good, this was a nightmare when playing online. HORRIBLE lag plagued the multiplayer. You couldn't enter a room without lagging. The maps were too big and you couldn't restrict the fighting to certain parts of the map. Its very frustrating too. The single player campaign is lacking and not fun at all. Please do yourselves a favor and avoid this game at ALL COSTS.




Score: 1/10



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Fighting Force





(System: PS1 | Developed by: Core Design | Published by: Eidos Interactive | Review by: teh2Dgamer)




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Taking a cue from games like Streets of Rage, Fighting Force takes you to the streets to get down and dirty oldschool beat 'em up style.




You assume the role of one of four characters who are each in their cliched beat 'em up roles. Smasher's the slow musclebound tough guy, Hawk and Mace are the two mid level characters, and Alana is the fastest and weakest one.




The gameplay is your typical run of the mill beat 'em up where you go area to area beating up any and everyone you see and rinse and repeat. As you can well guess, Most gamers won't be impressed due to the repetitive nature of games in the genre alone. Only fans of beat 'em up games will truly find this game to be worthwhile, but even then they'll also find it to be a pretty average experience by comparison to other games in the genre.




There's just nothing that really makes Fighting Force standout among it's peers in the genre. The fighting system is typical, characters are typical, and though the game offers a few branching paths, you'll still pretty much see everything the game has to offer in one playthrough. You can't even throw your enemies into eachother in this game. You can pick an enemy up and toss him at his buds, but he'll just go flying through them like nothing happened. That's one of the main things this game should have lifted off the brawlers of the past. On the gameplay merits alone, Fighting Force, though still relatively fun for fans of beat 'em ups, doesn't really do anything to standout. That being said, the game does have some good things going for it.




The control is great. Even though it's too old to support an analog stick, this 3D brawler game still controls like a dream with the D-pad. You won't have any trouble getting your character to go where you want them to. The only bad thing that can be said about the controls is that because the back attack button, and the grab button are the same button, you'll often times miss a grab, because your character will go into the back attack motion. It's a small complaint though considering that the rest of the controls are very responsive. It's also fun in the game to destroy many of the objects in the 3D world. Whether it be destroying a coke machine to get a drink, tearing a pipe off the wall, or even destroying a car, the game gives you a number of other items to destroy. You even get rewarded with extra points at the end of each level for your destruction. Also, those who don't like playing alone, can have a friend join them in the two player mode which adds some extra replay value.




Bottom Line: Fighting Force is just an average beat 'em up. If you never liked beat 'em ups, then you'll probably hate this game, and even if you do like them, FF won't be anything remarkable. The beat 'em up genre is probably the PS1's weakest genre, so pickings are slim for PS1 owners. However, if you don't have a Saturn with which to play Die Hard Arcade, or Guardian Heroes, then Fighting Force might give you a decent fix for your 32-bit beat 'em up needs. Otherwise Gekido is the better choice for PS1 beat 'em up fans.



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Area 51




(System: Xbox | Developed by: Midway Studios - Austin | Published by: Midway | Review by: wulfshelmut)




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I bought Area 51 for xbox for $10 and it was well worth it. The game play is great. I would even say its one of the best FPS I have played. It controls well to. Over all their pretty fluid and I had no problems with the controls or their layout.




Graphics wise Area 51 isn't a let down. the game looks good. the character models and the models of the enemies look very detailed and well done.The game also has very good lighting effects that add to its creepiness. Just as a side note I have heard the ps2 version looks just as good. It might not be next gen but the game does a good job of showing off the graphics gamers got to experience later in the last gen systems lives.




The story is also top notch as well. The ingame story is a little lacking but the majority of the story is backed up by secret documents you find through out the game. These make Area 51 and its story shine and come together. They also make whats going on in the game more believable and even more creepy. I would say the documents are the best part of the story and its worth it to find every one so you can just read them. Some are so good I have read them again for the hell of it.




It took me about 5 days to finish the game. Its not very long but its great while it lasts. I would recommend it to any one. But there are some minor complaints. The game can be tough at times. Not real tough but just enough to irritate you. also the enemies in the game that use the assault rifles can fire them in fully automatic mode like sniper rifles. That can be a real pain, at least it was to me. Its still a very good game.




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Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles




(System: PSP | Developed by: Konami | Published by: Konami | Review by: BluSlime)



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Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles (PSP) is simply fantastic. It's still one of my favorite games of all time. As an owner of the original Japanese Turbo Duo version, the PSP version has lost nothing in its up-grade to the PSP. The up-dated graphics (2.5D) are very nice to look at and the soundtrack is still one of the best around. The game play is spot on and follows the traditional Castlevania controls with a few extra tricks. The game is only $29.99 and is packed with extras including multi-play. It also includes Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the original NEC PC-Engine version of Dracula X. Konami has really done a great job at bringing this lost classic to the US, so gamers here can enjoy it. Its a must own for any Castlevania fan or PSP owner.




I rate this game a perfect 5 out of 5............Blu



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Castlevania: Bloodlines





(System: Genesis | Developed by: Konami | Published by: Konami | Review by: teh2Dgamer)



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Highly anticipated by Genesis owners at the time, Castlevania: Bloodlines, was the only installment of Konami's long running series to appear on Sega's 16-bit machine.




One striking difference that Castlevania fans will notice in this version is that the game lets you chose between two different heroes, and neither of them is a Belmont. John Morris is an ancestor of the Belmont clan (whatever that means) who uses the traditional Vampire Killer Whip with which to vanquish his enemies, and is given the ability to swing from ceilings with it. Eric Lecarde ditches tradition, and uses the Alcarde Spear which he can vault off of to do a high jump maneuver.




For those of you not familiar with the classic Castlevania games, they played through in stages as opposed to the newer games in the series which mimic the Metroid games. You start on the left side of the screen and move right while vanquishing hordes of tricky enemies, making platform jumps, and taking care of pesky mid-level and level-end bosses. Bloodlines is classic Castlevania in that everything clicks. the controls are great, and the graphics were a great showpiece of what effects the Genesis was capable of with some outright trippy stages (especially stage 6), The gameplay though challenging will keep you hooked. Bloodlines will challenge players, and force them to play with a certain amount of finesse.




The Castlevania series has always required the right amount of finesse. Whether it be perfectly timing your swing to hit a Medusa head, or timing your jump on a tough to reach platform, Castlevania is a game of perfect timing, and Bloodlines both requires oldschool patience.



Bloodlines, in fact, is one of the harder games in the Castlevania series for the simple reason that, unlike it predecessors, it limits the amount of continues you're allowed. This makes the game a lot harder to get through then other games in the series, because it makes password saves less effective. You might have a password to make it through the first couple of levels, but that doesn't matter if you don't have enough continues to finish the game on. This however is a small complaint that can be remedied by either cheating, or by learning the game and making skillful runs through it's levels. The second option is perfectly doable (and is preferred by this author), but is made harder by the limitation on continues.




Another complaint is that, despite coming out after Super Castlevania IV, Bloodlines lacks a few gameplay refinements made in that game. This made Bloodlines seem like a step back in the series because it played more like the earlier games in the series. This is another small complaint, because Bloodlines is still great on it's own merits.




Bottom Line: Though not quite as good as Super Castlevania IV, Castlevania Bloodlines on the Genesis is still a top notch adventure for those willing to partake in it. Be ready to be challenged, but also be ready to have some good oldschool fun.



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Super Castlevania IV




(System: Snes | Developed by: Konami | Published by: Konami | Review by: fatface)



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The first Castlevania game I played is also one of the best of the series. A remake of the first Castlevania for the NES, this game exceeds with fantastic graphics, a killer soundtrack, responsive controls, and game play that is purely fun. Playing as Simon Belmont, you whip through 10+ stages of Dracula's castle; fighting off skeletons, Medusa, dragons, Frankenstein, and death itself until reaching the prince of darkness.




But as mention before, it's the easy to use controls and addicting game play that makes this title shine. Youre able to attack the enemies in 8 directions with Simon's whip (a first for the series) because they'll be attacking Simon from all different directions. The Snes controller is very responsive and makes it a breeze to dodge the deadly booby traps and counter attack.




The game plays similar to the older Castlevania games so Symphony of Night and GBA/DS fans beware; this game has NOTHING in common to those games. There is no leveling up, backtracking, or magic attacks Simon can use. It's straight forward whipping and jumping.




Overall, I think this is one of the finest action games I've played. If you own a Super Nintendo, I recommend this game as a must have.




I think you'll like this game if you enjoy the following - Love action side-scroll games - A fan of classic Castlevania game play. - Prefer straight forward action than large levels in which you return later in the game (i.e. the Castlevania games of today).




I don't think you will like this game if the following annoys you... - You can not use items, equip armor, or level up. - Simon can't run or learn any new abilities. - Spikes kill you instantly and stages include a decent amount of bottomless pits.




About the Japanese Famicom version I haven't played this game on the Japanese Super Nintendo but I've read that it includes blood, naked statues and paintings that were removed for the American audience. One particular level is stage 8; the underground dungeon has blood that drips from the ceilings while our version has acid.




User Score: 5.0 out of 5.0




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Cold Fear




(System: Xbox/PS2 | Developed by: Darkworks | Published by: Ubisoft | Review by: AngelofChaos)



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Cold Fear is about a smart ass Coast Guard who has to go save some people on a giant ship, which just so happens to be infested with Zombies. As usual some scientists went crazy and created a virus or something that turned the crew into savages. Go figure.




It seems as though this game was hastily released after RE4 simply to cash in on the same battle system concept, and to some extent it worked. Cold Fear fixes some problems that some RE4 fans may have encountered. For example, in Cold Fear you can move and shoot in the over the shoulder style, as well as weapon swap on the fly, which RE4 does not have. However, in every other department this game pretty much falls flat. The story is meh, the scare factor is almost non-existent, the voice acting is meh, the music is meh, and the environment creativity, etc is inferior to RE4.




So why bother with Cold Fear? To see why RE4 is superior in almost every possible way? Not quite. I'd say it's because it's a pretty rewarding experience.




While the story is basically B movie material, it does keep you going along.. The water effects are quite well done, even though the environments are bland as all hell at times. Holding onto a railing while getting head shots in the pouring rain on a rocking ship is cool at first, but that doesn't last long (you'll know why if you play through the game for more than an hour). The overall feeling of the levels aren't very scary at all, but rather monotonous and bland more than anything.




Being able to move and shoot while swapping weapons feels much more seamless than in RE4. The combat style itself can even be thought of as an improvement because of this. Sadly it's never really brought out to its full potential due to the lack of boss fights in the game. The only boss fight is the final boss fight which seems quite familiar. RE4 perhaps?




The enemies are pretty much the same throughout the game. Its really easy to see them coming, and because of this the scare factor is not there at all. I would know this because I am the biggest scaredy cat when it comes to horror games. I couldn't even get through the first half hour of RE1 for crying out loud (not literally). There is the occasional "well that's disturbing" moment, but those are rare and are not that noticeable unless you have acute attention to detail. Fear barely fits in the title of the game. The only kind of fear you'll experience is the "Oh crap, I have to reload". Reloading is probably the biggest fear in this game by far. Nothing is worse than having to reload when you have three zombies chasing after you at the same time.




Cold Fear isn't really that difficult, but it is by no means that easy either. The game is very generous with medical kits and ammo, but the enemies are quite vicious so it balances it out. The game quality follows in a similar pattern. It's not that great, but it's not the bad either. It's definitely worth a rental IMO.




Aw hell, I guess the only really good reason to play this game is if you're an RE4 fan after all. You'll probably find yourself wanting to play through RE4 again like me after playing through this game.




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Quake II




(System: N64 | Developed by: Raster | Published by: Activision | Review by: teh2Dgamer)



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Released in November of 1997, the PC version of Quake II made huge waves in the PC gaming world. It later went on to be the most played online game of 1998. It was the Halo of it's day, and console ports were seemingly inevitable.




Almost two years after the PC version hit, the N64 finally got it's chance to get in on the Quake II action.




That begs the question, how does it stack up to the PC version, well, it really doesn't, but not in the way you think. You see, the N64 version of Quake II is nothing like the PC version weapons and enemies aside. It's actually like it's own Quake II mission pack because the developers decided to go with 19 original levels over just a simple port.




The game plays in the typical oldschool FPS fashion. You'll get different objectives to complete in each of the game's levels, but it basically just comes down to the old throw the switch, get the key type. However, Quake II was never about puzzle solving, and this port is no different. It's all about the action in Quake, and this game delivers it in droves.




Throughout Quake II 64, you'll be forced to deal with the hordes of enemies that come your way. This is no simple task, but thankfully, this port has almost all the weapons of the PC original which equip you to deal with all the baddies the Strogg throw your way. Also, if you get tired of fragging the not so bright A.I. enemies, the game has a pretty fun deathmatch for up to 4-players.




The game steals it's control scheme from Turok where you move with the C-buttons, and aim with the analog stick which works pretty well despite the N64's overly sensitive analog stick. There is a little bit lost in translation from PC to console where it'll often times take you a little extra time to line up your shots just perfect on an enemy which can cost you a few hits from the enemies.




Graphically, the game runs at smooth rate, but the enemy animations are extremely choppy, even with the expansion pack, and the music is also different from the original's. The music in the N64 version is now more ambient as opposed to the more adrenaline pumping tracks of the PC original.




Bottom Line: Though it's nothing like it's PC predecessor, Quake II on the N64 still manages to be a fun addition to any N64 gamer's FPS collection. If you've still got a 64, and want a good single player and multiplayer FPS game, then Quake II is worth a look. However, if you hate the oldschool style of FPS, and need a story, and the highly scripted elements of modern day FPS games, then avoid this one.



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Deus Ex: Invisible War




(System: Xbox | Developed by: Ion Storm | Published by: Eidos Interactive | Review by: teh2Dgamer)



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Taking place 20 years after the events of the original Deus Ex, Deus Ex: Invisible War once again plunges you Ion Storm's world of conspiracy's, half truths, and whole lies. The game follows the path of Alex D. who's pulled into a convoluted narrative of who's screwing who after having to flee his/her (you get to pick) Tarsus training facility terrorist attack destroys the entire city of Chicago.




Deus Ex: Invisible War can best be described as nonlinear linearity where, though the game takes you through a narrative, it's still your choice in what manner you wish to tackle said narrative. IW is all about choice. IW's environments are riddled with multiple paths, and hidden areas. There's more than one solution to every problem. It's your choice of how to forge ahead, and as to how you'll play the game. If you're the balls out player who wants to go in Rambo style, then the direct route will work the best for you. However, if you're the stealthy type, look for a back way into the area. Dead set against killing? Run through the game with non lethal weapons. It's all your choice.




There's also an emphasis on making moral choices. Throughout the game, you'll even be given opportunities to make a moral choice. Many of these opportunities show up in the game's many optional side quests which often times feature shady characters offering you rewards in order to perform underhanded tasks to suit their purposes. One of the first sidequests is given to you from the owner of a large chain coffee shop in Upper Seattle who wants you to go destroy the coffee shop in the slums of Lower Seattle. When you meet the owner of the coffee shop in the slums, he wants you to hack into a computer at the WTO office any allow a zoning permit for him to build a shop in Upper Seattle. Do you help the big guy who will pay you more? Do you side with the little guy against the corporation? Or do you double dip and collect the money that comes with doing both tasks? It's all up to your sense of morality and justice.




IW's gameplay at it's core is a first person shooter with RPG elements. The biomods act as kind of a magic system, and give you multiple abilities of your choosing such as the ability to cloak yourself from mechanical enemies, heal yourself, run at super speed, and so on. You'll even be able to upgrade your weapons with weapon mods that you'll find throughout the course of the game that give your weapons extra attributes as well. You'll also deal with inventory management of healing items and weapons.




One of the coolest things about the game is the level of interactivity in the environments. Turning on and off light switches, buying a can of soda from a vending machine, and opening and closing cabinet doors, and refrigerator doors might not sound like a big deal in the real world, but in a game they really enhance the experience. You'll have fun just playing around and seeing which objects you can interact with. Flush toilets, turn sinks on, or throw a coffee pot across the room to watch it shatter. The objects in your environments aren't just there for decoration. They're there for the type of interactivity that really adds to the game.




Graphically, the game shines for an original Xbox game. Even graphics whores won't be disappointed even if the visuals are dated when compared to your average next gen game. The physics engine it pretty good as well. Dead or unconscious NPCs will ragdoll when thrown, and often times make a sickening thud when hitting the ground after being thrown straight up in the air. The sound effects and voice acting are right on, and the music, though a lot more subtle in this game than the first, is also top notch.




The biggest complaint about Deus Ex: The Invisible war is that it though it's extremely fun on it's own merits, it doesn't hold a candle to the original. It an attempt to make the game more open to the mainstream masses, they dumbed down many of the features that made the first Deus Ex game great. Though this makes the game more accessible for the mainstream crowd, many of the hardcore fans of the original took it as a slap in the face. The biomod system in IW has combined the skills system, and the augmentations of the original. The damage to individual limbs from the PC version of the original is gone and replaced with just a plain life bar (though the PS2 version of the original had already done this), and the story isn't as deep or complex either. The stripped away many of the hardcore elements that fans of the previous game loved. However, on it's own, IW is still an awesome game. Another complaint about the game is that there is some nasty slowdown as the action heats up (especially when someone throws a spiderbot). Plus the load times happen too frequently, and are rather long which put a damper on the experience at times. These complaints, overall, are small, and don't stop Deus Ex: Invisible War from being one of the best games of all time.




Bottom Line: While slightly disappointing when compared to it's predecessor, Deus Ex: Invisible War is still one of the best gaming experiences out there. Even at it's worse, it's still better than the majority of other games on the market, and should be experienced by everyone.




Note: The Xbox Version of Invisible War is not compatible with the Xbox 360 at present time. Who knows it it'll ever be compatible.



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On the Toliet




The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass




(System: DS | Developed by: Nintendo | Published by: Nintendo | Review by: ShortHairedOffender)





Alright, this months game is Legend Of Zelda The Phantom Hourglass. What can I say about this game that has not been said about other Zelda games? Almost nothing. Everything you would expect is still there with little additions. They do add puzzles using the mic and stylus. Then that adds another problem. Sometimes you have no idea what to do. Sometimes it will tell you to do something that you would think you would only be doing in the game that involves you to do in real life. (IE Close the DS or scream into the mic.)




With that complaint out of the way it does have some good features like drawing a path for your boomerang. Plus you have a mouse like bomb that you can guide across levels. You can draw a path for you boat but all that rship riding is boring. You will see blue... and blue... and blue.... and then an enemy... and then more blue.




The fighting all involves the stylus so there is no button pressing. You just tap an enemy for a basic attack on them and you swing it around to attack with a spin. And it you finish the side quest you get the swordsman's scroll which makes it so that if you spin a lot you will spin with a very strong attack. The enemies are fun to fight and sometimes need creative ways to beat them.



Something REALLY new in this game is stealth. There are some unbeatable creatures (well until you have the Phantoms Sword) in one part of the game that you must sneak past. Which adds a whole new play type. It adds safe zones so you can escape.




You will encounter a lot of wacky characters who will make you laugh. Just like past LoZ characters. All of this game is fun if you look past the puzzle difficulty. And for anyone who has a DS you should pick this game up.




4 out of 5



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My Gaming Life




(by teh2Dgamer)





I've been playing Grandia on the PS1 a lot lately. I had to replay most of the game on account that in previous years, I had a save that was 30-40 hours into the game that was on a memory card that took a dump on me. I'm near the end of the game, but I haven't played it for a few days. I've been taking my retro systems over to my friend's house a lot recently. It started with the Sega Genesis. After losing to his younger brother on the Snes versions of NBA Jam (two of the games by two points, and the thrid by three), and Mortal Kombat (I beat him in Killer Instinct, and we broke even on Street Fighter 2), I took my Genny over there and beat him in NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Mortal Kombat, and Mutant League Football. My friend and I also ran though Gunstar Heroes, and Streets of Rage. This last weekend I took my N64 over there and made up for my loss in Smackdown vs Raw 2008 by beating my friend in No Mercy. I also destroyed him, and his little brother's friend (who claims to have been a semi pro Halo 2 player at one time) in a round of Goldeneye. I aslo beat my friend in Mario Tennis which is strange, because he's freakishly good at tennis games. In fact, I won't even bother challenging him in a game of Virtua Tennis. He's got like a sixth sense in Virtua Tennis that makes him destroy anyone he plays. It's weird.





Anyways, I thoroughly suggest having a retro night with you friends, or even a split screen night where you guys meat up for some multiplayer action where you can actually interact in the same room as your opponents. You'd be surprised on how much fun it can be. I'm sure that many of you have forgotten about split screen deathmatches in this modern online gaming world. Sometimes it's just better to chill out and play with your friends in the same room instead of dealing with other online players.




I recently bought God of War 2 for $20 at Walmart. I was burnt out of Devil May Cry after the first one, and had yet to touch another DMC clone for years until I finally caved in to the mainstream and asked for the original God of War for last Christmas. Though I still have my issues like my hated of quick time events, which might work for a game like Shenmue, don't belong in an action game. I mean, if I wanted to play games that were that passive, I'd buy me a Sega CD and buy some of the crap that Digital Pictures developed for that system. The think I liked about GoW is that it's also got the adventure and exploration elements to go with the button mashing mayhem, and the fighting system is, overall, really fun. I was expecting just a repackaged DMC, but the game actually surprised me. There are still many other games in the genre that I prefer more (Like The Mark of Kri/Rise of the Kasi), but GoW was definitely better than I though it would be. QTE issues aside.




My hard drive that had all my high quality versions of my youtube vids died on me a few weeks ago. Suffice to say that I'm still a little upset about that. I'd spent a lot of time on my 100 PS1, and 100 PS2 vids, and now all I'm left with is the crappy youtube versions of them. The worse part is that after that happened, I found out how to upload high quality vids on youtube that go above the 100 mb limit. I could have posted the high quality versions on there, but now it's too late. Oh well. I guess that give me ground to make them all over again. From now on, I'm going to make sure I back my vids up to more than one source.




Oh, and for anyone who wants me to make a gameplay video, just check out my Any Gameplay Video Requests topic and make a request. If I can't find the vid already for you on youtube, then I'll make it.




That's about all I can think of that's going on in my recent gaming habits, aside from playing the hell out of Deus Ex: Invisible War (I beat it, and then instantly restarted it), and even some oldschool descent, and some Battletanx: Global Assault, I really haven't been that active in my gaming as of late.




That's about all for version number 7 of My Gaming Life. Enjoy, and keep gaming GamePro.



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A Look Back




Dead Gaming Mags of the past.




(by teh2Dgamer)




Here is a list of magazines that came saw, and died on us. Some of them left their mark, others are quite forgetable. Some of them I had subscriptions to when they died (caution for Gamepro, I currently have a subscription to your mag).




Next Generation



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Next Gen was a magazine who's focus from the start was the older more mature gamer. From the writing, focus based more on the industry at large, to even the magazine's page design catered to the more mature gamer than say GamePro did at the time. In fact, I see a lot of Next Gen influence in the modern gaming mags who have attempted to shed their adolescent image by maturing up their magazines. Even the page layouts in many current magazines are reminiscent of Next Gen.




I'm not quite sure why it was shutdown, but I'd assume that it didn't make a lot of money for Imagine Media (essentially Future).





Their Review Scale: Next Gen went on a basis of five stars. No half stars. In fact I think that the new Playstation: The Official Magazine (formerly PSM) has taken the same review scale from them. Also, Their reviews would be text, and under the score there'd be a Bottom Line: that summed it up for you. I guess I subconsciously took this from them, because I didn't to it deliberately.




GMR



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GMR was a free giveaway magazine the came with a membership card to Electronics Boutique. As a magazine, there's nothing in particular that made them stand out aside form the Game Geezer who would rant on the last page of every issue about certain gaming related issues (the current issue I've got in my hands right now has him ranting on drunken eight year olds playing Xbox live). They also covered PC games, and had a retro section like Game Informer did, but GI's retro section blows their's away.




The magazine was shut down when Gamestop merged with Electronics Boutique, because Gamestop already had Game Informer. I had a subscription to it at the time of it's demise.




Their Review Scale: Was a simple 1-10 scale with no halves. Some of the reviews would have small Second Opinion boxes, and under the score they'd post interesting little text boxes with misc info.





GameNow/Expert Gamer/EGM2



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Starting out as EGM2 which was branch-off magazine to EGM. The name was later changed to Expert Gamer in issue number 50 and was focused more as a strategy/tips magazine along the lines of Tips and Tricks (another dead mag that I'm not covering in this feature). In November 2001, Expert Gamer became Gamenow and dropped the main focus of strategy and tips and turned into another reviews/previews magazine. This is another one that I had a subscription too when it died. From the less than a year's worth of issues I got of the mag I found it to be enjoyable. In fact, the last issue of GameNow not only was a special 3D edition (that came with 3D glasses and all), but it also had an awesome article about creating your own fanzine. Though I'd been thinking about making one for quite a while, that article is what eventually convinced me to write the very blogzine you're reading right now. Wiki doesn't list a reason, but I'm willing to bet the mag was shut down because of Ziff-Davis' piss poor financial situation ($390 million in debt. Ouch!)





Their Review Scale: GN's scale was a simple grading scale F minus to A plus. They would also use a Bottom Line: in order to sum up the review, and would also list the Pros, and Cons of each game.





Game Players



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Game Players was a multiplatform magazine started by Imagine media that was know for it's sense of humor, and having text captions under every screenshot (a tradition carried on into PSM). Their letters section is pretty fun to read as they had various ways to get their readers involved. Aside from the traditional letters, they'd have readers submit game ideas, answer their Burning Question, write in to ask for tips on their games, or even a place to link up for pen pals. In fact, now that I think about it, most of GP's charms were carried over into PSM (though PSM is longer PSM, or charming). That's no surprise considering that a number of the staff members from GP ended up working for PSM later (Chris Slate, Francesca Reyes, and Bill Donohue off the top of my head). The mag later turned into Ultra Game Players, then Game Buyer, and then it died. According to wiki, when it changed into Ultra Game Players it lost most of it's great sense of humor that made the original GP great which alienated most of it's fans, and led to it's eventual demise.



Their Review Scale: GP's scale in the issue that I have went on a 1-100 scale, and would rate other individual attributes on a 1-10 scale. These attributes included Graphics, Music & Sound, Innovation, Gameplay, and Replay Value.







Gamefan



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Starting out as Hardcore Gamefan, but shortened later on, Gamefan magazine had more of a hardcore niche focus. They're editors were hugely into japanese games and culture. They'd constantly be reviewing import games, and were also into Japanese Anime. They would review anime films in the AnimeFan section in the back of their magazine. They'd cover retro games as well. The editors also used caricatures instead of their real names like Gamepro used to.




According to wiki, the mag was shut down due to constant Lawsuits being waged against it.




Their Review Scale: In the few issues that I have of the mag, they used a 1-100 scale. They'd have three editors write quick blurbs on each game, and score it in the front of the magazine, and then the main big text review would be back past the previews.







These are just a few examples. Gaming's past is filled with many more dearly departed publications. These are just a few of my favorites.



My Take: They made us laugh at times, they made us cry at times (ok, maybe not cry), and they made us pissed off at times, but in the end, all these mags have my appreciation for the time we shared, and continue to share (I still read the old issues). They say that print magazines are dying, and that may be true, but for those who have come, gave it their best shot, and gone out into the sunset, my hat's off to you.




I hope that print mags are still here 20 years from now. There's something more special to me about holding a real mag in your hands then squinting at a computer screen to read. What the heck, they still got news papers, and radio don't they?



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Underrated Gem of the Month



Shadow Hearts: From the New World




(System: PS2 | Developed by: Nautilus | Published by: Xseed Games | Underrated Gem by: AngelofChaos)



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In short, Shadow Hearts: FtNW is about a 16 year old teenagers who saves the world with an "interestingly" designed heroine, which is basically a wet dream for him.




What really sets this game apart is its unique style and humor. In no other game will you have a giant female cat that fights by using drunken boxing and a flamenco guitarist who has rocket launchers and shotguns built in his guitar, let alone in an RPG.




As usual this Shadow Hearts series has a tendency of poking fun at the entire genre itself while keeping the game-play interesting. The battle system is by far one of the greatest and most entertaining battle system you will ever experience. It works seamlessly and is incredibly easy to use at the same time, all the while being fun. The voice acting is solid, but there is the occasional hiccup voice that makes you raise your eyebrow. The music is nice to listen to, and for the most part in this game, it is light hearted compared to its predecessors.




Where this game truly shines is through its characters. The unique and dramatic story helps carry this along as well. Personally, I thought the game was just alright before I did the side quests. When you do them, you gain a feeling of attachment to the characters, and you learn a lot about them. It's a truly rewarding and feel good experience that can't be described in words.




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Well that's it for issue number 7 of 2.5D A Blogzine Dedicated to the Games of Old, and of New. I'd like to thank all those who contributed to this issue:


AngelofChaos, FETALJUICE, ShortHairedOffender, ViciousJ, fatface, BluSlime, and wulfshelmut


I'd also like to thank Gamepro for the pictures I got from the site.



Anyways, that's it for Issue number 7 of 2.5D. I hope you enjoyed it. Now it's time for me to go take a nap of something.

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