MEMBER PROFILE FOR AlphaCigara
Average Overall Score Given: 8.69231 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 1802
Reviews
Burnout 3: Takedown
Overall: This is another pleasant surprise of a game. It wasn't largely hyped, so it wasn't even on my radar until i saw the major reviews. I was like...whoa. Controls and graphics are great. I went back and played Burnout 2, and after Burnout 3 it was nothin. Sound...will be talked about later. Online is a bit annoying, and i didn't play it a lot since the single player is so huge. At over 20 hours, i'm surprised i'm not done yet.Gameplay: It's a driving game. Not really any complex procedures to explain. There's a manual/automatic option, press bla to go, bla to turbo, bla to brake. Simple stuff. Sense of speed is amazing, sometimes i'd find myself not blinking and my eyes tearing up because of the game. Traffic can get on your nerves, but it's a challenging addition. Menus and stuff are easy to navigate. I didn't play a lot of the crash modes, but the little i did play was pretty good.
Graphics: Graphics. This is a multiplatform game, so i thought they wouldn't be as good as they are. Motion blurs, reflections, everything is awesome. I can recall a level where part of it you go offroad. The trees were reflected on your car, dirt was getting kicked up, and the screen is blurred from going over 100 mph. And the Max Payne-ish camera after you wreck is superb.
Audio: Let's just say, if you want a gangster soundtrack you'll feel left out. All punk and rock songs on this in game soundtrack. Some notables are Franz Ferdinand, Yellowcard, and Jimmy Eat World. I'm a fan of these genres, so i liked it. But i know plenty who can't stand it. The game supports custom soundtracks, but it's kinda hard to set up, and you can only play one soundtrack at a time (i.e. you can't have your 50 Cent xbox music folder thingy and your Eminem playing, unless you combine them). The in game sounds are cool, with the crunching and swooshing as you blaze past cars. Good stuff, but not really for everyone.
Suggestions: EA sucks for live, just give up your seperate service crap and be normal :p . Add more diversity to the soundtrack and make custom soundtracks easier to use. Other than that, good job.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Halo
Overall: cmon, who hasn't played or heard of this game? in fact, so my review isn't like the many others on this site, i'm gonna grade halo on todays standards. most people know the story (uber marine cyborg fights aliens and destroys a little halo thing). since this was a very original concept (at least to me), the game gets a 5 in that department.Gameplay: i can name 2 games off my head that have used this type of control/gameplay engine after seeing how big a hit Halo was. what's not to love? run, shoot, melee attack, and (in 2 am multiplayer matches) hump the dead bodies by crouching a lot on em :D (and i know i'm not the only one who finds this funny). meh, my only complaints are the sniping (it's too hard to do head shots!!!) and cheap respawn deaths.
Graphics: wow, this game really looks over 2 years old. blocky character models (i still roll my eyes when i see Cortana) and the good ole "have i been in this hallway/tunnel before?" bring this game down. guns look nice though, and so do explosions and the death physics :).
Audio: da da da DAAA, da da da DAAA, da da da DAAA da da DAAA da da da DAAAA (sorry, but even when i go for months without playing halo, i can still hum the theme to it :D). anyways, besides the ubercool theme, a lot of the tunes are repeated, but the voices are good and so are the vehicles and gun noises. odd fun fact : the lady who did cortana's voice is the same who did princess peach in Super Mario Sunshine -_-;
Suggestions: good job on halo :). however, if you screw halo 2 up.... well i'm still gonna buy it and enjoy the hell out of it but pleez don't screw up :D. my actual suggestions to them are sound in multiplayer matches (custom soundtracks, in game tunes, whatever), and some killer easter eggs to make playing the single player mode more worthwile (like unlocking new maps, or better yet a map editor, new skins for mp characters, and just some new stuff)
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Rogue Ops
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Overall Score: 6.0 / 10
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
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Suggestions: Lots more length. And I mean LOTS more. I want the next Max Payne to be at least 30 hours long, with an even more compelling storyline and even better graphics. Other than that, great job Rockstar.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Secret Weapons Over Normandy
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Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Kill Switch
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Suggestions: More variety than just running and gunning, like maybe a puzzle or two and a few non-shooting, perhaps comical minigames, like being able to find a car, and you have to guide the main character correctly out of the enemy compound, pressing left, right, A, B, etc. ala Shenmue.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War
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Suggestions: Come out with another Wolfenstein sooner! Make more XBL maps, weapons, character models, and PLEASE a multiplayer death match, capture the flag, etc. made to play on one Xbox (not over XBL).
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
SSX 3
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Suggestions: In the sequel, have different mountains, but make more selectable characters, bring back the celebrity voices, and an XBL multiplayer race and trickoff support.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
True Crime: Streets Of L.A.
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Suggestions: Please. No more True Crime games. Ever.
Overall Score: 4.0 / 10
Freedom Fighters
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Graphics: On the cover of Freedom Fighters, it proudly states that it was made by the makers of Hitman 2. The graphics were pretty much taken from that game, but improved so it would hold its own against almost every game released today. Watching your character shoot his gun, and the way bodies fly and hit the ground when a grenade explodes screams Hitman 2. If only more games used that kind of engine for the way a body reacts to those things, there would be a lot more cool games. Also, the cities you run around look absolutely superb, and games that are based around cities like the GTA series should use Freedom Fighters backgrounds as their role models.
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Suggestions: Fighters needs an online mode. I would love to go co-op with a buddy on XBL fighting communists and rescuing comrades. Even forming a squad and fighting other squads would be cool. Finally, MORE LEVELS!
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The
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Suggestions: If there is another EA made LotR game (since Return of the King is the last movie in the LotR triology), there should definitely be an online mode for Xbox and something else to do other than hacking and slashing (*cough* minigames *cough*). An ideal minigame would be first person arrow firing, riding a horse or animal into battle, or even something oddball like hammering a sword.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Tony Hawk's Underground
Overall: I'm a veteran in the Tony Hawk games, and yet again Neversoft comes out with the same basic game but somehow (like always) makes it totally fresh. THUG has the same ramp and grind and tricks that we all know and love, but this time around you can get off your deck and ride in cars and run around.Gameplay: Wow, this game is really impressive. If you thought the last two Hawk's were kinda killing the series (like i did), then don't worry because this one is GREAT. If you've played any other TH game, you know how the boarding feels, but the new cool parts are running around and driving. Running feels awkward at first, but after a while you'll start to love it. Driving, however, feels totally tacked on, but doesn't ruin the game experience since all the driving parts are easy.
Graphics: I don't know how many of you remember THPS 1 and 2, but even though those were the best games in the series, they looked like crap. This one looks very good. Some of the character models could have used a bit of work, but the overall visuals are above average.
Audio: You gotta love games that have real soundtracks. This one has the biggest selection of songs that I've seen in any game. One of my pet peeves from previous Hawk games was not being able to see what the title of a song was without going through the sounds menu. This one has the song details on the menu that pops up when you press start. Like almost every game thats ever had a real soundtrack, some songs are bad, some are okay, and some you'll hum and sing along to for as long as you remember them. I also love games with Janes Addiction songs, so I'm grateful for that.
Suggestions: Hmmmm, none that i can think of other than more good songs. Also, maybe there should only be a few more TH games. The developers should move onto more different products... they've already shown that they can do extreme sports, now how bout TH MMORPG :) ?
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Soul Calibur 2
Overall: I was a big fan of Soul Caliber on the Dreamcast, and have played Soul Caliber 2 on every system. By far, Xbox has the best graphics and character (go Spawn!).Gameplay: Any fan of fighting games like DOA3 and Marvel vs. Capcom will fall in love with Soul Caliber 2. Moving around is a breeze (though I've had some trouble ducking) and unlike 2-D fighting games, moves are pretty simple to execute.
Graphics: Wow. Even though Soul Caliber 2 came out a year after DOA 3, I can't help but be impressed when I see a game with graphics on par with DOA3. Unlike the PS2 and GC versions, there is no slowdown at all.
Audio: When you first here the sword swings and the orchestral music, SC 2 will really impress. However, when doing modes like weapon master, where you sometimes have to do a stage more than once, you'll start to wish Voldo at least acted human and you could use your custom soundtracks as background music. Also, it's fun to make fun of the announcer for the first couple times you hear his nonsense, but after a while, you'll feel the same about him as you should Voldo (which is irrevsible, blinding hatred).
Suggestions: Make a Soul Caliber 2 version thats like Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution; have all the system characters (Heihachi, Link, and Spawn) and add a whole bunch of better content like fan art and cooler costumes (anybody who has seen Cassandra's 3rd costume knows what I'm talking about).
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
