MEMBER PROFILE FOR SquirrelJam
Average Overall Score Given: 9.75000 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 139
Reviews
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
Overall: Your team has just been inserted into hostile territory. Covertly, you and your team creep forward, suddenly, gun shots ring out, bullets whiz by. Your adrenalin starts to pump. A team member shouts, "Contact!". You take aim, there's a deadly exchange of assault-rifle fire... as the smoke begins to clear, it's confirmed, "Tango has been neutrilized", "holding position". The first leg of your mission has just begun...Gameplay: Very fun and challenging. The controls are well laid out. In single player, the command system can be engaged via voice or text based. Merely look at what it is you want and speak the command or bring up the menu with one button or just press A to do the default command for the particular job. You can have your team commence immediately or have your team wait for the ZULU (go)command. Take position, give the "go" when your ready and engage. It won't take you long to get used to how things work. It becomes quite intuitive. This is excellent. The multiplayer experience is nothing short of FUN!! I don't care for "Survival mode" (death match) as much as "All Cooperative", where you and three others are on a team. You have a common goal, you strategize on the fly, cover each other's @sses and try to figure a way to best take down the terrorists before you in the next area. Very suspenseful and one learns how to work together very quickly. EXCELLENT MULTIPLAYER EXPERIENCE!!
Graphics: The game looks great. The environments are realistic and believable and the characters die convincingly when shot; as blood splatters on whatever it is they were near and their bodies go limp. Some lighting techniques have been borrowed from SplinterCell which add to the experience. The graphics are not cutting edge but absolutely better than any other title in this genre.
Audio: This is a big score for me. The environmental sounds are superb; fresh snow crunching under your feet, sounds of your body suit fabric rustling as your moving around, the sounds your footsteps make as you walk on the various textures and obsticles (metal grates, creaky wood floors, tile, gravel and even grass). The biggest thing is the fact that while all this is going on, including what background music there is, it's pumping thru your surround sound sytem but the voices of your team are heard only thru your headset!! This is a very immersive aspect. This feature puts you right in the middle of your surroundings! Very cool and very awesome!! This feature alone is worth the experience!
Suggestions: Tweak the graphics to take advantage of what Xbox has to offer. Allow more weapons to be carried or at least allow double-ing up on catagories instead of keeping them seperate. Allow more amounts of granade ammo, etc. Other than that, I can't wait for Rainbow Six - 4 (how about vehicles?)
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Midtown Madness 3
Overall: The FUN-FACTOR in this title is thru the roof! Sure, we all have more serious racers in our librarys but MM3 is not trying to be a simulator, even though it's physics are spot-on. Bottomline: This title is FUN! I keep finding myself powering-up this title in the morning before I head off to work and in the evening before I head off to bed. I feel those who don't like this title, just don't get it; their misplaced expectations get in the way and they ruin it for themselves. Simply let yourselves enjoy this title. Play it the way the creators intended and have FUN!Gameplay: All of the cars offer an individual experience that reflect their respective attributes; a fine achievement in and of itself. The cities are completely physical in nature (I'll explain that later) as well as being expansive and will take any driver a fair amount of time to fully explore.
I will agree, some of the Undercover Missions can be challenging, especially the last couple, which I'm going thru now. The final "Police-Car driver challenge", using Paris Police Cars, I have yet to win but I'll figure a way. On another mission, it took me 45 min of "re-tries" before I was finally able to smash "Inge" into submission and take her down. I was sweatin' by the end and my addrenelin was pumpin'. The win was gratifying, as are all of the more difficult challenges. Afterall, isn't game play the strongest measure of what's considered to be FUN?
Graphics: Because this title is so dang FUN, I have no technical hang-ups about the better-than-average graphics, as some other nit-pickers do. Lighting effects are also above average, listed but not limited to, are: Environmental lighting, weather effects, buildings and objects casting shadows, surrounding objects reflect on shiny new paint jobs. As your vehicle is getting banged-up, it really shows; your hood finally falls off, the various windows get all spider-cracked, bumpers hang off, smoke will rise out of the engine compartment, etc., This is all great stuff, because in the past, Car-maker licenses would not allow a car to show damage, now damage is the name of the game. The visuals may not contain the highest poly-count out there but what it may lack to some, is quickly overlooked by most because of great gameplay.
Audio: Sounds are great, I have no complaints. In fact, I love all the sounds this title offers. People screaming when you nearly hit them as you blow by and if your in Paris, they yell at you in French. The larger vehicles distinctive diesel engines and airbrake sounds are right-on. The Paris squad car sound makes that two-tone, hi-low siren noise, just like what you'd hear on U.K. COPS! The ambulance and Fire Engine and DC police car also offer sirens to turn on or off. The classic '59 Caddy Eldorado has big 502 V8, lots of power and a deep muffler rumble that sounds like the old engine is missing on one cylinder; I love it. Crash-sounds crunch big and all of the physical objects create their respective sounds when contact is made; Electric Lamp posts, fire hydrants, cafe' tables, chairs, boxes, fruit stands, plate glass, orange contruction cones, crunching metal, vehicle parts... everything!
Suggestions: When is Midtown Madness 4 coming out? No really... as much I approve of your current graphics quality level, I would greatly welcome a more intense, "photorealistic" visual experience for MM4 (but not at the expense of gameplay)
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
NFL 2K3
Overall: I've played Madden for years and when Xbox came out, I was looking for greatness from EA and all they did was make a "port". Being excited to support the mighty new Xbox, I bought Fever2002. It was a great product with several shortcomings and I have no regrets. This year however, I expect and wanted the best football experience possible and this year, NFL2K3 gets my well-earned vote!! As for Madden, well EA has been benched until they give us XboxLIVE! support along with Xbox-focused design, instead releasing another lowest-common-denominato
r port... EA blew it! More importantly, Fever failed on the opportunity to really improve on itself over last year. The spot light is on, but sadly this year, Fever has followed in EA's footsteps... "it's good enough, we'll tweak a couple things and put it on the shelf". The only thing making me consider Fever this year, is its XboxLIVE! support. But I want something more, don't you?
This year however, there is one company that has produced something to write home about. It's Sega, whose just released NFL2K3 and it is truly astounding! ...and it has XboxLIVE and voice-communicator support!!
Gameplay: The production value added by having ESPN on board, makes this football experience quite satisfying. Other reviewers will no doubt focus on franchise mode, real-time trades, front office features and create-a-player, create-a-coach, real-time drafts from NCAA2K3 into your NFL2k3 profootball game, where you can grow these rookies into real pros, the downloading and uploading of stats and much, much more. I haven't even had the chance to get into the real features that make this the deepest football title on the market to date... I'm too busy just playing ball!! (whew!)
Also, the teams (that I'm familiar with) play like their real-life counter-parts; you just got to play it to believe it. I have more to say but I want to get done with this review so I can go play more football!
Graphics: Stunning! Countless animations abound. Real-life physics are at play here folks; Every tackle is exciting and true to real-life; from diving feet grabs, body twisting one-arm grabs, crossblocks, lift-and-drop (if the player is jumping at the time), rolls, spinning collisions, tipped balls... the AI is incredible.
The camera is set right at the correct distance, IMO. Additionally, you can instantly pull out to see the player matchups and alternatively, check the run routes (or hot-routes, if you're using them)
If you're like me, you want to get into using the weather effects for added fun. The climate controls are awesome! Individual climate settings contain; time of day, tempreture, precipitation, wind speed and fog level. If the precipitation level is up, you've got rain. Create a shower or a downpour. If however the precipitation is engaged and the tempreture is below 40 degrees, you've got snow and boy can you turn on the snow. I recreated last years blizzard game between the Patriots and the Raiders, boy was that awesome. In cold temps, you can see the players breath! In rain and snow, you see the players uniforms get dirty and field wears as the game goes on. It's this sort of attention to detail that makes me eager for next years title. Madden and Fever better get off the pot and on the ball, if they'll ever hope to earn my dollar back.
Audio: The sound is stellar. It's known by most that the Sega NFL series has always had the best commentating and this year is no exception. The announcers will even make comments on previous great plays during breaks in the action of current plays! In one game of mine, my WR hurt his hand and was taken out of the game. Later, the next quarter, a female correspondant, announcing from the locker room, reported the x-rays were negetive and the player may come back into the game! I was blown away, I had long since forgotten about him. Excellent! I love surprises like this, what attention to detail!
The crowd noise is just terrific and react to great plays and bad penalties. The stadium music is the closet to real-life as you can get without having to pay royalties to the NFL and the artists. Players make all the appropriate sounds when being hit or making hits, the stadium referee announcements have just the right amount of reverb and slap-back echo. When on my surround sound system, the stadium crowd is balanced thru all my speakers (in back too) while the commentators only come out of my front center... just like on TV. Sounds great to me!!
Suggestions: Sega has produce a truly outstanding football title. Currently, I'm just a player and not a front-office guy (yet), but what do all these football play names mean and do? They are not always displayed together. Maybe Im doing something wrong but in setting audibles, I can't see the plays, just the names and frankly, I feel like Im looking at computer code. In the old days, Madden used to pack a poster-chart of all the plays in with the game disc. I'd like Sega to offer perhaps, a playbook online for me to look over so Im not so dumbfounded when staring at these encrypted play names. I have little else to complain about with this title. Rock on!
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Rallisport Challenge
Overall: I've been waiting for a driving title of this caliber to come along since the Xbox was first announced and now it's here! I didn't think anything could compete with Gran Turismo but this one does in many ways. Most notably, the environment visuals and physics of how the car handles within those various environments. Truly satisfying! This is the best title to date that has demonstrated the awesome potential of Xbox/GeForce graphics. What could possibly be next? ... I can't wait. Gameplay: I love the feeling of pulling off four wheel slides on aggressive curves. I love kicking up dirt and skidding the apex of a hairpin turn. I love overtaking other racers with authority on the dirt. I love driving on the "edge" of being out-of-control, pushing the envelope. I love RalliSport Challenge!! The replay mode is wonderful to watch, though I wish I could "save" my favorite races.
Graphics: I love so many other Xbox titles and I mean no disrepect to them, graphically. However, there is NO better environment mapping on any shipping title, on any other console platform, period! The extra details are also simply stunning. To those that know photography, the "depth of field" will be truly appreciated. Also, the entire environment is there and not drawn as you drive into it. Small details like; tree leaves and wheat grass blowing freely in the wind. Bushes bending and flexing when driven over. Tires kick up what ever you're driving on. The particle mapping is outstanding; Dust clouds, gravel, grass, rubber and smoke, mud, snow and ice. It's all there! Broken and cracked car glass and broken tail lights and headlights are also there. I also like the birds that are rustled when startled by passing cars. I like the wildlife animal herds that can be seen running in the background (easily noticed when in replay mode). Everything looks exceptional... except for the sparce crowds. Makes me wonder why they put them in at all. I'd rather they leave them out all to together.
Audio: Engine sounds could vary a little more. Granted, the car classes contain very similar engine specs but they sound very whiney and 2 stroke-ish. The debree sounds and gear shifting backfires are cool. I just wish there were bigger and deeper engine noises.
Suggestions: Please make this title system-link capable!! I, like so many others, detest being crippled and raped by the limitations of "split-screen". Personalization of button lay out would be nice. I use my emergency brake more than the brake pedal and would like to switch button assignments. Lastly, I wish I could simply re-race a bad race, in career mode, rather than the re-do the whole season to get ahead. Another thing: If I veer off, don't reset my car. If one cuts corners too drastically, I can justify a reset but lighten up a little. Lastly, I'd like more visable damage done.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
