Status
-Console: Playstation 2
-ESRB Rating: Teen
-Genre: Fighting
- #Of Players: 1-2
-Difficulty: Adjustable
-Published by: SNK Playmore
-Completion Time: N/A
- #Of discs: 2 (additional “The Making of…” DVD)

Presentation: 6/10

The main thing that is notable about the presentation is the box that holds the two DVD cases looks. It is full of color and large CG images of past King of Fighters Characters. The idea behind this game is the merging of 2-d and 3-d gameplay with an all-new story. Whether this game meets the objectives it claims to promote is still very much up in the air. With every step forward, there is something that holds this game back.

Story: 6/10

As with many fighting games, the usual motivation of the story is that someone is holding a fighting tournament and various fighters get invited to beat the stuffing out of each other. However, this game takes the story a little further. The main story follows the exploits of the brothers Meira, and how they seek revenge for the assassination of their leader Fate. Fate was a powerful gang leader of the city of Southtown, a place forever known in SNK history from the Fatal Fury fighting series. Fate also raised both of the brothers from early childhood. Since they feel they owe a large debt for what he did for them, they both enter to meet Duke, the man that put out the hit on Fate’s Head.

Sound: 4/10

The music in this game is pretty well placed. The tunes that you will hear match the areas that you are fighting in. These songs are a mix of jazzy hip-hop, & rock and roll, that really help the player get into beating down on many of the game’s opponents. The sound effects are a good variety of hits and smacks that bring the brutality of the moves up a notch.

On the other hand, the English voice-overs run the spectrum from “Eh…” to downright atrocious. Many of the lines don’t match the lip synchs of the characters, leaving many noticeable moments of people’s mouths moving, but no sound coming out of them. To make matters worse, voices rarely match the characters. This mismatch causes most of the story scenes come off as over-dramatic. The script writing is filled with cheesy one-liners and cut and paste conversations that sometimes don’t make any sense at all. Since there is no option to switch to the original Japanese voice-overs, gamers are left with a sour taste in their mouth when there favorite character loses a majority of the personality that the gamer has grown to be accustomed to. Practically all of the game is dubbed, and gamers will be forced to get used to, or turn the volume all the way down, to avoid this major problem. It is a shame, because the music is pretty good and the horrific voice-overs drain the music out.

-Control: 7/10

The control is pretty easy to get into, but seems to suffer from having more commands than the controller can handle. Most of the difficulty comes from the dodging in the game. The R1 button has the sole purpose of doing the trademark rolling dodges, and the “new” sidestep options. Though it is very easy to do the wrong type of dodge. Luckily this can be remedied by the fully customizable controls.

-Graphics: 7/10

The main thing gamers will notice is just how colorful the game really is. Most of the KOF favorites make the transition to 3-d quite well. Character stances are intact and the moves are made to dazzle. The areas are pretty bland, with most of the fighting taking place in a square or circle of some kind. The environments outside of the fighting are detailed and nice to look at. The people in the backgrounds look very blurry though, as if a 2-d sprite was pasted into the landscape.

Though the character models look nice, they are far from top notch. Mignon Beart, one of the new characters, has a costume that you can see the line from where the creators wrapped the costume skin around the initial body model. Other characters have issues with polygons passing through one another, which is most evident in the profile mode, where hair goes completely through a character’s arm and any other limbs or clothes that get in the way.

-Gameplay: 6/10

The game’s speed is much faster this time around, and puts the familiar special move system on the back burner and replaces it with a combo system much like a Tekken or Soul Calibur. The difference is that many of the moves don’t “flow” into each other and you become reliant on one combo that you can abuse over and over again until you knock out an opponent. The computer does this as well, and makes this tactic their primary mode of attack. Now that characters can take damage while lying on the ground, and can be bounced back into the walls to extend the combos and damage, if you get caught on the ground or in front a wall that you can’t sidestep away from, you will receive massive damage and probably lose. Most of the “old school” SNK fans will get turned off from the lack of power in their favorite special attacks, and the lack of depth in the combo system will turn off the 3-d fighting fans. Many of the battles boil down to a pattern of: “Dodge attack, attack with combo, dodge attack, attack, rinse and repeat.”

Multiplayer: 7/10

The game features the standard VS mode, which gives the option of playing against the computer or a friend in trademark 3-on-3 battles, or just doing a standard one-on-one match. The main drawback to the 3-on-3 fights is the load times between battles.

Longevity: 6/10

The game has a large amount of unlockable content. Through the mission mode, gamers can gain new costumes and stages, and it does a passable job of teaching you how to correctly exploit the battle system. Clearing the story mode with a character unlocks their profile. In this mode, gamers can look at a model of the character, and zoom in and out, while they are in their battle stance. You can find out about their back-stories and the things they like. Unfortunately, there are a few translation issues here as well. For example: Did you know that Rock Howard’s (a selectable character in the game) favorite food is his driving gloves?

The “Rigging Model” area of the profile allows the player to slightly tweak existing costumes. Some changes are minimal, from adding a guitar case on a character’s back, to options that practically make another outfit. It would have been nice to allow the characters the option to wear all of the rigging models, but most of them are intended to be comical, yet the miss the mark completely.

Final Score: 6/10

This game can be fun. The artist Falcoon did the characters designs, and each one comes off beautifully despite the graphical errors. His style gives the series a much needed boost, and a uniqueness all its own. The gameplay, though flawed, can be fun when fighting under normal conditions. I also wish that they didn’t stack the deck so high against you in the final fight. I wish developers would realize that making incredibly overpowered final bosses to increase the challenge doesn’t increase the challenge. It just inspires frustration. In the case of Duke, this game’s final boss, he is powerful enough without the infinite special bar. Giving him that just allows him to abuse his super powered finishing move by using it in sequence over and over. The horrible voice acting takes the gamer out of the experience, and nearly ruins the game by itself. The additional DVD shows trailers, interviews, and a few quick glances of artwork sketches. It features an additional instruction booklet that shows all of the moves and a quick summary of each character’s whereabouts before they were mailed the invitation to the tournament. In closing, this is a series that definitely has potential, but many, many things will need to be fixed before it can truly become the king.

By Plumbum Sol

Presentation: 8.5/10

Since Sony snagged the exclusive rights to SC III a while ago, fans have been wondering how the game will measure up to its mega-hit multi-platform predecessor. With its beautiful graphics, new modes, a character creator, and an improved overall storybook atmosphere, it does a pretty good job.

Story: 7/10

While storylines haven’t been the main draw for fighting game fans, SC III does an admirable job of weaving an interesting and compelling atmosphere. The Azure Knight, Siegfried is finally freed from the bonds of the evil sword Soul Edge by stabbing the blade with its opposing counterpart Soul Calibur. He then goes on a quest to finally destroy it. All the while Nightmare, the personality Siegfried assumed while under control of the sword has been somehow revived and wishes to finally release the true power of the blade on the unsuspecting world. Throw in a bunch of characters that wish to either take Soul Edge for themselves or destroy the blade, and you have yourselves a game.

3 new characters enter the fray this time. Zasalamel, a man with a massive scythe, who found a way to be reincarnated eternally, orchestrates storyline events in hopes of finally finding a way to die. Next there is Setsuka, a beautiful woman wearing a kimono who simply seeks revenge on the man who killed her adoptive father in a duel. Finally there is Tira, the psychotic willing servant of Soul Edge that just kills with a giant bladed hoola-hoop of death out of pure enjoyment of the suffering of others. They all fit very well into the growing cast and add to the huge number of weapon based fighting styles already present.

Sound: 8.5/10

Players are once again given the option to choose between Japanese and English voice-overs. Players that are audio purists will enjoy being able to switch between the two. The English VO is done very well. It is probably one of the better vocal sounding fighting games out there. Nearly everyone seems to fit the roles that they were cast as, and much better than in the previous game. Though, there are plenty of times where the subtitle on screen doesn’t match the audio. It is somewhat understandable with all of the text, but it is disappointing. Also audio lines seem to get cut off suddenly in a few cases.

The music returns with its trademark orchestrated scores, still as good as ever. Though in some cut-scenes the music doesn’t always load. Which is a little strange. The sounds of weapons clashing and slicing in the midst of battle is still seems to be quite realistic.

Control: 8/10

The controls remain the same this time around, one button for horizontal slashes, another for vertical slashes, and the last 2 for guards and kicks. Pushing combinations of these buttons does a variety of things. It is just as responsive as ever. Luckily if a player hates the control scheme, it is fully customizable. The camera works fine, but there are times especially during throws where zooming in on the action can get a little disorienting.

Graphics: 9/10

Everything is improved this time around. Stages are a beautiful sight to see. Whether it is a battle on a samurai ship in the midst of a fierce battle with flaming arrows flying through the air, or fighting in a beautiful cathedral with water flowing down around the battle arena, everything looks really nice. Floors show damage when powerful moves connect, much like in Tekken 5. Character models are improved too, especially in facial details. When gamers watch their favorite character speak in the profile mode, the mouth movements actually look pretty realistic.

The create-a-character mode is pretty impressive, though, it is quite limited. Players only have one body type for their gender. So any dreams of creating your very own hulking giant like Astaroth or a petite character like Talim still remain dreams. Character creations never seem to reach the quality of the original characters. The original characters clothing just seem to be shiner for some reason. Most of the create-a-character’s” clothing just has a plain, bland look. The original characters have an interesting color edit feature, but that is pretty limited as well. Gamers are only allowed to change 3 areas of the character, 2 for clothing, and 1 for hair. It would have been nice if gamers were able unlock some of the main character’s clothing by completing some requirement in the “Tales of Souls” mode or something, but alas, it doesn’t happen.

Gameplay: 8.5/10

One of the new additions to the game is the Tales of Souls mode, in which the gamers play through their own chose your own adventure type of storyline with the character of their choice. Before every match players will be reading a large blurb of text explaining the actions of what a character is doing at that time. It is kind of reminiscent of the Weapon Master Mode in SCII. Players are allowed some freedom in choosing where they will go next, and events will change according to what is chosen.

Sadly, most of the characters share the same cut-scenes and events in their storylines. Also in many of the cut-scenes are moments where you have to press a pre-specified button or combination of buttons. Missing the timed event will usually result in lost health, or starting off the match with a negative status effect on your character. The main problem with this is that it gets boring doing it over and over after a while. There is no way to skip the sequences either. It is especially aggravating when they show up during the character endings. When I would play with a character I’d normally never use, and barely make it through the storyline only to have my ending ruined because I couldn’t hit the up button and square fast enough, it was aggravating. Even if the ending can be viewed in the Museum mode and the timing be eventually mastered there, it still bothered me on some level.

Next, there is the Chronicles of the Sword mode, the hyped RTS mode meant to replace Weapon Master this time around. This is the main mode in which Create a Character shows its stuff. A story of 3 kingdoms fighting for supremacy with a group of shadowy figures manipulating the strings awaits players. The problem with this mode is that the story is so vague and thin; it is really difficult to get anything out of it.

There aren’t any real strategy elements in this mode either. Winning nearly always consists of killing everyone on the map. Most battles consist of either attacking until it is over, or defending until the advancing enemy troops are killed, and then going and killing the general. SC III characters make an appearance in certain bases for no real reason outside of giving players a chance to see what their Job Class is. (Character move-lists can be unlocked with enough player experience in a particular job class.) Many of the strange field effects that each fortification could have aren’t described at all, so players will end up jumping in and finding out what they mean the hard way. Also, created characters in the CotS mode can’t be carried over to the main mode. They have to be recreated in the separate Character Creator. While the mode can be fun, and a nice change from the Tales of Sword mode, it can get really boring sometimes. Players can’t save mid battle, so if they get started and have to quit, their progress will be lost, unless they purposely get all of their characters wiped out. Sadly, most of the items that can be unlocked in the character creator are found here.

These modes are only the tip of the iceberg. There is a tournament mode, which is pretty fun except you can’t save your progress. The Soul Arena offers the ability to participate in a bevy of unique missions from fighting a giant statue to attacking the enemy in hopes of getting the coins that come out of their bodies every time an attack is successful. Also, the arcade style of playing through the game (2 out of 3 rounds, no story) is available as well. There is a new additional training mode, that teaches new players the ins and outs of the system, with a glossary of all of the SC terminology to boot. That becomes very helpful since character’s move lists have changed. It would have been nice if they showed the rhythm of button presses for the commands like in the Tekken games, because just watching the computer do a move successfully, and then actually trying to do it can be difficult.

It sad that Namco didn’t put in the arcade ports of Soul Edge, and Soul Calibur like the development team mentioned in earlier interviews before release, but it is understandable why they didn’t. Decent online play would have been great, especially if none of your gaming buddies are in to fighters. But there is definitely more than enough to keep the fighting game fan occupied.

Multiplayer: 7/10

The multiplayer pretty much remains unchanged this time around. Though the addition of the tournament mode is okay, chances of most gamers finding enough people to play with is slim. It still manages to great for all of the tournament competitors out there. Some battles feature additional effects like icy floors or increased damage for moves that knock an opponent back. Though the best part is fighting with the character creations.

Longevity: 10/10

Namco has made a fighting game that will last for a very long time. They show just how much they care about the single player by placing so much stuff to do and things to unlock. Though some unlockables are very tedious and time consuming to find, the feeling of accomplishment always follows after players find a new event in Tales of Souls, unlock a new fighting style with a character creation, or get the gold medal requirement on one of the challenges in the Soul Arena. The stores run out of items way too early in the experience. There are a lot of things to buy, but I still found myself having a lot of money with nothing to spend it on. The multiplayer combat is just as good as it has always been, and maybe even more interesting now that character creations can battle along with series favorites.

Final Score: 9/10

This game has a tendency to just suck up entire days. Players will find themselves sitting down for a small break, and then looking at the watch to find that a few hours have passed. It is an addictive experience. I just hope that in the next inevitable installment, they will improve the quality of the Create a Character, and put in the arcade ports of the earlier Soul Calibur/Edge games. Only the most dedicated fans will actually sit through to get the 100% completion that they are looking for. The computer intelligence is a lot smarter this time around, and will be more likely to take advantage of positioning and mistakes players will make. It is great that Namco put in the improved training mode and glossary. It makes the ability to rise from a novice to a possible tournament champion that much easier. Soul Calibur III manages to be as deep as ever, and still be accessible to new players. It is a great experience worthy of any videogame fan’s time.

By Plumbum Sol

Silent Hill 4: The Room

No. of players: 1
Console: Playstation 2, X-box, Pc
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Survival Horror
Age rating: 18 (UK)

Silent Hill 4 is considered by many fans of the game to be a bad title on many accounts. Of course this is the forth in the storyline, and in some parts, pieces links to Silent Hill 2. This has many new ideas and styles of play unlike the previous Silent Hill games.

Graphics
The graphics of have improved a lot since Silent Hill 3. The characters look a lot more realistic in terms of face, clothes, hair. Your environment looks more freaky when things turn bad (rusty walls and floors). The creatures look a lot more gruesome than they previously did, such as creatures who emerge from a black dripping hole in walls. There are weather conditions such as fog at certain parts of the game.
8/10

Music
Mostly there isn’t music, mostly creepy sounds, bangs, sudden noises. But during films or key points of the game there will be music. Most of the songs have a creepy feel to them or can capture a certain emotion really well, there composed really well.
9/10

Game play
This is were Silent Hill 4 is made different from the previous Silent Hill games. They have taken out the fact you had to go to the menu screen to check health, as there is now a health bar at the top of the screen. You can now change weapons in real time, instead of going into the menu screen. There is only two guns in Silent Hill 4, a pistol, and revolver, and ammo is much more rare than the last games. This mostly because Silent Hill 4’s combat system mostly relays on a new system relays on melee weapons. If you have a bat, a quick tap will result in a quick swipe, while holding the attack button results in a more powerful swipe. One thing that made Silent Hill fans annoyed was the Resident Evil idea of being able to hold only ten items, and items such as bullets cant be combined, this results in taking up space.
You also have to make a trip back to Henrys apartment to save, heal, and store items, this can be annoying.
7/10

Difficulty:
As with earlier Silent Hills you can pick the difficulty of your game, these range from Easy, Normal and Hard, also you can pick the difficulty of the games puzzles, again, Easy Normal and Hard. Of course, as the game progresses, the game puts you in more dangerous situations.

8/10

Story
The story’s timeline is set after silent hill 2. Henry is trapped in his apartment in South Ashfield, his phone and TV doesn’t work, his windows wont open and his door is locked in chains. After 5 days, he finds a portal leading to areas that are unknown to him, as the story goes on, he finds out he is becoming the next target of a murderer mentioned in a news article in Silent Hill 2: Walter Sullivan.

The story may sound completely strange, but the fact is, the story isn’t about Henry. It revolves around Walter Sullivan, as the game progresses you learn more about the guy. Why is he doing this? Why is your room turning this way? What is actually going on? All this is explained, it’s a nice idea. 9/10

Extras

There’s lots of extras to keep you replaying. There are four endings 1 bad, 1 average, one good yet bad, and a good ending. There are new weapons available once you completed the game. New game modes etc.

7/10

Overall
8/10

By Flame

Story 90/100

The story of Shadow of the Colossus is very open-ended. Even as you finish the game there is no clear answer to who anyone is. All you know is that the main character has brought a dead girl to the ‘Forbidden Lands’ following a legend that he can bring her back to life there. We don’t know who she is all that we know about her is that her name is “Mono”. We aren’t told why he brought her here or why he wants to resurrect her. The only thing you are told is that she was sacrificed and the main character wants to bring her back.

There in the temple where he places her to rest, the main character (who we aren’t told his name but is called “Wander” in the credits, possibly referring to the simple fact that he is wondering the lands looking for a way to revive Mono) meets a being called Dormin. Dormin is a god-like being that speaks from the light coming through from the sky. Dormin originally tries to scare and kill Wander, but after Dormin sees that Wander has the “Ancient Sword” Dormin stops the attack. (We aren’t told where Wander got the sword from either by the way.)

Dormin tells Wander that there is only one way to bring the girl back is to defeat the Colossi that are scattered around the Forbidden Land. Only then will Dormin have the power to bring her back. Dormin warns Wander that in order for him to bring Mono back Wander will have to pay a heavy price. Wander agrees and sets out on his mission to destroy the Colossus. Guided by the light of the Ancient Sword Wander searches the Forbidden Land to find and defeat the 16 Colossal beasts.

As simple as it seems the story seems there is a lot of mystery and suspicion behind it. Firstly having been given such little information about the character, it drives you to want to finish the game and find out more. The ending might leave you more confused that you were when you started the game however.

The few cut scenes that are in the game—mainly the ones following after you defeat a Colossi—are very ambiguous and it makes you curious as to what they are trying to imply. The story being so open-ended gives you a lot of freedom to create your own background story. Many fans of the game have come up with interesting theories as to why Wander brought the girl to the Forbidden, who Dormin really is and etc. Except for the ending, which gives you a bit more information to work with, you pretty much have say as to what you think is going on.

Gameplay 100/100

How many ways can a person say amazing! The gameplay is just to die for! A while back I read an article in GamePro magazine about what’s wrong in video games. Things that were mentioned were: games’ obsession with random boxes scattered around the game’s universe, the use of the “elements” i.e. fire, water, air, ground etc; the fact that your character is the savior the world. Well there are more but that’s not my point, my point is that the article was completely right; Shadow of the Colossus travels on a different path.

Now this might be a shocker but there are no side quests, no other enemies besides the 16 Colossus, no treasure chest, no other weapons besides the ones you start out with, and no other characters besides Wander, Mono, Dormin, and a priest that makes an appearance at the end. A very small cast indeed, don’t you think? Don’t worry that’s a rhetorical question.

Game play is awesome due to several things. The first being that it’s so simple and yet at the same time it’s really requires you to think. I know that sounds like an oxymoron but bear with me. The only sort of battling you do is battling the Colossi, simple right? Well, yes and no. You see the only things you have to kill the Colossi with your sword and bow-and-arrow. It seems like an impossible feat but it can be done, it just requires you to think hard and make use of your surroundings. Most of the things you’ll have to do is use the environment around you to climb aboard the Colossi and find their weak spot while holding on for dear life because the Colossi will try to shack your off and they will try hard! There is no clear why to do it, you just have to figure out how. You don’t have any magic, special weapons or special moves to help you, and no combos for people that love button-smashing. That’s the challenge of the game and that’s its main attraction. Since there are no distractions you’re just left with the core. It’s not easy but it’s very rewarding at the end.

One thing that’s great about the game is the fact that there is no leveling up, or more items to collect, no abilities to learn and etc. I know it might not sound very interesting if nothing new will be happening but it will be.

You’ll be playing this game and be astounded by the simplicity of it and at the same time astounded by the sheer magnitude of what you are actually doing. You are destroying the Colossi, these beasts are literally larger than the screen!

Graphics 100/100

The graphics aren’t the cell-shaded favorites of most fans but they are still amazing. The first thing you will take notice of is the world you are playing in, and how realistic it is. Literally never seen such a realistic world in my game-playing life. The world is huge and, I’m making an estimation here, but 95% of the world is free to explore. Mind you there are no enemies or hidden treasures but still it’s an amazing ride on the horse to just go exploring. It took me close to an half an hour to explore the southern side of the Forbidden Land and I enjoyed every moment of it. I would say a good comparison would be the Calm Lands from Final Fantasy X and X-2 and take three steps up from that. It is just an amazing thing to see.

However the world is just part of it. The next amazing thing about this game in terms of graphics has to be the Colossi themselves. Each Colossi is an amazing sight to behold. Each of them is modeled after something, and it’s clear what that is right off the bat, but what’s amazing about is the realism and contextual amazement each Colossus has, each with their own distinct characteristics which is made clear by the moments and gestures.

The last thing that proves how amazing the graphics are in this game is with the game mechanics. A good example is how the horse moves. Now in many games that I’ve played where you had the ability to ride a horse, it was simply a matter of getting on the horse and pushing a button. Now that’s simple but most of the time it wasn’t very realistic and the horse pretty much went in 7 directions: straight, left, right, 45° degrees right and 45°degrees left—well that’s all different in this game. First of all the horse, whose name in Argo, has a much more intelligent A.I. than most bosses in other games. The horse will freely wonder on its own. You can call on him when you need him and he’ll usually follow you. Also he won’t kill himself because when a cliff is nearby he’ll automatically stop to save himself. Also he gallops like a real horse and that’s because it requires you to do more than just press a button and the direction pad. It will take both analog sticks to control the horse smoothly. This might seem tedious and annoying at first but once you get the hang of it, it runs (pun) very smoothly. And the horse moves like a real horse would.

The most obvious thing to point out is the interaction between the Colossi, the environment and the main character Wander. When the Colossi move and shake the earth, the earth literally shakes and you stake with it. Cool, huh? Dirt and dust is being thrown into the air and you are stumbling to just stand up. The Colossi, in the exception to a few instances where they can’t move because they are so huge, are very responsive to you. Their A.I. is very impressive which just makes defeating them even better.

Controls and Camera 90/100

Controls are so simple! You have just the basics to work with so you don’t have to worry about combos or anything. This makes the game much more difficult because all you have to work with is your sword and bow-and-arrow. You’ll have to think through most battles because your button-smashing ability won’t do you much good. Simply because you’ll have to jump and angle yourself correctly to make the leap, while still holding onto the edge of the pillar, or one of many instances like that one. Plus since the only way to do damage to the Colossi is to hit their weak spot, which is about 0.05 of their body size, you’ll have to do all sorts of stuff to get up there and once your there you don’t want to fall.

The controls will take a few minutes to get used and will become second nature to you.

However, the camera is another story. The camera seems, at times, very out of control. It never seems centered on the main character and several times while playing the camera just took over and went back to the default angle—which didn’t really help me. Still once you learn how to use both at the same time you shouldn’t have a problem. I suggest spending some time just strolling around getting use to everything.

Personal Thoughts

Truly a game that stands out amongst the crowd. It was great to play it all the way through. It’s hard for me to say why this game is so amazing. Usually all the characteristics that this game has are the things you don’t want to have in other games; however, for some reason it works stellar in this game. I think it’s because it was all intentional. The game was meant to be this way. You actually get to see the good to hot having to worry about countless enemies that just annoy you and just focus on what’s important: the bosses. Shadow of the Colossus took a risk removing traditionally always acceptable features in games for something new and different. But it worked well. Shadow of the Colossus is a game not like many others. A game with new spins on the world of video games. There’s an interesting story–well not so much interesting as it is mysterious—and a beautiful world to explore. And most importantly of all: a breath of fresh air from the standard routine of game play. This is worth a try just for the experience alone.

Final Grade 90/100

By Cherubim

Presentation: 8/10

An action platformer can suffer from all kinds of flaws especially if genres are mixed together. Luckily with Ratchet and Clank, everything comes together to make an awesome game and a great start to the series.

Story: 8/10

The game’s story puts players into the role of Ratchet, a Lombax, who is trying to see the universe. Clank the robot ends up crash landing on his planet requesting his help to find the legendary hero Captain Quark that can save the universe from the evil Drek. Since Ratchet needs a robot to help him pilot his ship they agree to team up together. The game’s story is not particularly deep, but it does a great job keeping gamers interested in what they are trying to do. Scenes are filled with humor but manage to keep their seriousness, making the whole experience a compelling one. The length of the story mode is just right as well, not ending too quickly, or wearing out its welcome.

Sound: 8/10

All of the voice-overs are done perfectly. It is simply a pleasure hearing everyone speak. Characters are perfectly fleshed out, and filled with enthusiasm. None of the voices are annoying. All of the talents are perfectly matched to their roles.

Most of the music is techno. Though there are changes during more dramatic moments. The synthesized music fits the game well, it has a tendency to simply fade away, only coming out when you stop to take a look around or plot your next move.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are on par with other platformers on the system. Locations are populated and colorful. Insomniac Games’ artistic staff deserves credit for creating so many beautifully diverse backgrounds. Every area is different from another, and manages to achieve a perfect balance of nature and technology. The drive to see what is just ahead never dies. Cutscenes are also done just as well. All of the character models are expressive and keep gamers enthralled. Each time one plays, it is a treat to watch.

Also graphically, this game does some many interesting things. Though personally, the magnetboots sections became nauseating at times, being able to walk along the side of a building and have the camera give a behind the back view was really nice touch. The difference in scale in the few levels that Clank solely participates in also provides an extra layer of realism.

The effects are nice, and explosions are pretty. Most of the time the game moves at a pretty smooth speed. Though there are occasional times when slowdown occurs, especially after a group of enemies die at the same time and their carcasses explode in a shower of bolts, the game’s currency.

Gameplay: 8/10

The gameplay mixes many genres, and does a great job of spacing out different kinds of objectives. Each experience, whether it takes place jumping across a series of ledges to find a new hidden area, or shooting down enemies in the space ship dog fights manages to feel familiar, but much better than you remembered. The game even manages to make the stealth sequences interesting. Infiltrating areas using the hologuise put a new spin onto an aging experience. Even though it is challenging, the difficulty never becomes unfair. Checkpoints are spaced frequently enough so death isn’t as big of a threat in other games. Only in the last few areas will you find yourself doing some serious backtracking after a mishap.

The weapons are wonderful and creative, and most have their own unique uses in the game. From the Decoy Glove that places an inflatable doll of Ratchet that all of the enemies chase after, to the Morph o’ Ray that turns enemies into chickens, all are interesting. Going though a tough area, using some of the more creative weapons provide for many interesting moments. The feeling of accomplishment after setting a trap and watching it come to fruition is exponentially more enjoyable than going in and just blowing everything up, even though that is really fun too.

The game does a great job of teaching gamers how to play. Also if a player misses out on a help update, there is an area in the pause menu that chronicles all of the updates, and how each of the gadgets and weapons work. Also every area has a detailed map that can be accessed at any time that shows objectives, and at a later time, hidden areas for extra exploration. Since the levels do branch out into multiple paths, and getting lost would be really easy without them, it is a welcome addition. I only wish that there could have been more of the other areas, where some of the other objectives, like the fighter jet segments, or Giant Clank areas took place.

Longevity: 8/10

Upon completing the game players will be given a choice of going back to the beginning with all of the weapons and bolts that they have acquired. By going through the game again, players will also be rewarded with the ability to level up some of their weapons to the Gold level. Gold weapons sport drastic improvements over their regular counterparts, like increased power and added effects. However getting some of the better weapons costs a lot of bolts, so gamers will find themselves spending extra time trying to get all of them.

Also players can gain extra goodies by finding all of the skill points and gold bolts necessary for the weapon upgrades hidden throughout the each of the levels. By passing these hidden objectives like shooting down a certain number of spacecrafts that are flying by in the sky, players can unlock an art gallery with creator comments and other great things.

Final Score: 9/10

Ratchet and Clank is a great game. With an interesting story, good graphics and unique gameplay that will push the genre as a whole forward, it is very impressive. The game is a welcome change to the norm in platforming. If gamers haven’t taken the dive into current gen platforming, this game will be a great place to start.

By Plumbum Sol

Story 70/100

The similarities between Dragon Ball Z and Naruto continue their eternal quest for noob, and veteran alike, fan superiority on the Playstation 2. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja is the second Naruto video game released in America (and eventually Europe), and it’s packing a punch; however, when it comes to story that punch could have been delivered a bit better. It seems the makers of this game merely copied the format of the Dragonball Z Budokai games and slapped Naruto right over.

Fan who played Dragonball Z Budokai will see immediate similarities in this game, especially when it comes to story; unfortunately, I would have to say that Dragon Ball Z wins in this department.

We all know the concept of fighting like this. We’ve seen it done in many fighting games based off anime series. Story Mode is usually the weakest mode of the games; usually just filled with battles that loosely tie into the original story of the anime. Completing Story Mode usually rewards you, the player, with a few extra characters that were hidden before. And while many games can do this and still feel like a decent investment of forty or fifty bucks, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja does not. Mainly for two basics reasons: story, or scenario mode as it is called in this game, is too short and there are too few characters to unlock.

When you go into Scenario Mode you are allowed to pick one character, and you will play through this character’s saga. Sounds exciting huh? Well it would fun if it wasn’t just six, or sometimes even five, battles. It goes by so quickly! The first time when I saw “Kakashi Saga: Completed” I was like, “Are you joking!” The scenario mode ends just when it starts to get good. Of you are allowed to go back and do the mode again, but there’s no point to by then. As you complete certain sagas you will unlock other hidden characters’ scenarios, completing those scenarios will unlock those characters. It’s all very simple and fun, but short.

If you are a fan of the series you’ll realize soon enough that the game only goes up to and around the 30+ episode or the 4-6 volume of the manga. For a series in the hundreds in terms of episodes, that’s kind of disappointing. However, players that have played Dragon Ball Z Budokai I, II, III or Tenkashi will remember that Dragon Ball Z Budokai (I) only went up to the Freiza Saga, it took the next three installments for the game series to catch up with the anime. Hopefully the developers will cut the time in half. For a series known for strong character personalities 12 characters is some what disappointing.

Gameplay 80/100

Gameplay in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja is a cross between the Budokai games and Super Smash Brothers. You’ll be fighting on the traditional 2-Dimensional fighting screen with the ability to instantly move to another side to avoid attacks. Like Super Smash Brothers there will be random items that will randomly appear in during your battle. These items can either increase your speed, attack, or slow your opponent down. There are also other items that give you a new ninja tool (usually a Sharingan) to use or allow your support character to enter the game and do damage to your opponent for a few moments—weird thing is half of the support characters aren’t even in the game.

Any fan of the Naruto series now’s the bulk of anyone’s attack is their chakra and jutsu techniques. In this game each characters comes with special jitsu moves that they alone can master.

Yes, your button-smashing skills will come in hand in this game. There are a hand-full of combos you’ll want to master as they are easy to pull off like Zabuza’s Water Prison Jutsu. However, other than that it’s button smashing. You’ll have a basic attack button (square), which you’ll have to use to attack. With that said you’ll be using combos to take down your enemies. Once you’ve charged up enough chakra you’ll be able unleash your jutsu attacks. Which range from 1level techniques to 3 level techniques that can provide devastating damage to your opponent. You’ll have to keep an eye on your chakra as special techniques consume it and if you don’t have any you’ll be out of luck. Not to worry you can charge.

Special Techniques are unleashed by releasing your charka and then attack the opponent. You must land an attack or else your special technique will be voided. Now that you’ve started the process of your special jutsu technique you can take it to the next step. In the left corner of the screen during your jutsu technique scene you will see a command window if you press all the buttons listed (they won’t change, so once you will learn them it will become much easier) you will continue your technique or inflict more damage. It’s good if you’re in a tight spot as fully completing your jutsu can do massive damage.

One interesting that I like about the gameplay is the approach to items. Each stage comes with a bunch of items but you can also bring some into battle. After every stage you will be scored and you will receive ryo (currency) that you can exchange for items. Now these items varry from sharingans to an invisiblity talisman. Once you purchase them they are in your inventory and you are free to bring them out in any battle. This is cool and could help you when you most need. So thumbs up there Naruto!

Now like most fighting games it really comes down to preference with characters. Most attacks do the same amount of damage and the same can we said for some special techniques. It’s all about how you play. Each character has their strengths and weaknesses, for example: Gaara is terribly slow but he has the ability to break an opponent’s block or shield himself from almost all attacks. So it all depends on how you play.

Overall the game play is decent, but the game doesn’t offer anything different from all the others. The game is pretty much like all the others. And for gamers that have been playing the same thing for so long it’s boring, well maybe that’s me. Still the game was pretty fun to play. What could have made this game better would be, of course the obvious, more characters and maybe the ability to learn more jetsu. Oh well it looks like we’ll just have to wait for Naruto II.

Graphics 85/100

The graphics borrow heavily on the manga version of Naruto, more so than the anime. Although there are screen shots of the anime shown throughout the game. The majority of the little bit of dialog that’s presented in the game is done in 2D with a dialog box below. Not that the characters are really saying much, but still it would have been nice to see some actual dialog and not just random lip moments that are supposed to relate to the dialog below.

The graphics during actual fighting uses a unique type of shading that makes it look as if the characters are drawn. The most obvious is the dark lines that resembles a shadow in the manga. And other than that it’s pretty standard, except your jutsu moves which can be unleashed which will result in a cutscene. The cutscenes are of the characters’ most famous moves in the series.

Controls N’ Camera 75/100

The controls are pretty standard. You have one button for attacking is defaulted as the “O” button. Combos are released by certain combinations of the directional buttons and the “O” button. It can become pretty complex depending on what combo you want to use. Mid-way through you’ll probaby master a couple of combos and won’t need to learn any others as smashing the “O” button usually does the trick.

To unleash your chakra you’ll press the Triangle-Button and for a couple of minutes your character will be glowing (different colors depending on the amount of chakra used), you’ll have to land an attack if you wish to do the secret technique.

A lot of the battle really requires a quick response, because many times you’ll be able to counter the opponents move or land a deadly attack. However as fast pace as the battle are there still isn’t anything refreshing about it. It all seems so done already. With hardly any difference to games like Tekken and Bodukai don’t expect to be blown away by anything. The same can be said for the camera. Pretty much the same old same old thing. *sigh*

Personal Thoughts

I was really excited to get this game; however, when I was finished playing it I was disappointed. The fact that I was able to finish it in so short a time is partly why I am so dissapointed. Don’t get me wrong the game was a fun game to play but it wasn’t any different from the other fighting games that I’ve played. It’s another game that just fans would like, and don’t get me wrong I’m a fan, I just force myself to think objectively.

Basically when you boil it down the only thing this game had good for was the fact that it was Naruto. If this was just another fighting game it would have bombed. Gameplay was standard, story mode was pathetic, there were too few characters and overall you finished it in a very short time with little to show for it.

But there is light at the end of this tunnel hopefully, if there will be another Naruto game for the Playstation or any other console for that matter, it will fix the mistakes of this one and surpass our wildest dreams.

Overall Score 75/100

By Cherubim

Story
80/100
Megaman is back, and this time he’s got help and a whole new batch of bad guys to face. However, instead of the traditional Megaman being the protagonist we have a new hero Axl. A mysterious characters that use to be part of the Red Alert Syndicate. The story revolves around Axl, after he leaves the Syndicate, who used him just for his abilities, and joining the good guys. He teams up with Megaman, who is called X in this game, and Zero in a series of search of rescue missions and defeat the members of the Syndicate. Set in a new and expansive world Megan X7’s story has many plot twist and suprises to keep you busy. The story is “unlocked” by defeating stages in the game, after you defeat a stage you’ll go through a cutscene, which will progress the story. Since you can randomly choose any stage in any order the story doesn’t follow a set plot line but rather a series of fragments. The story is shown through a series of dialog between the characters with snapshots for visual aid, not the best thing but you deal with what you got. As you progress the story you realize that Axl is a more unique than you would have expected.

Gameplay
80/100
Mixing the traditional 2-D gameplay that we all know and somewhat love of the Megaman franchise with a new 3-D gameplay. The game is pretty basic actually, standard fighting Megaman-style. You get the option of going to 9 (default) stages, plus the final boss, where one member of the Red Alert Syndicate have made their base. Each stage is different and offers different challenges for you to face. After you finish the stage you’ll face one of the Syndicate members. The games gets even more interesting that once you defeat one of the Syndicate members you receive their signature move–just formated to fit your character. This makes fighting other members easier, since you have acces for stronger moves than your default one. Now another plus is the fact that you don’t go into a stage alone but rather with a partner of your choosing–it’s not all that since you only have 3 characters and one of which (X) you don’t unlock until the mid-end of the game. For most of the game you’ll be playing with Axl and Zero, both of which are very different from each other. Zero’s sword is a pretty sweet weapon, since it has the ability to reflect many attacks. He also has the ability to double jump–which helps in those touch spots. Axl is a gunner and has the ability to hover for a short period of time. Since you have the ability to switch instantly it’s easy to save yourself from certain doom, when you realize that you need the other character to win. Megamn is basically like Axl just his left arm is his main weapon. The special ability you receive from the Syndicate differ on which character uses them, which means you all have to see which one is best for either situation. Each stage can be defeated by either character however it might be more difficult a character in a certain stage than the other. Now much of the games hype is the 3-D feature but really it isn’t so “Wow”. Most of the game is (still) in the traditional 2-D format and the few places that are in 3-D are small and short lived. Blame fans for thinking when the cover says “3-D” they thought it meant an expansive three dimension world not a world where you have the ability to move side by side. Still the 3-D ability even though it’s small is well appreciated. Some stages are entirely in 3-D, however they are small and pretty structured so you really aren’t free to move about, and other strickly 2-D and other mixed. Now actually playing the game can be annoying because the characters move quite slowly, not like there’s a glitch slow but slow because the have such big feet. Overall the game is nice, the new features, extra abilities and more gameplay offers a unique experiance for players.

Graphics
80/100
Awesome graphics any Megaman fan would agree. Everything looks clean, smooth and fun. The characters have a nice smooth 3-D look to them. There is a nice amount of detail given to the characters. The world is pretty cool, pretty basic though, each stage looks very different from the last. There could be more realism to the game but it’s Megaman and it’s Megaman for kids so it’s understandable why everything looks so cute and clean.

Controls and Camera
75/100
The controls in this game are pretty easy to handle, especially since you’re playing mostly in a 2-D world. You have the ability to jump, duck (where?), shoot, change your weapon with one of the custom abilities you got from the Red Alert Syndicate. Also with the click of a button you can switch characters. See, easy!
The camera is pretty simple too. You don’t have any when you’re playing 2-D, and sometimes in 3-D it’s automatic too; however, sometimes you have the option of the traditional rotation left to right or vice versa. Standard stuff nothing too special but sometimes simplicity is best.

Music & Sounds
80/100
Since the game story is only “seen” through dialog the voices had to be good. Overall the music and voices aren’t bad pretty on the mark with what you would expect. Don’t expect to be blown away by anything though. The game has a way of just being the standard thing. You don’t see their lips move just a snapshot with the voice actor reading the text.

Replayability
70/100
Meh, there really isn’t much thrill in playing this game over, or even going back through a old stage for that reason. One major part of the game is rescuing ‘people’; however, if the person you are suppose to rescue gets killed that’s it. You can’t come back to rescue them again later. There isn’t really much in terms of power ups so once you finish a stage you’re pretty much done, the only reason to go back would be to test out you’re new weapons. This is probably the worst part of the game, that once you finished a stage there isn’t any insentive to go back. So the game gets pretty boring pretty fast.

Overall
75/100
Megaman X7 is a cool for Megaman fans, most others probably wouldn’t be able to tolerate it. However the game is really just a weekend rent game. It can be completed in a fairly short period of time. There isn’t much to do after you’ve done it one time, and since it can be completed quickly that’s just two thumbs down at the get go. Still Megaman fans should rejoice, the game itself might not have lived up to what we expected but still it was a fun ride. Interesting game play with cool features. Still the game could have added more and gave you more to do. It really fits the saying “short lived”. The idea of bringing 3-D to Megaman is an interesting idea and if anything Megaman X7 laid the foundations to progress on. If you really want a Megaman game I suggest you save you’re money and just rent it over a weekend.

By Cherubim

Story
90/100

3 years after the events of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, we meet a character called Roxas–who vaguely resembles Sora. Roxas lives in a place called Twilight Town with his friends (we don’t see any parents but we do find out that they do in fact go to school as the game takes place during their summer break). Roxas’s is pretty happy with his life, everything is going fine until strange things start to happen. Out of the blue things start to disappear and mysterious white creatures begin to show up. Little does Roxas and his friend know but Roxas is in the middle of all the bizarre things that are happening. Soon Roxas finds himself fighting the mysterious white creatures with a mysterious blade–one that looks identical to Sora’s keyblade, even though Sora hasn’t made an appearance in the game yet. What’s even stranger for those of you that played and remember is that Sora is the only one who can yield the Keyblade. Eventually fighting the white creatures leads Roxas to Sora in some sort of deep sleep. Not knowing who Sora is, Roxas frees him and Kingdom Hearts II really starts.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy wake up in a new world that they have never been to before. Roxas’ world (Roxas at this point is no longer the playable character. “Booo, he had such nice hair!”. They quickly get an update on what’s been happening since the events in Castle Oblivion and the first opening of Kingdom Hearts (especially since Sora lost his memories of what happened) from King Mickey’s magical instructor. The new white creatures that are attacking are called Nobodies. They are result of when a Heartless is destroyed by the Keyblade or when a powerful-strong willed person gives into the Darkness. Nobodies have no hearts but unlike Heartless they have no of an individual conscience. A group of powerful Nobodies have been formed. They call themselves Organization XIII. They control all the Nobodies and have control of the Heartless. They seem to be up to something to collect as many hearts as possible. At the same time Sora, Donald, and Goofy find out that the Heartless are back and causing trouble again.

Sora, Donald and Goofy team up again to defeat the Heartless, save the worlds, and uncover the plan behind Organization XIII and stop them. And on top of all of that they are still looking for Rikku, Kairi, and King Mickey.

Storyline Commentary

Overall the story line this time around is much more Kingdom Hearts focussed than it is Disney. The main plot is around original characters rather than retold Disney stories. Still at the same time Disney is at the corner stone–which has its pros and cons. The game could be split into two separate arches: the Disney Arch and the Kingdom Hearts Arch. Much of the Disney parts in the game aren’t connected to the story very much or at all. Where as in Kingdom Hearts the entire story was about the Diseny Princesses and saving them. Most of story-line development scenes takes place in two towns: Twilight Town and Hallow Bastion–which has had an major upgrade from the old Kingdom Hearts days. So the majority of the parts where you play along Disney Character is purely just for show and doesn’t really have much to do with anything else. At most you play go into Disney world’s to get rare items, fight Heartless/Nobodies, and because you are forced to. I’ve actually reached the end of the game and I neglected Alantis because I hate to swim and fight. This hurts the game in some respects because you begin to feel as if you are wasting your time–when what you do has pretty much no impact on the overall story and you feel as if you are being forced to play a side quest rather than take on the actual story.

Gameplay
85/100

Gameplay has changed a lot since Kingdom Hearts. In many ways it has improved the fluidity of gameplay and in other ways it has reduced game play while in battle to button smashing–which isn’t very expected of a RPG.

Standard Battle
This is where Kingdom Hearts takes on its most Action genre-face. Battles can be long and require quick thinking rather than strategy. For anyone that can remember the special moves from Kingdom Hearts like “Raganok” or “Archainim” (by the way those are gone to the best of my knowledge), well action commands like that have become crucial to gameplay if not absolutely essential. The “Reaction Command” is probably the most important thing you’ll have to know about Kingdom Hearts II. Throughout battle(s) you’ll see the triangle button flash above your command menu this is telling you that you can do a special reaction to a specific enemy if you press it at the right time. Also combos have become much easier and much more crucial than before.

It’s much more action based than last time. It pushes the real time battle system and it’s good. It makes the game seem more action/adventure than RPG but it’s a good change. Many of the moves from the previous game have been buffed up. For example the “Trinity” ability is more powerful and your spells do more damage; however, the develop in different ways. You can customize Sora, Donald, Goffy and others much more in dept this time. Even designating which ability you want them to use. It’s becomes important in certain battles and it can help you level up in others.

Like in Kingdom Hearts you have the ability to summon special character to help you in battle. However, unlike in Kingdom Hearts, summoning is pretty much a waste of time. First of all you will only have 4 characters to summon and all of their abilities aren’t very helpful to you in battle. Along with your summon power you still have magic. Using magic in KHII is much easier than it was in KH. First off once you run out of MP it will begin to automatically replenish itself–which means if you can hold on for a few seconds you won’t have to use an Either or Elixer. Your magic can be boosted by equipping yourself with certain abilities and you also have a ton more synthesis items to boost magic.

All this aside the greatest addition to the battle feature in Kingdom Hearts II has to be the form ability. Early on in the game Sora receives a new outfit–since he outgrew his old one–and with the new clothes come new abilities. The form ability allows Sora to change into a special form other than his default. He still looks the same, although in a different color, but he has more abilities depending on the form he’s in. Each form has a speciality in something and a weakness in something else, and each form requires your partners Donald and Goffy. An interesting twist is that the forms level up differently. It all depends in on the form. One form levels with each heartless killed and another with the amount of special orbs you collect like in that form. You can beat the game without using any of the forms; however, each form has a “growth” ability attached to it that will help Sora (default Sora) in battle. If players of the former game can remember gaining the ability to glide at a certain point in the story, well that’s gone now, you now have to level up your Final Form to glide. It might seem like a waste of time but trust me it pays off tremendously in the end.

Gummi Ship
I personally think the Gummi Ship feature suffered the most in KHII. It’s pretty bad. First off the camera is horrible and it’s pretty much boiled down to button smashing–in fact that statement could be applied to most of the game however I will retain that information for later. Gummi Ship battles seems more like a old fashion arcade game in 3-D, where all you do is shoot so you don’t get hit. You can only more left, right and dash anyway. The camera is preset to rotate so you don’t have any control of that either. Also, while in the first KH the worlds you traveled in the Gummi Ship seemed bizarre in KHII that feeling in amplified by a 100. It’s just chaotic everything about the Gummi Ship this time. Whatever new feature the developers tried to implement to make it seem more exciting did them no good as the entire process is tedious, annoying and wasteful. Luckily you don’t have to do much of it. All you have to do is clear the original mission (merely make it to the ending) you won’t have to do it again, unless you want to unlock more things but it pretty much doesn’t do you any good.

Role-Playing
I can sum up saying that KHII has taken two steps forward and one step back in terms of role playing. While the environment in KHII is much better, visually, than it was in Kingdom Hearts it’s much smaller. You won’t be doing much exploring and having fun leveling up because their simply isn’t any place to do it. The worlds aren’t as large as the others and the majority of space that you have is only meant for fighting. And what there is to explore usually bland and boring. The game seems to be tailored for you to just finish it. The mini games and sidequest all finish up easily and quickly–actually the majority of the sidequest aren’t that interesting.

Many of the sidequest aren’t very rewarded once you’ve completed them, and I’m not even talking rewards as in prizes, I’m talking about you the player feeling like you just wasted your time popping balloons.

The game appears to be making the transition from a Action RPG to a Action Adventure with RPG features. The game really comes down to level up and defeating bosses. However as dull as that sounds the game makes that the level up process interesting by adding new twist such as form changes and other tid bits.

Graphics
80/100

Graphics might have had a bit of a boost since Kingdom Hearts but it’s not really noticeable or much of an improvement. Their seems to be fewer cut scenes so the game doesn’t really get much time to show off the graphics. Still just because the graphics aren’t stunning better than Kingdom Hearts I that doesn’t mean it was bad. Kingdom Hearts’ graphics were amazing and so are KHII.

Music
80/100

If you thought it wasn’t possible to trump “Simple and Clean” as the opening song think again. Utada Hikaru delivers another smashing hit with “Sanctuary”. The opening were enough to reassure me that Kingdom Hearts II was going to be a sweet game to play. I guess the saying is right, the right kind of music does set the tone.
Anyway.
Being that Kingdom Hearts is a partnership with Disney you can expect to hear the background music of some of the Disney classic. The “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E” song made an appearance in the game too. Overall the music isn’t bad. It’s very much like the Kingdom Hearts with a few improvements here and there. Donald’s squeaky voice still makes me laugh though and that’s a good thing.

Controls
80/100

The game overall is a lot of button smashing so being able to smash those buttons is essential. Kingdom Hearts does this okay. Your command menu (located in the bottom left corner of the screen) and there are “two” sides to it each side has different options and while it’s just a button away to turn to the other side that’s a second you can put somewhere else. The difference between using your Limits and your Drives could decide a battle for you. However if you’re just going to be smashing the X-button to attack you might actually be okay.

Camera
80/100

The camera is pretty standard. You have a wide view, so you can see a lot of the battlefield. The camera also rotates very smoothly so you can quickly find enemies that slipped away. Also when you lock on to a target the camera will automatically shift and fallow that enemy. This is good and bad depending on the amount of enemies you are facing. Also you might not target the enemy you want to so that might mess up your Mo-Jo.

Personal Thoughts

An amazing game overall. Their were some draw backs. The most obvious being how easy this game was beat. I’m the type of person that takes a while to finish because my overall gameplaying ability is rather sluggish, but I had no difficulty. It’s possible to beat this game on level 40-50, which is pretty pathetic compared to the 50-60 range needed to beat the last game. Also there aren’t that many enemies to defeat, and, if any, as your progress and get stronger they offer less experience. Nobodies are a good way to level up but after a certain point it gets repetitive going back to the same place doing the same thing. While KH was a difficult game for some (e.g. myself) this game is way too easy and goes by very fast because of it. However just in general the game is very easy and quick. I was surprised how fast it all went by.

Now many fans will like to hear this: the game overall is more Kingdom Hearts as its own story arc than it is focused on Diseny. If fans can remember the original story in Kingdom Hearts was focused on the Disney Princesses (Jasmin, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, etc) not so much Sora’s own story, although that was the focus later on in the game. Since the story in this game is mostly about Sora reconnecting with his friends Riku and Kairi the Disney Arc takes the back seat. The majority of actual story development happens in Hallow Bastion and Twilight Town (a new town to this game); however, to ensure that Disney characters remains a main part to the game is setup to make it that the other (Disney) worlds are means of unlocked pieces of the story. So for example you’ll have to finish Olympus, Agrabah, and Pridelands to each the next point in the story.

A lot of the Disney story lines are original story lines that would happen between the sequel and original story of a Disney movies, for example the Pridelands story line happens between The Lion King and The Lion King II and somewhere between The Lion King 1/2. So maybe it’s The Lion King 3/4 I don’t really know, but I hope you get my point. This is cool because you feel as if you are having a part in the actual story. There are also other worlds/storylines where’s following the actual story line of the movie. And finally there are some story line lines in Disney worlds that are totally original.

The main draw back to how the story is developed is the fact that, to be honest, the Disney story lines become somewhat bothersome. Sometimes it feels as if you are being forced to go through a stage. This is mainly because the story line in the stages aren’t very interesting and you really don’t want to play through them but you have to.

Okay I’m going to stop being a “debbie-downer”.
What makes this game great? Hmmm

Well for one the battle are much more interesting than in Kingdom Hearts. The new form changes are really interesting to develop and the make your overall kickass experience much more, well, kickass! The new features and enhancements makes you want to try them out all. Also this is a small new feature but still a very cool one, if you put it to good use: the synthesis feature. Synthesis, while it might not seem like the greatest thing in the world, really makes the game much more interesting because you basically go hunting for items and gems. And you get a much larger array of items to make. It’s easier to use and much more useful than it was in Kingdom Hearts.

And finally the one thing that makes this game great is the story. The story is radically different from Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories would help you understand the general story line a bit better but it’s not necessary. There are a lot of plot twist that change the story and characters from the original Kingdom Hearts. KIngdom Hearts II story line is also interesting because of the fact that it has its own characters and own storyline, not a glump of different story line’s from Disney movies thrown together. Introducing new beings like Nobodies gives the game a breath of fresh air while still remain the same game with the same original core characters.

Do I think this is the best game ever!? Nope, but it’s a great sequel to Kingdom Hearts and the few flaws that exist aren’t major ones, and the new features are all really good.

Overall
90/100

By Cherubim

Presentation: 8/10

The Grandia Series has finally returned again to attempt to wow RPG fans with its story and splendid combat system. The presentation is pretty good with clear colorful menus, and somewhat helpful descriptions for each of the options available. All of the bars and stats that show up on battle menus are stylish and fit well with the overall game’s theme. I would have preferred an option for screen adjustment because T.V. screens can cut off vital information at times.

Story: 5/10

Players will find themselves in the shoes of Yuki. Yuki dreams of following in the footsteps of his icon Sky Captain Schmidt, by flying around the world in one of the planes he and his friend Rotts build. Though, his mother has other plans for him. She wants him to follow in the path of pottery specific to his village. On his maiden voyage of his 19th plane, his mother hides in the plane and causes it to crash. Before he crashes he sees a girl running from some soldiers and decides to help her upon their first meeting. She needs to be escorted to the holy temple where she was raised. She has special powers to communicate with the spirits that protect the world. By doing this, it pulls Yuki and the other friends he meets on his journey to the all too familiar world saving adventure. The one problem with that is that the same type of thing happened in Grandia II. A dark haired, sword-wielding boy escorts a blond haired staff-wielding girl who has some sort of strange ability to a holy temple, and their actions could save the world from some kind of sealed evil about to break free.

The story segments don’t come often enough to keep players interested. Outside of the “dinner table” and cut scene moments it was completely under whelming. Everything just feels so familiar, and yet worse than I remember. I didn’t even find myself caring in anyway about what was going on until the last 2 hours of the experience. Anytime before that I could have easily put down the game and never picked it up again.

Sound: 7/10

The musical selection is good and fits the settings well, but there aren’t enough of them. It gets tiresome hearing the same 4 to 5 songs over and over again. Voice-overs are the shining star in a rather bland sound experience. The voice talent does a good job of matching the characters. All of the performances are quite believable. They were the only piece of the experience that managed to be compelling.

Graphics: 7.5/10

The graphics of Grandia III are a mixed bag. The cut scenes are wonderful, and really capture the artistic style of the game. They have a very high quality, are quite interesting to watch. The spell effects are beautiful too. Most of the environments look great. Everything else, well… It looks old. The character models are blocky and rigid. The enemy models are reused far too often, so players will be finding themselves fighting the same 15 or so monsters throughout the entire game. Also, there was only one design for each of the character’s weapons. The only difference from the first weapon and the last weapon is attack strength, and maybe it will have some sort of elemental effect that will show up on the weapon while fighting. For example, a fire elemental sword in battle will be “on fire”. The locations have their moments of beauty, but adventuring is so prohibitive, that players won’t be able to fully enjoy their surroundings.

Gameplay: 6.5/10

The gameplay still remains basically unchanged this time around. Monsters still wander around on the field, and if a person runs up to them, the battle will start. Enemies are still avoidable, but players will quickly realize that they will have to fight everyone anyway, whether or not they want to. It will be the only way they can stand up to the boss at the end of the area. Depending on whether or not the monsters were stunned previously, gamers will be able to surround the enemies at the beginning. If you get surprised however, (by a monster tagging the main character from behind,) they surround you. What has always been nice about the Grandia series is how with proper timing of critical attacks or certain special moves enemies turns can be cancelled, forcing them to go back around the turn wheel for an attack. Though this time, enemies quite frequently show their moves long before their icon gets to the “Action” area on the Action Wheel, and while it is a help, canceling those moves doesn’t prevent them from doing them, it just postpones it for a while. Also, the battle arenas are so big, that the camera can’t keep up with all of the action even with the farthest distance selected.

The new additions are a mixed bag. Now players can launch up enemies into the air to perform aerial combos. It is a really cool ability, and finishing off an enemy with it can be very rewarding visually. Character skills return, but unlike the last numbered game in the series, they level up differently. Instead of enemies dropping coins that, when used allow players to speed/power up moves, they just level up randomly. Because of this change, it is far less enjoyable to simply clear out areas, because killing enemies just doesn’t feel as rewarding. Magic is extracted from mana eggs, which can be combined to make better eggs that can either increase the power of the 4 elements available, or be used to extract more spells. It can become quite fun experimenting with the various combinations available.

While there is a feature that allows other characters in the group to warn who ever is making a turn of an incoming attack, monsters seem to control the overall flow of battle. Instead of finding ways to truly experiment with the system, and make strategies, most of the time in battles is spent reacting only to the monster’s attacks. If a player chooses to experiment anyway, then they are likely to be punished by receiving extra damage, or just flat out getting killed. Some of the encounters can be so difficult due to monsters controlling the overall pace of battle, that the enemies can achieve a near “broken” level of cheapness.

One thing that really bothered me about how the game unfolded was the sheer linearity of it. There is no ability to walk off the beaten path. Every area, whether it is an outdoor area, or an indoor area, feels like walking through a mazelike set of hallways. Even towns fall under this problem with many areas that a player would think that would be accessible are not. The World Map is the biggest culprit. When players are actually able to fly around in their plane, they can ONLY go to the area that the story specified. If there is an interesting castle, or a city in the frozen mountains, players are out of luck. It will be off limits until the story puts them there. Also, when flying around in the plane, the world map doesn’t actually work like a planet would. If someone decides to fly to the edge of the map hoping that they will be transported to the opposite side, then they will find out that is not possible. The screen will get cloudy and then turn would be explorers back in the direction that they came from. It at least to me, defeats the entire purpose of a world map being there in the first place, especially if someone can’t explore it.

Longevity: 4/10

Outside of the main quest, there is almost nothing to do. There is a minigame called “Arranged Dice”, but that isn’t very much fun anyway. Since the story is so bland, only the most obsessed battle fanatics will find fun in the constant battles.

Final Score: 5.5/10

I was greatly disappointed by this game. While some of the improvements are very nice, like aerial combos, and the treasure detector that will search the area for important objects anytime with the press of the square button, there is too much wrong with this game. At first players will feel like they can avoid battles, but they will quickly realize that they will have to fight nearly everyone to actually move forward. The game feels like a boring dungeon crawler. The experience as a whole is far too prohibitive in this day and age where we have greater games like Dragon Quest VIII that have actual worlds that can be adventured through. Players will probably get tired of being lead around on such a short leash.

By Plumbum Sol