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June 30th, 2008, 00:08 Posted By: bandit
Fanatec Porsche 911 Racing Wheel
Manufacturer: Fanatec
Site: Buy from Fanatec
Price: $349.95
Overview : Porsche licensed steering wheel for the PlayStation 3 and PC.
Key Benefits:- The original reproduction of a 911 leather steering wheel gives you the genuine Porsche feeling
- Wireless USB technology which provides latency free signal transmission to the PC/Console and is very robust against interference (Power supply to wheel still needed)
- 3 Force Feedback motors and smooth belt drive deliver sensational realism
- Authentic wireless pedals with clutch and soft-stop brake
- Two gear sticks included: 6+1 Speed H-pattern and sequential
- Compatible with PC and Playstation 3 (6+1 gear stick is only supported on PC and Playstation 3)
Features- Original Porsche 911 Turbo steering wheel design
- Licensed by Porsche
- Authentic metal Porsche logo on wheel
- Hand stitched leather wheel manufactured according to Porsche quality standards
- Compatible with PC and Playstation 3 (all games which support Force Feedback wheels)
- 6+1 Speed H-pattern gear stick with realistic shifting feel
- Additional exchangeable sequential gear stick included
- Wireless pedals with + 100 hours battery life time (low battery warning on display and optional power supply cable for simulators)
- Realistic clutch pedal with declining resistance
- Pressure sensitive brake emulation with soft-stop
- Diameter of wheel is 300 millimeters
- Gear sticks are interchangeable and can be mounted on the left or right side
- Turning angle can be adjusted in the wheel to 900°, 360° or 180° or in 1° steps by software
- For PC: Strong table clamps with quick release, special non-slip rubber pads, and Velcro strips on the pedals keep everything in place. Integrated nuts allow the strong fixation on a gaming cockpit
- For Playstation: Attachable lap wings and the attachment of the gear sticks to the wheel allow comfortable game play in the living room without the use of a table
- Illuminated button symbols switch automatically between PC and Playstation
- Powerful Mabuchi RS 550 Motor as used in RC cars delivers extra strong Force Feedback effects
- Additional 2 Force Feedback actuators in the wheel simulate motor vibrations
- Extra smooth and silent belt drive without mechanical dead zone
- High resolution wheel sensor
- TUNING functions with LED display
- Saves up to 5 wheel set-ups
- Adjust Force Feedback strength during game play
- Adjust sensitivity independent from the game
Quality/Usability : Fanatec first announced the Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel back in 2007. Finally, it has been released. I was suppose to be a beta tester back in February but never received my beta sample to test. After receiving an email stating that the beta testing is over and to send back wheel, I questioned, "send back what wheel? I never got anything". I contacted CEO and the CEO was nice enough to send me the final production version. The version you'll get when you purchase from them.
As you can see from the above list, the Fanatec Porsche 911 has a huge feature list. Most noticeable is that it features force feedback, works on PlayStation 3, PC, wireless and its licensed by Porsche. YES! Its licensed by Porsche. Rarely do you see Porsche license an item. The wheel carries the Porsche logo on the center of the wheel and has hand stitched genuine leather steering wheel. The quality of the steering wheel is the same as the quality you'll find on an actual Porsche steering wheel.
The Porsche 911 wheel uses wireless technology to connect to your PC and PlayStation 3. The wheel itself is powered through a power adapter. The pedals which contains a clutch, brake and gas pedals are powered either through a PS/2 cable that is connected to the steering wheel or from 4 AA batteries. The shifters are powered through a short PS/2 cable. The wheel contains 3 motors that provide force feedback and vibrations.
The Porsche 911 wheel also includes two USB keys that look like a Porsche key. One is a 1GB USB drive that contains PC drivers. The other is the wireless USB adapter that communicates with the wheel and pedal.
Setting up the wheel is pretty easy and straight forward. You can either use the wheel on your lap via wings or mount it to the corner of a table. The bottom of the wheel has an adjustable clamp depending on the thickness of your table. You can connect the sequential or 6+1 H-pattern shifter to either side of the wheel using two metal bars. The shifters is stiff and makes clicking noise. It wont feel the same as if you were driving a real car. When shifting, since its connected to the steering wheel, it will move. Would of been nice if there was a clamp underneath to clamp it to the end of the table.
As mentioned above, the wheel is powered via power cable. You can use the pedal either via cable that is connected to wheel for power or four AA batteries. If using cable, the length if fairly long. The wireless also gives good strength that there is no lag or interruptions unless the battery is dead.
I felt uncomfortable using the lap wings as it was too low and too close to my body. Some may like it, some may not. If you have a PlaySeat, you can also mount the Fanatec Porsche 911 to it.
The force feedback on the Porsche 911 is fairly powerful. You can adjust the feedback strength as well as turning radius and sensitivity. Turning the wheel gives a motor sound. The steering wheel also felt a little stiff for me and didnt give that real steering wheel feel. Whats nice however was the illuminated controls on the steering wheel. If connected to PC, it will light up with white LEDs and numbers. If connected to the PlayStation 3, it will light up with red LEDs with icons like those found on the SIXAXIS/DualShock3. The bottom spoke on the wheel contains the SELECT/START and directional pad. The top LED display allows you to switch between sensitivity, radius and feedback.
The pedals were spaced nicely but felt cheap. They were made of plastic and the base was too light. I have a heavy foot and tend to stomp on the gas and breaks. The bottom of the base has velcro to grip onto carpet as well as rubber feets to prevent it from sliding on hard floors. But it didnt really prevent anything. The pedals were getting further and further away from me during game play. Fanatec also included a metal plate that can be screwed to the bottom of the base to add extra weight and sturdiness. They also included a non-slip mat as well. This did work slightly better. Back to the pedals. The gas pedal felt loose when pressed on. The clutch and brake pedals were stiff. I would of preferred the gas pedal to be stiffer and the clutch and brake pedals to be less stiff. I had to use my heels to hold the base in place when pressing on the brakes/clutch.
I tested the wheel with Motorstorm, Sega Rally Revo and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. The wheel worked with Motorstorm but the pedals did not. I had to use the buttons on the wheel to accelerate and brake. From what I have been told, Motorstorm does not work with ANY wheel. With Sega Rally Revo, it took some playing around in order for it to work. If I plugged in the wheel before loading the game, pedals would not work. I had to load game up and than connect wheel. The game would then recognize that I am using a steering wheel. Gran Turismo worked flawlessly and without a problem.
Conclusion : Overall, the Fanatec Porsche 911 Racing Wheel feels great and the quality is superb. This wheel costs $350 and is $50 more than its competitor, Logitech G25. I guess thats what happens when you have a licensed product and added features such as wireless and parts. Would have also been nice if the pedals felt more real, the base had some more weight to it and shifters had clamps for more sturdiness when mounted on table. Also, it would have also been nice if there were sequential shifter paddles behind the steering wheel. This would make the driving experience even better. For a final production product, there was no manual or quick guide not in the one I got at least. Supposedly it comes with a quick guide but I never got it and to save on paper, manual is posted on the web. Luckily, I had access to a high quality printer and was able to print out the guide and manual.
Its a big purchase to spend $350 on a steering wheel. But if you're a big car enthusiast or a hardcore racing gamer, you may want to look into this. If you're just a casual gamer and only play racing games for fun, there are probably other wheels out there that can just fulfill your needs.
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June 29th, 2008, 04:42 Posted By: bandit
The Blu-ray retail version of SOCOM ConfrontationWarhawk bundle so long ago. This one is made specifically with gaming in mind -- and as such, earns the official PlayStation branding. The headset, which will also be available seperately from the game, is designed for long use and even includes a much-needed Mute button, a feature uncommon to most Bluetooth headsets. The device will also include a USB cradle, so that it can be charged via the PS3.
While neither the design and price have been completely finalized, Sony plans on pricing this quite competitively. From the looks of its quality, we believe Sony will charge more than what they did for Warhawk.
    
Click to enlarge
Source: PS3fanboy
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June 27th, 2008, 01:21 Posted By: bandit
Max Power X5 Battery 3600mAh (Slim)
Manufacturer: Dragonplus
Site : Buy from Shop.01Media
Price: $28.18
Overview : The Max Power X5 Battery Pack offers 5 times the power of the original battery.
Want the most powerful battery on PSP and PSP Slim and Lite? It comes with a special design battery cover to fit the PSP or PSP Slim and Lite. For long gaming sessions away from home!
Features :- Easy set-up use
- Can stand-by 168 hours
- Comes with special design battery cover
- Supply power to PSP Slim and Lite console for over 48 hours
- Compatible with any version of PSP/PSP Slim and Lite
- Long life, mega power, recycle rechargeable battery built-in
Quality/Usability : You can always expect a high capacity battery to be released for any portable electronic device. The standard mAh for the PSP Slim is 1200mAh. Well, Dragonplus aims to TRIPLE, thats right! They released a battery that is 3 TIMES the mAh of the normal PSP Slim battery known as Max Power X5 Battery Pack. It packs a whopping 3600mAh.
With big batteries, comes big bulk. Adding the battery and battery cover does add some bulk to the back of the PSP. The battery cover works for both the original PSP and PSP Slim. This big battery gives an approximate 48 hours of play time and 168 hours of stand-by.
However, upon testing battery life, the PSP Slim lasted a little longer than its predecessor. The original PSP lasted about 44 hours of play time while the Slim lasted a little more than 45 hours *settings where set to its lowest brightness, lowest volume for gameplay as well as screen off and normal volume for MP3 listening. Fairly close to what Dragonplus claims. But if you're using the battery at your normal playing brightness and volume, battery life will drastically drop to about 15-18 hours. Setting it to the highest setting in both brightness and volume, you can expect about 12-14 hours of play. Yes, that is a big drop.
I personally prefer official licensed batteries or products in general but sometimes these 3rd party batteries work just as good as the official products. So far, I dont think I have experienced any major problems with these 3rd party batteries. Makes you wonder why these 3rd party manufacturers can release a battery that is 3x's the amount of the original but the actual manufacturer that makes the device cant release their own official 3x batteries.
Conclusion : Overall, the Max Power X5 Battery 3600mAh (Slim) worked for both original PSP as well as PSP Slim. Play time hours were a little shy of what Dragonplus claims to supply (48 hours) *settings where set to its lowest brightness, lowest volume for gameplay as well as screen off and normal volume for MP3 listening. The Max Power X5 Battery 3600mAh did feel a little cheap in quality. Price for the battery is fairly reasonable. I still favor OEM batteries.
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June 25th, 2008, 02:08 Posted By: fg-54
Publisher: High Voltage Software
Developer: High Voltage Software
Genre: Arcade Shooter
Players: 1-4
Price: $7
Overview:
gyrostarr is an arcade shooter that adds elements that no other shooter out there has done before, but is that a good thing?
Gameplay:
Unlike most arcade shooters, The goal of this game is not to destroy waves of enemies that come at you, but to collect bright orbs that come at you every now and then.
By collecting this orbs, a bar located at the top of the screen will be filled, Fill the barr up to the first hoop, and you beat the level, fill it up completely and you go to bonus level.
Bonus levels are very easy to get and not fun at all, I found my self avoiding the orbs JUST so that I didn't have to go through the bonus level, What it is, is a regular level, except that the enemies are taken off leaving you with nothing to do, except collect orbs and bombs.
There are some power ups you can grab along the way such as three bullets per shot, rapid fire, bigger bullets, ect, unfortunately these power ups only last a few seconds, and there is no way to know precisely how long the power ups last (unless you count in your head while playing)
Aside from being short lasting, they are not very impressive, anyone could have thought of bigger bullets, and faster fire rate as a power up, but at least we are getting them.
Also, for whatever reason, you can blow away orbs and power ups with your bullets, something you DON'T want to do, which will make you stop and think before you pull that trigger, luckily, you can ether press up or down on the D-pad and it will launch some type of electric hook which will grab power ups and orbs that you may have blown off, or are simply out of your reach.
Three bullets at once!? what WILL they think of next?
Gyrostarr allows you to play with up to three friends, which is fun.....but confusing, That is why it is best to play with just two people, That way you won't be asking others which ship is yours and how many times you have died, just to find out that the ship you THOUGHT you were all along was actually your friend, and that sucker who kept dying was actually you.
Graphics:
The graphics are average for a wiiware game, some power ups DO make bright and shiny bullets that may catch you eye for a second or too, but other then that, everything is pretty average.
Sound:
The game features some ok beats but are usually overshadowed by the sound of bullets, explosions, and speed boosts wich may or may not be a good thing depending on what you like to hear, luckily you can go to the audio options menu and choose what you want to hear the most: Music, or Effects.
They are both at 100% as default.
Replay Value:
Depending on whether or not you have friends to play with, the replay value will change, if you DO have friends then it is good, and if not, then it becomes a one time play through.
Difficulty:
As a new addition to my reviews, I will be rating the difficulty of games from the easiest option available to the hardest. So I designed a chart to show how easy the easiest difficulty is, and how hard is the hardest:
Conclusion
If you have a friend or two to play with, you just HAPPEN to have $7 on your pocket, AND you like this type of games, then I say GO FOR IT! but if you are an only child with no friends to play, and you could use the money for something else, then I would recommend you passing out on this one.
Final Score:
my review survey
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June 24th, 2008, 06:31 Posted By: Shadowblind
Because I'm stuck in boring WV with nothing else to do, and this game saved me from total boredom.
Prey
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Venom Studios
Genre: FPS
ESRP: $9.99
In PREY, you take the role of Cherokee-by-genetics Tommy, or Domasi, as you and the ones you love get abducted into an alien ship. There you must battle your way to your girlfriend and try and get off the ship. During this time you must learn to use your special Cherokee powers--or die trying.
A Cherokee Classic
In todays world of thousands of developers spewing out FPS like fireworks on Chinese new year, it becomes a chore to find one with a good storyline nowadays. Prey's horror-action-sci-fi-love story gives fans what they really want in a FPS story--the same thing as they want in an RPG. Great character development, an engrossing sci-fi love story, and all around high-budget production makes this FPS a story-side winner. Whats more, its based around the ideology of the Native Americans and they're stories. This game will make you think Cherokees are even cooler then you already did. The story is well done, through both its voice actors and presentation. The environment, while it tells a subtle tale about the aliens and they're culture, it really isn't a major part of the storyline. The inclusion of legendary radio host Art Bell into the telling of the story from Earth's view really helps to tell about the effects that Tommy's experience is having down on gaia as well. To be blunt, this is the kind of imaginative creative ideas that we want to see in FPS games; like Bioshock or Half-Life 2.
Quake 4 and Doom 3-esqe
PREY is a very pretty game. Think Quake 4 with slightly enhanced graphics that runs at a constant 60fps. This game has nearly no glitches whatsoever graphically(or technically, for the most part.) and no clipping issues. Enemies models and textures are a mix. While the Hunters and Elite hunters look rather boring, just about all the other enemies look awesomely Quake 4-y. That is, they look like mutant demons from the deepest spawns of hell itself. Particularly worth noting are the part human-part scythe-part elephant mutants that hop around and slash at you with huge razor-sharp claw(s). If it wasn't so dark most of the time the enemies would be even more disgustingly pretty. Which brings us to the lighting. PREY runs on the Doom 3 engine. If any of you remember, Doom 3's lighting was the worst part of the game. While the severity of the lighting problems have been taken care of, PREY still suffers from overly dark corridors and black hallway ends. Unfortunately, your little pissant lighter does little to help the darkness problem. still, its a minor problem because unlike Doom 3, its totally bearable. Theres only one part in the entire game as dark as Doom 3's issues, and its only one enemy to fight. The backgrounds pop out at you, and the messiness of each room looks of sci-fi gloriousness. Everything in PREY is alive, both metaphorically and literally. Even your living guns look great, the art direction in this game is awesomely unique. For a sci-fi FPS, this one is sure different then the rest of the crop.
THIS is a puzzle!
Splatter of alien guts. Now in 5.1.
Lets not beat around the bush here. PREY sounds awesome. Lets start with voices. The voice acting starts off a little weak. Jen and Tommy seem to be a little hesitant with they're lines while Enisi starts and stays strong through the whole thing. Withing a few minutes of the game though, the character pick up they're talent and don't lose it. Especially during the last few levels, where Tommy's rage peaks. The voice acting is almost natural with Tommy and Enisi. Jen, although becoming stronger as the story continues, never really gets to the level of realism the other characters do through the story. All of them do great voiceovers though. Sound effects. Sound effects make PREY's sickeningly twisted alien world come to life. The weapon fire is good, though a little uninventive, but the sounds the weapons MAKE are great. The aliens chatter and the sound of portals opening and closing are high-budget SFX. The music is made by the same man who made the music for Oblivion and Guild wars. So suffice to say its professionally made. Music comes in at off times but it comes in nonetheless
So this is what an alien school looks like
Inventive and new ideas come together like PB&J
PREY is a prethera of inventive ideas. Everything from Deathwalk to living guns screams LOOK! IM A NEW IDEA! AND IM WELL IMPLEMENTED! PREY's gamelay revolves primarily on the nature of all FPS, that is, with awesome weapons and action. But its neat new innovations allow for some really intelligent and mind blowing puzzles as well. Also is the inventions of portals and the ability to change gravity itself. Thats right, this game was the first game with portals in it. Portal came wayyy after. Anyway, many of the puzzles revolve around the idea of manipulating gravity. The design of these puzzles are amazing, and will melt your brain through your ears. Gravity manipulations also gives way to some interesting fights, where your enemies may be standing at any degree here. The enemies are actually rather stupid. The AI won't win any prizes for they're intelligence, but the unique level design fixes this for some difficult, even hard fights sometimes. Many enemies in the game don't need too many smarts; they're big, powerful, and aggressive. Another awesome innovation is the spiritwalk-- a Cherokee ability where you leave you body and can walk through things such as forcefields and press switches, kill enemies, or pick up items. Oh, and you can't die in Spiritwalk, making it insanely useful in scouting ahead, as you could basically sit by the enemies and stare at them as they fruitlessly try to shoot your spirit form. Its also very useful in solving the many puzzles in PREY. Also, when you die in the game, you respawn EXACTLY where you died. Its like having a Vita-Chamber from Bioshock wherever you go. This actually doesn't make the game much easier somehow; its hard to explain why. But when you die, you enter a mode called Deathwalk, where you shoot at the Spirit Wraiths to determine how much health and spirit you respawn with. Even the weapons are inspired. Every weapon is a life unto itself; they're all alive. And I mean that literally. The guns you have are and shoot organic matter, a very inspiration and logical idea for an alien ship. Prey is all about the innovative ideas, and they make the story mode one hell of a ride. Not everything is perfect though. The level design tends to get repetitive in areas, and some glitches ocur that make it an annoyance to continue sometimes. Hunters will get on your nerves within hours of the game. The story will make you keep coming back to the game for more.
Alien ship
Invisible Assassin - 25G
Multiplayer. To be fully honest with you, this game's strength isn't in in multiplayer. This is in no way writing of PREYs multiplayer as bad, just that it isn't the point of the game. Its multiplayer is rather average. Team Deathmatch and Deathmatch are fun, but do get a little boring after a while. The story mode took me a good 12-15 hours to beat and there is another difficulty mode. However, Multiplayer is by no means bad; its great fun while it lasts. Walking on walls shooting at your friends is always a nice change from the norm.
Alright then.
Major Selling Points:
-- Deathwalk and Spiritwalk- Dying is actually fun!
-- Mind blowing puzzles
-- Manipulation of Gravity
-- Unique and interesting storyline
Major Breaking Points:
-- Action is broken at odd times
-- Glitches do mess up the story sometimes
-- Story's on the short side
Story: 4.50/5
Venom Games' Native American tale of love and aliens is about as unique as it gets. A little more development could have been spent on the aliens side.
Graphics: 4.5/5
Solid framerate and technically good. Great art direction, but a little dark at times.
Sound: 4/5
Music is great but weirdly placed. Sound effects and voice acting work great.
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Great new innovations to the FPS genre give this game a great new feel, even if the main shooter mechanics are only alright.
Value: 5/5
At $10, this game is the best deal you'll find in this year or any other. PREY would still be worth $40.
Replay Value & Multiplayer: 4/5
The story is fun but short. Multiplayer will add a bit of time.
Overall:
PREY comes at you with great new ideas and pulls them off with such skill, its a new idea itself. The only iffy part is the shooting, but everything else is great.
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June 24th, 2008, 04:07 Posted By: Shadowblind
Old game(mid-2007) but many people have no clue about it.
Shadowrun
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: FASA Studios
Genre: FPS
Players: 1-16
ESRP: $19.99 (For Value rating)
Shadowrun is a game that is like its Sega genesis brother in name only. Unlike its RPG roots, Shadowrun for Windows and Xbox 360 is a fast paced FPS that makes you rely on more then just your weapon. To defeat your opponents, you must also make use of 5,000 year old magic powers. As a member of either the RNA, a huge corporation wanting control of this newfound magic, or the Lineage, an ancient order trying to keep the magic at its natural roots.
So much story potential. None of it used.
Shadowrun does has a story. The RNA, a global organization and the Lineage, ancient tribes, are feuding over a magic that could change the course of history itself. A neat story isn't it? Well, it could have been. Thats just it, though, COULD being the key word. Shadowrun has about as much storyline as Wolfenstein 3D. That is, no story at all, but a great setting. However, setting is only a small part of a grand storyline. Shadowrun has a huge potential for a storyline; it features everything from dwarves to elves to trolls, all set in a futuristic world where culture is still a very important part of life. What potential. But this game is all about its multiplayer, and it shows. The only "storyline" it has is 6 ten minute tutorials showing you how to use all of the magic, weapons and classes as an RNA combatant. Beyond that, even characters are perfectly lifeless. Commands in multiplayer don't even have actual human voices. Its a robot for every class and every team. Honestly, this game busts here.
Guess which one will win. Go on, guess.
Amazing magic effects vs. Sub-par character models
Let the fight begin. I'll start off with the good. Effects for magic are simply amazing. The light show is great, and for the most part, magic is all about the lights and pretty colors. Teleport is a flash of orange blur that brilliantly lights up with a bit of red and blur. Summon magic creates a monster of either yellow or flourescent blue that sparks to life and beats the living crap out of the enemies. Strangle spawns shining blue or orange gems on the ground with a great shining effect. Even the absorbing power of the dwarves looks radiant when its in effect. Now magic is nice, and I've probably made that overly clear by now. Back to the other stuff. The character models are boring. Interesting at first, trolls and elves and ect. lose their interest factor after you've killed about 3 of them. They all look the same, and even when they are dead they have the exact same face expression as when they first spawned. To be fare, the Lineage do look a bit unique, with an art direction like that of Native Americans. But the RNA are just bland, basic and boring. Gun models are all uninspired; they work. But they are just average. No interesting ideas or art direction went into these weapons. Backgrounds are pretty well done, especially those of the Lineage-based levels. Which comes to make one realize that while the Lineage have a great artistic ideas about them, the RNA are boring, right down to they're RNA-themed levels.
Mars probably has more life in it then Shadowrun. Music-wise anyway.
Shadowrun doesn't have any music. If t does, I don't even remember because it must have been too boring. To its credit, music probably wouldn't have helped too much anyway. Still, some nice action themes would have added a bit more to its credit here, and the total lack of music is purely, mind-numbingly annoying. Its annoying because, without music, only sound effects are present to clear the sound of that extremely annoying AI that serves as the voice for all of players in the game. Which brings me to that point, possibly the only thing more annoying in the game then the lack of music is the robotic female voice that says all of your and your teamates commands. Blahblahblahblahblah. Other sounds. Gun sound effects, while just as inspired as the weapons, do what they are supposed to. No big awesome booms or anything of the such, but they work. Magic and Tech sound off like the 4th of July. They have varied and wide sounds to each of them(for the most part) and sound above average, though still not anything amazing. Shadowrun is rather dead when is comes to all things sound-wise.
Look at me! I look like everyone else!
Magic and machinery DO go well together
Shadowrun relies primarily on one thing to get its point across--and thats its combination of magic, tech, and weaponry. In Shadowrun, you get Tech upgrades and Magic upgrades that you buy from a menu at the start of each game like Counter Strike. From this menu you also buy weapons and ammo, from Shotguns to katanas. This is Shadowrun's best feature easy. The addition of inspiring and awesome magic and tech to the game give it its uniqueness is the face of thousands of same-faced FPS. Ranging from everything between Teleport, a magic that lets you move 3 meters in any direction, even through walls, to gliders which allow you to basically fly. You really will feel as though you are a superhero in Shadowrun. Magic and Tech are inspiring and reat fun. So what about the rest? Guns, as previously mentioned, are totally uninspired and bland. They do what they are told, and thats about it. The katana may be the only interesting weapon, and even that is only slightly above average. Weapons are boring. So how about the classes? Classes consist of 4 types; elves, trolls, dwarves, and humans. Although its kinda unnecessary, the addition of these classes and they're unique abilities adds a great deal of joy to the game, at least for a while. Its fun seeing how each class will help you in your online play against others. Combat works. By that I mean, its solid, and fun. They are many irritants however. For one, anyone who is a chronic sniper will be sorely disappointed by this game; sniping is a no-zone. The sniper rifle is just painful and frustrating to use. Grenades take too long to explode. The pistol is worthless. Rocket launcher ammo cost too much. There are a good bit of annoyances in the game that usually just get ironed out over time and experience by the devs. It being a new project and IP for them, you have to be a little impressed by they're ideas. Still, a game is a game, and new or not, it a mixed bag. Most of Shadowrun is. And C'mon, this is coming from a guy with Shadow in his name. I really wanted this game to be good.
Gust.
Multiplayer IS this game. Literally!
This game screams multiplayer. Two reasons: One, it doesn't have a story, and two, the only other game mode IS multiplayer. Granted you can play with bots that aren't too dumb, but this game was created and breed for multiplayer. So it should be noted that multiplayer is actually quite fun, mainly via XBL. Connection issues are present, but not as much as IGN and others have made me think. I honestly don't know if I've even played with Vista gamers yet, but who knows. And unlike most 360 games tat have been out this long, Shadowrun still does have a decent host of people that still play it online. 16 maps and 3 game modes will keep you for a good while, though the achievements may be a little too specific for you to try to get them all. The first six are cake.(Which may or may not be a lie. Eh? Portal reference.)
Time again then to finish up.
Major Selling Points:
-- Magic and Tech both cool and fun
-- Different classes add to the experience
-- Great Multiplayer fun
Major Breaking Points:
-- No story mode
-- Weapons are bland
-- Gets repetitive after a while
-- Sound is near painful
Story: 1.5/5
So much potential, but its not explored. At all.
Graphics: 3.5/5
Character models for RNA and they're levels are boring. Lineage, Magic and Tech FTW.
Sound: 2.5/5
Meh. Its all here(except music) but its all average. Magic stands out as good.
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Magic and Tech are great additions that ought to be in more games. Weapons are boring, classes are cool, but little annoyances pervade.
Replay & Multiplayer: 3/5
This game was made for Multiplayer, and it works well. However, with no story, it gets repetitive after a few.
Value: 4/5
At $20 for a game this quality its quite a steal. Still, its only for those who love the multiplayer.
Overall:
Shadowrun is a mix of great ideas, bad ideas, and great execution and bad execution. Its a game that is the most of a mixed bag I've ever played. some will hate it with a passion and some with love it like a drug. It really comes down to your personal preferences.
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June 23rd, 2008, 19:56 Posted By: bandit
The results are in for the DCEmu Games Reviews Contest! Winners were voted based on their contribution and reviews that they submitted and each will be receiving a iTouchDS. Without further ado, the winners are (in no particular order)... *drumroll*- DimensionT
- Joe88
- Shadowblind
- Triv1um
Congratulations!
Although originally, I said there were going to be 4 winners. I felt that another person deserved to win thanks to his contributions and because there were two reviewers with 7 votes, I still feel he's the 4th winner. So instead of 4 people, I'm going to give a 5th person a prize as well. So lets congratulate fg-54 on winning as well.
Your great reviews has not only helped DCEmu but has brought the community even closer. We hope to see more reviews not only from those who have contributed but from EVERYONE even after the contest!
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June 23rd, 2008, 19:56 Posted By: bandit
The results are in for the DCEmu Games Reviews Contest! Winners were voted based on their contribution and reviews that they submitted and each will be receiving a iTouchDS. Without further ado, the winners are (in no particular order)... *drumroll*- DimensionT
- Joe88
- Shadowblind
- Triv1um
Congratulations!
Although originally, I said there were going to be 4 winners. I felt that another person deserved to win thanks to his contributions and because there were two reviewers with 7 votes, I still feel he's the 4th winner. So instead of 4 people, I'm going to give a 5th person a prize as well. So lets congratulate fg-54 on winning as well.
To congratulate them, you can do so here.
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June 23rd, 2008, 06:54 Posted By: DimensionT
Platform: SNES
Publisher: Squaresoft
Developer: Squaresoft
Genre: RPG
Players: 1
Overview :Quote from the WIKI:
Gameplay : 5/5
I'm going to give this one a 5 just for it's innovation. The fact that there's 3 different character stories that completely effect one another is awesome.
You're given 15 days before the "cleansing", and each character's story starts on the first. Say one you play one character's story for a while, and on the third day you do something that effects the world (helping out someone which in turn gets him to open up a shop... Just an example). If you play another character's story, on the third day the shop will be opened. If you hadn't helped that person, the shop would not be there.
That's cool and all, but if you ask anyone that's played Treasure Of Rudras what stood out to them I bet you 100 bucks they'll say "the mantra system".
The mantra system is this game' way of handling spells. You go to the mantra menu and type in names for spells much like you would the hero's name. Then the spell bases it's element and it's strength/attributes on what was entered. Each character can then use all of the spells in "the mantra pool".
This can be both fun and funny. Trying out random words can be very pleasing. For instance, I typed in "Queef" and got a wind damage to all enemies spell. If you type a word that has no element, it will spell out the word in battle when you use it (dealing physical damage). This can be funny in that you can type in an insult, and it seems that you're calling the enemy names. Or, you can take the serious approach and learn mantras from talking to certain people. You can also get spells from enemies, as they say the mantra when they use them. As long as you can remember it long enough.
The only bad thing about this, is that every single spell is available from the beginning (though you're not gonna have enough MP to cast the good ones). This can lead to some huge spoilers easily, as the desire to look them up online can be great.
Graphics : 4.5/5
The graphics in this game have a lot of similarities with Bahamut Lagoon. The enemies look freakin' awesome, AND they're animated... But if you ask me, this game pulls it off a bit better. The animations are much more smooth, and there's more of them to go around.
However, some of the battle backgrounds and level maps seem a bit empty and inconsistent. You'll be one place and think "These, are some majorly sweet graphics", then you'll get to the next level and say "Oh, maybe I was wrong... A little".
But, I'll give it credit. The good graphics more then make up for the mediocre ones. I have a feeling that the graphics were done by Brown & Brown (most well known for the Secret Of Mana series and the Magical Vacation games for the GBA/DS). Though I can't find any info to confirm/dismiss this theory.
 
Sound : 5/5
Yes, a perfect score. Because, well... This game has a perfect "score" (HAHAHA, I made a funny). Only thing bad I can say about it is "I wish this game's music sucked just a little, for the sake of having something bad to say".
Honestly, the soundtrack is by far my favorite on the SNES... Even beating out Chrono Trigger. The music is so diverse, and fits what's happening so well. It's hard to think about how they pulled of making such epic songs on the SNES' SPU.
Which, is why I posted 3 songs. It was just too damned hard to pick one. Trust me, I would post more if I didn't have to worry about the load times.
Replay Value : 4/5
I'd say that the replay value for this game is higher then most other RPGs, if only for the fact that you may want to go back and mess with the spell system a bit. Having knowledge of higher level skills at the beginning can make for an interesting play through. Learn some crazy strong attacks and see how fast you can beat down some of the enemies that gave you trouble before!
Conclusion : 4.5/5
This by far is one of the greater games that came about at the end of the SNES' life. Being the last true turn based RPG that Squaresoft produced, it's a must play. The only games I would suggest over this are Terranigma (my next review), Star Ocean and Tales Of Phantasia.
Just be warned... This game is DAMNED HARD!!!
Score:
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