Video Game Critic Forum

2009/11/6: Xbox 360: Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Video Game Critic — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:05:13 GMT

It took me a while, but I finally got around to writing this review. I am thoroughly impressed with this game, and would highly recommend it this holiday season.

Forum: Review Feedback

Critic's A+ games you think are unworthy

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:27:44 GMT

Doing that quiz on the critic's A+ games I saw a few I find undeserving. Here they are:

New Super Mario Bros (DS)- I found this game fun, but I thought it had less depth than the older mario games, and was not original enough to earn an A+.

Guitar Hero (PS2)- Now this one is interesting to me. Guitar Hero is fun, and really brought music games into the mainstream, but it had flaws. The hammer-ons and pull offs are hard to execute, and after playing Guitar Hero 2, it is really hard to go back to this. It's simply too easy and gets boring. I think Guitar Hero 2 addressed the flaws of the original, and perfected the formula. So why does the inferior sequel get the A+?

Super Mario Kart (SNES)- I have tried and tried again to love this game, but I just can't. I think Mario Kart 64 is much more playable and universally more loved. I would easily grade it above Super Mario Kart. In fact, I know many people who do not play games but love Mario Kart 64. I think it deserves the A+ and Super Mario Kart should be chalked down a grade.

Perfect Dark (N64)- Everyone loves this but I just can't get into it. I have trouble seeing in single player, and never enjoy multiplayer as much as in Goldeneye. This time, I think the sequel is inferior and Goldeneye deserves the higher grade.

What games, if any, do you think are undeserving of an A+?

Forum: VGC General Forum

DK Jr. : Colecovision Vs. Atari 7800

weblit — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:16:47 GMT

Curious why DK Jr. for the Colecovision got an A yet the Atari 7800 version got a B+.

The 7800 version has all four screens yet the CV has three.
Granted, the CV music is better, but still.

Who here prefers which version (NES excluded) and why? (I love them both and play them regularly).

Forum: 1977-1983 Era

Black Friday specials

Steve — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:44:45 GMT

Is anyone here monitoring the Black Friday ads as they come out? I've noticed what I consider are some significant sales and that is without some of the major electronics retailers.

K-mart (not a place I typically would buy a game) has the following at $40 already:
Forza 3, Halo3: ODST, Brutal Legend, Dirt 2, DragonAge, Left4Dead2, Batman:Arkham Asylum, Need for Speed Shift (I only buy Xbox 360 but where applicable, it applies to PS3 also). There are also Wii titles but I don't know if they are good values are not.

I don't recall seeing such a significant drop in price this soon for some fairly good games.

Forum: VGC General Forum

Mega Man Anniversary Collection (Gamecube) Review

Nicholas Pozega — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:01:09 GMT

Since i recently got around to reviewing the standard PS2 version of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, you're probably wondering why i'm even bothering with reviewing the Gamecube version. Well, owning both, i have noticed several major differences that make this version slightly incompatible with the PS2 review. This review is meant to compensate for that. But for all of it's flaws this version is actually BETTER than the PS2 version in several ways! How? Well, read on to find out!

All ten of the games from the PS2 version are present and accounted for, including:

Mega Man (NES): B
Mega Man 2 (NES): A
Mega Man 3 (NES): B
Mega Man 4 (NES): B-
Mega Man 5 (NES): C
Mega Man 6 (NES): B+
Mega Man 7 (SNES): A-
Mega Man 8 (Playstation): B+
Mega Man: The Power Fighters (Arcade): B-
Mega Man 2: The Power Battle (Arcade): B+

For in depth reviews of these titles, refer to my Playstation 2 review of Mega Man Anniversary Collection.

Anyways, let's get into how the Gamecube version is BETTER than the PS2 version. For starters, the presentation is noticably better, with the menus looking much more clean and refined, and the loading/saving times are noticably shorter than the PS2 version. Next, while the games play just as fine as before, (with the exception of one..little...flaw that i'll bring up later) the picture quality is ASTOUNDINGLY better than the PS2 version! In comparison, the PS2 versions picture quality looks fuzzy and just "off" looking, but these games just look perfect as far as P.Q. goes! (with the possible exception of Mega Man 7, which looks noticably blurrier than the PS2 version) Mega Man 8 also looks gorgeous when you have a S-Video/component cable equipped to your Gamecube/Wii! (and it makes the older games look much sharper and crisper looking as well) The soundtracks for the games also appear to be much better emulated (the PS2 version had several problems emulating the original music in terms of quality and volume) which is a good thing because for some inexplicable reason, they took out the remixed music for the NES games in this version! Also, instead of having that cheesy Mega Man cartoon included as an unlockable, Capcom felt nice enough to include a nice little documentary on the History of Mega Man, which wasn't bad and while i wouldn't say it's actually worth getting this compilation JUST to watch it, it's still a cool extra that gives this version another edge over the PS2 version.

So with all that heard, what downsides does this version have compared to the PS2 version? (besides the lack of remixed music) Well, for some odd reason Capcom felt the need to swap the jump and shoot buttons to B & A respectively and this cannot be reconfigured! Granted, it only took a bit to adjust to this (it actually kindof feels like an NES controller layout, which is what i think they were going for, and personally i can commend this) but i question whether other people will be willing or able to adjust to this little control problem like i did.

So, other than these two flaws, the Gamecube version of Mega Man Anniversary Collection is all around superior to the PS2 version, and since the PS2 version was already a (for the most part) rock solid compilation to begin with, you can already tell that this version is even better! (if you're willing to put up with swapped buttons and lack of remixed music, anyways)

So if you're looking for (what i believe, anyways) to be the definitive version of Mega Man Anniversary Collection, or just looking for a collection of good games to begin with, check out this little compilation that i picked up for a measly 7$! Get it, and hopefully, you won't regret it.

Grade: A

Forum: Your Reviews

Mega Man Powered Up (PSP) Review

Nicholas Pozega — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:19:38 GMT

Compared to it's predecessor Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, Mega Man Powered Up is much more...simple, to say the least. Not that this is a bad thing, and it makes up for this in many, many ways. It's a remake that goes well beyond the original NES Mega Man, offering a heck of a lot of bang for your buck, and a game in general that does the original justice and is more than great enough to stand on it's own.

While the gameplay is still a action packed side scrolling run and gun, where you select one of the many varied, well designed creative levels, go through the hazard filled stages and beat a boss to get their weapon ordeal, it's much more accessible and, well, simple here. You won't find walking robot suits or armor upgrades like you did in MHX, but you will find a game thats just as enjoyable, and in many other ways, more enjoyable than MHX.

The first thing i should bring up is how much replay value this game is packing. For starters, you can play as the boss characters now (including the two new boss characters Oil Man and Time man) provided you beat them all with just your pea shooter. Each one of them has to go through their own "adventure" in the game, like Mega Man. Each of them has some aspect that makes them stand out from playing as Mega Man, for better or for worse. (But mostly for the better.) Each level has three difficulties, and it records which ones you've beaten on that difficulty or not. And thats just PART of what you have to do to get 100%! There is also a challenge mode, which is made up of unique mini-levels and challenges for each characters that you must conquer, 100 in all. (10 for Mega Man and each of the eight boss characters, and 10 special challenges at the bottom) Some are ridiculously easy, while others are insanely hard. Your reward for beating everything in challenge mode is being able to play as Mega Man's brother, Protoman, who has a shield to protect himself and can dish more damage to his enemies, at the price of taking more damage from attacks. You can also unlock two alternative Mega Mans-one with the slide (ala Mega Man 3), and one with the slide and the chargable Mega Buster! (ala Mega Man 4)

One of my favorite additions to this remake is the addition of a LEVEL EDITOR. This alone is an ingenious addition to the game that extends the games replay value even more, the only problem being that you have to find "sets" for it in each level, and they only pop up on the higher difficulties and some can only be found or acquired by certain characters...but once you collect all of the packs, prepare to have a blast with making your own levels! You can even save the levels you create and play them with any character anytime, and even submit them online for other gamers to download and play!

The graphics and music are good, slightly better than MHX actually, and the game has a likable, lighthearted childish tone to it which contrasts with Maverick Hunter Xs more serious, mature storyline and tone.

The final touch is the classic mode, which presents an experience very similar to the original game, complete with the original 8-bit music and very similar level design, but with the updated graphics and some changes and a save feature. (not to mention a strange aspect ratio) While i would have preferred them to include the original NES Mega Man, I will accept this fine substitute.

My only major grudge with PU is it's problems with autosave. Even when turned on, it doesnt appear to work, so Im forced to constantly manually save my progress. (did i mention the game now saves your high scores, and even expands on the original games high score system?)

So overall MMU is a great, must have PSP side scroller that unfortunately met the same fate as it's predecessor Maverick Hunter X and flopped in sales, despite excellent critical reception. If you see this game, i honestly recommend you get this game, used or new. It's really one of the best PSP games you can get for Sony's portable machine.

Grade: A

Forum: Your Reviews

2009/11/3: Super Nintendo: Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

The Video Game Critic — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:52:56 GMT

These are updates to my old SNES Mortal Kombat reviews. The Ultimate MK review is brand new. Hope you like them.

Forum: Review Feedback

Psychonauts

Aaron — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:18:03 GMT

Critic,
I was looking through the site and noticed you haven't done a review of Psychonauts for the XBOX. I know you have been having some issues with your XBOX recently, if and when they are resolved you give yourself a treat and try out this game (if you haven't done so already). I thoroughly enjoyed the game and although my tastes may not be mainstream, everyone I have recommended it to has told me how much they have enjoyed it as well.

Keep up the great work,

Aaron

Forum: The Critic's Corner

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (PSP) Review

Nicholas Pozega — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:02:51 GMT

An excellent remake of the Capcom SNES classic Mega Man X, this enjoyable, well put together run and gun side scroller stays faithful to it's source material while still having just enough new content to allow it to stand on it's own. If you've played a regular Mega Man game before, you know what to expect. After the intro stage, you are given a menu of 8 levels to play through, and you can choose which one to play or go to next in any order, and this alone extends the replay value. In levels, your goal is to get from beginning to end of each level, all while blasting apart enemies and navigating hazardous environments, and at the end of each level confronting it's respective boss and defeating it, which also allows you to claim to their weapon for your own use.

Your hero, Mega Man X, or just X, starts off with a mere pea-shooter, but as i said before you get many more fun, beneficial weapons as time goes on. Each of them are creative and useful, although my personal favorite is the Storm Tornado, which can mow down even the strongest of foes in your path-not to mention it looks pretty cool. Aside from the weapons, in each level there are capsules which contain armor upgrades-5 total, but only one of them (the Dash upgrade) is truly needed to complete the game. There are also heart tanks and sub-tanks which are also optional but make the game a bit easier to get through by increasing your life bar and keeping reserved health, respectively. Each one helps make X's quest easier in a different way, but without compromising the games difficulty altogether, which i like. The levels are well designed and generally aren't cheap, and offer a few surprises every now and again.

The graphics are good for an early PSP game, but closer inspection shows the character models are rather rough looking, but never do they look like something you would find in a first generation 3-D game. The remixed music is great, the sound effects are nice and the new voice acting is actually pretty good. There are now two difficulty settings (Normal and hard) and a brand new Vile mode, which allows you to play as X's rival in the game in a new mode with customizable weapon arrangements, rearranged levels, and a slightly different story. This game even includes an over 20 minute long animated OVA which can be unlocked by beating the game, which serves as a prequel to the events before this games story took place. The animation is good, the voice acting is good, and the story is okay but predictable. This game also includes a free demo of Mega Man: Powered Up, another underrated PSP game, right off the bat.

While some of the changes made to the game from the original (which includes the placement of a few of the capsules and the completely revamped final levels, and some other changes) will annoy long time Mega Man X fans, and the lack of autosave is rather annoying, i would honestly recommend this great side scroller to any PSP owner. However, while the game was well received by critics, it and Powered Up flopped in sales, so it might be kind of tricky to find this game in the wild, but if you can find this for a bargain bin price, get it and i am sure you won't regret it.

Grade: B+

Upcoming Reviews: Mega Man Powered Up, Mega Man Anniversary Collection (Gamecube), Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (Xbox 360), Midway Arcade Treasures Vol. 1 (Gamecube)

Forum: Your Reviews

Why the heck won't GTA4 work!?!

Ken — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:09:30 GMT

I just picked up a used copy of GTA 4 for Xbox 360. The first copy would not work. I returned it and the second copy will not work. Each copy is used. Each disc looks fine. All of my other games for my 360 work. So what gives?

Forum: VGC General Forum

How about games review for the Channel F?

Keskauko — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:03:30 GMT

How about a review of the games for the Fairchild Channel F system? This was the system I played extensively as a kid and the first console to use cartridges (don't have it anymore) that inspired Atari to produce the 2600 VCS. It's classic everything is a block graphics with pips and squeeks for sounds. If anyone can find something remarkable about this system I'd like to know what it is.

Forum: 1977-1983 Era

Times are tough all over?

steer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:23:05 GMT

Well I read a lot on these boards the last 3 years - it will not let up - about 'Wii Fad', 'Wii Doomed', 'Wii Fail', 'Wii Plumment'.

Lets look at the big picture for the 'other guys' :

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/playstation-losses-since-ps3-launch-near-5-billion-report

According to VG247, figures from Sonys investor relations website show that total PlayStation division losses since the consoles release stand at $4.7 billion. (Includes VAIO)

In comparison, the site claims that Microsofts Xbox division suffered losses of $4.2 billion in the four business years following the original Xboxs November 2001 launch.

8.9 billion of losses for Sony and MS with their current hardware. Add on to that anouther 5 billion or so for XBOX 1, which launched 8 years ago or better.

Good grief. Can we call off the dogs now guys?

You want to know why SEGA is out of the hardware business - why Dreamcast failed? Because they had to make a profit and lost marketshare to these 2 black holes. At least PS2 at that time WAS profitable, I give Sony a lot of credit what they did with the first 2 Playstations, starting from nothing in a very tough industry. But MS is a HUGE joke, lets face it.

360 is slowing down, and I imagine a lot of disgruntled owners of poor quality hardware are transistioning to PS3, say goodbye to some software revenue MS. Rumour has is MS is going to raise LIVE subscription rates, I hope they do, that can speed along the exodus. Natal is way too ambitious to be pulled off to what they are hyping/claiming, so maybe this madness can finally end...?

Times are tough all over. Quit waiting for the one company how can actually make money in the home console business to fail or 'catch up'. This board is too enlightened for that.

Forum: VGC General Forum

Nintendo Gameboy SP (Platinum) and lot of 5 games

feilong80 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:42:42 GMT

I have the following, which I wish to sell as a lot (I do not want to piecemeal these out):

A Nintendo Gameboy SP, in Platinum. It is in excellent condition with no scratches on the screen (it just needs a wipe!). It comes with the charger. I am selling this with 5 games:

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Double Dragon Advance (has a price sticker on it that partially covers the label, stupid Gamestop!), The Adventure of Link (Classic NES series), Zelda: A Link to the Past w/Four Swords Adventures, and Final Fantasy V Advance.

The games are carts only, though I'll through in some plastic cases that I was using to store them.

I want to sell all of this for $60 for the whole lot. Please email me via the email link through this site if you are interested, and we can make arrangements.

Thanks!

-Rob

Forum: Trading Post

R.I.P. Nokia N-Gage... again!

J.M. Vargas — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:46:36 GMT

For those that didn't know, Nokia resurrected the failed N-Gage brand from the disastrous mobile gaming cellphone model (circa 2003) into a wireless gaming network for its own brand of cellphones (which had zero compatibility with the original N-Gage game cards). Now, six years later, Nokia is pulling the plug on N-Gage for good because Apple's I-phone pretty much ate the market it was after: http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2009/10/30/30gigaom-nokia-kills-n-gage-again-17959.html.

As the proud owner of an original model N-Gage (the one you have to open and remove the battery to change the game cartridge in the back... yes, it's a pain) this is sad but not unexpected news. Guess will enjoy the couple of dozen N-Gage games I bought cheap over the years as one-of-a-kind gaming collectibles.

Forum: VGC General Forum

Can you name the VGC's A+ games?

Dennis — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:57:43 GMT

Everyone had fun with the "name the console" quiz on Sporcle a while back, so I made this one, which challenges you to name the VGC's A+ games. See how you do... and no cheating!

http://www.sporcle.com/games/Den/vgc_top_games

Forum: VGC General Forum