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Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (PS2)
by megidolaon
Storyline 8/10 - The main character found himself involved in what is called the conception (the world as we know is destroyed and preparation for it's rebirth). The main character awakens after witnessing the destruction of Tokyo, and the new world is inhabited with demons and incarnation of death. And he also transformed into a demon ... itself. SMT : Nocturne had a great story with many twists and keep you wondering what'll happen next.
Gameplay 9/10 - The game system is a 'turn based system'. You turn depends on how many character in your party. And if you hit an enemy weakness(every demon have it's weak and strong element) you will get an extra turn, and vice versa. You'll lose your turn if you miss or they repel/drain/block your attack. So, you'll need to know what's your enemy weakness before taking a fight, because if you don't, they can sweep all of your party in 15 sec. And another one is Demonic Summoning system, you can combine a lot of demon to get a new demon. Also, you can recruit any demon that you encounter in battle.
Music 10/10 - Music in this game is awesome composed by Shoji Meguro, the atmosphere is very dark, combined from hard rock and techno. 'Boss battle' and 'Final Battle' is one of the best soundtracks I ever heard.
Graphic 9/10 - This game use cell shaded and I think it's very good. Usually, game creator only focusing on main party or something, but not in this game. All of the demon animation is very smooth and fits with the dark story.
Overall 9/10
Information : Dante from 'Devil May Cry' is on this game, he has a major role. And of course, can be obtained as your party.
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Tom and Jerry: War of the Whiskers (PS2)
by mattconnect
I have always loved watching Tom and Jerry the cartoon when I was young and it definitely translates well into a "Street Fighter" style game with a whole range of cool features.
Firstly, there are nine playable characters for you to unlock by playing the Tom and Jerry story mode with subsequent character's stories ... being unlocked as you progress the game. Characters include Spike, Nibbles and Butch. Other things to unlock are the different fighting arenas and special costumes characters will wear on particular levels such as swimming trunks on the beach level.
So what does the game itself involve? After choosing a character to play, you are paired with a series of opponents to beat. At the end of each story mode, there is also a boss- defeating them will finish that particular path and have characters unlocked.
The levels themselves are fully interactive with the environment destroyable (this is infact how you unlock clothes). There are also special weapon picks ups, some you can throw whilst some are permanent whacking weapons dealing heavy damage. There is also an environmental element that comes every so often, such as an avalanche that covers a majority of the arena and freezes you unless you seek a high spot. How you manouvre the level and what to pick up is key to winning.
There are quite a few different moves you can do so learning the controls at the beginning may be a bit difficult. Jump, Punch, Kick, Dodge, Pick Up, Throw, Berserk... with some of those buttons used also for catching thrown items, picking up your opponent and using weapons that you pick up. A bit of practice is definitely needed before facing anyone!
This game is also successful in that it was originally a cartoon and therefore the graphics don't need to be spectacular. Compared to a game like "Final Fantasy", the graphics are pretty rubbish but it doesn't matter. The attention to detail is what makes this game fun and quirky. The animations of the characters when they win and lose reflect well what you might see on the show, which is nice.
All the game mechanics can be adjusted in "Options Mode" and selecting EASY, you can unlock everything pretty easily, though if you want a real challenge, you'll want to try HARD mode which is pretty intense and expect some sore thumbs!
Apart from the story mode, there is tag team where you choose two characters to face two characters of the computer. Alternatively you can play with a friend and each have a character on the same side to face the computer's two opponents. This mode sounds good, but it is never fun to just sit and watch when it's not your go, so thankfully there's a full on two player mode- Just pick and character and FIGHT!
This is by far the best mode as it gives you total freedom and spontaneity as you don't know what your human opponent will do. After unlocking everything, there is very little replayability in terms of the story mode, but the two player Versus Mode is definitely one you can play again and again with a friend to see who will win the war of the whiskers!
The game can be purchased for under £5 online; Check eBay for the best deals.
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2)
by loadedluke
Prince of Persia: sands of time, is a platformer for the PS2. The gameplay revolved around gravity-defying, Parkour-style, free-running platforming, allowing you to run along and up walls, in rder to climb high up and avoid murderous traps. Due to the likelihood of dieing repeatedly, time-reversing mechanics where introduced via the ... "dagger of time." The game also involved sword-fighting with sand zombies in a huge arabian palace, and it is, simply one of the best games ever made.
The story revloves around the Prince (his name is never revealed) who accidently unleashed the "sands of time" from a magic hourglass, which has transformed everyone in a huge palace into a villain. The prince tries to do this, despite oppoesition from the sinister Vizier, who wants to use the hourglass and its magic to achieve total power. The story is presented very much like "Laurence of Arabia," Our prince even has a Errol Flynn-esque British accent. The story is brilliantly told through dialogue between characters, narration from the prince, and soliloques from the princes mind. The prince is a complex character, who grows throughout the story, along with his growing love for Princess Farah.
But in video games, a story welltold is nothing without engaging gameplay (and vice-versa). Thankfully, the platforming sections of the game are fantastic. They are experimental, huge in scale and complex, but the free-running gives you a strong sense of freedom, making the platforming very engaging. While the platforming itself is challengin, it is helped by tight, simple controls. the Prince's acrobats are accomplished just the joystick and two buttons. Minimising the potential inputs makes the game more immersive, and thus enjoyable, and the time powers mean that failure is not frustrating, as you can zip right back to the instant before you screwed up.
However, to balance the fantastic platforming is the boring and repetitive sword-fighting. You fight lots of different enemies, but they all look and feel the same, and most of them are dealt with in exactly the same way. The counter attacks are too fiddly and loose, as its impossible to get the timing, which leaves you with basic sword swipes or bouncing off walls. Its very dull and you just want to get through it quickly so you can enjoy more platforming and story. Although to be fair, voulting over enemies is quite fun and looks brilliant, due to the fantastic camera.
Camera controls make or break a platformer. Actually, a bad camera can ruin any game. It was one of the main problems I had with Madworld. In PoP, the camera is brilliant. You can have the camera as tight or as far away as you want, and you can switch to a landscape view, to get a sense of scale and where you need to go. During fights, the camera knows to stay where you can see enemies, before switching to a cinematic closeup when you pull off a finished or a cool looking movie. Its one of the few things that improved the combat.
I loved this game, and it is a shame it took me seven years to get round to playing it. Don't wait any longer, experience it for yourself.
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