Before I start the review, I must say something you really have to take into consideration before you read the review. TOO HUMAN has been in development for almost over 10 years. Originally it was supposed to be on the 1st Playstation, then the PS2, and then after all that time, it landed on the Xbox 360.

That being said you would think a game in development for 10 years SHOULD end up being one of the greatest games you have played in your life. When it came time for launch it received reviews of either very below average or simply average. And every review I have read pretty much ragged on it for being in development for that many years and not being the great end product as expected. It also went through several law suits over it's time.

So when you are reading my review, please....lets try to not look at the fact that it has been in development for over 10 years and just concentrate on the game that we got.

Plot

The plot of TOO HUMAN follows the Norse god, Baldr. It is a pure sci-fi/fantasy mix that really didn't nail what it went out to do. The game follows the post apocalyptic event where humanity is dying off of some unknown cause? Perhaps it was their own down fall with machines becoming too powerful or maybe it the world hit another Ice age! I don't know! They never said. You just know that Baldur and the rest of his Aesir brothers. All are the sons/daughters of the all mighty Aesir god, Odin. They are protectors of humanity and they are hell bent on saving humanity and bringing them back to a age of prosperity. That is what I gathered at least.

In the game, it takes place in a very far away future. All the gods are really barley their normal self's anymore due to serious cybernetic enhancements. It has made them much more powerful and more adapt to fighting the foes that they fight, but in turn have lost a lot of their sense of humanity. This is just another aspect to the game that seems really cool but ends up selling it's self short due to it's lack of explanation. In the end of it though you will stop and think to yourself Do I really even fucking care? and the answer will be NO! I assure you. It would have been very nice to have a nice deep story here but it just falls flat on it's face and if you have little to no knowledge of Norse mythology, it will seem like pure gibberish to you when they start to talk about events and the story.

There is also a love story somewhere in here with Baldur and his wife that is murdered. And Baldr is out for the blood of his wife's murderer. It really never picks up and you really never even begin to ever care.

Then there is the bad guy who wants to take down the Aesir, Loki, who is known for being the rouge of all the gods, never trust Loki in ANYTHING! Who was imprisoned by the Aesir due to some sort of treason but, after awhile...he escapes and is trying to use some really old weapon to destroy the Aesir headquarters. Wish I could tell you more of this story but I was turned the volume down because Loki and Thor's conversations were getting very old after hearing them bicker about the same thing a billion times while I was trying to concentrate on killing stuff! It was very off putting.

In the end, the story is very weak and it is a shame because it had potential to be one amazing and epic story! People with knowledge before hand of the Norse mythology will get some nice laughs out of the gods talk and such. The story really never get interesting till the game ends, and even then...it is cut short and what was the last boss felt more like a mid boss. I never felt like that should have been the end of the game and was surprised when I found out that it was!

Graphics/Visuals

The game really has it's ups and downs! Baldr's character model looks great and it really looks cool when you some bad ass shiny armor on and a really bad ass weapon! And the some of the enemies look really good like the trolls and some of the bigger bosses. It also

The games also really fluctuates on the backgrounds! The in-town visuals are breath taking! With massive statues the depict the gods before they became the cybernetic monsters that they now are. And bright vibrant colors that really make it a treat to go to town. The rest of the games environments are really bland and they repeat over and over and over! It will mix it up every now and then, but it is mostly the same thing over and over again. It is a bad thing for this game because when you hack and slash your way through hordes of the same enemies in the same background...it becomes very tedious and feels like work.

The animations in the game while look cool in motion, it isn't anything to get excited about. All your swings at the foes don't even look like they connect at all. And when your slide between enemies it looks really cheesy and bland and sometimes it glitches you and makes you jump in the air. Also, if you look at Baldr's weapon on his back, it is never actually attached to anything! It is just floating there! Also when the Valkyrie's come to pick you up there legs get clipped into the ground and cut off their feet. It is just minor nit picks but is a little bit distracting,you mostly notice this because you will be dying A LOT!

The background looks really good here but, look at all those foes! Think you have time for sight seeing? Because the baddies never stop coming!

The cut-scenes look okay...and the models look pretty good, but you will see a lot of the in-game graphics that look a lot better than the cut-scenes.

Audio

The audio of the game does it's part. It just gets really repetitive. You will hear the sound of your weapon hit about 10 millions times by the end of the game! You will get really sick of your NPC partners talking and rambling on all the time to the point to where you want to turn the damn sound off all together! I also got real annoyed with hearing the missiles launch at me from a million different places, and it makes your average missile noise and when you have to deal with that non stop on some levels you will get easily annoyed by it.

The game has very little music, mostly turns on when you are about to get into a MAJOR conflict. Which actually makes the music all that much better! The lack of music and proper use of it, really went a long way in this game.

The voice acting is okay. The voice of Baldr is pretty solid even if he doesn't have a whole bunch of lines. Most of the gods voices are pretty solid. I personally liked the voice of Tyr. A couple of the gods voices though....DAMN YOU WILL GET SICK OF FUCKING HEARING IT! I got so sick of hearing Thor and Loki repeat the same lines over and over I just turned the damn sound off for awhile. Also the sound of the NPC partners get old fast, it is mostly lines like I don't want to die! or ODIN! FREE MY SOUL!....gets really old and dumb....fast.

Gameplay

The game play in TOO HUMAN is simple yet pretty complex. The fighting in the game will make or break this whole game for you.

From the start of the game you can pick one of 5 classes of characters. Berserker(Melee attacking beast),Commando(Ranged attacker),Champion(Balanced character,good at air combat and good with swords),Bio Engineer (Healer), and Defended (Yeah...you guessed what he is good at!) All excel in different things, but with strength and weakness. I played as a Champion on my playthrough and he was wickedly strong with a sword by the end of the game! One hitting every normal foe.

All characters have different skill trees that you can assign points into as you level up, it is branching so say you put points into one skill you can put more into the next level advancement skill, also later on you can pick if you want to lead the path of a Cybernetic or a human. And dependent on the path you will get a different bonus skill tree. You can put points into anything and feel free to mess around, because you can reallocate all your points for a small fee. One of my biggest complaints was that a lot of my skills really were not all that powerful, I mostly put my points into melee skills to just improve my basic melee attacks.

Battling in two human can be done in one of two ways (see simple). You can either use melee to dispatch enemies or guns. The melee consist of using the right joystick to attack. Many have said it is broken and unplayable! I know, I was one of them! But once you figure it out, it is very rewarding! The melee that is. The gun play is pure garbage.

In melee combat you hold your thumb on the right joystick and simply hold it in the direction on the foe that you want to attack, want to attack a new foe, move the joystick in that direction! Simple! You can also double tap the joystick towards your foe and launch them in the air and then jump up and start a aerial combo on them. Also your can unleashed a ranged melee attack that knocks them down of a devastating finisher that deals massive damage but leaves you vulnerable to damage but simple pressing both joysticks at the foe at the same time. It is really simple if you stop for a second and think about it. I guess the lack of a tutorial really dragged this game down! The whole concept is good idea and just remember to no take your thumb off the joystick unless you want to do a finisher or ranged melee attack.

Beserkers can dual wield and are wickedly fast, the lack of defense can make them useless in boss battles though.
The games auto lock is annoying at times and can get some getting used to, but it works and it helps but...you will die a couple times because of it...I promise you that! The gun combat lock on is broken about completely though! You lock on to the one closest to Baldr and if you want to change targets you use the right joystick to change, but it never seems to pick the one your want! You will end up dying before you get your lock on! This makes being a commando pretty difficult. If you can pull off being a good commando, my hat is off to you!

There is also a very deep menu system, that is very overwhelming at first but, after spending some time in it, you will get the hang of it. You will probably spend half the game in the menu unfortunately though. Adding custom runes into your gear to further enhance your character is addicting to say that least. That also leads me to the about the BEST aspect of the game! The LOOT! THE BOOTY! THE PLUNDER!

The menu is very deep, but still very simple. Get used to this screen because you will spend a lot of time in it.

As you kill foes they have a chance of dropping items, most useless and some decent, but some harder foes have a chance of dropping blue prints. Blue prints are strong weapons and armor that you can pay to have crafted for a price of your bounty(money). Since the game levels up with you, so will the items that drop! Making for a very addicting experience. Fans of diablo II! BEWARE! This is a addiction not be trifled with. This makes the loot really the best aspect of the game and even after the game is over, you will be coming back for a chance of the oh so rare...Elite gear!

Elite Sword! Burning Edge at the Worlds End!

The game is fun single players, but if you connect with a buddy (or hell someone you don't even know) on Xbox Live! The co-op is where it is at! It takes all the fun of the single player and makes it two times better with teaming up with a buddy to take down twice the amount of enemies. And get twice the amount of loot. You can also trade loot for character specific pieces. I would say this game is some of the most fun co-op I have had since gears of war. Although you should be around the same level as your friend because the foes will the around the same level as the highest level person in the game. So don't bring your level 10 into a level 50 fight, you will get creamed in one hit! But if you are brave enough, you will level up uber fast.

Overall
The game is pretty fun, if you can ignore some of it's short comings. It has some control issues and the story was pretty lack luster and really doesn't get good till it is over! It will give you a good 15 hours on your normal play through, and about 30 hours to level up to 50. You could put in hundreds of hours with the co-op and hunting the elite gear down. It is hard to justify it at full price since I felt like I only got half a game, but when it goes down to a budget price it is a must buy. I just hope they took all the bad things about this game to improve the next two games in the series.

Score:7 out of 10
Pros:LOOT CITY!
Good Melee Combat
Co-op is tons of fun!
Character editing can get addicting.
Multiple Classes to choose from.
Elite gear is rewarding when you find some.
Cons:Ranged combat sucks!
Can feel like a grind at times.
Story is only so-so and then only picks up when the game ends.
Game ends at a weird time.
Some of the voices can get really annoying!
Elite gear is hard as hell to find.

Random thought: Doesn't Baldr look a lot like Vinny Jones?
This would have been only hell of a ORIGINAL XBOX game! It would have been a must own!
I still liked Valkyrie Profile much more in terms of story.

Well that's my review, hope you enjoyed it.

-CrimsonKingX-

Story

Well....The story to castle crashers is about as simple and old school as it gets! Bad guy comes to the castle, Kidnaps some princesses, you embark on a quest to kick some ass and save some princesses! It is a real simple story! It really doesn't matter here. The game does have a ton of humor through out the story that it keeps it just overall fun to play all the time! That does it for the story portion.

Audio

The game has some amazing music that will be stuck in your head for days! It ranges from really fast techno, to hard rock, to a epic score you would expect to hear in a final fantasy game! No joke! It all plays together really well into the game and you will probably find you and your buddies doing some pretty stupid dances while you are playing (I know we did, but that is a different story all together).

The sound effects of all the weapons and spells and such are standard for a classic side scrolling beat'em up! The sounds some of that characters are just plain funny at times! I really liked the sounds of the different enemies dying, because it may range from a fart to a girly scream!

I will say when a lot of chaos is on the screen you will hear nothing but the sound of weapons hitting things, it didn't really bother me, but it may bother some (My wife hated it!).

Gameplay

Castle Crashers is old school beat'em up action at it's finest! Think about all the great memories you had with Tutrles in Time, Final Fight, Streets of Rage, etc. and throw that into one game that spoofs on them and it's self for just one overall fun and bad ass experience. This is where castle crashers shines!

Castle crashers sets it's self apart in a lot of ways from standard beat'em ups that we all know and love! I will list some reasons why.

You level up as you play the game. Level up and get new combo's and can invest points into Strength,Magic,Agility, and Defense/HP. The more points you put into magic, new magic will be unlocked and your overall magic will get much stronger.

You can access different weapons with different stats from them all, and all are hidden throughout the entire game! Giving you good reason to go through to hunt for all the uber good ones! They have level requirments on them to add to some balance.

-You can use animals as a little avatar that follows you around and either gives you passive bonuses to your stats,attacks foes for you,helps you find secret objects, or hell...even gives you bonus EXP! As with weapons, they are scattered throughout the game and are pretty well hidden! They are a great addition to the game! They however do not have a level requirement!

-With 4-player simultaneously co-op this game is a blast to play with friends! It can be played with local play or online co-op! This is really where the game shines! It brings back some good memories of sitting down for a couple hours with friends when I was a kid and beating the hell out of some baddies! Just having a good time! The game throws more baddies at you according to how many people are in the game!


-You can purchase items with gold you find from killing enemies. Items range from Health potions,Bombs,Sandwiches (Makes you really big and really strong!), to even buying rare weapons and animals!

-Boss Battles are fun and can present a pretty good challenge at times! All bosses have a weakness and some can take some time to figure out! They are all pretty big and really flashy and are some good eye candy!


-This game is really crazy! So much is going on in the game that is can be pretty easy to lose sight of yourself or your buddies! It takes a lot of getting used too.

-If you or your buddy dies, you can go over and do CPR on them to revive them with some of their health! But be careful all it takes is one hit and they knock you off them and you will have to start trying CPR again!

-One of the best things about this game though...over 29 UNLOCKABLE CHARACTERS! 29! It gives really good reason to go through the game multiple times! You can even unlock new characters with a new character you beat the game with!

-Beat the game and love it and egging for a new challenge? Did I mention there is a insane mode? Have fun trying to beat that! But it gives you more reason to keep playing with your current character to level him up some more!

I really wish I could say there is something wrong with the gameplay...but there really isn't! It is very simple control scheme but, I think that it is so simple and throw in the RPG elements to give a little element of complexity and you have one of the best beat'em ups of ALL TIME! Yes, I said that!

Only thing I can say annoyed me at times was I sometimes lost sight of my character behind a really massive boss, and I couldn't see him again until the boss moved.

Graphics/Presentation

Castle Crashers is all in 2D just like all classic beat'em ups should be! But with HD technology backing this game...It looks beautiful! With bright vibrate colors that support full 1080p! This is about the best looking game that Xbox Live ARCADE has to over at the moment in my eyes!

The game has some really cool settings all very standard though. You will start in a castle,go through a forest,raid another castle,go to a lava world. All kinds of stuff! The game has very good pacing that always keeps it fun to play at all times! It will mix up the actions sometimes such as a chase mini-game of trying to get away from a massive monster. To a fight on top of a chariot! The game just nails all the elements!

One thing that really sold me on this game was it's great sense of humor! It is nasty and completely tasteless humor that I really enjoyed though! There are owls that shit themself's to death! There are deer that get so scared that they become shit propelled instead of running away! There are little Teddy Bear monsters that loved to head bang! The game overall just keeps the humor going! It also has a boss battle towards the end of the game that looks like it came right out of a episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force!

I really couldn't say enough good things about the presentation. It just was about perfect for what it was aiming to do, Entertain you! The whole time you play this game, you will be having fun! That is the most important thing when you are playing a video game! Having fun, and castle crashers is non-stop fun!

Overall

If you couldn't tell...I really liked this game! It is by far my favorite Xbox Live Arcade title, and well....I will be honest.....THIS IS MY FAVORITE BEAT'EM UP GAME OF ALL TIME! With a price point of $20 it may seem steep for a arcade game but after playing this for as much as I have with my family and friends...I would have paid full retail price for it!

The main game clocks in about 4-5 Hours to complete it. And you will seemingly unlock a new character everytime you beat it with a different character!

This is about the best co-op game you can have! It is so simple anyone can pick it up and play it! Hell! I play it with my 4 Year old son all the time! He is in love with it (Yes, I let me son play SOME adult oriented games so sue me!)

This game isn't perfect, but it is damn near close! This is a must own! A MUST OWN! With so much replay value. I can assure you that 20 bones is a steal for this game!

Score: 9.5 out of 10

Pros
-This is one of the best beat'em ups of all time!
-Music is catchy and sounds great!
-Visuals are amazing! Especially for a arcade game! One good looking game in HD!
-Controls are really simple, yet the game is somewhat Complex
-Great Sense of humor! You will laugh even after you have seen it a few times!
-Good challenge, not impossible, but you will die if you are not prepared!
-RPG elements really give this game lots of personality!
-29 Unlockable Characters!
-Tons of hidden stuff throughout the game!
-Really high replay value!
-4 Player Local and ONLINE Co-op!
-Like Alien Hominid HD? You will love this game!
-BEST ENDING IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY.
Cons
-So much madness on screen it can be easy to lose sight of your character
-It does have a couple online flaws but still runs great! Lag free for the most part!
-Some may stray away from the price tag alone. ($20.)
-PS3 owners should get a chance to experience this amazing game too!
-It may be TOO GOOD

Well that is the review, hope you enjoyed it.

-CrimsonKingX-

It has been a long time! I really haven't had much of a urge to blog and speak all my random ramblings on gaming,music,and movies, but...what the hell! Here it goes.

Whats going on in Gaming...For ME!

Well...recently I just finished Lost Odyssey, it was a great game. I particularly enjoyed the story for the most part....till the end that is, all JRPG's just get too ridiculous towards the end of the game and that is what really pisses me off about them all! I can always expect for something completely irrelevant to happen at the end of a 50 hour long adventure to leave me in a bit of a foul mood once I finish it. Well for more details on my experience with that game just check my review for it.

Also I have been playing alot of Castle Crashers, mostly playing it with my son.

I am just going to go ahead and just say it....This is the best beat-em-up of ALL TIME! Yes, it actually trumps Turtles in Time in my eyes! With such a great sense of humor, Great controls, RPG elements, Beautiful visuals, nice length, amazing music, and lets not forget....Xbox Live support! It is the complete fucking package! Not to mention being about to have a buddy at your house who can play online with you while you play with another friend via Live! AMAZING! I love games that do that! Not to mention...enough content to keep you busy for hours on end. 29 Unlockable characters! I will write up a full review for it when I am done with it.


Another game I have been investing some time in is Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

Yes, it is true...it is a extremely buggy/glitchy game. But you know what? It also balances out in a way!
How you say? For all the times you get stuck in the enviroments, there are still as much more times that you get the gratifying experience of sinking a complete fucking oil tanker in the middle of the ocean. For every time you lose a boat races because it gets stuck on a unseen part of land, there are other times when you can blow up entire bases with air stikes. Get the point? It is just plain fun, and last time I check, that is all that matters! It is a solid rental. With enough optional shit to keep you busy for days. Oh...and if you don't pick the sweed (character with the mohawk and tattoos) then you deserve to be pimp slapped!

I have been waiting for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for what seems like a eternity now! I am going to go ape shit on this game once I get my hands on it! This is the closest I think I will ever get to a Psi-Ops sequel and this game is a F'ing Star Wars setting! It couldn't fail in my eyes!

I have played the demo on both the 360 and the PS3, and I must say...PS3 Version looks much more crisp and much more polished in the visuals department! But it could be a unfair judgment as my friend tells me because I have the PS3 hooked up to HDMI and I don't have HDMI on my old POS 360. But....I just call him a Xbot and let him go on his marry way! I will still be getting it for the PS3! I love the PS3 controller! Best controller of All time! (I say that all the time, I know)


Sorry had to add this, it is just too funny

Current Movie and Music Interest

I have been watching a lot of movies latley, but only a few stood out that I know I will remember for awhile.

Wanted


This movie really got a bad rap, but you know what? It was actually very enjoyable! It had some great over the top action that I really enjoyed! Some good CG effects, and lots of badass shoot outs! It is based off a graphic novel (Very trended way to make movies now it seems) It is well worth a rental if now a buy, the last shoot out of the movie is probably some of the best gun play I have seen in movie history. The acting is not the greatest, but the guy who played the main character did a great job and come on...Angelina Jolie and Morgon Freeman....can't fail there. The story is crap but more just a reason to see a guy kill bitches ruthlessly!

Doomsday


This movie was just plain fucking crazy, and I loved it! It had all the elements of a weird movie! Cooking people alive and then eating them! Battle Arenas! Mohawks and tattoo'ed people! Knights clad in armor! And Bentlies and Helicopters! It was a very action packed movie! It is a strange mix of Mad Max and well...resident evil(much better than any of those pieces of garbage though).

V for Vendetta


This is one of my favorite movies of all time! I just adore the character of V, You really cannot tell if he is a hero of the people or if he is just plain mad! Hugo Weaving did such a great job at bring the character to life! The action is very well done, but it is the story that really plays with your emotions. It is one of those movies that just sends chills down my back...every time I watch it! Go buy it....now!

In terms of music I have been pretty dry latley...listening to lots of older tunes. Here is just a couple

Incubus-Science

So say this is incubus best album, and it is damn good one to be sure! It is kinda of strange, but is to be sure the hardest incubus album. I personally love many songs on this album. Here are some of my favorites.
1.Vitamin
2.New Skin
3. Certain Shade of Green
4. Favorite Thing

Finger Eleven-Tip

Let me first state...they are probably my favorite band of all time! This is there first album and in my opinion is the best, full of emotion in all departments! Every lyric in this album you can tell just bleeds through Scott Anderson, I suggest you listen to some of these songs if you can find them.
1.Quicksand
2.Awake and Dreaming
3.Above
4.Glimpse
5.......Hell just get the fucking album it is great!
Here is link to the video for Above

Randomness

Well here is just random stuff I can think of at the moments.

Well I would like to give a big shout out to a certain GT member who has actually inspired me to start blogging again.

I just wanted to say that your blogs and reviews are awesome and keep them coming! Your incredible! Visit his blog Here

I got a new tattoo here a month or so ago, here is the pic, may be hard to see.

It is the names of my two kids Bella Rose and Jadien. I decided to get Bella and have it go into a picture of a rose, and then for Jadien, I thought hell....I'll get a Jade dragon. Either way, very satisfied with how it turned out, my wife got a matching one as well, but she got her's on her bicep.

Here is another strange pic I decided to have some fun with lol. Just me kind of getting up after play BioShock for about 15 Hours straight lol. Enjoy....Fuckin Mudkipz....


want more randomness.....here ya go!









Well that is quite enough! lol.

That is all I have friends. Hope you enjoyed! Maybe I'll do this again soon. We'll see....take it easy. Thanks

-CrimsonKingX

Game overview

Lost Odyssey is a JRPG from famed team that has brought you some of the greatest of the final fantasy series over the years. Now broke away from squarenix to make their own gaming developing company Mistwalker Studios.

With that being said, the game has standards set very high! But how does it fair against the JRPG juggernaut they used to create games for?

Story

The story of Lost odyssey is one of truly epic proportions! From the beautiful opening CGI cut scenes that throw you into a war between two waring nations that are unknown to you at first, battling it out in a battle of force and magic it seems as if no side is winning. Then the hero of the game comes in a starts whopping more ass than about anything you have ever seen. (He is obviously fighting for one said of the nation) Then after that short cut scene you are sucked into the world of lost odyssey.

The story is that of the immortal soldier Kaim Argonar, He isn't sure who he truly is or why he is cursed to walk this earth or over a 1000 years, he remembers nothing of his past because he got his memories stripped from him years ago by a vicarious sorcerer. After awhile of playing through the game the nation Kaim is fighting for sends him to do some research on a structure of great magic energy that is malfunctioning, and joining him in the investigation is other immortal Seth Balmoore and mortal Jansan Frieda.


Kaim Argonar whooping some ass!

I don't want to ruin too much but every character in this game has a back story to be told, some good...others well....you could careless. As you progress through the game Kaim and Seth will start to get some of their memories back and you will read them through some of the most well written stories I have read in my life! It is all text, no cut scenes sorry kids. They tell you some great stories, most revolve around Kaim and his very painful past. All of which are well worth the time it takes to read them, they really let you have some insight into the why the characters are so interesting.

That is where I will leave you with the story, if you have played a JRPG in your life, I am sure you know of what to expect coming, a couple oh my god! someones trying to become a god and take over our world stuff. That really is not the part of the game that is really intriguing, it is the characters and their stories and how it unfolds in the main story that is interesting. I will also warn you...this game tugs at the heart strings at times, and their will be a couple times you will feel like your about to cry, but suck it up!

Audio

With a great score for legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, needless to say, it is great! You it really pours out all the emotions of the game! This is some of his greatest work here as well, with a epic score that he really put a lot of time into. I found myself doing little nerdy dances to the battle arena music, but that is a different story all together.

It has pretty standard sounds during battle. But if your like me and have full surround sound this is actually very interesting! Because the digital audio is so well implemented that it just sounds incredible!

This is some of the best audio I have ever heard in a JRPG with a amazing score to boot.


Gameplay

This is a toughest and easiest portion in reviewing a JRPG, because it is fairly standard but does have a couple ways to set it apart.

The game all plays out in a turn based fashion, much like classic JRPG's do. You give your characters the commands and attack, and the enemy does it behind the scenes while you are. Story old as time by now, I know. However this games has a neat little twist. It borrows a idea I first saw implemented in Legend of the Dragoon, instead of just sitting back and watching as your characters attack, there is a timed button press portion during your attack called the ring system (why is everything on the xbox 360 has something to do with fucking rings? HUH? uh-oh touchy subject for some lol) essentially the ring you equip to your character has specific attributes that can affect your attack, example, say you have fire element on your ring, once you go to attack a ring will appear on the screen and you hold down the right trigger and another ring will start to close in of the main ring, the idea is to get it perfectly in the main circle of the main ring landing a perfect and if you do that element will be inflicted on the foe. Here is a screen for a example.


Seth is about to attack and if you land the outer circle in the inner circle, you got it!

That has a big impact on your attackers, although is about useless for spell casters. As your progress through the game you will get materials to craft new rings with other effects on them as well as combine rings to make multiple effects on one ring, it is pretty neat actually. However I will say I never had much need because towards the later hours of the game, you will find of pretty incredible ones.

Also another thing it introduces is a Back row protection system. It is simple really, your characters in the front row put a barrier up behind them and it is based on combined Hit points of the front row characters, and as long as it is high, any damage inflicted to characters in the back row will be greatly reduced, but if they knock your front row chacter's HP down, the weaker the shield becomes and the more damage the back row characters can take. It cannot be replenished by simply healing either, there are certain skills that replenish it, but...I never found to much of a need for this. It is also a double edge sword though, because the enemies work on the same system, so it isn't as simple as kill the leader in the back and be done with the battle.

The game also has it's element weakness much like Final Fantasy does, and it makes sense for the most part.

Fire trumps Wind
Wind trumps Earth
Earth trumps Water
Water trumps Fire
Simple. But is key in some of the games grueling boss battles. With that said, if you are looking for a JRPG that is challenge, look no further. The earlier parts of the game will have you barley scraping by for the win or will kill you in your tracks if you don't use proper strategy! This isn't some kiddy JRPG, this game is for the vets! If you don't like battling a boss for 20 mins just so he can unleash a attack and about kill you instantly...I am sorry...this is not your game, it is a challenge.

Also another interesting aspect is how characters learn skills.

Mortal characters learn skills as they level up, as Immortal characters do not. So, Immortals can learn skills from Mortals in a skill link, simply select the skill you wish to learn, get some Skill Points via battling and you learned a skill! Then equip it to your immortal! Also it should be noted that Immortals have a certain about of skill slots that they can equip skills to but as you progress through the game you can open up more slots for more skills to be equipped.

There is also another for Immortals to learn skills and that is to equip a accessory that has a specific skill that can be learned on it, gain enough SP and learn it, much like the skill system in Final Fantasy 9. Also if you just keep the accessory on you will have the skill automatically turn on. Take it off and you will have to equip the skill.

This is very good for the immortals because it gives you lots of room for customization with them, however you will find it is very thin at the same time because, if your spell caster has battle skills such as all hit on, it will be weak as hell! A spell caster is a spell casters, so learn your skills accordingly!

Also, later on in the game, mortals are just irrelevant to even use! The immortals get so powerful, the mortals just seem like a sad after thought! They are pretty much the immortals bitches! Once you learn the mortals best skills, there is no reason to use them! They are weaker and not as versatile. Which is sad really.

Presentation

This game is running off the acclaimed Unreal 3 engine so....of course it is gorgeous! There is about smooth textures all around! This is one JRPG that is true eye candy.

The environments are very pretty as you can see from the start of the game with some beautiful flame effects and such. It keeps it up with some great town landscaping. I really have to give kudos in this department because there were so many times while playing I was just in awe of how it looks. This is one game that really sucks you into the experience.

The character models all look good and the attack animations are fluid. Some of the spell effects are cool while others are pretty lack lusters to tell the truth.

The art style of the game is very good, a good take on some of the older ages of the final fantasy games. With it really bring the characters to life. But as much life as it gives to the hero's, the enemies don't get as much attention, while most are so generic that you would be glad to kill them for looking so dumb!

The immortal characters in the game are brought to life via the dreams you can unlock that tell stories of their past, but the mortal characters really lack much personality really, but that may just be a knit pick on my part.

The game is linear in a part of...there really isn't a world map to explore till the end of the game, it is done in a fashion similar to FFX, select a location, go there,fight, done. Which I for one prefer because I get bored of running around aimlessly for hours looking for where to go and getting into a random monster fights in the process! So if you are a fan of the world map, you won't find much of it here.

That is not to say that there isn't secret stuff to explore and find, because there is a ton! Really the extra stuff is the best part of the game! It is challenging and rewarding! It will have you busy for at least 10 hours! But....with a sub par arena mode, a dumb little village to visit and about THE MOST ANNOYING DUNGEON PUZZLE IN THE HISTORY OF TIME! It is really only for the hardcore to sink there teeth into, people who get frustrated easily, you have been warned! Stick with the main story and you shouldn't have much of a problem, however do all the extras and reap all the great benefits to make your Immortals uber!

Another thing I really really hated about the game and I couldn't do this review without mentioning it....the dungeon design is well....pretty terrible! Later parts of the game get worse too! You will be solving some very annoying puzzles that really just feel like they don't belong in the level at all! It feels more like filler than actual fun! Right when you think it is about time to fight a boss, nope....go solve a million simple puzzles then you might get too. It is a mere annoyance than it is fun.

Summary

Lost Odyssey is one of the best JRPG's I have played in years! It was challenging, well paced, and rewarding experience that I would recommend to anyone looking for a great story to dig their teeth into. But if you are easily frustrated with puzzles or new to JRPG's I wouldn't suggest this game, it is ment as a gift for the hardcore vets of the genre I believe.

The game will give 40 hours with the main quest and about 55-60 Hours doing about all the optional stuff. So it is a time investment, but I promise...once you start, you will not want to stop.

If you have a Xbox 360 and like challenging JRPG, go out and buy this game! For it is the best of the JRPG on next gen at the moment and overall a much better game than Mistwalkers previous game, Blue Dragon.

Score: 8.7
Positive:Great Story,Great classic battle system,Graphics, and great side quest!Great Menu's! Kaim is a great character!
Negative:Mortals are weak!,Nothing really innovative,Dungeon Design is poor, and well...Jansen.


Knit PICKS

Well....time for little stuff that I hated in this game!

First off, the character Jansen has to be the BIGGEST LOSER IN GAMING HISTORY! You will either love his character or hate his F'ing guts. So he gets the big...


Another one of the knit picks is dreams unlock at the most un-opportune times! Right when you are ready for some action! Dream unlocks and you feel compelled to read it but, just want to go kill stuff!

The hardest dungeon in the game is a complete maze, hard as hell to figure out, they should be pimp slapped for even thinking of it's terrible design, I would suggest looking up a Youtube guide for it or something instead of suffering through it like I did.

Well That is about it, hope you enjoyed the review, if you could find the patience to read it all lol.

Thanks. -CrimsonKingX-

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a very ambitious title for about all major consoles and handhelds a like. I recently finished the PS2 version of the game (got my hands on it before next gen releases). And after sitting down with this game for awhile I think I am ready to give you my full opinionated thoughts.

Before I begin, I would like to say that the PS2 version is much different from the Next gen versions(360 and PS3). One, the graphics are obviously not nearly as good lol. Two, the PS2 version has 5 additional levels not seen on any other version. Two, controls are really different. Three, The apprentice holds his lightsaber like a normal jedi would, not backwards.

This one is NOT your next gen version I repeat! It is a completely different game, so please don't take this review in kind with the next gen versions.

Story

Well most people know that you will play this game as Darth Vadar's secret apprentice. This game's story takes place between Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and Episode 4: A New Hope. It aims to fill the gap in the 20 something years in between then.

The game starts with the Empire attacking the Wookie planet (Not going to butcher the spelling because I don't know how to spell it). They are attacking still trying to hunt down the remaining Jedi. From the get go you will be playing as Darth Vader (BAD ASS!). You will get adjusted to the controls and such with him, then plow through wookies like nobodies business! Then you will encounter a Rouge Jedi who well...Vader has no problem taking down, after defeating him, Vader senses a much stronger power than the Jedi on planet and sure enough...who is it?!?! You guessed it, a child who happens to rob Vader of his saber with the power of the force. Vader then see's the childs potential and chooses to spare his life and make him his apprentice.

The game didn't dig to deep on the training and such of how Vader trained him, it just kind of shows him grown up in a second. Which was a real let down! It could have had a montage or something! After Vader pretty much knighting him a dark knight of the sith, he tells the Apprentice, that no one can know of his exsistance, especially not the emperor! He trained him all these years so that he and Vader could over throw the emperor.

But as the game goes on, Vader will send you on a lot of test before you are ready! And I mean A LOT! Then some turn of events have you outcast and left for dead, then you are on your own for the apprentice to discover his destiney.

In short, the story was pretty good, It really did nothing essential to the overall plot throughout the game, but...after seeing the ending...I wondered. Was this ever supposed to be even a gap between the main story, or more of a alternate universe, you know like a What if type of situation. I was left satisfied with it, but really wasn't expecting what I got, that is all I can say without ruining anything for you.

Gameplay

This is the real meat of the game in my opinion! I should not that this game uses a slightly enhanced version of the Havok 2.0 physics engine, in which the next gen use 3 different physic engines.

From the get go of the game you feel the power of the force unlike any game before! You have the basic single button force powers to use such as your force push,Lighting,choke,jump,Lightsaber throw,and repel. It is all made very simple to pull off, and feels really natural! You can also hold enemies in the air and while in air move the joystick to in any direction and release and send the foe flying! It is pretty satisfying with some of the stuff you can do with it.

You have a force meter at the top of the screen (and a health bar) and every time you use the force a little will deplete, some cost more than others, but it is very forgiving, because it will regenerate very fast but just not using any force powers for awhile.

As you get kills you get points to level up your force powers making them stronger, and what I really liked about this was, when you leveled up one of your powers, you REALLY felt the effect! and with more than 20 different powers to play around with in the game, it is cool to experiment with them all to find the powers that best suit your play style.

A good example is this, I like to use the force push ability like a mad man, so I leveled up the force push as fast as I could, then there are other combo's you can boost with it, such as force push and then lighting will send a big force push then followed by a HUGE explosion of lighting stunning and killing about everyone in it's path!

How you auto lock onto some stuff is pretty sloppy, you may be meaning to pick up a case and throw it at somebody and end up picking up the person them self. It is really kind of a minor nit pick, but it can be very annoying throughout some of the tougher boss battles.

The game has a targeting system, but I think it was complete garbage! There will be so many times you are locked onto a boss or something and you will be running around trying to keep some distance and the camera doesn't help you very much, you will find yourself running into walls that you cannot even see or running in place when you are actually running into a random object on the floor! Take my advise, don't use targeting!

The Lightsaber combat in the game is actually one of the weakest parts of this game, it mostly just consist of smashing the square button over and over, occasionally putting a force push or a lighting in the mix. It is kind of a shame because when you think star wars, you think epic lightsaber battles, but with my experience with the game, it is all about using the force to your advantage and this leaves the lightsaber as more of a way to fend off the little guys than a actual tool of destruction. It really acted more in a passive way for me, in that I could facet and crystal in it to increase my force powers. You can also change it's color and it's hilt with the various color crystals and hilts you find throughout the game. It is more just for cosmetic reasons though.

One thing I really kind of had a love hate thing for in this game is it's button context sequences in boss battles and such. I like them because they add that extra level of cinematic appeal to the game that you cannot do simply with the force powers. It is straight out of god of war but with the star wars feel! Hit the button at the right time and see the apprentice take a really cool and really over the top action to it.

As much as I love it, I have gotten kind of bored of seeing my action/adventure game use this formula half-to-death now! Also, all major boss battles and even sub-bosses require that you kill them with it, if you mess up in midst of the animation, you fail and the boss recovers a portion of their health back and you have to beat them down some more and wait for the context portion again and hope you pass it lol, it also adds more of a little challenge because it is always random! So don't go thinking you know the combo each time, because you will fail. It is nice to see some of the animations like seeing the apprentice smash a AT-ST into a little ball and throw it, and some of the Jedi boss battles achieve a cool sense of over the top action that none of the films could even achieve!

The menu system in the game is really simple and any average moron could figure it out at first glance. So don't worry noobs. It has very light RPG elements to the game, but they are welcome and actual are where most of the fun of the game comes from!

As you complete some levels you will unlock new outfits for the apprentice to wear, some cooler than others but they have no over all effect on the gameplay whats so ever! But....personally...I like wearing the Dark Sith Lord Robes, You look like a total badass and everybody looks cool with a long flowing cape! Even better when you see yourself wearing it in the in-game cut scenes!

Presentation

The game as a lot of setting you would come to expect from a star wars game! You will visit a lot of planets on your journey and never feel like your not in the star wars universe you have come to know and love.

The graphics and actually very good for the PS2! Some of the actual in game visuals look better than some of the cut scenes! Most of the story unfolds with the in-game cut scenes and it very sharp, I did see some minor graphical glitches on my playthrough but nothing very major. Overall...this is some of the finest graphics the PS2 has had, and might as well be, as it is in it's dying age now. (Opinion) The game also supports progressive scan for 480p output, making it look even better. It also supports widescreen for folks you happen to have widescreen tv's! THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE NEXT GEN THOUGH

In the sound department, you will be happy to hear that it is very stellar! All the classic star wars music, from the opening of the game till the end, it is pure nostalgia! The sound effects all sounds pretty damn good! You can hear every crackle in the the force lighting and every swing of the lightsaber! I personally love the sound of explosions in this game, the never get old, or it could be the sound of all the people dying after I exploded them, not sure, have to get back with you on that one.

The voice work in the game is VERY GOOD! One of the games stronger points, although the one who really steals the show is the guy who voiced Vader, it is spot on! It really doesn't have many characters from the main story that you would know so you can't go into it expecting to hear Samual L. Jackson (Thank god for that!).

As you play the game, you will be given quest the whole game..all consist of Go Here, Kill This Person. That is it, and between all them you can upgrade force powers,change outfits,customize your lightsaber and view some extra's. Then when you are ready to go on the mission, select it from your nav viewer, simple and INCREDIBLY LINEAR! Which is a real disappointment! Seeing as how recent star wars games have had branching story lines, good or evil if you will.

One of my major complaints about a portion of the game is, the extra levels are actually tacked on! You don't even feel a need to do them, because you are given no rhyme or reason to do so, other than Vader Demands it! and it isn't even rewarding doing so. I also will say that I got sick of going to the Jedi Temple over and over to kill another Sith Lord! It just felt stupid after about the 5th time!


Bringing down a Star Destroyer is a pretty cool part of the game and is all done with the in-game engine!

Difficulty & Replay Value

There is only one difficulty setting in the game and it is pretty balanced, but due to some of the amazing force powers in the game, it will feel a bit to easy, but it is a good type of easy, because you will feel like a god sometimes. After a little while though the baddies will get stronger and your older tactics won't work quite as well.

The game is very forgiving when you die. You loose a small amount of force point and start back at a checkpoint. So this is very nice for casual players alike, and don't get mad vets, you will still die often, especially in the later levels.

The boss battles in the game are most of the time, one-on-one duels with another Jedi. They are not your basic, just go up and attack and kill either. They can use the force and they will to their advantage! It is pretty fun, and pretty frustrating at the same time! Most of the time it will involve using the environment to deal damage to the boss and then enjoy the over the top context sensitive sequence. It stays like this through all the game and it doesn't get old. Some of the boss fights are harder than others, you will notice some of the earlier fights seem harder than they do later on, but that comes down to you being a total jedi powerhouse by the end of the game!

You can complete this game in actually only about 7-8 hours! Which is really a let down, and after you beat it, there is really nothing else to do but go through it again with all your force powers you got on your play through from the get go. So it really has little to none replay value, unless you are like me and just love to mess with the physics!


Overall

7.7 out of 10

It is a good game at least rent if you haven't upgraded to a next gen console. It is fun,and very satisfying...While it last! But with no other difficulty levels to play on and no reason to really play through again, it is very hard to recommend a purchase of the game. But for PS2 owners, this could be the ultimate rental this year!

Well today I wanted to talk a little bit about instant gratification in gaming today, and how it affects the console (and some PC games) in general. I personally love it! It is very addicting to me, and will make me play a game that I normally wouldn't even give a thought about playing. I will break it down a little bit. Try to make this short and sweet.

[title] Achievement Unlocked [/title]

The Xbox 360 kind of originated or well...brought it more the mass media when they launched the 360. At first people blew it off like a bland novelty that no one would give a shit about. Oh, how they were wrong! I have invested so much time into games getting just little 20 GP achievements than I would like to even admit! I killed all 53,594 zombies in Dead Rising, in one play through, and trust me...that wasn't even fun after about the 6th hour of doing it! But I think that is where the charm of it all comes into play! I did all that for what? For that extra 20 GP's? Nope.....To say that I did it....and you didn't lol!

360 also allows you to check your friends Gamer Score and compare your games with the games they have played. In a way. it is another form of competition without the competition. Brilliant idea really. I like to play games just to up my gamer score a little bit. Am I proud of it? Not really. But I sure am proud of my gamer score. I just love to see that little icon pop up...


But, lots of people never have and never will care for the idea, which is understandable really. Microsoft promised that you could spend your achievement points to unlock stuff when they first talked about the idea, but that was a empty thought until recently. Now they are saying in the next major MS Update, you will get a avatar for your 360 that you can buy new clothing and such with your hard earned GS. Yay...way to blow balls microsoft! I would rather eat my own ass than spend my points on some kiddy, fucking dumb douche idea like that! Way to suck it up to the casual gamer you fucks! Sorry...touchy subject for me.

I would have been happy with using it to unlock in game content! Much like we have seen in Sony version of it....

[title] PS3 Trophies System [/title]

After seeing the mass success of the 360's achievements, Sony, who stated before We don't need achievements our games are enough of a achievement as is....Yeah, we see that.....Haze....

Now they are adopting the trophy system. Much the same idea of the Achievement point system. Play the game, do a specific requirement for the trophy...Trophy unlocked!!!! When I heard that they were making trophies for some of their games. I about shit bricks! That was one of my major complaints with the console, and something else great! You can use some in game Trophies to unlock in game CONTENT! Great idea, you could use the medals (trophy points) in uncharted to unlock new character skins, developer contents, cheats, all kinds of stuff! Made me very happy!

What hasn't made me happy is the lack of game support for trophies! Only major games that support it at the moment are Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and War Hawk! That is sad! Where are my MGS4 or Resistance trophies! I want trophies for everything! Why you say? It gives me more incentive to go back and play the game over and over and over! Adding much to the replay value and...well....I am more likley to buy a multi-platform game on the PS3 over the 360 if it had trophies because I prefer the controller for one, and two, everything looks better on the PS3 for me, via I have a HDMI port for my PS3 and don't on my early model 360. (that is a different story all together though)

I think it would be a great idea for Sony to enforce making ALL developers make trophies for all their games! It would even be wise to put it on older games! Guess what? When uncharted got it's trophies released...guess what was on of the number one selling games on the console that month? A game that came out a year ago? Imagine that. Kudos naughty dog!

It also shares the same comparison system that the 360 uses which is very cool. Also, soon to be a trophy case in PS3 Home. Great idea, bring on more of the instant gratification sony! I love it!


[title] Instant Gratification In-Game [/title]

There is also games out there that use this effect in-game to make it a more enjoyable and gratifying experience that cannot be denied by masses of gamers! One game that particularly stand above the rest in my eyes would have to be Call of Duty 4.

Call of Duty 4's online runs on a points system as well. Kill a guy, get points, capture a point, get points, help capture a point, get points! Get the idea? Then these points act almost as a EXP gauge in your favorite RPG! Rack up points, level up in rank, unlock new shit to kill people with! Great idea! Spend enough time on it, max out, either stay at the top with all your best gear and skills, or start all over and get the sensation all over again, and not to mention achieve a new medal to state some of your success. I think this is where this game has really captured all of our hearts.The gratifying feeling of competing with your friends for the highest rank only adds to the fun of the game! And giving rewards for your hard work instantly after you have accomplished something cool is a very good feeling, it cannot be denied either. Try as you may, you love and you know it!


Not to say Call of Duty 4 is the only game that uses this great system, it is just the one that has about perfected it in my eyes. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 also uses a system similar to it and it is very addicting too!
Hell, even Resistance and HALO 3 use it to a certain extent!

I personally hope that Gear of War 2 uses at least some sort of ranking system that will add to the great online play. That could just be me though.

[title] Summary [/title]

Instant gratification is gaming is a great idea that I think every console should adapt! (Yeah! I am talking to you fucks at NINTENDO! I want a gamer score from you too! Maybe then I would have a reason to play through some of your games) I love the little sound when I unlock a trophy or achievement, just a little sound that puts a smile on my face, and makes me feel good, lets me THINK I accomplished something important! lol.

I would love to see Sony step up and adapt it more seriously! It would give me more of a reason to buy games for their console, and regardless what they think, I think it is a major market they are missing out on!

Keep up the good work M$ I love achievement points, to bad I can't spend them on anything fun though you pricks.

Well hope you enjoyed the blog, take it easy.

-CrimsonKingX-