PM
01-25-2009, 12:10 PM
Just an idea I came up with a couple days ago. The concept is stupidly simple. Basically, you just post and list a game/games that you think other posters may want to try out*. There's no limitation on what you recommend. It can be for any sytem, from any genre, from any year, etc. All I ask is that the people who recommend a game either give a review or list the pros and cons of the game (if you don't think you can write up a good review). Now that the rules are out of the way, I'll get us started.
Chrono Trigger (DS version)
Year of release: 2008
Genre: Role-Playing Game.
Pros:
*Unique and brilliant storyline revolving around a boy (Chrono) and his friends travelling through time to prevent the time travelling beast Lavos from ever getting a chance to destroy the earth.
*The battle system is cool. Essentially, it's what I call a turn based, yet time sensitive battle system. Everybody takes turns, but if you take too long, the enemy will end up striking you. It's something plenty of turn based RPG fans can support well enough and it encourages you to think on your feet.
*It's a very pretty looking 2D game. While I've never played Chrono Trigger on the SNES, I'd imagine it looks nearly the same as it does on the DS
*The bosses are not cake walks. You can't just cast a bunch of spells randomly or decide on what part of boss to target by playing eenie-meeny-miney-mo or you'll get steamrolled over. There's definitely some strategizing involved and when your strategy pays off and the big baddy dies, there's a sense of satisfaction.
*The regular enemies prove to be a good challenge for your party, though I've not run across any baddies that are so hard, they make you rip your hair out, which is good.
*You can actually fight Lavos once you reach "The End of Time" and subsequently travel to 1999 A.D. I lasted quite a while against him and it was quite an awesome battle, even if he did end up beating me.
*The cutscenes are very well done.
*The music and sound in general is good. Nothing outstanding, IMO, but it fits in with the game
*The characters are all ones you can root for/against, which is important.
*The settings are all beautiful and unique. You can tell a real effort was made in making each area different and special in it's own way.
Cons:
*The battle system may not be everybody's cup of tea. Some people may prefer a more PURELY turn based game that allows you all the time in the world. That being said, I prefer it the way it is now.
*Some boss battles can tend to be pretty long. While it's not an issue for me and in fact, I welcome a long boss battle involving a ton of strategizing, I realize it may be for some, so I'm listing it here.
Next up is.....
Dead Space (Xbox 360 and PS3)
Year of release: 2008
Genre: Third person Survival Horror and Shooter game
Pros:
*Good storyline revolving around our hero Isaac dropping by the planet mining ship Ishimura to check on things after the Ishimura fails to respond to radio transmissions sent to it. It is later revealed that (click the tag to read the rest at your own risk) a very wide-spread and influential religious group believes that an "alien" relic called the marker (which was thought earlier on the game to be stored on the Ishimura, which is why it was thought the aliens invaded it....because humans got into their shit) is proof which justifies their beliefs in other lifeforms when in fact, the aliens and the marker were synthetic and created so that those who developed both could benefit off of the religious group paying them off. Or at least, that's what I got from the storyline (it does kind of get confusing :$)
*It feels longer than it is. Like even though you'll only invest 20 or so hours into it, once those 20 hours or so are up, you'll be very satisfied that you squeezed that much action out of it.
*At the very least, it's unsettling throughout a lot of the game. At times, it can be downright fucking scary and tense. It provides a real sense of tension and urgency, which is KEY in a survival horror game.
*There is a great array of weaponry, from the flamethrower to the pulse rifle to the line gun to the force gun, etc.
*It's fun as hell to shoot an enemies limbs off and watch the blood SPILL.
*The graphics were awesome.
*The stasis and telekinetic abilities provided to Isaac are awesome and you get to use them in inventive ways throughout the game.
*The boss battles are neither too hard nor too easy. There's a good balance that was achieved.
Cons:
This is no pussy game. Sometimes I was reluctant to grab the controller and keep playing and had to stop playing for a while because of being scared of what was to come. Personally, I don't think of it as a con for me (sure, it may seem that way when you go do something else because you feel as if you're about to drop a log in your pants, but for me, it makes me appreciate how great the game is), but this is definitely going to be one for some people, so I'm listing this here as a precaution.
*The storyline can get confusing, so pay close attention.
*It's easy to use up supplies and credits. I've encountered many a time when I wanted so bad to get new armor or a toy, but I had to instead buy ammo and med packs to ensure I even survived
*Could be a couple hours longer, but that's less of a con and more of me being selfish.
Next
Fallout 3 (PS3, 360)
-------------------
Genre: First/3rd person RPG/Shooter
Year of release: 2008
Pros:
*Very long game with a ton of sidequests and plenty of places to explore etc. Prepare to lose any social life you had once you pop it in.
*Awesome graphics.
*The main storyline is well done and engaging
*The sidequests don't feel like worthless filler (*CoughMassEffectCough*)
*Although it's far from unique, I like the concept of letting players choose whether they want to be an evil asshole, a hero to the distressed citizens of the Capital Wasteland or somewhere in between (I'm the former :).)
*You have the freedom to go anywhere you want, basically. Like Oblivion, it's a very non-linear game.
*The "perks" are actually worth a damn and can really help you out, while others are just plain fun (I love the "explorer" perk)
*The V.A.T.S system is very innovative and is essential throughout the game.
*Epic array of weaponry on display here. You got your assault rifles, laser pistols, laser rifles, magnums, hunting rifles, switchblades, lead pipes, police batons, the ripper (you'll like it, trust me.), etc.
*Same thing for the armor to a lesser extent.
*The environment is well done. It actually looks like the aftermath of a nuclear fallout
Cons:
*It's kind of a slow game during the first couple hours and when you start nearing the end of the game.
*Some enemies are flat out fucking ANNOYING and seem to exist just to piss you off (Hi, Deathclaw! Believe me, you'll grow to hate those sons of bitches.)
*Some locations are not easy to reach at all. You may find it easier just to take a different route to reach the place you wanna get.
*The sheer scope of the game may overwhelm you at first. It did for me, but I ended up coping well.
*Sometimes it's very hard to nail the part of an enemy you want to with V.A.T.S. Personally, I'd recommend that if you want to cripple somebody's leg you just zoom in on it.
May write up a few more run-downs of some games, but definitely not doing any more for now, as those took a while to write up. Alright guys, get to recommending.
Edit: Alternatively and I'll admit that I just thought of this new rule, you can ask for recommendations from other posters. The rules of recommending games apply. The person recommending the game should give reasons and I don't mean "OMG, best game evah~! LOLOLOLOLOL.". Afterall, these people may end up paying money for the games you recommend and I'm a firm believer in people getting bang for their bucks.
Chrono Trigger (DS version)
Year of release: 2008
Genre: Role-Playing Game.
Pros:
*Unique and brilliant storyline revolving around a boy (Chrono) and his friends travelling through time to prevent the time travelling beast Lavos from ever getting a chance to destroy the earth.
*The battle system is cool. Essentially, it's what I call a turn based, yet time sensitive battle system. Everybody takes turns, but if you take too long, the enemy will end up striking you. It's something plenty of turn based RPG fans can support well enough and it encourages you to think on your feet.
*It's a very pretty looking 2D game. While I've never played Chrono Trigger on the SNES, I'd imagine it looks nearly the same as it does on the DS
*The bosses are not cake walks. You can't just cast a bunch of spells randomly or decide on what part of boss to target by playing eenie-meeny-miney-mo or you'll get steamrolled over. There's definitely some strategizing involved and when your strategy pays off and the big baddy dies, there's a sense of satisfaction.
*The regular enemies prove to be a good challenge for your party, though I've not run across any baddies that are so hard, they make you rip your hair out, which is good.
*You can actually fight Lavos once you reach "The End of Time" and subsequently travel to 1999 A.D. I lasted quite a while against him and it was quite an awesome battle, even if he did end up beating me.
*The cutscenes are very well done.
*The music and sound in general is good. Nothing outstanding, IMO, but it fits in with the game
*The characters are all ones you can root for/against, which is important.
*The settings are all beautiful and unique. You can tell a real effort was made in making each area different and special in it's own way.
Cons:
*The battle system may not be everybody's cup of tea. Some people may prefer a more PURELY turn based game that allows you all the time in the world. That being said, I prefer it the way it is now.
*Some boss battles can tend to be pretty long. While it's not an issue for me and in fact, I welcome a long boss battle involving a ton of strategizing, I realize it may be for some, so I'm listing it here.
Next up is.....
Dead Space (Xbox 360 and PS3)
Year of release: 2008
Genre: Third person Survival Horror and Shooter game
Pros:
*Good storyline revolving around our hero Isaac dropping by the planet mining ship Ishimura to check on things after the Ishimura fails to respond to radio transmissions sent to it. It is later revealed that (click the tag to read the rest at your own risk) a very wide-spread and influential religious group believes that an "alien" relic called the marker (which was thought earlier on the game to be stored on the Ishimura, which is why it was thought the aliens invaded it....because humans got into their shit) is proof which justifies their beliefs in other lifeforms when in fact, the aliens and the marker were synthetic and created so that those who developed both could benefit off of the religious group paying them off. Or at least, that's what I got from the storyline (it does kind of get confusing :$)
*It feels longer than it is. Like even though you'll only invest 20 or so hours into it, once those 20 hours or so are up, you'll be very satisfied that you squeezed that much action out of it.
*At the very least, it's unsettling throughout a lot of the game. At times, it can be downright fucking scary and tense. It provides a real sense of tension and urgency, which is KEY in a survival horror game.
*There is a great array of weaponry, from the flamethrower to the pulse rifle to the line gun to the force gun, etc.
*It's fun as hell to shoot an enemies limbs off and watch the blood SPILL.
*The graphics were awesome.
*The stasis and telekinetic abilities provided to Isaac are awesome and you get to use them in inventive ways throughout the game.
*The boss battles are neither too hard nor too easy. There's a good balance that was achieved.
Cons:
This is no pussy game. Sometimes I was reluctant to grab the controller and keep playing and had to stop playing for a while because of being scared of what was to come. Personally, I don't think of it as a con for me (sure, it may seem that way when you go do something else because you feel as if you're about to drop a log in your pants, but for me, it makes me appreciate how great the game is), but this is definitely going to be one for some people, so I'm listing this here as a precaution.
*The storyline can get confusing, so pay close attention.
*It's easy to use up supplies and credits. I've encountered many a time when I wanted so bad to get new armor or a toy, but I had to instead buy ammo and med packs to ensure I even survived
*Could be a couple hours longer, but that's less of a con and more of me being selfish.
Next
Fallout 3 (PS3, 360)
-------------------
Genre: First/3rd person RPG/Shooter
Year of release: 2008
Pros:
*Very long game with a ton of sidequests and plenty of places to explore etc. Prepare to lose any social life you had once you pop it in.
*Awesome graphics.
*The main storyline is well done and engaging
*The sidequests don't feel like worthless filler (*CoughMassEffectCough*)
*Although it's far from unique, I like the concept of letting players choose whether they want to be an evil asshole, a hero to the distressed citizens of the Capital Wasteland or somewhere in between (I'm the former :).)
*You have the freedom to go anywhere you want, basically. Like Oblivion, it's a very non-linear game.
*The "perks" are actually worth a damn and can really help you out, while others are just plain fun (I love the "explorer" perk)
*The V.A.T.S system is very innovative and is essential throughout the game.
*Epic array of weaponry on display here. You got your assault rifles, laser pistols, laser rifles, magnums, hunting rifles, switchblades, lead pipes, police batons, the ripper (you'll like it, trust me.), etc.
*Same thing for the armor to a lesser extent.
*The environment is well done. It actually looks like the aftermath of a nuclear fallout
Cons:
*It's kind of a slow game during the first couple hours and when you start nearing the end of the game.
*Some enemies are flat out fucking ANNOYING and seem to exist just to piss you off (Hi, Deathclaw! Believe me, you'll grow to hate those sons of bitches.)
*Some locations are not easy to reach at all. You may find it easier just to take a different route to reach the place you wanna get.
*The sheer scope of the game may overwhelm you at first. It did for me, but I ended up coping well.
*Sometimes it's very hard to nail the part of an enemy you want to with V.A.T.S. Personally, I'd recommend that if you want to cripple somebody's leg you just zoom in on it.
May write up a few more run-downs of some games, but definitely not doing any more for now, as those took a while to write up. Alright guys, get to recommending.
Edit: Alternatively and I'll admit that I just thought of this new rule, you can ask for recommendations from other posters. The rules of recommending games apply. The person recommending the game should give reasons and I don't mean "OMG, best game evah~! LOLOLOLOLOL.". Afterall, these people may end up paying money for the games you recommend and I'm a firm believer in people getting bang for their bucks.