In the high anticipation for one of the biggest games to hit the PC in years I bought the last copy of GTA 4 at Walmart installed it...well waited to install it (5 hour wait) I got it installed I tried playing the game but then had to open up 6 x box live accounts attempt 3 times to use the key (before I found the patch that was hidden off in a dark corner of Rockstars site) finally got into the game and...and...and...IT LAGGGED, Textures were missing everywhere, I couldn't log into GFW-L (with out downloading the Unstable Nvidia driver and .Net Framework 3.5), and the most recent problem the game wont even start and is giving me a 3D3 error even though I have the latest drivers and the latest Direct X. At first I thought I had a bad copy of the game or maybe my computer just couldn't run it but no it was everyone who played it people with new custom gaming Dell comps and Alienware. The issues and bugs in this are so numerous they have decided to release a patch (coming in a few days) to fix SOME of the problems not the big ones like missing textures no little stuff like adding more controller options (hint if you have a POS that has MAJOR issues don't update crap like Controller compatibility. In the last year they have been working on the PC version they said they were working on "Polishing and Refining" well they added "Stunningly detailed, high resolution graphics" you know when the game doesn't lag and the texture is there. It seems like they ripped the PS3 version (I am not saying 360 because the 360 version would run correctly if ripped) made it Direct X compatible (if that's what you want to call it) and then deleted half the code. I pray when version 1.2 comes it will have all of the bugs and errors fixed (maybe in 1.1 if Rockstar has been hiding that part of the forthcoming release of the patch) altogether this is the exact opposite of a buy DON'T BUY THIS GAME UNTILL VERSION 1.2 IS RELEASED. Information Gathered from the GTA4 forums and http://www.1up.com/
Tomb raider starts off with our heroine hanging upside down in what looks like an Egyptian tomb and right off the bat we are treated to a very cool action sequence where Lara has to fight a robot. She maneuvers around the tomb firing at the robot. Soon Lara defeats the robot and we find out that it was simply a training room in her house and the robot was programmed by her friend.
Review of Sly Cooper and The Thievius Raccoonus (PS2)
Sly Cooper and The Thievius Raccoonus (PS2)
Release Date: September 23, 2002
Developer: Sucker Punch Studios
Publisher: SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment of America)
Genre: Stealth Platformer
ESRB Rating: Everyone Mild Violence
Intro
People have heard of this notorious thief in some form, but he's still relatively unknown. Sly Cooper was the first title of the newly started Sucker Punch studios way back in 2002. This fun endeavor is a great surprise for a game company's first effort.
For those of you who do not want to watch, Sly quests to recover a family heirloom, the Thievius Raccoonus, from the Fiendish 5. The Fiendish 5 attacked his father and separated the family treasure into 5 disparate segments. Sly, now an orphan, has to go to various foster homes where he becomes inseparable friends with a turtle, Bentley, and a hippo, Murray. Together, they will take on the Fiendish 5 one by one, avenge Sly's father's death, and recover the family treasure; all the while pocketing some loot.
Don't expect it to remain that simple though.
Game play
The player controls Sly as he walks around and uses his main weapon, a cane, and his stealth skills. Over time, Sly can find secondary powers that will help him out by unlocking pieces of the Thievius Raccoonus. Sly's life can only last for 1 hit without a lucky horseshoe that allows him to survive a little longer. Sly cannot swim, but he is adept at many other sneaky activities, which he can perform with the O button where any blue sparks can be found. To avoid monotony, the game has segments with turrets, driving levels, a Geometry Wars style hacking game, and a couple of other variations.
The game is rather forgiving if the player messes up because it has multiple checkpoints and pretty short levels. The game is linear, so variation from the standard path is rare to come by, but some extras do pop up.
All in all, the game play is fun for all ages, if a little easy for players that are more skilled. Don't worry though, you too will experience challenge.
Audio
Some fun audio effects and music make the game worlds come to life. Tons of little touches put that extra polish on the sound design, but it can be annoying when you have to hear the same noises over and over because of specific segments.
Controls
Sly controls well, the controls never out of reach for children, but offer some complexity for more mature gamers. To get all the nuances down, extra time and study is necessary, but dedication is not a chore. Perfecting this game is entirely possible and the controls work extremely well in almost all circumstances. The controls for some stages and segments may annoy you, but trust me when I say, it's not terribly difficult.
Good Aspects
Story, controls, this game has tons of style, voice acting, cheap, audio, varied game play, cel-shaded design, some interesting level design, Master thief sprints (These challenges are designed for the player with a little more expertise. They unlock commentary and videos from the game developers, so this should extend playtime for quite a few players. They are rather difficult in comparison to the regular game because they are much less forgiving.), fun boss fights, good use of stealth, some smart enemy design, and it's really fun. Problems
The enemies will charge into their doom, the extra unlockables are overpowered and make the regular game too easy, the camera can annoy somewhat, some annoying segments, 1 hit deaths are annoying (can be changed though with collection of 100 coins), it is a rather old game for some, and it doesn't last long enough in my opinion.
Summary
Last time I went to my local store, they had this game for 5 $. If you can find this game and want an entertaining experience, I definitely suggest you purchase it. It is a fun game for children and adults with a little more refinement. It has a charm about it that lends itself well to all ages. After you beat this game, I definitely recommend continuing the story with Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Overall, if you have a PS2 or a PS3 capable of playing this game, you should get this game. I guarantee you will enjoy it.
The perfect last minute gift for this busy holiday season.
Sincerely, Randomduded12
PS. I do not offer a money back guarantee. Sorry. Instead, I haz a hugs back guarantee!
Happy Holidays to all and to all a goodnight! __________________ Feel free to repost on other sites or whatever, even if you just want to point out I committed a solecism on page three line 8, you smarmy grammar Nazi. One condition: maintain my username within this review/article under any and all circumstances. Contact me with a PM for information regarding online gaming with me or other accounts I have. Don't hate on videogames, they suck more than they should anyway. "I'm a hypocrite" -Randomduded12 "LOGIC IS GOD!!!11!"
So I have finally gotten around to updating my youtube/blip.tv show, called The Retro Gamer. Unfortunately its not Chrono Trigger, but rather something else using a different format. I am doing a Play-Through of the game Companions of Xanth which was made in 1993.
I am aware of the audio issue (I am also using a different method of audio/video recording) and I cannot fix it without redoing the audio ENTIRELY. So thats gonna be stuck for now, but part 2 will be a fixed as I am gonna test out some stuff to figure out just WHAT is happening. I am also aware of the cursor and have already figured out how to fix that one.
Hello to whatever random TGWTG user has somehow stumbled across this little entry.
This is just part of a probably lame attempt to spread knowledge and information of a great comic series that I think just doesn't get enough attention in this world.
I am talking about the insanely complicated, brilliantly-drawn, brilliantly-written series known as GOLD DIGGER - drawn, colored and written by Fred Perry.
Don't let the cover fool you too much. There is no denying that this comic is very heavy on the fanservice, so I won't even try to do so. But to perceive this series as nothing but fanservice and discarding it is a big mistake for anyone who likes ultra-complex stories.
Begun in 1991 with a small special in Antarctic-Press's Mangazine, it was soon followed by a 4-issue miniseries, and then became its own full series published by Antarctic-Press.
The basic story follows the adventures of archaeologist Gina Diggers. One of the most brilliant minds on Earth, she had earned PH.Ds in mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and archaeology by the age of 18. Despite her brilliant mind and the wonderful toys she comes up with to protect herself, her unorthodox choices of research sites regularly land her in serious danger.
Enter Gina's "little" sister and bodyguard, Britanny. Adopted by their parents when both were very young, Britanny is the only surviving werecheetah on Eart. The rest of her clan was wiped out in a climactic battle with the werewolves.
And as if the concept of the comic isn't odd enough already, their father Theodore just happens to be an archmage, while their mother Julia happens to be the Armsmaster of Jade - the best fighter in the world of Jade.
Okay, so that's the basic synopsis of the comic that has been used ever since the early days of the series publication. But it has grown so far beyond this basic description, that its barely accurate anymore. Gold Digger has run a total of 151 issues so far(plus the original Mangazine special and miniseries), and developed a complex storyline that's nigh-on impossible to explain in full.
If I wanted to be cliche, I could say, "Nobody can be told what Gold Digger is.... You must see it for yourself." But the fact is if I wanted to fill up about 200 pages or so I could easily summarize ALL of GD for you.
But that's no fun. I'm here to encourage you to go read it for yourselves, not just tell you the story.
So how do I explain how good it is, without any spoilers, in a manner good enough to convince one its worth a look?
Well... For one thing, there's no such thing as a "plot hole" in GD. Although there appeared to be early on, literally everything that's left open is eventually revisited, without any retconning or ignoring the previous events. Unlike too many comics out there, the story has stayed solid enough to never have to reinvent itself. It has never jumped a shark, and it has never failed to be exciting.
Its action-packed, its funny, and, most improtantly, its BRILLIANT.
Since the start of the story, the ever-increasing cast of characters have encountered everything from zombies and vampries to dragons, elves, other werefolk, and even alien civilizations. In fact, one of the main characters happens to be married to an alien prince(or former prince, to be specific).
There's swords, sorcery, martial arts, and super-technology. Super-technology? YES. You though Star Trek was overloaded with technobabble? Star Trek's got NOTHING on the newer issues of Gold Digger!
The series often pokes fun at certain pieces of pop-culture. There are often references to things such as Voltron, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and even some mythology. Legends such as that of Merlin the magician are referenced fairly often when dealing with matters on the world of Jade, where magic users left when the age of technology began on Earth.
Despite references to and inspiration from such things, GD has built up its own mythology, slowly revealed as Gina's brilliant mind works to not only solve simple, classic archaeological mysteries, but also to unravel the secrets of the very universe.
Secrets that seem to imply that she may have.... No, dammit, no spoilers.
The interactions between the characters are well-written and believeable as well as WONDERFULLY complex. Despite the obvious sci-fi/fantasy setting, you sometimes get the feeling you're reading a biography of someone's life, only explaining things a million times better. These aren't one or two dimensional characters. They're very complex, and you can see them develop over the course of the series - especially the third sister, Brianna.
Despite the complexity of the story and characters, it doesn't take a brilliant mind to follow the series. It only takes a mind that wants an EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD story.
If you can't stand fanservice, the amount of it will almost certainly ruin the comic for you. But if you're tolerant or even enjoy it as a nice bonus, you'll enjoy this comic VERY much.
But be warned... If all you give a shit about is fanservice, you won't like this comic. Although the fanservice is common, when the story gets serious it can easily be left out in favor of good action and plot advancement.
Now how do you get to see the entire series? Well, having been around for more than 15 years, finding odler issues won't be easy. That's why Antarctic-Press(http://www.antarctic-press.com/) is selling GD-ROM Version 2.0! http://www.antarctic-press.com/html/version_01/viewitem.php?id=5215&bk=
Currently on sale for only $30.00(plus FREE SHIPPING in the US!), GD-ROM Version 2 contains the original Mangazine Special, the Miniseries, the original 50-issue black-and-white series, and the first 100 issues of the COLOR series! That's ALL but the newest issue of GD, plus extras!!!
So what are you waiting for?! Go buy it!!
In addition to GD-ROM, there is also a three-episode OAV series. All of the artwork in all three episodes is done by the man himself, Fred Perry, and the effort goes to show. You aren't watching a masterpiece of art when you see the OAVs, but you're seeing something far better than any random bit of animation you'll see on Youtube! Episodes 1 and 2 are already out, episode 3 is still in the works, due to be released in 2009, and it looks like it'll be the best of the lot: Have a lot at these previews!
The first two episodes have also been uploaded to Youtube in various parts. However, I will not link them as I do not know if Fred approves of their presence or not. But as copies of the OAV in VHS and DVD form are difficult to find, I am not opposed the idea of going to view those postings.
Fred also publishes two spinoff webcomics based on characters from the series.
"Ayane" follows the life of UFF fighter Ayane Anno: http://ayane.tsunami-art.com/
"Northern Edge" follows the experiences of Jade's Northern Edge Guard. Mostly those of the were-jaguar Sheila as she trains the Edge Guard's newest recruits: http://ayane.tsunami-art.com/
There is also "LevelUp," based on Fred's Final Fantasy XI characters: http://lvlup.tsunami-art.com/
And GD-Tangent, a dumping ground for all sort of stuff Fred draws: http://gd-tangent.tsunami-art.com/
A little warning about the above sites: A while back some hackers broke into the site and inserted malicious programming into the code. The problems have been fixed, but depending on your virus-protection services, you may get a warning about them. You should be safe to ignore it, but these hackers have struck multiple times and almost seem to have a vendetta against Fred, so do make sure your virus scanner and spyware programs are up-to-date when visiting.
I've said all I can say, and given all the info I can give. The rest is up to you. Will you give this wonderful series a chance, or will you treat it like too many others and brush it aside as nothing but fanservicy crap?
If you do that latter, I will be forced to track you down and recreate the Jansen Van Vurren/Tome Pryce accident. Only with protection for myself so that I won't die in the process.
You'll notice that I don't include much from either of the Big Two (Marvel and DC), and when I do it's usually one of their less popular comics, just because that's how I roll. Onward!
The Darkness: Lodbrok's Hand #1 Standalone (Top Cow)
Though I'm a self-proclaimed Darkness fan, I haven't read the comics all that much and I'm not too familiar with the mythology, because I arrived rather late. The quick version is that there's a power known as the Darkness that's tied to one man's bloodline, emerging in a male descendant on their 21st birthday. Lodbrok's Hand takes place much earlier in the Darkness saga, just a sample episode in the history of the Darkness. Top Cow hasn't come out with one of these in years (I missed the pirate one, damn), and as a standalone, even if you weren't familiar with the series it's a part of, it's not half bad.
The story plays itself out in a fairy tale-like tone, and since it takes place so far in the past it doesn't have to deal with all the fun confusing terminology that comes about in the main series. The story is about how a sea captain named Lodbrok lost his hand, and the story gives some nice twists as to how that comes about.
Though the main characters are Lodbrok and the current Darkness holder (known as the Black Captain....why am I thinking about Watchmen now?), Lodbrok's witchy sister Freydis is an important part of the story. Kudos once again to TC for making a badass female character. But while I can handle her skintight outfit and the fact that her breasts are barely contained by her top (hell, her brother wears less clothes than she does), it's her boots that drive me crazy. I really don't think they had superhero boots like that during the Dark Ages, guys.
The comic overall isn't awesome but it is solid, making it feel like more of an anthology piece rather than a "saga" like the cover proclaims.
House of Mystery #8 (DC/Vertigo)
House of Mystery is one of those comics that makes me routinely read back several issues before I can fully comprehend each current one. Lots of questions have popped up in previous issues and only a few of them have been fully explained, not to mention character development and where exactly each one stands in relationship to the others. I'm very happy with this Vertigo title.
That being said, I didn't feel really hooked by this issue, mostly because I'm much more interested in the current storyline (Five Strangers in Search of an Exit, for all you Twilight Zone buffs) than in the inset stories that are the currency in the House's tavern. The story this time is actually a flashback to Harry the bartender's past, and dropping some clues as to what the bete noir is that's hiding in the basement. As if the House wasn't weird enough, now it's got monsters hiding in the walls! Abel from The Sandman guest-appears, and while he's far from my favorite Sandman character I couldn't help but like him a bit more by the end.
In the overarching storyline we're presented with still more questions like what happened to the bar's previous employees, but my biggest question is "What is the deal with Cressida having sex with some British guy?" It feels randomly interspersed in the issue, even if it's only two times. The issue itself would be tough for newcomers as the main cast has been split and there's no fun banter between them to make the reader feel comfortable, namely Poet's witticisms. Speaking of Poet, we still don't know much about him, Queen Anne the pirate, or Cressida yet, and while I'm hankering for more on those three, Harry will have to do for now. And there seems to be more twisted fun coming on Fig's end.
This is very much a bridge issue where the overall story is concerned, but if you really, really like Abel maybe you could give this a shot. Otherwise, start with the earlier issues.
Last Week's Swipe
Sometimes I'll get an issue a week after it's initial release, due to funds or the fact that it didn't catch my eye at the time. Here I'll catch up on what I'd missed.
Jonah Hex #38 (DC)
Jonah Hex is the kind of comic I'd use to introduce newcomers to the wonderful world of Western sequential art. It's a western, because superheroes have a way of alienating readers who think they're above "kid's stuff" (no, I'm not bashing superhero comics at all, it's just how some people perceive them); it's simple, so you don't have to know scads of literary illusions in order to understand it; and each issue is a standalone, making it easy for newcomers to jump right in. All you have to know about Jonah Hex is that he's a bounty hunter, he's badass, and he's completely fugly on one side. Welcome.
The writing team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are just wizards at these western stories, striking a good balance of making very dark, adult scenarios yet keeping it light enough to keep it under the normal DC lineup without getting a "Mature Readers" label. They're also very good at writing heavily Southern-accented dialogue that sounds natural rather than over-the-top and ridiculous (Hell, they'd even managed to make Uncle Sam sound reasonably normal). A typical JH issue starts with the title character in peril or just getting beaten up somehow, and backtracking to the source of his troubles while he works his way out of it by the end. This issue follows that trend.
While the art rotates on a semi-normal basis, the latest issues have been drawn by Jordi Bernet. His art is bold and animated yet still gritty and realistic, calling to mind comic strips from the 30's. The coloring also looks old-timey with a watercolor feel, especially during daylight scenes.
Well I know some of you might have noticed that there have not been any new videos as of late. I apologize for that, I have been kind of busy as of late. New videos will be showing up again after the 1st of January. Sorry I didn't inform ya'll sooner.
P.S. Just to tease ya'll a little bit the next movie I am going to review is "War of the Monsters". I am sure some of you know what movie I am talking about :P.
When Bungie made Halo 1, they had a finished product. Granted, there were issues and some flaws, but the majority of the game was fun and worked pretty well. On the other hand, Halo 2 exacerbates issues from Halo 1 while adding all new issues. Halo 2 follows the same style as its predecessor, with a familiar mix of semi tacticular combat and staged battles, but they also add several major features to the mix. First off, Master Chief and the second playable character, the Arbiter, can both duel wield smaller weaponry. Second off, the story diverges drastically from its original form by splitting the events in the storylines between Master Chief and the Arbiter. Third off, several new weapons make their arrival, but some of these additions were present in the PC version of Halo 1 and don't make much improvement over previous versions if at all. Fourth off, Bungie included some extra replayability through the form of hidden skulls designed to challenge skilled players on Legendary difficulty. Fifth off, Halo 2 kick started the Xbox LIVE phenomenom and remains one of the most played games on the service.
Story: Master Chief has returned triumphantly from his deadly trials on the original Halo. However, this time the Covenant are bringing the battle Earthbound instead of the other way around. Missions will alternate between Master Chief and the Arbiter with an eventual meeting point between the two opposing heroes. Some people claim that the Arbiter's story and continual presence weaken the game. I disagree, the Arbiter's story is far more intriguing than Master Chief's and the Arbiter feels more human than our armored hero. Also, the Arbiter has one major advantage over the Chief: he can turn invisible for short periods of time. I do not plan on ruining the story for you, but if you haven't heard by now the stories about Halo 2's terrible ending, you need to pay more attention to the world around you.
I'm not going to rehash the controls, gameplay, etc. segments, so if you want a more in depth idea about what Halo 2 is like to play, go to the Halo: Combat Evolved review I linked to.
One brief note about the sound: quite a bit of the music comes from rock groups instead of the previous Gregorian Chant, but its presence can still be heard. There's nothing particularly bad about it, but it feels repetitive after a while.
Problems: (some rehashes, but some new ones too) AI(friendly and enemy) is still terribly retarded even on the hardest difficulties or the extreme opposite of retardation, enemy and friendly units do not waste ammo when they fire (they can shoot continuously for at least an hour, while my max utilization period for a completely full weapon would be about 2 minutes tops. After one hour, I got bored and killed them, so it is feasible they run out of ammo at 1+ hours in, but no one will ever waste their time proving this.), again no change to co-op mode to accomodate 2 Chiefs or 2 Arbiters, gameplay feels stale by the time you finish the game, some glitches and hackers, remaining continuity errors, took out some of the unique melee animations to replace with a generic one, some incredibly laughable voice acting, the Arbiter and all of the Covenant have the stupidity to design weapons where they can not reload/refill should they run out of energy (Plasma pistol, Plasma rifle, Plasma Sword), story's ending could have been written better by allowing seals to randomly pick idea balls from a tank filled with the like of 4chan, final boss is incredibly lame, some circuitous level design, and relating to Master Chief remains harder than some Halo fanboy erections (Do not look up that last word even with safesearch on).
Bias from media and public opinion: I will say one thing, I didn't listen to previews, reviews, or play demos, I played the game at a friend's house and decided to eventually buy the game. Maybe these external influences change people's opinions dramatically, but I didn't complain about an E3 tech demo not staying within the game or bit*h about the Arbiter's presence, so maybe some oversensitive players should disregard information about any game as it will discolor your true opinion. However, the one thing that I do agree with the majority of public opinion is the climax to the story. The story's end is lackluster at best and leaves some gaping holes within the player's mind.
Good: (some rehashes, but again some new ones) Interesting new character, easy to relate to Arbiter, some interesting religious statements hinted at, increased variety in enemies, somewhat smarter AI, new weapons, online multiplayer works well, many people still play this game, co-op mode, LAN parties still feasible, some interesting easter eggs, more replayability with skulls, some minute balancing changes are good while others can ruin your favorite weapons, ability to take weapons from friendly AI, kill friendly AI and they will eventually retaliate, new modes of gameplay, return of all voice actors for better or for worse, and finally, simple and easily accessible gameplay.
Halo 2 is what I call a game at an unpassable crossroad. The game proceeds along pretty well, but it continues to lose track of where to go. If you haven't played the game, you probably have a good reason, but if you don't, try the game and enjoy a prime example of rushed games that still turned out ok. If you like Halo 1 or can stand console shooters, this game is worth at least a rental. For most of us, a purchase remains a little excessive unless you plan on playing the multiplayer frequently.
What did you think of my review? Any concerns you would like to bring up or complaints against my review other than the fact that I'm reviewing a game that no longer needs reviewing?
Sincerely, randomduded12
Note: I don't think polls are the way to go. So few people respond, it seems futile. __________________
Feel free to repost on other sites or whatever, even if you just want to point out I committed a solecism on page three line 8, you smarmy grammar Nazi. One condition: maintain my username within this review/article under any and all circumstances. Contact me with a PM for information regarding online gaming with me or other accounts I have. Don't hate on videogames, they suck more than they should anyway. "I'm a hypocrite" -Randomduded12 "LOGIC IS GOD!!!11!"
Howdy, I am the Crappy Music Man. I know you all are tried of critics (except for That Guy With The...uh...I forget). They review old (or new) movies. But what about MUSIC GAMES. This is a comparison of Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour. What is the better game? Hope you enjoy
It's the first in a series of VS reviews. The concept is, rather than review one item, I'll compare 2 similar items and find out which is better. The comparisons will be done in categories that apply to both items. The first VS Review has to be between the latest Smackdown vs Raw, and the first game from TNA. It simply need to be done!
IT'S WWE SMACKDOWN vs RAW 2009 vs TNA iMPACT!
If there was a category for title length, SvR gets that one. Anyway.
I'm doing something a little different this time. I happened to stumble upon this Justice League movie on Cartoon Network, and I'm going to write my thoughts as I watch it during commercials.
The first the that pops up is a bright red banner warning that this is for the older kids here. Great! This will be just like the recent Superman: Doomsday, a remake of our superheros in an animated format, but darker. The opening scenes don't disappoint as we get a very intriguing prologue, followed by the 'author' shooting himself in a first person view, as if you shoot yourself. Then we are treated to the setting establishment... Of 1954. From here we are show the art style... *Note, it seems that the red band warning appears every half hour, they really don't want kids watching this!
For example to the violence in this... Ever see the invisible jet? I did, cause it was covered in Wonder Woman's blood! So be warned.
[IMG] [/media] [/media] [/IMG] Halo: Combat Evolved Release Date: November 15, 2001 (Xbox in North America)/ September 30, 2003 (PC in North America) Developer:Bungie Studios (Xbox)/ Gearbox Studios (PC) Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Genre: First-Person Shooter ESRB Rating: Mature Blood and Gore, Violence
Intro
Halo: Combat Evolved, a game that has been called the best game on the Xbox by multiple gaming sites and magazines, has been available for about 7 years now. It has also been available for the PC for about 6 years now. This edition has also recieved rave reviews. The game effectively combines narrative and frenetic combat into a cohesive game, but is it overrated?
[IMG] [/IMG] You will fight against multiple opponents with various UNSC or various Covenant weaponry.
Story
Halo's story begins with an alien invasion of a Naval space ship called the Pillar of Autumn. To counteract the assault, one man and one AI chip have to rise up to the challenge and overcome all odds. The characters have believable human emotions and take actions that will come back to haunt them later, but the story, in my opinion, is a little contrived. The generic superman complex, the overcome all odds theme, and the alien storyline all seem fairly weak looking back. Most of the characters are well portrayed and believable; human emotions are expressed through simple cut scenes and dialog, but rarely will the player see or learn of his feelings. As this super soldier proceeds across "Halo", a mysterious ring the Pillar of Autumn crash landed on, he will discover unknown secrets and have to deal with the consequences. Perhaps I'm a little biased because I read the novelization before playing the game, but I never felt satisfied with the provided story. There's nothing inherently wrong, it just seems like so many other plots before it.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x1150 and weights 407KB.
Vehicles take a large part of the game play in Halo, but a soldier can always take one out with enough skill and a little luck.
Game play
The game play is what I call standard first-person shooter game. There are two main types of guns: Covenant (alien) and UNSC (human). Within each section, there are further subgenres with side arms, rifles, anti-vehicle weaponry, etc.. The game tries to vary the objectives throughout its approximately 9 hour storyline, but the generic objectives will remain very similar. You have to kill N amount of enemies or create a path to this point by going up to here and activating light bridge number 1. To progress through the story, you will have to improvise with the weaponry on hand while listening to your Computer AI, Cortana. Master Chief or John-117 can only carry two main weapons with him without utilizing a glitch of some sort, but he can always carry up to 4 of each kind of grenade (plasma or fragmentary). Plasma grenades will stick to an enemy if thrown correctly and consequently kill most of the enemy types. Fragmentary grenades will explode and injure or kill opponents depending on the type and the damage they have previously sustained.
The types of enemies (beware, some spoilers will occur): Grunt ( basic enemy/weak), Jackal (moderate enemy/ average), Elite (leader enemy/ strong), Hunters (rare enemy/ extremely powerful), Flood infection forms (weak), Flood carriers (weak, but will explode), Flood combat forms (varies, but in general strong).
In addition to ground combat, there are multiple vehicles available to the Chief at various points in his struggle. Each vehicle has its advantages and disadvantages, so they remain somewhat fair to all players and opponents. Master Chief will endure quite a few blasts, but he can survive thanks to a high tech suit called the MJOLNIR armor. This suit will form a refillable shield against all attacks, but John can also heal himself through health packs scattered throughout Halo. The game play won't win any awards from me, but it works and remains fun for the majority of the time spent in game. Besides, explosions are fun no matter how many times you create them.
Audio Halo's music is the kind of music everyone should aspire to. The music enhances any emotions you experience during the course of the game. It is energetic, well timed, incredibly immersive with the world, and just plain amazing. The voice acting is admirably done with only a few lines I was chuckling at, but usually they were meant to create a sense of humor. Some incredible production values really show how much effort the sound designers gave. There are no annoying lyrics, just an inspired track list that seems to sound akin to Gregorian Chant. The music maintains the caliber of high quality movies and will intensify enjoyment for most players.
Controls
The controls for this game utilize the standard first-person shooter controls for both available versions, with camera control/aiming handed to the mouse or right analog stick. [IMG] [/IMG] For the pc controls, go to
The controls are responsive, tight, and in general placed well. On the Xbox controller, the flashlight and switch grenade buttons are a little annoying to hit, but everything else seems to work fine.
Good Aspects The controls, story isn't bad, some amazing user mods/hacks on the PC, multiple profiles running through campaign and multiplayer, multiplayer community still alive, fairly long and interesting campaign, great maps, interesting characters, varied weaponry, chat box on PC, information displays in both campaign and multiplayer are well designed, multiple vehicles, some amount of balance, multiple difficulties that can unlock some small bonuses, multiple multiplayer modes, melee is fun and brutal, editions for both PC and Xbox, free online multiplayer for PC, free PC demo with some multiplayer content, AI is in general intelligent, some hilarious extras, well designed enemies, system link on Xbox for more than 4 player LAN parties, and cooperative play on Xbox.
Problems Locations of certain functions don't fit well, lag on PC version, AI can cheat (they can waste ammo forever, but they never seem to run out unless you kill them. Fancy that?), continuity errors (Sergeant Johnson appears throughout the campaign, but even if you purposely kill him during the campaign or unlock the bonus video on Legendary for the PC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ-EKBf85iI) , he shows up in Halo 2. Just keep him alive while he is shown to me, it's not that hard), no cooperative modes on PC other than team death match, ammo can pop up in the most unlikely places, game feels stale now, certain weapons are somewhat overpowered, health packs (Health depletes far too quickly), no adaptation to multiple Chiefs for coop mode (some change or recognition would be nice), the energy shield takes a long time to recharge, your military teammates that join the Chief on his journey are moronic to the highest degree, and in my opinion the plot never really lived up to the novelization's version.
I could go on, but I feel I have written enough.
Summary
Halo is definitely a good game, but it is nowhere near the best Xbox game or shooter game. If you want a solid FPS (first-person shooter) experience, you can definitely do worse than either of Halo's versions. However, the corollary is that you can easily find better games. If you haven't tried Halo, I would recommend a rental for the Xbox and at the very least to try the PC demo if not purchase it for the PC. No one will really care about the Xbox edition, but the PC one is still thriving, at least until Vista becomes the standard operating system and everyone can play Halo 2 five years after it released on the Xbox.
I'm not going to give game scores anymore simply because the reader and I will never agree completely and our various forms of hierarchal ranking will differ drastically depending on our experiences with the subject.
Thank you for reading! Make sure to check out my user page to find other reviews from me and if you want to, subscribe to me on any of my sites.
Sincerely, randomduded12 __________________ Feel free to repost on other sites or whatever, even if you just want to point out I committed a solecism on page three line 8, you smarmy grammar Nazi. One condition: maintain my username within this review/article under any and all circumstances. Contact me with a PM for information regarding online gaming with me or other accounts I have. Don't hate on videogames, they suck more than they should anyway. "I'm a hypocrite" -Randomduded12 "LOGIC IS GOD!!!11!"
Call it an early Christmas present, but all the good little TGWTG viewers get a double-shot of Shoot.
If you've seen the front page recently, you'll see that Doug, His brother, and.....someone else, have done a Rifftrax on The Lion King. FINALLY, a TGWTG riff! Which i did suggest in a comment, so myself, and anyone who also suggested a TGWTG rifftrax, take credit.
However, because of this, Doug and his crew have had there names added to the list of people i have to ask this to:
Review
Review of Sly Cooper and The Thievius Raccoonus (PS2) 
"I'm a hypocrite"
