Rate the game! - Page 2

*Mecha Cow* · 01-21-2005, 01:33 PM

Yeah, I was the one who reviewed the game at the old GD forums.

Nice review, glad to see you enjoyed it as much as I did.

**ThirdMarioBro** · 01-21-2005, 04:26 PM

Paper Mario 1 kicked ass. I bought 2,, but just haven't had the time to play it yet. Paper Mario is like one of the best RPG's ever.

*Duke* · 01-22-2005, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peanut

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

Overall: Basically...this game kicks major ass. My favourite game of the year without a doubt. Do yourself a favour, if you haven't played this game...get it...NOW!

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was my favorite game of 2004 too. At the very beginning of the game I wasn't that impressed but by the end I loved it. The reason i wasn't that into it at first was the fact that the story really took some time to develop. Basically in the original Paper Mario, the story is thrown right out in the beginning of the game. But this one really started off slow and took some real time to develop, which i normally like but since the original one was just put out there at the beginning, i was honestly fearful that the little info i got about the story was about it and i wasn't impressed. But it wasn't and the story was amazing.

Did you guys beat the pit of 100 trials? Now that was fun.

Peanut · 01-23-2005, 09:03 PM

I only went to about level 22 or so...I did it to

Spoiler:

I'm going to go through it on this current play through though.

*Duke* · 01-23-2005, 11:09 PM

Yeah, i think i went through it four times. I went to level 22 or so for the same reason u did. Then i went to either 50 or 60 and realized i had no chance. I reached level 93 and died, and then finally i made it all the way through. It definitely takes some strategy to make it all the way through plus a little luck.

Peanut · 01-24-2005, 01:07 PM

I'll have to go through it on my first save. I didn't even have much problem with the last boss with that one.

Anyways, recently I've been playing the old Crash Bandicoot games with my sister on PSX, so she begged my mom, who went out and got Crash Twinsanity for us. I'm on the final level of the game, so I thought I'd review it.

Crash Twinsanity
Xbox
Vivendi Universal Games
2004

Graphics: The Crash Bandicoot series has never been one for graphical superiority. The game is usually made up of simple characters and vibrant backgrounds. Crash Twinsanity is no different. You could describe the style in this game as cartoony, where the previous Crash Bandicoot efforts attempted to make Crash semi-real looking (Take the added Fur Shading in the Xbox version of Wrath of Cortex for example.) they obviously went for a total cartoony look for this game, and it works. Crash has always been an appealing character, and he looks the best he's ever looked in Crash Twinsanity, despite the fact that they dropped the fur from WoC. The other two playable characters, Dr. Neo Cortex, and his niece..or daughter (Neo seems to be hiding something.), Nina Cortex both look fairly good as well. Nina in particular has a pretty snazy look, from her school girl clothes, to her Bionic Commando appendages. Enemies are fairly detailed, with some obviously having more time spent on them than others. There are decent effects in the game, nothing mind blowing, you'll witness countless explosions through out, and they look pretty good. Character animation is awesome, everything in exaggerated perfectly to give it a very cartoon like feel. Crash is still a dope and his constant blank and cheerful expressions can't help but put a smile on your face. Dr. Cortex is probably the most animated of the bunch, and rightfully so, the poor guy gets trounced time and time again through out the game. Backgrounds are fairly detailed, and at times are very impressive, sometimes there's a bit of repeatition though. They range from the usual platforming staples, a lush jungle, to a snow capped iceberg, a volcano, caves, etc. etc. While not overly impressive, the graphics get the job done while looking very pretty at the same time.
Overall: 7.5

Sound: Crash Bandicoot, much like Mario, has a very distinct set of sounds. Everything you've heard before is back in Twinsanity. Crates shatter and TNT boxes explode with the same sound as they ever did, which is perfectly fine. There really aren't many voice samples during gameplay, but the cut scene dialouge is particularly impressive. Dr. Cortex outshines the lot in this category, mostly because Crash is yet another mute hero. Dr. Cortex is a joy to listen to, Lex Lang does a great job with Cortex and he sounds better than ever, many of his yelps and pleads are great, but it's his cut scene dialouge that really takes the cake. The cut scenes themselves are often quite amusing. The best example being when Cortex gets accousted by a pack of angry, jet-pack wearing, penguins, who insist he isn't allowed to have his ice berg laboratory back because his last check bounced. There are problems though, at times the dialouge will not only be pointless, but sometimes it'll cut in and out, and in a couple cut scenes it disappeared completely, although it has to be noted that the bad dialouge only came from secondary characters. The music in the game is...well something only a Crash game could pull off. It's overly silly, and I love it. It's performed by a single "band" who make all their music using only vocals, the opening theme/Nsanity Island song is so catchy you'll find yourself humming along in no time. Some of the other tunes are hit or miss, and at times get quite annoying (see Ice Berg levels). The sound has it's good points, but it also has it's problems. S some glitchy effects and dialouge here and there, plus some repetative stuff in several of the levels, but it's still quite good.
Overall: 8.0

Gameplay: Crash games have always been nothing but entertaining, the simple level designs and clever platforming puzzles were always a joy to play. Luckily most if that is back, and there are several improvements, but also a couple downfalls. The biggest thing to mention is that the games levels no longer follow a singular path, they're all in full 3D now, but that doesn't mean they're opened ended like Super Mario 64, a couple of them are still quite linear and at times are pretty much just like the old Crash games. There's one glaring problem I saw in the transition, there's no real hub between levels. As where most platforming games now have a central hub world, Crash has a kind of semi-hub. There are areas where you're not in a level, but it doesn't feel that way. All the levels lead back to the one singular spot, such as Dr. Cortex's lab on the Ice Berg, but if you want to get back and play a level, it'll be a lot more difficult than just jumping into a painting, or going through a portal, you'll have to either backtrack through an entire level, or do a full circle around the hub area to find an entrance. The levels blend seamlessly into the hub, which I guess is pretty neat, but it makes for some confusing, and sometimes frustrating moments. Trying to tell where a level begins and where it ends is almost impossible. The levels themselves are more diverse than I've ever seen in a platforming game, in terms of gameplay. They're split into several different types, with some levels combining several different elements. These include things like Rollerbrawling, guiding Crash and Dr. Cortex, enganged in a fist fight, down chutes, ramps and platforms. These levels feel a lot like Super Monkey Ball and are tons of fun. Then there are the typical Crash levels, you break crates, collect wumpa fruit, smack enemies around and go through some nifty platforming elements. Dr. Cortex is a bit different, you'll utilize his ray gun to blast crates and enemies away, and activate switches. Nina Cortex has some pretty cool moves. She can spin and jump, although a lot weaker and shorter than Crash can, but she can also punch enemies from a distance with her spring loaded hands, and grab onto rings to swing and jump from walls or between gaps, which is really a ton of fun. Then there are the Crash/Cortex buddy levels. These basically have Crash abusing Dr. Cortex to no end. He can spin Cortex around in a double spin, use has flat head as a hammer, and toss him across gaps to clear a path or activate switches. The levels also include some variations, like having to roll Cortex around in a steel barrel and into chutes so he can activate platforms far across a level. Then there's "Humiliskating" basically in these levels Crash kicks Cortex's ass out a window and uses him as a snowboard to get down huge hills, these levels are great if to only hear Cortex scream in pain as his male region is used to grind along steel posts. Basically there are tons of different elements in this game, all of which are quite fun, with the exception of some of Cortex's stuff. The game, at times, will smack you in the face with a frustratingly hard bit of platforming or puzzle solving. There are quite a few of these moments, and it just seems like they throw in these cheap little pieces to make the game seem harder, when it just makes you want to stop playing. Now on to one of the few really bad things about the game, about a little over half way through a huge change comes over the game, instead of happy sappy Crash Bandicoot style , you get all this dark broody stuff. It starts when you visit the Academy of Evil to retrieve Nina Cortex, and it quickly goes down hill from there. Every game needs it's dark parts, but once you hit that stage of the game, it just flies into bleakness. There's no more happy music, no more bright colourful stages. You get stuck with gothic rock music, and dark, torched ground with satanic looking totem poles instead of the silly stuff you normally see in Crash games. Crash himself looks terribly out of place in these enviroments with his bright orange fur. Overall there are a ton of cool elements in the game, the Crash levels are obviously the best, but when Crash is paired with Cortex it's not only funny, but down right great to play. A bunch of things detract from the game, the broken hub world, the sometimes frustrating bits and pieces of cheap level design, and the style change for the worse after the half way point, but it's still a ton of damn fun, more than I expect to be sure.
Overall: 7.7

Replay Value: It's a pretty short game to be sure, probably around 4:30 to 5 hours for your normal gamer, but if you want to 100% it, it'll take you quite a while. There are a ton of gems to collect for each world and each level, which unlock bonus material much like DVD extras.
Overall: 7

Overall: Crash Twinsanity is a game that, despite some noticeable glares, is definately a fine platformer. Withouth the charm of Crash Bandicoot though, it would slide into mediocrity. As it stands it could have been so much more, it's enjoyable for sure, and I suggest trying it out if you ever have the chance, but this will go down as one of those games where I wonder what could have been. If they can improve on the formula in the next installment, they'll have a real winner on their hands.

Overall Score: 7.3

**Barkworm** · 02-12-2005, 04:06 AM

I don't want this thread to die so here's a short review of:

Jak 3 (PS2)

Story and Presentation: Neat. The story is pretty well done, since it's told in some excellent cut scenes.
HUGE SPOILERS!

Spoiler:

8.5/10

Graphics: The highlights are the in-game graphics cutscenes. I think they have some of the best animations I've ever seen. Apart from that the graphics are very good too, although they have a LOT of vertical tearing and some slowdowns.
8.5/10

Sound: Music and sound effects are nicely done. The music sounds a lot like in the Ratchet and Clank games, so if you like the music there you'll like it here too. The voice acting is just awesome. Especially Daxter is great as ever.
8.5/10

Gameplay: The original Jak & Daxter was a classic platformer. The second one was a GTA ripoff with platforming elements, lots of action and a difficulty that was just way too much for the average gamer and just unfair at some times. A lot of fans of the first one were turned off by it. Those people probably won't like this one either.
So what is this game? It starts with a little platforming. Then it goes into shooting stuff. After that you'll do a couple of races with dune buggys (the dune buggys are extremely cool, by the way). There are also some missions on the so called "hoverboard". Does this all fit together? I'd say YES. It's just a lot of fun. Fortunately Naughty Dog has reduced the "GTA-ishness" so the game is pretty much straight forward now and offers a lot of variety in the different missions. Most of the weapons are very cool, the dune buggys are really a lot of fun to drive (and I hate driving in games) and the hoverboard, although it's slow, is a nice little extra too. Dark and Light Jak are also pretty cool ideas, although you'll rarely use them.
The difficulty was one of the major problems of the last "Jak" game. It was just way too hard at some points! "Jak 3" is still not an easy game but you'll never find anything unfair in it. It has a very enjoyable grade of difficulty.
8.5/10

Lasting Appeal: First time through will take about 15 hours if you ignore all the secrets. It's actually not a long game but fair enough compared to other games I've recently played.
7.5/10

Overall: "Jak 3" is a very entertaining game. There were rarely any missions that I didn't enjoy. I also really like the characters. Of course it's not inventive or anything but the game pulls off its thing really well. Don't expect a platformer though. This game has platforming elements but basically it's an action game. And a really good one at that.
8.5/10

Yes, I know you people don't care because you all hate the PS2. I hate you too.

Peanut · 02-12-2005, 01:29 PM

I'm sure the thread won't die, it's probably just because no one has gotten anything new lately.

The PS2 platformers were all just crap to me. Ratchet and Clank wasn't bad, but I thought all 3 Jak games were terrible.

As for PS2 itself...I hate it, for good reason.

**Barkworm** · 02-12-2005, 01:37 PM

What was bad about Jak and Daxter? That game was a fine platformer.

Peanut · 02-12-2005, 01:41 PM

I just didn't like it. There's something about Jak I don't like, the character that is. I didn't have any fun when I played the last two, and I traded the first one in after I bought it only 3 days before. Ratchet and Clank is a different story. I'll give that game a little love, because at least it does some stuff differently, with the whole gun/platforming thing. Jak was just too much of stuff that's not only been done before, but done better.

**Barkworm** · 02-12-2005, 01:47 PM

I see where you're coming from. I also like Ratchet and Clank better, especially the second one. Actually I'm a huge fan of the second game. It added some RPG elements to the gameplay, had a ton of totally different weapons and was really huge for a game of that kind. I still need to play the third one.

**ThirdMarioBro** · 02-12-2005, 02:53 PM

And then Sony killed the franchise. Stupid bastards.

**Barkworm** · 02-12-2005, 03:16 PM

The Ratchet series hasn't been killed off.

愛 · 02-12-2005, 03:22 PM

Aren't they done with Jak, though? I remember hearing something about them stopping at 3.

**Barkworm** · 02-12-2005, 03:44 PM

Yup, Naughty Dog doesn't want to do more Jak games.

**ThirdMarioBro** · 02-12-2005, 04:46 PM

Whiceans it'll be sold to Universal and become a new addition to their long running of Sh*tty GBA games alongside Spyro & Crash. Sad sight.

Peanut · 02-12-2005, 05:42 PM

Actually I think the first GBA Crash game got a ton of great reviews, and I'm sure one of the Spyro games wasn't all that bad either.

**ThirdMarioBro** · 02-15-2005, 08:56 PM

Look for my Wario Ware Touched review soon

*Duke* · 02-15-2005, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThirdMarioBro

Look for my Wario Ware Touched review soon

I picked it up today and so far i have to say i'm a little disappointed. Normally I love mini games, and I honestly believe the DS was made/designed to play minigames but gamestop had it right imo about the game being repetitive. It just doesn't have the variety that feel the magic has. It's still fun just a bit of a let down.

**ThirdMarioBro** · 02-16-2005, 01:30 AM

Wario Ware Touched
_________________________

Graphics: 7.0
For the most part, simplistic, but it's Wario Ware. It's gotta move fast and furious so you don't need to bother noticing. The opening cinema animations are far superior to the original GBA game, and they're damn funny as well. The game makes good use of the DS's 3D prowess for the series 3D debuet (no, I don't count the GCN game), and it's a treat to look at.

Sound: 7.0
Now, for the most part the game has great music, but the tunes don't stick in your head. I found myself turning on the original just to hear the music, but it just dosen't stick as well here. The sound effects on the other hand kick all kinds of ass, especially the 9-Volt old school stuff. The game was actually done by a different team than the first because they were busy with Twisted so I can write the few gripes I have off. The music does have a few lyrical songs here and there, and for where they're placed, it's funny as hell. Why? Keep Reading

Presentation: 9.5
Pure Kickass Wario Ware, and has somepretty sick/stupid ass humor (a good thing believe me). The familiar 70's deco look is back in full force. There's some new characters here and there, such as Jimmy T's family (goofy looking), but there's one new addition that made me almost drop my DS in disbelief. Her name is Ashley......and she's a cute little worshiper of Satan. Yes my friends, Nintendo has opted to put a satanic worshiper in Wario ware, and she is just nutso. The little (real) goth wants to put Obatron in her devil's brew, and the music they sign during her gameplay sounds like the Addam's Family theme on HARDCORE crack. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen come out of Nintendo. Worth the purchase just to see that.

Gameplay: 8.0
Now, people complain that the game is rather repetative because you use only the touch screen, but they're forgetting something. The original just used the cross pad and the A botton on 95% of the games. There's not a really big difference, and you can't wiin just by rubbing non-stop. That won't get you anywhere. There are 180 games, and they are all fun as dope. I didn't find them to get old, and the funny cinema scenes made me laugh out loud.

Overall, the game is highly recomended. It has flaws, but all do, and they don't kill the experience by any means. It puts that DS to heavy use, and works you just as hard as the original did. It's some of the best fun I've had this winter.

Overall Score 8.0

Tune in in a couple of days when I bring you my Star Fox Assualt review

01-21-2005, 01:33 PM	#21
Mecha Cow Gorgeous and modest too Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 3,699	Yeah, I was the one who reviewed the game at the old GD forums. Nice review, glad to see you enjoyed it as much as I did. __________________

01-21-2005, 04:26 PM	#22
ThirdMarioBro Tea Time! Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,905	Paper Mario 1 kicked ass. I bought 2,, but just haven't had the time to play it yet. Paper Mario is like one of the best RPG's ever. __________________

01-23-2005, 09:03 PM	#24
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	I only went to about level 22 or so...I did it to Spoiler: Save that kids dad for the Trouble Center quest. I'm going to go through it on this current play through though.

01-24-2005, 01:07 PM	#26
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	I'll have to go through it on my first save. I didn't even have much problem with the last boss with that one. Anyways, recently I've been playing the old Crash Bandicoot games with my sister on PSX, so she begged my mom, who went out and got Crash Twinsanity for us. I'm on the final level of the game, so I thought I'd review it. Crash Twinsanity Xbox Vivendi Universal Games 2004 Graphics: The Crash Bandicoot series has never been one for graphical superiority. The game is usually made up of simple characters and vibrant backgrounds. Crash Twinsanity is no different. You could describe the style in this game as cartoony, where the previous Crash Bandicoot efforts attempted to make Crash semi-real looking (Take the added Fur Shading in the Xbox version of Wrath of Cortex for example.) they obviously went for a total cartoony look for this game, and it works. Crash has always been an appealing character, and he looks the best he's ever looked in Crash Twinsanity, despite the fact that they dropped the fur from WoC. The other two playable characters, Dr. Neo Cortex, and his niece..or daughter (Neo seems to be hiding something.), Nina Cortex both look fairly good as well. Nina in particular has a pretty snazy look, from her school girl clothes, to her Bionic Commando appendages. Enemies are fairly detailed, with some obviously having more time spent on them than others. There are decent effects in the game, nothing mind blowing, you'll witness countless explosions through out, and they look pretty good. Character animation is awesome, everything in exaggerated perfectly to give it a very cartoon like feel. Crash is still a dope and his constant blank and cheerful expressions can't help but put a smile on your face. Dr. Cortex is probably the most animated of the bunch, and rightfully so, the poor guy gets trounced time and time again through out the game. Backgrounds are fairly detailed, and at times are very impressive, sometimes there's a bit of repeatition though. They range from the usual platforming staples, a lush jungle, to a snow capped iceberg, a volcano, caves, etc. etc. While not overly impressive, the graphics get the job done while looking very pretty at the same time. Overall: 7.5 Sound: Crash Bandicoot, much like Mario, has a very distinct set of sounds. Everything you've heard before is back in Twinsanity. Crates shatter and TNT boxes explode with the same sound as they ever did, which is perfectly fine. There really aren't many voice samples during gameplay, but the cut scene dialouge is particularly impressive. Dr. Cortex outshines the lot in this category, mostly because Crash is yet another mute hero. Dr. Cortex is a joy to listen to, Lex Lang does a great job with Cortex and he sounds better than ever, many of his yelps and pleads are great, but it's his cut scene dialouge that really takes the cake. The cut scenes themselves are often quite amusing. The best example being when Cortex gets accousted by a pack of angry, jet-pack wearing, penguins, who insist he isn't allowed to have his ice berg laboratory back because his last check bounced. There are problems though, at times the dialouge will not only be pointless, but sometimes it'll cut in and out, and in a couple cut scenes it disappeared completely, although it has to be noted that the bad dialouge only came from secondary characters. The music in the game is...well something only a Crash game could pull off. It's overly silly, and I love it. It's performed by a single "band" who make all their music using only vocals, the opening theme/Nsanity Island song is so catchy you'll find yourself humming along in no time. Some of the other tunes are hit or miss, and at times get quite annoying (see Ice Berg levels). The sound has it's good points, but it also has it's problems. S some glitchy effects and dialouge here and there, plus some repetative stuff in several of the levels, but it's still quite good. Overall: 8.0 Gameplay: Crash games have always been nothing but entertaining, the simple level designs and clever platforming puzzles were always a joy to play. Luckily most if that is back, and there are several improvements, but also a couple downfalls. The biggest thing to mention is that the games levels no longer follow a singular path, they're all in full 3D now, but that doesn't mean they're opened ended like Super Mario 64, a couple of them are still quite linear and at times are pretty much just like the old Crash games. There's one glaring problem I saw in the transition, there's no real hub between levels. As where most platforming games now have a central hub world, Crash has a kind of semi-hub. There are areas where you're not in a level, but it doesn't feel that way. All the levels lead back to the one singular spot, such as Dr. Cortex's lab on the Ice Berg, but if you want to get back and play a level, it'll be a lot more difficult than just jumping into a painting, or going through a portal, you'll have to either backtrack through an entire level, or do a full circle around the hub area to find an entrance. The levels blend seamlessly into the hub, which I guess is pretty neat, but it makes for some confusing, and sometimes frustrating moments. Trying to tell where a level begins and where it ends is almost impossible. The levels themselves are more diverse than I've ever seen in a platforming game, in terms of gameplay. They're split into several different types, with some levels combining several different elements. These include things like Rollerbrawling, guiding Crash and Dr. Cortex, enganged in a fist fight, down chutes, ramps and platforms. These levels feel a lot like Super Monkey Ball and are tons of fun. Then there are the typical Crash levels, you break crates, collect wumpa fruit, smack enemies around and go through some nifty platforming elements. Dr. Cortex is a bit different, you'll utilize his ray gun to blast crates and enemies away, and activate switches. Nina Cortex has some pretty cool moves. She can spin and jump, although a lot weaker and shorter than Crash can, but she can also punch enemies from a distance with her spring loaded hands, and grab onto rings to swing and jump from walls or between gaps, which is really a ton of fun. Then there are the Crash/Cortex buddy levels. These basically have Crash abusing Dr. Cortex to no end. He can spin Cortex around in a double spin, use has flat head as a hammer, and toss him across gaps to clear a path or activate switches. The levels also include some variations, like having to roll Cortex around in a steel barrel and into chutes so he can activate platforms far across a level. Then there's "Humiliskating" basically in these levels Crash kicks Cortex's ass out a window and uses him as a snowboard to get down huge hills, these levels are great if to only hear Cortex scream in pain as his male region is used to grind along steel posts. Basically there are tons of different elements in this game, all of which are quite fun, with the exception of some of Cortex's stuff. The game, at times, will smack you in the face with a frustratingly hard bit of platforming or puzzle solving. There are quite a few of these moments, and it just seems like they throw in these cheap little pieces to make the game seem harder, when it just makes you want to stop playing. Now on to one of the few really bad things about the game, about a little over half way through a huge change comes over the game, instead of happy sappy Crash Bandicoot style , you get all this dark broody stuff. It starts when you visit the Academy of Evil to retrieve Nina Cortex, and it quickly goes down hill from there. Every game needs it's dark parts, but once you hit that stage of the game, it just flies into bleakness. There's no more happy music, no more bright colourful stages. You get stuck with gothic rock music, and dark, torched ground with satanic looking totem poles instead of the silly stuff you normally see in Crash games. Crash himself looks terribly out of place in these enviroments with his bright orange fur. Overall there are a ton of cool elements in the game, the Crash levels are obviously the best, but when Crash is paired with Cortex it's not only funny, but down right great to play. A bunch of things detract from the game, the broken hub world, the sometimes frustrating bits and pieces of cheap level design, and the style change for the worse after the half way point, but it's still a ton of damn fun, more than I expect to be sure. Overall: 7.7 Replay Value: It's a pretty short game to be sure, probably around 4:30 to 5 hours for your normal gamer, but if you want to 100% it, it'll take you quite a while. There are a ton of gems to collect for each world and each level, which unlock bonus material much like DVD extras. Overall: 7 Overall: Crash Twinsanity is a game that, despite some noticeable glares, is definately a fine platformer. Withouth the charm of Crash Bandicoot though, it would slide into mediocrity. As it stands it could have been so much more, it's enjoyable for sure, and I suggest trying it out if you ever have the chance, but this will go down as one of those games where I wonder what could have been. If they can improve on the formula in the next installment, they'll have a real winner on their hands. Overall Score: 7.3 Last edited by Peanut; 01-24-2005 at 01:14 PM.

02-12-2005, 04:06 AM	#27
Barkworm Draconian leftist ruler Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 6,735	I don't want this thread to die so here's a short review of: Jak 3 (PS2) Story and Presentation: Neat. The story is pretty well done, since it's told in some excellent cut scenes. HUGE SPOILERS! Spoiler: Actually it's obvious from the beginning that Damas is Jak's father but I really enjoyed all the little hints to it.The plot twist at the end with the true face of the Precursors was hilarious. 8.5/10 Graphics: The highlights are the in-game graphics cutscenes. I think they have some of the best animations I've ever seen. Apart from that the graphics are very good too, although they have a LOT of vertical tearing and some slowdowns. 8.5/10 Sound: Music and sound effects are nicely done. The music sounds a lot like in the Ratchet and Clank games, so if you like the music there you'll like it here too. The voice acting is just awesome. Especially Daxter is great as ever. 8.5/10 Gameplay: The original Jak & Daxter was a classic platformer. The second one was a GTA ripoff with platforming elements, lots of action and a difficulty that was just way too much for the average gamer and just unfair at some times. A lot of fans of the first one were turned off by it. Those people probably won't like this one either. So what is this game? It starts with a little platforming. Then it goes into shooting stuff. After that you'll do a couple of races with dune buggys (the dune buggys are extremely cool, by the way). There are also some missions on the so called "hoverboard". Does this all fit together? I'd say YES. It's just a lot of fun. Fortunately Naughty Dog has reduced the "GTA-ishness" so the game is pretty much straight forward now and offers a lot of variety in the different missions. Most of the weapons are very cool, the dune buggys are really a lot of fun to drive (and I hate driving in games) and the hoverboard, although it's slow, is a nice little extra too. Dark and Light Jak are also pretty cool ideas, although you'll rarely use them. The difficulty was one of the major problems of the last "Jak" game. It was just way too hard at some points! "Jak 3" is still not an easy game but you'll never find anything unfair in it. It has a very enjoyable grade of difficulty. 8.5/10 Lasting Appeal: First time through will take about 15 hours if you ignore all the secrets. It's actually not a long game but fair enough compared to other games I've recently played. 7.5/10 Overall: "Jak 3" is a very entertaining game. There were rarely any missions that I didn't enjoy. I also really like the characters. Of course it's not inventive or anything but the game pulls off its thing really well. Don't expect a platformer though. This game has platforming elements but basically it's an action game. And a really good one at that. 8.5/10 Yes, I know you people don't care because you all hate the PS2. I hate you too. __________________ Make ****, not kill!

01-23-2005, 11:09 PM	#25
Duke Mad Scientist Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,913	Yeah, i think i went through it four times. I went to level 22 or so for the same reason u did. Then i went to either 50 or 60 and realized i had no chance. I reached level 93 and died, and then finally i made it all the way through. It definitely takes some strategy to make it all the way through plus a little luck.

02-12-2005, 01:29 PM	#28
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	I'm sure the thread won't die, it's probably just because no one has gotten anything new lately. The PS2 platformers were all just crap to me. Ratchet and Clank wasn't bad, but I thought all 3 Jak games were terrible. As for PS2 itself...I hate it, for good reason.

02-12-2005, 01:37 PM	#29
Barkworm Draconian leftist ruler Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 6,735	What was bad about Jak and Daxter? That game was a fine platformer. __________________ Make ****, not kill!

02-12-2005, 01:41 PM	#30
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	I just didn't like it. There's something about Jak I don't like, the character that is. I didn't have any fun when I played the last two, and I traded the first one in after I bought it only 3 days before. Ratchet and Clank is a different story. I'll give that game a little love, because at least it does some stuff differently, with the whole gun/platforming thing. Jak was just too much of stuff that's not only been done before, but done better.

02-12-2005, 01:47 PM	#31
Barkworm Draconian leftist ruler Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 6,735	I see where you're coming from. I also like Ratchet and Clank better, especially the second one. Actually I'm a huge fan of the second game. It added some RPG elements to the gameplay, had a ton of totally different weapons and was really huge for a game of that kind. I still need to play the third one. __________________ Make ****, not kill!

02-12-2005, 02:53 PM	#32
ThirdMarioBro Tea Time! Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,905	And then Sony killed the franchise. Stupid bastards. __________________

02-12-2005, 03:16 PM	#33
Barkworm Draconian leftist ruler Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 6,735	The Ratchet series hasn't been killed off. __________________ Make ****, not kill!

02-12-2005, 03:22 PM	#34
愛 Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 7,449	Aren't they done with Jak, though? I remember hearing something about them stopping at 3.

02-12-2005, 03:44 PM	#35
Barkworm Draconian leftist ruler Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 6,735	Yup, Naughty Dog doesn't want to do more Jak games. __________________ Make ****, not kill!

02-12-2005, 04:46 PM	#36
ThirdMarioBro Tea Time! Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,905	Whiceans it'll be sold to Universal and become a new addition to their long running of Sh*tty GBA games alongside Spyro & Crash. Sad sight. __________________

02-12-2005, 05:42 PM	#37
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	Actually I think the first GBA Crash game got a ton of great reviews, and I'm sure one of the Spyro games wasn't all that bad either.

02-15-2005, 08:56 PM	#38
ThirdMarioBro Tea Time! Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,905	Look for my Wario Ware Touched review soon __________________

02-16-2005, 01:30 AM	#40
ThirdMarioBro Tea Time! Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 8,905	Wario Ware Touched _________________________ Graphics: 7.0 For the most part, simplistic, but it's Wario Ware. It's gotta move fast and furious so you don't need to bother noticing. The opening cinema animations are far superior to the original GBA game, and they're damn funny as well. The game makes good use of the DS's 3D prowess for the series 3D debuet (no, I don't count the GCN game), and it's a treat to look at. Sound: 7.0 Now, for the most part the game has great music, but the tunes don't stick in your head. I found myself turning on the original just to hear the music, but it just dosen't stick as well here. The sound effects on the other hand kick all kinds of ass, especially the 9-Volt old school stuff. The game was actually done by a different team than the first because they were busy with Twisted so I can write the few gripes I have off. The music does have a few lyrical songs here and there, and for where they're placed, it's funny as hell. Why? Keep Reading Presentation: 9.5 Pure Kickass Wario Ware, and has somepretty sick/stupid ass humor (a good thing believe me). The familiar 70's deco look is back in full force. There's some new characters here and there, such as Jimmy T's family (goofy looking), but there's one new addition that made me almost drop my DS in disbelief. Her name is Ashley......and she's a cute little worshiper of Satan. Yes my friends, Nintendo has opted to put a satanic worshiper in Wario ware, and she is just nutso. The little (real) goth wants to put Obatron in her devil's brew, and the music they sign during her gameplay sounds like the Addam's Family theme on HARDCORE crack. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen come out of Nintendo. Worth the purchase just to see that. Gameplay: 8.0 Now, people complain that the game is rather repetative because you use only the touch screen, but they're forgetting something. The original just used the cross pad and the A botton on 95% of the games. There's not a really big difference, and you can't wiin just by rubbing non-stop. That won't get you anywhere. There are 180 games, and they are all fun as dope. I didn't find them to get old, and the funny cinema scenes made me laugh out loud. Overall, the game is highly recomended. It has flaws, but all do, and they don't kill the experience by any means. It puts that DS to heavy use, and works you just as hard as the original did. It's some of the best fun I've had this winter. Overall Score 8.0 Tune in in a couple of days when I bring you my Star Fox Assualt review __________________