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March 15, 2011

Review – Hyperdimension Neptunia

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , — Nathan White @ 11:43 am

Hyperdimension Neptunia
Hyperdimension Neptunia is the definition of middle ground. This is the kind of game that had all the potential to be a quirky hidden gem, but instead stacks its misgivings and annoying quirks to set an experience in constant danger of collapsing under that weight.

The story of Neptunia takes place in a world called Gamindustri, which is governed by a group of Goddesses who inhabit a realm called Celestia. The four goddesses are each personifications of video game consoles. Green Heart, or Verte (XBox 360) is ruthless and conceded, White Heart, or Blanc (Wii) is sweet on the outside and uncontrollably self centered and petty within, Black Heart, or Noire (PS3), is arrogant and cruel, and lastly Purple Heart, or Neptunia, (Sega’s imaginary Dreamcast successor) is brash and competitive.

The four Goddesses, or Console Patron Units (CPUs) have been battling each other for a millennia in the Console War, fighting to gain absolute control over Celestia (and by extension Gameindustri) and achieve the title of True Goddess.

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March 9, 2011

Review – Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , — Mister Raroo @ 11:41 am

Review Phantom Brave the Hermuda Triangle
Phantom Brave has been trying to get me to play it for years. I actually purchased a copy of the game for PS2 back when it was released in 2004, but for whatever reason I never got around to playing it. It sat on my shelf, sad and lonely, until it eventually was sold on eBay during a crazed period in which I auctioned off a number of my games to free up some cash. I always felt guilty about that. So guilty, in fact, that I planned to buy the game when it was released for the Wii in 2009. I even had a copy in my hands and walked to the register at Best Buy before I weighed my options and realized having gas money was more important than having Phantom Brave.   

So, here we are, almost seven years after the game was originally released, and I’ve finally given in and played it. Was it worth the long wait? Well, playing the game wasn’t an earth-shattering experience, but I still found it worthwhile, if a little overwhelming.

Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle proves that sometimes giving players freedom isn’t always such a good thing, as the depth of the game and variety of options is almost too much to wrangle. At the same time, it’s a deep game and offers hours upon hours of gamplay, so strategy RPG fanatics will likely enjoy it.

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March 8, 2011

Review – Killzone 3

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 7:59 am

Killzone 3
Killzone 3 is a true example of franchise mentality; the entire affair is constructed with that distinct “Triple A Franchise” shine, the whole nine yards players have seen on titles like Gears of War and Halo. This is a product with significant resources at its disposal, all the way down to a high profile voice cast.

Though the core game is deserving, the concept is simply not the equal of this treatment. From the opening cinematic to the grim, atmospheric music in the menus, the player is primed for a dark, compelling tale of war, but as the campaign begins it becomes immediately apparent that this will simply not materialize.

The unfortunate reality is that the Killzone universe is simply not interesting, or at least unexplored in an interesting way. No amount of pomp or franchise expense can elevate what is distinctly lacking conceptually.

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March 7, 2011

Impressions – PixelJunk Shooter 2

Filed under: Editorial Rants — Tags: , , , , , , — Mister Raroo @ 3:13 pm

PixelJunk Shooter 2
There is certainly a sense of satisfaction that comes from a job well done. Even tedious work can be fulfilling once the task at hand is complete, providing a sense of relief and a feeling of accomplishment. But, when all is said and done, work is work and play is play, and while work can sometimes seem fun, in most cases the type of gratification I get from both differ greatly. I’d honestly rather play than work, no matter how gratifying the work might be.

PixelJunk Shooter 2 is work, and just like any type of work there are definitely payoffs that come when you complete what you set out to do, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re having a good time while you’re doing it. Too often the only real reward you get from playing comes from the relief of finally passing sections of the game that were proving annoying and frustrating—which are numerous, unfortunately.

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March 5, 2011

Review – Dead Space 2: Severed

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 8:10 am

Dead Space 2: Severed
This week saw the release of Severed, the first true DLC (save weapon and items packs) for the Dead Space series. Thus, I will again jump at the opportunity to discuss the merits of annihilating zombies in space, a subject very near and dear to my heart.

Severed features Gabe Weller, one of the protagonists from Dead Space: Extraction. The two-chapter campaign sees Weller battle his way from the government sector of the Sprawl to the psych ward in the civilian sector, in an effort to find his wife and get her off the station. This has the player literally playing the campaign backwards, revisiting many of the areas originally seen while traversing the station in the opposite direction, as Isaac.

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February 28, 2011

Review – Acceleration of Suguri X Edition

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Mister Raroo @ 4:07 pm

Review Acceleration of Sugari X Edition
One of my favorite periods of Sega Dreamcast game releases came after the system’s “death,” when there was a slow but steady trickle of fighting games and shoot-em-ups released in Japan. I was feverish about importing almost all of these games, and my Dreamcast was happily spinning the likes of Ikaruga, Border Down, Psyvariar 2, The King of Fighters 2002, Karous, and Under Defeat. It was like my home was transformed into a neat little Japanese arcade.

Playing Acceleration of Suguri X Edition (let’s just call it Suguri X for short) immediately made me feel like it was 2002 all over again and I had just popped an awesome new game into my Dreamcast. Suguri X is a frantic, bright, and fun one-on-one arena fighter that had me exclaiming “This is so cool!” over and over again until my wife finally told me to be quiet because I was making our dogs bark with my excitement. At first I was afraid my excitement for Suguri X was overinflated, but here we are days later and I’m still giddy about the game – I love it.

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Your Entirely Metal Ys I & II Chronicles Contest Winners!

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 12:23 pm

Ys I and II chronicles contest winners
Greetings Sugarfiends!

It’s time to announce the winners of our Ys I & II Chronicles Contest!

Last night, at the start of the wolfing hour, the Gamesugar crew ascended to the peak of a nearby mountain, placing the entries into a ceremonial bowl atop a stone pedestal – along with offerings to the forgotten Gods of old.

It wasn’t long before the clouds swirled overhead, and the faint sound of thunder grew in the distance until we were convinced that the nearing beat bore remarkable resemblance to the guitar riff from Iron Maiden’s Run to the Hills. Suddenly bolts of lightning struck the stone, forever etching three names into the splintered remains.

Congratulations to Radical Hair, Elatia-Rashiad Langford and Charles Sabers – though both Elatia-Rashiad and Charles Sabers need to drop me a line via jamie[at]gamesugar[dot]net since we don’t have your email addresses.

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