I plan on writing full reviews over the next week, but I felt like offering some brief opinions on the games that I'm currently playing.
Resident Evil 4 - Absolute, nerve-splitting intensity. The first two hours contain some of the most frantic moments of desperation I've ever experienced in a game. From there, it's a downhill slide into the same old Resident Evil formula - claustrophobic hallways lined with zombies, nonsensical puzzles, and ammo conservation.
God Hand - Forget the snobbish high-strung reviewers who couldn't see God Hand for what it is - pure, gaming enjoyment. Who cares if the story is negligible, or the level designs are bland? God Hand is a throwback to the good ol' days when all that mattered was beating the baddies into oblivion. For those that take the time, it also features a combat system to rival some of the best fighters out there.
Puzzle Quest - A fun game, if you like Bejeweled-style puzzles, and a lot of them. The story is paper-thin, the party system sucks, and the graphics are purely functional, but the character management system is to die for. Your repertoire of spells, stats, and items are all your own. And no losing battles because of random "misses."
Touch the Dead - Because it has zombies, this game defaulted to my "must buy" list. Sadly, my beloved undead didn't receive the attention they so deserve. It's an enjoyable game in spurts, but the levels drag on and on and on. Then, when you die, you get to do almost all of it over again.
Felix_Arabia Jun 9, 2007
From there, it's a downhill slide into the same old Resident Evil formula - claustrophobic hallways lined with zombies, nonsensical puzzles, and ammo conservation.
No.
It's claustrophobic in a vague sense since you're in, well, a castle. I don't know exactly har far you are in that portion of the game, but there are some interested open areas you must progress through. Just because the setting has now gone indoors does not mean it's as restricting as it was in, say, RE2 where you spent a large part of the game navigating tight police station and sewer cooridors.
You don't fight zombies either. They're called ganados. They're infected by something called the las plagas, with the article being redundant for whatever reason. It's Spanish, not fucking Uygur or some other off the wall language.
The puzzles are rather nonsensical, but they fit in well with the game's level design, which is brilliant.
Ammo conservation? Pup, when I played through RE4 the first time, the only instance I didn't have a ton of ammo would be right after I had just finished an epic boss battle. Other than that, there is a ton of ammo laying around. Bullets become even more abundant on subsequent run-thrus.
pup Blogger Jun 9, 2007
The level designs are great, despite the claustrophobic passages, but the puzzles are lame. Who in their right mind would want to trek halfway through a castle to get a medallion that opens a main doorway? In reality, that person would then have to go all the way back and replace the medallion so the next person could get through.
As for ammo, I'll admit that it's not nearly as bad as RE1 or 2. Still, if you're not good at headshots, or overlook some of the vases and crates, you will undoubtedly have a problem, as evidenced by my friend. I don't understand why the arms dealer sells guns, but not ammo.
As for calling them zombies, I was trying to be brief.
Don't get me wrong. RE4 is an amazing game, and I'll probably end up playing through one or two more times. I just don't see it as the revolutionary leap in the series that everyone makes it out to be.
Felix_Arabia Jun 9, 2007
Genj Jun 10, 2007
EmP Staff Jun 10, 2007
Felix_Arabia Jun 10, 2007
Genj Jun 10, 2007
Yeah, these things aren't even hidden. They're usually right in the open. And "secret" items in desks and chests are always easy to find what with the giant "X OPEN" appearing on screen.