Donkey Konga (GC)Type: Button Matcher
Graphically, this game is a failure. The most amazing thing you will see is banana's with feet stick it inside Diddy.
The music is... interesting. You have an odd variety of songs. There are some addicting songs such as swing,swing, pokemon and whip it. There are some recent songs like all the small things, and older ones like jailhouse rock. Then there are odd songs like bingo or kirby... The song selection is small at most, and I wish there was more.
The gameplay is very unique. You have four combinations of bongo motions. You can either hit the left, right, or both bongos, in addition to clapping. The easy levels are very easy, and hard is... very hard.
Multiplayer is either a blast or stale. The key factor is how many bongos you have. If you only have 1, the people with controllers won't have as much fun. The bongos really do make the difference in the experience. Bongos however, cost 30 dollars a pop, so you might reconsider buying 3 more.
There is nothing too exciting to unlock in this game. The best you will get is three minigames which are decent, at best. You don't get to unlock more songs, however, you can buy harder versions of the songs. After that, you can unlock different bongo sounds which can get annoying as you play. It would have been nice to have a song creator mode, which even a DS game can do.
The game, while shallow, is a good deal as you get the game AND the bongos, a eighty dollar value for only fifty dollars. Overall, you would only buy this game for the creative gameplay with the bongos.
My score:
Singleplayer -
2/3Multiplayer - without bongos
1/3, with bongos
3/3Replayability/Extra Features -
1/3Time Splitters: Future Perfect (GC)Type: First-Person Action
Graphically, this game is above average. There maybe people who prefer realistic designs, but I enjoy the cartooney style. Blood is imminent now, as the series now uses the "M" rating. The guns and animations look fantastic. The improvements between TS2 and TSFP is quite noticeable.
Every gun sounds unique and gives a good sense of power. The explosion and sound effects are a pleasure to hear. My only gripe is some of the sounds were recycled from TS2, as I would rather have completely new sounds. Voices sound accurate and are clear and concise. The music is very catchy and even I listen to them on my computer time to time. Overall, a great job in the sound department.
The campaign mode, while longer than TS2, is still short. I found the partner system gimmicky, as they seemed to progress the level rather than me at times. The future system was decent, but not too revolutionary. It's humourous and interesting the first couple times, but you will eventually get sick of watching the same clip twice. The cut scenes have clever jokes, and are a good break from the gameplay. The arcade league mode offers some challenges to satisfy those who thought the main mode was too easy.
Multiplayer is done right in this game. 4 Players with 10 bots is absolutely insane. The included maps are great, and you can choose how you want to play them. Even by yourself, the game is a blast with 10 bots. Most FPS games do not have multiplayer with bots, and this game sets the standard. Co-op is another great feature, as it is much more deeper than the mindless deathmatch of multiplayer.
The sheer amount of content in this game is unthinkable. Matches can be customized with kill/time limits, one hit kills and much more. There are 14 multiplayer modes to choose from which means it will take a while to master. There are more than 150 character models in the game, each with ratings in speed, stamina, fire and shock proof. I would have liked it if instead of the rarely used fire and shock proof settings, they had stats in accuracy, reload speed, etc. If you want a challenge, you can change in options if you want autoaim, crosshair, and with handicaps, your health. New to the series is the feature of melee gun attacks. This means you can hit your foe with your actual gun, just like Halo.
Overall, you get a product with tons of features and options. The fact that it has mapmaker mode should make this an instant buy for people here. I believe the Xbox version is the best version only if you have Xbox Live. The cube and PS2 versions are based on preference really. If you like playing mostly by yourself or mainly online, the PS2 is the way to go. However, if you have many friends over, and want a better looking, faster loading game, the cube version is the one to get.
My score:
Singleplayer -
2/3Multiplayer -
3/3Replayability/Extra Features -
3/3Soul Calibur II (GC)Type: Sideview Fighter
The game looks superb. Though I bet the models could be pushed a bit more, I see no problems with the models they have right now. Arenas could have been more detailed, but they do their job, which is the most important. Animations looks amazing and powerful moves look very threatening. You will be amazed by many of the moves in this game.
Sound effects are amazing in this game. When a player is hit, it sounds painful. You will be intrigued by many of the sounds such as two weapons clashing, when a guard is broken, or when a player is thrown to the ground. Music feels atmospheric and emotional, and complement the stages very well. You may find yourself humming many of the tunes, as they are composed very well. American voices sound a bit goofy, especially when you see Nightmare, the game's badass, cry for help. I use the Japanese voices, which add a sense of mystery to the game.
Gameplay requires stragey, reflex and a bit of luck. You have a large selection of characters (20+) and most of the characters have unique weapons and styles. The buttons are very simple, yet result in many different moves. The 3 tiered system goes as follows: the A button is the left-to-right attack, which is useful against pesky sidesteppers. The B button is the up-to-down attack, which is faster and stronger than the A button. Sidestepping allows you to dodge B attacks. You can also block attacks, parry them, and throw people as well. Each character has a movelist of about 100, which means each character will take a while to master. Weapon master mode is somewhat of a RPG, except duels are done by fighting. Each character has 10 weapons to use as well, and each has a unique weakness and strength. The length of the singleplayer is somewhat short, but you can also increase the number of rounds needed to win. If you hate the controls, fret not, as you can customize your own if needed. This game is wonderful with a joystick.
The sheer amount of modes to unlock is amazing. Not only is there an arcade mode, but you also have many more such as survival, extra, and gallery modes. There are a handful of characters to unlock as well. This game is a blast in multiplayer, especially if you match equally skilled players. Every 2 matches will never be the same, due to the sheer amount of moves, and options. With that said, replay value is enormous, since there is so much to master and unlock. Of the three versions available, I would choose the cube version, since Link is said to be better than Heihachi or Spawn, while loading times are better than the PS2 version.
My score:
Singleplayer -
2/3Multiplayer -
3/3Replayability/Extra Features -
3/3