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Jan 19th, 2007 at 18:34:25 - Goldeneye 007 (N64) |
The single player mode is indeed much better then the multiplayer mode that I played yesterday. For one thing, the maps look spectacular (for an N64 game, of course). Levels are laid out well, with alternating shootouts and stealth sections (reminds me a lot of Deus-Ex). The level design provides challenges for players with any weapon; from short-range twisting corridors to long-range outside battles.
The storyline is rather typical of a James Bond franchise. Blow up this, save that. It's not bad, but it's not imaginative at all. The storyline provided little motivation for completing the level; I kept going because I enjoyed the gameplay. There are many weapons to master (including my favorite remotely-triggered mines), and this makes passing a level several times with different weapons as fun as the very first time.
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Jan 19th, 2007 at 18:07:35 - Goldeneye 007 (N64) |
I have heard many people hail this game as a FPS classic, so I decided to see for myself. Fortunately, the S&E library had this title available for checkout. My friend Ryan and me each got a N64, so we had two controllers and could experience the multiplayer.
My first impression of the game was not a very good one. We started a two-player (split-screen) match, and I lost 0-5 to my friend (who played this game earlier), while I was struggling to figure out the controls. There are many mysteriously named control schemes in the options menu, and most of them are very awkward to use. Some schemes even require me to use my thumb for both aiming, firing, and ducking. Even after having memorized the controls, I often pressed wrong buttons because of their strange layout on the controller.
After figuring out the controls, the was a lot of fun. There are many weapons, ranging from throwing knives to RPG launchers. Each weapon has unique characteristics: firing speed, accuracy, range, damage, etc. It's pretty realistic for an N64 game!
The graphics in single player are average. Models look rather ugly, and there is no lighting whatsoever. I suspect that the single player game might look better; multiplayer maps are often optimized for performance rather then looks.
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Jan 13th, 2007 at 03:59:32 - Soul Caliber III (PS2) |
I've enjoyed playing PvP mode in Soul Caliber III, and wanted to see if I can unlock some new content by playing the single player campaign.
Basically, all 30 or so characters have their own story, and a slightly different sequence of fights. The story was clearly not the selling point of the game, and it is told mostly through several sentences of fine print displayed on loading screens. All characters are after the Sword, called "Soul Caliber," and are forced to participate in 8-12 fights in order to get to the final battle.
The initial fights are chosen more or less on random for all characters, and sometimes the game can force player's character to fight a copy of him/herself. The final 2 fights are the same for all characters, and they got annoying very quickly as I completed the campaign with several different characters.
On the upside, there are many new weapons and whole new characters to unlock. Weapons can improve the speed or range of attacks. There are, unfortunately, no armor upgrades of any sort, or any items besides weapons to buy.
Graphically, Soul Caliber III looks very good. Characters are detailed, animations are very fluid and realistic. Some especially powerful attacks produce spectacular effects with motion blur, all sorts of particle effects and lightning bolts flying around. Arenas are also unique and detailed; some feature voids on their edges that can be used to ring-out opponents with a well-timed kick.
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Jan 13th, 2007 at 03:29:20 - Soul Caliber III (PS2) |
SoulCaliber III is one of the very few titles for PS2 available from the S&E library here in U.C. Santa Cruz. Normally I don't play fighting games (Mortal Kombat, et all) but I wanted to broaden my horizons and give it a try. And I'm enjoying it so far!
The two-player mode is very enjoyable, and most characters are playable from the very beginning. The primitive controls are relatively easy to master (guard, kick, vertical/horizontal strike), but it will take a lot of practice to figure out the special moves for all 30 characters.
Proper timing of attacks is very important, perhaps even more so then the power of individual attacks. There is a short (fraction of a second) cool down period after almost every move, and a skilled player can probably dodge, block, or reverse almost any attack with sufficient practice. Thankfully, every person I challenged so far was as much of a novice as me, and I won about as many matches as I have lost.
There are 8 weapons for each character, about 16 arenas and 10 characters to be unlocked during the course of the single-player campaign. I will describe it in the next entry.
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fragmer has been with GameLog for 17 years, 10 months, and 8 days |
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