Review: Castle Crashers

Created by:

- The Behemoth

Genre:

- 2D Side-Scroller

Release:

- Aug 27, 2008

ESRB Rating:

- T (Teen)

My Rating:

- 8 out of 10

Castle Crashers is an exiting thrill ride through an old fashion swords and sorcery setting.

Castle Crashers is an exiting thrill ride through an old fashion swords and sorcery setting. It's hack-N-slash gameplay (with added RPG type elements) has been close to mastered by the developers, and it's amazingly fun with 3 other players, yet it holds up extremely well as a single player game (making Castle Crashers a very fun Co-Op experience). The storyline is cliche, but it's known that it's an old plot that's been done before - and that's used as an advantage for some hilarious satirical comedy!

The graphics add to the charm of the game, the 2D aspect in a 3D world was well received, and there are fun animations that are beautifully done. Each character comes with a certain weapon, a certain spell (Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Poison), and they're all color-coated by the element of their magic, this makes the game more colorful and radiant.

Pictured Above: One of Castle Crasher's many colorful levels

The DLC extras for this game are nice too, and very inexpensive. In the added content, they give you three more characters (a normal knight, a general bad guy, and the king), more animals, and different levels along with different boss fights. As well as one recently released, one can play as the black knight, other bad guys, and adds even more weapons and animals.

For a download XBOX Live arcade title, this game could easily stand off as a complete separate game on itself, it offers a wonderfully large world with fantastic levels designs and new things to constantly keep you pulled in. With mini games, a separate arena challenge, and a full world of leveling - Castle Crashers is an excellent game that everybody should own.

However, there is not just praise to go along with this game. Castle Crashers is short, and DLC should have included new levels as well. The fact of the matter is, it's fun to play through Castle Crashers with some good friends one time around, there's little replay value to be had. In addition, Castle Crasher's leveling system is fun, and nicely tuned, but leveling can get old if one is going to try to get as high as they can.

All in all, Castle Crashers is a wonderful game, and well worth the little money that would be spent on it (and the DLC is cheap too).

DLC Review Bundle: Borderlands

Borderlands changed the way that gamers all over the globe would play RPG / FPS forever, especially because Borderlands is the first ever RPG / FPS, so not the most competition (but it takes guts to try something new these days). Also, Gearbox, the company who made Borderlands, cares about the gamers enough to keep this game alive by maintaining a steady stream of DLC (Download Content).

Usually, download content released is *cough* lame *cough*. By lame, I mean map packs, in-game items / equipment, among other things that people would never plan their day around purchasing. But all the Borderlands content (aside from Moxxi) has been wonderful, whole new experiences that offer more to what the game is, rather than just adds to the game.

This DLC review bundle will focus on:
1) The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned
- released Nov 24, 2009 ($10)
2) Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot
- released Jan 7, 2010 ($10)
3) The Secret Armory of General Knoxx
- released Feb 23, 2010

The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned starts vault hunters in the dark, post-apocalyptic Jakob's Cove, and as the name would imply, zombie killing ensues. This DLC included new weapons, new bad guys to kill (including brand new baddies and zombified versions of previous enemies), new quests, and a new Borderlands experience.

The new weapons aren't much to talk about because, heck, nobody has seen every weapon in the original game! But the new zombies are a nice touch, and might remind one of Left 4 Dead's brand of zombies. There is the basic grunt zombie, a Corrupter that spits on you and blurs your vision (as well as slows movement), a "Tankenstien"... You guessed it, a big guy that's hard to kill, among other zombified version of original enemies.

The new quests certainly deliver, even more so for only $10. New achievements go along with these quests rather well, and compliment the gameplay, so you'll never feel pressure to get achievements is you progress through the DLC at a normal pace. One quests in particular ("Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains") takes just about the whole playthrough to complete, and there is a satisfying achievement for it.

The story line is another interesting part of Zombie Island. Without revealing to many details, there is an island of zombies, and a guy named Dr. Ned is involved, and he is in fact related to Dr. Zed. The maps are large, but with no vehicles, and very few outposts, getting around takes a long time.

Although there is a wealth of new story based bosses, the boss battles still just feel like a very strong, fast enemy. Just shoot it a lot, and take a little more cover than you would normally and you'll be fine.

My rating for The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned:

- 4 out of 5

Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot

Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot sure offered a lot... Unfortunately, it wasn't a lot of what anybody wanted. Leveling up is taken out of the equation, and instead, a couple of skill points are awarded after a ridiculously long tournament with no breaks (roughly 2 hours per tournament). Mad Moxxi's offers no new weapons, and no new enemies. In fact, all the boss battles every 5 rounds are bosses you've already destroyed in your original playthrough of the game. The Underdome Riot however, does offer one exciting bank option. Finally, one can store some things they'd like to hold on to. And not to mention, one kicking soundtrack.

The Underdome Riot just doesn't deliver, with no new small perks to keep you going. The same tournaments get old after a while, and it just will never feel like the true Borderlands experience. But get 3 friends, and try to tackle this challenge together, it could be extremely fun for you.

But there are a few redeeming qualities for Mad Moxxi. Firstly, the music is extremely catchy and has a wonderful beat. Second, the banking option is actually very cool, except there is no option to store money, which would have been appreciated. And lastly, the extra skill points could always potentially go a long way, but the level cap should have been increased here, and we should be allowed to gain experience during the fights.

My rating for Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot:

- 1.5 out of 5

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx gives more of what we all wanted out of Borderlands DLC. New vehicles, weapons, enemies, maps, and a new story. Believe it or not, General Knoxx brings the story almost full circle, but not completely. There are some loose ends tied, and some secrets about the original game learned, which is really satisfying if you follow Borderlands completely.

There are a few new vehicles, and they are fantastic! One vehicle holds all four people in the game, another is a racer type vehicle, and of course, it goes extremely fast. The new vehicles are definitely a plus, and the new locations compliment the vehicles amazingly. The new maps are huge, and most always have quite a few vehicle outposts at your disposal.

The new weapons are a nice and noticeable touch. And the alien type weapons from the vault have made there way out I suppose, because I found two of them within 4 hours of playing (I personally never found a single one in the normal game). But new rare weapons that, to the most part, match your level are nice. The new weapons help destroy the new array of challenging enemies.

Whether it's surviving another assassin attack, or working your way through soldiers, the Secret Armory will test your skill. New enemy vehicles, as well as giant robots all add up for a real challenge, not even seen in the Underdome.

But with all the fun, there is one undeniable fact about the Secret Armory of General Knoxx... It's hard, plain and simple, if you're doing single player, you're in for (some would argue) to much of a challenge. General Knoxx might force some to come out of their shell and play online for this reason. And let's be honest, Borderlands is always more fun online! Oh, and of course, General Knoxx raised the level cap, by 11 levels!

My Rating for The Secret Armory of General Knoxx:

4.5 out of 5

Review: Borderlands

Created by:
- 2K Games

- Gearbox Software

Genre:

- RPG / FPS

Release:

- Oct 20, 2009

ESRB Rating:

- M (Mature)

My Rating:

- 9 out of 10

Borderlands offers an array of different and wonderful possibilities, such as character development, big and open worlds, and fun gun-play.

When I first heard about Borderlands, I was genuinely uninterested. I never liked First Person Shooters until I played Borderlands. I gave it a try because it was promised to be an RPG as well. I fell in love with it. Borderlands offers an array of different and wonderful possibilities, such as development, big and open worlds, and fun gun-play.

The Good:

Borderlands has a cool cast of characters, and great graphics and voices to match. Cell Shaded graphics have always been the best and most creative way to make a game. Cartoon like graphics and real looking characters all rolled into one package. Borderlands is truly a work of art, with huge maps - there's a lot to look at, and big reasons to explore the landscapes.

Borderlands also offers variety to the highest degree. From a variety of enemies, to weapons, to quests, to skills one can develop - you're sure to find a favorite game within the game. The enemies may seem the same at first, but they get even more diverse, and more threatening as the game plays on. You'll always have that sense that the enemies are your enemies, because they are delightfully brutal.

The guns in Borderlands are plentiful, and no one person could possibly collect every gun in the game (Gearbox claims that there's millions). All the quests are fun, and give one a sense of achievement after completing them, also the quests generally reward the player extremely well, which makes leveling up a fun activity. You'll never feel like your "grinding" to try to get to the next level.

Pictured Above: Borderland's level up system is perfect and tightly tuned

The RPG elements of this FPS are amazing. Each individual character has a unique skill tree, and they get one skill point per level up, which makes leveling up even more fun. Also, one can master a type of gun for added damage and perks, not to mention class mods or grenade mods (give certain constant perks). The multiplayer adds fun with challenge, and you can get your friends into the game, and explore the game together.

The Bad:

The maps in Borderlands are humongous, and vehicles are usually around somewhere. But sometimes in a particularly large area, means of transportation aren't around, and one has to walk or run all the way to the objective and back when they complete the objective. This is even more so lonely in single player, as you have no one to talk to on your 10 minute (in game time) stroll to the next map.

Pictured Above: Looks like Mordecai is in for a long jog.

The boss fights are brutal, but sometimes they may only be as brutal as a very strong enemy. It takes little strategy to destroy a boss, mainly it simply means using more bullets and taking more cover, and using your special move a few time more than a big gun fight. This is very evident in the last boss of the campaign, extremely lackluster, it feels like all you've worked for was a very unsatisfying and unsettling conclusion to what was an epic story.

One more very obvious problem that will be evident when playing is the lack of a mini map. Whenever a player needs to get to another side of the map, they'll need to check back to the map by entering the start menu. The objective marker is nice, but doesn't solve getting around certain obstacles in the map.

All in all, Borderlands is just a fantastic game. Congratulations Gearbox, you've made quite the game. I highly suggest this game, even for it $50 price tag, it is well worth the money. Not to mention the constant stream of DLC, all for only $10 extra (reviews coming soon).

1 picture provided by Gamespot.com

Review: Eternal Sonata

Created by:

- Bandai Namco Games

- Tri-Cresendo

Genre:

- RPG (Role-Playing Game)

Release:

- Sept 17, 2007

ESRB Rating:

- T (Teen)

My Rating:

- 6 out of 10

Eternal Sonata will take you through a beautifully designed world with simply not enough to do in it.

Being released in 2007, Eternal Sonata didn't exactly have a lot of competition, especially because it was released as an RPG on the XBOX 360, and PS3. This game will take you through a beautifully designed world with simply not enough to do in it. For the $20 price tag though, there's little reason to not pick up Eternal Sonata if you like Role-Playing games. Or of course, if you're an achievement (or trophy) hunter, there are some pretty heavy hitters (including a single achievement / trophy worth over 300 points).

The Good:

Eternal Sonata does a lot of things right. The characters all look really cool, not to mention the bosses look devastatingly threatening. The imaginative character design parallels comfortably with the interesting storyline behind Eternal Sonata, without going into to much detail - Chopin's on his death bed and is dreaming the whole thing (not a spoiler, don't worry). The story is interesting, and is as far away from a cliche as you a plot can get.

All that aside, how's the game play? Well, there are a lot of save points, that's usually nice in an RPG. Chopin's music also plays through portions of the game, and believe it or not - it matches the action extremely well. In addition to good background music, the people, places, and things are all named with a musical theme. That's extremely creative, and adds to the atmosphere of the game.

The boss battles are the highest of highs you'll have in Eternal Sonata. Never frustratingly ridiculous, and always satisfyingly challenging, the large-scale boss fights make you use every strategy you know. The array of different characters all have a unique fighting style that can quickly speed up a dulling play session, it mixes up the action. Aside from boss fights, the 'normal' fights are not random, and that is perfect, nobody likes random battles.

Pictured Above: An example of the unique and exciting battle system

The boss battles are so much fun because of the battle system in Eternal Sonata. The battle system mixes real-time strategy with turn based combat, and uses light and dark in a way never seen before. And not to mention, huge amount of HP (Hit Points) can make anybody feel like a hero.

The Good and Bad:

In Eternal Sonata, there are a lot of cutscenes. These cutscenes are either completely not interesting or, if you watch them for a long enough time, they could potentially intrigue you barely. What's bad about skipping cutscenes is that after you skip a long, dull cutscene, you will then have no idea where to go. No objective marker, synopsis, or anything. There are also very few things to do in Eternal Sonata aside from the main quest. Sure you can keep focused on the main plot, but after a while - one might find themselves wishing there was more to the game.

The Bad:

A lot of land to explore is a great thing but Eternal Sonata offers only half of this equation. There are a lot of places to go, but absolutely no reward or reason to go anywhere outside the immediate story. All of this land makes the graphics look... Not so great - Eternal Sonata might even remind one of a Playstation 2 RPG, and not quite the next gen experience.

Picture Above: An example of a lot of space... With nothing in it.

In dungeons, you will spend most of the time avoiding monotonous battles with the same three enemies that will constantly pop up out of no where, and not solving the simple puzzles. The same exact battles will take place, you'll be placed in the same area of the battle field, as will the enemies, battling is to predictable in dungeons.

Dungeons have no real objective, just a whole bunch of running around and searching for the right path. This makes dungeon crawling tedious and empty. Targeting is also a bit of a problem, the game will not help you at all, and you must get the hit exactly right or else you might lose out on a whole turn (which is an extremely valuable thing in Eternal Sonata).

All in all, Eternal Sonata is a fine game, and I deem it worthy of $20. But if you really want a good RPG that you'll play for hours on end and love every minute of it, go ahead and give Tales of Vesperia (XBOX 360) a try, or Tales of Symphonia (GC).

Welcome Readers!

I'm Bryan Reid, and I currently attend Ohio Northern University as a Freshman. My primary major is Broadcasting, and my secondary major is Youth Ministry (although, I am considering dropping it). I work at WONB, the ONU / Ada, OH radio station. I'm 18 years of age, and love to hang out with friends of course.

Pictured above (left to right): Chrissie Ribley (my girlfriend), Me, Zack Corbit (friend), and Josh Bourdeau (best friend).

For a long time, I've been searching for the right medium to review video games. A friend of mine has been using a personal-public blog for about a year, and I think it might be right for me too. I play a lot of video games, some would argue far too many, even myself.

My video game skills are... Mediocre at best, as I do have a life to attend to, but most weekends and during breaks the greater part of my day is spent on video games. I own an XBOX 360, Playstation 3, and a Wii. I also own a lot of the "classic" consoles (Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Playstation 1 & 2, Computer), as well as some handheld systems (Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, and an iPod Touch).