Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Video Game Review #234: Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Nintendo Entertainment System



Nostalgia Factor:

Gremlins 2 was my favorite movie when I was a kid. I watched it so many times, I’m surprised my VHS copy of the movie didn’t crap out on me. Seriously, this was my go-to movie. I watched it every single day for a few solid months in a row. Whenever I would get in trouble at school or do something to get grounded, my punishment would always be that Gremlins 2 would be taken away from me.

It only makes sense that I would check out the video game adaptation of the movie, which I did. I rented this game for a weekend, had a really good time with it, beat it, and returned it to the video store. I haven’t played it or given it much thought since then. 29 years later, I have returned to the game. How would it hold up over time? Read on.


 

Story:

This game follows the same very, very basic plot of the movie. You control Gizmo, and it is your goal to make it through the Clamp building, fighting Gremlins every step of the way. Make it to the end of the game, and Billy zaps all of the Gremlins in the Clamp lobby with electricity, just like he does in the movie. The end.

One bizarre inconsistency is that Mr. Wing, Gizmo’s original owner, is still alive in this game. His death is what triggers the events of the movie, so it is interesting that he is still alive in the game. What kind of alternate dimension fuckery is this?



 
Gameplay

This game plays out a lot like a classic NES platformer, but from an overhead perspective. The closest comparison to another game I can make is to Blaster Master, when your character leaves the tank and enters a building. But this game’s action feels a lot more polished than Blaster Master’s. Controls are crisp and responsive. Many areas in this game requite pinpoint precision when you jump, and Gremlins 2 doesn’t let you down in that area. Whenever I would screw up, I knew it was my fault and not due to shoddy game mechanics.

Gizmo’s attacks start out pretty weak, with a limited range. As the game progresses, you gather new, more powerful weapons. By the end of the game, Gizmo has turned into a real badass. When you kill enemies, you collect currency. You can use this currency at Mr. Wing’s shops which are scattered throughout the game. He usually sells you a weapon upgrade, more health, an extra life, or an extra balloon. Balloons are definitely very helpful because if you fall into a pit (and make no mistake: you WILL fall into pits in this game), the balloon will allow you to rise up out of the pit without taking any damage. Perhaps even more importantly, the effects of the balloon last about 10 seconds or so. You can fly along using this balloon to skip some of the more difficult platforming sections of the game.

Gremlins 2 is fairly difficult, but nothing that can’t be tackled with a little trial and error. There are unlimited continues when you die, so that is helpful. There is also a password system to pick up where you left off, if you ever need to turn your NES off. I didn’t use this feature, as I completed the game in one sitting. I didn’t time my playthrough, but I would say it couldn’t have taken me more than two hours to finish this game.


not really a yes or no question, but okay
 

Graphics:

This game looks decent for its time. I wouldn’t say it looks fantastic or anything, but all of the characters are well-detailed and easily recognizable from the movies. Animations are… fine. The levels can look pretty good at times, and pretty bland and “same” looking at others. Graphics aren’t exactly this game’s selling point, but they aren’t a detriment to the game either. It looks good enough for me.

 


Sound:

There are some catchy tunes in this game, but nothing that really stands out as a “classic” memorable NES tune. Sound effects are good. Everything is on par for what it should be for a 1991 NES game. Again, good enough for me.

Fun little note: when I first started this game up, my wife was in the room with me. She complained about level one’s music, saying if she had to listen to “this” all night, she was going to have to leave the room. Luckily, the music changes whenever you move on to a new stage, so she didn’t have to listen to whatever song that was all night long.


 

Overall:

I had a surprisingly enjoyable time with this game. Levels are well designed. There’s a fun variety of enemies in the game, many recognizable from the movie. Controls are good. The game is a challenge too, but it never gets to the point where I wanted to throw the controller out the window in a blind rage. It’s that perfect type of challenging where you KNOW you can beat each stage with just a little practice. So you keep playing, keep practicing. And it works. You get a little bit better each attempt until you finally pass whatever stage you’re on and move on to the next one.

I played and completed both this game and Desert Demolition (my previous game review) in the same night, and I can easily say that this game is light years better than Desert Demolition. It’s all about that challenge level. When I beat this game I immediately wanted to go back and play it again to see how well I’d do with some experience under my belt. I didn’t though. I still might, however. Don’t be surprised to see a re-review of Gremlins 2 at some point in the future. That’s how you can tell I truly like a game, when I want to go back and play it again right after beating it. Such is the case with Gremlins 2. This is a really fun game.



Overall:
B+


 

If you liked this game review, check out a few of my others!




Sunday, July 26, 2020

Video Game Review #233: Desert Demolition

Desert Demolition



Nostalgia Factor:

I don’t have any nostalgic feelings for this game. Desert Demolition came out in 1995, and I just now in 2020 – 25 years later- got a chance to give this game a shot. I didn’t have high hopes for this game, as I had never even heard of it before. How would I feel about it when all was said and done? Let’s find out.


 

Story:

This game’s story is as thin as they come. If you choose to play as Wile E. Coyote, your goal is to run through five different stages (followed by a final boss) to catch the Road Runner. If you choose to play as the Road Runner, you have to run through the same five stages (and the same final boss) to get away from Wile E. Coyote. The end.




Gameplay:

Gameplay is fairly simple as well. Each stage operates on a timer. If you’re playing as Wile E. Coyote, time counts down and if you allow time to run out, the Road Runner gets away and you lose a life. Your goal is to run through each stage as quickly as possible, collecting items and power-ups along the way. You run, you jump, you speed dash. There isn’t much in the way of combat to be found here. This is all about making it through each stage as quickly as possible and collecting as many items as you can. The Road Runner appears occasionally, and if you come into contact with him you don’t catch him, but he drops items that give you points and additional time on your clock. 

If you play as the Road Runner, your goal is to make it to the end of each stage while avoiding Wile E. Coyote. You can set traps as you go, which throws him off your path and gives you items. If the timer runs out, Wile E. Coyote catches you and you die.

Honestly, the game is a breeze. It took me a few minutes to get a hang of how to play the game, but once I figured things out it became as easy as can be. I completed the game with both characters within about 45 minutes. And that’s even after making it allllll the way to the end with Wile E. Coyote and losing all my lives on the final boss and having to start the whole game over again.




Graphics:

The game looks good! I would never say the graphics are beautiful or anything, but considering that this came out 25 years ago, I can’t complain too much. Things are bright and colorful. The characters and their animations are very well done. Each of the game’s separate stages have their own distinct aesthetic. No complaints here.


 

Sound:

Things sound pretty good too. A lot of the game’s music and sound effects reminded me a lot of Taz-Mania for the Sega Genesis. In fact, I can say with certainty that some of these sound effects were lifted directly from that game. I won’t complain, though. I liked that game’s sound effects and I like this one’s too. I wouldn’t say there’s anything too special or memorable about this game’s sound (or really anything special about this game in any category, to be honest with you) but I would never say it is poorly done or anything like that.




Overall:

This is a pretty easy game for me to grade. It falls directly into the middle of the pack in nearly every category. Nothing is spectacular. Everything is just okay.

Did I think the game sucked? No. I had a decent time with it. But was I nuts about it? Nah. Will I ever play through this game again in my life? Probably not. Desert Demolition offers almost no challenge and therefore offers zero replay value for me. I’ve seen everything this game has to offer, and I’m okay with that.

I think for a title that is nearly 100% average in every category across the board, a C would be a good grade for this game. But I'm going to dock it just a little bit for being too short and easy, and offering no replay value whatsoever. Yeah I had an okay time playing this game, but at least give me SOME reason to come back and play it again. I can imagine I'd probably be quite angry if I bought this game at full price back in 1995 only to find it contained about 45 minutes of gameplay.

 

Final Score:
C-




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Sunday, July 19, 2020

Video Game Review #232: Xenogears

Xenogears
PlayStation



Nostalgia Factor:

Be forewarned: nostalgia is going to play a giant factor in this review. Me and Xenogears are old friends. We go back a LONG way together.

Xenogears came out in a general area of time that I consider to be the golden age of video games. It was 1998. Nintendo 64 and Sony’s first PlayStation were vying for video game supremacy. I owned both of these systems, and I must say that there was no shortage of awesome games to play. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear Solid, and Banjo-Kazooie are all examples of great games that were released in 1998. This was clearly an epic year for gaming, but I am going to make the argument that the best game released that year was actually Xenogears.

Prior to playing Xenogears, the only true turn-based RPG I really had any experience with was Final Fantasy VII, which I thought was amazing. Considering that Final Fantasy VII may be my favorite game of all-time, Xenogears had a lot to live up to. And boy, did it rise to the occasion. While I won’t lie and say that I loved Xenogears right off the bat as much as I do now, it is safe to say that I enjoyed the game and sunk a countless number of hours into it. But there was just something about the game that wasn’t clicking with me. It was so “lore heavy” that I had no idea what was going on half the time, the relevance of certain terms and locations lost to me. About a third of the way through the game, while trying to battle my way out of Kislev, I got stuck. I hadn’t been upgrading my gears properly, and I was repeatedly getting my ass handed to me during a series of boss battles. I quit the game in frustration, and went on to play other things.

It was several months before I came back to Xenogears. I started the game from the very beginning, taking notes and keeping track of important names, locations, and events in a notebook. I found that I was able to enjoy the game MUCH more this time around. I dived deep into the world of the game, not emerging until I had defeated the final boss some 80 hours later. I explored nearly every nook and cranny of the game, I found nearly everything that there was to find. Coupled with my extensive notes, this was perhaps the most dedicated I’ve ever been to immersing myself completely into a video game world.

I loved Xenogears so much, I played through the entire game multiple times in the ensuing years, soaking in even more details I hadn’t noticed the first time through. I must have played through Xenogears at least five or six times between 1998 and the year 2000. I wrote fan fiction for the game that I submitted to online forums. I even started working on a novelization of the game that I never finished. I was SO obsessed with this game. Even though time has passed, I still haven’t lost my love for Xenogears. In the ensuing 20 years, I would say I probably come back to play through this game once every six or seven years or so.

I'm not sure of the exact date, but he last time I played through this game was around the year 2013 or 2014, about a year or two before beginning this blog. I recently started getting an itch to play this game again. I fired it up and bam – just as good as I remembered – if not better. The graphics, the music, the storyline: playing through this game felt like coming home to a good friend after a long time apart. Clearly you can tell by my words that this game is going to get an A+, but hang with me. Not a whole lot of people I know have every played Xenogears, and I want to make it my goal to sell as many people on this game’s greatness as I can. If you are an RPG fan and you haven’t played Xenogears, it is a crying shame. Hopefully after you read my review you’ll find a way to get your hands on this. It is criminally underplayed.

*Random Dan trivia: I purchased both this game and Metal Gear Solid on the exact same day. I remember thinking it was funny that I had purchased two games with the word “gear” in the title. Little did I know I’d be bringing home two games I consider all-time classics.*


 

Story:

Normally I just like to give the Cliff’s Notes version of a game’s storyline, but Xenogears is far too complex to break down in just a paragraph or two. Be forewarned: this section will contain spoilers.

The events of the game center around a character named Fei, a young man who lost his memory after being dropped off in the small village of Lahan in the middle of a bad storm three years ago. Fei integrates well into the village, becoming well-loved among the town folk. Lahan soon comes under fire, however, when a battle between two warring nations breaks out in the middle of town square. These two factions battle in giant mech-like suits called Gears. To try and save his friends from certain death, Fei hops into an empty Gear and tries to fight off the attackers. He blacks out in the middle of battle, and when he awakens he finds that he has completely destroyed Lahan while in a blind rage.

Ostracized by the remaining survivors of the village, Fei is exiled and heads out in shame. In a nearby forest, he encounters a mysterious woman named Elly, who we find out was one of the Gear pilots that had been fighting in the middle of Lahan. She had stolen the prototype for a new, powerful Gear, and was being chased by the people she had stolen it from. Hence, the battle that wiped out Lahan was pretty much all her fault.

Fei and Elly team up and are soon joined by Fei’s friend Citan, who has arrived with the aforementioned super powerful Gear in tow. Citan, who seems to know more than he lets on, convinces Fei to get back in the Gear and come with him to help explore its origins.

There’s so much to recap here, and I’ve barely gotten started. Anyway, Elly soon parts ways with our two heroes and returns to her superiors to give them her report on the events of the battle. Fei and Citan are captured by a pirate named Bart, an outcast and long thought-dead prince who is the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Aveh – one of the two powerful nations at war in the game. After getting off to a rough start together, they team up and work to take back Aveh and free the world from the grasp of the evil behind-the-scenes Empire of Solaris. Elly, a native Solarian, plays the role of traitor and jumps sides to aid her friend and eventual lover, Fei.

As the game goes on, you discover that game events are being manipulated by "God", who is in turn manipulating a Council called the Gazel Ministry, an ancient group of the planet’s first humans who transferred their consciousness to a computer when their physical bodies were destroyed. The Ministry is in cahoots with Gebler, a militaristic group that tries to gobble up all the advanced technology being excavated from dig sites around the planet. The game eventually ties into its mysterious opening cutscene, where you see a giant space ship from an advanced alien society being taken over by a biological weapon and crash to the surface of the planet below.

The characters from the game are descendants of the sole survivor of this ship (Fei's ancestor) and a woman created by the biological weapon (God). The weapon’s physical form has been almost completely destroyed, and its entire goal over the next several thousand years is to breed enough people to use as parts for rebuilding its body. There is also some kind of 'Wave Entity" at work whose ripples through time keep causing Fei and Elly to reincarnate throughout the years. Yeah. I've even left out about 85% of this game's craziness in this recap. Xenogears is intense!

There’s so many interesting themes this game explores. Religion, reincarnation, love, destiny, repressed memories, the ego and the id. And it’s all woven together against an incredibly detailed sci-fi backdrop. This is by far the most complex RPG storyline I’ve ever encountered. I’ve played through this game a countless number of times in my life, and I still can’t say I really understand everything 100%. But take my word for it: it is epic. You have to play this game to believe its storyline. One of my all-time favs.




Gameplay:

If you've ever played a 90's era JRPG, nothing about Xenogears should surprise you too much, at least on the surface. You control your character from an overhead perspective. You walk around, you explore, you talk to people, you open chests, you buy items, you watch the story unfold.

What makes Xenogears different is its battle systems. And I say systems plural because there are two different ways to fight in this game. When you fight on foot, you have a choice of standard weak, medium, or strong physical attacks. If you use weak attacks, you can save up extra battle points and use them to unfurl a strong combo attack on your enemy. Or you can just go straight for the kill from the get-go by using stronger attacks. You can cast spells, use items, and also link together different combinations of strong and weak attacks to do extra damage to your enemies.

The other way you can fight is from within a Gear. Gears use fuel and each attack drains a certain amount of fuel from your meter. You can boost your Gear to use more fuel, but attack quicker. You can use magical or special Gear attacks. You can even link combo attacks similar to how you would on-foot. Use too much fuel, however, and you'll  be stuck forfeiting your turn to charge your meter back up.

Combat is actually quite fun in this game, and is rarely tedious. It can be a bit difficult at first, but once you get the hang of how Xenogears works you should be good to go! The pace of the game flows along nicely, and is rarely ever too difficult or frustrating. But it is not easy, either. It's just right. One thing I don't like is dying after a super long cutscene, which happened to me several times on my last play through. You can't skip these cutscenes, so I was forced to just sit there spamming the x button over and over again, sometimes for 10 plus minutes.

On the world map, Fei is pretty easy to control. This isn't your typical "flat" 90's JRPG. Your environments are fully 3D and have a lot of depth to them. You can jump, run around, and climb things. Some areas and dungeons even have platforming elements to them. Precision jumping can be a bit rough in this game, but luckily you don't have to utilize this skill too often.




Graphics:

This is the area of the game that will probably scare the most people off. I personally grew up with games that look like this, and I absolutely love its visual appeal. But if you are someone who only plays games that look like the Final Fantasy VII remake, you might never get past this game’s primitive look. Characters are blocky and pixelated. Textures are messy and jagged. The camera can be hard to get under wraps. I can see some young snot-nosed kid playing this for ten minutes and then saying it is lame and never playing it again. It definitely does not have the timeless universal appeal of a game like, say Chrono Trigger, which is even older than this game.

But like I said, I personally love this game’s look and feel. Each area of the game has something about it that is memorable or unique. The colors are beautiful. The music and the graphics often blend together to create some truly amazing set pieces. There are some very heartfelt and genuine moments in this game as a result. Despite some of this game’s graphical shortcomings, it is still an amazingly immersive experience for me.

I appreciate that SquareSoft did something different from Final Fantasy VII with this game’s visuals. Instead of being 3D characters against a 2D backdrop, it is the complete opposite. Characters are 2D and the environments are 3D. To me, this works quite well. Right from the get-go you can tell that even though the makers of Xenogears were working with limited technology, they still poured a lot into this game’s graphics. In Lahan Village you see that the insides of the houses are incredibly detailed and different from one another. You see small personal touches like dirty sinks with dishes in them, unique furniture in each location, toys, fireplaces, rugs, pets running around, paintings on the wall. Later on when things take on a more futuristic tone, you see computer consoles, holograms, gadgets, and big wall-mounted screens in each location. There are so many small touches and details to take in as you play. I love it. The camera allows you to rotate your view and see everything in its full glory. Seems like small beans now, but this was a big deal back in 1998.

The characters are fun to look at. The enemies are creative. Some of this game’s backdrops are absolutely gorgeous. And like I said, this game is incredibly immersive. The feeling in the air when day turns to night, the flickering light of a roaring campfire, the serene inside of a holy church, the creepy, damp feeling walking around a sunken city, Xenogears just nails it.

 
 

Sound:

I may not have a rock-solid case for Xenogears as the best game of all time, but I certainly have a case for its music being the greatest ever. This is such an incredible soundtrack. There are so many iconic tunes to be heard here. Premonition, The One Who Is Torn Apart, Singing of the Gentle Wind, and Ship of Regret and Sleep are some of my favorite video game musical tracks of all time. Below I included a link to this game’s soundtrack. Please do yourself a favor and look them up.

Once again I am going to mention how atmospheric this game is. And it is not just the game’s visuals that do all the work. This game’s music and sound effects work in perfect tandem with its graphics to get the job done. The drip of water in a dank, echo-filled cave, the crackle of a campfire, a choir singing in a vast church as a ray of sunlight beams in from above, the mechanical humming sound that fills the room when you check in on the Gazel Ministry, their distorted features rotating around the room on oversized computer monitors. SquareSoft really nailed this game’s sound effects. It’s just all so very immersive.

But the music. My god, the music. It sets the tone so well. It is always perfect for whatever is happening on screen. I am in love with this game’s music. If you think I am kidding or trying to over sell the point, you are gravely mistaken. It is really that good.






Overall:

I already told you in my intro that his game was going to get an A+, so hopefully I’ve done a good job explaining why. The story is amazing, the combat is a blast, the musical score is one of the greatest ever, and the game’s environments are incredibly immersive and detailed.

What does this game do wrong? Very little. Some of the game’s story segments can be a little bit out of control. I remember wanting to go to bed one night, but I just had to beat the next boss first. Little did I know that this fight would be followed by 50 straight minutes of talking and plot exposition. 50 minutes is one of the game’s more extreme cases, but be forewarned that you are going to be watching some LONG story segments here.

Also, some of the game’s plot elements are pretty dang wacky, and borderline completely unintelligible at times. What are these characters ranting about? Why are they talking about the meaning of destiny in the middle of an intense Gear fight? I’d even say there are too many plot twists in this game. Its story is already pretty complex to begin with but they just keep piling it on and piling it on, especially towards the end. My eyes glazed over from time to time as the characters just kept. On. Talking. The game’s plot doesn’t dissolve into Kingdom Hearts levels of ridiculousness, probably due to its darker tone, but it comes dangerously close at times.  

I can overlook these flaws, however. To me, this whole game is about as perfect as you can get when you examine the sum of its parts. I put it right up there with Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time as one of the greatest games of all time. Maybe I’m not being impartial because of all the great memories I have of this game. But I don’t care. I wouldn’t have these memories if this wasn’t an awesome game.

When I hear the word Xenogears, so many wonderful images come to mind. I think of its characters: Bart, Fei, Elly, and Citan Uzuki. The music starts playing in the back of my mind. I think of the game’s locations: Lahan Village, Blackmoon Forest, Babel Tower, the Thames, Shevat, Nisan, Elly’s house in Solaris. I think of the complex plot, I think of Fei and Elly reincarnating through time. I picture Emperor Cain sitting on his throne, surrounded by psychedelic artwork. I think of the Gazel Ministry. I think of Id. I think of Esmeralda, Ramsus, Miang, Sigurd, all of the game’s amazing secondary characters. I think about taking Bart’s kingdom back. I think about killing monsters in the sewer. I think about three Gears nailed to crosses against a gorgeous sunset. I think about the game’s combat, and how satisfying it is stringing up 28 points worth of combo points and unleashing holy hell on my enemies. This whole game just makes me smile.

Have I sold you yet? I hope so. The more people that have played Xenogears out there, the better. If I can get just one person to play this criminally underplayed classic, I feel I’ve done my job here. Play it. You won't regret it.


 
Overall:
A+
 







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Sunday, July 5, 2020

Video Game Review #231: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
PlayStation 3


Check out my reviews for the other Uncharted games!


Nostalgia Factor:

It’s a funny coincidence that I’ve played and reviewed every single “main” title in the Uncharted series except for the original. Back in 2010, this was the first Uncharted title I ever had the pleasure of playing. Over the years I’ve become a pretty big fan of the series, and it has been really interesting watching it evolve and blossom into the phenomenon that it is now. This will be an intriguing review, because normally I start at the beginning of a series and note the improvements made to the series with each passing game. I’m doing the opposite here. We’re going back to the basics. Will the original Uncharted still withstand the test of time? Let’s see.




Story:

This game has the most simplistic story in the entire series. Nate uses an inscription from a family heirloom to determine what he believes to be the resting spot of Sir Francis Drake. Nate retrieves the coffin and finds it empty, save for a journal that gives the location of El Dorado, a mythical city of gold.

Nate heads off with the assistance of best buddy Sully and reporter Elena Fisher to the location of El Dorado, but with this being a video game where treasure hunters are looking for a long lost treasure, of course there is an opposing group in play that they have to race against. This is always a pet peeve of mine in these kinds of games. This treasure has sat untouched for hundreds of years. What are the odds that every time the treasure hunter is about to have a breakthrough, a nefarious group of enemy soldiers tries to force their way in? That treasure has sat peacefully for ages and ages, and all of a sudden two groups close in on it at the EXACT same time and get into a giant, gunfire and explosion-filled scuffle over it? Never fails. Every time.

Anyway, spoiler alert, El Dorado turns out to be not a city but a priceless statue. There’s a catch, however. This statue is “cursed” and turns anyone who comes into contact with its innards into a deadly Gollum-like wall crawly zombie creature. Nate battles against the bad guys who want to bring this dangerous statue to the mainland. Who wins this epic showdown? Ho, ho! You’ll just have to play and find out.





Gameplay:

Not only does this game have a pretty simple storyline compared to other titles in the series, its gameplay is pretty simple as well. Stealth doesn’t play much of a factor. There are no open-world elements to be found here. You don’t even climb and swing and jump on things as much as you do in the other games in the series. This is almost exclusively a straightforward, no-frills shooter.

While I do enjoy what the Uncharted series has evolved into, I actually found this game’s pace pretty refreshing. There’s no filler. No long, convoluted story segments. No time-consuming stages where you simply walk and talk to another character. No segments where you attend parties or gala events. What you get is a fun, fast paced action adventure where you do a lot of shooting. A LOT of shooting.

If you’ve never played an Uncharted title before, the game takes place from a behind-the-back perspective. Controlling Nate, you can run, walk, jump, and climb on things in your environment. Mainly things are pretty linear in this game. You follow a path, shooting enemies and unlocking more of the story as you play. You enter an arena where you kill a bunch of bad guys. This activates more story sequences and unlocks the next area of the game for you. You walk, you follow a path, you kill more enemies, and you proceed.

Much of this game’s fun can be found with the wide variety of weapons at your disposal. You get trophies for killing enemies with all of the different weapons, so I found myself using them all instead of picking a favorite and relying on that. There’s handguns, shotguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, hand grenades, grenade launchers, and much more at your disposal.

When you aren’t running and climbing and shooting at people, the game offers a few variant stages to keep things fresh. There’s a jet ski area where you shoot things from a jet ski. There’s an on-rails shooting level where you shoot people from a mounted rifle on the back of a Jeep. Okay, I guess the common theme here is still shooting things, but at least you aren’t always doing it from your boring old feet.




Graphics:

Considering this game is 13 years old, I think it looks quite good. No, I wouldn’t really qualify it as “gorgeous” or anything, but it definitely stands the test of time. The characters look great. The scenery looks really good. Some of the weather and lighting effects make you stop and look.

It’s also very atmospheric too. There’s a few areas where you’ll find yourself wandering around in the dark with only your flashlight lighting your way. Water filled areas really sell you on the idea that your character is struggling with the water. I have zero complaints about the way this game looks.




Sound: 

The game sounds really good, too. The voice acting is wonderful. The musical score is terrific. The gunfire and the explosions sound just as they should. It’s impressive to think that the original game in a long running series like this has held up so well.




Overall:

I suspected when I first started playing this game that I wouldn’t be very impressed by it, and I would consider it to be far inferior to all the other titles in the series. While it is true that it lacks the polish and the extra features of some of the later games in the series, I still had a lot of fun with it.

It’s fast paced. It’s got really fun and addicting gameplay. The story is simple and easy to understand. The graphics are good. The sound is good. The presentation is top-notch. It’s filled with memorable characters portrayed by solid voice actors.

I’d rank this game ahead of Uncharted 3, which I really didn’t think was that great. It can’t touch the near-perfection of Uncharteds 2, 4, and the Lost Legacy, but then again few games can. Considering that this is the first game in the series, the blueprint that all the other games are built upon, I think I can forgive it for that.

So to answer my original question: does this game withstand the test of time? Absolutely! It may not be the deepest title out there, and it certainly is much shorter than I remember it being (about 7 or 8 hours long). But if you’re looking to sit down and be entertained by a video game you really can’t go wrong with this. This game is good, quality fun.



Final Score:
B+



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