This past June, I got my preordered copy of The Sims 3 in the mail from Gamestop. I'm not gonna lie; this is a freakin' good game. There really is no plot...unless you make one. You can make your own families, houses, etc.
Plot (5/5): In this case, the word "plot" is used pretty loosely, since there really is no plot of the game, except for...life. You make your own stories. That's a good enough plot to me.
Graphics (4/5): The graphics are phenomenal in this game. The only reason I deducted one point was because of some really bad clipping glitches.
Easy to Play (5/5): The controls of manuevering your Sims are simply point-and-click, and the camera controls are explained during your first time playing.
Creativity (5/5): I think I've touched on this before.
Inconsistencies (5/5): This game isn't too big on inconsistencies, unless you want there to be.
Overall Score: 24/25 A nearly perfect score on an almost perfect game! This game allows you to make some of the most ridiculous situations ever, the new Create A Sim widgets can make you completely recreate people you know to the very last detail. Definitely a good game!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Year of Release: 2009; Age Range: 12-19; Overall Play Time: Endless!!!
(Sorry this one was pretty vague and short, and that I'm not really sticking to my schedule.)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Super Mario Sunshine: The Ridiculousness Continues
I'm sure you all know by now (probably not) that Super Mario Sunshine is the Game Topic of the Month for December. There probably will be more Sunshine blogs after December, but only time shall tell.
This blog is about the ridiculousness of Sunshine. I've already covered the fact that Yoshi tosses his cookies on beehives to piss off the residents, but there's much more ridiculosity to be had in this ridiculiciousness-filled game.
First of all, half the shines in the game are completely irrelevant. The whole town is in danger because the Shine Sprites are missing, and yet a bunch of people are hording them. Why do they need them? Do they get high off of them? Those stupid raccoons have 24 of them, that guy in the plaza has two if you smash a bunch of boxes for his pleasure, one guy refuses to throw you into the tower with the Shine unless you pay him, and about eight of them won't give you them unless you either complete a dumb minigame or beat a time limit.
Now, I know that it's a videogame and it doesn't have to make sense, but in reality, can't these people be arrested for treason?
Then, there's the fact that people ask you to go shoplift fruit from the shops to get them one freaking blue coin. Then, there's that guy stuck on the island a few meters away from the isle that says he can't swim when two boats pass right by the island on a regular basis.
Also, there's the fact that Eely Mouth's poisonous teeth poison only the surface of the water, but where it is located is just fine, and you clean off his teeth (which are poisoning water)...with WATER!
Also, in Sirena Beach, why do I need swim trunks to enter water that is three freaking inches deep? Also, how can Yoshi not die in the five-inch-deep water in the fountain in the plaza, but can by being sprayed with water? And how can Shadow Mario jump through the water if water hurts him?
And, I guess I won't beat a dead horse and ask why Petey Piranha melts into chocolate twice. But the biggest peeve about this game that I don't get is...one of the most frustrating missions for me a few years back in that game was the balloon one on the roller coaster in Pinna Park. After shooting all of them...
WHY DO THEY COME BACK!?
But, seriously, this game's good. Just has a lot of inconcistencies.
This blog is about the ridiculousness of Sunshine. I've already covered the fact that Yoshi tosses his cookies on beehives to piss off the residents, but there's much more ridiculosity to be had in this ridiculiciousness-filled game.
First of all, half the shines in the game are completely irrelevant. The whole town is in danger because the Shine Sprites are missing, and yet a bunch of people are hording them. Why do they need them? Do they get high off of them? Those stupid raccoons have 24 of them, that guy in the plaza has two if you smash a bunch of boxes for his pleasure, one guy refuses to throw you into the tower with the Shine unless you pay him, and about eight of them won't give you them unless you either complete a dumb minigame or beat a time limit.
Now, I know that it's a videogame and it doesn't have to make sense, but in reality, can't these people be arrested for treason?
Then, there's the fact that people ask you to go shoplift fruit from the shops to get them one freaking blue coin. Then, there's that guy stuck on the island a few meters away from the isle that says he can't swim when two boats pass right by the island on a regular basis.
Also, there's the fact that Eely Mouth's poisonous teeth poison only the surface of the water, but where it is located is just fine, and you clean off his teeth (which are poisoning water)...with WATER!
Also, in Sirena Beach, why do I need swim trunks to enter water that is three freaking inches deep? Also, how can Yoshi not die in the five-inch-deep water in the fountain in the plaza, but can by being sprayed with water? And how can Shadow Mario jump through the water if water hurts him?
And, I guess I won't beat a dead horse and ask why Petey Piranha melts into chocolate twice. But the biggest peeve about this game that I don't get is...one of the most frustrating missions for me a few years back in that game was the balloon one on the roller coaster in Pinna Park. After shooting all of them...
WHY DO THEY COME BACK!?
But, seriously, this game's good. Just has a lot of inconcistencies.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
GAME REVIEW: "SpongeBob and the Battle for Bikini Bottom"
Sorry this review was a few days delayed. Here's my first game review!:
SpongeBob has woken up for a great new day! The night before, he and his best friend Patrick were getting bored with their stupid toy robots. So, they wished that they could have real, life-sized robots to play with. Ironically enough, the same night, Plankton released an army of lethal robots from his Duplicatotron 3000 machine, but...he forgot to set the switch to "Obey Plankton". Now the robots are running amok, and it's up to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy to help save Bikini Bottom!
Plot (2/5): The plot is pretty well thought-out for the most part, yet the "being framed for something you didn't do and now you have to fix it even though people can clearly see it's not your fault partway through the game" plot has been overused quite a few times.
Graphics (3/5): The graphics are pretty good for a 2003 game. There are a few clipping glitches, however, but you can find those in Brawl as well.
Easy to Play (5/5): The controls are very easy to pick up.
Creativity (4/5): Although many of the areas are based off the show, the makers of the game really did add their own little spice to it. Some of the areas look almost completely identical to the show, and some are utterly different (most notably Downtown, Sand Mountain, and the Kelp Forest).
Inconsistencies (4/5): No one really cares about inconsistencies in games, but there are few in this one. Mario games are big on inconsistencies, but this one's pretty mild. Two of the biggest ones are people find out that Plankton's the creator of the robots before the last level, yet even though he stands in the same place for the entire game, no one wants to get him; and another one is that the laboratory in the Chum Bucket is like 7,000 feet tall.
Overall Score: 18/25 - Overall, this game is no Wind Waker, but it is very enjoyable has much playability.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Year of Release: 2003; Age Range: 9-13; Overall Play Time: 7-11 hours
SpongeBob has woken up for a great new day! The night before, he and his best friend Patrick were getting bored with their stupid toy robots. So, they wished that they could have real, life-sized robots to play with. Ironically enough, the same night, Plankton released an army of lethal robots from his Duplicatotron 3000 machine, but...he forgot to set the switch to "Obey Plankton". Now the robots are running amok, and it's up to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy to help save Bikini Bottom!
Plot (2/5): The plot is pretty well thought-out for the most part, yet the "being framed for something you didn't do and now you have to fix it even though people can clearly see it's not your fault partway through the game" plot has been overused quite a few times.
Graphics (3/5): The graphics are pretty good for a 2003 game. There are a few clipping glitches, however, but you can find those in Brawl as well.
Easy to Play (5/5): The controls are very easy to pick up.
Creativity (4/5): Although many of the areas are based off the show, the makers of the game really did add their own little spice to it. Some of the areas look almost completely identical to the show, and some are utterly different (most notably Downtown, Sand Mountain, and the Kelp Forest).
Inconsistencies (4/5): No one really cares about inconsistencies in games, but there are few in this one. Mario games are big on inconsistencies, but this one's pretty mild. Two of the biggest ones are people find out that Plankton's the creator of the robots before the last level, yet even though he stands in the same place for the entire game, no one wants to get him; and another one is that the laboratory in the Chum Bucket is like 7,000 feet tall.
Overall Score: 18/25 - Overall, this game is no Wind Waker, but it is very enjoyable has much playability.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Year of Release: 2003; Age Range: 9-13; Overall Play Time: 7-11 hours
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Game Reviews Coming Soon!
Just a small newsflash that game reviews will start next week. These reviews will not go by the regular Monday/Friday schedule that I will try very hard to keep going, as they will most likely pop up on their own. These don't necessarily need to be new games, and here are some I have planned:
LEGO Indiana Jones 2 *
Revenge of the Flying Dutchman
MySims Kingdom (or the first one)
New Super Mario Bros. DS *
LEGO Battles *
SpongeBob's Drawn to Life *
(Titles marked with "*" are only a possibility and may not come up as soon as I'd like.)
If you have any game review requests, tell me in any way, shape, or form, but I would prefer you would tell me in the comments on the blog on my website (look at the first November Blog for the link).
LEGO Indiana Jones 2 *
Revenge of the Flying Dutchman
MySims Kingdom (or the first one)
New Super Mario Bros. DS *
LEGO Battles *
SpongeBob's Drawn to Life *
(Titles marked with "*" are only a possibility and may not come up as soon as I'd like.)
If you have any game review requests, tell me in any way, shape, or form, but I would prefer you would tell me in the comments on the blog on my website (look at the first November Blog for the link).
Get the Right Gifts for Gamers
I know I'm going out of the once a week schedule that I came up initially for these Blogs, but I've decided making another one couldn't hurt.
Anyways, this Blog is about the rules of the holidays...for gamers. What I mean by that is shopping rules.
Let's face it, most gamers are guys. Let me clarify that. Most gamers are straight guys. Being the mostly straight guys that we (myself included) are, we don't really like to shop...except, of course, for games. But, at some point, you have to buy a family member or friend a Christmas gift, and most of the time...it won't have to do with gaming. *ominous music*
But, what of you are the gift-giver to a gamer? Here are three easy steps to getting them the perfect gift:
1. Talk to them about it. Ask them about their favorite game companies, their favorite game titles, and which ones to avoid.
2. Make a list of possible choices. The best way is to right these down, along with some additional information, such as what console it's for, particular store you can shop at, and most importantly the price. See if you can find sales. A good way to find this is to browse gaming catalogs.
3. Apply and shop. Apply what you have done in the last two steps. Bring the list with you while you shop, and take what they know under consideration.
HELPFUL TIP: If all else fails, find out their favorite game/electronic store and get them a gift card. It's the least you can do.
So, if you have a gamer asking for a present from you this Christmas, use this simple, step-by-step guide to help you through the holidays!
(Sidenote: The regular schedule for Blogs should be Monday and Friday every week.)
Anyways, this Blog is about the rules of the holidays...for gamers. What I mean by that is shopping rules.
Let's face it, most gamers are guys. Let me clarify that. Most gamers are straight guys. Being the mostly straight guys that we (myself included) are, we don't really like to shop...except, of course, for games. But, at some point, you have to buy a family member or friend a Christmas gift, and most of the time...it won't have to do with gaming. *ominous music*
But, what of you are the gift-giver to a gamer? Here are three easy steps to getting them the perfect gift:
1. Talk to them about it. Ask them about their favorite game companies, their favorite game titles, and which ones to avoid.
2. Make a list of possible choices. The best way is to right these down, along with some additional information, such as what console it's for, particular store you can shop at, and most importantly the price. See if you can find sales. A good way to find this is to browse gaming catalogs.
3. Apply and shop. Apply what you have done in the last two steps. Bring the list with you while you shop, and take what they know under consideration.
HELPFUL TIP: If all else fails, find out their favorite game/electronic store and get them a gift card. It's the least you can do.
So, if you have a gamer asking for a present from you this Christmas, use this simple, step-by-step guide to help you through the holidays!
(Sidenote: The regular schedule for Blogs should be Monday and Friday every week.)
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