ASK_Story said:

From what? Maybe from the accident?

*duh*

I'm slow...

Eating.  A lot.

Foolz said:

I got used to it by the end, but it doesn't help that it's not eased in like all the other techniques! It can be very fiddly as well.

Yeah, forcing you to use a tool for the first time when you are 80% into a game is not so great.  I'm in that big atrium full of construction scaffolding now...  do you remember that one?  

Oh for godsake.

3D Dot Game Heroes

Review by Roger Hargreaves – We've said it before and we'll say it again: this game has the best graphics ever.

Not in a technical sense but in its ability to create such a consistent, outrageously stylised and yet wonderfully familiar art style.

As we've also said before though graphics do not maketh the game and the gameplay here never comes close to matching the grandeur of the visuals.

Although the game exists for no reason other than to stimulate the nostalgia glands of wistful thirtysomethings the graphics can be appreciated by anyone.

They're basically 2D 8-bit sprites extruded out into three dimensions.

From the hero to the buildings and landscapes, everything is made up of Lego-like constructions of little cubes - but all still benefiting from modern graphical effects like depth of field.

The end result is a game that looks utterly unique and works as a perfect celebration of older in-game graphics.

Visually then the game is perfect, but disappointingly the graphics and gameplay exist only as a homage to early 2D Zelda games.

Even the music is as similar as legally possible and you're encouraged to edit the character models so they look even closer to Nintendo's old classics.

Many games have tried to copy Zelda over the years but this isn't merely influenced by it, like Okami or Darkstalkers, it's a full blown clone.

As a result you've a huge push-scrolling overworld to explore, filled with respawning monsters.

These are primarily dispatched by your sword, which jabs out in front of you in a giant arc (all the animation is strictly limited to two frames).

There are plenty of secrets and sub quests, and even the odd mini-game, hidden in the overworld and it is a genuine pleasure to ramble through.

One of the few deviations from the Zelda template is that as well as the traditional extra life bars you can also find and upgrade new swords.

This adds an element of grinding to the Zelda experience as you farm coins from dead enemies, but it doesn't overwhelm.

Where things come unstuck are the dungeons, which replicate the Zelda experience (find a boomerang in one, bombs in the next) so exactly it almost seems like some psychotic flashback.

Inevitably the real problem is that the puzzles are just not as well designed.

Add in a rather too old school difficulty level and the fact that the interior designs never change and the six dungeons become a real chore.

Although we'd already played this game on import we obviously had no idea what the dialogue or script were like.

A properly satirical effort would have really helped to elevate the whole experience but the reality is sadly predictable in hindsight: it's exactly like Zelda. It's charming, and often amusing, but quickly forgettable.

This sums up the game as a whole really, which seems a terrible waste.

IN SHORT: One of the best looking games ever, but its awe for retro Zelda ruins hopes for similarly inspired gameplay.

PROS: The art style is drop dead gorgeous and a perfect homage to retro video game visuals. Large overworld.

CONS: The gameplay tries to copy the original Zelda so exactly it feels like a bad imitation rather than a homage.

SCORE: 6/10 Out: 14/5 (UK)

Does anyone else see a Storm Trooper helmet in the bottom left hand corner?

Red Dead Redemption Games TM mag review details

The multiformat mag reports that 'Rockstar San Diego's rendering of the American frontier is nothing short of absolute' and says that 'Redemption's is a gameworld as expansive and inviting as any we've explored'.

Both the graphics and narrative of the title come in for commendation - and sound better than owt we've seen in an open world game before.

'Shantytowns sit among vast expanses of wilderness, rural homesteads can be found in sweeping grasslands and red sandstone monuments protrude from rough expanses of desert,' GamesTM reports, 'all situated beneath a vast sky of intense neon blues, smouldering oranges, silver greys and any hue in between.'

In terms of gameplay, we're told: 'Redemption is a game unafraid to mete out its ideas slowly, meaning that you're still learning new tricks several hours into the game.'

And despite admitting that not every area of the title's massive gameworld rewards exploration, the mag concludes: 'While Rockstar San Diego may find some difficulty in filling its open expanses with interesting and emergent play, it does imbue it with a stark beauty and compelling narrative that makes Redemption more than just an allusion to cinema, but a piece of work that can confidently stand next to it.'

AND:

Multiformat magazine Edge has reviewed Alan Wake, giving the title 7/10.

The mag praises the title for using 'one of the cleverest scare tactics in recent horror game history'. It reports that the game 'frequently drops hints of things to come... playing with your expectations and even embroider[ing] them by confirming your worst fears'.

It also applauds the 'entertainment pyrotechnic combat' - adding that 'the shock and awe that results from the unlikely combo of a flashlight and shotgun is equally exciting'.

However, the mag has its gripes: 'While the plot moves with all the pace of a paperback, the game fails to keep pace. The solid combat struggles to develop... puzzles are rarely more than perfunctory and the set pieces only set the pulse racing in the game's final hours.'