November 2004

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

November 23, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Marco Ortega Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/gtasanandreas/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Most of you know that we here at Snackbar are not huge [i]GTA[/i] fans. I could not stand [i]Vice City[/i] and was hoping that San Andreas would be a total disaster as well; but to my dismay, I found myself getting a copy of San Andreas. After hearing so much about all the new features and the miles upon miles of city blocks, I was really intrigued.

Set in the 1990s, [i]GTA: San Andreas[/i] takes place in the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, Hollywood, Sacramento, and San Francisco, along with parts of Sin City. Your character is Carl Johnson, a.k.a. C.J., and you have returned to San Andreas from [i]Liberty City[/i] to hear quite a bit of disturbing news. Your mother and brother have been murdered. Gangs rule the city streets, and it’s your job to seek your family’s killers and take back the streets. The good thing is that you are not all on your own. Your hood buddies-Big Smoke, OG Loc, Sweet, B-Dup, Ryder, and plenty more-come in to play. These aren’t the only folks you will encounter throughout the game; you will see the colorful “rainbow” of the San Andreas community, from mobsters to actors to rappers to cokeheads to strippers.

Since the [i]Liberty City[/i] version, the graphics in the [i]GTA[/i] series have not changed one bit. Detailed faces and body structure along with bland landscapes and mediocre building textures still remain, making it obvious that graphics were not on Rockstar’s priority list. The story is top priority, with added RPG elements-this was the feature that pulled me into San Andreas. You can choose whether or not you want to be a fat tub of lard or COCK DIESEL! This is all decided on the amount of exercise you do (hitting the weights is a requirement, not eating pizzas, tacos, or chicken buckets). Trust me when I say that there are a lot of those around the city.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/gtasanandreas/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]Another feature I enjoyed was the amount of XP you receive the more you use a certain weapon. The more missions you accomplish, the more respect you get on the street. It’s all about street credibility when you “wanna roll with the right peeps.” Rockstar does a great job in breaking down your stats in order for you to manage your character. Several types of stats are represented, including sexual appeal, style, stamina, fat, muscle, bank account, property value, and even girlfriends. Yes, you get girlfriends! The days of having to honk your horn to get some action are over. Now you can just woo her into the bedroom. Remember, in order to get a girlfriend you have to dress the part, which means going to the clothing store and buying some nice threads is a must.

I was impressed to learn about the wide variety of voice talent that participated in [i]San Andreas[/i]. Chris Penn, James Woods, Ice-T, and Kid Frost are among some of the voice actors in [i]San Andreas[/i]. My favorite is Samuel L. Jackson as the corrupt cop, Officer Tenpenny.

While cruising in your vehicles, listening to the radio is always entertaining. This is obviously no surprise to [i]GTA[/i] lovers, as the music is always top-notch with a variety of stations to choose from. Let’s not forget the crazy commercials and obnoxious disc jockeys. Playing [i]San Andreas[/i], I found myself laughing most of the time, mainly because of the dialogue that you have with your buddies and the people on the streets. I also enjoyed the low-riding contests; it pretty much uses the same directional controlling system as [i]DDR[/i]. Missions aren’t just run-and-gun anymore-you have to use your social skills, stealth, and even your dancing skills in order to complete them. Stealth missions resemble the style of gameplay present in the game [i]Manhunt[/i], which is no surprise.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/gtasanandreas/ss05_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Overall, the variety of missions and gameplay in [i]San Andreas[/i] really changes the pace of the series. Especially with the addition of RPG elements, this is by far the best [i]GTA[/i] of the series. I am still playing [i]San Andreas[/i] and enjoying every minute of it. If you’re not a big [i]GTA[/i] fan, I would say that you should rent it and give it a shot. Since you don’t have just one set path to choose from, you will be amazed at the difference in gameplay. This is definitely a keeper for those of you who like involving games with a lot of variety.

Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino dungeon

November 23, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Mike Carabajal Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nodruaga/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I do not pretend to be a saint. We started Snackbar with creating a large community in mind-something for the people. Call it an investment in karma, or what have you. We often get a few thanks, and it gives us warm fuzzies. We dig it. But you must take the good with the bad; the bad being we have to review some terrible games from time to time. Thus, I began playing [i]The Nightmare of Druaga[/i], and thus I began hating video games that much more.

One would assume that game developers take formulas that have been proven to work in the past and build on them to achieve innovation. At the very least, game developers can stick to a proven formula to at least achieve mediocrity. More often then not, we are privileged with games that are mailed in from the get-go-this game is a shining example of one of those games.

[heading]It’s all in the gameplay-ahhh, who am I kidding?[/heading]

It is hard to pinpoint an exact moment when the game got bad; I think it was, however, around the first five minutes. You are treated to some dialog then venture forth to the meat and potatoes of the game: dungeon crawling, with an emphasis on the word crawling. The dungeon crawling is based on a grid system where you guide the hero from square to square. You must guide the hero from area to area, finding keys and items along the way. Finding these items is the real incentive in progressing. You get some fancy weapons and items that give you some advantages in battle, or cool actions you can execute. Most of it is pretty tame against the standards of today’s video games. Did I mention this game sucks?

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nodruaga/ss08_thumb.jpg[/floatright]You will, of course, encounter monsters along the grid and fight them in a turn-based hit fest. We are talking the most simple of systems as you literally exchange attacks back and forth until either you or the monster emerges victorious. Should you in fact die in one of these dramatic battles, it will cost you everything you have found. You cannot just up and save to preserve your goods-the game has a way of making sure you don’t. Trust me on that one. Once the monsters are taken care of, you must find the key and move on. Mix this formula and repeat until you beat the game, assuming you stick around that long.

[heading]Circa 1998[/heading]

The game’s character design brings me back to a time when games such as these were flooding the market. Developers and publishers were quick to release just about anything, and this is a terrible reminder of those less than perfect times. Slightly anime inspired with a twist of fantasy is the call for the day. The animation is as good as your little guy hitting a monster with his weapon. Some bells and whistles include some shallow particle effects for when you execute an ability, the lighting effects that reveal the wondrous surroundings of yet another dungeon, and finally the amazing sound effects as you hit a monster and wait for him to hit you back.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nodruaga/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatleft][heading]You have been warned. But you kids don’t pay attention to warnings anymore.[/heading]

Time for a bit of honesty: I was so unimpressed by this game that I had a few movies playing on my computer as I trudged through playing the game enough to get a good feel for a review. I did not stick around to beat it; I had plenty of other things to do. Namco has been good to us with some of its better published titles, but this is a no-brainer. Do not even waste your valuable time in thought pondering whether to rent this game or-worse yet-purchase it. The only reason I could think of someone wanting to test the waters is the fact that you enjoy being tortured with monotonous, simple gameplay shelled onto a disc and sent out to the masses. Besides, you kids play to many games, mix in a book every so often, or at least an RPG with the words [i]Fantasy[/i] and [i]Final[/i] in the title, but not necessarily in that order.

DS Review

November 22, 2004

News / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

I didn’t have a chance to get any of the reviews online for the DS launch library, hopefully those will come this week. I did, however, get a chance to put up a broad review covering the hardware aspect of it. I will also put the Call of Duty contest online today.

Nintendo DS

November 22, 2004

Hardware / Reviews / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[center][img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ds/cover.jpg[/img][/center]

The release of the Nintendo’s newest handheld, the DS, marks a new generation of handheld gaming. While the company has stated that the DS is not a replacement for the highly successful Game Boy/Game Boy Advance line, one can’t help but feel that the DS will overshadow the most recent version of the Game Boy family. Compounding the problem is the fact that the DS sports a second game slot meant for playing GBA games. Because Dots and I both game, having a second handheld is a must; so the SP is staying, but not everyone will see the need to have both systems. The flipside is that a DS owner can purchase new games from both libraries for future play.

The first thing you will notice about the DS is that it is quite a bit larger than the GBA SP. This size increase makes the unit a little bulky and not quite as easy to carry around. The DS does sport the same folding design as the SP, which is a great feature because it naturally protects the two LCD screens-yes, two screens. Nintendo is trying something new in the handheld world by tossing two very bright backlit LCD screens into the DS. The lower screen borrows ideas from the PDA world and uses a stylus and touch screen technology. The idea of a stylus in handheld gaming could really change the face of gaming “on-the-go.” You will also notice dual speakers on either side of the upper screen as well as four face buttons instead of the SP’s two. Shoulder buttons are still present, and the DS now has a Power, Select, and Start button. All of these buttons are situated in the upper corners of the lower half of the unit to prevent accidentally turning on the unit. The DS also comes with onboard Wi-Fi to take advantage of the native Pictochat application and wireless head-to-head games.

From a hardware standpoint, the DS is an obvious step up from the SP-but is it a step in the right direction? Many would say that the addition of a second screen and a stylus does nothing but improve the geek factor and cost of the unit. I would say that Nintendo is trying to think outside the box and in doing so has given developers something back that was previously missing from handheld gaming. Console gamers may take it for granted, but having onscreen maps and various other stats is quite common given the size of the average TV. With the handheld screens being only a few inches large, screen real estate is at a premium and can’t be wasted on maps and various other things. The DS eliminates that problem by giving the developer an auxiliary screen to display maps, inventory, or a bulk of other things that will benefit the gamer directly.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ds/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The onboard wireless capability also gives way to impromptu gaming sessions with anyone sporting a DS. It also makes chatting with friends a breeze in class. (Don’t tell your parents that I said this.) The bottom line is that the new features of the DS open the realm of handheld gaming to a whole new world.

The few main concerns that I have seen asked about the DS are: [i]Is it comfortable? Is it awkward to use the stylus?[/i] The new size of the DS does make it a tad bit unusual at first, but I recall the same transition period with my SP. I have no doubt that it will become second nature after you spend some time with it. Regarding the stylus, the answer is yes. To date, I am not totally happy with the games that require interaction with the touch screen during gameplay. The reason for this is that you can either use the stylus or your thumb/finger. Making the transition from stylus to no stylus burns far too much time, so jumping over with my thumb has become my preferred method. I still am not sure how I am going to adapt to games that require the stylus during gameplay, since I use my right hand for holding the stylus-which leaves my face buttons untouched-and using my left thumb to hit the D-Pad as the face buttons seems awkward. Needless to say, I have some adapting to do in the case of games like this. Pretzel assured me that he found it perfectly normal when they played [i]Metroid Prime: Hunters[/i], so I expect this will only be a problem for some people.

The DS also debuts a new type of game cart that packs a ton of space with a very small size. The new cards are smaller than Compact Flash cards and are probably just larger than SD cards. The games also come in plastic cases like the console counterparts. These new cases also have room for a GBA cart. Could GBA games start coming in plastic cases, or are we going to see some DS games use GBA carts or the GBA slot for interesting new ideas? Only time will tell.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ds/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatright]One thing is for sure: the DS is sweet. With all the new features, developers are sure to push the limits and come out with even crazier games. I love a change of pace, so I hope that the developers deliver some top-notch games. As always, you can expect the Nintendo first-party titles to be amazing. The DS is not meant as a GBA replacement, but for the average person, having a DS would be a far better deal since you won’t have to forfeit your GBA library.

While I was skeptical at first, I think the DS is going to be a fantastic new platform. The $149 price tag is going to be steep for some people, and with a new platform the launch library is always a little thin; so waiting a few weeks until after the Christmas season may be smart. I think at this point, you may not have much choice since most stores seem to be sold out. It will definitely be interesting to see in what direction this next generation of handhelds goes, and if the PSP can even get a foothold in this market that Nintendo has dominated for so long.

Nintendo ahead again.

November 22, 2004

News / by Mike Carabajal Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Nintendo owns the handheld market hands down. Many have come and gone and the Gameboy has outlasted and out performed its competition. The DS has launched before the Sony’s PSP, so the handheld war has not dawned just yet, but Nintendo has made the impressive first blow.

From talking to some of the crew who have played the DS, the response has been fantastic. Wait for the next shipment of the DS to get your hands on one for the holiday season, and check out the demo of Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt that comes with your DS.

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →