PlayStation 2

Devil May Cry 2

August 15, 2003

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Marco Ortega /

Why is it that every time I hear about a game I have to got out and buy it before trying it out first? I don’t know, maybe I’m just a freak and an impulsive buyer. A while back a friend of mine told me to check out Devil May Cry 2, just for the plain reason that it kicked major ass. Well I was never into the first one that much so I didn’t give it much thought. But because I’m a freak like that I just went ahead and bought it. Well I am here to tell you that I am glad that I made that purchase. This game is full of massive demon slaying and crazy game play.

Let me give you a quick rundown of the games story line. You are a famed demon slayer named Dante that possesses the power of the strongest demon and the toughest street thug. You and Lucia, a fellow demon slayer, have to rid the world of the oncoming invasion of demons and all kinds of hellish creatures. You’re armed with a massive sword that can lop creature’s domes off with just a swing. Or if that doesn’t do it for you, then you can always use your automatic pistols that fire magic bullets. If you are asking if that’s all the weapons you get, don’t fret, throughout the game you get plenty more. Starting out playing the game you really need to know how to use your weapons to take out your enemy quickly. Your weapons are not that powerful to begin with, but during each level you can use these orbs that you collect to upgrade the power of your weapons. Orbs come in different colors, so each color can help you in many ways. The more you collect the better. So look out for those orb thingys. At the end of each level you have to face a boss. So if these weapons aren’t helping you take out the bosses then you can always transform into a magic demon that inflicts more damage than your normal self. Your magic demon self can either fly or run abnormally fast. In order to transform yourself into a flying or running demon, you have to collect an amulet. That amulet determines which demon you transform into, and each demon has a powerful strategy of fighting. You only have a few seconds of using your magic demon, so use it wisely. Again, the orbs and devil stars help you gain more magic devil time. The more stars and orbs, the longer you can be a demon. If you want to see how your doing on health and magic demon time, gauges will be provided for you at the top left of your screen. The great thing about this game is that on every level there are tons of health orbs and other helpful stuff along the way. This game really helps you out as you get further and further. Because of the different colored orbs, stars, weapons, and the such, the game will pause and always let you know what you have just acquired and how you can use it.

As a demon slayer you are probably thinking, “Well damn I need to do some really cool tricks to fight these things off right?” Well you do. The controls are a big factor to be able to kill tons of demons at one time. Being able to do combos with your acrobatic moves and using two weapons at one time is crucial. It’s obvious that your not going to be a pro in doing combos at once, so as you progress in killing demons you start getting creative. The more creative you get, the better the stylish combo points you get. My favorite move is the rainstorm. In this move you jump really high then turn your body like you were diving back down, but then you use your guns to shoot the enemy from above. Th
us
the name comes from the fact that you are releasing a rainstorm of bullets on your enemy’s head. There are plenty of other cool moves that you can do with both characters. This then leads me to the fact that the controls are insane in this game. I had to look at the manual dozens of times just to get some of the combos down. Your analog sticks and your directional pad can be used to move and strafe. Pulling out your weapons and using them are pretty basic along with jumping and evading. These movements can be executed with your shape buttons. Getting into the combos is what really threw me off the freaking wall. I mean I wish I had a freaking third hand to help me out sometimes. Combining the top buttons with the directional pad and the shape buttons, I mean seriously… that’s a lot of work. This is one game that I really needed to continue to play just to get use to the controls. I’m still not used to them.

The game has some major flaws to it during game play. One thing that annoyed the crap out me was the camera angles. You have no control as to how the camera will frame your shot as you try and battle demons. So many obstructions get in the way if you move from your centered shot. Sometimes it will cut between a birdseye view to a close up if you move an inch. Because this game involves demons, castles, cults, and the such, then it’s simple enough to say that this game will have a dark overtone to it. This game is nothing but dark. I felt like I was in a Dracula film playing this game, which leaves the colors in the game to be dark and real mushy with no definition. Each level there are boundaries that are set up in certain locations. These boundaries block you from jumping onto ledges, buildings, or other things that might help you. It’s pretty much like running into an invisible wall. I hate that so much because it just cheapens your AI environment. Speaking of AI, the enemies AI is horrible. It takes them decades to fight back once you have destroyed half of their buddies. Again I was disappointed to see that part of the game being so unfulfilling. Going down the same lines of killing off massive amounts of demons, let me just add that once you start fighting, the music gets really intense and heavy which I liked. I would have to say the sound did not play a major factor in this game whatsoever. Fighting one of the first bosses sounded like a looping scratched record. It was quite horrifying hearing this monster screech. The sound was pitiful and very annoying. Ok Capcom, feel free to create more elaborate sounds for your hellish creatures in your Foley studios next time.

Overall, the game is a decent entertaining hack and slash game. It does get involving at times, but then it becomes very repetitive level after level. The more I upgraded my character the cooler things I did. The game does get challenging on each level like every game should. The numbers of demons just increase level after level with no creativity involved, and that’s when it gets repetitive. But I must say the game was entertaining and I really enjoyed spending some sleepless nights on it. I really thought a demon slayer with two guns who can jump off walls and do all kinds of cool tricks while killing the masses was sweet. Try this game out if you just want some old fashion hack and slash action. I’m Pretzel… peace out!!

Mark of Kri

August 5, 2003

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Chris Rasco /

I realize Mark of Kri is not a new game but if you read the news on our site then you would know that I just got around to picking this one up. I was pretty jazzed about it when I first saw it and then I made the massive mistake of actually listening to someone’s opinion on the game. “It sucks man, you don’t want that game”. This was obviously before I had decided that my game taste is unique enough that I have to try out almost every game for myself and not take anyone’s word for it. So I decided to try the game for myself; I traded in Enter the Matrix and got a killer deal on Mark of Kri.

Such Wonderful Environments.

If you don’t know the story behind Mark of Kri, join the club because it has a story line that unfolds as you play. All you know upon starting the game is that Rau, the main character, has grown up at an Inn with his adoptive father. They also reveal something about a dark spell that was broken up and hidden to prevent its abuse. So basically, you have 2 small pieces of the story and the rest is revealed thru the game. Dan Mueller, one of the associate producers, described it like this:

All we can really tell you at this time is that, well, it’s no cutesy fairy tale: I don’t think people are skinned alive in cutesy fairy tales.*

Alright, so we just got a guarantee for some wonderful carnage.

One of the first things you will notice is that the 3d world is absolutely gorgeous. It is not without its flaws though. One of my biggest annoyances with the game was the way that the environment didn’t look seamless. As you are running thru the forest, you can see where each plane of the environment meets as there is a tiny white line that appears enough to bug me. Strike one. I have played plenty of 3d platform and slasher games on the PS2 to know that they probably could have put a little more effort into it and fixed that. Then again, I could just be anal.

Sword meets throat.

The next key thing to the game is the incredibly unique combat system. Let’s suffice to say that it is one of the most flexible and simple combat systems in any 3d game I have played to date. I hate quoting people in reviews, but I really hate doing it twice, but Dan Mueller described it perfectly:

It works like this. While our combat system contains a lot of depth, it is quite easy to pick up and use. Simply sweep the right analog stick toward the enemies, then press the X circle or square button. It’s that simple. You see, by sweeping the right analog stick, a heat beam extends from Rau, the hero, and assigns attack buttons to the enemies it contacts. So if X was assigned to an enemy, simply press the X button, and no matter what enemy you are facing, and no matter where the X enemy is standing, Rau will know just the strike to take him on.*

Running would be a good idea here.

At the start of the game you are forced to endure a tutorial tha
t
lets you get familiar with the combat system. As you progress you learn just how flexible it is. Your first multi-enemy battles will seem chaotic and you will feel like a button masher, it gets better. While I was a skeptic at first, after using the combat system, I have to give them 2 thumbs up. Awesome job on thinking outside the box.

Gotta look around and make sure nobody saw me pin this guy to the wall w/ my sword.

As for the rest of the controls, they are pretty simplistic and my only complaint arises with the speed in which Rau turns around (180 degree turn).

Somebody lost his head.

One important aspect of the game that I have yet to mention is Rau’s spirit guide, Kuzo. Kuzo is a bird that Rau can use to see what enemies lay in store for him. There are certain perches that Kuzo can land on that are marked. From these perches you can look around and plan your course of action for disposing of said enemies. This is such an important part because you have to determine which weapon and technique will best dispose of the enemies. The importance of Kuzo becomes more clear as you progress in the game. In addition to this role, Kuzo can also retrieve save scrolls, pull levers, and lower ladders that will help Rau in his journey.

I would totally be lying to you if I said that this game was a breeze. The save scrolls do help in quite a tremendous way be allowing you to pick up in the middle of a level. The levels in this game can be incredibly long and require a combination of stealth and all out slashing to complete. You are also given a list of goals to accomplish in each level. Completing these goals unlocks secrets in the game. There will be parts in the game that you will have to play more than one time and it can get frustrating, so use your save scrolls, after all that is what they are there for. As a side note, I don’t have the patience for most stealth games (Splinter Cell, MGS, etc.) and the stealth aspects of Mark of Kri did not bother me one bit. Probably because the stealth kills are incredibly violent and more of a treat than a chore.

I have addressed most of the game, but I will leave you with this, the game is fun. The mix of brutality and stealth are a welcome addition to this 3d action game. The combat system is unique and implemented perfectly. While the game is not without its flaws, I was able to cope with them and enjoy the game. No matter what I have been trying to play lately, I always ended up playing Ratchet and Clank. Mark of Kri actually held my attention and my thirst in a way that allowed me to break free of the chains of 3d platformers for the time being. It is definitely one of the most overlooked games out for the PS2 right now and a definite purchase for all PS2 owners.

*excerpts w/ Dan Mueller taken from this interview

NCAA Football 2004

July 28, 2003

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Marco Ortega /

Abso-fucking-unbelieveable! That’s the best word I can find to describe NCAA College Football 2004. It is now the Mecca of video game football; the standard to which every other football game shall be compared to. Very rarely do I preorder a game and this is one of those rare titles to hold that distinction. I’m pleased to say that not only did EA Sports not let me down; they blew my fucking socks off. In fact, this game is so huge that I brought Pretzel in to give you guys a second opinion.

With the 2004 sports season finally here, I was excited for this title release. I wanted to know what EA had in store for us this year in NCAA football. WOW was the wait worth all the hoopla! EA really thought the improvements through for this year’s title. The additions are freaking insane. Tons of teams, more college spirit and way better graphics. Back to you Soda.

Look Pretzel, just because I’m letting you do this review with me doesn’t mean I like you; so don’t be getting all “cheeky” with me. I do have to agree with you on the insane wow factor on all the new features they added. My personal favorite game mode is Dynasty Mode. There is no better feeling than taking a cupcake one star program and build them into a recruiting powerhouse. The Sports Illustrated covers are by far my favorite addition to the franchise mode. The first time I saw my star quarterback on the cover hyping up my team’s championship run I about pissed myself. It is so the greatest thing of all time. The increased in-depth recruiting process is incredible; the ability to try and talk underclassmen into coming back, everything is so great. There are enough additions to make one’s head explode.

Ok you know what Soda…never mind our readers want to know what I have to say about the game, not you. I really was into checking out all the teams and the different stadiums they added to the mix this year. It totally blew my mind that some of these schools I had never heard of made it into 04; for example, Furman Paladins or how about The Wofford Terriers. The list goes on in this game, plus the stadiums look totally awesome. With different camera angles and all kinds of new school spirit stuff going on…this game will just blow you away with NCAA action. Another thing that I really enjoyed about this years edition is the new intros. Way more intros from all different schools that are just hilarious. Soda wouldn’t know anything about that though. He has no school spirit out at his school; unlike him I supported my school by going to all the football games.

I have to agree with you that the stadiums look fantastic. As a matter of fact, everything looks fantastic. The new tackles added this year are far superior to last year’s version. One of the things that bothered me about last year’s graphics was that most of the tackles looked like the ball carrier was tripping instead of being hit. This year defenders will lunge to shove runners out of bounds, grab players by the shirt and spin them to the ground, and blindside quarterbacks with crushing blows that send their helmets flying. The running animations are fantastic as well, running the option never looked so good. It’s not really related to the graphics, but I must make mention of the play action. In past football games play action was pretty much useless, especially when playing against another person. Welcome to the new world of play action, your quarterback and running back will sell the play action perfectly most of the time leaving the defense vulnerable to the long bomb.

Yes the improvements on the tackling improved so much. I want to add that the rollouts were so much smoother this time around. Not to mention that the running and passing this year are so much more controlled with no delay at all. Last years edition would take forever for my guy to dive, or spin or whatever. This year everything is much more controlled and way smoother. Let me just add that the new plays are also just freaking killer this year. QB screens, WR double reverses, and way more trick plays. The colors are much more appealing and brighter this time around. The atmosphere in the stadiums and during game play is just wild. It totally just draws you into the college experience. EA really emphasized the play-by-play with an elaborate amount of new dialogue for every single play. I was really impressed with that factor in 04. Last year, they would just repeat themselves all the time. So most definitely this years announcing is much more advanced.

The crowds are i ntense, especially when you’re putting a hurting on a high ranked school at home and they start chanting “Over Rated.” This game is excellent is all aspects. Faithful Snackbar readers know that I am a sports game junky, and this would rank very high in my top five sports games of all time. So in conclusion; this game is a must purchase and Pretzel still sucks. Soda out.

I’m currently in the process of building my very own University. It won’t be long until it will be the most ruling, dominate school in the nation. I’m still working on my players and theirs ratings. Overall the 04’s game play is very entertaining and it very much sucks you into the whole college experience. I’m going out on a limb here to say that Soda is right about this game. It’s most excellent! This game is most definitely a must buy for your game collection; whether on PS2 or Xbox, NCAA 04 is where it’s at!

Ratchet & Clank

July 7, 2003

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Lauren Rasco /

Every once in a while a game will come along that makes me thankful that Cone and I didn’t trade in our PS2. Ratchet and Clank is one of those games. With a good recommendation from our favorite EB Games in Huebner Oaks, we bought Ratchet and Clank on a Friday. By that Sunday, it was all I was playing in my spare time. I was hooked. It was the cute little cat guy (Ratchet) and his tiny robot sidekick (Clank) that caught my attention, but it was the game play and the graphics that kept me going, and it was the imaginative and beautiful worlds that I was taken to that made me fall in love with this little PS2 game from 2002.

Glove Bomb to the rescue

As most of you know I am a fan of platform games, from Donkey Kong 64 to Jak and Daxter, I can’t pass on a chance to play a good platform game. Ratchet and Clank takes every preconceived notion of what should be involved in a platform game and takes it to the next level and then some. Insomniac Studios took what could have been a regular old action platform game and added elements of an adventure game, puzzle solving and strategy, and even racing. It is all blended together so beautifully each new planet you visit you experience a new aspect of the game. Okay, so now that I have ranted and raved about the game I’ll break it down a little more for you so that this actually turns into a review not just “Dots loves this game.”

As I have said before, every aspect of this game is put together in a way that I was unfamiliar with on the PS2. The story is no exception. You start off with the chance meeting of Ratchet, a young adult-ish alien cat like guy who is currently trying to fix his spaceship and Clank, a mishap from the evil lab of the evil Chairman Drek, who is the super villain who is trying to steal aspects of whole planets to build his people a new planet to live on, as he has used all the resources and over populated his. Clank explains to Ratchet that they must find Captain Quark (the Buzz Lightyear type superhero in their solar system) and save the day. Ratchet is only convinced when Clank points out that the only thing missing from his ship is the navigation robot, which he just happens to know how to do. The dynamic duo then goes through many perilous adventures flying from planet and planet meeting many a colorful character.

Burninating the countryside*

Each planet that they go to is vastly different from the one before it. Insomniac created these beautiful sci-fi worlds that make you want to explore each nook and cranny just to see what lies ahead. In the Metropolis city I literally wanted to walk into each and every building to see what kind of business was taking place, but unfortunately they didn’t put that much detail into the game. The graphics in R&C are outstanding for a PS2 game. The colors, the sharpness, the attention to detail; it is all wonderful. Another detail they played off of really well was the soundtrack to each of the levels. Letting you know when you should be scared or just running around, the fun sci-fi movie music just set the mood that much more. Aside from Halo, I don’t think I have ever really felt like I was really at the places I was playing in a video game.

Grind shoes in action

The thing that I think that I enjoyed the most about R&C is that it started out relatively easy so that I progressed further into the game and got hooked, but as the games went on the challenges and missions got harder and harder; sometimes to the point of severe frustration. But overall, the progressive nature of the game is something I think a lot of today’s games lack. Another aspect of the game that made it relatively easy to play was the controls. They were simple. There are not real complex combos to learn or moves to master. It was jump, attack, fire weapon, etc. Don’t get me wrong, Ratchet can do some really cool moves, but it is a matter of moving the joystick and jumping in one direction. Simple. And in some small miracle, this PS2 game actually has a camera that doesn’t annoy the hell out of me. Again, they kept it simple.

Go go gadget arm

Overall, I think that Ratchet and Clank is one of the best games that I have played in a long time. It is tied for my favorite PS2 game now with Kingdom Hearts. I don’t think that I can praise it much more. I think that the whole review almost escaped the bitter sarcasm that is usually present in most things that I do…

To conclude in a very simple way; if you like platform games, have a PS2, a brain, and some time to spare (cause you won’t be able to put it down once you start) BUY RATCHET AND CLANK. Now. Seriously, why are you still reading this? Get in your car and drive to your nearest store and buy it. I’ll see you in a while when you finally put the control down. Really, it’s that good. Hell, I’ll make it super easy for you and put a link to EB Games so you can sit on your butt and have it come to you.

* The original caption for that picture was “Flamethrower-ed”, but after discussing it over with Dots, Burninating the countryside was just too funny to pass up.

Want a piece of my wrench?

Grind shoes revisited

Little Clank shot goin on

Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness

July 2, 2003

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Mike Carabajal /

Terrible

Games and pop culture go hand in hand as our industry pries into
the lives of the young. I grew up with ninja turtles and wrestling,
so you can bet I had TMNT the game and WWF Wrestlemania for the
NES. Nowadays games are actually inspiring pop culture. This is
the case with busty video game cover girl Lara Croft. Lara stormed
onto the video game scene with Tomb Raider and since has been the
self-proclaimed first lady of gaming. Whether it is her figure,
or the appeal of the actual game, Lara is huge, both literally and
figuratively. Lara has inspired calendars, comics and even two full
motion pictures. It was only a matter time that she stepped into
the world of next gen consoles with her arrival on the PS2. Unfortunately
for us the effort was in vain as Lara Croft Angel of Darkness is
a weak effort and weaker game.

Worse

The problems start very soon. Your first level of course is a training
level to get you acquainted with the control and familiarize yourself
with how the game is played. Problem here is I cannot imagine having
to play the whole game with the controls as they are. The lack of
response from the controls is beyond terrible. As a matter of fact
there almost is no response from the controls you input. You may
find yourself checking to see if the controller is plugged in and
sadly, it is. Moving Lara about is almost torture as her motions
are stiff at best. As you all should know the previous Tomb Raiders
are about running, jumping,climbing puzzles and the likes. Same
holds true with Angel of Darkness, however running to gap a ledge
will quickly become the last adventure our heroine makes. You will
press the jump button only for Lara to just keep running right off
a four-story building to her voluptuous death.

Can I stop playing now?

The level designs do nothing to lead the player through the stages.
You do not know which doors you can or can’t open, which ledges
you can or can’t grab, or even which rails you can or can’t jump
over. You will fall victim to the “invisible wall” when
trying to jump over small rails that, in the last level, you could
jump over. I guess the player is not meant to go over there; heaven
forbid exploration in a game entitled Tomb Raider.

I hate this game

I hate the PS2 as it has been the bane in my side as far as console
gaming, and had it not been for Squaresoft, I would not own one.
The game looks like Vaseline was smeared on the inside of my television
set. Lara herself is really the only thing that looks ok. The textures
very, how do you say, PS2 like. Also don’t hope for too much going
on at one time, the game likes to s
lo
w down to a crawl when the
rain comes. Strange, I know but what do you expect from a game that
sucks on a console that sucks more.

Finally I can stop talking about it, this is the last paragraph

There is not much more to say. I was very unimpressed by everything
I saw, and uninspired to really even go any further with the game.
I was anxious to play as the new playable character, however his
levels come later in the game, and I was not about to stick around
for that. I equate playing this game much like getting a root canal.
This game is terrible in every facet. Sorry Eidos, sorry Lara, but
thanks for wasting my time. Don’t even bother with this one, do
not rent, do not buy, hell don’t even play it on a dare. (edit 3 days after post: I just want to say once more that this game fucking is so damn terrible…really, its that bad.)

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