Shadowcaster
Reviews
SiN Episodes: Emergence (Windows)
Part One of a new series kicks off with a Bang!
The Good
SiN Episodes: Emergence is the first part of what has been announced to be a nine part series. As such, it provides both a satisfying five or six hour game in itself, and good start to the series. Fans of explosions will find a lot to love here. Emergence uses the Source engine and Havok physics to full effect. Enemies ragdoll about when killed, exploding barrels and other environmental hazards are plentiful, and the incendiary grenades showcase the lovely effects of fire on both environment and enemies.
Completionists will have a lot to do as well. Forty-four "secrets" are scattered throughout Emergence's levels, and your final score is influenced by how many you find. Secrets range from the useful (crates with ammo and extra health) to the bizarre (the "Dopefish" has to be seen to be believed), but all will satisfy explorers. Finishing the main game also unlocks the utterly brutal HardCORP Mode, where no saving or death is allowed. It's something I'd personally classify as only appealing to masochists with too much time on their hands, but if a five hour marathon gaming session sounds like fun to some people, who am I to judge?
The Bad
Primary complaints about the game stem from a lack of variety in both enemies and weapons. Seeing the same style of enemy trooper, even if armed differently throughout the game, gets rather tiresome. Weapon issues are in a similar vein, with only three weapons available throughout the game. While each one feels substantial and useful through the entire game, it would have been nice to see something more exotic than just a pistol, shotgun, and assault rifle. The pistol I can understand, since it's Blade's signature weapon, but I would have liked to see the rest of the weapons be a little more exotic.
There's no multiplayer mode. This may be a deal breaker for some people. Ritual has promised to add multiplayer at some point, but for the time being, Emergence is strictly a single player game.
The Bottom Line
If you're a fan of shooters with good single player stories, then this is a game worth owning. As a bonus, If you missed out on the original SiN game, it's included with the Steam version of Emergence.
If multiplayer is your thing, or if you can only choose between this and Half-Life 2: Episode 1, then you'll probably be better off waiting until a couple more episodes of SiN come out and multiplayer game modes have been released.
By Shadowcaster on June 1, 2006
F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon (Director's Edition) (Windows)
By Shadowcaster on April 28, 2006
Viewtiful Joe (GameCube)
Classic platforming action returns. New console, new look, same great fun
The Good
The style of the classic platform shooter games of yesteryear returns with a brand-new style. As Joe, you find yourself thrust into a movie world filled with gorgeous graphics and bizarre movie-esque villians in a battle to save your girlfriend. Veteran games who remember the challenges of classic NES and SNES games will not be disappointed, and even new players will find the action incredibly enjoyable.
The Bad
Some players may find the minimal frequency of save options makes the game artificially difficult.
The Bottom Line
If you like platform shooters, and want to play one of the best platformers ever, buy Viewtiful Joe.
By Shadowcaster on December 22, 2003
Luigi's Mansion (GameCube)
Luigi finally gets his own game, but he has to rescue ... Mario???
The Good
For everyone who ever thought that Luigi ought to have his own game, this is the one. Luigi's first chance at solo stardom. That alone is enough to make me like the game, but even more, it's pretty fun in a Ghostbusters kind of way. The game controls are easy to master, and the graphics are beautiful, particularly the various rooms of the mansion.
The Bad
For starters, the game is just too short. Most people will get through it in about six hours, and after that, if you really want to, you can play through the "Secret Mansion" really the same mansion with extra traps, but most people won't have the patience to do that, particularly in light of the game's other two major flaws: clueless AI and terrible camera angles. Admittedly, the clueless AI really isn't that bad. However, the bosses and tougher ghosts have exactly one method of getting Luigi; the follow him relentlessly. That's it, nothing more complex than that. As for the other problem, the camera is likely the most irritating thing in the entire game. It is essentially fixed in a flat 3rd-person view, on level with Luigi. While it occasionally moves, the inability to view an entire room without resorting to the "Gameboy Horror" is incredibly irritating.
The Bottom Line
Despite it's flaws, Luigi's Mansion is a pretty fun game. By this time, you should be able to pick it up in the used section for a reasonable amount of money, and it's worth having in your library. For everyone who wanted Luigi to have his own adventure, this is a must have. Let's just hope that next time Luigi will get his own princess to rescue, instead of having to save his brother the glory hound.
By Shadowcaster on December 19, 2002
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GameCube)
An enjoyable 3rd-person adventure with a twist, but not going to become a classic.
The Good
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem features gameplay spanning two thousand years of history, from the year 2 B.C. to 2000 A.D. You start as Alex Roivas, and your objective is to find who or what murdered your grandfather in the family mansion in Rhode Island. Along the way you will discover the dark secrets of the family and save the world. The game is divided into chapters, which are part of the Tome of Eternal Darkness, a chronicle of the saviors the world has never known about. During a chapter you will play as the chapter's character. Between chapters you play as Alex, and attempt to find the next chapter page.
The variety of characters and locations is enjoyable, as are the various weapons that each character uses. The magick system is truly unique and suprisingly intricate, while the game also introduces the concept of sanity. Each monster you face subtracts from your sanity, and as you gradually go insane your character begins to hallucinate. Walls begin to drip blood, ammunition appears on the floor, bugs crawl on your screen, and perhaps you even turn into a zombie. The music adds perfectly to the tense atmosphere, which builds to the final confrontation of good versus evil.
The Bad
Unfortunately, while a figure of sixty hours of gameplay has been lobbed about, that is far from the truth. The first time through the game may take you about twenty hours, but the puzzles do not change from game to game, only the cutscenes. Also, the puzzles are the weakest chain in the game. Most consist of countering one magick type with another, and once you've figured out the basic idea all the rest are ridiculously simple. However, the most egregious example of the puzzles takes place late in the game where the player is forced to repeat a puzzle that was completed in a previous chapter. There is no change, simply the same half-hour long repetition. Additionally, some players will find the total lack of extra ammunition for the guns irritating in the extreme. Finally, while it doesn't particularly effect gameplay, by the time you watch your fortieth bone and paper zombie spurt several gallons of blood you'll be thoroughly sick of the whole thing.
The Bottom Line
If you want an H.P. Lovecraft style romp through history, slashing monsters at every turn, this game is for you. If you'd prefer a more straight forward hack and slash, or a Tomb Raider style blaster, you're better off steering clear of this game.
By Shadowcaster on August 9, 2002
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)
Solid Star Wars action, and the game that spawned Rogue Squadron
The Good
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire starts you off with a kick, flying a Snowspeeder in the battle of Hoth. From there gameplay progresses through several first or third person shooter levels, with a couple of turret shooting missions and a swoop race through Mos Eisley for changes of pace. Each shooter level has a large boss at the end, and provides a wide variety of different weapons. The high points of the game are the Hoth, Mos Eisley, and Skyhook levels, which involve flying a Snowspeeder, Swoop, or YT-2400 in battle. The action and control during these levels is extremely similar to Lucasart's Rogue Squadron series of games. In fact, Shadows is the game that spawned Rogue Squadron, and is certainly worth playing even if only for that fact alone.
The Bad
The worst part of this game is the repetitiveness of the shooting levels. Although the level design is all right, the hybrid design leaves both first and third person shooter fans wishing for slightly better gameplay. Although the third-person view is default, I found the first-person view to be easier to play with, however, the total lack of crosshairs makes aiming more difficult than it should be. In fact, the awkward control and clunky aiming are the primary contributers to the irritating nature of the shooting levels.
The Bottom Line
If you've enjoyed the Rogue Squadron games, this is the game that started it all. It's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun.
By Shadowcaster on January 4, 2002
Pokémon Silver Version (Game Boy Color)
Shocking fun and addictive!
The Good
Pokemon Silver provides a fun mix of strategic, turn-based combat combined with the fun of collecting new Pokemon. The combat system is easy to understand, and the number of Pokemon available to collect is mind boggling - there are over 200 hundred different types! The real-time in-game clock means that if you go through the same area at 10pm that you did at 10am, the experience may be totally different.
The Bad
Although the real-time clock is interesting, the inability to reset it after the start of the game means the player must play the game during both day and night to capture every Pokemon. Also, some Pokemon will only evolve if they are very happy with their trainer. However, there is no way to gauge a Pokemon's happiness level. This can become very frustrating as the game progresses. Finally, it is impossible to catch all the Pokemon without owning Pokemon Gold as well.
The Bottom Line
A fun hybrid of turn based combat, role-playing, and collecting. Don't ignore this game just because it says Pokemon in the title. You will become addicted.
By Shadowcaster on December 2, 2001
Wing Commander (DOS)
An all time classic, still great after all these years
The Good
This is one of the first games I ever played, and the one that got me totally hooked on space combat and flight sims. You really felt like you were part of the story, and talking with your wingmen between missions made you feel like you were really there. I actually felt depressed when one of them died, and I had to go back to the pilots lounge and see an empty chair and KIA beside their name on the killboard. The gameplay is still great after all this time, and the campaign tree was one of the best in all the games. I must have played this game fifty times through, and has never lost its fun factor.
The Bad
Wingmen are admittedly useless.
The Bottom Line
If you've never played a Wing Commander game, start with this one. If you've played other WC games but not this one, play it. If you haven't played it for a long time, it's time to reload it and play it again.
By Shadowcaster on July 7, 2001
Air Force Commander (DOS)
Command a airforce in the Middle East.
The Good
Provides most of the recent air war scenarios in the Middle East, and creates the challenge to try and recreate, or rearrange, history to your liking. The wide variety of units, ranging from ancient SU-17 fighter bombers to ultra modern F-117A Stealth Fighters make for a very interesting balance, especially in the large scenarios where almost the entire region is in the battle on one side or other. Additionally, the learning curve is easy to pick up, and most of the scenarios are well done.
The Bad
The lack of a campaign option makes each scenario interesting by itself, but it would have been enjoyable to try something along the lines of fighting all of Israel's battles since 1967, or commanding Iraq through the Iran-Iraq war, the invasion of Kuwait, and Desert Storm. Also, the interface can be somewhat complex, and some scenarios are almost impossible to beat.
The Bottom Line
If you enjoy real time strategy, and you want to play something that was years ahead of C & C, try this on for size.
By Shadowcaster on June 27, 2001
Duke Nukem II (DOS)
Duke blows up some more stuff
The Good
It's a great platform side-scroller. Duke's attitude and ambiance add a lot to the basic formula. Weapons are well balanced and interesting, and the game keeps you entertained from the start of Episode 1 to the end of Episode 4.
The Bad
The difficulty of levels is very uneven. Some are insanely hard while others are easily beaten in ten minutes. Side scroller formula can get repetitive for some.
The Bottom Line
A great side-scroller with the Duke's humor. If you like Duke Nukem, you'll like this game.
By Shadowcaster on June 24, 2001