Your Video Game Reviews

[Mr. 13]

Ok, so I thought it'd be a cool idea to create a thread where people post the games they're playing, review the game, post screenshots, etc... Doesn't matter how old the game is or anything. There's a lot of great games out there that many have never heard of, and it would be cool to have an official thread to share them with each other. So, I suppose I'll start and review one of my favorite (and most obscure) games in my collection:

Legend of Dragoon (playstation 1)

I won't put any spoilers in here. The premise is in a medieval / fantasy based world humans used to be slaves to immortal magic-wielding creatures up until humans rebelled, led by Dragoons (dragon knights). The game takes place 11,000 years afterwords in a war-torn world and a conspiracy to destroy the world, your main character basically just starts off looking for his childhood friend and love-interest, and ends up becoming a new generation of Dragoon and saves the world. The game is long, spread across 4 discs. Not a lot of side quests, I think there's less than 7 but normally they encompass multiple discs and lots of time.

Graphics are mediocre, by today's standards. Back in the day they were pretty sweet, especially during the animated cutscenes. Voice acting is terrible, even by the standards of the day (sadly).

Gameplay is incredible, it's not just another turn-based RPG game, the addition system it uses requires you to use precise timing to inflict maximum damage against your enemies. Random encounters are annoying after a while, but is vital in getting gold, supplies, and leveling up. Leveling up is a pain, since you normally have to choose 3 people to use throughout the whole game unless you want to spend massive time leveling up all 7 or 8 companions. It is technically 'open world' but it is a pain to travel backwards up until you get a transport-means (in the 3rd or 4th disc if I remember correctly)

Storyline is INTENSE. I love this game so much purely for this reason beyond anything else. The story is epic, and sucks you into everything that's happening. You get to see into the face of all your characters, and their lives and emotions. The characters are all lovable in their own ways, and they have a variety of character types (intellectual, dark, silly, etc...)

The music is incredible, especially for its time. The soundtrack is great using a mix of rock / techno like sounds which adds to the atmosphere of the game.

For an RPG made in 1999 (I think) it holds its own against the test of time. Here are some screenshots and some artwork from the case:

[attachment=0]Legend-Of-Dragoon-0006.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=1]lod2lt8.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=2]1891-legend-of-dragoon-002-qlcjn_1424.jpg[/attachment]

So now I invite you to review your favorite game, the one you juts beat last week, or the one you're playing right now. I also recommend reviewing games multiple times, so if someone already did the game you wanted to do, do it anyway. I'll be adding more to this thread soon

 

[BTGBullseye]

Damn... You stole my review since that's what I'm playing right now too... lol

 

[Ian]

Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion (RTS)

The first expansion to the Rome: Total War game, Barbarian Invasion takes place during the Barbarian Migrations and begins the fall of Rome. In the campaign you are placed on a map where you manage your cities. Here you can build shrines, meeting halls, markets, and shrines as well as creating your armies. These all affect public support, population growth, and income, as well as faith conversion. Being the time when Christianity finally set in the Roman empires, each faction varies a slightly in religion (this is expanded a lot in Medieval 2: Total War). Notifications on the right tell of your profits, marriages, deaths, declarations of war, and historical events. In the example below, the Frankish capital, Vicus Franki, is under siege by a Western Roman general with a massive army. This map also allows you to move diplomats, spies, assassins, boats, and armies to do their business around Europe. Alliances can be forged, bribes can be made, and battles of sheer strategy can commence here.

Battles work in three of ways: a siege, a normal battle, or a naval battle.When a faction lays siege, your city is blocked from trade and your soldiers begin to die of food shortages. You can only hold out a siege for a certain amount of turns based on how big your city is. You can decide (or be forced) to leave the walls and attack or hold out until they make the siege equipment to attack. If your troops are traversing Europe, they can also battle other armies. Based on where you are on the map, a battle map is generated of the area around you to reflect where you are. Soldiers fighting by the sea will actually be by the sea, and battles fought over a bridge on the map will actually fight over a map. When a battle begins, your general gives a speech based off characteristics he is given in the campaign. You can wait three times in order to change weather and time of day. Thereafter, you set up your army however you want. Ambushes can be held by moving an army into a light forest. By chance, you can either catch the army completely off guard, where they will be positioned in a marching formation or they will have time to prepare. Each unit excels in something another does not. Archers can fire flaming arrows, Germanic soldiers with round shields can make a shield wall, cavalry can form a wedge, horse archers can form Cantabrian circle, and berserkers can go, well, berserk.

If you are interested in ancient history or the transition from Ancient Rome to Medieval times, this game is for you. The thing about this game is that you WILL lose some battles. The game isn't just about winning, but rather how you get there.

I hope you enjoyed this brief overview.

 

[J.C.]

Ok, so I thought it'd be a cool idea to create a thread where people post the games they're playing, review the game, post screenshots, etc...

Ehm... Isn't this covered in the "What are you playing?", just a few places down de list?

 

[Ian]

Ok, so I thought it'd be a cool idea to create a thread where people post the games they're playing, review the game, post screenshots, etc...

Ehm... Isn't this covered in the "What are you playing?", just a few places down de list?

Good point, but that doesn't go as far in depth.

Mr. 13, just change the title to reflect what you want people to do in this thread, because the two are different.

 

[Alyxx Thorne]

I'd change the title to "Your Game Reviews" since I already made a "Whatcha playin'" topic.

 

[BTGBullseye]

My review will be for Starseige: Tribes 2.

Tribes 2 (commonly abbreviated to T2) is a multiplayer online game set in the fictional Earthsiege universe. It is the second game in the Tribes franchise, following Starsiege: Tribes. It was developed by Dynamix and published by the company then known as Sierra Entertainment in March 2001. On November 2, 2008 Vu Games removed the authentication servers required for online play. However, in early 2009 a community solution provided a replacement server, making the game playable once more.

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Setting:

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Set in the year 3941, Tribes 2 allows the user to play as a soldier in one of several factions (referred to in the game as tribes), such as the Children of the Phoenix, the Blood Eagle, the Diamond Sword, and the Star Wolf. Players can also choose to play a rebelling human-created soldier/worker race called the BioDerms. None of the factions differ from each other in strengths or weaknesses, but each has a distinctive look and background story. The backstory is not a critical element of the gameplay, and serves primarily as inspiration for the look-and-feel of the game.

Tribes 2 is a multiplayer online game, designed for Internet or LAN play with up to 64 players (32 vs 32) or bots per match, although a small single-player tutorial mode is included. The game may be played from both first- and third-person perspectives. Each match takes place on an Earthsiege-themed map. The Tribes 2 engine, an early version of the Torque Game Engine, is capable of both indoor and outdoor maps, with expansive play areas. Player movement about the map may be on foot, using a jet pack, or in various ground and airborne vehicles as pilot, co-pilot, or passenger.

Each match is played according to one of a number of possible game modes, which dictate the rules of the match. These modes include capture the flag, deathmatch, rabbit-chase, and others. Players are free to choose their own role, and may deploy various items of weaponry, vehicles, and emplacements. Many of these items can be left unattended to operate automatically, or control may be assumed by players. Each player may also choose from three armor types (which trade off various abilities, e.g. weak but fast, or strong but slow), and a weapon and equipment loadout, which may be reconfigured at any time during a match.

The large variety of equipment and deployable items results in many opportunities for creative play and tactics, from pure combat to stealth. Tribes 2 gameplay makes extensive use of jet pack-powered flight, which adds a notable vertical element to combat. As such, playing style varies dramatically from player to player, and from moment to moment, but Tribes 2 gameplay may be generalized as being fast-paced three-dimensional combat over a wide playing area. Player vs player combat is a central element of Tribes 2 gameplay, even in team-based modes.

Video of gameplay by extreme pros:

 

[Jek Jek Roo]

Hmph, I think I don't have to introduce Fallout New Vegas. I bet everyone knows it

 

[Mr. 13]

Ok, so I thought it'd be a cool idea to create a thread where people post the games they're playing, review the game, post screenshots, etc...

Ehm... Isn't this covered in the "What are you playing?", just a few places down de list?

Good point, but that doesn't go as far in depth.

Mr. 13, just change the title to reflect what you want people to do in this thread, because the two are different.

Sorry I haven't checked this in a day or two, I'll do that then.

 

[Mr. 13]

I'd change the title to "Your Game Reviews" since I already made a "Whatcha playin'" topic.

Sorry to steal your idea =P It has been changed.

 

[Alyxx Thorne]

Bonk! Topic bumped.

 

[Xykon]

I currently am playing an old-school styled MMORPG called Tibia. I've played since about 2002, and ive seen the game grow and change significantly. Most people take 1 look at the graphics and walk away, but it really is a great MMO.

Pros:

1. No level cap. Period. I believe this alone makes Tibia a great game because it allows players to actually be the best in the world. Most people that play are below level 100, with the highest level in the world being above 500.

2. Actual PVP. This also makes it a great MMO to play. If you don't like someone, you can kill them. Not only do they die, but they lose experience and even possibly some items. This creates an extremely satisfying moment on either side. Ive survived a few PK attacks and believe me, my heart is racing because i know what is at stake. There are safe areas obviously, but killable areas cover about 95% of the game world.

3. Death matters. You don't just respawn and act like nothing happens. You lose EXP, possibly levels. This can be minimized with in game enchantments. You also lose items. (this can be prevented with an amulet that prevents item loss.

4. You don't have to play on a PVP world. You can choose to not be able to pvp at all, have it as optional, or even have it enforced - you get experience for killing players higher level than you. This last option i have not seen in any other game that also has high penalties for death, which makes these worlds for hardcore players.

5. Its free. And i don't mean "congratulations you advanced to level 20, purchase a subscription to advance farther" free. I mean that you can experience the game forever and never pay.

6. Payed accounts are beneficial, but not needed. You have a choice to pay which grants: Access to new areas, new spells, new quests, and new outfits for your character.

7. Bosses. Bosses in this game are hard. They appear in the game world sparatically, with a world message to all players online. The world then has a day to kill them and recieve the rarest equipment possible. Top players on the server come together (sometimes rival guilds will even fight over bosses when they spawn) to bring them down. There is no such thing as a "routine" boss in Tibia.

8. Raids. Cities will sometimes be attacked by monsters that spawn outside the walls. sometimes this is as simple as rats, but can be as dangerous as orcs or undead hordes.

9. Houses. Yes, you can purchase your own house to showcase all your armor in to other players. These can only be bought with a payed account, but are seldom seen in other games.

10. Guildhalls. Your guilds can have their own houses, which are roughly 5-10x biggere than an average house. Again you must be premium to buy one.

Cons:

1. Graphics are certainly not that great, but definitely not horrible to look at. I will post a screenshot or two.

2. 4 vocations. This is not necessarily a con, but there are only 4 classes to choose from: knight (melee fighter), Druid (healing mage), Sorcerer (offensive mage), and Palladin (ranged damage)

3. Players from all over the world play, in their native language. Consistantly you will encounter people that speak no word of english and only brazilian (the game is a hit in brazil), portugese, or swedish.

4. Bots. sadly, it is possible for people to cheat at the game and have their computer play their character in hunting areas to level for them. This is not a game-breaker, but can be annoying.

Obviously I am a little biased because this was the first MMO i ever played, and i base all others on it.

Screenshots:

 

[Kirkreng]

I used to play tibia, i actually kind of liked the graphics on it. Not sure why. Anywho, i just didn't feel like putting much effort into learning the game and getting good at it at the time. I might check it out someday again.

 

[Princess Luna]

I Currently play tibia an i am a lvl 150 RP on the world of magera, and it is my favorite game of all time

 

[BTGBullseye]

Just started a an account... Level 4, Luminera, Btgbullseye.

Not too bad of a game... Reminds me of a freeware game I had back in the early 90's for my 80286.