RyaNtheSlayA's RetroReviews of everything 32 bit and on...

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:54 pm

Hi, this is my new post for reviews, please note that these will be slightly biased as it is my opinion but I will do my best to limit that factor. I will try to put a new review every day. Now then, todays review is DooM-32x

To give you a backround, i have played every version of DooM and it is one of my favorite games of all time. Now I went into this game with very low expectations. Over the Internet i found numerous bashings of this version and as such I was very unenthusiastic about plopping this in. Appearantly the music was bad, pixalation was everywhere, and it wasnt fun to play. Now I ask them, WTF is wrong with them. This is a very solid port of doom, you get the first two episodes complete, and though the sound may sound bad, its using the standard Genesis chip to output it so it doesnt sound all as bad as people like to think it is. Now my only complaint is, why doesnt this have a fully customizable conrol scheme, it is compatable with the 6 button controller, why cant i map it to strafe left and right w/ a seperate button than the use button. Overall pixalation is pretty bad for far away objects, but they are still recognizable, and doesnt have a negative impact on gameplay. Now the lighting isnt all that great, they took out alot of the original lighting in the game. It runs at a smooth 26-30 fps and only dips in large areas. With the final verdict i am going to put a little more emphasis on the graphics because thats what you almost always look at in a port of doom; also my graphics and sound are largely based on technical achievment over my opinion, if you want my opinion take a look at the art direction and music direction scores

Overall : B-A

Graphics: 7/10 (pixelation and lighting brought this down)
Sound: 5/10 (32x is capable of alot more but it sounds fair)
Playability: 9/10 (only very slight dips in framerate bring this down along with uncustomizable buttons for xyz)
Replay Value: 7/10 (its doom, cant really go wrong playing it again)
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Art Direction: 5/10 (its pretty bland but at the time it worked well, it also fits the atmosphere of the game)
Music Direction: 10/10 (completely awesome, there is somethin for everybody in this game, rock, metal, almost opera style...)
Fun Factor: 9/10 (its doom)

my next review will be Virtua Racing, PM me if you have a recomendation for any sega console or sony, or if you would like to comment on it.

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:57 pm

GT5 Prolouge

(i am switching to a letter rating with a quik comment to save time)

Graphics: A+ (this game is simply amazing, over 6000 polygons a car, dynamic lighting, in car view, its amazing.
Gameplay: A (top of the sims, not much has changed other than a new Pro sim setting and an emphasis on drifting
Art Direction: A+ (very slick)
Sound: B (i was suprised that the music isnt a huge improvement but the cars sound damn fine)
Music: (much more casual than what was originally planned)
Replay: A+ (this demo is bigger than most new release games, also online is sik)

Overall: A+ (worth owning the system for, i never expected the DEMO version to be this good, its also a nice budget titlle for those who refuse to get the full version when it comes out)

please give me feedback, what you would like me to change about my format etc. by PMing me

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Thu May 01, 2008 5:49 pm

Sonic Adventure for Dreamcast

When I was a small child, all I wanted was a DC w/ Sonic Adventure, and that christams I opened up a big box only to find a PS2, burrrn. But since then I have gotten a DC and have been playing the heck out of it, first game to be finished, Sonic Adventure. Now that thats done take a look below for my scores and comments

Graphics: 8/10 (For its time it was great and still holds up fairly well, though the textures are muddy in some parts and i noticed some clipping)
Sound: 9/10 (All clear and good, only thing that brings this down is voice acting)
Gameplay: 8/10 (Camera serves its porpouse and the game is fairly responsive)
Replay Value: 6/10 (If you enjoy it enough you can play w/ the Chao, and the action stages are fairly fun to go though again)

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Music: 10/10 ( I just loved the music)
Gameplay: 9/10 (Fast and entertaining)
Art (I loved the style in it)

overall: A (Definate buy)

note: i base the scores in comparison to other titles for the systems, therefor, some of these overall scores may be off of average due to comparison.

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Sat May 03, 2008 4:48 pm

Jet Grind Radio

Overall: A+ (nearly the best game ive played in a long time)

Graphics 10/10 (awesome in every way)
Gameplay 9/10 (A little slow at times, the camera also keeps this from perfect, inovative)
Sound 10/10 (Inovative radio sytem and technically good sounds that fit the game)

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Art 10/10 (awesomness)
Music: 10/10 (the music is awesome though it may not be everybodys cup of tea)
Fun 9/10 ( i find movement to be slow unless grinding and the graffiti was awesome, but then again, it IS Jet GRIND Radio after all...)
Lasting Value 8/10 (lots of fun to play again but could have really benefited from a multiplayer graffiti tag mode)

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:27 pm

Lost Planet PS3 First Imprssion

This game makes me wonder... why? Why do developers think that arcade style doesnt work anymore. This game has a less than intresting story, but the best part is the gameplay and graphics, its like a 3rd person shoooter for arcade, and it rocks.

Post by **peace4myheart** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:42 pm

I have a concern about your review on sound and graphics. I just want to know when you play on a system, do you use component, hdmi, vga, s-video, av, rf. Also, what kind of TV do you use, standard, computer monitor, HDTV (LCD, CRT, Plasma, Projectors, etc). All these different variables can make a big difference. As for the audio, do you judge the sound from your TV speakers or connect it to some sort of audio set up with decent speakers.

I asked not b/c I want to poke holes at your technique of reviewing. I just need to know your standard so I can base those reviews on. I know it all comes down to opinion when you play a game, but all the technical stuffs like graphics and sound don't have to. Keep on reviewing little buddy. If nothing, then at least you offer me a different perspective on a game that I have or might want.

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:47 pm

peace4myheart wrote:I have a concern about your review on sound and graphics. I just want to know when you play on a system, do you use component, hdmi, vga, s-video, av, rf. Also, what kind of TV do you use, standard, computer monitor, HDTV (LCD, CRT, Plasma, Projectors, etc). All these different variables can make a big difference. As for the audio, do you judge the sound from your TV speakers or connect it to some sort of audio set up with decent speakers.

I asked not b/c I want to poke holes at your technique of reviewing. I just need to know your standard so I can base those reviews on. I know it all comes down to opinion when you play a game, but all the technical stuffs like graphics and sound don't have to. Keep on reviewing little buddy. If nothing, then at least you offer me a different perspective on a game that I have or might want.

ok i generaly use composite (HDMI in the case of the PS3) and i will start using VGA on the Dreamcast, i have a high quality sound system and use a 1080p 32" HDTV for display, on most of my reviews i do the technical stats first then give my opinion.

Post by **peace4myheart** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:52 pm

Do you do any reviews on retrogames, i.e. before the 32-bit era, cuz that's what I am really interested in? I am beginning my collection with the 16-bit era, Genesis right now. Anyway, if you do, then I think it is a travesty if you plan to play them on an LCD HDTV. My goodness man!!!

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Sat May 03, 2008 11:29 pm

peace4myheart wrote:Do you do any reviews on retrogames, i.e. before the 32-bit era, cuz that's what I am really interested in? I am beginning my collection with the 16-bit era, Genesis right now. Anyway, if you do, then I think it is a travesty if you plan to play them on an LCD HDTV. My goodness man!!!

its actually not that bad, the sprites look clear and you can see details that u couldnt see before, its just more pixelated, and yes ill do some 16 bit stuff and mabe some 8 bit stuff to, ill post a Genesis review tomarrow then

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Sun May 04, 2008 7:53 pm

Jurrasic Park -Genesis

Ok going into this I would like to point out that I absolutely hate movie based games... usually, then one or 2 come across my eyes that are awesome in every regard, this is one of them. Ok let me point out that this game has almost no story collaberation w/ the movie. It has its own story line, linked together by text and a map of the island and a flashing red dot at your location. You can pick two characters to play as, one being Dr. Alan Grant, and the other being a raptor. Grants levels are generally harder but more intrigueing (he also has a variety of weapons), but the raptor is alot more fast-paced and fun to play as in my personal opinion. The sound is excellent, near SNES standards with deep tones and a large amount of bass jungle music that is odd to here coming from a system that is known for its whiny style of music and sound. The graphics are good, but not excellent, there is some contrast issue's where its hard to see where that black platform is invisable and there is a decent amount of slowdown (most notably on Dr. Grants levels). The game is fairly short (about 2 hours w/ Grant and 30 minutes with the Raptor) but there are a decent amount of secrets to find, the game doesnt support a save file but does have a password system. Overall, this game did give me a shock as to how good a movie based game can be.

Overall: A

Technical:
Graphics B (seen better but still fairly good)
Sound A (wow the genesis is pumping out this?)
Playability B (slowdown and contrasting isues dont help)

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Opinion
Graphics C (seems a bit low end for a system that has a fast processor for its time)
Music A (I play bass and these tunes have me humming)
Control A (very responsive, doesnt support 6 button though)
Lasting Value NA (depends, if your one of those people that like finding the secrets its great, otherwise, speed runs is the only other option)