Tekken 6 Review

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Tekken has always been a pretty solid franchise and the battle style is fun. Kicks are a big part of a battle since they do so much damage and you may find yourself completely ignoring the punch combos. Tekken 4 and 5 also had fun arcade mode stories for the most part and they’re just fun overall. Could the final game in the main series end the series on a high note? (Until Tekken 7 comes out someday)

Unlike the previous games, Tekken 6 has an actual story mode aside from the Arcade Mode intros/endings. We follow a guy named Lars who has lost his memory and meets up with the android known as Alisa. Lars seems to be a good guy deep down and he’s ready to stop Kazuya and Jin from destroying the world through their fighting. He seems to be pretty outmatched as he’s just a human right? Well, a plot twist helps the fights make more sense as we realize that Lars actually has a lot of latent power. While teaming up with Alisa, he also seeks to restore his lost memories and find out who he really is. Looks like he has a busy day ahead of him!

The story mode is pretty fun and it has a cinematic feeling to it. There are several cutscenes that are full blown cutscenes while others are just retro text boxes. In the story mode, we get to see Jin take on nearly all of the main characters and Lars proves that he’s one of the cooler Tekken characters. He takes everything in stride and he’s definitely a powerful fighter.

Alisa is a decent character, but unfortunately..the fact that she is an android holds her back as it does for most androids. Androids usually have that moment where they lost their free will and must obey their creator. This happens to Alisa and she isn’t really able to fight it so that hurts her character development. I wasn’t a huge fan of her in the movie either. She has a lot of potential and she’s a powerful fighter, but she needs to strengthen her mind.

Jin Kazama is a very changed man and you can’t really call him the main character anymore. He now rules the Mishima Zaibatsu and he has been completely corrupted. Was it the Devil Gene or did he just turn to the dark side so that he could get enough power to destroy Kazuya? Either way, Jin is now completely evil and it doesn’t look like he will be turning back to the side of light. Just look at the cinematic trailer for Street Fighter X Tekken! (Jin is still trying to protect his friends, but while being the head of the Tekken Force and destroying all who oppose him)

Remember the whole, “I’m your FATHER!” line from Star Wars? Well, that basically comes into play with Kazuya, who happens to be Jin’s father. In this game you could say that he’s the character to root for, but he’s really the mastermind of another organization named G Corporation. He seems to think that he’s the only one left who can really oppose Jin and he gets ready to take him down in the tournament! He’s a pretty solid character and he can definitely give Jin a solid fight.

Azazel is the true final boss of the game and he’s one of the stronger opponents that the Tekken fighters have ever come across. He is the ultimate evil and once the negative energies of the world start to come out, he revives! This may have been Jin’s excuse for acting evil, but I’m afraid that it’s not a very good one. Azazel is definitely a pretty awesome opponent and he’s ready to judge humanity. He’s also a pretty tough boss so you’ll definitely want to block as much as you can.

This is a fighting game so I’m not really going to go into depth about all of the characters since there are so many of them. NANCY is a really cool kaiju/robot creature and is a pretty nifty secret boss. I can’t really say that I care for Eddy or the old man, but other characters like Nina, Asuka, Leo, Yoshimitsu, and Bryan are still solid characters. Tekken has a pretty interesting array of characters and I find them all to be pretty interesting for the most part. They are much better than the average fighting game cast like Street Fighter, Dead Or Alive, Virtua Fighter, etc. They’re no Smash Bros or J Stars Victory Vs, but those really shouldn’t count.

The animation is pretty solid and the music helps to make the whole game feel very modern and techno. It’s one of the main reasons why I really like the PS3. Everything feels so high tech on the console and aside from the Gamecube, it’s easily the greatest console of all time. Tekken 6 plays very smoothly and the gameplay is as good as ever. There is a lot to do in the game since you have arcade mode for all characters and a story mode as well. We’ve also got Survival Mode, Time Attack Mode, and the wonders of Wifi! You’ll likely be spending a lot of time online since it’s always fun to challenge other people and see how you stack up. It’s another reason why I love the fact that the PS3 can support online wifi so that you can play to your heart’s content.

You can also customize your character for Story Mode and it can be a gamechanger. I forgot to upgrade until the final levels and it definitely makes a world of difference. Of course, you can try doing the levels without upgrading, but I can guarantee that it’ll be very difficult. It would be a great feat for your gaming skills though so it is worth a shot.

Overall, this is an excellent fighting game. They made sure to increase the character count and added a lot of modes for replay value. The fighting style alone will keep you entertained for a very long time. The music is solid and I can’t really think of any bad things that hurt the game. This one basically got everything right and had a pretty cool opening cutscene as well. The trophies aren’t very unreasonable in this game and I’m happy to say that I got the Platinum! Lars is also a very solid addition to the franchise and I look forward to seeing him in future installments. I highly recommend this game to all fighting fans or people who are looking for a solid plot.

Overall 8/10

Madden 2011 Review

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All right, I’ve been on a Madden roll lately! Madden 10 was definitely one of the weaker additions to the franchise, but Madden 2012 was one of the best ones that I’ve played in a while. I figured that Madden 2011 was the bridge between the two games and I’m happy to say that I was right. It’s a solid game that was much better than 2010, but not quite at 2012’s level.

The gameplay speed is decently good. There is no longer a button to sprint with so the game is all about tactical awareness. You want to make sure that you know where you are going and that you have great reflexes at the ready. Running the ball works pretty well with this new style and it’s definitely a blast to try and out think the defender. Stiff arms work to an extent, but you must time them well and it’s still a matter of chance. I don’t typically any other techniques as I barrel into the opponent for epic yardage.

Passing the ball is one area where this game made dramatic improvements. When you throw a bullet pass, you can definitely tell that you’re throwing it with a lot of speed. The throws are very quick so it’s harder for the defender to jump in front and grab the ball before your frozen player can catch it. Throwing long balls is still pretty tricky as the defender has all of the time in the world to grab an easy pick. If your guy is wide open then you’ll be okay, but otherwise I don’t recommend the deep bombs.

For once, I can also mention that the defense has improved. I’ve been fine with playing defense in all of the Madden games and I typically aim for sacks. In this game, you can finally go for interceptions as it’s a lot easier than usual. It can still be tough and your player may not always do what you want him to do, but it’s fun to try.

One criticism about the defense would be the tackling aspect. When you’re going for a sack and try for a quick dive, you player will just fall on his face. The “dive” barely covers any distance and your player will be walking with the amazing speed of lead. In this game, you’re much better off trying to just barrel into your opponent and maybe even get a fumble out of it.

Oh yes! I have to mention the new Fumble Battles! I really do not like these and they’re just not that fun. When a player fumbles, you have the chance to get it back by hitting the required buttons a lot of times and beat the computer. The computer is really good at this and will typically win. I just don’t like that this occurs for just about all fumbles. Not every fumble should be a big battle. I also think that it could have been handled in a much better way.

Punting and kicking are pretty good as well. The meter simplifies things and makes it easy enough to kick a nice field goal. I like to go for it on 4th downs, but if it’s a serious game then I definitely want to be prepared to go for the game winning field goal. One tip that I would give is to make sure that the Accel clock is off. It takes the fun out of parts of the game since it skips seconds for you.

Animation and graphic wise, this game is about the same as the others. Either you’re a fan of it or you’ll think that it looks dated. I’ve enjoyed the animation for all of the Madden games since 2002 so I’d say that this one definitely looks good. There are definitely more animations to sift through before a game, but if you stick around and watch them, the game becomes even more realistic.

Overall, this is definitely a solid football game. It’s easily one of the better Madden games and for the most part, I’d say that the game got everything right. It’s a game that will keep you entertained for dozens and dozens of hours and you’ll never run out of things to do. The franchise mode looks as sleek as ever and you’ll feel like you’re in a real season! I’d highly recommend buying this Madden or going for 2012. Either way, you’re in for some epic football action!

Overall 8/10

Bakugan Defenders of The Core Review

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Bakugan has spawned several video games in the past and I am proud to say that I own them all. I did not review the first game as it was before I started reviewing games, but it was great. The second game had a very solid battle style, but I deducted points since it was so short. Finally, we have this one. The gameplay is completely different from the previous installments, which could definitely pose a problem. Was the game fun anyway? I suppose that it’s time for us to find out!

You play as an original character who looks very similar to the guy from the first game. I like to think that it’s the same guy, but that would present some plot problems. Nonetheless, he becomes a pretty good character by the end of the game, but never becomes as exciting as the hero of the first game. The main character uses Drago and the game starts you off with a bang! Dan has challenged you to a brawl and he’s using Maxus Drago, the ultimate Bakugan monster. Things go haywire and the main character is sent to an alternate dimension!

The characters have the same personalities, but they seem to be a lot weaker. Dan has no idea who Maxus Drago is and he just uses the standard version. The Vexos have been attacking the planet and they’ve kidnapped/taken control of nearly every monster. Drago escapes and the main character uses him to fight the villains. Will one monster be enough to stop everyone else?

The other characters aren’t able to help in this battle since the Vexos have created a way to make them unable to brawl. Dan and friends can only watch as the main character takes on legions of villains by himself. Will the main character be able to defeat them all, or is it a lost cause already?

The actual story mode is pretty short and you’ll probably finish it in under 4 hours. This game definitely wasn’t created for its length, but that’s a small downer. I won’t be taking major points off for that since the content that’s in the game is really fun. The actual story mode never drags on and while the graphics aren’t the greatest, the character designs are good. The villains are fairly uninteresting although Spectra isn’t bad. At least he had a cool design to back him up.

Let’s get into the gameplay, which is the meat of the game. The gameplay is definitely similar to the classic DBZ BT series, but with giant monsters. You’re in complete 3D environments and you knock the opponents out with solid combos and energy blasts. One critical part of the battle is the blocking factor. You can usually block in a fighting game, but Bakugan takes it to the next level. You can block just about any attack and quickly start your counter.

Why do we care? Well, this really means that you’ve got to stay alert at all times. When two fighters are taking random swings at each other, there can be many different block/counters in a single barrage. Your reflexes need to be in top shape to handle this. The concept was definitely risky, but I’d say that it payed off. It makes the battles a little more exciting. Each Kaiju monster gets two cards to help him out during the fight. Usually, you’ll have some sort of energy blast and a large combo, or a barrier. Once you’ve built up enough energy, you can go ahead and use the card. They aren’t a huge factor, but they can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

The game has many positives, but replay value may be an issue. The gameplay is awesome so you’ll always have fun through multiplayer, but if you’re playing by yourself, then it may get old. The A.I. isn’t especially difficult and there really isn’t anything to do once you’ve gotten all of the items in Story Mode. You’ll eventually come to the point where there’s really no reason to play. Replay Value may hurt the game a little, but multiplayer is the important part.

I definitely have a soft spot for the Bakugan franchise. With this game out of the way, I only have one game in the series that I need to play. The first three games were very good so the fourth will have big shoes to fill. Considering that it’s a Bakugan game, I doubt that it will present much of a problem. The soundtrack for this game is pretty good and while it’s not up to par with the first one, it’s definitely good enough. I’d highly recommend buying this one as soon as you can. It may not last you as long as a Final Fantasy game, but it’s just so fun that you need to play it. Such a great experience just can’t be missed when the price isn’t even so high. I enjoyed the game so much that I even went and got the Platinum!

Overall 8/10

Madden 2012 Review

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It is now time for the Madden 2012 review! As I hinted in my Madden 2010 review, Madden 2012 definitely improves and brings things closer to the good ole GC era. I don’t own Madden 2011 yet so I do not know if it’s a bridge that started the uphill battle, but once I buy that game, you can expect a review for it as well.

For once, let’s just skip to the main part of the gameplay right away. Immediately you can see a huge difference in the game. The gameplay is a lot quicker and everything seems to flow a lot better. The controls can still be a little delicate; you must move in a straight line and be careful not to turn the joy stick or your character will start to stutter and slow down. That being said, there are ways to quickly turn and dodge defenders, but it’s a learning process. I’ll take the speed and precision over the slowness that Madden 2010 presented any day!

The passing game is also improved and deep balls are a little easier to command. They still aren’t exceptionally easy, but they’ll do. It’s always a risk since the defender may decide to jump up and grab an easy pick, but the risk is part of the fun right? I found it easiest to throw down the middle to the tight end, as he was usually open and it’s hard to mess up such an easy play. There are fewer things that can go wrong in this case.

The running game is definitely more enjoyable as well. It can still be risky to use outside pitches, but they’re more fun to use now that the running back is fast again. Quarterback scrambles are also fun and if you play your cards right, you’ll net some pretty large gains. The way I see it, a running play usually won’t get you more than a few yards, but it’s still worth it for that rare occurrence where you break free for 20+ yards. It’s all about barreling into the defensive line until they give way. You can think of it as an endurance battle!

Kicking the ball is still relatively easy, which is definitely a good thing. I am confident with kicks from 30 yards and under but once we hit 40, I will definitely have a tough time getting the goal. The animation is still pretty solid and while it’s not very different from Madden 2010, you can still tell that the animation is better in this game.

I may as well dedicate a few lines to the music. I’ve never played a sports game where I thought that the music was incredible and this one is no exception. While playing the game, you won’t even care what the music is. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget that there is music playing at all. I wouldn’t say that the music is awful, but it is sub par. As I mentioned earlier, this is the case with just about every sports game so I’ve come to expect it.

There are still other modes to play, like making your own character in Superstar mode. I personally don’t really use them as Franchise Mode is the only one that I really care about. I hope that they add minicamp mode again someday, perhaps in Madden 2013. It’s the only other mode that I would just play around with for a long time. Franchise mode is great but some things can take a while though, thanks to the long loading times if you want to skip the Preseason. Still, you can’t go wrong with Franchise mode, as it’s a great way to feel like you’re really in the NFL. Now if only they could figure out how to do this with PSN, a whole league would be epic. Something like Fantasy Football, but with actual games. It would be tough to set up, but also pretty awesome.

I definitely recommend getting this game since it’s the best next gen Madden game that I’ve played so far. I can safely say that Madden 2009 and 2010 don’t hold a candle to this one. This is a great way to get into the sport and also a way to have fun during Football season. Play as your favorite team and enter the new season. The gameplay is exciting as always and thanks to Franchise mode, there is a lot to do. Even without Franchise mode, you could find yourself playing this game for dozens and dozens of hours to come.

Overall 8/10

Street Fighter IV Review

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Street Fighter is a very popular fighting game series that has earned quite a large fan base over the years. Some would argue that the games even top the Mario games, but that’s a debate for another time. I have played several Street Fighter games in the past, but this is the first mainstream one that I have owned. Was it spectacular?

The intro is pretty good and we’ve definitely got a lot of good animation going. The intros for each character’s arcade mode is pretty good as well. It feels like a nice anime episode that you may have caught on TV. The character’s also get their own endings although Ryu’s may seem a little depressing for some.

The gameplay is definitely the main reason that people have come to play the game. (Along with the nice multiplayer options) The gameplay is pretty solid and I can see why the game has so many fans. Mastering all of the combos can definitely take a while and even then, it’s hard to stay consistent. One wrong turn on the control stick and you’ll be using a completely different attack. I must say that I love the challenge! Of course, good ole button mashing will still take you pretty far. I’ve nearly won 50 online battles using this technique and also classic mind games. (Setting someone up with a Hadoken and then using an Uppercut!) The best part is that luck isn’t a factor in this game. (Very minimally at most) If you lose, you just have to accept the fact that you never stood a chance.

There is also a Challenge Mode in the game, but I wouldn’t say that it’s my favorite. I don’t really like the way that they went about creating it. There are only 100 challenges, but since each challenge is several rounds long, it’ll take you a very long time. I did a few challenges myself, but I don’t really have the time to finish them all at the moment.

The online battles can definitely be fun. You can make a match or join one. They even have tournaments where you can really test your skills! They keep track of your online records, but you don’t get to see your opponent’s while you’re battling. I think that I would have liked that option, but it doesn’t matter very much. The player data that they keep for you in the main menu is pretty useful and while it could be a little more in depth, (Like how much Ultra combos you’ve used) it is good enough. Play time is always the most important thing anyway.

The graphics are pretty good. I wouldn’t call them groundbreaking or anything, but they suffice. While they can’t hold a candle to other PS3 games like Soul Calibur V and FFXIII-2, they are still solid. The trophies for this game aren’t insanely hard either, although you may still find yourself in a jam a few times. (All Medal types, 100 wins, Completing all challenges)

This is a game that I would definitely recommend. If you’re a fan of fighting games that require technique and don’t really have any gimmicks, then this is your game. The character selection is pretty good and there are over 15 characters. Around 20-30 I believe, but I decided not to go and check. One very solid thing about this game is the amount of replay value. There is plenty to do in this game and you could find yourself playing it for dozens of hours.

Overall 8/10

Soul Calibur V Review

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Soul Calibur has always been a cool fighting series. There is a lot more sword fighting than other fighting series. (Street Fighter, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, etc) I’ve always been a big fan of swords and I think that it’s a cooler way of fighting. Prior to this game, I’d only owned Soul Calibur II. (Link FTW!) Could this game continue the epic legacy?

Well, this game has an actual story mode, which was a great addition. The game is 20 chapters long which is like playing Arcade Mode three times. That’s not too bad and the game took me 2:30 to complete. Of course, that’s counting the good ole days of Vs. Mode and ranking up in Quick Battle mode. This game feels really modern which is something that I’ve always liked about PS3. The games always seem to be much higher tech than the other consoles. I mean, just look at MVC3, FFXIII-2, Bakugan, etc. They all have really vibrant colors and the gameplay is nice and fluid.

One interesting thing about Story Mode is that the game takes place several years after the last few games. So, you will recognize some of the characters, but they’re definitely older than we remember. The story mode follows Patroklos (The son of Sophita) as he journeys to find his sister, Pyrrha. He realizes that the man he was serving had just been using him to further his own ends. Patroklos escapes and finds the Soul Calibur. Unfortunately, his sister has turned into a Malfested. Can Patroklos save her, or will he have to make the “Ultimate Sacrifice!”. While you play as Patroklos for most of the levels, Pyrrha is also playable for a couple of battles. Her lines are pretty unique when she wins and you may not even be able to tell that she just won. Her Malfested form is pretty cool and helped the series to get to new heights in terms of power. Nightmare is also epic, even though he’s currently using a decently unlikable character. I dare say that Nightmare’s design grows more and more epic as the games go on.

Aside from the story mode, there are a lot of other modes to play. We have the Legendary Souls mode. It’s essentially a Boss Battle mode and while it may be pretty quick, these guys have a lot of skill. I wouldn’t underestimate them if I were you! We’ve also got the traditional Quick Battle mode which will help you with trophies and give a nice boost to your record.

Let’s not forget about the realm of online gaming! You can challenge others and improve your online record. Unlike Brawl, your record in Wifi is public and you won’t be forgetting that anytime soon. It adds more incentive to the battles and really makes you give it your all. Just watch out for Rage Quitters!

The Trophies for this game aren’t outrageous and you should be able to get most of them in no time. This game has a lot of replay value and the battle style never gets old. Not everyone will agree that it beats Tekken and SF, but I’d say that it does. There are so many ways to approach a fight and it’s fun using your tactics. Ezio is the guest character in this game, but I can’t say that he’s nearly as fun as Link was.

One thing that I should definitely mention is the Character Customizer. Soul Calibur is known to have the best one and I’ve seen people make characters that resemble Link, Mario, and even Bass EXE! I’m definitely going to give that a shot at some point and it sounds fun. You could almost buy the game for this reason alone. Think of it as a console version of Mugen! There’s no end to the possibilities and it’s definitely fun to play around with.

The character roster may not be huge in this game, but it’s big enough. 28 is a solid number and then we have the custom characters which increases it by a lot. The stage count is also impressive and I’m glad that they added a solid number of them. Having a good amount of stages is nearly as important as having a lot of characters so that we get variety.

Overall, this is a solid game that is definitely worth your money. The game brings a whole new level of excitement to the franchise and you will feel every blow. There is enough content here so that you can keep playing it for a long time. Getting to level 99 is a long, but not tedious journey. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series and I hope that it comes soon.

Overall 8/10

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Review

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Pokemon is a massively popular franchise and continues to be the one part of Nintendo that even surpasses Mario. (Debatable I suppose..) Most people like to go with the main Pokemon games, (Red, Diamond, Ruby, Heartgold..etc) but the spinoffs can be pretty fun as well. Anyone remember Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Ranger, or Pokemon Colosseum? I’m not going to say that they’re better than the main games of the series, but they are still very good games in their own right. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon has spawned a whole sub-series of video games, but this is the first one that I’ve played.

From the start, you can tell that this is a very different Pokemon game. There are no humans (Not many humans anyway) to speak of and the Pokemon can speak in perfect English. (Via translator) The main character wakes up as a Charmander and he has no idea what has happened. Is he truly a pokemon? Is this all some kind of misunderstanding!? Well, Charmander has no time to think about such trivial matters as a Pikachu comes on the scene. One thing leads to another and they decide to form a team. They help those who are in need of help and they often do it for a modest reward.

For the most part, that’s the plot, but things get more dangerous as the game goes on. The world starts to turn against the heroes as they retreat into the mountains. Can Charmander prove that he’s a nice pokemon and save the world, Or will they track him down and watch as the planet is destroyed? Either way, you’ll want to see the conclusion!

Well, the story line may not be incredibly hardcore and epic, but considering that we don’t have cut scenes, I’d say that it does a nice job. The storyline was fun and didn’t drag on, this was largely because of the gameplay. The gameplay for this game is still turn based, but there are tactics involved. (Ever play Yu Yu Hakusho Tournament Tactics?) In case you haven’t played the game that I mentioned, you are essentially playing from an overhead perspective. Each move counts as a turn and likewise with an attack. It’s simple enough to learn, but making the most out of each situation can take some experience.

The story mode in itself is decently long, but the game has a Lot of replay value. After you complete the game, there are dozens upon dozens of missions left. (Maybe even Hundreds) One day I may go back and complete them all, but they just kept coming and coming and coming and coming! The missions never get boring, but I’ve always got more games to play, so I just didn’t have time. The mission’s Rank determines how tough it will be, but you probably knew that.

When you aren’t completing missions, you can go and spend your hard-earned cash. I found that it’s best to use the cash for new friend areas, but you can also buy some items. There’s even a bank where you can leave your money. (Because when you lose a mission, any money that you were holding goes Kapoot!) Leveling up to 100 and getting as many allies as you can, will also increase the replay value of this game. That’s one thing I’ve always loved about Pokemon, you get a lot of play time for you money!

This was a solid way to start the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. I am looking forward to the next one and I’m sure that it will be a blast. This is definitely a great game to get and I recommend it to just about anyone. The game is fun and as long as you keep on leveling up, it shouldn’t get to be extremely hard. There is also a certified planet destroyer near the end of the game, so you may want to keep an eye out for that. I wonder which Pokemon game I’ll get next! (Rangers 2, Mystery Dungeon 2, DS Remake 2)

Overall 8/10

Yugioh World Championship 2010 Reverse of Arcadia Review

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The World Championship titles have always been my personal favorite series from the Yugioh franchise. They are always pretty fun and there are many duels to be had. This is one of the few games in the series to actually have a concrete story mode which just makes the game all the better!

The game revolves around a kid named Terry (At least in my version!) who used to be pals with Yusei and the Enforcers. After that, he went on to become one of Sayer’s Arcadia grunts. Terry would never do such a thing willingly so they brainwashed him. Terry’s mind is too strong to be controlled for long so he starts to resist and gains back some of his memories. Will he gain all of his memories back and help the heroes save the day!? Or will he stay a villain forever?

Terry is a pretty solid protagonist and he’s definitely one of the better characters in the game. He isn’t afraid of anybody and he’s a very powerful duelist. He has no equal when it comes to dueling and not even Yusei or Director Goodwin could stop him. In the game Terry is unbeatable and there is literally no duelist who can take him down. Not to mention that Terry also has the best duel runner in the world (As it would seem anyway)

Yusei is a pretty good character, but he is never able to back up his tough talk. His Duel Runner also tends to break down at the worst times. Still, Yusei will never abandon a friend and he’s much more noble than most of today’s main characters. They could certainly learn a thing or two from Yusei.

Jack Atlas is a top notch duelist in his own right as well and he always gives it his all. He’s the only signer who is able to defeat his dark counterpart without Terry’s help. He’s also a pretty solid character and I don’t see why you wouldn’t like him. For the most part, he’s a dependable hero who gets the job done. (Of course none of the heroes were as fast as Terry and ended up missing part of the final battle)

Akiza is another signer and possibly the strongest. In a duel Yusei or Jack could probably defeat Akiza, but in a physical fight, she would definitely win. Akiza has psychic powers and she is very skilled at using them. Akiza has her share of evil moments and definitely does a lot of damage, but in the end she proves that she’s a hero.

Leo and Luna are the final main characters. Leo doesn’t really do anything for the entire battle and he’s way out of his league. He doesn’t get the mark of the signer and he’s not a really good duelist. Luna does all right as well, but her dueling abilities aren’t as good as the other signers. You can blame this on the fact that she’s still a kid.

The Dark Signers make for pretty good antagonists and they’re pretty mysterious. Kallen was definitely the best Dark Signer, but Rex Goodwin was also pretty good. Director Goodwin tricked most of the main cast for the majority of the game which earns him some points. With his sheer muscle power, he could probably have defeated them in a hand to hand fight if it had come down to that.

One thing that I wasn’t crazy about in this game was that they got rid of the traditional championship mode. In the other games, there were tiers where you would beat the other characters on the tier to unlock the next one. It was a very fun way to duel and advance through the rankings. I guess Story Mode was a good replacement, but I still miss that part.

The gameplay is as great as always and you’ll never get tired of dueling. It’s pretty fast paced and you’ll find yourself in a lot of tight situations. The computer’s AI is pretty good as well. This game also features Duel Runner races which are very fun. Once you’ve got a nicely customized Duel Runner, you’ll be ready to tackle anything! There are also turbo duels which are basically a mix of the two. I think it would be fun to control the duel runner while dueling, but maybe for a sequel.

Overall, this is another solid installment to the franchise and I highly recommend it to gamers everywhere. You won’t find this intense action in many games and the cast is easily one of the better ones. I know that I’ll be picking up the sequel at some point (And you can expect a review), but until then at least I have this game to pass the time by. There is always more to do in a Yugioh game and this one has a Lot of replay value. There are many more duelists to beat and races to conquer after all.

Overall 8/10

Achievements
Beat Game

Things to do
Get all cards
Defeat All Duelists
Win All Races

Megaman X Command Mission Review


Megaman X Command Mission was a step in a brand new direction for the Megaman series. Instead of the traditional 2D gameplay, this installment used a turn based combat system. This game also marked one of the few times where Sigma was not seen at all. (Even Vile couldn’t make it) Without those heavy hitters the story could have gone south, but did it?

Before I talk about the story, let’s go into the gameplay. As I mentioned earlier, the gameplay is turn based, (Like Pokemon) but there are times when you need to input commands to maximize damage on your super attacks. You can also switch in and out with your characters during the battle depending on what strategy you are planing to use. It is easy to get the hang of the controls, but there is still a lot of strategy involved. One method of getting through the game is to just keep on leveling up over and over again until you can simply overpower the opponents. Another way is to just maximize the items that you possess and determine what the best team strategy could be. Either way the gameplay never gets repetitive and you’ll be content all the way through the game.

Animation wise, Command Mission still holds out pretty well. The character designs were well thought out and everything looks to be in place. The battles that take place during the cutscenes were greatly animated and there’s never any big animation errors or scenes where the animation drastically drops. Command Mission also features a pretty good soundtrack and it’s one of the more memorable ones in the Mega Man franchise.

Now it’s time to talk about the story. Command Mission had an incredible story and it was the highlight of the game. Megaman and co are sent to infiltrate Giga City and stop the maverick leader Epsilon. The heroes realize that this won’t be an easy task when they are ambushed by a group of very powerful mavericks. After the explosive beginning, the game starts to lose a little steam during the Massimo and Cinnamon chapters. Beyond that, the villains keep popping out of nowhere and their are many plot twists that occur. Epsilon definitely stood out as the coolest of the new characters, but Wild Jango and Scarface were also pretty excellent characters. The one flaw that I would have with the story, is that Megaman X and Zero seem to be very under powered. At this point in their career, they’ve already dealt with dozens of mavericks and they should be able to take on most of the newcomers with ease. Zero was actually losing to Mach Jentra, which is something that I find a little hard to believe. The rest of the plot makes up for this flaw and will definitely keep you eager to see what will happen next.

Mega Man X Command Mission is definitely one of the best Mega Man games to date. The gameplay was fun and the story was very exciting. I’d say that Command Mission was a great way to end the Megaman X saga and I would definitely recommend checking this game out.

Overall 8/10 Replay Value 6/10

Achievements
Beat Game
Got Ultimate forms
Got Ultimate Weapons
Beat all Side Bosses
Got all Movies

Things to do
Get all Action Figures
Get all characters to level 99