Review: Persona 3 (PS2)

Fan of RPGs? Want a game that will last you for a summer? Then look no further. Shin Megami Tensei:  Persona 3 is just the game for you; not only will it keep you occupied for a while, it challenges you and makes you think in a way that ensures you won't soon forget this Atlus title.


Persona 3 follows a male character, which you can name, that just transferred to a new high school in Tokyo. (Note: In the PSP version, you can choose between a girl or a boy character.) Shortly after, strange things start happening. At first people just go missing, but then unexplained murders start occurring. In due course, you find out about the Dark Hour, which occurs every night at midnight. It's a hidden hour, during which the world is stuck in-between dimensions. Most humans are transformed into beasts and coffins at this time, and thus they are unaware of what is happening. Turning into a coffin every night would be boring, though, so of course,  the main character isn't one of these "normal" people.


The main character becomes a part of a group called S.E.E.S. (Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad), which tries to identify the purpose of these beasts, or shadows, that appear during the Dark Hour. They also want to eliminate them as a threat to the human world. As such, gameplay is divided into night and day. You have to continue to go to school while you fight these shadows, but instead of being an annoyance, this is actually an integral part of the game. Your other S.E.E.S. members also go to school, and it is during this time that you can build relationships or social links with them. This in turn strengthens your abilities that you use to fight the shadows at night. You have personal stats as well, such as charm, academics, and courage, which effect how the game will turn out. You will be faced with decisions, and you will have to set priorities of who and what you want the most. How you relate with people and how you play the game are left entirely up to your discretion.


The battle system is turn based, and is a lot like any other RPG. You have normal attacks and magic (or Persona) attacks. Each person you acquire has different strengths and weaknesses. You have to pick your party members and equipped spells in order to best exploit the enemies' weaknesses. As mentioned before, the battle-system is standard, but well done. The only irritating thing is that you can only control the main character. While you can give commands to suggest what your teammates do, whether they follow them, or if they just stupidly make the wrong decisions, well... that's uncertain. For the most part, if you set a team member to heal, they will heal. However, there have been instances where even though I asked someone to heal me, they instead decided to attack, and I died. This was rare though, and was easily fixed with a resurrection item.


All in all, I thoroughly recommend Persona 3. Yes, it's a standard, straight-forward RPG, but it's so well done it will remind you of why you got into RPGs in the first place. The story is fantastic and engaging, the characters are likeable and have depth, and the graphics are on the high-end of the PlayStation 2's capabilities. Of course that doesn't mean it's blu-ray quality, but the graphics don't make me cringe when I see them right after playing a PS3 title, either. Give it a try, and then keep your eyes peeled for Catherine, a new release (In Japan) for the PS3/360 from Atlus. [EDITORS NOTE: I'm playing it now, so look for the review sometime soon]

Submitted By: Layanie Ahlers (Employee)

Review: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (PS3/360)

11 years. 36 characters. Two worlds. One game. This can mean only one thing: Capcom has made another fanboy dream come true. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has finally come to be, but is it any good? And if it is, can it possibly live up to the almost unbelievable hype?


Let’s be clear about something: this game is incredibly light on story, to the point where if you want any context to the game’s setting, you’ll have to go to the official website and watch their videos. Keeping a tight focus on the gameplay instead of the story, though, may be one of MvC3’s strong points. It allows the casual player to jump straight into the fun without having to wrap their head around the little details, however complicated they may actually be. The reason this works so well in the game’s favor is because the system, which was introduced in the highly acclaimed Marvel vs. Capcom 2, has been tweaked and improved to a high degree. Characters are MUCH more balanced this time around, and “Juggernauts” like Sentinel and Dr. Doom have been toned down quite a bit. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t characters that are simply better and more exploitable than the others *cough*Phoenix*cough*, but purists will more often than not be very comfortable with the competency level of the team they choose. These sentiments don’t extend to the arcade mode, though, where choosing your favorite characters, as opposed to who you’re good with, can literally get you killed against the final boss. First Gil, then Seth, then Yami, now Galactus. Capcom, I love what you do, but I think I speak for the entire gaming community when I say that if you make one more boss like this in one more fighting game, I’m going to personally come to your offices and beat somebody's butt with a 2x4 until I get an apology!


Marvel vs. Capcom 3 places a heavy emphasis on players using actual skill as opposed to button mashing. Projectile spammers can easily be thwarted by a well timed high jump or angled attack, and features like X-factor, which briefly raises your character’s overall abilities once per fight, emphasize the need to learn what your team is and is not good at if you ever want to stand a chance. The real star of the show, though, is the three-on-three battle system, which teaches you to not only be good at one character, but three simultaneously. Using good teamwork, a combo in the air or on the ground could be extended greatly, doing more damage and potentially earning you more energy for super moves. Allies can also be called in to help on the fly, dealing extra damage and potentially even breaking you out of a tough situation. It all sounds very complicated, but it’s surprisingly easy to master its quirks, and after a little practice, you’ll be racking up 50-hit crossover combo finishers in no time. If you’re still having trouble, though, the game does offer a “simple” control scheme for the characters that cuts down on the potential moves they can perform, but makes it much…well…simpler to ease into the process of learning what they can do. There’s also a “mission mode” that teaches you how to use some of a particular character’s more advanced combos, but the game lacks any kind of real tutorial or strategy coach that helps you understand what each character can do well on a fundamental level. With other fighters like BlazBlue offering such tools to beginners and casual players looking to take their skills one level further, Capcom really needs to start stepping up their game.


So, is this a history-making game with the potential to become a legend in itself? For people who enjoy fighting games: most likely. For people dissatisfied with the flaws of the last game, looking for something better: probably. For casual players just looking to have some fun: maybe. It all depends on how you approach the game, and if you’re willing to put in the practice and play by it's insane, seizure-inducing rules, there’s a lot of fun to be had.

Submitted By: WhatTheFnu (Customer)

Review: Dead Space 2 (360/PS3)

In space, nobody can hear you scream. In an EA marketing group, nobody can hear you criticize the online pass. Dead Space has returned with more spills, thrills, and most definitely chills, but does this ship have enough going for it to warrant a sophomore flight?

If you happened to miss the original game, don’t worry: there’s a convenient optional in-game movie to help you get up to speed as to why Isaac Clarke starts the game in a straight jacket. The demonic marker that Isaac thought he destroyed in the first game has been reconstructed using his memories as a blueprint, and now, the consequences are starting to show their ugly, mutated faces. It’s up to Isaac to destroy what he’s helped create, and prevent the deadly Necromorphs from spreading all over the universe. That is, if his own personal demons don’t kill him first. At the end of the day, Dead Space 2’s narrative is passable enough to keep you going, with a twist or turn here and there to keep you guessing. Just don’t get too attached to any of the characters. Half of them die before they get a chance to prove there’s more than one dimension to their personalities, and even most of the villains manage to bite the dust before you’re given enough time to develop hatred for them.

In terms of actual gameplay, Dead Space 2 has remained almost completely unchanged. The few new weapons available do little to hide the nagging feelings of Déjà vu, and strategic dismemberment of your enemies’ limbs is still the most efficient way to kill them. That said, two years down the road, it’s still extremely satisfying being able to blow every single limb off your foe’s body; it’s just lost a bit of the initial “wow” factor the original Dead Space gave. The upgrade system has been tweaked for the better, though. A more focused layout than the original ensures you’ll always be just one power node away from the upgrade you want, and that “dangling carrot” factor alone could be all you need to motivate you to the next chapter. Speaking of chapters, this game seems to be a little short on them. Playing through the story mode took me ten hours on normal, but that’s because I was doubling-back often to make sure I got the most out of the scant ammo and med-packs the game was giving me. A more skilled and efficient player could probably breeze through the entire campaign in a single sitting. Good thing, then, that there’s multiplayer, and this is where Dead Space 2 really shines. It’s hard to say which side is more unbalanced in this mode: the time-slowing miners, or the almost impossible to hit Necromorphs. It’s a rare occasion where both sides are so overpowered that it makes the overall experience more fun, and with 50 levels of upgrading to go through, there’s a lot of fun to be had. Just be aware that like all EA games, you’ll have to fork over an extra $10 to enjoy the multiplayer longer than 2 days. [EDITORS NOTE: If you purchase the game new you will not have to pay anything extra to access the multiplayer content.]

In the end, though, atmosphere is king in horror, and Dead Space 2 has that in spades. Two moments in particular stand out in my mind (both involving babies, coincidentally), and if you were thinking about getting surround sound speakers, now’s the time to do so just so you can hear every little creak, distant footstep, and low-pitched snarl coming from the shadows. Horror games haven’t looked or sounded this good in a while, and if nothing else, you definitely won’t be forgetting your trip to the Sprawl any time soon. Just pack lightly. Unless you care about bonus suits and paying extra for multiplayer, it’s a short trip.

Submitted By: WhatTheFnu (Customer)

Review: Dragon Age Origins (360/PS3)

When Bioware first came out with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, people knew that this company would continue to produce amazing, high-quality games. So, a decade after their incredible Baulder’s Gate series, they have brought the magnificent world of Dragon Age to the plate. Not only has it brought back the familiar play-style of KOTOR, but it's introduced a new element into the mix that you can never go wrong with: dragons.

The premise of Dragon Age begins with a country called Ferelden, which is facing a threat called the Darkspawn, and the only ones who can stop it are the Grey Wardens. Your character starts off with one of 7 choosable background quests, which all invariably lead to you becoming a Grey Warden. From that moment onwards, your main goal is to travel around Ferelden and gather an army to fight the Darkspawn, and to kill the Arch Demon (the leader of Darkspawn). This just so happens to be the nastiest dragon you’ll ever see, of course, and it's amazing.

What really makes Dragon Age amazing is that it's a perfect blend between Mass Effect, KOTOR, and Oblivion. This game really has a lot of depth to it that you can't find in many other games. Similar to Mass Effect, you find various companions to add to your party as you play. Each member has a special quest that unlocks once you hit a certain level of friendship with them, which adds to the already ridiculous amount of quests and things you can do. There is another, more important reason to gain your allies' trust, however; at the very last battle, all of your party members play an important role that can make a huge difference in the outcome. Let's not spoil the story though, and leave it at that.

Even more entertaining than the companion system, though, is the battles. You can switch between 4 party members and customize all of their tactics, armors, and weapons. This gives you a pretty wide variety of combinations. Each party member is either an Elf, Human, or Dwarf, and each of those races can be a Warrior, Rogue, or Mage (except Dwarves). Of those classes, there are 4 different specializations, such as Blood Mage, Reaver, Templar, Assassin, etc. As you can see, there’s quite a lot to customize for each character.

Alas, even with all of this customization, the game is lacking slightly in a few areas. After a while, battles do get pretty repetitive, and if you enjoy setting up each battle like I do, you might find yourself spending more time preparing than actually fighting. Another issue with the game is the familiarity. It's almost too familiar. Like I said earlier, it is a perfect combination of three very excellent games, but that means that it is also very similar to all of them in story as well. However, even an already known story is still pretty epic when you add dragons to the mix.

All in all, Dragon Age is without a doubt one of the better gaming choices of this decade. It's an incredibly well done, and more importantly, fun game, and it's being set up for what could be a very popular series in the future. With all of the extra-content downloads available for purchase already, I’m ready to pound out a few more intense hours with this game before Dragon Age 2 comes out on March 8^th. Do yourself a favor and pick up this amazing game, and pre-order the sequel while you are at it. You won't regret it.

Submitted By: Alex Abreu (Employee)

Review: Dragon Age Origins (360/PS3)

Import Review: Pokemon Black & White (NDS)

Finally, here comes the 5th generation of Pokemon! With 156 brand-new Pokemon, Pokemon Black and White sold 2.6 million copies on the first two days of release. As of January 9th, 5 million copies have been sold. Now, you may be thinking,"Wait, isn't that game coming out in March?" Well my friends, that's only for the USA. I personally couldn't wait for this game, so when my friend asked me what I wanted him to bring me back from his trip to Japan, Pokemon was my first choice. While I haven't completed this game, or gotten anywhere near close (since with my level of Japanese it takes me a great deal of time to play), so far, I am quite impressed.

It has some noticeable differences from the previous Pokemon games. First off, it has a 3D feel to it, and before you get too excited, I don't mean it's a 3DS game. I just mean that the graphics have more depth to them, and the world doesn't feel so flat in this one. The cut scenes have the same feeling too, and are really well done. Just by watching the opening cut scene, the graphical change in Black and White is obvious.

Also changing things up, instead of a single rival you battle throughout the game, you now have two 'rivals'/'childhood friends', Cheren and Belle. Beyond that, though, the plot remains the same: collect the badges and make it to the Pokemon League. However, I have noticed from the little I've played so far that Cheren and Belle have much larger, more significant roles in this game, as opposed to rivals from previous offerings. Basically, that means they show up a lot more often, which means more battles! Also, Team Rocket is no longer, and is now replaced by Team Plasma. They have a different belief system than Team Rocket; Essentially they think that because humans control Pokemon completely, the Pokemon are suffering, and should therefore be set free. This game is definitely more story-driven than previous Pokemon games, but it's still fairly straightforward.

I've heard that the ending of the story is completely different from other games, and it doesn't end with the Pokemon League. It also apparently has lots of replay value, as many things are not available until you complete the main story line, such as new areas and certain types of Pokemon. It's definitely strong motivation for me to keep trying to beat it! All in all, I think this is the best Pokemon game made since the original version, which is a lot coming from someone who almost lost hope in the franchise. I definitely recommend all you fans and true believers out there pick it up when it becomes available in March.

Submitted By : Layanie Ahlers (Employee)