FIFA 10 Review

Story

There is no distinct storyline to this sports game, however the closest you can get to a storyline is if you participate in the ‘Be a Pro’(having control of only one player in a match),’Virtual Pro’ or ‘Manager’(managing a team for up to 15 seasons) modes. There are also the standard challenges that you must complete in ‘Kick-off’ mode in addition to the challenges offered in the new ‘Virtual Pro Mode’. In fact it’s the ‘Virtual Pro’ mode that has set this version of the game apart from it’s predecessors, as this mode allows you to create a player (like ‘Be a Pro mode’) that is not only restricted to one mode of play. In fact they will also be available for use in the ‘Kick-off’ (exhibition) ‘Be a Pro’ and ‘Manager’ modes as you develop your player throughout their career and unlike ‘Be a Pro’ mode you can control all members of the team including your created player.

Graphics (8/10)

This was the first FIFA game that was exclusive to the new generation consoles, therefore it contains graphics of a high quality, and thus they are compatible for high definition televisions. As with all other FIFA games the facial likeliness of players depends on their stature within the world game, players such as Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi will look like themselves but players such as Jonjo Shelvey have generic faces (there are about 5-10 versions used for various players). Furthermore the ‘on field’ graphics look more real than they ever have before, if you choose the settings for various times of the day the lighting (from the sun) and shadows are distinct and it is as though you are watching a live broadcast.

Game play (8/10)

The overall movement and manoeuvring of players is the best yet allowing you to switch from weak foot to strong foot and allowing rotation in more than 8 compass directions. There is extensive opportunity to develop your game play through practice mode where you can create your own set pieces and develop the attributes of your created player. There is also more opportunity to use various skill sets whilst dribbling as well as upgrades in the A.I (artificial intelligence)of players in the game.

Sound (10/10)

As with all FIFA games available on the latest consoles, the sound is of a very good quality as sometimes you feel that you are really within the walls of the stadium, and the soundtrack contains some of the very latest music that will enhance the game play experience.

Replay Value (9/10)

The replay value of this game is relatively high because as with other FIFA games I will keep playing this game until the next one comes out and even then I may be inclined to come back to FIFA 10 in order to complete the multitude of challenges on offer!

Overall comment
This game is a must have for any genuine football fan as it will not leave you disappointed due to the realism of its visual features and the flexibility offered in Virtual Pro mode. If you are intent on owning this game, JUST GET IT! Because it’s worth it!

Design of current blog

This blog is still in its developmental stages at the time of writing and even though there are only three posts there have been changes to the blog. At the current time the blog layout has been developed into a page that has rounded side bars that separate the posts from the gadgets and the header.The colours for the heading and description are light blue so that they can be distinctive from the image behind them. Previously these were red and the layout of the page was without rounders but had a single divergent line that separated the posts from the header. Now the header has an image that is large in order to capture the viewers’ attention and it features characters from a wide range of video games and consoles to promote the diversity of the following game reviews. Previously the colours of the background and sidebar links were leaf green which made colours clash and the text of the posts were black and the posts and sidebar had the same white background. However, currently The right side bar has a dark blue background that is used to accentuate the options in the poll that are in an aqua colour and just above the side bar there is a blog roll with a leaf green background that highlights it from the opaque green background of the blog, furthermore the posts are encased in a blue/green background and have aqua coloured text with white headings and green date stamps.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Graphics (8/10)

The graphics are some of the best the Wii has to offer. And before someone complains everyone says this, look at most Wii games. They are pathetic ports of PS2 games. The Wii has proved it is better then the PS2, and this is one game that shows just that.


Image comes from gamefaqs.com

Story (3/10)

The only problem with Brawl. Well, that would be the story. Number one, the other Super Smash Bros. games didn’t have a story mode, so why did Brawl. So people would play the game for a longer amount of time. To me, if they want a story to the series, they should make something like Super Smash Bros. RPG. The story mode, called the Subspace Emissary, is based on stopping some bad guys from turning characters into trophies. The bad guys are betrayed, so everyone teams up to beat the new bad guy, a ridiculously hard boss. It’s way more fun to unlock the characters by playing X amounts of VS matches.

Gameplay (8/10)

Brawl’s gameplay has been modified since Melee, to make the game easier. Many people complain that wave dashing, and L-cancelling have been removed and that this game is focused on the casual market, like a lot of Nintendo’s games are lately. To me, I really don’t care about these things, as I never knew how to use them. So to me, the gameplay is very similar to Melee, except for the new feature that makes some characters sluggish. This really bugs me, as it makes me prefer Melee over Brawl sometimes. There’s a lot of features added to Brawl, like the vault, which is like the Xbox 360s achievement list and PS3’s trophy list, new items such as assist trophies (like poke balls, they spawn random characters) and smash balls (allows the character to use a very powerful attack that is basically a one-hit KO), customisable fights (like making all characters small, metal, and having hp instead of a percentage meter), level editor, and much more. A new feature are stickers, which can power up the character that they are placed on. Sadly, they can only be used in the Subspace Emissary.

Sound (9/10)

The music from this game is all the best music from each game series represented in Brawl, with new music specifically for the game. It has a better selection of music then Melee, with the ability to unlock music by finding CDs randomly while playing.

Replay Value (10/10)

It’s a fighting game. It’s designed for multiplayer. Basically there is nothing else to add. Its just one of those games people play with other people. If you restart this game, you have to be really bored. In order to collect everything, I have no idea how long it takes. In terms of single player, you probably wouldn’t play this game much on your own after you beat the story mode and unlock all the characters.

Overall
If you wanted a good game for the Wii, you probably already own this. If not, then buy it. Use this site for help, or want to know more about the game. One last thing I’ll add, Captain Falcon’s final smash should’ve been this.

Sonic Unleashed - PS3 version

Graphics

Sonic Unleashed is the second Sonic game released on the PS3. The graphics are similar to Sonic The Hedgehog (2006), with some differences between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. This blog actually shows the variations between the 2 versions of the game.

Story (7/10)

The story in Sonic Unleashed is quite simple. Dr Eggman uses the Chaos Emeralds to break the world, to release Dark Gaia. Super Sonic and the Chaos Emeralds have their energy drained, turning Sonic into a werehog. The game is centred around restoring power to the Chaos Emeralds.

Gameplay (3/10)

Besides Sonic The Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Unleashed has some of the worst gameplay features out of the Sonic franchise. The day stages focus on getting to the goal in the shortest possible time, while the night stages are more like a hack and slash game, rather then a Sonic game. A new feature added to this game is the switch between 2D and 3D in the levels, to try and recreate the success of the earlier Sonic games. While the game starts off easy, it becomes really hard not far into the story. Unlike previous Sonic games, if you die when the lives counter is at 1, not 0, then its game over. Unlike most games, where moving forwards, then backwards either slows down the character, or they slide, Sonic makes a small circle. That would be fine, if there was another way to slow Sonic down.
In one particular day stage, you have to air boost to a narrow ledge. Then you notice there’s a collectable on the other side, but to slow down, you have to slide, and there’s a possibility that you wont slow down before you hit the spring, making you miss the collectible. Even if you stop, moving backwards is annoying, as halfway through, the camera decides to moves, and you end up walking of the edge.


In one night stage, you have to fight a titan on top of a building. The best strategy it to attack from behind, but it can still sometimes hit you if your not perfectly behind it. While your dazed, it does a shockwave attack, and you fall to your death. That would be fine if it did it once, but it killed me about 15 times this way, and its not that hard to kill.

Some enemies that are encountered in the night stages. Image comes from Sonic News Network.

The best part about the game is the boss fights, because there’s more chance of beating it before a game over then a regular stage, mainly due to the lack of common enemies, who love to smash Sonic off the edge, and into darkness.

Sound (7/10)

It has some good music, but not the best compared to other Sonic games. A lot of the time, I wasn’t paying attention to the music, I was trying to beat the stage.

Replay Value (4/10)

Besides the major flaws in this game, it still can be fun if played in moderation. There are side quests that can be completed, although it’s hard to tell what item is for which quest. But in terms of starting a new save file, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really enjoyed the game.

Overall

Sonic Unleashed is a decent game, and is a step in the right direction for Sonic Team after Sonic The Hedgehog (2006). However, unless you are a fan of Sonic games, it would be best to rent it to see if you like it. I’m just glad they didn’t decide to call it Sonic Adventure 3, and ruin the Adventure series.

Pokemon HeartGold/Soul Silver - the remake of Gold/Silver

Graphics (7/10)

The graphics are the same as they were in Diamond/Pearl versions. At times the screen will zoom out so much, that the character sprites look really bad.

While the DS has been shown to display graphics that rival the Nintendo 64, the actual pokemon battle screens are still 2D, which is a disappointment.

Images come from IGN.com

Story

Story-wise, it is hard to give a value out of 10. The story is just like every other pokemon game, beat the gyms, defeat a Team something, beat the elite four, catch all pokemon. While it remains faithful to Gold/Silver, unlike FireRed/LeafGreen, there is not much story added to the game. There are some new areas, but not an actual story to them. The only added story is regarding the versions legendary pokemon (Lugia/Ho-oh), but it just prevents you from getting the pokemon until you gain all 8 Johto Badges.
The other new parts of the story come from WiFi events, and normally concern legendary pokemon, except for the special Pichu.

Gameplay (8.5/10)

When compared to the Gold/Silver, HeartGold/SoulSilver has more to offer gameplay-wise. There’s the Battle Frontier, which I haven’t actually tried yet. There’s also the new Pokeathlon, which is like a games event. I only have tried once, not liking it after I lost to a team due to them getting bonus points like “always last”. For more information on the pokeathlon, visit http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/pokeathlon.shtml. The Safari Zone, which wasn’t in G/S, makes a return with new features. It is fully customisable, with the ability to switch various “zones” around. You can also add blocks, which can lure rare pokemon from different regions, and aren’t obtainable any other way, except for trading. Other then that, the gameplay is the same as Gold/Silver, besides the touch screen features. One thing that really annoys me is the new GameCorner. The European versions (and possibly the American version) have had the slot machines removed and some new game added. There is no more trading money for coins, which is what I did to get 9,999 coins for Porygon. Instead, you have to earn 9,999 coins, which I could not be bothered to do.

Sound (7.5/10)

The sound is an updated version of the sounds in G/S. The only problem I have with pokemon game sounds is that after a while, it gets annoying, especially in caves where Zubat seem to be everywhere. As a bonus feature, there is a gift if all 16 badges are collected, the GB sounds, which changes the music to the 8-bit version from G/S, except for the areas with new music.

Replay Value (8/10)

Once you beat the Champion, the area of Kanto opens up, and the adventure starts all over again. There are 493 different pokemon to catch, and some only appear on certain days or times of the day. It will take a while in order to catch them all, and it has many features that will entertain the player for a while. However, replay value also includes restarting the game from scratch, and this is not the type of game that you would want to start all the way at the beginning again. The fact that HG/SS only has one save file, like all pokemon games, makes people not want to restart the game, especially with the WiFi events held only during certain times.

Overall

I would recommend buying HG/SS if you don’t mind playing pokemon games, or you want a good RPG game for the DS.