Icemael
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Nov. 8, 2009
Nov. 7, 2009
  • Bayonetta Mass Effect 2 Splinter Cell: Conviction DarksidersDead Space 2Super Mario Galaxy 2
    6 hours, 5 minutes ago
  • @thecleric: The only Kojima Productions dude involved is Hideo Kojima, and he doesn't do any actual work on the game. He just gives MercurySteam, the game's actual developers, some advice. The game is hardly 'headed' by Kojima Productions.  Lords of Shadow looks pretty good, but I have my doubts. MercurySteam's track record is terrible, and the game doesn't look like Castlevania at all...
    7 hours, 38 minutes ago
  • @AjayRaz said: " @Icemael said: " @Bigandtasty said: " Dead Space isn't "proper horror" imo. It's just jump scares."Perhaps, but right now, it's all the genre has. "dead space imo isn't very scary, but more of unsettling. it's intense  "Yeah. Immersion and tension are the key words. The game never actually scares you.
    9 hours, 36 minutes ago
  • Link.  So basically, if you register for a SEGA Pass you have a slim chance of getting a demo code. Now here's my advice:  Don't do it. Instead, register a Japanese 360 account and download the demo from the Japanese marketplace. That way, you have a 100% chance of getting the demo since it's unlimited.  The Japanese 360 demo is region free and everything is in English(in the PS3 version, it isn't translated), ...
    5 minutes ago
  • 8 hours ago
  • @Bigandtasty said: " Dead Space isn't "proper horror" imo. It's just jump scares."Perhaps, but right now, it's all the genre has.
    8 hours, 10 minutes ago
  • As we all know, Shinji Mikami is currently working on something at PlatinumGames. What we don't know is what. So I'm asking you, GiantBomb forum dwellers, what kind of game would you like to see from Mikami?  Me, I'd like to see a horror game. After Silent Hill: Homecoming(which I haven't played myself, but after seeing how poorly received it was, I don't really want to) and the abomination that was ...
    10 minutes ago
  • 8 hours, 27 minutes ago
  • OH NOES, A REVIEWER AT THIS WEBSITE DIDN'T LIKE THIS GAME QUITE AS MUCH AS I DID. THE ENTIRE SITE HAS NOW LOST ITS CREDIBILITY.
    8 hours, 57 minutes ago
  • @RsistncE said: " @Icemael: When an industry dies, all firms within the industry die also. Even though Platinum is doing well if the Japanese games industry did ultimately dissolve they'd have to move to the West. Now I don't have sales figures for their games in the West but I bet they wouldn't be developing with Japanese gamers in mind so much anymore if they came to the west.  Conspiracies ...
    14 minutes ago
  • @PeasForFees said: " @Hailinel said: " @Icemael said: " @Delta_Ass said: " @Icemael said: " @Delta_Ass said: " No, I think Oblivion's probably the best so far. "I have to disagree. There are several current-gen RPGs I've enjoyed a lot more than Oblivion, Fallout 3 being one of them. "Fallout 3 seems a lot like Oblivion, except the shooting mechanic with VATS. That kinda ruins the whole game for me. ...
    12 hours, 47 minutes ago
  • @RsistncE said: "I could repond to every last bit of this wall of text or just confirm my suspcisions that you are one of the many who are hanging onto the failing Japanese gaming industry with every essence of your will. "I have never denied that the Japanese video game industry is dying. This particular developer, however, is not. Every single one of Hideki Kamiya's games has received critical acclaim, ...
    15 hours, 37 minutes ago
  • After watching that trailer... dude, I don't even know what's going on. Right now, all I want is an old-fashioned Zelda game. Charming, pixelated 2D graphics, reliable button controls, and a Link that travels like a true man -- with his feet. No weird gimmicks, no ugly 3D, and no vehicles.
    1 day, 3 hours ago
Nov. 6, 2009
Added by Icemael on Oct. 30, 2009

When we speak of video games, we usually talk about things like graphics, sound, controls and gameplay. There's nothing wrong about that -- those are all very important aspects of each and every game. But how often do we talk about emotions? After all, that's what games are all about. Emotions. It might sound silly, but think about it. Why do we like blowing people's heads off in Call of Duty? Satisfaction. Why do we enjoy action games like Uncharted 2? Exhilaration.  What makes us play horror games like Silent Hill and Fatal Frame? The relief that proceeds the tension. 
 
I'd like to take a moment to praise a game that managed to manipulate my emotions in outstanding ways: Odin Sphere. There are -- by necessity -- going to be spoilers, so if you haven't played the game and don't want it ruined for you, you probably shouldn't read this. 
   
Odin Sphere consisted of five parts, each with a different playable character. The storylines were deeply intertwined and, to some extent, parallel. In the first part of the game you play as a valkyrie called Gwendolyn, and at the beginning of Gwendolyn's story, I found myself fighting in a war. On my side were king Odin, dwarves, and other valkyries. On the other side were fairies. Gwendolyn never questioned Odin's motives, and neither did I -- the game told me to kill the fairies, so I did. They were the enemy, so they had to be evil, right? I mean, that's how it usually goes down. So I defeated the fairies' mighty dragon, and Odin slew their Queen. The good guys had prevailed, as the always do in video games, and as I progressed through the rest of the game's first part and later proceeded to the second, I forgot about these events. 
 
But the thing was, the good guys hadn't prevailed. I learned of this in the game's third part, which had me playing as Mercedes, princess of the fairies. At first I figured Mercedes was an innocent in a nation of villains, and that her mother would be a cruel witch with a heart of stone. I mean, the game wouldn't have made me kill innocents, right? Not so. The queen of the fairies -- the one I had helped kill -- was benevolent and kind, and so were the other fairies. Odin's only reason for declaring was against the fairies had been greed. I had helped kill countless innocent creatures, and why? Because I was told to. I had never questioned, or even cared about the reason I was killing them. The game had told me to do it, and for me, that had been enough.  
 
I felt guilt. No other piece of fiction has ever made me feel guilt, and you know what? I think Odin Sphere deserves a LOT of credit for managing to manipulate emotions in the way it did. 
 
So, people, did you feel the same when playing Odin Sphere? Do you have any examples of other games that have played with your emotions? Go ahead, discuss.
Related to: Odin Sphere


Added by Icemael on Oct. 16, 2009

I've been excited for Bayonetta since the first time I saw it. The art style, the music, the insane over-the-top action... everything just clicked. It was love at first sight. However, there's this gnawing worry that's constantly been there, in the back of my head. What if the game wasn't as good as it looked? What if it was just all flash and no substance? What if the game was shite? Now, don't get me wrong. I never expected the game to be horrible --  after all, this is a Kamiya game we're talking about --  but still, what if it was
 
Today, I downloaded the Japanese demo on my 360. The gnawing worry is now gone. In its place is more excitement, which is impressive, considering how excited I already was. That's right folks, the game's good. Damn good. 
 
Try and imagine a game that takes the best aspects(and only the best aspects) from God of War and Devil May Cry, and seamlessly merges them into one experience. Now try and imagine that, except better, and with a whole slew of originality. That's Bayonetta.
 
So, what makes the game so good? For starters, it's beautiful. Like, really beautiful. The art design is as colorful as it is intricate, and the crisp graphics and the rock-solid framerate do it more than justice. Small details like Bayonetta's butterfly-shaped shadow and the lip-shaped lock-on reticule give the game tons of character, and spectacular special effects never cease to amaze. Simply put, Bayonetta is a visual feast. The music if good, too -- the R&B(I think -- I'm not exactly the most knowledgeable dude in the world when it comes to music) soundtrack sounds really nice, and aside from being a perfect fit for the feminine-yet-wild feel the game is going for, it's also a breath of fresh air after Devil May Cry's brain-dead butt-rock. 
 
But if you've watched the trailers, you already know all that. What the trailers can't tell you, however, is what the game plays like. I'll tell you what the game plays like. It plays better than any action game on the market. It has the combos of Devil May Cry, except better. It has the freedom(in that you don't need to lock onto enemies) of God of War, except better. It's fast-paced, it's exhilarating, it's deep -- Christ, I'm telling you. So smooth. So polished. So much fun.
 
Forget about Devil May Cry, forget about God of War, and forget about those games with the boobs and the crazy ninja who dies all the time. Bayonetta's demo was more fun than all those games combined. I, for one, can't wait for January. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna go replay the demo for the umpteenth time.
Related to: Platinum Games, Bayonetta


Added by Icemael on April 8, 2009

Yet another sequel I'd like to see:

Fatal Frame V

While it's not even certain if the fourth one is getting released here in Europe, I'm already longing for a fifth entry in the series. The first one I played was Fatal Frame II, and it's the scariest game I've ever played. To be honest, I haven't even finished the game because it's so damn scary. The fact that your only weapon is a camera and that you're playing as a weak girl certainly added to the scare factor, and the ghosts were creepy as heck. Girls in closets, boys peeking through windows and women in boxes, each of them scaring me to the point where I just want to turn off the game. The first game in the series wasn't really scary, but had loads of creepy atmosphere and a pretty good story. What I'd like to see in a sequel is:

  • Graphics.

I don't have anything against the Wii, but when it comes to horror, I think good graphics would add a lot more to the experience than motion control. In my opinion, the next Fatal Frame should be on PS3 and 360.

  • Over the shoulder.

While set camera angles work pretty well, the RE4-style perspective in FFIV looks even better. You can't see ghosts behind you, and you never start running in the wrong directon because of a sudden change of camera angle. If a sequel is made, they should definitely keep the new camera.

  • No more cheapness.

The ghosts in the Fatal Frame games like being cheap. Teleporting, shooting projectiles that follow you, and dashing at you faster than a jet plane. I know that you're supposed to feel weak and helpless in survival horror games, but the ghosts in this series just frustrate me. There are ways to make you feel desperate without making enemies cheap.

I think that's it. Now, I'm gonna go finish Fatal Frame II. On second thought, maybe not.

Previous sequels I'd like to see:



Added by Icemael on April 4, 2009

Another sequel I'd like to see. This time it's...

Metroid Prime 4

I have actually only played one game in the series, Metroid Prime 3. I was thinking of buying the two previous ones, but then the New Play Control ports were announced, and I decided to wait. Anyhow, MP3 was an amazing game. Some of the best graphics I've seen on the Wii, great art design and music, and incredible atmosphere. Hell, even the title screen is brimming with atmosphere. Coupled with the well-implemented IR control and the nicely balanced mix of puzzles and action, it makes for a pretty awesome game. I'd love to see a sequel, and it would be cool to see the following things in it:

  • Stealth.

    Samus can morph into a small ball, which seems perfect for stealth. It would be really cool to morph, roll up behind an unsuspecting enemy, lay a concussion bomb and then roll away while hearing the explosion accompanied by the enemy's scream. Perhaps it'd be hard to implement into the Metroid Prime formula, but I think it'd be awesome if they got it right.

  • Horror.

    As I said, Metroid Prime 3(and, from what I've heard, 1 & 2 as well) is incredibly atmospheric. Some of the areas, like the Xenoresearch Lab and the GSF Valhalla were quite creepy, but they could take it a step further. Make some really dark areas(a flashlight that automatically turns on in these areas would be good) with creepy monsters jumping out from air vents or holes. This, of course, would only be in certain areas - the environments in the game would still be varied with lava caves, jungles and stuff like that.

  • Weapons.

    The shooting was definitely not the best part of MP3. The aiming worked pretty well, but the shots took time to reach their targets, making it easy to miss, the weapons lacked impact, and there were just two of them in the entire game(they were upgraded over the course of the game, but still...). The solution: Make it more like an FPS. Before you go "ZOMG it's gonna turn into a generic shooter, go back and play Halo lol", the rest of the game would still be the same. The exploration, the atmosphere, the puzzles - the combat is the only thing that would change. Give me a handful or different weapons that can be upgraded over the course of the game(much like the recent Resident Evil games and Dead Space), and give them some impact.

I know Retro Studios have said that MP3 was the last one is the series, but hey, a man can dream...

Previous sequels I'd like to see:




Added by Icemael on April 3, 2009

I thought I'd write some stuff about sequels I'd like to see, and what I'd like to see in them. The third one is...

Mega Man Zero 5

I've always ben a big fan of the Mega Man games, and if you ask me, the best ones were the Mega Man Zero games. In addition to your trusty Buster you had the Z-saber, which you could use to slice enemies in half. In the three first games you also had the Shield Boomerang and a rod-type weapon, but in the fourth(and, in my opinion, best) one you got the Z-Knuckle. By killing an enemy with it, you could take it's weapon. Whenever you got tired of it(or spotted a nicer one), you could discard it and use your knuckle to get a new one. Also, weather played a part in the game, affecting the difficulty of different stages, and sometimes opening up new paths.

Now, maybe you're thinking "But hey, what about the Mega Man ZX games. Those are kinda sequels to the Zero games, right?". Yeah, they kinda are. The problem is they're not nearly as fun as MMZ4. The transformations that replaced the Zero games' EX skills are mostly lame as hell, the weapon stealing and body chips are gone(as well as the weather system), and the level design is worse.

I'm not gonna make a list of the stuff I want in a new Mega Man Zero game, because all I want is more Mega Man Zero. Keep the Z-Knuckle, the EX skills and the difficulty, and let me slice fools with my lightsaber - that's all they have to do to satisfy me.

Previous sequels I'd like to see:



Icemael's Reviews
A fresh take on an old genre. (XBLM)
Introduction:Shadow Complex is a side-scrolling action-adventure in the vein of the Metroid and Castlevania games, and was developed by Chair Entertainment . The game was released on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points($15). Players take on the role of Jason Flemming, who stumbles upon a secret underground base -- ...
Reviewed by Icemael on Aug. 25, 2009

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.
This game's flaws are few and easy to forgive. (X360)
Introduction:Tales of Vesperia is the first in the long-running   'Tales'   series to appear on current-generation consoles. It's a Japanese role-playing game(abbreviated as JRPG), and was developed by   Namco Tales Studio . The game puts the player in the shoes of ex-knight Yuri Lowell, who sets out to ...
Reviewed by Icemael on July 21, 2009

5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
One of the finest platformers out there. (PS2)
Introduction: Prince of Persia is an action-adventure with heavy focus on acrobatic platforming. It was developed by Ubisoft Montreal, and was released for the PC, XBOX, GameCube and Playstation 2 back in 2003. At the beginning of the game, the titular Prince makes a horrible mistake and unleashes the Sands ...
Reviewed by Icemael on June 19, 2009
An enthralling experience. (X360)
Introduction: Prince of Persia is an acrobatic platformer, developed by Ubisoft Montreal. The premise of the game is simple: Ahriman, the God of darkness, has been freed from his prison and corrupted the land. The Prince(whose real name never is revealed in the game), along with the magic-wielding princess Elika, ...
Reviewed by Icemael on May 26, 2009
A God amongst action games. (PSP)
Introduction:God of War: Chains of Olympus is the prequel to the critically acclaimed Playstation 2 games God of War I & II. You'll once again take control of the merciless Spartan Kratos, serving the Greek Gods to rid himself of his nightmares. Chains of Olympus is a 3D action game ...
Reviewed by Icemael on May 20, 2009
Pure awesomeness. (PSP)
Good Stuff:Looking goodWipeout Pure is a beautiful game. While the graphics are pretty good for a PSP game, what makes it stand out from other racing games is the art style. The game takes place in year 2197, and instead of racing with cars, you control hoverships. There are 10 ...
Reviewed by Icemael on May 17, 2009
An absolutely fantastic role-playing game. (PSP)
Introduction:Tales of Eternia was originally a PSone game - it was released in North America under the name Tales of Destiny II(the real Tales of Destiny II, however, was never localized), and has now been ported to the PSP for release in Japan and Europe. It is a JRPG, and ...
Reviewed by Icemael on May 6, 2009
Crazy, over-the-top, viewtiful action. (PS2)
Introduction:Viewtiful Joe is a 2.5D beat 'em up, developed by Clover(makers of Okami and God Hand). While it sports 3D graphics, the game plays like a 2D side-scroller. Now that you know what kind of game it is, let's move on to the review.Good stuff:Viewtiful worldThe game looks really, really ...
Reviewed by Icemael on April 17, 2009
Let us go out this evening for pleasure. (PSP)
Good stuff:Awesome threesomeYou get not one, not two, but three games in one. At first, only the 2.5D remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is available, but after finding two secret items you'll be able to play both the original RoB, and the PSone classic Symphony of the Night. If ...
Reviewed by Icemael on Feb. 13, 2009

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
A gruesomely immersive experience. (X360)
Good stuff:The sound design is brilliant. While walking through the dark corridors you'll hear the distant roars of monsters, eerie singing and ominous crying. The screaming of a Necromorph jumping out of a nearby air vent is accompanied by a suitable crescendo, only to be replaced by an unpleasant silence ...
Reviewed by Icemael on Feb. 13, 2009


Date Joined: July 22, 2008
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dudacles 2 weeks ago
dudacles just put up his Prototype review; check it out!
GreggD 3 weeks, 2 days ago
GreggD is totally excited from tonight's acquisitions
Kowalski 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Bioshock is fantastic, can't wait for II.
Decimator 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Decimator is BACK @ GIANTBOMB!
raven_squad 3 months, 3 weeks ago
raven_squad is enjoying the hell out of Black Lagoon.
Ishoturface 4 months, 3 weeks ago
ummmmmmm.. wut?
ISuperGamerI 5 months, 3 weeks ago
ISuperGamerI is waiting for his Achievements to appear on GB, lol.
LuckyWanderDude 7 months, 2 weeks ago
LuckyWanderDude is back to editing some indie pages...