Playstation 3 Reviews S-Z

It would easy to write off Space Ace as "Dragon's Lair in space" but I think that would be giving this game too much credit! If Dragon's Lair was a video game masquerading as a movie, then Space Ace is a movie masquerading as a video game. Dragon's Lair offered a series of brief challenges in enclosed spaces, making it possible to logically deduce your next move (in theory). In the expansive universe of Space Ace however, you're at the mercy of blinking prompts, or more likely - trial and error! Many of the moves completely defy logic! In terms of visual flair, Space Ace is beyond reproach. Moderns games wish they had graphics like this! The artistic backgrounds look like oil paintings and the animation is rendered with style. The game stars a dorky kid named Dexter who periodically transforms into a muscular stud. The non-stop action will have you leaping between crumbling ledges, dodging shooting lava, and blasting robots with your laser gun. The diverse stages will have you roller-skating through a collapsing maze and racing away from chicken-hog aliens on bikes. In one memorable sequence you battle a blue giant who systematically shoots himself to oblivion as you hop around his body. Space Ace contains a number Star Trek references (tribbles!) and Star Wars references that are a lot less subtle (is that the Death Star?) The game is more fun to watch than play. Its lengthy sequences are hard to complete, and one screw-up sends you back to the start. The action unfolds so quickly you often can't see what's coming, and you don't always get a flashing prompt to help you along. In some cases you'll complete an entire section, only to be presented with a mirrored version of the exact same sequence! Periodically you have the option to "energize" by pressing the action button. This branches the story slightly, but it can't compensate for the game's flaws. I seriously doubt I would have reached the ending (which is about three seconds long) if not for my friend Steve's perseverance. Fortunately you also have the option of sitting back and watching the story play out in its entirety. If you're a fan of animation you can bump up the grade by one letter, and if you pumped quarters into the original arcade game (like Steve), you can bump it up by two letters. But for most gamers, Space Ace will be a beautiful-looking exercise in frustration. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

As a fan of the Time Crisis series since its inception (Playstation,1997), I am truly disappointed with this next-generation effort. The intro depicts a dam in a thick jungle, and I was licking my chops in anticipation of being plunged into some gorgeous tropical scenery. But instead Time Crisis 4 (TC4) begins in an airport - one of the most overused light-gun locations ever! Other uninspired places in the game include a dock, warehouse, cave, forest, and research facility. Time Crisis has never been known for its cutting edge graphics, but the degree of detail here seems more on par with a PS2 game. The storyline is a real snore-fest, replete with two cocky, spiky-haired heroes spouting hackneyed dialogue like "Let's do this!" Like previous Time Crisis games, your character moves automatically as you shoot enemies that come out of the woodwork. Just take care not to shoot your partner in the back of his head - that's really inconsiderate. I find it amusing how two or three terrorists will suddenly pop up right in your face, pausing just long enough for you to blow them away. Ducking for cover lets you avoid incoming projectiles, switch weapons, regain health, and automatically reload. The highlight of TC4 is a high-speed helicopter chase through a city. Not only is it a wild ride as you swerve between skyscrapers, but you fire a gatling gun non-stop at trucks and other helicopters, leaving massive devastation in your wake. A Guncon 3 controller is included with the game, but it requires you to run two sensors along the top of your TV - a real pain in the ass if your PS3 is not close by (I had to use a USB extension cable). The gun's accuracy is decent, but it feels cheap with its wonky thumbsticks and poorly-labeled buttons. Time Crisis 4 would have been respectable had it stuck to the original recipe, but the developers had to get fancy. As a result, you'll spend an inordinate amount of time blasting swarms of "Terror Bite" beetles (a la The Mummy). Ugh! Who in their right mind came up with this stupid idea?! Also, certain stages force you to fight enemies on multiple fronts, aiming off-screen to "swing around". Not only are these sequences unresponsive control-wise, but they are just irritating and pointless. In addition to the standard arcade mode, there's a new story mode that plays like a first-person shooter (FPS) - from hell. Lacking both the raw thrills of a light-gun game and the fine control of a FPS, it's a complete disaster. Time Crisis 4 offers a two-player mode, but each player gets his own small screen, which is lame. I don't ask much from my light gun games, but Time Crisis 4 failed to meet even my modest expectations. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

The early Time Crisis games set the standard for light-gun shooting action, but the franchise has been in decline. This disk actually contains three individual games, making it quite a value (or so it would seem). You get Time Crisis: Razing Storm, the arcade mode of Time Crisis 4, and Deadstorm Pirates. Each requires a separate installation process, and they can chew up about 10 GB of space when all is said and done! I used my Guncon 3 light gun to play, but the new Move controllers are also supported. The headliner, Time Crisis: Razing Storm, is pure adrenaline pumping action from start to finish. You and your squad have been dropped into an urban warzone in the Middle East where you're attacked by enemy soldiers backed up by some menacing mechanical monstrosities. The "Kraken" is an enormous metal octopus outfitted with missile launchers, and the "Raptors" look like something out of Robocop. This game is a little crazy. Instead of watching enemies slowly filter in, the camera will swing around to reveal 20 terrorists in your face about to pull the trigger. The destruction quotient is off the charts, and it's often necessary to level nearby buildings in order to reveal hiding enemies. The machine gun is your primary weapon, and while you can spray bullets liberally, you'll want to give priority to the big red circles which indicate someone is about to fire. Like most light gun games, you're not in control of your movements, so you can just sit back and blast away. In addition to machine guns, the game will put other weapons in your hands at strategic moments, including a missile launcher, cluster gun, and sniper rifle. Razing Storm offers solid arcade action but Namco managed to totally ruin it. First, there's the business of unlimited continues. Since you can't adjust these, there's no challenge. Playing for score would have been a viable option, but there are no local rankings, so your scores are not saved. You need to be on-line to access the bulk of the features, which is preposterous for a light gun title. The story mode lets you move freely instead of "on rails", but like the one in Time Crisis 4, it's an uncontrollable mess. What saves the entire package is the inclusion of Deadstorm Pirates, which puts you in the role of a pirate at sea armed with magical golden pistols that fire like machine guns. It's like Pirates of the Caribbean meets Rambo! The exhilarating stages let you fight off skeletons boarding your ship, blast your way through caves stocked with gunpowder, careen down wild river rapids, and fight a Kraken in a whirlpool. The tropical scenery is gorgeous and the brisk pacing makes the game feel like a high-speed thrill ride. It's also the only game of the bunch to feature limited continues (not adjustable though) and local high scores. Razing Storm is a hard package to grade. Each game is a first-rate shooter at its core, but Namco mishandled them badly by limiting your options and shamelessly forcing the on-line issue. Whether by laziness or incompetence, Namco really dropped the ball. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

Toy Story 3 begins with one of the most exhilirating stages I've ever played in a video game. You view our hero Woody from behind as he rides a horse through a desert canyon. As you dodge boulders and jump over fences, flying saucers fire lasers from all sides and the ground crumbles below your feet. It's incredibly fun and the eye candy is off the charts! That exciting sequence is followed by a high-speed train ride where you defeat aliens by throwing toy balls at them. It's top-notch entertainment while it lasts, but then you're dropped into a "toy box" mode which brings the momentum (and fun) to a screeching halt. For the first time in a Toy Story game, you have an "open world" you can customize to your heart's content. Big freakin' deal. This miniature western town has loads of characters to converse with, hidden secrets to unlock, and endless errands to run. It's easy to make progress, but there's no pay-off and it all feels like a pointless exercise. After a while I realized I could select other stages from "world map", but none were very compelling. The cooperative stages are well designed but marred by erratic controls, like when you hit a button to release an army man from his parachute and it doesn't respond. The Buzz Lightyear shooting stage is an absolute mess as you fly through a windy canyon while blasting floating rocks. Constantly pressing the right trigger to fire is tiresome, and it's hard to judge your proximity to the walls. Looking on the bright side, Toy Story 3's superb visuals are comparable to the films, and the cut-scenes very humorous and worth watching. This is an uneven effort - the kind of game that gets you excited at the outset but fails to hold your attention for long. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

Since making a name for itself on the Nintendo 64 in 1997, the Turok series has long been in decline, but this new chapter may reinvigorate the franchise. The first-person shooting (FPS) action begins when Turok and his fellow space marines crash-land on a planet crawling with enemy troops and dinosaurs. The jungle scenery would have been more impressive if I hadn't already played Halo 3 (Xbox 360, 2007), but the lush, organic setting is still pretty awesome. The high, rustling weeds offer plenty of places to hide, yet convey a paranoid feeling that you're being stalked. Turok must not only contend with soldiers who offer a tactical challenge, but dinosaurs who prefer to go for the throat. If you're lucky, dinosaurs will wreak havoc on an enemy camp, or better yet turn on each other. Naturally, the T-Rex steals the show, and from the first glimpse, you know it's only a matter of time before you'll have to face him one-on-one. The dinosaur animation is completely convincing, and the texture of their skin is amazing. The first-person shooting action is typical, employing stealth attacks, sniping, grenades, and dual weapons. But instead of a health meter, your vitality is reflected by redness that creeps in from the edge of the screen as you take damage. Taking cover allows you to heal - a concept lifted straight from Halo (I won't even bring up the "spider tank". Whoops.) Turok's primary weapon is his bow which reflects his American Indian heritage. The longer to pull back, the harder the shot, and it's really satisfying to pin a soldier against a crate! One glaring issue is the touchy aiming. The analog stick of the PS3 controller is sensitive enough as it is, but moving, firing a weapon, or taking a hit throws your aim way off. As a result, during intense firefights you just tend to spray bullets and hope for the best. Turok deserves to be applauded for its violence and gore. The splattering of blood against walls is spectacular, and special knife attacks (presented in third-person view) are Mortal Kombat-worthy. The audio is also exceptional, with an adrenaline-pumping soundtrack and expertly recorded voiceovers. Turok is a linear game, but does a wonderful job of hiding it, as you never feel like you're being led around. An auto-save feature kicks in regularly, except in really hard areas, where it seems nowhere to be found! It's bad enough to replay long stretches, but reloading the last checkpoint is slow (thanks a lot Blu Ray!) Turok's multiplayer mode supports up to 16 players on-line. It took a while for this game to grow on me, but my friends were crazy about Turok from the start. No doubt I'll be getting a lot of flak for not giving this game an A. I don't think it's quite as fun as Halo, but Turok is consistently intense and exciting, and shooter fans will have a hard time putting down their controller. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

Many critics failed to recognize the greatness of the first Uncharted, but now I see they've all jumped on the bandwagon. Better late than never boys! No question about it, Among Thieves is an exotic adventure that hones the Tomb Raider formula to perfection. This time our hero Nathan Drake (hey, isn't that Nick Lachey?) is on the trail of Marco Polo's lost expedition in search of a mythical stone in the Himalayan Mountains. At any given time, you can expect Nathan to have a shapely chick - or two - at his side, and who's complaining? Uncharted 2 has a substantial initial load time, but once the action kicks in, disk access is undetectable. The game's diverse environments include a war-torn city, a dense jungle, a Turkish museum, icy mountain passages, and a snowy monastery. There are elaborate tombs with immense statues, gears, and pulleys. The scenery is astonishing, and there were many times when I wanted to stop and look around but couldn't due to the breakneck pace of the game! Cleverly-designed stages constrain your movements without having you feel constrained. The city stages offer breathtaking views and realistic details like pigeons that flutter away as you approach. The jaw-dropping "shootout-on-the-train" stage defies description - it's incredible! Uncharted 2's gameplay offers an ideal combination of stealth, exploration, climbing, puzzles, pulse-pounding chases, and chaotic shootouts. The controls are supremely forgiving. Nathan will automatically grasp ledges while falling and reach out to indicate if the next ledge is close enough to leap to. The ability to fire a gun while hanging from any ledge adds a whole new dimension to shoot-outs. You can save your progress at any time, and frequent checkpoints ensure you'll never have to repeat long stretches. Among Thieves places a heavy emphasis on the story, with frequent cut-scenes that initially give you the feeling of being strung along. That would be a liability in most games, but Uncharted 2's cinematics are a real treat. Yes, they latch onto every action movie cliche you've ever seen, but it's all in good fun. The likeable characters are rendered with subtle facial expressions, and the voice acting is fantastic. Whoever wrote this dialogue is brilliant! I love it! The characters consistently toss out genuinely funny one-liners, and the profanity is thankfully restrained. Last but not least, the triumphant orchestrated musical score is momentous - worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. The game clocks in at about 11 hours, and while many adventures pad their playing time with repetitive, time-consuming tasks, Uncharted 2 has zero filler. Among Thieves is so grand and well produced that pointing out minor glitches like awkward camera angles or stuttering animations seems almost petty. When it comes to making a playable video game, the Naughty Dog development team really "gets it", and with Uncharted 2 they've delivered one for the ages. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

The fact that I couldn't pull myself away from this game is a testament to its tremendous production values, intelligent stage designs, and highly tuned difficulty. Uncharted 3 takes explorer Nathan Drake on an action-packed thrill ride from underground London to a burning French Chateau to a rusty ship yard to an ancient desert city. The pacing is breathless and it seems like every ten minutes Drake finds himself dangling precariously for dear life. Several friends join him throughout his quest and the game thoughtfully includes a two-player split-screen coop mode. The characters are very likeable with the exception of his love interest Elena who can be a pain in the ass at times. The intriguing storyline borrows heavily from classic action films, and Indiana Jones fans will be rolling their eyes a lot. One of the early chapters offers a flashback to Drake's youth when he was a dead ringer for Michael J. Fox. For the bulk of the game Drake is on the trail of a lost relic while being pursued by thugs in suits and ties (Oh no! Republicans!!). Drake is one crazy monkey man. He can scale walls, hang by his arms, swing on ropes, and make great leaps over yawning chasms. Climbing in most games is slow and tedious, but here you can traverse treacherous cliffs with ease. The controls seem to work with you - not against you. The animation is interesting. Typical video game characters look stiff when they run but Drake leans from side-to-side, pushes off of things, and his momentum is a factor. He'll automatically perform special moves like slamming a door on a pursuer, smashing a nearby bottle over a thug's head, or snatching a gun out of the air. The environments are incredibly detailed, beginning with a rainy London at night with its wet streets shimmering under the street lamps. When you get a nice panoramic view of the city it doesn't look static; you can see the movement of cars in the distance. Uncharted 3's puzzles are extremely inventive and never frustrating. The hand-to-hand combat is amazing at first, but it does tend to fall into predictable patterns over time. The lack of an auto-aim makes the shootouts challenging and exciting, but turning while aiming is slow (what happened to analog control?). There are some adrenaline-pumping chase scenes that are surprisingly long. The voice acting is superb and the dialogue never stoops to the level of forced profanity. Your progress is auto-saved every minute. Uncharted 3 is highly cinematic and even though it leads you around by the nose it doesn't feel like you're being led around by the nose. Once you start getting tired of a location (like the shipyard), there's an unexpected turn of events which lands you in a completely fresh venue. The set pieces are massive as you survive collapsing ruins, sinking cruise ships, and crashing cargo planes. Even the ending lives up to its promise, bringing Uncharted 3 - and the trilogy - to a proper and satisfying conclusion. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

When I think of summertime activities, I think of going to a ballgame, relaxing on the beach, playing tennis, and raiding ancient ruins for treasure. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is to video games what Indiana Jones is to movies. Gamers should be falling over themselves with unbridled joy over this gorgeous game. Man, we are some spoiled bastards! Uncharted was developed by Naughty Dog, the good people who refined platform gaming with their PS1 hit Crash Bandicoot (1997). And here they go again with another first-rate jungle adventure! Uncharted is jam-packed with amazing sights, exciting shootouts, and one death-defying stunt after the next. You'll also cruise jungle rivers on a jet ski and embark on a high-speed jeep chase. Uncharted's scenery really steals the show with its dense foliage, partly submerged ruins, crumbling monasteries, and fortresses rising up at the edge of the sea. Jumping between crumbling cliffs is a lot more exciting when you're staring over the top of a magnificent waterfall! I often found myself gawking at the scenery, and with 60 hidden treasures, you'll want to explore every nook and cranny. The star of the game is a likeable, wisecracking guy named Nate (Nick Lachey?), and he's joined by a blonde reporter (Helen Hunt?). Nate really puts his whole body into his leaps, and it looks amazing. His clothes become visibly soaked when they get wet, and gradually dry. While similar to Tomb Raider, Uncharted's pacing is faster, the puzzles easier, and the controls are practically idiot-proof. This is one of the few games I've completed without once looking the manual or an FAQ, partly due to an ingenious hint system (hit L2) that prods you along before you get stuck. Wall climbing and ledge-jumping has never been so effortless, and the shootouts combine a Gears of War-style cover system with simple aim-and-shoot mechanics. Let's face it - in most games auto-targeting is used to compensate for lousy controls, but here they aren't necessary. Granted, enemy thugs can absorb a lot of bullets, but that's okay, because so can you! There's no health meter, but the screen loses color as you take damage, and you reconstitute health by staying out of harms' way. Uncharted's plot is compelling, and the dialogue features true-to-life lines like "Sweet - that's why I'm talkin' bout!" (after finding an Uzi) and "Where'd all these guys come from?!" (after an ambush) Uncharted's single misstep occurs late in the game when it temporarily becomes a Resident Evil knock-off for no good reason. It's a shame a game this fresh had to fall back on such a tired formula. Even so, Uncharted is a summer blockbuster of a game that had me absolutely riveted from beginning to end. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

I was pretty stoked about this new winter Olympics title, but ultimately dismayed by the way Sega handled it. Vancouver 2010 gets off to a rocky start by warning players that certain features are only available on-line, including the ability to view your records. Perhaps "Vancouver Online" would have been more fitting, as the game displays blatant distain for off-line players. Before you do anything, be sure to turn off the music from the options menu, because it really doesn't mesh with the Olympic theme. Before competing, each player must select a country and enter his name. That's fair, but the screen that facilitates this is the epitome of poor software design! My friends and I must have accidentally exited to the main menu about six times before getting it right. Unlike classic Olympic titles like Winter Games (Atari 7800, 1987), Vancouver 2010 feels terribly disjointed. There are no opening or closing ceremonies, and this lack of pageantry detracts from the overall experience. It's a shame, because the events themselves are pretty good! Prior to each you have the option of participating in a brief interactive tutorial. The control scheme is intelligent, the camera angles are optimal, and split-screen is used where applicable. Downhill skiing is a blast, offering breathtaking views as you careen down the slopes and navigate the winding course with pinpoint control. The sensation of speed is enhanced by blur effects, you can almost feel the wind resistance! The only thing that sucks are those annoying beeps indicating you're running behind the leader (as if I didn't know that!) The slalom events are trickier, mainly because it can be tough to see the flags. The snowboarding events are very similar to skiing, but incorporate a jumping aspect. The ski jump event has a myriad of gauges that effectively convey the subtle nuances of the sport. The women's speed skating and aerial events have learning curves that limit their fun. You might expect the bobsled, luge, and skeleton to be the most exciting events, but in fact you'll tire of them quickly. Each requires two lengthy runs, and all occur on the same track. Once all the events are completed, you are unceremoniously kicked back to the main menu. Although Vancouver clearly tracks high scores per profile ("it's a new personal best!"), there's no way to view these records off-line, and that really stinks. Sega's Winter Heat (Saturn 1997) let you view records locally, but I guess Sega lost the technology. A challenge mode offers mini-games like hitting snowmen on a slalom course or reaching a certain speed in bobsled, but it didn't hold my interest. Vancouver 2010 offers some impressive visuals and exciting multiplayer action, but Sega needs to get its act together and focus on making games that are fun for everybody. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

How the mighty have fallen! Once the reigning champ in the world of one-on-one fighters, this hastily assembled fifth edition drops Virtua Fighter squarely into the realm of mediocrity. Yes, I realize Virtua Fighter 5 (VF5) has received glowing reviews from other sources, but I get the impression that those critics made up their mind before they even played the freakin' game (you know the PS3 cheerleader types). The sharp-looking characters are meticulously detailed, but they don't mesh well with the underlying game engine. If anything, the increased resolution just accentuates their stiff movements and lousy collision detection. Most hits feel soft, and some register when clearly no contact was made. In one extreme example, I actually witnessed a guy pick up and throw a chick without even touching her! The skin textures look remarkable, but the rigid, expressionless faces aren't even in sync with the dialogue. The controls are less responsive than VF4, the characters poorly balanced, and the matches lack the same "flow". Throws are hard to initiate, and side steps are also problematic. There's no shortage of hot babes, but there are no "jiggle" effects, and worst yet, the most revealing outfits are locked from the outset (curses!). And where's the innovation? Couldn't Sega make fighters that model damage, or at least grow tired as their health wears down? VF5 is also saddled with the most poorly-designed, counter-intuitive data loading system in recent memory. The first time you play, the game prompts you to create some kind of mysterious user data, warning that "the process will take several minutes to complete". What the [expletive]?! After that ordeal, whenever you load the game you'll be interrogated by a series of load prompts, and sometimes it takes forever to reach the title screen. The main menu offers the familiar modes, including arcade, versus, quest, and practice. In versus, each player needs to create additional data to save his progress, and the interface is horrible. In order to simply enter a name for your data you must exit versus mode, access the options menu, and then traverse a "customization" menu. So when did Sega forget how to design video games? If you forgo the user data, the game doesn't record statistics, and that stinks. The news isn't all bad for Virtua Fighter fans however. The rounds are ideal in length (read: short), so even best of seven contests seem reasonable. There are a gazillion moves to choose from, and they're all listed in the manual as well as the pause screen. The waterfall and outdoor party mansion scenes are magnificent, but most stages are far less interesting, and many are boxed in by unsightly fences. There's still some competitive fun to be had, but after ruling the previous generation, I was expecting Virtua Fighter 5 to set a new standard, not play second fiddle to Dead or Alive. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.