Review, Review, Reviews...

  Well, the Tomb Raider review is up. Sorry if that took approximately forever, I blame Monster Hunter. On a side note, I just picked up a PS3, so I'll probably do some PS3 game reviews in the future. But more importantly, my next review is going to be on Skyward Sword. I realize that it's been out for a while, but there's some topic that I'd like to discuss in my review that I don't ever see mentioned on other sites. We'll see though... Until then, enjoy my reviews! Bern out! -

Tomb Raider - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Version reviewed: Tomb Raider (PC)
Genre: 3rd-person action/adventure
Time to finish: 14 Hours
Trailer link: Click Here

  I have confession to make. I've never played a Tomb Raider game. I guess the overly-sexualized character of Lara Croft never interested me. With this recently released reboot of the series however, Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics are seeking to bring in new people to the series. Tomb Raider is a completely fresh take on the series, one that not only tells Lara Croft's origin story, but thoroughly redefines who she is as a character. Lara Croft has been a gaming icon for a long time. While her appeal would seem to be limited to men, she has had numerous games and movies and games made about her. Taking this into account, it was a risky move to try and redefine a character that was already so popular. So did Crystal Dynamics succeed? Let's find out.

Planetarian - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC, iOS, Android, PS2, PSP
Version reviewed: Planetarian (iOS)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalyptic

Novel Style: Linear
Opening Movie: Click Here

  With the recent iOS release of planetarian, now is the perfect time for a review. This also happens to be the first Key novel to see an official English translation. Why did Key choose Planetarian to be the first novel to translate? And what kind of story is it exactly? I hope to answer some of those questions, but more importantly, I hope to explain to you why you NEED to read this novel.

Blog Update

 With the blog rolling a a decent pace, I finally replaced the ugly banner image I was using as a placeholder. I think the new look works a lot better too. It was kinda tricky getting my design into a format that blogger would accept. (stupid 300kb size limits) In the end, it should work great for the time being. Enjoy the new look guys/gals! I hope to keep bringing you new reviews every week! Bern out-

More to come!

  Now that I've gotten those two big reviews done (MH3U, Rewrite), I can announce my future plans a bit. My next review will be Key's Planetarian followed by Tomb Raider. (I'm still playing Tomb Raider, but I should have it wrapped up and reviewed withing the next week or two) I plan to continue punctuating my larger reviews with smaller ones in the mean time. Let me know if you have review requests, or maybe suggestions for games I haven't tried. Thanks! Bern out-

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Review

Platform(s) available for: 3DS, Wii U

Version reviewed: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS)
Genre: 3rd - person action/rpg
Time to finish: Not Applicable
Trailer link: Click Here

  Ah Monster Hunter... easily one of my favorite video game series in recent times. Gamers can be divided into three groups: those that "get it", those that don't, and those that have never tried it. It's highly unlikely that I will be able to change the minds of those that don't like the series (I will address some of their complaints though). Similarly, any hardcore fan isn't going to be relying on reviews to decide whether to buy it or not. So, this review will be aimed at those who are interested in the series but have yet to give it a try.

Project Zero 2: Wii Edition - Import Review

Platform(s) available for: Wii 

Version reviewed: Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Wii)
Genre: Horror/Adventure
Time to finish: ~12 hours
Trailer link: Click Here

  The Project Zero series (or Fatal Frame in the West) has something of a cult status these days. As a series that takes its cues from Japanese horror, it represents a niche within a niche in video game culture. Considering it's relatively low profile, it was very surprising to see that Nintendo was remaking the PS2 classic for the Wii. The original game came from a time when survival horror was more survival than horror. While it did have its detractors, it held a special place in many fans' hearts, mine included. So does the remake live up to the legacy of its predecessor? Or was this just a lazy cash in by Nintendo. Let's dive in and find out.

Rewrite - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC
Version reviewed: Rewrite (pc)
Genre: Action, Romance, Fantasy
Novel Style: Branching
Opening Movie: Click Here

  Rewrite represents key's 9th main novel since the company's founding. It also happens to be the most far removed from Key's usual style of story telling. Prior to its release there was much talk about how would Key handle an action based plot while still fitting in their typical drama and comedy. I plan to discuss the controversy in a fair amount of detail though out the review. I also hope to keep it fairly spoiler free. Please understand however that revealing a few details is necessary when discussing a story as long and complex as Rewrite. With that said, does Rewrite hold true to what makes Key novels as popular as they have been? In short the answer is "sort of", I'll explain what I mean by that in my summary, but first let me jump into a brief outline of the story before I breakdown the pluses and minuses of this colossal work.

Coming soon!

  Well what have we here? A surprise review? I know that it sort of came out of the blue, but rest assured, I'm still working on my Rewrite review and I hope to have that up by the end of the week (free time permitting). In addition I can guarantee a thorough Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate review by early next week. The To the Moon review was just a short holdover until I can finish up those two big ones. In the mean time, enjoy the new review!

To the Moon - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC
Version reviewed: To the Moon (PC)
Genre: Adventure, Visual Novel
Time to finish: 3 hrs.
Trailer link: Click Here

  When I first heard about To the Moon it it immediately piqued my interest. To the Moon is one of those "story games" with little actual gameplay, and as a fan of both visual novels and video games, this fell right in to my strike zone. Looking strictly at the game's length you're probably asking yourself why a short game like this is worth your hard-earned money. Let me explain why this under appreciated gem is worth your time.

Next up...

  Well, that wraps that up. My next review will be either Rewrite or Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (I'm still reading Rewrite, so it might take a while). I also started playing the new Tomb Raider reboot. I plan to have a review up for that as soon as I finish playing it. Initial impressions are good though, Crystal Dynamics seems to have done a bang up job with this one! I hope you look forward to my review on that. On a side note, my Monster Hunter review will probably be a bit different from usual. I doubt anything negative or positive I say about the game will affect the hardcore fans' buying decision, so I plan on targeting my review at people new to the series. Till then!

Dishonored - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Version reviewed: Dishonored (PC)
Genre: first-person action, stealth
Time to finish: 16 hrs.
Trailer link: Click Here

  Bethesda's latest game, Dishonored, has you playing as Corvo, a bodyguard-turned-assassin trying to clear his name after being framed for the Empress' murder. Dishonored takes place in the rundown city of Dunwall, a city overtaken by a mysterious plague. During Dishonored's 9 missions you will traverse a large variety of environs, from dank alleyways to decorous ballrooms. While my initial impressions of the game were good, somewhere along the way things went sour. During this review I plan to explain exactly what I feel they did right with the game, along with where exactly things went wrong.

A short update

  Phew! That took some effort to get this blog off the ground! Now that I have my Dark Souls review up, I'll be writing up a review for Dishonored next. (or maybe Key's Rewrite, whichever I finish first) I must say, it was a LOT harder than I expected to write an unbiased (relatively) review for Dark Souls. I hope I kept the length in check too, I feel like I could have easily written a small book just about Dark Souls. Future reviews should be shorter though, so look forward to my next one! Let me know what you think in the comments.

Dark Souls - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

Version reviewed: Dark Souls: prepare to die edition (PC)

Genre: action, RPG

Time to finish: 38 hrs.

Trailer link: Click Here

  I recently had the pleasure of playing through From Software's punishing action/RPG, Dark Souls. Having heard a lot about the game and its allegedly insane difficulty, I couldn't resist picking up then game when it went on sale over the holidays. So does the game live up to all the hype? And is it truly as diabolical as its reputation suggests? Let's find out...

Review Guidelines

   As this is a review blog, I should probably explain my scoring standards. All future reviews will reference this post and follow these guidelines. Click past the jump to see the full list.

Welcome!

  Hi everyone thanks for stopping by to check out the blog. As I explained in the sidebar, this will primarily be a review blog. I hope you enjoy reading my reviews as much as I enjoy writing them!