Posts ByAuthor: pedrolabate
[DLC Review] Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss
November 5, 2012 | pedrolabate | 16 Comments
I’m a great fan of Dark Souls for so many reasons I can’t even quote them without making a huge paragraph about it, so if you’re actually interested in my opinion, you can read my review of it HERE. When Dark Souls was announced for PC, it also brought another piece of news that kindled my heart: the extra content would be available for PS3 users as DLC. Of course that was the only excuse I needed to get back into the game, and while preparing a new character (or in my case four) for the new challenges to come, I spent about another 100 hours playing this game, and that’s pre-DLC. Obviously, I was super excited about it, but what did I actually think? Read on and find out!
[Review] The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
February 14, 2012 | pedrolabate | 24 Comments
To quote the game’s vernacular, Skyrim isn’t a flawless game, but it certainly is legendary. I’m utterly amazed by how it consumed my life for nearly two months. I’ve been meaning to write the review for a while, but the game offers you so much to do that I couldn’t help but to think I was missing something that should be here. I’m confident enough now; I’ve platinum’d the game, completed nearly all quests and side quests I could find, and replayed most quest lines with a second character.
Skyrim is an incredible game, but it has more flaws than anyone would care to admit. However, the most impressive achievement of the game is being one of the most enjoyable experiences in video game history, regardless of any shortcomings. I tried to condensate this review in a simple post as I usually do, but there’s too much to talk about and it would get confusing, so I’m dividing everything in tabs, some generic and others more specific to RPGs. I don’t think I need to tell anyone that Skyrim is awesome, as that’s pretty much settled after winning just about every big prize in the business for 2011, so I hope my more in-depth comments shed some light for those of you who haven’t experienced it yet. Since most people have already beaten the game, just feel free to compare to your personal journey.
[Review] Lord of the Rings : War in the North
January 31, 2012 | pedrolabate | 16 Comments
Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a hack and slash game based on the fantasy created by J. R. R. Tolkien. This story takes place during the same period as the books (or movies), but in the game, the tale told is that of another group of adventurers. There have been many attempts to translate the rich world of LotR into video games, and many have failed. However, while still not the definitive Tolkien experience, I’ll agree with the bold statement made in the cover: “this is the best LotR game yetâ€.
After the movies came out (2001, 2002 and 2003), everyone started looking at this universe differently. Peter Jackson really raised the bar when giving life to Tolkien’s stories, and I was glad to see this represented in the game. Environments are rich and varied; weapons and armor also have a very unique feel to them. Character models are simple, but you’ll certainly note the resemblance of some of the known characters, like Elrond, Aragorn and Bilbo.
Effects are few, even when casting spells or using special skills, but this works out for the best because it does not get in the way of your view of the battlefield, which gets really busy at times. Textures are decent, but what really upped the visuals a bit was the lighting. Animations are the only thing that disappointed me a little bit, but only during cut scenes (and there are many), because combat looks really good and fluid.
[Review] Akimi Village
November 14, 2011 | pedrolabate | 15 Comments
Akimi Village was a very interesting experience for me. While I was downloading it I thought this would be lame and boring, but after a couple hours I was pleasantly surprised and even played it to 100% completion and obtained all trophies which I rarely do for PSN titles.
This is a village creator game, themed around a floating island inhabited by a crazy raccoon and Akimis (very short blue guys), the art style and setting is very Japanese and made me interpret this game as a virtual sand garden, where you have to keep things tidy. This is a very relaxing game and a good getaway from all the tension of Dark Souls and the blood and gore from Dead Island (the games I have been playing lately).
[Review] Worms Crazy Golf
November 2, 2011 | pedrolabate | 9 Comments
I’ve always been a huge Worms fan. I remember playing Worms Armageddon for hours everyday, with whatever crappy online connection I had, with my friends. It was one of my favorite games back in the day. When Oly told me we could review this game, I jumped right in and claimed it. It is a dangerous thing to play new versions of your old favorites, you’ll always have high expectations and if they’re not satisfied… well, it’s bashing time. Fortunately for me, and for anyone who ends up getting this, Worms Crazy Golf is just about the best mini golf game I’ve ever played.
[Review] Payday : The Heist
October 27, 2011 | pedrolabate | 13 Comments
Payday: The Heist is a very unusual game, placed in a market practically dominated by platformers. The PSN is home to few downloadable, exclusive first person shooters. To be honest, this is the first game of the genre I’ve seen there, but there must be another one. Most aspects of the game might raise similar questions, which eventually made me feel in doubt too. It certainly has aspects that are interesting and fun, on the other hand, some of them are lacking in quality and functionality.
Conceptually the game intends to put players behind different heists, all well worthy of a movie script… in theory. I was expecting some interesting game mechanics that would allow me to approach situations differently, or at least in a smart manner, but most of the time you’re just shooting your way through a bunch of cops and security personal to get where you want to go. You might not think this is a big problem, after all, the game is a shooter, but so is Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I’m not comparing both, but I have high expectations and standards, so sue me if you must.
[Review] Dark Souls
October 23, 2011 | pedrolabate | 28 Comments
Dark Souls is one of the best games I’ve ever played. I have no doubt about that. Being a huge Demon’s Souls fan, this has been on my radar ever since it first was announced and I honestly can say this is one of the few games that lived up to its own hype. After all, I’ve bought 3 copies of it and I still don’t think I wasted money. One of those is the Collectors Edition I got from pre-ordering the game, amazing content for no additional costs (all publishers should follow this example), the second I’ve bought because I’m only going to get the first late in December and I simply needed to play the game before that, however that one got terribly delayed, so I went on and bought another one.
Long story short, I was dangerously excited and had extremely high expectations for the game. Fortunately, my expectations were surpassed and my excitement only got bigger. I’ve spent an astonishing 60 hours with the game over just one week and I didn’t skip work once! But enough about this rambling and, like Monty Python and the Holy Grail would say “GET ON WITH IT!”. Oh, and I’ll be making this review newbie friendly, so you’re welcome if you’ve never played Demon’s Souls or Dark Souls.
[Review] Eufloria
October 12, 2011 | pedrolabate | 7 Comments
Eufloria is a beautiful game that many won’t be able to fully appreciate. That’s what I’ve come to realize while playing the game. At first, most won’t know what they’re getting themselves into, because, by the looks of it, the game could be just about anything. Surprisingly enough, it’s a Real Time Strategy game. When I first started the game, it immediately reminded me of a board game I played as a child, it was called “War” (however, I believe the American name for it is “Risk”), a game where you commanded generic troops while aiming for total world domination.
In a sense, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing; playing as part of a very xenophobic empire known as “the Growers,” you’ll be taking orders from “the Mother” to kill pretty much everything in your way, just because they’re black. That was a bit of criticism I actually really enjoyed, and if you read all the dialogues and story, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
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