Review #515: Fear Effect

 It's scary how dated this game is.

Meet your (anti)heroes. They're a loveable bunch.

 Fear Effect is an interesting game, published by Eidos after their hit series Tomb Raider was ending its run on the PS1, it's quite a different beast altogether. Mixing full motion backgrounds, with a dark, mature storyline as well as very stiff gameplay making for something that feels like Resident Evil but is anything but.

 The game follows a ensemble cast made up of three no-good amigos: Hana, Glas and Deke, who team up to rescue a kidnapped girl... so that they can ransom her instead. What begins as a crime story about murderers and low-lives soon turns into the supernatural, turns out this girl might be more trouble than she's worth. The story isn't fantastic by any means, but the cast of characters is an interesting bunch. The story focuses mostly on Hana, as she gets the most background information and development, and she's quite an interesting anti-heroine. That said, throughout each chapter, or disc, the game will periodically change your playable character between all three. They play exactly the same, although Deke gets access to dual shotgun-guns, that neither Hana or Glas get to wield. All in all, it's a decent, but unremarkable, story featuring good characters.

The game... is very cheesy in how fanservicey it can get.

 The game has full-motion video backgrounds, think pre-rendered backgrounds but animated, and they... haven't aged very well. They look like a pixelated mess. The game has fixed camera angles as well as tank controls, like Resident Evil, but this game has a bit more action... which works to the game's detriment. The controls are abysmal. Firstly, your inventory runs in real time, so you must scramble with Square and Circle to select the appropriate item, in the heat of battle, and press triangle to equip or use it. It's particularly annoying when the game, as it often does, puts you directly into a gunfight with nothing equipped. There's no way to avoid getting damaged at times. Plus, there's a dodge mechanic, by holding L2 and pressing a direction, but the rolls never come out in the direction you want, and characters often times get stuck on invisible barriers. Which also happens to bullets, sometimes it looks like your bullets will hit, only to hit invisible walls. It's very wonky. The controls are so bad, and the shooting is so mediocre that some encounters and boss fights feel like luck-based affairs.

 You'll die in the game. A lot. It spans four discs, but it's very, very short, each disc should last about 30 minutes, if only it wasn't filled with cheap deaths. To be fair, the developers came up with a few interesting cinematics when your characters bite the dust, but upon death you have to endure a rather lengthy loading screen. It can get pretty bad when you have to deal with pattern-based bosses or situations, since every failed attempt will result in a loading screen. Pro-tip: Try to sneak up on human enemies, stealth kills are one-hit kills and allows you to save your ammo for the supernatural. On another note, whenever you aren't shooting at stuff you'll be solving puzzle, and they can get rather challenging, y'know, gotta sell those Prima Gameguides.

Don't run! Stealth is your friend, particularly in the early going.

 The last gameplay element worth talking about is the Fear Gauge, y'see, the game was too good for traditional life bars, instead you have a fear gauge, which decreases when you are too close to your enemies, taking damage, running out of ammo and a few other things. It goes from green to red, and afterwards... you die. There're no health packs, instead, you recover health, or fear gauge, by doing well in battle, solving puzzles or, sometimes, the game will completely restore you after triggering a certain scene. I was not a fan of this system.

 Fear Effect is... a very dated game. You can have fun with the game, the characters are engaging and there's a certain charm to the gameplay that keeps you coming back for more. However, you'll have to contend with dated gameplay that seems to involve luck more than anything, a very unfair amount of instadeath traps and some dated, obscure puzzles to solve. It's a game best appreciated if you're into late 90s games and their sometimes unfair shenanigans.
 4.0 out of 10

Now Playing: Fear Effect

 .... I am scared alright, scared of how bad the controls are.

Hana and her entourage seem like an interesting bunch.

 Alright, so I was kinda in the middle of Grandia Xtreme, but... Fear Effect 2 arrived and I think that one of the discs might be busted, so I decided to play the Fear Effect duology asap. I've never been much interested in the franchise 'till until a few months ago, and my first impressions are less than positive.

 For starters, the controls are awful. Whenever you roll, which is pretty much required, you have to keep in mind that left mean's Hana's left, not the left-left that would make sense. It's so dumb. The first boss mauled me over 10 times because of poor controls and poor collision detection, even if it looks like the way is paved for your shots to arrive on target... don't trust your eyes, only trust the in-game icon that says you're locked on.

 The health system is kinda dumb too, there're no recovery items, instead, your health recovers, or lowers, depending on how you play. It makes little sense honestly. I was at full health, but oh no, the boss scared Hana so much that her health lowered to orange. It's so dumb!

 Overall? I think there's a reason people forgot about Fear Effect.

Now Playing: Grandia Xtreme

 Xtremely Boring.

What the hell is Evann wearing on his head!?

 I used to really like Grandia Xtreme, I think I even liked it more than 2. How foolish I used to be. After enduring one of the most boring introductions I've seen in recent years, featuring a CG intro that made no sense and explained nothing, followed by an absurdly long introductory shot that alternates between Evan, the protagonist, training and some random weirdo riding a bike. And then you have to stomach a ton of un-fastforwardable, unvoiced dialogue....

 Still, as soon as I got into a fight... it got fun. It is Grandia alright, and it plays pretty much just like Grandia 2, but with less framerate issues or bugs. That said,a s fun as the combat is, I wonder if it can make up for having such an uninteresting story. I'm not too hopeful.

Review #514: Spec Ops - The Line

 Will you cross the line? That line. Yes, that one.

Meet the hero of his story, Martin Walker.

 By now you've heard of Spec Ops - The Line, that game that tries its hardest to look like just another military shooter, but is anything but. It's an interesting game, one that was a bit neglected by gamers back in the day of its release, and has received the attention it deserves only years later.

 The game pits you as Martin Walker, a military captain who is joined by two soldiers under his direct command, Adams and Lugo. The three of them infiltrate a disaster-stricken Dubai in order to search for survivors. But the journey through a land covered in sand will test their mettle and their psyche. In case you haven't heard about it, hidden beneath its generic military shooter exterior lies a deconstruction of all the tropes associated with the genre. Overall? The story is pretty good, although it takes a bit of time before it gets really good-- but ya gotta respect the hustle, they had to sell you the lie so that they could begin twisting everything that felt so familiar. I'd also like to  mention just how good the scenery is, the game employs a lot of browns and oranges, befitting of a country sunk under sand, and it looks brilliant. The game has some fantastic environments for you to explore and shoot in, and you'll be looking forwards to whatever comes next.

The game has some beautiful scenery.

 As far as gameplay is concerned, well, it plays like any other modern third person shooter: You can stick in-and-out of cover, which is a must since you'll find yourself pinned out by enemy units quite often, and Walker has regenerating health too. You can only carry two weapons at a time, there're three different kinds of grenades and you can punch your enemy with the circle button. Enemies grovelling on the floor can be executed with the circle button, which rewards you with ammo for both of your equipped weapons. The game's only original mechanic is the R2 button, you can use it to direct your allies to shoot down that particular enemy, and at times you'll be prompted to press R2 so that they can throw a flash grenade, it usually happens when you're pinned down by multiple enemies. All in all, it's pretty much what you'd expect out of any other game in the genre, everything works well enough.

 The game can get pretty challenging at times. At times it's almost sadistic how little ammo and how many enemies there're to contend with. And this is when executions come into play, since you'll often find yourself tempted to break out of your cover to execute an enemy and get some ammo. Needless to say, you'll probably die quite a few times, which is extremely punishing because loading times are brutal. Yeah, the worst part about the game are the loading times, you'll try your hardest not to die because you don't want to suffer through them.

Shootout can get pretty intense, remember to direct your allies and keep your head down!

 No, Spec Ops - The Line won't make you question yourself about all those silly war games you've played, but the plot gives a very interesting look at these games. And even if you fail to understand what's implied you're left with a relatively unique tale, at least as far as military third person shooters are concerned. It's very easy to recommend Spec Ops - The Line, and even in the off chance that you hate the genre, the game is relatively short and offers multiple difficulty settings, so if you're interested in it you can be done with it in a short while.
 8.0 out of 10

Now Playing: Spec Ops - The Line

 Which line?

I hope the cover is so generic to drive their point home.

 By now everyone has heard of Spec Ops - The line, so while I could feign ignorance about it being more than just a third person shooter... I won't. I will say that what little I've played, the entire first chapter, it really was little more than just another Third Person Shooter, with not a single noteworthy thing to its name.

 I'm enjoying the imagery though, all the bright and dark oranges, and the desert landscapes... it's quite pleasing, surprisingly. I hope the story is as good as people say...

Review #513: Musashi Samurai Legend

 I think the word 'Samurai' is a very loose fit for this game.

Musashi looks very, very different.

 Remember Brave Fencer Musashi? It was a pretty neat Adventure game on the PS1, with a few experimental ideas, like an in-game day and night cycle, added to a traditional adventure formula in which you gathered new equipment to access new areas. While a few things had aged, it's still a great game by today's standards. Enter Musashi - Samurai Legend, one of the more obscure releases from Square Enix as well as a pseudo-sequel to that charming little PS1 game.

 This Musashi is hinted to be the same one, albeit older, as the one from the first game... even if they look nothing alike. Long story short, Musashi gets summoned to another land, and once again he must gather the five elemental swords, this time requiring the aid of each of the blade's maidens to unlock their power, in order to defeat the big bad that plagues the land. The story is serviceable, but nothing to write home about, and the art direction is.... weird, it's pretty distinctive, but not all that appealing. Musashi looks like a dork, but oh well! The game tried a bit too much to be like the previous game, the same five swords, a forest level with a little islet surrounded with water, a forest that requires specific directions not to get lost in, a mine stage... a lot of the game feels very familiar, and the franchise hasn't earned the right to have recurring themes yet.

The ninjas look mean, but the combat is so slow.

 You'll be surprised at how little the game has changed. That said, the game is no longer a fully inter-connected world, but rather, it's divided in about five different stages as well as a town hub in which you can interact with NPCs... NPCs that must be rescued, just like in Musashi 1, except that your rewards aren't, well, as rewarding. That said, civilians are much easier to find this time around, you probably have to try very hard to avoid finding them, and they'll offer their services, like letting you purchase food, appraise items or temper your Katana to make it stronger. 

 When exploring other lands, Musashi will come across various enemies, and once again he has access to two different swords. Square is your weak Katana, while triangle uses your equipped elemental sword. Your triangle attack is slow and useless, so you'll never, ever press the triangle button, save to save citizens from their sphere-cages. Combat is a very simple affair: Hold R1 to target them and just mash the square button. Just like before you can steal powers from your enemies, by targeting them until a gauge fills up, and then countering with the square button just as they hit you with their ability. Abilities are kept for ever now, so you can just pick the one you want and use it with circle... but combat is so bland that you'll only use them on bosses... not because you need them to, but because they deal damage faster. At least, defeating enemies earn you experience points, and you can choose which stat to favor with bonus stat points each time you level up

The Arena features a few exclusive enemies.

 There're a few novelty vehicle stages thrown in, in which you'll just travel forward and have to defeat enemies or break obstacles... they are rather lame and boring, but at least they aren't annoying. There's also a weird carrying mechanics... Each of the five chapters have at least one moment in which you'll have to carry the chapter's elemental maiden on your arms, and you can attack while holding them, while being slowed down. I've no idea why these sequences are in, they are not fun, they are not funny, and even if they are not annoying they add absolutely nothing to the game.

 As you advance through the game you'll earn the aforementioned elemental blades, each one has a spell that can be used in battle or to solve very, very simple puzzles. They are more like obstacles than anything else, really. See fire? Use the Water sword to put it out or freeze magma to use as a platform. See a Switch or a cracked rock? Use the Earth sword. It's very mechanical, and there's very little thinking involved. You probably won't get stuck at any moment... albeit when the game does a poor job at telling you where to go next. Like the moment you rescue the Earth Maiden, the game tells you to rescue her... but you're not supposed to get her out of the forest, rather, take her deeper into the forest.

Get ready to fight a lot of robots and a lot of ninjas.

 Musashi - Samurai Legend is more disappointing than anything else. Exploration is very limited and somewhat unrewarding, combat can be rather dull, and it has some very lame ideas thrown into the mix. That said, it's not a bad game, everything does work, even if it's nothing special. Truly, the worst part about the game is being a sequel to a great game, so you come at the game with certain expectations that it just can't match up to. They should've made puzzles more interesting, make the combat, heck, the entire game faster and get rid of the dumb carrying sequences. Exploration too should've been better, this is an Adventure game after all, hide the NPCs better and make them more rewarding to find, make me actually want to rescue them.

 When it's al said and done, at least the game isn't a total blunder. There's a lot of squandered potential, there're a lot of things that could've been worse, but what we've got is a passable little game that makes your wish you were playing the PS1 original instead.

 6.5 out of 10

Now Playing: Musashi - Samurai Legend

 I thought it was called Samurai Legend - Musashi for the longest time....

Shiny!

 Musashi on the PS1 was great, yet it took quite a few years before Square felt it was time for a sequel. Not much has changed, for good or bad. You still have two blades, you still have to rescue civilians and still get to copy enemy abilities.

 The game feels slightly... low budget? Movement is rather slow, and some things don't look quite right, like falling in water, when Musashi kinda.... drops down without any special sinking animation. The bike segments, the only segment I played anyways, was kinda lame and unexciting, hopefully they get better down the line.

 All in all, I'm slightly unimpressed.