Final(ly) Fantasy 12?

Well, Goddamn, it's about time this game finally came out. After waiting 6(!) months after it's one-time official release this week we'll finally get to play it. We'll get to bask in the glory of a new Final Fantasy game. And then....we'll bitch about it because it sure as hell doesn't play like any of the past Final Fantasy games we've all come to know and love. That's right folks. It plays like a MMORPG and less like an RPG. Well, it's in between the two. You see, you fight in real-time this time. You give your 2 other partner characters their commands and VOILA! Magic happens(well, not magic specifically but you get the idea).

So it's no longer turn-based battle. I, for one, am looking forward to this after months and months of delays and revisions and a shoddy demo that came with Dragon Quest 8. Don't know how much of a difference in my life the special edition will make in my life. But, I managed to preorder it.

Also, I'm in the final chapter of X-Men Legends 2. So expect a nice review on that. I probably won't make it AS long as my Justice League Heroes review. But, it will contain some highlights and some minor differences compared to X-Men Legends 2. All I can say right now is that it is a fun game and a much better experience all around than X-Men Legends 1 ever was.

Another thing I forgot to add. What the hell is wrong with the gaming industry these days!? I went to pre-order Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin the other day. I usually don't pre-order portable games because they're usually easy on the wallet and can be found anywhere. So, I start asking about the limited edition box that will be coming with the game(includes lots of goodies) and the clerk tells me that I'm not necessarily guaranteed one. What the fuck? PS3's aren't guaranteed at launch. Rumors about Wii's not being guaranteed at launch. Is there no such thing as a safe pre-order anymore? Meaning I have to take the day off from work just so I can show up early in the morning to claim my limited edition box set before some other geek beats me to it.

In PSP news: Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops still coming out. My PSP is still collecting dust. Best experience ever.

-Deathscythe

SHMUPS

Yea. I've just recently aquired a new gaming binge (I get these every couple months, as you get to know me). I am hooked on Shoot-Em-Ups, a genre that has predated most others.

Game such as Defender and Space Invaders created the genre, while titles such as Xevious, and Gradius helped perfect it. These games are fast, and extremely fun (while have a certain addictive quality XD).

I'll cover some games more after I finished playing a bit.

A nice documentation of the history of SHMUPS can be seen here, via youtube.

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Xynotmw9o In French, with English Subtitles.

- Shade

Site's still far from complete!

Site is still far from complete! Messy, unorganized, but coming. Bare with us as he work on the layout, script, and code. Email us at admin@burndiego.com for whatever may be lingering on your mind (site related of course. No pronz).

- Shade

The Greatness Of The Greatest Superhero Ever

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xUjX3HyHouc

Watch now, no questions.

- Superking™

EUGAEL ECITSUJ: SEOREH RO SOREZ?

So, how hard is it to develop a superhero-based video game? Some would say not much. I would say it is. We enter Justice League Heroes. The latest video game entry to feature spandex-wearing superheroes saving the day. The plot is your run-of-the-mill superhero story-arc which pits the Justice League of America(JLA) against your everyday baddies ranging from The Key to Gorilla Grodd.

The game starts you off, in what would seem to be, Metropolis during a sunny afternoon. You take control of Superman and Batman in attempt to figure out what the hell is causing great chaos in downtown Metropolis. So immediately right off the bat(pardon the pun) you are thrown into battle to figure out the culprit of said chaos. Graphically the game looks much better than X-Men Legends(which I’ll be referencing in this review). The character models are smooth and don’t look as blocky as those found in X-men Legends. The backgrounds are fully 3D and are interactive. You can use Superman’s super-strength to lift up cars AND fly with them(double tap triangle) for swatting flying enemies out of the air or when you’re simply walking in the ground you can smash them to the ground and watch as the explosion kills them. Snow Blind Studios did a very good job with the graphics. And the game flows smoothly with some nice animations as well.

The gameplay is where the game doesn’t really shine as much. You use the ‘x’ and ‘o’ buttons for punches and kick combos that come in handy all the time. And with the simple tap and hold of R2 you will see a layout grid at the top left(or right if you’re playing 2^nd player) with what mimics your PS2 dualshock button layout. Each button has a different ability that you can use to vanquish evil. It’s very much similar to that of X-Men Legends and I would have wished for it to be a little different. It’s your typical beat ‘em up game. But, it doesn’t have the team work dynamics that are emphasized in X-Men Legends 1 and 2. For starters you are only allowed to use 2 characters max. Something I wasn’t fond of. I was expecting four player melee action. You’re paired in groups of two throughout the entire game and it really doesn’t help since all the characters don’t level up at the same time like that other game I’m comparing this one to. This really ruins the game because the characters you don’t use in the beginning will be your weakest ones and the game does not allow you enough time to level up the characters you don’t end up using.

Which brings us to the way characters level up in this game. It’s very….different to X-Men Legends in the sense that you get the option to “boost” up their superpowers, health, and their health/energy regeneration rate. You’re able to do this with the help of Boost Token’s that are found throughout each stage and amongst each foe you defeat(kill?). They vary from speed to range to damage tokens. For example; Batman, he uses his mighty Batarangs in battle. You’ll have 3 slots open, which means that he can throw 3 Batarangs at a time. You equip a speed Boost Token and he’ll throw them faster. You equip a range Boost Token and he’ll throw them farther. And of course damage is what it is. You can also combine these Boost Tokens to unlock much better Boost Tokens that will go in numerical order from two to four(four being the greatest).

As for character balance, I don’t know what to say. Zatanna is clearly the best of them all. She has range, she has power and she has the ability to turn her enemies into bunny rabbits. Nothing can really touch her at all. So, if the game were to let you use Zatanna only, you could just run through the game in a matter of minutes with her. The Flash can be quite good as well. But, that’s after leveling him up in a few stages.

All in all, I enjoyed the game for what it was. It’s not as thorough as X-Men Legends is. But, there is room for improvement and I really hope that Snow |Blind Studios does a sequel and give this game some damn good justice(pardon that pun as well). The real aspect of the game that they should improve upon is the multiplayer portion. Two players is not enough. It doesn’t give us enough time to enjoy the entire cast. And yes, there are secret characters that you can unlock as well. So that would bring the game to a total of fourteen heroes. And in a short game like this, it’s not enough time to enjoy 14 characters.

Final Rating: 6.9

- Deathscythe