Game Review ‘Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony’

This is one other review I wrote for the February edition of the Game Console magazine, Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony for the PSP. The February issue is now out in stores in New Zealand.

Dungeon Siege – Throne of Agony Review – PSP 

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published February Issue of Game Console magazine, 2006

Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: SuperVillain Studios
Scheduled release date: Out (February 2007)
Players: Multiplayer capability
Genre: RPG
Official Website:

http://www.2kgames.com/throneofagony/throneofagony.html

The Dungeon Siege series of games is well known to PC gamers but this marks the first move from PC gaming to handheld console for the popular franchise. Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony has quite a legacy to live up to and with the portability option to play anywhere at any time, the land of Aranna awaits you; whether you’re in a bus or sitting in traffic.

It’s nice to see that Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony has its own storyline and characters. Although the feel of the game is very much the same as its predecessors, the nifty addition of comic book style cut scenes really gives it a unique flavour all of its own. The animation is very reminiscent of the animation used in X-Men 3 the Official Game – minus the cheesy game dialogue and poor voice acting.

The adventure in Aranna begins with the character select screen. There are three unique characters to choose from in the game; a Battle Mage, Stalker (Rogue) and Warrior. Each character has different attributes, strengths and skills so choose wisely. Playing the Battle Mage seemed like fun so off we went, trusty stave in hand to ward off evil demons and obtain copious amounts of loot. One of the cool aspects of Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony is that you’re never really alone in the game because you also get to choose from two companions called ‘Followers’ who have the rather interesting task of standing between you and death every step of the way. And just like their master, the followers also get to advance in the game and gain skill points to add to their skills and abilities.

Each character has a background story to follow which leads to different phases of the game and game progression. As the battle mage, Allister, you’re off to risk your life for a woman you feel compelled to rescue and return safely home. Your adventures take off from there where you are put the test to survive whatever the wilderness can throw at you. All manner of beasties will require culling and many of these beasts will be familiar to Dungeon Siege enthusiasts. Using a combination of magic and staff wielding, you and your follower make your way to Seahaven to complete the first of many quests.

The quests are managed extremely well within the game. In the character options screen (which you can access by pressing the select button), you can add points to your abilities, view you inventory and equipment, change equipment and even view your follower’s points and abilities. This is also where your game progress is recorded under quests and you can easily assess where you need to go next and how many tasks are remaining to complete the quest you’re on. There are side quests which are all important if you want to progress and level up. With each new level, you receive skill points and the ability to wield better weapons, equipment and of course, cast better spells. The game itself is all about how many beasties you can kill and how many quests you can complete to gain the next level of competence. The progression tree in this game is well developed and is a lot easier to navigate than other games we have played in the same genre.

Graphically, the game looks great. The amount of detail that has gone into both the animation of the characters and the environment is really impressive. Snow falling on your characters’ head as you traverse the terrain looks real enough to make you shiver and the crystal clear display of the PSP accentuates the power of the small handheld that much more. The sound and music is also top notch with many of the tracks from the original Dungeon Siege game completing this action-packed package.

The voice acting and game dialogue is seriously lacking in cheesiness which we were very relieved to see. Similar games have been dogged with bad dialogue and poor voice acting and no matter how good the game plays, the cut scenes become a lesson in frustration. Not so with Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony.

Two difficulty modes (Mercenary and Elite) allow you to play as casually or as hardcore as you wish. And with 15 hours of game play time and the possibility to advance your character to unimaginable heights, Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony is sure to keep the most hardcore of RPG gamers in blissful rapture, anywhere they want to play.

Game Review: ‘God Hand’ for PS2

This is my first (commissioned) review for TGC (The Game Console magazine). This issue is not officially released until Friday in stores in New Zealand but since this is the first issue for me as editor of the magazine, I thought this was a special occasion and wanted to celebrate the achievement by posting it here. Sorry about the quality of the scans. I have also included the cover page and the editorial for the February 2007 issue.

            

‘God Hand’ Review – PS2

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published February Issue of Game Console magazine, 2007

Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Scheduled release date: February 23rd, 2007.
Players: Single Player
Genre: Fighting
Official Website: http://www.capcom.com/godhand/

Devil May Cry meets Gun. And first impressions of a game usually last. Punching, kicking and maiming your way through the dusty town of a western-style arena may have its appeal to die hard fight game fans, but we weren’t entirely convinced the game would have the staying power to keep us occupied for long. That was until we started playing around with the awesome combo’s you can pull off.

Most fighting games on the market today seem to be cloned copies of other fighting games. What can make or break a fighting game is the different characters you can play or the different types of fighting combinations you can do. Some games have even developed intriguing and interesting story lines to keep punters interested in finishing the game. That’s all well and good but most of the gaming public like fight games for the fast and furious kicks, punches and super special techniques that makes you feel like your character is all-powerful. God Hand doesn’t disappoint, and you’ll be crying out for more of the same after only minutes into the game.

Without any sort of substantial storyline to go on (and quite frankly, it’s better to avoid the story altogether and just get to the fighting), you (as the character Gene) begin the game just as quickly as you do everything else in God Hand; rushing at your opponent with calculated speed and accuracy. Well, at least that’s how it’s supposed to work although there were some minor hiccups with the camera angles and the movement controls when the thumb sticks hand minds of their own. Movement in the game is paramount to avoiding death (as you will undoubtedly find out) and dying kind of ends the adrenalin rush so it’s highly recommended to avoid it. The left hand thumb stick controls your camera angles as well as movement and the right thumb stick enables Gene to dodge attacks by sliding across the sand, almost like a strafe but not quite. It’s rather nifty once you get the hang of it but frustrating if you don’t.

The combinations and combat sequences in the game are ultimately what make this game so much fun. With a myriad of different combinations at your fingertips, you can do just about anything to your opponents, if you’re quick enough to cycle through the list of moves. Some of the techniques are actually pretty funny to watch. Techniques like ‘Ball Buster’ where you actually kick your opponent in the nether region! It’s actually very entertaining with a hint of whacky. The atmosphere of the game, right down to the slightly cheesy yet catchy western style music all seems to capture the same funny and whacky Japanese TV game show hysteria that is popping up everywhere. And when you see your character (Gene) dancing on the screen after picking up a card of a girl in a pink bikini, swaying back and forth to the cheesy music, you’ll understand. It’s great.

Funny antics aside, the combinations in this game are nothing to scoff at. At first glance, the game looks like just another fighting game but after a few fights and wins you begin to see the scope of the game for what it is. A fighting game where your character is required to pick up different ‘cards’ to progress further so he can create the perfect fighting combination. Now, that’s seriously cool. With a purpose to create the ultimate fighting combination (that you can create), Gene finally becomes more than just another cute animation on screen that can fight and dance funny. He becomes a character with a mission.

The environment is pretty bland and graphical content is so-so – nothing to write home about. There is nothing too exciting about an abandoned western town with lots of doors and thugs and demons hiding behind each one. It’s clear to see that the emphasis is placed solely on the combat sequences and the fighting and button-mashing mayhem. And God Hand is definitely a game where you wouldn’t feel ashamed of giving into the odd moment or two of button mashing (as we did every now and then and found some of our better techniques were created by random button mashing sessions).

God Hand proved to be a little more than we expected, which is always a good thing. With this game, Capcom seem to be moving away from the glitz and glamour of the girlies in little bikini’s and resurrecting the real aspect of what a fighting game is all about; well developed combat sequences with gritty and adrenalin fused action. Oh, and the odd touch of Japanese-style humour with the whacky dancing Gene is refreshingly well received.