Afro Samurai (Playstation 3)

Now, I am a fan of animation and it's forms. From watching Tom and Jerry with my Daughter to watching the fully made red carpet anime movies I can find things I enjoy in the animated department. I do enjoy Afro Samurai in its shows very much, and while the game wasn't horrible, I find it a little hard to recommend too well unless a few things don't bother you.

The graphics were great for the cutscenes, and please know this is a MATURE game through and through, something I sometimes enjoy as well, so that I can lose myself in a visceral world or just watch realistic slicing and dicing. That said, the game looked good, and while cutscene graphics and voiceover work was done quite well (though I didn't play through the whole game, so I won't say it was great all the way through), the gameplay part has nice looking areas, and good animations for the VERY large variety of attacks, combos and ways to dispatch or humiliate your opponents but hearing the same dying words, and seeing the same general deaths that happened when I played was just too much after the couple hundredth or so guy I cut apart.

The game does seem to follow the show very well, so if you are into the show and love it then this may very well be something you'll like. Even the repetetive fighting doesn't have to be that way if you learn the abundant combo and attack systems. I could certainly see playing this game to see how well it sticks to the story and using it's nearly endless onslaught of enemies as a guilty pleasure, but aside from that, or perhaps having a weekend made of watching the show and playing along with the game could be fun, so I don't want to say this game is bad or unenjoyable, but I do think it is something that only a select group will want to own, even though its price drops on many sites I check, which could mean you may want it if you are a fan like I've said. On this game I still suggest a rent even if you are a fan...a couple bucks could save you a lot of sad dollars running out of your wallet. Also, I didn't like that there were no Trophies, but that really isn't a big thing.

Overall view:
Rent? Possibly, but not recommended.
Own? Only for the select few, sadly, so no.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 6.4

Ghostbusters (Playstation 3)

This game brought back some pretty great memories of the great first movie, and the okay (to me anyway) but not as good sequel, as well as the wonderful one liners, quotable quips and sayings that are still spouted to date.

Playing it puts you right into what looks to be some poor guy that was desperate enough to try and work for the Ghostbusters, and soon you realize why they don't want to know your name, as you realize if you had to do this for "real" you'd run, and fast...thankfully the game doesn't have that effect, it is in fact, quite addictive! The story is good and has a strong and fun start, though sadly the single player side of the game is a bit short, but great training for the best part yet, multiplayer! Also strong on this game are the visuals and voice acting. With the script straight from Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis themselves, and original voices returning for all the Ghostbusters, it was great to look like I really was looking at Peter Venkman and the crew as I helped them do their thing. To avoid monotany, the proton pack you get becomes upgradable and equipped with new and interesing items, all of which allow you to both destroy the surroundings, take down manifested paper ghosts, book golems, and trap full roaming spectors in traps you place.

Once you've finished the game, or even before hand, you can dive into the multiplayer, though I recommend that you play a good bit of the game first, so that you know what you're doing and don't get some other players upset with you. I mean, you could read the instructions, but who does that anymore? Seriously though, if you do want to jump into the multiplayer, I highly recommend looking them over, you'll be glad you did, even if you did play through the whole game it can help to read up on what you need to do for each of the several cooperative games you can play and rank up in.

Once you've gotten the multiplayer going I do want to warn you that the ranked matches can introduce you to some rejection if you jump into just any game you look at, though for the most part I found people to be as they tend to be on the Playstation Network, nice and civil about things. See, if you are new to the game, you aren't as much help to a team of people that have ranked up to the maximum, but you don't have to worry about that much with the very handy ways to play by either joining a quick match, or even creating your own. This makes it a great way to play with a person or two here and there that are at the top of their game, so to speak, and get some pointers. I'm usually not that into multiplayer but since it's co-op, I'm there! From plain survival to a version of capturing the flag, this game's multiplayer is really where the fun is, and it is why I had to end up buying the game!

Overall view:
Rent? Sure, if you want to play through the single player, or are lucky enough to own a GameFly account or the like so that you can keep it to play the multiplayer part until you can't stand the thought of ghosts, but be warned...it could take a while!
Own? If you like playing with others, YES! This is one of the good games to beat the summer heat with.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.8

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (Nintendo GameCube)

Okay, I know most of the time when someone mentions older games most people want to groan and run, and when the Nintendo GameCube is in that phrase an even larger worry can fill you, as it wasn't the most prospering of the three former-generation systems and often took last place. Still, this is the sole reason I bought a GameCube, and with the fact that I STILL play and enjoy it, you may find yourself doing the same, especially if you have one and want a great game to enjoy that you may be able to find for very cheap, though this game could be harder to find than many of those in its age-range.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a wonderful game that introduces some very innovative and fun game play into a third-person shooter style genre that happens to: use magick, have the ability to go insane, and even takes place throughout a menagarie of time-lines that all coincide with you fighting one of three "Old Ones" (which are a common "Lovecraftian" way of saying, "very powerful old gods") while you try to survive, and keep your sanity to boot!

I won't spoil ALL the fun you can have when you start to go loony in this game, but let me say this, I have heard SO MANY of my friends start screaming at several of the more fun moments (that are not scripted, they happen when your sanity meter is low, and seem to be completely random for the most part, though location seems to obviously trigger some things, like a library having floating books, etc...). The only one I'll say that really scared me is a moment when it looks like, REALLY looks like, a spider is crawling on your television. Within moments your television is CRAWLING with spiders and you either realize it is because of the game, or like me you have a phobia of them and run for the bug spray! Don't worry though, the game has a great assortment of "insanity moments" and when you get more magickally inclined you can even try to instigate them. Still, I'm ahead of myself so I'll talk about basic gameplay first.

ED:SR plays pretty well, with controls that could have been a little better, but they're good enough for the game. There are many different spells you can "learn" by finding runes and figuring out what combinations can be used together until you actually cast the spell. The game even takes a neat leap in that, you may not find all of these runes and have a more difficult, though not impossible time, finishing the game while missing various spells, or even spell power sources.

When you first play the game, you essentially choose what Old God and the aspect, Strength, Space, or Insanity are how I view them, though you may find them a bit more representative of other things. When that has been chosen you find that each Old One and their magicks are superior to one as well as weaker than another of the Old Ones' magicks, so choosing what you use is important, though if you search hard enough, or look up where to find it online, which some do, I got lucky my first time through and stumbled across the fourth, and most powerful of the Old Ones, who used to keep all of the other three in line but is weakened and has somewhat been what has called you, your ancestors and even those you'll read about in the book you get throughout the game as you play as the varying characters, though the main character is a young woman intent on finding out what happened with the sudden and mysterious death of her beloved father figure.

This game is long, and has lots of fun moments and good side-"quests" that you can do with some of the characters, such as one that is a physician of sorts and begins to write a journal of the many odd and evil looking creatures you fight should you choose to have him study the remains of them after you've defeated them. It also has great replay value, since once you reach the end (SMALL SPOILER ALERT BUT SHOULDN'T RUIN ANY GAME SURPRISES) you summon the god you feel can stop the one that has been set free with the power of his minion. The result is basically three playings of a game that gives you a great finale each and every time, as you watch gods battle it out. Play through the game with all three and you are rewarded with, if you find it, a magickal sword that always has the upper hand on any magicks it battles. It's useful, but the game has guns, swords, and all sorts of things to help you fight, even offensive and defensive spells to help you, or drive you more insane as you use them.

It really is hard to simply describe this game, but if you have a means of playing it, DO! I think you'll find it is very well worth your money, and time, and considering that you may find it in some bargain bin, that is a very good deal you'll get from such a great game that is standing the test of time, and even next-gen competition!

Overall view:
Rent? If you don't own a GameCube and can find a place to rent the system, give it a try, but odds are if you like what I've said so far, buy it.
Own? YES! This game was the SOLE reason I bought my GameCube. I have bought other games since then, up until they stopped making them, but didn't get many. This game alone made me happy to own the GameCube. If you can't rent the system, find a friend to borrow one and get this game, rent, own, or well...don't sell your soul, this game shows that isn't the best way to go hehe.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 9.2

Prototype (Playstation 3)

This is another good game that stands on the concept of giving you control of a character with super powers. Many people try to or think that this game and Infamous are at odds with each other and wish to compare them or see which is the better game, but the truth is they are both very different games and have two VERY different styles of play, as well as what makes them fun.

For Prototype, I found it very engaging to watch the cut-scenes alone. They are beautiful and for a sandbox game they weren't bad to watch at all. Most games that let you do just about anything you please lose a little in the story, as it's hard to know what the player would want to know, do, or even get to in ways of having the story actually "fit" the players' styles. Prototype does this better than most by having you on a continuous sidequest (though you can skip much of this as well) to find your own memories, as you simply awaken on a morgue table, thought to be dead.

This game has a tremendous amount of powers and things you can use. It isn't always about going in using the same attacks over and over, as almost every enemy has weaknesses and you can find fun in just about any of the attacks given by each of the powers. You also can implement two different defensive powers, and each has its own drawbacks and uses. There are even vision powers to be used, though sadly I found that, aside from in a couple of missions and one or two of the ranked "trials" that the game has, that the vision powers don't have much use, but still, they are pretty cool to use here and there if you get tired of running, jumping, gliding, flying, driving and walking through a very beautiful and constantly changing New York City (good luck with that, the getting bored part I mean).

My biggest complaint in this game is that it sadly has some pop-up and fading issues. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying, the game does look incredible, but when looking for various items hidden throughout New York you'll sometimes see one, watch it fade out of veiw then see it again as you get closer. It's not a terrible problem, and if you're just playing the game it isn't really a problem at all, just something that bothers me as I do like to collect everything possible in games.

I very much enjoyed this game, and am still playing it to look for new things and try out it's very wide assortment of moves, combat moves, and overall things you can do. As for if this game is a "must own", well, that may be up to you. For those of you that like the Spider-Man and Hulk: Ultimate Destruction games, then this may very well be a game you can't do without owning. If you didn't like those two (more closely related to the Hulk: UD game). I will say this game is a MUST PLAY for anyone that likes the sandbox style of gaming or for those with a need for some Mature-rated super-heroics. Overall, if you're playing this game you are probably happy, but for those that are on the ropes, you won't waste money renting it first to find out for certain.

Overall view:
Rent? Yes, it's pretty doubtful you wont like this one even if just to wreak havoc with the powers/abilities.
Own? If you liked Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and it's play style, and enjoy even more added cutscenes, things to do, and diversity, with a mature rating, you may want to own this one, though a long enough rental of it could fill you as well.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.3

Infamous (PS3)

This game has got to be one to own, in my opinion. I'll summise the game in that it is a "sandbox" style of gaming with three total "islands" within the city that you begin in only one, and open others up and eventually can go wherever you want and do just about anything you want as well.

Infamous sets its core on the premise of one thing: What would you do if you woke up and had superpowers? Would you go about life doing as you please, making sure no one would push you around or would you try to use those powers to help others and make things better? In the game there's good reason and good fun in doing BOTH! (though I highly recommend you chose one path at a time, you actually can go back and forth on good and bad with the karma system they've developed, but if it's your first time, I suggest picking one and going with it all the way through.)

You play as Cole, a bike messenger who awakens after an explosion tears through Empire City and is standing on the only area that seems untouched, somehow alive and, while wounded, wanting to get the heck to safety! As the game goes on (I won't spoil anything if I can help it), you can get more and more powers, upgrade them to be more dangerous or precise, and find new uses for them. Cole was already an urban explorer so he is very good at climbing and getting around, over and just going anywhere he needs in the city, and the controls are very good.

This game, again, is a MUST OWN in my book, but more than that, it has a very great method of pulling you in and letting you get away from things by simply letting you chose what you do as Cole. The sub-missions and sub-plots inside the game also make for some good fun that you can lose yourself into and I am happy to have this game be my first suggestion for those that would like to get away from it all by saying..."Go and get yourself quarantined in Empire City!"

Overall view:
Rent? If you don't own it, yes!
Own? If you can afford a game and even mildly like hero style games, this is one you'll want to own.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 9.6


Not sure? Try it out first with GameFly!