While I cover some stuff with Ryo in the above interview there are some things that I can talk to you here about, such as the note reading and the game modes.

The first thing is that there are three different types of notes, taps, holds and swipes. They are pretty straight forward, taps are done by tapping the screen. Holds are performed by tapping and then holding for a specified amount of time. Swipes are done by swiping in whatever direction flashes in the circle it’s pretty straight easy.The game plays just like any other rhythm game with you performing any of the above actions to the beat.

The game types however set this apart from other games. There are three types Battle, Field and Event. In battle the four characters line up in traditional RPG format and battle a stream of monsters culminating in a boss fight. During that time hitting notes and maintaining streaks activates the characters abilities, a 20 not perfect streak might have one of the characters cast fira or blizaga while the same streak with a different character might activate a limit break. The second mode , field  is  your party traveling from point A to B and their goal is to get as far as they possibly can before the song ends.  They add a new action during this mode called follows. These follows are performed from holds but you trace the line of the hold note (usually up and down) and they are more than often followed up with a swipe at the end. During the field sections there are parts of the track highlighted in blue. If you perform well there you become a chocobo and travel a bit faster than you normally would and cover more ground. During the field and battle sections you do collect items as well just like traditional RPGS.  The last mode is event. Event has you play along with the events of a game, such as the attack on Shinra HQ in Final Fantasy VII or the waltz from the Final Fantasy VIII. It’s full FMV and the graphics look good on the 3DS. Which makes me feel old because I remember thinking “Wow this game looks amazing” only to see games from my childhood become portable and look way better.

The best way I could describe the way this game feels is a mix between Ouendan/Elite beat agents and a little bit of Rhythm Heaven. While this game is hands down way deeper than those two combined, it’s hard to not think of Ouendan doing taps,holds and follows.

There are three game modes  story,challenge and dark crystal. Story mode has you play through all the Final Fantasy games using the previously mentioned modes. Challenge allows you to just pick a Final Fantasy and play any of the three game  types using the songs for that particular version. Dark crystal is the versus mode and you can compete head to head with your friends using your team.

The characters in the game level up as you play so you can unlock skills,equipment and items to help them deal more damage or live through tougher difficulties. You can then take your team to battle with your friends. You’re able to choose any of the main protagonists from any of the 13 games  featured and you unlock sub- characters as well, here’s hoping Wakka is a playable character ya?

As an open-world game, developer United Front Games faced several challenges bringing their concept to life; The top of which resting in distinguishing themselves from the Grand Thefy Auto and Saints Row dominated landscape, a stage that has seen far too many imitators and misinterpretations of an otherwise evolving genre. Wisely, instead of competing directly with the other offerings in terms of sheer content, or seeing how many licensed tracks they can pile into one soundtrack, USG decided to go their own route, providing more of an action experience with the open world as a backdrop for their ambition instead of a template to be followed. As much a tribute to Hong Kong cinema (ala Stranglehold) as it is an ambitious concept for the genre, Sleeping Dogs sees layers taking control of Wei Shen, an undercover cop assigned to take down a Triad organization from the inside. In what seems like a nod to the original True Crime series, players will be able to define his moral fiber via the choices they make and their actions, the undefinable grey area between right and wrong ever present and waiting to be exploited for an advantage on both sides of the law.

The demo starts off early into the game, with Shen amid a Chinese New Year celebration in the streets, searching for a articular individual. Without missing a beat, the game establishes its visual identity through this scene, the screen exploding with color as confetti rains from the sky, while pedestrians engaged in the festivities interact with a level of believability on par with GTA IV. Some stop to enjoy the stage dancing with cheers and applause, curious shoppers take time to check the stands and the entire scene impressively bustles along without any input from you as a player whatsoever. Not that I had much of a chance to appreciate the spectacle of heritage; a chase sequence activated as soon as I reached the first waypoint, denying me any chance of picking up a fancy dragon hat for myself, and introducing me to the first of many gameplay types.

My first mark, a Triad named Ming stumbles and flails his way through the dense crowds in an attempt to evade pursuit, knocking over pedestrians and awkwardly climbing over obstacles in a way that reminds me of Shenmue‘s QTE sequences, though this is fully interactive. Shen is a surprisingly agile character, capable of sprinting, scaling walls in a parkour like style, and even takes the time to vault over objects with an interaction of interaction that would make Altair (of Assassin’s Creed fame) blush. It’s rare for some games that your character’s abilities give you an intuition that tells you what they can and can’t maneuver around, but when I saw what I thought was an impossibly high wall, he scrambled and ran up it with ease, giving me the jump on my stair-driven target. While pressing forward in pursuit of him, I hadn’t realized that he was leading me into a trap, and the resulting ambush was a forceful introduction to the hand-to-hand combat.

The influence from Batman: Arkham City is undeniable here, with Shun displaying his martial arts prowess via multidirectional attacks that increase in power via charge, and a counter system that presents opportunities for counters with flashing indicators over an enemy’s head as they’re about to attack. Being instantly familiar with the system, I intuitively bounced between enemies with ease, snapping the legs and arms of those foolish enough to dare approach me. In addition to the standard chop socky, a grab button revealed another layer to the combat by allowing Shen to use context sensitive background objects like a nearby air conditioner with the blades exposed, activating a surprisingly brutal execution scene that definitely won’t earn him any good cop points in the long run. Another brought some creative use of a nearby pole that wouldn’t look out of place in a zombie movie, complete with cringe-worthy flailing before death. I would say the scenes themselves feel out of place for a game starring a cop, but given the world he’s immersed in, I’d say most of these guys probably deserve it in spades.

The second part of the demo takes place much later in the game, with an objective set across town in a sequence that gave me a chance to sample the game’s driving mechanics. United Front already has experience making racing games, with some team members having worked on past titles like EA’s Need for Speed series and Sony’s Modnation Racers It shows. Cars have a weighty, solid feel to them, but aren’t so realistic that you can’t accelerate and pull off moves like an instant 180 or power slide at will. Though I didn’t get a chance to try them in the demo, I was told that the final game would feature a wide variety of vehicles including motorcycles, and racing side missions would of course allow you to exploit them to the fullest. While it did feel a bit loose in at higher speed in this build, I had no problem getting to my destination with ease, a gratuitous power slide landing me in front of the mission point with ease.

The demo them jumps ahead in time for the final section, taking place during a mission late in the game. Without spoiling too much, it begins with a bloodied Shun trying to escape captivity during a mission gone wrong in an unfinished penthouse high above the city. It’s here the the game decides to show off it’s cinematic chops, highlighting his misery at present via an unstable, disoriented POV. A QTE or two to untie myself, along with a few easily executed stealth kills later, and I’m thrown into a gunfight of Stranglehold-like proportions. Being that it’s the first time in the entire demo that I’ve held a gun, the experience is immediately empowering.

The guns have a John Woo-like force behind them that makes headshots pop and shotguns thud appropriately, and the cover based shooting serves it’s intended purpose like a charm; After using his ability to mount over cover to disable and disarm the first thug with a kick to the face, I was ready to meet them on their own terms. Popping in and out of cover is a breeze with a tap of the shoulder button, and with most objects deteriorating under a hail of gunfire, the sense of urgency and tension couldn’t be higher, forcing me to move from cover to cover rapidly while employing tactics like blind firing to keep some of the smarter henchmen from flanking. It’s a spectacle on par with the best John Woo has to offer: Wood splinters, scaffolding falls, and most nearby objects explode under a hail of gunfire as overly ambitious henchmen file into the room from all angles in order to meet what is sure to be certain death.

Shun’s agility once again comes into play during the cover hopping, and mounting over cover while aiming activates a useful slow-mo ability that helps pinpoint enemies (and explosive barrels) in classic Max Payne fashion. The lack of a dodge or roll when not in cover is sorely missed here (especially considering how versatile he is otherwise) but the omission serves to challenge players to move constantly and efficiently much like you would in an actual gunfight, sans rolling all over the place like a cartoon hedgehog. A platforming gauntlet across some scaffolding that begins collapsing while you move along it Uncharted style closes out the affair with a bang, before a mysterious boss wielding a machete bears down on Shen as the camera fades to black.

Overall, I enjoyed my brief time spent with the Sleeping Dogs demo. The open world reeks of a liveliness I’ve rarely seen matched, while the flexibility in the game’s traversal, shooting, and combat has the potential to give the game some serious legs, should United Front decide to exploit their mechanics to the fullest. While integrating the more intuitive aspects of other games is a risky gamble (especially for an open world game where everything can go wrong), they’ve managed to combine them into a package that occasionally misses the mark, but is really the sum of it’s parts. Pending a few tweaks here and there, this could really turn out to be something special come Summer 2012.

The 32/64 bit era also gave birth to my all-time favorite game, Suikoden. I know that seems like a spoiler, but the number of times I’ve mentioned my man crush with Konami’s RPG have been well documented, so sorry if that ruins any kind of non existent anticipation. But with that, lets take a look at my Top….25 – 2 32/64 Bit Games:

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20. Ridge Racer Type IV (PSX)

Rating: 8.6

The first few Ridge Racer games were all enjoyable in their own ways, but Ridge Racer Type IV fleshed out one element that can be finicky to develop – the controls. Power sliding, barreling down straightaways and pulling past the competition never felt so gratifying in a racing game before, or after this one. The flimsy storyline tacked in was a disappointment, but the vehicular controls were just too silky smooth for me to stay upset at the tacked on feature.

19. Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)

Rating: N/A

This is where I started my strategy RPG fascination. Not only did Squaresoft deliver on the core gameplay, but the difficulty as a whole did not relent, making each victory all the more sweeter. It’s been ported to a couple of handhelds, but none hold a candle to the immaculate, lag-free (in terms of action on the screen slowing down quite a bit on the portables) console version. I do feel the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS spinoffs are superior in certain respects, though Final Fantasy Tactics will always remain that overall watermark that developers should strive to surpass.

18.  Tekken 2 (PSX)

Rating: N/A

Tekken and Tekken 3 were outstanding 3D fighting games in their own right, but Tekken 2 always holds a more profound place in my heart. The character selection and gameplay were just right, with not a huge roster, as well as a solid engine all around. It was as entertaining solo as it was in multiplayer, even if my ex girlfriend had a better win ratio again me, though I blame that on her not having a memory card and having Baek unlocked! Regardless, it’s a solid brawler all around.

17. Vagrant Story (PSX)

Rating: N/A

The thing that stuck out about Vagrant Story was its combat system. Players could aim at certain area on the enemy and depending on what weapons they and equiped at that time, can perform combos with properly timed button presses. It was one of those titles that could work solely off its gameplay, though outside of it being released at an awkward time (not on a DVD so no voice acting could help that narrative out some more), the complete package could definitely stand on its own legs as one of the premiere titles of its generation.

16. Mega Man Legends (PSX)

Rating: N/A

Depending on who you talk to, the Mega Man Legends series is either embraced, or scoffed at. As unorthodox as it might be, Mega Man Legends really was worth playing to the end. The camera controls did take a while to become accustomed to, but once that’s locked down, it was a new dimension for the blue bomber (no pun intended.) I never did play far enough into the sequel, but I can vouch for Mega Man Legends – one of the lesser appreciated titles in any of the major franchises.

The 32/64 bit era also gave birth to my all-time favorite game, Suikoden. I know that seems like a spoiler, but the number of times I’ve mentioned my man crush with Konami’s RPG have been well documented, so sorry if that ruins any kind of non existent anticipation. But with that, lets take a look at my Top….25 – 2 32/64 Bit Games:

Notable Omissions:

 Xenogears – I never played more than 30 hours into it. I loved it sure, but I never saw enough that would fairly warrant its inclusion.

Chrono Chross – Same thing. Absolutely enjoyable battle system, but I never got far enough. I did recently begin an attempt at a full run through.

Metal Gear Solid – Oddly enough, I never enjoyed the series that much, outside MGS 4, which many fans of the series disliked for various reasons (see how off the beaten path my tastes are?) I completely recognize all that it brought to the table, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as others have.

Final Fantasy VII – I can write a whole rant on how this was the beginning of the downfall of Square’s Final Fantasy franchise, but I’ll save that for another time. It does have its moments, especially with the Materia system, however I always found it vastly overrated, despite playing through it maybe three times.

Banjo-Kazooie – Never played enough of it, as with its sequel.

Dino Crisis – Same as above.

WWF No Mercy/WWF Wrestlemania 2000 – Either one can basically be considered #26. Just about any of the wrestling games on the Nintendo 64 held countless hours of pleasure and gratification.

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25. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64)

Rating: 8.9

The Star Wars gaming franchise has seen a seesaw stability in its level of quality. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was definitely one of the higher lifts in that argument. Exhilarating combat for its time, and still more than satisfying by today’s standards. Subsequent sequels would build upon its success (as well as diminish certain aspects) but the initial release is still considered as one of the premiere Star Wars titles as far as I’m concerned.

24. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PSX)

Rating: 8.7

To this day I still feel that Resident Evil 3 didn’t get as much credit as it deserved. It’s somewhat branching storyline, mixed with the S.T.A.R.S. hunting menace named Nemesis, along with the lovely Jill Valentine being the star (get it? get it?), helped show a different angle of this main storyline. The tank-like controls were as bad in the past as they are today, but it’s still a classic formula that is worth playing just as much as the first two installments.

23. Silent Hill (PSX)

Rating: N/A

Another survival horror title that made its debut this generation, Silent Hill did a commendable job working environment and atmosphere into the experience. The fog was sometimes obnoxious, though it did add to the mood quite a bit. As with the Resident Evil series, there’s only a very small handful of jump scars throughout, but as with the Resident Evil franchise, Silent Hill is engrossing, and hooks you into playing late into the night.

22. Gran Turismo 2 (PSX)

Rating: N/A

I never cared much for the franchise as a whole, especially for the first title, but Gran Turismo 2 managed to hook me in. The offroad racing portions were some of the greatest times I’ve had playing a racing game, and that alone could suffice in why it’s on this list. But truth be told, it was a total package that had a little bit of everything for just about every kind of racing game fan. The fact that one of the hundreds of cars available was one that my father used to own, added a bit more of a connection in its own way.

21. Spider-Man (PSX)

Rating: 9.1

Remember when Spider-Man games were worth playing? Well the Sony PlayStation version from Neversoft was one of the very few. Still one of the best comic book related video games I have ever played, Spider-Man had the look and feeling down to a science, aside from a rather painful camera system. The comic covers between each stage (penciled by one of my all-time favorites, Mark Bagley) added flair to each coming stage, and the voice acting gave that feeling that this was an interactive cartoon that I was playing. For Spidey fans, this is a must play for sure.

Lets take a look at my Top 25 16 Bit Games (#5 – 1.) This list isn’t as one sided as the 8 bit list, though a majority of titles lean towards the Super Nintendo catalog.

05. Super Mario RPG (SNES)

Rating: N/A

If Super Mario RPG was never released, this would be the exact way I would envision the Italian plumber and his friends to be portrayed within the RPG genre, minus the annoying RPG habit of making the main character a mute. There’s a load of content, beautiful graphics and a charming audio score to go along with the journey. The one thing that stood out the most for me was the interaction with the combat. Selecting a standard attack was just one part of the attack, as a properly timed button press added more damage to said attack, which is really the only way you could go with Super Mario RPG. It hooked you in to paying attention to the gameplay as strongly as it hooked you into the story its self. There hasn’t been another experience like it (Paper Mario has nothing on this) and that’s a shame.

04. Secret of Mana (SNES)

Rating: 9.5

Squaresoft popped out successful titles left and right, even if some of these releases had a long wait for them to be localized. Secret of Mana was an action RPG that added the element of multiplayer gameplay to it. Players could go through the game completely solo and set AI traits to the two other characters, or another player can pick up the controller and join in. This was one major reason why Secret of Mana was so satisfying – having a second, dedicated person joining in on the adventure really made for some intense battles. There were plenty of weapons and spells that could be acquired, as well as the fact that each weapon can be upgraded, which would let players charge their attacks to a certain level, unleashing a more devastating blow. Secret of Mana is one of the less talked about Squaresoft releases, and that shouldn’t be, since it’s one of their greatest accomplishments.

03. Super Metroid (SNES)

Rating: 9.7

Another one of those “pretty much any gamer that is a gamer has played it” and “just about as flawless as a video game can get” titles. Many call this the best Metroid game ever, and I’m more than inclined to agree. From it’s hidden items and areas, to its large scale boss battles, to its rather emotion driven final battle, Super Metroid manages to nail just about every aspect right. It’s that “must have” in your collection, whether you ebay a Super Nintendo and the Super Metroid cartridge, or download it on your Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. Now if only the Nintendo 3DS would allow me to purchase a copy to take on the go….

02. Yoshi’s Island (SNES)

Rating: 9.8

Another one of those “black sheep” titles with the number two in the title, Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario World 2 is hands down one of, if not the best 2D platformer I have ever played. Those that harp on Baby Mario’s crying when Yoshi gets hit and loses custody of him are short sighted to the fact that it does not break the game whatsoever. The fact that Yoshi’s Island actually challenges players, rather than coddle them with limited challenges. Extra lives are easy to come by, but they are easy to lose as well. The brilliance of the game world is due in part to its cartoon-like style, as well as Mode 7 scaling for boss battles. I still go back to my Super Nintendo cartridge with its 100% completion score on every level, just to relive what epic 2D platforming was all about. Please do not let an audio clip of a Baby Mario crying, or the unorthodox visual style deter you – Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario World 2 is simply one of the best games I have ever played.

01. Final Fantasy III (SNES)

Rating: 9.8

One of two RPG’s that I have played through over a dozen times. Back in the days, Squaresoft was more in tune with what a successful RPG consisted of – an engaging yet occasionally off the wall crazy story, a large cast of playable characters who themselves had a deeper character to them, an engrossing game world, beautifully composed music and a wealth of content to experience. Final Fantasy III is arguably Square at its absolute very best. The gameplay, characters, story and everything in-between was so damn fulfilling, that it’s hard not to replay it time and time again throughout the years. After III/VI, IMO at least, the franchise took a huge nose dive, which only seemed to redeem its self for every title with a multiple of three. It’s always a good thing to have such a classic to fall back on when that same company has become a letdown on many levels. It’s a remind not of their current faults, but the possibilities that they can one day rise back into prominence and share an adventure of such magnitude such as Final Fantasy III. In an era of pure magic, this one stands out with a self casting of Life 3 – the game might end, but will always come back to life with as much vigor as before.

Update: This project will likely be delayed/put on hold. It likely won’t proceed in two weeks, and it’s uncertain on just when things will be back on track, but a quick note will be left on the site when things will be back on schedule.

Lets take a look at my Top 25 16 Bit Games (#10 – 6.) This list isn’t as one sided as the 8 bit list, though a majority of titles lean towards the Super Nintendo catalog.

10. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Rating: 8.5

Platform gaming was all the rage for the 8 and 16 bit generation of games, so it’s not a shock that yet another would pop up on this list. Donkey Kong Country was a release that never completely resonating with gamers as much as the likes of Super Mario World, and I never quite understood why. The controls were spot on, the game world was quite gorgeous, the audio package was fitting, and there were plenty of hidden bonus areas around the game. There’s tons to explore and discover, with a likeable cast of characters all throughout. If you were one of those that saw displeasure with Donkey Kong Country for one reason or another, check it out again. It’s definitely a lazy Sunday title that’s worth the time and day.

09. Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (SNES)

Rating: 8.4

One of the more difficult titles out there, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts knew how to push a gamers buttons. If the rigid jumping mechanics lent themselves more towards Mega Man and less towards Castlevania, a moderate portion of the game wouldn’t be such a challenge.  Even still, the wonderfully constructed yet highly treacherous level layouts, impressive visuals for a first generation title, outstanding music and power up system more than made up for that fact. I just wish I didn’t have to play through the game two straight times in order for me to get the real ending, which wasn’t really worth the effort anyway, but boy did conquering some of those later levels feel like an accomplishment all on its own.

08. Castlevania: Bloodlines (GEN)

Rating: 8.5

Another one of those rare instances in which the audio in a Sega Genesis game isn’t a complete disaster. Castlevania: Bloodlines had quite a bit going for it, from that strong music presence, to having two different character to choose from. Whether you select a whip wielding protagonist or a pike wielding hero, that Castlevania difficult will keep you on your toes, while providing a more than satisfying playthrough. It’s often passed up due to the likes of Super Castlevania IV (which in its own right is a magnificent release) and it’s a shame too, since I feel that Castlevania: Bloodlines is one of the best installments in this legendary franchise.

07. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

Rating: N/A

Definitely a number one selection for many gamers out there, I had to put The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in the seventh slot. Another one of those near flawless games, A Link to the Past has that near perfect pacing, proper item upgrades, a lively game world and so much content available to it. Like many of the all-time greats, just about everything has been said already, and if you somehow never had a chance to play A Link to the Past, I strongly urge you to grab a copy, either on the Super Nintendo, Game Boy Advance or Wii Virtual Console. As for why such a cherished title isn’t much higher on the list….well, take a look at the final six titles and hopefully that will explain it all.

06. Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Rating: N/A

On my first playthrough of Chrono Trigger, I never really seemed to click with the gameplay. I rushed through it mostly because I had borrowed it from a friend while in junior high school, just to say I beat it. But when I later got my own copy, I started to realize why so many gamers felt that this was such a piece of work. The characters are all enjoyable and give more than enough reason to become emotionally invested in them. The fact that there are around a dozen endings, the powerful musical pieces, the engaging battle mechanics, just everything came together in such a profound manner. I’m actually surprised I didn’t rate this higher now that I think about it, but the top five I have….

Brink (not reviewed)

Brink came at a somewhat surprise to me. I had a gut feeling that this Bethesda release was going to disappoint on some level, though I never expected it to disappoint me on every level. Poor textures, meager animations and a queasy art style overall did not help the first impressions out, but the further I delved into Brink, the closer I can to the brink of raging out. Not only was the online broken at the time (I hear it’s been long stabilized, only no one ever plays it online now) but the mechanics as a whole were completely broken. Enemies took too many shots to fell, yet too few would do the player in. Weapon selections that underwhelmed. Just an overall sense of uselessness from the AI. Not one thing worked out for Brink, and it was a crying shame, since it had such an immense potential that it ultimately failed to ever realize.

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale (Rating: 3.5)

The action-RPG genre is a particular weakness for me. I can easily find myself engrossed in even the most mundane of experiences for quite a bit of time (Sacred 2) or fascinated for months on end with what I feel are the most pinnacle of console action-RPG’s (Champions of Norrath.) But Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale? There’s almost no helping this one out. Stale and dated visuals, lack of enemy variety and crippling bugs all but put an arrow into the knee (first and last time I’ll ever use that stupid joke) of what could have possibly been the action-RPG to play in this generation of gaming. This was a planned trilogy of releases as well, in which the level cap raises ten per release, but with how abysmal this initial release was, I’m hoping a cut and paste approach isn’t used to release each new installment from here on out.

Mindjack (Rating: 3.0)

What depressed me the most about Mindjack was the legitimate fact that there was a wealth of untapped potential deeply rooted into the poorly structured game. The intriguing aspect of jumping from mind to mind seemed like a strong gimmick to launch a new IP off of. Sadly though, my whole time playing Mindjack made me wish I could jump into another characters mind, just to spare myself from anymore torture. A PlayStation 2 game on an Xbox 360 disc, Mindjack was a step backwards with every facet. How ironic that the single worst game I’ve played all year was one of the first new releases of 2011. I’m just happy that the whole year had stellar releases after Mindjack, to help wear away the pain that it gave me.

As with last year, I’m going to take this time to reveal what my personal favorites were for 2011. It was a rather challenging ordeal though, as there were quite a few that I absolutely adored yet didn’t feel like they should make my list, and there were a good number I have yet to get my hands on (most notably Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.) I won’t categorize anything either, so iOS titles, XBLA titles and console retail builds will all be considered equally. Again, this is a personal reflection and not a collaborative effort with the rest of the Chocolate Lemon staff.

Honorable Mentions:

Homefront (not reviewed) – While it had its share of flaws, I still feel that the story was legitimately worth being invested in, outside of the ending. The multiplayer portion was shockingly addictive as well, and gave a more gratifying sense of accomplishment with each kill. I wholeheartedly recommend this to FPS enthusiasts more than Modern Warfare 3 or even Battlefield 3 (seriously.)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Rating: 9.5) – What I still feel as the first true reason to purchase a Nintendo 3DS, Ocarina of Time 3D didn’t try to cram in anything unnecessary gameplay wise (the gyroscope archery aiming was actually a brilliant addition), but simply put a fresh coat of paint on the visuals to help give the 3D effect a more glorious and appealing sheen. It was the highest rating I gave a game this year, though I feel it just barely misses my top five. Plus, I’d rather keep the list to new releases and not so much a re-release, regardless of how fantastic it was. An honorary mention would suffice.

#5

Orcs Must Die (Rating: 8.5)

The only reason I ever knew about Orcs Must Die was based off of the PAX East preview that ForteWally provided us. My fascination for the tower defense genre had started to pick up quite a bit of steam, and the notion of third person gameplay thrown into the mix had me anticipating this one for quite a while.When I finally did get my hands on it, was I ever enthralled by the trap setting mayhem that I had unleashed on the legion of orcs. Orcs Must Die excelled at creativity, where setting up combos with your traps produced not only a better reward on a currency manner, but in a satisfaction sense as well. With each level conquered, a new skill or trap is revealed, and with each level completed gives a rating, which is another form of currency that can be used to purchase a one time upgrade for each skill or trap. With a modest number of levels to complete, a difficulty that steadily grows with each passing level, and the myriad of methods to dispatch the incoming horde of enemies, Orcs Must Die is not only my fifth favorite game this year, but just passes Bastion as my favorite downloadable game of the year.

#4

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Rating: 9.0)

For a series that last saw a sequel back in 2003, Deus Ex: Human Revolution made quite an impact on its return to the scene. Definitely for the more patient of players, anyone going into this one with a “run and gun” kind of mentality will be quickly taken down, as the stealth approach will almost always net the best results. The amount of customization allowed through leveling up helps players stave off the strictly stealth approaches as the game goes on, though sticking to the shadows and picking off a guard always feels like the more exhilarating choice of action. Though it had a number of annoying blemishes (excessive load times, emotionless protagonist voice acting, overbearing difficulty early on, the laughably easy last boss) the experience, stealth and story overall were more than worth the price of admission. Even if you turn your nose at any game that contains a predominant amount of stealth to its gameplay, I still recommend Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Have a bit of patience with its blemishes, level Adam Jensen accordingly, and the game becomes quite exciting.

 #3

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Rating: 9.0)

Skyward Sword didn’t reach every plateau that I was hoping the next big Zelda release would, but it nailed an aspect that helps immerse player into the franchise like never before – just about full control over Link’s sword. A radical departure from the industry standards of “press the attack button to hack and slash away”, motion controls gave a more profound sense of life to Link, enabling players to slash where they wanted, with little restrictions. on top of that, the narrative manages to suck you in from the very beginning, giving the story, while still as cliche as possible, more heart and presence. If Nintendo’s stubbornness ceases on the fully vocalized portion of the audio, removing the inane grunts, moans and “duh!” sounds, Skyward Sword could have made an even more significant impact in a year of solid gaming. It may not have been my favorite game this year (even after anticipating it for years before its release) but it’s still constructed in a way that has it superseding most every other release in general.

#2

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Rating: 9.0)

Truth be told, this was an easy selection for number one. A gigantic game world filled with life (eventually you’ll see more of it a few dozen hours into your adventures), numerous quests, sights, sounds and everything in-between. It’s just a shame that my actual number one selection was released just over a month later, or else The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim would have ran away with it all. That doesn’t diminish the fact that its addictive nature and much more refined gameplay, inventory system, skills and so on, are just a small fraction of why it’s nearly impossible to put the game down. In terms of console releases, Bethesda probably released the single best title in this young decade, with more incentives to march forward than any other game released since January 1st of 2010. If you haven’t got your hands on this hot seller yet, check out my review and then go out and get lost in the world of Skyrim for the foreseeable future.

Star Wars: The Old Republic (not reviewed)

I’ll be the first to say that this is the latest release I’ve played into a year, and the first that ever impressed me so profoundly. While the review is still some weeks away (I’m not going to throw out a review two days after launch like some people), I have spotted some flaws with The Old Republic, but they are not enough for me to bump it behind The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bioware managed to do something that no other MMORPG has ever done in such a successful manner – provide a storyline that will grip players in and make them remember their adventures as much as they remembered their trek through the first two Knights of the Old Republic titles. Many of the MMO nuances have been simplified or streamlined some, though never feel excessively dumb down and borderline skewed to preteen casuals. As of this writing, it remains to be seen what kind of end game material will be available (I’m a level 46 Sith Juggernaut) but the journey thus far has kept me hooked harder than any other MMORPG that I’ve played since the one of the grandfathers of the genre, Everquest. While Imperial classes will intertwine in terms of content and side missions, as the Republic side does the same, just following the main storyline and finding out what happens next is gripping enough. The Sith Warrior > Juggernaut plot takes predictable turns here and there, yet they come about at unexpected times. From engaging combat to an engaging soundtrack, the complete package thus far of Star Wars: The Old Republic manages to peep its head above a plethora of high caliber releases that gamers have seen this year. For a game released midway through the final month of a year, that’s quite a spectacular feat.

Not only screenshots have been surfacing from Square Enix either, a couple of trailers have also found their way into the viral limelight. One displaying the new ‘Enhanced Battle System’ featured in XIII-2 and the second, a cinematic teaser trailer with some pretty awesome looking visuals dubbed ‘Battle of Valhalla’.

XIII-2 is slated for release in Feb. 3rd 2012 and Enix is doing a good job so far of keeping the interest level at it’s peak until then with these little appetizers. Fans may also be in for a more consistent pace of these treats much further beyond the release of XIII-2 as producer Yoshunori Kitase was recently quoted in a statement saying:

“I think we took a little too long getting [Final Fantasy XIII] out. When you think of Western triple A titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Assassin’s Creed, they seem to work with a lot shorter turnaround. They make a new game in 1-2 years”.

Apparently, Kitase feels this is a release model better suited for future Final Fantasy games and held large influence on the slightly less than 2 year release of XIII-2 after XIII. How such fast turn around would effect a genre such as RPG’s, which thrive from containing a massively larger amount of content in comparison to such Triple A titles, will just have to be seen in the future. RPG’s and Westerns alike hold an extremely strict following within the community in regards to gameplay formulas, quantity and quality.

"A Leader Within This Decade."

Lets get one formality out and away with – although I have played both Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War, I never did get a chance to complete either, for one reason or another. Not that there was anything wrong with them – I just have a queue of titles that never ceases, so a few games get lost in the shuffle every so often. With some kind of previous history with the franchise, I retained a semblance of familiarity with the gameplay as a whole. So coming into Deus Ex: Human Revolution, I have a bit of a peppered knowledge of the franchise and its inner workings.

With that said, Deus Ex: Human Revolution (DXHR) still came off as something totally unexpected, for almost all the right reasons.

Throughout the entire campaign, players will be in control of Adam Jensen, the lead for DXHR. This former SWAT team member wasn’t always held together with prosthetics and augmentations, as he was involved in what was dubbed as an “accident” that took the lives of dozens of scientists, including a woman named Megan, whom he was quite close to once. Jensen was left for dead, but brought back and stabilized with augmentations that are not all activated early on. The journey in which Adam Jensen departs on will more than keep players guessing throughout, with a curve-ball thrown every so often to spice things up. In some ways, DXHR fits the bill with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in terms of a video game that would make a stellar movie adaptation, in the right hands.

Approaching DXHR with a review in mind was a bit of a challenge. There have been a small handful of instances in which I’ve just about damned some aspects of its gameplay, but eventually turned around (both in a state of mind, and literally in game) and realized these issues were all self perpetrated. While I might have combed through each area to get a better understanding of my surroundings, I didn’t pull out the fine tooth comb the first few times, and when I did, I started to see just how well put together this machine really was. Those first couple of hours in were not so kind, but witnessing everything gel together and understanding the finer points of the gameplay, really shined a vastly brighter light upon the entire package.

One of the major complaints I had early on was the difficulty. Players will find out right off the bat that if a medium or higher difficulty setting is selected, a run and gun approach will quickly send you to a load last checkpoint screen (which is an issue in of its self, and will be elaborated on a little later.) Stealth becomes the major asset here, as getting around certain areas would best be accomplished within the shadows, although as you progress, upgraded ballistic weaponry and proper intuition will help break up the ”hidden in the shadows” mentality quite a bit. So while there will always be an emphasis on stealth throughout, once the nuances are all understood, and a few weapon/augmentation upgrades are gained, things don’t feel as overbearing as they started out. Just don’t immediately dismiss DXHR due to reasons of dying. A lot.

Stealth in its self is actually pulled off with a commendable success, having players rely on staying out of the line of sight of the enemies around you, as well as trying not to make any unusual noises that could be interpreted as suspicious. Best way to describe the inner workings of the stealth within DXHR is a mix between Metal Gear Solid and Winback – there’s the cover mechanics that let you creep along obstructions, as well as popping out during gunplay (Winback), and the reliance of silence and sticking to the unseen shadows (Metal Gear Solid.) It all meshes together in ways I’ve never experienced in a game before DXHR.

The AI competence is rather astute as well. While sneaking around, players will usually wait for an enemy to turn their back and walk away from them, so they can use that opening to advance. There are occasions where an adversary will quickly spin around and walk backwards, taking a look at their rear for a moment, before turning back around and continuing their march. While everyone has their strict path to march and no deviance from that route they were programmed with, it adds that extra layer of uncertainty and trepidation to infiltration or evasion. To further elaborate the AI’s potency, while crouching behind cover in a room adjacent to a patrolling guard, I had lifted up a cardboard box to place beside me and away from a grate I wished to enter. I unknowingly did this within the guards line of sight, setting the status to Alarmed, and compelling the guard to walk over, open the door into the room and investigate the unusual phenomenon. It’s the little things like this that adds an amount of depth to the stealth gameplay that other titles might not have even contemplated.

On top of that, there are plenty of areas in which multiple soldiers will march about with a slightly mistimed pattern or length of coverage, meaning while you might be able to get the peg on an incoming soldier for a CQC takedown, another soldier at a medium distance away might have had less of a path to travel and begin to double back sooner than anticipated, opening them up to potentially spotting your takedown. Once spotted, the AI begins a rather aggressive campaign of search and destroy, which does last much longer than other games with the same stealth build, and literally feels terrifying that a ton of enemies are scanning the area for you. While there are games that rely on stealth and being hunted down if spotted, DXHR actually feels like there’s quite a bit of intelligence behind this, and not just a five second search and then the enemies go back to their posts as if nothing happened (hi, MGS!)

If (mostly likely “when”) the player is spotted and sets off the enemy status to “Alerted”, that’s when things becoming rather interesting. Depending on where the players is and how many soldiers are in the same area, things will either be a piece of cake, or an exercise of patience. Taking cover is vital to staying alive during firefights, obviously to avoid taking damage. The thing is, while playing DXHR on the medium setting, I was still easily gunned down left and right, with a health regeneration that meager at best. It felt nearly overbearing early on, as anything I did to try and combat gunfire flying towards me, met with my death after a couple of shots, regardless of any augmentations I performed (more on that in a minute.) But I began realizing how reliance on stealth played a major factor, how to use environmental objects to my advantage during a fight and how to advance from cover to cover in a more meaningful manner. I started to see that not only could I avoid most firefights if need be, but with such a strong reliance on stealth and how the AI seems to be able to locate you on obvious mistakes as opposed to poor programming, but how well placed shots can kill standard infantry enemies, as well as myself. Health will regenerate slowly and yes, the player can temporarily boost their health to a degree, but all non boss characters or mechs weren’t built to soak up bullets, so there’s definitely a degree of intelligence in how to play through each area, sneaking by or spotted by all. Headshot a soldier in a close proximity with a silenced handgun and risk a nearby comrade being alerted to the guards fall and possibly having reinforcements file through, or sneak by and CQC only when needed and when it’s absolutely certain that backup isn’t close behind?

Throughout DXHR players will be able to gain XP, and with each “level” gained, a Praxis point is awarded to spend on enhancing the many augmentations within Jensen. There are a myriad of ways the player can help upgrade Jensen for the better. The option of enhancing his proficiency with hacking on multiple levels can ease the burden, or quicken the pack of each hacking attempt, or even bestow the ability to hack a higher security level terminal. Want to be 100% sure that Jensen’s movements will never be heard? Apply your Praxis points towards movement feats, which will ultimately silence your every move, whether it’s running or jumping (once the ability is toggled on.) From adding a bit of damage resistance, to negating fall damage completely, to even gaining the ability to see enemies through walls, there are more than enough ways to pimp out Jensen in his quest to find the answers that so many seem to be hiding from him, as well as the rest of the world.

Speaking of the world, DXHR‘s world really is a mixed bag of pleasantry and laziness. The game world its self has a variety and attention to detail that’s hard not to stand up and applaud. Boxes of cereal, piles of garbage, restrooms and every other pieces add up, and helps to shine a distinctive look between each area. On the other hand, there are issues with color variety. Too many outdoor areas have an yellowish-orange tint to them, muting the look of the world around it. It does help make some of the areas look adequately depressing to match the mood and conditions, but it seems just a bit overdone. Many indoor areas are free of this annoyance, though again, it’s not a visual marvel of any sort. More or less, it feels as if DXHR was visually built for a steady performance throughout, as there’s little to no sign of frame rate drops or any kind of slowdown. Character models have a similar balance issue as well. Main characters, or at least those with a legitimate dialog exchange with Jensen, look proper, with no mind blowing qualities that gamers have seen this generation from titles such as Final Fantasy XIII, Uncharted 2 and Gears of War. They fit the world around them as not detailed to the nth degree, but hold their own distinct pieces of distinction that helps flesh them out properly. Any NPC’s of non or minimal importance though, look as if they were ripped from a PlayStation 2 game. It’s definitely a mixed bag (this is the Xbox 360 version I’m reviewing via VGA cables) but with the consistency of the animation (with some repetition when it comes to conversations) and the fact that Eidos Montreal did nail down a feeling of a futuristic, gritty world for the most part, DXHR certainly does work on most levels as a whole, just not in an individual basis.

Even with the negatives to the game world, it’s still quite fascinating to wander around each section you’re currently at, and just go exploring. It’s not a huge chunk of land that one would find in games such as Fallout 3, but there’s enough meat on the bones to keep a player fed for a while. It’s mostly linear in terms of needing to go from point A to point B, however the approach can be totally different, depending on if certain augments were purchased (jump higher to bypass fences, augment Jensen’s strength to push heavier objects into place to access shortcut grates, etc.) Within each of these areas will be a side quest NPC or two that will deviate you from the main game. There’s enough variety within these side missions to try and comb through each area and see if there are more than the one or two per sector/area. From investigating a possible cover up on a death, to finding someone’s acquaintance that has gone missing, there’s variety with each of these missions, as well as your approach to each of them. Not a sandbox environment, yet not completely restricted in how to go about each activity. Just be sure to complete each side mission before taking off to the next location that the main storyline will lead you, as there’s no way to come back and tie up loose ends.

Audio wise, there’s only a small bit of inconsistency, although it does prove a bit problematic here and there. Most of the audio package is actually quite spectacular. The music is moody, which helps immerse players in each situation that arises. There are instances when the audio tracks begin to sound like something from Mass Effect, which fits the mood to a near perfection. It’s probably up there with Homefront as the most powerful compositions this year. The voice acting, while nothing Hollywood caliber, is no slouch either. A few of the NPC’s sound slightly phoned in, but nevertheless they helped keep me interested and invested in everything that unfolded.

Adam Jensen is where my only concern comes from. He suffers from a slight case of what I would like to affectionately refer to as “Samus Syndrome.” Anyone who has played Metroid: Other M will immediately recall the monotone, near lifeless delivery of Samus’ voice acting. Adam Jensen suffers from a similar affliction, where he’ll perform his lines, yet the voice acting seems almost uninterested in trying to engage the player with emotion. Jensen isn’t even a poorly written character either – I’ve become more and more intrigued with him and the world around him with every mission and side mission I encountered and completed. He’s not written to be someone that doesn’t give a crap either, nor are his lines of dialog, so I’m not sure why the delivery is so unimpressive. There are rare occasions where a sense of energy and passion is put into some of the more emotionally charged moments, but at no point does Jensen completely fit the vocal build. The sound of Adam Jensen’s voice does fit perfectly mind you, its just the performance is lackluster, which can rarely affect the attachment gained from watching his struggles and triumphs unfold.

Load times will become the unavoidable headache from beginning to end. If uninstalled, loading times can reach 30 seconds, with a HDD install only cutting it down by 1/3 or so. Of course the early portions of DXHR is where everyone will be learning the ins and outs of controls, augmentations and how not to approach a hostile situation (the controls by the way, for the most part, are precise and fully functional, with barely any snags to be had) so there will be periods of possible repeated death that occur. Having to constantly reload the same area multiple times in a short period of time, really breaks up the immersion and builds more frustration than anything. It’s not necessarily the dying that’s a problem, as there are multiple methods of getting through each situation (long way stealth, long way gun battle, shortcut stealth, shortcut gun battle, etc.) and being open minded to your surroundings can and will quell the number of deaths down some. It’s the sitting and waiting after each subsequent death that’s more maddening. Luckily the load times between areas doesn’t occur very frequently, as each area Jensen explores is large enough to not warrant continuous load screen and such.

The real downer that lingers after completing DXHR is the final boss and the immediate results. As spoiler free as one can be without giving a play-by-play on how it’s achieved, I’ll just say the following –  if Jensen has his hacking ability to level five, with a very small handful of Nuke ‘Em and Stop! worms, victory can be accomplished with what seems like zero effort. If crafty enough, not one thing will hit Jensen during this battle, as it will quickly turn into a waiting game. The first couple of major boss battles will be infuriating to those that don’t take the time (when there’s any available) to dissect their surroundings and use it to their advantage, but the last couple are rather easy, with patience, especially the final boss. Afterwards, depending on whether certain tasks just before the final battle were taken care of, the endings presented will be thought provoking, which is a definite plus. Whichever route the player chooses the end the game on, Jensen eloquently elaborates on why that route was chosen, and one could make an argument as to how strongly they side with his decisions, or whether or not they viewed it as completely wrong. They are endings with an intellectual spin to them, and it’s hard not to sit and analyze what just transpired. The problem is that they’re all short and somewhat remind me of the meager endings Fallout 3 presented players, though not to such a severe degree. The journey to those closing moments was well worth the time and effort put into reaching, so it’s not too severe of a blow. Do let the credits roll in their entirety though….trust me.

I know it seems like I’ve complained more than complimented, but I need to reassure everyone that there’s more to enjoy with DXHR than there is to be upset over, especially since one of the biggest sticking points (difficulty) will even out properly with eventual understanding of mechanics, augments, weapon upgrades, etc. The first hours will be a little bit of an exercise of patience, thanks to the number of times death may come, and along with it, the abhorrent load times that will never cease. But going further and further in, there’s a noticeable boost in the quality of story, character interaction, means of approaching each situation, and everything in-between. The best way I could sum up the experiences and approaches of DXHR’s gameplay is a “restricted complete freedom.” There’s no massive sandbox with dozens of activities to partake in, yet the world around Jensen has quite a bit of mass to it. There aren’t a whole lot of side missions, yet there are countless ways each of them, as well as the storyline missions, can be approached. It’s a fine balance that can only be understood and appreciated after a few hours of hands on time.

Augmenting Jensen’s powers further and further with every Praxis pack or Praxis point received will also open up new possibilities, including punching over certain context sensitive walls to either gain entry to a hidden room with beneficial items to be claimed, or to get the drop on an enemy behind the wall and progress through an area in a quicker manner. Upgrades to Jensen’s weaponry will either heighten the damage output, shorten the reload times, or even give the ballistic portions a tracer ability. Even with some color palette issues, each new area found can be easily distinguished from the last. On top of that, the little details that most would ignore, such as misspelled words in an email read off a hacked computer, and random conversations Jensen will overhear between two parties. Conversations about not being able to pay the rent and how no one has a job yet, to fixing an air conditioner, adds character to the game world and helps to infuse a feeling that the player is traversing through a living, breathing world outside the one they’re playing this game in.

The further one gets into Deux Ex: Human Revolution, the more one will witness the gameplay evolution unveil. It blends together a somewhat refined stealth and cover mechanics seen in Metal Gear Solid and Winback, with a core gameplay with a plethora of ways to approach each situation, and a story that becomes increasingly more fascinating and gripping as time progresses. The visuals might have inconsistencies, Adam Jensen might not have a consistent voice acting quality, the load times can break up the immersion ere and there, and the early part of the game might be skewed too high in difficulty, but after the player becomes accustomed to every facet of controls, stealth, augmentation and such, Deus Ex: Human Revolution begins to show its true colors through its 25+ hours of gameplay. If you’re the type of player that likes to shoot first and ask questions later, this will more than likely not be your cup of tea. If you enjoy patience, exploration, a story with making a film about, and multiple ways of approaching each roadblock ahead of you, this will be a cup of tea worth sipping. With standout titles such as Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat, Homefront and Portal 2 filling out the first half of 2011, Deus Ex: Human Revolution trumps them all and stands out as the best game released in 2011 thus far, and one of the must plays of this current decade.

Rating: 9.0

One of the little pieces of detail sprinkled throughout the game that players might not even realize the first time through.