A.Logan
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Posts posted by A.Logan
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This topic is ripe for discussion.
Loved then, hate now: None that I can think of right now.
Hated then, love now: Super Mario Bros. 2
I totally agree with Mario 2/Doki Doki Panic.
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How many people have memories of playing a game and having so much fun...then when you played it, you wondered why the hell you did? I did this with Nemo for NES. I couldn't get into it again, and I wondered why I did in the first place. Also, what games did you absolutely hate as a kid, but love now? Solomon's Key is my choice. I hated watching my dad play it for hours, before I could play Mighty Bomb Jack. Now I love that game so much. How about it?
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Where's the "Sonic sucks and Mario rules" option?
Kidding! Null vote.
Sonic doesn't suck, by any means. But you're right in that Mario games are far better. Mostly because they have Luigi in them!
I'll give the vote to Sonic 2 though.
Tails>Luigi man, no question.
Blasphemy! Luigi will not stand for this. Tails is no match for His might!
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A nice touch is the flashing words that appear at certain intervals. Like "Violence!" or "Destruction!" Great fun.
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Did you receive my PM?
I did now. Thank you again. This is something that is so awesome to me.
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Good rewrite. If you're cool with it, I'll run this one between noon and 2:00p (CT) Sunday.
Absolutely. I really appreciate the spotlight, Yoda. Silent Hill is one of my favorite series, so I'm glad I was able to write about it.
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You're right, DJ. This section is modeled very much after the RCC, where we can give each other feedback and pieces will indeed be spotlighted -- such as this one.
I rewrote this, and it turned out way better, please hold off on spotlighting this until you see the new one. I appreciate this a whole lot, but I think that you'll like the new one more. The new review, thanks again for reading this.
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The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh.
The first line of text on a barren screen. Those words are quickly replaced by a charred picture of an adolescent girl. The opening video to Silent Hill is striking in its similarity to the beginning of a TV show, showing you the events leading up to the point that you take over in this Playstation exclusive gem. This is a game that brings you into its world and disorients you, making sure that you have no true way to right yourself before throwing the next thing at you.
Silent Hill will not wow you in the graphics department. I said it. More and more, the focus of games is the graphics. This game's graphics are not anything to write home about. In fact, I would venture that the graphics are the weakest link in this game. Textures are muddy, objects aren't too terribly interesting, and the outdoors areas aren't breathtaking in the least. But, oddly enough, the graphics being weak aren't even enough to drag this game's score down. For all of the disdain about the graphics, there happens to be one thing, graphically, that the game has in it's favor. The flashlight. Darkness is very scary. One of mankind's biggest fears is the unknown. Silent Hill manages to cover up some of its graphical flaws by using darkness as a gameplay device. Not to mention the fact that the flashlight actually has an effect on the scenery. If it isn't on, you don't see much in front of or behind you. In the dark, your suffer from decreased accuracy, you can't examine objects, and oftentimes, unless you're really paying attention, you'll run directly into enemies. The only plus to having your flashlight off is the fact that the enemies are sometimes unaware of your presence. You can almost get by them unscathed if you try not to make too much noise while trying to escape. Another aspect of the graphics that excels is the monster design. These beasts look like Clive Barker's wet dream. Huge flying dinosaur-like birds, hellish devil dogs, a giant lizard, a giant worm, and depending on which path you take through the game, a giant winged goat demon. Terrible beasts. Overall, the graphics are a drab package with a few shining points.
Something that truly influenced my opinion of Silent Hill is the sound design. This series is blessed to have the immense talent of Akira Yamaoka at the helm. His works are stunning in their beauty and they add to the overall package of Silent Hill. The sound is a very large piece of the overall atmosphere of the title. Atmosphere is vital to any Survival-Horror title, and Silent Hill's atmosphere is top notch. The sounds that bombard your ear throughout the game can scarcely be described. The entire game gives off this unnatural feel, from the inncessant pounding to the shattering of glass, that makes you feel like something is amiss at all times. A great soundtrack is key to any game, and I recommend Silent Hill's soundtrack to any avid music fan.
Silent Hill is played from your basic third person perspective, and is hardly ever changed. That isn't to say that you can't use a first person perspective, because you can, but only to look around. Silent Hill is not overly hard, nor is it a cake walk. The controls are a little different from the standard fare, with the introduction of a sidestep and the highly touted quickturn, which allows you to make a very fast 180 and head in the other direction. Very useful move. Other than that, the controls aren't any different than the typical RC car like controls of other Survival-Horror entries. From a puzzle standpoint, Silent Hill is a breath of fresh air. The item A to get in door B format is not a heavy part of this game, though it is there, for the most part, the puzzles aren't overly annoying.
When it comes to the story of Silent Hill, the game does a very good job of giving you these layers that are constantly being peeled away until you know almost the whole of what is going on in this foggy tourist town. Basically, Harry Mason, a widowed writer, is taking a trip with his daughter, Cheryl. On the way into town, Harry has a huge wreck in his jeep, and Cheryl goes off into the town alone. It's up to Harry to find his daughter, and escape the town. But something is amiss in Silent Hill, and Harry and Cheryl are right at the center of it. This story just can't get any more right. The whole way through, I was at the edge of my patience just waiting for the next bit of information to answer the myriad of questions that will invariably occur to even the most brain-dead player. My only gripe is that the endings actually made for more questions, instead of answering them succinctly.
Overall, Silent Hill is a wonderfully executed entry into Survival-Horror annals. The graphics aren't the best, but the sound more than makes up for it. The gameplay in Silent Hill is average, with a few shining points, but the story makes up for the more drab points. This game is such a solid entry in the Playstation library, and a Survival-Horror gem.
Final Score: 8.9 out of 10
Other Platforms: None
Release Date: February 24, 1999
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Survival-Horror, Psychological thriller
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Players: 1
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AIM: AMLogan216
E-Mail: logan_am@yahoo.com
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VG Cats is the funniest strip I've read in a long time. It's where my sig comes from, and I've really become a fan. Read and enjoy!
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Sonic 2 came with my Genesis. I already had my cousin's copy of the first one, and had played that for days. Then I played Sonic 2 after beating the first one and it immediately became a treasure in my eyes. Long after my Sega Genesis went kaput, my Sonic 2 cartridge is still in my closet, with my copy of Streets of Rage 2. Awesome game, and the best in the series.
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Thank you. I'm gonna add a section for sound as soon as I rewrite it, as an attempt at hosting the sounds for the enjoyment/horror of all failed miserably. I really appreciate the time that you took to read my review. Thanks again.
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The fear of blood creates fear for the flesh.
One line that you see in the very beginning of the Playstation exclusive Survival-Horror opus, Silent Hill, and never again. Very soon, if you devote the time that this game needs, paying attention to every detail that the story entails, then you can bet on having nightmares. Not normal ones either. This game contains many a sequence of disturbing events. Dead bodies? Seen it in spades. Occult like symbols? Have 'em by the tons. Monsters that look like something from Clive Barker's nightmares? Plenty. These are some of the things that Silent Hill has in store for your dreams.
Oddly enough, Silent Hill's story is what sets it apart from the other entries in it's genre, not it's monsters or body count. Silent Hill was truly a breathe of fresh air, when it came to story. Instead of being a super cop, like in the Resident Evil series, you take the role of an average joe, in what seems to be an average town. Your daughter is missing, and you have to find her. Nothing too extravagant, barring an early twist. There are no huge suspension of disbelief issues at first. Once you continue into this small tourist town, like the fog, the problems start to roll in.
The graphics in Silent Hill are not going to wow anyone. Not even for their time. It's not really something that will make a lasting impression upon you. That isn't a complete write off of the graphics, because Team Silent did an awesome job with what they could, but the focus of the team was on atmosphere. Almost as if the team knew that their vision was not going to be able to be fully realized on the current hardware, so they made an effort to make the feelings that you get playing Silent Hill ones that are very contradictory. On the one hand, the visuals are disturbed, and you never want to see them again, but like a rubbernecker to a 41 car pileup, you can't stop looking. In particular, you tend to start picking up cues that this world isn't one that is completely genuine. Something begins to pull at the threads of the wool that the game has over your eyes. Little things like an inaccurate sign, or a wheelchair or ten out of place, add to the suspicion that Harry Mason is not in a genuine town.
An aspect of this game that adds to the overall atmosphere that is integral to Silent Hill is the sound. The sound in Silent Hill plays such an important role to the player, and no one really notices until after they're done playing it. The composer, Akira Yamaoka, has a way with music. The pieces that he composes for this game are very beautiful, unlike the surroundings that you're presented them in. It is this contradictory setting, the pieces becoming haunting reminders of the grim aura of Silent Hill. The sounds that you hear throughout the game, the crashes, bangs and assorted calls of hellish monsters that dog your every step, are top notch. They bring on a distinct feeling, namely uneasiness. The noises that the mumblers, who bear a passing resemblance to children, make are very unnatural, almost moaning. Distressing sounds. The sound is by far the best part of Silent Hill, and is very much worthy of high praise.
The controls of this game were easy enough to learn for Survival-Horror newbies and veterans alike, providing the balance of operations needed to keep the newbie on his toes and give the vet the tools needed to get by. A quickturn option, used by depressing L2 and R2, is very useful in a game of this nature. Not to mention, if you try to gun it through this game, you'll notice that it's pretty hard to continue without ammunition. Harry misses his target sometimes. You need to give this man, the average joe, some time to solidify his aim. An interesting change from the twitch reflex, hurried aiming from Resident Evil. Another interesting addition to the Survival-Horror genre is the use of melee weapons. They're done right! Not too terribly weak, not some end all be all weapon that makes fighting a breeze, they add a nice element to the combat. By making strides to make combat fresh, Team Silent circumvents the one pitfall of any Survival-Horror game. Repetitive gameplay. In Silent Hill, you often are forced to run around various areas, all of which are shown in real time, as opposed to the pre-rendered fare of other games. The viewpoint can be changed to first person for the sake of looking around, but usually you are forced to play through in the genre standard 3rd person perspective.
Something that takes away from the overall enjoyment of this game is the lack of story direction. The story is very good, I can't deny that, but when it takes you almost two hours to get the next piece in the puzzle, it tends to make the game drag on. Now, two hours may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but often, you have no idea where to go. The first section of the game, you're told that you need to go to the place where a certain huge twist just occurred. After that, nothing until you find another of your daughter's notes. Everything after that is exploration through the overlarge streets of Silent Hill.
The good things about Silent Hill by far outweigh the faults. This game changed the way that Survival-Horror was looked at by the genre's veterans and made fans of critics as well. The game has made a profound impact on many people, myself included. I recommend that everyone reading this give this game a shot. You'll never forget it.
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Other Platforms: None
Release Date: February 24, 1999
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Survival-Horror, Psychological thriller
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Players: 1
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Contact Information
AIM: AMLogan216
E-Mail: logan_am@yahoo.com
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So, do you guys use strategy guides? I can understand if you use them for RPGs, but are they that necessary that you're willing to shell out $15 for them?
Well, the ones that cost money are rivaled in quality sometimes by the ones at GameFAQs. The only one that I thought was the tits was the huge Bradygames one I got for free with Vice City. Had pictures of the cars, which was a great help for the Sunshine Autos asset.
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I loved last night's episode. I only wish I had caught the beginning of it. I only saw from the part where Conan was in the car with his mom on.
You didn't miss much. Kudo was obviously suspicious because "Conan" can't have a mother since he is not real. But he figured that this person would want to hurt Rachel and Detective Moore if he didn't cooperate. So he went with her in the car and that is where you picked up from.
Thanks. I'm gonna start watching this, or invest in Tivo. Probably the Tivo, because between school, work, and acting, I can't stay up until 1:30 every night.
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I loved last night's episode. I only wish I had caught the beginning of it. I only saw from the part where Conan was in the car with his mom on.
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I play XBOX mostly. I have a Gamecube, I had a PS2, but the XBOX reigns in my house. But on the computer, the NES owns all.
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If you could have sex with one superhero/heroine (or villain/villainess) who would it be?
Off the top of my head I'd say Baroness (GI Joe) would be my Number 1 choice, with Wonder Woman, Phoenix, and Storm pulling a three-way tie for a close second.
Ahh, yeah.
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Wolverine has caused his fair share of pain and suffering on a wide range of indivduals, meaning the Penance Stare might just break his mind, which is his most vulnerable point. Not to the death, as I'm unsure if John Blaze/Ghost Rider can die, without unleashing the demon within.
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Either way, his 2 foot long claws nullify a reach difference of a couple inches. By the way, forums don't use HTML.
Not to sound dumb, but when did 'Tooth get claws? He always had adamantium bones and nails, but I don't recall claws. (Unless you mean the Ultimate version, whom I can't recall right now.)
He's got 4 adamantium claws on each hand in Ultimate X Men, as well as adamantium talons and teeth, in addition to his bones.
Oh. I thought that you meant it would be close, provided that he's able to get through the non-helmet parts of the suit.Yeah, like stab him in the heart.
Stabbing him in the heart is genius. I'd have tried to cut his helmet off and then take his head.
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To Yoda:
Either way, his 2 foot long claws nullify a reach difference of a couple inches. By the way, forums don't use HTML.
I agree about the fanboy power. Logan has a huge rabid fanbase. He's no slouch, but Juggenaut is Juggernaut. He didn't get the name Unstoppable for no reason. Wolvie and Sabretooth both go splat against Jugs.I don't see it as a Sabresplat, though. I think it'd be very close, at least.
Oh. I thought that you meant it would be close, provided that he's able to get through the non-helmet parts of the suit.
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Now, if I had said Wolverine, would it be the same thing?
For me, If I had said Wolverine instead of Sabretooth, this becomes more lopsided for Juggernaut, as Juggernaut has the reach and heigh advantage, too. But then there would be INSANEO FANBOY POWER to swing the vote in Logan's direction.
Edit: I took a picture of the page that Sabretooth lays down the challenge, just because they both look so damned badass. Especially Sabretooth. Forgive my ghettoness, I don't have a scanner.
C'mon, totally badass.
I agree about the fanboy power. Logan has a huge rabid fanbase. He's no slouch, but Juggenaut is Juggernaut. He didn't get the name Unstoppable for no reason. Wolvie and Sabretooth both go splat against Jugs.
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I'd buy it. Twice.
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If Wolverine can't (hasn't?) cut Juggy, then 'Tooth can't either. Meaning, Creed can't win.
Yup. Case closed like Jimmy Kudo.
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Here's an easy way to answer this question: Has Wolverine ever cut Juggy?
Never that I can remember. Unless the animated series counts, in that he cut the bolts off the helmet and took it off.
Crazy Spanish people
in General Discussion
Posted
What the crap is that? I'm so confused!