May PSM Reviews

Not that anyone besides me actually likes PSM...but here goes:

note: i do admit though, im starting to see the point of those that hate PSM...i mean, almost nothing received lower than a 6.5 and though I haven't yet played either game...Robots received a higher score than SMTDS :lol:

God of War 9.5
+more than a healthy dose of great action, platforming & puzzle-solving
-a tad on the short side; could use a few more bosses; a map might be helpful

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory 9.5
+3 games in 1, fantastic visuals & music, near-perfect gameplya
-a little too much loading, no online for co-op, story can be weak at times

Tekken 5 9.0
+the customizable characters are great, includes the first three Tekkens
-there's some uneven difficulty when playing the single-player game

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 9.0
+innovative gameplay, great presentation, fun multiplayer
-framerate is jumpy, not enough multiplayer modes, AI quirks

Rise of the Kasai 8.0
+deep fighting engine, stylish visuals &intense battles keep you playing
-allies aren't too sharp or quick. Kasai desperately needs a 2-player option

Graffiti Kingdom 7.5
+you can create hundreds of characters & use them in the game
-camera needs work, controls are spotty, enemy AI is pretty simplistic

Lego Star Wars: The Video Game 7.0
+co-op play; funny cutscenes; using the force on lego objects is great
-increased difficulty during vehicle portions, but otherwise too easy

Cold Fear 7.5
+the waves add to gameplay, first & third person play, good looking
-constant loading times, rare save points, frustrating instant deaths

Dynasty Warriors 5 7.5
+improved graphics; each character has an individual story
-gameplay is getting tired; no create-a-character; poor voice acting

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 6.5
+a bizarre plot about the morality of digesting your enemies? sign me up!
-you can't walk five feet without killing a monster with one attack: LAME!

Robots 7.0
+provides fun for fans of the film; impressive music & good voicework
-doesn't excel in any one area or offer much for seasoned players

Constantine 6.0
+despite the bland graphics, there are some truly cool visions of Hell
-by the numbers title with a laughably bad Keanu stand in; little replayability

Ridge Racer (psp) 9.5
+the graphics, the gameplay, the music...everything is amazing, just the way we like it
-could use more cars, tracks; Custom Tour is more random than customizable

Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade (psp) 7.5
+lots of weapons, fresh new world, smooth animations, great creatures
-no online modes, magic casting, interface is limited, some odd weaknesses

Metal Gear Acid (psp) 8.0
+has the look & feel of MGS, but with a new gameplay mechanic
-gameplay won't be for everyone, dialogue not as tight as usual

Need for Speed: Underground Rivals (psp) 6.5
+looks pretty good; some new modes add varitey & require a bit more skill
-can't tune parts; twitchy controls; playing each race 3 times gets old, fast

Lumines (psp) 8.5
+looks & sounds fantastic, great for all skill levels, keeps you coming back
-could use more game modes, graphics could push PSP's abilities more

Ape Escape: On the Loose (psp) 6.5
+mostly faithful port of the original, gadgets are cool, mini-games add a little fun
-no dual analog sticks, mini-games are still just mini-games, feels dated

Twisted Metal: Head-On (psp) 8.5
+basically a portable Twisted Metal 2 with better graphics, online support
-some players will find controls slightly twitchy, especially initially

Dynasty Warriors (psp) 7.0
+looks & feels like DW, smaller chundks are better for mobile gaming
-single player only, AI is erratic, doesn't really use 16:9 screen as it could

Pelican All-In-One Case (psp) 8.0
+efficient desing holds not just the PSP, but UMDs, power, & headphones too
-could use shoulder strap, not hardshell, doesn't come with UMD protectors

Pelican Face Armor (psp) 7.0
+cheap, comes with 4 UMD sleeves, simple solution
-not as protective as a real case, later peripherals might need holes

Intec Pro Game's Case (psp) 5.0
+comes with cool UMD case, screen portectors, & one of the best car adapters
-case is troublingly unsafe, & all the good bits can be bought separately

Pelican Skin Grip w/ Screen Guard (psp) 3.0
+comes with Screen Guard, makes your PSP easy to spot in a crowd
-ugly as sin, gets in the way of controls, we're skeptical ofits safety contributions

wow, thanks alot...i really need to get God of War

So for Lumines, the plus is that it looks GREAT! and the minus is it could look better...?

[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']So for Lumines, the plus is that it looks GREAT! and the minus is it could look better...?[/QUOTE]

it is PSM after all, lol. probably wrote the reviews in 15 minutes.

Graffiti Kingdom is out in the US? Wow...I must look into that asap. Its the pseudo-sequel to Magic Pengel with much better gameplay.

[quote name='maxflight']it is PSM after all, lol. probably wrote the reviews in 15 minutes.[/QUOTE]

yeah, it definitely looks like they just throw shit in there....like, "uh, just put it looks good or something in there...it could be better, isn't as good as i thought it would be or just put its a fun game"

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 6.5
+a bizarre plot about the morality of digesting your enemies? sign me up!
-you can't walk five feet without killing a monster with one attack: LAME!

I assume this refers to the frequency of random battles? If the frequency is similar to that of Nocturne, that would be no problem. I found that game much less frustrating in terms of random battles than virtually any Final Fantasy. Or Skies of Arcadia *shudder* which i still rank highly.

Anyway, I read PSM because sometimes it's funny, it's a light read, I can never get enough screen shots/previews, and the best reason, I've been getting it for three years for free. I don't use their reviews as gospel however [I don't treat anyone's reviews as gospel].

[quote name='CouRageouS']Graffiti Kingdom is out in the US? Wow...I must look into that asap. Its the pseudo-sequel to Magic Pengel with much better gameplay.[/QUOTE]

yeah, that shocked me too....i didn't even know this thing existed til i read the magazine an hour ago...seems cool to me, i can never get enough quirky games

This has bothered me for years. How come Dynasty Warriors 5 loses points for "Stale Gameplay" when every iteriation of Madden, Grand Theft Auto and Splinter Cell inevitably get 9's, and are called "Revolutionary" when basically they're the same damn thing as the previous title was with a few instances, just like Dynasty Warriors. I'm not singling out any one magazine or website, but every single one of them does this. I would like to write one of them and see what they say about this. It's not just Dynasty Warriors either, but I use that as an example, because it's one of my favorite series'

[quote name='ZForce']This has bothered me for years. How come Dynasty Warriors 5 loses points for "Stale Gameplay" when every iteriation of Madden, Grand Theft Auto and Splinter Cell inevitably get 9's, and are called "Revolutionary" when basically they're the same damn thing as the previous title was with a few instances, just like Dynasty Warriors. I'm not singling out any one magazine or website, but every single one of them does this. I would like to write one of them and see what they say about this. It's not just Dynasty Warriors either, but I use that as an example, because it's one of my favorite series'[/QUOTE]

Hmm because the magazines don't suck Koei's dick like they do EA and Rockstar?

[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Hmm because the magazines don't suck Koei's dick like they do EA and Rockstar?[/QUOTE]

well....Koei's dick just doesn't taste that good

[quote name='The Successful Dropout']well....Koei's dick just doesn't taste that good[/QUOTE]

Hey that's STRICTLY opinion.

I wonder why sony's sports games and wipeout aren't part of the reviews? at least they shouldn't hide wipeout, it should get good scores.

but for the sports.. I can see that the + would be INFRASTRUCTURE PLAY!! across all 3 reviews.

I never read PSM's reviews anyway. I only get the magazine becuase it's $10 a year, which isn't bad.

[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Hmm because the magazines don't suck Koei's dick like they do EA and Rockstar?[/QUOTE]

I would have guessed it's the other way around myself...

Too bad for SMT DDS. I wanted it to be well recived but that doesn't seem like the case. I'll still check it out regardless.

man how many DW games are they going to rehash what is this the 8th DW game for PS2 now including XL!