Erik Brudvig
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IGNLatest Reviews
Halo: Reach is a fantastic package, with several core components that on their own can outclass many other games. The campaign is excellent, backed by solid storytelling and a powerful audio-visual experience. The competitive multiplayer is familiar, yet brand new with a lot more options and a faster pacing. And the cooperative Firefight arcade mode has finally met its potential. Whether you like playing with friends like me or you're more of a lone wolf, Halo: Reach has evolved to the point where it'll make everyone happy. It's a fitting end to Bungie's involvement with the franchise, one that both references the past and injects new life into a tried and true formula. Newcomers and Halo fans alike will find plenty to love in Halo: Reach. Even if you've grown tired of the Halo formula through the years, I'd still recommend this game to you. It's just that good.
Resonance of Fate is for the hardcore JRPG fan. It can be difficult and confusing, and requires a lot of grinding and heavy lifting to make it through to the close. The visuals and storytelling don't do it any favors, either. I found the battle system to be the saving grace. It's unique and requires a lot of strategy and commitment, even while offering a turn-based system at the core. Resonance of Fate won't go down as a classic RPG, but it will give those looking for something different a nice adventure.
There are places where Halo 3: ODST could be improved, but when it comes right down to it, every Halo fan should buy this game. Even if you've lost interest in the franchise over the years or haven't ever given a Halo game a look, you'd do well to grab ODST and a few friends for some of the best multiplayer gaming around, especially with as wonderful an addition as Firefight. The campaign is a tad short, but well-crafted and exciting. Then there's a whole disc full of multiplayer maps, though you may already own the bulk of them.
Prototype is a game with many cool features. However, it lacks many of the finishing touches that make for a great and memorable game. To say the graphics and game engine need work is a massive understatement and many of the missions are cookie cutter in design without any real focus or attention to detail. Thankfully, Alex Mercer's absorbing and shape shifting powers manage to overcome many of the shortcomings of Prototype. Though the missions themselves aren't anything special, the vast array of powers provides their own variety and flair.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is not an RPG for the ages, but it is a lot of fun to play. The way the story is delivered, through awkward dialogue and drawn out cutscenes, could be a lot better. The strong points of The Last Hope, namely the combat and level progression, keep things lively and engaging and help make this one a good way to kick off your JRPG gaming for 2009.
The Last Remnant is a technical mess, but it's also behind the curve in so many ways. While games like Fallout 3 and Mass Effect use voiceovers for every conversation, The Last Remnant doesn't even voice every main story sequence. While games like Eternal Sonata offer immaculately detailed environments, The Last Remnant often tosses you into cookie-cutter battles in repetitive bland caves or barren fields. And while games like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey deliver towns to explore and secrets to find, The Last Remnant skimps and gives only a few points worth visiting in each small town. I can't think of one aspect of The Last Remnant that is even on par with other recent titles, let alone leading the charge.
It's rare that a game can hit the mark in so many different and often conflicting areas. Fallout 3 offers freedom without sacrificing a focused story. It delivers fantastic combat without forgoing a deep role-playing system. The characters you meet are engaging and oftentimes hilarious without feeling out of place in this harsh world. The game has a few flaws -- most of them technical -- but it's a case where the whole is greater than the sum. It's a fantastic game with incredible atmosphere that offers fun in so many different ways that you're almost sure to get hooked. This is one of the best games you'll play this year.