Bluegoop Video Games Blog

Good RPG (role playing games) are sometimes hard to find.  But many times, if the RPG is in several series, odds are that it is quite popular.  One of the lesser known but good RPG series is that of Grandia.  Recently, Grandia III was released.  If you enjoyed the first 2 in the series, you are sure to love this one.

Grandia III begins in a peaceful and quiet village.  The lead character, Yuki, is inspired by the long forgotten: Sky Captain Schmidt, to build and fly his own airplane.  Sky Captain Schmidt once flew further and faster than anyone and Yuki wishes to beat him.  One day, Yuki attempts to fly his newly built airplane with his mother, Miranda.  (Miranda looks like she could be his sister).  He soon crosses paths with a young lady named Alfina and her not so nice brother, Emelious.  Alfina is a Communicator.  Communicators can talk to ancient creatures.

Grandia III features a semi real time combat system. You are able to combine all of your player’s abilities to perform devastating attacks and even aerial finishing moves.  You also have the ability to perform sneak attacks that will that stun and delay your enemies.  This is nice when you need to heal up or revive a fallen ally.  You can also perform chain attacks that are visually impressive to watch. Magic can also be used in battle based on the four elements:  fire, earth, water, and wind.

A new feature not offered in previous editions of Grandia is the Strategic Advise System.  This system allows the AI characters to make suggestions to you during battle.  These suggestions can aid you at defeating enemies, finding enemy weaknesses, and more.

There are of course flaws.  One flaw is that you have no control over where the characters go in the battlefield.  Some of the moves and attacks you perform can only affect certain areas of the battlefield.  This can be very annoying when a character decides to run to one side of the battlefield and you want them on the other.  Darn AI!

Grandia III has a very linear progression which gets boring at times.  The music is also a bit cheesy. But don’t let that get you down because the story is gripping and quite compelling.  The dramatic cut scenes and expansive environments are absolutely beautiful.  Lastly, the voice acting is also quite good, which is rare in many games. 

Grandia III was developed by Square Enix, who are well know for great RPG’s.  It is available on Playstation 2.  Grandia III has an ESRB rating of T for Teen.  This is because it features fantasy violence, mild language, and the use of alcohol.  Sorry, no children can buy it!  For those of you who like to cheat, you can get your hands on the official strategy guide.

The 108 stars of destiny are back!  Fans of the Suikoden Saga get ready for number 5!  Suikoden V offers many of the saga’s common themes, along with some new, but much welcomed changes.

The story begins in the land of Farlena.  Because of civil unrest, the Queen of Farlena is forced to use the Sun Rune… but at a terrible price.  The story unfolds as a silent hero rises.  Typical of Suikoden.

The story of Suikoden V has to be one of the best things going for it…once you get to it.  The beginning of the game is its biggest downfall.  About 7 hours drag on as the plot slowly unfolds through tons of dialogue and cut scenes.  You get to explore and watch characters develop, but with few battles.  But after this initial boredom, Suikoden V explodes with a gripping story and fast paced game play.  You won’t want to put your controller down or take your eyes off the screen!  The story is the longest ever in all of the Suikoden games and it offers multiple endings!

Suikoden V has many similarities as the previous editions.  You still recruit the 108 stars of destiny by exploring the vast world and various enormous towns.  Some off the recruits are from previous editions of the saga, while others are new.  50 of the characters are playable in battle while all 108 are available to aid you during the massive area map wars that take place against other armies!  These military battles are one of the best parts of the Suikoden saga, along with the duals, and the ability to customize and build your headquarters.

Some changes include the new 20 battle formations.  There is also a new skill system and a change in the ways you upgrade and customize you weapons.  Hundreds of items are available.  Many are old favorites and many are soon to be new favorites!

The controls and battle system is very similar to the previous editions of the game, so for those of you who have played them before, you will have no trouble at all.  The character models are quite good.  Each of the 108 stars of destiny has a look of their own.  The landscapes are just beautiful to look at and the lighting effects are done quite well.  The soundtrack can be a bit annoying, however.  It tends to get a bit repetitive.

Suikoden V is available only on Playstation 2.  It has an ESRB rating of T for teen.  This is because the game features partial nudity, violence, mild language, and the use of alcohol.  But it’s nothing worse than what you may see on cable television.  A strategy guide is available for those of you who can’t seem to find all 108 stars of destiny.

When the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind game came out for the PC, consumers were delighted. As the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion title was announced, consumers could hardly hold their applause. Much like the Morrowind game, Oblivion takes on another world. The game throws you into an enormous world to explore, complete with missions, quests, items, and literally thousands upon thousands of other activities for you to spend your precious time on.

With enriched graphics and literally one of the largest game environments ever created, the game throws you into the shoes of an abandoned unknown character. You get to choose from a dozen different types of characters, all complete with different looks and abilities. From there on half the fun is choosing your unique abilities you will be using throughout the rest of your adventure. Once your character is set you are thrown to explore the world as you please. You may start right through the main quest, or never even touch it and become a farmer or entrepreneur. The choice is up to you.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion throws over 400 hours (yes, you read that correctly) of game play at you with improved graphics, physics and story line from the previous cousin Morrowind. Whether you have been with the Elder Scrolls series from the beginning or just starting off, come late March you will be hooked on one of the best RPGs to ever come out on the PC.

If you don’t know what MMORPG stands for, don’t worry-you’re not alone. MMORPG stands for massive multiplayer online role playing game…and now you can see just why MMORPG is shortened! It sounds fascinating and it is, players play in a constantly evolving virtual world online simultaneously with other online gamers.

What can be so exciting about a MMORPG? Lots!

The Internet age has brought us so much that’s available instantaneously right in our fingertips, MMORPG’s aren’t like Nintendo’s or even PlayStation’s because there is far much more interactive things going on. When a player plays one of the traditional forms of gaming like the Nintendo and etc., it’s not the same because you’re only limited to your environment and you can’t tell anyone if no one is home plus who cares if you beat a machine?

MMORPG’s are played head to head against real people, real competitors and relationships are formed via Internet to talk about it or players can write user reviews about the games they’ve played. The bottom line is, it’s fun!

MMORPG’s have showed the gaming industry what players want. Will MMORPG’s be the future of gaming, will other forms of gaming be obsolete or will we see a birth of something even better than MMORPG’s? Keep an eye out because the sky is the limit with gaming and I think the companies are just starting to explore their real possibilities, MMORPG could simply be the beginning!

Any fan of the RPG genre (role playing game) knows that captivating characters and a catchy story line are some of the most important factors that make a good RPG.  That is why all of you RPG lovers should take a crack at Radiata stories.  Radiata Stories has an intriguing story line that will leave you laughing right at the beginning.  In fact, I have almost wet my pants laughing at the quirky comments and events that take place throughout the game!

You begin as a young hero who oddly enough is named Jack Russell.  Jack has a smart mouth that often gets him into trouble. He dreams of joining the legendary Radiata Knights.  Unfortunately, he is not very good and is only allowed into the Radiata Knights because his father was once a member.  The story then moves on to a much bigger picture, that you will just have to see for yourself. The main storyline does take a bit to get to, but once it does, you will be pleasantly surprised.

This game has a huge list of 177 playable characters.  If you ever played Suikoden, you will find that this game is quite similar… except that it Suikoden only has 108 playable characters.  Each character has its own schedule that changes throughout the day.  An example:  a shopkeeper may be open from noon to 4 pm.  Then he goes to the church to pray from 4 to 6.  Next he’s off to the bar for a drink, later to return home.  Then he’s off to the shop again!

Interaction with the world is quite amusing as time never stops.  You can kick almost any object, including people!  This can often lead Jack into getting beat up!  It is quite amusing.  Kicking objects also helps you find items…but that is not as fun as kicking people!  This game is free style.  You can go any where and do anything at random.  This does make it difficult to figure out the objective and to progress throughout the story.  But the free style does allow you a broader sense of playability that doesn’t let you get bored.  If you want a game that moves along quickly, then this is not the game for you.

The replay value of this game is quite high.  Once you beat the game, you can play again to get some characters you may have missed.  You also get to play with the skills and money you already have.  The best benefit is that there are two completely different endings.  The ending you get depends on what path you take during the game.  You have to play twice to see the two endings.  Who wouldn’t?  Kicking people and objects never gets old!

This game has an ESRB rating of “teen”.  So sorry kids…you can’t buy it without mommy and daddies help.  It has a teen rating because of violence, language, suggestive themes, and use of drugs and alcohol.  It is available on Playstation 2.

Radiata Stories is probably one of the most comical RPG’s I have played in a long time.  I must say that I was highly entertained throughout the entire game.  I honestly wasn’t expecting so much from it.  Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10.

WWE has an interesting story on the current batch of consoles. For the Gamecube and Playstation 2, games like WWE Day of Reckoning and WWE Smackdown!, respectively, are downright amazing wrestling titles that offer a flurry of features, solid graphics, and a tuned gameplay element. Meanwhile, THQ, the same company that published the aforementioned titles, has had an extremely rough time putting out a quality title for the good old Xbox. Needless to say, both WWE Raw and WWE Raw 2 were both below average titles that could have used a lot of improvement. THQ, looking for a fresh start, decided to go with WWE Wrestlemania 21 as the name for their new game in hopes of starting anew. Can they start a good franchise this time around?

To be blunt and answer that question quickly for you unlucky WWE fans, no. No, no, and no again. Simply put, WWE Wrestlemania has fixed none of the problems of the two Raw games and, in fact, has even compounded on them, making them much more glaring and therefore much worse. It is truly disappointing to see a company that can put out such quality games of the same type for two other consoles just can’t get it right time and time again. The graphics are shiny and sparkly but not without their problems, the gameplay received a little bit of refinement but still has plenty of bugs, and the overall presentation of the game is just sub par.

Starting with the gameplay, Wrestlemania 21 just seems to get all the basics wrong. The buttons are what you would expect, one button for to strike your opponent, two grapple buttons, and two counter buttons. However, this doesn’t translate well into the game due to how incredibly stupid the other wrestlers are. For instance, you could be playing a tag match and have your opponent pinned to the mat and his partner won’t even run in to help him half the time, and even when he does he gets there too late. At other times, it will seem like the AI has run out of gas, especially when they will just stand there and not do anything at all for seconds. Later, the game will seem like it crashed and the AI is simply looping when they repeat the same actions, usually going for the same move or trying to climb the ropes, over and over and over again even though it never worked in the first place. Really, how can a game be fun to play when it feels like you are playing against some incompetent two year old?

The most frustrating aspect about WWE Wrestlemania 21, like with the previous Raw games, is that the gameplay really could have been fun. The game has plenty of features, different match types, customizations, wrestlers, and moves when wrestling, but all those features and match types don’t help when the game isn’t fun to play in the first place due to things like terrible hit detection (and this game is very, very bad). It is so disappointing to play a game where it is just no fun due to its sloppy, unrefined gameplay when it could have been a solid title with just a little more polishing.

At least the game has a decent career mode if you can actually get past how much of a pain it is to play Wrestlemania 21. You start off by making your own custom wrestler from the ground up (with plenty of nice little customizations thrown in) and then move on to earn cash by wrestling matches to by more moves, entrances, costumes, etc. After that, you can engage in dozens of matches on your way to stardom. The game has a pretty decent storyline, but it offers no ability to change it as it is all pre-scripted. Sure, there are some bugs and nuisances present here as well, but overall the career mode is the most engaging aspect of the game that would have been fun if wrestling the matches would have been tempting in the first place (sad that no kind of “simulate match” feature was available).

Moving on from the gameplay, the game is also presented very unpolished. The menus are ugly and clunky, hard to navigate through. There is nothing more frustrating and more of a turn off then a game that makes you want to snap it in half just because you can’t navigate the menus properly. Once you select what you want to do, the loading times can be downright unbearable at times (this is the Xbox, people!). Within the match, the graphics are actually surprisingly beautiful. Characters are very well designed and animated, the environments are detailed, the special effects are great. But, as with everything else in the game, there are problems. These problems exist in choppy framerates, occasional jagged edges, and animation issues.

Well, at least you’ll get some good online play out of the game, right? Right?! Sorry friends, but WWE Wrestlemania came with another bug: the online play won’t work. That’s right, after trying repeatedly this unlucky reviewer found that the game won’t connect. After checking around, it is obvious that everyone is having the same problem. Disappointing, indeed, and this only compounds on the problems of Wrestlemania 21. The verdict? Avoid this game at all costs.

Real Time Strategy, or RTS games, are unique in every aspect. There is just such a stark contrast between the games that get it wrong and those that get it right. They all use the basic fundamentals, yet it is strange how some games can just hit the right number every time and pull away with flying colors while others get left in the dust. The question is: What category does Act of War: Direct Action fall into?

First off, something that should be mentioned about Act of War is that it uses live action cut-scenes. Strange indeed, and the last games that managed to pull that off were the incredibly popular Command and Conquer games. If nothing else, Act of War deserves kudos for making an attempt at such a rarely trodden road. Thankfully, Act of War actually does a good job with them and the live action cut-scenes really help to bring the story to life and help to enthrall the gamer into the game world.

When said to be unoriginal, it is true in many senses. Primarily, Act of War seems to be a copycat in more than one sense of the popular Command and Conquer games. In addition to using live action cut-scenes similar to the C&C titles, Act of War also uses units that closely resemble those found in Command and Conquer: Generals as well as providing each faction with one superweapon. Oh yeah, and terrorists can go underground and pop up in new places.

In the gameplay theatre, Act of War: Direct Action uses mostly a tried and true basic RTS engine, yet introduces enough new features to make it intriguing. Mainly, Act of War differs from other RTS titles in how the game handles resources. Rather than the most RTS games where you make certain units and they go out and gather different types of materials, Act of War instead allows you to build an oil in order to make money. Additionally, the city itself (where all of your missions are based, within a city) can lend its hand by allowing gamers to place units itself of buildings such as banks and milk it for all its worth, generating an even larger cash flow. The last form of making cash comes in the form of POW’s. You have the option of capturing them and then using them as bait to make more money, which also comes into play when you take the game online because you don’t want anyone else capturing your soldiers.

The visuals in Act of War are really amazing. The live-action cut scenes obviously look pretty darn good, but beyond those the game also shines. The cities are well drawn out and fairly interactive, creating a great and intriguing setting that is sure to draw you in. Units, despite taking plenty of hints from the C&C games, are well designed. The special effects received plenty of attention and this title shines with the best of them.

Just like the visuals, the game also sounds extremely good. The voice-acting is superb, really adding to a solid storyline and helping to draw gamers into an area, the story, where most RTS titles are lacking. The music isn’t overly impressive, but it also doesn’t hurt the ears which is definitely a plus. It can best be described as just solid. The special effects sound as good as they look, really helping to bring the game to life and make you feel as if you are controlling your units in a real battle.

Act of War: Direct Action may not be the most original or innovative RTS game, however it gets enough right to appeal to most RTS fans. It has enough unique features and innovative concepts that most gamers will come to enjoy it sooner or later. Overall, it is a fairly recommended buy to RTS gamers.

Given the crazy success of the original Half-Life (much of it spurred by its innumerous and even more successful mods which were generated by a hyperactive Half-Life 2 modding community), it was never doubted that eventually a sequel to the popular first-person shooter would make its way onto store shelves.

What makes Half-Life 2 truly special stems from its incredibly gripping storyline. Although we won’t go into details here for risk of spoiling anything (trust me, you don’t want it spoiled!), just know that you will be doing plenty of gun-toting once again as the legendary gaming icon Gordan Freeman. The storyline is by far one of the best to have ever occurred on a FPS and it draws gamers in and never lets them go. Of course, such a great storyline wouldn’t be much without some solid gameplay to back it up. Thankfully, Half-Life 2 has just that.

The guns in Half-Life 2 are very solid. Not only were they designed well, but there is a large arsenal of devastating weaponry that can be found throughout the game (and trust me, you’ll need it!). Each weapon has its own advantages and each is good to use against certain kinds of enemies and in certain situations, and learning to master when to use the crowbar, the machine guns, the rifles, the shotguns, the rocket launchers, and the gravity gun are all critically important to survival due to the fact that ammo tends to be limited and the difficulty of the game is not easy, to say the least.

On top of action-packed, intense sequences that will draw gamers close to death multiple times and will force them to use cunning strategy and luck to survive, the game’s enemies also have very advanced AI. This AI will surprise and challenge gamers at every turn. Multiple enemies will use squad tactics and will even attempt to use things such as decoys and other advanced strategy on top of the expected taking cover that has become normal for FPS games.

Interaction with the environment is also good in Half-Life 2. Many of the objects in the environment can be destroyed and pumped full of bullets, and others can be picked up, thrown, used, and be manipulated in other fashion. Some of these are critical to advancing in the game while others were included simply to add more realism and authenticity to the feel of the game.

The visuals in Half-Life 2 are by far some of the best around. Even the Xbox version, which has been scaled down considerably compared to the PC version, was ported quite well and still contains many of the aspects of the visuals that were so dearly appreciated by PC gamers. Water effects, explosions, and other special effects are all spot-on and held to make the game feel more real.

Additionally, character models in the game, ranging from Gordan Freeman to the enemies, are all done excellently. They look and move like real people. They are incredibly detailed and their animations are very fluid. These solid visuals are only backed up by an incredible physics engine which mimics real life movements realistically. It is one of the best physics engine ever seen in a video game.

If you thought the graphics were something to brag about, the sound isn’t far behind by any means. The audio department contains a great musical score, which contributes to the great storyline, and that always matches the situation. Even better, the sound effects are all realistic and solid, making the visuals come to life. The voice acting was also given much care, something that many games overlook.
Overall, Half-Life 2 turns out to be an excellent games that all fans of FPS games should appreciate. It is solid in its fundamentals and has been polished to a great extent, making it a classic and a treasure that all gamers will enjoy.

Movie-based video games are notorious for being bad. Not only do they generally turn out to be poor games, they also tend to be very flamboyant about it and have no shame in advertising how truly poor they are. This is generally due to a few reasons, the first being that the games are almost always unoriginal, basing themselves entirely on an already existing game and simply mixing in the movie’s character into the game, giving it a slightly different look, and setting the story to match the movie. Even worse than mimicking the existing game, they also have the tendency to mimic it very poorly and can be found absent of the essentials that made the other game so good. These factors, combined with poor gameplay fundamentals and dynamics, make for a truly dull game.

Arguably, even worse is the exploitation that occurs of the movie’s license. Bad video games based on a movie really make the movie look bad itself. The licenses are usually poorly implemented and poor representations of their big screen counterparts. All of these things are the results of a rushed product: when the developer tries as quickly as it can to put out the game without actually trying to put any effort in to make the game fun and original.

All of this intro was to introduce you to Aeon Flux, a game that, although not being overly fun or groundbreaking, still manages to use the license well enough and to introduce enough fun, original concepts to actually be a pretty good game. It isn’t amazing by any means, but it is one of the rare movie-based games that looks like it actually tried to make a decent video game.

From the start, gamers will notice Aeon Flux is packed with style. From the graphics to the gameplay, the developers did a good job of trying to match the unique style that was presented by the original TV series. The game looks stylish, and the gameplay, from the combat to the movements, are also very stylish in design. This unique style gives Aeon Flux its own identity in the gaming world.

Keep in mind, however, that Aeon Flux probably isn’t the game for anybody. This is due to some things that could have, and should have, been improved upon. Namely, the controls can tend to be twitchy and unresponsive. Additionally, there is no real targeting system, making combat a pain at times. (combined with a camera that isn’t always welcoming).

Additionally, the game attempts to mimic is TV counterpart entirely in how its structured extremely disorderly. Albeit fun and interesting, the different shows in the series were tied together in so apparent fashion, each new entry into the series was completely unrelated to all of the past entries. The game is the same way, and the story definitely isn’t gripping by any means.

The majority of the gameplay is based around its combat, which on the whole is actually quite fun due to its unique style and gameplay setup. The combat is fast and requires good response times, but it is rewarding to watch all of the different moves that can be executed. Additionally, guns can also be used on top of hand-to-hand combat, and there is quite a good selection of weaponry in the game’s arsenal available to the player.

The other primary gameplay element is the puzzle solving and platformer setup. Although the moves that make up this aspect of the game are pretty good eye candy, they tend to be very simple to execute and don’t require much skill or timing. Despite that, at least they were implemented well and look good.

The animations in the game tend to be pretty fluid and solid, highlighting the game’s good character models. The environments can be a bit sparse and undetailed, but the game moves very quickly so there isn’t much time to sit around and enjoy the scenery anyway. The only real knock on the graphics system comes from its rag-doll physics, which tend to be very poor and unrealistic.

On the whole, Aeon Flux turns out to be a pretty fun, appealing, and original game. It has just enough unique concepts and a unique style that make it different from other games and give it a step up on the usual gaming foray. Indeed, certain aspects of the game should have been given more consideration and care, but the game is still quite good and is an easy recommendation for a rental and possibly even a purchase for gamers who enjoy the game’s setup.

If you liked True Crime:  Streets of L.A. Then get ready for the next installment, True Crime:  New York City.  This second installment features a new character with an attitude and a reason for it!

You play as Marcus Reed.  Marcus is a former criminal that turned to a rogue cop.  Marcus abuses his cop authority to hunt down the person responsible for murdering his mentor.  While doing this, Marcus cleans up the streets of New York City.  Undercover, Marcus gets involved in gangs, murders, crooks, and his past.

True Crime is a free roaming action game that allows you to go about New York City as you please.  You can enter all shops and buildings, travel all streets, ride the subways, and visit various landmarks.  You may follow the actual storyline or take on numerous side missions.  It is quite similar to Grand Theft Auto, but much more engrossing!

You have the option of playing as a good cop or as a bad cop.  The good Marcus arrests the baddies, turns in evidence, and keeps the peace.  The bad Marcus kills everyone, steals and sells the evidence, and extorts shop owners.  Which path will you choose?  As you move through the game, the decisions you make affect how the city changes around you.

Marcus will find himself in trouble many times.  He will often need a weapon.  It’s a good thing that you can use almost anything in your environment as a weapon, such as:  pots, pans, bats, stoves, chairs, and even a dead chicken.  Of course, police weapons are also available.  Not to mention swords, grenade launchers, flame throwers, and your bare fists.  You will also engage in high speed shootouts aboard various vehicles.

True Crime has one of the best musical scores.  The voice acting coincides with it perfectly as well.  The controls are a bit slow, but the highly detailed graphics and the dramatic storyline more than makes up for it.

True Crime:  New York City is available on Gamecube, XBOX, and Playstation 2.  It has an ESRB rating of M for Mature.  This is because it features:  blood, gore, use of drugs, intense violence, strong language, and strong sexual content.  This game is not available for minors to purchase without the help of mommy and daddy.  If you have trouble with the game, there is a strategy guide available.