Comments for YugStar.com http://yugstar.com Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:15:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Charting the Abyss by Dudi http://yugstar.com/charting-the-abyss/#comment-151 Dudi Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:15:15 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=427#comment-151 I've only had a PS3 for a few months and to be hesnot, I wasn't initially that interested in the Uncharted games. But a friend of mine told me that they were the first games I should be playing, saying they were like Tomb Raider with a Gears of War cover system and with voice acting that made it seem as if you were watching a movie. Well, he was right. While Uncharted was a really fun game, Uncharted 2 surpasses it in every way and wowed me enough to inspire writing this review. While number one took me a couple hours to really get into, number two hooked me from the very beginning. Trying to climb up a train that's slowly working its way to sliding off a cliff in the opening sequence was intense and I enjoyed how the story jumped backward and let you play the events that led up to that point. The story and the characters in this game are also more interesting. Plenty of new and old faces, great dialogue, sarcastic wit, betrayals and everything you could want from a game about pillaging ancient treasure. What really makes Uncharted 2 shine is the gameplay itself. The fighting feels much more fluid with a lot more variety. Having only six or so weapons in the first game got to be a little boring considering how many freaking guys you had to kill (yes I know it's a video game but how many pirates can possibly be on one island? Even if they found El Dorado, were they planning to split it 500 ways?) In this game, there are plenty more weapons to choose from and a larger variety of enemies to use them on. And the sheer amount of enemies at least makes more sense, being an army led by a mad general and not just some treasure hunting brigands. The environments were also much more various, as well as the action sequences. The train sequence alone almost makes the game worth playing. Rather than jumping and climbing from one tropical environment to another, you're climbing mountains, jumping through caves, dodging helicopters on rooftops and well there's also some tropical jungles but, aren't there always when you're hunting fabled treasure? Graphically easily the best looking game I've ever played. Sound like a bold statement? Well it's true. What really sold me were the water effects. While everything else looks great as it is, the water was the most outstanding and I've never seen its like in a game. In one of the levels in the city, there is a swimming pool on top of a roof that you can jump in (try it, Drake tries to play Marco Polo with Chloe) and I just sat for a good minute looking at different angles of that pool and marvelling at how amazing it looks. In a game as fast moving as this one, that's saying a lot. Finally, what has to be said about the Uncharted games is the character of Nathan Drake himself. He is easily one of my top 5 favorite video game characters (maybe just a little bit behind John Marston.) The character's humor, irreverent dialogue, sarcasm and off sense of morals make him just plain likeable. I'd say that I would love to see him portrayed in a movie, but if Marky Mark is going to play him, I'm boycotting. Nathan Fillion should be Nathan Drake in my eyes. (If you don't agree just watch a compilation of Drake quotes and compare it to Nathan in Firefly/Serenity. He even looks like him.) This game rocks. Looks great, plays great, story is great and so on and so forth. Play it! I’ve only had a PS3 for a few months and to be hesnot, I wasn’t initially that interested in the Uncharted games. But a friend of mine told me that they were the first games I should be playing, saying they were like Tomb Raider with a Gears of War cover system and with voice acting that made it seem as if you were watching a movie. Well, he was right. While Uncharted was a really fun game, Uncharted 2 surpasses it in every way and wowed me enough to inspire writing this review. While number one took me a couple hours to really get into, number two hooked me from the very beginning. Trying to climb up a train that’s slowly working its way to sliding off a cliff in the opening sequence was intense and I enjoyed how the story jumped backward and let you play the events that led up to that point. The story and the characters in this game are also more interesting. Plenty of new and old faces, great dialogue, sarcastic wit, betrayals and everything you could want from a game about pillaging ancient treasure. What really makes Uncharted 2 shine is the gameplay itself. The fighting feels much more fluid with a lot more variety. Having only six or so weapons in the first game got to be a little boring considering how many freaking guys you had to kill (yes I know it’s a video game but how many pirates can possibly be on one island? Even if they found El Dorado, were they planning to split it 500 ways?) In this game, there are plenty more weapons to choose from and a larger variety of enemies to use them on. And the sheer amount of enemies at least makes more sense, being an army led by a mad general and not just some treasure hunting brigands. The environments were also much more various, as well as the action sequences. The train sequence alone almost makes the game worth playing. Rather than jumping and climbing from one tropical environment to another, you’re climbing mountains, jumping through caves, dodging helicopters on rooftops and well there’s also some tropical jungles but, aren’t there always when you’re hunting fabled treasure? Graphically easily the best looking game I’ve ever played. Sound like a bold statement? Well it’s true. What really sold me were the water effects. While everything else looks great as it is, the water was the most outstanding and I’ve never seen its like in a game. In one of the levels in the city, there is a swimming pool on top of a roof that you can jump in (try it, Drake tries to play Marco Polo with Chloe) and I just sat for a good minute looking at different angles of that pool and marvelling at how amazing it looks. In a game as fast moving as this one, that’s saying a lot. Finally, what has to be said about the Uncharted games is the character of Nathan Drake himself. He is easily one of my top 5 favorite video game characters (maybe just a little bit behind John Marston.) The character’s humor, irreverent dialogue, sarcasm and off sense of morals make him just plain likeable. I’d say that I would love to see him portrayed in a movie, but if Marky Mark is going to play him, I’m boycotting. Nathan Fillion should be Nathan Drake in my eyes. (If you don’t agree just watch a compilation of Drake quotes and compare it to Nathan in Firefly/Serenity. He even looks like him.) This game rocks. Looks great, plays great, story is great and so on and so forth. Play it!

]]> Comment on Who you gonna call? by Prem http://yugstar.com/who-you-gonna-call/#comment-137 Prem Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:04:38 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=207#comment-137 Review by Halicon5 for Ghostbusters: The Video Game</a> Rating: Ghostbusters is not a great game, but it is pretty darn good. I would best dsiercbe it as a guilty pleasure game. The game is supposed to be a 3rd movie in the series, of sorts, much like the 360 versions. I have also played a few parts of the 360 version and have watched my roommate play it for several hours. Both versions of the game are full of fan-service collectibles, gadgets, and dialogue. Familiar faces and places are present throughout the game. Just a bit of a disclaimer: Parts of my review will directly compare and contrast my opinions and observations between the two different versions of the game, so this review isn't purely about the Wii version.PROS: +++ Great aiming controls +++ Decent story with classic Ghostbusters humor +++ Fun game engine that allows for a lot of destruction +++ Functional and responsive pointer and motion controls that don't feel gimmickyCONS: Love it or hate it graphics Frequent interruptions from pickups and cutscenes Ghost capturing mini-game kills the flow and takes too long Some awkward and uncomfortable placement of some of the controls Very linear gameplay. Almost no exploration is required to complete the game.PRESENTATION: The menus and game interface are decent, but I honestly feel that the 360/PS3 versions have better menu controls. It's a picky complaint, but the Wii version's menus seem to get in the way of things. Lip syncing for voices is also kind of off at times. One thing I do prefer about the Wii version over the 360 version is the on-screen HUD that shows your health and heat meter. In the 360, the meters are displayed on your character's pack, much like how health and stasis were handled in Dead Space. Unfortunately, I don't think it was handled as well in Ghostbusters, so I tend to prefer the Wii's on-screen HUD even though it is less immersive. The Wii presentation really falters when you pick up collectibles or scan ghosts because the game pauses all of the action and suddenly shifts to a very plain information screen detailing what you just picked up. Really kills the flow of the game with that many interruptions. Additionally, there are cut scenes all over the place, which also seem to kill the pace and interrupt the flow.STORY: Decent and basically what fans of the Ghostbusters franchise would expect. Probably my biggest complaint in the story category is that the voice acting frequently feels flat and boring. As in Ok I finished reading my lines. Where do I pick up my paycheck? The script isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Your own character is nothing but a rookie who has absolutely no dialogue role in the game. You're basically a grunt soldier against the forces of the paranormal sent forth and support the story, which actually works well. Any problems the story has now would have probably been worse if the new rookie character was given a voice, and for that I am thankful.GAMEPLAY: Basically you use your proton pack and zap the unliving crap out of anything and everything. Ghosts, environment, etc nearly everything except the buildings themselves can be blown up, broken, or burnt to a crisp. It is kind of cathartic in a way. The game encourages you to be as destructive as possible, which is a nice touch. One major criticism I have of the gameplay is the capture mini-game that you have to do with almost all of the ghosties that you trap. Once you've weakened a ghost sufficiently, you can grab it with your capture beam. Once you have grabbed the ghost, you have to slam the ghost into walls and objects when an onscreen indicator pops up. Although the motion controls for this work ok, it really slows the pace of the game down because it seems that the magic number of slams required is usually between 3 and 7 slams. One or two would have been cool, but requiring that much waiting and slamming on most enemies is kind of annoying. The Xbox and PS3 have a similar mechanism in the game as well, but those two platforms allow you to slam the ghosts at your own pace, which feels more natural and makes the game flow better.CONTROLS: Solid with a few minor issues. For the most part, I prefer the Wii controls. Both my roommate and I agree that the aiming controls for the 360 and PS3 are a little too finicky. On the other hand, the Wii pointer controls are very smooth and very precise, which is nice. Unfortunately, the pointer controls introduce a few other issues that kind of annoy and irritate me. Switching to the PK meter requires pushing the top button of the d-pad. That isn't too bad, but if you have an unsteady hand or really small hands, shifting your hand position tends to shift your pointer position which can send the camera spinning and rotating while you try to switch equipment. Motion controls usually don't interfere with the gameplay either, although there is one particularly frustrating puzzle on the last level that the controls did nothing but cause problems because you are required to swing the remote, but when you do, your camera position gets really messed up. Very, very, very annoying. For the most part though, the game's controls are very solid for all systems.REPLAY VALUE: This game is pretty darn short. Most people should probably be able to beat it in a few short sittings, probably about 6-9 hours. Once you've unlocked everything, I can't think of why I'd come back and play this game. The Xbox 360 version at least has a good number of achievements to shoot for, but the Wii doesn't have that. Multi-player co-op adds some extra replay value, but not that much extra.MULTI-PLAYER: The co-op multi-player is decent, but no where near as smooth as the single player mode.GRAPHICS: Decent to very good, depending on your opinion of the art style. Some people will really hate the cartoony style used in the Wii version. I personally liked it, but I grew up watching the Ghostbusters cartoon when I was a child, so I have a bit of a soft spot for that type of style. The level of detail is no where near as high in the Wii version, but I was impressed at the amount of environmental damage I was allowed to inflict. While not as pretty as the 360/PS3 graphics, the Wii version's graphics are more than good enough. I will say that I feel like the Wii version plays with a slightly smoother framerate (except on the last level) than the 360 version, especially when turning around very quickly. It's a very minor difference at best though.Overall, I have enjoyed this game, but I would only recommend it as a rental unless you are a hardcore Ghostbusters fan and big into collecting Ghostbusters stuff. The short gameplay length and limited replay value really put a damper on my recommendation of a full-price purchase. If you have a 360/PS3, I would honestly recommend going for one of those other two versions instead of the Wii version. The differences between the two versions, except for graphics, are fairly minor in terms of fun and overall quality, but the 360/PS3 versions edge out the Wii version.[Edit: Added comment in controls section about the frustrating puzzle on the last level.] Review by Halicon5 for Ghostbusters: The Video Game Rating: Ghostbusters is not a great game, but it is pretty darn good. I would best dsiercbe it as a guilty pleasure game. The game is supposed to be a 3rd movie in the series, of sorts, much like the 360 versions. I have also played a few parts of the 360 version and have watched my roommate play it for several hours. Both versions of the game are full of fan-service collectibles, gadgets, and dialogue. Familiar faces and places are present throughout the game. Just a bit of a disclaimer: Parts of my review will directly compare and contrast my opinions and observations between the two different versions of the game, so this review isn’t purely about the Wii version.PROS: +++ Great aiming controls +++ Decent story with classic Ghostbusters humor +++ Fun game engine that allows for a lot of destruction +++ Functional and responsive pointer and motion controls that don’t feel gimmickyCONS: Love it or hate it graphics Frequent interruptions from pickups and cutscenes Ghost capturing mini-game kills the flow and takes too long Some awkward and uncomfortable placement of some of the controls Very linear gameplay. Almost no exploration is required to complete the game.PRESENTATION: The menus and game interface are decent, but I honestly feel that the 360/PS3 versions have better menu controls. It’s a picky complaint, but the Wii version’s menus seem to get in the way of things. Lip syncing for voices is also kind of off at times. One thing I do prefer about the Wii version over the 360 version is the on-screen HUD that shows your health and heat meter. In the 360, the meters are displayed on your character’s pack, much like how health and stasis were handled in Dead Space. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was handled as well in Ghostbusters, so I tend to prefer the Wii’s on-screen HUD even though it is less immersive. The Wii presentation really falters when you pick up collectibles or scan ghosts because the game pauses all of the action and suddenly shifts to a very plain information screen detailing what you just picked up. Really kills the flow of the game with that many interruptions. Additionally, there are cut scenes all over the place, which also seem to kill the pace and interrupt the flow.STORY: Decent and basically what fans of the Ghostbusters franchise would expect. Probably my biggest complaint in the story category is that the voice acting frequently feels flat and boring. As in Ok I finished reading my lines. Where do I pick up my paycheck? The script isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either. Your own character is nothing but a rookie who has absolutely no dialogue role in the game. You’re basically a grunt soldier against the forces of the paranormal sent forth and support the story, which actually works well. Any problems the story has now would have probably been worse if the new rookie character was given a voice, and for that I am thankful.GAMEPLAY: Basically you use your proton pack and zap the unliving crap out of anything and everything. Ghosts, environment, etc nearly everything except the buildings themselves can be blown up, broken, or burnt to a crisp. It is kind of cathartic in a way. The game encourages you to be as destructive as possible, which is a nice touch. One major criticism I have of the gameplay is the capture mini-game that you have to do with almost all of the ghosties that you trap. Once you’ve weakened a ghost sufficiently, you can grab it with your capture beam. Once you have grabbed the ghost, you have to slam the ghost into walls and objects when an onscreen indicator pops up. Although the motion controls for this work ok, it really slows the pace of the game down because it seems that the magic number of slams required is usually between 3 and 7 slams. One or two would have been cool, but requiring that much waiting and slamming on most enemies is kind of annoying. The Xbox and PS3 have a similar mechanism in the game as well, but those two platforms allow you to slam the ghosts at your own pace, which feels more natural and makes the game flow better.CONTROLS: Solid with a few minor issues. For the most part, I prefer the Wii controls. Both my roommate and I agree that the aiming controls for the 360 and PS3 are a little too finicky. On the other hand, the Wii pointer controls are very smooth and very precise, which is nice. Unfortunately, the pointer controls introduce a few other issues that kind of annoy and irritate me. Switching to the PK meter requires pushing the top button of the d-pad. That isn’t too bad, but if you have an unsteady hand or really small hands, shifting your hand position tends to shift your pointer position which can send the camera spinning and rotating while you try to switch equipment. Motion controls usually don’t interfere with the gameplay either, although there is one particularly frustrating puzzle on the last level that the controls did nothing but cause problems because you are required to swing the remote, but when you do, your camera position gets really messed up. Very, very, very annoying. For the most part though, the game’s controls are very solid for all systems.REPLAY VALUE: This game is pretty darn short. Most people should probably be able to beat it in a few short sittings, probably about 6-9 hours. Once you’ve unlocked everything, I can’t think of why I’d come back and play this game. The Xbox 360 version at least has a good number of achievements to shoot for, but the Wii doesn’t have that. Multi-player co-op adds some extra replay value, but not that much extra.MULTI-PLAYER: The co-op multi-player is decent, but no where near as smooth as the single player mode.GRAPHICS: Decent to very good, depending on your opinion of the art style. Some people will really hate the cartoony style used in the Wii version. I personally liked it, but I grew up watching the Ghostbusters cartoon when I was a child, so I have a bit of a soft spot for that type of style. The level of detail is no where near as high in the Wii version, but I was impressed at the amount of environmental damage I was allowed to inflict. While not as pretty as the 360/PS3 graphics, the Wii version’s graphics are more than good enough. I will say that I feel like the Wii version plays with a slightly smoother framerate (except on the last level) than the 360 version, especially when turning around very quickly. It’s a very minor difference at best though.Overall, I have enjoyed this game, but I would only recommend it as a rental unless you are a hardcore Ghostbusters fan and big into collecting Ghostbusters stuff. The short gameplay length and limited replay value really put a damper on my recommendation of a full-price purchase. If you have a 360/PS3, I would honestly recommend going for one of those other two versions instead of the Wii version. The differences between the two versions, except for graphics, are fairly minor in terms of fun and overall quality, but the 360/PS3 versions edge out the Wii version.[Edit: Added comment in controls section about the frustrating puzzle on the last level.]

]]> Comment on Mosh Pit Etiquette by Abidur http://yugstar.com/mosh-pit-etiquette/#comment-117 Abidur Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:47:42 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=441#comment-117 You have to stay in your seat. To get onto the floor where the mosh pit is, they check your tickets to make sure you are oppussed to be there, and sometimes give you a wristband or mark your hand You have to stay in your seat. To get onto the floor where the mosh pit is, they check your tickets to make sure you are oppussed to be there, and sometimes give you a wristband or mark your hand

]]> Comment on Mosh Pit Etiquette by Darren http://yugstar.com/mosh-pit-etiquette/#comment-113 Darren Sat, 14 Apr 2012 07:57:23 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=441#comment-113 The majority of poplee at gigs (of the ones I've been to anyway) are pretty cool moshing. 90% if you fall over, someone will try to pick you up. Hardcore gigs have a great atmosphere, I wouldn't worry about it to much. Enjoy your first gig The majority of poplee at gigs (of the ones I’ve been to anyway) are pretty cool moshing. 90% if you fall over, someone will try to pick you up. Hardcore gigs have a great atmosphere, I wouldn’t worry about it to much. Enjoy your first gig

]]> Comment on Teenage. Mutant. Ninja. Turtles. by Daniele http://yugstar.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/#comment-74 Daniele Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:39:31 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=518#comment-74 Hilarious and perfectly logic argumentation, I totally agree. Sadly Michael Bay is an ass. I'm not talking about his movies: I mean he really is an ass :P Hilarious and perfectly logic argumentation, I totally agree.

Sadly Michael Bay is an ass. I’m not talking about his movies: I mean he really is an ass :P

]]> Comment on Teenage. Mutant. Ninja. Turtles. by Dan http://yugstar.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/#comment-73 Dan Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:17:27 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=518#comment-73 Apparently the movie is just going to be titled "Ninja Turtles". And falls more into the 'loosely based on' category than a direct remake/reboot. Apparently the movie is just going to be titled “Ninja Turtles”. And falls more into the ‘loosely based on’ category than a direct remake/reboot.

]]> Comment on Mana Bar by The NEW Australian Gamer Show » YugStar.com http://yugstar.com/mana-bar/#comment-67 The NEW Australian Gamer Show » YugStar.com Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:33:27 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?page_id=135#comment-67 [...] the Mana Bar and moving to a different state kinda put an end to anything regular, and in the last year [...] [...] the Mana Bar and moving to a different state kinda put an end to anything regular, and in the last year [...]

]]> Comment on Australian Gamer by The NEW Australian Gamer Show » YugStar.com http://yugstar.com/australian-gamer/#comment-66 The NEW Australian Gamer Show » YugStar.com Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:30:23 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?page_id=96#comment-66 [...] with all the hats I have these days, one that I wear less frequently is that of AustralianGamer co-creator and contributor. The site was started by myself and my good friend Matt as a hobby on [...] [...] with all the hats I have these days, one that I wear less frequently is that of AustralianGamer co-creator and contributor. The site was started by myself and my good friend Matt as a hobby on [...]

]]> Comment on Videogame community website DO’s and DON’T's by Hwa Jessop http://yugstar.com/videogame-community-website-dos-and-donts/#comment-61 Hwa Jessop Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:13:55 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=309#comment-61 You need to always make a visual sitemap in order to more accurately plan ahead. A visual sitemap enables you to precisely watch over the development of your website. This allows you to quickly identify areas of your website that have been overlooked, or could use improvements. When you have a clear visual, anything is possible. You need to always make a visual sitemap in order to more accurately plan ahead. A visual sitemap enables you to precisely watch over the development of your website. This allows you to quickly identify areas of your website that have been overlooked, or could use improvements. When you have a clear visual, anything is possible.

]]> Comment on Mosh Pit Etiquette by Matt Ford http://yugstar.com/mosh-pit-etiquette/#comment-59 Matt Ford Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:26:36 +0000 http://yugstar.com/?p=441#comment-59 I learned a lot about mosh pitting at a Gwar concern in San Francisco. Keep an eye on the stage or else someone will gut a huge space worm and you will get soaked in green blood, making you scare everyone on the train ride home. That's really true about getting picked up when you are down. It's an awesome feeling when that happens, and when you pick up someone else. I learned a lot about mosh pitting at a Gwar concern in San Francisco. Keep an eye on the stage or else someone will gut a huge space worm and you will get soaked in green blood, making you scare everyone on the train ride home.

That’s really true about getting picked up when you are down. It’s an awesome feeling when that happens, and when you pick up someone else.

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