ShowMeWhatYouGot

Now that you can shred through your favorite tunes with a plastic guitar controller, the idea of using face buttons and analog sticks to keep the beat must seem antiquated. As the handheld remake of a 2002 PS2 cult classic, Gitaroo Man Lives! hopes you’re in need of such a blast from the past. But this game is about more than learning the rhythm of a few songs. It’s a story of a young man stuck with the strange name of U-1, as he rises from a wimpy doormat to an intergalactic savior. Each strain he strums is a perilous battle for survival. With GML!, it’s time to make a real guitar hero.

Ten songs must be cleared to accomplish that feat. During each one, your focus will be on a little blue dot sitting in the center of the screen; it rules the two forms of playing the gitaroo. In the defensive phase, an opponent’s attacks fly in along this point’s vertical and horizontal axes. Each direction corresponds to one of the four face buttons, and damage is deflected by pressing when the attack is centered on the blue dot. This keeps U-1’s life bar steady, but he must also deplete the enemy’s energy and replenish his own to emerge victorious. In attack and charge modes, a trace line flows to the origin, but it can come from any angle. The analog nub has to be continually pushed in the direction of this line’s approach. At the same time, bars appear along the trace line that designate the guitar’s part in the music, and holding and releasing a face button as the bar begins and ends sounds out the harmony. The modes will flip several times during each song, and seamlessly transitioning between the two is quite a challenge.

The latter style of gameplay makes a surprisingly authentic connection to the guitar arrangements. The trace line winds around as the notes change, veering off suddenly as the pitch bends or slides. A new bar comes with every note, and it gets extremely hectic with intricate picking sections. The manual actually advises laying the PSP on a flat surface during play in order to free up all your fingers to follow the rhythm. The major problem with these control schemes, though, is accuracy. The idea is that the buttons must be depressed exactly as the target is aligned with the blue dot. Absolute perfection is required for a high performance grade, but the interface of lines, bars, and circles make it difficult to perceive that degree of precision. Even in beating a stage without any mistakes, it’s hard to feel as though you’ve done that well.

It’s a small cloud hanging over everything else that is great and unique about Gitaroo Man Lives!. The predominantly instrumental music, composed by a duo know as COIL, jumps between diverse genres. The game starts off with the thrashing power cords that signify traditional hard rock. Then it quickly shifts to high-strung electronic pop, and just as coolly swerves to low-key lyrics and slower tempo of reggae. There’s even a sweet acoustic lullaby, and its gentle strumming charms a pretty girl to nap on U-1’s shoulder.

Rocking a cutie to sleep is by far the most benign challenge found in this title, however. Worlds aren’t saved with soothing melodies alone. The moment our hero’s dog presents him with a mystical guitar, U-1’s quest begins. In order to save the planet Gitaroo, U-1 must acquire the power and assume the mantle of the legendary Gitaroo Man. Standing in his way are the wicked Gravalians, a spectacular group of enemies who want the mastery of the gitaroo for themselves. One is a funky brutha sporting a giant fro and white disco suit, accentuated by a giant bee costume. Another is a waifish glamour boy with long silvery hair and the chops of an opera singer; his voice resonates throughout the gothic cathedral he inhabits. There’s also a trio of skeletons who strike their ribs like a marimba, banging out Latin beats while U-1’s part provides a mariachi feel.

That’s the kind of crazy, wonderful world Gitaroo Man Lives! inhabits, and its energy must be tough to create. Maybe that’s why the game is so short. With the number of songs and levels barely breaking double-digits, the single-player campaign simply can’t last more than a few hours of play. There is an unlockable Master Mode that requires you to cover a lot more notes, and conquering its greatly increased demands will take a ton of additional time. But it hurts that the game doesn’t have more difficulty settings inbetween that would offer greater variations on the gameplay choreography. The ad hoc multiplay functions, versus and duet, provide a little of this because you get to perform sequences usually reserved for enemy. As your partner or opponent can be either human or the CPU, these modes are accessible to anyone. That’s particularly important, since the duet mode features two songs not found in the original or single-player game.

Ultimately, though, the limited playlist wears out all the options in Gitaroo Man Lives!. Even with characters and surroundings that are colorful, detailed, and a little insane. Even with gameplay mechanics that are uniquely authentic. Even with a soundtrack that is high-spirited and distinct, you can only listen to the same songs so many times in a row. Any recommendation for Gitaroo Man Lives! has to include this major qualifier. And so the score, graphics gets 7/10, sound gets a 10/10 and gameplay gets a 10/10. A masterpiece in the art of music and game, ROCK ON Gitaroo Man!

no stoopid… this ain’t your ordinary history lesson. well maybe a little, but still this ain’t ordinary. if you’re not familiar who the hell is Jeanne D’Arc ( God bless her soul ) is, read this really carefully. Jeanne is a French maiden who resides in a small village in France in the olden times. living the simple life with her parents, they thought that everything went quite well with their lives until a sudden turn of events happened. their village was sacked by the English Army, one of King Henry VI plans to conquer the whole of France from the French peasants and nobles. unfortunately this only enraged Jeanne’s burning anger when her loved ones perished from the English’s assault on their village. fueled by anger and driven by hate and vengence, she vowed to take charge and win back France from the hands of King Henry VI. Jeanne was also known as the Pucelle, the messenger of God, who was sent to the French nobles to unite their forces against the English horde. but then in the end she after the crowning of King Charles of France, her own countrymen burned her at the stake, charging her of being a heretic and blasphemous. she was sentenced to die after all her help on her own people.

ohh yeah, this ain’t history lesson for the hardcore RPG gamer. because in this game, you get to play as Jeanne and her comrades and some Therions ( man-beasts ) who will aide her in claiming back France and forging an alliance with the aristocrats. armed with a bracelet given by God during the first war of the reapers which she accidentally ( or maybe fated ) acquired, Jeanne travels all over France seeking vengence and victory together with her comrades.

the game is so simple yet a little complicated for some players. a traditional RPG with a twist of tactical gameplay is involved, kinda like Final Fantasy Tactics, set in a 3D world which you can rotate using the L-R keys. graphically it is not that good looking since you look at 3D images of people looking like dwarves. but the cut-scenes are cool if you are an anime fan, and there are even scenes that will make you weep.

the sound quality of the game is on the above average mark. basic noises of sword hitting metal and spears plunging through human vitals is quite the common thing in the game. but the voice acting in the cut scenes are absolutely cool.

control is so simple even a 5 year-old non-RPG lover can play. but the biggest deal is the gameplay since their are stats and you can also manage your troops and suit them up for battle as well. but the combat system is well damn-hard since they put in a statistic based style, in which you try to hit a target bit there are chances where you can hit it or not, cause critical damage or not, or even, have your attack parried.

so as this goes, my verdict is that graphics gets 8/10, sound gets 7/10, and gameplay goes 10/10. this one is for keeps and is definitely playable a lot of times if you really want to master the art of warfare. i say this one worth to be in the record books. Vive Le France! Vive Liberte!

Tenchu is a mysterious franchise. Each game seems to sell significantly less than the one before it, many aspects of the series are incredibly outdated and From Software don’t seem too keen on making it very applicable for the next generation, especially on the heels of Metal Gear Solid, Hitman and Splinter Cell. So, here comes the first portable rendition of Tenchu, and while it largely delivers a solid experience similar to that of it console brothers, it fails to evolve and even missteps in its own ambitions.

The version of Time of the Assassins I played was the Japanese import, Shinobi Taizen, so the lavish FMV sequences and dialogue boxes meant little to me, aside from the strange and stupid cameo appearances from past games; shouldn’t these guys be dead? So while it’s impossible for me to fairly judge the story, it’s unlikely it is anything noteworthy as Tenchu was never really known for its narrative.

Gameplay has always been what makes Tenchu such a celebrated name for some, and specifically, the over-the-top, visceral stealth kills your playable ninja would perform on unsuspecting prey. From draining jugulars, to piercing skulls with pins or full-blown decapitations, Tenchu has no shortage of making your hero look like a complete badass. That, or making the foes unbelievably stupid. As you traverse throughout the large 3D levels, it comes to light that as a ninja, your characters don’t prove to be very efficient. They move slow, boast disturbingly awkward animations and overall have a lack of finesse that are found only in the stealth kill scenes. Once you regain control of your assassin, they’re playability is more akin to that of a gimped junkie.

To be fair however, the sluggish movement still proves to be adequate for the most part, but this is entirely because of the amazingly dumb enemies; these guys have no sense of hearing, are blind as bats and are fooled by the simplest of tricks. As a lone guard finds his ally sprawled in the dirt covered in his own blood, the guard is of course aware of some murdering intruder. So, how can you revert this guard back to his once ignorant state? Make an animal call. No, I’m not joking. The auburn clad ninja Rin has the ability to imitate animals in an effort to fool suspicious opponents into thinking that the roof-top leaping acrobat he spotted was actually just a chicken, or the cause of his defiled friend was merely the careless act of a cat. I wish I was joking, but I am not; the non-friendlies in Tenchu pose as much of a threat as the ledges your team of ninjas traverses: a simple obstacle easily dispatched with the press of a button or two.

I may sound very critical of Tenchu, but don’t get me wrong; I in fact love the Tenchu games. Even amidst the dumb challenges and handicapped protagonists, there is still a charm in dashing up behind a baddie and using him or her as a brush to paint the surroundings red. The formula is primitive to be sure, but it’s fun and entertaining to play a stealth game that’s a bit more light and arcade-ish in the stealth department. A game that instantly oozes charisma from its attractive feudal Japan inspired ninja backdrop and is simple in execution, but badass in style. That is Tenchu. Sure it’s a shame that this fun and simplicity is caused by aspects that would typically be considered faults, but it’s forgivable; fun is fun.

And without doubt, some other Tenchu characteristics have made the handheld transfer, including the vast amount of ninja items and weapons to use. All the way from poison rice balls, to grenades and enemy disguises, Time of the Assassins ain’t short of inventory by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, none of these items are new and they’re hardly needed to beat the game, aside from the ever trusty grappling hook they still manage to be a cute diversion if you want to replay a mission to see how X affects Y.

If that was all Tenchu: Time of the Assassins was, I’d be more than happy. Unfortunately, some nasty flaws haunt this would-be gem. First and foremost are the camera and controls. This is a console inspired PSP game; did you expect anything less than this to be the game’s biggest issue? Due to the rather merciful stature of the game, the crippled camera isn’t as much of a hassle as it might be for other PSP titles, but having to sit it the dirt stone still to get a decent view of the environment is hardly a luxury. However, that is not the worst of the game; the draw distance is. Never have I seen a game with such an incredibly intrusive field of view. In the landscapes of Tenchu you can really only ever see a few dozen feet in front of you at most. The rest of the level is covered in a ridiculous darkness that only evades your sight once you move so close towards it. This might give the impression that every level in the game takes place at night, but on the contrary, each level’s layout is extremely bright otherwise. Most definitely the worst aspect of the PSP version of Tenchu is the lack of visibility. If this had not had been an issue, the game would have been significantly better.

That major hiccup aside, Tenchu: Time of the Assassins is still a pretty good looking portable game. The character models are sharp and detailed in spite of the bland and quite drab level textures and design. In fact, most of the levels are so dull that it seems pretty obvious that they were created with the level editor included in the game. They’re designed exceptionally well knowing the tool used to create them, but it’s still disheartening to know the developers didn’t really put much ingenuity into the missions’ schematics. The FMVs scattered throughout the fifty or so main missions are sharp looking, and the game features an excellent compilation of music used throughout the entire Tenchu series. In fact, let’s get that out of the way now; this is hardly a new Tenchu game.

Tenchu: Time of the Assassins isn’t really a sequel; it’s more of a spin-off anthology of sorts, but dressed up into a new package. None of the content is particularly new truthfully, just a bunch of stuff from past games rolled into one. Past playable characters return such as Rin and Tesshu, and of course Ayame and Rikimaru as the staple warriors of the series. Onikage is of course the reoccurring antagonist as many likely expected (and is revealed in the opening cut-scene). Returning from Tenchu 2 and 3 are the meaty and excellent level editor and multi-player. Create your own challenges and send them to friends (if by some planetary alignment they actually have the game as well) or play through the levels themselves in co-op, or take them on head-to-head as one of the many absurd sub-characters from the game. Tenchu: Time of the Assassins is not a title lacking any meat, and that’s real gamers need. If you’re a Tenchu fan, this PSP installment will keep you busy for a long while should you overcome the game’s nearsighted hurdle. However, while five main storyline campaigns sounds pretty lengthy, there’s only about ten missions for each character, and each one can be completed in about five or ten minutes. This does add some portable friendly nature of the game, but with the PSP’s sleep mode, this was never really a problem anyway.

So the verdict, graphics gets 8/10, sound gets a 6/10, and gameplay gets 5/10.If you’ve gamed all of these years and have never played a Tenchu game, there’s really no reason to start now.

how long has it been since you wrecked your dad’s car and brought it back into your garage with a front bumper hanging loose, or maybe the spoiler is missing? or better yet, have you ever tried customizing your ride so that it can go real fast and launches has 2 machine guns on the hood? wait a second? what am i saying? this ain’t no ordinary car fanatic’s customization dream, this is a ride which will take you to the streets and directly to hell and back again. NO!!! i am not talking about the frustrating game 10 years ago called Carmaggedon. this one is one of SCEA’s well "driven" title for the Playstation console, only this time, it’s hand-held. Ladies and Gents rev up yer engines and load them missles and 52 caliber ammo’s coz this is Twisted Metal: Head On for the Sony PSP.

it’s been nearly 7 years since the last Twisted Metal title was released for the Sony PS2. And to tell you frankly, there’s not much to say about this game is that still the story revolves around this wierd guy named Calypso, who keeps giving wishes to the winner of the Twisted Metal tournament. the only difference is that the drivers of some of our beloved vehicles have been changed. like Thumper, now it is driven by a chick who wants to win the low-rider competition, well if you ask me, she’s in the wrong contest. another thing, in this game, you will also get to fight some of the most beloved ( hated ) vehicles known throughout the Twisted Metal Franchise. Axel, Crimson Fury, and even Hammerhead are few to mention. you can also play the game using these vehicles but it will take you a little while because you have to unlock them in certain maps with certain mini-games. quite fun, and quite frustrating because the game itself is hard even with the normal handicap, and it is even harder in the mini-games. COOL….. i like a real challenge.

the controls of the game have been altered a little to suit the playing capability of the PSP. like for example, the ice or freeze missile, instead of pressing, left-right-down button, it is now, up-down-up. and so on and so forth. you try to figure out the other combinations yourself.

the game also features a few new entries for the vehicles you can use in combat, with their own twisted endings. plus the return of Dark Tooth is so awesome you might be surprised why he fires napalm cones so rapidly, and also slams you down like Mr. Slam. talk about monstrous. and you will also face the Final boss known as Tower Tooth. how does he look like? think about it. how strong is he? imagine facing Dark Tooth twice in one go. how hard is he to beat? you will drain your PSP battery first before you get rid of him for the first time, try after try after try.

sound gets a real deal, lots of hard rock, alternative and even techni beats that suits the combat action and the battleground. although there are certain times when the sounds of missiles and guns firing and even explosions disappear due to the music.

graphically this is not a very well-polished and clean-looking game, but the sight of exploding cars and puny humans being ran down or shot down by napalm is a sight to see. creepy, yet NICE.

so the verdict, i give graphics an 8/10, sound gets an 8/10, and gameplay gets 9/10. this is one truly one for the books. so blast those  cars out of the way, ram those obstacles and burn some rubber, make way for Twisted Metal: Head On.