What game have you COMPLETED this week

[Hitman_HalStep]

ME3,really enjoyed it,i went for the synthesis ending.

[theantmeister]

Diablo 3. Server issues aside, it is a cracking game.

[Evermore]

I completed RAGE on PS3 last night. Really excellent game in my view. I'd give it a very healthy 8/10.

There were quite a lot of negative comments made about it over on Eurogamer this week when id mentioned it was hoping that the game would form part of a series, like stablemeates Doom and Quake. People said they didn't enjoy the story - I thought it was perfectly fine for a video game. People said they thought it was repetitive - well all FPS games are repetitive, though in defence of RAGE it had some variety in the combat - different weapons and ammo types were required for different missions for example. The car combat was different, great fun as well. Some said it was too short - I finished it in 16 hours having done quite a few, but not all, of the side-missions. Most FPS games are doing well to go over the twelve hour mark.

The one issue that was pointed out, which I would agree with, was the poor ending. The final mission is a lot of fun, it doesn't take forever and it hasn't got any difficulty spikes, but the final cut-scene is over super-fast. The build up to the final couple of stages is quite abrupt too - clearly funding and deadlines closed in on the dev team. A little bit of a pity, but the rest of the game is fantastic. The near Halo 2-esque ending isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things as the preceding hours are excellent and I didn't feel short-changed at all, because the ending was after a fun couple of end-game stages. I like games that don't outstay their gameplay welcome in all honesty.

I loved the combat system in this game - its a lot of fun, the weapons are all great, and the level design is very good. The graphics and sense of place are spot-on. The controls, on a console, are a little tricky to get the hang of, but are second nature before long. The texture pop-up is a problem, but not the end of the world. The lovely graphics as a whole more than make up for it, and the frame rate is smooth throughout.

I like all the little extra side missions and mini-games. You can go and do all sorts of fun activities in RAGE - you can head out in your buggy and go and take out some bandits for cash, play the excellent card games or take part in sewer missions to gain extra cash and supplies. The world initially feels a lot bigger than it actually is, but it does feel very "real" when you play the game. Its an oxymoron - but RAGE has a fantasy world that "feels" real.

The saving system, which is mostly manual, would be better if it was based on a tradition console auto save system, but alas is based on the PC quick save model - no surprise considering this is an id game, PC-focused as they are. You have to remember to save yourself, though there is a get out of jail defibrillator mini-game that can revive you if you take too much damage - this takes away a lot of the challenge of the game, but it takes time to recharge, so you can't rely on it to keep you alive every time you take a lot of damage. Having said that, the game, whilst pretty easy, does feel hard at times as you often "just about" make it through some very hairy firefights.

I thought RAGE was fun from start to finish anyway - I was entertained through its longer than average campaign. Theres lot of things to go back to do as well once it is completed. Its no masterpiece and it doesn't innovate as much as other games have done in the genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as its just so much fun to play. I would love a slightly more polished sequel some time in the future!

[theantmeister]

Great review, pretty much sums up Rage. The lack of a decent end of game boss was dissapointing. I kept preserving ammo, thinking something big was coming and it never did. Which is weird as there are a couple of great boss fights in Rage. You're right about the combat, just as you get a bit bored shooting mutants, the game introduces new enemies to keep the combat fresh.

The graphics are incredible, but I think they must have taken a lot of effort to design. You get the feeling that every last corner was hand crafted. This probably contributed a lot to the rushed ending, I think. It also explains why there are so many "painted on" doors. Rage does feel a bit linear in places.

I loved Rocket Rally. Pity the multiplayer never took off.

[Evermore]

Great review, pretty much sums up Rage. The lack of a decent end of game boss was dissapointing. I kept preserving ammo, thinking something big was coming and it never did. Which is weird as there are a couple of great boss fights in Rage. You're right about the combat, just as you get a bit bored shooting mutants, the game introduces new enemies to keep the combat fresh.

The graphics are incredible, but I think they must have taken a lot of effort to design. You get the feeling that every last corner was hand crafted. This probably contributed a lot to the rushed ending, I think. It also explains why there are so many "painted on" doors. Rage does feel a bit linear in places.

I loved Rocket Rally. Pity the multiplayer never took off.

Cheers mate. I too had a lot of ammo in stock by the end of the game. Over thirty rockets and thousands of bullets for varous weapons. A big dirty boss fight would have been welcome at the end, but clearly they ran out of time and budget. I think that the Subway Town could have had more missions come from its residents too. You really could have had a good dozen missions from there in my view.

But when appraising a game I usually ask myself how much enjoyment did it give me - how much fun was it? Every minute of RAGE, after its shaky start, was great entertainment, so I can easily forgive its flaws. One of the best FPS campaigns I have played through in quite a while. However, as you say mate, the multiplayer just didn't happen, but I don't mind too much, its mostly about single player for me, with online multiplayer a bonus in games unless it directly impacts on the single player side of things.

[Mire Mare]

Super Mario Land played on my GB Pocket. Finished in about 30 mins so not spectacularly fast but I had a lot of fun playing. It must be about 20 years since I last played and finished it.

[Rinoa]

Completed Super Mario 3D Land in its entirety this week. A great little game it was too.

I also completed Tomb Raider Legend on the same day. A bit on the linear side, but overall I enjoyed it. Gone back to find the rest of the rewards I missed so should keep me going a bit longer.

[Vyothric]

Ultima VII: The Black Gate (PC)

[sscott]

Space Marine, finally.

[Evermore]

Super Mario Land played on my GB Pocket. Finished in about 30 mins so not spectacularly fast but I had a lot of fun playing. It must be about 20 years since I last played and finished it.

I love both the GB Pocket and Mario Land! I don't know why, but Mario Land is a hugely playable title - its short and doesn't feel very "Mario-y" as it wasn't by Miyamoto and is set in some other place outside the Mushroom Kingdom, but I love to play through it every now and then too.

The GB Pocket is a mighty handheld in my view. I love the "feel" of the unit in the hands, and the large screen. There's something lovely and retro about the black and white graphics! Far nicer than the green visuals on the original machine. The smudging effect is an issue, as is the lack of backlight, but I love the simple minimist nature of the system, and the controls are great on it. Its flat in its design, unlike the latter Light and Colour units, and its very ergonomic. One of my favourite Game Boys, probably my second favourite after the Micro.

I love handhelds I would love to collect every handheld Nintendo put out over the last 20 years - all the colours and designs. Only model I don't own is the Light right now. I would love to get all the Colours of the GBC in particular....

[ShadowMan]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma + for the Vita. A good port, with only the frame rate letting it down compared to the console versions, on the other hand the Vita screen makes the game look really nice - the opening couple of levels before you reach Vigor look really nice. Its a pretty lazy port in other regards, there aren't any checkpoints which is really annoying when I die on bosses - I'd rather get right back into the fight than reload from my last save...
I'm now working through the mission mode which looks tough.

[Montytom]

This week I have completed terminator salvation- good game in my opinion bit repetative though.
Also bought and completed the revenge of shinobi on the psn store and also sonic adventure dx edition on the psn store.

[snesfanboy]

finally finished Dragon Age 2, thought it was a great and compelling game!

[samhain81]

Super Mario Land played on my GB Pocket. Finished in about 30 mins so not spectacularly fast but I had a lot of fun playing. It must be about 20 years since I last played and finished it.

I absolutely love this game, I'd rank Super Mario Land 1 up there among Mario 3, and Mario World. People say that Mario Land 2 was better, but I don't agree. Only thing it succeeded in I think was bigger sprites, but the charm of the original sets it off.

[RetrolixusMcD]

Hey all,

just thought i would share that i have FINALLY completed 'Faxanadu' on the NES, which i had back in the day, and thought i would purchase again....what a great game, graphically, the soundtrack was amazing....but the ultra long passwords from the gurus were annoying. Anyone else played this, and remembers it with fondness?

RetrolixusMcD