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Reviews of various entertainment such as movies and video games.

Review: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
System: Nintendo Wii
Score: 4/5 4 (Good)

This game is, in my opinion, one of the best Zelda games since Link to the Past. If the art style in Wind Waker made you upset, you'll be glad to know that the graphics in Twilight Princess are in the Ocarina of Time style. I'm also glad to report that Link has been restored to his original Legend of Zelda age as a young teenager (I'm guessing about 15) and is no longer 8.

The graphics are good, the environment is engrossing, most of the characters are well designed, and the various dungeons that Link travels to are fairly well designed. There were moments when I had no direction in the dungeon, but overall it's usually fairly obvious what the next puzzle is and how to continue.

Review: Final Fantasy VI Advance

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
System: Gameboy Advance (DS-compatible)
Score: 5/5 5 (Excellent)

There's some debate over whether or not Final Fantasy VI is the best Final Fantasy ever created. Final Fantasy VI Advance does not disappoint. It's practically the same game previously released as Final Fantasy III in the United States, but with a more accurate translation. It's just as good as it ever was. If anything, this version is even better than the original.

Final Fantasy VI uses a slightly improved version of the Active Time Battle system previous Final Fantasy Advance titles use. Each character gets a single special ability from their inherent class. As in FFIV, a character's class cannot be changed.

Review: LEGO Star Wars II

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
System: Windows
Score: 4/5 4 (Good)

LEGO Star Wars II is, simply, a very fun game that can be enjoyed by a wide age range. I have the PC version, so this review is specifically based on my experiences playing the PC version (using a PS2 controller), but I expect that the game plays similarly on its console ports (GameCube, PS2, and X-Box).

The game plays through the plot of the Star Wars original trilogy - Episodes IV through VI - using LEGO pieces. The characters are all built out of LEGO pieces. Every piece is a real LEGO piece, although quite a few come from the Star Wars LEGO sets. (For example, the lightsabers, C3PO's head and Darth Vader's helmet.) You could imagine the game playing out in reality out of LEGO parts, although a little imagination would be required to make the blasters work and ships fly.

Review: Final Fantasy V Advance Xenoveritas
System: Gameboy Advance (DS-compatible)
Score: 4/5 4 (Good)

After playing Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS, Final Fantasy V Advance came as a breath of fresh air. It's basically a port of the original game to the Game Boy Advance, although the graphics and sound have been subtly improved. (Specifically, gradients have been added to the game windows, and the battle screen backdrops have been spruced up.)

Review: Final Fantasy III

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
System: Nintendo DS
Score: 3/5 3 (OK)

Final Fantasy III recently came out for the Nintendo DS and, while it's slightly different from the original version that was released for the Nintendo, it's almost the same game. Unfortunately, that counts more against it than it does for it.

When the original was released in 1990s, it brought a new concept to RPGs: the job system. The job system (where a character can essentially change classes) was a neat system at the time. It remains one of the favorite game systems, having been brought to perfection (in my opinion) in Final Fantasy Tactics. The version in this game is simplistic compared with Final Fantasy Tactics: you gain access to jobs by talking with crystals, and jobs contain a special ability. (White Magic for White Mages, Jump for Dragoons, Steal and Flee for Thieves, and so on.)