Happy 11 Birthday Megaman BN / Rockman EXE.

Jack In!!! It's Party Time!!!!!

I couldn't forget this date. Battle Network turns 11 today, which is a long time if you think about it. That means I would have been 11 when the first game came out which means it 5 years before I even owned my first handheld. I don't feel like telling my whole story again, but I'll just mention the basics.

I didn't start following the Battle Network games until around 2004. By then, marketing was in full swing and it caught my attention. I'm kind of sure Battle Network 3 was the first Megaman BN game I played. I played games like Original Megaman & Megaman X in emulators before but I didn't start playing those games really intense until after I became interested in Battle Network. The series had a nice run and I really enjoyed the series's second half of life. I always get on board with these things a little late. I never really purchased any merchandise. The only Battle Network games I owned was Battle Network 6 and Battle Network 5DS. That's about it, I guess.

I missed out, sure, but I made up for it. Despite not having every piece of merchandise or game, I still managed to make it out on top. I know pretty much everything about the entire series, including the anime. I even made a great marathon of posts here about it. So yeah, the Battle Network series did have a nice run. I just hope some more Battle Network-related things come out in the future. Perhaps like a much-needed graphical enhancement on the 3DS..?

Maybe, maybe not.... But hey, we can always dream, can't we?

So, once again, Happy Bitrhday Rockman EXE. / Megaman BN !!!!!!!!!

YOUR MOVE INTERNETS!!!!!

I WANT TO PLAY A GAME

Ok, just got a crazy idea, and I think you all will like it! Why don't we play a little game?

Let's hear what console, video game, or anything that has to do with games, is your favorite?

Is it a PlayStation 3? A Nintendo Wii? Or are you an Old School gamer and prefer something like the NES with the 1st Legend of Zelda game, or Mario Bros?

Old or New? Pixel-ed or High-End graphic?

FPS, Racing, Sport, RPG, MMO?

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#                               Leave your responses in the comment section!                             #

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Dungeon Lords

A GREAT "Good Ol" RPG!

Review By UP913

I had to submit a quick review because all the other ones are WAY off! Apparently the other review writers are comparing this game directly to Oblivion. Stupid. This is a low to medium budget game, made by a medium size developer. And it's a great game.

The graphics are more than adequate. They're certainly better than the original Everquest. The detail on things like armor, monsters, and npcs is actually very good. The outside world is not bad, the scenery and terrain are a little repetetive. Something obviously went wrong when they programmed bodies of water, as we all know, the surface of a lake does not have hills and valleys. It definitely made me do a double take, but it also made me chuckle. It doesn't affect gameplay. The dungeons are also a little repetitive, the textures aren't terribly detailed or unique, but they're not terrible. The overall appearance is pretty good.

The sound effects and music are good. Nothing special, you have your standard background noises, grunts, yells, screams in combat, clanging of weapons, etc. I enjoyed the voice acting, it was better than a lot of games and there is a lot of it.

The gameplay is thoroughly addictive. I played the game pretty much every night for a couple of hours, always wanting to kill a few more baddies and upgrade my character. The feature I really like is that you can spend advancement points as soon as you get enough to advance a skill or attribute rather than waiting until you get the next level. The one drawback is that in my opinion, they are a little TOO generous with the points. My character became very powerful about halfway through the game, but on the plus side, it really helped for the groups of weak enemies that pop up every minute or so.

Beginning the game is a little tricky. To get into Fargrove you have to battle your way through a rather large sewer level, then a large theatre. I died a lot, and I'm usually a cautious RPG player. In this game, you can revive yourself immediately, at the cost of one or two attribute points. There are a couple easy ways to avoid this though, first you can save often and just reload, or you can just put all your points into skills, because reviving only takes away attribute points. Maybe that's why this game got so many reviews, because players got frustrated at the beginning dungeons and just gave up.

You do have to spend a lot of time running between towns, that's probably what irked so many others. If you read one of the walkthroughs on this site, it tells you about moonstones and moon bridges (teleporters). You can access this handy feature as soon as you leave Fargrove, that will save lots of time. Also, by putting points into agility, you increase your run speed. I didn't learn this until almost halfway through the game. There are also many items that boost your speed.

I don't understand why the other reviews are crying about glitches and bugs, the only flaw I've encountered is that the game occasionally freezes, but only for a maximum of 3 seconds, usually only for 1 second or less. It's annoying, no doubt about that, but it doesn't make the game unplayable. Oh there's an arrow stuck in mid-air in Fargrove that has been there since the beginning of the game, that's the only other bug that I've experienced.

The story is a little confusing, to me anyways. You get a letter summoning you to some lord's manor, he wants you to find his daughter who ran away, then it goes off on all these tangents about evil druids and secret runes and relics of power. It all ties together, but I've never really cared a whole lot about story because they're all the same: good versus evil, fight your way to the main evil character and kill him and save the world. I've always focused on the gameplay. The quest log is not very detailed, it gives you very basic objectives, so you have to pay attention to the dialog or you will end up just running around, searching for what to do.

I'll say again, it looks like the other review writers are directly comparing this game to huge blockbuster hits like Oblivion and Half-Life 2, and since every aspect of the game doesn't compare to those games, they think that makes this one a flop. That's completely wrong. This is a very fun game, I was very addicted and had a great time playing it. I can definitely see myself playing through it at least one more time, as a different class and/or race. Remember, there's a reason you'll find this game in the bargain bin, and it's well worth the $10.

NAME: DUNGEON LORDS

SYSTEM: PC

Formula One 2005

Fantasic game which captures the spirit of F1 perfectly

Review By TS.

Past few years, Formula One has come under much criticism from the media and sport fanatics due to the 'overwhelming boredom' that was tagged upon the sport. Michael Schumacher, for example, is now a 6 time World Champion - a first time someone has ever got that many championship in F1. This has left many rejecting the series of games... but now, this is your chance to get F1 how you like it. This is your chance to be put in that seat, watched those 5 lights go out, and speed off into a adrenaline pumped race. F1 2005 gives you the chance to be in any of this season's cars and do what you like. This is F1 at it's best.

GRAPHICS: The graphics on this game are.. pretty awesome. It seems the guys at Sony Liverpool gave the graphics engine a complete overhaul this year as the visuals are a lot better and a lot different then previous installments of the Formula 1 series of games. The cars are this seasons set of cars - obviously some cars without their brands of advertising (due to legal reasons) but the cars are obviously noticeable to their real life counterparts. The areas around the tracks, at times, may look a bit bland but when you realise the inner city beauty of Monaco, the rural setting of Silverstone and the wonderful desert setting of Bahrain, you will appreciate how much effort has been put into the looks of this game. 

The cutscenes are very very nice to look at - the realistic ITV approach of the grid before the race is very cool as you get a busy, full grid with some races having traditional dancers or local cultures doing stuff on the side or at the front, looking very cool. If you finish in the top 3, you get a podium cutscene with the champagne which, again, is a great touch especially if you have an Eyetoy.

GAMEPLAY: The whole set of cars are incredible realistic. The handle perfectly and the speed differences when you compare the top cars such as Mclaren and Ferrari to the lower league cars such as Minardi, the speeds are a huge difference. The cars act like they should - they can spin on the grass and slow down on the sand traps. Your thumb may hurt at first when accelerating your car to it;s top speed as the harder you press X, the faster the car goes. But still, you just don't notice it after a while and the game regains its speed with you not noticing how hard you're pressing X. The only real upset here is the damage - your car is, well, incredibly tough to damage. 

You can go 100mph into a wall and just rattle your front wing, maybe just puncture a tyre depending on the angle. In real life, that would be an instant failure, the car would be crumpled and you certainly wouldn't be able to drive off. Apart from this annoyance, the gameplay is fantastic. The pit stops are quite the minigame - you have to press the buttons that appear at parts of the car during the work takes place. The quicker you react, the faster your pit stop is. It can make or break your race, I guarantee.

SOUND: At times, the sound can be seen as disappointing but it's not really the games fault I suppose. You see, in the career mode, there is no Commentary from James Allan and Martin Brundle, or even no pit crew instructing messages to you. Every other mode, they are there for you. It gets very silent without them as all you hear are 20 cars revving and speeding around you, and the commentary and pit crew add a sense of realism to the game. 

The pit crew are fantastic though in the other modes. They give A LOT of very helpful information, telling you your times and how far the person ahead is or behind is, and other stuff. The commentary can be a bit lacking, but it's nothing shambolic. It's a nice touch.

LIFESPAN: There is a wide lifespan to the game that is added on by the Online mode if you have a network adapter, or a new slimline PS2. The modes are simple - Time Attack, World Championship Mode, Race Weekend, and a Career mode. The time attack is self explanatory - beat either the gold, silver or bronze times set for tracks. Beat them all and you may get a surprise... a very nice one at that. World Championship Mode is basically where you choose a race driver from the 2005 championship, and do a whole season of races with him. Its a great mode and can take its time depending on race settings. A Race weekend is self explanatory as well - choose a driver, a Grand Prix, and do the whole weekend from practice to the race. The Career is, in my opinion, the highlight of the game. 

You create a driver first and start with a trial from Red Bull, Jordan and Minardi. Depending on how good you do, and how they see your lap times for them, they may or may not offer you a different position in the team whether it be 1st or 2nd driver, or just a Test driver. 

The career can last for years, and you just have to build up your reputation and get through the ranks in F1 from these slower cars to the good, fast teams. If you have an eyetoy, you can scan your face into the game so that when you are on the podium, it's actually you! I've done it and its pretty cool. Online is fantastic - 10 cars on a track at a time, but the action is so smooth, you could confuse it for AI! It's excellent online service and well worth the wait for an online F1 game.

OVERALL: Overall, this is an excellent game. It has one or two glitches in it, but nothing dramatic. I seriously recommend this to any F1 fan or racing fan as it's an exciting game that is very realistic and true to the sport of Formula 1.

PROS

+ Excellent Online gaming

+ Very realistic gameplay

+ Graphics very impressive

+ Long lifespan

+ Up to date cars

+ Good secrets to unlock

CONS

- Damage is horrible

- No commentary/pit crew in career mode

- Won't appeal to all racing fans

- Difficulties may make no difference to some people

NAME: FORMULA ONE 2005

SYSTEM: PlayStation 2

Earth 2160

A very fun, if sometimes overwhelming RTS

Review By Minako

I've always liked RTS games and been on the lookout for a new one; however over time it's become a more and more ignored genre in gaming, and almost every entry into the genre is sadly lacking in depth. To me an RTS That has 8 or 10 units for me to build only isn't much of a game. Without more depth and options there just isn't enough strategy to hold interest, and the last RTS to really captivate me was Total Annihilation.

Earth 2160 is the third game in the franchise (not counting two add-ons for the previous one in the series, Earth 2150). I haven't played the previous games, but the basic story seemed easy enough to pick up (though I still wonder how the LC survives with next to no males, but oh well…). The single player game consists of four campaigns (one per race), meant to be played in sequence. There's a single story that spans all four. The story mode has been widely criticized for being predictable and cliche, as well as some absolutely terrible voice acting, and, well, it's hard to argue either point too much. 

The storyline has some plot twists, but nothing that's going to go down as one of the better stories around. But a somewhat weak story in an RTS can be forgiven, since these aren't games like RPGs where story is one of the main reasons to play. The voice acting, especially in the cutscenes is a much more noticeable issue. The audio has odd pauses in it, and generally doesn't match (often not even close) to the animation occurring on screen. It's a somewhat minor sounding issue, but it does bring up bad flashbacks of late 90's gaming, before cutscenes were really perfected and standard.

The game overall has a brutal learning curve; I found the playing the campaign almost a requirement just to get something resembling a tutorial, which it does manage to function as. And playing all the campaigns also has the side effect of teaching you the best ways to surgically strike bases to inflict maximum damage (nothing like having build a thing to know how to unbuild it). 

That said, when you do learn to play the game and actually learn the best ways to build a base (all the sides are radically different) and get the hang of having to design your own vehicles (the game has default designs that are, well, very general and not designs I find myself using often at all) it's an amazingly diverse and fun game. All the sides have different approaches to building, different styles of units, different research and actually give distinctive gameplay experiences. To have four sides so different yet (relatively) balanced is a very impressive accomplishment.

The game isn't for a casual type of gamer, because, as previously said, to learn to really play takes a larger investment in time, and even then all the different options (armor types especially can be annoying) can be a bit overwhelming while playing. In the end, it all really is worth it though. 

Earth 2160's one of the most fun RTS games I've played in years. It's open ended enough to actually allow different ways to play and be more than the same progression of gameplay each and every time. The campaign can be a bit tedious and the seemingly endless options for research and design a bit overwhelming but through it all the game is fun and keeps you wanting to play more. It's the best RTS in quite a while and definitely worth buying and playing.

NAME: EARTH 2160

SYSTEM: PC

The Beginning Of The End... Or Maybe Not!

Before, this blog had some immense changes, the look, the style, the fonts, the addition of the slide bar, the Commercial!

Now for the 1st time, this blog, alongside the others that have something to do with me, has there own combined app!

Yes, you have read that right! G/C Entertainment System, alongside The World Jungle & Fictional Crossroads have an app that is only for Android Users available ( sorry, there will be no iOS app of this, EVER ).

You can download the app HERE directly to your PC, Tablet, Mobile, or whatever you use that has Android on it!

The creator of this app is my friend from The World Jungle and that's why the app is so called, so feel free to download it, share it, and comment of how you like it!

Age of Empires 3 - The WarChiefs

An expansion worth it's weight in gold (or food or wood).

Review By HistoryTeacher.

While I find that most expansions do not add as much replay value as players think they will and are intended mostly to add to the profits of the company, this expansion is one of the exceptions. It adds three entirely new civilizations and several all new campaigns. In addition there are new buildings and units for existing civilizations as well as entirely new game mechanics.

NEW CIVILIZATIONS: The new civilizations remain as historically accurate as the european ones and do not compromise the unique native identity by trying to confrom to an already existing mold. Rather new game mechanics have been developed that is truer to the three native civilizations. The play differences between them remain diverse enough to account for player differences.

NEW BUILDINGS: While it is somewhat of a token attempt to not exclude european civilizations from updates it does a good job of adding fun new features such as the inclusion of saloons to recruit mercenaries. If you are just picking this up for the buildings/units you will probably be disappointed so make sure you consider the other changes as well.

NEW GAME MECHANICS: Some of the new game mechanics are very confusing to explain, although somewhat less so in game. One of the best features is the native fire dances which add benefits to your native civilization. The european concept of revolution is perhaps not clearly enough fleshed out in the game manual for most people to understand if it is desirable for their play style.

INTERFACE UPDATE: Added features to sort cards by age or by building makes it much easier to construct decks than it was previously. The rest of the interface updates remain mainly cosmetic (ie: skin changed to bluish tones). Like most expansions it resets almost everything to default and you will need to change it back.

OVERALL: Overall a very worthwhile expansion with good content. It might take a bit of tweaking to get used to but if you were a fan of the first one there is a good chance you will find something you like that adds to the richness of your play experience in the expansion pack as well. If you are not sure about the addition of native civilizations to the mix you will want to think twice.

NAME: AGE OF EMPIRES 3 - THE WARCHIEFS

SYSTEM: PC, Mac OS