Playstation Reviews F-G

Fighting Force was the victim of some unrealistic expectations upon its release, so I figured it was time to give this side-scrolling beat-em-up another look. Many gamers (including myself) expected it to be the 3D incarnation of Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991). I recall having a bunch of friends over to give it a go, but they were not impressed. The opening sequence features a helicopter dropping off our heroes on a city street with an amazing digitized skyline looming in the background. The chunky characters and blocky urban environments looked fine, but the game itself was awkward to play. The camera was never positioned correctly, and thugs would always linger just outside of the frame. It was hard to tell where you were supposed to go and there were a lot of invisible walls. Factor in lengthy and frequent load screens and you have one big party killer on your hands. Fighting Force was a disappointment in its time, but when I revisited the game's single player mode I was in for a pleasant surprise. The camera isn't great but it's a lot better since there's only one character to focus on. The responsive controls include punch, kick, grab, and jump. The shoulder buttons are used to run and execute hilariously floaty jump-kicks and super-effective slide-kicks. The triangle button pulls double-duty as the back-punch and grab move, which was a horrible design decision. The fighting action is satisfying enough thanks to pixelated blood that splatters with each kick and punch. You can even attack thugs when they're down! Weapons like bats and clubs pack a whallop, and the pistol lets you shoot thugs point-blank in the face. After running out of bullets, you'll throw your gun, and it's pretty funny when that turns out to be the knockout blow. Fighting Force is loaded with unintentionally funny details like that. When defeated, goons drop huge wads of cash and sometimes even gold bars. Despite being decked out in black suits, the henchmen still don silly names like Bruiser, Snakey, and Punk. You can kick a soda machine and enjoy a refreshing beverage while goons hang back and wait in their fighting stances. Why aren't they firing their weapons? As in Streets of Rage, bad chicks tend to be decked out in sexy dominatrix outfits. Fighting Force has its share of eye candy, and the office that looks out over the harbor at night looks really spectacular. The game is fun while it lasts but it's hard to progress. Health packs are few and far between, and the endless stream of thugs eventually wear you down. You'll get further if you play with a partner, but that requires both players to make a concerted effort to stay close to each other. It's possible to harm one another, so don't stand too close! This is an oddball title for sure, but there aren't many games like Fighting Force, and retro gamers should get a real kick out of it. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

Review contributed by ptdebate of the RPG Crew and edited by the VGC.
A dramatic event during the first act of Final Fantasy VII is one of the most talked about moments in gaming history. In this near-silent video sequence, a well-liked character is murdered by a mysterious villain. This gives cause to mourn not only to the other characters but also to the player, who without warning permanently loses an essential member of his party. The twisting, turning narrative of Final Fantasy VII is punctuated with surprises like that, sometimes comedic, sometimes dramatic, and sometimes both. The balance between silliness and gravitas is something that would come to define the Final Fantasy series. The story is a wickedly satirical take on modern society. When an powerful corporation threatens to drain the planet of its life force, the planet fights back! Throughout the 40-hour-long journey you'll control a total of nine characters that can be taken into battle in any combination of three. The battle mechanics are turn-based but operate on individual "cool downs". This results in constant, overlapping action in contrast to the stop-and-go feel of other turn-based games. In addition to using common spells like Fire, Cure, and Haste, characters can discover and equip abilities that grow more effective over time. This easy-to-grasp form of advancement also allows for a moderate degree of customization. The charming graphics are highly detailed, with urban landscapes that mark a departure from the medieval-themed RPGs of the past. The hand-drawn 2D backgrounds occasionally transition into CGI sequences, making stunning use of the PlayStation’s storage and video capabilities. Likewise summoning deities to your aid will conjure up sublimely imaginative 3D-rendered sequences. Although the quality of the polygon models may not compare favorably to modern titles, the absorbing story and accessible gameplay earns Final Fantasy VII the status of an immortal classic. This is Final Fantasy at its very best. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

Review contributed by ptdebate of the RPG Crew and edited by the VGC.
How do you follow up what is widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time? In the case of Final Fantasy VIII, the answer is to rethink everything. Instead of playing it safe with well-established mechanics, the designers took traditional Final Fantasy gameplay and turned it on its head. Instead of equipping equipment you equip magic. Depending on how you spread it over your characters allows you to emphasize certain attributes over others. This highly customizable system lets you really dig deep into the numbers but presents a much higher learning curve than previous games in the series. The process of acquiring a sufficient amount of magic can be tedious, as it must be "drawn" from enemies and specific locations. Unfortunately if you choose to cast magic associated with an attribute, that attribute will decrease with the number of cast spells. The exploration and flow of combat remains relatively unchanged from the FFVII, but the 3D graphics have greatly improved, with human models rendered with a high level of detail. The story is a wild ride through a series of action blockbuster set pieces. Sullen military academy student Squall is joined by his classmates in an escalating series of missions. The encroaching foreign kingdom of Galbadia is revealed to be manipulated by a powerful sorceress with diabolical intentions. Running from a giant mechanical spider through a crumbling city, redirecting half of a train that’s still moving to kidnap a president, thwarting an assassination attempt, and invading a military base to avert a missile launch are just a few of the situations you might find yourself in during the first half of the game. The story attempts to awe and delight the player at every beat, but with varying degrees of success. The main villain is a red herring, and the real villain barely gets little characterization, leading to numerous fan theories about her origins. The strongest aspect of the story is the relationship between the two main characters, which gradually blossoms into a endearing romance. The phenomenal soundtrack has depth and range, including moody atmospheric pieces, waltzes, bombastic orchestra and choir pieces, and a lyrical piano ballad. This game has high aspirations but some of its bold new ideas don’t always land on two feet. Once you learn how to properly manipulate its systems, however, Final Fantasy VIII proves a satisfying, memorable experience. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

I never expected a company like Capcom to venture into the full-motion video arena, but they went all-in with Fox Hunt. This interactive movie employs real actors, exotic locations, and video footage spread over three discs! You play the role of a goofy young guy fresh out of Bruce Campbell's School of Overacting (or is it Jim Carrey's?) His mannerisms are so exaggerated he can't even pick up his car keys without hamming it up. Hijacked by the CIA, he's trying to deliver a briefcase to the Russian mob. Like most "laser disc" games you watch video clips and are prompted to take action at specific times. In the opening scene however you actually have some freedom to explore your apartment. You press the directional pad to turn, resulting in a video clip pointing you in a new direction. If there's room to walk forward you press up and watch your character move to a new spot. It's a strange sensation unlike anything I've experienced. If you remain still a short clip loops, giving the impression your game is broken. Since the different areas of your apartment don't fit together in a neat grid it's easy to become disoriented. Once the storyline gets rolling the game feels like random scenes patched together. The gameplay almost completely trial and error, and the chase scenes in particular require rote memorization. Save often, as you'll frequently find yourself on the wrong end of a death scene. Fox Hunt features real actors George Lazenby, Timothy Bottoms, and Rob Lowe (!) Their performances are very much tongue in cheek and the game plays out like a comedy - only without the laughs. Seriously, this game tries to be funny all of the time and doesn't succeed once! The audio and video quality is substandard, probably the result of compressing nearly two hours of video onto three CDs. Fox Hunt may have some value as a collector's item. The fashion, music, technology, and cultural references are a fascinating slice of 90's culture. Your character's "CD-ROM" reader looks a heck of a lot like an iPad! Fox Hunt may inspire curiosity, but enjoyment? Not so much. I'd recommend watching it on YouTube instead. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

Gekioh: Shooting King is a forgettable, low-budget shooter imported from Japan. Like most modern-day shooters, there's a heck of a lot happening on the screen at any given time. Still, Gekioh is more forgiving than most, limiting the number of projectiles and letting you retain your weapons upon losing a life. The multi-layered backgrounds are attractive but not spectacular, and enemies consist of planes, tanks, battleships, and large robo-warriors. Your weapons definitely pack some punch, and my favorite is the lightning bolt that moves from one target to the next. Also cool is how enemies go down in flames instead of exploding into nothing. Two-player simultanous play is supported. But easily the most interesting aspect of Gekioh is the extra modes. Mainly intended for laughs, these have little play value but are worth checking out nonetheless. There's the Pocket Mode, which presents the game in blocky black and white graphics like the original Game Boy. The Comical Mode features wacky sound effects and an irritating laugh track. The Slow Mode includes eerie music and sound effects. The Ancient Mode resembles an old black and white film, complete with distorted sound, a jumpy screen, and even an occasional hair in the frame! As you would imagine, these tend to be fun for the first few minutes, but have minimal replay value. The game has no options menu despite the urgent need for a screen adjustment option and a high score save feature. Fortunately you can switch off the unbearable vibrate function. All in all, Gekioh serves its purpose, but please don't ask me what that purpose would happen to be. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) was controversial due to its criminal violence, blood, and profanity. It wasn't a best-seller however until Grand Theft Auto III (Playstation 2, 2001) gave the series its third dimension. The crude, flat graphics of this game are a far cry from the virtual 3D world of GTA3. The overhead perspective doesn't always give you a good angle, since buildings and overpasses often block your view. The graphics aren't particularly good, with tiny people and pixelated scenery. The sound effects are amusing however, especially the "splat" of running over pedestrians. There's a car radio, but it doesn't play anything worth hearing. GTA's action is a mix of car driving and on-foot mayhem, and you receive mission instructions from pay phones across town. You'd be wise to carry out your dirty deeds without generating much commotion, because once the cops swarm they will drag your criminal-ass right out of your vehicle. A handy yellow arrow always points to your next destination, and it's absolutely necessary considering there's no map or radar display. As you can imagine, constantly following this arrow starts to feel tedious after a while. The missions are somewhat challenging, but that's mainly due to the controls. The directional pad controls your direction, but you need to hold down buttons to run forward and backward, which is awkward to say the least. The driving is even worse. Not only does it seems like you're always turning in the wrong direction, but your car constantly gets stuck. It also doesn't help that the layout of the city is so poor. I've never seen roads that zig-zag through town (except that one in San Francisco), but in this game they're quite common. In light of the frustrating gameplay, the blood and profanity seem more silly and gratuitous than offensive. GTA2 was a slight improvement, but the series didn't grow teeth until its third installment. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

Critics largely wrote off this fighter in 1998, mainly because it was a 2D game released at the height of the 3D fighter frenzy. Little did anyone know this series would actually prosper on the next generation of systems. Guilty Gear conforms to the tried-and-true formula popularized by Street Fighter II, with basic attacks, special moves, and blocking by holding the joystick "away" from your opponent. Certain Guilty Gear characters tend to wield weapons, giving the game a Samurai Shodown (Neo Geo, 1993) flavor. Despite its derivative mechanics, Guilty Gear's artistic style is all its own. The bizarre characters and unconventional backdrops tend to defy description. There's the hot blonde Milla with her killer hairdo (she will literally kill you with it), the heavy-metal inspired Axl, an anchor-swinging girl named May, and the hulking behemoth Potemkin. The imaginative locales include scenic palace courtyards, the wings of a flying plane, and mysterious occult sanctuaries. Guilty Gear's graphics are stylish but somewhat pixelated. Contests inexplicably commence with the words "Heaven or Hell!", and conclude with "Slash!". Players with an arcade-style joystick will love this game as they execute crazy, satisfying combos. Guilty Gear's gameplay is slower and less chaotic that most modern fighters, so you can actually tell what the hell is going on. Guilty Gear has some interesting original features, like special moves listed on the load screens (great idea), health meters that "peel off" layers (not so great), and eye-popping "instant" kills (ouch!). I like how this game retains its original Japanese voice samples, but that grinding guitar background music has got to go. I was also disappointed that high scores and rankings are not saved to memory card. Still, Guilty Gear is fun to play, and 2D die-hards will certainly want this in their collection. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.