Playstation Reviews D-E

I picked this one up on a whim at a used game store. I had never heard of Danger Girl but that bright comic-book style cover reeled me in. Apparently it's based on a comic book series starring a trio of hot chicks (what a concept!) Danger Girl sets the stage with some exotic cinematics that look a whole lot like Tomb Raider (PS1, 1997). These cut-scenes really make a point of accentuating the bountiful assets of each character. The comic-book style menus and load screens look so sharp and colorful that you'll be disappointed when you play the actual game. The dark jungle environments in the opening stage look murky and washed-out. The action is viewed from a third-person perspective but the camera is a mess. When you try to adjust it via the right thumbstick you'll wish you didn't. The radar display is equally confusing and unhelpful. Nevertheless, Danger Girl manages to packs a punch. It feels like a run-and-gun version of Tomb Raider thanks to nifty strafe controls and a handy auto-aim. You automatically lock onto any enemy you're facing, so you can just tap X to unload your Desert Eagle or AK47. So satisfying! Stealth attacks are also possible but I have no patience for that. At times the game feels like a battle of attrition, as you try to survive long enough to reach the next health pack. Danger Girl also incorporates quick-time events ("get ready for some action!") that culminate in exciting stunts. You'll acquire useful gadgets like night-vision goggles and demolition charges as you infiltrate enemy camps and facilities. The brooding, pulse-pounding soundtrack is fantastic, and I love the way enemies scream when shot. The voice samples are clear but they sound less like a woman fighting for her life and more like a babe in a recording studio. There are definitely some bugs in this game related to teleporting soldiers and collision detection. I can overlook those, but the lack of checkpoints is unforgiveable. When you die you must restart the entire stage, and that's harsh. Then again, I think it was that high difficulty that kept me coming back. Danger Girl is a lot better that you'd think, and it gets extra credit for a colorful, illustrated manual. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

This medieval adventure was released hot on the heels of Tomb Raider, when Eidos was the hottest developer around. All things considered, Deathtrap Dungeon was a disappointment. It's certainly less memorable than its racy magazine ad featuring a mega-hot dominatrix with a whip. The game's CGI introduction is entertaining enough, depicting a goofy knight stumbling his way through a dungeon while contending with dart-traps, skeletons, a pig strapped with dynamite, and a rampaging T-Rex shamelessly recycled from Tomb Raider. You select from two playable characters including a muscular dude and a Shirley Manson look-alike in a skimpy leather outfit. Tough choice, right? Sadly, the technology for rendering female form wasn't very far along, so the chicks in this game look more angular than sexy. As its name would imply, the game features a series of dungeons loaded with floating platforms, elevators, levers, traps, and fiends. You'll battle orcs, giant spiders, bulldozers-of-death, and annoying gnomes that giggle as they scamper around. The first time I played Deathtrap Dungeon I hated it because I couldn't make any progress. Later I discovered that when standing on a platform, you simply press the square button to put it in motion! That makes absolutely no sense but it makes the game a heck of a lot easier. It's a shame the analog controller had not been introduced before this game, because these controls are terribly clunky. Your character turns slowly, making it hard to face approaching foes. You can execute several different sword attacks, but the swing controls are unresponsive. Fortunately one hit is usually enough to slice your attacker into meaty chunks. The lack of any camera control makes it difficult to gauge jumps, and the health meter and inventory system are poorly designed. Hints are provided in the form of arrows on the wall (really?) and cheesy inscriptions like "you can climb here" (c'mon now!). The audio may be the strongest aspect of the game. Sound effects like pounding drums and rumbling stone blocks pack plenty of bass, and the ominous musical score is also effective. Despite its shortcomings, Deathtrap Dungeon has its moments. When you're stuck in a room trying to lure hissing snake women into traps, it's exciting. The short stages are packed with secrets, and it's always interesting to see what the next area has in store. There are plenty of save points, but not nearly enough health icons. Deathtrap Dungeon can be an interesting dungeon romp, but only if you set your expectations low enough. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.

Let's say that a certain critic, who will go unnamed, overrates a game by a country mile. Many years later the aforementioned critic realizes his blunder and dramatically revises his grade. Does that make me - I mean him - a bad person? I guess this is the point when I bow down and beg my readers for forgiveness. Destruction Derby has what it takes under the hood but can't quite reach the finish line. The highlight of the game is its devastating collisions, complete with flying shards and smoke. There's even some modest damage modeling. Two types of contests are available: stockcar racing and smash-up derby. Races are held within narrow, confined tracks, and there's not much to see. The boxy cars all move in the same direction so things don't get interesting until you reach an intersection. Now we're talking! I'm not sure what's more fun - narrowly slicing through traffic or slamming into the side of a speeding car. Plowing into a large traffic jam is satisfying too. Just don't get spun around because it's easy to become disoriented and hard to get back on track. A diagram in the lower corner indicates the status of your car, and it's pretty exciting as you enter those final few laps on your last legs. Simply completing a race is tough, especially since they can be up to 20 laps long! Sometimes your damaged car will begin veering to one side, and that really sucks. If the races bore you, give the smash-up-derbies a try. These take place in a wide-open, circular arena, and begin with all 19 cars (!) barreling towards the center. If you don't think that's fun, well, sorry - I can't help you man. The frame-rate slows on occasion, but that just gives you more time to take in the mayhem. Points are earned for spinning other cars around, but not for straight-on collisions (boo!). Destruction Derby is tailor-made for multi-player action, but would you believe there's no split-screen support? The link cable is supported, but to my knowledge not a single person in the whole wide world ever bought one of those freakin' things. The soundtrack is an uneven mix of cool techno tunes and annoying wacky ditties. Destruction Derby shows its age but at the very least it still delivers a healthy dose of mindless destruction. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Boasting over 50 hellish stages, this is a superb translation of the classic PC title. Doom is first-person shooting at its purest. It's satisfying to shoot demons in the face with a double-barreled shotgun as you navigate multi-tiered fortresses. The antiquated graphics look chunky but the frame-rate keeps pace even when you're being ambushed by a gang of fireball-throwing imps. Doom conveys a harrowing atmosphere that often borders on terrifying. Its ominous soundtrack makes you wary of impending... uh... doom, and the resonating sound effects are alarming. Colored lighting is used to good effect. Flamable barrels are the equivalent of water coolers in hell, so If you spot several possessed soldiers congregating around one, blast it to splatter their guts all over the floor. Doom is packed with memorable sights and sounds, from an imp spitting up blood, to the digitized mountain backdrops, to a demon snorting his final breath. As an early PS1 title, the analog controls are not supported, so you'll need to use the D-pad. I'd recommend reconfiguring the controls to use X to shoot instead of triangle. The lack of a jump button is actually refreshing considering jumping always sucks in an FPS. Most stages are relatively short but numerous secret areas add replay value. It's nice how text displays on the screen alerting you to what item you've picked up. If I have one complaint, it's the inability to save your progress to memory card (the game provides a password instead). Two-player modes are available, but only via the link cable which nobody owns. With its compact stage designs, clever puzzles, and frequent surprises, Doom is more than the sum of its parts. There are plenty of versions of this game available for various consoles, but this is the one you really want. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.

I tried so hard to enjoy Dracula: The Resurrection (Dreamcatcher, 2001) with its spooky atmosphere and photo-realistic graphics. Sadly I was turned off by its dark visuals and cryptic objectives. I was hoping Sanctuary might address those issues but instead the developers decided to double down! Oh dear. You begin this first-person adventure as John Harker standing in front of a mansion on a cloudy day. Yes, I said "day" so you can actually see your surroundings. So refreshing! The computer generated scenery looks very real and I love the "fish-eye" view as you look in any direction. Unfortunately my hopes and dreams were dashed when I entered the house and found myself in pitch darkness, with only a few rays of light shining through shuttered windows. At this point I felt as if I had to "feel" my way around using a cursor that turns into an arrow (to move) or a magnifying glass (to examine). There are so many items to manipulate in this game that there are two "item wheels" instead of one. Wonderful. It's often necessary to combine items - something never even mentioned in the literature. Does this game really expect you to discern vital clues that are barely visible on the screen? That smudge on the wall is supposed to be a key hook? C'mon! That tiny brown square below the doorknob is a padlock? Give me a [expletive] break! There is however one trick that will make your life easier, and that is to simply crank up the brightness of your TV! I normally keep my brightness at 50% but you'll want to set it to at least 80%. I guess this game was designed to run on PCs with sharp monitors - not televisions with low resolutions. Also problematic is how items aren't labeled, so you don't even know what you're holding! As if all the trial and error isn't frustrating enough, some sequences are timed! You can save at any point, but that's a time-consuming process. Even with an FAQ on your lap you'll be in for some serious frustration. Dracula: The Last Sanctuary is certainly more sophisticated than the original, but that added complexity comes with a price in the form of decreased playability. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

I vaguely recall spotting this budget title at Best Buy in the waning years of the PS1 system. I only rediscovered it recently while searching for new Halloween titles to review. I must say that Dracula: The Resurrection commanded my attention from its opening cutscene which blew me away with its excellent graphics and lifelike animation. Whoa! This first-person adventure is like nothing I've played, although my friends suggested Myst (Jaguar, 1995). The moonlit scenery looks nearly photorealistic and the ability to look around 360 degrees is pretty amazing. I love the atmosphere of the snowy trails, cozy inns, and shadowy graveyards. The sound of wind and other ambient noises make you feel like you're "right there". You play by moving a cursor around the screen. It turns into a directional arrow if there's a way to go, a magnifying glass if there's something to examine, or a hand if there's an object. I love the concept but found the gameplay confounding at best. When you step forward the viewpoint changes in a disorienting manner, and I soon found myself moving in circles. Locating a critical item often requires you to place the cursor over a pitch black area! This game is so dark my friend Brent asked if we could turn the brightness up! Even when you have an item you may not be able to use it if you haven't talked to another character about what it's for! Speaking of characters, the female innkeeper is by far the most frightening part of the game. *shudder* Brent and I forged through much of the game with FAQ in hand and we couldn't imagine playing without it. He asked if the game was almost over when I informed him there was still a second disc! Dracula: The Resurrection is the kind of game horror fans like to get lost in. And with its poor navigation and arbitrary rules, you undoubtedly will. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

I enjoy survival horror but this obscure title had slipped under my radar until a reader brought it to my attention. Echo Night is a slow-moving but intelligently designed adventure in which you play a character investigating the disappearance of his father. Most of the action takes place on an ominous ship at sea, where you'll communicate with ghosts, scour for clues, and solve puzzles to put restless souls at peace. The rooms and hallways tends to be very dark, so you'll always want to look for a light switch (which keep evil ghosts at bay). Echo Night generates a lot of suspense with its deliberate pacing and foreboding atmosphere. The scenery looks pretty remarkable thanks to its rich textures and excellent lighting effects. The characters tend to be stiff with distorted faces, but this makes them all the more creepy. Most of the action involves exploration and manipulating items to solve puzzles. You play from a first-person perspective, which can be disconcerting in close quarters, conveying a sense of claustrophobia. The controls are digital only and they feel stiff. The button configuration takes some getting used to, as the left shoulder buttons look up and down and the right ones are used to strafe. Echo Night's narrative is a little hard to follow. Some of the awkward dialogue and bizarre cut-scenes don't make much sense, but that might be a translation problem. Flashback scenes take you to brighter, less scary locations which attempt to fill in holes in the story. Is Echo Night scary? Yes! I freaked out when I saw that floating girl in the hallway, and whenever I heard her giggle my blood ran cold. The vibration feedback and stereo effects will also give you a jolt. Slow-building but effective, Echo Night is a cinematic horror title that will keep you on the edge of your seat. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

I had a habit of picking up obscure titles in the late 1990's, some of which turned out to be valuable collector's items. Buying Elemental Gearbolt was one of the best things I ever did. This elegant light gun title was published by Working Designs, a company that specialized in Japanese game translations. Its impressive packaging includes a double-wide CD case and thick instruction book. This has got to be the best CD-sized manual I've ever seen. Printed on quality stock with a metallic cover, its 48 pages contain beautiful artwork, extensive background information, and even an interview with the game's art director. This is the kind of physical media you're proud to own. Gearbolt's anime intro and intermissions are first-rate, setting up a dramatic storyline with a lush orchestrated score. The game itself is played from a first-person view where your movements are automatic. The fact that Namco's super-accurate Guncon is supported is key, as you'll be expected to hit some very distant targets. The graphics are breathtaking as you're whisked through townships, forests, and across shimmering lakes. The chunky textures are compensated for by the artistry of the graphics and a silky smooth framerate. The pacing is damn near perfect. Your rate of fire is slow and deliberate, forcing you to carefully choose your targets. The good news is there's no need to reload. You'll aim at giant dragonflies, leaping lobsters, and hulking guards with hammers. Hitting consecutive targets racks up your combo meter, adding a risk/reward element. Do you go for that gem in the distance, or play it safe to preserve your combo? It almost becomes a game within a game. You can toggle between three elemental weapons but the "fire" shotgun is all you need. The game is very easy to play. Rotating wireframes highlight monsters about to attack, and your shots are represented by large bright orbs. Between stages you're presented with a trade-off screen that lets you sacrifice bonus points for more power. It's not an all-or-nothing decision; you can adjust the percentage. Ranking in the top three gives you the honor of carving your initials into a stone. I was really blown away when I saw that cursive "D" I inscribed more than 20 years ago! The attention to detail makes other light gun shooters feel like carnival games. The one downside to Elemental Gearbolt is that it's a very linear experience that's always the same. But it is an experience, and when you take into account the pinpoint controls, rich artistry, and thoughtful design, this may be the best light gun game ever made. NOTE: Light guns only function on old-style CRT televisions. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.