Some catching up!

I really need some catching up to do with my blog. With all these lack of updates and all. I don't know if I been busy or just plain lazy!

OK, I'm going to start off with this update with some review of the game which I bought over this month. Mainly games for NDS this month.

Mario Kart
As some of you know, this is the first online DS game. I think that's awesome. And so is this game. Let start..

STORY --/--

Racing game. Irrelevant. Uhh... some racers race and the top three get Gold/Silver/Bronze trophies. Like in every Mario Kart game.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

Not only is the game fun period, it's fun to play! The buttons are very responsive, and there are lots of different things to do. For example, there are a lot of different levels. There are levels for everything. There's even a level that's like a giant pinball level! That's a fun one. There's items and stuff too. Very fun. Also, online, there's little to no lag at all! And it's easy to play, too. All you need is any kind of router. And even if you don't have one, if you live near a hotspot, you can play anyway!
Soon, I heard that Nintendo will put in voice chat. If that's true, it'll be even better! I hope it is, because I want to talk to people when I'm playing.

GRAPHICS: 10/10

This game also has very clear graphics. When I was going to get it, I feared that the graphics would suck, because honestly, I was never too big on portable racing game graphics. But this is amazing! The colors and stuff wow! The map on the bottom actually helps, too, unlike on GBA, where it doesn't show you anything until it's about to hit you. And the faces are actually like faces, not just circles with various colored parts. Very nice. The stages have nice depth perception, too.

SOUND: 9/10

Besides some "retro" levels, this game also has some of the music from choice levels from SNES, N64, GCN, and GBA. I always did like the music for Yoshi Circuit on Gamecube, and now I can listen to it while beating people online! Also, there are some nice new tunes, and sound effects too.

REPLAY VALUE: 9/10

Well, since this is an online game, there's a lot of replay value there. Playing against new people, new places, etc. There's a lot of different characters you can bee, too. Each has their own special car, and stats. Like Mario is Balanced, Yoshi has High Acceleration and Low Top Speed, while Bowser is the opposite, etc.

OVERALL: 10/10

Seriously. BUY THIS GAME. I'm not a big fan of racing games, but this is still a great game to play, even if you don't want to go online.

2nd Review - Sonic Rush

Sega's back for another crazy and fast Sonic adventure - packed full of new features and gameplay ideas, it aims to please. Here's the rundown...

Graphics - 10/10

Now some may disagree with me here, because the graphics aren't REALLY perfect, but Sega's interesting use of 3D cel-shaded characters which blend seamlessly from 2D to 3D gameplay and back makes this game a real work of art. I have honestly never seen a game pull off an idea like this with so much style, the character models are actually very well done, and really gel with the music and gameplay elements.

Sound/Music - 8/10

Ahhh...the music, some love it, some hate it. I personally love it, save for a few tracks. 90% of the tracks use some random voice sampling (Back 2 Back!) to kind of enhance the music style. Some people hate this, but I never paid it much attention, the music really brings the game to life. Aside from Leaf Storm's track, Sonic Rush has some really fast-paced stylish music, and it really helps you get into the trick system and story. The reason I gave sound/music an 8 is because the sound effects, while great, suffer at one point. They did bring back the old jump/spin dash sound effects, but at one point in Night Carnival (when you hit a switch and that green-light platform comes out in Act 1) the sound really kind of tears...it's not nice on your ears, but it only happens once.. so it's forgivable.

Gameplay - 9/10

DAMN, Sega! Nice job! Sonic and Blaze's movements are fluid and well-animated, the controls are spot-on as are Sonic and Blaze's physics, and the trick system is very entertaining. While the game DOES move fast, you do have to slow down and platform your way through some fun spots, very reminiscent of the Genesis days. Once again, one failing point lowers this sections score... and it really isn't a failing point, it doesn't affect the game at all... I just wish there was a bit more variety in the trick system. Sure, it's great and very fun, but they could have thrown the L button in there so you could chain grinding R combos, or maybe go B+B+L+A for a trick, just to change things up. Nothing shortcoming about the current one, I would just really love for them to expand upon it in the future.

Story - 8/10

The story is good! Obviously I don't want to tack on any spoilers here, so I'll just say this: It's definitely one of Sonic Team's best.

Extras/Other - 10/10

No real "unlockables" in this game... just a sound test. The "Tension Gauge" is VERY handy. I thought it would just be some tacked-on gimmick, but it comes through as a very fun element, handy in a pinch and an interesting thing to focus some gameplay elements on.

So, in conclusion, I would definitely recommend Sonic Rush as an addition to your DS library. Solid on every level, and a very fun game. Though if Sega were looking for things to add to Sonic Rush 2, I'd have to say add Tails and Knuckles (maybe Cream) as playable characters, maybe a total of 10~ ish levels for the fun of it, and an expanded trick system!

3rd Review- Trauma Center: Under the Knife

This is a review for Trauma Center for the Nintendo Ds developed by Atlus INC. Even though Atlus does not develop as many games as other companies, this is a must get for anyone who wants to experience something different. Here are the reasons why:

Game play: 10/10

I will start off with the game play, which in most cases is the most competitive and most important factor when it comes to video games. The game play elements in this game are just truly amazing. First of all, there are if any, just a few games on playing doctor and operating on people. Using a stylus as 10 different tools, which will help, save a patient is truly amazing. All of the gameplay is done with the touch screen. The upper screen is used for the storyline and briefing of the case.

Sound/Music: 7/10

The sound in Trauma center is somewhat well done considering Atlus is not known for music compositions like the Final Fantasy series from SquareEnix. At times the music gets really dramatic which will give you the feeling of fear while playing this game. It also changes from time to time depending on the situation. One thing that may bug gamers playing this game (including me) is the fact that there are almost no voiceovers in the game. From time to time, you may here the nurse (Angie Thompson) say a thing or two like "doctor!" but that’s basically all there is.

Graphics: 10/10

The graphics score that i have may not apply to everyone who reads this review. The reason being that not everyone likes Anime, which is what the style in the game, is. The body parts in the game are not truly detailed like they should of been. But it is still clear to distinguish one body part from another. (Sorry to disappoint the perverts out there...but there is no sexual pictures/parts in this game.)

Replay ability: 6/10

The replay value in Trauma Center may disappoint people because there is not much to do. An option called "challenge mode" is available to players after they beat a surgery to replay that operation to score higher points and get an S class ranking. There are also 4 extra missions available when you beat the game once. It may not seem fun to people who don’t like replaying things but is still there and is worth trying out.

Conclusion - For those of you wondering if this game is any good or if it's worth buying, I think that you should buy it for a new experience that you may come to like and enjoy if you didn't already. There is always room for improvement on every game but this is definitely a good game and is worth your while for the time being. Don't worry for those you scared of blood, you feel sick when playing this game since all looks so anime-style. Trust me since im sick when seeing blood also.