Yes, I finally finished it! I got this game in like mid-March but could not get into it. So I picked it up agian at the beginning of the month and until two weeks ago could not get enough of it (but then I got REALLY busy with a bunch of other crap). So today I picked up where I left off and beat the living **** out of Liquid and finished the game.
All I really have to say is ... it was AMAZING, now I really want to play MGS2, MGS3, and eventually MGS4. Just need the consoles 
(which might take a while since I don't have a job at the moment and am not too great with money). Anyway, now that I am done with that I can start playing Tales of Symphonia which I picked up three weeks ago, but have not had a chance to start yet, hopefully it holds me for a while.
Not much else to say ... school starts up officially on Tuesday, but there are no cIasses until next week. Ya, so how's everyone else doing
This is my second review for my blog. This is probably what my blog will become (except on rare occasions where I actually have something to post about). I will not be doing this for every single review, so please also check out a few other reviews I have written recently on the bottom of my profile page.
To go along with the review I have also made a profile banner and desktop wallpaper for the series. Feel free to use either one if you want to:
Wallpaper (800 x 600 resolution)
Wallpaper (1024 x 768 resolution)
The Viewtiful Joe series is hard to place into a specific genre as it borrows many elements from many genres. At heart it seems like a regular Beat-em-up, but it also has elements of Platforming, RPGs, and the kind of puzzle solving one would see in Action-Adventure games. All these different elements come together to create what is Viewtiful Joe, a hero traveling through cIassic films and fighting hilarious bosses to save the world from world domination.
Viewtiful Joe 2 takes place immediately after Viewtiful Joe. Joe has saved his girlfriend Silvia from being kidnapped inside of a movie screen, and now a new threat has turned her father (Captain Blue) into a statue. Now Joe and Silvia must work together to save Captain Blue from the clutches of evil. With Joe and Silvia working together, the player will only be able to use one at a time, so switching between the two will become necessary to solve certain puzzles. Between the two of them, they posses a total of four VFX powers, one that is unique to each other. Both characters have the ability to slow down time as a way to unleash more combos, as well as zoom in for a close up which increases their power. However, Joe also has the ability to speed up time which allows him to move rapidly eventually catching fire and doing more damage. While Silvia has the power of triple replay, this allows her to repeat a motion three times, this power in particular is used to solve many puzzles throughout the game.
The fighting is smooth and fast paced. With most ever enemy that appears, Joe or Silvia will be able to make quick work of them. Joe mixes in a variety of different kicks and punches with his different VFX powers to defeat each enemy. Silvia replaces punches with a gun while still having her kicks; because of this she fights much differently and takes a different strategy in order to fight back enemies.
After each level, Joe and Silvia earn a certain amount of V-Points which can be used to buy more special powers, life extension, or other abilities to help you out in the next level. In between each level it is also possible to save, unlike the original Viewtiful Joe where saves were only possibly every few levels. In each level of VJ2 there are many enemies that will try and stand in your way; these enemies don't normally take very much to defeat, but tougher enemies do come along that can be very difficult if the proper method of defeating them is not immediately obvious. If the level is not immediately jam packed with enemies, there is a good chance a boss is coming, and if it is be prepared. Each boss requires special strategies and memorization of their patterns in order to defeat. However at the same time, each boss has their own hilarious dialogue reminiscent of some old movie villains (in which they are based off of)
The graphics of Viewtiful Joe 2 are very stylized, not the same cell shading as in most cell shaded games. Each character has a very grainy look to them that goes along nicely with the movie environment. The different particle effects and graphical touches lend very well to the otherwise bland environments. Most worlds are fairly unexciting with little to nothing going on inside the background. This was most likely done to keep the frame rate high, which it does, but there could have been a little more in the background to add detail.
Sound quality in Viewtiful Joe 2 is like none other, each sound effect sounds perfectly placed and occur when they are supposed to happen. Voice acting is huge in VJ; both heroes and each boss have a lot of unique character to each individual. From some insane, wacky bosses that sound just like an insane villain would to Joe and Silvia who have their own unique character traits; such as Joe's carefree joking nature, and Silvia's serious nature. No character goes without voice acting, and no action goes without some kind of sound effect to complement it.
Viewtiful Joe 2 is a magnificent game, but without playing the first Joe it can be hard to pick up on. If you played the original Joe, VJ2 is more of the same. Just like in the movies when a sequel is made, it can be hard to pick up on it without seeing the first one; Viewtiful Joe 2 is just like that. Without playing the first Joe it can have a fairly confusing first few minutes, but it all comes to light quickly. VJ2 is worth picking up for its unique gameplay and story that cannot be found in any other game.
Thanks to lebanese_boy for the images. Here is my review for Okami (Wii), please check out my other reviews as well at the bottom of my profile page.
Okami hit the PS2 in 2006 and ended up being a cult cIassic that few would play; but those who did play it enjoyed it greatly and fought on message boards to raise awareness of the game. Almost two years later, with Clover Studios dissolved it seemed hopeless for any of their work to see the light of day again. However, Ready At Dawn has done the impossible and ported a seemingly lost game to the Wii, and it has been done spectacularly.
Okami is the home to a sprawling world of puzzles and adventure that can leave any player with a soul speechless and, at times, in tears. After a long opening cinema, you take on the role of a wolf Amaterasu and her new sprite friend Issun the wandering artist. Issun plays the role of annoying character that pops in with hints every now and then, but over time you will begin to wonder how you could ever go through the game without him. Amaterasu is a reincarnated wolf of the legendary Shiranui whom one-hundred years before had defeated the snake beast Orochi with the hero Nagi at his side. From here you begin to learn the different kinds of abilities you will encounter throughout the game in the form of the Celestial Brush. There are thirteen different abilities ranging from creating the sun in the sky to giant bombs that can destroy cracked walls as well as most enemies. Luckily, the brush techniques are not the only ways to kill enemies, you will also be given a variety of different weapons to use in the game, each weapon must be used differently for different combos. Each weapon is controlled by waggling the Wiimote, so timing can become very difficult at times, but it is nothing that cannot be perfected with practice.
The way you use the brush makes the gameplay very fluid and easy to use in the heat of combat. With a little work, you will be pulling off brush techniques and killing enemies like it is child's play. However, killing enemies and giant bosses is a part of the game, it is not the main part. Throughout the adventure your overall goal is to restore the land itself as well as the peoples faith in the gods that has dwindled over the years. By restoring faith in the gods, or the environment, Amaterasu gains "praise points" that can then be used to increase Health, Ink (for the paintbrush), Max money holding number, or a special "Astral Pouch" that restores you to life if you die in combat.
The story is based primarily on Japanese Mythology, something that can turn off many gamers, but at the same time bring in many fans. The story pulls its characters directly from legend (though they might not do exactly the same things as in legend). Amaterasu, Orochi, and many others will all make appearances as easily recognizable creatures in game.
Where the game originally received its criticism was in the graphics, and on the Wii version of Okami are very bright and vibrant colors as opposed to a watercolor parchment effect from the PS2 game. The new color scheme does not take away from the game, in fact to many, it will add to the experience and make the game overall a more detailed and cell-shaded effect in the vein of Wind Waker.
In the end, Okami is an epic adventure that should not be missed on the Wii. For any fans of adventure games, Japanese Mythology, or a great rpg-esque story, Okami is the game for you. Don't miss Okami on the Wii if you can, the $40 price tag makes it one of the most attractively priced and greatest Wii games there are.
