Metal Gear Solid Collection
Like many things in life, you either love something or hate it. The Metal Gear Solid series is one of those ‘things.’ There are those that were thrilled by the genius of the first title on the PS1 (how long did it take you to figure out how to beat Psycho Mantis?), only to become disillusioned by the cut scene heavy 4th title on PS3.
Put your feelings about those two titles away though, because despite labeled a collection, what we actually get are the second and third titles from the PS2, plus the formerly PSP-exclusive Peace Walker, all remade in HD glory. No doubt that most fans will be excited about Peace Walker; it was always a strange decision to have it tied to the PSP, a console that has been well and truly hacked, and it showed through poor sales outside of Japan, despite universal praise from the media.
As well as the HD improvements, Snake Tales and the VR missions from MGS2, plus the original Metal Gear 1 and 2 MX2 games from MGS3 have been bundled in. With the numerous hours of game play of all three titles, plus trophies, achievements and online play with Peace Walker, this is one of the better HD collections ever put together.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
A sequel to one of the most disappointing Final Fantasy titles ever? It was a major surprise, but Square Enix has made it and has introduced so many differences that you wonder why this was not the original game. The biggest difference for gamers, is simply choice. Those who played the first title will remember that it took nearly 20 hours (more for some) before being able do a mission of your choosing!
The plot for the sequel focuses on time travel, and before you groan at such a premise, it allows for protagonists Serah and Noel to do all sorts of missions, main or side, at their leisure. The Crystarium system returns, but rather than all the characters having a predetermined niche as you level up, players are now free to level up Serah and Noel in six unique roles.
The main plus point for the first game was its battle system, and for the most part it remains intact here, bar the major improvement of having monsters as allies. After defeating a monster, players can recruit said monster, and then level it up in the traditional RPG sense, allowing for numerous battle team customizations, something that was virtually non-existent in part one.
Too many differences to print, but the important thing is THIS is the title Final Fantasy fans deserve.
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations addresses the faults of Resident Evil 5 by readopting the survival horror stance, and throwing in new changes that heightens one’s sense of fear.
Firstly, game play has been slowed down a lot, which in turn builds up the tension, a key staple of the earlier titles. The game has become more puzzle-orientated, accompanied with a real lack of ammunition. Is that really a big deal? Only if you have experienced the sense of despair when running out of bullets whilst a Zombie, or a Doberman or Hunter comes charging at you, ready to dismember your ‘soon-to-be-sorry’ body. All of which combines into the survival-horror game that RE5 perhaps should have been.
These changes may seem basic, but were needed to stimulate what was becoming a tiring series. With the numerous additional game play additions and options, such as the Genesis Bio Scanner, and Co-op and Raid mode, where players take out monsters as quickly as possible, achieving high scores and unlocking weapons, RER does try to cater for everyone. Add to that the best script in the series (according to producer Tsukasa Takenaka), and, perversely, you have a horror game players will be eager to try out.
