MERCH!
Giant Bomb - a website about video games and the people that make them

Legacy User 1847's Reviews

48 public written reviews

The views here are this user’s only and are not representative of Giant Bomb's thoughts and opinions on the discussed video game. GB's official reviews reside at giantbomb.com/reviews.

Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 32012

4 out of 5 stars

When Hothead Games, developers of Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness Episodes 1 and 2 decided to focus their efforts elsewhere, that seemed to spell the end of the offbeat and humorous RPG series. Fortunately, the two man crew at Zeboyd Games stepped up to take over the development reins of the third Penny Arcade game. While Penny Arcade 3 looks and plays very differently from the first…

Read the full review Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3

Good Value at $5

4 out of 5 stars

I thought that $10 was too much to ask for the Mechromancer and the minor loot that came with the pre-order bonuses, so I waited, and I'm glad that I did. 2K dropped the price of this DLC to $5 in early January, which was a good price for the content that it provides. The character is very powerful, and fun to play as, with skill trees that offer a great variety of gameplay.

Read review Good Value at $5

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones2005

4 out of 5 stars

You have to love it when a developer listens to their fans. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was an unmitigated success, and stands tall as one of the greatest games in recent years. Unfortunately, Ubisoft tinkered with the franchise a bit too much in their sequel, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. By taking the series in that dark direction, full of decapitations, trash talk, and heavy riffing guitars, the…

Read the full review Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Kingdom Hearts II2005

3 out of 5 stars

"They'll pay for this." Think about that statement for a second. What image does it conjure? If you're thinking about an enraged warrior, his anger building towards the breaking point, quietly warning his foes that he is about unleash Hell upon them, you're probably on the right track. It's also a direct quote from Kingdom Hearts II, the wildly anticipated sequel to the runaway hit from Square Enix. It fits the game…

Read the full review Kingdom Hearts II

Final Fantasy IV1991

5 out of 5 stars

Revisiting the earlier games in the Final Fantasy series is not always easy. Ever since Cloud hopped off of the train in Midgar, Final Fantasy has been synonymous with jaw-dropping graphics and flawless presentation. As the power of the consoles has increased, the maestros behind this series have consistently surpassed what players though their hardware was capable of. There is no way that Final Fantasy IV, known as…

Read the full review Final Fantasy IV

Arx Fatalis2002

2 out of 5 stars

You know what the best part of Morrowind was? The caves. Just ask Arkane Studios' CEO Raphaël Colantonio (umlauts are the new goatee, though Raphael has both). Early on in designing Arx Fatalis, he realized that nobody wants to traipse about a large, open world filled with a variety of races, creatures, mountains, and trees. No, no, they want to wade through caves, stabbing a dozen-or-so generic types of enemies for…

Read the full review Arx Fatalis

Tekken 52004

5 out of 5 stars

Tekken 5 is easily the best game in this incredible fighting series. The only element keeping it from true perfection is the lack of online play. The fighting is truly fantastic, the graphics and sound are absolutely stunning, and Namco has included a plethora of extra features that make this game a hard package to pass up. Fortunately, the designers at Namco were willing to admit that they had made a mistake with…

Read the full review Tekken 5

Forza Motorsport2005

4 out of 5 stars

Forza Motorsport is the Xbox's attempt at simulation racing, but more specifically it's Microsoft's attempt at a "Gran Turismo Killer". While the game is undoubtedly fun, the core gameplay is nowhere near as refined as Gran Turismo 4. The graphics aren't as good as GT4, the sound isn't as good as GT4, and the car selection isn't as widely varied as GT4. However, Forza Motorsport has one feature that should polarize…

Read the full review Forza Motorsport

X-Men: Legends2004

3 out of 5 stars

X-Men Legends is a competent, if not especially deep, action-RPG. The gameplay follows pretty similar to the vein of Diablo where you take your crew into an area filled with bad guys, beat the crap out of said bad guys, and level up your powers. There's a pretty interesting story to the game, and the inclusion of playable classic X-men stories, like "Night of the Sentinels" or Juggernaut's break-in at the X-Mansion.…

Read the full review X-Men: Legends

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within2004

3 out of 5 stars

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (WW) just went wrong somewhere. It's really a combination of a few different things, but where The Sands of Time (SOT) just felt right as a whole game, WW does not. The major areas that I paid attention to are the new combat system, the puzzles and how difficult they were due to sloppy controls and poor camera angles, the unwise change to an "extreme" theme, and the crappy audio on…

Read the full review Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Soulcalibur III2005

3 out of 5 stars

Soul Calibur III is one of the most frustrating gaming experiences in recent memory. On one hand, the core fighting is still great, the graphics are simply amazing, and the character customization options are very robust. However, the user interface is abysmal and inconsistent, the gam modes actually get in the way of putting you in combat, there's no online play, and the sound is uneven. That Namco can screw up a…

Read the full review Soulcalibur III

Golden Sun2001

4 out of 5 stars

The GBA has been a goldmine for classic 16-bit RPG gaming. This includes ports of old favorites like Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, and Sword of Mana and new takes on classic RPGs like Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Riviera. Like the other new takes on old favorites, Golden Sun borrows heavily from its ancestors and creates a great original game that feels like an SNES classic. Your story starts off in typical…

Read the full review Golden Sun

Golden Sun: The Lost Age2002

5 out of 5 stars

Golden Sun: The Lost Age is the conclusion to the two-part Golden Sun story. As such, you really can't play this game without having played the first one. There's a brief introduction that tells you what happened in the first GS, but I doubt it explains enough for you to really know what's going on. However, if you've played GS then you'll be able to jump right into GS:TLA. Like all good follow-ups, GS:TLA builds on…

Read the full review Golden Sun: The Lost Age

X-Men: Legends II - Rise of Apocalypse2005

4 out of 5 stars

It's often the case that the second game in a series is really what the developers wanted the first game to be. Typically, a lot of features get cut out during the first game's development because they're either too difficult to create in time for release, or there are other things (physics engines, AI, etc.) that have to be created first. The X-Men Legends series seems to be another example of this. X-Men Legends…

Read the full review X-Men: Legends II - Rise of Apocalypse

WARNING: You cannot handle this game.

5 out of 5 stars

Chuck Norris Superkicks is the most amazing game that has ever been created. There is nothing like it. There is nothing that can be like it. If you went back in time, Benjamin Franklin would tell you that he discovered electricity so that Chuck Norris Superkicks could someday be given to us by God. And by God, I of course mean Chuck Norris. But, a WARNING! DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SCREEN! Have you ever seen…

Read the full review WARNING: You cannot handle this game.

XIII2003

4 out of 5 stars

XIII has quite a bit of competition, as it is one of about a million first person shooters on the Xbox. While it doesn't break with any of the gameplay conventions typical to a first-person shooter, it does have a very unique and interesting visual style that adds interest and sets it apart from other games of this type. Story-wise, XIII follows an amnesiac government assassin who may, or may not, have shot the…

Read the full review XIII

Suikoden III2002

5 out of 5 stars

Having never played Suikoden or Suikoden II, I had no idea what to expect from this game. I expected the standard Final Fantasy-style RPG, which Suikoden III is at its core. However, Suikoden III separates itself from other similar games by adding a lot of features that add up to create a very unique game. Suikoden III uses the "Trinity Sight System" to tell its story. The story is told through the different…

Read the full review Suikoden III

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

4 out of 5 stars

I can imagine that a developer working on the low-visibilty Psi-Ops was, at some point, told that their game would never be any good. After all, Psi-Ops appears to be so generic that it would get lost among established franchises like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell. Fortunately, the overachieving developers at Midway wouldn't hear it. On the surface, there is absolutely nothing remarkable about Psi-Ops. You play…

Read the full review Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II2004

3 out of 5 stars

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is yet another game in the crowded hack 'n slash genre. It follows the same formula laid down by Diablo, and copied by Champions of Norrath, The Bard's Tale, and X-Men Legends. You go from screen to screen, wiping out all enemies in your path. You collect money and items from their dead bodies, level up, and go kill more enemies. This is a formula that works most of the time, but it…

Read the full review Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II

Twisted Metal: Black2001

4 out of 5 stars

Twisted Metal Black is messed up. Seriously, seriously messed up. It also happens to be the best vehicular combat game to date, and brings the series back to prominence after an extended period of irrelevance. Gameplay is great in this game. First off, TMB is a hard game. The computer opponents are good at dogging you and taking you out. Later on, the bosses are absolutely brutal and punish you for making any…

Read the full review Twisted Metal: Black

The Bard's Tale2004

2 out of 5 stars

When your first impression of a game can be summed up as: "Thank goodness I borrowed this and didn't spend any money on it," you know that you're in trouble. InXile's The Bard's Tale takes its name from the classic PC RPG series of the 1980's, re-imagining it as a top-down hack 'n slash. While it attempts to be a satire of the genre, The Bard's Tale fails to be anything different than the games it lampoons. In fact,…

Read the full review The Bard's Tale

Wild Arms 32002

4 out of 5 stars

Wild Arms 3 is an RPG set in the Wild West. It borrows heavily from other RPGs, but has its own style and was a fun game to play. The art style of Wild Arms 3 is what makes this game stand out. Most RPGs are either set in fantasy worlds, cyberpunk futures, or some combination of the two. WA3 is set in a wild west-type desert world that has some touches of technological advancement, but is primarily comprised of old…

Read the full review Wild Arms 3

Virtua Fighter 42001

4 out of 5 stars

I played a lot of Virtua Fighter 2 years ago. However, I never fell in love with the series; I was always a Tekken fan. When I bought VF4 for the PS2, I was determined not to compare it to Tekken. But I just couldn’t do it. VF4 is a great fighting game, but it’s not as good as Tekken. First off, the character roster in Virtua Fighter is much smaller than Tekken’s (depending on the version). You might make the…

Read the full review Virtua Fighter 4

Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict2005

3 out of 5 stars

Unreal Championship 2 tried something new. Rather than provide the same Unreal Tournament experience again, Epic went added a 3rd person perspective and melee combat. Kudos for attempting to buck tradition, but it just doesn't work. UC2 is still a frantic frag fest, but it feels stilted and slow. If there's one thing that UC2 has in spades, it's a cool visual style. There's a sort of futuristic Egyptian theme…

Read the full review Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time2003

4 out of 5 stars

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a great renewal of the classic POP franchise. Ubisoft created an instant classic by bringing us a rich game world, a very cool main character, and fun platforming. While the game is on the short side, it's a fun ride while it lasts. The first thing that you'll notice about SOT is that it looks great. The Prince narrates the story in the past tense throughout the game. Following…

Read the full review Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Burnout 3: Takedown2004

5 out of 5 stars

"Wow," is the first thing that I said when I played Burnout 3: Takedown. Having never played Burnout 1 or 2, I had no idea what to expect from this much-hyped game. Needless to say, I was blown away by how visceral this game is and how addicted to it I became. Burnout 3 looks great. Everything from the environments, to the motion blur, to the bits of car that go flying off when you wreck add your sense of speed and…

Read the full review Burnout 3: Takedown

Ninja Gaiden Black2005

5 out of 5 stars

The developers at Team Ninja brought back the Ninja Gaiden series in a big way. They created a game that looks amazing from beginning to end, is fun to play despite an unreasonable amount of difficulty, and gives you the feel that you are in total control over the most butt kicking ninja ever put into a game. You reprise the role of Ryu Hyabusa, the series' ninja hero. In this game, your clan has been wiped out and…

Read the full review Ninja Gaiden Black

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind2002

5 out of 5 stars

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a port of the huge, open ended RPG for the PC. The game is played from a first-person perspective, with combat being in real-time. You'll find that many aspects of the average RPG are present. You'll fight monsters with swords and magic, collect money, level up, get better equipment, carry out quests for NPC's, and eventually get wrapped up in saving the world. However, Morrowind…

Read the full review The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Enter the Matrix2003

2 out of 5 stars

Despite being a move tie-in, I had high hopes for Enter the Matrix when it was announced. Most movie license games aren't very good, but this mostly stems from the games being cheap cash-ins on the popularity of the films. Enter the Matrix was different, however. There was a lot of ambition to this title. Enter the Matrix's story isn't just a retelling of the movies; it fills out background details that The Matrix…

Read the full review Enter the Matrix

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance2002

3 out of 5 stars

When the original Mortal Kombat came out, games were somewhat careful about showing blood and death in games. MK earned a lot of press for its fatality moves, and huge amounts of blood spilled by the fighters. However, the gameplay of the series was never really on par with its competitors at the arcade. Games like Street Fighter were much deeper. MK2 did make a lot of improvements, but the series will always be…

Read the full review Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Mortal Kombat: Deception2004

3 out of 5 stars

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was released to pretty good reviews and decent sales. So it's not surprising that Mortal Kombat: Deception doesn't mess with MK:DA's successful formula too much. Rather, Deception adds onto what Dark Alliance began by introducing a host of new game types, characters, and a very long quest mode. I didn't like MK:DA's fighting. It was stiff, shallow, and generally not fun. Deception…

Read the full review Mortal Kombat: Deception

SSX 32003

4 out of 5 stars

SSX was a big surprise when it came out on the PS2 in 2000. It blended great graphics, from the then brand new PS2, a ton of style, and a fun factor that was jacked up as high as it could go. SSX Tricky didn't mess with success; it was a true sequal in every way. It played the same, but added enough new stuff to justify spending another $50. SSX 3, however, takes the series in a new direction and introduces the idea…

Read the full review SSX 3

Shadow Hearts: From the New World2005

3 out of 5 stars

Shadow Hearts: From the New World is the third entry in the very good Shadow Hearts series. Shadow Hearts fits solidly in the turn-based console RPG genre, like Final Fantasy, Suikoden, or Dragon Quest. However, SH always stood a bit apart for a few reasons. First, SH is set in an alternate version of Earth's past. Most of the big events, like the World Wars or the Great Depression, are used as the backdrop to a…

Read the full review Shadow Hearts: From the New World

We Love Katamari2005

3 out of 5 stars

We Love Katamari, the follow-up to the bizarre and addictively fun Katamari Damacy, follows the further exploits of the King of All Cosmos and his pint-sized protoge, the Prince of All Cosmos. The King is basically a hero to the people of Earth now, and they ask him for all manners of favors. In a set of funny cutscenes, He declines all of their requests at first. But then they flatter him with compliments, so he…

Read the full review We Love Katamari

Beyond Good & Evil2003

4 out of 5 stars

Beyond Good & Evil is an action/adventure game where you play as Jade, a woman that wears all green, knows kung-fu, moonlights as a photographer, and is generally too cool for school. Your planet has been attacked by the evil DOMz, and is now under the protection of the Alpha Sections. However, all is not as it seems. Throughout the course of your adventure, you'll infiltrate some shady operations and expose the…

Read the full review Beyond Good & Evil

Wild Arms 42006

3 out of 5 stars

Though it's the fourth entry in the Wild West-themed RPG series, you'd never know it from all of the changes that were made to the story and presentation. Though there are a few new twists on the mechanics, Wild Arms 4 keeps a lot of the console turn-based RPG conventions. You control a small, rag-tag group of youngsters that randomly encounters hordes of monstrous enemies. Each party member specializes in a…

Read the full review Wild Arms 4

Final Fantasy X2001

5 out of 5 stars

Final Fantasy is, without a doubt, the most prestigious series in gaming. So, it’s no big surprise that Final Fantasy X was the most anticipated title worldwide when announced. The PS2 had its share of Japanese turn-based RPGs, but it came into its own with the release of FFX. With all of the hype surrounding it, could FFX possibly deliver an engaging, beautiful, and fun RPG? It should come as no surprise to anyone…

Read the full review Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X-22003

4 out of 5 stars

A lot of people were surprised when the first Final Fantasy sequel was announced, though it shouldn’t have been a big shock. Final Fantasy X was one of the most beautiful games created for the PS2 and had a rabid following among the legions of Final Fantasy fans. Adding onto that loyalty, the somewhat bittersweet ending of FFX left many without the proper closure they needed to move on. So the folks at Square-Enix…

Read the full review Final Fantasy X-2

Jade Empire2005

3 out of 5 stars

In the Jade Empire, something strange is afoot. Corruption is winding its way to the highest levels of government, and some begin to wonder why the Emperor hasn’t stepped in and stopped it. Far removed from these troubles, your life as a young fighter is peaceful. You spend each day training under the tutelage of the kind Master Li. While you do have run-ins with some of your fellow students, most of your peers…

Read the full review Jade Empire

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King2004

4 out of 5 stars

After a long absence Stateside, Enix's Dragon Quest series returns in Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. This time around, the story begins with a small group of strange travelers camped out in the woods. Leading the motley group is the Hero, a retainer from the ruined Trodain castle seeking to restore it to its former glory. He’s joined by a bandit named Yangus, who follows him around like a puppy, The…

Read the full review Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Kingdom Hearts2002

4 out of 5 stars

It's rare that a game comes along that reminds you of the best moments in your childhood and yet is still fun enough to keep you interested beyond mere nostalgia. Kingdom Hearts does just that through solid action-RPG gameplay which balances the timeless history of Disney with the unequaled gaming pedigree of Square. In this tale, you play the role of Sora, a young boy who lives on a small island and dreams of…

Read the full review Kingdom Hearts

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap2004

4 out of 5 stars

The young Link sleeps in at his uncle Smith’s house, enjoying a good rest before heading into Hyrule Town for the Picori Festival. And why not? Link knows he'll need all of his enegry to see everything the festival has to offer. Princess Zelda, precocious as always, can’t wait that long. She barges right into the Smith’s front door to collect the tournament champion's ceremonial sword and grab her young friend Link.…

Read the full review The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s2007

2 out of 5 stars

I was a big fan of Suicidal Tendencies when I was in grade school. There was just something about about the mix of heavy metal guitars and rap that caught my ear. Naturally, when I found out about lead singer Mike Muir's side project, The Infectious Grooves, I was eager to take a listen. I brought the CD home, popped it in my Discman, and heard a familiar, but slightly warped version of the band that I loved. The…

Read the full review Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock2007

4 out of 5 stars

Before November of 2005, few people had any exposure to the rhythm games outside of some stumbling on a DDR dance pad after a couple of margaritas on a Saturday night at Dave and Buster's. Then unknown companies RedOctane and Harmonix completely upended the rhythm genre by introducing a fiendishly simple, yet insanely challenging rock simulator. Guitar Hero quickly rose from an obscure title to premier game…

Read the full review Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Viewtiful Joe 22004

3 out of 5 stars

I went to college with a girl named Gina Tiranelli. I never really knew her until senior year, but she showed up in a lot of my Psychology classes all of the sudden. Through random chance, she and I wound up working together quite a bit. She was, hands down, the hottest woman I'd ever met, and is still in my personal top five. Viewtiful Joe 2 reminds me a lot of Gina Tiranelli. At first glance, you can't get over…

Read the full review Viewtiful Joe 2

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords2004

3 out of 5 stars

The original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was a landmark RPG for the Xbox and a remarkable game in pretty much every way possible. KOTOR applied Bioware's proven RPG chops to the exciting mythos of the "galaxy far, far away" and gave the rabid Star Wars fan base a game that was worthy of the franchise's name. It certainly wasn’t surprising that LucasArts would want to capitalize on that success by…

Read the full review Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords

Final Fantasy V1992

4 out of 5 stars

In the three years between the release of Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI (known as Final Fantasy II and III in the US), Squaresoft made the decision not to release Final Fantasy V to North America. They felt that the gameplay was too complex and wasn’t accessible enough for the western world. This is a real shame, because the depth of FFV’s character customization is its greatest asset and keeps it from being…

Read the full review Final Fantasy V

God of War

4 out of 5 stars

"Holy ****, this game kicks ***!" will likely be the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you pop God of War in your Playstation 2. The first game in the premiere franchise, GoW casts you in the role of Kratos, a Spartan warrior on a mission of vengeance against the war god Ares. Kratos is your stereotypical sort of anti-hero. He's big, scowly, unforgiving, and is only out to kill Ares for his own selfish…

Read the full review God of War