gelziabar Reviews

Duck Hunt (1984 Video Game)

Classic but limited

[7/10 · 6 December 2006]

This was perhaps the very first game utlilizing the Light gun with Ninendo console. Basically you could shoot at the ducks by aiming and pointing the gun at your TV screen. Gameplay is pretty limited and as level progress, the ducks become faster and more agile and more numerous as well but thats it. Despite the very limited offering in gameplay, this game was indeed a somewhat accurate test of aiming skill. The Dog in this game was pretty annoying and very memorable for that reason. Too bad you could never shoot the dog itself. This game can get pretty monotenous and boring after a while. In the area dominated by newer games, it would be quickly abandoned.

Karateka (1984 Video Game)

Crap

[1/10 · 6 December 2006]

Even though it was 1984 and that was a long time ago, this game was highly monotonous and irritating. Defeating a single opponent took many Melania and each guy's health would increase as yours decreased. Also, if you don't run fast enough to clear some obstacles, more opponents would show up, again taking long to defeat. The graphics and sound were minimal and really sucked. Control of your character was also very difficult and you didn't have too many moves or any flexibility despite the relative toughness of your opponent. This game is extremely limited, annoying and disgusting to look at. Counting the number of squares on the ceiling was more fun than this.

Kingpin: Life of Crime (1999 Video Game)

Quake-2 engine pushed to the limit

[10/10 · 1 December 2006]

Kingpin was a very advanced game for its time. It was violent, foul mouthed and gory. The graphics were really good looking in the urban setting and the level design was superb and made realistic through a population of street trash. The modern weapons were quite enjoyable to use on the latter. The voice acting was also pretty good.

The theme of the game is very much like Pulp fiction and you play a thug. The game was however quite buggy and the load times were horrible on lower end computers. The pace of the action is not as frantic as one would expect and the enemies can be quite tough at times, requiring something better than taking them in a head on battle.

Half-Life: Blue Shift (2001 Video Game)

Mediocre

[6/10 · 1 December 2006]

Blue Shift is an addon pack for the original Half Life where you play as Barney Calhoun, the security guard, instead of Gordon freeman. There isn't much new content in here except a new gun which is actually less powerful than the one it replaces. Level Design is of the standard of the original levels but not in the league of opposing force levels. Blue Shift has also been made very difficult and is much more difficult to play than other Half Life levels. This is more to due gameplay imbalance rather than actual difficulty. This addon also includes a high resolution pack which increases the detail and polygon count on models in the Half Life game and that probably adds to its sale value.

Unreal Tournament (1999 Video Game)

Ain't no Quake but fun

[8/10 · 1 December 2006]

Unreal Tournament is very different from Quake-3. Its loud, its mean, it has funky levels and is colorful. It also has a bunch of characters with notable profiles and includes a single player campaign with an excuse of a plot. For these reasons, UT is very often preferred over Quake but it simply lacks the fluidity and physics of Quake-3 and is no where as good as the Quake experience. The bot AI is however, almost as good as the bot AI in Quake-3. Although the tournament engine is slightly more advanced in technology than the original Unreal, this game is not as good looking or beautiful as the original Unreal. Some weapons like the ASMD shock rifle have been modified and carried over.

Half-Life: Opposing Force (1999 Video Game)

Brilliant

[10/10 · 1 December 2006]

Oppossing Force, the official expansion pack for Half Life by Gearbox software is better than its parent original game in every single way. You play as one of the marines sent to cleanse out Black Mesa, instead of Gordon freeman. For starters, the level design is brilliant and far better than the old static levels. You also get a whole load of new weapons including one that is really an eel and a very powerful minimi machine gun. You'll need them as you go against new and more powerful monsters and bosses. The story also neatly ties in with the events from Half Life and the ending itself is far better than the original ending of Half Life.

Thief: The Dark Project (1998 Video Game)

Groundbreaking

[10/10 · 1 December 2006]

Thief isn't the game for people who are more tuned to frantic action offered by so many other games. However I'd still recommend thief to the mentioned audience due to how well the game has been developed. You'll have to completely rely on stealth and sneaking past enemies or hitting them from the back. The atmosphere in the levels are truly brilliant. You don't get too many weapons though and the most powerful weapon is just a bow and arrow for longer range attacks. For once, there is also a decent story told through some cutscenes. The ingame voice acting has also been done very impressively and adds to the atmosphere. I also recommend its sequel, Theif-2, which is an even better game than the first.

Quake (1996 Video Game)

New Tech. New Theme

[10/10 · 1 December 2006]

Quake was the first proper FPS to have a fully 3D polygon rendering engine and 16 bit color for dynamic lighting. The theme of the game was also very dark and that could range from moody to strange. While the level design is advanced technically, the themes are just repetitive although the action is frantic. This game also featured a title song by Trent Reznor. On higher difficulty levels, Quake was always fun to play and along with the loads of user maps and addons released for it, had a pretty long life. Quake also offered a 16 player deathmatch capability and quickly became the most popular multiplayer game in the world, during its time.

SiN (1998 Video Game)

Good game

[9/10 · 30 November 2006]

Those in the gaming industry would have heard no less than a billion times about the crapload of bugs present in the game, Sin. That would eventually become talk about crappy the game was. Don't believe a word of it. Sin is actually a pretty good game and I'd play it even today. The bugs are there but they do not affect gameplay enough to be annoying besides which they released a patch for the game which fixes most of the bugs. Sin does deliver some frantic action and good graphics as well as level design and may be even a semblance of a story. Its too bad that this game was so bashed after its release and not given enough credit. I guess that the bugs only became prevalent on lower end systems.

Blood II: The Chosen (1998 Video Game)

Fun but just too many flaws

[7/10 · 30 November 2006]

I won't make that common complaint that Blood-2 was'nt as Gothic as Blood-1 because I feel that the developers had enough great ideas in Blood-2 which were sadly, not implemented well enough. Blood-2 is extremely fun to play from start to finish and you do get a huge arsenal but the production values are somewhat low. The 3D Models have low polygon count and look unrealistic at times. The engine seems to be only slightly better than the original quake engine. Blood-2 also does try to squeeze in a bit of a story here and there but if you play as a character other than Caleb, there is simply no narrative. Overally, while it is fun and has great level design and sound, this game itself feels dead and could have been much better.

Quake 4 (2005 Video Game)

Better than Doom-3

[9/10 · 30 November 2006]

Quake-4's story is nothing new really, and the intro is more or less like Starship Troopers. You play Matthewe Kane from an elite unit called Rhino squad and thats about the whole story. Where Quake-4 succeeds is in its frantic action during the vehicle sequences as well as the boss fights. These alone are worth playing tbe game for. The action otherwise, is a bit faster paced than Doom-3. The graphics look far better than anything you saw in Doom-3 but darkness still prevails a lot on most levels. The weapons unfortunately, do not feel anywhere as good as those in the previous Quake games. However, there are plenty of tough enemies. Multiplayer is really not that great. This game is also extremely violent and gory and not suggested for younger audiences.

Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith (1998 Video Game)

Perhaps the best single player FPS experience of all time?

[10/10 · 30 November 2006]

Yes Jedi Knight offered FPS action in a complete star wars environment, introduced a whole new level of gameplay but Mysteries of the Sith, the continuation takes it to yet another level with authentic sounds, graphics and vehicles. Although the full cinematic cutscenes have been replaced by in-game cutscenes with no lip syncing, the story is still very well narrated. This game is also very very difficult and becomes amazingly difficult towards the end, providing a good challenge. The level design is utterly brilliant and spans very different environments which are also huge. Even though there are intelligent puzzles to solve, there is also a lot of frantic shooting action thrown in. Do not miss this at any cost.

Quake II (1997 Video Game)

Frantic Action

[30 November 2006]

Quake-2 is a very worthy successor to Quake-1 but starts off a completely new story and does not continue the story of the former game. The story now concerns an Alien invasion and the human racing launching an offensive..you get the idea. The first thing you'll notice as soon as this game loads up is the rockin soundtrack by Sonic Mayhem which sets the mood for action. With a huge arsenal at your disposal and an equally huge bunch of bad guys, the action is always frantic. The level design is mostly good but sometimes is crap. The strongest portion of this game is evident in multiplayer though. During its time, it probably had the best multiplayer experience in the world.

Half-Life 2 (2004 Video Game)

Its what Half-Life-1 should have been

[10/10 · 30 November 2006]

Half Life-2 amazes at every point in the game but I only wish that they had done more in terms of the weapons and enemies in the game. Your arsenal remains mostly the same as from Half Life-1 and thats a disappointment. But even though the source engine does not have the graphical rendering capability of other contemporary engines, some clever texturing has made up for it, especially during the use of reflective water which looks absolutely photo-realistic. Puzzles have been combined with ragdoll physics to give some very interesting sequences. The action ranges from moderate to frantic. The level design is utterly brilliant. Half Life-2 is highly recommended so go get it now. One thing you should'nt expect is a story, though.

Half-Life: Counter-Strike (2000 Video Game)

The most popular MP game of all time

[10/10 · 30 November 2006]

When the whole world was raving about Counter-Strike, I had initially chosen not to play it because I preferred the frantic action of the Quake games. However, when forced to play it among friends, I quickly got addicted to it. You'd notice people playing the same old levels over and over again. Counter Strike is so good because of how balanced it is in terms of gameplay. Your arsenal is extensive and the bullet ballistics are extremely realistic and add to balancing the gameplay. You really have to strategise and evolve effective tactics and team work as brute force often ends up getting you killed. Getting killed is extremely frustrating and getting a kill feels extremely good as well. So go play it now if you have'nt already.

Unreal (1998 Video Game)

Beautiful game

[10/10 · 30 November 2006]

Despite numerous shortcomings, I maintain that Unreal is the most beautiful FPS ever made. By combining exotic locales with a mesmeric soundtrack, this game feels very much like a vacation rather than the frantic danger and shooting you see in all other FPSs. Yeah, you do have the usual bunch of monsters and weapons (which are kinda impotent and crappy in this game and that was a major shortcoming) but combat is really not that common or frantic and you'll find yourself saying OOh and AAAh at the environments and levels more often. It isn't just the graphics but also the very creative and intelligent level design that makes this game so good looking and hypnotic.

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

I found it enjoyable

[10/10 · 30 November 2006]

For a movie which was mostly not set inside the Matrix itself, the team has pulled off something really incredible. Yes, there are few boring and annoying scenes which can be appreciated on the 10th viewing or so, which make you tear your hair out and scream for the action scenes but when the latter does come and you have a home theatre or are seeing this movie in the cinema, you will be heavily rewarded. The defence of Zion is one thing I'll really remember. The final fight scene is a bit idiotic though, even though the special effects for it are great. I only wish they were a bit more straightforward with the logic behind the movies. But despite all that, this movie should be watched at least once.

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (1998 Video Game)

The sequel

[9/10 · 30 November 2006]

Abe's exodus is the direct sequel to Abe's Odysey and the settings such as the engine, the 2D scrolling gameplay and graphics remain pretty much on the same lines. The puzzles are a bit harder than the first but not impossible to crack. This game is a lot less scarier than the first because you can have allies in this game and you can even slap them to get them under control. A bunch of new enemies have been added as well. Even though Abe's exodus is not as good as the first adventure, this game is still a whole lot of fun and recommended highly if you found the first game to be fun. But if you have'nt played Abe's Odessey already before, I recommend trying out that first before playing this game.

Blood (1997 Video Game)

Great game. Replayable today.

[10/10 · 30 November 2006]

Of all the build engined games, Blood had the highest production values and graphics and beats even Shadow Warrior even though the latter in my opinion, is a little more fun to play due to the main character who is much more "alive" than Caleb in Blood. Essentially it was a Gothic Horror version of Duke3D which made it very attractive in a market where similar products could not be found at the time. But even so, Blood was very professionally engineered. The level design in Blood was excellent and they offered a fantastic soundtrack on the CD. This game perhaps has the best weapons of any FPS conceived, at least on par with Duke3D's arsenal. Despite its age, Blood still has a strong fan following which strangely, continues to grow.

Xiaolin Showdown (2003–2006)

Quite good really

[8/10 · 30 November 2006]

Despite teaming together very stereotyped characters (on purpose), Xiaolin Showdown does offer a very enjoyable viewing experience except during certain times when the humor is disgusting. The animation isn't exactly top of the line but the action sequences are pretty good, meaning that the animation is within sufficient standards. The humor can sometimes be clichéd and lame but is enjoyable most of the time. There are some visible faults as well. Jack Splicer started off as a pretty cool character but the writers made him increasingly stupid and pathetic as the show progressed. What this series really lacks is a good soundtrack.

Contra (1987 Video Game)

Classic

[10/10 · 17 November 2006]

This game was really ahead of other games of the crappy consoles of the yesteryears. But that is because Konami are known to kick ass and won't let anyone down. Each level was radically different from the other and the gameplay was pretty hard unless you got the better guns. Sure, there was no story and the plot was crap but the game focused on action. With great graphics, great sound and a good soundtrack, Contra is one of the most memorable games of all time even though it was quickly overtaken by further developments in technology and art seen in newer games. The last few levels were amazingly designed. It was a good thing that this game was there during a time where a lot of other console games sucked.

Quake III: Arena (1999 Video Game)

Multiplayer perfection

[10/10 · 17 November 2006]

Quake-III Arena takes some time for both newbies and veterans to get used to but once that's done, there's no stopping the mindless and fluid rampage that explodes. id have made the interface to be simple and easy to use as people can get really impatient after getting addicted to playing this game. I would say that this game is easily the best multiplayer game ever made, only rivalled by Counter Strike and Command and Conquer. The weapons and physics in this game have very carefully been balanced for the best deathmatch possible. The level design is not great in terms of themes but are fun and extremely well designed for some fast paced action.

Prince of Persia (1989 Video Game)

One of the oldest games of all time

[8/10 · 17 November 2006]

Who remembers this? You could play it on the crappiest of computer systems and if you had a color monitor, then wow! This was also perhaps the very first game to include blood and gore for which alone it should be remembered. The levels were mostly almost clones of each other like every other game of the time but defeating an enemy was a pretty hard task as was the jumping from platform to platform. At that time, you thought that seeing color being used in the levels was a big deal. It was a very slow paced game and involved some tricky timing, especially for the jumps and runs through slicer blades. Prince-2 made some superb improvements over this game.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001 Video Game)

Fun but not a classic

[8/10 · 17 November 2006]

While Return to Castle Wolfenstein may have some good level design, good weapons, good graphics, good sounds and very balanced gameplay, there is nothing in it that one would'nt have seen before in other games. They've tried to squeeze in a proper story for the game but at the end, the story becomes pretty useless and is entirely predictable. But as far as fun alone is concerned, it just falls slightly short of being a classic. There is unfortunately not much long term appeal and there would'nt be much of a multiplayer following for it either. Worth giving a try if can pick it up cheap. While it does have several shortcomings, it is still more fun to play than most games today.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (1997 Video Game)

Wonderfully creative concept

[10/10 · 17 November 2006]

This game is an utter classic. It takes 2D side scrollers to another level with some fantastic graphics and fantastic gameplay. The guys who have designed oddworld, the environments, creatures and characters have been extremely creative in their effort and even greater in their effort to make all these things come alive. The gameplay is reasonably difficult but rewarding. The level design is fantastic and there is actually a good story driving all that. The one single weakness in this game is that your character, whos generally a sad looking chap becomes not-so-sad in the end but thats only a weakness because the game is so good that you bother to care for the character.