Gamer's Log Archive

Hey guys!

Here's my review of Dead Rising, followed by two reader reviews.

So, here is your assignment for next time (again!) - send in your thoughts on your latest gaming adventures, and let us know what's good and what's bad. Is there a game you're unsure about buying? Want to know some cheat codes or secrets? Ask away!

Well... who hasn't tried Guitar Hero? My Brother got Guitar Hero III for Christmas, but I've been playing it almost as much as him. It's super addictive. The thing is, I can practically ace all of the medium songs but I can only complete about two "hard" level songs. They need a level in between the two! But yeah, I recommend Guitar Hero! It's especially fun to play the multiplayer mode with two guitars! Chloe, 17 from United States

I got Pokemon Diamond for Christmas, and I didn't stop playing it for about eight hours! In case you don't know about the Pokemon series, you start off with a briefing about the world of Pokemon, then get to name yourself and your rival/friend. After that, you meet a Pokemon professor who will give you your first Pokemon. The Diamond and Pearl editions are the second to hit the DS, so it's a pretty different experience from the first three generations. It's full of new Pokemon to catch and new people to meet. Every game starts of pretty easy, so if you're a seasoned Pokemon expert (such as myself), or just a beginner, it will always be a fun challenge to raise your new Pokemon to be champions! The Pretty Tomboy, 14 from  

The star of the game is Frank West (this is you). Frank is a photographer who travels to the city on a tip about a big story – what he finds is mayhem. He ends up stranded at the mall with a clear view of all the flesh-eating zombies roaming around. Some survivors have barricaded the mall, but, thanks to an old lady desperate to find her dog, the barricade has failed. Now, you have to not only survive 72 hours in the mall, help keep other survivors alive, AND beat down the crazy survivors, but you also need to find out how this craziness happened. As you complete side quests, take pictures, and kill zombies, you earn Prestige Points. This is how you level up your stats and learn new attacks.

I was pretty excited for this game, but I really haven't played it as much as I thought I would have. Here's my pro/con list... send me your thoughts/reviews, too!

Pros:

• You get to kill zombies with lawnmowers, plastic swords, cacti, cash registers, shower heads, bowling balls, guns, pipes, heavy metal shelving, hangers… there are so many weapons! If you can pick it up, it’s a weapon.

• There are hundreds of zombies onscreen at once and no lag!

• The environment is fun - the mall is full of crazy shops, fountains, trash cans, benches, food courts, a movie theater, etc…

• Sound effects: it’s pretty creepy to hear zombies getting closer and closer to you. Not Silent Hill creepy, but creepy enough for what it is! When you hit a zombie with something, there are some pretty funny sound effects depending on what the object is. Also, there’s some pretty good Muzak going on. Haha.

• Even though the save system is pretty lame, you can play over and over again to build up your stats.

• Taking photographs is pretty fun – I like going for exotic points. Sexy zombies, anyone?

• Silly outfits. Running around in children’s clothing made me laugh, even if it is a bit creepy.

Cons:

• On anything smaller than a big-screen TV, the text is practically unreadable (which makes completing tasks pretty hard)

• The save system can be pretty lame. The first time I quit, I didn’t realize that I would be starting from the beginning again. Also, there’s only one save game. If you share your profile, this is a pain in the butt.

• Shooting… man. I just could not that down for the longest time. I'm not sure why, I guess I'm just too used to the whole FPS set-up now!

• The radio used to convey messages and side quests is extremely annoying, and always seems to go off during the most inconvenient times (like when someone is gnawing on your head).

• Time limit. I’m a girl that likes to wander around and explore without limitations. Also, if you’ve saved it in a way that you can’t possibly pass the next side quest, you’ll have to start the game over to really beat it.

• If you get the “good ending,” you unlock the infinity mode… sounds fun, right? Eh. You can’t just run around – your health is constantly draining and there are limited recovery items. It’s more like a stamina mode.
  

Sherissa

What games are you looking forward to in 2008? It could be something that hasn't come out yet or a game that you just haven't had the time to try. Do you have any suggestions for fellow PJers? Send 'em in! As always, send in game reviews, cheats, easter eggs, funny gameplay videos, questions, etc!