Halo 2, Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)Yes, Incubus and Hoobastank and Breaking Benjamin are on here. And yes, that music is all in the game. Instrumentally, that is. A lot of people immediately scream that they can't imagine hearing some of the music in game, when they actually did, and didn't notice because the instrumental versions were used. If you hate Hoobastank and Incubus, never fear, the instrumental portions of their music are the primary focus and their lyrics are more or less thrown over them. Thus, even the greatest hater is still going to love the power of the music behind the people.

Marty O'Donnell and crew do it again. The soundtrack for Halo was one of the best videogame soundtracks ever produced, and Halo 2 might even up the bar. Long, flowing orchestrial pieces give way to thumping techno beats and intense musical queues that immediately create awe and wonder, or the urge to go out and save the world.

Fans of guitar solo features from the origional game (a la "Rock Anthem for Saving the World") will be especially pleased, as the "Holo Theme Mjolnir Mix" pounds out an amazing start to this soundtrack. Fans of the Gregorian-style chants and the tribal rhythms that dotted pieces in Halo will also be pleased- many of the old themes have been brought back and updated to carry their impact into the new game. "Ghosts of Reach" is definately going to be a recognizable track for Halo fans.

A great, great album on it's own merit made better by the videogame it represents. And heck, it's even got some pop influence to boot! Don't let the inclusion of a few big names keep you away from the rest of the content of this album- the pieces add to and back up Marty's work- they don't replace it.

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Front Mission 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)As a major fan of Front Mission 3 for the PlayStation I was excited upon hearing the news that Square-Enix was making a sequel to my favorite single-player tactical-strategy game.The only thing missing from Front Mission 3's excellence was great graphics.With the arrival of Front Mission 4 on the PlayStation2 I thought the rough-graphics problem would be solved and I'd have the perfect game.
Unfortunately life has a way of playing dirty tricks.Oh sure, the graphics are much improved over FM3 with greater detail and far smoother animation.But the colors are downright bland!Also, many areas in the game appear overly dark, making it a challenge to view the screen easily unless the lights are off.I suspect the developers were going for realism here.
The length of the game disappointed me as well.For the amount of time spent working on your characters' skills and statistics the number of actual plot-developing missions is minuscule.There are only 29 stages in all!By comparison, FM3 contained a staggering 128 stages played out through two scenarios!Admittedly, FM4's stages are bigger and take longer to complete, and there are simulator battles to play.But FM3 had simulator battles, too!
Now that the bad is out of the way let me let you what was good about FM4:
Graphics - already touched on this.MUCH better than FM3 except for the colors & lack of lighting.
Sound - the most refined part of FM4.Heavy, realistic, perfect.Great use of bass!
Music - very appropriate for the events onscreen.High quality.
Speech - the main characters now speak in select cut scenes and the voice-overs are extremely well done.The accents and voice tones are very accurate to their respective nationalities.No bad acting here!
Battle System - more involved than in the last game.The Link system adds a fun new level of strategy to the gameplay.New specialized backpacks increase combat options.
Customization - a slight increase in variety of weapons and parts.Better colorization options but the blandness + darkness at times makes it almost moot.
Control - takes some getting used to, but adequate.In a tactical, non-twitch game like this it's not a detriment.
Battle Maps - daytime shifting and weather effects add new depth to missions.Battlefields are significantly larger than in FM3.
Character Skills - no more randomness in acquiring new battle skills to help towards victory!Instead characters buy skills they want as they become available!The challenge is getting the funds needed to afford them.
And finally, FM4's greatest improvement over FM3...the chaotic E-mail/virtual net system is gone!
I'd have to say FM4 doesn't match the gaming experience FM3 gave.Don't get me wrong...it's a fantastic game for as long as it lasts.The plot is solid.Just don't expect as huge a jump in quality as I did or you'll be disappointed.

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Front Mission 4 offers the spectacular visuals and advanced tactical warfare you crave. It's 2096, and two young soldiers will decide the future of the world. Fight for the future in gigantic walking tanks!

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