GameHaven

Whoops!

Apparently I accidentally mixed up the names in the credits sections on my last two posts- credit goes to Dan Zlotoff, not Romeo Corsi, for both of those!

Sorry!

Hello everyone!

I'm pleased to announce that the entire Need for Speed: Shift soundtrack has been posted online for your listening pleasure!

Link to MySpace Page – http://bit.ly/10neAP
Full Soundtrack List - http://bit.ly/nQ4kO
Official Site - www.needforspeed.com

Hope you enjoy it, drop me a comment with your thoughts!

-Phampok/lol_its_raph

PS. Big thanks to Dan Zlotoff and RocketXL for sending the links over!

Graphics-4/5
Need for Speed has always been a industry-leading franchise in terms of visuals. However, the past few entries in recent years haven't really lived up to that status, with other games such as PGR, Test Drive Unlimited, and Gran Turismo jumping ahead. However, Shift is a nice reform in status- it's beautiful. While it's certainly still not the prettiest game on the market, Shift really has a fine level of polish, from car detail and damage to the environments and weather. The presentation, in menus and in-game, is ultra-clean, although the white text can be hard to see at times.

Sound-2/5
The sound effects are awesome. All the usual car sounds, from the revving of engines to the screech of tires, are present. However, one big thing is missing- music. No music plays during races, only post-race, and what does play isn't very enticing. Voice acting by the narrator is pretty good at best; it's not too compelling and usually ends up getting skipped.

Gameplay-5/5
Need for Speed: Shift takes the track-focused racing of ProStreet and adds in many RPG-lite elements, resulting in an addictive take on the racing genre. Winning races builds up your Driver level and adds badges to your Driver Profile, earning you a reputation and more money to buy vehicular upgrades with. It's this "one more level" mentality that keeps the game fresh and helps players to keep progressing through the tiers in order to finish the game.

Online-4/5
Nothing too outstanding here, all the same basic matchmaking options. What's here works, and it's all that's expected from a racing game. Runs silky smooth and easy to figure out.

Closing Comments
Need for Speed Shift is a nice comeback after some less-than-impressive entries in the series and the challenge to constantly improve one's Driver Profile and level ends up becoming an addictive battle. Pop in your iPod while playing and you're good to go.

Overall: 4/5
Good: Looks good, easy to grasp a hold of, addictive, large variety of tasks
Bad: Weak sound

-lol_its_raph

NOTE: Thanks to Dan Zlotoff and RocketXL for sending me the review copy as well as supplying assets.

Graphics-5/5
The first thing that pops out at the player when they boot up KOFXII are the absolutely stunning graphics. All the characters are beautifully drawn and the animations are top-notch. The backgrounds are very detailed and full of motion and nice effects. Everything from special effects to simple counters cause beautiful effects to appear, both from the characters and in the background. There really isn't much negative to say about the graphics- they're full of old-school 2-D appeal but sharper and crisper than ever.

Sound-3/5
While the graphics are great, the same can't be said for the sound. Yes, the music is great and fits the atmosphere marvelously. The effects, however, begin to grate on the player's nerves after just a few matches. There's only so many Japanese yelps and cries that a man can take before he begins to lose his mind.

Gameplay-3/5
KOFXII is a hardcore game. Button mashers need not apply- I tried and failed miserably. It's all about knowing a character's strengths and weaknesses and mastering all their combos. There's Arcade mode, Versus, Practice, and Online mode. Arcade is standard 3-on-3 KOF, trying to win as quick as possible. Versus is Player vs Player action, while Online just takes that action online. Practice is just that- a place to hone your abilities. The game is nice and plays nice enough, but it feels behind it's time. People want games that are easy to pick up and play, and KOF definitely isn't enjoyed best this way.



Online-3/5
Online's simple and fluid enough, with the standard quick matches, custom matches, and friend matches. I jumped into quick match for a bit and found the competition tough but it was fun enough. Players can also spectate other matches while they wait for theirs to begin, which is nice. However, there's just too much wait time between matches to stay hooked for too long.

Extras-3/5
The game comes with a custom KOF theme on the same disc and there's an in-game gallery mode, so those are both nice. But beyond that, there really isn't much extra to see or do here. It's nice addictions for big fans but otherwise nothing too special.

Closing Comments
KOFXII is a nice game for hardcore-fighting game fans and KOF die-hards. However, to the average fighting fan or casual gamer, it really can't be recommended when there are such better alternatives such as Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur IV, or even Blazblue. Rent it for the trophies if you must, and if it happens to keep you hooked, then congratulations.

Overall: 3/5
Good: Beautiful graphics, nice sound, challenging
Bad: Hard for casual players, a bit too "old school"

-lol_its_raph

NOTE: Thanks to Romeo Corsi and RocketXL for sending me the review copy as well as supplying assets.

Hey there!

It's been a while. A really long time since I've posted, sorry about that.
I've been working on my personal blog, raphabas.wordpress.com, and other things in my life.

Anyway, now that I'm returning, more or less, I'll be sure to update periodcally with some reviews.

Until then,
phampok (Actually, my new PSN ID is lol_its_raph)