GameHaven

Well, thanks to some luck, one of my friends on the PSN, Helloskinny, sent me all of his downloaded games, so now I have a plethora of new games to talk about. Woo!

Ports

Rampage: World Tour
Arcade beat-'em-up
Price: $5
ESRB: E
Well, this is the classic Rampage arcade game ported to the PS3, with hi-def support and online play and leaderboards. For those of you not in the know, Rampage is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up, placing you and two friends in the shoes of three monsters: the gorilla-like George, the giant lizard Lizzy, and the blue wolf Ralph. You must cause as much carnage as possible by destroying buildings, throwing cars, eating citizens, and more. In this edition you traverse the globe to destroy famous cities all over the world, such as London, Paris, New York, and more. I haven't had a chance to play online, as there's never anyone online whenever I go. The scoreboards are a nice edition, although it shows me how badly I suck. As for hi-def, I don't have a hi-def TV, so it doesn't benefit me.

Score: 8/10 (Repetitive gameplay and lack of online players mar this title. However, it is a blast with your friends)


Joust
Action
Price: $5
ESRB: E
Again, this is a port of the classic arcade game, Joust, along with hi-def support, leaderboards, and online multiplayer. In Joust you are a knight on an ostrich, and you must stomp on enemy knights and take the ostrich eggs. Warning: this game is incredibly addictive- you may never stop playing. Again, no one was playing online every time I checked, but the leaderboards are nice and hi-def is useless for me. A great game, and one of my most-played games.

Score: 9/10 (If only the online play was more efficient, this port would be perfect)


Q*Bert
Platformer
Price: $5
ESRB: E
Wow, this is getting repetitive. A port of the arcade classic Q*Bert with, you guessed it ,hi-def support and online leaderboards. (Q*bert does not support online multiplayer) This is an incredibly addictive platformer where you must navigate your "noser", Q*Bert, to change all the blocks in the level to a different color. Various enemies try to stop you in this task, and this game really tests your reflexes. Incredibly addictive, and one of my most played downloaded games, if not the most played. However, the leaderboards aren't as good as in the other games because they only reach the 200th player, who has a score hovering around 50,000, while my highest score is barely above 10,000. So unless you are incredible at Q*Bert, don't expect the leaderboards to be of much use other than comparing scores between you and friends.

Score: 9/10 (Small leaderboards and lack of online multiplayer mar this title. Incredibly addictive nonetheless.)


Mortal Kombat II
Fighting
Price: $5
ESRB: M
"Fatality!" Oww. This game offers a serious beatdown to anyone man enough to play it. A port of MKII, with added online multiplayer, leaderboards, and hi-def support. This is simply a fighting game, so there's not much to explain. The controls are nearly spot-on, although fatalities seem unusually difficult to perform. Also, once someone starts to hit you, you're pretty much done for. How I miss counters...Anyway, I actually did play online with this, and got severely pwnd, every time. Even in single-player, this game is incredibly tough, and requires a lot of skill and patience. Nonetheless, it's a lot of fun to revisit this title and every victory seems like a monumental accomplishment.

Score: 8/10 (Incredible difficulty, but everything pretty much works as expected)


Non-Ports

Calling all Cars!
Combat racing
Price: $10
ESRB: E
This is incredible. By mixing cartoony graphics, frantic action, tight controls, and great sound, Dave Jaffe (Yes, the guy responsible for God of War) has created the best downloadable game I have yet seen. You and three other cops, online or off, must race to capture various escaping criminals in small, arena-like levels. Since this is combat racing, various weapons and tools are at your disposal to stay ahead of the competition. The single-player is well rounded, with tournaments as well as single events. The multiplayer is even better: you can play on a singe console, LAN, or online. Here's the catch: people actually play online! And it supports headset chat and quick match-making options. It's a ton of fun, and fully worth the money.

Score: 10/10 (100% worth your money, with incredible fun and replayability, and a really fun online component)


flOw
Err...
Price: $8
ESRB: E
Ok, I guarantee you've never played a game like flOw before. There is no story, there is no HUD, there is no interface, nothing. You select the game, it boots up. Shows the ads in the beginning, and then the screen reads: "go with the flow...tip the controller to move/press any button for a boost/press 'start' to pause/friends can dive in anytime" and it starts. No objective, nothign. You basically make your own game. However, it is very entertaining, especially with a friend. The SIXAXIS controls, while they do take a few minutes to get used to, soon become second nature. The game's visuals are mega trippy, and best played in the dark. Nonetheless, this is a weird little project that provides some fun. Not sure if it's worth $8, but apprently it falsl into a "love it or hate it" category, as my friend could not stop playing, and I was done after ten minutes. Also, it should be noted that the game is short- very short.

Score: 8/10 (This can hardly be called a game, and the simple objective might turn off some players, but it's fun nonetheless, and extra trippy when played in the dark with a friend)


Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
Fighting
Price: $20
ESRB: T
If you've played Tekken, you've played this. A fighter in the same vein as Virtua Fighter, with a huge amount of fighters and customization for each fighter. Many ranks to rise, but few modes to play. Also, not many unlockables. The graphics are equal to that of its arcade brethren, which means they are weak for the PS3. The sound is great, although the character voices, like in most fighters, suck. They promised online play, but it's nonexistent- yet. They promise it's coming, so until then, $20 is waay too much for this arcade port. Yes, it's a lot of fun, and the multiplayer (on one console) is a blast, but there's really nothing justifying it's price tag. Skimp out for now. (I like it a lot, since I got it for free, but $20 is way too much)

Score: 7/10 ($20 is too much for this, which offers nothing more than arcade fighting for two players. Once the promised online component comes, I'll be much happier, but until then, this is a disappointment. Stick with MKII, even if it is harder. Yes, this game is fun, but not worth the money.)


Well, there you go!
If you have a PS3 and want to play me, my username is phampok. Or, if you have a question, feel free to email me at raf_gpm@yahoo.com or send me a message via PSN.