Oddworld: Abe’s Exodus

This is the second game in the Oddworld series, and is my favourite. You play as Abe, the same guy from the first game. You have to try and save the Mudoken (that’s the race you are. They’re like people, but really thin and blue/green) Ancestor’s bones from the evil guys, who mine it for the main ingredient on their beer, soulstorm brew. The evil guys are the Glukkons. Anyway, the Glukkons are using Mudokens to mine these bones, and you have to save all, and I mean ALL the Mudokens to stop the mining. You traverse through a huge expanse of mines, while trying not to die. You have no weapons, but can possess enemies with weapons.

The gameplay is very innovative, and makes you think constantly. The “no weapons” thing makes the game insanely hard, but its also what makes it fun. You can, however, possess enemies by chanting. Only problem is that they usually run away, but some can’t, giving you an opportunity to wreak some havoc, or open a door, etc. Oddworld really takes a step away from the platforming games, where you can kill almost everything, and makes you use strategy and cunning to win. Another cool thing is that some Mudokens won’t follow you right away, while others have disabilities. For example, a lot of the later stages have blind Mudokens, which you have to tell to stop or go, in order to keep them from being crushed/ground up/eaten/shot/electrified/fall off a cliff. The alternative is killing all the Mudokens.

The graphics in this game are average. There aren’t any breaks or empty spots, and everything looks okay, but its nothing special. And everything is way too grey. The walls, the ground, a lot of the enemies, even Abe is a greyish blue. I know its supposed to be underground, but its a little ridiculous.

The sound in Oddworld is great, and can sometimes be hilarious. Abe has a lot of vocal commands, which help him get Mudokens to follow him. He can apologize, slap, tell people to follow, and many other things. But, best of all is the fact that he can fart. It’s random, unnecessary, and hilarious. The fart also makes other Mudokens back away, so I guess it can be helpful. There isn’t much music, though, and when there is, it isn’t interesting and/or repeats a lot. The sound effects are very good, can be easily understood, and fit in with what is happening

Oddworld: Abe’s Exodus is over 20 hours long, seeing as it has two discs, is very hard, and requires EVERY Mudoken to be rescued or killed.

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is the first game in the Jak & Daxter series, and is the second best one.

You start out as Jak, a young boy, whom the developers were too lazy to voice. The game claims him to be a mute. Anyway, you start out by going to an evil island, where you witness some bad guys talking to the local monster tribe. Daxter falls into a pit of black ooze, which turns him into a squirrel thing. You go back home and tell the local sage about what you saw. He tells you that, in order to stop the baddies, you must go get help from a more powerful sage. So, you and Daxter go off to find precursor orbs, which are magic, energy-producing artifacts. You need to complete various tasks, like giving money to a guy so he can buy pants. These orbs power stuff you need to use, like a flying jet-bike. The game is pretty fun, and is good for all ages. Even my mom played it.

The gameplay is solid, and it’s not too difficult to start. The game gradually gets harder, and some of the acrobatic stunts take a few tries. One of the best aspects of the game is that it slowly lets you get used to the game, before throwing anything too hard at you. The areas are large and not too linear, meaning that you can take different paths and go to different areas, but some don’t progress the story, and just give you precursor orbs. There are not very many boss fights, and most of them include using some kind of cannon or vehicle, seeing as Jak isn’t exactly the best fighter around.

The game follows the design for the PS2’s early games: rather tame violence, and a likable, honest main character, with a quirky partner. Jak & Daxter reminds of Ratchet and Clank, but with the personalities switched. The game lasts about 7-8 hours, without getting all the orbs, and other secret stuff.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Note: All graphics and sound ratings will take into account the fact that it’s for PlayStation.

Crash Bandicoot was one of the first games I ever played, the first game I ever beat, and probably is the cause for my high expectations in video games. Crash Bandicoot is about, you guessed it, a bandicoot. But, this bandicoot can kick some serious tail, seeing as he was mutated by Cortex in the first game. This is his second game on the Playstation, and his best one so far. The story is as follows: Crash is lured from his forest home, to a secret portal hub controlled by his nemesis, Doctor Cortex. He tells Crash he must retrieve the crystals from each level in order to save the world! Crash, for some unknown reason (probably the fact that he is retarded or something) accepts. You then embark on a journey through many worlds, and uncounted dangers. Crash will have to use his whole arsenal to survive. His “arsenal” is spinning, jumping, sliding, and doing belly flops.

The gameplay in Crash is great. It isn’t too complicated, and there aren’t too many things on the screen to clutter it up. The game is about average length, but you will almost certainly have to go back to levels and collect the magical gems in order to unlock the secret ending. The game is also fairly difficult, but not Nintendo hard, so as to not discourage players. The game had many bosses, and each one appears in classic fashion. These bosses increase in difficulty, but always stay fun and different.

This is also the first appearance of my favourite bad guy ever, Tiny the Tiger. Look him up, he’s cool. You are aided by Aku-Aku, the spirit of a witch doctor…which…turned into a mask somehow. He is the only way you don’t die in one hit. Unless you fall off a cliff…or into water…or are blown up by nitroglycerin. There are a lot of things that kill you, okay?

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal

When I first picked up RaC: UyA, I was expecting the same thing I rented: a nice platformer/shooter. I was correct!Let’s start with the single player adventure. It has over 12 weapons. They each can be upgraded to level 5. Basically, single player mode pits you against Dr. Nefarious, who plans to turn all organic life(which he’s dubbed “squishies”) into robots. The single player mode is short(10-15 hours), but it’s hilarious.

The multiplayer mode is a new addition to the series. It has online play, local play, and an option to create a profile. A profile is basically default options. The local play has no bots, meaning if you plan on playing multiplayer alone, you’ll play it alone. The three modes are Siege, Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. The online play can be enjoyed with up to 8 players while the local play can be played with up to four players if you have a multitap. The game is compatible with Dual Shock 1 controllers so you don’t need to spend money on Dual Shock 2 controllers if you’re low on cash. Overall, the multiplayer is a good addition.

The graphics in the game are great. They really show the PS2’s capibilities. From the deaths of enemies to jumping off the ship, the game is beautiful. The framerates stay the same about 98% of the time.

The sound in the game is excellent. The background music matches each area nicely and the gun sounds are great. Sound is better with surround sound, of course.

The replay value is above average. When you beat the short single player mode, you can play Challenge Mode, which features new upgrades to weapons and an overall harder single player mode. The multiplayer will keep you busy for a long time.

Overall, this game is an experience you have to play. If you need a good game in your library, this is it. If you need a good shooter and you don’t like blood/gore, this is it.