Tenchu Z -- The Exclusive Review, Courtesy of M80

Ah, back again? So soon? Just for little old me? I'm flattered, and it just so happens that you've arrived just in time to see my next review! For those newcomers, I'm going to introduce my scoring system. The scoring grid is as follows:

And now I introduce to you the seven following categories that I will rate from 1-to-10, a 1 representing the lowest bowels of hell and 10 representing the most divine light of the heavens. These categories range as follows:

Gameplay
Storyline
Graphics
Sound
Value
Multiplayer (if applicable)
Bonus (in case I feel it incorporates something that just doesn't fit in with the above categories)

So, with that out of the way, I feel it best for us to move on and discover what I found in the cruel underworld of assassins and greedy merchants in the depths of feudal-era Japan. Don't let me hold you up, though -- we've got some ninja'ing to discuss!

Gameplay

"His breathing heavy, the cloaked figure held his katana at the ready. A ninja was always prepared for what might be on the other side of that paper wall, or shoji. Peering inside, he watched as his mark paced along the back of the room, gazing out of the window closest toward the moon and stars in the night sky above. Without hesitation, the ninja pried the door open and stepped silently to his target. Before the monk could even turn around and gasp, the ninja had grabbed him with his free arm, holding the sword to his throat. Gasping for air, the monk clawed helplessly at the black cloth arms restricting him. A simple word muttered into his ear was the last the monk had heard before crimson splashed across the wooden divider to his side, his lifeless body sliding to the floor. The ninja cleaned his weapon on the monk's clothing before sheathing it and starting back off into the night as if he had never even been there."

My small stab at fiction sums up the game pretty well. To start off, you have the tutorial. Fair enough. You follow it through and learn how to roll, shoot your grappling hook, how to survive melee combat, and, most importantly, how to perform silent kills, or "SKs" for short, possibly your most important skill in the entire game. The silent kill requires you to sneak up behind an enemy (there are many possibilities -- behind, crouched behind, either side, from the front [if you're lucky enough], whilst hanging from a ledge, death from above [a personal favorite of mine], and many more) and execute your attack without alerting your enemy. Sometimes this is harder than it really sounds and sometimes it's a lot easier. Most of the time, it's just the luck of the draw.

After the tutorial, you are then brought to a main village where you have two buildings to choose from between every mission you embark on -- one building houses your fellow ninja whom you talk to in order to start on your next mission, the other a safehouse for you to equip and purchase skills, abilities, items, and clothing with the gold you earn from successfully completing missions. The more gold you earn, the more you can buy. But, in order to earn gold the most efficiently, you need to play on a harder difficulty and, most definitely, earn a "Ninja 5" ranking. A "Ninja 5" ranking is the highest ranking in a series of 5 that you can receive depending on how many guards you've stealthily killed, how many alerts you've set off, and, in total, your points from that mission.

There are over 50 missions to choose from, but most of them seem monotonous once you actually get into playing the game as a whole. Many textures are used over and over again, making the environment seem so abysmally bland ... but I'll discuss more of that in the graphics section of this review. Each of these missions, in turn, have a certain type of objective -- assassinate the boss, capture all the bombs, eliminate all enemies, speak to the informant, et cetera. Since most of the maps are used repeatedly with only minor guard-path variations, it seems more like a repeat of a previous type than anything innovative.

The artificial intelligence is the only thing that had me writhing on the ground with a heart attack while dually laughing at its stupidity. Sometimes you get a mixed bag with that AI -- their vision can be so limited that you're clearly sticking out of the bushes just in front of them, yet they still can't locate you. Set off an alarm? No problem! Run around the side of the building and, three-quarters of the time, the guard won't even think to look there! 'Think you're safe hiding atop that tall wall? Not so fast! Some of the guards have such enhanced perceptions that they can spot you even, you guessed it, way up there!

In theory, everything sounds well and good, but it's just not varied enough. Sure, there are 50 missions to play through, but the storyline, graphics, and all-around gameplay are too weak to actually make any of the 50 missions useful. If you can wrap your head around the concept of being a ninja, I'm sure you can have a lot of fun with this (as I did,) but there doesn't seem to be enough variation for the moderately-entranced gamers to mess around with. Because of it's great design but flawed execution, I'll have to give the gameplay portion of Tenchu Z a 7 out of 10.

Storyline

Oh, don't you just love these fun little games that pretend to have a storyline but is so loosely bound together that you feel you'd have more fun trying to understand with a bottle of tequila ... no, make that two bottles? Then this game is clearly for you! Tenchu Z pretends to have a storyline -- you make two characters at the start of the game; one is the ninja you'll play as, and the other ... you only run into during select cutscenes? Who is (in my case) she? What is she doing there? Her presence is never explained. Ever.

The basic storyline is that you're a ninja trying to defend your region from these smugglers threatening to destroy it. Not such a bad storyline, actually. Nothing drastic, but acceptable. The only issue is that there are no twists, no anything -- just 50 missions-worth of "kill this, collect that, and restore order to your region." For actually having a storyline this game gets some merit, but it's not tied together well enough to actually qualify as one that is worthy enough to note. Problem is, you can play Tenchu without even knowing the storyline. This makes it quite accessible, but is also its own potential downfall. Tenchu Z receives another 7 out of 10 in the storyline department.

Graphics

I usually don't go extremely hard on graphics in games -- it's the gameplay and storyline that matters the most. If neither of those work so well, then, hell ... I'll call it on its innovation. ... wait, this game doesn't work in any of those departments outstandingly so far? So let's check the graphics, hmh? Sorry, folks -- nothing too special to see here. Most of the textures are far, far overused from level to level, the poly counts are so low on the guards (and they're used repeatedly over and over again) that they're almost not worth noting. The only guys that appear to get temporary visual upgrades are the bosses -- what a shame that it doesn't really matter much since, if you accomplish what you're sent in the mission to do, he'll/she'll wind up on the floor with a new hole somewhere in their body ripped by your trusty blade.

Animations are okay, but clipping is far too bad. Did you flip a body near a building as you were performing your SK? Oh, his leg's halfway through the wall, you say?

And that's not all. In addition to the poly count, all around this game has the graphics-intensity of a late-generation original XBOX game. The only reason I even stopped to ask whether this was for the XBOX 360 or not was its pre-rendered cutscenes, not in-engine ones. How can you tell, you say? Well, if it isn't obvious enough already, the pre-rendered ones are beautiful; the in-engine ones are not. Period. In the visuals department, I give Tenchu Z a 5 out of 10. Hey, at least it tried.

Sound

Now here's something I can talk about on an intellectual level. The music in the game can sometimes become repetitive, but its traditional Japanese-sounding rhythm and instruments allow you to dismiss some of that. The non-Japanese sounding music isn't bad, either, and the music that's sort of a mix (intro? outro?) isn't too shabby, either. The sound effects are pretty good, as well. The swish of the blade, the ruffle of the grass, the wind blowing, the screaming of the guards as you ruthlessly stab them in the-- ...

... oh, the screaming! That reminds me! Did I fail to mention as of yet that no part of the game is in English? The entire game is in Japanese with English subtitles. That's right -- haven't seen one of those in awhile, have you? This didn't really bother me much, since I'm such the cultural fanatic that I'm usually watching / playing something in another language that requires subtitles to begin with. In my opinion? It's no big deal. If anything, it adds to the authentic fedual-era Japanese environment. In the sound department, I've gotta give Tenchu Z its well-deserved 9 out of 10. Bravo, bravo!!

Value

Oh, wow. Here we go -- the tough one. This game can actually last quite awhile ... as long as you have the patience for it. There are indeed 50 missions -- quite a feat in itself, especially if you're trying to get Ninja 5 on everything. And if you do it on a higher level, it doesn't count on the lower levels. That's where it gets challenging. 150 levels to get Ninja 5 on? Talk about a big chunk out of my week. All-in-all, and if nothing else, just trying to get to all the achievements might last you anywhere from a few weeks to a month. Not too bad, and an especially good filler for the summertime game-drought. In the value department, I give Tenchu a 9 out of 10.

Multiplayer

Talk about needing teamwork! Wow ... if you're playing over Live, make sure to weed out the good teammates from the bad right off the bat. Here are some tips in determining whether your teammate is beneficial or if he simply drags you down.

1) Does he have such a bad connection that he lags not only himself, but you as well?
2) Does he steal your kills?
3) Is your partner never around to help you until you've had to deal with the problem yourself?
4) Does he not know the value of SKs? Does he prefer straight-up action instead?

Don't get my wrong, because multiplayer's pretty fun. You've just got to get a good partner is all. In the multiplayer department, I give Tenchu an 8 out of 10.

Bonus

I can't help it. I've got to point this out.
Do you know what this game has?
Do you?
Pirates.
That's right. You're a ninja. That gets to kill freakin' pirates!
How wicked is that, right?
On that alone, I'm giving it a 10 out of 10. =P

Overall, Tenchu Z has scored a pretty average 7.9, a game that you might to rent and see if it's all that you're expecting of it before you run out there and blindly put all your faith into it.

And, once again, there you have it! One more review down, hopefully some more to come! As seems to be customary along with a witty ending response, I have to thank Nico for fueling this addiction of mine once more, along with all the folks over there at M80 Teams.

And that's all I have for now!
I'll see ya out there, you ninjas, you!

... swish-swish, sucka!

--Reaper

Forza Motorsport 2 -- The Exclusive Review, Courtesy of M80

I have a feeling that this is going to be a pretty exciting review, for you guys as well as myself. But, since it is only polite, I’ll be introducing my scoring system and categories I’m rating on once again. Could we please launch the scoring grid?

Ah, wonderful. And now for each of the seven categories I will be granting a 1-to-10 rating basis on, 1 being the most foul and 10 being the most brilliant. These go as follows:

Gameplay
Storyline
Graphics
Sound
Value
Multiplayer (if applicable)
Bonus (in case I feel it incorporates something that just doesn’t fit in with the above categories)

So, just for you guys, I’ve raced against many opponents down the fierce tracks and raceways behind many-a-stickshift cars in Forza Motorsport 2 just to bring you the following review, courtesy of hours upon hours of my own personal playtime as well as (yet again) M80’s kind donation.

So let’s get on with the review, shall we?

Gameplay

Right off the bat, I have no reason to hide the fact that racing simulations are far, far from my cup of tea. But, when I was offered the chance to playtest it, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot – and, surprisingly, was in for quite a shock. While other racing games I’ve experienced, be it import racers, NASCAR sims, or et cetera, never quite captivated me and just seemed like just another long, boring clone of all the other hundreds of racing games that came before the one I had played, zipping around an ovular or sometimes wickedly-shaped racetrack, asphalt or dirt, for 100 to 200 laps just for “fun”, Forza Motorsport was quite different.

I don’t even know if I could even properly catalogue how many hours I’ve spent playing that thing and how many nights of spent up till 4 in the morning with the XBOX 360 controller in hand (along with a cup of nice n’ hot cappuccino) just telling myself “beat this last, final circuit!” Hell, I haven’t been this addicted to a game since, perhaps, Neverwinter Nights 2 or World of Warcraft, because, in case you couldn’t tell, I’m usually much fonder of the occasionally well-written shooter or classically-presented RPG. So far, I’ve reached Driver Level 27 and, I must say, while the tracks can get repetitive after awhile, using different cars to race on them is always a new and challenging experience.

For the rookies who aren’t used to a good racing simulation (such as myself,) there’s the braking line that shows you where to break in corners and when the appropriate time to accelerate out of that corner might be. Don’t get confused: this isn’t like Burnout or some other mindless racing sim you’ve played – you can’t just skid around corners, drift around turns, and slam into other cars. There’s actually some mind-twisting thought put into this game. You gun it too soon, you’re out in the sandtraps. You sit there and don’t hit the gas fast enough, your opponents come up from behind you and grant you a pretty rude awakening. It’s intense. Trust me.

The gameplay’s amazingly pleasing and keeps you entertained for hours … so many hours, in fact, that you’ll forget what time it is and end up playing until morning much like I did. Trust me; I guess it happens to the best of us. I give Forza Motorsport 2 a 10 out of 10 in the gameplay category.

Storyline

This category can become quite confusing to explain in any sort of racing game that doesn’t have some official racing league’s brand stamped across it (i.e. NASCAR & Indy), but it is doable. From what I can gather, you start off as a driver that chooses one of three regions to start off from, choosing what the more native cars to your area will be – do you prefer the Asia-regional cars, the Ferraris and sportcars of Europe, or the down-home classics of North America? Choose one and dive right in: choose your starting car and get racing!

The more races you beat, the more credits you earn and the more cars you can earn. You can buy more cars or even buy some new upgrades. Do what you like. This freedom and customization is what sets this game apart from others out there.

Not to mention there are the driver levels, which grant you certain discounts (and even some carmakers send you sample / test cars! [Porsches, even!!]) and the car levels, which produce certain discounts pertaining to that type of car or similar models n’ makes.

And that’s what you do. Race until you can race no longer.

Since there technically isn’t really a storyline, I suppose I’ll have to wind up making this category void. The rating system for this section is void.

Graphics

Only one major gripe here: the cars look completely amazing. Authentic, even. They are detailed in such high resolution that you’ll sometimes question whether the cars are rendered or real. The problem that arises is the backgrounds – the bystanders, buildings, and other off-road models (perhaps even spots of the ground you’re racing on in some parts) could’ve probably used some touching up. This isn’t much of an issue, though, for if you’re racing as fast as you should be, the backgrounds are a blur anyway and don’t detract from the experience.

Besides, if you’re getting so close to the sandtraps and grass off the track to realize that they’re not rendered in quite as high detail as the car you’re driving, I think the problem might be more your driving and less the poly-count of the models of the tirewall you’re piledriving into.

In the graphics department, I grant Forza Motorsport 2 a 9 out of 10.

Value

There isn’t quite so much replay value in this game as there is the longevity of just a single playthrough. You have the auction house, where you can buy, sell, and trade cars with other players over XBOX Live, all the cars to unlock through all of the track playthroughs, and many driver and car levels to master and expert.

And that’s only career mode.

Then you have arcade mode. Plus all the achievements. That’s so much of a task that I doubt it’s even possible to do a speedrun of. Based on the longevity of the game alone, Forza passes the value test with flying colors and emerges with a perfect 10 out of 10.

Multiplayer

To tell you the truth, the first thing I did was grab a friend and tackle a quick few games of split-screen multiplayer before I even began to delve into the depths of its career mode. And, to tell you the truth, I was enthralled by the beginning – the way that the splitscreen mode was presented gave both players an equal chance at experiencing the track the same way … and, since it was our first time playing (for either of us), it also raised some pretty interesting conversations.

“What the hell do those red arrows do?”
“How the hell should I know?”
*crash into a tirewall*

XBOX Live also ran without a hitch for me. Which made me quite happy. Speechless, really. Flawless.

For having such outstanding multiplayer value, I grant FM2 a near-perfect 9 out of 10.

Bonus

The primary bonus of this game is simply the astounding length of the entire thing. And, since I’ve unfortunately already discussed the length of the game and referenced it in the sections above, it wouldn’t be fair for me to add it again to the bonus. So, for the first time ever, there is no bonus for this game.

Overall, Forza Motorsport 2 has scored a near-perfect score of 9.5, proudly claiming its victory as the Gears of War for the racing universe, not just for the XB360 but across all platforms.

Whoo! And that’s that, once again. Yet another review I can tuck under my belt as experience. I had an extremely fun time and, much like a crack fiend and his crack dealer, I must give many thanks to Nico of M80 Teams for fueling my addiction even once more!

Hoo-rah!

I’d definitely recommend this game to a fan of any videogame genre anywhere. Even if you don’t think you like racing games, definitely give this one a try. It’s worth it. Bigtime.

And with that I’m off to do some more racing!!

… zoom-zoom, sucka!

--Reaper