Joe Redifer's Super-Awesome Reviews!!!! - Page 36

Nem · 05-03-2005, 03:04 PM

Great reviews Joe. I also enjoyed the 4th disk in Shenmue 2. It was a change of pace like the calm after the storm. It was a marvelous touch. Besides introducing a much longed for character.

gearhound · 05-03-2005, 07:30 PM

i never really got into shenmue. i did play it for a little bit; it was neat

Sinful Sam · 05-03-2005, 09:23 PM

Shenmue rocked. Very underated series.

SavedFromSin · 05-04-2005, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinful Sam

Shenmue rocked. Very underated series.

whatcha talkin bout willis? when shenmue came out all you did was trash on it. why the sudden turn around?

Joe Redifer · 05-04-2005, 02:22 AM

Maybe he played it.

Joe Redifer · 05-04-2005, 03:53 AM

I was bored so I made this little tribute to the Shenmue 70 man battle theme. I only spent a few hours making it, so don't give me ther 3rd degree!

Click to download and listen
3.15 MB.

Sinful Sam · 05-04-2005, 04:51 AM

I don?t really remember trashing it.

I remember watching my friend playing Shenmue for the first time and he didn?t do anything in the game just walk around and buy items from the machines and talk to random people and I found it boring, but when I played it for myself I thought the game was really well done. I do remember my friend joking around saying that the game is so real it?s boring.

Thanks for Shenmue Sort, Joe. :cool guy:

Joe Redifer · 05-08-2005, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin_credible

How about a review for my favorite game...Super Metroid.

OK I reacquired Super Metroid, but it seems to be nothing but a maze game. It is not as addictive as Castlevania Symphony of the Night. EGM said Super Metroid was the best game ever made.

Nephlabobo · 05-09-2005, 03:43 PM

Very nice review of Shenmue man.

Well written and well thought out. My only complaint with Shenmue is that the last disc feels a bit like padding. I mean, it was interesting doing all the day to day things in a game but the drudgery of a crap job in a video game was just a bit too much for me.

Vicviper · 05-11-2005, 10:09 AM

Joe Redifer watched me beat Gunsmoke on Monday so I feel he is writing a review as I type this. It will be a review from a 3rd person perspective as he didn't actually play the game.

Nem · 05-11-2005, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicviper

Joe Redifer watched me beat Gunsmoke on Monday so I feel he is writing a review as I type this. It will be a review from a 3rd person perspective as he didn't actually play the game.

hmmm... trying to undermine his review are we

Chrono081 · 05-11-2005, 06:23 PM

I love both Shenmue games. And they have one of the best mini-games of all time, Darts

Paper exe · 05-13-2005, 07:02 PM

Joe, why did you not reivew any SEGA GameGear game?

Joe Redifer · 05-13-2005, 11:39 PM

Well I might review the Game Gear Space Harrier later someday.

Joe Redifer · 05-13-2005, 11:51 PM

Phantasy Star 2
7/10
Sega Genesis

Some of the WORST box art EVER!!

Not long after the Genesis came out Sega followed up their biggest hit ever with a sequel, and thus we got Phantasy Star 2. The same team made this game who made the first, so it should be outstanding with all of that extra power the brand new Genesis affords, right? Well, not really. They did tack on a bit more memory and gave us the biggest console game EVER MADE at a whopping 6 megabits, which was unheard of. That's almost a freakin' megabyte! Phantasy Star 1 was only 4 megabits AND it was on the inferior Sega Master System, so the sequel should pound its ass into the ground! But it doesn't even come close.

Story: 6/10
When all is said and done, the story is fairly good. It's just not told very well. You pick it up in extremely scattered bits and pieces. There are never any clear objectives and that's why the game comes with a 110-page walkthrough. You will see a few things from Phantasy Star 1, such as the Motavian natives, the Dezorians, and even Noah. The planets have all been renamed because the Genesis is not powerful enough to handle words with more than 4 letters in them. Palma has become Palm, Motavia has become Mota, and Dezoris has become Dezo. Motavia, which was a desert planet in the original game, is now lush and green thanks to the mother brain which controls everything. But it has been screwing up lately, and now you must save the ENTIRE UNIVERSE. Even though you are saving worlds, merchants still feel the need to charge you for weapons and services, even though they will die if you don't succeed. I never understood that about RPG's. Also, Phantasy Star 2 kills off a major female character midgame. Square ripped off Sega when they killed that Aeris b!tch in Final Fantasy 7. Sega did it first, and Sega is better.

Amy talks to the people who are responsible for the box art.

Graphics: 6/10
The graphics are inferior in every way compared to Phantasy Star 1 except for overall resolution. The overhead maps are about the same quality here, but the dungeons which were really cool and smoothly animated in 3D on the 8-bit system, are limited to overhead scrolling with a bunch of pipes in the way here. And then there are the battles. Every single battle in the game without exception takes place on a boring blue grid. In Phantasy Star 1, the battle graphics changed depending on where you were, and they were richly detailed and animated. Even the enemies seem smaller and uglier in this game. It is sad that the graphics in this 16-bit 6-meg game are bested by its 8-bit 4-meg prequel. And how!

Yup, all of the battles look this boring.

Sound: 7/10
The music is probably the best part about the game. Scored by Tokuhiko "Bo" Uwabo just like the first game, the music sounds fairly high quality here and is, for the most part, enjoyable to listen to. Tokuhiko "Bo" Uwabo also did the music for Space Harrier II, so if you just happened to trade Phantasy Star 2 for Space Harrier 2, then at least you will still have music that originated from the same guy, and that's all that matters. The sound effects are AWFUL, though. They are extremely scratchy FM and sound very, very thin. Cover your ears whenever a sound effect happens. It is worst during the battles. Fortunately there is a sound test in the game, but they only let you listen to tunes that you've already heard. I think I liked the music in Phantasy Star 1 just as much as this game, for the most part, if not moreso.

Here is a scene from Phantasy Star 1 to remind
you that Phantasy Star used to be awesome.

Gameplay: 7/10
Run around. Fight. Level up. Buy more crap. Run around mazes and find something. Repeat. That's about the extent of it. You also encounter and recruit tons and tons of different individuals this time around, each needing to be leveled up and shopped for. ANNOYING! I liked how in Phantasy Star 1 I only had the 4 characters to worry about, not a crapload which need to be rotated out and upgraded! Now if I could travel with all of them at once, then maybe I would like it. They all seem to be there at the end of the game, how I do not know. The characters are also really poor fighters, too. In battle, they miss A LOT! It seems that almost half of the attacks register as "MISS". It really pisses me off. Another thing that pisses me off is that I have to enter my name each and every time I want to save! I also do not enjoy that each character has their own inventory, so you must cycle through tons of different screens instead of just one giant inventory collection to get to an item. They definitely took a step backwards in the gameplay department from the original game as well. It gets pretty boring because all you do is roam around and fight. That's it. Somehow Phantasy Star 1 made it seem so much more interesting. Phantasy Star 2 could be better, but it does have value and is entertaining. It also has a certain addictive quality to it that keeps you coming back.

Look! Straight ahead... giant lettuce or cabbage!

Wrap up:
Well I wouldn't recommend trading this straight up for Space Harrier 2, but it isn't the best Phantasy Star ever, either. If you really want to go back to the roots, pick up Phantasy Star 4, even though that game STILL doesn't have the cool 3D dungeons. I guess the Genesis wasn't as powerful as the Master System or something.

To read my review of Phantasy Star click HERE.
To read my review of Phantasy Star 2, print out this page, scan it into your computer, then print it out again.
To read my review of Phantasy Star 3 click HERE.
To read my review of Phantasy Star 4 click HERE.

05-03-2005, 03:04 PM	#526
Nem Smash bro! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: EU Posts: 10,131	Great reviews Joe. I also enjoyed the 4th disk in Shenmue 2. It was a change of pace like the calm after the storm. It was a marvelous touch. Besides introducing a much longed for character. __________________ "Only those with narrow minds fail to see that the definition of Impossible is "Lack of imagination and incentive"" - DUNE:BJ

05-03-2005, 07:30 PM	#527
gearhound Versus the World Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: can't tell you Posts: 3,061	i never really got into shenmue. i did play it for a little bit; it was neat __________________ I do not have a signature.

05-03-2005, 09:23 PM	#528
Sinful Sam gnarf! gnarf! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Five min away from SavedFromSin Posts: 8,822	Shenmue rocked. Very underated series. __________________ Join our Discord channel!!! https://discord.gg/htgtYqy

05-04-2005, 04:51 AM	#532
Sinful Sam gnarf! gnarf! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Five min away from SavedFromSin Posts: 8,822	I don?t really remember trashing it. I remember watching my friend playing Shenmue for the first time and he didn?t do anything in the game just walk around and buy items from the machines and talk to random people and I found it boring, but when I played it for myself I thought the game was really well done. I do remember my friend joking around saying that the game is so real it?s boring. Thanks for Shenmue Sort, Joe. :cool guy: __________________ Join our Discord channel!!! https://discord.gg/htgtYqy

05-11-2005, 06:23 PM	#537
Chrono081 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Tennessee Posts: 319	I love both Shenmue games. And they have one of the best mini-games of all time, Darts Last edited by Chrono081; 05-11-2005 at 07:42 PM.

05-04-2005, 02:22 AM	#530
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	Maybe he played it.

05-04-2005, 03:53 AM	#531
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	I was bored so I made this little tribute to the Shenmue 70 man battle theme. I only spent a few hours making it, so don't give me ther 3rd degree! Click to download and listen 3.15 MB.

05-09-2005, 03:43 PM	#534
Nephlabobo Banned Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Carbombia Posts: 2,688	Very nice review of Shenmue man. Well written and well thought out. My only complaint with Shenmue is that the last disc feels a bit like padding. I mean, it was interesting doing all the day to day things in a game but the drudgery of a crap job in a video game was just a bit too much for me.

05-11-2005, 10:09 AM	#535
Vicviper Hello handsome! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 3,081	Joe Redifer watched me beat Gunsmoke on Monday so I feel he is writing a review as I type this. It will be a review from a 3rd person perspective as he didn't actually play the game.

05-13-2005, 07:02 PM	#538
Paper exe Pwnd Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 9,118	Joe, why did you not reivew any SEGA GameGear game?

05-13-2005, 11:39 PM	#539
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	Well I might review the Game Gear Space Harrier later someday.

05-13-2005, 11:51 PM	#540
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	Phantasy Star 2 7/10 Sega Genesis Some of the WORST box art EVER!! Not long after the Genesis came out Sega followed up their biggest hit ever with a sequel, and thus we got Phantasy Star 2. The same team made this game who made the first, so it should be outstanding with all of that extra power the brand new Genesis affords, right? Well, not really. They did tack on a bit more memory and gave us the biggest console game EVER MADE at a whopping 6 megabits, which was unheard of. That's almost a freakin' megabyte! Phantasy Star 1 was only 4 megabits AND it was on the inferior Sega Master System, so the sequel should pound its ass into the ground! But it doesn't even come close. Story: 6/10 When all is said and done, the story is fairly good. It's just not told very well. You pick it up in extremely scattered bits and pieces. There are never any clear objectives and that's why the game comes with a 110-page walkthrough. You will see a few things from Phantasy Star 1, such as the Motavian natives, the Dezorians, and even Noah. The planets have all been renamed because the Genesis is not powerful enough to handle words with more than 4 letters in them. Palma has become Palm, Motavia has become Mota, and Dezoris has become Dezo. Motavia, which was a desert planet in the original game, is now lush and green thanks to the mother brain which controls everything. But it has been screwing up lately, and now you must save the ENTIRE UNIVERSE. Even though you are saving worlds, merchants still feel the need to charge you for weapons and services, even though they will die if you don't succeed. I never understood that about RPG's. Also, Phantasy Star 2 kills off a major female character midgame. Square ripped off Sega when they killed that Aeris b!tch in Final Fantasy 7. Sega did it first, and Sega is better. Amy talks to the people who are responsible for the box art. Graphics: 6/10 The graphics are inferior in every way compared to Phantasy Star 1 except for overall resolution. The overhead maps are about the same quality here, but the dungeons which were really cool and smoothly animated in 3D on the 8-bit system, are limited to overhead scrolling with a bunch of pipes in the way here. And then there are the battles. Every single battle in the game without exception takes place on a boring blue grid. In Phantasy Star 1, the battle graphics changed depending on where you were, and they were richly detailed and animated. Even the enemies seem smaller and uglier in this game. It is sad that the graphics in this 16-bit 6-meg game are bested by its 8-bit 4-meg prequel. And how! Yup, all of the battles look this boring. Sound: 7/10 The music is probably the best part about the game. Scored by Tokuhiko "Bo" Uwabo just like the first game, the music sounds fairly high quality here and is, for the most part, enjoyable to listen to. Tokuhiko "Bo" Uwabo also did the music for Space Harrier II, so if you just happened to trade Phantasy Star 2 for Space Harrier 2, then at least you will still have music that originated from the same guy, and that's all that matters. The sound effects are AWFUL, though. They are extremely scratchy FM and sound very, very thin. Cover your ears whenever a sound effect happens. It is worst during the battles. Fortunately there is a sound test in the game, but they only let you listen to tunes that you've already heard. I think I liked the music in Phantasy Star 1 just as much as this game, for the most part, if not moreso. Here is a scene from Phantasy Star 1 to remind you that Phantasy Star used to be awesome. Gameplay: 7/10 Run around. Fight. Level up. Buy more crap. Run around mazes and find something. Repeat. That's about the extent of it. You also encounter and recruit tons and tons of different individuals this time around, each needing to be leveled up and shopped for. ANNOYING! I liked how in Phantasy Star 1 I only had the 4 characters to worry about, not a crapload which need to be rotated out and upgraded! Now if I could travel with all of them at once, then maybe I would like it. They all seem to be there at the end of the game, how I do not know. The characters are also really poor fighters, too. In battle, they miss A LOT! It seems that almost half of the attacks register as "MISS". It really pisses me off. Another thing that pisses me off is that I have to enter my name each and every time I want to save! I also do not enjoy that each character has their own inventory, so you must cycle through tons of different screens instead of just one giant inventory collection to get to an item. They definitely took a step backwards in the gameplay department from the original game as well. It gets pretty boring because all you do is roam around and fight. That's it. Somehow Phantasy Star 1 made it seem so much more interesting. Phantasy Star 2 could be better, but it does have value and is entertaining. It also has a certain addictive quality to it that keeps you coming back. Look! Straight ahead... giant lettuce or cabbage! Wrap up: Well I wouldn't recommend trading this straight up for Space Harrier 2, but it isn't the best Phantasy Star ever, either. If you really want to go back to the roots, pick up Phantasy Star 4, even though that game STILL doesn't have the cool 3D dungeons. I guess the Genesis wasn't as powerful as the Master System or something. To read my review of Phantasy Star click HERE. To read my review of Phantasy Star 2, print out this page, scan it into your computer, then print it out again. To read my review of Phantasy Star 3 click HERE. To read my review of Phantasy Star 4 click HERE. Last edited by Joe Redifer; 12-29-2005 at 03:00 AM.

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