PixlBit

While you may have not have, I had heard quite a bit about NeverDead before it was released, and many of the concepts it was supposed to implement seemed unique and interesting. Since death has been handled in many different ways throughout the gaming timeline, I was intrigued to try a new take on a health system in which you technically could not die. The main character was supposed to be slowly ripped to pieces as enemies hurt him, forcing players to fight with whatever parts they had left in a method many had originally compared to Devil May Cry. Unfortunately, the game failed to deliver in all of these ways and many others as well, thus the sounding better than it actually wound up abstract. 

They actually tie together pretty nicely; in a metaphorical sense anyway. As I interpreted it, climbing the block mountain is purely symbolic of the real world struggle to work out a solution to a problem. In Vincent's case, his situation became increasingly more complicated and in turn, so did the puzzles. 

Usually I don't think that I analyze or feel a certain way about a game based on my gender, however I'd be lying if I said I don't think being female impacted my perception and overall judgment of the story.

Since the topics at hand are familiar territory for my age group as well, it was intially intriguing to see the topics presented bluntly. Two things bothered me though: the women were never really explored, leaving them both to seem like two extreme female stereotypes, and Vincent's character only evolved at the very end...after some really odd events. 

Indecisivness is a trait that irks me in my personal life, as is being unable to grow up and enter the world of adulthood, so Vincent couldn't have been more unnappealing as an individual to me. Every problem or crossroad that he encountered was a catastrophic situation, and the dramatization of everything was ridiculous.

On top of Vincent sweating and going into cardiac arrest every time he merely saw one of the Catherines, the women were also completely one dimensional. Catherine was apparently nothing more than a brain dead blonde bimbo with great T and A, and Katherine was the uptight bitch who wanted to lead around a man by a spiked collar. 

To me, none of the characters were properly explored, and the issue itself was greatly exxagerated. Because of this, it felt like the game squandered any potential it could have had at seriously discussing and effectively illustrating a very delicate and common issue that many people struggle with.

All these segments are making me even more impatient to get my night of spooky gaming going. Funny enough, I'll play through video games creepy enough to give someone nightmares, but I refuse to watch horror movies. Anyone else like that?

Penny Arcade did a funny comic on this two days ago, which sums up my initial thoughts about the news pretty well.

I'm not a big fighting game fan, but if i can take out TWO players at once, I just might be willing to give it a go.

That's actually a really good point. When I initially went back to play the first game to start the R&C recap, I popped the original into my PS3. Like you said, the lag was simply atrocious. Everything from turning the camera to jumping and attacking suffered from extreme slowdown thanks to the emulation. I was pretty sure that the original game didn't have slowdown like that so, sure enough, once I put it in the PS2, it played smoothly.

I'm surprised that the 60 GB PS3 would have issues like that though, since all I've ever heard is praise for its ability to emulate older games much better than the 80 GB PS3 (which is what I own), thanks to the Emotion Engine.

You're right. The point of a "sequel" is to stay true to the roots of its predecessor. Unfortunately, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is the fifth game in the series. That being said, I think you may be misunderstanding what myself, and perhaps plenty of other reviewers say when we state that we wish the series would evolve. By no means do I want someone to change the core genre or give Kratos a gigantic gun. What I do wish is that they'd make the puzzles more differed, add to the platforming, stray from the painful linearity a bit, and make the combat complicated enough that players actually HAVE to use some of the really awesome combos they unlock.

The first time I played the original God of War, I was captivated by the worlds, the characters, and the gameplay. As a person who has always deeply loved and read up on Greek mythology, I couldn't have asked for a better game. When the sequel released, I was excited to continue Kratos' quest, and was happy to see the core gameplay kept intact. But after yet another game exploring locations that looked very much the same and fighting the same types of enemies, I was ready for God of War to give me something new. When it didn't, I lost a bit of faith in the series that it could do new things while keeping the soul the same.

Evolution is a very important and critical component of good game design and is what drives this industry forward. If everyone thought like you, we'd all still be playing with our Ataris. You use Resident Evil 4 as an example of how evolving a series has harmed it, and I can't really understand how. Sure, it took Resident Evil in a new direction, and as someone who is a huge fan of survival horror, I was initially weary of the title. But no matter how much I loved the original Resident Evil formula, I wasn't going to convince myself that omitting the circular controls wasn't a good idea, or that creating enemies that dodged your aim and could figure out how to attack you wasn't cool just because I was annoyed that it strayed from the original formula.

I understand where, as a fan, you get upset when people criticize a title you love, but you are taking it way out of context. I'm actually a bit surprised by your flagrant reaction considering I scored the game 4/5 stars, and praised it for being fun throughout. As a reviewer, I can't ignore a game's flaws, and, whether you agree with it or not, never changing is a problem. Titles that don't ever evolve are destined to fade into obscurity.

Breaking News! Jason is planning on doing a special video review of the Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove title for WiiWare. Can't wait to see you show off some of those snazzy dance moves. :D

Great comic Matt!

Who knew me and a ReDead would have something in common.

I think the level you're referring to is the "boss" level with the spiked round objects. Unlike the earlier, similar levels, the later ones aren't very generous with the particular objects you need to eliminate. The only trick that may help you is to constantly reset the level until you get the right combination of power-ups. The hourglass one is great if you keep running out of time, as it will give you a decent time boost every time you fill it up. If you're running into a situation where all the matchable objects are segregated into an inconvenient area, then the bomb barrel power-up will allow you to blow away an unmatchable area and hopefully make matching a bit quicker and easier.

Also, not being able to pass a level in this game most certainly has nothing to do with a lack of intelligence, so don't feel bad. Sometimes success in games like this boil down to mere luck; the pieces being in the right places at the right time.