ganpondorodf

I'd be lying if I said that I've always been a big Resident Evil fan, but upon hearing so damn much about the fourth installment, I decided to see what the fuss was about. I was not disappointed.

I figured that the game would be enjoyable for a while, but I wasn't sure about longevity; I didn't think it would hold my interest. I assumed that once I'd played it for ten minutes, I'd basically seen all it had to offer. I couldn't have been further from the truth. The game's strongest point (there are many, believe me) is its sense of horror. While this may seem obvious, many games (Alone in the Dark, Eternal Darkness etc) fail to accomplish this. No zombies in RE4; you'll be up against fast, smart humans (not to mention some seriously creepy monsters). The sense that you are constantly battling for your life is unrivalled, yet the rewards are also great. The feeling you get from defeating one of the spectacular bosses is reward enough, but there are several unlockables to hold your interest for a LONG time.

Even if there was nothing to unlock, it wouldn't be important; I found that as soon as I completed the game, I wanted to start again. The game's length is superb too. At roughly 20 hours long, it provides days of entertainment without being overly long.

How can I go this far without mentioning the graphics? I'm sure you've heard all about them already; the best fire ever seen in a video game, along with excellent water and outstanding character models and locations make RE4 the best looking console game ever.

What more can I say? The voice acting is much better than we're used to from videogames, helping the narrative involvement. But the best thing to do is go out there and play it yourself: although I don't think I could make myself recommend it to squeamish gamers...

"A worthy follow up to OOT?" "Does it live up to the Zelda name?"

Just two of the many comments that spring to the minds of a lot of people when you say "Majora's Mask". My opinion is different to most. I thought that Ocarina of Time was an extremely weak game, but I won't get into that here. All that matters in this review is Majora's Mask, and what I think sets it apart from any Zelda game released up to that point.

First off, the graphics aren't much of an improvement over OOT's, only the expansion pack offering much of a difference, and the camera remains a bit iffy, but everything else is enormously better than in OOT. The plot (surely the most important feature in any fantasy game?) shows a startlingly original face in this masterpiece, and the Skull Kid is such a brilliant villain, in that he's not ALL bad, he's a victim as well, and it's because of that that he's so much more believable than Ganondorf in OOT. The plot IS extremely strange- the moon's going to crash into the Earth in three days- but it's this weirdness that sets it apart from anything else I've ever experienced. To stop the moon, Link has to travel back in time frequently, so people he's met don't know him, but he keeps the same items.

The music in this new iteration of Zelda is brilliantly written. From the intro theme's gradual change from calm and major to creepy, heavy percussion and strings is phenomenal. The overworld saw the return of the classic "Legend of Zelda" theme, something special to any Zelda fan. The dungeons aren't the games strongpoint, but are much better than OOT's. The Stone Tower Temple is pure genius, and the first time you see it turning upside down, you're sure to freak out. The game has a good level of difficulty too, with the first dungeon fairly easy to see through, but they gradually get tougher, as do the bosses- anyone who's seen Gyorg should know what I mean.

In finishing, I think that when it was first released it was the best Zelda game, only recently surpassed by The Wind Waker. It's emotional, stirring, riveting, at times disturbing, yet gloriously epic. If you want to be sucked into a seriously creepy quest, I suggest you check out The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

When the first Gamecube Legend of Zelda game was shown, there were mixed reactions. Some people, mainly the specialist press, kept an open mind. The larger group though, was the group who hated it, solely for the cel-shaded graphics (makes them look like a cartoon).

I liked the look of it, and when it was released, many who before had complained non-stop about it were silenced. Everything in the game is just so well put together, it's quite hard to believe it. The story is original, and the dungeons incredibly designed. The villain of the story is breath-takingly cool (unlike that of Ocarina of Time) and every enemy is blessed with fantastic detail and expressions. The main characters benefit from a rich amount of back-story, but I won't spoil anything here. Although sailing back and forth CAN get tedious at times, you'll soon learn not to let it bother you, as you become immersed in what I believe is the greatest game ever created. Well done, Nintendo.