(Issue 208!) JournalistMan.exe

[Superliger]

I saw the advertisement and it looked good. I'm the advertisement is worth more then the game. (I don't have a ds btw)

[Mega Heroes]

Anywayz... They could give the game play a more easy feeling:

1. The POW moves needs a DS stylus combo. Not wrong but, i liked the version of Naruto DS Rpg. There you only have to scratch the Screen with your stylus.

2. Not only game play but... Amy has a "boyfriend" (DEXTER!?)... and she has a different personality now... oh yeah! She is not Sonic fan 1#! That ruins
the canonization of the franshise.

3. Wh are there only 13 characters playable? Why is Eggman not playable? That was a bummer. I think he needs more playable time in Sonic Games. His role is little again! that's stupid.

4. Enemies are not really Sonic. No Phi's, no Gamma clones, no Chaos, no Eggpawns or Badniks we normally now. That's a bum!

5. Why do we have to chase enemies when they run!? Are we chasing Pokémons when they ran away in the Safrai zone like a race game!? It's atleast not like the Car Road scene in Ghostbusters NES and ATARI.

6. I expected that you had not to do so much with stylus! If they used a Mario & Luigi Battle Engine and stuff, then it was okay!

7. I bet that if Sega or Nintendo helped with the RPg, then it was a lot better i hope.

Anything beside that, it's a good game...

2: Amy made Dexter up to impress Sonic.
3: Eggman IS playable.
7: GTFO

Thanks for your time.

Ok. But still the game is hard, if you only have a normal DS stylus.
(Eggman is playable and Amy made up yeah!)

[Ultimecia]

I might try as soon I get a working R4.

I really don't know what's up with Sega lately. I've only played Sonic 06 demo at a store and died due a LAG. Can you believe that? And who had the brilliant idea of making Shadow a gangsta in Shadow the Hedgehog?

Can you guys tell me a bit of what the story is about? Keep the spoilers to a minimum, plz XD

[Confessor]

Shit goes down in Green Hill Zone

You have to go kill robots

[Gooniez]

I got this game yesterday. Not bad, not bad at all. Although, the eyes look wierd after winning a battle, but other than that...

[Clutch]

This really isn't that bad of a game. It suffers from presentation issues, but I recommend putting up with it through the early stages of the game. It gets A LOT better as you continue on.

[PrettyNier]

it would be funny if dexter killed amy because he's a murderer

lol tv joke lololol

man did you see the way dexter killed freebo

and then miguel prado came up and was like WHATS ALL THIS THEN

and then Dex bullshitted his way through it and prado was like

I LOVE YOU BRO

shit was tight

[GrooveMan.exe]

No matter what type of gamer you are (or what type of gamer other people make you out to be) there's one type of game we ALL hate. And that's the low-budget game. More affectionately known as 'Shovelware' by some gaming enthusiasts, it's the type of game that's produced on a tiny budget, and even smaller production values. You've probably seen a few collecting dust in your local game store; or the time your grandmother decided to get you a videogame for your birthday.

There's something of a mantra said by hardcore Nintendo and Retro fans: "Graphics aren't everything. Gameplay is what matters." This may be true, but for a game to be enjoyable, it still has to be made with decent production values - coded, drawn, and composed with love and care. Rush the presentation and you end up with... Sonic Chronicles, I suppose.

To that end, I am extremely happy to say that Time Hollow - a point 'n' click adventure game for the DS produced by Konami - is not one of these low-effort-low-profit games, but a beautifully well thought-out piece that's a joy to play.

Everything about the game oozes quality. From the energetic opening theme (which was so good, Konami first released it as a DDR tune), to the extremely detailed settings and character art, it's easy to see the effort put into the game. The game feels so much like an anime, and in a way it is - there are several cutscenes that are fully animated and voiced.

The gameplay is very familiar territory. If you've played a DS point 'n' click game before (or heck, pretty much any game of the genre), then you won't find anything new and stunning, but it's the plot that brings things together. To give you the quick and dirty explanation, you play as Ethan Kairos, a 16 year old who collects watches for a hobby. On his 17th birthday, he bugs his parents for a new watch. Instead of getting his present, his parents vanish into thin air, and his reality is altered as if they never lived with him at all. They leave him a 'Hollow Pen', a tool capable of creating a Time Holes, letting Ethan change things in the past. With only his grumpy (but badass) uncle and his cat left in his family, Ethan abuses the space-time continuum left and right; averting accidents, reversing murders, and trying to find his parents again.

Creating a Time Hole is easy enough (although you can only do so when the game says you can). You see the real world frozen in time on the bottom screen, with a memory of an event in the past on top. Using them as a 'spot the difference' puzzle, you draw a time hole with the stylus where you want to investigate. There are a few occasions where you can choose to 'investigate' some of the lady schoolfriends our hero has, but Ethan flatly refuses. Spoilsport.

One thing I worried about was the story being riddled with plot holes as well as Time Holes, but my fears thankfully weren't founded. The game throws new theories and twists at you near constantly, and all go off without a hitch - or at least not without a reasonable explanation. Soap drama-like incidents happen with cheesy-yet-gripping regularity. There are even one or two gameplay options that you can take that'll alter the flow of the story for a while. The game is full of small touches like these. My personal favourite is the inventory menu; modelled after a watch's innards, there's a wonderfully satisfying click and whir of gears as you scroll through the menu options.

However, the game sadly isn't without flaws. With all the astounding effort they put into the game to make it a joy to play, they forgot to make the game longer. Like an over-enthusiastic lover, it's over far too quickly, and leaves you wanting more. The extra plot directions are nice, but they're brief, and aren't enough to sate your hunger for space-time abuse. Although the music is extremely well composed; some of the loops are very short; and you'll grow tired of a few tunes rather quickly.

Despite these drawbacks, Time Hollow is an extremely polished game that fans of the genre will happily devour. Just devour it slowly.

[Gooniez]

Woah, just found two glitches.

1. I was in battle, and Eggman just defeated the last robot in the battle. Then, Tails decides to attack the dead robot, and he does. He got knocked back.

2. I was on Planet Kron, and I was chasing a Nocturnous (spelling?). I was about to enter battle, when the Nocturnous simply walks off the path and starts walking outside the path in mid air.

Wierd.

[GrooveMan.exe]

Probably because (and as I've said a few times now) the game is unploshed/unfinished. Maybe not '06 bad, but still shoddy.

Also why is this thread still alive and my second review getting no posts? You people should play the actually good game. >_>

[Phantom Killah]

Sounds interesting.

[Geo the Fox]

.... Mmmm. *takes notes*

...Oh, sounds... pretty cool, I guess. Not my cup of tea, however.

[Confessor]

because lots of people like this game too

[Rubbers]

actually it's probably because sonic games are common targets for retards to come in and build up their nerdy ass forum cred by giving their two cents on a game they've never played, whereas Time Hollow or whatever is a game that nobody's heard of and people are afraid to leave their little safety blanket

p.s. considering the game was done by bioware, who've done excellent rpgs so far (KOTOR, Mass Effect) i'm somewhat disappointed. i'll admit i was actually kinda looking forward to seeing if bioware was gonna turn it around but i guess i get to eat shit

p.p.s. grooveman your reviews are professional as heck

[GrooveMan.exe]

Thanks bro, it's what I'm aiming for.

Gonna use these in my creative writing portfolio for uni. B)