Inside Pulse launched on August 9, 2004, and has covered the world of gaming for over a decade. Every day, we take a look back at what was happening in the world of gaming 10 years ago, as reported right here at Inside Pulse/Diehard Gamefan!
THE TRIBUNAL: Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2)
*The crowd gathers into the fabled Inside Pulse Tribunal Stadium*
Attention! Attention! All will come to order!
*The crowd refuses to quiet down.*
We meet in the fabled Tribunal hall today to pass judgment on a game that rarely sees releases in America, but is greatly appreciated for its intellectual components. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, rise and step forward.
*The game does so.*
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, you’ve been brought forward to prove yourself to us, and to the world. You come from a series with a strong cult following, and a strong Inside Pulse presence thanks to people like Alex Lucard. You are an RPG series that does not put the focus on superficial elements, but on a story based on theology that will make the player think. Not many SMT games have been released in the US, but those that were have garnered good reactions from the public. But will YOU? That is the question we shall answer today…
Your judges today are Alex Lucard, Lee Baxley, and Chuck Platt. What will be their judgment in…THE TRIBUNAL?!?!?
Review: Jak 3 (PS2)
So many trilogies have come to end over the last couple of years, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and finally the storyline of Jak and Daxter. The end to what started off as a light hearted colorful platform game and then reinvented its image in the sequel is here, though with not as large of a change as was seen between the first and second games. Some loose ends and nagging questions left over from the original title are finally settled here, but the biggest question remains to be answered, is Jak 3 any good?
Review: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)
The big two. Well, actually we should call it the big three now that Sly2 stepped up the game, right? So we’ve got, Jak & Daxter. Sly Cooper. And Ratchet & Clank. It’s amazing that Nintendo used to define this genre. But with three quality franchises, if you’re among today’s platformer lovers the place to be as weird as it is to say, is the PlayStation2.
But Jak and Ratchet have always garnered the most attention. I’m a Jak & Daxter series guy myself. The charm and personality exuding from those games eclipses nearly everything I’ve seen in this generation of gaming. My beloved Sonic Team’s efforts included. Ratchet & Clank? A close second. But if you haven’t noticed, with third iterations for both series hitting this year there’s been in-staff debates for quite some time on which would end up better. Jak 3 or Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal.
I’ll tell you right now, I like Jak 3 more.
“Whoa whoa whoa, Bebito! You can’t say that at the beginning of a review! Doesn’t that mean you’re biased?”
Yup. But that’s the beauty of our review system here at Inside Pulse. It forces you to examine each and every part of a game and nitpick at every single piece of it to the point of insanity. Reviewers can’t get away with being biased, because if they try it becomes all too apparent to the reader. Better still, even if you disagree with the Final Score, whatever the reasons, it’s been explained in enough detail for you to come to your own informed decision.
So with that said, let’s see what one biased writer’s review has to say about his runner-up favorite franchise…
Pulse Cannon
Hello there. This is Michael’s clone, Mikael, I’ll be filling in on the Pulse Cannon this week as Michael is busy finishing up his Metal Gear Solid 3 review. Michael has left a list of games that he played in the past two weeks. What can go wrong? Anyway, the games Michael has been playing these past two weeks include: Halo 2, Rome: Toga War, and Burnout 3, which I assume is his state of mind and why he activated me. On with the games then, shall we?
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