Nicktoons MLB Review

Rated E

Review based on XBox 360 Version (Downloaded from XBox Marketplace)

Buy at Amazon

Rent at Gamefly

Maybe I'm not the best person to review this since I haven't seen a Nicktoon since the mid 90's when Ren and Stimpy were first on and when Doug was actually a Nicktoon (Doug later became a Disney property by 2000), but around the All-Star Break, XBox Marketplace had the game on sale for $2.99. It was 90% off! It was cheaper than renting it and it took only 1.6 GB of Hard Drive. So I figured I'd give it a try.

I guess you can say that this is a kid-friendly version of The Bigs, the arcade-like MLB game 2K created a couple years back. It still has the violent collision at the plate occur when there's a play at the plate. Maybe they should have had that option depend on which Nicktoon character is the runner. Prince Zuko or Yak would make since, but Kitty Katswell or Katara bowling the catcher over is rather weird at times.

If you like Nicktoons and enjoy baseball, then this game is a fun little romp for you. If you're not a Nicktoons fan, I would suggest just renting this game. If you have an XBox 360, it's an easy way to get some Achievement points.

Grade: B-

Grand Theft Auto V First Review

Rated M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Review based on XB360 version.

So, I'm 46% into this game according to the 100% checklist in the game and I can tell you that this GTA so far is the best GTA since Vice City (my personal favorite) and surprisingly a more fun game than the last two Saints Row games. Rockstar fixed what I considered the one weakness of GTAIV: the fun and humor. GTAIV was a little too serious with its plotline about Niko's previous life was kind of a downer and the insistence of having to have relationships and friends was annoying to me. I know relationships where in GTA: San Andreas, but it was a minor part of the game.

This game has a neat little way to spice things up. If you're driving around, the GPS will occasionally flash and an event happens. Usually some characters purse or vehicle is stolen and you chase after the character (one woman's pink classic car was stolen and it took forever to kill the carjacker and bring it back), then you have the choice to keep the car or money or return it and do a good deed. Sometimes a character is on the side of the road and needs to go to another place and you drive them there. One time I got out of the game in a forested area of SA and a mountain lion attacked and killed me. That was kind of weird.

The storytelling is great. Franklin (kind of similar to Carl for SA), Michael (a dead ringer for Tommy Versetti in Vice City) and Trevor are great characters who are very different people who have different experiences in the game (some characters can do certain things that only they can do, like Trevor is the only one that does "Rampages")

I'm just short of halfway on the game and so far I've robbed a jewelry store, stole a weapon from a Blackwater-like group (then gave it back) and of course stolen cars, shot at people and ran from the cops. In GTAV, the cops aren't directly on you like other GTA games (and most notably Saints Row IV, since Steelport is a simulation, the cops appear from thin air and you have to chase a golden CID at fast running speeds to lose your wanted level). If you cause enough trouble, you have to try to hide from cops on the street. On your GPS, little flashing red and blue dots appear with cones that show their line of sight appear. If you avoid the cops, your wanted level disappears. Now, I imagine that it's not the same if you do something right in front of (or especially at) a cop, but I haven't done that yet.

So, halfway in, my review of GTAV is: A