Category: EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly)


EGM Review: Trials Evolution

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June 2, 2012

Darwin’s Daredevils

The original Trials HD won over the hearts of wannabe daredevils everywhere when it first crashed (literally and figuratively) onto the scene in 2009 with its tight controls and the simple, yet addictive game play of a motorcycle rider working his way through insane and twisted obstacle courses. So, when a sequel was announced, fans everywhere double-checked their life insurance and prepared to start smashing and crashing all over again.

And it’s a good thing they did because both fans of the original Trials HD and gamers who may have missed it the first time around, but are curious about the hype, will find that with just a few tweaks and expansions to that original base concept, Trials Evolution has done just that: it has evolved. Mind you, the core is still pure and simple. You are a motorcycle rider tasked with working his way through a series of insane courses that range from some simple slopes in the countryside early on to doing back flips through dilapidated factories or jumping the mini-canyons that have opened up between parts of a rickety wooden roller coaster as the game gets progressively more difficult.

The key part to making these obstacle courses so fun and exhilarating though is the tight controls. Every flick of the joystick that helps shift your rider’s weight as you try to maneuver your way though each course with as few crashes as possible, while still maintaining top speed (or at least close to it) in order to beat the clock, is as fine-tuned as ever and is definitely not for the ham-handed. This gives the game a difficulty at times that older gamers may liken to the classic perilous platforming of a Mega Man and although this may frustrate and turn off some less patient gamers, the feeling of satisfaction for a hard track mastered is second to none.

But there is a lot more to this game that just the several dozen obstacle courses laid out for you in the single player mode and a chance at working your high score onto the leaderboards. Trials Evolution now also features a 4-player versus mode where players will take on the same course, side by side, and attempt to win a series of races that almost have an Excitebike feel to them. Crashes are, of course, penalized so not only is it a race against your opponents, but just like in the single player, the richest rewards are for those who can maintain their balance on their two-wheeler the entire way through.

The grandest addition to the game though may be the expansion of one of the original game’s most illustrious features: the track builder. Now, there are two different versions. A ‘lite’ version that is similar to the first game’s and a ‘pro’ version that is actually the same track builder that the developer used to build each track in the single player mode. This offers possibly unlimited replay value for Trials Evolution as the community is challenged with making tracks that are worthy of the Trials name. And with tons of zany new additions, like UFOs or Jetpacks being your transportation mode of choice instead of your standard motorcycle, the possibilities are near endless.

Trials Evolution does have a couple of minor shortcomings. Obviously, there is no real story to the single player mode and the audio can get repetitive. As you progress and crash more and more, hearing the same crunch as the last time you crashed can get on your nerves a little is all I’m saying and I think having a licensed music selection would’ve been a lot more in the game’s interest than the generic stuff we hear throughout instead.

With Microsoft officially launching their ‘Arcade Next’ promotion with this game, marking that XBLA games can now feature up to 400 Gamerscore a pop, it is very fitting that Evolution is in the title. And if I were looking to start a new promotion, there are few games that I think could get you off on the right foot more than Trials Evolution. Great game play, an expansive track builder, more interactivity with the community than ever before, and considering it’s $15 (1200 MSP) price tag, Trials Evolution is a must have download for gamers everywhere.

SUMMARY:  Fans of the original Trials will love the steps the series has taken to move forward while being more open for newcomers to jump right in and have fun with it. It can be a bit frustrating at times though, as the game almost has an old-school platformer feel to it being easy to learn, but very difficult to master.

  • THE GOOD: Robust track creator, local/online multiplayer
  • THE BAD: Difficulty of some levels may turn off less patient gamers
  • THE UGLY: Slamming helmet first into a low beam just past a high jump

SCORE: 9.5

Trials Evolution is an Xbox 360 (XBLA) exclusive.

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EGM Review: Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat

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Back from the Grave

Fans of the hit Spike TV show Deadliest Warrior are more than familiar with its concept. A pair of history’s greatest factions or individual warriors are pitted against each other in a computer simulated battle after using real-life statistical input by modern experts on their techniques and practices. Using this data, not only does Spike TV put on an entertaining hour long show with three seasons (and hopefully more soon) under its belt, but they’ve put out a pair of games based on some of their most epic match-ups that are meant to relive the highest highs of the show.  And conveniently now, they have compiled both of those downloadable games into one disc, including all the DLC, a bonus arena, and six episodes from Season Three of the show for the price of $29.99.

So, on paper, this is worth it because if you didn’t get these games the first time around, you’re basically getting everything you could’ve bought online via XBLA or PSN, plus half a season of Season Three of the show. But compared to a lot of the other fighting games out there, unfortunately, these games really have trouble stacking up. Although definitely different, fighting fans that aren’t familiar with the show will have a lot of trouble getting into these games, especially with the lack of a life-bar in Legends and the one-hit kills in both games. And since technically Legends is better as a lot of the collision issues from the first game were fixed, the fighting game veterans whose curiosity get the better of them might even pass over the first game altogether.

What really holds these games back though is the depth and replay value because there just aren’t a lot of fighting fans that have stuck with these games so there is little online community to be found to fight against. And the CPU, even with varying difficulty levels, can only offer so much resistance. And if you really were a fan of the series and bought these games the first time around, there is no reason to buy these games again as the only real difference is the TV episodes and a single arena.

So, when all is said and done, Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat is a great bang for your buck if you’re a fan of the franchise, can look past the technical shortcomings, and didn’t get these games online already, but if you’re just a diehard fighting fan or already have these on XBLA or PSN, there is no need to bother with buying this all over again.

SUMMARY: Fans of the SpikeTV show will enjoy having a chance to relive some of the battles they’ve seen on TV and the bonus DVD is nice, but when compared to other entries in the fighting genre, the Deadliest Warrior franchise comes up a little short and won’t satisfy people looking for a deeper fighting experience.

  • THE GOOD: Strong bang for your buck
  • THE BAD: Lacks the polish of other fighters
  • THE UGLY: Post-death twitching corpses

SCORE: 5.0

Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat is available on Xbox 360 (XBLA) and PS3 (PSN). Primary version reviewed was on Xbox 360.

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Hands-On: Dragon Ball Z Kinect

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Kamehameha!

Admittedly, many of us in the press (and I’m sure some of you out there as well) had the same exact reaction when we heard Dragon Ball Z Kinect announced at Global Gamers Day: instant facepalm. The track record thus far for the Kinect adapting hardcore gaming and geek franchises has been, well, less than stellar and with Dragon Ball Z being another cornerstone of geek-dom for a generation, the shoes that this game has to fill to please its intended audience are massive indeed.

Now, since this is a Kinect game, I guess this is more of a “hands free” preview, but nonetheless, at Namco Bandai’s recent Global Gamers Day, Namco had a chance to put their money where their mouth is. And so shortly after the announcement, I was able to put on an orange jumpsuit, spike my hair (Woo! Woo! Woo!), and relive some of the early moments of an anime near and dear to all our hearts when I jumped into Dragon Ball Z Kinect.

The game is supposed to follow the series from the beginning right up through the Boo Saga and so there promises to be a fair amount of depth in the final product, but we started off with an easier, early battle in Raditz vs Goku (or Piccolo if you’d prefer). Our preview time was brief, only the one battle per person, mostly because each battle was so epic and felt like running a mini-marathon. If you were to emerge victorious, the flurry of constant punches and kicks you had to throw would exhaust even some of the more stellar athletes.

The worst part about this though is that, like so many previous Kinect games before it, the game just did not seem to pick me up as accurately as I would have liked. My punches and kicks all came across fine. But when it came to charging up my Kamehameha or other super moves, the world came to a still as both myself and the computer waited for something to happen. Finally, after several tries, I guess I squatted low enough to charge up Goku’s signature move and I blew Raditz to hell, but hopefully in the six months before this game ships, Namco will be able to tweak things to be a bit more responsive.

Aside from this, the game does come across as something that Dragon Ball Z fans may enjoy as you get to relive all your favorite classic battles. And as you unlock more and more of your favorite characters like Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin, you’ll get some replay value from mixing and matching story mode battles with characters who may not have been originally involved. Not to mention the art style stays true to the series and the voice acting comes straight from anime itself so the presentation at least is very strong.

In the end though, until proven otherwise, it’s going to be hard to believe that any game released for the Kinect with a hardcore fan base as its prime audience will come in at a power level of over 9000, just due to the casual nature of the system and its controls. So we will just have to wait and see if Dragon Ball Z Kinect can break out of that mold or will simply be the latest victim to this motion-sensor trend.

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Hands-On: Family Guy Online

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April 16, 2012

It’s FREE-kin’ Sweet!

Brian and Stewie’s adventures in the multiverse. Peter versus the giant chicken. The greased up deaf guy. These are just some of the hysterical moments we think of when we think of Family Guy. Now, in its 10th season and with nearly 200 episodes under it’s belt, including several seasonal and movie based spoofs, it is time for our favorite family from Quahog to invade the digital realm in a way, well, you just might not be ready for.

Family Guy Online looks to immerse you in the world of the animated sitcom in ways you never thought possible by actually putting you inside of Quahog as its newest resident alongside the Griffins. Dubbing itself a Free-to-play ‘MMLOL game’ (Massively multiplayer laugh-out-loud), you’ll get to choose from four classes stemming from the main members of the family (for a small fee you can also unlock the ‘Brian the Dog’ class). There’s the Peter class representing your tanks, the Lois class representing healers, the Meg/Chris teenager class representing your brawlers, and the Stewie class representing your rogue class. And you can customize them to look as outrageous or mundane as you want with chances to unlock more costume parts by completing quests that tie directly into the show.

And the quests are really what will make Family Guy Online stand out. Helping various characters from the show that act as your NPC quest givers, you try to impress the almighty Mayor Adam West in trying to be the best Quahog citizen possible. And if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll want to do every quest as not only does it help you towards the overall end goal of the game, but each quest has unique dialogue performed by the actual cast of the show as well clips that set up each quest to let you know just what episode this task was inspired by. Plus, Adam West serves as your overall narrator and as long as they keep making Family Guy episodes, you can bet there is a good chance to see the game expand later on.

Not to mention, it wouldn’t be Family Guy if you didn’t have insane non-sequiturs. We were able to go hands-on with the first handful of quests available in the game (including trying to set the fastest time record for catching greased up deaf guy, or just smashing Peter’s collection of Trashmen records…we get it…the bird is the word) and after getting over the fact that we were exploring locations like The Griffin’s House or The Drunken Clam, there were literally hundreds of random things in the world to interact with that had nothing to do with the task at hand, like pulling a midget from a well. Just another normal day in Quahog for sure.

What might be the nicest aspect of the game though is that even with (hopefully) a ton of other players online is that the guys from Roadhouse Interactive, the main developers behind Family Guy Online, are trying to craft a personal experience for each player as well as a social one.

“So your first quest when you enter the game is to talk to Peter Griffin. Pretty easy, I know, but we want to hand hold you a little in the beginning. But when you talk to Peter, he actually gets up and out of his lawn chair that he’s lounging in, and talks directly to you. We’re doing some pretty amazing things from a technology standpoint in terms of instantiation for gamers, so even though there are multiple people in the world who may be talking to Peter there, you’ll still see him get up and out of the chair only for you. And this is important to us because the source material, Family Guy, is so character driven. So instead of him just standing there with a question mark over his head, we created a way for the characters to react and engage you specifically and we think that will help the gamer and their created character feel important,” says Roadhouse Interactive Co-Founder and CCO Ian Verchere.

After our brief sojourn in the virtual Quahog, we sadly had to bid farewell, but what we saw had us very excited. The class system is something that MMO fans will immediately be able to recognize and the attacks fit each character class perfectly as we fought off enemies that made sense to the world and quests before us. And when you mix a great looking, fully realized 3D Quahog with solid controls and the classic humor of Family Guy, I think it’s going to be hard for fans not to embrace this digital world when the open beta launches on April 17th, especially considering its F2P status.

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Hands-On: Mark of the Ninja

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Out of the Shadows

Mark of the Ninja puts you in the shoes (or footy pajamas) of a nameless ninja who has been chosen by his respective clan to be their hero in this dire time of need. As part of this process, he has been given special tattoos that grant him peak human abilities (think Captain America’s Super-Soldier serum) so that he can run faster, leap higher, and detect things that no ordinary man would notice. There is a price though. As time goes on, the ninja’s new power will slowly start to drive him mad and so he must complete his mission before he loses his humanity and his clan’s hope for survival is lost along with it.

Although the art scheme and side-scrolling game play will immediately be recognizable to many as Mark of the Ninja is done by the same team who did Shank and Shank 2, this project is more than just a departure for Klei Entertainment from that over-the-top run and gun style, it’s a whole new way of life.

“The genesis of the game really came out of the fact that as an archetype, especially for a stealth game, the fictional construct of the ninja is so rich. But there aren’t actually any ninja games about being a ninja. There’s Tenchu, which came out 14 years ago, and that’s it. A lot of the other ninja games are crazy, over the top action, very much like Shank. And that’s fine and those games are good in their regard, but we thought it was just like a squandered opportunity to not have a stealth game that is actually about being a ninja because you get so much for free from that archetype. You don’t need to explain a lot. You say ‘ninja’ and people immediately understand it and then you can just focus on layering all kinds of nuance, and atmosphere, and themes, and other stuff on top of it,” says Nels Anderson, Klei Entertainment’s Lead Designer on Mark of the Ninja.

And they definitely stuck to their guns with the stealth aspect. I was able to play the tutorial level and was amazed at how many options I had for dispatching potential foes as I hid in bushes, hung from tree branches, smashed lights with ninja daggers, leapt to rooftops with a grappling hook, and crawled through vents in order to ambush and take out some unknown mercenary force who were invading our dojo. The real difficulty of the game seems to come in just making up your mind and choosing a method to take down a foe, not actually figuring out what the method was. And should my choice fail and I was spotted, the advantage was quickly lost and more often than not I was cut down, as ninja stars will typically lose to automatic rifle fire.

The most impressive part of the Mark of the Ninja though may have been how easy it was to lay out those possible paths to my end goal once I got used to the controls due to the feedback I got as a player.

“We wanted all the stealth mechanics to be very, very clear. So, the game isn’t about figuring out what’s going on. ‘Am I concealed? Did that enemy detect this?’ and we didn’t want some awkward analog mechanic or something like that. We wanted to make sure it was obvious. Not ham-fisted beat you over the head obvious. But very clear, very usable, so your surroundings become another tool you have in your arsenal. So the character himself, his appearance completely changes. When you’re in light, when you’re exposed, you can see the colors and detail of the character, but when you’re in darkness, he’s all black with white outlines and red highlights. So you know, just from looking at your character that you’re concealed and safe or vulnerable and exposed and need to get somewhere else,” mentioned Anderson.  

Being able to “see” through doors, see how far the sound of my footsteps would echo, and the clear differences laid out between being in shadow and being in the light made the game play that much more enjoyable.

All in all, it was great that I truly felt like a ninja, more so than in any other game I’ve played in a very long time, as Mark of the Ninja seems to have found that sweet spot of giving you just enough action and just enough puzzle-like challenge and exploration as you figure out enemy positions and work to remove them or avoid them altogether. I am definitely looking forward to tossing some more smoke bombs and shuriken when Mark of the Ninja is released this summer on XBLA.

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Hands-On: Double Dragon: NEON

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Fight for Right with the Might of the Dragon

The 80s were a time when the groundwork for many of today’s great gaming franchises and genres was laid out. This era of 8-bit goodness is what galvanized many of us gamers into becoming the hardcore players of today and still inspires many developers and publishers on the creative side. And one of those classic genres that is still emulated even now is the side-scrolling beat ‘em up. And one of the best of that era was the original Double Dragon.

But even as the side-scrolling beat ‘em up has continued moving ahead, the Double Dragon franchise never moved past the early 90s and so for many of us, a nostalgic piece of our childhood has remained there, never updated or revamped like many other classic franchises of the era. Until now.

At PAX East 2012, we were able to go hands-on and play the first two stages for Double Dragon: NEON, an overdue re-launching of that classic franchise being spearheaded by Majesco Entertainment and WayForward Technologies. This game isn’t just a spruced up port of those original Double Dragon games on the NES and in the arcade though. The best way to describe what we saw overall was a blending of those original beat ‘em ups with some over the top elements from something like Big Trouble in Little China including a spaceship and Marian being strung up in a Kim Cattrall like pose after her kidnapping.

In all this, the game will look to pay homage to those original games while mixing in some tongue-in-cheek 80s humor and references that will make all children of the 80s smile a little bit. You’ll see it in everything from the art style to the high-five co-op mechanic (more on that in a bit). And there are a lot of things that do get carried over from the original games to appeal to the old-school fan.

From the game starting with Marian getting punched in the gut and getting carried off by random thugs, to Abobo being the first boss you face, and Linda still cracking her whip, which you can in turn pick up and use against other foes, old-school fans will hit a lot of recognizable beats before the story starts to take a new direction with the new main antagonist, Skullmageddon. My only concern is that newcomers to the series may immediately see the art style that tries to blend those yesteryear layouts with today’s sensibilities and not pick up on many of the game’s throw-back references and pass on something they don’t quite understand.

In order to help lure in new fans though, the game will look to have the polish we’d expect from a modern title and feature a lot more complex moves and abilities that will take advantage of current controllers. The controls felt great, even in the somewhat early build we played, and a series of new and more involved combos allowed for juggling enemies like never before. There is also a new abilities bar that, although not active in our demo, is supposed to allow you to customize your own 80s mix-tape cassette with a variety of Double Dragon inspired powers like throwing fireballs.

I think a key that will appeal to fans old and new though will be the co-op, or as the guys from Majesco prefer, “bro-op”. Supporting both local and online 2-player co-op, where players can take on the roles of the brothers Jimmy and Billy Lee, the game has added mechanics to try to stress that NEON, much like the original arcade games, is best played with a friend. And in that, we get another popular 80s reference being worked into the game, the high-five. Although the animation right now may not be the most masculine of maneuvers by the Lee brothers, there is actually a key strategic element to this as depending on what direction you hit the right joystick to initiate the high-five, you can share health or your ability meter to help your friends stay in the game.

When we were done with the demo, I have to admit I was pretty impressed. As a side-scrolling beat ‘em up, the game handled very well and in terms of staying true to the tone of Double Dragon, I think NEON is a fine successor to bring the series back into the limelight. Now, it’s just a matter of seeing what final product looks like come this summer on XBLA and PSN.

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EGM Review: Devil May Cry: HD Collection

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The Son of Sparda Returns

It has been over a decade since Devil May Cry smashed its way onto the gaming scene with fast paced, highly stylized action sequences, and introduced us all to our favorite half-demon, half-human, Dante, with his dual pistols and giant sword. And in honor of the new game that is supposed to launch later this year, Capcom has decided to bundle together the first three chapters of Dante’s video game life and give us the Devil May Cry: HD Collection.

Now, the name obviously denotes that this collection sees the first three games get a new coat of paint and now can all be played in stunning HD graphics. But aside from this, Capcom has also introduced some extra behind the scenes bonus content for the diehard fan base and almost 100 achievements/trophies between the three games that should keep all you completionists out there busy long into the night.

Unfortunately, since the game is mostly just a port though, we also get to see many of those last-generation games’ flaws. Compared to what we’ve gotten in this current console generation, Dante has not aged well at all. The cameras, the controls, and a lot of other very basic elements that may have been on par 10 years ago, are now null and void. Not to say they make the game unplayable, but anyone who hoped to use this as a way to catch up on the series incase you missed a title here or there may be in for a rude awakening and it may take even those who played the games the first time around a little while longer to re-adjust than they might expect.

But once you do get used to it again, all the great action and things that made this series great to begin with will rise up. The style meter, Devil Trigger, combo and mid-air attacks, and Devil Arms are all right where you left them and so if you’re looking for an excuse to replay these games, this is it. Not to mention that with the suggested retail price of $40 for the disc, you’re looking at less than $15 per game, which is the same as a XBLA or PSN title and Dante, even an older, less cutting-edge Dante, is still worth that much. So, even though it may show its age compared to what we’ve become used to, if you are a diehard fan of Devil May Cry or a newcomer looking to see what it’s all about, this is a solid time killer that is worth its price of admission.

SUMMARY: Although the games may not have aged as well as hoped, fans of the series are still going to be getting their money worth with the convenience of having three games on one disc, nearly 100 achievements, and some behind the scenes bonus content.

  • THE GOOD: HD graphics, achievements, bonus content, and all for less than $15 per title
  • THE BAD: Technically speaking, none of the games have held up as well as we may have hoped
  • THE UGLY: My fighting ability according to the style meter

SCORE: 7.0

Devil May Cry: HD Collection is available on Xbox 360 and PS3. Primary version reviewed was on the Xbox 360.

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EGM Review: Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

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Back to the Beginning

If there is one thing the Resident Evil series is good at, it’s embracing its past and squeezing every possible scenario out of it to continue fleshing out the back-story for this beloved series. With that idea in mind, Capcom gives us Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Taking place at the same time as Resident Evil 2, you play as one of six members of Umbrella’s elite hit squad called the U.S.S. (Umbrella Security Service) whose sole task is to ensure that any illegal incidents that could shine a bad light onto Umbrella never come to surface. And Raccoon City is as bad as it gets. So you’ve been covertly inserted into the city to make sure the B.O.W.s do their job and no survivors or information get out before things in Raccoon are cleaned up.

For as much good as RE: ORC does at times, it does just as much bad unfortunately. There are seven campaign missions that you can play with up to three friends online, but the fact there is no option for a local split-screen campaign or versus modes is a big fault in my book. The story mode lacks a lot of the character development and overall depth that we’re used to seeing, but it still feels really fun to progress through this special mission as this badass unit and take down all these zombies and creatures that we’ve seen in previous titles, like Lickers or Hunters, with controls that are more suited to the action game this is clearly trying to be. Of course, some hardcore fans may not enjoy the fact this game distances the series from its survival-horror roots, but I had a lot of fun with it and so was able to forgive them for going off the reservation this time around.

The game also has six very different main characters or classes, which gives you a nice bit of variety if you want to try them all out. Unfortunately, the game only supports four players at a time in campaign and four-on-four matches in versus though. And having more people allowed to play would definitely be the way to go because if you see how often the friendly A.I. suicides itself in the campaign, you’ll want as many of your friends around as possible.

The controls are also hit or miss. While the gunplay is very good, with dozens of weapon and power unlockables and upgrades, the cover system is flawed due to it not being button prompted, but is just initiated whenever you press up against a flat surface. The melee combat is also solid as you perform character specific combos, and if you have enough energy, a character specific execution move that can instantly take out your opponents. There is also a running tackle though that makes no sense because it really does no damage and if you miss your target, it takes so long for your character to get back up that you’re nothing but a sitting duck.

The clear saving grace for this game though is the multiplayer. Four different modes that pit you not only against another team, but also random B.O.W.s and zombies in each level. Think of them as the ultimate level hazards. The four modes include your standard team deathmatch, a ‘Heroes’ mode where you pick a classic character from the series up to this point and you can keep respawning until all four heroes have been killed once, a ‘Biohazard’ mode which is your basic capture the flag, and a ‘Survival’ mode where you have to beat back the enemy team and various creatures as you wait for a helicopter to extract you. What’s most fun about ‘Survival’ is there is only one helicopter and only four seats available so half the players will lose and often there will be a mix and match of teams that make it out as once that helicopter lands, it is every man for himself.

When all is said and done, I think a lot of third-person shooter fans and Resident Evil fans will enjoy what Operation Raccoon City is trying to do with a really fun multiplayer and a decent campaign that is worth a couple of quick playthroughs. The game looks and sounds great, although I still can’t believe Capcom didn’t come up with more than a handful of zombie skins, and most importantly is fun more often than not. Some more polish on the controls, ally A.I., and a local multiplayer option would have definitely kicked this game up a notch, but as is, it is worth a look to fans of shooter multiplayer modes and Resident Evil.

SUMMARY: Another unique look at the events of the original Resident Evil outbreak combined with a fun and inventive multiplayer should help Resident Evil fans look past the sometimes clunky controls and poor ally A.I.

  • THE GOOD: Fun multiplayer modes and a unique take on the classic Resident Evil story
  • THE BAD: Poor ally A.I., no local multiplayer options, and clunky controls
  • THE UGLY: That Capcom is still using the same five zombie skins since the series launched 16 years ago

SCORE: 7.0

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Primary version reviewed was on the Xbox 360.

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EGM Review: Kinect Star Wars

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IT’S A TRAP!!

We can tell you the serial number on the trash compactor Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie fall into on the first Death Star. We can give you weapon specs comparison between an A-Wing and an X-Wing. We know Han shot first. We are the diehard fans of Star Wars and many of us have been waiting for the ultimate gaming experience that will give us the level of immersion we desire into our favorite sci-fi universe. Unfortunately, this is not the Kinect game we are looking for.

Kinect Star Wars is best described as a series of party atmosphere mini-games with a Star Wars theme. The main Jedi Destiny campaign does offer a bit more length and a deeper story than the other modes at least, where you play as a Jedi Padawan to a long forgotten about Jedi Master between Episodes I and II. You can wield force powers, handle a lightsaber, ride speeder bikes, and serve as a gunner in space battles.

The idea of all these things are phenomenal, and had a full game been developed around them I could see this actually being a memorable Star Wars game. Instead, you succumb to a bevy of gimmicks that make you feel less like a Jedi and more like Bantha Poodoo. Slow, deliberate movements are required to use your lightsaber, instead of the fast frantic action we’re used to seeing, and there is almost no need to use the force aside for a handful of moments that feel like button prompt events except you’re waving your arms. The story for the main campaign was solid, but aside for the first-person on-rails space missions that might give you flashbacks to games like X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, you could never really get into a rhythm with the motion controls.

The other modes in Kinect Star Wars don’t fare much better though for the most part. The Podracing campaign only has six races in it, and although it features many familiar faces that Episode I fans will immediately recognize, the motion controls are overly sensitive. I understand that Podracing is supposed to be difficult, but you try holding your arms straight out for a 12-minute race on Coruscant or for ten minutes in Cloud City and then see how well you can steer.

The Duel of the Fates mode is even more bare bones than the Podracing though. The entire mode is only five battles with only two of which actually being worth mentioning where you can face off against Count Dooku and Darth Vader himself in Cloud City. And this may be the most gimmicky of all as the entire time all you’re doing is blocking easily telegraphed moves and waiting for an opening to strike yourself. Flailing around has never felt so crummy.

There were a couple of fun modes that I’m sure could liven up a party if given the chance and should everyone love Star Wars. The Rancor Rampage mode is basically like playing old-school Rampage in full 3D and as a Rancor. You can bulrush buildings, eat Stormtroopers, throw droids across the map, and more. This mode was also relatively responsive due to the simple movements necessary really to wreak havoc across the four maps and two modes you could play this in.

The final game mode that seemed to work was Galactic Dance-Off. Yes, now you too can be a slave girl in Jabba’s palace or see who would win the epic dance-off in the Carbonite Freezing Chamber between Lando and Han to such classics as “I’m a Princess in a Battle” (set to Christina Aguilera’s ‘Genie in a Bottle’) or “I’m Han Solo” (set to Jason Derulo’s ‘Ridin’ Solo’). It’s really just Dance Central set to a dozen or so Star Wars song spoofs, but it actually worked well and had me and my friends laughing hysterically as we proceeded to make complete nerfherders of ourselves.

At the end of the day though, this is not what Star Wars fans want. It may appeal to small children on some level with the couple of modes that work, but there is really no depth or long-lasting appeal to anyone over the age of ten. Some of the modes can be entertaining and the main Jedi Destiny campaign story has some potential, but gimmicks and poor game play hold this back. Not to mention, I think a lot of us are sick of stories that are told during or before the prequels. For many of us, the original expanded universe took place after Return of the Jedi. Grand Admiral Thrawn anyone? At the end of the day, I think we’d all be better off just retreating to Dagobah than devoting any serious time to this game.

SUMMARY:  This is not the Kinect game you’ve been looking for. A cute array of mini-games and a decent length main campaign could make this a fun party game with a Star Wars theme, but if you were looking to finally feel like a Jedi, you might want to stick to the bathrobe and flashlight a little while longer.

  • THE GOOD: Some modes provide a party game atmosphere with a Star Wars theme
  • THE BAD: Not the hardcore experience most Star Wars fans really wanted
  • THE UGLY: The very existence of spoofed pop songs with a Star Wars skew

SCORE: 5.0

Kinect Star Wars is a Xbox 360 exclusive. 

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EGM Review: I Am Alive

Filed under: EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), Written — Leave a comment

Dust to Dust

Whenever we think of the apocalypse nowadays, it always seems to be vampires ruling the Earth, the dead rising from the grave, or nuclear fallout, and the various problems that would then result from surviving any of those hellish fates for the planet. But what if the biggest problem you would find yourself facing is your fellow man?

Driven to the brink of madness like starving dogs fighting over a single slab of meat, I Am Alive is an interesting glimpse at human nature as you play as Adam, a man who was stranded on the other side of the country when an event happened that shook humanity to its core and after a year of traveling on foot, has finally come home to look for his family. What’s most interesting about I Am Alive is that what happened before doesn’t really matter as your primary concern is dealing with its effects on the environment you find yourself working through now. Never specified, whatever triggered the apocalypse has pushed what’s left of humanity to their baser natures and your primary enemy has become other survivors, and the dust from the fallout of whatever cracked the earth in two.

The atmosphere that I Am Alive portrays hits you like a ton of bricks from the second you take over as Adam. Dark, bleak, and desolate, even the tutorial may make you want to give up hope. But, as you press on, you’ll come across other survivors as you search for your family. Some folks are friendly, and some not so much. And then there are others still who won’t attack you unless provoked and you have to choose whether a confrontation may be worth what they are hiding.

Once you peel back the layers of atmosphere though, you begin to realize that I Am Alive is a very bare bones game. The graphics are barely worthy of the last generation of consoles, never mind this one, and the combat is more like an intricate puzzle than something you would expect in a survival game. Many situations play out where you have four enemies encircling you and only two bullets. A surprise attack with your machete could take out one, but that still leaves one unaccounted for. At first this requires some fast thinking and faster trigger work, but once you realize there is no real A.I. and all the enemies slip into one of only two or three patterns and the game becomes repetitive and dull when it comes to the combat aspects.

The character development is also very poor and as sad and as bleak as this world you are in is, you have a hard time caring for many of the NPC characters and their simple fetch quests. I admit though, there was one shocking moment I had where I did feel bad for an NPC after I failed her. If only I had found a second food can in time.

The controls for the most part are a bit stiff, but you can work with them once you get used to Adam’s limitations. And the inclusion of a stamina bar makes a lot of sense and makes your exploration of this new world the most hazardous to your health as running out of energy while climbing a skyscraper could lead to instant doom. It also gives the game a bit more of that realistic atmosphere as Adam is clearly no Nathan Drake or Altair. Despite this flash of ingenuity though, I Am Alive’s strong atmosphere and interesting premise isn’t enough to pull it up to elite status everything considered.

SUMMARY: A wonderful job creating the bleak and oppressive atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic world you find yourself in, the combat and character development leaves much to be desired.

  • THE GOOD: Moody and atmospheric unlike most any other survival game out there
  • THE BAD: Repetitive, puzzle-like confrontations with poor enemy A.I.
  • THE UGLY: The last generation graphics are more depressing than the actual tone of the game

SCORE: 6.0

I Am Alive is available on Xbox 360 (XBLA) and PS3 (PSN). Primary version reviewed was on Xbox 360.

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