2008
Star Wars : The Force Unleashed (STFU?!? Well…CHARMING!)
By: The Almighty Bobfish and Jedireaper Category: PS3, Star Wars, The Force Unleashed
THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS, this time you get not one, but two reviews for your money. Which you must admit is a pretty good deal since we’re not charging you a penny for even a single syllable of this deep and engrossing expulgation (is that even a word?!?) of superior personal insight. By which I mean, we’re both gamers so we obviously must know everything about every game ever made ever.
On a more serious note, both Mister Reaper and myself are long time fans of the Star Wars series. Between us having logged a staggering number of hours both watching, reading, and playing a dizzying variety of the of the available media. Both officially sanctioned, and unofficially. In fact, we have both dabbled, on more than one occasion, in the fan fiction side of things on more than one occasion. And I myself was introduced to the table-top RPG by West End Games more than fourteen years ago. So, whilst I freely admit this does not make either of us experts, or the voice of truth, it should at least impressive upon you the gravity of our familiarity with Star Wars as a whole.
So, having inflated our ego’s (actually, it’s the id, but that’s another story) quite enough already, let’s to the meat and two veg if the situation. The Force Unleashed, how does it hold up?
Sadly, it doesn’t.
I was dubious right from the outset. Some three years ago when I first saw teasers for the game on the Star Wars Galaxies forums (that’s the Star Wars MMO by the way, but I’ll talk about that in depth another time) I was extremely apprehensive. Whilst everyone else was posting comments that pretty much consisted of “ZOMG! That roxxors” I was somewhat more reserved in my opinion. Yes, graphically it was impressive, and even though it seemed ambitious at the time, with the Playstation 3 and X-Box 360 already starting to show their potential I was confident, at least, that it would be able to match, if not surpass, the technical aspects demonstrated.
But when it came down to it, all the video (at the time) consisted of was a series of short demonstrations of telekinesis and Force lightning. Oh, and at one point the, at the time (as I recall) unnamed protagonist slamming his lightsabre into the ground to make a shockwave that damaged nearby enemies and flung them up into the air. Something which doesn’t seem to have made it into the final game, but may have lead to the jumping slam attack which is in the finished product.
All of this may have been utterly amazing to fans of massive, slick action scenes. But I’ve never been one of those, much favouring plot development and outstanding acting, either vocally speaking or in the flash. When details of the plot itself, and Lucas changing the story yet again, were released, all of that lingering apprehension turned into a full blown “groan *roll eyes*”. And yet, still, in a moment of weakness and rapid fanboydom I bit the bullet and picked the game up from my local Walmart.
I must confess, the opening scenes and the first sub-level as Darth Vader was initially quite inspiring. And the small cinematic explaining how he first comes to find our erstwhile anti-hero was an extremely powerful piece of computer animation. Which had unfortunately been sullied by the idiotic boos fight immediately before it, and the incorporeal, vanishing scenery which had cropped up at numerous times along my short exploration of the Wryoshyr tree village of Kashyyyk. For a game as supposedly technologically advanced as this to have sprites become insubstantial and then simply vanish I find to be more than a little insulting. If games on the previous generation of consoles were able to manage the information, then surely this amazing technology we are assured we have paid for now will be able to do it far, far easier. But apparently not.
Add to this the clunky, unresponsive control scheme and you may begin to see where my disappointment is stemming from. As if the massive change in the Star Wars cannon isn’t reason enough (Darth Vader formed the Rebel Alliance, I mean, what the hell?!?) I came to the conclusion that the game was intentionally programmed to be as buggy as it was simply to make it more challenging. Because, to be frank, even on the highest difficulty setting the only actual difficulty came from the fact that the lock-on refused to target anything I actually wanted it to latch onto. Often deciding that I, clearly, want to focus all my attention on that rock that’s about fifteen feet behind the massive rancor currently trying to stand on my face.
And then we have the boos fights. Each of which requiring some little trick to actually finish. The most notable being on your second mission as Starkiller. Facing an odd little Doctor Octopus looking dude called Kazdan Paratus who, literally, cannot be injured with your lightsabre. After the first blow he immediately counterattacks, even if previously stunned or in some way incapacitated. And I have long had serious issues with enemies that blatantly ignore attacks. Now, I don’t want a game to be easy, but if I’m shoving a beam of energy that can cut through anything into your face, I expect at least a flicker of a reaction. Am I asking for too much?
Another major bone of contention was the Force grip power. For whatever reason, it was decided that this could only be used when you were standing completely still, so that Starkiller could focus all his attention on holding the object (or later objects) of choice up in the air. Now, this is a man who can telekinetically rip a Star Destroyer down out of the sky. And yet he has to remain completely focused when picking up a rock the size of your fist? Seems a little flakey to me. And don’t even get me started on the picking up inert enemies (always fails for some reason) or the fact that some enemie have a shield which makes them immune to telekinesis. Riiiiiiight.
Well, I’ve been decidedly less than complimentary thus far, you must be beginning to wonder if the game has any redeeming features at all. Unfortunately, I have to say, it actually does. “And how is this unfortunate?” I hear you cry. I say unfortunate because of the travesty that is the game as a whole. There was so much potential for this to be a truly outstanding game and a worthy, noble entry to the official Star Wars cannon. But it was squandered on blatant fan appeasement. I mean, really, was there any need at all to have a battle with Darth Maul?
And Starkiller himself. Advertised as being a true disciple of the Dark Side who has a personal, spiritual experience and ultimately redeems himself and becomes a champion of the Light in an unexpected twist. From the first cinematic where Vader tells him to kill everyone including the Imperials, the look on his face immediately betrays his distaste of wholesale slaughter. So how is his latter reversal in any way unexpected?
Having said that, however, the outstanding performance by Sam Witwer as the Dark Lords Apprentice adds a lot of sincerity that has many of us lamenting for a better script. With only a few small changes the scripting could have been top notch and truly spectacular. I mean, Hel’s teeth, Lucasarts even brought in Matt Sloan (probably best known for his portrayal of Chad Vader : Day Shift Manager which he produces with his good friend Aaron Yonda for their website splu.net), and whilst I think it’s fantastic that he has been given official recognition and sanction by Lucasarts, it’s also extremely saddening to know that it happened in a venture that was so disappointing as this.
To the point : Jedireaper’s lamentations
I thought the game was solid and addictive, with an engrossing story and good use of both background sounds and music. But at it’s heart is nothing more than a repetitive action game boasting incredible set pieces, boss battles and graphical effects. I would say the Force truly is unleashed, but nothing more. A linear gameplay mechanic and samely bosses don’t help the replay value, nor does the omission of online or at the very least split screen co-op. The latter being a feature which was included in The Force Unleashed on the PSP. Jedi Power Battles anyone?
If you really must experience the story of The Force Unleashed, buy the novel. It is just as repetitive as the game, seemingly nothing more than a glorified walkthrough/guide, but it at least delves into the back story and the moral choices Starkiller makes in a much more satisfying way. Though, to be honest, I don’t recommend either.
Closing arguments : A sum up and the scores if you will
With some extra content soon to be made available (free as far as I am aware) via download on the Playstation Store and X-Box Live Marketplace, there has been a small amount of replay value added in. But as this consists of an extra level and a few new characters to play as, it’s nothing Earth shattering. And playing through the game as Luke Skywalker would be just…bizarre. But, as always, these are just personal opinion, and as the game is still selling well and earning a lot of good comments from no small percentage of it’s player base, it leads you to suspect that it may not be as bad as some of us have painted it.
Or, perhaps, some of us are just more easily pleased than others. Some will love it, some won’t. The choice really is yours. But if our recommendations carry any weight, then we both advise against wasting your money. Try out the Jedi Knight series instead.
Bobfish says :
Graphics 8/10
Gameplay 6/10
Audio/music 8/10
Plot/Scripting 6/10
Overall 6.5/10
Jedireaper says :
69%
Good, but flawed.
2008
Kane and Lynch : Dead men (who are surprisingly active for corpses)
By: The Almighty Bobfish Category: Kane and Lynch, PS3
“BUT WHY DID you kill the hostages?”
“>Why, what do you mean? They were waking up” that should be a catchphrase for the game. It quite succinctly sums up Lynch and his entire attitude to, just about, everything in the world. Kane, on the other hand, our erstwhile protagonist (for despite the name, it’s clearly his story) is somewhat more of an enigma.
The story opens with an explosive prison break. A break which Lynch is clearly fully informed and party to. Though Kane is more than a little thrown of track by the whole thing. It doesn’t take him long to come around though, and after some initial wooziness he commandeers a weapon and effectively takes control of the situation. Leading us to wonder why he actually needed to be broken out in the first place, since he is clearly more than capable of handling it all himself if the mood takes him.
So why has someone gone to such lengths to acquire the former mercenary?
Well, it seems Mister Kane has been a naughty boy and may in fact have double crossed the very people who just sprung him out. His former employers, a mysterious and extremely influential mercenary organisation who may as well be an official PMC (Private Military Corporation). According to them, at some point before his arrest for the murder of 25 people in Venezuela, he took a not insignificant sum of money that was supposed to come to them and fled with it. Kane, of course, claims otherwise. The truth of the matter is never actually made fully clear, and is likely something that EA have left open for exploration in the confirmed, but as yet unfinished, sequel.
About a third of the way into the game the focus of the plot moves almost entirely away from the missing money and becomes almost entirely about Kane trying to get back the daughter he hasn’t seen for some fourteen or so years. Not since she was a child of five or six anyway. This leads to two possible endings when, at a critical stage in the game, you have to decide between her safety, or the rest of your men. And here the plot becomes even more convoluted as we are made aware (via one of the short teaser videos which show if you leave the game idling at the main screen) that dear Jenny actually wishes her Father no small amount of misfortune.
Oh dear. It’s not going too well for our hapless anti-hero at all. And worst, or perhaps best, of all, he has a watchdog in the shape of Lynch. A man convicted of beating his wife to death whilst suffering from a blackout. Another thing which is never fully tied up. Lynch freely admits that he has a small problem, which he takes some rather powerful anti-psychotic drugs to control (unsuccessfully most of the time), but maintains adamantly that he did not kill his wife.
Probably.
Between them they make a formidable, but decidedly odd, pair. Particularly Lynch who, inspite of his constant bitching and whining, stays fiercely loyal to Kane through the entire span of the story thus far. And there is no indication that he will change much when Kane and Lynch 2 sees publication. Assuming, of course, that Kane and Lynch 2 is, in fact, Kane and Lynch 2 and not just a game with the same general play. But both endings strongly suggest that there is a lot more yet for these two men to do.
Hopefully, the forthcoming sequel will build on the solid ground work that has already been laid down. Both plot and gameplay wise. Though tweaking some of the mechanics of the game itself wouldn’t go amiss. Most notably the aiming controls which are often either far too sensitive, or not nearly sensitive enough. Though it’s a minor issue which is more of an annoyance than a real inconvenience, it can cause some real irritation when you find yourself conked out on the ground because your target has run straight past you before you can turn to get a bead on him.
The cover system wouldn’t hurt having something of an overhaul as well. In principal, it works great, but in practice it can be a little finniky and will interrupt the flow of the game. Unlike the more conventional method of pressing X (or whatever) when near an appropriate surface, Kane and Lynch relies on automatically snapping you to suitable cover when you reach the right place. For things like barricades which you duck behind, this is fine, but for corners it can tricky as you’ll often fall just short, or step just a little too far. Again, only a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but being integral to the gameplay, it sure could use some attention. Just to iron out the bugs.
Overall though, the thing that caught me most about the game was the apparent lack of emphasis on the shiney, high-def look that everyone else (including EA themselves in a lot of cases) seem to be favouring. In some of the close up shots characters will look a little waxen, but on the whole the emphasis seems to be more towards giving a slightly grainy feel (at least on the Playstation 3 and PC), perhaps to illicit an effect similar to using lower grade tape to make a film have that cheap documentary feel rather than being all polished and perfect. Whatever the reason, it does have a positive impact on the atmosphere.
So, all in all, despite some mixed reviews, Kane and Lynch is quite an enjoyable game. It also features online, Mulitplayer maps and the option of playing co-operatively rather than in single player mode. Add to the that the fact that it’s been on the shelves for a while now, and the price has dropped noticeably to reflect the underwhealming media attention, it also becomes a good budget title for those of us who have to be more discerning about where we spend our limited funds.
Graphics 9/10
Gameplay 8/10
Audio/music 9/10
Plot/Scripting 9/10
Overall 9/10
2008
Take A Moment To Check Out Gadget Advisor
By: Charlie Jones Category: NewsOne thing that I have come to know about video gamers, is that most, if not all of us have a strong interest in technology. For that reason, I wanted to bring your attention to a weblog called Gadget Advisor, which aims to bring its readers the best of the best in technology news.
At Gadget Advisor you’ll be able to navigate through their clean and simple design to find reviews that match your specific tech interests. The posts are well-written and full of the pertinent information that tech users want. Personally, I enjoyed: network media player, universal remote control, and online backup services.
2008
Baroque, an irregular and underrated pearl
By: The Almighty Bofish Category: Baroque, Wii
ORIGINALLY RELEASED SOME time ago for the SEGA Saturn, Baroque is an almost universally unknown game. Destined to be one of those forgotten, ignored gems of a bygone age (of gaming) until, for whatever reason, Rising Star decided a port to the Wii would be a good idea. This is not the first time that Baroque has been resurrected from beyond the pale either. A stint on the Playstation 2 bridges the span of the last decade and brings us to last year. I must confess, I’m not entirely sure why or how Baroque made it onto the Wii. Though I’ve been told it enjoyed no small success in Japan, the sales across the rest of the world have been less than inspiring. However, I’m glad that it did because it’s an extremely underrated game.
Unlike most traditional RPGs, the bulk of the game takes place in one, randomly generated, series of “dungeons” which make up something called the Neuro Tower. Whilst the plot is revealed in a rather unconventional and mostly non-linear fashion through a series of, seemingly, random encounters and actions that you, the unnamed hero, will make along the way. The specifics of what you have to do for the main plot are explained pretty much right from the off. But the rest of it requires no small amount mental leg work and a lot of trial and error.
The random, and at times utterly chaotic, nature of the game is likely to put off a lot of potential fans. At least initially. But give it a little time and everything starts to make a warped sort of sense. And the overall atmosphere of the game make it an absorbing and, to coin a word, baroque experience. In more ways than one. For those who don’t know, the word baroque has a number of meanings, and several of them are applicable in this case. Most notably in the meanings of irregularity and being so extremely extravagant as to be in bad taste. Both of which the game has in deliberate bucketloads.
The bizarre, twisted nature of the landscape and the various characters you will interact with are enough to give even our good friend Mister Burton a run for his money. Serving as a stark contrast to the “normal” characters you will also meet. And whilst the visuals themselves are rendered in standard definition, as is the norm with the Wii, this in no way diminishes their impact. It would be inappropriate to describe the game as beautiful, but the quality of the sprites would certainly earn it the badge of stunning. In a warped, gothic (or perhaps baroque) kind of way.
The game itself plays in a pretty straightforward fashion. Much like any other dungeon crawler you move from one level to the next, working your way down to the bottom of the Neuro Tower where you have two options which will affect how the game ends. Though, it never actually does end as such. Yes, you can finish off the story, and all of the sub plots, but as the levels are generated randomly each time you enter you can return time and time again. But be aware, each time you finish a dungeon (either by reaching the bottom or through death) you will be returned to town with your character reset to default.
Kind of.
It’s not quite that simple. As you will discover, there are certain methods to get around this to a certain extent. Although there is no way (at least, none that I have found) to retain your level and experience, it is possible to carry across other things such as items and brands (which can be used to enhance yourself or your equipment) via the use of the consciousness orbs. This does, however, require you to manually chuck them in and thus lose the use of them at that time. Also, you must do this each time you enter the tower as they do not carry across from one visit to the next once you have retrieved them.
All in all it’s quite an odd game, and is unlikely to ever garner any significant popularity. Which is a shame because it’s so radically different from just about everything. I personally found it to be a very refreshing change. Something that was both familiar and unique at the same time. There are enough aspects there to appeal to fans of games such as Baldurs Gate, as well as a large dose of style for those of us who are less interested in the particulars than the overall feel, but still a great deal of substance for the deep thinkers. There’s even the option of playing the game in first person to appeal to FPS fans, though that is admittedly a bit of a stretch as the main focus of the combat is on melee.
Graphics 8.5/10
Gameplay 8/10
Audio/music 9/10
Plot/Scripting 9/10
Overall 9/10
Recent Comments