Andrew Passafiume

Worms 2: Armageddon

September 27, 2010

PS3 / Reviews / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Worms, for many gamers, is a love or hate series. Not much has changed over the years, despite the attempt to revitalize it with a few 3D titles. Although for fans of the series, this definitely is not a bad thing. Worms 2: Armageddon finds its way to the PlayStation Network after being out on Xbox Live Arcade for over a year, and if you’re a fan of the series, it probably has been worth the wait.

The same crazy weapons, levels, and different styles of play are all available here that you remember from the previous 2D Worms games. There is a single player campaign that takes you through 40 different levels full of very odd and sometimes demanding challenges. They start off simple, but once you get towards the later levels you find the challenge ramping to the point where it just no longer enjoyable. 

Your A.I. opponents always find ways to make just the right moves that will constantly mess you up no matter what difficulty you are on. The challenge here begins to increase as you find most of your worms starting off in very inconvenient locations which reduces a lot of the levels to trial and error. It removes a lot of the fun you may remember having with a Worms title. And aside from the campaign, there isn’t much reason to ever play this game solo.

The big plus is the multiplayer is as solid as ever, and the basic turn-based gameplay mechanics still work just as well as they always have with a group of friends. Local multiplayer is a blast and there are plenty of options in terms of game customization, rule sets, and maps. The online is fine as well, but fairly often you will find yourself running into very laggy matches that turn a simple game of Worms into something much more tedious and unplayable.

Worms 2: Armageddon is still a solid game that will keep fans of the series busy for some time. However, it is held back by some technical issues and poor single player options that may hamper the experience for some players. You probably already know if you’re a fan of this series or not; that alone is enough to determine whether this downloadable title will be worth your money.

Pros: The basic gameplay still holds up very well; plenty of multiplayer options

Cons: The single player modes are lacking; A.I. opponents are almost too accurate at times; online can be very laggy

 

Arc Rise Fantasia

September 22, 2010

Reviews / Wii / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

This console generation hasn’t seen too many quality Japanese RPGs, or many JRPGs in general. Arc Rise Fantasia is here to remedy that and provide a traditional RPG for Wii owners. If you can look past some of the very obvious problems, you’ll find a surprisingly deep RPG with a lot to offer.  

The story and characters in Arc Rise are nothing that you haven’t seen before. Your overall goal in the game is to, as expected, save the world from some kind of overwhelming evil that is beginning to take form. Now the world of Fulheim itself is a very beautiful place, but you never get any ensuing sense of danger. It’s a basic, predictable “save the world” story you’ve seen in most JRPGs. 

The characters are nothing special either. Each character seems to have one very predictable personality trait that slightly sets him or her apart from the rest, but aside from that, there is nothing that really distinguishes these characters from each other. None of them seem to have any real personality, and they seem to do the dumbest things without any rhyme or reason. Just when you think you have figured a character’s motivations out, he will do something that seems completely out of character.

The game itself looks gorgeous and the music is brilliant, but there is one major problem that holds this game back: the localization. Not only is the game poorly translated, it also has some of the worst voice acting I have ever heard in a video game. It completely takes you out of the experience and it never seems to get any better. Some actors don’t even sound like they are trying most of the time. You’re going to want to turn the voice acting off as soon as you start playing.

Despite all of those complaints, Arc Rise Fantasia does have something good going for it: the gameplay itself. A lot of RPG fans play for the story and characters above all else, but I feel like the battle system alone is enough to make this fun little adventure. It has a pretty traditional battle system, but with enough twists in the already proven formula to make it a more exciting experience for veteran gamers.

You have a three party team and a single AP (or action points) meter shared by all three characters. As you perform various attacks, it empties, and once it hits zero you must end your turn. You can just have one particular character use all of the AP, or share it among your three party members. It leaves a surprising amount of room for strategy. Combine this with the many different magic spells, as well as different monsters you can summon and you have a battle system with a lot of variety in terms of combinations of attacks. 

The game can also be pretty difficult, but not unfairly so. As with most JRPGs, there is a bit of level grinding involved, but it never gets old or feels like you need to do it more than a few specific times during the game. Combine that with plenty of variety in the enemies, dungeons, and a fairly lengthy game length and you have an enjoyable game for those Wii owners dying for a new RPG.

Despite the terrible voice acting, horrendous translation and very lackluster story, Arc Rise Fantasia is a solid RPG with plenty to do and a very enjoyable battle system. If this game looks like it may appeal to you, it is at least worth a rental. Look past the flaws and you will find yourself with a solid and lengthy adventure that may surprise you in more ways than one.

Pros: Colorful presentation with great music; very fun battle system; a lengthy adventure that should hold over any RPG fans for a while

Cons: Atrocious voice acting and a terrible translation; forgettable story and characters

Limbo

August 25, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Limbo is the first of five games under Microsoft’s third annual “Summer of Arcade” Xbox Live Arcade releases, and it’s definitely the one that stands out from the rest. All of the other games seem to be based on an established franchise or gameplay style with a heavy multiplayer focus, while Limbo is a single-player-only puzzle platformer that lacks the replay value of the other titles. But what it lacks in replay value it more than makes up for in style.

Limbo’s visuals are quite incredible. It goes for a very specific style, but it works, leaving you with a constant sense of dread as you make your way through this sinister world. You never know what to expect, as certain things can easily blend into the background (such as bear traps very early on) that will kill you instantly (and in a rather gruesome fashion). 

The gameplay is rather basic, as are the controls, but don’t let the simplicity fool you. You can jump and you can grab objects, but there is a wide variety of different puzzles and terrifying situations to get yourself through that you will shortly forget the simplicity of everything. 

It won’t take long before you think you have seen everything Limbo has to offer, but it will quite often changes things up on you, especially once you near the final chapters of this adventure. This game is also surprisingly tense, with several moments that require almost precise reaction time. Thankfully the game is very forgiving with checkpoints, as you will most likely find yourself repeating some of the same sections many times.

As a whole, there isn’t much to Limbo but a fairly modest three hour long adventure, but the game definitely lives up to its lofty ambitions and delivers one of the best gaming experiences of the year. If you own an Xbox 360, you owe it to yourself to at least try out the game’s trial for a very small taste of what to expect. There is no other game out there like it, and it is not one you will easily forget. 

Pros: Excellent style and atmosphere; very well-designed puzzles with plenty of variety

Cons: Game may be too short for some players

 

Clash of the Titans

August 25, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Very few games manage to set the bar even lower for movie tie-ins, but Clash of the Titans does just that. Based on the remake of the same name and just in time for the…DVD release of the film, this game seems like it might be a bit better than your average video game based on a movie. It has been given a bit of extra development time, which you would think might help, but it won’t take you long before you realize that it didn’t make a bit of difference in the end.

The game’s presentation is absolutely horrible. The graphics seem like they are best suited for a launch PS2 game, and the voice acting (featuring none of the actors from the film) is as dull as the lines they are speaking. It sounds as if the voice actors are simply phoning it in, with none of the characters sounding anything like their big screen counterparts. Although I would also be inclined to believe a lot of them are just part of the development team who have been thrown into a recording booth and told to read lines as emotionless as possible. 

The controls work sometimes, which is probably the nicest thing I can say about them. There is often this delay between your button presses and the actions on screen, especially when trying to pull of very precise combo attacks. The action is never too intense that it really matters though, however the camera will definitely not help in your battles against the waves upon waves of generic enemies. You’ll be lucky if it actually stays focused on the enemy you are facing. There is a way to lock onto specific targets, but it, like the camera, is finicky at best.

So the presentation is weak and the controls are a bit off, but how is the overall structure of the gameplay? Well, it works like this. You run into an area with a crowd of enemies, fight your way through them, and then move to the next area with a new group of enemies. There is rarely any variety in both the environments and the enemies you face, and if there are new enemy types that pop up, they are never smart enough to pose any sort of threat either way. 

The combat just feels shallow and unresponsive. You never feel like you are actually timing your many combo attacks properly, and if you do land any, it is done by sheer luck. You never get a sense of impact from any of the attacks like you would in games such as God of War or Bayonetta. You can upgrade your weapons, but it does absolutely nothing to help; you will shortly learn that just mashing the same attack buttons works on all enemies no matter what weapon you use or level the weapon has been upgraded to.

Oh, there are plenty of item collecting objectives and fetch quests to “vary” up the gameplay, but I guarantee none of these actually offer any real excitement or challenge. The only fun I ever had with the gameplay is when the bosses come up, because if anything, they offer a nice break from the norm and give you more of a challenge than most enemies you encounter. Sure, a lot of the bosses themselves are not terribly exciting, but they are a hell of a lot better than the mindless drones you face throughout your gameplay session. 

It’s pretty much impossible to recommend Clash of the Titans to anyone. If you liked the movie, you might consider giving this one a rent, but I guarantee that it is very hard to find any enjoyment here. If there is anything Clash of the Titans does well, it lowers the already very low standard for video games based on movies by being one of the worst to ever come out. Avoid at all costs.

Pros: The boss battles are kind of fun

Cons: Horrible presentation; very shallow and tedious combat; imprecise controls and camera; lots of pointless item collecting and weapon upgrading

 

DarkStar One: Broken Alliance

July 25, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

DarkStar One: Broken Alliance is a port of a PC game from four years ago, one that was referred to as the next “Privateer” or “Freespace” game upon its initial release. The basic premise of DarkStar One, Privateer, Freespace or any similar space simulation game is about you building up a ship, collecting money from completing different jobs, traveling to several new galaxies, and pretty much having free reign over their characters in a massive space setting. DarkStar One is definitely similar in that regard, although its execution is lackluster, to say the least.

What sets DarkStar One apart from the Privateer (or Freespace) series is its lack of a truly compelling story, narrative, or even setting. The game stars Kayron Jarvis, a rookie space pilot who, upon learning of his father’s death, inherits the legendary DarkStar One spaceship. Soon enough, he seeks to find out the truth behind the events leading up to the demise of his father.  

The story seems intriguing at first, but you find nothing that is really worth exploring in this very massive universe. Nothing about the characters, the different planets, galaxies, or races are compelling. The story meanders off for a while near the middle part of the game, and you find no reasons to relate to anything that is going on. The terrible voice acting and the lack of any clear direction in the narrative is what really drags this game down.

There is plenty of information to learn about each different system and galaxy, but that information almost never seems important during the majority of your travels unless it is dealing with the main story. You’ll find out about the different governments of each system, but it never means anything to any aspect of the game. The developers just flooded the screen with a ton of information, but most of it seems rather pointless. You are never immersed enough into this setting to find any of what you learn about each system necessary, and the game never tries to tell you why it might be. 

You would think that a game as open as this would have lots to do, right? Well, there certainly are a lot of places to explore, plenty of missions to do, and a wide array of ways to customize the DarkStar. But with all of that being said, the places you can explore all seem the same. When it comes down to it, you never find yourself going on any of these nice planets you see, and it doesn’t take long for you to realize that space looks about the same no matter which galaxy you are exploring. Oh sure, there are plenty of ships flying around, but they pretty much ignore you unless you are engaged in combat with them. 

The customization is definitely above and beyond what I expected from a game like this, and it really does show that the developers put plenty of thought behind just how many ways to customize your ship. You will also find different artifacts scattered around the many galaxies, and they are used to increase your ship’s power and essentially level up your vessel. 

There are also a lot of missions to take on, and each one relates to a specific “class” your character could belong to. You could lean more towards being a mercenary, a pirate, or just find yourself fighting for the law of that galaxy. None of it ever seems to have a bearing on anything except how certain, minor characters react to you. It’s just another missed opportunity, on that could have been explored a lot further. 

My biggest complaint with DarkStar One is just how sluggish everything feels. The space combat is never exciting, as enemies just fly around you in circles attempting to hit you with no real sense of tension or thrilling moments. The more you upgrade your ship seems to do next to nothing as you find yourself just flying in circles the majority of battles after the brain-dead enemies. The simulation aspects of DarkStar are cool, but the combat never feels like it improves beyond what seems to be a slow and tedious game of tag.

I hate to say it, but nothing about DarkStar One: Broken Alliance is all that captivating. Whenever I found something about the game I enjoyed, there were five other things that proceeded to drag down the experience. This is not the next Freespace or Privateer game, and not once did I find myself at all excited or enthralled by anything happening on screen. 

Pros: Plenty of customization options; lots of mission variety; many places to explore

Cons: Terrible voice acting; lackluster story with a very poor narrative; uninteresting characters and world; sluggish gameplay

 

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