I've included a video of each game from Youtube so you can actually see what each game looks like.
Spider-man web of shadows
Following on from the success of the popular 2007 Spider-man 3 sandbox game (which I loved), Web of Shadows follows a unique storyline set during the symbiote infestation of New York and Spidey’s attempt to save it using his natural and black suited powers along with the help of numerous well known Marvel heroes and villains.
Although the game throws in lots of these Marvel characters, suit specific special moves and multiple missions, it ultimately fails to impress beyond these points due to the unbelievable repetition in game play. Most tasks see you making use of one special move, jumping from person to person using your webs, which after the first hour starts to drive you completely crazy. Fighting enemies feels restricted and choreographed rather than freeform and skillfull. It's inferior to its Spidey 3 predecessor due to this lack of freedom and depth and it ends up feeling just that little bit too hollow... It’s a real shame as this had the potential to be a really good game and suffers for points that could have been polished up before its release. I completed the game despite these flaws and if you’re a Spidey fan you may like this game a lot.
6/10
Fracture
I only bought this game when I saw some footage on Gameface on Bravo recently and I have to admit I can’t believe I missed it when it was originally released. Fracture is actually a really enjoyable and unique gaming experience and if you like 3rd person shooters you should definitely try it out.
The game features the use of terrain deformation by way of numerous weapons that can raise or lower the land around you. It not only adds an element of puzzle solving and killing not really seen before but also a sense of control and power over your surroundings I’ve never felt in a game like this. Can’t reach a ledge or window? Raise the terrain in front of it. Need to get into a hidden tunnel underground? Lower the terrain and in you go. You can even create your own protective shield out of the surrounding ground when you need to retreat or regain your composure, or you can kill your enemies with a rising pillar of earth that crushes them on the ceiling etc. The weapons and grenades are all pretty much themed towards this terrain changing element, but that's not a bad thing as they all feel great and are a joy to fire all the way through. The terrain gimmick has its limits of course and the shooting/ action part of the game play can feel quite basic, but it impresses nonetheless. I certainly recommend this game if you can grab it second hand.
8/10
Afro Samurai
Not really an old game as it only came out a few months back but I managed to grab this pre-owned recently for about £10.
I’m a huge fan of the Afro Samurai anime, and of course Samuel L Jackson, so I knew I’d be buying this game somewhere down the line when I first heard of its impending release during the San Diego Comic Con 2008 Afro Samurai talk I attended. Afro has a cult following and has a class and panache unrivalled in its genre and I personally own the figures, the t-shirts, the DVDs and the Sam Jackson signed litho too! Like I said... huge fan.
Now although I back the franchise I can say straight away that this game doesn’t quite match the quality you’d expect. As third person action/ fighting games go it’s good but not great and that’s mainly due to the repetitive nature of its fighting content. OK so there are some fun sword moves to learn and pull off, the gore is beyond over the top, and the voice acting from Mr. Jackson is of course spot on, but then all you are doing is dismembering bad guys, wave after wave, minute after minute, with the odd rubbish puzzle thrown in for good measure...
I’m not saying that the game is worth missing as again I find it quite unique and if you’re a fan of the franchise then you’ll probably like it more than the casual gamer but once you get about 80 percent of the way through you might find yourself giving up and moving on like me!
6/10
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X
When I was younger and played more on my Amiga 500+ and my PC I loved a lot of the flying games such as Knights of the sky, Wings and Crimson Skies. I was a big flying game fan and I loved using the old joysticks, out manoeuvring your enemies with classy blackout-inducing aerial moves and then blowing them to millions of pieces. There have been a few flying games out on the 360 but the only one I’ve indulged in so far is Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.
It’s a game based in the near future starting out during one of the Ghost Recon missions from the previous 3rd person shooters from the ongoing franchise and the planes on offer are all the newest and best you’ll find in any game from this genre. The game style is of course more arcade than simulator, giving you unbridled freedom to perform crazy stunts and death defying feats that no ordinary pilot could in real life. It really is arcade flying at its best and when it’s good it’s really good, but when it’s bad it’s terrible... and frustrating. I played the whole thing through on hard, which wasn’t really that hard at all, until one of the last levels which I must have tried 20 times before finally completing it.
H.A.W.X is an enjoyable outing for the short time that the story mode lasts and it’s a sure way to some much needed achievement points if you can hack it on hard, but don’t pay too much for it if you see it.
6/10
Resident Evil 5
Back in the fledgling days of the PS1 I had a little game called Resident Evil... I’d never in my life played a survival horror of Resi’s type and to be honest I’ve never played one since. I liked the first one but was never interested in getting the numerous sequels. Dark Knight bought Resident Evil 5 when it was first released and told me it was pretty cool, so I took his advice and bought it second hand at my local boot sale recently. I have a friend who comes over every few weeks to do some two player gaming until the early hours and I’m always on the lookout for anything that has offline co-op integrated such as Rainbow 6: Vegas 1 & 2, Gears of War 1 & 2, Halo 3, Army of Two, Kane and Lynch and Left 4 Dead etc, we’ve completed the lot together. When I realised Resi 5 had this option I thought it’d be a good option for my mate and I to play through during one of our sessions... And I was right, it’s frickin awesome!
Having not played the one player story mode by myself I can’t comment on what it’s like without a human partner, but in two player co-op it’s one of the best games you could possibly play and it works really well in that mode. My mate and I have played it almost all the way through (although it’s taken two gaming sessions so far to get that far) and have seriously enjoyed every minute, including the weapons and item management system. The fear you feel is pretty real, the weapons pack a meaty punch and the levels are varied and atmospheric. Even if you’re not a horror game fan this is definitely worth a look.
It’s been one of my favourite second hand purchases of all time and will make me look at future releases!
9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment