Originally published in Gamefreaks Magazine.
The long awaited home console return of Rare’s royal platforming duo is a major deviation from the gameplay that made Banjo-Kazooie great. Settling into the Xbox 360 as their first post-Nintendo home, the game sets out to establish a fresh identity in the current generation, for better or worse.
It has been eight long years since Banjoo and Kazooie were last seen bounding across the horizon and expectations for their return were running inevitably high. Choosing to reinvent the series rather than merely update the solid adventure game with current technology, Rare have picked a path that couldn’t help but alienate a chunk of their previous fans.
The straightforward collect em up adventuring of the previous games is almost completely stripped away, replaced by a rather incongruous emphasis on vehicular gameplay. Thrust into a new world known as Showdown Town, the duo is tasked with creating a range of vehicles to utilize in a series of challenges such as fetch-quests, racing, and vehicle-based combat.
While the reason for such emphasis on transportation in a series that has hitherto been completely devoid of such things remains a mystery, the first interactions with these mechanics are quite rewarding. The garage feature, in which players create any sort of wondrous machine they like using parts earned throughout the game, is surprisingly deep. The functionality is such that the player has a great deal of freedom in creating vehicles - so much so that it may well be daunting for younger players.
Once you get out of the garage, however, things get a little less polished. Rather than advancing an overall storyline, the game is divided into themed worlds, each containing challenges with no relevance to your characters at all. The tasks are very basic, often routine and boring, and cause immediate flashes of nostalgia for the series’ old format.
While the core gameplay might be almost unrecognizable as the Banjo-Kazooie we know and love, the game’s look is dead on. The hodgepodge cartoon world positively hums with goofy energy, a perfect fit for the series’ trademark satirical humour. Unfortunately that just makes yearning for the old ways that little bit more desperate, rather than benefiting this bastardized attempt at rejuvenation.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Sonic Unleashed
Originally published in Gamefreaks Magazine.
With a string of routinely terrible titles to his name, gamers have long considered the once-beloved Sonic the Hedgehog to be cursed. Sonic Team ran with that concept with their latest release, Sonic Unleashed. Apparently to save the dying franchise things are going to have to get a little hairy.
The premise for Sonic Unleashed is one of the least likely twists on an established character I can think of: What if Sonic, for no real reason, turned into a werewolf? Ok, sure, Sonic the Werehog, I’m intrigued. But then what if the wolf, as well as being really fierce but slower than usual, had stretchy powers like Mr. fantastic? Honestly, I can’t even imagine how someone pitches such an idea, let alone gets it green lit.
The result is truly bipolar. Levels taking place during the day are raced through by classic Sonic, levels after nightfall are big fuzzy Sonic’s territory. If you can move past the sheer random absurdity of the concept (and don’t feel bad if you can’t) then you can almost see how it might make for an interesting mix of gameplay types - unfortunately this is where the game well and truly shoots itself in the foot.
When playing as plain old Sonic the game represents the sort of return to roots that fans have been gagging for, ever since the leap to 3D. The beautifully designed levels zip by at blistering speed as you hurl yourself towards rings and away from traps. The sense of speed is exhilarating and the stripped back, simple concept as nostalgically reminiscent of those halcyon days on the Megadrive.
Then the game slams into a brick wall. The sun goes down, the hedgehog wolfs up, and the fun just drains right out of the screen before your eyes. Laborious, long, and just plain dull Werehog levels force you into frustratingly unripe brawler mode, burning the goodwill earned by the other half of the game with each over-extended moment.
It’s a shame things went so pear-shaped in the end, because those all too brief levels melding vintage sonic gameplay with the current generation are gold. Why we needed to go wolf I’ll never know, but this at least creates a glimmer of hope for a truly decent new Sonic title, someday.
With a string of routinely terrible titles to his name, gamers have long considered the once-beloved Sonic the Hedgehog to be cursed. Sonic Team ran with that concept with their latest release, Sonic Unleashed. Apparently to save the dying franchise things are going to have to get a little hairy.
The premise for Sonic Unleashed is one of the least likely twists on an established character I can think of: What if Sonic, for no real reason, turned into a werewolf? Ok, sure, Sonic the Werehog, I’m intrigued. But then what if the wolf, as well as being really fierce but slower than usual, had stretchy powers like Mr. fantastic? Honestly, I can’t even imagine how someone pitches such an idea, let alone gets it green lit.
The result is truly bipolar. Levels taking place during the day are raced through by classic Sonic, levels after nightfall are big fuzzy Sonic’s territory. If you can move past the sheer random absurdity of the concept (and don’t feel bad if you can’t) then you can almost see how it might make for an interesting mix of gameplay types - unfortunately this is where the game well and truly shoots itself in the foot.
When playing as plain old Sonic the game represents the sort of return to roots that fans have been gagging for, ever since the leap to 3D. The beautifully designed levels zip by at blistering speed as you hurl yourself towards rings and away from traps. The sense of speed is exhilarating and the stripped back, simple concept as nostalgically reminiscent of those halcyon days on the Megadrive.
Then the game slams into a brick wall. The sun goes down, the hedgehog wolfs up, and the fun just drains right out of the screen before your eyes. Laborious, long, and just plain dull Werehog levels force you into frustratingly unripe brawler mode, burning the goodwill earned by the other half of the game with each over-extended moment.
It’s a shame things went so pear-shaped in the end, because those all too brief levels melding vintage sonic gameplay with the current generation are gold. Why we needed to go wolf I’ll never know, but this at least creates a glimmer of hope for a truly decent new Sonic title, someday.
Prince of Persia
Originally published in Gamefreaks Magazine.
Ubisoft were on to a good thing with last generation’s Prince of Persia titles and it was a bold move to throw all that aside and try something new. A fresh look, some gameplay tinkering and a few nods to the original trilogy make for a solid reworking of the platforming classic.
Reboots are all the rage these days; Bond, Batman, the government, and now Ubisoft’s staple franchise Prince of Persia. With 2005’s Two Thrones capping off the fantastic Sands of Time trilogy it’s debatable whether the series really needed overhauling, but change is good and it is refreshing to see a company take the initiative rather than waiting until the beloved series was driven into the ground.
The most immediately striking change to the series is its look. Deviating markedly from previous iterations, Prince of Persia now boasts a highly detailed version of the cel-shaded style, giving the game a pleasant illustrated fable vibe. Kicking off amidst a roaring sandstorm, the game is quick to illustrate its dedication to wide, sprawling landscapes of ancient Persia.
Wandering rather haplessly through said countryside is the titular Prince, again unnamed but clearly not the same brooding warrior we have become intimate with. This new prince, decked out in a flowing headscarf and leathery open-chest number, has more of an Ashton Kutcher inflection; cavalier, mouthy and more than a little annoying. This doesn’t seem to bother the beautiful princess Elika, who is more than happy to be saved from mysterious pursuers by the dorky rogue.
Requestioning the limber Prince’s assistance in reaching an ornate temple, Elika relates the story of how the land has become corrupted by an evil presence and the task of revitalising the once lush kingdom falls on her mystical shoulders. Assumedly because he has very little else to do that day, the Prince pledges to help Elika accomplish her quest, escorting her across treacherous lands pursuing numerous fertile grounds in need of healing.
This expedition sets our hero on a collision course with evil spirit Ahirman and his ethereal minions. Throwing down with these wraithlike nasties reveals the largest change to the game’s core mechanics; a combat system that closely resembles the original series’ one-to-one combat rather than Sands of Time’s brawler elements. Gone are the unending hordes of goons, replaced with far less frequent skirmishes with a single enemy.
Fighting is a matter of timing and reaction, with sword attack mapped to one button, gauntlet attacks to another, and a third for acrobatic attacks and dodges. Anticipating an enemy’s attack, countering, and out manoeuvring are the keys to victory in Prince of Persia’s swordfights. The unconventional system is novel to begin with but it’s limitations become boringly clear as the game essentially requires replaying the same battle repeatedly, ad nauseam.
Luckily the title leans far more heavily on its acrobatic portions, which are more or less unchanged from the previous trilogy’s masterful system. Monkeying about through intricate playgrounds loses something of its edge, however, with the new title’s handholding decision to make death impossible. As well as being useful for areal boosts and attacks, if you mess up a jump or find yourself losing a battle Elika will step in and save you from defeat, returning the Prince to a safe spot.
This somewhat coddling decision to make failure almost impossible, coupled with Elika’s ability to display a magical trail leading you exactly where you need to go, panders to a less skilled audience outside of the series’ core fan base. Which is fine, obviously, but the game would appear a much more attractive challenge to loyal, hardcore fans if turning the kids table features off were an option.
Ubisoft were on to a good thing with last generation’s Prince of Persia titles and it was a bold move to throw all that aside and try something new. A fresh look, some gameplay tinkering and a few nods to the original trilogy make for a solid reworking of the platforming classic.
Reboots are all the rage these days; Bond, Batman, the government, and now Ubisoft’s staple franchise Prince of Persia. With 2005’s Two Thrones capping off the fantastic Sands of Time trilogy it’s debatable whether the series really needed overhauling, but change is good and it is refreshing to see a company take the initiative rather than waiting until the beloved series was driven into the ground.
The most immediately striking change to the series is its look. Deviating markedly from previous iterations, Prince of Persia now boasts a highly detailed version of the cel-shaded style, giving the game a pleasant illustrated fable vibe. Kicking off amidst a roaring sandstorm, the game is quick to illustrate its dedication to wide, sprawling landscapes of ancient Persia.
Wandering rather haplessly through said countryside is the titular Prince, again unnamed but clearly not the same brooding warrior we have become intimate with. This new prince, decked out in a flowing headscarf and leathery open-chest number, has more of an Ashton Kutcher inflection; cavalier, mouthy and more than a little annoying. This doesn’t seem to bother the beautiful princess Elika, who is more than happy to be saved from mysterious pursuers by the dorky rogue.
Requestioning the limber Prince’s assistance in reaching an ornate temple, Elika relates the story of how the land has become corrupted by an evil presence and the task of revitalising the once lush kingdom falls on her mystical shoulders. Assumedly because he has very little else to do that day, the Prince pledges to help Elika accomplish her quest, escorting her across treacherous lands pursuing numerous fertile grounds in need of healing.
This expedition sets our hero on a collision course with evil spirit Ahirman and his ethereal minions. Throwing down with these wraithlike nasties reveals the largest change to the game’s core mechanics; a combat system that closely resembles the original series’ one-to-one combat rather than Sands of Time’s brawler elements. Gone are the unending hordes of goons, replaced with far less frequent skirmishes with a single enemy.
Fighting is a matter of timing and reaction, with sword attack mapped to one button, gauntlet attacks to another, and a third for acrobatic attacks and dodges. Anticipating an enemy’s attack, countering, and out manoeuvring are the keys to victory in Prince of Persia’s swordfights. The unconventional system is novel to begin with but it’s limitations become boringly clear as the game essentially requires replaying the same battle repeatedly, ad nauseam.
Luckily the title leans far more heavily on its acrobatic portions, which are more or less unchanged from the previous trilogy’s masterful system. Monkeying about through intricate playgrounds loses something of its edge, however, with the new title’s handholding decision to make death impossible. As well as being useful for areal boosts and attacks, if you mess up a jump or find yourself losing a battle Elika will step in and save you from defeat, returning the Prince to a safe spot.
This somewhat coddling decision to make failure almost impossible, coupled with Elika’s ability to display a magical trail leading you exactly where you need to go, panders to a less skilled audience outside of the series’ core fan base. Which is fine, obviously, but the game would appear a much more attractive challenge to loyal, hardcore fans if turning the kids table features off were an option.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Originally published in Gamefreaks Magazine.
The violent reprobates of Mortal Kombat clash with the heroes and villains of DC comics in what one would expect to be sort of a one-sided fight. It’s nice to have the MK series well and truly back on track, and the spandex brigade is a novel addition.
The colourful characters of Marvel comics have been paling around with the bruisers of Street Fighter for some years now, so it was only natural that their Distinguished Competition would eventually join forces with another member of fighting game royalty. The characters don’t exactly mesh together naturally but fans of either series are well catered to, and fans of both should probably bring a towel.
In a statistically unlikely bit of synchronised villain defeating the champions of both universes (namely Raiden and Superman) each put the final screws to their greatest enemies (Shao Khan and Darkseid, respectively) at the very same time. Somehow things get a bit wibbly and the two villains fuse together to form Dark Khan, an impossibility that also melds the two worlds together. With both sides mistaking the others for invaders (xenophobia runs rampant even with earth’s greatest heroes these days) the streets soon erupt in, wait for it, Mortal Kombat!
Fighting on the MK side we have the usual line up of brawlers, including Jax, Baraka, Scorpian, Liu Kang, and Sonya; and in the DC corner you’ve got sort of analogous personalities like Green Lantern, Deathstroke, Batman, The Flash, and Catwoman.
The insanely uneven power levels in a match between, say, Superman and Sub Zero along with personality quirks that suddenly have dignified heroes fighting in the streets are explained away thusly; The merging of Dark Khan is piping some weird rage voodoo into the amalgamated reality causing powers to fluctuate and behaviours get a bit nutty. Convenient, no?
Tightly stretched story aside, the game plays exactly as it should. If you’re at all a proponent of the Mortal Kombat school then you will feel right at home. There have been a few tweaks to basic combat that break up the frantic pace, such as mid-air skirmishing and close quarters manoeuvring, but nothing that either evolves or spoils the traditional fighter experience.
The violent reprobates of Mortal Kombat clash with the heroes and villains of DC comics in what one would expect to be sort of a one-sided fight. It’s nice to have the MK series well and truly back on track, and the spandex brigade is a novel addition.
The colourful characters of Marvel comics have been paling around with the bruisers of Street Fighter for some years now, so it was only natural that their Distinguished Competition would eventually join forces with another member of fighting game royalty. The characters don’t exactly mesh together naturally but fans of either series are well catered to, and fans of both should probably bring a towel.
In a statistically unlikely bit of synchronised villain defeating the champions of both universes (namely Raiden and Superman) each put the final screws to their greatest enemies (Shao Khan and Darkseid, respectively) at the very same time. Somehow things get a bit wibbly and the two villains fuse together to form Dark Khan, an impossibility that also melds the two worlds together. With both sides mistaking the others for invaders (xenophobia runs rampant even with earth’s greatest heroes these days) the streets soon erupt in, wait for it, Mortal Kombat!
Fighting on the MK side we have the usual line up of brawlers, including Jax, Baraka, Scorpian, Liu Kang, and Sonya; and in the DC corner you’ve got sort of analogous personalities like Green Lantern, Deathstroke, Batman, The Flash, and Catwoman.
The insanely uneven power levels in a match between, say, Superman and Sub Zero along with personality quirks that suddenly have dignified heroes fighting in the streets are explained away thusly; The merging of Dark Khan is piping some weird rage voodoo into the amalgamated reality causing powers to fluctuate and behaviours get a bit nutty. Convenient, no?
Tightly stretched story aside, the game plays exactly as it should. If you’re at all a proponent of the Mortal Kombat school then you will feel right at home. There have been a few tweaks to basic combat that break up the frantic pace, such as mid-air skirmishing and close quarters manoeuvring, but nothing that either evolves or spoils the traditional fighter experience.
Order Up!
Originally published in Gamefreaks Magazine.
Cooking video games, who saw that trend coming? While most games filling out that weird subgenre are little more than Cooking Mama rip-offs, Order Up! is a surprisingly well prepared title in its own right. Addictive, goofy, and a little bit frantic, it’s a casual game that any brand of gamer can dig.
I enjoy cooking, though I’ve only very recently been able to produce anything even approaching proper food. It’s a lot of fun but very time consuming, if people in general weren’t so lazy the fast food industry would be but a niche market. We are lazy though, very lazy, and I suppose therein lies the appeal of a cooking sim; you feel something of achievement in preparing a meal, but if you get bored you can just quit out. And you never have to clean up.
Order Up! bolsters the usual mash-up of servile minigames implied in digi-food prep by coupling it with a very basic business sim. The game (inexplicably) begins as your chef character leaps from a plane into a dumpster, recovers and wanders into a local fast food joint. Burger Face serves as the game’s tutorial level, but to hell with working there for long, once you’ve got basic burger preparation down it’s off to start up your first diner.
Each restaurant you open acts as a level; once you learn enough new recipes, get the place looking good, and impress the local food critic your eatery will be awarded the five-star rank and you can move on to the next culinary challenge.
At each locale you work as the short order cook, receiving orders, preparing the individual ingredients, judiciously selecting spices, and cooking the meal. Tables at your diner can seat up to four people, each placing different orders that need to be produced simultaneously. Splitting your attention between the chopping board, deep fryer, grill, and oven is key to make sure everything ticks along nicely and nothing burns.
Should the stress get too much (and no mistake, despite the game’s cartoonish appearance it knows how to make you sweat) you can also hire on additional staff to assign tasks as you assemble meals, though the help will never be able to hit that sweet ‘perfect’ spot the way you can.
Crawling from one dive to the next, blitzing through the dishes, and building the places up to respectable businesses is a deceptively addictive process that will truly put your multi-tasking abilities to the test.
Cooking video games, who saw that trend coming? While most games filling out that weird subgenre are little more than Cooking Mama rip-offs, Order Up! is a surprisingly well prepared title in its own right. Addictive, goofy, and a little bit frantic, it’s a casual game that any brand of gamer can dig.
I enjoy cooking, though I’ve only very recently been able to produce anything even approaching proper food. It’s a lot of fun but very time consuming, if people in general weren’t so lazy the fast food industry would be but a niche market. We are lazy though, very lazy, and I suppose therein lies the appeal of a cooking sim; you feel something of achievement in preparing a meal, but if you get bored you can just quit out. And you never have to clean up.
Order Up! bolsters the usual mash-up of servile minigames implied in digi-food prep by coupling it with a very basic business sim. The game (inexplicably) begins as your chef character leaps from a plane into a dumpster, recovers and wanders into a local fast food joint. Burger Face serves as the game’s tutorial level, but to hell with working there for long, once you’ve got basic burger preparation down it’s off to start up your first diner.
Each restaurant you open acts as a level; once you learn enough new recipes, get the place looking good, and impress the local food critic your eatery will be awarded the five-star rank and you can move on to the next culinary challenge.
At each locale you work as the short order cook, receiving orders, preparing the individual ingredients, judiciously selecting spices, and cooking the meal. Tables at your diner can seat up to four people, each placing different orders that need to be produced simultaneously. Splitting your attention between the chopping board, deep fryer, grill, and oven is key to make sure everything ticks along nicely and nothing burns.
Should the stress get too much (and no mistake, despite the game’s cartoonish appearance it knows how to make you sweat) you can also hire on additional staff to assign tasks as you assemble meals, though the help will never be able to hit that sweet ‘perfect’ spot the way you can.
Crawling from one dive to the next, blitzing through the dishes, and building the places up to respectable businesses is a deceptively addictive process that will truly put your multi-tasking abilities to the test.
Skate It
Originally published in Gamefreaks Magazine.
EA nobly continue their quest to break down Tony Hawk’s skateboard gaming monopoly. Re-imagining the basics of last year’s Skate, Skate It for the Wii transplants the nuanced control system onto the motion sensing remote in a bid for an all-new, all-different skating game experience.
I want to start by expressing my gratitude to Electronic Arts for sending some genuine love to the Wii. While most publishers aren’t willing to dedicate anything beyond minigame collections, product tie-ins, or shovelware to Nintendo’s challenging platform, EA have stepped up with a new original game - not a shonky port - for one of their biggest, freshest new series. Thank you for taking the time to be a real gaming company.
The original Skate succeeded by being similar enough to the Tony Hawk titles to feel instantly familiar, but different enough to be exciting, challenging, and new. Skate It succeeds on much the same terms; the basic format is standard skater fare but the controls are a whole new beast. Flush with options from the start, you can play Skate It via one of three different control modes: a single Wii remote, a remote and nunchuck combo, or using the fantastic balance board.
Regardless of which input you go with the resulting game will be a huge challenge, but one well worth mastering. With the board transposed onto your controller of choice you control your skater’s jumps, grabs, flips, and grinds via movement. Perfectly logical when you’re already standing on a skate-like balance board, but a little more difficult to wrap your head around when your virtual skate is in the palm of your hand.
The Wii’s common motion sensing issues aside, once you’ve got a handle on controlling the board you’re primed for a first rate tour through the lips, gaps, jumps, and half-pipes of San Van, which has rather conveniently been destroyed by a series of mysterious earthquakes, leaving it a smoking mess of adventurous skate territory.
The Wii does its best to handle a modified version of the original game’s engine, but is never acquitted quite as well is it’s more robust cousins. In the most extreme cases the visuals end up a distorted mess, but the majority of the time the title coasts by on its average looks well enough. Graphical trifles won’t be enough to keep a starving hardcore audience from this rare ‘serious’ title for the Wii.
EA nobly continue their quest to break down Tony Hawk’s skateboard gaming monopoly. Re-imagining the basics of last year’s Skate, Skate It for the Wii transplants the nuanced control system onto the motion sensing remote in a bid for an all-new, all-different skating game experience.
I want to start by expressing my gratitude to Electronic Arts for sending some genuine love to the Wii. While most publishers aren’t willing to dedicate anything beyond minigame collections, product tie-ins, or shovelware to Nintendo’s challenging platform, EA have stepped up with a new original game - not a shonky port - for one of their biggest, freshest new series. Thank you for taking the time to be a real gaming company.
The original Skate succeeded by being similar enough to the Tony Hawk titles to feel instantly familiar, but different enough to be exciting, challenging, and new. Skate It succeeds on much the same terms; the basic format is standard skater fare but the controls are a whole new beast. Flush with options from the start, you can play Skate It via one of three different control modes: a single Wii remote, a remote and nunchuck combo, or using the fantastic balance board.
Regardless of which input you go with the resulting game will be a huge challenge, but one well worth mastering. With the board transposed onto your controller of choice you control your skater’s jumps, grabs, flips, and grinds via movement. Perfectly logical when you’re already standing on a skate-like balance board, but a little more difficult to wrap your head around when your virtual skate is in the palm of your hand.
The Wii’s common motion sensing issues aside, once you’ve got a handle on controlling the board you’re primed for a first rate tour through the lips, gaps, jumps, and half-pipes of San Van, which has rather conveniently been destroyed by a series of mysterious earthquakes, leaving it a smoking mess of adventurous skate territory.
The Wii does its best to handle a modified version of the original game’s engine, but is never acquitted quite as well is it’s more robust cousins. In the most extreme cases the visuals end up a distorted mess, but the majority of the time the title coasts by on its average looks well enough. Graphical trifles won’t be enough to keep a starving hardcore audience from this rare ‘serious’ title for the Wii.
Left 4 Dead
Originally published in Gamefreaks Magazine.
The cult of Valve is whipped into frenzy as the multiplayer messiahs finally see fit to drop another game, promising to do for co-op gaming what Half-Life (and its derivatives) did for competitive online shooters. Also: zombies!
The survival-horror genre has sought, since its inception, to emulate the horror film-going experience with shaky success. To be fair most horror movies fail to generate much of the horror film-going experience themselves, but where survival-horror games are concerned the big pitfall seems to be adhering too closely to their own genre staples. Stilted movement, intricate puzzles, hunting about for key after key; none of this stuff is particularly scary. At least not in the way it’s intended. It is no big surprise, then, that a game barely fitting the survival-horror tag has most compelling conveyed the need to survive a little horror.
Left 4 Dead is a cooperative multiplayer game in which gamers assume the roles of four survivors of a zombie outbreak. A mutated form of rabies has turned the whole damn world into flesh eating crazies and it is the survivors’ moral imperative to traumatically kill as many of the undead pests as possible in a bid to make it to the credits alive.
As they tend to, the zombies (or ‘infected’ so as not to flare up the whole ‘zombies don’t run’ debate) outnumber the survivors by about a trillion to one, so the awesome foursome rely very heavily upon mutual aid in order to navigate the post-apocalyptic world.
While most of the nasty critters are your garden variety, run-moan-bite infected, a few have evolved special attributes that make them doubly pesky. Bloated walking corpses known as boomers tend to vomit or explode a coat of goo onto unsuspecting players, coating them in zombie-attracting pheromones to which the locals will quickly flock. Smokers have big old tongues that can shoot out and ensnare survivors, Tanks are hulking mutants that like to chuck rather heavy objects about the place, and Hunters move quickly and can pin a player to the ground. Depending on how you are attacked, one of these more classy zombies might require a teammate’s assistance to be repelled.
As well as helping your comrades to their feet, players can share health kits and provide covering fire in order to traverse such classic zombie destinations as the hospital, tunnel network, backwoods, and airport. There’s no fiddling about for door triggers or annoying memory puzzles to be found, the levels are as straight forward as they come, consisting of basic A-to-B objectives with nothing but mountains of the undead to hinder your progress.
This is both a strongpoint and hindrance to the game; while the no-nonsense gun play makes for a much more dynamic sense of horror than similar attempts (such as Resident Evil: Outbreak) it also results in gameplay that gets stale too quickly. Consisting of only four campaigns, it doesn’t take very long to see all there is to see in Left 4 Dead.
Both a heavy emphasis on online play an AI system called Director, which dynamically calculates a group of players’ experience and adjusts enemies accordingly, are workarounds for the brevity problem. Combined they are able to, technically, offer a different experience with each play through, but the subtle tweaks are never enough to make you forget that you’ve already ploughed your way through a given level multiple times in any given session.
The cult of Valve is whipped into frenzy as the multiplayer messiahs finally see fit to drop another game, promising to do for co-op gaming what Half-Life (and its derivatives) did for competitive online shooters. Also: zombies!
The survival-horror genre has sought, since its inception, to emulate the horror film-going experience with shaky success. To be fair most horror movies fail to generate much of the horror film-going experience themselves, but where survival-horror games are concerned the big pitfall seems to be adhering too closely to their own genre staples. Stilted movement, intricate puzzles, hunting about for key after key; none of this stuff is particularly scary. At least not in the way it’s intended. It is no big surprise, then, that a game barely fitting the survival-horror tag has most compelling conveyed the need to survive a little horror.
Left 4 Dead is a cooperative multiplayer game in which gamers assume the roles of four survivors of a zombie outbreak. A mutated form of rabies has turned the whole damn world into flesh eating crazies and it is the survivors’ moral imperative to traumatically kill as many of the undead pests as possible in a bid to make it to the credits alive.
As they tend to, the zombies (or ‘infected’ so as not to flare up the whole ‘zombies don’t run’ debate) outnumber the survivors by about a trillion to one, so the awesome foursome rely very heavily upon mutual aid in order to navigate the post-apocalyptic world.
While most of the nasty critters are your garden variety, run-moan-bite infected, a few have evolved special attributes that make them doubly pesky. Bloated walking corpses known as boomers tend to vomit or explode a coat of goo onto unsuspecting players, coating them in zombie-attracting pheromones to which the locals will quickly flock. Smokers have big old tongues that can shoot out and ensnare survivors, Tanks are hulking mutants that like to chuck rather heavy objects about the place, and Hunters move quickly and can pin a player to the ground. Depending on how you are attacked, one of these more classy zombies might require a teammate’s assistance to be repelled.
As well as helping your comrades to their feet, players can share health kits and provide covering fire in order to traverse such classic zombie destinations as the hospital, tunnel network, backwoods, and airport. There’s no fiddling about for door triggers or annoying memory puzzles to be found, the levels are as straight forward as they come, consisting of basic A-to-B objectives with nothing but mountains of the undead to hinder your progress.
This is both a strongpoint and hindrance to the game; while the no-nonsense gun play makes for a much more dynamic sense of horror than similar attempts (such as Resident Evil: Outbreak) it also results in gameplay that gets stale too quickly. Consisting of only four campaigns, it doesn’t take very long to see all there is to see in Left 4 Dead.
Both a heavy emphasis on online play an AI system called Director, which dynamically calculates a group of players’ experience and adjusts enemies accordingly, are workarounds for the brevity problem. Combined they are able to, technically, offer a different experience with each play through, but the subtle tweaks are never enough to make you forget that you’ve already ploughed your way through a given level multiple times in any given session.
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