Project: Snowblind (Xbox, PS2; $49.99; Rated T; projectsnowblind.com)
(four stars)
Releasing a brand new sci-fi shooter in the wake of fantastic winter holiday FPS would set most titles up for failure, or at best, a luke-warm response. While many gamers are still deeply involved in “Halo,” “Half Life 2,” or “Killzone,” who would even stop to notice a brand new Intellectual Property on the market, or one from a relatively unknown developer?
To not give “Project: Snowblind” a try, however, is shooting yourself squarely in the foot with a plasma rifle.
Players’ control of regular infantryman Nathan Frost is put to the immediate test as enemy forces attack Frost’s first steps off of his transport chopper. After running and reacting before even really becoming accustomed to the controls, players find themselves taking out an onslaught of enemy troops and mechanical tanks before being blown away in an explosion.
Frost is brought back from near-death by scientific miracles, and while he was out, the good doctors of the military decided to upgrade his entire neurology by enhancing his abilities to super-human standards.
In addition to nifty new glowing blue arms, Frost can receive neurological upgrades which allow him to become a Superman packing heat- x-ray vision, super speed, and temporary invulnerability are all on the menu.
And thankfully, “Snowblind” eschews modern shooter protocol, and allows players to carry as many weapons as they can find, so there’ll be a tool for whatever situation fits. Want to snipe? Go ahead. Better yet, use the alternate fire which implants a chip in the target and makes them attack their comrades. Feeling a little passive-aggressive? Neuro-hack an enemy mech and turn the enemies’ machinery against itself. Take that you futuristic pinko commies!
“Snowblind’s” action is frustrated only by its confusing controls. Although a standard FPS layout is the foundation of the control scheme, the addition of alternate fire modes, special items, and neurological abilities complicate the control layout, making certain abilities (like throwing a grenade) not where one would commonly expect to find it. Thankfully, the controls are never too frustrating to take the player out of the experience- the benchmark of any solid game.
Helping to keep the player in tune and playing are the fantastic animations, vivid colors, fluid framerate, and awesome sound. The addition of a solid multiplayer experience that keeps the experience close to the single-player campaign is only icing on the cake.
Undoubtedly, a certain sci-fi game that takes place in a Galaxy Far, Far Away could learn a lot from this new kid on the block. A solid rental, and a must-have for shooter fans.
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Stop Cloning Around!
Star Wars: Republic Commando (Xbox; $49.99; Rated T; lucasarts.com)
(two and a half stars)
On May 19th, when “Star Wars, Episode III” debuts, the Sith will have their Revenge, and all hope will be lost. And if Episodes I & II are any indication of what the latest prequel will be like, fans don't really have much hope left to cling to anyway.
Until that time when fans get to see the birth of Darth Vader, and the end of Hayden Christensen's career, they can whet their whistle with this completely mediocre sci-fi shooter.
"Commando" puts players in the role of one of the Galactic Republic's special operatives during the Clone Wars. As the battle between the Republic and Separatist forces rages on, you and three of your identical brothers are sent to slip behind enemy lines and get deeper into the Bantha poo-doo than any normal clone trooper could.
Which is where the first flaw of the game lies: if they're all clones, shouldn't they be exactly the same in skills and abilities?
According to the game, one clone out of every few thousand comes out mutated and more skilled than the other troopers. The "super trooper" is sealed off from the regular clones and trained as a specialist for a Special Forces squad.
The concept of "Commando" seems to be a sure-fire hit: take one part squad-based gameplay ala "Rainbow Six," simplify it, add a dash of "Halo" first-person shooting, a pinch of "Metroid's" Heads-Up Display (HUD), set to bake in the "Star Wars" universe and... Voila!
Well I think someone took the soufflé out too early.
Although squad-commanding is as simple as point-and-click- it is a crutch of Wookie-like proportions. Never in the game do players have to think about what to do next, it's all projected out for with ghost-like images depicting where teammates will go. And, though the idea of having specialists on your team is a good one, your brothers all snipe, hack, or demolish with the same speed and ability as the "specialist" on the team. There's no need to actually get Fixer, the hacker, to splice open blast doors in a pinch, because anyone closer to the door can splice just as quickly. Which, of course, is inconsistent with the “super special non-clone” premise of the game.
When I play a "Star Wars" game, I expect three things: fantastic cinematics, amazing sound, and a "Star Wars" feel. In "Commando" I get none.
There are no cutscenes, only static mission briefings which mildly showcase the personalities of your brothers through their interactions with one another, but that's it- no amazing special-effect laden sequence. If the developers want to envelope the player in the sense of this galactic war, why not show it to us?
How could George Lucas, the creator of THX sound, pump this game with such a lackluster aural experience? Everything sounds like it is coming through tin cans. There seems to be no low-frequency bass response in any of the weapons (including cannons), the music is not memorable, and the repetitive voice-interactions between troopers become tired.
But most of all, this game just does not feel like a "Star Wars" movie. The color palette is brown, grey, and bland; everything seems flat and muddy on-screen, and nothing really pops with visual flair. Moreover, the entire concept of the game- which has such potential- is anchored to a part of the "Star Wars" story that has an abundance of easily forgettable characters waging war against even more forgettable enemies.
Normally, I'd give a game like this a solid middle-of-the-road score, but because it can draw so much from being a part of the "Star Wars" franchise, a game like this should have higher expectations from critics, and should exceed those expectations.
(two and a half stars)
On May 19th, when “Star Wars, Episode III” debuts, the Sith will have their Revenge, and all hope will be lost. And if Episodes I & II are any indication of what the latest prequel will be like, fans don't really have much hope left to cling to anyway.
Until that time when fans get to see the birth of Darth Vader, and the end of Hayden Christensen's career, they can whet their whistle with this completely mediocre sci-fi shooter.
"Commando" puts players in the role of one of the Galactic Republic's special operatives during the Clone Wars. As the battle between the Republic and Separatist forces rages on, you and three of your identical brothers are sent to slip behind enemy lines and get deeper into the Bantha poo-doo than any normal clone trooper could.
Which is where the first flaw of the game lies: if they're all clones, shouldn't they be exactly the same in skills and abilities?
According to the game, one clone out of every few thousand comes out mutated and more skilled than the other troopers. The "super trooper" is sealed off from the regular clones and trained as a specialist for a Special Forces squad.
The concept of "Commando" seems to be a sure-fire hit: take one part squad-based gameplay ala "Rainbow Six," simplify it, add a dash of "Halo" first-person shooting, a pinch of "Metroid's" Heads-Up Display (HUD), set to bake in the "Star Wars" universe and... Voila!
Well I think someone took the soufflé out too early.
Although squad-commanding is as simple as point-and-click- it is a crutch of Wookie-like proportions. Never in the game do players have to think about what to do next, it's all projected out for with ghost-like images depicting where teammates will go. And, though the idea of having specialists on your team is a good one, your brothers all snipe, hack, or demolish with the same speed and ability as the "specialist" on the team. There's no need to actually get Fixer, the hacker, to splice open blast doors in a pinch, because anyone closer to the door can splice just as quickly. Which, of course, is inconsistent with the “super special non-clone” premise of the game.
When I play a "Star Wars" game, I expect three things: fantastic cinematics, amazing sound, and a "Star Wars" feel. In "Commando" I get none.
There are no cutscenes, only static mission briefings which mildly showcase the personalities of your brothers through their interactions with one another, but that's it- no amazing special-effect laden sequence. If the developers want to envelope the player in the sense of this galactic war, why not show it to us?
How could George Lucas, the creator of THX sound, pump this game with such a lackluster aural experience? Everything sounds like it is coming through tin cans. There seems to be no low-frequency bass response in any of the weapons (including cannons), the music is not memorable, and the repetitive voice-interactions between troopers become tired.
But most of all, this game just does not feel like a "Star Wars" movie. The color palette is brown, grey, and bland; everything seems flat and muddy on-screen, and nothing really pops with visual flair. Moreover, the entire concept of the game- which has such potential- is anchored to a part of the "Star Wars" story that has an abundance of easily forgettable characters waging war against even more forgettable enemies.
Normally, I'd give a game like this a solid middle-of-the-road score, but because it can draw so much from being a part of the "Star Wars" franchise, a game like this should have higher expectations from critics, and should exceed those expectations.
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
50 Cent (the currency, not the rapper)
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (Xbox, PS2; $29.99; Rated T; capcom.com/sfac)
(three stars)
There was a time when people had to travel to play the latest and greatest video games.
Back before the Internet, before PlayStation.
There was a time when laundry money was meant for more than clean shorts- it was meant for dominating the video arcade.
And one game more than any other in the early 90's determined whether you had the skills:
"Street Fighter"- the king of the cabinets.
Welcome back the nostalgic smell of stale cigarettes and body odor with the release of the "Street Fighter Anniversary Collection," a compilation of the greatest hits from the grandfather of 2-D fighting.
"Anniversary" contains all of the versions of "Street Fighter II," (Championship, Hyper, Super, & Super Turbo) and the full version of "Street Figher: 3rd Strike," the official sequel to "Street Fighter II." Although all the games are on the same disc, "3rd Strike" must be played separately from the "SFII" versions due to the different fighting engine and graphic capabilities that occurred between the series.
When playing the "SFII" portion of the disc, players can mix and match characters from all of the different versions of "SFII" see who's best. What to see who can throw-down better between "Hyper" Ryu and "Super Turbo" Ryu? Go ahead. With all of the characters available throughout the history of "SFII" and multiple versions available of the same characters, you can mix and match 'till the cows come home.
But don't expect a pretty show. These are graphics from the 90's folks, revolutionary for the time, but pretty harsh on the eyes by today's standards. No, they're no Atari 2600 graphics, but they aren't "Dead or Alive" graphics either.
For an updated look, better to play with "3rd Strike." Released in 1999, "Strike's" art style is fantastically animated and can compete with anything released now. With much more of an anime influence, "Strike" is more comparable to the "Guilty Gear" fighting series than its older brother. Still, the mechanics of fighting between "SFII" and "3rd Strike remain the same. Being limited to two dimensions means the focus of the fighting is on timing and setting traps for your opponents, all the while keeping a quick fireball in your back pocket.
Both versions are playable online which is worth the price of admission for an old gamer who wants to remember what its like to beat the pants out of, and have the pants beaten by, a total stranger. The online set-up for both games is horrendous, and don't expect the instruction booklet to provide any guidance on challenging friends to a match. Still, once you go toe-to-toe with someone, the game plays as smoothly as it did in the arcade.
As an added bonus to celebrate the fifteen year anniversary of the "Street Fighter" series, Capcom has included the "Street Fighter" full-length animated movie. Too bad they didn't include the debacle of a live-action movie that starred Jean-Claude Van Damm.
Oh well, they must be saving that for the thirtieth anniversary.
(three stars)
There was a time when people had to travel to play the latest and greatest video games.
Back before the Internet, before PlayStation.
There was a time when laundry money was meant for more than clean shorts- it was meant for dominating the video arcade.
And one game more than any other in the early 90's determined whether you had the skills:
"Street Fighter"- the king of the cabinets.
Welcome back the nostalgic smell of stale cigarettes and body odor with the release of the "Street Fighter Anniversary Collection," a compilation of the greatest hits from the grandfather of 2-D fighting.
"Anniversary" contains all of the versions of "Street Fighter II," (Championship, Hyper, Super, & Super Turbo) and the full version of "Street Figher: 3rd Strike," the official sequel to "Street Fighter II." Although all the games are on the same disc, "3rd Strike" must be played separately from the "SFII" versions due to the different fighting engine and graphic capabilities that occurred between the series.
When playing the "SFII" portion of the disc, players can mix and match characters from all of the different versions of "SFII" see who's best. What to see who can throw-down better between "Hyper" Ryu and "Super Turbo" Ryu? Go ahead. With all of the characters available throughout the history of "SFII" and multiple versions available of the same characters, you can mix and match 'till the cows come home.
But don't expect a pretty show. These are graphics from the 90's folks, revolutionary for the time, but pretty harsh on the eyes by today's standards. No, they're no Atari 2600 graphics, but they aren't "Dead or Alive" graphics either.
For an updated look, better to play with "3rd Strike." Released in 1999, "Strike's" art style is fantastically animated and can compete with anything released now. With much more of an anime influence, "Strike" is more comparable to the "Guilty Gear" fighting series than its older brother. Still, the mechanics of fighting between "SFII" and "3rd Strike remain the same. Being limited to two dimensions means the focus of the fighting is on timing and setting traps for your opponents, all the while keeping a quick fireball in your back pocket.
Both versions are playable online which is worth the price of admission for an old gamer who wants to remember what its like to beat the pants out of, and have the pants beaten by, a total stranger. The online set-up for both games is horrendous, and don't expect the instruction booklet to provide any guidance on challenging friends to a match. Still, once you go toe-to-toe with someone, the game plays as smoothly as it did in the arcade.
As an added bonus to celebrate the fifteen year anniversary of the "Street Fighter" series, Capcom has included the "Street Fighter" full-length animated movie. Too bad they didn't include the debacle of a live-action movie that starred Jean-Claude Van Damm.
Oh well, they must be saving that for the thirtieth anniversary.
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