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Quantum Redshift (Xbox)
by AverageJoseph Created by the designer of the fairly well known racing series 'Wipeout', comes another version with a new coat of paint. Only found on Xbox, Quantum Redshift doesn't really differ from the genre that worked well enough to sell games and keep people happy. Unlike WO though, QR sees the ideology of the race shift into a more offensive, ... slower tournament. It makes use of all the buttons and controls when racing, without being complicated. In fact its one of the simplest racing games because although there is damage to your vehicle or SPARC's as they are called in game, you go so fast that crashing only serves to slow you down (theres not real brake button), the damage comes from everyone else. Each SPARC has the exact same configurations, capabilities, and controls - 3 weapons, boost, accelerate, power-slide and directional moves for both analogue stick and d-pad. Throughout races you can also pause like most games, change the camera/rear view (black or white button) and handily 'reset' your racer to a stable area of the track, should you go the wrong way, get stuck, be the victim of a rare glitch or just do it for the hell of it. From the main menu, you have the choice of what mode: Tournament, Time Attack, Quick Race, Multiplayer, Options and Demos. The tournament mode starts with your selection of 1 of 16 characters (most are unlockable) each with a specific rivalry with another. They also span several nationalities, something not many games do, with most speaking in their native tongue (subtitles are included). While the manual and conversations between rivals may build up their personalities slightly, there isn't really much story other than 'I'm the best' or banging on about destiny. Each person gains momentum from racing in their home town too. Time attack is self explanatory - race around a track trying to get a good time. Quick race is just a standard one off race between 5 AI's (which all races consist of). Multiplayer though, allows for 4 player split screen - not a pleasant site having a tiny quarter of your television, but those familiar with this one have any real beefs - its a laugh for a quick party game. At the beginning of the race, you start with a small amount of 'boost' to use at your convenience like nitros. Then there are the 5 power ups. Keeping it simple, the main weapon powerups are in primary colours - red for homing rockets, yellow for shields, blue for non-homing like machine guns. Each of these sections can only be used when gaining a powerup and when your craft is upgraded via points won from races, can be maxed out to handle 3 in each slot. The Star powerup offers all 3 colours and the microchip merely gives you more points to finish with. The Boost can also be upgraded further. When you or an opponent fires at an enemy, a notice appears saying 'Attack Warning' followed by 3 beeps. This allows for a player to quickly activate the shields option to take the brunt of the damage. When a players health diminishes, the craft explodes and thats the end of that. This is something I found particularly fun, especially as you gain a huge amount of points for doing so, an even greater number should you destroy your nemesis. Of course this does have its draw backs. Should you be second, you run the risk of missing both killing the leader and taking 1st place on the podium. During the time, custom soundtracks had only just been implemented into Xbox games, a frankly wonderful idea as there are so many games with absolute garbage for background scores. QR doesn't necessarily have a bad one (Gonna crush ya) but the temptation to revert to your own music is just too much to bear. If you delve into the options, you'll find that you can alter the number of laps required in races (1-5). Race tracks are quite decent to look at now and again too.. although most of the time you're going way too fast to notice. The environments vary greatly depending on where abouts in the world you are - while the actual tracks themselves are mostly concrete grimness with brief glimpses of nature overcoming the course. You can even exploit certain areas and jumps by going over obstacles and finding hidden shortcuts. If I'm not mistaken, there is a very valuable move you can pull off which sacrifices all of your powerups to release a homing nuke to an opposing ship - very handy! In summary Quantum Redshift is a fun game to play when you don't want to be seriously staring down a sniper scope or immersed in a deep story. Its practically an arcade game. Read the complete review |
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Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes (Xbox)
by AverageJoseph For me, Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes was a rare impulse buy - after hearing good things about the original game from friends, the images on the back and the 4 ratings on the front cover (Official Xbox Magazine rated ELITE, 9.0/10 "A must have title", E3's Editors Choice for best in show 2005, dubbed "One of the Xbox's best ... offerings". Only available on Microsoft's Xbox console, Online Enabled (for a now defunct Xbox Live service), KUFH was developed by Phantagram and Blue Side Studios, both creators of the predecessor KUF 'The Crusade', a game which it doesn't differ much from. This time, you get more different characters with brand new story-lines, new troops, maps and a generally better battle system. While there are 7 characters to choose from in the beginning, each ones story is fairly short and consist of around 10 main plot battles and 5 optional ones for further experience and gold. Regardless of its short single player experiences, KUFH became one of my favorite Xbox titles due to its addictive customisation and accumulation of troops as well as its strenuous learning curve. Rated 12+ by PEGI due to a fair amount of fantasy violence and the odd curse. STORY The game is a prequel to KUFTC, 5 years before the Encablossa war (an everyone for themselves type continental peril) accurately dubbed 'The Beginning of Chaos. Dependant on which character you choose, the story can be broken down into 2 sections, practically of good and evil. The human alliance involves pushing back the hordes of orcs and sneaky dark elves, and take the castle stronghold of Arein, where the vampire lord dwells. The dark legion is more about the defence of the castle, acquiring new allies and keeping them on a leash while you try to usurp them and their land. It spans across several areas of the continent Bersia known as Hexter, Vellond, Hironeiden, Ecclesia and Azilla, occupied specifically by each set of races, tribes and armies. One constant in the story however is the plan of Valdemar called 'The appeasement of Vellond' which sees his armies strike deals with neutral forces and crush enemy resistance. Another reoccurring noteworthy plot item is the 'Ancient Heart', an artifact of unknown origin and religious importance. Once thing is certain however, everyone fights, everyone dies, civil war is rife throughout. CHARACTERS The Human Alliance Rupert (Hard) - Wielding a two handed war hammer, this savage man fights for his human homeland of Hironeiden, with slow but strong attacks and a high defence. A companion of the 'good' characters from past games. Only made available when one of the human storylines are complete. Ellen - a half elf character, using a swift sword was an Ecclesian army captain, later turncoat, who focuses on multiple blows, fast attacking and mana regeneration. Wife of the Crusaders main character Gerald, who she befriends and follows under his command. Walter - Found on the PAL front cover of the game is a holy warrior with a mighty mace and shield. A man of faith, almost cult like belief, utilizing spells for healing and improvements. His God Encablosa whispers to him on occasion, forcing his hand to commit terrible deeds to prove loyalty, making this campaign a tough journey about religion. The Dark Legion Cirith - A beautiful dark elf whose story is mostly based on family ties and military orders, which end up with the task of stealing the 'ancient heart'. Her attacks are rather weak but incredibly fast, using a katar as her main weapon. Morene (Nightmare) - A half vampire whose raw beauty is only matched by her brutal mindset. Dressed in the most revealing outfit ever seen, she sees to the needs of the King of Vellond, Valdemar, Leinheart's father, and is sent to dispatch various troops with her bone blade, as well as keep a close eye on the dark prince. Like Walter, one of 2 story-lines must be finished before being unlocked. Urukubarr (Hell) - The mightiest ogre of the tribal chieftains. A defender of the ogre land Hexter, Urukubarr faces the toughest campaign in the game, making peace with the vampire lord, only to discover their intentions are far worse than first thought. He uses his bare hands to tear into enemy troops and is only available to play when Morene's story has been completed. Leinhart - Son of the vampire lord, and prince of Vellond, Leinhart is a half-blood sporting a deadly longsword. His task is to unite the orc tribes of Hexter in an attempt to gain a powerful ally, but soon enough he takes up a supportive role to the mighty Regnier. Fairly quick attacks with good rhythm and hilariously devious conversations make this my personal favourite character. Each character has they're own specific move set, with steady controls of A as a strong attack, X for quick hits, B special moves and Y special attacks. Most of which can be combined for devastating moves that can plough through droves of enemies at once or just be visually gruesome. They all have fairly different storys that don't always necessarily tie into the past games, nor do they always come across each other in battle. Your beloved heroes are not alone on their journeys either, accompanied by captains and generals beneath and above you. Devald, my particular favorite wingman, is an undead lich, that always refers to Leinheart as 'Milord' and tries to suggest the best course of action when battle ensues or is considered unnecessary. He is often brushed off as an annoyance and gets told off a few times for his insistance with memorable lines of dialogue in and out of battle. Devald: "War-chief Kulu's force is critical." Leinhart: "I'm asking you politely, Devald. Shut up." all in gloriously well done voice acting. BATTLES Start off by selecting your additional troops of up to 4 and when allowed, 2 extra support units. The objectives aren't always the same, but the majority of the time, the task is to decimate everything in sight. You take control of all your units and guide them across the map in search of others or objectives. You can give orders for troops to change their formation (tighter or spaced apart) for strategic advantages, send out lone soldiers to scout out the unknown battlefield (up to 3), send units to specific locations and position them to get every advantage out of your surroundings (which consist mostly of thick forests, barron deserts, mountain side hellholes and medieval camps and castles). The landscape also ties into battle very well, for example, placing units underneath trees makes them less vulnerable to arrow attacks, having the upper ground and making surprise attacks from the rear catch your enemies off guard etc. When units commence in battle, you take control of your character and dish out the damage personally, searching for high ranking officers to damage their morale and leave them hopeless, saving time and your troops lives. In time, the battle cries of your men and main general can be a bit annoying, with phrases like "We'll get another chance later" when retreating and character introductions. Each troop has their own health and SP bar (stamina or special points) along with their own unique abilities for use when SP is high enough. These mostly include healing & destruction spells, with elemental benefits like freezing, burning, paralysis, poisoning etc. Generals can also be summoned to aid you when pressing the white or black buttons. TROOPS Range through the different races of elves, humans & orcs - each with separate paths to becoming stronger, more advanced fighters. The unit types consist of various infantry, sappers, archers, spearman, axeman, cavalry, mortars or combinations of two. Special unit types also offer some fantastic options: elemental incarnations, massive scorpions, dirigibles, swamp mammoths, wyverns, catapults, balistas etc. With this vast arsenal of strategic options, you can make sure no battle is ever the same and plan your next one immensely to be in your favour. These troops get better stats and defence by being levelled up after gaining EXP from battles (which is spread out as you wish) to increase specific stats like attack power, elemental strength, teamwork, riding ability, frontal assault and several other perquisites to achieve the next rank. Every troop is led by a superior officer which can be changed and upgraded singularly. With victory, comes gold to spend on new recruits, weapons and armour. Purchase new leaders with new battle options in pubs, offering them a deal and haggling for a better price. Kit your troops out in new gear to make them more resilient in battle, acquire unique weaponry with elemental damage, more gold & EXP gain, better health & SP regen. MUSIC The soundtrack is built up of non stop heavy metal-core instrumental rock. Lots of chugging, grungey guitars with finger blister melodies, double bass pedal & over the top symbol use for intense battles and well chosen tracks to match themes such as retreating and gaining the upper hand. Outside of battle, the music is the same as the menu song - a downplayed, epic orchestral piece with sinister undertones. The credits upon completing the game bizarrely have timid piano pieces which may seem fitting to the end of fighting, but when you know the story, its only the beginning. The games introduction video that showcases the battles has some lyrics, along the lines of "I am alive, I am war" with the insane heavy metal musicianship going on. Even the when plotting out the battle beforehand you get bombarded with an intense metal-core soundtrack. MULTIPLAYER This feature was fairly good, meeting fellow opponents on Xbox Live to do battle with in similar fashion to the games campaign. Unfortunately there is no cooperative option which would have made this function so much more enjoyable and it was quite difficult to find anyone to compete with anyway and as of May 11, 2010, the old service was disconnected completely, making this mode obsolete. NEGATIVES Sometimes in battle, you'd get caught between fights and escaping which seemed like a glitch as you couldn't really do anything to stop it. Some troops just don't bare strong enough capabilities to warrant an inclusion to your battle or the game itself for that matter and the inclusion of the 'bone dragon' is even more of a slap in the face now as it sounds so awesome and appears a possible troop upgrade in the progression tree - but it was only possible in multiplayer. These are the only faults I could find for the game, that and loading times between battles and loading of saves, but since this is fairly old now and on the original Xbox platform, I can let that slide. CONCLUSION The difficulty will put a lot of gamers of as some levels are just ridiculously hard and only perfect timing and strategy will prevail - this is something I applaud because games don't challenge gamers as much anymore.. at least not legitimately. So I'd rate this a very high 4/5 stars, missing out because of the lack of coop, missing multiplayer, and somewhat short stories. Even so, I still go back to play this game every so often - because it defines the word challenging, whilst being rewarding, without being boring. Read the complete review |
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Beyond Good & Evil (Xbox)
by nevikrose Introduction __________ What could be better than a stealth guerrilla dystopian action adventure game? A stealth guerrilla dystopian action adventure game with anthropomorphic animals of course! In 2003 Ubisoft released this title across nearly every platform that was available at the time. Its commercial success ... was not as high as anticipated but it performed reasonably well on the PC and the Xbox. Initially it was to be part of a trilogy, but its puzzling failure to capture a wide audience has tarnished the reputation of the franchise and its sequel has finally been delayed until next gen consoles are available, despite a teaser being released in 2009. Michael Ancel, the creative designer behind Rayman, was responsible for the design and development of Beyond Good and Evil, he claims they approached the game much like a film, and for the most part that actually plays out true, the linear plot line is immersed in a very in-depth and well thought out universe, the story having a very definite beginning, middle and end. In March 2011 an HD remaster of the original game was made available through the Xbox 360 Marketplace and this review pertains to that version. I mention this because that means it is now available to download and play whenever you want, and you should, right now. Seriously, I'll wait right here. Characters and Story _________________ You play as Jade, a dependable and generous photo journalist who runs a shelter for orphans. She has a passion for martial arts and a keen eye for a story. She has set up home on in the lighthouse of a town called Hillys. The town has recently been under attack from the dreaded DomZ, an alien force, threatening to overcome the planet. Although the Alpha Sections military are sworn to protect the loyal citizens of Hillys, all is not entirely right with the world. Often the attacks come in the night, the DomZ kidnapping people and destroying buildings and disappearing after this shock and awe campaign. The Alpha Sections are often absent when they should be fighting off the invading aliens. You can be arrested for murmuring dissent and people have started to whisper in dark bars, behind their hands. Such is the case at the beginning of the game. Jade's home is subject to an attack just as the lighthouse shield generator runs out of credits. She must save the kids, singlehandedly by whacking the glowing green alien nasties with her stick and frightening them off. Even so, it's not a pleasant experience and she's soon contacted by a secret agency of resistance fighters who want to expose the awful truth behind the Alpha Section's apathy and the timing of the DomZ attacks. When Pey'j, Jade's adopted uncle (an anthropomorphic pig) is kidnapped too, Jade's mission becomes personal, now she only has herself and a clumsy, if upstanding Alpha Sections officer named H to rely on. Gameplay ________ Beyond Good and Evil is a fun and often twitchy mix of stealth combat (ala solid snake) puzzle adventure and racing game. As Jade completes missions she has to navigate her way through mazes of patrolling bad guys and alarm trip wires that are set to blow up or alert guards if she touches them. She has only a glove that shoots plastic discs to turn on far away buttons or misdirect guards and her agility to do so. If things turn really bad she does have her stick and a pretty good punch, but to be honest, if she's fighting guards, you've probably approached that room wrong. In order to finance her missions and the cause of the resistance she must collect digital pearls that are stashed away in various optional dungeons, most of which require a combination of fighting and puzzle solving to pass through. When she is with either Pay'j or H they can perform attacks together that are the key to getting through certain obstacles. Jade has access to a little hovercraft that she uses to move around the island nation of Hillys that is occasionally forced into shooter style combat sequences during DomZ attacks that frankly I could have done without. There is, however, a plot reason to take part in the Slaughterhouse races, a kind of underground aquatic race circuit that you can compete in at any time. The courses are wipeout style, with zip pads and booby traps that are actually pretty fun. The big side quest in the game however is a pokemon style photography task where, because of the attacks, a science centre has asked Jade to document every living creature in Hillys. Some are easy, like seagulls and ladybugs or the various anthropomorphic races to be found wandering the streets. Some are a little less obvious, and require you to solve puzzles, like kicking a generator in a dungeon to turn off the lights and coax out a brilliant bioluminescent slug thing to creep out from behind some crates. You have only seconds to capture these creatures on film before they disappear again. It's diverting, satisfying and fun! Highlights ________ A big selling point is that nearly 10 years on its graphic design and world are still incredibly pretty. Ancel opted for quite a cartoony style with the game, but to be honest it really works. It's well acted, well animated and don't be fooled by the cutesy graphics, behind all that colourful fun lies quite a dark dystopic story that really shines by the second half of the game. The world that Ancel has designed is as creepy as it is cheery. The citizens of Hillys are downtrodden, but hopeful and not likely to lie down and take domination easily. It's a society you can root for, if you can ignore the big screens everywhere shouting about how the Alpha Sections are here to protect and serve and how everyone should just go about their business while their children and families are captured and turned into human batteries. The other is the gameplay itself. Every room in Jades missions are set out like a puzzle, it should be possible to get from A to B without being spotted, if you have to make a run for it, you've probably missed something. However, half the fun lies in distracting the guards, the shooty disc ability, if shot at close enough range can take out the breathing tank of a guard prompting his buddies to come and help, at which point, if you've positioned yourself right you kick or shot his out too, leaving you free to mosy on past to the next room. Drop puzzles where you have to time jumps and drops down a shaft without setting off alarms are fun and the camera angles are well thought out and rarely irritating. Unfortunately you can't move the camera, but to be honest in some puzzles that would just give away the solution. Dying a couple of times just to catch a glimpse of the next corner is always an option; the game will just kick you back to the start of the last section anyway. * The big deal here is that it's not a combat game! You don't go in there guns blazing, you don't get weapon or gear upgrades, the only consumables are health foods and boat fuel, your job is to get in there without being seen and take pictures that the resistance will publish. The growth of said resistance from tiny conspiracy theorists to lobbying activists is actually tangible as you progress through the story. Slowly, people in the street start talking about their newsletter, then the photos you publish and finally, when things start heating up they and the rest of the citizens are out in the streets waving placards. It's very uplifting. *Incidentally I always feel a bit bad about the guards, who are really just doing a job, when one of their buddies gets hit they always shout "Hey!? HEY? You OK??" really earnestly and I feel a bit guilty... Shortcomings ___________ Although Beyond Good and Evil hasn't really dated at all, it's still as playable now as it was then, it's tough to see what this rerelease in HD actually brings to the game. There are no special features, no deleted scenes or updated menu options. Everything has been left as it was bar the fact that it's HD. I'm really ok with that expect for the fact that the old Xbox game isn't backwards compatible so I essentially had to buy it twice. There is an avatar package available however, should you wish to dress your little version of yourself up as Jade or have a mini pet Pey'j. I actually think this should have been included in the download personally, cool as it is; I'm not buying more stuff. Overview ________ It should tell you something that I am willing to pay for this game twice. The HD rerelease might just be a shiny update but it's a cracking game, and one I am willing to recommend heartily. If you fancy something a little different, where you don't go in all guns blazing where care and attention has clearly be lavished on character and world design then if you haven't played this you should, if you have, did you know it's available again? Read the complete review |
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Genre: Action & Shooter / Xbox Game / Video Game for Xbox / Release Date: 2006-03-24 / Published by Electronic Arts |
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Genre: Arcade & Platform / Xbox Game / Video Game for Xbox / Release Date: 2005-02-04 / Published by Sega |
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Genre: Driving & Racing / Xbox Game / Video Game for Xbox / ESRB Rating: Rating Pending / Release Date: 2004-08-27 / Published by Sierra |
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Manufacturer: THQ / Xbox Game / Genre: Shooter / FPS / ESRB Rating: M - (Mature) / PEGI Age Rating: Age 18+ / Online: Online Gaming Support / Control Elements: Gamepad / Control Elements: Joystick / ESRB Descriptor: Violence / ESRB Descriptor: Blood and Gore / ESRB Descriptor: Strong Language / PEGI C... |
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Manufacturer: Sega / Xbox Game / Manufacturer: Sega / Genre: Action / Genre: Adventure / Max. Number Of Players: 12 / Online: Online Gaming Support / Output Signal Supported: 480p / HDTV Support: Without HDTV Support / Audio Support: Dolby Digital 5.1 / Aspect Ratio: 0,672916666666667 / Release Date: ... |
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Manufacturer: Mecca / Xbox Game / Genre: Sports / ESRB Rating: E - (Everyone) / Max. Number Of Players: 2 / Control Elements: Gamepad / Control Elements: Joystick / Output Signal Supported: 480p / HDTV Support: Without HDTV Support / Audio Support: Dolby Digital 5.1 / Aspect Ratio: 0,672916666666667 /... |
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Manufacturer: Electronic Arts / Xbox Game / Genre: Sports / ESRB Rating: E - (Everyone) / Max. Number Of Players: 4 / Online: Online Gaming Support / Memory Support: With Memory Support / Control Elements: Gamepad / Control Elements: Joystick / ESRB Descriptor: Suitable for All Ages / Output Signal Su... |
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Manufacturer: Conspiracy / Xbox Game / Genre: Shooter / FPS / PEGI Age Rating: Age 16+ / PEGI Content Rating: Violence |
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Manufacturer: Codemasters / Xbox Game / Manufacturer: Codemasters / Genre: Sports / Max. Number Of Players: 4 / Memory Support: With Memory Support / Release Date: 13 October, 2003 |
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Manufacturer: Bam Entertainment / Xbox Game / Manufacturer: BAM Entertainment / Genre: Racing / Driving / ESRB Rating: T - (Teen) / Max. Number Of Players: 4 / Memory Support: With Memory Support / Output Signal Supported: 480p / HDTV Support: Without HDTV Support / Release Date: 24 September, 2002 |
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