 |
Batman Begins (Xbox)
by TheProffesional
Batman Begins is a good game but it isn't great and ultimately comes up as just average. There are barely any games that are great when they are based on a movie. Batman Begins had a few nice moments but not enough to keep me hooked for too long. The levels are very linear, while the combat is good it will get repetitive. The graphics ... though for its time were fantastic and the same cast from the movie voiced their roles in the video game and they did a marvellous job.
About 5 years ago, I borrowed Batman Begins from my friend. I was a big batman fan and I liked the movie. My expectations weren't high as it was a video game based on a movie and most of us gamers know how these types of games turn out. Batman Begins though, was actually pretty good.
The game sticks closely to the movie and you will recognize a lot of the places from the movie. The game dwells deeper into those places and you will like the depth in those levels. You will go to some famous locations such as Arkham Asylum, Wayne Manor and the train tracks. The levels are very linear though and there is only one way to complete levels. You just have to go down to the path directed and can't go any other way.
The voice acting in the game was very good and it helped that all the actors from the movie lent their voices for the game. That means it includes Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes and Liam Neeson and the always great Michael Caine. Everyone has played their role well as they all sound great. Christian Bale sounds great as batman but it's really Liam Neeson that steals the show as Henri Ducard/ Ra's Al Ghoul. Liam Neeson is wonderful and you can see that he took his role very seriously. The music in the game is good and will light up the atmosphere a bit.
The graphics in the game are first class. They are a big positive in the game as they look superb. All the characters look great and the environment is made well and is detailed quite a bit. I was very surprised of the games graphics as video games based on movies graphics are usually horrible.
The gameplay in the game is ok but gets repetitive pretty quickly. All you're really doing is pressing on one button trying to beat up the enemy. Something that I noticed and actually made me laugh was how batman moves. You also have a pretty nice array of gadgets such as the batarang and the grapple hook. You will have to use stealth a lot and sneak around for quite a few levels. Stealth isn't much fun and looks like rip-offs of other games. You also interrogate people to get more information but that gets repetitive as all you're really doing is punching them until they tell you something. Something that I liked and I know that a lot of people who played the game disliked was the driving missions. You get to ride the bat mobile, which I thought was pretty fun. Yes, it is incredibly linear as all you're doing is driving where the game tells you and you'll undoubtedly know as right you play it that it's a rip-off of Burnout but it I still liked it.
While Batman Begins the video game might not be on for the ages it's still quite a fun game despite some issues. I would recommend Batman Begins to fans of batman and people who liked the movie it's based on.
Read the complete review |
|
|
FIFA 06 (XBox)
by CallumB28
Ea finally improved upon the graphics with this game, with player faces and stadiums now at least somewhat resembling their real life counterparts. Although the range of faces included is much improved upon the previous Fifa versions, it still leaves a lot to be desired when even the major teams don't have the faces of all of their first ... team players. As with the graphics, the game play has also been improved upon, however it's not without the glitches that the series is famous for such as the 'lazy' goalkeepers, which can be an annoyance. Overall this game is a reasonable offer, and with it being the best option on the market at the time of its release was definitely worth the buy. Finally, the soundtrack for the game is as good as the other editions, EA always seem to pick songs and bands that are wells suited to the game, which rounds it off nicely.
Read the complete review |
 |
The Simpsons Road Rage (Xbox)
by dinkydooyoome
When I first bought the X-box, I was delighted with the quality of the sound and graphics with the games. The only downside seemed to be that most of the games on offer were fairly adult, and therefor not suitable for my eight year old daughter to play.
Then I found Simpsons Road Rage, priced at around £40, stocked by most ... X-box games stockists. Obviously, the game is based on the wildly popular cartoon series, an advantage for anything in my family.
The premise of the game is as follows:
Player becomes a Springfield character. Character then acts as a taxi driver, picking up and dropping off other Springfield inhabitants.
The controls are simple to master, and the rules of the game easy to understand, whichever version is played.
To start with, the player can go for a Sunday Drive, which lets them practice their technique and get to know the roads. Passengers can also be picked up and dropped off during this phase.
Goaded on by Burns, points can be gainedby completing the journey quickly. Extra points can be won on occasion, if a temporary instruction, such as "destroy as much stuff as possible" is followed.
For every time a new level of points is reached, the player can unlock either a new car and driver, or a new part of Springfield to explore.
The graphics are excellent. Springfield's tyre fire is even here and the characters we all know and love are represented. The voiceovers have been added by the original cast and help add to the atmosphere of the game, though repeated howls of "You're going the wrong way!" seem to echo throughout our house.
We've found that the best way to play the game is as a two player contest. This adds a bit of interest to something that could become fairly repetitive for the older player.
On the whole, this is a great respite from Halo and Splinter Cell, when you just need to wind down and have a little fun.
Read the complete review |
