Links' Crossbow Training came with the Nintendo Zapper. It's a nice gimmick to toss in a free game with an attachment to the console of gimmicks but whatever.
The zapper itself works nicely for these types of games. The Wiimote fits into the top part and works as the thing that shoots. The Nunchuck fits into the handle and allows for you to move a character around, if the title allows it.
The game itself is short in many senses of the word. It has only three modes. A single player, a multi-player and a practice. I see no point in the practice as you can just replay stages whenever anyway but I guess it effects your overall scores if you replay a stage during the normal game.
See, this is a shooter like the good ole days in the arcade. Except this has Link in it and it has some free roaming bits and target shooting with no real plot. It's free though so that's okay.
The game looks really nice. One of the better looking games but I think they just reuse the stuff from Twilight Princess as some of the stages are direct copies from it. The game also uses classic Zelda tracks so this does seem kind of like a wet dream for the Zelda fans out there.
The game has about 30 stages I'd guess and while most feel the same and they all tend to have the same goal, it's just fun to play. Which is something I can't say about a lot of games. Would I buy this title because of that? No but if I got it as a gift I wouldn't be annoyed.
See, the stages all have a time limit and a set goal. Ideally you want to score a medal as it will unlock the next chapter. Each chapter contains three stages and you have the first three chapters open from the start which is nice if you suck.
The game works on a multiplier. Shoot things quickly and without missing to gain an insane amount of points. As you advance in the game the game the targets will start to move and vanish quicker.
Later you run into free roam stages where you need to hunt enemies down and you also have a health bar as they will attack you and you can die which sucks. You also lose points when you get hit so you need to be careful.
Besides that you have boss fights which are very rare. The only one I really remember is the final boss which I will admit was pretty badass and worth me playing through this title which again is something I don't say too often.
Multiplayer just has you and friends aiming for the highest score, which really isn't all that exciting and only one zapper setup is needed. So the game doesn't have a whole lot in it but again it comes "free" with the zapper.
I can't recommend this as a purchase but if you get it as a gift and like shooters than open it up. From what I can gather there are better zapper like items out there that feel more natural than this one so if this "free" game isn't important to you I'd thinking about checking your other options. Plus I'm sure you can find the game cheap on Ebay or something.
Story - 0/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 8/10
Replay Value - 6/10
Final Score - 8/10
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Soul Calibur: Legends
I am not a huge fan of the Soul Calibur series. The one on the Dreamcast (soon to be on the Live Arcade) was good but that was because it had so much to offer. I have not played part III either and thought II was a let down and IV is coming soon enough. Well, none of that matters because Legends carries the name and characters only, it's secretly a beat'em up title of epic lameness.
Yeah, I know. It seems like I hate the Wii but in reality I think if handled correctly it could have some amazing games. Just no one cares and they want to keep pushing crap on us. Well, this isn't as bad as some titles on the Wii as the controls are pretty good but it's really just boring.
This game follows the story of one of the characters of the series, the blonde guy whose name I can't remember and honestly don't care about. He has the Soul Calibur, he's in Spain and he slowly teams up with some series regulars on some journey about something that I couldn't bother to care about.
The game is mostly told through text boxes on a flat background with character portraits. I think there was some cut scenes as well but again I just couldn't bother to care. The game looks like a slightly older PS2 game. The textures are pretty splotchy and the character models feel underdetailed, even when compared to Soul Calibur II on the original XBox and come on, that game is old.
The game offers 9 stages to play on but contains 6 chapters. This means you will revisit these boring stages many times and while you enter and exit at different points, it always looks the same. I guess it could be worse but the locations kind of suck. An arena, a forest, a castle. You get the idea.
Even the game play itself is lame. You run around these empty halls, or if you're lucky the forest path may be littered with random barrels. And enemies will magically appear and you kill them to get rid of the sign that is blocking your advancement. Why haven't we gotten past that lame factor in these games? Hell, even the game I'm playing now does the same stupid thing.
Anyway, the game uses both the Wiimote and the Nunchuck. You use the analog stick to more around and you kind of swing the Wiimote as your sword. It works fairly well and the buttons on the ends of both controls allow for blocking, jumping and the swapping of characters.
The problem is that the AI is also kind of braindead or they attack in a group so you might have to jump over them. You may also run into some traps like arrows and spiked floors! How exciting, I can barely contain my glee...
Enough snide remarks. The game is some what fun to play but because I've played a ton of better beat'em ups in the past year or so and this is a much loved series, I can't let the lameness just win. Maybe worth a rental, it's only 8 or so hours long, and I see no reason to ever own this game.
It does offer some minor replay value but not enough to warrant a purchase. A quick weekend rental will net you the ending and I doubt anyone will remember this game in 5 years. Just more shovelware for the Wii and hopefully this months release of Mario Kart will change things around...
Story - 5/10
Graphics - 5/10
Sound - 5/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 5/10
Replay Value - 3/10
Final Score - 5/10
Yeah, I know. It seems like I hate the Wii but in reality I think if handled correctly it could have some amazing games. Just no one cares and they want to keep pushing crap on us. Well, this isn't as bad as some titles on the Wii as the controls are pretty good but it's really just boring.
This game follows the story of one of the characters of the series, the blonde guy whose name I can't remember and honestly don't care about. He has the Soul Calibur, he's in Spain and he slowly teams up with some series regulars on some journey about something that I couldn't bother to care about.
The game is mostly told through text boxes on a flat background with character portraits. I think there was some cut scenes as well but again I just couldn't bother to care. The game looks like a slightly older PS2 game. The textures are pretty splotchy and the character models feel underdetailed, even when compared to Soul Calibur II on the original XBox and come on, that game is old.
The game offers 9 stages to play on but contains 6 chapters. This means you will revisit these boring stages many times and while you enter and exit at different points, it always looks the same. I guess it could be worse but the locations kind of suck. An arena, a forest, a castle. You get the idea.
Even the game play itself is lame. You run around these empty halls, or if you're lucky the forest path may be littered with random barrels. And enemies will magically appear and you kill them to get rid of the sign that is blocking your advancement. Why haven't we gotten past that lame factor in these games? Hell, even the game I'm playing now does the same stupid thing.
Anyway, the game uses both the Wiimote and the Nunchuck. You use the analog stick to more around and you kind of swing the Wiimote as your sword. It works fairly well and the buttons on the ends of both controls allow for blocking, jumping and the swapping of characters.
The problem is that the AI is also kind of braindead or they attack in a group so you might have to jump over them. You may also run into some traps like arrows and spiked floors! How exciting, I can barely contain my glee...
Enough snide remarks. The game is some what fun to play but because I've played a ton of better beat'em ups in the past year or so and this is a much loved series, I can't let the lameness just win. Maybe worth a rental, it's only 8 or so hours long, and I see no reason to ever own this game.
It does offer some minor replay value but not enough to warrant a purchase. A quick weekend rental will net you the ending and I doubt anyone will remember this game in 5 years. Just more shovelware for the Wii and hopefully this months release of Mario Kart will change things around...
Story - 5/10
Graphics - 5/10
Sound - 5/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 5/10
Replay Value - 3/10
Final Score - 5/10
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The House of the Dead 2 & 3: The Return
I love playing these games in the arcade but I'm never good unless I drop $5 into the machine. Thankfully I rented this at the same time I'm borrowing a co-workers Zapper which makes this feel more natural than the simple Wiimote.
This is a compilation of the second and third games in the quadrilogy. No clue why they left out the first game as I'm sure it would have been very easy to put onto a Wii disc but the fourth game is something I don't think the Wii can handle.
Nothing has been done to these games in the graphics or sound department. 2 looks very dated but part 3 has some great enemy designs and the locations looks much nicer than part 2. Both look just like their arcade games though. Same goes for the horrid voice acting which is one of the cheesy highlights to this series. I won't say I enjoyed it but it's worth watching all the cut scenes a t least once.
Music is still creepy and it really reminds me a Romero film. The third game has a much stronger score that seems to fit the mood much better than the second game. I wouldn't be either soundtrack though.
I'm not a big fan of the Wii Zapper as it's a bit too clunky and for this game you don't use the analog stick on the nunchuck so it feels a bit too heavy. It does get the job done and my aim was much better than when I tried with the Wiimote which really doesn't have a good shape for shooting zombies. Either setup works though.
What I've always liked about these games is the branching paths. The second game has a much more elaborate branching path so I enjoy playing that one and trying to find the different ways through the level, which is harder than one would think.
The third game doesn't really have branching paths that I noticed but you get to pick the order of the middle three stages so I guess that's different. I do like the more focused playing field though but this also takes away the replay value.
It shouldn't be too big of a concern though as the game has a lot of unlockable like new modes, infinite credits and other fun little bonuses. Plus you can play with a friend which is always better.
Single and two player play the same though. One won't be harder than the other. Bosses still have their weak spots and besides the last boss in part three I never had any real problems with the bosses. Maybe the sloth in three since he moved so much but otherwise most went down without a fight as their weak spots were obvious.
If you haven't gathered that this is a first person rail shooter than I apologize. You just shoot the enemies as they pop out at you and the game moves you along a predetermined route, unless you're playing the second game then you can alter your course by shooting things or saving people.
It's a fun game and thankfully it was released at a bargain price. Once it's a little cheaper I may buy it for myself but it made a great and quick rental, much like most Wii games. Fans of the series should enjoy this and the added bonuses add a lot to the game as well. Hopefully more companies release these shooter packs as they are a nice diversion (do you hear me Namco?)
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 8/10
Final Score - 8/10
This is a compilation of the second and third games in the quadrilogy. No clue why they left out the first game as I'm sure it would have been very easy to put onto a Wii disc but the fourth game is something I don't think the Wii can handle.
Nothing has been done to these games in the graphics or sound department. 2 looks very dated but part 3 has some great enemy designs and the locations looks much nicer than part 2. Both look just like their arcade games though. Same goes for the horrid voice acting which is one of the cheesy highlights to this series. I won't say I enjoyed it but it's worth watching all the cut scenes a t least once.
Music is still creepy and it really reminds me a Romero film. The third game has a much stronger score that seems to fit the mood much better than the second game. I wouldn't be either soundtrack though.
I'm not a big fan of the Wii Zapper as it's a bit too clunky and for this game you don't use the analog stick on the nunchuck so it feels a bit too heavy. It does get the job done and my aim was much better than when I tried with the Wiimote which really doesn't have a good shape for shooting zombies. Either setup works though.
What I've always liked about these games is the branching paths. The second game has a much more elaborate branching path so I enjoy playing that one and trying to find the different ways through the level, which is harder than one would think.
The third game doesn't really have branching paths that I noticed but you get to pick the order of the middle three stages so I guess that's different. I do like the more focused playing field though but this also takes away the replay value.
It shouldn't be too big of a concern though as the game has a lot of unlockable like new modes, infinite credits and other fun little bonuses. Plus you can play with a friend which is always better.
Single and two player play the same though. One won't be harder than the other. Bosses still have their weak spots and besides the last boss in part three I never had any real problems with the bosses. Maybe the sloth in three since he moved so much but otherwise most went down without a fight as their weak spots were obvious.
If you haven't gathered that this is a first person rail shooter than I apologize. You just shoot the enemies as they pop out at you and the game moves you along a predetermined route, unless you're playing the second game then you can alter your course by shooting things or saving people.
It's a fun game and thankfully it was released at a bargain price. Once it's a little cheaper I may buy it for myself but it made a great and quick rental, much like most Wii games. Fans of the series should enjoy this and the added bonuses add a lot to the game as well. Hopefully more companies release these shooter packs as they are a nice diversion (do you hear me Namco?)
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 8/10
Final Score - 8/10
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