Sorcery review

The game puts you in control of Finn, a young magician who tries to learn magic while keeping out of harm’s way, even while his master’s cat, Erline, taunts him over it.  However, one day, a nemesis manages to kill said master, and with his dying words, he wants Finn to protect Erline at all costs, as it’s much more than it seems.  Throughout the rest of the game, you’ll battle enemies using magical spells of different elements, keeping them at bay while trying to solve the mystery revolving around that darn cat.

For a Move game, Sorcery shows a lot more structure than previous efforts like Medieval Moves and, obviously, those lame dance games.  The story is actually quite involving, with a few twists and turns you might not see coming and plenty of heartwarming moments as Finn eventually evolves into a master magician.  Likewise, the way you can level up your character is pretty cool, upgrading your spells so that they’re far more effective.  (You’ll need to do this too, especially against tougher boss enemies.)

Sadly, all this magic is somewhat dwindled by the repetitive Move controls.  While they are responsive, you don’t really get to do much outside of thrusting the controller to throw spells and occasionally doing a secondary action – like pouring contents into a bottle.  And that’s really about it.  The lack of a general DualShock control option really hurts here, because the game would’ve been enjoyed by a far greater audience with it, I think.

As for the game itself, it’s fun, though there isn’t really much variety in the enemies you face (four or five at best) and, again, most of the spells you cast just end up being the same old thing.  And yet when you do get the occasional boss battle, where you have to use strategy to stay alive, it’s startlingly good.  Too bad there aren’t more of these.

For a game that’s about two years past its initial announcement at E3, Sorcery has aged pretty well.  The graphics are very good, with plenty of magical environments to run through and some great looking bosses.  Your hero, however, has looked better, as his facial animation is lacking in a few places.

The audio fares much better.  A great score plays throughout your adventure, so you really feel motivated to continue onward, and the sound effects really make you feel more like Harry Potter, even though you don’t need those dorky glasses – or a damn scar – to get the job done.

If Sorcery had included a regular control scheme, I think the score would’ve definitely bumped up to an 8, for sure.  As it stands, however, it’s a decent Move effort, but some folks are likely to lose interest the moment their arms start getting sore.  Too bad – this could’ve been a really magical summer hit. 

Via: Sorcery review

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Max Payne 3 review

Our story begins with Max accepting a body guard gig from forgotten academy colleague Raul Passos. Max’s meeting with Raul sets off a series of events that leave Max little choice but to flee New Jersey and head to Brazil. MP3 starts off with Max and Passos working to protect industrialist Rodrigo Branco and his family.

Brazilian gang, the Commando Sombra, kidnap the mogul’s young bombshell wife setting off a chain reaction of gunfire with Max caught in the middle. Every gunshot uncovers a deeper and darker secret that goes beyond just kidnapping.

Blurs, color distortions, and scan lines fill the screen this time around as part of the new and bold direction Rockstar has taken with the franchise. At first these distorting effects are a bit disorienting and unwanted, but as Max interacts with the environment and goes through the story these effects do an excellent job of bringing the player into the confusion Max is feeling.

MP3 has been criticized by its strong new artistic direction by fans and critics alike, but it’s clear Rockstar’s goal for this game is to stay true to the strong base that makes Max Payne great while still updating the franchise to be stylish and sophisticated but meet the requirements of a proper shooter today.

This drastic change in style can also be seen in the story. The traditional elements of a great noir story are still in place, and even though Rockstar has changed the setting dramatically to much outrage, this is the best place to tell Max’s story. It creates a mirror to Max’s personal issues and complex character.

The locale is all about contrast. The series swaps out darkness and snow for sunshine and heat in sunny Sao Paulo, Brazil. The tall shiny buildings of the rich tower over the labyrinth of dirty favelas below. Similarly, Max is a white knight who poisons himself daily while rescuing others. As you go through the story, you aren’t sure if Max is out to save the girl, or sacrifice himself as penance for his own guilt.  

Everything we loved about the previous installments is here. Bullet Time and Bullet Dodge are still the norm but the RAGE Engine makes diving from cover to cover more realistic than ever. Last Stand is a new feature where if Max is dealt a killing shot, he can use one of his painkillers and live...if he manages to shoot the enemy that dealt the blow.

It’s clear a lot of time was spent on rethinking the game mechanics so Max Payne could stand against modern day shooters.

The weapon system has been redone to be more realistic as well. Gone are the days when Max could carry a shotgun, two uzis, two pistols, and a larger shotgun. Max is limited to two handguns and one rifle or shotgun. While he can dual wield his hand guns, it will cause him to drop his power weapon. This realistic approach feels different, but dropping my rifle to pull out my dual desert eagles and bullet dodge through a window felt like badass incarnate.

Advancements aside, there is less variety in weapons and the ones you get don’t show off anything amazing. The laser sight weapons later in the game feel worse than the weapons without it.

Also, in one mission Max is given a silenced pistol that you never see again. It would have been great to have more control over weapon choices and more access to all the varieties of weapons. What good are bullets if they aren’t destroying the furniture? Max Payne 3 brings with it destructible environments. Sticking with the realism, cover breaks and chips as it takes enemy fire urging Max to dive from cover to cover and stay moving.

Via: Max Payne 3 review

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Dragons Dogma review

The game puts you in the shoes of a warrior who you get to customize at the start of the game.  It uses a very elaborate set-up system that’ll take you a few minutes to get through, with styles to choose from and pros and cons to balance.  Once you get that done, you find yourself trying to protect your village from a vicious dragon, but to no avail.  He knocks the wind out of you, and, perhaps trying to humiliate you on top of everything, he rips your chest open and eats your heart.

Strangely enough, though, that doesn’t kill you, as you turn out to be a special person known as “the Arisen."  Part of the fun of Dragon’s Dogma is discovering just what that entails, pursuing the dragon that ripped you apart while also engaging in a number of side quests with the help of a few companions known as “pawns.”

These “pawns,” who can be customized as well (and if you have Xbox Live, based on real friends — a huge bonus), stay by your side over the course of the game, but there are times you can assign certain ones if you feel like they’re particularly good for a mission.  While they’re quite loyal and can develop a relationship with you, they can also be a bit scatterbrained, sometimes performing the wrong action in your time of need (attacking instead of healing you) and making constant comments no matter what’s happening, like talking about a tree or insisting you “heal thyself” dozens of times over.  It’s one of the bigger annoyances in Dogma.

Another problem with the game is mission consistency.  Some of them are quite awesome, pitting you against hulking beasts that take a great deal of time to bring down.  Others are petty tasks that take a while to complete and drag down the momentum from the glory of battle.  And though the open world lets you pick and choose, there’s no shortage of missions that you wish you could just get past.  The backtracking can get old, too.  Fortunately, the gameplay holds up either way, with enough hack-and-slash action to fulfill your adventuring ways.

The world of Gransys doesn’t quite hold the wonders of the virtual worlds of other games, like Skyrim and Witcher, due to some repeated territory.  However, the game still holds up with a decent amount of polish, and some of the characters, particularly the bigger brutes in the game, look spectacular.  And when a dragon breathes fire, it’s a really startling effect, like that “other” dragon-killing game.  Some of the character models could use some more work, but otherwise, this is a fine turn for Capcom’s development crew.

The sound is exceptional too, thanks to music that actually fits into the theme of the adventure (rather than, say, the typical rock tracks found in Dead Rising) and dialogue that actually has drive to it — that is, when it’s not being repeated over and over by your lame-brained “pawns.”  The weapon effects are cool, too.

Do we recommend Dragon’s Dogma over some of the superior adventures out there?  Not really, as its AI system leaves a bit to be desired, and some quests should’ve just been thrown away.  However, if you’ve mastered everything Skyrim and seek out a worthy adventure to get you through the summer, this Dragon has got heart to spare.  (Ooh, that wasn’t the greatest of puns, was it?)

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]

Via: Dragons Dogma review

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Mad Riders review

It actually took me a while to really get into Mad Riders. My first hour or so with the game wasn't all that fun. This was due in part to the game's difficulty, which is pretty imposing right from the get-go. Mad Riders isn't the most inviting game because it presents a formidable challenge right away, but once you get the hang of it, and once you start unlocking better ATVs to race with, the game quickly becomes a lot more enjoyable, and it delivers a great deal of fun.

The racing in Mad Riders is very fast-paced and arcade-like. You'll be speeding through a number of environments as you take on other racers. Despite the fact that the AI is pretty stiff and constantly has a leg up on you, there are several tactics you can employ to eke out a victory. Mad Riders features a trick system that's intuitive and rewarding. Pulling off tricks is easy and fills your boost meter, which grants you a nice burst of speed with the press of a button. Performing back flips, front flips, and sliding all add to your boost meter, and you can even unlock new tricks the more you play. Because there are plenty of joyfully unrealistic jumps in Mad Riders, the opportunities to pull off these tricks are plentiful.

Tokens are scattered around the various maps, and these serve to further increase your boost meter. Additionally, you can collect special tokens that unlock more boost tokens along the way, as well as shortcuts. Your AI opponents aren't just riding on a set path, though. If they see a shortcut or a line of tokens, they'll head for them, too. These elements add a nice variety to Mad Riders, and that variety certainly helps, as there are moments where the game can be pretty dull. As a matter of fact, that's another issue this racer suffers from early on: The variety is just not there at times. My initial races were not only tough, but they were far too straightforward and even a little boring.

Something Mad Riders really succeeds in is capturing a pleasing sense of speed. This game is fast, and if you're constantly replenishing that boost meter (which you should do if winning is something that interests you), it goes even faster. If you're not careful, the racing in Mad Riders can get a bit too fast, and you may catch yourself going out of bounds too often. Unfortunately, even if you're not going super fast, you'll probably go out of bounds anyway. And yes, it's pretty annoying. My biggest gripe was crashing into a tall structure as I raced off a ramp and started performing tricks mid-air.

The single-player Tournament mode is a great place for beginners to practice. The different game modes are introduced here, and if you want to stand a chance against human opponents, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the tracks, modes, and mechanics. Mad Riders features standard lap-based races, checkpoint rallies, trick races, ghost races, and timed events. Personally, I really dug the trick and checkpoint events, but the timed races were a total pain in the ass.

If you're looking for some real competition, Mad Riders' online multiplayer has what you're looking for. You can race in 12-player races across 45 different tracks. Again, this variety does a great job of rounding out Mad Riders nicely. Sadly, there's no local multiplayer aside from a system link option, which means if you want to take on a buddy in split-screen multiplayer, you're going to be greatly disappointed by the lack of such a feature.

Visually, Mad Riders is absolutely gorgeous. The game's many environments are bold and vibrant. Everything looks pretty great — not that you'll have time to look around and take it all in on account of how freakin' fast you're going. But even then, the constant motion blur is just another visual treat that keeps Mad Riders' graphical presentation at a high level of quality. The sound design, on the other hand, is decent, but the commentary dude can get annoying, especially when he says, "Sidewinder!" every 15 seconds whenever you slide.

At 800 Microsoft Points, Mad Riders is a pretty damn good value. Tournament mode offers a steep challenge, but it's also a lot of fun. And while there's no split-screen multiplayer, the online component should deliver what you're looking for if you're feeling competitive. What makes Mad Riders a good game is its sense of speed. Great tracks with plenty of turns and jumps make this game worth playing. And while it's not without a few flaws, this is certainly an enjoyable arcade racer for gamers who need a fast-paced thrill ride.

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Via: Mad Riders review

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