There were three new games on XBLA today, and I tried the demos of them all. Oh, what a bad week… Shred NebulaRubbish shooter with wonky controls. Pirates vs Ninjas DodgeballRubbish fighting game (well, it is!) with stupid too-far-away camera. Gin RummyRubbish card game. Well, OK – it isn’t rubbish, but it’s not very exciting.
Played a few things this weekend: Beautiful Katamari (360)Me am cry. If I play the final level on Eternal mode, and collect absolutely everything (including The King), I can only get my Katamari up to 1,450,000km. Meaning 1,500,000 is, in fact, impossible – black hole or no black hole. With this revelation, I set about redoing levels again, making more and more planets so that I’ll have some more to collect next time I try. Assuming the black hole doesn’t …
It’s Guardian Heroes in cartoon form! Almost! I played through to the boss (where the demo ends) and enjoyed it very much. It’s very slick, very pretty, and lots of fun. But it’s also 1200 points, and I’m not sure I can fork out that much for it. Yes, I realise that I paid the same for Braid, but that seemed… special somehow. Maybe another time I’ll rethink it.
Yes! It’s the Irregular Xbox Demo Roundup Post! Alone in the DarkOh my. How bad is this? From having to press a button to blink, to having to be positioned pixel-perfect in order to pick stuff up or open doors, to the stupid indestructible baddies who can only be defeated for good if you drag them to a fire. And it’s too dark to see anything half the time. Awful. SBK08Supposedly, this is all about realism and simulation, whereas MotoGP …
I haven’t posted in a few days, but I have been playing things. Just been a bit busy and tired and stuff. Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to this week: Fable II Pub Games Demo (360)Marginally entertaining collection of gambling games. If I was interested in buying Fable II (I’m not), and it was 400 points, I’d buy it. So I’m not, then. Bionic Commando Rearmed Demo (360)Quite good fun, although I can’t get used to having no jump …
Oh. My. Word. What an awful, awful game. I mean, I know licences can be bad, but this… oh my.
Yes, it’s demo time again! Dark SectorYou move too slow and can’t jump, and the dual-wielding doesn’t feel right, and the weapons you can only use for 10 seconds is stupid and the Y-axis needs inverting and the sensitivity is way off (although both these things are adjustable) and I got to a dead end and have no idea where to go next. But. I sort of enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of Resident Evil 4. NFL ’09American …
I missed this out from my list earlier. And for good reason: it’s crap.
Amazingly, this didn’t turn out to be pants like I was expecting. OK, so it doesn’t feel like a game that has been in development for, what, 40 years? And it isn’t quite as hack-everything as the previews seemed to suggest. And there’s a story (about technologically advanced Nordic Gods or something) too. Rough edges include the lack of proper camera control, The Kameo Effect on far too many surfaces, and some minor animation problems, but I had fun for …
Yes indeed – it is XBLA Demo Catchup time! 1942: Joint StrikeAs I’ve said before, shooters aren’t my thing really. However, I’m one for nostalgia and this is a great looking, and playing, remake of 1942. I’m tempted to get it, except I know I’ll be crap at it. I was crap at the demo as it is. SchizoidIt’s like Geometry Wars, only two player, and with no shooting. And you control both players. And it’s pretty good. Go! Go! …
I tried some more demos today, all of XBLA games I’d downloaded over the last few weeks. BattlezoneLooks amazing, but the demo is only five seconds long. So I’m not buying it as there’s no way that gives any sort of representation of actual game. Wits and WagersA quiz game where your answer is largely irrelevant? And only 700 questions? I say no to you, sir. Rocky and BullwinkleIt’s Wario Ware, only in Rocky and Bullwinkle costumes. It was OK, …
Caught up on a few of these today. Thoughts as follows! Don King’s PrizefighterI didn’t like Fight Night 3. It was overrated, and not nearly as impressive as everyone (EA especially, unsurprisingly) suggested. But this… is worse. The best thing was the FIFA-esque nonsensical commentary. Par examplé: “Calzaghe goes for the face again!” as I (Calzaghe) completely fail to grasp the controls and am being pummelled without getting a single hit in. “Calzaghe delivers a devastating right hook!” as I …
It’s good, but it just doesn’t feel quite as good as Lego Star Wars did. I think the lack of a gun is a big issue, as the whip is too slow and inaccurate, and punching requires you to get too close. I did find a crossbow near the end of the demo level, but it only seemed to allow two shots before it vanished. And it’s far too easy to fall of cliffs. Grr.
That’s right – a DS demo! The new Nintendo Channel on the Wii allows the download of DS game demos, which is pretty ace. Well, except I had all the games already. Apart from this one! And it’s pretty good. It seems very similar in style to the Ninja Gaiden II demo on the 360 I played last week, only you do everything with the stylus. And it works better than you’d expect too. I was quite impressed, although I …
Caught up a bit tonight with some of the recent demos on the 360’s mrketplace. Frogger 2No. No no no. It’s like a horrible cute reimagining of Frogger, designed by a three year old. It’s horrible. And why on earth are there rotate button? And a bloody UFO?! And! The most irritating music and sound effect combo ever (especially when collecting lots of coins in one go – yes coins: why the hell does a frog need coins?). It’s all …