Monday morning saw a release of a playable demo for Silicon Knights' upcoming action-RPG, Too Human, to Xbox Live Gold members. For some of us, playing this demo is the closest we will get to actually being at E3 this year. For those of us who have taken the time to download and play the demo, it seems that the wait for this much anticipated game has been worthwhile.
At first glance, the game seems to be a fairly standard-issue action-RPG with a high-tech setting and some beautiful graphics. After playing the demo all the way through (roughly an hour of gameplay), the game's depth really starts to show through.
The combat in the game is quick and intuitive. At first, the intuitiveness comes off as simplicity. However, looking at the advanced controls screen reveals that the combo system, and other combat techniques, actually has a bit of depth to it. The depth of the combat system is made even better by the depth of the character building aspects of the RPG design and the massive array of customizable armor and weapons. Not only can new weapons and armor be found (or forged), but they can also affect playing style based on how attacks can be carried out. Beyond these customizations, the full game allows players to choose from five different base classes (each with different strengths and weaknesses).
The game's story is also intriguing. It seems that Norse mythology serves as the basis for a lot of what takes place, but everything is moved into a seemingly futuristic setting. Being a demo, I found myself with more questions than answers in regards to the plot, but I actually want to find out the answers to these questions.
As mentioned previously, the game is beautiful. Character models are extremely detailed, and skin even wrinkles while characters talk. The game world is breathtaking and epic all at the same time. What's even more impressive is that the game's soundtrack is also rock solid. In many ways, I found it reminiscent of "Duel of the Fates" from the Star Wars soundtrack, and that's a great thing. The music builds and softens based on what is happening in the game for added effect.
On the whole, the demo is extremely impressive for those who get past the first five minutes. Morally, there's a lot of violence (though no particular blood comes to mind), references to mythology, and some minor swearing. For those who won't be put off my that content, and have an Xbox Live Gold membership, downloading the demo is practically a no-brainer.
More on the game will come to you after its release later this year.
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Showing posts with label Gaming - Preview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaming - Preview. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Preview - Guitar Hero: On Tour
Guitar Hero is one of those few games that manages to catch the attention of a broad range of people. The Guitar Hero series has made fans of hardcore gamers, people that never play video games, and everyone in between. However, Guitar Hero has never really been available to people on the go. That is, the experience hasn't been available until yesterday's release of Guitar Hero: On Tour. On Tour makes use of a proprietary accessory that helps capture the Guitar Hero experience.
Today, we go hands on with the new game and its unique way of playing. The full review will be on its way in the near future.
Due to the physical constraints of the DS system, the guitar panel has been reduced from five buttons to four buttons. It's possibly because of this that the game seems a bit easier than Guitar Hero III does. The buttons on the adapter seem a bit small for large hands, but they still work well. Instead of creating a strum bar, On Tour includes a pick-shaped stylus to simulate strumming the on-screen guitar.
As unconventional as this all sounds, the core experience really does translate surprisingly well to the DS. In fact, as a self-proclaimed guitarist, I find using the touch screen to strum much more natural than the strum-bar on the traditional guitar controllers.
In technical terms, the game is pretty impressive so far. The set-list may only be 25 songs deep, but it's a strong set-list with little redundancy from previous Guitar Hero games. The actual sound is general clear and accurate to the original song recordings, which is an impressive feat on the DS. Likewise, the graphics have been rather impressive. Though it seems likely that the video side of things is pre-rendered, that's not really a let-down. The character models are surprisingly smooth and detailed.
And, so far, the game is a blast to play. The game responds quickly and accurately to the controls. The songs are fun, too. However, whether it's the lack of a fourth button or just the way the songs are designed, the difficulty level seems a definite step down from Guitar Hero III. Perhaps this is a design decision for on-the-go gamers.
My only other complaint so far is that, in learning how to hold the DS right, my wrist cramps up fairly quickly when playing some of the more intensive songs. Beyond that, I actually find it more comfortable to use the traditional stylus than than pick-style stylus.
Morally, the game is a mixed bag like its predecessors. Some characters are immodestly dressed, and the lyrics range from clean to implicitly sexual. The game hasn't come off as overbearing in these things, but they are there and worthy of note.
Still, on the whole, On Tour has been a surprisingly good jump to handheld gaming for the series. Fans of the series could be happy that not a lot has been added to the gameplay, but the way it is played is a cool change of pace. Look forward to a full and detailed review soon.
-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
Read full article
Today, we go hands on with the new game and its unique way of playing. The full review will be on its way in the near future.
Due to the physical constraints of the DS system, the guitar panel has been reduced from five buttons to four buttons. It's possibly because of this that the game seems a bit easier than Guitar Hero III does. The buttons on the adapter seem a bit small for large hands, but they still work well. Instead of creating a strum bar, On Tour includes a pick-shaped stylus to simulate strumming the on-screen guitar.
As unconventional as this all sounds, the core experience really does translate surprisingly well to the DS. In fact, as a self-proclaimed guitarist, I find using the touch screen to strum much more natural than the strum-bar on the traditional guitar controllers.
In technical terms, the game is pretty impressive so far. The set-list may only be 25 songs deep, but it's a strong set-list with little redundancy from previous Guitar Hero games. The actual sound is general clear and accurate to the original song recordings, which is an impressive feat on the DS. Likewise, the graphics have been rather impressive. Though it seems likely that the video side of things is pre-rendered, that's not really a let-down. The character models are surprisingly smooth and detailed.
And, so far, the game is a blast to play. The game responds quickly and accurately to the controls. The songs are fun, too. However, whether it's the lack of a fourth button or just the way the songs are designed, the difficulty level seems a definite step down from Guitar Hero III. Perhaps this is a design decision for on-the-go gamers.
My only other complaint so far is that, in learning how to hold the DS right, my wrist cramps up fairly quickly when playing some of the more intensive songs. Beyond that, I actually find it more comfortable to use the traditional stylus than than pick-style stylus.
Morally, the game is a mixed bag like its predecessors. Some characters are immodestly dressed, and the lyrics range from clean to implicitly sexual. The game hasn't come off as overbearing in these things, but they are there and worthy of note.
Still, on the whole, On Tour has been a surprisingly good jump to handheld gaming for the series. Fans of the series could be happy that not a lot has been added to the gameplay, but the way it is played is a cool change of pace. Look forward to a full and detailed review soon.
-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
Read full article
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