Jade Empire
Although it's an old game (originally released on X-Box in April 2005) it has a few things going for it - for starters, it was created by BioWare, who also made Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and the classic Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. So, it has a lot going for it, and since I've been playing it for a few hours every day for about a fortnight now, I think that means it's a good game.
The storyline runs thusly: You play a martial arts student in the Jade Empire (A Chinese inspired world) who goes on a quest to rescue his Master, after it's discovered that Master Li is actually Sun Li The Glorious Strategist, brother to the Emperor. Along the way, you pick up followers, including (but not limited to):
- A hermit with a mysterious past!
- Your best friend from the school who has a mysterious past!
- A Mercenary with a mysterious past!
- An inventor with a mysterious past!
- A black-clad Ninjette with a mysterious past! (Well, for about 30 minutes)
- A young girl with a mysterious past!
You get the idea. Mystery and intrigue all around, but even though you pick up enough hints to know what's going on, your character has no idea until the speech tree is open. One of the biggest revelations in the game, in fact, is glaringly obvious about 5-10 minutes after you get into Tien's Landing (the first -real- area of the game), but you can't do anything about it until the final act, and only -then- if you completely finish one of the Followers' storylines. I've never actually gotten to that point, myself, because I didn't realise HOW to do it until last week.
There's a certain similarity to KoTOR in Jade Empire - although the fighting is done differently (much more similarity to a regular fighting game), some of the more popular aspects to KoTOR have found their way into Jade Empire. The flight sub-game is still there, although it's changed from a turret-gun view shooter to a vertical scroller, complete with weapon power-ups. There's still an Arena fighting section, you still have to infiltrate the villains' soldiers school (and the Lotus Assassins' school has, in some places, a resemblance to the Sith Academy on Korriban). You can still choose to romance your female followers (or male, if you play as a female) and there's a huge twist in the story which is constantly hinted at (similar in hinting to "You are Revan" but you never pick up on it) which is quite a surprise when it happens.
Incidentally, speaking of the romances, I just learned you can set up a romance threesome with both your female followers if you play a male - and one male and one female if you play as a female. Now that's fan service!
The Light-Side/Dark-Side is also in action, although it's called Open Palm and Closed Fist. Obviously, Closed Fist is the "Dark Side" version of the game.
Graphically, the same shows its' age somewhat - it's two years old, after all. However, it's still far better that some games that are out there and released after Jade Empire.
Sound-wise...it's great. There's not much I can say.
This isn't to say that the game isn't without its' faults. There are bugs in the game, some minor, some major. Camera angles can be occasionally tricky, as is targetting the right enemy/object to attack. In theory, you can get a total of 495 experience points to spend on your attack styles - which is quite handy, considering there are 26 styles to choose from on the Xbox version (five for Martial style, four for magic, although one excludes the other making it three, five support styles, four transformation styles, and nine seperate weapons) and 31 points for each aspect of the style to be maxed out - however, realistically, you won't make it to level 31 unless you do every quest, every arc, and read every book and scrollstand (which gives you XP) using the Gem Of The Frail Scholar (which doubles your learning XP). You won't discover all the ways and places to get your XP up until you've played through the game - although the enemies you face will automatically set themselves to your level, it can still be frustrating to try to earn enough XP to max out one particular area - especially when you find out that some opponents are immune to support and magic styles completely (and you go up against these opponents a lot). The best thing to do is pick one Martial style, one Weapon style, one support OR magic style, and one Transformation style, and just max those out. The best all-round build, I've found is this:
Martial: Leaping Tiger (Wolverine-esque claws pop out of your hands)
Support/Magic: Stone Immortal (Open Palm) or Dire Flame (either)
Transformation: Jade Golem
Weapon: Fortune's Favourite (Or Dragon Sword once you purchase it)
But there's a lot to choose from, and it's really a case of mix and match until you find something you personally enjoy.
Jade Empire, for a two year old game, is still brilliant, and has a lot of replay value attached to it.
Total Score: 8/10
Doom 3
I know what you're thinking. "What is it with DJ Guardian doing reviews for older games?" Well, I'm hardly on the cutting edge anymore, so shut up. Secondly, I like the older games. Believe me, if I could get them to work, I'd do reviews of X-Wing and TIE Fighter in the blink of an eye. Besides, Doom 3 isn't all that old, and, whilst not revolutionary, it's still fun. So, why bother reviewing a three year old game? Because I want to!
The Story
If you don't know the story, you've never played a single FPS since 1993. You play a Marine of unknown name, working for the UAC (Union Aerospace Corporation), who is stationed on Mars. After a freak accident with UAC scientists working on teleportation devices, the entire Mars Base gets over-run by Interdimensional Demons - your allies get turned into Zombies of various calibres, and you, as the player, have to literally go to Hell and back to stop the threat.
The Gameplay
Whereas the original games were simplistic in their design and execution, Doom 3 takes things one step further. Shadows and darkness not only play an important part of Doom 3, they're practically main characters in their own right. Many a time will pass when you can be strolling along, Plasma Rifle in hand, when the lights all suddenly cut out. Unless you're using the very handy "Duct Tape Mod" (which I'm not, given that I want to experience the game as it was designed to be played) you need to continuously switch between the weapon of your choice and the flashlight, to see where you're going. Luckily, this isn't always that annoying, thanks to an error in the programming (the Flashlight can be swung like a club, and is more powerful than the standard pistol you get at the start of your adventure), but can get tedious once you start swapping up to the more powerful weapons. Controlling the Marine is fairly simplistic as well, mirroring the controls of the original Doom games. You can move in the traditional sense, run, crouch, and jump, but you can't lean or lie flat on your stomach. Whilst other games DO give you this capability, I feel it's a nice touch, as it harkens back to the old days of fighting crap-brown blobs with red eyes who throw fireballs that look just like rockets.
The Weapons
Any FPS worth its' salt isn't about the plot, or the graphics, or the immersivity - it's about the guns. Doom 3 delivers on weapons, making it a shootfest of bright colours and crap bullets. Honestly, with one or two exceptions, the basic rule of thumb for Doom 3 is, the more the discharges hurt your eyes against the almost pitch-black screen, the more powerful the attack.
- Fists
- Chainsaw
- Pistol
- Assault Rifle/Machine Gun
- Shotgun
- Chaingun
- Rocket Launcher
- Plasma Gun
- Hand Grenades
- BFG-9000
- Soul Cube
- Flashlight
Whilst all weapons are fun in their own way (apart from the pistol and Assault Rifle) The Soul Cube is both a satisfying weapon AND a part of the storyline, so it gets double points on that front. It originates from an Ancient Martian society that first created the Teleporters on Mars, only to discover that the Teleporters take a shortcut through Hell. All of the race, save for one, sacrificed themselves and put their souls into the Soul Cube - leaving it as an Ultimate Weapon for their "greatest warrior", who travelled to Hell and defeated the threat, keeping the Demons locked away for all eternity...until the UAC came along, discovered the ruins of the ancient civilisation (who may be, it's suggested in-game, the ancestors of humanity, as some escaped to Earth), ignored the warnings left about Teleportation, and started researching it for themselves. When you get your hands on the Soul Cube (and, don't worry, you can't miss it - it'll literally call out for you to "save us") you'll see that it's rather a lot of fun. You hold it out, and blades come out of it, and it flies along, obliterating anything in its' path. It then becomes useless, until you kill enough Demons to re-activate it. Rather clever implimentation, there, as it pretty much guarantees that you'll leave it as your Last Resort weapon, to use only when you're completely overwhelmed, or as a Boss Attacker, given that there are only two enemies within the entire game who can't be One Shotted by it - so, it slices! It dices! It talks to you! But wait, there's more! It also regenerates your health every time you use it! Also, when you first get it, it gives you a rather nice speech:
We are many. We are one. We are the Praelanthor. You know us as the Soul Cube. Free us from our eternal prison, and we will help you. Vanquish our enemies and we grow stronger. Listen for our call, and then free us, to strike down the evil. Destroying evil gives us life, and makes us stronger. Unleash us when you hear our call. We will pass the lifeforce of those we slay to you. We foresee a great battle. The outcome is not clear. We are the only way to destroy Hell's mightiest warrior.
Summary
Whilst it doesn't re-invent the wheel, it certainly has fun taking it for a spin. Seem to some as a glorified tech demo, and others as "the best game of all time", I'd put it somewhere firmly in the middle of the two. It isn't as atmospheric as Id Software may have wanted, but it's something to play to pass the time, when you want to kill zombies on Mars.
I Am Legend
Rating: 4/5
Starring: Will Smith
Director: Francis Lawrence
*Not going to give much away about this film, Spoiler free*
This is the third film adaptation of the 1954 Sci-fi novel by Richard
Matheson (The other two being The Last Man on Earth in 1964 and The Omega
Man in 1971). Directed by Francis Lawrence, also directed Constantine, but
better known for directing music videos. As this is his first blockbuster,
he? definitely a director to watch out for.
Will Smith is Robert Neville, seemingly the sole survivor of a man made
virus that has wiped out or changed the population of the planet. His only
companion is a German Sheppard call Sam. He spends his day securing
provisions, broadcasting radio messages, trying to find a cure to the
virus and talking to mannequins at his local video store, yep three years
alone can probably start sending you mad. He spends his nights barricaded
in his house hiding from the changed populace.
Will Smiths portrayal of a man slowly getting unhinged after spending
three years alone, canine buddy aside, I think has been one of his best.
Which is good, as the first part of the movie follows BIG Willie around
the decaying New York City, which is visually stunning, as he lives his
life. His interaction with the mannequins is somewhat disturbing in its
realism (Well after 3 yrs I'd be talking to anything that I thought would
listen). Also the relationship with his dog Sam, touching and played with
emotion. His decline into eventual emotion breakdown, I feel, was
played superbly.
The visuals in this film are great! The decaying New York City, with its
abandoned cars and knee high weeds braking through the pavements and roads
feel Just Right The camera work panning across this City over the broken
bridge all help to heighten the sense of isolation and loneliness.
Then we come to the second part of the film, contact with the "Night
Dwellers" the changed people who weren't killed by the virus. This is
where they up the tempo and blast you with the snazzy CGI elements of the
film, and motor along to the conclusion. Unfortunately The CGI is not that
snazzy, the monsters are basically not that believable, which is a damned
shame...guess they spent too much of the budget on the city. I think that
overall the movie suffers from the CGI element because in all "end of the
world monster movies" the monsters have to look good, Number 1 Rule! This
has made it become a good film where it really should have been an
excellent one.
I would highly recommend this film to anyone, it has a lot to offer, but
is ultimately let down in the end by the CGI creatures.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
I am a fan of the Resident Evil games. In a way it's become one of the most influential game series in my life, albeit a rather roundabout fashion. That being said, I'm not as biased reviewing it as you'd think - while I may be a fan of the series as a whole, I absolutely abhore games with little substance or bad gameplay. This is an On The Rails Shooter much like the
Resident Evil: Dead Aim games and tell the truth, I wasn't really optimistic about Chronicles.
Story:
It's Resident Evil as you've seen it before... in first person. Okay, so in terms of story there's not much here. In the main game you retread scenarios from Resident Evil 0, 1 and 3 until the final chapter where you
do get something new. The game is basically fan service, it'll fill in a few blanks as to how the series went from the end of Code Veronica where Umbrella (main antagonist corporation of the series) was still going strong and Resident Evil 4, the latest game, where you're casually told at the start Umbrella's no more after being dismantled by the US Goverment. All in all, it's what you'd expect. Fans will have a mix of nostalgia and slight annoyance as go through familiar surroundings despite the new perspective but it does the job. There's also a nod to the first (and third) Resident Evil movies with the appearance of the Red Queen AI Super Computer. Oh, and the main antagonist in this game is a crazy ex-Soviet Russian general who has a weird knife and likes to cut himself then taste the blood. Resident Evil story writing at it's finest!
Gameplay:
It's a first person shooter on rails, it's not exactly the most complex mechanic around. You're given an abundance of ammo and weaponary of the standard variety - shotguns, smg's, grenades and the odd magnum or rocket launcher. You use these to dispatch the foes in your way in order to progress to the next chapter. Simple!
Now the foes themselves, generally there's nothing new apart from the odd boss. Zombies, Crimon Heads (double zombies), Cerberus (undead guard dogs) and Hunters (giant mutant frogs) are the most prevelant. You get some rarer foes like undead monkeys, leech men or chimera. At the start you won't have much trouble dealing with anything in your way however the difficulty curve can be... unforgiving at times and by the end of the game the standard zombies appear to be on PCP, being more dangerous than a double zombie. Zombies hopped up on angel dust aren't fun.
Aside from the usual spray and pray of a shotgun or smg you can use your pistol (and it's unlimited ammo) to get a Critical Hit. Basically for zombies, they're head shots. A head shot isn't always a head shot though, you'll want to get the very top of there forehead. Get it right the targetting reticule'll change to a flashing red dot, take the shot and the zombie head'll explode for an instant kill. Other bad guys have other weaknesses, but for the most zombies are the easiest and best to kill that way. The game's divided in to four main chapters (chronicling Resident Evil's 0, 1 and 3 along with an all new time frame set before Resident Evil 4 explaining the fall of Umbrella).
Each chapter has around 3 sub-chapters and there's also 2-4 unlockable secret scenarios per chapter. These secret ones are generally quicker but faster paced so you may have more trouble with them than you'd immediately think. You can pick up files to read that contain story or enemy info by destroying pictures, desks, chairs and picking up anything that pings out like you would a weapon or ammo. Health is a handled by a homogeneous bar that's refillable by picking up a green herb, if you die you'll go back to a checkpoint so you won't always have to start over right at the beginning of a level. This is good because you
will die, sometimes repeatedly until you get the hang of crit's or boss strategy. All in all it's your standard light gun game, but it's very slick for what it is.
Controls:
It's on Nintendo Wii and is basically a Light Gun game. It's a marriage made in heaven and is one of the few games that actually utilise the Wii controls to the fullest. They're reasonably intuitive, responsive and easy to get to grips with. If you have a bad wrist however extended play sessions may become uncomfortable.
Graphics:
This is a Wii game so understandably the graphics aren't going to be amazing by todays standards. However I was a bit dissapointed, they seem to be on par for the most part to Resident Evil 4 or just below which is a bit sad considering the Wii's about twice as powerfull as it's predecessor. However what I
was happy about was the frame rate. To me it seemed smooth all the way through and when you've got explosions and a dozen or two enemies on screen at once it's good to not have it chug. Also, zombie's heads explode satisfactually.
Sound:
Explosions, gun shots, it all sounds about right. Zombie moans, yup, general affair there. However, this
is a Resident Evil game so, of course, the voice acting and dialogue are pretty horrendous. Not in a completely bad way, however, as the dialogue is so bad it's hilarious. Watch and listen to all the cut scenes, it is important and fun.
Longevity and Replayability:
Here's the thing. As a standard on the rails shooter you can go through it in about 5-6 hours I reckons if you're not going for unlockables, files, upgrades or a decent rank. However, if you're a completist or a fan (or both for the double win) then there's significantly more to do. The better the rank for a chapter the more Stars you get, you can use these to upgrade a weapons power, ammo capacity etc... To get a better rank you'll want to go for crits, lots of enemies killed and items destroyed and you'll want to pick up as many files/profiles as you can from said destoyed items. Also the better the rank on some chapters and you'll unlock a secret one.
These are somewhat shorter than a main scenario but also cooler, it's essentially these that fill in the gaps in the story that lead to Umbrella's collapse. Most of the time you'll play as the secondary series protagonist Albert Wesker. He starts off pretty much like every other character you play as but'll dodge the odd Hunter attack or similar. Also, he's prone to quipping the odd amusing like (which being Resident Evil are hilariously bad). However at some point between scenario's he seemingly takes some time out from industrial espionage, bioweapons engineering and double crossing to go to Bad Ass School and also becomes a Jedi. This is good because if he wasn't
Albert "Bad Ass Jedi" Wesker at the end you'd just die horribly. You'll also play as Ada in one section which is kinda cool as you get a grappling hook gun, but yeah.
If you want to unlock everything you'll clock 10+ hours easily - I've gotten about 80% of everything (I think) and I'm at about 13 hours right now. There's also Co-Op mode, which is interesting - you don't get double weapon pick ups so you'll fight over who gets what in a scenario and you share a life bar so the dynamic's a bit different, I'd highly recommend getting a good friend and maybe some drinks in and going through a few chapters if light gun games are your sort of thing. Finally if you completely everything you get a mini game which... well, it's like a shooting gallery where at the end of each wave anything you missed
will rush you and kill you instantly forcing you back to the start. It gets hectic.
Other:
I've covered most things, it really is a game for the fans. However despite the reasonable job of filling in some blanks games such as Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica aren't in there. If the game ships enough copies or if Capcom just think it's a good idea I can see a Chronicles 2 coming that'll handle RE2, CV, RE4 and probably bridge to Resident Evil 5 (currently due late 2009 I think) so keep an eye out for news of that nearing the end of this year. If you're not a big fan or you won't be hitting the co-op mode, I'd suggest renting rather than buying. If you
are a fan or will be hitting the co-op, I'd probably not recommend getting it at full price. It's a good enough game to own and play, but I wouldn't want to drop ?40 on it.
Score:
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Controls: 5/5
Graphics: 3/5
Replay: 2/5
Total: 19/25
Alien Vs Predator: Requiem
Rating: 2/5
Starring: Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth
Director: Colin & Greg Strause
Right, first things first... If you are not an Alien & Predator fan, you are
probably going to hate this movie. Plot is poor; actually there isn?
really one there at all. Acting is poor, humans that is, Aliens and
Predators are acted quite well, I suppose, then again I'm not sure how
they are suppose to act, but anyway they're better that the humans. They
should have left the humans out all together and had the xeno's slug it
out somewhere deserted, maybe next time. Anyway, not much here for you if
you don't like the previous Alien films or Predator films, or indeed the
AvP film. Personally I quite like it. It's definitely a "leave your brain
at the door" action/gore movie.
It's directed by the Strause Brothers, this is their first real go at
directing, they are more known for producing visual effect for films, 300,
X-men Last Stand & Shooter, to name a few. They're effects background
really shows in this film, where it lacks in plot, it certainly makes up
with effects. However, as seems to be common in a lot of films, these
days, and a lot of the effects are hidden with night time shots, shadows
or rain. I'm pretty sure both nasties can operate in daylight, why not
show it??
Ok, the plot, well it's thin really. It picks up right from the last
movie; remember the dead Predator carried aboard the spaceship?? Yep a
sneaky little Predalien chestburster causes havoc on the spaceship, which
crashes back down on earth in a sleepy little town. The Alien is let loose
into the wilds, and a dying Predator sends a rescue/hunting signal out.
While the Alien gets to work impregnating the locals, a lone Predator,
lands on earth to clean up the mess. Here it becomes basically your
average slasher movie. Town folk are either killed off or loved up by the
Alien, while the Predator goes about hacking, razor wiring, boomeranging,
lazering & impaling his way through the humans and aliens alike. That's
about it really.
So while Alien Vs Predator Requiem doesn't add anything new to the Alien
and predator franchise, although there are a few references to the older
movies, I found it quite enjoyable. It's action packed and the effects are
good. Just wish someone would write a decent plot instead of these no
brainer sequels.
Resident Evil: Extinction
Rating: 3/5
Starring: Milla Jovovich
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Ok this is the third and perhaps the last instalment of the game based
Resident Evil films. Again, we follow the superhuman Alice (Milla
Jovovich), as she goes about her business of taking down the Umbrella
Corporation. It? the not too distant future, well 3 years after the
Apocalypse, where the zombie hordes have over run the planet. Survivors
keep one step ahead of the zombies by living nomadic lives, always moving
from place to place in convoys of vehicles, kind of Mad Max 2 style.
Story wise, well, that? about it I'm afraid, but to be honest what did we
expect from the Resident Evil titles. However I think Russell Mulcahy
(Highlander), did quite a good job of bring life to this film, a few good
action set pieces are to be found in here, of course the "must have" Alice
kicking serious zombie butt action and a rather nice Hitchcock inspired
undead bird attack.
Effect wise this movie doesn't really have any wow factor going for it,
seen it all before in the other movies I'm afraid. The actors put in a
valiant attempt, considering the script, but don't expect any red carpets
for them. But still this film has a lot going for it, decent effect,
action, zombie birds (the feathered kind before you ask!) and Milla
Jovovich! What more could you possibly want??
Star Wars - Legacy
I'm a huge Star Wars fan. Really, I am. I can tell you how Han Solo made the Kessel Run, I can name all of the Five Brothers, and I can even tell you exactly how the belief that Lightsabre blades are generated by crystals came about. Having said that, there's one major point of contention between myself and many other Star Wars fans, which I'm going to share with you all now:
I'm really sick of Boba Fett.
I never really got caught up in the whole "Boba Fett is teh koolest!" mindset. He was a character in a story - undeserving of the larger and larger roles the fanbase (and authorship) gave him. To me, it's like saying "Hey, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinholds' character in Beverly Hill Cop) is a cool character, let's give him his own show!", or "You know, giving Joey Tribbiani his own series is a good idea!"
...Ignore that last one.
Sure, young Boba showed up in Episode 2, thus arguably making his character seem more integral to the Star Wars mythos - but I'm willing to bet Lucas only did that because he knew that he'd created a celebrity more recognisable than the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Today, Boba Fett 'stars' in a series of EU Star Wars novels called "Legacy Of The Force", which ostensibly has nothing to do with Boba Fett at all. No, dear TGR listeners, Boba Fett only joins this particular party because Karen "Mandalorians! OYA!" Traviss has written a third of the series, and anything that Traviss writes for the Star Wars universe MUST, by law, contain something connected to Boba Fett, or Mandalorians in general.
The series is supposed to tell the story of how Jacen Solo, one of Han Solo and Princess Leias' twins, falls to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Caedus, all around bad guy who kills soldiers under him, much like his Emo grandfather did. In other novels in the series, particularly the ones written by Aaron Allston, Jacens' slip to the Dark Side is explored in great detail, making him, if not a wholly sympathetic character, then at least a well rounded and three dimensional one. Traviss, however, delights in shoving all that to one side, in favour of progressing the story of "everyone's favourite" Bounty Hunter.
Don't believe me? Pick up a copy of the latest book in the Legacy series, called Revelations. Don't worry about the name of the book, despite the fact it's the penultimate bookin the series, there ARE no revelations to be found here, aside from the ones we get force-fed by Traviss concerning the Mandalorian ways of life, which have no bearing on the novel, the series, or the state of Star Wars' Expanded Universe in general. The one Revelation I picked up on from the series was that Traviss is treating Boba Fett, and Mandalorians, like a Gary Stu society. They build ships that are better in every concievable way to any other fighter craft, they have armour which, of course, can stop Lightsabres, and, hey! Their regular swords are better than Lightsabres. In one Young Adult Boba Fett novel, Boba Fett, still a child younger than 13, goes one-on-one against Mace Windu, the Jedi Master played by Samuel L. Jackson. Despite the fact that Windu is regarded as one of the best Jedi of his time, and the badassery of being played by Samuel L. Jackson, he still can't defeat the pre-teen Fett. Yes, one of the most powerful Jedi of the Old Republic has a hard time smacking around a single boy. The most shocking this about this whole debacle is, none of THAT story was written by Karen Traviss.
The Legacy series has its' good points, though, don't get me wrong. Aaron Allston brings a lot of wry humour to the proceedings, and, as I previously mentioned, he does a good job of exploring Jacens' mindset. In one scene from the first book, Allston takes a pot-shot at Fan-Fiction writers, but does it in such a way that makes it believable, and doesn't break the illusion of the story-telling. Troy Denning, the other author for the series, concentrates mostly on Luke Skywalkers' viewpoint for the series, and does a very good job there, too. Both authors (Denning and Allston) do good jobs of making the stories ensemble pieces, although they have their favourite characters, and it shows (not too keen on Saba, either - sorry Troy!). What brings the series down is Boba Fett. In a series which is focused, for the most part, on the "Next Generation" of the Star Wars franchise - Jacen and Jaina Solo, Ben Skywalker, etc, the main focus for a full third of the story-arc is Boba Fett, who is, thanks to the prequels, thirteen years older than Luke and Leia, who are both 59 at this point in the Star Wars universe. Luckily for us, even if Boba Fett gets killed in the last Legacy book, now we have his grand-daughter to rely on to show up every now and again, as well as several other clones based on Jango Fett.
Thanks, Karen Traviss. Thanks a bunch.
