DEVELOPER: Volition
PUBLISHER: THQ
SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (PC,
PS3)
PRICE: $59.99
ESRB RATING: Mature
REVIEW RATING: 4 stars (out of 5)
I remember spending countless
hours playing "Red Faction"
multiplayer matches against my
roommate. At the time, it was the
only game that offered destructible
environments, and we simply couldn't
create enough concrete-carnage! Now
"Red Faction: Armageddon" has been
unleashed, and the art of creating
destruction has reached new heights.
This sequel is set 50 years after
the events of "Red Faction:
Guerrilla." Now the Red Faction is
in control of Mars, and a rival
faction intends to gain control.
When the Terraformer is destroyed,
the surface no longer becomes
habitable and humans are forced
underground. Now the new hero,
Darius Mason, must put his
demolitions training to the ultimate
test as he faces off against deadly
humans and even deadlier aliens.
Navigating through the
subterranean depths of Mars is
pretty straightforward now that the
series has gone back to its linear
roots. This is a mixed blessing,
since I enjoyed the open-world
nature of the last game, but "RF:
Armageddon" looks so much better!
There is also more destruction
available to the player now, but the
level design is somewhat lacking.
This would be an average shooter
if not for the awesome weapons, new
Nanoforge abilities, and the
incredible destruction they cause.
With the new magnet gun, players can
tether objects together and watch as
they attract each other with
tremendous force. This awesome
weapon can be used in many ways,
like smashing enemies together,
yanking them up to the ceiling, and
more.
With the Nanoforge attached to
his arm, Darius can create a
shockwave, a protective shell,
overcharge his weapons and use
reconstruction (my favorite).
Imagine being chased by enemies,
blowing a hole in a building,
rushing in, and then reconstructing
the wall you just blew to pieces.
How about blowing up a bridge with
enemies on it and then
reconstructing it so you can safely
pass?
Add fun multiplayer modes to the
destructive mix, and "Red Faction:
Armageddon" takes destruction to a
whole new level!
'Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale'
DEVELOPER: Bedlam
PUBLISHER: Atari
SYSTEM: Xbox Live/PSN/PC Download
PRICE: $15.00
ESRB RATING: Teen
REVIEW RATING: 2 stars (out of 5)
When I heard there was a new
action RPG set in the Dungeons and
Dragons universe, I dusted off my
wizard cap and stocked up on energy
drinks. "Get ready for many
sleepless nights," I thought to
myself. Unfortunately, it only took
a few minutes of game play to
discover that this dungeon crawler
is full of bugs, and I'm not talking
about the creepy crawly kind.
For a game set in such a rich and
diverse realm, "D&D: Daggerdale" has
a surprisingly unimaginative
storyline. When an evil Zhentarim
cleric named Rezlus attempts to
bring the power of the Black Lord
Bane into Daggerdale, it's up to the
player to stop his nefarious plan.
With a plot this predictable, I'm
surprised there's no damsel in
distress that needs saving.
I enjoy the variety that comes
with having four different classes
to choose from and the ability to
customize their abilities, armor and
weapons. This can create very
different styles of play. For
example, my rogue can stab enemies
up close and hit them from afar with
arrows. Add a certain ability, and
the rogue can perform sneak attacks
with both melee and distance
weapons. Equip a bow with fire
attributes, and long distance sneak
attacks can now inflict fire damage.
What I don't enjoy, however, is
only being able to pick up one quest
at a time and backtracking to the
same place for several follow-up
quests. It's also not much fun to
fight overwhelming odds all the time
simply because the developers didn't
program enemies with A.I.
Worse still, players endure
countless small bugs as well as
occasional game-breaking bugs that
actually force them to restart the
game. In both single player and
coop, my fighter character stopped
being able to move for no reason.
All the other buttons worked fine,
but nothing could get him to move.
It's too bad, because "D&D:
Daggerdale" would be a fun game if
it had received stringent testing.
REVIEW SCORING SYSTEM
5 stars = Must Have
4 stars = Very Good
3 stars = Above Average
2 stars = Bargain Bin
1 star = Don't Bother
RATINGS KEY
Entertainment Software Rating
Board (ESRB)
E: Everyone
E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)
T: Teen (13 and older)
M: Mature (17 and older)
To find out more about Jeb Haught
and read features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and cartoonists,
visit the Creators Syndicate website
at www.creators.com.
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