David Law's Reviews
From the name of the game, Police Chase sounded exciting, but what you are really getting from this game is a limited A to B driving experience that is definitely found wanting! It’s ashame because the Xbox store could really do with a real crime fighting police game, but I’m afraid this just doesn’t cut it.
I personally found Blood Waves very repetitive, and frankly not much fun. The game needed variation in terms of its level design, and the game mechanics to be more fluent for it to work. The zombies Rag like doll movements and looks were disappointing. Blood Waves could have been so much more, had it got the basics right with the addition of leaderboards and option for another player to fight the good fight with. However, I must say I thought the upgrades and weapon additions were excellent and executed nicely throughout.
The actual football offers no atmosphere what’s so ever, and the crowd itself are pretty much static in their actions and sound. The graphics are below par and the actual action, a little depressing if I’m honest. There’s no fluidity in the actions and the control’s themselves are clunky at best, unresponsive at it’s worse. The control as a whole are very unclear in their actions and not very user friendly.
The gameplay is too simple and a little disappointing giving an anti-climactic feel. For me Ascendance offers no more then a climbing experience, and although there is indeed a soul to the game there’s no substance.
The story has no depth, and to be honest, it’s rather boring. The actual mode could have been fun if the story was more meaningful so that you could engage with it. Fewer cut scenes would have helped too. Had the developers focused on the tv style studio presenting, with the strange interviews and built on that, they could have had a fun single player experience.
Overall Tetsumo Party is a fun little party title offering some hilarious funny moments when played as a group, it’s certainly fun with little ones. However, the game is a little limited and repetitive. Although fun, I’m just not sure how many times you would revisit it, I suppose it depends on the right situation and settings. It’s certainly cheap enough to give it a try.
Smoots Summer Games has so much potential, but overall fall’s short and doesn’t quite make the Olympic final. That’s not to say there isn’t a competitor here. Smoots Summer Games can be a lot of fun with a group of friends, it just doesn’t make the grade overall.
Planet RIX-13 is a game full of charm and nostalgia, with a real retro sci-fi theme to it, the story is neat, and the problem solving varied enough to keep you entertained for the initial play through. However, on the downside the game is very short. The game has no replay value, once it’s played its done. But I leave you on a positive note, for the achievement hunter in you, there’s plenty of score to be had here.
Meow Motor’s is wonderfully presented, colourful, vibrant and bright. The Character’s are wonderfully created, each with there own little personalities that will warm to the player’s heart. The Tracks are crafted excellently, designed to complement the gameplay, thus giving a real sense of speed and escape. The races themselves are what you’d expect from a kart racer, however there’s a lack of individuality about them, the word clone is used a lot in gaming, and unfortunately the race modes featured in the game lack adventure and in my view are to safe, offering nothing new in very populated genre.
In summary, Mochi Mochi is a cute puzzle adventure, with elements of classic gameplay, complemented with progressive difficulty and visuals to match. Offering a nice change of pace, which can prove hard to put down once you get going.
The story is great, but the game feels like less of an adventure, but more of a story telling experience with stabilisers on, having said that i enjoyed the play through and the way Richards Memories were unveiled, and how the story is formed.
Overall, Verlet Swing gets a lot of things right, but has a few flaws, it’s just a shame that these flaws are the key components of the game. The swing mechanism and the rather tricky progressive level system are its biggest hurdles – it takes the enjoyment out of the game. For those that love a real challenge, that’s not for the faint hearted this is the game for you. Speed runners only I’m afraid.
Glass Masquerade has plenty to offer with the amount of artwork to unveil, however I feel had the game added a time scenario to its puzzle designs, with gold, silver and bronze trophies, and also a leaderboard of times achieved around the world, then that would have added to the game and offered a little more of accomplishment for the player.
I enjoyed Noir chronicles, having played many game’s like this in terms of its genre, I thought the story was nicely told, the puzzles were nicely thought out and different. It kept me on my toes, wanting to progress. The only downside to hidden object puzzle games as whole is, the length of time to complete. Noir Chronicles: City of Crime, being short.
Personally, I’ve played a few bowling games over the years, and although obviously limited in terms of what’s available as a gaming experience, this is up there with the best. The inclusion of local play adds a bit of sparkle to the game, thus making it not so serious. However, I feel the developers dropped the ball when they didn’t add the ability to invite a friend across Xbox Live for a few frames.
Overall, the game plays well and the whole package it represents is enjoyable, an arcade style feel adventure, with a story that offers a sense of exploration and mystery. The combat system is awesome and allows for excitement, as you get creative with the weapons on hand. I just love the direction of this 2.5D dynamic motorbike adventure, which fuses so many different elements, and pulls it off impressively.
Zeroptian Invasion is a real blast from the past, with some nice modern touches and a few twists here and there. If you love your classic shoot em up then this is one not to miss!
I enjoyed my time with Away: Journey To The Unexpected, and although I’m not a fan of Anime, the game stuck to its task. The developers have produced a title that is light hearted in the sense of an FPS…. Bravo!
Ovivo is quite simply a truly unique game offer story telling through game play with out the use of speech or text. The experience and flow of the mechanics behind the game tell the story, and the graphical artwork on offer is mesmerising. With a chill out stance in terms of gameplay, the whole package intertwines perfectly, and although it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, you should all take the time to look into this wonderfully created game, and appreciate its very existence.
The concept offered in this title is quite astonishing, the mechanics flow throughout, and there’s a gem of strategy title that anyone can enjoy, not just fans of the genre. Attack of the Earthlings will have you deep in thought as you plot your next killer move!