Dark Void - Review

When Dark Void was announced by Capcom, expectation where high. What we had was a promise of an action packed third person shooter mixed in with some rockateer/crimson skies adventure, what we actually have here is none of the above.

You take on the role of Will (voiced by Nolan North), a pilot on a routine air cargo flight dropped into incredible circumstances as he crashes in the Bermuda Triangle leading him to be trapped in the Void. Let’s be honest here, the story is not very interesting and the gameplay fair not much better.

From the get go, the controls on foot feel floaty. What should feel more like Gears Of War ends up feeling a lot like Fallout 3. I’m not having a stab at Fallout 3 as Fallout was not a 3 Person action adventure game but that is the kind of motion you should expect coming into this.

There is cover mechanics built into this game that does not work very well, again I hate to bring up Gears Of War but don’t expect to feel like your actually behind cover as Dark Void does a bad job of getting into and coming out of cover.

There are some positives to the ground combat and that comes in the form of the vertical shootouts you encounter at several stages throughout the game. This is one of Dark Voids strong points however the game never really expands on this positive as these segments are limited in scope and only happen on a few occasions.

The flight combat is where the game shines and although there is no real sense of speed when you are in flight you can tell a lot of time has been placed on the flight controls and combat of the game. You really do feel like the rockateer once you pin down the controls which may take a few minutes to get a grip of.

The game also suffers from some pretty bad frame rate throughout the entire game at one stage during a shoot out the game froze totally for around 8 seconds before coming back to life.

Dark Void is a very short game that will take most gamers around 5 hours to complete. With a pretty ordinary story and unpolished gameplay, Dark Void ends up being a game that most people will end up “renting this tomorrow”

Gameplay =6.5
Visuals = 7
Sound = 7
Game Now Score = 6.8/10

Darksiders - Review

Darksiders is an action-adventure game developed by first timers Vigil Games.
You play as a character named "War", one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The Opening scene of the game shows the apocalypse of the world taking place prematurely and the four horsemen being blamed for starting the devastation.

It is up to you "WAR" to find out who is behind it all and bring them to justice. In typical game fashion, you are caught between angels and demons, have lost much of your power and need to prove yourself all over again. Darksiders is primarily an action-adventure game, with about equal time devoted to combat and puzzle-solving/platforming.

We need to give Vigil games some credit here, what they have created is a fun action packed game that never feels dull and is always introducing new and exciting things to master throughout War’s quest for justice.

The combat is very satisfying, there are many different combat options you can unlock and you are able to customize your fighting style and power up a specific weapon to meet your killing needs.

The game does a very good job of making the world feel bigger than it actually is with clever level design and some fantastic looking environments. Darksiders does not disappoint. The visuals are great with screen tearing the only downside to the 360 version. (soon to be patched)

Along your travels you will come across several dungeons that require some puzzle solving before you can advance to the inevitable boss battle ahead. These are a lot of fun and fit it perfectly with the overall feel of the game.

There is one specific boss battle at the start of the game (Tiamat) which is painfully frustrating when it really shouldn’t be, luckily things look up from there as the rest of the boss battles are fun and very satisfying.

Vigil have created a new IP that will hopefully see a sequel that will improve on the foundations built here. Darksiders is a fun action adventure game that is very easy to recommend.

Gameplay =8
Visuals = 8.5
Sound = 8
Game Now Score = 8.2/10

Bayonetta - Review

The word around town is that Bayonetta is the first big hit of 2010. Well you can imagine my dismay as put this bad girl into my console and really don't see any of the great things being said about it.

For a start the story is an absolute joke, the cut scenes are of Metal Gear proportions all be it dumbed down counterparts. Yes its tru that the combat feels good, that's if you can actually see what is happening on the screen with so much visual rubbish flying around.

In all honesty I do not see the appeal of this game at all and have given it several chances to change my mind, each time resulting in frustration and lack of any interest to play on.

No doubt this title will appeal to many gamers who are into the Devil May Cry gameplay, I just dont get it sorry.

As it stands Baonetta is the first big "stay well clear" for 2010.

Gameplay =7
Visuals = 7.5
Sound = 5
Game Now Score = 6.5/10