Just when the Driver franchise was on the rebound with the amazing San Francisco entry for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, we get a game that almost sinks it back down again, back into the stinky depth where Driver 3 still lulls after all these years. I’m talking about Driver: Renegade, the driving series’ foray into 3D territory. With the right kind of development, this game could’ve been right there on the same quality level as San Francisco, with multi-tiered events, a wide-open city to race around in, and unique gameplay to keep it from becoming a dull ride. Sadly, none of this happens, and as a result, we’re left with something that’s the equivalent of a flat tire.
John Tanner once again returns to active driving duty, bringing his skills to a city that needs it, as the mayor of New York has called upon him to help clean up the streets by taking down local thugs and keeping things from getting too out of hand. But along the way, something happens. Your driving becomes so haphazard that you yourself become the threat, though you’d never really be able to tell because things get dull and repetitive in a hurry.
The game contains a series of missions to complete, but there’s only about 20 in all, and you’ll wipe them out within about two to three hours time. There are additional races to take part in, including time trial events and elimination races, but by then you’ll have probably lost interest, due to the fact that you’re never doing the same kind of mind-blowing events that you could be doing in San Francisco. It’s as if you’ve chosen to ride around in a crappy Prius rather than living the good life in a sports car.
Driver: Renegade’s controls actually aren’t bad. Your vehicles handle with the kind of aplomb of a good street-driving machine. However, their stability is heavily questioned. If you hit any sort of object in the game, be it street signs, other cars, buildings – hell, at this rate, even thin air – you begin building damage on a bar. Do too much and your car explodes, forcing you to try again. Or not, depending on your tolerance level.
Even worse, the game’s AI isn’t well balanced. In fact, it’s way too easy to put enemy vehicles in their place, due to the fact they can’t drive worth a damn. In fact, during some pursuits, it was simply too easy to box them in and finish them off with a few bumps, rather than endure the thrill of the chase. Boring. And you can’t even take on others in multiplayer. The only connectivity you have with your friends is through leaderboards. And despite three trips around the city, no one registered. Not one fellow driver.
The visuals look okay, though New York seems to be barren of any given street life. There are literally no pedestrians in this game, and every once in a while, you do see a fellow driver on the street, but their behavior is so plain that it’s hard not to think that a robot is behind the wheel. Worse yet, the 3D effect in this game doesn’t really do anything for it. You’re better off just driving in 2D and saving yourself the eyestrain of looking at crap in the third dimension.
Thankfully the music is at least easy to listen to. Though it’s lacking the kind of diversity you’d find in San Francisco, it’s suitable for a 3DS game. It’s just a shame we can’t say the same for the voicework. Tanner comes off like a complete pompous jerk rather than a man of the law, constantly yelling at folks with the same taunts over and over again. It gets to the point you want to ram him off the road just to silence him. The sound effects are average, nothing exceptional but not bad either. But really, shut Tanner up.
Driver: Renegade is a game that had the potential to sit alongside San Francisco as a mean machine, but instead winds up being a lemon due to its shoddy production values, bad collision detection and lack of replay value. Leave this sucker sitting in the lot.
From gamezone.com
While the Nintendo 3DS’ success remains in question, Nintendo continues to pull out all stops to show consumers that the 3DS has what it takes to get back to the top in the handheld market. First, there was the extreme price drop just months into the 3DS’ lifespan coming with the Ambassador program to keep original 3DS owners still on board with their recently purchased handheld. Now, the 3DS still remains on the fence for many, but the upcoming software line up may sway the masses. And what better way to jump start that success than releasing an old Nintendo 64 classic, Star Fox 64, remastered for the 3D handheld.
Star Fox 64 3D, is a port from the last Nintendo cartridge based console. Back then, it was an instant hit pushing the first 3D graphics to the extreme. Considered one of the greatest rail shooters of the time and now makes its way to a new audience with the 3DS.
For players familiar with Star Fox 64, not much has changed. The same story mode is available to play along with a few more options. Along with story mode, there are two more modes to play, battle and score attack. In battle mode, you can choose to play by yourself with three other computer air pilot extraordinaires or you can play via download play with three other local players.
Continuing on with battle mode, there are three types of “battles” to choose from, Survival, Point and Time battle. Survival is essentially a last man standing mode, where your goal is to be the only guy still flying while taking your opponents out first. The next mode is Point Battle Mode, which sets a goal of a certain amount of points to receive with players getting those points by shooting down their opponents. And the last battle type is Time Battle, which is extremely similar to point battle except the player with the most points as the time runs out wins the game.
As for story mode, it hasn’t changed and that’s definitely a good thing. It contains the same classic gameplay and story back from its N64 glory. If you’re unfamiliar with it however, you take control of star ace Fox McCloud as you and your crew of Peppy, Slippy and Falco take the air as fighter pilots ready to shoot down supporters of the evil Andross who has taken over the galaxy.
Star Fox 64 was way ahead of its time back in the day and it shows as the gameplay still holds up perfectly today, fourteen years after its original release. Players won’t be disappointed by the sheer fun and exciting action that Fox and friends bring to the table in this game.
Although Star Fox 64 hasn’t aged a bit (it in fact looks even better now) Nintendo decided to reinvigorate the game by adding a new control scheme to the mix. Players can now choose between the standard controls, or to use the 3DS’ built in gyroscope for tilt controls. Although gyro controls are a cool feature to use, you’ll find almost immediately that it feels a lot more natural to play with the original controls as using the gyro hurts the 3D experience. If you’re inclined to use the gyro controls however, it’s recommended to turn the 3D effect off completely as the often fast moving motions that will occur while steering will throw the 3D visuals off almost immediately after you start playing around with it.
Though we’re glad to see the return of the classic four-player multiplayer modes, Nintendo really dropped the ball with the omission of any true online multiplayer. This makes even less sense when you factor in that you’re able to stream your reactions real time using the built-in camera. I can easily see my friends if I’m sitting right next to them, whereas it would be much cooler to see their reactions online when playing someone 5000 miles away. When will Nintendo realize that having online functionality is important to us gamers, especially gamers that wanted to rekindle their fond memories of saving the galaxy from Andross.
Also an upgrade from four players to eight players would have been welcome. This is the next generation of handhelds, and there should be an option to play with many other people. An eight player match would make sense if players had the choice to play as both the Star Fox team and the Star Wolf team.
Star Fox 64 3D is a nostalgia kick to the face that leaves you wanting more. Players can get excited to see Fox McCloud back in action in his true glory and not a part of a lame adventure game for Gamecube or as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. With the upgraded visuals and enhanced controls, you’ll gladly jump into the cockpit once again and take flight with your crew (even you Slippy…) and relive those cherished memories blowing into that old Star Fox 64 cartridge back in the day. And as for you newcomers, what better way to get acquainted with the coolest fox in space, than with the best game of the series.
From gamezone.com
Anyone remember the old days of Gauntlet? You may call it monotonous these days, but back when going to arcades was the ideal way to socialize with others, there was nothing like it. Four folks getting together and running through dungeon after dungeon, picking up rewards and killing hundreds of enemies while working together. While Gauntlet’s not getting too much play time these days (Pssst! WB Games, a re-release of the arcade game is in order for XBLA and PSN), there’s a solid substitute with Certain Affinity’s take on the hack-n-slash role-playing genre, Crimson Alliance. There’s definitely some Gauntlet-esque spirit here.
The story isn’t too big on details, but it basically has your band of destined characters fighting against an evil sorceress who’s looking for rebirth. Her re-entry into the world would cause it to fall back into chaos, so a wizard, a mercenary and an assassin form an unlikely alliance (one with Crimson, we guess) in order to stop the plan from coming into fruition. As you go deeper into the caverns, more complex enemies arise, including big ones with self-generating shields and mighty warriors who throw spears and other weapons at you.
Crimson Alliance has a peculiar purchase cycle. You can either purchase the game with just one class for $9.99, or buy the whole thing, with the three separate classes, for five bucks more. We recommend going the second route, because being able to level up and perfect each of these characters (you can create multiple ones at once and play any level you’ve completed over again with them) will definitely keep you busy.
Over the course of your journey, you’ll earn points for enemies you kill and loot you collect, and once you finish each stage, a total will add up, rewarding you extra loot for completing them speedily or spilling a whole lot of demon blood. You can turn this around in stores by buying new items or earning special abilities to power up your character. You’ll actually see them get stronger as you fight the good fight, unleashing the kind of abilities that you thought only Gandalf was capable of. You can also change the cosmetic appearance on your character, should you feel like going for something of a different color. Purple, perhaps.
Each of the characters bring something to the table, which is why we recommend the full purchase. The wizard can let loose with some bad-ass spells; the assassin is good both at close range and at a distance; and the mercenary is excellent when it comes to slamming enemies in front of you. What’s more, each one unlocks certain rooms on a map that can only be accessed by them, including extra items and loot that otherwise can’t be touched.
The item switch-out system that Certain Affinity has put together here is marvelous. You can switch between weapons and other abilities on the fly, without the need to pause the game, so your friends can keep playing while you power up accordingly. It’s also quite user friendly, thanks to the menus that switch with simple bumper button presses and the easy to access inventory system.
For a downloadable title, Crimson Alliance has a sharp appearance. These dungeons look great as you run through them, with intricate lighting details, beautiful animation and other little things that fit right in to this fantasy world. It also uses a cool isometric perspective, similar to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and it works in the game’s favor. The music is a little softer than we would’ve preferred, and the voicework mostly on the average side, but it’s certainly not on the level of, say, the Dungeons and Dragons films. Or the XBLA game, for that matter. (Yuck.)
The game rewards those who go at each journey alone, but Crimson Alliance definitely cheers on cooperative play. You can join others either locally or through Xbox Live, and the more members you have in your party, the more rewards you can unlock. It’s great tagging along with others on a goblin-killing spree, though you might want to be careful for those that wander off on you to find secrets. Maybe it’s best if you’re all on the same page before you begin your journey.
Until Gauntlet re-emerges and retakes the action/RPG crown, Crimson Alliance definitely fits the bill. Certain Affinity has done wondrous work here making the formula their own, with characters that hold their ground, solid gameplay that anyone can pick up, and excellent co-op options that make it a pleasure to go on a looting spree with your friends. Sure, getting all three classes is a little more expensive, but the worth is definitely there. You’ll thank us when you’ve got three uber-powered characters in your collection. You really will.
From gamezone.com
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