Beyond Co-Op Reviews look at the games that don't necessarily have co-op in them.
As the gaming season winds down, we are still kneed deep in our reviews. This month we have several triple A single player titles to look at including two from the James Bond franchise, a new Assasin's Creed and many others.
James Bond: Blood Stone............................................................................. Page 2
Golden Eye.........................................................................................................Page 3
Costume Quest................................................................................................Page 4
Assasin's Creed: Brother Hood....................................................................Page 5
CSI: Fatal Conspiracy......................................................................................Page 6
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow......................................................................Page 7
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Explanation of Scores:
- Golden Billy - This is a must buy title. Truly excellent in almost everyway.
- Silver Billy - A solid title with a few flaws.
- Bronze Billy - This one is probably a rental if it interests you.
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Bizarre Creations
MSRP: $59.99
by: Jim "txshurricane" McLaughlin
“It feels like I’m playing an early build.” That’s the simplified version of what I told Nick when he asked for my opinion of 007: Blood Stone. It’s not especially awesome, nor especially horrible - it’s just...rushed.
There are a fair number of single player levels, each with their own flavor. Oddly enough, the MI6 agent with the most expensive taste in the world almost never deems it necessary to change up his attire. The campaign story is pretty original, and holds together alright. Events of importance are heavily scripted, so don’t expect any real AI variety. Luckily the prospect of easy melee takedowns takes the sting out of the poor AI. Just like in Splinter Cell: Conviction, melee attacks and stealth kills earn you Focus Aim instakills; the only real difference here is that whereas in Conviction you mark off your targets and let Sam do the shooting, in Blood Stone you hold a bumper button and let Bond do the aiming while you work the trigger.
Melee consists of stealth takedowns and straight-up slugging it out. The animations are slick, and the camera works perfectly to give you a sense of brutality. Blood Stone sports an impressive array of guns for use in shootouts, which aside from appealing to gun collectors’ intrigue also serves the shooting genre well. Bizarre Creations really ironed out the combat before shipping.
Which is more than can be said for the game’s visual effects. Facial animations are akin to something you’d see on a Nintendo Gamecube title. A heavy dose of light bloom helps keep the graphics from being downright ugly, but there were times when I shook my head and reminded myself that 007: Everything or Nothing really was the last great-looking Bond game (and, incidentally, had a co-op mode).
Since the shooting mechanics and melee system work really well - in my opinion - it stands to reason that the versus multiplayer does as well. Up to 16 players can take their rage out on each other, and for all its simplicity it plays just fine. In fact, I rather like it.
Production value is a grab bag: voice acting is spot-on, and the musical score fits perfectly. The opening titles, however, feature an ear-splitting song by Joss Stone and animations ripped straight from the opening sequence of the Casino Royale film.
As with any game based on a film license, there will be those that enjoy it just for what it is: a game that lets you play as James Bond, right down to the silenced Walther PPK. Anyone who isn’t easily dazzled by Daniel Craig’s likeness or the sight of an Aston Martin plowing through Istanbul is probably going to end up skipping this one. For my money, though, 007: Blood Stone is a very fun romp that just plain needed more polish.
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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Eurocom
MSRP: $49.99
by: Katrina "Shadokat Regn" Pawlowski
To many gamers, Goldeneye was a staple of Nintendo64 gaming in their youth. In recent years there has been a general outcry to bring back this classic in some form for gamers to re-experience. Nintendo came around with a re-envisioned version of the Goldeneye game for a new generation. A lot has changed, including the Bond character (transforming from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig due to some legal issues), the level design, the writing, and the music.
As a gamer who enjoyed many hours of the Goldeneye ‘64, the changes were obvious - but not all of them are bad. Instead of the single stick shooting style of the Nintendo “claw” controller, you have a variety of tools at your disposal including the Gamecube controller, Wii-Zapper, or wii remote. All of these forms give you a much more controlled approach to the first person shooter style. In addition, you’re given a lot of stealth options (like sneaking through vents, or close quarter combat stealth kills on enemies) that were not available in the days of yore.
Changing the level design makes sense to create a lot more opportunities to sneak and utilize the environment during shoot-outs. Hiding behind barrels or walls, crouching to stay out of sight but still being able to aim over obstacles is a huge improvement in gameplay.
One of the things that did bother me was the reordering of events; such as discovering the Tiger helicopter in the first level, or knowing that General Ourumov is an uber-badguy from the first briefing took a lot of the suspense and discovery out of the story. Even from a first timer point of view I can imagine this was an odd progression through a double agents story.
Gameplay online I’ve heard works very well, but if your Wii is allergic to the Wi-fi connection for seemingly no reason, you can’t really discover that for yourself. I blame the Wii, not the game.
Overall I’d say the changes in gameplay were for the best, but the removal of the quirky Goldeneye music and addition of “realistic” environments kill a bit of the charm that was Goldeneye64. Gamers as a whole should enjoy this title quite a bit, but nostalgics: don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll be transported back to the “good ole’ days” by this - it’s great, but it’s different.
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Publisher: THQ
Developer: Double Fine
MSRP: $9.99
by: Marc "Djinniman" Allie
Costume Quest, as you could probably surmise from the title, is a role playing game that takes place on the evening of Halloween. A pair of siblings goes out to trick or treat, and one, dressed as a candy corn, is taken away by a monstrous villain with a sweet tooth. The other sibling must recruit a rescue force to retrieve the taken child, and be home before bedtime.
For the most part, Costume Quest plays like a light RPG, with turn based combat. Unlike most modern games of the genre, the characters in Costume Quest have very limited options, consisting of a basic attack, a time-based special, and perhaps an occasional minor purchasable ability. Progression elements are similarly simple. Some might feel that the RPG conventions in the game are watered down, but that is unfair. More accurately, they could be described as streamlined; in this age of stat-obsessed games of all genres, I found this elegant simplicity refreshing.
The visual style of the game is one of the highlights. The art and character design truly makes you feel that twinge of excitement and fun, with just a hint of menace, that can only be found on Halloween. When combat begins, characters transform into idealized versions of their costumes, and use all manner of impressive (though repetitive) animations to defeat foes. This contrast between the simple, almost hokey costumes and the gorgeously rendered characters in battle scenes brings to mind the tremendous imagination inside the mind of a kid when they are dressed up for Halloween.
There’s very little not to like about Costume Quest, but if I were to pick one thing, it would be the sameness of the encounters. From start to finish, you’ll be fighting quite a bit, but nearly all combats will play out the same way. There isn’t much variety in foes, and most costumes work very well together without much need for special tactics. Another minor issue is that it takes a bit too long to recruit enough friends to help recover the missing kid.
The writing is quite enjoyable, and there is a good dose of humor throughout the game. The protagonists are likable and the bad guys are bald-faced caricatures of far scarier monsters. Costume Quest is the perfect title to enjoy with a young gamer. They will love the characters, scour the neighborhood for costume pieces, and try on new ones for all manner of situations. The total game time is around five to six hours, which is also just right for kids to enjoy. I had a great time watching my nine-year old son play, giving tips here and there. It’s a rare game that is appropriate for a youngster, yet still compelling for an adult, as well. I heartily recommend Costume Quest, and look forward to more adventures in the winter-based DLC coming next month.
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Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
MSRP: $59.99
by: Mike "Pheriannath" Katsufrakis
After the mind-bending ending of Assassin’s Creed 2, I was left wanting more. More answers to the modern-day story, and especially more time with its charismatic protagonist, Ezio Auditore di Firenze. Luckily, Ubisoft granted my wish and gave me Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, which not only lives up to its predecessor, it surpasses it in many ways.
The storyline picks up immediately after the ending of the previous game, with Ezio scratching his head over what the hell just happened, and in the modern storyline, Desmond and company on the run from the Abstergo Corporation. After the introductory scenes, Ezio loses the Apple to the evil Borgia family and must spend the remainder of the story rebuilding the Brotherhood of Assassins & reclaiming what was taken.
Speaking of the Brotherhood, they are the most welcome addition to the series since the shift in characters. Ezio can recruit citizens from Rome and train them in the arts of assassination. While in the world, with a quick tap of L1/LB, Ezio while whistle for his allies, and they’ll appear to take out whatever you have targeted. Recruit enough citizens to your cause and you’ll be able to trigger an attack that takes out all hostile targets in sight. My personal favorite moment came when a guard patrol was suspecting me of mischief, so they came closer to inspect me. A simple wave of my hand caused a pair of recruits to dive from the nearest rooftop, killing the patrol at my feet.
Your recruits level up as you use them, and you can also choose to send them off on missions throughout Europe. Successful missions net them experience and you some extra cash or crafting materials.
This marks the third time that combat has been changed up in the series, and I think they’ve really got it in a good spot now. It’s still based on countering an enemy attack and stabbing them in the neck in return, but now you can go on an execution spree. After every kill, you can string fatal attacks to any nearby enemies, and even string more counterattacks in. It’s very remniscient of the combat in Batman: Arkham Asylum, and feels just as satisfying.
About the only criticism I can level at Brotherhood is that 90% of the storyline takes place in a single city. The previous two games were fairly good at changing up the locale often enough, but in Brotherhood you’ll rarely leave the city of Rome. The missions you send your recruits on span the breadth of Europe, which sort of draws attention to the fact you’re stuck in one place.
The multiplayer is a great deal of fun. Everyone picks a character to play as, and a section of city will be filled with crowds of people as well as several doppelgangers of you and the other players. You’ll be assigned a player to stalk and kill, and it’s your job to pick them out from the crowd of lookalikes all while not drawing attention, lest you reveal yourself to the player(s) hunting you.
It’s unbelievable to me that this game was put together in a year. It’s absolutely recommended, especially to those who enjoyed Assassin’s Creed 2.
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Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Telltale Games
MSRP: $29.99
by: Sam "Samoza" Tyler
Too many aging celebrities are undertaking copious amounts of plastic surgery. The majority look no better for the procedures, but instead resemble people who have been part of an unfortunate accident that has removed all traces of character and life from their face. Imagine a game that contained only these faceless ghouls. Well imagine no more, as you can experience it all for real with the latest experiment from the CSI game lab, CSI: Fatal Conspiracy.
As an adventure game fan there are precious few chances for me to indulge in the genre on consoles. Therefore, a game like CSI: Fatal Conspiracy will always intrigue me. Having played all previous CSI games released on the 360, I have become accustomed to the quality Telltale Games provides. As such, my levels of excitement for the newest game in the series were at an all time low. What separates the latest game in the series from the others is the new feature of stringing all 5 cases together under one über case – can you bring down the leader of a dangerous drug cartel?
Apart from an arc based storyline, Fatal Conspiracy feels almost identical to the last game in the series as it reuses (too) many of the same tools, work locations and character models. You play a new CSI agent (they still don’t recognise me although I have popped up 4 years in a row) who must investigate and solve 5 seemingly separate cases. You are given a crime scene and a set of tools including exciting devices such as the mighty tweezers and the all powerful infrared torch. With evidence in hand you must also use the various laboratory tools, such as the mesmerising fingerprint machine and the awe inspiring microscope, to gather further proof to prosecute the suspect.
Many elements of the previous paragraph were swarming with good old fashioned British sarcasm as CSI: Fatal Conspiracy is pretty naff. Graphically, the game is at least 5 years out of date, the voice acting is mostly done by CSI (wannabe) impressionists, and the controls feel clunky on a controller (perhaps the next game could use Kinect?) For those gamers with a short attention span and little time for mediocrity, they should give this game a miss.
However… there is something in this game for fans of old school adventure games like Monkey Islands. To be fair CSI lacks the great sense of humor in these games, but the actual cases themselves prove to be a fun set of puzzles. For somebody who enjoys methodically looking for evidence and using it to prove a case the game proves a decent challenge. A good comparison to how the story pans out is Phoenix Wright, but with less spiky hair and fewer Objections! I’ll be the first to admit that the game is pretty awful in most areas, but I still enjoyed playing it and bringing the murderers to book. The voice acting of the suspects is better than in previous games and the puzzles themselves do become increasingly challenging as the game goes on. Any level of gamer should be able to muddle their way through the game, but to get the highest scores you have to be professional and cover every angle.
For all its many faults, the basic job that CSI: Fatal Conspiracy sets out to do is entertain and it did just this. It may be creaky and scary to look at, but there is enough fun to be had to give it a Bronze Billy.
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Publisher: Konami
Developer: Mercury Steam
MSRP: $29.99
by: Sam "Samoza" Tyler
Talk to any gamer of a certain age about Castlevania and they will tell tales of yesteryear, about a game of Belmonts and Vamyprs. However, since the series heyday of the 90s and early 00s, Castlevania has fallen from the gaming public’s conscience. Konami have decided to hand over the reigns to a European developer called MercurySteam to see if they could breath new life into the callow husk.
Officially, Castlevania: Lord of the Shadows (LotS) is not part of the same cannon as other games in the series. Therefore, MercurySteam have been given certain freedoms to do as they wish without sullying the traditionalists. I won’t pretend to be steeped in the lore of the Vania games, but to the layman, the ideas seem pretty similar – our hero, Gabriel Belmont, must go on a quest to kill a group of supernatural enemies including Werewolves and Vampires (not the sparkly kind… that said, there is some satisfaction to be gained from dicing them up…). However, this time the game is a 3rd person action platformer that borrows from the likes of God of War 3 and Uncharted.
On the surface, Castlevania: LotS is your typical hack ‘n’ slash game that rides on the heel of God of War and fails to live up to the same standards. The basics of the game are very similar to Kratos’ adventures, with the ability to use soft or hard attacks; the sub bosses, the epic enemies, and the copious amount of on-screen button prompts. Whilst many 3rd person action games have cribbed these elements, Castlevania: LotS has also managed to ape the fast action, stellar set pieces and vibrant carnage that mark the best in the genre. As a third person action game it certainly deserves to be mentioned amongst the better entries.
The 360 version of the game comes on two discs due to its various cut scenes and impressive game length (close to 20 hours on first play through). I’m not a fan of intrusive cut scenes that stop the flow of a game, but the extra disc space has allowed MercurySteam to produce moments that flow from gameplay to cut scene almost effortlessly. The level design is also interesting; part Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, part old school Castlevania. The lush jungles, open vistas and creepy gothic architecture looked fantastic, but I’m unsure that I wanted to search every nook and cranny for a hidden key, 1992 style.
Another dicey element to the game is the amount of cod Lord of the Rings dialogue on offer. It is made bearable by quality voice actors including Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later, Trainspotting) and Patrick Stewart (Excalibur, Dune, some Space TV show). Whilst Carlyle remains solid throughout, I did think that Stewart was given reams and reams of poorly written dialogue that he was obviously bored of reading. Each level has him narrating from what must be the world’s worst written diary – poor to the point of amusement.
Castlevania: Lord of the Shadows has all of the ingredients to be a great game and in many ways it is. The graphics, length and action are all of a very high standard. Unfortunately, it misses one vital ingredient – originality. The game plays almost like a ‘best of’ the genre with segments of Shadow of the Colossus mixing with God of War, Prince of Persia and Uncharted. It is in its own right a very good action platformer that fans of the genre will enjoy immensely. It should also cater for followers of the franchise itself as, although not officially part of the Belmont legacy, it has many familiar elements. Issues with ropey dialogue and old fashioned level design are not enough to make it a poor game, but enough to make it slightly below the much coveted status of Golden Billy!
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