I’m forever glad that Microsoft decided to incorporate demos into Xbox Live. I’ve bought several titles on Live and a few retail games that I would have passed on otherwise thanks to a demo. The ones that stand out gave a huge chunk of gameplay allowing me to figure out if it was for me. So now I make a habit of checking out all the new demos hitting the Live Marketplace. Here are a few games from the past month or so.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Release Date: October 5, 2010
Price: $60
Just a few months ago I thought that Enslaved wasn’t for me. I wasn’t sure what it was. An article in OXM had nice summary, even then I wasn’t sure I’d check it out. Now that I’ve put my hands on the demo, I think this game isn’t being sold to its full potential. This game is awesome. It’s a third person action adventure game set in a war-torn future with lots of platforming and combat too. The demo opens with your character, Monkey, locked in a cell on an airship. He sees Trip, a young woman escaping. The chase ensues in what surely serves as the tutorial in the full game. All over the airship you jump, climb, and fight your way to the last escape pod. And its occupied by trip. Quite amazing flying through the skies and smashing into buildings paring down the airship. Wow. One thing I noticed right away: the visuals are absolutely stunning. Especially the facial expressions, a place that other games fail miserably at doing. Knowing little of its backstory, I see something interesting in Enslaved. Despite its lone single player offering I’m ready for more!
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter
Release Date: September 22, 2010
Price: $15
I’ve played and disliked Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, so I’m already biased for this XBLA rerelease. It probably plays like it did back in 2002. Feels more like 1992 to me. I wouldn’t interpret this as a negative, but it plays terribly like a PC game ported to consoles. They updated the visuals and ignored the gameplay. It feels like a missed opportunity to add autosave and better controls among other things. People who would enjoy this game most are people who have no idea who Duke Nukem is. I think Serious Sam feels like the generic version even though his games are newer and should have been an improvement. Judging from the demo players can expect largely empty worlds with few enemies. Expect the save system to bite you at least twice per level unless you are used to quicksaving all the time. The weapons are fun for the first few minutes. Past that it’s just shoot, kill, repeat until nothing is moving. Not a lot of fun, but if you’re a fan this might be your ticket.
NBA 2K11
Release Date: October 5, 2010
Price: $60
Pro basketball can usually take a hike, but this version promises something different: a departure from the ordinary. NBA2K11 highlights a famous player from the past: Michael Jordan. Already, this game is speaking to me. I’m a kid from the 90’s and I do know three-peat. So the fact they’ve added more experiences to the hardwood is exciting. Sadly, none of the carries over to the demo. From what I can tell, it could be any basketball game. You play as the Lakers against the Celtics in a 2 minute quarter. No frills. I got stomped in all three of the games I played, scoring only five times. The game handles like it should. I thought it was odd that the right stick shoots more than free throws. Other than that, players have realistic weight and interactions seem natural when passing. Difficulty could be an issue. Or maybe I’m used to a more arcade approach to basketball. Either way, I would rather have got just a taste of the Jordan stuff. Still, the presentation and graphics are sharp. I’d guess there is more to this than what the demo leads us to believe. As a marketing tool, I’d call this a fail.
EA Sports MMA
Release Date: October 19, 2010
Price: $60
Normally I’d pass this game right on by. I got burned by a UFC game on the Dreamcast and haven’t cared about this type of game since. It was clunky and boring. Guess nothing can ever top the WWF and WCW games I played on N64. Anyhow, EA Sports MMA is trying to capture their share of the cage fighting audience. I skipped their tutorial and jumped into a heavyweight bout. Visually the game looks good. Characters build up sweat and bleed like the real thing. Gameplay is slow and strategic. I prefer to stay on my feet delivering a combination of punches and kicks. I tried figuring out the ground controls, but the best thing I could do was get back to my feet. Pointless when all my opponent wanted to was take me down to the mat. The meters seemed pointless. I dropped his head and stamina meters to nothing without any results. I’m sure with a little training a player could get a better grasp of the controls. Looking over some of the other features revealed a lot of stuff that will extend a players experience. It has a tough road ahead to take down the existing UFC franchise. This could be their only chance for success.
Blade Kitten
Release Date: September 22, 2010
Price: $15
Just from the title and the opening animation, I’d almost say this game is girly for me. Surprisingly, Blade Kitten is a solid 2.5D sidescrolling platformer. You star as Kit Ballard a half human half kitten bounty hunter. The game is episodic and tied to a webcomic of the same name. The demo is setup by a cutscene which looks wonderfully done. The game itself is colorful and looks good too. The music is light and dull.
The opening level gives you a good idea of the challenges ahead. If the series is to be continued, the controls should be addressed. Most of the time is spent running and slicing through enemies with your floating sword named Blade. The problem comes with some types of jumping. Specifically, wall jumping is tougher than it should be. Half the time you can just climb and not jump, other times the surface won’t allow you. I feel like neither works right. Control with the analog stick just feels mushy. Like the game is about 2 seconds behind my inputs. I’m making it sound like a gamebreaker and maybe its just something a player will have to get used to. Maybe I’m just spoiled for games like Shadow Complex. Blade Kitten feels like trying to reinvent the wheel and it is trying to do a lot. Think of games like Super Mario Bros. and Splosion Man. Simplicity is what makes them great. I see a lot of potential in Blade Kitten. Maybe with a bit more polish or a patch this series could be beyond awesome.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Release Date: October 7, 2010
Price: $15
If you’ve played any traditional Sonic game over the years, the first installment of Sonic 4 will feel extremely familiar. I found the demo level to be a cross between the opening levels in Sonic 1 and Sonic 2. The only difference is now I’m watching in high definition and the visuals look amazing! I hate throwing out the word “perfect” this early, but I’ll do it anyway. Sadly, I think that is about where the magic stops. I’m not thrilled with the controls. Sonic handles like Marcus Fenix from Gears more than his normal self. The running animation feels like it should kick in faster. Instead, I’m left to sort of jog for a few seconds before a full stride is achieved. Jumping isn’t great either. I felt slow to navigate areas of the levels that required a lot of jumping without the aid of launch pads. I do enjoy the “lock-on” dash that Sonic has. I can see this being helpful to get past enemies. Overall, I think it plays more like Sonic 1 than any of the others. I think it gets back to the roots of series. The game is also harder than I expected (much like Sonic 1). I didn’t die, though I did take quite a few hits losing nearly all my coins. Despite all my little gripes, I can see this being a pretty good Sonic game. Still unsure of whether releasing it in chunks on XBLA is a good idea or not. Maybe after all the episodes are out, they’ll bundle it on a disc for offline players.
Comic Jumper
Release Date: October 6, 2010
Price: $15
Being a huge fan of Twisted Pixel, I’ve been looking forward to the adventures of Captain Smiley for some time. Luckily, the game does not disappoint. The comic book theme is well executed and the humor is there. Comic Jumper reminds me more of Splosion Man than The Maw when it comes to this. The story is also pretty silly, but who cares. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The basis is you jump from comic to comic because you’re broke and need the money! The game also likes to poke fun at other games, Twisted Pixel games, and itself. I won’t ruin it, but there are some live action scenes that are quite hilarious. The dynamic between Star and Captain Smiley is pretty funny too. Characters are cliche on purpose and they’re well done. The music and sound are outstanding. The gameplay varies between mostly sides-scrolling to some over the shoulder rail shooting stuff and running Quicktime events. The demo is quite lengthy and gives players a good idea. I’d call it generous. As other reviewers have pointed out, the enemies feel a little strong. I feel like they should be dying in one shot. Controls are pretty standard for a platformer like this. Simple is the best way to go! My only other complaint is the repetitive audio coming from Gerda explaining how much health you’re losing. That cam slide just because there is so much more here than any other Twisted Pixel game. Not sure on the length, but I’d imagine players could sink some time into it. I hope to continue to be an avid fan of Twisted Pixel in the future! Hopefully I’ll break down and buy this soon!
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Release Date: October 26, 2010
Price: $60
It has been less than a year since the trailer for the game premiered at the Spike VGA Awards. Now the time has come to let the Force off the chain again. Just from the start of the demo I could see improvements. First, in the graphics department: things look a lot smoother than the first game. Second, as I moved Starkiller (yes, he returns) around I noticed the controls feel much better. Camera control helps keep you focused on the action and will default to behind the character if untouched. Force Powers are as strong as ever, easy to use, and quickly regenerate. The opening level is a simulation room followed by a cool falling section where you must dodge obstacles and destroy others to reach the next point. Finally, the game really lets you open up and do whatever you want. There are lots of enemies to toss, electrocute, and more. They also show you a new power Jedi mind trick. A Stormtrooper I used it on jumped out of the window. Awesome and pretty hilarious. Will probably come in handy in sections where there is only one enemy to take out. Seems like there is the potential for more unique enemy types than before, and this is only the opening level. Didn’t try out the improved targeting, got by just fine without it. May be more of a necessity as the game progresses. Quicktime events return when fighting some of the larger enemies, but not all. Near the end of the demo there are 2 AT-ST’s to fight. The game encouraged me to ramp up my Force Power to a Force Fury. It was like my powers were on steroids. Very cool. And it speaks to my inner nerd who is a Star Wars fanboy!
Last Word
If you’re sitting the fence on any of these always games grab the demos. It’s free (if you’re a Gold subscriber) and a no-brainer. From this batch my picks are Enslaved, Comic Jumper, and Force Unleashed II. The fall gaming season is upon us! Spend wisely!
Tags: Blade Kitten, Comic Jumper, Duke Nukem, EA Sports MMA, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Gears of War, NBA 2K11, Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, Serious Sam: The Second Encounter HD, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Twisted Pixel, UFC, WCW, WWF, XBLA
A Life of Gaming 