Xbox Game reviews

Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360)

I know there has been a main thread about it, but i would like to create a short review of my experience with this awesome game.

After read many reviews of the game vs PGR3 i was conned into buying PGR3 which in itself is an awesome game but you can not begin to compare the two games.

PGR3 is a racing game (a damn good one too) where Test Drive Unlimited(TDU) is a driving game.

The first thing about TDU that you take notice of is the scale of the world. It is HUGE. HUGER then any racing game I have played. It takes place on an Island which has many towns and lots of roads with varying environments. To drive from one end of the island to the other end is a long drive, with one of the races being 180km long.

If you have played NFS most wanted you get a great idea of the free roam/ free ride environment that TDU offers, although TDU being bigger and taking place during the day.

The amount of cars available in TDU is mind boggling and with great differences between each car. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of customization for each car, however there are certain car's which you can customise, but nothing like NFS Most wanted.

If you decide to partake online with Xbox Live it does not disrrupt your gameplay which i thought was cool. The game seamlessly merges with online play where in free drive mode you can race other online players however you still have the ability to play solo mode competitions and challenges, with the added bonus of online challenges.

I will admit the game crashed several times when i played online, but i am almost certain this has to do with iBurst and not the game as it does not appear to be a common problem.

You can also purchase motorbikes in the game which i think they have dealt with in a phenomenal manner in terms of control. When i first bought a motor nike the controls freaked me out, but since i have gotten used to them i must admit... one of the best depictions or moto bike sim i have encountered.

In free drive mode if you cause too much crap on the road the cops do come after you which can prove to be a little challenging when trying to get away depending on the vehicle you are driving.

I will admit my fingers are crippled because of this game and right now i want to play it, but i need to give my hands a rest. I even had to replace batteries in my xbox controller cuz of over use of this game.

In short, if you looking for a game that is not strictly racing where you do get an opportunity to take your ride for a er... ride this is the game. The 'career' seems to be a long one with lots of interesting challenges and lots of goals to reach.

anyway i am waffling.

Graphics: 9/10 (car models are absolutely awesome)
Sound: 7/10 ( i felt they could have made more effort here)
Controls: 8/10 (at first i struggled but eventually got the hand of it)
Game Play: 9/10 (my fingers are freaking sore)

In short the game is worth the cash and will keep you entertained for hours.
 
WeaponX said:
Unfortunately i am on dial-up and as such do not have Live, for a few more months at least. Iv also read a few reviews but they all not clear enough about it. I think il buy it anyway how bad can it be if it gets mid-70 ratings on average.
Click to expand...

Funny thing happened yesterday . . . ;) I was at Canal Walk - they have a whole 360 demo thing going and on one of the kiosks they had BLC, and in HD it doesn't actually look half as bad as on my SDTV. On my telly, there looks as if there's almost no shadow detail, but the HD Samsung looked great.
 
Hmmm...TDU is tempting, sounds good. How much does it generally go for in the shops?
 
Haven't been able to get any new games, been swamped with assignments n tests on campus, but il give some impressions on Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) 2 which I am currently trying to get through.

Firstly although this game has the familiar over-the-shoulder view and cover system that we all know and love, it cant really be compared to the likes of Gears of War in terms of gameplay. Aiming and shooting here is a lot more precise, it took me a while to really get used to it but it does seem to have some sort of aim assist where you can seem to narrowly miss a target and yet there they drop to the ground. Maybe this is only on the standard difficulty though, I haven’t finished it first time round to try the higher difficulty setting. Besides laying those rebels to rest you have to command your squad of Ghosts in most missions by placing them where you’d like and directing them to go to recon mode, where they will spot enemies without engaging, or assault mode where they will fire at enemies on sight. In some missions you are granted additional support in the form of infantry squads, tanks or air strikes. This system of having to order everyone around can seem cumbersome at times but it does become part of the routine and natural after a while. Your support also does have decent AI of their own, running for cover when under fire for example, although they will not move if they cannot get a shot at a target even while in assault mode. Overall the gameplay is slow and tactical, and realistic at most times (also you can die with 3 hits on the medium difficulty), while the firefights are quite action-packed once they get started especially some of the bigger ones. The game also tends to increase in intensity and pace the further you progress, starting off understandably slow as you get to grips with the control and order systems and picking up the pace as you move into the game, and your standard missions on foot are broken up by some cool Black Hawk turret missions.

The storyline isn’t gripping at best but enough to keep the game going I guess. Story updates are given via your personal display of sorts on your HUD with news reports mixed with orders given by your superiors. Nothing major to go into here, although I am only about 70% (bout 6 hours I estimate, hard to say) into the campaign, with a bunch of co-op missions which I will look at after the single player is done with. Im not on Live so the online multiplayer cannot be commented on.

In terms of graphics and sound, this is where the game makes up for anything it has done wrong. The graphics are very nice indeed on my 32” HDTV, the levels are pretty big without much loading although the colours tend to be a bit bland but I guess that fits with the theme and setting, I mean not much colour in the desert, but even the urban areas are bland. The explosions and smoke effects though are brilliant, it jus makes the Black Hawk missions and generally just blowing stuff up so much fun. I found myself emptying clips into cars in the urban areas to watch them go boom, and there are some nice effects when bullets fly past you and things explode that round it off nicely, it really is just a very nice looking game. Keep in mind that while looking this good the game runs absolutely perfectly smooth even when all those explosions are going off. The sound is pretty good too, I have an old 2.1 system that does a job I guess but the game makes the gunfire and explosions sound cool, also each gun sounds different which add to the experience, theres also some very dramatic music in the background when the action starts to give it that action movie feel.

Overall I would say a good game without making me rush home everyday to play it. You will probably love it if the tactical shooter is your genre of choice, which I don’t always enjoy, but this one was pretty good.

I give it um…8/10.
 
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.... old game I know, but I just wanted to take back my previous low low rating of this game.

I sat down this weekend to give it a second chance, and have been pretty hooked - haven't even played any GH2! It must be my new surround sound that makes the difference :p
 
I got Colin McRae: DiRT (Xbox 360) today, all I can say is wow, great game. Best rally game I've played so far.
 
Reviews

I have a lot of games, so I'll post brief reviews for a few of them (and some old Xbox (not 360) games too):

Gears of War - If there is only one game you buy for your Xbox, make it this. It may not be the longest game (about 6-7 hours to complete the single player the first time round) but this is a game you will play over and over again. The graphics are amazing, the production values (detail, sound, music) are all top notch, and the multiplayer is extremely intense. There really is nothing else like it.
One line: It's like a starring role in your own action movie. 10/10
 
Dead Rising

Dead Rising is basically a survive-the-zombie-apocalypse type game. The atmosphere is creepy, the graphics excellent (the sheer number of zombie onscreen is ridiculous - we're talking in the hundreds here) and the replayability is very high.

Unfortunately the game can get a bit repetitive once you have tried out everything in the mall, but that takes ages, and the storyline is optional, with multiple endings. You gain special abilities (like flying kicks, the ability to use fallen zombies as wrecking balls, more health) by taking photos of the carnage around you and by rescuing survivors. Luckily one can restart (while still retaining all your new stats and abilities) if things get too hectic.

Some complain about the rare save points, but I think it adds to the survival aspect of the game, making each venture into unexplored territory that much more terrifying.

One line: Pretty, gory fun. A must for zombie fans. 8/10
 
Forza Motorsport 2

If you are a racing fan there is no way you can pass up Forza 2. It is the most realistic racing game I've ever played on a console (Gran Turismo doesn't come close), with 300+ cars to race and modify.

The modification is the main focus of the game, and after you've swapped the engine out, reduced the weight and tweaked the springs (if you only feel like making a few of the many mods), you can paint and decal your car to your heart's content.

One line: All the big names are there (Ferrari, Ford, Honda, etc), the cars look amazing, the game runs at 60fps and the handling just feels right. 9/10
 
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

This game is epic. I've been playing it for about 100+ hours and there are still places I haven't seen, things I haven't done. You can travel anywhere across the 400 square mile plus landscape, exploring dungeons and dark forests, or you can become a thief or assassin in any of the several towns, each inhabited by dozens of unique, voice acted citizens (with their own houses to rob!). There are several guild storylines (each longer than most other whole games).

The world is beautiful and massive. The game requires a bit of attention at the start, but once you've decided who you want to be in this alternate world, the fun really starts. This is not a game for the impatient - there aren't bodies piling up second on second, rather the focus is on exploring, and basically living another life in this virtual fantasy world.

Oblivion is a game you can put down for a month, then come back and get hooked all over again. You will almost certainly never run out of things to do, and this is possibly the best value for money purchase on any system.

One line: If you ever wished you could be a mage, warrior, assassin, thief, gladiator, merchant or any combination of the above, get Oblivion. 9.5/10
 
Heh guys, i am very tempted to pick up a copy of Oblivion, but i've heard of some horrendous FPS issues when roaming the country side on horse back ? Is this true ?
 
I never roam the coutyrside on horseback - if yoy gon on foot it levels up your athletics skill. Never had FPS issues either.
 
Oblivion Issues

The only problem with roaming the countryside on horseback is that since you are moving quicker there is more loading, so every minute or so the game might slow for a second or two while it loads, if you are moving quickly.

This doesn't always happen - and I agree it is better to roam the wilds on foot. Horses are neat but only really useful for when you want to rush through a set of quests and hate exploring (I was hopping off my horse every 20 seconds to check something out most of the time).
 
Project Gotham Racing 3

This is still one of the best looking racing games of this generation, despite coming out at the launch of the first next gen console.

PGR3 is a racing game with a difference. It manages to pull off a nearly realistic driving experience while throwing in some drifting to stop it becoming a sim. The handling is beautiful, and throwing a car into a powerslide at 100kph and watching the Kudos racking up is a unique experience.

The cars are all incredibly detailed, although don't expect to find anything less than A class supercars here (the lowest ranked car in the game is one of the older Ferrari's!). The detail inside the cars is equally impressive, and if you race in car on a big screen you can almost believe you ARE in the car.
This game was also built for Live, so the multiplayer is great too.

I would normally say if you have any interest in racing at all, buy this game. Considering it is now on Xbox Classics at R250, I would say buy it period. You will be converted. 9/10
 
Doa

Ok these reviews are killing me so I'm gonna make them short.

Dead or Alive 4. If you like challenging fighting games then this is for you. It gets pretty hard (don't expect to finish all the time attacks any time soon) but rewards you for the training you put in. Great anime style graphics and good online (provided you don't have a laggy connection) pull it all together.

This game has a special place in my heart, as a mate of mine beat about 100 other people at a DOA tournament to win a 360 which he gave me for my birthday. 8/10 (not 9 because the AI owns me way too often, but thats just because I suck at fighting games)
 
Original Xbox: Halo and Halo2

Don't question, just buy (especially Halo2).

If you are of the opinion that this is just another first person shooter and hence you have seen it all before, then you are an idiot (and I avoid saying things like this on principle, but in this case it applies). Since this is an original Xbox game the graphics will be far from impressive, but the gameplay is still there in all its hectic, adrenaline fuelled gunfighting glory, with the best multiplayer of any game in history (Live only for Halo2).

Until Gears of War came out, Halo2 was consistently the most played game on Xbox Live (on the 360!!). If you can get your hands on a copy do. There is no choice. 10/10
 
Halo 3

the long wait ended for me last night

Halo 3 combines fantastic graphics with untouchable gameplay
it gives you that " i dont want to put down this controller feel"

have only played through first six chapters

but from the first one i was absolutely hooked

played it co-op with a buddy and i tell you it is very rewarding

new weapons are fantastic (ripping the turret guns off and walking around with them was insane) the flame thrower became an instant hit

new vehicles are fun to drive as well especially the mongoose

the stages are beautiful as can be expected from Halo

i give it a 9 / 10
 
Spiderman : Friend or Foe

So I picked this game up over the weekend and have been pleasantly suprised by its simple gameplay, 2 player coop option and cell-shaded graphics. Plays very similar to Marvel UA but it limits you to 2 players on the same screen going along a linear path through the storyline. You could call it a kiddies game but who said kiddies games are not fun? A 2nd player can join up at any time during the game and carry on aiding you in your missions. Character upgrades, web upgrades and power upgrades are available for all characters of the game as you move along collecting secret tokens, DNA upgrades or energy tokens dropped by enemies. Overall a pleasant bashing game if you are into the comic arena. :)

Graphics - I think they are cell-shaded ( ala TF2 ) but look pleasant and colourful. No coimplaints at all about this department and the game doesnt look bad at all. 8/10

Sound - No complaints here. Some humour is evident throughout the cutscenes and quirky remarks from spidey give some fun to the game. Sound effects are on par with the atmosphere as well as the usual Marvel tunes throughout the game.7/10

Gameplay - No difficulty levels to choose from, which honestly are not required seeing its quite easy. Finding the secret items & tokens isnt too hard seeing the level layout is quite linear. As you keep playing the game you can unlock more in-game characters whom you can then select to aid you in the game. You cannot change Spiderman as he is the main character in the plot. By the late stages of the game it could become tedious for some folks as its plain simple bashing fun.8/10

Overall - If you have time for some relaxing gaming time with your friend, wife, girlfriend or boyfriend then I would reccommend this game. Even single player aint that bad. If you have kids then be wary you wont get your X360 back anytime soon. 8/10
 
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