The Clawful Truth
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday May 17, 2003
Combat is the main feature of an action game that struggles to heighten the intensity of the adventure, reports Dan Toose.
X2: Wolverine's Revenge
Runs On: Xbox, PS2, GameCube, Windows
Price: $99.95
Classification: M15+
Rating: * * *
Even though its title implies a close association with the new X-Men 2 film, this game has almost nothing to do with the Marvel comic movie. Instead, it allows players to assume the role of the clawed Canadian super-hero, who's searching for a cure for the deadly virus that was responsible for creating his metallic skeleton back in the '60s. Wolverine's Revenge is a combat-based action game first and foremost, but it includes some basic elements of stealth to break the monotony of carving up wave after wave of hapless security guards. These elements are also for the sake of realism, since players are supposed to be sneaking into secret military installations.
Unfortunately, even though combat is the main feature of this game, the awkward controls and confusing camera angles prevent it from reaching its potential. There are a few highlights but they do little to heighten the intensity of the adventure. It often boils down to mashing the buttons repeatedly to take down enemies. The real treat for fans of the X-Men films will be the presence of Patrick Stewart, who lends his vocal talents to the character of Professor X. Comic book purists will be more excited about the prospect of battling with Wolverine's enemies, such as Magneto, Juggernaut, Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike. Endgame: A decent comic-book tale lies under a rather average action-adventure game.
Sega Bass Fishing Duel
Runs on: PlayStation 2
Price: $99.95
Classification: G
Rating: * * * 3 1/2
Fishing may seem an odd topic for a video game, but in today's world it makes a lot of sense. Encroaching pollution and over-fishing make the hobby environmentally sensitive. Bass Fishing Duel explores the world of competitive fishing as sport, offering comprehensive options for solo and competitive play.
The game is surprisingly deep. Each fishing session is divided into distinct stages. The player's motorboat must be positioned in a choice spot, the right lure selected and only then the battle between man and fish begins. After casting, the game view cuts to a close-up of the lure in action. If all goes according to plan, a hungry, dopey fish will mistake the shimmering plastic and steel for its lunch. Here the player must carefully reel in the line, moving the lure in a convincing fashion. When the fish takes the bait the tension breaks, and a mad dash to land the fish begins. Line strength and tension compete for the player's attention.
Competition can be in real time against a human or computer opponent, or one can relax and take it at a more leisurely pace.
Endgame: A comprehensive, though stylised look at the world of fly fishing. Addictive in nature, it's worth a look for any fishing fan. James Cottee
House of the Dead III
Runs on: Xbox
Price: $99.95
Classification: MA15+
Rating: * * * *
All modern-day gaming consoles eventually pick up a few light-gun games over time and Sega's House of the Dead III is the first of such games on the Xbox. Armed with an
auto-reloading shotgun, players can take out their frustrations on an army of zombies by blasting them away, all against a variety of creepy, B-grade horror movie locations.
Most light-gun games are too easily beaten, which brings the question of replay value to bear. Sega has dealt with the issue by including the previous game, House of the Dead 2 as an unlockable bonus game. It may look dated visually, but it's much harder than the main game, and will provide crack shots a further challenge.
House of the Dead also features branching pathways within the game, which creates limited replay value by creating several variant courses through the game.
What's most interesting, however, is that House of the Dead III is the first light-gun game that plays functionally and intuitively with just a standard game controller. Of course, while arguably more difficult to play with than a gamepad, using a light-gun is infinitely more satisfying. Anyone wanting such a peripheral should buy the Thrustmaster Beretta 92FS, the most accurate light-gun available for Xbox.
Endgame: It may look like a schlock horror B-movie, but it's a total blast on Xbox.
DT
Netgamer
Next Saturday's multi-player action is being held by SutherLAN (http://sutherlan.ausgamers.com) at Unit 7, Block 3, 22 Northumberland Avenue, Taren Point. For $20, attendees can frag away from 9am to midnight.
With the cinematic release of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King slated for the end of the year, Electronic Arts has served notice that its tie-in videogame is scheduled for simultaneous release on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PC. To avoid the confusion that attended last year's near simultaneous release of a videogame based on the books, Vivendi Universal Games says its next Lord of the Rings game, based on The Two Towers, will be titled The Treason of Isengard.
Infogrames is keen to introduce new gamers into its realm of first-person shooting and has released a 153MB demo of Unreal 2 (www.unreal2.com). It contains a substantial teaser of the excitement and adventure of being an intergalactic colonial marine and will need at least a PIII733 with 256MB of RAM and a 32MB video card to run competently.
© 2003 Sydney Morning Herald
Share This