Fresh new update in the fight to get Mortal Kombat unbanned in Australia! The appeal Warner Brothers submitted to the Australian Classification Ratings Board for banning their up coming fighter Mortal Kombat in Australia, has unfortunately been unsuccessful, and is still refused classification. “We’re obviously extremely disappointed that the Refused Classification decision has been upheld by the Classification Review Board,” Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment Australia stated today. “We want to thank the thousands of Mortal Kombat fans in Australia and around the world who have voiced their support during the appeal process.” Australia’s neighbouring country New Zealand however recently gave it an R18+ rating for “Hyper Violence” so a shred of hopestill remains in the future we can see an R18+ rating down under!
But don’t give up hope! Many are still fighting for both this game and the future of video games by trying to convince the classification board that Australian games should be aloud to be eligible for an R18+ rating! No matter what country your from, you to can fight for the cause! Even if it’s just as simple as signing the Capsule Computers petition to include an R18+ rating for Australia here! You can also read about it here!
Game Name:Torchlight Platform(s): Xbox Live Arcade Publisher(s):Microsoft Developer(s): Runic Games Genre(s): Action RPG Release Date: March 9, 2011 Price: 1200 MS Points ($14.99 USD) DOWNLOAD NOW!
Two years after a highly successful PC release, Runic Games have now brought the much loved Torchlight to the Xbox Live Arcade. If you have never heard of Torchlight before, it is an action rpg in which the player must constantly battle monsters and explore dungeons while completing quests and making upgrades to their character’s stats. This version of Torchlight is relatively the same as the PC release, except with some minor visual upgrades and new in-game content as well as a brand new control interface for the Xbox 360. Here is my review for Torchlight for the Xbox Live Arcade.
Story
This title’s plot puts the player in a fantasy world and in a town by the name of…you guessed it, Torchlight. Torchlight is built right above mines that are rich in Ember, a source of powerful magic in which the whole plot revolves around. Shortly into the game, you learn that this power is starting to corrupt monsters in the below mines, so your character must set out and take down evil that lurks in the dungeons while tackling a plethora of side-quests for inhabitants of the town.
The main plot isn’t very deep and quite simple, but for this title that isn’t a problem as everything in the game is simplified and quests mainly serve as a small purpose to go explore the depths of the various dungeons. The story is mainly told through the other characters you run into as well as a narrator that sets the scene for whichever upcoming area you may be approaching. This method of story-telling works well as there are no interruptions from actually playing the game. I had no problem though feeling involved enough to want to talk to every character and explore every crevice of each cave or dungeon, so progression just comes naturally while the easy to follow plot unfolds on your journey.
Gameplay
As soon as you start up Torchlight, you are given a choice on picking one of three character classes which determine not only the way your character plays, but also their appearance. The characters include the Destroyer, who is basically your standard warrior, the Alchemist, who specializes in magic, and the Vanquisher who is best for ranged weapons and traps. After you choose your character and pet, the player is then introduced to the town of Torchlight in which you will start gaining quests to complete.
Each dungeon beneath the town hosts a ton of monsters and enemies to slay, but what adds the extra incentive to defeat each foe you come across is the heavy amount of looting within the game. A good portion of the monsters in Torchlight drop items. Some of these are as simple as a potion while others might drop a rare piece of equipment which may be very useful in combat or simply worth its weight in gold. Every time you loot an enemy, the items are then instantly filed in your organized inventory, where you can then either equip or use the said item or hand it over to your trusty pet for a quick sale (we will touch up more on pets in a moment). This constantly rotating looting system is handled well by the the easy to use menus which make sorting all your spoils a breeze. Enemies are not the only ones with loot though as there are plenty of breakable barrels, chests, and plot-specific points which hold various treasures that make exploration all the more rewarding as you progress.
The biggest problem with PC to console ports is usually the control system in one form or another. Thankfully, this is not a problem whatsoever for Torchlight as the new control scheme was perfectly streamlined for the Xbox 360 controller. Attacking each enemy is as simple as mashing down on the X button, while other skills your character learns upon leveling up can all be mapped to either of the triggers or the remaining face buttons on the controller as well as the D-Pad later on. Not only is this method ridiculously easy to use, it also feels comfortable and lets you concentrate more on swarms of enemies rather than fighting to remember where each command is located on the controller.
My favorite part of Torchlight period though was my trusty pet. The Xbox Live version hosts 3 different pets, those being a dog, a cat, and the exclusive Chakawary, which resembles a small dragon. Your pet plays a much larger role than just being a companion on your many quests, as each pet will be right at your side fighting with you and even can learn spells as you progress. As odd as it sounds, fish also play a huge role with pets, letting them transform into different beasts for a short period upon consumption, playing a huge card into your favor upon tougher battles later on in the game. The most useful feature of a pet though is the ability to send them off to shops to sell your loot. Many times in the game you run out of room in your inventory due to the heavy looting so the ability to have your pet take care of this task for you keeps the rotating door of inventory and gold flowing so you can battle on uninterrupted.
Each character has their own skill tree which can open up new abilities and techniques as you level up. Stats are also given upon leveling and are a must for being able to equip stronger weaponry and armor alike. Whether it be staffs, scepters, swords, or any kind of form of offense (or defense for that matter), there is plenty to choose from, making it even more rewarding to loot as there is plenty of useful equipment to be found in just about every dungeon. A small crafting system also comes into play, letting you enhance your arsenal with enchantment or by adding ember to a weapon or piece of armor to boost stats as well, and while just a small touch, it just is another reason why Torchlight delivers when it comes to creating in-depth experience all around with every element of gameplay tying together to create some well oiled gameplay mechanics.
Sadly, there isn’t any multiplayer in Torchlight. There is however the option to gift friends items and online leaderboards, which is sure to add a little more interactivity and competitiveness in players, but looking at the game as a whole, it becomes clear how a co-op mode could have made Torchlight a serious contender against titles like Borderlands, Fable, and even Fallout.
Graphics/Audio
Torchlight has a very unique and quirky art-style which combines the somewhat cartoon-ish 3D characters with the vividly detailed backdrops. The good news is that this works and is visually appealing. There are times where there can be an endless array of enemies all dishing out fully animated attacks at once and yet again, this graphical set-up stood strong and never had any problems with hiccups or framerate issues. The isometric camera view also fits in perfectly, with the ability to zoom in or out at anytime.
Musically, Torchlight has quite a soundtrack, playing a vast array of tunes as you move from floor to floor, with intensity of the music rising upon boss fights. These tracks are not the most memorable, but they do add in some nice atmosphere into the game itself. The voice acting is also well done, though most of the praise for audio must be given to the sound effects of the game, as little things such as a swift whack of a staff or the zap of electricity make performing attacks and spells much more exciting.
Overall
Torchlight is the game to get if you are new or even well familiar with any titles from the genre. The simple yet interesting main plot, complex looting and battle mechanics, and even the nearly perfected new control scheme all tie together to form a strong engine that puts the actual gameplay at the forefront of the experience. This title also has the best use of pets in an RPG I have seen to date, putting our animal friends we have seen in other “A-List” RPGs to shame. It isn’t too often when you see an RPG that can be labeled as addictive, but there is just something about Torchlight that makes you keep wanting to keep going back for more.
It has always been a fantasy of mine to pilot a UFO. And now, with the upcoming release of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, I will finally be able to fulfill this dream.
Check out a 10 minute video that was shown at PAX East. You can see the how the game will work and what the enemies look like. Featuring a variety of weapons, and environments, this game is hopefully an XBLA hit in the making. Even a boss battle is shown. As far as we can tell, this sure looks like one silky smooth game.
What do you think? Better than actually seeing aliens with your own eyes? At least we know it will be better than being probed.
Game: Full House Poker Genre: Card Game Sim/Online card game Publisher/Developer: Microsoft Game Studios/Krome Studios Consoles: Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360 (Reviewed) Release date: March 16, 2011
Poker. The very name conjures up images of famous movie stars, outlaws, and back alley cheats. A past time of school boys, gentleman, and executives, it is probably one of the most well known card games. XBLA is a great choice to bring this classic to the virtual world. Is it as fun as real life?
I’m sad to say that I am one of the few people who doesn’t really know that much about poker. Whatever the reason is, I have never been exposed to it, and hence, I don’t know much about the game. I get the basic principle of betting on unknown cards, but I don’t know much else. Like, what sets of cards to get, or what the different variations of the game are. My main excitement for the game stemmed from the fact that I hoped that I might be able to pick up the game and learn a few things that might help in my quest for knowledge of the poker. Unfortunately for me, there was really no training to be offered in the game. I was literally thrown into the mix, expected to know most of the niceties of the game. Soon enough, there were a few tutorial videos that popped up. They were very short and simple, and that was a good start. However, these mostly had to do with controls and the like; not much was said about strategy.
Eventually, I popped open a menu and found all the tutorials. These were exhaustive and covered poker’s finer points. Still, watching a video is no substitute for actual training. Therefore, if you don’t know much about poker, you might be advised to find someone to teach you before you dive headfirst into a hasty purchase. Otherwise, you will either be watching many videos or flying by the seat of your pants.
Nevertheless, even if you do happen to find yourself sitting at the table with no clue, the game’s difficulty curve was very well executed. I found myself easily winning a couple matches. I never got frustrated or bored because I did not know the exact rules. That’s not to say that the entire game is easy though. There are plenty of options for hardcore players of the game. For example, you can play with the pros, or you can compete in tournaments of varying difficulty. This game is made for everyone to play, and I was able to enjoy myself completely for a few hours while playing the more stupid AI.
Of course, there is also an online mode available. I was unable to compete in any online tourneys though, because no one was playing at that time. However, perhaps once the game picks up some steam, this will be a very fun option for friends looking for online video game action that does not involve guns. One feature of the game that is notable is its interconnectivity between your Xbox and Windows Phone 7 devices. This is the first game to fully support the cloud syncing features of both platforms. You will be able to transfer your XP and bank roll when you play the game on either platform. It is too bad though that the achievements will be different, and you will be unable to to participate in cross platform multi-player. It is a first step towards very cool, futuristic stuff though.
One of the best parts of the game was the customization options. While playing through rounds of poker, you win money, but also unlock a plethora of awesome bonuses. For example, you can change the cloth on the table to be different colors, or different prints. You can also change the chairs you sit in. Virtually everything where your sitting can be customized to your liking.
Gameplay is pretty much exactly what you would expect. Place your bets, wait for the others and hope for good cards. Luckily, the AI is very fast, so you won’t be sitting around for that long. The game moves extremely fast, and you will never be tapping “A” to try to get the other players to move along so you can get to your turn. As a matter of fact, you can even tell your player what to do while the others are going around taking their turns and when it comes to you, he will perform your action and the game keeps moving. The game recreates every part of playing poker. You can zoom on other player’s facial expressions, or you can act out your own feelings, like being very excited and dancing around. If your still not kept at attention though, the developers implemented a small mini game. You can unlock poker tricks and hit the appropriate buttons to get have your Avatar show off his moves. For example, you can hit UP 3 times on the D-Pad to have your man roll a chip around on his hand.
This is poker. Nothing more; nothing less. If you enjoy poker and want to play with others constantly, this is your game. You can unlock XP and receive awards (which is very addicting by the way) and you can get those all important Achievement points. You can listen to the repetitive music and enjoy the simple graphics while your Avatar sits there looking a bad ass pro poker player. But, it still probably won’t be as enjoyable as drinking with your buddies while playing a causal game of cards. Nonetheless, Full House Poker is a quality game that runs smooth and can satisfy your gambling cravings for quite awhile.
You can say what you want about Square Enix when it comes to how they handle their games but one thing is certain, they are run by some classy guys. In the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that have hit Japan over the past few days, Square Enix is shutting down it’s online games (Final Fantasy XI and XIV) in order to conserve power to support its country.
Quoted from Square Enix, “Due to the continuous earthquakes occurring in the eastern regions of Japan since Mar. 11, 2011, the power companies in Japan have encouraged everyone to cooperate by conserving as much energy as possible as it is feared there will not be enough power supply. Based on the current situation, we have decided to shut down the game servers temporarily, and therefore to suspend services of FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XI, and PlayOnline temporarily.
The services will be temporarily suspended for at least a week starting on Mar. 13, 2011 3:00 (PDT). We will provide an update regarding the reinstatement of the service as additional information becomes available. In connection with the temporary suspension of services, players will not be billed for any PlayOnline service throughout the April billing cycle. Additional information regarding this matter will also be posted as it becomes available.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your understanding of this unusual situations.”
It is unsure if this will have any true beneficial effect for those in need. This may very well be a clever PR stunt to put Square Enix in the spotlight as it is no secret that FFXIV has been failing miserably. Square Enix may very well be able to simply afford to shut down their servers for the time being in an effort to garner some attention out respect for actions. That being said, they are doing this act of good will gratis, waiving the monthly fee for players for the month of April.
No matter what the true intent behind their actions, Japan has suffered a tragedy this week. If at all possible, donate some funds to the Red Cross in an effort to aid those in need.
Cloning Clyde Publisher: Bacon Wrapped Games Developer: Ninjabee Genre:Platformer Release Date: 15 March, 2011 Platform: PC Price: 4.99USD (PC Steam)
Overview
Cloning Clyde for the PC is a port of the Xbox Live Arcade title of the same name. As far as I can tell there is not much difference between the two platforms, aside from the controls. Players take control of Clyde and a small group of his clones as they traverse a series of levels, solve puzzles and fight baddies.
Gameplay
Cloning Clyde is a platformer stlye game where players must travel across levels which are usually organised in a fashion that makes them seem like they have multiple platforms. Each level consists of Clyde teleporting in at the beginning and then utilising objects and the environment around him in order to create a path to the end. Over the course of each level, players may create clones of Clyde, or the level may require it as part of a puzzle. While each clone does not have to reach an exit to the level, each rescued clone does add overall points to a players score. Clones have a separate exit to Clyde himself, who may or may not be one of his own generated clones, depending on the level and the players playstyle. These exits are ventilation duct like things, while Clyde’s are teleporters.
Apart from the cloning and and platforming, there is also genetic tinkering. With the assistance of certain devices, Clyde may alter his DNA with that of an object or another creature. This then gives him the power of that creature or object until the end of the level, or the player switches body with a clone. For example, if Clyde mixes his DNA with that of a chickens; he then gains the ability to fly. He also looks a bit like a chicken.
The game controls with either the Keyboard or the Xbox360 Controller, assuming you have one plugged into your PC. While the keyboard controls work, the gamepad feels like a much more natural fit. This is likely because the game was designed with the Controller in mind, as opposed to the keyboard. The keyboard controls aren’t bad or anything, they work and can be remapped for a more comfortable playing experience. But if you have an Xbox360 wired controller or wireless adapter for PC; I’d really recommend using the gamepad to play the game.
Some puzzles are pretty simple to work out, hit the switch watch the gate open, while others require a bit more creative planning. Some areas can only be accessed by using the right item or creature correctly. For example, riding a sheep to get some distance while jumping. Or kicking a chicken into some bombs.
Combat in this game is a pretty straightforward ordeal, with Clyde knowing a few basic moves which he does as the player hits the attack button. Hitting the attack button while performing a different movement action will cause Clyde to perform a different move. Like, while standing he will do a basic attack, whereas jumping will cause him to belly flop. I’ve found that belly flopping is slightly more effective than ground based combat in certain situations.
Belly Flopping Frog!
Aside from the platforming, cloning, puzzle solving and combat; players can collect various collectable across each level. The include things like robot doll things, strands of DNA and health crosses. Each item adds to your overall score, while the health crosses add to your health should you be running low on it. All these things get added up at the end of a level and the resulting score is given. Try to aim for better and better scores. After the scoring, Clyde is taken to a kind of lobby, or area that allows him to access each of the other levels.
The area lobby is where Clyde is able to travel between levels and access each one using a teleportation device. Each level is different to the last, though many share common elements. Most levels feature what appear to be an office like interior, arranged in such a way to be relevant in a platforming game. Meanwhile, there are other levels that take place in other locales, such as jungles. Though, these levels still seem to be set on the interior of some kind of building.
Sound
This game features sound as a gameplay component. That’s all that can really be said about it, really. The main menu has music, but that’s all. At least on my playthrough anyway. There’s a setting in the options to turn the music up, which I have it set to max and there is no audible music in any of the gameplay segments. Well maybe not *no* audible music, but certainly very little. It only seems to play whenever you accomplish something, and it isn’t like background music or anything, its just a slight amount of fanfare to let you know you’ve achieved something, like beating the level. Kind of like how Final Fantasy plays a tune whenever you level up, only it lacks the accompanying music afterwards.
One of the few screens to feature music.
While the music was a letdown, the game does feature a somewhat diverse amount of sound effects. Each object, creature and item sound different to each other and Clyde does offer some soundbytes whenever he does a combat move. There only appears to be a small amount of these soundbytes though and after a few levels they do become slightly old.
Graphics
Graphically the game isn’t as good as a game released in 2011 could be. Though, you have to remember that this is a port of an Xbox360 Arcade game from 2006 and as a result; shouldn’t have top tier graphics. Though, it doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t have been welcomed. The game looks almost exactly like it’s Xbox360 counterpart from years before.
This game’s graphical style is of the ‘try and look funny’ style, but it doesn’t quite work out. It instead looks more like something that has crept out of your nightmares while showing a little man-crack. And I mean that, Clyde is for the most part covered only in a hospital gown and the game takes no liberties with his backside whenever the game shows you the reverse of Clyde, which is surprisingly often. While the graphics are simple, I feel as though the game suffers because of the art-style. It just doesn’t convey the feeling the game is trying to push nor should it have ever been unleashed upon the public.
While creatures, Clydes, objects, enemies and powerups look as they should, they suffer from the same art-style as Clyde does… just not as bad. Powerups are probably the most distinctive thing in this game, as they are usually floating above the ground and look as though it should be something that you need to collect. It’s hard to explain because I’ve been playing platformers since the Sega Megadrive and collecty things just seem to stick out and I’ve never had to describe them before. The best way to do so would be to say that they share a similar style to the rest of the games art assets, but are distinctive enough to know that they must be interacted with in some manner.
The environments are usually in the interior of an office building, but vary to other types of locales, like the forest mentioned earlier; which is also inside the office complex. The environments are rendered around the same art-style as the rest of the game and as a result is very consistent with the overall theme that they were going for. While it might sound kind of silly to have a jungle inside an office space, it fits the games theme and while you’re playing, you don’t really notice or care all that much… so it works out quite well.
This should never have been allowed to be viewed by anyone. But there it is, and what a sight.
Story
The game features a nonsensical story which players uncover as they traverse along the game. Well, it isn’t actually nonsensical and makes sense when you actually put it together. Basically, the dude you play as, Clyde, falls for a marketing ploy for easy money with a company called ‘Dupliclone Labs’.
Clyde awakens in one of the lab rooms with only his skills and various signs (literally) plastered around each level which give him tips and information on how and why he is there. Each sign was written by Clyde in order to help himself out. The only person that Clyde can rely on during this ordeal is himself and any clone of himself that he may procure. Also, any creature that may be willing, or unwilling, to splice it’s DNA with his own.
Clyde must make his way through the complex, rescue his clones and escape; as well as find out who he is and what’s going on along the way.
Overall
Cloning Clyde is an interesting platformer with a decent difficulty curve, a sense of humour that will either grow on you – or grate on your very soul, simple, but effective graphics, a story that isn’t just dumped on you all at once and most importantly, it’s incredibly fun! The fun factor increases with the difficulty of the puzzles and the nonsensical scenarios that you are sometimes thrust in upon. Though, often, you’ll create your own fun scenarios, running backwards and forwards trying to get the bomb dudes off you while you belly-flop some robots.
Also, as an aside, the frog version of Clyde is my personal favorite.
Competiton
In a comment below, tell us what you believe would be the best combination of creature that Clyde could splice himself with. The best comment will receive a PC key for the Steam release of the title. A winner will be announced in a few days.
Despite expecting very little on Cars 2: The Video Game to avoid spoiling the plot of the tied-in movie, Disney have actually gone ahead and given us a first look teaser trailer showing parts of the game in action.
For those who didn’t catch the announcement at the New York Toy Fair, Cars 2 features a focus on spy missions, following the plot of the new animated film which sees Lightning McQueen become part of a secret spy organisation. As well as Lightning McQueen, the game will have a number of other playable characters recognisable from the film.
Cars 2: The Video Game is slated for a Winter release this year to coincide with the film, arriving on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS and PC/Mac.
IUGO Mobile Entertainment have announced their latest social game to hit smartphones in 2011.
IUGO’s VP of Biz Dev, Sarah Thomson, announced the arrival of FREEmium title Sunshine Cruise Lines in spring/summer of 2011 (that’s autumn/winter for all of us down under), and you guessed it – the game centres around travel. Players manage their own cruise ship while travelling around and having the world at their fingertips. There are options to customise each cruise ship to fit the player, and also the game allows deeper social interaction with friends.
“The team is focused on making every facet of the Cruise experience special and fun from the art style, the UI, the audio to how they all tie in and enhance each other,” Thomson said. “We can’t wait for people to play our game!”
IUGO are the creators of the popular game Lil’ Pirates (which im still playing right now and nearly on level 50) which was published by Capcom Mobile is an amazing title. From what we can see, Sunshine Cruise Lines looks just as promising and we will definitely be keeping our smartphone eyes on the lookout for this title over the next few months.
AiAi and his monkey crew are preparing to make their debut on the 3DS’ launch date, and Sega has now released a new trailer to show off gamers a bit of what can be expected from Super Monkey Ball 3D. In my opinion, trailers for 3DS titles don’t show off the full aspect of 3D games due to the 2D presentation, but this new one for Super Monkey Ball certainly places us in a colorful world with some crisp visuals that really make this title seem like it will be a standout release on the system’s launch.
This new adventure will let players use either the gyroscope or circle pad controls to guide the monkey of your choosing through the hectic and colorful landscape, gathering bananas as you go. It has been quite a while since I have played a Monkey Ball title personally, but I did have quite a bit of fun playing the older titles on the Gamecube a few years back and this version certainly will be a must buy to get me caught up with the rolling madness I have been missing. As I mentioned though, players will be able to get to try this game in all of it’s 3D glory when it releases March 27th. Check out the new trailer below for yourself and let us know what you think as well in the comment section.
Platform: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC Publisher: Activision Developer: Gaijin Entertainment Genre: Action/Flight Simulator Release Date: November 16, 2010 Price: $69.97 (AU) BUY NOW $47.99 (US) BUY NOW
Apache: Air Assault puts the player in the seat of an Apache AH-64, the most lethal attack helicopter this military has to date, blowing up evil terrorists, villainous pirates and all-round bad guys. Activision’s latest title aims for realism and excels in it in most aspects, and while playing it, gamers should keep in mind it is a flight simulator and flying a helicopter isn’t as simple as holding one button and turning like most games these days. Combat involves multitasking and isn’t aimed towards the casual gamer. With this in mind however, Apache: Air Assault does hold its own, and while not all will appreciate the game for what it is, it’s worth checking out if flight simulation games tickle your fancy.
Gameplay
The gameplay on the most part will vary on the player. Controls can feel awkward, since it requires two control sticks to move the vehicle, so it has a big learning curve and will take a while to get used to the controls.While the game does have a lengthy tutorial, it doesn’t really teach much, as afterwards you still feel uncomfortable with the controls most of the time. Combat is only half the challenge, as keeping the Apache AH-64 in the air is a challenge as well. Flying in a straight line can be mastered with ease, combat can be a struggle and often feels unrewarding which is disappointing. Finding enemies can also be an issue at times, although admittedly its not a big one. What does help however is the machine gun has a black and white camera attached that can zoom in, and thermal vision as well. The gameplay does have a lot of room to improve, but the basic system is actually pretty solid. If you can master the controls you can have a good time playing it, you just need a lot of patience. Perhaps these days gamers are just used to simple, easy, pick up and play games. What’s done here is pretty admirable, the developers went out of their way to make a game for the hardcore lovers of flight simulation and the technical depth of the controls itself really shows it off. Furthermore, it must be said that the feel of the copters is very realistic. It feels like a helicopter should, from it’s weight to the way it turns, it has a very realistic feel to it which gives an extra layer of authenticity to it all. Sadly, mission objectives are not always clear, but they’re usually either ‘go here’ or ‘blow this up’. Extra modes such as single screen co op are added as well, where one player can move the helicopter while the other player fires the weapons. It really requires co operation, which is great to see as well.
Graphics & Audio
Apache: Air Assault is very visually pleasing on the most part. The helicopters looks great and animation is fluid. The interior of the helicopters is remarkable, detailing every aspect of an Apache AH-64, downright to the pilot moving the control stick around. Elemental effects are done very well, and the game displays hundreds of trees and other scenic aspects at a time with no apparent frame rate issues. However it can be touch in go in some parts, as while some things will look great from a distance, up close they may appear burly, and some textures will seem more plain and simplistic, but not often. Oh yeah, and explosions look great, which is a must-have in a game like this. Audio does what it can, with a very patriotic styled theme to the soundtrack and sound effects are what they can be. The guns, explosions, missiles…everything sounds like it should and are done well. The voice acting is also great, although the dialogue isn’t spectacular. Much like the rest of the game, it won’t blow you away, but you won’t hate it either.
Conclusion
I imagine when brainstorming for new, unique games, Activision thought: ‘A Helicopter game! No one does that!’ And it’s true, their not very common. Usually for a flight simulator, you could expect some form of an airplane. Their fast, cool-looking, and can blow stuff up! Helicopters on the other hand are big and slow, but hey-they can also make things go bang. Apache: Air Assault is a worthy attempt at a Helicopter based title though, and a decent game. What doesn’t pull through in in this title though, is that other than the fact that you play as a helicopter, there’s almost nothing to make it stand out against other titles or to make it memorable or special. Sure it aimed for realism and succeeded in many aspects, but sometimes it feels over done, so instead of feeling like a fast-paced action game, you feel like a solider doing his job so he can pay the bills at home. It’s still worth a rent if your a bored and need something to play if you have a lot of patience, or if your a hardcore helicopter fantastic it’s a must buy due it’s impressive realism, but that’s it really. There is a lot of room for improvement, not to fix anything, but rather make it more enjoyable. It’s a game tailored towards a very niche market, and while it’s a good game, sadly Im sure many would not appreciate it as much as it should be. Apache: Air Assault is a very realistic game and that’s what makes it so impressive. Unfortunately, it’s just so realistic it gets in the way of being fun.
