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Spidey finally swings his way into a next-gen console, in graphics only. Spider-Man 3 for Xbox 360 is not BAD...but its not great. It reminds me of a mix of the original Spider-Man game for the Ps1 and the previous two Spidey movie games. Spidey 3 is based on the movie, but it's a little bit less and a little bit more. It sort of follows the plot, in a disjointed manner, since you also have a bunch of random missions and things going on. I don't remember Spidey disarming bombs in the movie. Besides the movie's antagonists Venom and Sandman you also get other missions and superbaddies to deal with if you choose. You also have random crimes happening around the city. These are fun but don't go past a beat 'em up in the street or a car chase. Web-slinging doesn't get tiring. I could spend an entire session swinging around the city stopping random crimes. These battles are enjoyable, especially as you build up moves and techniques (though I find myself button mashing a lot). I get confused as to why there are skydiving and carry MJ around collecting hearts missions. It's that last gen mindset. You also get photo missions, which are fun and make a lot more sense in Peter's world than diving through rings. Graphically, it looks great with good detail, but I don't feel a next-gen vibe beyond that. There's no reason I should be on a bridge that's half there and bounce off an invisible wall. Part of me says, "Who cares if it isn't innovative, as long as it's a fun Spidey experience". "Well, me, you're right except it's the same Spidey experience for 6+ years now". I play a lizard mission and I'm thinking haven't I played this before? I did in the other Spidey games, with god of war style button segments. This doesn't mean it's horrible, just more of the same. Spidey 3 is a decent and fun game that is worth getting as a Spider-man fan. It's not a spectacular demonstration of what the 360 can do, but its still fun. If you gotta
Spidey finally swings his way into a next-gen console, in graphics only. Spider-Man 3 for Xbox 360 is not BAD...but its not great. It reminds me of a mix of the original Spider-Man game for the Ps1 and the previous two Spidey movie games. Spidey 3 is based on the movie, but it's a little bit less and a little bit more. It sort of follows the plot, in a disjointed manner, since you also have a bunch of random missions and things going on. I don't remember Spidey disarming bombs in the movie. Besides the movie's antagonists Venom and Sandman you also get other missions and superbaddies to deal with if you choose. You also have random crimes happening around the city. These are fun but don't go past a beat 'em up in the street or a car chase. Web-slinging doesn't get tiring. I could spend an entire session swinging around the city stopping random crimes. These battles are enjoyable, especially as you build up moves and techniques (though I find myself button mashing a lot). I get confused as to why there are skydiving and carry MJ around collecting hearts missions. It's that last gen mindset. You also get photo missions, which are fun and make a lot more sense in Peter's world than diving through rings. Graphically, it looks great with good detail, but I don't feel a next-gen vibe beyond that. There's no reason I should be on a bridge that's half there and bounce off an invisible wall. Part of me says, "Who cares if it isn't innovative, as long as it's a fun Spidey experience". "Well, me, you're right except it's the same Spidey experience for 6+ years now". I play a lizard mission and I'm thinking haven't I played this before? I did in the other Spidey games, with god of war style button segments. This doesn't mean it's horrible, just more of the same. Spidey 3 is a decent and fun game that is worth getting as a Spider-man fan. It's not a spectacular demonstration of what the 360 can do, but its still fun. If you gotta
Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advanced for Game Boy Advance is a collection of old school arcade games made by, that's right, Konami. Inside you get 6 old school memories for you to play: Frogger, for most people probably the most memorable classic in the set, where you try and get your frog from street to lillypad without getting squished or eaten. You also get shoot em up Gyruss, Kung fu fighting classic Yie Ar Kung Fu, side scrolling war game Rush N Attack, space shooter and godfather of the gradius series Scramble, and classic shooter Time Pilot. All these games play basically the same way as you remember them and are actually just as fun. All of these games translate pretty well to the GBA, and having a good light source handy will enhance your enjoyment since sometimes bullets can be hard to see. The difficulty seems to be tweaked down a bit, but it still doesn't make these games simple, just less hard. I got farther than i ever had in Yie Ar Kung Fu...but then again, the last time i played it, i was 9. I found a new love for time pilot, which makes for some great retro twitch shooting. All in all this is a great collection with a little bit for everyone and should be in the gba of anyone wanting to get some old school memories on the go.
Crackdown is a sandbox style of game that really puts the sandbox genre to the test. As a sort of supercop, you're sent into a city overrun with crime, and you can go at it any way you want. Do you want to go for the crime bosses first? Go for it, its up to you. There is a little depth in how you can take down the gangs that populate Crackdown's universe - taking down certain members weakens parts of the gang, be it by weapon supply or vehicles and so on. I found myself not really paying to the main gang members at first, just trying to level myself up, and this is probably the draw of Crackdown when it comes down to it. The more you utilize your abilities, the better you get, leveling up and looking like a highlander during the quickening. Use your weapons, you get better at using them. Beat up crooks, you get stronger. Drive around, you become a better driver. I wouldn't know so much about driving however, because driving is a bore when you can amp up your agility and jump from building to building like the incredible hulk. I spent a good amount of time doing this and enjoyed every second of it. You kind of create your own fun in Crackdown, and people looking for a straight path might be disappointed, finding it repetitive and most likely a little short. Its probably not that difficult if you want to blow through the main gist of the game. Crackdown is more for those that like exploring, building up your character and collecting. If you like a good dose of collecting along with violence and a little bit of superhero mixed in with your own curiosity/imagination, then this is probably for you. Once your need for those things ends however, thats probably it for you and Crackdown. But, for as long as you want it, it's good fun. But really, when you pull a streetlight out from the ground, you cant swing it? Its asking to be used as a baseball bat. Maybe next game.
Earth Defense Force 2017 is the kind of game that just shouldn't work; a budget title with barely any story and less than next-gen graphics where you fight wave after wave of enemies, over and over, board to board. Yet somehow, EDF excels because of these attributes. Like a great old cheesy sci-fi movie with horrible effects but lots of charm, EDF is a blast that appeals to the old school gamer and the gamer just looking to have a fun time. Sure, it has a very old school application...you pick up 2-D items; health packs and weapons (you don't know what weapons you're getting until the level is done). There's no real control over your squad (they're basically fodder). Buildings collapse if you blast them with a rocket launcher yet they come back fine the next level...this game is definitely showing its budget and does not push the boundary of what can be done in a game. It keeps it simple. Yet in the simple world of EDF there is a wonderful amount of chaos. Enemies fill the screen in size and in numbers. Fighter ships, acid-spewing ants the size of sightseeing buses, giant robots the size of buildings shoot lasers from what seems to be miles away (don't worry, they walk fast and know where you are), and you have a blast fighting them. There is something seriously fun about walking through an empty city, seeing something moving at the horizon, then finding yourself quickly swarmed upon by giant ants and having to wipe them out. This is basically every level - wipe out the aliens. It works. Its the simplicity that is key in EDF. Go at it alone, or with a friend (via split screen, no online multiplayer...its better that way with this game i think). Just have fun.
about Spider man 3 for Xbox 360 (1 year ago)
