Xbox 360 Review: "Dead Island"

Publisher: Deep Silver

Developer: Techland

Release Date: September 6, 2011 (USA)

Premise:

Dead Island is a 2011 Open-World First-Person Action-Adventure game. You arrive on the island for various reasons, depending on which of the Four (4) Main Characters you choose to play as, and when you wake up the next day the entire island is crawling with zombies.

Gameplay: 

While Dead Island is First-Person Perspective, it is NOT a First-Person-Shooter. The majority of the game involves melee combat using hundreds of different weapons. There is also an extensive loot system and inventory management to monitor as you collect weapons, ammo, items, health kits and others to aid in your survival.

Since weapons degrade and break down, you have to get them repaired or they will be unusable. There is also a leveling system, up to 50 levels, and you gain XP by completing the Main Story as well as all of the many Side Quests in addition to killing zombies. There are multiple kinds of zombies, some regular slow, some really fast ones as well as several unique zombies that you run across from time to time. There is a lot of exploring to do in the game as there are several different areas you visit, including the Resort Beach area, a Prison, a City and more.

Graphics:

Dead Island has some of the best graphics of any Xbox 360 game. The most prevalent and amazing aspects being the textures of the grass and trees. The atmosphere is full of activity, with the wind blowing around dirt and debris, trash littering the island, and the beautiful ocean to gaze upon. The character models are very well done and the zombie's look very disgusting and decaying, just as you'd imagine. The overall ambience of the game is very well done and you really feel like you're in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

Sound:

There isn't a whole lot of noise going on around you, but it seems the developers were able to put it in all the right spots. The sound effects for the weapons are very nicely done and the zombie sounds are all unique and terrifying to hear. The music in the game is superb. The somber, depressing music that plays near the beginning of the game really grasps you and gives you a great idea of what's to come.

Length:

Dead Island is an Open-World game, and because of it, it's a very long game. On my first playthrough I racked up roughly 57 hours, though that could easily be extended if one wanted to collect all of the collectibles and items in the game. As far as replay-ability goes, it never gets boring just running around killing zombies but doing the story again can be boring since you already know everything, but being able to reuse your leveled-up character with all of your items on your next playthrough really makes things even more fun.

There is a Co-Op feature that lets you play the entire Campaign with multiple people through Xbox Live, which helps to increase the replay-value of the game.

Value:

I would gladly pay full retail price for this game, as the developers obviously went into a lot of trouble to make this game very detailed and long-lasting. If you have the money and love zombies and a good dramatic story full of emotion, pick up Dead Island when you get the chance.

Wii Review: "Donkey Kong Country Returns"

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Retro Studios & Nintendo

Release Date: November 21, 2010 (USA)

Premise:

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a 2010 Reboot of the franchise that brings back Donkey and Diddy Kong. The story involves creatures known as "Tiki's" who come to Donkey Kong's island and hypnotize everybody and steal all of the bananas. Donkey and Diddy Kong, unfazed by the their feeble attempts of hypnosis, embark on a journey to get the bananas back.

Gameplay: 

The gameplay is the traditional side-scrolling adventure, with Donkey and Diddy running and jumping across many different game worlds, jumping on the heads of enemies and throwing barrels at foes who dare to step in their path. The game can be very frustrating as parts of it can be very hard, especially for those not used to this style of gameplay.

The controls are very simple and you can choose between classic controller layout (by holding the Wiimote sideways) or using the Wiimote+Nunchuk to control Donkey and Diddy. All you really do is run and jump to collect bananas and defeat enemies to get to the end of the stage, as is the classic gameplay of the original. There are new moves such as the "Ground Pound" that shake the ground and knock around any enemies nearby.

Graphics:

Graphics for this game are what you would expect from a Wii game. Very colorful and bright world, vibrant detail in the levels along with a living background rather than a simple pre-rendered one that was common to retro side-scrolling games. The environment reacts to your movement, especially the "Ground Pound," and the ambience of the game world really shows through amazingly.

Sound:

All of the classic Donkey Kong music is present, along with some extra's to modernize the franchise. The sound effects for movement and when you bop an enemy on the head are very nostalgic and bring back so many memories of playing the originals on the old Nintendo systems.

Length:

An average play-through will take you between 5-8 hours if you just play normal and enjoy the scenery. If your goal is to collect everything and "100%" the game, it can drastically increase the playtime to the point of over 12-15+ hours of gameplay.

Value:

Donkey Kong Country Returns is an excellent reboot of the franchise, bringing back all of the classic elements that made the first games so great. Unfortunately, though, I cannot see paying the full retail price of $49.99 for the game, as with the repetition and relatively short game time it makes me feel uncomfortable paying that much for the game.

A good price, in my opinion, is about $20 or so, which will leave you satisfied inside your heart and your wallet, but supporting the developer by paying full retail price wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

PC Review: "Just Cause 2"

Publisher: Eidos Interactive

Developer: Avalanche Studios

Release Date: March 23, 2010 (USA)

Premise:
Just Cause 2 is a 2010 Open-World Action-Adventure game and a sequel to 2006's Just Cause. You take control of Rico Rodriguez from the first Just Cause. The story in this game is you are in Panau fighting with Rebel Factions to overthrow the Evil Dictator Pandak "Baby" Panay.

Gameplay: 

Just Cause 2 is a Third-Person-Shooter in which you roam around a huge island in an effort to overthrow the current Dictator. You can commandeer any number of vehicles, a whole arsenal of aircraft including Helicopters, Airplanes and Jets, you can also simply run or swim to your destination or, if you're so inclined, use a vast array of boats.

The majority of the game involves moving around to different cities and villages where you work on blowing up the Government-controlled equipment and buildings while collecting parts you can use to upgrade your weapons and certain vehicles. A staple of the game is the Parachute and Grappling Hook. Using the combination of the two, you can zip around the country very quickly, as well as use it to reach higher ground, pull enemies to you, tether objects together, and much more.

Graphics:
The graphics for Just Cause 2 are absolutely amazing. The faces and character models are rendered nearly perfectly. The vehicles in the game are highly detailed as well as the map as a whole. The terrain varies from deserts to forests to oil rigs out in the middle of the ocean, and each area has unique textures that are very high resolution and crisp. For example, when you land a Helicopter, the grass and dust will move and fly up as it would in real life.

Sound:
There isn't very much music in the game, it seems for the most part that when you're in combat the same music track plays over and over, which can become annoying for some but I didn't notice it ever becoming bothersome to me. The weapon sounds are each unique and different for the most part, with the exception being the aircraft and vehicles.

Length:
Just Cause 2 is one of the longest games there is, with gametime reaching well over 100 hours on my first playthrough. There is a vast amount of exploring to do in the game and many cities and villages to take back from the government. Sometimes it can feel monotonous and repetitive to go from city to city doing the same thing, but I found it entertaining and fun almost all of the time.

Value:
With the fact that the game can last well over 100 hours, I can safely say that spending full retail price for this title is a good investment that's well worth the money. If you find it in the bargain bin or at your local game store, I highly recommend picking this title up.

Xbox 360 Review: "Alan Wake"

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Remedy Entertainment

Release Date: May 18, 2010 (USA)

Premise:
Alan Wake is a 2010 Action-Thriller made by Remedy, who's best known for Max Payne. The story of Alan Wake begins with Alan going on vacation with his wife to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Shortly after arriving, his wife goes missing and strange things begin to happen. He must venture through the town and the surrounding forest to find the truth.

Gameplay: 

Alan Wake is an Action-Adventure game with a Third-Person Perspective. Gameplay involves running around the town and outlying areas looking for your wife. Along the way you find Manuscript pages to a book you apparently wrote but can't remember writing, so collecting all of the pages is a daunting task that you'll have fun doing throughout the entire game.

The controls are your typical Third-Person-Shooter controls, running around shooting enemies, though driving different vehicles occasionally makes for an even greater experience. The enemies are known as "The Taken" and they're engulfed in "The Darkness" and you must use your flashlight to "burn away" the darkness before you can shoot them down with a variety of weapons and gadgets, such as flares and flare guns.

Graphics:
The character models and animations are pretty well done, and the textures of the buildings and the foliage really help to immerse you in the experience. The developers seem to have done a good job at recreating a livable, working world inside the town you explore. The facial expressions were a bit lacking, but they weren't very distracting or anywhere near bad enough to ruin the experience.

Sound:
I didn't really notice a whole lot of different sounds or music throughout the game, other than the typical music you'd expect to hear in the background of gun fire and flares burning. There were some good moments with soft, dramatic music that helped keep the tone of the game in check, and those were very welcomed additions.

Length:
The game will last anywhere from 9 hours to 12 hours or more, depending on how much exploring-off-the-beaten-path you choose to do. There is an extra game mode called "Nightmare" that unlocks upon completion of the game, which results in additional Manuscripts to get as well as a harder difficulty, thus increasing the length of the game with another playthrough.

Value:
The experience of Alan Wake is very similar to Heavy Rain; they're both amazing stories that are just waiting to be told to the player and every moment you really feel like you're connecting with the character(s) you play as. A strong story can go a long way in proving a games worth, and for this one I would say that if you have extra cash that paying the $59.99 for this title wouldn't be the worst thing you could do. If you couldn't afford that but really wanted to play it, I'd say paying no more than $30 for it would be respectable.

Purchase: Alan Wake - Xbox 360

PS3 Review: "Heavy Rain"

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Quantic Dream

Release Date: February 23, 2010 (USA)

Premise:
Heavy Rain is a 2010 Drama-Thriller game about a father who's son is kidnapped by a man known only as "The Origami Killer." The game consists of venturing through the world in search of the Origami Killer as well as the kidnapped boy.

Gameplay: 

The unique thing about this game is that the control mechanisms are vastly different from the majority of games. Instead of running around shooting and exploring, Heavy Rain's gameplay consists of following a scripted set of scenes that are setup like an interactive movie.You play as Four (4) people throughout the game: "Ethan Marston" who is the main-main character. "Scott Shelby" who is a Private Investigator. "Norman Jayden" who is an FBI agent. "Madison Paige" who is simply a woman caught up in the drama.

When cutscenes are over, players are able to take control of their character and move around using the Right Trigger (R2) and can interact with their environment as well as delve into the minds of each character through on-screen button presses.

There can be consequences for your actions as well, leading to some undesired incidents that you cannot go back and change. These moments can sometimes lead to frustration, though, as making mistakes can forever alter your game and therefore change the experience in a significant manner for better or worse. The mechanics can feel a bit sluggish at times, though I chalk that up to simply making it more realistic, as it's more realistic for a man to take a moment to get up to speed or change direction.

Graphics:
The graphics in Heavy Rain are some of the best-looking I have seen in a game to date. The focus is on water, more specifically rain. It is raining nearly the entire game and the water effects in the world are astounding. The character models have very high polygon counts and seem very lifelike thanks to the use of MoCap. The character movement leaves something to be desired, though, especially when there's a lot of fast action on screen.

Textures are amazing and the foliage really brings the world alive.

Sound:
The soundtrack in Heavy Rain is fitting. There are some very somber acoustics during the sad and depressing moments and than the traditional fast-paced combo music for chase-scenes and high-action times. The music in the game, overall, is extremely well done.

Length:
The entire experience takes about 8-10 hours on average for your first playthrough. This can be shortened or extended based on how you play and what happens in the game.

Value:
It's tough to determine what a game is really worth. Some say a games worth is in how long you can play it, while others, such as myself, value the experience the most. In my opinion, Heavy Rain would be worth buying at $59.99 if you had a job and spare cash to spend. If you're on a budget but want an experience, I would save up and feel comfortable spending at most $30 for this game.

There is replay value in that there are several different endings and ending cinematics that can take place based on your decisions in game, but for me I beat it once and never played it again. I looked at it as if it were a piece of art and once I experienced it I didn't want to alter that experience for the worse by doing it again, though the option is always there and it will bring new experiences if you should so choose to do it.