Articles tagged action adventure

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures by Nicola Swan | 16-06-08

All Consoles | PC | DS | PSP

Review

There's something loveable about Lego games. I wasn't even a Lego fan as a kid, but seeing characters and moments from films play out as if performed by a group of seven-year-olds is something special. Although many might claim that this is simply Lego Star Wars in new skin, everybody will find something enjoyable about it.

The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass on DS

Review

The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass by Kate Wilson | 17-04-08

The Legend of Zelda franchise has been around for years. Having never played any of Hourglass's predecessors I have always wondered what could be so engaging about a boy in a ridiculous green hat. Released on the DS, The Phantom Hourglass uses the stylus to full effect with pleasant results. Zelda is a fun mix of action, strategy and adventure which is accessible to Zelda players both old and new. The gist of the game is simple, your character (Link) is off to save his friend Tetra from The Ghost Ship and then on to defeat the evil Bellum. In the process you must navigate various seas and islands, conquer villains, defeat enemies and work out how to create the only weapon that will defeat Bellum. Gameplay is simple as you move, hit, kill, all with the ease of the DS stylus. Even the ship that allows you to move across the seas is controlled by drawing a route using the stylus. While this works well in some respects it does also mean that there is limited challenge to the game (enemies are generally slow enough to kill using the stylus and there are usually enough hearts around if you are in danger of dying). What keeps the game going are the numerous other activities that you can occupy yourself with in between killing various enemies and bosses. There are a number of treasure chests to collect from the depths of the ocean, fish to catch, gems to collect and treasure to buy and sell. The main objective then is to explore and, with the ship and stylus, this can be extremely entertaining. One of the finest elements of Zelda is the puzzle solving and an interesting addition to the DS game is the ability to make notes on your maps in order to help you remember information needed. Link's tools of combat (beginning with the arrow) are also guided by the stylus and is as simple as drawing on the console the desired path. A brilliant touch which really allows you to be at the heart of the game. It is a simple enough game for anyone looking to move on from Brain Training and the like to something new and is a must for anyone who enjoys a mix of puzzles, combat and exploration. 7/10

Xbox 360 | PS3 | PC

Review

Dark Sector by Dave Cook | 30-03-08

Flu, stomach bugs, the cold - everyone gets infected with something in their lives. Army surplus quantities of chicken soup and a trip to the doctor later and we're back on our feet. Although, if Dark Sector's Hayden Tenno walked into his local GP he'd probably shit his pants. Stuck behind enemy lines in the remote Russian town of Lasria, Tenno is infected with a deadly virus which slowly mutates the carrier into a mindless, brutal killing machine. A terrible secret from the cold war, the virus lab serves as the games tutorial mission and gets you familiar with the gunplay controls and movement. Off the bat it feels like Resident Evil 4, using a 3rd person, over-the-shoulder viewpoint with a similar emphasis on action-adventure. However, guns are his secondary method of dispatching enemies. Side effects of the virus have mutated Tenno's arm so much, a razor-sharp blade called the Glaive has grown from the palm of his hand.This can be detached and thrown like a discus, decapitating the odd solider or two. It's a riot, especially aftertouch mode which allows you to steer the weapon in mid air, allowing for all kinds of trick shots and body targeting. Slicing a soldiers leg off, watching him hopping around in pain is pretty brutal yet sadistically fun at the same time. Going through the town and the neighbouring districts is a blast with many action-packed set pieces, such as taking down a giant robotic turrent on legs in a small courtyard, to battling mutated goliaths in an abandoned church. Dark Sector knows adrenaline and delivers it in spades. Chucking in some truly polished graphical flair gives the game more weight. This sets a foreboding atmosphere, especially in a level which sees Tenno navigating a graveyard swarming with gibbering freaks. The fog hanging in the air, the creaking of the trees and the still darkness will keep you on edge and the soundtrack, ranging from downright eerie to kick arse action flick score is brilliant. Small mention must go to the elemental properties of the Glaive. If it is thrown at a burning car, it catches fire, if thrown at a sparking fusebox is goes static and so on. This can also be used to electrocute or incinerate enemies, which gets particularly messy yet again, particularly satisfying. At points, automatic weapons and handguns feel weak compared to the Glaive and as a result, you will tempted to use it more. However, by collecting scattered rubels around the levels, you can spend them at the black market and upgrade your arsenal. This is again similar to Resident Evil 4's merchant and caters for the more trigger happy players out there. Oh and always a point of interest for shooter fans, the shotgun is fiendishly brutal, loud and messy, just the way you like it. Dark Sector ticks all the action-adventure boxes and bows down the exemplary standards set by Resident evil 4, commonly regarded as the greatest action game of all time, while adding some new tricks into the mix. However, a sometimes dodgy storyline lets it down a bit, but with the level of action and fun to be had you will barely notice. Another small niggle is the signposting. It's not always great but then again, exploration is to be encouraged. However, it feels a bit displaced in this genre, which typically uses linear paths to help a story move along at a fast pace. It's been five years in the making but was it worth the wait? Hell yes! 8/10