Crimsonland (Xbox One) - Review

Crimsonland is available now on Xbox One and is priced at £9.99.

Crimsonland is a remaster of a PC game released way back in 2003, which has since been re-released on both PS4 and Xbox One. It's a top down twin-stick shooter all about wiping out the waves of enemies that come your way.

It reminded me a lot of a game I loved on the Xbox 360, the XBLIG title I Maed A Gam3 With Zombies In It!!!1, most probably best recognised from this song. This was a twin-stick shooter that was challenging, but more importantly a lot of fun, something which Crimsonland emulates and expands upon perfectly.

The controls are slick and super-responsive, as they should be with this type of game. Graphically the game is just ok really, but can any of us say we play a twin-stick for the visuals?! No, we play them for the quick, mindless sense of gratification that comes with mowing down hundreds of enemies with minimal effort. In a slight move away from the usual twin-stick controls though, Crimsonland has you pressing RT to actually fire your weapon, something which I struggled with at first but ultimately ended up feeling like it added to the experience of the game.

Crimsonland has two modes, Quest and Survival. Quest features 70 levels that each pits you against waves of enemies, with plenty of unlockables and power-ups to collect. Obviously these levels get a little more difficult as you progress through the game, but I found the curve to be just right really - actually erring on the easy side if you played with a friend. Survival mode is what you'd expect, but there a few different variants within the mode to playa round with.

Overall I'd say Crimsonland is a solid addition to the Xbox One game library. I went into the game not expecting to think that much of it if I am honest, but in the end I was really enjoying myself. At £9.99 I would say it is a little pricey - I would have been more comfortable recommending it to you if it was around the £7.99 mark instead. But with a sale probably somewhere in the not so distant future I'd say this is a game that is definitely worth picking up.

8/10 BUY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review

How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition (Xbox One) - Review

How To Survive was released on last gen consoles around a year ago and was a game I was pretty intrigued by. I never got around to getting it though, and when I heard about the plans to release it on the Xbox One I waited it out so that I could play it on my nice shiny new console.

For the new gen console they've bundled it with all the DLC and named it How To Survive: Storm Warning Edition. This adds some pretty fun new modes, including the AMAZING One-Shot Escape mode. This mode gives you just one chance (duh!) to fix a vehicle and get your ass off of the island. Supplies are randomised and pretty scarce so this game mode is pretty stressful but a LOT of fun. Another mode added to the game is Barricade, which is like a horde mode - spend the day gathering supplies and try and survive the night.

I don't know whether I'd eat these fish?!

I am a huge fan of the open world zombie games. State of Decay is my all-time favourite and I cannot wait until it is released on the Xbox One. I did expect How To Survive game to come up short in comparison, but it really doesn't. I'm not a big fan of the asymmetric viewpoint in How To Survive, but this game gives us a robust crafting and upgrade system and its piece de resistance? Its CO-OP!

Yes, as you all know I am always keen to find some good co-op games for my partner and I to play and How To Survive delivers this brilliantly. It is this, and probably this alone really, that puts How To Survive above State of Decay in my estimations. For me State of Decay is screaming out for co-op, as are all open world Zombie games really. Who wants to face the Zombie apocalypse alone?!

The horde is coming...

The fact is though that How to Survive does deliver on almost every front. I have to admit that the biggest drawback from this game for me is just the asymmetric viewpoint. I find that these detract from the tension of the game a little, especially in this genre. Asymmetric to me always feels a little cheap, which I understand is a terribly ignorant thing to say, but it is just my opinion. If this had been third or first person it would easily have gotten 10/10 from me as at its core is a fantastic survival game where every decision counts.

The skills trees are great!

The crafting system, as I mentioned before, is really good and there is a great skills tree for you to work your way up to. I love these elements to the game. The characters are all well-thought out too, they are well-balanced and each have their own clear qualities, making playing with a friend a little more tactical - there's no point both of you going for a weak but fast person really is there?

Overall I think this game is a great addition to the Xbox One roster. It's good fun (especially the two modes mentioned earlier) and is a really easy game to pick up and play, even it's just for ten minutes. There are a few things I'd  change with it if I had the power, but it's pretty damn good as it is. Go buy it people!

8/10 BUY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review.

Three Dead Zed (XBLIG) Review

Three Dead Zed is available now on the XBLIG Marketplace for 80MSP.

 Ok so even if you're the biggest Zombie-nerd ever you could be getting tired of the endless Zombie clones finding their way on to your Xbox. Nothing feels new anymore with Zombies (except The Walking Dead) there doesn't seem to be much creativity in them anymore, right?

Wrong! Three Dead Zed is a zombie game with n actual difference. Albeit a few slight ones but still it is NOT a carbon copy!

This game has coupled HUMOUR with ZOMBIES. No, you didn't read that wrong. They have made Zombies funny. Whilst this may be refreshing for some, I can imagine some of the more hardcore zombie-fans getting pretty annoyed right now. To be honest I thought I would hate a humorous take on Zombies to but this game doesn't totally stink.

Basically some scientists are trying to create a smart Zombie. You play as three of their creations. You morph between them to suit the levels needs. The first one, default Zombie can flick switches, the second can run pretty fast and bounce off walls. The third one is a heifer that can crush pretty much anything, or at the very least move it out of your way.

Graphically it is impressive, it's done in a real nice cartoony comic style. It does look a lot better than a lot of indie games. Unfortunately this can not be said for the controls. I am not normally one to just slate controls in games but this one is ridiculous. The controls are all over the place. There are more than a few points in that game that had me annoyed. The running zombie on all fours can cling onto walls and jump onto the next. Sometimes this works great, but at other times he would only bounce off the wall if you hit a teeny tiny bit of the wall. Irritating.

It is a pretty fun game though. It is pretty short-lived fun though with the problems it has at the minute. I found myself getting too irritated to carry on a few times, and I struggled with motivation to attempt it again because of the poor controls. I do like the system of weaknesses and strengths in different Zombies though, and feel like this game pays enough attention to each Zombies shortfalls.

Overall this game is a pretty good idea executed pretty poorly. With a few patches though I think you should give it a try. It is good fun, sometimes.

5/10 TRY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review.

Zombie Driver HD (XBLA) Review

Zombie Driver HD is available now on the XBLA Marketplace for 800MSP.

I was a massive fan of the Carmageddon games back in the day. They were so much fun. So when I heard about this game I thought that it might be a chance to relive some of the fun I used to have on Carmageddon. It sounds like much the same game, but unfortunately I found it fairly lacking.

Maybe it was the top-down viewpoint of this game that made me loose enthusiasm pretty soon in. It made me feel disengaged from the action, which in a zombie game is never good. The art style is good though, and the story segments are very impressive graphically. The first video intro was very atmospheric and I found myself itching to get into the game. And itching some more as the loading times on this game are shoddy. It took so long to get into the game I was wondering whether my Xbox had crashed. Not cool.

Eventually getting into the game I was left a little deflated. Due to the standard of the intro video I was expecting a little more than what I got, which was an ok looking top-down view. I mean I like top-down games, I was just hoping for more option with this one...I think Zombie games work best when you are IN the action, not watching over it.

The controls are pretty jittery and pretty inconsistent. Sometimes I barely moved the stick and went careering off the road. Other times I was pushing the stick as far as it would go for very little movement. I could see no extenuating factors for this, it just seemed to work when it wanted. The turning circle was what irked me the most though. It is HUGE and that's not something you normally encounter on arcade style games such as this.

The gameplay is fun though, but I have to admit not for long. This game starts to feel pointless very early on. I dunno, but about half an hour after starting this game I was feeling pretty drained and I wasn't really having much fun anymore...I was playing for the sake of playing. All you do is drive around, mushing Zombies, shooting them when you get guns, save some people, upgrade car, boss battle...and then it's pretty much that over and over.

It is a nice open world though. I love open world, and this fact alone is what spurred me to play more. I wanted to see what else the world had to offer. Turned out not so much, but I like being able to go where you want in the world, WHEN you want rather than when you're guided there through necessity.

As I said the highlight for me was the story at the beginning and I was eagerly awaiting more of the same. That isn't what is delivered though. Story here-on-in is delivered through text boxes and a rather awful voice actor. This game turned pretty horrid round about the same time I realised this. Trying to skip the monologues proved fruitless too, no option to skip the awful drone.

I wanted to like this game. I wanted to rekindle the passion that Carmageddon gave me for gaming all those years ago. But this game failed to deliver the fun. It's just an ok game. It's ok if you have 800MSP burning a whole through your pocket an want to mash some Zombies under some tyres. That's about it.

5/10 TRY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review.

Snops Attack! Zombie Defense (XBLIG) Review

Snops Attack! Zombie Defense is out now for the very fair price of 240MSP. Find it on the XBLIG Marketplace!

Snops Attack! is a vertical-scrolling bullet frenzy that sees you fighting against wave after wave of zombie cats and their alien friends. So what do we do when Zombie cats are attacking? Send in an extremely cute Lhasa Apso of course!
When I first heard about this game I thought it sounded a little bit mental...but mental in a good way. It turns out that this game is mental in a GREAT way!
The visuals are stunning, we're honestly not losing anything by it being a 2D game it really does look beautiful. And best of all I never noticed any lag or dodgy graphics when the screen was absolutely full of enemies, flashing guns etc etc. It handled really well where a lot of games may have struggled.
The music is really fun too. Overall it all comes together to just make for a simple fun experience.

The controls are easy to master, the game however is not which gives it longevity. After each wave of zombiefied cats there is a huge variant of one of the enemies that acts as the boss for that level. I found the first few of these pretty easy but the games does get pretty difficult. Not so difficult that you start hating the game though, just difficult enough that you'll keep picking it up to try and get further!
If this had had a few more features I believe this could easily have been a lower priced XBLA Game. It's the type of game that first attracted me to XBLA and XBLIG titles, fun, simple, pick up and play action. Everyone should try it out!

8/10 BUY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review.

DLC - For Love or Profit?

DLC is meant to prolong the longevity of a game, but instead it seems more and more developers are releasing downloadable content that should have been included in the retail version.

Personally I LOVE DLC. I have spent a hell of a lot of money on all the DLC packs for, amongst many others, Mass Effect 1 & 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Dragon Age: Origins, Gears of War 1 & 2, Borderlands and various Call of Duty games. I have also spent a small fortune on my Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Lips music libraries. I have no aversion to developers bringing out DLC - in fact I embrace it. I love that they are making it possible for us to go back to a game we’d completed and have something new to do, even a year after the release. 

Worth the extra 1200MSP??

But I think that should be the purpose of DLC. DLC should be an optional increase to an already amazing game. I feel there are some developers who are releasing below par games with the view to releasing a few DLC packs to cash in. Take the Call of Duty franchise for example. The games that include Zombie mode only include 1 map for the game mode. Now I am aware that Zombies isn’t the main focus for these games but if you are going to include something in a game I don’t think it should be half-assed, and to me that is what Zombies mode feels like. Particularly in the first CoD game to include this mode, Call of Duty: World at War. This zombie map basically saw players put in a hut and told to survive. There were none of the perks, machines or the desperate run to turn on the power. There was no long slog to learn the map. It was as basic as it could get so of course when DLC packs were released that promised fun by the bucket-load we all jumped at it and didn’t think twice about the extra 1200MSP spent. Our appetite for zombie annihilation was sated, for a while at least. But more and more DLC was released and we kept on buying. Overall how much have you spent on a CoD game? And after all that money, does it feel like a game with extras, or just a complete retail release? If you have bought all the map packs for CoD: Black Ops up to now you have spent £70/$105 on this game, would you have paid that for the disc in store? Somehow I doubt a game priced that high would do as well.

Resident Evil 5 was also a culprit. Capcom went as far as to release multiplayer DLC soon after retail release. The DLC was announced BEFORE the release of the game and included the games only online VS multiplayer. 400MSP saw players able to take the Mercenaries mode online and fight in 5 different modes, Slayers, Survivors, Team Slayers, Team Survivors and Versus. Surely this is something that should have been included in a $60/£40 game?

DLC is an amazing way to prolong the enjoyment gleaned from a game. I completed Mass Effect 2 last year but when ‘The Arrival’ DLC was released I was as excited as I had been when playing the game for the first time. That to me is what DLC should be. Improving an already amazing game. Not making a game complete at an extra cost.