Review: From Dust (XBLA/PSN)

Ubisoft has been on a hot streak of downloadable titles dating back from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, all the way up to current titles like Outland, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, and the HD reiteration of last generation's Beyond Good & Evil.  Now, they've set the XBLA record for highest one day sales with their current release, From Dust.

Once I heard it was a 'playing god' game, I immediately thought of the 2001 PC game, Black & White, but apparently its closer to Populous (1989), which I've never played.  I tried to spend a lot of time with Black & White, but for some reason, my brain does not work well with real-time strategy games.  I enjoyed it, but was not that successful with it (or any other RTS since).  From Dust seemed like a fresh start for me and my RTS phobia.  I mean, how complicated could an it's an Xbox Live Arcade title be?  

From Dust begins with you the player controlling The Breath, which is kind of a mini-smoke monster, from the television show, LOST.  While you do have the powers of destruction, you are mostly in the business of production.  That is, producing avenues of travel through various topographical features.  As The Breath, you can gather water, sand (earth), and lava and drop them anywhere that you desire.  The challenge of the game comes in the fact that you must make areas habitable and accessible for the tribe people through the constantly changing environments.

The mask-donning tribesmen (and women), need to get from one area (world) to the next through portals.  They accomplish this by settling villages, not just anywhere, but around huge meerkat-resembling totems.  This is where The Breath comes in.  Piling up sand creates landforms (which can be washed away through erosion or grow vegetation, which in turn brings animals), cooling lava creates rock (which the sand can be piled upon, but also eroded more slowly) and water can be siphoned out of areas to accomplish tasks.

The areas around the totems are not always accessible and are usually quite susceptible to natural disasters.  So, passageways need to be created, but at the same time important areas (villages, totems) need to be protected.  When 5 of the tribespeople safely reach a totem, (which is sometimes a lesson in head scratching at the route they try to take) a village is created, unlocking a special aptitude that can be used.  However, once it's created does not mean that it's perpetually safe.  Herein, lies the essence of the game: battling the forces of nature along with the strange decision of your lemming-like tribespeople.

Gameplay

When you first begin to pick up earth or water, into those magnificent spheres, I'll admit, you do feel somewhat powerful.  The introductory levels are quick and relatively simple, just to get you going.  Before you know it, giant sea swells and active volcanoes are introduced.  The disasters run on a timer, so there isn't much time to marvel at the setting.  You can see the seconds ticking down until the next disaster, but are pretty much helpless.  They're going to happen, you just need to be prepared for the fallout.  

In one instance, I had spent over 30 minutes on a level, finally coming to the realization that I was going about it all wrong.  There was a very slim chance that I was going to be able to complete the level, even if I, in a sense, started over doing what needed to be done in the first place.  I spent another 40 minutes doing what I thought best, but felt like I was playing catch-up the whole time and not making any progress in between disasters.  Spending that amount of time on a task and having it come up short was ultimately frustrating.  You really need to make quick decisions and prioritize what needs to get done before the next disaster.  Plus, the camera isn't the best with zooming too close at times, leaving some of the tribe burned because you tried to make a rock wall protecting a village or accidentally drowned as you mistakenly sprayed water on them.

When members of the tribe begin moving towards their newest destination, the game shows you the ways they will take, either a white pathway (good) or a red pathway (bad).  I'm not sure how educated these tribespeople are, but on more than a couple of occasions, I had built, what I thought of, as a perfectly good land mass to carry them to an island, but many forsake and went another way, basically drowning themselves in the water.  There's a way you can zoom in to the villagers and get an extremely sparse bio about them (one sentence), but there is no way to select which villagers you want to make the trek to the next totem.  That, coupled with the sometimes bizarre AI of the tribe, leads to annoyance more often than not.  Why can't they see that huge wave coming directly at them?  Why are they just standing in the path of that lava flow?  I kind of wished that the men and women actually did something, like had different roles or talents.  Otherwise is got repetitive just sucking the elements from one area and depositing them in another.

Ultimately, at the end of the game, it becomes the experience I was kind of hoping for, as you finally get the chance to play sandbox-style.  Sadly, by then I had experienced all I had wanted out of From Dust.  If you do end up liking the gameplay, there are challenges that can be unlocked which involve much more of a specific task, and prolong the game.

Graphics

cutscenes are well done and look gorgeous but really didn't enthrall me with an entrancing story.

Sound

Hearing the tidal wave approaching followed by the yelling tribesmen as it hit, also got to me the first few times, but my ineptitude with the game lent that to happening quite a bit.  The background music is fitting with the theme, kind of tribal beatish vibe.

Replay Value

Between the story and all of the challenges, I'd say you get your money's worth (or MSP worth) in terms of length.  I have to wonder how many purchasers will actually see the story to completion and turn to many of the challenges.  There are rumors that there are plans for expansion like a map editor and multiplayer.  Even though my experience wasn't the best with From Dust, I'd be willing to give it another look if that actually does happen.

Score

7.0

From Dust does not really give you enough power to be or feel god-like.  From someone who is terrible at and usually shies away from this type of game, I gave it my all.  I never felt connected with or appreciated by the tribe people who I was doing all this work for.  Maybe that really is how a Supreme Being feels, after all.

From Dust is the 2nd offering in Xbox Live's Summer of Arcade.  It is available for 1200 MSP ($15).  Coming soon for PC (August 17) and sometime in the fall for PSN.

Review: Outland (PSN/XBLA)

I typically don't purchase downloadable games during their first week of release, I must like to physically hold the game box or wait for the eventual sale, but something about Outland made me buy it on Day 1.  For some reason the character art reminded me of Cole, from Infamous.  Anyway, I added funds to my Playstation wallet and got started.

Outland comes from Housemarque studios (Dead Nation, Super Stardust HD) and Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia) and is a unique 2D action platformer.  It borrows, but also gives nods to games like Castlevania, Metroid, and Super Mario Brothers, but still manages to seem fresh and innovative.

Our Hero is having some bad dreams and does the smart thing by visiting a Shaman, who begins telling of a Great Wheel and two sisters who lived ages ago.  They created the world, then strove to destroy it, but were imprisoned before their plans were complete.  Now, the sisters have escaped and the original hero who battled them has perished, and it seems like the Hero has some link to him via the nightmares.  Thus the quest begins with a trusty sword, to right the wrongs and save the world.

Gameplay

Outland starts off quite basic, as you are eased into your role as the Hero.  Typical moves such as jump, slash, and slide are introduced, and as you progress variations similar to wall jump and ground pound become available.  There are bombs you can hit to open areas or destroy enemies and spikes scattered throughout, and the requisite levitating platforms are also existent.

You begin the game as the Hero with a yellow energy (the third primary color, along with blue and red, representing dark and light, which become quite important later) and can be damaged by any color enemy, as well as a standard health meter.  Navigating the maze of each level is made easier with a map that can be called upon at any time.  Old-schoolers will definitely try to navigate without it.  On the map, a "spirit guide" shows you where you need to get to to progress further.  Sometimes that involves hitting a switch which opens a door that was previously locked, usually involving backtracking, or other times marks the passageway to another area.  There are a few save points strategically placed in each area, which make dying a lot less painful.  

Once the Hero gets the hang of his powers for a couple of levels, light and dark energies are introduced.  This marks the turning point and the basis for the whole game and amplifies what was just an average platformer.  With the press of a button, our Hero can change from light energy to dark energy at will, and it's this polarity feature that makes the game so ingenious.  To inflict damage, you need to be the opposite color of the enemy.  So, if you select red energy you can damage blue enemies but you can still take damage from both.  Another instance this crops up is with platforms.  You are only able to ride platforms mirroring the energy that you are using (the opposite appears transparent).  Many times you need to jump from one color platform to the next, which is a different color.  Switching energies mid-jump can be confusing at first, as you are almost pushing two buttons at once, but after a few attempts, feels more natural.

The moments where the game really wows, is when red and blue streams or dots litter the screen and your objective is on the other side.  The first time I encountered that screen I was mesmerized by the hypnotic patterns, but at the same time ready to shut off my console.  The developers seemed to be smart (or evil, depending on your point of view) enough to not allow just racing through.  It almost always leads to death.  Luckily, if you just watch the pattern for a bit, things generally become clearer and the solution opens up.  Executing it in a timely fashion, on the other hand...

The world of Outland is split up into 5 main areas: Jungle, Underworld, City, Sky, and Eternity.  There are subtle differences between the settings, but nothing major.  Each areas has five or six "levels" to it and culminate with a Boss battle.  The Bosses are really well done.  Difficult at first, but ultimately fair.  The Boss battles also get longer and more complex the deeper you delve into the game. They are all different and their entrances are intimidating and somewhat reminiscent, at least to me, of Shadow of the Colossus.  After defeating 4 Bosses, you need to battle the aforementioned sisters, and complete your quest.  There are some collectibles to collect, if you're into that completionist (or trophy/achievement) thing

Graphics

The screenshots and trailers really drew me into the game, so it's no surprise that the graphical style is frequently mentioned.  Think a mixture of Greek and Mayan mythology, with a fusion of TRON.  The creatures, while somewhat varied, were pretty average (except for the Bosses), but I thought that the human-looking foes were admirably done.  If you jumped over one or hid, they would momentarily look around for you, before resuming their patrol.  If you vanquished one, their "soul" would drift away from their body.  The Hero, with his loincloth flapping, also moves fluidly and responsively, which is a plus in this type of game.  Yes, there are creatures that very much resemble Metroids

Sound

Didn't really stand out for me at first, but it didn't have to.  I was so enthralled with the graphics that I wasn't looking for the next great symphony.  There are the appropriate tribal beats, but also some trance-like melodies, which do really put you in the proper dream state.

Replay Value

Teleport.  An online co-op mode is available, where 2 players can battle through a challenge room, but only one of the players is able to change the light/dark polarity.  Additionally, there are Arcade chapters, in which a whole world needs to be cleared (5-6 levels, plus the Boss) in a certain time limit.

Rating

8

Outland is available from PSN and XBLA for $9.99 or 800 MS points.  I played the PSN version for a little over 8 hours, not quite defeating the 4th Boss (The Winged Serpent).....yet.

*Backlog Buster* Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3/XBOX 360) Review

Ezio Auditore di Firenze is back for his second adventure, and the third Assassin's Creed game from Ubisoft.  While his mission was complete in his mind at the end of Assassin's Creed II, a few of his confidantes didn't think so.  The additon of a few new Borgia members, most notably Cesare, become the main villians.  I actually purchased this game first, before the first two games in the series, but waited a few months to try out the single player as I had never played an Assassin's Creed game before.  It always seemed so daunting and seemed like there were too many actions to perform and not enough buttons and the game too vast.  Once I got the hang of the multiplayer, I gave the single player a try.

After debating a while, even though I had heard you didn't need to play the previous iterations, I purchased and completed the first two games, aptly titled: Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II.  I'm really glad I did, as it added more to the whole experience of Brotherhood through some inside jokes and older characters returning.  I would recommend at least playing ACII, before Brotherhood.

I was a big Altair fan from the beginning, so I was a bit disappointed when Ezio was introduced.  In fact, even after completing Assassin's Creed II (platinum trophy!) he still hadn't won me over.  So when I popped in my Brotherhood disc, I was expecting to be a little disappointed.  Needless to say, Ezio really won me over with this game (the Assasssin's Creed: Revelations E3 trailer helped a bit too).

Gameplay
After being dropped in a battle scene where you need to just press buttons, Brotherhood opens with you replaying the final moments from Assassin's Creed II, in which Ezio must escape with his Uncle Mario.  The game quickly returns to Monteriggioni, which had changed a bit, however, with a few simple memories to make sure you still remember how to control Ezio, the main game begins.  The quaint town is quickly under attack, so Ezio and friends need to escape.

After a brief interlude with Desmond, Lucy and the 2012 crew, the game, then turns its sights to Rome.  After AC II, with all of the different towns to visit, I was a bit surprised to see Brotherhood only featuring one city.  This is definitely the Liberty City version of Rome, which seems absolutely huge (makes Florence seem like Forli).  Within Rome, however, there are nicer parts, poorer parts, and even countryside settings, which reminded me of the original Assassin's Creed game, with the variations.

The missions are what you'd expect, however I loved the variety in Brotherhood.  It wasn't all about the killing.  Two words sum up why this game is the best in the series:  Full Synchronization.  Someone not as enamored with the AC series could still enjoy this game, but potential "couch assassin's" get so much more out of it.  Each mission could be completed how the user preferred and still progress through the story, but those who take their games seriously could opt to carry out the mission the way Ezio would, and achieve Memory Full Synchronization. This could mean do the mission in a certain time limit, use a particular weapon, don't be detected, don't use the roof, don't kill anyone, etc.  The first time I only achieved 50% synchronization on a memory sequence, I immediately paused and restarted the mission, sometimes multiple times (you know who you are "Hell on Wheels").

This game is loaded with optional side missions, as well.  There are still the Tomb Raideresque missions (this time called Follower's of Romulus Lairs - which are worth it for the bonus after they are all completed), the search for Subject 16's video, feathers to collect (only 10 this time), Borgia flags (101, but you can purchase maps), the usual contracts (Assassination, Courtesan, Thieves), Guild Challenges (Assassination, Courtesan, Thieves), and the capturing of Borgia Towers under command from a Borgia leader (Some fight, others run and hide, leaving you to wait until a guard shift change to challenge them again) . The addition of the crossbow, throwing multiple knives at a time, Leonardo missions (where you try out some of his inventions - Renaissance tanks!), and horseback riding as it should be, make things even more interesting and enjoyable.

But, what would the game be without a Brotherhood of assassins?  For every Borgia Tower toppled, you can recruit one assassin (male or female, even).  These can then be trained (by being sent on missions in other places) and upgraded with better armor and weapons until they reach the ultimate ranking of assassin.  When the assassins are needed, they can be called upon to help you battle forces or dispose of foes without you being spotted or bothered.  They also have a power called arrow storm, which releases a flurry of arrows out of nowhere into multiple targets in your vicinity.  While the training of recruits was quite basic, as you had to pick proper missions to send them, resulting in experience points and subsequent leveling up, they certainly come in handy.

The story progresses nicely, with even a few surprises thrown in.  Ezio is one determined dude, but you do get to see a softer side of him as he matures, especially when it's not all about the assassinations.  Where it does seem to lag, is unfortunately in the 2012 sections.  The interactions between Desmond and Lucy seemed forced, while Shaun is even more irritating than before.  Plus, guiding Desmond around, seems to lack much of the fluidity that Ezio posesses.  At least those sections are few and far between.  Yes, I did achieve 100% Synchronization in all missions, including every side mission, and often liked just roaming around finding treasures, flags, etc, so that my 55 hours invested in the game, really felt like around half of that.

The fact that this game finally has multiplayer, has to be mentioned.  The fact that it is actually very good definitely deserves higher praise.  Multiplayer in Brotherhood is a totally different experience than I'm used to.  There are a variety of modes, some where you're on your own (Wanted), and some where you're part of a small team (Alliance, Manhunt).  Anyone looking for a run and stab kind of game should look elsewhere.  The mulitplayer modes do a great job of mirroring the single player experience, but kicked up a few notches.  It's all about blending in and sneaking around.  In Wanted, you're searching for your target, but are also being targeted by one or more of your opponents.  The more obscure your kill, the more points you'll get.  This is a game where you need to sit up and concentrate!

In Manhunt, for example, for one round, you and your teammates are the hunters, but in the next round become the hunted.  Any mode I've played definitely gets the blood pumping.  It does have to be noted that actually getting into a multiplayer game can be tortuous.  Sometimes it connects with the correct amount of users and the game starts right up, but more often than not, you are waiting 15-20 minutes before you get a full group of 6 or 8.  Extremely frustrating, to say the least.  It's tough going at the beginning being lower leveled, but once you get to level 29 (poison is now an option), I would think things pick up (I'm currently at level 25).

Graphics
The cities are quite detailed, but often a little repetitive.  If you don't mind that kind of thing (I didn't), you'll be fine.  I did like the differences in regions, from the buildings, to the clothes the people wore.  There is, however, quite a bit of pop-up when on a horse.  I didn't notice it so much at the beginning of the game, but later on when I was trying to avoid certain groups of troops, all of a sudden a guy would pop in on top of a building's roof.  I'm not really a huge graphics person and I was so immersed in the story, that it wasn't a game killer.

Sound
The city is vibrant with sound, ranging from people getting annoyed that you ran into them, to those mystified by your agile grace, and the return engagement of those annoying minstrels (which I just tackled this time around).  Also, the score does pick up, especially in tense moments, with the correct mood music.

Replay Value
There is A TON to do in this game, especially if you'd like FULL SYNCHRONIZATION on all missions, and the additional sidequests.  I'd say a quick run through might take around 15 hours, and going for everything around 30-40 hours (or my 55 hours).  Quite a lot, I think.  Ubisoft could have just put out a filler game for half of that.  The multiplayer adds infinite replay, in my opinion.  That is when you get connected.

RATING:
9.3

As enjoyable a game as I've come across, although I am an AC fanboy.  Definitely the best in the series to date.

I paid $37.99 for a new copy of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and played for over 55 hours, not counting additional DLC missions.