The Video Game Revue

WotB: Commando 3

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 hasn't fared to well in its Metacritic score, which currently sits at 65. I haven't played the game extensively yet, but I did pick it up, and 65 is pretty harsh. Triggerheart Exelica managed a score of 63, and I was much less impressed with that one.

The standard disclaimer applies to both of these games: how much you enjoy them depends heavily on your personal expectations. In my case, WoTB:C3 was pretty much exactly what I figured it would be, and I was even pleasantly surprised by the level of polish that went into it. It doesn't have high production values or particularly fancy online play, but then, it is just a $10 XBLA game. If you're looking for an experience on par with Halo 3, GTA IV, or BioShock, you aren't going to find it here. This is a much lower league of gaming, and whether or not you figure it to be worth your while is partly a matter of taste.

Triggerheart Exelica, on the other hand, left me wanting. I didn't buy the full version, thankfully. Based on what little I've seen, I would have difficulty finding reasons to keep playing it even if it were free (achievement points aside, heh). It's basically a shameless Raiden clone with some smutty anime panty-flashing thrown in as a kicker. Which is to say that it's not all bad (heh), but definitely isn't up to competing for my attention when I already have stuff like Ikaruga or even Commando 3 to play. Triggerheart Exelica doesn't "pop."

Speaking of Raiden, the fourth installment is on the way, and it's said to be a full release rather than a mere XBLA game. I was pretty happy with Raiden III on the PS2, so I have some hope for this one.

I'm much more excited about BlazBlue, a new fighting game by the makers of Guilty Gear (and it shows). Combined with the upcoming release of Samurai Shodown Anthology for PS2 and, naturally, Street Fighter IV, I think that the next 6 to 12 months are going to be pretty hot for fighting games. Soul Calibur is coming to XBLA, Tekken 6 is going to hit the PS3 eventually, and King of Fighters XII is in development. Who knows, maybe Soul Cal IV will even manage to not suck.

I guess that while I'm on the topic, I should mention that I've played some Arcana Hearts and found it kinda lacking. It's entertaining for its fringe value, and feels a lot like a good quality doujin game that somehow managed to get published. (Maybe that's what it is?) But I'm not nearly tired enough of my other PS2 fighting game staples (Capcom vs SNK 2, Street Fighter III, Street Fighter Alpha Anthology, King of Fighters XI, Guilty Gear X2, and Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum) to make much room for Arcana Hearts. It is better than Triggerheart Exelica, however. :)

posted by Parappa @ 3:49 PM