Review: Dark Sector for the Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 game Dark Sector is a unique take on the third person over-the-shoulder action game and it has an interesting storyline that will keep you entertained while you play through it. The game follows a Hayden Tenno, a CIA operative in a former soviet state where a malevolent virus has threatened the populace. Hayden is infected at the beginning of the game and it mutates him giving him the ability to grow a three-bladed weapon called a “glaive” at will. The glaive can be thrown at enemies and it will return like a boomerang. On top of the glaive Hayden can pick up and use any weapon in the environment; however enemy weapons have proximity detectors and will blow up if you go too far away from the body so you have a very limited range with stolen weapons. You also always have your pistol but ammo is in short supply so when you can use the glaive it is highly advisable.
Throughout the game there are a few sewers that act as hubs for a black market operation where you can buy weapons and upgrades with money that you find lying around the environment. You will encounter many enemies in bio-suits throughout the game as well as zombies, a byproduct of the virus. Your glaive will play a key part in the game, it will be necessary to open locks and to take down some barriers so it is important to master the mechanics. The game is appropriately titled since many of the environments are very dark and can be slightly difficult to navigate. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a variety of environments many of the environments are outside and very light.
The games controls are decent but can be a little slow at times, especially when zombies are attacking and you want to attack quickly (the problem is similar to the pistol melee in Halo, why does the Master Chief flip the pistol? It is a waste of time and the glaive melee can be slow like this too) The camera view is similar to Gears of War so it is no problem. The graphics aren’t bad and the glaive can actually slice off limbs which is probably a main reason why the game is rated “M.” The puzzles can be a little difficult to solve without a guide but when you realize that throwing your glaive at electric panels or fire will temporarily charge it or light it on fire allowing you to then electrify or set fire to an object that will help immensely. Overall the game is not bad but not worth going out of your way, I wouldn’t pay more than $20 on it (I actually got it free)
Gameplay: 8
Story: 8
Replay Value: 7
Graphics: 8
Overall: 7.75

Console Warranties

I decided to write this opinion piece in light of a trend that I am finding to be quite annoying in video games. As games have gotten better graphically, been able to store more data, and do all kinds of new crazy stuff the rate of broken consoles has skyrocketed. My dad bought an Atari 2600 in the early 1980's it still works fine to this day. I never had a problem with my Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, or Playstation 2. However my family, as a whole,has gone through 2 Xbox's and my brother's Xbox 360 has needed repair twice in as many years. The first problem was the "Red Ring of Death" which was fixed under Microsoft's warranty. However this new problem is something diferent and isn't covered so he as to pay $100 to get it fixed.

I was reading through the Microsoft warranty on the Xbox 360 and it only covers faults by the manufacturer (which is common and fine they shouldn't have to fix it for free if YOU mess it up) up to one year from the purchase date. You need to provide some kind of proof of puchase to proove that the console is within one year of its original sale date. The warranty was extended to three years on the older models because of the RROD but only for the RROD. If you have any other malfunction (even if it was faulty hardware) you aren't getting it fixed for free. This is ridiculous. If the hardware is faulty or was put together wrong then it should be fixed at no cost to the consumer. Why can't the warranty be extended until the nex generation of consoles comes out? It seems unfair that if 366 days after you buy it a chip breaks and the machine won't work that you have to pay to get them to fix it. The warranty should last until the new generation comes along. Is it really that big of a deal for the company to fix what they messed up until they come out with a new product, it is only 5-6 years, after that most consoles have been replaced by a newer model. Are they saying that they don't trust their product enough to believe it will function properly for 5-6 years? My dad's Atari is nearing 30 years old and it still works.

Another thing to be wary about is that the warranty only extends to the first purchaser, if you buy a console used you need to take it up with the seller if it breaks and they don't always have policies. But that is why you should just buy it new.

In short, the game consoles seem to be much more fragile now and it isn't fair to subject unlucky consumers to $100 fees everytime the company's faulty hardware decides to act up.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Coming June 16th

Well, its finally official, Ghostbusters: The Video Game will hit store shelves on June 16th of this year. News out of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is that Atari has made the date official for North America, European Ghostheads will have to wait another 3 days until the 19th (sorry guys first the RGB DVD's don't come to you and now you need to wait 3 more days, oh well) So my countdown clock should be completely accurate.

Look for my next post I'll be putting up soon, it'll be my opinion on console warranties and why Microsoft has really dropped the ball on that one.

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Xbox

2009 marks the 25th anniversary of my two favorite pop culture phenomenons; Ghostbusters and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In celebration of this I have decided to review all of the Ghostbusters and Ninja Turtles games that I can get my hands on. Throughout the year I will review at least one game per month. I will start now with the Ninja Turtles game based on the 2003 cartoon for the Xbox. This game was also released on the Playstation 2 and the Nintendo Gamecube.
Konami continued to produce Ninja Turtles games when the franchise was resurrected in 2003 as a Saturday morning cartoon on Fox. This first installment by Konami was one of the best TMNT games of the 4 that were based on the 2003 cartoon. The game featured a storyline that closely followed several episodes from the series, but it added some new stuff. The game splices in clips from the television show, in particular the episodes; Things Change, Notes from the Underground, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and Return to New York.
You pick one turtle to control and you guide him through the levels by yourself or with one other player. There are several levels and each level has 5-6 areas. You will get a solid 4-5 hours of gameplay from the main story but it must be remembered that this is a kid’s game so adults will beat it quicker and easier than children who may take 8-10 hours. There is the co-op story mode but then there is also a competitive multiplayer where you pick your character and face off against another player or even a CPU.
The gameplay itself is fun if a little repetitive. The “B” button jumps while the “A” performs a weak attack and the “X” performs a strong attack. The “Y” button throws shurikens if you have them. The enemies include mousers, purple dragons, foot ninja, and monsters in the underground. Most enemies take 2-3 hits to defeat, they disintegrate when you defeat them (it’s a kids game after all) There are boxes throughout the levels that you can smash open to get power ups, scrolls, or health. The power-ups will boost your defense, your attack, or your speed. The scrolls can be used to level up your abilities and open new combos. The health comes in the form of soda, hot dog buns, burgers, or pizza. Each one gives you back a different amount of health I have listed them in order of least powerful to most powerful. You are given 6 lives and if you are even decent that will be more than enough. There are also training stages in the middle of levels called “Dojo stages” where your character is given a specific challenge to increase his stats.
The graphics are just right for this type of game; they correspond well to the cartoon animation and they are nice and colorful. The game could have used more use of the other characters in terms of the gameplay, as we will see in later installments, it could have had the other 3 turtles as NPC’s or it could have allowed for on the spot switching between characters. For what it is (a kid’s game based on a cartoon) it is very good. If you are a fan it is a must have.

Gameplay: 8

Story: 7.5

Replay Value: 8

Graphics: 9

Overall: 8.1

Check back soon for more and have a happy healthy start to 2009!