So, I've been really excited for this game. After it came out, it got mediocre reviews, so I decided I better rent it before buying it.
I have NEVER played a MORE FRUSTRATING game in my LIFE.
... think about that for a minute. Every single moment of the game that I have played thus far (SP only) has been torturously frustrating. I'm so frigging pissed right now that I can't go to sleep. No game has affected me in this way in a long time. Here's why:
1. Knockback/knockdown juggling. Your enemies are really good at this. Whether it's one with a super weapon or many with many simple weapons, prepare to be knocked down/staggered in this game. A LOT. If you don't time a dive perfectly when getting up, expect to be knocked back down. It's incredibly cheap.
2. Explosions. What I thought were gorgeous in the demo are very frustrating in play. They completely obscure the screen and you can't see what the hell's going on. This doesn't seem to affect enemy AI as they continue to pelt you mercilessly.
3. Enemies. They're either not challenging at all, where I felt absolutely no danger, or they're so tough I ended up finding cheap ways to beat them. Your character doesn't run fast, he's not able to take cover, and the dodge is done by pressing in the left thumbstick + A. This means it's pretty much a slugfest or you're diagonal running a lot (as the AI seems to have trouble hitting you when you do that).
4. Horrible cutscenes and story. It's by Capcom, and if you've ever played one of their games (and who hasn't) you know their story is going to be bad. At the beginning of the game, your character is pulled from a mech with amnesia *groan* and then the three snow pirates *bigger groan* who did so are SURPRISED when you say you can pilot a mech! *biggest groan of frustration of all*
5. T-Energy. Short for Thermal Energy- all enemies drop it, as do certain objects in the game. It's basically life points. The problem is, E.D.N. III (I told you- cheese!) is so cold that this is constantly ticking down. It's a constant strain to keep it up while killing off enemies. In spots this can be really annoying, such as when you just want to run away from an enemy.
By all my complaining, you'd think I had nothing positive to say about the game. That's probably why it's so frustrating- it has some good points. The graphics originally blew me away (though they pale to Gears of War). The setting is pretty, the enemies look cool, and the guns are fun to mess with. The mechs are great, once you're in it, though getting in and out is a pain. You even have a neat grappling hook- who can beat that?
But the good doesn't come anywhere near outweighing the bad, at least for me. Does anyone else have a different view on this game? I'm still going to try it again but I've already turned it off twice.
