Surf's Up
After Happy feet here we are reviweing a new title dedicated to the young public, that sees penguins as absolute protagonists. Surf's Up has as only aim the one to promote the homonym movie; despite this, it's not a game to understimate about the entertainment profile.
The movie hasn't arrived at our cinemas yet, but let's summarize the plot taken from the net: Surf'up is the new action movie by Sony Pictures, seeing Cody Maverick as protagonist, a penguing who wants to make his way in the surf world by winnning the annual contest ?Big Z Memorial Surf-Off?. The aim of the game is to gain a certain number of points to pass over the levels. For every level, 2 points minimum limits will be given that you'll need to reach to pass on the next session. Despite this, just the first one will be necessary. Once you've chosen you character, you won't have nothing to do except surfing by riding an ever-living wave (a dream for any surfer) and gain as many points as you can. At the left of your screen you'll find a level bar: the trick meter. This is the level of the tricks' energy at your disposal, as much it will be high, as much you can execute special moves, pass through the obstacles or pass another competitor. During your way, you'll have to pass gates, collecting power-ups (that will increase your energy level) and break certain objects.
The movement controls are of a good level and the gameplay is pleasant. The use of the gamepad gets the movements even better. The prerequisites to make this game work properly are very low, which is another point in favour. Generally, we can't say the title has big flaws, instead it results a little flat. The game difficulty is really low and you'll easily get your targets. The differences between a character and another stands in their body, some will be more dexterous in twists, others will be faster, etc. The game modes are three: single player championship, multiplayer and Leaf Sliding. The first takes you over the levels by gaining points. The multiplayer mode accepts only 2 players, it is not online and has a limited number of maps. In the last mode you'll ride a single great wave between 3 determined routes. It's funny for the first time at least.
The game has a good basic presentation. The graphic is not exciting but the characters have a good details level, the water effects are well cured and the animation of some moves is well made. The other animations have some not first-level textures, but generally they aren't to be thrown away.
The sound is good, mainly because some of the movie actors were used to dub and create the samples of the relative characters. Most of the dialogues come out of some news given to you at the beginning of the levels and of your characters' comments during the acrobatic evolutions. The soundtrack is less exciting, almost every song is rock and too predictable and generic, and some of them are even songs copied from Simple Plan and Homegrown's ones.
Surf's Up deservers a full sufficiency. It was realized for a promoting purpose, but it gave us some hours of pure enjoying. The plot could surely be better and a story mode might have been well accepted, but after all the characters and their evolutions give that irony characterization which is always well accepted. Surely the target of this title is mainly composed by kids, because an adult will spendno Euro for this videogame, but for the ones with children it can represent a very good choice. For some but not for all. |
FrancescoPontillo - 20/08/2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Title: Universe At War: Earth Assault
Platform: PC
Release date: January 2008
Genre: Strategy
Author: zsinger
Vote: 7.6
|
Universe at War: Earth appears to be, at first sight, an attempt to deliver and old style RTS game, with some innovations. Petroglyph developers have introduced three new alien races, two of which never seen before in RTS gaming.
Plot
“And the earth stands on the brink of destruction…” it’s the year 2012 and the alien forces called The Hierarchy have descended upon the planet earth destroying everything in their path. As human force prepare for strikes back, a new mysterious alien force arrives: the Novus. Novus are sentient machines whose only will is to destroy their nemesis, The Hierarchy. .... |
|
|
