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Posts Tagged ‘Rise’

We have nothing against console games in general. Some of us actually use them to unwind after a day of hitting the PC hard in the office. However, we do expect certain standards from a PC title, one of which is that the PC version of a multi-platform release has to be better than its console brethren. This is really not negotiable.

There will be more problems with a PC title, we know we can usually expect that, but it should look and play better as well as contain some extra content if we’re lucky. PC hardware allows that to happen. However, in this case, the PC release of Rise of the Argonauts has fallen flat on its face. Down an open sewer.

The Horror

Perhaps we should start at the beginning on this one. The very first indication that something had gone awry was after the unnecessarily lengthy installation, when the very first screen after the obligatory intro credits said ‘Press Start’. There is obviously no start button on our keyboard that we can find but moreover this just screamed CONSOLE PORT.

Next, we hit the menu section to tweak some settings. The graphics options were much less complex than we are used to, barely anything outside resolution could be altered. The control configuration took a similar route and to our dismay, keys could not be remapped. There are three pre-set control layouts, it is that or nothing. More console copy paste.

Our initial foray into the game itself created a very bad impression. The graphics are supposed to be powered by the Unreal Engine, but the bland textures and barren scenery of the first level had us scratching our heads about where the Unreal tech was used. The camera is a bit of a mission on its own, not affording us the range of angles and movement we are used to; simply looking up and down is not possible.

The second time around, we’d hooked up an Xbox gamepad to try and overcome a few of the control hassles we experienced. Activation of God Powers is a nightmare on the keyboard, especially for a left-handed person like yours truly. Adding a gamepad suddenly makes the game playable, revealing how little was done to port RotA to the PC. The control menu switches to the default Xbox 360 layout, converts directly to the Xbox version of the game and control became much easier with a gamepad in hand. The camera still sucked though.

Once past the initial (bad) impression, the play through of RotA is not too terrible. There are some novel systems, with deeds (read: achievements) that can be dedicated to the gods in exchange for skill points. Dialogue choices can fill these god-meters too. These unlock upgrades and abilities that can be used in battle and the skill tree is pretty extensive.

The game is also not as bare and bland as it seems on first viewing. There are some very nice textures and effects later in the game and the FMV sequences also seem to get better as time passes.

Combat improves upon progression, though even from early stages it is mostly a repetitive affair. The only notable differences are the boss battles, which change things up a mite. There is a full RPG system in place, with party members that stay aboard the Argo unless you take them along for the trip. These would be the Argonauts of mythology. The game’s storyline doesn’t really bear mention.

It follows the myth pretty closely (for a given definition of close) and has the player taking the role of King Jason, trying to resurrect his love by obtaining the Golden Fleece. This leads to the next tragedy within the game: the never ending conversations. The dialogue scenes are too static to be really effective and the overall impression of the game is that there are short periods of combat followed by forty minutes of exposition and some bad acting. To add insult to injury there are tons of RPG-style side quests that involve running from point to point on the map.

Speaking of the map, there isn’t one. Not one that can be accessed outside the menu anyway, which requires pausing the game, loading the map and then setting off. There is also no HUD to speak of, meaning that one has to be careful around foes that deal massive damage or risk sudden and unplanned death.

The console version of Rise of the Argonauts has garnered poor reviews all over and the PC version has not fared much better. The biggest problem is that it has all of the faults of the console version as well as a few crashes. The really sad thing is that God of War II did this better, it looked better, played better and did it all with a PS2’s hardware.

Wii Sports Resort is the number one game in the UK for the second week in a row, as sales rose 6 percent from its debut week; Wii Fit jumps back up to the number two spot, Chart-Track said Monday.

Wii Sports Resort captured the top spot in the UK for the second week in a row, as sales rose from the game’s debut week, research firm Chart-Track said Monday.

For the week ended August 1 on Chart-Track’s all-platform charts, which includes unit sales of all versions of any given title, the Wii MotionPlus-enabled game rose 6 percent week-on-week. It’s a notable feat, as Chart-Track said last week that the launch of Wii Sports Resort marked the fourth-biggest week for a Wii title, behind Nintendo’s Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, and Sega and Nintendo’s Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.

Nintendo’s evergreen Wii Fit made the second slot for the week, jumping from number four on the all-platform charts from a week prior, while EA Sports’ Tiger Woods held the number three spot from the previous week. EA once again had a strong presence on the UK charts this week, landing five of the top 10 sales spots.

Falling out of the top 10 from last week was 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare from Activision. THQ’s UFC 2009: Undisputed rose from number 12 last week to number eight this week.

UK Charts: All Platfroms

1. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
2. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (EA)
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (EA)
5. Fight Night Round 4 (EA)
6. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Activision)
7. The Sims 3 (EA)
8. UFC 2009: Undisputed (THQ)
9. EA Sports Active (EA)
10. Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood (Ubisoft)

Wii Sports Resort also maintained its lead on Chart-Track’s individual platform charts, which rank individual versions of a game by unit sales. The top five games maintained the same positions from the previous week.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for Wii and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen for Xbox 360 both fell out of the top 10 from the previous week, as Wii Play and Fight Night Round 4 for PlayStation 3 broke into the top 10. Six of the top 10 games were for Nintendo Wii.

UK Charts: Individual Platforms

1. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo, Wii)
2. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii)
3. The Sims 3 (EA, PC)
4. EA Sports Active (EA, Wii)
5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii)
6. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii)
7. Fight Night Round 4 (EA, Xbox 360)
8. Fight Night Round 4 (EA, PS3)
9. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (EA, Wii)
10. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo, DS)

Source: http://blog.gameyeeeah.com