2008 Woodie Awards
Recent Video Game Reviews
Billy O'Keefe / Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
Issue date: 1/16/06 Section: Entertainment
INFECTED
For: PSP
From: Planet Moon/Majesco
What does the existence of Infected prove? That the PSP is capable of a third-person shooter that does not feel like a compromised port of a better PS2 game? That good third-party games that are not sequels or ports are indeed in the system's future? That an old deathmatch can learn new tricks? That Planet Moon Studios are some funny folks? All of the above?
Yep, all of the above. With Infected, the PSP has a bona fide twitch shooter that is an inspired fit for the portable. In short: Zombies have run amok, people are scared, and you need to incapacitate the undead with an ever-expanding cache of weapons and finish them off (hopefully in combo-friendly, string-attack fashion) with a viral gun that shoots your own blood at them. (Do not worry; all is explained in the sophomorically funny story.) Wash, rinse and repeat, but with enough variety to prevent repetition from turning into boredom.
Simple as it may be, Infected is no B-team project: The game looks really good, offers lots of upgrades and customization, and compliments the single-player game with a strong suite of wireless and online modes. And how is this for inspired: When you lose a multiplayer match, you are "infected" with the winner's virus and must either defeat the infecting character in three special one-player missions or pass the virus on to three other players. Beat and infect someone else, and you can actually track the spread of your virus around the globe in real time. How brilliant is that?
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PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG
For: Xbox 360 (also for Xbox, PS2, PSP and Gamecube)
From: Ubisoft
Much like King Kong the movie asked viewers to sit tight and wait for the monkey, so too does King Kong the game. The anticipation in this case is longer and occasionally tedious, but fret not: Not only is the monkey coming, but this time, you are him.
Most of Kong is spent on Skull Island in the shoes of Adrian Brody's Jack, and the name of the game here is first-person survival. Dinos, natives and some nasty bugs are constantly sniffing your trail, and while you occasionally are gifted with gunpowder, you must rely largely on spears, bones, fire and your feet to stay alive. Getting attacked once leaves you temporarily critical; a second attack before recovery leaves you dead. This stands in stark contrast to the third-person Kong segments, which allow you the chance to wrestle T-Rexes like they are playground bullies and smash lesser beings to dust.
Neither style is a letdown, but Kong's faithfulness to the film's script leaves it the victim of both filler and suffocating linearity. Good as Kong is already, here is hoping its gameplay engine lives to see better days. As it stands, Jackson's script is leading the way, and you are simply its guide. It is an entirely fun job, but you cannot help but wonder how much more engrossing it would be if the man (or ape) was off your back.
For: PSP
From: Planet Moon/Majesco
What does the existence of Infected prove? That the PSP is capable of a third-person shooter that does not feel like a compromised port of a better PS2 game? That good third-party games that are not sequels or ports are indeed in the system's future? That an old deathmatch can learn new tricks? That Planet Moon Studios are some funny folks? All of the above?
Yep, all of the above. With Infected, the PSP has a bona fide twitch shooter that is an inspired fit for the portable. In short: Zombies have run amok, people are scared, and you need to incapacitate the undead with an ever-expanding cache of weapons and finish them off (hopefully in combo-friendly, string-attack fashion) with a viral gun that shoots your own blood at them. (Do not worry; all is explained in the sophomorically funny story.) Wash, rinse and repeat, but with enough variety to prevent repetition from turning into boredom.
Simple as it may be, Infected is no B-team project: The game looks really good, offers lots of upgrades and customization, and compliments the single-player game with a strong suite of wireless and online modes. And how is this for inspired: When you lose a multiplayer match, you are "infected" with the winner's virus and must either defeat the infecting character in three special one-player missions or pass the virus on to three other players. Beat and infect someone else, and you can actually track the spread of your virus around the globe in real time. How brilliant is that?
---
PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG
For: Xbox 360 (also for Xbox, PS2, PSP and Gamecube)
From: Ubisoft
Much like King Kong the movie asked viewers to sit tight and wait for the monkey, so too does King Kong the game. The anticipation in this case is longer and occasionally tedious, but fret not: Not only is the monkey coming, but this time, you are him.
Most of Kong is spent on Skull Island in the shoes of Adrian Brody's Jack, and the name of the game here is first-person survival. Dinos, natives and some nasty bugs are constantly sniffing your trail, and while you occasionally are gifted with gunpowder, you must rely largely on spears, bones, fire and your feet to stay alive. Getting attacked once leaves you temporarily critical; a second attack before recovery leaves you dead. This stands in stark contrast to the third-person Kong segments, which allow you the chance to wrestle T-Rexes like they are playground bullies and smash lesser beings to dust.
Neither style is a letdown, but Kong's faithfulness to the film's script leaves it the victim of both filler and suffocating linearity. Good as Kong is already, here is hoping its gameplay engine lives to see better days. As it stands, Jackson's script is leading the way, and you are simply its guide. It is an entirely fun job, but you cannot help but wonder how much more engrossing it would be if the man (or ape) was off your back.