Xbox 360 Game Reviews

I couldn’t have reviewed two more different tennis games if I had tried. Top Spin 3 is a game with complicated controls and simple gameplay while Virtua Tennis 2009 is a game with interesting gameplay and simple controls. Unfortunately Virtua Tennis 2009 also doesn’t take very many risks and ends up feeling too much like Virtua Tennis 3 for long time fans of the series to justify picking it up. However Virtua Tennis 2009 is still a fun game to play with a World Tour mode that combines tennis matches with mini games that increase your statistics into an enjoyable mode and also the game has serviceable multiplayer.

In Virtua Tennis 2009, like most sports video games, there are a few different modes for you to participate in the top one being World Tour. There are other modes like Tournament that let you play in a tiered tournament and there is also Court Games that lets you play the World Tour minigames without going into the World Tour mode. However neither of these modes are as full fledged as the actual World Tour mode itself. When you begina World Tour you start out as a rookie and have to build your own character. In the character builder there are a variety of things you can change but rather than having preset designs for the face the developers allow you to simply mold the face in a variety of ways to make a character who suites your purposes. After you create a face and body type by stretching or scrunching the game allows you to choose colors and body type for the player. On the whole the character creation system felt like it had just enough things for you to tweak so you can make a unique character.

Once your character is ready to take the court you are dropped into Virtua Tennis 2009’s world map. Here you can participate in 12 court games like collecting groceries on the court or hitting alien space craft to build up your skills. There are three categories that you can build in: Ground Strokes, Serve and Volley, and Footwork and Technique. Each game has a trick to doing well and follow a steady progression of difficuly that makes you truly earn your stat boosts. Don’t expect to max out your charater quickly in this game. As you earn better skills for your player you can also go train at the club or play in tournaments against other players. As you move through the ranks you slowly rank up from Rookie to Pro. What’s nice about Virtua Tennis 2009 is that the progression of Rookie to Pro really feels like a steady progression rather than a huge leap. Virtua Tennis 2009 does a great job easing the player into more difficult matches.

What makes Virtua Tennis 2009 so good at this progression though is the superb implementation of its controls. In the Xbox 360 version of the game you simply use the A button and analog stick to run around the court and hit the ball. You an also use a variety of lobs and slices with other face buttons but timing is everything and the better your timing in the Xbox 360 version the better you hits are and the more accurate they become. However in the Wii version of the game timing is the key only because of the onscreen bar that is included in play. The bar on the screen has a line that runs across it and you must swing when it is dead center. The closer you are the better your hit is. This works out great for Virtua Tennis 2009 because the game was already fully about timing but does allow you to “cheat” by seeing when the correct time to swing is rather than you having to gauge it yourself. Virtua Tennis 2009 can use Wii Motion Plus but the problem is that Wii Motion it’s not great in this game. It feels like a tacked on gimmick that doesn’t work the way it was intended.

The only area that Virtua Tennis 2009 is really deficient in is the graphics in game. No matter if your talking about the Wii or 360 version, Virtua Tennis 2009 doesn’t hold a candle to it’s competition. The characters look like zombies on the course more than they do a living breathing being and the modeling for the famous players in Virtua Tennis 2009 really aren’t up to the standards set by games like Top Spin 3. The other thing that is weak was the online play in Virtua Tennis 2009. The basic modes abound here, singles and doubles, but why can’t I compete against someone in Virtua Tennis 2009’s mini games or play a doubles mini game? These things seem like they’d be obvious editions to Virtua Tennis 2009’s repertoire. On the whole though there isn’t much to complain about in Virtua Tennis 2009. The game is absolutely solid with the tried and true formula coming through for Sega again. I don’t know if it will continue though. Virtua Tennis as a franchise is long overdue for an overhaul.

Overall: 7.3/10

UFC is brutal. Fights routinely have men beating on each other so hard that in many situations I’m surprised they can stand after a fight. The amount of punishment that these guys take is just astronomical, and crowds seem to love it. If you’ve seen a UFC match you’d know that not only does the crowd love the brutality but the fights themselves fuel the bloodlust. UFC fights are quick and brutal brawls unlike any other sport. For a long time though game developers have had a hard time bringing the UFC to consoles. However with the same team behind Smackdown vs Raw making UFC 2009 Undisputed the future looked bright for this frequently under developed franchise. Even though the franchise has taken a big leap forward in presentation and control the game still fails to capture the electricity surrounding UFC fights and makes it seem more mechanical than it should be.

Let me first say that I’m sort of a UFC newbie. For this review I did lots of research and watched a few fights to understand what I was getting into. For me UFC 2009 Undisputed’s training mode was my trial by fire to learn some of the intricacies of the sport. For many other people I’m sure this will be the case too. What’s nice about Undisputed’s training mode is it does teach you how to play the game but it doesn’t teach you what various things mean. The game throws out terms like Clinch and Takedown without a word edgewise about what these terms mean. For someone who doesn’t know much about UFC this mode will be useful to learn the game’s control scheme but not what everything means.

Undisputed’s control scheme is deep, I mean really deep. The reversals, clinchs, takedowns, controls on and off the ground all come together to make a system that will take the average person more than a few fights to really understand. However this isn’t a minus against Undisputed, rather it’s a good thing that the game is so rewarding for those who go about learning how it works. I can see some getting frustrated though due to Undisputed’s high learning curve and that you have to have knowledge of the sport to really know what you’re doing.

The main meat of Undisputed though are its fights. One of the main things developers failed at with the UFC was making fights seem fluid, quick, and exciting. Unfortunately for Undisputed these errors are still present. While Undisputed has an incredibly deep combat system it doesn’t play out very fluidly. Rather than quick movements in the ring most will feel that the fighters move like robots. The game is very mechanical looking and can’t get past the nature of its complex fighting system. This mechanical nature of Undisputed also hurts the excitement during fights. While UFC fights have many moments where fighters will escape or initiate grapples UFC manages to make these things seem dull. I’m not sure if it had something to do with the announcers or the crowd but something made the fight seems like a tame affair. The final thing that hurts Undisputed are the quiet load screens before and after fights. Where as Smackdown vs Raw has entrances for their fighters that will get you pumped Undisputed is quiet on startup and fighters simply appear in the octagon. Something needs to be done about this because it saps the excitement right out of a fight.

UFC 2009 Undisputed does do a good job of including some fun modes for the player. Most people will spend time playing in the Career mode where you create your own fighter and take him through the UFC. In this mode not only will you fight other players but you train your player through a Calendar, set up events with emails, earn endorsements with Cred, and even spar for upcoming matches. All these things are well done and expedite things rather than make it seem like your micromanaging your fighter. Unlike in other games where the sim aspect drag down the career Undisputed’s career mode is just the right balance of sim and fighting. The other mode that will take up the most of a player’s time is the classic fights mode. Here you can relive classic UFC bouts. If you meet certain win conditions you even get a reel showing you highlights from the famous bout. This classic fights mode is great because it helps fill in the star studded history of the UFC.

While Undisputed has some problems with it’s bouts it’s a respectable game that does a pretty good job of bringing the UFC to home consoles. For those who want to spend the time the fighting system is highly rewarding and the online play means you’ll never run out of people to fight against. However for those just looking to have some exciting UFC fun you may want to wait till next year. Maybe the developers will figure out a way to iron out the lack of excitement permeating fights.

Overall: 7.3/10

The real story of Violette Summer is a fascinating one.  During World War II, she served as a special agent trying to complete missions for a British secret service.  Unfortunately, her time of service was cut short, but that didn’t stop Southpeak Games from trying to make a game out of her campaign, Velvet Assassin.  It’s a splendid idea, and if it played in a similar way to Splinter Cell or even Metal Gear Solid, it would really be getting somewhere.  Unfortunately, it’s so damn limited and difficult that it’s not only lacking the longevity to keep you involved, but also the fun.

As you go through the game, you’ll have to rely on your stealth to survive.  Summer is highly experienced in using stealth to her advantage, hiding in bushes and behind walls so she can sneak up on one Nazi guard at a time, putting them out of their misery with a knife before they even notice what’s up.  Direct encounters where they see you indicate that you’ve already lost the battle. You’re best off just restarting from the previous point of the game, because the sound of an alarm or a group of guards indicate that you aren’t going to come out of the fight alive.

In a nutshell: Velvet Assassin’s extremely high difficulty level and lack of fun make this a killer title that’s hard to recommend to anyone.

Overall: 4/10

Outrun is a classic gaming franchise. Just talk to any gamer who played games during the 90’s and you’ll see the mention of Outrun bring a glossy glint of nostalgia to their eyes. When Outrun was first released the game used new technology to simulate massive speed and made getting to the checkered flag much more exciting. The only goal was to drive as fast as possible and get your girlfriend to the end of the course without running out of time. The formula was simplistic but addicting. Fast-forward to 2009 and we find Outrun alive and well on XBLA. Sega, rather than reinventing the franchise, has wisely chosen to stick with what’s worked for almost 20 years. In Outrun Online Arcade you’ll be speeding and drifting along scenic vistas trying to get to the end of a race. Not only that but some new modes have been included to make sure the game doesn’t get stale for long time fans. On the whole this reboot of Outrun has faired very well: it looks great, controls well, and adds just enough new things to make the game feel new. If you’re looking for some nostalgia or just looking for a great arcade racer you’ll find it in Outrun.

I’ve already stated that Outrun’s soul has stayed intact from the past games. You’ll still be racing against the clock in this game. What stops the game from feeling stale is that there are a certain number of stages you must complete before reaching the finish line. In Outrun Online Arcade you race to the end of a section and then at the end of each section you see a fork in the road: turn left and the game gets easier, turn right and the game gets harder. It’s a simple mechanic but makes it so you can choose your own path. From these paths there are five different end areas. Throughout, you’re still simply trying to beat the clock.

To expand on Outrun’s formula a few modes have been added to the mix. The first one, and the most interesting one, is Heart Attack mode. In this mode you race along just like in the normal game but this time the girlfriend in your passenger seat is much more involved. Instead of simply trying to beat the clock you also have to follow your girlfriend’s instructions on what tricks to perform as you drive. This makes the game very hectic and it takes a lot of skill to be able to drive effectively and make the girlfriend in the passenger seat happy. There is also a Time Trial mode that’s been added that allows you to race against a ghost car to improve you’re time. The final mode that’s been added is the 15 course mode. This is a test of the true Outrun champ. In this mode you drive threw all 15 courses in Outrun trying to reach the end. It’s incredibly hard but satisfying to complete.

New to Outrun is the Online play modes. You can race against other players but sadly the online mode isn’t nearly as entertaining as it should be. There are no problems connecting to other players but the way Multiplayer is set up has you racing against others but really you’re still attempting to beat the clock except now you have other humans to grind your car with. I would have loved to see a mode where you played Hot Potato with the girlfriend in your car. As each car scores more hearts the girlfriend could hop from one car to another depending on who had the high score. Then the first one to cross the finish line with the girlfriend in his passenger seat would win, just a thought though.

Overall Outrun Online Arcade is an entertaining arcade game that can definitely hold your attention for a long time. Getting good at drifting is a fine art and the licensed cars and throwback music gives the game a great vibe. If you’ve ever been a fan of Outrun in the past know that the game stays true to its roots. The soul has not left this franchise. If however you’re new to Outrun know that it’s still as approachable as ever. You’ll have fun just racing by at high speeds. Now if only they fixed the multiplayer…

Overall: 8.1/10