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Game Review – Rise Of Nightmares

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How would you react if you found yourself aboard a derailing train? How about creeping through graveyards and catacombs with the undead lurking around every corner? XBOX Kinect and Rise Of Nightmares ask that question, and give you a shot at testing your mettle against the hordes of the undead.

Hands on first impressions:

Lets start with the most relevant question: does the Kinect respond well to the player?

Yes it does. At least in the most accurate way that any current generation of Kinect game does. If you think you’re going to ninja kick and dual wield through the swath of (mechanized) undead, than you may be a bit dissappointed. The motion controls respond well, although some may find a Kinect re-calibration helpful. That said, Jet Li and Jackie Chan wanna be’s need not apply.

To play this game well you “need to learn how to fight in a phone booth,” as my Shohei karate instructor once said. The game gives certain shortcuts for movement such as an auto walk that centers you to the screen, and it is helpful if you find yourself stuck in the environments. Various on screen cursors also appear, allowing you to pick up/move certain objects without actually having to navigate directly to them. You will still have to be in the general area for this; but it is time and frustration saving.

You can collect and use weapons generously found or dropped from enemies in your travels. These weapons however do have a breaking point, and if you flail them recklessly (against walls or enemy blocks) they will break sooner than later. The basic movements are; slash across/down, thrust; with fisticuffs and kicks thrown in for good measure.

Movement itself takes a few minutes to get used to. Step forward to advance, backward to back up, neutral position to stop, and turn your shoulders to steer. Combat engages as you raise your fists like a boxer, and from there you are free to slash away at your attackers. Crossing your own arms initiates a block. There are also segments where you will have to swim, run, and crouch for your life.

Graphically R.o.N. may remind some of the Clocktower series on PS1/2, or being a Sega title; House of the Dead at least. Sorry guys, no R.E.5 or Silent Hill: Downpour graphical standards here. It’s the motion controls and the story that shine.

Story wise, R.o.N. is engaging. A brief prequel will show you some of the horrors to come, before switching into your main character who soon finds his wife kidnapped aboard a train travelling through Romania.

As mentioned earlier, the zombies are mechanized, giving the story a mad doctor, steampunk world feel that I appreciate; despite the fact that Steampunk generally takes place in alternate history, and the story seems firmly grounded in a current day timeline.

Expect gore (in Sega’s own pastel color palette) and a few decent “Holy decapitations, Batman!” moments, as well as a few genuine, if not cliché shockers.

R.o.N. Is a big forward step for Kinect and it’s motion controls. This game is the closest we can come at the moment to living out our zombie nightmares; and I assure you, the journey is worth it.

Plus – aren’t you tired of petting virtual tigers by now?

 

Rise Of Nightmares

BY: Sega of America

XBOX 360 / Kinect Required

5 Stars

 

As always feel free to contact me at:

Mwwilliamson.writer@gmail.com

Matthew W Williamsonwriter on Facebook

Vyrmilllion on XBOX Live


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