Tuesday, April 14, 2009

ShellShocked 2 Blood Trails

Really the only blood trails you'll see, will be on the way back to return this title. No that was too harsh. ShellShock2 has tons of potential. I feel the FPS category is just crowded and when you couple that with the continually over used backround of the vietnam war it just becomes plain. But wait lets toss some Zombies in there, that should fix it right up? It feels like they took the top 5 hot topics and mushed them into a typical playing field. I almost feel bad, because this really is an average game that totally gets overshadowed by the Call of Duty's, Far Cry's and Bioshock's. I do not want to discuss the storyline. It is fairly interesting but not worth writing here about. If I take away any of the story, then this game will be a bear to play through. The story is about the only reason to play this game to the end.

The graphics are sub par. Pretty basic stuff. Poor level shading and rough character casts lead the way. The upside is the super dark scenario's do set the stage for a few jump out of your chair scare tactics. But not enough to lift the game up. Over use of blood splatter, and gore for shock value leave you yawning. No map. Nothing, not even in the pause menu. This ultimatley leaves you wandering through the forests, caverns, and camps. Red flares sometimes point you in the right direction. One chance to ratchet up the graphics are the cut scenes that become all too repetitive by the third of the ten levels. These simple but unique cut scenes have button prompts to decide your fate.


The controls are basic but good. There is an issue with the tossing of hand grenades, but they are used so limitedly that it probably won't be an issue for most players. A small handful of weapons can all be located and used by level 3. A absolutley useless knife is available most of the time. A pet peeve I found is that you somehow always start the level with only a knife. The story line weaves a path that tends to leave you in a bad position, and relies on you to find and arm your self.
The sound department mailed it in on this one. They must have been tasked with 2 creative noises per level. They succeeded. I loved the crying baby in the backround but they never tied it in. A few zombie moans help set the tone, but they just leave you wanting more.


At least the Achievements come easily. They better because you will only play this game once, so you might as well get as many as you can. There is a achievement for playing through twice, which I guess is the publishers way of tourture. The AI is dumb enought that you could actually play through a second time and come in under 4 hours. With NO MULTIPLAYER, this game will be stocked in massive quantities at your local Gamestop. Pick it up for no more that $10 bucks. This game will be overlooked, and probably should be given a fair chance. It has been getting mixed reviews, but none have been over a 7 out of 10. If you bored during this slump of new releases RENT this game.
Stay tuned to Achievement Unlocked for later this week we will have the long awaited review of racially hyped Resident Evil 5. I now know why they had to play the race card. Find out!!??!!

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