The Down-Low on What to Download 08/25/09
Welcome everyone to a new weekly feature we like to call “The Down-Low on What to Download”. Basically, we play all the demos that were released on the PSN each week, and then bring you our thoughts. What we liked, disliked and whether or not its changed our opinions on the game. Just think of it as a way for us to help make that decision on which demo’s you should play and which you should pass up.
For this week, there were four demos released: Mini Ninjas and IL 2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey on the North American PSN, and Dirt 2 and Wet on the European PSN.
IL 2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey
This game is a WWII combat flight simulator that’s focused on the air battles of the Eastern Front. The demo is made up of three tutorials, with one section focusing on basic maneuvers, and the other two focusing on more advance tactics. You also get to play a single player mission, which will have you trying to take down multiple planes.
The demo was average at best. We liked the plane controls, the game had a decent draw distance, and it offered a good amount of play time for a demo. However, the graphics were mediocre and the gameplay in general seemed lacking. Admittedly, most of the staff are not particularly fond of flight sims, and this game did very little to sway our opinions. After spending some time as a whole, we agree that this is a rent at best. But with games like HAWX out on store shelves, you won’t miss much by not playing it.
Wet
Wet is a 3rd person shooter that is very similar to Stranglehold, with over-the-top gun fights mixing seamlessly with sword fights. The demo is made up of four sections. The first is a tutorial level that has you running, jumping, sliding, shooting and slicing through multiple enemies. The second part has three spawn points. This section is all about collecting points and, each enemy you kill adds more to your overall score. There are multipliers you can shoot, and ultimately you need to shut down all three spawn points. The third part starts with your character getting blood splashed on her face. Everything turns red and white, and you go into Rubi mode. The music speeds up and you pretty much dominate any opponent thrown at you. The fourth and final section takes place with your character on the roof of a car flying down the highway. You jump from car to car, shooting enemies and nearly escaping collision’s with high speed traffic.
My first impressions of this game were that it is very Quentin Tarantino-esque. The gun fights are over the top, there is blood everywhere, and it’s very action-packed. This was actually one demo that surprised most of the staff. The controls, which may take some getting used to, seemed very fluid. Jumping, shooting, and then hacking someone in half with your sword worked flawlessly. The whole jumping from moving car to moving car is very farfetched, but when played with an open mind, it is enjoyable. This went from a “why bother” to a good weekend rent. We all agree that it still is not a must buy, but should make for a very solid rental.
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15 Responses to “The Down-Low on What to Download 08/25/09”
Mini Ninjas still sounds PSN Title-esque IMO
i agree makai, i did not feel mini ninja’s was a retail disc game.. felt very much like a PSN title
Nice feature PSLS, I couldn’t get used to Wets control scheme, I’ll have to try again, my game was off that day. Mini ninjas was fun, I too am surprised its not a PSN game. It should be. The battles and the fishing games etc were pretty fun. Dirt seemed a little too floaty for me, but perhaps a better vehicle will clear that up. I didn’t bother with the plane thing.
I was already looking forward to MiniNinjas, played this demo and was very satisfied with what I saw. Possessing animals is a cool touch, they all move slightly differently and serve a purpose like finding ingredients. Looking at how many options you have for approaching any given situation just shows how much potential this game has for presenting you with some interesting scenes. Between the six characters to choose from, what looks like about 20 different spells, and about 20 different items, the full game won’t fall short of a “full retail”. Which by the way, its on a disc, its sold in stores, that is the definition of “full retail”. If anything its cartoonish and mildly childish nature might lead you astray the way Little Big Planet may have at first. Give it a chance…
yeah i definitely agree with BigWoopMagazine and Adam Wolfe… so what if it looks cartoony… the game is a fucking 12 out of 10 for fun
the game has ridiculously deep gameplay. multiple enemies and allies, spells, bombs/ shuriken, epic boss battles, theres even a little platforming… i think you guys are way off on this title. i mean you use your hat as a boat and a sled!
also what psn title has 9 different videos show casing the amazing and different characters… what psn title would you actually compare it to? if anything ratchet andc clank quest for booty… but i guarantee this game is much much longer and more in depth (you start with like half your weapons in r&c) mini ninjas is definitely deserving of a retail copy.
anyway nice article wolfe.
mini ninja’s surprised me as well. was a ton of fun.. it’s not a full retail, more like a lego’s game, cause it’s releaseing for 50 bucks i believe.. will prolly wait till i can pick it up for 30 bucks.
i guess i am alone in that i really just did not get into Mini Ninja’s.. Out of all the demo’s i proilly liked Wet the most but none of them felt like a buy to me.. I still have MN’s on my gamefly Q though and I plan to rent it for sure
Minin Ninjas doesn’t have the Ratchet and clank intricate level design but its still very fun with alot of things to do or approach enemies. Theres also exploring based on collecting certain amounts of items and than graded at the end of the level. i think the game will get more intricate as the level progresses based on the preview shown after the demo. I might pick it up after its cheaper but im not into cartoony design styles unless theres huge detail. The visuals are basic which is why people think its a PSN download than a retail disk.
@ SolidCake_
hows the fishing game fun? you aim, shoot the reel and tap the button and auto catch. It didnt seam to have any specific way to fish but more “follow the steps”.
Wet was garbage but id have to see the final product … based on what i saw its a renter .
@shadow – fun in the sense I was just expecting a straight brawler type of game and now it’s asking me to go fishing, change into an animal, find flowers to make potions, etc.
I was too lazy to mention it all, I meant to say the side mission things added to the over all fun of the game. I liked the game btw, I just thought it would be cool to have a big game on the PSN to buy,
not that Mini NInjas is a crappy game at all.
I was about to DL it last week. Now I am anxious to try it out. This would be a nice weekly article. However, no Japanese? lol.
I was thinking we needed a feature like this on the sight , turns out I was right, lol
Mini ninjas was the funnest out of the 4 demos
You need a feature to tell you about something you can download yourself for free? Thats just lazy.. Maybe next week they should review all the game videos.
[...] These two demos were on the EU store last week, and, in general, the staff enjoyed them. Wet has some interesting gameplay mechanics, and has creeped up most of our lists from “who cares” to “must rent”. Dirt 2 is extremely fun and looks absolutely amazing, and most of the staff agrees that this game is will probably be a must buy. For our full impressions on these two games, check out last week’s post here. [...]
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