(XBLA) War World
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War World
One of the best original Xbox games for Xbox Live was Mech Assault, a game that we played over and over again until something better called Halo 2 came along. When War World was announced for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live I had visions of a similar game with massive battles, big fun and some depth. Now the game has hit Xbox Live and the big question is, did the developers hit a home run or fail all together?
Gameplay
War World has some very basic gameplay mechanics which is a bit of a shame because if they made them a bit more complex the game could be more enjoyable, but in fact the game controls like a run and gun shooter. Something we have played way too much of. With the basic movement, shooting and jumping each Mech basically controls the same with the odd one having an ability the others do not such as stealth or shields.
The developers missed out on a huge chance to make the game low rent version of Mech Warrior or even Mech Assault, but instead it comes off more like a low or no-budget 3rd person shooter which was thrown together very quickly but failed.
Multiplayer wise the action game is where the game has the most potential with Capture the Flag, Team Death Match and Bomb Assault (First to plant bomb wins) on the same eight maps you played in the single player game, and I found my self wishing for some real depth to the Mechs and gameplay, such as zoom in scopes for sniping, customization and more. If it wasn’t for the weak gameplay the actual game would have great potential, but its flaws are too many to ignore.
Graphics
War World has some of the best graphics in an Xbox Live Arcade title we have seen, with some impressive lighting, texture and model design across all of the levels. Some equally impressive level design which is on par with other heavy duty multiplayer titles and levels from games like Unreal Tournament and Quake Wars. Water, trees and the actual terrain are of the highest quality we can expect for a low priced title, but what models are even the most impressive are the Mech’s, which are extremely well designed and are very detailed.
But what is very disappointing is the fact that the game does not have any destructible terrain, which causes all the Mech’s, but especially the largest ones to become hung up on trees or between ledges which happens all too often and then you usually have to wait around to be blown up, but at least you are given some extra lives. Getting hung up actually costs this title a lot of points in the graphics score department, which is very sad.
Audio
Some of the audio is ok, but most of the actual audio is rather bad, especially when you pick up power ups, which has to be the worst sound effect I have heard in a game since the days of beeps and blips coming from our computers internal speaker. Even free games have better sound effects, which is a sad fact considering the pedigree behind this title.
Value
Disappointingly the single player side of things is non-existent and rather bland, almost like the developers did not even try to build the single player game originally and added it at the last minute. The artificial intelligence is rather dumb and relies on some absolutely lame ways to cheat their way through battles.
Bottom Line
This is only the type of game worth playing if you have plenty of friends who also own it. For single player gamers it is a bust and for random pick up multiplayer matches they are not that well done. Pass on it.
Pros
+ Good graphics for an Xbox Live title
+ Mechs are well designed
+ Mutliplayer has potential
Cons
- No real single player mode
- Game really needs destructible terrain
- Mech’s constantly get hung up and stuck on the terrain and levels
- AI is extremely dumb
- 3rd person only
- Plays a bit to fast for mechs, they do not feel like huge mechanized robots weighing thousands of tons
- Audio is not very good
- Multiplayer feels like a lame attempt at Unreal Tournament
- PC Version is way better
- Why can we not customize our Mechs?
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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