RelentlessRolento
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It seems nowadays in the game industry ever since Xbox's Halo hit the market, every major gaming system has to have a killer FPS (first person shooter). So far Sony's PS2 has fought back with Killzone, Nintendo's try on Gamecube was with Metroid Prime, and now Sony is hoping to have a hit on its PSP with Konami's new foray into the genre with Coded Arms. Sadly, the PSP was obviously never built for this type of game.
Story - 2/5
As story goes, there is not much there. As some games prove, there is no need for story at all. The story is something very basic that may sound familiar to some parts of The Matrix movies. Basicly, and the story is very basic, you play out a hacker in the near future. Your role is to infultrate (or hack, your choice) an abandoned military training program. The only reason why you do so is to get ahold of programs that you, the hacker, so desperatly want. And that's really it... but then again, the story is not the main draw of the game.
Gameplay - 2.5/5
This game is a blast to play... until you are a half hour through playing. The reason is due to one factor: repetive goals. First, all levels (excluding the 3 boss levels) are randomly generated. It's a great idea that is one of the programming highlights of the game. Litterally the amount of level variations is unlimited, the only downside is dumbed-down level goals. Every level (again, excluding boss levels) has the same goals: kill a certain number of special enemys to advance to the next level. This gets old real fast. I do find that the many armors, weapons, and grenades do spice the levels up a bit, but not always enough to make you keep playing. Since I am on the subject of weapons, the weapons are possibly the strongest point of the game. There is alot of veriety in there for you to fool around with as well as the ability to upgrade each weapon by 6 levels of power. One other aspect that does save the game some grace is the boss battles and enemy types. The AI for the regular enemys is not the best, but not dumb. They can kill you easily, so don't think this is a 'run & gun' type of shooter. The bosses are a pain in the butt, but have unique ways of defeating them which is another highlight.
Controls - 3/5
This is something that really can make the game enjoyable or a nightmare. It's a double edged sword, and it's not always nice to you.
Luckly the programmers over at Konami have added the ability to totally customize the button layout to your liking. Just be warned that it may take you a while to find a comfortable fit. It's hard to say if one part of the control is any easy than the other, as the controls are all up to the player, but no matter what setting you use it is most likely uncomfortable. After hours of play in this game my hands hurt like a fat dog just sat on them (or whatever large object you would like to imagine). Plus the use of only one analog stick makes movement and aiming a pain. Use the control scheme with caution!
Graphics - 5/5
Finally something I can praise. Though the level desings may get repetivie at times, how they are represented are a real treat. You get ancient tombs, cyber punk/ city, as well as a few other variations to the levels. Even upon entering new rooms there is a cool little Matrix like code that flies through the room. Something that needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. The gun animation is superb with lifelike gun recoil. The reloading animations have eto be some of the my favorites that I've ever seen in the same genre. Enemy design is hit or miss, but definitly its own thing. Wether your blasting human sized bugs, electrifying giant crabs, or taking down a small squad of humans with your gargantuan RPG, it's alot of eye candy. It's hard to not liek how well this game looks. The menu screens also add a nice touch of 'hacker' feel.
Sound - 4/5
Not much to be said here. Battle music starts up whenever an enemy is near, which helps you know when danger is close. The batlle music can pump you up easily if you're into elctronic types of music. The guns all sound like they would be real or of realistic nature. Enemys react and yell gibberish, but make the characters come alive a bit more. It's nothing groundbreaking, but still decent.
Multiplayer - 5/5
Multiplayer is what makes FPS games such a blast to play, and Coded Arms really lives up to this. As with most of this genre, there's the games Capture the Flag and Deathmatch. What really helps this game is the custom weapon choices and level generation. First, whatever weapons you have upgraded and unlocked in the 1-player game are all available to you in the multi-player. You like your lvl 6 RPG? take it into multi-play! Like the mini gun you got for killing that robot? take it into multi-play! Very fun, but only if you put good time into 1-player. Secondly, the semi-random map generation is great. You can save maps you like that you have played or create your own by inputing words and letters into the map generation. Even the map size is adjustable incase you have a smaller group of players! I sadly, and this is a minor disapointment, there is no online play. Yet, even with that problem, it's still something of its own.
Overall - 3/5
The game is a so-so and may not be good enough for some PSP owners and may be better off as a rental. To FPS players that are bloodthirsty for a portable FPS, this may be the answer. I do wish hacking was this fun though... (sigh), oh well.
Story - 2/5
As story goes, there is not much there. As some games prove, there is no need for story at all. The story is something very basic that may sound familiar to some parts of The Matrix movies. Basicly, and the story is very basic, you play out a hacker in the near future. Your role is to infultrate (or hack, your choice) an abandoned military training program. The only reason why you do so is to get ahold of programs that you, the hacker, so desperatly want. And that's really it... but then again, the story is not the main draw of the game.
Gameplay - 2.5/5
This game is a blast to play... until you are a half hour through playing. The reason is due to one factor: repetive goals. First, all levels (excluding the 3 boss levels) are randomly generated. It's a great idea that is one of the programming highlights of the game. Litterally the amount of level variations is unlimited, the only downside is dumbed-down level goals. Every level (again, excluding boss levels) has the same goals: kill a certain number of special enemys to advance to the next level. This gets old real fast. I do find that the many armors, weapons, and grenades do spice the levels up a bit, but not always enough to make you keep playing. Since I am on the subject of weapons, the weapons are possibly the strongest point of the game. There is alot of veriety in there for you to fool around with as well as the ability to upgrade each weapon by 6 levels of power. One other aspect that does save the game some grace is the boss battles and enemy types. The AI for the regular enemys is not the best, but not dumb. They can kill you easily, so don't think this is a 'run & gun' type of shooter. The bosses are a pain in the butt, but have unique ways of defeating them which is another highlight.
Controls - 3/5
This is something that really can make the game enjoyable or a nightmare. It's a double edged sword, and it's not always nice to you.
Luckly the programmers over at Konami have added the ability to totally customize the button layout to your liking. Just be warned that it may take you a while to find a comfortable fit. It's hard to say if one part of the control is any easy than the other, as the controls are all up to the player, but no matter what setting you use it is most likely uncomfortable. After hours of play in this game my hands hurt like a fat dog just sat on them (or whatever large object you would like to imagine). Plus the use of only one analog stick makes movement and aiming a pain. Use the control scheme with caution!
Graphics - 5/5
Finally something I can praise. Though the level desings may get repetivie at times, how they are represented are a real treat. You get ancient tombs, cyber punk/ city, as well as a few other variations to the levels. Even upon entering new rooms there is a cool little Matrix like code that flies through the room. Something that needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. The gun animation is superb with lifelike gun recoil. The reloading animations have eto be some of the my favorites that I've ever seen in the same genre. Enemy design is hit or miss, but definitly its own thing. Wether your blasting human sized bugs, electrifying giant crabs, or taking down a small squad of humans with your gargantuan RPG, it's alot of eye candy. It's hard to not liek how well this game looks. The menu screens also add a nice touch of 'hacker' feel.
Sound - 4/5
Not much to be said here. Battle music starts up whenever an enemy is near, which helps you know when danger is close. The batlle music can pump you up easily if you're into elctronic types of music. The guns all sound like they would be real or of realistic nature. Enemys react and yell gibberish, but make the characters come alive a bit more. It's nothing groundbreaking, but still decent.
Multiplayer - 5/5
Multiplayer is what makes FPS games such a blast to play, and Coded Arms really lives up to this. As with most of this genre, there's the games Capture the Flag and Deathmatch. What really helps this game is the custom weapon choices and level generation. First, whatever weapons you have upgraded and unlocked in the 1-player game are all available to you in the multi-player. You like your lvl 6 RPG? take it into multi-play! Like the mini gun you got for killing that robot? take it into multi-play! Very fun, but only if you put good time into 1-player. Secondly, the semi-random map generation is great. You can save maps you like that you have played or create your own by inputing words and letters into the map generation. Even the map size is adjustable incase you have a smaller group of players! I sadly, and this is a minor disapointment, there is no online play. Yet, even with that problem, it's still something of its own.
Overall - 3/5
The game is a so-so and may not be good enough for some PSP owners and may be better off as a rental. To FPS players that are bloodthirsty for a portable FPS, this may be the answer. I do wish hacking was this fun though... (sigh), oh well.
