Bamf.
A couple of days off during the week without my wife insures I will end up buying something for one of the consoles, despite a backlog the size of a monkey.
This week’s purchase was EA’s BATTLEFIELD: 1943, the download-only, online shooter entry in a franchise that I managed to miss out on until BF: Bad Company knocked me on my ass early last year. This game takes all the goodness found in BF:BC’s online mode and sets it in the classic WWII era, meaning less technical weaponry and more sepia-toned loading screens. The gameplay is solid, the action is fast, and I never ran out of anything fun to do. I flew planes into bases, ran over enemies with a tank, and launched a jeep airborne to distract opponents while I captured their flags. Not a bad variety in the possible mayhem. Coupled with the community support, found in a running total of kills per console that unlock rewards for players of the whole game, I see myself following and playing this one for a while.
Bionic Commando also took up some time and lives up to the disappointing amount of criticism its received. For fleeting moments, I was totally engaged and overjoyed as situations took me swinging around a beautifully destroyed environment, fighting enemies in creative and interesting ways that utilized a healthy combination of skill and force. These moments are chained together, though, by listless slogs through tunnels and rooftops that turn the game into a 3rd-rate Gears of War clone. Add that to a storyline that replaces the charm of the original with a depressing, cliche story of rebellion and revenge along with frustrating checkpoint placement and directionless level design, you get a Bionic Commando that just can’t live up to the fun of the NES classic.
Next week, Red Faction: Guerilla shows up. I’m excited to play this as the demo has been my quick-fix of destructive fun for the last week. Here’s hoping the full game gets my ass to Mars…and never lets me leave (that one’s free, THQ).
