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November 9, 2005 | 6:46 PM PST
by: Phillip Levin
A few weeks ago, Xbox 360 kiosks started popping up at select retail stores across the country. Among the retailers to house these sexy displays are Wal-Mart, Target, EBgames, GameStoo and possibly others. Below, you’ll find in-depth hands-on impressions from Xbox 360 Advanced Co-Editor-in-Chief Phillip Levin.
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Phillip Levin’s Impressions
If you would have told me six months ago, a year ago or two years ago that Kameo: Elements of Power would be an Xbox 360 launch title, I would have told you that you were out of your mind. Indeed, I think most journalists and gamers would have felt similarly. Rare – for a lack of a better way of saying this – has trouble finishing and releasing games in what most would call a reasonable amount of time. Then again, the company hasn’t exactly shown any change in this regard with Kameo. After all, it’s been on three different consoles now -- GameCube, Xbox and Xbox 360 -- and it has seen more delays and gameplay changes that Michael Jackson’s nose and face has in the last five years.
Don’t get me wrong, though. Rare has in the past demonstrated that when it delays a game it does so for the better, and there are only a few minor exceptions to this truth. The company has hit homeruns time and time again with titles like Donkey Kong Country, Golden Eye, Banjo Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Perfect Dark – many of which saw countless delays leading up to their painfully distant release dates.
If the rather lengthy demo Microsoft has on display with its Xbox 360 kiosk campaign across the nation is any sign of things to come, then you can add Kameo to that list. The demo shows off one level of the upcoming 360 launch title, a huge castle, that demos the some of the elemental warriors Kameo can transform into and the unique abilities she can utilize as them..
The castle level on display – Thorn’s Castle -- is pretty darned huge. In fact, it’s enormous, and there is constant commotion surrounding it - enemies swarming its floors, dragons flying around it and other things here and there – and the framerate is absolutely silky smooth. Kameo’s family has been kidnapped, and she must scale this gigantic castle to save them.
The 360 controller works seemingly perfect with the Kameo control configuration. It feels like Rare designed a control scheme and Microsoft created a controller around the needs for the setup. This is in fact exactly how every game should feel when you first play it – or that’s at least what I think. Essentially, one word describes the arrangement: intuitive.
You move Kameo – or whatever elemental warriors you’re playing as – with the left analog stick. She moves beautifully across the screen, animatedly bobbling to and fro. The right analog stick works to control the camera system in a very similar fashion to any other 3D action game released in the last generation. The A, B, X and Y buttons all serve to transform Kameo into different elemental warriors. In the demo, three different creatures were usable in addition to Kameo herself, who has a number of important abilities.
Kameo
First up, there is Major Ruin, a rock creature that’s slow but powerful. Press the L trigger, and he will hop. Press the R trigger down, and he rolls up into a ball. While in ball form, he can unleash bursts of speed that will send him flying at enemies and up ramp ways. In one instance, you must use Major Ruin to reach an upper part of the castle. By holding down the R trigger, you can charge up a spin attack that sends him flying up a ramp way and onto another tier of the area. In another area of Thorn’s Castle, you must use Major to slam into enemies and send them hurling into a bowl of scorching hot lava. What’s more, by holding down both the L and R triggers simultaneously, he will begin to pound his giant fists into the ground, sending any icicles or other objects above him crashing to the floor.
While Major Ruin is a useful creature for platforming and doing large amounts of damage, he isn’t all that practical for all the combat that you encounter in the demo. More suitable is Pummel Weed, a flower-like animal that can be used for combat purposes with its assortment of attacks. The L trigger is the primary way of attacking, causing the weedy creature jab at foes. If you hold down both the L and R triggers, he will burrow into the ground, submerging himself stealthily. Press the R trigger while in this stance and he will shoot up from the ground with a nasty uppercut. One scenario Kameo finds herself in while exploring Thorn’s Castle involves Pummel Weed having to go into this stealth mode and wait for the right time before using her powerful uppercut to kill an enemy. In fact, this is actually the same strategy you use to defeat the final boss of the demo.
____________________
Phillip Levin’s Impressions
If you would have told me six months ago, a year ago or two years ago that Kameo: Elements of Power would be an Xbox 360 launch title, I would have told you that you were out of your mind. Indeed, I think most journalists and gamers would have felt similarly. Rare – for a lack of a better way of saying this – has trouble finishing and releasing games in what most would call a reasonable amount of time. Then again, the company hasn’t exactly shown any change in this regard with Kameo. After all, it’s been on three different consoles now -- GameCube, Xbox and Xbox 360 -- and it has seen more delays and gameplay changes that Michael Jackson’s nose and face has in the last five years.
Don’t get me wrong, though. Rare has in the past demonstrated that when it delays a game it does so for the better, and there are only a few minor exceptions to this truth. The company has hit homeruns time and time again with titles like Donkey Kong Country, Golden Eye, Banjo Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Perfect Dark – many of which saw countless delays leading up to their painfully distant release dates.
If the rather lengthy demo Microsoft has on display with its Xbox 360 kiosk campaign across the nation is any sign of things to come, then you can add Kameo to that list. The demo shows off one level of the upcoming 360 launch title, a huge castle, that demos the some of the elemental warriors Kameo can transform into and the unique abilities she can utilize as them..
The castle level on display – Thorn’s Castle -- is pretty darned huge. In fact, it’s enormous, and there is constant commotion surrounding it - enemies swarming its floors, dragons flying around it and other things here and there – and the framerate is absolutely silky smooth. Kameo’s family has been kidnapped, and she must scale this gigantic castle to save them.
The 360 controller works seemingly perfect with the Kameo control configuration. It feels like Rare designed a control scheme and Microsoft created a controller around the needs for the setup. This is in fact exactly how every game should feel when you first play it – or that’s at least what I think. Essentially, one word describes the arrangement: intuitive.
You move Kameo – or whatever elemental warriors you’re playing as – with the left analog stick. She moves beautifully across the screen, animatedly bobbling to and fro. The right analog stick works to control the camera system in a very similar fashion to any other 3D action game released in the last generation. The A, B, X and Y buttons all serve to transform Kameo into different elemental warriors. In the demo, three different creatures were usable in addition to Kameo herself, who has a number of important abilities.
Kameo
First up, there is Major Ruin, a rock creature that’s slow but powerful. Press the L trigger, and he will hop. Press the R trigger down, and he rolls up into a ball. While in ball form, he can unleash bursts of speed that will send him flying at enemies and up ramp ways. In one instance, you must use Major Ruin to reach an upper part of the castle. By holding down the R trigger, you can charge up a spin attack that sends him flying up a ramp way and onto another tier of the area. In another area of Thorn’s Castle, you must use Major to slam into enemies and send them hurling into a bowl of scorching hot lava. What’s more, by holding down both the L and R triggers simultaneously, he will begin to pound his giant fists into the ground, sending any icicles or other objects above him crashing to the floor.
While Major Ruin is a useful creature for platforming and doing large amounts of damage, he isn’t all that practical for all the combat that you encounter in the demo. More suitable is Pummel Weed, a flower-like animal that can be used for combat purposes with its assortment of attacks. The L trigger is the primary way of attacking, causing the weedy creature jab at foes. If you hold down both the L and R triggers, he will burrow into the ground, submerging himself stealthily. Press the R trigger while in this stance and he will shoot up from the ground with a nasty uppercut. One scenario Kameo finds herself in while exploring Thorn’s Castle involves Pummel Weed having to go into this stealth mode and wait for the right time before using her powerful uppercut to kill an enemy. In fact, this is actually the same strategy you use to defeat the final boss of the demo.
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November 20, 2009
