Bad Game Reviews - Fast and Furious: Showdown

Alright, so I know of a few people in person, and even more on the internet that bought this game and are upset with it.  Well, you bought a game based on Fast and Furious that started at $40. What were you expecting?

Fast and Furious: Showdown is a typical Need for Speed copy game, with a few added twists.  Now, to be clear, I only played the story mode, I never tried any of the challenges of co-op gameplay.  There are a variety of different levels throughout the game, typically similar levels are spread out enough to help prevent too much repetition.

All of the missions are very much movie themed, some of them straight out of the films.  There are a few basic "racing" levels where your entire goal is just to get in first place, as well as variations of that such as elimination runs.  They all are from the movie, or star characters from the movies.

For example, a few missions are simply just "outrun the cops" missions.  During the fifth film, they pull a giant safe with a car.  You get to do that while running from the police.  It is actually kind of fun.  There are other combat style missions.  One person drives, the other shoots.  There is a small variety of weapons, but I felt there were enough to keep it interesting.  Also, there are two missions featuring the vehicular combat cars from Fast and Furious 6.  I don't know what to call them, but they are the ones that flip cars into the air.  those missions are pretty great actually.

If you are craving a racing game, there is literally nothing here you aren't going to find elsewhere done better. However, if you are really into the whole "Fast and Furious" thing, this is probably for you.  It builds a little more on the characters and is a great introduction to the sixth film.  Also, every level is built to be played with two people.  There are always either two cars, or one shooter and one driver.  I didn't get a chance to play co-op, but I can't see how it wouldn't increase the fun of this game tremendously.

Like I have said many times before, it isn't a perfect game, but that is what Red Box is for.  I beat the entire story mode in under six hours.  I got off work around 9:00 PM and was finished with the game well before 4:00 AM.  It costs me $2 and it was totally worth that.

I don't recommend it for the full price, but it is going to drop really fast really soon.  I do recommend it to any die hard fans of the series, and I know you are out there.  It's got a fun story for fans of the series and familiar characters.  I would recommend it for the $10-$20 range.

Bad Game Reviews: Lord of the Rings Conquest

Assuming most people played Star Wars Battlefront, you should theoretically enjoy this game, right?  The basis of the game is simple, fight off the enemy and hold locations.  You have multiple classes to choose from: archer, warrior, mage, and scout.  Each class has their own powers and abilities.

The game made from the creators of the Star Wars Battlefront series, and plays just like one. While I had heard horrible things about this game, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  This is the closest to a current generation Battlefront game as we can get.

The game really has the large scale battles you would imagine it having.  The game has all the battlegrounds from the game you would think, plus a few others such as Rivendell and the Shire.

The game really lacks in combat, which is probably the most important part of the game.  At times, the sword swinging feels sluggish, but I do think it brings a degree of realism.  It's tough to take down more than a few guys at once, I often feel overwhelmed.

The game also has "vehicles" like Battlefront.  Wargs, horses, ents, trolls, catapults, even Oliphaunts.

Bad Game Reviews - The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

Activision's The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is the newest cash grab based on this zombie fad.  Unlike the Telltale Game series, which is great, this is based directly on the television show.  Now everyone has heard how horrible this is, and I'm not going to repeat everything everyone else has said.  I think this game has some wonderful mechanics, but wasn't executed properly.  I want anyone who is interested in the game to give it a rental, you might be surprised how much you like it!  I personally want more zombie games like this, but maybe the general public does not.

In the game, you play as this lovely former saint from Boston.  He is a character created  completely for the show, and while this is not a bad thing, it initially turned me off from the show.  I watched the first season, wasn't particularly impressed, and I didn't watch the second season until about a month ago, and now I'm hooked!  It got so much better.  Anyway, you play as Darrell Dixon at the beginning of the outbreak.