Reviews Round-Up (Splinter Cell: Conviction, Samurai Shodown And More)
It's Sunday people! Which means it's time for Gaming Union's weekly Reviews Round-up! Last week saw some interesting titles like Cho Aniki Zero for the PSP, Relativity for Xbox Live Indie and the DLC pack for Mass Effect 2, Kasumi: Stolen Memory.
This week has been pretty exciting with the release of one of the most anticipated stealth action titles for the Xbox 360, Splinter Cell: Conviction. Alongside that were a couple of interesting releases for Wiiware, XBLA and PSN, some exciting while others not so much.
Zombie Panic in Wonderland (WiiWare)
First up, we have an arcade zombie infestation shoot'em up released under Nintendo's WiiWare line-up. Akaoni's Zombie Panic in Wonderland sees the protagonist Momotaro joined by familiar fairytale characters like Snow White from...well, Snow White, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz as they take up arms and blast their way through hordes of zombies. Gameplay is simple to grasp: blast away the zombie horde that is slowly creeping its way towards the protagonist. The game doesn't take itself seriously and has a rather good-humored pretense with plenty of zombie variety.
Samurai Shodown Sen (Xbox 360)
The eleventh iteration of the Samurai Shodown franchise. Unfortunately, while the game does boast an impressive cast of characters, Samurai Shodown Sen lets down considerably on the story and, frighteningly, combat front. Players have access to a couple of basic strikes which can be strung together for combos. With that said, combos are actually quite clunky and hard to pull off, which can be demoralizing when the AI does it so easily. Amidst other great fighters like Street Fighter and BlazBlue, it's hard to recommend a game that feels dated both in presentation and gameplay.
Final Fight: Double Impact (PSN and XBLA)
This lovely little downloadable bundle features two classic arcade games, Final Fight and Magic Sword. Both games are heavy on the button mashing and will have players take on waves upon waves of enemies. Final Fight can get pretty challenging but with a second set of fists in co-op mode, it's something worth experiencing. It's also perfect for those achievement junkies and 90's gamers looking for a good brawler throwback.
Splinter Cell: Conviction (Xbox 360, PC)
The big one everyone's been waiting for. Sam Fisher is back in Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Conviction, and this time it's personal. The man's been busy looking up his daughter's murderer and Third Echelon has been busy stalking him. The story is told on the fly with mini-cutscenes and objectives displayed in the environment. The core gameplay is far more accessible compared to previous Splinter Cells while still sticking true to its roots, making the game a very refreshing experience. Color slips in and out, letting players know when they're hidden in the shadows or out in the open. Guards can be taken out with ease with the new Mark and Execute system, which lets players mark enemies and take them out systematically after a lovely melee takedown. The game is rather short though, but there is the additional co-op campaign. All in all, Conviction is definitely a game worth checking out.
