Latest Reviews
Guitar Hero: On TourSecret Agent ClankWe Love Golf!Ferrari Challenge Buzz! Quiz TVUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for Blood WakeWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
Blood Wake Review
Chris Leyton
00/12/0000
Take control of a variety of different ships in this boat-combat game FROM Stormfront Studios.
The most prominent graphical display of last years E3 was how well the next generation consoles could handle water effects, the PS2 had Westwoodās Legend of Kat, the GameCube had Wave Race: Blue Storm, whilst the Xbox had Blood Wake a boat combat game akin to games such as the Twisted Metal series.
Water effects are a true testimony to the skills of the developers and the power of the machine, a particle engine is needed to handled the water spray, complex physics models are required to replicate the realistic manner of the waves, bump mapping allows for reflective shine off of the water, so itās no surprise that Blood Wake is a true tribute to the Xbox power. Despite all of this technical innovation itās good to see that some developers still believe in the simple things such as blowing things up, which is what Blood Wake is all about, smart graphics and lots of explosions.
As with Twisted Metal Black a back-story is played out that develops as you progress through the game. Players take control of the cock-sure Lieutenant Shao Kai of the Northern League, think Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China and youāll have some idea of what to expect from the dialogue and narrative. On a routine patrol Kaiās squadron is besieged by a surprise attack from his brother Shao Lung. Left to die, Shao Kai is rescued by the Shadow Clan and for saving his life he enters into their service as a sea raider. However itās not the bounty or a life as a pirate that interests Shao Kai, itās revenge that he wants.
From the start youāll realise that the emphasis is placed on action, the control system is easy to master with the analogue stick controlling the thrust, the shoulder buttons fire cannons and a variety of secondary weapons whilst the X button acts as your turbo which charges up over time. Youāll be set different missions that each coincides with the ongoing story, but the basic element is destroying thingsā¦ lots of things. Different missions will see you in different boats, each with varying characteristics suited to the particular mission, some will be fast yet not very well packed in the armour or arsenal count, others will pack an arsenal the size of a small country but plod around the seas like an elephant in water.
Missions range from the usual destroying targets to escorting ships, but despite the lack of variety each mission is an exciting prospect thanks to the aggressive AI of the enemy ships. Youāll get into some serious combat situations, but thankfully the controls are responsive and more then up to the job, it may not be realistic but it is fun. The water adds a whole tactical element to the proceedings, as youāll have to work out how to sail the ship properly on the different conditions, such as using big waves for getting air and raining down cannon fire from above. A neat tactic is launching their ships into the air with a few torpedoes, and blasting them with rockets whilst theyāre helplessly flying up in the air. Mastering these little tactics is what makes Blood Wake such a satisfactory and enjoyable experience.
The Xbox is quickly getting a reputation for having visually stunning games and Blood Wake does nothing to upset this. The water effects are fantastic with a stunning particle system that conveys the spray of water superbly, the lighting effects from the explosions are top notch a good thing as youāll be seeing a lot of them, whilst textures are as crisp and detailed as youād expect. It is however the little things that make you take notice, such as selecting different weapons will see your co-pilot load them for use and torpedoes speeding across underneath the sea with a nice trail. The game moves smoothly despite only being 30FPS, and thereās a fair indication of speed especially when using the turbo.
The game has a variety of different deathmatch modes for up to four players. The standard kill all opponents and team matches are joined by survival modes that you unlock as you progress through the single player game. As with any good multiplayer game itās a lot of fun and adds an immense amount of longevity to what is quite a short game.
