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FAT PRINCESS REVIEW Posted by PlayDevil.com Staff on Nov 9, 2009 14:44 (Nov 9, 2009 14:44) |
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Graphics & Sound:
Fat Princess is a really good looking game and is testament to just how close to full retail titles PSN and XBL games are getting. There’s nothing particularly special about the graphics, but it’s all about the style and presentation, which is fantastic- it’s simple, clean, bright, and a little bit cheeky too, perfect for both casual and hardcore gamers.
 In game, the cell-shaded style reminded me a little of the GameCube Zelda game, but was still unique enough for it be more homage than plagiarism. The characters in particular really light up the game. They have brilliant facial features and styles, are excellently animated, and have bags of character. When dressed up in their costumes too, there is also loads of variation in things too.
The maps are also pretty good looking, with loads of different styles and locales to play in- there’s never a dull or disappointing moment!
Sound is more basic- the game is, after all, only a pinch over 300 meg, but what sound effects, music and speech there is just as charming and endearing as the rest of the game’s presentation, and is still of a better quality than most other DLC games out there.
Multiplayer:
Obviously, with one of those nasty bots-only single player campaigns, multiplayer has to impress me. And thankfully it does. 32 players online seems to be all but the most any console is capable of at the minute, and this is what you get here- fantastic news for downloadable titles. However, the game is not without its fair share of issues so far. There are sporadic bouts of lag and latency, and in addition to this, I have also been dropped from games on occasion. At least when these problems to occur, your stats are automatically saved whenever you quit, which I think is totally fair for this kind of team-based game.
 My main problem with the whole experience though, is the fact that games just take way too long. I’ve been in a couple of games from the start, and never had the time or patience to finish things off. The shortest period I had from start to finish was 40 minutes, and for a downloadable game, where the focus should be on a quick blast, is just way too long. You can get loads of upgrades and powerups, but generally everyone gets these at roughly the same time, and once everyone has every single powerup, the game becomes a crushing game of attrition.
To me, things would be much better if balance changes were made so things could be done much quicker, or smaller maps introduced that would make carrying the princess quicker and easier, and games lasted more like 5-15 minutes per round. Overall, you’ll have loads of fun playing fat princess online, but you may never play many entire games, which just seems like a bizarre situation to be in considering this is a multiplayer title!
The other problem is more a general PS3 issue- no-one ever uses a headset, and this is a team game where very few people play in a team, which is unfortunate.
Conclusion:
"Fat Princess" is at times brilliant, absorbing fun, set in a classy, visually excellent world. But, it’s also pricey for what you get, has the odd bug still remaining, and the games last too long. This is partly due to the core mechanics of the PS3 not including a headset within the box, but also due to game balance. If each round lasted an average 5-15 minutes, then it would be a much better experience in my humble opinion.
As it is, if you have the cash to spare, this is still an excellent little multiplayer game that’s well worth your while and will probably remain popular for years to come thanks to the pre-release hype that the game received. It may be style over substance, but there was enough ‘fat’ to the game to keep me coming back!
Pros: + Graphics
+ Setting + Style Cons: - Some bugs/lag remain
- Games are too long - PS3 specific problems
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Jan 23, 2010 09:53:27 (Jan 23, 2010 09:53)
