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SOLDNER-X 2: FINAL PROTOTYPE REVIEW Posted by PlayDevil.com Staff on Jul 12, 2010 11:47 (Jul 12, 2010 11:47) |
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Score:
With story taking second place to gameplay the real aim of Söldner-X 2 is high scores, which are achieved by creating 'chains'. Collecting rings dropped by enemies the 'chain'/multiplier increases, allowing for scores to build more rapidly. Amassing these rings is of course is the easy part as it is possible to fly through any obstacles to collect them, but doing this reduces the chain meaning tactics and planning is always necessary.
So it is that Söldner-X 2 becomes a game of balance. Prioritising what to collect and what to surrender to maintain the chain and build score. To help in this goal the more you can avoid obstacles and the faster you can destroy enemies or finish levels the higher the base score and bonuses received.
 Good looking!
Söldner-X 2 looks good. Highly detailed HD graphics and exploding particle effects produce a crisp feel to the game. However, while I appreciate the visual style, personally I find quite a lot at fault. Backgrounds whip past at a pace that creates an illusion that doesn’t match the pace of play. Combined with this is the fact that while the games direction is locked on a right to left scrolling plain the backgrounds travel in numerous directions in a way I at times found sickening due to the conflicting visual information.
My issues are not limited to the backgrounds (which in stills are very impressive) enemy designs, specifically the bosses, also strike me as out of place. Looking like old manga/shoot-um-up creations, boss characters seem dated and miss placed with the rest of the sleek ship designs. While many of the games opponents look practical, the characters that end each level look more like children’s toys, but not good ones. I you imagine Japanese shooters to contain enemies akin to Gundam or Transformers, Söldner-X 2 is filled with Go-Bots. Again, like the story this maybe a conscious choice, an in-joke for fans of the genre. But if this is the case I am not getting the joke, so it does little to improve my opinion as a more casual player.
My complaints here are personal of course, as any complaint levelled against aesthetic inevitably is. In terms of proficiency the graphics look great. Everything is clear and moves smoothly with no collision or issues of graphical bugs. If my issues with the games style does nothing to put you off then congratulations, because you will be able to overlook my issues and enjoy the classic shooting action Söldner-X 2 provides.
Play it Again?
Söldner-X 2 forces you to play through its levels more than once. Not from any desire to master the game, but just to see all the content the game has to offer. Locking three of its four levels behind 'key' pick ups (four of which are located in each level) SideQuest guarantees that most players will try each level at least twice.
 It is a little cheeky in truth. With only four levels available on the first play through, which amount to (if I am generous) about fifty minutes of play, I feel that I shouldn’t be forced back into the unchanging levels as soon as I was. But as the goal is score perhaps it does make sense to encourage replays early in the games process, after all the locked levels are tougher so the practice of repeated plays was ultimately appreciated.
Conclusion:
It’s a tough question as to whether I recommend "Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype". If you are unlikely to revisit it, or are easily bored by memorising pattern attack of enemies then the content on offer is quite sparse.
However the PS3 plays host to surprisingly few shoot-um-ups, and if it is a genre you are interested in the Söldner-X 2 defiantly looks the part and provides gameplay faithful to the titles of old.
If you are looking for a modern HD shoot-um-up for your Playstation 3, Söldner-X 2 maybe one of the few options out there for you, so consider yourself luck it is a really good example of the genre.
Note:
With only local co-op available I was unable to test the multiplayer features of the game. I would assume (and this is reflected in my ‘Multiplayer’ rating) that it will be exactly the same game just playing with a friend, which only ever makes things better, until they steal your power-ups.
Pros:
+ Looks incredible
+ Classic arcade shooter action + Some really nice weapons Cons:
- Not particularly long
- Design choices may not appeal to everyone
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Jul 15, 2010 10:17:18 (Jul 15, 2010 10:17)
