Games Based on Movies

Okay, hear me out guys.

So there are these two totally awesome dudes, the so very strong and very just Valhalla and the amazingly wise Titus Proxima. Together they embark on a journey of discovery and trial. 3 times weekly they must provide their loyal followers with witty, banter filled adventures that they have and/or plan to embark on! On this particular day the wise Titus had this totally awesome idea to tell them the story of tasks they were set that they felt had been done before and so were disappointed in, and this is how that story went...(I’m not sure what this is but go with the flow)

Lara Croft Tomb Raider Legend

Yeah I know, don’t judge. I was a cool kid, ok? Plus... you can’t tell me she isn’t a little bit hot. Right?

So, I don’t know if you saw the movie (only like a zillion times) but the game is NOTHING like it (when is it ever).

The game starts with a bang (literally) as a plane with Lara and her mum are in crashes and they are the only two survivors. They find themselves in a tomb with a sword which Lara’s mum pulls out of a stone and she disappears (kind of like a weird take on Excalibur).

Bolivia: Back in real time Lara travels to Bolivia where there is a stone dais that her friend Anaya mentioned. Along the way she encounters mercenaries and wild animals that try to kill her. Upon reaching the dais she meets Rutland who holds a strange piece of sword, mentions a dead friend and then sets his mercenaries on her, but she’s Lara croft so no problem.

So from here Lara goes through a series of countries including Peru, Japan, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Great Britain and Nepal (she gets around a lot), finds out some awful truths, spares some lives and ends with a plan for the future.

So yeah it’s like pretty much every other movie game out there (I really want to use some big words here like infantile and menial that will impress but I think that that ruins the whole colloquial thing we have going on).

As much as I want to say ‘yeah, totally loved it 10/10’ I really can’t. Honestly there are few perks except a little Angelina Jolie and some nice gun action it’s really quite poor, even the graphics are weak. So GGGG(4/10) is the best I can give.

Bleach: The shattered blade

On Wii! Yes, I play this game on the Wii. Should I be ashamed? Some say so, but I would disagree. The Wii is generally seen as a family console, and whilst this is mostly true, it doesn’t mean you can’t play anything other than family based games on it. Anyway, I play Bleach: The shattered blade on Wii and I’m going to tell you a little bit about it.

The game is based shortly after (anime series spoiler) Ichigo rescues Rukia from her execution at Sōkyoku Hill. Now an accepted soul reaper (shinigami), he is able to help defend soul society from their newly formed enemy – the Espada/arrancar. The power that Ichigo used at Sōkyoku Hill was so great that it broke the seal that imprisoned an arrancar named Arturo Plateado. He is a highly dangerous, self-made arrancar that attempted to destroy the whole of soul society, but was captured and then sealed beneath the city. Now that he had been released, it is his goal to seek revenge. He is able to take on the form of any member of soul society, whether it is squad captains, vice captains or other team members. It is your goal to stop and defeat Arturo before it’s too late.

You can play as loads of different characters in this game, and I’ve completed it on nearly every single one. It’s actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Each character begins the game with different reasoning, but they all end the same way – confronting Arturo. As every character has different skills and varying forms and powers with their zanpaktou the game becomes more interesting. I wish they had been able to include Hisagi’s bankai. It rocks. It really does.

Multiplayer is pretty repetitive. You and a friend can battle characters (either the same character or different ones) in different ‘arenas’ and through that determine a winner. It’s simple and there isn’t much to it. Just a bit of mindless fun you might say.

The controls are simple to use and get the hang of. It requires the Wii remote and the nun chuck to play. The individual buttons on each remote release special moves such as the bankai form or various spells.

Compared to the anime/manga...

So, this is Arturo. You look...familiar.

Here’s the thing that really bugs me. This new arrancar, Arturo, looks almost exactly like Grimmjow with the slightly longer hair/bone remains on his face. I wonder why they couldn’t just design a different arrancar that didn’t bear such a heavy resemblance to one that already exists. It’s so irritating when the character seems to lack any form of creativity and the creators feel as though they have re-use a former character template.

Of course, it’s not part of the anime

All the characters are pretty good at remaining in the same mind set as they would if they were in the anime series and so I can say that everything in this game was pretty well done when comparing it to the original series.

In conclusion...

The storyline is lacking, and it gets a bit samey after a while. The clear lack of creativity when it comes to the actual main antagonist is rather appalling if not disappointing. If you’re looking for a mindless game that requires little skill and concentration then I would highly recommend this one to you. If you want something action packed and filled with variety and twists in the plot then this really, really is not the game you’re looking for.

Kids will love it, so will those who just don’t feel like thinking for a night (we’ve all been there). However, for its poor development, gameplay and lack of creativity I reward it a mere 5/10. Sorry, Bleach , you disappointed me

As a side note, readers, please don't forget that tomorrow the winner of a copy of Skyrim will be announced! Watch this space, it's coming quickly.