Title: The Red Star
Description: Would you fight your nation, to save it?
Description: Would you fight your nation, to save it?
keybladerxiii - January 28, 2008 04:24 AM (GMT)
(Please Note: I HAVE NOT BEATEN THE GAME COMPLETELY YET SO DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS MY FULL OPINION OF IT.....also some of the background information has been found on other reveiwer sites. And this is my FIRST review so please take that into consideration before flaming me for a sucky review)
This is a Shoot em up/ Beat em up game based off an award nominated comic book of the same name, but the word based is used loosly here. (I haven't read the comic so i really wouldn't know)
The Red Star Story
This is a tale set in a parrallel universe where the only superpower is the United Republics of the Red Star (U.R.R.S ).
Sorceress Major Maya Antares and her faithful guardian, combat and weapons expert Kyuzo, have devoted their lives to the service and defense of the United Republics of the Red Star. Under the command of Skymarshall Urik Antares, Maya and Kyuzo have led the crew of the Skyfurnace Konstantinov through countless battles. But now, while entreched in the war to control the rogue Republic of Nokgorka, Maya and Kyuzo meet a Resistance Fighter named Makita. This ferocious young warrior holds the key that reveals the entire U.R.R.S to be under the control of the Dark Lord Imbohl and his chief assassin, Troika, the harvester of Souls.*
Makita, Kyuzo and Maya unite to defeat Troika's tyranny as the Konstantinov and crew mutiny from the Red Fleet. Troika, at the helm of the fleet's flagship vessel the Taktarov, unleahes a deadly assault to bring the rebels to heel. Under the watchful command of Urik and Maya, Kyuzo and Makita embark upon a final fight to unite the scattered Republics of the Red Star and liberate them from Troika's rule.*
*(Copied directly from manual)
Do you have what it takes to become a hero of the Red Star??
Game Development History
This games was originally set for a 2004 release and was originally designed by Akklaim, but before it was really completed the company did the fish and went belly up (geez that was a lame one) and the game got shellved for a few years.
Enter XS games. They bought the licenses and after a few month tracking down the original developlment team and giving it a good polish, they released for the PS2 for $ 20 a game.
And what you get is......
A great game that takes you back to the games of old like Final Fight and Gradius.
A game that combines the Beat em up and Shoot em up genres into a fun experience.
A game that may lack replay value but you will keep playing it anyway.
The Game Itself
You can take control of 2 characters on the game (a 3rd is unlockable by beating the game once). Makita is the fiery rebel who reveals the conspiracy to Maya. Kyuzo joins Makita in the fight to bring peace to the URRS
These two play differently and have differents strengths so strategies you make for one may not work for the other.
Makita is your speed demon. She is the fastest out of the lot but cannot take or dish out much damage but her high rate of attack more than makes up for that.She uses a small sickle (shaped like the one on the communist flag) and a couple of (what look like) uzi's to shoot down her enemies with.
Kyuzo is your tank character. He can dish out as much damage as he can take. He is slow but not so slow that he can't dodge projectiles when needed. He uses a dual bladed sword (reffered in game as a hook) to take out all anemies in a big radius, and a chain gun to mow down his enemies from a distance.
The levels themselves are straight forward. You move along a set path beating up or shooting down enemies as you go like a normal beat 'em up. But when the camera changes from that perpective into a top down view, grab those guns and start the shoot 'em up sections ablazing by firing your guns at the weak spot or destroying parts of the machine to bring it out.
Combat is pretty basic. You use Square for basic melee attacks (press R1 and move the left analogue stck toward or way from your enemy for a special attack)
O to use your gun/s to attack from a long distance. (Don't use it too long or it will over heat.)
X to raise a sheild to block any attack. You can;t move while using the sheild. (Attacks make it break faster (especially projetiles))
Triangle to use a speciall attack called a Protocol attack. (each character has a different attack) You can only use it when the protocol bar is filled (through using melee attack).
R1 is used to lock on to enemies (but you have to face them for it to work)
L1 is used to pivot on the spot (good for getting enemies that are spread out)
Don't think the enemies are going to be the same everytime just more health. There are enemies that may requires strategy, like they may have a shield prevnting your guns from hurting him so you have to go in with melee attacks, or they may be out of your reach (or too dangerous to go in close) so you have to use your guns to kill them. You may have to let them come to you and block one of their attacks then whale on them to destroy them, or mortar/missile users that rain death from above preventing you from getting too close for the missile might hit you.
Now imagine all those enemies on the screen at once and multiply them by 2-5 and now you will see that this game will not be easy. This brings me to one of the flaws in this game. NO CHECKPOINTS. This game has no checkpoints whatsoever. The levels are short but with the difficulty of the game (and there is no way to change it) it will be one major turnoff for thae game. Especially when you die right on the final boss for the level making you fight the entire level all over again. It is hard but that is mostly because with all the different types of enemies you will face, it will get hectic and you may find yourself dying most of the time.
For example imagine you are taking on 3 turrets that are shooting bullets in a spread pattern that rotates with in a 60 degree angle each now add to that two mortar people firing death from above. Now add to that two enemies that are not affected by the bullets trying to skewer you.* I think you get the idea. *=actual boss in game
The game really has the story written in the manual as there are no 3D cutscenes in the game at all to advance it. All you get is text boxes before each mission telling you what you have to do.
After each mission depending on how much damage you have taken, you get a rank and points on which to spen on various upgrades, Like decreasing damage taken from enemies, gun coolants to lessen cooldown periods or an upgrade that alllows oyu to steal life from enemies through melee attacks. Each upgrade can be ..well upgraded 3 times.
If you are bored with playing the game by yourself you can have a friend come to help double up the fun in two player co-op mode that comes with it.
All in all I think this is a good game and is definatley worth picking up if you can or at least a rent.
Please give me feed back on my reviewing if you want or discuss this game.
This is a Shoot em up/ Beat em up game based off an award nominated comic book of the same name, but the word based is used loosly here. (I haven't read the comic so i really wouldn't know)
The Red Star Story
This is a tale set in a parrallel universe where the only superpower is the United Republics of the Red Star (U.R.R.S ).
Sorceress Major Maya Antares and her faithful guardian, combat and weapons expert Kyuzo, have devoted their lives to the service and defense of the United Republics of the Red Star. Under the command of Skymarshall Urik Antares, Maya and Kyuzo have led the crew of the Skyfurnace Konstantinov through countless battles. But now, while entreched in the war to control the rogue Republic of Nokgorka, Maya and Kyuzo meet a Resistance Fighter named Makita. This ferocious young warrior holds the key that reveals the entire U.R.R.S to be under the control of the Dark Lord Imbohl and his chief assassin, Troika, the harvester of Souls.*
Makita, Kyuzo and Maya unite to defeat Troika's tyranny as the Konstantinov and crew mutiny from the Red Fleet. Troika, at the helm of the fleet's flagship vessel the Taktarov, unleahes a deadly assault to bring the rebels to heel. Under the watchful command of Urik and Maya, Kyuzo and Makita embark upon a final fight to unite the scattered Republics of the Red Star and liberate them from Troika's rule.*
*(Copied directly from manual)
Do you have what it takes to become a hero of the Red Star??
Game Development History
This games was originally set for a 2004 release and was originally designed by Akklaim, but before it was really completed the company did the fish and went belly up (geez that was a lame one) and the game got shellved for a few years.
Enter XS games. They bought the licenses and after a few month tracking down the original developlment team and giving it a good polish, they released for the PS2 for $ 20 a game.
And what you get is......
A great game that takes you back to the games of old like Final Fight and Gradius.
A game that combines the Beat em up and Shoot em up genres into a fun experience.
A game that may lack replay value but you will keep playing it anyway.
The Game Itself
You can take control of 2 characters on the game (a 3rd is unlockable by beating the game once). Makita is the fiery rebel who reveals the conspiracy to Maya. Kyuzo joins Makita in the fight to bring peace to the URRS
These two play differently and have differents strengths so strategies you make for one may not work for the other.
Makita is your speed demon. She is the fastest out of the lot but cannot take or dish out much damage but her high rate of attack more than makes up for that.She uses a small sickle (shaped like the one on the communist flag) and a couple of (what look like) uzi's to shoot down her enemies with.
Kyuzo is your tank character. He can dish out as much damage as he can take. He is slow but not so slow that he can't dodge projectiles when needed. He uses a dual bladed sword (reffered in game as a hook) to take out all anemies in a big radius, and a chain gun to mow down his enemies from a distance.
The levels themselves are straight forward. You move along a set path beating up or shooting down enemies as you go like a normal beat 'em up. But when the camera changes from that perpective into a top down view, grab those guns and start the shoot 'em up sections ablazing by firing your guns at the weak spot or destroying parts of the machine to bring it out.
Combat is pretty basic. You use Square for basic melee attacks (press R1 and move the left analogue stck toward or way from your enemy for a special attack)
O to use your gun/s to attack from a long distance. (Don't use it too long or it will over heat.)
X to raise a sheild to block any attack. You can;t move while using the sheild. (Attacks make it break faster (especially projetiles))
Triangle to use a speciall attack called a Protocol attack. (each character has a different attack) You can only use it when the protocol bar is filled (through using melee attack).
R1 is used to lock on to enemies (but you have to face them for it to work)
L1 is used to pivot on the spot (good for getting enemies that are spread out)
Don't think the enemies are going to be the same everytime just more health. There are enemies that may requires strategy, like they may have a shield prevnting your guns from hurting him so you have to go in with melee attacks, or they may be out of your reach (or too dangerous to go in close) so you have to use your guns to kill them. You may have to let them come to you and block one of their attacks then whale on them to destroy them, or mortar/missile users that rain death from above preventing you from getting too close for the missile might hit you.
Now imagine all those enemies on the screen at once and multiply them by 2-5 and now you will see that this game will not be easy. This brings me to one of the flaws in this game. NO CHECKPOINTS. This game has no checkpoints whatsoever. The levels are short but with the difficulty of the game (and there is no way to change it) it will be one major turnoff for thae game. Especially when you die right on the final boss for the level making you fight the entire level all over again. It is hard but that is mostly because with all the different types of enemies you will face, it will get hectic and you may find yourself dying most of the time.
For example imagine you are taking on 3 turrets that are shooting bullets in a spread pattern that rotates with in a 60 degree angle each now add to that two mortar people firing death from above. Now add to that two enemies that are not affected by the bullets trying to skewer you.* I think you get the idea. *=actual boss in game
The game really has the story written in the manual as there are no 3D cutscenes in the game at all to advance it. All you get is text boxes before each mission telling you what you have to do.
After each mission depending on how much damage you have taken, you get a rank and points on which to spen on various upgrades, Like decreasing damage taken from enemies, gun coolants to lessen cooldown periods or an upgrade that alllows oyu to steal life from enemies through melee attacks. Each upgrade can be ..well upgraded 3 times.
If you are bored with playing the game by yourself you can have a friend come to help double up the fun in two player co-op mode that comes with it.
All in all I think this is a good game and is definatley worth picking up if you can or at least a rent.
Please give me feed back on my reviewing if you want or discuss this game.
Xugoh - January 28, 2008 02:01 PM (GMT)
I demand screens!!!!!!! Why??? Cuz im' lazy! Indulge me!!!
Sounds interesting.... i'll give it a shot.
Sounds interesting.... i'll give it a shot.
keybladerxiii - January 28, 2008 07:28 PM (GMT)
Indulging away.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/...5_screen001.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...1_screen004.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...1_screen003.jpg
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/image_viewer...0&sid=undefined
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/image_viewer...9&sid=undefined
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...1_screen030.jpg
You should at $20 bucks (for you guys) it is a steal.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/...5_screen001.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...1_screen004.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...1_screen003.jpg
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/image_viewer...0&sid=undefined
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/image_viewer...9&sid=undefined
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...1_screen030.jpg
You should at $20 bucks (for you guys) it is a steal.
Xugoh - January 28, 2008 08:20 PM (GMT)
:shocked: OH! I knew i heard about this game before!
I saw a report on it on a videogame show on TV.... they rated it as "mildly entertaining".
I saw a report on it on a videogame show on TV.... they rated it as "mildly entertaining".
keybladerxiii - January 28, 2008 09:10 PM (GMT)
Dont beleive paid reviewers they are biased as all hell
Gamestop fired one of their own workers because he said that a games sucked and the guys that made it threatened to pull sponsering.
Gamestop fired one of their own workers because he said that a games sucked and the guys that made it threatened to pull sponsering.