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Many ordinary elements together make extraordinary
posted by Shazbot (BROOKLYN, NY) Jun 1, 2008
Member since Aug 2007
3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful
DJ does a lot of things we have seen many times before. Wander round a landscape collecting power, looking for hidden stuff, fight some funky creatures along the way....
What DJ does really well, however, is make all of this fit together in a way that just makes the game downright FUN. The game has an underlying sarcastic and cynical sense of humor running through the character comments, which pop up at the start of levels and when they think you need a hint - and even though you can see the gag coming a lot of the time, the method of delivery still makes you break into a smile. Honestly, even if you don't think the game is brilliant you can't hate it - just doesn't happen! :-)
It's easy to pick up as the basic controls are obvious and a little messing around with combinations of buttons will get you the moves you need. Pressing B three times fairly close together gets a nice downward chop for the third move that is very effective at getting enemies out of the way.
Graphics are on the top side of very good and the controls fit in very well with the resultant actions on the screen. Cut scenes are done well also.
Sound, game play and combat are average but still fit together in a natural way that somehow just ends up feeling better than you would think.
The bad stuff? - bad bad bad camera angles at times. Even though you can reset the camera to behind your head it still ends up botching it a little too often by not removing something right in front of the virtual camera position that blocks all of your view. Very frustrating and almost criminal when you consider that this was apparently a major criticism of the portable versions of this game - they didn't fix it by the looks of it.
Even so, this game just exudes good vibes. Maybe not huge replay value unless you spend time searching for all the weapon upgrades but it's definitely worth the rent. Not outstanding but still pretty darn good as long as your sense of humor fits that of the game.
What DJ does really well, however, is make all of this fit together in a way that just makes the game downright FUN. The game has an underlying sarcastic and cynical sense of humor running through the character comments, which pop up at the start of levels and when they think you need a hint - and even though you can see the gag coming a lot of the time, the method of delivery still makes you break into a smile. Honestly, even if you don't think the game is brilliant you can't hate it - just doesn't happen! :-)
It's easy to pick up as the basic controls are obvious and a little messing around with combinations of buttons will get you the moves you need. Pressing B three times fairly close together gets a nice downward chop for the third move that is very effective at getting enemies out of the way.
Graphics are on the top side of very good and the controls fit in very well with the resultant actions on the screen. Cut scenes are done well also.
Sound, game play and combat are average but still fit together in a natural way that somehow just ends up feeling better than you would think.
The bad stuff? - bad bad bad camera angles at times. Even though you can reset the camera to behind your head it still ends up botching it a little too often by not removing something right in front of the virtual camera position that blocks all of your view. Very frustrating and almost criminal when you consider that this was apparently a major criticism of the portable versions of this game - they didn't fix it by the looks of it.
Even so, this game just exudes good vibes. Maybe not huge replay value unless you spend time searching for all the weapon upgrades but it's definitely worth the rent. Not outstanding but still pretty darn good as long as your sense of humor fits that of the game.
"Death" comes far too easy in "Root of Evil"
posted by JMichaud (BETHESDA, MD) Jun 4, 2008
Member since Jan 2008
5 out of 8 gamers (62%) found this review helpful
Death Jr.: Root of Evil is your basic 3D platformer; you go from start to finish while beating up bad guys, solving simple riddles and making several jumps.
The weapons are a nice touch, and it gives an incentive to look throughout the level. Also, the story has interesting characters, and I like the notion of Death having a kid.
But there are problems with Death Jr.: Root of Evil.
First off, there are too many sections where you have to perform several (4 or more) precise jumps in a row. If you miss one, you'll have to start that section over again. This makes the game frustrating.
Second, the camera has a mind of it's own. It tends to wander about, giving you a terrible view of the area. It also makes it hard to shoot bad guys.
Speaking of shooting bad guys, this game needs a lock on feature for more than just boss fights.
And the last thing the game needs is at the end of each level to ask us if we would like to save the game or not.
If you're really into platformers, then this is for you - otherwise move along, there's nothing to see here.
The weapons are a nice touch, and it gives an incentive to look throughout the level. Also, the story has interesting characters, and I like the notion of Death having a kid.
But there are problems with Death Jr.: Root of Evil.
First off, there are too many sections where you have to perform several (4 or more) precise jumps in a row. If you miss one, you'll have to start that section over again. This makes the game frustrating.
Second, the camera has a mind of it's own. It tends to wander about, giving you a terrible view of the area. It also makes it hard to shoot bad guys.
Speaking of shooting bad guys, this game needs a lock on feature for more than just boss fights.
And the last thing the game needs is at the end of each level to ask us if we would like to save the game or not.
If you're really into platformers, then this is for you - otherwise move along, there's nothing to see here.