The War of the Worlds Review
The War of the Worlds is 2d platformer based on the 1898 novel by H.G Wells.
You play as Arthur Clark, a man searching for his family around the damaged streets of London and on alien ships.
The game tells the story through narration by the one and only Patrick Stuart. Mr Stuart (as expected) gives a great sense of fear, claustrophobia and really adds to what would be a horrendous experience.
The game itself is similar to LIMBO. There is not much colour and the controls are basic which means the game run smoothly and fluid right?...... Wrong! The controls are horrible!!! You can walk, run, roll and jump, but all these actions are at a very slow speed and also lack response.
At times you will want to run, jump onto a ledge and then duck behind cover but it just won’t have it. You have to be directly under a high ledge which means running up to it, getting directly below it, jumping and then climbing onto a surface whilst being chased. After a while the game becomes a chore and it's all down to the controls. The controls lead to a lot of unnecessary/undeserved deaths and on top of this the checkpoint system adds to the frustration.
The presentation of the game is the brilliant. The eerie black, white and pastel visuals with a hint of fire and alien lasers look great. Your surroundings look as if the invasion really happened and the sounds of scared humans can be haunting.
The War of the Worlds is one of the most difficult games I have played on XBLA and not because it was meant to be but because of the controls and checkpoint system.
The best parts of the game are the lovely visuals and spectacular narration…, That’s it!! The game could have been brilliant and it is a shame it was ruined by something that is one of the most important factors in gaming. Wait for a price drop.
5/10
Review By Wicket2961
