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X-Blades Review for Xbox 360

X-Blades Review for Xbox 360

Sexy but Shallow

Since males make up such a large percent of the hardcore gamer population, seeing game publishers pander to shallow male interests in hopes of raking in a sizeable cash return isn’t uncommon. Sex and violence sell, and melding the two into a titillating orgy of flashing naked skin, spinning blades, and sprays of blood may seem like a sure-fire way to produce a hit title. The formula has succeeded in the past, but that doesn’t mean it will fly with players each and every time.

X-Blades screenshot

The saucy, scantily-adorned vixen in X-Blades may have sex appeal (and large swords that hold down double duty as blazing guns), but her beauty is only skin deep. Looking beyond the shoestrings holding her meager outfit together, the heroine’s haphazard, valley-girl attitude is unbecoming of an ass-kicking warrior. Sadly, her shallow personality is mirrored elsewhere in the design decisions and in the gameplay itself. This may not be enough to deter action junkies looking for some gratuitous T&A with their wanton hacking and slashing, but the enjoyment to be derived from the straightforward gameplay is painfully limited.

Right from the start, the wispy story in X-Blades confirms what some might have speculated about early on: someone felt there was really no need for an elaborately thought-out tale in a game that’s all about charging around in a thong and jabbing blades into the guts of scores of nasty beasts until your eyes fall out. While not everyone will buy that premise, let’s call an ox an ox and move on. The game follows the somewhat daft, loot-seeking whimsy of Ayumi, a nimble warrior maiden with an apparent hatred for wearing clothes. After stumbling upon a treasure map that leads her to ancient ruins, she runs into a deity protecting a mystical orb infused with godly magic. Despite being warned of its deadliness to mortals, the bratty Ayumi grabs the thing, gets cursed, and winds up on a protracted quest to hack up all the evil inhabitants residing in the dusty ruins into itty bits – one room at a time.

To say X-Blades is a game rooted in combat would be a hefty understatement. The gameplay revolves solely around using blades, guns, and blasts of light and dark magic to decimate throngs of malevolent beasts. Also, there’s a little treasure hunting thrown in for good measure. Moving from one room to the next, you’ll dispatch a set number of creatures in an arena-style battle using your nimble, lethal skills. You won’t have to go far to find enemies to fight; they’ll frequently swarm you the second you enter a new level and not let up until you’ve cleaved every last beast in twain.

X-Blades screenshot

Slaying demonic adversaries yields souls that can be accumulated and used as a form of currency to purchase new special abilities or buy additional health and magic power-ups. Ranging from energy projectiles and explosive area-of-effect eruptions to damage boosting and teleportation, these abilities must be used frequently and in different combinations in order to stay alive for any length of time. Your primary weapons – the gunblades – can provide slicing goodness at close range or deal death from a distance. Melee combat slowly builds Ayumi’s rage meter that allows her to draw mana to cast powerful and destructive spells. Long story short: you’ve got a lot of wiggle room as to how you choose to take down opponents.

Transitioning between swinging swords, taking long-range pot shots, and firing off magic in all directions can be done quite effortlessly with the fluid controls. Ayumi handles well; she can run, jump, flip, leap, turn on a dime, and dish out some smackdown with simple motions and button presses. Basic attacks require you to hammer on one button or another, and spells can be hot-keyed to different buttons for easy access. The broad range of views afforded by the camera controls can be tweaked handily to give you just the right angle on the action… or whatever else you feel like gawking at. Seriously, are boob-jiggling physics really that important when the main character’s personality is about as interesting as reading the back of a cereal box? Let’s talk about priorities folks.

X-Blades screenshot

Combat in and of itself can be quite entertaining at times. There are plenty of skulls to cave in, and the action (and blood spray) flows fast and free. However, the longer you play, the more repetitive the gameplay starts to feel. The fact one area starts to look like the next over time isn’t just a feature of the game’s visual design; you’ll actually be backtracking through some of the same rooms you’ve already spent ample time carving your way through. This – and recycling a few of the same boss battles early on – just seems a tad lazy.

X-Blades screenshot

Another curiosity: getting killed will start you back at the beginning of the current area, but you’ll keep everything (including souls) you’ve accumulated throughout your quest. This balances some of the overwhelming feelings that arise in levels where you’ve being cut down from all directions by dozens of evil creatures, yet it’s hard to say whether the no-consequences approach is really a good thing. You can die a zillion times, and it has little bearing on the game itself.

Some players will certainly appreciate the attention put into getting Ayumi’s physical design just right, but the overall visual style of the game is quite captivating. Brilliant lighting effects and an impressive level of detail in the ruins and enemies offer other forms of eye candy beyond the obvious. The cel-shaded anime cutscenes that further the plot in-between some levels are also nicely-done.

X-Blades is a beautiful, action-packed title with some serious flaws. It isn’t really the kind of game you’ll want to sit down and play for many hours on end, yet some of the repetitiveness can be remedied by putting the controller down for a while and returning when you’ve got the urge for some senseless violence and skimpy outfits. Despite finding quite a few things that proved substantially irritating at different moments, the battle-heavy action does indeed scratch an itch.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
Whether your interest lies in the female form or in beautiful environments to hack and slash through, there’s plenty of pleasing views to soak in. 3.8 Control
Quick and fluid maneuvers are enhanced by myriad camera angles and smooth controls. 2.4 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voice work is painful…the dialogue is worse. 3.0 Play Value
Fun in short bursts, the gameplay gets repetitive quickly. 3.6 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Absorbing fantasy story with spectacular landscapes and figures.
  • Learn to play easily – wide range of development possibilities.
  • Innovative Blade Gun for firing projectiles and for close combat.
  • Role-playing elements to improve skills and enhance weapons.
  • Over 20 types of magic in different classes and around 40 different levels.

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