In the finest release period in 360 history, with more PAL games than any sane person could possibly hope to purchase my first instinct was of course to pick up an obscure NTSC-J turn based strategy game. Operation Darkness is currently an NTSC-J only 360 title, and as far as I know I don't think there is a planned UK release, or even a US one for that matter.
Whether this bothers you on not depends on the following things:
1) Do you like the idea of tanks fighting dragons?
2) Do you like the idea of big breasted manga chicks, tormented floppy haired heroes and gruff voiced figures of authority with mysterious pasts forming a special combat unit to take out Zombie Nazis, by virtue of a number of secret powers including the ability to turn into werewolves?
3) Do you think Advanced Wars would have been better with Japanese electro music, sounding a little like Fluke crossed with Ian Brown, playing during combat?
If so this game is for you.
Of course, the dragons, werewolves and breasts don't come into play straight away (just like real life kids). It starts promisingly though. The music is suitably Medal of Honor, the video intro like many other World War 2 games, albeit with a Japanese voice over (that skips over the whole Pearl Harbour thing as quickly as possible). The game then starts and the first thing that strikes you is the graphics. They are, to be blunt, rancid. Poorly textured. Poorly animated. Just poor. Imagine Field Commander on the PSP, but recreated by an autistic chimp. However, in this next-gen era, I felt it was unwise simply to moan because the graphics were as pleasing as rubbing vinegar into an open wound - that would make me a shallow graphics whore right? - so I persisted. And beneath the rancidness is actually a half decent game.
It plays a lot like Gladius on the Xbox/PS2. If you never played that (and you'd not be alone) Field Commander or Advance Wars would be a close comparison. You move, you choose an action etc... When moving, a grid overlays the battlefield, and you simply move the analogue stick to shift your unit to the new location. You can then fire, use an item etc... Firing involves selecting a weapon, selecting a target (hit % probabilities are shown) and pressing A. In fact, the feel of this bit was perhaps more like Metal Gear Acid on the PSP.
There is a turn list down the right of the screen, like a traditional RPG showing whose turn it'll be next, and round and round you go until the criteria for battle victory are met. Between battles you can recruit new team members, buy new weapons and do a fair amount of customisation. The whole thing feels (and indeed looks) a bit like the menu system in Chromehounds. A majority of the story plays out with Japanese dialogue, with English subs and anime style cutout static art. The voice acting is actually amusing as all the characters have British/US names (like Mitch and Steve), so you hear a long stretch of babble, and then the odd word pops out you recognise. There is also a very funny bit where the soldiers all say the SAS motto in a story sequence. I'd not lived till I heard "Who Dares Wins" being shouted with gusto in a strong Japanese accent. Yes, I can't speak Japanese - so it's rude to laugh - but it is truly surreal at times. The translation is also pretty spotty, with some clunky sentences and missing/wrong words. But still not too bad.
As I said, the music at all times, but especially in battles, is really good. There is a funky (but short - so may become annoying) tune that plays out as you fight, and it sounds very UK indie dance electro, albeit indie 1997 style. Still had me tapping my foot though.
Is it worth buying from playasia? I'm not sure. If there's no US/UK release nobody would really be missing anything, but it has cult classic simmering beneath its cover. I personally can't think of another game that has approached WW2 in quite this way (RTCW perhaps), so as a gaming experience, if you can look beyond the horrendous graphics, it might be worth exploring if you ever see a cheap copy.
Whether this bothers you on not depends on the following things:
1) Do you like the idea of tanks fighting dragons?
2) Do you like the idea of big breasted manga chicks, tormented floppy haired heroes and gruff voiced figures of authority with mysterious pasts forming a special combat unit to take out Zombie Nazis, by virtue of a number of secret powers including the ability to turn into werewolves?
3) Do you think Advanced Wars would have been better with Japanese electro music, sounding a little like Fluke crossed with Ian Brown, playing during combat?
If so this game is for you.
Of course, the dragons, werewolves and breasts don't come into play straight away (just like real life kids). It starts promisingly though. The music is suitably Medal of Honor, the video intro like many other World War 2 games, albeit with a Japanese voice over (that skips over the whole Pearl Harbour thing as quickly as possible). The game then starts and the first thing that strikes you is the graphics. They are, to be blunt, rancid. Poorly textured. Poorly animated. Just poor. Imagine Field Commander on the PSP, but recreated by an autistic chimp. However, in this next-gen era, I felt it was unwise simply to moan because the graphics were as pleasing as rubbing vinegar into an open wound - that would make me a shallow graphics whore right? - so I persisted. And beneath the rancidness is actually a half decent game.
It plays a lot like Gladius on the Xbox/PS2. If you never played that (and you'd not be alone) Field Commander or Advance Wars would be a close comparison. You move, you choose an action etc... When moving, a grid overlays the battlefield, and you simply move the analogue stick to shift your unit to the new location. You can then fire, use an item etc... Firing involves selecting a weapon, selecting a target (hit % probabilities are shown) and pressing A. In fact, the feel of this bit was perhaps more like Metal Gear Acid on the PSP.
There is a turn list down the right of the screen, like a traditional RPG showing whose turn it'll be next, and round and round you go until the criteria for battle victory are met. Between battles you can recruit new team members, buy new weapons and do a fair amount of customisation. The whole thing feels (and indeed looks) a bit like the menu system in Chromehounds. A majority of the story plays out with Japanese dialogue, with English subs and anime style cutout static art. The voice acting is actually amusing as all the characters have British/US names (like Mitch and Steve), so you hear a long stretch of babble, and then the odd word pops out you recognise. There is also a very funny bit where the soldiers all say the SAS motto in a story sequence. I'd not lived till I heard "Who Dares Wins" being shouted with gusto in a strong Japanese accent. Yes, I can't speak Japanese - so it's rude to laugh - but it is truly surreal at times. The translation is also pretty spotty, with some clunky sentences and missing/wrong words. But still not too bad.
As I said, the music at all times, but especially in battles, is really good. There is a funky (but short - so may become annoying) tune that plays out as you fight, and it sounds very UK indie dance electro, albeit indie 1997 style. Still had me tapping my foot though.
Is it worth buying from playasia? I'm not sure. If there's no US/UK release nobody would really be missing anything, but it has cult classic simmering beneath its cover. I personally can't think of another game that has approached WW2 in quite this way (RTCW perhaps), so as a gaming experience, if you can look beyond the horrendous graphics, it might be worth exploring if you ever see a cheap copy.
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