Splosion Man [360 XBLA]

[Jebus]

So they totally ruined this game then with the bosses, didn't they!

Enjoyed the game up unil that first boss battle, which is extremely annoying, died about 16 times, couldn't be bothered and turned it off. The "m m m missiiiiiiils" bit isn't a problem, but the laser bit is really really frustrating.

It had been fun and challenging up until that point but I felt the balance was just spot on. Why does this game need boss encounters? There's no story to speak of, why a I suddenly against something that big, with the camera zoomed so far out, which I'm not used to? I can hardly seem Splosion Man, certainly no enough to make tiny adjustments to avoid lasers twice each time. Add to that the repetitive nature of the boss voiceover, and you're in for a extremely frustrating experience.

A real shame, I can't believe nobody mentioned it in playtesting! I'm sure I'll go back to it at some point, but it's literally made me turn it off, so irritated was I.

Other than that I can sympathise with the load time issue...why are they so long for such a small game? Anyway, I was enjoying this game until today.

[Matt]

Load times are strange. They'll surely just be loading map data, all the textures and characters are the same stage to stage.

I went back to it and got the boss quickly after being frustrated initially. Such a bad design decision, can see many people not bothering once they reach that

[Ajay1986]

Well I can't really agree, I beat that first boss at the 2nd attempt and thought it was a nice change of pace. It's really not very hard, its not like the boss has some really difficult patterns to learn.

Maybe you are just too used to modern games, get your NES on that will sort it.

[Jebus]

It's not a case that it's a difficult pattern, it's that it's fiddly and TINY. I have a 32" TV and when I go back to it, I'm gonna go and sit closer because it's so bloody small. None of the rest of the game has zoomed out so far like this.

Fair play if you are a more hardcore gamer than me, I don't doubt that I'm not as skilled as I once was. However, I've got this far without too much difficulty, and I'm not a fan of games ramping the difficulty like this. I mean, what's the point? Is it purely to frustrate people and make them switch the game off? If so, then mission acomplished.

I don't see why I shouldn't be more "used to modern games" because they are what I play, and this is one of them! Moreover, there'll be a whole generation of gamers playing this who've probably never even played a NES.

[Ajay1986]

Why does it matter if its so zoomed out tho? It's not like the boss involves loads of little jumps, even zoomed out its easy to see when you need to move and react.

I doubt it comes down to being more "hardcore" but I didn't even give the level a second thought, 10 minutes or so and it was done.

[Jebus]

Good for you then mate, well done!

It matters that it's zoomed out because Splosion man is then a tiny spec on the screen and you have to use twitch controls to move him either side of a moving platform whilst a moving laser goes over and under it.

[Matt]

The jumping can be a bit dodgy at the best of times, it's hard to be pixel perfect when your jump splosion temporarily hides your character. The game has more than a few instances of dodgy camera position as well, which given they're pre-programmed is very odd.

[Ajay1986]

Good for you then mate, well done!

It matters that it's zoomed out because Splosion man is then a tiny spec on the screen and you have to use twitch controls to move him either side of a moving platform whilst a moving laser goes over and under it.

A tiny spec on the screen isn't how I would describe it but then you are trying to make a big deal out if it.

Fair enough I found it easy you didn't we'll leave it at that.

[Jebus]

I don't believe I'm trying to make a big deal out of it at all. I'm merely voicing my opinion on an open discussion thread about the game.

I'm afraid I can only comment on my own gameplay experience, which had been enjoyable up to the boss level. I do find the visuals difficult during that boss battle and I do find Splosion man to be too small (very suddenly, after that camera zoom level not being used once in the preceeding gameplay) for such twitch gameplay, that is my opinion.

I find the idea of putting bosses in an odd design choice full stop if I'm honest.

Perhaps I should have just stuck a "BEST XBLA GAME EVAHH!!!" or six in there instead.

[Goemon]

I get where you are coming from with "fun for a week" but I'm kinda sick of buying games that last a week, hence the recent purchases (from me) of Battlefield 1943, Burnout Paradise etc!

I'm not sure the mentality behind this, the game is only about ?6, if you can have a few sessions and enjoy it for a week I think it's ?6 well spent.

This is one thing I like about XBLA games, I don't always have time to play a lot so if I can get through a game in quickly and enjoy it then I'm happy that it didn't cost me that much.

[Jebus]

I'm not sayng it's not worth the money mate, I'm saying that at the moment I'm more into paying for a game that will have infinite replayability! Hence the games mentioned in comparison like Battlefield and Burnout Paradise that I've recently purchased.

[Don Tommo]

Good for you then mate, well done!

It matters that it's zoomed out because Splosion man is then a tiny spec on the screen and you have to use twitch controls to move him either side of a moving platform whilst a moving laser goes over and under it.

Actually you don't.

->Open Spoiler<-

If you stay right at the edge of the screen the lazers can't touch you at all.

[Jebus]

LOL, you don't! You are spot on.

Like Chain, went back to it today and the boss was a cakewalk! Dunno what thats about really.

[FreelancePolice]

Yeah once I figured out that I didn't find it too challenging at all.It's not really clear though I'll give you that!

[Jebus]

Indeed, I certainly didn't realise you had to get ON the platforms. Years of experience told me I had to survive that laser pattern and he'd go back to rockets!