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Coded Arms (PSP): EGM Review. Yikes.
- Thread starter tedtropy
- Start date
Phoenix Dark
Banned
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :lol
Coded la bomba!
Coded la bomba!
Kevtones said:
I've always thought it looked impressive, just felt the random-level thing was a bad idea and was worried about how a non-dual analog system would handle a modern FPS. I made the mistake of thinking it'd be a modern FPS.
Let's see...
I'm having fun with Coded Arms, Midnight Club 3, and Dead to Rights. Glad I'm not paying attention to these reviews anymore. I even picked up Bleach Heat the Soul at Fry's the other day, and it too was nowhere near as bad as I'd heard. PSP games get way too much of a bad rap; it may be powerful, but it's still not a console, and people shouldn't be expecting Halo out of Coded Arms. It's good for what it is.
I'm having fun with Coded Arms, Midnight Club 3, and Dead to Rights. Glad I'm not paying attention to these reviews anymore. I even picked up Bleach Heat the Soul at Fry's the other day, and it too was nowhere near as bad as I'd heard. PSP games get way too much of a bad rap; it may be powerful, but it's still not a console, and people shouldn't be expecting Halo out of Coded Arms. It's good for what it is.
Wario64 said:
And PSP fans must be really reactive. It was a pretty anticipated game and this is a fairly major publication. I mention nothing about the DS, but it's sweet how your troll-like nature nonetheless prevailed.
"Good work, soldier!"
Well hell, people told me to avoid Breakdown as well (some even claiming that it made them physically ill), but damn it, I loved it.
I think people really are being a bit too harsh on some PSP games. Granted, it's tough to match some of the insane quality we saw at launch, but I think people forget that this is a handheld still.
I think people really are being a bit too harsh on some PSP games. Granted, it's tough to match some of the insane quality we saw at launch, but I think people forget that this is a handheld still.
Musashi Wins!
FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
kaching said:
yea, otherwise I don't get the re-post.
Wario64 said:
They're the expected complaints: the levels are tedious and repetitive, the objectives boring, the A.I. is lackluster and similar across enemies, the control setup is disapointing and has an obvious learning curve, it takes too long to find interesting weapons, which then burn through ammo too quickly, etc.
Version 3.0
Member
OPM gave it 2 out of 5. :-(
"Shallow combat meets nonexistent level design in a battle for FPS mediocrity." They didn't like the randomized levels, claiming that it was motivated by laziness and that properly designed levels would be much preferable to variety.
On the bright side, no Coded Arms, no firmware upgrade! Yay! Or was that just rumour after all?
"Shallow combat meets nonexistent level design in a battle for FPS mediocrity." They didn't like the randomized levels, claiming that it was motivated by laziness and that properly designed levels would be much preferable to variety.
On the bright side, no Coded Arms, no firmware upgrade! Yay! Or was that just rumour after all?
Virgin Wii
Banned
Famitsu probably gave it a higher score than Half-Life 2. 'Cause it's Konami, and not some shitty American dev. Japanese developers have higher standards.
Hey Lyte Edge -- I'm calling you out to ask your opinion.
You've been asserting that games like Coded Arms, Midnight Club 3, and Dead to Rights aren't as "bad" as the reviews suggest, and that they should be evaluated as portable games and not console games.
I can certainly see your side, inasmuch as those three games are at least average and tolerable in the grand scheme... I mean, why give Coded Arms or DTR anything close to what Mercury or Smart Bomb got?
But here's my question for you:
The $39-$49 price point... don't you think it's one thing when a handheld game costs $20-30, and quite another when it costs as much as a console game? Shouldn't the higher prices justify at least some greater scrutiny. You've admitted that you own 18+ PSP games already. Most people really think hard before spending $50, let alone nearly $1000. $50 is a lot for for a game that's "not as bad as the reviews say."
I dunno... the load times in Midnight Club, the repetitive blandness of Coded Arms, the far-too lightweight plot in DTR -- To me, these are all things that could've and should've been fixed up before shipping. At least, for $40 or $50.
You've been asserting that games like Coded Arms, Midnight Club 3, and Dead to Rights aren't as "bad" as the reviews suggest, and that they should be evaluated as portable games and not console games.
I can certainly see your side, inasmuch as those three games are at least average and tolerable in the grand scheme... I mean, why give Coded Arms or DTR anything close to what Mercury or Smart Bomb got?
But here's my question for you:
The $39-$49 price point... don't you think it's one thing when a handheld game costs $20-30, and quite another when it costs as much as a console game? Shouldn't the higher prices justify at least some greater scrutiny. You've admitted that you own 18+ PSP games already. Most people really think hard before spending $50, let alone nearly $1000. $50 is a lot for for a game that's "not as bad as the reviews say."
I dunno... the load times in Midnight Club, the repetitive blandness of Coded Arms, the far-too lightweight plot in DTR -- To me, these are all things that could've and should've been fixed up before shipping. At least, for $40 or $50.
monchi-kun
Member
AB 101 said:As a PSP owner, I am fully qualified to say that the post launch lineup has been pretty much a total disaster.
+1
Leondexter said:
It's true. The moment they touted random level design as a 'feature' of the gameplay, I was groaning. A computer script pooping out a bunch of random hallways and rooms is never going to beat something crafted by a true map designer by any stretch.
This thread saddens me :-/
I'm with Lyte Edge on this one.
And if people think $39-49 MSRP is expensive (Japan's prices are even more hurting), rent it first, or buy it cheap. This forum has a lot of information on where to buy games cheaper. Coded Arms and Dead to Rights is $29.99 at Fry's/Outpost.
I'm with Lyte Edge on this one.
And if people think $39-49 MSRP is expensive (Japan's prices are even more hurting), rent it first, or buy it cheap. This forum has a lot of information on where to buy games cheaper. Coded Arms and Dead to Rights is $29.99 at Fry's/Outpost.
tedtropy said:
This random level design thing is interesting. Sure when comparing to Half Life and Goldeneye it's never going to stand up. But this is for a portable. Wouldn't random levels that keep you on your toes and you can have a blast around for the short bursts of gaming that typify handhelds actually be really good?
AB 101 said:As a PSP owner, I am fully qualified to say that the post launch lineup has been pretty much a total disaster.
Minus Hot Shots Golf and you are correct. The PS2 was like this too though so I still have plenty of faith they will deliver down the road holidays and after.
I just rented Coded Arms today and have to side with Lyte Edge on this one. Game is pretty damn fun. Control configuration C works quite well. Surprisingly well, in fact. Control C usings the 4 face buttoms for movement, and the analog nub to move around. The game also gives you different lock on abilities too depending on what you want. You can look onto enemies tightly where the cursor aims onto them. Or you can make the lock on loose where the cursor gets slower as it moves over an enemy. There are two types of loose lock on, Loose 1 and Loose 2. Loose 1 seems a little like Halo 2 auto aim where the cursor gets slower as you move over the enemy. Loose 2 locks on a little tighter. I'm still trying to get the right adjustment for the analog nub right now as far as how fast I want it to move. Thankfully you can adjust the movement speed too. Konami took a lot of care into giving you plenty of control options as you can map different buttons to how you like. The enemies are pretty simple AI that attack you head on. Some of the gunners strafe left and right and jump a bit but it is all pretty simple. Personally I'm a fan of random dungeons so I like the game setup. The game runs pretty clean too. Good looking. Weapon switching is easy to access with the left and right dpad and reloading with the down dpad button works fine too. My main issue is with hitting the L button to jump while using the nub. I have this problem with all PSP games, though. I find it uncomfortable to use the nub and hit the L button at the same time. Thankfully I don't think the game has many platforming elements. The game is good, simple fun and the control is fine as long as you take the time to tweak it. Coded Arms actually has me excited for potential future FPS games on PSP.
Eh ... I have a hard enough time with dumbed down dual analog, it was a real bitch for me to adapt to face buttons + nub (using C, as you mentioned). I don't think it's really that bad of a game but I gave up mid-way through the second set of levels because the hardware's control layout was just too frustrating. Looks purdy tho'.
WrathOfOtaibah
Banned
I would have picked this baby up if it wasn't for the repetitive levels. Its what ruined Halo 1 for me.
StorablePrawn
Banned
Maybe I'm being a little too grumpy here, but walking down a longish hallway that has absolutely no point design-wise makes me feel a bit enraged.
Still, if this played more like Doom or Serious Sam I would have fallen in love with it, randomly generated levels or not. Instead it's more like a very, very weak modern FPS. I just didn't like it.
Still, if this played more like Doom or Serious Sam I would have fallen in love with it, randomly generated levels or not. Instead it's more like a very, very weak modern FPS. I just didn't like it.