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[Andy787]

Just finished it yesterday. Wow, I'm really, really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. After coming off of the Xbox version of Conker recently, which just destroyed my fondness for the original, and a disappointing run with the demo, I had very little confidence in Rare actually coming through with an exceptional game, but they did it.

The game is just a joy to play. It's not particularly difficult (at least I didn't find it so, but I've heard others having some trouble), which may be a negative or a positive depending on what you're looking for, but to me, combined with the natural controls and the overall pacing, it was just a really enjoyable experience. It seems to always be providing vastly new and different things for you to see and do (as opposed to constantly recycling the same boring environments over and over, as many games lately have become accustomed to. But then, I guess over years of development and several console cycles, you'd have to have come up with a sizable list of ideas. ). Also, the variety of the warriors, especially in how they play, add a lot to making things constantly interesting. I thought the "morphing into other creatures" mechanic was pretty stupid before really trying it out, but if it succeeds at anything, it's in making the game feel like you're not doing the same shit throughout the entire experience --and luckily they're also a lot of fun.

And even on my 480i standard def TV, I must say the game is just gorgeous. Some people may be following the Nintendo school of thought, in that graphics for some reason have reached a point where they don't matter anymore --and hey, more power to you if that's how you really feel-- but for me, just playing Kameo, and exploring the beautiful, lush environments, added to my enjoyment of the game tremendously. If anything, graphics (along with sound, obviously) certainly paint an atmosphere for a game and it's world, and at least to me, atmosphere is an extremely important component of just about every game I consider to be truly great.

Anyway, tangent aside, congrats Rare, on a job well done. I wasn't sure if you still had it in you, but Kameo reinstilled some of my interest.

Now, Perfect Dark Zero on the other hand, is another story..

 

[AniHawk]

The reviews say it sucks though.

 

[Andy787]

I am so much better than reviews.

 

[john tv]

I played the demo and thought it was terrible. (The downloadable demo on Live Marketplace.) Is the real game much different?

 

[J2 Cool]

I didn't know Peter Moore posted here!

 

[nubbe]

I think Kameo is good fun and very nice looking. How it scored worse than PDZ I will never know because Kameo is a far more enjoyable experience.

 

[Joe]

if the downloadable demo on xbl is the same as the one in the kiosk then yes the game is different and much better. its a REALLY good game. im not sure i can suggest buying it at $50 but its at the very least a MUST rental and/or a must buy at $30.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

I played the demo and thought it was terrible. (The downloadable demo on Live Marketplace.) Is the real game much different?

Yes, much better. I honestly don't know why that is even there

 

[johnjohnson]

I just unlocked Deep Blue and I'm really enjoying the game so far. It's absolutely gorgeous to look at and it also sounds and plays well.

 

[boutrosinit]

I loved it.

I beat the game and am now getting my rankings up. Finally got my first 'A' too!

I put my review up here - noooz.com (in the game reviews bit).

If linking my site in inappropriate, I will edit.


DB

 

[boutrosinit]

I played the demo and thought it was terrible. (The downloadable demo on Live Marketplace.) Is the real game much different?

The first section of the game is enjoyable, then it sucks for a bit and then it gets good again and gets better.

If you like action RPGs, I think you'll dig it, but you'll see where they rushed the game. I find the more I play it, the more I enjoy it. There's tonnes wrong with it - consistency and so on, but otherwise I'm enjoying it even more now that I know the levels well.

Also, I recommend using that Wotnot book (in-game advisor) to find out how to kill the bosses as the logic for boss fights is beyond retarded. Thankfully, you can still enjoy the game this way.

 

[Andy787]

I played the demo and thought it was terrible. (The downloadable demo on Live Marketplace.) Is the real game much different?

Yes, very much.

Like I said, I thought the demo was terrible, too.

I didn't know Peter Moore posted here!

I told you guys I read the boards! Where's my fucking re-review, Che/Pfister?!

 

[john tv]

Hrm. Perhaps I shall borrow a friend's copy if someone I know picks it up. I still can't justify spending $50 on something Rare made, but you guys are making it sound like it's worth a try, at least. They should be a little more careful with their demos... the point is to make people want to buy the game, not the opposite!

 

[Mejilan]

*sighs*

I've had my copy here since 11/15 and I still can't play it. :/

 

[Andy787]

True, but I would say the same thing of nearly all of the media that MS has released to promote the 360.


Wallguy, anyone?

 

[dorio]

You just sold yourself a copy of Kameo, Peter.

 

[Oblivion]

Kameo got an 8.7 from GS. That's a game worth buying in my book .

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

I'm having fun with the game so far. I'm a little beyond the Water Temple. Deep Blue took some getting used to, but he doesn't control half as bad as people have complained.



p.s. PDZ rocks

 

[Oracle Dragon]

The reviews say it sucks though.

83 Reviews come out to an average of almost 80%; doesn't sound sucky to me. Sounds like a couple of reviewers thought it "wasn't for them".

 

[cybamerc]

If the game is anything like demo it's terrible.

 

[Sean]

Kameo is IMO the most polished Xbox 360 game. It's a shame it will probably bomb just because people will not try the game and instead read a review by someone who rushed through it to meet a deadline, or judge it off of the demo (which is not what the game experience is like).

This is one of the most colorful games I've ever played. Really looks beautiful, even on my standard TV. The levels are all varied, the warriors all look and feel different, and the music is perfect. The battle system is pretty deep too with all of the different multipliers and warrior focus mode. It uses checkpoints and autosaves really well, when you fail you don't really feel frustrated cause it respawns you pretty close to where you died. The Wotnot book is very cool too - you can set it to be adaptive, always help you, or turn it off completely. My only real complaint is Deep Blue. His underwater controls are pretty weird, but once you get used to it it's not that bad. Thankfully you don't have to use him much.

The thing that surprised me the most though is the replay value. There are dozens of unlockables - old movies, deleted cutscenes, cheats, alternate skins and whatnot. So far I've unlocked the original Kameo skin (white and purple). I'm going back to try and get all A rankings now. After you beat it there's the Lost Ruins Challenges (in the badlands), elemental fruit hidden all around, the chamber of portraits, etc. There's a lot of neat things hidden in the game too. In the Forest stage, there was a jukebox in one of the houses and I turned it on and it was playing the Banjo-Kazooie Theme (remixed). There's other neat stuff like that for the fans, which is pretty cool. There's still the Xbox Live Co-Op download coming soon too.

I've already put in around 16 or 17 hours into it so far, and I still haven't done everything yet. I really dig this game, and I'd love to get a sequel.

 

[hyp]

word. to the title of this thread.

 

[disaster_area]

Kameo...highly unoriginal but fun, and sometimes they go a little far with the character swapping.
Great looking tho.

 

[Suburban Cowboy]

I think Kameo is good fun and very nice looking. How it scored worse than PDZ I will never know because Kameo is a far more enjoyable experience.

now that im willing to buy, that kameo > PDZ.

Spoiler

9.0 from gamespot? wtf

 

[Optimistic]

If the game is anything like demo it's terrible.

Way to not read the thread and post more useless trash, man!!

 

[pestul]

Beat the game a couple days ago. Try not to use the Wotnot book very much.. because it makes the game a breeze.

About the final fight at the end..

Spoiler

I was pretty disappointed that I could just use Thermite for all of Thorn's forms.. Thermite f'ing cleans house (although I did need Chilla a bit to take Kalus out of the air)

Oh and Deep Blue rocks once you get his controls down.

Judging by my overall score.. I missed a heck of a lot of stuff in the game. I didn't even do many of the sidequest challenges. Game is still too short though. It probably needed one more dungeon. I appreciate the diversity Rare put into all the regions though. Most enjoyable game I've played in quite some time.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

79% currently. Underrated? Hmmmm. I dunno about that.

 

[KingJ2002]

Kameo is IMO the most polished Xbox 360 game. It's a shame it will probably bomb just because people will not try the game and instead read a review by someone who rushed through it to meet a deadline, or judge it off of the demo (which is not what the game experience is like).

This is one of the most colorful games I've ever played. Really looks beautiful, even on my standard TV. The levels are all varied, the warriors all look and feel different, and the music is perfect. The battle system is pretty deep too with all of the different multipliers and warrior focus mode. It uses checkpoints and autosaves really well, when you fail you don't really feel frustrated cause it respawns you pretty close to where you died. The Wotnot book is very cool too - you can set it to be adaptive, always help you, or turn it off completely. My only real complaint is Deep Blue. His underwater controls are pretty weird, but once you get used to it it's not that bad. Thankfully you don't have to use him much.

The thing that surprised me the most though is the replay value. There are dozens of unlockables - old movies, deleted cutscenes, cheats, alternate skins and whatnot. So far I've unlocked the original Kameo skin (white and purple). I'm going back to try and get all A rankings now. After you beat it there's the Lost Ruins Challenges (in the badlands), elemental fruit hidden all around, the chamber of portraits, etc. There's a lot of neat things hidden in the game too. In the Forest stage, there was a jukebox in one of the houses and I turned it on and it was playing the Banjo-Kazooie Theme (remixed). There's other neat stuff like that for the fans, which is pretty cool. There's still the Xbox Live Co-Op download coming soon too.

I've already put in around 16 or 17 hours into it so far, and I still haven't done everything yet. I really dig this game, and I'd love to get a sequel.

THERE IS!!!


WOOOOOOOOO!!!

*gains composure*

I really dont care too much about reviews... truth be told... i just look at videos and screens and depending on the vibe i get from the game I will either buy it or not... and so far... i have bought alot of great games and a few bad ones.

If i were to rate kameo i'd give it a 9/10... rare really changed up from their nintendo days... more objectives... less fetch quests. Plus the game looks amazing... sure the controls and the camera can get a little annoying at times but i havent played a platformer yet that had the perfect camera system implemented.

I wish microsoft hyped this game up more... it would have been one of the "overhyped" titles that actually lives up to the hype.

 

[pestul]

It's remarkable given the course of its development that it ended up being one of the best (if not the best) looking 360 launch title.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

I'm in love with Kameo. Aside from the unwieldly underwater controls, the game is nonstop fun, and running around in these gorgeous environments is breathtaking. This is the most visually stunning game on a standard TV imo (better looking than PGR3).

 

[Prine]

I've been playing PDZ so much lately that i havent had any time to play other games. Judging by the polish and creativeness of PDZ, i look foward to playing it.

I've only watched the boot up sequence for Kameo with the Rare title. It fucking rocks, reminds me of N64 days.

 

[Andy787]

There is going to be an XBL download to enable online co-op? Wow, hadn't heard that.

You just sold yourself a copy of Kameo, Peter.

I've been playing PDZ so much lately that i havent had any time to play other games. Judging by the polish and creativeness of PDZ, i look foward to playing it.

Wait, there was polish and creativity in PDZ? Shit, I gotta look harder.

 

[Prine]

you must!

I was playing multi in the desert, entered an area where the suns beams break into a small part if a room, you can see specs of dust flying around, each one glinting off the light.

When sand drops from the side of platforms when someone peers over, (obviously added to alert one of the danger above) the way your shield cracks and breaks into pieces through each individual shot.

And the weapons WOW! Best, most creative use of guns i've ever used. Each one is brilliant. Theres noting like grabbing a shield in the left hand and SMG in the right, charging into battle.

The different run speeds too! Each gun effecting your movement and agility, putting them away to evade skirmishes is a nice touch.

Theres so much to the game that i believe im going to have a hard time re-adjusting myself to traditional FPS.

Edit: Dark ops FTW!

 

[Slartibartfast]

I got my X360 on Friday at the UK launch, and Ihave to say that I'm LOVING Kameo. I really thought that at best I might 'like' it, but that I probably wouldn't get into it at all (like Star Fox Adventures) and it would be taken back on GAMEs 10 day return policy. That was the feeling I got from reading the reviews.

But...it looks stunning, it sounds stunning and the gameplay is such a breath of fresh air in comparison to many of the darker games I've been playing lately (Half Life 2 as an example). It has the old-school potty RARE British accents to boot. I find it so relaxing to just fly around the Enchanted Kingdom as Kameo taking in the sights. And even though I didn't like the aesthetics of the game from screenshots etc when it's in HD glory in front of me I LOVE the cartoon world it is showing. XBOX 1.5 wtf?

My only gripes are the camera (and the fact you can't snap it behind you), but it's not so bad as to break the game, and I'm sure once I've played some more that will become less of a nuisance.

So yes, from what I've seen so far I believe it is underrated. And it's also the perfect antidote to Condemned, while I'm a quivering wreck from a Condemned session, Kameo picks me up and smooths me (you guys weren't kidding that Condemned scares the bejesus out of you...I want my mummy!!)

 

[Kseutron]

Kameo = old 2001 gameplay (but still efficient) in a shiny shell...

Enough to have some fun, but I was expecting more. Rare's second wave of 360 games will be MUCH MUCH better than this IMO

 

[shpankey]

Way to not read the thread and post more useless trash, man!!

It's a staple of his.

 

[PG2G]

It is an awesome game, I enjoyed it most of the way through. The first level (i.e. the demo) wasn't too interesting to me either. While I was playing through it, I was thinking about how I just wasted $50 I don't know whether I just got used to the game or if it just got better, but people really should give it a chance.

 

[pestul]

It is an awesome game, I enjoyed it most of the way through. The first level (i.e. the demo) wasn't too interesting to me either. While I was playing through it, I was thinking about how I just wasted $50 I don't know whether I just got used to the game or if it just got better, but people really should give it a chance.

Nah... the first level was just garbage. If that's what the demo is, then it was a bad move.

 

[Y2Kev]

I love Kameo. It's such a joy to play. The game is full of personality and life. The graphics are breathtaking and the music is wonderful.

Moore is right. Those EGM reviews seriously weren't worth the paper they were written on, in my opinion. You can't review a game like this in a paragraph.

 

[Littleberu]

I love Kameo. It's such a joy to play. The game is full of personality and life. The graphics are breathtaking and the music is wonderful.

Moore is right. Those EGM reviews seriously weren't worth the paper they were written on, in my opinion. You can't review a game like this in a paragraph.

Ok now Kameo is the greatest thing, right?

Whatever.

 

[Eggo]

I think a lot of people really enjoyed Kameo, so I wouldn't call it underrated. The problem is the first hour of the game is the worst part, a sin in game development... especially since the demo turns off people who would've enjoyed a really great game.

Kameo was the first 360 game I finished, and some of the visuals are definitely next-gen... but you have to play all the way through it to know. If you guys playing on standard definition are impressed, wait till you play it on high definition.

If anything is underrated about this game, it's the unlockables and score ranking system. Getting an "A" rank on a level and scoring high on the Xbox leaderboards is like a game within the game.

 

[Kasra]

Yep this game is awesome.

 

[Y2Kev]

Ok now Kameo is the greatest thing, right?

Whatever.

Wow, you can read so well!

 

[DopeyFish]

damn you guys

looks like i have to buy anooooooother game

though i'll just play the demo to get a "feel" of the game control wise... not necessarily anything else.

 

[PG2G]

Try it out and buy it, its worth it Or get Gamefly, like I plan on doing.

 

[eshwaaz]

I just beat Kameo last night, and felt the same way as Andy 787. I couldn't believe how much I'd enjoyed it, and how much I would look forward to playing it when I got home from work.

It's not even the kind of game I typically like, but there are just so many aspects that surprised me. My only real complaint with the game is the pacing - right when you've unlocked all of the characters and fully leveled them up, the game ends. I felt like there were so many fun, inventive techniques that I never really got a chance to use, and that's a shame. The game really needed to be another hour or two longer. I know that you can go back and replay levels, but I really wanted to fully utilize the characters while advancing through the story.

Overall, though, I found it incredibly fun, and gorgeous to look at (with the exception of Kameo's walk/run cycles, which are awkward and decidedly unfeminine). I found myself shaking my head throughout the game, wondering how it's gotten some ratings of 6 and under. Obviously, they're just opinions, but I just don't get it.

 

[JoDark]

Agreed. Seems like across the various boards, the "truth" is coming out.

This game is fucking AWESOME!! I just beat "old green eyes) That was one of the best levels I have played in YEARS. DAMN that was intense. Just the overall atmosphere, and I LOVE FLEX. Damn he is a kick ass character.

Honestly, I really don't get the reviews. 2 6's and 7 from EGM. WTF is that??? This game is WAY WAY better than any adventure game since... uh... fuck, OoT??? What is better than this, tell me EGM!!!

And it's fucking BEAUTIFUL in HD!!! And the music is perfect as well.

As for deep blue, I found the "problem"... seems that non-inverted control doesn't work too well for this guy. If you play non-inverted, switch to inverted just for deep blue, helped me.

That last underwater bit was stunning as well!! And the boss in that level :O Hell, EVERY boss so far, incredible.

two 6's fuck off EGM. All my faith in your ability to review is gone.

 

[pestul]

The only enemies in the game I hate are those ones that squirt all over you when they explode. Get that shit off of me!!

Nice effect though. :lol

Spoiler

Oh, and part of what makes the game easy is that elven rune which regenerates your hp.. sometimes I felt like unassigning it, but I kept assuming it would get more difficult

 

[sangreal]

I agree, I don't understand how this game got a bad rap. I'm having a ball with it. It did take me awhile to get a grasp of the underwater controls though.

My biggest complaint is that you cant play straight through on co-op, you have to unlock the stages by playing single player first.

P.S - I actually liked thorn's castle

 

[GitarooMan]

I agree the game is really great, I've enjoyed it quite a bit (I haven't finished, but I'm about 8 hours in and would give it an 8-8.5 or so.) But to be honest I don't really care if it's "underrated" or whatever, EGM has the right to give their opinions, I respect that. I like the magazine, I think it would actually be weird if they agreed with me on every single game. I can see how people wouldn't like Kameo as much as I do. The problem is people put too much reliance on scores.

What I don't like though is people who play for a half-hour or play the demo and dismiss it as shit. This doesn't mean that these people have to play it, but they shouldn't just give a broad putdown of a game they have barely touched. Better off to say, I'm not interested or I couldn't get into it, just brief impressions.