Controls in Kameo are straight forward. In typical third person fashion the left thumbstick
moves you throughout the world while the right thumbstick controls the
camera/perspective. The left and right
triggers control the warrior specific attacks and skills. The face buttons are used to transform into
Kameo (A) or any of the other warriors.
If you hold down the B,X, and Y buttons the screen will pop-up the
“warrior wheel” which allows you to assign a warrior to that particular face
button. It’s a nice easy control scheme
that most people will pick up fairly quickly.
For the most part the controls are rock solid and easy to
use. You do fight the camera from time
to time but it only really happens when you are rolling through one of the
pipes in the game or are backed up against a wall. Where the controls fall apart is on the water
missions where Rare strangely decided to invert the controls I know this isn’t a problem for some people
but this was really frustrating for me as you need to master them to beat one
of the bosses in the game. The problem
is that when you fight this boss you have to fight him above and below the
water so you have to switch back and forth which is a bit of a challenge. The really frustrating part is that this
could easily have been fixed with a checkbox that would allow you to not invert
those controls. It’s really a shame as
the water levels are some of the most impressive in the game.
Kameo is easily one of the better looking titles at launch
for the Xbox 360. The folks at Rare did
an excellent job of creating a very nice fantasy world. You’ll get to explore everything from lush
jungles to frozen tundra’s. Textures are
excellent and there’s a nice attention to detail. The bosses in the game are well done,
especially Queen Thyra who is a personal favorite. Between having one of the cooler attacks in
the game (she launces a lot of eyeballs at you) she had the most buildup in the
game as she tracks you for the better part of one of the levels in the
game.
The monsters in the game are well done and varied. Besides the trolls there are several other
little creatures that you will have to dispatch in the game. The animations of all the characters are
excellent and the game runs at a steady clip (even when there are hundreds of
enemies on screen). There are a couple
of segments in the game where the folks at Rare are just showing off the
graphical power of the system. One such
sequence has you plowing through the troll army on a horse. This isn’t five or ten trolls but rather what
seems like several hundred trolls who are trying to take out one of the Elvin
outposts.
The audio in the game is strong as well with an excellent
cast providing the voices throughout the game.
The musical score complements is solid and complements the various
environments throughout the game.
With the exception of the aforementioned water boss the
gameplay in Kameo is challenging but not overly difficult. The elemental warriors change the gameplay as
you progress through the game but the folks are Rare are a little heavy on the
Major Ruin sections while going light on others. If you do get stuck during the game you can
always consult the Wotnot in the game who will provide you some tips on how to
solve a particular problem. The book
will tell you when it has something to say, which is something that can be a bit
annoying at times. There were a few
occasions that the mind knew what to do but the fingers weren’t exactly able to
communicate it to the 360 and the constant reminders were a bit annoying.
Most gamers will be able to play through the game in around
ten hours or so (including the majority of the side quests). Extra achievement points are available for
those who play through the games co-op mode and those who max out the available
points on each of the levels in the game.
I found that there were few warriors that I didn’t use as much as
others, especially the ones you find at the end of the game. The final battle of the game was a little bit
of a let down, not because of the design of the game but by the fact that I
wasn’t nearly as hard as I would have liked it to be.
Overall Kameo:Elements
of Power is a bit more than you would expect from a launch title. Besides solid graphics and audio there is
actually a decent plot to the game and while there are a few tech demo
sequences the game actually feels and plays well. Kameo was one of those games
that will captivate you for long session and then frustrate the hell out of you
but it’s certainly one of the better launch titles for the Xbox 360.
C+
With the exception of one boss battle in the game and some camera issues Kameo is one of the better launch titles for the 360 and one of the few family friendly titles available for the platform. The game is at least a must-rent for all gamers and games with younger children will probably want to add the game to their permanent collection.
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