Back in the saddle

After a bit of a lull period, I have finally got my next review title underway. Mindjack actually came out last week but I was unable to pick it up at the time as I was suffering from the flu which basically left me at home feeling sorry for myself. It also meant a pretty non-active weekend in fairness, though at least I managed to polish off the single player aspect of Halo: ODST.

Instead I popped out to pick it up on the Friday just gone, and then settled down to play it on my girlfriends account. Before I review a game I always make a judgement call on whether or not to put it on my own tag - which usually depends on the achievements and how much of a pain in the ass they will be to complete.

Now before everyone rambles on about how I should play games for, you know, FUN. I only do this for review titles, as they are often games that I wouldn't normally pick up myself, as is the case with Mindjack. However, even if the game hadn't previously appealed to me, I will give it a shot depending on the time sink required.

Mindjack seemed easy enough to do, though you would have to rely upon other gamers joining your game or then have to boost certain achievements with two or three other people. None of which really appealed to me - plus I'd rather devote my gaming time to FFXIII at the moment and didn't want the added hassle of trying to pimp Mindjack for all it was worth.

The game itself is.......odd. On a basic level it is a fairly simple cover based shooter, the twist comes from the fact you can leave your own body and 'hack' into those of other people and machines. If you play online you can also 'hack' into other peoples games and either help or hinder them depending on your personal preference. It is a neat idea but one that seems fundamentally wasted on such a linear and simplistic game. You go from area to area, killing everything in sight, and that is pretty much all she wrote. With a few more ideas and a bit of variety this game could have been a bit special - instead it is a bit shit.

It doesn't help that when you complete a section of a level, all the weapons you picked up are taken away. Also, you cannot pause the game either as the game just continues on in the background. Say what?

Not exactly the start to the year I was hoping for to be honest, but I'm sure things will pick up in short order. I'll be finishing off the review in short order and, for anyone interested in achievements, the game should be a fairly easy 1k (20 hours?) assuming you can find a buddy to play with.