Deadly Creatures: A Review

[loro]

Which would you prefer: A game that does everything you would expect and does it very well....or a game that steps out of the box, offering you a new experience, yet suffers some technical hiccups along the way? If you're in the former category you may not like Deadly Creatures, but if you can forgive an imaginative new IP a few technical shortcomings then you may end up truly enjoying this non-traditional outing from ATV Off-Road Fury developer Rainbow Studios.

Deadly creatures takes place in and around a rural gas station somewhere along route 66. It follows a day in the life of two unwitting accomplices, tarantula and scorpion. And they have no names. While this may not be that big of a deal, I'm very much impressed with the fact that Rainbow didn't give their main characters voices, names, or even text. Too often a developer feels the need to anthropomorphize their main characters to make them more relatable, but Rainbow didn't bother with such nonsense. The only characters who speak are the humans, which is as it should be.

The story begins as the tarantula and scorpion find themselves caught in a typical fight in this desert setting. There are no hidden emotions behind the battle other than fear and dominance, and before it reaches a terminal conclusion the scorpion scampers off for safety. At this point you take control of tarantula as you watch the first of many in-game cinematics that tell the story of Struggs (Dennis Hopper) and his accomplice, whose name escapes me at the moment (Billy Bob Thornton) as they search for a valuable crate of Spanish coins hidden in the desert behind the gas station.

The obligatory in-game tutorial begins once you are introduced to the characters. The controls are typical wii-motion fare: swings, chops, and button presses. As you progress in the game and encounter more difficult foes you will have the opportunity to engage in fatalities reminiscent of No More Heroes. The controls are very responsive, though sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between a chop and a swing. I don't place the blame for this on Rainbow, however, but instead on what we now know to be the limitations of the Wii-mote in its current form. Of course this could also be because I wasn't performing the motions accurately enough myself. Either way, it isn't that big a deal as both the swipe and chop are powerful moves when they land.

The game also makes good use of the IR functionality of the Wii-mote to deliver one of the most satisfying attacks of the game: the Stealth Pounce. You simply go into aim mode, point the cursor at an unsuspecting foe, then hit the A button. A quick animation follows that shows the tarantula fly through the air to deliver a painful strike to the enemy that is completely fantastical and not at all tarantula-like, but one diversion from reality that I whole-heartedly welcome.

But it isn't the story or controls that truly make this game, it's the level design. The game is played out in levels that criss-cross over each other along the lines of Ico, Soul Reaver, or Metroid. Some areas are inaccessible because you don't have the appropriate ability. Others are simply too far away to jump or to high to reach. The game plays through 10 chapters that alternate between the scorpion and the tarantula. The tarantula gains the ability to shoot webs and travel to new places ala Metroid/Zelda's grapple beam/hook. The scorpion will unlock the ability to dig and destroy certain patches of weeds. And both have the dizzying ability to walk along the side of walls in ways that give Super Mario Galaxy a run for it's nausea money. It's this particular aspect of the game that makes it a truly disorienting experience which makes exploring the cab of an old pick up truck a completely new experience.

Did I mention that the game borders on frightening at times? It isn't just the typical horror-film scares that you'd expect,. but rather just the site of some of your foe. Tarantula hawks are menacing, but the black widows evoke the creepiest feeling in your skin. And the quick moving lizards will make you run for higher ground to escape their lightening quick attacks.

So that's the pretty side of the game and the only side which I wish I saw. But you can't deny that this game is buggy as hell. The developers employ a common technique to mask the load times in the game: load tunnels. We've been seeing them since the PS1 and they're still the most common way to get around the necessity for load screens. Unfortunately they only partially work in this game. Inevitably as you walk through these tunnels on the way to the next scene being loaded the game freezes momentarily. It isn't a deal-breaker, but it certainly disrupts the flow of the game, especially in the middle sections of the game where it seems they must have ran out of time/resources to patch the errors. I'm sure if this were a more established IP or that if Rainbow studios was more trusted or even if there was a Nintendo character in the game they would have taken another six months to get the game polished. For this reason I don't blame Rainbow. They were working under an unforgiving deadline/budget and I'm just happy they decided to push the game in the other areas. I can forgive a few glitchy loads if I get to have the feeling of truly living as a tarantula or scorpion in this surreal world.

Of course, it isn't just the frozen loads that are irksome. The game also has difficulties regarding collision detection, specifically when it comes to the horned toads. While they should be a fearsome enemy, I managed to stuff them into the "walls" of the game where they were rendered immobile. It wasn't that I corned them and that they couldn't escape, but rather that they were pushed into the wall itself and couldn't move at all. While I may have been cheating, I'm a firm believer that if a game can be broken it should.


Closing Comments
All in all I'm quite impressed with Deadly Creatures. The game delivers on so many levels and is only hurt by a few glaring technical faux pas, and by the fact that it's over too soon. There isn't much reason to go back and play again other than to find a few more grubs and to master the game on a "deadly" level. I'll say this: my opinion of this game could easily go up if they get to make a sequel and they end up fixing these issues. Of course, they may never get that chance as quirky, unusual titles on the Wii have a tendency to tank in sales. I just hope that THQ realizes the potential this game could have as a franchise and doesn't hesitate to give Rainbow a bigger budget and bigger window to perfect this flawed gem of a game.

Score:
Gameplay 8.5/10...
Graphics 8.5/10
Technical 5.5/10
Story 8.5/10
Sound Design 9/10
Replay Value 7/10

Overall 8/10

[Falcon095]

Great, i'm really interested in DC and hopefully i'll buy it

What's the technical part about, btw?

[loro]

Great, i'm really interested in DC and hopefully i'll buy it

What's the technical part about, btw?

loading glitches....collision detection with enemies. Perhaps it doesn't deserve so low a score for technical....but really it is the only part where the game really lacks.

[Falcon095]

Oh i see, even with it it's a good score overall.

[MesoZombie]

While I support new game ideas, but I hate spiders and am afraid of scorpions—so I will never play this game….but its gets a thumbs up from me b/c it’s a fresh take in the game feild

[Don Ramón]

Great review super!
Can I use it for future magazines?

[loro]

Great review super!
Can I use it for future magazines?

um...sure.

[B4L]

nice review short and sweet i'll see if i can stand to play it to i finish .

[pichu]

Any fan of Zelda will forthwith become a fan of DC?

[Falcon095]

No, because that already happened with Okami

[pichu]

Some areas are inaccessible because you don't have the appropriate ability

Okay, so it's like the banjo games?

In Banjo you need to get to a new area of a world ( more technically the main world that goes to other wolds, ala Super Mario 64 ) by learning a certain move and collect jigsaw puzzles to get access.

[Falcon095]

Have you played Metroid Prime?

[loro]

Have you played Metroid Prime?

Who?

[pichu]

Have you played Metroid Prime?

I'm getting the wii version.

[loro]

Have you played Metroid Prime?

I'm getting the wii version.

Good man, pichu. If you get stuck, you can always ask one of us for help.

Do yourself a favor, though....and turn off the hints system.

[Falcon095]

Have you played Metroid Prime?

Who?

Pichu

@pichu
That characteristic of the game of not being able to reach some place without some ability is very common in Metroid Prime (and sometimes it's frustrating..), once you have played them you'll noticed that.

[pichu]

Have you played Metroid Prime?

Who?

Pichu

@pichu
That characteristic of the game of not being able to reach some place without some ability is very common in Metroid Prime (and sometimes it's frustrating..), once you have played them you'll noticed that.

Okay, okay. Then who teaches you a new ability?
You can't just learn it all willy nilly.. or can ya?
Same goes for this game... how do you learn new moves?

[loro]

Have you played Metroid Prime?

Who?

Pichu

@pichu
That characteristic of the game of not being able to reach some place without some ability is very common in Metroid Prime (and sometimes it's frustrating..), once you have played them you'll noticed that.

Okay, okay. Then who teaches you a new ability?
You can't just learn it all willy nilly.. or can ya?
Same goes for this game... how do you learn new moves?

Someone has to teach you? Sheesh. If you looked at half of your games "logically" you'd go crazy. In Deadly Creatures no one teaches you the moves...you accumulate enough kills and theoretically you "learn" the ability.

In Metroid you acquire an item specially made (and hidden) for you by the Chozo...or other superior race like the luminoths.

[pichu]

Gotcha!

[Brute]

Nice review.
I really want to get this game when i go back in the U.S.

[El Duderino]

^^ Happy Birthday BTW

[zex]

In spanish

¿Qué preferirías? ¿Un juego que hace todo lo que esperarías de él y lo hace muy bien, o un juego que va más allá, que ofrece una experiencia nueva, y sin embargo sufre de problemas técnicos en el camino? Si prefieres lo primero, es posible que no te guste Deadly Creatures, pero si puedes perdonarle a esta nueva franquicia un par de fallas técnicas, podrías terminar disfrutando de verdad este lanzamiento fuera de lo común de parte del desarrollador de ATV Off-Road Fury, Rainbow Studios

Deadly Creatures transcurre dentro y cerca de una estación de servicio rural en alguna parte alrededor de la ruta 66. Sigue un día en la vida de dos compañeros involuntarios, una tarántula y un escorpión, que no tienen nombre alguno. Si bien esto puede parecer poco relevante, estoy muy impresionado con el hecho de que Rainbow no les dio a sus personajes principales ni voces ni nombres, ni siquiera texto. A menudo un desarrollador siente la necesidad de humanizar a sus personajes principales para que el jugador pueda relacionarse con ellos, pero Rainbow no se preocupó mucho por eso. Los únicos personajes que hablan son los humanos, tal como debe ser.

La historia comienza cuando la tarántula y el escorpión se encuentran inmersos en una pelea común de esta zona desértica. No hay emociones ocultas en esta batalla más allá del temor y del dominio sobre el otro, y antes de que se pueda llegar a un veredicto, el escorpión se escapa a un lugar seguro. En este momento tomas el control de la tarántula, mientras transcurre una de las varias cinemáticas in-game que cuentan la historia de Struggs (Dennis Hopper) y su cómplice George (Billy Bob Thornton) que buscan una valiosa caja de monedas españolas oculta en el desierto detrás de la estación de servicio.

El mandatorio tutorial in-game comienza luego de que sean presentados los personajes. Los controles son los típicos del wiimote, movimientos horizontales y verticales con éste y presión de botones. A medida que progresas en el juego y encuentras enemigos más difíciles, tienes la oportunidad de hacer fatalities parecidas a las del No More Heroes. Los controles son bastante receptivos, aunque algunas veces el juego no reconoce algún movimiento y te lee algo que no querías ejecutar. No culpo por esto a Rainbow, a pesar de todo, sino a las ya conocidas limitaciones del Wiimote en su forma actual. Por supuesto, esto también se podría dar porque no estaba ejecutando los movimientos de manera lo suficientemente precisa. De cualquier modo, no es un gran problema ya que tanto los movimientos horizontales como los verticales son poderosos cuando aciertan.

El juego también utiliza la función IR del Wiimote para uno de los ataques más impresionantes del juego, el Stealth Pounce. Simplemente vas al modo apuntar, centras el cursor en un enemigo despistado y presionas el botón A. A esto sigue una rápida animación que muestra a la tarántula volar por el aire para acertar un potente golpe sobre el enemigo, se ve fantástico y si bien no es muy “tarantulesco”, es una distracción de la realidad que recomiendo fervientemente.

Pero no es la historia o los controles lo que hacen a este juego sino el diseño de los niveles. El juego está compuesto de niveles que se entrecruzan el uno con el otro en una forma similar a Ico, Soul Reaver o Metroid. Algunas áreas son inaccesibles porque no tienes la habilidad apropiada, otras están simplemente demasiado alejadas para saltar o muy altas para alcanzar. El juego consiste en 10 capítulos que alternan entre el escorpión y la tarántula. Ésta gana la habilidad de disparar redes para llegar a nuevos lugares, como el grapple beam en Metroid o el gancho en Zelda. El escorpión puede desbloquear la habilidad de excavar y destruir ciertos parches de hierbas. Los dos tienen la capacidad de caminar por las paredes, en maneras que marearían hasta al Super Mario Galaxy. Es este interesante aspecto del juego lo que lo hace una experiencia desorientante, que vuelve explorar la caja de una vieja pick-up una sensación completamente diferente.

¿Mencioné que el juego es a veces hasta aterrador? No son los sustos de una típica película de horror que uno podría esperar, sino tan sólo el ver a algunos de tus enemigos. Avispas caza-tarántulas son amenazantes, pero las viudas negras son capaces de ponerte la piel de gallina. Y las veloces lagartijas te van a hacer correr hacia un lugar más alto tratando de escapar de sus increíblemente rápidos ataques.
Entonces, esa es la parte bonita del juego, y la única parte que desearía haber visto. Pero no se puede negar que el juego tiene bugs por doquier. Los desarrolladores utilizaron una de las formas más comunes de ocultar los tiempos de carga: túneles de transición. Los hemos visto desde la PS1 y aún hoy son la manera más común de evitar la necesidad de poner pantallas de carga. Desafortunadamente, acá solo funcionan en parte. Inevitablemente mientras caminas por esos túneles hacia la próxima escena el juego se congela momentáneamente. No es terrible, pero ciertamente interrumpe el ritmo del juego, sobre todo en las secciones medias del juego donde parece que se hubieran quedado sin tiempo o recursos para arreglar los bugs. Estoy seguro que si ésta fuera una franquicia establecida, si Rainbow Studios fuera una compañía más conocida, o incluso si hubiera un personaje de Nintendo en el juego se hubieran tomado unos seis meses más para pulir mejor el juego. Por esta razón no culpo a Rainbow, estuvieron trabajando con un presupuesto y una fecha límite bastante difíciles y estoy contento de que hayan tratado con más fuerza en otras partes del juego. Puedo perdonar algunas pantallas de carga que se congelan si a cambio recibo la sensación de realmente estar viviendo como una tarántula o un escorpión en este mundo surreal.

Por supuesto, no son solo los congelamientos al cargar lo que molesta. El juego también tiene problemas para detector colisiones, sobre todo con los camaleones. Si bien deberían ser enemigos temibles, yo simplemente los pegaba a las “paredes” donde se volvían inmóviles. No es que yo los hubiera acorralado y no pudieran escapar, sino que es como si hubieran sido empujados hacia dentro de las paredes mismas y no pudieran moverse. Si bien puede ser que hubiera estado haciendo trampa, estoy convencido que si un juego puede ser explotado debe serlo.
En resumen, estoy muy impresionado con Deadly Creatures. El juego satisface en muchos sentidos y solamente tiene en contra algunas evidentes fallas técnicas y el hecho de que se termina muy rápido. No hay mucha razón para volver al juego una vez finalizado salvo para encontrar más larvas y completarlo en dificultad “mortal”. Voy a decir esto: mi opinión de este juego va a aumentar fácilmente si deciden hacer una secuela y corrigen esos errores. Por supuesto, es posible que nunca tengan esa oportunidad, ya que los juegos inusuales de la Wii tienen la tendencia a vender bastante poco. Sólo espero que THQ se dé cuenta del potencial que este juego puede tener como franquicia y no dude en darle a Rainbow un mayor presupuesto y una mayor publicidad para perfeccionar la algo fallida gema que es este juego

Puntaje:
Jugabilidad 8.5/10...
Gráficos 8.5/10
Apartado Técnico 5.5/10
Historia 8.5/10
Sonido 9/10
Rejugabilidad 7/10

Puntaje Final 8/10

[loro]

I've never been translated....tks zex.

[zex]

You're welcome. And yeah, it makes you feel important, right?

[Don Ramón]

Thanks fro translation ZEX... You are the best

[Sponsored content]