overhyped but still worth your while
To cut to the chase and try to keep the review to a minimal, I have yet to dig deep into the game, but my first impessions (6 hours) would fall into these categories:
Graphics: 9. Great graphics, the enviornment is colorful and the character models are well done. This is one of the better looking Xbox titles I have ever seen. Add the 480p and you got yourself a nice looking game in 16x9.
Gameplay: 8. I knock it down a notch in the gameplay department due to the fact that the combat with the bow has somewhat of a stiff feeling. It is not easy to target certain enemies and you would find this out when doing your the bow training and trying to hit the back dummy. Also I was not impressed with the fact that you can't jump.
I can also gripe that the game while open ended, still forces you into somewhat of a linear path in terms of how the levels are laid out. I really wanted to run around some of the areas that are otherwise blocked off. The camera in the game leaves alot to be desired at times. While it does serve the purpose and is responsive, it leaves you wanting to conrol some areas more. The zoom of the camera is the real problem, as it can be a pain getting it just right for the area you are in.
The mapping of the D-pad of the controller is a welcome blessing, but the navigation menus of certain invertory features are somewhat clunky, they will take some getting used to, but overall they are laid out well.
A really big problem with the game is the constant loading of new map areas. It seems like anywhere you go, it has to load something contstantly. I can see this being a big turnoff for alot of gamers who want to get into the action in minimal time.
Sound. 9. This is one of the better sounding games I have played. Especially in 5.1. The voices are well done, but the one annoyance I would have to shoot out is the repetitiveness of what characters say after a while. It gets annoying hearing them tell you the same thing over and over again.
Overall this game is a must have (Value:8) as it is one of the better games out on the market. While the game isn't the end all be all of RPG's ever made, it does stack up well in alot of areas and should produce many hours of fun in the long run. The replay value on this game seems quite good, being that the next time around in the game you can behave totally opposite from what you did the previous time.
ps. a little side note: u gotta love the humor in this game!