QCF: The War of the Worlds (XBLA)

I'm not the kind of person that takes to licensed games too often. On the whole, I've not bought any movie games or games based on TV shows, as they have shown to be awful, lackluster cash-in shovelware. Of course, there are very few exceptions; Treasure's Astro Boy: Omega Factor was one of the best games on the Game Boy Advance, TDK Mediactive took Robotech: The MAcross Saga and made a pretty bitchin' side-story  in Robotech: Battlecry and Capcom somehow managed to make Disney's The Little Mermaid both hardcore and awesome. The only problem? Most other developers have sort of forgotten that quality games are actually what people want to spend thier hard earned money on, even if it's not an entirely original IP that they came up with themselves.

As such, I approached the retelling of HG Wells' War of the Worlds With a special brand of apprehension; if TV and movie conversions are generally so bad, just how will a book - from 1898 no less - actually fare?

As it turns out, despite a rather gripping intro...

...not as good as it could have been.

Indie developer Other Ocean has crafted an incredibly dreary and dark world, tumbling towards its decidedly inevitable doom, which matches the mood of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds perfectly. Other Ocean also took inspiration from the games of yester-year and combined that with a next-gen level of 2-D gloss. The first thing I noticed when the   actually started was its very close look and feel to last year's insta-classic, Limbo. It features the same brand of action-oriented puzzle game play that requires a bit of foresight, precise timing and a lot of patience... perhaps a bit too much patience, all told.

Let's be clear here; you will die. Like many classic games from the 8-Bit era, this game was intentionally crafted to be difficult. I can personally guarantee that there will be areas that you'll have to try again ten, twenty, maybe fifty times before you "get it" and are then be able to progress, but not just because the game is made to test your mettle. Remember that requisite timing and precision? Well, the controls aren't exactly up to the task. Many times, you'll die because of The War of the Worlds' finicky, sluggish handling. Here's a very prominent case of bullshit control:

"Oh, here comes a heat beam. Better get over this two foot pile of rubble so I can- WHAT THE FUCK MAN, STOP FUCKING ROLLING AROUND ON THE GROUND!!"

Get ready to see this exact scene like, a hundred times.

I get that the main character, Arthur Clarke (who, in the original writing was an unnamed narrator), is an average guy, but when timing and precision is everything, the control scheme presented in this game is sorely lacking, adding to a frustration that may lead some players to give up entirely.

Because of these issues, the game approaches being unplayable; it just takes far too long and too many attempts that requires too much luck to tame the wily beast that is the controls. While I've heard rumblings of the standard Xbox 360 pad coming up short with spotty analog control (and let's not forget its awful D-Pad), I played The War of the Worlds with the PDP Versus Fight Pad, and it worked only marginally better (keep in mind, the Versus Pad kicks ass with its precise thumbstick and microswitch buttons). Outside of its sluggishness and adaptation needs, the overall control is simple. One action button, one jump button and later, a button to swing an axe. Simple stuff that anyone can manage, but somehow becomes obtuse and a chore.

Especially with laser beams being flung about, all around you, all the time.

On the other hand, the story, narrated by Patrick Stewart, is very well-told and commands your attention with a fantastic narration reminiscent of his excellent acting in the BBC renditions of William Shakspeare's works. In addition, the visuals, which are not only solid but very cool with layers upon layers of 2-D parallax scrolling, are simply fantastic to look at, with all kinds of stuff happening in the foreground, mid-plane and background. Panic is perfectly represented visually, and the pacing keeps you right on the edge of your seat as you avoid certain death with only a tiny sliver of time to spare. The soundtrack is fitting and the effects are haunting. Seeing people snatched away by mechanical tendrils and vaporized by heat rays adds to the tension and makes for a very engrossing experience.

When the control isn't an insufferable whore, the story is riveting, chilling and gripping.

The challenge ramps up dramatically at times, with some stages taking a long while for players to feel their way through while other levels are rather short and easy with a bit of outside-the-box thinking. While this sharp contrast might seem a bit chancy, it sufficiently broke up The War of the Worlds most frustrating parts and gave me a bit of time to cool off without busting my controller. Just barely, but sufficiently.

However, because of the spotty control and overall difficulty inconsistencies, I only really enjoyed my time with The War of the Worlds when it came down to the narrative. but as long as you have the patience to keep trying, War of the Worlds is just barely worth the 800 Microsoft Points (or, if you prefer, $9.99 on PSN) you'll pay to play it, given that there are games out there that are more expensive and offer a less gratifying experience. Try the demo to make sure it's for you, but be forewarned; the first levels in the trial are much, much easier than the third stage and beyond.