Vampire Whale

User Score
8.0

Presentation - 9.0
Gameplay - 8.0
Value - 7.0

After reading all of the major reviews for this game I had decided it was something to avoid.  But when I saw Gamestop selling new copies for $20, it became worth a try.

And after finishing the game on the Commando setting (I like to play games on the hardest difficulty first) I actually came away pretty satisfied.

The swinging gameplay is fun and rewarding once you get the hang of it, and the combat using the bionic arm is fun as well.  The environments look great and animations are well done.

One thing that the game isn't is forgiving.  I feel that this is where most people are turned off.  Checkpoints are far apart, and sometimes you can have to replay 5 minutes of swinging/combat just because you missed a ledge and fell into the water.  This gets frustrating, but what fun are games that don't challenge the player?  If I pay money for an experience I want to have to work and get better in order to progress.

Another annoyance is the collectibles in the game.  For an achievement you have to collect all of them throughout the game. But, if you miss one you're screwed. You cannot just level select and grab it.  You have to play the whole game over again!

All in all, this game is fun. Not $60 of fun in my opinion.  But for $20-$30....