Paste Magazine June/July 2010 : Page 109
TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION MODNATION RACERS GAMES BOOKS TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION DEVELOPER: UBI-SOFT MONTREAL PUBLISHER: UBISOFT PLATFORMS: XBOX 360, PC Scattered reboot succeeds in spite of itself After a notoriously hec-tic development cycle and at least one design overhaul, Splinter Cell: Conviction has finally been released. The original series’ third-person, stealth-action formula is mostly intact here, though the pace has been dialed up significantly. Enemies are numerous and ag-gressive, particularly on the (recommended) “realistic” difficulty set-ting, and players must keep moving to avoid an ignoble death. Fortu-nately, the third-person controls are fluid and easy to use, particularly the cover mechanic and the “mark and execute” system. Presentation is-sues detract, the worst offender being the truly awful in-game dialogue. The story is similarly weak, with frequent and bizarre interac-tive torture sequences. And yet in the game’s two-player co-op, which nearly outshines the single-player campaign, plot contrivances and level-design issues melt away, leaving only you, your friend and the thrill of the hunt. KIRK HAMILTON 7.1 MODNATION RACERS DEVELOPER: UNITED FRONT GAMES PUBLISHER: SONY PLATFORMS: PLAYSTATION 3, PSP As cute as you want it to be There have been plenty of cutesy kart-racing games over the years, but ModNation Racers has one thing they don’t: an almost overwhelming level of customization. As a racer, this arcade-style game is on par with Ma-rio Kart et al—responsive, arcade-style controls, offensive and defensive power-ups (lightning strikes, shields) and plucky characters that are beyond adorable. But unlike Mario Kart, where your racer always re-sembles Ron Jeremy, Mod-Nation lets you change the look of your driver, your car, even the race-tracks. In fact, the level of customization—which puts this game on par with LittleBigPlanet—can actually be a bit much. For example, you’ve got hundreds of options for your character’s mouths and eyes alone, even though you rarely see their faces when they’re racing. Thankfully, the emphasis on custom-izing doesn’t take away from the fun of steering your little guy around the tracks, especially when your opponents are online friends who’ve clearly spent more time Frankensteining their drivers than racing. STAN WIDROW 8.2 !ModNation Racers JUNE | JULY 2010 109 !Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
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