Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters |
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Usually I'm not all that big on games that tie into movies. They tend to be rushed and very poorly made. However, being a Green Lantern fan I knew that as soon as 'Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters' came out, I'd be buying it to play on my Xbox 360. As the game came out before the movie I only played the first few levels just in case it gave away elements of the movie. I figured it wouldn't, but I decided to play it safe. I finished the game after the movie. Now, unlike other games that are connected to their movie properties 'Rise of the Manhunters' is not a game version of the events of the movie. It takes place after the movie. So, right there I knew I wouldn't have to worry about there being aspects of the game where I would be saying, "Wait, when the heck did this happen in the movie?" To me, that is one of the worst things that can happen in such games. But, it wasn't even a factor in this case. Taking place after the movie worked out well as we get to see more of the movie-based Green Lantern universe fleshed out. That is actually a strong element of the game, its original story. And, unlike the movie the game is not tied down in establishing who Hal Jordan is. This is all about Hal being a Green Lantern and ring slinging.
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Story
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The story of 'Rise of the Manhunters' appears to pick up shortly after the events of the movie. This is obvious as the death of Abin Sur is the focus at the start of the game. However, before whatever rites are to start Oa is invaded by the Manhunters. The player is quickly educated in game as to what exactly the Manhunters are. Why they are attacking Oa though, is unknown. As you progress in taking down Manhunters on Oa you find out why they are there. Once that goal is revealed you are off to another planet, Zamaron. Once you arrive on Zamaron you find yourself fighting alongside Queen Aga'po against the Manhunters that are invading her home world. Due to a bit of bad luck you soon find yourself also fighting Zamaron warriors. Once you have done your duty on Zamaron, you're off to the Manhunter home world of Biot. On Biot you search for another member of the Corps and attempt to figure out what the Manhunters are doing in regards to their true goal. That is not only what they are going to do next, but also why they started the current battle to begin with. After pressing your way through Biot everything is revealed (mostly) and you head back to Oa for the final battle.
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Game Play
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'Rise of the Manhunters' is not ground breaking by any means as a video game itself. It's of average quality. What it does do though is that it actually lets you do things I hoped it would let you do, which ring is slinging. Some of your constructs come about as time goes along, and others must be purchased with experience points. The designers made some of the more "basic" constructs your basic attacks. You have swords and fists (to start) as your quick and heavy attacks respectively. These will be your go-to constructs as they require no ring energy to use. On top of that you have a dash that incorporates the use of a drill, a grab claw that has a variety of uses, and a giant saw blade. The saw blade is easily the most useful basic construct. It works with the other basic constructs and allows you to rank up your combo chain easily. The chain numbers are important because they give you a percentage bonus to experience points earned in that combo chain if you take down an enemy during it. Now, while the things I have mentioned are constructs in the game in the most obvious fashion, they are not "constructs" when it comes to purchasing and upgrading. That title is reserved for larger constructs. You have to spend experience points to unlock these larger constructs, and some you cannot access until you are of a specific level. This actually works well because it not only pushes you to level up (to a max of level 10), but to try out the different constructs. Plus, you have to assign them to a 'trigger + button' combination. That means that even with all your larger constructs unlocked you're still able to only access eight on the fly. You can of course pause the game and quickly swap one out for another without any penalty, but it's a good idea to know what you're going to need and to keep your favorites loaded. I actually used my right trigger for constructs that I could use while running and used my left trigger for constructs that made me stand in place during their use or their initial construction. This worked out well for me. But, I'd say find what works for you. You definitely want to make sure you don't regularly switch things as it will throw off your muscle memory for the game in the middle of a heated battle. Be sure you also read the descriptions of the constructs. If a description says it's more effective against a certain kind of enemy, it's effective against that enemy. You have a block button, but I rarely used it. The reason? You have a dash stick. One stick moves you and the other makes you dash, which you can also do after having jumped in the air. The dash is a nice touch when avoiding enemies and chaining combos, but it does result in a sacrifice.
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Game Design
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Due to the fact that one of your sticks is used for a dash maneuver that means you only have one stick to move, and many of you know what that means. Yes, 'Rise of the Manhunters' has fixed camera positions. While this works most of the time, later battles can result in you having the environment blocking your view of yourself. However, if you're smart you can get out of such situations very quickly. The exception to that is the rare occasion where you're getting bombarded. In those cases, your shield is very useful. As I mentioned earlier the game does have a leveling aspect. Luckily your experience points not only increase your level, they are also our purchase points. Don't worry about spending your points; doing so won't negatively impact the speed at which you level up. You have a leveling meter that fills as you gain experience points and it does not decrease as you spend what you have earned. Just remember that you need to look at what you can buy from time to time. You are not restricted to purchasing things when you level up. You can upgrade all of your basic constructs and a variety of skills to make your attacks stronger and enhance your performance. You also have what's called a "Ring Surge" and what that does is it gives you unlimited energy for your larger constructs for a time. It's important to use it appropriately as otherwise you won't have enough energy to survive some situations. You can upgrade a variety of elements of your Ring Surge. And, if you're worried about running low on ring energy for the big stuff, don't worry. If you play long enough you'll be able to unlock an ability that lets you do something that is rarely discussed in the comics anymore, but will help you greatly in having enough ring energy. The boss battles vary depending on what you have unlocked and are using. Again, you have to have the right tool to make the job easier (or even survivable), but the big thing will be finding the pattern of the bosses. As with many other games, you take in the visual queue from the boss, do what's necessary to dodge their attack and then go after them. You'll rinse and repeat for each boss. Remember that some of your basic powers will result in you hovering for much longer periods of times than just a jump. This can save you often, but it can also get you hurt if you do it against the wrong boss or at the wrong time. Some of the boss battles can seem cheap and time consuming when you first fight them, and they kind of are. But, if you get frustrated just go back to an earlier level and replay it. You'll continue to level up and earn experience points to purchase things. Return to the boss that gave you problems, and they are yours…usually. The exception I have found at this time is the final boss. It's pretty clear the designers also knew the final boss would prove very challenging and frustrating. It's clear because the fight is broken up into segments. You get the final boss to a certain level of damage and that's where you start from if you die. Finally, there are hidden items that will also enhance your character. Throughout various levels there are meteorites. Most are in plain sight or off the beaten path, but a few you have to find. There are green ones that will increase your energy meter for your larger constructs and there are blue ones that will increase your life gauge. If you go to the level select screen after completing a level it will list what is to be found on the level and how many you have found, so that's helpful. There is a local co-op mode that allows another player to jump into your game as Sinestro to help you out, but I haven't used that option yet so I can't say how well it does or does not function. There are also "flight" levels. These are levels where Hal is actually flying the entire time. They're nothing amazing but they break up the feeling of running around the entire time. One other bit I wish to add is that I actually enjoyed the music of this game. I only add that because if I had my way the music from the movie would have been replaced with music from the game.
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Overall
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Is the game worth full price? Probably not to most. However, as I've said before I'm a diehard Green Lantern fan. Plus, as it turned out the store where I bought it only got in a handful of copies and I got the next to last one. Should a Green Lantern fan play it? Definitely. I will be keeping mine because I not only want to try out the co-op some day, but I am still having fun figuring out some chain combos between constructs. I have actually uttered many a "Woah!" from chains I have accidentally stumbled upon. I'd like to see what can happen with chaining in a co-op session. As I said at the start of this review, this game got the ring slinging down pretty well, and that's what I like. So, it's an average game that probably won't win the attention of most gamers (much less their hearts). But, it's a game that is a must play for Green Lantern fans. If you liked the movie that will be another factor as you get to see more expansion of that universe and how they have incorporated more of the Green Lantern mythos.
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