New Review Posted: Infected

Daniel Weissenberger · 12-07-2005, 12:16 AM

Brad Gallaway reviews Infected, and thinks its pedigree has quite a bit to do with its quality:

"The third time is the charm for the bad boys from Planet Moon studios, an eccentric group of developers known for their sense of humor and offbeat games. Although Giants: Citizen Kabuto had its moments and Armed & Dangerous had some good ideas, in my opinion their latest release is their best effort yet. Nutshelled as third-person ballistic zombie annihilation, Infected for the PSP sticks close to the formula of frenetic gunplay that is the common denominator between the other Planet Moon titles."

The details? Why they're here.

Hypatia93 · 12-07-2005, 10:32 AM

Oh damn it! Now see Brad, this is one game I sorely want for the PSP, but it's not a system seller. I love those wacky guys from Planet Moon probably as much as you. Giants is okay (except I still curse those falling kids so early in the game -- still can't get past that level *arrgh*); but I absolutely /adore/ A&D, mostly for the writing in the cutscenes and for the unusual and funny weaponry.

Still, this game looks sweet, but unfortunately for them and Sony, not /that/ sweet. I will eventually pick it up, however.

I've got a question though: How does the.. is it online play? work? Have you infected a lot of other people? I'm curious to know about that b/c actually another person I know here was interested in the game (though he never heard of Planet Moon) for that precise reason. I thought that was a very cool notion as well.

Anyway, thanks again for thinking like me.

Kin Korn Karn · 12-07-2005, 10:35 AM

After reading the review, I thought it would have been a sure-fire 9 or so. After heaping so much praise upon it and not calling out any flaws to the game I was surprised to see the 7.5. If it's such a good game why the "low" score?

I ask because there is nothing critical about the game brought up. You didn't touch on anything problematic.

Brad Gallaway · 12-07-2005, 05:59 PM

Hyp- how the online works is that you select "find a match" or something like that, then the PSP auto-selects an opponent for you and then you go at it 1-on-1. it's really limited since you can't pick to play a certian person, there aren't any friends lists, etc. from what i saw, it was totally random. it was fun for a little while, but i had a lot of people drop out of games if i got the upper hand which sucked since then i couldn't give them my virus, and really, it's not much different than playing the regular 1p mode.

after winning a few (if the opponent sticks around long enough) you can go online and see where your virus is, in the world. it's sorta nifty.

KKK- i hear what you're saying.. to tell the truth, i struggled with the score. there aren't any real "flaws" with the game, it's just very limited in that you go around shooting zombies and rescuing civilians. that's it, seriously. it's so basic and simple i felt like i couldn't really score it higher because the only really noteworthy thing about it is that it runs really well on the PSP, and that's hardly something to crow about, although i guess it sort of is-- since i did crow about it-- but i think you get my drift.

it's smooth, it plays well, and i honestly did like it quite a bit since it gave me a reason to carry my PSP again, but looking at it objectively it's a very short, simple formula that doesn't reach for much, nor really achieves much. after all, shooting things is one of the oldest elements of games, and hardly new territory. if the PSP's library wasn't so goddamned pathetic right now, the game might have been scored lower by comparison, but since it's currently the smoothest fast-type game (that's not a driving game)out there, it sort of wins by default.

as much as i personally liked it, i'd be embarrassed to score it higher just for the fact that the content is so limited. still, it's a good time if taken for what it is. i hope i answered your question.

EnduroGamer · 12-08-2005, 04:19 AM

Not familliar with this game, Brad, but would I be mistaken to think it looks a little like Rockstar's "State of Emergency"?

Oh, by the way, your review of USM was spot-on and nice job of Castlevania too.

Brad Gallaway · 12-08-2005, 09:29 PM

Heh, i guess in a vague sort of way it looks like SoE, but the two games aren't at all similar, really. if nothing else, you can kill everything (and everyone) you see in Infected.

Low Emissions · 12-08-2005, 11:02 PM

Well dammit... now I have to keep my PSP a little longer to play this game. Read my sig, and then note that I'm honest to God thinking about selling my PSP on eBay. Not for anything in specific (I'm not about to spend the money on a PSP or another Dreamcast...)...(Ok, well, maybe another Dreamcast. And Soul Calibur.) but just to get rid of it because I never play it. And because I want Appleseed on DVD but cannot justify owning it on both UMD and DVD. o_0

One more thing... If Infected did what it does right, is fun to play, but simple as simple gets... then why not give it a higher score? Obviously you've made it clear that the game is nothing more than shooting zombies, may as well give it the score 'you think it deserves', right?

Brad Gallaway · 12-08-2005, 11:41 PM

Hey LE.

like i was telling KKK, i struggled with the score, but i think 7.5 is pretty accurate.

if there was more content i could have bumped it up to an 8 and been comfortable, but my gut is telling me to hold tight.

if it makes a difference, the text part of reviews is where i really try to make my personal case (good or bad), and the number sort of reflects a more objective analysis. they usually complement each other, but sometimes not... this is just one of those times, i guess.

anyway, if anybody tries the game, i'd love to hear some viewpoints.

Kin Korn Karn · 12-09-2005, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC_Brad

it's smooth, it plays well, and i honestly did like it quite a bit since it gave me a reason to carry my PSP again, but looking at it objectively it's a very short, simple formula that doesn't reach for much, nor really achieves much. after all, shooting things is one of the oldest elements of games, and hardly new territory. if the PSP's library wasn't so goddamned pathetic right now, the game might have been scored lower by comparison, but since it's currently the smoothest fast-type game (that's not a driving game)out there, it sort of wins by default.

You answered my question with this quote, thanks. I think you should go back to the review and put this in there. It fleshes out the reasoning for the score. Not that you need to do exactly that, but this insight is well said and comments on the game as it relates to its breatheren on the PSP. I think it's a very relavent point.

Low Emissions · 12-10-2005, 07:17 PM

I plan on giving it a try as soon as it gets sent to me via GameFly, and hopefully that's soon so that I remember to give my opinions here!

In any case, I definitely want to give it shot after hearing what you've said about the game. I saw a video at GameSpot that just didn't impress me...

Brad Gallaway · 12-10-2005, 08:36 PM

yeah, it doesn't carry over in screenshots, it's more about the speed and visceral reaction to playing it.

it's a good game.. i'm going to give it to my soon-to-be brother-in-law for xmas, and my fiancee actually loves the game. she's been capping zombies like a fool, and i wouldn't have expected her to get into it so much.

so, anybody else got it yet?

sleeveboy · 12-11-2005, 04:18 PM

I picked this up on Brad's recommendation. So far I'm really, really happy with it. It really does feel like a proper 3D Smash TV. The combo system and time trial goals add some nice depth and replay incentive.

Let me also stress that this is a funny game. As in, laugh-out-loud, R-rated, appallingly funny. I haven't come across a game with a sense of humor like this in quite some time.

The only thing I really dislike is the soundtrack. Some of the tracks are really good, but a select few are just awful. I think the Slipknot tracks are the worst offenders. Fortunately the game has a configurable playlist (a la Wipeout) so I proactively removed them all from my soundtrack playlist and my ears are now beginning to recover.

Hypatia93 · 12-12-2005, 01:38 PM

Hey sleeveboy, have you played any of Planet Moon's other titles? (Personally, I HIGHLY recommend Armed & Dangerous. It, too, is amazingly, laugh-out-loud funny.

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