I make it a habit to stay away from Bad Games, but this week is an exception. I\u2019ve got three strong picks of the \u201cso bad, it\u2019s good\u201d variety. Brace yourselves!
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\u201cMars: War Logs\u201d (PC, coming to 360 and PS3; rated Mature) \u2014 First off, what a title. It really rolls off the tongue. But I\u2019m not here to pick on \u201cMars: War Logs,\u201d because I\u2019m actually playing the thing now and it\u2019s … quite good, mostly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWar Logs\u201d is a sci-fi role playing game set on the alluring Red Planet, and it has a lot in its favor: fun melee and ranged combat, a leveling system with diverse skills and abilities to improve, weapon and gear crafting, and multiple dialogue choices that affect the game\u2019s plot and characters. It\u2019s a pretty robust feature list for a title that\u2019s being sold as a $20 download.<\/p>\n
You play as Roy Temperance, a \u201crenegade with multiple talents\u201d being held as a prisoner of war in a hellish labor camp. The situation on Mars is bleak. Nearly a century has passed since a cataclysmic event devastated the planet, and powerful factions are squabbling over its most precious resource: water. \u201cWar Logs\u201d kicks off with Roy devising an escape from prison, fighting for his life against both human and alien adversaries.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a fan of the gritty futuristic environments, which remind me a bit of 2009\u2019s \u201cRed Faction: Guerrilla.\u201d The combat is decent third-person brawling action, and both the crafting and leveling systems are well done.<\/p>\n
But then you have the voice acting and dialogue. They\u2019re jarringly awkward at times, which is a shame, because they detract a little from the game\u2019s otherwise solid presentation. \u201cWar Logs\u201d doesn\u2019t fully expose itself as a budget title until the characters open their mouths, which is problematic in a role-playing game.<\/p>\n
With that said, I can always enjoy a good sci-fi B-movie, and \u201cWar Logs\u201d has at least captured my attention for the moment. You can download it now for PC or just wait for the upcoming (\u201csoon\u201d) Xbox Live and PlayStation Network releases. At $20 it\u2019s easy to recommend.