Asuka Soryu said:
I might get this around the 25th.
I think you will be happy if you do!
I have only played maybe the first couple of hours (and am currently happily stuck on the first boss) and it's only my opinion, but I am very happy with this game so far.
First the not so great stuff. I don't know about any of you but I love me a good instruction manual. For one there is usually something (and sometimes lots of somethings) in the manual that is NOT in the tutorials so I always gain some kind of edge when I read them and nothing to me is greater than returning home, new game in hand, to sit down with a good manual and a chilled bottle of Coca Cola 2011. (Busy. Yet never precocious.) Thor's manual is, I kid thee not, 1 page. Well one page and instructions to go to http://dl.sega.com/manuals/X360/Thor for the real one. If you try to go to this page your browser will say that it can reach the site but doesn't have permission to view the page. *sigh* Why SEGA, why?
Now for the good stuff. There are robust options for the game including an inverted Y axis for the camera (thank Odin) and even a choice right of the bat to have a helmeted or non wing-head Thor as well as other costume options as the game progresses and you can even choose the color of lighting (for the more discriminating Deitys I suppose) multiple control schemes are also available and the usual sound, brightness, and subtitles stuff.
The controls are simple, yet rich. As I hoped you can throw Mjolnir to your hearts content, what was beyond my simple hopes is that even from the first level you can quick throw it in the direction you are facing or you can press in on the right stick and target far away foes to recieve some ranged Uru justice. Lovin' it. (Then again I usually play a ranger whenever I get a chance.) The left trigger blocks as Thor spins Mjolnir, The left bumper does a quick dash Darksiders style (So Thor and Ares hang. Who knew?) and again even on the first level you can do this dash (and you will. A lot.) in midair. The right trigger is well used for the quick hammer chuck. Right bumper is used once you fill a bar Ultimate Alliance style that literally unleases holy heck on the entire screen. The first time I used it I was being attacked by like eight enemies and eight columns of asgardian get bent came streaking from the sky. I almost dropped the controller. So yep. I like the right bumper.
Left stick of course is move and right stick is camera control which so far is great. Again pushing in on the right stick enables Mjolnir target mode which I love, the X button is your standard free melee attack, the Y button is a more powerful attack whick requires Odinpower that is represented as a blue bar opposite your health. (the hud by the way is fittingly minimal and represented in a connected cirle at the top left of the screen, well done there.) B is used to grapple, after which when fighting a regular enemy you have the choice to use X to melee them (and regain health) B to just crush them in a hold (which gives you Odinpower) or Y (my fave) to use a power move on them and gain Valor. B also interacts with objects such as runes that you can drain Health and Odin Power from Half Life 2 style. (In other words it gives you as much as you need so far, and you can leave some to come back to it seems.) A Jumps.
The game itself is beautiful. You begin in Asgard and it's literally breathtaking at least to me. Thor looks amazing, he looks more like the Ultimate version than the classic version that I prefer but I don't really care. The voice work is also excellent as the game starts there is a voice over that I assumed was Thor, it wasn't it was Loki. Both actors have done an outstanding job. I really like the presentation. That's subjective though so what you think of the looks and sounds is really up to you. I love em'.
I'm going to post this now so it doesn't time out and then I'll continue in a sec.
