Speed Trumps Power in 'Velocity 2X'

Jeb Haught
Thu, 04 Sep 2014 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

DEVELOPER: Fururlab

PUBLISHER: Futurlab

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 4 (PS3, PS Vita)
Updated: Fri Sep 05, 2014

DEVELOPER: Fururlab

PUBLISHER: Futurlab

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 4 (PS3, PS Vita)

PRICE: $19.99

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 4.0 stars (out of 5)

People have grown tired of the homogenized nature of mass production because it stifles creativity. As a result, going retro is becoming the "in" thing to do, and everything from fashion to video games are following suit. Thankfully, game developers Futurlab have seized this opportunity to blend two old-school game genres into a fast-paced, challenging game called "Velocity 2X."

This is the sequel to "Velocity," and it furthers the exploits of the futuristic heroin Kai Tana. After being sucked into a black hole and subsequently imprisoned by aliens, Kai manages to escape. Now it's up to the nimble space warrior to initiate a rebellion and bring down her former captors!

Like it's predecessor, "Velocity 2X" features 2D top-down space combat where players utilize the teleport feature in a variety of ways. At the beginning, it's used to merely cross barriers and walls, but it evolves into the cool ability to teleport long distances and even drop warp pads.

New to the series are the 2D side-scrolling levels where players get to see Kai Tana in the flesh, or rather, pixels. These levels offer similar features such as teleportation and gunplay along with the cool ability to slide under objects. Later in the game, players can toss telepods wherever they choose, which really comes in handy during boss battles.

While it's fun to zip through these fast-paced levels and beat the game, the real challenge comes from attempting to beat each level faster than before. Replaying levels will mostly appeal only to core gamers, so casual gamers may find that the experience ends too quickly. It doesn't help that the levels are so similar that they might as well have been made with a random level generator.

"Velocity 2X" is truly a worthy sequel, but the game would benefit from more interesting levels and improved sound effects.

'Lichdom: Battle Mage'

DEVELOPER: Xaviant

PUBLISHER: Xaviant Games

SYSTEM: Windows PC

PRICE: $39.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

"You shall not pass!" Everyone who remembers this famous line from "The Lord of the Rings" wishes they could wield real-world magic. Sadly, no video game has convincingly created the experience of being a total badass wizard, until now! "Lichdom: Battle Mage" offers players nearly limitless power and spell customization, but it comes at a price.

Players take on the role of a commoner nicknamed "Dragon," who is left for dead after a dastardly villain destroys his village. A mysterious character called Roth saves Dragon and grants him immense power. However, with no guidance on how to use his newfound abilities, Dragon must figure out the complexities of wielding magic during his quest for revenge.

"Lichdom: Battle Mage" is a first-person RPG shooter that replaces weapons with magic. In addition, it forgoes the usual spell cool-downs in favor of rapid-fire spell casting mixed with strategy. Although this seems like a good idea, it can become repetitive because of the need to constantly spam spells at a small variety of enemies.

During combat, pressing the left mouse button fires a projectile; pressing the right mouse button erects a shield; and pressing both buttons initiates an area-of-effect attack. It's also possible to charge both attacks to increase their damage and critical hit chance. Another cool ability is being able to dodge attacks using teleportation.

Cyber wizards begin with a basic elemental attack that's fine at first, but the real power comes from mixing and customizing spells. I love the freedom to choose whether to blast enemies with a mighty fireball, slow their movements with ice, or weaken groups of them in traps. Spell customization is overwhelming at first, but it's one of the highlights of "Lichdom: Battle Mage," and it offers great replay value!

REVIEW SCORING SYSTEM

5 stars = Must Have

4 stars = Very Good

3 stars = Above Average

2 stars = Bargain Bin

1 star = Don't Bother

RATINGS KEY

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

E: (Everyone)

E10+: (Everyone 10 and older)

T: Teen (13 and older)

M: Mature (17 and older)

"Velocity 2X"

"Lichdom: Battle Mage"