Gaming ==> Risk: Factions XBLA Review
Posted: 06-07-2010 10:59, By: admin
Risk: Factions is a world domination game on the Xbox Live Arcade developed by Stainless Games, published by EA and animated by Powerhouse Animations Studios, Inc. It is based off the popular board game Risk by Hasbro, which is now over 50 years old.
You have the option in Risk: Factions to play by the old Risk rules on the same classic world map or play with the new features on a number of new and different maps. In Risk: Factions there are five factions you can play as; humans, yetis, cats, robots and zombies. There is a single player campaign mission for each faction. All the campaign missions involved a different Risk world map which you are required to beat your opponents. Different world maps require different strategies for victory, so it is not as simple as the AI increasing in skill. The AI’s skill in crucial in a strategic single player game and I believe the AI is adequate for the campaign and as bots in multiplayer. Overall I believe the campaign was too short, there were only 5 missions each of which wouldn’t take any more than 45 minutes but when you buy this game you get it for the multiplayer.
After each campaign mission is complete it is unlocked for usage in multiplayer. Risk: Factions supports local multiplayer with bots and multiplayer over Xbox Live in both ranked and player matches. In local matches and player matches over Xbox Live you can customise the rules to suit you. You can choose the map either going for the classic Risk world map or picking from one of the unlocked new maps.
In order to win with the new rules you must complete three objectives and have control of your opponent’s capital. Other new features in Risk: Factions include; overkills, faction abilities and dynamic terrain. Overkills are awarded when players roll two or three sixes. If two sixes are rolled the enemy loses half of their units and if three sixes are rolled the enemy loses all of their units. All these rules of course can be turned off in multiplayer if you wish to stick with the classic rules but they will be in use throughout the campaign.
Visually the game does look quite good. A great amount of effort has been placed into the animations both in game and in the cut scenes, some of which are quite humorous. The graphics are flash like in appearance and although simple are quite nice to look at. I feel these graphics enhance the game especially during multiplayer, for example, as you attack an opponent’s territory, if you win the dice roll you can see your faction be it a cat, human, robot, yeti or zombie engage in a brief fighting animation against your opponent’s faction. I believe these graphical components make a game that is basically a port of a board game a little more fun especially during the long multiplayer matches.
The sound components of the game are adequate. There are your standard explosions and gun noises sound effects as you attempt to take a territory. The music score is adequate although not really noticeable. I thought the voice acting was done pretty well in the campaigns cut scenes most of them were delivered in a humorous manner.
This games replayability will be in the multiplayer. If the Xbox Live community for Risk: Factions stays strong or you have someone to play with locally you will be able to join this game for quite a while. As was mentioned at the start of this article the board game Risk has been around for over 50 years surely this is some evidence in saying that this game will always have a strong following.
The last thing I’ll mention in this review is I’ve had a few problems with this game freezing or bugging out. On startup if I am signed into a profile it will always freeze for me, so every time I start it up I sign out of my profile then sign back in after I’m in the game. Hopefully there will be a bug fix for it soon as it seems to be an issue faced by a lot of people.
I’ll give the following scores for Risk: Factions
Sound: 7/10 – Adequete voice acting, sound effects and music score
Graphics: 8.5/10 – I’m a big fan of the flash like graphics, animations enhances gameplay
Gameplay: 8/10 – Old features that made Risk so popular kept in, plus optional new interesting features
Replayability: 7.5/10 – Multiplayer component extends the replayability
Overall: 7.75/10 – Great port of a board game to an accessible console
Posted: 06-07-2010 10:59, By: admin
Risk: Factions is a world domination game on the Xbox Live Arcade developed by Stainless Games, published by EA and animated by Powerhouse Animations Studios, Inc. It is based off the popular board game Risk by Hasbro, which is now over 50 years old.
You have the option in Risk: Factions to play by the old Risk rules on the same classic world map or play with the new features on a number of new and different maps. In Risk: Factions there are five factions you can play as; humans, yetis, cats, robots and zombies. There is a single player campaign mission for each faction. All the campaign missions involved a different Risk world map which you are required to beat your opponents. Different world maps require different strategies for victory, so it is not as simple as the AI increasing in skill. The AI’s skill in crucial in a strategic single player game and I believe the AI is adequate for the campaign and as bots in multiplayer. Overall I believe the campaign was too short, there were only 5 missions each of which wouldn’t take any more than 45 minutes but when you buy this game you get it for the multiplayer.
After each campaign mission is complete it is unlocked for usage in multiplayer. Risk: Factions supports local multiplayer with bots and multiplayer over Xbox Live in both ranked and player matches. In local matches and player matches over Xbox Live you can customise the rules to suit you. You can choose the map either going for the classic Risk world map or picking from one of the unlocked new maps.
In order to win with the new rules you must complete three objectives and have control of your opponent’s capital. Other new features in Risk: Factions include; overkills, faction abilities and dynamic terrain. Overkills are awarded when players roll two or three sixes. If two sixes are rolled the enemy loses half of their units and if three sixes are rolled the enemy loses all of their units. All these rules of course can be turned off in multiplayer if you wish to stick with the classic rules but they will be in use throughout the campaign.
Visually the game does look quite good. A great amount of effort has been placed into the animations both in game and in the cut scenes, some of which are quite humorous. The graphics are flash like in appearance and although simple are quite nice to look at. I feel these graphics enhance the game especially during multiplayer, for example, as you attack an opponent’s territory, if you win the dice roll you can see your faction be it a cat, human, robot, yeti or zombie engage in a brief fighting animation against your opponent’s faction. I believe these graphical components make a game that is basically a port of a board game a little more fun especially during the long multiplayer matches.
The sound components of the game are adequate. There are your standard explosions and gun noises sound effects as you attempt to take a territory. The music score is adequate although not really noticeable. I thought the voice acting was done pretty well in the campaigns cut scenes most of them were delivered in a humorous manner.
This games replayability will be in the multiplayer. If the Xbox Live community for Risk: Factions stays strong or you have someone to play with locally you will be able to join this game for quite a while. As was mentioned at the start of this article the board game Risk has been around for over 50 years surely this is some evidence in saying that this game will always have a strong following.
The last thing I’ll mention in this review is I’ve had a few problems with this game freezing or bugging out. On startup if I am signed into a profile it will always freeze for me, so every time I start it up I sign out of my profile then sign back in after I’m in the game. Hopefully there will be a bug fix for it soon as it seems to be an issue faced by a lot of people.
I’ll give the following scores for Risk: Factions
Sound: 7/10 – Adequete voice acting, sound effects and music score
Graphics: 8.5/10 – I’m a big fan of the flash like graphics, animations enhances gameplay
Gameplay: 8/10 – Old features that made Risk so popular kept in, plus optional new interesting features
Replayability: 7.5/10 – Multiplayer component extends the replayability
Overall: 7.75/10 – Great port of a board game to an accessible console
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Jarrod: [Don't forget "Holy Christ!" Kevin's new blockbuster, in which Scott Mosier fights Jesus himself! "Jab, motherfucker,Jab!"] Yeah man, that was funny as
Jester: Don't forget "Holy Christ!" Kevin's new blockbuster, in which Scott Mosier fights Jesus himself! "Jab, motherfucker,Jab!"
Anonymous: It's not in a comment, you're an idiot.
admin: "If you look closely, it appears to be test code inside a comment.... not that I wouldn't put it past them to actually use something like that." I mirrored the source code http://puregeekdom.com/pdfs/dbcde-mirror.txt if you want to check it out. The section about removing "ISP Filtering" is not inside /*comments*/ or //comments
Anonymous: Hmm, this could actually be javascript that is contructed server-side on the fly and piped to the client page. Still, makes you wonder....