Past Entertainment Articles.

Article for the week of 10/16/07

Some times when the cash flow is not quite on the upside (or not at all) and you happen to have a video game addiction, you might just have to go bargain bin diving. Not always a bad thing, but still very risky you can either give into the digital crack or wait until your banking on the positive side. For those who can’t wait, I managed to pick up a bargain grab for the XBOX 360. This time I wasn’t all that disappointed and felt it was slightly better than rental only. Today’s dive is the 2005 release title, Kameo.
Let me warn the highly anal first off that this game will not impress those with high standards for character design. I’ve seen worst (boy have I), but I’ve also seen much better, especially in the detail department. The main character (Kameo) herself is not badly done and even the higher ranking baddies aren’t too bad, but some of the lesser side personalities look like excrement from the set of a Jim Henson knockoff. That being said, the flaws or lack of time well spent on design does not take away too much from actual game experience. This is much more than can be said for most movie based releases.
The basic story of the game centers on the adopted heroine Kameo(who happens to be an elf) and her role in continuing the legacy of the great Solon. (May he rest in digital peace) They live in their little elf fantasy land that has had a bit of a love-hate relationships with trolls. (When will the hate end?!) This bitter relationship flairs up when Solon’s biological daughter decides she’s going to get a bit jealous because Kameo got her daddy’s super cool magic powers. She reawakens Thorn, the self proclaimed troll king, and decides to take over the world as programmed. Of course, the game might be over a lot faster if Kameo hadn’t initially rushed into things and now has to recover her elemental powers.
The quest to recover said elemental sprites is actually rather amusing and provides substantial entertainment along the way. This game however doesn’t do too much to try and pull in the adult gaming crowd and seems to focus on an adventure suited best for the kiddy market. The controls are rather simple to master and camera angles are not that frustrating which makes this a decent platform/action RPG experience. Don’t look too much for long hours in this title because even with side quests you might not get much more than 25 hours of gameplay (Finished it myself in 18 hours). When all is said and done it pans out to be a good filler if you are waiting for something on reserve at your local game store.
After I finished the game I’d say it was at least worth the bargain bin price. I am glad that I waited until mark down, because I might have rated it a bit harsher at 60 bucks. If you are the picky gamer I’d say that this should only be a rental, but a definite buy if you just love playing period. The music is a definite plus so be prepared for tunes that compliment hours of button mashing. For a decent effort and average presentation I’d say Kameo for the 360 deserves three character morphs out of five.