Nexuiz (Xbox 360) > Reviews (1)

Nexuiz

Tested and reviewed based on the Xbox 360 version.
Review by Ben Nacca
(Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BenNacca )
XBL GT: Darkeyes1991 PSN ID: Darkeyes2k11

Tournament shooters have been a little depraved recently since 2008’s Unreal Tournament III by Epic Games. The deathmatch settings with fast pacing will be bizarre to people used to the recent run of shooting games. You have no time to really check your target let alone picking your kills to get the best kill streak and quite simply, they aren’t as frantic these days.

Nexuiz is a development, an evolution from a Quake mod and it is here to serve a simple purpose – to spice things up a bit and give us some variety in the shooting category once more. You will die lots but hopefully kills lots to with small, confined arenas that house chaos from the start of a round to its conclusion. There is no plot or story/career mode of sorts – this is arena based action and that is how it stays. There is a movie at the beginning to get you pumped and a bit of background knowledge when it comes to waiting for the arenas to load but other than that, this is about living, dying and making sure you do more of the former.

As for structure, well 2 teams of four making up an 8 player match (good maths there…) and this is across nine maps with a variety of 9 weapons. These weapons are balanced and well crafted, especially the starting weapon which is a shotgun. It is powerful and a very reliable starting weapon that will make you think twice before picking up a sniper rifle or mortar. Along with that, there are rapid-fire weapons and hand guns, not to mention the rocket launcher too. You practically have 18 weapons on hand though, with each of the 9 having a secondary function (true Unreal Tournament style) so that they each feel individual and varied.

Augmentations come in the form of Mutators which add a bit more depth to this chaotic shooter. Through completing actions like capturing the flag, pick-ups and killing sprees, players can then choose how they build their character, including regeneration to last longer or silly options like monochrome overlays to complicate matters further – adding to the challenge if you are THAT hardcore. Other ones come in the form of “invert controls” which can occur to the leading player so that they are then licking a wall rather than turning that corner with proficiency and speed. It sounds mean but these mutators are balanced and fair and it really just makes Nexuiz worth coming back to.

Graphically, well for a downloadable title it is superb – It uses the CryEngine 3 which some of you will recognize as the Crysis 2 engine from Crytek and it is the first downloadable title to do so. The various maps, be they in futuristic cities or amongst deadly, ancient ruins look stunning throughout as you unleash hell upon the other teams. Guns look detailed and interesting as well with the visuals once again helping here.

Two modes are available, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, and while this may seem rather “barebones” compared to the variety of playlists you can find in shooters these days, it is the mutators that keep things fresh and interesting.

Each map has its strengths and weaknesses for players to utilize, leaving objectives placed carefully by the developers rather than a standard “in the middle” location.

Where Nexuiz falls is in the matchmaking system. You can be in a quick online match after pressing a button three times but there is a minimum requirement of 6 people. Thankfully the community isn’t dead but the match starts and if people leave, the teams aren’t balanced or adjusted. Even players waiting can’t join as there is no queue system so it could be a three against 1 affair. That said, Halo: Reach had this problem as well if your team mates quit but it can be a little frustrating.

The other drawback is the “bot practice mode” where you can hone your skills but sadly these bots are as useful as a chocolate teapot. They don’t complete objectives, they can hardly hit you and that is on the hardest difficulty. It is handy for testing the guns, learning the maps and so on but as for practice? Well you won’t be ready for online gameplay so best to just jump in and get going!

Visuals 9/10

Using the CryEngine 3 really helps Nexuiz shine here as the levels and character models look stunning. One of the best looking XBLA / PSN titles out there.

Audio 8/10

This is a Sci-Fi game and the sound effects resonate that perfectly. The tone and setting is fantastic from a musical standpoint. Even the music is pacey and enjoyable.

Gameplay 8/10

A great, strong game with simple but tried and tested features. You cannot doubt the controls or the gameplay itself but if someone lags and drops out, the game becomes bad very quickly as matches become unbalanced very quickly.

Delivery 8/10

The fact there are leaderboards and an option to max out your mutators makes this online shooter worth coming back to time and time again. The only moment this shooter will become stale is when the community stops turning up to play.

Summary 8.3/10

Nexuiz is a fun and chaotic shooter that players have been in much need of after all these serious, war-time titles that have hit the shelves recently. It is nice to have a fresh take on things occasionally. My only concern is that there is no singleplayer so the survival of Nexuiz relies of the activity of the community. At the moment, there is no problem but this could be an issue in 6 or so months time.

For more game news, reviews and previews, check the rest of the site: www.lanraiders.co.uk

This review is the property of Ben Nacca and is for the sole use of www.lanraiders.co.uk, www.dailyecho.co.uk and www.ciao.co.uk. No copying to other websites or other mediums without written permission first.