Pacific Rim (XBLA)

By now most of you have heard about, or even seen the theatrical release of Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim". Myself, being the Guillermo del Toro fan that I am was actually surprised to learn that he was involved in the making of it. It was a pleasant surprise indeed. Not many directors can create/incorporate such unique, and interesting creature designs as Guillermo can. This fact alone was the driving force behind my decision to take on Yuke's latest robotic video game creation. For those of you who don't know of Yuke's they had previously released another robot oriented XBLA title based on the movie "Real Steel". Myself, and other gaming journalists pretty much agreed that that particular film-to-game release was a pure money maker. The DLC needed to customize your dueling robots would set you back a pretty penny, and as a result the game's popularity waned a good bit. Thankfully though Yuke's has returned with a vengeance, and has minimized the dreaded DLC that they had become synonymous with.

Pacific Rim the game plays heavily on it's theater based origins. Throughout the game you will constantly be reminded that this spin-off is indeed a part of Warner Bros., and Legendary Film's creative licenses. Between each menu navigation, and in-game interaction you will be blessed/cursed with a dynamic screen that displays the films credits via a honeycomb shaped pattern. While this would be a turn off to some it is a small price to pay for the fantastic visuals, and fairly decent gameplay that follows. The focus of the game itself, as you might imagine is solely based on the fighting aspect of the film. You will be able to go head-to-head in a simple selection of singleplayer, and multiplayer modes with highly customizable Jaegers (Giant Robots), and Kaiju (Large Alien Creatures).

The singleplayer portion of the game is basically there to get players familiar with the in-game mechanics, and controls that are associated with the core gameplay. You will start off with a tutorial in the "Normal Missions" section of singleplayer, and work your way progressively through 12 combat scenarios/missions which each have their own unique title, and win requirements. These scenarios/missions, are actually no different than other fighting games you may have played. You will be put up against 1-5 different Jaegers, or Kaiju as you try to develop, upgrade, and level up your own unique Jaeger/Kaiju through timer oriented rounds. You'll find that each match is set in one of four different stages. At times you'll find yourself battling amidst the onshore city ruins of Hong Kong, the icy waters of Alaska, the ship filled waters of the Pacific Ocean, or even the murky depths of the sea floor. Wherever you find yourself at the goal is pretty much straightforward. You must outlast your opponent/s with proper defenses, and put an end to their gargantuan lives with overwhelming attacks.

Once you have completed all of the singleplayer "Normal Missions" (which each rewards you with a Bronze, Silver, or Gold medal based on your earned EXP) you will unlock the "Survival Missions". Like the previous 'Normal Missions' you'll find that 'Survival Missions' are very similar in nature. In survival the only rules that change are in regards to your Jaeger's/Kaiju's energy levels though. Both the Jaegers, and Kaiju each have a unique energy based system that allows them to attack, dodge, and defend against incoming attacks in either mode of play. The Jaeger relies on a dual drift/pilot system with which each side of the robot has it's own unique energy levels. There's also an energy drive of sorts that allows the Jaeger to perform power moves that are different from the standard Jabs. Kaiju on the other hand have a single life bar, along with an energy meter that allows them to attack in a similar fashion as their Jaeger counterparts. Whether you choose to play using a Jaeger, or a Kaiju your energy levels will deplete if an attack from your opponent is landed. If you are in 'Survival', and get damaged, but manage to win a match/round your last energy levels will remain as they were in the previous match/round. The 'Survival Missions' always put your chosen Jaeger/Kaiju up against multiple enemies making it a true survival situation.

Mulitplayer in 'Pacific Rim' is an entirely new beast in itself. Of course all the rules that apply in the singleplayer offline missions also apply in the online, but the online experience itself is more team oriented than it's offline counterparts. In fact once you get ready to take on some real opponents via the 'Xbox LIVE', or 'Local' multiplayer options you will have to choose your supported country's flag along with which team (Guardian Corp., TalonFist, Militia Brotherhood) you wish to represent in the game's weekly team leaderboards. After this has been done you can engage in some online battles using your previously gained knowledge, and currently altered Jaeger/Kaiju. As with any proper modern-day fighting game you will find the usual selection of matchmaking options including 'Quick Match', 'Custom Match', and 'Create A Session'. Once you get into a match, or create a match you can engage in the game's signature combat system with real people from all over the world. The matches will vary in round limits, stages, and boost based preferences. You'll also find that you can only fight against other Jaegers, and Kaiju of the same EXP levels. In this way you will never be overwhelmed by a player using a Jaeger/Kaiju with significantly greater abilities, or stat levels.

By now you've probably realized by my hints that 'Pacific Rim' is all about customization. Both the Jaegers, and the Kaiju can be customized to a certain extent. The 'Jaegers' in particular have the more involved customization options, and will allow you to switch parts (Head, Body, L. Arm, R. Arm, Legs) with other parts that you have earned through singleplayer mission completion, and shop purchases. While these are the more simple aspects of customization it is the stat leveling system that really amps up your Jaeger's/Kaiju's potential. The stat leveling system is based on 8 different attributes that are associated with each individual part, or part-free oriented Kaiju. These stats which include 'Hit Points', 'Attack Power', 'Ranged Power', 'Armor', 'Attack Speed', 'Movement Speed', 'Resilience', and 'Energy Charge' can each be leveled up up to 5 times with the EXP you earn in the game. Of course the more leveled up a part/Kaiju is the better it will perform in battle.

Aside from the Jaeger parts customization, and Kaiju customization options you'll find that the guys, and gals of Yuke's have added further customization options that can be purchased in a single collection for 240msp. These options as you can likely guess include color swaps, gloss/texture enhancements, and even logo applications. While I normally wouldn't condone such a DLC practice I am guilty of spending nearly $60 on "Soul Calibur V's" customization DLC. As such $3/240msp is not all that bad of a deal.

Another set of features in 'Pacific Rim' that I should touch base on are the "Ability", and "Boost" system. By leveling up your Jaeger's 'Head' ability slot stat, or your Kaiju's ability slot stat you can add bonus abilities (up to 5) that will add to your Jaeger's/Kaiju's attack/defense based stats as well as give you added benefits such as health boosts, and things like regenerative capabilities. These "Abilities can be unlocked/earned through singleplayer mission completion, and can ultimately be bought with EXP points via the in-game shop. The 'Boosts' on the other hand, are basically quick enhancements/perks that offer limited stat boosts while in a single battle. Boosts will set you back around 700EXP each, and can only be used once. Like 'Abilities', 'Boosts' can also be obtained through singleplayer mission wins as well as the in-game shop. Some of the better 'Boosts' are obtained through singleplayer missions though.

Now onto the control layout & gameplay mechanics

The Control layout in 'Pacific Rim' is truly unorthodox in comparison to most other Xbox 360/XBLA games you'll find these days. Your Jaeger/Kaiju has a simple variety of character specific jabs, kicks, special moves, power moves, lethal assault moves, and even guard options that are each assigned to either of the thumbsticks, the (X,Y,B,A) buttons, the shoulder buttons (LT, LB, RT), or a combination of each. By holding down (X/Y) you can release a more powerful attack, or simply unleash a quick strike/jab by quickly pressing either the (X/Y) button. Depending on your distance from your opponent you will either punch, or kick. This is a good thing to keep in mind when in a battle. It should also be noted that dashing attacks (flying kick ...) are possible if you combine the "LT (Evade/Dodge)" button with a forward directional motion followed by an attack button press. This will send your Jaeger/Kaiju running in a forward dash followed by a jumping attack. Blocking during a battle on the other hand is done by simply hold the "A" button before an attack lands. In order to do the special attack (Shoulder Charge ...) you'll need to press/hold "B".

Movement in 'Pacific Rim' is based on the usual thumbstick direction inputs (Left Thumbstick) as it rightfully should be. As such you'll be at home in this 3D fighter if you've ever played a 3D fighting game. Aside from movement the "Left Thumbstick" also acts as a means of activating certain types of moves. By pressing in the "Left Thumbstick" with the "LB" shoulder button you will release a one-hit-kill maneuver called a "Lethal Assault". Both 'Power Moves (LB)', and 'Lethal Assaults (Left Thumbstick + LB)' can only be activated when the appropriate onscreen message pops up letting you know that that particular move is ready to use. The cool thing about attacks (stomps "X/Y"), Specials ("B") and 'Power Moves' is that they all can be used on a downed opponent. It's a good tactic to use in order to inflict maximum damage on your opponent/s more efficiently. In order to perform a quick dodge in an avoidable situation you will need to simply need to press the "Left Trigger". Keep in mind though that your energy is limited, and dodging, as necessary as it may be is limited due to the energy levels of your Jaeger/Kaiju. Speaking of energy ... Once energy is depleted for either side of your Jaeger you will not be able to attack with that depleted arm/leg. In a sense it's more realistic that way since your Jaeger has obviously been damaged beyond repair on that side. Last, but not least is the projectile shot which can be performed by pressing the "Right Trigger". Like any other attack found in the game this distance shot will be of limited use due to your limited energy levels.

Another useful feature found within battle scenarios is the ability to stand a toppled Jaeger/Kaiju back on it's feet. In order to do this you will need to rapidly press (X,Y,B,A) buttons together until the onscreen meter/gauge is filled up. Once you have successfully filled the meter your Jaeger/Kaiju will stand to it's feet, and can even perform a wake-up attack assuming you press the (X/Y) button at the appropriate time. Being the button mashing/thumbstick clicking game that it is, Pacific Rim's control setup, and battle mechanics do have me a bit worried. It's that sort of control layout that will ultimately wear on the controller's functionality. As we all know a good Xbox 360 controller isn't cheap, and the pressing in of the thumbsticks along with the button bashing of (X,Y,B,A) will only wear out your controller faster. As such anyone willing to play this game religiously will no doubt be spending at least some money on replacement controllers in the future. As far as I know there are no controller customization options included in the game either, which is truly a shame.

Now onto the graphics, sound quality, and such ...

Pacific Rim is honestly leagues better than "Real Steel" in the visual, and audio categories. While the outwardly physical Jaeger customizations are initially limited by DLC offerings the robots' overall appearances are definitely near next-gen in quality. The attention to detail is certainly fitting of the theatrical masterpiece that Guillermo del Toro has created. Both the Jaegers, and the Kaiju were obviously created with Guillermo del Toro's designs in mind, and for that alone I tip my hat off to Yuke's. As far as the gameplay is concerned it is very beautiful to gaze upon, and would make any diehard Godzilla fan weak in the knees. Seeing the Giant robots, and enormous creatures duke it out on the various well-designed landscapes/seascapes makes for a truly thrilling experience. The water effects, and textures applied to all features found within the game were brilliantly done. As far as the soundtrack goes it is honestly fairly limited, but the tunes are hardcore enough to get the player excited for the battle/s at hand. Overall I think 'Pacific Rim the Game' does Guillermo del Toro's work justice.

Now onto the verdict ...

Collectively 'Pacific Rim' is not that bad of a game. While some would likely complain about the DLC moneygrubbing I found that it's overall offerings overshadowed the $3/240msp color customization DLC asking price. The game has a decent amount of replay value both offline, and online whihc is a huge plus in my opinion. You can always go back, and grind for additional EXP in the offline singleplayer as well as try to achieve all gold medals in each of the offline missions. The weekly updated online multiplayer also gives the player something to strive for. As far as the plus side goes the game looks amazing, and sounds amazing. Even the gameplay is enjoyable, to a point.

With all the good things I can say about the game though there are also some bad things. On the negative side of the rating spectrum you'll find that Pacific Rim's combat system is far from being perfect. Often times during a battle (offline & online) you'll find that the hit detection is hit, or miss. The attack animations at some points will look like they have connected, but unfortunately miss the target even when that said target is not blocking. This in itself can be very aggravating, and often times leads to your Jaeger/Kaiju being punished for the missed attack. Speaking of such negative things, the online multiplayer portion of this game is also flawed, but even more so that the offline counterpart. Through my online playthrough I have found that players have learned to exploit the game's win/loss system. One gamer in particular (GT:BrutishBuckle5) was consistently banning me from the hosted match after it had been initiated. For some unknown reason he was credited a win each time he did it. This pissed me off to no end, and the truly bad thing about it was I could not report him via XBL due to the fact that we did not actually fight together (he did not show up on my 'Friends' dashboard listings).

Other negative things include the lag heavy online matches that you will often times encounter. These laggy matches do not seem to be game oriented though. I had the opportunity to play against gamers from the US, as well as other countries, and the lag results were shocking to say the least. Nearly every time I encountered lag it was honestly against someone here in the US. The one gamer from Japan I played against had a lag-free connection which brings me to the conclusion that lagswithcers/hackers have already infiltrated Pacific Rim's online. It's the only logical explanation. With that being said when you are able to find a decent online match it is actually fun. The downside to this though is that decent matches are few, and far between due to hacking/lagswitching.

As a whole, Pacific Rim does a fairly good job of creating a simplistically engaging experience. The offline is solid, and will have your returning to perfect those mission finishes as well as earn the swag that's included with each victory. The online on the other hand attempts, but fails at maintaining a consistently fun atmosphere. The gamers found within are so COD-minded (Call of Duty) that the could care less about achieving victory through fair means, and simply bypass it with their hacks/cheats. Considering all of this I'm gonna have to say that I'm on the fence with this game. Half of me (The Godzilla loving child) loves it while the other half of me says skip it. Either way the game has great potential, especially if it gets patched later on. I strongly suggest that you at least give the demo a try if nothing else. It never hurts to develop your own opinion through hands on experience.