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The Plot:  Earlier this Summer, I was amazed after playing "Men In Black II: Alien Escape", a videogame for the Playstation 2 that supposedly followed the sequel. The game showed no concern for the image built up by the considerable following that the two movies have had. Not only did the two characters not appear the least bit similar to the characters played by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the movie, the actors chosen to provide the vocals sounded nothing like either Jones or Smith. Last, but not least, the game provided none of the personality of the cartoon or feature films. Essentially, the game was a rush job. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", while not a groundbreaking game either, does at least seem as if it was made with solid involvement from the cast and creators. The lines certainly have the same tone and, while actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has not been brought in to provide the vocals, whoever took over the role for the game sounds awfully close. In addition, while Gellar doesn't provide the vocals, the rest of the cast has been brought in to voice their respective characters. On top of that, the animated characters in the game, while not always perfect representations, at least look reasonably close to the real-life actors. I mentioned the fact that the game is not groundbreaking earlier in the review and, quite frankly, the basic style of play is nothing new. Players star as Buffy and generally go around through the game's 13 levels beating the crap out of vampires and other assorted villians. However, the fact that the tone of the show is nicely carried over brings energy to a game that could have otherwise been rather ordinary - some of the lines are particularly funny. Although the tone is successful, it must be combined with smooth fighting and the game certanly does offer that. All of Buffy's fight moves are easy to handle and the use of stakes and other weapons are skillfully handled by the game. There's also a very enjoyable amount of interaction with items in the environment. Overall, while I wasn't stunned, I was impressed. An enjoyable game that both fans and non-fans should equally enjoy. Rating: 8.7/10 The DVD Graphics: "Buffy" is an XBOX exclusive; while not the most graphically rich game available for the format, the game at least has taken advantage of the possibilities and presents the viewer with well-realized and detailed Sunnydale locations. Characters are rendered crisply and clearly; as I said before, while the characters in the game are not perfect likenesses of the actors who portray them, the attempt was clearly made to do a fine job in this regard. Overall, the graphics are excellent and the atmosphere created by the visuals is superb. Rating: 8.9/10 Sound: "Buffy" matches stellar graphics with equally exceptional audio. As previously noted, the majority of the cast has been brought in to voice their characters, while the actress who voices Buffy seems awfully close to Sarah Michelle Gellar's voice. Sound effects are excellently used and dialogue is clear and crisp. While some of the lines may start to get repetitive after several plays, they're still entertaining. The score is also excellent, as well. Rating: 8.9/10 Gameplay: Fighting controls are easy to pick up and smooth. Instead of button-mashing, the various moves are quick and fun to pull off. Rating: 8.8/10 Rating Issues: The game gets an appropriate "T" (Teen) rating due to the violence involved with Buffy beating up a lot of vampires and other assorted villians. Final Thoughts: While there's not a terrific amount of replay value involved, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" still manages to raise above the genre by adding the show's flavor to this actioner. Recommended. |