Review

Developed by:Old School Games Published by:ATLUS Genre(s):
  • Third Person Shooter
  • Platform:
  • Microsoft
  • PC
  • Sony
  • Cost:$9.99 ESRB Rating:MATURE Players:1-4 Online Release date:April 19, 2013 Reviewed on:XBox 360
    8

    God Mode

    Released by new developer Old School Games, God Mode offers a good time for a good price. It takes the minimalist approach and just throws you into the action without any explanation of what is happening in the game. And why should it? Anyone familiar with video games from the past six years will be immediately familiar with the gameplay. God Mode offers a plethora of baddies, numerous modifiers, weapons, and attachments to help with your short, but arduous journey into Hades!

    The story is as minimalist as its approach. You are a lost soul battling through hordes of demons, skeletons, zombies, cyclops, minotaurs, etc., all the while being baited around by the omnipresent narrator. That’s it. You don’t need a story to have a good time with this game, however. God Mode is solely reliant on its co-op multiplayer Horde-like mode.

    God Mode generously borrows from Gears of War, right down to the controls, feeling almost as tight as if you were controlling Marcus. There are plenty of powerups on each arena, but the question is if you can get the powerup you need before your online buddies do. I found myself constantly running out of ammo, but I think that’s more due to my run-and-gun style of shooting than the game’s fault. If you are quick enough, you will have plenty of ammo, health, and shields to conquer each arena in the level. I also had a bit of trouble with rolling away from a sprinting enemy. I could never time it right, so I just decided not to roll and dodge as I normally would and just sprayed bullets in the general direction of anything that moved. There are five levels to choose from and roughly five arenas per level. The final level is a sort of boss fight where you have to defeat an abnormally huge version of the enemies you have been fighting. Once the boss is defeated, you’re transported to a gold room where everyone scurries around looking to collect the most gold. Each level has a different motif and different paths to get to each arena, so the maps take a long time to start getting stale.

    Being that you are a fallen God battling your way through Hades, the voiceover announcer pokes fun at you as well as sets rules per arena. Some rules are challenges, such as being poisoned while friendly fire is turned on. Others are rewarding, such as rotating God mode, or dwarf mode (where all the enemies are significantly smaller and can take less damage). These constant changes per arena are a welcome addition to the gameplay, allowing for a fresh take on what could easily become a tired grind. With each enemy that you dispatch, you earn XP and sometimes gold. Earn enough XP and the game unlocks perks, cosmetic options (like putting a cowboy hat on a zombie) upgrades for your preferred weapon or even unlocking new ones. Though the items are unlocked, you will need to the gold you’ve earned to actually purchase them.

    Also prior to selecting a game, you can select individual modifiers called “Oaths.” With the Oaths, you have the option to turn one, multiple, all on, or even none at all. By selecting an Oath you gain a percentage of one item you are lacking, say XP or gold, and in turn receive weaker bullets or a lower score. Sometimes the trade off is worth it if you are a ways away on making it to the next level, but mostly it is just for those who are looking for an extra bit of challenge.

    Although you can play by yourself, the real fun is in its co-op. If you are lucky enough to have a friend who has purchased it, you are in for a great time! It is a fairly inexpensive way to shoot stuff up with friends who don’t want to purchase a full game just for its multiplayer mode. This game did almost fly under my radar due to lack of advertisements and I’m afraid it will just get lost in the shuffle of XBLA titles. All that being said, $10 is a good price, but $5 would be better. I could even see it being bundled with other lesser known games to allow a broader audience the opportunity to maybe find this diamond in the rough. God Mode isn’t perfect, but it is good fun!

    Gameplay:

    9

    God Mode plays very tight. Very rarely do you feel out of control.

    Graphics:

    8

    Although there is the odd artifacting, graphics are crisp and what is expected from a modern shooter.

    Sound:

    8

    Guns sound explosive and meaty. Sometimes the narrator gets lost in the gunfire and groans.

    What's New:

    7

    Although there are plenty of arena Horde-mode type games out there, no game out there has the frequent arena modifiers that makes God Mode special.

    Replay Value:

    8

    As with all multiplayer only games, this is all dependent on who owns it and how much they enjoy it. That being said, I will be coming back for more!

    Final Score:

    8

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