With Green Lantern hitting theaters June 17th, Warner Bros. Entertainment and developer Double Helix have released Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, which is now available for you to own on Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo 3DS! The gameplay and look varies on each of the systems, so today we will be looking at how it holds up on the Xbox 360.
Taking place after the events of the Green Lantern feature film, the body of the late Abin Sur has been returned to OA where he can be given a proper burial. Sinestro, Kilowogg, and Hal Jordan are introduced to Abin’s son, Amon Sur, and before the ceremony can commense, OA is attacked by robotic creatures known as the Manhunters. Can the Green Lantern Corps repell this attack? What is the mysterious connection that the Manhunters have with the Green Lantern Corps? How does the Yellow Power of Fear tie into the attack? All of these questions and more are answered in this very well-written story arc. The writers of Rise of the Manhunters (which we will refer to as ROTM from here on out) do a fantastic job utilizing both the movie universe and the comicbook history throughout the game. We are treated to many references to the Green Lantern Mythology thoughtout the story, and it seemlessly fits into the world of Green Lantern.
If you were given the most powerful weapon in the universe, that was only limited by your imagination, what would you create with it? ROTM starts Hal Jordan off with a few basic Constructs that the ring can generate, and as you level up, you are able to unlock more powerful and intricate weapons to use to dispatch those pesky Manhunter robots. Creating constructs with your ring is pretty simple (as long as you have enough willpower) and is completely customizable by the player. Using different combinations of the Left or Right triggers with the Face Buttons (A, B, X, and Y) you can unleash Green Lantern’s hammers, saw blades, pistons, swords, mines, jet packs and more. The gameplay on the ground is very smooth, and after you get in a bit of practice, you will be able to do some pretty fun combos to take out any Manhunter that gets in your way. I thoroughly enjoyed using the “Mech Warrior” Construct, which makes taking out those larger threats a bit more doable.
While the majority of the gameplay is ground-based, fans are treated to some high-flying action as Green Lantern faces off against the Manhunters in space battles (using rail shooter game mechanics). The controls during the flight mode take a little getting used to, as you not only need to master flight and avoid obstacles, but fight off a slew of robotic threats using ring blasts or constructed missiles. After time these controls get a bit easier, but are probably the weakest point of the game. In CO-OP mode, Hal Jordan is assisted by Sinestro as they take the fight to the Manhunters and attempt to rescue their fellow Lanterns from impending doom. The benefit to playing this a partner in this game is that a fallen player will respawn as long as one person is left alive. This helps to speed up some of the more challenging levels of the game that take a bit of time to play through solo (“The Vault” Level took awhile…). There is also quite a bit of repetition in the threats that Jordan must face, as the Manhunter variations are somewhat limited.
The graphics of ROTM look fantastic and capture the essence of the characters and all the spectacle from the feature film. There is no doubt that you are supposed to be playing the Ryan Reynolds version of Hal, with the Mark Strong version of Sinestro by his side. The overall imagery of the game looks gorgeous in HD, bringing the vibrant colors of Zamaron and OA to life with bright and vivid colors. ROTM is not hampered by large amounts of on-screen action, showing no signs of graphical or framerate hiccups.
Ryan Reynolds lends his voice to the video game version of Hal Jordan for all of the story sequences, which makes you feel right at home after seeing the movie. Reynolds had delivered a fantastic performance as Hal Jordan in the feature film, and his take on Hal continues to exceed expectations in the 360 release. Marton Csokas takes on the role of Sinestro for ROTM, and does a great take on the character that continues the tone and presence that Mark Strong had established in the film. Fans will be excited to know that we get to spend a bit more time with our favorite GL Corps Drill Sergent Kilowog, who is voiced by the instantly recognizable Kevin Michael Richardson (Spawn, The Spectacular Spider-Man). Steve Blum (Spectacular Spider-Man, Wolverine and The X-Men) voices Amon Sur, who is still reeling from his father’s death. The overall voice acting throughout the game was done with care and precision and only furthered my overall enjoyment while playing through the levels. My only disappointment was that Reynolds did not record the action sounds during the actual game play, so the grunts and sounds made by Jordan sound quite different than the story vignettes.
Overall:
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters might not be groundbreaking in terms of gameplay, but the story and graphics will definitely keep players entertained as they get a chance to explore the greater Green Lantern Universe. It is easy to get addicted to this game, as you are given the ability to utilize new constructs as the story progresses. As far as movie tie-in games go, Rise of the Manhunters does a great job establishing itself within the mythos of the film, and drawing from the comic book source material. Comic book fans will definitely find thrills throughout the story, but gamers might get burnt out on some of the repetition of the villains. Coming from someone who is not a hardcore gamer, I found a lot to enjoy throughout the storyline and the gameplay was inviting and interesting that it captured my attention for hours.
ComicsOnline gives Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters – Xbox 360 – 4 willpower created stars out of 5.
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