Crooked Bee
(no longer) a wide-wandering bee
Tags: Mars: War Logs
Our sworn enemies at RPGWatch have reviewed the latest shovelware RPG Mars: War Logs and weren't too thrilled with it, awarding it 2/5 stars and calling it a cheap Mass Effect knock-off. They do have some positive things to say about the combat, weapon customization, and skill trees though:
"The combat is fun but the story is bad. Skip it." Sounds like a typical RPGWatch verdict to me.
Our sworn enemies at RPGWatch have reviewed the latest shovelware RPG Mars: War Logs and weren't too thrilled with it, awarding it 2/5 stars and calling it a cheap Mass Effect knock-off. They do have some positive things to say about the combat, weapon customization, and skill trees though:
What did make combat worthwhile was the fact that every encounter is dangerous. You will find yourself reloading quite a bit for some of the trickier fights, yet after you reload and try it again, you will often find that things are turned in your favor much more when you apply a little strategy to the battle. Getting surrounded by enemies is a sure-fire road to a reload. The end result is a combat system that is pretty fun to play and challenging, and you actually look forward to bashing in some skulls with your copper pipe that you fashioned into a makeshift war axe.
Yes, you can wield a makeshift war axe. The game features a fairly deep item customization ability that allows you to upgrade weapons and armor using spare parts that you scavenged in the game world. There are many different options for upgrading and you can definitely have some fun combining these options and crafting a new, interesting and powerful weapon or armor. The bonuses you get from item customization make a big difference in how the combat plays out and it’s cool to see your weapon or armor change based on the choices you made in upgrading it.
Another solid aspect of Mars: War Logs is the skill tree. It’s done well, and every skill and passive ability you invest in actually feels like it has weight and makes a difference. Often in RPGs with skill trees, I sometimes feel as though there are not enough worthwhile investment options , or I’m just not too excited with the skills themselves to really want to use them. In War Logs, seemingly every skill was interesting, and I often found myself having to make tough decisions between a few different skills that all sounded good to me. Thankfully, the game does a good job of supplying you with enough skill points that you can easily upgrade the skills that sound interesting to you and jump right back into the gameplay, a bit stronger and better equipped for battle than before.
The bottom line with Mars: War Logs, is that the game fits the “budget title” label to a T. It’s as if you’re playing a Mass Effect game, only one that had about 1/10th of the budget and polish of a real Mass Effect game. If you like developing your character and participating in fun combat, then you will find some fun here for the 14 or so hours it lasts. However, if you’re looking for a compelling story, interesting characters and exciting locations, you’re not going to find that here. I had to force myself to finish it and near the end I really wasn’t enjoying myself too much.
Verdict: The combat is fun, but you’ll really be missing a story or any reason at all to keep playing. Skip it.
Yes, you can wield a makeshift war axe. The game features a fairly deep item customization ability that allows you to upgrade weapons and armor using spare parts that you scavenged in the game world. There are many different options for upgrading and you can definitely have some fun combining these options and crafting a new, interesting and powerful weapon or armor. The bonuses you get from item customization make a big difference in how the combat plays out and it’s cool to see your weapon or armor change based on the choices you made in upgrading it.
Another solid aspect of Mars: War Logs is the skill tree. It’s done well, and every skill and passive ability you invest in actually feels like it has weight and makes a difference. Often in RPGs with skill trees, I sometimes feel as though there are not enough worthwhile investment options , or I’m just not too excited with the skills themselves to really want to use them. In War Logs, seemingly every skill was interesting, and I often found myself having to make tough decisions between a few different skills that all sounded good to me. Thankfully, the game does a good job of supplying you with enough skill points that you can easily upgrade the skills that sound interesting to you and jump right back into the gameplay, a bit stronger and better equipped for battle than before.
The bottom line with Mars: War Logs, is that the game fits the “budget title” label to a T. It’s as if you’re playing a Mass Effect game, only one that had about 1/10th of the budget and polish of a real Mass Effect game. If you like developing your character and participating in fun combat, then you will find some fun here for the 14 or so hours it lasts. However, if you’re looking for a compelling story, interesting characters and exciting locations, you’re not going to find that here. I had to force myself to finish it and near the end I really wasn’t enjoying myself too much.
Verdict: The combat is fun, but you’ll really be missing a story or any reason at all to keep playing. Skip it.
"The combat is fun but the story is bad. Skip it." Sounds like a typical RPGWatch verdict to me.