I've had my eye on Kameo: Elements of Power. It's
the kind of title that Microsoft needs in its arsenal to have a successful launch. It's got mass appeal—it's
kid-friendly (rated Teen). And most importantly, it's really easy to pick up and play.
The controls are simple and accessible. The face buttons are mapped to different "warriors" you unlock over the course of the game. The left and right triggers are used for various skills and attacks. And that's it. Simple, right?
My first look at Kameo was during a short tutorial session designed for media types that didn?t have much familiarity with gaming. It?s no wonder that Microsoft chose Kameo to get us started. I went ahead and earned the ?achievement? (unlocking the first warrior spirit), the goal of the session, as I waited for the tutorial to begin. This allowed me time to fool around and come to appreciate what Rare has done during the actual tutorial.
I found navigating the world in Kameo incredibly satisfying, mostly because Kameo?s hovering ability is the ideal way to get around?much preferred to the standard method of running. The world is polished and fluid, characterized by a cartoonish motif?which admittedly, will turn away a lot of older gamers. Simply put, there?s a lot of fun to be had, and Rare has designed the game so that you can go back and play micro-sections of it at any time (with the new warriors that you have acquired).
Building off of this concept of ?fun,? Rare has added 4 battlefield scenarios that literally feature thousands of on-screen characters?without a hiccup. These sections of the game provide the perfect opportunity to wil? out?grab a friend for some co-op over Live and hit the battlefield. One cool feature about the 10 warriors in Kameo is that you can play their abilities off of one another. For example, one character can toss out an oil slick, while another can breathe fire? now what do you suppose you could do with those two abilities?
I don?t wanna give too much away about the warriors, the
puzzles, or even the pointless fun to be had. But this game features something for everyone. With Kameo, Rare
has built a game that will attract a younger, less experienced audience. They?ve also built-in elements that will
appeal to hardcore gamers, like a high-score challenge based on combos (not unlike what we saw in Ninja
Gaiden). If you?re an action/adventure fan or looking to invest in the Xbox 360 for your kids (warning:
Kameo contains excessive cartoon violence), Kameo should definitely be at the top of your list.
Otherwise, it?s still worth checking out, if only to marvel at some of the Xbox 360?s processing power that Rare has
tapped into.
Additional tidbits:
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25-30 hours to complete the game
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10 warriors to unlock; 60 total abilities to customize
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?Warrior Focus? - a bullet-time effect that engages when you really start to kick @$$
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Each of the hundreds of checkpoints is bookmarked so that you can revisit it at any time
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Built-in hint system will give a progressive series of hints (at player?s request) to aid less experienced (or simply stumped) gamers
