Thank you Avatar! While I really enjoyed the movie (and happen to be one of those who does believe it got screwed over for the Oscar thanks to The Hurt Locker,) it was also the movie that once again force fed 3D down our throats. It seems every 25 to 30 years we have to deal with everything being 3D. We had the cheesy monster movies in the 50s, the surge of 3D with Jaws 3D and Amityville 3D in the 80s, and here we are in 2010, with 3D televisions becoming all the rage. Nintendo is set to bring us the 3DS , and Sony is announcing 3D games for the PlayStation 3.
Will this madness ever end? And more so, are we going to be spending the rest of our lives wearing stupid glasses to support a fad that will never become mainstream?
I mean come on! Last week my girlfriend and I went to the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Best Buy had a trailer on site that demonstrated 3D television. I put on the glasses (which were nowhere near the poor quality of the old red/blue cellophane monstrosities we are used to,) but I wasn’t able to see the image pop out at all. I just don’t get the whole fad, and do not need to see why we need to spend $2,000 on a new television, not to mention the other upgrades that will require me to sell the deed to my house.
I’d rather get a 120 Hz 1080p LCD for under $1,000 any day.
But still, we are being fed 3D every day. Even the Wii and 360 are getting 3D titles. One of which is a budget themed shooter called Attack of the Movies 3D. This is a generic themed arcade style shooter enhanced with 3D visuals that require a pair of the old red/blue cellophane glasses that I mentioned earlier.
Attack of the Movies has six scenarios based on standard monster movie fare, including an insect invasion, alien invasion, shark attacks, robot assaults, and a haunted mansion to name a few. It’s standard light gun fare for anyone, and standard is what the game is. We have the shoot everything on sight, obtaining power ups, and shooting back projectiles to avoid damage.
The problem is the game isn’t that exciting. Enemies move too fast, it’s difficult to shoot down the projectiles in time, and it feels all rushed. And the game is way too short to warrant multiple plays.
On the bright side, the game can be played by up to four players. The game comes with four pairs of 3D glasses, but even with them on, I still cannot get the full 3D experience. Nothing truly jumped out at me.
Maybe it’s because the graphics are as lifeless as the gameplay. Everything just looks flat with very little detail. At least the game runs smoothly without any slowdown, even on the Wii. Even the music and sound effects are basic.
But what really got on my nerves is the repetitive voice that announced all the power ups I obtained. I really wanted to turn down my sound system after hearing that, or even worse, pull the disc out of my Wii, but I was compelled to finish the game, which didn’t take so long.
Take away the 3D gimmick, and Attack of the Movies is just a simplistic arcade style shooter, and even with its budget price of $30, it still doesn’t make this a viable alternative to the more excellent Wii shooters such as Ghost Squad or House of the Dead Overkill.
With the 3D, it still doesn’t add much to its 2 GiN Gem rating.
PROS: Value priced ($30), Up to 4 players.
CONS: Very shallow and boring gameplay that is over as quickly as it starts. Voice weapon announcing will easily grate you. Hit detection questionable. Continues my belief that 3D is just a gimmick that will never catch on.