Raze’s Hell Review

Platform: Xbox
ERSB: Mature
Genre: First Person Shooter
Number of Players: Solo or Split screen 1-2, System link 2-10, Xbox Live
Publisher: Majesco
Release Date: 2005
Official Website
Writer: Typhoid

Rating: 10.0

“Raze’s Hell” is Heaven to Play

This game is perfect for Gaming Angels, in topic and in spirit. It was the labor of love by the game creators, and it shows in the high quality of this game (and in the bonus features on the disc). The plot of the game is that you are Raze, a dark ugly monster whose peaceful planet has been invaded by the Kewletts, a species of cute cuddly evil beings. Raze has been given super powers in order to fight off the little cuties and save his people. You can play the main-plot game all the way through by yourself or you can play some of the best darn split-screen cooperative play I’ve ever played! Single player also has many mini-games with which to amuse oneself. It even has six System Link or Xbox Live game modes, not just versus play but also things like monster golf and soccer. This game is too awesome to adequately describe with words. Check out the official website. It has screenshots, movies, and really portrays the feel of the game. Not only is the game one of my favorites, but I also love the insanely interactive website too! It’s a shame this game is not better known. It breaks my heart to log into Xbox live and not find anyone playing this wonderful game. What a tragedy!

Graphics:
Extremely creative and varied. The environments are not always extremely detailed, but that ends up being nice because you can see objects (health, power-ups, enemies, etc) easier. Also it seems that they were trying to portray a dark monster world clashing with a cartoonish-type atmosphere and really hit their mark. There were only a few times when I was going through the game where I thought the environment was too sparse or bland.

Controls:
Surprisingly easy to pick up and play, even if you’re not used to first-person shooters. It has a short tutorial before some levels that require you to do something new so you’re never unprepared. Also, the game is often very forgiving about aiming, so you don’t have to be obnoxiously perfect which is super cool. This is not to say that the game isn’t challenging because some boards are very hard, and even if you don’t have to be perfect sometimes you do have to empty a flowering shiny clip into someone. Bottom line is that it’s unlikely that you’ll get stuck on a level and never play it again (which happens to me too many times with other games).

Sound:
Great, the voices are creative and entertaining and the sound effects are appropriate and fun. The voice acting was only really annoying when Tinkerbell… I mean Navi… I mean Slivh, the flying twit guide, was around jabbering.

Flow:
A compelling story, great game play and amusing cut scenes allow this game to have an exciting and interesting flow like a good movie or book (even if predictable at times). The game is kind enough to save at each level, so if you fail you can just try again. There are very few disturbances in the flow.

Fun Factor:
This is one of my favorite games of all time. I love the fact that you’re a dark ugly good monster that’s fighting a bunch of brightly colored cute evil teddy bears. It’s hilariously entertaining from the moment you pick up the game case to after you’ve finished the last level. It was a much longer game than I expected, which made me really happy. This game is so full of great surprises, so I am trying not to put any major spoilers in here while simultaneously trying to tell you how TERRIFIC it is. Even after you’re done with the main quest there’s lots of fun bonus material on the disc.

Female aspect:
Even though the game will occasionally refer to a specific character as male or female, in most cases it’s really not evident. It’s more of a case of “masculine” or “feminine” which we know isn’t the same as sex. This game seems to be more about dichotomies: good=male, monster, ugly, dark and evil=female, angel, cute, light. I don’t necessarily think that the game makers are trying to say that women are evil, I think they just liked to play with the whole idea of cute=evil and they feel that girls better represent cute. I would read more into it if all Kewletts were female, but it’s not the case. There are very few obvious females in the game, but the most noticeable is the leader of the Kewletts, the Princess. She and the game grow and change as the game progresses, but it’s always clear that she is the evil and powerful force in the game.

Replay Value:
Moderate to High. While it’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever played, I’m unlikely to replay the main quest very often because it takes a long time and it’s more fun (in my opinion) playing co-op which means I have to wait for my gaming partner to be around. It is a terrific journey, but when you’re done and you’ve played with the bonus material it’ll sit on your shelf for a few months before you are ready to do it again. However it will call you again, and again, especially if you dig the mini-games.

Folks I don’t give out ratings this high very easily. Seriously if you can find this game, it’s worth it. If I had enough money I would buy this game for every girl I know. Not only is it absolutely terrific, but also it started out at the $19.99 price point, which I always want to encourage. Loving it!