X-Blades

Graphics

If there’s one thing this game has going for it aside from the gratuitous thong shots (if you’re into that sort of thing) then it is the graphics, which you should be able to crank up pretty high on even a mid-range gaming PC. In our Core i7-920 and GeForce GTX 260 test rig, we were averaging around 100fps with 8x AA, 16x AF all settings on maximum and at 1,920 x 1,200.

From an artistic standpoint the level design is very strong, with the ancient ruins all looking as believable as such places can be in any videogame, despite the dodgy gameplay. From a technical perspective, the textures are both varied and detailed and the soft lighting and HDR help to bring out the best in them all.

The red trails left behind by Ayumi’s pistol blades along with the light effects and animations of her spells and abilities are well implemented too and are as easy on the eye as she is.

In order to get an idea for how the game looks, we included some screenshots below of the game on the different graphical presets - Low and Maximum.


Dropping the graphics options down to medium, turning off the AF and leaving just 2x AA has little effect on the textures but does have a big effect on the lighting, which is largely responsible for making the game look so good. Opting for these settings increased our average frame rate to around 136fps.

The game doesnt include an option to keep the lighting effects on high while just turning down the texture details a bit, so if you're strugging for frame rates, turn down the AA and leave the graphic preset on maximum. With everything turned to low the game looks decidedly flat and dull and does suffer from not having any AA turned on. However, unless you’re running a Commodore Amiga you shouldn’t have any reason to play the game at those settings.

Conclusions

X-Blades falls into the two traps that so often snare games in the third person hack 'n' slash genre; it is unforgivably repetitive and you couldn’t conjure up a more cliché storyline if someone threatened to throw you into an arena with little clothes on and hordes of demons running at you and told you to hunt treasure.

The way the game is laid out in arenas, all of which feel like a boss battle, with a progress bar at the bottom of the screen gets very boring very quickly. A few puzzles to figure out might have brought a welcome variance of mental stimulation to the game, but such designs seem to have been beyond the developers limitations.

The combat system is sloppier than a chilli-dog and a far cry from that of Devil May Cry, despite it being a clear influence. The aspects of the game's combat system that make it so deep and satisfying to play were clearly misunderstood and poorly re-implemented. Equally lacking in depth is the character upgrade system. Its vagaries leave you feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the arsenals potentially at your disposal, giving little incentive to spend hours button mashing your way through endless demonic spawn.

The reason that this game gets so much as a 3/10 is its presentation. The style may not be to everyone’s taste but the environments are beautifully designed and rendered. To be quite honest, we decided that Ayumi’s costume was worth at least one star too - a star we might have been able to see very clearly had she bent over a little more! Sadly however, no amount of pretty graphics and luscious curves can make this game anything other than one not to waste your money on.

Score Guide