X Blades

This game has a Tomb Raider meets Devil May Cry vibe, but unfortunately, the mix isn't that new or different. It feels like a game that's been done before. Additionally, the monsters in X Blades are often kind of dumb. They'll get stuck in a balcony or won't find you in a grotto. So you have to come out and entice them to move forward in the game. Also, you'll find some of the worst camera angles ever added to an action adventure. Sometimes, you just can't find the demon that chooses to attack you. You have to spin around and look up and down to find your foe. It's a waste of time and energy.

That's a darn shame because the levels are adequately rendered. The artwork is always pleasing to the eye and, when you see a massive vista, occasionally awesome. There's the germ of a story here, too, in a Pandora's Box kind of way. Unfortunately, it's not fleshed out with the proper drama in the little movies peppered throughout. But because the main character seems more like a self-aggrandizing shallow girl than a godly heroine, you just don't care about finishing the game. While there's a ton of blood seen with each cut, even this dark, drippy substance doesn't seem properly designed. It almost seems like thick paint. Turn it off for a better play experience, although it is only slightly better.