X Blades (PlayStation 3)

Ever since Devil May Cry made its landmark appearance in the fall of 2001, hacking and slashing through hundreds, even thousands, of enemies has become a staple in some games. In X-BLADES, the self-centered Ayumi is a tough treasure hunter who tries to obtain the powers within a special orb, which curses her when she touches it. As you direct her to chop and cut through a slew of monsters, you try to free Ayumi from the whammy which plagues her.

Ayumi comes armed with her long, sharp blades and two pistols. Immediately, you'll hack and slash everything from small dinosaurs to nasty crabs and oversized wasps. You'll encounter giant spiders, robots, and phantoms, along with a creepy and powerful enemy called The Dark. You can jump up high and shoot as you leap. You can purchase numerous weapons with the souls you accumulate from killing. Some of these includes fireballs and spells. Eventually, you'll meet Jay, a do-rag donning macho dude, who helps Ayumi.

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.