Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"A great roaming beat em up."

Buffy was announced a long time ago as an XBOX exclusive its release has been delayed time and time again. Finally she has appeared........

There is one question to ask yourself about this game. Are you a fan of the popular TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer? What is your answer? Now if you said yes, then your in for a treat. However if you said no, then you had better watch out (this girl has got mad skills).........
So let us begin. Oh Buffy, Buffy, Buffy!!! Buffy is having a rough time of it at the moment. She's not getting enough quality Zs. She is experiencing some terrible nightmares which feature a powerful enemy of times past. Fearing that something is not quite right and stirring, its down to Buffy and the gang to investigate. Let the ass kicking commence.

As you might have guessed, Buffy is about kicking vampire butt, and plenty of it too. This game is essentially a free roaming beat em up with some basic exploration thrown in for good measure. You start the game in a training area which guides you through the basic combat and control method. As I said its BASIC training. In this game as with Mario Sunshine its all about the individual skills of the player. What you have here is a simple 5 button set up:Punch Kick Stab Jump and Block. These are also affected by the direction stick. This then allows you to perform a reasonable amount of moves. Obviously it does not contain huge amounts of moves ala Tekken, but enough to make things interesting. The control system here is extremely easy to get into to allow for maximum butt kicking with fluidity. So you have gotten through the training, you've mastered the simple controls so now its time to get it on!

The first things you notice about Buffy is the overall atmosphere of the game. The locations are varied and detailed, treading on familiar turf for the fans of the TV show, for example Sunny dale School. Buffy also has personality. I found this an excellent feature it really added to the feeling that you are controlling Buffy.Although Buffy would often repeat herself (not unlike the TV show) I found that her speech was always in context of the action, like Ahhh,wooden pointy thing My best friend after picking up a stake. The music also is excellent and varied. remaining somber and mystical when things are quiet. Then launching into frenzied break beat tunes when the action hots up, great stuff!
The combat as I said is truly personal and can be suited to the environment you are in for example your in the back streets of The Bronze Club, flames are around you on ground level so you take the high route. You are suddenly jumped by a female vamp who wants to beat your ass. Its
here you have the option to either run (boo) or fight(hurrah). The player has choices galore on how to dispose of vampires. You could endlessly keep beating your opponent(a great way to practice moves) remembering that a vamp needs to be staked before it will die and evaporate.Or you
could incorporate harsh combos finishing with a stake through the heart (very satisfying). You could use one of the various weapons in the game such as the crossbow or baseball bat. My favourite and probably the hardest to do is to use the environment. Here you can grab an opponent and in this case throw her into the flames below for an instant kill. Others include squashing by train and impaling. Sunny dale is full of various enemies for you to smack up, not just vamps . Also included are some familiar adversaries such as Spike. These vamps are no pushovers either which means hammering the buttons is not enough to get you through. Often you'll find yourself in a 3 on one situation which can be a little tough but ultimately rewarding if you are a skilled player.

The exploration parts of the game are basic and sometimes platform inspired. Some sections and actions even reminded me of a Ms Croft but hey, Buffy is a lot tougher than that .Think of a Bruce Lee and Lara Croft love child. Anyway the exploration doesn't detract from the action and
actually does well to break it up for a while. You should also take the time out to smash and search your surroundings. It is here where you can find some extra items which are easily overlooked although this is not essential. This can however create problems. You see some boxes/items can be broken and others cant. This creates frustration more than anything and may create moments of mindless punching the air, a minor gripe.You can also replay any level you have completed at your leisure which can help in finding the secrets that you missed and just playing your favourite levels.

So what we have here then is a cool and solid game for fans and non fans alike (for the record I’m not a fan of the TV show). Featuring an easy combat system which some will argue is not in depth enough .I would agree but then Id say play some Tekken or VF4 if your after that kind of
fix. For mindless non stop adrenaline fused story based butt kicking action though ,Buffy is your girl. The overall look and feel of the game is excellent and maybe only marred by a lack of variety in the missions. The combat can at times feel a little relentless but as I said this is addressed by the exploration aspect of the game. Fans of the show will love the characters, locations and the Library meetings with the gang. As a non fan you'll love the game anyway.
So folks head on down to Sunny dale. The people need you Buffy , its time to kick some vampire butt.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/03, Updated 06/09/03