Oddworld: Munch's oddysee (XBOX)
If you've played the other Abe games, you'll be familiar with the general controls -- mind control with a trigger, gamespeak with most of the buttons, and a general action button that allows you to jump, throw characters, and trigger levers and buttons. Munch is similar, though his special power is to control mechanical objects through special terminals peppered throughout specific levels. Just as in Oddworld, the game is built more one death puzzles than exploration, and usually you'll be trying to figure out how to get Abe and Munch (and usually some Fuzzles and Mudokons) to a specific point, usually through a set of mines/sligs/scrabs/paramites. The biggest difference is that now, you can command your Mudokons and Fuzzles to attack, using them as your troop of warriors to help you get through specific points in the game.
There are moments when the gameplay works, like one level that has you commanding cranes and a Big Brother Slig, dodging mines and commanding an Executive. Near the end of the game things get denser, and the gameplay becomes more satisfying, given that more and more pieces of the game have been introduced, and the difficulty level is raised higher. The introduction of group commands, and generally using Fuzzles and Mudokons as an army, is also one of the high points of Munch. While you may not enjoy having to hand-transform every one of your Mudokons into tomahawks, or into arrow-firing marksmen, you'll love watching them nail some Sligs on your command. Fuzzles especially, particularly when you get revenge on the Big Brother Sligs that will cause you so many headaches later in the game.
The graphics of Munch are impressive -- a level may not look dense, but watch the lighting as it plays over characters and structures. Clouds leave shadows on the ground, the water reflects when under the direct glare of the sun, and tons of characters appear onscreen without a hiccup. The camera stays far back so you can't really see the detail in the characters but who needs that? When the real beauty is in the environments. The voices are incredible -- did you expect anything less? They are filled with the same brutal humor and funny quips as the other games. The Vykkers and Fuzzles are funny additions especially the creepy chirping and coos of the little round beasts... right before they chomp into an enemy. Sound effects are mostly from earlier games in the series, but of the same high quality that you've come to expect. The music on the other hand is kept to a minimal, other than the song when tensions are high there is not much to listen to.
Overall this game was just ok, it was not fun but was more something to do when you are bored. Where is the true sequel to the last game? That's what I was saying when I finished this.