Giants: Citizen Kabuto Review

Although it might seem that Kabuto has an advantage over the other two races, those assumptions hold no merit in-game. All three races have a nice balance of strengths and weaknesses, although I have found that I'm most successful playing with the Meccs. This is certainly the hot topic of this game, and the proper answer can only be given after people have spent time playing online. The important thing is neither race stands out as a clear-cut favorite, and each of them has a week spot (Achilles Heel) that the other race can exploit.

Along with the three unique races Giants incorporates several different genres and gameplay styles. The game is primarily an action title, but it can just as easily switch into a resource management semi-strategy mode, and it even has a couple of RPG elements thrown in (Delphi's spell system, etc). Because of its furious pace though, Giants is first and foremost an action game. The much ballyhooed resource management aspect is not really that effective, as it rules out any kind of elaborate strategies that tactics-minded gamers might look for. Yes, you collect wimps (meat and souls, that's all they are) and Smarties to work for ya and build your base (Kabuto is a bit different; he eats wimps and then lays giant eggs - his "Offspring"), but all that still very much depends on how skillful you are with the main character. Don't get me wrong though. I wouldn't actually call the lack of more strategy features a drawback. I'm just explaining the way Giants plays, that's all. Oh, and did I mention that you'll even be racing on a Reaperski (similar to a jet ski) in a couple of missions? Yeah, I know... talk about a whole buttload of gameplay styles crammed into one game.

The enemy AI is decent enough, and it won't take away from the fun in any way. Reaper soldiers will take cover and run away when hurt; they will also try to destroy your base in any way they can, and generally make your life miserable if you don't destroy their damn barracks. Unfortunately, even Planet Moon couldn't resist the temptation of throwing thousands of nasty creatures at the players. This time around, we're mutilating these maul-like squid things, which move underground (just like a maul) and then pop up and attack you with some nasty orange and blue spit. There were few Meccs missions when I thought my GeForce is going to burn up from having to process a multitude of these maul-squids at the same time. I swear there was about 30-40 of them on-screen at one point. And these suckers are big.

What the F-k?

Of course, by now you must be thinking - what the hell is this guy on about? He says no editor's choice award, but all he does is sing praises about the game -- how it features several different genres, the incredible eye candy... yada, yada, yada... Well, I can hardly argue with you there! The only thing that I have found wrong with Giants is that it didn't hold my attention. Simple as that! A small thing that nearly outweighs all the words of praise up to this point... And it's not like I'm this turn-based strategy fan who shies away from great action gameplay. Far from it!

I just can't define it, but for some reason the game didn't hold my attention, and it didn't make me play "that one more mission" before I hit "exit to desktop." At first I though: this is the end of the hectic holiday season; I'm jaded from of all the titles I went through, but then I went home after Giants (work) and spent my free time playing Alice and Sea Dogs. How come? Is it because there are so many new things to get accustomed to in Giants? Or is it because the enemy was too hard? Could it be that Planet Moon have actually missed that essential gameplay chord by trying too hard to introduce so many original features at once?

Beats me! All I know is the game lacked that addictiveness in single player, which was the primary reason why I've been giving games like Alice, MW4 and Sea Dogs the editor's choice stamp.

However, Giants' replay value is greatly increased with the excellent multiplayer mode, which still makes this game a good buy. Giants multiplayer shows potential in terms of strategies and styles of play that gamers will come up with over time. It gives you all the means to be creative in multiplayer, which is really one of the most fascinating aspects of online gaming. I just wish single player game kept me glued to the screen a bit more...