The simplicity of speed.
US, February 27, 2012
The last super-fast arena shooter on Xbox 360 was Unreal Tournament III in 2008. So the arrival of Nexuiz may come as a surprise to gamers used to taking their time aiming, reloading, hitting a button to sprint, and using grenades and kill streaks to inflate their stats. Nexuiz evolved from a decade-old Quake mod (noticeable in every facet of gameplay down to the Rocket Jump button), and comes bringing all the nostalgia of that era to Xbox 360. Nexuiz delivers a fantastic balance of speed and simplicity -- when online conditions are stable, that is.
Like other arena shooters, Nexuiz focuses on small levels with accelerated rates of life and death. Nexuiz has nine maps, nine weapons, and pits two teams of four against each other. There's a story surrounding this setup, where two ancient species battle for the entertainment of the universe, but it's largely irrelevant. Nexuiz thrives on its action-oriented focus as opposed to a plot-driven campaign. An intro movie sets the stage, some loading text explains arena history -- but that's it.
Good then, that the action is consistently fun, with a great balance of weapons and Mutators. Nexuiz's starting gun, the shotgun, might just be the best starting weapon a shooter has since the original Quake. While the more attractive rocket launcher looks appealing, the simple shotgun can tear apart enemies like paper. The addition of rapid-fire guns, high-power sniper rifles, mortars, and pistols keep players from sticking to a single choice. Every pickup, each with a secondary fire option, helps contribute to a match's balance, making any given firearm feel fair.
Shoot first, ask questions if you want to.
Mutators add extra layers of complexity to this run-and-gun experience. Through pickups, killing sprees, flag deliveries, and other battlefield feats, players get their pick of these augmentations. Mutators include helpful team boosts like regeneration and jetpacks, to silly fart-noise sound effects and monochrome overlays where it's difficult to discern who the enemy is. There are dozens of Mutators, and by assigning points to different tiers, you can actually increase the likelihood you'll spawn a particular favorite -- an interesting way to put earned points to use.
The chaotic and kooky nature of the Mutators really make Nexuiz fun, as they can help and hinder the best or worst player in the fight -- and unleashing an "invert controls" Mutator is a mean (yet fair) way to get the jump on the enemy. On paper, the sheer variety of Mutators, and their ability to influence both one's own team and the enemy, sounds like a huge shift in balance. But their availability and duration make them a fair pickup, giving everyone the chance to gain benefits.
Steady...steady...
The world of Nexuiz looks beautiful. It's the first downloadable game utilizing CryEngine 3 (Crysis 2's engine). As you fire bullets in ancient ruins, mountainside paths, futuristic cities, and colorful cathedral-style maps, the vistas and atmosphere look impressive throughout. Each gun gets its own gloss, and watching the effects of Mutators drain color from the screen, pop the perspective into third-person, or add sombreros to players adds a playfulness to the already good-looking universe.
Nexuiz's design again shows simplicity through the inclusion of just two classic modes: Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch. The speed of combat and chaotic nature of Mutators help diversify these typical modes. Objectives aren't shoehorned into maps; rather, levels are designed specifically for each game type. The Capture the Flag maps utilize excellent mirrored layouts, and the deathmatch arena designs encourage constant interaction (and bloodshed). By providing a singular goal for each arena, the hallways, stairways, and corridors play to each map's strength, so there's no way to stray from the directive.
Keep the pressure on.
It takes three button-presses from loading up Nexuiz to get into a quick online match, another straight-to-the-point element of design. But once in a lobby, a match can't start until either six or eight players are present. This is fine when it comes to balance, but once in battle, players can drop out and the match won't auto-balance teams or even let in queued players. This means that the delicate stability of a four on four match can shatter if someone loses their connection, and a team of four can obliterate the lesser side. And if you enter a lobby queued as the seventh or eighth player in an ongoing match of six, you won't even see a counter for how long you'll until the next match starts.
There's a bot practice mode, but it holds no longevity. Even on the hardest difficulty, bots rarely nab flags or do any significant damage to the player. Bot practice retains zero stats, so outside of learning the maps and getting the hang of the speed and guns, there's no reason to return to the AI arena after getting the hang of the game.
The lack of offline options makes an active community a necessity for Nexuiz to survive. When in a full match, with no lag, it's a fantastic shooter that moves like a bullet and challenges players to improve their skills. But if lobbies don't fill up and fewer players show up online, there's no reason to head into matchmaking. Luckily, at a low price point Nexuiz isn't a huge investment and is well worth any shooter fan's time.
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | Click here for ratings guide | |
| 7.0 | Presentation The story's simply not important, and the online connectivity adds risk to the gameplay. But the simplicity of jumping into a match and variety of Mutators keep things good. | |
| 9.0 | Graphics The levels, guns, and players all look beautiful using the shine of CryEngine 3. | |
| 8.0 | Sound The beats accompanying the game are fantastic, and the sci-fi sounds of combat are great. The beats accompanying the game are fantastic, and the sci-fi sounds of combat are great. | |
| 8.0 | Gameplay The speed is great once you get the hang of popping headshots, but matches don't balance when someone drops out and lag can kill the experience. | |
| 9.0 | Lasting Appeal Constantly evolving leaderboards and maxing out Mutators adds a lot of replayability to this online shooter. | |
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