Game Reviews: America's Army; Dragonball Z

Langston Wertz Jr. - Charlotte Observer

Dec 17, 2007

New "America's Army" has look, feel of real warfare

There are so many tactical shooters on the market right now that I wasn't very excited when another showed up for me to review this week.

But "America's Army: True Soldiers" (Rated T for Teen) -- which was co-developed with the U.S. Army -- saved me from being burned out.

This Xbox 360 game is brought to you by publisher Ubisoft and developer Red Storm Entertainment. Red Storm is best known for its work on Tom Clancy's "Ghost Recon" and "Rainbow Six" franchises, and I think it has another hit on its hands.

Game cover man Tommy Rieman, a sergeant who won a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq, worked with Red Storm to create a high level of authenticity in "True Soldiers' " real-world scenarios.

Essentially, this game offers a pretty good taste of what joining the Army might be like. Graphics are spot-on, and the action is fast. In the single-player mode, you can go from basic training to fighting the war on terror -- and it takes real skill to move up to rifleman or sniper.

But what's coolest about this game is that when you and your soldier are good and ready, you can take that specific character onto Xbox Live. Also, online players can reward you with points for honorable actions that help you move up the Army ranks. (As with most war games, "True Soldiers" is more fun with multiple players.)

One other thing worth noting: Parents can tailor settings to make the game appropriate for a range of ages.

Grade: B-plus.

Review: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Rated T for Teen, this sequel to last year's hit fighting game is all about more fighting and fast thumb-twitching.

There are more than 150 heroes and villains to fight with. There are 20 levels. You can also re-create some of the battles from the TV show.

I tried the Wii version, and this year, it has online capability (though I had trouble getting a game -- a problem I never have via Xbox's or Sony's online systems).

This title brings back the fun of those side-scrolling fighters we loved so much on Sega Genesis and Dreamcast. Nothing exceptional, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

Grade: B.

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