VGGEN writes: "Do you remember Zoids? No? Don't worry, I'm sure not many people do. If you've never heard of Zoids, it's a Japanese toy line that consists of animal-like mechs that are exceedingly popular. It's spawned a few anime series, tons of manga, fanbooks, and unfortunately, games. In the eighties the toy line was released in America, but didn't catch on as well as planned. A couple years back Zoids made another Stateside debut with an anime series on Cartoon Network, as well as a line of models that you could collect and play with your friends every morning in the cafeteria. Like many fads, its popularity waned, and eventually faded into the background. Now, in 2008, Atlus has made the decision to release Zoids Assault for the Xbox 360, in a move that both baffles and repulses me, because this could very well be one of the worst Atlus titles-or out of any game I own, for that matter-ever."
Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball Z, One Piece. Just a few popular anime that have video games , each a great anime and each with a game or two to pickup this holiday season. The gamer that loves anime deserves these titles this holiday season, but what are they, which games go with which anime for which system and are they any good? No worries, these licensced titles as well as a few others with anime themes will be listed below by system with a word on each. Some are good, others great, but all will seem just a bit better in the hands of a fan.
What can gamers take away from their experience with Zoids Assault? Well, first off, the strategy role-playing genre is still in need of a worthy candidate to make the genre look extraordinary again. Secondly, the developers need to hire better writers to create a campaign truly worthy of gamers' time. It's highly recommended that you avoid Zoids Assault unless you find it in the bargain bin. Until then, the only SRPG that has actually proved to be fairly decent was Enchanted Arms, so you're better off playing that if you haven't done so already.
The biggest problem with Zoids Assault is that it feels like a lazy game. Despite the gameplay being fast-paced and enjoyable, the lack of options for the main party is disheartening. The player not having a direct role in the game's overall plot causes disconnection. The presentation, especially the lack of animation, does nothing to help. On top of all that, the fact that Zoids Assault is easy to complete in less than fifteen hours is just insulting.
It's difficult not to feel as if this lackluster title would have been much better suited for a handheld gaming platform instead of the Xbox 360. On one of those systems, many of these problems wouldn't have seemed as glaring. As it stands, Zoids Assault had potential with its decent gameplay, but only turned out to be a fraction of what it could have been.
