Xbox

Azurik: Rise of Perathia

Considering how short games have become lately, and how hard it is to find a deep satisfying game that can totally consume you, especially on the three newest consoles, this game is a must, and if you play it all the way through, a good bargain as well.

The bottom line here is that Azurik: Rise of Perathia is a great introduction into the adventure genre on the Xbox. For anyone who played the game for an hour and says it’s no good should put a little more effort into the game because that is what the game is all about. If you expect to get anywhere in a short amount of time you can forget about it.Sure there are some things that could have been better, such as a more involved attack style and a better auto-camera, but for the Xbox’s initial adventure title, Azurik is a solid game for which future titles have a great foundation for building upon.

Azurik features no multiplayer and the replay value is essentially null. Adventure games in general have very little replay value, and Azurik is certainly no different. Once you have retrieved all of the elemental discs, Azurik will probably spend the majority of his time watching you put Halo back in.

Hätte man Azurik zum Start der Xbox in Deutschland veröffentlicht, wäre die Wertung vermutlich höher ausgefallen. Doch nach den mittlerweile auf dem Markt erhältlichen Spielen wirkt die Grafik einfach altbacken - auch wenn es kleine Highlights wie die gelungenen Animation zu bestaunen gibt. Aber die grafischen Mängel hätten auch nicht so schwer gewogen, wenn es beim Gameplay Neues zu bestaunen gäbe. Doch außer dem Kampfstab mit seinen Elementarbindungen finden sich nur altbekannte Elemente, die allerdings gut zusammengefügt wurden. Wer verzweifelt nach einem Action-Adventure sucht, wird mit Azurik - Rise of Perathia mangels ernsthafter Alternativen eventuell sogar glücklich werden. Für Gelegenheitsspieler und Freaks, die mit der Grafik ihrer Xbox protzen wollen, kommt Azurik jedoch definitiv zu spät.

En somme, Azurik signe une prestation assez décevante dans l'ensemble. Si l'aventure qu'il propose se veut sympathique bien que comportant quelques longueurs, le gameplay a quant à lui un peu de mal à suivre. La maniabilité est parfois douteuse en raison des problèmes de collisions, la gestion de la caméra est laissée au joueur pour laisser finalement l'impression d'un titre au fort potentiel mais pas totalement abouti. On reste donc sur sa faim en dépit d'un principe avec quelques innovations qui aurait pourtant volontiers séduit s'il n'avait été accompagné d'autant de défauts.

Being an adventure game, it’s not uncommon that it score low in replay value, however, there are parts of the game that were really enjoyable, and parts that were quite frustrating. I would Recommend renting this title first, if you have allot of patience, it may just be right up your alley.

I dig games based on elemental powers like the upcoming Nightcaster, but Azurik just couldn't bring all of the action adventure elements together that it needed to. The story is good enough, the gameplay mechanic of utilizing the right combo of elemental powers is definitely good enough but the camera control isn't tight enough and the levels aren't solid enough to compel any but the most dedicated Azurik fan to stay involved in this game.

In summary, I would probably hold out on buying this game. It seems that it was more of an attempt to sell copies while people are clamoring for new Xbox launch titles to play, instead of really taking the time to make the game good. The plot was as dry as the Sahara desert, the graphics were weak, and the controls were downright comical. Unfortunately, many other games with lame plots choose to improve in other areas to distinguish themselves. I'm not really sure what Azurik did well in any aspect of the game. It had the potential to be much better, but just appeared rushed. I think if you find yourself saying, "I need some game…any game," you've got yourself a winner. In reality, once people get a handle on what the Xbox can do, I would expect games of this genre to be much better. For a first game on a new console it is tolerable, but it just gets boring over time. This game would be a nice weekend rental, but not a good Christmas gift.

As Azurik, you journey through a vast, mysterious land filled with dynamic and dangerous creatures. Some are wonderfully imaginative, like the Norehts, which are gentle and adorable herd creatures that roam freely during the day. However, at night they become slavering, horned and ravenous predators. Advanced nonlinear game design allows Azurik to roam freely from realm to realm without any loading screens. Yet for all these impressive qualities, Azurik has only one means of personal expression, little more than the repetition of clobbering stuff with a stick.

Azurik: Rise of Perathia is a third-person adventure game with heavy exploration elements la Soul Reaver 2. As the cerulean-hued titular character, your quest is to harness the powers of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) to use against insectile enemies while locating mystical discs that have been scattered throughout Perathia by the Guardian of Death. Azurik is strictly by the numbers with polished though a bit too jerky visuals, decent control, and a predictably heroic score. Azurik’s elemental realms, however, are creatively rendered and randomly branch off of one another, enabling you to roam freely between them.

Azurik ne fera pas la joie des joueurs non persévérants, car le jeu possède pas mal de lacunes, mais il ne faut pas croire que c'est un mauvais jeu. Azurik possède de très bonnes idées comme les quatre différents éléments dont j'ai vraiment adoré le concept et ça apporte un plus au combat stérile et basique qu'il y a dans le jeu. Bref, le jeu ne séduira pas un public de joueurs classiques mais plutôt des joueurs passionnés par l'action/aventure et la gestion et qui ne se découragent pas au bout de 3 heures comme moi.

In the first month following a new video game system's release, an undue amount of attention is paid to subpar games that would otherwise come out and quickly fade into obscurity at any other time in the system's life cycle. Azurik: Rise of Perathia is one of those games. If you already own an Xbox, don't bother picking up the game, and if you're considering buying an Xbox, don't judge the console by this game. Every system has its share of dogs, and like a painter writing off bad paintings for being "good to get them out of your system," it's good for the Xbox to get this one out of the way early.

I will admit that Azurik is breathtaking in screenshots, but as a whole the game is poorly executed. For any long-time readers of Game Informer that purchased the game already, I can’t say I’m sorry enough if our previous cover story had anything to do with it. I still believe that with some care Azurik could have been a great title, but as it stands it seems rushed and unfinished.

Azurik: Rise of Perathia is a relatively unexciting first stab at the action-adventure market. It's not in the same company as Jak & Daxter or even Soul Reaver 2. What really puts the hurt on this game is the lack of any real challenge or fun. Sure, the levels are pretty to look at, but the fighting is bland and it takes entirely too long to get to the mildly interesting bits. Stiff character animation and bad NPC AI easily push this adventure into the rental section.

Bref, il faut du courage pour aller jusqu'au bout de chaque monde et résoudre les énigmes incohérentes qui permettent de récupérer tous les pouvoirs progressivement. La réalisation générale, digne d'une 32 bits, fait honte à la Xbox et ce jeu ne plaira qu'aux joueurs inexpérimentés, qui n'ont jamais joué à un jeu d'aventure/action de leur vie, et encore, ce serait leur donner une mauvaise image du jeu vidéo (jouabilité éprouvante)... On passe... Munch's Odyssey est vraiment mieux, sur tous les points, Azurik est un "FLOP" comme on ne les aime pas!

It is a shame that Azurik caters so poorly for deaf gamers because it is an enjoyable game.

There are some fine action/adventure titles for the newest generation of consoles. These games cause involuntary adrenaline surges as intense plot twists, unexpected attacks, and spoils of sparkling treasures for uniquely solved puzzles are served to the player. These gems are so immersive that it is even worth discovering you are already half an hour late for work as your phone rings and your boss jars you back to reality ... Unfortunately for Microsoft, Azurik isn't one of these.

I’ve seen more detailed texturing in a pool of my own vomit! I kid you not, I would rather spend an entire day playing with ear cheese than try to digest another second of this poorly designed game. Heck, I’d even French kiss your grandma! Just keep it away from me. Evil has a new name, and that name is Azurik. Burn, foul demon! Burn!

Azurik is a missed opportunity to bring some much needed exclusive adventuring to the Xbox. I was reminded of Dragon Riders the Dreamcast title by Ubi Soft that had a great story but lacked the graphical touches it so desperately needed. Put this and Azurik together and we’d have something very interesting but as it stands I’ll be waiting on Panzer Dragoon to arrive.

Adrenium Games, the makers of Azurik: Rise Of Perathia, nearly prove the point by keeping with the "more of the same, only with snazzier bells and whistles" philosophy of game development. Adrenium obviously wanted to capitalize on the boom in action/adventure games and their popularity, and the end result will give you the feeling that jumping on the bandwagon was their only motivation for creating Azurik. Rather than try to introduce anything fresh to an overly stale genre, Adrenium decided to stick to a checklist of ingredients that go into this kind of game. The catch was it would be in a prettier package, courtesy of the new, powerful Xbox. Sometimes this can make for a decent game if it's executed well. Azurik is not one of them.