9:42 PM
Ryan (Entr0p1k)
Do you ever look back to when you were a kid? About playing colorful video games with simple story lines and even simpler mechanics? Wasn’t that a better time? Why can’t they make games like the ones we used to play?
Well, if you are like me then you have gone back at some point and seen why... Most of these games suck. The games we have become accustomed to have in-depth story lines, believable characters, stunning graphics and gameplay so addictive that our thumbs start to bleed before we call it a night. Older games have none of this.
Now before you go all old-school on me, I’ll admit, there are some GREAT games that were made over 10 years ago. That said, there are also childish games still produced today that gamers should stay clear of. The Maw is one of those games.
The Maw is an XBLA title where the player takes control of a tiny alien named Frank. Frank is nearly powerless by himself, but he has a cute little companion, Maw. Maw is a purplish blob with one eye and a giant mouth and all he’s interested in is eating... eating everything!
Gameplay
The Maw’s gameplay consists primarily of finding food for Maw to eat, and then leading him to it. After eating a certain amount Maw grows in size and can eat more things. Some enemies are protected in someway and Frank may need to crack open their shell or put them out before Maw can eat them.
Every now and then Maw will take on the attributes of a creature he eats, gaining the ability to breath fire, shoot lasers or even fly. This adds a bit of variety to the gameplay, but these changes seems to last forever and you receive similar powers multiple times.
The gameplay of The Maw is repetitive and boring. It starts to feel more like walking your dog than playing a video game. Games should not feel like a chore, we have enough REAL chores we could be doing that actually benefit our lives. This, combined with the incredibly slow movement speeds of both characters, and the fact that it is impossible to lose, make this game incredibly dull.
Video / Audio
The video and audio were actually some of The Maw’s strong suites. As any child’s game should be, the graphics in The Maw are incredibly colorful and vibrant. Almost everything you encounter is incredibly cute and funny looking.
The music throughout the game was actually surprising. It was usually subtle and I tended to tune it out, but out of nowhere an acapella would burst into cheerful and fun music. This added a lot to an otherwise boring game.
Despite this, the graphics are still not nearly up to par, even for an XBLA game, and the acapella group was not enough to save the overall boring vibe this game emits.
Story
Ah yes, the storyline. Another gem this game has to offer. The story, as I could piece together, is that Maw likes to eat things. Some bounty hunter type guys apparently don’t like this. So they try to stop him and fail, they fail so hard.
That is the entire storyline, seriously.
Content
The game as a whole, from beginning to end, take about three hours but it feels like SO much longer. The shortness of the game is only exacerbated by how incredibly repetitively it is. This game offers virtually no content.
Huevos Factor
Honestly, I could definitely see a little kid having a blast with this game. This little kid would undoubtedly have to be so young though, that they would never play this game again due to short attention span.
I, a gamer, had a very hard time finding the motivation to play all the way through this 3 hour long game. My advice, unless you are looking for a game for your three-year-old, stay clear of this game.
Breakdown:
Well, if you are like me then you have gone back at some point and seen why... Most of these games suck. The games we have become accustomed to have in-depth story lines, believable characters, stunning graphics and gameplay so addictive that our thumbs start to bleed before we call it a night. Older games have none of this.
Now before you go all old-school on me, I’ll admit, there are some GREAT games that were made over 10 years ago. That said, there are also childish games still produced today that gamers should stay clear of. The Maw is one of those games.
The Maw is an XBLA title where the player takes control of a tiny alien named Frank. Frank is nearly powerless by himself, but he has a cute little companion, Maw. Maw is a purplish blob with one eye and a giant mouth and all he’s interested in is eating... eating everything!
Gameplay
1.5 |
The Maw’s gameplay consists primarily of finding food for Maw to eat, and then leading him to it. After eating a certain amount Maw grows in size and can eat more things. Some enemies are protected in someway and Frank may need to crack open their shell or put them out before Maw can eat them.
Every now and then Maw will take on the attributes of a creature he eats, gaining the ability to breath fire, shoot lasers or even fly. This adds a bit of variety to the gameplay, but these changes seems to last forever and you receive similar powers multiple times.
The gameplay of The Maw is repetitive and boring. It starts to feel more like walking your dog than playing a video game. Games should not feel like a chore, we have enough REAL chores we could be doing that actually benefit our lives. This, combined with the incredibly slow movement speeds of both characters, and the fact that it is impossible to lose, make this game incredibly dull.
Video / Audio
4.0 |
The video and audio were actually some of The Maw’s strong suites. As any child’s game should be, the graphics in The Maw are incredibly colorful and vibrant. Almost everything you encounter is incredibly cute and funny looking.
The music throughout the game was actually surprising. It was usually subtle and I tended to tune it out, but out of nowhere an acapella would burst into cheerful and fun music. This added a lot to an otherwise boring game.
Despite this, the graphics are still not nearly up to par, even for an XBLA game, and the acapella group was not enough to save the overall boring vibe this game emits.
Story
1.5 |
Ah yes, the storyline. Another gem this game has to offer. The story, as I could piece together, is that Maw likes to eat things. Some bounty hunter type guys apparently don’t like this. So they try to stop him and fail, they fail so hard.
That is the entire storyline, seriously.
Content
1.5 |
The game as a whole, from beginning to end, take about three hours but it feels like SO much longer. The shortness of the game is only exacerbated by how incredibly repetitively it is. This game offers virtually no content.
Huevos Factor
2.0 |
Honestly, I could definitely see a little kid having a blast with this game. This little kid would undoubtedly have to be so young though, that they would never play this game again due to short attention span.
I, a gamer, had a very hard time finding the motivation to play all the way through this 3 hour long game. My advice, unless you are looking for a game for your three-year-old, stay clear of this game.
Breakdown:
| Gameplay | 1.5 |
| Video / Audio | 4.0 |
| Story | 1.5 |
| Content | 1.5 |
| Huevos Factor | 2.0 |
Total | 1.8 |
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