Game Review: Moon Diver (360, PS3)

Hey old school gamers! You like Strider? You know, the futuristic ninja dude with the slashy sword who can climb up walls and ceilings? Well, Moon Diver, a new downloadable game on 360 and PS3 (360 version reviewed here), is the best definition of ‘spiritual successor’ out there! Heck, it was even developed by the guy who originally created Strider! Moon Diver is a 2-D action game for up to four players. So yeah, co-op “Strider 3.” Very cool!

Players pick from one of four sword wielding warriors and battle hordes of enemies in a post-apocalyptic world. Controls are simple and easy to learn. You can jump, slash your sword, and climb walls and ceilings with ease. You can also crouch, slide, and use special attacks if you have enough green in your MP meter. If you have two or more players, you can link up your special attacks with the other characters. It may have just been me, but I found that part a little harder to do.

Moon Diver really has that old-school arcade feel. Heck, even the still, short cutscenes look like they belong in an arcade game. If arcades were still popular, I bet we’d see Moon Diver there as one of those big cabinets with four joysticks like the old TMNT and Simpsons arcade games.

And just like old arcade games such as Strider, Moon Diver is rather difficult, even on the Easy setting. It can be pretty frustrating sometimes when you see that Game Over screen and know that you’ll have to start the whole level over again. Luckily, you gain experience points by defeating enemies, and you can level up after you complete a stage or die. You can then tweak your character’s stats, like adding extra units to their energy and MP meters.

Some people may find Moon Diver’s gameplay a little too repetitive as you smack around the same kinds of enemies in familiar post-apocalyptic scenery. But the only problem I had was the game seems a tad bit pricey at 1200 points. And it’s much more fun, and plays faster, with two or more players.

But other than that, Moon Diver is an excellent action game for fans of old school classics like Strider. I ended up enjoying Moon Diver a lot more than what I thought I would. I can really see it being just as engaging as other four player LIVE games such as Castle Crashers. Maybe I’ll get to play it with some of you folks sometime, but I get dibs on the purple character!

Kid Factor:

Moon Diver is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Fantasy Violence. But most of the time it only looks like you’re fighting robot monsters, and there’s no blood or grisly deaths. I’d be OK with any kid playing this, really. Reading skill is somewhat helpful for the instructions, and younger players and less experienced gamers may get frustrated at the high difficulty. Older players can help out the younger ones, though, since this is a four player simultaneous co-op game.

No Responses to “Game Review: Moon Diver (360, PS3)”

  1. I agree Cary! It’s a fun game but 1200 is a bit steep for what is offered. Not to sound like a “wuss” or anything, but I would have liked check points too.

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