Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters

UPC: 883929167043

Platform: PlayStation 3

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Double Helix Games

Category: Action

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Action

Synopsis: Based on the DC Comics character and Warner Bros. film starring Ryan Reynolds, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters follows the exploits of test pilot Hal Jordan, who becomes the first human inducted into the Green Lantern Corps after accepting a dying alien's power ring. An enemy known as Parallax is in control of a robotic army of Manhunters sent to eliminate the Green Lanterns. Jordan must join forces with fellow Lanterns Sinestro and Kilowog to defeat Parallax and save the universe. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions feature drop-in, drop-out cooperative play with a friend. The game also supports anaglyphic 3D for standard television sets as well as stereoscopic 3D on compatible displays. Use the multifaceted power ring to fire energy blasts and conjure more than 12 constructs to attack or defend in brightest day and in blackest night. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Six Flags Coupon

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters follows the de facto design for movie-based video games, which is a beat-'em-up-style action title with characters and enemies inspired by the film from which it is based. The environments do not matter in this type of game, as the action is largely focused on attacking waves of enemies in rigidly structured intervals. You'll walk or run across a section of the level, engage a group of baddies, and continue the process until you advance to the next stage. Fortunately, the action in Green Lantern is engaging due to the variety of moves the superhero can perform. Hal Jordan can use his ring like a whip to quickly grab enemies and fling them away, fire laser beams to zap flying enemies, and acquire other new "constructs" through the process of leveling up. Of course, he could have saved a lot of trouble and time if he just created a giant fan to blow enemies harmlessly out of the way. Instead, it's just weapons? Defeated enemies will leave behind glowing energy that functions like experience points in a role-playing game. After collecting a certain amount, you can pause the game and purchase new melee attacks or ring-specific constructs to add more control options in subsequent fights. Each construct adds a powerful new ability, from twirling a giant flail to smashing foes with a giant hammer to smacking back projectiles with a large baseball bat. Enemies aren't particularly smart, however, so they tend to wait their turn while you begin pummeling their co-workers (teammates? friends?) as quickly as possible. Enemies do vary in type, forcing you to use slightly different approaches, which is where the new constructs become helpful. You'll shoot down flying mines in the sky, for instance, or smash through massive shields. There are boss battles in between the standard pummeling sequences, each culminating in a quick-time event, and a few puzzles along the way, which typically involve slamming a hammer down on floor pads like a game of Whac-A-Mole. The game offers ten levels in total, three of which are on-rails flying sequences that are surprisingly brief and only seem to be included to show off the optional 3D effects for supported television sets. Players can also team up with a nearby friend (online is not supported), and once the game is finished, continue on a harder difficulty setting with all unlocked powers intact. Yet only die-hard fans or trophy hunters will get that far. The restrictive environments, lack of interesting things to do outside of pummeling enemies, and repetitive feel are flaws too obvious to ignore. In a game where the hero's only limitation is his imagination, it's a pity the developers chose the most derivative approach to design. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.