Dull and boring
Coded Arms got a lot of hype as the first First Person Shooter to be released for Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld. The game was regarded with some uncertainty, as gamers were uncertain that the PSP could pull off a shooter without a second analog stick. As has been proven with more recent games, it certainly can; however Coded Arms is simply not a shining example of what the PSP platform can do.
The game does not allow for the controls to be re-vamped to custom settings, but it does however provide several control schemes for you to choose from. The default setting has you moving with the analog stick, and aiming with the face buttons. This setup is trash, allowing for little control or precision. The best option available is to move with the face buttons, and aim with the analog stick. It works decently, but then we run into the games next problem: it is very, very imprecise. Those who don't believe FPS can be done properly on consoles would be having fits over Coded Arms. The game features sticky aim, akin to a rather weak lock-on, but even with that, it's maddening to attempt to wrestle your reticule over your enemy, only to have them move again, and begin the whole dance all over. The control is not broken, but totally imprecise. You'll get wasted by little flying bugs, who should be dispatched in seconds, because you simply cant target them. The PSP's aggravating sliding analog stick simply compounds your problems.
This might be bearable, if you were traversing exotic locales and urban jungles, at least able to take in the scenery. Instead, Coded Arms insists on using randomly generated environments, so "Every playthrough is unique." Honestly though, they should have made sure this game was worth playing twice, before they started worrying about it getting repetitive. And repetitive it is. The environments might be random, but they all share the same characteristics. Metal room with moss covered walls. Okay. Onwards to a... metal room with moss covered walls. The games graphics do an adequate job, but there really isn't much impressive in Coded Arms. You'll see some massive bosses, and some large enemies, but the imagery doesn't really rise above average.
Coded Arms features some nice sounds for weapons, and some ambient sounds, but it's music is really nothing to comment on. You'll find yourself forgetting the tunes seconds after they're played. Probably the most impressive sound you'll hear in Coded Arms is the sound your metal boots make against the floor as you walk through a silent corridor.
However dull Coded Arms is, it still has some value, ironically due to the randomly generating maps which make the rest of it so bland. The game doesn't bother with a story, besides a small paragraph or two in the manual, but you can play forever, not see the same room twice. Why you'd want to is another matter, but if you're one of those people who likes to compulsively play bad games, the option is there.
Coded Arms is a bad game. There's no way around it. It's dull, it's unimaginative, it's horribly frustrating, and it never realizes the full potential of the PSP system. The game simply isn't much fun. The controls are not crippling, but they denote the quality of the rest of the game, which is, to say the least, dismal. Coded Arms is bland, and aggravating, and does neither the genre, nor the platform, justice.
The game does not allow for the controls to be re-vamped to custom settings, but it does however provide several control schemes for you to choose from. The default setting has you moving with the analog stick, and aiming with the face buttons. This setup is trash, allowing for little control or precision. The best option available is to move with the face buttons, and aim with the analog stick. It works decently, but then we run into the games next problem: it is very, very imprecise. Those who don't believe FPS can be done properly on consoles would be having fits over Coded Arms. The game features sticky aim, akin to a rather weak lock-on, but even with that, it's maddening to attempt to wrestle your reticule over your enemy, only to have them move again, and begin the whole dance all over. The control is not broken, but totally imprecise. You'll get wasted by little flying bugs, who should be dispatched in seconds, because you simply cant target them. The PSP's aggravating sliding analog stick simply compounds your problems.
This might be bearable, if you were traversing exotic locales and urban jungles, at least able to take in the scenery. Instead, Coded Arms insists on using randomly generated environments, so "Every playthrough is unique." Honestly though, they should have made sure this game was worth playing twice, before they started worrying about it getting repetitive. And repetitive it is. The environments might be random, but they all share the same characteristics. Metal room with moss covered walls. Okay. Onwards to a... metal room with moss covered walls. The games graphics do an adequate job, but there really isn't much impressive in Coded Arms. You'll see some massive bosses, and some large enemies, but the imagery doesn't really rise above average.
Coded Arms features some nice sounds for weapons, and some ambient sounds, but it's music is really nothing to comment on. You'll find yourself forgetting the tunes seconds after they're played. Probably the most impressive sound you'll hear in Coded Arms is the sound your metal boots make against the floor as you walk through a silent corridor.
However dull Coded Arms is, it still has some value, ironically due to the randomly generating maps which make the rest of it so bland. The game doesn't bother with a story, besides a small paragraph or two in the manual, but you can play forever, not see the same room twice. Why you'd want to is another matter, but if you're one of those people who likes to compulsively play bad games, the option is there.
Coded Arms is a bad game. There's no way around it. It's dull, it's unimaginative, it's horribly frustrating, and it never realizes the full potential of the PSP system. The game simply isn't much fun. The controls are not crippling, but they denote the quality of the rest of the game, which is, to say the least, dismal. Coded Arms is bland, and aggravating, and does neither the genre, nor the platform, justice.