Kombo : : : PS3 | 360 | Wii | Cube | Xbox | PSP | DS | Forums | Podcasts

AROUND KOMBO:
PREVIEW
Tony Hawk Shows Off RIDE
Preview of the RIDE and skateboarding peripheral
EDITORIAL
The Children of Mickey
The Mouse has had influence.
REVIEW
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Why are you not playing?
C.O.R.E.
Console
Nintendo DS
Publisher
Graffiti Entertainment
Genre
Shooter
Developer
NoWay Studio
Release Date
08/11/09
5
ESRB Rating
Mature
StumbleUpon Toolbar  
Posted by:
Ryan Olsen
Reviews Director
REVIEW
C.O.R.E.
There are a few kicks to get from CORE since it is such a throwback to a different decade.
August 31, 2009 | 12:10 PM PST

Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
C.O.R.E. is a first-person shooter on the DS that follows a lot of old school traditions like grabbing color-coded keys in a military complex that resembles more of a labyrinth. With a single-player mode comes a multiplayer mode that features single cart gameplay so your friends won't need a copy of the game to enjoy a competitive game.

What's Hot
There aren't too many FPS games on the DS. Metriod Prime Hunters paved the way and showed the gaming world how to do the controls and few other games have followed in the trail blazed by this game. What is unique about CORE is that it closely resembles the classic game of Doom. The nostalgia factor is strong with this one as you even have to collected color coded card keys to give you access to certain parts of the maps.

Single-player mode is rather cut and dry but the multiplayer is a neat little addition. When you have other DS owners around, you all can play off a single cartridge. Your DS will transmit the information to the others and you can all frag it out without having four identical copies of the game.

What's Not
CORE is a dated idea with dated implementation. Everything about the game screams "Doom" from head to toe. That wouldn't be such a negative if it wasn't for the fact that nothing has been taken into consideration for improving the formula. It is like a cookie cutter was taken out of the nineties and applied to CORE without realizing a decade worth of progress.

The dated gameplay might be excusable if it weren't for two critical issues: the lack of navigation and the poor control scheme. There are huge areas you need to explore and clear if you want to get to the end. The corridors twist and turn you through a series of doors that open to reveal larger rooms with more enemies. You aren't given a map or a relative direction so CORE quickly becomes a game of trying to stumble upon the mission without a real sense of what to do or where to go.

Another strike to CORE is the awkward control scheme. Instead of keeping it nice and simple, using the touchpad as a pseudo mouse and the left d-pad to move around and L button to fire, there are buttons mapped to the other side of the controller so you have to stop aiming and use secondary fire, crouch or jump. You can jump by tapping the touchpad, but that is clumsy at best. The HUD on the bottom screen also doesn't do an adequate job of telling you anything other than how many bullets before you run out and have to look for ill placed ammo depots around the game.


Final Word

There are a few kicks to get from CORE since it is such a throwback to a different decade. It is passable if you want to relish the glory days of the FPS when there weren't much in the way of frills and experience systems. There are some neat multiplayer options to play around with and you can give your friends a taste with the game sharing option.
Visuals
A nicely detailed 3D world.
7.0
Sound
Generic music riffs.
5.0
Control
It is impossible to get a real grip on the controls or where you are going.
2.0
Gameplay
The gun-fest seems to disregard the progress that has been made in the genre.
5.0
Lasting Appeal
Game sharing was a good idea.
7.0
Verdict
There are a few kicks to get from CORE since it is such a throwback to a different decade.
5.0
[not an average]
Review Scores Guide
Screenshot Gallery

August 11, 2009

August 11, 2009

Got something that we should post on the site? Send it to us!
November 20, 2009
Happy Friday! Check out the new feature content we have available. Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Make sure you think about what you're most thankful for... Also, make sure you become a fan of Kombo on Facebook!!!

-- Ken Cauley, Editor in Chief

Kombo Breaker
FTW
Do you and your family celebrate Thanksgiving?
Vote!
(11/20/09 | 8:47 AM PST)
IBM Ending Cell Processor Development
(11/20/09 | 8:45 AM PST)
Infinity Ward Considered Alien Warfare?!
DiRT 2!!!
  • DiRT 2 for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3
    Enter to win!
    E-mail us and include your full name, age and mailing address to enter.

  • Software
    Hardware
    All Time
    Weekly
    8.75m Japan
    26.08m America
    21.86m Others
    56.69M 
    1.19m Japan
    19.24m America
    12.94m Others
    33.37M 
    3.89m Japan
    10.32m America
    12.48m Others
    26.68M 
    28.36m Japan
    39.12m America
    46.54m Others
    114.01M 
    13.12m Japan
    17.80m America
    21.88m Others
    52.80M