Rating

B

Specific Ratings

GameplayB-
GraphicsB
Learning CurveB+
Replay ValueB-
SoundB+

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Breathes new life into the genre
  • Unique PC/NPC design
  • Intuitive puzzles
  • Fantastic level design
  • Stylus-friendly map
  • Great music score
Cons
  • Respawning enemies!!!
  • Not enough lower screen use
  • No worthwhile FMA/FMVs
  • Isometric view and controls

Scurge: Hive (Nintendo DS)

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Summary

After receiving a distress call two days ago, the bounty hunter Jenosa Arma is sent to a remote research lab studying the Scurge.

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Description

Scurge: Hive (Nintendo DS)
Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive
Developer: Orbital Media
Release Date: October 31, 2006

Words: David Bruno
February 5, 2007

Now that the long awaited Scurge: Hive has been out on retail shelves for close to four months, buyers should be able to find this Nintendo DS gem for under $19.99!

Scurge: Hive features Jenosa Arma, who is a bounty hunter. After receiving a distress call 48 hours ago, Jenosa goes to a remote laboratory that was researching a virus known as the “Scurge.” Commissioned by a black-ops cell from the government, Jenosa, using her prototype battle suit and armed with a top-secret weapon (a special gauntlet), must further investigate the situation.

Now, while I could say that Scurge: Hive's story almost mirrors that of another famous female bounty hunter (*cough* Samus Aran), I could also say that for about 80 percent of all other video games we all play on any platform. No matter how hard you look, there is always going to be a margin of comparison that certain games will share. So, with that said, let's get back to Scurge.

It is, for the most part, an action-adventure game. But it also delivers on the RPG and puzzle front, meaning, like in any other RPG, with gained experience comes stat increases, like HP (Hit Points for those of you who are unfamiliar with the acronyms). This of course is a product of defeating Scurge's beautifully designed enemies, that range in size, power, and element. It is the player's split-second decision making where the weapons system come in quite handy. Jenosa will acquire several weapons and items on her hunt to obtain information on the Scurge virus. Depending upon the weapon used, the result is either a positive or negative effect on your enemies. This will come in quite handy once you accept the fact that you will be switching between weapons a lot!

As for Scurge's other elements, like in any other game with puzzles, there will be switches...lots of switches, and key cards too. Need I say more? But this is all what makes Scurge...well, Scurge.
The map screen is a nice addition to the DS version and basically the only difference between the DS and GBA versions. Plus, it is stylus friendly by allowing the user to switch between floors/levels and pan over the entire map.

Everything isn't perfect in Scurge though, as I will admit there were times I would become frustrated with the isometric view and controls. But, I would soon forget about the frustration once my focus went back to the other good things about Scurge, like its unique sound and level design. Developer Orbital really had some great ideas here, and I feel that with a bigger budget they could have really put more depth and polish into the gameplay and level design. Collecting key cards does eventually get really old, if you can actually find the things.

A few other issues I had with Scurge were the amount of enemies in each room...rather, how they would respawn each time a room was entered. This proved frustrating and at times I found myself completely ignoring, running right past them to get to the next room. This, or course, was only second to the fact that there were times in the game where I simply could not figure out where I had to go next to further my progress in the game, thus retracing my steps two or three times per level.

A great game like Scurge is pretty easy to overlook when you have other games like Metroid Prime: Hunters and Final Fantasy III available. But given its price and its decent amount of replay value (unlockables after defeating the very tough final boss), Scurge: Hive is definitely worth adding to your DS library.

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