Venetica Review

Venetica would have been a great game in the days where Playstation 2 and the original Xbox ruled the generation of console gaming.  The games graphics are about what you would expect from the PS2 and at times maybe not even quite there.  Venetica is kind of like Fable, it’s just not good and I know that is harsh but with all the other games out there in this generation, this game should not be on the to do list.  This game might have been a good as an arcade title.. might have.  Now the graphics are probably the worst part of the game, but that doesn’t mean the rest is great.

The controls are right off the bat not very flowing and hard to get used to, but then again you realize that the game is an RPG and things can get get kind of crazy with controls, which is why creating one on a console requires a good amount of time put in to making them flow right.  A(Xbox) and X(PS3) is the action button as well as attack button which can get annoying.  You can assign different quick tab abilities like powers and blocks to the d-pad as well the the B/Circle button.

Venetica is not entirely bad, because the story although sometimes contradicting is actual pretty good.  You play an orphaned woman named Scarlett with no family yet, you find you have a half brother which was a little confusing when you find out you are Deaths daughter.  Your first primary goal is to find the Moonblade forged by metal not of this world.  As the story continues, there are three different endings that are not simply chosen.  Throughout the game you will make many moral decisions that will lead to different outcomes.  As Deaths daughter you don’t always die, as if you have enough lives you are revived after losing your health.  The game can take 25 to 60 hours to beat depending on how many quests you take on.

As far as the RPG element, you can upgrade weapons, combine items among other typical RPG actions.  You can sell and trade as there is a money system.  Scarlett can eventually have access to 45 skills that she can put points in to as she gains them, such as physical skills and mental skills one of them being able to age her enemies, slowing them down in combat. There are many quests in the game and not all of them are mandatory to complete Venetica.  Some of them are fun and some of them are tedious as well as extremely annoying.  This can sometimes be due to the map navigation.  The map at times is so inaccurate it proves useless.  Not to mention that the actual maps/level design are just strange and confusing the way they are set up, but I don’t know maybe that was meant to add more of a realism sense.

This game is glitchy and full of bugs.  I was inside walls, unable to climb down ladders, stuck in random spots, seeing random items float in mid air.  Thankfully, I was able to complete the game though with out a game ruining bug.  Venetica however is not all that bad, especially if you can get past the graphics which although not quite up to par with other games, the scenery is nice to see at time being placed in Venice, but for instance don’t come anywhere near the Venice seen in Assassin’s Creed II.  As Scarlett is the only hope to stop Death himself in the game, it makes for a descent action RPG.  That is of course if you can get past the cons mentioned above.  If you are the type of gamer that only plays the Fable series and maybe one other title you might want to check this out otherwise you should pass on this one as your time could be spent playing something better.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.