IGN: Afrika Review

Greg Miller writes: "There's no sense beating around the bush: Afrika is probably the most boring game I've ever played."

[Major_Tom]

"Does this mean Walter Kronkite is NOT coming?"

[Tinted Eyes]

Maybe it should have had some space marines.

[gamesR4fun]

ya its def not for a fps fanatic or anyone with ads we know

why dont they ever line up reviewers with the right genre at ign esp when it comes to ps3 games???

Not that im buying this but hell i wouldnt of reviewed it either.

[Jamegohanssj5]

Greg Miller is an idiot. Take that into account.

TGSI

[Sarcasm]

Now 3.5. Now that's a bad score.

Oh well.

[ReservoirDog316]

I guess this game will only interest photographers or something. Anyone else will probably be bored. Like this guy was.

[DaTruth]

I said it from the start; If you can't chase the animals down with your jeep and run them over, this game isn't gonna be good!

[HolyOrangeCows]

They backed up their score pretty well, though maybe a bit harsh.

[Sillyace92]

if you honestly think Greg Miller is an idiot because of his reviews then you should seriously get a life. Especially if you don' know anything about him and his association with PlayStation at IGN. Here's some links to some podcast's he's on regularly maybe you might listen to them weekly as they come out just as I do.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles...
http://games.ign.com/articl...

[kaveti6616]

Ya right. Don't be a flip-flopper. When Greg Miller gave Infamous a 9.2 he was the guy who all the PS3 fanboys liked. "Oh yeah, Greg Miller is actually a good reviewer. Yeah, yeah." As soon as he gives a game a bad score, he's an idiot?

[Anon1974]

And so far the average scores are coming in around the 70 mark. Did IGN even play the same game? Or is this like Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad on the PS3, where everyone rated it around 30-40 and 1up gave it a 75 leaving everyone to wonder "wtf?"

[Narutone66]

very niche game. One which regular gamers won't be able to appreciate. But a colleague of mine will appreciate this game immensely as he is a SLR fanatic. This game has lot of features which you could change the lenses of the camera to get the best picture of the animal you are shooting. Bummer though all the cameras are Sony, wish they have Nikon or Canon. You get high rating for shooting a great picture which translate to credit for purchasing new lenses to get even better pictures. This games also served as an encyclopedia of animals in Africa.

[Jamegohanssj5]

LOL! No way. Greggy is by far one the worst reviewers on IGN. I've followed this guy since he started in like what? 2006 or 2007? Greggy hypes up games, then he'll put them down when it comes to ratings. I can't take his opinion seriously at all. Jeremy D is my favourite with Hilary coming behind. Everyone on the PS3 boards on IGN likes Greggy for some odd reason, but he's a jerk, idiot, and plenty more.

TGSI

[badz149]

like KZ2 and Uncharted 2 come out, they will try to bring the score down with comments such as not innovating or generic or whatever they can think about to bring the score down! but when a game tries to be different, innovate in some way and for Africa, brilliant graphic, those same guys will conveniently leave out comments on innovation, not generic and such and simply replace it with the word "BORING"! while overhyped craches of forza 3 they label as "EPIC"! nice trolling there IGN!

[RememberThe357]

What the hell are you talking about? Greg Miller is a fine reviewer. Your speaking out of your ass and Sillyace92 called you on it.

Maybe it's just that Africa is a boring ass game. Just because it is a PS3 exclusive doesn't mean it's automatically a great game.

@Sillyace92: well said, bubbles.

[Syronicus]

This game will only appeal to those who like to take photographs of animals and know the delicacy of being still and remaining int he same location for hours at a time to get that perfect shot? Ok.

My question to IGNorance is this, why would you have the one guy with ADHD review a game that requires you to be silent and still? makes no sense...

[dachiefsman]

Wow some many people trying to defend this game. If I want to see animals in there natural environment, I will turn on discovery, history, or Nat Geo in HD. If I really wanted to see them live, I would go to a zoo.

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Why should they only allow people who appreciate the genre of the game review it? A good game will appeal to many different people.

[Elaine Benes]

This game is AAA all the way baby!

[Beast_Master]

I listen to Gruesome Greggy on the podcasts every week, and I like the guy...but why he was given this game to review is beyond me. He is the action title guy (Lair, Infamous), while Ryan is the RPG and Fighting game guy and Roper does the Racing/GOW games, and Jeff Haynes is the FPS guy. I would never want to buy or play this game and could care less. But to me Greg should not of reviewed this game. Seeing the staffs temperment I would have given this to Ryan.

I mean come on the dude is the resident WWE fan of the IGN staff..do you really want someone that loves wrestling to review a glorified Pokemon Snap game?

[Mr Logic]

Afrika looks fine. I just think it's WAY overpriced.

[Christopher]

The problem is it's being ranked as a game rather than a virtual safari simulation.

As a game, it kind of sucks. As a virtual safari simulation, it might not.

[FamilyGuy]

Talk about a "niche" genre and this one takes the cake.

They need to review it for what it is and I don't think the devs themselves even expect tons of sales for this title, and hopefully they didn't spend too much on making it.

[FrankenLife]

This game is for people who wet themselves at the thought of becoming a nature photographer...... and the heavily sedated.

[Pika-pie]

This would have got a much higher score if it was £7.99 PSN download.

[likedamaster]

1st fail: The name is spelled wrong.

2nd fail: Took too long to release.

3rd fail: Released on the PS3.

Funniest moment: Getting a 3.5 from IGN

[poindat]

His complaints (and taking into account the content and genre of the game) do not equal a 3.5, IMO. If tedious gameplay and average graphics are enough to fail a game, MANY other games should receive lower scores.

I suppose the reviewer just didn't 'get' it. If that's the case, they could have at least gotten someone different to review it....

[mintaro]

Fact is games are meant to be fun, and from this review this game wasn't. His score seems to reflect that.

[poindat]

Yeah... this is a case where having a counter-view to go along with the main review would be nice.

But would you get someone that finds flying boring to review a flight sim? No, they would find the visuals repetitive and mediocre, and the action tedious. I think it would have been better to find someone who understands the fun in this game to review it, while acknowledging that not everyone will be able to enjoy it.

[Sarcasm]

It's true that Afrika is something like a Flight Sim.

But it's also true that Flight Sims aren't for everyone, and this guy just isn't one of them.

[DaTruth]

The digital era has multiplied amateur cameramen 100 fold. I know a lot of people this game would appeal to! Just not me!

Seems like a good game for the wife and kids to play!

EDIT: and people who read National Geographic!

[morganfell]

Sarcasm - well put and the best take on why the review was valid for him but not for everyone.

Also this should point to the truth that as much as these tinhorn dictatorial reviewers would like you to believe they are neither, open minded, objective, or intelligent.

Stumbling, demented child king more aptly describes most of these reviewers.

[mintaro]

Had he given this game a 9.0, would that make him any less of an unintelligent, demented, child king reviewer?

[TapiocaMilkTea]

Yeah, the low score is ridiculous. All I see from the review is that the game has average graphics and bad controls, but I don't think it scored the gameplay fairly. He mentions that the animals are lifeless, but hard to tell whether he actually waited long enough to catch the action. If the game is trying to simulate real life outdoor photography, then it'll should make you wait a long time before you see some rewarding actions.

[NecrumSlavery]

this game has gorgous graphics. The reviewer just can rate it if it's not a FPS.

[testerg35]

"Also this should point to the truth that as much as these tinhorn dictatorial reviewers would like you to believe they are neither, open minded, objective, or intelligent.

Stumbling, demented child king more aptly describes most of these reviewers. "

So what did you say when reviewers gave MGS4, KZ2, LBP, and UC2 great scores?

[morganfell]

^^^Bzzzzzz! Just goes to show what you know. IGN got the back of my hand, most recently for UC2.

You also have no ability to differentiate betwen a good score and a deserved score.

As regards MGS4, the greatest game ever made, anything less than a 10 was an injustice. IGN gave GTA IV and they said they did so not because a game was perfect but because it pushed the envelope. Well you just names 4 titles that pushed the envelope a great deal more than GTA IV and IGN failed to give them a 10. Now guess how I feel about them.

[STK026]

and, may I please know, how these four great games pushed the envelope more than GTAIV?

Don't get me wrong, I didn't like GTAIV as much as GTA:Vice City or even Saints Row 2, however, on the technical level, it was in a league of its own, while I find the game to be boring, I never could stop myself from thinking about just how good it looked, how good it ran, at how real and lively the city and the characters were, the voice acting was much better than the average game, the soundtrack was awesome in my opinion, the story was amazing and much better than most games these days, the gameplay, while not suited for me, felt great to most people and was quite balanced I must admit. I know games should only be about being fun, but GTAIV, while it failed to be much fun to me, still deserved its score, be it only for everything it did right.

Now, I must also say that I really enjoyed MGS4, it was actually my first real MGS title (played the MG titles on the PSP), but like any game, it had flaws, some low-res textures here and there, some clipping and, in my opinion, a subpar multiplayer mode. However, the game was great nonetheless and yes, I do believe it deserved its 10, however, I wouldnt say that anything under 10 would have been an injustice.

As for LBP, KZ2 and UC2 : Killzone2 was a great game on a technical level, but just like GTAIV, I found it to be somewhat boring after a while, could be because of all the people using the shotgun though... But really, I wouldn't say it pushed the envelope more than GTAIV, Killzone 2 was a FPS by the book, it took everything that make a FPS good and put it together, it had very little innovation (gameplay-wise), the voice acting was so-so (yes, I'm looking at you Rico) and not too memorable characters (yep Rico, still staring at you, lower your head in shame now...).

LBP was a new concept, and a great one, but it did have a few notable problems, mainly the layer-moving thing, when trying to go from one layer to the other, it could prove somewhat bothersome at times, but other than that it truly was a great game, I agree this one could have deserved a score as good as GTAIV.

As for UC2, hard to say since I haven't played the full game, but I guess it's really more of the greatness from UC1, but bigger, better and everything. But when you look at the evolution between UC1 to UC2 and the one going from GTA:SA to GTAIV, I think the latter is much more pronounced, it went from blocky characters with low textures to realistic looking characters with realistic animations and emotions. I think that GTAIV really showed just how good and realistic a sandbox game could look, it really took it to another level, while UC2 is somewhat similar to what we've seen in UC1, not that its a bad thing though.

Oh, and about Afrika, read the review and tell me the game deserves more than that. The graphics are dated (mainly due to the fact that the game was released long ago in Japan), it seems glitchy, the animals aren't very good looking, their animations are stiff, the controls are subpar, no voice-over, long loading and saving times, you don't really get to track the animals; a jeep takes you to them, etc.

Btw, sorry for the wall of text.

[morganfell]

@mintaro, the answer would be no. They could have given it a 10 and they would be idiots for doing so and the answeer would still be no.

Regrettably you are missing the point. I haven't seen one honest reviewer yet that has a printed in depth list of their standards for grading objectively. Everyone of them, sooner or later, swells up like a pompous ass full of their own self.

I write for IGN. My word is law.

@STK, if you don't see why my explaining will not help. Have a nice day.

[The Lazy One]

What? Since when have framerate issues and glitches, slugish controls, crappy animation, and lack of excitement been nitpicking in any game?

[Timesplitter14]

yes, but multiply it by 2 and it gives you 7/10

[happyface]

ign is bias, this is AAA ps3 exclusive

[Anon1974]

When you look at IGN scores for console exclusives, IGN scores PS3 games (and Wii games) higher then the average. Check out these comparisons...

http://www.smgamers.com/?p=...

[badz149]

yeah...but expect that to have a 180 degrees turn very shortly, it has started! recent PS3 bashing from IGN is more that enough to warrant that it will happen!

[Knghtz]

Sweet more conspiracy theories!

[Nightfallen]

Either you like it or not. To me, it has no appeal. To others it may.

[DaTruth]

It just needs a little modding. Reprogram the camera as a scope rifle and the snap as a POW!!!

[ambientFLIER]

hahahahahahaha, nice

they need multiplayer in there too, so you can race jeeps motorstorm-style and run over gazelles to piss the cheetas off

[ReviewsArePolitics]

Gaming journos have reached a new low. Way to punish innovation.

[Pandamobile]

This game is hardly innovative. It's like Pokemon-Snap! with real animals. Lol.

[WildArmed]

I think the game was rated by a different standard.
Dont be b!tching about OMGZ i cant kill sh!t.
That was never point of the game.
Its like b!tching about a FPS because it didnt have racing in it =/

[thebudgetgamer]

it wouldve been at least a 7.

:)

[ambientFLIER]

Good job copying Pokemon Snap from N64, Sony! Such innovation!

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...

Such power from teh cell! It's lifelike!!!!!

[Orange]

The game actually looked better than I thought it would in the embedded video. I'd give it a spin.

[WildArmed]

@1.4
If you keep going that way, the last innovation that ever occured was creating fire -.-

some peepz need to http://i43.tinypic.com/2nhj...

If your gonna scream Halo 2-3 ODST/ GeOW was innovative.. man.. open yer eyes

[ReviewsArePolitics]

"This game is hardly innovative. It's like Pokemon-Snap! with real animals. Lol. "

Uh... Animals behave in a life-like way, in Pokemon they had the same scripted animations, it was basically a Disney ride. You actually move in an open world scenario and more or less interact with the animals; in pokemon snap you simply launched apples/smoke bombs and after that the animations resumed to their pre-scripted nature. Has there ever been a game like these were graphics and AI actually simulated an ecosystem? I don't agree with the author of this POS article that the graphics are bad.

This game is made in conjunction with National Geographic, and I love Nat-geo. You can't spell ignorant without IGN.

[Kill Crow]

it's up there with poo Zone and unfarted Poooooooo

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

;-D

Don't care what they say i still might get it(for cheap) Looks different anyway;)

[DonCorneo]

photography is generally boring.. unless you are taking pictures of hot swimsuit models .. which can still be boring if you're gay

ign, where's the Demon's Souls review? where's the tough love article for the brokebox.. why did Shift get a higher score than the much superior Dirt 2.. brokebox ranked 6th best console all time?

ign losing cred by the day

of course, this is a flop in the USofA, where every kid has ADHD. but it's a good game for what it tries to accomplish: an africa photography sim.

[talltony]

That if this was a 360 exclusive, Alot of people would call this a flop. lol

[shutupandplay]

Look at you getting your undies all bunched up.

[JonnyBigBoss]

It's not that bad. I played it at E3 and really liked it.

[Knghtz]

Would you buy it?

Honest question I'm not trying to be a jerk.

[renegade]

WTF 1UP give ut B- and IGN 3.5, thats a huge differece in the score

[happyface]

I suspect some bias

edit: lol@disagree, all ps3 exclusive are amazing AAA games and this is no different

[HolaTarola]

Try harder happyface, we all know that you are like Halo3MLGPro, I_did_not_murder_him and Foxgod, delusional Xbox fanboys at its best.

[dachiefsman]

haze and lair...mmmmmmm cool aid is good.

[HDgamer]

Meh they loved pokemon safari

[DaTruth]

BOOKED!!!!!!

[Panthers]

This game is what it is. You should know what your getting if you buy this game. A safari photo adventure.

[NecrumSlavery]

I think Afrika is a beautiful looking game. I am still planning on renting it. Didn't IGN give Wii's Endless Ocean a 7.5? There is no one who thinks outside the trapazoid anymore?

3.5 is low even for any game

[Chaos Striker]

Sounds like the concept of the game is really good (photography in the safari). However, the way the developers tried to execute this idea was poorly though of, or designed. I personally think it is really hard to create a game like this because there are so many factors that are dynamic and have to provide an experience that is both enjoyable (in a gaming sense) and still give you the feel that you are in a simulator of sorts. Hence, it would be fair to say that this game will receive great criticism, because the developers did not provide that interactive and defined experience.

But, I do believe that if someone takes a stab at creating a game like this again, it will definitely do better due to the experiences from making this first game.

[Bathyj]

Its not a game. Its interactive software.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Pokemon Snap was a badass game, and this game is a better version of that imo.

[XKRUCI8]

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I really hate seeing your comments, it really pisses me off how much of PS3 fanboy you are.

[Anon1974]

I just had a look at his posting history and I don't see any evidence of him being a PS3 fanboy. He likes PS3 games, nothing wrong with that. He often briefly comments on if he agrees with review scores. That sounds like something consistent with the actions of an actual gamer.

When I think of a fanboy - I usually think of someone completely deluded who does nothing but spread lies and misinformation about a console. I don't see anything like that for jleack. Do you have any examples, or are you just confusing him with someone else?

[Gothdom]

yeah, somehow IGN thought Pokemon snap was better by giving it a 7.8
http://ign64.ign.com/articl...

3.5 seems a bit too low. I didn't expect more than 6-7 frankly... but I think this review needs to be redone.

[Knghtz]

Except that Pokemon Snap was release in the US over 10 years ago. The formula is no longer new. Not that it really was then either.

I like some of the newer features this game has though, it seems like it could have been cool.

Who knows maybe it is, I haven't played it. Not that I would because this isn't my type of game, but if you are into this sort of thing...

[Rifle-Man]

Hmmm...if Game Over Greggy thinks it's boring, it probably is.

This always seemed like it should've been a $15 PSN download anyway.

[ambientFLIER]

IGN IS BIASED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CAN'T SPELL IGNORANT WITHOUT IGNORANT!!!!
MICROSOFT SUCKS!!!
DIS IS ALL THERE FAULT LOL!!!!
DEY WERE PAID OFF BY HALO SWAG!!! ONE

or something like that

It got a bad review, not because there's no shooting or master chief, but because it's broken in many ways. Why don't you idiots read the review first.

[poindat]

Holy sh*t... He's right! Wow, mind = blown.

[Silentmerc3nary]

Rofl.

[gravv]

play this after you die a lot in demon's soul, its relaxing....
in my opinion this game deserve a 7, its a good niche title.. i like it eventhough a little bit boring

[tehk1w1]

Gonna save my money and play Pokemon Snap instead.

[crazyturkey]

I can't believe that a N64 game with the same concept is better than a PS3 game.

[mt]

to be honest i am not from them , and i am sure neither the reviewer is .

[gumgum99]

I'm not one of them either, but even I can see what could be exciting about watching and tracking down animals without the requirement of a jumbo jet. If you need more insight, look no further than Pokemon Snap. hat game has proven that there is a market for this, even if the subject is more realistic.

I can agree that this game would do better off in PSN for now, since most gamers wouldn't understand this type of game, and the market that does is small enough for download only to ensure more profit.

I do hope they consider that option.

[STK026]

Did you read the review? YOU DONT TRACK ANIMALS IN AFRIKA, they are a set places in Afrika and the Jeep takes you there.

[gumgum99]

A this point, I would go as far as to say not to trust anything PS3 related on IGN's site. IGN has fallen far from the tree I knew four years ago. They just don't review games for what they are anymore; rather they review them based on if it follows "the same formula" or not, and if it is a experience that they can't understand, they will demote it.

The only exceptions, if any, are the highly rated action games that appeal to the typical American Gamer.

[bjornbear]

I think the reviewer didn't have in mind who this game was targeted for =/

I think he missed the mark with this one =/ still, if a game ain't fun...it fails..

[Janitor]

I hear this game is so realistic,it actually gives you AIDS

[CaulkSlap]

What a shame. All it needed was the title Afrika: Big Game Hunters. Complete waste of effort to create such great graphics for a stupid photography game.

[ambientFLIER]

Here is my review:

http://img.photobucket.com/...

[RockmanII7]

That would be awesome to watch if you were high (thats not an insult)

[MONOLITHICIDE]

depends on what kind of high, weed no, shrooms yes

[LittleBigSackBoy]

Day 1 WOO!!!!!!!!!!

[testerg35]

Flip Flop Flip Flop.. that's how PS3 users are. PS3 game gets good score.. Good site.. Bad score.. biased against PS3. Last I checked, IGN gave great reviews to KZ2, UC2, LBP, ...

[CobraKai]

I thought this was just a tech demo

[devilhunterx]

Another victim of Ninja Gaiden 2 syndrome = no blood, -5

[Figboy]

and believe it or not, the subject matter intrigues me. unfortunately, i just can't buy it right now, because Uncharted 2 and Ratchet Future 2 (or is it technically 3 if you count Quest for Booty?) make up the remainder of my October game budget (and possibly my game budget for the rest of the year).

reviews are just people's opinions.

i happened to love Heavenly Sword and Folklore, which reviewers weren't too kind to back in 2007.

Afrika clearly isn't a game intended for every gamer, and i think gamers, and the gaming media need to understand that not everybody is going to share their opinion that a good game includes shooting people, blood, guts, tits, and ass.

i love Flower because of the type of tranquil game it is. from what i've seen of Afrika, i don't really get the graphical complaints, but i'll just have to go to the games store and see it in action myself before i judge that aspect of the game. i'll try and play it for myself when i can. the only way i can be sure if i like a game is when i have the controller in my hand and am making up my own mind.

[pshizle]

might check this one out. seems innovated. to bad for the low score though who cares.

[chisox100]

IGNorant

[Silentmerc3nary]

So IGN were ignorant when they gave Uncharted 2 a 9.5?

[chrisulloa]

YEAH BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS UNCHARTED IS PERFECT! (sarcasm)

[TomMcBaum]

Being a wildlife photographer is not boring if you enjoy getting (and sharing) the perfect shot. Indeed, getting attacked by zebras or hippos whle TRYING to get the pefect shot is pretty exciting, I'd say. (Pity you lose all the photos you've taken that day if this happens, of course.) Afrika's not for everyone, sure, but I really like it, especially at the higher levels, where you get to use kick-ass cameras, climb trees and get some of the more adventurous shots. Disagree if you must, this is just my opinion.

[Light Yagami]

Told ya it was bad.

[djfullshred]

lol at people crying bias about a low score here. C'mon, now. Even without the criticism, the description of this game sounds boring as hell.

[beavis4play]

i think reviews should be an impartial appraisal of a game BASED ON WHAT IS IN THE GAME. not some idiots personal opinion based on his "likes" and "dislikes".

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

No no, guys...

...needs more cowbell.

[VanHalen]

Looks kinda interesting and different. I liked endless ocean, so i might dig on this. I am mostly about fps and adventure games, but enjoy something completely off the wall once in awhile. Funny they give it a bad rating for the graphics when ive heard nothing but great things about the graphics in this game from reviews for the jap version. You mean to tell me that they downgraded the graphics after all this time for the U.S version? Its BS and i dont believe it!

[BrianC6234]

This is too funny. A 3.5 from IGN and a B- from 1UP. I think everyone should ignore IGN since they do seem to hate Sony. I'm not saying buy Afrika but don't bother with the IGN review.

[ninjazfistz]

he obviously doesn't like this type of genre. he couldn't have rated it any lower. this is the lowest score i've ever seen from ign.

[Knghtz]

You new to the numerical system?

[Magna Farta]

They have different reviewers with VASTLY different tastes, and that's just how it goes.

This is also the same site that gave God Hand a 3/10, and that is by far the best brawler I've ever played. A review is an opinon, nothing more.

Afrika is a VERY niche-market game, and honestly I'm shocked it even made it to the states, where we're obsessed with action and constant stimulation. I personally might give this game a rent, but that would be the extent of it.

[Headshot81]

since its not a game for everyone who's used to shootouts and big explosions. Im assuming you have to know about DSLR'S and different types of cameras to actually notice the authentic representation of those types of cameras in game, thus creating excitement. If you're enterested in this game i would keep searching for a different take on this game. Hope theres a demo since im curious as to how this gae plays.

[tudors]

IMO we are blurring the line between hardcore and the younger demographic, for example while we might not like the game it would be highly beneficial to a young person who wants to learn about different types of animals, stuff like this should be marketed for kids and rated based on this, we seem to be only wanting certain types of games that support the hardcore, let the kids have a go, better still let them review it.

[Arnon]

This game looks AWFUL.

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...

This honestly looks "Oh my god blow my mind" amazing? This game might have looked good back in 2007, but god... this looks terrible. Here, why don't you guys just watch the video. Quit looking at the score, and look at the actual review.

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...

There's nothing good about this, and I fell in love with Pokemon Snap and other various nature games. The man states the specific problems of the game. It's not about not liking this "niche title", there's so many faults that are presented, it's like this game should have been a launch title.

"In that vein, you're going to run into a number of technical mishaps. For starters, there's a seven-minute install at the beginning of the game, but it appears to do nothing to make the title run any better. In fact, Afrika is littered with framerate dips. When you're awkwardly running across a field, you'll see what I'm talking about. When you click on the disc from the XMB, you're looking at more than two minutes of waiting before the game loads and gets you to the actual gameplay. If you choose to save -- and this is every time you save -- expect the process to take one minute and 12 seconds. That's right -- more than a minute of staring at that little progress bar fill before you can do anything."

"In fact, all of Africa is pretty lifeless in this game. The world is barren -- just a flat grass texture spread out over the world for you to drive across -- and the animals are in very specific places. Having a hippo pool kind of takes away the excitement of going out and looking for hippos. Having just one climbable tree in the first section of the game makes it pretty self-explanatory as to which tree you need to go to in order to take a photo of a giraffe. I expected to be roaming the countryside with a notebook full of things I'd need to shoot and having to carefully pick my shots. In Afrika, you just get one specific quest and drive out to one specific place and shoot the one specific animal."

"It's not that the photography concept is boring. I was actually looking forward to being out in the bush and carefully framing my shots. What's boring here is how everything is presented and executed. You'll wake up in the tent, choose a job, and then exit. The game loads, and then you're outside talking to your guide or climbing in your Jeep-like ride. There's no voice work in Afrika, so everything pops up as text below the onscreen characters. When you're getting your feet wet, the guide will take you straight to the thing you need to shoot -- need a gazelle? Hop in the back of the car and he'll drive you straight to a gazelle.

I found this guided tour incredibly boring because it was removing the adventure of exploring, but it turns out things only get worse when the guide leaves -- vanishes, even -- and you get to drive the car yourself. The car's just a box on wheels that clips through the ground, and it's sluggish as all hell. Tapping the gas or brake takes a couple of beats to register, small bushes will stop the car in its tracks, and even though this thing's a four-wheel drive vehicle, it can't take on medium-sized hills. When you manage to get the thing stuck, the game fades to black and resets the car."

[tripewire]

Reguardless of WHO reviewed it, I dont give IGN hits anymore.

[bujasem_89]

HOLY SH*T O_o

[Keowrath]

lol I read somewhere that this "game" wasn't coming to the UK because we're more into hunting animals rather than taking pictures of them.

I dunno if everyone here is from the UK but it sounds like most people would prefer to hunt rather than snap.

This "game" really aint for me. Not that I'd rather be hunting but there is just no appeal whatsoever. I do have the Dynamic theme tho, that's as far as I'll go.

[Alcohog]

I haven't played it, but I know people that imported it some months ago and they love it. I think its mainly for photographers since you literally have EVERY setting available to a 35mm camera at your disposal.

[rawd]

If it was Halo Afrika ODST, then the mouthbreathers would have loved it

LOOK ITS AN INNOCENT ZEBRA FEEDING ITS YOUNG
BRAPBRAPBRAPBRAPBRAPBRAPBRAPB RAPBRAPBRAPBRAPBRAPBRAP
OMG COOL HEADSHOT
LETS GO TO MCDONALDS NOW AND GET FAT, COOL DUDE

[dredgewalker]

Well i guess this game...uhhmmm fps....okay camera shooter isnt for anyone. I dont think its a bad game its just for people who love animal planet or national geographic. It might be meant for a much older audience.

[Pirateogta]

LOL.

[DevastationEve]

Flop.

[DelbertGrady]

Only PS3 fanboys are deluded enough to be hyped about this turd. Then again they think anything that is on the PS3 is teh bestest evah.

[chrisulloa]

SDF Confirmed it 2nd best game of '09

[ico92]

ouch i was expecting at leat a 7

[TooTall19]

GOTY 2009 confirmed

[likedamaster]

LOL

[Staude]

Well now we know why sony couldn't be arsed to publish this themselves :p

[aaronisbla]

I find it funny how you aren't interested in ps3 news but always tend to find yourself in these articles, just to bash. Anytime you find me in a 360 only article, its because im interested, you on the other hand seem to be here just to point and laugh. Although i do agree with those pics being bad, ....why are you here again? I know you guys hated it when ps3 fanboys flood 360 articles so why act like them?

On topic: I'm really disappointed in the way some of the ps3 fans are behaving in this topic. I bet you more than half weren't interested in this game in the least, some were just happy to add it to the list of ps3 exclusives. Now im not saying all our behaving this way, but im finding it hard to believe that people had this game on their xmas list along with other ps3 exclusives.

Just my 2 cents, don.t flame me but as a ps3 owner and a fan of multiple genre's, this game does look boring

[Arnon]

You're right. I obviously don't want Demon's Souls, Uncharted 2, Katamari Forever, etc.

If you cant tell, this is sarcasm, and I just shelved out $74.97 for the Deluxe Edition of Demon's Souls, because I hear great things about it.

(It would help if you actually checked my comment history, or hell, even my profile. The PS3 is now my favorite console. I play it more than my 360, which is why I want to criticize it's games. Would it make you feel better that I think Forza Motorsport 3 looks sub-par in a graphical comparison compared to Gran Turismo 5? Or the fact that the only decent 360 games this year are Halo 3: ODST, Left 4 Dead 2, Forza Motorsport 3, GTAIV DLC, etc., and the 360 is just NOW getting great exclusive titles? Do I have to continue hating on the 360 to show that I enjoy my PS3?)

I really do respect your level headed comment, though, so thank you, and yes, I think this game looks terrible, honestly.

[aaronisbla]

sorry if my last statement came out like an attack. Yeah this game looks boring as hell and it gets me steamed when i see some acting as if the game was a major feather in the ps3 exclusive cap.

[WIIIS1]

Teh cell was maxed out for this crap?

[kaya]

too bad it's exclusive :\ i fail

[kewlkat007]

for some reason.....

For me this game, I thought was just a Tech demo to showcase the PS3 and nothing more.

What market they targeting with this game?

Maybe they will implement the Sony Waggle/dildo with it, somehow. Anyhow for whatever reasons, who is getting this title?

[sscoolcheaFOOLS]

but for real from the moment i heard this game . I knew it was going to be a p.o.s.... this belongs on the wii with all the wii piece of shlt games...

Why the fk is the fisher price wii consider a game console ?

[BoneIdle]

Fairly boring but a master class in what the PS3 can produce graphically. Kind of game they have on in shops to show off how good the PS3 can look.

Looking at the video i think 3.5 may be a tad high.

[thematrix1298]

This game will obviously not do well in north america because here the games === Violence + FPS. For once some developers make a game without any violence and this is what they get? No wonder the world is becoming a such a fcuked place with wars/racism/poverty.

[Elven6]

All those family friendly Wii games which sold millions each would like to have a word with you.

[MuLTi-PLaTFoRM]

it should be like a psn title with ps eye integration :)
that is a bad score, but get over it guys, you have so many other good games to enjoy this season :)

[artsaber]

3.5 is an abysmal score. This is like Anubis on the Wii or something. Can the game be THAT bad? Maybe, but I wonder what they were doing during all that development time... scratching their balls? Oh well, I've got too many games to buy right now, I can't stand another 9 rated game at the moment... Demon Souls caught me off guard, and I am pondering buying it... Uncharted2 already prepaid. I am STILL playing catchup with finishing Folklore and Valkyria Chronicles. Games are too expensive to rent right now for me, since I don't have Gamefly, etc. yet.

My wallet needs to breathe, since I am gonna pick up a new Slim for the living room in about 2 weeks(gotta beat the holiday sale fever).

[bennyace]

I can't understand someone being hyped about this game when Uncharted 2 is just around the corner. And don't give me that "It's innovative" cr@p. It's just look soooo boring, not even worth a rental. Maybe if it came out in 2007 when the Ps3 was launched, it wouldn't have been so bad. It's almost 2010, we don't need a tech demo. Because this it what it looks like. Well at least from what i saw from gameplay videos.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Not surprised. I saw this coming. The game is a joke.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

It's different.

It's a game for people that enjoy safaris.

If you don't...don't play it.

You people have no respect for anything without guns.

It's so sad.