BLINX THE TIME SWEEPER, for Xbox; RRP $129.95:
A cat with a vacuum cleaner that can control time? Okay, so it doesn’t sound particularly realistic but it is entertaining.
Blinx, the feline star of the game, works at the Time Factory and in the event of a major time accident it is his responsibility to defeat all time monsters, sweep up trash and collect time crystals. Oh, he’s got a princess to save as well.
Of course there is a major time accident, without that there wouldn’t be a game.
Playing as Blinx you must collect the right combinations of crystals to allow you to control time and, of course, save the world. The time controls appear on screen and look much like the controls of a VCR.
Blinx’s main weapon is his trusty vacuum cleaner, which he uses to suck up trash throughout the various levels of the game. The items that go into the cleaner can be spat back out in the direction of enemies to destroy them.
The controls are fine once you get the feel for the game, although it can be a bit confusing at first with so many options to choose from.
However, I found the camera angle was a little hard to follow sometimes.
Blinx follows the pattern of most standard platform games _ collect items, kill monsters and progress to the next level. It could be said that it really isn’t much different from so many other platform-style games but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The cutesy main character and the standard way of progressing through the game will no doubt appeal to the younger gamers − the target audience.