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    Afrika

    Game » consists of 4 releases. Released Oct 13, 2009

    Players go on Safari with their Sixaxis-controlled camera in Natsume's photo-focused PlayStation 3 game.

    superjoe's Afrika (PlayStation 3) review

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    • Score:
    • superjoe wrote this review on .
    • 1 out of 2 Giant Bomb users found it helpful.
    • superjoe has written a total of 3 reviews. The last one was for Afrika

    Could've been great, but good enough

    PROS
    • The most lifelike animals I've ever seen in a video game -- particularly their behavior, modeling, animations, and sound
    • Lots of interesting, varied missions and random encounters
    • A unique wildlife photography sim.  Ability to manually adjust both aperture size and shutter speed with realistic results (eg. motion blur, depth of field, exposure)
    • Realistic, positional sound effects of animals & ambient noise, such as wind and water
    • Upgradeable cameras with noticeable difference in picture quality
    • Interchangeable lenses
    • The Big Game Trophy missions are very entertaining & informative with some truly bizarre moments (the giraffe fight is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen)
    • Ability to export photos to the hard drive
    • Over 100 missions (took me almost 50 hrs to 100% complete)
    • Relaxing, zen gameplay.  A game to play while listening to the Giant Bombcast
     
    CONS
    • Very scripted world.  Animal behavior & interactions as well as weather aren't as dynamic as they could've been
    • Only five areas to explore, each of which aren't that large
    • No voice acting or overall story
    • Poorly optimized in general.  Doesn't take advantage of the PS3's power
    • Low framerate while driving or when quickly looking around
    • Takes 2 minutes to load or save.  WHY?!
    • Environmental textures are very lo-res, which look even worse when set against the hi-res animal models
    • Not many missions require using a wide-angle lens.  The majority of the time you'll be using a telephoto lens zoomed-in
    • Sometimes difficult to spot the Trap Cam positions
    • Can't manually control the jeep during night missions
    • The 200 photograph limit is too low considering I took over 1,000 photos by the end
    • Very niche.  Probably won't enjoy this if you're not interested in photography or animals
    • PS1-era driving mechanics, presentation, and interface
    • Smaller animals, such as lizards and beetles, are difficult to find without using a FAQ
     
    MISC
    • The "sneaking & shooting at the perfect moment" gameplay mechanics make it feel like a sniper game
    • Rated E 10+.  Animals are killed in-game but with no blood shown.  However, some of the unlockable National Geographic footage contains graphic animal violence (ex: a lion killing a baby zebra, a leopard biting into a dying impala's neck)
    • Easy to get the platinum trophy but requires a lot of time and patience

    Other reviews for Afrika (PlayStation 3)

      Patience is among one of the things in a relaxing hobby. 0

       That's a nice way to put it. Don't you think? I like to think that I have a knack for photography. It's a hobby that I probably wouldn't want to take seriously, because I don't have the time and resources to show it off to all my friends. Regardless, when in the moment with a camera on hand, it's fun to take pictures. People could agree right? That's why everything has a camera attachment now a days.The Basis for the game is simple. Choose man or woman, survey the land and look for animals ba...

      2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

      Great Photo Sim 0

      I will start by saying this game is not for everyone.  Very similar in a way of Endless Ocean or other niche games.  Having said that, if you are looking for a relaxing photography simulator, Afrika is perfect for you.  The entire game is you being a photographer Afrika and selling images to companies advertisements or magazines.  With this money you can upgrade supplies, which include better cameras, tents, or even more memory.  The pace of the game is very slow.  You start off in one area that...

      0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

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