It's been years since I've last written a video game review, and I'm hoping to get started off on the right foot in 2011.

The first game I have planned in my review queue is MACH: Modified Air Combat Heroes, an jet racing/combat simulator on the PSP. As much as I admire MACH for attempting to combine these two elements that should go together like peanut butter and jelly, there are just too many problems plaguing the game rising above mediocrity.

The racing isn't too bad. Being able to fly low along a jungle waterfall or a desert canyon is actually rather exhilarating, and the sensation of flying at over 600 kilometers per hour is portrayed well. The races themselves are a bit too short to fully admire, usually clocking in at less than two minutes each.

The combat portion of MACH -- especially dogfighting -- fares much worse. None of the weapons used stretch any imaginative borders; only mines, cluster rockets, and heat-seeking missiles are found in this repertoire. More damning is not only an appallingly random lock-on system, but also how said system causes an unadjustable camera to focus solely on these random targets.

My current plan is to have this review up by Saturday. However, I plan to prioritize myself towards my collegiate studies; I have an eight-week science class starting January 4. Wish me luck!

Most recent blog posts from John Isles...
Rub your hands, December's here... First time ever to the dentist... It's October, and...

Feedback
	JoeTheDestroyer - January 01, 2011 (05:33 AM) Looking forward to it!
	qxz - January 01, 2011 (05:42 AM) Thanks, dude. I'm rather nervous about how my initial review here at HonestGamers will be received once it has been posted.
	EmP - January 01, 2011 (06:07 AM) When you get the review up, I'll drop in some feedback. OR! Bully someone else on staff to do it. Masters owes me a few million favours, after all.
	qxz - February 17, 2011 (07:12 AM) I've been dormant for the past several weeks, and my college studies have been keeping me busy. That said, I've actually decided on the angle i want to take for this review (MACH for the PSP, in case anyone hadn't tuned in earlier). Rather than take on the standard essay-style review, which I've struggled with, I'm writing this review in anecdotal style. I figure it will give me more freedom in writing than going through a bullet list of praises and complaints. For this game, the comments would definitely fall under "complaints".