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Scurge: Hive (Nintendo DS)
Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive
Developer: Orbital Media
Release Date: October 31, 2006

Words: David Bruno
February 22, 2007


Now that the long awaited Scurge: Hive has been out on retail shelves for close to four months, buyers should be able to find this Nintendo DS gem for under $20.00!

Scurge: Hive features Jenosa Arma, the game's main character who is a bounty hunter. Forty-eight hours ago, after receiving a distress call Jenosa is sent in to a remote research lab that was studying virulent organism known as the "Scurge." Commissioned by a black-ops cell from the government, Jenosa, using her prototype battle suit and armed with a top-secret projectile gauntlet must further investigate and recover any research technology located within the facility.

Now, while I could point out the obvious and say that the general story behind Scurge: Hive closely mirrors that of another famous female bounty hunter (*cough* Samus Aran) I could also say that for about 80% of all of the other video games that we all play for any given platform. The point is, that no matter how hard you look there is always going to be a margin of comparison that certain games will share. So, with that said, let me place the focus back on Scurge.

Scurge: Hive is, for the most part, an action-adventure game, but it also delivers on the RPG and Puzzle front. Meaning, like in any other RPG: with EXP gained comes the reward of HP (Experience and Hit Points for those of you who are unfamiliar with the acronyms). This, of course is a product of defeating the beautifully designed enemies that range in size, power, and element. It is the players split second decision making where the weapons system come in quite handy. Jenosa will acquire several unique weapons and items on her hunt to obtain information and research on the Scurge virus, and depending upon the weapon used it will result in either a positive or negative effect on your enemies. This will come in quite handy once you accept the fact that you will be switching between weapons...A LOT! And like any puzzle game, there will be switches...lots of switches, and key cards too. Need I say more? But this is all what makes Scurge...well, Scurge.

The display of the map on the lower screen is a nice addition to the DS version, and essentially the only difference that distinguishes it from its GBA counterpart. Aside from its obvious visual convenience, it is stylus friendly; allowing the user to switch between floors/levels and pan over the entire map. This is definitely a plus when trying to locate save points and uncharted areas while navigating Jenosa through some rather harsh environments.

While I will admit that there were times that I would become frustrated with the isometric angles/controls I would soon find myself forgetting all about it and returning my focus back into the games' unique sound and level design. Orbital really had some great ideas here, and I feel that with a bigger budget could have possibly fleshed out a little more depth to the gameplay and level design. Mind you, collecting key cards does begin to feel rather repetitive after the first 15 or so - if you can find them that is.

A few other issues that I had with Scurge was the large amount of enemies in each room...more so that they would respawn each time a room was reentered. This proved frustrating, and at times I found myself completely ignoring and running right past them to get to the next room. This, or course, was only second to the fact that there were times in the game where I simply could not figure out where I had to go next to further my progress in the game, thus retracing my steps two or three times per level.

A great game like Scurge is relatively easy to be overlooked when shadowed by giants like Metroid Prime: Hunters and Final Fantasy III, but given its price and the fact that there is a decent amount of replay value in the form of unlockables (after defeating the very tough final boss) Scurge: Hive is definitely worth adding to your DS library.