So, the year's closing out, and here I am wrapping up the year with the last (for now) installment in the Mario and Luigi series, Bowser's Inside Story.
This game was released for the DS in 2009, having been developed, like the other titles in this series, by AlphaDream. Like the other two games, this game stars Mario and Luigi. Unlike the other two, this game also features Bowser as a playable character.
As the game begins, the Mushroom Kingdom is beset by a plague called the Blorbs, with any toads infected swelling up to a ridiculous size. A meeting is called with Princess Peach and her advisers, including Mario and Luigi, and a representative from the stars, a young Star Sprite named Starlow. Bowser interrupts this meeting, claiming that he came to offer his help, but the sight of Mario infuriated him into attacking. After Mario trounces Bowser, Peach and Starlow send him flying away. Bowser lands in the woods, where a mysterious man gives him a mushroom that will give him the power to defeat Mario. The mushroom does that, but also temporarily brainwashes him. Bowser uses the power of the mushroom to suck up the toads in Peach's Castle, Peach herself, and Mario and Luigi, and the villain that gave Bowser the mushroom is revealed to be Fawful, from the first game. After sucking up everyone, Bowser is sent away by Fawful, and Bowser decides to get his revenge. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi are inside Bowser, trying to find a way to get everyone out. All three have to work together, though Bowser never knows it, to stop Fawful.
In terms of gameplay, this game is very similar to the previous two titles in the series. Once more, everything Mario and Luigi do is done with the A and B buttons, and Bowser uses the X and Y buttons. This game still technically used Bros. Items for Mario and Luigi, but the attacks were done using points like the first game, instead of consuming items like the second. Like I said in my Partners in Time review, I prefer this, as it allows the player to have greater choice in what attacks they can use, so I am happy to see its return. Bowser, on the other hand, doesn't use items at all, instead utilizing his minions to perform special attacks. This goes from lighting Goombas on fire and launching them at the opponent, to having Shy Guys form a slingshot to fire Bowser at the enemy, to even using bouncing Koopa shells off of Bowser into the enemy. Bowser also keeps the ability he gained at the beginning of the game to suck up foes. Sometimes this heals him or gives him a stat boost, and sometimes it actually swallow his enemies, allowing Mario and Luigi to fight them from inside Bowser.
When it comes to the writing, this game is a lot like Superstar Saga. You go to many different locations across the Mushroom Kingdom, meeting various characters, few recurring, but many memorable, at least to some degree. Like Partners in Time, however, this game once more includes a Navi-like character in the Star Sprite named Starlow. Honestly, I found Starlow to be much more annoying than Stuffwell ever was, not seeming to do anything other than explain where I needed to go next, when most of the time, I figured that out without any help from her. I still don't see why they added either of these characters to the game, as they didn't do anything to progress the plot, nor were they entertaining, but I talked about that last week, so I don't feel like repeating myself too much.
Like I said earlier, Fawful has returned as the main villain of this game, much to my pleasure. I mean, much as I love other aspects of these games, Fawful remains my favorite part, and is probably one of my favorite characters of any game. Joining him as second-in-command in Midbus, a... pig-like monster who, like his boss, has a very strange way of speaking. I think I've heard it compared to an old kung-fu movie, and that's as good a comparison as any, I suppose. I haven't really seen any old kung-fu mvoies, so I can't say if it's accurate, but I digress.
All in all, this is probably my favorite game in the series. It's very well-made, the writing is fun, and I really don't have anything else to say. While I would recommend playing any of the games in this series, this is the one I'd recommend above the other two.
But, seriously, if you're only going to play one of them, play this one. Easily the best of the three.
And if you're not going to play any of them, still play this one. It's awesome. And Fawful's in it. Fawful is awesome.
So, yeah, that wraps up this review. See you next year, er, week, when I'll be back, same as normal.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
Alright, second week of my look at the Mario and Luigi series. Here we are with Partners in Time, the 2005 sequel to Superstar Saga developed for the Nintendo DS. And that's all I've got for an intro.
In this game, Professor E. Gadd has invented time travel. And, instead of testing it himself or hiring someone to test it like a rational person might, he lets Princess Peach use it first. And, of course, she takes it back to when the Mushroom Kingdom was being invaded by aliens.
What, you didn't know that? Yeah, the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by an alien race called the Shroobs, and when Peach found out about this, she decided she had to go back in time and get herself kidnapped by them, because they were about the only people that HADN'T kidnapped her yet. So when the time machine comes back sans Princess and with an angry alien, Mario must go rescue Peach. And Luigi comes with because he's in the title. Since the time machine (of course) doesn't work, they instead go through a hole in time and space that was opened by the time machine's usage.
Of course, that's only half of the story's intro. Shortly before the Shroobs invaded, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi were at Baby Peach's castle when Baby Bowser decided to babynap Baby Peach. Baby Mario stops Baby Bowser, but then the Shroobs attack, and all of the babies (plus a young-ish Toadsworth) flee in the Koopa Cruiser. It's at this point that they find the adult Mario and Luigi struggling to fight off some Shroobs, so Baby Mario and Baby Luigi go to their rescue. The adults decide to take the babies with them on their quest to rescue Peach, which may or may not be kidnapping, I'm not quite sure. Thus begins our adventure, with the four Mario bros. using various portals scattered across Peach's Castle in the present to visit different locales in the past, so that they can collect shards of the time machine's power source, the Cobalt Star, and use the reformed star to gain access to the past Peach's Castle and rescue the princess.
In many ways, this game is very similar to Superstar Saga. Battles are still turn-based, with Mario and Luigi using A and B, and the babies using X and Y, to attack and defend. The Bros. Attacks are changed a bit in this game, though. Instead of spending Bros. Points to use them, attacks are used by Bros. Items found throughout the game in blocks, or purchased in shops. I actually preferred using Bros. Points, since it allowed me to choose what attacks I wanted to use, instead of being limited by what items I had. However, there are a lot more choices for each of the brothers, and if there's one particular attack you grow fond of, you can use that with either brother, so that's a nice improvement. But generally, this game plays the same as the original, so that's definitely a point in its favor.
This game does suffer a bit in terms of writing, however. The plot is, like I said earlier, fairly standard, with Peach being kidnapped for the umpteenth time. But where Superstar Saga had a multitude of interesting characters, this game decided to have a few recurring characters, few of whom I felt were very interesting. I did like Kylie Koopa, a koopa (what else) with the personality of an old-school reporter, always looking for a big scoop. On the other hand, there was Stuffwell, who, in addition to holding the party's inventory, served as the game's Navi. And yes, he was just as annoying at times as she ever was. I'm not sure why he was in this game. Saga did perfectly fine without a character like this, so I don't know why they decided to add it in here. But, I'm griping. There weren't really any offensive characters, even if there weren't really any memorable ones, so I'm not really going to complain.
I will mention that Fawful has returned in a bit part as the owner of a shop where he trades beans that you can dig up for badges. In particular, you can trade 90 beans for an Ulti-Free badge, which gives the wearer unlimited uses of any Bros. Item. And if you're paying any attention, it's not that hard to find 90 beans by the endgame, so you should be going into the final boss fight with at least one of the brothers able to use as many Bros. Items as you want, which makes the fight a lot easier.
I'd also like to take a moment to talk about the music in this series. I neglected to mention it in the Superstar Saga review, but Yoko Shimomura (probably better known for her work in the Kingdom Hearts series) does a great job composing music in all three of these games. In particular, I love the final boss theme. It's a great song, and if I ever do a list of the best boss themes, feel free to give me crap if it doesn't show up on that list.
So, to wrap things up, this is a good game. Not really a great game, and definitely my least favorite in this series, but it's fun, and I would still recommend playing it.
As one last added note, the beginning of this game is actually the reason I decided to review this series this month in particular. The first area Mario and Luigi visit in the past is called Holli Jolli village. It's snowy, the mayor is a fat Toad you find stuck in a chimney, and the background music is a somewhat eerie arrangement of 'Jingle Bells.'
Also, when you reach the village, it is full of smoldering craters from a recent Shroob attack, and almost all of the villagers have been abducted by the Shroobs to have their life energy drained from them as a power source.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
In this game, Professor E. Gadd has invented time travel. And, instead of testing it himself or hiring someone to test it like a rational person might, he lets Princess Peach use it first. And, of course, she takes it back to when the Mushroom Kingdom was being invaded by aliens.
What, you didn't know that? Yeah, the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by an alien race called the Shroobs, and when Peach found out about this, she decided she had to go back in time and get herself kidnapped by them, because they were about the only people that HADN'T kidnapped her yet. So when the time machine comes back sans Princess and with an angry alien, Mario must go rescue Peach. And Luigi comes with because he's in the title. Since the time machine (of course) doesn't work, they instead go through a hole in time and space that was opened by the time machine's usage.
Of course, that's only half of the story's intro. Shortly before the Shroobs invaded, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi were at Baby Peach's castle when Baby Bowser decided to babynap Baby Peach. Baby Mario stops Baby Bowser, but then the Shroobs attack, and all of the babies (plus a young-ish Toadsworth) flee in the Koopa Cruiser. It's at this point that they find the adult Mario and Luigi struggling to fight off some Shroobs, so Baby Mario and Baby Luigi go to their rescue. The adults decide to take the babies with them on their quest to rescue Peach, which may or may not be kidnapping, I'm not quite sure. Thus begins our adventure, with the four Mario bros. using various portals scattered across Peach's Castle in the present to visit different locales in the past, so that they can collect shards of the time machine's power source, the Cobalt Star, and use the reformed star to gain access to the past Peach's Castle and rescue the princess.
In many ways, this game is very similar to Superstar Saga. Battles are still turn-based, with Mario and Luigi using A and B, and the babies using X and Y, to attack and defend. The Bros. Attacks are changed a bit in this game, though. Instead of spending Bros. Points to use them, attacks are used by Bros. Items found throughout the game in blocks, or purchased in shops. I actually preferred using Bros. Points, since it allowed me to choose what attacks I wanted to use, instead of being limited by what items I had. However, there are a lot more choices for each of the brothers, and if there's one particular attack you grow fond of, you can use that with either brother, so that's a nice improvement. But generally, this game plays the same as the original, so that's definitely a point in its favor.
This game does suffer a bit in terms of writing, however. The plot is, like I said earlier, fairly standard, with Peach being kidnapped for the umpteenth time. But where Superstar Saga had a multitude of interesting characters, this game decided to have a few recurring characters, few of whom I felt were very interesting. I did like Kylie Koopa, a koopa (what else) with the personality of an old-school reporter, always looking for a big scoop. On the other hand, there was Stuffwell, who, in addition to holding the party's inventory, served as the game's Navi. And yes, he was just as annoying at times as she ever was. I'm not sure why he was in this game. Saga did perfectly fine without a character like this, so I don't know why they decided to add it in here. But, I'm griping. There weren't really any offensive characters, even if there weren't really any memorable ones, so I'm not really going to complain.
I will mention that Fawful has returned in a bit part as the owner of a shop where he trades beans that you can dig up for badges. In particular, you can trade 90 beans for an Ulti-Free badge, which gives the wearer unlimited uses of any Bros. Item. And if you're paying any attention, it's not that hard to find 90 beans by the endgame, so you should be going into the final boss fight with at least one of the brothers able to use as many Bros. Items as you want, which makes the fight a lot easier.
I'd also like to take a moment to talk about the music in this series. I neglected to mention it in the Superstar Saga review, but Yoko Shimomura (probably better known for her work in the Kingdom Hearts series) does a great job composing music in all three of these games. In particular, I love the final boss theme. It's a great song, and if I ever do a list of the best boss themes, feel free to give me crap if it doesn't show up on that list.
So, to wrap things up, this is a good game. Not really a great game, and definitely my least favorite in this series, but it's fun, and I would still recommend playing it.
As one last added note, the beginning of this game is actually the reason I decided to review this series this month in particular. The first area Mario and Luigi visit in the past is called Holli Jolli village. It's snowy, the mayor is a fat Toad you find stuck in a chimney, and the background music is a somewhat eerie arrangement of 'Jingle Bells.'
Also, when you reach the village, it is full of smoldering craters from a recent Shroob attack, and almost all of the villagers have been abducted by the Shroobs to have their life energy drained from them as a power source.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
So, I originally planned on doing this review... almost 2 months ago now. Then I got distracted, then I did that thing for October, then... I did other stuff that wasn't reviewing this game. So, now it's December, almost Christmas in fact, and so I've decided to do some reviews all about the jolly fat man in red.
...Mario, of course, not Santa. Don't worry, you aren't the first to confuse the two. But we'll get to that later. Anyway, for the next three weeks (well, two and a half), I'll be doing a series of reviews on the Mario & Luigi games, starting by finally reviewing Superstar Saga.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was released for the Game Boy Advance on November 17th, 2003. It was the third Mario RPG released, after Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario. In this game, Princess Peach has not been kidnapped, surprisingly enough. Instead, her voice has been stolen... somehow. There's magic involved, that's all you really need to know. So Mario must journey to the neighboring Beanbean Kingdom in order to save Peach's voice. And, due to a wacky misunderstanding, Luigi comes along too.
This game is fairly basic when it comes to gameplay. In battle, Mario uses the A button for his commands, while Luigi uses the B button. They can attack individually, with Jump, Hammer, and Hand commands (Hand being elemental attacks, Mario using fire, Luigi using Lightning), or they can spend BP (Bros. Points) in order to pull off Bros. Attacks, powerful combination moves that require the player to enter the proper button sequence to deal maximum damage. Outside of battle, each of the brothers uses either the A or B button for commands, though this time it depends on the order in which they are standing, with the front-most brother using A, and the rear brother using B. The order can be switched using START, so that both of the brothers can use their abilities to their fullest. I only really have two complaints in this area: One, that the battles are a little too easy, but that could just be because I've played this game too many times; and Two, that the SELECT button is used to open the menu and the START button is used to switch the brothers instead of vice-versa, but that's just me being nit-picky. Overall, the gameplay in this game is solid and enjoyable.
My favorite aspect of this game, by far, is the writing. The story's more-or-less standard, the princess('s voice) has been kidnapped, and it's up to Mario (and Luigi) to save her (voice). But it's the details in what Mario and Luigi encounter in the Beanbean kingdom that make the game so much fun. You run into Hammerheaded Hammer-Makers that give you (What else?) hammers, an old man who ferments cola by telling it (truly awful) jokes, and a giant hermit crab with a lisp dressed as a Christmas tree who mistakes Mario for Santa Claus.
Yeah. Yeah, that's a thing that happens. But probably the best of all these characters is the main villain's cronie, Fawful. He is... incredibly strange, referring to people as 'finkrats' and making strange references to sandwiches. I don't understand a word that comes out of his mouth, but it's always fun to run into him.
This was probably my first (non-Pokemon) RPG, and remains to this day one of my favorites. This game, and its two sequels, are some of the few games that I make a point of replaying every year or so. So in case you couldn't guess, I'm strongly recommending you get this game and play it. Even if you aren't normally a fan of Mario, this is a great game.
...Mario, of course, not Santa. Don't worry, you aren't the first to confuse the two. But we'll get to that later. Anyway, for the next three weeks (well, two and a half), I'll be doing a series of reviews on the Mario & Luigi games, starting by finally reviewing Superstar Saga.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was released for the Game Boy Advance on November 17th, 2003. It was the third Mario RPG released, after Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario. In this game, Princess Peach has not been kidnapped, surprisingly enough. Instead, her voice has been stolen... somehow. There's magic involved, that's all you really need to know. So Mario must journey to the neighboring Beanbean Kingdom in order to save Peach's voice. And, due to a wacky misunderstanding, Luigi comes along too.
This game is fairly basic when it comes to gameplay. In battle, Mario uses the A button for his commands, while Luigi uses the B button. They can attack individually, with Jump, Hammer, and Hand commands (Hand being elemental attacks, Mario using fire, Luigi using Lightning), or they can spend BP (Bros. Points) in order to pull off Bros. Attacks, powerful combination moves that require the player to enter the proper button sequence to deal maximum damage. Outside of battle, each of the brothers uses either the A or B button for commands, though this time it depends on the order in which they are standing, with the front-most brother using A, and the rear brother using B. The order can be switched using START, so that both of the brothers can use their abilities to their fullest. I only really have two complaints in this area: One, that the battles are a little too easy, but that could just be because I've played this game too many times; and Two, that the SELECT button is used to open the menu and the START button is used to switch the brothers instead of vice-versa, but that's just me being nit-picky. Overall, the gameplay in this game is solid and enjoyable.
My favorite aspect of this game, by far, is the writing. The story's more-or-less standard, the princess('s voice) has been kidnapped, and it's up to Mario (and Luigi) to save her (voice). But it's the details in what Mario and Luigi encounter in the Beanbean kingdom that make the game so much fun. You run into Hammerheaded Hammer-Makers that give you (What else?) hammers, an old man who ferments cola by telling it (truly awful) jokes, and a giant hermit crab with a lisp dressed as a Christmas tree who mistakes Mario for Santa Claus.
Yeah. Yeah, that's a thing that happens. But probably the best of all these characters is the main villain's cronie, Fawful. He is... incredibly strange, referring to people as 'finkrats' and making strange references to sandwiches. I don't understand a word that comes out of his mouth, but it's always fun to run into him.
This was probably my first (non-Pokemon) RPG, and remains to this day one of my favorites. This game, and its two sequels, are some of the few games that I make a point of replaying every year or so. So in case you couldn't guess, I'm strongly recommending you get this game and play it. Even if you aren't normally a fan of Mario, this is a great game.
Friday, December 7, 2012
The 2012 VGAs: An Attempt at Live-Blogging
So, this last Friday night, Spike aired the 2012 Video Game Awards. And, while the show went on, I decided to write my thoughts on the show as it aired. And so, without any alteration (past maybe some spell-checking), here are my comments on the 2012 VGAs.
8:02 - First off, the South Park opening... which I missed, as I was watching the wrong video. Oh well, not too fond of South Park anyway. Oh hey, Samuel L. Jackson's hosting. He's pretty awesome, this could be good.
Sam, that's not how RPGs work. Viewers making choices does not make this an RPG Awards Show. If anything, it's a Visual Novel Awards Show, and even that's not a perfect analogy.
Okay, looks like I'm not missing much South Park. Not really heard much about this game, let's see if the trailer can do anything for me.
...Okay, didn't really do much for me. I mean, the humor seemed very similar to the show's, and the gameplay was not there at all, and- Why is Kenny dressed as Zelda?
8:07 - Oh hey, Walking Dead People are presenting an award. Best Shooter... suddenly I don't care. Shooters have never been my thing, and I haven't played any of these games. So Borderlands 2 wins, and this means literally nothing to mean. And it also won best multiplayer, I guess. Good for them.
8:10 - The future of gaming? This should be interesting... and a gameplay trailer, too? Guy with a hook hand, that's unusual. Amnesia... that's more normal. As is the apparent In Media Res opening.
...This game actually looks kinda interesting. Or at least it might if I had any clue what was going on... Very actiony, at the very least. Was that guy riding a fire Unicorn? Anyway, the game is called 'The Phantom Pain.' Might have to keep my eyes open for that one.
8:14 - And we have a little skit with Master Chief and Cortana talking about his nomination for Character of the Year. That was pretty fun, and it turns out Chief is a Samuel L. Jackson fan, which I'm taking as canon.
8:20 - Okay, I like this skit. If only for the NPH cameo. Though future-Samuel L. Jackson being the president of the world seems unrealistic. And there's almost too much use of the word 'future.' Wait, did Samuel L. Jackson just go back in time just so he could insert himself into video games?
...Actually, I'd do that too.
8:23 - Oo, video game music time. I love video game music time. Can they turn off the sound effects though? I know it builds atmosphere, but I just want to hear the music.
This is a really good medley. It's doing a great job of smoothly transitioning between each of the games, and making the score to each one sound epic. I mean, if I didn't see the footage, I'd have a hard time believing these were composed by different people. It just seems like one big flowing piece, instead of a medley. I know I'm kind of going at length about this, but I'm really enjoying it. Easily my favorite part of the show thus far. But now it's over.
8:32 - And now a skit starring Assassin's Creed III's Connor. Where he kisses Ubisoft's ass. Pretty reasonable, they did create him.
8:35 - Trailer for The Last of Us. Not really heard a lot about this game, but the story (based off of the trailer) looks interesting, and I love the song that the composer's playing here. I have no clue what that instrument is, but it's really nice-sounding.
And immediately followed up by a trailer for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Not gonna lie, not very interested in this, since I've never played any Castlevania- wait, you play as Dracula in this game? And it's a modern setting? Okay, I want this game.
8:39 - And now Samuel L. Jackson's Cortana. This is pretty weird. Not in a bad way, though.
8:45 - I have no clue who Claptrap is. I have no more comments on this skit. Kinda like him, though.
8:47 - And Jessica Alba's talking about some game from last year everyone loved that's getting a sequel. I have no clue what she's talking about.
Huh. Dark Souls 2. Never really heard of the first one.
8:49 - Oh, hey, another award. Been a while, hasn't it? About 40 minutes, I think. And Best Action-Adventure goes to... Dishonored. Which has done nothing to interest me, so I'm just going to move on.
8:52 - Wait, The Last of Us is set post-apocalypse? I thought it was just normal Pittsburgh. Huh.
8:58 - I have no clue who this character is, or what game he's from.
8:59 - And Linkin Park's playing. Ohai, mute button.
9:03 - Indie games time. Let's see if I've played any of thes- Nope. Thought some of them looked interesting, though, and probably would pick up Journey if I had a PS3. Which won. So, guess I made the right choice? And it won best PS3 game and best score. Good for them.
9:05 And now Samuel L. Jackson is in Star Wars Angry Birds. This actually makes perfect sense, and should be in the actual game.
9:12 - Oh hey, it's that guy who talked about his pubes in the pre-show. And he's introducing Snoop Do- Lion. So, we meet again, mute button...
9:15 - And a trailer for Assassin's Creed III DLC. And it seems to really be going into alternate history, which seems like a weird direction to take.
Wait, KING Washington? Okay, this shit officially went crazy.
9:16 - Ohai Shepard.... and Female Shepard. Now I'm just confused. Are they both canon? Is tha- Is that how that works? My head hurts...
9:19 - And Gears of War 4 trailer. Somehow I feel like this awards show was not made with me in mind. I mean, really? Pokemon Black and White 2 don't get a single nomination? What a rip-off...
9:25 - Samuel L. Jackson in Dishonored. Re-enacting Pulp Fiction. Also apparently slept with Lady Gaga.
9:27 - So, the best games of the year get a medley, but Tomb Raider gets a performance with her trailer all to herself? What's that about? I mean, it's not bad, but still...
9:31 - And Claptrap has won Character of the Year. And may in fact be insane.
...He's insane, isn't he?
9:37 - Samuel L. Jackson in an... oddly-animated Minecraft. With Gangnam Style. Which is then interrupted by Sam via crossbow. That was pretty awesome.
9:38 - Hey, it's Tenacious D. AKA a musical act I wouldn't mute.
...Except they're not performing, they're announcing Game of the Decade. This is one I'm interested in. Let's see what the people decided.
Half-Life 2, huh? Guess you guys REALLY want a sequel. No offense, just not what I was expecting. Not even the Valve title I was expecting. Though I suppose it says a lot when these guys got nominated for Game of the Decade twice.
9:42 - Leonard, you need your glasses, you look weird without them. And then Halo trailer. Bored now.
9:44 - Okay, is Bioshock one of those games I need to play sometime? Because it seems like it, given all the hype Infinite's been getting.
I feel like I need a list of these games.
9:48 - I'm just going to say, this is the second unique commerical break I've had. And hour and fifty minutes into the show.
9:51 - Oh yeah, and Mass Effect 3 won Best RPG. Why couldn't THAT one? I was actually interested in that. And somehow Diablo III was running against it. No clue how that works.
9:53 - They gave Samuel L. Jackson a mini-gun. Who thought that was a good idea? Who in the HELL thought that was a good idea?
9:54 - And here we go. Game of the Year is... The Walking Dead? Really? The only game of the five that I've played? Awesome. Good for TellTale, great game. Really need to get around to episodes 2-5.
9:57 - And to close it out, Tenacious D actually IS performing. More awesome.
So, all in all, an... interesting experience. Still want to know what the best Wii/WiiU game was (my money's on Xenoblade, which IS in fact on my list of those games). Kinda interested in some of the choices (Not having played it, I'm unsure what makes Half-Life 2 the Best Game of the Decade), but I'm not complaining. And Samuel L. Jackson was a good host.
Also, I kinda wish the one of the surprise trailers had been for Chrono Trigger 3, but I doubt that'll ever happen at this point. Still, I can always wish, right?
If you guys thought this attempt at live-blogging went well, be sure to say something. I just decided to do this because I thought it might be interesting, but if you liked it, I might try it again sometime.
8:02 - First off, the South Park opening... which I missed, as I was watching the wrong video. Oh well, not too fond of South Park anyway. Oh hey, Samuel L. Jackson's hosting. He's pretty awesome, this could be good.
Sam, that's not how RPGs work. Viewers making choices does not make this an RPG Awards Show. If anything, it's a Visual Novel Awards Show, and even that's not a perfect analogy.
Okay, looks like I'm not missing much South Park. Not really heard much about this game, let's see if the trailer can do anything for me.
...Okay, didn't really do much for me. I mean, the humor seemed very similar to the show's, and the gameplay was not there at all, and- Why is Kenny dressed as Zelda?
8:07 - Oh hey, Walking Dead People are presenting an award. Best Shooter... suddenly I don't care. Shooters have never been my thing, and I haven't played any of these games. So Borderlands 2 wins, and this means literally nothing to mean. And it also won best multiplayer, I guess. Good for them.
8:10 - The future of gaming? This should be interesting... and a gameplay trailer, too? Guy with a hook hand, that's unusual. Amnesia... that's more normal. As is the apparent In Media Res opening.
...This game actually looks kinda interesting. Or at least it might if I had any clue what was going on... Very actiony, at the very least. Was that guy riding a fire Unicorn? Anyway, the game is called 'The Phantom Pain.' Might have to keep my eyes open for that one.
8:14 - And we have a little skit with Master Chief and Cortana talking about his nomination for Character of the Year. That was pretty fun, and it turns out Chief is a Samuel L. Jackson fan, which I'm taking as canon.
8:20 - Okay, I like this skit. If only for the NPH cameo. Though future-Samuel L. Jackson being the president of the world seems unrealistic. And there's almost too much use of the word 'future.' Wait, did Samuel L. Jackson just go back in time just so he could insert himself into video games?
...Actually, I'd do that too.
8:23 - Oo, video game music time. I love video game music time. Can they turn off the sound effects though? I know it builds atmosphere, but I just want to hear the music.
This is a really good medley. It's doing a great job of smoothly transitioning between each of the games, and making the score to each one sound epic. I mean, if I didn't see the footage, I'd have a hard time believing these were composed by different people. It just seems like one big flowing piece, instead of a medley. I know I'm kind of going at length about this, but I'm really enjoying it. Easily my favorite part of the show thus far. But now it's over.
8:32 - And now a skit starring Assassin's Creed III's Connor. Where he kisses Ubisoft's ass. Pretty reasonable, they did create him.
8:35 - Trailer for The Last of Us. Not really heard a lot about this game, but the story (based off of the trailer) looks interesting, and I love the song that the composer's playing here. I have no clue what that instrument is, but it's really nice-sounding.
And immediately followed up by a trailer for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Not gonna lie, not very interested in this, since I've never played any Castlevania- wait, you play as Dracula in this game? And it's a modern setting? Okay, I want this game.
8:39 - And now Samuel L. Jackson's Cortana. This is pretty weird. Not in a bad way, though.
8:45 - I have no clue who Claptrap is. I have no more comments on this skit. Kinda like him, though.
8:47 - And Jessica Alba's talking about some game from last year everyone loved that's getting a sequel. I have no clue what she's talking about.
Huh. Dark Souls 2. Never really heard of the first one.
8:49 - Oh, hey, another award. Been a while, hasn't it? About 40 minutes, I think. And Best Action-Adventure goes to... Dishonored. Which has done nothing to interest me, so I'm just going to move on.
8:52 - Wait, The Last of Us is set post-apocalypse? I thought it was just normal Pittsburgh. Huh.
8:58 - I have no clue who this character is, or what game he's from.
8:59 - And Linkin Park's playing. Ohai, mute button.
9:03 - Indie games time. Let's see if I've played any of thes- Nope. Thought some of them looked interesting, though, and probably would pick up Journey if I had a PS3. Which won. So, guess I made the right choice? And it won best PS3 game and best score. Good for them.
9:05 And now Samuel L. Jackson is in Star Wars Angry Birds. This actually makes perfect sense, and should be in the actual game.
9:12 - Oh hey, it's that guy who talked about his pubes in the pre-show. And he's introducing Snoop Do- Lion. So, we meet again, mute button...
9:15 - And a trailer for Assassin's Creed III DLC. And it seems to really be going into alternate history, which seems like a weird direction to take.
Wait, KING Washington? Okay, this shit officially went crazy.
9:16 - Ohai Shepard.... and Female Shepard. Now I'm just confused. Are they both canon? Is tha- Is that how that works? My head hurts...
9:19 - And Gears of War 4 trailer. Somehow I feel like this awards show was not made with me in mind. I mean, really? Pokemon Black and White 2 don't get a single nomination? What a rip-off...
9:25 - Samuel L. Jackson in Dishonored. Re-enacting Pulp Fiction. Also apparently slept with Lady Gaga.
9:27 - So, the best games of the year get a medley, but Tomb Raider gets a performance with her trailer all to herself? What's that about? I mean, it's not bad, but still...
9:31 - And Claptrap has won Character of the Year. And may in fact be insane.
...He's insane, isn't he?
9:37 - Samuel L. Jackson in an... oddly-animated Minecraft. With Gangnam Style. Which is then interrupted by Sam via crossbow. That was pretty awesome.
9:38 - Hey, it's Tenacious D. AKA a musical act I wouldn't mute.
...Except they're not performing, they're announcing Game of the Decade. This is one I'm interested in. Let's see what the people decided.
Half-Life 2, huh? Guess you guys REALLY want a sequel. No offense, just not what I was expecting. Not even the Valve title I was expecting. Though I suppose it says a lot when these guys got nominated for Game of the Decade twice.
9:42 - Leonard, you need your glasses, you look weird without them. And then Halo trailer. Bored now.
9:44 - Okay, is Bioshock one of those games I need to play sometime? Because it seems like it, given all the hype Infinite's been getting.
I feel like I need a list of these games.
9:48 - I'm just going to say, this is the second unique commerical break I've had. And hour and fifty minutes into the show.
9:51 - Oh yeah, and Mass Effect 3 won Best RPG. Why couldn't THAT one? I was actually interested in that. And somehow Diablo III was running against it. No clue how that works.
9:53 - They gave Samuel L. Jackson a mini-gun. Who thought that was a good idea? Who in the HELL thought that was a good idea?
9:54 - And here we go. Game of the Year is... The Walking Dead? Really? The only game of the five that I've played? Awesome. Good for TellTale, great game. Really need to get around to episodes 2-5.
9:57 - And to close it out, Tenacious D actually IS performing. More awesome.
So, all in all, an... interesting experience. Still want to know what the best Wii/WiiU game was (my money's on Xenoblade, which IS in fact on my list of those games). Kinda interested in some of the choices (Not having played it, I'm unsure what makes Half-Life 2 the Best Game of the Decade), but I'm not complaining. And Samuel L. Jackson was a good host.
Also, I kinda wish the one of the surprise trailers had been for Chrono Trigger 3, but I doubt that'll ever happen at this point. Still, I can always wish, right?
If you guys thought this attempt at live-blogging went well, be sure to say something. I just decided to do this because I thought it might be interesting, but if you liked it, I might try it again sometime.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
This Week in Gaming: 11/25-12/1
So, another week has passed, and I once again don't have anything to review. However, never let it be said that a lack of things to say will keep me from saying things! So, I decided that this week I'd try something new; I'm going to be going over a few gaming-type news stories from this week. Odds are, if you're reading this, there's a decent chance you already know this stuff, but I'll just talk about it anyway.
'Wii Mini' Announced for Sale in Canada
Nintendo announced on the 27th that, starting on December 7th, the Wii mini will be available for sale in Canada. The system will be more compact than the original Wii, and will be priced at only $99, making it the cheapest Wii unit yet. However, this comes with some disadvantages. First off, the unit will be unable to play Gamecube games. This is due to the fact that Nintendo decided to remove the Gamecube controller ports from the unit, which also means that any Virtual Console/Wiiware titles that require wired controllers will also not be playable. However, this latter fact shouldn't be too big a problem, as the Wii mini will also not be able to connect to the internet, and will not be able to use SD cards as storage space.. This leaves you with a cheap console, yes, but one that is only able to play Wii games, a somewhat limiting experience*.
On the plus side of things, I think it is a nice-looking console. I like the red-and-black coloring, it looks pretty cool, but I just don't see the point of it.
Honestly, this seems to me to be kinda like what happened with the Game Boy Micro. Nintendo releases their new console/handheld, and THEN go back and release a smaller version of their previous console/handheld. And, memory serving, the Game Boy Micro didn't sell very well, sleek-looking though it may have been. This all just leaves me wondering what Nintendo's thinking with this idea. Also, why are they just selling it in Canada? That just confuses me.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/11/wii-mini/
Black Friday Console Sales Announced
With Black Friday come and gone, thank God, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have all released their sales numbers for the week. Microsoft announced the sale of 750,000 Xbox 360s between November 18th and 23rd, a number that seems ridiculously high, given how long the 360 has been out for, but there you go.
Nintendo says that 400,000 Wii Us were sold during its first week, from the 18th to 24th, putting it well above the Wii, which only sold 200k during its first week, and sold 300k units this Black Friday week. In addition, the 3DS sold 250k units.
Sony finally released their sales numbers on the 29th, with a time frame matching that used by Nintendo. 525k PS3s were sold during that time, in addition to 160k PS Vitas and a 259% increase in Playstation Plus subscriptions over last year.
All in all, all three companies appear to have done well, at least as best as I can tell. The Wii U did sell the weakest out of the consoles, not counting its predecessor, but from what I have heard, there were some shortages in some places, which, if true, could explain the weaker sales.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/29/comparing-nintendo-sony-and-microsoft-black-friday-sales
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Released
The original Baldur's Gate was released just over 14 years ago, and has gone on to be recognized as one of the best RPGs ever made. To this day, Baldur's Gate II retains an active community, and the series has held up remarkably well. So, when the Enhanced Edition, developed by Overhaul Games, was announced earlier this year, fans got excited. In fact, when the option for people who had pre-ordered it to pre-load the game, the site was actually shut down when I went to download it, presumably from the number of people trying to get the game.
And then, this week, the game is finally released, to cheers of the fans**. Finally, after over 11 years, the series gets something new, with word of Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition down the road, and the possibility of Baldur's Gate III if sales of the first two go well enough.
What I'm saying is, go get Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. No, really, go. This article's over, go to www.baldursgate.com, and buy the game, and then play the game, as it is awesome***.
*Note: I'm not saying Wii games are bad, just that I enjoyed having a wider catalog with a basic Wii.
**Or at least mine.
***Not gonna lie, this last section might've just been me plugging the game.
'Wii Mini' Announced for Sale in Canada
Nintendo announced on the 27th that, starting on December 7th, the Wii mini will be available for sale in Canada. The system will be more compact than the original Wii, and will be priced at only $99, making it the cheapest Wii unit yet. However, this comes with some disadvantages. First off, the unit will be unable to play Gamecube games. This is due to the fact that Nintendo decided to remove the Gamecube controller ports from the unit, which also means that any Virtual Console/Wiiware titles that require wired controllers will also not be playable. However, this latter fact shouldn't be too big a problem, as the Wii mini will also not be able to connect to the internet, and will not be able to use SD cards as storage space.. This leaves you with a cheap console, yes, but one that is only able to play Wii games, a somewhat limiting experience*.
On the plus side of things, I think it is a nice-looking console. I like the red-and-black coloring, it looks pretty cool, but I just don't see the point of it.
Honestly, this seems to me to be kinda like what happened with the Game Boy Micro. Nintendo releases their new console/handheld, and THEN go back and release a smaller version of their previous console/handheld. And, memory serving, the Game Boy Micro didn't sell very well, sleek-looking though it may have been. This all just leaves me wondering what Nintendo's thinking with this idea. Also, why are they just selling it in Canada? That just confuses me.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/11/wii-mini/
Black Friday Console Sales Announced
With Black Friday come and gone, thank God, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have all released their sales numbers for the week. Microsoft announced the sale of 750,000 Xbox 360s between November 18th and 23rd, a number that seems ridiculously high, given how long the 360 has been out for, but there you go.
Nintendo says that 400,000 Wii Us were sold during its first week, from the 18th to 24th, putting it well above the Wii, which only sold 200k during its first week, and sold 300k units this Black Friday week. In addition, the 3DS sold 250k units.
Sony finally released their sales numbers on the 29th, with a time frame matching that used by Nintendo. 525k PS3s were sold during that time, in addition to 160k PS Vitas and a 259% increase in Playstation Plus subscriptions over last year.
All in all, all three companies appear to have done well, at least as best as I can tell. The Wii U did sell the weakest out of the consoles, not counting its predecessor, but from what I have heard, there were some shortages in some places, which, if true, could explain the weaker sales.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/29/comparing-nintendo-sony-and-microsoft-black-friday-sales
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Released
The original Baldur's Gate was released just over 14 years ago, and has gone on to be recognized as one of the best RPGs ever made. To this day, Baldur's Gate II retains an active community, and the series has held up remarkably well. So, when the Enhanced Edition, developed by Overhaul Games, was announced earlier this year, fans got excited. In fact, when the option for people who had pre-ordered it to pre-load the game, the site was actually shut down when I went to download it, presumably from the number of people trying to get the game.
And then, this week, the game is finally released, to cheers of the fans**. Finally, after over 11 years, the series gets something new, with word of Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition down the road, and the possibility of Baldur's Gate III if sales of the first two go well enough.
What I'm saying is, go get Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. No, really, go. This article's over, go to www.baldursgate.com, and buy the game, and then play the game, as it is awesome***.
*Note: I'm not saying Wii games are bad, just that I enjoyed having a wider catalog with a basic Wii.
**Or at least mine.
***Not gonna lie, this last section might've just been me plugging the game.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Five Greatest Songs (From Games I've Never Played)
The music in video games has always been one of my favorite parts of playing a game. Hell, easily half of the songs on my MP3 player are either straight from a game, or a cover/remix of a song from a game. It's something that aids the storytelling process so well, and can help inspire the emotions the game is trying to convey. And so, loving video game music as I do, and not having a review ready this week, I've decided to do a list of some of my favorite video game songs. However, this is going to have a slight twist: This list will be completely composed of songs from games I have never played. And so, without further ado, the five greatest songs from games I've never played!
Note: As I've said before with these sort of posts, these are completely my opinions. There are a lot of games I've never played, and I'm sure there are some great songs I've missed. However, these are the ones that I've somehow managed to find and absolutely love.
5. Pursuit ~ Cornered (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
4. Blinded by Light (Final Fantasy XIII)
I have been a fan of the Final Fantasy series since I first picked up Final Fantasy IV a few years back. One of the things I loved about it was the beautiful soundtrack composed by Nobou Uematsu. However, he did not work on this game. Instead, I'm listening to 'Blinded by Light,' the Final Fantasy XIII battle theme composed by Masashi Hamauzu. Now, while it's true that I've never really heard any good things about this game, I love this theme. It has feeling of epicness to it that just makes for an amazing boss fight.
...Which is precisely why it isn't higher on the list. From what I understand*, this is the standard battle theme for this game. And I don't feel like that's where this song belongs. In fact, I could actually see this song getting annoying after a while. While it does have that feeling of epicness, that feeling should be saved for truly epic moments. It just doesn't feel right when you're listening to it while beating up nameless mooks.
3. You Will Know Our Names / Unfinished Battle (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Xenoblade Chronicles is probably my most-wanted game right now, and the soundtrack is no small part of it. Hell, 'Unfinished Battle' is the reason I first even heard of this game. I'm putting both of these songs in the number 3 spot because it felt unfair to have a single game represented twice on a five-entry list, but if it weren't for that, I'd take 'Pursuit ~ Cornered' off in a heartbeat to give both of these the spots they deserve. 'You Will Know Our Names' is the standard battle theme for the game, and it works really well as this. It gets the adrenaline pumping, giving the feeling of awesomeness without giving the impression that this should be saved for important events. Unlike 'Blinded by Light,' which I did enjoy, which I admitted could get annoying after a while, I would listen to 'You Will Know Our Names' looped indefinitely.
Now, I have no clue what 'Unfinished Business' is used for in-game, but I'm sure it's something big. It doesn't quite have the feeling of a boss battle theme, but at the same time, it does have this feeling of importance, the same sort of "Use this theme sparingly" quality that I felt in 'Blinded by Light.' And I'd be perfectly willing to wager that that's exactly how it's used.
2. Snake Eater (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Part of what makes this theme so great for me is the obvious James Bond homage. This feels exactly like a classic James Bond theme, which goes great to establish the setting of this game. And, honestly, I just love James Bond themes. They tend to have this really... grandiose feeling to them, and this song encapsulates this perfectly. Even the singer, Cythina Harrell, sounds like she stepped right out of one of those movies.
The only thing really, that keeps this out of the #1 spot is some of the lyrics. "Someday, you feed on a tree frog?" Really? I'm sorry, you just completely lost the feeling I was getting from you. I really have no clue what that was about, unless Snake does actually eat a tree frog in game, but even still, why talk about that in the song? I know, it's nit-picky, but it bugged me, and since this is my list, I can decide where these songs go.
1. Revived Power (Shadow of the Colossus)
Remember earlier when I said that boss themes should have this feeling of epicness, of importance, to them? Well, this song is EXACTLY what I was talking about. Kow Otani did a phenomenal job when composing this piece to accompany your battles with the Colossi. It honestly gives the feeling that you are fighting an enormous monster against impossible odds, but that you MUST somehow come out on top. From what I understand, I realize that this game has a bit of moral ambiguity to it, but as far as this song tells me, you are a paragon of virtue fighting insurmountable evil, but through the righteousness, you WILL prevail. And even if that's not true, I'd still love fighting the Colossi just to hear this song. This is easily the best song I've ever heard from a game I've never played.
Well, that wraps up this week's post. If you can think of any other awesome video game songs, feel free to tell me about. But, for now, this is me signing off until next week. See you then!
*Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Note: As I've said before with these sort of posts, these are completely my opinions. There are a lot of games I've never played, and I'm sure there are some great songs I've missed. However, these are the ones that I've somehow managed to find and absolutely love.
5. Pursuit ~ Cornered (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
Despite my best efforts, the only game from this series that I've played so far is Apollo Justice. From everything I've seen, this looks like a great series. Good story, engaging puzzles, and most of all, a great soundtrack. And the song that stood out most to me was 'Pursuit ~ Cornered.' I love the feeling this song has. It gives off this impression of, "You just made a huge mistake, and I'm about to win!" that I love in video games. Much love to Masakazu Sugimori for being able to express this feeling so well in just about 45 seconds of music. To me, this is the epitome of comeback music, and for that, I love it.
4. Blinded by Light (Final Fantasy XIII)
I have been a fan of the Final Fantasy series since I first picked up Final Fantasy IV a few years back. One of the things I loved about it was the beautiful soundtrack composed by Nobou Uematsu. However, he did not work on this game. Instead, I'm listening to 'Blinded by Light,' the Final Fantasy XIII battle theme composed by Masashi Hamauzu. Now, while it's true that I've never really heard any good things about this game, I love this theme. It has feeling of epicness to it that just makes for an amazing boss fight.
...Which is precisely why it isn't higher on the list. From what I understand*, this is the standard battle theme for this game. And I don't feel like that's where this song belongs. In fact, I could actually see this song getting annoying after a while. While it does have that feeling of epicness, that feeling should be saved for truly epic moments. It just doesn't feel right when you're listening to it while beating up nameless mooks.
3. You Will Know Our Names / Unfinished Battle (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Xenoblade Chronicles is probably my most-wanted game right now, and the soundtrack is no small part of it. Hell, 'Unfinished Battle' is the reason I first even heard of this game. I'm putting both of these songs in the number 3 spot because it felt unfair to have a single game represented twice on a five-entry list, but if it weren't for that, I'd take 'Pursuit ~ Cornered' off in a heartbeat to give both of these the spots they deserve. 'You Will Know Our Names' is the standard battle theme for the game, and it works really well as this. It gets the adrenaline pumping, giving the feeling of awesomeness without giving the impression that this should be saved for important events. Unlike 'Blinded by Light,' which I did enjoy, which I admitted could get annoying after a while, I would listen to 'You Will Know Our Names' looped indefinitely.
Now, I have no clue what 'Unfinished Business' is used for in-game, but I'm sure it's something big. It doesn't quite have the feeling of a boss battle theme, but at the same time, it does have this feeling of importance, the same sort of "Use this theme sparingly" quality that I felt in 'Blinded by Light.' And I'd be perfectly willing to wager that that's exactly how it's used.
2. Snake Eater (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Part of what makes this theme so great for me is the obvious James Bond homage. This feels exactly like a classic James Bond theme, which goes great to establish the setting of this game. And, honestly, I just love James Bond themes. They tend to have this really... grandiose feeling to them, and this song encapsulates this perfectly. Even the singer, Cythina Harrell, sounds like she stepped right out of one of those movies.
The only thing really, that keeps this out of the #1 spot is some of the lyrics. "Someday, you feed on a tree frog?" Really? I'm sorry, you just completely lost the feeling I was getting from you. I really have no clue what that was about, unless Snake does actually eat a tree frog in game, but even still, why talk about that in the song? I know, it's nit-picky, but it bugged me, and since this is my list, I can decide where these songs go.
1. Revived Power (Shadow of the Colossus)
Remember earlier when I said that boss themes should have this feeling of epicness, of importance, to them? Well, this song is EXACTLY what I was talking about. Kow Otani did a phenomenal job when composing this piece to accompany your battles with the Colossi. It honestly gives the feeling that you are fighting an enormous monster against impossible odds, but that you MUST somehow come out on top. From what I understand, I realize that this game has a bit of moral ambiguity to it, but as far as this song tells me, you are a paragon of virtue fighting insurmountable evil, but through the righteousness, you WILL prevail. And even if that's not true, I'd still love fighting the Colossi just to hear this song. This is easily the best song I've ever heard from a game I've never played.
Well, that wraps up this week's post. If you can think of any other awesome video game songs, feel free to tell me about. But, for now, this is me signing off until next week. See you then!
*Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Demo Reviews
Hey guys. I'm sorry that I didn't get this posted yesterday, but it took a little bit longer than I intended. Instead of reviewing a single game this time around, I decided to take a look at three demos available on the 3DS's eShop. So, without further ado, let's get started!
Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion
The first demo I looked at was for Disney's Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion. A sequel to 2010's Epic Mickey (and at the very least a quasi-sequel to Sega's Illusion series from the early 90s), Power of Illusion sees Mickey having to return to Wasteland, having heard from Oswald of the Castle of Illusion appearing there, with various toon characters, Minnie included, trapped inside. So Mickey... borrows... the magic paintbrush from Yen Sid once again, and ventures into the Castle to save his girl. However, it is quickly revealed to the player that Minnie is safe and sound, leaving you to wonder just what sort of trap is Mickey wandering into...
Power of Illusion plays as a fairly standard platformer. You play as Mickey, going through linear courses, jumping on enemies, etc., in order to both reach the end and rescue toons. Two of the three levels in the demo are based off of Peter Pan, so for the most part you're rescuing characters from that movie, but you also rescue Scrooge McDuck, Goofy, and a couple other Disney characters. As you rescue characters and bring them back to the Fortress (the hub for this game), you can go on quests for them, which reward you with money, upgrades, and sketches, which are basically summons for this game. These sketches range from Tinker Bell sprinkling fairy dust on you to let you jump longer, to Scrooge McDuck pulling a DuckTales and jumping all over enemies with his cane.
As with Epic Mickey (from what I've heard, I've never actually played the game), the magic paintbrush is an important part of gameplay here. You can use Paint to create platforms or obstacles to damage your enemies, or use Thinner to destroy obstacles. In addition, you can also use both Paint and Thinner as projectiles to damage your enemies. Paint causes them to drop health upon defeat, while Thinner makes them drop money, which can be used at Scrooge's shop to buy upgrades to your health, attacks, etc.
So, you go through the first three levels and unlock the first boss: Captain Hook. Mickey heads into the boss room, the two exchange some banter, and then... the demo ends.
No, seriously. It ends JUST as the boss battle starts. See, that bugs me. I'd have been fine if they'd stopped before entering the boss room, I get wanting to save your bosses for the real thing, but they lead me to believe that I was going to be fighting Captain Hook. And damn it, I WANT to fight Captain Hook!
All in all, this demo did a great job. When I downloaded it, I wasn't really that interested in the game, just bored and looking for something to play. Now, I want to actually go out and buy Epic Mickey, so that I can beat it and then buy this one. Which is exactly what a good demo should do. Anyway, on to the next game.
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
This... strangely-named (apparently it's supposed to be a portmanteau of 'theatre' and 'rhythm') game is Square Enix's first entry on the 3DS. From what I understand, it's supposed to be a sort-of continuation of the Dissidia series, in which characters from various Final Fantasy games are brought together in order to fight to determine the fate of the world or something. I don't know exactly, but it isn't important to the demo, as it is just two levels of the Challenge mode. What sets this game most apart from the two Dissidia games, however, is the genre. While those two were fighting games, this is a... rhythm game. Yeah.
Basically, you play through various songs from the 13 Final Fantasy games included. In the demo, you only have the choices of 'The Man with the Machine Gun,' from Final Fantasy VIII, and 'The Sunleth Waterscape,' from Final Fantasy XIII. You tap the touch screen in time with the cues on the top screen, holding where indicated, and sometimes having the slide the stylus in a particular direction. Honestly, I'm doing this game justice in my description. If these two songs are any indication, this is a very enjoyable game, and I certainly want to get the full version when I get a chance. But, past that, I don't really have anything to say.* This was a great demo, and it certainly did its job well.
Lego Lord of the Rings
Now, let me preface this by saying something. I LOVE the LEGO video game series. I feel like Traveller's Tales has done a great job at... quasi-adapting these movies, telling the stories while still being both fun to play and funny. Out of these three demos, this was easily the one I most wanted to play.
This demo puts you on Weathertop, recreating the scene from Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo gets stabbed as the Witch-King of Angmar. You go through a couple scenes, using each of the Hobbits' abilities, as well as Aragorn's towards the end, in order to progress through the story. Gameplay and graphics are just about the same as any other of the LEGO games, music is taken directly from Lord of the Rings, as is the dialogue, which is probably my biggest problem with this demo.
One of the things I loved about the other LEGO games is a consequence of the lack of spoken or written dialogue. Instead, the characters basically played charades with each other, acting out scenes instead of speaking them. One of my favorite examples of this comes from Episode V of LEGO Star Wars. In the climactic scene in Cloud City, where Vader makes his big reveal, instead of simply saying "No... I am your father," he instead pulls out a baby picture of Luke. It serves the same purpose as the spoken line, but is a bit sillier, and it fits the general tone of the game. With this game, however, the dialogue adds a tone of seriousness to the game, which is rather jarringly juxtaposed with some of the sillier elements of the scene. The best example comes to me is when, after Frodo is stabbed, Aragorn is being all grave about how they have to hurry to Rivendell, while Merry and Pippin are in the background with a stretcher and nurse's hats. Now, without the dialogue, I feel like this would've been funny. But with it? The two tones just kind of clashed, and I, for one, didn't like the result. Sadly, I'm no longer very keen on getting this game after having played the demo
So, that wraps up this week's (albeit-late) review. Be sure to stop by next week for more... whatever it is I do here.
*My top scores: Sunleth: 7,229,392 on Ultimate; Machine Gun: 6,665,950 on Basic
Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion
The first demo I looked at was for Disney's Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion. A sequel to 2010's Epic Mickey (and at the very least a quasi-sequel to Sega's Illusion series from the early 90s), Power of Illusion sees Mickey having to return to Wasteland, having heard from Oswald of the Castle of Illusion appearing there, with various toon characters, Minnie included, trapped inside. So Mickey... borrows... the magic paintbrush from Yen Sid once again, and ventures into the Castle to save his girl. However, it is quickly revealed to the player that Minnie is safe and sound, leaving you to wonder just what sort of trap is Mickey wandering into...
Power of Illusion plays as a fairly standard platformer. You play as Mickey, going through linear courses, jumping on enemies, etc., in order to both reach the end and rescue toons. Two of the three levels in the demo are based off of Peter Pan, so for the most part you're rescuing characters from that movie, but you also rescue Scrooge McDuck, Goofy, and a couple other Disney characters. As you rescue characters and bring them back to the Fortress (the hub for this game), you can go on quests for them, which reward you with money, upgrades, and sketches, which are basically summons for this game. These sketches range from Tinker Bell sprinkling fairy dust on you to let you jump longer, to Scrooge McDuck pulling a DuckTales and jumping all over enemies with his cane.
As with Epic Mickey (from what I've heard, I've never actually played the game), the magic paintbrush is an important part of gameplay here. You can use Paint to create platforms or obstacles to damage your enemies, or use Thinner to destroy obstacles. In addition, you can also use both Paint and Thinner as projectiles to damage your enemies. Paint causes them to drop health upon defeat, while Thinner makes them drop money, which can be used at Scrooge's shop to buy upgrades to your health, attacks, etc.
So, you go through the first three levels and unlock the first boss: Captain Hook. Mickey heads into the boss room, the two exchange some banter, and then... the demo ends.
No, seriously. It ends JUST as the boss battle starts. See, that bugs me. I'd have been fine if they'd stopped before entering the boss room, I get wanting to save your bosses for the real thing, but they lead me to believe that I was going to be fighting Captain Hook. And damn it, I WANT to fight Captain Hook!
All in all, this demo did a great job. When I downloaded it, I wasn't really that interested in the game, just bored and looking for something to play. Now, I want to actually go out and buy Epic Mickey, so that I can beat it and then buy this one. Which is exactly what a good demo should do. Anyway, on to the next game.
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
This... strangely-named (apparently it's supposed to be a portmanteau of 'theatre' and 'rhythm') game is Square Enix's first entry on the 3DS. From what I understand, it's supposed to be a sort-of continuation of the Dissidia series, in which characters from various Final Fantasy games are brought together in order to fight to determine the fate of the world or something. I don't know exactly, but it isn't important to the demo, as it is just two levels of the Challenge mode. What sets this game most apart from the two Dissidia games, however, is the genre. While those two were fighting games, this is a... rhythm game. Yeah.
Basically, you play through various songs from the 13 Final Fantasy games included. In the demo, you only have the choices of 'The Man with the Machine Gun,' from Final Fantasy VIII, and 'The Sunleth Waterscape,' from Final Fantasy XIII. You tap the touch screen in time with the cues on the top screen, holding where indicated, and sometimes having the slide the stylus in a particular direction. Honestly, I'm doing this game justice in my description. If these two songs are any indication, this is a very enjoyable game, and I certainly want to get the full version when I get a chance. But, past that, I don't really have anything to say.* This was a great demo, and it certainly did its job well.
Lego Lord of the Rings
Now, let me preface this by saying something. I LOVE the LEGO video game series. I feel like Traveller's Tales has done a great job at... quasi-adapting these movies, telling the stories while still being both fun to play and funny. Out of these three demos, this was easily the one I most wanted to play.
This demo puts you on Weathertop, recreating the scene from Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo gets stabbed as the Witch-King of Angmar. You go through a couple scenes, using each of the Hobbits' abilities, as well as Aragorn's towards the end, in order to progress through the story. Gameplay and graphics are just about the same as any other of the LEGO games, music is taken directly from Lord of the Rings, as is the dialogue, which is probably my biggest problem with this demo.
One of the things I loved about the other LEGO games is a consequence of the lack of spoken or written dialogue. Instead, the characters basically played charades with each other, acting out scenes instead of speaking them. One of my favorite examples of this comes from Episode V of LEGO Star Wars. In the climactic scene in Cloud City, where Vader makes his big reveal, instead of simply saying "No... I am your father," he instead pulls out a baby picture of Luke. It serves the same purpose as the spoken line, but is a bit sillier, and it fits the general tone of the game. With this game, however, the dialogue adds a tone of seriousness to the game, which is rather jarringly juxtaposed with some of the sillier elements of the scene. The best example comes to me is when, after Frodo is stabbed, Aragorn is being all grave about how they have to hurry to Rivendell, while Merry and Pippin are in the background with a stretcher and nurse's hats. Now, without the dialogue, I feel like this would've been funny. But with it? The two tones just kind of clashed, and I, for one, didn't like the result. Sadly, I'm no longer very keen on getting this game after having played the demo
So, that wraps up this week's (albeit-late) review. Be sure to stop by next week for more... whatever it is I do here.
*My top scores: Sunleth: 7,229,392 on Ultimate; Machine Gun: 6,665,950 on Basic
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