Sunday, March 27, 2011
Staying Old School: GBA Metroid Platformers
I've spent the last week or so replaying games in the Metroid series. In addition to being an absolute nostalgia-fest, I have been delighted that these games have held up so well. The games have long held a place in my heart for being easy to learn, but difficult to master: collectible upgrades are hidden in the most unlikely (but fun to find) places, and simple, power-up based puzzles.
Also, your main enemy is a brain in a jar. How cool is that?
Metroid: Zero Mission is a revamped telling of Samus Aran's first adventure to the planet Zebes, upgraded with Super Metroid-esque power-ups. The game really shines in its execution of the original Metroid game with the new power-ups. I was impressed particularly by a sections towards the end of the game that stripped you of many of your power-ups and forced you to rely on stealth. It was excellently done.
Also, your main enemy is a brain in a jar. How cool is that?
Metroid: Zero Mission is a revamped telling of Samus Aran's first adventure to the planet Zebes, upgraded with Super Metroid-esque power-ups. The game really shines in its execution of the original Metroid game with the new power-ups. I was impressed particularly by a sections towards the end of the game that stripped you of many of your power-ups and forced you to rely on stealth. It was excellently done.
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| Complete with traditional opening area! |
The controls are greatly intuitive, which is excellent considering the Gameboy Advance's limited buttons. And, given the GBA's capacities, the game is brilliant looking.
For a big departure from Zero Mission, I gave Metroid Fusion a try. The same Super Metroid mechanics apply, but in this game, Samus is infected with X parasites and it greatly changes some gameplay aspects. Enemies dispatched release their X parasites which recharge energy and missiles/bombs. Power-ups are obtained by beating bosses who release specialized X parasites and grant Samus the abilities she once had.
If you are craving a stroll through platform-ville, give either of these GBA games a shot. Good fun without much commitment whatsoever, you could easily blast through these games within a couple hours.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
One day, I'd like to host a conference about conferences. A meta-conference, if you will. One of the sections will be named: "Naming Your Conference Sessions: Using Colons to Extend Your Thoughts Way Beyond a Simple Title."
Konami knows something of the use of the colon. In its (many) series, the brand name is followed by a colon, in order to create a sub-brand using marketing witchcraft. While it does cause there to be endless amounts of confusion, the method will seem genius once Pokemon runs out of colors (or valuable minerals), or Super Mario Transdimensionalism is released. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the focus of my colon related scorn (go on, giggle, you know you want to), which I recently got to play through again. The game was released for the 32-bit Gameboy advance, which so far as you know is how I played it (and not at all on a downloaded "copy" of the game).
If you haven't played a Castlevania game before now, you really ought to, and Aria of Sorrow is a good a place as any. The series is mired in mythos, but the essential storyline involves you (sometimes you're no one in particular, and sometimes you're a Belmont) and the famous Count Dracula and his castle of undead minions. Very few titles attempt to go much deeper into things, though they go much, much deeper. However, Aria of Sorrow (and its sequel, for there must always be a sequel, Dawn of Sorrow) are set at the end of a shit-ton of events that occured over several centuries.
You needn't understand any of this of course. Jump with one button, thrust or swing weapon with another. Hold up and use your weapon button for a special ability. Side scrolling, platformer-RPG, and beuaty considering the 32-bit restriction.
The fun of the game lies in its Soulset system, which allows you collect souls of fallen foes and equip them to your character, Soma Cruz. Souls don't always appear, but appear with enough frequency to make collecting them fun, challenging, but not hair-pulling. The game also features New Game Plus, which is like discovering a remaining Oatmeal Cream Pie when you had expected that you'd eaten all of them, but one remains, glistening, waiting for you sumptiously eat it.
No, serious, I loveOatmeal Cream Pies New Game Plus features, especially when they handicap me just a little bit, so the second (third, fourth, eighty-third) play-through continues to be enjoyable. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow acheives this in the same way most RPGs do with New Game Plus: by resetting your level. You keep your uber equipment, all your souls, but you start back at the bottom, and must climb your way back up. Except this time you've got a huge glowing white sword and the climb is easier, but still enjoyable.
All in all, since I clearly own this game and was able to find it, and did not in any way have to do anything that is questionably illegal to play it, this was worth the ten hours I spooged into it, and will probably serve me good for a few more on a couple extra playthroughs. Now, I really must look intro procuring its offspring for the Nintendo DS...
Konami knows something of the use of the colon. In its (many) series, the brand name is followed by a colon, in order to create a sub-brand using marketing witchcraft. While it does cause there to be endless amounts of confusion, the method will seem genius once Pokemon runs out of colors (or valuable minerals), or Super Mario Transdimensionalism is released. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the focus of my colon related scorn (go on, giggle, you know you want to), which I recently got to play through again. The game was released for the 32-bit Gameboy advance, which so far as you know is how I played it (and not at all on a downloaded "copy" of the game).
 |
| Can you feel the 32-bit love? |
If you haven't played a Castlevania game before now, you really ought to, and Aria of Sorrow is a good a place as any. The series is mired in mythos, but the essential storyline involves you (sometimes you're no one in particular, and sometimes you're a Belmont) and the famous Count Dracula and his castle of undead minions. Very few titles attempt to go much deeper into things, though they go much, much deeper. However, Aria of Sorrow (and its sequel, for there must always be a sequel, Dawn of Sorrow) are set at the end of a shit-ton of events that occured over several centuries.
You needn't understand any of this of course. Jump with one button, thrust or swing weapon with another. Hold up and use your weapon button for a special ability. Side scrolling, platformer-RPG, and beuaty considering the 32-bit restriction.
The fun of the game lies in its Soulset system, which allows you collect souls of fallen foes and equip them to your character, Soma Cruz. Souls don't always appear, but appear with enough frequency to make collecting them fun, challenging, but not hair-pulling. The game also features New Game Plus, which is like discovering a remaining Oatmeal Cream Pie when you had expected that you'd eaten all of them, but one remains, glistening, waiting for you sumptiously eat it.
No, serious, I love
All in all, since I clearly own this game and was able to find it, and did not in any way have to do anything that is questionably illegal to play it, this was worth the ten hours I spooged into it, and will probably serve me good for a few more on a couple extra playthroughs. Now, I really must look intro procuring its offspring for the Nintendo DS...
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Objection! Ace Attorney Titles
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| "Objection!" The famous pointer finger thrust! |
The first three titles, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Ace Attorney: Justice for All, and Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, start with a crash in the murder of Phoenix's mentor, Mia. Phoenix defends her younger sister, Maya, who is framed as the murderer. Framing is an intense motif with the series, whether it be Phoenix's best friend, Larry Butz, or even his rival (or friend?), Miles Edgeworth.
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| Detective Gumshoe, the cutest detective ever. |
The end of the initial trilogy is some of the best interactive fiction I've had the opportunity to play through. The conclusion of each episode is incredibly dramatic and heart-warming.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney follows the series with Apollo Justice, a young new attorney who ends up working for the now unemployed Wright and his "daughter" Trudy. Justice has an ability to sense people's lies using a special bracelet. The story only briefly keeps with the original trilogy, but continues to be good fun. This game in particular makes great use of the DS touchscreen by completing scientific tasks (finger print analysis, luminol testing, etc.).
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| Apollo Justice, a.k.a. Herr Forehead. |
Finally, the most recent title released (and why I started this epic review in the first place) focuses on Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix's first rival prosecutor. This game is a significant departure from the original games as you actually move Miles through third person crime scenes. Also unlike the other games, there is no courtroom drama, instead rebuttals about Edgeworth's logic play out, requiring you to use evidence in order to find the truth.
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| Edgeworth, and his weird ruffle thing. |
Friday, March 18, 2011
Minecraft
Oh yeah, I'm back from vacation.
No Flash Game feature today, but I thought you might want to know about Minecraft.
It's not a game so much as an awesome Lego emulator with skeletons and zombies and creepers that attempt to kill you when night falls, so my god you better build yourself a fortification to protect yourself, oh my god they're here, they're here, run, run!
Ssssssssssss....
No Flash Game feature today, but I thought you might want to know about Minecraft.
It's not a game so much as an awesome Lego emulator with skeletons and zombies and creepers that attempt to kill you when night falls, so my god you better build yourself a fortification to protect yourself, oh my god they're here, they're here, run, run!
Ssssssssssss....
Friday, March 11, 2011
Flash Game Friday: Achievement Unlocked
Yes, I am on an airplane right now, but I'm writing this in advance, because you need a little diversion on Fridays. After my rant last weekend on trophies and achievements, I figured Achievement Unlocked and Achievement Unlocked 2 would be the perfect games to feature.
Here's the deal. You are an elephant. Why? Who can say? You are in a room. The room has spikes and blocks and everything you do or interact with (essentially) triggers an achievement. You fell into a pit? Achievement unlocked! You stood still? Achievement unlocked! You quit playing the game? Achievement unlocked!
What starts as a humorous exercise in the ridiculousness of trophies/achievements quickly turns into an obsession to figure out how to achieve every single one. There's a list for you to see what you need to do, with hints that border on puzzling, but nothing too challenging.
The real shining point is the sequel, which adds additional rooms to your gameplay insanity, lets you panic (exploding yourself), and gives you the ability to poop out pastries (because, why not?). It also adds a keyboard, teleporting devices, a slot machine, and a big button!
While the gameplay is sheer platforming, plain and simple, the real fun is in the bizarre achievements the game has set. If you're a gamer, you should get a few laughs out of it. And if you're not a gamer, it's still an easy to pick up flash game that has you controling a cute little elephant.
Here's the deal. You are an elephant. Why? Who can say? You are in a room. The room has spikes and blocks and everything you do or interact with (essentially) triggers an achievement. You fell into a pit? Achievement unlocked! You stood still? Achievement unlocked! You quit playing the game? Achievement unlocked!
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| Hey look! I achieved things! |
The real shining point is the sequel, which adds additional rooms to your gameplay insanity, lets you panic (exploding yourself), and gives you the ability to poop out pastries (because, why not?). It also adds a keyboard, teleporting devices, a slot machine, and a big button!
While the gameplay is sheer platforming, plain and simple, the real fun is in the bizarre achievements the game has set. If you're a gamer, you should get a few laughs out of it. And if you're not a gamer, it's still an easy to pick up flash game that has you controling a cute little elephant.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wii Fit
We plugged in the Wii Fit, and it's great and we're gonna work out every day and stuff, but two quick things:
- I highly resent being told that I cannot Hula Hoop. I hate you Hula Hoop mini-game. I hate you and your demands that I rotate my pelvis* better. Screw you!
- I apologize for ever insinuating to anyone I've ever known that yoga is a loser exercise for lazy people. Please don't make me do a half-moon crescent thing again.
Dragon Age: Origins
When I first got into Dragon Age: Origins, I had hoped it would be more hack-and-slash than it is. Don't get me wrong, you hack and you slash, but I was hoping for a button-masher. Nevertheless, this fantasy title from Bioware did certainly get my attention and keep it!
This RPG (or role playing game) is set in Fereldan, a fictional continent populated with all sorts of mystical, Tolkein-fantasy somesuch: Dwarves who like to drink, mages who are feared for their power, and gay elves. The story starts in the titular Dragon Age, with a threat looming on the horizon that only you and a band of oddities can conquer. In writing this review, I'm shocked to find how stereotypical this whole thing sounds. It's as if the developers just got out of Fantasy Stories 101.
Playing the game, thankfully, these straight-up contrivances are not as easy to spot. The story is actually rather well put together, and I cared about the fate of Fereldan and its denizens. There is a great deal of role-playing, as your character is completely moldable, which I enjoy, though there is limited permanency to your decision making. You can be an outstanding citizen one second and a complete asshole the next and only a few lines of dialogue really seem to change. There are (blessingly!) a few things you can do which really screw you over in the eyes of some allies, which is a shocking relief. I'm tired of games that let me insult an ally's every core belief to then have them go "well, okay, I guess I'll stick around, even though you are a huge dickwad, because I know you're going to save the world and shit."
Anyway, for my first playthrough of the game, I pretty much saw an enemy and mashed the X button. It initialized my attack sequence, but subsequent mashes did nothing, so I pretty much sat there and watched the battle unfold, occasionally quaffing a potion or using my shield to do extra damage with a quickset key. This is the life of a Warrior in Dragon Age: Origins. Take damage, deal damage, ho hum.
Things are more exciting as a Rogue, since it actually matters where you stand, but the game really shines if you play the Mage class. You have a bevy of spells to interact with and it almost feels like you are micromanaging your very own character's actions in trying to achieve throwing a fireball three feet in front of yourself.
Your allies are controlled by an incredibly simplified version of Final Fantasy XII's Gambit system. The logical parameters are so limiting, you're better off using preselected "roles" to define how they act rather than try to program them yourself. Yes, you could tell it that when an ally is low on health they should heal that ally, but the companion A.I. is slightly retarded in actually doing anything about most things. If you really want someone to do something, you need to take control of them and command them to do it, quickly reverting back to your original character, lest he or she run off a cliff without your guidance.
There is a fluid amount of sexuality in Fereldan, allowing you to have same-sex relations with either a female or a male, who can also both be bedded by the opposite gender. Romance plays a big role in the adventure, which is weird since society is on the brink of civilization, but I spent more hours than a care to talking to Alistair about his daddy issues and finding obscure gifts to give him so that I could get into his pants.
Despite its downfalls, it's a fun fantasy game with solid story and enough replay value to get your money's worth. I'd recommend picking it up used for a fraction of the cost, especially since its sequel deubts tomorrow.
This RPG (or role playing game) is set in Fereldan, a fictional continent populated with all sorts of mystical, Tolkein-fantasy somesuch: Dwarves who like to drink, mages who are feared for their power, and gay elves. The story starts in the titular Dragon Age, with a threat looming on the horizon that only you and a band of oddities can conquer. In writing this review, I'm shocked to find how stereotypical this whole thing sounds. It's as if the developers just got out of Fantasy Stories 101.
Playing the game, thankfully, these straight-up contrivances are not as easy to spot. The story is actually rather well put together, and I cared about the fate of Fereldan and its denizens. There is a great deal of role-playing, as your character is completely moldable, which I enjoy, though there is limited permanency to your decision making. You can be an outstanding citizen one second and a complete asshole the next and only a few lines of dialogue really seem to change. There are (blessingly!) a few things you can do which really screw you over in the eyes of some allies, which is a shocking relief. I'm tired of games that let me insult an ally's every core belief to then have them go "well, okay, I guess I'll stick around, even though you are a huge dickwad, because I know you're going to save the world and shit."
Anyway, for my first playthrough of the game, I pretty much saw an enemy and mashed the X button. It initialized my attack sequence, but subsequent mashes did nothing, so I pretty much sat there and watched the battle unfold, occasionally quaffing a potion or using my shield to do extra damage with a quickset key. This is the life of a Warrior in Dragon Age: Origins. Take damage, deal damage, ho hum.
Things are more exciting as a Rogue, since it actually matters where you stand, but the game really shines if you play the Mage class. You have a bevy of spells to interact with and it almost feels like you are micromanaging your very own character's actions in trying to achieve throwing a fireball three feet in front of yourself.
Your allies are controlled by an incredibly simplified version of Final Fantasy XII's Gambit system. The logical parameters are so limiting, you're better off using preselected "roles" to define how they act rather than try to program them yourself. Yes, you could tell it that when an ally is low on health they should heal that ally, but the companion A.I. is slightly retarded in actually doing anything about most things. If you really want someone to do something, you need to take control of them and command them to do it, quickly reverting back to your original character, lest he or she run off a cliff without your guidance.
There is a fluid amount of sexuality in Fereldan, allowing you to have same-sex relations with either a female or a male, who can also both be bedded by the opposite gender. Romance plays a big role in the adventure, which is weird since society is on the brink of civilization, but I spent more hours than a care to talking to Alistair about his daddy issues and finding obscure gifts to give him so that I could get into his pants.
Despite its downfalls, it's a fun fantasy game with solid story and enough replay value to get your money's worth. I'd recommend picking it up used for a fraction of the cost, especially since its sequel deubts tomorrow.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
On the Matter of Trophies
Nursing a slight hangover with some coffee, I began to wonder this morning: why are trophies (if I had an Xbox, they'd be called Achievements) so important to me?
I remember first thinking about this while playing through Bioshock 2, and obsessing over multi-player levels until I could achieve level 40 and finally grasp the platinum trophy for the game. Why was I doing this? What did the achievement matter to me?
It's possible it's narcissism. I need the game to tell me I've done a good job and jumped over all of its defined hurdles. But, it's more than that.
Trophies are fun to go after (if sometimes frustratingly so), and the feeling of completing them does give me happiness. But the more comes in the fact that trophy challenges do just that: they challenge me.
The first game I made a platinum trophy in was Bioshock. In order to obtain the coveted platinum trophy, the game asked for no less than to play it on "Survivor" difficulty, and without the use of nearby regeneration chambers. Essentially, this meant if I died (which I did; many, many, many times), I would be forced to load from a saved game (which I notoriously bad at keeping up with). This caused me to come at the gameplay in a completely different way. And though sometimes I was frustrated, I'd never had more fun.
And back to Bioshock 2 for a moment. I would never have stuck with the multi-player as long as I did without the incentive to obtain a platinum trophy. But I loved the multi-player. I enjoyed it completely! Especially with my French roommate insisting that I save the girl (a type of Capture the Flag gameplay).
There are plenty of people who insist that trophies and achievements ruin gameplay. That doing well in a game ought to be it's own reward, and that the goals set are arbitrary. I completely disagree, and I'm stoked every single time the alert pops up that I got a trophy. It may be narcissistic, and it may be petty, but I like the game telling me that I'm a good little boy.
I remember first thinking about this while playing through Bioshock 2, and obsessing over multi-player levels until I could achieve level 40 and finally grasp the platinum trophy for the game. Why was I doing this? What did the achievement matter to me?
It's possible it's narcissism. I need the game to tell me I've done a good job and jumped over all of its defined hurdles. But, it's more than that.
Trophies are fun to go after (if sometimes frustratingly so), and the feeling of completing them does give me happiness. But the more comes in the fact that trophy challenges do just that: they challenge me.
The first game I made a platinum trophy in was Bioshock. In order to obtain the coveted platinum trophy, the game asked for no less than to play it on "Survivor" difficulty, and without the use of nearby regeneration chambers. Essentially, this meant if I died (which I did; many, many, many times), I would be forced to load from a saved game (which I notoriously bad at keeping up with). This caused me to come at the gameplay in a completely different way. And though sometimes I was frustrated, I'd never had more fun.
And back to Bioshock 2 for a moment. I would never have stuck with the multi-player as long as I did without the incentive to obtain a platinum trophy. But I loved the multi-player. I enjoyed it completely! Especially with my French roommate insisting that I save the girl (a type of Capture the Flag gameplay).
There are plenty of people who insist that trophies and achievements ruin gameplay. That doing well in a game ought to be it's own reward, and that the goals set are arbitrary. I completely disagree, and I'm stoked every single time the alert pops up that I got a trophy. It may be narcissistic, and it may be petty, but I like the game telling me that I'm a good little boy.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Flash Game Friday: The Farplane Wars
The Farplane Wars is a Flash game I discovered via /r/WebGames on Reddit. The developer himself submitted the game for Reddit's review, so I thought I'd give it a playthrough.
There's a lot going on in this Friday-diversion. It's largely a resource management/space sim, with some shump (or fixed shooter) gameplay, a little platforming, and a little point and click adventuring. It's like the developer thought: "why can't one Flash game have it all?"
While the game is fun enough, I did start to get bored with it. It's got a fairly good story, considering, and the art, while MS-Paint-ish, fits the mood okay, which doesn't take itself entirely seriously (even though aliens are invading known space, and blah blah blah). If you're looking for something different, definately check this one out.
There's a lot going on in this Friday-diversion. It's largely a resource management/space sim, with some shump (or fixed shooter) gameplay, a little platforming, and a little point and click adventuring. It's like the developer thought: "why can't one Flash game have it all?"
While the game is fun enough, I did start to get bored with it. It's got a fairly good story, considering, and the art, while MS-Paint-ish, fits the mood okay, which doesn't take itself entirely seriously (even though aliens are invading known space, and blah blah blah). If you're looking for something different, definately check this one out.
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