My Month In Games: April 2012

I've been away for a bit (getting ready to move house) but I've been playing games all the same.  Let's get caught up, shall we?

Bit.Trip Saga - 3DS

Bit.Trip Runner

For those who don't know, 'Bit.Trip' is a series of relatively simple games that combine a "blocky" retro visual aesthetic with more modern rhythm-based gameplay. 'Bit.Trip Saga' for the 3DS is a compilation that culls together all six games in the series. I had some fun with this title, and I suspect that anyone with a fondness for the Atari-era will as well. Of the six games, my personal favorites were 'Runner' and 'Flux'. 'Runner' is a forced-scrolling, "run to the right" game in which you must time jumps, slides, and kicks in order to make your way through the various obstacles. It's kind of like a modern, twitchy version of the old Atari 2600 'Pitfall!' Very fun. 'Flux' has a 'Pong' like feel to it. Players control a paddle that must volley waves of blocks in time with the music. It's simple, yet challenging, and the sweet soundtrack spurs you on. The other games in the series are all decent as well, and even though I played them less than 'Runner' and 'Flux', they're all worth a go. Having said all that, I can't really recommend paying full retail for this game. There's just not enough meat on this bone! Pick it up used in a couple of months...

Bit.Trip Flux

Grade: B-

Kid Icarus 3D Classics - 3DS

  
Up to this point I've been rather baffled by the games that Nintendo has selected to give the "3D Classics" treatment to. The "3D Classics" series is collection of old (and not necessarily classic) games that have been given 3D backgrounds and other graphical tweaks and re-released on the 3DS eShop.  Here's the current list of games in the series: Urban Champion, Xevious, Excitebike, Twinbee, Kirby's Adventure, and Kid Icarus. So first of all, 'URBAN CHAMPION'?!?! Really, Nintendo? That game sucked the minute it was conceived.  As one-on-one fighting games go it was one of the worst ever made.  It's not even as good as 'Street Fucker'...at least that game is funny.

What, you thought I was joking?

Then there's the annoying snoozefest that is 'Xevious', the less-annoying-but-far-too-similar 'Twinbee', and 'Excitebike' which, although classic, is pretty fucking dated at this point. In contrast, 'Kid Icarus' is a far meatier game. There's far more to see and do, and I thought that the inclusion of some 3D graphics might actually serve to add polish to what is already an essential old-school platformer. On one hand I was right, the 3D graphics and enhanced backgrounds ARE kind of cool and they do bring some vitality to this 25 year old game, but there are also problems. For one, and I think this is true of a few titles in the "3D Classics" series, the game doesn't use the entire top screen. There's a kind of letterbox effect in play that preserves the original aspect ratio, and as a result you only get about 2.5"of the 3DS' 3.5" screen. The other main problem I had was with the sound. For some reason, the sound effects (walking, jumping, firing an arrow, etc.) are way louder than the music. This was not the case in the original game and it's really pretty distracting. Honestly, why enhance one aspect of the game only to screw up another? I love 'Kid Icarus' and the game itself holds up, but DO NOT spend your money on this disappointment. Closed circuit to Nintendo: get your shit together with these 3D Classics or stop making them. You're embarrassing yourselves.

Grade: C 

Journey - PS3

Much has been written but little has been said of this new(ish) downloadable title for PS3. Folks don't want to spoil the "surprise", you see. I'll weigh in like this: 'Journey' is a visually striking adventure game with a fairly straightforward design and an intriguing story, but it's not the second coming. If you're worried about (very minor) spoilers, skip ahead to the last paragraph of this post.

Don't believe the hype if people tell you that this game breaks new ground, because it doesn't really. That's not a dismissal and I don't mean to sound harsh, but there is literally nothing in this game that you haven't seen before on a conceptual level. You guide your character from point A to point B while gradually coming to a deeper understanding of the game's mechanics and overall goal. Pretty standard stuff. The joy of this game is not in solving puzzles (they're easy) or combat (there isn't any), it's the journey itself. Not everyone will be down with its somber story or 'Enya video brought to life' aesthetic, but those who are looking for a more thoughtful and artistic gaming experience should seek this one out. It's short, sweet, and visually gorgeous, just know that it's more about the experience and less about the gameplay.

Grade: B

Before I sign off I just wanted to offer an addendum to my review of 'Kid Icarus: Uprising'. Even though I gave the game a solid 'B' and called it "awesome", I still felt the need to bring up the somewhat bizarre controls as an example of a negative aspect of the game.  After spending some more time with it, I just have to say that the controls are actually pretty great. In fact, my opionion is that the stylus/touchscreen control scheme actually makes aiming a whole lot faster than if it were to use another analog stick. Once you get used to how the game works you realize that you don't have to hold the 3DS with some kind of 'death grip' in order to maintain control. With this in mind, I'd like to change my rating to a 'B+'.