My Month In Games: February 2013

The Unfinished Swan - PSN

I'll come right out and say it: I didn't really care much for this game.  I wanted to get that out of the way early because I feel as though I'm standing in the minority with that opinion.  Many others have been charmed by this quirky little title but I found it to be shallow, irritating, and, at times, rather frustrating.  The Unfinished Swan is a first-person platform/puzzler (kinda like Portal or Quantum Conundrum) that is initially very intriguing. You begin in a room where EVERYTHING is completely white and you can only begin to see the path by splashing black paint around, thereby creating some context and contrast.  Suddenly things begin to take shape; you are in a room and there's the door.  You walk through it and...more white!  Splash, splash, spalsh, a hallway.. the door to the outside.. grass, trees, buildings.. birds chirping overhead.  No enemies, no failure, just white on white everywhere you go and a limitless supply of black paint.  It's visually striking for sure, and it's actually kind of fun for awhile. 

Then, after playing for about five minutes, I realized that I had been mashing the trigger button over and over and that my finger was beginning to get tired.  Eventually I made my way to a castle where my black paint was replaced with water, and instead of using it to see things I was using it to make vines grow so that I could climb around and search for an exit.  Water, water, water..  mash, mash, mash...  After about 30 minutes of this I realized that my hand was really starting to ache from the constant button mashing this game requires!  This was also the point that I realized that this game isn't actually much fun.  Yes it's kind of cool in the beginning to splash the paint around and get your bearings, but once I realized that there's little else to do in this game it really got kind of irritating.  The whole affair kind of feels like a series of half formed gameplay concepts that are loosely tied together with a boring "storybook" style narrative.  There's just not enough here.  Watch a YouTube video of the beginning moments and you'll see the best of what this game has to offer.

Grade: C-

NiGHTS into Dreams - PSN
   

As much as I love gaming consoles there have been a few over the years that I never had much experience with.  Among them is the Sega Saturn.  It had its fans, but back in the day I could only afford one gaming console at a time and I went with the original Playstation.  What can I say?  I was still feeling burned by the Sega CD.  At any rate, even though I didn't play many Saturn games I was still aware of Nights and I had always wanted to give it a try.  Given all of that it's sort of ironic that I'm playing it for the first time on a Sony console, right?  Anyway, I really enjoyed this game.  Over the years people have struggled to describe its unique gameplay mechanics and I'm afraid that I won't be able to find the words to do it justice either.  It's part racing, part action, part total psychedelic clusterfuck...how's that for a description?  

 
Basically, you take control of a flying jester called Nights as he soars through a series of bizarrely beautiful landscapes collecting items and racing toward the exit.  Each level has four regular flying stages and is capped off with a unique boss fight.  Really, I just kind of dig everything about this unusual game.  It's fun and fast-paced, it's challenging, the graphics and music are fantastic (especially the HD graphics of the PSN version), and the boss battles are crazy.  Still, I realize that a game like this isn't for everyone.  It's very quirky and very Japanese, and it's kind of hard at first to even know what you're supposed to be doing!  I myself came very close to quitting during my first few hours with it, but I'm glad that I stuck with this unique little gem and I definitely understand its cult appeal.

Grade: B+

Warioware Touched - DS 

God damn I love these Warioware games!  For those unfamiliar with the series, the basic idea is that it's a collection of super quick mini-games (think 3-5 seconds each) that you play in rapid succession.  Most of the games are fairly easy to win, but the challenge comes in doing so many of them so quickly.  You're constantly changing your focus to a new game with a new objective and it makes for some twitchy fun!  I played the hell out of the Game Boy Advance and Gamecube entries in the series, and I thought for sure that I was going to love this one as well, but something about it just didn't grab me.  I think the main issue is that unlike previous Warioware games, this one is controlled entirely with the touchscreen and stylus.  This allows for the inclusion of "tap and swipe" style games that would have been impossible before the introduction of the DS (and that's good), but it completely does away with the more traditional mini-games that made use of the buttons and the control pad.  This ultimately has the effect of limiting the gameplay options as well as the variety and scope of the mini-games offered.  It all starts to feel kind of same-y after awhile and I found myself wanting to move on even before I had seen everything.  In the end, Warioware Touched isn't a bad game, just one that feels relatively shallow compared to previous entries in the series.

Grade: C+

Ikachan - 3DS

Recently re-released on the 3DS eShop, Ikachan is the game that designer Daisuke Amaya (AKA Pixel) made before creating the incredible Cave Story.  In it, players take control of a cute little squid named Ikachan as he explores an underwater cavern while helping other creatures along the way.  While not an actual prequel, this game definitely feels like a spiritual predecessor to Cave Story as the graphics, sound, character design, and plot will all remind you of that storied title.  It actually has a lot in common with Sega's Ecco the Dolphin series now that I think about it.  Exploring underwater caves, eating fish to stay healthy, communicating with friendly creatures, gaining new powers...  

The thing is, even with all of that stuff going on there really isn't much of a game here.  You can easily beat it in less than 2 hours.  With that in mind, I really can't recommend spending $5 to download it from the eShop.  I enjoyed this title for what it was; a short concept piece that ultimately served to inspire something greater, but the experience is a little shallow overall.  Have a look at a gameplay video on YouTube if you're curious, but don't spend the dough unless you can get it cheap.

Grade: B-

Gunman Clive - 3DS

I got this for $2 in the 3DS eShop.  It's a Mega Man clone with a western theme and a unique, minimalist art style. It totally fucking rocks.

Grade: B

Console Glory 2011 Year In Review

I thought that this year it might be fun to do a 'year in review' post about my gaming experiences in 2011. I probably could have whipped this up and posted it in the waning days of 2011 like everyone else does with their 'year in review' type musings, but I'm not like everyone else. I'm lazy. Hey it's only Jan. 5, 2012. Still early enough, right? Anyway, here's a bunch of games that I played this year but didn't write much about. Enjoy!

Portal 2 - PS3


I got married early last year so for the first few months of 2011 I was pretty much out of commission, gaming-wise. Things quieted down just in time for the April release of Portal 2, and I made sure to pick up my copy on release day. It's not too often that I feel compelled to purchase a game on the day it hits the shelves (it happens maybe once or twice a year, if that) but for me this was one of those times. I absolutely loved the original, and I was eager for more of the series' brand of twisted wit and mind-bending puzzles. Portal 2 did not disappoint. In fact, it's better that the original in virtually every measurable way. The fantastic sci-fi story (featuring memorable 'performances' by the (still alive) GLaDOS, the hapless personality unit Wheatley, and the twisted genius Cave Johnson) delivers heavy doses of fan service while expanding the scope of the series' fiction. Still, some aspects of the game left me wondering if the developers might not have played it a little too safe with their sequel. Yes, it's longer than the original (though not by much), but the challenge level is about the same (if not a little easier), and the new concepts (gels, light bridges, launchers) are nowhere near as interesting as your standard 'weapon' the portal gun. Nitpicking aside, I have to say that I still had A LOT of fun with this game and I wasn't at all surprised to see it on so many people's 'best of...' lists for 2011.

Final Fantasy 13 - PS3


After finishing with Portal 2, I finally broke down and picked up Final Fantasy 13. I have been a fan of the series in the past, but I haven't found the last few entries in the series to be all that fun or interesting. This being the first entry in the series to appear in the current console generation, I thought I should at least give it a look. Much has been written elsewhere about the evolution of the Final Fantasy series (with many long time fans decrying the series' move away from its JRPG roots), but I think that Square-Enix might be on to something here. The whole RPG experience has been streamlined and the game has a brisk pace that grabbed me right away. Unfortunately, I only got about 15 hours in before the magic wore off and I moved on to something else. What happened? Well, for one thing, the story is a total fuckin' mess. It's really really strange and convoluted, and you have to read a lot of it through the menus. I couldn't keep up and I didn't give a shit. It's also really linear. The game holds your hand from sequence to sequence and there's little sense of exploration. Finally, I didn't experience a whole lot of variety in the gameplay. The battle system for this game is REALLY FUN and fast paced, but there's not much else to do except fight. I just got bored. I'm going to rent its sequel when it comes out later this year and see if they can bring the fantastic battle system into a larger, more engaging world and maybe toss in a story that doesn't want to make me claw my eyes out in confusion.

Okami - Wii


After Final Fantasy came Okami for the Wii. Like a lot of others, my Wii didn't get a whole lot of attention in 2011, but this sweet little game had me dusting off my nunchuck. Pedigree, Positive reviews, and a good price lead me to Okami, and I'm so glad they did. At its heart, this game is essentially a Capcom developed Zelda ripoff set in mythical Japan. Players take control of a white wolf who runs through the countryside and conquers dungeons in an effort to defeat evil and bring peace to the land. Gorgeous visuals and music combine with solid gameplay in this charming and stylish adventure. It was maybe a little longer than it needed to be, but it was still quite fun. If you have a Wii and you're looking for a great game at a good price, see if you can track this one down.

Nintendo 3DS


It was mid-August when I purchased the Nintendo 3DS. I wrote about my early impressions of the system here, and I've written a bit about a few of its games here. I have also since received all of the free games that were promised to the members of the Ambassador Program. I spoke earlier about my impressions of the free NES games that 'ambassadors' received, so let me now offer some thoughts on the free Game Boy Advance games that arrived in early December. First off, really solid selection. A lot of these games are far more substantive than the NES games I received back in September. Yoshi's Island, Metroid Fusion, Fire Emblem, and Zelda: Minish Cap alone could keep me going for 2 months or so. There's Mario Kart and F-Zero for the racing fans...though seriously, does anyone actually LIKE F-Zero? Mario vs. Donkey Kong and WarioWare Inc. provide a puzzle fix, and Kirby and Wario Land 4 round out the list with some solid platforming. Good stuff! Thanks for the free games Nintendo, they DO help take the sting out of the fact that your console doesn't have a second analog stick.

And speaking of which, the Circle Pad Pro clip-on analog stick for the 3DS will hit US stores in about a month. Sure, it looks a bit ungainly, but who knows? Maybe it'll feel really comfortable? Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either...

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D - Nintendo 3DS


Sweet game, Capcom. Everyone who knows me knows that I LOVE me some Resident Evil Mercenaries, and my hat's off to Capcom for bringing the taut, thrilling gameplay found in the home console versions to the handheld arena. Even without a second analog stick, they've managed to deliver! I could quibble about its somewhat obtuse and uninspired menus, its boring and mostly pointless introductory missions, and its needlessly complicated mission and character selection segments, but the point is that this game is still bitchin' and well worth a play. Oh, and it has online multiplayer that works just as well as RE5.

Cave Story 3D - Nintendo 3DS


Alright, here's the deal: if you like Metroid-Vania style platform/adventures, then you REALLY SHOULD PLAY THIS GAME! I first came upon this title in 2010 when it was released for download on WiiWare, but it actually began its life in 2004 as a freeware game available for PC (thank you Wikipedia). The WiiWare version that I played was actually an expanded port of the PC original. It featured the original PC version, as well as an enhanced version that featured updated graphics and music, and some additional play modes. It was really fun, and very bitchin'. So now in 2011 THIS version comes along. I should stress here that with all of these versions, we're still talking about the same game that was originally released in 2004. So with all of these different trips through the same adventure, which is the one to go with? Well unless you are a superfan I'd have to recommend the WiiWare version. Why? Well, while the 3DS version may have the snappy 3D graphics, it doesn't contain any of the additional modes that made the WiiWare version such a good value. It's just the basic story... no boss rush, no Curly Brace, no Wind Fortress. Trust me fool, you want that shit.

Heavy Rain - PS3


While everyone else was playing L.A. Noire, I was playing 2010's brooding detective story Heavy Rain. I told you before, I'm always late to the party! I didn't really dig this one too much. It was more of an 'interactive story' than an actual game. I picked this up so that my non-gamer wife and I might have something to play together, but I was so bored with it that I didn't even show it to her. This is one of those games that has a decent story (and I really wanted to solve the mystery), but it just takes so long for things to happen that I kept losing interest. Did I miss out?