My Month In Games: November 2013

Pokémon X - 3DS

Up until now, the only other Pokémon game I've played was Pokémon SoulSilver for the Nintendo DS.  In my review of that game I talked about my appreciation for it as an old school grind fest, and I also acknowledged the fun in collecting and training the titular critters.  However, I must admit now that I wasn't very far into the game when I wrote that review, and in fact I found that its initial charm wore off relatively quickly, leading me to set it aside after about 20 hours of gameplay.  I really had three main problems with that game.  First, it was a bit too easy.  I get that it's a franchise meant to appeal to children, but somewhere along the line I got the impression that it could also present a solid challenge to adult gamers as well.  Not so, I found out....at least, not in the first 20 hours.  Second, there wasn't much of a story to speak of.  Again, it's a kids game so I knew not to expect a Shakespearean epic, but I figured there'd be a little more to it than "get out there, catch a bunch of Pokémon, and while you're at it make sure to beat up on the pets and take the money of every housewife and grade schooler that dares to cross your path."  Finally, it was just plain tedious.  I know that there are a lot of people out there who enjoy the prospect of grinding away until they have an army of ridiculously overpowered Pokémon, but the lack of a challenge to spur me on and a story to keep me engaged made me quickly tire of the formula.

So how did I feel about this game?  The exact same way.  The graphical improvements are nice (it's the first in the main series to be rendered in polygons, not sprites), and it's cool to finally see the Pokémon in motion during the battles, but aside from that it appears that Nintendo has done little to tweak the formula of the game.  For longtime fans I'm sure this will come as welcome news, but I was hoping for more.  Sorry Pokémon fans, but I just don't get the appeal.  And speaking of Pokémon fans, let me just remind the grown-up ones that they are playing obsessing over a children's game.  You can cry all you want about how "in-depth" this game actually is and how I'm missing the point, but the facts remain: this is an easy game with next to no story and little to do gameplay-wise other than look at the "cute" critters and pit them against each other in an endless series of digital cockfights.  Let's leave this never-ending cycle of "meh" to the kiddies and support true masterpieces like Ni No Kuni, shall we?

GRADE: C

Bit.Trip Presents: Runner 2 - Future Legend of Rhythm Alien - PSN

Okay, ridiculously long title aside, this is a really fun little game!  I enjoyed my time with the first game in the series and this sequel keeps the good times rolling with more stages, better graphics, and loads of characters and secret areas to unlock.  The basic formula is the same; twitchy, retro styled forced scroller that challenges your reflexes, but the whole affair is just generally more fleshed out.  One point of criticism I have involves the decision to include narration by Charles Martinet (AKA the voice of Mario).  He doesn't sound anything like Mario in this game, but I found his cartoonish-yet-folksy tone to be rather annoying to listen to.  And really, what's the point of having a story in a game like this?  Anyway, this one minor gripe aside, it's hard not to recommend Runner 2.

GRADE: B

Hotline Miami - PSN

This stylish, ultra-violent game puts you into shoes of an assassin in 1980's Miami.  With a look that will recall the neon-tinted visuals of Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 film Drive mixed with Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and stealth/action gameplay that is reminiscent of the early, top-down games in the Metal Gear series, Hotline Miami is an intriguing game indeed.  Fast-paced with a surprisingly in-depth storyline, (it's deeper than Drive I can tell you that much) I had a lot of fun making my way through the game's numerous missions, challenging myself to beat my best scores and locate the game's many secrets.  Though the brutal violence depicted in Hotline Miami  is tamed somewhat by its pixelated, retro-style graphics, it nonetheless contains some very unsettling imagery.  This will undoubtedly turn some players off, but I applaud the designers for the level of detail they were able to achieve.  This one is definitely worth a look, even if the gameplay doesn't float your boat.

GRADE: B

My Month in Games: March 2012

Pokemon SoulSilver - DS


Ever late to the party, I'm just now getting around to playing a Pokemon game for the first time. That's right, I admit it, I had never actually played a Pokemon game before this month. I decided to pick this one up on a whim while I was purchasing Kid Icarus: Uprising. For those who don't know, the Pokemon series of games are RPGs in which your character must travel around capturing and training the (often times adorable) titular creatures so that they can do battle with other trainers' Pokemon. It's a bit like a video game version of cockfighting, only instead of roosters, the combatants are lizards that shoot fireballs and pigeons that conjure tornadoes. Strange as that may sound, these games are actually pretty straightforward. Basically, you catch as many different kinds of Pokemon as possible (there are 50 in the game), train them to develop their skills, and take your best against the bosses. The more Pokemon you collect and train, the more powerful you become. As a fan of classic grind fests like Phantasy Star and Dragon Warrior, this game scratched an itch I've had lately for a solid, old-school style RPG, but it also has a twist that's really quite ingenious. The twist is that the Pokemon are really fun to collect. Since each one brings their own unique attacks and skills into battle, you get to choose what kind of team you want to roll with. Discovering new Pokemon, trying them out, and finding the right balance between powerful fighters and support type characters keeps the game interesting and helps take your mind off the grind. I enjoyed this game and I see why the series is popular. Pokemon games are straightforward and easy to pick up, but they also offer a level of strategy and enjoyability that surprised me. I don't know how many more of these games I'll be playing after this one (they've made over a dozen of them already), but I'm impressed with Pokemon Soulsilver.

Typhlosion the exploding cat does battle with Jynx...the transvestite bedsheet? Pretty normal for Pokemon.

Grade: B+

VVVVVV - 3DS

Designed by a fellow named Terry Cavanaugh, this indie platformer (pronounced as "The Letter V Six Times" or "V's") was originally built in Adobe Flash and released in January, 2010 for Windows and OSX. I first came across it about a year later when I played a shorter, freeware version online, and I was instantly drawn in by the blocky, Commodore-64 inspired graphics and the incredible chiptune soundtrack. When I saw that it had become available through the 3DS eShop I downloaded it and dove right in, eager to see what the full version had to offer. So now, dear readers, I will tell you what this game has to offer...nostalgia and PAIN!

First the nostalgia. Anyone who was gaming in the early to mid-eighties remembers games that looked and played like this. The pixelated graphics recall a time that was post-Atari, pre-Nintendo; a time when men wore wore mustaches un-ironically, and Russia was still the enemy. There's not much to look at, yet the starkness of the presentation actually underscores a strong sense of isolation present in this tale about a spaceship captain who is thrust into an alternate dimension and must search for his lost crew. The music of VVVVVV is also worth mentioning. The chiptune soundtrack by Magnus Pålsson is loaded with memorable themes, from upbeat and heroic to plodding and mysterious. If you like 8-bit music, you have to hear these songs, even if you don't get much out of the game.

Now on to the PAIN! Many reviewers have made a point to mention this game's difficulty and for good reason, this game is pretty fucking hard. I mentioned that this game was a platformer, but unlike many of the games in this genre, your character can't jump. Instead, he has the ability to reverse gravity. In order to make your way through the the game's many obstacles, you have to continually switch from walking on the 'ground' to walking on the 'ceiling'. Now this mechanic is employed well, and it's pretty easy to get the hang of it, but there's a big caveat: you can only see one 'screen' at a time. That is, the level doesn't scroll along with you as you walk (or fall) to the edge of the screen. This results in some unbelievably MADDENING sequences where you must remember the layout of the room ahead in order to land safely on a non-spiked surface. Sometimes the game strings together four or five rooms this way and punishes you with death after death. Death, in fact, is a near constant in this game. To its credit, VVVVVV does provide you with infinite lives and plentiful checkpoints, but I still found myself getting frustrated at some of the 'trial and error' aspects of the gameplay. Check it out though, this is a game that deserves some attention, but be warned that its challenges may exceed your tolerance for punishment. Click either image to play a free demo version online.

Grade: B-

Kid Icarus: Uprising - 3DS

I've mentioned before that it's rare for me to purchase a game on its release day, I usually only do it once or twice a year. Yet driven by my nostalgia for the NES and Game Boy titles, I picked this up on day one. I'll beak this one down quick-like. Where the original games were side-scrolling platformers, this one is a rail shooter in the vein of Space Harrier. In terms of gameplay that makes it pretty different from its predecessors, but it works well. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed a shooter this much in quite awhile. The controls are an aspect of this game that seems to be very polarizing. Basically you have to control your character, fire your weapon, and hold the 3DS with your left hand, while holding the stylus and using the touch screen to aim with your right. It's cumbersome and uncomfortable at first, but over time it becomes...marginally less cumbersome and uncomfortable. It might be better if the game supported the Circle Pad Pro and you could use another analog stick for aiming, but alas, it doesn't and you can't. Actually, I don't even think that another stick would necessarily help in this case. The fast pace of this game would have probably been better suited to the Wii's nunchuck controller. Still, I DID eventually sorta get used to the controls and the game is so awesome that I just dealt with it. With a dizzying array of weapons, skills, and other shit to collect, this game keeps you coming back for more. I dug it, despite its control issues.

Grade: B