You thoughtwe were dead didn't you? Well you were wrong. I decided to make a list of awesome games we want more of. Also, I'm leaving out obvious choices like Mario and Zelda
Metroid-Perfect series for Nintendo to bringinto HD
Donkey Kong-This series has been on a constant roller coaster ride since it's inception. Donkey Kong Country Returns was the last good entry in thefranchisesince it's N64, and arguably SNES days. I want to see 3D Donkey Kong done right.
EarthBound-This is probably the least likely on the list. There are no plans to continue the series, and even if there were, it would likely just stay in Japan, but I can dream can't I? An HD version of this with huge worlds and deep gameplay... Drool...
That's it for now, but let me know what games you'd like to see. Also, I'm just putting my finishing touches on my Mother 3 review and I'll post it soon.
Please follow!
~Phoenix
Monday, September 19, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Check out this new Skyward Sword trailer from Comic-con
Here we see bird-riding, a fat guy, a large flaming monster, and a Goron, among other things.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Review #2: World of Goo
Platform(s): Wii, Iphone, Ipad, PC, Mac
Occasionally, you stumble across a game that really has no right to be as good as it is. Not only is this 2D Boy's debut game, it was made by a team of just two. Really, this game doesn't have much going for it. So what is it that makes this cartoony puzzle so darn awesome?
So the whole premise of the game is that you stack balls of goo to form towers and bridges to reach a pipe, which will suck up all your left over goo balls (each level requires a different amount). The gameplay is simple, but gets a whole lot more complicated later on when you go from simple 10 meter towers to towers that sway from one end of the screen to the other as you frantically try to keep it from toppling over.
There are different types of goo balls that you can discover and use in later levels. However, you can only use the goo balls you are given for each level. There were a couple of really cool "species" of goo balls that I only got to use on one or two levels in the game. Seeing as the game feels a little short, it really could have benefited from a few more levels.
Let's get on to our grade.
Graphics: A- I love the colorful art style of world of goo. The art is even reminiscent of Tim Burton at times (see picture below) and it is 100% awesome.
Sound: B+ The music in World of Goo is great, but my favorite thing about it is the fact that the mood is always spot on. They have eerie music, happy music, and every kind of music in between, so every level feels different.
Occasionally, you stumble across a game that really has no right to be as good as it is. Not only is this 2D Boy's debut game, it was made by a team of just two. Really, this game doesn't have much going for it. So what is it that makes this cartoony puzzle so darn awesome?
So the whole premise of the game is that you stack balls of goo to form towers and bridges to reach a pipe, which will suck up all your left over goo balls (each level requires a different amount). The gameplay is simple, but gets a whole lot more complicated later on when you go from simple 10 meter towers to towers that sway from one end of the screen to the other as you frantically try to keep it from toppling over.
There are different types of goo balls that you can discover and use in later levels. However, you can only use the goo balls you are given for each level. There were a couple of really cool "species" of goo balls that I only got to use on one or two levels in the game. Seeing as the game feels a little short, it really could have benefited from a few more levels.
Let's get on to our grade.
Graphics: A- I love the colorful art style of world of goo. The art is even reminiscent of Tim Burton at times (see picture below) and it is 100% awesome.
 |
| Tim Burton is already making a movie about this level. |
Fun: A This is one of the most ingenious and creative puzzle games I've ever played. There is nothing about it that is not unique or original.
Playability: B+ The controls are simple and easy to pick up, but sometimes it can be difficult to get exactly the right goo ball. There is nothing more frustrating than placing a wrong goo ball somewhere, especially when it's one that can't be removed.
Replay Value: B+ World of Goo is a puzzle game, and so once you solve a puzzle, you won't have the same challenge the second time through. However, World of Goo has a system called OCD, where you can accomplish a special task and are awarded OCD. This is very difficult to get, however. On my first run through the game, I got OCD two times out of forty eight. One of those was the first level. In fact, OCD feels pretty much impossible at times, so it will certainly keep you entertained (or furious).
And now for the verdict...
9.2 Though this game is very fun, it is a bit short, and OCD is near impossible to achieve.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Review #1: Alan Wake
Platform(s): Xbox 360 Exclusive
Alan Wake, though not exactly a groundbreaking experience, is an enjoyable title of the Survival Horror/Action genre. In terms of story, Alan Wake is an inspiring piece of work. It begins with a quote from Stephen King, which foreshadows the story to come. From there, we are told the tale of Alan Wake, an author with writer's block who seeks solace by vacationing in the American Northwest with his wife. Alan himself acts as the narrator. The tale grows increasingly darker, yet does not rely on horror clich'es, at least in the traditional ways. The plot is unique enough to be able to stand on it's own to legs.
Each part is organized into TV-like episodes (even including starting lines such as "Previously on Alan Wake.") These episodes are made up of lengthy levels that often begin in the day time and proceed to the dangerous night, which takes up most of the episode. These levels are comprised of beautifully constructed rural environments that appear straight out of the American Northwest. Though somewhat linear, they are made to feel like a world, not a racetrack. Besides, with the stuff this game throws at you, you're going to want to get the heck out of there anyway, without caring about what's over that hill. (After all, most of the time, your in the deep, dark woods, ALL ALONE. *shiver*) Through each nighttime segment, I was having the time of my life, and at the same time wishing for this horror to end. This drove me to the end of each level.
Combat segments only take place during the night. I won't directly reveal what's after you, because as the aforementioned Stephen King quote said, explanations are anti-thetical to the concept of fear. However, I will say that the way you fight them is unique. At all times during the night, you carry with you a flashlight, batteries, and whatever weapons you are able to find. You always have at least a revolver with you. But locating ammo and other weapons requires you to stray off the beaten path. Defeating your enemies requires you to shine your flashlight on them to weaken them before finishing them off with a weapon. Everything is in the third person view, and aiming requires only that you look in the general direction of your target. This does not hinder difficulty in any way.
The voice acting is for the most part, decent. Players may complain about the general personality of Barry, but
at least Fred Berman does a good job playing the annoying agent/closet nerd. Matthew Porretta does a highly respectable job as Alan, though he's still just shy of Nolan North. The other voices are about equal. Overall, the voice acting was very good.
The controls are lacking, but not in a bad way, and I don't mean their bad. This is set in the real world, and Alan is more or less a regular guy. He cannot jump ten feet in the air. He has no ninja skills of Assassin's Creed, and possesses only standard human movement capabilities. There's still some climbing and some falling here and there all to a good balance, but most of the movement is about you making your way to a certain point in the distance. In order to progress the story. It's the combat that makes this game fun, and you get plenty of freak-out moments on the way there.
Lastly, we come to achievements. This game is story-driven, so the developers added in a few random things in order for you to earn Gamer Points besides just completing episodes. Throughout the world, coffee thermoses are placed, which you must pick up. Cans are stacked in pyramids at the occasional picnic table, which you must shoot at and knock down.TV's with Twilight Zone-esque shows and Radios with interesting programs are great distractions that you can indulge in, and provide fun achievement goals. But my personal favorite are the Story Pages, which add suspense to the story (when you play it, you'll see how.) These pages are actually part of the true greatness of this game's story, so be sure to pick them up.
And now for the scoring:
Graphics: B+ Alan Wake has brilliant graphics. There are many intricacies about the grass and trees, and the wilderness environments are truly stunning. Ilkka Villi provided a perfect likeness for Alan, a sort of treatment some other characters got which made them appear quite realistic. One of the true visual highlights is the light engine for the flashlights.
Sound: B Atmospheric music provides the perfect mood for every suspenseful moment. Voice acting is pretty good, and cars sound like cars.
Concept: A Alan Wake, a troubled writer, takes a vacation with his wife in the town of Night Springs in order to cure his writer's block. But all is not as it seems, and he is soon plunged into a nightmare which confuses and frightens both him and the player.
Fun: B+ Daytime segments leave little to do but walk and talk, but the night delivers edge-of-your-seat thrilling combat situations. (Or run-away situations.)
Playability: B The controls are pretty good, though some may not like the slow, yet realistic way in which Alan makes sharp turns. Some people complain about the camera, but I had little trouble; nothing worth mentioning.
Replay Value: C+ This game holds you in it's icy, awesome grip until the end. But try playing it again, and it's just like watching any suspense thriller movie again. There's little that's unexpected, though you can have the opportunity to play through again on the difficult "Nightmare" level of enemies. That doesn't much make up for it due to the story-driven plot, however. Just pick up the thermoses you missed and go.
And now for the grand total of...
8.75 Though this title has fun combat and an astounding story, it doesn't quite measure up to most big games such as the Assassin's Creed series. (Sorry if I mentioned Assassin's Creed too much.)
I hope you found Review #1 helpful. But this game has been out over a year, so you probably haven't. Oh well...
Alan Wake, though not exactly a groundbreaking experience, is an enjoyable title of the Survival Horror/Action genre. In terms of story, Alan Wake is an inspiring piece of work. It begins with a quote from Stephen King, which foreshadows the story to come. From there, we are told the tale of Alan Wake, an author with writer's block who seeks solace by vacationing in the American Northwest with his wife. Alan himself acts as the narrator. The tale grows increasingly darker, yet does not rely on horror clich'es, at least in the traditional ways. The plot is unique enough to be able to stand on it's own to legs.
Each part is organized into TV-like episodes (even including starting lines such as "Previously on Alan Wake.") These episodes are made up of lengthy levels that often begin in the day time and proceed to the dangerous night, which takes up most of the episode. These levels are comprised of beautifully constructed rural environments that appear straight out of the American Northwest. Though somewhat linear, they are made to feel like a world, not a racetrack. Besides, with the stuff this game throws at you, you're going to want to get the heck out of there anyway, without caring about what's over that hill. (After all, most of the time, your in the deep, dark woods, ALL ALONE. *shiver*) Through each nighttime segment, I was having the time of my life, and at the same time wishing for this horror to end. This drove me to the end of each level.
Combat segments only take place during the night. I won't directly reveal what's after you, because as the aforementioned Stephen King quote said, explanations are anti-thetical to the concept of fear. However, I will say that the way you fight them is unique. At all times during the night, you carry with you a flashlight, batteries, and whatever weapons you are able to find. You always have at least a revolver with you. But locating ammo and other weapons requires you to stray off the beaten path. Defeating your enemies requires you to shine your flashlight on them to weaken them before finishing them off with a weapon. Everything is in the third person view, and aiming requires only that you look in the general direction of your target. This does not hinder difficulty in any way.
The voice acting is for the most part, decent. Players may complain about the general personality of Barry, but
at least Fred Berman does a good job playing the annoying agent/closet nerd. Matthew Porretta does a highly respectable job as Alan, though he's still just shy of Nolan North. The other voices are about equal. Overall, the voice acting was very good.
The controls are lacking, but not in a bad way, and I don't mean their bad. This is set in the real world, and Alan is more or less a regular guy. He cannot jump ten feet in the air. He has no ninja skills of Assassin's Creed, and possesses only standard human movement capabilities. There's still some climbing and some falling here and there all to a good balance, but most of the movement is about you making your way to a certain point in the distance. In order to progress the story. It's the combat that makes this game fun, and you get plenty of freak-out moments on the way there.
Lastly, we come to achievements. This game is story-driven, so the developers added in a few random things in order for you to earn Gamer Points besides just completing episodes. Throughout the world, coffee thermoses are placed, which you must pick up. Cans are stacked in pyramids at the occasional picnic table, which you must shoot at and knock down.TV's with Twilight Zone-esque shows and Radios with interesting programs are great distractions that you can indulge in, and provide fun achievement goals. But my personal favorite are the Story Pages, which add suspense to the story (when you play it, you'll see how.) These pages are actually part of the true greatness of this game's story, so be sure to pick them up.
And now for the scoring:
Graphics: B+ Alan Wake has brilliant graphics. There are many intricacies about the grass and trees, and the wilderness environments are truly stunning. Ilkka Villi provided a perfect likeness for Alan, a sort of treatment some other characters got which made them appear quite realistic. One of the true visual highlights is the light engine for the flashlights.
Sound: B Atmospheric music provides the perfect mood for every suspenseful moment. Voice acting is pretty good, and cars sound like cars.
Concept: A Alan Wake, a troubled writer, takes a vacation with his wife in the town of Night Springs in order to cure his writer's block. But all is not as it seems, and he is soon plunged into a nightmare which confuses and frightens both him and the player.
Fun: B+ Daytime segments leave little to do but walk and talk, but the night delivers edge-of-your-seat thrilling combat situations. (Or run-away situations.)
Playability: B The controls are pretty good, though some may not like the slow, yet realistic way in which Alan makes sharp turns. Some people complain about the camera, but I had little trouble; nothing worth mentioning.
Replay Value: C+ This game holds you in it's icy, awesome grip until the end. But try playing it again, and it's just like watching any suspense thriller movie again. There's little that's unexpected, though you can have the opportunity to play through again on the difficult "Nightmare" level of enemies. That doesn't much make up for it due to the story-driven plot, however. Just pick up the thermoses you missed and go.
And now for the grand total of...
8.75 Though this title has fun combat and an astounding story, it doesn't quite measure up to most big games such as the Assassin's Creed series. (Sorry if I mentioned Assassin's Creed too much.)
I hope you found Review #1 helpful. But this game has been out over a year, so you probably haven't. Oh well...
Skyward Sword is Coming
I don't know about you guys, but I am excited for Skyward Swords to come out. It is going to have the best music in a Zelda game to date with a full orchestra, you are going to be flying a freaking bird, and it's going to help us understand a lot more where Link is from and what not. But there are some riskier moves on behalf of Nintendo. For example, Link and Zelda are actually school mates attending a boarding school. Like with a principal and everything. I suspect that Nintendo was sick of being criticized for Twilight Princess's lack of innovation (I actually like all Zelda games, even though Twilight Princess is "boring" and Wind Waker is "cartoony") so they went all out trying to convince people they weren't afraid to mess with their series. I don't think it's that important. Afterall, there is some messed up stuff in the Zelda series. In Twilight Princess, Link goes all Edward on us and turns into a wolf. In Majora's mask, the end boss looks like he could creep Tim Burton out. The point is, wether there are drastic changes or not, it will always be Zelda and it will always be awesome. Feel free to comment and give me your opinion.
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