Newly added to my video game manual/instruction book online folder: Rayman Raving Rabbids for DS. Find it here, and check out some other manuals I’ve scanned here.
Subjective game reviews, comic translations, pixel art, and other video game bits & bobs.
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April 18, 2015
April 16, 2015
[Review] Chrono Trigger (DS)
Chrono Trigger really holds up. I played it on emulator in university, never being able to previously as it wasn’t released in my region at all until the Virtual Console and this DS port. It was a dumb move on Square’s part because the game is so good, they were throwing money away to not let PAL gamers play it. I was glad to be able to buy it legitimately, and so happy with the improvements they’ve made for the DS; it really is the definitive version.
To start with, it looks and sounds identical to the SNES original, but with the few extras from the PS1 port added (mainly a few animated cutscenes), minus the load times of that version and plus a few bonus dungeons and extra links to the sequel Chrono Cross. Although the new dungeons are fairly tedious, they’ve got great equipment as rewards and add to the story of the world somewhat. The DS port uses the extra screen to have maps for both overworld and sub-areas, which I appreciated, and also moves a lot of UI clutter down there too.
But what about the game itself? It has a few strengths that make it stand out among its contemporaries and even modern RPGs. For one, the unfolding time-travelling story tells a story of the entire history of this world, and the persistent threat across the ages. These different eras give a nice variety of environments and characters, from the simple and savage prehistoric times to the desperate Middle Ages, to the bleak future. There’s a sense of fun though as you travel around trying to right wrongs and solve the mystery of Lavos. It also doesn’t drag on like some RPGs; it tells the story it’s trying to tell succinctly, even with five different time periods to track and backtrack.
The companionship you feel within the playable cast is another strength. I felt so attached to the characters, and loved making different teams for different tasks based not just on their skills but their personalities. The updated translation has, I think, improved the characterisation by letting them say more than they did in the days of the SNES’s limitations (although even if it’s only item names that were significantly updated, that’s reason enough to cite the DS port as the clear superior). Banding together this team of misfits is so satisfying, and Toriyama’s designs help them feel even more familiar to this Dragonball fan.
The gameplay innovations are so clever, it makes you wonder why they weren’t more widely adopted. Despite having a traditional turn-based style (although with the 16-bit Final Fantasy’s ATB system) the battles all take place on the same map that you run around on, and mostly with discrete enemies that you can see before battling them. It’s a very immersive system. Battling leans on the Tech system, whereby each character has their own ability set, but can band together with whoever else you’ve chosen for specific team attacks. Enemies are also fairly strategic, with counters and weaknesses to learn, and bosses often being a bit puzzle-y. It was also one of the first games to feature a New Game Plus system, where you start again with your stats carrying over.
Of course, New Game Plus wouldn’t be much fun if they hadn’t implemented the multiple endings. You see, you can fight the final boss at pretty much any point of the game so depending on what part of the story you’ve done up to the point where you choose to take it on, you’ll get a different credits scene. The DS port keeps track of which ones you’ve seen, and I’m happy to say I got them all.
It can sometimes be hard to say why a game is so good. Chrono Trigger is just so polished and thoughtfully designed. The development “dream team”, a collaboration between Square and Enix employees along with some of the best musicians in the business, managed to get so many great ideas into the game and present it so well, that it’s clear why its reputation persists. The game is a masterpiece and I’d recommend the DS port to fans and noobs alike. I know it’s out on iOS too but apparently that version, like a lot of Square’s mobile ports, is a bit rubbish. This review was mostly just gushing but hey, I love the game. Now go listen to Robo’s theme and tell me it doesn’t sound like Rick Astley.
April 15, 2015
[Review] Pokemon Shuffle & Pokemon Rumble World (3DS)
Here’s two games that should be of interest to any Nintendo-watchers. They represent experiments into the “free-to-play” style of game that has proved so prodigious on mobile platforms. Given that Nintendo will now be expanding its business to mobile, people may be looking at these as examples of the direction they could go.
I reckon that’s a mistake though. Both of these games are more or less conversions of existing titles. Pokemon Link Battle and Super Pokemon Rumble existed already on 3DS, and it seems that these games just take the gameplay of their predecessors and slap a microtransaction model on it, with mixed results. For a better idea of what Ninetndo’s partnership with DeNA might bring about, I’d recommend checking out Final Fantasy Record Keeper, which is made by DeNA with a popular existing license.
As with most F2P games I’ve played, all three of the games I’ve mentioned managed to hold my interest for a while but inevitably the nature of the business model will impose itself on the gameplay experience. Sooner or later, the game will become too difficult or start to drag, requiring either tedious grinding or gouging cash for easier progression.
The most successful for me was Shuffle; I made it through all the stages prior to the first content update, at which point I discerned that the difficulty curve, which had seemed pretty fair, was just going to keep climbing and the return on my time investment was bottoming out. The puzzley gameplay was well suited to the short bursts, although said bursts were short indeed in “no money down” mode. I also appreciated the improvements they’d made to the mechanics from Link Battle, with Megaevolution, something approaching a story, and more strategic combo play.
Rumble World has a fun concept. Up til now, the three previous games in the series had not enticed me to buy them, but why not a free download? The simple isometric brawler style is well done, with plenty of chaotic colour and effects. The progression was a little odd though; you’re always acquiring better toys to use so you’re forced to sack off your old ones, whose abilities you may be familiar with. Ultimately the game is very repetitive, as you’ll be doing the same basic thing over and over. The reward is an endless stream of new critters, and presumably the draw is finding them all and getting to the next little story mission, but that wasn’t enough for me. Rescuing Miis that you’ve Streetpassed is a nice touch, but it then makes the game into an escort mission. And the endless ways to spend your currency always makes you feel poor.
Unfortunately I think both of these games haven’t quite nailed the balance of a free-to-play game. I always feel like I’m being asked to pony up for this or that, and that if I did make a purchase, it wouldn’t help me much. But then what do I know, I’ve never made a game like this and I don’t usually like playing them. It shows what you can do with an existing game structure to force it into this business framework, and it’s a little depressing that more and more games are like this by default. Even big-budget games you buy have more to buy in the game itself these days. But enough good-old-days ranting, I’ve got more games to play—with these, I could have kept going for much longer (as they want me to) but had to pick a point to stop and say “no more”.
March 31, 2015
Video Game Manual Megapost
I’ve been scanning a lot of manuals (aka instruction books/booklets) recently. I noticed that my favourite manuals site, Replacementdocs, was missing some that I could contribute. Unfortunately their approvals process is slow and anything that isn’t specifically requested could take months to be published on the site, if ever. I wanted to put the manuals I’d scanned out there because I don’t want others to have the experience of getting a second hand game without a manual and having no recourse. They’re also useful for research on a game series you like or simply digital collecting.
So I’m uploading and linking all the manuals I scanned here (some of them are published on Replacementdocs, but many aren’t yet). It’s a weird selection but this is what I have on my shelf, people. Of course, I have a lot of others but for the most part their manuals are already online. Please note that a few of these included a second language, such as French or Spanish, but I omitted them from the scan; sorry non-English speakers. Here we go then; game, platform, region:
Replacementdocs hosted:
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Wii, AU)
Mediafire hosted (just click this bit for the folder list):
PC Games:
Avatar: The Legend of Aang (AU)
Tonic Trouble (NA)
Wii games:
A Boy and His Blob (UK)
Academy of Champions Football (UK)
Avatar: Into the Inferno (AU)
Avatar: The Legend of Aang (AU)
Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise (AU)
Castlevania Judgment (UK)
Goldeneye 007 (AU)
Lego Harry Potter Year 1-4 (AU)
Lego Harry Potter Year 5-7 (AU)
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (AU)
Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (AU)
Pikmin 2 New Play Control! (AU)
Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies (UK)
The Last Airbender (AU)
DS Games:
Avatar: Into the Inferno (AU)
Avatar: The Legend of Aang (AU)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (UK)
Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol (NA)
Lunar Knights (EU)
Megaman Zero Collection (NA)
N+ (NA)
Okamiden (NA)
Professor Layton and the Last Specter (AU)
Scribblenauts (AU)
The Last Airbender (UK)
PS3 Games:
Band Hero (AU)
Katamari Forever (NA)
Lego The Lord of the Rings (UK)
Rayman Origins (AU)
Rock Band 1 (AU)
Rock Band 2 (NA)
Rock Band 3 (AU)
The Beatles Rock Band (AU)
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (AU)
This took ages, so somebody better download and enjoy these things!
Now, I’ll also recommend a few sites that I use whenever I’m looking for a manual. Obviously, Replacementdocs is the first place to look. Nintendo of America quite usefully hosts manuals for some Wii U/3DS/Wii/DS games, and even a few GCN/GBA ones. Freegamemanuals used to be a quite comprehensive if slightly dodgy resource, but has unfortunately shut down; maybe it’ll be back one day? The “Games Database” is, well a database of games, with some manual scans included; just do a search and see if they have it. NintendoAge is similar, and sometimes has pictures of the manual. Vimm’s Lair and the DP Library are slightly more specialised/limited, but worth a try especially for older systems. For even more specificity in systems covered, Handheld Museum is good for self-contained LCD-type games and Planet Virtual Boy is just fantastic, if only for, well, the Virtual Boy. You can also try the Video Game Museum or the Video Game Archeologist or failing all of that, just Google it. Special mention to the Ni no Kuni manual, which I started scanning until I noticed the manual itself told me that there was a high-res colour version online; cheers, Namco!
March 19, 2015
[Review] Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS)
I was very impressed by Dawn of Sorrow, the first DS Castlevania, so got hold of the next one to see how it held up without the addictive soul-collecting system. It’s another Metroidvania-type free-explore-y one (ie. the ones I’m interested in), and the gimmick this time is the partner system. You have the vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and the mage Charlotte Aulin, so it’s a bit like DoS’s Julius mode. But this time you can have both on screen at once, fighting together! It’s a good feeling, a bit like playing Ice Climbers in Smash but with different skills between your characters.
This, along with a variety of equippable weapons (although not enough variety for Charlotte) and sub-weapons/spells gives you a good range of options… maybe too many. As in DoS, I had a bit of analysis paralysis when choosing skills, and changing them for different situations requires menu-wrangling; the partner system has superceded DoS’s dual equipment setup. Still, eventually I figured out how they all work and which few to stick with.
The partner thing is kind of a theme for the game. Your antagonists include a pair of vampire sisters who are also a fighter/mage combo, and *spoilers* even Death and Dracula team up for the final battle. Cool! This one is set during World War 2, a unique setting with potential, but much like DoS’s near-future setting isn’t used too much to inform the game itself, unfortunately. More significant to the game’s layout is the magic painting system: like Mario 64, you reach different worlds through paintings, including an Egyptian pyramid, a spooky forest, a dimensionally-twisted circus or something, and an English town. This is a neat idea that gives you variety in locales and smaller self-contained maps to explore. On the downside, the castle hub feels rather plain in comparison.
It’s also a sequel to the Mega Drive’s Bloodlines, a fact which didn’t resonate much with me. It’s worth reading up a bit on the backstory but the game explains itself quite well without playing that one, which features the previous generation to this. The plot is developed fairly well for this type of game as you play through and the characters are mostly appealing.
The game looks nice; since each map looks different and has a unique design, they feel fresh. Sprite animation is as great as ever, but there is sometimes that odd mix of 3D polygons with the mostly 2D spritework, mostly for backgrounds and the occasional enemy. (I like it and it’s used sparingly.) The enemies are also the usual mix of cool monsters with the sometimes cute or humorous one, although some sprites are jarringly recycled from the previous game; fair enough.
Portrait of Ruin has in total 4 extra playable modes including Hard mode, which I think is a lot (although I haven’t played too many of these yet). It really extends the life of the game and each one plays differently enough to be interesting. You’ve got Richter & Maria as a team, which I gather is based on their playstyle from Rondo of Blood on the PC Engine; the secret and demanding Old Axe Armor, which is more basic but satisfying; and my favourite, the vampire sisters who are controlled entirely with the touch screen. This latter is very inventive and also the easiest.
So, PoR is really great. But is it better than Dawn of Sorrow? Well, there’s more modes here, which works well with the self-contained maps as you can master each of them. This fragmentation can get tedious though, with 9 areas in total, and they tend to be more sprawling compared to DoS’s relatively compact design. The soul-collecting system has been replaced by the enemies sometimes dropping a new spell or weapon, which is not as satisfying to me; in DoS, every single enemy was potentially a useful new skill or ability, and each one was necessary for completion. The new quest system here is a good idea, and the complicated weapon synthesis system has thankfully been axed. I also really liked the partner dynamic with its feeling of cooperation, which carried through most of the extra modes too. So I’ll give the edge to Portrait of Ruin, with its evolution in game design even if there were some compromises with the different core mechanic and level design. Hooray!
I’m really digging this Castlevania thing, yeah. The GBA ones are coming out now on the Wii U’s Virtual Console, so I might check those out next so I don’t spoil myself with the more technologically advanced Symphony of the Night or Order of Ecclesia. But those 5 are all the Metroidvania ones left! Konami, forget this dumb 3D Lords of Shadow bollocks and make some more sweet 2D exploratory action! No problem.
March 16, 2015
Anonymous asked: I notice you almost exclusively review games for mobile and Nintendo systems. Do you ever feel like you are missing out on certain genres or franchises you would like to visit?
Thanks for the question. I do occasionally have a twinge of wanting to play something, like Shadow of Mordor recently, that is not only outside my usual purview but also on a console I don’t own. But for the most part I’m quite content with what I have available. I’m into platformers, action-adventure, some RPGs, the occasional racing game. Nintendo serves me well and I love their IP. My impression of what I’m “missing out on” is realistic violence, heavily multiplayer-focused experiences, and open-ended games. And I don’t miss that at all.
I get to see a lot of the new stuff through podcasts and so on, ABC’s Good Game, people talking on the forum; and a lot of it doesn’t appeal to me. I do currently have a small stack of PS3 games that I’ve yet to get around to, and a modest Steam library of Humble Bundles and Portal 2, which is actually next on my list. So when I do want to branch out I can, but I guess Nintendo stuff just fits my tastes very well.
One thing I will say is that if you, my loyal readers, ever want to challenge me to play something or want to see me write about any particular thing, I will see it done. Provided it’s not The Order 1886 or something.
March 16, 2015
[Review] Excite Truck (Wii)
Let me be perfectly up-front and honest: I only bought this game to complete my collection of in-game bumper stickers for Samus’s ship in Metroid Prime 3.
Ok, that’s not actually true, but learning that it was one of the few games that would do that gave it a blessing of sorts, like it was a game that maybe was worth looking into. It was reading opinions of the game from other people that convinced me to pick it up.
I’ve never played Excitebike—why would I, it’s a NES game—so I didn’t have expectations. Good thing too, because despite nominally being a continuation due to the name they don’t have much in common. You can maybe see some similarities with the courses found in Excitebike 64, but the whole focus of this game is not really on the racing. The goal is to reach a given star value for each track; coming in first does give you a healthy score bonus, but the main thing to think about is the sicknasty jumps and crashes you can do.
You get stars for drifting, air time, tricks, smashing other trucks, even for wiping out in a cool way; these crashes also give you a chance to return to the track with a boost, so crashing isn’t discouraged in this game. This is a fun decision as there’s less punishment, and this attitude is necessary due to the control scheme.
Yes, apart from a continuation of the Excitebike series, this is one of those early Wii games that wanted to use the remote in a different way. In this case, tilting to steer and do spins is the only control method, with turbo boosting activated by holding any D-pad direction. As you might expect, it’s a bit imprecise, but the track design and the crash recovery mechanic make it perfectly manageable and even quite fun.
Some precision is required to hit the powerups, which come in two kinds: one that’s essentially Mario Kart’s star item, and the more common one which instantly shifts the terrain. This is a very cool idea; mountains will rise or valleys form in a matter of seconds, giving you a sweet place to jump and throwing off your opponents. Seeing the map geometry just change like that is fascinating, considering the whole game pursues a realistic look. The tracks are a little fanciful, with holes blown in the Great Wall of China and such, and the physics are most definitely wild and arcadey. But the trucks and tracks are aesthetically very much in the real world.
So the core mechanics are fairly solid, but the star requirements can make getting through the cups very challenging. Clearing a course after several attempts gives satisfaction, but if you want to unlock stuff you need S rank in every track, which I found just impossible so gave up. This left the game feeling a little short on content. There’s a nice challenge mode which gives you specific goals like jumping through rings or smashing other trucks in an arena, but they’re so few. I really ran out of things to do. The environment types only number a handful too. Still, for the small price I found it I got enough value here.
The question of its worth though is muddied by its sequel, Excite Bots. From the brief footage I’ve seen it looks like the same game but improved, simply superceding this one. It’s the same mechanics but the trucks and courses have more personality, there are more trick options, the graphics look a bit better, there are more modes to play. I’d recommend getting that… if you can find it. Still, this was a bit of fun while it lasted. Tearing through a course is pretty “exciting”.
March 11, 2015
Beta DKC2 title screen. Note the word Quest in gold inside the chest, instead of floating in the air with the other words where it belongs. This lets us see more of the background, including the ship. It’s also a higher quality render compared to the title screen itself, obviously. This image was taken from page 1 of the German official DKC2 comic, which can be read in English here:
February 26, 2015
[Review] Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)
Ok, the version I played was called Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise, but that name is so dumb. No one screenshot can do it justice because there’s so much variety in how each game looks, even though the gameplay is pretty consistent, but here’s Love Rap.
This series has its devotees, and while I’ve never been big on rhythm games, my brother and I once had a good time laughing at the sheer bizarreness of the GBA original. This iteration (the third) follows the same formula quite closely, and is perhaps less outright weird but very creative and imaginative with the settings and tasks. Always having something new to look at and do is engaging, and although as I said the gameplay is just pressing either A or A+B with the right timing, this just makes each new game accessible.
So it’s very successful, but having a sense of rhythm and beat is very important to your enjoyment. Nobody likes failing over and over again because of the game being too demanding for your skills; fortunately it seems forgiving in letting you pass (at least for my level of skills), and will let you past the “remix” stages that unlock after every 5 games cleared if you fail hard enough. It’s still frustrating from time to time and I had to accept the fact that I’ll never be able to “perfect”… well, anything in this game.
Having talked to people online who have perfected everything, it’s good that the game can cater to different skill levels like that. For the record, when I finished I had 10 medals out of 50, and that’s just for doing well, not for doing perfect. I didn’t take the time to replay many stages though, and I feel that this (and any Rhythm Heaven game) is at its best when it’s constantly surprising you with the next unique setting, and you’re adapting to each new challenge; like WarioWare, which has commonalities with the series as well as sharing developers to some extent.
I did want to get through it quickly though, to share it with my brother this weekend. He does read this blog, so I guess I just spoiled another birthday surprise for him… sorry, bro!
Finally, I also had a go at the DS entry, called just Rhythm Heaven (it gets confusing when you start comparing the names in different regions). They’re very similar, structurally the game doesn’t really change between entries. The Wii version has the distinct edge though for a few reasons. Firstly the platform: its rounded, cartoony style is more pleasant than the pixellated DS look, and those DS speakers obviously can’t hold up to the sound from a TV with a proper console. More importantly, while the Wii version’s controls are simple button presses which are easy to time with the music, the DS one demands touch screen flicks which simply aren’t responsive enough for the precision needed in timing. The experience just doesn’t feel as good; it’s hard to get in the zone when holding and interacting with the DS in that way compared to a the greater immersion of a static TV and a simple button press.
So we can chalk this game up to another underrated gem in the Wii’s library. For the frankly ludicrous price I found it at, it’s well worth it. You really do need some sense of rhythm to get anything out of it though, and I acknowledge it’s not for everyone. But the sheer creativity and wacky fun of the games is worth seeing. Recommended.
February 25, 2015
[Review] N+ (DS)
While taking a sabbatical from Rayman/Tonic Trouble, I played a game that my awesome wife bought me as a present when we moved house. When I got my first computer in university (an iBook G4) I was obsessed with finding software and games from wherever I could, preferably free. A friend passed along the cool free flash game N and I got hooked. Having already played I Wanna Be The Guy I had a taste for polished 2D platformers with excellent control that are super hard but not too punishing in that retrying is extremely easy. Super Meat Boy and to a lesser extent Rayman Origins later delivered a similar feeling.
Although I’m dismayed that the upcoming N++ is at this point a PS4 exclusive for some reason, I wanted to support Metanet and see what they’d done with this upgrade. The DS version doesn’t have the various extra level packs that the Xbox 360 version has, but well I’m not buying an Xbox am I now? I also found out that the DS one had a community and level sharing features that had quickly been shut down by the publisher Atari; the Nintendo WFC is gone now anyway so it’s moot. Having so many features in the menus that simply don’t work anymore is disheartening, but I mainly just wanted to play the levels anyway.
So how are they? To put it simply, they’re much easier than I remember the Flash version being. I barely got through half the stages in that one before becoming stuck on a whole range of available levels. Whether I have better skills now (unlikely), the controls suit it better (possible), or it was just tuned easier for more broad appeal (likely), I didn’t find it too bad to complete every one of the 50 chapters (5 levels each). However, entering the cheat code for the “Atari level pack” is essential as it opens a set of 5 chapters that retain the diabolical challenge that I remembered.
One of the tentpole features of this release is the updated graphics. Sound is basically untouched but the game looks fancier with a lot more detail on the objects and backgrounds. It’s possible to switch back to the Flash game’s “pure” style, but I liked the new style, only preferring “pure” for when I was stuck on a hard chapter and needed to concentrate without the extra complexity which could be slightly distracting.
This game is really just about the gameplay and presenting you with platforming challenges in a robust engine, and with that it succeeds. The game plays just as I remembered: like a dream, and the level designs are top-notch. If anything I had more fun than with the original, since I was actually able to finish it all. The DS works pretty well, showing the whole level on one screen and a close up on the other screen. This is an unfortunate side effect of the screen size but they made the best of it.
Speaking of the specifics of this port, there are quite a few minor UI niggles, such as the cursor defaulting to “new game” instead of “continue”, and menus generally being a bit unclear. The post-death physics and animation are also definitely inferior to the Flash game’s, which is a shame.
Still, despite a few annoyances and half the game’s features being unavailable now, this is for the moment the best way to play N. Well, maybe the 360 is better but this one’s portable, so there [oops, just realised it came out on PSP too—which has the full levels on screen… maybe try that one, but who has a PSP anyway?]. The slightly toned down difficulty made it more enjoyable, there were only a few occasions of the massive frustration that the original engendered. I’d recommend it since it’s on the cheap, although the only place I found it was through Amazon (I think it had a low print run). Anyways: recommended.
February 17, 2015
[Review] Picross e5 (3DS)
I was pleased as punch to be presented with another portable Picross puzzle set. So ravenous was I for more relaxing and engrossing puzzles, that I raced through with no regard for reasonable restriction. Consequently, I quickly completed the collection.
Gah, can’t keep that up. At this point the refinement is very subtle. Picross e4 seems to have perfected the formula, bringing features from the three previous games. This one is basically just another e4, it doesn’t really change anything and is just more puzzles. And that’s perfectly fine with me. More please!
PS. A big wag of my finger to dumb old Nintendo, who have now released two Picross games that are exclusive to Japan, exclusive to Club Nintendo rewards, and are exclusively based on Nintendo characters. I want them so bad, and I just hate that they don’t care enough to make such a great idea actually available. Sigh.
February 16, 2015
What the hell that is so cute.
This is exactly what I was just talking about. Best feature in Pokemon history.
(via challengerapproaching)
February 16, 2015
[Review] Pokemon: Omega Ruby (3DS)
After playing White 2 and finding it a bit of a drag, I skipped X & Y. My wife got it and was impressed, but I felt the need to step back. When this one came around though, it felt good for both of us to play it together. We agree that it’s probably the best one yet, and has lots of good features and improvements to the systems, but there’s drawbacks and even appreciated features that have been removed.
For this game, I planned out my team beforehand. I picked out one Mon from each generation to fill my team, with a good mix of typing and cool Pokes that I liked. I also had fun nicknaming them after Doctor Who companions. I ended up with Donna the Ninetales, Rory the Lanturn, Ace the Breloom, Frobisher the Glaceon, Captain Jack the Archeops, and Romana the Malamar. It was a fun team, and much more interesting than being stuck with a Poochyena or Swellow for the first few hours.
This leads to the first issue: a rather boring set of Pokemon available. Most of the time, you’ll be battling the same monsters again and again from a small pool of Hoenn natives, in the wild and with trainers. Sure the familiarity means you know how to deal with them, but it’s just bland and the game really doesn’t need to be any easier; I had no difficulties at any time with the challenge, which was disappointing.
A small range of Mons is symptomatic of a larger problem with these games: their status as remakes forces them into slavish adherence to the originals. It didn’t have to be this way, and they did a few things to the world to make it more interesting, but it still feels like an old game. The grid-based movement feels restrictive in this day and age, especially since they have taken half-steps to allowing freer movement—but only in certain areas. Hoenn too feels very samey, and my wife assures me that X&Y’s variety leads to this feeling like a step back—which it is, as it was designed years ago.
As for those missing features I mentioned earlier: once again, having your first Poke follow you around—HGSS’s star feature—is absent. Add on to this the lack of appearance customisation, which debuted in X&Y, on top of the game’s environments blending together somewhat, and screenshots begin to be hard to tell apart.
That’s not to say that it’s all bad; as I said, this may in fact be the best in terms of systems. The gameplay and UI are streamlined, so it’s better than ever in terms of playability. Movement, despite the jarring grid/free conflicts, is great with more options and control, not to mention the amazing Soar function that removes the need for Fly permanently. The bottom screen has tons of great options too, with the new AreaNav (map) and DexNav (showing you the area’s wild Pokemon) seeming almost no-brainers in their usefulness, along with X&Y’s less universally useful features that return wholesale.
Secret Bases and Mirage Spots, the other additions, are also fun and add variety. Decorating your own base didn’t hook me as much as I would have liked, but is a meaty update to the feature as it was in the original. These are added on top of a towering stack of features and activities, not all of which have to be bothered with, as I’ve come to realise, to enjoy the game fully. The post-game Delta Episode was also a good idea and cool, but let down a little by the dumb characters (the plot is very lacklustre in general, actually).
Still, the DexNav and the cloud-based cross-platform Pokebank storage system meant that this is the one where we finally went for full Pokedex completion. And, with the help of our HG and White 2 games, I’m very happy to say we achieved it! We missed a few mythical ones, due to GTS hacks not working anymore and not being willing to do browser hack injection, but it still counts. It feels good 2 B A Master. It feels like we’ve achieved all we can (and burnt ourselves out with intense breeding and evolving), so I’ll say Gen 7 will have to be pretty special to get me playing again soon.
I wish this game had done more to stand out from its source. I did own Ruby back in the day, but was only halfway through when we were robbed of our GBA and games on holiday. The nostalgia element that was leaned on quite heavily just did not factor in for me, and the music was simply annoying. Each new game should strive to better those that came before, and not make the compromises that made this a weaker game. Ah well, despite it all it was good fun and a great Pokemon game.
February 12, 2015
I am definitely no artist. But I wanted to be the third person to draw a fanart of Spuzzwick’s DKU Comix character Archduke Ferdisand. Behold my pathetic skills!
The design was from memory, except I forgot the moustache and the fact that his vest doesn’t have arms.
February 8, 2015
Aunty Jack Miis! I figured this classic ABC comedy could use some love—I finally got the box set for Christmas and it’s great. I went with the most enduring core set of characters (also the funniest), that continued into Wollongong the Brave and Aunty Jack Sings Wollongong; sorry, Neville and Flange! Including my favourites such as Errol & Neil or Norman Gunston would be superfluous, since it’s just Grahame, Rory, and Garry in different costumes. Use them yourself, or I’ll rip your bloody arms off (if you even know what this show is); of course, as a Wollongong boy myself it’s part of my cultural heritage!
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