Like many gamers, I’ve held Majora’s Mask on something of a pedestal. I’d borrowed it from a friend back in the day and got all the masks. Revisiting it now it holds up; a true classic, and this is most likely the definitive version. It just didn’t quite fulfil the high view it had been built up to.
In fact, playing it now made me retroactively appreciate Ocarina of Time a little more. I can’t say that MM is strictly superior to its predecessor; it’s very purposefully doing something different, which is especially great in the Zelda series. Of course, it’s divisive: such criticisms as the 3-day system breaking the pace or feeling, when in fact I feel it is fundamental to the pace and mood of this particular game. Or that it’s too short, whereas I appreciate a more compact experience from time to time (I certainly don’t want something that drags like Skyward Sword).
You can’t look at this game critically without considering its origins as a rush job, reusing assets from Ocarina to meet a deadline. The way they twisted it makes this work very well for the story though, especially if you’re familiar with the prequel. Termina can feel very unsettling with its old faces in new roles, and said roles are much richer for the most part.
To elaborate, the minor characters and your interactions with them are deeper due to the sidequest system and the day cycle which gives them routines and events. There are less major characters with emotional impact like the Sages though; and perhaps intentionally, using your transformations and masks often acts as a barrier between Link and other people—I’m thinking especially of how Zoras and Gorons will actively mistake you for Mikau and Darmani when transformed. This gives a melancholy feel to proceedings since you know they’re actually dead.
So there is an emotional depth to the game, and I felt very driven to complete my final cycle after I’d got the Fierce Deity mask “perfectly”, Groundhog Day style. What a great movie. Anyway, I pulled it off for the most part: clearing the dungeons a second time is very quick due to boss warps. I especially wanted to finish the Romani Ranch and Anju sidequests while I was at it; I skipped Kafei’s final task though because he’s a selfish prat and if his pride is too much to go to Anju that’s his own damn fault. Sorry, I’ve got opinions. I’ve also got headcanons that the Hero of Time returns to Termina in his adult years and marries Cremia.
Ahem. As an evolution and expansion on Ocarina, MM is pretty much perfect, much better than Ura Zelda would have been. It’s also great as a Zelda series experiment. Maybe not a great jumping on point though. The additions to this version are also great; the improved Bomber’s notebook, all the little tweaks, the fishing holes. Of course, there’s too many rare fish which makes completion a bit of a chore, and the Zora swimming is severely nerfed. But overall, super nice game. One moon out of one.
Playing the original Paper Mario games after all the others was a mistake, I think. All the others build on it so much, but I appreciated its (from my perspective) back-to-basics approach. It’s also overflowing with charm.
First of all, N64 emulation on the Wii’s Virtual Console is not great. Since there’s no control options, you’re stuck with the unique tripod controller’s layout being mapped in unfamiliar ways. The biggest offender is the C-buttons being assigned to pushing a direction on the right stick. Not ideal, and this game uses them a lot. Apart from that the convenience of the system is appreciated, and on a technical level there are only a few issues; I’m sure opening the menu shouldn’t be so delayed, and there’s apparently some extra lag. But considering the cost of cartridges, it’s a great way to play it.
Having played the Gamecube’s Thousand Year Door, I was very familiar with the systems of the game, the structure, the style; the biggest changes for the sequel were in the settings you go to, with mere tweaks to the mechanics and tone. Which is fine, but they’re made to be played in order. Paper Mario forms such a strong foundation for its sequel in almost every way, and in a certain few ways for what many would consider to be spinoffs, Super Paper Mario and Sticker Star. But even though TTYD is more playable with its refinements and extra badge points, it’s worth playing both for the story and locations.
I’d even go so far as to say I enjoyed the locations more in this game; TTYD is more “out there” with its style parodies and attempts to shake up the world while PM is more grounded and Mario feels more natural there. Either way, going from PM to TTYD is, again, probably the best way to enjoy these games.
But have you, reader, ever heard of this game? It’s a simplistic RPG with light action and platforming elements, a strong art direction with cute paper-thin characters in a mainly 3D world, and writing with humour and heart. It also makes good use of the Mario license with familiar and obscure characters, many of them with a design twist (each of your party members is a variation of a past enemy). Unlike many RPGs, your personal progression is very modular, so each extra point of damage is well-earned and satisfying. Battles require both strategy and timing for best results, and grinding is almost never required. Badges act as your equipment and have a range of interesting effects (I almost always electrified myself with Zap Tap and increased the speed of my spin attack for speedy travel, a mechanic that was lost in later instalments).
Sure, it can be slow, battles can become tedious and unrewarding, backtracking is a drag, the environments can seem standard for Mario (I thought the game made them novel enough), you’re not allowed to get enough badge points, the plot’s pretty simple in the broad strokes, and it can be overly wordy. But I felt that the personality in the graphics and writing, and the unique gameplay, were enough to pull me through a reluctance for conquering each big chunk of game. It was also really interesting to see the foundation that the next games were either basing themselves on or subverting.
And Twink alone is worth playing the game for. Among the many unforgiveable mistakes Sticker Star made, not having any characters remotely as memorable as him is one of them. Also no Peach segments, no goofball Bowser, no customisable badge system, no gleefully trolling characters (the game itself just trolled you), no cast of fun partners, no tough but fair boss fights, no Yoshi’s Island references, no farcical penguin-related murder mysteries. All great qualities that this game (and TTYD, come to think of it) have in spades. And best of all, Paper Mario has been announced for Wii U Virtual Console! With configurable controls! So when it comes out, go and play it, and avoid that Sticker Star like the plague.
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.
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”.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Like the first game, Rayman 2 had its portable equivalent on the Game Boy Color. It’s a pretty good conversion, capturing the atmosphere of its counterpart well. I also feel that it improves on the foundation of the first GBC game, giving us an enjoyable product.
Firstly, it looks great. The pixelart is nice and while the cutscenes are very derpy the game itself uses colour well to make a gloomy atmosphere and the important bits like items stand out (for the most part; I missed a switch a couple of times). Switches are new and give the game a bit more depth than a straight obstacle course, but the level design is actually more straightforward and while it’s cleverly arranged it’s usually easy to tell what to do next, which is a good thing. The exception is the last few levels that turn into big mazes, but that’s fine as a break and final challenge.
The sound is… pretty much the same as the last GBC instalment, as that one’s soundtrack was based on Rayman 2 already. No complaints, but now that I’ve refamiliarised myself with the source the delightfully chippy tunes are even better (if a little repetitive). What’s not repetitive (segue eh?) is the levels and environments, which do a good job changing up the type of challenge and the look.
While the tone and environments are carried over well from the console game, sadly not everything made the 8-bit cut. A notable lack is the enemies, with only two actual Robo-Pirates appearing in the whole game. Two! One is a miniboss (as seen in the fourth screenshot), and the next is supposed to be Razorbeard I think, despite looking and acting identically to the earlier one. We have Zombie Chickens, spiders, crabs, and barrels, and apart from that a few returning Rayman 1 GBC enemies (red bats and the rare Antitoon), but I felt the primary threat of the game was not very present—the main representation of the pirates is a ton of flying bombs. No Jano either.
I think this game did a good job replicating Rayman 2 into a 2D sidescroller on the GBC. It’s also a fun game in itself, and I got to 100% (the reward is underwhelming), which wasn’t even too hard because of the linearity of the levels. I’d recommend it, it builds on Rayman 1 GBC and improves on it, in design and also the use of saves instead of passwords. According to the credits it was made by a different team, but using the same engine and some shared assets the result was better. Which goes to show the importance of design, or something.
Next up is Rayman M/Arena/Rush. That is, unless I can get Tonic Trouble working. It’s been a nightmare setting that up, you can’t buy it, and running a Windows emulator and finding the iso has been a pain. There’s the released game and also the beta “Special Edition”, not to mention the N64 version (unfortunately there’s no decent N64 emulator for Mac). At least I can play Tonic Trouble GBC without any issues. Well, see you soon, same Ray-time, same Ray-channel.
Having explored, more or less, the Rayman 1 era of games, it’s time to move on to the next stage of the series. Rayman 2 famously was a big departure from the first game, with a darker, more realistic tone and 3D gameplay. One of the perks of the PS1 port that I chose to play is an unlockable level that’s purported to be a prototype of the original Rayman 2, using the engine, look, and playstyle of Rayman 1 but introducing new gimmicks, new antagonists and a new pre-rendered sprite style for some elements. It also seems to feature the industrialisation theme that was eventually carried through to the final game. The single level is basic and straightforward but crammed with a lot of ideas that would have gone into the game, including the “moving into the background” thing that maybe Abe’s Oddysee did first?
Anyway, the final product is much more different to Rayman 1 than this prototype. An entirely new cast of characters save for Rayman himself, although again unique to this PS1 version the Antitoons make a return as random enemies, despite the Electoons themselves being nowhere to be seen. A different playstyle, with a focus on linear 3D platforming with combat setpieces, and collectibles hidden in crannies. A much less whimsical game, R2 has a dark fantasy theme, with the magical denizens of the world being oppressed by alien robot pirate invaders. Humour is still there with the characters Globox and the Teensies, but the environments and music are a bit gloomier in general, though still with splashes of colour and more adventurous tunes. It has a unique identity that enriches Rayman’s world, especially when its additions get mixed into the delightful Origins later on.
Now long-time readers may remember that I’ve actually played this game before. The original release for the N64 and PC was enhanced graphically for the Dreamcast, with a few minigames added and a few level changes. Most latter-day ports, including for DS and iOS, are based on the Dreamcast version (sans additional minigames). However, late in the same year (2000) it was also ported to the PS1 and PS2, with more significant differences. Both added full voice acting, and the PS1 version shortened and cut levels, while the PS2 one lengthened and added some. There’s also unique extras such as the bonus prototype I mentioned, and the additional enemies. The PS1 port also has more interesting characters to rescue from the cages, with little dinosaurs, fairies, and greenbottles (Murfy’s species, although he himself doesn’t appear in the game). The PS2 port on the other hand has three hubworld areas to access levels from, replacing the map screen other versions share.
The PS2 one having more content, I wanted to play that, but couldn’t get the PS2 emulator working. As a second choice, the PS1 port with its many differences seemed a good way to re-experience the game and see what’s been changed. For a start, the graphics are quite poor. Lots of aliasing and low-res textures, but that’s to be expected. The voice acting’s pretty cheesy and generic, and brings up inconsistencies with pronunciation: Raym'n or Rayman? They say “Lumm” but the Origins manual explicitly says that it’s said like “Loom”. Ly the fairy is pronounced Li, while perusing a Japanese subtitled playthrough, they seem to express it as Lai. I also found I was pronouncing Polokus wrong, or was I? There seems to be no consistency, so maybe I should just go with whatever I want.
Enough nitpicking though. The content cuts are actually significant and result in an inferior version. I mean, if you want to play through quicker and see the unique things it’s not a bad option, but there were definitely parts I missed or noticed the lack of, like parts of Tomb of the Ancients or the whole Robot Dinosaur chase. The final phase of Razorbeard’s Grolgoth is also different, although I actually prefer the endless scrolling 3D shooter style to the original’s navigating the enclosed cavern, which led to many deaths in my original playthrough.
On the whole I had a good time with this version compared to my iOS play. Those touchscreen controls really are no substitute, and having a larger (although worse looking screen) was better for the platforming. But still, it’s not a stellar 3D platformer; although remembered fondly by many and with good ideas and atmosphere, the gameplay is not always up to scratch. The level design is just ok, the health system is good, but the whole engine just seems a little shaky. Maybe one day I’ll finally play the PS2 version and see the full potential of the game (or the Dreamcast one, which some people insist is definitive).
For now though, I’ve reacquainted myself with the world presented in Rayman 2, and I’m ready to see what its many spinoffs will offer me. Here’s what we have to look forward to: Rayman 2 Forever (GBC), the multiplayer spinoffs (M, Arena, and Rush… all the same game with differences based on which port it is), Tonic Trouble—the game that served as a prototype for R2’s engine and which crosses over with it slightly—and its GBC version, and finally I’ll also watch the animated series that only has 4 episodes. Some of the educational games are also based wholly or partially on Rayman 2, but I talked about those and I don’t plan on playing them. So look forward to all that, Rayman fans!
The Rayman handheld games are strange. Like the Donkey Kong Lands, they accompany and largely reuse bits of the console-based game that they mostly share names with, cutting them down to basics in the process. Like the Rockman World games, they also tend to mix in elements of other sequential games. Hopefully I can explain that a bit more clearly when I get to them.
For example, this game was released 5 years after the original Rayman and while rehashing its plot, takes a few small cues from Rayman 2 which by that time had been released. For cutscenes it uses his new, more attractive design, and the music is pleasing, chip-ified renditions of Rayman 2 tunes. Some of the worlds also seem to me to be inspired by R2 environments, although it’s largely based on R1’s archetypes.
In terms of cutting down, this handheld title strips out almost all of the supporting characters from R1’s cast, and cuts the Picture City and Candy Chateau locations, leaving mostly the less fanciful environments. It’s not just straight removals though, it also is streamlined with Rayman having more abilities from the get-go. That streamlining applies to level design too, with what I felt to be a much clearer sense of direction in the all-new levels, helped by the more zoomed-out view.
The difficulty seems to have been toned down too, much to my relief. Whether the physics are better or the level design is more fair, I just had a much better time getting through these levels, and even feeling good finding the occasional hidden cage (this time they’re not all necessary to fight the final boss, although getting them all does unlock some extra-hard bonus levels… I didn’t try for that). There’s also many more health pickups and mid-level checkpointing, and less reliance on punch powerups. Overall the balance and feel of the game is better than the stumble of the actual main game that this is based on, which results in simply more fun and less me getting mad at it.
I hope I’ve dispelled the notion that this is a mere port, a label that’s slapped all too readily on handheld games that share a name with a larger console release. In many ways it’s a superior game. Points against it are for cutting characters like the Magician and Betilla in favour of an expanded role to the Tings (yes, the main collectibles are the support character) and for extensive use of Comic Sans font. Despite this, a memorable penultimate level—a very challenging but fun platforming gauntlet while being followed exactly by Bad Rayman—and a good final boss left me with a very positive opinion of this one. The fact that I even made it that far to play those parts immediately places this above Rayman 1 in my stakes.
Unfortunately, since it does have a different soundtrack and cuts the more weird levels from Rayman 1, I can’t just tell you that this replaces it. But I certainly found it a more playable game. It even looks better, or at least I preferred the simple colours and cute sprites; the constraints of detail forced simpler and nicer designs, not to mention clearer level layouts. But it’s time to move on, and before we leave Rayman 1 land to start on 2 and its ilk, I think I will do an overview of the educational games, even if I don’t exactly play them. There’s so many after all! Au revoir.
Here’s a little adventure game/roguelike built entirely using iOS system interface elements and text. I say roguelike but not because you have to try n’ die many times, but because half of the game is walking around a map represented by Ascii art, which is what Rogue means to me (although I only spent a short time playing Angband). In fact, it’s only superficially roguelike. In fact, forget I said anything.
A Dark Room shows how you can tell a story and present a compelling gameplay experience in a very minimalistic way. There are no pictures, I don’t think there’s any music; it’s all progress bars, text, standard iOS buttons, and occasionally varying the screen brightness for effect. What you get is a strangely engrossing town management sim/turn-based RPG in a post-apocalyptic setting.
It’s about man’s inhumanity to man, to borrow a phrase from high school English. It’s about the protagonist’s loss of humanity in their search for answers and power in a ruined world. It’s also about loot and progress bars, which I love, having had a phase of playing Progress Quest (and I had to use a Windows emulator to do it, too).
Like I say, it’s impressive how much can be communicated and accomplished with so little. But I also like games with pictures. This one was, however, short, sweet, and memorable.
I’ve long thought that aside from the co-op gameplay, the handheld versions of the Lego games have offered a better, more polished experience. Is that still true in this game? Yes and no.
For a start, this has more bugs than I’m used to in the handheld games. Characters and scenery turning invisible, the character switcher not working properly, quest markers not being marked, and even a crash to homescreen, seldom seen on 3DS. Some of these are clearly the result of poor testing and QA on the game, which is a disappointment but not wholly unexpected from Lego games given my experience with them.
I mentioned the quest markers, but the whole system is also confusing. There’s no map as the “bit that’s not levels” is part open world hub, part Donkey Kong Country-style routed map, but you have the ability to pan around it. The system works well enough when you get used to how to control it, but the game gives you no way to keep track of quests or quest-related items. It’s a bit of a mess, and the rewards are a tad unsatisfying. (Also: the text is riddled with typos.)
On the other hand, the gameplay may be the best yet of these scaled-down titles. We have the “smaller levels and more of them” structure, varied between “puzzle”-solving levels and more combat-oriented ones. But the combat is more fun than the console game, with super moves, a dodge/charge, and ranged attacks on a different button that give you more options to keep it fresh. They’ve cut jumping, which sounds odd but gives them an extra button to work with and the levels are designed to require it only contextually, a smart move. Boss battles are also less QTE-heavy, which was the worst part of the main game.
Each level has a set of 10 challenges, which may be finding hidden items, completing under a certain time, not taking damage, etc. It’s a great idea to give you different objectives depending on the focus of the level, and really makes replays feel worthwhile.
I’ve heard that these design ideas that make this stand out from the previous simple scaled-down console ports were introduced in Lego Marvel Super Heroes (handheld), and further refined in The Lego Movie game (handheld). These aspects (the level structure and combat) have thus come out feeling good, but it leaves the quest system feeling half-baked as it hasn’t been used since Lego Lord of the Rings, and in fact may be worse than it was then.
Having now seen the third movie, my concerns about not including it have dissolved. There’s only a couple of new locations, which are included in the “hubs” of both versions of this game, and the only significant events are some battle scenes which I’m not too sad on missing out on. In fact, now that I’ve completed both games, I hope they don’t have any plans for DLC or another game.
Overall I’m quite happy with this one. Struggling through iOS versions has taught me to appreciate physical buttons and the second screen, not to mention the lack of in-app purchases, which made playing this on 3DS much more pleasant. The controls and interface are less clunky, and the characters and their abilities more balanced than the console version, making each one feel useful and cool at different times. Galadriel has wizard powers! No awkward item switching! Ahem.
These types of games tend to be overlooked; the big console release is accompanied by sometimes a very different game coming to less powerful systems, and sometimes that smaller version is ignored. In this case, I reckon that once again the handheld version is a better game; apart from, of course, the ability to play with a loved one co-operatively, which is such a valuable experience that it balances out the sloppiness of the console game. Maybe one day we’ll have the best of both worlds, or maybe they’ll let TT Fusion handle the main event for once. Well, I’ve been there and back again on Middle-Earth Lego games so until Lego The Silmarillion, farewell.
Having explored, more or less, the Rayman 1 era of games, it’s time to move on to the next stage of the series. Rayman 2 famously was a big departure from the first game, with a darker, more realistic tone and 3D gameplay. One of the perks of the PS1 port that I chose to play is an unlockable level that’s purported to be a prototype of the original Rayman 2, using the engine, look, and playstyle of Rayman 1 but introducing new gimmicks, new antagonists and a new pre-rendered sprite style for some elements. It also seems to feature the industrialisation theme that was eventually carried through to the final game. The single level is basic and straightforward but crammed with a lot of ideas that would have gone into the game, including the “moving into the background” thing that maybe Abe’s Oddysee did first?
