There is no doubt in my mind that most gamers will pass this game over after playing the boring and poorly done first entry that hit the Cube a number of eyars ago. Well, I didn't want to play this either but I'm Squaresoft's something or other and I must not only play all of their released games but own them. Anyway, I set myself up with low expectations and I must admit this was one of the better experiences of 2008 and the fact that it comes from such a crappy start of a series I'm even more surprised.
The game has a typical plot about crystals and what not. Four people meet up and ened to stop an evil. The game has a rather mature plot, the ending I found to be almost upsetting with its developments and it was so refreshing to play a game with a half way decent plot. Final Fantasy fans should enjoy it the most as it represents what the odler rpg games were.
Not only does the plot do that but the game play and graphical style as wlel. It breaths a new life into what is slowly becoming a tired genre that need a jump start and it just isn't getting one. With the current trend of what was old is now new (be it music styles or fashion these days) we get a nice throw back to the good days of role playing.
The game features the awesome cut scenes that Squaresoft is known for and not only that but the game feature limtied voice work which is pretty good and fits the characters well. The music has the classic Final Fantasy feel going for it as well and it just brought back a lot of memories.
The in game graphics aren't the ebst ever but the bosses and enemies look great. A few favorites appear like the fireball enemy but for the most part the enemies seemed new to the series. The dungeons feel a bit small and limtied but the game play within them makes it feel a bit fresher.
See, the game plays like an action RPG. Gone is the annoying chalice which just sucked in the Cube game and ruined any enjoyment one could have with that title. Instead we get four characters that we control on the fly. You swtch via the touch pad. You can also toss orbs out and select magic attacks from the touch pad and that's about it for stylus controls but it works.
My only real problem with the game is that to use a special skill you need to hit R and then it also sues the stylus. This would be fine but the game doesn't offer left or right handed stylus options so as a right handed person it sucks to try and do both.
Each character (there are four) has a unique skill. I don't remember what the main guy can do but the wizard and creat links from magic idols to tiles and use orbs to open locked doors. The annoying kid can double jump but also shoot arrows to hit targets. The girl can combine expelled gems and create magic rom them which will help solve puzzles. So ultimately you find yourself alternating between these different abilities to solve the puzzles. Not until the last dungeon do you find yourself reall needing to switch back and forth quickly.
As I mentioned before the game is very focused on the action. Everyone kind of plays the same but their stats are different. You rush enemies, attack and dodge. It's fairly simple but fun. The magci system is waht I like. You will find orbs related to fire, wind, ect and you select one and hold Y and move the castign area with the d-pad. This allows you to heal your allies or yourself and attack a different foe than the one beside you. The abilitity to quickly change spells keeps the action flowing and the game is full fo action. I never ran into a dull moment as the entir game felt like it was constantly flowing towarsd its conclusion.
The game also features some unique ring creation but I didn't emss around with it to much. I found one I felt was perfect for ym playign style and ket it at that. There is also a multiplayer aspect to the game but I eblieve it is local wifi only so no real on-line play and judging from others have told me it is fantastic to play with friends and I imagine it would be with the puzzles and different character types. Of course I can't access it but whatever.
I would actually recommend this DS game over almost every DS title i've played this year. it's a bit short but if you have access to the multiplayer I can see the titles lfiespan really being extended for you. Right now this game falls right behind the first Layton title and I would recommend this one to any RPG as it's a great throw back to the good ole days of gaming.
Story - 8/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 10/10
Replay Value - 8/10
Final Score - 9/10
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Mario Party DS
As I've said a few times prior to this I think the Mario party series needed to die off after the first game, which was awesome, but the sequels that followed were less than stellar. To be honest I would have never played this DS version and in the long scheme of things I could have gone on living without ever having played it but in the next breath it was better than I thought it would be and almost makes up for the missteps the series has taken as a whole.
The game has a nice visual style going for it but I found the boards to be a bit bland and uninspired. Yeah, the Mario theme is present and all but there are only 5 boards and they seem needlessly complex with repeat routes and stuff and too complex for no real reason.
I only messed around with the story mode in this game so I can't really comment on any multiplayer features or anything like that but as usually that should be expected from me as I always state I don't know a single soul with a DS and half the time no one is on-line when I am.
So, the story mode allows you to pick from 6 or so characters. There are no unlockable ones and the plot is always the same so that doesn't matter, even the ending is the same for everyone and it isn't exactly an interesting story and I must say I hate Bowser JR, he's annoyingly lame.
So anyway, the idea of the game is to collect coins and stars and have the most. You roll a die and move that many blocks. Depending on the type of block and its color depends on rewards and how you will be placed in a mini game. Two people on red and two on blue means it will be a tag team effort and a single person on red and three on blue means three against one.
The main draw of the series has always mean the quick mini games and to be fair they are decent this time around but I was really hoping for more stylus control and really the game has very little of that so that was a let down but some games just don't work it out that well (more on that in my next DS review...)
So, with only five boards the game is over quickly. The one cool new feature is boss fights which are a mini game and if you lose you need to replay the board again which really sucks a big one but oh well, maybe that is why the game is so short. The bosses are fun and amusing but I see no reason to ever play them again.
I'd recommend this to fans of the series, as it's a quick game to just pick up and play. It is short and lacks any real unlockables outside of mini games but it is still fun to play in small bursts. I personally wouldn't run out and buy it but it was decent enough.
Story - 5/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay value - 6/10
Mario Kart DS
I loved Mario Kart back on the snes and even on the N64. Things sort of went sore with the series for me after that as it failed to do anything new or interesting with the idea and so many more clones had made their way into the market.
I've held off playing this first DS entry for a while now as I only recently played through the Cube Kart title and the Wii title is soon to be released. The first thing that really surprised me with the DS title is not only how many tracks there were but also how many cups. Plus multiple play throughs on harder difficulties meant this game would be a beast to finish 100%.
Well, to be fair I didn't aim for 100% for the entire game but I made my way through all of the cups in a single difficulty. The game is fun, that's a given and fans of Nintendo should be in love as the game does a number of things correctly and actually adds some new features.
The cast is kind of small, which was my first real let down. With about 10 or so characters, none of which I just had to play as, left me wanting a little something else. It does suck when you boot a game up and none of the available characters are appealing. Sure we have Mario, Luigi and the gang but maybe some lesser-known characters? Oh wait, we get Dry Bones... WTF...
The game has some sweet courses, a fair number are classic tracks from the good times with the series and then we also get some new tracks. Much like the previous games in the series we have typical kart racing with random items and obstacles in the tracks. I like the idea that each level, while themed, has a connection to the Mario series. Not only that but cool things happen in the stages. For instance in the clock course we have minute hands that spin or in the Mario course goombas are all over.
The game also looks great with some nice graphics. It did seem like some things, like the goombas, were cell shaded and 2d but maybe I'm just weird and it isn't actually like that. The game does lack in textures though so at times I found a few tracks to be less than interesting to look at.
Nintendo offers a large sum of remixed tracks for this title also so the Nintendo geek within will lap this up like whatever you enjoy to lap up... Little voice samples can also be heard so the sound is well rounded and even the kart sounds good.
Back to the actual game play I don't think a single new attack item has been put into this game. The typical shrinking thunder, mushrooms, shells and what not are still here and spice up the game play enough to keep things fun.
The game has one big flaw, at least to me, but it may not affect everyone. The game lacks any sense of speed, which to me is a very important part of any racer. I don't want to feel like I'm just chugging along, I want to feel like I'm moving and have things to do and see. The game doesn't offer that and feels slow, almost as if you're not going anywhere.
So, the game is actually really well done, besides the few small bumps but I also found the multiplayer to be lacking. I always loved the different mini games and this time around we get two. The balloon pop and the collect a shine. What a bore that is and it's not enough variety to keep me coming back for me,
The game also features single and multi-cart multiplayer. Not sure how it works as I don't know a single person who owns a DS. There is also wifi game play but no one was on so I can't tell you how that is and when I tried to find someone a second time my game got some error so I have no clue how it works.
I wouldn't really recommend this game whole-heartedly but fans will enjoy it for what its worth. Frankly, the lack of a sense of speed really hurts the game in my point of view and some how makes it less fun. The multiplayer also feels lacking as a whole and with no one seeming to be on-line I guess the community is slowly dying out. Here’s to hoping the Wii version fixes these problems and adds some more much needed content.
Story - N/A
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 10/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay Value - 8/10
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Sonic Rush Adventure
Sonic is easily one of my favorite series. I have fond memories of the series on the Genesis. I remember playing the demo of Sonic Adventure over and over before the Dreamcast came out. Hell, I still try and play every console entry even though they have a high chancing of being terrible.
I personally haven't played any of the Rush titles and if I have I don't remember them. This is a combination of those titles which were all about speed and the plot driven adventuring of the Adventure series. It works fairly well with both being combined and the best way to describe it is to say it reminds me of the opening stages of the first Sonic Adventure game.
The game starts off in a rough way. You need to collect some stuff, do some training and other not so fun stuff. Thankfully once you build the jet ski you can sit back and enjoy what this title has in store for you.
The games world reminds me of Zelda: Wind Waker and I'm sure it's DS sequel but I haven't played it. You need to draw a line to an island to reach it. Once you draw the line you go semi-3d and use the touch screen to drive the jet ski to the island. It's simple and smooth and controls well. Feels tacked on to make the game longer but it's a nice diversion.
Once you arrive on an island you have two stages and a boss fight. The stages are all about speed and unlike the Sonic Advance series you won't find yourself going so fast that you fall to your death. The game actually feels kind of easy but the stages are nicely done and some of the best since the good ole Genesis days.
With that being said the game does offer a few hiccups. The stages are short and in reality there just isn't a lot of them. I rarely found myself getting harmed either so collecting rings didn't feel too important as a whole.
The game also looks fantastic and the tropical theme of the game works in its own special way. The game uses a mix of cell shading and sprites and it looks sharp and crisp. The stages are ripe with color and while it stays with cliched themes it does a good job making each stage feel different.
The game has some really fun bosses. I was worried with the first boss was a rather easy T-rex but as I went on they got more inetresting. The second boss is a pendulum of sorts and was just a blast to fight and brought back memories of Nights. They aren't exactly hard but they are fun to play and that is something this game oozes with. It's just fun and it's been a whole since I've played a game that was purely about having fun.
The game also features leader boards and on-line play. I actually tried to access the on-line play but no one seemed to be on which is a shame because I would have liked to see what all there was to offer. There is also single and multiple cart multiplayer but I don't know anyone with a DS so I couldn't access those features.
Fans of the Sonic series will be happy to hear that the series is finally back on track and maybe with the new RPG coming this year and a return to console 2D we may see Sega bringing back the blue guy we have all come to love. This title comes with a big recommendation from me and it's my favorite DS game in a long time.
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 7/10
Final Score - 9/10
I personally haven't played any of the Rush titles and if I have I don't remember them. This is a combination of those titles which were all about speed and the plot driven adventuring of the Adventure series. It works fairly well with both being combined and the best way to describe it is to say it reminds me of the opening stages of the first Sonic Adventure game.
The game starts off in a rough way. You need to collect some stuff, do some training and other not so fun stuff. Thankfully once you build the jet ski you can sit back and enjoy what this title has in store for you.
The games world reminds me of Zelda: Wind Waker and I'm sure it's DS sequel but I haven't played it. You need to draw a line to an island to reach it. Once you draw the line you go semi-3d and use the touch screen to drive the jet ski to the island. It's simple and smooth and controls well. Feels tacked on to make the game longer but it's a nice diversion.
Once you arrive on an island you have two stages and a boss fight. The stages are all about speed and unlike the Sonic Advance series you won't find yourself going so fast that you fall to your death. The game actually feels kind of easy but the stages are nicely done and some of the best since the good ole Genesis days.
With that being said the game does offer a few hiccups. The stages are short and in reality there just isn't a lot of them. I rarely found myself getting harmed either so collecting rings didn't feel too important as a whole.
The game also looks fantastic and the tropical theme of the game works in its own special way. The game uses a mix of cell shading and sprites and it looks sharp and crisp. The stages are ripe with color and while it stays with cliched themes it does a good job making each stage feel different.
The game has some really fun bosses. I was worried with the first boss was a rather easy T-rex but as I went on they got more inetresting. The second boss is a pendulum of sorts and was just a blast to fight and brought back memories of Nights. They aren't exactly hard but they are fun to play and that is something this game oozes with. It's just fun and it's been a whole since I've played a game that was purely about having fun.
The game also features leader boards and on-line play. I actually tried to access the on-line play but no one seemed to be on which is a shame because I would have liked to see what all there was to offer. There is also single and multiple cart multiplayer but I don't know anyone with a DS so I couldn't access those features.
Fans of the Sonic series will be happy to hear that the series is finally back on track and maybe with the new RPG coming this year and a return to console 2D we may see Sega bringing back the blue guy we have all come to love. This title comes with a big recommendation from me and it's my favorite DS game in a long time.
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 7/10
Final Score - 9/10
Mario Hoops 3 On 3
I had no interest in this game at all. Hell, the reviews alone said it was terrible. I'm a Square fanboy through and through and knowing this was made by them meant one day I would have to buy the title for my Square collection. Well, I got to rent it first and now I'll need to find it to buy I guess because damn is this game fun.
It's your typical sports game but with an arcade / Nintendo flair to it that makes it perfect for on the go gaming but don't expect to get a lot from the game if you'll be playing it at home as it's over rather quickly.
The game offers a few modes of choice. You have training which I recommend as it will help you with the touch screen controls which are simple yet have there own problems. Even after doing the training I found that my guys rarely did what I wanted them to. Steal the ball I would scream only for my guy to jump. Or I would try to dribble only for my guy to randomly toss the ball into the wall barriers. Geez...
Besides that minor complaint which isn't too big of a deal once you get the hang of it and hey, maybe my touch screen is dying because the past few games I've ran into some issues with the touch controls.
Once you do the training (which again, is optional) you can do tournaments which is the meat of the game. These has you picking three characters to play as and then to just work your way up the later. Each cup has 3-4 matches and each match has two rounds of 2 minutes. So it's very quick and rather painless.
This brings back found memories of the NBA Jam titles. You have crazy Nintendo inspired moves but instead of baskets being counting in normal points the goal of the game is to colelct coins. In true Mario fashion you'll notice "?" blocks on the ground, dribble on those to gain coins. Being hit will cause you to drop some coins and you can only have 100 coins at a time. To show you how great the AI is I'll just say I almost always won matches by 500 points, even on the hardest difficulty and cups.
Your partner AI is even worse as they will mindlessly guard your opponent but if the ball comes near them on the loose it will just ignore the ball and allow the other team to score. It's slightly annoying when that happens and there is no reason for the AI to be that brain dead.
The game does look beautiful though and Square is one of the few companies who know how to take advantage of the DS's hardware and I don't think I've be entirely let down by one of their DS titles yet. Even the music is nice and that theme song is catchy with it's chanting and hip-hip inspired beets.
Square fans also have something to look forward to with a few courts geared towards them and a slew of Final Fantasy characters like a Moogle, Black mage and a Ninja among others. The game does have some decent content to unlock but if you score like I did then most will be unlocked within a few hours.
If the game is $10 or elss I would highly recommend this for someone looking for a quick little game to play on short commutes or something. It won't last forever and the lack of actual wifi play (it does offer single cart and local multi cart play) kind of hurts it. However, it's better than any other sports game I've played on the DS thus far and it's been out for a while.
Story - N/A
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 8/10
Replay Value - 6/10
Final Score - 7/10
It's your typical sports game but with an arcade / Nintendo flair to it that makes it perfect for on the go gaming but don't expect to get a lot from the game if you'll be playing it at home as it's over rather quickly.
The game offers a few modes of choice. You have training which I recommend as it will help you with the touch screen controls which are simple yet have there own problems. Even after doing the training I found that my guys rarely did what I wanted them to. Steal the ball I would scream only for my guy to jump. Or I would try to dribble only for my guy to randomly toss the ball into the wall barriers. Geez...
Besides that minor complaint which isn't too big of a deal once you get the hang of it and hey, maybe my touch screen is dying because the past few games I've ran into some issues with the touch controls.
Once you do the training (which again, is optional) you can do tournaments which is the meat of the game. These has you picking three characters to play as and then to just work your way up the later. Each cup has 3-4 matches and each match has two rounds of 2 minutes. So it's very quick and rather painless.
This brings back found memories of the NBA Jam titles. You have crazy Nintendo inspired moves but instead of baskets being counting in normal points the goal of the game is to colelct coins. In true Mario fashion you'll notice "?" blocks on the ground, dribble on those to gain coins. Being hit will cause you to drop some coins and you can only have 100 coins at a time. To show you how great the AI is I'll just say I almost always won matches by 500 points, even on the hardest difficulty and cups.
Your partner AI is even worse as they will mindlessly guard your opponent but if the ball comes near them on the loose it will just ignore the ball and allow the other team to score. It's slightly annoying when that happens and there is no reason for the AI to be that brain dead.
The game does look beautiful though and Square is one of the few companies who know how to take advantage of the DS's hardware and I don't think I've be entirely let down by one of their DS titles yet. Even the music is nice and that theme song is catchy with it's chanting and hip-hip inspired beets.
Square fans also have something to look forward to with a few courts geared towards them and a slew of Final Fantasy characters like a Moogle, Black mage and a Ninja among others. The game does have some decent content to unlock but if you score like I did then most will be unlocked within a few hours.
If the game is $10 or elss I would highly recommend this for someone looking for a quick little game to play on short commutes or something. It won't last forever and the lack of actual wifi play (it does offer single cart and local multi cart play) kind of hurts it. However, it's better than any other sports game I've played on the DS thus far and it's been out for a while.
Story - N/A
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 8/10
Replay Value - 6/10
Final Score - 7/10
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Assassin's Creed: Altairs Chronicles
For what its worth I enjoyed the original Assassin's Creed on the 360. Yeah, it got tedious after a while and the achievements weren't worth the hassle for flags but in small doses it was fun. Then suddenly out of nowhere came this DS prequel of sorts.
If follows Altair before the 360 version. Plot is kind of basic. You're an assassin and you are sent on different lame missions. Without the twists of the original game we really don't get a whole lot of interesting plot.
To make things worse this game is one ugly step child. The frame rate chugs along at times and the graphics themselves are kind of fugly. The city is a bit boring, lack of colors and even details. They are either a solid structure or a structure that has cracks which means it breaks. Enemies all look the same except the stronger ones have more red. Town folk look like guards so I often attacked the wrong person. The falling fire (or was it suppose to be water?) looked like crap as well. Even the games cut scenes are a blurry mess that should just be skipped.
I just turned the game off and I can't remember a single sound from the entire game. Not sound effects, nor the soundtrack. So I can't even tell you about them because they left that big of an impression on me...
It's not hard to keep the game play alive from the original right? Well, we still get to pick pockets, threaten people and fight off guards. It just isn't any fun now. The combat system is a one two punch of using X (light) and Y (heavy) attacks. Most enemies die quickly and without every trying to hit you. You can also hold R to guard and then counter which almost always works and some how makes the game even easier.
Speaking of easy, this title is filled with checkpoints. Ever few steps. Why can't Prince of Persia have that and it's much harder than this. I understand, it's meant to be played on the go but the DS closes upon itself so this many check points aren't needed and even then the stages are even long.
The pick pocketing is done via a mini game where you drag an item through a tiny maze without hitting walls before the time runs out. It's even less fun each time you have to do it.
The threatening is done via a mini game as well but this time it's like I'm playing Elite Beat Agents. Hit the pressure points as the circle encloses it. There are even soldiers! It's some how easier than the dragging mini game for pick pocketing because that kept glitching on me but this didn't.
Hell, this game seemed to glitch a little too often. I constantly found myself reloading check points because I killed an enemy but it didn't register something else so the game got confused and then crashed.
What's better is that the game has to load for a rather long time. I seriously don't remember a cart ever having to load before. I could be wrong though but if someone knows of another let me know so I never play it because these are some sad load times here.
Thankfully the game isn't very long. I'd say 3 hours at most. The only unlockable is a harder difficulty which I guess is a better thing if you found the game insanely easy like I did but I doubt they could make it harder as the AI is pretty brain dead and the combat is broken in such a way that smarter AI wouldn't matter.
I say pass on this turkey and get any other DS game out there because this one is rather bad. Maybe not as bad as some have said before but pretty crappy none of the less. Not even worth a rental in my book and it isn't needed for more Assassin's Creed knowledge.
Story - 4/10
Graphics - 4/10
Sound - 3/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 4/10
Replay Value - 2/10
Final Score - 4/10
If follows Altair before the 360 version. Plot is kind of basic. You're an assassin and you are sent on different lame missions. Without the twists of the original game we really don't get a whole lot of interesting plot.
To make things worse this game is one ugly step child. The frame rate chugs along at times and the graphics themselves are kind of fugly. The city is a bit boring, lack of colors and even details. They are either a solid structure or a structure that has cracks which means it breaks. Enemies all look the same except the stronger ones have more red. Town folk look like guards so I often attacked the wrong person. The falling fire (or was it suppose to be water?) looked like crap as well. Even the games cut scenes are a blurry mess that should just be skipped.
I just turned the game off and I can't remember a single sound from the entire game. Not sound effects, nor the soundtrack. So I can't even tell you about them because they left that big of an impression on me...
It's not hard to keep the game play alive from the original right? Well, we still get to pick pockets, threaten people and fight off guards. It just isn't any fun now. The combat system is a one two punch of using X (light) and Y (heavy) attacks. Most enemies die quickly and without every trying to hit you. You can also hold R to guard and then counter which almost always works and some how makes the game even easier.
Speaking of easy, this title is filled with checkpoints. Ever few steps. Why can't Prince of Persia have that and it's much harder than this. I understand, it's meant to be played on the go but the DS closes upon itself so this many check points aren't needed and even then the stages are even long.
The pick pocketing is done via a mini game where you drag an item through a tiny maze without hitting walls before the time runs out. It's even less fun each time you have to do it.
The threatening is done via a mini game as well but this time it's like I'm playing Elite Beat Agents. Hit the pressure points as the circle encloses it. There are even soldiers! It's some how easier than the dragging mini game for pick pocketing because that kept glitching on me but this didn't.
Hell, this game seemed to glitch a little too often. I constantly found myself reloading check points because I killed an enemy but it didn't register something else so the game got confused and then crashed.
What's better is that the game has to load for a rather long time. I seriously don't remember a cart ever having to load before. I could be wrong though but if someone knows of another let me know so I never play it because these are some sad load times here.
Thankfully the game isn't very long. I'd say 3 hours at most. The only unlockable is a harder difficulty which I guess is a better thing if you found the game insanely easy like I did but I doubt they could make it harder as the AI is pretty brain dead and the combat is broken in such a way that smarter AI wouldn't matter.
I say pass on this turkey and get any other DS game out there because this one is rather bad. Maybe not as bad as some have said before but pretty crappy none of the less. Not even worth a rental in my book and it isn't needed for more Assassin's Creed knowledge.
Story - 4/10
Graphics - 4/10
Sound - 3/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 4/10
Replay Value - 2/10
Final Score - 4/10
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden has always been known for being a tough series. With the latest entry hitting the original Xbox and then being remade on the PS3 gamers got a chance to suffer through one of the hardest games around. Now for those who lack the "skill" to master that game can happily master the new DS title which is a lot easier but not nearly as good.
Ryu is back and his sexy ninja babe friend gets kidnapped by the Black Widow clan or something really lame. The plot goes on from there involving some dragons and stones and other lame stuff. The plot is just tacked on for the sexy game play...
Oh wait. Never mind... That would require the game play to be sexy and/or fun. The entire title is played with the stylus. An idea not often used because it doesn't work most of the time and here is proof yet again that it can rarely be done.
First you have to hold the DS like a novel. Now the only thing that isn't stylus based is menu opening and blocking. Hit start to open your menu of items and equipment. Use the triggers for blocking.
It's not that the controls aren't easy to master. You move the stylus in the direction you want to go. Slash an enemy to attack or tap one to throw a shurkin or shoot an arrow. Magic has you hitting the symbol on top of the screen and then draw the outline that is shown and then move the magic around if need be. It's all easy.
The problem is that it doesn't always know what you want. I have place my stylus down to move and Ryu will suddenly start shooting the bow or attack the air. It just seems random at times and the aiming seems off or I'm blind as I aim to hit a blinking blue light and it misses by like an inch.
The puzzles tend to be easy but are somewhat timed based on flashing lights. Otherwise you solve puzzles using magic. See that spiderweb? Burn it. See that lit torch? Blow it out with wind. See that rock? Blow it up with thunder? What, doesn't make sense? Doesn't matter because it's mystical Japan, nothing needs to make sense.
Sadly the game feels linear with branching paths only leading to puzzles to open your main path. You often find yourself backtracking in previous locations to advance the game as well. You do gain more magic as you go along and you can buy upgrades for health and your sword but those upgrades rarely happen and magic is force fed to you.
The game contains 13 or so chapters. I think the shortest was 7 minutes with the longest taking me 16 minutes. Not long at all and to make it feel longer you can't skip the boring cut scenes with no voice work and slow moving text. Yay!
The game does look nice though. Enemies are nicely detailed and the cut scenes and still pictures look crisp. My only complaint is that once you start getting demon stones the locations look too much a like and I grew bored quickly.
I can't recommend this game. The controls feel half assed and the design of the levels and puzzles is rather boring. Like so many games before it, Ninja Gaiden falls to the curse of stylus only control. Even then I don't know if I'd recommend the game. Thankfully my rental store now carries DS titles so I was able to beat this without having to buy it.
Story - 4/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 7/10
Control - 6/10
Game Play - 6/10
Replay Value - 3/10
Final Score - 6/10
Ryu is back and his sexy ninja babe friend gets kidnapped by the Black Widow clan or something really lame. The plot goes on from there involving some dragons and stones and other lame stuff. The plot is just tacked on for the sexy game play...
Oh wait. Never mind... That would require the game play to be sexy and/or fun. The entire title is played with the stylus. An idea not often used because it doesn't work most of the time and here is proof yet again that it can rarely be done.
First you have to hold the DS like a novel. Now the only thing that isn't stylus based is menu opening and blocking. Hit start to open your menu of items and equipment. Use the triggers for blocking.
It's not that the controls aren't easy to master. You move the stylus in the direction you want to go. Slash an enemy to attack or tap one to throw a shurkin or shoot an arrow. Magic has you hitting the symbol on top of the screen and then draw the outline that is shown and then move the magic around if need be. It's all easy.
The problem is that it doesn't always know what you want. I have place my stylus down to move and Ryu will suddenly start shooting the bow or attack the air. It just seems random at times and the aiming seems off or I'm blind as I aim to hit a blinking blue light and it misses by like an inch.
The puzzles tend to be easy but are somewhat timed based on flashing lights. Otherwise you solve puzzles using magic. See that spiderweb? Burn it. See that lit torch? Blow it out with wind. See that rock? Blow it up with thunder? What, doesn't make sense? Doesn't matter because it's mystical Japan, nothing needs to make sense.
Sadly the game feels linear with branching paths only leading to puzzles to open your main path. You often find yourself backtracking in previous locations to advance the game as well. You do gain more magic as you go along and you can buy upgrades for health and your sword but those upgrades rarely happen and magic is force fed to you.
The game contains 13 or so chapters. I think the shortest was 7 minutes with the longest taking me 16 minutes. Not long at all and to make it feel longer you can't skip the boring cut scenes with no voice work and slow moving text. Yay!
The game does look nice though. Enemies are nicely detailed and the cut scenes and still pictures look crisp. My only complaint is that once you start getting demon stones the locations look too much a like and I grew bored quickly.
I can't recommend this game. The controls feel half assed and the design of the levels and puzzles is rather boring. Like so many games before it, Ninja Gaiden falls to the curse of stylus only control. Even then I don't know if I'd recommend the game. Thankfully my rental store now carries DS titles so I was able to beat this without having to buy it.
Story - 4/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 7/10
Control - 6/10
Game Play - 6/10
Replay Value - 3/10
Final Score - 6/10
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Kirby Squeak Squad
I'm a huge Kirby fan. I've loved all of his old handheld adventures and always found the difficulty to be just right. His first DS outing was fantastic and was the first game I ever bought from the Nintendo Store in NYC. I would have played this game sooner but I'm cheaper and the game never dropped in price.
This is one of the most beautiful games I've played on the DS. The backdrops are lush with color and detail. The themes feel generic and old but damn does it look good. The moves and enemies also look great and everything just pops with color.
My problem is that sometimes the levels don't make sense with their theme. One second I could be in a jungle and then suddenly I'm inside a futurist factory or in space or up in the clouds and I'm talking same world and sometimes all in the same stage. Just feels a bit random. I also found that some of the backdrops felt reused at times.
The music is cute and whimsical, along the same lines of any Kirby title before it. Sound effects aren't exactly exciting but still remain the same as usual in this long running series.
Stylus controls are rarely used in the game and it all relies on the item usage. The bottom screen works as a bubble and you can have 5 items in it and to use an item you double tap it or to toss the item out you zip it to the top quickly. I rarely had to use my bubble of tricks unless I messed up somewhere and it some how makes the game even easier than it normally is.
It's actually the main flaw of the game. The new mechanics just makes the game very easy. You have lives, which are a little harder to get than one would think but we all know they don't really matter. We also have a life bar now and I don't really remember one from the old days and I'm sure it wasn't this big. Sure it doesn't refill after each stage but you find health items everywhere and you can store them. Also the end of each stage has you shooting into an item and it's actually easy to get them.
The game itself is classic Kirby action though. 2D platforming and awesome puzzles. You can beat the entire game without solving a single puzzle though. You make your way through each satge sucking up enemies and if you have one in your mouth and hit down you gain their power, if possible. Now you will need to use these powers to solve the puzzles. Some are timed based along with requiring a specific ability.
The abilities range from a throwing star to a digging ability to a magical star wand. Classic abilities and enemies remain in the series which is nice as well. Our new bad guys are the Squeak Squad and the game ignores it's own story and you're constantly forced to fight these guys over over. The game does offer a ton of mini bosses but halfway through they start repeating and the game even pulls a Capcom and forces you to fight them all in a row for a stage.
The story is about as silly as it comes. The Squeak Squad has stolen Kirby's cake and now he is pissed off and wants it back. It gets a little deeper but not much and the story is rather lame. But as I said before classic bosses like Deedee and Metaknight do show up so that was a huge plus for me.
The game features a few mini games which I didn't find all that enjoyable. There are also 120 chests in the game to find. They contain pieces for new stages, new music, new colors for Kirby and a crap load of other stuff. This makes the game have some of the most replay value of any handheld game I've played in a long time and despite the actual game being just a few hours long it will take much longer for 100%.
Story - 4/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 9/10
Final Score - 9/10
This is one of the most beautiful games I've played on the DS. The backdrops are lush with color and detail. The themes feel generic and old but damn does it look good. The moves and enemies also look great and everything just pops with color.
My problem is that sometimes the levels don't make sense with their theme. One second I could be in a jungle and then suddenly I'm inside a futurist factory or in space or up in the clouds and I'm talking same world and sometimes all in the same stage. Just feels a bit random. I also found that some of the backdrops felt reused at times.
The music is cute and whimsical, along the same lines of any Kirby title before it. Sound effects aren't exactly exciting but still remain the same as usual in this long running series.
Stylus controls are rarely used in the game and it all relies on the item usage. The bottom screen works as a bubble and you can have 5 items in it and to use an item you double tap it or to toss the item out you zip it to the top quickly. I rarely had to use my bubble of tricks unless I messed up somewhere and it some how makes the game even easier than it normally is.
It's actually the main flaw of the game. The new mechanics just makes the game very easy. You have lives, which are a little harder to get than one would think but we all know they don't really matter. We also have a life bar now and I don't really remember one from the old days and I'm sure it wasn't this big. Sure it doesn't refill after each stage but you find health items everywhere and you can store them. Also the end of each stage has you shooting into an item and it's actually easy to get them.
The game itself is classic Kirby action though. 2D platforming and awesome puzzles. You can beat the entire game without solving a single puzzle though. You make your way through each satge sucking up enemies and if you have one in your mouth and hit down you gain their power, if possible. Now you will need to use these powers to solve the puzzles. Some are timed based along with requiring a specific ability.
The abilities range from a throwing star to a digging ability to a magical star wand. Classic abilities and enemies remain in the series which is nice as well. Our new bad guys are the Squeak Squad and the game ignores it's own story and you're constantly forced to fight these guys over over. The game does offer a ton of mini bosses but halfway through they start repeating and the game even pulls a Capcom and forces you to fight them all in a row for a stage.
The story is about as silly as it comes. The Squeak Squad has stolen Kirby's cake and now he is pissed off and wants it back. It gets a little deeper but not much and the story is rather lame. But as I said before classic bosses like Deedee and Metaknight do show up so that was a huge plus for me.
The game features a few mini games which I didn't find all that enjoyable. There are also 120 chests in the game to find. They contain pieces for new stages, new music, new colors for Kirby and a crap load of other stuff. This makes the game have some of the most replay value of any handheld game I've played in a long time and despite the actual game being just a few hours long it will take much longer for 100%.
Story - 4/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 9/10
Final Score - 9/10
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