#78 Demolition Derby

Posted: 5th September 2011 by Jeroen in Games
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82nd game played so far

Genre: Driving
Platform: Arcade
Year of Release: 1984
Developer: Bally Midway
Publisher: Bally Midway

Time for something simpler. Racing, hitting cars, and being the last man standing. Demolition Derby came out years ago, and its goal was simple, based on the actual events seen in America and outside it.

This is the original arcade game. It’s rare enough to not even exist on Wikipedia… but we managed to play it. There are other games with the same or similar titles, but as far as we can see, they are unrelated to the game we’re discussing.

Our Thoughts

It’s such a joy to play a simple game after a long run of complex action and RPG titles, especially since it’s a game that has been emulated many times. There is even an homage to it on Neopets in a Tyrannia theme (holler former Neopians!) Quite possibly, although I haven’t been able to find a direct reference, I’ve seen others use the idea for their own games. At the same time, this original seems to have been otherwise forgotten.

I remember once on a trip to Center Parcs playing this in a bowling alley, it was one of the old fashioned four player one where the game was set up like a table with steering wheels. I can remember being ganged up on immensely. As you’d obviously feel like doing at this point. You need to destroy the other cars to win and continue, and the only way to do so is by ganging up so they can’t hit you back.

When you consider this game was made five years before I was born (holler!) the steering controls work as well as any driving game you find in your modern arcade. The real issue is to figure out that reversing into the opponent is the best way to prevent damage to your vehicle whilst damaging an opponent’s… many a 50p was wasted before coming to this conclusion. The game is easy to play to get into that, but it takes some experimentation to see what works best in beating your opponent.

The graphics might be simple now, but actually seemed on course for the time, and are functional in that sense. You see the cars, you see them smoke and you see them blow up, leaving behind oil or tires. What more would you want from that? The bouncing tires make it feel like something form The Dukes of Hazzard. Playing this makes me wish they had made a decent game of Robot Wars… that could have been awesome.

Either way if you see one of these relics of the arcade age I think you readers should give it a whirl, there is a reason this game is known as a classic.

Final Thoughts

Before choosing to play this game we, between ourselves, debated what on earth the difference was between racing and driving games. This was especially fueled by our realisation that Gran Turismo 3 was a driving game whilst Micro Machines is considered a hybrid of the two. Either way it was good to see that the genre for this made perfect sense as it involved no racing whatsoever. Thank you genre assigning elves for that blast of clarity.

#617 The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Posted: 1st September 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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81st game played so far Genre: Action/Adventure
Platform: Gamecube
Year of Release: 2004
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Okay, so this is the last of the Kat games (thank you again) as well as being the first that we have written exclusively using our new (or old when this will be published) website. It is a landmark for Pong and Beyond in many senses of the word… I also believe it to be the last time we will be using the Gamecube to GBA controller wire. Let us shed a brief tear and get on with things… … … okay that’s enough of that. I would also like to point out that this is also a square number and that’s pretty… quite enough of that just introduce the game. Sorry.

So, this is the fourth game in the Zelda franchise that we have covered with there being another eight to tackle at some point in the future. While are yet to tackle one of the handheld games this is definately the closest we have gotten seeing how it is a sequel to an earlier Four Swords game packaged with a Link to the Past handheld remake as well as using handheld consoles in multiplayer with the overall graphics resembling what we have come to expect from their Gameboy outings. Truly a confusing game to behold.

Our Thoughts

Since we’ve covered a third of the Zelda games on the list I assume we will be waiting until about the 300 mark for us to do the next one… which will ironically be the first one. It most likely will be, and at that point this game will probably be the most reasonable callback, with this being the only 2D top down Zelda game we’ve played so far.

I am not too proud to admit that before this list I had never heard of this Zelda instalment… that’s bad right? It’s interesting on its own, as the reason it was that way is probably that this is the only multiplayer Zelda game and that it has its own requirements to make that work – the previously mentioned GBA-GC cable. Well there are a couple of later ones but this was their first main title with multiplayer capabilities since the original Four Swords was bundled with a remake. However, when you consider titles such as Majora’s Mask and The Wind Waker it would be hard to see where a multiplayer could factor in until now; even then they cheated a little by having our hero split in twain twice. This is the only reason the multiplayer works as well as it does in this game. Because there are four Links, you can each control your own (or two) and actually have to work together to get through the levels and find the extra goodies.

Whilst the main line of play in the multiplayer is co-op there is also a nice bit of competition involved with each level ending in a neat tally of gems, enemies beaten and lives lost leading to one of the players being declared the winner. Depending on the competitive nature of the player this will affect gameplay in different ways especially when one player steals all the heart containers.

This is helped further by the choice of wording when you obtain items, where the game doesn’t say you’ve obtained, received or gotten items. No, you’ve ‘nabbed’ them, giving the impression of dirty dealing. Also note that those heart containers were often the alternative to large gem awards, meaning the latter allowed for some nice profit and having that player win.

Then there is also the ever present threat of Tingle (shudder) who will come in and steal your gems if you find yourself staying too long in a single area. I never liked the guy but this made me hate him even more. He comes out of nowhere and is a nuisance. It doesn’t help when he brings out games entitled Ripening Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love. No comment.

Still, Tingle aside, this may be the most fun I have had with a Zelda game so far due to the well executed multiplayer mode. Granted this is the first one I had not previously played but combining the handheld visuals with a multiplayer really worked for us. It’s true. The multiplayer means you’re simply having fun playing together and working with or against each other, and the use of the handheld means that you’re not too held back waiting for each other.

Another great feature are the puzzles which work equally well for both multiplayer and single player. The only downside of multiplayer is that you are only able to utilise half of the player formations. These formations not only work for puzzles but also in battles, since there are many times where you are literally surrounded by grunts. It is then that the single-player exclusive diamond formation comes in very useful whereas in multiplayer you have to make sure not to set each other on fire. The formations, at the same time, are needed to resolve the otherwise at times annoying control issues when you’re playing with less than four players. While the characters themselves control well, your followers are harder to keep under control. You can keep your party in one of the set formations, else you need to individually move all four into place when, for example, you want them to stay where they are for activating switches. True, but it is still a lot faster than in single player. Absolutely, the game does become easier to beat when you’re in multiplayer… probably to make up for all the backstabbing.

Another place where it helps are the added brains. Zelda games enjoy their puzzles, but we’ve had a few places here where we did get stuck for longer than what would be necessary. True, all Zelda gamers know that some of the puzzles can be intentionally tricky… but we both over analysed simple puzzles which caused us to fall prey to the *shudder* Tingle. Luckily, though, we managed to avoid him most of the time. We just wish we left him locked up where he was; he probably enjoyed it anyway…*vomit*

Moving on, the graphics of this game are very reminiscent of Link to the Past, the game the original Four Swords was bundled with. This works on that level but it also allows for there to be a minimal difference between the graphics on the television and on the GBA. They always look snazzier on the main screen but still it’s a lovely touch. It doesn’t look like a Gamecube game, true, but it’s enough to not look too bad either.Of course, that’s subverted during some cutscenes and bossfights, where the additional detail the Gamecube offers is put to good 3D use.

You can see the influence that The Wind Waker had on this game’s style since whilst it does feature the top-down look of the original it also uses the cel-shading that the gaming world had grown to love; something that has become a staple of the recent handheld titles like The Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. They’re still playing with it here though, not entirely sure where to take the style, and sticking to what’s safe. It’s an unequal marriage of sorts that somehow works well.

All in all, this is an interesting experiment, combining multiplayer with existing Zelda gameplay. While there’s other places it’s shown to work, it really comes well together here.

Final Thoughts

This is one of those games we might get ourselves at some point, as it’s a lot of fun to play. Whether you prefer the co-op route or want something a more adversial, you can have a lot of fun with them. The GBA support is lovely, as a nice addition to make the game that more playable. And it’s proper 2D gameplay, something I’ve been missing from the previous Zelda games we’ve played.

It’s harder to get, but if you can, it’s worth getting this game, getting out your old GBA and getting down with a few mates to try and beat that Shadow Links… as well as those others with their weirdly coloured uniforms.

#706 Final Fantasy XII

Posted: 28th August 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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80th game played so far

Genre: RPG
Platform: Playstation 2
Year of Release: 2006
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix

Final Fantasy XII… in a game that numbers fourteen installments so far, not counting any sidegames, you have to ask yourself what it can offer now. Add to that the side games, and you wonder how it could be new.

At the same time, new platforms allow for more improvements, and with this being the last of its generation, you can be sure FFXII will push the envelope of what’s possible, allowing for lovely graphics.

With both Skies of Arcadia and Tales of Symphonia in mind, however, we were worried and wondered how the game would end up treating us. It might be pretty, it might be Final Fantasy, and it might be acclaimed, but does that mean it’ll hold up for us?

Our Thoughts

This is the one game we needed to play after Tales of Symphonia. Exactly, after a chore of a game which turned us both to the JRPG genre it was the perfect time for us to plug in and play one of the most critically acclaimed JRPGs of all time. After about two minutes worth of FMV, we knew this would be a good game.

This is something that we all know the Final Fantasy franchise does well. They utilise the best technology available at the time and combine this with great dramatic storytelling. We saw this with Final Fantasy IX where they were able to generate a great deal of pathos with Vivi, in Final Fantasy XII they were able to completely suck us in. A great FMV needs to do many things but the main checkbox it needs to tick is to convey the maximum amount of information with the player’s concentration being engaged even further. The opening 10 minutes of tutorials not only did this but it actually made us read up on more of the backing story which has been fleshed out in subsequent games set in the same world.

One of the best ways to do it is that the series felt grown up here for the first time. It doesn’t treat you like a simpleton, having to explain everything three times in simple turns, nor does it leave things unclear and wondering what’s going on… even if our perception of who the protagonist would be changed three times over. The FMV also looks great and realistic – the best it could do at the time, but it’s enough. The monsters look realistic, not cartoony, but not grotesque either. They feel like they could be out there. Well, mostly. There are tutorials, but they don’t explain it in too much detail – you get to figure out the details on your own.

Unlike the battling and levelling up system which foxed us in Final Fantasy VIII the system used here worked amazingly well. This series introduces a licensing system so you can acquire new moves and the ability to use new weapons. As a system it is very straightforward and allows for the maximum customisability of your characters, basically it’s a homerun. Fans of the series are likely to see this as a further adaptation of the intuitive Sphere Grid system demonstrated in Final Fantasy X. Then there is the gambit system which allows you to program the movements of your party which, if done expertly well, will allow you to traverse dungeons with minimum effort.

In fact it would be safe to say that somehow this game has managed to find a happy medium between turn-based battling and those requiring immediate attention. With the right gambits, in theory you’d have to pay no attention to them anyway, although the game isn’t that easy. But while it feels real time, the immediate pausing system works intuitively and quickly and it was of the improvements that makes the game more enjoyable and engaging – I’ve rarely been pulled into a battling system as much as happened while playing this. You feel in the middle of the action without being overwhelmed most of the time.

Also, because the battling system runs into general gameplay there is no discernable change in graphics like you would normally see. The world itself feels like huge, not huge as in Hyrule’s stretching plains, but there is a large variation of scenery from an urban sprawl, filled with bazaars and citizens, to the skies themselves. When you play this you can see how Square Enix have stretched the PS2’s capabilities to it’s ultimate limit. The graphics and sound are about a half step behind what the current generation are now utilising. The compromise is that every area is formed of dozens of smaller ones with a loading time in between, but this is so short that there is no intrusion whatsoever.

What helps here is the way the environment varies. While there are design elements in common, it’s not as bad as the repeated tiles and very similar models from earlier games. It also feels very open, with open fields, rather than more constrained areas. The game looks lovely and different, from its environments to its characters and all in between. As I mentioned before, the game has grown up, and it shows in the art especially. Everything looks natural. There’s no exaggerated anime-art or clear polygons. In particular, there’s no attempt here to show off. The graphics are great, there’s some lovely scenery to marvel over, but not a single moment where the designers seem to be saying “Look at this; we’ve got something great here.” It’s just there, supporting the game in its storytelling and engaging gameplay.

In effect you feel that every entry in the Final Fantasy has been leading to this game. It really can be seen as Square Enix’s magnum opus where they would have done well to agree that this was their final fantasy game since whatever they have yet to make will always pale in comparison. When you look at the reviews for the thirteenth and fourteenth entries for this series you know how right about this we are.

Final Thoughts

This is one game where it comes together. Not trying to be too serious, not trying to be funny, fitting in all the things that make Final Fantasy great without falling into the melodramatics and boring cutscenes some others bored us with. Comprehensible, not convoluted. Chocobo and Moogles make sense, they’re not silly, they’re not over the top, ruining the tone or changing it. The graphics are great, the sound is good, the characters are very likeable, one thing we haven’t mentioned yet. They suit the world and are far more three-dimensional than most. The story is intriguing and promising – it’s genuinely unclear where it goes, while everything fits together.

It’s hard to mention one thing that makes the game great. Most of the things we see here have been done before, have been done better. But it rarely happens where it all adds up. And that’s what it does. It’s their magnum opus for sure, and I can say I’m looking forward to the next game where they try to top it.

A Very Christopher Acquisition

Posted: 26th August 2011 by Mulholland in Acquisition
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That’s right dear readers – I somehow managed to convince another mate of mine to lend me a selection of games to aid the completion of this 1001 blog. A lot of them are in the CD case so was unable to get a photo of all of them for fear of damaging the discs.

So thanks for the games Chris. And to the readers look out for entries for games like God of War II, Killzone 2, Killer 7 and Sly Cooper.

#569 Tales of Symphonia

Posted: 24th August 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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79th game played so far

Genre: RPG
Platform: Gamecube/PS2
Year of Release: 2003
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco

Where Square Enix has the incredibly successful Final Fantasy games as their foothold in the role-playing genre Namco have their own, albeit less successful, Tales franchise. With two parallel running franchises as well as forays into he world of anime it is somewhat strange that only one of this series has appeared on the list.

Or is it? The Tales franchise is successful, don’t get me wrong, but it has always been a half a step behind Final Fantasy and other series such as Dragon Quest. Since this is a case they have not been able to innovate as much and so are at a large disadvantage. Still, they managed to bag an entry on this rather impressive list (when major developers like Koei have been left wanting) is still a feat in itself.

Our Thoughts

Games like this do make me wonder the validity of tackling a game boasting 80+ hours gameplay in five hours. Since this required two discs to play it on we came into this game pre-impressed with the seemingly epic scale it tries to cover when being played on the small purple box in the corner. It’s a compromise we have to make, as playing all games to completion would mean we’d never be able to finish this project. On the other hand, if you want to keep people involved for 80 hours, it should grab you in the first few hours, and at least give you some idea of how it works. Being grabbed in those precious opening hours is something that all the great games are able to do; this is a statement of the obvious but it does need to be said. In the realm of the not-so-humble JRPG there are many examples of titles that achieve this. Obvious examples being Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy IX and the surprisingly excellent Skies of Arcadia. Alas, Tales of Symphonia failed to measure up to any of these in that respect and since we have tackled them so close together we will be using Skies of Arcadia as a direct means of comparion.

The issue here is that while there’s something in the game here that can keep you busy for 80 hours, it seems to be getting in your way a bit too often to prevent you from immersion. This applies to the battle system, story and cut scenes. Let’s start with the cutscenes. These are, as is appropriate for any JRPG, plentiful and lengthy. This gets annoying, but works. Some of these are, as a nice feature, voiced, with voice acting that (with the exception of Genis at times) is very good. The main thing is that they come every few steps, in particular (yes) optional character building cutscenes. These consist of talking heads appearing on the screen talking to each other, in a slow pace. There’s no voice acting and no ‘press a to continue’ style quick show. You just have to wait for a minute or two to see what the people have to say to each other. We did a test with these and I read along at a regular words per minute rate (since, as we all know, we read faster than we listen). Even when I read it slowly we still had plenty of time to make come orange squash and grab a custard cream. For something that is so instrumental to plot and character development the lack of a ‘skip to continue’ was a huge mistep on Namco’s part and as such made any gaming momentum grind to a complete halt. It really feels like a “You must listen to how we complain about how the main character has no sense of direction for the next three minutes!”

Add to that their convoluted storyline that seems to drag you after a few plots at once, where you seem to randomly pick one to follow each time. You need to go home, but then you rescue this woman, and you need to leave on time to follow someone else (and you’re late to this, so chase them, but that’s only for a small portion of the game, after which they randomly show up without explanation why they came to help you out) However this convoluted storyline pales in comparison to the major thought when you play the game: “Who the christ cares”. So much of the storyline and the character ideas have already been lifted from the infinitely better Final Fantasy X that when names with similar etymological origins, such as Efreet, I felt that I would be playing that than this. Especially since the music, a real necessity in JRPGS, is so incredibly repetitive. There seems to be little point to this.

Another place where the games get in your way is combat. Combat is real time, which feels like this game is trying to be a JRPG version of Diablo. Unfortunately, with the perspective used and the party, this really just ends up a confusing mess of people running around where you’re just mashing buttons to keep up. Worse, in the multiplayer battle mode (in a way a good idea), your character can be left off-screen, attacked by enemies you can’t see, unable to fight back. The multiplayer works nicely – each person uses a character, while the AI runs the others. You use spells through button combinations, which work well together, or attack the enemies. It’s a fun way of integrating multiplayer into a traditional RPG – you both feel drawn in. One thing that I did like is that you were able to recharge your Tech Points (notice how clever they were by not using the usual MP?) by thwacking your foes with your enemies. In a way this made sure that you were able to regularly use special attacks which is far more fun than the plain old swordfighting.

We are being very negative about this game, in fact possibly the most we have been for a few months but Tales of Symphonia was just incredibly irritating. The thing is that there was so much promise in this game that we could see and there were the occassional flashes of genius. However, it was just so hit and miss that when you fell off the gaming peak and into the trough it was enough to make you throw the controller on the ground and stomp off in protest. Something we’ve nearly done a few times playing this game and why we didn’t get too far into this game. We actually thought of stopping playing this after two hours thinking that no-one would either know or care, but we have integity… sadly. It’s not a complete waste like some games… but after playing many great games on the list, unfortunately this just felt like a game where we were let down this time.

Final Thoughts

Sorry, we’re sorry. I’m especially sorry to you Kat… we are very thankful of the chance to try out all these games but there are times where it becomes a bit of a chore. I felt so bad being angry at, well, a game but I just felt there was so much unrealised potential… I just hope that if a different Tales game appears on a future list that we’ll have a better time.

MMORPGs and where we go next

Posted: 22nd August 2011 by Jeroen in Uncategorized
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As you may have noticed, we’ve added polls to the blog and we’ve put the first one up. And this poll is the reason we added it.

We had a slight realisation. While with most games, we’re capable of simply playing it, no matter what happens to the company, the MMORPGs have their own oddities. You see, when those servers go down, we can’t play it, making this project a bit more difficult.

For that reason, we’re going to probably push a few MMORPGs forward in our coverage and cover them in the next few months instead. In fact, at the time of writing, one’s already in the pipeline.

For the others, however, we could use your help. Which MMORPGs should we do next? We’ll be doing them all soon enough, might as well see what you’d prefer.

You should just be able to vote:

[poll id=”2″]

There’s also a second part to this… MMORPGs being social by default, we hope there might be a player of one of these in the group of readers who might have stumbled on the blog. If so… if the MMORPG gives the option, why not join us and give us a hand in showing us the sights? As we might be constrained to a limited amount of time for most of these, due to trial accounts and us not immediately want to shell out lots for a game we might not like, it might be good if we’re lead to where we want to go to.

#936 Infamous

Posted: 20th August 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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78th game played so far

Genre: Action
Platform: Playstation 3
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Have I mentioned that I got a new PS3? Have I mentioned that I love it ever so dearly? Have I mentioned the guilt I originally felt for choosing Microsoft over Sony all those years ago? I have? Oh okay… time for our first Playstation 3 exclusive!

Our Thoughts

Right, as we’ll keep bringing this up: This game was released incredibly close to Prototype, and the games are similar. Here is the plot in a nutshell: You are in a city quarenteened after both a disaster and a plague. As Cole you have developed powers over electricity and are fighting the (now souped up) local gangs to defend the city and find the truth behind your new powers and the disaster itself. Which is very similar to Prototype except for gangs in the place of mutants and electic powers instead of bloodbased mutations. Both games also draw inspiration from graphic novels… makes you wonder how such a similarity occured. Like with the films Antz and A Bug’s Life. This, by the way, is made stronger by the gameplay, which can be roughly summarized as a sandbox game in a large city which involves a lot of acrobatics inspired by free running, and so both take place in a large part on roof tops and hanging from walls. With cool powers that you can upgrade as time goes on. (It is going to be hard to review this game without drawing comparisons to Prototype so I apologise but… with the exception of power variation Infamous wins in all areas)

So where shall we start? Perhaps those power variations? Yes, the fact is that if Prototype wasn’t an obvious comparison point then the power variation would still be great. You have your bog standard aim and shock power which you start off with, as you get further into the game you are able to heal, incapactite, throw electronic bombs, form ball lightning, use static electricity to glide and ride the rails whilst recharging your powers. These are all upgradable based on XP, karma and the types of missions you undertake. You have to hand it to Sucker Punch for getting as much out of electricity-based powers as possible.  I mean, to be honest, when you pidgeonhole your hero as having one of the tradtional elements as a power then… you can get backed into a corner. It would be the same if they just had him have powers over wind, water or fire. I believe this changes in the sequel, where you get limited powers over fire or ice. Yes and this is based on karma too.

The karma system is an interesting addition, where your actions influence your character’s development. Not something new, but it integrates seamlessly with the actions, the world and, as said, your powers. When you are loved people will take photos and ask for help otherwise then tend to recoil in terror. Also, there is a significant amount of urban rejuvenation when you are trying to act heroic.

This brings us nicely along to another major plus of this game; your interaction with the city around you. Although we are yet to play Free Running it is clear how much this phenomenon had. On a personal level this is something that I first saw in Assassin’s Creed and it really has been used well here. Instead of Prototype’s “let’s run up the side of the building and just ignore the notion of gravity” you have to clamber up pipes and hang onto ledges. I mean okay it can take a little bit longer in some cases but it feels more worth it when you get to the top.  Like how it is meant to be more satisfying to climb a mountain instead of using the chairlift. It also adds more interest to the exploring. As you go through the series, you can electrify rusty objects, causing them to crack and unlocking shortcuts – or even other things to climb up. When you explore you are able to pick up ‘blast shards’ which increase the amount of electricity in your body. These collectables, along with the dead drops, are far more useful than the ‘hints and tips’ from Prototype. Even if you need more and more to get a benefit The first one takes five shards… then eleven… I didn’t find out how much further. At the moment I need thirty-eight until my next one.

I guess the last major thing to cover is Cole, the main man himself. At the heart of every good game needs to be a central protagonist that you can like in some way. Of couse he is moody and, like every central character in modern games, he wears a hood but… you really can relate to him more than Prototype‘s Alex Mercer. He really does feel like an innocent man caught up in a big plot, because he happened to be the one delivering a package. Later in the game you find out he was specifically targeted… but to so why would be spoilerific. Thank you.

In the epic battle of Infamous versus Prototype the undesputed champion really is Infamous. In the not-so epic battle of the necessary sequel, again, Prototype really comes up short. When you remember how much I loved Prototype I would like to have it noted that it took about half an hour of playtime to notice how much better this was. If you have a PS3 you need to get it.

Final Thoughts

Since I have just recently been accepted onto a Masters (at the time of writing this) I will now be able to complete a few games in my own time. This has now made it to the top of the list alongside Bayonetta, Prototype, Rockstar’s Table Tennis, Mirror’s Edge, Dead Rising and Fallout 3’s DLC. Awesome times.

#251 The 7th Guest

Posted: 16th August 2011 by Jeroen in Games
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77th game played so far

Genre: Puzzle
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 1993
Developer: Trilobyte
Publisher: Virgin Interactive

The 7th Guest is a game that I’d always been curious about. Having seen flashes, I’d been reading up on it (and its sequel The 11th Hour) for some time before I had a chance to get and play it. By that time, I knew some details of the puzzles, making the game less challenging than what it might be… although it still wasn’t easy.

The 7th Guest is a horror puzzle game – that is to say, a puzzle game in a haunted house, with ghosts, unexpected sounds and scary music. It’s also 18 years old by now, making it unclear how this hold up.

Our Thoughts

This game is one of the two credited with the success of the CD-ROM drive. An impressive thing which explains how it has come to look so incredibly dated.

Before the days of any 3D use, having these pre-rendered visuals were the best you could get and even these graphics took some time to get at the time. Sounds, graphics, strange controls… yeah, this game does feel dated. The low technology options were even the reason this game became a horror game – the technology left a glow around the actors, making them look like ghosts. They decided to make use of that in setting up the story.

It’s an incredibly strange story which, due to the strange levelling of the dialogue and music, can be a bit lost on the player. (Although this could be our sound setup workaround, with Dosbox not mixing these the best way) As much as I know this game is a favourite of Jeroen’s I cannot help but be very critical of this title. I wouldn’t call this a favourite. The game and I just have a history of fascination. Fair enough.

However, I would like to clarify that this is not just because of the game’s age (although that is a large factor). In the end though this is one of those games that really feels split between what it is trying to do. On the one hand it is a pioneer in game story-telling, which is no mean feat, which feels lumbered by a series of difficult puzzles. On the other hand it supplies a good number of brain-teasers which is weighed down by an unrelated (and very weird) storyline. Also the game heckles you every now and then, which is annoying enough, but whenever it does you are unable to interact with the puzzle you are currently on. After a while it just gets tiresome.

In the end, it’s a combination you have to get used to, in a way. And it helps to check up a bit on this. If you know more of the story, the individual story scenes make more sense, and the puzzles unlock more parts of the… story puzzle. The story itself is creepy, enhanced by the house, where there are many small scenes that have no bearing on anything, but are there just to enhance the atmosphere. You’ll see hands trying to push out of the painting, white maidens floating around and the plates and cutlery on a table move around. The puzzles themselves vary between normal and unique, but all have a story- or horror-touch added to it. Whether it’s skulls and gravestones on a cake, or the face of your host Stauf that you need to change so he looks nice and normal again.

I have to hand it to the developers that they have succeeded in creating an impressive gaming atmosphere. But when it was once creepy it now borders on the kitsch where the only thing to now is eroded by the passage of time is the game’s puckish sense of humour. Also, the difficulty of the puzzles has yet to lose their sting. Far more difficult than what you find in many modern puzzlers. The age of the game breaks the immersion necessary for any horror to work, but in a puzzle game, it is the puzzles that matters. I knew these already, they’re not mine to judge, but they seemed to be difficult to solve sometimes, if Peter is anyone to judge by.

One of the first is, to me, the most ingenious of them all. It really is amazing how many words there are with only ‘y’ as it’s vowels. Having to make a sentence out of them is very hard if you don’t know where to go with them. The archaic wording added an extra twist to the proceedings. It’s the only way they could’ve made it work.

One small invention that worked well in the end is the cursor. While its changes can get annoying, since some are hard to determine where to click on things, it makes for a good way to show what’s where. Your generic pointer is a skeletal hand. In puzzles, your cursor turns into an eyeball (blue or brown). And puzzles are a skull with a pulsing brain. Slightly gross, but easy to pick up and fitting the theme.

The only time it gets unstuck is on the menu screen where the cursor, taking the form of a ouija board pointer, is very inaccurate. It’s worth remembering the pointer is the ‘eye’… but even then there’s no real feedback on what you’re selecting. Until you suddenly restart the game and you have to sit through all the cutscenes again. A one-time issue, obviously but saving is a good thing.

These days, there’s little here we don’t see elsewhere better. The only big thing now is the puzzles, which are as hard as ever. This game is on the list mainly because it was innovative and helped influence the path games have taken since. In terms of quality there are better things being dreamt up by game designers during their days at University but all gaming trends have to start somewhere.

Final Thoughts

If you’re curious, this game is now available for iPhone and iPad. And that’s probably the platform where it works best now. $3 for a game like this? A bargain, with the setting and excellent puzzles. Don’t expect any miracles… but it’s certainly great as a puzzler with some nice story added to it. And to be fair, this game has its own legacy in later puzzle games. In particular, the similarity to the Professor Layton games is undeniable (minus the horror) and in that sense, the genre continues to live on.

A Series Of Open Letters To Those Who Made This Possible

Posted: 14th August 2011 by Mulholland in Acquisition
Tags:
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For the last 2-3 years I have been eyeing up a Playstation 3 and I have been finally able to get my hands on one as well as some damned awesome games. However instead of boasting I want to thank those who have made this possible.

Dear Gamestation,

Thank you so much for your competitive prices. The fact that I was able to get this second hand PS3 with 120GB hard drive and 5 games (4 awesome, 1 not so much) for under £300 made a Playstation 3 a viable option for me. I only wish you would employ me… I now need the money and I know I would be great selling games to the masses.

Dear Matthew Turner,

We were never great friends whilst in university but you were the one who let me have a good go on the PS3 and helped me fall for it in a big way. Also, since you were so nice that you let me play on it when you were in your Maths lectures resulting in me joining the PSN 3 years ago I have been able to benefit from their recent crapstorm and download free copies of Wipeout HD and a Ratchet & Clank game.

I doubt you will ever see this or that we’ll speak again, but thank you.

Dear Mum,

Thanks for telling me to treat myself after a year of unemployment and other such awfulness. I mean I’ve gained weight and probably eaten enough chocolate to eat an Olympic sized swimming pool in order to cope with 9-5 job hunting but I would like to think that this little bit of reckless spending will really make the difference in cheering me up. I only hope that, by the time this post has gone up, I will actually have something in the pipeline so that I can become the Biology teacher I want to.

and finally…

Dear JobCentre,

I have been with you for months and feel I could probably be with you on a first name sans Plus basis. I would like to assure you that a sizable amount of money that you have given me has gone on job attempts. Such expenses including new job interview related clothing, books on interview and CV technique and an ever-increasing amount of travel expenses.

But since I have felt unable to go out and treat myself for 6 months on the trot… well I guess money tends to accumulate if left alone. Either way, thank you and I will be thinking of you when I am tearing the city apart with my inFAMOUS related electrical powers. Such fun.

#452 Skies of Arcadia

Posted: 12th August 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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76th game played so far

Genre: RPG
Platform: Dreamcast
Year of Release: 2000
Developer: Overworks
Publisher: Sega

It was a sad day in console gaming when Sega gave up the ghost and pulled out of making consoles due to the increased competition from the fresh-faced Xbox. I really regret trading in my Dreamcast… just like how I have come to regret most of my trade-ins…. especially Pikmin… or did I sell that… anyway.

We will be continuing our recent run of RPGs for a while… and then we’ll be staying well clear of them for a long while.

Our Thoughts

I know this is going to be a little Yahtzee but I feel we should open this section with the tag “Like Final Fantasy but…” What do you want to follow it with? More engaging? More human? With more sky ships? Final Fantasy X-2 has sky ships, but I take your meaning. Either way, I think this is one of those games which shows how necessity is the mother of invention. Sega wanted their own Final Fantasy style RPG for their consoles and Overworks were more than happy to oblige. So here we have a game clearly inspired by one of the biggest franchises out there and, to be frank, has beaten a lot of the Final Fantasy titles at their own game. It’s interesting how this game feels like a Final Fantasy game, yet at the same time feels quite different.

For what it’s worth, this might be the longest we’ve ever played a game, purely for this project. We played for about five and a half hours. We may also end up playing more in a bit (and invest in our own copy) since it was very addictive. This says a lot of Skies of Arcadia since we have been overdosing a bit on the JRPGs recently and yet it was able to keep our attention. We’ve obviously been trying to figure out why – if only because it makes this blog entry more interesting than us shrugging saying “It just is”

Let’s start with the one interesting thing you’ll see a lot of – the overworld. By overworld we actually mean flying through the clouds in an airship with paddles. Very 3D. This is populated by floating islands (much like those in Avatar), other vessels and a bunch of nasties. In a way the picture we have for this game is a bit misleading as most of it is wide in the open air and fairly bright and breezy. When you take into account that this was made for the Dreamcast back in 2000 the feeling of freedom you get sailing in the open air is impressive. There was a beautifully rendered sequence featuring a sky whale which (despite the dated graphics) was still rather breath-taking. Then again I have been a told that I am a cheap date so maybe I’m just easily impressed. No comment. ANYWAY! One of the good things this world allows is to give you the feeling you’re in a large world, but one that’s not too large that it’s full of empty spaces – aside from the areas you can reach, there are otherwise empty islands with waterfalls falling into the void, walls of rocks and fog preventing you going everywhere straight away. Add that to the many discoveries you can make in the world map and you get the feeling of a richly filled world where even the random encounters become more interesting.

The random encounters, however, were one of the major criticisms thrown at the original version.  We all know how important they are in levelling up your fighters but there was an issue meaning that not only did they come thick and fast but so much so that it could have become a bit of a distraction. This was one of the main things altered in the Gamecube port but the rest of the game remained more or less the same. Aside from the VMU compatibility which, sadly, got missed out in this port. Even now though, these can still be frequent.

Even so, the battle system means that the current rate doesn’t feel like much of a chore. The battle system has its own charm as well. It takes place on a 2D-grid, with some attacks applying to certain lines or other such areas. At the same time, this is just as much setting the scene, with your characters running around the battlefield, fake-attacking the enemies while the other’s attacks actually take place. These attacks are elemental, based on the gems you apply, ones that you can change during battle, meaning it’s quite easy to change these and try out the different elements against your enemies. These also have their effects on the magic system in a nice way. Everyone can learn spells, which are sped up by the elements you use in your attacks during battle. This is together with some character-specific spells or special moves. Spell use is not (just) covered by the conventional MP – in fact, every spell just takes 1MP, something that seems enough. Your main spell currency are spirit points, which are a party-wide gauge that gets replenished during battle and are used for both spells and special moves. This allows for rapid use of new spells without too much recovery time.

A small downside is that there is a very limited number of animations whenever you finish a battle. Then again this is a problem with many console-based RPGs so it a moot point. Probably something I’ll grumble about when we get to Final Fantasy XII. Yeah, and this is one game that certainly loves its long animations.

Now, for the big thing that separates this from nearly every JRPG I have ever played (apart from Final Fantasy X). Major characters which are all very likeable. This may be a gross over-generalisation of this genre but it was refreshing to not have an emo main character with spiky hair and a penchant for cutting himself. The last bit may not be entirely true. He certainly does seem to be more upbeat and positive, which helps a lot. While you get the usual family issues, Vyse seems remarkably sure he’ll make it through. Then there is your upbeat sidekick Aika who, despite her sunny disposition, never wanders into saccharin territory. And who loves her boomerang attacks, keeping her safe at most other times. More characters join (not all of which we’ve been able to say), with Drachma, the grumpy skyship captain, having its own oddities… having lost an arm, you see him attack with, at different points, a hook and a fake arm on a chain. Then there is Fina, a citizen of an ancient civilization, who you rescue from the hands of the evil Valuan clutches. She could be annoying and powerless but no – they actually avoided many of the obvious damsel in distress tropes. She’s very quiet and mysterious though, so far… obviously needing to be so.

So yeah, while the game had its flaws, especially in its Dreamcast release, this game is good and addictive. It’s possibly worthy of the highest praise you can give a JRPG: Better than Final Fantasy. At least most of the time.

Final Thoughts

Here’s the thing. I am loving this blog because we are finding great games we have never played before… the downside? Price.

Now that we have played (and loved) Skies of Arcadia we need to invest in a copy… which is only selling at it’s original retail price… DAMNIT!

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