First of all, I want to explain the reason for the little, lesser-known handheld games I have been playing and writing about the last couple of days. I really don't need to explain them, but I feel having some context is something I owe my wonderful readers. I don't know why I feel like that, I guess I just don't want anyone to feel like I am cutting corners or being untrue to the nature of this blog, especially any new readers who haven't been there from the beginning. I had a weekend vacation up in Seattle, Washington, and while I was trying to enjoy myself and my company as much as possible, I did have some time to play some games. Mainly, that time included the drive up to Seattle, and the drive back, where I was the passenger due to car sickness of my partner-in-crime from not driving. So with that, I got to go along for the ride, as they say, and play games while I was at it. I had my 3DS with me, but somehow managed to forget to pack it after I was done playing Dokuro Friday afternoon. I of course had my phone, but I also managed to remember my iPad, which I haven't spent as much time on as I would like. But hey, it's been fun when I do manage to squeeze in play time with it. With that, I decided to play a game on my iPad that I downloaded a few days ago, but had yet to try. Amateur Surgeon 3: Tag Team Trauma was free, for some reason, on the iOS store, and seeing as how much I have enjoyed Adult Swim games as of late, figured it was at least worth a try. I had never played an Amateur Surgeon game before hand, so I had no real context for what I was getting in to. With a game like this, it actually makes it a more fun experience now that I think about it. In case you are like me, and have never played one of these games before, the premise is simple. You are an amateur surgeon, and you're asked to perform wacky and zany "operations" in order to save a wide variety of characters that come to see you for some strange reason, seeing as how the instruments you use aren't exactly the most sterile or most appropriate tools for the job. A pizza cutter is a serviceable item when slicing an assortment of things, but making incisions on a human body in place of a scalpel isn't exactly standard practice, as far as I know. You are scored based on how well you perform precise actions (think of the board game, Operation), and lose bonus multipliers for each wrong or sloppy maneuver. There is also a time limit in each level, topped off with the looming presence of the heart rate monitor, because no matter how bizarre the game is, you still don't want to let your trusting patients die, now do you? At the end of the level you get 1-3 stars for completing it, after which you can go back and play it again, picking between one of two bonus stars to go after for completing bonus challenges, like finishing the surgery in a minute or less, or doing the entire process without one mishap. The more stars you unlock, the more levels you can advance to, which makes replayability a must if you want to advance the game. Luckily, the further into the game you go, the better you get at it, so playing the earlier levels again seems a lot easier the second and third times around. Overall, I got through a lot more levels than I really thought I would, as it had that "just one more level" feel to it. Any game that can get me to worry about scores and rankings and stars has done something good in my book. Adult Swim, keep it up. You're doing it right.
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Nintendo knows what it is doing, plain and simple. People question whether or not they actually do, especially with the direction the Wii U has gone, but if you look across the board over to the little handheld that could, the 3DS, it is quite evident that they have a very good idea what they are doing. They also seem to know what the consumer wants. Despite their early struggles to get off the ground after launch, the 3DS is the top selling gaming console month after month, thanks in part to the XL version being released on the almost overwhelming amount of good games being released, one after another. For many people, despite having other home consoles hooked up and ready to play, the 3DS is their number one gaming device, and you have Nintendo themselves to thank for that. One of the super-engaging aspects of the 3DS is the StreetPass function, which is coupled with the little mini-games to go along with it. I wrote about Find Mii before, and how fascinating and addicting it really is. But since then, Nintendo has upped the ante and finally gave all those who loved the StreetPass games but had finished them, more of a reason for to continue carrying around their systems wherever they went. They released four game, almost like DLC, for the StreetPass plaza, that 3DS owners can buy, if they wish, for five bucks a pop, or the whole package of four for only $15. Each of the four games are uniquely different, but they all run on the same principle of using people's Mii characters that you get by walking by someone else with their 3DS. My personal favorite of the four games is called Mii Force, which is a side-scrolling shooter, where you control a ship piloted by your Mii character. You blast through enemies in the stage, trying to collect as many gems and jewels along the way, while the Mii characters you encountered add weapon upgrades throughout the stage. The game itself is pretty straight forward, but I'm just a sucker for side-scrolling shooters, and well, Nintendo built a pretty good one here. Couple that with the fact I am utilizing my StreetPass function for even more gaming experience, I have to say this is money well spent for me. See, I told Nintendo knows what they are doing. They like making money, and they are good and making me want to give me mine. Want to know a secret of the gaming industry? You might have already heard it, but possibly ignored it, overlooked it or flat out dismissed it. So here I am, bringing you a total pro tip, free of charge, because that's just how I roll. The Playstation Plus program is hands down the absolute best deal for your money in console gaming, and I would almost go as far as to say just gaming in general. And that would include Steam. Every month, Sony is dropping a handful of free games on to the laps of subscribers, ranging from full-fledged retail releases to PSN gems, both for the PS3 and the Vita as well. Better yet, one PS+ subscription nets you the benefits for both systems, so those who are rocking the home game console and it's handheld counterpart are reaping in the benefits on both gaming fronts. One of the latest PS+ treasures offered up for free was Dokuro, a charming little platformer that is designed in a style not seen before (that I can remember, at least), for the Vita. The entire game is artistically designed as if it were all chalk art, which is a cool take on the "hand drawn" style that is more commonly used. The plot is a common one; you are trying to save the princess. Spoiler alert for anyone not keen on knowing about the first minute of a game. The game play follows suit with the plot, where you control the protagonist in his quest to save the princess. The twist is you start out with the princess, as she is constantly running to the right of the screen, which obviously leads to the end of each level. While she runs on her own, she still requires the assistance of you for clearing enemies out of her path, creating platforms for her to continue on and essentially just making her route to the end of the level as easy as possible. The first few levels are quite easy, and the solutions to the puzzles in each area are simple enough to show you how to play the game. But by the time the first boss comes along, the game ramps up its level of trickiness - which is a good thing. None of the "puzzles" are really hard, but without thinking outside of the box, they could cause quite the problem. And that is one thing this game does exceptionally well. It makes you think differently about the environment and the path to take. It opens your eyes to a new way of thinking and makes you look at the possible solutions in different ways than you are used to. And that's a great thing. It's games like Dokuro that really showcase how special the PS+ program really is. I just hope you believe me on this. Since day one of this year long project I started back on January 1st, there were a few games and series that I was genuinely excited to go back and play. Not only could I not wait to play them, but I was equally anticipating writing about and sharing my experiences with them. I wasn't sure when I would get to the ones I really wanted to play, as anyone should know by now that this blog is pretty fluid and unpredictable. So finally getting to one of the games on my list was quite a thrill. Yes, Super Smash Bros. is one of those series, and Melee, the GameCube iteration of the franchise was one I was anxious to get to. And I finally did. This week I have been thinking a lot about the state of Nintendo as a company, especially with the direction in which they are headed. I've also done a lot of revisiting of all the things that has made Nintendo so great over the years, and why they are still relevant in the landscape of video games today. All of this really started when Pikmin 3 was released, as it marked the first big release for the Wii U since its launch, but also the beginning of a busy release schedule for the Big N and their Intellectual Properties. With Pikmin 3, I see this as the first step for the Wii U to grow legs and begin showing why it is deserving of shelf space in people's living rooms or wherever else they choose to game. Other people disagree, saying that the console is dead in the water and marks a total failure for the company. People argue that Nintendo should completely give up on making home consoles all together, instead just focusing on developing and licensing out their beloved franchises. Of course, this isn't a new argument, as the same one was brought up when the GameCube launched. Critics marked that system as a failure almost from the get-go, and while it never saw the commercial success that Nintendo would have liked, it was still responsible for putting out some amazing games. One of these amazing games was Super Smash Bros. Melee, which despite seeing an update version come out for the Wii several years later, is still played by some of the best fighting game players in the world at EVO, which is essentially the World Series or Super Bowl of competitive gaming. Yes, the little console with a lunchbox handle produced a fighting game that is still being played by the best of the best for the title of "Champion." Good thing the console sucked so bad, huh? Anyway, enough of me rambling. This game is absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, a fantastic gaming experience. The first Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64 produced a fascinating idea of mashing all of Nintendo's best-known characters together into one game and letting them brawl. But this game, Melee, took that seed of an idea and planted it, watered it, nurtured it and let it grow into a superb gaming experience. Essentially, it created an entirely new genre of games all by itself, with others trying to imitate and duplicate, but never fully succeeding in creating what Nintendo did. Personally, it's not my favorite Smash Bros. game, but it set the gold standard for what to expect from the series, the genre is spawned and Nintendo itself. Playing it just made me that much more excited for the new Super Smash Bros. games coming out next year for not only the 3DS, but the struggling Wii U as well. But yeah, maybe the haters are right. The Wii U is doomed to fail, right? Well, not as long as Smash Bros. has anything to say about it. On the heels of my failed attempt to join people online and play a game of Borderlands 2 co-op style, I decided to play a game that is absolutely, one hundred percent designed to be played cooperatively with a partner in crime. And like the stubborn gamer I am, in protest of my recent disappointments with every possible partner that should have played Borderlands 2 with me, I shunned the the world and decided to go about this co-op journey completely solo. That's right, I tried to play Ibb & Obb, the most recent release from the PSN as part of their Summer Play promotion, alone. All by myself. A one man wolf pack. And it was probably the worst decision, too. So the game itself is cute, colorful and stylish in the most basic and simple fashion, in every way possible. The pastel colors are utilized to their full potential, but many of shades of the color wheel are vividly splashed around the landscape that you are asked traverse. And when I say "you," I mean "you and your partner." That is, if you have a partner. The game doesn't hold your hand, nor does it walk you through the learning curve of figuring out how to play the game. It just kind of dumps you in and let's you learn on your own. It's not exactly a complicated game, as once you figure out the basic premise and understand the physics of the co-op platformer, you are well on your way. After that, however, is where the fun stops for a one man wrecking crew. You see, there are two characters that play simultaneously, which if you have a second player along for the ride, makes things a lot easier. You control one guy, and your buddy plays as the other, helping each other along the way, solving physic-based puzzles in order to continue the adventure. One character is on the "normal" plane of the level, while the other is upside on the reverse plane of the terrain. You use launch pads, introversion gates that fling you from one plane to the other, and other forms of physics to help each other, very much in the same way that Portal 2 did. In fact, the game took a lot of what Portal 2 did with the co-op physic-based game play and problem solving and twisted it into a simplified, basic version. And quite frankly, if you are going to be inspired by any puzzle game when developing your own, it might as well be Portal 2, right? Here's where things got horrible for me. If you are choosing to play all alone, you still have to control both characters simultaneously, one with the left analog, the other with the right analog stick. There is no AI to control the other character, you have to move them both at the same time. The first few levels are very doable with this style of game play, but eventually it gets down right tough to nearly impossible. With enough practice I'm sure it can be conquered by your lonesome, but seriously, this game was designed to be played co-op. Trying to play this solo is flat out ridiculous. So now I'm left with the question of whether or not to enlist the services of someone online, or invite someone over for some good old fashion couch co-op. Whichever path I decide to take, one has to be chosen. I will not be able to complete this game on my own, not matter how stubborn and determined I am to make a point. The white flag has been waved. I've been going back and forth on how to approach the posting for this blog. There are many, many different directions I can go with it, some of which are controversial, others that aren't. I want to be careful in what I say, hoping not to imply something I don't necessarily mean but at the same time not holding back on my true opinions and reactions about this game. Maybe it's because of the lull of summer, or maybe there is true validity in the controversy this game has sparked recently, but regardless, I'm going to attempt to mix it all together in one blog post, as is only fair. First thing's first, however. Dragon's Crown is an amazingly well-done, exciting and overall fun game, hands down. I don't know how else to properly convey that, and quite frankly, I don't think I need to. This is the game I have been waiting for, clamoring for, for my Vita. It is a 2D side scrolling, dungeon crawling, beat'em up loot grabbing, artistic, stylistic grinding type of game, blasted with RPG elements and overall over-the-top design. And it's almost perfect. The story gets in the way of the game play sometimes, as I just want to keep pushing on, leveling up, looting and discovering the fascinating world they have created. But hey, I understand the need for a story. I just wish it was done differently. Oh, I picked up this game for the Vita instead of the PS3 for specific reasons, despite everyone saying that while the two versions are identical, the action gets a little hard to keep up with on the smaller screen of the Vita while the PS3 version is brilliantly beautiful. Well, without seeing the PS3 version, I think the Vita version is just as gorgeous. Plus, I have so many unfinished games on my PS3, I didn't want to add another one to the shelf, so with it being portable, the Vita version is ideal for me to pack around with me and grind through as I please. Not being tethered to my home console will increase the chances of me putting the time into this game that I so desperately want to. Now I could go on and on about how this the very experience I have craved forever, about how this is what I wanted Soul Sacrifice to be. I could talk about how I haven't hardly put the game down, playing it on my breaks at work and any free time I could squeeze it in. But instead, let's shift gears just a little bit. When this game was reviewed by a journalist for Polygon, the internet essentially went into a frenzy. I don't want to go into the full details, as they are easily found with a quick internet search, so I'll give you a quick break down. This writer, who happened to be female, ridiculed the game harshly for the artistic style, as it dramatically and drastically exaggerates the characters in the game, even more specifically, the females. While wearing little clothing, the female bodies are, how should I say, slightly disproportionate, with certain characteristics greatly enhanced. While she had every right to be offended and disgusted, which led to a bad gaming experience, the comments that the story got were down right mean, hateful, rude and uncalled for. Just because you don't agree with a person's perspective on a game doesn't entitle you to personally attack them an question their motives or qualifications as a game reviewer. Despite the fact that she used choice words that could be taken as inflammatory when describing the audience she thought this game was made for, there are always better ways to handle situations like this. Personally, I understand her concerns with the artistic style, but I also see the game as being over exaggerated all around, not just the females, so I can also understand why people would think her comments were a little hypocritical. I don't have a problem with the style, as I understand that this is a design choice and honestly, I have seen far worse offensive styles in a game. I also have to consider that I am not seeing it from a female perspective, and if I could, maybe I would see it differently. Ultimately, it's just a giant can of worms. I guess what it comes down to is having an opinion is a right, not a privilege, but it is something that can be taken advantage of without proper understanding of how to articulate your opinion. There is also a very thin line between being opinionated and attacking someone with your opinions, and if you're not careful, you could not only step over that line, but sprint across it to a dark and seedy place that isn't easy to come back from. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. For me, however, I have a LOT of great things to say about Dragon's Crown. I just want to keep playing it instead, thought. Everyone knew this day was coming. I've tweeted about it, talked about it and lamented about it for what seems like forever now. Yes, I bought Borderlands 2 during the big Summer Steam Sale, and while I wasn't particularly fond of the first Borderlands game, I still felt like I needed to be apart of the conversation when it came to Borderlands 2, even if I was late to the party. By making this commitment to myself and everyone else rooting me on to play this game, I decided that that only way I would truly like this game for all that it is would be to play online co-op with friends from twitter. I've discussed in great detail on this blog how much I loathe the thought of gaming online, but with how much I didn't like the first game playing by myself, I assumed the key ingredient I was missing was the co-op experience I so desperately try to stay hidden from. Since I bought the game and started mentioning how I wanted to play it, I have had offers left and right from people wanting to take me by the hand and guide me through Pandora. With the overwhelming response from the fantastic network of people I have connected with over the last eight months, I knew finding help for this experiment wouldn't be the problem I would need to overcome. No, my biggest challenge would be to put the first Borderlands game in the back of my mind and go into the second one with a clear slate of judgement. Or so I thought. Before jumping into a game with anyone else, who had probably beaten the game already and would essentially just be my security/tour guide for the gaming experience, I wanted to at least establish my character, go through the basic customization process and get through drudge known as the tutorial portion of the game. I didn't want the process of trying to figure out a new game and get a character up and running to hinder someone else's experience. I may not always play online games, but when I do, I like to be considerate to those unfortunate enough to play with me. So I did all that in one night, making sure I was at leveled up a couple of levels and past the initial tutorial missions before trying to join up with anyone. I got killed on Twitter for starting a game I swore I would play co-op by myself, until I clarified my intentions and reasons for what I did. After that, I decided I better follow through with my promise and jump into a good ole fashion co-op multiplayer game session. I did what any respectable gamer would do, and put out a call on Twitter earlier in the day proclaiming my intentions to play with someone later in the night, and then as I was getting ready to play, sent out another tweet inviting all those brave enough to join me. I readied my system, got all set up, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. No one was responding on Twitter, no one was playing it on Steam. Suddenly, my great plan to play this game outside my comfort zone and in the firm grasp of the online universe crumbed and fell apart quicker than my desire to play the game at all. But I figured that since I was already to play it, I was going to give it a go. I would probably be more comfortable anyway playing by myself, and while I truly did want to experience it with other people for the sake of the blog, it just wasn't to be. And that's one of many problems I always seem to have when it comes to gaming online. Scheduling with people is a nightmare, especially when you are talking about multiple different time zones and all that jazz. While I don't have a lot of set responsibilities that consume my free time anymore, I still stay pretty busy, and my gaming habits reflects my hectic personal life. I game when I can, as I find it hard to set aside specific times too game. When it happens, it happens, and I like it that way. When you incorporate other people with other schedules, it becomes more of a chore than I wish it was. I'll keep playing Borderlands 2, and hopefully even with other people soon. Because I am stuck on an early boss battle, and can't conceivably beat it alone, as I have died many, many times already on it. I hate asking for help, but I'm afraid if I don't, I will never give this game the proper trial it probably deserves. Pikmin 3 for the Wii U. All I have to say about this game, since it is the first of hopefully many great, amazing games to grace the newest Nintendo console since it's launch, is this: FINALLY! What, did you think that was all I was going to say about Pikmin 3? I mean, don't get me wrong, it is all I want to say about the game, because the less time I spend writing this blog, the more time I essentially have to play the game. But I guess I owe you, the readers, a little more than that, don't I?
So with that, I present to you a nice bullet-point list of what makes this game amazing so far:
There we go. That's all you get. I have more Pikmin 3 to play! I can't even begin to describe to you guys the level of sheer excitement and anticipation I have for the upcoming Pikmin 3 game for the Wii U. There are equal parts of the fact this is biggest Wii U game to be released since its launch, and the fact that I absolutely adore this series, that all make up the cause for my excitement. So because I am extremely hyped up about this game, I wanted to pretty much work myself into an anticipation frenzy by playing the original Pikmin game that first came out for the GameCube, then was re-released for the Wii as part of Nintendo's "New Play Control" series that they released a few different games for. If there is one thing that Nintendo does exceptionally well, it is releasing fan-favorites of their amazing franchises over and over again. It has been a very long time since I played a true Pikmin game. For the NintendoLand game that came bundled with the Wii U system, there is a mini-game in there called Pikmin Adventure, which gives a fairly accurate example of the Pikmin franchise for those unfamiliar with the previous games, but isn't quite the same as the full games. It has most of the basic principles though, trudging through unfamiliar alien landscapes, controlling a space explorer while you direct herds of Pikmin to do your bidding, such as collecting crucial supplies and defeating much larger alien lifeforms. Like I said, it's a good experience for those interested in the franchise, but not completely accurate as to how the actual games play. For that, you just have to go back and play one of the first two original Pikmin games, like I did. It was actually quite fun to go back and dive into the original Pikmin game. Sure, the graphics are a little rough (it is a port from a GameCube game, after all), but the adorable visual style and lovable characters truly give this game its charm. While it seems and feels calming and peaceful overall, the looming 30-day timer is a constant reminder that the game isn't just a tourist experience. Your goal of the game is to recover all 30 missing spaceship parts in the span of 30 in-game days, which seems simple enough, but turns the game into a true challenge. You have a limited amount of time during each day, because as the sun begins to set, you have to scramble to get your squad of Pikmin back to the ship safely before the terrors of the night come through and wipe out your entire army. Essentially, despite the fact that all you want to do is walk around at your own leisurely pace and go sightseeing, their just isn't the time to do so. And that's what I like about the game most. It pushes you into playing how it was designed, even if it relaxes its grip just enough to make you think you're exploring as you wish. If it wasn't for the constant push of trying to complete the mission, it would be a game I could spend countless hours in, walking around and literally accomplishing nothing. Some people may like Pikmin 2 better, but for me, I like seeing how the franchise all began. This is the perfect example of how a crazy idea from a game developer turns into a video game, even with its rough, not completely flushed out ideas. While playing this game made me stupidly more excited for Pikmin 3, it was nice to take a trip back to where it all began. In the last blog post, I talked about a game that I never thought I would enjoy, and ended up really loving it - Bulletstorm. Well, let's head to the opposite end of the spectrum and discuss a game that I really, really wanted to love, but just couldn't get into it. When Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate first came out for the Wii U, I desperately wanted to pick up the game and jump in to the franchise for the first time. Maybe it was just the lack of Wii U games forcing me into almost making horrible decisions, but this game was calling my name. Coupled with the fact that a 3DS version of the game was released at the same time, and you could do cross-saving and essentially enjoy the same experience on both consoles, I almost fell hook, line and sinker for it. But for a refreshing change of my bad habits, I decided not to buy Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, on either platform. While I loved the idea of the game, I was worried that it wouldn't be the game I was hoping for. I don't remember exactly what it was back then that made me a little cautious about being too excited for the game, but I remember really hoping it was going to be an amazing experience. I just couldn't justify spending the money for it, banking on just a hope. That is where Gamefly comes in handy. Want to experience a game or kick the tires on it, without buying the game outright? Rent it from Gamefly, keep it as long as you want and go from there. Wow, I totally wasn't trying to turn this into an add for Gamefly, but sometimes, the truth just sounds like it. Anyway, so I recently got this game from Gamefly and gave it whirl, really hoping my worries would be crushed so I could run out and go buy it for myself. Unfortunately (but maybe thankfully?), all I did was confirm my suspicions. This game - rather, this series - is not for me. The whole idea of going around slaying giant, amazing looking monsters and using their carcasses for armor and weapon crafting sounds like an absolute blast, but the boring grinding element and lackluster environments bog down the game play that I so wished to experience. The actual battles with the monsters are fabulous, but the downtime in between epic battles that is filled with grinding and sometimes just a whole lot of nothing, keep me from really liking this game. If somehow I could have a stripped-down version of this, that was just a battle-arena type of game, I would be in heaven. Like, just give me battle after battle, letting me upgrade and change weapons and armor in between each, and I would be happy as clam. That's actually what I wanted and hoped Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate would be. I guess I should have known better, considering this is a franchise that people become addicted to, dumping hundreds and hundreds of hours into. Yeah, give me the "...For Dummies" version, please, and we'll call it good. So there we have it. A game I just didn't like no matter how hard I tried to. Thankfully, the push to the end of Bulletstorm will make up for the disappointment on this one. |
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February 2014
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