Phantasy Star Universe was a game that I was originally excited for on the 360, but once I played it for a little while I realized that the charm and the addictive properties of PSO were dead and gone.
I tried playing PSU online, but without set classes that actually worked, I gave up on that quest very, very quickly. Therefore, basically all you get is a review of single player's story mode.
The story in PSU is pretty pathetic, all things considered. The SEED are evil aliens or something and they need to die and stuff. Yeah, that is about it. The computer controlled allies of yours barely actually fight too. So if you want to do anything other than get in there with a sword, tough luck. If you keep your distance from the enemies and shoot at them, your team will just stand next to you and pick their noses. This stupid AI means you cannot play as a Ranger or a Force class character through story mode.
The game is moderately long, but I think its main setback is that they really thought you wanted to play it longer. Throughout the game you collect materials to craft items with. I never got enough mats to make anything that was nearly better than what I had or what I could buy in the store. I hated collecting tons of stuff I was not going to use.
Aside from the fact that the loot was pointless, the levels were also pretty pointless as well. Every single chapter or stage is exactly the same. You walk into some room, kill a bunch of enemies, look for a key, loot some boxes, and then progress to the next room and do it again. It gets very boring very quickly and I just had to walk away from the game at some points due to the extreme monotony of it all. The combat in the game is not intuitive enough to make me enjoy doing that the whole time. It is like Dynasty Warriors, except it is slightly more boring and there isn't that excitement of knowing you killed 497 guys in that battle.
Basically, yes, Phantasy Star is a game. It has no ridiculous flaws to it, but it is extremely frustrating. It is barely in my power not to knock it down to 1 star, but I think that the nostalgia of what PSO was is keeping it at 2 stars.
Maybe if PSU had a four player split screen, then I could give it 3 or so stars. Alas, that is not the case.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Castle Crashers Review
The Beat 'Em Up genre faded away near the end of the SNES and Genesis era of video games, now simply walking down the street doesn't hold the attention of gamers long enough. However, as I found out quickly, if you add a sweet arsenal of weapons, little pets that help out, experience and levels, and some quality humor, you can get an addictive and fun game that is nothing shy of awesome.
Castle Crashers is a Beat 'Em Up at its core, but it is covered with all the above versions of delicious frosting that I cannot seem to stop playing it. At 1200 microsoft points ($15USD) , Castle Crashers is one XBLA game that deserves the higher price that some other games ask for but should not.
I keep looking for games like this nowadays. I used to be a big fan of Gauntlet and Phantasy Star Online (the split screen stuff on GameCube) because I could sit down with three friends and play one game all night and make some progress somewhere. A couple nights ago me and some friends started new guys in Castle Crashers and played it all the way through to the end.
There is enough content in Castle Crashers to give you good reason to play through it multiple times. Heck, the game has at least 10 different playable characters, each will have his own character data so you can have one for every occasion.
Castle Crashers had some problems when it had just came out, but now it is working pretty well. I had one little bug happen to me where we just had to replay that level, which didn't take much time at all.
Castle Crashers is a quality game that is well worth the $15 if you have people willing to play it with you. You could always go online and hop in another game. Check out the demo on the Xbox Marketplace and see for yourself all the good times you can have in Castle Crashers.
Castle Crashers is a Beat 'Em Up at its core, but it is covered with all the above versions of delicious frosting that I cannot seem to stop playing it. At 1200 microsoft points ($15USD) , Castle Crashers is one XBLA game that deserves the higher price that some other games ask for but should not.
I keep looking for games like this nowadays. I used to be a big fan of Gauntlet and Phantasy Star Online (the split screen stuff on GameCube) because I could sit down with three friends and play one game all night and make some progress somewhere. A couple nights ago me and some friends started new guys in Castle Crashers and played it all the way through to the end.
There is enough content in Castle Crashers to give you good reason to play through it multiple times. Heck, the game has at least 10 different playable characters, each will have his own character data so you can have one for every occasion.
Castle Crashers had some problems when it had just came out, but now it is working pretty well. I had one little bug happen to me where we just had to replay that level, which didn't take much time at all.
Castle Crashers is a quality game that is well worth the $15 if you have people willing to play it with you. You could always go online and hop in another game. Check out the demo on the Xbox Marketplace and see for yourself all the good times you can have in Castle Crashers.
Braid Review
When the Giant Bomb crew was discussing Braid for possible game of the year, I thought they must be crazy. An arcade download? Game of the Year? They talked about it enough to get me to download the demo and by the end of my demo run I couldn't wait to buy the rest of the game.
Braid starts off slow and is a basic platformer at first. But within a little while of playing around with it, you will find yourself staring at some puzzle piece that you just cannot get to. Some of Braid's puzzles will have you thinking outside of the box, while you never really leave it. They present you with a simple solution, but that simple solution will have a complex problem in the way. It can get frustrating. I will not lie, but once you solve that problem you will feel like the smartest person in the world.
I have never had a game make me so frustrated and confused as Braid. At least not one that was working like it was supposed to (Broken games are the peak of frustration) . Braid has a few missions that made me think the game was broken. I was sure it was doing the wrong thing. Then I calmed down and took another look and saw that the game was doing everything exactly how it was supposed to. Then my problem really showed its ugly face.
On sections that seemed impossible, yet I still got around them, I wanted to run out of my house screaming "I'M A $%@#ING GENIUS!!!" Braid is the only game that has every gotten me so excited about solving problems like that.
If you like puzzle solving in any way, I recommend you try out the demo of Braid. My problem with the demo is that it only gives you a brief taste of the craziness that is to come. The best stuff in the demo is at the very end of World 2, then those little snippets they give you from World 3 and 4.
Braid is one of two arcade games that I have felt worthy of the 1200 point price. However I have not tried the Penny Arcade games yet, those might make my list hit four 1200 point games that I can stand paying those extra points on.
Braid is a brilliant game. I'm just going to leave it at that.
Braid starts off slow and is a basic platformer at first. But within a little while of playing around with it, you will find yourself staring at some puzzle piece that you just cannot get to. Some of Braid's puzzles will have you thinking outside of the box, while you never really leave it. They present you with a simple solution, but that simple solution will have a complex problem in the way. It can get frustrating. I will not lie, but once you solve that problem you will feel like the smartest person in the world.
I have never had a game make me so frustrated and confused as Braid. At least not one that was working like it was supposed to (Broken games are the peak of frustration) . Braid has a few missions that made me think the game was broken. I was sure it was doing the wrong thing. Then I calmed down and took another look and saw that the game was doing everything exactly how it was supposed to. Then my problem really showed its ugly face.
On sections that seemed impossible, yet I still got around them, I wanted to run out of my house screaming "I'M A $%@#ING GENIUS!!!" Braid is the only game that has every gotten me so excited about solving problems like that.
If you like puzzle solving in any way, I recommend you try out the demo of Braid. My problem with the demo is that it only gives you a brief taste of the craziness that is to come. The best stuff in the demo is at the very end of World 2, then those little snippets they give you from World 3 and 4.
Braid is one of two arcade games that I have felt worthy of the 1200 point price. However I have not tried the Penny Arcade games yet, those might make my list hit four 1200 point games that I can stand paying those extra points on.
Braid is a brilliant game. I'm just going to leave it at that.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Project Gotham Racing 4 Review
You can also find my reviews linked to games on www.giantbomb.com. This one is also posted there.
The Project Gotham Series has entertained me since I picked up PGR2 way back on the original XBOX. PGR2 was one of the first few games to utilize online play through Xbox Live, and it did it fantastically well. When I got PGR3 at the Xbox 360 release I was pumped for more fun like that online. The game stayed awesome for single play throughout the arcade mode, but the online championships killed the casual fun that PGR2 had going for it online.
PGR4 has a high quality single player mode. In fact, it has two different modes for single player fun. Arcade Mode is the standard race after race with five different difficulty levels. Steel, the easiest difficulty, is pretty simple and easy to pass even if you crash constantly. Bronze steps it up a bit, but it still is easy. PGR4's achievement list obviously credits Silver as the standard difficulty to beat. The highest gamerscore is given for clearing arcade on Silver. Gold and platinum clears give what I am going to start calling "Holy Crap" achievement points. They each give only 10GS where Silver gives 40GS. If you see someone with Platinum Gotham Arcader, just know they are crazy good at PGR. Silver is a moderate challenge, but if you are looking for more there is always Gold (achievable but tough) and Platinum (Yeah, I barely can do one or two races with this medal).
Career Mode is a new feature for the PGR series. Basically you start out as a new racer in the PGR circuit and you have to play championships for points to get to Numero Uno. This is spiced up by Invitationals and Majors along the way. Invitationals are fun challenges that unlock cars for your garage, while Majors are extra-hard tournaments that get you some nice bonus points for your ranking. Career also has three difficulties, none of which affect your achievement earning abilities, which means you can switch it to easy and get it all done. I liked normal difficulty however, I generally won but had to work for it most of the time. I never tried it out on Hard. I was losing more than I like on Normal as it was.
The online in PGR4 is not as deliberate as it was in PGR3. Where PGR3 had a set of championships online that was too intense for people like me, the casual PGR player. People on PGR3 were running me off the road to guarentee their victory and their points. In PGR4, the online is much more casual, but yet they have running championships that you can join if you are looking for more serious fun. Ranked races are set up by your Trueskill rank, and I can imagine they get more serious as you rise up in rank.
PGR4 brings back the main draw of the PGR series with Kudos being awarded for various things while driving. Drifts, nice corners, overtakes, drafting, and other things all earn you points while you race. These points are tallied into your championship scores (for Career or online championships) and you total Kudos that you can spend to buy car, track, and cheat packs. Kudos have always been a fun aspect of PGR. The addition of Motorcycles to PGR4 expands on Kudos even more. Wheelies and Endos (Stoppies) give some nice points and you can also simply hold B during them to perform a sweet stunt, look awesome, and earn some nice Kudos.
PGR is a fun racing game, and I thoroughly enjoy it obviously. It has its own little niche in my mind, where my other racing games hang out. If I want a serious and realistic racer, I'm playing Forza 2. Want a crazy, crash filled party? Burnout Paradise. When you want a game full of licensed cars that drive in a nice, almost arcadey style. Definitely pull out PGR4.
PGR4 gets Four out of Five stars for being totally awesome, but it doesn't stand out as classic or perfect.
Oh yeah. You get Geometry Wars: Waves in your garage in the game. It is a pretty fantastic game. If you like Geometry Wars, PGR2 is where it all started.
PGR2 has Geometry Wars (Retro)
PGR3 has Geometry Wars Evolved
PGR4 has Geometry Wars Waves
Geometry Wars 2 is in XBLA.
PGR4 is the only way to get your hands on Waves is my point. It is pretty cool, and obviously a bridge between Evolved and GW2.
Maybe Geometry Wars puts it up to the 4.5 out of 5 area, but I'm sticking to whole numbers.
Catch me if you can. I might be online.
The Project Gotham Series has entertained me since I picked up PGR2 way back on the original XBOX. PGR2 was one of the first few games to utilize online play through Xbox Live, and it did it fantastically well. When I got PGR3 at the Xbox 360 release I was pumped for more fun like that online. The game stayed awesome for single play throughout the arcade mode, but the online championships killed the casual fun that PGR2 had going for it online.
PGR4 has a high quality single player mode. In fact, it has two different modes for single player fun. Arcade Mode is the standard race after race with five different difficulty levels. Steel, the easiest difficulty, is pretty simple and easy to pass even if you crash constantly. Bronze steps it up a bit, but it still is easy. PGR4's achievement list obviously credits Silver as the standard difficulty to beat. The highest gamerscore is given for clearing arcade on Silver. Gold and platinum clears give what I am going to start calling "Holy Crap" achievement points. They each give only 10GS where Silver gives 40GS. If you see someone with Platinum Gotham Arcader, just know they are crazy good at PGR. Silver is a moderate challenge, but if you are looking for more there is always Gold (achievable but tough) and Platinum (Yeah, I barely can do one or two races with this medal).
Career Mode is a new feature for the PGR series. Basically you start out as a new racer in the PGR circuit and you have to play championships for points to get to Numero Uno. This is spiced up by Invitationals and Majors along the way. Invitationals are fun challenges that unlock cars for your garage, while Majors are extra-hard tournaments that get you some nice bonus points for your ranking. Career also has three difficulties, none of which affect your achievement earning abilities, which means you can switch it to easy and get it all done. I liked normal difficulty however, I generally won but had to work for it most of the time. I never tried it out on Hard. I was losing more than I like on Normal as it was.
The online in PGR4 is not as deliberate as it was in PGR3. Where PGR3 had a set of championships online that was too intense for people like me, the casual PGR player. People on PGR3 were running me off the road to guarentee their victory and their points. In PGR4, the online is much more casual, but yet they have running championships that you can join if you are looking for more serious fun. Ranked races are set up by your Trueskill rank, and I can imagine they get more serious as you rise up in rank.
PGR4 brings back the main draw of the PGR series with Kudos being awarded for various things while driving. Drifts, nice corners, overtakes, drafting, and other things all earn you points while you race. These points are tallied into your championship scores (for Career or online championships) and you total Kudos that you can spend to buy car, track, and cheat packs. Kudos have always been a fun aspect of PGR. The addition of Motorcycles to PGR4 expands on Kudos even more. Wheelies and Endos (Stoppies) give some nice points and you can also simply hold B during them to perform a sweet stunt, look awesome, and earn some nice Kudos.
PGR is a fun racing game, and I thoroughly enjoy it obviously. It has its own little niche in my mind, where my other racing games hang out. If I want a serious and realistic racer, I'm playing Forza 2. Want a crazy, crash filled party? Burnout Paradise. When you want a game full of licensed cars that drive in a nice, almost arcadey style. Definitely pull out PGR4.
PGR4 gets Four out of Five stars for being totally awesome, but it doesn't stand out as classic or perfect.
Oh yeah. You get Geometry Wars: Waves in your garage in the game. It is a pretty fantastic game. If you like Geometry Wars, PGR2 is where it all started.
PGR2 has Geometry Wars (Retro)
PGR3 has Geometry Wars Evolved
PGR4 has Geometry Wars Waves
Geometry Wars 2 is in XBLA.
PGR4 is the only way to get your hands on Waves is my point. It is pretty cool, and obviously a bridge between Evolved and GW2.
Maybe Geometry Wars puts it up to the 4.5 out of 5 area, but I'm sticking to whole numbers.
Catch me if you can. I might be online.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Brothers In Arms: Hells Highway Review (XBOX360)
I am almost back to posting on here. Two weeks from now I'll be back to updating this the best I can. Have a quick review.
Brothers in Arms: HH is not necessarily a bad game, however I find myself reluctant to play it any more than is necessary. I recently beat it over the last week and I am glad to be rid of it.
I don't know how long the game takes to beat, because I beat it over a week on a military training schedule which forces me to move my xbox each time i want to play a game. All I know is that the game too much longer than the content contained therein lended itself.
The main catch for BiA is the tactical attacks you have to make. It works pretty well, but it gets dry pretty fast. The game tries to spice it up a bit by letting you drive tanks and do some solo missions, but in general the cover mechanics and overall FPS of it all aren't compelling enough to keep me entertained.
The worst part of the game is the lack of checkpoints in it. When you die you could be set back a few seconds of time, or possibly 20-30 minutes of time. Some situations are so tense that you will be very careful and slow about getting through it. I would do this and then get complacent at the end of a market or pavillion. Then I would get jumped by one or two guys and die, sending me back what felt like twenty minutes.
One other minor thing is the lack of close combat weapons. No knifing or melee in this game, so when you get surprised by an enemy in a hallway, don't be surprised to spray every round out of all three weapons you are carrying.
I'm giving BiA:HH a 3 out of 5 because it is not a bad game, and I had some good times in it. However, it was not for me and I suffered through the last few levels to get that 150GS for the last mission.
That said, I really like how the story is played out for the audience. At times I think it could be a full on movie because they do a pretty good job with how things are told.
Sorry this is horrible quality. I am pressed for time. February 21st or so I should be back in the saddle again.
Toodles?
Brothers in Arms: HH is not necessarily a bad game, however I find myself reluctant to play it any more than is necessary. I recently beat it over the last week and I am glad to be rid of it.
I don't know how long the game takes to beat, because I beat it over a week on a military training schedule which forces me to move my xbox each time i want to play a game. All I know is that the game too much longer than the content contained therein lended itself.
The main catch for BiA is the tactical attacks you have to make. It works pretty well, but it gets dry pretty fast. The game tries to spice it up a bit by letting you drive tanks and do some solo missions, but in general the cover mechanics and overall FPS of it all aren't compelling enough to keep me entertained.
The worst part of the game is the lack of checkpoints in it. When you die you could be set back a few seconds of time, or possibly 20-30 minutes of time. Some situations are so tense that you will be very careful and slow about getting through it. I would do this and then get complacent at the end of a market or pavillion. Then I would get jumped by one or two guys and die, sending me back what felt like twenty minutes.
One other minor thing is the lack of close combat weapons. No knifing or melee in this game, so when you get surprised by an enemy in a hallway, don't be surprised to spray every round out of all three weapons you are carrying.
I'm giving BiA:HH a 3 out of 5 because it is not a bad game, and I had some good times in it. However, it was not for me and I suffered through the last few levels to get that 150GS for the last mission.
That said, I really like how the story is played out for the audience. At times I think it could be a full on movie because they do a pretty good job with how things are told.
Sorry this is horrible quality. I am pressed for time. February 21st or so I should be back in the saddle again.
Toodles?
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Updates for the last few months. >.<
Well, I never posted what I was doing here, but I left for a while obviously. I was away at boot camp. I am now a Private in the United States Marine Corps. Crazy stuff if you ask me, but you didn't so I will talk about games again.
I've been gone for over three months, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I also cannot finish a full game and review it (I could, but I chose not to) over these short ten days I have off. I could have beaten one of these games, but I preferred the idea of playing multiple games while on leave. Therefore, here are the games I have been playing on my 10 days of leave so far.
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Great game so far. I would guess I am barely over half way through it. The graphics and framerate are what really surprised me. It looks and moves as though it was on the PS2, but it definitely is not. It doesn't stray far from what the other two games have done, but I will say that it is the best of the three for a couple little reasons.
1. There (so far) is not an annoying environmental obstacle course in the game like God of War 1 had in Hades.
2. All of the quicktime event kills are unique and new to the series. God of War 2 didn't change a couple of them and that bothered me back then. Note: He still rips the gorgon's heads off, but this time he does some very nice skull bashing first. =)
3. The controls in the PSP version seem to make dodging a bit more easy. This mobility makes the game a bit less clunky.
5/5 stars right now. I will finish that review in the months or weeks ahead though. I am bringing portable games with me to training.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ninja Gaiden 2:
Once again, this is a great game so far. The graphics are fantastic and the game moves fluidly and violently. My only criticism is that it hasn't hardly changed since NG1. Most of the combos are identical (save all the new weapons) and the Hayabusa village is back, which obviously doesn't help my mind get out of that rut.
On the other hand, the new weapon sets are fun to use and the game does a great job of spicing up the ninja in me and giving me more bloody action to enjoy. After how great Ninja Gaiden 1 was, I am glad that NG2 is doing the same stuff.
4/5 stars right now. This one I may not write a full review on until January... yeah...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rock Band 2:
This game is awesome. I can't stop playing it for one thing, and they did a lot of simple exciting things to keep me engrossed in this game. The tracklist is awesome, it supports all the songs from Rock Band 1, and it plays all your downloaded tracks as well. They added clothes to the store, and online tours and challenges so you can play with your distant friends and still earn cash. There are some other extras like No-Fail mode and the drum beat/fill trainers that will help many people enjoy the game more than they already have.
My only possible criticism here is that it looks very much like Rock Band 1. So much so that you might not even know it isn't RB1 if you don't know the differences. However, when Harmonix made Rock Band 1 they stumbled on a great, near-perfect product. I am glad they didn't mess with it too much.
5/5 stars. I didn't beat tour mode, but I have played most of the songs. Grade A stuff.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core:
I was pleasantly surprised by this game. I knew it was going to be good, but the story picks up rather quickly and I am already hooked on it early on. Sure, that might be helped out a bunch because FFVII gives this game a future story to build to, but at the same time I really like how everything works in Crisis Core. The cinematics are breathtakingly well done. Advent Children is almost being shown up by the videos in FFVII:CC. The characters are coming alive already, and the little jokes and pieces of humor in the story bits keep me smiling as I play.
The combat system is a bit crazy and new at first, but I am pretty sure I understand it fully now. I don't really like the slot machine mechanic, but once I started figuring that it is a rigged machine (in your favor when you have earned it) I liked it more. Basically it eliminates an experience bar or anything like that. However, if you kill a bunch of enemies, you will get to that "I should level up soon" feeling. I find that it isn't much longer down the road that I am gaining a level because 777 came up on slots.
5/5 so far. I'll finish reviewing this one soon as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I leave again on Monday for combat training. I may or may not be reviewing any products while that goes on. I know I will have internet access, but I don't know that I'll have time to play and write about these games. If I don't write again for another month or so, then I was busy and I'll catch up during my job schooling.
Until then, play some good games for me.
I've been gone for over three months, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I also cannot finish a full game and review it (I could, but I chose not to) over these short ten days I have off. I could have beaten one of these games, but I preferred the idea of playing multiple games while on leave. Therefore, here are the games I have been playing on my 10 days of leave so far.
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Great game so far. I would guess I am barely over half way through it. The graphics and framerate are what really surprised me. It looks and moves as though it was on the PS2, but it definitely is not. It doesn't stray far from what the other two games have done, but I will say that it is the best of the three for a couple little reasons.
1. There (so far) is not an annoying environmental obstacle course in the game like God of War 1 had in Hades.
2. All of the quicktime event kills are unique and new to the series. God of War 2 didn't change a couple of them and that bothered me back then. Note: He still rips the gorgon's heads off, but this time he does some very nice skull bashing first. =)
3. The controls in the PSP version seem to make dodging a bit more easy. This mobility makes the game a bit less clunky.
5/5 stars right now. I will finish that review in the months or weeks ahead though. I am bringing portable games with me to training.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ninja Gaiden 2:
Once again, this is a great game so far. The graphics are fantastic and the game moves fluidly and violently. My only criticism is that it hasn't hardly changed since NG1. Most of the combos are identical (save all the new weapons) and the Hayabusa village is back, which obviously doesn't help my mind get out of that rut.
On the other hand, the new weapon sets are fun to use and the game does a great job of spicing up the ninja in me and giving me more bloody action to enjoy. After how great Ninja Gaiden 1 was, I am glad that NG2 is doing the same stuff.
4/5 stars right now. This one I may not write a full review on until January... yeah...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rock Band 2:
This game is awesome. I can't stop playing it for one thing, and they did a lot of simple exciting things to keep me engrossed in this game. The tracklist is awesome, it supports all the songs from Rock Band 1, and it plays all your downloaded tracks as well. They added clothes to the store, and online tours and challenges so you can play with your distant friends and still earn cash. There are some other extras like No-Fail mode and the drum beat/fill trainers that will help many people enjoy the game more than they already have.
My only possible criticism here is that it looks very much like Rock Band 1. So much so that you might not even know it isn't RB1 if you don't know the differences. However, when Harmonix made Rock Band 1 they stumbled on a great, near-perfect product. I am glad they didn't mess with it too much.
5/5 stars. I didn't beat tour mode, but I have played most of the songs. Grade A stuff.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core:
I was pleasantly surprised by this game. I knew it was going to be good, but the story picks up rather quickly and I am already hooked on it early on. Sure, that might be helped out a bunch because FFVII gives this game a future story to build to, but at the same time I really like how everything works in Crisis Core. The cinematics are breathtakingly well done. Advent Children is almost being shown up by the videos in FFVII:CC. The characters are coming alive already, and the little jokes and pieces of humor in the story bits keep me smiling as I play.
The combat system is a bit crazy and new at first, but I am pretty sure I understand it fully now. I don't really like the slot machine mechanic, but once I started figuring that it is a rigged machine (in your favor when you have earned it) I liked it more. Basically it eliminates an experience bar or anything like that. However, if you kill a bunch of enemies, you will get to that "I should level up soon" feeling. I find that it isn't much longer down the road that I am gaining a level because 777 came up on slots.
5/5 so far. I'll finish reviewing this one soon as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I leave again on Monday for combat training. I may or may not be reviewing any products while that goes on. I know I will have internet access, but I don't know that I'll have time to play and write about these games. If I don't write again for another month or so, then I was busy and I'll catch up during my job schooling.
Until then, play some good games for me.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Mario Kart GP! (Arcade)
While at the nearby amusement park recently, I stopped in the arcade to see what was up. Arcades are long dead in normal places now, but in amusement parks like Valleyfair and Camp Snoopy you can still find some pretty sweet arcades.
Yes, I know that the amusement park in the Mall of America is no longer Camp Snoopy, but it will always be Camp Snoopy to me. Sorry, Nickelodeon, but that is just how it is.
Time Crisis, House of the Dead, and DDR games are still in full swing in most arcades, and this was the case at both of these arcades. However, Mario Kart is now totally an arcade game.
Mario Kart GP is basically a Mario Kart port, but it has unique tracks, some unique items, and a few unique characters. The gameplay is still very much like Mario Kart, however you only have two pedals (gas and brake) and an item button that is in the center of your steering wheel. This is an issue for fans of Mario Kart, as you have to learn how to drift turn by reading the stickers by the screen.
The tracks are much like other tracks in the game series, however the couple I actually played or saw played lacked anything really creative like the games have been doing on consoles now. Rainbow Road is the last circuit though, and that is always a good sign.
The items are a problem for this game. While they introduce a few new items, they almost all do the exact same thing. I tended to pick up an item and just assume that I could use it like a red turtle shell, which was the case. The only item that did not lock on was the green turtle shell. Another weird thing about it is that each race only has three different items. Perhaps this was done to make arcade-goers want to play more races, but it just made races feel repetative.
The most exciting thing about Mario Kart GP is that it was made by Namco. This means that there are a couple iconic Namco characters added to the game. Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky the ghost (the red one) are all playable kart-racers. They offer little change to how the game feels, but I wanted to play the game again just so I could race as Blinky.
My friends could tell you. I repeatedly said "I played Mario Kart as Blinky the ghost!"
The novelty of this game and the chance to play as Namco characters are the only really good things about it. The game is pretty good, but its not good enough to make me want to play it too much. One or two races was more than enough for me to get all the excitement out of my system.
On a weird plus-side, I only spent two dollars playing Mario Kart GP. That is my cheapest Mario Kart experience to date. If you want to really enjoy a Mario Kart game though, definitely pick up a console version. Mario Kart GP gets three arcade credits out of five.
PS. The three out of five is based on the fact that it is an arcade game and not a console game. If I gave it a console rating it would be a two out of five.
PPS. Blinky is awesome!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
