Smash Bros. Brawl Impressions

March 13, 2008
Smash Bros Impressions Header

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted anything here. The majority of my free time has been monopolized by Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I never really cared much for the original N64 version, but my friends and I played Melee on the GameCube every chance we had. Brawl is pretty much exactly what I expected. It’s more of the same. There’s no real innovation to speak of, but the new Smash Bros. refines the traditional formula and gives players more of everything that made Melee such a great party game.

With Melee, part of the fun was taking the time to unlock new stages and characters with friends. Nintendo has a very bad habit of forcing players to troll through single player modes in order to unlock various items for multiplayer events. Brawl is no exception, but it does offer a variety of ways to unlock the content. You can play through the 8-hour single player campaign or play a certain number of multiplayer battles. I wanted to have everything open before my friends played, so I spent two days going through the single player SubSpace Emissary mode and unlocking every character and stage in the game. While the adventure mode is far more advanced than its counterpart in Melee, it’s not without its faults either. The platforming elements are generally fun, but after a while they can become repetitive. New enemies are designed well, but they’re overused and employ cheap tactics. Boss battles are recycled as well, and there is often more button-mashing required than strategy. Still, the SubSpace Emissary mode is well worth the adventure.

Classic mode returns as well, along with unlockable all-star and boss battle modes, which give you a single life to plow through every character or boss in Brawl. The new stage creator is versatile, but you’ll have to create a number of boring stages before you’re allowed to use the more ambitious items for your levels. You can also share these stages online, save screenshots and replays, and mix-and-match the song selection for each stage.

I haven’t been able to get online and try the multiplayer game yet, because Nintendo is having trouble compensating for heavy stress on their servers. I find it hard to believe that they wouldn’t have expected this to be the case, so their lack of expertise in the online arena is once again disappointing.

Local multiplayer is just as fun as it was in Melee, although I’m not a fan of the new Final Smash mechanic. It takes attention away from the fight so every character chases down a difficult to reach item that may or may not even make a drastic impact on the match. I do, however, love the new assist trophies. They’re filled with plenty of Nintendo nostalgia and clearly pander to older gamers, but I guess that’s to be expected. All in all, Brawl is shaping up to be a game I play for years to come. With the exception of Super Mario Galaxy, I don’t think I can say that about any other Wii game released so far.

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Posted by brianfishman

Finding Your Wii

March 8, 2008

I’ve gotten a number of questions lately about what the best way is to find a Wii in stores. It’s a shame that, well over a year into its life cycle, Nintendo has yet to meet demand for their console. Considering the relatively low cost of parts and GameCube-era technology, some people have accused Nintendo of intentionally holding back stock to artificially increase demand. It’s a good problem to have, really. You’re guaranteed to sell every unit you put on shelves, and mainstream news outlets continue to run stories about how the Wii is such a hot item that no one can keep them on shelves. It’s gotten to the point, however, that Nintendo’s inability to provide consoles to retail is beginning to garner more bad press. Stories of Wiis flying off shelves are great during the holiday season, but throughout the rest of the year, all it does is upset consumers who want to play the games or have a present for their kids.

So what do you do if you’re one of those people still hunting for a Wii? Realistically (meaning you stay away from scams on eBay or don’t find much luck winning a contest giveaway), you’ve got two options. If you live in New York, or have a very good friend who’d be willing to do a lot of footwork, the Nintendo World Store in Times Square receives daily shipments. They sell out within minutes of opening, but if you get there early enough, you might be able to snag one. For the rest of the country, your best bet is to stay up late on Saturday night and wait for the online versions of weekly ad fliers for the big retail stores (Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.). If they advertise the Wii in their sale flier, they are required to have a minimum number of units in stock. Get to the store very early on Sunday morning and wait in line. Or, if the line hasn’t started yet, make one yourself. Where I live, Circuit City posts a sign on their door every Sunday where they’d like the line to start.

I bought my console in 2006 on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I broke my ‘never-shop-at-GameStop’ policy because I was that desperate to play Twilight Princess. I waited outside in the freezing cold from 3:00AM to get one of the store’s three units. So good luck to anyone who’s still looking. And let me be the first to congratulate you on a great purchase.

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Posted by brianfishman

God of War Impressions

March 7, 2008

I’ve owned a copy of the original God of War since its release, but I never got around to playing it. With the recent release of Chains of Olympus on the PSP, I decided to take another look at the original PS2 version. Although I’m only an hour into the PSP version, I’m well into Act III of the original. Aside from some improvements to the controls in Chains of Olympus both games play similarly (which is certainly a testament to Ready at Dawn studios and their ability to craft a PS2-quality game for the PSP).

Both games tap into a primitive (or juvenile?) mentality that gives the player a rush for mashing on the face buttons and executing increasingly gory finishing moves. It’s a satisfaction I haven’t felt since playing the original Mortal Kombat trilogy in arcades. (On a side note, I was certainly too young to play such violent titles. But at least it will give me the proper perspective for when I have kids.) There is something about chaining giant combos together, killing anything in sight, and generally wreaking havoc that gets to the core of why I play video games. The situations they put you in are so off-the-wall impossible that you can escape into a complete fantasy world for just a small part of the day.

Gratuitous violence aside, both the PS2 and PSP titles are excellent examples of appropriate pacing and level design. You never feel like you’ve gone too far without a save point (although a save-anywhere feature would be a welcome addition to any portable game), and you rarely feel overwhelmed by too many enemies or objectives.

Surprisingly, I find the PSP controls easier to get used to. Dodging is mapped to the second analog stick on the PS2, while the PSP lets you roll out of danger by holding down the shoulder buttons and using the analog nub. Therefore, you never feel like you have to take your fingers off of the attack buttons in the PSP version. Similarly, magic is summoned by holding the right shoulder button and pressing the corresponding attack. On the PS2, you must cycle through various spells using the d-pad – a strategy that momentarily removes you from the thick of battle.

Chains of Olympus also performs surprisingly well on the portable console. Although there aren’t as many enemies on the screen as there are in the original game, you shouldn’t notice any slowdown on the PSP. The system also accesses the UMD much less frequently than I would have expected. Although I’m still concerned that the battery life will suffer somewhat from the increased processing power required.

My biggest criticism of both titles so far is the lack of exposition or continuing narrative. With such a vast amount of mythology to delve into, it’s a shame that you aren’t given more character history at the outset. In the PS2 version, much of the information you’ll need can be found in the game’s instruction manual. No such luck for Chains of Olympus. Basically, all you’re told is that the game takes place during Kratos’ 10 years of servitude to the gods. I’m sure this will change as I progress through both games, though. I’m hoping to finish all three God of War games before the inevitable release of God of War III for the PS3.

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Posted by brianfishman

Hotel Dusk Impressions

March 6, 2008

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a Nintendo DS title that appears to have been overlooked. The lack of any effective marketing, an enigmatic title, and horrible box-art probably didn’t do Cing, it’s little-known developer, any favors. I’ve had Hotel Dusk in my collection since its release, but I hadn’t spent any time with it until recently. Quality adventure games are a few and far between these days, and finishing Professor Layton left me wanting more point-and-click goodness.

Hotel Dusk is pretty standard fare for the genre. As an ex-police officer-turned door-to-door salesman, Kyle Hyde is sent to Hotel Dusk on business. Once there, he begins to uncover clues that could help him solve mysteries from his past. Holding the DS sideways, you’ll use the stylus to move around, solve puzzles, talk to hotel staff and guests, and collect clues. It’s appropriate that you’ll be holding the DS as you would a book, because the vast majority of the time you play Hotel Dusk will be spent reading. While the narrative is interesting and you’ll find yourself eager to advance the plot, the absolutely dreadful pacing will certainly drive some people insane. Although I think the 10+ chapters each span about 20 minutes of the narrative, completing each chapter will take roughly one hour. It’s exhausting at times, but I’m enjoying it so far.

Visually, Hotel Dusk bears an uncanny resemblance to A-Ha’s Take On Me. It’s an interesting approach that really sets the game apart from anything I’ve seen before. Unfortunately, the characters’ slow, methodical movements only emphasize the game’s horrific pacing issues. Still, I can’t help but be drawn into the narrative. I hope to have a review up at some point, but I’m taking my time with the game and only playing for a few minutes each night before bed.

Have any of you played the game? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

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Posted by brianfishman

Jade Raymond and Editorial Integrity

March 3, 2008

 

Jade Raymond

gamesTM is a popular games magazine from the UK. Along with Edge, I find it to be of generally higher quality than its counterparts here in the United States. Reading through issue 66 this morning, I was surprised to see this comment on the top of page 18:

Following the publication of the review of Assassin’s Creed in issue 64, gamesTM would like to offer our sincere apologies to the game’s producer, Jade Raymond, for any offence caused by any references to her in the article. The review was written without malice and was not intended to in any way belittle Miss Raymond’s efforts in the production of the game.

Curious. I went back to check the review in issue 64. Here is an excerpt:

Arriving on the back of two years worth of hype, Assassin’s Creed has a lot to live up to. Promises of complete freedom, entirely emergent gameplay, and a huge, endlessly explorable world have been touted for months, with producer/mascot Jade Raymond wheeled out at every possible photo opportunity.

Looking back on the article now, I’m surprised I didn’t notice the comment before. It’s highly insulting to refer to Jade Raymond as a mascot and to insinuate that she was “wheeled out” for photo ops. Doing so discredits her professionalism and abilities as a producer of a highly successful new franchise.

Jade is certainly an attractive woman. And she has served as the spokesperson for Assassin’s Creed on numerous occasions. Whether you want to attribute that to a public relations scheme is up to you and your tin foil hat. I suppose it’s possible. But isn’t it more likely that Raymond is simply good at her job?

Furthermore, Jade Raymond should not even be mentioned in an objective review of Assassin’s Creed unless it is simply to identify her as the game’s producer. The quality of the finished product has absolutely nothing to do with how many times its producer has appeared in public. I’ll admit that my experience with Assassin’s Creed is limited to the introductory tutorial, so the rest of the gamesTM review may be entirely correct. It is ironic, however, that their apology appears in the same issue as their discussion of Jeff Gerstmann’s firing from GameSpot. Perhaps CNet is not the only company dealing with integrity issues.

 

4 Comments | Editorial, Video Games | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by brianfishman

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