Developer: Team 17
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Windows (October 23, 2002), Nintendo Gamecube (October 24, 2002), Playstation 2 (January 1, 2003), Mac (March 4, 2003)
Genre: Puzzle, Action
Worms Blast is a Puzzle game based around the Worms franchise, and it does alright.
The goal in most circumstances is to clear away the colored blocks on your field. You have a Bazooka which fires different colored missiles in random order. You clear away blocks by hitting the same colored blocks with a same colored Bazooka shell. If your Bazooka shell is of a different color than the blocks it hits, it will turn blocks in the blast radius to the color of the shell. If your Bazooka shell falls down in the water, it will raise the water level by a bit. If you shoot a shell out of the edge of the screen, a heavy item will fall on you and drain some of your health. Loose blocks free floating will fall down, and will hurt you if you are under them. Crates can be collected after they fall to the water, they contain helpful items to aid you, you can store as many crate items as you feel like, you can switch over to crate items and use them one at a time, you can switch back to the Bazooka too. Stars are also on the field, if you collect a Star, it will lower the water level a bit. Be careful, you can destroy crates and stars if you hit them with a Bazooka shell or crate item. Crates and Stars will also sink after they are on the surface of the water, so grab them quick! If the water gets high enough or the blocks get low enough, you can run into the blocks as well, hurting you. Along with the regular colored blocks, there are Anchor blocks, which act as anchors for all other blocks. Bouncy blocks will bounce Bazooka shells and items off them. Dead blocks have no color, which means the cannot be cleared on a fiesta shot. Rainbow blocks will be set off by any color Bazooka shell, and will chain reaction to the colored blocks of the same color as the shell.
The Single player mode involves working your way across various paths each having 2 puzzles to complete. You start your way at the bottom right corner and work your way to the volcano in the center. Not all paths need to be taken to reach the volcano, but all paths must be taken to unlock the extra characters. Most routes are White, and the more difficult paths are Red. Taking the Red paths are usually quicker routes to the volcano. When you make it to the volcano and clear the puzzles there, you clear the game. There are many different variety of puzzles in the Single Player mode, twisted the rules around to give you a handicap, even including a version of the Snake game. The multiplayer mode is a 2 Player Vs, either against the CPU or agianst a 2nd player. The standard Deathmatch mode pits 2 players against each other in a battle to the death. Each player gets half the screen as their field and a divider in the middle. Both players have 2 lives, when both lives are lost, that player loses. The mechanics are the same as Single Player, with some additions. Blocks are always steadily being pushed down. When you shoot out groups of colored blocks, candy falls. If you collect 10 pieces of that candy before they all fall, you fill in that color in the word BLAST. When you fill up BLAST, you enter Blast Mode. In Blast Mode, all the blocks from your field are cleared, and targets will fall. Shoot a target to make a crate fall. Targets will keep falling for about 20 seconds. When you exit out of Blast more, you return to normal play and blocks start dropping again. The divider in the middle will also open up periodically, when it is open, you can shoot over to your opponent's play area. If you hit blocks in your opponent's play area, they will turn into Dead Blocks. You can also attack your opponent directly if you can hit him/her. There are also more items in crates that can hinder your opponent or aid you found only in the Vs mode. There are also different modes, such as a race through a set of blocks or a Fight mode that is just Anchor and Bouncy blocks. The single player also has a few special modes such as Shooting Gallery where you go for a high score. The Single player puzzles are entertaining, although the later ones can get almost too hard. The 2 Player Vs is fun with a 2nd player, and the variety of modes can help spice it up, but you'll probably be playing Deathmatch or Fight the most.
Bottom Line: Worms Blast is an alright Puzzle game with some Action Combat elements thrown in. The single player Puzzles can keep you occupied for a while, and the 2 Player Vs mode can be fun for hours with a 2nd person. This is worth a Play or Rent.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Game Rant: Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness
Developer: HotGen
Publisher: Kemco
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox (September 11, 2002), Playstation 2 (September 12, 2002), Gameboy Advance (September 16, 2002)
Genre: Puzzle
Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a peculiar puzzle game, and it does a decent job of it.
Most puzzle games have you destroying lines or groups/sets of pieces, Egg Mania however tasks you with building a high tower with various pieces. At the start, you free fall down to the bottom where you start building your tower. The goal is to use the pieces to build up your tower and reach the blimp you fell from the start. The standard pieces come in various shapes and sizes from 1 block big to 5 blocks big. You catch the pieces by walking into them, and you can rotate them in 90 degree increments to fit them in the play field. You can also drop the piece if you don't want to use it. Pieces are always falling, so you have to grab the ones you need before they fall. You are trying to outrun the water, water constantly fills the play area, and if it catches up to the top of your tower, you lose. You have to make sure to fill in all the rows of your tower. You have a meter at the bottom that fills with each row you leave open, when it fills up, all the rows that are incomplete will crumble and shorten your tower. Water will also destroy incomplete rows when the water line reaches the incomplete row. When you complete a row, you get extra blocks called Trick Bricks in your area that boost the height of your tower. If you comeplete multiple rows in succession, as in each piece you lay down completes at least one row, you start a combo, and all the Trick Bricks accumulate and raise your tower by that number of bricks. If you complete 2 or 3 rows at once, the amount of Trick Bricks you get are doubled or tripled respectively. Along with the pieces, items drop as well, that help you or hinder your opponent. Cement fills in 6 Bricks worth of space, High Tops makes you really high, Lightning Bolt will cause a lightning cloud to appear on your opponent's field, Hammers destroy incomplete rows on your opponent's field, and Bombs will blow up pieces when they count down. Bombs can be thrown back and forth between both players before they explode, so watch out! You can drop Hammers, Bombs, or Cement if you don't want to use them. Enemies will also appear on the play area, these enemies will either take away the piece/item you are currently holding or knock you into the water and take time to recover. The gameplay is interesting and fun for a bit, but it can get slightly tiring after a while.
There are a bit of game modes to play. Egg Mania is the standard mode, you can compete in a series of matches vs the CPU to reach the end or compete against a 2nd player to get to the top first. Against the CPU, you start with a set amount of continues, and you earn a continue for each match you win. If you lose all your continues, you lose and have to start over. Bomb mode is the reverse, you start with a high tower and have to use bombs to destroy your opponent's tower, first to have the water catch up loses. Solo mode is single player mode where you get as many points as you can, you keep going up different towers until you lose. Survival mode is an Endless Egg Mania mode vs the CPU, you keep going until you lose. Custom allows you to tweak various settings, you can easily handicap things to help even out the players. Tournament mode is an up to 8 player tournament play, it follows a standard tournament format to determine the victor.
Bottom Line: Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a different take on a puzzle game, and it does it fairly decent. The gameplay is solid, but it can get tiring after a while. A 2nd player can help extend the life. This is worth at least a Play or Rent.
Publisher: Kemco
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox (September 11, 2002), Playstation 2 (September 12, 2002), Gameboy Advance (September 16, 2002)
Genre: Puzzle
Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a peculiar puzzle game, and it does a decent job of it.
Most puzzle games have you destroying lines or groups/sets of pieces, Egg Mania however tasks you with building a high tower with various pieces. At the start, you free fall down to the bottom where you start building your tower. The goal is to use the pieces to build up your tower and reach the blimp you fell from the start. The standard pieces come in various shapes and sizes from 1 block big to 5 blocks big. You catch the pieces by walking into them, and you can rotate them in 90 degree increments to fit them in the play field. You can also drop the piece if you don't want to use it. Pieces are always falling, so you have to grab the ones you need before they fall. You are trying to outrun the water, water constantly fills the play area, and if it catches up to the top of your tower, you lose. You have to make sure to fill in all the rows of your tower. You have a meter at the bottom that fills with each row you leave open, when it fills up, all the rows that are incomplete will crumble and shorten your tower. Water will also destroy incomplete rows when the water line reaches the incomplete row. When you complete a row, you get extra blocks called Trick Bricks in your area that boost the height of your tower. If you comeplete multiple rows in succession, as in each piece you lay down completes at least one row, you start a combo, and all the Trick Bricks accumulate and raise your tower by that number of bricks. If you complete 2 or 3 rows at once, the amount of Trick Bricks you get are doubled or tripled respectively. Along with the pieces, items drop as well, that help you or hinder your opponent. Cement fills in 6 Bricks worth of space, High Tops makes you really high, Lightning Bolt will cause a lightning cloud to appear on your opponent's field, Hammers destroy incomplete rows on your opponent's field, and Bombs will blow up pieces when they count down. Bombs can be thrown back and forth between both players before they explode, so watch out! You can drop Hammers, Bombs, or Cement if you don't want to use them. Enemies will also appear on the play area, these enemies will either take away the piece/item you are currently holding or knock you into the water and take time to recover. The gameplay is interesting and fun for a bit, but it can get slightly tiring after a while.
There are a bit of game modes to play. Egg Mania is the standard mode, you can compete in a series of matches vs the CPU to reach the end or compete against a 2nd player to get to the top first. Against the CPU, you start with a set amount of continues, and you earn a continue for each match you win. If you lose all your continues, you lose and have to start over. Bomb mode is the reverse, you start with a high tower and have to use bombs to destroy your opponent's tower, first to have the water catch up loses. Solo mode is single player mode where you get as many points as you can, you keep going up different towers until you lose. Survival mode is an Endless Egg Mania mode vs the CPU, you keep going until you lose. Custom allows you to tweak various settings, you can easily handicap things to help even out the players. Tournament mode is an up to 8 player tournament play, it follows a standard tournament format to determine the victor.
Bottom Line: Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a different take on a puzzle game, and it does it fairly decent. The gameplay is solid, but it can get tiring after a while. A 2nd player can help extend the life. This is worth at least a Play or Rent.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Retro Lookback: Mario Party 2
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (January 24, 2000), Wii Virtual Console (December 20, 2010)
Genre: Party
Mario Party 2 is the follow up the successful Mario Party, and it continues the Partying and the Fighting that ensures when playing Mario Party.
The story is that Mario and Co lived peacefully in Mario Land until Wario decided that it should be called Wario Land, a fight breaks out and they bicker while Bowser plots to take over the kingdom. Mario and Co then decide that whoever stops Bowser shall have the land named after him/her, so they go off on the various boards to party and stop Bowser and be the Superstar.
The gameplay remains largely the same from the first game. 4 Players play a set number of turns on a board, while collecting Stars and Coins to win the board in the end, and playing Mini-Games between turns. There are different features from the first game. The boards are themed, like a Space Land or a Pirate Land, and the characters dress up in different costumes to suit the board. New spaces have been added. The Bank Space makes you pay a minimum of 5 coins when you pass it, and when a player lands on the space, he/she gets all the coins in the Bank and the Balance is reset to 0. The rules are Reversed in Bowser Land, however, where you get 5 Coins when you pass the bank and the player that lands on it has to pay off the whole balance. The Item space allows you to play a Board Specific Mini-Game for an Item, but only if you don't already have an item. Battle Spaces trigger a Battle Game, where each player has to pay up the cost and fight to win their money back, with 1st and 2nd receiving a 70/30 Split of the total pot. If there is an odd coin left, it gets randomly tossed to a player. The Mushroom Space and the 1 Player Game spaces have been removed. Different board features and mechanics are in this installment as well. As mentioned before, you can hold 1 item to use before you roll for the turn, these can benefit you or hinder another player. You can buy an item by passing an Item Shop or win an Item from an Item Space. Boo works slightly differently, instead of stealing coins for Free, you have to fork over 5 coins, but you can steal up to large amounts of coins instead if the 1-20 coins of the 1st game. You can still steal a star from another player for 50 coins. Baby Bowser also is on the board and takes the spot of where the Star (Toad) was previously when it is bought. Baby Bowser will take 5 coins from you when you pass him, although he occasionally gives you 5 coins. If a player has a Bowser Bomb at the end of the turn before the Mini-Game, Baby Bowser turn into Bowser and rolls 3 dice, whoever Bowser catches up to has to fork over all their coins. Koopa has been removed from this game, so you don't get a coin bonus for lapping the board. Hidden Blocks occur, and contain either 20 coins or a Star instead of the roulette of Koopa/Boo/Bowser from the first game. Each board has their own gimmicks and features that makes them stand kit form the others. Mystery Land, for example, uses a Day/Night cycle which would later be a main feature of Mario Party 6. At the end of the board, you can get 3 Bonus stars for Most Coins held at once, Most Coins won in Mini-Games, and Landing on the most Green Happening Spaces, like the first game. Instead of the winner being announced right there, a cut-scene in which the winner defeats Bowser plays out. Unlike the first game, every player's coins and stars go into the bank, even CPU players. Stars are converted into 50 Coins each. Coins in the bank are used to buy Mini-Games from Woody in Mini-Game Land.
The Mini-Games are the main attraction probably. There are about 70 Mini-Games, both new and remixes from the 1st game. You play a different Mini-Game Badass on what spaces the players have landed on. A 4 Player Game occurs when all 4 Players are either Red or Blue, these are usually Free-For-Alls with 1 winner. A 1 vs 3 game is when all but one player is the same color, it is a team game of the solo player vs the team of 3, with the solo player given a slighter advantage due to the ways the teams are layer out. A 2 vs 2 game is when the players are evenly split between Red and Blue, the teams of 2 battle each other with one team winning. A Battle Game is when a Battle Space is landed on, which was explained earlier. Players bet the amount of coins determined and fight for the pot, with a 70/30 split going to 1st and 2nd and an odd coin going to a random player if applicable. An Item Game is when a player lands on an Item Space, if you have no item, you get to play for an Item. Duel Games are introduced in this game. In the last 5 turns, whenever 2 players occupy the same space, they play a board specific battle game to determine the winner. The challenging player (the one who landed on the space) bets any amount of coins up to the maximum of the lower coin total, the winner gets all the coins. You can also initiate a Duel Game by using the Dueling Glove item. The Mini-Games where you has to spin the control stick around as fast as you can has been removed from this game due to lawsuits from the first game.
There is also the Mini-Game land, where you can play the Mini-Games without playing the board. You can free play any of the games you bought from Woody in the Park. You can go to the stadium to play a best of series of mini-games to win. You can also play a figure-8 board similar to the Pot-o-Skills in the first game, and you earn coins by lapping the board here unlike the standard game. Lastly, there is the Mini-Game Coaster. This works like the Mini-Game Island from the first game. You can select Easy, Normal, and Hard each having 3, 6, and 9 Worlds to complete respectively. You start with 3 Lives and earn coins by successfully beating Mini-Games. You get a 1up for every 100 coins. You can also get a Win Streak Bonus, where your coin winnings are multiplied by the current win streak. Like the first game, you can also select a partner to compete with you in the 2 vs 2 games and when you are on the 3 side in 1 vs 3 games. You can save at the start of each world and continue from there when you run out of lives. The objective is to get to the end of the Coaster before you run out of lives.
Since this is Mario Party, this game is best enjoyed with 4 People, but the CPU can still be fun to play against (especially when they cheat and rig every Chance Time to work against you). This game has tons of replay value in a group setting.
Bottom Line: Mario Party 2 improves from the first game and adds good new features. This is an experience best enjoyed with friends, but can still be fun solo. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Author's Note: That statement about the Cheating CPU comes from experience... Don't ask... Also, the Runaway Guys have done Let's Plays of Mario Party 2 on YouTube. Go watch them, they are very funny.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (January 24, 2000), Wii Virtual Console (December 20, 2010)
Genre: Party
Mario Party 2 is the follow up the successful Mario Party, and it continues the Partying and the Fighting that ensures when playing Mario Party.
The story is that Mario and Co lived peacefully in Mario Land until Wario decided that it should be called Wario Land, a fight breaks out and they bicker while Bowser plots to take over the kingdom. Mario and Co then decide that whoever stops Bowser shall have the land named after him/her, so they go off on the various boards to party and stop Bowser and be the Superstar.
The gameplay remains largely the same from the first game. 4 Players play a set number of turns on a board, while collecting Stars and Coins to win the board in the end, and playing Mini-Games between turns. There are different features from the first game. The boards are themed, like a Space Land or a Pirate Land, and the characters dress up in different costumes to suit the board. New spaces have been added. The Bank Space makes you pay a minimum of 5 coins when you pass it, and when a player lands on the space, he/she gets all the coins in the Bank and the Balance is reset to 0. The rules are Reversed in Bowser Land, however, where you get 5 Coins when you pass the bank and the player that lands on it has to pay off the whole balance. The Item space allows you to play a Board Specific Mini-Game for an Item, but only if you don't already have an item. Battle Spaces trigger a Battle Game, where each player has to pay up the cost and fight to win their money back, with 1st and 2nd receiving a 70/30 Split of the total pot. If there is an odd coin left, it gets randomly tossed to a player. The Mushroom Space and the 1 Player Game spaces have been removed. Different board features and mechanics are in this installment as well. As mentioned before, you can hold 1 item to use before you roll for the turn, these can benefit you or hinder another player. You can buy an item by passing an Item Shop or win an Item from an Item Space. Boo works slightly differently, instead of stealing coins for Free, you have to fork over 5 coins, but you can steal up to large amounts of coins instead if the 1-20 coins of the 1st game. You can still steal a star from another player for 50 coins. Baby Bowser also is on the board and takes the spot of where the Star (Toad) was previously when it is bought. Baby Bowser will take 5 coins from you when you pass him, although he occasionally gives you 5 coins. If a player has a Bowser Bomb at the end of the turn before the Mini-Game, Baby Bowser turn into Bowser and rolls 3 dice, whoever Bowser catches up to has to fork over all their coins. Koopa has been removed from this game, so you don't get a coin bonus for lapping the board. Hidden Blocks occur, and contain either 20 coins or a Star instead of the roulette of Koopa/Boo/Bowser from the first game. Each board has their own gimmicks and features that makes them stand kit form the others. Mystery Land, for example, uses a Day/Night cycle which would later be a main feature of Mario Party 6. At the end of the board, you can get 3 Bonus stars for Most Coins held at once, Most Coins won in Mini-Games, and Landing on the most Green Happening Spaces, like the first game. Instead of the winner being announced right there, a cut-scene in which the winner defeats Bowser plays out. Unlike the first game, every player's coins and stars go into the bank, even CPU players. Stars are converted into 50 Coins each. Coins in the bank are used to buy Mini-Games from Woody in Mini-Game Land.
The Mini-Games are the main attraction probably. There are about 70 Mini-Games, both new and remixes from the 1st game. You play a different Mini-Game Badass on what spaces the players have landed on. A 4 Player Game occurs when all 4 Players are either Red or Blue, these are usually Free-For-Alls with 1 winner. A 1 vs 3 game is when all but one player is the same color, it is a team game of the solo player vs the team of 3, with the solo player given a slighter advantage due to the ways the teams are layer out. A 2 vs 2 game is when the players are evenly split between Red and Blue, the teams of 2 battle each other with one team winning. A Battle Game is when a Battle Space is landed on, which was explained earlier. Players bet the amount of coins determined and fight for the pot, with a 70/30 split going to 1st and 2nd and an odd coin going to a random player if applicable. An Item Game is when a player lands on an Item Space, if you have no item, you get to play for an Item. Duel Games are introduced in this game. In the last 5 turns, whenever 2 players occupy the same space, they play a board specific battle game to determine the winner. The challenging player (the one who landed on the space) bets any amount of coins up to the maximum of the lower coin total, the winner gets all the coins. You can also initiate a Duel Game by using the Dueling Glove item. The Mini-Games where you has to spin the control stick around as fast as you can has been removed from this game due to lawsuits from the first game.
There is also the Mini-Game land, where you can play the Mini-Games without playing the board. You can free play any of the games you bought from Woody in the Park. You can go to the stadium to play a best of series of mini-games to win. You can also play a figure-8 board similar to the Pot-o-Skills in the first game, and you earn coins by lapping the board here unlike the standard game. Lastly, there is the Mini-Game Coaster. This works like the Mini-Game Island from the first game. You can select Easy, Normal, and Hard each having 3, 6, and 9 Worlds to complete respectively. You start with 3 Lives and earn coins by successfully beating Mini-Games. You get a 1up for every 100 coins. You can also get a Win Streak Bonus, where your coin winnings are multiplied by the current win streak. Like the first game, you can also select a partner to compete with you in the 2 vs 2 games and when you are on the 3 side in 1 vs 3 games. You can save at the start of each world and continue from there when you run out of lives. The objective is to get to the end of the Coaster before you run out of lives.
Since this is Mario Party, this game is best enjoyed with 4 People, but the CPU can still be fun to play against (especially when they cheat and rig every Chance Time to work against you). This game has tons of replay value in a group setting.
Bottom Line: Mario Party 2 improves from the first game and adds good new features. This is an experience best enjoyed with friends, but can still be fun solo. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Author's Note: That statement about the Cheating CPU comes from experience... Don't ask... Also, the Runaway Guys have done Let's Plays of Mario Party 2 on YouTube. Go watch them, they are very funny.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Retro Lookback: Wave Race 64
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 5, 1996), Wii Virtual Console (August 6, 2007)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
Wave Race 64 is the follow up to the overlooked Gameboy game Wave Race, and it improves on it in many ways.
The gameplay is a bit different from the Gameboy. The perspective moves from Top-Down to Behind-The-Rider 3Rd Person, and it works great. The objective is to race around water tracks as fast as you can, but you have to slalom through Buoys on the course. There are two types of Buoys, Yellow ones with an L on them have to be passed on the Left and Red ones with an R on them have to be passed on the Right. When you correctly pass a Buoy, you an arrow on the Power meter fills, when all 5 arrows fill, you have maximum Power and can go the fastest you can. When you miss a Buoy, your Power goes back down to 0, but you can build it up again. You also build up your Miss counter, if you miss 5 Buoys in a Race, you are disqualified. You can also be disqualified by going outside of the Pink Buoys marking the edge of the track or by remaining on anything but water for 10 seconds. The main modes are Championship, Time Trials, Stunt Mode, and 2P VS. Championship Mode tasks you with racing through the tracks in order against 3 CPU racers. On each track, you have to get a certain point total to move on to the next track, or it is Game Over and you must start from Race one. 1st Place awards you 7 Points, 2nd is 4 Points, 3rd is 2 Points, and 4th is 1 Point. If you are disqualified, you receive no points. There are 4 difficulty modes, with higher levels involving more difficult Buoy placement and more races. Normal has the easiest placement and 6 races, Hard is slightly hard placement and 7 races, Expert is the hardest placement and 8 races, and Reverse is the Expert difficulty only running the tracks in Reverse. If you start a Normal Championship, you have the option to Warm Up by free riding on the special training track Dolphin Park. You can free practice all you want and start the Championship if you choose. There is also scrolling text at the bottom that explains the basics if needed. Time Trials is a straight up contest to go as fast as you can on any of the unlocked tracks. Stunt More tasks you with trying to get the highest score you can in one lap around the track. You score points by passing through rings without missing them and performing stunts in the air and on the water. You are on a timer, and you get time bonuses too, and earn more Time at checkpoints. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks and the special Dolphin Park track in Stunt Mode. 2P VS is a race between 2 human players, first to the goal without being disqualified wins. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks, and set a handicap to speed up the losing player if you choose. 2P VS is a fun time on the 8 tracks, like 1080 Snowboarding, even with the lack of many tracks and options, it still proves to be fun for hours when playing against a 2nd player. You can also go to the options screen to adjust some of the settings, like the Wave Conditions. There are 4 riders to choose from, each with different stats, from the High Speed one to the Turning one to the Balanced one. You can also customize the Jet Ski to tweak the stats slightly, giving you just that little bit more speed or corning. Even though you can tweak the stats, you can't ever quite get the Max Speed guy to have the same corning as the Turning guy and such. The gameplay is fun, and the slalom between the buoys is interesting and keeps cheaters in check.
The music and sounds are tight, and the Water Physics are really good for the N64, the water behaves like...water, and crashing against the waves feels like the real thing (probably).
Bottom Line: Wave Race 64 is a fun racer, like it's buddy series 1080 Snowboarding. The 2P VS is fun and keeps it rolling for hours. The is worth a Buy or Play.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 5, 1996), Wii Virtual Console (August 6, 2007)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
Wave Race 64 is the follow up to the overlooked Gameboy game Wave Race, and it improves on it in many ways.
The gameplay is a bit different from the Gameboy. The perspective moves from Top-Down to Behind-The-Rider 3Rd Person, and it works great. The objective is to race around water tracks as fast as you can, but you have to slalom through Buoys on the course. There are two types of Buoys, Yellow ones with an L on them have to be passed on the Left and Red ones with an R on them have to be passed on the Right. When you correctly pass a Buoy, you an arrow on the Power meter fills, when all 5 arrows fill, you have maximum Power and can go the fastest you can. When you miss a Buoy, your Power goes back down to 0, but you can build it up again. You also build up your Miss counter, if you miss 5 Buoys in a Race, you are disqualified. You can also be disqualified by going outside of the Pink Buoys marking the edge of the track or by remaining on anything but water for 10 seconds. The main modes are Championship, Time Trials, Stunt Mode, and 2P VS. Championship Mode tasks you with racing through the tracks in order against 3 CPU racers. On each track, you have to get a certain point total to move on to the next track, or it is Game Over and you must start from Race one. 1st Place awards you 7 Points, 2nd is 4 Points, 3rd is 2 Points, and 4th is 1 Point. If you are disqualified, you receive no points. There are 4 difficulty modes, with higher levels involving more difficult Buoy placement and more races. Normal has the easiest placement and 6 races, Hard is slightly hard placement and 7 races, Expert is the hardest placement and 8 races, and Reverse is the Expert difficulty only running the tracks in Reverse. If you start a Normal Championship, you have the option to Warm Up by free riding on the special training track Dolphin Park. You can free practice all you want and start the Championship if you choose. There is also scrolling text at the bottom that explains the basics if needed. Time Trials is a straight up contest to go as fast as you can on any of the unlocked tracks. Stunt More tasks you with trying to get the highest score you can in one lap around the track. You score points by passing through rings without missing them and performing stunts in the air and on the water. You are on a timer, and you get time bonuses too, and earn more Time at checkpoints. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks and the special Dolphin Park track in Stunt Mode. 2P VS is a race between 2 human players, first to the goal without being disqualified wins. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks, and set a handicap to speed up the losing player if you choose. 2P VS is a fun time on the 8 tracks, like 1080 Snowboarding, even with the lack of many tracks and options, it still proves to be fun for hours when playing against a 2nd player. You can also go to the options screen to adjust some of the settings, like the Wave Conditions. There are 4 riders to choose from, each with different stats, from the High Speed one to the Turning one to the Balanced one. You can also customize the Jet Ski to tweak the stats slightly, giving you just that little bit more speed or corning. Even though you can tweak the stats, you can't ever quite get the Max Speed guy to have the same corning as the Turning guy and such. The gameplay is fun, and the slalom between the buoys is interesting and keeps cheaters in check.
The music and sounds are tight, and the Water Physics are really good for the N64, the water behaves like...water, and crashing against the waves feels like the real thing (probably).
Bottom Line: Wave Race 64 is a fun racer, like it's buddy series 1080 Snowboarding. The 2P VS is fun and keeps it rolling for hours. The is worth a Buy or Play.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Retro Lookback: 1080 Snowboarding
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 1, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (January 28, 2008)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
1080 Snowboarding is Nintendo's stab at Snowboarding, and it is a good time.
The gameplay is simple, get down the mountain as fast as you can by using different routes and balancing after jumps. You also have a Damage meter, where you take damage everytime you fall. You are forced retire when you fill up the damage meter. The main modes are Match Race, Time Attack, Trick Attack, Contest, Training, and 2P Vs. Match Race puts you in a series of Head to Head races against CPU controlled riders across the various runs. There are 3 difficulties, with harder difficulties becoming harder and more races. You also get 3 lives for each attempt, if you are forced to Retire or fail to beat the CPU, you lose a life, lose all 3 lives and you have to restart from the first race. Time Attack is a straight up speed contest to get to the bottom as fast as you can. Trick Attack tasks you with getting the highest score you can down a run by performing various tricks and combos. You are also given a timer, which gives a time bonus, and checkpoints that boost time left. Along with the regular courses, you can also run on Air Make and Half Pipe for Trick Attack. Contest is a special Trick Attack mode that takes place on the first 3 regular tracks and the 2 special trick runs. The goal is to get the highest combined score on the 5 runs. On the regular courses, there are Red and Blue flags scattered throughout that give you points and a alight time bonus by slaloming through them. You can still perform regular tricks for more points. Training places you on a special training run and allows you to practice tricks and landing. 2P Vs is the 2 Player Head to Head mode, 2 Players compete against each other to get to the bottom first. You can also elect if each player gets a speed boost when they are in 2nd via the Handicap option. 2P Vs can provide a good bit of fun for a while, even given only 6 tracks total. The 6 regular tracks are nicely laid out, each having a few different routes to the bottom, making for multiple replays for the best run. There are 8 riders, with 5 being available from the start and 3 being unlockable. Each rider has different stats that gives them an edge in different modes. There are also 9 boards to choose from, with one being unlockable. Each board has different stats as well, making for careful board selection. Landing from jumps can be a bit tricky, but with careful stick and button work, you can land those jumps every time. The rush you feel going down the mountain is exciting, the gameplay is solid and fun. The marquee trick, the 1080, is a bit hard to pull off at a 9 button combination, but it js satisfying to land.
The graphics and sounds are pretty solid, the character models look smooth, the snow effects look like snow, and the music fire nicely.
Bottom Line: 1080 Snowboarding is a solid racing experience, with physics that are challenging, but not unfair. The 2P Vs mode can be a blast for hours. This is worth a Buy or Play.
Author's Note: Ricky Winterborn is the best rider, no contest.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 1, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (January 28, 2008)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
1080 Snowboarding is Nintendo's stab at Snowboarding, and it is a good time.
The gameplay is simple, get down the mountain as fast as you can by using different routes and balancing after jumps. You also have a Damage meter, where you take damage everytime you fall. You are forced retire when you fill up the damage meter. The main modes are Match Race, Time Attack, Trick Attack, Contest, Training, and 2P Vs. Match Race puts you in a series of Head to Head races against CPU controlled riders across the various runs. There are 3 difficulties, with harder difficulties becoming harder and more races. You also get 3 lives for each attempt, if you are forced to Retire or fail to beat the CPU, you lose a life, lose all 3 lives and you have to restart from the first race. Time Attack is a straight up speed contest to get to the bottom as fast as you can. Trick Attack tasks you with getting the highest score you can down a run by performing various tricks and combos. You are also given a timer, which gives a time bonus, and checkpoints that boost time left. Along with the regular courses, you can also run on Air Make and Half Pipe for Trick Attack. Contest is a special Trick Attack mode that takes place on the first 3 regular tracks and the 2 special trick runs. The goal is to get the highest combined score on the 5 runs. On the regular courses, there are Red and Blue flags scattered throughout that give you points and a alight time bonus by slaloming through them. You can still perform regular tricks for more points. Training places you on a special training run and allows you to practice tricks and landing. 2P Vs is the 2 Player Head to Head mode, 2 Players compete against each other to get to the bottom first. You can also elect if each player gets a speed boost when they are in 2nd via the Handicap option. 2P Vs can provide a good bit of fun for a while, even given only 6 tracks total. The 6 regular tracks are nicely laid out, each having a few different routes to the bottom, making for multiple replays for the best run. There are 8 riders, with 5 being available from the start and 3 being unlockable. Each rider has different stats that gives them an edge in different modes. There are also 9 boards to choose from, with one being unlockable. Each board has different stats as well, making for careful board selection. Landing from jumps can be a bit tricky, but with careful stick and button work, you can land those jumps every time. The rush you feel going down the mountain is exciting, the gameplay is solid and fun. The marquee trick, the 1080, is a bit hard to pull off at a 9 button combination, but it js satisfying to land.
The graphics and sounds are pretty solid, the character models look smooth, the snow effects look like snow, and the music fire nicely.
Bottom Line: 1080 Snowboarding is a solid racing experience, with physics that are challenging, but not unfair. The 2P Vs mode can be a blast for hours. This is worth a Buy or Play.
Author's Note: Ricky Winterborn is the best rider, no contest.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Retro Lookback: Bust-a-Move 99
Developer: Taito
Publishers: Taito, Acclaim
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Sega Saturn (December 31, 1997), Playstation (February 28, 1999), Nintendo 64 (April 30, 1999)
Genre: Puzzle
Bust-a-Move 99 (known as Puzzle Bobble 3 outside of North America) is the third main entry in the Bust-a-Move series, and it continues the Bubble Popping Puzzle Action.
Originally only an Arcade release in Japan, Bust-a-Move 99 was ported to a few systems years later. The gameplay remains largely the same, you shoot colored bubbles at the bubbles on the field, align 3 of a like color next to each other to clear them. You can also drop hanging bubbles to get extra points by clearing bubbles that causes them to drop. The single player Puzzle Mode tasks you with completing various puzzle up tiers of letters of the alphabet to reach the end, with 5 Rounds in each. There is a new type of field now, an Endurance filed. This field is 5x longer than a standard round, you have to clear all the way to the top to clear. This also constitutes 1 letter, so you can play 5 standard rounds or 1 endurance round to advance. The standard rounds are also slightly different. This game introduces nodes into the mix. Instead if the bubbles connecting to the Top, they connect to nodes. When all the bubbles attached to a node are destroyed, the node vanishes, destroy all nodes on the board to clear it. The top is no longer sticky, and bubbles will bounce off it like walls. Bubbles can also bounce back down out of the play field, which there is no penalty, but it still constitutes a move towards making the field drop 1 empty line. You can also play in Version 2.5, which takes the Puzzles from Bust-a-Move 2 and remolds them around the node idea. You can also play against the CPU, which is a series of Battle matches to reach the final boss. You can build attack by clearing more than 3 bubbles at once or by dropping bubbles, the more cleared at once or dropped at once, the stronger the attack. Unlike previous entries, you can choose a character, each with their own bubble attack pattern. Some attack by throwing bubbles up from the bottom, pushing the field down another level from the top, or both. If your character can throw bubbles up, as soon as you build an attack and your opponent shots, they will be launched. However, if you character can push the field down, you can build up the attack to a Red Bubble for that attack. If your character can do both, it will do the push down first (if there is enough attack power), then the rest get thrown up. There is also the 2 player version in which 2 humans play. Other modes from the arcade mode includes a Contest mode that tasks you with getting the highest win streak you can without losing against the CPU, a Challenge mode which gives you 6 sets of 5 rounds to complete with each set having a different goal and gives you a score at the end, a mode that has 1000+ Puzzles submitted by various people for free play, and the Level Editor which allows you to make your own Puzzles. The puzzles are nicely designed and are a challenge, but not too frustrating..the Endurance puzzles are a nice change of pace as well.
There is also 1 new bubble type, the Rainbow bubble. These bubbles are initially clear, but when bubbles next to them are cleared, they will take the color of the cleared bubbles. You can also make the Rainbow bubbles cascade clear for big points and a strong attack, as in they change color, pop, make more change color, make them pop, and so on. Rainbow Bubbles cannot be cleared out by Star Bubbles.
The N64 version also contains a 4 player mode. This works like the 2 player mode, except expanded for 4 people. There are 2 modes with 2 ways of scoring. This can be played with 2-4 players, with CPU players being able to fill in for non-humans if you choose. Arcade mode is the Battle mode, where the last one standing wins. You can select which player to attack using the C-Buttons or let the game decide which opponent it feels like attack. Time Trial is a contest to see who can clear their field the fastest, you cannot attack other players in Time Trial. The Wins system keeps track of Wins, reach the number of Wins first to win the match. The Points system gives out points for placement, 1st gets 5, 2nd gets 3, 3rd gets 1, and 4th gets nothing, the first player to get the requires points first wins. The Multiplayer is fun with 4 Players, either with the CPU or other Humans, just make sure your TV is a bit larger for the smaller play areas.
The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations are nice. The music is good, it reminds me of Remixes from Bust-a-Move 2 myself.
Bottom Line: Bust-a-Move 99 is another good addition to the series, with small nuances that make it different enough from the others. The N64 version has a slight advantage with the 4 Player Mode, but all versions are a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Publishers: Taito, Acclaim
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Sega Saturn (December 31, 1997), Playstation (February 28, 1999), Nintendo 64 (April 30, 1999)
Genre: Puzzle
Bust-a-Move 99 (known as Puzzle Bobble 3 outside of North America) is the third main entry in the Bust-a-Move series, and it continues the Bubble Popping Puzzle Action.
Originally only an Arcade release in Japan, Bust-a-Move 99 was ported to a few systems years later. The gameplay remains largely the same, you shoot colored bubbles at the bubbles on the field, align 3 of a like color next to each other to clear them. You can also drop hanging bubbles to get extra points by clearing bubbles that causes them to drop. The single player Puzzle Mode tasks you with completing various puzzle up tiers of letters of the alphabet to reach the end, with 5 Rounds in each. There is a new type of field now, an Endurance filed. This field is 5x longer than a standard round, you have to clear all the way to the top to clear. This also constitutes 1 letter, so you can play 5 standard rounds or 1 endurance round to advance. The standard rounds are also slightly different. This game introduces nodes into the mix. Instead if the bubbles connecting to the Top, they connect to nodes. When all the bubbles attached to a node are destroyed, the node vanishes, destroy all nodes on the board to clear it. The top is no longer sticky, and bubbles will bounce off it like walls. Bubbles can also bounce back down out of the play field, which there is no penalty, but it still constitutes a move towards making the field drop 1 empty line. You can also play in Version 2.5, which takes the Puzzles from Bust-a-Move 2 and remolds them around the node idea. You can also play against the CPU, which is a series of Battle matches to reach the final boss. You can build attack by clearing more than 3 bubbles at once or by dropping bubbles, the more cleared at once or dropped at once, the stronger the attack. Unlike previous entries, you can choose a character, each with their own bubble attack pattern. Some attack by throwing bubbles up from the bottom, pushing the field down another level from the top, or both. If your character can throw bubbles up, as soon as you build an attack and your opponent shots, they will be launched. However, if you character can push the field down, you can build up the attack to a Red Bubble for that attack. If your character can do both, it will do the push down first (if there is enough attack power), then the rest get thrown up. There is also the 2 player version in which 2 humans play. Other modes from the arcade mode includes a Contest mode that tasks you with getting the highest win streak you can without losing against the CPU, a Challenge mode which gives you 6 sets of 5 rounds to complete with each set having a different goal and gives you a score at the end, a mode that has 1000+ Puzzles submitted by various people for free play, and the Level Editor which allows you to make your own Puzzles. The puzzles are nicely designed and are a challenge, but not too frustrating..the Endurance puzzles are a nice change of pace as well.
There is also 1 new bubble type, the Rainbow bubble. These bubbles are initially clear, but when bubbles next to them are cleared, they will take the color of the cleared bubbles. You can also make the Rainbow bubbles cascade clear for big points and a strong attack, as in they change color, pop, make more change color, make them pop, and so on. Rainbow Bubbles cannot be cleared out by Star Bubbles.
The N64 version also contains a 4 player mode. This works like the 2 player mode, except expanded for 4 people. There are 2 modes with 2 ways of scoring. This can be played with 2-4 players, with CPU players being able to fill in for non-humans if you choose. Arcade mode is the Battle mode, where the last one standing wins. You can select which player to attack using the C-Buttons or let the game decide which opponent it feels like attack. Time Trial is a contest to see who can clear their field the fastest, you cannot attack other players in Time Trial. The Wins system keeps track of Wins, reach the number of Wins first to win the match. The Points system gives out points for placement, 1st gets 5, 2nd gets 3, 3rd gets 1, and 4th gets nothing, the first player to get the requires points first wins. The Multiplayer is fun with 4 Players, either with the CPU or other Humans, just make sure your TV is a bit larger for the smaller play areas.
The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations are nice. The music is good, it reminds me of Remixes from Bust-a-Move 2 myself.
Bottom Line: Bust-a-Move 99 is another good addition to the series, with small nuances that make it different enough from the others. The N64 version has a slight advantage with the 4 Player Mode, but all versions are a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Retro Lookback: Vigilante 8 2nd Offense
Developer: Luxoflux
Publisher: Activision
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation (October 31, 1999), Dreamcast (November 30, 1999), Nintendo 64 (February 2, 2000)
Genre: Vehicular Combat
Vigilante 8 2nd Offense (also known as V8:2 or V8:2nd) is the follow up to the first game released a year earlier. How does this compare?
The story continues from the first game. The story of Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense centers on the international meddlings of an oil conglomerate from the future known as OMAR (Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime). After finding an electronic armband in a service station bathroom, former Vigilante Slick Clyde rose to be controlled by OMAR. Working up through the ranks of command he soon came to be the CEO of OMAR itself and made a complete monopoly on all oil trades with the sole exception of the United States. With the help of his student and hitman, Obake, he steals the technology to allow him to travel through time. Taking with him Obake and his cybernetic assassin, Dallas 13, he makes the jump back to 1970s to cripple the United States and bring OMAR to total domination. Appearing in 1970s, the three vehicles encounter Convoy, the former leader of the Vigilantes. Upon seeing him, the three cars open fire. (Plot synopsis from Wikipedia). Each character also has their own story to follow, which folds out in the Quest mode.
The gameplay is pretty much the same as the first game. You collect various weapons scattered on the maps and blow up all the other vehicles before you get blown up. Pretty simple. The Quest mode follows each character's story through various maps. Along with destroying all enemies, you have to complete 2 other objectives on each level for a pass. You can go on to the next level without completing all 3 objectives, but it won't be considered complete until all 3 objectives in each level are met. You also got the classic Arcade mode, where you can choose the enemies and the map to, with the goal being to destroy all the CPU. There is also Survival more, where enemies will keep endlessly respawning until you are eliminated, the goal is to destroy as many as possible. You can also play Quest, Arcade, and Survival in 2 Player Co-op as well, which is good fun with no decrease in frame rate or graphics. There is also a Multiplayer mode for 2-4 players, you can play a tram game or a Free-For-All. There is a small bit of suffering in terms of performance, but the gameplay is still solid, 4 players is great fun. Each vehicle also has their own Special weapon, which gives them an edge over the others. Along with some returning vehicles, there are all new vehicles as well. Each vehicle has different stats to suit different styles. You can also collect Salvage Points form defeated foes to improve the stats of that vehicle even more. You can also edit the color of the vehicle. You can unlock more vehicles by completing all the objectives with characters in Quest more. Along with the Vigilante and Coyote sides, there is also the neutral Drifter side, with the characters there having their own motives different from the other two sides. The gameplay is solid fun, especially with 4 people. There are comparisons to Twisted Metal, which is logical. I personally find V8 and V8:2nd more fun than the Twisted Metal series in my opinion, but both Twisted Metal and V8 are still really fin.
The music on the N64 versions suffer a bit, with the disc-based ones having better music. The graphics across all 3 are still solid though
Bottom Line: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense is just as good as the first game, with more and bigger levels and more vehicles. Multiplayer is a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Publisher: Activision
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation (October 31, 1999), Dreamcast (November 30, 1999), Nintendo 64 (February 2, 2000)
Genre: Vehicular Combat
Vigilante 8 2nd Offense (also known as V8:2 or V8:2nd) is the follow up to the first game released a year earlier. How does this compare?
The story continues from the first game. The story of Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense centers on the international meddlings of an oil conglomerate from the future known as OMAR (Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime). After finding an electronic armband in a service station bathroom, former Vigilante Slick Clyde rose to be controlled by OMAR. Working up through the ranks of command he soon came to be the CEO of OMAR itself and made a complete monopoly on all oil trades with the sole exception of the United States. With the help of his student and hitman, Obake, he steals the technology to allow him to travel through time. Taking with him Obake and his cybernetic assassin, Dallas 13, he makes the jump back to 1970s to cripple the United States and bring OMAR to total domination. Appearing in 1970s, the three vehicles encounter Convoy, the former leader of the Vigilantes. Upon seeing him, the three cars open fire. (Plot synopsis from Wikipedia). Each character also has their own story to follow, which folds out in the Quest mode.
The gameplay is pretty much the same as the first game. You collect various weapons scattered on the maps and blow up all the other vehicles before you get blown up. Pretty simple. The Quest mode follows each character's story through various maps. Along with destroying all enemies, you have to complete 2 other objectives on each level for a pass. You can go on to the next level without completing all 3 objectives, but it won't be considered complete until all 3 objectives in each level are met. You also got the classic Arcade mode, where you can choose the enemies and the map to, with the goal being to destroy all the CPU. There is also Survival more, where enemies will keep endlessly respawning until you are eliminated, the goal is to destroy as many as possible. You can also play Quest, Arcade, and Survival in 2 Player Co-op as well, which is good fun with no decrease in frame rate or graphics. There is also a Multiplayer mode for 2-4 players, you can play a tram game or a Free-For-All. There is a small bit of suffering in terms of performance, but the gameplay is still solid, 4 players is great fun. Each vehicle also has their own Special weapon, which gives them an edge over the others. Along with some returning vehicles, there are all new vehicles as well. Each vehicle has different stats to suit different styles. You can also collect Salvage Points form defeated foes to improve the stats of that vehicle even more. You can also edit the color of the vehicle. You can unlock more vehicles by completing all the objectives with characters in Quest more. Along with the Vigilante and Coyote sides, there is also the neutral Drifter side, with the characters there having their own motives different from the other two sides. The gameplay is solid fun, especially with 4 people. There are comparisons to Twisted Metal, which is logical. I personally find V8 and V8:2nd more fun than the Twisted Metal series in my opinion, but both Twisted Metal and V8 are still really fin.
The music on the N64 versions suffer a bit, with the disc-based ones having better music. The graphics across all 3 are still solid though
Bottom Line: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense is just as good as the first game, with more and bigger levels and more vehicles. Multiplayer is a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Retro Lookback: Battletanx: Global Assault
Developer: 3DO
Publisher: 3DO
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64, Playstation (October 12, 1999)
Genre: Vehicular Combat, Action
Battletanx: Global Assault is the sequel to Battletanx, does it out-do the first game?
The story in the Campaign mode picks up from the end of the first game. On January 13, 2006, a Queenlord, Cassandra, is spying on Griffin Spade's family, telling her troops to kidnap Griffin's son Brandon and kill everyone else. Griffin and his army manage to push back the invaders, but Cassandra soon turns the tables by mind-controlling Griffin's own army. Griffin and Madison manage to escape San Francisco and begin chasing Cassandra across the United States, eventually cornering her in Washington, D.C.. Cassandra, however, escapes with Brandon to Great Britain; Griffin and Madison follow. They build a new army in Europe, and chase Cassandra through England, France and Germany. While in Paris, they discover Cassandra released the virus in 2001 to kill every female on Earth who didn't have the power of the Edge. It is in Berlin where Griffin finally rescues Brandon. They make it back to San Francisco and push back another invasion by the Storm Ravens, and finally corner and defeat Cassandra on Alcatraz Island. The story ends with a cliffhanger; an unidentified magician finds Cassandra's body and speaks of a "chosen one" as he resurrects her. (Plot Synopsis by Wikipedia. Yes, I felt lazy this time, hey, at least you know the plot now, right?)
The Gameplay is basically the same as Battletanx, except with improvements. It's basically just more Battletanx! There is an array of new tanks to use, and a few only on the Playstation version. Each tank has its own stats and advantages, finding the right one for a situation can involve some strategy. There are also many different gangs in this game compared to the first. Each gang has a different set of 5 tanks available to use and a starting Special Weapon. This allows you to pick a gang to suit your play style. There are also all new maps, both from the campaign and multiplayer only maps. The different items scattered on the maps can help provide you an advantage in a pinch. The control scheme is now Arcade by default, which I found to be the better control scheme. The tanks also handle a bit differently from the first game. It may feel a bit off at first, but it makes the game more fast-paced and exciting. The terrain also can factor in as well, with some vertical movement, especially with the faster tanks, can be achieved. Most everything can be destroyed as well, making for less hiding places and more open and dangerous. There are many different modes of play, from straight up Deathmatch to more objective based games. The campaign can now be played in 2 player co-op, where it was only a solo experience in the first game. All the other modes can be played with 1-4 players, with the CPU or against Human opponents. You can Free-For-All or be the color of the same team to team up. The CPU can provide enough replay value by yourself, but the fun really starts when you get some other people with you, can have fun for hours.
The graphics, music, and sounds all are fairly good, and get the feel of the battlefield decently.
Bottom Line: Battletanx: Global Assault can be entertaining for a bit by yourself, but it is best enjoyed with friends. This game shines the best with multiplayer. This is worth a Play or Buy, even solo, but especially with friends.
Publisher: 3DO
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64, Playstation (October 12, 1999)
Genre: Vehicular Combat, Action
Battletanx: Global Assault is the sequel to Battletanx, does it out-do the first game?
The story in the Campaign mode picks up from the end of the first game. On January 13, 2006, a Queenlord, Cassandra, is spying on Griffin Spade's family, telling her troops to kidnap Griffin's son Brandon and kill everyone else. Griffin and his army manage to push back the invaders, but Cassandra soon turns the tables by mind-controlling Griffin's own army. Griffin and Madison manage to escape San Francisco and begin chasing Cassandra across the United States, eventually cornering her in Washington, D.C.. Cassandra, however, escapes with Brandon to Great Britain; Griffin and Madison follow. They build a new army in Europe, and chase Cassandra through England, France and Germany. While in Paris, they discover Cassandra released the virus in 2001 to kill every female on Earth who didn't have the power of the Edge. It is in Berlin where Griffin finally rescues Brandon. They make it back to San Francisco and push back another invasion by the Storm Ravens, and finally corner and defeat Cassandra on Alcatraz Island. The story ends with a cliffhanger; an unidentified magician finds Cassandra's body and speaks of a "chosen one" as he resurrects her. (Plot Synopsis by Wikipedia. Yes, I felt lazy this time, hey, at least you know the plot now, right?)
The Gameplay is basically the same as Battletanx, except with improvements. It's basically just more Battletanx! There is an array of new tanks to use, and a few only on the Playstation version. Each tank has its own stats and advantages, finding the right one for a situation can involve some strategy. There are also many different gangs in this game compared to the first. Each gang has a different set of 5 tanks available to use and a starting Special Weapon. This allows you to pick a gang to suit your play style. There are also all new maps, both from the campaign and multiplayer only maps. The different items scattered on the maps can help provide you an advantage in a pinch. The control scheme is now Arcade by default, which I found to be the better control scheme. The tanks also handle a bit differently from the first game. It may feel a bit off at first, but it makes the game more fast-paced and exciting. The terrain also can factor in as well, with some vertical movement, especially with the faster tanks, can be achieved. Most everything can be destroyed as well, making for less hiding places and more open and dangerous. There are many different modes of play, from straight up Deathmatch to more objective based games. The campaign can now be played in 2 player co-op, where it was only a solo experience in the first game. All the other modes can be played with 1-4 players, with the CPU or against Human opponents. You can Free-For-All or be the color of the same team to team up. The CPU can provide enough replay value by yourself, but the fun really starts when you get some other people with you, can have fun for hours.
The graphics, music, and sounds all are fairly good, and get the feel of the battlefield decently.
Bottom Line: Battletanx: Global Assault can be entertaining for a bit by yourself, but it is best enjoyed with friends. This game shines the best with multiplayer. This is worth a Play or Buy, even solo, but especially with friends.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Game Rant: Pikmin 2
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (August 30, 2004)
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Pikmin 2 is the sequel to the first game released 3 years earlier, does it improve over the first game?
The plot of the Adventure mode continues from the first game. After Olimar escapes, he returns to Hocotate, only to find that Hocotate Fright is in debt after a shipment of Pik-Pik Carrots were stolen. When the President finds out that the trinket Olimar brought back for his kids is worth Pokos, he sends Olimar back to the mysterious planet with Louie in tow, where they must collect treasures to pay off the debt. The second part of the game begins when the Debt is paid. The rocket launches from the planet, once on the way to Hocotate, Olimar realises that he left Louie behind. When Olimar arrives, he explains how Louie is still down there as well as more treasure. The President decides to accompany Olimar back to the strange planet to find Louie and to salvage all of the treasure.
The gameplay is basically the same as the first game, with improvements. Other than the 1st day (which is the tutorial), you have the whole day (roughly 13 minutes) to spend in an area to collect as much as the Treasure as you can and grow more Pikmin. At the end of the day, you have to make sure to have all your Pikmin under your control or at the landing site or they get left behind to get eaten. You use the Pikmin to fight enemies and carry treasures and defeated enemies and pellets back to the landing sites to register the Treasures and grow more Pikmin. There are 4 overworld areas to explore, each with its own hazards, treasures, goodies, and caves. Unlike the previous game, there is no Day limit, you can take as many days as needed to retrieve all the Treasures. You also have 2 Pilots to control, so you can split up the work force and get more done. There are also 2 Sprays you can make by collecting 10 of one type of Berry, one spray will Power-Up your Pikmin for a short time and the other will Freeze enemies for a time. If a frozen enemy is defeated, they leave behind no body and spit out nectar instead. Along with the topside world, there are also Caves to explore, each of varying depths. In caves, time does not advance, so you can spend as much time as you can. When you enter a cave, only the Pikmin you have with you can go, no back-ups. You exit a cave by finding a geyser on the bottom of the cave or on a sub-level higher up on larger caves.
You have the 3 colored Pikmin from the first game returning. Red Pikmin are Fire-proof. Blue Pikmin can swim in Water. Yellow Pikmin have been altered slightly, they still can be thrown high, but this time the are Electric-proof and no longer able to pick up Bomb Rocks. There are also 2 new Pikmin colors in this game, both can only be found in Cave areas by throwing other Pikmin into the respective Candypop Bud. Purple Pikmin are the strongest in combat, and when carrying things, are equal to 10 of any other color of Pikmin. White Pikmin are the lightest and fastest, Poison-proof, and can find hidden Treasures and Objects buried in the ground. Purple and White Pikmin don't have Onions, they are stored in your Rocket and can only be produced from Candypop Buds. There is also a 6th type found only in caves called a Bulbmin. If you have less than 100 Pikmin with you on certain caves, a Parent Bulbmin can be seen leading Bulbmin. Defeat the Parent to recruit the Bulbmin with you. Bulbmin are resistant to all elements (water, fire, electricity, poison), but they cannot leave caves. Figuring out the right team of Pikmin to take with you on a cave venture or for overworld exploring requires strategy.
Along with the Adventure mode, there is 2 Player Battle and a Challenge Mode. 2 Player Battle is available from the start, it puts 2 players against each other. Player 1 is Olimar with Red Pikmin, and Player 2 is Louie with Blue Pikmin. There are 2 normal win conditions. You can win by collecting 4 Yellow Marbles or by collecting your Opponent's Marble. You can also win if the opposing player runs out of Health or Pikmin. Each player can have up to 50 Pikmin on the field, making 100 total. You can select a handicap before each match to give each player a set amount of Pikmin to start with. You can also collect Cherries on the field to spin a roulette wheel to help you or hinder your opponent, you can store up to 4 spins in your stock box. The Freeze spray works slightly different, it buries your opponent's Pikmin when you hit them with it instead of Freezing them. Pikmin can attack each other and the opposing players, but they never do any damage. When a Pikmin falls by an opposing Pikmin, they respawn as a seed in your opponent's onion, so they can be used by your opponent. There are 10 different arenas to choose from with varying hazards and layouts. This mode can be fun, trying to outwit your opponent and picking the right tactic for the easiest win. Challenge Mode is unlocked when The Key treasure is collected in Adventure Mode. This mode gives you a selection of Caves to explore, each with varying hazards, depths, Pikmin, and Sprays available. The objective here is to collect as much treasure as you can and exit via the geyser on the lowest level before time expires. You start each Cave with a set time limit, and earn bonus time every floor you go down to. You earn points for Treasure collected (enemy bodies count as treasure), Time Left, and Pikmin left. If you clear the cave with no Pikmin loss, it counts as a Perfect, and gives you a Purple flower instead of a White Flower, and by getting all Perfects, can unlock a special movie sequence. Challenge Mode can be played with 1 Player or 2 Players. Challenge more is fun with a 2nd player, trying to coordinate strategies for maximum points, and is just as fun solo. I only wish the Adventure mode could be played in 2 Players.
Bottom Line: Pikmin 2 takes everything from Pikmin, makes it better, and fixes all of the problems. Pikmin 2 is especially fun when playing the 2 Player Challenge Mode. This is definitely worth a Play or Buy.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (August 30, 2004)
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Pikmin 2 is the sequel to the first game released 3 years earlier, does it improve over the first game?
The plot of the Adventure mode continues from the first game. After Olimar escapes, he returns to Hocotate, only to find that Hocotate Fright is in debt after a shipment of Pik-Pik Carrots were stolen. When the President finds out that the trinket Olimar brought back for his kids is worth Pokos, he sends Olimar back to the mysterious planet with Louie in tow, where they must collect treasures to pay off the debt. The second part of the game begins when the Debt is paid. The rocket launches from the planet, once on the way to Hocotate, Olimar realises that he left Louie behind. When Olimar arrives, he explains how Louie is still down there as well as more treasure. The President decides to accompany Olimar back to the strange planet to find Louie and to salvage all of the treasure.
The gameplay is basically the same as the first game, with improvements. Other than the 1st day (which is the tutorial), you have the whole day (roughly 13 minutes) to spend in an area to collect as much as the Treasure as you can and grow more Pikmin. At the end of the day, you have to make sure to have all your Pikmin under your control or at the landing site or they get left behind to get eaten. You use the Pikmin to fight enemies and carry treasures and defeated enemies and pellets back to the landing sites to register the Treasures and grow more Pikmin. There are 4 overworld areas to explore, each with its own hazards, treasures, goodies, and caves. Unlike the previous game, there is no Day limit, you can take as many days as needed to retrieve all the Treasures. You also have 2 Pilots to control, so you can split up the work force and get more done. There are also 2 Sprays you can make by collecting 10 of one type of Berry, one spray will Power-Up your Pikmin for a short time and the other will Freeze enemies for a time. If a frozen enemy is defeated, they leave behind no body and spit out nectar instead. Along with the topside world, there are also Caves to explore, each of varying depths. In caves, time does not advance, so you can spend as much time as you can. When you enter a cave, only the Pikmin you have with you can go, no back-ups. You exit a cave by finding a geyser on the bottom of the cave or on a sub-level higher up on larger caves.
You have the 3 colored Pikmin from the first game returning. Red Pikmin are Fire-proof. Blue Pikmin can swim in Water. Yellow Pikmin have been altered slightly, they still can be thrown high, but this time the are Electric-proof and no longer able to pick up Bomb Rocks. There are also 2 new Pikmin colors in this game, both can only be found in Cave areas by throwing other Pikmin into the respective Candypop Bud. Purple Pikmin are the strongest in combat, and when carrying things, are equal to 10 of any other color of Pikmin. White Pikmin are the lightest and fastest, Poison-proof, and can find hidden Treasures and Objects buried in the ground. Purple and White Pikmin don't have Onions, they are stored in your Rocket and can only be produced from Candypop Buds. There is also a 6th type found only in caves called a Bulbmin. If you have less than 100 Pikmin with you on certain caves, a Parent Bulbmin can be seen leading Bulbmin. Defeat the Parent to recruit the Bulbmin with you. Bulbmin are resistant to all elements (water, fire, electricity, poison), but they cannot leave caves. Figuring out the right team of Pikmin to take with you on a cave venture or for overworld exploring requires strategy.
Along with the Adventure mode, there is 2 Player Battle and a Challenge Mode. 2 Player Battle is available from the start, it puts 2 players against each other. Player 1 is Olimar with Red Pikmin, and Player 2 is Louie with Blue Pikmin. There are 2 normal win conditions. You can win by collecting 4 Yellow Marbles or by collecting your Opponent's Marble. You can also win if the opposing player runs out of Health or Pikmin. Each player can have up to 50 Pikmin on the field, making 100 total. You can select a handicap before each match to give each player a set amount of Pikmin to start with. You can also collect Cherries on the field to spin a roulette wheel to help you or hinder your opponent, you can store up to 4 spins in your stock box. The Freeze spray works slightly different, it buries your opponent's Pikmin when you hit them with it instead of Freezing them. Pikmin can attack each other and the opposing players, but they never do any damage. When a Pikmin falls by an opposing Pikmin, they respawn as a seed in your opponent's onion, so they can be used by your opponent. There are 10 different arenas to choose from with varying hazards and layouts. This mode can be fun, trying to outwit your opponent and picking the right tactic for the easiest win. Challenge Mode is unlocked when The Key treasure is collected in Adventure Mode. This mode gives you a selection of Caves to explore, each with varying hazards, depths, Pikmin, and Sprays available. The objective here is to collect as much treasure as you can and exit via the geyser on the lowest level before time expires. You start each Cave with a set time limit, and earn bonus time every floor you go down to. You earn points for Treasure collected (enemy bodies count as treasure), Time Left, and Pikmin left. If you clear the cave with no Pikmin loss, it counts as a Perfect, and gives you a Purple flower instead of a White Flower, and by getting all Perfects, can unlock a special movie sequence. Challenge Mode can be played with 1 Player or 2 Players. Challenge more is fun with a 2nd player, trying to coordinate strategies for maximum points, and is just as fun solo. I only wish the Adventure mode could be played in 2 Players.
Bottom Line: Pikmin 2 takes everything from Pikmin, makes it better, and fixes all of the problems. Pikmin 2 is especially fun when playing the 2 Player Challenge Mode. This is definitely worth a Play or Buy.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Retro Lookback: Dr. Mario 64
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 8, 2001)
Genre: Puzzle
Dr. Mario 64 is an enhanced update of the classic game for NES and Gameboy, does it hold up since then?
The gameplay is still classic Dr. Mario. You line up 4 of the same color horizontally or vertically to clear all the viruses before your opponent or before you fill up. There are various modes of play in 64 compared to the NES/Gameboy version. Classic more is the classic NES Dr. Mario more, you pick a level from 0-20, one of 3 speeds, and clear all the viruses to move on the the next level, and keep going until you fail. Story mode is a 1 Player Mode where you play as Dr. Mario or Wario in a quest to get back the Megavitamins via 8-9 matches against the CPU, with 4 difficulties available. Vs Computer puts you against the CPU in a standard Vs Match. Flash puts you against the CPU to clear 3 flashing viruses first. Marathon is an endless mode, where the viruses will keep regenerating from the bottom, you keep clearing viruses until you fill up. Score Attack is a mode where you get the highest score you can in 3 minutes, if you clear all the viruses, you get a Time Bonus for time left. There is also some 2 Player Modes. 2 Player Vs is a standard Vs Match between 2 human players. Flash is a 2 Player Match to clear the 3 flashing viruses first. Score Attack is a 2 Player variant of the 1 Player Mode, you cannot attack each other in this mode, it plays like the 1 Player variant, higher score wins. The best edition is 4 Player Mode. 4 Players can play simultaneously to clear viruses, for 1-4 Players, with CPU filling in for Non-Human players. 4 Player Vs is an expanded version of 2 Player Vs, the goal is still the same, clear your viruses first or knock out all 3 of your opponents. 4 Player Flash is the same as 2 Player Flash for 4 People, first of clear the 3 flashing viruses wins. There is also a Team Battle 2 vs 2 mode, Players 1 & 2 vs Players 3 & 4, it works like 4 Player Vs except only one person on the team needs to clear their viruses first or to knock out the 2 opposing players to win. If a human player gets knocked out in a 4 player mode, they can Practice by pressing start. Their board gets reset and they can play while waiting for the other players. You cannot attack or be attacked while in Practice mode. The 4 Player Mode is great fun with 4 humans, just make sure you have a sizeable screen.
I shall explain attacking and winning in this section. In 2 Player modes you attack the other player by doing combos, as in the capsules collapse and keep clearing without more capsules. A 2 combo will send 2 pieces, a 3 combo will send 3 pieces, and a 4+ combo will send 4 pieces to your opponent. 4 Player modes work slightly different. The strength of the attack still depends on the combo, but who you attack is dependent on which color you start the combo with (the first color cleared in the combo). If the first color is Blue you will attack the player 1 to the right of you, if the color is Yellow you will attack the player 2 to the right of you, and if the color is Red you will attack the player 3 to the right of you. If you are players 2-4, your attack will warp back around once you get to the far right, as in a Red attack from Player 2, a Yellow attack form Player 3, or a Blue attack from Player 4 will attack Player 1. You can also attack more than one player at once, if your first clear in a combo is 2 different colors at the same time, you will send attacks to both players, as in if Player 1 starts a combo with Blue & Red, Players 2 & 4 will be attacked. Team Mode works slightly different. If you attack your Teammate or a knocked out player on the other team, your attacks will instead go to a Stock pool, you can build up to 4 colors in the pool depending on the combos. Once a player on the other team is attacked that isn't knocked out, your Stock pool will be added in to your combo for up to 4 pieces. In all Vs modes except 2 Player Score Attack, you can win in 2 ways. You can win by clearing all your viruses/flashing viruses first or by knocking out all opponents by filling them up to the top. This can make for some strategy, as you can shift from one win condition to the other to get the easier win.
You also got the classic Fever and Chill music remixed, and also 2 new tracks called Cube and Que Que, they are fun to listen to while virus busting, and go into an Alegro or Frenzy mix when a player has almost cleared their screen of viruses. The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations and voice clips are a nice touch.
Bottom Line: Dr. Mario 64 is a good update of the classic game, with extra modes to test you for higher scores. The 4 player mode is a lot of fun with 4 humans. This is worth a play.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 8, 2001)
Genre: Puzzle
Dr. Mario 64 is an enhanced update of the classic game for NES and Gameboy, does it hold up since then?
The gameplay is still classic Dr. Mario. You line up 4 of the same color horizontally or vertically to clear all the viruses before your opponent or before you fill up. There are various modes of play in 64 compared to the NES/Gameboy version. Classic more is the classic NES Dr. Mario more, you pick a level from 0-20, one of 3 speeds, and clear all the viruses to move on the the next level, and keep going until you fail. Story mode is a 1 Player Mode where you play as Dr. Mario or Wario in a quest to get back the Megavitamins via 8-9 matches against the CPU, with 4 difficulties available. Vs Computer puts you against the CPU in a standard Vs Match. Flash puts you against the CPU to clear 3 flashing viruses first. Marathon is an endless mode, where the viruses will keep regenerating from the bottom, you keep clearing viruses until you fill up. Score Attack is a mode where you get the highest score you can in 3 minutes, if you clear all the viruses, you get a Time Bonus for time left. There is also some 2 Player Modes. 2 Player Vs is a standard Vs Match between 2 human players. Flash is a 2 Player Match to clear the 3 flashing viruses first. Score Attack is a 2 Player variant of the 1 Player Mode, you cannot attack each other in this mode, it plays like the 1 Player variant, higher score wins. The best edition is 4 Player Mode. 4 Players can play simultaneously to clear viruses, for 1-4 Players, with CPU filling in for Non-Human players. 4 Player Vs is an expanded version of 2 Player Vs, the goal is still the same, clear your viruses first or knock out all 3 of your opponents. 4 Player Flash is the same as 2 Player Flash for 4 People, first of clear the 3 flashing viruses wins. There is also a Team Battle 2 vs 2 mode, Players 1 & 2 vs Players 3 & 4, it works like 4 Player Vs except only one person on the team needs to clear their viruses first or to knock out the 2 opposing players to win. If a human player gets knocked out in a 4 player mode, they can Practice by pressing start. Their board gets reset and they can play while waiting for the other players. You cannot attack or be attacked while in Practice mode. The 4 Player Mode is great fun with 4 humans, just make sure you have a sizeable screen.
I shall explain attacking and winning in this section. In 2 Player modes you attack the other player by doing combos, as in the capsules collapse and keep clearing without more capsules. A 2 combo will send 2 pieces, a 3 combo will send 3 pieces, and a 4+ combo will send 4 pieces to your opponent. 4 Player modes work slightly different. The strength of the attack still depends on the combo, but who you attack is dependent on which color you start the combo with (the first color cleared in the combo). If the first color is Blue you will attack the player 1 to the right of you, if the color is Yellow you will attack the player 2 to the right of you, and if the color is Red you will attack the player 3 to the right of you. If you are players 2-4, your attack will warp back around once you get to the far right, as in a Red attack from Player 2, a Yellow attack form Player 3, or a Blue attack from Player 4 will attack Player 1. You can also attack more than one player at once, if your first clear in a combo is 2 different colors at the same time, you will send attacks to both players, as in if Player 1 starts a combo with Blue & Red, Players 2 & 4 will be attacked. Team Mode works slightly different. If you attack your Teammate or a knocked out player on the other team, your attacks will instead go to a Stock pool, you can build up to 4 colors in the pool depending on the combos. Once a player on the other team is attacked that isn't knocked out, your Stock pool will be added in to your combo for up to 4 pieces. In all Vs modes except 2 Player Score Attack, you can win in 2 ways. You can win by clearing all your viruses/flashing viruses first or by knocking out all opponents by filling them up to the top. This can make for some strategy, as you can shift from one win condition to the other to get the easier win.
You also got the classic Fever and Chill music remixed, and also 2 new tracks called Cube and Que Que, they are fun to listen to while virus busting, and go into an Alegro or Frenzy mix when a player has almost cleared their screen of viruses. The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations and voice clips are a nice touch.
Bottom Line: Dr. Mario 64 is a good update of the classic game, with extra modes to test you for higher scores. The 4 player mode is a lot of fun with 4 humans. This is worth a play.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Retro Lookback: Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA
Developer: Atari Games
Publisher: Midway Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 10, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Rush 2 is the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing, released exclusively for the N64, does it hold up to the previous game's extremeness?
The gameplay continues in the line of the first game, arcade like physics and fast, checkpoint to checkpoint racing. No realism here. The objective is to race from checkpoint to checkpoint without running out of time and completing the number of laps in 1st place. That's all, simple. Instead of taking place in San Francisco like in the games before and after, the racing takes place in cities and locations across the USA, like New York, Seattle, and Hawaii. This is also the first Rush game to have a proper stunt track, where you have 5 minutes to land as many flips, rolls, and other stunts for points. All the cars from the first game are included, as well as all new cars, both default and unlockable. You can also customize your cars to affect performance, like the tires. You can also collect Keys and Mountain Dew cans throughout the tracks to unlock more cars and tracks. One such bonus track includes racing through the offices of Midway Games. You can also play 2 players via splitscreen, both on the race tracks and the stunt track. You can also toggle a special mode as the countdown starts in 2 player mode, Tag mode. In this mode, one player is designated "IT", and he/she has to tag the other player. Each player has a timer, which counts while they are "IT", the player who is "IT" for the least amount of time wins. There is also a circuit mode, which takes all the tracks and the variants (Mirrored, Reverse, Mirrored-Reverse) and race them all one after another, gaining points for placement on each race. The one with the highest point total at the end wins. There is also a free Practice mode where you can drive around on any track, look for secrets or collectibles, and get familiar with the track. There is also the "Death Race" option, where if you blow up once, you are out of the race, which can make for more careful driving. The physics can be a bit wonky at times, as you may find yourself spinning and flipping just by not going off a jump flat out or hitting a small bump, but it is part of what makes the games fun, and you will get used to it. The Rush series is always better with a friend (or friends in 2049's case), and this is no exception, you can play this for hours with a friend.
The graphics are fairly good, as they fairly accurately depict the various cities and locales the races take place in.
Bottom Line: Rush 2 is just as good as the other San Francisco Rush games, and is a blast to play with a 2nd player. This is a definite Play.
Publisher: Midway Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 10, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Rush 2 is the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing, released exclusively for the N64, does it hold up to the previous game's extremeness?
The gameplay continues in the line of the first game, arcade like physics and fast, checkpoint to checkpoint racing. No realism here. The objective is to race from checkpoint to checkpoint without running out of time and completing the number of laps in 1st place. That's all, simple. Instead of taking place in San Francisco like in the games before and after, the racing takes place in cities and locations across the USA, like New York, Seattle, and Hawaii. This is also the first Rush game to have a proper stunt track, where you have 5 minutes to land as many flips, rolls, and other stunts for points. All the cars from the first game are included, as well as all new cars, both default and unlockable. You can also customize your cars to affect performance, like the tires. You can also collect Keys and Mountain Dew cans throughout the tracks to unlock more cars and tracks. One such bonus track includes racing through the offices of Midway Games. You can also play 2 players via splitscreen, both on the race tracks and the stunt track. You can also toggle a special mode as the countdown starts in 2 player mode, Tag mode. In this mode, one player is designated "IT", and he/she has to tag the other player. Each player has a timer, which counts while they are "IT", the player who is "IT" for the least amount of time wins. There is also a circuit mode, which takes all the tracks and the variants (Mirrored, Reverse, Mirrored-Reverse) and race them all one after another, gaining points for placement on each race. The one with the highest point total at the end wins. There is also a free Practice mode where you can drive around on any track, look for secrets or collectibles, and get familiar with the track. There is also the "Death Race" option, where if you blow up once, you are out of the race, which can make for more careful driving. The physics can be a bit wonky at times, as you may find yourself spinning and flipping just by not going off a jump flat out or hitting a small bump, but it is part of what makes the games fun, and you will get used to it. The Rush series is always better with a friend (or friends in 2049's case), and this is no exception, you can play this for hours with a friend.
The graphics are fairly good, as they fairly accurately depict the various cities and locales the races take place in.
Bottom Line: Rush 2 is just as good as the other San Francisco Rush games, and is a blast to play with a 2nd player. This is a definite Play.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Game Rant: Dark Souls
Developer: From Software
Publisher (US): Namco Bandai Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation 3 (October 4, 2011), Xbox 360 (October 4, 2011), Microsoft Windows (August 24, 2012)
Genre: Action RPG
Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, and retains the notable difficulty.
The story is kinda thin, but it is enough to guide you along through dialogue and occasional cut-scenes. You start as an Undead locked in a cell, destined to die. A fellow Undead aids you in escaping. You travel to the land of Lordran, where you are told to ring the Bells of Awakening. After you do so, you are told you are the chosen Undead, and you must find and place the Lordvessel at the Kiln of the First Flame, defeat the Four Lords and get their Souls, and defeat Gwyn. When you defeat Gwyn, you are given a vague choice of 2 options which determines the end.
The Gameplay takes place in a constantly hostile Open World environment. Throughout the areas, you find Bonfires which serve as checkpoints when you die, and constitute the only "safe areas" in the game. When you rest at a Bonfire, all non-boss enemies respawn and you have to kill them again, but your Health, Flask, Miracles, Spells, and Pyromancies are all replenished. You start the game in Undead form, but you can also spend a Humanity to become Human. Being Human allows you to kindle at Bonfires to hold more uses in your flask, and engage in interactions with other players, by being invaded or summoning them as allies. Being Undead prevents invasion, but you can't kindle or summon allies. Dying reverts you to Undead form if you are Human, and you also drop all you Souls and Humanity as a Bloodstain. You are given one chance to retrieve your stuff, if you die again, they are lost forever. Souls and Humanity are the main currency. You gain Souls from defeating enemies, with tougher enemies generally yielding more Souls. Souls can be used at shops to buy things, to Level Up, to fix and smith weapons and armor, and other things. Humanity is a bit more rare. They are used to revert you back to Human, kindle at Bonfires, and they also oversee your Item Discovery rate, and improve certain stats and improve damage of certain weapons. The online interactions I mentioned earlier can happen at any time without warning. When you are Human, you can be Invaded by another player(s) at any time. This results in a duel to the death with the invaders. In Human form, you can also find special signs on the ground to summon other player(s) as allies to fight along side you against invaders or to make it through an area or boss. You can also Invade or leave a sign to be summoned at any time as well, and will be transported to the host's world when a matchup is found. These online interactions add an element of unpredictablity, as you never know when another player will be there to help or hinder you. The difficulty can be brutal, but a steady hand, patience, and strategy can lead you to success. The gameplay and the online interactions are entertaining and interesting and satisfying to overcome great tasks.
Bottom Line: Dark Souls provides healthy challenge and is never unfair, and the online interactions can provide hours if engagement. I say this is a Buy.
Publisher (US): Namco Bandai Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation 3 (October 4, 2011), Xbox 360 (October 4, 2011), Microsoft Windows (August 24, 2012)
Genre: Action RPG
Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, and retains the notable difficulty.
The story is kinda thin, but it is enough to guide you along through dialogue and occasional cut-scenes. You start as an Undead locked in a cell, destined to die. A fellow Undead aids you in escaping. You travel to the land of Lordran, where you are told to ring the Bells of Awakening. After you do so, you are told you are the chosen Undead, and you must find and place the Lordvessel at the Kiln of the First Flame, defeat the Four Lords and get their Souls, and defeat Gwyn. When you defeat Gwyn, you are given a vague choice of 2 options which determines the end.
The Gameplay takes place in a constantly hostile Open World environment. Throughout the areas, you find Bonfires which serve as checkpoints when you die, and constitute the only "safe areas" in the game. When you rest at a Bonfire, all non-boss enemies respawn and you have to kill them again, but your Health, Flask, Miracles, Spells, and Pyromancies are all replenished. You start the game in Undead form, but you can also spend a Humanity to become Human. Being Human allows you to kindle at Bonfires to hold more uses in your flask, and engage in interactions with other players, by being invaded or summoning them as allies. Being Undead prevents invasion, but you can't kindle or summon allies. Dying reverts you to Undead form if you are Human, and you also drop all you Souls and Humanity as a Bloodstain. You are given one chance to retrieve your stuff, if you die again, they are lost forever. Souls and Humanity are the main currency. You gain Souls from defeating enemies, with tougher enemies generally yielding more Souls. Souls can be used at shops to buy things, to Level Up, to fix and smith weapons and armor, and other things. Humanity is a bit more rare. They are used to revert you back to Human, kindle at Bonfires, and they also oversee your Item Discovery rate, and improve certain stats and improve damage of certain weapons. The online interactions I mentioned earlier can happen at any time without warning. When you are Human, you can be Invaded by another player(s) at any time. This results in a duel to the death with the invaders. In Human form, you can also find special signs on the ground to summon other player(s) as allies to fight along side you against invaders or to make it through an area or boss. You can also Invade or leave a sign to be summoned at any time as well, and will be transported to the host's world when a matchup is found. These online interactions add an element of unpredictablity, as you never know when another player will be there to help or hinder you. The difficulty can be brutal, but a steady hand, patience, and strategy can lead you to success. The gameplay and the online interactions are entertaining and interesting and satisfying to overcome great tasks.
Bottom Line: Dark Souls provides healthy challenge and is never unfair, and the online interactions can provide hours if engagement. I say this is a Buy.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Game Rant: Ribbit King
Developer: Bandai
Publisher: Bandai
Platforms and release dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (June 8, 2004), Playstation 2 (June 15, 2004)
Genre: Sports
Ribbit King is a strange game with a strange story, does strange work here?
The Story Mode centers around a carpenter named Scooter. The king calls Scooter in to explain the crisis. The fuel source of the planet is about to run out, and if they don't get more, the planet not survive. The King enters Scooter in the Frolf tournament (Frolf = Frog + Golf), where the grand prize is the Super Ribbonite that powers the planet. The King also gives Scooter a sidekick named Pikwick, a walking and talking picnic basket, to assist Scooter. Scooter and Pikwick go off to the F.U.V. (Frolf Utility Vehicle) and enter the tournament.
The gameplay is like Golf, but with frogs (hence the term "Frolf"). The objective is to get the most points you can on each hole in 4 hole matches. You have 8 strokes to get as many points as you can and get your frog in the hole on each hole. To get more points, various gimmicks are spread throughout the courses, from Bubbles and Spider Webs to Mines and Giant Beasts. On some events, you will be prompted to waggle the Right Stick back and forth rapidly or press a button at the right time, with better performances earning more points. If you string events together on one stroke, you can get a multiplyer up to an x4. Each hole starts at a value of 1500 points for a Frog-In-One. One the 2nd stroke and after, it is 1000 Points for a hole out. If another player gets their frog in the hole, the bonus will start to deplete each stroke by 100 points, so on the next stroke, the hole-out bonus will only be 900 points, then 800 points, then so on. In Stroke Play, whoever has the highest score at the end of the 4 holes wins. In Match Play, whoever wins the most holes wins. In Stroke Play, there is also a surprise bonus worth 100-300 points awarded at the end, which can help decide 1st. Stroke Play can be played with up to 4 players, all on 1 controller or separate controllers, with CPU filling in for empty spaces if you choose. The Story mode is where you unlock everything for the Vs Mode. There are 5 different planets to play on, with different themes, and they have their own gimmicks. You can also use items that help you to get more points or to help your frog with upgraded abilities for that stroke. Also, some frogs have different stats, like some can swim in Lava while others can't. The CPU is simple, they will take the same shots every time, but that doesn't mean that they will go down without a fight! The gameplay is pretty fun, trying to milk out as many points as you can in each shot is strategic.
There is also a bonus disc called Ribbit King Plus included. As you earn bottle caps and achieve various milestones in Story Mode, you unlock short movies to watch.
Bottom Line: Ribbit King is an enjoyable game for a time, but it can get tired after a bit. I still recommend a Play or Rent.
Publisher: Bandai
Platforms and release dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (June 8, 2004), Playstation 2 (June 15, 2004)
Genre: Sports
Ribbit King is a strange game with a strange story, does strange work here?
The Story Mode centers around a carpenter named Scooter. The king calls Scooter in to explain the crisis. The fuel source of the planet is about to run out, and if they don't get more, the planet not survive. The King enters Scooter in the Frolf tournament (Frolf = Frog + Golf), where the grand prize is the Super Ribbonite that powers the planet. The King also gives Scooter a sidekick named Pikwick, a walking and talking picnic basket, to assist Scooter. Scooter and Pikwick go off to the F.U.V. (Frolf Utility Vehicle) and enter the tournament.
The gameplay is like Golf, but with frogs (hence the term "Frolf"). The objective is to get the most points you can on each hole in 4 hole matches. You have 8 strokes to get as many points as you can and get your frog in the hole on each hole. To get more points, various gimmicks are spread throughout the courses, from Bubbles and Spider Webs to Mines and Giant Beasts. On some events, you will be prompted to waggle the Right Stick back and forth rapidly or press a button at the right time, with better performances earning more points. If you string events together on one stroke, you can get a multiplyer up to an x4. Each hole starts at a value of 1500 points for a Frog-In-One. One the 2nd stroke and after, it is 1000 Points for a hole out. If another player gets their frog in the hole, the bonus will start to deplete each stroke by 100 points, so on the next stroke, the hole-out bonus will only be 900 points, then 800 points, then so on. In Stroke Play, whoever has the highest score at the end of the 4 holes wins. In Match Play, whoever wins the most holes wins. In Stroke Play, there is also a surprise bonus worth 100-300 points awarded at the end, which can help decide 1st. Stroke Play can be played with up to 4 players, all on 1 controller or separate controllers, with CPU filling in for empty spaces if you choose. The Story mode is where you unlock everything for the Vs Mode. There are 5 different planets to play on, with different themes, and they have their own gimmicks. You can also use items that help you to get more points or to help your frog with upgraded abilities for that stroke. Also, some frogs have different stats, like some can swim in Lava while others can't. The CPU is simple, they will take the same shots every time, but that doesn't mean that they will go down without a fight! The gameplay is pretty fun, trying to milk out as many points as you can in each shot is strategic.
There is also a bonus disc called Ribbit King Plus included. As you earn bottle caps and achieve various milestones in Story Mode, you unlock short movies to watch.
Bottom Line: Ribbit King is an enjoyable game for a time, but it can get tired after a bit. I still recommend a Play or Rent.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Retro Lookback: Snowboard Kids
Developer: Racdym
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms and Release dates (US): Nintendo 64 (May 3, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Snowboard Kids is Atlus' take on Mario Kart, so to speak, and I find it to be entertaining.
The gameplay is straight racing, you start at the top and have to be the first to the bottom, but you have to take a lift back to the top again and complete the required number of laps first. First to complete all the laps first wins. To help, there are two different kinds of items to get on the track. Shot items are the Red Boxes, you get 3 shots of a random projectile to shoot at your opponents, from Bombs to Parachutes. Items come in Blue Boxes, you get a random item to use to aid you, hinder your opponents, or do both. You can carry both a Shot and an Item at the same time, firing shots with the Z button and Items with the B button. You have to pay 100G to get an Item or a Shot, you can earn G by collecting loose coins on the course worth 100G each or by successfully landing tricks. There are 9 tracks available, from the standard snowy mountain to more unorthodox locales such as an amusements park and a grass valley, 6 are from the start and 3 are unlockable. There is also a selection of 6 characters with different stats, with 1 being unlockable. You can also select different boards to use, Freestyle boards are low speed but high tricks and cornering, All-Around boards are even in every stat, and Alpine boards are high speed but low tricks and cornering. You can also get 3 special boards with unique stats. The standard race mode is a 4 person race, with CPU players filling in for Non-Entrants. Single Player has a few additional modes of play. Speed Cross is a 1 Lap Time Trial on the first 3 courses with Speed Fans scattered on the course, Shot Cross is a 1 Lap run on the first 3 courses where you have to shoot all the snowmen and finish as fast as you can. Trick Attack takes place on a special course where you have to earn the highest point total you can from tricks and finish within 3 minutes. You can also do a standard 1 Lap Time Trial on all 9 courses, you are given 1 Speed Fan item to use to help you achieve the fastest 1 Lap time. The gameplay is different from Mario Mart in ways, and I find it to be fun.
A little while later, an enhanced port was made for the Playstation, but only for Japan. It had enhanced graphics, more voice clips, more characters, and other things. A sequel was made also, which I may cover in a future post.
Bottom Line: Snowboard Kids is like Mario Kart on Snowboards, and a fun game at that. This game is worth a Play.
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms and Release dates (US): Nintendo 64 (May 3, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Snowboard Kids is Atlus' take on Mario Kart, so to speak, and I find it to be entertaining.
The gameplay is straight racing, you start at the top and have to be the first to the bottom, but you have to take a lift back to the top again and complete the required number of laps first. First to complete all the laps first wins. To help, there are two different kinds of items to get on the track. Shot items are the Red Boxes, you get 3 shots of a random projectile to shoot at your opponents, from Bombs to Parachutes. Items come in Blue Boxes, you get a random item to use to aid you, hinder your opponents, or do both. You can carry both a Shot and an Item at the same time, firing shots with the Z button and Items with the B button. You have to pay 100G to get an Item or a Shot, you can earn G by collecting loose coins on the course worth 100G each or by successfully landing tricks. There are 9 tracks available, from the standard snowy mountain to more unorthodox locales such as an amusements park and a grass valley, 6 are from the start and 3 are unlockable. There is also a selection of 6 characters with different stats, with 1 being unlockable. You can also select different boards to use, Freestyle boards are low speed but high tricks and cornering, All-Around boards are even in every stat, and Alpine boards are high speed but low tricks and cornering. You can also get 3 special boards with unique stats. The standard race mode is a 4 person race, with CPU players filling in for Non-Entrants. Single Player has a few additional modes of play. Speed Cross is a 1 Lap Time Trial on the first 3 courses with Speed Fans scattered on the course, Shot Cross is a 1 Lap run on the first 3 courses where you have to shoot all the snowmen and finish as fast as you can. Trick Attack takes place on a special course where you have to earn the highest point total you can from tricks and finish within 3 minutes. You can also do a standard 1 Lap Time Trial on all 9 courses, you are given 1 Speed Fan item to use to help you achieve the fastest 1 Lap time. The gameplay is different from Mario Mart in ways, and I find it to be fun.
A little while later, an enhanced port was made for the Playstation, but only for Japan. It had enhanced graphics, more voice clips, more characters, and other things. A sequel was made also, which I may cover in a future post.
Bottom Line: Snowboard Kids is like Mario Kart on Snowboards, and a fun game at that. This game is worth a Play.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Retro Lookback: F-Zero X
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (October 26, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (June 25, 2007)
Genre: Racing
F-Zero X is the sequel to the SNES game F-Zero, and it continues the high speed and intensity action.
The Gameplay remains basically the same, you race 3 laps (instead of 5) around each track in a cup of 6 tracks and attempt to get 1st place overall. You earn points depending on placement, with 1st place giving 100 points. You have an energy meter, which serves 2 purposes, it acts as how much damage you can take until you Retire and how much boost you can use. You can refill the energy bar by driving over pink pit areas. The boost will not be available on the 1st lap, but is available on the 2nd and 3rd laps. There are 4 difficulties, Beginner, Standard, Expert, and Master, with Master bring unlockable. You also start with a certain amount of Spare Ships (similar to Retries if you want to restart the race or if you Retire), with less available on higher difficulties. You can also use a Spin and Side attack to Retire the other 29 racers as well, and you can earn Spare Ships for doing so and earn a better placement. There are 5 cups, Jack, Queen, King, Joker, and X, with the first 3 being available from the start. The first 4 cups have 6 tracks each, and the X cup is a Random Track Generator, which makes a different track each race. Along with the Grand Prix mode, there is Time Trial, which tasks you with getting the fastest time with the option of racing the Staff Ghost or your best. The Death Race is a special straight course where you have to destroy all 29 opponents in the fastest time possible. The Practice mode lets you practice on any track on any difficulty against 29 opponents. The Vs Race allows 2-4 players to race on tracks, with CPU racers being able to fill vacant spots if you so choose. There is also a Vs Slots, where Players that Retire can spin slots, if they match 3 in a row, they affect the other racers in adverse ways.
The soundtrack is good, the graphics and textures are of lower quality so all the action can continue at 60 fps.
There was also an expansion called the F-Zero X Expansion Kit for the N64 DD, which added new tracks, a track editor, capacity to race up to 3 ghosts in Time Trials, and a Rock Remix of the Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road theme for use on the Rainbow Road track.
Bottom Line: F-Zero X is fun and fast racing, it is exciting traveling at speeds over 1500 km/hr. This game is worth a Play.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (October 26, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (June 25, 2007)
Genre: Racing
F-Zero X is the sequel to the SNES game F-Zero, and it continues the high speed and intensity action.
The Gameplay remains basically the same, you race 3 laps (instead of 5) around each track in a cup of 6 tracks and attempt to get 1st place overall. You earn points depending on placement, with 1st place giving 100 points. You have an energy meter, which serves 2 purposes, it acts as how much damage you can take until you Retire and how much boost you can use. You can refill the energy bar by driving over pink pit areas. The boost will not be available on the 1st lap, but is available on the 2nd and 3rd laps. There are 4 difficulties, Beginner, Standard, Expert, and Master, with Master bring unlockable. You also start with a certain amount of Spare Ships (similar to Retries if you want to restart the race or if you Retire), with less available on higher difficulties. You can also use a Spin and Side attack to Retire the other 29 racers as well, and you can earn Spare Ships for doing so and earn a better placement. There are 5 cups, Jack, Queen, King, Joker, and X, with the first 3 being available from the start. The first 4 cups have 6 tracks each, and the X cup is a Random Track Generator, which makes a different track each race. Along with the Grand Prix mode, there is Time Trial, which tasks you with getting the fastest time with the option of racing the Staff Ghost or your best. The Death Race is a special straight course where you have to destroy all 29 opponents in the fastest time possible. The Practice mode lets you practice on any track on any difficulty against 29 opponents. The Vs Race allows 2-4 players to race on tracks, with CPU racers being able to fill vacant spots if you so choose. There is also a Vs Slots, where Players that Retire can spin slots, if they match 3 in a row, they affect the other racers in adverse ways.
The soundtrack is good, the graphics and textures are of lower quality so all the action can continue at 60 fps.
There was also an expansion called the F-Zero X Expansion Kit for the N64 DD, which added new tracks, a track editor, capacity to race up to 3 ghosts in Time Trials, and a Rock Remix of the Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road theme for use on the Rainbow Road track.
Bottom Line: F-Zero X is fun and fast racing, it is exciting traveling at speeds over 1500 km/hr. This game is worth a Play.
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