The painterly style of Prince of Persia is very pretty to look at and the some of the levels are beautifully designed, but this entry in the series strips out what made the games interesting in the first place. The environmental puzzles in Sands of Time were fantastic. The player had to figure out where to go from subtle hints in the camera angle and from observing the game world. This latest game tells the player where to go all the time. On top of that, it’s impossible to die or fail. I’ve never played a game guilty of so much hand-holding. Completing Sands of Time left me very satisfied. Completing this installment in the series carries no sense of accomplishment.
That being said, the game controls wonderfully. Effortlessly traversing the environments feels great. The problem is this quickly becomes boring because of the aforementioned problems.
If only the game’s design were as well executed as its gameplay and art direction, this would have been a fantastic game. What could have been a great game is only decent. As it stands, this game is distraction that will last you ten hours or so, making it just worth a rental.
This is an often overlooked gem for the Gameboy Advance. Players often dismiss titles based on licensed properties, but Astro Boy Omega Factor is a fantastic game. Most of the game is a 2-D beat-em-up, but there’s a few SHMUP levels mixed in. The developers (Treasure) also found an ingenious way to extend gameplay through the multiple endings that doesn’t feel cheap by creatively using an unexpected feature. I’d say more, but don’t want to spoil it for those that might play the game since it was such a pleasant surprise.
The game is challenging, but not impossible. Highly recommended.
Yes, that’s what the new Megaman game actually looks like.
A coupleblogs have linked to this forum post which confirms that Megaman 9 is coming as a Wiiware/PSN/XBLA downloadable exclusive game. Rumored bosses include Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, Tornado Man, and Splash Woman. The most exciting part is the news that it’s going to look like an NES game and go back to the series’ roots in terms of design and gameplay. I can’t wait to play this… it’s most likely I’ll download it for the PS3. Unfortunately, the Wii’s storage space is too precious, so I’d rather save it for Wii-exclusive titles.
I recently started reading a newish video game blog, 61 Frames Per Second, and it’s pretty good. Recently they had a top ten list called The Ten Most Adventurous Sequels, and in talking about Zelda II they had some nice insights into Shigeru Miyamoto’s career as a game designer. I thought I would share an excerpt here:
The first Legend of Zelda is, arguably, Miyamoto’s true masterpiece, the culmination of his first design era. His benchmarks: Donkey Kong created context and narrative, Super Mario Bros. brought speed and an expanding world beyond a single screen, and the Legend of Zelda created an actual world to explore, an organic place peppered with secrets. After its release in 1986, the next decade of Miyamoto’s career was one marked more by refinement than creation. But, in 1987, Miyamoto got experimental. Alongside the aforementioned Super Mario Bros. 2 is Zelda’s sequel, The Adventure of Link, a sequel so bizarre in its design choices that it’s still seen as a blemish on a series considered unimpeachable by gamers and designers alike.
Here’s a trailer I found on TIGSource for a gorgeous-looking Flash platformer called Scarygirl by a company with one of the most awesome names I’ve heard in a while, Touch My Pixel.
Contains flashing images which may cause photosensitive epileptic seizures.
This only begins to describe what is a transcendent, life-changing experience. The titular protagonist is “drugged up on drugs” and “can’t be sure if he’s been awake before.” This premise connects four otherwise unrelated minigames.
I’m not sure what the goal of the game’s design is, but I’m certain that it is monumentally successful at what it does. The game assaults the senses. It will make your eyes bleed and your head explode, both in the best possible way.
Another one of his games that I played recently is Flywrench, which is truly awesome. Flywrench is the game that I’d recommend for the uninitiated in Messhof games. While the Punishment series is incredible, it could be described by some as torture. Flywrench is not only not impossibly difficult, but it features simple yet elegant and engrossing gameplay mechanics and level design, as well as an entertaining narrative, all with very minimalist visuals.
Another of his games that I’d recommend is You Got the Grappling Hook, a small game that takes a simple grappling hook and swinging mechanic and turns it into a Portal-like narrative. Even if you’ve found my descriptions of Randy Balma: Municipal Abortionist or Punishment daunting, you should definitely try at least this game and Flywrench.
Today’s been a busy day. Pat, Morty, Derek and I continued our Metal Gear Solid 2 playthrough, going from the beginning of the Tanker section to just after the fight with Fat Man.
After that, the three of us went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, otherwise known as Indy 4. I enjoyed it, overall. Maybe it’s not as fresh as the other ones were, but it was quite fun. It’s refreshing to see Spielberg make something so light, although the movie doesn’t feel as agile as some of his other work.
Indy must defeat Metal Gear Ray before he can deliver delicious cake to the lady down the street.
I was bored after dinner, so I watched Kiki’s Delivery Service. The movie’s really awesome. I find animated films like this really refreshing, especially after seeing the trailer tonight for Dreamworks’ latest CG monstrosity. I admit, I’m curious about Kung Fu Panda, but still.
I found a great series of four flash games called Understanding Games. These are a student’s thesis, where in each episode he explains a core concept of game theory through the use of games. These do for games what the outstanding book Understanding Comics did for comics.
From the site:
Understanding Games is series of four games explaining the basic concepts of video games. The tutorial-style episodes deal with rules, motivation, learning and identification in video games. The player is guided through each episode by the narrators Bob and Bub, who explain core concepts of games to the player. The player can experience these concepts directly while playing the integrated games.
These are definitely worth checking out. Each one is short, insightful, and entertaining.
Platinum Games (formerly Clover, then Seeds after leaving being dissolved by Capcom) has just put up a trailer for their upcoming Wii game MadWorld, and it’s pure gold.
The company was founded by the guys who brought you Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Okami. Definitely worth keeping an eye on this. They currently have a four game deal with Sega.
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