Tuesday, March 23, 2004
End of an era
Man, I take a few days off and this site just goes to hell. Where were you with the long, rambling comments about Hero’s Quest Dan? Where were you when we really needed you? Ok, I’m back now and ready to type, but I never want to see that kind of dedication, or lack thereof, from Dan or anyone named Danny or Daniel ever again. It’s been almost a week for Christ’s sake!
Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system. I just get so upset with incompetence… sorry sorry, I know this is a video game site and, don’t worry, I have a topic to talk about today. As you may or may not remember, I stated playing Star Fox Adventures again a few weeks ago. I know, this may not be earth shattering news, but it was an important step I needed to take in order to finally finish the game, and put a few unholy demons to rest. My column is one of joy and sadness. For you see, I did finally accomplish my goal of winning SFA. But it came at a price. For now, I no longer have any Rare games to look forward to on my Gamecube. By finishing SFA, I have finished Rare’s amazing journey with Nintendo as well. So, while it may be a year and a half late, I offer a plea that we bow our heads for a moment of silence for a once great partnership….
Silence
Like the tallest tree
Is a place
I would like to be
So come with me
To the highest leaf
And shed those tears
Of useless grief
Our story begins in early September, 2002. If you remember, the weather was absolutely delightful that month. I know our reader base stretches to places outside of Chicago, but I am positive the great weather and generally happy mood stretched across this entire globe. For this month was a month Nintendo fans would remember until the day they died. September 2002 was the month they would be able to run to the stores and, for the last time, purchase Rare’s latest title for their very own Nintendo system.
I raced home that day, September 22, 2002, eager to place the newest Rare classic into my Gamecube. I knew that it would be the last time I would ever place a Rare game into that purple box, but I slipped it in as fast as I could anyway. I had waited years for this game. Back when it was called Dinosaur Planet and was supposed to be the Last Great Nintendo 64 Title. I had played it a few months earlier at E3, and I thought it was better than the new Zelda, Mario and even Metroid. This was my game. This is why I play games in the first place.
And, at first, it actually lived up to the unbelievable hype I attached to it. It looked amazing, like I expect from Rare games. I had never seen fur look quite so realistic. And while I am not one to jerk off to a pretty polygon on my screen, the first time I saw the way the water rippled when Fox went for a swim, I think I gasped. At the time it came out it was the best looking game available for the system. Even now, after such releases as Metroid Prime and Ninja Gaiden, it still holds its own.
The gameplay wasn’t too innovative, though. The battles were fairly simple. The A button was your only form of attack and while you could move the stick left and right to pull off different moves, the results were still the same. But this game wasn’t centered on fighting, it was about adventures. It was about exploring new areas and figuring out puzzles.
Well, that part of the game was frustrating as well. For the most part, the puzzles were really well done. But, they might have been too well done. Or, at the very least, a little too plentiful. Every room in the game offered a new problem to solve, and it was the monotony of constantly trying to figure out what to do next that finally caught up with me. After only getting through 46% of the game, I gave up. I actually gave up. I put the controller down, took out the tiny disc, and put Monkey Ball in. I played through Grand Theft Auto. I bought the new Tony Hawk and played that. I played just about everything, trying to not notice Star Fox Adventure, sitting at the top of my cabinet, mocking me.
And there it stayed for a year. An entire year went by and I still had not won it. And this horrible trend of not winning games was causing a pileup above my systems. I got as far as fishing for triforce pieces in Wind Waker before I stopped. In Metroid I stopped less than 10 hours in. Mario, with its average level design and horrible camera, bored me after 60 stars. Even the beautiful Devil May Cry, one of the most cinematic games I’ve ever played, lay there unfinished. It was an epidemic. As I scanned the 28 titles I own, I noticed the only games I won were sports games. Tony Hawk, Hot Shots Golf, NCAA Football. Was I turning into one of those people? Sure, I won Contra and Prince of Persia, but that was with Nick. Had I lost the ability to finish what I started?
Well, I didn’t want to be one of those people. So I vowed that I would go back to my unfinished collection and finally get to their end. First on my list was Star Fox Adventure.
I wrote about my first impressions when I started up the game a few weeks ago. I loved how easy it was to get back in the game. The controls felt perfect, even after so long. I was excited to finally win it.
And you know what? The game is actually pretty good. It was actually really good at times. No, it never reached the great plateau, but it was well worth the $50 I spent and the 20 hours it took to complete.
What was it that drew me back in? It was a combination of two things. First, the puzzles that bored me before, now challenged me. Now, I felt like I had actually accomplished something when I figured out what to do. For some reason, in my second go round, I relished the opportunity to figure out what I needed to do next, and that really made all the difference. So, instead of entering a new level and groaning from the imminent challenge, I now yelled “bring it” and even cheered, albeit quietly, when I completed my task.
The other thing that made the game worth playing was the extremely fun boss battles. There were 3 main ones that stand out in my mind. The first was in the Walled City, home of the RedEye. They are called RedEye because they look exactly like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a red eye. Ah, the genius of Rare.
At first, fighting these terrible lizards was disappointing. They looked awesome, but they were so weak. All I had to do was ground pound then throw dynamite at them and they died. Come on! You call that a dinosaur? But the boss was a whole different beast. Or, more accurately, he was the same beast, only much bigger. He was so big he didn’t even fit all the way on the screen. That’s the kind of dinosaur I like. And when he roared the walls would shake and the rocks would crumble. The best part was his charge. Every time he started running the controller would start shaking. He wasn’t really that hard to beat, but it was terrifying anyway when he was chasing me and I could feel the controller shake more and more as he got closer and closer. That’s using the rumble feature right Rare.
The second really cool boss was in Dragon Rock. I don’t really know anything about him, since I was talking to Nick on the phone about some video game scam *wink*, but the fight with him was much fun. I was on a flying thing some would call it a "platform" but I like to call it a pterodactyl. Ok, it wasn't really a pterodactyl, but I got to fly one right before the boss so in my mind I was really flying it against the boss, which makes it much cooler. We all know int he age old battle between platform and pterodactyl, the pterodactyl always wins. Anyway, my dinosaur buddy and I were chasing him through a cave with fire streaming from the sides. First of all, this looked amazing. The particle effects in this game were breathtaking. But it was really fun too. I had to dodge the fire spouting from the wall and shoot that bastard. Ah man, that was a blast.
The last great fight was the end guy. I had heard this game was worth playing just to finish it, and whoever said that was very right. Since this is a Star Fox game, it really shouldn’t be a surprise the end boss is Andross. That’s right, the crazy guy with only a head and two floating hands. That guy is great. Thankfully, Rare didn’t mess with his design at all. But he looks so much better on the Gamecube than he did on the SNES and N64. He was really freaky looking. This bright red skin with bumps and scars all over. Awesome. It may have been a little out of place to have a space battle end the game, since most of it is played Zelda style, but it was so much fun I don’t think anyone will complain about it.
Now that I won the game, though, I have this empty feeling. Sure, I own an Xbox so I don’t have to worry about not being able to play Kameo or Conker: Live and Uncut, but I’m going to miss Nintendo and Rare’s close relationship. There will be no more great Donkey Kong platform games to look forward to, and who knows what Rare could have done with the Ice Climber license. It’s a dumb thing to get upset about, but I like the idea of Rare and Nintendo working together. They are two companies who pride themselves on releasing a game when it’s finally done and they consistently make great games and redefine genres. Hopefully, they’ll only push themselves farther as competitors.
Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system. I just get so upset with incompetence… sorry sorry, I know this is a video game site and, don’t worry, I have a topic to talk about today. As you may or may not remember, I stated playing Star Fox Adventures again a few weeks ago. I know, this may not be earth shattering news, but it was an important step I needed to take in order to finally finish the game, and put a few unholy demons to rest. My column is one of joy and sadness. For you see, I did finally accomplish my goal of winning SFA. But it came at a price. For now, I no longer have any Rare games to look forward to on my Gamecube. By finishing SFA, I have finished Rare’s amazing journey with Nintendo as well. So, while it may be a year and a half late, I offer a plea that we bow our heads for a moment of silence for a once great partnership….
Silence
Like the tallest tree
Is a place
I would like to be
So come with me
To the highest leaf
And shed those tears
Of useless grief
Our story begins in early September, 2002. If you remember, the weather was absolutely delightful that month. I know our reader base stretches to places outside of Chicago, but I am positive the great weather and generally happy mood stretched across this entire globe. For this month was a month Nintendo fans would remember until the day they died. September 2002 was the month they would be able to run to the stores and, for the last time, purchase Rare’s latest title for their very own Nintendo system.
I raced home that day, September 22, 2002, eager to place the newest Rare classic into my Gamecube. I knew that it would be the last time I would ever place a Rare game into that purple box, but I slipped it in as fast as I could anyway. I had waited years for this game. Back when it was called Dinosaur Planet and was supposed to be the Last Great Nintendo 64 Title. I had played it a few months earlier at E3, and I thought it was better than the new Zelda, Mario and even Metroid. This was my game. This is why I play games in the first place.
And, at first, it actually lived up to the unbelievable hype I attached to it. It looked amazing, like I expect from Rare games. I had never seen fur look quite so realistic. And while I am not one to jerk off to a pretty polygon on my screen, the first time I saw the way the water rippled when Fox went for a swim, I think I gasped. At the time it came out it was the best looking game available for the system. Even now, after such releases as Metroid Prime and Ninja Gaiden, it still holds its own.
The gameplay wasn’t too innovative, though. The battles were fairly simple. The A button was your only form of attack and while you could move the stick left and right to pull off different moves, the results were still the same. But this game wasn’t centered on fighting, it was about adventures. It was about exploring new areas and figuring out puzzles.
Well, that part of the game was frustrating as well. For the most part, the puzzles were really well done. But, they might have been too well done. Or, at the very least, a little too plentiful. Every room in the game offered a new problem to solve, and it was the monotony of constantly trying to figure out what to do next that finally caught up with me. After only getting through 46% of the game, I gave up. I actually gave up. I put the controller down, took out the tiny disc, and put Monkey Ball in. I played through Grand Theft Auto. I bought the new Tony Hawk and played that. I played just about everything, trying to not notice Star Fox Adventure, sitting at the top of my cabinet, mocking me.
And there it stayed for a year. An entire year went by and I still had not won it. And this horrible trend of not winning games was causing a pileup above my systems. I got as far as fishing for triforce pieces in Wind Waker before I stopped. In Metroid I stopped less than 10 hours in. Mario, with its average level design and horrible camera, bored me after 60 stars. Even the beautiful Devil May Cry, one of the most cinematic games I’ve ever played, lay there unfinished. It was an epidemic. As I scanned the 28 titles I own, I noticed the only games I won were sports games. Tony Hawk, Hot Shots Golf, NCAA Football. Was I turning into one of those people? Sure, I won Contra and Prince of Persia, but that was with Nick. Had I lost the ability to finish what I started?
Well, I didn’t want to be one of those people. So I vowed that I would go back to my unfinished collection and finally get to their end. First on my list was Star Fox Adventure.
I wrote about my first impressions when I started up the game a few weeks ago. I loved how easy it was to get back in the game. The controls felt perfect, even after so long. I was excited to finally win it.
And you know what? The game is actually pretty good. It was actually really good at times. No, it never reached the great plateau, but it was well worth the $50 I spent and the 20 hours it took to complete.
What was it that drew me back in? It was a combination of two things. First, the puzzles that bored me before, now challenged me. Now, I felt like I had actually accomplished something when I figured out what to do. For some reason, in my second go round, I relished the opportunity to figure out what I needed to do next, and that really made all the difference. So, instead of entering a new level and groaning from the imminent challenge, I now yelled “bring it” and even cheered, albeit quietly, when I completed my task.
The other thing that made the game worth playing was the extremely fun boss battles. There were 3 main ones that stand out in my mind. The first was in the Walled City, home of the RedEye. They are called RedEye because they look exactly like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a red eye. Ah, the genius of Rare.
At first, fighting these terrible lizards was disappointing. They looked awesome, but they were so weak. All I had to do was ground pound then throw dynamite at them and they died. Come on! You call that a dinosaur? But the boss was a whole different beast. Or, more accurately, he was the same beast, only much bigger. He was so big he didn’t even fit all the way on the screen. That’s the kind of dinosaur I like. And when he roared the walls would shake and the rocks would crumble. The best part was his charge. Every time he started running the controller would start shaking. He wasn’t really that hard to beat, but it was terrifying anyway when he was chasing me and I could feel the controller shake more and more as he got closer and closer. That’s using the rumble feature right Rare.
The second really cool boss was in Dragon Rock. I don’t really know anything about him, since I was talking to Nick on the phone about some video game scam *wink*, but the fight with him was much fun. I was on a flying thing some would call it a "platform" but I like to call it a pterodactyl. Ok, it wasn't really a pterodactyl, but I got to fly one right before the boss so in my mind I was really flying it against the boss, which makes it much cooler. We all know int he age old battle between platform and pterodactyl, the pterodactyl always wins. Anyway, my dinosaur buddy and I were chasing him through a cave with fire streaming from the sides. First of all, this looked amazing. The particle effects in this game were breathtaking. But it was really fun too. I had to dodge the fire spouting from the wall and shoot that bastard. Ah man, that was a blast.
The last great fight was the end guy. I had heard this game was worth playing just to finish it, and whoever said that was very right. Since this is a Star Fox game, it really shouldn’t be a surprise the end boss is Andross. That’s right, the crazy guy with only a head and two floating hands. That guy is great. Thankfully, Rare didn’t mess with his design at all. But he looks so much better on the Gamecube than he did on the SNES and N64. He was really freaky looking. This bright red skin with bumps and scars all over. Awesome. It may have been a little out of place to have a space battle end the game, since most of it is played Zelda style, but it was so much fun I don’t think anyone will complain about it.
Now that I won the game, though, I have this empty feeling. Sure, I own an Xbox so I don’t have to worry about not being able to play Kameo or Conker: Live and Uncut, but I’m going to miss Nintendo and Rare’s close relationship. There will be no more great Donkey Kong platform games to look forward to, and who knows what Rare could have done with the Ice Climber license. It’s a dumb thing to get upset about, but I like the idea of Rare and Nintendo working together. They are two companies who pride themselves on releasing a game when it’s finally done and they consistently make great games and redefine genres. Hopefully, they’ll only push themselves farther as competitors.
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