G-pinions

Ok, that's a lie. I skipped every second of the miserable story, though, so I can only guess what it really means. If you break the word down Latin style (which I speak fluently) you get lon, which means "of or relating to an Eskimo" combined with koa, which is sort of like a bean or small licorice whip. Etymologically, a game based on Klonoa, using my definitions of its roots, would be about an Eskimo Bean of some sort. I guess that's pretty accurate... explains that filthy final boss at least.

Anyway, I guess I should at least mention what this game is before I lose all of my readers (too late!). It's called Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil and, if I had to give its heart some sort of metallic property, I would say gold. Yes, this lovable Eskimoan Bean has a heart of gold that no mere hooker could match. And while others are scurrying around for Phantoms or X360s or whatever toy is hot this holiday, I have been sitting back and reaping the rewards of being dreadfully late to the party. Yes, Klonoa 2 came out four years ago, yet is unrivaled by any other 2D platformer I have played this generation. I'll leave you to mull over what other games in this genre I have played while I jump to the next paragraph.

I've never played the first Klonoa or the GBA title released earlier this year, so I will have to meditate for a second to remember a game to compare this to. Ah yes. There was a title on the PSX that bragged about being able to combine 3D graphics with traditional 2D gameplay. I remember getting excited about it because, simply put, there weren't many games in this genre that were actually good last generation. But lo and behold, when Pandemonium finally came out, it was chunky (like soup, not peanut butter) and unimaginative. I grew tired of it before the first night of my rental was up, never to bat an eye at its deceitful face again.


Not my drawing but I do wish it was

Why bring up a game that I hardly remember and wasn't that good anyway? Because I have been waiting for a decade to finally play something like this. The best comparison I can think of from this generation is Viewtiful Joe, a game I also loved but in a much different way. Viewtiful Joe had a similar style presentation, but it wasn't nearly as imaginative and the action was rarely of the platforming variety. Klonoa 2 is unlike anything else out there because it gets what makes running and jumping so darn fun. You only have two buttons to work with here: a jump button (duh) and a weapon button. You wield some sort of magnetic yo-yo thing that lassos enemies. Once captured, you can toss them or throw them down to perform a double jump.

Somehow Namco made a 10 hour game that never gets stale using only those moves. Amazing. The challenge comes partly from traditional navigation through levels, but mostly from puzzle solving. There are a ton of little puzzles in this game. I would love to describe how they work but I'm not sure if it would make any sense. For instance, you sometimes have to figure out how to hit five crystals within a second of each other so they are all lit up at once. You do this by planning the fastest way to completion and then make the requisite perfect jumps and throws the puzzle demands. Simple, yes, but no two puzzles are exactly alike and more than one left me scratching my poor little head.

Though the gameplay is top notch, what really got my attention are the graphics. This really looks like a 3D game. The camera swoops and pans, cannons fire you into the background or foreground, paths bend. And yet, you never lose sight of your goal. Even when the camera hovers near your feet or just in front of you looking backwards, it still makes logical sense how to move and interact. It sounds annoying that a camera so free-minded cannot be controlled by the player, but it is never out of place and usually provides a fairly picturesque view.

I know I shouldn't be filling up people's minds with all this talk of games that came out a half decade ago, but Klonoa 2 is just a fantastic experience. It seemed like I was ignoring my PS2 since I got it, amassing only five games in the first three years I owned it. But now that the Gamecube is dead (at least until three certain games come out next year) and my Xbox is in the hands of some unfortunate child, the only console I have is my PS2. Next on my plate is Kingdom Hearts with God of War and Shadow of the Colossus on the way. It's a good time to be a gamer - with new hardware coming out I can get all the classic games I missed the first time for rock bottom prices!