Friday, October 14, 2005
The dawn that didn't end so well
I'm not too thrilled with how Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow wrapped up, and I'd like to bitch about it for a minute. Ignoring my column in which I raved about it (I didn't expect the latter half to disappoint like it did), there are quite a few problems that really start to show the more you play the game. I can't tell if it's a result of lazy design or a tight schedule, but any hint of purposeful level design and pacing pretty much hits a wall shortly after the halfway point. Backtracking becomes a chore, collecting necessary souls becomes tedious, and the story and physical direction of play starts blurring into boring. One of the great defining characteristics of Symphony of the Night was it's simple exploratory enjoyment, which made hopping around fighting guys, over and over and over, incredibly enjoyable. It was like eating the worlds most delectable pie, and then having two more similar pies set down in front of you. Dawn of Sorrow expects you to eat that initial pie, and then asks you to eat it again, already digested once. Not only is it gross, but it makes you kind of regret eating any pie in the first place.
I guess there are several reasons why exploring would get old in a DS game (shite D-pad, tiny screen to stare at for hours), but that should be taken into account when creating a game so reliant on self-motivation. Maybe more touch-screen elements would have helped; maybe not. I just know that the game lost a lot of steam just when I was really getting into it, and that makes me a sad panda.
I guess there are several reasons why exploring would get old in a DS game (shite D-pad, tiny screen to stare at for hours), but that should be taken into account when creating a game so reliant on self-motivation. Maybe more touch-screen elements would have helped; maybe not. I just know that the game lost a lot of steam just when I was really getting into it, and that makes me a sad panda.
Monday, October 10, 2005
G-Pinions: Gaming Radio - Episode 2
It's up! Just click on the link below our title bar and you're on your way to audio heaven. Of sorts. You can now download it from within the player window that pops up, or just stream to your black heart's content. Enjoy!
An ode to Advance Wars
This just in - Advance Wars is incredible! I'm sure this is old news for many people, seeing as the series dates back to Famicom Wars in 1988, but somehow I have been playing games for 20 years without ever really trying my hand at this whole turn-based strategy genre. Now that I own Advance Wars: Dual Strike, I find myself doing little but playing this game. Football on the TV? I can always listen to it while I play Advance Wars. Sleep taking over my body? I'll just drink more laudanum. Teacher talking too loudly? Turn up the volume. Advance Wars! Advance Wars! Advance Wars! I swear to be faithful; to play only you until my skin grays and the sun fades away.
I feel a sonnet coming on:
Swallows saddness, brings forth a giant grin,
Wartime actions cause my life to begin,
Tanks and infantry take their places,
As I do assign them each new spaces,
Indirect combat from across the lake,
Squash Black Hole's hope before they partake,
In glory, in victory on the field,
For I crush their troops before they can yield,
Mighty Neo Tank, vehicle of doom,
My prized CO, Andy, for whom I'll groom,
Into the turn-based, pitiless master,
Yore once spoke his penchant for disaster,
Intelligent Systems let us now praise
For filling with joy each of my days
Moving on...
You remember that archaic parlor game with the horses and the pawns? It's called ajedrez in Spanish, sjakk in Norwegian and, here in Chicago, we call it chess. From this point on I will simply call it obsolete. For all intents and purposes, Advance Wars is chess played on a larger scale with even more variables to consider. Each vehicle, and there are more than the pedestrian six chess offers, has its own attack patterns, movement ability, and even fuel consumption. There is a beautiful balance present that makes every battle a constant struggle as you attempt to eviscerate your opponent while the catastrophes of war constantly creep in. To say that video games are for mere children, a diversion that could never press an adult's intellect, is to say you have never taken part in a battle of Advance Wars proportions.
Twenty hours into the game I am still learning new things every time I play. For instance, I just started taking into account the various strengths and weaknesses of each CO. You see, you actually assume the role of a specific person on the battlefield. Though you still bark out orders as the invisible, omnipotent being, you have different abilities depending on which persona you assume. For instance, Drake is good with navel attacks but lousy with air battles. Colin can buy vehicles cheaper, but isn't as powerful. Max is great with tanks but horrible with any sort of indirect combat. Not only do you have to play to your own strengths with the CO you chose, but you must make sure it fits with the battlefield you're on as well. Are there a lot of uninhabited buildings? Maybe you should be Sami since she can capture them much quicker.
This is the best screenshot I could find
Getting an idea of just how in depth this game is? Because of this, battles play out completely different each time. Your troops are all wildly different as well. Infantry, for instance, are pretty weak, but they are the only ones who can capture buildings. Artillery can fire at enemies from afar, but you can't shoot anyone in an adjacent square nor can you move and shoot on the same turn. Stealth fighters can turn invisible, but doing so consumes a ton of fuel. The balance ensures that simply buying the priciest weapons will not lead to victory - you must learn to use the inexpensive, but effective, tanks in conjunction with the powerful Rockets.
And once you think you've learned all there is, the game throws even more at you. There are six different modes available. You can limit how much money you can spend or how many turns you take for better scores. You can play multiplayer, or design your own battlefields. Medals are earned when benchmarks are reached - I have earned 31 out of 300 in 20 hours 13 minutes of play. To say this game is long is an understatement. It is conceivable that one could play this every day for a year and still have more to unlock. For $30 you can ensure that you never go bored again.
I write too much though. I need to stop, clear my head for awhile, and get back to the battle on the field. Let it be known that Advance Wars is so good I haven't even touched Battalion Wars in more than a week. And if that doesn't make you realize its almighty power, chew on this: I haven't even opened We Love Katamari yet.
I feel a sonnet coming on:
Swallows saddness, brings forth a giant grin,
Wartime actions cause my life to begin,
Tanks and infantry take their places,
As I do assign them each new spaces,
Indirect combat from across the lake,
Squash Black Hole's hope before they partake,
In glory, in victory on the field,
For I crush their troops before they can yield,
Mighty Neo Tank, vehicle of doom,
My prized CO, Andy, for whom I'll groom,
Into the turn-based, pitiless master,
Yore once spoke his penchant for disaster,
Intelligent Systems let us now praise
For filling with joy each of my days
Moving on...
You remember that archaic parlor game with the horses and the pawns? It's called ajedrez in Spanish, sjakk in Norwegian and, here in Chicago, we call it chess. From this point on I will simply call it obsolete. For all intents and purposes, Advance Wars is chess played on a larger scale with even more variables to consider. Each vehicle, and there are more than the pedestrian six chess offers, has its own attack patterns, movement ability, and even fuel consumption. There is a beautiful balance present that makes every battle a constant struggle as you attempt to eviscerate your opponent while the catastrophes of war constantly creep in. To say that video games are for mere children, a diversion that could never press an adult's intellect, is to say you have never taken part in a battle of Advance Wars proportions.
Twenty hours into the game I am still learning new things every time I play. For instance, I just started taking into account the various strengths and weaknesses of each CO. You see, you actually assume the role of a specific person on the battlefield. Though you still bark out orders as the invisible, omnipotent being, you have different abilities depending on which persona you assume. For instance, Drake is good with navel attacks but lousy with air battles. Colin can buy vehicles cheaper, but isn't as powerful. Max is great with tanks but horrible with any sort of indirect combat. Not only do you have to play to your own strengths with the CO you chose, but you must make sure it fits with the battlefield you're on as well. Are there a lot of uninhabited buildings? Maybe you should be Sami since she can capture them much quicker.
This is the best screenshot I could find
Getting an idea of just how in depth this game is? Because of this, battles play out completely different each time. Your troops are all wildly different as well. Infantry, for instance, are pretty weak, but they are the only ones who can capture buildings. Artillery can fire at enemies from afar, but you can't shoot anyone in an adjacent square nor can you move and shoot on the same turn. Stealth fighters can turn invisible, but doing so consumes a ton of fuel. The balance ensures that simply buying the priciest weapons will not lead to victory - you must learn to use the inexpensive, but effective, tanks in conjunction with the powerful Rockets.
And once you think you've learned all there is, the game throws even more at you. There are six different modes available. You can limit how much money you can spend or how many turns you take for better scores. You can play multiplayer, or design your own battlefields. Medals are earned when benchmarks are reached - I have earned 31 out of 300 in 20 hours 13 minutes of play. To say this game is long is an understatement. It is conceivable that one could play this every day for a year and still have more to unlock. For $30 you can ensure that you never go bored again.
I write too much though. I need to stop, clear my head for awhile, and get back to the battle on the field. Let it be known that Advance Wars is so good I haven't even touched Battalion Wars in more than a week. And if that doesn't make you realize its almighty power, chew on this: I haven't even opened We Love Katamari yet.
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