Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Library sponsored quickie: Dungeon Explorer
Not only has Brendan offered me his home and access to a television that seems to relish in displaying my precious football almost constantly, he has handed me his fabled Wiimote as well. And, with him donning a fighter's armor by my side, we have ventured forth in the Turbo Graphix 16 classic Dungeon Explorer. Don't look ashamed if you had never heard those word muttered in succession before. I know I haven't heard of half the TG-16 games that have graced the Virtual Console. But I can say, with full honesty, that DE is an absolute blast.
Though Hudson would have you believe this is a Zelda clone, in reality, it is a "modern" update to Gauntlet. And, though the TG-16 came equipped with only one controller port, it actively allows FIVE people to join in the fun. In essence, take Gauntlet, add one more controllable character, touch the graphics up slightly, include one completely pointless overworld and you have Dungeon Explorer. In other words, what's not to like?
The game does tease you with the available character types, though. You have something like eight different archetypes to choose from, but they are all pretty much identical. The only thing that seems to change is the amount of health you begin with. Clearly, it was a bad idea for me to venture forth with a Bard as my avatar. He was dead after merely spying a spider resting in the grass. Since then, I have juggled between a Bishop (who uses the Word of God to destroy evil), Elf, Gnome, and even a Warlock. All the while, Brendan and his Fighter laugh as he vanquishes another worm hole. Oh, to one day be a Fighter.
At $6, there is no reason you shouldn't download this game. If not for the extreme incompetence of Five Star Moving and Storage, whose delay in delivering my toys will soon reach Judicial levels, I would have my Wii right now along with the two Wiimotes I own. Playing Dungeon Explorer with two people may be the most fun I've had on the Wii thus far (excluding Zelda of course) but four player adventuring could give most any game a run for its money. There is something to be said for focused, old-school gameplay. It may not have the flash and thrills of modern games and the instruction booklet is so sparse I can't figure out the difference between a Bishop and a Warlock (irony!), but they are just as fun as gaming gets. I look forward to finally playing Lost Planet and Crackdown, but I won't leave the classics far from reach.
Though Hudson would have you believe this is a Zelda clone, in reality, it is a "modern" update to Gauntlet. And, though the TG-16 came equipped with only one controller port, it actively allows FIVE people to join in the fun. In essence, take Gauntlet, add one more controllable character, touch the graphics up slightly, include one completely pointless overworld and you have Dungeon Explorer. In other words, what's not to like?
The game does tease you with the available character types, though. You have something like eight different archetypes to choose from, but they are all pretty much identical. The only thing that seems to change is the amount of health you begin with. Clearly, it was a bad idea for me to venture forth with a Bard as my avatar. He was dead after merely spying a spider resting in the grass. Since then, I have juggled between a Bishop (who uses the Word of God to destroy evil), Elf, Gnome, and even a Warlock. All the while, Brendan and his Fighter laugh as he vanquishes another worm hole. Oh, to one day be a Fighter.
At $6, there is no reason you shouldn't download this game. If not for the extreme incompetence of Five Star Moving and Storage, whose delay in delivering my toys will soon reach Judicial levels, I would have my Wii right now along with the two Wiimotes I own. Playing Dungeon Explorer with two people may be the most fun I've had on the Wii thus far (excluding Zelda of course) but four player adventuring could give most any game a run for its money. There is something to be said for focused, old-school gameplay. It may not have the flash and thrills of modern games and the instruction booklet is so sparse I can't figure out the difference between a Bishop and a Warlock (irony!), but they are just as fun as gaming gets. I look forward to finally playing Lost Planet and Crackdown, but I won't leave the classics far from reach.
// posted by Tom @ 12:19 PM 
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