Jun052008

Review: Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog title screen
The title screen!

I’ll admit it: I was a Nintendo Boy. My first exposure to video games was from the venerable Nintendo Entertainment System, and once I got that taste, I never looked back. In my formulative years, various pretenders vied for Nintendo’s crown: NEC, Sega, and others, but none had the amazing quality of first-party games that the Big N’s system provided.

That’s not to say I never lusted after the exotic curves of the Genesis/Sega CD combination, or desired the back lit, color LCD screen of the Game Gear. Many a time I had wayward thoughts, and strayed from my Nintendo upbringing. However, the cold, hard reality of life kept me from enjoying alternative gaming experiences. My willpower to save money for the length of time necessary to purchase a Sega system was insufficient. When there were such great Nintendo games to be had, it was difficult to wait and buy another system.

Sega’s offerings seemed esoteric, as well. Since I had no exposure to the Genesis, it seemed to be a system that only crazy, fanatical die-hards would buy — not for a healthy, red-blooded, Nintendo-playing lad such as myself. When I finally met a kid who did own a Genesis and Sega CD, it turned out the only games he owned for it were obscure RPGs, which further cemented my view that Sega was only for the fringe.

Sonic running through a loop
One of Sonic’s trademark loops.

Imagine my surprise when one of my roommates recently produced an old, first-generation Genesis, complete with a collection of rather boring-looking games. At last! A chance to potentially play some of the classic games from another era! Sadly, the only game that looked to be worthwhile was a dusty, tattered “NOT FOR RESALE”-emblazoned copy of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Taking into account when the game was first released (1991), Sonic was a revolutionary title. Even the most colorful Nintendo games, such as Super Mario Bros. 3, looked drab and boring in comparison with Sonic’s rich palette and large sprites. A very catchy soundtrack enhanced the overall appeal of the game. After playing for a while, I was so hooked on the tunes that I downloaded the soundtrack to
enjoy during the monotonous tedium of work.

That’s all well and good, but how does the game play? How does one weaned on the teat of Mario (in a metaphorical sense, of course) handle the fast-moving hedgehog? As one looking in from the outside, I had always assumed that Sonic games were about speed: loop-the-loops and other such tomfoolery. This is true to an extent; however the game also delves into what I like to call
“bastard f___er” tricks — spikes or other dangerous obstacles placed at just the right places where you would run into them the first time playing through a level. Aside from this somewhat cheap mechianic, Sonic also introduced some new ideas, such as true curved surfaces (with corresponding physics) and the concept of being able to kill an enemy by leaping into it as opposed to
on top of it (blasphemy to a Mario player). The bonus levels were also interesting (similar to Camel Try), and showcased the power of the Genesis.

Sonic runs in the Marble Zone
Sonic runs along in the Marble Zone.

Unfortunately, nothing is perfect, and this includes the debut game of Sega’s mascot. The most noticable downside to Sonic is the length. Although there are 18 levels, each one is played through fairly quickly (especially levels where speed is emphasized). The result is a game that is able to be completed in well under an hour. Compared to many of the first-gen Super Nintendo games, Sonic barely registers as a “quickie.” Sonic especially pales in comparison to Super Mario World, Nintendo’s flagship offering, which contained 72 “true” levels (and numerous secrets), which made it a much more satisfying game.

At the end of the day, what is Sonic the Hedgehog to a modern gamer? An interesting, nostalgic trip back in time to the golden days of 2D platforming — all the more since Sonic became Sega’s mascot and spawned countless other games. When you see Sonic’s face plastered on lots of re-hashed crap on store shelves, sometimes it’s good to get some perspective, and see where he came from.

No comments · Written by Nathan at 5:01 pm · Tags , ,

Mar262008

Review: Moero! Nekketsu Rizumu Damashii
(Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2)

Great crap of craps! In the attempt to have the longest game title ever, Nintendo released (a few months ago) the sequel to its quite popular DS music game, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (roughly translated to “Yeah! Fight! Cheer Squad”). As you might expect, this game is completely ridiculous… a point hammered home when you actually see the characters who comprise said “ouendan“: butch-looking dudes (yes, dudes) who sport long leather trench coats and scream manly-sounding Japanese.

How does it work? Various denizens of a city find themselves in various predicaments (illustrated by hilarious cut scenes). One kid has a crush on a girl and is challenged to a dodge ball match in order to win her heart. A tired, worn out old racehorse is running one last race and crosses paths with a robber running from the law. Cleopatra has indulged a bit too much in the starchy foods, and has to whip herself back into shape before Marc Antony comes home. You know, problems that normal people face every day. Once they realize that their problem is beyond their power to solve, they scream, “OOOOUUUENNNNDAAAANNN!” and get cheered to victory.

The Ouendan shows up and cheers and dances to a famous (I have to assume) Japanese pop song. Numbered circles appear on the screen, with shrinking outlines. When the outline is just on the border of the circle, tap it with the stylus in the order it appeared on the screen. Better timing yields more points, and keeps the Ouendan cheer meter raised higher.

Like all music games, the real point of Ouendan 2 is the songs that you tap the touchscreen in time with. Unfortunately, I don’t really follow Japanese pop at all, which makes the game a bit harder to enjoy. I did recognize some of the tracks from the first game in the series (due to karaoke and such), which made it rather enjoyable and nostalgic.

You would think that if the music is somewhat unaccessible for the Japanese versions of this game, I might recommend the North American version, Elite Beat Agents. You would also be wrong, and I would probably feel compelled to hit you with a truncheon. I searched for “elite beat agents song list,” and the first hit was from Game|Life, ironically enough. Check that link, and you’ll see that the song list is total rubbish.

My recommendation is to grab the first Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and try out its different take on the music/rhythm genre. If you just can’t get enough, go for either the true sequel (Moero! Nekketsu Rizumu Damashii) or its spiritual brother (Elite Beat Agents).

No comments · Written by Nathan at 10:24 pm · Tags , ,

Mar132008

Review: The Legend of
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

I read an interesting article today regarding completing programming projects. The gist of it was that big, huge projects tend to stagnate – you lose your motivation because the end is never in sight. To successfully complete projects (this guy says), a good idea is to choose more manageable goals that are able to be accomplished quicker.

I see a parallel application to this principle in video game design. As opposed to having a player move quickly from (game-related) task to task, the whole game is rather jammed together, with only feeble attempts at breaking it up. Since the game seems to stretch on, and not have a discernible end, when the player hits some boring spots, they quit.

This has been my experience with the past two games in the Legend of Zelda franchise, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. They weren’t designed in a way to hold my interest for the duration of the extended time necessary to play them. These games were everything one could have wanted; basically the same as the previous entry, but bigger and longer. However, the tried and true method of simply adding more “stuff” to sequels isn’t really enough for me.

The newest Zelda (Phantom Hourglass) succeeds because it is short and clever. A contributing factor (to a lesser extent) is the unbelievably accessible control system.

The game doesn’t extend Zelda lore by any means; it begins (presumably) after the end of Wind Waker, with Link attempting to uncurse Tetra after she boards an ominous Ghost Ship. After being (presumably) transported to an alternate reality, Link is informed that the only person who can save Tetra is the Ocean King, but that he must help revive the Ocean King’s power first. He does this by confronting a baddie entrenched in the basement of a mysterious Phantom Tower, which drains the life force of people entering it. To counter this life-draining process, Link is given the Phantom Hourglass, an artifact that allows him to remain undamaged while sand still remains in it. Link doesn’t have all the items he needs to get to the bottom of the tower, but he finds maps that lead him to other dungeons where he can collect these tools.

This game deviates from its ilk mainly by use of the Nintendo DS touchscreen to control Link. Holding the stylus on the screen will cause Link to run to the point you touch. Tapping an enemy will make Link attack it. Touch a point on the screen to fire an arrow there. It seems more simplistic than previous games, but also goes much faster. This means that many battles are not so much about manual dexterity, but rather finding and exploiting an enemy’s weak point. Let’s face it, Zelda is known for enjoyable puzzles, not great combat, so anything that can emphasize the puzzles more is a good deal. Game design elements that are taken from previous games are also given a “touch” overhaul, which make their reuse more bearable.

Phantom Hourglass is short. You don’t have time to get bored with the new game elements before the game is over. And that is freaking great. I can definitely recommend this game as a “must buy” for your DS.

No comments · Written by Nathan at 7:15 pm · Tags ,