Consolation Prize

It has been decided. The game of choice for my return to the videogame frontier is to be the critically acclaimed Okami from Clover Studios. It’s a decision based upon a number of factors, but significantly it’s the valuable opinion of fellow gamers that helped forge this path and convince me that this was the right choice given the options outlined in my previous post.

First impressions are very positive; from the outset I fell in love with the Sumi-e [1] art style implemented throughout. The unfolding back story that tells the tale of how Shiranui, the wolf incarnation of the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu, and the warrior Nagi defeated the demon Orochi and brought peace to the village of Kamika for 100 years, is visually simplistic, but yet it’s still evocative as bold brush strokes wash across the screen canvas bringing life to the textual narration.

This wonderful visual art style is carried further into the game, albeit in more detail and colour, as we learn how Orochi has been unwittingly released corrupting the land and it’s up Amaterasu to restore nature to its verdant state. And even though I’m writing here about a game that was originally developed for the PS2, and subsequently ported to the Wii by Ready at Dawn studios, the final result is still an astoundingly beautiful game to behold.

It’s the simple things which sometimes stand out in a game that you really learn to appreciate. Small touches that are admirable, but perhaps cause you to question there inclusion and wonder “Are they really necessary?”. The answer, resoundingly, is “Yes!”. They’re just as much a part of Okami and it’s overall style as are the characters themselves. It’s hard to imagine Okami without the thick black outlining that surrounds objects and characters, or the simple brushstrokes that represent the distant mountains, or even the trail of flowers that sprout forth from the ground and burst into bloom behind Amaterasu as she races across the land. The removal of any one of which would diminish the overall effect so successfully portrayed.

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Although I’ve been back from my travels for a few weeks now (for those that weren’t aware I’ve been to Whistler, Canada, to try and improve my limited Snowboarding skills) I have still not had the urge to boot up the Xbox 360, PS3, or DS, and immerse myself in our electronic pastime.

Unfortunately, a direct consequence of my general listlessness and disillusionment towards videogames is that the blog writing suffers. There’s no point in denying it, I don’t have vast repertoire of articles parked ready for publishing to tide me over, nor a great deal to write about once my muse has been unceremoniously dumped in the binary wasteland. And thus the blog has been barren ever since - a fact that I feel I need to apologise for.

However, not everything lasts forever, and fortunately the desire to play a game is starting to manifest itself. Instead of just deciding to pick up whatever “hot” game is generating the most discussion, pick up the latest release, or play through numerous demo’s that are of no interest, I thought it would be worth examining my back catalog to decide what game to play next. The hope is to avoid the need to rush through a game as fast as possible to voice my thoughts, and instead take my time, savour the experience, and learn to love games again.

With this in mind I’ve drawn up a shortlist of games that have piqued my interest, but due to various circumstances never had the time to play them.

Okami (Wii)

This respected swansong from Clover Studios is at some point or other always at the forefront of my back-catalogue. It is perhaps the only game I’ve actually purchased twice. Once when it first appeared on the PS2, and then again when it was ported to the Wii by Ready at Dawn.

I find myself looking wondrously at the watercolour inspired graphical style whenever I see images of this game, and the various references I read with regards to its Zelda-esque game design only cause to enhance its appeal. I’m curious to see how well “Celestial Brush”, a unique design feature of Okami to draw images on the screen canvas for use in combat and puzzle solving, translates to the “Wii-mote”. It should in theory be a perfect match, although I’ve heard comments to the contrary.

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Finishing off my latest look at free iPhone slash iTouch games available to download from the Apple App store, in this post I take a look at Seat Ibiza Cupra Race and Micro Kart.

You can find the other parts in the guide by following these links:

iPhone Free Games Guide - Part 1

iPhone Free Games Guide - Part 2

iPhone Free Games Guide - Part 3

Seat Ibiza Cupra Race

One thing that can certainly be said about games, such as this, which have the impression they’ve primarily developed as a subliminal form of advertising, is that they at least have decent production values - even if the underlying game isn’t always of the highest standard.

It must be said that Seat Ibiza Cupra Race is a good attempt. Upon commencement the player is able to pick from a variety of colours and decals for their Ibiza, and then choose to either race against five other competitors, just the clock, or simply take the car for a test drive around the track without time restrictions. Unfortunately there’s only the one track, but it is at least well presented with some pretty scenery to view on the way round.

I’m actually quite impressed by the graphics engine, it does the job well and reminds me of similar engines we would witness on the Playstation - one not two. The controls work quite proficiently but the track design with its various hairpin and S-bends isn’t the best match for the device which is frequently required to be rotated to some extreme degrees. And speaking of the track, it is perhaps far too long for mobile gaming with three laps feeling like a chore rather than an exhilarating race to the finish. However, I’ve certainly played far worse free games on the iPhone.

Rating:  

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It has been quite a while since I last took the time and effort to investigate the flood of free games that appear with startling regularity on the Apple app store. Perhaps it was the recent OS 3.0. presentation that reawakened my interest in the iPhone slash iTouch as a serious gaming platform that jerked me into action, but I hereby present you with my humble opinion on some free games available for you to download.

In this post I look at Time Crisis Strike Lite, Brick Breaker Revolution Free, and Zombieville USA Lite. You can find the other parts in the guide by following these links:

iPhone Free Games Guide - Part 1

iPhone Free Games Guide - Part 2

Time Crisis Strike Lite

In theory an on-rails-shooter is a good match for the iPhone slash iTouch. There’s no need to worry about the need to map complex controls to the limited functions of the device; the very nature of the genre imposes its own set of constraints and therefore the player only needs to concern themselves with the ability to shoot and reload – that should be easy, right?

Unfortunately Time Crisis Strike has a fundamental flaw with one aspect of the controls that has a profoundly negative impact on the game. The culprit is the “reload” action, which unsurprisingly is a critical part of playing Time Crisis. To reload, or in fact in order to take cover as they are one and the same action, you must tilt the device. Although this may seem like a positive use of the accelerometers, the net result is that for a few critical moments the screen is obscured. The situation is worse if you actually want to remain in cover and you’re forced to hunch over the screen to view what’s happening. It beats me why Namco Bandai didn’t just decide to use a virtual button for this purpose, after all there’s an icon at the bottom of the screen to indicate this anyway.

This “Lite” version offers one full level whilst the premium version offers just three, but given that this first stage could be completed in a couple of minutes, and the aforementioned critique, I really can’t see myself being tempted to splash the cash for another five or ten minutes of action.

Rating:  

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Dear reader,

It has been quite a long time since my last post. Apart from the usual absence due to holidays or illness I have generally been posting on a regular basis, and I think that an explanation is in order on this occasion, especially as I’m about to take another break from blogging due to my annual winter (spring) Snowboarding holiday which is tantalisingly close now.

So to explain, a few weeks ago I developed an obsession with Guitar Hero: World Tour. I am not entirely certain what caused the obsession; perhaps it was a friend’s recent induction to the rhythm music genre that reignited my competitive streak and spurred me on to keep playing for longer and longer periods of time, or perhaps it was the acquirement of the drum kit that offered a new and interesting dynamic, but whatever the reason, the net result is that for a time I lived and breathed Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Whenever I closed my eyes the multicoloured trail of notes blazed there hypnotic dance, and even the usual solace of sleep could offer little respite as even my dreams were plagued with images and music from the game. Something had to give eventually as the countless sleepless nights took there heavy toll and left me feeling drained and lethargic, and unfortunately that seems to have been my passion and enthusiasm for video games – which has just upped and run away without so much as a carelessly written farewell note.

Although video games have been an important part of my life since childhood, a byproduct of blogging about games in the last few years is that one tends to start viewing them in a different light. The constant analysis and critique can become burdensome, but also conversely it can lead to a new found appreciation. However, it feels almost surreal to suddenly and unexpectedly lose that enthusiasm; not only for the games I was currently in the middle of playing, but also for those virginal titles waiting patiently on the shelf unopened. Sorry Fable II, Far Cry 2, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, GTA: Chinatown Wars, No More Heroes, and Persona 4 (to name but a few) - I just can’t be bothered to play you at the moment.

Fortunately I’m positive that this is just a passing phase and that once I have had time to recharge my batteries the passion will return and the writing can start again in earnest. In the meantime I am hoping to finish preparing a couple of articles on free iPhone slash iTouch games which will be scheduled to appear whilst I’m away. Until my return I bid you adieu!.

I thought I would follow up my previous post on Wii Fit [1], but this time present you, dear reader, with those annoyances, irritations, and small niggles that set in after the initial honeymoon period has ended and Wii Fit is used as a regular fitness aid rather than a humorous folly.

For the Sake of Health and Safety

Okay, I realise that Wii Fit was designed to appeal to a large demographic with varying levels of fitness, and I suppose intelligence; but is it really necessary to notify the user every session with the following messages:

• Feel free to support yourself on other people or objects it you don’t feel stable
• Clear the space around you and make sure you warm up before exercising

Although they may seem considerate during the first few weeks, displaying these messages every time I just want a quick workout - sometimes even multiple times per session - and forcing me to press “A” to move past them becomes very irritating after about the fiftieth occurrence.

I appreciate that Nintendo are primarily taking precautions to ensure any thoughts of legal action against them due to injury or misuse or negated, but isn’t this just a case of taking things just a step too far? Wouldn’t it have been better to adopt a model where the frequency of the messages is scaled down in direct relation to the number of “Wii Fit” minutes logged? Or is this really just a sad reflection of the state of affairs of the world we live in, where common sense is disregarded and personal accountability seems to be teetering on the precipice of extinction?

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I thought it would be prudent after the quite impressive Chronicles of Riddick demo to take Wheelman, the game designed to tie in with the movie of the same name starring Vin Diesel, for a test drive.

To be honest I was feeling a little bit apprehensive about this demo. After all, movie related games aren’t exactly renowned for there quality and generally give the impression of being thrown together just to ride upon the coat-tails of celluloid success . My expectations, therefore, weren’t high.

The demo kicks off with an impressive opening cinematic as the camera sweeps majestically over Barcelona harbour before finally speeding into the city itself where it centres upon a stationary car. Within, sits our protagonist, Milo Burik. He waits patiently, glancing in his mirrors, and doesn’t seem phased when a local police car slowly drives past. A few heartbeats later the camera pans to a building as we witness an unidentified woman exiting possibly what is a bank. She steadily walks towards the parked car, but seconds later an alarm sounds. It’s your job to get her to safety.

I must admit that at this point in the demo my impressions were entirely positive. The opening sequence had been enticing; the in-game graphics looked great, and I thought to myself that if Wheelman continues this level of quality and polish then maybe, just maybe, we would have a rarity on our hands: a decent movie-game tie-in.

Alas, it wasn’t to be, and the more I played Wheelman the more my enthusiasm diminished.

The initial chase through the city, evading the police and then a local gang, is quite entertaining as you streak through the streets trading paint with your pursuers and causing spectacular crashes which are played out in slow motion. In some respects it feels as if Burnout has had a small part to play in influencing Wheelman during this early chase sequence, but in fact the further you progress into the demo the more obvious it becomes that Wheelman is a concoction of borrowed styles all aspiring to make this more than just a racing game.

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Game demos seem to come in two flavours - those that ease you in gently and those that throw straight into the action without any explanation. In some respects the latter approach is perhaps the best way to experience a demo; the raw nature of being plunged into the deep end quickly highlights any flaws and it allows the formulation of an opinion based upon the time it takes to go from bewilderment to enlightenment. The faster this can be achieved, the more intuitive the game is to play.

Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena successfully takes the latter approach, and anyone who is remotely familiar with first person shooters shouldn’t have too much trouble learning the nuances of controlling the anti-hero Riddick and dropping straight into the game.

This demo doesn’t really give too much of the plot away. All that can be surmised is that Riddick has escaped, is working in cooperation with another mercenary, and is about to free all the captured prisoners aboard the Dark Athena. This story fragment is really of little consequence until we get to see the bigger picture in the released game, but it does at least give us a brief (very) insight into the characterision - especially that of Riddick, whom thanks to active participation of Vin Diesel looks and sounds like he should.

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