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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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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After many months of deliberating I finally took the plunge and decided to purchase Wii Fit. To be honest it wasn’t for Wii Fit itself, but for the Balance Board, which I wanted to combine with Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip. In the end however, and perhaps to my surprise, it’s Wii Fit that has seen regular use.

I think it’s fair to say that Wii Fit has endured quite a bit of scorn and scepticism during its brief life. Quite possibly because it represents the new “casual” Nintendo, not the hardcore fan service of yesteryear. But I don’t really take offence with what they (Nintendo) are doing; they’re just tapping into a mostly untouched demographic and are fully exploiting it for all it’s worth before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon. In the meantime I’ll get most of my kicks on another console - that’s my prerogative.

For the record, I don’t necessarily view Wii Fit as a game in the traditional sense, although I do think it’s challenging the boundaries of what’s conceptually acceptable as a video game. It does after all have some of the qualities present in most video games - active participation with feedback, unlockable rewards, high score tables, and a goal in the form of self improvement. However, I prefer to think of Wii Fit as something more akin to say a fitness DVD. A motivational tool that’s far more entertaining than grinding out 30 minutes on a mind numbingly dull piece of fitness apparatus. And although the benefits may be proportionally less than a specialised piece of equipment, I believe it can still find place, especially if used regularly as part of an overall training plan.

The actual exercises’ within Wii Fit are split into four distinct categories: Yoga, Muscle Workouts, Aerobic Exercises, and Balance Games. To begin with not all the exercises in each category are unlocked, but instead they are slowly revealed as the total amount of Wii Fit minutes accumulates in the piggy-bank. This not only helps promote a gradual progression, but it also serves to act as a simple reward mechanism – the more you play, the more you’ll unlock, and hence the more you’ll get out of Wii Fit. Tutorials are provided for both the Yoga and Muscle Workouts with each one clearly demonstrated and explained by your personal trainer, whom will also provide useful feedback and recommendations during the actual exercise depending upon the movement being fed back from the balance board.

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It seems to be traditional during the festive season to offer up some sort of list, whether it’s the “Best”, “Worst”, “Overhyped” or whatever adjective fits the agenda – well it’s my turn so I’m going to dish up my top 5 favourite games played this year.

There is, however, a small caveat – and that is to be considered for the list I must have at least played the game to completion this year. You will therefore notice that some high profile games like Fable 2 and Fallout 3 aren’t on the list, as even with the best will in the world there just aren’t enough hours in the day to play EVERY game that’s released in the mad rush towards Christmas. This isn’t a vapour-ware list of games I think should be worthy, but just a plain and honest list of games that I’ve enjoyed above and beyond my expectations this year.

5. Castle Crashers (Xbox 360 - Arcade)

There is something incredibly joyous about returning to the good old simplistic hack ‘n slash genre that is so representative of Castle Crashers. It’s as if the shackles have suddenly been thrown off and your inner child has suddenly been released and you’re free to play a game just for fun again - without worrying about “what it all means”. Castle Crashers wraps this shackle free gameplay up with some beautiful art design, adds a smattering of guttural humour and gives you a game that’s a joy to play time and time again.

Read what I thought of Castle Crashers here.

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I saw an interesting statistic the other day over at Gamasutra in an article by Matt Matthews regarding the estimated “attachment” rate for each console after 23 months on the market; or in layman’s terms: How many games on average are owned by a person for each console.

The article basically shows the ratios for each console, broken down by 1st and 3rd party titles, but for simplicity’s sake and for use within this post I’ve just totalled them as:

• Sony PS3 - 5.3
• Nintendo Wii - 5.5
• Microsoft Xbox 360 - 6.6

What I thought would be interesting would be to put the attachment rate into a personal context and analyse the statistics for retail games in my possession as of this moment in time. As regular readers will know I tend to have a bias towards the Xbox 360, favouring the Microsoft banshee over the PS3 and the Wii, but to be honest I was shocked at just how many games I had accumulated for the Redmond beast over the last few years. It’s amazing how quick you can forget what games you own when they just get stuffed into a cupboard once complete.

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Mario and friends are back for another fun packed bout of racing in Mario Kart Wii. Although this is the sixth instalment in the series there aren’t really any drastic changes to the tried and tested formula. This isn’t a bad thing as by and large the series evolves with each generation of Nintendo hardware and introduces some new features.

So what’s new this time around? First and foremost is the introduction of motor bikes as vehicles rather than just karts. Instead of just being an afterthought however the bikes handle significantly differently from the karts to make them a worthwhile addition to the game, generally being faster and more responsive, but feeling a bit more unstable (twitchy). Bikes also tend to be lighter than there karting brethren and thus it’s easier to get bullied off the track while riding a pocket rocket, especially if coupled with a very light character.

Another new element this time around is the ability to perform tricks on jumps. A quick jerk of the wheel upwards at the right moment and you get to see Mario or Toad pull off a random smile inducing trick which upon landing gives you a speed boost for a few vital seconds.

There’s a wide variety of characters to choose from, in fact Mario Kart Wii boasts the largest character roster of the series to date spoiling the player with 25 in total, including the ability to use your Mii. Although half of these have to be unlocked during the course of the game most of the best known characters are available from the start.

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I’ve been giving Mario Kart Wii a bit of a shakedown over the weekend and I had forgotten just how much of a love / hate relationship it is.

For such a cute looking game it somehow manages to bring out the worst in me. I’ve never known a game that can be both so addictive but yet elicit so many venomous comments and curses to be thrown at the screen. This kind of reaction is not even contained to myself, but to others as-well, and over the years I’ve witnessed many a friend curse Mario, Donkey Kong, Toad, et al, with offensive language that would make a builder blush in embarrassment.

We’ve heard of “Road Rage”, but what about “Spiny Blue Shell Rage”? Admittedly it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily, but for me it generates the same sort of feelings.

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My best intentions lay in ruins, blown aside like dandelion seeds on the wind. I had intended to try and complete some of my back catalogue of games before fully embracing GTA IV when it’s released in a couple of weeks time, but today my resolve finally broke.

I caved in to the adverts, the comments from friends, and the need to have something to revive my flagging gaming spirit and purchased Mario Kart Wii. I’ve played every console version of Mario Kart dating back to the original (and some would say still the best) on the SNES (1992). I’ve always found them hugely enjoyable and behind the cute exterior and gimmicky power-ups lies the beating heart of a polished racing game.

Am I really expecting any major surprises in this iteration? Well, not really. Every new version tends to keep the excellent core gameplay mechanics whilst experimenting with a few new ideas, retaining the best aspects and fortunately ditching those elements that don’t quite work from previous versions. The most obvious gimmick this time around is the use of the Wiimote together with the bundled steering wheel peripheral and I’m intrigued to see how well this works.

Am I looking forward to playing it? Hell yeah!