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Hit up Advance Theory
for brief reviews of over one hundred Game Boy
Advance titles, written by Jess Ragan along
with contributor Russ Beleski. That's a
whole lot of games, but it's just a small fraction
of what was available for this massively popular
handheld! |
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CASTLEVANIA: ARIA OF
SORROW |
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KONAMI |
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ACTION/RPG |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Pros: More like Symphony of the Night than ever,
interesting plot twists, interesting gimmick
Cons:
Still no max/min-ing of stats (yeah, I'm grasping at
straws)
This is the third Castlevania game for the Game Boy
Advance. The first one, Circle of the Moon, was pretty
good, but it was very dark--making it the "perfect"
match for the GBA's screen. The second, Harmony of
Dissonance, was brighter and better-animated, but the
music left something to be desired. This third one, on
the other hand, seems to get it all right.
The plot begins at the Hakuba shrine, in the year
2035. You are Soma Cruz, an exchange student staying in
Japan. You are at the shrine to witness a solar eclipse.
When the eclipse occurs, you and the daughter of the
shrine's caretaker, Mina Hakuba, wind up at the gate of
Dracula's castle. You meet a mysterious man named Genya
Arikado, who tells you that you must find a way out of
the castle. As he says this, you are attacked by
skeletons, but you actually absorb the soul of one of
them. You find that you are able to take the souls of
your enemies, using their abilities against them. With
these abilities, you must find your way out.
The characters are quite well-animated, smoothly
moving and attacking. Larger monsters will often fall
apart upon dying. The music is pretty good, even if one
would be hard-placed to find sound-alikes in the archive
of the mind. Voices, as sparse as they are, also sound
good; everything from an evil maid welcoming you (in
Japanese, of course) to a succubus exclaiming as she
charges you to a character actually saying "Hello" to
you.
The system of the game is a lot like Symphony of the
Night, giving you weapon, armor and accessory slots. But
also, there are three soul slots: an attack soul
(activated by up+B), a guardian soul (activated by
hitting R), and a status soul (which can increase
certain stats or prevent certain ailments). Less common
are the "ability" slots, which let you double-jump,
super-jump, slide, or even backdash.
The most impressive moment in the game, in my
opinion, was the bossfight against Balore. You expect to
meet the giant bat from the other Castlevania games, but
a giant fist crushes it in a gout of blood.
My only problem with this masterpiece of a game was
the inability to "min-max" your character. I know it
sounds a bit crazy, but it would add a bit to the game
if you could customize your character, perhaps making
him into a "tank" or an engine of gathering rare items
and souls.
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DRAGONBALL Z:
SUPERSONIC |
 
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"ATARI" |
BANPRESTO,
ARC |
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FIGHTING |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Pros: It's a Dragonball Z game that's actually good,
and it actually works around the "balance" issues in
some ways. The "what if" stories are nice,
too.
Cons: The game seems to lend itself to cheapness
(which, to be fair, can be said of just about any
Dragonball Z fighting game), "purchasing" system to
unlock fighters
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
The wearers of Atari's tattered flesh brought to us a
Dragon Ball Z game that's actually good. The game was
actually published in Japan by Banpresto, the "evil"
twin of Bandai (evil in the same sense of that "evil"
Cartman from an episode of South Park). But in a
first in 2D DBZ fighting game history, they picked a
development team that actually knew something about
fighting games--Arc System Works, the developers of the
Guilty Gear series.
The result is a good, fairly-balanced game that is
fun to play. The graphics and sound are about as
true to the series as a portable system could muster,
and the control is simple-- B does a light attack, A
does a strong attack, L tags out, R charges, R+A does a
strong fireball, R+B does a weak fireball, and R+A+B
does a context-sensitive super attack. The attack done
by R+A+B depends on both the "power" of the character
and the position relative to the opponent; for example,
Freeza's Death Ball can only be done at 100% power above
the opponent.
The system of balance is exhibited in that the
characters each have three levels, denoting a particular
level of power for the character. For example,
Level 1 Gohan is norman super-Saiyan, while Level 2 is
super-Saiyan level 2, and Level 3 is "Mystic
Gohan." The system typically can have up to three
characters on each side, but the levels of all the
characters combined can only be up to 4. So, it's
sort of a mix between Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Capcom v.
SNK 2 in its balance system.
Another good feature here is the fact that you can go
through each saga individually, as well as go through a
"what if" scenario, in which you can explore the
possibility of Freeza acquiring the Dragon Balls and of
Majin Buu going through our heroes until he fights off
his dark side and becomes a hero.
However, I said this was a good game; I didn't say it
was great. It still has its little bouts with
cheapness... for example, some of the Androids in the
game can fire light energy blasts ad nauseum, allowing
them to pin down an opponent very effectively.
Also, the super attacks can sometimes be too easy to
avoid.
Another problem can be the system whereby characters
are unlocked. One must purchase these characters
with "Zenie" earned in the story mode and through
challenges. I understand that certain characters
and levels may be too "powerful" to be available from
the start, but it's a little strange to have to buy even
goon-level guys like Ginyu.
With all this, we have a good-- but not great --
Dragonball Z game. But all that puts it above most
other DBZ games ever released. I'd definitely
recommend at least a rental for this game.
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GUILTY GEAR X
ADVANCE |
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SAMMY |
ARC
SYSTEMS |
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FIGHTING |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Arc System Works are the greatest company that most
people have never even heard of. These genii of
gaming are responsible for the biggest shocker of the
PSX's history--a well-animated 2-D fighting game, Guilty
Gear. The game was impressive, considering that it
was on a console for which 2D was a distant
afterthought.
Flash forward to 2000, where they, under the aegis of
Sammy, create Guilty Gear X on the much more capable
Naomi hardware, allowing for an easy port to the
Dreamcast. Among the features included were
improved graphics running at an unprecedented 640x480
resolution, a tweaked engine, and two primary sources of
cheapness removed ("win match by default" kills,
multi-level special moves).
Flash forward--again--to 2001, where Sammy releases
Guilty Gear games for Dreamcast, PS2, and Wonderswan
Color, and announces a port of Guilty Gear X for
Nintendo's wonder system... no, not the Gamecube, the
Game Boy Advance! Many doubted their ability to do this,
citing the lackluster KOF:EX as an example.
But Sammy succeeded where Marvelous Entertainment
failed. Sammy knew not to trust the task of
porting over GGX to any company other than the one that
made it--Arc System Works. With this in mind,
Sammy set Arc to the task at hand, ordering them to not
come out until they had given their all to port the game
over.
Did they succeed in recreating the GGX experience?
(What, did you think I would purposely truncate it for
the purpose of coolness?) In my opinion,
yes. The characters have all their moves, even the
"power-up" techniques of Johnny and Jam, as well as the
"random" maneuvers of Faust, the "baldhead"ed doctor.
The round-ending "instant" kills are present as well,
and the effects of certain maneuvers, including
Faultless Defense and Millia's hair slashes, are created
as well as the GBA's 32-bit heart can pump them
out. The music is like a toned-down version of the
original tracks, but you can still catch the fever
created by the tunes.
The characters are smaller than usual (shades of
Samurai Shodown SNES, anyone?), but they're still
animated and detailed very well. There is minimal
slowdown during some of the more intense "instant"
kills, but believe me, when one of the players is
already doomed, it doesn't affect gameplay one iota.
They even incorporated the "Heaven or Hell" from the
original arcade game, with a somewhat subdued voice
saying it as well. Certain areas are toned down
graphically, however: The select screen no longer seems
to have the "Please select of [sic] a character" bars
running along, and the win screen doesn't have the
"endless in a victory of a [sic] yourself" text
appearing almost HotD-like. There also don't seem
to be taunts, but if taunts are going to keep you from
buying this game, I really have to warn you to hold on
to those straws.
As an added bonus, the end text is in English, so
you'll most likely be able to understand what you were
fighting for. :) This is definitely on par with
SSFII Turbo Revival in terms of portable fighting
games. This is a Guilty Gear X-perience you
shouldn't pass up. There, I did it.
Happy?
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FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
ADV. |
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NINTENDO |
SQUARE-ENIX |
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STRATEGY |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Pros: Lots of classes and abilities, great music,
Laws, good number of quests.
Cons: Certain abilities are over-powered; music seems
inappropriate at times, Laws, some classes seem
superfluous, plot seems transparent, seems too easy
First off, we have the best known of the three games
here, and most likely the most anticipated. In this
game, a boy known as Marche and his friends find a
mysterious book. After reading it, they all go home and
sleep, after which they somehow wind up having their
town turned into a fantasy world. Marche has to find out
how this happened, and also how to change it back.
One of the interesting things in this game is that
each fight is governed by "Laws." These laws affect what
you can and cannot do in the fight; for example, one Law
might prevent you from using Fire-based abilities, while
another might prevent you from using projectile weapons.
At first, the laws can feel frustrating and confining,
but as you progress and can "change" laws, you can use
them to your advantage. If you violate the laws, you’ll
either get a yellow card or a red card, depending on the
number of offenses and the nature of the offense (if you
kill an enemy in the violation of a law, you’ll get a
red card). Red cards will send you to prison, while
yellow cards will earn you a mere warning. Both will
issue you a fine, however, affecting your items,
equipment, money, or stats. To get the cards removed,
you will have to go to the prison and send the affected
party member to jail for a set number of battles, as
well as pay a token fine. This, however, is better than
the alternative-higher and higher fines. Also, if Marche
gets imprisoned, you get an automatic Game Over. So be
careful.
The customization in this game is pretty good. Each
character can use the abilities from up to two classes
at once, which can occasionally benefit the "secondary"
class with more beneficial stat growth. To learn new
classes, you have to master a certain number of
abilities (learned from weapons) from one or more
classes. The different types of abilities are Action
abilities, Reaction abilities (used as defenses, like
"Counter," "Reflex," which can actually dodge an attack,
or "Block Arrows"), Support abilities (like Maintenance,
which can prevent equipment theft; or Immunity, which
allows you to resist status ailments), and Combo
abilities, which allow more than one character to attack
an enemy at once for hefty damage. The problem with the
abilities is that certain abilities seem unbalanced,
like "Damage > MP," which causes an attacked
character to lose MP instead of HP. Unless you have your
characters swarm a character using this, he’ll
effectively be invincible. Meanwhile, some of the
classes seem to be mere "means to an end"-Beastmaster is
only useful if you want to either a) teach a Blue Mage
abilities, or b) build up to a Morpher or Sage.
The music in this game is very well done. The only
complaint I have is that some of it seems
inappropriate-when you’re fighting zombies, you don’t
need to hear a light-hearted tune.
Meanwhile, the plot plays out with certain quests.
The different quests are battle quests, negotiation
quests, searching quests, and "clan battle" quests. All
but the "clan battle" and battle quests require you to
dispatch one character for either a set number of days,
a set number of battles, or until a set number of
enemies are defeated. If you’re not careful, you may
find yourself short-handed, and the plot seems to only
involve a small percentage of the quests.
Yet another problem lies in the Laws. They are
governed by a judge, who seems to keep any fallen
members of your party from dying permanently. You don’t
have to be as careful in this game as in other games,
unless there’s no judge, in which case the battle is
anarchy. Also, some of the laws are really a pain, like
the "Dmg 2" laws, which prevent you from doing damage to
a certain race, or even to monsters.
This game is pretty good overall, but it’s not the
best game out there. A lot of the value of the game lies
in the Final Fantasy name. That said, the upcoming FFXII
seems to borrow from it, using its races and universe.
Overall, the game, in my opinion, deserves a 7 out of
10.
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FIRE PRO
WRESTLING |
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BAY AREA
MARKETING |
SPIKE |
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WRESTLING |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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The Fire Pro Wrestling series is legendary in
Japan. The depth of the game engine, along with
the amazing customization possible, have been acclaimed
the world over. Each game in the series has
seemingly myriad characters to choose from, each with
several dozen maneuvers. And all this without a
license from any major US or Japanese federation.
It was only a matter of time before one of these
games came over here, and in fact, Fire Pro Wrestling A
for the Game Boy Advance was brought over for the
system's US launch. And again, there is nary a
license to be had. But that's not a bad thing...
it's a GOOD thing. I'm sure most of you remember
many licensed wrestling games--ECW Hardcore Revolution,
anyone?--that don't really capture the atmosphere of the
federation in question. And let's not get started
on WCW Backstage Assault. My point is, without a
license, Spike was able--nay, forced--to make the game
shine on its own merits, rather than just try to make it
sell based on its association with the WWF. And
boy, does this game shine.
First of all, the characters all look and act enough
like their real-world doppelgangers to overlook the
nagging lack of license. And the gameplay is
scaled back (consider that the FirePro games have been
made for every system from the Super Famicom to the
Saturn to the Dreamcast) just enough to accomodate the
layout of the GBA, but not so much that it's too
simplistic: B does light attacks, A does medium, B+A
does strong, R runs, and L allows your superstar to
catch his/her breath. And to grapple, you just
walk into the opponent--a FirePro staple.
About that breath thing... Another hallmark of the
FPW series is its realism. The characters will actually
get tired over the course of the match, and if you hit
them right, they'll even "bleed." There's a slight
redness on the character then, and at the moment of
bloodletting, you can hear a scream. In fact, if
you overexert yourself, even if you have the upper hand
in a match, you'll barely be able to move! And if
you see "CRITICAL!"--well, suffice it to say that the
match is over.
There are a diverse amount of matches available, as
well. 1-on-1, tag team, handicap (2-1), 4-way
matches (normal elimination, last man standing, or
over-the-top), exploding electric cage matches (you
don't win, you survive), and even a UFC-style octagon
brawl.
The superstars seem to represent virtually every
federation in existence (at the time of the game's
release, anyway :P)--WWF, WCW, New Japan, All Japan,
NOAH, FMW, as well as several shootfighting
organizations such as PRIDE and UFC (the whole Gracie
family seems to be in full effect), and even guys who
aren't in any fed (at the time, including Rob Van Dam,
Abdullah the Butcher and Sabu) or even wrestling anymore
(Andre the Giant, Bob Backlund).
Also, there are "audience matches," in which you have
to progress through various tiers of matches, getting a
certain level of approval. But in each mode, the
audience favors a different approach: One audience
might favor 2-minute squashes, while another might go
for 30-minute classics, and another might favor dirty
tactics such as low blows and forks to the head.
If you manage to get through the mode in question,
you'll unlock secret superstars, including Ric Flair,
Johnny Ace, and Shawn Michaels.
With a total of over 200 superstars, you'd think
there would be no need for more, though.
However, Spike know what their audience wants, and they
put in a create-a-wrestler feature that's actually
pretty damned meaty. You can change the skin tone
of your fighter, the head, the size of the clothes
(small, medium, large or fat), and even decide how he
double-teams his opponents. And there's even some
fairly good entrance music in this game--including a
dead ringer for Stone Cold Steve Austin's music.
And of course, you can pick three taunts--one for your
entrance into the ring, one for the match, and one after
your hard-fought victory. This stands in stark
(VERY stark) contrast to THQ's Road to Wrestlemania,
which only has about 20 or so stars and has no create
mode.
In short, this is probably the single best portable
wrestling game ever made--and like SNK vs. Capcom for
NGPC, it will be the standard by which all others in its
genre will be judged. If I had one complaint, it's
that they don't have proper hardcore or cage
matches--and would it kill them to put in a ladder
match? (Maybe it would, in which case, I apologize
;) If you have a GBA, and even remotely enjoy
wrestling (even in the "guilty pleasure" vein), buy this
game.
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KING OF FIGHTERS EX
NEOBLOOD |
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MARVELOUS |
ARTOON |
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FIGHTING |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Solid SNK
died. But they came back. Either they
survived, or there are two of them...
Sorry, wrong game. Anyway, about six months
ago, I heard about a King of Fighters game being
released for the Game Boy Advance. The game was
actually being done by a company called Marvelous
Entertainment, a company that also does such things as
anime dating games and distribution of an anime called
Medarot (Medabots in US). I was pretty psyched to
get this game--it was supposed to fill in the gap
between KOF'97 and KOF'99.
Now that I've played it, I'm not so sure it's THE
game.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. The
graphics are good, and the only real trouble I had with
the controls were doing qcf, hcb motions and doing
SDM's. To do SDM's in this game, you have to hit
both attack strengths. However, the strong attack
buttons are the triggers, and getting the timing off
consistently requires mastery of the Force or a third
arm. Also, there's a significant lack of frames
here. Not so much that it's unplayable, but
there's definitely a noticeable lack of animation.
Also, the collision on the command throws is very
picky--you have to be right next to the guy to land a
Super Argentine Backbreaker by Clark.
From the get-go, there are 18 characters to play as
here. Six others are designated strikers, and
there are also "extra strikers" from KOF
Evolution. The designated strikers are Shingo
(Kyo's team), Joe (Fatal Fury), Yuri (Art of Fighting),
Whip (Ikari), Chin (Psycho Soldier) and Jhun
(Korea). The "protagonist" team in this game is
made up of Kyo Kusanagi (of course), Benimaru
"Polnareff" Nikaido, and a newcomer by the name of Moe
(that's Mo-eh) Habana, Kyo's caretaker of American
origin (her parents are Japanese). Her attacks
seem to give off cherry blossoms the same way that Kyo's
give off flames.
The plot seems to be the same: KOF tournament,
invitations go out, secret goings-on revealed.
Some of the designated strikers are actually explained
out of the game by the storyline (Yuri has the mumps,
Joe is entertaining the king of Thailand). Of
course, Iori can't be too far behind Kyo; indeed, he
serves as the game's sub-boss. When you beat him,
the organizer of the tournament, our old
sky(scraper)diving friend, Geese Howard, makes his
appearance. Apparently, he enlisted Iori to help
him attain the Orochi power, or something like
that. The endings seem a bit "sparse;" they entail
Geese saying something, then his background exploding,
then your team standing outside Geese Tower saying
something, then Iori standing outside Geese Tower saying
something, then the credits. Hmmph.
The music seems to be pretty well-done, representing
an approximation of some of the KOF2000 themes,
including the Psycho Soldier team's 2000 theme.
In short, it's a good game that could have been much
better. Marvelous is good, but they're no
SNK. Just as well, because there's only room
enough for one SNK and one Big Boss! Wait, what
are you doing with that dart full of horse
tranquilizers?
<phoot>
So sleepeeeeee zzzzz...
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KING OF FIGHTERS EX
2 |
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ATLUS |
SUN-TEC |
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FIGHTING |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Pros: Much improved over original, great new
characters, incentive to excel
Cons: The sound leaves
something to be desired
The first King of Fighters EX game was not
particularly good. It played as some approximation of
the KOF series, but the collision was worse than the
Game Boy games, the sound was inconsistent, and the
animation was horrible. That, and the buttons couldn't
be configured other than 3-button/4-button.
The second one is much better. They no longer have
"designated strikers" in this game, and the animation is
much better. They also have a 2-button control scheme in
which you can play like KOF R-2.
The plot is as follows: Something is affecting the
seal placed on Orochi in 1997. Children are being
abducted. This can only mean one thing: It's time for
another King of Fighters tournament. However, Chizuru
Kagura can't attend, because she has to keep an eye on
the seal. So, she sends her servant, Reiji, in her
stead. Meanwhile, Iori has a new team made up of Jun, a
supermodel, and Miu, a schoolgirl who attacks with crow
feathers. The other teams are as follows: Korea team
(Kim, Chang, Choi), Ikari team (Ralf, Clark, Leona),
Psycho Soldier team (Athena, Kensou, Bao), Fatal Fury
team (Terry, Andy, Mai), Art of Fighting team (Ryo,
Yuri, Takuma), and Kyo's team (Kyo, Moe, Reiji).
The game controls just like the normal KOF games, and
you can customize the button assignments, even right
down to the combinations for rolling and striker calls.
The graphics look remarkably like KOF, right down to the
backgrounds from KOF2000.
Meanwhile, the sound is a mixed bag. The music is
pretty good, coming from KOF2000, but the voice is a
mixed bag. There are some of the classic quotes, like
"Hey, c'mon c'mon!" and the entire Maiden Masher
dialogue, right from the start to the end. But some of
it isn't there.
Meanwhile, there's a rating system that ranks your
performance according to how well you fight (perfects,
straights, hyper finishes), and as you unlock the
"Master Orochi" rank for each character, you'll unlock
options like more difficulty levels and secret
characters, as well as a "counter mode" like in KOF
EX.
The boss is vintage KOF... a boss that is cheap as
hell, but that can be beaten with the right strategy.
Also, the way the striker system works here is as
follows: First round, your second guy is the striker and
you have three striker calls. Second round, third guy is
the striker and you get four calls. Third round, no
striker.
In all, this game deserves a 9/10 for not just being
a good game, but a much-improved game.
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KINGDOM HEARTS:
CHAIN... |
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SQUARE-ENIX |
JUPITER |
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ACTION
RPG |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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I'm sure that
many Playstation 2 gamers out there remember the game
Kingdom Hearts, which brought together Square
characters, Disney characters, and original characters,
topping the mix off with famous voice actors including
David Boreanaz, Haley Joel Osment, and even Lance Bass.
With the second Kingdom Hearts game to be released soon
for the PS2, Square Enix and Disney Interactive-
realizing that there will be a gap in the story- have
released a Game Boy Advance interlude in the series.
In this new game, Sora, Donald, and Goofy happen upon
a robed figure who offers to grant Sora something he
holds dear... but he must lose something first. This
takes our heroes to Castle Oblivion, where they expect
to find King Mickey, but lose many of their memories. As
they go through the castle, they encounter old friends,
and come face to face with a mysterious organization
that seeks to gain the power of Sora's Keyblade for
itself.
To put it simply, the graphics and sound are nothing
less than you would expect from either Disney or Square:
if nothing else, this is the one "sure thing" that both
companies can be expected to get right without any
problems. Also, you will hear Sora calling for various
characters, as well as the voices of said characters,
throughout the battle. Even some full-motion video
sequences, as well as a surprisingly high-quality
rendition of Utada Hikaru's "Simple and Clean" from the
first Kingdom Hearts, have made the cut here.
The story is interesting... without any major
spoilers, the main theme seems to be that memories are
important, and some memories that seem lost are just
buried deep within our minds. Also, the dialogue is
pretty good, making sure that everything is tied
together tightly (on a side note, somehow, the word
"hell" got past Standards and Practices- and apparently
the ESRB, since the game got rated "E" regardless of its
inclusion).
The gameplay combines isometric dungeon-crawling with
elements from Paper Mario- attacking enemies on
the main map will give you the initiative, letting you
attack stunned opponents on the battlefield. The battles
seem to be a more free-roaming version of the Megaman
Battle Network system... your attacks, spells, items and
summons are done using cards, and high cards will
"break" low cards, negating the move and leaving the
victim open for counterattack. Also, you have
"sleights" that function like the Advance Programs in
MMBN, allowing for devastating combos or just stronger
versions of spells or summons. Also, certain monsters,
including bosses, yield "enemy cards" that can do
anything from increase the value of all your cards by 1
to prevent your attack cards from being broken.
Also, this game continues Square's "world-building"
obsession that seems to have started with Legend of
Mana. Each floor of the castle has you picking a world
card that provides the motif, and each room is
determined by a particular map card. The map cards can
do anything from lessen the values of your enemies'
cards to stunning every enemy in a battle when you get
the initiative. Also, there are cards for save points
and shops, which are essential to improving your
deck.
The deck is limited by the number of "Card Points"
you have. Cards have a certain CP cost based on 1) the
type of card (for example, spell cards may cost more CP
than some weapon cards) and 2) the number on the card
(the 1 will be cheapest, while the 0--which can break
any other card, or even a sleight--is the most
expensive). However, it is possible, either through a
reward earned in a fight or a shop purchase, to get a
"Premium" card, whose cost will always equal the "1"
card. However, premium cards will not be reloaded when
you reload your deck. Also, reloading your deck will
take more time each time you do it, so at least in the
early goings of the game, you may want to try to get as
many attack cards in your deck as you can, rather than
the more expensive spells and summons.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories should take the
average player about twenty hours to finish on the first
run-through. Some of the bosses are pretty hard, but
each one has a particular weakness- either a
susceptibility to a particular type of attack or a hole
in its strategy- that can make the fight easier. Also,
even after the game is over, there's more to do,
including fight versus battles.
The game could probably have been longer, and there
could have been more stuff in the game (why not have
Leon- Squall's incarnation from the original Kingdom
Hearts- as a summon, or why not have some other big
Square villain as a secret boss?). However, the game is
very well done overall, even with its flaws, and a
must-play for Kingdom Hearts fans, if for no other
reason than to get some background on the next game for
the Playstation 2.
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KINNIKUMAN
II |
|
|
BANPRESTO |
|
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WRESTLING |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Good: It's based on the series known as Ultimate
Muscle in the US, it has commentary, a diverse array of
characters.
Bad: Not your conventional wrestling game
(aka no pins)
Bandai has a split personality. On the one hand is
its horrible shovelware games and its ill-conceived
attempt to compete with Nintendo in its element. On the
other hand is its other side, Banpresto, which makes the
critically-acclaimed Super Robot Wars series and the
game here, Kinnikuman II.
The game involves Kinniku Mantaro's (Kid Muscle)
journeys against such opponents as the dMp (Demon
[making] Plant), the second-year students of the
Herakles Factory, and No Respect. The modes are pretty
interesting: There's the classic story mode, the
tournament mode (basic arcade mode set-up), 3-on-3 (in
which you pick one of 5 groups--New Muscle League, dMp,
2nd-year students, No Respect, and old Muscle League),
exhibition, and training (in which you can learn the
intricacies of the engine against Ramen Man and test
them against Terry the Kid).
B is a light attack, A is a medium attack, and AB is
a heavy attack. R grapples, and in a grapple, B does
weak grapple attacks, A does strong grapple attacks, L
whips an opponent into the ropes, and R throws him into
the air for a high-impact move. The timing gauge affects
your ability to do certain moves: You can whip an
opponent into the ropes or do a weak grapple attack when
the bar is in the yellow, but only when you're in the
blue can you do a strong grapple attack or throw an
opponent into the air.
The characters look like something out of the
cartoon, right from Kinniku Mantaro to Dead Signal, a
wrestler made out of road signs. The sound is excellent
as well, including voices from the anime, and the
control is spot-on. On the other hand, I was
disappointed that a wrestling-style game with
wrestling-style controls lacked the ability to pin an
opponent. But, it's nothing major. It's still good.
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LEGENDS OF WRESTLING
II |
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ACCLAIM |
|
|
WRESTLING |
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|
GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Games have been made based on classic baseball
players, classic basketball players (Jordan vs. Bird)
and classic boxers (Legends of the Ring). So, Acclaim
made a game called Legends of Wrestling some time back.
The game wasn't that bad; it had some interesting ideas,
such as all moves starting from a few basic positions,
like the "head between legs" position of a piledriver;
and the ability to control a classic superstar carving a
path of destruction through the US. Also, it had Hulk
Hogan as the frontman of the game.
The Game Boy Advance version seems to have a total of
40 superstars in it, out of the 60+ in its bigger
brothers on consoles. The game has a career mode, in
which you are either managed by Jimmy Hart or Lou Albano
through five different US regions, the entire US, and
then the world (consisting primarily of Mexico City,
Montreal, and Tokyo). Depending on your ability to
excite the crowd, it can take any number of matches to
get the title shot for each region. Every time you go
all the way through the game, you can unlock a secret
character. Considering that there are 20 secret
characters (out of 40 total), it would have most likely
been more prudent to unlock one guy with each
"region."
The controls are fairly simple, with all of the
strikes and attacks (irreversible grapple maneuvers like
backbreakers and jawbreakers) being done with
combinations of the D-Pad and the A button, grapples
being done with the B button, the R button performing
defense and counters, and the L button switching focus,
whipping the opponent into the ropes, and
entering/exiting the ring. The problem with the control
is that the collision is iffy--it can take several tries
to get a tie-up, and you have to be at a precise
distance from the opponent for a strike to hit. However,
the less collision-sensitive areas, like timing the
combos and reversals, are fairly easy to get.
The graphics can be described by Ranier Wolfcastle
from the Simpsons: "My eyes! The goggles--they do
nothing!" Pixellation is not your friend, Acclaim. Also,
try to put some emotion into your characters' motion. As
for the sound, there's not too much music in there, and
it's very forgettable.
I actually had some hopes that this game would at
least be fun, but it got to be a chore after a
while.
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LORD OF THE RINGS:
FELLOWSHIP... |
|
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UNIVERSAL |
BLACK
LABEL |
|
RPG |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Good: Better
than warm milk for getting you to sleep.
Bad: Where
to begin...
From Two Towers, I got the illusion that Fellowship
of the Ring would be a good game. For fucking with
my mind, I will punish this game with many kicks to the
groin to match the pain I endured.
The first time I booted this game up, it wouldn't
load up properly. Five kicks to the groin.
In the beginning of the game, I had to sit through a
long intro involving Bilbo's goodbye to his fellow
hobbits. Two more kicks to the groin for not
cutting to the chase.
The entire first part of the game served as a massive
fetch quest series. Ten kicks to the groin for
sending me on a scavenger hunt.
The battles take too long, especially considering
that in the beginning, you can only do 1 damage per hit
and you miss 99.99% of the time. Fifteen kicks to
the groin for making battles a drawn-out exercise in
futility.
To make matters even worse, there's a bug in the game
that prevents you from getting past a certain point if
you don't save the game AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT POINT IN
TIME. Twenty kicks to the groin for not getting
all the bugs out prior to shipping. Five more
because it's bad enough that we have to put up with this
bull in PC games.
Finally, because I'm fed up, fifty kicks to the groin
for going back to the main menu after saving your
game.
All I can say to Black Label (other than "you guys
suck") is that this game is a horrible abuse upon
all. I thought Acclaim was bad. I thought
Bandai was worse. But now, there's a new king of
Hell. Its name is Black Label Games.
To paraphrase the principal in Billy Madison, "I
actually feel dumber for playing this game. I give
it 0/10, and may God have mercy on your
soul."
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LORD OF THE RINGS: TWO
TOWERS |
|
|
ELECTRONIC
ARTS |
GRIPTONITE |
|
ACTION
RPG |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Pros: It's
Lord of the Rings, it's like Diablo (if you like that
style)
Cons: It's like Diablo (if you don't like that
style)
The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest works of
fantasy ever written. The recent release of the second
part of the saga in theaters, as well as of the game for
PS2 and GBA, has been well-received. The game itself is
interesting, as it's not the same conventional licensed
crap game.
The gameplay is very much like Diablo, which means
that you'll be doing quite a bit of attacking and
exploring. The button layout is pretty good: B attacks,
A uses an ability, L switches between abilities, and R
picks up items and opens treasure chests. The game
itself allows you to play as one of five characters:
Frodo, the Hobbit keeper of the One Ring which must be
destroyed; Gandalf, the wizard who has commissioned the
task of destroying the Ring to Frodo; Aragorn, lost
prince of Gondor and master Ranger; Legolas, brave Elf
and archer; and Eowyn, human princess.
There are three main gauges in this game: HP,
represented by a red sphere in the lower left corner
(like Diablo); MP, represented by a blue sphere in the
lower right corner (again, like Diablo); and Corruption,
represented by an "Eye of Sauron" in the upper-right.
Certain actions will raise the Corruption total, and
when it gets to look like a giant eye, a Ringwraith will
come after you and attempt to kill you. You'll have to
find fire to stop them.
My only real complaint is that you can only hold
eight items at a time other than items equipped. Other
than that, you can sell items in forges and shrines;
also, forges can enhance your weapons and give you
random items, and shrines can give you status and
ability points. There are two types of abilities:
Active, which are activated by selecting them (with L)
and using them (with A); and Passive, which are with you
at all times and range from resistance to Corruption to
the ability to use two swords.
In short, check this game out. It's pretty good for a
licensed game.
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MEGA MAN ZERO
4 |
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CAPCOM |
INTICREATES |
|
ACTION/ADVENTURE |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
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PROS: Not
quite as frustrating as previous MMZ games, interesting
Zero Knuckle system, new customizable Cyber Elf
system
CONS: Too short, somewhat gimmicky new Cyber
Elf system
The Mega Man Zero series known for its frustrating
difficulty along with its impressive graphics, sounds,
and gameplay. Megaman Zero 4 is no exception to
this rule.
The graphics are up to par with those in the previous
Mega Man Zero games, with the victims of your Z-Saber
falling apart like meat sliced from a bone, and shadows
trailing behind Zero as he dashes. Similarly, the
music is up to the standards of the other games in the
the series.
The gameplay is just as familiar, except with four
major changes. First, the Zero Knuckle replaces
the various Rods and the Shield Boomerang, and allows
you to "borrow" minor enemy weapons such as a
flamethrower, an axe, or even a tongue (yes, a
tongue). Secondly, a weather system affects the
design of each level. Next, the new Cyber Elf
system allows you to customize your character.
Finally, you can now enhance Zero with parts assembled
from the scraps of your fallen foes. The Cyber Elf
system now features only one elf with three different
stat-building attributes... Nurse (healing), Animal
(support), and Hacker (other, including everything from
customized combination attacks to simplified attack
commands). You can change the level of each
attribute by feeding the elf energy crystals.
However, if you want the highest score possible, the
level of these three attributes cannot be above a set
amount (which will increase as the game progresses).
The weather system also adds a fresh new spin to the
familiar gameplay. Each of the eight "robot
master" levels has two different types of weather, one
of which is ideal. The four total types of weather
are sunny, cloudy, snowy, and stormy; and in the ideal
type, the level is more difficult and the boss uses its
EX skill (which could be anything from a time-stopping
blast to ball lightning covered in scrap metal).
Luckily, you only have to beat the boss under the ideal
weather conditions to acquire its EX skill. You
can only equip one buster EX skill, but you can equip
all of the saber skills at the same time. Sadly,
there aren't any knuckle skills. Since one of the
bosses uses a flaming uppercut, this seems kind of odd.
Even with all the enhancements made to the gameplay,
Mega Man Zero 4 is not perfect. The new cyber elf
system is more restrictive than before, allowing you to
equip only one ability of each type at a time.
Also, the game seems significantly shorter than previous
entries in the series. Perhaps this has more to do
with the decreased difficulty than anything else, but it
only took me three hours to finish the game.
Considering the average cost per hour, this would make
Mega Man Zero 4 a better rental than a
purchase.
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|
METAL SLUG
ADVANCE |
|
|
SNK
PLAYMORE |
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|
ACTION |
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|
GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Pros: Metal Slug on the GBA, special "card system" to
enhance play
Cons: No "trademark death animations,"
sometimes difficult to collect cards
The Metal Slug series is notorious for pitting one or
two lone soldiers against everybody from Nazis to a
Saddam Hussein body double to zombies, aliens and
mummies. This game, naturally, is no different. However,
instead of the usual gang of hardened soldiers, you have
to send one of two recruits through a survival course so
that they can become the latest members of the Peregrine
Falcon Squad.
In Metal Slug Advance, you have to go through five
levels of heavy action, shooting enemy soldiers,
rescuing hostages and driving around in the eponymous
supervehicle. Being able to do this without having to
pay a triple-digit price is a definite perk.
The game contains well-animated characters and
vehicles, and the playable characters even have their
idle animations. However, unlike other Metal Slug games,
the characters simply slump over and die when they get
attacked. The enemy soldiers don't disappear in a gust
of bones from a shotgun blast, or lurch around ablaze
from the flamethrower. This was one of the "touches"
that the series has typically had, and while
understandable, it's a little unfortunate that this
couldn't be worked in, just for old times.
Unlike most of the Metal Slug games, you have a life
bar, but just one life. If you die, you can choose
to start at the beginning of the "stage" within the
mission or choose another stage. This can make the game
easier in some ways and more difficult in others, since
while you don't have to worry about one-shot kills, but
pits are a bit more perilous.
A new addition to the game is the card system. By
collecting cards throughout the stages, you can upgrade
your weapons and ammunition drops, get other vehicles,
or even unlock secret rooms and levels. However,
any cards you get in the mission disappear upon death;
even if you have already completed the mission, you
can't simply skip out of the mission to collect the
cards.
In short, the game is very good, despite the flaws it
may have. And at about 10% the cost of most other Metal
Slug games, it's a definite recommendation for Metal
Slug fans.
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|
|
METROID
FUSION |
|
|
NINTENDO |
|
|
ACTION/ADVENTURE |
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|
GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Perhaps the greatest improvement this Metroid has
over the SNES and NES versions (I've not played the
others for comparison) would be the fact that it has
actual plot and goals. In the other two versions
mentioned, basically you wandered around aimlessly
gathering items until finally you were able to find and
defeat the final boss. Personally, any game where you
wander around aimlessly is lacking something. After all,
if such were a bonus, then SaGa Frontier would have done
well.
Granted, some will criticize the mission system,
saying the specific tasks and lack of free exploration
ruins something of the Metroid flavor. Having never been
a true die-hard Metroid fan to begin with, I don't miss
the aimless wandering. On the other hand, there are
times in Fusion when I've just received some nifty new
power-up that I noted I needed three levels back, but I
can't go back to try it out because that area is
inaccessible for plot reasons. So in these sorts of
cases, some amount of free exploration can be argued
for. Still, I won't complain about the computer's
mission briefings that actually give you goals to strive
for and a meaning for your existence (and, consequently,
for your playing the game).
One other possible gripe that some old fans may have
is that most of Samus' upgrades in this game are in
fact, well, old. You spend much of the game simply
re-gathering abilities that Samus had in previous games.
This is explained well in the plot, but some might say
it would have been a lot more interesting had most or
all of the power-ups been new. Then again, it wouldn't
really be Metroid if Samus couldn't roll up into a
little ball and drop bombs. And requiring you to gather
these abilities rather than just starting the game with
them gives you more to do.
So now that I've covered any possible negatives, let
me touch briefly on the positives. The graphics are
quite nice, better than the screen shots on the back of
the box would lead you to believe. (I'm amused by
whoever took that screen shot with SA-X in it, as the
person had to commit suicide to get that shot. True
dedication.) One nice touch is that Samus' sprite is
actually not in fact x-flipped; her cannon is always on
her right arm no matter which way she is facing. My only
complaint with the graphics is they are overall too
dark. I know this is supposed to be a gritty sci-fi
game, but on the GBA screen, most of the areas are
nearly impossible to see in anything less than optimal
lighting conditions. Running around blind in areas where
you aren't really supposed to be running around blind
loses something. It's just a shame that game developers
too often forget to take this into account.
The play control is top-notch. There are a few issues
where you find yourself fighting with the controls,
mostly when trying to jump correctly off ladders, but
still, overall it works well. The developers were
thoughtful enough to give you the L button for diagonal
aiming, so you don't have to worry about accidentally
moving while trying to shoot. And Samus has a lot of
moves, more than it might at first appear. Among other
things, she can duck, morph, jump, dash, high-jump,
shoot in eight directions, climb certain walls, stick to
certain ceilings, and grab onto the edges of ledges.
It's also no longer necessary to use bombs to jump while
in the morph ball form, which, while not as challenging,
makes navigation easier. Samus can aim in nearly any
practical direction regardless of her current
position--she can shoot straight up and down while on a
ladder for example, which allows her to dispatch enemies
sharing the ladder with her while she climbs. Coupling
her aiming abilities with various positions such as
standing versus ducking and so forth leads to a lot of
maneuverability.
Finally, the game even has a little bit of the
"survival horror" genre thrown in, which mostly takes
the form of one SA-X who likes to pop in at unexpected
times with the ominous sound of footsteps. SA-X can
really make your adrenaline level shoot through the roof
when it suddenly decides to walk in the door behind
you...
Overall: A very solid action game with the Metroid
feel, sans the aimless wandering.
|
|
|
ONIMUSHA
TACTICS |
|
|
CAPCOM |
|
|
STRATEGY/RPG |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Pros:
Actually grades your performance, interesting play
mechanics, can skip cutscenes
Cons: Not your typical strategy RPG, no real penalty
for failure, limited customization, too
"idiot-proofed"
Onimusha has become a fairly successful franchise for
Capcom-the premise of killing the undead in a Japanese
setting has been intriguing to many gamers, and the
ability to customize certain aspects of your character
has been a pretty good idea as well. How well, however,
will this translate to a strategy RPG?
The game is actually not that bad, despite the
average rating. It has many features that most games of
its type do not- you can actually skip cutscenes, and
you don’t regenerate SP in the game, so you have to make
each special attack count.
The game takes place around the time of the real
downfall of Oda Nobunaga, an infamous Japanese tyrant.
This leads me to believe that the game may be a prequel
to the main Onimusha series, as from what I’ve gathered,
you seem to be fighting an undead army led by
Nobunaga.
This game is very simple. You can attack, perform one
of up to three or four specials (one of which is learned
from an enhanced weapon, the other of which are learned
as you progress in levels or reach a certain part of the
game), use an item, check your status or stay where you
are with each turn. Sometimes, you will have an option
called "Issn" available, which will automatically kill
one opponent who uses a normal attack. This will earn
you many souls, which can be used to enhance your
weapons.
The game also eschews certain aspects of the
strategic RPG. For instance, there is no real
exploration. The game is mostly in a straight line, and
there are no stores. Instead, you earn certain stones
from enemies, which can be refined into weapons, armor,
items, or accessories as you pick up the recipes for
them. This can be an interesting gimmick, but you can
only use it before a fight.
Also, you can save in mid-fight. You don't just
"suspend" the game data until you play next; you
actually save. This is an interesting idea, but it can
make the game even easier than it would be
otherwise.
As I mentioned previously, this game can be really
easy. When a character dies, he can be used in the next
battle, but he/she will have zero experience points,
without losing his experience level. Also, for some
reason, you can only earn 48 experience points at a
time. This "trial-and-error" style of gameplay hurts
Onimusha Tactics.
Also, there is next to no customization available.
You can change the weapons and armor on your characters,
but they will remain in the class they started out in
until the day they die (and then they’ll come back for
the next battle as the same class). There is also a
dearth of secrets-the only real hidden extra is that you
can get a secret character by going through the "Phantom
Tower," a sixteen floor marathon of increasing
difficulty.
The notable thing about this game is that it’s the
first tactical RPG I’ve seen where enemies can have more
than 999 HP. However, the game will show a maximum of
999 hit points. This is somewhat unusual, as towards the
end, you’ll hit opponents with devastating attacks which
appear to have no apparent effect.
One of the most frustrating things about this game is
its extreme friendliness. If your character has a gun,
you can’t aim past your allies, and you can’t aim a
technique at an empty square on the field. This can be
frustrating if all enemies are just out of the range of
the spell.
For all the flaws, it’s still an entertaining game,
and there seem to be some interesting missions in
Onimusha Tactics, like having to defeat the enemy within
a certain number of turns or kill two enemies in the
same turn. But I can’t in good conscience give it more
than a 6/10, because I expect more from Capcom than
this.
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|
|
PAC-MAN
COLLECTION |
|
|
NAMCO |
MASS
MEDIA |
|
CLASSIC
COLLECTION |
|
|
GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Pac-Man has become like the doorknob of the
video-game world--every system under the sun seems to
have gotten a turn. There's even a section on this
site that has every known version and port of the
game. So, it was only a matter of time before
Nintendo's follow-up to their most successful system of
all time got its chance at the game. But before
you write it off as another hastily thrown-together
deal, hear me out. This one has something the
others don't.
The game is a collection of four Pac-Man games...
superficially, it seems to be par for the supposed
course. The four games are the original Pac-Man,
Pac-Mania (the isometric "noble experiment" that never
really panned out), Pac-Attack/-Panic, and Pac-Man
Arrangement.
Did you read those last few words? I hope so, because
they make up the most significant thing about this new
compliation. The "Arrangement" version of Pac-Man
has never before been released outside of an arcade,
which makes this the first, best, and only chance (so
far, at least) most people will have to experience this
game.
Some people might know about this game, but they
brought back Clyde for the first time in a long time, as
well as bringing in a fifth monster named "Kinky."
This bespectacled beastie has a penchant for fusing with
the other monsters, with interesting results; for
example, Pinky turns into a bunny-monster who can hop
across the maze with incredible ease; Clyde sets down
"slow-down" pellets to trip you up, etc. It seems
as though Pac-Man may have his hands full... or he
would, if he had hands. ^_^' However, Kinky seems
to scare quite easily, and eating him in his
"frightened" phase will in turn frighten the other
monsters.
But wait! There's more! Certain levels
have "zip" arrows that can allow you to go through
monsters, stunning them (unless they're
frightened). There are also powerups that appear
along with the fruit--speed-up, mirror (a shadow Pac-Man
appears opposite you on the maze, mimicking your
movements), and capture (traps the monsters in a pot
temporarily). It's nice to know that Namco made
this effort to balance the combined extra challenge of
1) an extra monster and 2) the prospect of
"super-monsters" in this game.
But that's not all! There's one more
challenge--a final boss. That's right, this game
actually has an "endgame" stage, with a giant robot
monster. Beat this guy, and you win. It's
not very easy; it involves going about the usual
business of eating dots and avoiding the monsters,
including the ones manning the gigantic robot.
As for the other games on the cartridge, there seems
to be the classic treatment given to each. Pac-Man
Classic has the full-screen (but small) and zoomed-in
modes (the trigger buttons are used to scroll up and
down), complete with the sound and intermissions.
Pac-Mania is pretty good, with decent resolution and
graphics, as well as music (the Lego-esque first two
levels and intermissions seem to be here in full
effect). And Pac-Attack is... well,
Pac-Attack. Not much to be said about this
particular title... screwing this one up would be a task
that would make Hercules blanch. Make of that what
you will. And as an added bonus, you can tweak
certain features of the games (lives, difficulty, and
"bonus" conditions) and get tips on each game.
The only two things I would change are 1) two-player
support, as far as I could see, there was none; and 2)
maybe more games (Pac & Pal or Super Pac-Man,
maybe--imagine Super Pac-Man in "scroll" mode O_O').
Mass Media actually did a decent job on this one, as
opposed to the abomination that was the DC Namco
Museum. If you have a GBA, check it
out.
|
|
|
SAMURAI DEEPER
KYO |
|
|
MARVELOUS |
|
|
ACTION |
|
|
GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
| | |
|
Pros: Interesting characters, attention to
detail
Cons: Repetitive. Very Repetitive.
In the year 1600, at the bloodied and misty
battlefield of Sekigahara, two swordsmen square off. In
one corner, the samurai Mibu Kyoshiro. In the other, the
feared assassin Onime no Kyo (or Demon-Eyes Kyo), the
slayer of a thousand men. Both men fight viciously, but
Kyoshiro's sword is broken. As the battle goes on, three
warriors sent by the Sakuya clan--Sanada Yukimura, a
drunken samurai; Saizou, a ninja, and Sasuke, a yound
magician-type boy, set the plan to eliminate Kyo into
motion. Saizou maintains the mist in the field, Yukimura
keeps Kyo busy, and Sasuke summons a meteor to the area.
As the meteor hits, Sasuke, Saizou and Yukimura escape.
But Kyoshiro and Kyo seem to be killed in the
blast...
Four years later, Mibu Kyoshiro is disguised as a
pharmacist, Onime no Kyo is wanted for 1,000,000 Yen,
and the three aforementioned warriors are searching for
them both. Meanwhile, Shiina Yuya, a young female bounty
hunter, lures Kyoshiro into a trap by pretending to be
sick--it appears that he is also wanted (for eating food
and not paying for it). And so, she uses the old "I'm
cold--would you please warm me up?" strategy to trick
him. He soon finds himself with a triple-barreled pistol
in his face.
Later, as Yuya has Kyoshiro tied up, a snake-like
swordsman comes by, looking to kill some people. Yuya
attempts to shoot him, but he catches the shots with his
tongue and mutates into a horrible monster. He lays
waste to both Yuya and Kyoshiro. As he's about to bring
the killing blow to the druggist, something... or
someone... happens. Onime no Kyo appears where Kyoshiro
once was...
Sorry for the long set-up, but that's a rough summary
of the first episode of the anime series that this game
is based on. The game seems to play like a Dynasty
Warriors-type game (from the second one in the series
on, that is)--go through an area, cutting through as
many enemies as necessary between points A and B,
eventually face a boss. Somewhat formulaic and tedious,
but it's still fun to an extent. As you progress,
you'll face the same three or four types of goons, which
basically are as follows:
--swordsman
--swordsman who occasionally
explodes
--swordsman who occasionally spews smoke
that does strange things to you
--Black-cloaked
wizard-type
Each character seems to have a different style of
play--Kyoshiro/Kyo being the well-rounded character of
the bunch, Yuya being the ranged character, Yukimura
being the defensive type and Benitora, I believe,
filling the "power" area.
The graphics are surprisingly impressive. There
doesn't seem to be any slowdown, and the attention to
detail is impressive. Characters leave footprints, and
the supers tend to leave dust trails where they go
through. The sound includes voices from the anime, as
well as approximation of the music.
The only complaint I really have about this game is
that it's really repetitive. Other than that, the game
is a lot of fun, and the difficulty is brought the
old-fashioned way--by force of numbers. I give this an
8.
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TACTICS
OGRE |
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ATLUS |
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STRATEGY |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Pros: Actual
difficulty, incentives to be thorough in clearing out
foes, more secret characters, able to recruit
characters, compelling story.
Cons: Might be a bit obscure for some, certain
"configurations" of characters may be arbitrary.
Here we have a game in another famous saga (at least
in Japan). The Ogre Battle saga is not quite as
comprehensive as the Final Fantasy series (in fact, the
first four chapters have not yet even been made), and
the gameplay in most of them has not been as involved
(you mostly pick your army and let them go at it).
However, this series has one thing Final Fantasy
doesn’t-continuity. All the games are actually
connected, and not just in the sense of sharing
characters with similar names.
In this game, you play Alphonse, a young nobleboy
sent on behalf of the Holy Lodis Empire (ostensibly) to
investigate a conflict between two regions of the island
of Ovis. He and his friends are attacked by bandits, and
Alphonse is knocked out to sea while intercepting an
arrow meant for his commanding officer. Upon coming to,
he meets up with a knight named Ivanna Batraal, who
offers to help you reunite with your friends. However,
along the way you meet up with the troops of the lord
who sent the bandits, and get captured. You wind up
getting saved by a mysterious woman from a secret
society and caught in an intricate plot involving land
wars, family betrayal, deep-seated jealousy, and fallen
angels. Yes… fallen angels.
The game seems to be a lot like Final Fantasy Tactics
Advance. But in FFTA, the characters attack according to
speed, while in TO, each side takes turns (all your guys
go, then all my guys go, etc.).
The game doesn’t seem to be as customizable as FFTA,
but certain traits have more impact on your characters’
development. Each character has two special alignments:
element and law. Element can be Earth, Air, Water or
Fire, while law can be Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic. The
element of a character can affect both his skill with
certain elements (an earth character can use earth
spells or weapons more effectively) and with attacking
enemies (an earth character can more effectively attack
an air character, and vice versa). The legal alignment
can affect the classes open to a character. Also,
certain "emblems," earned by achieving given feats, like
hitting two enemies at once with a spear or performing a
certain number of "head-on" attacks, can change certain
abilities or open up classes.
You can also recruit new fighters regularly, either
by "buying" them at a store or by persuading them
mid-fight. The effectiveness of persuasion can be
affected by the class of both characters, as well as any
"emblems" one might have.
Also, in battle, you have a "support" system, which
affects your abilities. Each character’s confidence is
affected by both allies and enemies in close proximity.
For instance, a "beast tamer" will provide +1 (support)
to allied beasts within three panels, while a character
with an "exorcism" emblem will cause -1 (fear) to undead
enemies within three panels. This affects your attack
strength and accuracy.
Furthermore, each class has a different type of
movement both on land and in water. Certain characters
can only hop up one level or down two, others might be
able to move in snow without penalties, others still
might be able to walk across water. Also related to
terrain is the elemental influence of the terrain. Snow
will enhance water attacks performed on it, while lave
may affect fire attacks.
There are actually very many classes and races to
control in this game. In addition to the more than dozen
classes available to each gender (though there are
liberal amounts of overlapping), there are
"demi-humans," beasts, dragons, undead, fiends
(gremlins, gorgons, etc.) and transmigrated beings
(Angel Knights, Liches). Only humans can equip spells
for the most part, but most creatures can learn
abilities as they level up, such as "breath" attacks for
dragons and healing abilities for fairies.
As the story unfolds, you’ll find your main character
questioning not only his new allies, but also his old
friends. In the end, the decision will be yours to make,
but it depends on how far you’re willing to go to
achieve certain goals. Also, certain battles will be
changed according to which path you take, as well as the
ending (of which there are five).
The only problem I can really think of in this game
is that the "setup" of your character seems to be
arbitrary. This can be more problematic for the legal
alignment, but that can be remedied with the right
items. Overall, this game earns a 9/10, and I look
forward to any other games of this nature Atlus may want
to make in the future.
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TOUKON RETSUDEN
ADVANCE |
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TOMY |
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WRESTLING |
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GAME BOY
ADVANCE |
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Toukon
Retsuden is another great wrestling series. It's enjoyed
great success on such platforms as the Playstation, the
N64, the Dreamcast, and even The Little Engine That Not
Only Couldn't, but Had No Business Even Trying, the
WonderSwan. Now, the Game Boy Advance gets its turn. Not
particularly noteworthy in the annals of history, except
for the fact that this is a 3-D to 2-D conversion.
The Toukon Retsuden series deals with the Japanese
promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling, a federation which is
very much like our World Championship Wrestling, right
down to doing interpromotional deals and having their
own New World Order. Hulk Hogan even won his first title
there--and he was the first to win the title! Certainly,
a promotion with a good amount of history. But since
most people haven't played this game, I'll give a quick
rundown of how this particular installment works.
The game follows a simple, intuitive grapple system:
B does striking attacks (punches, kicks, chops), A does
suplex-type moves (suplexes, slams, drivers and bombs),
and R does submission holds (and the odd pinning
combination). The moves you can do depend on 1) your
position relative to the opponent (front, back, etc.),
2) your opponent's position relative to you (on the
ground, standing up, in the corner), and 3) your
opponent's state of consciousness (normal, groggy, very
groggy). It's easy to pick up, but hard to master, as
the CPU can reverse with relative ease; however, the
cheapness doesn't quite get out of hand.
The characters are pretty interesting, but most
people might not have heard of most of them. The ones
you may be familiar with if you followed WCW pretty
closely are: Masahiro Chono (nWo member), Hiroyoshi
Tenzan (also nWo), Scott Norton (nWo), Super-J (aka nWo
Sting), and of course, the papa of the Palm Strike,
Jushin "Thunder" Lyger, who headlined the first Nitro
with the late Brian Pillman). Also, followers of PRIDE,
the MMA promotion in Japan, may be familiar with Don
Frye, who seems to be an unstoppable force in the
league--he's here, too. Finally, luchador fans might
have heard of a doctor by the name of Dr. Wagner, Jr.,
hailing form Mexico.
The career mode seems to put you through a good
number of matches, gauntlet runs, and even the odd
tournament (G1 Climax, King of the Jr. Heavyweights).
You'll also get to join or reject membership from Team
2000 (the Japanese nWo as it stands now) and BATT (some
faction that talks about "puroresu* LOVE"). By going
through this mode with a created superstar, you can
unlock new moves and characters (who seem to be either
templates or unlicensed wrestlers). I've seen the
Stunner and the Last Ride in here, among other famous
finishers.
The create-a-wrestler mode is pretty neat in this
one. You can change so many details about your
character--the sleeves, the shirt, the gloves, the pads,
the pants, the skin tone, the head, the stance, and even
the date of birth and nationality. You can set up to
four specials and one finisher.
As for the presentation of the game. The characters
are large and animated very well, even "selling"
injuries to limbs by limping and clutching their arm.
The music is fairly generic, and there's only one
ring--but it has an walkway instead of the ramp seen in
most US promotions. They even have something of an
entrance, but it's not much--stand in the gate, taunt,
walk, do another taunt, get in the ring, taunt some
more. I wish that at least they could have had something
like custom ring entry, like luchadores leapfrogging the
ropes and big guys stepping over them. But you can't win
'em all.
The game even has the "Critical Combos" from the
series that will more or less devastate your opponent
and get the crowd roaring. This was an interesting
touch.
I have to give this one a 9 as well. It could have
been better (why hasn't a GBA wrestling game had steel
chairs or tables yet? >_<) but not by much. And
it's better than Road to Wrestlemania or *shudder*
WCW/nWo Thunder. A quick caveat, though--this game is
very much in Japanese. Including the extensive text in
the career mode. However, for the moves, you can check
what they do in the move edit mode by hitting right on
the d-pad to figure out what you want for your
instrument of
destruction.
