DS, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews, past - by Diortem - November 25, 2009 - 16:56 UTC - Be first to Comment!
200 years ago, something happened. Something big… so big in fact that the world was catastrophically altered, and all history before and even the event itself have been forgotten. Before this moment in time, the three races lived here. Now, however, humans have worked hard at rebuilding their society. Casts (the race of living robots) that still can have only begun to turn back on again. They are the last of their kind with no memories of anything at all. Newmen are now the stuff of legend… long gone to the new pre-history.
This is the world that Phantasy Star 0 drops you into, and let you in on an adventure to understand what the “Great Blank” really is… and maybe, just maybe, save the world from a second one. It’s impossible to explain more then this without ruining the story of the game, but to it’s credit, the species you play will both change how the story begins as well as control details along the way, truly making the game a little more unique for each player. Sadly, the reason I cant explain anything more is because the game is pretty short and direct. The main game is about 6 missions, each can be completed in a about an hour. Thankfully there are side-missions to pad the length of the game as well as supply extra details about the world of the game, but the length is an issue.
Gameplay-wise, this game is instantly familiar to anyone who has ever played Phantasy Star Online, including the return of the old style action palette, literally allowing you to custom set each what each button (as well as each button when you hold down the left bumper) does while in combat. It isn’t a direct port from PSO, though, as you no longer lose that second set of techniques when your mag is ready to drop it’s own attack for you. (That is now controlled by holding both bumpers to charge it.) You also now have a new super-shot system in which holding down a button to attack will charge your character to do a super technique (provided you have enough Photon Points left to do it), adding even more depth to an already classic and well made engine!
Sadly, not all changes here were good, as the gunplay can be a little stiff if you are not moving when you start firing. You will get the classic 3-hit combo system this way, but when you are done, you wont move for a moment, leaving you vulnerable. But overall, that is a very minor complaint. This game is as fun as the original was, and carries with it almost the exact same feel. This game is absolutely solid.
In addition to the single player campaign, you can play with up to 3 others in a multiplayer mode with it’s own quests to complete, and here the game really shines. Playing exactly like you did on your own, you can play locally or with others online and the DS doesn’t miss a beat, making for a fun as hell game (and for many, a trip down memory lane). The only issue I can bring up with this mode is communication.
When you play with random people on a Nintendo Console, you assume there will be restrictions. In this case, you are limited to a list of 15-20 phrases which you can click on to say in-game. That in itself is not too bad, but when you can not find a Goodbye to leave without being rude, or something to say “you choose” or “after you” to not demand the lead possition in a group, it almost becomes useless at times. Frustratingly so.
Playing with others you have traded friend codes with (I refuse to knock a game for using something the system it’s on has made manditory) is a little better. Now in addition to these phrases, you can draw what you want to say, and even save drawings for later, giving you quick access to much more usefull (or amusing depending on what you want to do) messages on the field. While this is definately a step in the right direction, and has a “cool factor” to it, I can’t help but wonder why Sega didn’t use the mic built right into the DS. After all, when playing as a team, nothing beats voice communication, as the popularity of XBox Live has proven to us all. My advice: If you can do it, play this game with all your buddies being on a voice network to the side.
Graphically, I have to say I am impressed with this one. This is easily the best looking DS title to date (even including 2D games Ive played on the system), and with almost no slowdown at all. When the battle is at it’s heaviest and you are looking at 11 or more characters (who all look amazing) on the screen at once, there isn’t even a hint of a stutter, so enjoy your battles at their best and in full power. This game will offer you nothing less, and show you just how powerful your handheld system is.
I still have to say almost no slowdown, though, as the game clearly gears itself to do this. When the enemies are loading in is when you see the framerate drop, as if the game is swapping power from it’s graphics to load for that half second. Obviously this has no effect on gameplay, but it is notable because when you first see it, you will wonder for a second… then you will stop caring as wave 2 comes in hard and fast and in all it’s graphical (and gameplay) glory. Also worth noting is how the game sections off the map. Unlike other entries of the series, you will only see the room you are in, each one loading separately. Another clear indication of how they did what they did, but at the same time, another one you wont care about beyond a nod to the tactic itself.
If there is any real weak point in this game, it’s sound. Do not get me wrong, the music is actually really good and classic Phantasy Star Online, but the sounds were hardly varied. You have your generic monster growls, moans, and groans…. you generic shooting sounds, and your party’s groans of combat. Sadly, there is almost no voice-work in this game, limiting it to a few cut-scenes you will see while playing the story and a fully sung credits track, so get used to seeing text when an ally has something they want to tell you in combat.
Final Thoughts
If you are a fan of Phantasy Star Online, you would be foolish not to pick this game up. It is the sequel you have wanted for about a decade. If you are a fan of this kind of game (Diablo, Torchlight, ect.) you may well want to give this game a shot. It’s not a perfect match, but it is enough of the same kind of game to entertain, and with free internet gaming and at a $35 asking price, you can’t go wrong here.
Now if you will excuse me, I have some final side-missions to finish myself. See you on the surface.
DS, Featured Articles, News, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews - by Zeth - November 9, 2009 - 16:11 UTC - 1 Comment
A BrutalGamer.com review.
Has Mr Potato Head had his chips!? EA struck marketing gold earlier in the year with their HasbroFamily Game Night package on the Wii. Having spent a fair few hours paying battleships and other things with the kids I can attest to the fact that it works well enough and saves looking for the bits to the board games for hours on end. Along comes the DS version of the package that is now available as Family Game Night 2 and is also kicking about on PSN and XBLA.
The package contains 4 board games. Battleships, Bop-it!, Operation and Connect 4. Yup that’s it. So let’s wade in to the “fun” shall we? Graphically not a whole heap has been done with these titles. They are all fairly flat representations of the board games they are based on. So much could of been done to upscale this experience or jazz up[ the environments but what we have here is a very plain, function game space. Each game is recreated well enough and is completely function to look at. The inclusion of Mr Potato Head as your games master is welcome once again. Everything about the graphics in the game scream “functional” at best.
Sound wise the game at least has a good stab at upping the ante. The spot effects are well made and fit well in with the game – who does not want to hear large explosions as you take down a battleship? The tunes and little ditties that play throughout the package are all of a superior quality to the rest of the game and help life the overall package well above it’s mediocre station.
Gameplay wise things range from kind of fun to kind of broken. Battleships is as great fun as ever and adding to the standard Battleships mix the ability to undertake the Salvo mode where you take several shots each round. It works by allowing you to take a shot per ship still afloat – 3 ships then 3 shots per go. You can also unlock Super Weapons that add to the gameplay as well that take out several “squares” at at time.
So from the best of the bunch to the worst – Bop-It! This is the representation of the reaction game you hold in your hand and slap about, twisting and turning and thumping the big button on it. This simply can not and does not work. Try as you might you just can not get the system to respond well enough as it issues you command to touch this or twist that or yell X into the microphone. Connect 4 is 100% functional – it does no more or no less than a standard board version would do & offers a reasonable distraction – once again it saves looking for the last 2 red counters down the back of the sofa. Sure “Power Chips” add a little spice by blocking a column for x number of turns but it is still just Connect 3
Operation rounds out this motley crew and tries hard to add some touchscreen variation to the game. Of all the titles that would fit with a touch screen, stylus based, console this should be it. They try to make it more interesting by adding a game mode that makes you guide the removed operation part through a narrow tunnel after removal. This sort of works but reduces the games tense atmosphere to just a time trial game instead.
Multiplayer wise you can play these titles against a friend. You can do this by either sharing the titles via system link downloads or by both having a cart. By using the 2 carts you get all the features but if you go the download route you will get reduced in game options on some titles. As ever playing against a human player is infinitely more fun than playing a CPU player. It adds a lot of longevity dependant on who you play with.
Final Thoughts:
I’m sure this title is not aimed at me at all as a hard-core gamer and if I took it at face value we would be looking at a score of 2 to 3 max. That said I sat down with my kids and we had a few goes on it and the kids enjoyed what they played – and there is your target demographic. I just think that EA have kind phoned this collection in. With the Hasbro moniker on the front and regular family favourites on the play list it will appeal as an easy purchase for parents and grandparents for younger kids. As such I can see it’s merit but there are 1001 freeware titles online that will do just as well. If you do want this kind of thing on the go this will fill that gap just don’t expect much more from it than the bog standard games in a handy cartridge.
DS, Featured Articles, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews - by Barry - October 14, 2009 - 17:44 UTC - 1 Comment
Brutal Gamers review of Scribbluenauts. Full Story
DS, Featured Articles, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews - by Barry - October 9, 2009 - 22:47 UTC - Be first to Comment!
The World Ends With You is a game that is not only perfectly suited to the DS, it is one that can ONLY be played on the DS. This alone makes it worthy of attention. Full Story
DS, Featured Articles, News, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews - by Zeth - September 17, 2009 - 08:53 UTC - 2 Comments
“A gentleman never leaves a puzzle unsolved” – So reasons the Professor. I have to say it’s damn hard being a gentleman! Full Story
DS, Featured Articles, News, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews, industry - by Zeth - July 6, 2009 - 10:00 UTC - Be first to Comment!
So are we truly potty about this hand held iteration of Potter?
Full Story
DS, Featured Articles, News, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews - by Zeth - May 22, 2009 - 15:29 UTC - 2 Comments
Rhythm games… bleuch! Oh please god not another bloody collection of rhythmic mini games on the DS – shoot me now! Although… this was made by the same guys who made the spankingly good Wario Ware. Couple that with the fact that this is the sequel to one of the titles that started the rhythm game movement way back on the GBA, Rhythm Tengoku… hum maybe a closer inspection IS required.
To put it simply Rhythm Paradise (or Rhythm Heaven in the US) is a simple and infectious rhythm game that is simple to get into but a real bitch to walk away from. All you really need to be able to do to get the hang of Rhythm Heaven is be able to press some part of yourself against the touch screen (whoa you’re sick man! I meant fingers, thumb, stylus – weirdo!). This is another in the increasingly popular selection of titles that asks players to hold the Nintendo DS system sideways like a book.
Graphically this game both blows and rocks in equal measure. As you can see from the various screenshots from around this page the graphics mostly look like a 9 year old drew them up on MSPaint. Whoah though my friends be careful I suspect you were about to judge a book (or DS in this case) by it’s cover – you really are not supposed to do that otherwise the proverb police kick your back door in! I say the graphics “look” bad but they are done with so much artistic flare that it all just fits perfectly for the game. Would it of made it any better to have Rhythm Paradise running on a PS3 in 1080p? No, not at all because this is that rare title that has substance beyond its graphical prowess. The graphics that are in place are bright and well defined and the characters are all totally off the wall. If you have played the original or any of the Wario Ware Smooth Moves type titles you will know exactly what I mean.
You progress through the game by undertaking these small mini-game challenges (as in Wario Ware et all). There is a total of 30 challenges in all, 24 unique games and 6 mash-ups of the proceeding levels called “Remixes”. The controls for the game could not be simpler – you tap or flick. Thats it! See, told you anyone could play it. You must combine these actions to perform events timed to the beat of the song playing at the time. The tasks are very varied. For instance you star out simply by firing a bolt through two nuts as the come together along the assembly line. Get it right and a complete part is made, get it wrong and the bits fall to the wayside.
As you move on these scenarios get weirder and weirder, like getting monkeys to clap in time to a pop song to work the crowd. Or throwing Chinese dumplings into a guys mouth in time to the song. Seriously, this game is off its rocker! And I can almost guarantee by the time you finish playing, you may well be too! This game is incredibly frustrating. The criteria for passing each segment is damn hard right from the start. Mess up too many times (and some times I am talking about missing 3 or 4 beats!) and you fail. The really frustrating part is that most of the time you have no idea how you are doing until the final verdict is given. This would be the nail in Rhythm Paradise’s coffin if not for the fact that before you have even registered the level select screen has loaded you have already thumped on the button to try again.. and again.. and again… and….. you get the picture.
Holy balls this game is addictive! I aet down on my first play to see what it was all about, 3 hours later I am 2/3 of the way through the damn game and in desperate need of sleep! I’m just glad I did not use my usual DS playing “chair” otherwise I would of been stuck in the loo all night! You see for all Rhythm Paradise’s faults, and there are some which we will cover in a moment, the game just makes you so mad, because it is so simple – all I have to do is press the damn button on time to get this stupid old bugger to pick the beetroot – why am I cocking it up so much !? The fault – most of the time – rests with your skill and that is the frustration and hook all in one.
Now, as I mentioned, Rhythm Paradise does have it’s share of issues to contend with. The major one being that the touch screen method is, at times, so inaccurate it makes you want to whip your DS through and open window like shiny J-Pop Frisbee. For instance, you are trying to get two Easter Island style statues to sing a sing (don’t ask.. just go with it!). One long press makes him sing and a short tap makes him shout. The problem is that half the time you are doing the short presses he sings not shouts – losing you valuable points and screwing your chances of completing the level. Another annoyance is the translation of the words in the songs. The music that ships with the game will make or break it – you can;t have a good rhythm game with shite music, it just won;t work no matter how good your concept of gameplay is. As the music plays such a vital role it would of been nice if they had put some more effort in to the Japanese to English translation as most of the songs with words are filled with phrases like “Yeay yeaah yeah” or “Oh ooh ooh” – not very imaginative at all and I am sure the original JP title had better use of lyrics.
Now, on to the music in general. You won’t be finding any licensed tracks in Rhythm Paradises arsenal that is for sure. What you will find are some well crafted J-Pop titles that fir with the whole quirky nature of the title perfectly. As mentioned above some mini-games contain lyrical content that has pretty much been screwed over from the original versions – some may not be bothered by this but the English lyrics just seemed to jar too much for me.
It also suffers from serious longevity issues as you will finish the game in roughly 4 – 5 hours if you are competent at this style of game. Even if you get stuck you can head in to the “cafe” and the Barista will help you skip the game you are stuck on – a great feature because some I just could not do. Fortunately once you complete all 20 challenges you do unlock harder versions of the challenges already available and you have the ability to go for a medal in each mini-game so you have a goal to chase far beyond the initial play though.
Final Thoughts:
Oooh this is a toughie. This game is drawing down review score from 100% down to around 60% and I can see why. The negatives stack up so fast in this title that if you played if for a day on and off you would think – good but soo annoying 5/10. Now if you picked that game up again a day or so later and played more, then more another dayit really grows on you, the addictive nature of these bite sized treats just helps you see past the multiple flaws. The game is repetitive in many ways – you only do the same actions 30 times over. It’s short if you’re not in to perfecting each mini-game. The game frustrates almost as much as it rewards but there is just “something” about the thing that makes you want to take the punishment and try once more.
If you are in to your rhythm games big time I say go grab it NOW. If you enjoy a bit of Patapon, Vib Ribbon or even Rock Band I would say check it out if you think you can deal with the quirky nature. For all others I would say try before you buy. I liked the game personally and don’t regret the purchase. It’s a quirky little title that just keeps reeling you back in – but man I’ve almost smashed my DS a hundred times writing this review!
Find more Rhythm Paradise/Heaven reviews over at Test Freak!
DS, Featured Articles, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews - by Mike - May 16, 2009 - 20:32 UTC - Be first to Comment!
As a thinker, I love a good puzzle game. I’m also partial to the odd platform game. But what happens when you combine both of these worlds? In this case, you get Henry Hatsworth, a game developed by EA that they have described as ‘indie inspired.’
You play the game as Henry Hatsworth, a well spoken, tea drinking English gentleman who is the #1 member of the Pompous Adventurers’ Club. Your aim is to travel the world and collect pieces of a golden suit, which will make Henry the best dressed gentleman in the world, while preventing the #2 member of the club, Leopold Charles Anthony Weasleby the Third, from doing the same.
The controls are straightforward. If you’ve played any decent platform game, you’ll pick it up quickly. The game play is split into two sections. The top screen is your platform game, where you run around defeating enemies and collecting gems which allow you to upgrade your abilities. The bottom screen is the Puzzle Realm, which you will be instantly familiar with if you’ve ever played Bejewelled, as it works on the same match 3, block switching system. You flick between each screen by hitting the X button. The action in the platform area pauses when you go to the puzzle screen, but not the other way around. As you defeat enemies in the platform realm, they become pieces of the puzzle realm, and their blocks are indicated by faces. You have to eliminate them from the puzzle realm before they reach the top of the screen, otherwise they return to the platform realm and cause you all sorts of problems.
Good show!
When in the Puzzle realm, you have a time bar on the left hand side. You can increase the time you have by defeating the enemies in the platform realm, or eliminating blocks in the puzzle realm. Once the timer runs out, you are immediately returned to the platform realm. There is also a bar on the right hand side of the puzzle realm. This is the Special bar. It fills up as you eliminate blocks from the puzzle. It allows you to perform special attacks in the platform realm, such as a massive laser beam that wrecks anything in it’s path. If you get the special bar filled all the way to the top, you can activate ‘Tea Time’, at which point Hatsworth will get into a giant robotic suit and become invulnerable for a short time, with a lot of special attacks that can wipe out almost anything. If you get stuck with the suit, you can cancel it and go back on foot.
The game is a lot of fun, and has a silly, quirky sense of humour throughout. As well as the giant robot suit, you will come across bosses like a very manly sounding woman on top of a giant tank-like machine that looks like a big purple wedding cake. And there’s also a old man in a wheelchair being wielded around by a large nurse. I swear I’m not making any of this up!
You couldn't make it up! Well, except they did.
The difficulty of the game is a little erratic at times. You can blitz through one level easily, only to be completely stumped at the next one. But this is certainly a challenging game on the whole. While the idea of marrying a puzzle game with a platform game with cause-and-effect gameplay is unique, the platform and puzzle sections in themselves are hardly revolutionary. As stated before, the puzzle section is essentially Bejewelled with blocks instead of jewels. Also, you can’t save the game in mid level, and some of the levels are rather long. If you have to switch off in the middle of level, you’ll have to start from scratch next time.
Final Thoughts
This is a very charming game, with a quirky, unusual sense of humour. The game is challenging and fun to play, and the ideas have been executed very well. It takes a bit of time to get used to switching between the screens, though. And there’s not much revolutionary about the individual parts of the game. But if you like puzzle games and platform games, you won’t go far wrong with this. Good show!
Find more reviews of Henry Hatsworth In The Puzzling Adventure over at TestFreaks
DS, Featured Articles, News, Nintendo DS Reviews, Reviews - by Zeth - May 9, 2009 - 12:38 UTC - 1 Comment
Yet another puzzle based adventure on the DS – professor Leyton you have a lot to answer for my friend!
Mystery Case Files.. Million Heir for the Nintendo DS is basically a puzzle orientated title where you examine rooms with the aid of your magifying glass and torch. Think of it as hide and seek or spot the difference with a twist. You make your way thought the story and locations by examing these rooms and uncovering whichever clues are relevant to that investigation – this element changes slightly with each play. Each room is broken down in to find x number of objects from the scene to unlock the next room or area. This will all seem very familair to you if you happened upon Interpol on XBLA last year.
You are the Master Detective – yes that is right, that’s the full character devlopment right there 
There is a loose story of trying to find the killer of a multi-millionaire (hence the title) but to be honest it is all strung to gether with silk thin whisps. The main thrust of the story is completing the vaious elements of the puzzles within. Gathering all the relevant evidence by eamining these scenes and then waiting for you crime computer to feed you the next bone of info. The games started life on the PC as casual online games from Big Fish and this can be told almost straight away. You pick up what story is evident by talking to each character and investigating what they say – if you have played the Phoenix Wright games you have the idea. This works well in Phoenix but here it has little material to work with.
Graphically the game is reasonable attrative thanks largely to the games art style. It is all very big and bright and has large chunky characters (in 2D) and well designed investigation areas. One by one you are introduced to the various locations in the game and the oddball cast is trotted out to compliment the areas you visit – cowboys, gardeners, firemen, narcoleptic actresses, chefs and many others are trotted out to help give some basis for playing the next puzzle. Sound wise there is nothing particular to to write home about. What is in place functions well enough and the various little ditties and spot effects to help further the gameplay.
Poor story, good art style and OK sound aside it all still hangs on if the game is actually any fun – well the answer is… depends. Depends on the kind of person you are really. Do you like crosswords? Not the hard one, the easy ones. Do you like wordsearches and spot the difference puzzles? If you do then I say, YES, it is good fun to play. If your more in to chess, The Times crossword and super hard Sudoku then I say… probably not. You see the puzzles are all well and good but there is little actually “puzzling” to do. It is more just “locate A”, “locate B” and so on.
Finding these varied objects within the pictures ranges from completely easy to mildly tricky, but it never moves beyond that level. The design of the rooms is well done and some of the objects can be prove a short staller but the game is just too easy. I appreciate this is aimed as a casual game and in the vein I just played in in short burst when I had 5 minutes to spare… yes alright I played it on the bog! As a quick play title it works well, bus journeys (Yamster and Ognawk will be pleased) blend away and you can save when you like. You never really get to investigate or feel like your actually solving anything at all really which is a real shame.
The pace is broken up at times with random mini games such as dusting for prints or cleaning up found objects by blowing in to the DS mic. more of then than not this sort of a thing detracts from the game in hand bu these are a welcome distration as the serial monotony of object locating soon starts to grate as you basically repeat the same process over and over on each room.
Longevity wise depends on your visual skills on picking out these objects but even if you’re stumped you get X number of hints on each location taht show you eactly the location of the item you are looking for. Due to the random element of the game in picking different object on each scene longevity is increased but I am fairly certain you will be trading this title in long before you need to worry about running out of objects to find.
Final Thoughts: Now I seem to, on reflection, have geven a pretty negative overview of the game and so you are probably wondering why the score is as good as it is. Well for all its failings MCF does a good job of entertaining you. The game is simply too easy for adults and most likely not engaging enough for a younger audience. It is very easy to pickup and play and as mention a good casual travelling choice. I would recommend you take a look if your a fan of this type of game as what is here has been done well and with care – the game has some relativly amusing pun-based moments and the finding of the items is gratiying enough. I feel bad being so down on the game but the fact of the matter is that you are getting a glorified flash game for £25 and you need to be at peace with that.
Find more Mystery Case Files Millionheir over at Freaktest!
