Posts filed under 'Gaming'
Uniracers was a game Nintendo came out with for SNES way back in 1994. Perhaps game isn’t the right word. Let’s try underrated masterpiece. The basic concept is that you’re a unicycle that rides around on crazy loopy, twisty, sometimes goopy race tracks. As a unicycle, you are prone to enjoying tricks, and this is where the game kicks into gear. It has the speed and crazy movement of a Sonic game and the intuitive point and style-based trick system of a Tony Hawk game. Thing is, this game came before Tony Hawk. A little ahead of it’s time? Indeed. Read on for the breakdown.
The aforementioned features alone would make for a great game, but Nintendo decided to throw in some personality to boot. Your uniracers are alive, they aren’t just your typical rusty clown-ridden one-wheelers. The seats are their heads and the seats tilt and track the other players, looking behind them if you’re ahead or looking above or below you if there’s somebody, well, above or below you. There’s some very smooth and simple physics, which come through not only in the air you catch of a jump or the speed you gain going downhill, but the uniracer itself squashes and bounces appropriately. UNIRACERS was just one of those games that felt right.
So how would it feel on the DS?
CONTROL
As the DS’s face buttons are pretty much the same as those of the SNES, you could maintain the same basic control scheme:
Hold X: Z Flip
A Button OR tap D-Pad L then D-Pad R: Twist
L button: Flip
R button: Roll
Tap X 2x: Tabletop
Stop, jump, hold X: Head Bounce
There are of course more moves than this, but these are the basics. They can be correctly timed to string together for combos for even bigger point scores, and the better the trick, the more boost you get after you land it (if you land it).
So that takes care of the face buttons, but how would it use the DS’s other functions?
NOT SO LONELY ANYMORE
This is where the true sequel aspect of the game starts coming in. The original game only featured 2-player multiplayer. Let’s just say UNIRACERS 2 kicks it up to 8 with online functionality. Sweet, no? If you happened to not be paying attention, that would be a yes.
Not only would the 8 players be allowed to challenge eachother in ranked race modes or stunt modes, but there’d be an entirely new mode:
DESIGNER MODE
The most visible aspect or signature of the original UNIRACERS wasn’t the design of the uniracers themselves, it was the insane, colorful, loopy, twisty tracks. There seems to me to be obvious potential here to use the touchscreen to design your own tracks and trade and race them online. Kinda cool, right. But let’s kick it up a notch, what if you had a designated designer design the tracks while you were racing on them?
Two teams would play in this game (hot colors vs. cool colors, where one team picks uniracer colors from hot colors and the other cool colors), with up to 4 on each. One player on each team would randomly be chosen to be the designer (unless he opts out of the duty in his preferences). The goal is to design a track that gets your teams 3 racers the most points. Finishing at a higher placing will give a small boost to your score, and the races will be timed, but the meat of the mode is getting bonus tokens and setting up sweet lines to trick off of. Think of it as a competitive Kirby: Canvus Curse, where one person designs and three people control their racers on top of that line.
The line never breaks, so you can’t intentionally kill your racers. Anybody who abuses their designing duty can be kicked off the server and all that, but you’d just have to try to hook up with some reliable teammates.
Not only can you design the tracks, drawing moguls, huge rises and falls, jumps and loops but you can try to guide your racers towards powerups that will let you have limited amounts of special tracks to draw. If you get them over to a Tornado icon, you get Twisty Tracks, which lets your players spin around the track like a barrell roll to add to their trick combo, and also acts as a boost. If you hit the Water icon, you get a limited amount of slippery track to draw, which gives your team a huge speed boost if they go over it, but they won’t be able to land any tricks on it, and if it’s on an uphill segment, they’ll have trouble getting up the hill.
When they hit the icon on their screen (you have a map on your top screen that shows their location) the icons will show up on the top-left of your touch screen to tap so you can use them. If they trick into the icon, they get a 2X multiplier. The third icon in the pic sets the track style back to default.
CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS
Before each match you can pick the color theme of your default track, as well as setup a teamname and a voice taunt (which can be activated three times a match per team by hitting select). Players can also choose to have their username displayed above their uniracer, and choose from a menu of possible taunt animations that your uniracer will perform at the victory screen should you win. Winners show up on the top screen with their stats displayed, the losers show up on the bottom screen, where the winners can use the stylus to throw old cans and boots at their uniracers.
CONCLUSION
So there you have it, UNIRACERS 2, a game that would have you turning more tricks than an LA hooker. Though the likelihood of a sequel ever being made is ultra-slim, the original did show up on the very first leaked list of Nintendo’s games they plan to have available on the Wii’s Virtual Console (when it was still known as the “Revolution Download Service”). As much as I would love for this to be a DS game, as the gameplay would be perfect in short bursts, it could also double as a great Wii game. Perhaps a release of the sequel as a 1000 point or so Virtual Console download would be in order. Keep those fingers crossed.
February 23rd, 2007
by Mike
It was only a matter of time before someone totally made some amazing software to take advantage of the Wii’s amazing Internet Browsing capabilities. Whether it be the ability watch/play Flash animations/games, or watch YouTube videos, or just otherwise, browse the web in style, we knew it was coming.
Introducing Wiiminder: Enhanced Wii Browsing
04:37
Well, I am happy to point a video to what will otherwise, as far as I know, be the first in this series of innovations. It’s called Wiiminder, and it’s brought to us by Warp Pipe. Warp Pipe, for those of you that may not know, are the guys that, about 3 or 4 years ago, implemented the means of playing otherwise local multiplayer games for the GameCube, such as Mario Kart Double Dash and… games such as Mario Kart: Double Dash available to played online versus other players provided you had an internet connection and a broadband adapter.
[the first step not the final one]
Although their software didn’t get much use due to the lack of even LAN supported multiplayer games, low supply of broadband adapters, and even lower supply of people willing to invest the effort required to set up the connection, the software worked, believe me, I was one of the few that actually set it up at home to play people online. It was an excellent step in software development, and I can’t begin to describe how good of a learning experience it must have been for them. Well, I’m glad to see their next software creation, and I look forward to using it as well!
Anyway, as for Wiiminder itself, I am happy that the this software was developed, but I additionally think that its use will be limited in quantity. Outside of the novelty of using your Wii to surf the web, I don’t think most people will spend much time actually sitting at their Wiis surfing the net because it’s just not currently practical. Though what they did with Wiiminder makes what uses for Wii surfing that would otherwise be desirable, quite practical. Quickly accessing your stored bookmarks, easy searches on Google as well as the wealth of YouTube videos to play in your living room, use of your entertainment center to play your favorite music with finetune in the comforts of your living room with your Wii (despite other setups making this undoubtedly easier).
Regardless though, we are currently dealing only with the trial version of the Internet Browser for the Wii, so I wouldn’t be too suprised at all if something including these kinds of options make their way into the actual full version of the Internet Browser. Needless to say, Wiiminder is definitely a must when surfing the web on your Wii!
As I said, this is the first step, I believe, of things to come. It is a look at the window of possibilities that the Wii has opened for us. An easy means to let anyone with knowledge in developing a website, being able to create individual, unique applications for the Wii. Sure we currently view the Internet Browser as a means of simply surfing the Web, but what about in the days to come when we have flash games designed exclusively to be played on the Wii? What of other new and interesting development that simply make use of the internet and the Wii’s browsing capabilities to make use of these applications? Imagine instant messaging, pictochat, logging onto your favorite online sites with Wii Interfaces and exclusive Wii Services? On the internet, anything is possible, and it is that kind of gateway that this all represents.
February 19th, 2007
by Anuj
Take a trip back to the early 80s when Nintendo was working on the development and design of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Now imagine that instead of the brilliant and amazing NES that we know and love now, Nintendo had gone the direction much more popular at the time, virtual reality!
Testers Wanted - Nintendo Virtual Reality
06:21
I personally really enjoyed the Mario segment as well as the Mega Man segment. I was linked to this video from a friend of mine that apparently worked on the video. I’m not sure exactly what his part in the whole deal was, but evidently this was part of a Carnegie Mellon project assignment. Heh, A+.
January 23rd, 2007
by Anuj
Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to make it out to see the midwest premiere of the new documentary, 8-Bit, at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio.
A self-described documentary about art and video games, the film takes a look at many of the components of the current 8-Bit new media art movement in several of it’s forms. According to the creators Marcin Romacki and Justin Strawhand (who were present at the screening) the film started off as a documentation of “chiptunes,” music created by using the onboard/on-chip sound processors and synthesizers of old consumer electronics like Commodore 64s, Ataris, and Game Boys. Via word-of-mouth connections and research the film quickly grew to incorporate other elements of the 8-Bit movement, such as nostalgic game art, machinima, virtual environment pieces, console hacking, and gaming installations.
[Review, Trailer, and Links after the jump]
The chiptunes music genre is one that is fascinating not only for the sounds and music produced, but also for the fact that such a wide variety of music can be created with such simple tools. Almost all of the musicians interviewed point to how working under such strict limitations forces them to be more creative and less dependent on expensive studios and software to make something new. Many also point to the nostalgia factor of the sounds of gaming machines and old computers as a compelling reason for their entry into the genre. It is definitely not music everyone will enjoy but the skill of these musicians on display is impressive no matter what the taste in music.
8-Bit does a great job of not only showing the work and the artists, but explaining how they do what they do. One of the most interesting aspects of the 8-Bit scene is how open most of the artists are to sharing their discoveries and teaching others how to do what they do. The film shows off how to use several types of Game Boy software used to create music, as well as explaining the differences in various types of chiptunes and chips used to create the music (explained by artist Cory Arcangel)
The transition from a documentary about the 8-Bit music scene to one about the 8-Bit art scene in general is apparent throughout the film, as the sections on music seem more developed than the other sections. In these music-oriented chapters, equal time is spent on the artists and their performances. The other sections however, such as machinima, modding, and console hacking are focused more on a quick and dirty history of the events and interviews with the artists with less attention payed to the actual work. While this brief history and broad sweep of various types of work is great for those who have never experienced such work before and are merely curious, this method leaves some forms in the dust of critical opinion.
Machinima specifically is shown as work more interested in the fact that it is machinima (a kind of “look what I made with the game engine!” phenomenon) than it is any kind of art. This of course holds true in a lot of cases as most if it is geared towards entertainment not art, but the film lacks any real examples of artistic machinima, such as the stunningly beautiful and lyrical works of Phil Solomon (who used the Grand Theft Auto San Andreas engine to explore concepts of mortality and grief in Untitled (For David Gatten) and Rehearsals for Retirement) and the comedic work of Jim Munroe, and instead focuses mainly on Halo 2 machinima like Red vs. Blue. Such omissions of the beginnings of the artistic side of machinima are made less detrimental by supplied theory on the potential of the form, which while brief, is still interesting.
This use of theory to provide another way of looking at machinima somewhat counterbalances the heavily opinionated and predominantly critical portion of the segment. It also serves to exemplify what is perhaps the greatest aspect of 8-Bit as a documentary: the film’s ability to weave the sometimes disparate and often prohibitive to the uninitiated worlds of art, theory, hardcore gaming culture, and criticism into a cohesive whole that is as intriguing and informative to the casual viewer as it is to the gamer, artist, or theoritician. This result is also in large part due to solid editing and fantastic sound design. Information is clearly presented in a way that is entertaining, dynamic, and energetic. The musical performances in particular are a highlight of the film, and did a great job of showcasing the variety not only in the music of the artists, but in their performances as well.
As a hardcore gamer and a student of art and film, 8-Bit really clicked for me in a lot of ways, and judging from reactions in the theater after the screening, I’m not alone. There is something for everyone to discover, learn and enjoy here, and this is not only a great entry into the documentary space, but an important look at a fresh culture that is growing by the day and exploding with creativity. 8-Bit is one of the first films that can really shine light on the message that many of us gamers and artists have been living and breathing for most of our lives: gaming is not just about the games. See this movie if you get the chance, tell your friends, and get ready to talk about it for quite some time to come.
To Find Out More:
Official 8 Bit web site: Be sure to check out the “Cast” section for links to all the artists personal sites and work.
Trailer for 8 Bit
8bitpeoples: founded by Nullsleep, an excellent place to check out some chiptunes music.
eBoy: makers of awesome pixel art.
Wexner Center for the Arts: the crown jewel of the Ohio State campus as far as I’m concerned. This screening was part of their January experimental film series called “Avant Gaming,” be sure to check it out if you’re in the central Ohio area.
[all images copyright original owner]
January 19th, 2007
by Mike
So now it’s E4. The successor to E3 has been deemed the Entertainment For All Expo or “E For All”, but that name is stupid, so it’s E4 from now on, which is only slightly less stupid. Apparently according to this official banner of theirs “for all” even includes douches in powder blue trucker hats. But let’s get to the point here. E3 is back and now even more consumer focused than it was originally, which brings some pretty hefty pros and cons along with it.
The new format will include the same showy loud displays of days past, a seemingly larger focus on consumer electronics (CES style), retail zones set up for consumers to purchase things that were demoed on the showfloor, a Video Games Live concert, videogame tournaments, and job-fair/networking opportunities. While this sounds nice for those who couldn’t make it to past E3s (it honestly just required some effort, it wasn’t as restrictive as many were led to believe), it doesn’t sound all that spectacular to me.
[we called it e4 first, before ANYBODY!]
Having attended E3 in 2005, I can tell you that what made the show awesome for me most definitely wasn’t the showfloor. Its loud, bright, showy obnoxiousness is a curiosity which can be sated in about an hour. As has been noted countless times before in other spaces, E3 was definitely not the best environment for gaming. Most impressions of games are just as valid getting them via online and videos, as you already know how the controls will work out and can imagine how it plays. This is not true of the Wii, as it is really the only platform that I think would really benefit from showing preview games to consumers in such an expo format. What made E3 awesome was all the behind closed doors demos and interviews with the developers. Talking with the people that are the heart and soul of the industry was what made E3 worth it in the end to me, and is something that E4 will likely lack for the most part. Add to that what will probably be a very packed show floor with people of all ages and the headache that was the E3 showfloor suddenly becomes E4’s migraine.
There are a few things that could redeem E4 in my eyes, however. First, the videogame tournaments. With proper moderation, great prize incentives, and a large selection of games for the tournaments, this could be a great thing for the tournament scene. It would be nice to be able to meet people you’ve only read or heard about at local gatherings, as well as the opportunity to meet expert players in a variety of genres. Second, the potential of a successful job-fair/networking component. My hope is that the time slots that used to be used for publishers and developers to advertise their new tech to eachother at E3 can instead be used for educating people interested in the industry on what it’s really like to work in gaming and entertainment and present avenues for them to further investigate their career interests in the field. The networking could also be a big plus for small, independent artists, sites, and gaming leagues to get more exposure, which could be great for gaming culture. Third, move to San Diego or San Fransisco.
As much potential as E4 has to be a giant money-grabbing mess of annoying, I still hope that it works out into a positive for not only the industry and the economy of L.A. (the latter being a very big reason why there is an E4), but for the consumer and gaming culture itself.
January 5th, 2007
by Mike
So here it is kids, the very first episode of my new startpause.com strip, StripShow. It promises some half-ass Photoshop, the occasional drawing or two, and content that amuses at least the two of us, the odd egret or two, and maybe even you. The strip will be presented in the form of Java slides. Why? Because it’s tasty! There will always be some more info and background after the jump if you choose to indulge in such delights. So without further ado, click away:
[Click first big image to start show, mouse over edge for next panel, Java must be enabled]
[who would win in a fight?]
This episode was inspired by a rather heated and interesting debate in this thread of the forums about, among other things, who was the more generic looking character of the aforementioned two. So go check it out and join the debate squiddies.
In terms of design of the strip, bear with me while I work out the kinks and what I like best in terms of formatting, borders, image size etc. but one thing I do know is that I love what the java image function allows for such a strip. I can basically make images as large as I deem fit and have the panels show up as a slide show which will lead to some interesting concepts in terms of delivery I’m already tooling around with. So I hope you enjoy it, and look for more whenever the ideas strike!
December 7th, 2006
by Mike
I’m so freakin’ excited I even donned this armor I nabbed after bagging some shinejob outside of town. Cleaned out the sweat and had the wookie fancy it up a little. Check out that pose, kid. Sometimes I even amaze myself. Anyways, back to the matter at hand. Now, I know a lot of you are jumping all over the damn place trying to find a Wii. Hell, a lot of you are jumping all over the place after you get your Wii. For those of you who managed to smuggle one to the homefront, good work. Just make sure your siblings keep their grubby paws off it.
[psthreepio and artoods won’t be ignored]
So after your years and years of damn waiting, the virtual console is up and running. She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid. I’ve made a lot of special modifications myself. You got your tried and true Super Nintendo, Genesis, N64, and Turbo-whatsamacallsit online and lookin’ at your wallet. We even threw in that old fossil NES business for good measure. Commodore 64 might be on the way, if you sit there nice and pretty and quit your whining.
Now the fancy men up top are gonna shoot some VC titles at ya every Monday, four in fact, and every once in a while I’ll chime in and give you some quick thoughts on the whole mess, maybe a fancy pose or two. Sorry sweetheart, I haven’t got time for anything else.
As it is, the interface is looking slick but we’re working on upping the speed a bit, get it up to par. It doesn’t matter if it’s shiny if the thing doesn’t zip. So even if you can’t find something you want, you can stare at it for a bit and pretend. Use the force or whatever it is you whackjobs use to move rocks, and maybe it’ll move a little faster.
Check it out and let me know what you think. On second thought, keep it to yourself, you want to talk big bring a sidearm and we’ll dance. I’ll take you down no matter how good you are. Good against remotes is one thing. Good against the living, that’s something else. Which reminds me, I’m gonna go engage in some WiiSports. Not sure how everybody else feels about that one yet, but one thing’s for sure, we’re all going to be a lot thinner. Time to go, so stop eyeballin’ me and make yourself useful.
December 6th, 2006
by Mike
Recently was a time of politics. Which means that politicians and voters alike everywhere were getting out there and finding one side of the fence to be on. While I may not be the most politically inclined person, I do know a thing or two about picking sides of a fence. It’s pretty much what we as people do. Now, I do have my preferred sides of the fence when it comes to politics, but those aren’t really the types of things I generally like to discuss, so that isn’t what this is about. This is about the consumeristic nature that drives us to make the decisions we do, this is about us as consumers.
[i want to consume a sandwich]
We as people, are all consumers, I don’t mean for that to have any negative or positive connotation (as it usually does…usually negative). We all buy things, we all sell things, we all expect each other to do the same, and doing any of the following excessively or inexessively really changes nothing. If you tend not to buy as many things, then you’re still a consumer, but you’re more of a consumer of opinion, belief, entertainment, knowledge, and other such generally free commodities. So consumerism as I believe it, is life how we live it; and as such, we as consumers, face everything else, we face the “man,” the “machine,” we face each other, we face figureheads and leaders, propaganda, and anything else you can think of. Thus, I create this as a means to talk about we as the consumer, and whatever audience I choose to face it against; and of course, facing against something, doesn’t necessarily mean opposing it in any way, it’s just a comparison of one to the other.
So anyways, today I choose to begin my first installment of this series. Why today? Well, I’m bored and I really wanted to write this. This first installment will serve as an introduction to the series and what purpose it serves, and also a means of introducing what will be the topic of this series for the few weeks to come. Today we are on the cusp of what, for me and very many other gamers everywhere, is going to be a large time of consuming. With the Wii and the PS3 launching, and a slew of games for them and the 360, I can’t think of too many people (that are gamers) that I know that aren’t planning on investing (”consuming”) soon into one area or another. Within a few days, a lot of things will happen, and I want to make sure I get a lot of what is on my mind now out there before it may change.
Though my next installment will focus on gaming, ‘gaming’ is too broad of a topic to compare upon. I’m going to focus on the whole “picking a side of a fence” kind of consumerism, the reviewing and the critics in gaming. As much as I’d like to get into the aspect of gaming or the release of the new console and the comparison of the state of the industry and the audience it so strongly tries to entertain, especially considering how much more relevance and importance it has, I think I’ll write about that later still. So here’s looking forward to Consumerism versus Critics!
December 5th, 2006
by Anuj
You may have seen the news about Reggie’s Interview on MTV during which he talked about many Wii related things, the most important being that Nintendo is actively looking into getting Goldeneye on the Wii Virtual Console.
This of course would require large sums of money, as Microsoft owns Rare and thus the code, and Activision owns the Bond rights to the videogame license. Reggie said it could be a situation where “The pain is worth the gain.” I have no doubts that getting Goldeneye on the Virtual Console could be a huge plus for Nintendo, but there are several reasons why I’m hoping they don’t actually follow through with it. They are as follows:
[”all bonds,” go!]
- Xbox Live’s online setup will likely remain superior when it comes to matchmaking, online gaming, and usability. Granted, Nintendo has yet to roll out their full online plans, but the friend code system alone makes it more difficult to get something going online and meeting new friends. We also have yet to see what Nintendo plans to do for voice chat, as the social aspect of the game in splitscreen is one of the biggest reasons why it was so popular, and it needs to be carried over online. No smack talk = no fun.
- Nintendo seems content to just port most titles onto the console as they were originally. On the other hand, Microsoft has been pressuring people to update their games with better graphics, online co-op and competitive play, new modes, and achievements. For the most part, this has resulted in games with increased value over straight ports. Of course, whether or not they’d push for any upgrade in Goldeneye’s resolution or display modes is questionable, but I think they’d be more likely to do it than the Big N.
- Microsoft has people on staff who worked on the title. If Nintendo picked it up, they’d likely have a team of people working on the title that have no experience with Rare’s engines, decreasing the likelihood of any real improvements or new modes.
- Xbox Live has leaderboards and an achievements system firmly in place. Nintendo could add this functionality, but again, until I see them do something like that with another title, I seriously doubt they’ll pull it out for Goldeneye.
- Playing Goldeneye multiplayer splitscreen on a Wii would require more nunchuck controllers. Yes, you could have the classic controller functionality, but I for one much prefer a trigger of some sort in Goldeneye, and there will be no special controller needs for 360 (Beyond making sure at least 2 of your controllers are wireless if you want 4-player splitscreen).
Now, there are a few things that would make me reconsider my opinion. If Nintendo integrated great nunchuck controls, provided a leaderboard system and a player match setup, additional modes or WiiConnect24 material, and cleaned up the alpha blending and framerate, then by all means Nintendo, go for it. I’m glad that Nintendo realizes what gamers want and is willing to go after it, but the bottom line is that I love Goldeneye, and all I really want is the best experience possible. Right now it seems like Xbox Live is more capable of delivering it.
November 30th, 2006
by Mike
God Hand rocks. It’s definitely one of my favorite PS2 games, it’s hilarious, it’s random, it’s hard, it’s skill based, it’s fun. It’s probably gonna be one of the most underrated games ever…ok, maybe not underrated exactly, but underplayed definitely. About everyone that plays it, the few that there are, love it, but like I said, there are few. Anyways, here is the amazing and hilarious God Hand credits song.
God Hand - Ending Credits
02:55
[my complete thoughts on God Hand]
I remember when I first heard about the game. I was talking to a friend of mine that I hadn’t talked to in a long time. We got on the topic of video games, and he linked me to a video of this game long before I heard of it. I get links from my friends about games all the time, and many of them are certainly not “with me” when it comes to games. He is one of those people that I would think would generally link me to some piece of shit game and be like, “check out this badass game.” So I’m watching the video under this impression (god only knows what came over me to actually bother clicking on the link in the first place, as opposed to just pretending I saw it by saying, “whoa, that’s sweet.” But I’m glad I did) I’m watching the video thinking, “I bet this is a real stinker,” but about halfway through the video, I’m thinking, wow this actually looks pretty cool, and then at the end it said “CAPCOM,” so I was sold. I was excited for it ever since.
When I saw the marketing, and saw that it would be only $30 bucks, I got skeptical again though. It was like, $30 bucks? What? What happened, what’s the catch? Why did they only make it $30? Is there something devastatingly wrong with the game. I realize now, that the game was severely lacking with options they obviously intended to put in the game, but no doubt didn’t have time for, and needed to try to appeal to people that otherwise wouldn’t give it a second look without the words “GTA” or some shit on it. Both reasons stemming from the fact that they were no doubt aware and facing their soon-coming demise.
Anyways, regardless though, I didn’t purchase the game on day one. I decided to wait. A few of my friends didn’t skip out on it though. They all bought it, which made me happy (though outside of them, of course, no one bought it). I watched one of them play it, and it looked awesome. Watching my friend fumble-fuck his way through the first few enemies and levels made me see just how much better I would be at it, and made me want to play it more. So then when I finally got to play it, I was thrilled. Watching my friend play it was only, like, half the fun that it actually ended up being. The level of complication to the combat system was impressive, but it’s simplicity was incredibly impressive as well.
It was like the melee version of Resident Evil 4, in every sense of the word. Simple, but suprisingly complex, incredibly fun.
The move style and move ability list was very diversified and interesting, and the amount of moves is staggering (though not as staggering as they probably intended). The move lists are entirely configurable, which makes for infinite interesting possibilities. Unfortunately, appropriate combinations and such don’t make as much a difference as you would like. I think they intended to have move sets with added effects and such, but probably didn’t have time to add it all. For now though, the most amount of complication the moves can have is the timing and speed and amount of hits to add guard breaks and such, which is still a pretty deep system regardless.
The game is funny as hell, weird as shit, and totally random, and it’s great. A lot of games/movies/tv shows/anime try to do this sort of thing, but they mostly fail. God Hand does not. One of my few complaints about this style is that closer to the end of the game, the randomness kind of stops, and it gets pretty serious, but that’s ok. It is a lot like Viewtiful Joe with the mood the game creates, as well as the move animations and such.
The music is fantastic. The ending music video is worth buying and playing through the game enough. I’d say anyone that starts playing it will be pretty hooked for at least 2 or 3 days, which is about all it really takes to beat the game. It’s about 20 hours-ish, but the replay value is great. Sadly though, this is really where the game starts to falter.
A game made by Capcom, the company that made RE4, that had one of the best new game pluses to date, also makes God Hand, that has a terrible new game plus system, that is to say, almost no new game plus to speak of. You can unlock new soundtracks to listen to at the jukebox, which is cool but incredibly hard, and you can unlock videos, which is also cool, but incredibly hard. And there are new costumes. Things you would expect to keep, such as upgrades, moves, customized controls, goal completion, etc., are all taken away. It’s horrible. But, the game is still great.
So the big complaints I have pretty much boil down to complaints about how much more there was supposed to be in the game, and how horrible the new game plus system is…neither of which are really legitimate complaints about the game. Some complaints that I have heard that try to pretend to be legitimate are things such as a lack of enemy variety, and boss variety, which is just wrong. Sure most of the enemies fall under about 4 or 5 appearances, but their move sets, speed, timing and power have all been tweaked so much, that you have to often play with them very differently. The similarity between the enemies falls mostly to an aesthetical visual sense, and not a gameplay sense at all, and even then, each level has a style, and the enemies tend to adhere to the level style.
Some other complaints I have heard also regard the visuals. The level variety is good, but the graphics are really bad. The character models look great, but the levels do look like total shit, but it’s not something that’s worth focusing on as a problem. Seriously, aside from the poor production values of the game, I think the game is a blast to play.
Seriously, the now dead Clover Studios is one of the most amazing game studios and also one of my favorite. Another victim of under-appreciation.
November 15th, 2006
by Anuj
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