mega microreviews
Lucky me, who was the recipient of not one but two titles for the GBA this weekend on account of my being older by one additional year. I have been playing them enough that I can give an initial report, so read on.
Update: For those that are keeping track, the AW2 portion of this entry was rewritten after some additional play this week. There is a whole new dimension of gameplay that I hadn't even come across yet. This game is something else.
WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$
Where to begin. The reviews for this game have been more than favourable. Reading about it definitely caught my interest, but it was nowhere near what I expected. Imagine if you will a hyperactive person who can't sit still for more than five seconds. In most cases, I would want to beat them into submission or stuff them full of ritalin, but WarioWare Inc. is definitely an exception to the rule. The "microgames" are absurd beyond description. I knew they would be short, but there was really no way to prepare for this unique style of game play. You are presented with a game and most of the time have no idea how to play it, and must complete it in five seconds or less. At first I tended to resort to button-mashing, but after a few of the microgames I got used to the concepts (and some of the games are even repeated with a higher difficulty). In all cases the games are extremely addictive and challenging. I like how a lot of old Nintendo games were the basis for some of the microgames, it was a nice touch. Once each tier of microgames is beaten, you have the potential to unlock new "full" games that are simple in concept but still pretty fun to play. Some of these unlockable games are multiplayer, but they don't require a link cable. Instead, they expect each player to operate the L and R buttons on a single GBA. Kind of lame.
The colorful menu screens, goofy looking characters and the subject matter of the microgames clearly aims it at kids (the manual even comes with stickers). But I'm playing this game with the best of them; it is well worth checking out as something you can just pick up and play with no real mental investment. Or a lengthy attention span.
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Never has a game's intro and menu screen ever got me pumped to play it until this one. I feel like a fucking dork, but that's the honest truth right there. The game just oozes style. The in-game art is very clean and looks great, and although it sports an anime feel it's not annoying to look at. The music is equally amazing and I found myself rocking out a bit during some of the more intense battles. The combat system turn-based and fairly simple; each unit has a movement and attack range. Some of the units have special attributes such as the ability to capture factories (which produce units) or buildings (which provide income). During battles, your CO character (offscreen) provides additional bonuses such as more accurate infantry or tougher tanks. Points also build up during the battle which can be spent to unleash your CO's unique power, such as "hyper repair" which re-supplies and repairs any damaged units on the map. There are no random encounters on the battle map, which lends itself quite well to strategizing. The maps so far are manageable, have clear objectives and control points, and allow you to easily plan out combat to the final round.
There are tons of play options. You can either go through the single-player campaign or pick a map and just play, much like you would do in any PC RTS/TBS. Very impressive. Multiplayer options are also full-featured: they range from head to head or 4-way versus battles, to trading custom-made maps. And you only need one game pak to play. Outstanding!
Does all this mean that I will put Golden Sun on the back burner? Probably not. It's a strong enough game that I feel drawn to it more than the new additions to my collection. I should also note that as soon as I finish Golden Sun my first order of business will be to purchase The Lost Age.