F-Zero GX: a reappraisal

I played a bit of vs. battle F-Zero GX on the weekend. It's probably the first time in at least two months that I've even turned the Gamecube on. Thinking about having to start a battle over again in Path of Radiance because I've permanently lost a party member is enough to get the bile ducts flowing. But I assure you I'm coming to a point here.

When I first got my Gamecube, F-Zero GX was the first game I "reviewed" for the platform. I say that with a smile on my face because in hindisight I completely missed the fucking point of the game. Focusing on things like "story mode" and getting pissy over it being hard to unlock more vehicles (a trend that has sadly continued in every racer I've played since) is really not important. I would happily play the game with the default four racers, the ones that were introduced in the original F-Zero. It wouldn't make a difference. Because F-Zero GX is not about pulling stunts or rewinding time or launching red shells or realistic physics. It is about winning a race. Crossing the finish line is the only goal that could ever matter as the landscape blasts past you at 1200 km/h with the siren blazing that you need repairs badly.

F-Zero GX is about going fast at all costs. It is a racing game in its purest, most concentrated form. And that's why I still love it.

Resident Evil 4: the most overrated game of 2005

"You are Dead," Resident Evil 4 tells me as my avatar gets fried for the fourth time by the trap with erratically moving laser beams. It's this type of hamfisted advice that seems to be the undercurrent of the entire experience. The game isn't content to set up a rustic, chilling atmosphere for you to cautiously explore, and instead offers you many, many reasons on why you should be killing the things on screen, as if the player couldn't figure it out for themselves. If Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer had made a game, I'm pretty sure this is how it would turn out. Only with less plot.

the legendary x-men

I got together with some very good friends on the weekend to catch up with each other and play video games. Collectively we decided that the centerpiece of our evening with an XBox would be X-Men Legends, allowing us to avoid the embarassing multiplayer gameplay of old standbys Hunter: The Reckoning and the infinite brown-ness of Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes. Halo is never considered because my friends know well enough that in order for me to play multiplayer FPS it must involve several computers.

The initial assessment of Legends' combat is still correct: aside from removing a group of adversaries from around a teammate with your mutant power, the game requires fists to be flying through the air at all times. Though where I'm beginning to see the game's long lasting appeal is in the development of the roster of characters - there really is a time and place for all of them. Levelling characters and selecting new abilities becomes a group activity, and not nearly as invasive as I would have thought. Though despite my Iceman and Juan's Storm being elemental magic users, we always found ourselves on the front lines taking bullets for Wolverine and Cyclops. Yes, Wolverine, with the healing factor. Cyclops, for some reason, found pleasure in picking up explosive cannisters and throwing them into groups of people (often our own ranks). This is not how you win the game.

Even with four players, the game gets extremely difficult, and will almost always punish you for trying to plow through its lengthy missions. I may have been a bit harsh in saying that there's no strategy; on the contrary, Legends makes you take the same approach as you would in games like Diablo or RTS titles. Lead smaller, manageable groups of the enemy into a controllable environment where they can be dealt with efficiently. The lack of healing potions was a scenario that was completely avoidable; we just couldn't seem to convince someone that the "heal" button need only be pressed once to deliver a potion.

Although I had already experienced multiplay during my review, it was only with two players, which required the control of two characters per player. With everyone in control of their own character, it convinced me of two things: firstly, that X-Men Legends is actually a very well rounded multiplayer experience, and secondly, it shared more in common with Konami's X-Men arcade game than I first realized.

I doubt that Raven used Konami's X-Men as a stencil, but I find it odd that the first boss that you encounter in both games is Pyro. Furthermore, in Legends there is a throwback to 70s era X-Men in a flashback mission where they do battle with Sentinels on the streets of New York, which is almost word for word the first level of the arcade game. It brought back a lot of fond memories of sitting on a wobbly stool in Canada's Wonderland's Crystal Palace, playing through the game with complete strangers and getting into arguments over who got to be Wolverine. Reminiscing about days spent in arcades suppressed by a heavy fog of B.O. was enough to make me want to relive past glories with MAME. Though I quickly came to the conclusion that my opinion of the X-Men arcade game in hindsight was grossly optimistic.

I always found the introduction to the game to be quite short. Abrupt, even, when compared to the multi-layered and overly complicated backstories you might see in a 2D fighter at the time. Facing Magneto was clearly your ultimate goal, but why did he have an army of Sentinels at his disposal? Weren't they built to eliminate mutantkind, of which Magneto was clearly a member? The selection of playable mutants was also puzzling. Though the four player version of the arcade game was more common, the six player version had Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, and Dazzler as playable characters. Dazzler? Clearly a product of the 70s, Dazzler's "power" is to turn sound into light energy. The game designers were evidently unfamiliar with the comic books. Or more accurately, completely out of touch with what fans wanted to see in an X-Men game.

The X-Men arcade game attempted to recreate the beat 'em up action of Final Fight and Captain Commando, but the enemies in the game were boring and repetitive. Indeed, it was difficult, but you didn't get to fight things that weren't robots until you got to the Savage Land where you fought a bunch of Lizard look-alikes and robots. The special abilities, though brutally efficient in clearing the screen, were equally trite. Wolverine probably had the best power, even though it didn't make any sense. Cyclops was limited to exploding, which I can only assume was an uncontrolled optical blast. Wolverine had his claws to fight with, but everyone else was limited to punching. I understand that technology was probably a factor (this was, after all, 1992) but it seems to me Konami's interpretation of a multiplayer X-Men adventure was simply lazy and uncreative. Compared against this low-fi predecessor, Legends seems a much more palatable recreation of Marvel's superhero team.

sitting still was never enough

leon, where are you going?

I've been playing Resident Evil 4 almost exclusively since the weekend. See, I've been trying to figure out why these high scores keep popping up. I can't help but reminisce about the early days of Doom 3, to be honest, because it doesn't seem to be going away.

I'm not really a fan of the series, but when I've read numerous reviews (and received personal recommendations) that wax poetic about this game's quality, eventually I have to give in. Yes, the game is indeed beautiful, and probably the best looking game I've seen on a console next to the Metroid Prime series and Crystal Chronicles. However, judgement of this game seems to be obsessively focused on its previous incarnations, and not other games in its genre. Am I missing something? If the fact that this is a Resident Evil game was removed from the equation, would it still be considered good?

When I hear the words "survival horror", I assume an implicit agreement between the player and the developer. I should be scared. I concede that the game did a great job of setting the mood. A creepy, dilapidated remote village populated by grizzled looking farmers deftly establishes the tone. I freaked out the first time I saw a zombie shambling towards me even after I had just blown his head clean off. But the story, as detailed as it may be, just doesn't seem that compelling to warrant an expedient playthrough of the remainder of the game. I feel like a tourist. Resident Evil 4 feels like Metal Gear Solid. Lots of story, action on rails. I have no control. Why should I be scared?

Maybe it was the annoying "interactive cutscenes" (an oxymoron if there ever was one) that switched up button combinations between tries, or the completely annoying controls that are almost useless during boss battles.

For me, I think what finally sealed Resident Evil 4's fate was babysitting the president's daughter. She can climb up a ladder with the best of them. But if I wander away after climbing down, she's completely fucking helpless. Maybe if she would just pick up a god damned pistol when I'm about to get my head chainsawed off, I wouldn't be so bitter.

the currents have their say

the thousand year door

The amount of new games released in the past two months is absolutely staggering. I was hoping to have played most of the big name releases by now, but I am so far behind I might as well wait until the Christmas rush is over. This is partially due to my current adventures in Bloodlines' carefully crafted World of Darkness, and the possibility of injecting the final version World of Warcraft into my playlist. Publishers are going to wonder once again why nobody buys their obscure yet critically lauded games, and we will see another round of sequels. A vicious cycle.

So I sat down with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door a few weeks ago, in a halfhearted attempt to balance the amount of violence in the games I was playing. If I had to summarize the experience in a word, it would be "cute". Never nauseatingly cute, but then again it might not be the best choice of words for anyone that's looking at this game seriously. Paper Mario certainly provides a pleasant, innoffensive adventure, but in terms of lasting enjoyment I can think of better ways to spend my gaming time than reading an endless torrent of dialogue bubbles.

I never played Paper Mario, so my only real basis for comparison to the gameplay is Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, something I played almost non-stop on the plane ride home from Hong Kong. The storyline feels like an amalgamation of past Mario adventures: we have the mysterious island from Sunshine, the seven stars from the Super Mario RPG and the otherwordly door from Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins.

I imagine The Thousand Year Door was primarily aimed at kids; or at least that's what it feels like. The bright, colorful graphics, the excellent character design, the simplistic, coordination-driven combat system and accessible storyline would make this a title any fledgling gamer could pick up and enjoy. But I think where the game falters is its delivery - there are just way too many dialogue trees to sift through to gather the important information for your quests, and I found the game's difficulty increased a lot faster than I anticipated.

In combat, timing is everything. And for attacks, this is not a problem. However defending is, as for most monsters it won't be entirely obvious how to defend against them. In Mario and Luigi, every monster has a little action they do to let you know how they are attacking, and you are able to prepare a defense, or possible counter-attack. I found that no matter how well I thought I timed everything, the best I could do was dodge. There is also an "audience" during the combat sequences combat, and depending on how well you're doing you draw in new viewers who contribute to your "Star Points", which in turn enable you to perform power moves or combos with party members. This is kind of a play off of Mario's fame within the game world; it seems everyone you talk to is extremely honored to meet you and enthralled with your many exploits.

You gain party members as the game progresses, and their special abilities will enable you to visit previously inaccessible areas. Paper Mario can also learn his own share of abilities: he can fold up into a paper airplane and fly over chasms, or a boat to cross a raging river. The Zelda-MetroVania approach has been done countless times, but in order to keep me interested there has to be some really cool abilities in sight, an exciting meta-goal that will keep me picking up the game. But there wasn't any of that, and after a while the game stops being fun. Though I was impressed by a boss battle that I felt would be a typical attack, dodge, repeat type of affair; instead, the boss I was supposed to fight turned into a game show host that offered me a set of questions I had to answer correctly to claim the item he was holding. I answered them all right, and he begrudgingly gave me my reward amidst a stream of (clean) curses. Like I said, cute.

Something that bothered me about party management is that you can only have two party members in battle or visible in the game world at any time. Party members are selected much like items in an inventory, and it just didn't feel right. In Mario and Luigi this was expected; you were only ever supposed to control the two brothers through their adventure. But The Thousand Year Door is hard, and not having the extra bit of help can make the difference between winning and game over. See, as soon as one of your party member dies, that's it - game over. Unlike Mario and Luigi, where a 1-up mushroom can be used to revive a fallen brother in combat.

It's unfortunate that The Thousand Year Door was released in the holiday rush, because to be quite honest there really is nothing wrong with the game; I just can't see myself playing it when there are much better distractions vying for my attention. And from what I've read, there isn't a whole lot that distinguishes this game from its N64 predecessor, besides the storyline. If you're looking for light hearted adventure on the Gamecube, you may be better off looking at the recently discounted Zelda: The Wind Waker.

he whistles then he runs

X-Men Legends

X-Men for the Sega Genesis was one of my favorite games for that system. Considering the obvious influences of Contra and Altered Beast, it seemed like a natural evolution of cooperative play. Of course, you could sometimes die if you couldn't keep up with your impatient teammate, but that just forced you to stick together. Wielding the mutant powers of a handful of X-Men was always loads of fun, and what other game required you to actually reset your console as part of a mission?

X-Men Legends awoke fond memories of that game, which allows up to four players to simultaneously control their favorite X-Man through the game's 20-odd missions. And because Legends adopts the format of the standard stat-building RPG, you earn experience for killing enemies that in turn allow you to purchase skill upgrades and mutant abilities for each character. You can also find equipment to outfit the members of your team, boosting attributes like defense, agility or attacks.

Although not as forced as the multiplayer combat in Tales of Symphonia, X-Men Legends still requires in-between single player wanderings before you move on to the next mission, delivering a kind of intermittent multiplayer experience. But if you compare Symphonia's bite-sized monster encounters versus X-Men's sprawling maps to explore, it becomes fairly obvious what the second, third and fourth players will find more acceptable. Though for pure multiplayer RPG action on the Gamecube you'll still have to turn to Crystal Chronicles.

X-Men Legends begins with the rescue of a new mutant, codenamed "Magma". Pursued by the Brotherhood of Evil mutants for her catastrophic powers, Professor X sends his X-Men in to save the day. You end up adopting Magma as your own avatar for the "adventuring" part of the game in between the missions. The X-Mansion is the launchpad for most missions, as the Danger Room was for X-Men on the Genesis. The X-Mansion is fully explorable, complete with a fully functional Danger Room that you can use to improve your skills while not in a mission, as well as spar with other X-Men to test out your moves. This opens potential for a combat mini game, and although mostly serves as a diversion, the fact that it was included at all adds more to the package. The scenarios you can unlock in the Danger Room depend on "Danger Room Discs" you find hidden throughout the game's missions.

Various bonus content is also hidden throughout the X-Mansion and the missions, such as viewable comic covers, bios for the X-Men and enemies you encounter, and concept art. Even a trivia game can be accessed, which is pure fan service - but I loved it. The experience bonuses you gain for each correct answer make it worth playing.

Combat is in real time, and enemy rush tactics make the game feel like a beat 'em up similar to Captain Commando or the original X-Men arcade game. You can execute special attacks in sequence to make combos with each member of the party, dealing extra damage or in some cases creating an area effect. There really isn't much strategy to it, and the game becomes more about who kills the most enemies and garners the associated XP. You also get "X-credits" from killing enemies, which can be used to purchase equipment or resurrect fallen comrades.

But it's not like the game doesn't provide a challenge. The amount of enemies on screen can be overwhelming, and although health and mutant power potions are abundant, there never seems to be enough to go around to prevent your party members from dying. The maps are pretty linear, with invisible walls and "placed" debris telling you where to go. There are also hot spots requiring the use of one of your mutant's special powers, something that should go without saying when you're presented with a seemingly impassable chasm and Iceman in your party's ranks. Most objects such as walls and debris can be destroyed to clear paths or just for the sake of demolition. Although there were obvious areas where you needed to destroy a wall to continue, having the option to destroy everything in sight seemed like an end in itself and weirdly amusing while controlling characters like Wolverine and Colossus. Objects like boxes and exploding oil drums can also be picked up and flung at enemies.

Interspersed throughout each level are "X-traction points" (clever, that) which allow you to save your progress, purchase new equipment or change up your squad as the need arises. Additional X-Men are gained as you progress through the game; the full roster can be seen here.

Call me biased, but the Gamecube controller is probably the best of the big three consoles. And I find that every multiplatform release with the possible exception of Soul Calibur II has used the button layout in the most convenient and ergonomic of ways. Though not my preferred way of playing the missions because of the difficulty, controlling your party solo is made extremely easy in this regard. Like Tales of Symphonia, you can also set AI behaviours for each character, making sure they aren't using their most powerful mutant abilities carelessly while you're in control of the main character.

Every third person console action game usually suffers from the same ailment of a poorly designed camera system. The camera is almost always at the mercy of the game designers, and as such your playing experience can quickly become frustrating. Put simply, the default angle in Legends sucks: it's not quite isometric and it's not the traditional "behind the shoulder" view of the main character in the party. The limited camera movements you are entitled to are more of an insult than an act of kindness. If the party is separated for any reason, it becomes difficult to group up again if a player gets stuck in a view-blocking obstacle (such as under stairs, or under a bridge). Additionally, some physical obstacles such as chasms or high cliffs are unviewable from the angle you're given, and upon exploration you will more than likely fall to your death.

The graphics are decent, rendering some impressive and appropriately comic-bookish environments. However the character models are faceless and have flippers for hands, which is most noticable in the game's cutscenes. Outlined/cel shaded polygons have been done before - and a lot better - in Tales of Symphonia. The artwork for loading screens in between major mission areas is pretty terrible, and was clearly commissioned for use with this game. This is a real shame for a game based on such a huge property with countless sources for artwork. I'm also not a fan of the X-Men's new look. Although timely (it's just based on the current X-Men comics), the mid-90s X-men would have been better, but that's just a personal preference.

As a licensed product, X-Men Legends does its namesake well. As a game, there are a few things that prevent me from recommending it unconditionally. Legends doesn't drift too far from the conventions set by games like Dark Alliance and other console action/RPGs, and as a result will be little more than a distraction for most multi-platform gamers in this season's tidal wave of releases. And though the multiplayer makes it a fun game to pick up with friends, being at the mercy of the camera can make most missions a chore to complete. I'm thankful that X-Men Legends manages to provide a decent experience on the Gamecube, but I think it will find most of its audience in fans of the source material - not those looking for an RPG.

matching clothes for all of our live shows

the legend of zelda: four swords adventures

I was looking forward to Four Swords Adventures as soon as I found out it would be using the same type of controls as Crystal Chronicles. Any game that takes advantage of the Gamecube/GBA connectivity beyond the bonus unlocks of Metroid Prime or peripheral gameplay of Wind Waker should be encouraged, despite what the general opinion is. The GBA-as-controller is not a problem as long as the game itself can justify it; sadly with Four Swords Adventures this is not the case.

With Four Swords Adventures, the question begs to be asked: how many times can Nintendo repackage an old Link adventure? The graphics are incredibly dated, and no matter how pretty the effects are they still look like they've been taped onto the sprites and pixelated backgrounds. This is probably the most outstanding fault against the game: it feels old. For instance, I knew where to find every secret passage and most puzzles were easily solvable based on past Zelda games.

The theme of "the four who are one" continues from the Four Swords game included in A Link to the Past for the GBA, except this time you have to save six maidens and Princess Zelda from the evil Vaati, which I suppose is reason enough for adventuring through seven areas of three dungeons each. This is the essence of the Hyrulean Adventure, which can be played by one to four people.

Regardless of the number of human players that start an adventure, there will always be four Links on screen. This is because every puzzle in the game requires the action of four players, heavily stressing the cooperation aspect of the game. The surplus Links simply become companions, who follow the human player's character. You can perform formations with the group, which becomes handy in both object push/pull/lift and combat situations. You can also throw your teammates to get across chasms, which I found especially amusing.

The primary currency of Four Swords Adventures is Force Gems: collecting entire sackfuls is imperative. The object of each dungeon is to collect enough to power the Four Sword, and only then will you be able to face the Boss in the final dungeon of each area. They also become a kind of performance metric, because at the end of each dungeon stats are tallied and one player is declared the "winner", an event that could only be considered ironic. As long as you have collected Force Fairies and enough gems, you can be instantly resurrected with a Gem deduction penalty. Naturally this takes away from the Four Sword's power. Curiously, the Force Gem tally for each player is shown on the main TV screen, but not each player's life meter. The perceptive player could see this as being a subtle hint toward's the game's true purpose.

Each player is only allowed to carry one special/magic item at a time, and you can't carry them over into other dungeons. Similarly, any new heart containers you gain will also be removed upon entering a new dungeon. Four Swords Adventures is very much like Crystal Chronicles in this respect, as every dungeon seems like a discrete instance in time. Perhaps this is a limitation when using the GBA as a controller; it's very possible that player-specific data can't be stored anywhere and so it is reset for every new dungeon. But I find that very hard to believe.

I found it pretty distracting to have gameplay switch constantly between GBA and the TV. It's almost like constant validation of the use of the GBA as a controller, because if you take away the indoor views, there's really no point to it. Indeed, the group will have to split up to perform certain tasks, but you still can't go beyond the borders of the current screen without collecting the party. If a player is still inside a building or cave, and another tries to leave the area, a small window will pop up on the TV screen showing a GBA-view of the player that's still inside. The odd thing is that in single player mode, this also happens when you go inside, whether you're using the standard controller or GBA.

Depending on who initiates conversations with NPCs, it only appears on their GBA, even though most times the information is valuable to all players. Certain cutscenes will show dialogue on-screen, but it's more for story advancement and not clues for solving quests. A big problem I had was that if a GBA is disconnected (whether by pulling out the cable or batteries dying) the game will automatically quit to the main title screen, even during play. No graceful exits like in Crystal Chronicles, where the game would wait for the GBA to reset and allow players to continue with the dungeon.

For experienced players, this game isn't much of a challenge. All the traditional clues for secret passageways and puzzles are self-evident. A veteran group of Zelda gamers could get through the whole game in a weekend without really trying. Now mind you, the controls and objectives set up by the game are a lot easier to grasp for new players. I played this game with The Wife, who enjoyed the cute characters and simple gameplay a lot better than the occasionally complicated controls and snap tactics during boss battles in Crystal Chronicles. I agree, although they are both essentially hack and slash cooperative adventures - one of them just happens to be infinitely more pleasing to the eye.

Some other additional features of the game include Tingle's Tower, a bonus area that you gain access to in each new set of dungeons. This holds unlockable bonus games, whose sole purpose is to put Force Gems into your pockets. This is especially useful before venturing into the Boss dungeon, because without your sword fully powered up you won't be able to proceed. The Shadow Battle available from the game's main menu is a two to four player Zelda deathmatch, which was about as interesting as the battle mode from Mario Kart: Double Dash. This may be fun for some, but after a few rounds it's clear that the Hyrulean Adventure is the core of the game.

If you can somehow cut out all the shortcomings of this game, you'd have yourself a pretty addictive co-operative adventure. But playing parts of the game on my GBA felt a lot more natural than looking at the TV screen, where the same graphics are a lot bigger. In that sense, I'd much rather be playing A Link to the Past: Four Swords with a link cable.

As a cooperative game, Four Swords Adventures has its definite benefits: it's not a hard game to get into, and the puzzles are for the most part easy to get past. But we've all played this game so many times, and as nice as it is to go through it with a friend, I can't justify the cost. Maybe if this game came out before Crystal Chronicles I'd possibly be a bit more lenient in my judgement, as it would be the first game to exploit the GBA as a controller. But when you're basically looking at a 13 year old game that's been overly stylized for 2004, I'd sooner lump this in with the NES Classics and Shining Force. If anything, Four Swords Adventures has made me appreciate the multiplayer brilliance of Crystal Chronicles even more.

in static pallor

The Twin Snakes

I remember getting to play Metal Gear Solid and Thief: The Dark Project around the same time, and falling hard for this new style of stealth-based gameplay. Why not reward players for avoiding fights, instead of starting them? Coming up with cunning ways to trick and outwit your opponents without the use of force seemed like a high concept, something the PC needed desperately to rejuvenate a tired genre. I only spent a couple of late evenings with MGS on a friend's Playstation back in University, but the challenges of Garrett's adventure kept me up nights (the best time to play it) as soon as I got my hands on the full version. Incidentally, both Metal Gear Solid and its sequel were ported to PC - but there's really no need to go further, as they were mediocre console ports with gargantuan install sizes and ridiculous system requirements.

So what would possess Nintendo and Konami, with the help of Silicon Knights, to team up and create a remake of a game that's barely 6 years old? The Metal Gear franchise had been gladly taken up by the Playstation, and given the hype surrounding Snake Eater and the series' rabid fan following, I would hardly think a remake would have been necessary to increase awareness. Perhaps this is me being overly optimistic, but I see this as a way of Konami testing the waters (so to speak) before committing to any future projects on the Gamecube as I explained in my earlier post about Castlevania. In simplest terms, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is a graphical and usability upgrade to a classic game.

What I remember most vividly about the original is the number, length, and depth of the cutscenes throughout the game. Indeed, I recall asking the first time I played, "Do you actually get to play in this game?" Metal Gear Solid was equally about creating an engrossing game, as it was about creating a believable and solid story. Alas, if you've played the original, The Twin Snakes adds no new surprises - all story elements are left untouched. Thus, the magic of playing through this incarnation would be to see the spectacular graphics if anything else. Curiously the original was contained on two CD-ROMs; this version, too, takes up two Gamecube discs. The effort that went into the sounds, voice acting and amazing score makes itself known as early as the beautifully scripted opening scenes - I was already captivated by the time the new "The Twin Snakes" title came across the screen, in the same manner as a well produced Hollywood film. Even the game's menu screen, cold and dark with snakes emulating a DNA chain - as trivial as this sounds - evokes the same type of stylish design as Metroid Prime's.

In the face of these excellent cutscenes, the game still uses talking "sketches" of the main supporting characters when you use your codec radio transmitter in game. I hate to nitpick on this small detail, but this was something that bothered me when I played the original. Why not have 3D animated busts, or add further realism to the codec tuning interface and show nothing at all? It would certainly add to the game's atmosphere of mystery and intrigue.

One thing I like about MGS is the difficulty level - it remains consistently challenging. With very little interaction around the cutscenes, every game sequence was made to count. Save points aren't an issue, as you can pretty much beat every new area in a few tries and autosaving takes care of the rest. I'd be careful to call it seamless, but the game does a pretty good job of convincing you that you're the one moving the action along in your favorite espionage thriller. Due to these bursts of strenuous and calculatingly paced gameplay, it seemed that much more rewarding to watch the cutscene that followed. The AI has improved: the guards are very sharp, and ruthless in their tactics. In most stealth action games a stray bullet in a closed room wouldn't make a difference. In The Twin Snakes, I was in one room early on in the game while well hidden and no guards in sight, and accidentally let a shot loose from my pistol. This caused the alarm to go off and a host of support guards quickly found my hiding spot, and made extremely short work of Solid Snake. Until you get your hands on the heavier weapons you have no chance against the guards unless you take them out individually, and the radar comes in quite handy for this. When attacking multiple targets, the new first person view (I hear this was cribbed from Sons of Liberty) makes this really easy. The top down view during combat in the original Metal Gear Solid was extremely unwieldy even with the laser sights.

To be fair, after playing Zero Mission I'm starting to expect a lot from remakes, as I'm sure many other people are. But it still would have been nice to insert some additional content into the game, maybe a "lost level" or two that bridged the familiar ones. Perhaps the story lies in too delicate a balance for this kind of manipulation, though, and I can respect the developers for that. On the whole I'd call it a great package if you haven't played the original. Minus some minor tweaks this is essentially the same game, so don't expect anything new here. If anything, this Gamecube port conveniently gives me an excuse to add it to my collection. Having never owned a Playstation, I kind of missed out on getting to know those revolutionary first-generation titles that have formed the genres of today.

good luck doesn't last forever

Sonic Heroes (GCN)

Sonic Heroes is a game I wanted to like. After playing the demo I was almost positive that this would be a return to form for Sonic and Friends, going back to what made the original Sonic adventures so incredibly fast paced and fun. I think my expectations may have been a bit misguided, though, because Sonic Heroes does not live up to its incredible potential.

The game's intro is like watching the beginning of your favorite Saturday morning cartoon - the music is awesome, and gets you into the spirit of the game. The cutscenes, although nicely animated, cannot make up for the spartan plotlines for each team. The game's story was clearly an afterthought; but I was more interested in getting to the action. The water surrounding the first few Team Sonic levels is like awakening a gamer's collective subconscious - you would swear you had returned to the Green Hill Zone. But this feeling doesn't last long.

fallout: castlevania on the gamecube

I imagined myself in the same predicament as Renton, frantically fishing through the contents of the worst toilet in Scotland while simultaneously holding back the gag reflex to recover one last hit. But there it remains, a rumour with as much substance to it as an Incubus record. I've made it pretty obvious in the past that Castlevania is what the Gamecube needs, to complete the circle of outstanding traditional Nintendo titles that have made their way there. But before I had time to soil myself, the rumour was quickly snuffed out in a matter of hours by Computer and Video Games, and then again by Spong, which surprised me in a whole different way because those guys are the ones usually starting up this type of shit.

So if I follow IGN's chop logic, some asscaptain posing as a representative of Kuju Entertainment posts to a European bulletin board saying that they were looking for some software testers. Kuju had recently been signed by Nintendo to develop an original action game for them. How this became "Castlevania" may have been the original poster's extremely suspect "Castlevania for cube!!!" signoff, but I think the massive typos and completely unprofessional "announcement" on the board should have tipped them off before this thing got out of hand.

I quickly came to terms with the fact that this is what passes for a news article in these dark times, and thus struggled to find some positive amongst this rumormongering. I started thinking about what I would like to see in a new Castlevania game. I mean just because Kuju has flatly denied that they're working on an original Castlevania game, doesn't mean that one will never get made, right? Nintendo would be foolish not to coerce Konami into making a Gamecube-exclusive title. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was a remake, but still a gesture of good faith when viewed alongside other developers dropping support for the Cube like a bad habit.

It should be pretty clear by now that the fans don't want another 3D Castlevania, given the polar responses to the GBA and N64/PS2 titles. Comparisons to Devil May Cry were amok when Lament of Innocence was released, saying that it wasn't even a Castlevania game anymore - just an action game with a shitty camera and a powerful license on the box. I'd liken this to the release of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine: how is it that the original inspiration for the Tomb Raider series manages to result in a lesser game?

One of the misconceptions every game developer and hardware manufacturer has is that as soon as you get a more powerful processor, it becomes all about pushing polygons. I don't want to see more of this design contrivance - I've had enough top-down, drunken cameraman, third person action games. Why must 2D platforming adventures be limited to the Gameboy? Viewtiful Joe was 2D action, and it worked great, even though it was not entirely in the same genre. It is due time for a return to Castlevania's roots, and I honestly believe there is room for a 2D adventure to rival Symphony of the Night. It was a well designed game, and even though the Playstation was hailed as being a graphical powerhouse, Konami still managed to put out one of the greatest 2D platform adventures in videogame history.

The Gamecube definitely has a solid two years left in it. Metroid Prime 2, Zelda: the Four Swords Adventures, The Wind Waker 2, Paper Mario 2 and even the fabled Mario 128 will be making an appearance at E3 2004. If Nintendo and Konami could just give us an original Castlevania, the system would lead favourably into Nintendo's next generation console along with the lineup for 2004/2005, instead of relying on intermittent first-party hits and the dwindling number of multi-platform releases. Perhaps it's a bit overzealous of me to rest the success of the Gamecube on the shoulders a game that hasn't even been announced, but being a fan of the series I hold it in very high regard, and believe that this kind of support would also add to its install base. It would be extremely disappointing to watch the Gamecube slip quietly into the night as the home console third-party developers didn't seem to care about.

an ocean in a storm

One thing that's kind of bothered me lately is all this talk of game properties being bought to make into movies as if it was some kind of race. Uwe Boll - the same guy that brought us the dismal House of the Dead - acquired the rights to Far Cry and there's talk of a Soul Calibur movie. As if comic books weren't enough, the Hollywood Machine is comfortable to move in on this territory as well. The most interesting (in my opinion, anyway) is that Jerry "There's no such thing as over the top" Bruckheimer is in talks with Jordan Mechner about bringing The Sands of Time to the big screen. The game could potentially yield a fantastic adaptation in the right hands - it has the love story and is full of light-hearted adventure - but it would require a few more assurances. The main character would have to be of genuine middle-eastern descent and posess the same flair as the game's lead; someone we've never seen before and not the heart-throb of the week. It would also require excellent special effects work - there is no way this movie could capture audiences without the sky-scraping palace, menacing sand zombies and the Prince's gravity-defying stunts. Apparently the Prince will also be in a new adventure in time for Christmas; I can already feel my list changing shape.

I'd like to add some final thoughts on The Sands of Time if I can manage, because after witnessing the ending I'm having a hard time of it. As I was approaching the culmination of the adventure, I was faced with extremely tedious battles where I would be swarmed by sand zombies in close quarters and they would use their creative curb-stomping tactics. This prompted a few controller lobs on my part (just ask The Wife), especially when Farah reached the ultimate pinnacle of uselessness in the Elevator sequence. And I must admit the final battle with the sand zombies and the Vizier were kind of anti-climactic - they weren't that challenging. Despite the difficulty in combat being a little inconsistent, it still makes for an excellent experience overall, because with the Prince's catalogue of attacks and rebounds you can at least make combat interesting to watch. The final exchange between Farah and the Prince made me believe I was witnessing the end of a fantastic film, and one of the year's best games.

The soundtrack cannot be left unmentioned; it is a marvel unto itself. Chatwood's influences from the Edges of Twilight/Alhambra era are clear, and skillfully provide a great backdrop to the story. I'm still trying to get a bead on how to acquire the thing; Game Music is no help in that department. From looking at the official messageboards it's clear the fans demand it. I think it would be a smart move for UbiSoft, especially with the likes of the XIII soundtrack doing so well.

I've been having some problems with SecuRom and KotOR lately, which prompted an uninstall of the game (after backing up my savegames, of course). For some reason SecuRom finds it amusing to check my CD-RW drive every 5 seconds whether or not I'm playing the game, and now I can't write CDs. It doesn't matter; most of the time spent on this computer lately has been in the world of Divine Divinity, something any fan of action RPGs must play if you can find it.

the thrill of the massacre's over

impressions: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles

Crystal Chronicles is a game that most gamers were watching with great interest, whether they wanted to play it or not. Since jumping ship to create Final Fantasy games for the Playstation, Square has been reluctant to develop for Nintendo's home console. And Crystal Chronicles was to be a very large undertaking, with its departure from the traditional turn-based combat system, asking players to make a significant investment for the controls, and all the while promising an engaging multiplayer adventure. And with many reviewers crying foul after seeing their own hype backfiring in their face, is the game actually worth playing?

I'm going to delay delivering my assessment to recount a bit of an anecdote surrounding recent Valentimes [sic] Day. That's when we picked up our reserved copy of Crystal Chronicles, you see. Ever since The Wife gained access to my GBA after I moved in, she occasionally played Metroid Fusion or WarioWare. She became interested in the idea of actually owning her own, and with Crystal Chronicles on the way I happily obliged knowing the multiplayer requirements. What better way to celebrate Valentimes [sic] Day, than with a Fire Red GBA-SP and Crystal Chronicles?

After connecting our respective Gameboys and starting a multiplayer adventure, I figured it would all be fairly straightforward, because seriously, who reads the instruction manual any more? Console games are usually self-revealing. After a solid half-hour getting used to the GBA/GC interface controls, we were on our way. Crystal Chronicles features some of the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen in a game. Leave it to the Gamecube, though, because that's exactly what I said about Metroid Prime. The Game Designers Studio has managed to convince me once again why I own this console. The music, put simply, is moving. I was emotionally stirred after viewing the opening movie, which served as ample introduction to the adventure to come.

During the first half hour of actual play I was absolutely livid, because I was almost certain that I had a terrible game on my hands. The controls felt awkward, the action lists were too complicated to modify while under attack, and the Crystal Chalice did not make me feel like we were in control of the action. But after our first boss battle I realized the truth. Wielding devastating spell combo attacks, coordinating our healing efforts and eventually killing the first boss monster brought me back to the days of Diablo, where only a coordinated assault guarantees victory. The Multiplayer adventure is where this game's design really shines, and should be the only reason you purchase this game.

I know exactly why reviewers had such a hard time with Crystal Chronicles. It forces you to stick together, share inventory items and spells and explicitly binds you by teamwork. What these people failed to understand – and Tycho nailed on the head – is that the game isn't meant to be convenient. Teamwork is an essential – nay, mandatory - component of gameplay. If you're expecting to breeze through it on single player and enjoy the same experience, you're absolutely wrong. You need to play this with other people; to fully understand the concepts behind the game it is essential. The single player option was thrown in so that players wouldn't feel obligated to buy a GBA, and is completely devoid of excitement. So you get a moogle companion to carry the Chalice - big deal. The game becomes little more than a more polished version of something like Dark Alliance.

Inventory management is completely discrete – it's all contained on the many pages of information accessed on the GBA. There's no need to pause the whole game just so someone can put on their Ruby Earrings. Randomized map, treasure, and enemy radars forces communication between players, as does the mandatory carrying of the Crystal Chalice. The game took a lot of flak for the Chalice concept, but I didn't find it annoying at all. In fact I found that whoever had the map was the best person to carry it, and even if you're attacked you automatically drop it.

The game may not share the turn-based combat of previous Final Fantasy games, but the environment and characters are saturated with it. The real-time combat is one of the main things that turned players away from this game; it didn't "feel" like a Final Fantasy adventure. I would love for more Final Fantasy games to share this visual style, though. I am more at home with the soft looking, child-like characters of FFTA and FFCC than the androgynized brooding male leads of recent Final Fantasy games. It's getting ridiculous, and I think having these characters present in Crystal Chronicles helps evoke the atmosphere of innocence and wonder, instead of making you feel uncomfortable playing a male who spends as much time in front of the mirror as his female counterpart.

I found the GBA-GCN connector cable was a little flaky at times, as we had to restart our GBAs more than once during play because they would freeze up. Luckily this wouldn't affect the game, though – Crystal Chronicles just waits to reconnect with the GBA. Unfortunately if you're in the middle of a boss battle and all players are resetting their GBAs you'll probably die before the link is restored.

After every dungeon you return to the world map and have the option to save your progress. There aren't many spots where it autosaves, so rather than making dangerous assumptions that it might save after a pivotal cutscene you're better off saving right off the main map. As many of the critics have noted, you lose your spells and magical abilities every time you leave a dungeon, only having to re-collect spell spheres when you enter a new one. You also must go right through to the end – there's no clearing an area, exiting and saving like we tried. Once you beat the area's boss then it's safe to save your progress and move on. There are multiple slots that will store different characters, so theoretically you could jump into an existing multiplayer adventure with newly created characters. As an added bonus, you can bring your memory card and GBA over to a friend's place and load up your existing character for an adventure.

Crystal Chronicles is not a conventional console game. It marks Square's triumphant return to Nintendo's home console lineup, and reminds us that going online is not necessarily the solution for a truly captivating multiplayer experience. I wouldn't call the game's execution perfect; the story is a loosely bound explanation for leaving your home village, and the mysterious miasma enveloping the land is not beyond reproach as the sole reason for the party to stay together (why not because they like each other?). You may still be thinking to yourself that this is a clever marketing strategy to get people to spend more money on Nintendo products, and in some respects you might be right. But I honestly can't see this game working in any other fashion. The combination of beautiful visuals, a superb soundtrack, and completely practical control scheme make me think that it was worth the wait. Maybe it's not a spectacular RPG, but it will at least be remembered for its willingness to see past the perceived boundaries of multiplayer console gaming.

the sands of time

Free time is definitely at a premium this time of year, but I somehow managed to scrape out a weekend of gaming. There's something about braving the malls on a Saturday afternoon that completely saps the lifeforce out of me. Pleading guilty by reason of near-insanity, we headed to the local video shop where I rented Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for the Gamecube. I am well aware that is available for the PC, and believe me when I walked away with my rental copy I felt like a cheap whore. But as always the Xmas season tends to put a moratorium on self-shopping (and a huge dent in your savings account) so I'll take what I can get.

But enough about real life™, I absolutely must talk about Prince of Persia. The Prince of Persia lineage began as a low-tech side-scrolling adventure that was inhumanly difficult at some points. When Prince of Persia 3D came out in 1999, there was a huge ad campaign announcing its arrival that was a bit out of touch, but old fans welcomed it with open arms regardless. Then came the reviews, which brushed it aside as being another 3rd person actioner not worthy of the franchise. Luckily I tried the demo first, where I was disappointed with the poor controls and lackluster graphics, and thus promptly uninstalled that steaming pile.

Enter the latter half of 2003 and the release of The Sands of Time for all platforms. I think for the first 10 minutes of playing, I could only utter expletives for fear of letting my lower jaw fall off from inactivity. The graphics - although on a TV - look astounding; the world of medieval Persia was created lovingly by the wizards at UbiSoft Montreal. That's the same people who made Splinter Cell, for those that are keeping track.

The first time I entered combat, my hands flew over the controls as the Prince avoided the deadly slash of an opponent's weapon by running up their body, ending in a perfectly executed flip and return slash to the lower back. To the best of my knowledge this game does not come with safety goggles; my eyes were almost removed from my head. The acrobatics that the PoP games became known for - even in its two dimensional state - are here in full swing (ahem), with the Prince's fluid movements permeating every part of this game. Does it even matter that all you're given to defend yourself is a Scimitar and a mystical dagger? Not in my humble opinion.

Ah yes. The dagger. The magical time-altering dagger that you find in one of the greatest opening levels of a game. A tutorial cleverly disguised as an archeological adventure that feels as much like an Indiana Jones game. Once you get the dagger you gain the ability to control time. At first I thought that this was no different than getting multiple lives. If you can replay the last 10 seconds that caused your early demise, what makes this any more unique than putting another avatar before that perilous chasm? But this game is littered with traps and obstacles that require crackerjack timing, and some you will never get on the first try. You are now able to rewind to that split second, the one where the whirling blade probably should have severed your right leg but they didn't exactly code limb removal, so it just kind of kills you. It's an important asset to have, but not as important as the sand that powers it.

The story is quite simple: you are a young prince thirsty for glory, and see the ancient dagger as the ultimate prize to honour your father. But when stealing the dagger sets in motion a chain of events that results in the general populous turning into bloodthristy undead, well you've suddenly got a few problems. Naturally revenge is the order of the day - revenge on the treacherous sorcerer that is most likely the ultimate cause of the darkness that has befallen the land. The sand you need for your dagger is held within these walking dead, like the glow you saw when David Lo Pan got pissed. Knocking them down will do you no good, you've got to stab them with your magical dagger, sapping the lifeforce held within the remaining cloud. Kind of like Soul Reaver, except the game never gets boring.

I could easily go on about the wall running, the gymnastics, and amazingly elegant combat techniques. But I think it's far too early to assess this game's operating parameters. Throwing around words like "perfect gaming experience" and "one of the year's best" can be dangerous when I haven't even finished the game. Seeing the combination of movements that can be performed by the Prince in simple combat, depending not on focus but on sheer mastery of buttons, it made me ask "What Enter the Matrix?" The latter game being incredibly sloppy and ill-produced in comparison.

Save points are not even close to being acceptable in games on any platform. Hardware is at a point where you should not have to rely on the whims of game developers to save your progress. Some games are exception to this rule, such as Metroid Prime, whose exquisite beauty quietly offsets the frustrations wrought by the lack of a save anywhere feature. The Sands of Time is also one of these games - saving at the designated points produces an onrush of "visions" that essentially shows you what lies ahead, including traps, monsters fought and even solutions to the many puzzles. After saving you "wake up" on the floor and continue, roused from your premonitions. This even makes it believable when you save, and then start playing again a few hours later, insignificant as it may sound.

Unfortunately, the game's few shortcomings lie in the AI. It is infuriatingly inconsistent. You will be fighting off multiple assailants with amazing combinations for one battle, while in another skirmish each enemy will wait their turn to have their asses handed to them. And thanks to that handy dagger there are very few situations where you're actually down for the count. The fatal step that left you vulnerable to the final cut from a zombie's axe can be replayed anew, where the outcome is victory.

The Gamecube reviews seem to be pretty lofty, but looking at all platforms everyone seems to be in agreement: this game has diverged from the classic rushed holiday title syndrome. I stand here a man convinced that a 3rd person console game can be fun, and I'm inclined to recommend The Sands of Time. I doubt you'd be disappointed by getting this game for your preferred platform.

overcome and completely silent now

Gamecube Impressions Part V: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

It's hard to take anything gamespy says seriously anymore, let alone read it at all. Their own arrogance and lazyness have made them irrelevant, and even though they're usually the first to review a new game I can't honestly name anyone who considers them a trusted source. Not like gamespot is any better, with their ads slapping you in the mouth every couple of minutes to make sure you know that what you're reading isn't free. But at least they don't pull any exclusive shit just so that people will visit their site every once in a while. In their latest efforts to shock gamers, a recent "Spy/Counterspy" alleged that Nintendo has lost their knack for originality by releasing slightly different versions of past titles. The case in point was obviously Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and seeing as how the game is all but placed on the pedestal of best of 2003, I'd hardly think that it's a result of Nintendo being comfortable. Moreover, the award of multiple Golden Joysticks to some of Nintendo's titles released this year shows that they still have the ability to create an engaging experience. In the business of games - especially consoles, where their typical audience has the attention span of a goldfish - you need to put out those types of titles to bring in new gamers that may have otherwise turned an eye away from your console. I would have hardly considered a Gamecube on the sole basis of say, Viewtiful Joe, but show me screens of F-Zero GX or Metroid Prime and I'm right up against the glass. It should also say something that during the Thanksgiving weekend south of the border, Nintendo has reached #1 in console sales. The reasons have been mentioned before, but again I am very happy for them.

As promised, I'm going to try and string together a few sentences to describe my experiences with Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The day we got it, both of us were grinning and wide eyed. It was a great looking game, it was colorful (a typical characteristic of Mario games), the controls were dead simple, and of course the tried and true Kart racing gameplay was all there. But this time, you get to bring a friend.

The addition of "co-pilots" for each kart was a great gameplay decision, because it opens up a cooperative approach to the Grand Prix. Victory can be shared by both people, even when one isn't that great of a driver, because they'll be the ones lobbing shells and banana peels at your opponents. Of course if you decide to play versus the AI or Human opponents, you'll have control over your accompanying character. You can throw either forward or backward, and although you can't see anything behind you (a rear view would have been nice) it's pretty obivous when someone is trying to overtake you.

The kart designs are fun and clearly represent their intended drivers. As with Mario Golf, character size has the most impact on Kart performance. The small characters will only be able to drive the light karts, which will accelerate faster but have a low top speed. At the opposite end, the big characters like Bowser and Wario will only be able to drive the heavy karts, which tend to go a lot faster but have poor acceleration. The game supplies some highly impressive visuals in this respect. All the characters are smooth looking and well animated, right down to the rear character shifting their weight when you make turns. There are more karts and characters that are unlockable through winning the Grand Prix on each difficulty level.

The power-ups shouldn't be unfamiliar to fans of the SNES original, however Double Dash gives each character their own special power up. My personal favorites, the Koopas, can carry three shells at once, providing extra ammunition to secure first place. The most entertaining is the Chomp Chain, which is Baby Mario/Baby Luigi's special ability. I remember seeing this thing in Link's Awakening. It's a giant, barking, sharp-toothed ball on a chain that spins out all opponents in front of you while giving an added boost by pulling your cart. Another great feature is the ability to "steal" powerups. If you bump into an opponent on the road, your partner will automatically reach out and steal any powerups they are carrying.

One thing I noticed while getting used to the controls is that I couldn't seem to press the “Jump” button that was so handy to get over barriers or take shortcuts in the SNES version. Quickly scanning the game manual I found that there isn't a jump button; you can't jump at all in Double Dash. After playing through all of the Championships numerous times, I can't really say that it's a necessary thing. But when some of the track shortcuts require a Mushroom boost for you to leap a chasm or risk falling to your doom, I begin to miss the ability to jump.

Battle mode is probably the most disappointing part of the game. Being weaned on the excellent SNES version, I was expecting larger, track-style arenas - not cage matches. The areas are too small and it's far too easy to win both the "Shine Thief" and "Balloon Battle" modes. Even the way the balloons are oriented - floating above each kart - are a pale imitation of the 16-bit predecessor, where they rotated around the bumper.

Completing all the main Championships at 100cc unlocks the Special Cup, which in my humble opinion is the best set of tracks in the game. Wario Colliseum, Dino Dino Jungle, Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road - the names smack of Nintendo's usual sillyness but I assure you their designs are ingenious, and shockingly similar to F-Zero GX's. Maybe it's just me playing too much F-Zero GX, but they definitely had the same feel. No track barriers, and an ample amount of corkscrews, powerslides and gravity-defying turns for your kart.

As I said before, the feeling I get after playing Double Dash can be compared to meeting up with an old friend and not having anything to talk about except the past. Yeah, those were good times, weren't they Mario? This is by no means a bad game; the level of quality and polish upon which Nintendo prides itself is clearly present. However beyond going through each Grand Prix there really isn't much to it. If you own a Gamecube, you can do no harm by purchasing Double Dash; even in comparison to other so called "kart racers" it stands apart.

Lucky for me, a friend that works at EB hooked me up with a copy of Double Dash with the Bonus Disc. I never really expected to get much from the disc; happily I was surprised at what was included. The Star Wars: Rebel Strike demo had a foot mission where you dodge lumbering AT-ATs on the plains of Hoth armed only with a blaster pistol, which was most likely the opening level of the game. I found myself wandering around aimlessly in the third person, asking myself "that's it?" repeatedly. Not exactly the way you get people to buy your game. The minigames included from Mario Party 5 were fun, and it would make a great investment for some fluffy multiplayer action. Sonic Heroes looks great; Sonic Team has successfully recreated the thrilling speeds that were first experienced in Sonic's first adventure on the Genesis. Controlling three characters at once and having to stop to use their special abilities makes the gameplay a bit choppy, though. But I was won over by the smooth camera panning when my three-person team separated at the bottom of a series separate loops to run around them individually. It's one of many slick effects, and aside from the awkward controls I'm pretty much sold on this game. The Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles movie made me want to weep. How could I have underestimated this game? Even The Wife approved. It's pretty obvious from recent posts that this is on my watch list for 2004, and could be next year's Wind Waker - the reason people buy a Gamecube. It's never too late.

straight over a cliff and into the sea

Gamecube Impressions Part IV: Metroid Prime

It's hard to collect my thoughts about this game. On one hand, I'm a devout PC gamer who believes that a FPS should be played with a keyboard and mouse. But as I've noted before I was proven very wrong in the case of Metroid Prime. And when I say wrong, I mean I had the fucking scales lifted from my eyes by Retro Studios.

Gamecube Impressions Part III: Soul Calibur II

According to industry analysts, console sales have peaked and it will all be downhill from here. I'm sure we will see many attempts by Sony, MSFT and Nintendo to get our Holiday dollar, so now is definitely a good time to buy. With announcements for the next generation of consoles to be flying around in 2004 you'll probably have at least a year's worth of play in it. In my opinion it was a very smart move for Nintendo to lower their prices in the Fall as kind of a "last gasp" attempt to move units before heading into the holiday season. I'm also willing to bet that the people that bought a 'cube on the sole basis of it being accessibly priced are quite happy with their purchase, myself included. Nintendo sent out a very glowing press release regarding their successes with the lowered Gamecube price: they managed to sell 254,000 units in October. That's quite a hefty number, but looking at it realistically these are most likely purchases made by people who already own a PS2, Xbox or PC and are just getting a second console. Still, it's good for Nintendo and any developers that were shying away from the platform. Some other figures were released this week regarding console software sales, adding support to my arguments about the success of the GBA. The #1 and 2 spots for the GBA were held by Super Mario Bros. 3 - a remake of a thirteen year old game! - and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. I should also note that Soul Calibur II continues to be a big seller for the Gamecube, which I plan on discussing today.

Gamecube Impressions Part II: Mario Golf - Toadstool Tour

Nintendo formally announced the unveiling of a new console next year in an attempt to bolster sales for the company (thanks to evil avatar for the link), but where and when this will be we still don't know. This isn't exactly news, as I noted a similar announcement back in August that was the definition of vague. At least now we know it will definitely be a new console, and most gamers are speculating that it will be a portable to combat Sony's PSP. Although the Gamecube is a fine console, it's pretty obvious that Nintendo is being kept afloat from sales of the GBA-SP regardless of the price drops (see the recent discussion). Until now they've been pretty comfortable in the handheld market so I'm looking forward to see what they have to offer. And much to many a Nintendo fan's disappointment we won't be seeing any unveilings at E3 2004.

Gamecube Impressions Part I: F-Zero GX

Thus begins a mini-series where I recount the two-and-a-half week romance with our new bundle of joy. The Gamecube is the last of its kind: a stand-alone, dedicated gaming console. I mean Nintendo never messed around with DVD movie playback, and why should they have? Any gamer's household will already have a dedicated player. Perhaps their choice to go with proprietary media may have been a hasty one, as it doesn't allow the flexibility for backwards-compatibility like PS2 owners have enjoyed, and Xbox owners will probably see in the future.

In recent months the Gamecube seems to be picking up steam and it's most certainly a result of the price reduction for the Fall. I mean at $99 US, who wouldn't pick one up as a second system, if only to have access to all of the fantastic Nintendo exclusives? They've even resumed production of new Gamecubes after a few months hiatus, which signifies at least another year left in the console's lifespan. I could hazard a guess that half of Nintendo's problem is their dearth of developers. I think they have set their standards and expectations too high and completely misjudged the market, especially after their bumbling around with the N64. I highly recommend this great interview with Nintendo of America Senior VP George Harrison that lays out what went wrong with their approach to selling the Gamecube and the future of Nintendo in North America. We can only wait and see if Nintendo has the market clout it thinks it has to keep the titles coming.