Tag Archives: Multiplayer

Extreme-G Review

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It’s time for a racing game that was particularly inspired. This game has aged extremely well from the soundtrack to the visuals to the overall gameplay. Every part of the game really went hard and was better than I expected. Definitely a title you will want to check out right away when you boot up the Switch Online again. The game may not have a lot of single player content but the multiplayer is all that you need.

So at its core the main trait for this game is that it’s a futuristic racer kind of like F-Zero. It’s the kind of game where you get to blaze a trail past all of your opponents and go all the way to the goal. The road is fairly narrow so expect a lot of battling until you break away from the pack. You have a machine gun with a ton of ammo but taking down an opponent’s full health bar is extremely tricky. It takes so many hits that it almost feels pointless to use the gun but it’s still fun to have.

There are a number of items in the game though and that’s where it taps into its inner Mario Kart here. You can hit opponents with different kinds of energy blasts, aerial weapons, etc. Turning is the toughest part so half the time I would just absorb the hit and keep on going. Slowing down to do a sharp turn didn’t really feel worth it. Of course I’m sure that there are more optimal ways to play since I just know the basics here. The point is that it’s a lot of fun. The gameplay is very fast and something is always happening. The pacing is extremely good here.

The levels all look good here as well. They are all different while keeping the future aesthetic. Then you have the soundtrack which in particular is a big highlight here. The tunes are all just so good that you are left super impressed. There are very few games on the Nintendo 64 that could hope to hold their own against this one. It’s really ahead of its time. The graphics are also good, perhaps not as impressive as the soundtrack though.

Like I said, there’s not a whole lot of content in single player mode. There’s only 3-4 tournaments to play through there and even in those, some of the levels are recycled. So most of your play time will definitely be in multiplayer mode which is definitely a lot of fun and doesn’t really have any issues. Of course it will help to have someone to play with but there is also an online vs mode thanks to the new online features which is another buff to the game. Everything really went in its favor this time so that definitely turned into the best case scenario.

There’s not a whole lot more to say about the game. It is rather basic after all and that’s part of the charm. I suppose one last tip I will leave you with is to use the boost. It’s a bit deceptive in that you may not even realize that there is a boost feature. You have to tilt the control stick down and then you activate the boost. You can use it 3 times per race and it is a real game changer. You move incredibly fast when using the boost to the point where it’s almost literally game breaking as you fall through walls and deal a ton of damage. It’s pretty fun though I gotta say and that made the game even more enjoyable. I like to spam them at the start to build up a good lead but you can make a good case for saving them for the final lap instead to prevent the computer from doing any rubberbanding.

Overall, Extreme-G is definitely a really fun racing game. It’s basic but the execution is just so good. A lot of modern games could learn from this one’s example. Of course it would be nice to have a true story mode and some other features but when you buy a racing game, the main selling point is the actual racing and there are no issues there. So you really need to play this one as soon as possible and see just why it is so good. It’s definitely a title that deserves some kind of modern comeback.

Overall 7/10

Wrecking Crew ’98 Review

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It’s time to look at a game that I didn’t even know existed until very recently. The game has an actual story and everything which was cool, although sadly Nintendo didn’t translate the text so we’re missing out on that quality dialogue. Ultimately the gameplay itself is interesting and reasonably fun but it does get hurt by the implementation. I can see why this game was not originally licensed.

The basic plot involves Mario heading back to the Mushroom Kingdom but Bowser has developed something far more sinister than his old Koopa Hotels. Now he has whole towers and is taking over with a lot of corrupt builders. Mario quickly switches out his classic M hat for a construction one and gets to work. Can he really tear these buildings down and defeat Bowser or is this a fool’s errand? There’s only one way to find out.

So the story is fun of course and the art style has aged well for the cutscenes. The graphics within the game are fun too and it’s why a colorful artstyle like this will often beat a more realistic look that gets dated way quicker. You could have a game look like this in 2024 and I wouldn’t bat an eye because it would still be a fun look. Meanwhile the soundtrack is reasonable enough. It doesn’t quite have the popping themes of the mainline Mario games but it works well enough.

Unfortunately the weakness here is the gameplay and as all gamers will know, it can be hard to get around that. Think of this like Tetris. Technically there is another game type that is even more similar but you have blocks raining down from the top of the screen. Your goal is to match sets of 3 or more of the same type. This allows you to summon block to the opponent’s side of the screen. You win by getting their blocks to go past the ceiling and you lose if the same thing happens to you. One main difference this game has compared to other games of the style is you can jump from row to row and use levers to move the blocks across different spaces. It’s an interesting addition but unfortunately it paves the way for the game’s downfall.

Put it this way, the game is just too easy. You can keep on moving the blocks and breaking them as fast as they come down. The opponent can do this as well so even when you’re landing big combos, nobody ends up dying. The first stage took over 20 minutes before the enemy finally gave in and that felt more like a fluke than anything. The difficulty of the game really needs to be ramped up because otherwise the matches are too long. I imagine it would be even worse with a player who really knows what he is doing.

Now, I’m sure I would still lose against an expert player who is able to chain such long combos together than they would exceed my speed of destroying boxes but the single player mode is almost unplayable. It is possible that I have missed something but it seems to be that the only way to really defeat your opponent is to dial in and risk the big combos but it also means that you run the risk of being defeated. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and so you are unlikely to keep on playing til the end.

There’s no real reason to do so when there are better versions of this game out there. Titles with a good sense of balance that let you progress a lot easier. Maybe the platforming elements are what doomed this one even if they made the title stand out more. It’s a shame but that’s just how it goes sometimes. It definitely keeps this game from having a whole lot of replay value.

Overall, At best I can say that with friends this game could be a little entertaining as everyone takes turns poking fun at the game. Look, I wouldn’t say that it’s downright bad either. There’s just no real reason to play it and that’s a really important factor. If you have the Switch Online then you may as well give it a try since the game is free but otherwise there’s no real reason to dive into this one.

Overall 5/10

Amazing Bomberman Review

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Bomberman is the next big icon to show up on the Apple Arcade. Unfortunately they didn’t give him the biggest effort here. The game really does the bare minimum and so ultimately I do think that it will be doomed to fade away rather quickly. This is really a game that is 90% focused on the online components with just some offline stuff. For example you can play an offline game with some bots but that’s it. There’s no set mission structure or anything like that. You can level up to unlock new parts which are called missions by doing a lot of different tasks but that’s the only time you will ever go to offline. Most tasks can be done online and are even easier that way.

So there’s no story or anything. When you jump in you will learn the basics and then jump into action. The controls are the classic Bomberman ones so it shouldn’t take long to master them. You walk around the map and drop off bombs that you want to hit the enemies with. You have to be careful as you can die to your own bomb though so there is a lot of strategy here. As you blow away enemies and objects you will pick up objects that increase your power, speed, and the number of bombs that you hold. They’re all pretty handy to be sure so you will want to keep that in mind at all times.

Now there is one part of the game that I will give some high praise and that is the soundtrack. We’re talking full lyrical pop songs that are actually pretty exciting and then some classic tunes as well. You unlock more music as you level up which is a fun bonus. It felt like the game really went above and beyond the call to action with this ost. It really overshadows the rest of the game which probably sounds like a massive diss to be honest but that’s just how it goes sometimes. The graphics are more on the okay side. They’re fine but don’t really stand out.

The gameplay is fun as always but I would say that it doesn’t work super well on the phone. It’s hard to come to a complete stop so you’ll get hit by bombs in moments where you know that you really shouldn’t have gotten tagged. That is always one of the most frustrating moments out there because there was just no reason for it. I know a controller could fix that but again, a mobile game should work well on the mobile right? I’d get more used to it the more I go though.

At the end of the day it’s still okay but the problem is there’s really no reason to play this one for long. I at least need some more single player content here. Multiplayer only/focused games can absolutely work like Fortnite but for every one that works there are probably at least 20 that don’t. This is one of those, Bomberman needs a story, it’s one of the things that he is known for. Without it, well he just doesn’t stand out quite as much.

Overall, This wasn’t my favorite title but it’s still worth checking out if you have the Arcade. I think right away you’ll see why it didn’t really work for me. It’s fun enough but just doesn’t have enough content to play around with which holds it back in a big way. Throwing in some missions or a proper story would have been great. As with any multiplayer mode you can probably buff up the enjoyment factor by 10 if you have any friends who play the game so you can hang out with them but that’s probably a longshot. I doubt this game has a very wide user base to be honest although I could be wrong. It just feels like there are too many rivals around at this point who would have probably gotten a bunch of users on their side already by now. That’s the beauty of the industry though, the amount of games that are around are basically endless.

Overall 5/10

F-Zero 99 Review

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Nintendo likes to keep you guessing with new titles appearing out of nowhere and so it was finally F-Zero’s turn. I’d been waiting a long while for this franchise to be revived although admittedly I didn’t picture it in this context. It’s a pretty fun title to be sure but at the same time it’s not exactly the next big thing. It’s worth a quick play. You’ll have some fun here but the limitations quickly start to show themselves as this game becomes repetitive very quickly. I don’t think it lends itself as well to the format as say Mario or Tetris does. Both of those were basically built for the genre!

When you start the game you have to play through 4 tutorial races which feels like a bit much to me because the gameplay isn’t exactly hard to grasp. You’re driving through the course and just have to watch out for the other racers. You do a race where it’s just you, then with 10 people, then with 50 people, and then with 100. So a bit excessive but maybe they really thought people would be a little unsure of what to do afterwards. I won’t fault them for it but I would have definitely lessened this.

Once you finish that there are 3 modes to play from here. Quick race, special race, and grand prix. Grand prix is only active at some points which is 3-5 races in a row against opponents and boosting up your score. The special race can cost you a flag and you get points too. For now I don’t see much incentive to play those instead of normal race but I wouldn’t be surprised if you unlock more collectibles that way. I ended up unlocking 2-3 through level ups but you can check the requirements for each collectible in the shop. Some are about boosting a lot, racing a lot, just playing a lot, etc. Getting all of them should take you a very long time. I saw one that doesn’t unlock until you reach level 90 which is serious stuff.

I do like the collectibles though because it gives you a reason to keep on playing past the initial hour or two. If these weren’t there then there would seriously be no incentive to keep on playing. At the end of the day it will be based on how much you like the gameplay but even then, it’s very limited so that can’t be enough to keep you satisfied forever. Put it this way, there are around 5-6 courses right now. Sure they will probably add more as the game goes on but that means you will be playing on the same maps over and over again very quickly. In my brief time I already played on the same stage 4-5 times and I didn’t play all that long.

Also with the pure craziness of 100 racers on screen at the same time, you can expect a whole lot of bumping and shoving so you are very rarely able to race without interruption. It is fun at first of course since that’s the whole novelty factor but very quickly you will be wishing that you could just race and have fun on your own. That feeling of getting past everyone and just having the skies to yourself? Not going to happen for any period of time in this game since all of the cars are the same speed. Even if you make it to first temporarily, someone will get a super boost and speed away on the road above you.

Your skill is still rewarded of course as saving time around the corners and maximizing your boosts is crucial. You can expect RNG to hurt you sometimes but not enough where it matters. I was averaging spots in the top 40 and I imagine experienced F Zero players will probably be able to reach top 20 consistently. It’s all about learning the ins and outs of the game after all. The controls may be simple to learn but mastering them will be another story.

I am curious to see how long this game lasts. I can’t picture it having the huge success of titles like Fortnite or Among Us but hopefully it does well enough for Nintendo to keep on going for a while. Then we can get the AAA F-Zero game that I’ve been waiting for. So I’m rooting for this title even if I probably won’t be lasting too long on this one. It’s a fun game and the graphics are nice and retro. If I was more hooked on the gameplay then I’d probably be all in but I feel like the most addicting gameplay styles come in later on. For example picture Booksquirm 99 from Mario Party? That would be so much fun.

Overall, F-Zero 99 is a fun game and it’s cool that Nintendo just suddenly dropped it on everyone. That said, I still want a true F-Zero sequel to replace the old one so this better not take that place. There’s so much you could do with a futuristic racer like this after all and I need to see the end result of that. Jump into F-Zero 99 while you can because these 99 games tend to just vanish after a while. If you have the Switch Online there’s no reason not to jump into this free adventure.

Overall 6/10

Knockout City Review

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Knockout City is one of those free to play games that looks like a lot of fun but I wouldn’t say that it was marketed too heavily. It was certainly possible to just end up missing out on it. Well, I got to play it and it’s quite a bit of fun. Its main weakness is that it does rely on a team format meaning you can only do as well as your teammates. That is sure to get a little dicey for a while unless you can find a squad to join up with but it’s a solid all around title.

The games really follow the ole Dodgeball rules. It’s not instant elimination when you’re hit though and instead you respawn somewhere on the map. A typical match is a 3 vs 3 battle and the first team to 10 points wins. Getting hit by a car or falling off of the map will award the other team a point as well so you really have to stay vigilant at all times. Otherwise you could wind up giving the other team some instant points.

The controls are fairly easy to get the hang of. You can shoot the ball, pass, jump, double jump, and glide. The most important mechanic of course is catching a ball when someone throws it at you. You don’t actually knock them out by doing that but you prevent them from taking any points and can then fire your ball back at them right away. A good defense is a good offense right? This is the best chance to put that into practice and really dish out the damage. It take a little practice but before long you should be able to pull this off without too many issues.

There are different balls which all have different abilities so you’ll want to keep an eye out for them. The level has a little info section about the ball so you always have a heads up though. There’s only one kind of gimmick ball per level so you won’t be seeing a ton of them just show up. That said, it’s hard to beat the classic ball since it just feels really good when you’re able to secure the win there.

There are other modes too like a super hero one where everyone has powers and a 2 v 2 v 2 mode. Unfortunately there is no free for all or survival kind of mode. It would be nice to have at least one mode where you were on your own and I think the game should look into getting that mode available right away. There’s a whole lot of potential there right out of the gate and not using it just feels like a pretty big mistake.

So the game is fun but here are my brief issues with it. I already went into the lack of a solo mode. The other one is that the wait between matches can feel a little long. The announcer is trying to be very engaging with how he yells between the rounds but it’s more on the grating side. I would say you don’t need an announcer here and the game could just use that time in silence or putting you in a practice field like what Fortnite does. It would make the matches a little more seamless.

I also think the game could show where the dodgeballs are a little better. Sometimes it feels like you’re running around for a while trying to find them and I suspect this was not intentional. It just doesn’t seem to me like the game would want to make it hard for you to find the Dodgeballs so I suspect this wasn’t intentional. Perhaps there is a way to locate them easier and the game’s tutorial just didn’t cover it. That’s certainly possible so I don’t want to rule it out.

The graphics are solid here. They may not be cutting edge or anything as this is still a free to play game but it does well enough for itself. You should have a good time here. Then there is the soundtrack which is more on the forgettable side. You’re here for the gameplay either way though and that’s where the title excels. It does well with the Dodgeball mechanics and now we really know that the sport is possible to make into a video game. I’m surprised more titles don’t adapt this sport. I feel like there is a lot of potential here.

There’s naturally a ton of replay value as this game should go on for many years. You’ll have different modes popping in and out, new items, outfits, etc. As you progress through the levels you’ll unlock more things as well and one of the main advantages of a game like this is that the content never has to end. So if you like Dodgeball then this is a solid one to check out.

Overall, Knockout City does well in what it’s trying to accomplish. I had fun playing some rounds here and there. Ultimately it’s not quite as good as the big free to play title on the market in Fortnite though so it will be hard for this one to break out. It may end up getting a strong core fanbase but ultimately you need a lot of people if you want to become the next big thing and I’m not convinced that this one will make it in the long run. Guess we’ll see how it plays out.

Overall 7/10

Toejam & Earl Back in The Groove Review

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It’s time to look at a sequel to a game that came out quite a long time ago. I know the name of Toe Jam & Earl because of how crazy a title that sounds. Beyond that I can’t say that I know almost anything else about the franchise. You don’t really need to know much else though because the plot isn’t all that expansive. It doesn’t seem to matter whether or not you played the other games as you’ll quickly understand what is happening anyway. The gameplay is definitely pretty unique, I wouldn’t say that it’s all that good, but I suppose I can see the appeal if you’re playing with friends or something.

The basic plot of the game is that Jam and Earl are on a spaceship with the two heroines. They’re ready to finally head back to Earth, but by mistake they press the black hole button and end up sending themselves and the planet into another dimension. They must now recover all of their rocket parts in order to head back home, but that will not be an easy ordeal. No, if anything it may just be the hardest thing they’ve ever had to do, but the toughest choices require the strongest wills. They will have to be careful as the humans would like nothing better than to destroy the aliens who messed up Earth.

Now I’ll describe the gameplay so follow along as best you can. The game starts you off on a level with an overhead view. On the level you have a bunch of interact-able objects which include humans, demons, creatures, bushes, trees, houses, phones, etc. To get off of the level and onto the next one you have to hop in an elevator. It will take you to the next level. Also, keep in mind that the levels are used much like in the real world so by “Level 2” I’m saying that you are one floor higher. The game has 25 levels and the goal is to reach the end while obtaining 10 rocket parts. If you don’t have the 10 rocket parts by the time you reach the top then you have to go back down to find them. To get back to an earlier level just keep jumping off the level and one by one you’ll get down. You can also take an evil elevator to go down by one, but that’ll hurt your health a lot. Keep in mind that villains can also knock you back down floors so then you have to run to the elevators again.

The levels each have a map which automatically appears when you start, but it is all covered in fog until you move around. Every square of the map that you explore will give you 50 XP. When you level up you randomly get an increase to 3 of your stats from the local wiseman. These stats include speed, (Easily the most important stat) health, luck, present skill, and a few others. You get 300 XP every time you open a present, but they are always risky. One present is a bomb that will cause you to instantly lose a life. Another one is a thunder cloud that will follow you around for a long period of time until you lose a life, etc. Others are good as they give you a speed boost or some health back.

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the gameplay mechanics. It’s a lot easier to understand once you’re actually playing compared to when you hear about it. Basically the goal is to go through all of these levels and dodge the enemies. You can’t fight back except for when you have certain items so really it’s like a stealth game. Just dodge everyone and try not to get hit. Problem is that you’re slower than just about all of the enemies so you need to always be prepared to jump into the water to avoid them. Don’t drown though as your air meter goes down real quick.

There’s not a whole lot to do here though which is the big issue for the game. As I mentioned there are 25 levels, but that’s it. Some levels can take you seconds to beat while others are significantly longer. I managed to beat all of the levels in what’s considered the tutorial arrangement, made it to 13 in Fixed Mode and 15 in Random. Still, even as the names switch it is the same levels each time. It has the feel of an arcade game as you just play it over and over to get a high score. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the game feels a lot more like a free to play than a modern PS4 title that you would pay for. You can potentially finish this game in around an hour.

There’s no real replay value unless you really love the gameplay style. Your progress is always deleted once you get a game over so aside from remembering your level or how quickly you beat them all there isn’t even a record to try and break. That’s one of the things you would at least expect to have when you’re playing the same campaign over and over. After the opening cinematic the plot is also over so you won’t see anything else until you beat the game. You also won’t see the ending unless you beat the game in Fixed or Random mode. Basically, it would be fair to say that the game doesn’t really have a story.

Based on the trophies it does seem like the game is mostly geared for multiplayer though. You can play the levels online which allows randoms to join your game. That should make the levels a lot easier to beat even if it will make things more chaotic. I wonder how the screens would work there like if the 4 players have to stay on the same level or if you can divide and conquer. I’m sure that would add a little more flavor to the game, but multiplayer can theoretically do that with any game.

I think at the very least there are 3 main improvements I would have the game do to really make a difference. One it to get rid of the auto death from the presents. The presents shouldn’t have the risk of destroying you in one hit for using them. Why make the presents that risky? It’s very hard to live without them especially since they are your main source of XP, but completely dying from one seems unfair. (Yeah, I died from one…) Another part that is lacking a bit is the constant loading screens. This may be unavoidable depending on the budget, but every time you go inside the elevator you have to sit through a long loading screen as the elevator goes up and the hero makes some snarky comments about it. These are unskippable and while they aren’t quite Sonic 2006 level, they happen a lot more frequently. Put it this way, every playthrough you are guaranteed at least 25 loading screens minimum. That’s a bit much. For number 3, I would add actual save points. I don’t think dying should erase all of your progress. I understand that this is a game decision though, but it’s one that I would have changed.

As far as the graphics go, they look like the online computer games you would play as McAfee. (Probably spelled a little different) You could easily see these kind of graphics in online computer games form 10-15 years ago and definitely can’t compete with modern ones. To an extent the graphics are likely intentionally old to mirror the retro style the game is going for though. It’s extremely undetailed and looks more like a NES game than a PS4 title, but as an artistic choice it’s not terrible. It won’t take you out of the game or anything. The soundtrack is pretty limited, but the tunes aren’t bad. It definitely gives you the feel of the game right away.

Overall, Toe Jam & Earl is definitely a unique game as I mentioned. The name is still a little hard to actually say with a straight face so I’ll mostly be sticking to calling it Jam & Earl IRL. It feels more like an experience game or one of those really old arcade style titles but without the high scores. The gameplay is fun enough, but there wasn’t a lot of incentive to keep going. At least it’s not really my cup of tea but if you want a shot of nostalgia and grew up with the series then I’m sure you’ll like it. While there isn’t a whole lot of content the game can still last you for quite a long while if you just keep replaying it a lot. I’d sooner recommend Asdivine Hearts and Owlboy though. I’ll wait for the next re imagining of Jam & Earl to see if this franchise can really make its mark on the industry.

Overall 5/10

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Review

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It’s time to take a look at the Crystal Chronicles. Final Fantasy has had a lot of different game lines over the years and they all seem to perform fairly well. You’ve got Tactics, Chocobo, Crystal Chronicles, The Rhythym music games, and the main line. By completing this game I have finally been introduced to another segment of the series but it certainly pales in comparison to the classic style.

There isn’t much of a plot in this game but I’ll give you the general premise. You start out by picking what kind of job you want to have and in turn what kind of creature you are. After that you travel with a little circus troupe as you purify the world of Miasma. To do this you must go to each area and take a drop from the Legendary tree. You get to the tree automatically by clearing the level and beating the boss. Eventually you will be able to reach the final stage where you must successfully defeat numerous phases of a final boss until you save the world. There are a bunch of subplots and lore that you will run across over the course of the game as you meet with new people. It’s luck based on when you encounter them so just keep running back and forth in the overworld until this happens. One such plot is a black knight who is going around beating people up. From what I could gather, the big boss known as Raem has been eating his memories which is making him go crazy. There’s also a mysterious little fellow who is always lying and stealing whenever he is around. Most of this is filler as you can guess. You never even get to fight the Black Knight even though he is mentioned and hyped up quite a lot.

The gameplay is that of a 3D action title. You hit opponents with your sword/staff or fire off some magic bolts at them in real time. This also means that you can dodge their counter attacks. By all accounts this should be a real good decision on the game’s part since who doesn’t like fighting in real time? Well, it is good but not all that great. Your hits never feel like they have a lot of weight behind them. It’s a more limited version of the .Hack style. Still, it works well enough in the game and nothing is more satisfying than walking into a room with a bunch of enemies and still managing to pick them all off. Divide and Conquer is crucial here.

I think what really hurts this game at times is how much the multiplayer aspect of the game is stressed. You’re meant to play this with a few others as everyone takes a different occupation and you go through the world. You can do this on your own but then it’s like playing the game 4 times over. You also better make sure your allies are as strong as you since the game stacks the difficulty up accordingly for each player. I played solo and can assure you that it took a lot of grinding to get through the final boss. I had to bear virtually every level twice and a few levels for a 3rd time before I finally got strong enough win. Part of the reason why it takes so long is because it doesn’t go by a traditional level up system like most Final Fantasy titles. Instead you obtain artifacts at the end of each level and you choose which one to keep. This will give you a +1,+3 for one specific stat. There are 3 stats in the game, Attack, Defense, and Magic. Alternately sometimes you can choose to get another heart or another command slot which is essentially a quick select for spells and Phoenix Downs. I highly recommend the latter 2 so unless it’s vs a +5 or something then it’s the best bet. You can’t get any artifact twice so only replay each level a few times. Eventually there will be no artifacts left so you’ll be wasting your time. You only get a new memory from each area once every 3 years so you could replay it for equipment, but it’s usually best to do both in one shot so switch up the areas as best you can.

Also, the equipment is very important here aside from the artifacts so try to get yourself a master class weapon and at least a Mythril level Defense & Belt. That’s like getting multiple upgrades so it will save you a lot of time. Getting to the final boss only took around 10 hours, but it took around 5 more hours to get to a level where I could beat him. As it so happens with many RPG games like this one, by the time I grinded high enough to beat him it seems like I went overboard so I didn’t even have to use any of my Phoenix Downs. I ended with about 20 extra, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry right? The bosses can be tricky so you just want to figure out what the best approach is. The game isn’t very straight forward so sometimes it will be handy to look online to see what you need to do. For example you need to use Cure on the memories in the final level to unlock your super attacks and the minions only respawn in the second last phase if you beat both so just take down one of them. Be warned in the final phase that you can accidentally heal the boss with your cures so definitely try to avoid that.

I dare say that the game’s biggest weakness here is the plot. You can make a case for the terrible level up system as well of course, but you really expect a dynamic plot from Final Fantasy. Sure, we get little cutscenes before each level as a narrator talks about how great the places used to be, but it’s just all very dull and boring. The actual characters have no personality and everyone is just going through the motions. There is never a sense of danger at all and the game simply isn’t cinematic, but at the same time it isn’t colorful like a Nintendo game either. It’s like playing a game full of exposition with nothing ever coming out of it. If you look really hard at the mini cutscenes and optional side quests then sure you’ll probably understand the lore, but there’s still nothing epic about it. I want a real plot, whether it be a slice of life one like in Sword Art Online or an end of the world adventure like Sonic The Hedgehog 2006. At least give me something.

There is a good amount of content here so I can’t really critique the game on that aspect. You can keep playing this game for a very long time if you want to get all of the artifacts. Especially since you won’t know what the level’s mission is until you beat it and that affects which artifacts you get. If you want to see the mission then you need to get your GBA ready and connect to the game. Again, they put too much of an emphasis on this connection part if you ask me. If the game had decided to be a little more self contained then I really think that it would have ended up being a whole lot better. Instead it just limits itself. I can’t see myself going back to the game for any of this, but if you really enjoyed the experience then go for it.

The graphics aren’t very good, but it’s mainly because of the artistic direction that the game went in than with the actual effort. The character designs are on the chibi design and none of the creatures look particularly threatening aside from the final boss. At least that guy seems pretty intense and it’s a monster design that is memorable. Unfortunately the soundtrack isn’t particularly good either. I can’t think of a single good theme in the game and that’s really a bad sign. Final Fantasy is known for its stellar soundtracks so I was actually rather surprised that this one didn’t hold up so well.

Overall, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles really wasn’t for me. The gameplay isn’t bad, but I did have an issue with the level up system and the sheer amount of grinding to beat the game. I’m not usually opposed to grinding, but when your upgrades depend on luck and the game doesn’t tell you much then it can be rather annoying. It becomes a bit of a chore to play the game once you enter the end game as even the old levels get buffed to the point where the enemies are stronger than the ones in the final dungeon. Throw in the fact that the plot was so weak and there isn’t much reason to play this RPG. If you want a good action game then check out Legend of Zelda. If you want a big plot experience then play a main Final Fantasy title. There’s just no room for the Crystal Chronicles and I’m hoping that the Wii game is a little more fun.

Overall 5/10

Family Party 30 Great Games Outdoor Fun Review

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It’s been a while, but it looks like it’s time to try out another Wii party game. I really went on a rampage buying a ton of these a while back, but they’re finally almost at an end. I have to admit that I’m going to miss these Wii games ever so slightly, but at the same time it will be fun to have them all gone for good. This one is certainly of a higher quality than some of the others like Deca Sports and the 30 games are actually mostly unique. I have to give the game some credit there and the A.I. is tough although not always very balanced.

See, some games are very easy because the A.I. can’t play for beans and then they’re overpowered in others. It’s always hard to know one way or the other at first if you’re going to be in for a really close fight or if you won’t even have to try that hard. It is good that it’s not a cake walk though and you should be able to win pretty much all of the games by the end. Some of them just take 2 tries tor eally understand how to play since the controls and instructions aren’t always clear. They’re certainly not quite as on point as the Mario Party controls, but few games are.

The main campaign mode divides the 30 mini games into groups of 5. You start with only 4 unlocked for the first three worlds so you have to beat them to unlock the 5th minigame for each world. Beat all of them again to unlock the 4th world. There are 6 worlds and since you have to beat them all twice, it’s about 12 worlds of content. Of course, it can be a little tedious to have to win twice each time and if your score isn’t high enough, then your win isn’t even counted. Luckily that only happened to be once. It would be a bigger issue if it was something that happened more often for sure. I wouldn’t call this a very long game, but considering that you can get it for 3-4 dollars from Gamestop, it’s not a bad deal.

As I mentioned, this game has a decent level of quality to it so the games don’t start to copy each other with different colors like certain other sport games. There is really a nice variety here. I won’t mention all of the 30 games here, but I figure that it may be nice to list some of the good ones. This game has a Football minigame where you have to try and gain yards/score. The other three players try to stop you. It seems a little hard to do anything when the deck is stacked against you like that, but it is certainly fun. Another solid game has you control a spaceship and you have to blast your way to the finish. The side-scroller is handled well and it could easily be a real level in a game like that. It was certainly handled well. Track and Field/Marathon was fun as it tests your reflexes. There’s a memory game where you have to remember 10 really quick objects that pass through the screen and the tough part is that all 4 of you get turns at it. UFO is another similar one as you have to beam up people who have a certain description ahead of the other 3.

There are some other active competition type games like a platformer where you have to jump to the finish line. That one’s pretty fun and what adds to the tension is that you can push an opponent into the water. Another game has you hold on to the ground for dear life as it shakes, but an opponent might shove you away while you’re bracing yourself. Honestly, I’d say that at least half of the mini games, if not more than that are actually quite good. It was surprising to see. I don’t want to get crazy, but from a pure minigame perspective, I dare say that these may be better than Mario & Sonic, at least the first game. Naturally, this game lacks other things like the presentation and AAA value that the other title has, but when it comes to the pure mini games, it’s hard to get better than Family Party.

For replay value, you can try to beat your high scores or get more medals. It’s certainly not the most thrilling form of replay value, but it’s something and naturally there is also multiplayer that you can give a whirl. There’s certainly enough content for your dollar here so I don’t think that should be an issue for you. The graphics are all right. I am glad that the characters all got actual design and aren’t just the same kid with a different T shirt each time. Yes, I noticed that even if the game tried to hide the fact. The mini games all look pretty good and everything is on point. It’s not breathtaking or at the level of a AAA game, but it’s good enough. The music is also pretty fine. I like the main menu theme and the music that plays throughout is fairly calming. There’s nothing really wrong with it and I’ll take it over nothing. It’s probably free domain music.

Overall, This game was maybe a little better than I expected. The fact that the developers actually put some thought into this game definitely gets a thumbs up from me. I’m sure it was still reasonably cheap to make, but at least the games were actually fun. I definitely have to give them some well deserved praise there and this game got quite a few sequels and spinoffs/prequels so those may warrant a look as well. Realistically, I don’t see myself getting any of the other games in this series anytime soon, but you never know. You never want to count out anything since you just don’t know what the future will have in store. I’d recommend this game if you’re looking for a party title to check out, but for that you may as well get one of the Mario and Sonic Olympic titles right? That, or you could get Mario Party 4, the definitive party experience. (Yes, I’m not counting Super Smash Bros here!)

Overall 6/10

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Review

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The Star Wars marathon continues! The last game was exceptionally good and set the bar quite high. Unfortunately, this one is not able to quite reach the same level when it comes to the pure gameplay, but the exciting story and multiplayer turn the tables. There are some obvious problems with the gameplay that hold it back just a bit, but it overcomes those odds. While it could be more polished, the rough gameplay actually helps to make the multiplayer mode more interesting. Just press some buttons and hope for the best!

The game covers the events of the third movie. Anakin and Obi Wan continue to do their best to stop the Sith forces and all of the other villains who are around. The main problem is that the head of the Republic is also evil so the heroes have to watch out for threats from both sides and one of their ranks allows the pull of the Dark side to sway him. This game covers the birth of Darth Vader!

I have to say that playing this game again reminded me why Episode III is still the most epic and exciting Star Wars film to date. It may not be the best, but it does make sense why it would be the coolest. This was back in the days where there were many Jedi warriors and lightsaber battles were commonplace. The film had a bunch of awesome fight scenes within and the game adapts them all and then some. It’s something that all of the movies since have lacked and I’m hoping that Episode VIII gives us a bunch of hype battles. I could definitely get behind that and I’m expecting great things from it.

This game starts off rather slow, but quickly picks up once Anakin joins the dark side. Suddenly you’re fighting other Jedi warriors instead of mindless droids. This makes for more enjoyable battles and also an engaging plot. The banter between the characters is brilliant during the fights and you’ll actually like some of the characters more than you did in the film. One warrior who showed up and confidently took on Anakin is safely one of the cooler Jedi warriors. It was a quick moment, but one that separated her from the common masses who were all dying in an instant.

The game didn’t adapt the cool scene where Palpatine took down the 3 warriors though. I had to quickly watch that scene myself and saw a cool video explaining why the Jedi masters lost so quickly. It was simple, they lacked the speed needed to defeat Palpatine. Apparently that is his strongest skill and he can strike so fast that he barely appears at all. Mace was only able to hold his own because he used a forbidden technique that granted him the power of the Dark as well so it was definitely an interesting watch. Needless to say, despite the video hinting otherwise, I’d still take Anakin over them even at his current level.

There are 16 levels like in the other Star Wars game. In addition, there are 4-5 bonus levels and you can unlock Darth Vader for multiplayer mode. That will be your main source of replay value since fighting friends never gets old, but you can also go back to the levels and grab the secrets. Each level has secret health and Force power ups which permanently increase the size of each. I found a bunch of them by breaking things so I imagine that’s how you find them all. The campaign is only around 3 hours long, but couple it with these other factors and I’d say that the game has a fair length. It’s just a lot easier than the last game so it goes by a lot quicker.

The gameplay is purely about hand to hand combat. It may be more accurate to call it Lightsaber combat. You have standard slashes and power moves. There are also your Force abilities of course, which allow you to lift opponents, stun them, and even push them away. I didn’t properly learn how to use the force until the final 2 levels so I recommend trying to learn it a little sooner. Boss fights in this game are quite difficult as they will block or parry just about anything that you throw at them. Ironically, the final boss is easily the weakest one in the game as he refuses to block just about anything. For the others, I recommend whacking them a few times and then going off to heal. (Yes, you can heal yourself in this game) Then rinse and repeat until the job is done. You can usually run fast enough to get this strategy to work. Alternately, you can master the rock, paper, scissors gameplay, but it didn’t make much sense the whole time so I just reverted to classic button mashing. It’s never failed me before so I have always trusted this legendary technique. Your character will gain experience after each level and you can use it to improve your force abilities (Like healing. I highly recommend focusing on that one) and physical abilities. By the end of the game, your character will be close to being maxed out.

The graphics look quite good. The lightsabers really stand out the whole time and they did a good job with the blasts getting deflected off of the swords. It’s aged pretty well and I can definitely see why this game would be thought of as an older Force Unleashed. There are a lot of similarities to be found here and I look forward to trying that game out at some point. The soundtrack is just as good. It has all of the classic Star Wars themes that you may wish for and the battle themes are all intense. It’s definitely a rock solid game on a technical level.

Overall, Episode III may have gotten off to a rough start initially, but it really grows on you. I was sure that it would only be getting a 7 at first, but the plot really picked up and the gameplay is definitely a lot more fun when you’re fighting actual sword fighters. There is a lot less variety when it comes to the gameplay compared to the other title, but how can you not like a classic 3D sword-fighter styled gameplay? It never gets old and none of the levels are painfully long so that also helps a great deal. It’s the kind of gameplay where I also wouldn’t have pictured a multiplayer mode so it’s really cool that it was featured. The cast could be longer, but I guess we’ll save that for an official Star Wars fighting game. The series certainly has enough characters for it by now. I definitely recommend checking out this title. My Star Wars marathon will likely go on a brief break here since I’ll be getting some new games for Christmas, but it’ll be back at some point.

Overall 8/10

Deca Sports Review

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I’ve played a lot of Wii games and lately, most of them don’t seem to be that good. Luckily, this one’s a winner. Deca Sports may have only been a few dollars to purchase, but the 10 games inside of it are definitely very good. Trust me, I’ve played a lot of Wii Sport games and most of them suffer from bad controls. This game is not like the rest and may just be the best Wii Sports game out there. I dare say that it may even be better than Wii Sports…maybe. It’s a close battle between the two.

Let’s go through each of the 10 games. First we have a Snowboard game. I love the fact that a sports arrangement game has a better snowboarding game than a game called Wii Ski and Snowboard. A little ironic isn’t it? The Skiing minigame has you going at high speeds, which is already an improvement over the other title and it’s a blast. You have to outrace everyone else, which is self explanatory, but this game really set the collection off on a high note. The next game was Archery. This one was pretty fun and the gameplay was a little different compared to what you may expect. You have to accurately shoot an arrow across a large space and it’ll test how well you can hold the remote without shaking. Definitely a nice test and it felt rather fair.

Badminton was a little dicey. It’s really hard to aim your shots and spiking is also difficult, which can lead to some really long points. It’s just hard to do anything in this game and while Badminton should have been one of my favorite games, it was probably the worst one. Still not a bad minigame, but I do think that the mechanics were handled poorly this time. After that was Basketball, definitely a solid game. You have to try and score baskets, but the opponents won’t make it easy. The game is simple to pick up and play, but still feels like it has some depth to it, which makes for a very compelling minigame. This is another one to write home about folks!

Beach Volleyball is fairly solid. You have to rely on your partner a lot though due to the nature of the game, which can make the games stretch out a bit since the computer doesn’t like to get too aggressive. Still, the actual game is fairly fun. Curling is another game that I’m not crazy about. It’s not so much the gameplay as the actual game that I’ve never enjoyed all that much. This will automatically have to be one of the weaker ones if you ask me. At least this game is relaxing though.

Figure Skating is next on the list and it’s an all right minigame. You have to follow the motions and skate on the glowing circles. That’s simple enough and the game is easy to get into. It’s not as competitive as some of the others, but you can still try to get some high scores while playing. Soccer is a lot of fun as you would expect. Try to score your goals before the other team does! The physics are a lot like Basketball’s, which makes for another fun experience.

Kart Racing is certainly a dynamite minigame and you really get to test your limits as you drive through the stage. It’s a blast and another well done minigame to add to the collection. The array of games was really well picked for this title. Who’d have thought that you’d have Basketball, Karts, and Soccer? Finally, there was a Motorcycle event. That was another fun one although the controls were a little iffy this time. Your vehicle would move very quickly which was great, but it was super hard to turn, which made things a little iffy.

All in all, I couldn’t ask for a better roster of games than this! I played the League, which lets you try out each game once, but there is some extra replay value to be found here. You can play tournaments of just 1 game so that you can become the champion for each title. Alternately, you can also try to beat challenges for each game, which will make you a stronger player. The games themselves are actually a lot of fun and even more so if you have people to play them with. That’s ultimately what you’re looking for from a party game like this one.

I like the graphics for the title. Naturally, they are hardly groundbreaking and don’t test the limits of the Wii, but that’s fine. It’s still easy to identify everything that is happening on screen and that is certainly the important part right? The soundtrack is also very forgettable. That’s a little unfortunate as a good soundtrack can really make everything better. That being said, it does have a very inspirational song that plays on the main menu so that’s one good song. One is better than none after all and I also like the theme for looking at the records. I probably liked some other themes, but just forgot about them.

It’s no surprise that Deca Sports got some sequels. If they keep up this level of quality, then they are definitely games that I’ll keep an eye on. I’m sure that the price is very low so who knows…maybe you’ll see a review for those titles on the site someday! The sequels will be under a lot of pressure to be quite as good as this one though so it’ll be fun to see if they can live up to the hype or buckle beneath it.

Overall, Deca Sports is a title that everyone should have on the Wii. When you consider the extremely cheap price that the title goes for..it’s a steal! No matter who you are, I’m confident that you will enjoy at least 5 of these games. Most of the games are unique and a whole lot of fun to play. 10 good games is better than 30 iffy ones (Like certain other Wii Party games) and this game has withstood the test of time. Online play would be great for this game, but when a local party game is This good, it can stand on its own without such things. Hopefully the next Wii games that I play are as good, but it’s unlikely.

Overall 7/10