by GuruSharky

Scribblenauts

Platform: Nintendo DS

Genre: Puzzle

Publisher: Warner Brothers Entertainment

Developer: 5th Cell

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+

It’s rare that one would come across an idea as unique and original as Scribblenauts for the Nintendo DS. This is a game where your greatest asset is your imagination and clever creativity.  Scribblenauts is the critically acclaimed puzzle title created in part by Warner Brothers Entertainment. The protagonist, named Max, travels through various worlds where he solves intricate puzzles and helps citizens do their jobs. Max is armed with his trusty journal, which possesses god-like powers; everything the he writes in the journal magically comes to life.

I was excited while first plugging this game into my old and rusty DS Lite. First I was greeted by a bizarre headmaster type individual, who guided me through the game’s training stage. Here is where I became familiar with the game’s controls and the magic journal. In the training stage you are allowed free range to experiment with your newfound powers as much you like. Once I plowed through the ultra-simple training stage, I was only my way having mastered the game’s controls in a matter of minutes.

Scribblenauts contains 10 worlds, each with a different theme (city, mountain, safari, etc.). Each world contains 10 of both of the game’s mission types: Action and Puzzle. These can be toggled easily from the mission select screen. Completing the missions earns you money that you can use to unlock new worlds or buy costumes and extras.

Action Puzzles are my personal favorite. In this mode, the starite (which is basically the finish line of each course, acquired by completing each indicated challenge) is concealed somewhere on the stage, guarded by numerous obstacles. These obstacles include, but are not limited to: Sharks, brick walls, security guards and much more.

Once you select your action mission, the game will give you a quick pan around of the stage before returning to Max, at which point you are given free reign to do whatever you’d like to solve the puzzle. You are given an item par, signifying the recommended amount of items one would use to complete the course. If you go over the par, you lose points.

Action mode is a clever challenge, and required me to thoroughly investigate a level to complete it. Unfortunately, the mode wasn’t free of issues. Some of the stages were obscenely difficult, such as world 1-7, where you only task is to get past a tornado (in all seriousness, what trumps a tornado?). Difficulty levels sometimes jump without warning, but this doesn’t weaken the experience much. A larger frustration is repeating certain levels more times than necessary due to Max being killed by the game’s sloppy controls.

Puzzle mode is simpler in comparison to Action mode. In this mode, you are required to help the seemingly idiotic patrons of the Scribblenauts world complete mundane tasks. Some of these tasks include: help a firefighter to remember that he needs to use a hose to put out a fire, giving trick or treaters candy on Halloween (or in my case, killing them all with a dragon >:]), or having a snowball fight with the neighborhood kids. These tasks often take little or no effort to complete. Doing these missions can sometimes feel more of a chore than a game. They can serve as a good cool down from Action mode frustrations though. Although overly-simple, it works.

Scribblenauts’ biggest weakness is in its control scheme. Weak touch screen controls hamper Max’s claim to fame. In a game where the same command used to move objects also makes Max run, you will find yourself dying time and time again from a single wrong tap. Having your DS touch screen nicely collaborated is key to success. This is also a pain when you want to select commands on smaller objects lying on the floor or next to larger selectable objects. Scribblenauts definitely loses points in this category.

The camera is a second point of frustration. It remains fixed on Max, but can be moved using the D-Pad. The only issue with this is that it pans back to Max after a short period of time. This can be a pain, especially when you are trying to complete delicate tasks that are just too far away to be included in the camera’s default view.

The game’s strong point lies in the magic journal itself. Any object you can think of is available. Any object that appears in the game is also usable. The only exception is inappropriate material, religious material, and copyrighted material. Need to cross a canyon? Create a bridge or a catapult. Need to fly? Put on angel wings, pilot a plane, or ride a pterodactyl (my dream come true!). Seemingly infinite options makes solving the game’s puzzles a great experience. This motherload of potential solutions gives each of Scribblenauts’ 300 puzzles outstanding replay value. You will find yourself trying to complete each mission in the most outrageous ways. Or if you are bored, you can mess around with the journal on the main screen.

Scribblenauts has a very unique set of graphics, although they aren’t anything special. The characters and creatures look like cardboard puppets with brass tacks connecting their joints. The cartoonish environment looks like an online flash game, but lower quality. The music starts off upbeat, but gets repetitive fast. I found myself turning off the volume and plugging in my iPod.

The Good +:

+ Most imaginative and original gameplay I’ve seen in a long time.

+ Over 300 puzzles means countless hours of gameplay.

+ “Magic Journal” recognizes just about anything that comes to mind.

+ Outstanding Replay Value.

+ Action Challenges keep you coming back for more

The Bad -:

-  Sloppy Touch screen controls are a pain.

- Camera likes Max a little too much…

- Graphics are subpar and music is repetitive.

When push comes to shove, Scribblenauts is a good game. I recommend anyone to at least try it. If it isn’t your cup of tea then fine. Scribblenaut will likely not fit with the crowds of hardcore gamers. It’s a great game to play on the go, and can pass many hours enjoyably. Scribblenauts is a rare find that I am glad I picked up. I give it 7 pterodactyls out of 10.

7/10

For the most part, when we play our video games we tend to focus on the game itself. However, there is much going on behind the scenes of a game. For example, have you ever had to kill 100 enemies to unlock a special item or quest? During this endeavor you might find yourself asking “How does the game know that I have killed 100 enemies?” or “How come killing 100 enemies trigger this new effect?”

For a programmer such as myself, these questions are quite easy to answer and I am more than happy to share. To answer questions like these, you’d have to know that in programming almost everything is stored in “Variables”. There are many different types of variables and each store different data.

Integers store numbers like 1, 2, and 3.
Char store single letters like a, b, and c.
Strings store phrases like “I like Pie!”
and many more.

Now on the subject of killing 100 enemies for a quest, the programming of the game stores this in a variable that I am going to call “killCount”, and since it will be using whole numbers it will be and integer variable. When you start the game for the first time, the killCount variable is created and initialized as “0″, and from then on through out the game “1″ will be added to killCount whenever you defeat an enemy. But let’s say the person who gives you this quest needs you to kill 100 enemies disregarding the fact that you killed 50 enemies through out your adventure already. This is where another variable comes into effect, let’s call it “questCount”. Once you have accepted the quest, questCount will be be created and also initialized as “0″. Now both killCount and questCount will go up by “1″ whenever you defeat an enemy, and from there when talking to the quest person, they will know how many enemies you have killed for the quest by checking the questCount variable.

Although this process might seem simple, the world of programming is extremely complicated. Everything you do in a game needs to be programmed first. It’s the reason Mario jumps when you press the “A” button, same goes for shooting fireballs with the “B” button. Even then, the jumping of Mario itself needs to be programmed and so do the bouncing fire balls once you shoot them. Every single thing going on in the screen has some sort of programming to it.

Knowing more about the programming of games will help you do deeper into details about gaming in general. Take the fact that the Nintendo 64 used 64 megabytes of memory regularly. That’s right, 64 MB of RAM. 1 gigabyte flash drives are practically useless in this day and game. Imagine how hard it was to make a game when you had so much little space to store these variables among other things.

I hope this helps give you an idea of what is going on behind the scenes when you are playing a game. To know that you’re paying 50 bucks for a new game only to experience around 25% of the entire data burned into the CD it comes in, and that 75% of it are the engines, variable, and coding that piece everything together behind the scene… such knowledge can be quite useful.

Until next time fellow nHotSpot members, I will review the beloved Final Fantasy series as a whole!

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Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is going to take you for a ride…an unfairly cheap  one, but extremely fun nonetheless
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Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes  (Sega Dreamcast)

- A coin-stealer at the beginning of the new millennium. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is a Capcom-developed fighting game originally released in the Arcades and later ported to several home consoles. It is the only games of the series which worked in the NAOMI Arcade platform. After hearing thousands of comments about this game, you can say that I went to buy a Dreamcast solely for it. Well, almost. I actually bought the system recently for a number of reasons (I always wanted one when I was younger) and this game is one of them. Since the Dreamcast is based on the NAOMI platform, it is of no doubt that the best port of the game would be here, but,  it is really as great and mind-blowing as everyone proclaims it to be? There is only way to find out.

Story / Plot

- Fighting games aren`t usually remembered for their stories. They are usually completely ridiculous and uninteresting, resulting in them being totally ignored in favor of the actual fighting. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is no exception to this rule. From what I can understand, the story goes like this. There is a dark and mysterious entity called Abyss that has corrupted the atmosphere; absorbing part of it within a sphere. A pirate that goes by the name of Ruby Heart has discovered this evil energy and warned the characters from the Capcom and Marvel universe who were fighting amongst themselves. Now united, our favorite characters from both universes will have to battle their way to stop Abyss before the Earth (and the Universe I guess) is destroyed.

Nonsense I tell you. There is not enough background and unless you read the manual or check the Internet you probably won`t know and, most importantly, you probably won`t care either. Seriously, we all know is just an excuse to make us have “nerdgasm” with all our favorite characters beating each other. All in all, the story is just there.

Gameplay Features

- As you probably already know, MvC 2 is a fighting game. However, make no mistake; this is not a Street Fighter/Darkstalkers/King of Fighters kind of game. It does share some elements with the previously mentioned series though. The Versus series has usually prided itself on pure 2-D insanity, but MvC 2 is way over the top in that regard. For starters, you have to select three fighters from the available roster and the fights are one-on-one, but, with the possibility to call in one of the other choosen fighters on the fly to perform what is known as an Assist Attack, a Super Combo and some other nifty stuff. You can also change the current fighter with one of the off-screen ones on the fly, which is kind of cool an allows for a number of different strategies.

- Unlike the other games I mentioned before, MvC 2 doesn`t use the six-button, three strength system that has served all of those games. No, instead you will have to rely on 4 buttons (2 for punches and 2 for kicks) and the other 2 for your helper attacks. The three strength system is still in play, only difference is that you have to press the light punch/kick button twice for the character to perform a medium attack. The 2 helper buttons (which are known as Assist 1 and Assist 2) are used to call your off-screen friends to perform their Assist Attacks or, if pressed at the same time, unleash their respective Supers. The fights can be done with either a time limit in where the team with the most stamina left wins or, better yet, fight until one of the teams have no remaining characters. All characters have at least one super combo and the entire team has to share the Super Meter (which fills gradually as you fight).

Everything is fine and dandy far as fighting framework goes

- Unlike the Street Fighter series however, MvC 2 relies more on delivering flash and style rather than being technical and skill-demanding. The gameplay is fast, really fast and focus more on screen-filling Super Moves, extremely long Combos, button-mashing Aerial Raves and an extremely offensive mindset. Once you have been trapped into a Variable Combination, there is very little you can do to save your character from receiving an insane amount of punishment. The Hunter`s Chain, first featured in the Darkstalkers games, is totally featured here and alongside the fast gameplay, it raises the Combo possibilities into the stratosphere.

- Now, one of the coolest parts about this game is its roster. Without a doubt, MvC 2 features one of the most extensive, interesting, full of variety and well-selected character`s roster from any fighting game I have ever played. You can select from up to 56 characters from the Capcom and Marvel universe and, albeit some minor cases of character cloning, the selections they made were spot-on. There are probably 1 or 2 of your favorites that didn`t make it here but the sheer amount of alternatives you can choose from is just staggering. Aside from the obvious picks of Ryu, Ken, Cyclops and Wolverine; we get to see a bunch of other characters. Hayato from Plasma Swords, Tron Bonn (from Megaman I guess), Jill Valentine from Resident Evil fame and, some other extra options from the franchises we are used to: Charlie and Dhalsim from Street Fighter, Felicia and Anakaris from Darkstalkers to name but a few.

The character selection screen is more crowded than China but all the posible choices are pretty interesting

- The roster feels great overall and all the characters behave as you would expect. Jill call zombies, Megaman can charge his Mega Buster, Anakiris turns people into…things, Felicia kicks sand into the opponents, Hayato use his lightsaber-like weapon and such. Most characters also perform their usual Special Attacks and Super in the same ways they did in their respective games an, albeit for some minor omissions, they all have the same attacks they had on their titles.

- However, as great as the roster is, there are some balancing issues that were bound to happen and Boy! Are they plentiful! We know that the gameplay is an absolute riot for the most part and, I know I am going to receive a fair of heat for saying this, but, MvC 2 is on the verge of being completely broken. Cheap wins, unfair character advantages and easy-to-spam characters are everywhere. You know of what I am talking about and, if you have played this game you have to concede to what I am saying. Characters such as Cable, Megaman, Cyclops, Ironman and War Machine are a pain in the ass to fight against because of how easy they are to spam. Seriously, to most non-serious players will probably reduce playing this game to continuously tapping a giant imaginary red button with the words “Mash Me!” inscribed upon it. Other characters such as Juggernaut and Sentinel are just ridiculous. Not only do they do massive amount of damages but they can also take hits like a champ without ceding much. Magneto and Ironamn can juggle you with relative ease and there are glitches to be exploited everywhere. Hell, even the characters that play kind of fairly can be easily exploited into a headache-inducing “spammess” of a character. There is a fair amount of mastery to be learned though, and it takes an incredible amount of time and work. Just like all the other fighting games, you can fight your way through all the unbalance-ness. It is granted that, once you have total knowledge of the fighting system, you will be able to turn the balance in your favor just a little bit.

Meet IronMan, may as well be called Spam-Man in this game

- Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 on the Dreamcast sports a good amount of options to choose from. You have the Arcade mode in which you select your 3 characters and their assist type and go in a series of battles before fighting Abyss. You also have the Score attack option, the Vs. Mode and the Training Mode. All the standards of the fighting genre are well represented. The Options Menu allows you to change the speed of the game, the difficulty, the centering of the screen and the sound output. What will raise brows however, is the Secret Factor option. You obviously don`t start with all the characters unlocked so here is where you purchase them. You see, after each time you fight you are awarded with points. These points are used in the Secret Factor to purchase new fighters, new color schemes and new stages. Good idea in my opinion, since it provides a nice amount of incentive for just picking up the controllers

- There is one aspect that defines the best fighting games and that aspect is the control. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 handles exceedingly well on the Dreamcast controller. At first, you may think the DC controller wouldn`t be able to pull it off, but, since the game only use 2 buttons for kicks and 2 for punches, the DC gamepad accommodates perfectly for the task. The four button scheme is very easy to adjust to and the controllers in general are tight and swift. If there is one minor personal quibble, that would be the Analog triggers. They work great but it does feel a bit strange at first when you are trying to call your helpers.

- Graphics are top-notch and with high amount of personality. Considering that the Dreamcast hardware is based on the NAOMI arcade platform, we can be sure that this game is a pixel-perfect emulation of the original Arcade release. The visuals are nearly perfect. All the characters look for the most part smooth and detailed. The transition animations are fluid as water. There isn`t any sort of a slowdown even. Quite a feat considering how crowded the screen gets when various characters are performing their Supers. Everything is colorful and the action is visually intensive and well-represented. One interesting touch is that the characters are all animated in 2-D sprites, while the backgrounds are rendered in some gorgeous 3-D. One would think this a weird combination at first. After a few rounds however, you will notice how good all looks in motion. If there is one minor downer I can speak of is the use of old sprites for some characters. More particularly, the Darkstalkers ones. I understand the 1994-1996 sprites were very good at their time but it would have been nice to see an upgrade on a 2000 game. Oh, well…you can`t please everyone. Overall, the presentation is great, the menu interface is sleek and the loading times are keep to a minimum.

It plays as good as it looks here

-  The sound on the other side can be kind of a disappointment for some. Usually you expect some kind of rock or techno to accompany your fighting mood but that is not the case here. MvC 2 features a Jazz soundtrack that, to be honest, isn`t bad. It is just that is so hilariously out of place that you can`t help but to be annoyed at first. Now, you will either grow to love or hate this soundtrack after the first few battles. It is mostly a matter of taste. In my case, I was like WTF?! at first, but, after a few rounds I found that the music does manage to keep the pace and upbeat style of the game. While by no means I think is a great soundtrack, it doesn`t hurts too much either. The sound effects are all well done. The voices and taunts of all characters are easy to understand and the sound effects for the attacks are all appropriate. In short words, the sound is very good, but, the completely out of place soundtrack makes MvC 2 perfect meter drops a little bit.

- Far as replayability goes, it is on the high side. The game will give you tons of hours of entertainment, at least if you are into the 2-D fighting scenery. While every character shares the same ending, you will be certainly coming back not only to discover all characters and outfits throughout the well-realized “Secret Factor” option, but also, to learn and master all the combos and variables of each fighter. The level of difficulty for computer opponents can be, depending on your skill level, extremely boring or infuriatingly unfair. All in all, don`t expect to be dropping your controller anytime soon.

The Multiplayer

- Fighting games are made with this option in mind. I mean, can you imagine a fighting game without a multiplayer option? Now that would be pretty weird. MvC 2 gives the option to square off against a fellow gamer in 3-on-3 battle.s Pick your stage, assign a handycap level if you wish, select your characters and you will be all set. This is a game to be played with your friends around. Thanks to the 4-button layout, it is easy for new players to come and put a fair fight. Please take in mind though, that due to the unfair nature of the game, there will be times in where you are going to get  your ass whooped by your less skilled friends who fight haphazardly. But it is OK, right? As long as you have mastered the game, scenarios like the one I described above won`t be happening anytime soon.

Time to lay the smack-down!

Extras:

Gameplay Video

Closing Comments:

-  Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is a fun, incredibly intense and wild ride. It is also broken to a certain extend. I won`t deny that this is one of the most entertaining fighting games I have played in awhile. The character selection screen alone is impressive enough as to draw anyone in. The over-the-top nature and sheer insanity of the fights are something that have to be experienced by everyone, not only fighting games fan. When it comes to speed, MvC 2 is up there alongside games like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Darkstalkers 3. It effectively leaves games like Street Fighter, Fatal Fury, Samurai Showdown and other 2-D fighters in the dust in terms of speed. The 3-on-3 tag team mechanics are unlike anything I have seen before. The game effectively gives you the freedom of creativity to form a team of 3 characters, opening up thousands of combo possibilities and assets to be learned.

There is no denying though that there are some serious balancing issues with the game. Cheap infinite combos and corner traps can be abused by experts and new players can easily frustrate you to no end with all the easy-to-spam characters. There are certain teams in the game that can be easily considered ridiculously overpowered (Cable, Sentinel and Juggernaut to exemplify one) and overall, top tier characters are extremely difficult to beat without enough mastery of the game. It still can be done however. Although the roster of the game is totally unbalanced, the game still manages to be insanely fun and entertaining. This is something that is impossible to deny too. Very few fighters come close to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 in terms of pure fun, roster size, gameplay and flashiness.

It is true that the game is unbalanced, but, it is also true that those same imbalance-ness are what makes the game fun. That last statement made little to no sense but you have to concede to my theory. Whether if you agree or not, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 can be considered as one of the greatest fighting games ever made, featuring some of the most iconic characters in the media and some unique and entertaining gameplay elements I have ever encountered in a fighting game. Not only is one of the fastest fighting games in existence, but it somehow manages to cater to both new and skilled players alike with its easy-to-understand-hard-to-master fighting mechanics and its responsive controllers. There is not much of a story, no adventure mode, not much in the way of “extras”, but this is a fighting game made for gamers that love fighting games and always wished to see a crapton of characters from the Capcom and Marvel universe beating the hell out of each other. Not only does it manage to be plain fun and entertaining, but it also give us the answers of several crossovers fights we always wanted to see. Without any doubt, I can truly tell that this game is a must-have for any gamer out there. The only risk you may have with the game is that of having a “nerdgasm”.

Oh my…How inconvenient! Felicia is on this game and the fact that I worship her as a god did not affect my final opinion of the game

Information Sources:

- http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/marvelvscapcom2/review.html

- http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/164/164736p1.html

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_vs._Capcom_2:_New_Age_of_Heroes

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/dreamcast/review/R10427.html

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/dreamcast/review/R41093.html

- Myself

A Blog that you will prolly not care about by Rdawg

So, the other day I was sitting in my 4^th hour which is Practical Law and Guru pulled out a drawing we did of the members of Nhotspot. The drawing, like others, contained a drawing of Melon, with a dinosaur body and a melon for the head. We named this creature Melonsaurus. I was just reminiscing when I realized that I would really like a Melonsaurus! The possibilities are endless! First, id wake up in the morning and be like “Okay Melonsaurus, time to eat” then I would feed him Zach Johnston, Steven Lovera, Mr Frikken, and the Jonas Brothers (all excellent sources of vitamins and minerals for your growing melonsaurus)one of the ridiculous kids from school. Oh yeah, I would personally have a Pterodactyl Melonsaurus because well, they can fly and shoot lazers, which can help me vanquish my enemies. Anyways, secondly, I would hop on my melonsaurus’s back and fly to school, but first, I would let my melonsaurus outside so it can go take a dump on Gurus front lawn. And to be nice, I would not clean it up, because that poo is just too BIG (Like Ummy’s Spoonz). I also would not let Guru ride to school with me because it’s my turn and he is a sexy Italian with a beard…classic rapist… . After I would not let guru ride with me, I would ride my Melonsaurus to school. I would park in the parking lot, and if anyone got in my way, I would make Melonsaurus blast them with his lazers. OMG! I would also have named Melonsaurus Bradford, Brad for short, and he would also be trained to blast people who called him Bradley, because that’s a not cool name. Once I got off Bradford, I would go into school and hope that Bradford doesn’t cause any Melon trouble. I would go through the day, and when I am in Mr Dean’s class, I would look out the window, and see Bradford, eatin people and other Melonsaurus stuff. When I am in Mr Frikens class, I would almost fall asleep (like usual) so I would call in Brad, who would lazer him, lazer him so he is no more! (even though he already ate Mr Frikken…..). After, I would imagine Brad going to find Dot, who he seems to like to pick up. Mike would fly in screaming about how gewd Gfx are and Brad would prolly torch him too. When school is done, im not gona lie, I would prolly go around the city just lazerin stuff and training Brad so I can go challenge Brock to a gym battle. (Even though at the first sight of Brock, I would instantly melt in a lovey mess). Overall, having a Melonsaurus would make my life the most amazing thing ever. From crapping on Gurus lawn, to eating people, a Melonsaurus could brighten anyones day! This is an example of the things that go through my mind on a daily basis :]

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Developer: Nintendo
Online Capabilities: Yes

With such titles as Windwaker, Twilight Princess, and The Ocarina of Time, the Legend of Zelda franchise is widely known by the gaming community. With the coming of the Wii and Ds, there were no Zelda games that were exclusive to the newest Nintendo systems. Phantom Hourglass was the first Legend of Zelda game that was exclusive to the new Nintendo systems. To be exact, It was for the Nintendo DS.

Plot

In this game, You meet the main character, Toon Link, a tooney representation of Regaler Link. In this adventure, your friend, Tetra, has fallen capture on an abandoned ship known as the Ghost ship. The ship is known to abduct the villagers on various islands. As you are trying to save her, Toon Link is rendered unconscious until he wakes up on an island to the voice of a fairy named Celia. As the game continues, you go to the Temple of the Ocean King. You then encounter a man who seems to be trapped within the temple and you save him. Afterwards, you learn the man is a “famous” captain named Linebeck.  You soon realize that Linebeck isn’t even close to what he makes you think he is. The rest of the game pretty much consists of sailing and collecting different fairies and weapons in order to help you on your quest to save Tetra from the Ghost Ship.

Game play

The game play in Phantom Hourglass is, in my opinion and experience with Legend of Zelda games, pretty straight forward and simple. The gist of what you do consists of two things, sailing in your boat, and running around on the land. The sea controls are very simple. The view is a 3-d view of your boat in the water. You can pull down a portion of the map you are in, and while there, draw the path you want to take to get to the merchant ship or island of your choice. The only two things you can do while sailing is randomly, a vine wall will pop out of the water and you must press the jump button to clear them, and when you get further into the game, you can obtain a cannon, which you can proceed to, basically, shoot whatever you want >:O. The on land game play is, in my opinion, pretty cool because of the sword fighting combined with the touch screen for the DS. The controls are completely touch screen, with the directional arrow keys meaning nothing at all besides opening packs and option menus. You can jab by making a line straight forward, you can swing across by making a slashing motion across the screen, you can spin by drawing a circle around Toon Link, and you can lock on enemies by clicking on them.  Also, the new touch screen interface makes the use of weapons such as mouse bombs, the boomerang, and the grappling hook fun because you can draw the paths that the weapons will take. I also like the fact that you get a HAMMA! (Why does Link need a hammer? Because it’s freaking awesome of course ;]). Now enough about the in depth game play, let’s get to an overall gist of what you will be encountering when you play this game. Basically, the point of the game is to go around the islands, kill the bosses, collect the keys along with magic sand, all in order to get the Phantom sword and rescue Tetra from the Ghost Ship. The game follows a pretty straightforward pattern, where you go to an island, complete a mission that you are supposed to do, get some magic sand, then go back to the Ocean King’s Temple to find your next clue. The Temple is one of the more hard parts in the game. It is a series of rooms with puzzles and mazes that you have to get through, all the while losing ¼ hearts while not on a safe zone, and also doing this under a time constraint, which is made by the Phantom Hourglass. On top of that, on most of the floors, you have Phantom Soldiers, which cannot be harmed by Links weapons, trying to kill you (They act as guards from most other games where if they see you, they run after you). The only difference, luckily, is that they are very easy to outrun. One thing that I definitely do not like about this game, was the boss battles, The boss battle sequences were super easy, and often took very little skill and effort to complete. I remember finishing the first boss in about 2 minutes and taking no damage. Contrary to that, the incorporation of puzzles and mind games into the game definitely added a twist that I found most enjoyable and I would hope can also be incorporated into other LOZ Games (If they have not already).  One more thing I would like to comment on is the graphics. The graphics in this game, when compared to other games like this, are moderate, but nothing special. The characters still seem a little boxy (especially Link’s head). The graphics work though, with no glitchy images and such. Of course, you can’t really expect anything absolutely stunning for a Nintendo DS game: p

Online

One of the things I found most interesting about Phantom Hourglass was its use of the Wireless capabilities of the Nintendo DS. Phantom hourglass has a mode outside the normal story mode where you can go online and play against other people over Wi-Fi. The offline mode is very simple and fun to play as well. Basically, there are different numbers of different sizes of triforces. The point is to get one set of triforces back to the main safe area where you start. Whichever person can do this the quickest will win the match. This seems like a very tedious and simple mini game, but it gets addicting after awhile. Also you have a record that keeps track automatically online, so you can improve your record and intimidate your foes! Overall, the use of the Wi-Fi to make this mini game was a good choice.

Overall Good

Its use of puzzles and the use of drawing on the map was a very effective way of keeping the gamers attention and making the game fun. Another good part of the game was the use of the motion controls offered by the touch screen. It was a nice change from previous LOZ Games and added a nice twist to the game. Also the online capabilities of the game were very enjoyable to me and I would like to see them in future games.

Overall Bad

One bad thing about Phantom Hourglass was that the Temple of the Ocean King was the only really hard part of the game (It made Melon cri :[). The boss battles are lame because of how easy they are (The first boss can be beaten without even letting her get off an attack). Also the in game play is simple and not really that hard to figure out as well. Also concerning the Temple, it is extremely irritating how you have to go through all the room you have done previously again, which can be time consuming, and often, makes you “Rage Quit” (I did this a few times xD). One last thing I didn’t like about Phantom Hourglass was that the rolling command is ridiculous and can take up to a minute to get off an actual roll which is ridiculous.

Overall Verdict

Overall, I do believe that Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a game that you would not be wasting your money on if you chose to pick it up (Which I didn’t even have to do considering it came with my brothers Triforce custom DS :]) Even though there are some bad points to this game, The new controls, puzzling gameplay, and online capabilities can outweigh them. Personally, I have not completed the game so I do not know what it feels like, but from what I’ve done so far, when I beat it, I will have felt it was a good way to have spent my time.

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A good racing game that happens to contain the most amazing game over screen you will ever see in a video game

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SEGA Rally Championship (Sega Saturn)

- If you frequented Arcades during the mid 90s, chances are that you know about this game. SEGA Rally Championship was one of the most successful racing games to ever grace an Arcade. Produced in 1995, it managed to sit atop most racing games of the era thanks to its fluid gameplay and the fact that there weren`t many Rally racing games to begin with. But, what about its Sega Saturn port? Is it worth your time? Lets find out.

Story / Plot

- It is a racing game. Were you expecting a story or something? You race in hopes to win the…SEGA Rally Championship? And that is pretty much everything you need to know.

Gameplay Features

- Gameplay consists of racing in a variety of environments from Point A to Point B in a Rally fashion way. Pretty straightforward as you can see. You can race on a number of different surfaces: asphalt, dirt, mud; you name it. All of them with different properties that affect the car`s handling considerably.

- When we go into the design of the game, we will quickly notice that it offers the barebone-minimum of choices regarding vehicles and tracks. Starting off we can only choose 2 different cars and 3 tracks and that`s it. There is only one secret car and one secret track that are discovered if you are good enough. However, while limited, all 4 courses feel really unique and are fun to play.

- The number of modes is also on the short side of things. You have the standard stuff such as Time Trial, Split-Screen multiplayer, Options and, the main event, called “World Championship”. This last mode consists of racing through 3 stages (Desert, Forest and Mountain) and, surprisingly, finishing first isn`t the main objective. You start at the back of the pack and have to overtake as many opponents as you can on each race (while staying within the time limit). After earning the lead at the finish of the third track, you will be able to play a fourth secret race called “Lakeside”. Additionally, you also have the “Car Settings” option that allows you to change the tires, suspension, sensibility and transmission of your vehicle.

The Forest Course requires you to be at the top of your game if you want to improve your run

- While the options are extremely limited, the true beauty of the game lies on its superb gameplay and its fluid and responsive controllers. Let me clear something for you, there weren`t that many rally games out when SEGA Rally Championship was released let alone good ones. So, when this game was released, it was like a blessing from the video game gods. The game is extremely addictive to play and the way each car handles is absolutely unique. The tracks themselves have been designed so that the type of terrain you are driving affects the overall handling and performance of your vehicle. The sensation of speed is absolutely fantastic for a game of this era since it manages to run smoothly even considering the Saturn`s poor ability to render 3-D objects.

- The controllers are great. In the Arcade, you had the flywheel and whatnot. So, when the game came to the Saturn, people were wondering how the game could be even played on a controller without an Analog Stick. Surprisingly, while the D-Pad is used to steer the car, it feels very responsive. The “A” button brakes and the “B” button is used to accelerate. All is very simple. If you are driving Manual, the “L” and “R” buttons are used to change gears. If you feel you aren`t steering enough, you can easily change that on the Options section. Overall, the Saturn standard controller feels good for this game, which is surprising since we are driving in a 3-D game with a D-Pad.

-  The gameplay in general is great. Although, it does manage to feel repetitive after a few races. It is hard to deny how satisfying it feels when you manage to end a course in the desired time. You see, while the controllers are great and power-sliding on each course is ridiculously fun, the thing is that SRC allows little room for error. Each course has a time limit, make a few minor bumps on the road and there is a pretty good chance of you not arriving at the finish line. However, when you have mastered the controllers (which should take you around 15 or 20 minutes depending on your skill level), you won`t be able to blame the controllers for when you slam dead center into a wall.

POWERSLIDE!!!

- The graphics on the Saturn are rather impressive for its era. The game moves at almost the same rate as the Arcade version with no apparent slowdown I could notice. Which is impressive considering the Saturn`s weaknesses on the 3-D department. The cars have been modeled with a decent amount of quality so we can notice the sponsors stickers over it and the scenery and track elements are well represented in the game. There are some clipping issues here and there and the textures for the opponents cars seem to have been ripped off from early Ridge Racer games…but, for a racing game of the 32-bit generation, everything seems to come up quite nicely. A good level of attention to detail without any hit on performance when racing. The menus are also easy to navigate. Good job on this port SEGA.

- The music on this game is…well the kind of SEGA music we are used to. Depending on who you are, you will either love it or hate it. On my side, I found all the tunes long and entertaining as to fit each section of the course I was racing at the moment. There is also a nice amount of variety regarding music. Not only each track has its own soundtrack, but also the replay of each track happens to have its own custom beats. All in all, the guitar rifts and cheesy SEGA music feels well implemented into the game. Sound effects are on the good side. All the standard stuff is there. The engine-noises are well heard and you have all your “cranks” and “crashes” which are common for racing games. Surprisingly, the engine sound is not as repetitive as you may think. Pretty bearable for the most part.

- Your co-driver can get pretty annoying at times and I think he is trying to take some shoots at you (O_O’) with what he says, but still, it was kind of innovative for its time and he can actually help you to master the tracks. There is also a commentator of sorts at the start of each race and video replay. He is…as obnoxious as your co-driver but he gets the job done. Speaking of voices and whatnot…the Game Over screen of this game is absolute brilliance. Honestly, the final chant of when you lose the game actually boosts my spirit to keep playing. HH thinks more games should use this kind of Gamer Over Screen, it`d be awesome.

- The replayability of this game is very, very short. While there is a decent amount of challenge involved and the fun factor is definitely there, the fact that it only has 4 courses and 3 cars, severely hampers what could possibly be one of the top racing games ever made. There is a 2-player mode but after finishing the Championship, there isn`t anything else that could keep you interested in this game.

The Multiplayer

- SEGA Rally Championship on the Saturn features an option to race a fellow friend on any of the 4 available tracks. A standard option for any racing game and is it nice to have the ability to compete for the best times against your friend without having to spend extra quarters. There is, however, a bit of a slowdown when playing with your friends, but, it is just a minor concession.

That Lancia Delta won`t stand a chance against the Stratos, at least, as long as the Stratos driver has the skill.

Extras:

Gameplay Video

Closing Comments:

-  SEGA Rally Championship is one of those games that, when it comes to gameplay, every minute of it, is pure gaming bliss. This was one of the kings of the mid 90s at the Arcades alongside the well-known Daytona USA. The Saturn port is completely faithful to the Arcade version in terms  of gameplay and overall greatness; and it has nothing to fear against the PC port either. Despite the Saturn inconveniences at handling 3-D games, SEGA managed to squeeze out every programming technique of the time in order to get the best performance from the machine.

SRC was a major game of the era. Up to the point, in where the guys at Codemasters have cited the game as a strong influence for the development of their Colin Mcrae Rally games, and also, their most recent success with Dirt. It is hard to deny the sheer awesomeness of the distinct handling style of the game. However, there is one major issue with the game. If you are a collector, I have no need to say that this game is a must-have for any Saturn owner; the problem comes when we start to compare how SRC has hold up against today`s Rally games. Back in the day, it was easy to understand why it was considered the superb game it is, but nowadays, it is hard to recommend for gamers who are looking for enough bang for their buck. I mean, considering you posses the skill, you could blaze through this game in less than an hour. Add that, to the fact that there are not enough reasons to come back and play it again and you can see why it could very well end up being archived rather soon.

It is a damn shame that the game ends up so quickly. But it sort of makes sense you know. After all, it was an Arcade game. It was supposed to be short so we could keep throwing away all our hard earned allowance. Even so, if you happen to ever find this game on a Saturn, on a PC or on an old-greasy Arcade, be sure to give it a try at least, so you can understand from where do newer Rally games come from.

Information Sources:

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/saturn/review/R37582.html

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Rally_Championship

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/saturn/review/R88434.html

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/saturn/review/R132238.html

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/saturn/review/R16539.html

- Myself

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A game that is all about kicking ass and taking names
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Super C (NES)

- Of all the video game franchises out there, Contra is one of the first that comes to mind when thinking about the classic NES era. However, most people tend to forget this title, and for good reasons. It isn`t a bad game mind you, it is just that the American console release is lacking some serious “ontra” for whatever reason. Regardless, Super C is part of the glorious Contra franchise. It was first released as an Arcade game and then ported to the NES in 1990. Super C is the second game in the series and, in the same vein as its predecessor, is a run-and-gun kind of shmup. European gamers may recognize this game under the disguise of Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces.

Story / Plot

- All you need to know about Super C plotline is that the big bad alien called “Red Falcon” (which was killed in the previous game…and has been killed countless times) is rearing his ugly head once again in hopes of taking revenge upon our heroes. The heroes this time around are Mad Dog and Scorpion (or Bill Rizer and Lance Bean), they are these shirtless guys with the guns that happen to kick unreasonable amounts of Alien ass. So, “Red Falcon” comes again and take control of some military base in South America and “possesses” the mind of various soldiers with some sort of parasites and whatnot…and then are the other aliens who come to…It really doesn`t matter. The story consists about Aliens invading  Earth (something anyone could have thought), but, to be honest, is not the history which makes this game great.

The satisfaction of your happy-trigger finger is enough to let you know that whatever you did to save Earth was well worth it.

Gameplay Features

- Super C is a sidescroller run-and-gun kind of game. You usually move from point A to point B in linear fashion, do some jumping and blow everything in sight. However, it is important to note that there is a bigger focus on platforming this time around. Stages 4 and 8 are the ones who push the most of this new focus.

- Contrary to popular belief, the game did add some interesting features that were new to the series. First and foremost are the levels in which the camera is looking down. These overhead sections, while not as good as the sidescroller parts, definitely add something new to the table since they were later re-used to make the spectacular Contra III on the SNES. Another great addition is the use of inclined surfaces which, believe it or not, were new for the series. Old platformers usually span from one side of the screen to the other without any sort of height variation. Super C fixed that by adding some mountains and structures to climb on.

- Aside from the pea-shooter you start with, there are a number of cool weapons and items that you can obtain to ease the game a little. All the items are pretty badass, the Spreader is usually the most favorite as it can mop down enemies with its ability to fire bullets in an arch of 45 degrees…of WIN! Other weapons like the Machine gun and Flamethrower are also available, each of them with their own usefulness. The Laser…is a joke, avoid at all cost. Sure it makes a ton of damage, but its fire rate sucks and believe me, fire rate is what you need on this game if you want to survive. Other items include a barrier which makes you invincible for a really brief period of time and a falcon-shaped bomb that owns everything in screen. However, this bomb appears very rarely and usually when there is no one on screen.

- The rest of the gameplay is pretty much the same we have come to expect from the series. Just run while fighting an unreasonable amount of enemies and dodging a lot of bullets. The one-hit-kill formula is still in full effect and you will have to keep your video game`s senses at its prime to dodge every possible death you may encounter.

This is one of the overhead levels I was talking about

- Just like the gameplay, the controllers are very solid. You move with the D-Pad and you have one button to jump and one button to shoot. Movement is great and most deaths can`t be blamed on the controllers. However, it takes a little time to become used to the jump timing. This becomes crucial for Stage 4 and some platforms on Stage 8 in which you have to time your jumps accordingly to avoid both enemies and nearby chasms.

- Concerning the difficulty, well, this game is not kidding around. Just like every other game in the series, expect your butt being handed to you on the very first level. If you have had previous experiences with the series or with other similar games (namely Metal Slug or Gunstar Heroes) then you will find that Super C is beatable if you posses the skill and time to invest. Nonetheless, if you are new to this kind of games…Boy! Expect to have some really frustrating moments. Game only gives 3 lives and 3 continues; if you fail you have to start back from the beginning.

- One of the first things that players are going to notice is the lack of the Konami Code. What the hell?! Not only is different but it also gets you 1/3 of the lives of the other games (Only 10). To beat this game with only 3 lives and 3 continues, you have to be the Man…or have it played so many times that you have everything memorized. Game is pretty hard, sure. The difficulty level is just right however, not-so-hard as to make you quit playing but every time you lose, it makes you want to keep coming back to finish kicking all that Alien ass.

-  Graphics are stunning. A great improve over the previous game. Sprites have been refined and the levels have been designed with a lot of attention to detail. Particularly, Stage 1 makes use of some lightning animations in the background; and the chopper that take our heroes into battle looks pretty cool. Enemy units and weapons are also greatly rendered; albeit minor color-swaps in some enemies. Levels are much more dynamic in structure and feel great. Bullets don`t blend with the background and the overall presentation is top-notch.

This is the boss from Stage 4…I hate it.

- Music is great. Not it only has a great beat that fits perfectly with the game, but it is also more lively and I can assure you that you will hum it every time you beat a level. The only downside comes from the sound effects. They do their job pretty nice actually. All weapons have their own sounds and such, the problem is that they can overpower the music at some points. Specially, when you are shooting the Spreader in all directions like a maniac just to survive. Other than that minor flaw, the sound is great.

- Finally, the replayability is a mixed bag. If you haven`t finished the game, I can assure you that you will be playing for hours and keep coming back until you have the satisfaction of seeing the end credits. Blowing stuff up rarely gets old. However, after having cleared the game, there is nothing else to come looking for. You can still try to go for personal time records or try to clear the game with different friends but again, after the end credits, there is nothing else to see. All in all, the replayability is really high when you are still trying to beat the game, but it starts dwindling after the end credits.

The Multiplayer

- Here is where the game shines the most in my opinion. This classic NES titles is best played with a second player. Find your best bud and make him/her play with you so you can both have a great time. Cooperative gameplay is a must here. Do not leave your friends behind since they can really help you to beat some levels. However, I have to admit that there is also a challenge when it comes to the Co-Op mode. Stage 5 in particular will make you understand of what I am talking about. If your buddy can`t keep up with you (or vice versa), someone is going to end up dying. The worst of this is when your teammate is sucking and steal all of the lives you have worked so hard to conserve.

Having a friend helps a lot

Overall, the game really shines when there is someone next to you. I have played with my best buds, with my little bro and with my girl and we all conclude that the game is better with 2 players. I am not afraid to admit that my girl helped me to clear the boss of Stage 4. Damn, I was stuck on it for about a week and then she came and blasted through it in no time…Talk about an unexpected ass-kicking moment.

In short words, the game is excellent with 2 players.

Extras:

Gameplay Video

Closing Comments:

-  Super C is perhaps one of the best games on the classic 8-bit NES. It is a classic that deserves as much recognition as its other brothers (namely the original Contra on the NES and Contra III on the SNES). While the game may have not been revolutionary to some people, it actually introduced several mechanics and enhancements that were used in later games. Sure, the game sort of disconnected itself from the franchise by adopting a different name in America, and it even went far enough as to change the legendary Konami Code, but, think for a minute. It is the same 2-D contra we all grown up with.

Gameplay is pretty damn solid and highly enjoyable. As are the graphics, sound and almost every other aspect of the game. A great sequel to the original Contra that introduces a number of new gameplay elements that will later spawn the greatness that is known as Contra III on the SNES. This game offers tons of fun, especially with a friend. When you sit with buddy next to you and start to play this game, you will immediately thank me for it. Trust me, it is that much fun.

Albeit the sometimes frustrating difficulty level, Super C is one hell of a piece of quality entertainment. If you enjoyed Contra, are fan of this kind of games or are looking for a great challenge, then look no further my friend, this is the game for you.  Not only is a great addition to the Contra vault, but it also happens to be one of the greatest shmups ever made, period.

This game is well worth of my famous HH`s Seal of Quality.

Information Sources:

- http://wii.ign.com/articles/815/815984p1.html

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/review/R24447.html

- http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/review/R17585.html

- http://vc.nintendolife.com/reviews/2007/08/super_c_virtual_console

- http://www.vgmuseum.com/reviews/nes/a/sc.html

- Myself

They responded saying “No, it will not”. Unlike the Japanese version of the game, the Western release will not charge a monthly online fee to play. Nintendo makes this move on the basis that the Monster Hunters franchise following is not nearly as big in the Western Hemisphere, and charging a monthly online fee would be signing a death warrant for the game.

Keep an eye out for this game to hit US shores sometime in the next couple of months.

The game will be sold as a standalone or bundled with a Classic Controller Pro for $99.95.

Questions? Comments? Opinions? Visit the official discussion thread for Monster Hunters Tri to join in the fun: Monster Hunters Tri Discussion Thread

On February 24th, Nintendo held its World Summit, where it leaked information about some of its 2010 lineup. Here is a summary of what was revealed:

Sin and Punishment 2 2010 Trailer

Photo Dojo

Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver new gameplay

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Nintendo DSi XL

Simple enough correct? It’s safe to say that Nintendo is trying to jump back this year. But will it work?

Comments? Questions? Opinions?

Visit the official thread in our forums: Nintendo World Summit: IMPRESSIONS