Mike Wants a Game Job

Game: The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass

System: Nintendo DS

Premise: The latest iteration in the Legend of Zelda series serves as a sequel to LoZ: The Wind Waker. As the game starts the player finds Link and Tetra exploring the high seas when they happen upon a creepy old ship. Upon trying to board it, Tetra is kidnapped and Link falls into the ocean below, only to awaken upon a mysterious island. There he learns of the Ocean King and the evil monster Bellum and sets out with the Fairy Ciela and the roguish captain Linebeck to save Tetra and restore peace to the seas.

Visuals and Audio: As always, one should be wary of 3-D games on portable systems as they usually end up looking grainy and unrealistic, especially when paired with modern console visuals. Fortunately, PH's cartoon-like graphics and attention to detail make it a portable 3-D game that is very fun to watch. Typical Zelda fare can be expected to from the music and sounds; while there is not anything to be terribly impressed with fans of the series will certainly not be wanting for their favorite tunes.

The Good: Nintendo has incorporated the use of the stylus into many of their familiar franchises with mixed results, but it seems like they have finally refined it with PH. Players use the stylus to move, use items, talk, and do everything else that is not associated with pulling up a menu, and it works flawlessly. Also, this game is longer and features more gameplay than any other portable Zelda title, allowing players to prolong the enjoyment of both the tried-and-true Zelda formula and the original control system.

The Bad: Players looking for a challenging Zelda game will be disappointed, though one can imagine they have been that way since the days of Zelda on the N64. While there is a reason the Zelda formula is so tried-and-true, some deviation from the model would definitely be appreciated as far as puzzles and bosses are concerned. Is one really difficult final boss too much to ask?

Why You Should Play This Game:

1. To see that a 3-D DS game can actually look good and use the stylus effectively.
2. New wi-fi capabilities let you trade with and battle your friends.
3. It"s a Zelda game. I know a similar reason was used for Metroid, but I make no pretense about the fact that I am an unabashed Nintendo fanboy.

Rating: 12 out of 14 Heart Containers.

Game:  Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for the Nintendo Wii by Retro Studios 

Premise: In this third installment of the Metroid Prime series, Samus Aran returns to conclude the battle with her malevolent counterpart, Dark Samus. Players travel to a variety of worlds while collecting power-ups and battling Space Pirates, mutated monsters, and rogue Hunters in order to rid the galaxy once and for all of the corrupted influence of Phazon.

Visuals and Audio: The game is a joy to look at, but unfortunately the graphics have not improved much beyond the days of the original Metroid Prime on the Nintendo Gamecube. More than ever, it is painfully clear how the Wii's lack of HD support will hinder it in the future, since this game would look truly magnificent given the proper graphics support it deserves. Excellent sound effects and background music do much to fill this gap, however, and with the visuals combine to form worlds that are brimming with their own unique vibrancy and life. Additionally, the soundtrack is comprised of both new tracks and remixed ones from older Metroid games, something that is sure to give old-school fans of the series a kick.

The Good: It's a Metroid game, which is essentially synonymous with quality. Excellent gameplay, an engrossing narrative, and the ability to play as one of Nintendo’s dearest and most badass characters always impress. Of particular note for this game, though, is its control system. Metroid Prime 3 has refined the use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in first-person shooters, with the control stick on the Nunchuck being used for lateral and forward movement (much like the WASD keys in first-person PC games) and the Wii Remote used to point at different areas on the screen in order to make Samus change her field of vision (like how the mouse is used first-person PC games). After the mountain of frustration that was Red Steel’s control system, it is great to see a game that can pull off first-person on the Wii successfully. 

The Bad: While the controls are great they can take a little time to get used to, and even then it is annoying when you accidentally point the remote off screen and Samus’ field of vision just sticks there.

Why You Should Play This Game: Three reasons.

1. It is a goddamn Metroid game.
2. To check out the nifty FPS controls available to the Wii.
3.  (Mild spoilers) You get to fight Ridley….twice. I have always loved kicking that giant, fire spewing pterodactyl’s ass, and now this game has given me the opportunity to do it twice in one play-through. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Retro Studios 

Rating: 46 out of 51 Missile Expansions

Game: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords by 1^st Playable Productions

Premise: Believe or not, Puzzle Quest is a puzzle game. Don't worry; it catches a lot of people off guard. The game involves a fairly typical RPG structure of traveling around the world while leveling up and collecting items to defeat the Big Bad (in this case Bane, the God of Death), but instead of normal style battles with the player character on a field slashing and/or bludgeoning its enemy, a game similar to Bejeweled is played. Characters match up various gems to gain mana, gold, experience, or to deal damage. Additionally, PC"s and enemies are able to cast spells that can cause direct damage or manipulate the board in some way.

Graphics: Visuals are fairly mediocre, with the avatars of various characters and enemies looking like they received most of the artists’ attention while the rest was barely bothered with. Even with the avatars more really could have been done to distinguish one character from another, particularly with some of the bosses that look exactly like some regular monsters that appear throughout the game. "Oh so you’re the big bad undead king of the minotaurs? And you look just like every other lame skeletal cow so far. Scaaaaaaaaary.�

Sound: Character pictures were not the only thing recycled in this game. The same few tracks are used over and over again to the point where they tend to blend into the background noise of everything else happening in the room and become white noise. Honestly, players would be best advised to turn the volume on the DS all the way down and pop in a good CD.

The Good: Despite the mediocre graphics and repetitive music, the puzzle aspect of this game is well thought out and incredibly addictive. Bejeweled was bad enough by itself, but adding slightly more complex gameplay, a narrative, and in-game rewards makes it even harder to pull yourself away.

The Bad: The computer cheats. It sounds like an immature thing to say but in this case it is perfectly true. A player can spend two minutes looking for a good move only to come up with one that nets him a few gold or mana, while the computer can instantly make a move that lets it acquire copious amounts of mana and treasure while dealing huge amounts of damage to the player. Or the computer will know which move will trigger chain combos of gems that are not even on the screen yet. Stupid cheating computer.

Why You Should Play This Game: If you’re a fan of puzzle games this is definitely a game you will enjoy. Be forewarned though, like many other puzzle games it can cause fits of extreme rage. I can’t even begin to count how many times I have cursed at or flipped off my DS because of this game, and it has become so commonplace it is my first reflex when the computer makes a clever move.

Overall Rating: Three and a half middle fingers up.

 

Game: Overlord for PC by Triumph Studios

Premise: Player is a recently revived evil Overlord who must reassert his dominance over the lands surrounding his battered tower. Through the use of minions and various spells the player solves puzzles, defeats heroes, rebuilds his tower and reasserts his rightful place as dark lord over all he surveys.

Graphics: On a medium-end gaming machine graphics were rich and detailed with very few instances of slow-down or skipped frames. Environmental and lighting effects properly enhanced the mood of most areas and character models were well done and distinctive among the major characters, although there was a lack of similar diversity in the minor characters (for example, I encountered the same peasant about a hundred times over the course of the game).

Sound: Music and sounds effects were standard fare for fantasy games, but well done nonetheless. Of particular note is the Disney-esque music of the first area that accompanies your violent conquest of the human and Halfling villages nicely. Voice-acting was generally funny and immersive, such as the child-like delight in the minions’ voices as they retrieve treasure and armor for their beloved Overlord; however, overuse of NPC dialogue was prevalent and became annoying at times.

The Good: I have always been a big advocate of games that let you control vast numbers of lesser creature (i.e. Pikmin), and this game has it in droves. Even better, these minions display a more complex and intelligent AI than I have seen in such games and it was a relief not having to worry about my horde of followers accidentally killing themselves in a random fire or puddle. The game also gives players a choice between being completely or only sort of evil, so even gamers with a conscience will be able to play the game without encountering too many moral dilemmas. Speaking of evil, it’s so rare that one can play the bad guy in a game and actually be rewarded for it that the experience is reminiscent of a much-needed vacation: every so often you just need to get away from being a hero and just be a bastard for a while.

The Bad: I found myself wanting to know more about the back stories of many of the characters in the game, especially the fallen heroes whom the Overlord must defeat to advance. The story reveals a few details about these characters near the end of the game, but enhancing the plot by revealing more detailed backgrounds could have made the game truly epic. Also, the first area of the game, Mellow Hills, is the only area in the game where you really get to feel like an evil overlord. The area presents you with an idyllic pastoral setting complete with a peasant village and hobbit settlement (evil hobbits, but hobbits nonetheless) for the player to defile to their heart’s content. The other areas are still fun, but all are either besieged and/or already defiled to some degree, so the experience becomes about being a hero again, even if it is only so that the people worship the correct evil Overlord. Finally, using the PC keyboard to control the Overlord and all his minions can become difficult in the heat of battle, but this could probably be remedied through the purchase of a controller or by playing the game on the Xbox 360.

Why You Should Play This Game: Overlord is fun little excursion from the normal hero antics of most video games and sports an excellent sense of humor. My girlfriend watched me play through the first area and even she, a non-gamer, was enthralled by the experience. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation.

My Girlfrend: So you’re controlling those little goblins? Me: Yup. My Girlfriend: Are….are those pumpkins on their heads? Me: Yeah, they’re using them as helmets. Adorable little helmets. And those two are carrying away servant wenches for my Dark Tower. My Girlfriend: That’s kinda hot. By the way, when are you gonna get a mistress for your tower? Me: That’s my next quest.

Overall Rating: Deliciously evil