Playing The Classics: Chrono Trigger: Vol 4

-- Part One -- Part Two -- Part Three --

It's been a while since I've updated my progress with Chrono Trigger here. I am nearing the end, I can feel it. After just having my ass handed to me by Lavos there is a great sense of peril with this world. The plot, while not insanely unique, probably was more unique upon it's original release. Irregardless of that though, the story is pretty dang engrossing. The battles are fun but the story is what really keeps me engaged.

My primary party most of the game has been Crono, Ayla, and Marle however I changed Marle for Robo during the Golem Sisters fight. Afterwards when you have to lose to Lavos, I expected to be able to try and put up a fight but even with my characters all being in the early level 30s, everyone was taken down in one move. Obviously this is a plot point but I still would have liked to try. Crono just essentially has been turned into a glistening speck of pixie dust... of course I'm sure that's not the true case but that's what it seems like at the time I'm at. Also, if I remember correctly, was that Magus the bad guy who was trying to help me stop Lavos? Ain't that a plot twist out of left field.

This game is good. There's no arguing that. I think I'm nearing the end though and what's most interesting about this experience is how unlike other RPGs this game is despite being released so long ago. I guess I haven't been playing the copycat RPGs, or this game is just that unique. Anyway, time to see where this is going to go... Lets finish this.

Read Part 5

Review: Angry Birds

Angry Birds (by Rovio) was a game I had heard a little bit about via some podcasts I listen to. I heard it was a lot of fun but I don't traditionally buy games for my Android phone. Earlier this week I discovered that it in fact was free! and Ad-based. Knowing that, I hopped right onto the Android Marketplace and downloaded the first great game to grace my phone.

The game is essentially a trajectory-puzzle game. You start with a level, a small arena if you will. On the left side is a small infantry of birds. The amounts and kinds of birds change depending on the level. On the right side are the pigs, the enemies. They are strung around a playground of sorts made of girders, glass, wood, boulders, and other obstacles you have to either bust through or get around. The purpose is to destroy the pigs via collisions by either the in-game assets or the birds. The birds fly, not with their wings, but with a giant slingshot. You choose the angle and the speed on the launch. This gameplay is simple yet addictive. I find that I get frustratedly determined to beat a level, only to find myself deciding I'll stop after the next. Then... the next... and another. It's kind of hard to break myself away from this game.

There are multiple kinds of birds found in your arsenal. The game starts by providing only your standard red birds. These are essentially balls because they do nothing but get launched and land and roll. No special powers. Soon though you are introduced to other birds. There are toucans that boomerang, bluebirds than act as shotgun shells, kamikazi yellow birds, egg bombers, and more. You don't ever get to decide what to use or what order to use them. That is level-dependent which is where part of the challenge comes from. The enemies eventually upgrade too with some of the pigs wearing cement helmets for instance. This makes them take longer to destroy.

The music is pretty simple but still nice. It's low-key so not to be distracting but still interesting enough to fit the theme. I however don't miss it when I have my phone's audio off to save battery. Same goes for the sound effects. They're nice and all but nothing special. You don't play this for the audio anyway.

There is a ton of content in this game. To start, the first level (and all subsequent levels) have a rating system dependent on a points system. If you do well, you'll earn three stars. If you just manage to barely complete the level, you'll earn one. So far it seems the stars might just be for completionists but I haven't yet beaten all the levels or even gotten more than just one star in them all to know if anything special happens. Still, even if you don't care about the stars or points, you'll find there to be a plethora of levels for you to play in. World 1, titled Poached Eggs, has three sections comprised of around 21 levels per section. Then there's three more worlds to unlock (which have been additional content released over the past year the game has been out). There's also a bonus section called "Bonus Eggs" which can be found in the levels. Collecting one opens up a special level to try.

Recently they released a Halloween themed pack and a Christmas themed one too. The Halloween pack, titled Trick Or Treat, is a set of spooky-themed levels. The other pack contains 25 levels but as of today, only ten are available. Each day until Christmas a new level can be downloaded and unlocked in the game. This acts like an advent calendar of sorts. Best part of all this is that it's free too! The holiday bonus levels include new terrain like snow blocks which easily wipe away for chain reactions and the enemies can be found wearing snow caps in the cold weather. Like I said, TONS of content.

I've been playing this on my HTC Evo phone. The large and bright screen makes for an easy to play game that is likely just as easy to play on smaller screens. It is available on the iOS, Android, Meeko, webOS, and Symbian^3 platforms. I don't know if it still costs money on the iPhone, but I was able to download it for free without problem on my Android device.

The Verdict:
A colorful and fun way to pass the time. Watch out for the addictive 'pringles' problem... the, "bet you can't have just one."

What I liked:
Levels are creative. Lots of bird variety for weapons. Physics are pretty solid. It's free.

What I didn't like:
The ads can occasionally be cumbersome in seeing things in the corner but this only occurs on select levels. The music, while not bad, could get annoying after a long game session.

Gamer Culture: A Very Mario Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner and while Santa was too busy playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a fella by the name of kodykoala has been hard at work with some amazing custom figurines. His work in fantastic. Here is an example of his three Christmas pieces, all related to Mario. His flickr stream, found here, shows off a lot more of photos of not only these pieces but of others in a long line of eye-catching gaming art.

"Bowser Claus Is Coming To Town"


"Mario Stocking Holders"
"Christmas Tree and Mushroom Hut"



Do you have anything gaming and holidays related? Whether it's Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or any holiday this time of year. Let me know! Also, just how much would you pay for something like this? This kind of custom work is quite special.

Flash Friday: One Chance

What would you do if all life on Earth was going to die within a week? Well, find out in this very short flash game called 'One Chance.' There are multiple endings, so you can play it over again many time if you'd like to see them all.

One Chance

Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns

Full disclosure, I have never played Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, or 3. But it didn't matter worth a damn because I still had more fun with Donkey Kong Country Returns than I've had in a long long time with any game.

At the core, the gameplay is the reason to own the title. Everything feels so natural as you play an ape jumping around collecting bananas and other goodies. Running, climbing, and rolling your way through the stages will be a challenge but ever time you see that finish screen, you'll feel nothing but satisfaction. I played the game with the nunchuk and wiimote combo and that felt very natural. You move with the joystick, jump with A, and hold on to things for climbing with B. It's all simple in a good way and then there's the motion controls which don't add a ton, but they certainly make for some fun. It feels satisfying to smack the wiimote and nunchuk in the same slapping-the-ground manner that Donkey hits for his move. You also can stop and blow air on things to either move platforms or dandelions to discover secrets, as well as more. I've heard a lot of complaints about how this stops the pacing of the game but lets be honest, it's all in how you want to play. I tended to seek out secrets during my first play-through but there's nothing stopping you from just running around however you like. You can always go back and find the secrets later.



I guess I'm already touching on the next section I wanna talk about, the content. This game contains eight worlds, each with their own boss, and a couple of extras thrown in there. Each standard level has the traditional KONG letters and each level also contains various puzzle pieces. Some of them are very very tricky to find but you can buy a Squawk item which will help you seek out your missing secrets. There is so much to find and do in each level and then you multiply that by how many levels... wow is the answer here. It's definitely on par with New Super Mario Bros. Wii as far as amount of levels but there's probably more to actually discover within Donkey Kong Country Returns. As you collect things and up your percentage, you unlock music and art in the galleries as well. Lots to do for completionists here. Besides the letters and puzzle pieces, there's time-trials to attempt medals for and even MORE to unlock and earn. Also, I wont go into much spoilery detail but hidden throughout the backgrounds of levels are allusions to other games as little easter eggs to spot. They should delight if you find them. While many of the levels are fantastic, some of the best are the 'Silhouette Levels'. I wish there had been more, at least one per world, but I guess their lack of quantity just allowed for me to love the ones that're there even more.

This game, like life, obeys a five second rule. The five second rule in this case though is that, if you don't hate the game after five seconds, you will in fact become addicted for weeks until it's completion. That. Is. Fact.

Like with Retro Studios' most recent outings with Metroid, Donkey Kong Country Returns looks fantastic in the graphics department. The levels are colorful and crisp. They do away with the old style from the SNES games, obviously though as that's obsolete. The game may be 2D but the 3D assets look great and their 2D textures help sell their look. The mossy areas you can grab on to for instance look absolutely wonderful. They look realistically lush. The character models for Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong look great also. The game features cutscenes before the boss battles and in the beginning of the game as well. You will be surprised at how good an elephant's ass looks.

I don't have that much to say about the music besides that it's rather enjoyable. Even without playing the original Rare series, I know that the music is classic in those titles. Donkey Kong Country Returns does a great job with the sound effects and music but for me anyway, nothing ever reached the heights of Bramble Blast for instance. In the levels that feature any kind of 'magma', you can definitely feel a hint of "Magmoor Caverns" from the Metroid Prime series. It's greatly appreciated and obvious why they did.

I'm not quite sure why I never played the original SNES titles, I certainly don't miss the Kremlings. I also don't know see an urge to go back and play those titles after this. From what I've heard, Retro Studios has made the DKC formula and made it even better. Maybe that's ignorant, and I'm sure I'll get around to them eventually, but Donkey Kong Country Returns has quenched my platforming thirst and made me hungry as hell for some banana bread.



The Verdict:

This game is amazing. Retro Studios is amazing.
Buy it at all costs if you like fun.

What I liked:
Level Design is impeccable and the gameplay is top-notch. Lots of levels too, and reasons to go back to previously beaten levels. Lots of replayability. Rambi is a blast to play with and I don't feel the need for more animals.

What I didn't like:
Once in a while, the game gets almost TOO-hard. The motion-controls work MOST of the time, but when they don't, it's rather annoying.

Diary of a Rookie: Monster Hunter Tri

This is going to be a series of articles about my struggles with certain games or genres and my experiences with them. I'm a 'rookie' in a lot of things, and Monster Hunter is one of them. I mentioned that the game was one that I needed to play back in my Top 10 backlogged games and I've finally started playing it more around the end of November.

I SWEAR, IF IT FLIES OFF ONE MORE TIME WHEN I SET A TRAP.

I actually began playing it back in May or June, but I hit a wall with the single-player game. Mainly due to the capture quest with the monster called Qurupeco and the quest for hunting the very powerful (to me, at the time) Royal Ludroth. Once I started playing online though, I felt much more comfortable hunting and capturing these monsters. When playing online, other people were very helpful to me with continuing my quests and the game became much more fun.

Before I would have said, "OH GOD, RUN AWAY" but now I say, "Pffft, let me handle this."

At first, Monster Hunter's controls and the way it handles items was a bit foreign to me, but once I actually started having fun playing online, the game's mechanics grew on me. So far, I've logged in over  30 hours playing the game and I still haven't finished the single-player or multiplayer quests, and I look forward to doing them.


Part 2

Flash Friday: Ant Buster

I love Tower Defense games, and this little flash game is a good example of one.

You make cannons to protect your picnic cake from being taken away by ants! I've actually found myself playing this one for a few hours trying to get the highest score possible... killing hundreds of ants... does that make me a bad person?

Ant Buster