Ten years ago, Capcom released it's last stand-alone outing in the main Street Fighter franchise, Street Fighter III. It was well received by die hards; but arguably, it was not gobbled up with such gusto due to it's advancement of 2D fighting games in the same way as it's predecessor (the venerable Street Fighter II), but merely because it was a new installment in the Street Fighter series. And to a Street Fighter obsessive, new characters and the number III were as good as anything with the well then dry. It is in hindsight that many of us were left wishing there was more. And, for ten long years, we have fantasized about what IV could have in store. I, for one, have come dangerously close to breaking out some loose leaf paper and drawing new characters and costumes, much the same as when I filled countless pages with Mega Man "Man's" as a wide eyed child. But today, at least three questions have been answered. Is there a Street Fighter IV? Is Ryu in it? And is Ken in it? The answers, as I'm sure are obvious to you now, are YES, YES and YES. Capcom, coupling this with the announcement of a next-gen Bionic Commando, are after my own heart. Feast your eyes. But hold back your tears until the conclusion.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Spartan the Hedgehog
When reviewing a game with a fire breathing, three headed, ancient greek hype monster powering it, such as God of War II, it is often condusive for the reviewing party to ignore (or perhaps avoid) published opinion before devising one of his or her own. In my particular circumstance, I did not abide by this logic. As a direct result, I read a number of gushing reviews and heard nothing but boundless praise for this title. And perhaps that is most responsible for my disappointment with this hotly anticipated sequel.
Now, however, it would be unfair to say that because I was disappointed with God of War II that it isn't an engaging and downright exciting experience. Being underwhelmed does not necessarily denote distaste. And let this be a disclaimer that while I enjoyed this game, the following review will illustrate my lack of fulfillment with the final product as a direct correlation to the boundless expectations that were made for it. God of War II is a fun game, quite simply. The action (when there is action) is fast paced and enthralling. But therein lies my greatest argument;
Am I playing an action game, or a platformer?
In my experience with this title, I had no difficulty dispatching wave after wave of Greece's finest monstrosities. But repeatedly throughout my adventure, I quarelled perilously with spikes, pits of lava and bad camera placement over deep canyons and pitfalls. My frustration with these inane tasks was enough in and of itself, without the game repeatedly suggesting that I should consider changing the difficulty. Worse yet, it would remind me (seemingly as an insult) that this would only alter combat. But combat was no issue at all throughout my adventure. I had wished along the way that it might suggest increasing the difficulty of hand to hand combat. After some time it seemed as though the fights were becoming scarcely sporadic. After maxing out my blades, I became blood thirsty, and rarely found an opponent who could provide me with a beautiful death. Perhaps that is the irony in my haste to reach maximum ability; the reality that when reaching such a plateau none of my assailants remained worth engaging.
The scenery and pace of the environments were absolutely fantastic, particularly given the aging hardware it was created on. The transition between various areas is entirely seemless and will lend itself well to this series (and perhaps influence many others) in the future. But I couldn't help thinking all along that if not for the wonder of these surroundings, I would just be climbing handholds and turning cranks for seven hours amidst instant falls to death and the occassional flurry of incompetent enemies. I also couldn't help but wonder in hindsight whether this game was created on the Playstation 2 as a convenient explanation for the various juvenile game mechanics. Let's be perfectly honest; if this game were wonderously animated with all the furious power of the Playstation 3, with a dynamic camera and meticulously animated models, would you not be reasonably angered with the 100th creature that just-so-happens to be traversing a stone ceiling with his blades at the exact same time as you? Would you not scoff at the 20th block to pull or the 50th crank to push? While it is true that this manner of puzzle solving is expected of this type of game, God of War II mischievously guises itself as an altogether mature and sophisticated experience. In many ways, it becomes a parody of itself when a series of angrily blood-filled battles and hair-raising cutscenes are followed by umpteen attempts at inching across a rope over a lava lake, followed by a timed crank and a series of gates. And if you're tiring of my references to cranks, you should almost certainly steer clear of this title. Because if Kratos is the God of War, by all means, once you are done with this game, he may as well be called the God of Cranks.
Other gripes of note include this title's use of the Metroid/Castlevania have-it-all, take-it-all-away mechanic in which you begin the game with all of the powers you have previously obtained, only to have them taken away. Unfortunately, they mishandled the effect by providing you with all of the combo's you would eventually learn through the course of the game. And I mean all of them. It takes the excitement out of upgrading your blades when you know full well what new manuevers you are working to obtain. Secondly among these remaining complaints is that the first portion involving the Collosus is the most engaging and interactive stage of the game, much like the Hydra ship at the outset of the first God of War. My last gripe is my least pressing; the hole ridden story line. Without spoiling it for anyone, I will simply say that suspending your disbelief is sort of thrown out the window when the scenarios that present themselves are obviously mishandled. "Why wouldn't he have just....?" will come to mind repeatedly. Take my word for that.
I know that this review has been largely negative, but I think that it has commanded my criticism for all of the excessive praise it has received. There remains a capacity for consumers to be misled and I know I'm not the only jaded gamer out here. Like Jade Empire before it, God of War II was a great deal of fun while it lasted, but it is a largely forgettable experience as a direct result of it's many glaring flaws. If nothing else, it succeeded at grabbing my attention and not letting go until the very end (which, while I'm mentioning it, definitely made the experience more whole). I am excited for the future of this franchise and I am willing to accept this title for what it is worth as a last generation experience. If you loved the first game, you will enjoy this much in the same way as you may have enjoyed Majora's Mask as an admirer of Ocarina of Time. I can certainly suggest it's purchase on the basis of it's excitement as a pure slash and solve gaming experience in the sheep's wool of a deep and meaningful jaunt through ancient Greece. The soundtrack is wonderful and the scope is exhilirating. God of War III certainly has a long climb ahead of it. And after the apex of this title, I can only hope they redefine the mechanics of gameplay to a level more acceptable in the precedent that many next-generation titles have (already) set before it.
8/10
Now, however, it would be unfair to say that because I was disappointed with God of War II that it isn't an engaging and downright exciting experience. Being underwhelmed does not necessarily denote distaste. And let this be a disclaimer that while I enjoyed this game, the following review will illustrate my lack of fulfillment with the final product as a direct correlation to the boundless expectations that were made for it. God of War II is a fun game, quite simply. The action (when there is action) is fast paced and enthralling. But therein lies my greatest argument;
Am I playing an action game, or a platformer?
In my experience with this title, I had no difficulty dispatching wave after wave of Greece's finest monstrosities. But repeatedly throughout my adventure, I quarelled perilously with spikes, pits of lava and bad camera placement over deep canyons and pitfalls. My frustration with these inane tasks was enough in and of itself, without the game repeatedly suggesting that I should consider changing the difficulty. Worse yet, it would remind me (seemingly as an insult) that this would only alter combat. But combat was no issue at all throughout my adventure. I had wished along the way that it might suggest increasing the difficulty of hand to hand combat. After some time it seemed as though the fights were becoming scarcely sporadic. After maxing out my blades, I became blood thirsty, and rarely found an opponent who could provide me with a beautiful death. Perhaps that is the irony in my haste to reach maximum ability; the reality that when reaching such a plateau none of my assailants remained worth engaging.
The scenery and pace of the environments were absolutely fantastic, particularly given the aging hardware it was created on. The transition between various areas is entirely seemless and will lend itself well to this series (and perhaps influence many others) in the future. But I couldn't help thinking all along that if not for the wonder of these surroundings, I would just be climbing handholds and turning cranks for seven hours amidst instant falls to death and the occassional flurry of incompetent enemies. I also couldn't help but wonder in hindsight whether this game was created on the Playstation 2 as a convenient explanation for the various juvenile game mechanics. Let's be perfectly honest; if this game were wonderously animated with all the furious power of the Playstation 3, with a dynamic camera and meticulously animated models, would you not be reasonably angered with the 100th creature that just-so-happens to be traversing a stone ceiling with his blades at the exact same time as you? Would you not scoff at the 20th block to pull or the 50th crank to push? While it is true that this manner of puzzle solving is expected of this type of game, God of War II mischievously guises itself as an altogether mature and sophisticated experience. In many ways, it becomes a parody of itself when a series of angrily blood-filled battles and hair-raising cutscenes are followed by umpteen attempts at inching across a rope over a lava lake, followed by a timed crank and a series of gates. And if you're tiring of my references to cranks, you should almost certainly steer clear of this title. Because if Kratos is the God of War, by all means, once you are done with this game, he may as well be called the God of Cranks.
Other gripes of note include this title's use of the Metroid/Castlevania have-it-all, take-it-all-away mechanic in which you begin the game with all of the powers you have previously obtained, only to have them taken away. Unfortunately, they mishandled the effect by providing you with all of the combo's you would eventually learn through the course of the game. And I mean all of them. It takes the excitement out of upgrading your blades when you know full well what new manuevers you are working to obtain. Secondly among these remaining complaints is that the first portion involving the Collosus is the most engaging and interactive stage of the game, much like the Hydra ship at the outset of the first God of War. My last gripe is my least pressing; the hole ridden story line. Without spoiling it for anyone, I will simply say that suspending your disbelief is sort of thrown out the window when the scenarios that present themselves are obviously mishandled. "Why wouldn't he have just....?" will come to mind repeatedly. Take my word for that.
I know that this review has been largely negative, but I think that it has commanded my criticism for all of the excessive praise it has received. There remains a capacity for consumers to be misled and I know I'm not the only jaded gamer out here. Like Jade Empire before it, God of War II was a great deal of fun while it lasted, but it is a largely forgettable experience as a direct result of it's many glaring flaws. If nothing else, it succeeded at grabbing my attention and not letting go until the very end (which, while I'm mentioning it, definitely made the experience more whole). I am excited for the future of this franchise and I am willing to accept this title for what it is worth as a last generation experience. If you loved the first game, you will enjoy this much in the same way as you may have enjoyed Majora's Mask as an admirer of Ocarina of Time. I can certainly suggest it's purchase on the basis of it's excitement as a pure slash and solve gaming experience in the sheep's wool of a deep and meaningful jaunt through ancient Greece. The soundtrack is wonderful and the scope is exhilirating. God of War III certainly has a long climb ahead of it. And after the apex of this title, I can only hope they redefine the mechanics of gameplay to a level more acceptable in the precedent that many next-generation titles have (already) set before it.
8/10
Sunday, March 18, 2007
99 Lives
Welcome to Nintendo Thumb, lovingly titled after the term used to describe swelling in the thumb associated with excessive video game playing. My name is Charles Awad, and I will be the main contributor to this forum. I created this blog as a token of my adulation for video games, past and present. I have been lucky enough to grow alongside the evolution of this industry and have had many experiences, good and otherwise, that I have shared with lonely store merchants and impatient friends (sound familiar?). With that in mind, I will use this forum to articulate my many opinionations, ranging from reviews of next-gen and handheld titles as well as editorial content regarding the state of the industry. I am fascinated by the effects of gaming on our culture and the direction we are heading. Along with me, I will have several editorial contributors and we may choose to eventually offer news items as well. Enjoy your stay..
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