Google has a particularly mischievous streak when it comes to April Fool's Day, and this year the company started a day early. The result is Google 8-bit maps, real world locations lovingly redrawn in glorious 8-bit. Just go to Google Maps and click on the quest button in the top-right. Suddenly those boring, accurate, and helpful landmarks and cities look like something torn from the screen of Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior.
From the Google Maps blog:
"Our engineering team in Japan understood the importance of maps on retro game systems. With the power of Google’s immense data centers, and support from Nintendo and Square Enix, we were able to overcome the technical and design hurdles of developing 8-bit maps. Today, we’re excited to announce the result: a version of Google Maps for NES, with beautiful low-res graphics, simple and intuitive controls, and a timeless soundtrack."
Check out the very funny video from Google below.
Thanks to Kenny Z. for the story.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wii Sports Resort
One of the best games – and deals – for the Nintendo Wii.
Wii Sports Resort is a title that could easily be overlooked or dismissed as a sports bundle for the very young or very old. On the contrary, Wii Sports is one of those rare games that appeals to all generations, has something for everyone, can be played – and enjoyed – alone or in a group, and can be used ad infinitum. It ranks among Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Twilight Princess, and Super Mario Galaxy as one of the best Wii games. Do yourself a favor and play this game.
Wii Sports Resort (WSR) might share a title with Wii Sports, which was bundled with the Nintendo Wii in 2006, but it is light years ahead of its predecessor in terms of quality. Instead of five sporting events, WSR boasts 12, almost all of them winners. They include: swordplay; wakeboarding; frisbee; archery; basketball; table tennis; power cruising; canoeing; cycling; air sports; and golf and bowling, both returning from the original Wii Sports. All events make use of the Wii MotionPlus add-on, which is necessary to play the game, and therefore respond much more accurately to player movements.
Like the games in the first Wii Sports, those is WSR are not created equal. Table tennis, which mimics the real deal alarmingly well, is the best of the bunch. Players can even put topspin on the ball by rotating the Wii remote as they swing. Swordplay, archery, and power cruising are also excellent, and find creative ways to use the remote and nunchuk. In archery, for example, the remote is gripped vertically, simulating the center of the bow, and the nunchuk is drawn back, simulating the cord. The weakest sporting events are canoeing and cycling, both of which feel like a chore.
Not only does WSR boast more events than the original, but it just looks, sounds, and plays better. The graphics are hardly high definition, but Nintendo did the best with the technology available, producing bright, clear, and diverse environments and models. The water effects are especially good. Mii characters are back as the stars of the game, but this only adds to the fun. It's a lot more fun to wallop a cartoon version of your best friend than some random avatar.
But let's stop comparing WSR only to Wii Sports, because it compares favorably to the best the Wii has to offer. WSR is the kind of game that reminds us why video games are so popular, so fun, and so enduring. It's enjoyable to play alone, insanely fun with a group of friends, and produces new and unexpected results each time it is played.
Score: 9.5
Not only does WSR boast more events than the original, but it just looks, sounds, and plays better. The graphics are hardly high definition, but Nintendo did the best with the technology available, producing bright, clear, and diverse environments and models. The water effects are especially good. Mii characters are back as the stars of the game, but this only adds to the fun. It's a lot more fun to wallop a cartoon version of your best friend than some random avatar.
But let's stop comparing WSR only to Wii Sports, because it compares favorably to the best the Wii has to offer. WSR is the kind of game that reminds us why video games are so popular, so fun, and so enduring. It's enjoyable to play alone, insanely fun with a group of friends, and produces new and unexpected results each time it is played.
Score: 9.5
Monday, March 26, 2012
Army of Two: The 40th Day
Rios and Salem are back...God help us.
The original Army of Two was a pleasant surprise. It wasn’t overly ambitious, it had a fun and addictive weapon customization platform, and it was a blast to play with a friend. Its sequel, however, is a small step backward for the franchise. Credit is due to Electronic Arts for introducing new ideas and new mechanics into Army of Two: The 40th Day (TFD), but all too often the changes damage the core product.
TFD takes place sometime after the events of the first Army of Two. Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios, two self-employed mercenaries, are tasked with setting beacons around Shanghai. Before they know what is happening, all hell breaks loose, and Salem and Rios are trying everything they can to escape a city on fire.
Unlike its predecessor, which took Rios and Salem all over the world (e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq, China), TFD is based strictly in Shanghai. Players must navigate half-destroyed buildings, an abandoned mall, and even a ransacked zoo in order to reach an extraction point. Along the way, Rios and Salem encounter hundreds of enemy mercenaries, all of whom want them dead. My friend Rob, with whom I played Army of Two and its sequel, lamented TFD’s one-city premise in place of the globe-trotting adventure in the first game. I’m inclined to agree. It’s not that a single location will always become tedious – just think of Rapture in BioShock or Shadow Moses Island in Metal Gear Solid – but in TFD, Shanghai is just not that interesting.
Equally uninteresting is the story. The game’s writers didn’t do much to captivate an audience, explain the enemy forces and their motives, or make players root for Salem and Rios. In fact, Salem and Rios, who are basically contract killers, are two of the more unlikable video game heroes or, more appropriately, anti-heroes.
Where TFD does shine is in its gameplay. Stripped of its lackluster setting, uninteresting story, and unlikable characters, the game still plays well, especially with a friend. Salem and Rios can each equip three weapons – primary, secondary, and special – with which to take on wave after wave of mercenaries. TFD uses a cover system, not unlike Gears of War, whereby players run from cover to cover while engaging with enemy targets. They can either peek out and accurately target the enemy or fire blindly from behind cover. Rios and Salem can also perform co-op maneuvers, like simultaneous sniper shots or mock surrenders, to outwit and outperform opponents.
The weapon customization which made the original Army of Two so much fun returns in TFD. Players can purchase or unlock new weapons and then completely customize them by exchanging gun barrels, stocks, clips, sights, silencers, and appearance. There are more combinations in TFD than in Army of Two, in large part because weapon parts from one gun can be fitted onto others. For example, an AK-47 barrel can be attached to the body of a FN SCAR. It makes for some particularly ugly but effective weapons.
Two major additions to TFD include the ability to interact with hostages, and morality moments. The former I think works, the latter seems oddly out of place. At certain points in the game, Salem and Rios will come across some very frightened hostages held at gunpoint. Players can choose either to leave them to their fate or rescue them. Hostages can be rescued by killing armed guards or by disarming them, usually by capturing an officer. These encounters add much-needed diversity to TFD.
Morality moments, conversely, don’t exactly work. These are moments that appear at pre-determined points in the game, and ask players to make a moral decision, e.g. whether or not to steal guns from a weapons locker. Whichever player chooses first chooses for the team. After the choice is made, players are shown the consequences, good and bad, of their actions through graphic novel panels. Some of the consequences are unexpected. Morality moments are an interesting idea, and certainly give TFD more replay value (players can experience the campaign again but make completely different choices), but they seem out of place in a third-person shooter, especially one that stars two mercenaries and that is already very dark.
Although not as good as the original, TFD offers enough fun with friends to recommend. The story, characters, and atmosphere may not make much sense, but the gameplay works. And, in the end, that’s more important.
TFD takes place sometime after the events of the first Army of Two. Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios, two self-employed mercenaries, are tasked with setting beacons around Shanghai. Before they know what is happening, all hell breaks loose, and Salem and Rios are trying everything they can to escape a city on fire.
Unlike its predecessor, which took Rios and Salem all over the world (e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq, China), TFD is based strictly in Shanghai. Players must navigate half-destroyed buildings, an abandoned mall, and even a ransacked zoo in order to reach an extraction point. Along the way, Rios and Salem encounter hundreds of enemy mercenaries, all of whom want them dead. My friend Rob, with whom I played Army of Two and its sequel, lamented TFD’s one-city premise in place of the globe-trotting adventure in the first game. I’m inclined to agree. It’s not that a single location will always become tedious – just think of Rapture in BioShock or Shadow Moses Island in Metal Gear Solid – but in TFD, Shanghai is just not that interesting.
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| Rios holds a human shield while Salem ties up an enemy. |
Equally uninteresting is the story. The game’s writers didn’t do much to captivate an audience, explain the enemy forces and their motives, or make players root for Salem and Rios. In fact, Salem and Rios, who are basically contract killers, are two of the more unlikable video game heroes or, more appropriately, anti-heroes.
Where TFD does shine is in its gameplay. Stripped of its lackluster setting, uninteresting story, and unlikable characters, the game still plays well, especially with a friend. Salem and Rios can each equip three weapons – primary, secondary, and special – with which to take on wave after wave of mercenaries. TFD uses a cover system, not unlike Gears of War, whereby players run from cover to cover while engaging with enemy targets. They can either peek out and accurately target the enemy or fire blindly from behind cover. Rios and Salem can also perform co-op maneuvers, like simultaneous sniper shots or mock surrenders, to outwit and outperform opponents.
The weapon customization which made the original Army of Two so much fun returns in TFD. Players can purchase or unlock new weapons and then completely customize them by exchanging gun barrels, stocks, clips, sights, silencers, and appearance. There are more combinations in TFD than in Army of Two, in large part because weapon parts from one gun can be fitted onto others. For example, an AK-47 barrel can be attached to the body of a FN SCAR. It makes for some particularly ugly but effective weapons.
Two major additions to TFD include the ability to interact with hostages, and morality moments. The former I think works, the latter seems oddly out of place. At certain points in the game, Salem and Rios will come across some very frightened hostages held at gunpoint. Players can choose either to leave them to their fate or rescue them. Hostages can be rescued by killing armed guards or by disarming them, usually by capturing an officer. These encounters add much-needed diversity to TFD.
 |
| Choose carefully. |
Morality moments, conversely, don’t exactly work. These are moments that appear at pre-determined points in the game, and ask players to make a moral decision, e.g. whether or not to steal guns from a weapons locker. Whichever player chooses first chooses for the team. After the choice is made, players are shown the consequences, good and bad, of their actions through graphic novel panels. Some of the consequences are unexpected. Morality moments are an interesting idea, and certainly give TFD more replay value (players can experience the campaign again but make completely different choices), but they seem out of place in a third-person shooter, especially one that stars two mercenaries and that is already very dark.
Although not as good as the original, TFD offers enough fun with friends to recommend. The story, characters, and atmosphere may not make much sense, but the gameplay works. And, in the end, that’s more important.
Score: 7.5
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Top 10 Video Game Dogs
This post is dedicated to Lucky the dog, who passed away this week. Lucky was a very cute, very smart, very lovable dachshund who lived with my friend Jason. Like most dachshunds, she was energetic and playful. She would greet all of us when we visited Jason at his house in Connecticut by tap dancing across the kitchen floor and wagging her tail so excitedly that it looked like she might take off. She was also a little stubborn, and a bit of a burrower. She loved hiding rawhide pieces underneath pillows and between couch cushions. And she also enjoyed video games, or at least enjoyed all the excitement that video games brought to the room. She would often climb up her miniature set of stairs onto the couch and bound across our laps trying to get a piece of the action during a particularly gripping game of Mario Kart or Smash Bros.
Dogs, and especially Lucky, have a peculiar way of creeping into our hearts and staying there long after they've gone. They are very much our best friends, as the idiom says. They are loyal, protective, and emotionally available. We have coexisted with them for tens of thousands of years, and the primordial relationship is stronger than ever. But it never gets any easier when one of them slips away from us.
I know Jason loved Lucky very much. I know his friends and family loved her also. And I know that all of us have a special place in our hearts reserved only for her.
9. Lupus (Jet Force Gemini)
In Jet Force Gemini, players control three different characters in their quest to save the galaxy from the insect tyrant Mizar: Juno, his twin sister Vela, and their cybernetically enhanced mascot Lupus. Tough, unshakable, and completely loyal, Lupus is as important a member of Jet Force Gemini as Juno and Vela. In fact, players will need to use Lupus' hover ability to reach all areas of the game, find spaceship parts, and rescue every Tribal.
8. Interceptor (Final Fantasy III)
One of the most mysterious, misunderstood, and awesome characters in Final Fantasy III is the mercenary Shadow, who joins and leaves and rejoins the party suddenly and without warning. But Shadow wouldn't be as cool a character without his faithful canine sidekick, Interceptor. If Shadow is in the party, Interceptor can help out during battles. There is a chance he will parry physical attacks directed against Shadow, and a smaller chance he will counterattack with Wild Fang or Takedown, both of which deal magic damage to enemies.
7. General Pepper (Star Fox series)
Commander in chief of the Cornerian Defense Forces, General Pepper is one remarkable dog. He has appeared in (or been mentioned in) every Star Fox game, and has played an important role feeding information to Fox McCloud and his Star Fox team. He is perhaps most important in Star Fox 64. Before each mission, the team would report to him, and he would brief them about the upcoming area and the dangers associated with it. General Pepper previously served in the army with Fox's father, James McCloud.
6. Wolf Link (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
Ok, so he's not exactly a dog, but I think we can make an exception in this case. Wolf Link is the alternate form of the hero Link, who transforms into a wolf when he enters an area covered in Twilight. In his wolf form, Link cannot use items but gains enhanced senses. He can learn scents and then use that knowledge to track missing people. He can also dig in the ground and communicate with other animals. Just like his human form, Wolf link is courageous, noble, and intelligent.
5. K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing)
The first animal you meet in Animal Crossing is K.K. Slider, also known as Totakeke. K.K. Slider is a guitar-playing dog that introduces the game to the player. From then on, he appears in town every Saturday night, sitting on stool in front of the train station. He sings songs for the player and gives him or her a copy to take home afterward. There are a total of 55 songs in Animal Crossing, some of which K.K. will only play if you request them.
4. Laughing Dog (Duck Hunt)
I know that many out there are not the biggest fans of the dog in Duck Hunt, who mocks you without mercy when you fail to hit a flying duck. But he is such an important part of the game, and such a video game icon that he deserve this high spot. For those of you who don't know, the laughing dog in Duck Hunt appears at the beginning of each game, sniffing the ground, and finally jumping into and hiding in the grass. If you tag a duck with the Zapper, the dog will emerge with the duck(s) in his hands; if you miss all ducks, prepare for your self-esteem to hit an all-time low.
3. Poppy (Samurai Shodown series)
One of the more interesting characters in Samurai Shodown is Galford, an American ninja who fights alongside his pet husky Poppy. She has two main powers: teleport, during which she teleports short distances above the opponent; and grapple, during which she throws, bites, or charges opponents on command. Galford adopted Poppy before he departed for Japan to train. Her puppies, all female, are Pahpa, Pippy, and Pippa.
2. Amaterasu (Okami)
Ok, another wolf. But she's the mother of all creation, so maybe we can let it slide. Amaterasu (or Ammy, as she is called by her companion Issun) is the hero of Okami, a brilliant game that brings to mind The Legend of Zelda. Ammy appears to mortals as a common white wolf, but to those who can perceive her true brilliance she is covered in bright red markings, cloud-like fur above her shoulders, and a celestial weapon on her back. She is a beautiful, powerful, and compassionate goddess.
1. Your Dog (Fable II)
The Fable series is very much about relationships, and none is quite as special as the one between the hero and his dog. The dog is found at the very beginning of Fable II and stays with the hero for the rest of the game. Mechanically, the dog serves to assist the hero in combat (he can attack and destroy downed enemies) and in finding treasure chests and dig spots. Emotionally, however, the dog serves a much more important purpose. The dog is your constant companion in Albion. You can heal your dog, teach him new tricks, and even play fetch. So strong is the bond that the dog's physical appearance changes to reflect the hero's moral alignment.
Dogs, and especially Lucky, have a peculiar way of creeping into our hearts and staying there long after they've gone. They are very much our best friends, as the idiom says. They are loyal, protective, and emotionally available. We have coexisted with them for tens of thousands of years, and the primordial relationship is stronger than ever. But it never gets any easier when one of them slips away from us.
I know Jason loved Lucky very much. I know his friends and family loved her also. And I know that all of us have a special place in our hearts reserved only for her.
***
The top 10 video game dogs, in honor of Lucky.
10. Shadow (Dead to Rights)
Grant City is a dangerous place. I mean, if you come under fire from armed goons at a construction site, imagine what the seedier places in town are like. Keeping the streets safe are officer Jack Slate and his K-9 partner Shadow. Jack has an impressive arsenal at his disposal, but his greatest asset is Shadow, who can attack enemies on command, and will automatically destroy whichever bad guy he targets. Not only that, but he will return to Jack carrying items from the downed enemy. In some Dead to Rights levels, players take full control of Shadow in order to reach inaccessible areas, solve puzzles, and disarm bombs.
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| Shadow tackles a bad guy. |
9. Lupus (Jet Force Gemini)
In Jet Force Gemini, players control three different characters in their quest to save the galaxy from the insect tyrant Mizar: Juno, his twin sister Vela, and their cybernetically enhanced mascot Lupus. Tough, unshakable, and completely loyal, Lupus is as important a member of Jet Force Gemini as Juno and Vela. In fact, players will need to use Lupus' hover ability to reach all areas of the game, find spaceship parts, and rescue every Tribal.
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| Vela, Lupus, and Juno |
8. Interceptor (Final Fantasy III)
One of the most mysterious, misunderstood, and awesome characters in Final Fantasy III is the mercenary Shadow, who joins and leaves and rejoins the party suddenly and without warning. But Shadow wouldn't be as cool a character without his faithful canine sidekick, Interceptor. If Shadow is in the party, Interceptor can help out during battles. There is a chance he will parry physical attacks directed against Shadow, and a smaller chance he will counterattack with Wild Fang or Takedown, both of which deal magic damage to enemies.
 |
| Shadow and Interceptor |
7. General Pepper (Star Fox series)
Commander in chief of the Cornerian Defense Forces, General Pepper is one remarkable dog. He has appeared in (or been mentioned in) every Star Fox game, and has played an important role feeding information to Fox McCloud and his Star Fox team. He is perhaps most important in Star Fox 64. Before each mission, the team would report to him, and he would brief them about the upcoming area and the dangers associated with it. General Pepper previously served in the army with Fox's father, James McCloud.
 |
| General Pepper |
6. Wolf Link (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
Ok, so he's not exactly a dog, but I think we can make an exception in this case. Wolf Link is the alternate form of the hero Link, who transforms into a wolf when he enters an area covered in Twilight. In his wolf form, Link cannot use items but gains enhanced senses. He can learn scents and then use that knowledge to track missing people. He can also dig in the ground and communicate with other animals. Just like his human form, Wolf link is courageous, noble, and intelligent.
 |
| Wolf Link and Midna |
5. K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing)
The first animal you meet in Animal Crossing is K.K. Slider, also known as Totakeke. K.K. Slider is a guitar-playing dog that introduces the game to the player. From then on, he appears in town every Saturday night, sitting on stool in front of the train station. He sings songs for the player and gives him or her a copy to take home afterward. There are a total of 55 songs in Animal Crossing, some of which K.K. will only play if you request them.
 |
| K.K. Slider |
4. Laughing Dog (Duck Hunt)
I know that many out there are not the biggest fans of the dog in Duck Hunt, who mocks you without mercy when you fail to hit a flying duck. But he is such an important part of the game, and such a video game icon that he deserve this high spot. For those of you who don't know, the laughing dog in Duck Hunt appears at the beginning of each game, sniffing the ground, and finally jumping into and hiding in the grass. If you tag a duck with the Zapper, the dog will emerge with the duck(s) in his hands; if you miss all ducks, prepare for your self-esteem to hit an all-time low.
 |
| I like to think he's laughing with me. |
3. Poppy (Samurai Shodown series)
One of the more interesting characters in Samurai Shodown is Galford, an American ninja who fights alongside his pet husky Poppy. She has two main powers: teleport, during which she teleports short distances above the opponent; and grapple, during which she throws, bites, or charges opponents on command. Galford adopted Poppy before he departed for Japan to train. Her puppies, all female, are Pahpa, Pippy, and Pippa.
 |
| Galford and Poppy |
2. Amaterasu (Okami)
Ok, another wolf. But she's the mother of all creation, so maybe we can let it slide. Amaterasu (or Ammy, as she is called by her companion Issun) is the hero of Okami, a brilliant game that brings to mind The Legend of Zelda. Ammy appears to mortals as a common white wolf, but to those who can perceive her true brilliance she is covered in bright red markings, cloud-like fur above her shoulders, and a celestial weapon on her back. She is a beautiful, powerful, and compassionate goddess.
 |
| Amaterasu, goddess of the sun |
1. Your Dog (Fable II)
The Fable series is very much about relationships, and none is quite as special as the one between the hero and his dog. The dog is found at the very beginning of Fable II and stays with the hero for the rest of the game. Mechanically, the dog serves to assist the hero in combat (he can attack and destroy downed enemies) and in finding treasure chests and dig spots. Emotionally, however, the dog serves a much more important purpose. The dog is your constant companion in Albion. You can heal your dog, teach him new tricks, and even play fetch. So strong is the bond that the dog's physical appearance changes to reflect the hero's moral alignment.
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| A hero's best friend |
Saturday, March 17, 2012
GameFest
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| The Smithsonian has a serious ghost infestation. |
Today was day two of GameFest, a three day celebration of video games at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The weekend extravaganza kicks off a seven month exhibition called "The Art of Video Games" that should be very well attended, if today's audience is any indicator. It was absolutely wonderful to be in the company of so many video game fans from all over the country, representing many different age groups. It was an honor to sit and listen to living legend Hideo Kojima talk about his craft. And it was thrilling to see some of my favorite video games, indeed any video game, on display at a Smithsonian museum. Video games have come a long way over the past 40 years.
Note: photographs that didn't make it into this post can be viewed by clicking on the picture below.
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| GameFest 2012 |
There was plenty to see and do at GameFest, but the highlight was a one-hour conversation between guest curator Chris Melissinos and producer/director Hideo Kojima, most famous for the Metal Gear Solid series. I was lucky enough to get two tickets to the sold-out show. Kojima spoke (via a translator) about his career as a video game developer, his dreams of becoming a filmmaker at an early age, and his opinions about video games and their place in popular culture, society, and art. One of Kojima's most intriguing remarks followed a question from Melissinos about comments Kojima made in 2006 that video games were not art. Kojima used some rather ambiguous language in his answer, I think to avoid saying explicitly that he still feels the same way, but also admitted that video games represent a composite of several different artistic forms, and "interactive" art. His answer was very nuanced and very sophisticated, and I cannot do it service here, but suffice it to say that it made me think long and hard about my own definition of art, and how that definition applies to video games.
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| From left to right: Sean Eyestone, Hideo Kojima, and Chris Melissinos. |
Other highlights of GameFest included video game kiosks, live video game music, and "Live Action Gaming," all set up in the courtyard at the museum. Live Action Gaming was particularly hilarious. Guests at the museum basically walked through a live-action video game, complete with obstacles and enemies, accompanied by video game sound effects. It had to be seen to be believed.
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| Mario's job is safe for now. |
Then there was the exhibit, which thankfully will be around for several months. The line was rather long – it took about 40 minutes to get in – but it moved quickly and I had time to strike up a conversation with a couple of very nice fellow video game fans. The exhibit fills several rooms, one with videos, screen grabs, and concept art; one with video game demos; and one with interactive kiosks chronicling the last seven generations of video gaming. The latter were my favorite. Each kiosk represented a system, and displayed information about four of its landmark games. It was interesting to watch guests flock to their favorite systems and admire their most treasured games.
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| Hello? Yes, I AM interested in long distance savings. VERY interested. |
The best thing about The Art of Video Games is its replay value. Get it? See what I did there? I could easily visit the museum every weekend for the next month, testing out each demo, and listening to the history behind games like Doom, Mass Effect 2, and Final Fantasy VII.
In the end, it was a real honor to share the artistic medium I love with other kindred spirits, young and old. Like Kojima said in his panel, video games have arrived at a place where they rival other, long-established media much sooner than expected. I can't wait to see where they go next.
__________________________
Photographs by Elizabeth Frazier
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Weird Video Game Habits
I recently stumbled upon a feature at 1UP.com titled “You’re not Alone: Gamers Share Their Quirky Playing Habits,” and it got me thinking. What quirky video game habits have I developed over the past two decades?
Well, for starters I’m a bit of a completist, and this involves not only how I play in video games, but which video games I play. I need to play every game in a franchise, in order, even if the games are unrelated in terms of story. Oh, and I HAVE to read the manual for each game, cover to cover.
Then, once I boot up a game, I try my best to find everything I can, every secret room, every hidden trinket, every ammo cache. This behavior probably peaked in the mid to late 1990s when games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie had literally hundreds of stars, coins, notes, and jinjos to collect. In fact, I was so obsessed with finding one last musical note in Banjo-Kazooie that I stopped playing out of frustration and only finished the game a decade later when I picked it up again and decided it was OK not to get 100% completion. Lately, because I play SO many games, I can’t devote myself so tenaciously to individual titles, but I still try to uncover everything I can. While playing Symphony of the Night, I backtracked through a significant section of the map because I noticed the corner of one room hadn’t been explored. Nothing was there, but it would have driven me crazy not knowing.
I’m also a conserver, although you could call me a hoarder. Whenever I find money or special ammo or a powerful potion I tend not to use it immediately, saving it for a super-strong enemy or situation that sometimes never appears. At the end of Symphony of the Night, I had in my inventory dozens of unused potions, projectile weapons, and food items. However, this idiosyncrasy started long before that. I remember playing Turok and Turok 2, and blasting enemies with my pistol for as long as I could to save ammo for my shotgun, assault rifle, grenade launcher, etc. Ammo wasn’t exactly in short supply, but I never wanted to use that ammo unless absolutely necessary. Then there's the house I was using in Morrowind to store tons of weapons, armor, books, and other accessories that I couldn't sell. It looked like a treasure chest had exploded.
If there is a game where morality is a factor, I NEED to swing all the way to the morally right side of the scale. In games like Mass Effect, Fable, and Jade Empire I make my avatar a paragon of virtue. He or she does no harm, always gives up the payday to help out the needy, and never, ever kills in cold blood. I’ve considered going back and playing through some of these RPGs as an evil character, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
I’m also a compulsive checker. I always, ALWAYS look under every staircase. And I try to walk or swim through every waterfall. And God help me if I walk into a locker room, or a hallway full of closed doors.
So that’s me. What video game quirks do you have? Do you need to finish every quest in an RPG or do you need to take a particular route when given the decision? Do you have to play on easy the first time through a game? Do you feel compelled to unlock every achievement? Are you a compulsive reloader? Tell us in the comments section.
Well, for starters I’m a bit of a completist, and this involves not only how I play in video games, but which video games I play. I need to play every game in a franchise, in order, even if the games are unrelated in terms of story. Oh, and I HAVE to read the manual for each game, cover to cover.
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| Those are the easy ones. |
Then, once I boot up a game, I try my best to find everything I can, every secret room, every hidden trinket, every ammo cache. This behavior probably peaked in the mid to late 1990s when games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie had literally hundreds of stars, coins, notes, and jinjos to collect. In fact, I was so obsessed with finding one last musical note in Banjo-Kazooie that I stopped playing out of frustration and only finished the game a decade later when I picked it up again and decided it was OK not to get 100% completion. Lately, because I play SO many games, I can’t devote myself so tenaciously to individual titles, but I still try to uncover everything I can. While playing Symphony of the Night, I backtracked through a significant section of the map because I noticed the corner of one room hadn’t been explored. Nothing was there, but it would have driven me crazy not knowing.
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| Perhaps the pistol wasn't the proper weapon in this situation. |
I’m also a conserver, although you could call me a hoarder. Whenever I find money or special ammo or a powerful potion I tend not to use it immediately, saving it for a super-strong enemy or situation that sometimes never appears. At the end of Symphony of the Night, I had in my inventory dozens of unused potions, projectile weapons, and food items. However, this idiosyncrasy started long before that. I remember playing Turok and Turok 2, and blasting enemies with my pistol for as long as I could to save ammo for my shotgun, assault rifle, grenade launcher, etc. Ammo wasn’t exactly in short supply, but I never wanted to use that ammo unless absolutely necessary. Then there's the house I was using in Morrowind to store tons of weapons, armor, books, and other accessories that I couldn't sell. It looked like a treasure chest had exploded.
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| I'll take the one on the left. |
If there is a game where morality is a factor, I NEED to swing all the way to the morally right side of the scale. In games like Mass Effect, Fable, and Jade Empire I make my avatar a paragon of virtue. He or she does no harm, always gives up the payday to help out the needy, and never, ever kills in cold blood. I’ve considered going back and playing through some of these RPGs as an evil character, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
I’m also a compulsive checker. I always, ALWAYS look under every staircase. And I try to walk or swim through every waterfall. And God help me if I walk into a locker room, or a hallway full of closed doors.
 |
| It's good advice. |
So that’s me. What video game quirks do you have? Do you need to finish every quest in an RPG or do you need to take a particular route when given the decision? Do you have to play on easy the first time through a game? Do you feel compelled to unlock every achievement? Are you a compulsive reloader? Tell us in the comments section.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
The Belmonts take a back seat in this epic journey through Dracula’s castle.
Every now and then a long-standing franchise will reinvent itself, and the gaming world gets hugely important titles like Grand Theft Auto III, Resident Evil 4, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. For the Castlevania franchise, that reinvention was Symphony of the Night, a 1997 game that breathed new life into the series and influenced a generation of Castlevania games. Without Symphony of the Night, we wouldn’t have titles like Circle of the Moon, Aria of Sorrow, and Portrait of Ruin, to name a few.
Symphony of the Night (SOTN) is the sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, a Japan-only release that pitted Richter Belmont against the forces of evil. Five years after the events in Rondo of Blood, Richter has gone missing and Dracula’s castle once again looms like a curse over the land. In a break from tradition, the protagonist of SOTN is not one of the Belmont clan, but rather Alucard, the dhampir son of Dracula who was first introduced in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse.
SOTN established a new gameplay style for the Castlevania franchise that in many ways resembled Super Metroid, which led critics to coin the terms “Castleroid” and “Metroidvania.” Instead of the linear levels that largely defined the series before 1997, SOTN drops players into a huge castle, sections of which are inaccessible at first. As players explore monster-filled rooms, uncover secret passageways, and discover hidden relics, more and more of the castle becomes available. By pressing select on their controllers, players can view a blueprint of the castle, including all rooms already visited. This is a far cry from the stage-by-stage structure of earlier Castlevania games, with the exception of Castlevania II which was also non-linear.
SOTN also added role-playing game elements to the mix. Alucard has hit points and magic points, which determine how many enemy attacks he can withstand and how many magic spells he can perform, respectively. Moreover, as Alucard defeats more and more enemies, his experience points rise and he levels up, increasing his strength, constitution, intelligence, luck, etc. Players can also equip him with literally dozens of weapons, armor pieces, and accessories that enhance his attack power, defense, and resistance to elemental attacks.
A brief note on Alucard before I continue: he is an exceptional video game hero. Brave, complicated, tortured, Alucard deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Samus Aran, Gordon Freeman, and Solid Snake.
Ok, back to SOTN. It plays like a dream. Controls are tight, the story is presented poetically, and the castle itself is stunning, despite graphics that are not exactly high-powered. Castle backgrounds are especially beautiful, with a clever combination of 2D and 3D effects. SOTN is also perfectly paced; if it wasn’t for physical demands like sleep and food intake, I could easily have played straight through for 12 hours.
The best part of SOTN, however, is its music. It has, arguably, the best video game soundtrack of all time. I write this without hyperbole. Each track is unique, gorgeous, catchy, and flawlessly orchestrated. Moreover, it is incredibly varied. Tracks contain elements from jazz, techno, classical, and rock. Standout tracks include "Dance of Pales," "Lost Painting, " and "Dracula's Castle." Music was composed by Michiru Yamane, who is most famous for her work on Castlevania and Suikoden games.
In the end, SOTN is a terrific, landmark title that really should be played by everyone who appreciates video games, not just fans of the franchise. It was years ahead of its time, and is responsible for some of the best games on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. There is so much to explore and uncover in Dracula’s castle, including a staggering number of secret areas and Easter eggs, that a single play-through will probably be insufficient. Is it the best Castlevania ever, as many fans and critics argue? I’d probably save that title for Aria of Sorrow, but SOTN is a very close second.
Symphony of the Night (SOTN) is the sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, a Japan-only release that pitted Richter Belmont against the forces of evil. Five years after the events in Rondo of Blood, Richter has gone missing and Dracula’s castle once again looms like a curse over the land. In a break from tradition, the protagonist of SOTN is not one of the Belmont clan, but rather Alucard, the dhampir son of Dracula who was first introduced in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse.
SOTN established a new gameplay style for the Castlevania franchise that in many ways resembled Super Metroid, which led critics to coin the terms “Castleroid” and “Metroidvania.” Instead of the linear levels that largely defined the series before 1997, SOTN drops players into a huge castle, sections of which are inaccessible at first. As players explore monster-filled rooms, uncover secret passageways, and discover hidden relics, more and more of the castle becomes available. By pressing select on their controllers, players can view a blueprint of the castle, including all rooms already visited. This is a far cry from the stage-by-stage structure of earlier Castlevania games, with the exception of Castlevania II which was also non-linear.
 |
| Alucard faces off against a minotaur and werewolf. |
SOTN also added role-playing game elements to the mix. Alucard has hit points and magic points, which determine how many enemy attacks he can withstand and how many magic spells he can perform, respectively. Moreover, as Alucard defeats more and more enemies, his experience points rise and he levels up, increasing his strength, constitution, intelligence, luck, etc. Players can also equip him with literally dozens of weapons, armor pieces, and accessories that enhance his attack power, defense, and resistance to elemental attacks.
A brief note on Alucard before I continue: he is an exceptional video game hero. Brave, complicated, tortured, Alucard deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Samus Aran, Gordon Freeman, and Solid Snake.
 |
| The status screen in Symphony of the Night. |
Ok, back to SOTN. It plays like a dream. Controls are tight, the story is presented poetically, and the castle itself is stunning, despite graphics that are not exactly high-powered. Castle backgrounds are especially beautiful, with a clever combination of 2D and 3D effects. SOTN is also perfectly paced; if it wasn’t for physical demands like sleep and food intake, I could easily have played straight through for 12 hours.
The best part of SOTN, however, is its music. It has, arguably, the best video game soundtrack of all time. I write this without hyperbole. Each track is unique, gorgeous, catchy, and flawlessly orchestrated. Moreover, it is incredibly varied. Tracks contain elements from jazz, techno, classical, and rock. Standout tracks include "Dance of Pales," "Lost Painting, " and "Dracula's Castle." Music was composed by Michiru Yamane, who is most famous for her work on Castlevania and Suikoden games.
 |
| Death threatens his master's son. |
In the end, SOTN is a terrific, landmark title that really should be played by everyone who appreciates video games, not just fans of the franchise. It was years ahead of its time, and is responsible for some of the best games on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. There is so much to explore and uncover in Dracula’s castle, including a staggering number of secret areas and Easter eggs, that a single play-through will probably be insufficient. Is it the best Castlevania ever, as many fans and critics argue? I’d probably save that title for Aria of Sorrow, but SOTN is a very close second.
Score: 9.5
Note: SOTN has become something of a collector’s item since its release, and is rather expensive on eBay and other similar sites. If you have a PS3 or Xbox 360, you can download a port of the original game for about $10. I recommend the PS3 port, as it is identical to the Playstation original.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Research Shows Video Games Good for You, Probably
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| Our future overlords? |
What is most remarkable is that action games, and particularly the most violent (and controversial) action games, are the ones that produce the greatest effects: people who played action games were able to make decisions 25% faster than others, without sacrificing accuracy.
One of the studies, a three-year examination of 491 middle school students, found that those students who played more computer games achieved greater scores on standardized creativity tests, regardless of race, gender, or even the type of game played. This begs the question, however: are creative young people playing video games, or are video games making young people more creative?
Frankly, I'm not the kind of person who will be moved very much by this research. If a study came out tomorrow that said video games cause terrible, nightmarish diarrhea, I'd probably still keep playing them. But maybe this will calm down some of the reactionaries out there who are either bent on banning video games altogether or reducing the video game market to a cottage industry pumping out games like "ChurchVille," "Don't Run With Scissors," and "Good, Clean Fun: Best Friends Edition."
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Peter Molyneux Leaving Lionhead, Microsoft
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| Peter Molyneux |
Molyneux, 52, is the creative force behind Populous, the 1989 computer game that invented the "God game," Black & White, and, most recently, the Fable franchise. He is certainly one of the most gifted and respected game designers of his or any generation. He will be succeeded at Lionhead by Mark Webley, who co-founded that company with Molyneux. Microsoft has not yet named a replacement.
Molyneux also announced that he will launch a new video game studio, 22 Cans. If history teaches us anything, Molyneux will make a handful of ambitious, important games with his new studio, sell it to an interested party, and move on to bigger and better things. He did it first with Bullfrog Productions (sold to EA), then with Lionhead Studios (sold to Microsoft following the success of Fable).
From the press release:
"It is with mixed emotions that I made the decision to leave Microsoft and Lionhead Studios, the company that I co-founded in 1997, at the conclusion of development of Fable: The Journey."
"I remain extremely passionate and proud of the people, products and experiences that we created, from Black & White to Fable to our pioneering work with Milo and Kate for the Kinect platform. However, I felt the time was right to pursue a new independent venture."
Monday, March 5, 2012
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Infinity Ward tackles single player, co-op, and multiplayer – and aces them all.
Ready for some controversy? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has the absolute best package of the three main components of video gaming – single player, cooperative play, and multiplayer – in the history of the industry. The operative word here, of course, is package. Independently, each component in Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) is not the best of all-time (although an argument could be made for its multiplayer component), but together the package is unparalleled. Few developers have attempted to tackle all three components with much seriousness, and even fewer have produced a menu like that found in MW2, which is polished, deep, and addictive across the board.
MW2 is a direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which catapulted the Call of Duty franchise into the stratosphere. If you didn’t play the first game, the plot, characters, and contingents in MW2 will be somewhat confusing. In fact, the storyline in MW2 is so convoluted that even Call of Duty veterans might scratch their heads. As in previous installments, the campaign in MW2 follows several protagonists on military operations across the globe. Two of the most memorable include a stealth infiltration of an offshore oil rig, and an all-out assault on a Russian prison complete with a shower room gun battle that plainly evokes The Rock. There are several unexpected twists and turns along the way, which will not be mentioned here.
The main campaign mode, however refined, varied, and emotionally powerful, is short – only six hours long – but Infinity Ward prepared for its consumers a wealth of content beyond the single-player campaign, including a brand new cooperative mode called Special Ops and an updated version of its addictive online multiplayer. Special Ops is a real treat for fans of co-op. Played online or via splitscreen, Special Ops features 23 short missions – three to fifteen minutes long – that can be tackled individually but are much easier and more fun with a partner. Missions are usually set in areas borrowed from the main campaign, and include operations like assault, wave defense, elimination, stealth, etc. Two of the most unique and enjoyable missions are “Overwatch” and “Big Brother,” both of which can only be played with two people. In “Overwatch” one player runs on foot from a crash site to an extraction point, while the other player controls a C-130 Hercules, a military transport aircraft. The C-130 can fire shots at incoming helicopters, jeeps, and enemy troops before they reach the soldier on the ground. “Big Brother” is similar, except the C-130 is replaced by a helicopter with a Vulcan minigun. Communication and good teamwork are essential in “Overwatch” and “Big Brother,” indeed in all Special Ops missions.
The star of MW2, however, is its multiplayer component, which is incredibly deep and habit-forming. MW2 retains the experience point and ranking system from the first Modern Warfare. Experience points are earned by killing players, completing objectives, winning rounds, etc. These can then be used to unlock new weapons, perks, and modes. In MW2, however, advanced players have the option to customize their “killstreaks,” which are earned after a requisite number of consecutive kills. Thus, veteran players in MW2 clearly have a huge advantage and, conversely, rookie players a significant disadvantage. So multiplayer is a double-edged sword.
Taken together, the single player, cooperative, and multiplayer modes in MW2 are unlike any other video game combination in terms of depth, diversity, and pure fun. Although the campaign is relatively short, Special Ops and especially online multiplayer will keep players busy for months, if not years.
MW2 is a direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which catapulted the Call of Duty franchise into the stratosphere. If you didn’t play the first game, the plot, characters, and contingents in MW2 will be somewhat confusing. In fact, the storyline in MW2 is so convoluted that even Call of Duty veterans might scratch their heads. As in previous installments, the campaign in MW2 follows several protagonists on military operations across the globe. Two of the most memorable include a stealth infiltration of an offshore oil rig, and an all-out assault on a Russian prison complete with a shower room gun battle that plainly evokes The Rock. There are several unexpected twists and turns along the way, which will not be mentioned here.
 |
| The tutorial in Modern Warfare 2. |
The main campaign mode, however refined, varied, and emotionally powerful, is short – only six hours long – but Infinity Ward prepared for its consumers a wealth of content beyond the single-player campaign, including a brand new cooperative mode called Special Ops and an updated version of its addictive online multiplayer. Special Ops is a real treat for fans of co-op. Played online or via splitscreen, Special Ops features 23 short missions – three to fifteen minutes long – that can be tackled individually but are much easier and more fun with a partner. Missions are usually set in areas borrowed from the main campaign, and include operations like assault, wave defense, elimination, stealth, etc. Two of the most unique and enjoyable missions are “Overwatch” and “Big Brother,” both of which can only be played with two people. In “Overwatch” one player runs on foot from a crash site to an extraction point, while the other player controls a C-130 Hercules, a military transport aircraft. The C-130 can fire shots at incoming helicopters, jeeps, and enemy troops before they reach the soldier on the ground. “Big Brother” is similar, except the C-130 is replaced by a helicopter with a Vulcan minigun. Communication and good teamwork are essential in “Overwatch” and “Big Brother,” indeed in all Special Ops missions.
The star of MW2, however, is its multiplayer component, which is incredibly deep and habit-forming. MW2 retains the experience point and ranking system from the first Modern Warfare. Experience points are earned by killing players, completing objectives, winning rounds, etc. These can then be used to unlock new weapons, perks, and modes. In MW2, however, advanced players have the option to customize their “killstreaks,” which are earned after a requisite number of consecutive kills. Thus, veteran players in MW2 clearly have a huge advantage and, conversely, rookie players a significant disadvantage. So multiplayer is a double-edged sword.
Taken together, the single player, cooperative, and multiplayer modes in MW2 are unlike any other video game combination in terms of depth, diversity, and pure fun. Although the campaign is relatively short, Special Ops and especially online multiplayer will keep players busy for months, if not years.
Score: 9.5
Friday, March 2, 2012
Monster Hunter
Gotta hunt ‘em all.
There is something very primordial, very instinctual about Monster Hunter. Here is a game that asks its players to pluck out resources from the earth, capture and destroy fearsome, deadly animals, claw their way to the top of the food chain, and otherwise tame the world around them. Along the way, players will forge mighty weapons and armor from animal bones and skins, combine everyday ingredients to create rare concoctions, and buy, sell, and trade with merchants and fellow hunters. Altogether, Monster Hunter evokes prehistory. Simply put, it is man versus nature. And it’s a war of attrition.
Monster Hunter is an action game that was meant to be played online and offline. However, because Capcom shut down their North American servers in 2007, I can only report on Monster Hunter’s offline component, which, according to the vast majority of reviewers, is inferior. Even so, I can confidently state that even offline, and without the help from fellow players around the world, Monster Hunter is a game worth playing. The rewards are smaller and arrive with less frequency offline, but those who are patient can still find a challenging, gratifying experience.
There isn't much story in Monster Hunter. Players custom create an avatar at the very beginning of the game, and modify his weapons, armor, and accoutrements throughout, but there are no plot developments to study, no character development to speak of. Monster Hunter is a series of quests that must be conquered to move forward in the game. It's not unlike a MMORPG, although players in Monster Hunter cannot level up, nor can they freely roam an open-world environment. Instead, each quest starts from a base camp and spills out into several zones, some dessert, some forest, some swampland. The three main quest types include hunt, gather, and capture. In hunting quests, which make up the majority of the challenges in Monster Hunter, players must track and kill animals, large and small. Gather quests ask players to collect ingredients, for example mushrooms or animal livers. And capture quests, among the most challenging, demand players weaken a monster and capture it in a trap, but not destroy it.
The most obvious and glaring problem with the offline quests is that many of them are far too difficult to complete alone unless one plays lower level quests again and again to earn money and materials to make stronger weapons and armor. Even then, the most deadly monsters in the game, wyverns, are sometimes impossibly difficult. I think the developers at Capcom meant for the offline component to be more of a tutorial than a full game, and packed most of the material into the online component.
Graphics in Monster Hunter aren’t the most gorgeous you’ve ever seen, but when it comes to art direction, the game is something to behold. From foggy, humid jungles, to sun-baked desserts, each area feels genuine and unique. The forest and hills section of the game is probably the best example of this expert art design: tall, grassy mountains scrape the sky in the background while white, wispy clouds float overhead. Sound design is also especially good in Monster Hunter and only adds to the ambiance. A wyvern’s roar in the distance is genuinely alarming.
In general, controls work perfectly fine in Monster Hunter with one big exception. Hunters swing their weapons – whether sword, lance, or hammer – with the right analog stick. This is one of my least favorite control scheme decisions in general in video games, if only because swinging a weapon with an analog stick instead of buttons feels unnatural and unwieldy. After enough practice, swordplay in Monster Hunter becomes more effortless, but it’s still a poor design choice.
Overall, I enjoyed almost all of my time playing Monster Hunter, minus the hours that were spent in tedious trial and error. The game provides its players with a real sense of accomplishment, whether by finding rare ingredients and forging strong armor, or by defeating a powerful monster. I regret I was unable to play Monster Hunter’s online quests with other real-life players, but even offline the game is fun to play, and gratifying. Monster Hunter as a franchise is still going strong, especially in Japan, and I look forward to playing many more installments.
Monster Hunter is an action game that was meant to be played online and offline. However, because Capcom shut down their North American servers in 2007, I can only report on Monster Hunter’s offline component, which, according to the vast majority of reviewers, is inferior. Even so, I can confidently state that even offline, and without the help from fellow players around the world, Monster Hunter is a game worth playing. The rewards are smaller and arrive with less frequency offline, but those who are patient can still find a challenging, gratifying experience.
There isn't much story in Monster Hunter. Players custom create an avatar at the very beginning of the game, and modify his weapons, armor, and accoutrements throughout, but there are no plot developments to study, no character development to speak of. Monster Hunter is a series of quests that must be conquered to move forward in the game. It's not unlike a MMORPG, although players in Monster Hunter cannot level up, nor can they freely roam an open-world environment. Instead, each quest starts from a base camp and spills out into several zones, some dessert, some forest, some swampland. The three main quest types include hunt, gather, and capture. In hunting quests, which make up the majority of the challenges in Monster Hunter, players must track and kill animals, large and small. Gather quests ask players to collect ingredients, for example mushrooms or animal livers. And capture quests, among the most challenging, demand players weaken a monster and capture it in a trap, but not destroy it.
 |
| This was me a lot of the time. |
The most obvious and glaring problem with the offline quests is that many of them are far too difficult to complete alone unless one plays lower level quests again and again to earn money and materials to make stronger weapons and armor. Even then, the most deadly monsters in the game, wyverns, are sometimes impossibly difficult. I think the developers at Capcom meant for the offline component to be more of a tutorial than a full game, and packed most of the material into the online component.
Graphics in Monster Hunter aren’t the most gorgeous you’ve ever seen, but when it comes to art direction, the game is something to behold. From foggy, humid jungles, to sun-baked desserts, each area feels genuine and unique. The forest and hills section of the game is probably the best example of this expert art design: tall, grassy mountains scrape the sky in the background while white, wispy clouds float overhead. Sound design is also especially good in Monster Hunter and only adds to the ambiance. A wyvern’s roar in the distance is genuinely alarming.
 |
| Forest and Hills |
In general, controls work perfectly fine in Monster Hunter with one big exception. Hunters swing their weapons – whether sword, lance, or hammer – with the right analog stick. This is one of my least favorite control scheme decisions in general in video games, if only because swinging a weapon with an analog stick instead of buttons feels unnatural and unwieldy. After enough practice, swordplay in Monster Hunter becomes more effortless, but it’s still a poor design choice.
Overall, I enjoyed almost all of my time playing Monster Hunter, minus the hours that were spent in tedious trial and error. The game provides its players with a real sense of accomplishment, whether by finding rare ingredients and forging strong armor, or by defeating a powerful monster. I regret I was unable to play Monster Hunter’s online quests with other real-life players, but even offline the game is fun to play, and gratifying. Monster Hunter as a franchise is still going strong, especially in Japan, and I look forward to playing many more installments.
Score: 8.0
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