Sunday, April 28, 2013

Monkey Island 2 Review


Game: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
System: PC
Genre: Adventure
Developer: LucasArts
Release date: December, 1991


Pros: Improved graphics, catchy music, ingenious puzzles
Cons: Frustrating at times, a little too irreverent for its own good


My journey through the LucasArts archive continues with Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, a worthy sequel to one of the greatest point-and-click adventure games of all time. Most of the creative team behind the first Monkey Island returned for the sequel, and the results are as expected: more head-scratching puzzles, more catchy tunes, and more inside jokes, sight gags, and general zaniness.

Monkey Island 2 tells the story of hapless hero Guybrush Threepwood's quest to discover the hidden treasure Big Whoop and reconnect with his estranged love, Governor Elaine Marley. Although his adventures in the first game ended triumphantly, Guybrush in Monkey Island 2 is a pitiable person. His fifteen minutes of fame are over, his soul mate has left him, and he's stuck on a lonely piece of rock called Scabb Island.

A collection of verbs and inventory slots sit on the bottom part of the screen.

Like most of the early LucasArts adventure games, Monkey Island 2 uses the SCUMM engine, which allows players to interact with items in the game using several different verbs, e.g., pick up, open, talk to. Solving all the puzzles in the game requires players to use the items in their inventories in the right ways, with the right verbs, and at the right times. As with the first Monkey Island, trial and error is a big part of the experience. So is frustration, but that's the price one pays for the ingenious puzzles designer Ron Gilbert and friends cooked up for LeChuck's Revenge.

The graphics, animations, and special effects in Monkey Island 2 represent a significant leap over its predecessor. Everything seems more detailed, more vibrant, more alive. As for the music, Monkey Island is more of a lateral move. Still, that's pretty impressive considering the greatness of the music in The Secret of Monkey Island. There is something new, however: the iMUSE audio sequencing engine. This engine allows the music in the game to change interactively depending on the current environment and situation. Moreover, the music transitions smoothly and according to logical progressions.

Crossing a spooky swamp in a coffin en route to a voodoo hut?
Just a normal day in the life of Guybrush Threepwood.

Although it looks better and, in some cases, sounds better than the first game in the series, Monkey Island 2 falls slightly short of the high mark reached by The Secret of Monkey Island. Sometimes Monkey Island 2 can be too clever and too irreverent for its own good. A lot of the character development from the premiere game is undone as a result. Still, the puzzles are brilliant, the jokes are hilarious, and the characters memorable. Any point-and-click adventure fan would be remiss if he or she missed this treasure of a game.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Top 10 Zelda Games

There is no greater video game series than The Legend of Zelda. Since its arrival in 1986, it has set the standard for non-linear action-adventure games. Packed with puzzles, secrets, collectibles, swords, and sorcery, Zelda games allow players to disappear into a medieval fantasy world and conquer evil in the comfort of their living rooms.

Zelda games are some of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time. Ocarina of Time, the fifth game in the series, is generally considered the greatest game ever made. Skyward Sword, the most recent franchise game, was named by IGN as the best game of 2011, beating out games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Batman: Arkham City.

In honor of the upcoming Zelda game for 3DS, announced on April 16, please find below a list of the top 10 Zelda games. This list represents the best of the best from over 25 years of The Legend of Zelda.


#10

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword


It took Nintendo five years to finally unlock the full potential of its revolutionary motion controller, and it was Skyward Sword that did the unlocking. Boasting the best, most responsive motion controls of any game ever, Skyward Sword demonstrated once and for all that motion controls could be woven intelligently and masterfully into a game world without gimmickry. But it came at a cost. Nintendo EAD's deep focus on motion controls prevented the development team from investing in larger, more open worlds -- a staple of The Legend of Zelda. Still, the game is outstanding, technically and artistically. It features the best storytelling of any Zelda game, and it provides an origin story worthy of the franchise.


#9

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening


It took several years for a Zelda game to arrive on a Nintendo handheld system, but the end result was worth the wait. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is one of only a few Zelda games that takes place outside of Hyrule; in fact it features none of the elements that traditionally appear in Zelda games: Ganon, Princess Zelda, and the Triforce. Those omissions, however, don't detract from the overall experience. In fact, Link’s Awakening is great in no small part because of its heterodoxy.  The game might not compare favorably with some of the console Zelda titles, but it remains a fun, unique, and sometimes irreverent take on The Legend of Zelda that has, in the years following its release, attracted a substantial cult following.


#8

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks


When discussing the best incarnations of the Princess Zelda, many fans point to Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker. Very few pay tribute to Zelda from Spirit Tracks. It's a shame, really, because the Princess plays a very important role in this handheld Zelda adventure, not only in the narrative but also in the mechanics of the game itself. Zelda's personality -- smart, curious, trusting, stately, brave, at times comically incredulous -- is on full display in Spirit Tracks. It makes for a very funny, very touching game. According to the Zelda mythology, Link and Zelda are partners in time and space; in Spirit Tracks they are partners in crime(stopping).


#7

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap


For most of its run, the Zelda series has been developed by Nintendo EAD. There are several titles, however, that were designed by Capcom. One of those titles is The Minish Cap, which features two  Zelda superlatives: best overworld and best sidekick (sorry Midna). Although Capcom designed much of the game, it continues the legacy of the series: action, adventure, puzzle-solving, dungeon-crawling. Where it strays from the formula is its hook -- Link's brand new ability to shrink down to microscopic size -- and the inclusion of “kinstones,” two-part artifacts that produce items when matching pieces are combined.


#6

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess


After its experiment with The Wind Waker, it was perhaps inevitable that Nintendo would opt for a more conventional Zelda adventure. Originally planned for a late 2005 release, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was postponed a year and released in November 2006 alongside the Nintendo Wii, making it the first Zelda launch title. Twilight Princess is a loving tribute to Ocarina of Time, and pays homage to its precursor throughout the game. It's one of the most ambitious Zelda games ever made and easily the largest, taking some 60 hours to complete. Twilight Princess marks the first appearance of Midna, one of the all-time great Zelda supporting characters, and several innovations, including horseback swordfights, Wii remote swordplay, and Link’s ability to transform into a wolf.


#5

The Legend of Zelda


There are only a handful of games that could earn the title "most influential game of all time" and the original Legend of Zelda would be counted among them. Like many of Shigeru Miyamoto's early creations, The Legend of Zelda was years ahead of its time. When it arrived in 1986, it set the standard for open world, non-linear gameplay, and would go on to influence generations of action-adventure games. Through its pioneering use of a backup battery installed in the game cartridge, the game allowed players to experience an enormous game world that needn't be completed in a single sitting.


#4

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker


Unfairly criticized for its cartoonish appearance, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker features some of the most memorable and vibrant art direction of any Zelda adventure and boasts, without a doubt, the most visually expressive Link of any franchise game. Set on a huge, never-ending great sea, The Wind Waker is the story of Link’s quest to rescue his captured sister. Unlike other Zelda games, in which Link travelled by foot or on horseback, The Wind Waker asks its players to navigate across the vast ocean in a small sailboat. Aside from its gorgeous cel-shaded graphics, The Wind Waker boasts a terrific soundtrack and a deep, sometimes unpredictable story complete with several mid-game revelations and a truly shocking ending.


#3

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask


How does a company like Nintendo follow up one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time? It releases another one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. Such was the scenario with Ocarina of Time and its sequel Majora's Mask, a game that actually improves upon the graphics and play control of its predecessor. Whereas Ocarina was a "traditional" Zelda experience, Majora's Mask is unusual; it's much more cerebral and much darker than other games in the series. It also features an unusual hook: the 72-hour timeline, which gives the hero Link only three days to save the world from destruction.


#2

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past


While not necessarily the greatest Zelda game ever developed, A Link to the Past is certainly the quintessential Zelda experience; it established many of the items, enemies, and tropes that appear in almost every Zelda game. The Master Sword, for example, first appears in A Link to the Past. The game also introduced to the series the idea of parallel or alternate dimensions, across which the hero can travel. This added a new (forgive the pun) dimension to puzzle-solving in The Legend of Zelda; items and portals that appear in one universe may be manipulated to produce effects in a parallel universe.


#1

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time


Generally considered the best video game ever made, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time tops this list of the best Zelda games. What makes it so great? Well, it pioneered innovations like z-targeting, auto-jump, and context sensitive buttons. It took existing game mechanics like horseback riding, fishing, and the realistic passage of time and wove them into the game narrative like never before. It also achieved great things for the franchise: it pushed The Legend of Zelda into three dimensions using a modified version of the Super Mario 64 engine; it gave players never-before-seen glimpses into the origin of the Triforce and the genesis of Ganondorf; and it established a foundation for future titles like Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, and Skyward Sword.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Nintendo Direct Today

Nintendo of America has announced it will hold a Nintendo 3DS focused Nintendo Direct presentation today at 10:00 AM EST.

You can view the Direct here.

With E3 just around the corner, Nintendo probably won't drop any bombshells today. Most likely we'll see some news on already announced games and maybe some release dates and localizations.

I will update this post during the presentation. More to come!

***

Lots of new information in this Nintendo Direct...will take some time to update everything.

For now, enjoy this latest reveal: a brand new Legend of Zelda game set in the same universe as A Link to the Past, featuring a brand new story and brand new dungeons.

The new Zelda game will retain the overhead view of the SNES original.

Link can turn into a drawing to move around the game world.

What else?

Iwata-san released some new information on several upcoming 3DS titles, including Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario Golf, and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.

He also announced several new titles, including a brand new Mario Party game featuring seven game modes and 81 new mini-games, and a new Yoshi's Island game, the first in seven years.

Yoshi and Baby Mario come to 3DS.

There was also an update on Wii U. The Spring system update will arrive next week, and will shorten load times and also more efficient data transfer. One day later, the Wii U Virtual Console will go online for the first time. Several beloved Nintendo games will be available at first; Iwata promised Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64 games will be available in the near future.

Oh, and last but definitely not least: Earthbound will be coming to the North American Virtual Console.

Earthbound, the SNES RPG, will arrive soon on the Virtual Console.

Some release dates:

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team -- August 11
Mario Golf (3DS) -- Summer
Mario Party (3DS) -- Summer
New Super Luigi U (Wii U DLC) -- Summer
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D -- May 24
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move -- May 9
Game & Wario -- June 23
Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins -- April 21
Animal Crossing (North America) -- June 9


More photos:

In New Super Luigi U, players can use Luigi's unique skills, e.g., high jump.

Mario Golf hits 3DS this summer.

Mario Party will feature 81 new mini-games.

Looks like an interesting year for the 3DS.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Penumbra: Black Plague Review

Game: Penumbra: Black Plague
System: PC
Genre: Survival-horror
Developer: Frictional Games
Release date: February 12, 2008


Pros: Plenty of scares; smartly-written story; inventive puzzles
Cons: Short campaign; graphical glitches
 

Last October I reviewed Penumbra: Overture, a scary, moody survival-horror game that attempted to breathe new life into a fading genre. Six months later, I'm back to review the sequel, Penumbra: Black Plague, a game that builds on the foundation set by the first game, but removes some of the elements that turned off fans. The result is a smoother, more cerebral experience, but not necessarily a scarier one -- more on that later. In any event, Black Plague is a worthy successor to Overture; it's suspenseful, it's well-written, it's mind-bending, and it features one of the all-time great video game villains.

Glow sticks and flashlights light the darkness.

To those who avoid spoilers: avert your eyes. Black Plague picks up some time after the cliff-hanger ending of the first game. Philip, having been knocked unconscious by an unseen being, awakes in a makeshift cell. He quickly escapes and spends the rest of the game exploring a secret research facility buried deep under the snows of northern Greenland, tracking down the ghosts of his past and the horrors of his present. In this facility he encounters brain-teasing puzzles, horrifying enemies, and a truly memorable villain who taunts and tortures Philip.

Like Overture, Black Plague is a survival-horror game. Players must use stealth and shadows to outmaneuver enemies, use brainpower to solve riddles, and carefully manage supplies. However, Black Plague has downplayed some of the elements that turned off fans of Overture, specifically combat and note-collecting. I'm one of the fans that took no issue with either, so I was a little disappointed to find fewer notes and lose the ability to defend myself. Some of the scarier creatures from the first game have also been removed, resulting in a less frightening game.

You're going to have to open that door, whether you like it or not.

The change in scenery in Black Plague is a big part of what makes the game less scary than its predecessor. Whereas Overture took place mostly in dark, musty caverns and mine shafts, Black Plague takes place in a state-of-the-art research facility. The rooms feel lived-in. The architecture seems modern. It's a far cry from the primeval settings through which Philip sneaked in the first game.

Regardless, the game is quite good, maybe even better than Overture. The script is smart, sophisticated and cerebral; the puzzles, although less taxing, are inventive and challenging; and the scares, however infrequent, are chilling. This is a must-play game for horror fans.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Roger Ebert Passes Away at Age 70

Those of you who know me know that video games aren't my first love. Movies are. And there is one man whose words and recommendations guided me through the world of movies, and taught me to love them: Roger Ebert.

Ebert passed away yesterday afternoon at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, one day after announcing that he was undergoing radiation treatment for a recurrence of cancer.

I can't write much about Roger Ebert the man -- I was never lucky enough to meet him -- but I can write volumes about Ebert the critic. In my opinion he is the greatest film critic of his or any generation. And his greatness derives not just from his awards and milestones -- Ebert was the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, for example, and the first critic to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- but also his style, his sense of humor, and his deep, extensive knowledge of cinema. His reviews and essays are brilliantly written; they are cutting, funny, insightful, and poetic. He was a master of his craft. I doubt we will ever again see a film critic as smart and as eloquent as Roger Ebert.

After losing the ability to speak in 2006 after post-surgery complications related to thyroid cancer, Ebert embraced a much larger online presence. He was active on his blog at the Chicago Sun-Times website, and posted often on Facebook and Twitter, where he had over 800,000 followers. I urge all of you to read Ebert's final post, uploaded only two days before his death. The final line is particularly touching.

I want to close with a quotation from Roger Ebert, pulled from the pages of his 2011 memoir Life Itself.
“I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try.” 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Disney Shutters LucasArts

By Beth F.

Barely more than 150 days after Disney acquired LucasArts, the video game development arm of LucasFilm, the House of Mouse made a move that has dashed the dreams of all would-be-mighty-pirates: Disney has decided to shut down LucasArts.

According to Wired, LucasArts stated that "After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games…. As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization." Unfortunately for fans of the epic adventure games like Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, and Indiana Jones, this closing of the studio means that any long-held dreams of reviving the genre of witty, puzzle-oriented adventure games have been dashed.

As has been previously discussed here on DBtC, TellTale Games has been licensing the rights to Monkey Island for several years to produce their short series of games. According to EmpireOnline.com, the licensing for Monkey Island will continue for TellTale, which it describes as LucasArt's "spiritual successor." Nevertheless, this fan hopes that Ron Gilbert, creator of Monkey Island, will get his wish to buy back the rights at some point. On his blog, GrumpyGamer, Gilbert gives a nostalgic farewell to Lucasfilm Games (he doesn't think of it as LucasArts), in which he holds out hope of acquiring the rights someday.

To this novice gamer, the news of LucasArts' closure is more than just a sad realization that we may never see another real Monkey Island sequel. Rather, it signals that the market for strictly adventure games (by which I mean games driven by story, dialogue and puzzles in which you can't die), is virtually nonexistent. It seems that today's gamers are more interested in complex worlds with difficult dungeons, advanced weaponry, and tough enemies. While I understand the demand for these games, I am saddened that the market for great games like Monkey Island is so small that it can no longer be sustained.

In the meantime, maybe LucasFilm will go back to selling fine leather jackets.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Wipeout 2048 Review

Game: Wipeout 2048
System: PS Vita
Genre: Racing
Developer: SCE Studio Liverpool
Release date: February 22, 2012


Pros: Gorgeous graphics, outstanding track design, multiplayer XP done right
Cons: Long loading times


It's always bad news when a video game studio closes its doors, but it's especially troubling when a company shuts down following an amazing game. Such is the case with Studio Liverpool, which was closed by Sony in August 2012, a few months after the release of Wipeout 2048, a superior racing game and one of the best Vita titles on the market.

Wipeout 2048 is the latest in the long-running futuristic racing series. It takes place early in the series' fictional chronology; it follows the first three seasons of "Anti-Gravity Racing Championships," a new sporting event that has yet to reach maturity. The single-player campaign is divided into three seasons: 2048, 2049, and 2050. In each season are three types of events: normal races, combat events, time trials, and zone events. Normal races are exactly as they sound: outrace and outlast your opponents. Combat events are an entirely new type of mode that awards points based on attacks against opposing racers. Time trials ask players to speed around each track in record time. And zone events challenge players to circle a specific track again and again as the speed class gradually rises.

One of several futuristic tracks in Wipeout.

So there's a healthy amount of diversity in the single-player mode, including events that require quick reflexes and strategic thinking. But it wouldn't mean much without good mechanics and physics, and superior track design. Luckily, Wipeout 2048 doesn't disappoint in these all-important areas. The controls in the game are responsive and reliable; the ships, which fall into several categories, respond realistically to collisions, speed boosts, and the unstoppable laws of physics. And the tracks are well-constructed, with plenty of shortcuts, twists, and turns. The tracks in Wipeout 2048 -- indeed the whole game -- follow the golden rule of video games: easy to learn, impossible to master.

Players can deploy offensive and defensive weapons during races.

Once players conquer the first three seasons of Wipeout, they can move on the the multiplayer campaign. Unlike traditional multiplayer modes, the multiplayer in Wipeout is filled with dozens of nodes, each with a specific objective, for example: finish first and hit one opponent with an attack. Completing each objective will earn the player experience points and unlock more nodes. Players of all skill levels can complete; the system doesn't unfairly reward veteran racers.

There are dozens of hours of enjoyment in Wipeout 2048, in single-player mode and in multiplayer. Even after events have been completed, players can return to each one for an "elite pass," which is awarded when players pass a certain threshold. There is so much to admire in Wipeout 2048 -- from the glossy graphics to the thumping music to the inventive and well-designed tracks. It's a crime that Studio Liverpool's reward for such a triumph is closure.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Miyamoto Leaves Nintendo, Working on New IP

Miyamoto-san will leave on April 30.
Saying that he was frustrated with upper management at Nintendo over disappointing sales of its newest console Wii U, Shigeru Miyamoto announced today he will leave the Japanese gaming giant at the end of March. Miyamoto, whose creations include Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin, and Super Mario, will stay on with the company to help transfer his current projects to producers Eiji Aonuma and Yoshiaki Koizumi.

When asked about his future plans in the video game industry, Miyamoto suggested he would like to design smaller, less expensive games for Android and Apple devices. He went on to reveal some details on a new IP inspired by Angry Birds:
“Angry Birds is a very simple idea but it’s one of those games that I immediately appreciated when I first started playing, before wishing that I had been the one to come up with the idea first. This new game will have a control scheme that is less fuzzy than Angry Birds, but it will combine traditional and new game elements in exciting ways.”
Shigeru Miyamoto has worked with Nintendo since 1979. Until today's announcement he managed Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD) branch, which handles most of the company's highest-selling properties.

Nintendo has not yet announced who will succeed Miyamoto at Nintendo EAD.

Said Miyamoto of his upcoming departure, "April Fool's Day."