Gamesugar

October 28, 2012

Review – Liberation Maiden

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 12:53 am

Review Liberation Maiden
Grasshopper’s dip into 3D shooters offers a crash course in Japanese politics – primarily that in times of peril the President will seek approval to defend New Japan by personally waging war in a flying armored mech.

Originally one of four games found in Level-5’s Japanese release, Guild01, Liberation Maiden is the first of three titles from that collection chosen by Level-5 to hit the North American eShop. Shoko Ozora takes to her Liberator, named Kamui, across five stages that players won’t be long for reaching the cliffhanger ending of.

As short as the ride proves to be, it’s difficult to complain about the quantity given the quality. A few precious seconds of Liberation Maiden offers more to digest than some larger digital releases, made shinier with animation sequences from Japanese studio Bones.

Frankly, Grasshopper offers a barrage of ideas here that hits my refresh rate like an Itano Circus.

(more…)

October 27, 2012

Review – Silent Hill: Revelation

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , — Jamie Love @ 2:24 pm

Review Silent Hill Revelation
With the abandoned streets filled with fog and the faceless nurses in place, the latest adaption of Silent Hill descends on theaters, primarily as a reminder of why so many videogame franchises adapt rather poorly to film.

Much like 2004’s Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Silent Hill: Revelation captures the settings and names of a videogame while struggling to carry the baggage of the original film, and attempting to weave its own story from that mixed bag of details.

Rather than taking the opportunity of the license to tell a unique story with the rich visual aesthetics Silent Hill offers, Revelation stitches the plot of the third Silent Hill videogame together with the story established by the first film adaption of the series.

Unlike the original 2006 film release, the attempt to cram all the details into a singular film leaves audiences with a muddled mess, where characters have little time to make any connection with each other or viewers while rushing through obligatory dialogue and sequences in order to check every box on the list.

I’m skeptical about whether I can even sum all the details up for you, but let’s give it a shot.

(more…)

October 23, 2012

Review – Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 9:04 pm

Review Silent Hill Book of Memories
Living up to its name, the Book of Memories allows those that possess it to change the memories of others, essentially warping events in their favour to gain anything their little heart’s desire. Since said book arrives from the twisted town of Silent Hill, the consequences are inevitably twisted as well.

Changing memories in your favour comes at the expense of someone else’s good fortune. At least, I think that’s how this works.

After an initial delivery from a familiar postman, narrative depends on snippets of text, which during the first level detailed one person’s troubles at work, eventually leading to my own character getting a promotion because of said woes by the level’s completion. As with Silent Hill: Downpour earlier this year, the series seems continually flustered in the attempt to capture the essence of minimalist story telling that has made previous entries in the franchise successful.

The less-is-more approach here feeds detachment from events and characters that players have no emphasis or opportunity to make a connection with, which severely hurts the grind of play the game offers as the main course.

(more…)

October 21, 2012

Hands On with Primordia

Filed under: Features — Tags: , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 10:17 pm

Primordia Preview
While cockroaches and Twinkies are generally considered the most likely to survive the inevitable apocalypse ahead of us, Wadjet Eye’s next entry in the point-and-click genre of gaming suggests that religion has an equally disturbing shelf life. Across a wasteland of broken machines and desolated structures, wanderers are not long for encountering the preachy tongue of holy-minded robots.

Hands-on time with a preview build of Wormdwood Studios’ Primordia also offers a few pages of the holy scripture carried by the game’s protagonist, Horatio, left to wander the wasteland with his partner Crispin after a strange robot steals the power core of the derelict ship they call home.

Horatio is a humanist, built in the image of the creator and compelled to build in turn, which quickly explains the origins of his small floating companion Crispin. Knowing oneself in relation to a creator seems rather important in this strange world, seemingly populated entirely by machines, and learning Horatio’s true name serves as the short focus of the demo I recently spent time with.

(more…)

The House of Mouse

Filed under: Editorial Rants — Tags: , , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 10:35 am

Disney Epic Mickey 2
It’s hard to believe Warren Spector hasn’t always worked with Disney.

Spector visited Toronto last week along with writer Marv Wolfman to discuss the upcoming sequel to 2010’s Disney Epic Mickey, taking a moment to show off his Disney themed socks before demonstrating his extensive knowledge of the company’s animation history.

From documents and sketches hidden away in the Disney vault to pointing out the three rare instances where Mickey Mouse appeared in releases with differently angled ears, there’s no doubt that Spector has the deepest of appreciation for the source material painstakingly analyzed by Junction Point in creating a game that balances the need to chart their own course for Mickey while still honoring the years of work that have made Mickey the icon that he is today.

As impressed as I often am by passion, labors are not forgiven for shortcomings because of the love poured into them. But while Epic Mickey 2 carries the weight of criticisms regarding the original release, it’s very easy to believe that Spector’s motivation remains fixed on the earnest attempt to create a game worthy of the respect he continually pays to the house of mouse. And while Spector isn’t shy about pointing out that the original Wii exclusive sold quite well despite the critical reception, he doesn’t shy away from addressing complaints about the camera system and choice driven narrative that this sequel needs to improve upon on the road to realizing the original vision.

(more…)

October 3, 2012

Review – Pokémon Black Version 2

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 9:49 pm

Review Pokemon Black Version 2
For all the charms that have helped Pokémon endure consistent gamer love for so many years now, the visual seems to take priority. Starting a new adventure in the Unova region finds me without strategy or purpose, and once again choosing which of three Pokémon to start my roadtrip with based on visual affection – there was no contest by the way, Tepig or bust.

The formula is familiar and worn enough that I always feel a bit silly writing about a new entry, and yet each one is never long for stealing attention away from other releases. The first few hours proved unpredictable, insofar as I couldn’t have guessed which Pokémon might join my party along the way.

Certainly there are only a few waiting to be discovered in the first few steps between cities and earning gym badges, but which ones were claimed in the wild, and which of those would survive battles to evolve and stick around seemed delightfully random once again.

(more…)

September 29, 2012

Review – HELL YEAH! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 5:02 pm

Review Hell Yeah Wrath of the Dead Rabbit
To say that Arkedo’s latest creation bursts with color and creativity falls short of capturing the artistic madness of their work. Prince Ash’s quest to eviscerate the 101 monsters that have laid eyes upon his incriminating photographs offers a world, not quit as organic in the flow of life as last year’s Rayman Origins, but gushing with an attitude all its own and a degree of more comic minded artistry that ensnares the eyes just as easily.

In a sea of releases where minimalism offsets the truth that detailed art is extremely time consuming and expensive, Hell Yeah is a punch to the retina that also brings a much needed dose of unbridled batshit crazy design to the table – that feeling that no idea was too crazy in whatever subterranean development space allowed this game to be created.

With great madness comes great risk however, and the play mechanics of Hell Yeah favor a safer and more familiar road, which on the one hand limits the mileage, but on the other goes a long way toward offering a title that may convince some that the Sega Genesis is alive and well in the year of gaming that is 2012.

(more…)

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress