The year in GAMING

2011's game is over.

As the year comes to an end, I will be looking back at some of my favourite games of 2011, at the start of the year i made a note on Facebook, which I was using to keep track of all the games I bought and completed. Unfortunately, half way through the year, I think I must have forgotten about it.. Because it hasn't been updated since Zelda OOT 3D.. So in 2012, on my Backloggery page, I will be keeping track of every game I buy and complete. And I will do my best to keep it updated all year!                

http://www.backloggery.com/nicktendowii 

One of the first games I played this year was the Clannad visual novel, I started it in January, after watching the film on new years eve. It's an amazing game, There is also an Anime, based off the game.  Even now I still play it to get different endings. http://vndb.org/v4

Another game early on in the year was Kingdom hearts Re-Coded for the DS which was a very fun game, like a remake of the 1st kingdom hearts game but with more missions and some strange story about virtual universes and umm.. yeah i dont really get it.. i preferred 358/2 days XD i also got Sin and Punichment 2 around the same time. click here to check out my impressions of it!  http://nicktendowii-nicktendo.blogspot.com/2011/04/another-post-from-playfire-hopefully-my.html

In Febuary came one of nintendo's most fun games of the year, and certainly one of the best looking games of the year, it was, Kirby's Epic Yarn. a lovely game game. quite easy but plenty of extras to find for people who want more of a challenge. it is one of the best kirby games i've played. regardless of the fact that it plays quite differently to an average kirby game. and it came with a free hat! what's not to love! also in febuary was the awesome 2D anime goth shooter, Deathsmiles!

The 3DS was released in march, after much hype following its announcement at E3 the year before. pretty much everyone agrees, the launch line up could have been a lot batter, but even so, i picked it up on day 1, along with Pliotwings and Super monkey ball 3D. both games were extremely short, but i had a lot of fun with Pilotwings, finding all the Info points in the free flight mode is still one of my favourite moments on the 3DS so far! although the DS still was going strong with some great new released like Okamiden, Dragon Quest VI and Monsters 2 and Rune factory 3 among others! heres a post about the final years of the DS http://nicktendowii-nicktendo.blogspot.com/2011/04/looking-back-on-ds.html

After I managed to put aside the 3DS, I picked up the PSP and an import game I was very excited to get, Project Diva. A music rhythm game from sega, with songs and video's from the virtual singer, Miku Hatsune and some other Vocaloids. i'm a huge fan of Miku so I really enjoyed the game! you can read about it here, along with Sonic and sega all stars racing and Odin Shere, which is possibly the best looking 2D game i've ever seen. and also one of the most frustrating!! http://nicktendowii-nicktendo.blogspot.com/2011/04/hand-full-of-games.html

In May i went to the London MCM Expo and picked up lots of street pass! :D and a few games. the best of which was the Phantasy Star collection on GBA. I also got to play a lot of game demo's there! including a game i would pick up later in the year, Arcana Heart 3. the most awesome all girl fighting game of the show! (well infact the only one..) but everyone enjoyed playing it and i even bought a T-shirt and poster for the game
During the year i also went to the Febuary and October MCM Expo's as well. got some cool NES games at the October one! Snake Rattle and Roll is brilliant! :D

Around this time i also completed Ar Tonelico 2 which had fast become one of the best PS2 games i'd played! i wont talk about it here because i wrote a fairly lengthy article about it on here. click this to check it out! http://nicktendowii-nicktendo.blogspot.com/2011/05/ar-tonelico-2-melody-of-metafalica.html

Of course, once again, E3 was full of surprise announcements! lots of games were shown in more depth for the 3DS. most of which are still waiting for a release.. and the announcement for the wii U was exciting, even if nintendo themselves admitted they could have shown it off better.

In June, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of time 3D was released, i got it day 1 of course, even though i've completed the game game countless times on the N64, Gamecube and Wii! but with a game that good i don't think i'll ever get bored of replaying it! also, one of my friends who worked in game at the time was kind enough to let he have one of the promotional standees for the game!

I don't buy many games for the PC, even less through Steam. but one game came out that i couldn't pass up, Chantellise. from the creators of the game Recettear. its a fairly basic adventure game with very nice graphics and a good magic system. its very hard to start with and you have to get lots of money to buy new equipment. but it was worth sticking at and i did complete it eventually! hope they release more games in the future!

i went on holiday and to some other places in the summer, and happened to pick up a lot of games while i was there. heres a video. enjoy. While i was away, a very important wii game was released, which i couldn't want to get back and play, it was.. the one and only Xenoblade Chronicles. which is now my all time favorite RPG. it really is amazing. if you live in the UK. go buy it now! no excuses! and good news for people in the US, its finally been announced for you guys as well! Heres a lets play of Megaman 3 for the Gameboy which i got at a festival i went to. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDA7BA9CDDC938802

When i went back to Uni in september, i was set a challenge. I wasn't allowed to buy any more than 5 games between the beginning of September and Christmas. except for new Nintendo releases or sonic games, (as i had already preordered generations) I didn't think it would be possible, for me.. who usually buys that many games each week, to not buy more than 5. but somehow i managed to pull it off! the games were:

Mischief Makers: an amazingly fun 2D platformer for the N64 made by Treasure, so expect lots of action packed gameplay and some great level design!

Pacman Vs: One of the best multiplayer games i've played, uses the GBA to link up with the gamecube for 4 player Pacman fun!

Trails in the Sky: a very long RPG for the PSP. the first in a new trilogy of games called Legend of Heroes. has great music, and came with a soundtrack CD which i have listened to on repeat! amazing so far.

Sonic Classic Collection: the first 4 sonic games on the DS, also includes lock on for sonic 2 and 3 with knuckles. great collection and good to play them on the DS!

Starfox 64 3D: brilliant remake of the N64 classic, the new graphics are an amazing improvement and it feels great to fly around using the new 3D slider!

During this time, the most important game this year was released, The Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword. it quickly became my favourite Zelda game and i still stick by that statement. immaculate level design and controls! and once you get about half way through the game, the story really picks up! i almost cried at one bit.. simply stunning game. i'm actually half way through it for the 2nd time now. what a fantastic way to end the year of Zelda's 25th Anniversary! I actually went to London to see the Zelda 25th Anniversary symphony orcestra, it was an incredible experience! even if i didnt manage to get any merchandise because it was all sold out


To finish up the year, this Christmas i got another addition to my growing console collection, a PS3 with a nice selection of games, thanks to the sales! i'm playing through Eternal Sonata at the moment. as well as the PS3, the 3DS also got some great games to finish up the year. Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. both of which are brilliant additions to their series.

Heres hoping lots more awesome games get released next year!

Happy new year everyone!

Downstream with the Flip Flops, Timepants! see you all in 2012!

How a Nintendo Fanboy came to be..

For my first Uni tutorial of the year i had to write a short 200 or so word post on a forum about my personal game playing history. I thought i could expand on it and put the "full version" on my blog so you can all see how i came to love all things Nintendo!

I started playing games at a very young age, my parents had a NES and apparently (because they have told me) i used to watch them play Super Mario, Supposedly they even went to bed singing the mario theme tune! So for as long as i can remember i have been very into the Mario games! I got very good at the nes and loved playing games like Super Mario 1, 2 and 3, Megaman 4, Excitebike, Zelda 2, Chip 'n' Dale and Marble Madness to name a few.




We also had a Sega Megadrive with, I think, Sonic 3 and Michael Jackson's Moon walker. but i remember i much preferred playing on the Nintendo!

in '95 we got our first computer and it came with a box of CD's with programs and games on, i remember being amazed at games like Ecco the Dolphin and Comix Zone. but by far my favourite game to play on the computer was Theme Park! (I still love theme park and play on the DS version occasionally)

Around this time i also got my first Gameboy which my parent got me on holiday in France (i think) It was a gameboy pocket, with Wario Land 2, which is an awesome game! and i got a lot of great gameboy games like mario land, kirby, Zelda, Dragon Warrior Monsters, Pokemon and loads more which kept me very happy on long car journeys :)

In about 96 we got a SNES and i played it non stop! Kirby's fun pak was my favourite game, i would play it over and over again, its still one of my favourite games to go back and replay even now. Donkey kong country was another series i played a lot of, as well as all the classics like star fox, mario world and more :) The snes is still my all time favourite console, and i still play it regularly, to think, its been plugged into my TV and used probably at least once a month for nearly 15 years! im surprised it still works!

Then came the N64 and the obvious games like Banjo Kazooie and Mario 64. i was also a big fan of Diddy Kong Racing. unfortunately, when the gamecube was about to be released i needed some extra money so i could afford it, and i made the silly mistake of selling the N64 and all my games so i could get the gamecube, so i lost some quite hard to get hold of games, like Banjo Tooie and Mario Kart 64. Thankfully my Dad was kind enough to buy me a new N64 a few years after the gamecube had been out and i quickly managed to get all the games i used to own back!

Before the Gamecube was the GBA which i also got on release along with Pinobee wings of adventure (a very under rated game!) and Mario Advance. of course the GBA would go on to have many amazing titles like Golden Sun, Minish Cap, Mario Kart, Pokemon Emerald and more. I would take the GBA into school and battle my friends at pokemon and play it whenever i got the chance! :D

Shigeru Miyamoto showing off the Gamecube. if it wasn't for his games i doubt i would be a gamer today.
Thank You Shigsy!

I got the Gamecube on release and played a lot of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Starfox Adventures, Mario Sunshine and other brilliant games. The gamecube was really the first console i had where i had the money to buy new games on release, so i would write the release dates down on the calendar and have count towns to the new GC games coming out, i can remember how much i was excited about the release of games like Starfox Adventures and Animal Crossing!

Sometime after getting the GameCube i got a Pokemon Mini, which is probably Nintendo's least successful hand held ever. but it has some fun games for it like the Pokemon party game and the best Pokemon pinball game there is!

About a year or two after getting the GameCube, One Christmas, "Santa" very kindly got me a Sega Dreamcast, along with Soul Calibur, Chu Chu Rocket and Sonic Adventure. which were all incredible games and this was one of the main reasons i decided to also get some more Sega systems.

The Christmas after that i also got an unexpected console, this one was a bit more obscure though, "Santa" must have read my wishlist this year because i woke up Christmas morning to find... a new console to add to my Nintendo collection.. it was.. The Virtual Boy. and 4 games to go with it! it was an amazing gift, maybe its not the best console ever, but it sure if fun to play and a great thing to own!

By now i had quite a large collection of consoles and handhelds, i had all the versions of the Gameboy and Gameboy advance, including the Gameboy Micro, which i got as a Christmas Eve Present one year! (Wow i had a lot of good Christmas's in the early 2000's!) so i began looking into some games i hadn't played, and i found a game called NiGHTS into Dreams, which was on the Sega saturn, so for ages i had been reading about this game, and i finally decided to get one off ebay! so now i had all the nintendo and Sega consoles that had so far been released in this country. (yes i also got a GameGear and Mastersystem around this time..)

Yes, it's worth getting a Saturn to play this!

Of course i also got the DS on release, along with Wario Ware touched and Mario 64DS and the demo of Metroid Prime Hunters. and i also got the revisions of the DS (except the DSiXL)

Next was the Wii , 8th of December 2006, I still remember that date and the excitement i felt, i woke up early that morning and went to GAME before i started school because they were open early for the launch, along with the system i got Zelda: Twilight Princess, Monkey Ball and Red Steel. Unfortunately i had to go to school that day, that must have felt like the longest school day ever...  when i finished school that day, i ran to the bus stop and i was so excited to get home and play Twilight Princess on a brand spanking new Nintendo console, although i think i spent more time playing wii sports at first! haha.

Up until a few years ago i was mostly only a Nintendo and Sega gamer, but once i started my college course, which was Games Design, i realized i needed to play other systems too and i had been missing out on a lot of playstation and xbox games.. (we did used to own a chipped PS1, but i only really used to play crash bandicoot on it)  eventually i gave in a got a PS2, thanks to a friend pestering me until i gave in and got one so i could play some games like ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. And one game i had wanted to play for a long time.. Klonoa 2! :D

Since then i also got an Xbox, Xbox 360, PS1 slim, PS1, some more dreamcasts and master systems, Sega Mega CD, PSP and prety much every other game device you can think of. Over time i have gotten a collection of over 1500 games and more than 30 different systems! As for the future, I guess I will always stick with Nintendo and anything they make (looking forward to the wiiU!!) and occasionally dabble in the Xbox / Playstation when anything interesting appears on them.

Hope you enjoyed this insight into my gaming life, hope i didnt bore you too much!
sorry for rambling on a bit too long..  :lol:

That always seems to happen on here.. i just have too much to say about games!

Till Next time,

Nicktendowii

Ar Tonelico 2 Melody of Metafalica

Melody of Metafalica is the second game in the Ar Tonelico Trilogy, I haven't played the first game in the series, but from my understanding, it is set 100 years after the events of the first game, although it is not necessary to have played it. the game does a good job of explaining things, thanks to a helpful in game encyclopedia which fills in details about just about everything in the game. It has a very complicated story, which i will try to explain clearly in this post. I'll also try to make it as spoiler free as possible, so don't worry about reading it. It will be hard to compress a huge 70+ hour game but i'll do my best! ^_^ go on, DIVE into the world of Ar Tonelico!

At it's core, AT2 is part traditional JRPG and part Dating Sim. the game is split up almost equally into dialog scenes, which play much like a visual novel, and adventure sections which see you doing standard RPG tasks, walking around, solving puzzles and entering fights etc. but there is much more to the gameplay than these simple mechanics. As with most GUST developed games, there is an in depth item syntheses system, which you can use to make new weapons and Armour, as well as bath salts, which i will explain later.

The game centers around two Reyvateils, Luca and Cloche. a Reyvateil is a person who can use song power, which is like magic, they are all female and born as humans, but during their childhood they change into Reyvateils, if they don't get their life extended every 3 months the song power will drain their life and they will die. There is a legend that a Reyvateil will sing the song of Metafalica to recreate the world and make a new world without suffering or pain. Therefor they are very respected and the government has set up a scheme to make sure they get the life extending agent (Diquilty) installed every three months.

A Reyvateil can get infected by a disease called IPD. Once they are infected with the IPD they loose all control and begin to destroy everything. There are two types of IPD infection, positive and Negative, the positive infection makes the Reyvateil sing song magic, causing the area around them to burn, often killing the infectee as well, the negative effect causes them to break out in a fever and faint, which doesn't sound too bad, but when they get a fever the infection can spread, so in a way it's worse...

Characters


Croix Bartel

The main character in the game is Croix Bartel, he is a member of the Grand Bell Knights, which is a group set up to contain I.P.D's. They are also working against the goddess Freylia, who is against plans to rebuild Metafalica and create a better world.

His mother had an IPD outbreak when he was young and killed herself and his father, he went to live with Luca and her mother, Reisha, he was brought up with them in Mint Block. Croix grew up with Luca and over time they became good friends and when Luca became a dive therapist, they started dating. However, Croix was training to become a knight at Grand Bell, and shortly after beginning their relationship he had to leave to go and live in Pastalia.

Croix had a childhood friend, Targana, who turned out to be the prince of Metafalss, they promised to work out how to create Metafalica and make the world a better place.

Croix was sent to contain the IPD infected Reyvteils, and on one mission he met an orphan girl called Cocona, he ended up adopting her and she went to live with him in Pastelia, becoming like a sister to him. She becomes one of the girls who can fight alongside you in battle.

Luca Trulyworth

Luka is a Reyvateil, she grew up with Croix after he moved in as a child after his parents died. She became a dive therapist, which means she lets people dive into her mind to help them excape from reality and helps them with any problems they have by moving around their cosmosphere, which is like a world inside the mind. She can use dive therapy to cure IPD's which are then used to sing with Cloche as she uses her magic, Replika. She has stong song power and wants to be a singer.

She began to go out with Croix not because she liked him, but because her sister Leyka was being held captive in the Grand Bell hall as an IPD, and the only way to get in there was to use Croix. Six years later, she reunited with Croix and meets Cocona and Lady Cloche, the Holy Maiden. as you play the game you will find out that Cloche is not who you first imagine, i will not spoil it here though.

She is one of the characters you can choose half way through, depending on who you pick, the ending of the game changes and you get access to all levels of the girls cosmosphere.


Cloche Leythal Pastalia

Cloche, or Lady Cloche is the Holy Maiden of Grand Bell, she was born into the Grand Bell. she is very popular and a very respected person, she can be selfish and isn't very polite. However, it turns out that she is not the Hold Maiden and doesn't have the power to sing Metafalica, infact she is Reisha's true daughter, and her real name is Leyka Trulyworth, she had an IPD outbreak at a very young age and was taken by the Grand Bell Knights and was held prisoner there. she was told that if she took on a new name and became lady Cloche Leythal Pastelia and was the Holy Maiden she would be released. she became the head figure of the Grand Bell.

The first time the meets luca they don't get along, Cloche thinks that being a dive therapist is a terrible and dirty job so they don't talk much at first.

Throughout the game her opinion on things changes and she becomes a much nicer person and helps Luca sing Metafalica. Although, as she is not the real hold maiden her song doesn't work and you have to figure out another way to use the song to create Metafalica.

Other Characters:
I won't go into as much detail but here are some of the other important people in the game

Cocona

Cocona - she was adopted by Croix after he found her almost dead after an IPD outbreak, she tags along with him and lives at his house in pastelia.

Leglius- Leader of the Grand Bell Knights

Amarie - She was found unconsious in a forest and she joins your party, she has a pet called Soope

Soope - he looks like a pillow and can be used to enter the Infelsphere when Luca and Clock lie on him

Lakra - She detects IPD's and sends you information on where they are so you can find and contain them.

Frelia - An Original Reyveteil.  She is in charge of the world regeneration, she has the strongest song power and can sing metafalica, but she doesn't want to change the world!

There are many more important characters.

Diving

The conversation topics grid.

Using the Dive shop to enter the Cosmosphere is a very important aspect of the game, First you have to find conversation topics, some of which can be found walking around as glowing orange lights, others are triggered by events in the game. once you have a conversation topic you have to choose "Rest" when you are either at a save point, or in one of the main characters houses with a bed.

Once you enter the rest screen, it will either be the bedroom, or a tent, depending where you entered, you can choose the girl you want to speak to and the conversation topic, then once they have talked for a while, (usually it's based on events in the game, sometimes its just talking about nothing important, just for fun) then you will fill up a grid of conversation points, when you get more than three points on a row, you unlock the next level of the girls Cosmosphere.

Cosmosphere:
The Cosmosphere is one of two sections of the game that plays like a Visual Novel, the other section being the Infelsphere, which i will go over in the next section.

Once you have unlocked a level of the Cosmosphere using the conversation topics, you can go to the Dive Shop and Choose to Dive into either Luca of Cloche, and later on, another girl, Jacqli. each has their own stages to unlock and play through. before you can dive you need enough Dive Points, which can be gained from winning battles or through the Dualstall.

The Cosmosphere map system.

from inside the Cosmosphere you are presented with a map, and several points to access, to enter each area costs you some dive points, and the areas are marked out of three stars for importance, and ones you have to visit to advance the story are shown as stars on the map. during the dialog sequences sometimes events will happen where you have to make a decision, sometimes if you make the wrong choice you can get a bad ending or even get kicked out and back into the real world, where you will have to start the stage again! and sometimes there are events that take some dive points from you, and only if you have enough dive points can you advance past these areas.

inside each level is a different story and you have to help whoever is in that level or finish the plot in that section to cause a "Paradigm Shift" to be able to gain access to the next stage. during your time in there, you will gain new song magic to use in battle and new costumes which can be worn by any of the Reyveteils to boost their defense, or change their Burst Variation. (i'll explain about that in the "Battles" Section)


Dive Therapy:

Goro, Luca's Mind Spirit or "Receptionist" 

This section of the Dive Shop lets you play as Luca as she talks to the IPD infectees to try and cure them and make them available for song magic, each PD needs a certain item to be given to them before they can be cured, once you have the right item you can talk to them, they will say a sentence then you have two options, you have to pick the one that they would most like to hear to make the gauge move to the correct area, then they are healed and can be used to help sing Replika in battles. There are items you can get and liquids you can inject the IPD with to help with the healing process.

Infelsphere:
To use the infelsphere, Both Cloche and Luca have to lie down usig Soope as a pillow, when they do they are transported to the infelshpere, which is a world that exists inside both of them, in this world they will have to get to know each other, and once all 5 levels are complete they will finally be able to join together and sing Metafalica. The infelsphere plays im much the same way as the cosmosphere, but instead of Croix trying to get to know one of the girls, its Luca and Cloche learning about each other and advancing their stories.

Battles:
the game has random encounters with enemies, but as you walk around,a meter on the left of the screen will flash to alret you of a battle, as it begins to glow faster and turn red that means a battle soon to happen, once in the battle you can set which song you want to use, then it goes into either an action formation or defense formation. in the attack form, you have to look at a grid in the corner. see the bottom right of the picture.

There are four sections of the grid, Harmonics, Care, Burstec and Psych. each one is a different direction on the D-Pad, you have to look at the blue outline on the grid and try to fill up each section, once its filled up you get more chance of upgrading your attack to level 2, then level 3, and if you sync hearts with the other fighting team mate you can use an EX attack, which is as strong as a full powered song magic attack.

After each round and if you have filled the requirements, the song you selected will move to the next evolution of the song, making it more powerful. each song usually has two different layers of magic, and each will have a different attack type, such as lightning, ground etc. which is more effective against certain enemies.

The Defense phase, sees you blocking enemy attacks by pressing the button that corresponds with the character being attacked at the right time, if you can time it well you can get a prefect, which will fill up your song meter quickly. This is just the basics to fighting, a lot more is taught to you through out the game. including some very powerful joint songs which are sung by both Cloche and Luca together. and Cloche also has her fan club to help when you enter the Replika mode.

Music:


Music plays a huge part in this game, instead of magic, you use songs to attack, and the main aim of the game is to sing a song of life. The songs are sung in a language that was invented for Ar Tonelico, called Hymnoss.
Here are some links to some songs:

Singing Hills ~Harmonics FRELIA~
Hymnos ~Implanter~
~Method Metafalica~
EXEC_VIENA/


World


Ar Tonelico 2 is set on the planet Ar Ciel, there was a disaster 700 years ago which made most of the world uninhabitable, the only areas left were floating lands around the three towers of Ar Tonelico, this game is set in the area called Metafalss which is the area underneath the second Ar Tonelico tower, the Tower of Frelia.

*From the instruction manual* 

The "Sea of Death" covers the planet and the vast sky around it.

There was a tower amongst the clouds.

On top of it, there was a flat, artificial land that people lived upon.

It was a small world facing a crisis of structural collapse.

This land was created when Felia went up to the Sol Marta, Which is a Satellite in space which emits frequency waves preserve the world created inside Ar Ciel.

The land on which people live on is slowly collapsing so it is up to you and the Reyveteils to sing Metafalica and make a new and better world!

Some areas of Metafalss:

Once you complete the game you unlock some extras, including developers comments on the songs and costumes designed for the game which is very interesting to read, and you can also replay any of the scenes in the game, as well as read any of the encyclopedia articles, (which helped greatly in creating this post!) 

I've been trying to avoid including my own opinions of the game so i don't come across like im trying to review it, so i hope that from what you have read it has made you want to try the game yourself, there is a lot more to the story and characters than i have detailed here. It really is a very interesting world, and i hope the first game holds true to this! i'm going to start it soon! although, as i just finished the second game, i should have already finished it. lol. oh well. better late than never! oh, and once im done with that i'll have to get a PS3 from somewhere to play the third game! :P

I hope you enjoyed my overview of the game Ar Tonelico Melody of Metafalica. Theres a lot more i could discuss but this is most of the main points. Sorry if i missed anything important out.

Nicktendowii.

Thanks for reading! :D

Are games worth the price?

One of the main concerns with the game market, especially with the PSP and DS / 3DS is that new games are too expensive, especially DS games, the majority have worse graphics than a game you can download on the iphone app store for 59p or even for free sometimes... I think games need to have enough content to be worth the investment you make when purchasing it. for example, Super monkey ball 3D is not worth the full £40 price tag. i completed it in 3 hours and haven't gone back to it since.. I think that is most people's problem with the launch line up on the 3DS, none of the games are worth the price or have enough content to to justify the purchase of the system and console. I have a way of working out if a game is worth the price you pay for it. each £1 spent on the game should be 1 hour spent playing it. so a new game at £40 should last me 40 hours. very few new games i have played last that long at all, with most of the games I've bought new recently lasting about 10 or so hours.. so maybe games are over priced?

only 3 modes, and takes about 3 hours to complete? Certainly not worth £40...

But then so are most of the games i have downloaded from the app store for 50p, most of them haven't even been played for 30 mins.. with the exception of angry birds, which I've easily put 40 hours into. its great that i can buy a game like that for only 50p but is it changing the way people think about the price of games, if they can get that much play time from something so cheap, why pay full price for a new release? i think the app store should adjust it's prices to make longer and better games more expensive, it would help maintain the value of games as a whole.  and most new games should go down to about £20, but thats just me talking..

are games like angry birds one of the reasons less people are willing to spend money on DS games?

Some games are great value for money, take Spectrobes for example, i paid all of £5 for it on the DS and it my second most played DS game with over 80 hours play time on it. but because it's so cheap, most people won't consider getting it because they think it's gone down in price so it must be a bad game, same goes for some wii games like NiGHTS Journey Of Dreams, it can be found in game shops for about £5 now, and i have put about 30 hours into that. but no one will buy it because its cheap so they presume it's a bad game. there are more examples too.. Then theres the FIFA games, £40 when they come out, and the next year you can get the same version for about a quid or less. they don't loose their value due to lack of content, but due to it being obsolete now the next installment has been released.

you can get it for about £5 now. definitely worth it!

Of course, everyone has different tastes in games and will put huge amounts of time into a game that someone else may play for 10mins and get bored, so value for money can change between everyone. thats why it's had to say how much a game is worth, why do some games hold their price, while other, equally worth games fall below £10 just weeks after being released. It always confuses me why, in shops like gamestation, certain pre owned games are in the 3 for £10 section, and some are 3 for £5, yet usually the quality of the games doesn't seem to make a difference to the price, is it to do with how much stock they had when it was new? is it based on how many they had traded in? maybe on the scored the game got by reviewers?

But maybe it shouldn't be judged entirely on length, sometimes the experience and enjoyment of the game will be enough to make it worth the price, for example, although Donkey Kong Country Returns only took me about 8 hours to complete, i had so much fun playing through it that i didn't regret paying full price for it. and there are some games i have played for more than i paid but not enjoyed as much, so even though i played more than i paid i didn't have as much fun while doing so, and surely the main reason to buy the game in the first place is to have fun and enjoy playing it.

Im sure most of us have got a new game on release, just because it's new and theres been hype building up to it, just to get home and play it, then 5 hours later complete it and put it on the shelf, never to be touched again..

Do you think games are worth the price? are app store games to cheap? do games loose their value too quickly?

Are Games Art?

As some of you may be aware, An art gallery is going to have a video games section installed in 2012. Thus, hopefully ending the debate as to whether video games are art or not...

I have always believed that video games should be seen as art, and have had several discussions on the subject. so i present, in no particular order, ten games i believe to be the best artistically.

Number 10:
Electroplankton.

Not so much game play, but certainly a very unique experiment, there are several modes and no clear goal. the idea is to manipulate the plankton on the screen to create new sounds and visuals. it is classified as an interactive music video game. The game was developed by an artist and never really intended to be looked at as a game in the traditional sense.

Number 9:

Eternal Sonata

Never have i seen a game as beautiful as this, and i doubt i will for many years to come. simply stunning to watch, very colorful and every inch of the game world is intricately detailed, right down to small details on characters clothes. Maybe not the most technically advanced graphics, the models are quite low poly and some of the textures are basic. But thats not what makes this game look so good, its the artistic direction that really impresses. It's simply stunning and any part of the game could be put on canvas and sold as art. 

Number 8:
Yoshi's Island

Yoshi's Island was the first time ( i believe) that Nintendo decided to experiment with a new graphical style, earlier games by them, and other creators for the nes and the snes, used basic sprites that were on par with what the console could handle, and looked quite nice. but after RARE decided to take a different approach when producing Donkey Kong Country and decided to use 3D models, to use pre rendered characters and environments to create a 3D look. Apparently, originaly the game was to take a simmilar look to donkey kong country, but Shigeru Miyamoto was displeased with the result of the finished DKC game that they decided to change the plan and went on to make Yoshi's Island in a completely different style. Nintendo went and changed the look of the next super mario game and decided to make it seem like the game had been drawn with crayons and paint. and the result was a fantastic looking game, with a really hand drawn feel to it.

Number 7:
Final Fantasy 4 heroes of light.

The DS is not known for its ability to produce good looking 3D graphics, usually they are blocky and look quite bad. Square decided to take the opposite approach with FF4 heroes of light, and instead of try to attempt realistic 3D visuals, they would design the game using visuals that represent a pop up book or a water painting. The result is an excellent looking game that looks smooth and has a nice style to it which hasn't been attempted very often in the past.

Number 6:
Okami

this game just had to be included on the list, its stunning, even though i haven't finished it (i know, i will have to get round to it soon!) its a brilliant game, much like zelda in some ways. the graphics are inspired by traditional japanese artwork which means plenty of stylish areas and graphics at are truly drool worthy... to add to the artistic nature of the game, you are given a paintbrush, named the celestial brush, which you use to solve puzzles by actually painting on the screen.

Number 5:
Megaman 8Bit Series..

If theres one game i use to define what 8Bit games should look like i always think of the Megaman series, Clean graphics, great use of colour and even with the limitations of the hardware all the games have very unique levels that look and sound brilliant.

Number 4:
Kirby's Epic Yarn

Nintendo once again experimenting with new graphic styles, much like they did with Yoshi's Island. This time they decided to make the entire game work out of cloth and other materials, and to fantasic result. the game is very nice to look and and almost looks like a photo, as if the level has actually been crated by hand and laid out for a photo. it's certainly one of the most unique looking games i have played.

Number 3:
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker

When it was announced there were cries that nintendo had lost it, making Zelda look like a cartoon!?! What were they thinking... at first the reaction was bad to say the least. but once the initial shock had worn off and it had been released, once people had a chance to play it, the reaction suddenly changed, people were then saying how amazing it looked. the game used a style called cell shading, previously used on games such as Jet Set Radio. it made the game look just like a cartoon, and allowed for many great looking locations and gave link much more of a personality, now with the new graphics and improved power of the gamecube it was possible to give link facial expressions. the whole game looks incredible and is still the best looking Zelda game, many years later. a timeless classic.

Number 2:

REZ

Looks more like a visualizer you might expect to see on a media player, the game REZ used wire frame graphics for the most part, and creates a very absorbing game world, complete with a trance soundtrack and psychedelic levels, even the player character pulsates in time with the beat. there is a sequel coming soon to the xbox 360 called Child of Eden, which looks even more impressive.

Number 1:

Shadow of the Colossus

Just the sheer scale of the enemies of this game makes it a pleasure to look at, its an incredible experience just looking at the bosses, even more incredible, climbing up the boss and finding out a way of defeating it, all the while being thrown around miles above the ground, holding onto the colossus's hand is it tries to throw you off. it really is a sight to behold. and one of the most impressive looking games to date. it will look even more impressive with a HD version soon to be released on the PS3.

I hope you've enjoyed having a quick look at some of these artistic games. if you agree of disagree or think there are other games that you believe should be on here, please, leave a comment, i would like to know some other peoples opinions on this.

Thanks very much for reading, Nicktendowii

The new dimension.. a look at nintendo's other 3D console..

So, the 3DS has been out for a while, for many, this will be their first experience of 3D games. Nintendo has been working on 3D technology for a long time, all the way back to the NES. the Gamecube is 3D capable (but no games supported it) and they even tried to add a 3D screen to the Gameboy Advance SP.
go here to read more about Nintendo previous 3D efforts:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-01-07-nintendo-had-3d-working-in-gba-sp
or here if you want a more in depth look:
http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/how-nintendo-3ds-made/0/1

 But theres one 3D console that everyones tends to forget, whether intentionally or not. and that is...... the Nintendo Virtual Boy!

I'm lucky (unlucky?) enough to own one and a few games to go with it..

The system was a huge commercial failure, selling very few units and having only 14 games released (in america) it was far too expensive and had "headache inducing red and black graphics" but, even so, i love it! and heres why.... it looks hideous, like one of the Martians from war of the worlds, or simply, a pair of goggles on legs..

The 3D works amazingly well

Unlike the 3DS, which you have to hold at the correct angle, you don't have to worry about being at the wrong angle to see the virtual boy's 3D effect, you just have to put your eyes in the screen and the image is there, in full 3D right in front of you. despite the red graphics it is very impressive to see things flying towards you and you really do feel like your there.. its a very impressive effect and is much more noticeable than the 3DS. There are dials on the top of the console so you can adjust the depth and other things to make the 3D work better for you, but i find it works well whatever setting you put it on. it's very immersive, shutting out all the light apart from the screen, and the speakers on the side of the system provide a very good surround sound experience that adds to the immersion. one thing that doesn't help immerse you in the game, it the very annoying "Auto Pause" which pauses the game either after 30 minutes, or, on some games, after each stage..

It has better games than the 3DS (So Far)

It has 3 mario games! Mario tennis, mario clash and wario land VB. all three of the games are good, wario land is especially good, i haven't played it but I've heard its one of the best in the series, and its unfortunate that it was only ever released on the virtual boy, heres hoping for a re-release on the 3DS once the virtual console shop becomes active! 

Mario clash is much like the original mario bros arcade game, but in 3D, you play on two different layers and can throw shells into the background or foreground to take out unsuspecting koopas!

and mario tennis probably has the best use of the 3D effect, you can really tell how far away the ball is, as well has having good 3D it also has an amazing soundtrack! with music just as catchy as mario land. and fun, if a bit simple, gameplay. its also quite long, having single player and tournament modes, where you have to play a match against all the characters, there are unlockables and it saves your scores onto the cartridge, this is one of the VB games i go back to and play and still enjoy just as much now.

mario tennis music! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndD4_CP3S5U&feature=related

Great puzzle games, such as tetris (every console needs a tetris!) infact the virtual boy has 2 versions of tetris, a normal one and a "3D" tetris... i've only got the normal version, called V-Tetris, it plays exactly how you would expect. but with flashy 3D backgrounds and once again, awesome music! its just as addictive as any version of tetris, except you have to play it with your head inside a war of the worlds Martian...

another fun puzzle game is Panic Bomber, i have the Japanese version so i have no idea what the story is.. but somehow, bomberman and his friends have given up running through mazes and decided to play a game of puyo pop instead. its quite fun but really, has very little to do with bomberman. 

Starfox won't the first 3D nintendo game staring a space ship, that award goes to the fantastic VB title, Red Alarm! it plays very much like a clone of star fox, but benefits from the virtual boy's controller, having two d-pads, one for movement and another to dodge enemy bullets, it plays well and looks awesome in 3D, the levels are challenging but not annoying and the boss fights are clever and fun to look at. of course, from screenshots its impossible to tell exactly what it looks like, but trust me, its a lot easier to see when your actually playing it, and doesn't look like a jumble of lines, even though this picture might make you think otherwise...

Another shooting game i have for the VB is a vertical scrolling shooter called Vertical Force. it plays much like any vertical shooter, such as Raiden, Nanostray or any other shooter like that.. except, this one has two separate layers you can play in. you can move your ship into the background, and back again by pressing a button, and enemies appear on both layers, so you have to keep switching between them, its a very clever idea and one that could only work in 3D. its one of the best games for the system and uses the 3D to its advantage to create a new gaming experience. it's pretty much impossible to find good screen shots, so heres the back of the box..

of course, not everything about the virtual boy is good, its powered by SIX AA Batteries, which go, INTO THE CONTROLLER, which is a strange design choice, and they last even less time than the game gear, about 3 hours.. it's awkward to use the machine unless you have a table in front of you to stand it on, don't even try using it anywhere other than a table, its just not possible... as this guy shows.. http://www.gametrailers.com/video/angry-video-screwattack/30755

but as a piece of gaming history and certainly one very unique machine, it's worth experiencing at least once. one of the most experimental game systems i have ever seen. although it has its problems, i have a soft spot for the virtual boy, and it shows that Nintendo isn't afraid to try new ideas. and im glad they haven't been put off making a 3D console, i hope the 3DS will have Virtual Boy games available to download, so people can experience these games, as most of the games are decent, its just the console that lets them down. but i doubt nintendo want's to acknowledge the existence of the VB so the chance of a VB virtual console is slim at best... but i can hope!

Kirby's Super Star Ultra

The happiest game title ever? :D 

sorry for another playfire post, the next one will be new.. just haven't decided what to write about yet..

Kirby Super Star Ultra!!

Posted: Feb. 9, 2011, 11:36 a.m.

Related to: Kirby Super Star Ultra

A remake of one of my favourite games!! 

The original SNES version was my favourite game, until another snes game, Illusion of Time, took its place.. (but thats for another time) 

so, i've been after the DS remake for ages! but, as with most kirby games it was very hard to find. well, I've got it now! :D and it was worth the wait!

The main addition to this game in the Kirby series is the ability to make a "Helper" this is an aditional player which takes the form of whichever ability you had at the time, a second player can join in at any time and take over from the computer.  

The main game is more or less the same as the snes one, so if you've played that, you know what to expect. Spring breeze, Dynablade, Great Cave Offensive, Gourmet Race, Revenge of Metaknight, Milky Way Wishes and the rest are all there and as good as ever.

As well as all these classic SNES kirby adventures, theres some original games made just for the DS as well, First is a sort of remake of Spring Breese, called Revenge of the King. with some extra stages and harder enemies and slightly different level layout.

Then theres METAKNIGHTMARE ULTRA, which is split into different levels, and each level is several areas from the main advantures, although, for this mode, you get to play through them as Metakinight!! along with all his special moves, which are activated by pressing buttons on the touch screen.

Another game called Helper to Hero, which is the Arena mode, but you choose one of the helper characters to play as, which makes it quite hard because they only have limited move sets!

The new Helper to Hero mode brings a new challenge to the game.

Also new to the DS version are 3 touch screen mini games, the best of these is called Snack Tracks, you have to watch as a converyer belt moves down the scren and tap on bombs and insects, which kirby eats all the food on it. it gets very fast and fun! other new mini games are a card game called kirbyCardSwipe, and Kirby on the Draw. which is like a light gun shooting game.

if you've already played the snes one, skip this bit, if not heres a quick description of each game mode:

Spring breeze:

This is basically a stripped down version of the original Kirby's Dreamland for the Gameboy. its the easiest of all the games on the collection and has no kind of gimmic to go with it, its classic kirby gameplay.

Dynablade:

This game has a map screen so you get some control of where you want to go next, there also hidden levels which are made avaliable by finding a hidden switch somewhere in one of the levels. the aim of this game is to defeat the giant bird, Dynablade.

Great Cave Offensive:

This is by far the longest of the games, its a giant treasure hunt, which sees you and a helper exploring caves, castles and other areas to find hidden treasure chests. its very fun if you like exploring.

Revenge of metaknight:

This one has more of a story than the others, with brand new CG cut scenes and characters talking on the bottom screen while you play. its also fairly short but has some good boss fights and great music! 

Milky Way Wishes:

This one gets rid of kirby's ability to eat enemies and turn into them, instead you ahve to find the abilities hidded around the worlds, once you've found one you can use it at any time you want by selecting it on the touch screen. this game finished in an awesome boss fight which turns the game into a side scrolling shooter! 

Gourmet Race:

This is a race against King DEDEDE to eat as much food as possible and finish the race first! 

Arena:

This is a boss rush mode where you have to fight ALL the bosses in the game, you get to choose any ability you want, but you only have limited health supplies.

its an awesome game and the best kirby game by far!!

Nicktendowii out. Till next time! :D

A hand full of games

as you probably all know, i spend a lot (probably too much) on games... i've got another 20 or so in the last few months alone... so i wanted to give my opinions on some of them. of course i wont write about all of them because that would take far too long and both me writing this, and you reading this, would get bored. So i'll just pick a hand full of games and talk a bit about them..


Project Diva! (PSP)

got this from Play Asia, i love Vocaloid music and Miku so i've been after this game for ages! :D very glad i've finally got it!

The game its self is a music rhythm game where you have to press the correct button in time with the music and the icons on screen. its a lot of fun, especially on Hard mode where you need to use all 4 of the buttons. the song list is good and had quite a few that i hadn't heard which is always good, along with some of my favourites, World is mine, Melt, Last Night Good Night and more. as you play through the game there are lots of unlockables to collect including new costumes for Miku, as well as some other characters, (Rin, Len and Luka) decorations for the house and new songs / difficulties. For most of the songs in the game, they are accompanied by an animated music video that plays in the background, they look amazing on the PSP's big screen and are very well animated, although, sometimes if theres a lot going on the frame rate slows down a bit, but its still perfectly playable. some of the very fast songs near the end of the game only have pictures instead of the 3D animations.

apart from the music mode, there is also a mode where you can decorate a house, called Miku's Room, here you can play background music, including some songs that were not playable in the game! (including on of my favourites, Luka's "Double Lariat")   in this mode you can also take photos to save to the memory card inside the psp. you can also play any music you have on your psp in this mode. i found there were some classic SEGA consoles you can unlock to put in the room, which was a nice suprise!

if your thinking of getting this but don't like the thought of playing a japanese game, don't worry, the menu's are simple to navigate and you will quickly learn what everything does, i also found this website helpful to learn where and what the options do: http://projectdiva.wikispaces.com/

Next game is: 

Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing (Wii)

Not quite on par with the awesome Mario Kart Wii (damn, if only it was a golf game, that would have been an ace pun!) (damn, if only that pun would have been about tennis... never mind.. back to the game..)

Don't go into this thinking its just another sonic racing game. The amount of Saga in this game will be reason enough for most people to play this, it has everything you could want from SEGA in here, its got Ulala from space channel 5, AiAi from Monkey ball, Beat from Jet Set Radio, Billy Hatcher from.... Billy Hatcher :P Alex Kidd!, Even Ryo from Shenmue is a playable character! the stages in this game are its best feature and they all are well planned and fun to race on, and all taken from other classic Sega titles! 

here's Ryo on his motorbike on the Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg stage:

the game is incredibly colourful and the graphics are really nice and detailed. there is also a great selection of music from loads of past sega games, including songs from Sonic R! amazing! :D 

Apart from the normal Gran Prix mode, there is also a mission mode, where you have to do challenges and get graded on how well you did, Time trials, and an online mode, which i haven't tried yet... a very fun game and an easy recommendation for Sega fans!

Odin Sphere (PS2)

AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!! is what I scream as I throw my controller against the wall after being killed by a boss for the millionth time..... This game is HARD with a capital EVERYTHING!! but apart from its insane boss fights, its a great game so far, let me tell you a bit about it...

first off.. HOLY MOTHER OF 2D SPRITES! this game looks insanely good!

the attention to detail that has gone into the characters and background really is incredible, the animation is very smooth and the whole thing feels like a painting come to life.. now I've finished drooling over the beauty of the game i will do my best to explain the gameplay.

Throughout the game you will play as several different characters, each with their own story's. At the moment im still on the first character, Gwendolynn's story. She is the daughter of King Odin, her sister Griselda, gets killed in battle and Gwendolyn, she inherits her spear, which has a crystal on the end which can absorb Phozons which let you use magic abilities. She is a warrior and you have to travel to many different places killing enemies and collecting treasure. the game is more of an action game than an RPG, Each level is split into sections, and each section is like a circle, so for example, you can run all the way to the right and end up at the same place again. the objective in each area (apart from the shops) is to kill all the enemies or the boss. Thanks to the map at the top of the screen, which shows an outline of everything happening within the stage, its easy to find the enemies, you have a basic attack which is assigned to the Square button. and you can press triangle to bring up a list of magic spells. 

The yellow circle you can see in the bottom right of the screen is the map of the section you are in, the yellow dots are exits, you have to check the over all map to see where they take you. 

you level up, not by fighting enemies, but by eating, using items or by other means, to eat you have to first plant a seed which grows into a tree and grows fruit, each seed takes a certain number of phozons to grow. When you kill an enemy it releases phosons and they can be absorbed by holding R which powers up the blue bar in the top left, which gives you the power you need to use magic spells, or they can also be absorbed by seeds that you plant in the floor. it sounds complicated but its fine once you get used to it. The game also includes  very in depth alchemy system where you have to mix certain items together to make new ones. you get scrolls through out the adventure telling you what you have to mix.

one more thing worth noting, the music in this game is amazing too, composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, the composter for final fantasy XII. its all very epic orchestral music and really sets the tone for the game.

It's certainly not a game for everyone but so far im finding it to be a very enjoyable experience (apart from the damn boss fights!!) 

Pilotwings Resort (3DS)

the long awaited sequel to Pilotwings 64... but was it worth the wait..?

the game is basically Wii Sports Resort Airplane mode with extras.. the game is set on the same island, and the free flight mode in this pilotwings is more or less the same as the one on wii sports. you fly around in the plane and pop balloons (which is much more fun than it sounds)

the game is split into two modes, Missions and Free Flight. Missions range from basic flying through rings, to rounding up UFO's and taking them to the mother ship. along with poping balloons and following other planes, doing tricks, landing on platforms etc, so theres plenty of variety. The first few sets are extremely easy and cen be a bit dull, but from Silver up to Platinum they are more enjoyable. It's fun to re-try the missions to improve your score and aim to get 3 Star ranking on all of them. I've managed a *** rank on all of the Novice, Bronze and Silver missions and i'm now working on Gold. 

Apart from the plane you can also fly using a Jet Pack and Hand-Glider, same as the other two Pilotwings games. there are also three unlockable vehicles to get, a faster Jet Plane, Super Rocket Belt and a Pedal Glider. these (apart from the pedal glider) are just faster versions of the same thing.

The main part of this game, and where you'll be spending most of your flying time, is the free flight mode, where you are given a certain amount of time to explore the island and pop as many balloons, and find as many (i) Information points as possible. for every 30 balloons you pop, 30 seconds extra is added to the timer. The game also has three separate times of day to fly around in, and each time of day has a different set of balloons to find. Each vehicle also has its own collectables, the plane had rings with your mii's face on, which could be at any angle or spinning around, and depending on what the mii inside is doing, you have to do the same while flying through it in the plane. the rocket belt has present boxes that contain your mii which are hidden all around the island. and the hand glider has gold rings you need to fly through.

It is a very good game, but maybe a bit too relaxed, i enjoyed my time casually flying over Wuhu island looking for (i) points and exploring the caves and passageways in the island. but i can understand that some people might find this very dull and just finish the missions and then forget about the game. 

theres some interesting uses of mii's in this game, not only do you fly as your mii, but also, depending on the colour of your shirt, it changes the colour of the airplane / hand glider! nothing special, just a small extra i noticed.

In my opinion i think this is just as good as the previous pilotwings games and if you enjoyed them its definitely worth playing. 

Thanks for reading

No food or movies? i'm outta here!

(extra points for getting the reference)

Nicktendowii