2011: A Retrospective, Part 3

And I'm back from feeling like junk. Here's the third part of my five-part series.

There's an almost Yoshi's Island quality to the art style. Also, there's a disco ball buried under ground.

Raskulls - I noticed when this game came out that there was a lot of dislike of it, but I happened to have an absolute blast with it. Half-Brick is quickly becoming one of my favorite studios for their charming art styles, witty banter, and clever-yet-simple game mechanics. The whole point of Half Prick is a 2D Platform racer where you, an adorable skull headed figure in one of many adorable costumes, are pit against up to 3 other characters for a race to the finish. The interesting thing is the pseudo color-matching puzzle built in. The most common obstacle you'll find is a series of block stopping you, but you can zap them out of the way with a little wand object. It'll clear out all of the bricks of a matching color connected to that one, so with a little quick thinking, you can try and hedge out a superior path. The game also takes this simple premise and devises a series of unique gameplay options and puzzle-modes through it's single-player campaign, and it's amazing how much variety they squeeze out of it. It was an absolute gem of a game that I would love to see more of (especially on a portable system).

The kid took aim and drew his string back. He found the destructible environments to be conducive to stress relief.

Bastion - I almost feel like I don't need to talk about this game. If this one screenshot doesn't convince you to immerse yourself in a world of fantastic hand-painted visuals, perhaps this sample of the soundtrack will. No? How about if I told you that it there's an full arsenal of varied weapons that can be mixed and matched, and spec'd in different ways for a huge spectrum of variety? Maybe one of the most well-told stories, the kind that is done in a way that can only be realized in video games, and shows why this is the superior medium for storytelling? Alright, if this can't convince you, you're probably just dead inside.

There's a lot going on in this screenshot, and I think it blocks out the fact that this board is Yoshi's Island.

Fortune Street - So. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you're going to like this game. I'm not going to try and convince you that this Monopoly with a hint of Mario Party, skinned with a ton of Mario and Dragon Quest nostalgia is really for you. I am going to tell you that this is the best version of Board Game Top Shop I've played since Board Game Top Shop. If you don't even know what that means, I could try and convince you that this is Culdcept Saga without the Magic: the Gathering mechanic, but that might not do anything for you either. I'm just going to tell you that I love it, and that many a friend has and will be subjected to it. Also this.

You can have her!

Devil Survivor: Overclocked - Yes, it's a remake of the original Devil Survivor on the DS. Yes, there's little to no use of 3D, and they ignore the better, cleaner, bigger screen up top during the main action and dialogue. Yes, this game has a few problems. But it also has one of the best stories, some of the best strategy gameplay, and oh yeah, Jack mo'effin' Frost.

Ilo Milo - I love puzzle platformers, I love a good art style, and I love a good soundtrack. This game is like a puzzle-platforming Mario Galaxy and it's positively oozing with delightful tones. It's quite the package, and I highly recommend you investigate it shortly.

Eye sees what you did there.

Terreria - 2D Minecraft with a heavier RPG influence. That's about it, and that's about all there needs to be.

If I had an "Item of the Year" Category, Racoon Tail gets it by a mile.

Mario Kart 7 - It could be easy to write off Mario Kart 7 as a total rehash, or the 'necessary once every console' type game, but that would be greatly understating that it just might be the best Mario Kart ever. Some people say that your favorite Mario Kart is your first, but I disagree. Mario Kart DS was my favorite, and I've been in this series since the beginning. But this one takes the cake. It looks crisp and clean, the car customization adds some fun and let's me race the way I like to with the characters I want (Lakitu). The new tracks are great, and I love when they can implement the new Glider feature into the old ones. (The underwater thing is take-it-or-leave-it, to be honest.) About the only way they could improve on this series, I think, is to turn it into "Smash Kart" and start throwing in more Nintendo Characters and themed courses, rather than adding (*sigh*) Queen Bee and Metal Mario. Imagine Samus riding in a kart shaped like her ship, or Link riding a motorcycle designed after Epona. This is where I want to see this series go. Until then? This one is pretty damn good.

Andriasang - It seems like everybody this day and age is quoting Andriasang for their news straight out of Japan. They seem to do pretty good work breaking a lot of interesting stories, and providing an awesome look into the gaming landscape of our Eastern counterpart. I just wanted to give them props for the hard work they've been doing this last year.

Did I mention this game is kind of fucked up? Because it's REALLY fucked up.

Binding of Isaac - The gaming equivalent to enjoying being tied up in a dungeon and having hot candle wax poured onto one's backside, The Binding of Isaac is a simple game with a remoresless difficulty. You play as Isaac, a little boy escaping his mother (who believes God has comanded her to kill her son) by running into their basement. What ensues is essentially a randomly generated Zelda dungeon crawler. There's tons of power-ups, enemies, and bosses that keep this game feeling fresh, and also to keep you from ever actually beating it. It's not for the feint of heart (or the controller-throwing prone), but it's a pretty awesome little title.

The future is Orange.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Deus Ex may not have asked to be on this list, and I almost didn't put it on here. For as much a the game does, I feel like there's a lot of things it does wrong. But in the end, I'm enamored with the cyber-punk story and visual aesthetics. It may not be perfect, but it's pretty damn cool, none the less.

Part: The Third, down. Two more to go. How do you like them selections, folks?

-Make it a good one.

2011: A Retrospective, Part 2

Another day, another 10 great things about last year.

Earth Porn abound in Skyrim.

Skyrim - I have always been apprehensive of open-world type games. I've always felt that something fine tuned and more narrow will always be a more polished and enjoyable experience. While I don't think I'm wrong on that point, I have come around on the whole open world thing thanks to games like Assassin's Creed and, now, Skyrim. Oblivion was neat, Fallout was pretty awesome, and now Skyrim is frickin' amazing. From top to bottom there is some real spit-shine on a game I would have expected to be full of open-world jank. Sure, you've got the occasional mammoth on a treetop, or floating items, but overall this game really shines in a way that no open world game has for me, yet. It's atmospheric, it's immersive, and the game let's me get away with doing pretty much anything I want.

Portal 2 - Portal will always be on a short list of perfect games, to me. There was absolutely nothing wrong with anything in it's execution. Hopes were high with Portal 2, but I was afraid that they would end up just sort of "more of the same"-ing it. That fear was out the window in the first minutes of that game with a little sphere named Wheatley telling me all about what was going on, and my hotel room chamber smashing through a wall. Clearly, this was going to be everything I loved about Portal only bigger and better. I was not disappointed, as I added the second Portal to that short, short list.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - Maybe it's the fact that I've been itching to get a new Metroid-vania style of game, or maybe it's the quirky and colorful aesthetic of Shadow Planet, but that game just hit a nerve with me. It was an inventive 2D game that was both familiar and new. The way the enemy terrain writhed and threatened me while being simultaneously dark and colorful begged me to comb every inch of that game to find all the hidden goodies.

Find Mii - So, I'm in love with the 3DS's Street Pass functionality. The old "Bark Mode" was cool, but it didn't work out since you could only have one active game at a time. But with Street Pass, all of the data of any games you own gets traded with other people. Find Mii is a game that everybody technically has if they own a 3DS, so it gets some of the most use. You take the Mii's that you find on a quest across a series of dungeons and forests to find your own Mii, who has been captured by evil monsters. It's fairly simplistic, but it's quirky in charming in that way that only Nintendo can be. It's a brilliant use of the feature, it's packed into the game, and it's been expanded by Nintendo just recently to be far more grand. Plus? If we learned anything from Team Fortress 2, it's that hats are awesome.

Super Mario 3D Land - I think it speaks for itself that I have already cleared everything I can in this game. Every coin, every golden flag, with every character, on both worlds. There is nothing left for me in Mario 3D Land, and I still want to go back in and just do it all again. That game is pure platforming bliss, and I think Nintendo has really uncovered something important with it's use of the 3D technology. Even when you're not using the 3D, which makes pinpoint landings and jumps even easier, they've still found a way to make a 3D game with a fixed camera work. I have a few quirky nitpicks about this and that, but overall, I'm more excited for a more thought out, fully cooked Super Mario game on the 3DS.

Rock of Ages - Man, this game is weird. But it's weird in all the right ways. Overall, it's just a game about rolling a boulder through an obstacle course maintained and built by your opponents, all in an attempt to break down their defense and destroy them. A simple, and interesting enough game with some cool multi-player prospects, but what really helps launch Rock of Ages into the forefront is it's zany trip through history in the form of a comedic premise featuring Sisyphus escaping his torment and bowling his way to freedom. He comes across historical figures like Vlad the Impaler and Leonidas, represented by cut-outs of artistic representations of them, and re-enacted with modern referential material, such as Leonidas trying to kick Sisyphus down a well. It's all very bizarre, but very charming at the same time. The Monty Python-esque design combines with unique gameplay, to make one of the most interesting games this year.

Minecraft - Sure we've been playing it for over a year, but it's technically 'out,' now, and it is still getting better with every update. The ability to lose yourself in a world that you must survive in by using the landscapes around you to your advantage really works. Everything in the world around you is a tool or material that you can use, so you're not locked to just select items like you would be in any other game. It's a unique experience, to be sure. And even if you don't like the whole survival aspect of it, you can just freely build crap all willy-nilly. Go make giant 8-bit Mega Man characters, or monuments to The Normandy. Recreate The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, if you're that bored.

Orcs Must Die - I almost skipped this one entirely until it went on sale on Steam recently, and I kick myself for having almost done so. This game is a fast paced tower defense/3rd person action game with a sense of style and really solid tech to back it up. Setting up traps and slaughtering waves of orcs is just good fun. Top to bottom, this game has a lot of care put into it, and it shows. All I could want out of a sequel at this point is some kind of multiplayer mode.

Sanctum - While we're on the subject of tower defense games, let's move to the first person perspective. Where Orcs Must Die had a whimsical fantasy setting, Sanctum is a super futuristic setting with only slightly less whimsy. It's more focused on the Defense Grid style of building mazes to force mindless mobs to run through while you assault them with your first person gun stuffs. It actually has a multi-player, and is a hell of a lot of fun because of it.

EDGE - A tricky little puzzle/platformer, EDGE has the right look, the right sound, and the right gameplay for your buck. It kind of feels like a game that was pulled out of the late 80's, early 90's, and cleaned up for a more current generation of hardware. It's really unique, and Two Tribes in general does great work, so I wanted to highlight it here.

So today was mostly filled with just regular ol' games. No positive trends or anything I wanted to hit on this week, but we'll see during the rest of the week if there was anything worth mentioning.

How about you? What were some of your favorite things this past year? What did you think of my recommendations so far? Feel free to leave comments below! I love 'em!

-Make it a good one.

2011: A Retrospective

[NIFTY GRAPHIC HERE]

2011 is actually one of the better years I can think of, in general, for games. There weren't a whole lot of surprises, but I think everything came out just as good, and occasionally better, than I had expected. I wanted to take some time to highlight the best things in games. Not just the games themselves, but the grand industry surrounding them as well. I think the importance of trends and actions can sometimes be overshadowed, and I want to make sure they get some recognition.

Also? I wanted to come up with a list of 50 things. That's 10 things a day. There's no discernible order to them, so don't try to find my "favorite thing" about last year.

10 Things I Loved About Last Year.

This game has one of the best opening sequences I've seen in a long time.

Dead Space 2 - It's been almost a year since this title came out, already, and I still recall so much of it vividly. From top to bottom, this game never stopped impressing me. Between just how crisp it looked and ran, the XBOX 360 no less; to the immaculate attention paid to the sound design; to the action that only broke camera a handful of times the entire game, Visceral Games really deserves to be commended for busting such a brilliant game. And just over two years after their initial title, managing to squeeze out Dead Space: Extraction, and the (quality arguments aside) full package that was Dante's Inferno. Those guys have done a lot in a short while, and Dead Space 2 stands as a crowning achievement.

More class than the Japanese public school system.

Satoru Iwata - I've said before that I think he is the classiest son'bitch in games, and this only cemented that feeling. Maybe it's a difference in culture, but in the face of the 3DS not doing as well as was hoped, Iwata's actions still illicit a double take. He did what? He cut his salary in half?! And those of other managers? Rather than firing staff at the bottom and giving himself a bonus like every other CEO? I've heard it said that this is common in Japan, and maybe it's just my selective reading, but I still can never think of a time in history where I've seen this. In an era of Enrons and #OccupyWallstreet, it's nice to see a big ol' corporate man take a humbling hit like that. The 20 free games I got didn't hurt, either.

I still can't stop laughing at this. You'd know why if you were into things that were awesome.

Persona 4 - The Anime - No shame here, I'll put any excuse to remind people that Persona 4 was a thing that I can. That game is, to this day, one of the most memorable titles I have ever played. And as I push thickly framed glasses up my nose, I want to be clear, that I enjoyed this game before Giant Bomb's Endurance Run. Well before all of that, my friend bought me Persona 4 for Christmas, considering my recent love with Persona 3. The first time I powered that game on was on a random whim at 4 in the morning. Some friends were over and we were talking, and I just felt like throwing down some JRPG action. 16 hours later, I finally took a nap. No game has ever, to this day, had that effect on me. And the thing I love about the anime? It manages to recapture everything that I loved about Persona 4, while still tossing it's own spins and curve balls in there to keep it engaging. I'm praying for localization at some point, but until then, watching it on Hulu is working just fine.

"Professor! Something dramatic is happening off camera!"

Professor Layton - It was a good year for Professor Layton fans the world over. Japan saw the release of Mask of Miracles, Layton's first 3DS outing; us local folk-al saw the release of The Last Spectre; and we received the jaw-dropping announcement of Phoenix Wright vs. Professor Layton. Plus the release of Layton's first full-length movie, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. It was an action-packed year for Layton's apprentices, and there's still plenty more to come.

Sing it with me. "Do-doo-do. Dodo! Dodo! Doo-doo!"

Sonic Generations - Alright. I don't like to generally get nasty or snarky but: It's About. Fucking. Time. Huge nostalgia kick aside (which they nail in the face and straight to my childhood), they actually did it, you guys. They made a good Sonic game again. And what's weirder? It's probably the best Sonic yet. They made a new Sonic, that's cobbled together from all the old Sonics, AND MADE IT A BETTER SONIC! How does that work?! They didn't just lean on the drug of nostalgia; they actually made it look and feel blazing fast while playing buttery smooth. This game is miles ("Tails" Prower) above their Sonic 4 game, which wasn't bad, per se, but wasn't really great either. What's more, they didn't just make a lazy port to the 3DS, they tried to make an original, albeit similar, game. So owning both copies, I don't feel like I have the "gimped one" and the "amazing one." I mean, one is clearly better by virtue of tech, but the 3DS one is still pretty awesome.

I wish somebody made me a logo this sweet for my 25th birthday.

The Zelda 25th Anniversary - I don't think they could have handled this better, really. A huge concert, tons of press, free games, updated versions of favorite games, a brand new big ass game... I mean... How awesome was that, you guys? I write this, a week away from going to see the Zelda Orchestra in Dallas, TX, and I'm still getting goosebumps. It does kind of make me bummed that Mario, the Big Red fucking M, got a half-assed package and a wave out the door, and Metroid was completely overlooked. But they pulled out all the stops with, arguably, their biggest franchise. A job well done, top to bottom.

That is some interesting jewelry on the yellow guy...

The Steam Sales - It wasn't until the end of this year that I would have ever called myself a PC gamer. Sure, I loved me some Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, and the occasional MMO stint, but I was always a console guy. I think that's about over. I got a 27 inch monitor for Christmas, I've got me a wired 360 controller (for Super Meat Boy, etc.), and I have Steam. All year long Steam has been really ramping up it's services; providing screenshots, video recording, and the sales. My god, it's full of sales. The Summer Camp and Winter promotions were, I think, brilliant. They give you huge incentives, besides ridiculously priced content, to play some real hidden gems like Sanctum and Jamestown. Even if you didn't get anything especially cool, you still had a chance too, and I think that was half the fun. I got me a copy of Nimbus I can't wait to crack open, now that I can stop hounding for achievements, and I've got a couple dozen amazing titles to go back through.  About the only thing I would love to see now is Steam hit other platforms. I would love to have access to the store via my Android, or choice games (like Binding of Isaac) available on my 3DS or Vita. It's a bit of a long shot, but it would be amazing.

It's certainly unique, you can't argue with that.

The 3DS - I've mentioned it enough times that I might as well give it a slot to itself. The year started quite rough for the little guy, not unlike when the original DS launched. A couple of pretty neat titles, a bunch of quick-to-make-a-buck ports and remakes, and some virtual console titles were all we had for quite a while. Then came a huge price cut, a promise of 20 free virtual console games, and (most importantly) some key software. It took a while, but I believe the 3DS landed a far higher note than the DS did in it's first. I'm already in possession of a stack of games that dwarfs my PSP collection, and I earnestly enjoy them. Seeing what I've got up ahead, I've still got plenty to be excited about, too. The DS is still my favorite little guy, but the 3DS is quickly living up to his older brother.

So good.

VVVVVV - Like Persona 4, I'll take a good instance to show off this game whenever possible. It's a great little title with an amazing soundtrack. It was just released on the 3DSWare at the end of the year, and if you haven't checked it out yet, you're doing it wrong. Doing what wrong? Everything. Granted, maybe you just don't like awesome 2D platforms that challenge your twitch reflexes and love of chiptune music, and that's fine. Some people are just born without a soul, but that doesn't mean they're any less of a person. Well, they are, but not legally.

Little red sumo guy for Smash Bros.! Right?! Guys? Right?

Pushmo - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Guys. Seriously. Guys. Pushmo. Look at it. Oh my god it just. It just hits you right there, you know? That spot in your brain? The one that doesn't get scratched enough? Yeah. It gets you there. Right there. It just gets it's talons, or proboscis, whatever it uses, and it just fucking wedges right up in there and takes hold. And you don't want it to go. Every time your eyes are seperated from the screen and the puzzles; every time your ears are no longer drowning in the pleasant 'beatz,' it's painful. Like the loss of something, but you don't know what. You just know you want it back. That's Pushmo, guys. Pushmo.

What if I told you it was Modern Warfare + Persona 4? Would you play it then? I'd be lying. But would you play it?

Favorite Thing from Before 2011 that I just discovered this year: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey - I picked up this little DS title when it came up then shelved it for whatever distraction came my way. Going back to it, I rather enjoyed the story and atmosphere of it, and I highly recommend it to anybody who missed it. There will be one item like this every day in supplement to the list of 50.

And that's my list so far. Come back tomorrow and I'll have another 10 things that I just absolutely adored this year. Or don't. Whatever. I'm a blog, not a cop.

-Make it a good one.

Legend of Zelda Orchestra announces new project.

Do-do-DO! do-do-DO! Dooo-dodododo-do-dooo!

The Zelda 25th Anniversary is about to evolve into something to keep going as the franchise turns to the less impressive age of 26. Dubbed the "The Legend of Zelda: The Symphony of the Goddesses," it looks like the orchestra focused on one of gaming's biggest franchises is going to start spreading out to different parts of the world, starting in Dallas, TX on January 10th.

Tickets are on sale now through November 30th for the show, ranging anywhere from $19 to $100.

All the fine details for Nintendo's Press Release can be found here.

It was the Song of Storms, by the way.

-Make it a good one.

Game Music Appreciation: Wario Land: Shake It!

Shake it, shake-shake, shake it! Shake it like a Polaroid picture!

Wario Land: Shake It is a game that went mostly under the radar, which is unfortunate for anybody that likes good games. Developed by Good Feel, who recently did Kirby's Epic Yarn, this game features hand-drawn visuals, unique puzzle-platforming, and (the subject of this post) a brilliant score. Unfortunately, as I get about 1 hit a month on my blog (thanks, Mom), this trend of overlooking Wario Land will continue. But that won't deter me!

Stonecarving City is the first big level you get set loose on your money-grabbing adventure, and it sets a great tone. A low key, funky beat with one of Wario's familiar tunes gets you started, and it eventually evolves into a giant, all-out celebration. Have a listen.



On the theme of stones, is Stonetooth Cave. Another jazzy groove, this time adding some synthesized guitars, this track makes it nearly impossible to bounce too. It might sound a little cheesy, but that's the sort of Wario aesthetic that comes through in this game. And if Good Feel has a good grip on anything in games, it's audio-visual aesthetics.



If there's one thing I'm getting tired of in video games, it's desert levels having the same twangy middle-east vibe. We get it. It's a desert. Let's move on. Well Whoopsy Desert does a fine job of skirting that stereotype just enough to still be on the same page, but throws in a low, quick electronic beat and some swanky guitar chords to help keep it from sounding as dry as the levels look.



Touching back on the Wario Tune used for Stonecarving City, we visit Launchpad Labyrinth for a superbly salsa-fied mix. The latin flavor is like like a carne guisada of the heavens.



Using the same sound that would eventually go on to frame a lot of what Kirby's Epic Yarn would use to melt your pleasure-center into a gelatinous mound of happy, Gurgle Gulch is a wonderful piano-based tune that just feels fun.



Perhaps the most bullshit boss in the game, the infuriating Large Fry Cook was a controller-snapping experience like no other. It wasn't so much cheap: He has a very distinct pattern. But like so many Mega Man bosses of old, it's there's a narrow path to victory. His music, however, is a fast-paced jazz beat that helped balance out his enraging mechanics.



Soggybog River is a great little ditty with a deep baseline and droning melody that reminds me of something from a Sonic level. The overly-synethic construction of the song just hits me in a nostalgia zone.



I hope you've enjoyed our trek through some of the music of Wario Land: Shake it. There's so much more out there, with over 40 songs (not including the incidental stuff) to sit through. It's an audio journey that I really hope you'll take, even if you never sit down to play the brilliant platformer it came from.

What think you of this soundtrack? Have your eyes and ears been opened to a brand new sound? Am I preaching to a choir that knows good tunes? Which is your favorite? I am desperate to know!

This has been another Game Music Appreciation blog with Randy. Please. Tell your friends.

-Make it a good one.

Two Tribes totally teases Toki Tori Two.

Totally.

Just posted on their official Steam pages and YouTube page, developer Two Tribes has announced that they are making a follow up to personal favorite Toki Tori 2.

Not much is known at this time, although the teaser trailer hints at some new locals and power-ups, including one that totally buffs out the strangely tech-savvy chicken protagonist from the first game.



Also announced is that they will be accepting help from the community to make this game better than ever. Details have been released on Two Tribes' website.

If you haven't checked out the original, or any other of Two Tribes' games, head on down to their Steam page and check them out. Their games ooze with visual charm, musical magic, and that simple-but-addictive gameplay that makes them hard to put down.

How excited are you for this new title? Sound off below!

Ocarina of Time: then and now.

Making it feel right

   13 years ago, exactly half as old as I am now, Ocarina of Time was released on the Nintendo 64. While it may not be my personal favorite game, it was an important game, especially then. It was a big deal. And while I'm getting through the newest remake on 3DS, I'm remembering some of the other things in my life that were going on, and what all I'm bringing together to try and recreate the glory days of my youth.

 

This is how you remember it looking.

   When Ocarina was originally released, I was living in Wichita Falls, Texas. These days I'm in Austin Texas, a few hours south. And while I've actually spent the majority of those 13 years in Michigan, it feels right that I'm back in the south to replay a timeless classic.

   The music. Yeah, the music of Ocarina of Time is classic, but during that time I had another favorite album. Yeah, laugh at me all you want, but the soundtrack of Austin Powers was almost always in my CD player. I still do love that album, and I've pulled it out of storage (where CD's now go to die, just like cassette's before them) to relive some of the atmosphere.

   Having friends to play with is another thing that cements me to the past. More than the game itself, everybody talking about it and their experiences is what made this such an important title for me. It's lucky, then, that I have an amazing boyfriend as well as a workplace full of nerds, so that we can all talk about it again.

This is how it actually looked. An improvement? I think so.

   There are, however, some things I just can't recreate to put me back in 1998. For one, I'm not going back to America Online. I'm just not. Another thing? I'm not 13 anymore. I'm 26. I drive, vote, drink, and I make my own paychecks. So I don't quite have that youthful spark anymore. Oh and one more item: it was winter when I got the game. A step outside to the gas station tells me that it is anything but Winter right now in Austin, Texas.

   That's my little anecdote about Ocarina of Time as I plunge into the newest release of it. What of yours, readers? Where were you in your life when you first played it? Is the 3DS version perhaps your first? I would love to know more!

Until then, make it a good one!