Sunday, August 20, 2006

Okami - Review

Okami
PlayStation2
Rating: T for Teen (13+)
Price: MSRP $49.99

Synopsis: The premise is simple. Forces of evil are encroaching upon the beautiful land of Nippon (old Japan). To push them back, you play as Amaretsu, a reincarnation of the wolf god, Shiranui, who died after defeating the evil Orochi 100 years ago. Using the Celestial Brush, you draw spells in battle to defeat the bad guys. Outside of battle, the Brush can be used to complete simple tasks that bring happiness to the people of Nippon.

Overall: 9.7
Story/Concept: 9.8
Graphics: 9.8
Gameplay: 9.7
Sound: 9.5
Replay value: 9.7

Difficulty: Medium
Learning Curve: 30 minutes, or as long as it takes to learn how to effectively use the Celestial Brush with ease.

Family Factor: A wonderful, deep, involving story. While Okami presents a bright and colorful world, it does have its scary moments of huge, beastly boss monsters and evil demons. Issun, Amaterasu's partner, is a bit of a womanizer and oftentimes embarassingly flirtatious (and even more often than not, gets shot down). I'd say 13+ is an appropriate age, but you could go a couple of years younger.

Review:
Note: Because this game rivals the Zelda series, I will be comparing the two. A lot.
Note(2): I first wrote this review for a site called MyGamer.com, so you can also find it there.

I try hard not to sound like a raving lunatic when I review games…I like trying to be unbiased as possible…but for Okami, that’s not going to be easy and for that, I apologize in advance. Simply put, this is probably the best game in the action-adventure genre. That’s right. I said it. It’s better than Zelda. At long last, Sony has found a trump card to Link. And Okami rivals the epic Nintendo staple.

The premise is simple. Forces of evil are encroaching upon the beautiful land of Nippon (old Japan). To push them back, you play as Amaretsu, a reincarnation of the wolf god, Shiranui, who died after defeating the evil Orochi 100 years ago. Shortly thereafter meet your semi-obnoxious fairy…er, traveling companion named Navi…er, Tatl…no, wait, Issun. Yeah, Issun, a womanizing wandering artist, tags along with Amaterasu (who he affectionately nicknames Ammy, to the glee of English-speaking gamers, since Okami Amaterasu is a mouthful). All of the characters in Okami eventually grow on you (with the exception of the forces of evil). Okami has the innate charm to draw you into its crazy little word and spur empathy with the large cast of characters. The storyline is an interesting balancing act between happy, cutesy moments and hopeless it’s-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it dramas. The seasoned gamer will see plot elements from every adventure they’ve played surgically removed from past games and spliced into one interesting saga. You explore the cursed forests (Ocarina of Time), shrink to ant-sized proportions (Minish Cap), sail the ocean blue (Wind Waker), go fishing (Breath of Fire series), rescue various damsels in distress (just about any adventure game), and do your fair share of side-questing. This all ends up becoming one of the most diverse gaming experiences around, and leads to a great, character-driven story that will certainly be enjoyable.

The gameplay is simply astound astounding. The camera rarely falters, and the controls work very smoothly. Ammy’s versatile weapon, the Celestial Brush, is used to summon spells and attack enemies, and it just flows with the analog stick with ease, easily beating out the conventional RPG weapon. The core of Ammy’s adventure is a pan-Nippon search for the lost 13 techniques from the gods. The techniques range from a simple line that will cut down obstacles and enemies in your path to a circular spell that will materialize a bomb. As you recover more abilities, it becomes easier to restore the land to its former glory. Along the way, Amaretsu will get praise orbs. These allow you to boost stat points and upgrade various skills, for instance, you will gain a praise orb from a task like banishing evil auras from zones, or using Bloom spells to make flowers flourish (which nets a lot of praise). After, you can use Praise to bolster your life meter, or increase your supply of ink for the Celestial brush. Like any action-adventure, skill in battle is key, and is your main source of revenue throughout the game. After each battle you receive a sort of report card that rates Ammy’s performance and determines the amount of bonus Yen doled out. Although some key items in the Okami economy seem overly expensive, it’s always easy to replenish your funds after going broke and almost always worth the money .

The main place Okami exceeds where Wind Waker failed to some is in the graphics department. The stylish sumi-stroke graphics are eye-candy through and through and provide a masterful representation of a more animated style, and add to the overall greatness of the game, rather than being a side-note like in Wind Waker. The game is just enjoyable to watch, much less play. It would be great to see more games follow this artistic style. The background music is incredible, and as with everything else in the game, it is tinged with a Japanese influence, and melds nicely with the game’s events while being easy to appreciate on its own. Capcom deserves a great deal of credit for the transition from Japanese to English, with no major bumps in the localization. The dialogue is interesting to read and often comical. Even though some cut-scenes are surprisingly text-heavy, the game caters to short attention spans by breaking up the scene into segments. Usually, the NPCs will cease their explanation and a green arrow will appear above their head, indicating they have more info. This way, you can proceed through the cut scene at your own leisure, which is a very nice touch. NPC voices are peculiar themselves. While Okami doesn’t have voiceovers, characters do speak in a strange language that is similar to Animalese from Animal Crossing. Except Okami’s version of Animalese is a little more whispery and less neurotic. Again, your senses have to adjust a bit to the oddities of Okami, but this is an acquired taste from Japan I think everyone can enjoy.

All-in-all, no PS2 library should be without this. It has a great story that, though clichéd, will mesmerize you and will effectively pull you into the narrative. The replay value for this game is immense as the storyline, sidequesting, and searches for those really rare items just never gets old. This game can probably be played for years. There’s just something about Okami that’s just so fresh, so exciting. This game gets an extra gold star because not only did it make me laugh, but it was the first game that actually made me cry. You know you’re in deep when a game evokes that kind of emotion. So if you’ve been on the fence about this title, go buy it. But don’t expect a sequel anytime soon—the company that developed Okami folded.

Also recommended: Zelda series, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy series


Saturday, August 19, 2006

Nintendo Wifi USB Connector - Crash Course


Nintendo Wifi USB Connector
Price: MSRP $39.99

What does it do?
Allows the user’s DS to connect to Nintendo Wireless Internet and play games with other DS players. Also allows the Wii to go online (I have not yet tried this; will update when I do though) (No one knows, it's mystery is only exceeded by it's power, and it's power is only exceeded by its mystery ^_~)

How do you link with other players online?
Players use uniquely generated Friend Codes, which act like DS addresses, to link to their in-real-life friends or challengers found over the Internet.

No personal information is associated with such Friend Codes, which makes friend codes very safe to share. The only discrepancy that comes with publicly sharing FCs online is it makes your DS game more vulnerable to hackers.

Is it easy to set up?
Unfortunately, it depends. I’ve heard success stories, but all too many stories of frustration and barrages of error codes.

The installation process is simple enough—the USB key comes with easy-to-understand instructions and software. The problem comes after installation, when you try to connect and stand a great chance of being attacked by error codes, commonly 52003, 51099.

Error codes!!! HELP!

Go here to debunk what your error code means.

Nintendo recently revamped their support site, which unfortunately made finding USB Key support more cumbersome. I dug up the links that were particularly helpful to me when I had connection problems, the most important of these probably being the error code directory located to the right side of the pages, which tells you what your error code means and what to do about it.

When I received error code 52003 and/or 51099, I had to turn my Norton Antivirus Firewall temporarily so I could go online. It’s scary not having virus protection, but I usually don’t surf the Internet while I’m using my DS online.

Using a search engine like Google or Yahoo is also a helpful way to solve error code issues. There are most definitely other people who have experienced the same difficulties, and more than likely someone has posted multiple solutions to your problem on a forum somewhere.


Can't this work with my wireless router?/Any alternatives?….
If you’re lucky enough, you’ll already have a wireless Internet network established at home. Congratulations, you might have avoided a headache. Only a few certain wireless routers are compatible with the DS. Nintendo has official ratings/reviews of router compability with the DS here.

If your router is not compatible, you will have to purchase the USB key for DS Internet access. Sorry and my condolences. (You can always shoot me an e-mail for support/help).


Helpful Links:

Brain Age - Review

Brain Age
DS
Rating: E for Everyone (6+)
Price: MSRP $19.99

Synopsis: Fine tune your brain in minutes everyday by solving mini-puzzles and mathematical challenges, presented by the jolly Dr. Kawashima.

Rating: 7.5
  • Story/Concept: 8.0
  • Graphics: 8.0
  • Sound: 8.0
  • Gameplay: 5.0
  • Replay value: 8.5
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Curve: Seconds/no time at all to learn how to play. The only real learning curve is learning to write on the DS screen in a way where the game won't mistake your answer.

Family Factor: Welcomes all ages and a fun source of competition. Brain Age offers 4 save files, meaning up to 4 people can each keep track of their own brain age. This game is touted as one that DS-owners outside the mail 16-year-old demographic gaming is often misleadingly associated with (average age of gamers = 29-30something). Plus it’s Nicole Kidman-approved. How could you not want to play it?

Review:
Once you get used to Dr. Kawashima’s floating head energetically spouting instructions and brain-training tips, Brain Age welcomes players with an easy-to-use interface and simplistic mind-challenging mini-games.While Brain Age isn’t one of those titles that you can sit down and play for 30-90 minutes, you can at least rely on it for a few minutes of solid play everyday, especially with the inclusion of over 50 sudoku puzzles.

The minigames are surprisingly fun. The race-the-clock mathematical puzzles and speed counting/memorization games are reminiscent of the same sense of competition from gradeschool board races. You begin your brain training with only one mini-game (Multiplication x20, the equivalent of 20 flashcards), but will grow as you complete the minigames daily and are rewarded a stame for each day you play. The minigames serve as mental conditioning for the Brain Age Test, which calculates the youthfulness (or dustyness) of your brain.

Most minigames rely on scribbling your answer on the DS’s touch screen. Brain Age will sometimes misread your answer, for example taking your perfectly-drawn “8” to be a “6,” and mark it wrong. Precision is key, or else your flawless score goes crashing to the ground. With practice, however, this problem can be overcome and nearly eliminated.

Related Games: Big Brain Academy (Wii/DS), Picross (DS), Lumines (PS2,/PSP)

Monday, August 7, 2006

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Review

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
System: DS
Rated: T for Teen (13+)
Price: MRSP - $29.99
Synopsis: Play out five different court cases as rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright, proving your defendant’s innocence by presenting evidence via voice recognition capabilities and sleuthing around crime scenes for clues.

Overall: 9.8

Break it down/Learning Curve/Difficulty:

Graphics: 10
Story: 10
Music: 10
Gameplay: 10
Replay value: 9.0

Learning Curve: 0 minutes. Seriously. That E-Z.

Difficulty: Medium.

Family Factor: Great game for the TV crime drama junkie. Remember, all the cases are murder cases so there are some scenes with blood and victims being stabbed. However, this is contextual to the storyline and done dramatically and as tastefully as possible. I was surprised at the lack of cursing/swearing; beyond a few “damns” there wasn’t any foul language.

Review:
This game is incredibly addictive and engaging, which I credit to it playing like a good book reads. Comine that with eye-appealing and interesting graphics, heart-pumping music that matches the game’s mood, and insane characters and plot-twists—well, you’ve got a winner. I found myself up at 1 a.m., trying to keep my voice down as I whispered “Objection!” into the microphone as I got closer to the truth behind the crime. This is a definite good-versus-evil story you do not want to miss.

Sequels:
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All (DS)
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulastions (DS) - Will be released Oct. 23, 2007

Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja - Review

Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja
System: DS
Rating: E for Everyone (10+)
Price: MSRP = $29.99

Synopsis: Passing through a small, isolated village searching for employment, ninja Izuna manages to anger all of its 6 gods who subsequently punish the villagers as well as Izuna’s closest family and friends. In order to set things right, blustering, arrogant, flirtatious Izuna uses her ninja skills to hack her way through monster-filled dungeons to reach these gods and literally knock some sense into them.

Overall: 6.9 / 10.0

Break it down/Diffuculty/Learning Curve:
  • Graphics: 7.0
  • Story: 6.9
  • Music: 7.0
  • Gameplay: 7.6
  • Replay value: 6.0

Difficulty: Hard

Learning curve: Not long, once you learn how to survive better, get stronger and stop dieing, which leads you to lose all of your items and money. Still, difficult game.

Family Factor:
NINJA DISCLAIMER!!!: Make sure your child can handle frustration and terribly upsetting defeat very well. I’m not kidding. When you die in this game, it’s a horrible death only because you lose all of your items and money (both of which are very important to progress in the game). Dieing is often unexpected and therefore incredibly maddening that all of a sudden you have nothing, and have to start all over again. You can store items and money in the warehouse, but that’s if you can make it in and out of the dungeon. After a while, dieing becomes less of an issue, but it still happens. There are a couple of tricks to help avoid this, which I’ll share at the end of this review.

Other than that though, this game might be good for someone who is a fan of Naruto, or a Japan-o-phile/otaku anime fan. The game’s text is translated, but what’s interesting is that the voice clips are still in Japanese. For instance, when you speak with a character, they will great you with a certain phrase in Japanese, whether it be “ohayo gozaimasu” (good morning), “otsukersama desu” (you must be tired), or my personal favorite “USOU!” (lies!/no way!). I’ll have a list of translations at the bottom of this review, too.

Something else that’s cool for the anime fan is that the game instruction manual includes official game art, which are really small preliminary sketches of in-game characters.

And although Izuna is a bit of a flirt, but I wouldn’t say she’s a bad influence. It’s even funny to watch her try to get her way by blowing kisses.

Just beware that although this game is fun, it’s horribly depressing at the same time.

Review:
An interesting, albeit repetitive adventure. The game’s manual outlines the flow of the game, which totals 5 steps that are repeated 6 times.

1. Find friends/your boss
2. Gather info/prepare to enter dungeon
3. Enter dungeon
4. Power up weapons while in dungeon
5. Clear dungeon
Rinse, lather, repeat.

The game’s controls are as simplistic as the plot. The A button attacks, B lets you dash, and holding L will bring up a shortcut menu that allows you to chuck projectiles at enemies.

As with all Atlus games, the battle system always, always, always has some little quirk to it. Although Izuna is an action-oriented game, it’s also turn-based in the sense that for every step/move/action you take in a dungeon, your enemies also move a step towards you, or attack you. This is tough when you’re surrounded by five monsters and get attacked by each of them once every time you throw a punch or shuriken (this is also where the frustrating “death” thing comes in). However, you’ve got certain talismans, which are little slips of paper with spells written on them, at your disposal, and those can usually help clear a room of monsters easily.

Music and sound is nothing to marvel at, and the small sound-bite sized voiceovers might be annoying because they’re in Japanese, not at all translated, and therefore incomprehensible to most Americans.

Related games: I'd have to look into other "dungeon hack" games to come up with an exact related title. But other games by Atlus have the same quirky spirit as Izuna, like Riviera: The Promised Land.

#### Tips/Necessities for Success ###

--NEVER EVER EVER turn the game off immediately after you get a "game over." Doing this risks corrupting your data. I did this after I had progressed halfway through the last dungeon and I was not a happy camper.

--ALWAYS carry a spare weapon.

--Always bring an extra Fukugen talisman so you can repair your weapons on the go.

--Always carry an extra Kikan talisman so you can teleport out of the dungeon at any time.

--Always stick a Kikan talisman to your strongest weapon(s). As long as its there, the weapon will be transported back to the warehouse when you die.

--If you find a Fukugen/Kikan talisman, keep it, so if you survive you can stockpile them in your warehouse

--At a certain point in the game, the talisman shop will open and you can purchase Kikan talismans for 10,000 coins (relatively cheap). Do this often.

These should make the game a little easier. Hope this helps!

ESRB Widget

(copyright ESRB 2008)