Neopets Puzzle Adventure Review
Neopets Puzzle Adventure is most certainly not a game that your average gamer would normally pick up. The cutesy puzzle game's shallowness is given away by its overly colorful box art and extremely simple description of what the game is all about. Clearly, this game is aimed at younger children - those who would be engaged with the Neopets website and other products - but ultimately the game is too simplistic even to appeal to these audiences.
You'll immediately notice that this game is rather ugly. Even the menus that greet you at the start of the game. As a two-dimensional puzzle game, you shouldn't be expecting much pizzazz, pretty effects, or flashy good looks. But even the simple puzzle board is fuzzy and the character icons are not very detailed. In fact, it's almost impossible to read some of the text in the game because it's so incredibly blurry. It almost feels as though the DS version was just blown up for the larger television screens without any modification.
Unfortunately, the gameplay does not do much to make up for the general unprettiness of the game. The basic premise is actually pretty interesting: it's Othello. If you don't know what Othello (also known as Reversi) is, you should go play it. It is perhaps one of the best simple board games there is. There are squares on the board and each player has discs that have different colors on each side. It starts in the middle of the board and you place a disc that encompasses one (or more) of your opponent's discs. Once enclosed by your own colored discs, your opponent's disc gets flipped over and that is now yours. You win by covering as much of the board as you can with your color. The game is especially fun because of its simplicity. But with Neopets Puzzle Adventure, its simplicity is what brings the game down. There's not enough to do.
The game varies from regular Othello slightly by adding in items and squares that are blocked. And supposedly there is a levelling system for your character, but it has no bearing on the game itself. The items add a little bit of excitement to the game - especially if you're playing against a friend in two-player mode - but aside from that, there is really not anything else to keep you or an 8 year old child interested. You are given "objectives" in the game, but they are essentially meaningless since all you do is play the Othello-style game over and over again on slightly varied game boards.
The multiplayer mode is definitely more fun than the one-player. Battling a friend for dominance on the playing board is fun enough, for a couple of rounds. The items definitely add to the two-player experience (getting that one that flips all of your opponent's pieces is extremely satisfying), but after 3 or 4 rounds, the game gets tiring.
Also tiring is the sound in the game. The music is not particularly offensive and hums along quite pleasantly as you play, but the sound effects get pretty repetitive and irritating. The fact that it's Neopets characters in the game has everything to do with this fact, and it's possible that fans of the Neopets universe may or may not find the sounds accurate for their most loved characters. But really, they need to stop chirping.
Ultimately Neopets Puzzle Adventure would only be a good purchase for a younger kid (or, even better, a pair of younger children) that may still be interested in Neopets. But there are better games to buy for them that will probably keep them distracted longer and would feel more fulfilling.
Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades Review
Seeing Guitar Hero surface on the Nintendo DS earlier this year was surprising. How could a game that relied so heavily on a large plastic peripheral and booming sound be translated successfully to a portable experience? Activision and Vicarious Visions came up with an interesting mode of gameplay: a small, 4-button chunk of plastic that plugs into the GBA slot in the DS, with the actual DS Game Pak in its usual slot. Your hand wraps around the peripheral, and a strap on the back holds your hand in place to jam out on the fret buttons. The touch screen, of course, is used to strum and does double duty as the wammy bar.
That same device is used to simulate a guitar in the second DS incarnation of Guitar Hero, dubbed On Tour Decades. This time around, there are 28 songs available, arranged (as you may have guessed by the title) in decades: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and Modern. The selection of songs is definitely stronger here than in the first game, though we've heard many on other Guitar Hero games already. Some songs include "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters, Boston's "Rock and Roll Band," "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and songs from Oasis, Linkin Park, Queen, Bon Jovi, R.E.M., and quite a few more. Quite surprisingly, all of the songs are original recordings -- no "As Made Famous by..." this time around.
However, though the songs are an improvement over Guitar Hero: On Tour, the actual in-game experience is nearly identical. The graphics are the same, which is quite alright. I was impressed with the first On Tour, that the DS could adequately handle the 3 dimensional background images of the band rocking out on stage. It's fairly pixelly, but that is to be expected with the limitations of the DS. The text is unreasonably blocky and sometimes a tad bit difficult to read, but that is a minor gripe that doesn't really have anything to do with the actual play experience.
The "guitar" peripheral, on the other hand, is a major gripe that has everything to do with the Guitar Hero play experience. The idea behind this add-on is great. How else would you attempt to simulate the GH experience in such a small package? But in reality, it is uncomfortable and is the major limiting factor that's keeping this game from being thoroughly enjoyable. No matter how you hold the thing, it starts to wear on you after only a few songs. Resting your wrist straight on a table or desk definitely helps, but even then, with all the movement of your fingers and your hand wrapped in a weird angle, you'll need to pop a few Advils if you intend to play for an extended period.
For your other hand, the experience is actually quite pleasant. Strumming on the touch screen of the DS is the best strumming experience that you can have in a rhythm game. I seem to be quite mentally challenged when I'm tasked with strumming both ways -- up and down -- when I'm playing a console version of Guitar Hero or Rock Band. I just can't do it, because I can't get into the right beat. But with the stylus pick and the touch screen, it's pretty easy because it feels much more natural. And to "use" the wammy bar, you just wiggle the stylus on the screen, which is very easy since your hand is already in strumming mode. It doesn't matter where on the touchscreen you strum, which is certainly convenient, but there were definitely some issues with the game recognizing the strums. It seemed to happen most on Easy, since the notes are not usually right after one another, but the game just doesn't recognize strums sometimes. It didn't have to do with the pressure on the screen, or length of the strum, since they were all pretty uniform. Some were just missed. Which was infuriating, when I had the timing down perfectly and it was the game's fault and not mine when a note was not recognized.
Decades uses the same quirky Star Power activation as the first On Tour, which is not my favorite. You have a couple options, but none of them are ideal. The game's recommended method is shouting loud enough for the DS mic to hear you. This is fine if you're playing all alone, but can create an awkward situation on, say, a plane, when the little old lady next to you may be surprised and/or irritated when you all of a sudden shout, "WHOO! ROCK ON!!" When you're battling against friends, shouting can also set each other's Star Power off, which can be annoying for you if you're trying to time it precisely. The game also notes that you could breathe into the mic, but you have to take your eyes off of the screen just long enough for you to lose your place in the song. The last possible method is to press one of the DS's buttons, but this pretty much never works since you need to use your finger that's strumming to do so.
You may find yourself using the yelling technique to activate Star Power just so you distract yourself from the mediocre sound quality of the songs in the game. For a game so focused on feeling like you are a part of the music, it's really a shame that the DS can't produce fuller sounds. You should not -- ever -- play the game using the DS's speakers. It's lousy and really makes the game completely unenjoyable. Using some headphones or plugging some speakers in via the headphone jack on the DS significantly improves the sound quality, but it still does not sound great. There's hardly any bass, and most of the high notes sound harsh. It may not seem to be that big of a deal when thinking of a generation that listens to their iPods at full volume on cheap earbuds, but it really keeps you from immersing yourself in the game like you do with the console versions of Guitar Hero. The sound isn't terrible, but it's definitely muddier than I'd like, which, I'm assuming, is due to the game's format as a tiny cartridge. (Remember the "music" and severe lack of any dialogue on N64 games?)
The most entertaining way to enjoy Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades is with the multiplayer. And thankfully, Decades works with the first On Tour, so you can play with a friend that has either version and basically end up with over 50 songs to choose from. Even though it may feel a little bit odd, I recommend both players wearing headphones. Songs may not sound very good out of the speakers to begin with, but when they clash with each other (since the timing is usually the tiniest bit off), it can be rather distracting. But playing with and battling against a friend definitely helps smooth over any potholes that may be caused by the Guitar Grip or the sound quality. Like a good party game, or a good round of Mario Kart with friends, it's always fun to battle against someone you know. Especially when you're battling to the highest score in a favorite song.
Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades is by no means perfect. It doesn't really come very close to replicating the console experience, and it almost doesn't feel much like Guitar Hero at all. But if you're a rhythm game junkie, it has enough replay value going once or twice through the campaign (although not on Bass -- too easy and boring), and if you know someone else with either version of the game, it's definitely worth getting if you're interested in taking that friend on.
Visuals: 8.1
Gameplay: 8.2
Control: 5.8
Audio: 5.7
Replayability: 7.0
Total: 7.6 / 10
[ not an average ]
“Poor game with a ton of problems.” ReviewRodio for Need for Speed: Undercover
GameKiq's ReviewRodio is a series in which we round up and examine various gaming sites' takes on a particular game. Today we look at Need for Speed: Undercover.
In an attempt to return to the franchise's glory days, Need for Speed: Undercover developer Black Box attempted to recall what some say may have been the best of the NFS series: Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit. The game brings back the "oh shit, let's run away from the cops" dynamic from those games, while factoring in some of the hot new street cred that the games have been testing out in the Underground branch of the NFS brand.
Reviewers around the web, though, don't seem to be too impressed. Let's check out what they have to say.
Gamespy [Score: 3/5]
"If there's one thing that Need For Speed fans have been clamoring for, it's a return to the race-from-the-cops gameplay of NFS: Most Wanted, arguably the high water mark of the franchise. Undercover delivers that, with plenty of overenthusiastic police pursuits. But it doesn't add any memorable new features to the formula, and a plethora of minor annoyances make it feel like the franchise has substituted nostalgia for innovation and polish.
...a game that struggles to justify its retail price."
GAMER.tm [Score: 8/10]
"Racing is fun and comes in various forms, and from the simple circuit and sprint races to getaways and one-on-one battles there’s enough variety in them to keep them interesting. However, it takes some time for them to ever start offering a challenge. You can easily play for several hours without losing a race. This is flattering at first – making you feel like you must be some kind of driving genius – but it’s not long before it you realise that maybe your opponents aren’t really trying all that hard. The handling is positively generous, enabling you to take corners like a pro even in the crappiest of cars. You can use ‘Heroic Driving’ skills to pull off drifts, powerslides and handbrake turns. These along with your 'In the Zone' meter rack up points and multipliers, encouraging you to drive with style.
...Simple and easy to interact with. ...Should have you entertained for weeks.
IGN [Score: 5.0/10]
"One of the bigger things hyped about the title since its first showing is the presentation and its live action cutscenes. By and large, these fail to do what was intended in a pretty big way. Most of the scenes feature one of two sequences - a bunch of jackasses in a back alley talking trash to the camera before or after a race, or Maggie Q sitting in a room and telling you what you should be doing next. The whole thing winds up being pretty laughable and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Maggie will tell you that you need to do to get on the inside of a racing group in order to get dirt on them, and then after a race she'll say "We have enough, let's move in." How did that help at all? They're going to just bust someone for street racing while they're tied to drug trafficking? You do run missions where you steal cars, make "special" deliveries and things like this now and again, but you never actually see any sequences that show how the cops are putting the evidence together or anything of that sort. It could have been so much better, but it falls very flat. It's also so overacted that you can't help but wonder if there was any sort of scene director on site because this is the stuff you see on the first day of acting school.
...While the gameplay is a big miss, the graphics don't help the case either. The game is very bland looking, with only reasonably detailed cars and a city that almost entirely lacks a sense of life. There are no pedestrians, there's very little traffic and on the whole there's very little to convince you that people actually live and work there."
GameRevolution [Score: D- ]
"The open-world environment serves little purpose and is merely there to give the illusion of depth and detail. Any available event can be played and replayed at the push of a button, obviating the need to drive anywhere. While many of the events take advantage of the game’s open environment, there’s no real need. The city and its outlying areas are relatively small, and considering how few alleyways and hidden paths there are, Undercover is incredibly limited in scope.
Events include basic sprint and circuit racing, as well as a handful of special event types. These latter events differ only slightly in their goals, ranging from winning a race, destroying a car, escaping the cops, or a combination of any of the above.
Regardless of what these events are called, they all blend together indistinguishably. Very early on, you’ll begin to think that you’ve played all that Undercover has to offer. Not much further into the game, you learn just how right you were. “Repetitive†doesn’t even begin to summarize how dull this game gets."
DarkZero [Score: 6/10]
"Slow and steady may very well win you a metaphorical race, but in reality that rather hairy tale is very much at the core of the biggest problem Need for Speed: Undercover has. Aside from the spectacular, rather abrupt opening, a significant portion of the first half of the game borders very close to monotony. The AI of the other drivers do their utmost to let you win, the tracks lack bends, are devoid of any remarkable scenery, and the cars available offer no sense of speed.
...However, even though it is a step in the right direction, the game still lacks appeal in a number of other areas. In its current form, regardless of all its innate flash and colour, it is quite a few notches away from being a must buy. So when all is said and done, NFS: Undercover it best described as a steeping [sic] stone for the series, one that offers hope that EA can achieve better things in the future."
On Metacritic, Undercover grabbed a 56/100 for Wii, 60/100 for PS3, and 65/100 for the Xbox 360 version. Over at GameStats, it checked in at 6.6/10 Press Score for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions and a 4.6/10 Press Score for the Wii incarnation.
Check out a few screenshots below.
“Most visually impressive game yet made.” ReviewRodio for Gears of War 2
GameKiq's ReviewRodio is a series in which we round up and examine various gaming sites' takes on a particular game. Today we look at Gears of War 2.
Gamers are expecting a lot from Gears of War 2. Personally, the first Gears is my favorite action game from this generation or the past generation. (Before that, Perfect Dark and Goldeneye hold that twisted, violent section of my heart.) Its fast-paced action, gritty style, and simple but sweet-ass cover system composed a wonderfully-executed action game that, I thought, surpassed the epic scale of any of the games in the Halo trilogy. So, clearly, I have high expectations for the sequel, which was released yesterday, November 7, internationally.
"While it's certainly open to debate, we're going to go out on a limb and call Gears of War 2 the most visually impressive game yet made. It actually looks quite a bit better than its predecessor, which most Gears of War fans would agree is quite a feat."
"Gears 2 is like every summer blockbuster of note rolled into one extraordinary package. We don't want to spoil anything for you (believe us - it's hard not to talk about some of the amazing moments in the game), but it's safe to say that you'll be playing through levels that could only have come from the minds of geniuses or the mentally deranged."
"No, the problem in Gears 2 is the focus on style over substance.
I never got over the feeling that I was playing an extended Mountain Dew commercial. The characters are so uninspired you can almost predict their next response or action -- usually some variation of a grim, determined assertion of their physical prowess. There's a marked attempt to add some real emotion to the game, but it falls flat in the face of the game's hypermasculinity."
"In the end, Gears of War 2 achieves exactly what it sets out to do: make a better Gears of War. It's an accomplishment worthy of praise, but knowing what Epic is capable of, we really wish they would have pushed the envelope a bit more on the campaign mode."
"It was in its feel that Gears excelled, and here, again, Gears 2 turns the screw even tighter. Every weapon, explosion, squash, and squish looks and sounds better than the original; the Longshot sounds sharper and nastier, the Hammerburst louder and heavier; and the Lancer’s chainsaw is rougher than ever."
"It’s an understatement to say Gears of War 2 is the epitome of action. This game defines the genre. Gears of War 2 is one of the highlights of the year, and for all Xbox 360 owners, this deserves to be in your collection."
If you haven't checked them out, see our collection of screenshots below.
Still Alive (Theme From Mirror’s Edge) – The Remixes: Album Review
EA's Mirror's Edge looks to be a pretty epic game. Your name is Faith, and you live in a city that appears to be a utopia. You are a Runner, a highly skilled courier who delivers sensitive documents so they don't fall into the wrong hands. And in this secretly decaying society, you've just been framed for murder. Check out the trailer at the bottom of the post for some sweet gameplay footage.
On November 11, coinciding with the launch of the game, EA will release an album comprised of the Mirror's Edge theme song, "Still Alive," and five remixes from various artists. The original song is performed by Lisa Miskovsky, a Swedish singer who, apparently, has been pretty successful in her home country. Her untouched version of the song is featured first. Following that are remixes from Paul Oakenfold, Benny Benassi, Paul van Dyk, and others.
The original song is by no means a terrible song, but not one you'd expect to be presented as the anthem of a game that could be as ground-breaking as EA says it is. My first thought was that it reminded me of the song "The Call" by Regina Spektor (featured at the end of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), although I am not sure whether I was reminded of it because both of these songs sound similar or because they both felt rather out of place. The song is rather soothing and somewhat slow-paced, both of which are characteristics you think wouldn't be associated with an action set in an unhappy society. The sound is very polished and produced, so much so that you can see the sugar slowly dripping off of it. A slow piano background, a soothing electronic-sounding chorus, multiple layers of lyrics: it's all there to add up to an adequate Lite Adult Contemporary hit ("Your concrete heart isn't beating / And I've tried to make it come alive"). Listening to the song out of the blue, you'd have no idea it would be featured in a game (other than the fact that the name of the song is the same as the one that ended Portal), but knowing that it will be in Mirror's Edge prompts the image of an epic cutscene, perhaps depicting the downfall of Faith's city or the story of the hardships she has faced in her life. Certainly this will not be playing while you're disarming any snipers.
Benny Benassi's remix is up next, and it kicks off with a techno beat that gets you ready for the rest of the album. This first remix isn't spectacular or particularly unique. It sounds like many techno songs I've heard before. But it is pretty catchy, and much more upbeat than the original song. The techno-tastic bleeps, boops, and zwangs are happening for a full two and a half minutes before any pieces of the original song start to poke through. Of all the songs on this album, this is certainly the one that you can see in a movie dancing scene, with epileptic seizure-inducing lights flashing and tons of cute people all enjoying themselves. But this song also sounds more like someone gave Benny Benassi the song and said, "here, do something with this and make it cool."
Junkie XL's mix follows, which starts out sounding like a children's lullaby but turns into a slower-paced, more mellow techno-y song than the previous one. This version plays off of the song's own melodies and feels more natural than the Benny Benassi remix. This version is also only 20 seconds longer than the original song (at 4:40), so it doesn't begin to feel too repetitive. The image that comes to mind when listening to this remix is of a long, somewhat sad ending scene of a movie where, perhaps, two characters are realizing they are better off without each other. So, while it is a sad occasion, it is offering closure to both of them. Okay, way too specific, I know. But you can get an idea of the pace of this song. It really play's off the lyrics of the original rather than focusing on inserted electronic beats, which makes it feel more real.
Paul Van Dyk plays with the song on track 4, which, to be honest, is the only name on this album I immediately recognized. And the song is easily recognizible too -- it sounds very much like many of Paul Van Dyk's songs. But it feels like something is off for parts of this song. The underlying beats and currents of the song don't bend to reflect Lisa Miskovsky's lyrics and inflections. But this is most certainly a classic techno song; slow buildup as the beats get louder and more intense, to a break in the intensity when the lyrics kick in, then building back up again. The mood of this song definitely feels darker and more "metallic" than the others so far, and feels like it could be used in a battle scene inside a place such as a warehouse.
The Teddybears' remix follows Paul Van Dyk's, and from the first 5 seconds I could tell that this was my favorite so far. It has a deep bass beat that reminded me of K-Os' Sunday Morning. Out of all these 5 remixes, this did turn out to be my favorite upon repeat listenings. It's the most original and, like the Junkie XL mix, feels more natural than the others. It's also not overwhelmically technical sounding -- there's more than just electronic noises repeating over and over. If you have a subwoofer or some quality speakers, you're going to want to turn the bass up for this song. The Teddybears mix could almost fit into a playlist of hip hop songs and sound like it fits right in.
I've never heard of Armand Van Helden, but he gets his hands on Still Alive next. And the results are pretty enjoyable here as well. He really plays around with Lisa Miskovsky's voice, which also differentiates this song. There's a solid bass base (ha ha...) throughout this song, which doesn't seem at first like it would fit with the lofty piano that's in the original song, but the contrast works well. If this song were just a tad more intense I could see it being featured in some bad ass Matrix-type gunfight scene. But it's not quite there.
It may sound like I'm being pretty harsh on the individual songs here, but this is an enjoyable collection of songs. I can't say that I would be likely to listen to Lisa Miskovsky's original song on a regular basis, but the remixes could well make their way into party playlists in the foreseeable future. The last two songs are especially fun. The album will be available November 11 on all the major music download services with "standard Amazon and iTunes pricing in effect," says Dana Sissons, Senior Publicist at EA, which we're assuming means 99 cents per song. If you feel like you need to add to your techno and/or remixed-song collection, I would probably recommend at least checking out these songs. Especially the Teddybears mix.
8.4
/ 10
A Look Back: Splinter Cell (GameCube) Review
Here's our review of Splinter Cell from back in 2003 when the game was released. Oh, nostalgia.
A Look Back: Halo Review
This review was written in the months leading up to Halo 2. We've posted it here unedited.
A Look Back: Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc Review
A couple of years ago I reviewed Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for Nintendo's Gamecube. Ah, what primitive gaming devices we had back then.
Just kidding. I liked the game and gave it a 9.2. Maybe I'll have to go back and play it again and update this score. Read on to see the review.