What a difference one year and a million dollars can make for an event!
I went to Scarywood this year, expecting a second maze and a few mild improvements around the park. After years watching Disney poor multiple millions into projects (sometimes with mediocre results), I lost faith in just how far a million dollars can go.
The difference between Scarywood this year and last was HUGE. In 2009 the event had some decent props and acting, but the experience as a whole came across as amateur hour (remove the good props and setting and it was comparable to something a Community College put on the night before in my hometown). Scarywood 2010 felt like the park was stepping up to match the rest of the industry, in Halloween events. There were four special attractions this year to compared to the previous years three. This year the features were Blood Bayou (walkthrough), Terror Canyon, ZombieWood Express and Timber Terror (coaster) running backwards. Unlike last year the park wasn't open in the day but instead opened as the sun set around 6:00.
The center of the park was set up as a scare zone for guests. Running with that areas carnival theme they added creepy clown scare actors that would follow guests around menacing them as they went through the area. The area was also decorated by clowns hanging from nooses and a few that were set up with motors that made them twitch. They also ran strobe lights and other effects that kept things disorienting and exciting. This area was almost an attraction to itself.
Terror Canyon made a return to the event this year and was MUCH improved. This maze was the highlight of last years event and was greatly improved upon this year. Last year the scares were great, but there were many areas where the path spread out and it became obvious that you were walking through the drained canal for their raft ride. The scenes last year also felt somewhat random (even had a Joker reference at one point). This year they introduced the scenario with a buss breaking down and psychopaths capturing and tormenting a troop of girl scouts (you even see the buss outside the line for the ride).
Terror Canyon had fewer actors this year, but compensated by placing actors in key locations, making it more about being disoriented (must've read my suggestions last year ;)). Previously there was a short part of going through dark corridors, with walls painted black and sharp corners, making it difficult to navigate. This year those corridors seemed at least three times as long. They also turned up the fog so dense it was hard to see more then a few feet ahead. Chainsaw wielders hid behind objects and jumped out whenever groups became distracted (usually by a girl scout crying for help or perhaps a body being eaten). These elements combined so well there was actually backup at different points when people were too afraid to keep moving forward.
Next was the ride on Timber Terror. This coaster was actually a surprise hit for me. It is normally a great ride, but I hadn't expected turning the trains backwards to give the ride as much extra thrill as it did. Not being able to see whats coming or how long each drop lasts made the airtime feel that much better (and Timber Terror is actually world class for its airtime).
After Timber Terror I made the long walk back to the front of the ride for Zombiewood express. Last year Midfright Express had been the weakest offering and something of a disappointment. This year the experience was completely different. The year before the ride lacked a clear identity, advertised as too scary for those under 12, yet using child friendly terms and lacking any kind of thrill. This year the adult premise was apparent right from the start (complete with cursing in the dialogue). The train had fencing added to it and the inside was covered in blood splatter (and a few warnings written in blood).
The ride starts its journey around the park introducing each train gets to meet its representative zombie hunter. The train passes several scenes were zombies are killed by the various hunters (they even use dynamite to prevent zombies from attacking beneath the rail). Midway through the journey the train stops and the actors get out for a fun zombie brawl (gotta use axes after all). The ending is still pretty cheesy (Elvis Impersonator sings...), but the live performers make the ride a fun adventure (100% better then last year). The improvements really moved the train up from an avoid to a must do.
Finally Blood Bayou was the newest attraction for the event. Located inside the parks large skating building (which I have ignored most trips to the park), this attraction was AMAZING. I couldn't believe they could make so many improvements to the rest of the park and still afford to put on such incredible show in this walkthrough. The outdoor queue was well themed, they placed red dye in the fountain to make the water turn blood red and also set up special lighting to accent it. Under the train track near the building you see a creep with a knife hiding. Stepping indoors my jaw dropped. The theming was massive, you end up inside a graveyard with a giant grim reaper swinging his scythe over the doors into the walkthrough. People are grouped off in this room which had plenty of other details if you waited long enough. Some of soil stirred in front of the graves and a few of the graves would burst open on occasion (this is still the queue not the attraction itself).
The maze itself placed you in several different settings, each well realized and intricately designed. The only real way to shatter the illusion would be to look strait up and see the ceiling of the building, otherwise the sets were tall and had plenty of detail. The walkthrough offered many great moments.
One such moment was, when I was distracted by overhead pipes hitting me with air, then having someone grab my foot from under some equipment (I think?), sending me spinning in circles to have a metal panel slam down and someone yell at me. Probably the eeriest thing was near the end, I made eye contact with this weird creature in a tree and then proceeded along the path. Feeling something skim my hair, I ducked down in time to see the creature swoop almost to the ground and then lift up into the tree in front of me. The creature landed in the tree, turned around and looked at me again shaking its head. Even when I thought the walkthrough was over I was surprised by a giant skull creature bursting from one of the walls and vanishing almost as fast. Blood Bayou made my night and I repeated it a few times because its quality was unbelievable (easily comparable to Disney grade special effects).
Last year I ended my review with a list of suggestions for improvements. However this year I couldn't really think of anything to complain about. Silverwood addressed all of my concerns for last year, picked a target and nailed exactly what the event should be. Only challenge left for them is to keep it fresh. Blood Bayou was a huge investment but if it ends up being the same thing for three more years, there could be problems (same goes for Terror Canyon). If this year was any indicator the event is going to be a must see again next year (if you didn't go this year go next!)
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
3DS, Nintendo's next handheld revolution
Seems I was caught by surprise with this announcement, I literally thought it was an early April Fools joke. Nintendo has announced details on its next generation handheld system, and it will be 3D.
3D? not unlike the virtual boy?
More accurately the system will feature 3D effects but will not require special glasses be worn by the user. One report is that the 3D effect will be visible to the user but not necessarily visible to people watching the other screen. Supposedly the methods used can only be focused on a single individual which of course isn't a problem for a handheld device as handhelds are much more personal then TV based devices.
Because of these reports most people believe that the most likely method for accomplishing the 3D on the 3DS is head tracking. Head tracking is a method used to accomplish the illusion of 3D by constantly adjusting the image perspective to match that of the viewer using the screen. It was first demoed by a homebrew developer who wore a Wiimote as a hat to track were he was looking. Since then it has been adjusted into something simple enough that even the DSi's webcam can do it.
Of course it's also rumored that the system could use a form of layered LCD technology in order to generate the 3D effect as well. This rumor mainly comes as the layered technology is being put into use by some of the companies that presently manufacture Nintendo's screens. Layered technology works pretty much like it sounds, two LCD screens are placed ontop of each other with a thin layer separating them and the images are displayed on both with the gap between them used to simulate depth.
Since the 3DS won't be seen until E3 it's quite possible the system could use both (though head tracking would be most likely).
Other rumors about the system involve the possible inclusion of a 3D joystick of some sort which fits in line with Nintendo introducing new control technology with every system (though it could just be a new way of introducing analog to a portable as opposed to Sony's nub). Also the possiblity of it including rumble has been thrown around (not surprising as Nintendo as dabbled with rumble in many of it's other handhelds but has not yet offered it as a default option). In an interview earlier this year Iwata did mention the possibility of the system including gyro but we'll have to wait to see if anything else comes of it.
The greatest rumor is that the system likely uses Nvidia's Tegra chip, this would be great news as the Tegra does in most incarnations support high definition graphics. It's hard to say how things will go with the Tegra as Nintendo has traditionally turned to AMD for it's graphics needs and has apparantly met with both companies about graphical solutions.
Overall this news is great as it gives people like me new hardware to look for on the horizon (the DS has been growing stale with quite a few consumers). It also shows that despite its claims with the Wii Nintendo is still keeping an eye on the graphical horizon and making sure their systems remain visualy impressive. The 3D addition shows Nintendo is taking into account that as more companies entering the handheld market with hybrid devices, consumers will need greater reason to buy a gaming only device.
The last known detail on the device of course is it will retain backwards compatibility with the DS as well as likely having access to the DSi's online store. To be honest that information isn't nearly as useful as anything else.
It does make me think though, with all the people demanding the DSi provide downloadable Gameboy games, wouldn't the 3DS be able to offer downloadable virutal boy games? Of course this doesn't mean much as the virtual boy barely lasted on market for a year and most of its games were duds. However two games stood out as gems, Mario Clash and Virtual WarioLand and both of these I'd like to see get remakes (Mario Clash would be awesome as a downloadible!).
Mario Clash looks better in 3D
3D? not unlike the virtual boy?Because of these reports most people believe that the most likely method for accomplishing the 3D on the 3DS is head tracking. Head tracking is a method used to accomplish the illusion of 3D by constantly adjusting the image perspective to match that of the viewer using the screen. It was first demoed by a homebrew developer who wore a Wiimote as a hat to track were he was looking. Since then it has been adjusted into something simple enough that even the DSi's webcam can do it.
Of course it's also rumored that the system could use a form of layered LCD technology in order to generate the 3D effect as well. This rumor mainly comes as the layered technology is being put into use by some of the companies that presently manufacture Nintendo's screens. Layered technology works pretty much like it sounds, two LCD screens are placed ontop of each other with a thin layer separating them and the images are displayed on both with the gap between them used to simulate depth.
Since the 3DS won't be seen until E3 it's quite possible the system could use both (though head tracking would be most likely).
Other rumors about the system involve the possible inclusion of a 3D joystick of some sort which fits in line with Nintendo introducing new control technology with every system (though it could just be a new way of introducing analog to a portable as opposed to Sony's nub). Also the possiblity of it including rumble has been thrown around (not surprising as Nintendo as dabbled with rumble in many of it's other handhelds but has not yet offered it as a default option). In an interview earlier this year Iwata did mention the possibility of the system including gyro but we'll have to wait to see if anything else comes of it.
The greatest rumor is that the system likely uses Nvidia's Tegra chip, this would be great news as the Tegra does in most incarnations support high definition graphics. It's hard to say how things will go with the Tegra as Nintendo has traditionally turned to AMD for it's graphics needs and has apparantly met with both companies about graphical solutions.
Overall this news is great as it gives people like me new hardware to look for on the horizon (the DS has been growing stale with quite a few consumers). It also shows that despite its claims with the Wii Nintendo is still keeping an eye on the graphical horizon and making sure their systems remain visualy impressive. The 3D addition shows Nintendo is taking into account that as more companies entering the handheld market with hybrid devices, consumers will need greater reason to buy a gaming only device.
The last known detail on the device of course is it will retain backwards compatibility with the DS as well as likely having access to the DSi's online store. To be honest that information isn't nearly as useful as anything else.It does make me think though, with all the people demanding the DSi provide downloadable Gameboy games, wouldn't the 3DS be able to offer downloadable virutal boy games? Of course this doesn't mean much as the virtual boy barely lasted on market for a year and most of its games were duds. However two games stood out as gems, Mario Clash and Virtual WarioLand and both of these I'd like to see get remakes (Mario Clash would be awesome as a downloadible!).
Mario Clash looks better in 3D
Friday, February 26, 2010
Nintendo's Media Summit
I didn't attend the media summit held by Nintendo this week and I don't see the need to retread every detail of it. However felt it might be worth analyzing a few key announcements that were made during the event.
Mario and Metroid Launch dates:
I know that Nintendo had announced Mario as an early 2010 release when it was shown at last years E3. However I didn't actually believe we would see this game released until much later this year. Nintendo is has always had a habit of delaying releases for games especially Mario. First quarter releases aren't usually as good as Christmas releases. I had figured that Nintendo would hold off until at least fall to launch Mario Galaxy 2. Instead the game has been given a May 23rd release date.
Metroid was one I was less shaky on though I was curious as to how much work the game would need to see release. Metroid games haven't exactly sold much outside their fandom, so the June 27th release date isn't exactly surprising (though summer releases are usually uncommon in the gaming industry).
Maybe I should've had more faith in Nintendo, neither of these games required massive retooling. Mario Galaxy 2 had a pretty good head start both by reusing the code from its predecessor along with polishing up several levels that couldn't make it in time for the original games release. Time will tell how good a package this is, the first was great fun and if this one matches it in length and ups the challenge it could be a real hit for Nintendo.
As for Metroid I'm sure many had assumed, that with Team Ninja (makers of the Ninja Gaiden series) involved, the gameplay would be 3D beatdown. Instead it's essentially a sidescroller which fits as most of the original Metroid team (from Japan) created it as opposed to Retro Studios (creators of the Metroid Prime series). I'm personally dissapointed with this development as I'm not a 2D Metroid fan but I'm sure many dedicated fans will line up for this game.
Other Wii Releases:
Monster Hunter 3 from Capcom also had a presence at this event, as well as Sin and Punishment 2. Both these games will also be released by Nintendo in the coming months (April 20 and June 7 respectively). Monster Hunter shows promise in it's current interest rating on IGN but I'm unsure about Sin and Punishment. Both games have had limited exposure in the American markets and could probably do with a high dose of marketing to boost sales.
It does seem however that Nintendo is finally trying a bit harder with software releases. This lineup is very Asian centric though and it deserves a marketing push like the "Wii would like to play" series, but more focused towards gamers.
A new Prince of Persia game designed for Wii only was also shown. It will release May 18th. This game is designed from the ground up for Wii and looks fine. I'm not really a Prince of Persia fan so I'm not sure what to make of it. The design shows that Ubisoft has finally started putting out quality product for Wii. The marketing will likely tie in with the release of the film.
WiiWare:
Seems Nintendo may finally be awakening to the potential for original download content. They showed off again WarioWare DIY but also a game called LightTrax.
I have to say the design is interesting. Nintendo actually has several stylized racing/party games like this in Japan that have never been released in the states for some odd reason. I suppose they assume that American's won't take to the games but it seems kinda odd considering what we used to have in arcades. Finally Nintendo seems to be not only testing these games out for the states in the cheep/low-risk download market but also improving them (something Xbox arcade games have been doing for a while). They still need to release the rotating stick game (it's been referenced in Smash Brothers Brawl).
WarioWare D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) is also looking to be a great release. This game will finally push both connectivity and downloadable content forward (two areas that Nintendo has promised but done little to deliver in). Microgames can be made on the DS and then shared with the Wiiware counterpart. I'm unsure if the Wiiware game also includes level creation tools but both games do come with a set of premade games. For a cheep price this is will definitely be worth a download as the WarioWare Series has yet to let me down.
DSi:
The DSi XL was also on display at the event with a price of $185. They showed off several downloadable games for it as well as WarioWare D.I.Y (since it's a game for both systems). Photo Dojo looked pretty cool, it's a fighting game were you use the camera to create the game sprites of yourself doing the moves.
Overall I can't bring myself to be too excited about the DS. I've loved the system but I feel it is time to move onto better hardware, the DSi brings a few new ideas to the table but doesn't do enough. I do think the dabbling Nintendo is doing for the system could yield some exciting new material whenever they do get around to launching both a new console and handheld though.
In Summary:
This event caught me off guard as it's untraditional for Nintendo to have an event of any significance during this time of year. This event seems to show a strong commitment by Nintendo to bring up their software business focus which has dwindled in recent times. This is probably the most aggressive stance Nintendo's had for software in a long time. Everything shown at this event is slated to hit the market before or during June and nothing further out has been announced.
This does put alot of pressure on Nintendo for E3 as people will definitively care whats next and the company can't afford another Christmas Wii Music/Animal Crossing debacle. Nintendo has lost alot of faith from the gamers with this system so it's going to take alot of work to regain it but this is probably a good start.
I hope that Nintendo can learn the right lessons from these releases and do proper marketing. I also hope that the download content they're experimenting with plays well so they can upgrade their servers to polish up the online service they provide now as well as start investment in a more forward thinking online service in the next generation.
Mario and Metroid Launch dates:I know that Nintendo had announced Mario as an early 2010 release when it was shown at last years E3. However I didn't actually believe we would see this game released until much later this year. Nintendo is has always had a habit of delaying releases for games especially Mario. First quarter releases aren't usually as good as Christmas releases. I had figured that Nintendo would hold off until at least fall to launch Mario Galaxy 2. Instead the game has been given a May 23rd release date.
Metroid was one I was less shaky on though I was curious as to how much work the game would need to see release. Metroid games haven't exactly sold much outside their fandom, so the June 27th release date isn't exactly surprising (though summer releases are usually uncommon in the gaming industry).
Maybe I should've had more faith in Nintendo, neither of these games required massive retooling. Mario Galaxy 2 had a pretty good head start both by reusing the code from its predecessor along with polishing up several levels that couldn't make it in time for the original games release. Time will tell how good a package this is, the first was great fun and if this one matches it in length and ups the challenge it could be a real hit for Nintendo.
As for Metroid I'm sure many had assumed, that with Team Ninja (makers of the Ninja Gaiden series) involved, the gameplay would be 3D beatdown. Instead it's essentially a sidescroller which fits as most of the original Metroid team (from Japan) created it as opposed to Retro Studios (creators of the Metroid Prime series). I'm personally dissapointed with this development as I'm not a 2D Metroid fan but I'm sure many dedicated fans will line up for this game.
Other Wii Releases:
Monster Hunter 3 from Capcom also had a presence at this event, as well as Sin and Punishment 2. Both these games will also be released by Nintendo in the coming months (April 20 and June 7 respectively). Monster Hunter shows promise in it's current interest rating on IGN but I'm unsure about Sin and Punishment. Both games have had limited exposure in the American markets and could probably do with a high dose of marketing to boost sales.
It does seem however that Nintendo is finally trying a bit harder with software releases. This lineup is very Asian centric though and it deserves a marketing push like the "Wii would like to play" series, but more focused towards gamers.
A new Prince of Persia game designed for Wii only was also shown. It will release May 18th. This game is designed from the ground up for Wii and looks fine. I'm not really a Prince of Persia fan so I'm not sure what to make of it. The design shows that Ubisoft has finally started putting out quality product for Wii. The marketing will likely tie in with the release of the film.
WiiWare:
Seems Nintendo may finally be awakening to the potential for original download content. They showed off again WarioWare DIY but also a game called LightTrax.
I have to say the design is interesting. Nintendo actually has several stylized racing/party games like this in Japan that have never been released in the states for some odd reason. I suppose they assume that American's won't take to the games but it seems kinda odd considering what we used to have in arcades. Finally Nintendo seems to be not only testing these games out for the states in the cheep/low-risk download market but also improving them (something Xbox arcade games have been doing for a while). They still need to release the rotating stick game (it's been referenced in Smash Brothers Brawl).
WarioWare D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) is also looking to be a great release. This game will finally push both connectivity and downloadable content forward (two areas that Nintendo has promised but done little to deliver in). Microgames can be made on the DS and then shared with the Wiiware counterpart. I'm unsure if the Wiiware game also includes level creation tools but both games do come with a set of premade games. For a cheep price this is will definitely be worth a download as the WarioWare Series has yet to let me down.
DSi:
The DSi XL was also on display at the event with a price of $185. They showed off several downloadable games for it as well as WarioWare D.I.Y (since it's a game for both systems). Photo Dojo looked pretty cool, it's a fighting game were you use the camera to create the game sprites of yourself doing the moves.
Overall I can't bring myself to be too excited about the DS. I've loved the system but I feel it is time to move onto better hardware, the DSi brings a few new ideas to the table but doesn't do enough. I do think the dabbling Nintendo is doing for the system could yield some exciting new material whenever they do get around to launching both a new console and handheld though.
In Summary:
This event caught me off guard as it's untraditional for Nintendo to have an event of any significance during this time of year. This event seems to show a strong commitment by Nintendo to bring up their software business focus which has dwindled in recent times. This is probably the most aggressive stance Nintendo's had for software in a long time. Everything shown at this event is slated to hit the market before or during June and nothing further out has been announced.
This does put alot of pressure on Nintendo for E3 as people will definitively care whats next and the company can't afford another Christmas Wii Music/Animal Crossing debacle. Nintendo has lost alot of faith from the gamers with this system so it's going to take alot of work to regain it but this is probably a good start.
I hope that Nintendo can learn the right lessons from these releases and do proper marketing. I also hope that the download content they're experimenting with plays well so they can upgrade their servers to polish up the online service they provide now as well as start investment in a more forward thinking online service in the next generation.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Army of Two 40th Day (review)
Seems I'm on a co-op gaming spree. So... Army of Two?
Well I certainly enjoyed this game more then Super Mario Brothers Wii, but I'm not sure that it was more ambitious? I probably shouldn't raise the issue of laziness, as this is a game produced by EA after all. The game runs on the Unreal 3 engine (another staple of most modern games), so the visuals match up with what one would expect of a current generation product. The co-op works excellent but a two player game IS easier to develop then a four player one (and there are numerous cooperative shooters to imitate).
However none of that necessarily means lazy. What this game really nails is refinement. The enemies are fun to fight, the levels play out cleanly and smoothly. It features a weapons customization system that manges to be entertaining as well (who doesn't like a silencer made from a soda can?).
You run from situation to situation getting into large firefights. Breaking these up are hostage situations were you must use special skills like faking a surrender or synchronized sniping to outwit the terrorists. These situations add alot of value to the game and push for some team planning before running in and rescuing the hostages. Saving civilians provides power-ups, though it is possible to ignore most of them and move on if you don't want to bother.
One of Army of Two's unique elements was the aggro meeter. The game developers really emphasized this element of combat in the original game and it works great. Whoever has the bigger gun and shoots the most occupies most of the enemy's focus and allows another player to snipe or sneak attack opponents. Nothing is quite as enjoyable as your partner firing a grenade launcher strait into the air while you sneak up and pummel obviousness computer players to death.
The ability to exchange weapons between players has been removed (not that I played the first game much, so I can't say much for this system). In it's place is the ability to pick up and use any of the guns the enemy has dropped on a temporary basis (the temporary gun is dropped when you switch to your personalized weapons). You can boost your parter over ledges and areas. However the boosting is mostly automated in areas were it's actually required and is otherwise hard to find.
The biggest change of all is the games story. The first Army of Two was very campy and played out much like a stupid action movie. The characters were intentionally both over the top in their friendship and their ability to survive and kill people. I was especially amused at the rival mercenary in the original game who seemed to survive explosions/plane crashes and all sorts of other improbable things and seemed set to appear in this sequel (he's kicked out a window but never shown dead).
Instead apparently someone in EA actually got the idea to be ambitious and throw these two rather cartoony characters into a more realistic setting. 40th Day is basically a story of survival, the two characters begin on a routine mission but soon find themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack on China. The characters only motivation is escape (except near the end of the game...). You travel all over the city encountering gunfight after gunfight, broken up by the occasional hostage encounter/rescue.
New to the game is a morality system, at different points in the game players are asked whether or not to kill a character or in one case ask a child to use a gun. The system is interesting as after you make the decision the game fades into stylized comic stills showing what happens because of your decision. A surprising aspect about these decisions is the obviously good choice doesn't always lead to the happy outcome. This creates a since of balance for the game (in a way), though I would complain that some of the choices are based off of stupidly misleading information.
There is an achivement for chosing all of the good choices or all of the bad though this doesn't really effect the ending of the game. In fact the biggest letdown of the game is the ending. Simply put the moral choice provided for the ending is a trap, no matter which choice you make the game punishes you. If you chose the good choice the game will guilt you for how unhappy your character ends up and if you chose the evil choice the game guilts you for the lives lost to the terrorists. There is no magic combination of moral choices that change this outcome either.
It's probably more realistic to provide a no win situation in this game but it raises all kinds of issues (besides how they can manage the inevitable sequel). Games are played as a form of escapisum, thus most gamers are going to want a positive ending no matter how realisitic. I have personally enjoyed games with a sad/bittersweet ending (Grand Theft Auto 4), I'm not sure that I like how the game seems to trap me with this no win situation. I suppose my biggest problem is the game provides nothing to even take the edge off, your simply slammed for your decision and the credits roll.
How I'd improve it:
As far as suggestions for improving the game go, I'd only suggest retooling the ending. Create some variety in the games ending depending on the moral choices made earlier in the game to create an opportunity for a happy ending. If that isn't possible and even if it is, I'd also suggest separating the outcomes of the earlier morality choices made in the game. Basically when you make a moral choice, you should see an immediate reward/punishment for your choice. The long term impact of your decisions should be saved for the ending so that they can play out AS the credits roll so that even with a predetermined sad ending you can find satisfaction (or disappointment) in the outcomes of your moral choices. Such a move would tie the whole game experience together and make the ending more worthwhile.
Basically:
Overall ranking 8.0 or a B (I don't care about rankings, I like delving into design aspects). The game was competent and great fun. Shooters aren't the most innovative genre, but you can't go wrong with a great buddy game if you ask me.
Well I certainly enjoyed this game more then Super Mario Brothers Wii, but I'm not sure that it was more ambitious? I probably shouldn't raise the issue of laziness, as this is a game produced by EA after all. The game runs on the Unreal 3 engine (another staple of most modern games), so the visuals match up with what one would expect of a current generation product. The co-op works excellent but a two player game IS easier to develop then a four player one (and there are numerous cooperative shooters to imitate).However none of that necessarily means lazy. What this game really nails is refinement. The enemies are fun to fight, the levels play out cleanly and smoothly. It features a weapons customization system that manges to be entertaining as well (who doesn't like a silencer made from a soda can?).
You run from situation to situation getting into large firefights. Breaking these up are hostage situations were you must use special skills like faking a surrender or synchronized sniping to outwit the terrorists. These situations add alot of value to the game and push for some team planning before running in and rescuing the hostages. Saving civilians provides power-ups, though it is possible to ignore most of them and move on if you don't want to bother.
One of Army of Two's unique elements was the aggro meeter. The game developers really emphasized this element of combat in the original game and it works great. Whoever has the bigger gun and shoots the most occupies most of the enemy's focus and allows another player to snipe or sneak attack opponents. Nothing is quite as enjoyable as your partner firing a grenade launcher strait into the air while you sneak up and pummel obviousness computer players to death.
The ability to exchange weapons between players has been removed (not that I played the first game much, so I can't say much for this system). In it's place is the ability to pick up and use any of the guns the enemy has dropped on a temporary basis (the temporary gun is dropped when you switch to your personalized weapons). You can boost your parter over ledges and areas. However the boosting is mostly automated in areas were it's actually required and is otherwise hard to find.
The biggest change of all is the games story. The first Army of Two was very campy and played out much like a stupid action movie. The characters were intentionally both over the top in their friendship and their ability to survive and kill people. I was especially amused at the rival mercenary in the original game who seemed to survive explosions/plane crashes and all sorts of other improbable things and seemed set to appear in this sequel (he's kicked out a window but never shown dead).
Instead apparently someone in EA actually got the idea to be ambitious and throw these two rather cartoony characters into a more realistic setting. 40th Day is basically a story of survival, the two characters begin on a routine mission but soon find themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack on China. The characters only motivation is escape (except near the end of the game...). You travel all over the city encountering gunfight after gunfight, broken up by the occasional hostage encounter/rescue.
New to the game is a morality system, at different points in the game players are asked whether or not to kill a character or in one case ask a child to use a gun. The system is interesting as after you make the decision the game fades into stylized comic stills showing what happens because of your decision. A surprising aspect about these decisions is the obviously good choice doesn't always lead to the happy outcome. This creates a since of balance for the game (in a way), though I would complain that some of the choices are based off of stupidly misleading information.
There is an achivement for chosing all of the good choices or all of the bad though this doesn't really effect the ending of the game. In fact the biggest letdown of the game is the ending. Simply put the moral choice provided for the ending is a trap, no matter which choice you make the game punishes you. If you chose the good choice the game will guilt you for how unhappy your character ends up and if you chose the evil choice the game guilts you for the lives lost to the terrorists. There is no magic combination of moral choices that change this outcome either.
It's probably more realistic to provide a no win situation in this game but it raises all kinds of issues (besides how they can manage the inevitable sequel). Games are played as a form of escapisum, thus most gamers are going to want a positive ending no matter how realisitic. I have personally enjoyed games with a sad/bittersweet ending (Grand Theft Auto 4), I'm not sure that I like how the game seems to trap me with this no win situation. I suppose my biggest problem is the game provides nothing to even take the edge off, your simply slammed for your decision and the credits roll.
How I'd improve it:
As far as suggestions for improving the game go, I'd only suggest retooling the ending. Create some variety in the games ending depending on the moral choices made earlier in the game to create an opportunity for a happy ending. If that isn't possible and even if it is, I'd also suggest separating the outcomes of the earlier morality choices made in the game. Basically when you make a moral choice, you should see an immediate reward/punishment for your choice. The long term impact of your decisions should be saved for the ending so that they can play out AS the credits roll so that even with a predetermined sad ending you can find satisfaction (or disappointment) in the outcomes of your moral choices. Such a move would tie the whole game experience together and make the ending more worthwhile.
Basically:
Overall ranking 8.0 or a B (I don't care about rankings, I like delving into design aspects). The game was competent and great fun. Shooters aren't the most innovative genre, but you can't go wrong with a great buddy game if you ask me.
Monday, January 18, 2010
"New" Super Mario Bros Wii (review)
Well I'm over a month late in this (and the game has already beat any of the 3D Mario games in sales), but I figured that as a longtime Mario fan I might as well write my opinion New Super Mario Brothers Wii.
The Game:
There's been a fairly wide variety of opinions on New Super Mario Brothers Wii ranging from people that are happy to finally have more classic 2D Mario gameplay back to people who feel it's just a lazy cash in.
My opinion on the game is mixed. The game is fun... a bit. Its advertised as a four person platformer and one would assume that it would be best played this way... it's not. As a single player game it stands out as another superb set of platforming that Nintendo is known for. However once you add four players to the experience it can only be described as "gameplay designed to ruin friendships".
For some reason Nintendo decided that it would be great if all four characters could bounce off each other. This makes precision jumping a painful process. It motivates people to spread out so that they aren't inadvertently shoved around into hazards (such as pits/fire/enemies). However since the camera can only zoom out so far to accommodate all the players on a singular screen (it's single camera instead of split-screen), it begins to follow the lead character if you fall off-screen it's an instant death (adding much hatred for whoever moves the fastest).
When you die you come floating back on screen in a bubble (given there is at least one other player still living and you aren't out of spare lives), you can also end up in the bubble by pressing the A button thus allowing you to keep your power ups until your released. Another player can release you from the bubble by either bumping into it or hitting it with a fire/ice ball.
Seems fair enough, except you can't directly control were the bubble drifts, if you shake the Wii remote it will move in an arbitrary direction. The bubble does drift towards whoever is still alive, but this isn't always a desirable thing. Often the bubble pops when you'd rather it not, sending you plummeting to a second death. Worse the bubble slows down the momentum of whoever passes through it, causing the victim fall to their death as well. You can jump off the bubbles, but you can't directly move the bubble into a strategically useful position.
The game rigidly builds itself around the first player (player 1). Everyone can choose their character except the player 1 who MUST be Mario and NO-ONE else. The map screen gets more annoying as only player 1 can select the level and move the team around. After playing games like castle crashers, this system seems unfair and annoying (especially when player 1 gets distracted), sure the possibility that Mario doesn't rescue the princess arises, but it doesn't seem hard to create an alternate ending for the other characters.
Most of the problems are all based around the same set of issues. I find it confusing that Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of Mario) has claimed to have planned this type of multiplayer since the Super Nintendo era. I can only assume that while he had the rough ideas for how the gameplay would work in theory, he spent no time actually testing the gameplay out in practice.
Many elements of the game are recycled from the New Super Mario Brothers game that launched on DS a few years ago. A few have argued that the models are from the DS game but I can't say for certain as there does seem to be a slightly better polygon count on the Wii version (or maybe just superior anti-aliasing).
I feel the most disappointing element is the recycled music. The music is exactly the same as that found in the DS game, and I personally found the DS music to be rather bland as it tried too hard to sound like the original Mario. Despite being identical in two games now the sound is easily forgettable in my opinion.
The levels, never really give a since of place or charm. It seems to intentionally hearken back to the NES era, having only three or four types of level, eight worlds, with the final world being fire and the middle world being ice and the other worlds being mostly the identical (perhaps a dessert and giant land thrown in somewhere). It often feels like it only wants to be as diverse as Mario 3 was but often falls short of even that level of diversity. The levels certainly aren't layered in the varied and entertaining style of Super Mario World (much less any later platformers).
The world map really reflects these weaknesses in design. While I enjoyed Mario 3, I can't help but miss the layered and incredibly interconnected map design of Super Mario World. It doesn't seem like it'd have been that hard to create something that would add a since of depth to the game as well as being entertaining to look at.
Why?:
So why do so many signs point to this game being rushed? Nintendo is traditionally a company that tells it's consumers that the games will only be launched when they are finished, and yet in this case they seem to have ignored that rule and pushed the game to meet a market deadline.
The answer to this question is most likely the declining sales of their system along with their own admission that last year's holiday lineup was weak. Nintendo had figured a year ago they could create simple games and endlessly skate by on the Wii's inertia while upholding its usual policy of meager releases for it's more dedicated user-base. However Wii music bombed and Animal Crossing's sales proved lackluster. So they've changed strategies.
Seems that Nintendo is beginning to realize that in this economic downturn they'd better stick with surefire hits. New Super Mario Brothers Wii was chosen because it was a sure fire hit from the start and could easily have it's development scaled to meet the deadline of a year. While I can't say for sure weather this game was really only in development for just a year, I do feel relatively confident in surmising that if it was in development prior to the poor holiday season of 08 (game sales wise, not hardware), it was not very far along.
This is both a good and bad thing, it shows that Nintendo is finally starting to listen to user feedback again and that they may even be developing a more market driven policy towards release dates. However this is all coming at the cost of quality, which is already fairly poor on Wii.
Fixing it:
I figure most issues in this game could have easily been addressed with an extra month of development. The changes I believe would help in order of positive impact are:
Final Thoughts:
New Super Mario Brothers Wii is still a very entertaining game when played in the right setting. Only play with four players for a few laughs on the earlier/easier levels. You'll probably want to play through the bulk of it on your own (or with one other highly skilled player), at least if you plan to hold onto your current friendships.
If you do decide to press with a group of four then make sure they are some of the best players you can find, and I wish you good luck!
The Game:There's been a fairly wide variety of opinions on New Super Mario Brothers Wii ranging from people that are happy to finally have more classic 2D Mario gameplay back to people who feel it's just a lazy cash in.
My opinion on the game is mixed. The game is fun... a bit. Its advertised as a four person platformer and one would assume that it would be best played this way... it's not. As a single player game it stands out as another superb set of platforming that Nintendo is known for. However once you add four players to the experience it can only be described as "gameplay designed to ruin friendships".
For some reason Nintendo decided that it would be great if all four characters could bounce off each other. This makes precision jumping a painful process. It motivates people to spread out so that they aren't inadvertently shoved around into hazards (such as pits/fire/enemies). However since the camera can only zoom out so far to accommodate all the players on a singular screen (it's single camera instead of split-screen), it begins to follow the lead character if you fall off-screen it's an instant death (adding much hatred for whoever moves the fastest).
When you die you come floating back on screen in a bubble (given there is at least one other player still living and you aren't out of spare lives), you can also end up in the bubble by pressing the A button thus allowing you to keep your power ups until your released. Another player can release you from the bubble by either bumping into it or hitting it with a fire/ice ball.
Seems fair enough, except you can't directly control were the bubble drifts, if you shake the Wii remote it will move in an arbitrary direction. The bubble does drift towards whoever is still alive, but this isn't always a desirable thing. Often the bubble pops when you'd rather it not, sending you plummeting to a second death. Worse the bubble slows down the momentum of whoever passes through it, causing the victim fall to their death as well. You can jump off the bubbles, but you can't directly move the bubble into a strategically useful position.
The game rigidly builds itself around the first player (player 1). Everyone can choose their character except the player 1 who MUST be Mario and NO-ONE else. The map screen gets more annoying as only player 1 can select the level and move the team around. After playing games like castle crashers, this system seems unfair and annoying (especially when player 1 gets distracted), sure the possibility that Mario doesn't rescue the princess arises, but it doesn't seem hard to create an alternate ending for the other characters.
Most of the problems are all based around the same set of issues. I find it confusing that Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of Mario) has claimed to have planned this type of multiplayer since the Super Nintendo era. I can only assume that while he had the rough ideas for how the gameplay would work in theory, he spent no time actually testing the gameplay out in practice.
Many elements of the game are recycled from the New Super Mario Brothers game that launched on DS a few years ago. A few have argued that the models are from the DS game but I can't say for certain as there does seem to be a slightly better polygon count on the Wii version (or maybe just superior anti-aliasing).
I feel the most disappointing element is the recycled music. The music is exactly the same as that found in the DS game, and I personally found the DS music to be rather bland as it tried too hard to sound like the original Mario. Despite being identical in two games now the sound is easily forgettable in my opinion.
The levels, never really give a since of place or charm. It seems to intentionally hearken back to the NES era, having only three or four types of level, eight worlds, with the final world being fire and the middle world being ice and the other worlds being mostly the identical (perhaps a dessert and giant land thrown in somewhere). It often feels like it only wants to be as diverse as Mario 3 was but often falls short of even that level of diversity. The levels certainly aren't layered in the varied and entertaining style of Super Mario World (much less any later platformers).
The world map really reflects these weaknesses in design. While I enjoyed Mario 3, I can't help but miss the layered and incredibly interconnected map design of Super Mario World. It doesn't seem like it'd have been that hard to create something that would add a since of depth to the game as well as being entertaining to look at.
Why?:
So why do so many signs point to this game being rushed? Nintendo is traditionally a company that tells it's consumers that the games will only be launched when they are finished, and yet in this case they seem to have ignored that rule and pushed the game to meet a market deadline.
The answer to this question is most likely the declining sales of their system along with their own admission that last year's holiday lineup was weak. Nintendo had figured a year ago they could create simple games and endlessly skate by on the Wii's inertia while upholding its usual policy of meager releases for it's more dedicated user-base. However Wii music bombed and Animal Crossing's sales proved lackluster. So they've changed strategies.
Seems that Nintendo is beginning to realize that in this economic downturn they'd better stick with surefire hits. New Super Mario Brothers Wii was chosen because it was a sure fire hit from the start and could easily have it's development scaled to meet the deadline of a year. While I can't say for sure weather this game was really only in development for just a year, I do feel relatively confident in surmising that if it was in development prior to the poor holiday season of 08 (game sales wise, not hardware), it was not very far along.
This is both a good and bad thing, it shows that Nintendo is finally starting to listen to user feedback again and that they may even be developing a more market driven policy towards release dates. However this is all coming at the cost of quality, which is already fairly poor on Wii.
Fixing it:
I figure most issues in this game could have easily been addressed with an extra month of development. The changes I believe would help in order of positive impact are:
- Limit Character Interaction- allow all the onscreen characters to walk through each other rather then bounce off each other. While some of the cooperative and grieifing ideas in the game were great and entertaining, they could easily be remastered by keeping the function of players being able to carry and throw each other. This lets interaction occur when players intend for it to and not all the time.
- Allow us to control the bubble- the mechanic of bouncing off the bubbles is novel, perhaps it would be better if players were allowed to move the bubbles in at least vaguely intentional directions. It would ease frustrations as well as allow people to go to the bathroom while others continue playing the game.
- Diversify the Soundtrack- Nintendo could have easily had a composer working for this game. Even if they didn't and intended to reuse tracks, they could easily used remixes and tunes lifted from a variety of classic Mario games rather then just tossing in the DS games soundtrack without a care.
- Characterize the Levels- the backgrounds were unbelievably bland. There isn't even a need to create shockingly new locals, just take elements from Mario 64/Sunshine/Galaxy and crop them into backgrounds for the 2D levels, it adds value and gives the game an extra since of place.
- Replace one of the Toads with Toadette- I know that they were afraid that a character like Wario or Peach would generate expectations of each character handling uniquely. However they never really tried for another creative solution and instead decided to cheaply paste toad twice. They could have at the very least used Toad's female alternate as a character option for players. (A Wario or Peach option would've still be nice if they handled differently and unlocked upon completion of the game though)
Final Thoughts:
New Super Mario Brothers Wii is still a very entertaining game when played in the right setting. Only play with four players for a few laughs on the earlier/easier levels. You'll probably want to play through the bulk of it on your own (or with one other highly skilled player), at least if you plan to hold onto your current friendships.
If you do decide to press with a group of four then make sure they are some of the best players you can find, and I wish you good luck!
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