While the games may not officially be available on the 3DS eShop, you won’t have to wait any longer to give your 3DS plenty of more games to play. As Jed explained yesterday, 3DS Ambassador’s would have to go into their Your Downloads section in the Settings part of the eShop. Here you will be able to find all ten free NES titles for download.
You can download these at no charge and doing so takes zero time whatsoever. The games are a nice little addition and at least we didn’t have to wait one more day to receive some sort of compensation for paying full price when the 3DS game out. So now you can play it a bit before putting it back in its dust cradle.
Originally an arcade game, Brick People is coming to the iOS devices. A fun interactive arcade game that requires players to place blocks on a platform for the Brick People to climb. By climbing up the blocks, the cute creatures can gobble up fruit. Each level has a different fruit objective that must be completed in order to finish. Be quick to grab the fruit because the timer continually dwindles down.
Between levels there comes a bonus stage. The blocks that are currently on the platform drop and a evil laugh comes from a sinister devil looking person on the screen. The bonus stage consists of the player building a unique structure of blocks within a time limit. If successful, bonus time will be granted to the overall clock.
SEGA created a fun-filled arcade game that would seem to be a great fit for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. By incorporating a similar gameplay, the interactive movements should mimic the fun factor that has been instilled in the arcade. Take a look at the screenshots below to see the transition from arcade to iOS format. Be sure to stay tuned for Brick People‘s release this autumn!
Captain Sparklez shows us once again an epic mod. Given the ability to create different colored clay soldiers, he shows off the intense hatred between varying colored warriors.
The soldiers can be upgraded through several different items. Placing a stick near a clay soldier gives it a wooden weapon that increases attack strength. Additionally, the weapon will be edged if a sharpening stone is placed nearby. Upgrading armor works similarly but with a piece of leather.
Weapons and armor not enough? Adding an explosive to a clay soldier might catch your interest. By giving gunpowder to a soldier, you create a martyrdom warrior. Upon death, these tiny soldiers will explode devastating the world around them – destroying blocks.
If you are up for some explosive entertainment, download the Clay Soldier Mod. (HERE)
Creation of 4 Clay Soldiers: 1 Soul Sand, 1 Clay
Creation of 1 Blue Soldier: 1 Clay Soldier, 1 Blue Dye
Epic battle between colored factions: Priceless
Diary of the Dead Review
Genre: Horror
Director: George A. Romero
Running Time: 95 minutes
Available at: Madman online store ($29.95) – BUY NOW
Overview:
If you’ve ever even heard of zombies, then there is one man who is largely to thank. George A. Romero pretty much single-handedly brought the flesh-eating dead into popular culture with his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, and decades later he is still leading the pack with his Living Dead series. Diary of the Dead (2007) is somewhat of a return to form for Romero after 2005’s Land of the Dead, once again producing the film independently, and it really shows that the story teller we fell in love with is back.
Plot:
If I were to try to describe Diary of the Dead through half-hearted analogies, I would probably describe it as a mixture of The Blair Witch Project and Night of the Living Dead. That description doesn’t really do it justice though, so let’s get into a bit more detail. The story centers around a group of college students from the University of Pittsburgh who are making a horror film as a school project along with their faculty advisor. During a late night film shoot, the exasperated actors hear news of some sort of disaster on their radio and decide to call it a night.
This is where everything really begins, as upon returning to the dorms with his camera still rolling, Jason (the student film’s director and cameraman) finds the building deserted except for his girlfriend Debra. The group decides that something serious must be going on and this sends them on an RV road trip east to Scranton, Pennsylvania to try to get to their respective homes and check on their families.
During this entire situation, which is quickly becoming more and more serious, Jason refuses to stop filming. He insists that he needs to capture what is occurring because it may be an important historical event and his ambition was always to be a documentarian. This causes a lot of tension among the group of survivors. As one can probably imagine, having your friend constantly filming during a disaster situation and interviewing you for your reactions would probably get old pretty fast.
Add to that the fact that the dead are coming back to life and you’re got the makings of a pretty shitty road trip on your hands. This all works excellently in the film however, as it forces a lot of dramatic interaction between the characters. At some points I almost felt like I was reading The Walking Dead, another zombie story which focused more on characters than gore. It’s because of this focus on character interaction that Romero really gave you characters that you care about and that you could root for their survival. That is also exactly what made Night of the Living Dead so great.
Characters:
Speaking of the characters, they are so important to this film and so central to its action that they deserve to be spoken of more in depth. Our protagonist is Jason, the man behind the camera and the determined documentarian who wills himself to record this cataclysmic event. Frequently at odds with the other survivors because of his stubborn refusal to stop filming, Jason on several occasions must defend his decision to document the beginning of the end of the world.
On the other side of the fence however is Debra, his girlfriend and former filmmaking hopeful who has since become disillusioned by their medium of choice. Debra is not only frustrated by the way Jason can so easily record the gruesome events that unfold, but she also shares her thoughts on the propensity of mankind to be more interested in watching a disaster than lending a hand to help.
The rest of the cast is almost equally complex and each has their own set of issues to deal with, other than the whole walking dead try to eat them thing. I can’t stress enough how well done the dialogue and development of the characters was pulled off by Romero and the entire cast. Then of course there are characters that serve a smaller role but are equally interesting to watch. My favorite of which from early on in the film is a deaf Amish man named Samuel that the survivors run into when their RV breaks down near his farm. I won’t spoil what happens with Samuel, but let me just say that it involves a zombie and a scythe.
Style
Shown from the perspective of Jason’s handheld camera, and sometimes from spliced in shots from cell phone cameras or online streaming videos, Diary of the Dead pulls off the documentary style really well. Even the music, editing, and narration are justified at the very beginning when Debra assures the audience that on top of preserving the truth with their movie, they want to scare you, and like so many film students are prone to do she even details what equipment their movie was filmed and edited with. It seems like Romero watched the Blair Witch Project and crossed out everything that didn’t work, and in doing so made the most plausible documentary-style horror film yet.
DVD Extras
There is a lot of content on this DVD. Seriously, a lot. Other than a fantastic horror movie, you also get loads of bonus features. If there is any aspect of this film you are interested in learning more about, there is probably a feature on it. The cast, make-up, effects, cinematography and design, and that’s not one featurette that includes all of those things. Each of those things is covered in its very own feature. There is even a video titled “The First Week” which details the first seven days of shooting. It’s like a mini film school on a disc. There are also several interviews with George Romero himself so you can hear from the master himself. The only other thing I would have liked on the DVD which wasn’t is a commentary track, as I love hearing what the cast and crew thought as they’re seeing the film.
Final Thoughts:
I have not really enjoyed a zombie movie in quite a while. I think the last one I really liked was Shaun of the Dead, because let’s face it, Simon Pegg is hilarious, and when I’ve got a new issue of the Walking Dead to read each month it sort of fills my zombie quota. I am so glad I saw this film though. It not only restored my faith that a good living dead movie can still be made in the 21st century, but I also thoroughly enjoyed it. If you have any interest in horror at all, or if you ever have in the past, this film is one to have in your collection.
Produced by: TMS Entertainment, Showgate Distributed by: Madman Entertainment Media: DVD Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-fi Runtime: 89 minutes, 1 DVD Rating: PG Available from: Madman $29
PREMISE
Everyone knows that Science Fiction is a genre that very often allows for a very high degree of creativity on the part of a creator or producer. There have been many visions of the future in science fiction that are often shared and displayed amongst popular media. Each has their own different take on the future, and each a different prediction regarding the fate of the Earth and Humanity. Entire facets of popular culture are focused around the genre. The creative opportunities that it provides however can be either liberating, or restricting, depending on the creative vision of the creator. As an animated anime series, it is quite obvious that TO (2001 Nights) is a series that attempts to follow in this stead. From the same creative minds behind animation series’ such as Appleseed and Vexille, TO (2001 Nights) tells two stories of humanity as it finally reaches the space-age, and how a few select individuals deal with the challenges along the way.
“The most dangerous thing in space – is MAN
Elliptical Orbit Fifteen years after its last contact with our world, a space freighter known as the Flying Dutchman requests permission to dock at a remote moon base. This mysterious ship carries liquid protons: a power source essential to the survival of Earth’s population. But before the precious cargo can be delivered, the base is ambushed by galactic terrorists who seek to destroy the new form of energy and issue a death sentence to all of humanity.
Symbiotic Planet Against a backdrop of peculiar alien life forms, Aon and Elena – star-crossed lovers from rival countries – struggle to build a life together despite the objections of their superiors. Their budding romance is thwarted by an outbreak of potent alien fungus and the interference of a cutthroat militaristic madman. To survive, the young couple must maintain their faith in each other… and learn to trust the unique creatures which inhabit this strange and wondrous planet.” -DVD Blurb
STORY
Immediately it should be noted that the story and plot-line of the DVD is divided into two separate stories. The actual story takes place within these two separate OVA’s and features completely different characters and events to drive the story. Named ‘Elliptical Orbit and Symbiotic Planet’ respectively, the two OVA’s display different themes that provide insight into two very different challenges that humanity will likely face in a day and age where expansion into outer space becomes necessary. Despite the fact that the two stories seem to be told within the confines of the same contextual universe and timeframe, the two different films feature almost no plot driven connection.
The common link that is shared between both films is that of discovery in outer space. Centuries from now, the Earth has finally reached its limit in which it was able to sustain the human populace. With natural resources running out and environmental degradation occurring on unprecedented scales, humanity has been forced to take to the stars. Those who have played through a Star Ocean game in the past will find this familiar territory. Both assume a contextual state of mankind’s first exploration voyages to explore and colonise newly discovered worlds. However, the two are completely individual, and might be viewed as such by some, and as a combination by others.
The first film: Elliptical Orbit centres around the topic of human concerns of moving into outer space, and features a much stronger focus on the human aspects of war and ageing. The movie is centralised around a resource transport station that receives an unexpected visit from a ship that had suddenly returned from a 15 year exploration mission. It is revealed that the ship contains a very precious cargo, vital to the survival of humans both on Earth and in Outer Space. The chief of the station, Dan, discovers that Maria, an old acquaintance of his is the captain of the vessel, and the two discuss how their lives have changed over the past 15 years. However, as the excitement over the shipment starts to build, the station suddenly becomes the target of a mysterious terrorist group, who hold a grudge against the notion of humanity moving into space and leaving Earth Dwellers behind to rot on a dying planet. The arrival of the precious cargo acts as a catalyst for their attack. A conflict erupts on the station and it is up to a select few folks aboard to defend the station and keep humanity’s dream of space exploration alive.
The second film: Symbiotic Planet concerns itself more with notions of both Romance and Environmental preservation. On an alien world, two rival alliances have set up colonisation operations, and both attempt to pave the way for the future of intergalactic development. Only problem: the two groups do not get on well. At all. However, between the tension and potential for conflict lies a very sci-fi style Romeo and Juliet story between two lovers from the rivalling groups, named Aon and Elena. During a meeting with the United Nations representatives to determine the future of the planet, a sudden outbreak of a strange alien fungus infects both groups, and suddenly all bets are off. Caught between their loyalties to their own countries and each other, the two must fight for not only their own survival, but for the fate of the planet itself.
It must be said, that even though Symbiotic Planet features a rather cheesy and overdone romance sub-plot, I enjoyed it more out of the two. While certain parts of the whole “fated lovers” plot gets a bit hard to swallow at points, I feel the story development that occurs within this film is far greater than that which occurred in Elliptical Orbit. Generally speaking, Symbiotic Planet is the better of the two films. The characters were more interesting, more plot development takes place and more context is provided. With Elliptical Orbit, the story flows really disjointedly. There are significant plot points and action sequences in the film that are completely left out. There are a few points where the viewers are told a gun-battle or scuffle takes place, but is never actually shown. In a sci-fi anime that attempts to sell itself in the sci-fi action-drama genre, the film seemed to do a bad job at nailing that second point. In the whole film there was one gun battle. One, and highly anti-climatic. Heck, even the first genre point was lack-lustre. The drama facet of the anime was only told through the rather rocky and ambiguously confusing relationship between the two protagonists. That said, Symbiotic Planet is not without its flaws. Without giving away much, the plot-twist that occurs close to the end is weak, and the flow of events painfully predictable given the many hints of conflict that are dropped throughout.
Overall, in terms of story, both film did a great job at establishing context and the universe itself, but were rather poor in their own delivery of their individual stories.
CHARACTERS
Within the confines of the two films, only the four lead characters are really worth noting:
Dan
The 1st lead character in Elliptical Orbit, Dan is the chief of operations aboard the Earth’s orbital transport station. He is a rather aged fellow that clearly retains the ability to hold a grudge. He commands a great deal of loyalty and respect from his crew. He is seen at the beginning of the film talking about the movement of comets and how their rare visits make him feel like an old man. It is revealed that he had lost his family either to sickness or war over the past 15 years, and the re-emergence of Maria from the depths of space triggers a feeling of both anger and regret. His relationship with Maria is ambiguous up until the very end. Despite the fact that Dan is one of the main characters, he really didn’t do much of anything in the whole film. He only really ever helped by distracting a single terrorist and provided Maria with a few tactical suggestions. Even though he clearly was not someone familiar with combat, his role as a protagonist should have had him playing a greater role in the grand scheme of the film. Overall, as a character, his performance was pretty forgettable.
Maria
As the other lead character of Elliptical Orbit, and the captain of the star ship ‘Flying Dutchman’, Maria probably plays the largest role in the story. Unlike Dan, her own origins are kept a secret until the very end of the film, which suddenly throws a real “What the?” moment in the faces of the audience. Her crew are loyal to her, but the reasons for gaining that loyalty are implied as being adult in nature. Her relationship with Dan often is clearly one with a history, and she has regrets about not being able to keep in contact. However despite her lack of back story, she feels a stronger character for it, and she take it upon herself to drive out the terrorists as a responsibility not only to Dan, but also to herself and humanity.
Aon
The male lead of Symbiotic Planet, Aon is an American biologist from the allied American base situated on an alien world. He is a determined and clever young man, and he clearly harbours strong feelings for Elena. This is reflected in both his determination to see her while keeping her safe, and his scorn at the insistence of his superiors that seeing her will be a liability to their cause. It is Aon that first discovers the outbreak of the alien fungus which causes a dramatic lock-down of the American station during the UN talks. In an effort to see that their safety is not compromised, Aon shows that he is willing to risk his life to research the planet better to avoid humanity exploiting it, as it has done with countless other worlds. Overall, his role in Symbiotic Planet was well tuned and well executed for a futuristic Romeo and Juliet plot.
Elena
The female lead of Symbiotic Planet, Elena is a diplomatic representative for the Eurasisan colony. Like Aon, her superiors believe that her infatuation with Aon will jeopardise the goals of their nation’s development in outer space. She too clearly thinks that a potential for violence may arise. It does sooner than expected when she discovers that Aon has been subjected to the outbreak of the alien fungus. Determined to see him safely through his ordeal, and hopefully stop an armed conflict between the two nations, she risks her own life to brave the fungus spore and find her lost love. Elena most certainly takes a back seat in terms of plot focus in this story. Most of the plot focuses around Aon as opposed to her. That said however, the scenes she is present for do helpfully establish the context of tension between the two factions, as a diplomatic representative. While not the best developed story-wise, she does provide Aon a reason to keep going.
AUDIO / VISUAL
The visual stylings of this anime are actually very unique and well animated. Returning to the idea of creative freedom in terms of the sci-fi genre, the creators have clearly made the most of the opportunity. The three-dimensional character and environment modelling is a unique animation style. As it stands, it does not look like the strictest definition of the “anime” framework that many viewers come to know. The construction of the environments provides a very high-tech, and otherworldly feel to both films. The level of detail made in this respect is a little overwhelming. Along a similar note, the character modelling was very interesting to see. Even though the animation in terms of characters was not done in the same two dimensional style of anime, it still very much felt like an anime given the pallet of cell-shaded colour schemes. A cell shaded three dimension anime in essence. It is clear that a lot of attention has been paid to creating a really strong and really well honed visual experience.
While watching, especially the character models, I could not help but draw a comparison in my head to the same visual style that was recycled from Appleseed. While doing animation in this style is not the most original of concepts, visually, it still provides a pleasant viewing experience. But most of all, I found myself comparing the two TO films to Fire Emblem of all things. OK, one is sci-fi the other fantasy, but the visual stylings of the films were IDENTICAL to that of the animated scenes in Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn (Wii) and Path of Radiance(Gamecube). After a little checking, I found that even some of the voice actors are the same! Turns out that the creators and development groups also dabble in video game production. Who’d have thunk it?
The only issue I have with the visuals of the OVA’s is that they were focused on a little TOO much. Even though they were very well developed and neatly displayed, it felt like the storyline and plot flow in both films was being sacrificed for it. This is more so in Elliptical Orbit, but both films had this issue. No matter how good a visual presentation may be, it should not take precedence over other facets of the film. I think too much pride may have been put in this unique visual presentation, and as such, the story’s of both suffered.
As for audio quality, the music pitch and regulation was quite decent. Not anything fanstastically mind blowing or disappointing. I felt that the music selection was well chosen to endear a sense of wonderment at galactic exploration, and yet still retained the appropriateness of human-earth-like situations. The voice acting was also well chosen and well executed to provide a strong sense of engagement with English speaking audiences, however I did notice that voice match-up between the English voices and the original Japanese facial animations was poor at some points.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall both films were ultimately enjoyable to watch. Both were a great and unique visual experience, but I do feel that the suffering of the story behind the overwhelming importance of the graphic presentation hinders the credit I can attribute it. The disjointed pace of story flow is a significant criticism in itself. Symbiotic Planet is most certainly worth viewing on its own merits. But the films do come in a double pack, so one might as well take a look at Elliptical Orbit too. Ultimately, I feel that TO (2001 Nights) was a decent animation presentation, but it could have been so much more if a few story and plot details were better attended to.
SplitApple Developer: MKO Games Publisher: MKO Games Genre: Shooting/Sports Platform: iPhone Release: 15/4/11 Price: $0.99 (Buy Now)
Overview
While apples may not be the main focus of this game, despite the ability to shoot the ones in the tree for little bonus points, the name of the game is still SplitApple. SplitApple is an archery game, and while my actual archery skills are rather embarrassing, I have been known to enjoy the odd archery based videogame. However up until this point in time all my experience with such titles has only been on the Wii. Made for iOS devices by independent games company MKO games, SplitApple takes the fine sport of archery and condenses it down to a game that can fit in the palm of your hands.
Gameplay
When describing the gameplay it sounds simplistic. Aim your iPhone using its gyroscopic sensitive positioning, pull back the bow icon, release and watch as you spectacularly hit a bull’s eye. In practice however, there is a steep learning curve coming to terms with the aiming. Much the same as real archery, you need to tilt your device with precision in order to hit your target. It takes a number of trial and error runs until you will start to get the hang of the controls, often tilting into some slightly awkward positions in an attempt to adjust your aim.
Within the game there are four different modes of play, the first being challenge mode. Challenge mode is exactly what it sounds like. You take aim, pull back, and let the arrows fly as targets become progressively more difficult to hit. Starting with the standard target, which will then move further away, then adding some mobility to the target as well as blockages, it can get a little frustrating to take aim especially if it is your first time playing. Time trial is a little easier to play for new comers. Rather than requiring you to adjust for distance and obstacles, you can just practice aiming in the one spot and shoot as many times as you can within a minute. While this can get tedious, at least there are other modes to test out.
Much like time trial, survival mode has a fairly static target. The goal here is to keep as many arrows in your quiver as possible, while getting the highest score. With a base start of 10, you are able to earn more arrows by scoring 9 or 10 by hitting bull’s eye or near enough. This will give you two more arrows to use. If you are rather good at the game, this process might last a while. But chances are, if you are rather good at it you won’t complain about extended gameplay. The last mode is pop up, which sets the area up like a shooting gallery with targets popping up (as the name may suggest) at random places. This is the most frustrating of all the modes, given that it will require you to have the aiming mechanics down rather well.
The game isn’t all frustration and difficult aiming however. A note worthy factor is fantastically accurate function of the wind. Many times, particularly in pop up where there is limited time to take aim, I have hastily shot without considering the wind, only to see my arrow veer off to the left missing my target with embarrassing imprecision. Despite my only story to prove the well-designed physics of the game world being negative, I still admire the attention to detail.
Graphics and Audio
While there isn’t all that much to look at, given that you are mostly focused on the target, the graphics are rather well designed. The animation of the target swaying back and forth after being hit adds some great detail and realism to the game, while the environment is nicely rendered in a cartoon-like style. I’m a little curious as to why the game is set in a backyard between terrace houses and near a mobile home, considering it seems a little dangerous for passers by. However, I assure you that any injuries suffered are completely virtual.
The audio is nothing spectacular. The sound effects fit the on screen action perfectly. The only complaint I have about the audio is every time you fail to hit the target, you will be punished with an annoying “miss”. I’m not sure if it is annoying in its own right, or just because you have failed, either way it did get on my nerves.
Conclusion
Once you get the hang of the aiming mechanics, the game works fine and is rather enjoyable until it gets to the point of being tedious. If there were a little more competition involved in the game to drive you along, apart from high scores and leader boards, then perhaps you would be more likely to stick around. Lacking the glorious romanticism of what I imagine ye olde archery competitions to be like, SplitApple is still a nice little game to play around the house. Due to the gyroscopic based aiming, it is probably not my first choice to play on public transport, or out in public view at all for that matter, still an alright game to play away from public eyes.
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection has seen the release of a trailer and it’s looking as brutal as ever! Available on PSN for $12.95, and XBLA for 800 Microsoft Points, the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection is the first time fans can play all three of the first three games in the series together for the first time-the original Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. These aren’t just simple ports either, as new features such as online play, leader boards, achievements and trophies have been included as well as the chance to play through the games in their original arcade state. Developed by Other Ocean in conjunction with NetherRealm Studios, Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection will be available on Xbox Live and on PSN globally this week, and a PC version will be coming out in September. Check out the trailer below, or watch a more detailed and in-depth look at the game in the latest episode of MKast here.
Idol’s are big in Japan, and consequently, Idolm@ster is big in Japan. There have been several incarnations of Idolm@ster video games and the latest of which Idolm@ster Gravure For You Vol. 2 now has a trailer streaming on the web.
The trailer shows off several tracks available in the game as well as letting the girls of Idolm@ster strut their stuff (or awkwardly flop about with rose-red cheeks) in swimsuits!
The game is set to be released November 23rd, 2011, for the Playstation 3. So mark your calenders Idolm@ster fans, these girls have some gravure and it’s especially for you!
Check out the trailer below and leave a comment letting us know what you think.
Did you ever want to be a manga artist? Well now you have to chance to pretend to be! That’s right with the upcoming Bakuman video game titled Bakuman: The Way of the Manga Artist, you get your chance to pretend to be a manga artist by scribbling on your little touch screens in an attempt to fulfill a dream, sort of… or something?
Bakuman: The Way of the Manga Artist now has a trailer out so you can see whether you have what it takes in the intense cut-throat world of manga, by not really actually doing any real work, sort of… or something?
Namco Bandai will be releasing the game this Winter, so get scribbling wannabe manga artists! Or you could just wait until it comes out and then scribble on your touch screens. Whichever you’d prefer. Leave a comment below letting us know what you think of Bakuman: The Way of the Manga Artist.
Welcome to the fifth part of our 100 games you must play before you die series! This round again has a variety of different games that our editors have nominated for different reasons, but each title is definitely worth putting on your “games to play” list. Just remember – the games are in no particular order!
This is probably the favourite of many Sonic the Hedgehog fans the world over. While the debate is always raging on about 2D vs 3D gameplay, Sonic Adventure 2 was a shining example of how 3D gameplay in a Sonic game can be done well. But it’s not just the gameplay alone that sells the game. This particular title introduced new characters and concepts that would forever change and mould the Sonic universe, particularly with the introduction of Shadow. It provided both a light and dark side story, finishing with one of the most epic gaming climaxes ever. This allowed players to play the standard hero beats villain story as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, but also allowed players to delve into the role of evil as Shadow, Eggman and Rouge. The three different gametypes found in the game were also unique, but very well executed concepts – high speed platforming, third person shooter and treasure hunting respectively.
The game also featured a fun little mini pet raising section called the Chao garden. For the players who owned this game, this section was addictive. Hours of gameplay time would be devoted to raising these cute little buggers to perform and act like your favourite Sonic characters (and sometimes look like them too). The critters were super cute and could be used to play mini games such as the Chao race and Chao Karate. The Chao Garden was a concept originally introduced in Sonic Adventure 1, but the garden in SA2 perfected them.
Okay so not many games I’ve played can make me want to line up for a tournament…but I did that for Pokemon in Westfield as a little kid, and I also lined up for the movie. This sad admission (not so sad now, it’s got more cred) sums up the impact of Pokemon across the world. Pokemon Red/Blue is pretty much where it all started – from there the anime show was my next obsession, which made me even more obsessed with the games. For about two years of my life as a kid I was trapped between reality and the world of Pokemon, and I’m completely okay with that. Pokemon was the franchise of the late 90s that probably had the biggest impact culturally: it spawned films, merchandise, the TV show, trading cards and sequels, all of which are still going ten years later.
Everybody knows Pokemon, but it’s hard to put into words the sort of phenomena that spread from the game. You don’t even have to play it to know what it’s all about. Luckily, to back up all the word of mouth love at the time, it was actually a pretty good RPG, and it was portable – so much so that I specifically remember people in high school giving the emulated game to their friends on Floppy disks (just before they died). Pokemon helped spawn free emulated games…how rad is that? The ultimate goal was to catch ’em all, and that task on Red/Blue is probably the easiest these days. I’ve lost count as to how many Pokemon there are now in the sequels (I think most people have), but that’s what makes Pokemon Red/Blue probably the best and easiest Pokemon game to play before you die, certainly if you’ve never played a Pokemon game before. When I’m an old fart retiree, I reckon I’ll have another crack at it; the nostalgia almost matches that of any other classic Nintendo franchise.
When you ask someone what the best Final Fantasy game is they are most likely to say FFVII or FFX. While those games are great, Final Fantasy IX – the black sheep of the franchise – is without a doubt the most complete Final Fantasy title. The game features visuals which are a mixture of the older FF games (pre-FFVI) with the newer styled (post-FFVI), has more charm than any other title in the series to date, and has a complex, yet easy to understand story-line that no other Final Fantasy game has ever truly achieved.
But wait, it’s not just that! The characters are without a doubt some of the most well-developed and genuinely relatable characters the Final Fantasy series has ever produced. All of these characters’ journeys become your journey and you can not help but ride it with them. Whilst it did not change the series (it has no effect on it whatsoever, unfortunately), Final Fantasy IX stands a top as the series crowning achievement whether people realise it or not. If you love the Final Fantasy franchise, play this before you die. It is Final Fantasy‘s unsung high point.
It is so difficult to put into words what makes this game special. Shadow of the Colossus is all about atmosphere and emotion, punctuated with incredible battles that leave you drained yet draw you ever onward. It is my favourite game, and I will love it forever for its bold design. It’s story without words, and it is the game that proves videogames can be art.
You play a boy trying to save a girl. There’s no background to it, and there’s none needed. You have a horse, a sword and a bow, and you must defeat sixteen Colossi in order to save her.
The Colossi are the only creatures in the entire game, and they provide some of the best and most unique ‘boss fight’ style gameplay I have ever come across. The majority are incredible battles, littered with spectacular moments like leaping onto the back of a flying eagle or shooting a snake in the eye from the back of your galloping horse. Some are quick and aggressive, others mammoth in scale and unwilling to fight. I remember taking hours over some of the battles, climbing up again and again in a desperate attempt to figure out and reach the weak point to bring them down.
And that’s the inexplicable bit. The emotion that this game somehow makes you feel is incredible for something so minimal. When you do kill the Colossi there’s just this horrible feeling that you are doing something wrong, that these creatures should be left alone. Victory is anything but sweet, yet the game is so well designed that it pulls you on anyway, the next battle filling you with both anticipation and dread.
There are so many stand out moments in Shadow of the Colossus but I just don’t want to talk about them – I want you to play them. It fully deserves the up and coming PS3 release (teamed with Ico and in full HD), and now that I’ve talked about it, I want it now. Damn.
Braid put Jonathan Blow on the map. The former Inner Product column writer for Game Developer Magazine made a huge splash with his first big entry into the game scene with Braid.
It’s rather simple when you think about it. Braid is a 2D puzzle platformer where you use a time mechanic to navigate the protagonist, Tim through six worlds. However, each world has its own rules as to how the time mechanic works, starting off as simply being able to rewind time at will and changes with time moving in the direction that you’re walking or using a magic ring that warps time around it when dropped. Beautifully constructed puzzles aside, Braid really rises above the scrap heap with its narrative. On the surface you have Tim searching for a princess who “has been snatched by a horrible and evil monster”. The details are vague but we know that Tim has made some sort of mistake that he wants to fix in some manner. Braid‘s story and game design are married in a way that few games are. What you do in the game directly tells a story metaphorically of what Tim wants to accomplish. He regrets something and wants to fix it, or rewind time to fix it. I’m not going to go into the details as it would surely spoil the game but I implore you to check Braid out. It’s a beautiful experience.
46. SimCity
Platform: PC Genre: Simulator Release date: 1989 Nominated by: Kyle Moore
Developed by game genius Will Wright, SimCity allowed player’s to finally play God. Well, if God was a city planner, then this might true. Regardless, SimCity opened a world of possibilities for players, allowing them to recreate their own city and watch in awe as it expanded and came to life.
Originally a PC release, SimCity would go on to spawn dozens of ports, from consoles to handhelds and even smartphones. Not only this, but SimCity also gave birth to a plethora of simulation based games such as: SimEarth, SimSafari and most notably The Sims. Arguably, The Sims itself is a game to play before you die, but where would The Sims be without SimCity? Since it’s release in 1989, SimCity has gone on to win a number of awards, from Game of the Year in 1989 to being named number 4 in the Ten Greatest PC Games Ever by PC World in 2009. SimCity has left a profound impact on video gaming, and now can take its rightful place as one of the 100 games you should play before you die.
47. Banjo Kazooie
Platform: Nintendo 64/XBLA Genre: Platformer Release date: 1998 Nominated by: Phil Federico (written by Jared Hilliers)
Classic rare titles are rarely released these days, and Banjo Kazooie is one of them. It was re-released on Xbox Live Arcade for a reason and you should pay attention and take advantage! At the time of it’s release, Banjo Kazooie was a landmark graphically for the N64 and it was compared quality-wise to Mario 64 across the board. Some would even argue that it’s in fact better than Mario 64, and that’s a pretty big deal. It still stands the test of time over 10 years later, even though the port on Xbox Arcade isn’t the greatest.
Banjo-Kazooie successfully blended humor, fine gameplay, a great soundtrack and some of the best graphics found on the N64. Everything you want in a platformer is found in Banjo and for under $20, it’s well worth playing before you die.
48. Left 4 Dead 2
Platform: Xbox 360/PC/Mac Genre: First-person shooter, survival horror Release date: 2009 Nominated by: Michael Marr
Left 4 Dead 2 is the ultimate zombie survival game (never mind what MasterAbbott tells you). I love this game because it promoted co-operative gameplay with friends. Sure, it was certainly playable alone with the AIs, but it delivered a better experience with human players – not to mention that in versus mode that allows teams to play as special infected, there’s a degree of challenge in facing down a human controlled opponent in a survival horror game that you can’t get anywhere else. Couple in all of the gameplay improvements that were made over L4D (such as melee weapons, dispensable ammo and unique grenade types) and you’ve got yourself a definite game that you must play before you die.
49. Starfox 64
Platform: Nintendo 64 Genre: Platformer Release date: 1997 Nominated by: Matt Vella
Hands down, some of the most fun I’ve ever had while wearing pants. Starfox 64 is asily one of the most charming and memorable prodcuts to ever come from Nintendo! This third-person rail shooter has players control Fox McCloud in his Arwing spaceship as he travels through the Lylat System with his team in the attempt to defeat the evil Andross. Amazing level design, unique game play, awesome soundtrack, great boss and character design, alternative level paths, consequences for not helping/protecting your team mates….oh god, there are just too many things to describe about this game. It also introduced the Rumble Pack for the Nintendo 64, a revolutionary feature and a monumental moment in gaming history.
This game still looks and feels amazing to date. The personalities of the characters are so memorable and it’s just outstanding. For those who don’t know, all you need to know is that Falco is a douche, Slippy is a wuss, Peppy is old and Fox is awesome.
Halo: Reach may be young in age, but in my opinion it gave rebirth to the Halo franchise as a whole. So how does a series deliver without the main protagonist (Master Chief) returning? By delivering five early spartan soldiers to team up with in a whole new campaign.
Jorge, Kat, Carter, Jun, and Emile were a lot more than subtle stand-ins for combat, as each had their own traits and personalities that the player could relate to in one form or another. Introducing such a rich teamwork based storyline did wonders for keeping the player immersed in Reach‘s plot, and the finale was truly one of the most kick-ass moments this generation.
Along with the lengthy campaign, players were given a whole new set of stunning locales for multiplayer combat, the largest map editor in history, and a ton of tools to communicate with the millions of other fans from all over the world. Bungie may not be working on the franchise anymore, but they set the bar for all sequels to come with Reach, and if history serves correct…this could very well end up being the definitive title in the series that is sure to see every top 10 list for the genre for generations to come.
