Nintendo Wii: Elebits

Elebits has quietly hit store shelves and it seems as if there is no hype around this game. Personally, I had no idea what this game was about until it came in the mail today via Gamefly. I have a feeling that most people don't know the premise of this game so let me break it down for you.

This game is a first person shooter of sorts. You move your body around with the Nunchuk and you move the camera and aim with the Wiimote, it all controls very nicely and I hope that future FPS's on the system are as precise and easy to control as Elebits. You are in control of a capture gun that shoots out a beam of electricity. This beam allows you to move objects [think Half Life 2 Gravity Gun style] and if you shoot an Elebit with it they fly into the gun and add Watts to your meter. The levels are just a room or a couple of rooms linked with doors and the object is to get a certain amount of watts in your meter before the timer runs out. Sounds pretty stupid doesn't it? Well, it's not, allow me to elaborate.

Elebits has some resemblance with Katamari Damacy. If you have never played it here is what I mean. As your watts build up your gun gets more powerful and can pick up heavier objects. You can actually pick up things and whip them across the room, Elebits like to hide in things so now you can see where this game gets fun. Once you capture all of the visible Elebits, your gun usually powers up and you start to destroy the room to find the hidden ones. Once you are done with a level it looks like the Tasmanian Devil came through. Also, once you gain enough power you can turn things on in the room such as a PC, TV, lights, vacuums, RC cars, etc. Once these objects are turned on, Elebits fly out because they are attracted to electricity and you can then shoot them and capture them.

One other great feature of this game is the edit mode. Once you complete a level it is open for editing. In edit mode you are placed in that level without any of the objects or Elebits in it. You can then create a brand new room and place any object and hide Elebits inside your level anyway that you . It is pretty deep and you can actually turn tables upside down and stick them to the ceiling/walls. After you complete you perfect level, you can send it to a friend with the game and they can play your edited level.

The bottom line is if you have a Wii you should have Elebits in your library. This game was created especially for the Wii and it is flowing with innovation and charm.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

The Monkey Ball franchise has faced mostly prominent success since debuting as an arcade game in Japan in 2001 (which was also ported over to the GameCube a month later). With its easy-to-navigate interface and light controls, Super Monkey Ball easily established itself as the new Marble Madness (or even Chu Chu Rocket) for next-generation consoles. A sequel was soon released, boasting an increased number of levels, mini-games and options to enhance game play. A sequel to the sequel eventually found its way to store shelves, Super Monkey Ball Adventure, which was received by critics and gamers alike rather coldly. The core storyline did absolutely nothing but hinder the game play and eventually found its way into bargain bins as a dud. After crossing consoles and even spawning handheld versions, Banana Blitz, the latest in the Monkey Ball series, aims to bring gamers back to the core basics of this highly addictive title, but can it survive the controls of the Wii-mote?

With Banana Blitz, the Sega team returns to what it does best: creating mind boggling puzzles sure to catch the ire of any gamer that advances far enough. The setup of levels is somewhat similar to the dreadful SMB: Adventure title. That is, instead of listing each puzzle by difficulty, it lists them by the standard locations found in most titles: Forest stage, Fire stage etc. There are about 10 locations to explore in all, each holding at least 8 different puzzles, a couple bonus rounds and a boss battle. The boss battles are mostly isolated from any other part of the game. Since there’s no generic storyline this time around, the bosses don’t seem to have much purpose. Though they’re not challenging, either.


Just like the previous SMB games, Banana Blitz lets gamers control the ground, rather than the ball itself. As usual, the first few levels are nothing but introductory examples of how to survive the world of Monkey Ball, only now are they more necessary than ever since playing with the Wii-mote is mandatory. Is playing with the Wii’s control schematic harder than with a standard controller? It most definitely is and it will take more than a few rounds to become familiar with SMB before you start searching for hidden paths in various levels. That being said, the learning curve certainly is not an impossible feat to master, rather, it’s just going to take practice before one is comfortable enough. Holding the Wii-mote flat against your palm as you aim towards the screen, the slightest turn in any direction affects the stability of the ground of which your monkey ball is traveling. In my opinion, though, I’d say the sensitivity of the controls are somewhat similar to playing with a regular controller. So while it may appear to be overwhelming, a little practice will go a long way.

One welcome feature never seen in any of the series’ previous installments is the much appreciated jump button. Sega has integrated this addition by designing certain levels to be completed only by successful utilization of jumping, rather than recycle old levels that wouldn’t require it. It lends itself to the game play in different ways, allowing gamers to find new routes where they wouldn’t expect to see one. To jump, either flick the Wii-mote up or press the A button.

Also new to Banana Blitz are the inclusion of two playable characters on top of the original four monkeys. YanYan and Doctor lend their help in collecting bananas and have specific character abilities that differ substantially from the other characters. For example, while Ai Ai is equally average in every aspect of control and movement, the Doctor has better acceleration while executing a jump that’s every bit as slow as how GonGon jumps. Conversely, while YanYan has the best jump out of all the monkeys, the rest of her stats remain below average.

In the past, the mini-games of SMB have always been a staple of the series. Though far from perfect, mini-games like Monkey Target or Monkey Soccer never failed to entertain gamers willing to indulge in multiplayer action. This time around, Sega has packed 50 mini-games to keep gamers busy. The downside to this is that most of these games lack any depth whatsoever and appear to be thrown in just to say ‘hey, we’ve got 50 mini-games’. Combing through the list, I was more than surprised to see a few of my favorite mini-games from past titles absent (where’s Monkey Pool or Soccer?!). I certainly applaud Sega for trying to go above and beyond the call of duty in supplying such a plethora of extras but I’m somewhat irked at what they did leave out, leaving behind a number of Mario Party-like games. Though there’s bound to be something for everyone.


On the technical side, like past installments, Banana Blitz’ graphics are strikingly similar in appearance and don’t really add much new. It comes off as a smooth and polished game, similar to how Wii Sports looks in its simplicity, but with a heightened sense of flair (notice the particle effects mixed in with confetti after completing each level). Then again, I suppose no one really buys Monkey Ball for the graphics.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz probably has enough features and good qualities to sustain its $50 price tag. Gamers who excelled at previous SMB titles might be surprised at the level of difficulty for Banana Blitz. Again, I’m not saying it’s impossible, but the degree of difficulty facing the later levels border on insanity (almost similar to achieving every gold medal on Blast Corps for the N64). Good luck!

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Wii Sports Review

Legions of gaming fans were happy to see Nintendo returning to its old ways when finding Wii Sports packaged in with their newly acquired Wii console. Not only is the sports title a great introduction in using the Wii-mote, but is also a somewhat addictive title to boot. Though simplistic in design and execution, does Wii Sports have what it takes to become a flagship Nintendo game? Yes and no.

Almost seen as a throwback to the days when Nintendo marketed its’ Power Pad back in the 80’s, what immediately sets Wii Sports apart from any other game on the planet is its functionality. This is definitely not a game that can be played sitting down (well, it can, but it really defeats the purpose). The five sports included are all made to mimic actions made as if playing the game on a baseball field or bowling alley. If nothing else, Nintendo should receive points for trying to get gamers off of the couch.

The games themselves are all merely shallow recreations of what the sport should be played like. Though I use the word ‘shallow’, it should be noted that this was Nintendo’s design all along, creating a game that gamers old and new can quickly become accustomed too and also casting light on what games could be like further down the line. For example, in Baseball, you swing your Wii-mote like a bat and pitch when on defense. In Tennis, you control the swing of the racket instead of the player itself. It’s somewhat of a hassle to older gamers looking for more realism, but it’s also fun when gathering a group to face each other.

Areas like graphics and sound are almost pointless to grade in a title such as this one, as Wii Sports is more of a tutorial in Wii-gaming than anything else. The graphics are bright and simple, just like the Mii characters, without a lot of detail. It’s clearly not on the same level of something that you might find on the PS3 or Xbox platform, but it’s not atrocious looking, either.

Completion of each sport allows either the accumulation or the retraction of points assigned to your Mii character for a total skill level. As you progress through any given sport, the computer opponents also rise in said skill level, usually around 100 points higher than your own. If you should make it past 1000 points, your character is deemed a Pro and given such status. It’s a nice incentive for old gamers to latch on to who quickly become familiar with playing Wii Sports.

Here’s a quick rundown of what gamers can expect from each title:

Boxing:

What could’ve been the best title out of the five is nearly the worst thanks to unfocused controls. Using the Wii-mote in one hand and the Nunchuk attachment in the other, players jab and uppercut their way to victory through three rounds or a knockout (whichever comes first). You can manipulate your boxer from right to left to dodge punches, but returning those blows don’t always register on screen. It’s hard to position exactly where you want to throw a punch and most often I usually resort to throwing a barrage of punches and hoping one of them lands. Even when holding up my guard evenly always translates on screen with one of the boxer’s arms lower than the other. After the initial thrill of boxing wears off, you probably won’t touch this game for a while.


Golf:

Golf poses similar problems that are found in Boxing, though for different reasons. At the start you can select a preset amount of holes you would like to play through or swing your way through a nine-hole game. Players can control the direction and speed of their swing, mimicking a full golf swing by holding the Wii-mote like a golf club. Unfortunately, getting the correct speed for your swing does not exactly translate well on screen. If you swing too hard, the speed meter climbs into the red, affecting the ball by radically changing courses. Though avoidable, it happens far too often and it becomes frustrating if you keep overreaching your swing. If you can practice enough to be successful, however, more power to you.


Baseball

The control of Baseball isn’t so much a problem in Wii Sports. Players hold the Wii-mote like a bat and swing away. Had the rest of the game not been reduced to simply swinging and pitching, which is pretty much the only thing you can do in a full nine-inning game, baseball might come off better. During the game even if you make a hit, it’s an automatic out if any basemen or the pitcher get to it. If you hit it into the outfield, you may get a single or a double, but I’ve yet to see a triple (or a hit a homerun, for that matter). Offensively, you don’t get to control runners since that’s determined by how far the ball reaches into the outfield. Defensively, you’re limited to pitching…that’s it. The kind of pitch thrown depends on whatever button you’re pushing, not by how the Wii-mote interacts with the game. It borders on bland, but a couple of the mini games try to make up for it.

Tennis

One of the more addictive of the sports games is Tennis. Though you never control the player on screen (the Mii’s automatically move towards wherever the ball is being hit to), you do control the racket and how early or late you swing will have a direct impact on where the ball travels to on the other side. It took me more than a few games to become familiar with the setup but after a while I was beginning to build up my score to a level where the computer opponents increased in difficulty. Serving at a precise time can also garner a power serve, similar to Mario Tennis. My only problem with Tennis stems a few missed swings that occur every once in a while. A minor complaint, though.


Bowling

Probably my favorite out of the five offerings, bowling comes very close to having the least flaws coupled with an experience that best simulates the sport being copied on screen. Bowling with the Wii-mote is precisely how one would bowl at an alley…minus the ball and shoes that have been worn by thousands of other bowlers who just might have foot fungus. Though you don’t have to mimic every aspect of how you’re throwing the ball, I’ve already noticed that I began to take 1-2 small steps toward the T.V. before releasing the B button. With the Wii-mote in hand, the B button is pressed to advance the player closer to the lane while bowling with whichever hand preference you have. Also, you can put a spin on the ball to create a unique bowling experience. Despite my acclaim for bowling, I've begun to notice that whenever I try to bowl straight down the lane, it always ends up curving left, despite however straight I try to keep the Wii-mote, though I suspect left handed bowlers might have the same complaint in reverse. However, it’s not an issue that completely hinders the game itself, still making it more fun than a couple of the other sport offerings.

In addition to the five main games each sport comes equipped with three mini-games to help foster practice. The mini games range from helpful to annoying. For example, those who want to hone their golf skills might try the putting challenge or work on controlling the speed of the club. The same can be done for baseball as you learn to control the swing and where the ball will be hit. Boxing, I found to be mostly pointless as training with the bag doesn’t really help you or your character and since the controls are already dubious to begin with, it might be the sport to avoid altogether (unless you’re not having the same problems I had). Once again, bowling comes through with the best challenges with one mini-game in particular that has about 10 stages in which the number of bowling pins increases after each stage. The final level has over 90 pins to knock down and it’s kind of enjoyable to map out the physics of trying to knock down every single pin.

One other feature that shows a similarity to Nintendo DS titles like Brain Age is the Fitness Test. Once a day the fitness test is available for every Mii character created and is comprised of three different mini-games that grades in areas like stamina. A fitness age is then comprised based on your results, with age 20 being the best you can hope to receive. Though it’s certainly a welcome feature, I have to seriously doubt the accuracy of what they’re testing, because some of the results seem suspect to error of the game and not the player. However, I could just be bitter for getting ranked at age 40 the first time I tried it.

Rating Wii Sports effectively is a hard task considering the two markets it’s going after. Old gamers might become quickly bored with the lack of depth between each game, despite the inclusion of mini-games that help train where practice is needed. For new gamers, old and young, Wii Sports is the perfect title to become familiar with the Wii-mote and the system in general. Hopefully, future sports titles can draw on the strengths this title has to offer, while providing enough features to sustain the interest of hardcore sports fans. However, as it’s being packaged with the system for free, it’s hard to complain despite the present flaws.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Xbox 360: Gears of War

You all know that Gears of War is the shit, you've seen all of the reviews and probably a lot of gameplay movies. I'd like to go into further detail on why it is so good and touch on a few of the shortcomings of the game as well.

First off, I've already beaten Gears. I received the game on Tuesday and played it through the entire campaign via Xbox Live co-op. It took us 6 hours and 15 minutes on the casual setting. You may think that this is very short [it is], but I've since begun playing again on the hardcore difficulty and I can tell you the AI is a lot smarter, and they are actually greater in numbers as well. The integration of the co-op is the best that has ever been done in a game. In case you don't know, you can seamlessly join or disconnect from a co-op game and it doesn't disrupt the game. There are 2 main protagonists in the game, Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. When you play single player, you control Fenix, and Dom is your sidekick. Invite a friend and after about 10 seconds of loading he is controlling Dom instantly. If your friend needs to leave he can just disconnect and the AI takes back control of Dom.

A couple of original ideas within the game is the ability to revive your fallen comrades and the reloading minigame. If one of your teammates gets "killed", they won't actually die right away unless they are finished off. [curb stomp, chainsawed or shot some more]. A little icon will pop up on screen and point in the direction of your fallen friend. You then just press "x" on them and they will be back to new. The reloading minigame is brilliant. To reload you press the right button, a small cursor will then sweep across a power meter icon in the upper right hand of the screen [think hot shots golf power meter]. There will be a highlighted sweet spot and you have to press the right button again once it is in that spot to get a perfect reload. If you manage to do this you get a power boost for few seconds and a lightning fast reload. If you miss it by a little you get a regular fast reload and if you miss terribly your gun will jam and you'll be unable to shoot for about 3-5 secs. I've actually died from a bad reload, and my friend on co-op has died because I've had a bad reload and he was rushed. It takes a little time getting used to it because each gun has a different sweet spot, and the sweet spot is larger if you expel more bullets. So you get penalized for reloading when you've only used a few bullets.

Graphics in this game are sick. You've played nothing that looks even close to this game. There are some later stages that will make you put your controller down just to stare at what is going on around you, it's that good. The effects are astounding, your bullets will chip off concrete, splinter wood, and cause a gooey blood squirting slaughterhouse of insanity. If you chainsaw an enemy the blood splatters all over the screen and it looks real. Most people, including myself will say that graphics do not make a game, but damn, it sure doesn't hurt when it looks this good.

The campaign is fast and full of non-stop action, but the story is weak. If you haven't read anything outside the game or do not have the collector's edition, you will have no idea who the locusts are and why they are so pissed at you [even after you beat it]. There is no back story, no beginning cut scene and very little within the game that actually touches on the overall world. The plot surrounds very small events that you take part in and it would have been nice to get a grand look at things.

Mulitplayer is intense in the fact that there are a lot of standoffs. By this, I mean that you and your buds will be behind cover while the other team is doing the same. Both are shooting at each other and you are both trying to figure out the best position to flank. Often, the battle ends melee style with chainsaws revving and blood all over the place. Getting into a multiplayer game, however, is very very difficult. I actually could not connect to any of the hosts while trying to join ranked and non-ranked games. I had moderate success hosting my own game but the lobbies are terrible and once you finish the designated number of rounds, the game kicks you back to the main menu. Also, there is no way to play a ranked game with a friend, they wanted to curtail cheating, but they also curtailed fun in doing so.

Gears is a must buy if you own a 360. Even if you aren't a fan of shooters you owe it to yourself to experience what is Gears of War.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

PC: Company of Heroes [Multiplayer]

I'd like to start this review off by first stating that there are 2 general aspects to a real time strategy game. The first, and most important being the actual gameplay and the second is the online multiplayer interface. While this has great prowess in the gameplay category, it falls short in the latter.

For me, RTS's are all about the multiplayer, so this review will not cover the singleplayer campaign in anyway. Relic Entertainment [Creators of the Warhammer 40k RTS's] knows what they are doing in terms of gameplay. They have expanded Dawn of War's resource system and brought it into Company of Heroes in a way that makes great sense and adds alot of intensity to the game. In most RTS games the player must collect items so that they may build up an army. Most of the famous RTS games that did this in the past include Warcraft, Starcraft, the entire Command and Conquer series, etc. Relic strays from this and has changed it into a capture system. There are multiple "points" around each map that you must capture. Once captured, that point starts to bring in resources. In Company of Heroes, there are 3 resources [Fuel, Manpower and Ammunition]. The real benefit of this resource system is that you have to constantly be on the offensive to try and gain points but also allocate forces to help defend points you have already captured. You will lose every time if you try to just fortify your base and wait for the enemy to come to you. It becomes a chess match of map control because they have also added the feature that your captured points must be connected to keep the supply chain moving, this was a brilliant move which adds even more strategy.

One downfall is that there are only 2 factions to choose from, Axis and Allies. Axis are the Germans and Allies are the United States. They mirror each other pretty closely [Both have snipers, mg crews, infantry, etc] so the variety somewhat limited. They managed to differentiate them by adding "doctrines" that each side can choose from. Doctrines allow you to focus your efforts into one main area of your forces. There are 3 to choose from on each side and examples include Infantry, Terror and Armor. Infantry will allow your infantry to produce faster and also build defenses out in the field. Armor will reduce tank production times and allow repairs on the fly amongst other things. You gain experience by killing enemy forces, capturing buildings, etc. and this experience allows you to upgrade the choices within that doctrine. On the battlefield, the AI is brilliant. Troops are created in groups and will move from cover to cover by themselves. Cover in this game is a very big part of the strategy and a squad in the open will get obliterated by one that is guarded by cover. The same goes for vehicles, tanks will get ripped up if they are hit in the rear as opposed to taking shots from straight on. This creates a more realistic feel and really immerses the player. All environmental items [buildings, trees, barrels] are fully destructible. Even better is that a fallen church tower can act as a great cover spot after it hits the ground. This means that no two battles are ever the same.

The biggest downfall of the game is the online multiplayer interface. It is very hard to connect to games and multiple different error messages are always popping up. You can browse lobbies but the filters are very weak so you have to sort through alot of full games and password protected games. If you try to play a ranked game it's even worse. The whole player matching system is seriously flawed and works less than half of the time.

Still, even with the seriously flawed online lobby I find myself going back to this game religiously because the gameplay is just too good. The competition is great and battles are very intense, if you own a PC and are a fan of ww2 or of the RTS genre, this game is a must have. It really stands out in the crowd of RTS games coming out this year as the one to have.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

XBOX 360: DOOM

A week ago while browsing Xbox Live Marketplace I found a pleasant surprise in the new Xbox Live Arcade games section: DOOM. Not to be confused with id's recent DOOM III title on the Xbox, this is the retro 1993 version of DOOM where your objective is to shoot up some spawns of Satan all without using a vertical analog stick.

Immediately heading into online deathmatch after the quick download, I wasn't surprised in the least to hear a kid ask "how do you aim up and down?" Let's just say, this ain't your Halo 2 or current-gen FPS. This Live Arcade download is a direct port from the classic version on the PC, with some added fun: smoother graphics with 1080i HD support (though it won't look like much, after all... it is the 360), 5.1 Surround Sound, as well as 4 player Live deathmatch and Live 2 player co-op where you and your friend can play through the campaign together. Be warned, you can't unlock achievements in online co-op.

As far as the game goes, this is plain and simple: classic DOOM. You've 4 episodes to choose from, and each offering 5 different levels of difficulty. The game well set you at "Hurt Me Plenty!" difficulty which is the equivalent of normal. The next two, Ultra-Violence and Nightmare are the two most difficult. Whoever beats the game on Nightmare seriously deserves a cookie or something. I died twice on the first level just trying to fly through it to unlock the achievement for beating a game on Nightmare.

Single player is single player, not much to it. The highlight of DOOM on the 360 is going online and playing 4 player deathmatch. There's nothing more fun than dominating everyone because you spawned by the chain gun or rocket launcher and they can't ever get to the good guns. Believe me, this is the most frequent occurrence and people bitch and bitch when they can't get a good gun. Too bad. Not to mention, online co-op with a friend is awesome fun! It's a great change of pace by going old school and blasting Hell's Army with a friend on Xbox Live.

DOOM offers an unlockable 200 achievement points, all which are relatively easy, and has endless amounts of replay value with deathmatch and co-cop on Xbox Live. With some pretty lame Arcade games available for download, Activision definitely came through with this port and for 800 Marketplace points, it is worth every penny.

Final Score: 9 out of 10