Thoughts on Pokemon!

Giving thoughts on an entity like Pokemon at this point is the gaming journalism equivalent of cleaning a whale with a cotton swab. I admit the task ahead is a bit daunting; but as I watch the opening cinematic for the freshly released Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, I cannot help but think of just how far the game has come since I first turned on my Gameboy Color and began Pokemon Red. With this realization clinging to my thoughts, I can't think of a better opportunity to take a look back at one of Nintendo's most recognized titles.

In American the gaming sensation began on September 28th, 1998 with the dual release of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue. The following year would yield Pokemon Yellow on October 18th, in what would become the trend of releasing each new generation of the game in couples, punctuated by a slightly updated rerelease of the title soon after. Up until recently this rerelease normally came as a one of; but Black 2 and White 2 sent that right out the window, though I would hardly call the step innovative. Honestly having the game released released this way meant that there was more for the single player to miss out on if no one with the corresponding copy happened to be around. Yet, I suppose it is incentive to get out there and make some friends.

For me it began on a birthday, mine specifically (I never received gifts on other people's birthday, though I am not sure why) and, to my excitement, I opened up a brand new Gameboy Color and Pokemon Red to go right along with it. My excitement was such that I can hardly remember anything else I had gotten that year, and I could hardly wait for the party to end so that everyone would go away and I could get to playing my game. Looking back now, there wasn't that much to do from a gameplay approach. Complete the PokeDex, become the league champion, and deal with whatever shenanigans that Team Rocket has brewing. In the next couple of generations, they didn't change much; only serving in little gimmicks at a time. My guess is they were testing the waters on what areas of gameplay could be expounded upon. Only in the recent games have we seen actual development in expanding what all there is to do in the games, and some things are starting to stick. There is character customization, additions like Super Training, and the Global Trade Network; all of which are allowing for much more time to be spent in game on matters beyond the PokeDex and the Elite Four.

While it's true that for over a decade GameFreak has been releasing, what is essentially, the same game again and again; I have to admit that the game feels fresher now than it ever has. It goes without saying that the only group that gives in to this game time and time again are the fans, and as a fan myself it shows that the fanbase is only growing. So the duo of GameFreak and Nintendo are obviously onto something. Although I am as invigorated about this play through as I was on my very first; I cannot help but think of more...

Pokemon Snap is now a dusty old gem, but a gem it remains (not to mention it is my favorite Pokemon title). I wonder if they could incorporate collectible photo albums into these core games in a way; perhaps to reward exploration with something a bit newer than the traditional TM find. All this could culminate with hidden photo opportunities you catch on film being collected in a museum of some description, with a wondrous reward for completion. This is only one of many possibilities and just a thought, and it my or may not work; but it would be a powerful addition to the game mechanics as they are and I feel that this is what I hunger for.

Maybe I am asking too much. The franchise seems to be doing just fine, and the fandom has never been bigger or more connected. I am enjoying my game very much, I can't shake the feeling that I am dancing to the same song again and again. Believe me, that isn't the criticism that it sounds like; but it is my honest worry, and Nintendo seems to have a habit of reviving old properties to put on yet another show every couple of years. So long as they keep them coming with new ideas and presentations, then I suppose I am just barking at nothing. If you are a fan of the series or not, Pokemon looks to be in it to stay and I for one am not disappointed. As I have said I am playing through this new reboot with the childlike joy I felt at that birthday all those years ago (which was more years ago than I would care to mention), albeit with a more refined expectation.

Love it or hate it, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! That's all for now so we'll catch ya next time.

Bit.Saw Review

This week we were approached with another game to play through and review; and I must confess that I am liking that trend. Though before I get to feeling too self important, let me jump on the spikes up front and say this week it's a rage platformer. That's right! Bit.Saw is of the devilish sort that brings out the worst and most hilarious reactions in a gamer. Brought to us by Shubshub, and available in itch.io for a humble $1 USD; it isn't too complex but many of the good ones never are. With such a modest price tag and 24 computer smashing levels, it's pretty hard to overlook.




Personally, I have an odd relationship with rage platformers and their ilk Having played a good many of the titles in this sub genre of one of the oldest gaming styles out there, I'm not sure of what exactly I get out of them; besides fury so pure and burning hot that I can loosely be described as a solar entity, and paroxysms of indescribable joy when I finally complete a level. I believe it is this very mystery wherein lies the subtle elegance of the rage platformers; which seem so simple on screen, but add up to more in spite of their nature. Bit.Saw slides right in there with Super Meat Boy and VVVVVV; with a much more apparent inspiration from the later, owing to the simple visual style and the ability to flip gravity along a single axis.







The visuals of the game are not explosive. In fact, I believe the entire thing could have been played on a Gameboy Color; though as we have discussed with games like this visuals aren't the point. As is the case in many things, less can be more. In this game I think the basic look of it serves to accentuate some smooth platforming and gives clear indicators of where is safe, and where is not.

When speaking of things like "safety" in games like this, I feel it is important to note that it is a relative term. Each hazard is innocuous all on its own, but each level is of course, designed with your insanity in mind. As we have mentioned above, that is simply part of the charm of games like this and Bit.Saw is certainly no let down in that department; but I fear I am starting to just ramble.

To put a bow on this one, I'm giving this one the recommendation for one simple reason. It was fun! Fun for an incredibly low investment I might add. So go ahead and treat yourself to this one, if you think you can handle it.

Castle Review

About a week ago we were approached by someone from Snails Animation. They told us about their new game, Castle; and asked if we wanted to do a review. I always look for more reasons to play and having someone offer up such a creative little gem as Castle was a real treat. Upon looking over their website, I learned Snails Animation deals mostly in Flash games for your browser and Castle is their very first game for PC Download, which makes it a bit more impressive that Castle is such a nice piece of work. Before I start to prattle about the developers, let's move onto their game.


Castle is pretty straight forward from the beginning and Snails Animation really shows off a bit with some clean and color animation. The clip shows a king in his morning routine jumping at the opportunity to get his very own castle. From there is a brief tutorial screen explaining the mechanics of the game and off you go to level one to begin your time as a castle construction contractor. The game operates in a similar fashion to a claw machine; but rather than pick things up from a jumble of stuffed animals or the like, you are placing castle pieces in the appropriate spots in the correct order. Early on it is fairly simple to do. They give you a silhouette of the castle that is to be and all of the pieces scroll overhead. Drag and drop the piece you want to the column you want and you have got the hang of it. It sounds overly simple until you've considered the later portion of the game, when you will have to place down innumerable amounts of castle sections into the slots of the wackiest building designs; all while defending your castle from many unique threats. If you don't believe me, get yourself to level ten and get back with me.

The threats themselves offer little challenge. Each one prevents progress in a specific way and you have a number of items by which you may prevent them from doing so, or repair the damage they cause. The challenge appears when several of these enemies are plaguing you at once, and you are trying to build into a complicated and expansive castle design. Top this off with a deceptive time limit, and you'll find the challenge you are looking for. If you are the type of gaming legend that requires more (and you know I do) there is a King Mode available for the mighty few who complete the normal mode, and a Defend the Castle Mode that I used to exact my boiling vengeance on the enemies that harassed me in my play through.


The game doesn't offer much in the way of extras, but I don't really think is needs to. There are character descriptions and trophies for reaching certain milestones; both offer the title a little depth for a little reading and a sense of accomplishment. Though to be perfectly honest by the time I hit level sixteen, building the castle at all was its own reward.




Overall, Castle is quite entertaining and I gladly give it a shiny new recommendation fresh out of the box. It only costs you a meager five bucks and offers way more than your money's worth in terms of content and challenge. Along with giving me hours of fun, I was left with a hatred for chickens. A hatred so deep that if put into words I may face serious litigation. I'd love to see if the game could be released on tablets. The format fits perfectly and I can see the game getting excellent exposure in such a medium. Give it a go, and don't forget to greenlight this title for Steam!

http://www.snailsanimation.com/Castle/castle_homepage.html

Eufloria Review.

        Eufloria, where shall I begin? I've seen it described in a number of places as "your standard RTS"; yet I fail to see anything standard about it, as it is quite distantly removed from Star Craft and the number of other games we have come to associate with the genre. Don't let that dissuade you from giving this one a go though, they have taken RTS by the wheel and gone in an interesting direction.

The mechanics are essentially the same as you may expect of an RTS, the developers choosing to stick to the going formula apart from some interesting stylistic choices ; and things are kept pretty simple, so interacting with the game is reasonably intuitive. You've got your minions, a role which is played by seedlings in this incarnation, and you move from one asteroid belt to the next colonizing the otherwise barren rocks and growing trees on them. Trees with which you spawn more seedlings and thus the cycle goes on. Though in many cases these asteroids are already host to your enemy and the right to colonize them yourself is a hard earned reward. Early on in my play through I made the mistake of underestimating the opponent and was overwhelmed rather quickly. I learned a few good lessons, that I won't spoil for you, as I progressed through larger and more challenging maps; and I must say I never knew intergalactic gardening could be quite this treacherous.

The visuals in Eufloria are very dynamic and at first glance are quite breathtaking. No effort was spared into making the game look wonderful start to finish; and it's very nice to see such crisp and colorful imagery in Indie Games. It shows that someone took a lot of time and quite a bit of pride in their work, so well done. Another interesting thing that the visuals brought to light is some pretty stellar programming. Understand that I was playing Eufloria on a rather old laptop, and running it on moderate graphic settings never caused any sort of distortion or FPS drop. For those of you who know all too well what I am talking about, this is certainly a positive thing to understate it a bit.


In my experience, I really only ever notice music in a game if it is quite good or quite bad. Otherwise it just fits in and passes by as ambiance, going largely unnoticed. I am glad to say that in the case of Eufloria, I noticed some very very good music. I was a little iffy when I saw that there a bundle offering the game + soundtrack, which is pretty bold move and show confidence in the game's music. However, once I got into the game, all doubts were stilled by a delightfully trippy groove underlit by a hip hop beat that just didn't stop. I know music like this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it struck a chord with me (no pun intended). In my opinion it is definitely worth the additional five bucks to enjoy the soundtrack with your purchase.

Finally a word on a subject I normally like to discuss up front. The storytelling is perhaps the factor in this game that surprised me the most. The story itself is original enough, rife with nebulous enemies about whom I was learning more little by little; but the delivery was sublime. Just enough new information at any one time to keep me playing to learn more. I can't say it is in the ring with James Joyce's Ulysses, but it was devilishly compelling all the same; enough to keep me playing for quite a while on any given evening.


I suppose it's just about time I put some kind of score on this one and wrapped things up. Problem is, I don't really see much good in numerical scores; but if you must have something, go with this: Outstanding recommendation and Gold Star/10. I had a ton of fun and feel it was more than worth the investment, so give it a go!


http://omnisystems.itch.io/eufloria-hd