Heading for the Slopes!

Just a brief post to say that there won’t be any updates for a while as I’m embarking on another Snowboarding trip soon. This time I’m off to Winter Park, Colorado, USA and I can’t wait to hit the slopes!

Also, I found out yesterday from a colleague that the site hasn't been displaying correctly on Internet Explorer since Wednesday. This has now been fixed and I'll have to ensure I check the site with other browsers more often. Apologies!

I’ll be posting as usual upon my return and I’ve a few improvements planned for Consolation Prize which I didn’t want to implement before the trip. Until then, whatever game you're playing, have fun!

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N+ Leaves a Positive Impression

This weeks Xbox Live release for 800 MS points is N+, a game that stays true to the “game play over graphics” philosophy and looking beyond its minimalist art design there lies a highly entertaining action puzzle platform game.

The game is split into fifty odd episodes with each episode split into five levels. The aim is simple, guide the ninja to the exit in as little time as possible before the time runs out while avoiding any hazards. At the start of each episode you’re allocated 90 seconds and the remaining time is carried over from level to level. However each level is littered with gold which can be collected to increase your time.

Depending on the level there could be a number of hazards standing in the way of your ninja and the exit. Some are passive that effect the level like doors, trapdoors and launch pads, while others such as homing missile turrets, laser drones, and gauss turrets will have a very detrimental effect on the ninja’s life expectancy. Death at some point is inevitable, but luckily you have an infinite number of lives until the timer runs.

Each level gets progressively more difficult and you have to rely not only on your reflexes but also some grey matter to figure out the best path to the exit. It’s addictively compelling stuff, something simple yet very playable.

N+ has a retro feel to it. Not only do the simple graphics feel like they could have originated from a decade ago, but the choice of music and text font all solidify that feeling. To some this brave style choice may be a bit too bland but I applaud the minimalist approach to the design and in this case less is certainly more.

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DS Games for a Journey

My DS has been crying out for some attention. It’s been sitting unloved and feeling shunned next to the PSP for the last few months waiting for the chance to shine. Well, that opportunity has appeared as I’ve an upcoming trip planned which presents the perfect opportunity to get some DS gaming done while travelling. In preparation for the journey I’ve been messing around with a few games over the last few days.

Metroid Prime Pinball

This is a great pinball game which makes fantastic use of the Metroid license. As soon as the game starts up you know you’re in for a treat as you’re greeted with a familiar musical theme. The feel of the game is spot on with tables based upon different levels such as Talon Overworld, and Phazon Mines and feature some quite diverse objectives such as Burrower Bash and Space Pirate Panic which when successfully completed award Chozo Artifacts. The aim is to collect 12 artifacts in total to advance to the final tables.

Age of Empires: The Age of Kings

I’m working my way through the Joan of Arc tutorial campaign at present but what I’ve played so far is quite good. It’s a turn based strategy game with a variety of units (infantry, cavalry, ranged, and siege) but also includes some building and resource management as-well as technological advances for both units and buildings. Some of the unit models aren’t that great to look at and it can be quite difficult to differentiate units when they’re clumped together on neighbouring squares but the game-play is solid.

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan

It’s quite a few years old now but I’ve only just got around to playing this rhythm game from Japan that spawned the westernised Elite Beat Agents. The gameplay is simplicity itself and finds you as a member of an elite cheerleading squad helping out various characters by tapping away or tracing a path on the DS touch screen in time to the music. I must admit my understanding of the Japanese language is limited to a few verbal phases but it’s easy enough to get the gist of each characters scenario when it's shown via a series of comic strip style panels on the top screen. The J-pop music is also quite catchy and the stories haven’t yet failed to bring a smile to my face.

There's some great DS games out there and I still want to check out Professor Layton and the Curious Village and Advance Wars: Dark Conflict but this small selection should keep the boredom at bay.

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Commanders: Attack of the Genos

The second game to hit Xbox Live Arcade this week, Commanders: Attack of the Genos is a turn based strategy game based in an alternate history. In this timeline the secrets of the atom have been discovered by the start of the 20th Century and by the mid 1920’s the human genome has been cracked and a genetically enhanced race, the Genos have been created. Unfortunately racial division soon arises and the Genos are forced to flee and after a number of years eventually retaliate and attack.

On a basic gameplay level this is an Advance Wars clone, albeit using a 3D engine rather than a top down sprite based approach. The mechanics of the game are very similar with both movement and attack handled using an underlying grid based system and a selection of unit types available to command which have inherent strengths and weaknesses against other unit types. For example scouts are strong versus infantry but weak against anti-armour units.

Unlike Advance Wars however each unit has a number of action points which can be spent on movement and attack rather than just a fixed movement allowance followed by an attack. This should give a bit of flexibility as you could time your movement to allow a couple of attacks or alternatively forgo an attack altogether to move further during a turn, but in reality this means you have to constantly check the number of action points remaining and in this sense it loses some of the fluidity of movement that Advance Wars has mastered.

Commanders: Attack of the Genos looks quite good, the landscape isn’t particularly interesting, it's functional at best, but the 1930’s art deco style of units and buildings is nicely done and makes a change. The story unfolds using 2D static character portraits with the obligatory speech bubbles when characters converse and although they would seem to be in contradiction to the 3D game engine they work quite well, it's just a shame the portraits are a bit bland and aren't more interesting to look at.

Although Commanders: Attack of the Genos isn't on a par with the the game it pays homage too, I found the trial game to be entertaining and it's good to see another turn based strategy appear on Xbox Live. The full version costs 800 MS points to download and features 15 campaign missions and support for off-line and on-line multiplayer.

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Discs of Tron

Tron. I remember the movie fondly from my youth, mainly because of the amazing (for the time) special effects and the game related theme. I’ve not watched the movie since as there’s no doubt my rose tinted spectacles would be shattered in an instant.

This little trip back down memory lane brings us onto one of the weeks Xbox Live Arcade releases, a port of the original arcade game Discs of Tron, released back in 1983.

The game is based in an isometric view of the arena, the player character Tron is closest and the opponent Sark is at the far end, both players are perched on disc shaped platforms. The aim is simple, throw discs at Sark whilst avoiding any thrown back in return, and defeat him by either knocking him off the platform or hitting him twice.

The left joystick controls player movement and the right controls an aiming reticle shown on the arena walls. The aiming controls however feel a bit hit and miss and are not sensitive enough for precision aiming and you will frequently find the need to correct your aim. Up-to three discs can be thrown at a time which can be ricocheted off the arena walls rather than being thrown in a straight line allowing you to create an attack spread which is more likely to catch Sark off guard.

There’s not much more to the game really. It’s a fairly straightforward affair with the arenas getting more complex as you advance and it kind of reminds me of futuristic game of squash but with deadly consequences. The trial version of the game looks OK but sounds pretty dire with only the occasional splash of music or sound effect.

I can imagine that this game would have ridden on the crest of a wave of the films popularity but once you take the film out of the equation there isn't a huge amount here that will appeal to the modern gamer.

The trial game lets you try out the first couple of single player arenas whilst the full version offers enhanced graphics and multiplayer for 400 MS points.

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Devil May Cry 4 Price Injustice

Last Friday saw the release of Devil May Cry 4 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in the UK. I was intending to treat my PS3 to a new game as I feared it had been neglected for far too long and DMC4 seemed the perfect choice. I'd tried out the demo on both formats and although the differences seemed hardly perceptible the controls on the PS3 version felt a bit more responsive.

Alas, the decision on which version to pick was already made for me as the price difference between the two versions was unacceptable, and I certainly wasn’t willing to pay 10 GBP more for the privilege of playing the game on the PS3.

The price of games between the two formats is usually very comparable, and I can't remember seeing any significant difference before. Thankfully I have the luxury of being able to pick and choose as I see fit, but I can imagine there are a few PS3 owners out there that are feeling both frustrated and annoyed with the price inequality. I sincerely hope this is a one off occurrence and not a sign of things to come for the PS3 just because it's doing well in Europe.

I’m only about three hours into Devil May Cry 4 so far and overall I’m enjoying the game. There are a few niggles here and there, mainly to do with the camera angle, but I was expecting as much from the demo. The gameplay is solid and the cut-scenes have been great, even if they’re completely over the top, but they’re worth viewing at least the once.

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A New Domain!

Just a quick note to say that Consolation Prize has now moved onto its own domain address rather than using a “blogspot” address. I’m still using Blogger for hosting at present but I’ll hope to move away from that in the future.

The transition was painless enough to complete but I apologise if I’ve caused any problems while implementing the changeover. I’m also hoping to move onto a new layout in the next few weeks and so apologies in advance for any problems caused.

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