I mentioned at the end of last year I was having a shot at playing the Lunar RPGs. So how have things gone with that since?
Disappointingly I'm afraid.
I played Lunar: the Silver Star and made some decent enough progress. I was enjoying this RPG a lot but then I hit a wall: I got to the point where Kyle was supposed to join my party but I could not find the sod anywhere. I looked all over Nanza but I could not find one single trace of him. So, being unable to progress further, I had to abandon playing Lunar: the Silver Star (if I've done something wrong can someone tell me? I want to beat this game dammit!).
Which was shame because I was enjoying the game a lot - I loved the music and was fascinated by the setting where a moon, supporting life, encircled a barren planet (very much the reverse of the Earth and it's Moon).
But I was still keen to check this series out - so I jumped straight into the sequel Lunar: Eternal Blue. A risky move one might think seeing leaving Silver Star incomplete may result in missing something but this series had my interest so I was not prepared to give up on it just yet.
To begin with, things got off to a promising start with this gorgeous intro:
Naked anime chicks aside, I loved the use of music and the art direction in this intro and certainly made a good case to see what lay on the other side.
So I played Eternal Blue and found much to admire: The voice acting was both fun and not calamitously horrific, the battles were great, the grind didn't feel like grind, the music was superb and the anime cinematics were compelling enough. Okay sure I couldn't shake the notion that I'd missed out on something through not completing the first Lunar game but I was still having fun with Eternal Blue nonetheless. And I must give a special mention to Lucia who was both cute and able to cast spells that could decimate the baddies in seconds.
But alack and alas, Eternal Blue ended up being another abandoned game: A software failure kept recurring at a particular point and, much like Silver Star, I was unable to progress any further. Frustrating yes but there's not much I can do about it.
Nevertheless, despite my frustrations (however out of my control) with the Lunar series this is indeed one series I would like to return to future and see if I can complete it. Although both Lunar games have been abandoned, I can say that what I did play of them revealed a personality, epic sweep, superb presentation and a lot of heart gone into it's making.
We will meet again Lunar series, make my words.....
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Hey hey! We're the Monkeys!
Well if you beat Secret of Monkey Island you may has well beat Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge.
Once again, this was a game I was previously aware of but never got around to playing. But even from an outsider's perspective I could see the game itself seemed a lot more darker than it's predecessor. Screenshots revealed a very different character sprite for the protagonist Guybrush and even the box art took a more sinister direction, far removed from the more colorful Monkey Island 1:
I recognized the voodoo doll being made in the likeness of Monkey Island 1 Guybrush but it took me awhile before I realized that that is indeed Monkey Island 2 Guybrush in the background. Obviously from the word go, Monkey Island 2 isn't game that's fucking around.
So I picked up Monkey Island 2 through a sale on Steam (yes I'm on Steam - more on that in a future post) in the form of the Special Edition. I booted it up for the first time, took one look at the revamped graphics and immediately switched it to the classic version.
So what did I think of Monkey Island 2? Well I'm impressed: the game certainly feels bigger and there's a lot of gorgeous environments to explore. The puzzles weren't frustrating - or at least alleviated through the autosave feature. The voice acting (for special edition) is very well done - I particularly enjoyed the very evil voice of LeChuck provided by Earl Boen. The references to Star Wars were also fun too. All in all, Monkey Island 2 certainly looks and acts like a true sequel in taking the original and expanding upon it in various ways.
And there is the ending. Controversial in it's day, that is until the arrival of Monkey Island 3, I'm absolutely perplexed by it. Okay, the effect is softened with the knowledge that Monkey Island 3 exists but, from the perspective of someone who came twenty years too late to the party, the ending itself is abrupt, anticlimactic and downright puzzling. I do indeed feel cheated out of my victory and the thought that it was intended all along doesn't sit well with me.
Grumbling aside, I certainly found a lot to enjoy with Monkey Island 2. Yes I've been playing the best that the Adventure game genre has on offer but I think Monkey Island 2 may be the best of the lot.
So where to next? Monkey Island 3 one would think....
Once again, this was a game I was previously aware of but never got around to playing. But even from an outsider's perspective I could see the game itself seemed a lot more darker than it's predecessor. Screenshots revealed a very different character sprite for the protagonist Guybrush and even the box art took a more sinister direction, far removed from the more colorful Monkey Island 1:
So I picked up Monkey Island 2 through a sale on Steam (yes I'm on Steam - more on that in a future post) in the form of the Special Edition. I booted it up for the first time, took one look at the revamped graphics and immediately switched it to the classic version.
So what did I think of Monkey Island 2? Well I'm impressed: the game certainly feels bigger and there's a lot of gorgeous environments to explore. The puzzles weren't frustrating - or at least alleviated through the autosave feature. The voice acting (for special edition) is very well done - I particularly enjoyed the very evil voice of LeChuck provided by Earl Boen. The references to Star Wars were also fun too. All in all, Monkey Island 2 certainly looks and acts like a true sequel in taking the original and expanding upon it in various ways.
And there is the ending. Controversial in it's day, that is until the arrival of Monkey Island 3, I'm absolutely perplexed by it. Okay, the effect is softened with the knowledge that Monkey Island 3 exists but, from the perspective of someone who came twenty years too late to the party, the ending itself is abrupt, anticlimactic and downright puzzling. I do indeed feel cheated out of my victory and the thought that it was intended all along doesn't sit well with me.
Grumbling aside, I certainly found a lot to enjoy with Monkey Island 2. Yes I've been playing the best that the Adventure game genre has on offer but I think Monkey Island 2 may be the best of the lot.
So where to next? Monkey Island 3 one would think....
Friday, January 25, 2013
Want to know a Secret?
Guess what? Another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame! Yep, Secret of Monkey Island has taken sail!
Seeing as I’ve been playing a lot of point and click adventure games over the past few weeks, playing Secret of Monkey Island was almost inevitable. And how can I avoid it? It’s consistently regarded as one of the kings of the genre and more or less inescapable. Thus it places me in a rather curious position: I’d heard of the Secret of Monkey Island games back in the early nineties but it is only now that I’ve finally gotten around to playing them. Thus I play as a complete newbie and don’t have twenty years of nostalgia to blind me.
So what did I think of it?
Well, my experience playing Secret of Monkey Island can be summed up in the word: fresh. Now I understand humor isn’t easy to pull off in games as the jokes can get old rather quickly but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Twenty three years on and this game is still funny with some laugh-out louds moments. In fact I’m really astonished: It’s not just the great writing but how well it’s lasted through the years since. The absurdity of the games is always razor sharp and never once becomes stale. I particularly enjoyed the climax and, being a newbie, I can see some connections that may have emerged within the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (of course both that and Secret of Monkey Island were inspired by the ride at Disneyland). In fact I’m kinda surprised that considering the humor in this game that they’ve all managed to escape been run into the ground through internet memes (looking at you Portal!).
Indeed, it’s fun to come across something that many of my gaming comrades discovered years before. And having played Secret of Monkey Island, I can see the adoration is justified.
Not much else to say except that I certainly look forward to checking more of this series….
Seeing as I’ve been playing a lot of point and click adventure games over the past few weeks, playing Secret of Monkey Island was almost inevitable. And how can I avoid it? It’s consistently regarded as one of the kings of the genre and more or less inescapable. Thus it places me in a rather curious position: I’d heard of the Secret of Monkey Island games back in the early nineties but it is only now that I’ve finally gotten around to playing them. Thus I play as a complete newbie and don’t have twenty years of nostalgia to blind me.
So what did I think of it?
Well, my experience playing Secret of Monkey Island can be summed up in the word: fresh. Now I understand humor isn’t easy to pull off in games as the jokes can get old rather quickly but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Twenty three years on and this game is still funny with some laugh-out louds moments. In fact I’m really astonished: It’s not just the great writing but how well it’s lasted through the years since. The absurdity of the games is always razor sharp and never once becomes stale. I particularly enjoyed the climax and, being a newbie, I can see some connections that may have emerged within the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (of course both that and Secret of Monkey Island were inspired by the ride at Disneyland). In fact I’m kinda surprised that considering the humor in this game that they’ve all managed to escape been run into the ground through internet memes (looking at you Portal!).
Indeed, it’s fun to come across something that many of my gaming comrades discovered years before. And having played Secret of Monkey Island, I can see the adoration is justified.
Not much else to say except that I certainly look forward to checking more of this series….
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Uncanny Xcom
Another game I had a go at over my Christmas break was Xcom: UFO Defense. Not the recent remake (although I've heard a lot of good things said about it), but the original from way back in 1994.
I recall my high school years, 1994-1997, to be something of a golden age for strategy games. Everyone I knew played Civilization 2, Warcraft, Command and Conquer, Dune 2 and, eventually, Starcraft. Even Syndicate and Heroes of Might and Magic 2 had it's fans. But strangely, I can't recall anyone ever playing Xcom or, as it was known in Europe and Australia, UFO: Enemy Unknown (incidentally now that I think of it I'm not sure if this game was ever released in Australia).
I was only aware of it through being an Amiga owner and even then I thought it had a really bizarre image for the box art:
Still, with absolutely no idea what to expect, I took the plunge and played Xcom: UFO Defense.
And to be honest I was really surprised: This was completely different from the strategy games I'd grown up with. The flow of time could be altered, resources weren't in easy reach and required proper management, solider deaths actually mattered and something was always happening - even if the player wasn't aware of it. It wasn't enough buying soldiers: I had to provide guns and amour as well as engineers to build it and scientists to discover it.
And the combat sections were indeed tense affairs with the aliens suddenly appearing, dreading that every shot might miss and the loss felt when a soldier died (for the record: I kept an Xcom tradition with naming all my soldiers after people I know).
One thing I found tricky was the handling of the income: As I found out, it takes a lot of money to establish a base and fit it out with the necessities required. But, of course, you're expected to have an eye on every location on the glove and if one nation isn't getting the necessary attention - most likely because you're trying get a base going to deal with potential aliens - they will cut their funding. And this will make the task of organizing the defense even more tougher. Indeed, far too often I would find myself sitting on my thumbs wondering what to do and even advancing the time to get to the monthly payout - only to find that something else was already happening beyond my notice.
Still this is indeed game that grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. Sure it may have had it's slow moments but somehow, the accolades of the 'Greatest PC game EVAH' somehow seem justified.
Needless to say, I do feel excited to one day tackle the remake but, I suspect, it won't be for a while yet. Why? Because I'm far too busy playing the original!
I recall my high school years, 1994-1997, to be something of a golden age for strategy games. Everyone I knew played Civilization 2, Warcraft, Command and Conquer, Dune 2 and, eventually, Starcraft. Even Syndicate and Heroes of Might and Magic 2 had it's fans. But strangely, I can't recall anyone ever playing Xcom or, as it was known in Europe and Australia, UFO: Enemy Unknown (incidentally now that I think of it I'm not sure if this game was ever released in Australia).
I was only aware of it through being an Amiga owner and even then I thought it had a really bizarre image for the box art:
Still, with absolutely no idea what to expect, I took the plunge and played Xcom: UFO Defense.
And to be honest I was really surprised: This was completely different from the strategy games I'd grown up with. The flow of time could be altered, resources weren't in easy reach and required proper management, solider deaths actually mattered and something was always happening - even if the player wasn't aware of it. It wasn't enough buying soldiers: I had to provide guns and amour as well as engineers to build it and scientists to discover it.
And the combat sections were indeed tense affairs with the aliens suddenly appearing, dreading that every shot might miss and the loss felt when a soldier died (for the record: I kept an Xcom tradition with naming all my soldiers after people I know).
One thing I found tricky was the handling of the income: As I found out, it takes a lot of money to establish a base and fit it out with the necessities required. But, of course, you're expected to have an eye on every location on the glove and if one nation isn't getting the necessary attention - most likely because you're trying get a base going to deal with potential aliens - they will cut their funding. And this will make the task of organizing the defense even more tougher. Indeed, far too often I would find myself sitting on my thumbs wondering what to do and even advancing the time to get to the monthly payout - only to find that something else was already happening beyond my notice.
Still this is indeed game that grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. Sure it may have had it's slow moments but somehow, the accolades of the 'Greatest PC game EVAH' somehow seem justified.
Needless to say, I do feel excited to one day tackle the remake but, I suspect, it won't be for a while yet. Why? Because I'm far too busy playing the original!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Gotta take a miracle
In recent weeks I've been busy with working on my Hall of Shame. So much so, I felt I'd worked up enough karma points to justfy buying another game.
So what did I get?
And they say there's no such thing as miracles.
So what did I get?
And they say there's no such thing as miracles.
Friday, January 18, 2013
On the Road Again
Recently I had the pleasure of striking another game from my Hall of Shame (they're falling like bowling pins!). This time it was Sam and Max Hit the Road.
Those who've been following my progress on my Hall of Shame would note that I've been playing a lot of adventure games. Nothing wrong with that: Point and Click adventue games is something that has eluded me in the past so it's great to sit down and play through some of them. Now normally, the genre I play the most (at least according to Raptr) are RPGs - and adventure games really come across as something of an antithesis: Whereas RPGs are serious, PaCAs are fun and witty; whereas RPGs are loaded with action, PaCAs don't; whereas RPGs are mostly confined to fantasy/scifi settings, PaCAs are a lot more inventive with their settings. And whereas RPGs demand a lot of hours on the player PaCAs take a much lesser amount of time investment.
And ultimately after playing so many RPG's, playing a PaCA comes across as a breath of fresh air - and it makes me enthusiastic again to play games and jabber on and on about them.
Anywho, about Sam and Max. If anything this game surprised me - but not for the reasons one would think so. You see, looking at the box art of the game, one will notice a Parental Advisory sticker that has been incorporated into the artwork:
Recognizing the image I went in expecting to see crude humour - the likes one would find on South Park - but with Sam and Max this was not the case. (of course now I look more closely at the 'sticker' and find it is indeed a parody).
Of course it would've been obvious to have some crude/offensive humor in a game featuring some goofy looking critters in some bizarre juxtaposition (looking at you Conker's Bad Fur Day!) but again, this was not the case.
What I did get was indeed one of the funniest games I've ever played. There are some real laugh out-loud moments (with particular favorites being the Dinosaur park and the Frog rock) that are egenuinely funny. Now humour is a very tricky aspect to handle in gaming as it can trip and fall on it;s face very easily but that doe snot seem the case with Sam and Max: The humor is genuine and natural and never once feels forced - which in gaming doesn't come as often as one would think. Indeed it could've gone all so wrong, as indicated by the previous paragraph, but it didn't. It sounds like an impossibility but here it worked a treat.
So yeah I really enjoyed Sam and Max - they were lots of fun and bursting with both personality and hilarity (I'm still trying to common-parlance the fact the Sam has the same voice actor who does Disney's Goofy). The world they inhabited was kooky, bizarre and great to get around.
So all in all, this game is another winner for LucasArts. Yes I've been saying that lot with the Adventure games I've been playing but with games boasting quality like this, why would I bother with the rubbish?
Those who've been following my progress on my Hall of Shame would note that I've been playing a lot of adventure games. Nothing wrong with that: Point and Click adventue games is something that has eluded me in the past so it's great to sit down and play through some of them. Now normally, the genre I play the most (at least according to Raptr) are RPGs - and adventure games really come across as something of an antithesis: Whereas RPGs are serious, PaCAs are fun and witty; whereas RPGs are loaded with action, PaCAs don't; whereas RPGs are mostly confined to fantasy/scifi settings, PaCAs are a lot more inventive with their settings. And whereas RPGs demand a lot of hours on the player PaCAs take a much lesser amount of time investment.
And ultimately after playing so many RPG's, playing a PaCA comes across as a breath of fresh air - and it makes me enthusiastic again to play games and jabber on and on about them.
Anywho, about Sam and Max. If anything this game surprised me - but not for the reasons one would think so. You see, looking at the box art of the game, one will notice a Parental Advisory sticker that has been incorporated into the artwork:
Of course it would've been obvious to have some crude/offensive humor in a game featuring some goofy looking critters in some bizarre juxtaposition (looking at you Conker's Bad Fur Day!) but again, this was not the case.
What I did get was indeed one of the funniest games I've ever played. There are some real laugh out-loud moments (with particular favorites being the Dinosaur park and the Frog rock) that are egenuinely funny. Now humour is a very tricky aspect to handle in gaming as it can trip and fall on it;s face very easily but that doe snot seem the case with Sam and Max: The humor is genuine and natural and never once feels forced - which in gaming doesn't come as often as one would think. Indeed it could've gone all so wrong, as indicated by the previous paragraph, but it didn't. It sounds like an impossibility but here it worked a treat.
So yeah I really enjoyed Sam and Max - they were lots of fun and bursting with both personality and hilarity (I'm still trying to common-parlance the fact the Sam has the same voice actor who does Disney's Goofy). The world they inhabited was kooky, bizarre and great to get around.
So all in all, this game is another winner for LucasArts. Yes I've been saying that lot with the Adventure games I've been playing but with games boasting quality like this, why would I bother with the rubbish?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Fit for a King
Another post, another game struck down from my Hall of Shame. Once again, it was something I played over my Christmas break: Kings Quest 6.
Once upon a time, Sierra had a substantial reputation for their Adventure games. They had several series that featured over numerous installments and enjoyed much success during their heyday. I myself never really bothered much with them. Yes I played about two installments of the Leisure Suit Larry (keep in mind I was ten/eleven at the time), and I had seen the first Police Quest being played but was largely unfamiliar with the Sierra adventure games.
In the years since, time has not been kind to the Sierra adventure games with most of them being dismissed for obnoxious difficulty, game-killing puzzles (one slightest slip up and it's game over), cheap deaths and solutions to problems that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Still I was interested to take a look so I may as well try one of the best: King's Quest 6.
Now coming into Kings Quest 6 I had absolutely zero knowledge about the series beforehand - thus leaving me with little idea as to what to expect. And the first thing that struck me about this game was that it was genuine attempt to build a fairy tale within game - something that doesn't happen very often. Okay so the Super Mario and Zelda games may have taken their inspiration from fairy tales whilst Braid and Shadow the Colossus seek to deconstruct them, but for me King's Quest 6 feels genuine in it's attempt to present a prince going around a fantasy world to rescue a princess.
But at the same time, one feels this was trying to deconstruct the fairy tale genre whilst celebrating it. Thus the prince, Alexander, comes across as committed to his quest to the point of tunnel-vision that one starts questioning his mental state. Likewise the princess, Cassima, is revealed to be practical and hardly the type to sit around waiting to be rescued.
In fact a lot has to said for the writing: The characters are well written and likeable, there are some interesting allusions to other fairy tales, the puzzles actually make sense, the humor is well handled (ie the Chess Piece queens) and the climax is actually really exciting.Okay the amount of deaths were stupid but the setting and characters that inhabited it were compelling enough to see me through.
Also, I particularly enjoyed the voice acting - I'm still trying to wrap my head around Alexander being voiced by the same guy with did the Beast from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. And special mention must go to that guy who voices Saladin - He's great!
But I'm not quite sure what to make of the ending theme though ("Girl in the ToWAAAAHHH!!!").
Now considering Sierra's reputation this game didn't cause an epiphany to inspire me to check out more Sierra games. Still, I enjoyed it a lot and its fun to see a genuine fairy tale in gaming - I mean you can't keep shooting zombies forever....
Once upon a time, Sierra had a substantial reputation for their Adventure games. They had several series that featured over numerous installments and enjoyed much success during their heyday. I myself never really bothered much with them. Yes I played about two installments of the Leisure Suit Larry (keep in mind I was ten/eleven at the time), and I had seen the first Police Quest being played but was largely unfamiliar with the Sierra adventure games.
In the years since, time has not been kind to the Sierra adventure games with most of them being dismissed for obnoxious difficulty, game-killing puzzles (one slightest slip up and it's game over), cheap deaths and solutions to problems that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Still I was interested to take a look so I may as well try one of the best: King's Quest 6.
Now coming into Kings Quest 6 I had absolutely zero knowledge about the series beforehand - thus leaving me with little idea as to what to expect. And the first thing that struck me about this game was that it was genuine attempt to build a fairy tale within game - something that doesn't happen very often. Okay so the Super Mario and Zelda games may have taken their inspiration from fairy tales whilst Braid and Shadow the Colossus seek to deconstruct them, but for me King's Quest 6 feels genuine in it's attempt to present a prince going around a fantasy world to rescue a princess.
But at the same time, one feels this was trying to deconstruct the fairy tale genre whilst celebrating it. Thus the prince, Alexander, comes across as committed to his quest to the point of tunnel-vision that one starts questioning his mental state. Likewise the princess, Cassima, is revealed to be practical and hardly the type to sit around waiting to be rescued.
In fact a lot has to said for the writing: The characters are well written and likeable, there are some interesting allusions to other fairy tales, the puzzles actually make sense, the humor is well handled (ie the Chess Piece queens) and the climax is actually really exciting.Okay the amount of deaths were stupid but the setting and characters that inhabited it were compelling enough to see me through.
Also, I particularly enjoyed the voice acting - I'm still trying to wrap my head around Alexander being voiced by the same guy with did the Beast from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. And special mention must go to that guy who voices Saladin - He's great!
But I'm not quite sure what to make of the ending theme though ("Girl in the ToWAAAAHHH!!!").
Now considering Sierra's reputation this game didn't cause an epiphany to inspire me to check out more Sierra games. Still, I enjoyed it a lot and its fun to see a genuine fairy tale in gaming - I mean you can't keep shooting zombies forever....
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