5 Underappreciated Games of 2012

I'm almost a month late with a game of the year post. And really, it seems to be somewhat unanimous what the top five games were with most sites. You are almost guaranteed to see X-Com, Journey, and Walking Dead in that list. I decided to instead make a list of games that I felt deserved some recognition. So here is my top 5 games that I feel were pretty good, but probably not GOTY material.

5.Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier

Intimidation was always one of the factors for me to play a Tom Clancy game. They always felt less gamey and more about strategy with bad controls sprinkled in. At least from my small experience with some older games. But Future Soldier was able to make me finish the game by doing the reverse and making it more gamey and less about strategy. The strategy is still there, but it's far less important. And while the story isn't something I cared to follow and sending your teammates to do everything can make you sail through the game, I still found fun in the different items and weapons available while being able to use them with ease.




4. Gotham City Imposters

Gotham City Imposters has found a lot of comparisons to Team Fortress 2. Perhaps its the way the players run around, maybe how they handle, even how they look. But there is one thing that really makes it stand out to me as a fair Team Fortress 2 type game: I am god-awful at it. I'm lucky to pull off one single kill. Not to say I didn't have fun jumping into the Batman universe in this way, but I stink.Yet, the gadgets and customization of this game really make it what it is not to mention it's a competent and enjoyable shooter. But I think the greatest accomplishment of this game was that it wasn't the pile of crap people were expecting. A first person shooter set in Gotham where you don't play as Batman or the Joker, but normal people playing on their "sides"? I don't think anyone expected this game to be any good, but it proved them all wrong.



3. Final Fantasy XIII-2

This might be where you decide to ignore everything I post. Yes. I was a fan of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Hell, I was a fan of FF XIII. And while the sequel isn't quite the lengthy tutorial the first game is, it still has it's faults. The story is about as convoluted as one can expect in a Final Fantasy game, there's still a linearity to it that the creators don't seem to understand what the fans really want, and a chunk of the characters make you cringe; but the gem of this game is the battle system. Whereas past FF games were slow paced, the recent additions have sped everything up while making it more strategic with your paradigm shifts and just more engaging in general. Add in my 90's fascination with "collecting them all Pokemon-style" nostalgia that forced me to run through the world and find the best monsters to add to my battles, and this became one of the favorite games of the year.


2. Binary Domain

I loved Binary Domain more than Gears of War. There. I said it. I didn't think I would, nor did I think I would find a game that would ever leave my lips as a game you should play. But going in expecting to find a barely functional Gears of War clone, I was pleasantly surprised to say I found a really good Gears of War clone. But instead of creatures, replace them with robots that are more fun to shoot with characters that have more personality and humor. For the most part at least. Plus, they have a French robot. But if that's not enough, perhaps you should know there is actually a story worth experiencing and it gets completely bat shit crazy near the end. It doesn't make much sense, but how much of video games actually make any sense? I wasn't expecting it (nor would anyone more than likely), but what a reveal. And while it set up for a sequel, lack of sales would suggest this will be the last time you'll see this game.


1. Asura's Wrath

I was hesitant to put this game on the list. Every outlet seems to have someone on staff who adores this game, but in the end, it doesn't quite reach the top 10 of game of the year status. Which is understandable since the gameplay moments boil down to mediocre third person fighting, some rail shooting, and quick time events. This game should be written off as a game. But ignore the first two, because they are not good, and focus on the quick time events. They work. They provide a sense of importance that no other game does. So when Asura is having a finger the size of a continent come down on his head, that quick time event is something you want to do because you feel connected in the fight with Asura. Which brings me to the story, the real reason to play this game. It's nothing new. A godlike being who has the love of his life taken from him by other gods, so he seeks revenge. But it's the incredible art style, the amazing voice work, the sheer lunacy that happens in the story, and even to an extent the quick time events; everything adds up to make Asura's Wrath a game that should have been full of cliche's, but instead stands as a game that I had the most fun with this year. No other game even comes close to how eager I was to finish this game. Which sadly, I haven't. If only because the real ending of the game is behind paid DLC. And that is the worst thing about this game.

A Baby Boy and Handheld Gaming

Back in August, my wife and I had our first child. A baby boy. He has been one of the greatest additions in my life and I have no regrets. Less money, less sleep, less personal time, less time with the wife....as much as I enjoy all of them, he has brought a joy to my life I didn't know existed.

But at the same time, he has been a bane to my gaming hobby.

You see, my boy has a sixth sense. Instead of seeing ghosts, he has an uncanny ability to know when I'm playing video games. It doesn't matter if he's awake or asleep. I can't get in more than 15 minutes or so of gaming before he starts in with his crying. I don't know how he does it. And while I know my wife could take over completely for a few hours, I also don't want to feel like I'm pawning off my kid to her so I can shoot some people on Borderlands 2. Which by the way, I just made it through the game two weeks ago after playing it since release day. That's how much he has held me back from gaming.

However, I have found a savior to my gaming. Handhelds. I still don't get a lot of time in with them, but it's far easier to play with one hand using my 3DS than it is my PS3 controller. I can sit down and play with it while we watch cartoons, and don't even ask how much time I've put into it while sitting on the pot. I finally have a need for a handheld system that I haven't needed since I was in middle school. I still can't play it while we drive to the grocery store since I tend to be the chauffeur for everyone, but I have found myself putting more time into games like Pushmo, VVVVV, and more recently The World Ends With You. Which by the way, the three of those games are AMAZING.

So what's the point of this post? Well, since I haven't made one since September, part of it was just to show this blog isn't completely dead. As if anyone really reads it in the first place. The second was to tell those current and future parents out there that gaming isn't dead once a child comes into your life. Yes, console games can be a tad more difficult to work into your day. As much as I used to play to midnight or 1am while my wife was asleep, this little man wears me out. I'm lucky to make it past 10pm now. But I do wake up early on the weekends and get a few hours in each day, but otherwise, it has fallen by the wayside.

Handhelds are fantastic for not only kids, but for parents too. Don't dismiss them. I have never fully appreciated my handhelds the way I do now. The games are never as flashy as console games, but there are plenty of great games that I have played that I never would have had my lil man not been born. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. Vita, DS, 3DS, doesn't matter. Despite what people say, there are games out there on all systems (the Vita gets picked on for it's games, but that's a future post...) and many are worth experiencing. While I don't get the itch to play it when I have my console available, I find myself using it while I'm cooking dinner, rocking the baby to sleep, going to the bathroom, and if the wife reads in bed on her Kindle, I can play my 3DS.

But the third reason I made this post...to post pictures of the kid. How can I not? Just look at him! His cuteness makes me melt.

Mario Villain Shakeup

Mario has traversed the Mushroom Kingdom quite a few times, but it seems to fall back to a similar plot each time. Peach is kidnapped, Mario fights his way through 8 worlds only to find Bowser in the last castle with Peach hanging from a cage completely helpless. Tried and true, and a storyline nobody seems to criticize Nintendo for milking beyond it's worth.

So how do you provide some sort of shakeup to the Mario universe? Well, the easiest would be to provide a different villain of course. Most of the spin-off games have done so whether it be Smithy from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Tatanga from Super Mario Land, or even the lame Princess Shroob from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Is it impossible for Bowser to be knocked from the antagonist to no role at all in a main Mario game?

I think there are several characters that Nintendo can use that would allow for them to keep a familiar formula, but shock players when they reveal the new villain at the end. Here are some characters I wouldn't mind seeing replace Bowser:

Donkey Kong

Perhaps everyone forgot a particular game from the arcades featuring a monkey who kidnapped a woman and decided to wreak havoc on a known plumber using barrels? Well, that wasn't Donkey Kong. No, that honor would go to his father/grandfather (games conflicted with what his relationship was exactly) Cranky Kong. And while the original Donkey Kong arcade game wouldn't provide a good enough motivator for Donkey Kong to seek his revenge on Mario, the followup game does. In Donkey Kong Jr., Mario kidnaps Cranky and locks him in a cage and whips creatures at Donkey Kong Jr. to impede his rescue. Even though his revenge hasn't been sought out in the main continuity, he has done everything in his power to get back at Mario through karting and tennis matches...

Shadow Mario

Super Mario Sunshine gets a bad rap. Yes the overall idea was pretty stupid in which you jump around different world and clean up goo, but it was enough of a departure to provide an interesting take on Mario and his platforming. But I became most fascinated with the game when you notice a creepy Mario jumping around painting the world with gunk. And while the reveal of what Shadow Mario really was disappointed me and led me to more questions about potential Bowser relationships, the idea of a dark world-esque Mario hit a soft spot in my heart. He has since found a way to be incorporated into Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D Land, but not as the main force against Mario and minor differences to distinguish each version. Shadow Mario could be the Bizarro villain that Mario needs, but I guess they feel they already have that with Wario...another underutilized enemy....

Bowser Jr.'s....uh...whatever?

I really wish Nintendo would clear up everything with Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings. It was first thought that the Koopalings were his children, then his nephews, then some clones that had some extra splice to differentiate them. Then Bowser Jr. makes an appearance into the fiction and causes even more confusion. Which poses the question, what is his relationship to Bowser? If there is some creepy turtle mama out there that got the dirty on with Bowser, I would like to potentially see who that is. I see that turning out horrifically bad, so they could go the other route of him being a clone. Now, while Bowsers dark magic was able to cause the Mushroom Kingdom to be Mario's playland of killing innocent Toads and eating them (a much forgotten plot from the manual of the original game), he could have had some sort of scientist help create Bowser Jr. And in doing so, have a potential bad guy in the likes of Dr. Wily or Dr. Robotnik for the Mushroom Kingdom. Not my favorite idea, but it's still some sort of change...

Pauline

The original "princess" who wasn't really a princess. Pauline was the first love of Mario and the female who had no luck with monkeys. While she has made appearances since the Donkey Kong arcade game, she hasn't quite hit the same importance that Peach or Daisy have had. So what could possibly make her rotten against Mario? How about Mario being a "playa" who leaves Pauline for Princess Peach causing some jealous animosity between these characters. What if Pauline, who is still smitten for this world-renown kingdom-saving plumber, decides that she wants that attention back and the only way for her to get it is to remove the princess from the equation? There is absolutely no chance Nintendo would go the psycho bitch route with Pauline, but it's the one option that I'm somehow proud with coming up with.

Yoshi

Mario has put Yoshi through some shit. Not only does he donkey punch Yoshi on a regular basis, he does so to force Yoshi to eat various creatures in some awful carnivorous eating behaviors. I do believe Yoshi may very well be an herbivore as he doesn't mind eating the plants around his home. There's no creatures there, so clearly that's what they eat. But Mario don't care. He will continue smacking Yoshi on the top of the head to eat Spinies that Lakitu tosses down, he'll casually cast Yoshi off to his doom knowing there's another Yoshi egg around the corner, and force Yoshi to swim although we know he's a terrible swimmer and will die if Mario hops off. There are no characters in the Mario continuity that are treated as poorly as Yoshi. And with his fellow colorful brethren, he has the potential to overthrow (and eat) the entire Mushroom Kingdom to earn respect. And I would love seeing every moment of it.



I somehow doubt Nintendo would put any beloved characters in the villain status of a future Mario game, but there are so many choices to make it not only interesting but a huge change of pace. I'm tired of Bowser. I want someone new to make Mario's life a living hell, because he's kind of a dick. And these characters would be my choice to add some more life to the head rogue gallery of Mario.

Wii U? More like...Pii U!!!

Sorry, but the title was so dumb I had to put it. It in no way speaks for my personal beliefs on the console as they are still up in the air until I see more about it. I just found it so stupid that it made me chuckle.

So that's it. The Wii U has come to light more now than ever before. What once was shrouded in mystery is now revealed, or at least, most of it is. After Nintendo's conference last Thursday, the console has now impressed or shunned the audience at hand with both great news and less than stellar news. Here is a quick roundup of both news and my personal thoughts.

 1. The Release Date: November 18th

It is coming. Less than a week before Black Friday, Nintendo will drop the Wii U into the hands of gamers who pre-ordered the system months ahead of time. Because that's probably the only chance of getting one come November 18th as it'll take a page out of the Wii book and sell out instantly. Best of luck folks.

2. The Price: $299.99 - $349.99

There you have it. The price of the new console that we have all been curious about since the announcement back at E3 2011. Nintendo decides to go with two different versions. The first is the $299.99 Basic set which includes the staples that you should expect. A white Wii U (8 GB internal storage) with GamePad, AC adapters, an HDMI cable and a Wii Sensor Bar.

The second set would be the Premium or Deluxe version which also has the items from the Basic Set, but the Wii U itself will be black and have 32 GB of internal storage, a copy of it's mini-game bundle Nintendo Land, a stand and charging cradle for the GamePad, a stand for the Wii U, and a "Deluxe Digital Promotion" that seems to act like similar to Nintendo Club rewards in a way. When you purchase content through the eShop, you receive points that can be used on other things later.

3. The Game Lineup

The Wii U will have an explosion of games coming out within it's launch window which features more than 50 titles. Now, that launch window is a tad wide, so expect these to launch anywhere from November 18th - March 2013. While some aren't that exciting as they have released on other consoles such as Darksiders 2, Madden 13, Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City (Armored Edition); the Wii U does have more games that other consoles won't have such as the Premium/Deluxe set game Nintendo Land, Pikmin 3, Game & Wario, New Super Mario Bros. Wii U, and the most surprising, Bayonetta 2.

Also, whereas the Wii had games no higher than $49.99, the Wii U will continue the tradition set by other consoles and have them start at $59.99.

Backwards compatibility doesn't seem to be a worry as they have confirmed that both disc and digital versions of Wii games will be playable using the Wii U. However, Gamecube games will not be as fortunate, so don't expect to be able to pop in a disc of Super Mario Sunshine and play it come November 18th.

You can find the full list of launch games HERE at Joystiq.com

4. Controllers and Accessories

Other than the previously mentioned items such as the stands for the GamePad and console, the charging cradle for the GamePad, and sensor bar; the Wii U will also allow for gamers to use Nunchuks and Wii Remotes (w/Plus) as well. On top of that, they are also offering a new controller, that looks vaguely familiar to another controller from a different console, at a cost of $50 called the Pro Controller.

The GamePad themselves will not be sold separately at this time for reasons unknown. Some have speculated it's because of the potential cost (conversion from Japan price would have it at $170) and would turn away some consumers. Of all the rumors, that seems the most plausible.

The storage can also be expanded using SD memory cards or USB hard disk drives.

5. TVii

Shocking news. Wii U will support the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, and more. The biggest difference is that it is a feature that allows the GamePad to be used to watch these programs, but it also allows for TiVo as long as you have the necessary box that allows TiVo. Regardless of what cable or dish company you may use, Nintendo has confirmed that all in the US will support TVii and that it will be available come launch.

My Thoughts

So all in all, quite a bit of news and reveals for this console. But...somewhat underwhelming. With the console itself barely better than the PS3 or 360, it's hard to say that this will have the stopping power to hold up to the next consoles when they release.

While many have praised the quality of the GamePad, only having one makes me wonder what kind of couch co-op games I can play where one person has more options than other players. And when Nintendo won't announce a specific price for the GamePad, and not having any extra available, it should raise a red flag as to how they are approaching it. They just recently announced that replacing them if broken will have a "fee", but didn't comment on that price even.

Having TVii isn't that big of a deal as using a controller is hardly a pain to get through different apps like Netflix or Hulu, but perhaps I would need on hand experience to understand that fascination some have with it.

The game list is as expected. Lots of games I either don't really care about or have already played on a different console. Expecting gamers to jump at the chance to play an older game again seems absurd, but they do turn it around by having some nice additions such as ZombiU, Rayman Legends, and again (the one I would look forward to the most) Bayonetta 2. It shows they are trying to reach out to the hardcore fans, but at the same time, keep it's own player base. Regardless, the problem is that there is no wallet-wrencher of a game that will have players foaming at the mouth to purchase a new console. While the game list doesn't look bad, it just isn't solid enough to justify a purchase, especially with a launch window as large as this one.

Lastly...the price. $300-$350 seems like quite a bit for a console that many developers have said is just barely more powerful than what is already out there. It appears a chunk of that may come from the GamePad itself, it's also a deterrent when the sweet spot for most gamers will be around $250. Nintendo may have a similar road ahead with the Wii U that they did with the 3DS, and a potential price drop may happen the following year. But seeing that this is their next big console, I have a feeling that they will make a stand at keep it at that price for a while. And considering how many pre-orders have been made through Gamestop, I think they won't have to worry about sales for quite some time.

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale: My Want List

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale is scheduled to ship to stores on November 20th here in the United States. Even though it faces a tough release schedule falling in the same month that Black Ops 2, Hitman: Absolution, Halo 4 and Resident Evil 6 all hit; I have been eagerly anticipating this game to play as some of my favorite characters in gaming. While it is clearly a rip-off of that Nintendo game that comes to every one's mind, it's the character list that seems to attract the most talk and attention of gamers.

While the roster list has more than likely been finalized, the following is a list of characters I think could be worthy additions to the game.

1. Raziel (Legacy of Kain)

 
 The Legacy of Kain series has been ignored and almost forgotten by most people, despite having one of the best looking video game character designs in Raziel. His overall moves are simple hack and slash, but being able to use the Soul Reaver and telekinetic blasts are other pluses that could be added to his move list. Also, being able to suck the soul out of Fat Princess would be quite satisfying.


2. Dart (Legend of Dragoon)

Legend of Dragoon came out to what felt like positive reviews, but over the years has received quite a bit of harsh criticism. One of which was the battle system that, like a rhythm game, relied on precise button presses at the right times to have the move extended. Take out the button combos, leave in the Dragoon transformation, and you have a great character ready for this game.


3. Vincent (Final Fantasy VII)

That's right, Vincent. Not Cloud, not Sephiroth, hell, not even Tifa. Vincent. The coolest looking character in Final Fantasy VII that I feel would suit the game best. He would have both ranged and close combat attacks, but the best reason for his inclusion would be his Limit Break transformations. Hard to deny that they would work well for the Super attacks in the game. Plus, I'm tired of Cloud and Sephiroth.


4. Spyro (The Legend of Spyro)

When you think of Playstation characters, two should come to mind immediately. Spyro should be one of those two. With the resurgence of Spyro in the Skylanders game, it feels like not only the right addition to the game, but an almost necessary one at that. While older gamers are familiar with the character, the younger Skylanders crowd would possibly help boost sales with this lovable purple dragon on the cover. Anyway, how do you not love Spyro?


5. Crash Bandicoot

Speaking of characters that should be synonymous with Playstation, Crash Bandicoot should (and rumored to) be included in Battle Royale. But I don't want the Naughty Dog version of Crash. They already have one character in the game. No, I want commercial Crash Bandicoot. Have him skydive, use a megaphone, whatever is necessary to make his character fun and interesting. If they include game Crash, I want commercial Crash as an alternate costume. Let me see that human face!


6. Nemesis (Resident Evil 3)

Nemesis is sort of the Cloud/Sephiroth of Resident Evil. He may not be the best character the series has, but he's quite well known and I feel would fit better than other villains. He has a sort of distinctive look that isn't pure mutation, plus...rocket launcher. I would much rather see Nemesis in the game not only because he was my first Resident Evil experience, but also because I don't know how a character like Chris or Jill would be fun in a game like Battle Royale.


7. Vahn (Legend of Legaia)

Yet another character from a game that has "Legend" in the title. Vahn isn't the most well known character, however he would have specific button combos that would make some fighting gamers blush. Include Super moves that feature the monsters he could summon using Meta and he could turn into one of the more different, and fun, characters in the game.


8. Ezio (Assassins Creed 2)

 I believe it's just a matter of time, but thanks to the minor exclusivity agreements Ubisoft has with Sony, Ezio from Assassins Creed would seem like a shoe-in for this game. Despite not being able to easily counter attacks in this game, having the assassin use his various arsenal in the game and call for help would make him a viable threat to other characters.


9. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

When the roster announcements came out, I don't think Lara Croft crossed anyone's mind. But she had a huge role in Sony's success thanks to her numerous games. I don't recall her being an amazing fighter in the game (as I could never finish them), she does have other items to inflict damage. As long as she doesn't moan in pain that would cause fanboy hatred to flood the Internet, she should be okay.


10. Kevin Butler

Easily the best character this game could include. He could be the man who "only does everything" by copying the moves of other characters in the game. Or if that wasn't enough, use Sony branded products at his disposal like the PS Eye or PS Move. The utter ridiculousness and the possibilities that could stem from his character being in the game are unfathomable, and for that, I hope to god Superbot adds him at least as DLC. But, I doubt it would ever be as good as what we envision him to be...




As of now, the roster looks like this (after leaked information):

• Big Daddy (Bioshock)
• Colonel Radec (Killzone)
• Dante (DMC)
• Evil Cole (Infamous)
• Fat Princess (Fat Princess
• Good Cole (Infamous)
• Heihachi (Tekken)
• Jak (Jak & Daxter)
• Nariko (Heavenly Sword)
• Nathan Drake (Uncharted)
• Parappa the Rapper (Parappa the Rapper)
• Raiden (Metal Gear Solid)
• Ratchet (Ratchet and Clank)
• Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet)
• Sir Daniel Fortesque (Medievil)
• Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper)
• Spike (Ape Escape)
• Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal)
• Toro (Sony Macot)

Two characters have still not been shown, but there's no reason to believe at this point that the list isn't accurate. However, with the characters I have stated above, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale could be the game to give Super Smash Bro's a run for it's money. But it has to take itself less seriously, inject more fun and crazy into the formula, and add more characters that has helped define the Playstation brand in the past 18 years.

Video Game Easter Eggs

While this list would be better suited come April, a podcast brought the idea of video game Easter eggs up in my head to do this before it would escape my memory. Easter eggs are common in both video games and TV/film, and upon seeing them can either be groan inducing or something that causes you to point at the screen and applaud the inclusion of said Easter egg. Here is a list of Easter eggs that I, although not having experienced them all, was the most interested in hearing about:




Adventure - Warren Robinett

While it's nothing spectacular, it gets nods as the original video game Easter egg. Now whether or not this is true, this secret room that says "Created by: Warren Robinett" is credited as the first. In a game where you play as a dot escaping from a duck looking dragon (the original Pokemon?), I guess this could have been seen as a cool bonus. But at this point in gaming, its kind of...well...whatever?





Portal - The Cake May Not Have Been A Lie

We all know the meme. The cake is a lie. Thanks to the amazing experience of Portal, that has been hammered into the heads of gamers since it's release. However, after escaping from the test chambers, there's a screen with scrolling yellow text. Upon looking at it carefully and overlooking the computer gibberish, you can find a recipe for a Black Forest cake with ingredients hidden in it.

Super Mario Bros - Minus World

While I'm not sure if it should be considered an Easter egg instead of a glitch, it's something I would slap myself for not including as the mythical Minus World in the original Super Mario Bros. Many strive to see this level in which you swim, and swim, and swim but only few would actually see. At least, until later on when it became common knowledge of getting there in World 1-2 after jumping backwards while crouched and going down a pipe. Not the greatest Easter egg, because games where you swim are rarely fun.





Grand Theft Auto: No Easter Egg

The people at Rockstar do love their Easter eggs. So much so that they will actually include an Easter egg...as an Easter egg. This however is probably my favorite. The image says it all.





Halo: Combat Evolved - MEGG

Some people try to immortalize their love for one another by taking pictures, recording videos, writing poems, etc. In the case of Jamie Griesemer, a level designer for Halo: Combat Evolved, he decided to add the love of his life, Meg Pallor, into the game. In doing so, it caused frustration to Halo players as a damn near impossible Easter egg to reach. But in doing so, you get to see a bloody heart with a bullet-hole letter M in the middle of it. Unfortunately, after seeing this, you are treated to a gruesome death at the hands of some Invulnerable Marines. Was it worth it?





Super Mario RPG - Link, Samus, and F-Zero

Super Mario RPG broke away from the normal platforming that made the Mario games great and went a different route in an RPG game. It worked, and worked well. While the Final Fantasy influence from Culex will usually be mentioned first, Nintendo also wanted to include some of their own franchises to the mix with nice nods. Thus, you can find both Samus and Link taking naps in the game (Samus in Peach's castle and Link in Rose Town) and F-Zero model cars in Hinopio's shop. Some may say Smash Bros was the game to bring it all together, but...

Just Cause 2 - Lost

Remember Just Cause 2? That game you ran around and blew things up because the story was completely forgettable? Well, this is one of those reasons it's such a great game. While I could have posted the mechanical shark or the beached whale, instead the game gets it's due with the island from Lost. Approach it with a plane and watch it get shot down. Escape before it blows and witness the weather change and see strange stuff on the island. Besides a plane wreckage with an SOS type message, there is also a chance to run into a monster of sorts...





Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - The End

Hideo Kojima thinks outside the box. That was evident enough in Metal Gear Solid especially during the Psycho Mantis fight. He does a similar thing here with the villain The End in Snake Eater but in a slightly different way. See, The End is a pain in the ass. For an old man, he is fast and sneaky and caused much more frustration with me than I thought possible. Had I known there were two other methods to beat him, I would have been fine. One included sniping him from afar when you see him at the warehouse, or the more Kojima way, save during the battle and turning the system off. When you come back a week later or move your date settings forward a week, The End will have died of old age during battle. I applaud you Kojima.





Batman: Arkham Asylum - Arkham City

Rocksteady sure knows how to hide them. Before Arkham City was ever announced, they had an Easter egg hidden in Arkham Asylum hinting at what a sequel would entail. While most collapsible walls were shown in detective vision, one room in particular didn't. This is a secret room in the Mansion that Batman has to use the explosive gel on three times before it will be discovered. On the wall is a poster showing a Arkham stamp over part of Gotham City. With Rocksteady saying the biggest secret in Arkham City hasn't been discovered yet, it makes me wonder what that could possibly be and when we will find it...





Saints Row 2 - I don't want to see those Easter eggs...

The craziness in Saints Row 3 isn't completely out of nowhere. If you want to put a little effort getting to a specific location, you can see a giant bunny rise out of the water. I'm not sure exactly what it's purpose is, but Saints Row 3 did follow up on it as they have the captured bunny on a boat in the game as well.




There are a ton of Easter eggs in games, some somewhat lame, others really cool and interesting. I've always had an interest in these as they are fun to find especially if they are more off-the-wall once you see them. I hope developers continue to add these to their game, because they are nice to find and talk about with other players not to mention extend the longevity of the game trying to discover them.

REVIEW: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

I love Final Fantasy. My first experience was with Final Fantasy 7 for the Playstation shortly after it's release. No game prior to that, for the most part, blended in cinematics with storytelling that well in a graphically stunning way that it had. While most of it doesn't particularly hold up well to today's standards, it holds the soft spot in my heart as my favorite Final Fantasy game. And with the much criticized XIII and XIII-2, every game that has Final Fantasy in the title causes people to pause before jumping to any potential conclusions.

Theatrhythm, a title I have to slowly type out and proofread, brought Final Fantasy into the rhythm genre while mixing in the familiar RPG elements in a surprisingly pleasant way. It has the same elements most rhythm games on the DS have as you use the bottom screen of the DS to do the tapping to the music while actions occur on the top screen. It adds more to the gameplay by including many characters from the Final Fantasy franchise along with songs from said Final Fantasy's and allows players to level up the characters making them stronger. Equipping items and moves can change the outcome of the sequence getting further into it and rewarding you with items.

The end goal of the game is to collect as much Rhythmia as possible, which acts as a kind of currency in the game. You don't buy anything, but the amount of Rhythmia you receive also dictates the unlockable characters and songs you can receive. It's not difficult to to accumulate, but it's a grind to have enough to unlock everything.

You start the game selecting the four characters you want to take with you in the series. There are two characters per Final Fantasy game, including the FFXI MMO (but shockingly, not XIV....) They appear as doll-like Chibi models that make me think the kid from Limbo would look like this if that game had light. You can equip them with items such as potions or gear to boost stats, but everything is a one-time use item. It's not a big deal as you gain more of the same quite easily during your playthroughs. As the characters level up, you will notice the normal stats like HP, speed, attack, defense, etc all rise. A stat like Agility speeds up the character allowing you to witness more in a level and HP allows for more mistakes before it's game over. The next question is what Final Fantasy game you want to journey through. Each features music from that game (1-13) and a boost in Rhythmia is given if you have a member in your party from that game. Not something to concern yourself over.

The game has three different type of sequences you play through. The first is a Field Sequence which shows your character traversing the landscape of the selected Final Fantasy. During this, the character will move from left to right as notes approach the right side of the screen. The notes indicate how the player should react by either swiping a specific direction, tapping on the screen, or holding the stylus down and move based on the connected dots on the top screen. At the end of the level, if you reach it, a different character will give you a gift.

The second sequence is an Event sequence, which plays out part of the story (usually cut scenes in later Final Fantasy games) and like the Field sequence, you either tap the screen, hold it down, or swipe. You don't really do anything different here, and instead of seeing your character on the top screen, you are treated to a nice little "movie" consisting of scenes from the Final Fantasy game you selected.

The third, and my favorite, sequence is Battle. Like the name implies, your party of four sit on one side of the screen in classic Final Fantasy battle setup and fight enemies. You deal damage based on your timed accuracy of the previous methods. While the gameplay itself is still the same, I enjoy seeing my characters deal damage based on how well I do. The enemies you fight will occasionally die and be replaced by a new enemy. I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to them as they appear to be randomized. My first time playing FF7's Battle sequence, I fought the One-Winged Angel Sephiroth himself as the third or fourth enemy. Hadn't seen him on later playthroughs.

Each sequence also has what is called a "Feature Zone" which causes different actions on the screen to occur. In the Field sequence, you will jump on a Chocobo and the notes will turn gold. The Event sequence will extend the length of the song and change a different color as well, and finally the Battle sequence summons a monster. I've only seen Ifrit, Shiva, and Odin, but Ramuh and Bahamut are summons as well. Each Feature Zone provides more points which ultimately lead to increased Rhythmia.

There is also a introduction and ending screen in which music notes circle around and touch a crystal. You gain Rhythmia here by tapping the stylus as the notes hit the crystal. It's a simple way to receive Rhythmia, but I simply didn't care enough to sit there and do it. These screens also do a poor job explaining the story of the selected Final Fantasy game, but since this is a game that the devout Final Fantasy player would play, there's a good chance they already know the story.

Sadly, that's the gist of what the game is. You can increase the difficulty of it in the Challenge mode and select what songs you want to play, but what you do in them is the exact same thing. The other mode is the Chaos Shrine which has a field sequence followed by a battle sequence with 99 possible level formations. It poses more difficulty and has the possibility for different boss characters in the battle sequence which yields better and rarer rewards, and is something you can streetpass other Theatrhythm players.

The song selection in the game is nothing to scoff at with over 70 songs playable and more downloadable songs coming. The DLC songs provide the biggest laugh with Type-0 and Versus, two games that haven't been released yet, each having one song while the MMO Final Fantasy XIV is nowhere to be seen. But you can expect to find many fan favorites on here such as "One-Winged Angel", "Battle with the Four Fiends", and many main themes.

Overall, it's hard to recommend this game to just anybody. I'm not the biggest rhythm game fan as I find them quick to please, but hard to retain. Speeding up the game and adding more notes doesn't make me want to go back and replay them, and that's the only thing the game really does. The RPG elements are there, but don't sustain my interest as I don't want to slog through yet another field sequence for Final Fantasy X to level up my characters to get 5 seconds further into a song and grind for hours on end to unlock Kain from Final Fantasy IV. It's hard not to love the song selection, especially as a Final Fantasy fan, but you need to ask whether or not rhythm games are for you. If you don't particularly enjoy them, a Final Fantasy one isn't going to engulf you for more than a few hours. But if you love them, then Final Fantasy adds enough to keep you wanting more.